The Brueseke Family

They're getting it

2012-02-02T22:06:00.002-05:00

Every once in a while I have one of those days where I wonder why in the world I am a stay at home mom? My kids are driving me crazy.... I'm pretty sure I'm driving them crazy.... and once in a while I have the thought that they would be happier in daycare with a more consistent structure, playing with their friends all day. I know from talking to other moms that I'm not alone in having this feeling occasionally (or everyday).

It's a big task. Being a mom is not the most glorious job on the planet, and sometimes I think it's quite possibly the hardest. And I'm not always confident that I'm any good at it.

Because the kids are fighting....and I'm yelling. Sometimes I feel like I'm the professional time-out enforcer. They're whining...a lot. Claire refuses to use the toilet. And has no desire to learn her colors (really, she just says everything is pink so we can move on. lol) I don't always provide the most structured day. And sometimes they watch more cartoons than they should.... and I begin to wonder if I'm qualified to do this.

But every once in a while something happens that reminds me that even in the midst of all that....they're getting it.

Today, Boden ran out to the curb as the bus was pulling up and Claire ran after him and they both got there before me. I grabbed Titus and followed. I looked up and nearly started crying at what I saw. Claire had her hand on Boden's head and was praying for him.

I couldn't make out what exactly she said (because I was scrambling for my iphone to capture the moment) but it didn't matter. What mattered to me is that she's getting it.

And then it no longer mattered she thinks every single color is pink...or that that she has no desire to potty train. What she does know is that she should pray for her brother. She has watched me pray over him before he gets on the bus everyday. She has learned something from me. And it's way more important than colors or numbers or reading or writing, she'll get to those eventually.

I'm reminded today that I know I'm here for a reason. God put me here to raise up these little children to know and love the Lord. To be a reflection of Christ to them everyday. And I'm so thankful for these reminders that God gives me once in awhile to show me that even though I don't always feel like I'm doing a good job - I am on the right track. They're getting it. Thank you Jesus.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

moments

2012-01-18T14:22:00.000-05:00

I want to remember these moments...

sharing an orange

and some giggles

with my two year old little girl!

Jesus and English

2012-01-09T21:04:00.003-05:00

Happy 2012! We had a great end to our year, lots of visits from family, lots of exciting things happening and church, and lots of fun happening at our house with our 3 crazy kids. I'll try to recap more of that soon. I've just been so bad at getting on the computer and writing down my thoughts lately.

To start the new year we bought Boden a composition notebook to journal in. He loves to write and we talk to him a lot about what he thinks Jesus is speaking to him, so we thought this would be a great way for him to record it, practice his writing, and learn to journal his thoughts. On New Years Day Michael and Boden sat down on the couch and prayed about the upcoming year. Then Michael asked Boden what he thought Jesus wanted to do in him this year. And this is what he came up with:

"I think Jesus is going to draw me closer to Him" How sweet is that? I asked Bo what the picture was and he said "That's me and Jesus, mom." Notice they are holding hands...Love it!

We do still have to help him spell words, but he knows all his letter sounds. As I'm teaching Boden to read/write I'm realizing again how seriously confusing our English language is! Just today I was trying to explain that sometimes "K" sound is made with a K, sometimes with a C, and sometimes with a CK. He kept asking why...which led me to wonder how in the world any of us learned all the crazy rules of our language and how am I going to teach the rules to my kids!?

TWO!

2011-10-28T23:45:00.001-04:00

Happy Birthday baby girl! Yesterday marked 2 years since our sweet Claire entered our lives and turned our world upside down. It has been so much fun having a little girl... dresses and bows, pigtails and sparkly shoes... but she loves the dirt too - she's not afraid to sit down on the lawn and start digging in the dirt with her bare hands. And at the playground she isn't shy either - she takes off for the biggest slide every time, and if Boden can climb it, she thinks she can too.

Claire is really starting to talk alot and in 4-5 word sentences. It's been so much fun to hear her language skills take off. She and Boden have a lot of fun playing together (most of the time). It's fun to listen to their conversations.

She loves to help me cook and constantly pushes a chair up to the island when I'm making dinner so she can "help." And her favorite food by far is cheese...she would probably eat an entire block of cheese every day if we would let her. She gets into the fridge approx 3x AN HOUR and brings me a cheese stick that she wants me to open for her, and then throws herself down when I deny her the 3rd cheesestick of the day. A few days ago I caught her actually just taking bites our of a big block of cheese.

Claire loves technology, she can work my iphone better than I can! Today we were organizing in the garage ands she went inside. I went after her when she didn't come back in about 2-3 min, and found her upstairs on our bed playing a game app on Michael's ipad.

She is such a good big sister too - she wants to hold Titus all the time, she tries to help feed him ("open mouth Titus!"), and is always excited when he wakes up from a nap. Recently she has started trying to read books to him too.

Claire is such a fun, crazy, spunky, busy, little girl. She is teaching me so much about motherhood. I always thought Boden was strong-willed, but then I met Miss Claire. Maybe it's just the age, but this girl knows what she wants and is determined to get it!

I am so thankful to be her mama and I can't wait to see the woman she grows up to be. I know God has big plans for her life.

"Children are a gift from the LORD; they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! ..." Psalm 127:3-5

little worship leaders

2011-09-26T15:02:00.001-04:00

these two crack me up... a little morning worship time at the Brueseke house:

Preschool part 2...the school bus

2011-09-14T13:04:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was Boden's first day riding the school bus! He was so excited. He wanted to go out and wait for it long before it was time. It was a weird feeling putting my baby on a school bus - it's impossible to me that he is old enough. It's only the preschoolers on his bus and they have seat belts and a supervisor other than the driver, and they pick up/drop off at our driveway. Otherwise, I'm not sure I'd be so ok with it. We only live about 5 minutes from his school, so it's not a big deal to take him, except that I have to take the other two little ones with me and get them in and out of the car to take him into school and pick him up. and pick up is in the middle of naptime. So, we are all pretty excited about the bus! :)

He came home yesterday feeling like such a big kid. He got to sit next to one of his classmates and talk and play. The only disappointment was that he had to get off so quickly - he is one of the first stops.

Today he was all ready with his lunch packed, his backpack on, and his bus tag around his neck, standing at the end of the driveway. We saw the bus coming, prayed about his day at school, and then right as he is about to get on he says he has to go potty...like, really bad. I definitely did not want him to have an accident, so no way I can tell him to wait until he gets there. And the bus can't wait. I told the driver to go on and that I would bring him to school.

Poor Boden, he was devastated. I had no idea he was SO excited about the bus. I knew he wanted to ride it, but he was really, really upset. So upset I wasn't sure I could get him calmed down enough to go into class. He kept saying things like:

"just call the bus driver and have her come back for me"

"I can't go to school if I don't go on the bus"

I can't calm down, I NEED to ride the bus!"

I tried calming him down by talking about how he gets to ride the bus home and how he can ride the bus tomorrow. And, at least he still gets to go to preschool today and he will still see all his friends, and how fun that mama gets to take him today. He wasn't having it.

On the way to school he kinda calmed down and then he got upset again because "I can't pretend this is the school bus because it isn't yellow!", "This isn't the same road that the bus takes to school!", "my whole day is ruined now" and "but I don't wanna go through this door because when I come in the bus I go through a different door", and "but now I don't get to walk in a line with my friends!"

We did finally make it into school and I dropped my little guy with red rimmed eyes off at his class. I told the teacher what had happened, just in case he has a hard day. But, I'm hoping once he saw his friends and started playing he'll forget all about it.

I did have a hard time not laughing and smiling at some of the things he was saying (like that my van wasn't yellow so it wasn't like the bus), but I felt bad for him too. While I know that in the scheme of things, this is not a big deal, but to him, today, it was HUGE! It was so not his fault that he didn't remember to go potty - at barely 4 I'm pretty sure that's still my responsibility to remind him to go before he leaves the house. But, I think he learned a few things today. We talked about not letting something bad ruin your whole day, and how he can still have a good day even though it didn't go the way he planned. We repeated "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" several times until I finally got him to crack a smile. And I'm pretty sure I won't have to remind him to go potty before the bus comes again...

Preschool!

2011-09-09T22:35:00.001-04:00

Tuesday was Boden's first day of Preschool! He was so excited, talking about it all summer long. It's hard for me to believe he is already 4 years old and ready for Preschool...it goes way to fast!

packing up his school supplies

The "Lightening McQueen" lunchbox!

I have to admit I am really NOT a fan of character themed items for kids - shoes, t-shirts, etc. I try to keep it to pajamas only. I had him convinced to get the gray and green backpack rather than the cartoon character one, and even talked him into a very sleek gray lunchbox. But I noticed he just kept eyeing that obnoxious race car, and I felt guilty. Who am I to judge what's "cool" to a 4 yr old? So, we put the boring gray lunchbox back and left the store with bright red Lightening McQueen, and a very excited little boy.

I may have gotten carried away and took a whole bunch of pictures...

"come on mama! I wanna go to school!"

when we got to school we saw his friend Taylor who is going to be in the same class

don't they look so cute walking down those big hallways?

He walked right into the classroom without me, didn't even look back. Such a big kid. :(

Didn't even take 30 seconds for him to acquire some type of costume, no surprise there

This is his teacher, Ms. Kristine

I couldn't even get a wave "goodbye" - he was ready to play. I was a little teary at this point, but so happy to see how independent he was about the whole thing. I know he is going to love preschool!

We are so thankful for such a loving, intelligent, sweet boy. God has really blessed us. Boden's name means "messenger" and we have been praying over him since his birth that he would be a light in this world...that through him, others would come to know Jesus as their savior. Even though it may seem like it's "just" preschool, this is the first big step for him to begin reaching out to the world and having an impact on his peers. As our family and friends, we ask that you would please join us in praying for him and his new adventures in preschool.

I also interviewed him when he got home from school....I'll have that video posted soon!

Oh, the drama!

2011-09-02T12:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we had a beautiful 72 degree day. I decided we should walk to the park, and that Boden should ride his bike while Claire and Titus rode in the double. It's about a 1/2 mile to the park, but he's been doing so well riding lately, that I thought he could handle it.

Halfway there he started complaining about his knees hurting from all the pushing and his nose hurting from riding so much...really? His nose? Yes, I confirmed that he was indeed complaining of his nose hurting. I'm still scratching my head about that one.

Anyway, he's whining and trying to convince me that I should carry Titus and his bike (while pushing the stroller) so he can ride in the stroller the rest of the way... not happening. Finally I just told him we were turning around to go home and that I was sure he could make it back home. He reluctantly got on his bike and started pedaling. I said "See Bo, I knew you could do it!" To which he replied in a very calm voice.....

"yeah, I know. I was just being dramatic." and off he rode...

while I tried my best to contain my hysterical laughter, In fact I'm still smiling just thinking about it. I can't imagine where he has heard that phrase before. ;)

Run Home Boden!

2011-07-31T18:59:00.001-04:00

Boden had his first T-Ball game yesterday! The YMCA started a Little Hitters T-Ball League this summer for 3-5 yr olds. Boden has been so excited to play baseball, so we signed him up! And Daddy signed up to coach!

Here's a few clips from the game. It was HOT, but the kids had a blast.

And Michael did a great job coaching too :)

the birthday ferry ride

2011-07-26T12:06:00.000-04:00

July 15 marked Boden's 4th birthday. Its hard to believe it's been 4 years already. It's been interesting to have Titus - he looks so much like Boden that I'm flooded with vivid memories of Boden's baby days. Some days it feels like it was yesterday, other days it feels so long ago.

To celebrate, we decided to go for a Ferry ride. There is a pedestrian Ferry here that goes between Portsmouth and Norfolk. None of us had been before, so we thought it would be a fun adventure.

leaving Portsmouth - looking towards downtown Norfolk

we thought Boden would be excited about riding the boat and seeing the ships...but I think he was a little nervous. I asked him if he wanted to come to the railing and look, but he kept saying "I can see them from here!" He was content to sit on the bench and enjoy the ride.

Claire however was very curious!

when we arrived in Norfolk we looked for a place to eat dinner. The first thing we saw was Joe's Crab Shack, right on the water, and Boden decided he wanted to eat crab for his birthday dinner. Sounds good to us!

waiting for his crab legs

turns out he LOVES crab legs!

the view was beautiful. I kept trying to take pictures of all boats passing, but the sun was setting right in front of us and it was too bright for my cell phone to get a good shot...and the nikon was tucked away in the stroller, so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I did get a shot from the Ferry as we were leaving Norfolk to head back home

Claire with Daddy & Bubbe watching the Paddlewheel on the back of the Ferry.

Finally a shot of all 5 of us...even if not everyone is looking, I still love it!

Happy 4th Birthday Boden! We love you so much!

the beach

2011-07-17T22:30:00.002-04:00

I mentioned before that while Nana and Poppa were visiting we took Titus to the beach for the first time. I thought he would really enjoy the nice day, being outside, change of scenery, etc.

But, as you can see, he was not a fan...

Bo and Claire, however, LOVE the beach! Its so much fun to watch them play and explore.

Michael spends a lot of time "playing defense" when we go to the beach. Boden and Claire have no fear of the water at all. They will run right out into the crashing waves, get knocked down, sand in their face and get back up and do it all over again.

Tactic #2 to keep Claire out of the waves for a few minutes...snacks!

Pretty much the only thing that kept Titus from screaming was nursing. So, while I didn't get to do much playing in the sun, I did get to enjoy the view and the breeze and just relax. I'm sure it won't be long and Titus will be charging out into the waves with his sister and brother and there won't be much relaxing happening, so I will enjoy it while I can.

"I think I'm gonna go to the boat store today"

2011-07-14T14:44:00.000-04:00

good thing pastor jim preached about staying out of debt last week :)

a whole month already?

2011-07-07T21:58:00.000-04:00

*warning: prepare yourself for photo overload!*

I can't believe it, a whole month has already passed since Titus was born. It's been a busy 6 weeks with lots of family and visitors and learning and adjusting to being a family of 5.

Titus is a sweet baby and is so loved by his big sister and big brother. They always want to be near him, kissing him, talking to him and holding him. He loves to smile at them, and we love to see his toothless grin. Every one of those smiles is gold to me...a sharp contrast from the screaming. He has been a bit colicky, so evenings are a little rough around here and there isn't much sleep happening at night. But, hopefully that won't last too long and we'll all begin getting a little more rest soon.

He is definitely growing well...at 6 weeks he weighed 13lb 7oz and was 23.5 in long! He has gained 5 pounds since birth!

Bubbe & Zeyde (Michael's mom and stepdad) stayed for about a week after Titus was born. They were a huge help with the kids and with meals while I was resting and recovering. Then Grandpa and Grandma (Michael's dad and his wife) came for a few days. The kids loved having them here. They also made it possible for me to make it to church just one week after Titus was born....there was no way I could have made it out of the house with all 3 kids and have been dressed and presentable in public so soon!

Claire, Titus and Bubbe

The 4 Brueseke boys

Claire and Grandpa

Then a few days later, Nana and Poppa (my parents) arrived. Poppa helped us out with some projects around the house - a new garbage disposal (yay!), some painting, a new bathroom vanity/sink, and started some grass growing in the back yard. And Nana helped out with the kids and the LAUNDRY...which I had been completely neglecting. We did have a little fun too - we took Titus on his first trip to the beach. Although, he didn't quite enjoy it like we had hoped...he pretty much cried the whole time. :(

After about a week, Poppa had to leave for a business trip, while Nana stayed another week and a half to help me adjust to life with 3 kiddos. I loved getting to spend this time with my mom and she was a huge help to me. I think she might have enjoyed spending time with her grandkids too :) Poppa then came back for a few more days before they made the long roadtrip back to to Nebraska.

It was so great having family here to help us through the first month. I was able to rest a lot, the kids got the extra attention they needed, and the house didn't fall apart....we are incredibly blessed and so, so thankful.

Nana and Titus

Claire helping Nana play Sudoku

Poppa meeting his newest Grandson

Here's a few more pictures of what we've been up to for the past 6 weeks:

Brothers

swimming

lovin' on babies

multi-tasking

Mama and her boys

hard to believe Claire and Boden were once as little as Titus

my parents brought my old guitar for Boden to play - he LOVES it!

playing at the park

this is how moms lose the baby weight...we don't get to eat!

