Happy New Year

2008 was a pretty remarkable year for us, but most notably it was a year where our lives could return to some sense of normalcy after the house project. We could relax after work, go up north over a few weekends in the summer, and just spend time together as a family throughout the holidays and seasons.

The year brought many firsts for Laura: crawling, walking, talking, trip to Colorado, etc. It's obvious in the photos how much Alex has grown in a year: his vocabulary, his ability to negotiate, his ability to work with others, his manual dexterity, and his legs among the many things.

They've grown together as well, together they're forming the sibling relationship: which means Laura does what Alex does; Alex wants what Laura has; much picking, prodding and aggrevating ensues; but at the end of the day all they want is to give each other "moochies" before going to bed.

The photos in the video above are many you've seen before; but it's a brief compilation of noteworthy moments throughout the year.

I wish you and yours a safe and happy 2009.

X-mas cards

We usually reserve our xmas cards for immediate family and very close friends; therefore, not everybody gets the joy of seeing my kids:). For those that don't, here ya go. The back reads "Wishing everyone a happy and healthy holiday season" Love, Jason & Teri and the kids.

Disclaimer: please don't copy or reuse the photo above. Thanks.

Plans change

This past Sunday we had a really great sermon at church that pertained to God having a bigger plan for each one of us. Our pastor always does a nice job of integrating the sermon into everyday life, as opposed to the old traditional "preaching" some of us remember in church. There wasn't one person that left the auditorium who couldn't relate to that sermon: you have this grand scheme in your mind of how your life is going to go, and within seconds it is changed drastically.

Alex proved to be what I hope is just one of many of my "changed plans". Rewind to 4 years ago: I had been offered a 911 dispatcher position within a nearby county, I had passed the exam with flying colors, went through psychological testing, and an extensive background check. I was ecstatic when I found out that my underage drinking ticket wouldn't haunt me for life. This was the job of a lifetime, or so it seemed-a new challenge, in something that really interested me, great benefits, early retirement, and more money. I put in my notice to my boss, and came home and celebrated over my new job. That is until a few days later when something didn't seem just right for me-a pregnancy test revealed what I felt was one of my biggest fears, and I cried. My mom and co-worker convinced me that "you should be happy-not crying". It wasn't so much the thought of having a child that upset me, as it was the timing. I felt safe at RC it was a job more conducive to raising a family instead of a 3rd shift dispatcher position. It was at that point that I took my pregnancy as a sign that I needed to stay where I was at. So I did the unthinkable: I called my boss at home, explained the situation, and he happily accepted me back. Fast forward to today: another beautiful child, 2 promotions, and 4 classes away from graduating-I'm pretty sure I'm living proof that somebody else has bigger plans.

It seemed like that sermon couldn't have come at a better time for me; I've been struggling with personal decisions regarding my career, spending more time with my children, and taking some time to work on myself. With my classes wrapping up, I only have 4 more til graduation-spread out over the course of the next year (my last class is only offered in the Fall, and my course load was heavy enough this year) things will seem lax compared to the past 3 years. This past week something sparked me to begin training for a 1/2 marathon, with less time devoted to school I should have the time necessary to train and compete in the Green Bay 1/2 marathon. It's been over 5 years since my last 1/2, so I'm ready to get back into some routine and utilize this time as "working on myself". So I'm tackling 1/3 of my plan; I'll leave the rest in someone else's hands.

Give Thanks

With the hustle and bustle of the holiday season just around the corner, I thought I'd take a minute to wish everyone a Happy Thankgiving. Take some time to reflect on all the things in life you have to be thankful for: family, friends, health, and happiness. (oh, and wonderful 3 year old artwork:))

Let her eat cake

Miss Mag turned 9 in October, and naturally I thought she was blog worthy. After all, she has been with me through some of the most monumental times in my life: getting married, 2 pregnancies, 2 children, 3 homes, 2 makeshift homes, and all of the "in between" of the past 9 years. Yes, she has truly proven to be a loyal and wonderful companion despite the overshadowing that happens when human children come into your life.

She's come a long way from her puppy mill in Poy Sippi, WI. Many people know I hold her with close regard (probably closer than necessary), she enjoys the luxuries most dogs wouldn't dream of: sleeping in a king size bed, while overcrowding Jason's side (remember the horse in the bed scene from Airplane, that would be Mag at about 6 a.m.); sleeping on a warm comfy couch the entire day; toddler table scraps on a daily basis; off leash runs in a squirrel filled forest; pretty much free reign of the house and 5 acres, and a reliable and lovable 2nd home in "grandma Bonnie and Jim" (mind you neither are proclaimed "dog people", but they treat her as if she were their own).




