Getting Around

Two posts ago I mentioned that Wyatt had made his way over to the Christmas tree, but I didn't mention how. He hasn't started crawling yet. Yesterday he made the slightest scoot forward, but for the most part he rolls and turns. It takes awhile but he gets where he wants to go. And he's getting quicker.

To the hallway

Under his saucer

Around the crock

Over to the heater (AHEM!!)

And to the tree.

On another note, please be in prayer for my sweet, five-month-old niece Addie today. Her mommy and daddy could use it, too. Check out Lindsay's blog (here) for details. Also, please pray that they'll make it from Fargo to Kansas at some point in the next week (hopefully this weekend) to celebrate Christ's birth with us.

Have a Merry Christmas Eve!

Traffic Count

At 8:06 on a Wednesday evening, there are at least 15 cars lined up on our street watching the display. Maybe more.

Christmas Lights and Traffic Jams

Every year around Halloween our neighbor two doors down and across the street starts putting up Christmas lights. Every year gets bigger and bigger...thankfully, he does it very tastefully. This is the first year you can listen to your radio and watch the lights dance to the music. For the past two weeks there have been 3-5 cars outside his house constantly. Last Saturday night you could barely drive down our street.

The funny part is that besides our one string of white lights and the festive folks down on the corner, the rest of the block is dark.

Christmas List....Check Check

• Christmas shopping - check (well, almost - 2 left and they're easy)

• Christmas cards in the mail - check

• Every Woman's Grace decorations for Motherhood session starting January 14 - started (it's going to be a good one, moms!)
• Christmas Eve lasagna in the freezer - check
• Today's list - check check!
• Three adorable (I think, at least) Christmas presents made - check (no pics till after the three art queens open them up!)
• Update blog - oops
• Watch Wyatt get to the Christmas tree by himself - check
  

For five hours I've been trying to upload a 1 minute video of my neighbor's house. Seriously. I guess you're going to have to settle for a still shot, but that's another post.

On another note....I have a shameless plug for my hubby's mad skills. I know it's very close to Christmas, but if anyone needs an adorable teether/grasping toy for the lovable little one in their life, let me know at randy.dana@gmail.com. Here are some of his creations...we've sold five so far.

They're cut from hard maple and sand perfectly smooth and finished with organic flax oil.

The farm set - can be sold as a set or individually.

(Not sure why blogger keeps rotating this pic)
The Jungle Set
Look that kangaroo!!! And Wyatt loves his giraffe...that long neck is perfect to munch on.


(errr, blogger)

Dinosaur anyone? Of course, Randy know which is which. All I know is that there's a t-rex, a brontosaurus, and....?

(Ummm, Hellooo!)

One of my favorites... the moose.


The hedgehog.

There is also a tooth, a star, a frog, squirrel, and a Texas. :-)

Christmas is Coming!

Poor Willy

He has no idea what he has coming in the next couple of years. I'm sure he'll be thankful he lives at Grammie and Papa's rather than at our house. I'm glad he's such a good cat!

Pat-a-Cake Pat-a-Cake Baker Man

Make me some zwieback as fast as you can!

Stir it....

Add some more flour...

Measure it to make sure it's just right!

Knead it...

Not so sure about it, huh? Well, pat it a little more...and then

Go take a nap while it rises because you woke up far too early on your first Thanksgiving morning! Can Mommy have a nap, too?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Hot Free Photobook Tip

This morning I got a tip from Common Sense with Money for a free photobook from American Greetings Photoworks. It's a $50 value and includes shipping, but it's only good for the first 25,000 people. Use the coupon code BONNIE. Click here for more info.

Just a warning. It takes longer than the site says it will and takes 30-40 pictures instead of 20. But it's well worth it if you get it free! I should be getting our Minnesota trip album in a week or so. Good luck!

7 month stats

My dear Bear, you are going to be SEVEN months old on Thanksgiving Day! This year is going too fast, and I think you should slow down. Every new thing you do is so much fun, and Daddy and I just want to enjoy every second!