Daddy and his babies

Frozen Yogurt Bar

Bathtime

apparently Claire is more interested in texting than in the story book

a little chutes and ladders

Bubbles!

It's still so wild to me that we have 3 kids! They are such an amazing blessing. Thank you Lord!

Titus meets his new friend Wyatt

2011-07-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

You may remember our friends, The Grill's, from this post about their last visit to VA this spring. They came out again last month for another modular class, and brought with them their newest little one, Wyatt Solomon. He was born just 5 days before Titus. It was so fun to see them together...even if they wouldn't look at each other :)

This time they stayed in a hotel, which was probably a good idea since my parents were staying with us, and the chaos of 6 kids 4 and under, though tons of fun, was a bit much after a few hours.

It was so nice to catch up with Jenny, share birth stories, share newborn tips, talk about sleep (or lack of sleep to be more accurate) and just be mamas together. I miss her! She is so much braver than I to make the 15+ hr road trip out here with a 4 week old! And in true Jenny fashion, she did it with a smile and made it sound so easy.

We took an afternoon to hit up our new favorite place - The Frozen Yogurt bar! Yum! Where else can you get yellow cake batter flavored frozen yogurt and double chocolate frozen yogurt topped with blueberries, strawberries, brownies, pretzels, captain crunch, butterfinger, sprinkles and jelly beans? (Boden said it was delicious by the way)

An attempt at a shot of both families...another challenge with 6 kids 4 and under.

Thanks for coming to visit, Grills! We love you and miss you...come back soon!

The birth of Titus Samuel

2011-07-05T11:17:00.001-04:00

I've been putting off writing this post for so long because a) I'm exhausted, b)I don't know where to start and don't want to leave anything out, and c) I'm exhausted. But, I need to get it down so I remember, so here goes...

My due this pregnancy was May 17. Boden was born 10 days before his due date, Claire born one week before hers. I just assumed (silly me) that this little guy would be early too. I've always had sympathy for those women who see their due date come and go, but honestly I have to admit, I never thought that would be me.

During my 37th and 38th week I was still busy unpacking boxes and getting the house in order, so I was hoping he wouldn't come too early. However, I was confident I'd have this baby the week before his due date. But when May 17 came and went, I was a bit discouraged. Ok, I was pretty emotional. Michael said I was holding it together well, but inside it was a struggle. So many emotions - excitement to meet the new baby, anxiety/curiosity about what the labor would be like (my previous two labors were COMPLETELY different, I was really praying for a "claire" labor and not a "boden" labor), frustration about what to do each day wondering if that day would be THE day...should I make plans? should I not? etc. and simply just feeling huge and not wanting to be pregnant anymore.

Funny side note: While waiting for the baby that last week I read somewhere that fresh pineapple has some enzyme in it that helps ready your body for labor....I ate an entire pineapple one afternoon....I'm pretty sure the only thing that did was make my mouth raw!

Michael's mom and step dad who had been waiting since the beginning of May for "the call" to come out and help with the kids, decided to go ahead and make the trip from St Louis in hopes that baby would be here soon. They arrived on Friday afternoon May 20. I wasn't sure about having company in my current emotional state and not knowing how much longer we would all be waiting, but it turned out to be a great thing. Michael and I went out on a date that night while Bubbe & Zeyde took the kids to Chuck E Cheese. It was great for Michael and I to have that evening together, I really needed that.

The next morning, Saturday, I woke up at 4 am with some contractions. I started timing them at 5am and from 5-6:30 they were consistently 8-10 min apart, lasting about 30 seconds. I decided it was a pretty good assumption that I was in early labor, so I tried to get a bit more sleep. When everyone got up, the grandparents packed the kids up and took them to the zoo for the day so I would be free to labor at home comfortably and without distraction.

Of course, I had hoped we'd have a baby by noon...but at noon my contractions were still not all that close together. When we would go out for a walk they would be 5 min apart for 30 seconds, so I would go lay down for a bit and they would stretch out to 8 min apart for 45-60 seconds. It went on like this for several hours and I got frustrated. So around 1 I decided I needed to stop thinking about it - and I sat down at my sewing machine. I had some fabric I had been wanting to make into a dress for Claire, so I set to work and tried my best to ignore the contractions and Michael got to work finishing up some projects around the house. 3 hours later the dress was done and the contractions were getting stronger so I decided to take a shower and relax a bit. After that I sat on the exercise ball (which was amazing for labor and before labor - I swear this really helped baby move down into position...I bounced on it constantly thurs and fri after my friend Saina brought it over for me to borrow- Thank you Saina!) and my contractions finally started to get consistent.

It was about this time that I told Michael that I really felt like I wanted to get to the hospital to have a monitor on the baby. This is pretty strange for me because I prefer to labor at home as long as possible and because I typically prefer intermittent monitoring so I can move around freely when I am at the hospital. But, this feeling was nagging at me for several hours that afternoon. Finally, my contractions were about 5 min apart and we headed to the hospital. We texted several friends and family to let them know and to ask them to be in prayer for us. It's about a 20 min ride to the hospital and by the time we got there my contractions were only about 2 min apart, and my water started leaking on the walk into the hospital. For some reason I turned down Michael's offer to be dropped at the door and chose to walk in from the back of the parking lot with him....not my wisest choice ever. Even though I was having contractions rather close together, I still didn't think I was that close. We got up to labor and delivery just before 7pm.

Another couple rode up on the elevator with us. They were first time parents and were coming in to see if her water had broken. Michael told me later that the husband to one look at me in the wheelchair and told his wife "yeah, you're not in labor...you don't look anything like her". Men say the funniest things to their pregnant wives. I wish I could have seen the look on her face.

Anyway, we got checked in and I was dilated to 7 or 8. We had two really sweet nurses, one who actually goes to our church. They confirmed that I was leaking amniotic fluid, but my water hadn't fully broken yet. I got hooked up to to all the monitors and we waited for my midwife to arrive. Once she got there I had her break my water to hopefully move things along. Shortly after, the midwife told me I needed to start pushing, although I didn't yet feel the urge to push and I wasn't quite fully dilated. But, everytime I had a contraction, the baby's heart rate would drop. They midwife and nurses were careful not to alarm me, but we knew by the looks they were giving each other that it wasn't an ideal situation.

Thankfully, it didn't take long, otherwise they may have had to use some interventions. About 25 min later, Titus Samuel made his appearance!

They had to jostle him around a bit to get him to really yell, but he was doing fine. Once the umbilical cord was cut and the midwife began looking at it, she discovered the reasons for the drop in heart rate. His umbilical cord was tied in a complete knot, and she then told me it had also been around his neck. Apparently, an umbilical cord tied in a knot can be the cause of stillbirth. I guess it can get tied up when they are still little and moving around freely, then when they get bigger and start descending into the birth canal it can pull it tight and cause the blood supply to be cut off. They told us we were lucky that he was ok.

We know it wasn't luck. It was the prayers of so many friends and family. We are so gratefully that so many people were praying for us and for Titus. The Lord certainly protected him.

watching some Sunday morning preaching with Daddy

ready to meet their little brother

I wanna hold him!!!

Claire: "EYES!" (learning new body parts is dangerous when you have a newborn)

We are so excited to have this new little life in our family, and so thankful that God has entrusted him to us to raise.

Titus Samuel

2011-05-29T20:46:00.000-04:00

We are in love all over again....

Titus Samuel Brueseke

May 21, 2011 at 8:24pm

8lb 7oz & 21.5 inches

I will share his birth story soon...when I have time to put my thoughts together a little more clearly. For now, we are getting as much sleep as possible and loving on our new little guy.

mmmm...

2011-05-16T13:15:00.001-04:00

warm sunny day, playing on the beach, a walk on the boardwalk, family, and ice cream....does it get any better?

Michael thought this photo was funny....it made us think of the candid photos of celebrities you see in People magazine or somewhere. We'll pretend that we are totally cool enough to have paparazzi following us around (instead of the reality...which is that everyone was too interested in their ice cream to pay attention to me taking their photo! :) )

18 months and no more crib?

2011-05-09T14:18:00.000-04:00

Little Claire is growing up fast. 18 months already, can you believe it? I can't. Maybe it's because she's the second child, or maybe because we had so much going on with moving (a few times) and pregnancy but time has seems to be going by so fast!

She is one spunky little girl. She has so much personality and boy, does she love her big brother. She follows Boden everywhere and wants to do everything he does. He, for the most part, is great about it and wants to show her how to do new things and of course tell her what to do. I seriously love watching them interact. I'm excited to see how they take to having a new baby around.

Speaking of new baby, it was time to move Claire out of the crib to make way for #3. I was so nervous about this since she's just 18 months, and honestly moving Boden out of the crib was a serious chore for a really long time. He has just now gotten to where he stays in bed when we put him to bed.

Boden and Claire are continuing to share a room at our new house, and we thought it would be fun to get them a bunk bed. It's not a traditional bunk bed, because they are really too little for that, but it's much lower to the ground. It's from IKEA -

The top bunk is only about as high as my waist and it has sides all the way around so he can't roll out. And the bottom bunk is right on the floor, so it's easy for Claire to get in and out and not a big deal if she falls out. It has a fun little tent for the top bunk that we had on at first. Boden really liked it during the day, but kept asking us to take it off at night.

I think it made things just a little too dark for him. We decided to just take it off and maybe in a few months or a year he might be ready for it. I made their coordinating quilts over the past couple months and was so excited to finally finish just last week.

My sister, Molly, helped me out by planning out the quilts for me. I just told her how many different prints I wanted to use, how big I wanted the finished quilts to be, and that I wanted to keep it simple since I knew I didn't have a lot of time to get them done. She came back with all kinds of tables and measurements and told me exactly how much fabric of each print to buy. It was fun to have her design it for me. My brain totally used to work that way, and I used to enjoy figuring out stuff like that... but since having little kids and being pregnant I just can't seem to sit down and focus on those kind of details for more than 2 minutes at a time! lol. Anyway, here's the quilts: (Mostly made with fabrics from Amy Butler's Soul Blossom collection, with a few other random prints thrown in) I'm so happy with how they turned out and I really had fun making them.

So, back to Claire in her big girl bed. Since 6 mo old Claire has been an amazing sleeper - just lay her down and she's out for 12 hours. Bedtime was always a breeze, so I was a little scared we might have to give that up with the new bed. The first night was a dream though....I put her down and didn't hear from her til morning... and that continued for the first 4 nights. Aside from the one night where we found Bo and Claire wandering the hallway at 2 am, Boden insisting that Claire needed to go potty so he was taking her..(no, she is not even close to being potty trained...i'm sure she had no idea what was going on!) I thought for sure we had gotten a pass on this one!

Night 5 however, was a different story. I think she finally figured out that she could get out of her bed. And she did....over and over and over until we finally got exhausted and put her in the pack n play at 10pm so we could all go to bed. The next night I was determined to outlast her. I put her to bed and sat on her floor with my back to her. I put her back in bed, no talking or anything, every 5-10 SECONDS for about an hour! The child is determined I tell you! Then for the next 30 min she went from getting up every 45-60 seconds to kicking the wall and giggling about it. Finally after about and hour and 45 min she started settling down and by 2 hours she was asleep. I decided to go downstairs and have a bowl of ice cream to celebrate my victory. I should have gone to bed to get my rest....had I known we would have a repeat of this event from 4-6am!

It's a week later now and I'm sitting outside her room and she's only gotten up 4 times in an hour, although tonight I have peeked in 3 other times to find a pantless, diaperless, giggling little girl that I have had to re-dress...that's new.... I thought we were making improvements?! It's taking about 1 1/2 hrs to get her to bed each night and we still have issues once in awhile in the middle of the night when she gets up and wanders around and we have to start all over getting her to bed. Not as much improvement as I had hoped in a week. We had one interesting hiccup the other day at naptime...she got up and closed her door and locked it....but couldn't unlock it. They are the kind of doors that have a little flat key that unlocks them from the outside....but none of those little keys were left here when we moved in. We eventually had to completely removed the doorknob to get her out! poor thing was scared. It reminded me of the time when we lived in an apartment and Boden was about Claire's age. I went out on the back deck for some reason and he went in, shut the sliding door and locked it.....him inside and me out on the deck - 3 floors off the ground! It was so scary - I had no idea what I was going to do and poor Boden just started crying. Thankfully, Michael came home early from where ever it was that he was and I only ended up being locked out there about 10 minutes.

Ahhh, the joys of parenthood. In just a few short days or weeks I'll be up all night with another one. Thank God he gives us the grace to do it. (And amazing husbands who help! I have to give some credit here to Michael - he has been getting up for all the middle of the night sessions lately and letting me sleep...THANK YOU!) I'm praying our new little guy just starts sleeping thru the night at 6 weeks on his own....I've heard these children actually exist...let's pray I get to experience that first hand one day!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T22:14:00.000-04:00

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead..." 1 Peter 1:3

2011-04-12T14:13:00.000-04:00

Our friend Caleb came over to play the other day...it was a beautiful day, so we just spent the whole morning outside...

snacking

hauling

swinging

digging

"cooking"

flying

sun-bathing (actually, I think he said he was making a "dirt angel")

more snacking

running

and just hanging out with friends

Hope you are enjoying spring too!!!

"on the fly"

2011-04-07T13:00:00.001-04:00

Boden absolutely loves doing crafts....he asks everyday, probably 2-3 times a day if we can make a craft. If I were wise, I would have ideas ready to go, maybe do some research in the evening, or buy a book with ideas, but alas...I haven't. That leaves me with coming up with ideas "on the fly."

For some reason, Claire prefers pencils to crayons...she still thinks crayons are snacks.

and the toilet paper roll was much much more interesting to her than the butterflies

Boden, however, made a whole flock of butterflies (do butterflies fly in flocks??)

2011-04-06T17:31:00.001-04:00

Our friends from St Louis, Adam & Jenny came to stay with us at the beginning of March for a week. Adam is a student at Regent and had a week long modular class here, so Jenny and the kids came along and we spent the week wrangling kids and being pregnant together. :) We had a great time playing outside, checking out a new park, and playing on the beach (although we didn't stay long - it was super windy!) Boden and Addie are just about 6 months apart in age and while they love to play together, they also fight like siblings. It made for a fun, but challenging week.

apparently this slide was really fast - the kids would come down in and go flying into the sand...they loved it.

check out the fun playground on the beach (and the adorable pregnant Jenny)

we found another huge, fun playground. Adam met us there after class and brought yummy, sugary drinks for the kids...Claire was in heaven

Isn't Thatcher just adorable? Smiling and laughing at his daddy

playing nicely....as long as they each had an equal amount of the same blocks!

we even did a little "school"

and of course - the new additions coming soon to both families! We are both having little boys due just 1 week apart!

a new teacher in town

2011-03-30T12:49:00.001-04:00

I've probably mentioned before that Boden's favorite activity is "school work." He loves to sit down and do worksheets, practice writing his letters, and drawing and coloring. Claire has recently expressed an interest in coloring too - mostly just because that's what Boden is doing I think...she always wants to do what big brother is doing.

Apparently, the other day, Boden decided to take advantage of the situation and decided he would be the teacher and he would teach Claire some new words using his flash cards. I walked into the room and overheard "Claire, say unicycle....c'mon Claire, you can do it.....say uuuunicycle!"

I noted the blank stare on Claire's face, and suggested to Boden that she might not be ready for a word that big. Maybe we should start with something a little easier. He went back to his pile of flash cards and returned a moment later saying "Claire...say rocket ship!....you can do it.....say rocket ship!"

I just had to laugh....it was was sweet. He was so intent on teaching her new words and was genuinely upset that she wasn't saying them. He loves being a big brother, and I love watching them together.

an afternoon out and about

2011-03-18T13:20:00.000-04:00

Hey! Look what we found!!!

Last Sunday we ventured out to explore the area here....and we found a nice walking/jogging/biking trail only about 15 minutes away. Its called the Great Dismal Swamp Canal Trail, it's an old part of a highway that is no longer used. It's tree lined and beautiful and has a canal that runs along side of it. We had lots of fun running around (ok, I wasn't doing a lot of running, but the other 3 were).

yep, there's the belly. I did try to run to catch up at one point and I'm pretty sure I got laughed at by both Michael and Boden. :)

With about 3/4 of a mile left to go, we got the great idea to let Claire out of the stroller so she could get some exercise too. She had lots of fun pushing the stroller, watching the dogs pass by, and pointing to all the birds she saw. It was fun for awhile, but then she refused to have anything to do with the stroller again....and our pace was a little...um..slow. I think we walked 1/2 mile in 45 minutes.