Mag came into my life when I was 20 years old; Jason and I were just about to purchase our first home and I thought it was only fitting to get a dog. Much like athletics were to me in high school; Mag was a responsibility that probably kept me out of trouble. She was a reason to go home after work; a reason to get out for a walk or run; a reason to think about most things I did-before I acted (much like a child is to me now). While it seemed like more responsibility to take on at such a carefree point in my life, I don't regret it one bit.


Mag and Rip in true form:)

Her life catapulted with the addition of two children; it hit her ego hard but she has found "her place" in the family. She realizes it comes with pokes and proddes from toddlers, free handouts (or take outs) from small hands, some days she might not get breakfast, or her water sits for more than 12 hours, but she's o.k. with that. Just so long as she gets to velcro up to Jason or I for a few minutes after the kids go to bed, are all that really matter to her now.



The bond between a pet and their owner is something you can't really describe unless you experience it yourself; while her luxuries seem overkill she was accustomed to many of them long before kids came along-and as long as the children are safe and happy in the present; I figure it's a small price to pay for the short duration she will be in my life; and the amount of companionship she has given while in it. Happy Birthday lady.

Happy Halloween

Halloween is officially over, and as you can see by the photo-the kids really enjoyed it.

Alex had a Halloween party at school last week, which they practiced their trick or treating skills out before the big day.

Laura probably had just as much fun because she had a big brother to show her the ropes at a young age. She played the part, by the second house I think she was an old pro:).

More photos can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/dobiluvr/Halloween#.

Life as a single mom

Single mom's are the most amazing women on this earth.

I've thought this well before I've ever had to partake in single parent child-rearing for 10 days; but I had to put those words down to let all those women (and you know who you are) know how much I greatly admire them.

Jason headed out to Colorado last week on a hunting trip with my brother-in-law and two nephews. I think it is actually the longest Jason and I have probably been away from each other, let alone him being away from the kids for an extended period of time. I laugh at how when people ask me if I missed him, my response directly goes to-"the kids did".

I managed well while he was gone; I will never proclaim to be that "supermom" who feels the need to be with her kids 100% of the time. Nor do I have the patience of a saint; that's where Jason comes into the parenting picture (o.k., I guess that's not his only contribution):). He's an amazing father-and we rely on each other in different parenting aspects which is why we both love raising our kids together. The help I received while Jason was gone was much appreciated, and much welcomed as a break for me; whether I was working or at school it's still a mental break from child-rearing 24-7.

He's had this trip planned for quite some time which in turn had given me some planning time of my own: once my in-laws agreed to watch the kids for a weekend, I took the opportunity to go visit an old friend I went to college with. The weekend was cut short by a 20-50 page research paper due in my IT Admin course; nonetheless, I had a wonderful time catching up with my friend for the short while I was there.

Melissa is a single mom of a 3 year old, she's a faculty member of her alma mater in the Physical Education department; she specializes in Pedigogy which I believe involves defining curriculum and giving future teachers the real tools they need to go out into the teaching world. She managed to earn her Masters in the foothills of the Wyoming mountains, while spearheading some amazing educational and extra-curricular programs into the Indian Reservation school she taught on out there-and continues to teach online. She did all this while being pregnant, giving birth to, and raising her little girl; some will say it was a choice she made (to become pregnant)-but she'll be the first to point out that she has beaten the statistics given her situation. She hopes to continue to eventually earn a PhD, I assumed it was so she had one more thing to add to her Vita but she'll tell you "it's just so I can be called Dr. Sprain".

While all these benchmark achievements are amazing, it's her love for life and how she continually educates those around her that make her remarkable. There is not one conversation I have with her, that I don't walk away with a greater understanding for another person's point of view-and not just an opinion, a validated point of view that makes me realize how fortunate I am in many senses. Relationships, politics, children; those are just the many areas she has either supported me when needed; or proved to be devil's advocate to bring me back down to reality-which the reality is that I am so blessed for all that I have. God dealt me a pretty good hand in comparison to her, and look at the lemonade she made with her lemons.

Thank you Melissa for being such an amazing friend, while it was a short stint for me at UW-LaCrosse, all things happen for a reason; and that reason for me-was you.

