Our Saturday in Words

Yesterday, Saturday the 27th, was a great day!  I really want to share it with you, but as the title suggests I have to do it with words.  I could absolutely kick myself for not taking the camera to all of our fun events yesterday.  Every time Andrew and I were driving to our next destination I would, all of a sudden, blurt out, "OH NO, I forgot the camera."  I will do my best to paint the picture of a lovely afternoon with family and friends.

The morning was completely normal, with sleeping in, Henry waking up with a big smile for mommy and daddy and Charlie wanting more attention than we could give him.  Have I introduced Charlie yet?  He is our one year old Cockapoo that is fun, sweet, awnry, mischievous, everything a puppy should be.  (Literally, as I was writing this last sentence I had to stop and get a roll of toilet paper away from Charlie before it was all shredded into little pieces, good times).  Anyway, the morning was pretty normal.  Henry and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby to try and find him a candy holder for Halloween, but came up empty handed.

We got back, picked up Andrew and drove to the west side for a family luncheon.  First we had to stop at Carter's since I'm rarely on the west side and I had an outfit to exchange.  Believe it or not they had a little pumpkin candy holder, so I got that and a couple stocking stuffers for Henry.  I have had the hardest time trying to figure out what a six month old needs for Christmas.  I finished my shopping then we headed to Outback Steakhouse to celebrate a couple months worth of birthdays with the Stiffler family.  We decided to combine birthdays for September and October, so Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Janet, Kim and Andrew all had their birthday lunch yesterday and we were hooked up with some yummy desserts!  It was nice catching up with family and always fun to see people's reactions at how Henry has grown and changed.  Oh, I forgot to tell you that Henry was in his Halloween costume all day yesterday.  He is the cutest little Charlie Brown (including the black marks I put on his head with my eyeliner).  I will definitely post pictures of him on Halloween, since we will just be in our neighborhood and at home, it will be hard to forget the camera.

We finished lunch and rushed home to let Charlie out before we had to head out again.  I was so tired I really wanted to take a nap, but there was no time.  We head back out west to the 13th and Maize area to the At the Well open house, a church that one of Andrew's good friends Mike Gaddie is the pastor of.  We had a great time seeing people we hadn't seen in a long time and checking out the building that they have turned into a great place to worship.  We had a family photo taken (the only picture from the day) and thought about giving Henry a horse ride, but decided it would be more fun when he is older.  We stayed a lot longer than we had planned, but couldn't seem to tear ourselves away.  By the time we did leave I was wide awake and didn't even have the thought of a nap in my head.  Oh, as we were driving out of the parking lot Pastor Gaddie was walking towards the grassy area with a wet suit, flippers and a t-shirt on, apparently the kids were going to throw water balloons at him, crazy!

After we left the church we headed over to our friends, the Foster's, home for the annual pumpkin carving extravaganza.  We always have a good time catching up with friends, eating good food and of course watching the kids and their parents carve pumpkins.  This year was a little different though because we are parents and felt that Henry needed his own pumpkin.  Well, I think it started off that way, but by the end of the night Andrew really got into the pumpkin carving and made a beautiful glider carved pumpkin, I think it's for Henry, but who really knows?  It was a lot of fun having a kid at the event this year, even if he couldn't do anything, I could actually participate in the "mother" conversations and for the most part new what everyone was talking about.  Then Henry and I sat around the fire and watched the other kids roast marshmallows for their s'mores, oohed and ahhed over the other pumpkins, watched Samantha Foster wrestle a boy to the ground and then take down Andrew as well and then we loaded up and traveled home, all exhausted and ready for bed.

It's already so much fun to create all of these memories with a little one.  I can't imagine how much more exciting it will be when he really knows what is going on.  Thanks for reading my pictures in words blog today!  Until next time...

Flight Home from Indiana

 This is the last part of our trip to Indiana, but it was so spectacular I wanted to share it with everyone.  Henry did amazing on this leg of the trip.  We decided to try just putting his silicone earplugs in to see if that made him a little more comfortable and he seemed to be happy.

The first time we flew it was at night and the second time we flew it was only about twenty minutes and he slept the whole time.  This time it was a beautiful evening sky and he was able to look around and really see where he was.  He decided to give Dad some instruction on how to fly the plane and then make sure Mom knew what she was doing as a passenger.