Boden loved chasing Daddy....looking for bears....and finding all kinds of "treasures" along the way.

the closest thing I got to a picture of the kids together

At last....she finally caved in and agreed to let daddy carry her the last tenth of a mile to the car

A day at the beach

2011-03-03T13:43:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we had a beautiful Friday to enjoy at the beach. It was in the upper 70s and sunny and the kids loved the sand!

Daddy & Claire buried Boden in the sand....

we dug holes with our new sand toys....

made sand angels....

ate some sand... (of course...every kid has to try it at least once, right?)

made some sand castles...

and smashed some sand castles...

that was clearly Claire's favorite part. She went around and smashed every single one. Thankfully Boden thought it was funny and wasn't upset about it.

and for those of you wondering what I'm looking like these days, we did manage to take a photo. I have been terrible about documenting this pregnancy.

We are excited to be living so close to the beach for the first time in our lives. We really look forward to enjoying it this summer when it gets warmer!

mmmm...yummy...

2011-03-01T10:04:00.000-05:00

who loves to eat her pizza while in a box? This girl does -

who needs a booster seat when you have a fun box to sit in?

computer woes

2011-02-16T14:32:00.000-05:00

Blogging has been a little tough lately since I have been having some computer problems. I've always used the memory card drive on my old laptop to download pics from my camera...but now that I've got a Mac, it doesn't have this memory card drive...so I'm forced to find the usb cord for my camera in order to load pictures...which I have NO idea where it is. I'm guessing in a random box over at the storage unit. It was working out ok to upload them from the old computer...until about 2 weeks ago when the wireless card on said computer quit working and I can no longer connect to the internet with that computer. And then a couple days ago I discovered that the power cord to my mac got crunched under a table leg or something and it is no longer doing it's job of charging the computer battery. Grrr, those stinkers are not cheap to replace. All that to say, the process of taking pictures and getting them on to this blog has gotten quite a bit more difficult. So, until then, you'll get to experience the amazing photographic performance of my ipone. Lucky you :)

We had some crazy weather last week. Tuesday it was 55 and sunny and we went to the park...

Then on Thursday we got 3-4 inches of snow! Finally, Boden got to build the snowman he's been so desperate to build.

Mr Snowman happens to be tiny because I was not nearly as excited about playing in the snow as Boden was...and all I could find were my fingerless gloves...not exactly ideal for snowman building. But we had fun. At least it was 40 degrees by the time we went out to play so it wasn't bitter cold. The snow didn't last long though - it was pretty well melted by the next morning.

We enjoyed our 1 day taste of snow, and are definitely enjoying the warmer weather now. Friday and Saturday are supposed to be in the 60s and 70s! Woo hoo!

ready for spring

2011-02-03T14:42:00.009-05:00

We have had a couple days of some nice weather here. Yesterday, while all our friends and family in the midwest were snowed in and freezeing, we had a 70 degree spring day! I had been a little bummed about missing all the snow, but it only took about 5 mintues of my kids getting to run around outside for that feeling to wear off. Here's what we've been up to:

Boden was supposed to be giving Claire a hug...

excited to finally get to use his big dump truck

I've also been doing some sewing and sewing planning getting ready for spring, now that I've finally got all my sewing stuff back together. Here's the bubble skirt I mentioned before:

and a cute outfit for my friend Laura's baby girl

This skirt was really easy and fun, it really took less than 2 hrs start to finish - I plan to make a few for Claire for this summer and spring. I got the tutorial from Prudent Baby, one of my absolute favorite websites (layer cake skirt tutorial here). They have great tutorials for easy sewing projects and tons of other crafty (non-sewing) projects too.

And now, I've got a couple stacks of adorable fabric just begging to be made into spring dresses and skirts

including these fabulous prints my friend Kelly gave me just before I left Missouri.

I'm excited to get started! Kelly, I think you need to hop on a plane and come sew with me for a weekend!

ABCs

2011-01-25T10:41:00.000-05:00

Boden has been working hard at learning his alphabet. He loves to write and is always asking how to spell things so he can write them. The other day I decided to see how many of his letters he really knew. I gave him a blank piece of paper and called out the letters one at a time for him to write.

I was impressed! He did a great job. I only had to show him examples of I, J, K, Q, R, U, V, W, X and Z. I thought that was pretty good for 3 yrs old. So here's me bragging on my boy...

The "Meggie-Van"

2011-01-22T16:07:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time I said I would NEVER drive a mini-van...In fact, I think I was still saying that up until about 5 months ago. I was confident that I would sail through motherhood without ever driving a mini-van, SUVs will do just fine right? When I was in college I used to say this (why I was thinking about mini-vans in college I have no idea) and my roomate always joked that one day I would get a mini-van and she would get me license plates that said "MEG E VAN". I should have known to never say never :)

We have a 7 passenger Durango that I intended to drive for many more years of hauling kids around. But I wasn't necessarily intending to need to have 3 kids in carseats at the same time. When we found out about the impending arrival of #3 we started looking at how we were going to work it out in the Durango. Boden is on the verge of being able to move up to a booster seat weight-wise, but I feel pretty strongly that he needs to stay in a 5pt harness at least another year. Getting 3 seats across in the back of the Durango was proving to be a challenge, and climbing up there to buckle them in a challenge as well. There's the option of using the 3rd row, but that creates a few more challenges. In order to get to the 3rd row, one middle seat has to fold forward (so no carseat on that seat), and in order for that one to fold, the middle seat can't have a carseat in it either because it prevents the side seat from folding. So, that means 2 carseats in 3rd row. Challenge 1 - no LATCH hooks in 3rd row. Challenge 2 - seatbelts in 3rd row don't "lock" allowing the seat to be tightened adequately. And finally, Challenge 3 - even if I did get the seats installed in the 3rd row tightly, when the 3rd row up, it's impossible to put anything larger than an umbrella stroller in the trunk. Not gonna work out well with an 18 month old and a newborn.... and I love my Phil & Ted's double way too much to not use it.

So, all that to say - we have now ventured into mini-van land! I was hesitant and kinda had a bad attitude about it at first. I really didn't want to do it. But, then when we really started looking at them and test driving them I was quickly sold. They were just made for moms. Every detail is well thought out for families with kids. And Boden was so excited to have doors that slide "just like Addie's!"

We went back and forth debating between a Honda Odyssey and a Toyota Sienna. I think we test drove each one 3 times. In the end, we went with the Sienna and I'm so happy with our choice. It's crazy to think it, but I can actually say "I love my mini-van!" lol. We've had it less than 60 days and already put 4000 miles on it!

Here's my favorite things about it:
*Automatic sliding doors! This is probably my favorite thing about the van. No more worries about banging into other cars while getting kids in and out, and I can open/close the door with the button on my keychain. I'm thinking this will come in even more handy when #3 arrives and I'm juggling an 18mo old, a newborn, a toddler, stroller, and diaper bag.
* Boden can climb in and out by himself - Lifting a 35lb kid up into his seat was getting harder and harder the more pregnant I get.
*Tons of trunk space even with all rows up.
*Built in sunshades on all the back windows. Even with tinted windows, sometimes the sun is still right in their eyes. These were great on our roadtrip out to VA. (we've had the stick-on kind before, and ours always fell off after a few months)
*The 2nd row seats are on a sliding track that allows us to move them closer to the front row, if we need more room in the back, or slide them further back for more leg room/space in the 2nd row when not using the 3rd row. This was also a huge selling pt for us for the Toyota over the Honda - the 2nd row seats in the Sienna can slide forward, allowing kids to get in the 3rd row, even with a carseat installed on it.
*Back up camera - so helpful to make sure no one is behind me when I'm backing up my big 'ole bus!
*This particular van also has a blue tooth feature that allows me to use my phone hands free - and also allows me to stream music/podcasts from my iphone wirelessly. So great on roadtrips.

We really love our new van, just like every one of my friends who drives one told me I would. I kind of laugh now when I talk to a mom who says she'll never drive a van...not that everyone will, but they certainly aren't the enemy I once thought they were. Be careful what you say "never" about! Guess I better see about those liscense plates....

It's A BOY!

2011-01-20T22:30:00.002-05:00

Yep, Boden and Claire are going to have a little brother! And we are all so excited! This is probably old news to you if you saw my facebook status last week, but I thought I'd share it here too. I finally found a Dr (well, actually a Midwife) and was able to schedule an ultrasound. We've been waiting so patiently since we moved right in the time-frame when I would typically have had an ultrasound. But, our waiting ended last Thursday.

All 4 of us got to enjoy watching the little guy move around on the screen while the tech measured everything and checked to see that all was well. He's doing great! Everything measured perfectly on track for our May 17 due date. It was so amazing to watch him open and close his mouth and swallow, and watch his little heart beat. Isn't life amazing? God is so cool.

When she moved down towards the legs it was so apparent that this little one was a boy - he wasn't hiding anything! lol. Both Michael and I knew it right away without her even saying a thing. I had a feeling this little one was a boy - I'm not sure why, but I've caught myself referring to the baby as "he" rather often. And when discussing names, I couldn't even think of one girl name that I really liked. I had this same feeling when I was pregnant with Boden. With Claire, I didn't have a clue.

Boden got such a big smile on his face and said "I'm going to have a little brother!?!?" I'm so excited for him. And I just can't wait to see what Claire thinks about him when he arrives.

I couldn't be happier with our new midwife. I had originally planned to deliver at a birthing center I had read about online and had made appts there too, but when we toured and spoke to some of the midwives, it was obvious to me that it just wasn't the right place for us. Thankfully, just before we left Missouri, one of Michael's relatives gave me the contact information for this midwife. Her sister-in-law actually lives out here and she and several of her friends see her and love her. Turns out her office is less than 5 min from where we are staying now and the hospital she delivers at is really close too. And, I went to a playdate this past Monday and found out two of the moms have had babies with her and loved her as well. Thank you Lord! I was really discouraged after leaving the birthing center that night, but I knew that we had prayed a lot about where to have our baby and I realize that sometimes God has to shut one door so that we'll walk through the right one. I'm so thankful for His guidance in everything I do. And I'm so thankful for this precious new life!

Brown Bear Brown Bear

2011-01-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

I think I've mentioned before that Claire has no interest in being read to. I've tried...Michael has tried...the grandparents have tried...she just won't sit long enough to get through more than 2 pages. This is so odd to us because Boden will seriously sit for HOURS being read to. He has always liked being read to, even at Claire's age.

But, the other day we were playing and looking at a new book my parents got Claire for Christmas. It's "Brown Bear, Brown Bear what do you see?"

She sat on the floor with me and let me read it to her, not only once....but 3 times in a row!!! This is major progress! I think a lot of it (ok, all of it) had to do with the little secret windows that you open to see what the next animal sees, but still, I was so shocked and excited. I love reading, and I really want my kids to love it to. Maybe she's got a chance after all:)

and yes, I know her outfit doesn't match...at all. I promise we didn't go out looking like that.

2011-01-19T22:45:00.000-05:00

The moving truck FINALLY came! It was such a long, drawn out process. I won't bore you with all the drama. But, it was quite frustrating actually...mostly for Michael, he's the one who had to deal with them, and he had to help unload it all since the "crew" that showed up was actually just the truck driver. There was definitely a point in this process where I was about 80% sure we would never see our stuff again. The moral of this story is....there are some things you don't try to save money on....clearly moving companies fall into this category.

So, we've got our bed (hallelujah!), Claire's crib, our couch, tv, fridge, AND the power cord to my sewing machine (which I've been almost as excited about getting as I have my bed). When we packed up in November I kept out two bins full of projects I intended to work on and my sewing machine...but somehow packed the power cord/foot pedal of my machine in a box that went with the moving truck. big bummer. Thankfully my mother in law was kind enough to let me borrow hers so I could finish up a few christmas presents and my mom let me borrow hers when I was visiting so I could finish a few projects there and hem my new maternity jeans. Yesterday I whipped up a little bubble skirt I've been wanting to make for awhile. I've got lots of ideas for Claire's spring wardroble so I'm excited to get started.

Speaking of maternity clothes, I must stop to say how much I love H&M. They actually understand that pregnant women still like to be fashionable but most can't afford to spend $60-80 for a shirt or $125 for a dress. And their maternity jeans?! genius. You know the little pull tabs with buttons inside the waist of little kids jeans? They put them inside the waist of their maternity jeans. I LOVE IT! The only maternity jeans I have ever worn that I'm not constantly pulling up. One of the highlights of our trip to NYC was going to the H&M there that carries the maternity line (unfortunately the St Louis stores don't carry it, the website said it wasn't at any of the stores in here in VA, and they don't sell it online in the US). So it was a wonderful surprise for me when I walked past the H&M at one of the local mall here and noticed the sign said they have maternity!!! YAY!

The real reason for the trip to the mall was letting the kids burn some energy at the indoor playground there. We went with a friend and her son. They just moved here from North Carolina to join the staff at the church as well. It's been so nice to have a friend in the same situation as we are. The mall had a great playground - Claire found a fire truck that she fell in love with and claimed as her own. Seriously, any kid that tried to climb on it she immediatly started trying to push them off of it. We're beginning to see what having an older brother does to a little girl! She has no problems standing up to 3 yr old boys who get in her way. We're working on being a lady. :)

We've had a few playdates in the past couple weeks and it's been great! It's been so fun to meet families with little boys! We love our friends in St Louis and all their adorable little 3 yr old girls, but Michael was so excited to hear that Boden played with trains, garbage trucks, and firetrucks last week rather than playing dress up in princess dresses! Everyone here has been so friendly and warm to us - we feel so blessed. God is really taking great care of us and helping us get connected with people right away.

The other day we burned some energy at Kangaroo Jac's - and indoor bounce house playground. The kids loved it. Claire was probably a bit young to really enjoy the bouncers, but she still had a blast running around and watching Boden.

So, we've been keeping busy around here, but we've slowed down a bit the last two days - Claire has a cold. It started as just a runny nose, but as of today she's got a pretty rough cough, kinda sounds like croup and is coughing herself awake alot tonight. The YMCA has a prenatal yoga class once a week that I was really looking forward to going to tomorrow, but I'm guessing we will be staying home and keeping our germs to ourselves again. Hopefully next week.

Burning some energy

2011-01-11T20:51:00.001-05:00

We've been looking for ways to burn some energy around here...Boden is practically bouncing off the walls and needs to RUN!

The second day we were here in VA we joined the YMCA. We are so excited about all the fun programs they have, especially for Boden. Two mornings and two evenings each week they offer a GEKO (Group Exercise for Kids Only) class for 3-5yr olds that is 30 min long and he can go to while I work out. We drop them off in the Stay & Play area and then the teacher takes them to and from the class and I just pick him back up when I'm done. We've taken him a few times and he loves it....well, except for the sit-ups part, I was watching last night and they were doing 10 sit-ups....Boden did like 3 and then told the teacher "this is hard!"...and then proceeded to watch the rest of the kids finish their sit-ups. ha. We had a talk later about perserverence and how sometimes things are hard, but you have to keep doing them to get good at it. He pretty much just stared at me and then said "but....sit-ups are hard, mom." Yes, honey, I know, I know.

One day I saw them playing a game where they scattered things all over the gym and then pretended to "pick up the trash" and had to run around and put the things one at a time in a hula hoop, another day they were doing relay races across the gym (yay for wearing my kid out!), and today I saw them playing on little stilt things (you know, the plastic cups attached to strings? what are those called anyway?),

and my favorite is probably watching them do jumping jacks....ever watch a group of 3-5 yr olds try to do jumping jacks? it's pretty entertaining. Boden just jumps up and down and flails his arms all around. so cute.

They also have a parents night out on Sat night that you can sign up for once a month - they will watch your kids from 6-9:30 and you can go out, at no extra cost (its included with a family membership). That's exciting to us, since we don't yet have babysitters here. And twice a month they have a parents morning out that Boden can go to for 3 hrs and do "preschool" stuff. I think he will love that! They have an awesome outdoor pool and splash park as well as a nice indoor pool. I'm excited about getting the kids in swimming lessons next month. I had wondered how I would be able to do a mommy & me class with Claire while having Boden with us - but since it's at the Y, he can go to stay and play while Claire and I swim. Perfect!