Old Friends

Last week we organized a meet up of a bunch of friends from high school, not everybody could make it-but those that did had a really great time. It's hard to describe high school friends, as you leave high school and move out into the "real" world you in a sense move on from those friends. You acquire friendships based on where you are at in that point of your life: single and living it up, married w/ out kids, or married w/ children. What you don't realize is that you never really move on from those friends; it is actually one of the few constants in your life-you know that those friends you had way back when-are exactly the same as you remember them, and the only thing you have to talk about are all those careless but wonderful things you did as a teenager going into adulthood. For a few short hours you let go of the worries of today, and just remember a "simpler" time and enjoy each other's company. And realize that while we all change, our circumstances change, outlooks change, we are essentially the same person we've always been deep down.

Just including the girls above, we have 17 children and are expecting 2 more-it's crazy to think how all our lives have changed in just 10 short years!

Fall is here

Here's Alex modeling one of his best pieces of artwork yet. He's officially completed a month of school, and he loves it. His teachers say his "strengths" are coming to cuddle with them every once in a while, and that he's adapted to preschool extremely well. His weakness, he's having a hard time not interrupting when he has something to say (not really a surprise considering he's 3), so we'll work on that one.

We've already made our annual trip to Little Farmer, which the kids had a great time seeing the animals, pumpkins, going on the hayride, and best of all-the carmel apples. Hard to believe Fall is here, but earlier nightfall and brisk yet warmer temps are a good sign. I'm looking forward to Halloween this year cause Alex will be more into it, and Laura will be able to participate as well.

Sissy is also catching a few milestones, more and more teeth are popping through. And I decided to cut her bangs a little, hey I know how much a ponytail hurts my head all day-I couldn't imagine how it felt on her little head. So we can still get it in a pony, or leave it down and it's not drowning in her eyes. Here's my little multitasker: purses and loaders. . . . A girl's dream, right?!

Family ties

My sister Fritz and her family decided to come home last minute last weekend. You know, because everybody decides to make a 16 hour drive from Colorado for only a matter of a few days at the drop of a hat-well, most people don't know Fritz. We were blessed with the news that the Mischo's are expecting a new baby in their household, so we're all glad they were able to tell us that in person.

Alex loves playing with his cousin Ari, and he frequently talks about "Fritzie" and going to "paint in her basement, or fish in the pond next to her house". I'm amazed at how much he remembers, and to know that he holds onto those fond memories. So when we see each other-no matter the distance, it's like picking up right where we left off.

Ari did a little equestrian training w/ her little cousin Laura over the weekend too, she was finally able to break Laura of the habit of grabbing a toy, sliding it along the floor, and saying vroom vroom. Needless to say, a little feminine intervention w/ regards to playing was needed:). Instead she grabs a horse, or a tractor, jumps it a litte and says "neehaa". Thanks Ar!

My parents have photos of all the grandkids on their wall at home-most are professional pics taken at some time or another. But they haven't had a photo of all the kids together since Linds was 5, Jim 3 and Jake 1. So it was time to try and get them together for a family photo-it's amazing to see how much the family has grown in such a "short" time.

Stop the insanity!

Work has been insane, literally insane with running from one place to the next. My co-worker recently had carpal tunnel surgery, she was already well-overloaded prior to that, but her load backed up even further after surgery. In an effort to lessen her load, I've taken on more of the faculty issues, as well as smart classroom issues here and there. In addition to my responsibilities, and helping her out-I'm barely getting my head above water.

We have over 650 computers on campus; we have over 30 "smart" classrooms equipped with projector, elmo, dvd, and sound system; over 100 printers on campus, and just under 10 labs to maintain. Most are thinking, what's the big deal-it's a college, that sounds about right. Well I forgot to mention that there are 2 people supporting end users in all of this equipment. Our ITS staff is equipped w/ a director, network admin, webmaster, administrative computing coordinator, and then there's Tammy and I. It doesn't even pay to list our titles, as we don't specialize in any one area or thing anymore-at this point a good title would be "IT multitasker", and punching bag for when faculty and administration are having a bad "technical" day.

We're busting at the seams at RC, and while growth is always good-so isn't a level of quality in the service we provide. There, vent over. . . .

The simple things-Part II (for the love of music)

So a few months have went by since Part I, and it's amazing how far Alex has come in communicating. Some good, some not so good:). He has really taken an interest in music anytime we're in the vehicle-and I'm amazed at how much he takes in.

