It's an Andrus Thing.....

Prayers and Pronunciations

2011-04-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

Just this week Dane wanted to say prayers all by himself. He was extremely successful his first time which was at dinner on Wednesday. Since then, he's wanted to say his own at each meal and does so very reverently but at bedtime....it's another story. No way, you say? See for yourself! I guess it doesn't help that my phone camera was in plain view.

Tonight as we came out of the grocery store Dane was so in awe at the bright moon in the dark sky.

Dane: "I see da moon!"

Me: "You do? Where is it?"

Dane: "Right dere!" (pointing at the moon)

Me: "That's right Dane. What else do you see?"

Dane: "I see a star, right dere, in da window!"

Let's be honest here, when it really comes down to it, the sky really is just a huge gigantic window, right? :)

My boys grow up way to quickly. I was just talking to a friend the other day about how when our kids are young and pronounce their "R"s and "L"s like "W"s, we work so hard with them to pronounce them correctly. But when they finally get it, those precious unique-to-them pronunciations and sweet little kid lisps are gone...forever. So I'm not stressing the correct "L" as much as I used to. I'm not correcting these words either cause they're my absolute favorite right now:

Cade- Movehicle (vehicle)

Example: "Okay Dad, you be the red movehicle and I'll be the blue one."

Dane- Dinosaurus (in case you're scratching your head, it's dinosaur :)

Example: I point to a dinosaur in a book and ask him what it is, to which he responds... "a dinosaurus!" To Dane, every dinosaur is a dinosaurus. :)

I love these messy faces to pieces!!!

Christmas in April with Alvin and the Chipmunks and 3-11

2011-04-05T21:50:00.001-07:00

My Mr. Cade is a hilarious chap. I really love the stage that he's in right now, minus the talking back. ;)

While making lunch today, I had the boys play in their room together so I could have a little peace and quiet. Sigh. Those quiet moments are few and far between over here -- as I'm sure they are in your house if you have small children -- so I took my sweet time.

Cade (loudly from behind his closed bedroom door): "mom, I'm hungry. Is lunch ready yet?"

Me: "not yet, buddy." (downloading music albums to my iPod, instead of making lunch.)

Cade: "but I'm REALLY hungry!"

Feeding my kids is probably more important than downloading 3-11's song Amber, a new smooth groovy favorite of mine. But I did it anyway. Then I made lunch. And you know what? It always works out in the end because we listened to Amber while we munched down on PB&J sammies! Delicious to the ears AND the tummies!

But WHILE I was downloading instead of doing my motherly duties, I overheard Cade singing in his room. The thought crossed my mind to run down there and record the sound through the door crack but I thought it better to get his cute little face on tape as well!

So here's the same song I heard earlier, Christmas Don't Be Late. It's pretty much the same great version and SO Cade! Just imagine he's Alvin from Alvin and the Chipmunks while he sings -- they're his new favorite group! :)

Another cute conversation with Cade from today, his birthday is coming up in May.

Me: "what do you want for your birthday Cade?"

Cade: "a scooter, my own iPad, my own computer, and one of those big cars that you ride in from Toys R Us."

Me: "is that all?"

I love this kid. :)

Homemade, re-purposed Babylegs!

2011-03-09T15:03:00.000-08:00

I just busted out 4 pairs of babylegs made from adult knee-high socks!! Talk about an EASY sewing project and so cute, right?

My local thrift store has a variety of ladies socks to choose from but it's RARE to find argyle or stripes in masculine colors in either of the men's or women's section. First 3 on the left are girly and will be gifts to a few special people BUT the black and white stripes are for Dane! Love them!!!

Welcome back Brynne and Sewing Happiness!

2011-03-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

So I've been away from the blogging world for a LONG time and I've been feeling guilty ever since. I email with a great friend regularly (well, we try, right Michelle? :) and I've been talking about a few things I've been up to, like cloth diapering and re-purposing fabric items into reusable items.

It's been really fun. I've had a few late nights (well, early mornings--2, 3, and 5:30am) on occasion but it's been well worth it and so thrifty!

Michelle, you asked for a few pictures so here are a few teasers--more to come of some clothing I've made for the boys and I'll post as I sew!

1. bread bag for my loaves of homemade bread instead of using plastic ziplocks or cloth towel. Fits first loaf while second is in freezer, waiting to be eaten. :)

2. to-g0 wet bag (for inside my bag) for diaper changes while I'm out and about with Dane. Squirrel bag shows it's just the right size for 1-2 gdiapers. :) I appliquéd the squirrel on the front with teal stitch around to match teal and green pull ribbon.

3. another to-go wet bag--love the owl print!

4. a large wet bag for full load of dirty cloth diapers, awaiting a wash in the washing machine.

5. 2 pair of cloth swim diapers re-purposed from infant-sized swim shorts. I found these tricky to make sure I didn't cut too much off the outside short to give enough coverage over the bum. This light blue aloha print fits great. the second one fits more like the cut of a mini man-bikini on Dane, Oops!! :) But I LOVE the print of the second one.

Well, there you have a few of my crafts. I have plenty more to blog but a few are gifts to blog readers so I'll wait to post pics of those until the gifts have been given.

It's been fun to be creative and improve the skills of a hobby I enjoy so I don't see this "sewing kick" ending any time soon! :)

p.s. I still owe myself and you readers (few as you are) a good post -chalk full of pictures- on my first-ever full marathon from October! Look for that soon!

Columbia Gorge Marathon 2010

2010-09-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

As of today, I am running the Columbia Gorge Marathon on October 24th, 2010. It is quite possible that this will be my first AND last marathon but we shall see. The race website describes this particular marathon like this..

"Experience one of the country's most spectacular and breathtaking marathons. Begin your run on the banks of the Columbia River, wind your way up and through the Columbia River Gorge on the old scenic highway.....past waterfalls, amazing vistas and colorful fall foliage."

I really am looking forward to it. Okay, correction... I am as excited as anyone can really be about running 26.2 miles consecutively, mainly to see what my body is capable of, not because I'll enjoy the torture.

I was on-course to running the Portland Marathon on the 10th of October, 10/10/2010, the coolest date this year but missed the registration cutoff. The marathon is on October 10th and the marathon participant numbers met it's quota by July, and the half marathon filled in JANUARY!!! Seriously people, WHO signs up months and months in advance?!! Anyway, totally bummed about missing out on this marathon, I looked online for ANYTHING close that was still to come. The only marathon I found left this year was Seattle's but it takes place 5 hours away and on Thanksgiving weekend so that was out. I realized that this isn't my last chance ever to run one so made the decision to call it quits for the year and try again next year, although I did have 14 weeks of training completed that would go completely wasted and I was really bummed about that.

At this time of forced resignation because of full registration, I was experiencing a lot of pain deep under my left patella (knee cap) and down throughout my fibula and tibia (lower leg bones) that really concerned me. I thought about what could be causing it and realized I had been in serious training since March of this year without true recovery so I had my answer. If I had health insurance, I would go in for an xray to check for hairline fractures but do not have coverage. I then made the public announcement that I was out for the marathon this year and decided to take a 2 week recovery from running.

So how did I end up in the Columbia Gorge marathon? During my 2 weeks off, every time I saw anyone running (and that's A LOT of people, EVERYDAY here in Eugene Oregon, home to Nike and Steve Prefontaine), I missed it so much and ached to be running again. I know what you non-runners are thinking..."she's crazy!!!" but I really did miss it. So this week, after 2 weeks off, I started back up again, pushing Dane in the BOB for an hour on Monday, running hills for 8 miles on Tuesday, then again pushing Dane in the BOB for 50 mins today and guess what? NO PAIN!! :) And my endurance is still there too! I was so relieved. I had read something about the Columbia Gorge Marathon online a few weeks back and looked into it. It's their 2nd anual run, so I knew there was room for many runners, even those who sign up closer to last minute like me. The pictures looked amazingly beautiful! Being up in the Gorge, it will be a HUGE challenge with all those hills, running on the old highway passes up the mountains but it will be the most scenic and beautiful run I'll ever run, as the fall season sets in with the crisp cool air and the breath-taking colored leaves on the trees. So I signed up today.

Am I crazy?? We shall see. I'll let you all know after I run 26.2 miles. I'll be able to buy one of those stickers that says "26.2" and sport in on my car, or water bottle or something. Nothing wrong with that right? I'll have earned the right to brag a little!

Wish me luck!

Dane can count!

2010-08-23T15:26:00.000-07:00

At 20 months, Dane started counting!! We'd be busy playing around the house and we could hear him rambling off numbers in order to himself. So I started counting with him one day and this is an example (video taken maybe a week or so later) of what I got! We breed genuis children over here! ;) Enjoy!

2010-06-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

Why choose failure when success is an option.

--Jillian Michaels

10 Miler and....the flu

2010-04-12T20:00:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the big Pear Blossom 10 Mile race my sister and I have been training for for 2 months. We, along with my mom, drove down to the Medford/Grants Pass area on Friday to stay with my grandparents in Grants Pass, have a nice visit with my Grandma Mimi and Aunt Lisa, and enjoy the Pear Blossom festivities in Medford on Saturday. It was a girls trip that was very much enjoyed.

Before the race

As for our race, we did very well. 10 miles (1h 39min) doesn't seem so long when you're running and chatting with a buddy! :) It was partially cloudy/sunny with NO wind...the perfect weather in my opinion! The race was pretty well organized and included miles on beautiful back country roads. My mom and grandparents met us at the finish line and took a picture (but on my sister's camera so I don't have it right now). We both felt great during the whole race but were glad it was finally over.

We quickly changed back at the car and then walked the downtown streets of Medford to enjoy the food sampling, see the craft booths, and watch the parade. No offense to those of you reading this that are from Medford but it was the lamest parade I have ever seen. The highlight for me was the skateboarding slice of pizza...."Who likes pizza?!" A nearby park also had live music, concessions and craft booths we walked around. We had to have walked a total of 3-4 hours that day and my 84 year old grandma and 90 year old grandpa skipped right in step. They are truly amazing!

Back to Grants Pass we went for naps, dinner, and then a movie. Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast, watched a movie, and then headed for home. I really enjoyed the conversation on our drives there and back. It's nice to get to spend so much time alone with my sister and mom. I sure do love them!

But oh dear, guess what was waiting to welcome me home? Of course my husband and two adoring boys. but also.....stomach flu, an unwelcome guest. Yeah, it's true. We've got the sickies around here. Well, they do anyway. I'm sure after cleaning up puke all Sunday night, cuddling with my sick Dane-boy late into the night, then taking care of sick Aaron and Cade all day today, not to mention changing 7 runny diapers from Dane....I'm bound to get it too, right? I keep praying that I won't though. I need to be healthy to take care of everyone else, to keep this house up and running...I can't get sick. I can't get sick. I can't get sick.........

So that's us today. I will keep Cade home from school again tomorrow which will be 2 missed days in 2 weeks and that's 50% of his days since he goes only twice a week. It's so hard when he misses school because I pay full price for the month. What can I do? sigh.

Here's to kicking this flu, me escaping it....and to a better second half of the week.

Today for Cade

2010-04-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

My first born son.....this Cade is quite a boy! He's polite, energetic, thoughtful, silly, smart, sweet, and so much more!!! He's at a really fun stage right now.....creative, theatrical, inventive in his play and he makes me laugh pretty much all the time. He plays well alone but would rather have a buddy (me, Dane, dad, or anyone else who'll play) to play with. Right now, it's his cousin Jackson...I'll have to remember to snap a picture or two of them! Since they're playing so well together, I get a little break from playing and what do I do with my break time? Well today, I thought I'd take the chance to update about Cade.

We've had a little eye drama for a week in our house. Not sure where it came from but first Dane got goopy swollen eyes and could not sleep. 4 days later, Cade's right eye puffs up and gets the same green goopiness. Dane's was never really red inside so the doc said it wasn't pink eye but Cade's has been pretty swollen, goopy, and very red. It didn't seem to bug him until yesterday after waking from a nap, his eye was gooped shut, and he cried all afternoon because of stinging. So we filled the backup prescription the doctor had given us for Dane (before Cade ever got it) and I've been treating Cade's with this medicine. It's looking much better but for sure not all gone. Isn't he looking a bit Quasimodo-ish?? :)

Last week, our stake held it's Pinewood Derby races so I took Cade to watch. The track went basically the whole length of the gym, there were checkered flags everywhere, and they even had a camera and timed sensor at the finish line which immediately told us which cars placed in what placement and their finishing times. The host spoke by microphone and also played some pretty cool car sound effects to give the impression that we were maybe watching the Piston Cup race in California! Needless to say, Cade was in race car heaven!! It was a fun thing to witness his face light up with pure joy! Here he is, sitting with buddy Zachary, awaiting the next heat.

What's springtime without a trip to visit the Easter Bunny? And when I say that, I mean the freakishly large one in full furry costume at the mall, not this one in his room. Although, I could understand if you were a little confused....with the ears and those 2 front teeth... :)

Cade really loves Dane. He loves to hug and kiss him. He also helps him walk, or shares his toys. And he sometimes wants to wrestle....although he hasn't learned how to do it gently yet. Dane only lasts for a few seconds before crying and running to mommy for safety. In the sequence of pictures I took, this is the third one...only 2 before Dane's on the floor and crying for mercy. We're working on it....

Ahh......peace and quiet. Nothing quite like when he's asleep. :)

Cars and trains. Cars and trains. Cars and trains. At this moment, it's a pretty broken down model car he accumulated from Grandpa's stash. It doesn't even look like a car but he loves it just the same.

I love this Mr. Cade of mine!!!

Today's about Dane

2010-04-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

This Dane-boy of mine....he's really something else! :)

Most days he's really easy going, happy-always smiling, and just really content to go along with wherever the day takes him. Most days, for real! :) And I'm so grateful for that! Some days though are tougher for him than others...it's usually when he's sick, or hungry, or tired, or.....put in the grass when he doesn't like the grass....

Easter eggs were cool but the grass he couldn't handle. This pic taken before the crying started. :) And because of the crying, I spent my time holding him instead of getting cute pictures. But this one's pretty cute!