I think the YMCA is going to be great for us - after just 5 visits Claire finally quit crying through the whole thing and yesterday she actually went right into her class on her own. It's a great break for me during the day to get a chance to workout without children under my feet and what mom can complain about getting to take a shower while someone else entertains your kids? That in itself is worth the cost of the membership!

**Pics are a little fuzzy, I know - they were taken on my phone

All Things New

2011-01-08T21:29:00.000-05:00

Happy 2011! 2010 was an exciting, change-filled year for our family, and I hope it was for yours too. When 2010 began, I never could have anticipated all that it would bring. I was a terrible blogger in 2010....terrible. Two kids, pastoring a church, family, friends, vacations, the loss of a dear friend, weddings, morning sickness (better yet, all day sickness), packing, moving, etc, etc - I just couldn't find the time to sit down and write about it all. Looking back, I wish I had. I know there are small moments I have forgotten, and cute things the kids did, my feelings, frustrations and joys about motherhood, an all of the inbetween that I would have liked to have documented. So, here's my fresh new start, and quite a long review of what happened in the rest of 2011....

Wanna know what's new with the Brueseke's? Kind of alot, actually....

Boden turned 3 in July. Often, when talking to him you would think he was 9, he is so funny, logical, imaginitive, and bright. He loves to color, is doing quite well at staying in the lines, and gets excited about doing "school work" - he has learned to recognize all of his letters and is now learning their sounds and learning to write them.

He has an excellent memory - he has done great with memorizing any scripture I give him. Earlier this summer he learned the entire 23rd Psalm in less that a week. Mostly just by listening to me recite it to him while he played with toys. This Christmas we taught him Luke 2:10-11. Watch below for the clip:

Most of the time he is a delight - but that doesn't mean that strong will of his doesn't rear it's head once in awhile. A rather common converstation with the strong willed Boden goes something like this:

Mama: "Boden, you can either take a nap in mamas bed, or in your bed today, but you ARE taking a nap. You have the option, what do you choose?"

Boden: "Well, Mama....Actually....I don't wanna take a nap, Soooo, I can play in my room or watch cartoons...that's MY option."

It's also interesting as a parent, to have your child speak to you the way you speak to them. Sometimes humorous, other times, downright scary to know that's what I sound like!

Miss Claire is now 14 months old! She celebrated her 1st birthday on October 27. We had a party with family the weekend before her actual birthday. My sisters and I made a catepillar cake that coordinated with the birthday outfit I had so much fun making for her.

She has been such a fun child - she started taking steps around 10.5- 11 months and she hasn't stopped since! When she's awake, she doesn't stop moving - in 14 months I think I've read her a total of 5 pages of a book while she was sitting on my lap! She loves to be up running around and exploring - and chasing her big brother, but when it's time to nap, there is rarely an arguement. She lays down and is out for a few hrs twice a day. And at night, just lay her down and she's out for at least 12 hrs. She and Boden are like night and day in the sleeping aspect...I'm not sure he has EVER slept 12 hrs at night!

Claire had a lot of trouble with ear infections in her 2nd 6 months. She had 5 ear infections throughout the year, and then starting in October, we just couldn't get rid of them. She was on antibiotics continually for Oct and Nov and finally got tubes put in just before Christmas. She has been much happier since. She signs: eat, more, please, thank you, bye bye, sleep/night-night. She says: mama, dadda, ball, sometimes she says eat, and hi. I think her speach was delayed a little by her constant clogged ears - we've noticed her really picking up more and following directions very well in the past month. A couple weeks ago I asked if she needed to go potty and she turned and went straight for the bathroom and banged on the toilet. I was so excited, thinking "this is going to be awesome! she'll potty train herself!" I got her all undressed, set her up on the potty, and what did she do? she flailed and screamed like I was pulling her leg off or something. ah, well, at least she knows what I'm talking about, right?

Shortly after my last post of 2010 we had a whirlwind of life happen....

We took a family vacation with two other families to Destin, FL. It was beautiful, fun and relaxing....for most of us. Poor Michael was miserably sick the whole time. He tried to have a good time, but just didn't feel good at all.

Then in September, we made the decision to take a new position at a new church....all the way across the country! Michael had been connected with the pastor of this church for several years, he had been one of Michael's professors at Regent University during his Masters Program (which he finished in Aug '10!!!! Yay Michael!) and they had gotten together whenever Michael was in the area. This past summer, the opportunity arose for Michael to join Pastor Jim and the team at Western Branch Community Church, in Chesapeake, VA as the Discipleship Pastor. After lots of prayer and discussions, we were confident that was what God was calling us to do. While very exciting, it was also very scary. We've both lived in the midwest our entire lives, and always relatively close to family. This move would put us at least 16 hr drive from Michael's family and 22 from mine! I've gotten used to being able to make the 6 hr drive from Missouri to NE to see my family with just me and the kids whenever Michael is out of town, or when family events are occuring and Michael can't get away, and had I definitely gotten used to Michael's mom watching the kids for me one day a week so they could get some "Bubbe" time while I got some "me" time. We also love our church family in St Louis, and will really miss them all. It was such a difficult decision to leave, but we had so much peace about the decision, we knew it was God. And we knew that God would make it all work out.

Shortly after that decision was made, and we began preparing to move, we got another surprise we were most certainly not expecting! Baby #3!!! I remember very vividly having a phone conversation with my mom on Thursday. Here's basically how it went:
Megan: Mom, I've got some news!
Mom: You're Pregnant!!???!???
Megan: Are you crazy? we are getting ready to pick up and move across the country where we know no one. I couldn't possibly also handle being pregnant through all that. No, I'm not pregnant. If I were pregnant Mom, I imagine I'd be crying right now.
Mom: well, what's the news then?
Megan: I was just going to tell you we decided what dates we'll be visiting for Thanksgiving....

And, then...that night I didn't sleep at all! I have never had that happen, but it was so weird. I got up and cleaned for a couple hrs, tried to sleep again, then got up and knit for a few hrs, and then read, and finally around 5 am I fell asleep. Friday morning I felt so awful. I assumed it was from not sleeping. We went to the dentists office and I almost had to leave because I thought I was going to vomit from them smell. I told Michael we needed to get a pregnancy test just to rule that out so I would feel better. I remember the look on his face when I said that, it was like "Are you crazy?" haha. So, later that afternoon, we sat on our bathroom floor staring at a positive pregnancy test - both in complete shock! Thinking "Seriously, God? Did you not think we had enough going on right now? How do you expect us to do this too?" I didn't cry like I thought I would though - I was excited - even though I was shocked and completely freaked out - I was excited. How could we not be? Obviously, God knows what we don't know - and he's a much better judge of what I can handle than I am.

So began the awful "morning" sickness - which was actually mostly afternoon and evening sickness. Which actually worked out rather well. I survived the day until naptime with the kids, and then Michael would get home and take care of the kids and make dinner for them while I spent the evening in bed or vomiting. It was pretty awful this time around. I got weekly migraines through the first trimester too. Not alot of fun - I'm SO glad that is behind me now. The 2nd trimester has been much better to me.

Then, in the end of September, we woke up in the middle of the night to a shocking phone call. Our dear friend, Renee Ploen, had passed away suddenly. Just sitting on the couch at home, her heart stopped. She was just 56 yrs old. Mike and Renee have been like family to us - Our friends, mentors, another set of parents. I will never forget that night in the hospital or the days following. Nor, will I ever forget Renee. I have never met anyone quite like her - she loved the Lord so much, and everyone who knew her, knew that. She was so honest, always told you like it was, even if she knew you weren't going to like it. And the way she did it was with such love, there was no way you could be mad at her. I loved that about Renee. She never tried to make me feel better by sugar coating things - if I was whining to her about something and I was wrong, she let me know it! And man, when she prayed....watch out!!! She was a prayer warrier - especially when she was praying for her family. Oh, and she was funny - I smile everytime I think about her, she always had me laughing when I was with her. Espeically her famous Walmart parking lot story. Those of you who know that story are laughing right now just thinking about it, aren't you? I miss Renee so much. She taught me a lot about marriage, life, family, and being a pastors wife. Renee's death caused me to examine my life and really think about how I spend my time and what is really important in life. I am so thankful that God brought the Ploen's into our life when He did. This is one of my favorite pictures of Renee because it is exactly how I remember her - always laughing and so full of life :

At the beginning of November, we began our "family tour." Michael finished up his position at Destiny Church and we decided to wait to move until after the holidays. We rented out our house to a lovely family, had movers pack most of our stuff and haul it to storage until we have it moved to Virginia, and moved to Sullivan, making Michael's mom and step-dad's house home base giving us the opportunity to spend time with Michael's family in the area. We also made a weekend trip to Branson and Silver Dollar City with Michael's dad and Rocky, spent a couple weeks with my family in Nebraska around Thanksgiving, a trip to New York City with Michael's dad & his new wife, Rocky, another trip to Nebraska to celebrate Christmas and also my cousin's wedding, then back to Missouri for Christmas...and then packed up everything for the road trip to Virginia! (There's so many pictures from all of these, I'm not going to try to upload them all here - but I do have a lot of them posted on Facebook, and will be posting many more in the next day or two, so I would love for you to check them out over there.)

Those two months were quite challenging for us to be always living out of suitcases, in someone elses home, and our kids totally off-routine....but, I wouldn't change it. I'm so thankful to have gotten to spend so much time with family and friends before we left. Saying goodbye was hard, but we are excited about what God has planned for us in this next season.

So, Here we are in our new home, Chesapeake, Virginia! It was a long 2 day road trip to get here, but the kids were awesome. They may have watched more cartoons in those 2 days than they usually do in 2 weeks, but hey, we do what we have to do to survive, right? We are still living out of suitcases (sort of) since our moving truck is a *little* delayed, and we are still living in someone elses home (which I cannot complain a bit about, we are so blessed to have been provided with our own semi-apartment area where the kids have their own space to play) until we find our own place, but we ARE working on getting into a routine!

Michael is excited to jump in to his new role at the church, and we are both excited about meeting new friends and getting to know our new church family. Excited to find out if our new addition will be a little brother or a little sister (which we will hopefully be finding out VERY soon), excited to find a new home for our family (that will hopefully be big enough for lots of visitors!) and excited for the weather to warm up so we can spend a little time at the nearby beach! We are EXCITED about all the new things to come in 2011!

**The family pictures you see here in this post and on my new header were taken by my beautiful friend and amazing photographer, Heidi Keene. She did an amazing job even though Claire refused to crack a single smile the entire time (turns out she wasn't feeling well and she spiked a fever that evening). Check her work out at http://www.heidikeeneblog.com/ and if you are in Nebraska - I highly recommend her!!!

Mr & Mrs John Wilson

2010-08-18T12:52:00.010-04:00

It still sounds so weird...calling my baby sister Molly WILSON...I suppose it probably took her awhile to get used to my new last name too. My older sister Micaela and I were remembering back to when I got married and she sent mail to me at my maiden name several months after I was married.

Molly and John got married in Ft Collins, CO on July 31. We took a nice family vacation to Colorado to celebrate. We rented a cabin up in the mountains for the week, which was absolutely beautiful. There is something so peaceful about the mountains, I just love it.

(we asked Boden what exactly he was doing here with his corn cob and he said he was "shooting the mountains"...interesting)

We had a little rain everyday, but it didn't spoil the outdoor ceremony, and it made for some really beautiful rainbows - and even a double rainbow one day. One time the rainbow went all the way across the sky - I had never seen one like it before where you see the whole curve up and across and all the way back down - usually I just see one side. I tried to get a picture, but my lens wasn't wide enough to capture the whole thing :( Just take my word for it - it was stunning!

(did you know that baby "links" are useful as clothespins too? very handy little toys)

We also went white water rafting, which was a blast! Michael and me, Micaela and Casey, and my cousin Julie & her new husband Andrew were in one raft, and Molly & John, and Molly's maid of honor Whitney & her husband Aaron (along with 2 other people we didn't know) were in another raft. We only had 1 casualty - one of the first rapids we hit, Andrew flipped out of the boat. But, we got him pulled back in quickly and he only had a minor cut on his finger. I only just about fell out 11 different times, but Michael kept grabbing my life vest and holding me in the raft - thanks honey :) it was a blast though, I hope we get to go again soon.
The wedding was a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Horsetooth Resevoir in Ft Collins, CO. It was such a gorgeous location. The morning of the wedding was beautiful, but as afternoon approached, so did the storm...as we drove up to horsetooth a few sprinkles hit the windsheild and some dark clouds loomed. We weren't quite sure how it was going to work out - but it ended up being beautiful - the storm held off until just after the ceremony. As we were leaving the wind really picked up and it rained pretty good on our way to the reception. Thank you Lord!

We spent the evening laughing, talking, and dancing with friends at a beautiful reception under an outdoor pavilion. Boden had a blast on the dance floor with Whitney & Aaron's little girl Dylan - they were so adorable! Michael got some video and he posted it on his facebook - I need to get that from him and post it on here...Boden's got some moves! :)

As the night came to a close we attempted a family picture. Here's the results of a family photo shoot at almost 10pm with two little kids (one who didn't take a nap)!

Congratulations Molly and John! We love you guys so much and pray blessings on your future together!

8 Months

2010-06-27T17:53:00.005-04:00

I absolutely cannot believe it's been 8 MONTHS since Claire was born! The time has gone by so much faster than I could have ever expected. We've been having lots of fun getting to know Claire's personality, watching her grow, and probably my favorite thing as a mother so far - seeing her interact with her big brother.

This is the standard "Claire face":

she makes this face all the time, especially when she's concentrating on something - trying to pick up a toy, or figure out how she can get to something across the room. Which she is pretty darn good at by the way. She started pulling herself around, kind of an army crawl about a month and a half ago, the same week she started sitting all by herself. Now she's starting to get the hang of actually crawling, but hasn't perfected it yet. That doesn't stop her from scooting, rolling, pulling, and sliding all around until she gets what she's after. She's a very determined little girl.

Claire is such a happy baby - she has her moments, but for the most part, she is so smiley and happy. My favorite part of the day is the morning. Even though I'm exhausted when she wakes me up at 5:30am, she is so happy and "talkative". She jibber-jabbers, giggles and smiles until we are all awake with her. And when her big brother walks in, she squeals and kicks her feet. She loves him so much and he is her world right now. Even when he's tormenting her by trying to check her eyes with a magnifying glass, pick her up by her head ("like the lions do", he said), or pull her around the room by her hands "teaching her to crawl" - she just thinks he's amazing. And he thinks she's pretty amazing too - he is always wanting to help her do something or teach her something. As a mother, this brings me so much joy. I pray each day that they will continue to love each other and take care of each other as they grow up.

Claire is also a great eater. We started feeding her purees a little earlier than we did with Boden because she was always trying to grab our food out of our hands or screaming at us while we were eating. So far, her favorite is avacado by far and the only thing she seems to reject is broccoli. She'll eat it when it's mixed with other veggies, but not alone. She really loves picking up her own food - banana chunks, cheerios, etc. Usually about half of it makes it in her mouth and the other half I find in the highchair. :)

It's been hot here in St Louis so we've been frequenting the neighborhood pool a bit lately too. Claire LOVES the water! She splashes and giggles and then tries to drink the water. oops. Boden is loving the pool too. He's more independent in the water this year - using his floaties and sometimes a raft. Thankfully this year he's developed a more healthy fear of the water- last year he had absolutely no fear of it and would just jump right in regardless of having a life vest on or not or if anyone was in the water to jump to! He started swim lessons last week and is having fun with that - blowing bubbles, and learning to float and kick.

We are just loving being a family of 4 and we are thankful everyday for our beautiful, healthy babies!

2010-03-22T09:48:00.008-04:00

Claire will be 5 months old in just a few days! I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. She's such a sweet, happy baby, and Boden loves being a big brother. Claire started rolling over in the past couple weeks and her new favorite thing to do is squeal and play with her feet. It's adorable. I'm pretty certain she's working on her top two teeth now - her little gums are quite swollen, so I'm guessing it will be any day now.