Background info: I listen to a variety of music.

Alex: Mommy, me want to listen to "country boy"
Teri: proceeds to turn that song on
Laura: starts clapping and bobbing her head
Alex: bobs his head as well, then after the song completes he follows with a few questions: Mommy, me am a country boy?
Teri: Yes
Alex: sissy a country girl?
Teri: Yes
Alex: Dad is a country dad, and you a country lady?
Teri: laugh, Yes

We were in the middle of listening to "Sunshine on my shoulders" and
Alex belted out: "Sunshine on the water, looks so lovely"
Teri: was speechless, and laughing

Another song he sings is Jackson by Johnny Cash-the best part is that he says the first part of Jackson w/ emphasis and in as deep of a voice as he can, just like Johnny does.

Then you can imagine the confusion when he asks who sings all of those songs-but only after a few explanations, he can tell you which song Johnny sings; and those that John sings.

The first chorus of Pink's "So What" comes on (I told you it was a variety)
Alex: starts rocking back and forth
Laura: follows Alex's lead
Alex: waits til the appropriate time and says "we're all gonna get in a fight"
After he sings the verse, he proceeds to explain that they're just pretending to get in a fight-and Pink's just singing that because she's frustrated-it was then I realized he does actually listen to what I say:)

Onto non-music related things and the not so good things. . . .

Anytime Alex is doing something he's not supposed to:
Alex: Aw Mommy, I love you baby
(like how that one has changed?!)

Everyone and their brother is "dude", and he now refers to Sissy as dude-popper. Whatever that means. Since school has started he's gotten better w/ this.

And we're human, and I'll be the first to admit my language is anything but pretty so he's picked up on even worse terms: shit and dammit.

As in "mom, look at all the garbage and shit in that shed!" Um, at least he used it in the right context.

As in "dammit sissy". I don't think that's the last I'll be hearing that one, lol.

The simple things are no longer simple. . .

50 Tid Bits

It's Labor Day, and I'm at work-students and faculty are relatively quiet; so I decided to comprise a tid bit list.

1. I am 29 years old
2. I love my sleep
3. I can’t believe how beautiful my 2 children are
4. My grandmother and mother are my 2 greatest heroes for very different reasons
5. I am addicted to diet soda
6. I’ve been married 6 years
7. I miss my sister “Fritz”
8. I am the youngest of 4 girls
9. I am called Pete, Teri or Theresa at any given moment
10. I can’t wait to be done with school
11. I wish I didn’t have to work fulltime
12. But, I’m grateful for how accommodating my current job is
13. I used to chew my finger nails
14. I rarely make my bed unless I washed bedding that day
15. I hate my body
16. I don’t like heights or flying
17. I love being in or near the mountains
18. I’ve competed in a few ½ marathons
19. I like my job
20. I love the environment I work in
21. I have 5 nieces and 2 nephews ranging in age 5-17
22. I am quiet
23. I am not afraid to speak my opinion when I feel strongly about something-or am educated in a particular subject
24. I cherish the friends I have, and miss my “old” friends from school
25. I love spring and summer
26. I hate living in WI
27. I love creating potted flowers
28. I love giving and receiving Gerber daisies for no reason at all
29. I am a good listener
30. I am told I am an old soul in a young body
31. I love the smell of fresh air
32. I like to travel
33. I love the thrill of a roller coaster
34. I love watching my children learn new things
35. I love my house: all the memories it holds, and the new one’s we’ll create
36. I love blasting my radio and singing loud when I’m by myself
37. I love spending time with my family
38. I wish I could get back in shape
39. I have brown eyes
40. I have brown hair
41. I love taking pictures
42. I like how organized my office is
43. I hate how unorganized my house is
44. I love walking my dog by myself
45. I love mowing the lawn
46. I love sunshine
47. I love the motivation music can bring and
48. I love a well written song
49. I love waking every morning knowing something great is going to happen today-whether big or small
50. I am blessed

Menominee Park-Oshkosh's best kept secret

Last summer I spent a lot of time at Menominee Park with Alex (and Laura in the carrier) since we had minimal yard space at the rental and nothing to do inside, so I often looked for other places to go. Surprisingly this past weekend was the first time I had made it back since last summer. Saturday we packed a picnic and headed up there for lunch, afterwards the kids went for a ride on the merry-go-round . Alex would return for one more ride before we left, but honestly I think he spent more time trying to figure out how exactly it worked . They also have a small train that makes a loop around a pond, so we all went for a ride on that .