One of the great things about flying with Henry instead of driving is being able to take him out of his carseat.  He could stretch a little, play, eat and then when he got tired he went back in the carseat.  I was even able to change him on the seat. I'm sure that will go over well with the flying club.

We had the most beautiful sky I've ever seen flying home.  Nothing but clouds below us and an amazing sunset.  Andrew took this opportunity to "play" a little and we were given clearance to move around between 4,000 and 6,000 feet for about ten minutes.  We got closer to the clouds and were able to skim the tops of them.  It was like a rollercoaster ride, but more freeing and exhilerating.  I know the thought of this makes some of you cringe, but I don't know when I have had more fun in a little airplane.  Henry didn't know what was going on, but he didn't seem to mind.  I can't wait for more family memories with our little traveler.  This is officially the end of our trip to Indiana (and obviously we made it safely home.)

The Hilly Hundred

This title is going to be a little deceiving because I don't have any pictures of the Hilly Hundred, but this is why we flew to Indiana this past weekend in the first place.  The Hilly Hundred is a one hundred mile bike ride, split into two days, starting in Ellettsville, IN.  It is a beautiful area with Fall colors in every direction.  Andrew and David Eaton planned this race a while back and even though Andrew had rotator cuff surgery and his doctor, physical therapist and wife thought is was a bad idea he was determined to go.  In the end, I'm so glad that we ended up taking the trip.  

While the boys were out riding I got to hang out with David's awesome wife, Megan and their three amazing little girls Ellie, Abby and Sophia.    

The Eaton family

Henry is two months older than Sophia, so they were fast friends.  We put them on the floor next to each.  I'm so proud of Henry, he figured out how to present his arm to Sophia.  I don't know if there were any sparks yet, but Andrew and I have decided that we are okay with him marrying any of the Eaton girls.

In this picture, we put them in front of each other and they actually "talked" to each other for a little bit.  It was pretty cute.  I think in another year they will be running around together and, if the first four months is any indication, Henry won't stop talking to Sophia!

Ellie and Abby are so much fun!  They are great big sisters to Sophia and so smart.  We played with dominoes (most of the time building an outlet mall), puzzles, we colored, there was an endless amount of entertainment with these two.  

I wish I would have taken a picture of Megan and I with the four kids getting in and out of the car.  By the end of the trip we were pros, but the first couple of times made for some entertainment. Especially putting either Henry or Sophia in the car base through the back.  I'm just glad we didn't drop anybody!

As we were getting ready to leave we were all taking pictures and the boys decided the best picture would be for us to face the sun.  Well, I have really sensitive eyes and I just couldn't do it.  I got tickled and all of the photos of me look a little ridiculous, but Megan is amazing and was able to keep her eyes open and take all great pictures.  Maybe someday she will teach me how to do that.

We had such a great time staying with the Eaton Family!  Everybody got some much needed bonding time and we learned that having three kids is going to be so much fun!

Grandma and Grandad's House

As you could see in the previous blog Henry took his first flight.  He did really well and our destination made the experience even better, Grandma and Grandad's House!!  We all had a wonderful, relaxing time and found out just how spoiled Henry is going to be.  As you can imagine, he was "starved" for attention.  Grandma loved to read him books, play on the playmat, sing to him and just do anything to make him happy.  Grandad loved to make funny faces, encouraged him to put his feet in his mouth and played with him whenever he got the chance.  

For the first day and a half, at least, I was the only one who had seen Henry roll over.  Andrew hadn't even seen him do it at home.  I'm pretty sure no one believed that he had actually done it.  So we would lay down next to him or put toys to his side so he would try to roll toward whatever would entice him.  We also said things like, "come on Henry, you can do it" as if he could really understand what we were saying.  Finally, Sally saw him roll over too so everyone knew I was telling the truth.  He can roll from his back to his front now, and does so quite often.

Andrew and I took Henry for a walk in his awesome City Mini Stroller.  It was so beautiful most of the time we were there.  The leaves are changing and it is beautiful Fall weather.  However, when we decided to take the picture below, it was sprinkling and very chilly, so everything happened very quickly.  Henry and Andrew were troopers to let me get some pictures by the beautiful Fall tree (that you can't see but is next to Henry, I promise) and then we quickly went back inside to warm up.