At the end of February we went back to Virginia Beach for a week. We rented a condo on the beach - it was beautiful to look out at the beach, but it was COLD! It even snowed one day. We did get one afternoon where it was warm enought to at least take a little walk on the beach. Boden was so confused as to why it was cold at the beach, he remembers being there last summer and it was warm. He kept wanting to swim in the ocean. Daddy took him down by the water to put their toes in, but it was freezing cold! Boden loved it! We visited the aquarium one day - Boden really enjoyed seeing the big sharks and fish....once he figured out that there was a big piece of glass between him and the shark and the shark couldn't get him! :) It might turn out to be our last trip there as a family - Michael will likely finish up his degree at Regent this summer, and since he'll be really busy taking 2 classes in one week - we probably won't go with him then.

I've been busy sewing and making up some new things. Boden's friend Aiden turned 3, so I made him a "Super Aiden" cape for his birthday. Boden tested it out and approved :) I guess I better get busy making one for him too.

And yesterday, I made this little dress for Claire. I used one of her dresses and kind of traced the outline so that it would be about the right size, then just made it up from there. I think it turned out pretty good - and it actually fits her!

I'm planning to try and make Claire's Easter dress this week too - We're visiting my parents for the week while Michael is in Guatemala (therefore I have much more freetime to sew while the kids hang with Nana & Poppa and their aunties). We also got to go to my sister Molly's first bridal shower on Saturday -which was lots of fun. I'm so excited for her. It was actually a joint shower with my cousin Julie who is getting married in July and my cousin Scott's fiance Kelly who are getting married in June. It will be a busy summer for our family!

Michael and the team arrived safely in Guatemala on Friday and I haven't gotten to talk to him a lot, but he said they were going to an orphanage on Sat, preaching in a few churches over the weekend, and then working on a home for widows and street children for a lot of the week. He said it was 95 degrees there at 9pm the other night! Yikes! And we came to Nebraska and got snow.

A funny little conversation occured the other day between Boden and my sister Micaela....

Caela : "Hey Boden, where is your daddy?"
Boden: "Daddy's at Guatemala"
Caela: "What's he doing there?"
Boden: "He's telling people where Jesus is"

Don't you just love that? He was so matter of fact about it, it was so sweet.

If you think of it this week - would you pray for Michael and the rest of the team as they minister to the people of Guatemala and "tell them where Jesus is"?

Little Whale Designs

2010-03-12T19:58:00.005-05:00

I've enjoyed making baby and kid items every since I found out I was pregnant with Boden. I love to sew, knit, crochet - basically anything crafty. Finally, I've decided to open an etsy shop to share some of my homemade items with you! and to support my addiction for fabric stores. Michael jokingly told me the other day that he was getting concerned that I liked going to the fabric store more than I like going to church. LOL. I reassured him - I do like going to the fabric store - but I LOVE church! :)

Anyway - here is a link to my shop - Little Whale Designs. Check it out and see if there's something you like for your kids! I will be adding things periodically - I like to make a variety of things - bibs, burp cloths, t-shirts/onsies, nursing covers, baby shoes, hats, etc - so you never know what you might find!

teeth!?!?

2010-02-09T14:49:00.008-05:00

Is it possible?

Really?

Could my baby girl really be cutting teeth at only 15 weeks old?!?

yes, folks, it's possible. and true.

I suppose that explains why this has been her favorite thing to do for the past several weeks

and why she's been so grouchy and having trouble sleeping too.

I'm still having a hard time believing it. Boden didn't get his 1st tooth until he was 7 months old. It's funny though - I think it was the same time of year. If I remember right it was right around Valentine's day when he got his bottom teeth.

I was a little late on my teeth too - I'm not sure when I started getting them, but I know I was behind all my friends in losing them. I'm still a little upset that I didn't get to write my name on the giant tooth in Mrs. McAndrew's kindgergarten classroom or get to drink chocolate milk through a straw stuck through the gap in my teeth during snacktime with the rest of my kindergarten classmates.

anyway...all that to say, I was not expecting this.

I had to go find a picture of Boden's first teeth coming in. It was Feb 24, 2008 - he was just over 7 months old

I was really hoping to enjoy Claire's toothless grin a little longer. She's only been smiling for about 6 weeks, and I haven't snapped that many photos of her actually smiling. I'm going to have to make it my mission to get a few more before they really start showing.

It won't be long...

2010-02-05T22:45:00.005-05:00

It won't be long before those little footsteps I hear after naptime, running across the hall to shout from the top of the stairs "I'm awake!!" are just a distant memory, rather than a daily occurrence. It won't be long before the little boy who wants to be attached to me all day long is telling me not to kiss him in front of his friends. And it won't be long before the little boy who wants me to read books over and over and over again is off at college, studying something important I'm sure.

Tonight I stood outside Boden's bedroom door, trying to comfort him as he called out to me, frustrated because I wanted him to go to bed so I could work on checking things off my to-do list, folding laundry, and putting away dishes from dinner. He kept saying "mama, I want you", "mama, come cuddle me" - and it hit me at that moment...it won't be long before these days are gone. So I put down my laundry basket, left the dishes un-done and the to do list un-checked and cuddled up with my little guy. As I lay there all scrunched up in his toddler bed, listening to him breathe as he fell asleep, silent tears falling down my cheek, I couldn't help but thank my Heavenly Father for this most precious gift. One that I too often take for granted.

Some days it just hits me like a ton of bricks - the days I often wish away, will soon be over. And I will want them back. I look at Boden and I can barely believe he's 2 1/2 yrs old. It's gone by SO FAST! I was trying to remember what it was like before he could talk, but I couldn't. I can't imagine what it will be like to look back when he's 5, 10, 18 yrs old. I don't want to forget a minute of it.

Lord, thank you for the beautiful little lives you have entrusted to us. Being a mother is more challenging than I could have ever imagined, but also more amazing than I could have dreamed. Thank you for moments like tonight that remind me how precious these days are. Help me to find joy in each day and to never overlook the blessings each day brings. I pray that you will give me strength, wisdom, grace, and knowledge as I raise them to know you and love you. Amen.

fourteen, fourteen, fourteen!

2010-01-16T14:40:00.002-05:00

2010-01-16T10:17:00.007-05:00

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

2010-01-02T09:46:00.007-05:00

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...

3 weeks

2009-11-21T12:33:00.002-05:00

meeting for the first time

2009-10-28T21:41:00.002-04:00

Introducing Claire Elizabeth

2009-10-28T13:16:00.004-04:00

The newest member of the Brueseke family has arrived! Claire Elizabeth was born at 6:59am on Oct 27 weighing 7lbs 10oz and 20.5in long. She is beautiful, with lots of DARK hair - two things I was not expecting! (EDITED: the two things I was not expecting were lots of hair and dark hair - I was of course expecting she would be beautiful - Michael pointed out that this didn't sound quite right!) I just assumed she'd be blonde like her big brother...and I think she has more hair now than I had at 2 yrs old. We're doing wonderful -resting and enjoying our sweet little girl. Here's a few pictures to for now:

naptime adventures, part II

2009-10-26T23:46:00.005-04:00

On Thursday afternoon I put Boden down for a nap, after about 30 minutes of not hearing him running around anymore I was certain he was asleep. So, I decided to take a nap myself. About 1 1/2 hrs later I woke up to him screaming "Mama! Get me down!" I ran into his room to find him standing inside the second drawer of his dresser! (this was one moment I wish I had a picture of, but wasn't going to just leave the poor kid in the dresser while I went to find my camera, besides...it didn't look all that safe :) )

After I got him down from the drawer I looked over to his bed....

It's probably hard to tell by the picture, but he has gotten into the changing table and found all kinds of interesting things that I didn't even realize were in there - cortizone cream, tubes of vaseline, tubes of antibiotic ointment, lansinol cream, various thermometers, pacifiers, combs & brushes...and of course some books and stuffed animals too. Looks like he had quite the party while I was napping!

I notice there is quite a strong smell in the room too, and as I take a closer look at Boden I realize he's definitely got something in his hair....
I look a little more closely at the items on the bed and it hits me...

A tub of vicks baby rub. Nice job Boden. He proudly tells me he was fixing his hair for the hockey game. ??? No idea why he thought he was going to a hockey game, or why he thought he needed to fix his hair for said hockey game, but he was VERY proud of himself. Apparently he thought it looked a lot like Daddy's pomade that we sometimes put in his hair.

In case you're wondering - it takes 3 days and approximately 17 washes with various shampoos, dish soaps, and household cleaners to remove vicks rub from ones hair. I seriously considered shaving his head after about 10 washes.

This naptime nonsense is driving me crazy, but how can you stay mad when they're this adorable?

Fall Festival

2009-10-20T22:34:00.007-04:00

A couple Saturdays ago Boden and I headed to a nearby park to checkout the local Fall Festival. They had all kinds of fun (FREE) stuff for kids and it was a fairly nice day among all the cold rainy ones we'd been having.

There wasn't a lot of parking, mosltly just street parking along the neighborhoods. While we were trying to find a spot I did get to be entertained while watching a man try to parallel park in a spot that was CLEARLY not big enough for his car. He kept bumping into the car in front of him, then backing up into the one behind him, then bumping the one in front of him....again...and again...until he finally sort-of sqeezed into the spot. It was like something you would see in a movie. What made this even more humorous was the police man who sat there and watched him and waited until he got out of his car and then casually wrote him a ticket.

Boden was a little too shy to get his face painted, but he did get a paw print painted on his hand that he was quite proud of:

We decorated some funny glasses at the Magic House tent:

Got a balloon animal frog:

dug for gold:

and watched the other kids jump in the big bouncy inflatables. He wasn't too interested in getting in there with them though.

sleep update

2009-10-17T11:16:00.004-04:00

Thanks everyone for all the great advice you left me here or emailed to me. I know most all parents go through these things, so its encouraging to hear what you've done that works. We're still not "there" yet, but we've had a few good days and a few rough ones. For example, today he's down for a nap without a fight and didn't try to come out of his room once. But, yesterday was a completely different story. It was by far the most entertaining to me (probably because I wasn't home and Michael was dealing with it, but I'm sure Michael will laugh about it one day). Yesterday, Michael put Boden down for a nap around 1:30. By about 2:30 he started coming out of his room throwing his clothes (which he had emptied out of his dresser) into the hallway. Around 3pm he took all the books of his bookshelf and piled them up on his bed. And I think it was around 3:30 that Michael took this photo with his phone when he came into the room:

little stinker had moved his bed across the room, climbed into the crib, and was jumping in the crib (which is pretty unsafe considering I had adjusted the mattress to it's highest position in preparation for the new baby).

My, oh, my - children do make life interesting, don't they?

Parenting Advice Needed!

2009-10-10T16:47:00.006-04:00

Believe it or not my adorable little 2 year old can be quite stubborn sometimes. Over the past several weeks he's become more and more stubborn and demanding about getting his way regarding snacks, toys, cartoons etc. He will argue with me that he wants to watch a certain cartoon when it isn't even on at that time, and throw a tantrum because he wants to watch it NOW. Two days ago we were driving down the highway and he kept trying to pull the handle on the door open because, as he told me "I want to drive in MY OWN car!" I had never checked to make sure the child lock was set on the door before, but it sure is now! I realize that all these things are just him trying to assert his independence and find out what he does and does not have control over, and while it's driving me crazy, I can handle it.

But, this new thing he has started has me at a complete loss on what to do. The past few nights he has refused to go to bed. He's been in his toddler bed for several weeks now, and doing just fine, but suddenly he won't stay in bed, or in his room (he recently learned how to open doors). He keeps running out of his room and asking me to cover him back up. Thursday night it took probably an hour and a half of taking him back to bed every 5 minutes before he finally went to sleep. Last night we started around 8:30 and finally all went to bed, in our bed, after 11pm and he was up bright and early at 6:30am. Then today, at naptime it took an hour and a half to get him to stay in his room. He's in there now, and I think he's sleeping, but I'm not totally sure.

I realize we probably did the worst possible thing by letting him fall asleep in our bed last night, but honestly, we've had a rough week, were physically and emotionally exhausted and we just couldn't handle it anymore, so we caved.

I've tried encouraging him that if he stays in his room during naptime/at bedtime that he can have a sticker/special treat when he gets up, which worked when we first put him in the toddler bed. I've tried just putting him back in bed without talking to him. I've tried leaving a night light on (at bedtime). I've prayed over him. Michael has prayed over him. We've prayed over him together. I've tried warning him that he'll get a spanking if he comes out of his room again - which isn't working at all because he doesn't seem to care (well, he gets upset when I spank him, but he does the same thing 2 minutes later).

So - all you parents who've been here before...what did you find that works? doesn't work? ideas? I fully expected him to act out a little after the baby arrived, but if he's already acting this way before she gets here, what should I be expecting in a few weeks?!

More Sewing

2009-09-29T21:43:00.005-04:00

I spent some time last week working on the bedding for the baby's crib. I'm still not completely finished - I want to make some curtains for the room, sheets for Boden's toddler bed and a few other little things, but I've got the big stuff out of the way.

Before:

During:

(I could entertain Boden for hours just putting pins in the pin cushion!)

After:

And now it matches Boden's toddler bed with the quilt I made this summer:

And here's one of the new bookshelves we got at IKEA - Boden loves it, he can take the books on and off all by himself...and he does...mostly during naptime :) (notice how it's a bit of a disaster right now)

my new baby carrier

2009-09-24T22:03:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting one of these mei tai carriers since I had Boden, but never could bring myself to spend the $80-$100 for one, or decide on what color/print I wanted. This time I decided to make my own - I found a basic mei tai pattern online and adapted it to fit my size and made some adjustments to make it more what I wanted. I'm so excited and can't wait to use it with our little girl in just a few months!

I made it so I could change out the panels - so far I've only made 2 panels but I'm sure I'll be making many more. I get bored of prints easily. (Which is why its hard to decorate my house...about a month after I get done I'm ready to do something different.)

Since I currently look like this:

(no, Michael was not standing on the couch to take this photo - he's just that much taller than me!)

...and don't yet have a baby to put in the carrier to model it for you (I thought about trying it out with Boden, but I think he's a little big), so here's a couple photos from the babyhawk website of this type of carrier:

So, it should look something like that...I hope. And the bonus is that i didn't have to settle on just one print, and it didn't cost me anywhere near $80.

I've actually been doing a lot of sewing lately. I made a new nursing cover for myself out of the same polka dot fabric I used for one of the carrier panels, made a nursing cover for a friend who just had a baby, and I'm working on finishing up the rest of the bedding for the crib. Every time I go to the fabric store I find more fabric that I love and want to use to make something - I just need about 10 more hours in a day and I could do it all! :)

What have the Brueseke's been up to?

2009-09-08T10:17:00.007-04:00

This is gonna be a long one! August was a busy month for us. We're happy to be moved in and getting more and more settled into our house each day. A few weeks ago, Michael and I made the trek to Chicago to go to IKEA and get "a few" things for the new house.

I had so much fun and could have stayed there and shopped for days. Luckily for Michael we were on a time schedule and didn't get to just browse. We were on a mission. Not that we could have fit anything else in the Durango anyway :). We made a quick stop at the Crate & Barrell outlet while there too (another place I could have spent and entire day!) and found a great rug. We also got to spend a little time with our friends Andy & Kasia and their new puppy while in Chicago.

Here's just one of my many favorite purchases from IKEA (thank you Molly & John for helping me put it together!) This big shelf is going to provide lots of storage for toys, games, books, and who knows what else in the playroom side of our new living room. I can't wait to fill it all up and get organized!

We made it back from Chicago just in time to go to a Cardinals game. Boden LOVES baseball and can sit still and watch it much longer than I can. This game was extra special because Boden finally got to meet Fredbird!!!

We also got to spend some time with out-of-town family this month. Michael's step-sister Lauren came to visit with her little boy, Austin. Austin is 4 months old (well, 5 now) and such a happy baby! Boden loved playing with him and he even helped feed him a bottle.

Boden and I also made a weekend trip to Nebraska to see some of my family. Unfortunately, Boden got a stomach bug while we were there and we didn't get to see everyone we had hoped to. I still got to see some family at my cousin Michelle's wedding shower, and we hung out with my parents and sisters. Before he got sick, Boden helped blow some bubbles with Aunt Caela, help Poppa build a fire in the fire pit, and even played some guitar with Casey.

