Just showing off again...

See Coy at this website, taking a bite of this delicious, organic, fresh goodness!

www.weechef.com

Family time is the best time

I have come to the conclusion that it's not ME that's so slow and insufficient at blogging, it's just that time passes too quickly for me to keep up!

For special meeting rounds, we had the privilege of having JoAnna Ernsthausen (from ND) stay with us on that Friday and Saturday night! The next night, we got to have even more company! Dan Helenek came, bring friends! :) Duane & Janette and John & Ellen Christiansen showed a slide show from when they went to Ecuador last year.

No, I'm not pregnant, I just look really fat. Perfect timing, really...as I'm posting, I have a muffin that I just took my first bite out of. However, after looking at myself...I gave it up to a little 2 year old who just happens to love muffins. Ha...Win/Win.

I just love this picture of Bentley! This excited expression is pretty common...he'll spot you looking at him and he'll march over to you, excited, squealing, wide eyes the whole way :)

This frozen spider web is enchanting! Until the spring time of course, when there will be an actual spider in it!

The wreath even had frost on it! Looks so cozy and inviting!

So, don't just stand there, COME IN!

Bentley's idea of "hanging out". What a monkey!

* * * * *

For the Christmas holiday, we went up to Logans parents, and was special to be there again! I love my in-laws and glad that our kids love them all too! There was a little (belated) birthday party for Kadyn who just turned 8! Christmas morning we dug into stockings to see what St. Nick Mom & Dad put in them!

This was Kadyn's greatest gift of all! She proclaims to be a Griz fan just to side with her favorite Aunt, but she's been known to cross the fence to where the Bobcats roam too.... ;)

The Christmas/stocking idea was totally new to Coy so he was a little confused, I think, but happy, nonetheless to get new toys and treats!

Once again, not to flattering of myself, but these cousins are the main subjects anyway! Coy really looks up to his older cousins, Trenton, Kadyn & Spencer! Uncle Kenny & Aunt Lichen spent the weekend there as well...being the cool aunt and uncle who plays a lot with the kids :)

(We really missed Quiana, Trapper & Baylon, though!)

Now that we are home, the kids are having a hard time with not being spoiled every minute!  We could really use a Grandma & Papa here full time! ;)

* * * * *

TEN days until we leave for Wisconsin!!

It's a good thing he's so sweet.

Cause being sweet once in a while

saved him after he did THIS:

And that's when we started using toilet paper for our noses.

Cause this way just gets too expensive!



Mis-macth Monday

Coy walks into our room with a stripped, multi colored babys hat on his head, topped with a lopsided cowboy hat. He's holding his stuffed  blue puppy with one arm, dragging an etch-a-sketch by the pen and string with the opposit hand.

Wait - there's more.

He has a pacifier. In his mouth - and he's 2 years old.

He sees me, drops the etch-a-sketch, whips the paci out his peanut butter and jelly covered mouth and exclaimes "puppys fier! puppy's fier!" as he stuffs the pacifier in the puppys sewn shut mouth.

Wait - there's still more.

"Puppy needs food!!!"

More...

"Puppy tinky". Pretty sure it's actually himself that he's smelling.

WELCOME TO MY WORLD WITH A WONDERFUL TWO YEAR OLD!

What I won't advertise, is that he woke up at 6 and was already sent back to bed with a spank by 7:30

Meeting

We were sick again today, so we missed meeting. Coy was sad, he kept telling us he wanted to "go to meen-een!" Then I got a video of him playing, and singing "Tell Me the Story of Jesus"...which of course is the only phrase of the song he knows. Then a quick "Amen" to close. It's a great start :)

Now that baby is 1 years old....he's sure not really a baby anymore!

He IS small (18.5 lbs, less the 1%tile) but his pediatrician is not worried at all yet because he's eating great and developing amazingly well! (He's just like his cousin, Madison, really "petite")

She said, just from watching the boys play during out appt, that he's rather advanced in his "trouble making abilities"! WHO KNEW?! Well, for one, I DID!! She claims it comes from having an older brother, very close in age. Great, just great. ;)

Bentley is now walking, walking, walking! He took a few feeble steps on his birthday, then more steps on Thanksgiving day. And now, he's all over the place. It's so hard to get used to.... He comes walking around the corner and I think "Coy sure looks small today!" Then WAIT...its BENTLEY! Haha, sure throws me for a loop most days!

Our bookworms occasionally agree on the same book. Ocassionally.

We went and made Lefse with our neighbor, Jerrian, and we enjoyed them warm with butter and freshly made huckleberry jam. Definatley something to be happy about...just ask Bentley :)

Bentleys bit through his lip yesterday :(

Logan threw up yesterday.

I burnt my fingers yesterday.