He has a shoe obsession and has started young....16 months young to be exact. He sees how mommy and Cade slip their feet into slip-on shoes so he's giving it a try too. A week ago he liked brother's Crocs (below picture). Yesterday.....mommy's slippers.

One night I found him like this....makes me nervous to see a blanket wrapped all around my baby's face like that.

I took a picture before fixing it only because at the same time, I found his feet like this too..... Pretty strange but pretty funny too!

He's learning to eat with utensils. He's 16 months old. Not sure if this is early, late, or right on time but I feel like he's growing up way too fast!!! I started him on the spoon with applesauce and yogurt. And now he's working on eating cereal out of a bowl! It's pretty messy but sure fun to watch! :) He likes using a fork too because he's figured out that when he pokes his food, it sticks to the prongs and usually ends up in his mouth! YUM!

One of his favorite places in the house.....my office-type drawer. It's where I keep scissors, tape, pens, glue, post-it's, etc...I can't get a baby lock on it so have removed all things dangerous since I can't keep him out. Everything ends up on the kitchen floor at least 4 times a day but I can't stand to keep him from enjoying such a simple pleasure. Have at it Dane, it's all yours!!!! :)

And last but not least, proof of his cute happiness!!! :)

Today was all about Dane. Tomorrow, we'll give some blogging love to Cade. In the meantime, happy sunny Wednesday!!

It's about time right??

2010-03-26T10:57:00.001-07:00

Wow, it's been a LONG time since I've posted anything. Every day I say to myself to just post something so I don't get further and further behind. But every day comes and goes and I'd rather play outside with my boys or chat on facebook (a guilty pleasure) or even clean my house. Whah??? Yeah, cleaning. But today I decided to get something more important done....documenting our lives.

I need to be better at it and after an enrichment night at church where I was asked to share something about how my mom kept a journal for all 5 kids from birth to 18 years.....I'm feeling a little behind (and a total failure) to say the least. I just have to remind myself that I can do this. I'm not perfect at it and will never be. But I can do it!

Enjoy some updates!

We have a walker!!

2010-03-26T10:17:00.000-07:00

Dane's been walking for about 3 weeks now, a 15 month milestone. At the time this video was recorded, he was still a bit wobbly and preferred crawling over walking but now at 16 months, he's all walker. And he's getting pretty fast. He'll be running before we know it!

Little prayers

2010-03-26T10:12:00.001-07:00

Cade's prayer at dinner last night went something like this:

"Dear Heavenly Father. Thank you for the fishy bars, the peas, the pears, the spaghetti (we weren't eating spaghetti), my dinosaur plate, my water cause it has power in it. We say these things, name of Jesus Christ, amen."

Power in his water? You better believe it!! I'm Brynne, an athlete, a water drinker. You KNOW I'm teaching my kids that water is a power drink! Boo-yah!!!

Snippity-snip!

2010-03-26T09:52:00.001-07:00

My hair was getting long. I mean, REALLY long. So long that it was always in the way when I wore it down....and so I was always putting it up. But while up in a low bun (which is pretty signature Brynne) I was getting headaches because it was starting to get heavy. I have a lot of hair. Thick + long = lots of hair!

Sometimes, to save myself from headaches, I'd just straighten it and put it back in a pony tail...a long blond pony tail. Nothing prettier, right? Well, not exactly in my case because of the length of pony, all the underneath hair that lay against my back would work itself into knots and snarls....UGH! It got to the point that I didn't want to wash it cause it meant that I'd have to brush it. Too many snarls that even detangler couldn't handle. So I'd wash it but wouldn't brush it....do you KNOW what happens when you don't brush long wavy wet hair? Dread locks. Dead serious!!! But I'm wasn't quite ready to join the dread-wearing group here in my hippie community so I decided it was time for a cut.

After a picture of Reese Witherspoon (thanks Ash for finding that one!) and 3 hours in my good friend's kitchen (remember, I have THICK hair).....I've got a new do! Quite a bit shorter (you may not believe it but it is. My long hair was mid back. YIKES!!), a few bangs, and highlighted roots. Ahh, I can breath again! Thanks again Missy, you're wonderful!!

p.s. I'm hoping though that the bangs will be grown out by summer cause I'm just not cut out for bangs. Wish I were, darn it, cause they look SO CUTE on so many of my friends!!!

St. Patty's Day 2010

2010-03-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like getting 5 moms and 9 boys (newish baby Michael not in picture, he was in car seat)....yes, I said 9 boys, all together in one room. All boys you ask? Yeah, ALL boys! Again, this Salem group of mine.....that I so dearly miss....was one of a kind. Turns out we breed only boys up there! Anyway, my great friend Erica invited us over again for our Second Annual St. Patty's Day Play Date......green shirts, green food and all! Thanks for bringing the pickles Emily, those were the party favorite...for the mommies, that is. The kids couldn't get enough jelly belly's and gummy worms. Can you blame 'em?

8 of 9 kids present. What a crew, you can call them The Trouble Team!!

Speaking of trouble...this Stevie friend of Dane's likes to get physical now that he's crawling and climbing, he can't help but maul the heck out of Dane. They are basically the same size, Stevie at 9 months and Dane at 16......Here he looks like he's choking my poor Daner. I think it's hilarious...that it looks like he's choking him, cause he would if he could. He's really not though. Don't worry :) Gotta love Stevie, he's ALWAYS a good time!

And this is what I call The Dream Team! Love these kids!!!

After all the friends went home, we stuck around for the day since I had driven the hour drive to Salem...might as well make a day of it, right? While I helped Erica pack for Hawaii (JEALOUS!!! Seriously, happy to help but Erica, you KNOW it was killing me that I wasn't going too!) Cade did some jumping outside......

And Dane did some exploring inside. Now that he's walking, he was into EVERYTHING!!!

Thanks girls for a fun play date! I miss you already!!!

These two boys of mine

2010-02-16T21:20:00.000-08:00

Quick! Before I forget....

Dane's new verbally spoken words (as of yesterday, Feb 15, 2010)
nana (banana)
ock! (sock)

He says both of these words when he sees them and knows exactly what they are/mean. I LOVE it!!

Dane's new/old words spoken through sign (that are good and solid now)
thank you (very solid, knows just what to do EVERY time. :)
eat (looks a lot like "thank you")
all done (finally has the wrist-twist thing going, only one hand and SO cute!)
more (does it every time)

I have to be careful when feeding him because he'll be signing "more", I'll be busy getting food for Cade or something else and won't see him signing. Then I look over and wonder why he's fussing. He's been signing and mommy didn't see it...poor guy! He's being such a good boy and doing what he's been taught, so mom shape up!!!

p.s. Dane gives kisses any time, any where and I can't get enough! And occasionally he'll give a "hug" by laying his head on my shoulder. Maybe this anti-cuddler is slowly warming up to the idea of loving on his mommy. I sure would love that!!

Cade's new things (as of a month ago, a few weeks ago, and a few days ago)
All things Chuggington (loves the trains, their names, the shows, the theme song... He asked me last week, "Mom, is Chuggington at Target?" to which I responded, "I don't think so bud. I'm sorry." He SO wants a Chuggington train.)
Wearing Disney's Cars t-shirts only, coupled with sweat pants (now THAT'S a good lookin' outfit! And thank goodness clothes get dirty and I get, yes I said get, to say, "Sorry Cade, it's in the wash today.")
Singing said Cars theme song morning, noon, and night. (Yeah, Real Gone by Sheryl Crow. Seriously, top of his lungs people. And he KNOWS the words! But I love it, what a singer and what a voice!)
Eating raw broccoli (He's put carrots on the back burner and now loving broccoli. I'll take it!!! :)
Tells me that I'm pretty (what a boost to my self-esteem! Come on, a girl needs to hear that every now and then!)

These two boys are the joy of my life and I am blessed to be their mother!

More of Dane at 14 months

2010-01-29T17:39:00.000-08:00

Dane's new word is "Daddy". He says it ALL the time, whether Daddy is around or not. He does say it specifically to Daddy too so that's how we know it's an "on purpose" word. :) Another new one is "hi" and he LOVES to watch ceiling fans spin round and round. Oh, and point at and touch every one's nose, eyes, and mouth. What a bright, curious little guy!

It's been a sweet morning...

2010-01-22T10:03:00.000-08:00

When I came home from the gym early this morning, Aaron and Cade were rocking in the rocking chair together in the dark. It was a much needed scene for me to see. I almost cried.

I then showered, still dark outside. Afterwards, I could hear Dane talking in his crib so I went in to get him. He'd look up at me, smile, lay down and hide his face from me, look back at me, smile and laugh, and hide his face again...such a sweet happy way to start my day.

Later this morning I realized I hadn't given Cade a hug yet so I asked for a big hug. He's so good about throwing his arms around me and squeezing tight! As we were hugging he said quietly in my ear, "I want to be a good boy for you today mommy." And my immediate reply was, "Oh Cade, that would make me so happy. And I want to be a good mommy for you today too. I love you so much!"

Dane, 14 months

2010-01-19T10:13:00.000-08:00

Dane ~ 14 months

Our baby boy is 14 months today.

Sometimes I look at him and can't believe he's growing so fast and sometimes I still see him as "baby".

I'm thankful that he's healthy even though he's a little small. That said, I LOVE that his small size makes him look like a baby still cause I'm not even close to being able to handle another child right now. So, since he's small, he satisfies my want for "baby".

Thank you Dane for being the most wonderful, fun, energetic, light-hearted, healthy baby in the whole world. We love you and thank Heavenly Father everyday for sending you to our family!

Dane right now.....

Talks, babbles, and rambles constantly like he's part of the conversation. Then, when we laugh, he joins in and laughs too!
7 teeth total: 3 on top, 4 on bottom. First tooth to cut on top was his fang!
Fastest crawler ever and into everything!!
stands alone for up to 5 seconds.
sleeps like a champ!
Can say with meaning, "Dada", "uh-oh", "gook" (book), and "cheese"
Lightning-quick hands! I'll take something from his hand, set it on the counter and walk away. Next thing I know, he's got it back in his hand. Magic!
Won't wear a bib anymore.
Will go to anyone. Very social little guy but definitely a mama's boy.
Walks with assistance.
LOVES to slide and swing at the park.
Climbs stairs as if he's been doing it for years.
Learning to sign "more", "thank you", "all done", "eat", drink".
Can crawl head-first into the bath tub so we have to keep the bathroom door closed.
He LOVES water and knows where to find it, i.e. sink, tub, toilet....
Smiles, laughs, smiles, laughs, smiles, laughs.....you get the picture. :)

Year 2010

2010-01-03T19:59:00.000-08:00

The new year brings a renewal for me in many areas. I have been motivated to be better at studying my scriptures through reading the Sunday school and RS lessons ahead of time, and the scriptures connected with them. I'm so excited to be studying my Savior Jesus Christ this year at church in Relief Society and Young Womens and really look forward to strengthening my testimony of Him and my relationship with Him this year.

Starting this new year off exercising sounds like a great idea and I'm looking forward to bettering myself inside and out. I will be doing a muscle strengthening video at home and going on runs while pushing the boys in the double stroller as many days a week it doesn't rain so I'm looking forward to that. I hope to inspire Aaron to get moving too. It would be great to be healthy and fit this year together. I plan on running 2 half marathons (one in spring and one in summer) and a full marathon in the fall this year so that is something to look forward to and keep me on my toes with training. Wish Ryan lived close so we could run together, it helps to have a running partner to keep me motivated! :)

I also plan on keeping in touch better with family and friends, not only through updating my blog more regularly but writing through emails and snail mail and making phone calls as well. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful family and small support group of friends and hope to strengthen those ties this year.

I am the only one that can make these changes in my life. I am the only one that can help me truly progress and be happy and balanced. I look forward to the challenge it is to stick to such goals but I am a very self-motivated person and because I know my success is entirely up to me, I'm ready. Bring it on 2010. Here's to a better Brynne!

December 2009 Update

2009-12-24T11:11:00.001-08:00

December has been a very busy month for us. We've been packing it full of activities that only this wonderful season brings. I have been saving them for one big update so I could list them all in the order we did them this month. It's a lot of pictures and I knew it would be a long post so I chose to do them each in their own little posts. We have had such a great month and I love the fun of lights and presents and cookies especially with excited little kids in the house. That being said, most of all, we worked really hard to make sure Cade knew that even though those are all fun things about Christmas, we celebrate Christmas because of the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ. We've read scriptures, sang songs, and held Family Home Evenings focusing on Jesus and His birth at this time of year. Cade is only 3 so he can't fully appreciate and understand the true meaning but if we make this a priority every year, he'll get it and appreciate it someday.

I'll post pictures of tonight's Blevins' Christmas Eve gathering and of course of all the fun on Christmas Day after things slow down a bit.

Enjoy this update and have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Letter to Santa

2009-12-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

This year Cade is very aware of what is going on during Christmas. We've been talking a lot about Jesus' birth and have been reading the scriptures that tell of this glorious event. He has a better understanding about the true meaning of this wonderful season and I'm so happy about that. But he is a kid and let's face it...all they want is presents presents PRESENTS!!! So we started a list for Santa and eventually sent him a letter. I wish I had taken a picture of the actual letter but this is what it said,

"Dear Santa,

I've been a really good boy this year. I help my mommy, and daddy, and brother Dane. This Christmas I would like:

1. Lightning McQueen's truck Mac
2. The trouble cars: Wingo, DJ, Boost, Snot Rod
3. Lightning McQueen's race track.

Thank you!

Your friend,
Cade"

He folded it, stuffed and sealed it in an envelope, and addressed it to Santa Clause, North Pole, Far Away. We first took it out to the mailbox and had intentions of leaving it there for the mailman to pick up but since I had some other letters that needed to be dropped off at the post office, we dropped it off there instead.

He was so excited to send Santa a letter and has been talking about how he got the letter at his house at the North Pole and is getting his presents ready to bring to him on Christmas. I've got to admit, this is a fun part of Christmas with little kids. :)

2009 Christmas ornaments

2009-12-24T10:49:00.000-08:00

We do ornaments for the boys each year. This year I found some wooden ones we could color and fill with a picture of them in 2009. So for Family Home Evening one Monday this month, we did our ornaments. Cade did a great job coloring his train and I did Dane's penguin. Later that week I put pictures in them. I thought they turned out so cute!