When Boden was feeling a little better, he found the energy to help water some flowers...in his underwear. (When a little kid has been throwing up on and off you eventually just quit putting clothes on them - it's just easier that way. lol.)

We've also been busy this month playing at the neighborhood playground....

and of course, eating lots of watermelon.

oh, and just 8 MORE WEEKS til our little girl is due to arrive!! Yikes! I go back and forth with being really excited and feeling completely unprepared. This pregnancy has gone by SO fast!

Hope you all are enjoying the tail end of your summer too!

our little musician

2009-08-18T16:38:00.005-04:00

boden got a guitar for his birthday from auntie caela & uncle casey and he LOVES it! he's always running around singing, but rarely will he do it for the camera. this morning i caught him in a rare mood and he was willing to perform:

questionable

2009-08-17T13:10:00.007-04:00

sometimes Boden's fashion sense is a little questionable...

exhibit A:

exhibit B:

hmmm...what do you think?

home at last

2009-08-11T20:47:00.007-04:00

We're still here! Well, technically we're in O'Fallon, MO now. We've been very busy with buying a house and moving lately. I've been meaning to blog about it, but honestly it was such a messy process that if I had written about it when we were going through it, it probably would have been a bunch of whining and complaining and who really wants to hear that?

We were originally scheduled to close on July 24th, but that got delayed a week, and then another week. The sellers live out of the US (in 2 different countries) and there was also a relocation company involved so there seemed to be a lot of mis-communication or communication errors through the process. Thankfully, our apartment manager was generous enough to let us extend our lease by 1 week so we didn't have to move out to a temporary location. My mom was in town for the whole week when we were supposed to move to help with all the cleaning and packing, but unfortunately had to head back home to start school before we could get into the house. :( Hopefully they'll be able to come visit soon and see the house.

We've learned and grown a lot through the process though. We had to rely on God to show us if we were supposed to continue the process even with all the struggles we encountered and we really learned some lessons on patience and trusting His timing and His plan through all of this. As frustrating as the whole thing was, we were both filled with a peace from the moment we saw the house that never left us, we knew that this was the place God had intended for us. We also were overwhelmed with love from friends and family who offered to help us during this transition time. We had offers from so many people that we could stay with them if we had to be out of our apartment before we could get into the house, a crew of about 8 guys helping us move, a generous donation of restaurant gift cards to help us out while our kitchen was packed away, a group of girlfriends helping me paint, and a wonderful home-cooked dinner provided for all of our moving help on moving day. Not to mention all the people who prayed with us and for us through the processes. Thank you everyone! God has shown us His amazing love through all of you.

So -we are finally in the house - and we LOVE it! We're not completely unpacked and there are still a few walls to paint, but we are taking our time. This 6 mo. pregnant lady can only do so much in a day. The kitchen and bedrooms are put together, which is most important. The rest will come together soon.

Here's a couple photos of the new house (even if it is still a little messy):

I love having a big, open kitchen

Boden even helped me paint a little bit

These were a nice bonus that came with the house - however no one told me that HE washers on the second floor of a house can spin so fast that it shakes the room below it. The first time I did a load I was in the kitchen when it started the spin cycle and I thought we were having a small earthquake! We bought some shake pads at Lowes the other day so hopefully that will help. Other than that minor detail - I love these things!

Boden's new "big boy" bed with the quilt my mom and I made. I'm making matching crib bedding and curtains for the room too...one of these days.

The subdivision playground that is just a short walk away - one of the things I LOVE about this neighborhood. There's a pool too -thats an even shorter walk!

We're starting to get used to O'Fallon and learning where everything is. It's a really nice town and I think we're going to love it here. Although Michael has a little bit longer of a drive to his office now, we're much closer to the O'Fallon church and excited about getting to know our community and the people out here...and eventually Michael will likely have an office out here too. We are so excited about what God is doing here! Come visit us! :)

a week with nana

2009-07-18T10:49:00.005-04:00

Boden had an exciting time while we were away on vacation - Nana came to stay with him for the week - and they had so much fun. They had picnics at the park, went to the zoo, went swimming, and then went to Grant's Farm on Friday when Poppa joined them. My mom is a kindergarten teacher - so I think the fast pace of a toddler was an easy fit for her - she's used to changing activities every 10 minutes! Here's some photos of their week:

Thankfully, he was happy to have us come home and very excited to see us. He especially liked the sombrero we brought him (too bad it was a little small, but he doesn't mind at all)

A Refreshing Retreat

2009-07-15T19:11:00.004-04:00

Michael and I got the opportunity to spend the week at a resort in Mexico last week...alone! It was our first time away from Boden for more than one night. I was a little nervous about leaving him for so long, but very excited about Michael and I getting to spend some time together. Lately life has just been busy, busy with the new church, Michael's school, buying a house, etc. And we know it's not going to be slowing down soon with the coming arrival of little miss. So, we took the chance when we got it, and had a great time.

this is where we spent most of our days, just relaxing and reading

Boden had a great week with mama & daddy gone, but he was sure excited to see us when we got off the plane - and we were excited to see him too!

"look what I made!"

2009-06-26T15:47:00.002-04:00

With our little girl planned to make an appearance this fall, I've decided to start my serious attempts at potty training. I have absolutely no desire to diaper two children at the same time and have decided I will do as much as I possibly can to avoid it. I've been setting Boden on the potty here and there since he was about 6 months old, just to get him used to it. I know some kids can be afraid of the potty, so this was my attempt to avoid that. And also because our spunky pediatrician told me if I started when he was 6 months old I could have him trained by the time he was 1. (I guess she should have been more specific to mention I needed to be consistent about it. Once every couple days doesn't really do it, if you're wondering.)

So a few days ago I decided to just take off the diaper and suggest he go on the potty, alot. He much prefers the little bjorn potty, I think because he can get on and off it himself and he can move it to another room rather than just sitting in the boring old bathroom.

He was really excited about this at first. He would go and then he would stand up and exclaim "Look what I made!" and we would all cheer and say "Yay Boden!" That was apparently exciting enough to him that he found a way to go pee approximately 11 times in the first 20 minutes. I was thinking, "wow, he's really catching on to this...this isn't going to be so hard after all....well, unless he really has to go that often." And then he tells me "I need to go poo poo" and he sits down on the potty, goes pee, then stands up and poops on the floor. Seriously?

Poop on the floor wasn't so exciting to me. I decided I didn't really want to do that again so we headed out for some "big boy undies". We found some with Cars and some with Thomas the Train. I saw some that were little boxer briefs for toddlers which I thought was just adorable, but they were only solid colors - not nearly as exciting to a 2 year old as Thomas the Train. Isn't that the most adorable little underwear model you've ever seen?

He actually does really good when in underwear and has only had a few messes. In fact, we even had a successfully dry trip to the bookstore the other day with no diaper. He definitely knows the difference though - if he's in a diaper or a pull up he doesn't really even bother to tell me he's going. I'm not expecting him to be trained by next week, but I think we've got a good start (at least I hope so!)

......................................................................

on another note of how grown up my little guy is becoming, he's taking his first nap in his big boy toddler bed right now. I really want to go take a photo, but the shutter is too loud and I don't want to wake him (this is one of only 2 naps he's taken in the past week so I'm not chancing it). We aren't really planning to move him out of the crib until we move next month, but he was refusing to nap, so I laid down on the toddler bed with him and he fell right to sleep.

random moments in our life

2009-06-20T16:44:00.004-04:00

Lately we've been keeping pretty busy. We've been house-hunting in O'Fallon for the past couple weeks. House-hunting is not really one of my favorite things to do, it's time consuming and stressful, and disappointing when you find out a house you like has just been sold, but it sure is exciting when you finally find a house that will be perfect for you - like we did just a few days ago! more on that in a later post... Michael has been very busy working on his sermons for the Ephesians series our church is doing this summer. This is the first time he's done a series, so it's been a good challenge for him and he's really enjoying it. I didn't get to hear him last week since I was doing the preschool lesson, but many people told me it was great. Hopefully we'll start getting them recorded soon and posting them online so those of you who live out of town and want to listen can.

Boden is acting more and more like a little boy all the time - his imagination is starting to show up and he is cracking me up all the time. We were driving to a friends house this week to go swimming and he had his little diving rings and he was pretending one of them was a steering wheel - he was turning it around and around and saying "look mama, I'm driving!" Very proud of himself too.

The other night he insisted on wearing his hat to bed...and when I went in to get him in the morning he was standing there in his crib with his hat still on! I had totally forgotten about it, so I had to chuckle when I picked him up.

He also had his first popsicle of the summer. (I know, I know - who gives their 2 yr old a popsicle while wearing a white shirt, right?) He actually did pretty good at not getting any on himself, but it was hot outside and melting fast so I finished it off for him :)
He's also become quite the climber. I walked into the dining room the other day to find he had fixed himself a little "snack" and pulled up a chair to read my bible. We have a counter height table, so I was surprised to see him get all the way up on the chair by himself.

Then, one day last week he put on daddy's flip flops, shuffled towards the door, and announced that he needed car keys and that he was going to church. LOL. "See you wayter mama!"

Being the mom of a 2 yr old can be a struggle sometimes, but there is so much joy in it too. I feel very blessed.

Exciting News!

2009-06-15T23:10:00.005-04:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound today! It was very exciting - so much fun to see the baby moving around. The ultrasound tech took a long time looking at things and measuring every bone and organ so we got to see the baby for nearly an hour! It's amazing what you can see on those things.

We've debated back and forth whether or not to find out if the baby is a girl or boy. We didn't find out with Boden and it was a lot of fun, but this time Michael wanted to know, and I kind of did too. Sooo.....drumroll.......it's a GIRL! We actually had to wait about 30 min into the ultrasound before finding out because she was positioned funny and moving around a ton.

It was fun to see her stretch out her legs and at one point she looked like she was scratching her head and another time sucking her thumb. It's funny now to be able to say "she" when talking about the baby. I never was able to do that with Boden, so it's totally different.

Here's a few of the good photos from the ultrasound:

We are so excited and so thankful that everything looks just perfect. She's measuring right on target for our Nov. 3 due date and looking healthy in every way - Praise God!

Vacation!

2009-06-07T16:02:00.005-04:00

We just got back yesterday from a weeklong vacation in Virginia Beach with my side of the family. (well, most of us were on vacation...Michael had class during the day, but was able to join in the fun for the afternoon & evening). We rented a great house in Sandbridge with a pool and lots of other fun things to do and it was just a few houses from the beach. We had fantastic weather too! I have tons of photos to go through but here are a few for now:

playing some golf on the putting green

Swimming with Poppa. He loved going "fwimming" - he has no fear of the water apparently

Running into the ocean. Boden had absolutely no fear of the water at all. It was hard work taking him to the beach because you had to stay within 2 ft of him at all times because he would just dart out into the ocean. He got overtaken by waves a few times and scared us, but it didn't stop him one bit!

And of course - no family vacation to the beach is complete without the "khaki and white family photo". It was interesting to try to get a group photo that included a 2 yr old while using a self timer. He's not real big on standing still for 10 seconds to wait for the photo.

Running on the beach with Daddy. The family photo shoot resulted in Boden getting completely soaked in the ocean.
I will have more photos to post later - but now it's time for a nap :)

Let's Go Cardinals!

2009-05-23T16:12:00.005-04:00

Grandpa gave us tickets to a Cardinals game a few weeks ago - we almost didn't take Boden because the game didn't start until 7pm and we knew it would run into bedtime, but we decided to give it a shot anyway. Boden was such a little Cardinals fan! He cheered "Let's Go Cardinal's" the whole way downtown and all through the game. He sat for 6 innings straight on my lap without fussing or trying to get down and run around. When we did decide to get up and walk around, he just whined "Watch the game!" He's such a little sports fan - just like Daddy & Grandpa.

Busch Stadium

Boden wasn't really sure about this guy - he held on to daddy pretty tight

watching the game

Mother's Day in Nebraska

2009-05-23T15:29:00.006-04:00

I haven't had the chance to update my blog in awhile - we've had internet issues. But thanks to my hubby who spent an hour on the phone this morning with AT&T (or rather a guy in India who was very helpful, but difficult to understand) we are now back in business!

A few weeks ago we traveled to Nebraska to spend a few days with family and celebrate Mother's Day. It was a short trip, but we had fun and got to see family. Boden usually sleeps a lot in the car, but not this time! He was much more interested in the cows in the fields, and the trucks driving by, and making me read stories and sing songs over and over and over. Makes me a little nervous for our upcoming drive across the country to Virginia Beach.

We had a nice brunch on Saturday with the whole family and both grandmas too.

Playing on Poppa's hammock

reading with Poppa

smelling the flowers with Great Grandma Brandt

Family

Boden & Mama

Goofing with Aunt Caela

My mom, Grandmas, Boden & Me
reading with Great Grandma Jeanne

Boden & Nana

We also introduced Boden to scrabble (a favorite of my mom and mine). he thought it was fun, but mostly he just wanted to collect all the letters on his tray and wouldn't give them up. :)

We had a really nice time and I'm so thankful for my mom -she is a blessing to me and to my whole family. Especially since becoming a mom myself, I have come to have such a greater appreciation for what she does & has done for me and my sisters - she's taught me a lot and is always there for me when I need some advice. Thank you mom!

memory verse

2009-05-07T08:43:00.003-04:00

over the past week i've been teaching boden his very first bible memory verse. i taught the preschool lesson at church last week, and our memory verse was proverbs 3:5 "trust in the Lord with all your heart". i had never really thought of trying to teach boden memory verses so early, but he caught on quick! he surprises me all the time. it absolutely melts my heart when he's just playing with his toys and saying the verse, without me prompting him at all.

this past week

2009-04-27T22:55:00.006-04:00

here's my project 365 page from last week. i've been being lazy about uploading them to the blog, but i am completely caught up! i can barely believe it!

michael was out of town last week in guatemala on a mission trip. it was a tough week not getting to talk to him more than once all week. some friends had boden and i over for dinner on tuesday, boden spent wednesday with michael's mom while i cleaned house and went to some meetings for CASA, and we had mom 2 mom on thurs and a playdate on friday - it went by fast! michael had a great trip (aside from the headcold that was made worse by the flying and high elevation) and can't wait to go back...maybe next time with the whole family! I think getting a first hand experince of a completely different culture changes you - it makes you appreciate even more all that you have - and realize how much we have that we probably don't need.

Easter Week

2009-04-21T14:27:00.012-04:00

It's a little late, but here's some pictures from Easter. We had an egg hunt at church thurs night, the church on Sat/Sun, and dinner & and egg hunt at Michael's mom's on sunday afternoon.

he liked the easter bunny, but this is as close as he wanted to get!

"hunting" for eggs

Easter Basket from Grandpa - lots of goldfish & animal crackers!
opening a package from Nana & Poppa - bubbles, PJs, glo-worm, & playdough!

and a singing card - he loved it and danced with it

adorable little man

the family on Easter Sunday

coloring with his new markers at Bubbe's

reading with cousin Brea

Egg hunt at Bubbe & Zeyde's house

checking out the loot

Great Grandma, Boden & Bubbe

look at those adorable blondes! Boden & cousin Andrew

recipe for toddler fun

2009-04-09T14:00:00.008-04:00

1 rubber tub
3 bags dry beans
1 bag rice

alphabet noodles

macaroni noodles

spoons, bowls, cups, and scoops of all sizes

an old sheet

monday was a yucky day and i haven't been feeling so good. i knew i needed to come up with something new to keep boden entertained for awhile. (i realized he'd watched too much thomas the train when i came home the other night and michael asked why boden was hitting my laptop and saying "thomas!") so, i dug through the pantry and poured a few things into a rubber dish tub. ta-da! and indoor "sandbox"! he had so much fun. usually his attention span is about 10 minutes at the very most and he played in his "sandbox" for almost 45 minutes!