Afterwards we headed over to their amazing playset which is called "Little Oshkosh", it is very unique in that it is HUGE-and also many of the structures mirror Oskhosh landmarks, and company's such as EAA (wooden airplane), Oshkosh truck (military vehicles), even a landmark church in town on Oregon Street. There are activities for children of all ages, and it truly is not something you see everyday (sorry no photo of it's entirety, since it is so large we both had to keep an eye on "our" kid to make sure nobody got lost).

We stopped and grabbed a snack, and then quickly walked through the zoo, which is a zoo on a small scale but perfect for young children-the kids were getting tired, and it was warmer than we anticipated.

For smaller children, this is a wonderful place to go for a few hours in the day-there are so many things for them to see and do, and the best part is that aside from the rides-it's FREE! So many people I've ran into have never even heard of this park, so that's why I've deemed it "a best kept secret".

Is there a Dr. in the house?

Alright, so I'm not really looking for a dr. but I couldn't resist this photo op. Last weekend Alex got a new movie, so naturally Laura needed something as well. We came across this dr. set which included a pager, stethescope, thermometer, and medicine dispenser/shot and since it came complete with a little bag (similar to a purse)-which Laura apparently has some kind of fettish with, we thought it was perfect.

They both enjoyed it, and as you can see-they decided to not let Mag out on the fun. Surprisingly she played right along.

I suppose I need some sort of disclaimer: the children and Mag were supervised the entire time, and no-I don't normally allow my children to use Mag at their dispense. It was funny while it lasted though.

Last Hurrah

This past weekend we kind of had a Wuest family Summer 08 last hurrah with a trip up north. Our real intention of going up was for Jason to put together a play set, but the weather was beautiful so we got a chance to enjoy some sun and swimming. Words can't describe how excited Alex was to jump off the pier and have his dad all to himself, but these pictures might help:



Laura hasn't really developed much of a love for the water, but she can still give me a nice pose:


Lastly, the weekend ended with a little excitement for us. We gave Alex a Gator for his 2nd birthday, it is one of his prized possessions and one of the few toys we can probably say we've gotten our money's worth. Jason has helped him deck it out w/ conveyor belts on the back wheels to help w/ traction, and an empty peanut butter jar screwed to the front counsel-to act as his cup holder. A day doesn't go by that he isn't on that thing, if only for a few minutes; he's even to the point where he enjoys taking his sister for rides. Well you can imagine my horror while driving southbound on Hwy 51, Jason's tailgate falls open, and the gator falls out at about 75 mph-luckily nobody was behind us, and it went directly into the center median. We pulled off to the right to collect a few other Tonka trucks that fell out while we were slowing down, and just about then Alex was waking from a nice nap. I could tell by the tone in Jason's voice that for a split second, he contemplated just leaving the gator behind-until a little voice said "what doing?". We quickly responded that we were going to get his gator, just then we saw a police car in the northbound lane but didn't think much of it.
So we turned around at our first opportunity, and it didn't take long to notice the police lights flashing and car pulled into the center median in the southbound lane-Jason and I immediately thought that we caused some kind of accident. In the 3 minutes it took us to come back to it, someone has pulled over and contemplated taking it! Luckily the police officer had noticed we were slowed down on the other side, and told the people that they had to wait and see if someone came back for it. It was Alex's source of conversation the entire way home-things like "dad not letting guy take gator, police lady told that man he couldn't have my gator, and wheels broke off" were just a few of the things that came to Alex's mind.
The gator was actually in fine shape-has a few more scuffs to add to it's collection and it needed a small alignment, but it's back in working order. The things we do for our kids:).

Misc

We'll title this post Misc because it will be brief, and probably about no one thing imparticular.

Summer is slowly winding down, RC students start class August 27th and students are already starting to come back. Where did the summer go?! I'm slowly pecking at computers getting deployed, and enjoying the fact I'm on no time constraints this summer.

Laura had her 1 year check-up, she weighed in at 22 lbs, and 29 1/4 inches long. Most people don't have a baseline for what that means, but contrary to what her father says about her thighs-she's kind of a peanut. Our only basis, Alex was 25 lbs, 30" when he was the same age-so he was a little chunk, which you'd never believe looking at him now.



Despite being fairly little, she has an amazingly healthy appetite-and I mean healthy literally. She loves most anything healthy, but she loves her veggies.
Here you can see her enjoying a fresh cucumber out of Grandpa's garden.