As of your 6 3/4 month appointment last Monday (we waited because of the flu germs at the clinic), you weighed 15 lbs. 15 oz and were only in the 10th percentile in weight. Your doctor says you really need to find a percentile curve and stick with it. So we're feeding you as much as you'll eat and we started you on formula last week. Maybe you'll find your curve when you get weighed after Christmas.

You are still the SWEETEST boy ever. You give the best hugs and squeezes, and last week you started babbling....dy-dy-dy-dy. It almost sounded like daddy last night, but we're not there yet. Last week we were letting you cry for awhile at night, but then you FINALLY figured out how to roll from your tummy to your back, so now we don't have to pop the binki in and roll you over. You just sleep through it. YAY!!

You're an excellent eater...unless you're nursing. When you're nursing, your superhero name is Distract-O-Man. That's why we started formula last week. You've been ready for awhile, but we had to wait for Mommy to be ready. You love pumpkin and sweet potatoes. Apples are okay if they have cinnnamon on them. And on Thanksgiving you get to try turkey for the first time.

You're not crawling yet, but I think you're going to walk before you crawl. And I don't mind that you're not mobile yet. Your friend Culley is crawling everywhere and her mommy is chasing her everywhere. :-)

You LOVE your Daddy. 5:15 is one of the best times of the day, and you love your Monday's with him while Mommy goes to work.

We're excited for our first Thanksgiving and Christmas with our boy. We love you SOOO much!
Mommy

Mission on Hold...Sort of

Last night we let Wyatt cry a few times. However, he got stuffy yesterday, so he just couldn't sleep well with his binki. So we had a lot of sucking snot (yum) as we popped the binki...and then Mommy prayed that Jesus would help Wyatt sleep. And He did!

Not-so-Sleepless Night

Night #2 of not popping the binki back in right away really wasn't bad. He woke up a couple times and cried for awhile, and then fell right back to sleep when he got his binki.

Tonight we'll add a few more minutes to the crying time. Maybe in a month he'll go back to sleep by himself. :-)

Sleepless Night #1

Wyatt is a good sleeper...for the most part. His mommy and daddy started a bad habit of popping the binki in a couple times every night months ago, so we never completely sleep through the night, but usually neither of us remember getting up anyhow.


I've read that babies need to learn how to sleep without the binki by 7 months or they get even more attached to it. Since we only have two weeks left before that deadline, we figured we had better get about the business of letting him cry a bit. He slept really well without a peep until 4:00, and then we let him cry for a few minutes before popping it in for the next hour and a half. There were a lot of sounds that would be "Hey MOM! DAD!" if he could talk, and then he got really mad and screamed for a bit. Around 5:15 or so even I drifted off to sleep again. I thought he'd wake himself up for a very early breakfast. However, he ended up sleeping until 8:30...the latest he's ever slept.

So...we'll see how Night #2 and letting him cry longer goes.

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Yesterday Wyatt and I went out to our garden and picked a bowl of lettuce from our four little plants that just keep on producing. I've never had fresh lettuce in mid-November! But I think our lettuce might be about done considering snow is in the forecast for the next couple of days.

Lovin' the Leaves

Wyatt hanging out with Grammie and Papa's cat Willy. At one point Willy came up and flopped in Wyatt's lap. Too cute! And yes, Wyatt is wearing a Minnesota Gophers polo. Grandpa and Grandma had to make sure of that.

I like the way Randy blends in with the tree on this one. Orange is his favorite color.

Favorite Chore

It might sound strange, but this morning I decided my favorite chore is hanging out laundry...especially early in the morning. Not that I'm a morning person, but I love getting outside in the new sunshine, and hanging dipes is a good excuse to do that a couple times a week. This morning Wyatt decided he was STARVING at 5:30. Usually he doesn't wake up till after 7. If Randy hadn't still been home when Wyatt went back to sleep, I would have gone back to sleep too. But I curled up on the couch with my desperately needed cup of caffeine, and was able to spend plenty of extra time in the Word. By the time I was done, the dipes were ready to hang. Around 7:30 the sun was up and it was surprisingly warm, hinting at the gorgeous day we're expecting. The air smelled like dried leaves and the birds were chirping. What a perfect way to start the day!!

What's your favorite household chore?