*(yes, he's still wearing pajamas, and no, they do not match :) )

my little architect

2009-04-06T19:09:00.006-04:00

boden loves building with his mega blocks. he builds towers, knocks them down, and builds again. i love watching his face as he carefully decides where to place the next block - he is in such concentration.

the other night he even made a tower just for me - he brought it to me and with a big smile on his face he said "momma's tower", handed it to me, then went back to building again.

it's definitely the little things that make my day :)

more project 365

2009-04-04T00:04:00.006-04:00

i am actually keeping up, even though i haven't been keeping up with posting them, i'm still up to date on the scrapping. here's a few of the recent weeks: (if you click on them you can read the journaling)

march week 3

march week 2a

march week 2b

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - http://www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/

a nice break

2009-03-31T22:28:00.002-04:00

friday night we went out with some friends from college - we hadn't all gotten together in a really long time, we had a blast. in light of our date night - michael's mom kept boden for us.....all night long - and the next day too - woo hoo! while we love boden and he makes life brighter, it's fun to have a whole day for just the two of us once in awhile.

we slept in, spent the morning at bread company reading our bibles, drinking coffee, eating incredibly unhealthy pastries that tasted delicious, scrapbooking, and reading; then shopping, lunch, napping, watching basketball, and finally church.

these days are fabulous because they are so refreshing - we need that once in awhile. and for a long time i had a very difficult time asking for a break because it somehow made me feel like a failure, like i couldn't do it. lies, lies, lies. i'm so thankful that God has shown me that this just isn't true - and that we all need a break once in awhile to refresh us and give us a new perspective. and it's good for our kids - when we're stressed out it affects them too. i am so thankful that we have loving family who is so willing to take boden for us and take such good care of him. (mom & dad, i know you would take him too - 6 hrs is just a long drive for date night :) )

so, thank you bubbe & zeyde - we so enjoyed the break and we know boden did too!

nebraska visit

2009-03-31T21:51:00.008-04:00

it seems every time i post i'm having to do a big update. maybe that's because i'm the worst blogger ever and am too lazy (i mean busy) to update my blog.

anyway - we have had a lot going on. boden and i went to nebraska for a week in the beginning of march to visit family and friends while michael went to virginia beach for a week of class at Regent. we had a really nice time - although boden ended up with a double ear infection the day before we left and didn't really get better until the day before we came home. poor little guy - he was up all night that friday night and we couldn't figure out why. at one point michael went in to his room and boden was saying "mess, mess" but michael didn't know what he was talking about so he just put him back to bed. we found out in the morning that he was talking about all the drainage that was coming out of his ears because of the tubes he had put in the month before - in the morning light we noticed it on the sides of his face, his clothes, and his sheets! after a few days of ear drops that weren't cutting it we had to get some antibiotics and by the next Friday he was feeling much better.

even though he was sick, we had lots of fun and got to see so many friends and family:

sweeping the floor at caela's house:

lunch with grandma jeanne in the step-stool high chair:

tea party with jacie at jozlyn's house:

helping poppa bring in the trash can:

hanging out with grandma brandt:

reading with nana:

playing wii with neighbors claire & cooper:

boden was hilarious playing wii - we gave him the dvd remote and he totally thought he was playing too. he was jumping all over the place yelling "go! go!" the adults had fun with the wii too - caela and i played some tennis and i don't know when was the last time i laughed that hard.

we had a fun trip - but of course, we missed michael. he had a great week in virginia (minus the blizzard the first part of the week) and was blessed by a family member of friends at church who offered up their spare bedroom to michael for the week so he didn't have to get a hotel room.

locked out

2009-03-17T21:42:00.003-04:00

we've had some awesome weather here lately - today it was over 80 degrees! we went to the park for a walk and played at the playground - boden loves being outside as much as we do. he cries when we make him come in.

tonight, while michael was online in his greek class, i decided to cut boden's hair out on the back porch. he did pretty good - this is the second time i've cut his hair on my own - and i think he thought it was fun - especially when he threw a few of the clipper guards off the porch (we live in a second floor apartment and had to go out the front and walk all the way around back to go get them!)

anyway, i let him down out of the chair and while i was wiping up the hair and putting the clippers away he was playing around going in and out of the house. suddenly, i turned around and he had shut the sliding glass door...and then i heard a "click".....oh no...he locked me out!!! i just burst out laughing - mostly in disbelief - but also because i didn't have a clue what i was going to do. i didn't have my phone. we live on the second floor and there is not an exit off the porch (other than scaling the wall -lol). michael was home, but he was in the bedroom with the door closed and headphones on. when he's in class, he doesn't usually hear much of what's going on and he doesn't come out until class is over...at 8. It was 7.

i tried getting boden to go knock on the bedroom door and get daddy. he mostly just kept knocking on the sliding glass door at me. he did actually go knock on the bedroom door once, but really quietly and only 1 knock - i knew that michael probably didn't even hear it - and if he did, he probably wouldn't come out for that. and my banging on the door wasn't really working. i also tried getting boden to push the lock lever up...he's 20 months old...he didn't really get it. what in the world was i going to do? i just kept praying that somehow either michael would hear me, or maybe someone would walk by and i could get them to go ring my doorbell. it was 7pm and 70 degrees...why in the world wasn't anyone outside?!?!

eventually, the poor little guy started getting upset. he couldn't understand why i wouldn't open the door. i was starting to get a little worried that he was going to run off and get into trouble or get hurt or something. he started crying really hard and i was feeling horrible that i couldn't do anything about it - comforting a child through a glass door is not easy! thankfully - after about 10 minutes of crying (and 30 minutes of being locked out)- michael emerged from the bedroom to see me sitting outside on the porch. it was funny to see his face when he realized what was going on - he hurried and picked up boden and opened the door. i guess he had taken his headphones off to go to the bathroom and heard boden crying but wasn't hearing me say or do anything about it so he decided to come out and see what was going on. THANK YOU JESUS! i can't imagine what would have happened had this been an evening when michael was off studying at starbucks til 10pm!

so - lesson for the day - never let your toddler be inside while you are outside - they are much smarter than we think!

crazy week

2009-03-02T16:02:00.005-05:00

on wednesday, michael went to kansas city to IHOP (International House of Prayer - not pancakes!) he had an awesome time and i'm sure he'll share more about that on his blog. but, while he was gone, we had some excitement in st louis. on wednesday it was in the 60s, so i took boden to the park before lunch - we had a great time playing - we had so much fun i didn't even stop to take any pictures.

we got back from the park and i made some lunch and by the time i put boden down for a nap 30 minutes later, i had a full-on migraine. if you've never had a migraine before, i pray that you never do, but for those who have, you know how horrible they are. i used to have migraines in middle school & high school rather frequently and then they trickled off in college. it's been at least 4 years since i've had one, so i no longer have any medication to take when then come on. silly me tried to fight it with tylonol & ibuprophen. i tried to lay down, but couldn't even lay still enough to relax and within 20 minutes i was throwing up...and couldn't stop....for 2 hours. i didn't know what to do since michael was out of town and boden was asleep. finally i called michael and told him what was going on and he called his mom and she came up. she lives an hour away, so by the time she got there it had been a good 3 hours of this. i just looked at her and told her i needed to go to the ER.

by the time we got to the ER i was shaking and couldn't remember basic things - my phone number, michael's birthday, my doctors name - yikes! it was scary. thankfully they quickly got me hooked up with some meds and several hours and several doses of morphine later i was good as new - except the part about being all doped up. i couldn't go home alone with boden in that state, so we went and crashed at michael's parents until he got home on thurs night. it took a good 24 hours before i finally got the yucky dopey feeling out of my system, and my brain just felt 'sore' for about a day. i'm so thankful deronda was able to be there to help me -i'm not sure what i would have done without her!

it was crazy and i pray that i don't ever have another experience like it ever, ever again. as far as the doctors can tell it was just a migraine possibly triggered by stress and/or lack of sleep (someone tell that to my son who likes to wake up in the middle of the night please!)

.................................................................................................

then my sister, molly and her boyfriend, john came to visit us in st louis. we had fun cooking good food, playing games, watching movies, and just catching up. on saturday we went to the city museum downtown. i can't believe i've lived in st louis for almost 5 years and have never been to the city museum. it was so much fun! i don't even really know how to describe it other than i giant playhouse for kids (and adults) of all ages. they have caves, tunnels, slides, and ladders of all kinds made of all kinds of materials. they even have a "toddler town" with a huge pile of blocks, little slides, and a toddler ball pit - which boden could have played in all day. all i could think about was how much snot was probably smeared all over those balls. yuck. i mopped him down with antibacterial wipes after that. it was really just a ton of fun - if you've never been - you should definitely go - you could spend an entire day there and never get bored.

here are a bunch of pictures from our day - and this is only indoors - there is a whole bunch more outside too!

(click on the images to see them bigger)

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i was going to update about a few other things too, but this ended up taking me too long and now i've got to get going. i'll try to update the rest in the next couple days.

feb week 3

2009-02-23T15:26:00.007-05:00

well, saturday afternoon didn't go quite as well as planned. rather than taking a really long nap, boden refused to nap AT ALL. he layed in his crib for 1.5 hrs whining, talking, crying, talking, playing...everything but sleeping. when i finally gave in and got him up i said "don't you want to go to sleep?" and he said "NO, NO!" it was hard not to laugh. lately he says 'no' to everything - especially sleep! he had a rough night sat night - he woke up for about 2.5 hours in the middle of the night and wouldn't go back to sleep until michael finally went and slept on his floor. we thought he would be so exhausted that he would take a good nap sunday afternoon - WE were exhausted! but, again, he refused to nap! little stinker. thank God he is napping today - and i finished last week's layout!

we had a fun week - my dad came to visit tues night - wed. he had a business meeting in st louis and was able to come down the night before and spend some time with us, then he got to play with boden all morning before his meeting, and finally, have dinner with us before he headed home. unfortunately his flight got delayed going home and he had to spend an extra 2.5hrs at the airport :( yuck. but we had fun while he was here and i think boden really loved the surprise of poppa being there when he woke up on wed. morning. on friday we went and met Jackson Hall for the first time - Vinny and Jamie's new little boy. he's adorable - with tons of hair! and then of course the little gym & my "me" time at panera that i mentioned previously. God must have known i was going to need that re-charge on sat. because the no-napping-whiny toddler really pushed my patience (and sanity) on sat afternoon!

here's my 365 layout from this past week - I'm all caught up! :

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - http://www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/

*click on the images to see them bigger & read the journaling

Feb 8-14

2009-02-21T12:50:00.011-05:00

another week with the brueseke family - i know you're dying to know what we've been up to ;)

i'm actually almost completely caught up with my project 365 scrapbook - which is absolutely amazing for me! this morning my lovely husband dropped me off at panera so i could spend a couple hours reading, scrapbooking, and sipping tea while he and boden run some errands together. for a stay at home mom this is just about the best gift i could ask for. (time at home alone is great, but i always feel like i should be cleaning something so its not as relaxing as it should be)

earlier this morning we went to the the little gym with our friends brian & jessica and their little boy, isaac. it was "bring a friend day" so they invited us. it was lots of fun - boden loved it. i wanted to take lots of pictures, but i didn't want to be so focused on photos that i didn't enjoy playing with boden, so i left my camera in the bag. :( the kids sang, played on the little balance beam, hung on the bars, jumped on the blow up bouncy thing, rolled around, played with bubbles, balls, and a bunch of other things. boden ran around like a little wild man. michael even took the morning off from studying so he could join in the fun.

maybe boden will be so worn out that he takes a really long nap and i'll get this past week scrapped and posted (and do the laundry, take a shower, and clean the house of course)....maybe. until then, here's what we did last week:

*click on the image to see itbigger & read the journaling

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - http://www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/

Project 365 - Jan week 4

2009-02-21T12:44:00.005-05:00

i'm almost completely caught up! Here's January Week 4:

*click on the image to see it bigger & read the journaling

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - http://www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com/

project 365 - catching up

2009-02-15T15:09:00.001-05:00

january - week 2

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com

*click on the images to read journaling

project 365 - catching up

2009-02-15T14:52:00.003-05:00

january 2009 - week 1

*layout using Life 365 by Gina Marie Huff - www.weedsandwildflowersdesign.com
*click on the image to read journaling

project 365, feb week 1

2009-02-14T14:53:00.005-05:00

at the beginning of 2009 i started project 365 - an attempt to take at least one photo each day to capture the "everyday moments" instead of just the big holidays and events. One of the designers at weeds and wildflowers designed a "Life 365" kit to help scrap the everyday photos. it's the first digital scrapbooking kit i've purchased and i love it! (i usually use free stuff that i find here). it has templates and all the pieces fit together like a puzzle so you don't have to spend a lot of time scrapbooking and it's easy to keep up to date. they even started a contest to encourage people to keep up to date on their pages - if you are using the project 365 kit and you post your layout from the previous week - you get a free add on that goes with the kit - fun!

since i didn't have a computer for most of january i'm a little behind on my january layouts, but here is my layout from the first week of february:

*if you click on the image it will open it in a bigger window so you can read the journaling

new beginnings

2009-02-11T10:03:00.007-05:00

For those of you who don't know already, Michael and I are part of the pastoral staff of the new Destiny Church campus in O'Fallon, MO - and we are so excited! We have already grown to more than double our size since launching last month - we had just under 100 adults and children worshiping at the O'Fallon campus on Sunday!

Here are some photos from this past weekend - it was our first time holding the service in the gym and we moved the nursery & preschool into the cafeteria. We are meeting at an elementary school, so everything has to be set up before service, then taken down after and stored until the next week - so it requires some creativity in what equipment to use - and some amazing volunteers who show up early and stay late to get everything set up and torn down.

The lovely Laura in our nursery/preschool before the kids arrived

Fast Track - K-5th grade

Worship

The worship team

Pastor Mark sharing the message

We are so excited to be part of what God is doing through Destiny Church in O'Fallon! If you live in the O'Fallon/ St Charles County area and are looking for a church, or know someone who is - come visit us! You can find out more and get directions at the Destiny Church website.

girls night out

2009-02-08T16:33:00.003-05:00

friday night i got the chance to spend the evening with some of my favorite ladies in the whole world. sara, nicki, and alicia were my bridesmaids (other than my sisters) and my best friends from college. we all have very busy lives now and even though we all live in the st louis area, we rarely are able to get together all at the same time...in fact, it had been 3 years since we all sat around the same table together! you would never have known it by the way we carried on all evening long. we eventually ended up adding more tip to our checks because we occupied our table at the restaurant for 4 hours - poor server probably wondered if we would ever leave -and i'm sure we could have gone on for hours longer had time allowed.

thanks for a wonderful evening ladies! i love you all very much and lets not wait 3 years before we do it again!

boden's surgery

2009-01-30T19:05:00.006-05:00

thank you everyone who was praying for us on wednesday. i have never felt the peace of God so much in any one situation like i did wednesday. i thought for sure i would get all worked up and be crying and worrying - but not so at all. when wednesday rolled around, i had complete peace that he was in God's hands and that it He had it all taken care of.

boden wasn't allowed to eat or drink anything on wednesday before surgery, which we thought would be tough because he always wants milk and a banana as soon as he wakes up. but thank God he slept right up until we needed to leave for the hospital. the surgery was supposed to be at 9:30am, but due to delays they didn't take him back until 11am. that's a long time for a little guy to go with no food or drink, but he was such a trooper. he asked for food or water a couple times, but we just distracted him with toys and he was fine. the surgery lasted about an hour and then they let us come back to see him in recovery. he was so out of it and didn't want to wake up at all. they said some kids kick and scream when waking up for anesthesia, but thankfully he did not, he whined a little when we would try to wake him up, but just went back to sleep. we stayed for about 2 hours and he still did not want to wake up!

finally we got him up for a little bit, he drank some juice and they sent us home. at home he played for a little bit, ate some yogurt, then went back to sleep for a couple hours. once he woke up, he was pretty much back to normal boden - pulling out all his toys and running around. we only gave him tylonol once - he didn't seem to be in pain at all, so that was a blessing.

thank you again to everyone who was praying for us - we definitely felt your prayers and God's peace. Here's a couple pictures from the day:

coloring in the waiting room with mama

getting measured before surgery

falling asleep trying to drink some juice

so sleepy after surgery

playing with his "get well" balloon from our friends, the kopeckys:

wonderful husband.....and a new laptop!

