Halloween Week

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Sportin' the festive halloween t-shirt and the spider hat made at daycare.

I was very excited to use my pumpkin muffin mold for treats this year (I had to wait almost a year to use it - bought it on clearance last year). I bought a cool festive cake mix and sprinkles to use too. My thought was to make them for Gerrit's friends at daycare. This is what they looked liked (I figured frosting would take away from the shape):

I didn't want to scare any of the kids and was disappointed in how they looked so I went with plan B:

Of course when I was ready to get in the car, Gerrit grabbed the bag and they shifted and fell over - there went my nice presentation too!

The rest of the week went better than my cupcake debacle.

Monday night was Halloween story time at the library. We've met our friends Abby (Dorthy) and Olivia (witch) the past few years and continued with the tradition. This time Adam came with which was nice - I didn't have to sit on the floor.

Wednesday night was pumpkin carving at our house with Luke and Paul. We had plenty of pumpkins from our 'crop' to use. The only bummer is that they are never very big, but I go for quantity (I hear if you cut some of them off early on, the ones left will grow bigger but I've never had the heart to do it!) I was nervous giving Gerrit a carving knife, but it didn't last long and went on to other things instead of carving.

Friday was the Halloween party at church. Gerrit was more excited to wear Luke's Darth Vader mask than his own helmet. I don't think Luke even wore his mask because Gerrit wouldn't give it to him!

Today was the final festivity for Halloween. (Who would've thought it would be a weeks worth of activities!) We just went to the neighbors and our friends via the car. We tried practicing saying "Trick or Treat" and he caught on to the word TREAT real fast! When we got to a house, he wouldn't say it (of course). I often had to carry his pumpkin too. His favorite treat was at Dahlen's - Anne showed him the car and motorcycle the boys found in the toy room earlier today. Of course he had to put them in his pumpkin and take them home! (They will be returned tomorrow - he's sleeping with them tonight.) When we returned home, we went to our front door and he more than willingly carried his pumpkin and even said "trick or treat"! Of course, when we get home he gets the idea! Gerrit really liked eating the candy once we got home. I don't think he gets the whole idea of trick or treating but I'm sure it won't be long!

Baby Update

I havn't written much about the baby that will be here in roughly 10 weeks! Honestly, I kind of forget that I'm pregnant (not that I don't look it or feel it quite often). I think I get caught up in what needs to be done around the house and with Gerrit that I don't have time to think about it. So I'm trying to take the time to think about who this little guy will be when I get to meet him. Because Gerrit looks so much like me, I wonder if #2 will look more like Adam and what kind of personality he will have. I'm excited just thinking about it.

Gerrit knows where baby brother is and will often give him a kiss and a hug (then he usually pinches me or hits my tummy). He can be real sweet when we talk about his little brother; I'm anxious to see how he responds to sharing our attention come January.

A few gifts have come our way for this new little one which is always fun and exciting. And I just ordered his coming home outfit (thanks Oma) which came in the mail yesterday. Its hard to believe we'll have a little one again in the house; I'm just getting use to life with a 2 yr old! I've got a few things knit for him (and plenty of projects waiting) so he has something new to show off and call his own someday.

We havn't totally decided on a name yet. We are getting closer and I'm hoping to keep the final decision a secret - yes, we will have a secret! We've tossed out a few names to people so the prospects are known, just not the final word yet.

I was at the dr. again today for my normal check up. All seems well from what he can tell. I was measuring big a month ago but now I'm back on track - although he keeps reminding me that I shouldn't plan on a small baby based of how big Gerrit was. I never thought I'd have a small kid - based on the size of his parents! And I know I'm getting closer when I have to come back in 2 weeks.

We just purchased tickets to fly home in Feb. so the rest of the family can meet him and to have the Stremler Christmas party. It's weird to think we will be traveling as a family of 4 then and that we most likely will rent a car (flying into Chicago) b/c we could hardly fit us all, plus our 'driver' in one vehicles! I'm sure before long it will only seem odd that we've lived as a family of 3, just like it seems odd to think we didn't have kids the first 9 years of our marriage!