Coy threw up yesterday.

I ran out of Lysol...very untimely, yesterday.

Yesterday wasn't the best day ever.

Bummer, huh?

Sentiment

Bentley shuts his finger in the cupboard door. He speed-crawls towards mommy, half crying, half screaming. He lifts his hands up towards me and I bend down to pick him up. He cries, but stops when he reaches my chest and snuggles in. I think that his soft skin and whispy hair is more comforting to me, then my arms are for him.

In 10 years, will I remember the sentiment of such great love? Will I remember the smell of baby Bentley...and that he's the only one on this Earth that smells like that? And that my heart is so full I might explode? Will I remember that I hear "Hello World" by Lady Antebelum being played quietly from my iTunes?

I HOPE SO

Still Stuffed

Im late again....here's my Thanksgiving post, even though it was last week. That's how I roll.

Aunt Mary came Wednesday night after meeting and spent the night with us. We were up Thanksgiving morning just in time to get the turkey in! So, here's my first ever turkey, with help from Mary :) It was delicious, too!

The punkin pie was good too, of course. Coy had just woken up from a nap when we were cutting the pie. He was completely out of it...but awake just enough to know to gobble up that pie :)

I took pictures of the boys over a month ago, and just now finally got a print framed for the living room. I like it!

P.S this post has been saved as a draft for , like 3 days....so beware, now that im a blogging mood...there are more to come. Like, today ;)

365

Here is our little Bentley Armour,

just a seemingly-really-short

365 days ago...

And here he is today,

365 days old.

He is now jabbering, when it seems he was just yesterday grunting in his sleep.

He's crawling, when it seems he was just sleeping in my arms.

He's eating "big" food, when it seems he was just nursing 8 times a day.

We cheered at some first steps today, when it seems like just yesterday we were laying still by his side...waiting for him to smile during a toot. And we quietly cheered him on then too :)

And below, is the daddy, mommy and brother then looooove this little 1 year old sooo much!

Big brother was saying "appy boo-tee babie" all day long. And I mean all.day.long.

He even shouted it out loud during a tantrum!

HAPPY HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY

BENTLEY ARMOUR!

Take THIS, Math!

FOUR - number of times I got up with the boys last night
FOUR - time that Coy was up, and ready to go (somehow got him back to sleep after like an hour though)
ZERO - timeouts. WOW!
FIVE AND A HALF - minutes my shower lasted
TWO - pieces of chocolate it took to make me feel good
FORTY - minutes desired on treadmill
ZERO - actual minutes
ONE - new cow book, to satisfy a young mind
THREE - days till Logan gets home from a business trip

UNCALCULATED - # of deep breaths...

TWO - how many dimples it takes to make me smile
ONE + THREE - one "coys sowee mama", and three wet kissed makes me glad im a mommy :)

I Will Take The Fall

"The old earth is changing;

The seasons turn round.

The autumn leaves flutter

Their way to the ground.

My own world is changing

The seasons conspire

To grant me the peace

Of a rest by the fire"

 

 

 



HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Naomi!

It's your special day today, Nimi Lee! Happy Birthday to the bestest friend a gal could ask for. I love your (our dry) humor, your persistance, your courage, and your heart that is so generous. Have a super fantastic day, and maybe you'll get to the warm sunny FL beach today?! :) I LOVE YOU!

 Yesterday, our neighbor Jerrian, and her granddaughter Cameron rode their horses over to intive us to play in the leaves with them! I couldn't resist, since Coy and Bentley have never played in the leaves before...we've never had many leaves! Coy was completely confused, but eventually warmed up to the idea of covering mom and Jerrian with leaves. But it was "No Cover Pease!" when we wanted to pile them on him :)

I LOVE fall!

I took some more pictures of the boys today outside...and I'll post them as soon as I find my card reader! It bugs me soo much...it's always been in the way, until NOW, when I NEED it! Just call me super organized...ha

Fall Fun with the Zebra & Tiger

Another slideshow by Smilebox

We've been enjoying the cool weather with the warm sun. Makes me want to sit and sip a pumpkin spice latte! :) MMmm.

Sunday evening we went to Colemans and had a little Halloween party! We bobbed for apples, swung at a ghost piniata, and played Spoons! It was so fun, and it felt great to just relax, laugh and chit chat!

I know I haven't posted in a while and I'm sorry. I don't know how these popular mommy bloggers with 6 kids find time to sit and make 2 posts a day, sit and photoshop pictures, and dress their kids all cute and perfect...everyday!! Sigh. Maybe they have secret nannies they hide while they spend hours blogging...

It's hard to believe that Bentley will be ONE in less then 3 weeks!!