FHE treat was hot chocolate and marshmallows. Yummy!!

Mallow on the nose!

Cade's school Christmas Program

2009-12-24T10:39:00.000-08:00

Cade's school class (plus 3 other 3yr old classes) put on a very nice Christmas program for parents, grandparents, and anyone who'd like to come. He was fortunate to have both sets of grandparents, his aunt Kretha and cousins Emma and Natalie, and Mom, Dad, and brother Dane there to support him. I took video, leaving Aaron to take pictures so with all the moving around and the dim lights, these pics are about the best they could have been. Here he is sitting up in his spot waiting patiently for his part in the program, next to good friend Joshua Walker (who's face is blocked by a girls head).

Here they are, the bell ringers as all kids sang "Come on Ring Those Bells," the song Cade knew the best but turns out he didn't sing one word throughout the whole thing. He had been practicing with his class for weeks and we worked on songs at home but when it came time to sing, I thought he'd sing so loud and so proudly. Nope, not a word. Oh well, I think he was distracted by all the people watching them. He sure was good bell ringer though! Yay Cade!!! (friend Joshua with the really light blonde hair)

Etable Christmas Trees and cute boys

2009-12-24T10:30:00.000-08:00

On Cade's last day of school before the Christmas break, they had a small party where they made these cute Christmas trees. Turn an ice cream cone upside down, ice it and then decorate. So simple and so cute! So here he is showing and enjoying it.

Dane wanted some sugar too so I gave him a few mini m&ms. These seem to be the perfect little treat for him. Look how happy he is!

Friends and sugar cookies!

2009-12-24T10:23:00.000-08:00

It's not Christmas until you've made and decorated sugar cookies. My good friend Brenley invited us to her house for just this reason! I made and brought the cookies and she had all sort of fun things to decorate with. The boys ate the frosting, marshmallows, and sprinkles so the real hard work of icing was up to us moms. We had a fun time and I always love getting together with this fun girl! Thanks Brenley for such a great time!!

Brenley with her son Mac

Leave it up to Cade to be super silly for the camera. :)

Mac's favorite part, licking the icing!!!

Just a few of our masterpieces. YUM!

A night in Bethlehem

2009-12-24T10:01:00.000-08:00

Every year our ward puts on one of the neatest experiences I've ever participated in, a Night in Bethlehem. The gym is transformed into the small streets in Bethlehem and you can find booths covered in cloths, baskets, and ivy. Vendors sell cheese, olives, fruits, spices, pitas, and other foods that might have been sold back in the days during Christ's birth. Everyone is given a small cloth pouch filled with coins from which we purchase our goods with. If you did not come in costume, the tailor shop has costumes fitted just for you. We all dressed up and enjoyed a Bethlehem dinner bought from the vendors and a very nice musical and scriptural program. Aaron and his father sang a number while playing their guitars that was very nice and we all had a great time. It's was neat that the ward focuses on the humble beginnings of our Lord Jesus Christ instead of having a HUGE ward dinner just to end it off with Santa Clause. This spiritual experience is just what I needed. :)

Dane, Aaron, me, Cade, and Aaron's dad Craig

Dane, Aaron, his mom Julie and dad Craig.

My mom and her husband Gary, goods vendors, selling spices and homemade ornaments. "Spices, spices...."

Grandma and grandpa with Dane. The flash of my camera takes away from the special feel of dimly lit street lights in Bethlehem. Imagine it being darker with the soft glow of white Christmas lights in trees and above booths.

There were woodworking and pottery booths for the kids to make things. Cade's here getting ready to work his clay.

Showing mommy his clay snake. I remember him being happier than he actually looks here.

The boys playing with a few other kids

Our family in Bethlehem.

new area rug

2009-12-24T09:58:00.000-08:00

The house is all decorated for Christmas and our newest addition, area rug, completes the homey feel. We've been looking for a while and finally found this at TJ Maxx Home Goods. Aaron and I both loved it INSTANTLY! Merry Christmas to us!!!

Today, Christmas Eve...

2009-12-24T09:45:00.000-08:00

And here we are, Christmas Eve. The advent calendar my mom and I made is complete with baby Jesus as the last addition for Christmas Eve......

And the boys are ready for Santa to come and place presents under the tree where they today sit so patiently for this picture. We love you boys and are so excited to see the joy on your faces tomorrow morning! Merry Christmas!!!

Football Funnies

2009-12-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

While watching the Civil War football game (Oregon Ducks vs. Oregon Beavers) this Thursday, a friend of ours got off the couch to get a few more lil' smokies to eat. When he approached the crock pot, Cade asked him, "Are you going to have some smokes?" We all laughed SO hard which of course made Cade laugh too. I hope that doesn't come out of his mouth while in a checkout line!

At another point during the game, Cade, while holding the remote control, told us, "I'm going to control myself. I know JUST what to do!"

One more funny.....my mom was playing cars with Cade during the game and he said to her, "this car is a classic. That means it's old. You're old Grandma so that means you're classic." Now THAT'S classic!!! :)

Proof

2009-10-28T10:54:00.000-07:00

Proof that we were there too!

Strawberry shortcake, The Verizon Guy, and our kiddos!

And the bees....too cute!

Blevins Halloween Party and Pumpkin patch

2009-10-28T10:05:00.000-07:00

We had our annual Blevins Family Halloween Party--costumes and all! We dressed up, ate, painted/carved pumpkins and then made and ate homemade doughnuts. Everyone was able to make it except for Ryan's wife Ashley who had studying to do and Kretha who had to work and couldn't find someone to close for her. We missed them but at least Kretha could join us later for doughnuts.

We do our party on a Sunday so we have the best chance of having everyone there. I was sick so wasn't feeling all that well and Dane had the roughest evening he's ever had so it was a bit stressful with him. As soon as we got him in the car driving home, he calmed right down so we're thinking he was overwhelmed with so many people in a small space. Poor guy. But we had a lot of fun.

Here's the costume rundown (didn't get a pic of Ryan, Chris/kim/Hannah or the Stefaneks, sorry!):

Scary Grandpa Gary and the Queen Bee Grandma Brannies

This ware wolf sat out on the front porch waiting for all the grandchildren so he could scare the living daylights out of them. As soon as Cade saw him, he ran all the way back down the lawn to the cars and wouldn't come up to the house until we insisted Grandpa take the mask off. He likes to scare the kids any chance he can but it's all in good fun!

D Flash and his beauty Wonder Woman.

ow owww! Love D's navy thong and Britt's tall red boots!

Getting ready for the party. Cade's a space ranger this year. He loves to wear his costume as often as I will let him. Should keep him warm in the rain and cold while trick or treating this year.

Dane has this bee costume I got him for 25 cents at a used children's store and a really cute lion costume Cade wore his first Halloween. We're bouncing back and forth between the two since we have 4 chances to dress up this year. Blevins party, Cade's school party, ward party, and trick or treating. fun fun! You know I LOVE a chance to dress up in a costume!

And this is from a few weeks ago when Cade's school had a pumpkin patch day. It was cool but not rainy so it was great! We took a hayride out to the patch, chose a pumpkin, and then got to enjoy the corn and hay mazes and pet some animals. It was a fun day and Dane was such a sport in the hiker pack.

2009-09-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, when I get the motivation to sit down, upload a ton of pictures and write a lengthy update on Dane, bloggers image loader won't work. Great. Who knows when I'll get time and energy to do it again. Sorry Dane, your Ode to Dane post will have to wait. :(

New Moon.....coming soon.

2009-09-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty excited. :) And the short-haired Jacob's not looking too shabby too!

School days, school days.....

2009-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a BIG day for Cade. He started preschool!

I really like his school so far. I was given a recommendation by 2 other mom's in our ward who's boys were enrolled in the 3 yr class so I quickly looked into it and got Cade registered and in the same class. So starting off, he has 2 friends already, his teacher is really nice and has been teaching for a long time and seems to still have the passion and enthusiasm for teaching so that's reassuring. :)

He goes Tuesday and Thursday for 2 3/4 hours. Has sharing time on Thursdays and gets to bring the class snack every 10 weeks. They have free play, crafts, outdoor play, story and song time, etc. I'm really excited for Cade to have this time away for himself, to meet and socialize with other little buddies. And it gives me alone time with Dane which is wonderful--I'm so excited!

Here we are out in the driveway, he's on his way!....

When we got to school, right outside his classroom they have coat hanger pegs with each child's name on them and a plastic bag for their coats, hats, etc. Cade's putting his jacket inside his.

Jacket and school bucket are hung on his "Cade" peg and he's all ready for class! Isn't he a handsome little fella?! I can't believe my baby is 3 already and going to school.

He was so excited it was hard to get his attention for pictures but I was able to snap a few of him at the table playing playdough with his church (and now school) buddies.

From left to right: Joshua Walker, Cade, Owen Fuller. Teacher Dianah far right.

And just one more with the gang before I left him there.

He is so independent, I knew we'd have no problem with tears. If he was a little weepy, I know it would have made it harder for me to leave him but no problem here! After school he wanted to tell m all about it.....how he played with cars, and had cheese crackers for snack, and I even heard a few unfamiliar songs from him throughout the day so I know they did some singing too. He can't wait to go back tomorrow and bring something to share with his class. I think this is going to be a really great school year for him! :)

And after school, he had his 3 year well child check with his new doctor.

He's 37.6 pounds -- 75th %

He's 41 1/2 inches tall -- 95th %

He passed the Denver Developmental Screening Test with flying colors and couldn't be any healthier! What a blessing!

Mt. Pisgah hike 2009

2009-09-14T16:06:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, we did a hike together as a family, the first REAL hike for Cade. Mt. Pisgah is a constant incline, most adults huff and puff their way up the mountain so we had no idea how Cade was going to do. We came prepared to carry him piggy-back every so often while the other carried Dane in the hiker. He did an incredible job--walked a bit slower than daddy wanted to go--but only was carried twice the whole way up and down. This kid has energy!

in the beginning

dane took a little snoozer

halfway up

(cade 3, Dane 9 months)

Dane was amazing, as usual, and we enjoyed a really nice summer eve together and watched a pretty remarkable sunset on top as well. This is how I like to spend summers with my family--together, doing anything outdoors!

Living/Dining Room

2009-09-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I believe it's time for a few updates.

We'll start with the main room which is our living room/dining room and flows into the kitchen. Picture window and sliding door looks out on the backyard and patio so we're located on the bottom, backside of the house.

Before:

Walls used to have wood paneling and red foil wallpaper beneath. Big brick fireplace with big wood stove, dirty dark brown shag carpet with cracked white tile underneath, kitchen had linoleum floors, only 2 old light fixtures, benches built into the wall under main window........just a strange looking room.

After:

Wood paneling, red foil wallpaper, dark brick fireplace, wall benches, old light fixtures, wood stove, shag carpet......GONE! Aaron and his dad drywalled every wall in the room, texture, painted, and now it has nice white trim top, bottom, and around windows. fireplace has been primed and painted, wood stove is removed because main chimney pipe is cracked and we couldn't use it anyway. Warm colored laminate wood floors replace the carpet and linoleum that was in the kitchen---it now looks and feels great! Aaron wired new outlets, light switches, and installed new can lighting throughout the whole place. Super nice!

Two hardworking men!

This room looks and feels brand new! It's not totally done but I knew I needed to show what has been going on for the past 2 1/2 months of our life!

2009-09-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Oh dear. Soooo much to blog about. We have floor all throughout our place now. a picture really speaks a thousand words so I'll post one later today. And I'm SO SICK of painting and will be glad when my door frames, and trim are DONE! My mom is an angel, watches my boys so I can get work done. LOVE THAT LADY! Anyway, we're not "moved in" yet but getting real close! By next weekend we'll have our OWN SPACE. Hooray!!

Dane's amazing and so much fun--can't get enough of that kid and Cade's signed up for fall sports and I'm searching for a preschool.......we're jumping into real kid-life around here....things are about to get real busy!

Pictures to come this afternoon! I PROMISE!!!

Wednesday evenings at Oakway

2009-08-26T23:48:00.000-07:00

It's late and I don't know where my camera is at the moment so I found this picture off of a friend's blog. I want to post about it cause it's one of the things I've especially been enjoying about the summer so far here in Eugene/Springfield. Every Wednesday evening at 5:30 the Oakway Center has a free mini outdoor concert in their lovely courtyard. The musical groups and genre of music changes from week to week....jazz, Jamaican steel drums, big band, Latin flavor, etc. The boys and I usually go by bike and meet up with my mom there. Every Wednesday we enjoy these concerts in the warm summer evenings. This picture shows a day when I watched Cade's little buddy Easton.....I had him until about 7 or so, so I just took him along with us, in the car this time. Good to find out my Camry fits 3 car seats in the backseat. :) Anyway, my friend met us there to pick him up and listened for little bit. These concerts have been a great way to enjoy summer outdoors here, bike ride and all. Matter of fact, we just enjoyed it tonight and I've decided the big band group from tonight was my favorite overall. Great music for Swing, Charleston, and Lindy hop. I didn't have my partner (aaron couldn't come) so I didn't do any dancing but I sure boogied in my seat while all the kids around us shook and shimmied. I love summer and will be sad when it's over.

2009-08-26T16:46:00.001-07:00

i have pictures of a few things that are coming along here at the house but would rather post before and after shots when they are all done. dane is 9 months now so I'll do a post on him soon
and we've been up to lots of fun stuff this summer that needs blogging. i'm really behind but hope to catch up soon!

Baby blessing and good friends

2009-07-31T22:47:00.001-07:00

Last Sunday we had a great reason to visit our old stomping grounds in Salem. My great friend Erica and her husband Stephen had their new baby Stephen blessed in church and invited us to come so we were able to attend our old ward again. Before leaving right after Sacrament (i know, sounds bad but we did an "after the blessing BBQ at Erica and Steve's....a legit reason to leave early, right?) I gathered my Salem girlfriends together with all their boys for a group picture! Yep, you heard me right....B.O.Y.S.

