Sunday, January 29, 2012

Snow Day

Last Friday was our first big snow fall for the year.  Yes, on January 20th!  We have been spoiled this Winter, and have had very little, to no snow.  I do like to have a White Christmas, but since we didn't get that, I would be fine with no snow.  Ha!  Ok, I do think it is very pretty, and I love the different seasons that we go through.  However, I do not like driving in it, or taking our little Wee Lad out in the below freezing temps.  But, I think Winter is here to stay for the next few months, so I will just be thankful that we haven't been dealing with this since November.

We got about 8 inches of snow, and Carson was in love!  He got up Friday morning, and was in awe as he stared out the window, yelling "no, no, no!!"  (Snow)

We all had our own little "snow day", and hung out most of the day.  Carl tried to get some sleep, as he had to work on Friday night, and Carson and I baked cookies, played, and watched "moobies." (movies)
I have this rock-star recipe for the chocolate chip cookies that we made.  I am going to post it soon.  They are always a huge hit, and don't last long!  Carson loves to lick the beaters, and help me stir.  He is quite the big helper these days.  He also loves to look at the cookies while they bake in the oven.  I love to watch him crouch down, and look through the window to see the cookies bake.....it makes me laugh every time! 




Carson also loved to watch Carl out the window.  Carl headed out later that afternoon to snow blow our driveway, and Carson didn't move from the couch/window until he was done!  He continuously pointed out the window saying "daddy!" "no!" (snow) 




What a wonderful snow day we had!  The temps are supposed to be well above normal this week, and possibly be in the mid 40s for a few days.  I am excited, and not opposed one bit! 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Week 26

Friday marked week 26 for us.  Only 13-14 more weeks to go!  Not that I have a countdown on, or anything :) 

For the overall grand scheme of things, everything is going well because the baby is healthy!  As for me; I am having some pain in my right side due to some gull bladder stones.   I had an x-ray done the week before last, and it shows some stones that the doctor says I need to pass on my own.  So, until they pass, we will continue to keep taking it day by day.

But other than that, things are going really well.  Carson is enjoying pointing to my belly, and saying "baby brother."  We are trying our best to get him prepped for this little one that will be here before we know it.  We are so excited to see how he responds to this baby that will, in fact, not be going "bye-bye" like he tends to say about other babies :)

We have the pack n play set up in our room, and ready for his arrival.  I am working on making a few lists of things I would like to get, or get done before he arrives.  Because, I remember from the last pregnancy, the last month or so is pretty much out of the picture for me to get anything done.  And, so while I feel halfway decent most of the time, I would like to be as prepared as possible before crunch time.  So, that is what we will be working on in the near future.....getting everything ready, cleaned, and washed for him to arrive!  It all gets me so anxious, and I am forced to be patient.  I am not very good at being patient either, if you were wondering :) 

26 Weeks

Weekend In Peoria

Last weekend, we took a road trip.  Our destination was Peoria, IL as a halfway meeting point with our family that lives in Indiana.  We were getting together for a "Christmas/Birthday" celebration. 

We headed out Friday night, but not until we made our first trip to Urgent Care for Carson.  It was confirmed that he had pink eye, and so we got some eye drops to help with his goopy/red eyes.  The poor boy was a wreck, and looked just like that too!  But, he was quite the trooper that weekend. 

It was so much fun to get together, and just hang out with family that we don't get to see near enough.  There was a "great room" at the hotel that worked out perfect for us!  There were tables, chairs, couches, and a TV.  It was just big enough for our group, and everyone just did their own thing.  It turned out to be a fabulous weekend. 



We were also able to celebrate Zoey's 4th Birthday Party, which was such a delight.  She is such a sweetheart, and loved opening her birthday gifts.  Her and Carson had some fun playing "Wakamole."  Carson was more so interested in hitting the moles, but that's the point of the game....so it's perfect! 


It is always so nice to get away for a weekend.  Too bad our little guy wasn't feeling 100%, but we made it through, and had a lot of fun!

And, after a weekend away, the boys were happy to be home.  Carson loves to "kick back" and relax.  I love how his hands are positioned behind his head.  He is so funny. 