 Grandma and Grandad brought Henry a Duffy bear from Disney World.  We had a fun photo session of them together with Henry trying to eat Duffy most of the time.

 I took Henry's Halloween costume, Charlie Brown, with us to Indiana so he could show Grandma and Grandad.  We couldn't stop taking photos of him, so cute!!

So, most of the weekend was about Henry, but Sally and I did get a chance to go shopping.  Of course we went by Carters to get something for Henry, although when we got there he basically had another wardrobe waiting for him (thanks for the awesome clothes Grandma, Grandad and Aunt Becky!!) but you can never have too many clothes.  Then we went to Nordstroms to do a little girl shopping.  We both got very comfortable jeans that make our butts look awesome!! It was a shopping trip I have needed for quite a while.  Thanks, Sally!

We had a wonderful time and can't wait to be back in a few weeks for Henry's first Thanksgiving!!

Henry's First Flight

On October 16th we set off on a family adventure.  Henry's first ride in a small plane, Cessna 206.  This first shot shows how much crap it takes for a two adults and a four month old to go to Indiana for five days.  (Andrew also wants me to mention he managed to fit his bike in the plane as well, for a reason I will blog about later.)  

Andrew took all of the stuff to the plane while I parked the car and Henry and I got locked out.  Here we are waiting for someone to let us in the gate so we can get in the plane.

We finally made it back to the plane where Andrew puts Henry safely in behind the pilot seat.

We decided to put silicone ear plugs in his ear and then put the headset on top of that, he wasn't crazy about those big things, but we made it work.

Andrew started the airplane, that is what the picture shows below.  We taxi out to the runway and after a few minutes Andrew says something is wrong and we have to head back to the hangar.

It turned out the airplane's alternator was broken. Andrew took off to and find a new plane for us to travel in because the weather did not look good for the following day.  While Henry and I are in the plane I am trying to entertain him with books (which he is surprisingly attentive to).

Andrew found a new plane and here we are switching the crap load of bags (including a bike) from one plane to another.  Andrew had to take the sixth seat out of our second plane, so Henry and I moved the bags.

The second plane worked for us and we managed to make it to Indiana by 11:00pm.  Henry did well for the most part.  It was nice that I could take him out of the carseat in the plane.  He slept a little on me, but he was in his carseat as we landed safely in Indiana.  The picture below shows him  about ten seconds after we took off, he was out cold!
  

What do you DO all day?



So, every now and then I get the question, "What do you do all day?"  I was prepared for this question, but as so many stay at home moms know, it's not that easy to answer.  I thought I would give you the start of my day and then the rest will have to be a mystery (or just think laundry, laundry, cooking, then more laundry). 

 

I found this amazing group called Strollers in Motion.  It's all part of a program designed by Tonya Wells at www.mommymovementfitness.com. On Mondays we meet at College Hill Park to do our workout.  It's so great to be able to take Henry with me every day. 

 

The first picture shows our leader, Julia, reading to the kids while all of the moms are doing their push-ups and tricep dips.  We sing songs like "the Itsy Bitsy Spider" "Row Row Row Your Boat" and many other kids songs to keep the kids entertained.  We count by ones forward and backward and sometimes by tens, I'm sure Henry will be joining in any day now.  

 

 

For the first part of the class Henry usually sleeps.  He has a very comfortable BOB jogging stroller with a BundleMe blanket.  I put his little hat on him and he is good to go.  It usually falls down and covers his eyes like in the picture below, but he doesn't seem to mind.

When everyone finishes their arm workout we grab our strollers and take off.  Sometimes we run forwards, sometimes backwards, sometimes sideways and there are always a lot of lunges.  We are quite a sight running around the park with all of our strollers.

We head to the tennis courts to do more arm work while the kids play with bubbles and have another story read to them.  We all agreed these crab crawls were easier in elementary school!

Henry wakes up and joins the party by the end of class and then we are off to the park to play!

At the end of each class the kids get to play on the playground while we work on our abs.  It's a great workout all around and so much fun to hang out with all of these ladies!

 

I hope this answers your question "What do you DO all day?" 