In picture from left to right (kinda): Sharon with Calvin and Grayson (to your right of Cade), Emily with Max, Erica with Stephen, me with Dane and Cade in front, Capri without her cute Wyatt. :(

All 5 of us girls have boys only. Erica's baby Stevie was the last addition to the group right before we moved so I wanted a picture of such a unique situation. Us girls and our boys spent the the past 9+ months together enjoying play groups, swim days, library visits, morning walks, etc. and loved every minute of it. I sure do miss you girls and Cade and Dane miss their buddies too! Thanks for being such wonderful friends to us up there in Salem!

2009-07-31T22:22:00.000-07:00

This week we've been doing a lot of this......

Cade doesn't usually wear a life jacket but in this pool he has to--NOT exactly kid-friendly. Sweet goggles too, eh?! Dane and his cousin Hannah. Her first time at the pool! :)

and we're going again tomorrow increasing the number of days we've swam this week to 6 times in 8 days. Wow. Do we love to swim or what? :) It's the only way to beat the 105 degree heat we've had this week. :)

We love summertime!!!!

Back from Utah and back to work

2009-07-20T23:22:00.001-07:00

So we just returned from a great trip to Utah. I know I say this all the time but I will post pictures soon since we did some REALLY great stuff: new temple open house, family BBQ in the most gorgeous setting, A day and a night in the mountains, girl time.......it was a memorable awesome trip that deserves a post all of it's own! I'll for sure do it soon!

Following up on our place and paint colors....I was pretty set on doing a bright orange accent wall with white, chocolate brown, and silver gray but now I'm having thoughts of going back to a neutral color so I can decorate with anything I want. Choosing to go with orange would be totally fun and SO me but would be more difficult to find a choice rugs, curtains, tile for a back splash in the kitchen, etc to choose from. We might find like 1 or 2 rugs to choose from and what if I don't LOVE either of them? Going with a light tan, cream, or other neutral color seems as though my options would be wide open for choosing matching decor. So I'm still struggling with my decision. Thanks to all of you who have left detailed suggestions. I have read them all and have found some great advice. I've even looked online to see swatches of your specific paint colors if you told me so thanks for your help! :) We're still working on the bathroom but the wall color is pretty much decided so I still have time before having to choose paint for the living room. I'm searching magazines for living rooms that look light, beautiful, clean, and relaxing. I hope to find the perfect color for me. I have plenty of pictures of the renovations so will upload some soon!

Need help!

2009-07-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Help! What is your dream living room wall paint color? We will have a warm cherry wood floor and the room has white trim (like crown molding) but I'm going crazy and can't decide on wall color. It has to be lightish cause the room has very little natural light as it is so I'd like it to stay bright in there. And I plan to decorate with chocolate brown/green apple green or chocolate brown/RED. Please leave your BEST ideas! thank you!!!

A little bummed

2009-07-07T12:47:00.000-07:00

I have to keep reminding myself that blogging is my journal...."blogging is your journal Brynne, don't worry that you only ever get 1 comment." It still sucks though. Thank you Em for being my one and only reader.

Phew! We made it!

2009-07-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

We made it. We're here and all our stuff has been either unloaded and stored in any possible spot we have so far or in a storage unit. Most of it is in the storage unit since this afternoon. We didn't have one lined up on Saturday so everything got loaded into the house, upstairs and down, and I've been going through every box one at a time, organizing what we have room for, getting rid of stuff we don't need, and repacking it back up to take to the storage unit. My brother helped quite a bit yesterday but really it's been Aaron and I since Saturday. We get a lot done when the boys are asleep at night. Thanks to some guys from our Salem ward we packed up quickly and then the girls came in to help me clean. It was soooo nice to not have to do that alone and a huge thanks to Sharon for watching the boys while we packed the trucks and cleaned AND Capri who helped clean and stay after to see me off. Love you girls! My mom had guys lined up here in Eugene so that when we arrived, they were all ready to help unload. Thanks guys and thanks MOM. You're the best!

There is still alot to do but we're making progress. I'll post pictures when I get a breather.

p.s. Next post meant to be read right after this one. Tells what we've been doing SINCE the move.

Nonstop workin'

2009-07-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Been working from 8am to 2am every day since Saturday. Our rooms are coming along well and we will soon be able to sleep in them. We have a storage unit full of things that will go in our living room and bathroom once it's done. It's total chaos but will be nice when everything is done and all put back together. A HUGE thanks to my mom, my sister, and my friend Brenley for watching the boys here and there so we can get the hard work done. We could never have done what we've done so far without them. We're hard at work now with the closets in the bedrooms and cutting a huge doorway in the wall to the kitchen or I would upload some pictures. Maybe tomorrow and I'll include DONE closets and doorway. whoohoo! :)

To my salem girls: I MISS YOU TONS!!!!

Late night or early morning??

2009-06-27T01:50:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow's a big day. It's 1:50 am. My back hurts. My legs ache. My eyes are SO tired...and we're not done packing. Well, the main packing is done, it's just taking down our TV system and organizing all of Aaron's work stuff. It doesn't even seem like we're ready to load a truck at 8 tomorrow morning but I think it's because all the furniture is still inside. As soon as it's out, I think I'll feel like we're getting somewhere. I'm done with all the house and my stuff but Aaron still has things that I'm really no help with because I don't know what it all is and where it would go so I'm debating whether to go to bed or not. I'll feel bad but really, I wouldn't be much help with it anyway. Plus, I have a lot of cleaning to do afterwards. Oh, the cleaning...... :(

Boatnik 2009

2009-06-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to update for my journal, this post is for exactly that. Just as a warning, there are a TON of pictures so if you can only handle scanning for pictures instead of reading the words, I won't be offended. :)

Boatnik, the Memorial weekend festival in Grants Pass, Oregon, came quickly this year and was packed with adventures! To save me time I'll just let the pictures stay as I uploaded them. They're quite backwards in the order originally taken (for instance, this first one of Dane was on the ride home) but at least they're here and documented. :) I'm trying to get caught up so yay for me for even posting about it being it was a few months ago.

My family, the Blevins family try to get together in Grants Pass for Boatnik every year. This year, my brother Chris and his wife Kim welcomed their first baby a week before and my brother Ryan and his wife couldn't come for a reason I can't remember so they all stayed home. Those who came were us, my youngest brother Derek and his wife Brittany, my sis Kretha and her family, and my mom and Gary. We always stay overnight with my mom's parents Grandpa and Grandma Kruse but enjoy the daily festivities at my Grandma Mimi's house. The best of both worlds, really! :)

I feel really fortunate to have taken so many wonderful pictures, especially those of my grandparents with us and my children. Those are a treasure forever. :)

Let the backwards pictures begin!!!

Cute Dane peaking up at me on our drive home.

Me, Grandma Kruse, Derek and sleepy Daneboy.

On our last day in Grants Pass, Grandpa barbecued hot dogs and hamburgers. We hung out on the back patio eating, enjoying homemade ice cream and visiting before left for home.

Cute boy Dane.

My mom, Derek with Dane, Kretha and me down on the deck on the river. It's a small spot so we had to take turns in shifts. Where else would we want to enjoy the festivities and see the F-15 flyover from?

Daddy and Dane enjoying an afternoon on the river.

On Saturday night, we crossed the river and went to the carnival. It was just Kretha and her girls Emma and Natalie, Derek and Brittany,and me and Cade. It was Cade's second year at a carnival and he finally was into it! So much fun! But what's a carnival without mmm, elephant ears.......enough said. :)

Riding the alligator roller coaster with cousin Natalie. They're in the second seat from the front. He had a nervous face for most of the ride so I'm surprised I caught him with a smile. He was brave for trying it so I was proud of him.

Cade's favorite, the airplanes. He rode them three times, but only once with scary spider man face.

Kretha dared Derek to ride the mechanical bull at the carnival. He finally accepted the challenge when she pulled out a 5 dollar bill and said she'd pay for that kind of entertainment! :) It was HILARIOUS!!!

Edward Theodore Kruse and Derek Theodore Blevins holding Dane. Dane was almost an Aaron Theodore Andrus. Wouldn't that have been fun, especially after taking this picture. Don't worry Grandpa, our next boy will be a Theodore. :)

Cade with cousin Garrett.
All four kids spent three days straight on these swings over looking the river. I can't blame them cause I love me some swinging too, especially with a view like that! These two are good little buddies!

Dane enjoying Derek's glasses and big hair beard! Holding Dane is Britt, D's cute wife.

My grandparents, Hazel and Ted Kruse. My mother's parents. We will celebrate Grandpa's 90th birthday this August. And you'd never believe it because he still walks 9-18 holes of golf 3 times a week, bowls every Friday night and is good, travels (road trips) to all the grandkids graduations, weddings, and baby blessings, attends golf tourney's, barbershop shows, and even occasionally comes to my mom's house to help her build a shed or set up sprinkler systems. These two are something else and I HOPE I got there long-living, healthy genes. :) We love you guys!!!

Speed Boat race.

Down the river, in and out and around the buoys, and back up the river....definitely my favorite of all the boat races to watch.

My beautiful niece Natalie and me. Both of Kretha's daughters are gorgeous girls!

Brittany, Kretha and me.

Our view of the river (see the buoys? that's where the boats race) can you believe it? We see ALL the action from here!

The guys relaxing.

In back is Aaron and my brother-in-law Adam and down front is Gary, my mom's husband. Sorry Gary, I wanted to post a picture of you but this is the only one I have. You can often times find Gary snoozing....he just gets so comfortable that he can't help but nod off. :)

Both my grandmothers.

In pink is my mom's mother, Hazel Kruse, who is 86 this year. In blue with dark hair is my dad's mother, Arden McConnell. Not sure how old (or young :) she is this year. We watch the boat races from her house. Thanks Mimi for always giving us front-row seats to Boatnik!

The parade.
Grants Pass is never short on tractors. :) Cade liked them the best!

Me, Aaron and Dane. As you can see, the street was PACKED!

The kiddos at the parade on Saturday morning. It was long and hot but really fun!

Grandma Andrus' Birthday

2009-06-25T14:21:00.001-07:00

"Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear Fishhead.......

Happy Birthday to you!!!"

On June 11th we drove down to Eugene to celebrate Aaron's mother Julie on her birthday! She chose dinner at McGrath's Fishhouse (YUM!) and Aaron's dad Craig and brother Phil were there too.

Two handsome devils!

Is there really a kid under there??? Cade wanted to be a fishhead too!

We love you Grandma Andrus even though you're getting old! Haha! Just kidding! :)

2 BIG achievements in our house!

2009-06-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Cade's an underwear-wearer!!!

Today Cade is on day 4 of wearing underwear and in all 4 days, he's only had 2 very small accidents. We've had many outings including JoAnn Fabrics, Walmart, the park, friends houses, and even CHURCH yesterday in underwear! He's waking up dry each morning which is a great step to being totally trained but until I get a plastic mattress protector just in case, he'll remain in pull-ups overnight.

I can't tell you how happy this makes me since we've been kinda at this potty training business for a LONG time now. It's SO MUCH EASIER when they're in underwear! Woohoo! Yay for Cade!!!

Dane's a SITTER UPPER!!!

As soon as he turned 7 months on the 19th, he has made significant progress with sitting up. His core muscles are incredibly strong and we knew the day would come soon. Yesterday on Fathers Day, Dane sat up for minutes on end alone and as he wobbled side to side and front to back, he pulled himself right back into the upright position without any assistance. He loves to be up and interacting with us all instead of on his tummy or back. He's much smaller in size than Cade was sitting at 7 months so it's fun to see this little person just sitting like everyone else!

Way to go Dane!!! We're so proud of you!!!

Potty Training

2009-06-20T14:58:00.001-07:00

Yes, we're still at it but for the first time ever, Cade spent ALL day yesterday in underwear! We even had a few outings and I braved it and kept him in his Tomas under-oos and he did great! His only accident was when Grandma Andrus came for a visit and I think he was just too excited and busy to even realize he had to pee until it was too late. No biggie! He went right in, sat on the toilet and let out the rest. We're so proud of you Cade!

(picture not from yesterday but from an earlier attempt at wearing underwear)

Yesterday morning while changing Cade from him overnight pull-up to his underwear, he got loose while naked and ran around the living room. He noticed his reflection in our big window and turned around to check out his backside in it and said, "mom, I'm showing the window my bum!" It was the funniest thing! I laughed so hard. Then today, same thing when he was naked in front of the closet mirror in our bedroom...."mom look! I'm showing the mirror my bum." :) What a kid!

Since Cade has turned 3 and become somewhat of a challenge, he has upped our need to modify the way we discipline him almost on a daily basis. "That doesn't work, now what? Okay, that didn't work, let's try this......" (you get the idea :) So we are all about giving him positive everything and dishing out compliments left and right. Who knew that would work so well? :) And especially since he's been potty training, he's heard a lot of "Cade, I'm so proud of you!!!" so today while on the phone with daddy, he was talking all about his success with his Thomas underwear yesterday and how he got a special chocolate treat when he went poop in the toilet. Daddy said, "oh cool! I went poop in the toilet. Can I get a special chocolate treat too?" and Cade answered back, "I'm so PROUD of you!!!" :) You had to hear his voice, he really was excited for his dad to go potty on the toilet. I could hear Aaron cracking up laughing on the other end of the phone.

We've all been told how compliments and being positive is the best way to encourage kids and it's fun to see them doing it back to us. And it sure feels good too!

The Daytime Crew

2009-06-19T23:24:00.000-07:00

Here we are.

It's the three of us all day, every day.

I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be! :)

7 months and a side-sleeper to boot!

2009-06-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

Dane's new favorite sleeping position is on his side. He's been doing it for close to 2 months now but I can still remember the first time I walked in to check on him and found him on his side........here he is. I thought it was the cutest thing ever!

Now we find him every now and then on his tummy and the doctor says it's okay. I guess if he's strong enough to make it from his back to his tummy on his own, his tummy and lungs are strong enough to handle that position so I don't worry.