Aside from her body growing, Laura's hair is growing like a weed-just as her brother, she was blessed with two sets of genes for a very full head of hair. We're starting to reap the benefits of that now, and as you can see it sometimes gets the best of her: . Jason keeps saying she needs her hair cut, and I assured him that girls don't get haircuts this young-she's "growing her bangs out". Which he had no clue, but I told him soon enough he would learn what a french braid is, and even worse-he will probably know how to put one in within the next few years:).

Alex received his school supply list which was exciting and a little sad for me, hard to believe he'll be starting school in less than a month. I'm very fortunate my boss has let me set my schedule so that I will be able drop him off and pick up everyday, which was important to me.

Jason is coming to the close of his first class, which has went pretty well for him I think. Definitely an eye opener in the sense that he needed to manage his time between work, kids and homework-I'm not sure who was happier when he got his first test back w/ an A on it. I'm sure he was happier, but I was also happy because it was a confidence booster telling him that he could do this.


Alright, back to work. . .

Mission Accomplished

I believe it was a few months ago I posted summer goals: to get Laura's hair in a ponytail, and teach Alex to swim.





While he might not have learned to swim, I think these photos are a priceless reminder of how innocent childhood is!

Happy Birthday to Sissy, Happy Birthday to Sissy

Today is officially Laura's 1st birthday-by this time a year ago she had been in the world for approximately 7 hours. All of what has taken place for us in the past year seems surreal between work, the house project, school, and the addition of another child. Laura spent the first 7 months of her life in a tiny rental, and being carted around from rental, to farm, to Grandma Bonnie's, etc. It's almost as if she knew not to make herself mobile until after moved into the farm, so I'm thankful for that.

She's not walking yet, but she's close-takes a few steps here and there, but is still most comfortable sitting on her butt and crawling where she needs to go. Which is perfectly fine, she's still within her developmental milestones and it's much easier just chasing after 1 vs. 2:).

To sum up the year, Laura has been an amazingly easy baby-she slept through the night within the first 2 months and has never really looked back (aside from a few nights here and there). She's had a seemingly healthy year (knock on wood), considering how rough that first year can be when kids are in daycare-literally picking up every virus on the planet. I tried my hand at homemade baby food for her, and it really benefited her w/ regards to variety of healthy foods-and it also helped our pocketbooks. She's easy going, but I can see she's going to be ruling the roost w/ regards to her brother very soon-she's a tad more temperamental than Alex which is quite entertaining listening to them on a car ride to or from work. It usually goes something like this-Alex looks at her and says something, Laura's response in a sassy tone-"AAH", to which Alex response "Sis", and then Laura replies w/ a shrill scream, as if to tell the world that she is the boss. She's the loud mouth making a spectacle when we go for dinner, flirts w/ most people in passing at the store when they comment on her blue eyes, and as long as she's fed, and her diaper's clean-you rarely don't see a smile on this little girl's face. She truly has been a blessing for me this past year. Happy birthday little girl.

I've started to make movies for each of the kid's during their birthday's-they're just choreographed pictures recapping the previous year. Here is Laura's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa_l15OzC2k.

Happy 4th of July

Due to the house project last summer, we didn't get a whole lot of time for rest or relaxation-with that usually comes going up north for a trip or two. This summer we were determined to get up there at least once each summer month, and this past weekend was it for July. It was nice for Alex to have little one's to play with for a change (aside from sitter kids), they played in the sand, water and lit a few sparklers. Alex and Laura also got to experience their first parade, Alex really enjoyed looking at all the big equipment; Laura, not so much. Her and I found a swing at the local park, and entertained ourself.

It was fun while it lasted, but we were ready to come home Sunday and have a day to ourselves. So much packing and resituating goes into it when you have kids in tow, so it's nice to have that extra day to recoop, do some laundry, and just hang out. We lit a few more fireworks off at home, and we all slept in for a change (that means til 7 a.m. for us) so that's what I consider our holiday:).

In other news, Jason is working on our siding and the house looks beautiful. It's amazing how used to Tyvek a person can get, it's almost as if I forgot what the house could potentially look like. I'm glad I opted to make a few annual baskets-at first I thought, what for-why put beautiful flowers in front of a project. But there's hope it will be done by the end of the summer (maybe the siding by Laura's birthday even!), so I'm glad I have some flowers to dress it up even more.

