"nuff said...

yes, it's parked in our driveway! since we didn't have much luck trying to sell the car, we decided that our best bet would be to trade it in after all. so we did...
...and cole likes it too! i can actually get him into his carseat! it's wonderful- no having to flip the passenger seat forward, squeeze myself and my belly in there, duck under the seatbelt, all that nonsense. for a used van, it's in excellent shape and not that many miles on it. i really like that the back seat folds down so there's extra room; even when it's not folded, there's space aplenty for that double stroller! yay! it will be strange, not having to cram the stroller in the front seat next to me... of course, kelvin couldn't believe that we're actually driving a minivan (since he vowed to never ever drive one, ever), but he's proudly showing it to his parents at this very moment. really, he does like it... and i do too! i'm relieved that i won't have to try to get a small toddler AND an infant seat in and out of a two-door car anymore!

my little mozart

cole has been serenading us lately... he really gets into "playing" the piano! of course, he gets plenty of praise and encouragement, because it would be great if he'd show enough interest to take lessons someday. so this morning before breakfast, cole had to work on his 'masterpiece'... he's so proud of himself when he makes noise! and he's learned that the keys on one end of the keyboard sound different than the ones on the opposite end, so he'll go back and forth, pounding on one end and then the other. cute!
can you tell he's proud of himself??

another new thing? "ahhhh." my dad has been entertaining him by taking a sip of coffee (or whatever) or pretending to take a swig of something and then saying "ahhhh!". cole has picked it up! yesterday when we were in appleton, we had lunch at perkins and when i took his sippy cup out of his bag to put juice in it, he looked at it and said "ahhhh", and i cracked up. he really gets into it, too- he stretches his mouth really wide and it looks like he's gearing up to make quite a ruckus, but then out comes this tiny, whispered "ahhhh". he did it again this morning, except i was the one taking a drink... he did it for me! so- i'd say that he's a "grandpa's boy"...! as for the baby, well, she's been pretty insistent on trying to get a few last somersaults in, but she's just too big. it's hard to believe that she's already too big to flip around easily- i can't comprehend how fast this pregnancy has gone so far! we're already entering the "please don't kick mommy so hard" phase... the uncomfortable stretch has begun! combine that with cole's change in sleeping habits (thanks to more teeth preparing to make their debut) and i'm anticipating a lot less sleep. again. oh well- it'll prep me for when the baby is here! i was thinking this morning, if she's like her big brother and puts a rush on things (as in, arrives 3 1/2 weeks ahead of schedule), she'll be here in about 12 weeks- that's crazy! wow. hard to believe... :)

raging hormones

as if we had any doubts at all, the pregnancy hormones are definitely in full swing... made very obvious by the events of this late afternoon. this hormonal episode involves yet another glass. we are now down to four glasses out of eight for the john deere set and none left for the ivy set. i'm telling you, we'd save money by switching to styrofoam! anyhoo, i was washing the five that were left and four of them were safely on the drying rack... the fifth must just have been destined to shatter. i was in tears, kelvin was laughing... yeah. at least it broke in the sink. i think i get the fumble-fingers more than the mood swings... seriously, i'm insanely scared that i'll drop this baby too many times after it's born!! arghhhhhh!

etc., etc...