2009-01-30T18:46:00.005-05:00

as i mentioned previously, my laptop has been giving me all kinds of trouble lately (although the new charger did arrive) the battery is pretty shot and it just locks up all the time when i'm trying to work. we had talked about getting a new laptop, but i wasn't expecting it anytime soon. last saturday michael took off to go to the library to study and boden & i went to the gym. when i walked in from the gym i was talking to my sister on the phone and michael was sitting at the table and to my surprise - this was sitting next to him:

(sorry again for screaming in your ear caela) apparently he had no intentions of going to the library at all - he had been looking at laptops online and decided best buy was having a good sale so he went and got it!

it is exactly what i wanted - it has a full keyboard with number pad so i don't have to attach the separate keyboard when i do accounting and it has plenty of harddrive and memory (or whatever :) ) so that it won't lock up when i scrapbook and edit photos.

we did spend the last week hunting for my photoshop disc so we could install it - i was starting to think it was actually gone...but yesterday michael found it in a box in the closet that i didn't even know existed! whew! it's great - everything runs so much faster on the new laptop - i love it - thank you michael!

2009-01-22T21:38:00.003-05:00

i've been waiting on a new charger cord for my laptop for about a week and a half now...i'm getting a little impatient. my charger bit the dust (again) and my genius plan to order a replacement from a very random website in hong kong because it was only $7 instead of $50 has backfired. i'm still hopeful that it is actually coming, but frustrated that it's not here yet. :(

so, i haven't been able to upload any new photos, or work on my project 365 scrapbook (a picture each day for the whole year to capture the everyday moments) for which i have purchased an awesome kit that i can't wait to use, or do any accounting or anything else that is on my laptop. i never realized how dependent i was on that thing - looking up miscellaneous things on google throughout the day about recipes, fun ideas to do with boden, or directions to wherever i'm going, or most importantly -catching up on all my blog reading or checking facebook to see what everyone is up to - these things are very important. :) i pretty much grab michael's laptop out of his hands when he walks through the door in the evening so i can check my email or whatever - totally pathetic, i know. strange, however, my house has been a bit cleaner and my laundry not stacking up as much. but that's probably just a coincidence.

i do have a prayer request - we saw an ENT (ear, nose & throat) doctor yesterday for boden. he's had an ear infection nearly every month since he turned one and sinus infections and constant nasal drainage since about october. poor kid has been on way too many antibiotics. so, the dr suggests that we put tubes in his ears and have his adenoids removed. this is supposed to help his ears & sinuses drain better, and help him to start breathing through his nose. so, we have scheduled this surgery for next wednesday (Jan 28). everyone i've talked to says this is a very quick, very routine surgery, but it's still a little scary to have your baby put under and have surgery. so please pray for us to be at peace and for quick healing for boden and that this surgery would be what God uses to heal boden completely. thank you for your prayers.

hopefully i'll get my laptop charger soon and have some new pictures to share!

what happened to my "baby"?

2009-01-16T16:08:00.011-05:00

boden has been in serious need for a haircut for awhile now. i've been putting it off mostly because of how much he loved his last haircut - see here, and because i secretly keep hoping it will start curling in the back (which doesn't appear to be happening in the slightest bit - in fact someone told me last week that it looked like his hair was flat ironed - lol). what is happening is it just looking a little mullet-like and the stocking hat i put on him when we go out is not helping his look at all. i think a lady at the store called him a 'she' the other day too.

so, for some crazy reason this morning i decided to attempt to cut it myself - i am no professional, but i've cut michael's hair with clippers a couple times and honestly i didn't want to pay $20 to have boden scream and yell again. i put him up on the bathroom counter and turned on the clippers. i used the longest guard we had, but it still cut about 3-4 inches off! once i saw how much was coming off i wanted to quit immediately, but he probably would have looked pretty silly, so i had to finish it. surprisingly he actually thought it was fun. i made funny noises each time i ran the clippers through his hair and he laughed and overall did really great. he started getting upset at the end though because he kept getting hair in his mouth and every time he tried to wipe it out he would get more in there because his hands and arms were covered with hair. (i've made a mental note to cover him with a towel next time)

look how long it was! this was with the back already cut, but the side still long. looking back, i don't think i realized how long it was until it was cut. wow!

and this is after i finished. it's so short now! doesn't he just look so old now? michael loves the new haircut, and i suppose i agree it's adorable, i'm just having a hard time getting used to his "big boy haircut".

We're still here

2009-01-02T14:04:00.004-05:00

i've had so many things i've wanted to blog about and pictures i wanted to share over the past month or so, but i just haven't been able to carve out the time to sit down and do it. we've been fighting sickness in our house since thanksgiving and just can't seem to get rid of one thing before we catch the next. we all had a nasty stomach virus for a little over week - right through christmas - and now boden has an ear infection and possibly a sinus infection, and i've got some sort of sinus thing going on too! i'm not sure how we're catching it all - boden hasn't even been around another child for at least 2 weeks. it's frustrating, but i'm thankful we are not fighting anything more serious than colds.

we did get to go to nebraska for a few days at christmas and see some of my family. despite boden getting sick in the car on the way there, the flat tire on the interstate, and giving the stomach virus to my sisters, their boyfriends, and my dad we had a really good time :) lol. boden got some really fun gifts for christmas and he's been having so much fun playing with them since we got home. probably one thing he enjoyed the most, that wasn't even a gift, was my mom's "scooter". she had foot surgery about a week before christmas and instead of using crutches to get around she has this little scooter that she rests her knee on and pushes with the other foot. (it's hard to visualize, but you'll see it in the photos) boden LOVED the scooter - he wanted to ride on it constantly. he would just walk around saying "ride?", "ride?" whenever he saw it.

there's too many pictures to post on here, so here's the link to them on facebook . i will try to add some more in the next couple days.

Merry Christmas from the Brueseke's

2008-12-24T15:23:00.003-05:00

So this christmas isn't looking the way I thought it would originially - all three of us are terribly sick with a stomach bug since Monday, we've now passed it on to Michael's mom & step dad who were kind enough to help take care of Boden when we couldn't (so sorry about that), and now we're likely going to have to delay our travel plans to Nebraska :( I'm not sure we're up for the drive and I certainly don't want to pass this nasty thing on to anyone else. But, thank God, it's just a stomach bug and nothing serious and we'll all be well again soon.

Here's the christmas letter we sent out this year - if you didn't receive one, you can find out all about what we've been up to in 2008 right here:

Merry Christmas!

We hope you are doing well and enjoying the Christmas season. For us, this Christmas is shaping up to be the most memorable. This past year has been fulfilling, challenging, exciting…basically we have run the gamut. We’ve had many changes this year and we are so thankful for our faithful God who has been along side us the whole way. We encourage you to remember the reason we celebrate this season and how Jesus coming to the earth provided a way for us to have an abundant life that is not in any way dependent on any natural circumstances. We have had an incredible 2008 that included changes and experiences we could have never expected. Here’s an update of what we’ve been up to this past year:

Michael spent the first half of the year very busy and juggling more than he knew he should. He began seminary at Regent University in 2006 and continued taking classes part time through the beginning of 2008. He was also highly involved in volunteer ministry at our church and working at Boeing in the contracts/finance area. These three things, on top of being a husband and father, kept him VERY busy! Early this year we knew there were big changes coming our way. Michael was confident that God was calling him to leave his corporate job and pursue his Master of Divinity degree as a full time student. In the spring were given an apartment offer on campus at Regent in Virginia Beach and we began making plans to pick up and move east in the fall. God had a different plan though. Just days before we had to make our final decision on accepting the apartment in Virginia, Michael was offered a position at our church that would allow him to enter full-time ministry and continuing seminary. So, in August Michael left his job at Boeing, went on staff at Destiny Church, and became a full time seminary student! He is currently serving on the Equipping/Pastoral Care team and is excited about 2009 and what God has in store.

Megan continues to enjoy being a stay at home mom. She stays busy trying to keep up with a toddler! She also continues to do a little accounting on the side (when there is time) and this year Megan has started a small business sewing nursing covers for nursing moms. She also is very active at our church – helping to lead the Mom 2 Mom group, organizing meals and gift baskets for families with new babies, and volunteering in the church nursery. This fall, Megan was sworn in to the Saint Louis Family Court as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to help abused and neglected children who are in foster care. She has a heart for hurting children and is excited to have found another way to be a part of the solution. (CASA is a wonderful program that is nationwide - if you want to learn more visit their website- www.nationalcasa.org)

Boden has grown from a baby into a toddler this year and he loves to talk. He’s grown so much and, as any parent would probably say, we are amazed at the things he is learning. He had his first birthday in July and loved getting to eat his birthday cake! He started walking just shortly after his 1st birthday. We had wonderful experiences this year taking him to the park, the playground, the swimming pool, the zoo, and to playgroup (Michael did not go to the playgroups J). He is a bright little boy who is picking up on new things every single day. He’s learned some sign language and is also beginning to talk – a lot! He’s a very independent and driven little boy; strong willed child, yes! Right now those things can make life challenging for us, but we know that those are great traits for him to have in the future.

This year we moved again! This is our 4th zip code in 4 years! We are working at becoming professional movers J. We’re very thankful for lots of help from our family and friends. We found a great apartment that is much closer to church/work so we can spend more time together and less time commuting.

This year also brought a good amount of travel – in March and October we traveled to Virginia Beach, VA for Michael to attend week-long classes at Regent. He will have to do this 3-4 times a year for the next 2 years as part of his degree program. Boden and Megan don’t mind tagging along – especially when the weather is nice! In October we got to enjoy some beautiful weather at the beach. Boden loved playing in the sand with his shovel & bucket. He also had a little fun splashing in the (very cold) waves with daddy. In December, we took a trip to Lake Tahoe with Michael’s Dad. The mountains & lake were beautiful. When we arrived there was hardly any snow, but a few days into the trip a big storm came through and Megan & Michael were able to do a little skiing.

We’re excited for a new year and new adventures! We’re so thankful for the blessings we have received and for all of our family & friends. We pray that you will be blessed in the new year!

Love,
Michael, Megan & Boden Brueseke

blues! blues! blues!

2008-12-06T15:37:00.006-05:00

a couple weeks ago, michael's dad had a suite at the st louis blues hockey game for all his employees and he invited us to come along too. we'd only taken boden to one hockey game before and it didn't go so well. he was only about 7 months old and as soon as everyone stood up for the national anthem he freaked out and started screaming....so i spent most of the rest of the game wandering the halls.

we had hopes that this would go much better since it was a suite and he could roam around and eat lots of yummy food - and it did! he had a great time, as did we all. even though he stayed up nearly 2 hours past his bedtime, he didn't even get fussy. he had lots of attention and one of dean's sweet employees, nena, even brought boden a truck to play with - thanks nena!

by the end of the night we had boden cheering - "blues! blues! blues!" ("let's go blues!" is a little tough for a 16 month old :) ) it was adorable - he'd shake his little fist and say "bwooz! bwooz! bwooz!"

thanks grandpa - we had lots of fun!

"crash" the vandal

2008-11-29T16:29:00.004-05:00

Boden has earned himself a new nickname - i think we'll start calling him "crash"

In a matter of just 5 days he managed to smack his forehead and cut the inside of his lip while taking a dive at the dishwasher door, bruise his cheek on the corner of a coffee table, and cut his face by falling on a pen. And these are just the injuries that are visable on his face! Poor little guy, I think he got his momma's gracefulness (or lack there of)

He also began a new art project....on the toilet lid! Our first vandalism of toddlerhood. at least this one washed off easily!

little cowboy

2008-11-20T17:47:00.001-05:00

7 prayers a day

2008-11-10T22:45:00.006-05:00

you may have noticed the little button on the left of my blog that says pray 7x7. i found this idea on another blog that i read, bring the rain, and i wanted to share it. basically it is a challenge to pray 7 prayers, 7 times a day, for 7 days (or more!) over your children. it is incredibly important that we are continually praying for our children, and it is such a privilege. this is a great way to get started, especially if you're new to praying scriptures over your kids.

are you up for the challenge?

here are the prayers (copied from angie's blog, click here to go to her original post):

1. When they wake up: "Let the morning bring (child's name) word of your unfailing love, for she has put her trust in You. Show (her/him) the way (she/he) should go, for to you (he/she) lifts up her soul." (Adapted from Psalm 143:8)

2. When they are getting dressed: "Therefore, as God's chosen child, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourself with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Lord, help (him/her) bear with others and forgive whatever grievances (he/she) has against others. Help (him/her) forgive as the Lord forgave (him/her). And over all these virtues, help (him/her) put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." (Adapted from Colossians 3:12-14)

3. While they are eating: "Teach (child's name) the secret of being content in any and every situation whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Teach (him/her) that (he/she) can do everything through him who gives (him/her) strength." (Adapted from Philippians 4:12-13)

4. When they go out of the house: "(Name of child), do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-His good, pleasing and perfect will." (Adapted from Romans 12:2)

5. While they are taking a bath: "Lord, give (name of child) clean hands and a pure heart, and let (him/her) not lift (his/her) soul to an idol or swear by what is false. Let (him/her) receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God (his/her) Savior. Let (him/her) be part of the generation of those who seek him, who seek your face, O God of Jacob." (Adapted from Psalm 24:4-6)

6. When they are going to bed: "The Lord Your God is with you; he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, be will rejoice over you with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

7. While they are sleeping: "I pray that (name of child) will do everything without complaining or arguing, so that he/she may become blameless and pure, a child of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which he/she shines like a star in the universe as he/she holds out the word of life-in order that he/she may boast on the day of Christ that he/she did not run or labor for nothing." (Adapted from Philippians 2:14-16)

i put these prayers on notecards and taped them around the house in a place that would remind me to pray (over the changing table, on the bathroom mirror, by boden's crib, on the door going out of the house, etc).

i challenge you to do the same.

Interesting - Family & Civilization

2008-11-09T17:09:00.005-05:00

I read this last night and had to share it. The chapter in the book I'm reading is talking about the downward spiral of our character and how it happens so slowly that we don't notice it's happening. That was all very good, but what really stuck out to me was the discussion about the downward spiral of cultures throughout history.

Here's what it said:

"Sociologist and historian Carle Zimmerman, in his 1947 book Family & Civilization, recorded his keen observations as he compared the disintegration of various cultures with the parallel decline of family life in those cultures. Eight specific patterns of domestic behavior typified the downward spiral of each culture Zimmerman studied:

1. Marriage loses it's sacredness - it is frequently broken by divorce.
2. Traditional meaning of the marriage ceremony is lost.
3. Feminist movements abound.
4. Increased public disrespect for parents and authority in general.
5. Acceleration of juvenile delinquency, promiscuity, and rebellion.
6. Refusal of people with traditional marriages to accept family responsibility.
7. Growing desire and acceptance of adultery.
8. Increased interest in and spread of sexual perversions and sex-related crimes.

The last one generally marks the final stage of societal disintegration."

-taken from The Quest for Character by Charles R. Swindoll

This totally blew me away. Does any of this sound familiar to anyone else...like maybe a recap of the last 50-60 years of history in America? Notice, he wrote this in 1947. Kinda make me wonder where we're headed as a society.

fun with nana & poppa

2008-11-06T22:29:00.009-05:00

nana & poppa (my parents) came to visit last weekend. we had a great time, it's always nice when we have a weekend together without many "plans" - we were able to just enjoy each other a bit. boden showed off all his new tricks and they read many books - his new favorite thing to do. he will just bring you the same book and crawl in your lap over, and over, and over... i'm happy that he's developing a love for books.

unfortunately, we also had to make a trip to the pediatrician to find out that boden had a double ear infection while they were here. thankfully he wasn't too bothered by it, he just slept a lot more. one day last week he took a 4 1/2 hour nap! i was sad that it meant he was sick, but boy did i get a lot done! (normally he only sleeps 1 1/2 hours, maybe 2 hrs if i'm really lucky

friday night we went to the fall festival at church. it was so fun to see all the cute little kids dressed up. boden dressed as a fireman and of course he was the most adorable of them all ;) I made him a little t-shirt that said "Brueseke Fire Dept". we didn't stay too long since we didn't want to push it with him having the ear infections - but he seemed to have a great time with the carnival games and just running around outside.

"brueseke fire department"

boden & brody wondering why the other one looks so funny

playing in the duck pond

learning the itsy bitsy spider with poppa

playing outside with nana

reading with nana
daddy, momma & bo at the fall festival

thanks again for coming to visit nana & poppa - we miss you!