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On another note, I've finally downloaded October's pictures, and found this peek-a-boo pic. I tried uploading the video but it's taking for.ev.er.


And it's hard to tell in this pic because Wyatt was the main object, not my hair, but I finally, really cut my hair short last Saturday. Less to pull and something completely different. I definitely like it. And as for Wyatt, he's decided gumming apple cores is pretty yummy.

The Trip, Part III

So there might be a Part IV to this because I only have about five minutes. The day after we went to Duluth, we drove about 45 minutes northeast of the Cities to Taylors Falls. It's right on the St. Croix River which is the MN-WI border. My dear friend and college roomie Danika and I used to go hiking there. It's rocky and bluffy and absolutely beautiful.

This is how Wyatt spent his 5 month birthday. Our friends, the Cooks, loaned us Asher's hiking backpack. Wyatt did great on the 1.5 mile trip out. However, he was so tired from the day before and already low on sleep for that day, that he screamed most of the way back as we booked it through the trees. Glad we enjoyed the views on the way out! Right before we got to the parking lot, the poor guy fell asleep in Daddy's arms.



On the trail...


We ate a picnic lunch down by the river. It would have been fun to go for a canoe ride, but we settled for at least sitting Wyatt in one.

After we finished hiking, we took the scenic route down to Stillwater. We stopped at an apple orchard that had a petting zoo and a band playing. It would have been a lot of fun if Wyatt had been awake. However, after the last half of our hiking trip, there was no way we were waking him!


The Stillwater bridge is in the background. It was a beautiful day! There were tons of people playing with their dogs by the river and having picnics and browsing through Stillwater's fun Main St. shops.

Next...(I think) Part IV...Bonnie's wedding.

Wyatt's First Kiss

I know I'm behind on posting part 3 of our trip, but I have to get this one up.

This morning while the mommy's were in Bible study, the kiddos were playing together. One of the wonderful ladies in the nursery caught these pics on her phone.

From left: Not sure of the name of the first baby, Wyatt, Eli, and Culley all playing together.

Then Culley, who is now mobile, scooted over to Wyatt. They tell us she held his hand and then this picture was snapped right before she went in for the kiss on his cheek. Oh. my. TOO sweet! I'm so glad they're all going to be good friends!

Buying Stock

I think I should start buying stock in Swiss Miss, Bigelow, and Lipton. I've always been a coffee/hot cocoa/tea drinker in the winter, but being at home everyday makes me feel closer to the cold. Today I'm back in my office (coldest room in the house) listening to the cold wind blow, and thinking I could go for a cup of each. Yesterday I had four - one coffee, two tea, one hot cocoa. Yum.

On another note...our Bear is SITTING!!! Last Saturday he went from wobbling and tipping right away to sitting 20 minutes by himself. He still has no desire to roll over from his tummy to back. "I love being on my tummy, Mom. Why would I try rolling over?" Oh well...eventually.

He's doing great eating solids. He loves squash, carrots, sweet potatoes and bean. Applesauce is questionable, but he'll eat it. Avocado and banana both had him red-faced and screaming by bite three. We laughed. I did sneak banana into his cereal this morning. He wasn't extremely impressed, but he ate it.

Naughty

Naughty naughty...whoever it was that started my annual autumn addiction.


It was one of my college roommates, but I don't remember exactly which one, who brought home a bag of candy corn and a tin of honey roasted peanuts and mixed them in a bowl. One candy corn to two peanuts is my preferred ratio...and I can't stop. I don't even like candy corn on its own. But mixed with peanuts its an addicting combination. Errrrr....yum.

Part Two

We're all better! Still a few sniffling noses, but far better than last week!

While I have a few minutes, here's part two of our trip. Thursday we left Jeff and Lindsay's and headed down to the Cities. We've been there twice before on quick weekend trips, but this time felt different. I got to show Randy a few more of my favorite spots...including a day trip up to Duluth.

Favorite Place #1 - Grand Old Creamery
MMMMMmmmmm...homemade waffle cones. You can smell them down the street. Yum. And the ice cream isn't too bad either. I spent a few dollars here in college...Sunday nights with the ICC - Ice Cream Club (we even had a secret handshake).