cole and auntie sarah in the jc penney parking lot... ready to go shopping! he wasn't willing to look at the camera and cheese it up like he usually does because he was too busy looking at the stroller. he really likes that thing- thinks he's top dawg when he's sitting it!
this morning i was in the bathroom (all stairs and most doorways gated, of course) so cole was just puttering around... it got really quiet and of course, he ignored me when i tried to get his attention. that's his new thing, ignoring me; i couldn't see him from where i was so i just wanted a squeak or two so i'd have an idea of where he was. i knew he was in the kitchen, but since he was absolutely silent, i was slightly concerned that he may or may not have gotten into the garbage can and found some new toys (i.e. the onion peels and green pepper seeds from supper last night). he hasn't ventured into the garbage yet, but it's always a good guess when things get really quiet...
...but as it turned out, i had no reason to worry. he was happily playing with daddy's shoes! he has an extreme fascination with shoes, one that would make his auntie sarah quite proud. i think we're gearing up for teething: round two, judging by the way cole was intently and vigorously gnawing on the laces. he'd chew on them for a minute, then yank on them and giggle! it was so cute... oh, the things that entertain this kid!
these two pics are for cole's great-auntie dawn... he's modeling the outfit she got him! it's an 18-month size, but since he's a bit on the petite side, it's still plenty roomy, so he'll be able to wear it for a while. it's just SO cute! thanks again, dawn- i think it's one of the cutest outfits he's ever had!
of course, we had to get one with the jacket on... it came in really handy at convention. perfect for the fall weather, and it will still fit next spring. there's just something endearing about a little boy in denim- he looks like such a BOY in his denim jacket!

in other news and randoms, cole's new activity is pushing himself backward on his hands and knees on the floor. all the floors at the apartment in arizona were carpeted, so he thinks it's pretty neat to just brace himself on his hands and knees and slide backwards. the little giggles and squeals he lets out when he does it is funny; he really has fun! our next ob appointment is on thurdsay, in the late afternoon... it was originally scheduled for wednesday at 8.55 am, but i got to thinking last week, "uh-oh. i don't have a sitter", so i was able to get a later time the next day. that way, kelvin will be home and can come with to watch cole. i like having him come along, then he's more involved. i can't remember if i get the glucose test this time or next time. either way, i'm not really looking forward to it. who does?? and lastly (so far), kelvin pulled into the driveway at about 9.30, which confused me. i was already a bit "off" because he usually leaves just before 6 am, but at a few minutes after , i heard him making his cereal. odd- i went downstairs and he said he didn't have to be in till 7. 'k... and then he's home before 10? wow- guess i get lucky today- i don't have to battle the teething terror all by myself! speaking of, the terror is tossing a tantrum and his daddy finds it funny... kind of is, i guess. he's tired, because it's naptime and he was up twice again last night, so that doesn't help. man, our cute little bundle of joy really knows how to throw a tantrum... he'll cry himself out in a minute or two, guaranteed.

big-boy shoes

yesterday i popped a dozen cookies in the oven (thank goodness for being able to freeze those dough-balls, makes life a lot easier!), and when the timer went off, so did my son. he thinks it's his job to let me know when the timer goes off; he gets pretty insistent if i don't go take care of it immediately!
the problem with sippy cups is that you can't drink from them if they are turned around! he's got the right idea- no problems if he picks it up right, but he hasn't figured out how to turn it around without throwing it on the floor first. come to think of it, it usually gets thrown on the floor anyway...
we went to waupaca and then to mom and dad's yesterday- kelvin had off (but is working today and tomorrow) so he decided to go do some bowhunting at the farm. cole and i came up later, but i wanted to stop at goodwill and kmart. i found our first purchase for the baby- a linen embroidered sundress, perfect for next summer, a steal at $3! looks like it's never been worn! then, i found shoes for cole. i wasn't intending to find any, but they just happened to be there. little white tennis shoes with thomas the train on them... i tried them on him just to see if they fit, and he watched me with a funny look on his face. after the shoe was on, he looked down, held out his foot, wiggled it around and smiled and giggled like it was THE coolest thing! so cute, but at that point, i wasn't quite sure if the purchase was necessary. the deciding factor was the look of utter disappointment on his little face when i took it off and he saw his sock. it was even cuter than when the shoe was on- he looked at his sock with no shoe on it and looked so heartbroken! he didn't cry, just looked so crestfallen... i took the shoes back off the shelf and his eyes lit up! so the shoes went into the cart- for $7, they were a steal... and he's been so proud of them ever since!
see- he loves wearing them! i thought that maybe the "big boy" soles would make it hard for him to walk in them, but he does really well. this morning when i put them on (too cute with his jeans and t-shirt), he tried to put the straps down before his shoe was on all the way. he already knows how to work them! it's hard to think how a little boy can display pride at this age, but he's got it- to him, those shoes are the best thing ever. and i have to say, they look SO funny lined up in the kitchen next to mommy's big flip-flops and daddy's ginormous boots. these teeny little size 4 shoes, next to big ones... makes me giggle!