But yes, occasionally we still see him sleeping on his back like I found him today. Here he is today, 7 months old, and cuter and sweeter than ever!

He smiles and laughs ALL the time. He loves to eat anything and everything I give him and at all hours of the day. He's sitting up on his own with close supervision, he takes 3 great naps and sleeps all night long. Like his older brother Cade, he loves to rock his body back and forth....on your lap, while sitting on the floor, while in the high chair, anywhere and he can really get going! He's a grabber and can snatch anything near his hands faster than you can blink an eye. :) He's okay playing in a jumper or on his tummy with toys but would rather be held so he can do whatever I'm doing. Best of all, He LOVES Cade. :) Dane works hard to get Cade's attention by making the same noise over and over again until Cade looks at him. Once Cade has noticed him, Dane lets out a loud gurgly laugh and smiles from ear to ear! I love to see their excitement with each other as they interact. I can't imagine only having one child. The love I have for my boys is inexplicable and I know it will only multiply the more we have. I love it!

7 month stats

weight: 16 lbs 7 oz 20%

height: 27 inches 50%

Just call him the "Long, Lean Dane Machine" :)

Santiam Hospital Fun Run/Health Walk 2009

2009-06-19T22:32:00.000-07:00

Summertime means race time!

(From left to right: Sharon and Ben Stewart and boys Grayson and Calvin, Emily and Kris Sperry with my Dane and their Max, Me and Kristen Short)

The one and only run I have found in Salem is the Santiam Hospital Fun Run and Health Walk and it's only $5 so I like to do it each year. My friend Kristen Short and I (me in white and her in black next to me) did this a few years back and decided to do it again this year. But this time, I encouraged some of my other friends (who I walk with each morning) who then encouraged their husbands to join in on the fun too! This was our crew for the 5K walk (Stewarts and Sperrys) and 8K run (Kristen and me.)

Aaron had Cade in Eugene with him so it was just me and Dane. I ran and pushed Cade in the stroller last time I did this race so since I just had Dane and now have an awesome BOB, I asked Emily if she and Kris would mind pushing Dane and their little Max in the double. It worked out perfectly! I ran stroller-free for once and Max had a little buddy to ride with which made him really happy! Emily said they held hands the whole time. :) Thanks Emily and Kris for taking such good care of my Dane and my BOB!

Dane and Max, BOB buddies!

Dane and me after the race. I ran the 5 miles in 41:20. Not too shabby considering there were 3 killer hills on our course!

Hannah growing....

2009-06-19T22:21:00.000-07:00

Baby Hannah

This beautiful little girl has changed so much since the first time I saw her. She was all chubby and swollen on her first day of life in the hospital. Now, 4 weeks later, she's looking more baby and less newborn, petite, and oh so pretty! We all think she looks a lot like my brother Chris (her father) when he was a baby. So Chris, I guess you were a pretty baby too. Sorry!

Dane's 7 months but it feels like he was just born a month ago--I've forgotten how tiny they are at 1 month old. Thanks Kim for stopping by so I could snuggle with your sweet little lady!

"trouble, trouble, where'd'you go?"

2009-06-16T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's 11pm and I really want to update. I have tons of pictures from past adventures but for some reason, blogger is making it hard to organize my post once I've uploaded my pictures. I can't drag and drop them into the place I want them. Is this happening to anyone else? If you were wondering WHY I haven't updated in a while, THIS is why! Super frustrating! Please help if you want to see fun pictures. :)

So........

2009-06-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

We're moving!

I guess since half my house is packed in boxes, it's about time to let the cat out of the bag and tell you all that we're leaving this town, this neighborhood, this home and heading south. Yup, we're moving back to the Eugene/Springfield area at the end of the month. I say that with mixed feelings. We have come to enjoy certain things about Salem. Our ward is wonderful and I'm not sure we'll ever find a ward quite like them again. We also have finally gained a small group of friends that have boys Cade loves to play with so that will be hard to let go of as well. We are blessed to have been here and to have known the people who have welcomed us into their hearts and homes and hope to carry that same spirit with us along our journey of life.

Aaron has had an opportunity to expand/refocus/whatever-you'd-like-to-call-it his business and he gave me the choices of moving to Eugene or Portland. Knowing me and how I love Eugene for the city that it is and our family that live there, I chose the first! :) It is the prefect fit for us and we can't wait to start enjoying the summer down there.

We (and when I say "we" I mean "Aaron and his father") are renovating the downstairs area at Aaron's parent's house into an updated apartment living space. We will have 3 bedrooms, a large laundry room, double sink bathroom, large living room and smallish but new and nice kitchen. We have a large covered patio great for barbecuing and entertaining friends and family and a large grassy backyard to enjoy. Aaron's dad has planted a beautiful garden so we will reap the benefit of that as well.

Springfield's Willamelane is a wonderful summer recreation program for families with all types of concerts and activities to enjoy all summer long. There are tons of races for me to train for and run and the bike trails close by will be perfect in helping our little family stay active and healthy. Cade will be taking swim lessons at the outdoor Amazon pool this summer and will start preschool in the fall.

Living in Aaron's parent's home, the boys will be loved and spoiled even more by Grandma and Grandpa Andrus. We will be a 5 minute drive to Grandma and Grandpa Brannies (my mom and Gary) and also close to my brother Derek and my sister Kretha and their families. The boys will be able to spend lots of time with their cousins and my sister and I will be able to start running together again.

We are very excited about the move -- to be close to family, meet new friends, and see Aaron's business continue to grow and be successful -- but want to thank everyone here in Salem for being our friends and supporting us in every way possible. We feel loved and blessed and know we have made friendships that will continue even after we're gone. Capri and Erica, you both know you're already tossing around the "moving out of Salem" idea so I'm gonna be pressuring you big-time to move to Eugene. :)

So there you have it!

Anyone need a laugh?

2009-06-05T22:34:00.001-07:00

Are words even necessary? :)

Making them

2009-06-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

I'm making the before mentioned granola bars right now. I'll take a picture and follow up on how I like my creation (I'm altering the recipe a bit) and any tips on what to do and what not to do based upon my experience. Here's to healthy homemade snacks! Stay tuned!........

p.s. we have wind, heavy rain, thunder and lightning, and a tornado watch in our county right now. Regular Oregon spring weather? I think not. :)

Granola Bar Update: The bars turned out great--so easy to make, delicious, and filling too! One bar and a piece of fruit really is a perfect snack. I halved the recipe and it made 10 bars in a 9x9 pan. I'll do a full recipe next time since I like them so much.

My alterations/suggestions: I didn't have wheat germ so left it out and sprinkled in some flax seed to the oat/nut/seed mixture. And instead of peanuts, I used sliced and chopped almonds and pistachio nuts and only toasted them in the oven for 8-9 mins. My fruit mix was dried cherries, cranberries, and raisins. You really can do any nut or fruit you want. I think I'll try a tropical mixture next for a new flavor.

The only thing I would really do differently as far as the isntructions goes is to use a little crisco instead of cooking spray on the wax paper before dumping the mix into the wax paper-lined pan. The bars stuck to my wax paper with cooking spray and ripped when I turned them out on the cutting board which was kind of annoying to peel off. And I spread and pressed it in the pan with a clean greased hand instead of dirtying a wooden spoon. SO fast and easy and worth it--try it for yourself! See? You know you want some!

Storm Update: Storm pass in about an hour. It left flooding in some areas of Salem, power outages, and some trees down but we were spared all of that in our neighborhood. The Lord continues to watch out over us and bless our little family. We are so grateful for his mercy and love and watchful care.

Granola Bars

2009-06-02T20:27:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this blog and it's homemade granola bar recipe. Cade and I go through SO MANY of these on a weekly basis that I'm dying to try it! If you want an easy way to make custom, homemade, and high fructose corn syrup-free granola bars (since most out there are made with it--blegh!) take a peek! She has step-by-step instructions with beautiful pictures to go along. Enjoy!

Things to Update

2009-06-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Cade's birthday in Salem
Cade's party in Eugene
Utah trip
Easter
Boatnik Memorial Weekend
Walking friends
Dane's milestones

Seems I've gotten WAY behind! I'll lighten each bullet as I update.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for.......

2009-05-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

Cute bag/purse patterns!!!!! Bought a bag pattern online (with the help of Erica) and can't WAIT until I get it! Yup, that's right Michelle! I'll be sportin' a cute shoulder bag here soon! Just you wait and see! Although my sewing might not be as perfect as yours but oh well......

Us this week

2009-05-22T14:26:00.000-07:00

We've been up to no good lately! Nah, just joking. We've been spending time at home, taking loads of pics of the cutest boys in the whole world, walking and riding bikes, and going to the gym. These are just a bunch of pics taken from this week. Nothing too exciting to you but memories of love and fun for us.

Dane tried avocado for the first time this week and liked it! Yum!

A few days later, he tried peas for the first time and.....blegh! So I mix them in his sweet potatoes and he gobbles them right up! :)

Can't beat those smiles! :)

Daddy and his boys. What handsome fellas!

He melts me with those eyes. They're the first thing I see when I look at him and I can't get enough!

Can you see his tonsils? :) What a smile!

A minute later, it was this face......the poop face! He's past his constipation but still has to push a little. :)

Mommy and Dane. He just turned 6 months and is finally starting to chunk up, thanks to his new solid food. I swear, this kid is ALL smiles! We are BLESSED!!!

I found Dane sleeping like this during one of his naps this week. The boys can't nap in the same room because it takes Cade literally and hour of singing and talking to settle down and fall asleep which obviously would keep Dane from napping. So he's on the spare mattress in our room that Cade had to sleep on during Dane's "cry it out all night" week. Yes, these boys flop from bed to bed but they do just fine. Back to the picture, he almost fell off! I didn't realize how mobile he is during his naps until then so now he's on the pack'n'play mattress on the floor--much safer! Phew!

Meet Hannah Kristine Blevins.....

2009-05-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

......and her head of hair, the newest member of the Blevins family. :) My brother Chris and his sweet wife Kim welcomed the quick birth of their very first baby on Saturday. I was fortunate to go for a visit with the boys and my mom to meet her and see the happy but tired new parents. She is so beautiful and sweet and has so much hair! She's big and healthy and perfect! We are so excited for them to start the fun new journey of parenthood! Congrats you guys, we love you!

Proud Daddy

Grandma Brannies (my mom), grandma to 3 boys and now 3 girls!

Our crew (totally awkward picture--Cade wouldn't sit still, Dane was starting to fuss, nurse sneaking out of the room, and my huge body is blocking the girl of the hour, Hannah. :(

Before I headed back to Salem from Corvallis, I took the boys to the riverfront fountains to play a while. It was HOT and so nice to cool off a bit. Cade had a ball splashing and getting soaked with all the other kids.

You could see this expression on his face THE WHOLE time he was playing.

I've never heard a child laugh so loudly and scream with excitement for 1 whole hour straight. Oh dear, all the other kids and mommies who had to endure his energy for a bit.......it at times can be exhausting but surely is a hoot to behold!

The ONLY rest Cade took and it lasted for about....5 seconds--just enough time for me to get the shot. Then he was back to laughing and screaming........ :)

Dane chilled beautifully while I took pictures of Cade and then we played together a bit. He can't seem to get enough of his toes and I love it--so easily entertained! I got lots of compliments on how cute he is, sure feels good to hear from total strangers. :) I had to thank them and of course agree! :)

So cute. I mean, COME ON!!!

Brothers....

hmm, seems as though Dane has furrowed eyebrows in all of his pictures. I promise he smiles and is the happiest baby ever!

Dane's precious toes in mom's hands. I sort of played around and did a mini photo shoot of his hands and feet with mine. It's not great but not bad since it was shot with my point and shoot digital camera.

Potty Update

2009-05-15T09:35:00.002-07:00

Nineteen times yesterday with no accidents. Not one. I can't even believe it and am so pleased with Cade's success! It's a new day and Cade's still going strong. He used the bathroom as soon as he woke up this morning and by 9:40am, his potty chart had 4 new red stars on it! Things are looking hopeful! :)

*update: 12:15pm-- We met dad for lunch at Taco del Mar. Dad took Cade into the bathroom to go potty. He did and also had a dry diaper.

**update: 1:00pm-- Home after lunch and naptime. Cade went to potty again before lying down and still had a dry diaper. I'm waiting to feel his diaper after he wakes up. Fingers crossed for dryness......:)

***update: 10pm. Overall, a very successful day for Cade. Celebrated completing his potty chart from yesterday and making it halfway through a new one today with dinner and fun at Chuck-E-Cheese, where he went to the bathroom twice and once more at home right before bed. We couldn't be happier for him!

I've got my fingers crossed....

2009-05-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Five pees, five potty treats, five colored stars (orange for today), and NO accidents!!!

Who knew year 3 would be so good to me! :)

*update: 10:30am-- Make that eight, eight, eight, and still zero. :)

**update: 12:45pm-- 14 times and still no messes.....Chuck-e-Cheese, here Cade comes!

***update: 6pm-- naptime was cause for a diaper and then we took a walk and bike ride. Right now he's back to being diaperless and has been sitting on the toilet for 10 minutes. I don't think we've got it all figured out but seems we're headed in the right direction!

Firsts

2009-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

It's been a week of "firsts" for us.

1. Cade's first bike ride out in the world on his very first real bike. He did so great! Going down and up curbs still make him anxious though.

2. Aaron and my first run of our new half marathon training.

3. Dane's first taste of rice cereal and sweet potatoes. He loved them both!

4. Dane's first time having to cry through the night. :(

5. Cade's first visit in the crib since Dane was born. Looks like he's feeling right at home!

6. Broke out the barbecue for the first time this summer after finally getting the propane tank refilled.

7. My first Mother's Day as a mother of two!

8. First time Cade, when asked to go upstairs to get dressed, actually came back down dressed from head-to-toe, socks and all!

9. Cade's first pair of Jordan's. Daddy's more excited than Cade. Thanks Uncle Ross and Aunt Jenna!

10. First time I could point the camera at Dane and get ONLY smiles!!! What a CUTE boy!

Draft waiting.....