I'm done with my Economics course, so I can officially relax for a good month and half. Computers will start arriving any day now, so I'll post for Laura's birthday and then I'll probably be MIA for the next month or so.

Hope this finds everyone well!

Father's Day

Yesterday was Father's Day, so in our household it meant that Jason went fishing and later on we went down to my parent's house for a fish fry. To me Mother and Father's Day are Hallmark holidays and here's why:

I don't think you truely realize how much your own parents ever did for you, until you become a parent yourself. Prior to kids you realize your parents forked over money when you asked (politely), they wondered where you were most nights, every once in a while they expected you to show up at a family gathering here or there, and they were always concerned about your well-being and that's about all you really thought they did. Not until you carry the responsibilities of your own children do your realize that so much more went into being a mother or a father-and you can finally appreciate ALL that your parents have done and continue to do for you. And you learn to appreciate those things on a daily basis, not just one day out of the year.

To me there's really nothing to celebrate, because we "celebrate" almost every day of the year. No gift or monetary value can define Father's Day, just simple acts of kindness, or a thank you where it's warranted are constant reminders of how lucky we are to have children, a father, or grandfather.

The simple things

There's nothing better than engaging in a conversation with a 3 year old, it reminds you how simple and innocent life can really be. I'm fortunate to have these conversations on a daily basis, here are a few:

Mom (while Alex brushes his teeth): one, two, buckle my shoe. . .

Alex: three, four, pick up stix, seven, eight, pick up stix. . . you get the idea

Mom: what's your name?

Alex: Alex Wuest

Mom: what's sissy's name?

Alex: Sissy Wuest

Mom: basically speaking about any healthy food item

Alex: Alex, no no like (fill in the blank w/ your healthy item)

And my personal favorite. . .

Mom (anytime I'm disciplining): Alex, I'm not going to tell you again

Alex (said in a fake/nice/guilty voice): Aw, mommie I loves you (he's got this one down pat)

Spring Madness

Instead of March Madness, the only thing I could think for a title this time around was Spring madness. I haven't posted for a few weeks, and in those few weeks I've managed to:

• -Complete a summer interim course on Windows Servers in 4 days
  -Went "up north" for a weekend
  -Met a fellow friend from my Mommy's board in person
  -Watched Laura cut her 3rd tooth
  -Given Alex numerous timeouts-terrible 3's are hard when they get on a role

Might not seem like a lot, but it's the gist of my life for the last few weeks. Summer is pretty much here, for us it signifies playing outside for as long as we can, watching my niece's and nephew play baseball, swimming, getting up north more, and just enjoying the outdoors in general.

Summertime also means my busiest time at work, right now I'm configuring systems for the upcoming lease, determining needs, meeting technology requests throughout campus, meanwhile figuring out how it will all fit into our "budget". We'll place the equipment orders mid June and then run around w/ chickens with our heads cut off from mid July until classes resume in the Fall. Hopefully things won't be as frantic, as this will be the first lease cycle in the 7 years that I've worked at RC-that we will not be on a tight timeline to return the old systems. Generally we receive new systems, and have a month to refresh, wipe, box and return old systems-this year the lease falls so that we don't have to send the old one's back til December-leaving us some breathing room on the lease end of things, and more time to devote to projects on campus.

I'm only taking one Monday night Economics course this summer, so for the most part-it should be a relaxing summer. My goals for the summer: 1) hopefully Alex will be able to swim by the end of summer, and 2) get Laura's hair in a ponytail-those seem pretty attainable:).

A day in the life. . .

Last week a few of us decided to post a "day in the life" of our children, just to give each other a peek into what a typical day might look like in our lives. I belong to a Mommy's board online, and we come from various areas of the US and Australia. Some are sahm's, and others work; regardless we all have one thing in common: our babies were born in July of 2007. We formed this networking via BabyCenter, and after having our children have moved onto a new forum-and have stayed in touch on a regular basis. Since Laura was my July baby, that's who I based my "day in the life" on, but obviously Alex is a part of our daily routine! I posted a more in depth routine on the board, but I'll leave this one watered down. I also have it broken into two parts because one is a typical weekend day and then the other is a typical week night since I couldn't get it all done in a day.

Part I
5:15 a.m. “mom, it’s not dark out”. To which my response was, Alex it is way too early you need to go back to bed. Whining ensued and I told him that he either had to walk back to his room or I would carry him-but regardless he needed to be quiet because his sister was sleeping. I’m assuming he fell back to sleep for a while cause I didn’t hear a peep until after 7. Since I had been woken I was pretty much up and down from 5:15 on.