anyway, sarah stayed overnight last night and today we're heading over to appleton to see if we can take in some of the octoberfest there. i'm slightly concerned about finding a place to park, but if nothing else, we can always hit the mall too. i have to go there anyway, i'm really needing to find some maternity jeans and if i'm lucky, i'll find something on clearance. and i'd like to get dress shoes for cole- something he can wear other than his thomas shoes... this is the first time we'll have been to the mall to actually SHOP since we left wisconsin. i never got to a mall in arizona and since we've been back, we ducked in once to look for something but it was an in-and-out stop, so that doesn't really count. i'm looking forward to lunch at atlanta bread company, too... that's something i really missed. their chicken salad on cracked wheat is to die for...

picnic in the park

just for something different, i took cole to the park for lunch. i packed pb & j sandwiches for both of us and off we went. olen park is only about 3 or 4 blocks away, so it's perfect walking distance. in my head, i had planned to go there almost every day, to get some exercise and fresh air... ha. this is the first time we've gotten there since getting home. cole was too distracted and excited to finish all of his lunch, but he ate most of it and then it was off to explore!!first thing we hit up was the swing... he LOVED it! i bet he sat in it for at least 20 minutes (that's a long time for a 13-month old), shrieking and grinning from ear to ear. fun for him, photo opportunity for me. i took way too many pictures... oh well. it WAS his first time at the park, after all!
the merry-go-round was cool, but not as fun as the swing. oh, and between the swing and merry-go-round, we discovered the wood chips. we had to sit and play with those for quite awhile. it was during that time that i came to realize just how lucky we are... there was a little girl (about 4 or so) with her dad and a social worker. from what i gathered, it was a supervised visit, and i think the little girl was way more mature than her dad; not that he was goofing off or anything, he was more or less pouting because of the situation... you had to have been there. he kind of scared me, actually, so i was super relieved when he left in a huff.
is this pure joy or what?

we also tried out the bouncy horses, but i think cole was a little leary of them- he really liked playing with the handles on it though! i didn't post pics of that, or a lot of other stuff just because it takes soooooo long to upload photos. not to mention, there's a TON of them!!
the old cannon and memorial... it was here that i finally got his (late) one-year photo. it was kind of by accident- i wasn't planning on even trying to get one, but it turned out so well... as soon as i get my photo software, i can crop and fine-tune it. (this pic isn't it, by the way...)
and... one of mommy and cole! the only one, good thing it turned out ok. it's always a hit or miss when you try to take photos of yourself! i'm not big into getting myself on camera, but since there was nobody there to take one for me... besides, i've got to have a few of cole and i- there's a lot of him and kelvin, but not too many of him and i.

so yeah- our trip to the park proved to be a fun excursion! i'll definitely take him again, but probably not for lunch... too many bees. seems there's way more bees than usual this fall, and i'm not that fond of them, especially when they're flying around my son. yikes. i don't care what "they" say, i can NOT just sit still until they fly away. they never fly away! i'm more of a swatter- which sometimes ends up being a not-so-good thing, like when i went to shoo one away from cole and forgot that i was holding his spoon full of applesauce in my hand. his head and shirt caught most of the applesauce; he just looked at me very reproachfully, like, "mom. watch what you are doing, please". i found it awesome and beyond words, to watch cole's face as he discovered and learned new things... what a miracle, the way they just take everything in so eagerly! the simple pleasure they get from the smallest things (like wood chips and pine cones) is so cool...

dear diary...