2009-05-04T14:13:00.001-07:00

Oh dear, I have a post that's saved as a draft that I wrote a few days ago. It's all about our wonderful trip to Utah we took in March. All it needs now are the pictures. That's my dilemma though. I could update every day......(okay, let's be honest. It's me. So maybe every few days or so?) if all I had to do was type something great and click "publish post"! It's the adding and organizing of pictures that overwhelms me on blogger. But I will get them uploaded sometime soon and you'll have a fun post to read. And some pretty cute pictures to peek at too. :)

Just know that in between the the time I wrote the draft and today I have been productive along the lines of laundry, keeping my kitchen clean and kitchen sink EMPTY, the backyard is cleaned up and lookin' sharp! And the front yard has been weeded and cleaned up. Oh yeah, and my boys have had lots of mommy-time too so maybe I'm forgiven for leaving you all hangin'?

***On a funny last note, I couldn't leave this out. I want to remember this about Cade and also remember that he gave me one of the best laughs (and during the Sacrament no doubt!) I've had in quite a while so I wanted to document it. He's taking the Sacrament and doing a really good job at it. Yesterday during our meeting I had both boys by myself and was holding Dane so I was one-handing it as I took the water and passed the tray to Cade. He took a cup, drank, and went to discard his cup in the middle hole in the tray but I pointed to the outside hole so his undrunk water didn't have to drip into everyone else's waiting-to-be-drunk (drank?) cups, which happens almost every week. Sorry Four Corners warders who sit on the left side of the chapel! His hand held the cup over the middle hole while I was still pointing to the outside hole so he said (and not in a whisper), "is this the Cade's cup hole and this is the mommy's cup hole?" moving the cup over to the outside hole. The gal behind me and the missionary who was passing to us started to giggle and I just lost it too. So of course Cade starts laughing and all I could do was let him put the cup in whichever hole he wanted and get that tray gone so I could hug him tightly and laugh quietly with him. Oh man, that kid cracks me up and yesterday during the Sacrament I realized that even though it would have probably been the time to quiet him down (and myself too) and tell him we don't laugh during the sacrament, sometimes you just have to smile and laugh at the words of little children. It was a sweet moment I'll never forget.

One TALENTED gal!

2009-04-24T14:17:00.001-07:00

A friend from the old days in Hawaii has recently joined the fast-growing group of stay-at-home mom's who do photography. The thing with Brooke is that she is well, um......AMAZING!!! I wish I lived close enough to benefit from her talent but if any of you do (Nevada).....jump, no run, RUN as fast as you can and book a session with her!

Go! What are you waiting for???

Zzzzzz........

2009-04-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Dane slept all night last night! But since I'm nursing, I was a bit......well, you know. :) I'll take it if it means I get a full night's sleep though! Hooray for Dane!!!

Dane in April

2009-04-20T09:42:00.001-07:00

Dane ~ 5 months

Weight: 15.3 lbs 30%

Height: 25.75 in 55%

Head: 42.2 cm 30%

We can't believe that Dane is already 5 months old. It seems like he's always been part of our family even though he's only been on this earth for 5 months. It seems that way because he has been part of our family, he was just waiting for the right time to come to us. :) We firmly believe that he was supposed to be sent to us and what a blessing he is to have. He has helped increase the love we feel in our family for each other and for the Lord.

Dane is an extremely happy child. We thought Cade was a good baby but Dane has by far exceeded our hopes for contentedness! He rarely ever cries although family in Utah might not believe me after meeting Sir. Fussiness back in March. :) Poor kid has a little bit of a constipation problem and after not pooping for 10+ days, gets a little fussy. Well......wouldn't you? :)

Cade loves Dane and has shown proof of that not only in his words with Dane but in his gentleness and positive attention he gives him. He loves to talk to Dane, give him his toys, and even talks and plays make-believe with him. I found them in their room this morning at 6:50am, both in their own beds but awake, talking and smiling with each other. So I climbed in bed with Cade (wouldn't quite fit in the crib :) and we all just spent a good 10 minutes enjoying the early but bright sunny morning together. We're so glad Cade has come to love Dane and is always excited when he's with him and concerned with he's not.

Being 5 months old and after finding him morning after morning with his arms completely out of the swaddle I last saw him in, I decided it was time to wean him from swaddling. I start with leaving one arm out and the other swaddled to his body still. It sure has been a transition for him and me. I was used to putting him down at 10pm, him waking me to eat at 5am, and then going straight back to sleep until 8. Also, I could lay him down for naps and bedtime awake and he would calmly fall asleep on his own without any rocking. Let's just say that both these scenarios have been turned upside down and I'm lacking in the sleep department. A few nights ago, I counted going into his room to help him fall back asleep 10 times. 10 TIMES!!! Last night was a bit better so I'm hoping he'll continue to get used to it as I release his other arm next week and be back to sleeping long hours through the night again. :)

Here's what he's doing at 5 months:

blowing bubbles and drooling
holding his head up very well
grabbing anything and everything and most recently shoving it in his mouth
smiling and laughing
he gets the giggles quite often and can't stop :)
enjoys tummy time a bit more and holds his head up really high

on his tummy, pulls up to his knees and occasionally scoots forward or around in a circular direction
his new trick as of last week is grabbing his legs and toes. i LOVE this stage! :)

tells us stories and jokes by babbling for long periods at a time
rolls over from tummy to back every now and then
bats and grabs hanging toys from his car seat handle
tracks with his eyes and his ears really well.

Just another things before ending this update on Dane. He started to have a constipation problem back in March when he went 25 days with only 4 poops, and only because I gave him suppositories every time. He continues to go several weeks without relief so his doctor has asked me to give him pear juice every day which I've been doing for a few weeks. It doesn't help as much as the doctor and I would like to see so he is now on a gentle laxative that I add to his juice. Poor kid! So with his vitamins, antibiotic, juice, and laxative, the boy could sound a bit sickly but he's not! He's growing and is extremely healthy!

We love you so much Dane and can't imagine our lives without you!!!

Long-winded but a goody. You up for the read?

2009-04-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

Okay, so first of all.....I can't be trusted. As you can tell by now, my "promise" to blog never happened. I'm more frustrated with myself about how I can't seem to make time these days to blog or even check my email but the things that have kept me away are more important (my boys :)) so I can't get too down. Sorry for giving a promise I couldn't keep. I hardly ever do that except here on the blog. Oh well.

So, here I am.....sitting in a quiet living room. It's 8:52pm and both boys are asleep. :) Aaron is working late (much later than usual tonight) so I have the computer all to myself. I was tempted to finish a movie I started a few days ago but knew I'd feel much more accomplished after getting a few blog worthy activities all written out so here's to using my quiet alone time wisely for once this week! :) Hooray!

And second of all......where did April go? Come summer, come! :)

To start off, I'll just share some happiness we had this week as the sun shone down on us here in our upper left-hand corner of the USA. You gotta love Oregon. :) No need to explain for those who have lived here or nearby in the similar state of Washington. Spring's weather is extremely random but delightful when not pouring down rain. :) We've had some sun this week which means the BOB has been out in full-force! It feels so great to be hitting the pavement again and the boys seem to enjoy their ride as well. We've also done the "outdoor park", we have to call it since we've been visiting our "indoor" one (and thank goodness we even HAVE an indoor one with the long wet months we have to endure here in order to have our beautiful green spring and summer) and getting a little tired of it (and let's face it, tired of the same old faces seen there too) so it's been nice to be out in the fresh air, meeting new friends on the slides. Dane enjoys the park in the Bjorn (thanks Amy!) and loves sucking on the front padding while watching big brother Cade run and play. It's been a good week. :)

It's the 17th already and on the 19th Dane will be 5 months! I can't even believe it! He has grown so fast and is showing SUCH personality that we're having a blast with him! It's been hard to get on a regular 2, 4, 6 month well-baby checkup schedule with this new clinic we're at so we just had Dane's 4 month check this week. Pretty silly, I know, but at least it's done and we know he's growing and he's all caught up with his shots and that's what's really important. He's amazing and deserves his own post so I'll update on him in a few days with some SUPER cute pics so come on back and check him out! :)

Today. What I thought would be a dreary gray wet day from the looks of the outdoor world at 9am ended up to be a brilliantly pleasant afternoon so after naps and Little Einsteins, we headed out for a walk. Me and Cade on foot and Dane in the.......nope! The Bjorn! You thought I was going to say stroller right? He's kind of the type that likes to be held A LOT so I gave him what he wanted but still allowing my arms to be free to be a "robot" which is Cade's newest fascination. We spent most of our walk doing robot arms and legs, watching each other be robots, watching our robot shadows, throwing rocks like robots, talking like robots. You'll never guess what chores I can get Cade to do if I address him as "robot boy" (said in robot talk of course!) and then ask for his help. Seriously, think of all the things your kids drag their feet with when asked to do (Normal Boy Cade included) and he'll do it NO problem! O.K. with me and I'm rollin' with it! :)

Back to today's walk....Here's Cade gathering his rocks....

A shot of his stash. If you can't tell, his pockets are full and he held on tight with his hands to keep from losing ANY!

Digging them out..........

And throwing them into our neighborhood "pond".
I won't let myself tell him that it's actually a sewer-type, moss covered, canal. But today there were ducks swimming in it so it can't really be THAT bad, right? Ah, who am I kidding, it's nasty! But Cade loves it and looks forward to throwing rocks in it on our walks. He's such a boy! :)

Watching his shadow do the robot walk, although unfortunately I caught him in-beTWEEN the robot arm and leg motion. Dang it! It's hilarious though, I promise. Oops, one of my promises again but you can trust me this time! :)

Finally, one of mommy robot and a very content Daneboy.

And a few big and not-so-big deals from this week......

Cade drinking milk VOLUNTARILY! This is the "big" deal. He's NEVER been a milk drinker and I've always just let it go while trying to increase his calcium through yogurt and cheese but I've decided to try a few things....

1. "Oh Cade! It's a special milk straw! COOL!!!"

2. If #1 doesn't work.....

mom: "if you drink your milk all gone, I have a special treat for you!" ("special" seems to be working lately.)

Cade: "what kind of treat?"

mom: "you'll have to drink ALL your milk to find out!" It's worked every time so far! :)

Another "big" deal but not as big as getting my almost 3 year old to drink milk....

Dane swinging in a normal park baby swing for the first time! He loved it although my terrible phone camera couldn't capture the right face OR keep from being blurred. Oh well, thank goodness for my memory!

The not-so-big deal but totally worthy of documenting and sorry but again, my dumb phone camera.....blurry and sad faced but he loves his baths. And I LOVE my huge deep sink (along with my super cute babe!)

When he's fully sitting up on his own, we'll have some fun sink bath pics but for now he loves to lounge and kick, kick, kick! A swimmer for sure!

Promise!

2009-04-15T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here's a promise to myself and anyone out there who might be waiting for an update. It's been forever, I know. But I've just recently figured out a morning routine that works great for me and the boys but somehow forgot to schedule online time (emails, blog, chat, etc.) so I'm shuffling things around and will get it figured out! But for now, it's workout time but I PROMISE I'll have an update with pictures GALORE during the boys nap time today! Deal?

DEAL!!!

Okay so Dane woke up early from his morning nap, throwing off his afternoon one so I wasn't alone long enough to update. Tonight, I promise!

We have returned.

2009-03-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

We're home safe and sound. We're sick but we're home. I'll update with highlights from our trip and lots of pictures when I'm back in commission. Home you all had a great week as well.

2009-03-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patty's Day!

We had a St Patty's Day play date today. 6 moms, 1 soon-to-be mom, and 8 kids. Loads of sugar and loads of fun. Thanks for sharing your house Erica!

Dane's 4 month photo shoot

2009-03-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

My good friend just took Dane's "almost" 4 month pictures. Go here to see his cuteness and her talent! They all turned out SO great! Thank you so much Brenley!!!

Good weekend fun

2009-03-15T23:44:00.000-07:00

It's been a good weekend. Some fun days in Eugene! How come all my posts about good weekends have something to do with "eugene"? I DO enjoy my days here in Salem so never fear, we just had some sunshine and good company down there so I'm extra happy going into this week back in Salem. Lots of cousin time, sister and mother/daughter time (for me), friend time (right Brenley?), and exercise time! Oh how I DO LOVE my new stroller! It's at times my best friend! Thanks again Aaron for the belated Mother's Day present!

I am happy too because Aaron is back home again! He was on the East Coast (if you can believe it!) all last week and we finally reunited with hubby/daddy last night and it was real nice. Cade missed him so much, I let him stay up a little later than usual so they could "catch up on old times." :) It's fun to watch Cade's eyes light up whenever his dad comes into the room and to see Aaron be such a great day. I do love these boys of mine. Oh, and Dane was there too, but you know, being almost 4 months, he's not much of a talker. Although, he's laughing and smiling tons these days! I'll have to see if I can upload a video sometime soon!

So yeah, good weekend. Now I'm ready for this week full of house cleaning, laundry, going to the gym, playing with my boys, and just trying to be a better mommy than the day before (a daily goal of mine) so we have much to look forward to! Especially since we'll be leaving for Utah this Friday. LOTS to get done! I better get started! Happy week to you all!

I went to the gym for the first time in a while, leaving Dane for the FIRST time with someone other than his dad or a grandparent. This wonderful girl is my friend Capri. She watched Dane so I could work up a much needed sweat. Here she is in her workout clothes, getting ready for some sweating of her own on her treadmill. Thank you SO MUCH Capri! You're the bomb!

Dane's lookin' a little bit drugged here..........Capri?

Freezing temperatures??? Cade doesn't mind! Thank goodness for some sunshine or it would have been well below 32 degrees.

Sliding with Grandma Andrus. Look how cute she looks! Oh, and Cade too of course!

We did get a day in Eugene that reached almost 60 degrees. Not sure how it could swing so drastically from one day to the next but we got a little of both freezing cold and T-shirt weather.

Riding bikes with cousins. Pepper couldn't help but get involved although she almost got ran over a couple of times.....silly dog.

Dane's VCUG at Dornbecker

2009-03-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today was Dane's VCUG procedure up at Dornbecker Childrens Hospital at OHSU. Why did he have this done and what is it?