Christmas Day

**I am having trouble with Blogger and the spacing.....and it's driving me nuts!  Is anyone else having this issue?**

**I was just going through my posts, and realized that this one was never published!  I swear I hit "publish post" but apparently it never did.  So, better late than never, here is the Christmas post!**

Christmas Day, 2011.......whew, where do I even begin?  It was an amazing day, to sum things up.  But, allow me to elaborate a bit.
Christmas morning started out with just the 3 of us.  Carl and I got up early, and got ready, in preparation to wake up our little Wee Lad, so he could check out what Santa brought him.  When we walked into the living room, and Carson spotted a kitchen setting in front of the tree, the rest was history.  He was smiling from ear to ear, talking a lot of gibberish, and went right to work.  He had to check out everything that this kitchen had to offer.  All the doors that opened, and the noises it made.  We later found that these secret little doors would be a very nice hiding spot for Carson's things.  And, come to find out....our items as well.  The remote, our phones....they have been spotted in the kitchen already.  Carson had several other presents under the tree from Dad and Mom, that he wanted nothing to do with.  This kitchen was way too much fun to pay attention to clothes, and other boring things that would be hidden behind the wrapping paper.  The only gift he thought was amusing enough to stop playing with his kitchen for, was a set of Nerf guns.  I don't know who was more excited.....Carl or Carson!  They instantly started shooting at each other, and the laughter that filled the air is music to this Mama's ears.  Carson was full of smiles, laughter, joy, and peace.  He now responds with "Thank You" after everything, and he said it the second he saw his kitchen, and his other toys.  That makes my heart melt, instantly.





I got spoiled again this year by my lovely hubby, as I got a new laptop!  I am so thrilled with it, and he did an amazing job picking it out.  Our other laptop was having a lot of issues, and was about ready to go through hard-drive #2 in just 3 short years!  This new one has a lot bigger hard-drive, so I will have plenty of space to store all of my pictures. 

After our Christmas, we were off to my parent's house for some more fun!  Let's just say one thing:  We are spoiled!  My Mom always outdoes herself, and is an amazing gift giver.  Along with everyone else we received gifts from.  Baby Boy Brouwer got his first Christmas gifts, and they are nothing shy of the cutest things ever.  He got a few outfits, and it gets me even more anxious for him to be here, to fill these adorable clothes that are just waiting for him.

I would say that Carson's favorite gift that he got at Grandpa Gary and Frannie's house would be his grocery cart.  He loves to haul things around the house, and you never know what you will find in his wagons at home.  So now we have another spot to look for hidden gems at home :)  He is so funny toting around the house, as he picks up random things to place into his cart.

Our big gift that we received this year was a double stroller.  It will come in handy next Summer after the little one is here, and we want to go and do things with both of the kiddos!  I am so excited to use it.  Let the fun begin with two little Wee Lads :)

Natalie was as cute as can be in her Santa outfit, and she loved her new jumper that she got from Frannie and Grandpa Gary!


Carson (and the other grandkids) got a new table from the Amish.  It is the neatest table, and so beautiful!  Carson also got a lego table from Uncle Chris and Aunt Kasey that we decided to take home.  So, the nice table is staying at Frannie's house!
Kasey got a BIG jar of pickles that she seemed pretty excited about.  She is pregnant, if you are wondering :) 

I drew my brother's name for Christmas this year, and he seems to get more difficult to buy for every year.  So, a basket full of goody- bucket food is what the gift was this year.  He loved it, and I know it is a practical and useful gift.  Win-win in my world! 


Carl got a Bengals t-shirt.  Or, should I say another Bengals shirt.  He loves to get new Bengals attire, so he was very happy with his gift!

Carson gets very hot easily, and he isn't bashful to get stripped down to nothing but his diaper!  So, that is how he spent most of Christmas morning.......in nothing but his diaper.


G&G Larson were also able to join us for a while Christmas morning.  They were there to enjoy the delicious brunch that us kids pulled off. 


By the end of this Christmas, the back of our van was FULL of goodies.  We are so blessed, and overjoyed with everything.
After Carson got a short nap at Frannie and Grandpa Gary's, we were off to another Christmas celebration.....G&G Brouwers.  We ate some more munchies, another meal, and we were prepping ourselves for another round of presents.  Carson was a little off that night, as I feel the busy/tiring day was catching up with him.  He was rather whiney the whole night, super clingy, and didn't want much to do with the other kids or presents.  So, we had to improvise a bit.  We stayed towards the back of the room, instead of being in the middle of all the action.  We let Carson open presents at his own pace, and assisted him with a few.  We let him do his own thing, in an attempt to keep the whining at a minimum.  It worked....sort of.

This would be our attempt at getting all of the grandkids in one picture.  They are all there, just not all looking, as you can see.  Carson was not thrilled about taking a picture, and Baby Tyler is hiding in the chair behind Kennedy.


Kennedy was SO excited about their Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma.  A new kitty! 





We were there for munchies, another round of food, presents, and good company.  The kiddos always have so much fun together, especially opening gifts.  After a few hours at their house, we called it a night.  Carson was exhausted, as I think we all were.  But, we wouldn't have it any other way.  The fact that we have so many family members to see and be with, is truly something to be thankful for.  We said our good byes, and after we got home, we all crashed.
The day after Christmas was all about putting away, cleaning, organizing, and more putting away.  Carl and I had our work cut out to try and find space for all of Carson's new toys.  We re-arranged the basement a little bit, and made Carson's "toy room" a bit more user friendly.  He now has his own little area, and I have a feeling we are going to be spending a lot of time downstairs.