... got a visit from wonder-klutz this morning. not a superhero in my book, but whatever. 7 am: cole woke up happy and smiling. laid still for his diaper change- amazing. marked that one on the calendar. got breakfast ready for sweet and happy child- watched in horror as said child turned into a screaming demon. he seemed to think he should eat more than one bite of oatmeal at a time. battle of the wits ensued. i won, but not before the entire town heard the commotion. resigned child ended up eating only half the oatmeal. silly boy. went to start dishes, cursed the fact that the hot and cold water come out of their own taps. burned hands under one faucet, cooled them down under the other. haha. washed dishes. broke four (yes, four) glasses in one fell swoop, emphasis on "fell". cleaned up the mess. now have many miniscule shards of glass happily nesting in my fingers. managed to avoid getting any into cole- thank goodness for the amazing invention of soda bottles (no more cans. ever.). child lost interest in bottles once dishes were done- instead became intent on trying to pull my pj pants down. cried when he was told not to hang on mommy's leg. tears quickly disappeared upon his discovery of the toy basket (same one as yesterday... and the day before...). semi-cranky, still- it comes and goes. lost interest in toys in record time- now intent on banging on the windows. fine by me- he's occupied. for now. this entry ends with me debated whether or not the morning justifies running to mcdonald's for a vanilla iced coffee. after the events of the past 2.5 hours, i think maybe it would be ok to get one... especially since the ice craving is nearing uncontrollable (joke, kind of). now, crossing my fingers that the rest of the day will be more uneventful. hahahahaha!!!!

hahahaha!

oh my goodness, it's funny and i just have to share... just now, i sneezed and the baby jumped really hard. she must have been sleeping and i surprised the poor tiny peanut, at least her ears are working! hopefully she won't be scarred for life by mommy's monsterous sneeze.

the toweled bandit!

usually bathtime is when cole gets cranky- doesn't matter what time of day, he gets all moody when his wet little behind hits the towel. seriously. he can play until the water gets icy and the cows have long been home, but it's a major tragedy when it's time to dry off. i've found that playing peekaboo helps a little... those hoods are good for something! anyway, he looks so cute peeking out from underneath and i never have the camera handy (makes sense- an electronic doodad doesn't belong anywhere near the tub when there's a toddler in it). last night, though, i just had to go get it because he was being so darn cute! i wish i had video, actually- tragic tears and screaming that stop on a dime as soon as the peekaboo games begin.

this is what happened when i got up to get the camera (like, five feet away, in the dining room on the table... this kid just could not stay put). i think he got a bigger kick out of crawling around like this than playing peekaboo. thankfully he didn't leave any puddles... i didn't even think about that until after i put his diaper on.
\

what a goof.

anyway, bathtime has become quite an ordeal, and since he has one almost every night before bed (part of his routine, it seems to help him to realize that it's bedtime soon), by the time he's actually IN bed, i am exhausted. it always starts out fine, but once it ends, well, the entire block knows. amazingly, though, he always survives; despite what an ordeal it is, he always manages to make it through unscathed. hmmmm. miraculous! all i have to say is that this little girl can't possibly be more dramatic than her older brother- if she is, i'm in for it...