Adam's mom has been asking for a photo of me. I did not document the 'growing' stages like I did with Gerrit and may regret it someday. But I did take a picture tonight:

30 weeks

I took it myself as Adam is dealing with another cold, poor guy. (Stupid flu shot if you ask him!) I apologize for the poor lighting - bathroom lights, but I was in the mood to blog and felt like taking the picture tonight. I was a bit bummed you couldn't see my hair cut - had that done after school today. Oh well, nothing drastic, it just looks better when someone actually styles it. And I've officially hit the "I know I'm pregnant" feeling because I can't get my wedding ring off! I didn't think my hands were that swollen (especially because its not hot/humid) but last night I tried to take it off to carve pumpkins and I couldn't do it. Maybe with the cold weather approaching, I can get it off then!

My eyes are getting heavy and I have one more day to get through the week. It will be a wild one - the day before Halloween and icky weather are bad a bad mix for middle schoolers! I will be back shortly as I have lots of Halloween festivities that I've documented this week and will post the pictures and stories. The Dahlen boys visit comes to an end tomorrow which will crush Gerrit but like Oma and Opa leaving, he'll get over it.

Until next time...

Wisconsin Revisited

We are all healthy (for now) and thankful. It was a busy week with Adam doing field work and I had conferences. Seems like we traded off being parents all week. This week isn't much better - I still have 1 night of conferences and Adam has field work (if it doesn't rain). But Gerrit is excited because his buddies, Luke and Paul, will be with us for 3 nights while their parents are out of town. So far they have plans to go to the football game and carve pumpkins. Should be a busy week but fun one as well.

Here are the pictures I was looking for from Wisconsin:

Oma and Opa

A glimps into Gerrit's week with Oma and Opa:



Switching out the area rug in the living room, Gerrit enjoying vacuuming (a new job!), playing trucks on the steps with Opa, Sunday after church photo op, Gerrit's new friend: Ramos (yes, he named him!), playing the trumpet during bath time with bubbles.

Like I mentioned in the previous post, Oma and Opa came for a visit. Adam and I took off for a few days to Duluth and left them behind with Gerrit. This was Gerrit's first time away from both of us and he never asked about us! Guess he was having too much fun he didn't have time to miss us. They took care of all the little projects on the list we left, visited the farm auction (twice), went for lunch with the neighbors, breakfast in a nearby town, Rochester a few times and Greg's meats. I guess they did not get bored without us! The weather was not the greatest so there wasn't much playing outside until Sat. when we returned (as did the sun).

Adam and I have a new perspective on what a vacation is - sleeping! We didn't find ourselves running to the tourist booth to do the latest and greatest in Duluth, rather we took advantage of the every day things - w/o a kid. We went shopping, to a movie, ate out, slept in, and relaxed. It didn't help that we are both battling colds (and I'm 6.5 months prego) so the thought of doing much didn't excite us. I think the time away did help us with the colds. We took a nice drive inland with a stop at Betty's Pies on the way (ok, so we did do one touristy thing). I think Adam will humor me and go south next time so we can relax in warmer temps! It won't be for a while seeing I won't be able to leave the baby for very long, but knowing that that is in the future makes me smile. I can't wait!

As my parents pack and get ready to leave in the am, I think Gerrit will go through a mourning period. He loved the attention and all the extra snacks and being spoiled while we were gone. Adam learned that oatmeal in the morning for Gerrit included an oatmeal cookie! No wonder, Gerrit wants to see Opa in the morning and watch Sports Center with him!

We look forward to their return in Jan. when the baby comes (and a new list of projects has been generated!) and will miss them until then.

PS: The scarecrow was spotted in Rochester and Gerrit had to have him. So Oma and Opa bought him and put him in the yard. For some reason, Gerrit named him Ramos and will wave good bye when he leaves and says hi to him upon returning home. We have no idea where the name came from; the only thing we can think of is it is close to Carlos which many of our friends refer to the new baby as based on a stupid movie. (Ask Adam for more details on the movie and name Carlos). And no, Carlos is not on the list of potential names!

House Guests

My parents came Fri. night for the week. The guys ran a few errands and watched football and mom and I went shopping. Sunday my parents went to see Garrison Keillor who was performing across the street from our house (as a fundraiser). They had a wonderful time. Today they spent the day with Gerrit and did chores around the house. I loved it - I came home and my living room was rearranged, my car's oil was changed (finally), odd jobs we put off were done, and dinner was ready! They need to come more often. I can't wait till tomorrow to see what else has been done!

Is this a Sign?