In utero ultrasounds showed fluid in both of his kidneys which means either urine is being kept inside them due to a blockage of the ureters OR urine is "refluxing" from the bladder back up to the kidneys through the ureters. After his kidneys continued to show this condition in the last 2 ultrasounds while I was pregnant, the perinatologist wanted an ultrasound done a month after his birth to see if it was still there. It's fairly common for babies and especially boy babies to have this fluid "on" the kidneys so the doctors weren't worried, they just wanted to follow up and see if it continued or resolved itself. Many children's kidneys can and will mature and resolve this condition on their own anywhere from being a few months old up to 2 years or more. My nephew is 2 and still had fluid in one kidney up until a few months ago when a procedure was done to fix it. So when this turned up in Dane's kidneys the doctors didn't feel a sense of urgency.....they just felt that time would tell. In the meantime, since his birth, he has been on antibiotics to prevent UTI's that could lead to a kidney infection and he's still on them today. So although his 1 month ultrasound showed an improvement in his left kidney, his right kidney still was retaining quite a bit of fluid so he needed to be seen by a pediatric urologist for the VCUG procedure and follow-up a week later. Today was the day.

What is a VCUG? First, a catheter is placed into the bladder through the penis and the existing urine is drained out. Then, through the catheter, a clear dye is emptied into the bladder which shows up black in the ultrasound so it is easily seen. The urologist then watches the flow of the the dye as the patient urinates to see if it empties normally through the urethra and out of the body OR if it refluxes back into the kidneys. It is viewed live on screen and still pictures are also taken.

Now........how did Dane do and what was the outcome? Because Dane is just a baby, he was not strapped to the table, just held gently by myself and the technician. He wore a miniature hospital gown with pink elephants and looked adorable! As the catheter was being placed (the most uncomfortable/painful part of the whole procedure) he did brilliantly! I had been stressing and worrying about how he'd do and if he'd cry during the whole thing so asked Aaron and his dad to give him a blessing of comfort this morning before we left for the hospital. Here I had prepared myself for the worst, asking my mom to come up and go in with me so I didn't have to stand there alone, crying with my crying baby. She took the day off and came with me but Dane did so great that I felt kind of bad for having asked her to take an unpaid day off of work and come. We both were shocked and surprised as he just looked around and around like he were lying on the couch in the comfort of his own home while the catheter was being placed! No problem for Dane! Tough guy! The only time he got restless and a little fussy was when his bladder was completely full but who wouldn't be??? Anyway, he did so wonderfully that I actually enjoyed this new experience. Tom, the technician, and the urologist were SO great, very thorough and informative about the procedure and they were so kind and gentle with Dane. They invited me to ask any and every question I could think of and they answered with complete patience and confidence. The urologist informed me that she has been doing this for over 13 years and found NO reflux of the kidneys! Hooray!!!! She said that he has a nice big bladder and that everything seems to be working the way it should.

Just before the catheter.

After the catheter was placed. You can see it coming out of his diaper at his left leg and lying on the table.

My view from his head before the camera was placed over his body.

A happy comfortable Dane!

When we were done and came back out to the waiting room, this is what we found.......

Grandpa Brannies said he was tired of reading so he decided to take a little nap. Looks like he made himself RIGHT at home, snoring and all!!!!

Now we just follow-up with a nurse practitioner next week to talk about the results, possibly to ultrasound the kidneys again to see if there is still fluid in them (today's procedure was all about the bladder and ureters to the kidneys), and find out if we can stop antibiotics from here on out. I'll have more of an idea of where we go from here after next week's appointment but for today we got what we wanted and that was NO REFLUX!

We (ourselves, family, and some friends) have all been fasting and praying for his little body to be strong and develop properly so it can take care of itself in the way it should and it seems as though our desires have been the will of the Lord. We feel so blessed to have the knowledge and opportunity to pray for help and know that we can receive answers if we have faith. We also feel very blessed that Dane has been under the care of wonderful doctors and incredible technology that can help him be a strong, healthy, happy little boy! Thank you to all who have supported us physically and emotionally by staying with Cade so I can take Dane to appointments, being with us during numerous appointments, and praying, thinking, and fasting for Dane's improvement. We love you so much and couldn't have made it through these past 3 1/2 months without you!!!

2009-03-06T16:48:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about Aaron all day today. He's such a great guy, I'm so lucky!

Ready for pictures?

2009-03-04T10:55:00.000-08:00

I've been taking a lot of pictures on my camera phone since my point and shoot is full and I haven't had the energy to sit down and unload all the pics into their correct picture folders. Someday soon I'll try and do that so you don't have to look at the mediocre quality of my phone pics. But until then......enjoy a random compilation of what we've been up to.

What, you've never seen a pants-less boy at Old Navy before?!

Let's just say we could smell him a mile away and when I went to change him, his pants needed to go in a diaper disposable baggie for the ride home. :)

Cade wanted me to take a picture of his "big, bad race cars!"

We miraculously had a 55 degree day and beautiful sun so went for a run and played at the park. Soooo much fun and so needed!

The boys all ready for said run. I'm LOVING my stroller and know that it was well worth the big bucks I spent on it!

Dane with cousin Emma. She is such a little nurturer and loves to hold him when she can. Too bad you can't see much of his cute little face but just look at hers! What a beauty! :)

After a bath I was trying to catch Dane smiling. I'll get him smiling and giggling but once the camera is in sight, he goes straight faced. No joke. So I had to hide the camera phone and hope his face was in sight, while keeping my eyes and attention on Dane. This one doesn't do his smile justice since it's not a full smile but oh well.

Same scenario with this pic. Missed his face but got a HUGE smile! :)

Bumbo-seating it on my bed, thanks to Brenley! He's still a little wobbly in it and I'm convinced that if he were a little chubbier, he'd have no wiggle room so here's to hoping he puts on a few more pounds here pretty soon! He's for sure skinnier than Cade was at 3 months. Cade was a chubbo!

Brother Tummy-time!

Like Cades' wild hair? Yep, we're back to the longer curls! Hooray!!!

On Valentine's Day down in Eugene. "Want a lick of my lolly pop?"

Cade drew this face COMPLETELY independent of our help. All daddy would say is "draw a circle for the head. Great! Now give him some eyes. Now give him some hair. etc,...." I never have my phone on during church but for this "first", I HAD to turn it on (on silent of course!) and take a picture! My boy's growing up!

Seriously though, that's an AWESOME face!

I've been dreaming of this weather......

But since we don't have that here in March, we have to do a lot of indoor stuff like.......

..........playing cowboys at the indoor playground. Yee-HAW!!!

Dane napping at the indoor playground.

This last weekend, Aaron's folks came up for a visit and took us out to lunch at Dairy Queen. Me nursing Dane but smiling with Cade. Two crooked smiles.....:)

Dane finished eating. I LOVE the pink cheeks he gets after being under a blanket while nursing. It's so cute! And look at those cheeks?!!! So kissable!

After one of the biggest blow-outs he's ever had, I put Dane in the sink to get washed up! He's almost too big to bathe in the sink anymore. :(

We've gone to a few Oregon Girls basketball games with my mom and Gary over the past month. At this one, we tracked down The Duck for a picture! Cade was taken by the big bird and talks about him all the time, not to mention hums the WHOLE fight song he heard the band playing only twice. He has an incredible memory!

Some fun at the park with cousin Garrett, both in cute hoodies and cool Vans.

I love that they're basically the same age now. Well, 6 months apart but at 2 and 2 1/2, their skills are so close they play really well together.

Bodily Fluids lead to funny faces

2009-03-04T10:46:00.000-08:00

Dane has been the spit-up and BLOW OUT king these past couple of weeks! Man, I'm not quite sure what's going on but we both go through at LEAST 3 outfits a day and I'm pretty darn tired of stain treating for curdled milk and the bright yellow runs. Come on Dane, give me a break!

Big pukes on him.....

And all over me. Nice, huh?

Me and my boys

2009-03-04T10:41:00.000-08:00

Do I look like a happy mommy or what?!

I love these boys!

Dane's 3 months old!

2009-02-24T15:22:00.000-08:00

Dane turned 3 months on the 19th so I'm a little late at getting this posted but better late than never. Since they don't do 3 month well baby check-ups I don't have any new stats until next month but here's what he's been up to:

Dane -- 3 months

Every now and then he sleeps through the night.

A very good nurser and eats just about every 3 hours.

Loves to look up at mommy while nursing. It is the most sweet intimate moment of my day. I love it!

Holds his HEAD UP very well with very little wobbling.

Talking and talking and TALKING!!! :)

SMILES a lot!

GIGGLING! I can't believe it but it's true!

Might be cutting his first tooth. (Bottom left).

Has BLUE eyes and DARK hair. A lot of hair has fallen out but we can tell it's growing back in again.

Still has to have the pacifier to help him sleep but goes much throughout the day without it.

Has more of mom in him than Cade ever did. Smaller ears that lay back against his head, thin lips, smaller hands, lady fingernails (sorry dude), slender narrow feet. That's what we've noticed so far.

Figuring out his arms and hands. Will reach out and grab at things and opens and closes his fingers around things.

Holds his head up really well during tummy time and........ROLLING OVER!!!!

(picture taken RIGHT AFTER he rolled over! I promise he did it TWICE! Proof is on my video camera, not my point and shoot but I'll catch it again soon and show ya!)

Cadeisms and Potty Charts!

2009-02-17T22:38:00.001-08:00

We help Cade thank Heavenly Father for His son Jesus Christ and to bless President Monson in his prayers each night. One day I had mentioned Jesus in a sentence to Cade and this is what followed:

Cade: "Jesus Monson, Mommy."

Mom: "It's President Monson and Jesus Christ."

Cade: "Oh yeah, that's right! Jesus Christ, Amen!"

Such a smart, cute kid!

We visited our parents' ward in Eugene/Springfield this past weekend where, as far as I'm concerned, they have the best couple as nursery leaders. The Jones' are a little older but they are fun, energetic, and always have wonderful lessons and fun handouts for the kids to take home. I can also tell that they genuinely love being with small children so I always feel like Cade is safe and in very good hands when he goes to nursery. Back to this last weekend at church......when I went to get Cade from nursery after church was over, he immediately said, "The Holy Ghost Mommy, the Holy Ghost!" Sister Jones gave us his handout which sure enough was about the Holy Ghost. I thanked the Jones' for being so wonderful with the kids and we left to go find Aaron and Dane and go to the car. As we were looking for Aaron, Cade kept saying over and over...."I'm scared of the Holy Ghost Dad! I'm scared of the Holy Ghost!" At this point I'm thinking it's because of the word "ghost" so I did my best to explain to him that the Holy Ghost isn't an actual ghost, he's a spirit that can help us make good choices. Probably went right over his head, right? Anyway, so we found Aaron and went to the car where Cade continued to talk of the Holy Ghost as a frightening thing. Aaron and I both were confused at times but just had to laugh at how cute he sounded trying to explain to us what the Holy Ghost does to him. Here's the kicker.....

Cade: "I don't wike the Howy Ghost. He wights (lights) a fire on my arm and there are storms and it's NOT GOOD!"

Oh dear! A fire?!!! All we could make of it was that maybe they learned how sometimes the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit can make you feel like there is a warm fire burning in your bosom or heart and He can help you feel safe when there are loud scary storms outside. I'm pretty sure that's what was taught but you know little kids, their imaginations just run wild sometimes! I DO love that he's taking it all in and trying to make sense of what he's learning at home, at church, or wherever and he's doing a great job of communicating how he understands things.

And on another awesome note, Cade completed his first potty chart on Tuesday evening! He has been much more interested in sitting on the toilet over the past couple of weeks where he's both peed and pooped several times! Sorry to say those words on here but what's a mommy to do?! As you can imagine, I couldn't be happier! Every time he sits on the potty (whether he's successful or not) he gets to color in a star and get a potty treat afterwards. He also flushes, closes the lid, scoots the stool up to the sink and can wash his hands (ABC's) from start to finish all by himself. I am so thrilled, I know we still have a long way to go before he's totally trained but I am still SO thrilled! We agreed that when he made it to the end of his chart we would go to Chuck'E'Cheese to celebrate so we'll be paying the BIG MOUSE a visit this weekend! Hooray Cade, we are soooo proud of you!!!

I am happy today because.....

2009-02-11T13:50:00.000-08:00

1. We got a call from Dane's doctor and after looking over his blood test results, she says all of his bili levels are back to normal, therefor no need to get him in to see the gastroenterologist! I cried and cried, I am SO HAPPY!!!! Thank you to all who joined our family fast this month and who have been praying for and thinking about Dane. All of our fast and prayers have been answered.

2. Dane slept THROUGH the night last night! (And I'm not just talking midnight to 5 or 6, which is great in and of itself, don't get me wrong). We're talking 11:30pm-7:30am! 8 Hours of TOTALLY uninterrupted sleep! I didn't even feel Aaron get out of bed, didn't hear him in the shower OR when he came back in to get dressed and leave for work. Believe me, I was dead to the world! I'm a new woman! :) Thanks Dane! Now, let's let's keep it up, okay?

3. Over the past week, Aaron and I have both noticed a change in Cade. He's gone from his "get into anything and everything just to BUG mom and test my limits/naughtier than nice" stage to "hugs and kisses/I love you/want to help with brother and be a totally good listener" stage. I'M LOVIN' IT!!!

4. My house is clean and has STAYED clean for the past couple of days. Just. Plain. AWESOME!

5. We enjoyed a super cute play group today all focused around Valentine's Day. Emily and Max had 3 games prepared, icing cookies, and story time with a book called Animals Nobody Loves. It was all about bats, spiders, sharks, vultures, and any other animal that is gross, eats yucky things, or could hurt you. A TOTAL boy book (since play group is a "boys only" club so far) and they loved it! Thanks Emily and Max for such a fun time! We like you!

6. We left Aaron a love note and a heart-shaped cookie at work and can't wait for him to find it, enjoy it, and know how much we love him!

7. I feel good inside and out!

8. I have a baby again! There's nothing like the sweet lovin' of a new little one. I love Dane so much! And of course I love my big boy Cade too! Notice Cade's olive skin and Dane's pale skin? Yeah, we're pretty sure Dane got dad's skin and Cade has mine.