today in a nutshell

regretfully, i did have something to take a picture of, but the window of opportunity was rather small and running to get the camera would have meant that i'd have missed it... cole stood by himself today! he's done it several times, but this time, it was initiated by him. i was busy getting his lunch ready and he was hanging on to the baby gate in the kitchen doorway; when i looked over, he was standing by himself with his shoulders shrugged and hands out, like "huh. no biggie"! it was cute and he got a big kick out of the fuss i made over it. bummer that i didn't have the camera in hand and ready to shoot. isn't that the way it goes?? next time... other than that, today was "recover from convention" day. i did lots of laundry and am still not done, cleaned the bathroom, discovered that i grabbed shampoo instead of conditioner yesterday at the store (this came to light once i was already in the shower....), scrubbed the living daylights out of the kitchen floor, changed the sheets (kind of- they're not really on the bed yet, but i'm anticipating that it will get done before we crash into bed tonight), vacuumed the entire first floor, was pleasantly surprised that the dead mouse smell is NOT coming from under the fridge but is instead somewhere near the basement landing or is possibly in the actual basement... i'm pretty sure i'm leaving something out, but that's ok... none of it is really interesting anyway- i'll ramble to whoever will listen. one question, though (and i'm pretty sure most of you will know what i mean): why in the world do people feel the need to recall every single horrible labor and delivery story they've ever heard/witnessed/been through to someone who is pregnant? i mean, i know people are just so anxious to share the most terrible thing ever (since goodness knows we're all out of positive stories??) but hello- use a little common sense! unfortunately i don't have the guts to interrupt said people and say "yeah, thanks for sharing, but i really don't need to hear that right now. how about a rain check?". i guess, on a positive note, i'd rather hear it now than while i'm in the middle of labor (that HAS happened, true story). that would be the silver lining... anyhoo, rant over! i think we're going to shawano tonight- i have a huge bag full of stuff i'll never ever ever ever be able to wear again that's going to goodwill. it's in my way, so it's going now. and i have to get conditioner, milk, a few odds and ends. i WAS planning on making chimichangas (chicken with black beans and tomato) but it can wait till tomorrow. the filling is still half-thawed anyway. plus the stove really heats up our teeny kitchen, especially when it's set at 475.... thankfully, kelvin suggested we grab supper while we're out. yay- easy night!

oh, and...

... i'm anxious to see what will take place the next few days. convention is going to be pretty interesting, since cole is most happy when he's moving around and playing with toys that make noise. i can bet that i won't be doing a whole lot of sitting! and on a "new baby" note, the braxton-hicks are now in full-swing. i've had them here and there for about a month now, but just in the last two days or so, they've become a bit more regular. i remember them being that way with cole too- regular for a few months before he was born. it's kind of reassuring, in a sense- my body's working the way it should. the way i see it, it's a good thing... i can practice imagery and relaxation for labor. gotta get a head start on that- i don't want a repeat of the last labor and delivery (in ANY way... not that it was bad, just that there were WAY too many people there and with the pitocin and everything, well, it was the complete opposite of what i'd hoped). anyway, i'm so glad convention is here... which means i probably won't post again for a few days, so until next time, adios!

while you're waiting...

...maybe you can catch a good giggle from these photos, auntie elissa! the first two are for aunt mary in montana- i promised to post pictures of cole opening the present she sent for him and it totally slipped my mind, with everything that's been going on. so, sorry, aunt mary! here they are, better late than never!mommy got the package opened, and cole did the rest...
he loves his stuffed monkey- they have matching mischievious faces, i think. the only difference is that only one of them really gets into trouble--- bet you can't guess who! (haha)

carhartt butt- a very small one! elissa, you can't begin to imagine how hilariously cute coy's little behind will be when he's cruising around in his carhartts... cole's is just adorable!

i love the expression- sheer joy!

and... daddy and grandpa already have cole started on the fourwheeling thing! for now, he likes it better when they're not running- i think the noise of the engine gets the same reaction as the vacuum... a blank look, followed by what can be most closely described as confusion, then comes the closed-mouth whine, and finally the burst of tears. the first three happen pretty fast... the tears tend to last a little longer. but as long as the beast with four wheels is quiet, cole is more than pleased to sit on it and pretend to drive. same goes for the lawn tractor- grandpa got him started on that! (thanks dad- now we know what to do when the crankies are almost unbearable... out to the garage we'll go!). as long as it has wheels, handlebars and/or steering wheel and isn't presently running, cole gets quite a kick out of it. he is SUCH a little boy.