Before bed tonight Adam thought it would be a good idea for Gerrit to say good night to his baby brother. He went over to me on the couch and started talking to the baby and tried to get it to 'kick'. Gerrit came over to me as well except instead of talking and putting his hand on my tummy - he slapped it! He thought it was funny...is this a sign?

Movin' on Up

Today after work I suggested to Gerrit that he ride his bike. Its been pretty rainy and cold lately so its been about a week since he last rode his bike. He jumped at the opportunity (surprise, surprise). After a few minutes he put his push bike back in the garage and came out PEDALING a trike! (he has 2 trikes - both hand me downs) How exciting is that? He has been saying for about a month now that he 'pedals at Julie's ' but when I ask him to pedal, he can't do it. He was pretty proud - a huge smile as he pedaled down the driveway. He was pretty excited to show dad his new trick too when he came home. He's not quite 2.5 and moving right along in his cycling skills. We may have a kid who can ride a 2 wheel bike but not be potty trained! (Let's hope not!)

Training Camp

This weekend we started a new training in our house - training Gerrit to sleep the whole night in his own bed! Yes, he was in the habit of of coming into bed with us at some point in the night. At first we didn't mind because it usually occurred around 5 am, but somehow it moved earlier and earlier. It was easier to let him sleep with us then deal with his crying and he usually slept well between us. Then we'd be reminded when he'd sleep perpendicular to us and either shove his head into my head or kick me, depending which way he was laying. We knew we had to break him of this habit but were too lazy to do anything about it, until this past weekend. My parents come this coming weekend and Adam and I are going away for a few days so we knew he had to be sleeping in his own bed before we left him - imagine him coming in and seeing no one in bed??

Anyways, Friday night was night one of training camp - not the best timing as Adam was dealing with a cold/flu and I was just getting it! With Adam on the couch, I dealt with Gerrit crying for about an hour from 12-1am and then again from 3-4am. Yikes. (Adam says he heard him via the monitor but I'm not buying it that he was up the whole time like I was!) I felt so bad for Gerrit, gating him in his room and telling him to go back to bed. Man, it would've been so easy to just let him in bed with me and we could all get a good night's sleep! Sat. night wasn't much better. At least Adam was back in our bed so I felt like he heard the crying as much as I did. Sunday night was great - only a few minutes of crying and he was back in his own bed! Here's hoping he sleeps the whole night tonight!

Growing Pains

Changing of the seasons is an adjustment, especially when it comes to changing out the wardrobe. I struggle daily to find pants that are long enough for Gerrit. My judgment as to what will fit is a bit off these days; I guess I'm not ready to believe he is getting older!

Left: these jeans are long enough, they just don't stay up!
Right: yep, ankle length overalls - he wouldn't let me change his pants when I realized they were way too short (I was a bit embarrassed to drop him off at daycare that day!)

Sunday he wore khakis and those too were too short, today it was another pair of overalls! So much for my big stock of pants for him this winter; it is getting depleted every day! :) (Don't get me wrong, he still has plenty thanks to hand me downs from his cousin.)

Sports Fan

Gerrit is obsessed with sports (is he his mother's son or what?). It's not just Sport's Center either that he is into:



Left: he insisted his jeans be rolled up above his knees - we figured he wanted his pants to look like a real football players pants???
Middle: Sat. morning donut (in his special eat in front of the TV chair) watching College Game Day on ESPN - football starts early at our house!
Right: sitting on the couch watching the Twins - yes, he often needs his glove and ball in hand during baseball. (The glove and ball are hand me downs from a kid that is in college now - its the old school velcro ball that looks more like an egg and barely sticks to the glove which is made out of plastic and some of the laces are missing so you can't grip a ball well, but he loves them)

Wisconsin

Last weekend we headed to Madison for a big bike race. Adam raced on Sat and Sun and did well for his first race of the season. He really wanted to go to see the professionals that came for the race too. Unfortunately, Gerrit and I were at the hotel napping during the pro's so we missed seeing their race. It was a fun family weekend for us. A few pictures from the weekend:

Adam at the barriers, a staple in cyclocross

Relaxing in the hot tub after the races and dinner

I realized I'm missing some pictures...Adam downloaded the camera on the desktop before I had a chance to download them on my lap top...hmmm I'll have to hunt those down as there were a few good ones! It was hard to watch the races and keep Gerrit from riding his bike on the course as he was so excited to see all the bikes and think that he was old enough to compete! 7 more years and he will be old enough...scary!