This was Carson's 3rd Christmas, which seems so bizarre to think about it.  Not to mention, it is our last Christmas as a family of 3.  Now that is something to get excited about!
We are so thankful, and truly blessed beyond words this Christmas Season.  We can't dish out enough "Thank-yous" to everyone, as to show how grateful we are for everything.  Not to mention, for the true reason of this wonderful Season!

Another Christmas has come and gone, but that doesn't mean that we can't still be Joyful.
A new year is upon us, and as crazy as it seems that 2011 is coming to a close, we are so thrilled to see what the new year will bring for our family.

I hope that you all had a Wonderful Christmas!  Peace on Earth, to all of my family and friends.

Friday, January 20, 2012

Christmas Eve

**Posted about a month late.  I am really behind these days!**

Christmas Eve was wonderful for us this year.  We spent the whole day just hanging out, and having quality time with each other.  The one thing I love about this time of year is the time we get to spend with family.  Especially when we can just hang out, and enjoy each other's company.  And that is what Christmas Eve was for us this year.  It was pure bliss.

Every year, we attend the Bethel Reformed Christmas Program on Christmas Eve to watch the Kalkwarf kids perform in their Christmas program.  It was a lovely service, just like always.  It got a bit long this year, as 1-1/2 hours is too much for a 2 year old to sit still, in the dark, and stay quiet, but Carson did very well.  We were very proud of him after we escaped the busy crowds that evening with a sack of peanuts, and an apple. 


After we got home, we played hard.  We let Carson open his one gift, which were his Christmas pajamas to be worn that night.  He was pretty excited to wear his pajamas, but he was also excited to open more presents.  We had to stop him, and explain that he could open the rest in the morning.



After we got our little Wee Lad to bed that night, Santa went to work.  I was so excited to see what his reaction would be to what Santa was bringing, and it was nothing shy of amazing. 

I love how our Christmas Eve is the calm before the storm, but in a fabulous way!  We all know to just relax, and enjoy our day together, because come morning time, it is a very busy day for all of us.  And, we love both extremes! 


Merry Christmas to all of you!  Much love from our family, to yours.

Friday, January 6, 2012

Christmas at Grandpa Mike's

On Friday night, December 23rd, we kicked off the holiday weekend with our 2nd Christmas celebration of the year.  We headed out to my Dad's house for Christmas with Papa Mike.
Carson was in a fabulous mood that night, which made the evening that much more fun.  I just love it when he warms up quickly to his surroundings, lets go of us, and has fun!  And, you could tell by the look on his face, and the shrill sounds that were coming from his mouth...that he was having so much fun.  Uncle Chris, Uncle Nathan, and Papa Mike were all having fun wrestling with Carson, and he was loving all the attention.



We snacked, ate food, opened gifts, and played.  Carson was completely wiped out after his busy evening, and he slept really good that night.  He got some new blocks as a gift, and he took right to them.  He opened the package right away, and instantly dumped the bag out.  That is what you are supposed to do with all the blocks, right!?  :)







Carson got some assistance from some helpers with his blocks. He thought it was so funny to build a tower of blocks really high. And, with Nathan's help, and a few boxes of diapers, they got the job done. Carson would laugh every time they fell on Papa Mike who was laying on the floor.



Carson also got a Mr. Potato head, that he was a bit leery about at first.  I don't think he quite knew what to do with the thing, and was kind of scared of it.  We put that toy down, and moved to the next one rather quickly.  He finally took to it a little later, but still didn't show much interest in it.  Maybe in the near future he will.  Until then, he has plenty of toys to keep him occupied.  Trust me!


Carson helped hand out gifts, and open gifts for others.  Apparently he thought he would lend a helping hand, and assist Natalie in opening her gift(s).  I am sure she didn't mind, though!  Next year she may put up a fight, but this year she was content as can be laying on the floor, watching all the action.  A few times her eyes would flinch really quickly, as her monster of a cousin would get really close to her, or get really loud.  It's ok Natalie, I do the same thing :)  Ha.

And of course, we all had to get some snuggle time in with the precious little girl.  She is such a sweetheart!




Carson and Natalie gave Grandpa Mike a fun "Candy Story" as a Christmas gift this year.  It was a lot of fun to read, and I am sure Grandpa is enjoying the candy.  We opened the sour patch kids, and Carson actually really liked them.  We were all so shocked at how he didn't even respond to the sour taste.  He also fed Grandpa a few of them.......but Grandpa didn't think they were as tasty as Carson.  Ha!


We had a really nice celebration to kick off our busy, and very delightful Christmas weekend.  It was the first for the weekend, and it was nice to split them up a bit.