unpleasant tenants

so, i thought i should post this quick... amber, you'll appreciate this, i think! we still have mice. for some stupid reason, i had hoped that while we were gone and there was no food or anything in the house, they'd get hungry and leave. this is not the case, apparently, so i've come to these amazing conclusions:
* mice get take-out too. i'm guessing there are several miniscule chains devoted to fast-food and delivery, mousey-style. i'd like to see one of those...
* there are 'motivational squeakers' that come and give presentations on personal empowerment... judging by the fact that there was one rooting around not 10 feet from me (but just out of sight, in the basement), it works.
* they are NOT good housekeepers. i mean, they leave poo in plain sight. gross.
which leaves me to wonder, do those electronic rodent repellents really work? you can find one in almost any price range, so i'd guess that the cheap ones are more for decoration, or to make you think you're humanely getting rid of the furry little buggers, while in reality they sit from some unseen perch and giggle at your futile attempts. but, if you shell out $30+ for one, does it actually do the job? i know that cats are usually a good bet at getting rid of mice, but since we live in town, any outdoor cat will automatically win a one-way ticket to the pound (or more likely, have an unpleasant little run-in with a big, round rubber object), so that's out. and the traps? we've tried them in the past- we were successful once. must've been the dimwitted cousin from the hills that wandered into that little mess, since the rest seem to have no problem avoiding them. and of course poisons aren't an option, for obvious reasons... and for the simple fact that if they happen to get into the pellets and don't wait till they get outside to kick the bucket, we will have one smelly house. so- if anyone knows if those plug-in thingies work, please let me know! i'd just ask them to leave, but for being so smart, they just can't take a hint...

haircut- again.

cole got a haircut again! the back was the first thing to get long, so this summer i had done a trim on it... it was kind of choppy, but not too bad. it was cute, since the top was longer yet and he gets this little curly mohawk 'do after his bath; but, the top was just getting too long. not that there's a lot of it there, but it was starting to look a little stringy. so- out came the razor this morning! of course, he had his breakfast first... i mean, would it really be fair to torture him with a haircut while he's still hungry? i didn't think so either...

he looks more like a little boy now. i was really worried that it would get too short and look like a buzz, which would make him look bald, since he's got light, fine hair. fortunately, i guessed right and picked an attachment that wasn't TOO short...

now he looks like a brand-new boy, haha! after all that sitting (breakfast, haircut... that's a lot for outside of meeting!), cole was pretty anxious to get at his toys. last night, kelvin emptied his tote of clothes into the closet- one of those things that just gets put off amid the chaos- so this morning, there was a nice big empty box for cole to play with! he promptly made quick work of my "toy pick-up" job and emptied his toy basket into the tote. at least they weren't all over the floor... not till later. and that's where the fun ended. cole wakes up happy and goofy 99.9% of the time, but once he's fed and the day is underway, that can sometimes change. like today, for instance. he still doesn't have the hang of dealing with hardwood floors, and the grippy things on the bottom of his socks only do so much (not enough, apparently). so, after the second tumble (he's managed to escape physical injury; his pride is another story, though), things went downhill. now he's cranky and whiny. i think it's partly the weather- still gray, damp and cold... so much for the "mostly sunny" and mid-70's forecast. i would like to be a weather-person, i think... you still get paid, even if you're way off! except in arizona, there you'd be right most of the time, unless you predicted something other than sun and heat. anyhoo, since cole's been sleeping between 10 and 11 hours each night, i don't push the morning nap now, but given that he's now on the floor with his face smashed into his grabby (that's what we call his green blanket), i think he may end up taking a snooze. i think he's still recovering from the weekend- last night, i ran out to mcdonald's to get a large drink (for $1, and i fill it up with ice and just enough diet coke to make it worth the trip... gotta have that ice!) and by the time i got back, he had fallen asleep on our bed. that was before he got his bath or bedtime snack! we sat him up to see if he'd wake up enough to have his bath and snack, but he just sat there with his eyes closed, so we knew it was straight to bed for mr cole! and amazingly, he slept all night... i was sure he'd wake up and want a snack before too long, but the kid was OUT... he opened his eyes a crack only twice while i changed his diaper and put on his pj's! i guess when it's time for bed, there's no doubting it with this kid! unfortunately, his little sister had other ideas about bedtime... she's in her "nocturnal stage, i think! oh, and she's not delicate about it either... haha!