9. Cade's cough is almost gone. After 5 days of one of the nastiest sounding coughs I have ever heard, it's finally almost gone. But during it all, we taught him to cough/sneeze in his elbow and after 2 days of consistently reminding him to do it, he will now cover his cough with his elbow almost every time!

10. It's not raining today which means after both boys wake from their naps (good nappers+napping at the same time= another reason I'm happy today) I get to use my new stroller and take the boys on a walk down to Shopko and the Dollar Tree. (Note to self.....Dane's prescription, drinking straws, and plastic ware.)

Today

2009-02-09T21:44:00.000-08:00

Took Dane to do another blood test today. Checking both his total and direct bilirubin. Should hear back in a few days. Still waiting to hear if his referral to the gastroenterologist will be accepted by our insurance, then can make an appointment. He continues to be a happy little guy through it all, thank goodness. The Lord is watching over him and I'm trying to find comfort in that.

Bilirubin

2009-02-06T22:13:00.000-08:00

I've been doing research today, trying to find what I can about "direct bilirubin" and what it means if elevated since this is the one that has Dane's doctors concerned. I found many websites telling about newborn bilirubin, what it is, and how it goes away but couldn't find answers as to what "direct" and "total" bilirubin are, their differences and what it means for Dane, having elevated "direct" bilirubin. Finally I found a helpful website that answers some of my questions as to what they are, their differences, what it's caused by, and how it is treated. I hope in Dane's case that his underlying problem will be easily treatable through the help of his pediatric gastroenterologist and NOT liver disease.

This is what I found:

Bilirubin:
Bilirubin is a major breakdown product of hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is derived from red cells that have outlived their natural life and subsequently have been removed by the spleen. During splenic degradation of red blood cells, hemoglobin (the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen to the tissues) is separated out from iron and cell membrane components. Hemoglobin is transferred to the liver where it undergoes further metabolism in a process called conjugation. Conjugation allows hemoglobin to become more water-soluble. The water solubility of bilirubin allows the bilirubin to be excreted into bile. Bile then is used to digest food.

As the liver becomes irritated, the total bilirubin may rise. It is then important to understand the difference between total bilirubin, which has undergone conjugation (that is hepatic cell metabolism), and at portion of bilirubin which has not been metabolized. These two components are called total bilirubin and direct bilirubin. The direct bilirubin fraction is that portion of bilirubin that has undergone metabolism by the liver. When this fraction is elevated, the cause of elevated bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) is usually outside the liver. These types of causes are typically gallstones. This type of abnormality is usually treated with surgery (such as a gallbladder removal or choleycystectomy).

If the direct bilirubin is low, while the total bilirubin is high, this reflects liver cell damage or bile duct damage within the liver itself.

Information taken from http://www.gastromd.com/lft.html

Dane at 2 1/2 months

2009-02-06T15:17:00.000-08:00

At 11 weeks (2 1/2 months), Dane went for his 2 month well baby check-up. Because of the move of our favorite pediatrician, we have switched doctors for the boys and it has been a sad, long process. There just is no one like Dr. Cox and there will never be. We had trouble getting him into see the primary health care doctor that took over our pediatrician's patients, so I finally just switched care, hence being seen at 2.5 months instead of 2. The boys' new doctor could not see Dane as soon as I called but we got an appt with another pediatrician sooner so went with that. At this new clinic, there are 11 pediatricians so if his doctor can not see him, there will always be another and I feel much more comfortable with him being under the constant care of a pediatrician, unlike at the old clinic. And with him having some health issues, I just feel like he'll be taken better care of when it's with doctors who have specialized in childhood health. Cade on the other hand won't be seeing the new pediatrician until his 3 year appointment because he continues to be healthy as an ox!

Dane did beautifully as the doctor asked me questions and checked him out. "He is growing well and is looking great," she said. But as we all know, at these monthly check-ups, there are immunizations to be done and he did NOT like them. One taken orally and 3 in his thighs which sent him THROUGH the roof! This boy has had his heel pricked probably about 15 times since his birth and that was never easy for either of us to deal with but the pain that came with his shots made him sooooo sad. And of course I cried a little bit too. :(

When the appointment was over, we left the clinic, I put Cade down for a nap and gave Dane some infant Tylenol and he continued to be irritable from his shots and basically just slept for the rest of the day. Poor little guy. Today he's back to being a happy little guy. :)

Dane's 2 1/2 month stats on Feb. 4, 2009:

Head: 39.75 in (25%)

Weight: 12 lbs 10 oz (50%)

Length: 24.5 in (75%)

He's a long, lean machine!

Bilirubin levels:

"Total" bili: 4.2

"Direct" bili: 1.9 (the one that causes great concern)

Got it!

2009-02-06T14:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, my stroller has arrived and YES I've used it! :) Although it was just for a walk in the park but I assure you that I'm VERY happy with it! Turns on a dime, is extremely lightweight for a double, made from heavy-duty material, and fun FUN in red! :) The boys like it too! :)

Now, if my knee will stop bugging me and if we can get some nice weather again, I'll take it for a run.

Still smilin'!

2009-02-01T23:27:00.000-08:00

Seems I have lots to post tonight. Or maybe it's just that it's 11:30pm and I'm waiting for some laundry to finish in the dryer before I can go to bed and I needed something productive to do. Either way, I feel like I've accomplished something when I finally get around to posting.

Well, it's been a good weekend but we've all been hit pretty hard with sinus colds. Poor Dane sounds the worst. Why oh why do helpless little babies have to get colds? I mean, it's bad enough that they're sniffling and coughing but when they can't blow their own nose and you have to use the sucker on them? It's just wrong, you know? Poor little guy. He's handling it well though. Still eats. Still sleeps. Thank goodness. :) But cold and all, he's still a smiler!!! Love it!

Sharon, recognize the hoodie? If you have no more boys, I'll have to fight your sisters for this one! It's my favorite!!!

Cuties from my camera phone

2009-02-01T23:04:00.000-08:00

Dane's just gotta have that pacifier all the time, darnit!

Cade loves wearing his "shades" while riding in the car even on days when the sun is sleeping. I believe this day was full of sunshine so shades were needed for the both of us. Sunshine in winter here in Oregon is a rarity so we pretend it's shades wearin' summertime when we have it!

Took this one night when Dane and I were going to bed. He was actually awake but the flash made him blink. This is the only pic that he wasn't flinching and blurred. Cute, eh?

Brothers! Can you tell???

Bundled up for a walk on a cold January day. Burrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

You tell me.

2009-02-01T22:56:00.000-08:00

What is WRONG with this picture?

I can't believe we've made it back to the 80's again. I mean, I guess older decade fashion is recycled but don't they usually do a CURRENT take on the old? Pink. Purple. Yellow. Acid washed teal.....t..hese, my friends, are just as ugly as the ones we wore in the 80's and early 90's. Blechh!

10 week update on Dane's bili levels

2009-01-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

I was looking through pictures of Dane just now after receiving a phone call from his doctor. I took him in for a bili check last week as suggested by the neonatologist who saw him in the NICU. He wanted him check no matter what at 2 months so in we went. I was hoping it would be his last heel prick seeing how his color looks great and the whites of his eyes are white now after a formula treatment at 6 weeks. At 10 weeks, turns out his "direct" bili is still elevated at 1.9 (down significantly from what it was before but higher than what it should be by now) so he's been referred to a pediatric gastroenterologist just to make sure the liver and intestines are functioning properly. Poor guy. But even with problems with his bili and his kidneys still retaining fluid (seeing a ped. urologist for this) he continues to be the happiest baby on the block!

Just to show you the difference.......

the night before he went into the NICU at 7 days of life. Sooooo orange!

and this afternoon. See, his color is lookin' good!

We'll just have to wait and see what all these specialists have to say about his liver and kidneys. We love you Dane and are fasting and praying for you to be strong and healthy!

Hooray! I did it!

2009-01-27T14:41:00.000-08:00

I did it! I have purchased a NEW TOY!!!! The thing with THIS new toy is that it will last and last and last through babies, infants, and toddlers and allow me the freedom I need right now! And come springtime, I'll be back to being an outdoor runnin' fool! :) I might even start up a stroller class here in my area. I have been researching for well over 3 months, trying to find the right fit for my needs. So a BIG thanks to Michelle for her much needed support, REI for their Yearly Sale AND the go-ahead from Aaron, I have entered the BOB club! Estimated arrival date is Feb. 3rd and I can NOT wait!

Lunch, laughs, and lizards

2009-01-24T22:19:00.000-08:00

Today. Saturday. A good day. Although I didn't accomplish as much as I thought I would. In the end, I'll trade a clean house and finished sewing projects for a quiet house and lunch with mom and Gary any day! Thanks for lunch and Happy Anniversary you love birds! :)

Al occasionally calls to see if he can stop in for his "Cade fix" but I called him this time. Cade had been asking to play at Al's house for a long time so I thought I'd see if he was up to it. As always, he said "sure! I'd love to have Cade for the day" and I sighed in relief. :) Going to Al's house means playing with the dogs, seeing the horses, running around on their HUGE property, playing on the swings, flying helicopters (starting to sound like a little (or big) boys' paradise?).....needless to say, he had a BLAST and would hardly go in for lunch. Al said he was so blue from the cold that they were starting to get worried and basically had to drag him inside to warm up. After a few minutes, he was begging to go back out again. Someday Cade, we'll have all the cool stuff you love. The big yard, the swing set, maybe a helicopter or two.....but NEVER a dog. Sorry dude! You'll have to go to Al's house for that! Here's Al and the boys together after he brought Cade back home. Thanks Al!!!!

Just a quickie about yesterday. Cade has been hiding in the bathroom and doing his business with the door closed for privacy. It took only one time of him doing this for me to catch onto what's happening. And he refuses to let me in and WON'T sit on the toilet. Aaron and I talked about how we could take potty training to the next step with him so on Thursday night, we went out and made a BIG DEAL about him getting to choose some "big boy" underwear. Our part was to let him choose and we'd buy him the underwear. His end of the bargain was to LET us sit him on the toilet when he has to go. He agreed so we went home with Thomas. Friday was looking hopeful but unknown about how he'd do with just underwear on. Accident #1. No biggie. Just liquid. On the linoleum dining room floor. Easy cleanup. Then accident #2 came as a surprise when I see his undies looking pretty darn wet in front. Then I see streams of pee down his leg and bright yellow drops on the carpet. I followed the trail to the crime scene where I found the majority of his emptied bladder on my curtains. Confused? Yeah, me too! So I put him on the potty for good practice. Seat down. Flush. Wash hands (ABC's...la, la, la). Dry hands. Color star on potty chart. Small potty treat. Done. Done? Nope. In the bath he goes. Then afterwards, ON comes the safety net diaper (phew! No more messes. He's CLEARLY not ready for those undies!), out comes the carpet cleaner and in the wash go my curtains. We both are NOT ready to deal with all that goes along with potty training a toddler. Today? I'm A.O.K with diapers. :) But here are some cute pics to remember the day.

And finally, some random pictures from this last week. A new beanie Cade has acquired. I love the pom on top and his incredible smile!

And the BIGGEST FREAKIN' lizard I've every seen in a pet store! And no it was NOT an iguana.

Us today

2009-01-22T16:17:00.000-08:00

We've had a fun day today. Being cold and winter-y here in the Northwest, I finally opted for a membership for the boys at the indoor playground. We go at least twice a week, giving Cade a great outlet for his energy and I can just watch him have fun while sitting with Dane. It's SO nice. Except for when I have to go regulate "trouble" in the sandbox, bouncy house, or when interacting with other kids. He really does a good job playing and it's so fun to watch him being creative with the toys and other kids. He's imagining activities and creating his own fun and that's really fun and fulfilling as a mom to watch and see him experiencing this creative play. It's SO important for his development. I love it! They don't charge kids until 6 months of age so we're not getting our money's worth for Dane yet but they had a $99 for 2 kids deal that I just couldn't pass up. And it's been worth every penny to not be stuck inside our house driving each other crazy! I love to sit and watch all the kids play, see the interactions with their parents, and basically just "people watch" but some days it gets boring when we're there for 2+ hours. I've tried bringing a book to read but I feel the need to keep a good watch on Cade so I don't usually get past the first page. So today I invited a good friend of mine. She doesn't have children (yet, she's expecting a boy in June, hooray!) but has always enjoyed playing with her nephews so she has no problem hanging with me and my boys. We spend the morning together yesterday and then again today at the playground. So if you're wondering who this chick is who's holding my baby, it's Erica! I love her! :)

Cade couldn't contain his excitement for going to the playground!

Dane could. :)

Fun on the huge foam blocks.

The biggest sandbox you've ever seen! Cade loves it but has a hard time keeping the sand DOWN so he occasionally gets a time-out or two.

Dane has been full of smiles lately. Someday I'll capture one at the perfect moment but in the meantime, enjoy this one! Open-mouth smiles are the best!

Dane and Erica! There are tons of reasons why I like this cool chick. No time to list them now. Just know she's a life saver and a really good friend.

Mommy and Dane. Forgive my fresh-out-of-the-shower look.

Me and my boys! Love these kids!

2009-01-21T15:45:00.000-08:00

thanks for all your comments. some were helpful, some weren't. :) but enjoyed them all, as always! i've decided against bangs for the time being and feel good about it!

What do YOU think?

2009-01-20T21:28:00.000-08:00

Bangs?.................

no bangs?

Please help.

2 important things to share.......

2009-01-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

#1. Last night Dane slept THROUGH the night! Fed him at 11. We went down by 12am and woke up at 7! HOORAY!!!!!

#2. "If it doesn't have a mother or it wasn't grown in the ground, don't eat it!"
Quote from the Biggest Loser's hard-core trainer, Jillian Michaels. Something to truly think about when choosing food to eat. Seriously, next time you go to put something in your mouth, remember that quote and think of where your food came from. If you can't answer yes to both those things, then it's not meant for your body. Should help with those "lose weight/be more healthy" new years resolutions. Good luck! :)