Favorite Place #2 - Canal Park and Park Point in Duluth

Wyatt & me in front of the Lift Bridge

I could not believe how surreal it was to go up to Duluth. I had MANY good times in high school driving the hour and fifteen minutes southeast (yes, I grew up NORTH of Duluth) to Duluth. It has been five years since I was there last, and it was good to be there and really fun to show Randy and Wyatt the lakefront.

Family pic on the lakefront

On Canal Park Dr.

Wyatt smelling the roses (and reaching for the thorns) in Leif Eric Rose Garden (And yes, his sweatshirt does have the most adorable ears on it! Our Bear). The garden was in gorgeous full bloom right on the lakefront. Would have loved to have Randy's rose-growing family there with us!

A taconite ship headed out to sea, a common sight in this city so close to the Iron Range. It felt funny feeling like a tourist in a place that was once so close to home. We almost headed up Hwy. 53 to my old hometown, but we were getting plenty of car time as it was.

To all our MN friends, we're sorry we didn't have time to see all of you!

Part three - Taylors Falls and Bonnie's wedding still to come.

Our trip...Part 1

So I've been canceling meetings and not going to Bible study this week because my Bear is still sick. And since I had less on my to do list and more time at home I thought I just MIGHT get the blog updated with our trip pics. However...Bear is sick and in need of lots of extra cuddling. So I'm going to do this in quick bites.

Here's Wyatt with cousin Addie, who is three months younger and has the same size feet as Wyatt. Well, the same length feet. Not that she has big feet...Wyatt has small ones. Her's are beautiful, slim, long feet just like her fingers. Wyatt's are short and a bit chubby. :-)

Cuddles before bed with Uncle Jeff and cousin Ella. I got to read to Ella and Jackers every night before bed. They're into chapter books and Black Beauty was the choice.

Jack, Wyatt-Bear, Ella, and the Adster before we left. We had a great time at Jeff and Lindsay's! Thanks for having us! We just wish Fargo wasn't 11 of the most boring hours away!!! I really don't mind boring...I do mind 11 hours. I can't complain though...they're usually the ones that travel here.

Wyatt is a good traveler, which is good because this was just the first third of our trip...he had a lot more hours in the car yet. But that will have to wait for another day.

More (Not-so-fun) Firsts

It has been a very busy week since we returned from vacation on Monday. We have been getting up at 5 AM (thank you, Wyatt) and have been going until late (for us) in the evening. Thankfully, I've gotten the necessary things (work) accomplished (thank you, Lord, for knowing Wyatt is more effective than my alarm clock!). I'll post pics of the trip soon.

Today, however, we had another first. Our first sick trip to the clinic. Is he teething? Ear infection? Common cold? Taking forever to recover from vacation? All I knew was that my happy little boy was not so happy. Turns out he has a cold...just like his daddy. And hopefully not just like his mommy. He does have a little swelling on the gums, but no teeth are imminent.

Today he was 15 lbs. 6 oz. and in the 33rd percentile for weight.

Here's a sneak peek at our trip...

Daddy only wishes he were actually sitting on his own.

Hiking with Daddy in our matching hats.

New Beginnings at the Fair

A year ago on Governor's Day at the KS State Fair, the Siemens team came for their first major visit. We had made the cut from more than 50 communities down to 4.

Today at Governor's Day at the KS State Fair, we held the ceremonial groundbreaking on Siemens' North American wind turbine nacelle plant. What a huge, exciting deal!!!

Kevin Hazel, VP of Supply Chain Management, and our contact through this entire process. He has become a great friend to Hutchinson and the community!!

Getting ready to turn dirt with shiny new shovels. While most of the dirt was from the State Fair, there was a bucket of dirt from Salt City Business Park. Governor Parkinson is in the middle with the blue shirt.

This destination stone will sit outside the entrance of the new plant when it is completed in 2010.

Lord willing there are also eternal new beginnings starting at the State Fair, too. Of far more importance than a new plant that creates new jobs is new life in Christ...a life of hope that never wavers, a life of full forgiveness of sin! Check out the Grace Bible Church website for updates!