cole's party!

way back when we thought we were going to be in arizona for awhile yet, we planned cole's (late) first birthday party. so, after the plans were made and the invitations mailed (way back in july), we found out we'd all be back in time to celebrate together! so- this weekend was cole's party. i must say, he did really well. of course, he's still too little to get what birthday parties are all about or what he should do to all those interesting and colorful packages, but he had a lot of fun playing with his little second cousins and his new toys. many thanks to everyone who made an effort to join us (mom, dad, sarah and ted, mary and dale, grandpa and grandma pheifer, sandy and shawna, janine and jennifer and sarah, stephen, kristian and erin) and thanks (from cole, of course) for the neat gifts! i wish i could post all the pictures we took, but a) there's a TON of them and b) this 'fast' internet connection isn't all that speedy, so it takes forever and a day to get 4 teeny photos loaded. nice. don't you love it when your expectations are met with disappointing results? anyway, that's beside the point... even with the rain and damp weather, i think that cole's very first birthday party was a success. he had fun, we had fun... it was great for him to get better acquainted with his little second cousins, and nice for us to be back with family again.

cole's cake- chocolate, of course. i debated doing the rainbow chip flavor instead, but then i thought that it might not "go well" with the brown frosting... i did a blue and brown theme to match his invitations, since he's too little for a character theme yet.

this was cole, trying to figure out why everyone was looking at him and singing. at least he didn't cry- i was a little nervous that he'd get scared and start bawling, but he just sat there and observed with that little scowl of his...

STILL not sure why all eyes were on him... i could almost read his mind: "uh, mom? what's going on...?"

but, he loved the frosting! he just kept sucking on his fingers while my mom cut the cake. amazingly, it only took one wipe and a quick trip to the sink (so we could rinse off his hands) to get the mess cleaned up. he did, however, have quite a few cake crumbs mashed into his socks. it boggles my mind, how babies can get food in the weirdest places... and i thought it was crazy when we had to get whole peas out of his diaper (they never made it into his mouth).

i'm not sure who's helping who here, but uncle ted and cole are both concentrating pretty hard on getting that toy out of the box!

the kids! jennifer, cole and erin... not sure where kristian was, but he WAS in attendance.

be prepared, anyone who celebrates a birthday on windy hill road- you WILL be wearing the birthday hat! so far, it's been on kristian, erin, ted, sarah and now cole... if i missed anyone, i'm sorry. in our defense, we've been a bit out of the loop lately!

second cousins kristian and cole- recapping photos on sarah's camera. i think cole was just as interested in kristian as he was with the camera... what a curious little boy!

thanks again to everyone who came to celebrate with us... and a special thanks to mom and dad for letting us use their house and yard. and thanks to levi and kayla as well- we are SO glad you guys stopped by! now it feels like cole is officially one... not that it makes much of a difference to him at this age, but first birthdays are a pretty big milestone, so to finally be able to celebrate with family and a few close friends makes it seem more real. or something like that... so, our little boy is really one year old and has survived his first birthday party. whew!