7:15 Alex heads downstairs to park his butt on the couch and watch a little t.v. This is how he warms himself up to the day, and it’s essential that he get this time or the day can turn out pretty ugly. He’s not what I would call a happy person upon waking, he needs some time to figure out if the day is going to be a good one or not.
Laura on the other hand greets the day with a huge smile, and all she really requires is that shortly after you wake her-she wants to have a little breakfast.



Breakfast ensues, which usually consists of cheerios, toast, yogurt and fruit. And on Saturdays we have a little more time to dive into things like eggs, avocados, etc.

9:30 a.m.
Next it's time to head to the tub, Laura goes first and Alex follows shortly after

I folded a few loads of laundry, while the kids soaked. Laura finished up first, and then I filled the tub fuller so Alex can turn on the whirlpool. I let Laura play around after getting out of the tub to burn off some more energy, but then I pinned her down, oiled her up, and got her dressed.
After I laid her down, Alex was ready to get out of the tub ; so we got dressed and then headed outside for a while. During the morning I managed to get all our bedding washed, so that all got hung out to dry, I pulled out the annuals I bought yesterday and Alex watered them for me, then we hit the dirt pile , the sandbox, and playset
By then it was almost 11, so I went in to check on Laura and she was just waking (another hard nap as you can tell!)
I got a sweatshirt and some shoes on her, and we headed out side too. After playing in the grass for a while , we packed up in the backpack and headed down to the woods to take Mag for a little walk (as you can see, Mag's just a tad excited). While we were down there Laura got to see a bleeding heart for the first time up close, while Alex splashed in the water, and Mag chased squirrels. We came back and played by the playset for a bit .
12:30
Alex watched Cars, and Laura played while I prepped lunch for all of us. Nothing exciting, Laura had chicken and asparagus, fruit mix, and gold fish . Alex and I just had cheese pizza and applesauce. After filling her belly, she played for a while and then laid down for a short nap. Her brother leads me to believe that he was probably up for good at 5:15 a.m. when I find him like this watching his movie after lunch . He usually never falls asleep on the couch.
2:30
Laura woke after a short nap, then after talking on the celly for a bit (she already looks like a pro) we went outside to play a little more and keep the house nice and quiet for her brother. She chomped on some pizza crust for a snack, as Mag supervised her.
And that concludes Part I.
(I'll just throw this one in for good measure).

Part II
This is a typical week night for us.

4:30 (Yeah for summer hours)
Arrive home after work, and a day at the sitters. Laura usually falls asleep on the way home , and she usually sleeps for an hour or so. She never sleeps near as much at the sitter as she does at home-I think all the excitement around her gets the best of her, so she sleeps like a log at home.

While she's napping, Alex and I mowed part of the lawn together (sorry no photo). After 30 minutes or so I stopped and waited for Laura to wake. Meanwhile, Alex "had to go pee outside". This is a man thing, because he gets the biggest kick out of not having to go in the house.

Yesterday we planted some zinnias and morning glorys in front of the barn , the kids supervised while I did the planting.

When Laura woke they had some puff snacks, and played w/ bubbles. , and here's Alex enjoying his puffs , when this kid enjoys something-he thoroughly enjoys it, he's similar when he's eating guacamole and chips, it's so funny.

6 p.m. Dad still wasn't home so we walked down to Grandma Bonnie's to visit for a while. Shortly after arriving there, dad got home and came and got Alex on the four wheeler. So Laura, Mag and I headed back. .

We've been in dire need of going to Walmart for the past week, so since I didn't make supper-I figured it'd be a good night to go into town for supper and a walmart run. I swear, walking into that store is like walking into a damn carnival. . . Sadly, this is what $125 gets us, and we didn't even get any formula!

9 p.m. Laura is usually in bed around 8 and Alex between 8:30 and 9, so it is late for us. As you can see, Laura is pissed that her nightly routine has been messed w/ . And Alex is getting himself dressed for bed . Laura gets a little playtime while her brother is going to the bathroom and cleaning up for the night , then it's off to bed we go. She was serious as can be about her bottle tonight, most nights she's a character-Jason had to immitate her seriousness . So while dad gave sissy her bottle, I read Alex the first of his two nightly books-by the time we got to the second, sis was down for the night and dad came in to hear the last of it. Goodnight little sissy girl .