fourteen, fourteen, fourteen!

I'm really trying to be better about updating this blog, really I am. :) I need to update the header photo (to include claire) and the background, and finish my re-cap about christmas. but those will have to wait for another day. Today I have some photos and a cute video from the past few days. (video is in a seperate post before this one)

Boden still LOVES to play the guitar. He is always amazed by the musicians at church and wants to go up on stage and see their guitars. On Christmas Eve, right before service was starting I was looking around the sanctuary for Boden .He was with Michael when I walked out, but when I came back Michael was talking to someone and Boden was not next to him. I looked all around and found him on the stage talking to the worship leader and admiring his guitar. I should have known.

I promise we are good parents and don't typically lose our children. Although, this reminds me of another story recently at church. I was talking to a few of the other pastors wives by the nursery after service one Saturday night and Boden and some other kids were running around. When we finished talking I began looking for Boden and couldn't find him anyhere. I wasn't that concerned, because he's often with a few of the teenagers who watch him in the nursery. I looked in the bathrooms, the hallways, I even went back into the auditorium. I'll admit I did begin to panick at this point. Then, I remembered he loves to push the buttons that open the elevator. I ran to the elevator and pushed the button. When it opened, there was Boden....looking a little panicked. He had walked in the when the doors opened, but didn't know how to get back out! poor little guy. He's now been taught that he can push the alarm bell button if he's ever in the elevator without a grown up. But, we've also talked about how he should never, ever get in the elevator without a grown up too. :)

Claire is nearly 3 months old already! She is a very happy baby. Although she spits up ALOT (seriously, I sometimes go through 3 burp cloths per feeding), she loves to lay on her back and kick her feet. She loves the mobile in her crib, the playgym, anywhere she can kick and squeal freely.
Boden got a train set for christmas. I'm amazed at how well he puts the pieces together to make a track.

When not changing diapers, cleaning up spit up, feeding a toddler, reading books,and playing all sorts of games with Boden, I've been doing a lot of crocheting and knitting. This is a little hat and booties set I made for our friends' Nicki and Ryan's new baby, Allison. She's just about 6 weeks younger than Claire so I'm sure they'll be good friends.
Boden got lots of games for christmas. He always wants to play them, but he hasn't quite gotten the concept of how to play a game. Especially the taking turns part and only moving the correct number of spaces. lol. he does love to make up his own games with the pieces though. The other day he was talking to all the gingerbread boys and girls from candyland and putting them down for naps on their colored cards.

Crazy Hair Claire (as aunt Molly has named her), still has some crazy hair and it's getting longer. This was taken just after her bath - you can see how it's quite curly when it's wet. When it dries it's not so much curly as it is just wild. I'm hoping as it grows longer it will be curly. I think little girls with curls are so darn adorable.

and here's one of her "talking" to her mobile. She is content to lay there and kick and "talk" for 30 minutes if I keep the mobile going.

and some good news for our neighbors. Our christmas tree (that we took down 3 weeks ago) has been removed from front yard finally. We rarely enter the house through the front door, and aren't out playing in the yard since it's so cold, so we completely forgot it was out there. oops!

2 months

Here's my attempt to update you on what we've been up to for the past 2 months...





Our church in delivered thanksgiving meals to over 400 families in need in the St Louis area - the crew in O'Fallon delivered to about 100 of those families!


One of Boden's chores is to help me put away laundry. some does he's more helpful than others :)

Claire's hair is still wild and un-tameable

Michael has been busy preparing and preaching messages. we changed our stage set recently too - I love the new look

We went to Nebraska for Thanksgiving this year - my sister Micaela hosted her first Thanksgiving dinner and it was fabulous. The most memorable part for me was the nap I took by their fireplace that evening. naps are a great thing in themselves, but one by the woodburning fireplace is even better! Michael and I have been thinking about how to put a fireplace into our house ever since :)

Claire smiling at Poppa

Nana & Boden made a turkey hat. I believe there is a photo of me and micaela wearing these floating around somewhere, but apparently not on my camera - sorry folks :)
We also made it back to Missouri in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Oldham family on Saturday
and spend some time with Michael's step-sister Lauren & her family (including our adorable nephew, Austin)

Photo of Bubbe, Zeyde and the grandkids..Michael was trying to make Boden smile by making funny faces - but Boden just made funny faces back at him :)

We finished off Thanksgiving weekend with a trip to the tree farm to pick out the Brueseke family tree. Boden even had his first "man-experience" of peeing in the woods. (the bathrooms were way far away for a 2 yr old to make it without wetting his pants, so you do what you gotta do)


Claire hanging out in her cradle


She also LOVES her playgym. She coos and giggles at the little birds & bugs and at herself in the mirror

well, I tried to get it all in one post, but the baby is hungry and boden is tearing apart the house...so I'm gonna have to finish this later. to be continued...