"sugar and spice...

and everything nice; that's what little girls are made of! yes, it's a girl! i was right this time! of course, it's not really the truth to say that i was wrong last time... i knew deep down that cole would be a boy, but i was so sure i wanted a girl first. now, i can't imagine it any other way! so- technically i was right both times, just in denial the first time, haha. anyway, mom met me at the hospital for the ultrasound so that she could help out with cole- he'd had his 12-month well-baby visit earlier, which of course included shots. yipes. i think the county heard that one! anyway, he's doing great, his weight is in the 25th percentile, his height is in the 50th percentile and his head circumference is up at the 75th percentile.

so, back to the little girl we're over halfway to meeting... we got 4 great pictures off the 3-d ultrasound. it's funny, how before they start putting on fat, they look like skinny little monkeys, yet they're so cute! it's still blowing my mind that we get to see her face even before she arrives... i think it's just amazing. we JUST got internet here (literally- the guy left about 10 minutes ago), and the scanner/printer is still packed away, but as soon as that's all taken care of, i promise to post some ultrasound pics. and some of cole, too, of course- we can't forget him! anyway, it's great to have internet again, i feel more connected! funny thing about small towns, how your options for ip's are pretty limited... we had service through frontier once upon a time, long ago, and were so disappointed with it, so this time we went with charter. boy, do i feel weird- i kept hoping nobody from our meeting would drive by, see the charter communications truck and say "oh look- the brotzman's are getting cable".... awkward! since it's much faster and a bit more reliable than frontier, that's what we went with. anyhoo, it seems to be working, so that's all that matters. ta-tah for now!

photo-less update...

sorry, still no pics! we hope to get internet this week sometime, so once we do, i'll have to catch up a little on the posting. but, everything is going well with the moving-back-in process; slow, but well none-the-less. we discovered that in moving almost entirely across the nation and then back so soon, we have a lot of junk in the house. all this stuff that at one time seemed at least a little significant, but now it's just junk, junk, junk. before getting everything put away, we decided to go through every room and closet in the house and get rid of stuff that we wouldn't really miss or that wouldn't drastically change our lives if something happened to it... the first day of going through "the junk", we had about eight big black garbage bags full of stuff to toss. ahhhh, feels good... and we're not even done yet! there are some things we plan to donate or sell on craigslist, but the rest is just getting tossed. sure, i could have a rummage sale to TRY to get rid of all the little odds and ends and useless stuff, but i'd have to wait until next spring, and that would mean having to hang onto it all winter long, and then there's no guarantee that i'd even get my behind in gear enough to actually have a rummage sale. hmmm- i think it's easier just to toss it! this is one time that the "easy route" is the best route! it feels really good- i went in with a 'no regrets' attitude and just started bagging up stuff like a maniac- but hey, now we have more room and less stuff. i figure, with baby #2 halfway here, we could really use the extra space and the simplified household- it's great to not have to worry about where i'm going to move this box and how i'm going to fit everything into that closet; even though there are still half-packed boxes all over, i still feel more organized. the whole process is taking a wee bit longer than i'd planned, but hey- cole isn't exactly thrilled with the situation! he'd rather be crawling free, getting into all the stuff laying around! but, he's been sweet enough to take two naps a day, spend some quality time in his exersaucer (he's almost too big for it, but i have no other option!), and since he's slept all the way through the night every night since we moved back into our house, i have the energy to multitask (read: do stuff and still have the patience to entertain him). seriously- ever since we got back into the house and he's been sleeping in a regular crib, the nights have been sheer bliss! i probably just jinxed myself... who cares, though- i've had almost a week of regular nights. what more can i ask for! so yeah- that's the news here- rather droll, i know. it's more exciting for us, though... oh, and i had my prenatal exam on the 3rd with my wonderful dr here, and everything is great! i measured right at 20 weeks (good) and the baby's heartbeat was excellent (even better) and i have an ultrasound scheduled for tuesday afternoon (awesome!!). cole's late 12-month well baby visit is that day as well, so it's going to be a big afternoon. dr h said that they have 3-d ultrasound now, so that's super exciting! i've never had one myself, but have seen the ones that others have had, so this will be a first for us. hopefully the little one will cooperate so that we can plan on pink or blue. we'll definitely update as soon as we can!