Prairie Fire Wichita Marathon

 

 This morning Henry, Charlie, Grammy (my mom) and I went down town to cheer on all of the amazing athletes running the full and half marathon in Wichita.  Andrew had to work, but last year this was our first big outing with Charlie (not realizing that I was already pregnant with our little guy).  It's amazing to think that just a year ago our lives were very different and yet, this year everything seems that much more exciting and fulfilling.

Grammy is keeping Henry warm.  I love how chubby his cheeks look in this photo.

 

 Our friend Scott Foster was coming around the corner at around the 23 mile marker and had enough energy to make a funny face for the camera.  Way to run Scott!

Henry's first fever

I am taking Henry's temperature with the ear thermometer. 

Henry got his four month shots yesterday and last time he was a little cranky, but other than that he was fine.  This time he got a fever.  I don't know if you remember the first time your baby got a fever or if it was just recently, but I was barely able to put him down in his crib last night, I just wanted to hold him so I knew he was okay.  He didn't scream much at all, he just had this pathetic little whiny cry, like a puppy wimpering, until he fell asleep.  I think  watching him like this might have been more painful for me than when I am not feeling well. 

Yesterday the fever was 100, which I know isn't too bad. The doctor's office told me not to call unless is reached 103 (between you and me if it had reached 100.5 I was going to call, why would I wait until it is soooo high?).  Andrew, ever the voice of reason, assures me that he is fine, convinces me to put him in his own bed and then consoles me as I try to fall asleep.  God bless my patient husband.  He had a really good night sleep and had even less of a fever this morning, but he is still warm and I can tell he just doesn't feel good.  We took a nap together and he ate well, so there's nothing to be worried about (I'm of course writing this to convince myself of that) but I still want him to feel 100%. 

Below are pictures of him being his adorable self, yes, he is sporting a lime green cloth diaper.  Those little dots on his thigh are the bruises from the shots.  I seem to mind more than he does.  Maybe he gets that personality trait from his father. 

Henry is talking/cooing.

 

Peanut is Here!

Well, as most of you who read this know, I had my little "Peanut" on June 5, 2012.  Henry is an amazing little boy who has brought me more joy than I could have ever hoped for.  I'm not going to try to catch up with the last year, but instead pick up where Andrew and I are in our lives and keep moving forward.  We are officially Plus One, yea!!!

 

My good friend, Nicole, who is probably the only one reading this, makes blogging look so easy and since most people think I just sit at home and watch Henry sleep anyway (Jeremy), I thought I would try to stay a little more updated. 

 

So, Henry was born on a Tuesday. I was in labor for 12 hours, we got to the hospital around 12:30pm and at 4:18pm our beautiful baby boy was born. He weighed 6lbs 8oz and was 18 1/2 in long.  We were total first time parents the night we brought him home, but we have gradually gotten better.  He started sleeping through the night around 2 months, it's nothing we did, just blessed I guess.  He is so happy and is really starting to show his personality.

 

Henry and I work out with a Mommy Movement group in the mornings and then take care of the house, organize, nap and run errands in the afternoon.  Occasionally there is time to do fun things with friends, like go to the zoo or grab a bite to eat.  I work at Caldwell Elementary on Wednesday afternoons and my mom watches him.  She keeps trying to get me to work more, but this is the perfect amount for now.  Andrew is doing amazing with his job.  He was promoted to Test Pilot and will be lead pilot on one of Cessna's new airplanes in January.  He tore his rotator cuff this summer, but is slowly getting back on his bike and swimming as much as his arm will allow. 

 

So, that kind of brings us to today.  Henry went in for his four month checkup, which as any parent knows, involves shots and is probably more traumatic for the parents then the child.  He was a little under weight at 12lbs. 9oz. but he is long at 25in.  Overall, he is a very healthy, happy little boy.  He can hold his head up when he's sitting and when he's on his tummy.  He smiles and we have had a couple giggles out of him, LOVED that moment!  He takes his shots like a champ.  They hurt at the time, but by the time the nurse leaves he's ready for whatever comes next (eating usually). 

 

Here are some pictures from the hospital and then through the summer up umtil last week.

 

                                    

We are so blessed to have his amazing little boy in our lives.  He is so loved by all of his grandparents, aunts, uncles, all family members and especially his parents.  Hopefully the next time I write he won't be going off the school.  We'll see...