A-choo

"A-choo...A-choo" is what the 2 year old says these days! He's fighting a cold, but giving in to some good old Thomas the tank play time! Daddy got the boys a train table, complete with trains, railways, tunnels & signs off Craigslist. To be honest, once the boys went to bed, I spent nearly an hour playing putting together a track set. There's many many more peices, but we'll save those for a rainy day,...in like 2 years :)

These two little stinkers are the best ever!

Bentley's smile just warms up my heart! (and bones) He'll smile his dimply smile, which makes me smile. Which makes him smile bigger.

Which makes me laugh.

Which makes him squeel!

a..b..c.. come play with me!

The boys have been so good at playing lately :)

Of course not so good at picking them up though! Ha!

Logan had the "great" idea of loading Bentley in the awesome dumptruck Coy got from Uncle Kenny & Auntie Lichen. Coy caught on pretty quick, and drove B. around the living room until he dumped unloaded him out.

Gramma and Papa Braaten got the boys a little table and chairs for their birthdays. GREAT addition to the play room! Its got crayon and pen  art on it already, but it was bound to happen sometime! It's the most popular place for Coy's trains, and Bentley intently watches him play.

We're going out for a much needed dinner out tonight. Not a date-date, but a family-date. Nice to not cook OR clean for a night :)
It's an Italian places called "Romeo's". Getting some greens instead of something carb-y tonight...I've only lost 4 lbs in 7 months, and that's with actually trying, so it's time to get down to business. argh.

Have a good weekend guys! If the weather's nice, get your bum outside!! It won't last long! :)

Coy's birthday party

This photo album generated with Smilebox

i am being taught

I have very mixed feelings about Coy turning 2 years old in three days. I keep saying "I cant believe it", but in all honesty, I really can believe it! Sadly. Fall is my favorite season most definately, but now that I have babies...it's not just for the colors, cool weather, and pumpkin pie. Each time I've been pregnant, the wonderful experience I've experienced took place in the fall. I can vividlyl remember the smells, the cool air with warm sun, the sweet smell and soft tustle of the changing leaves. With those senses, I remember the kicking, rolling, hiccups of the babes inside me...the wondering, who is this little person? I remember feeling the fall sun on my face as I eagerly waited for contractions to start or my water to break, two years ago this week.  I remember distinctly the leaves we walked thru while pushing Coy in the stroller down Mullan Rd. in Clinton while timing contractions the day Bentley was born.

13 months apart?? holy cow!!

thats the reaction i get most when poeple ask how far apart the boys are in age. nthe comes, "how do you do it?" With patience, lots of patience! Being a frequently-needed-mommy to two little ones definately  requires pateince. It's calmed me down too. When Coy was a baby, I easily got upset when he was crying a lot, or when he wasn't taking his scheduled nap. I would groan and sigh heavily when I had to take him in and out of his carseat to run errands in town in the snow or rain. When we found out we were pregnant with Bentley when Coy was just 4 months old, I was excited, but super overwhelmed! The one baby that I had, had me strung out and I couldn't imagine another one!!

but i've learned balance. i've learned to multi-task. to take a deep breath. that it's ok that he's crying, it won't hurt him for a few minutes while I clean coy up from lunch. and right now?...i'm swaying, bouncin, eating, typing (and thinking) all at the same time. (wow, thinking?? i know) Bentley sits cozy in the moby wrap (in a new position i've created so that I can move my chin without hitting the head of my very long 10 month old) almost asleep because he's not falling asleep on his own today. i'm eating lunch at 2 oclock because we had story hour, coy took  40 minutes to eat a single bowl of spaghetti, then and i had to read 5 books to coy so he too, would fall asleep. that's my day. my normal day, that i love to greeat every morning now. (as long as it's not before 8 am...haha)

You bet I still get upset and frusterated, but when I remember to keep peacefull and take the day as it comes, I find I'm still happy at the close of day. When Coy was small, there were many days where I wished the day would hurry up and end because I was so tired, and now I'm kind of sad to think of how many day's I've lost saying that. I've stopped growling (most of the time) when I still get up with Bentley at least once a night. Time passes so fast. Too fast for me to be so uptight. So I embrace the challenges of each day, and delight in my babies, while they are still babies.

Of course, somedays i chew up and gag on my philosophy...but ya know....

LOVE TODAY!!...this is what my babies have taught me.

It being fall and all (except for this week of 80 degrees), nothing felt more right then baking an apple pie! I have tremendous help here, as you can see. It's the little cowboy who does it all, including baking! But, hold off little ladies! Even though he's cute, athletic AND domestic...he's all mommy's!

Here's the end result. Mmmmm. We had it fresh and warm Saturday evening, and have been slowly munchin on it since then. This morning, Logan texted, asking if I had apple pie for breakfast! NOW, WHO would eat such a thing for BREAKFAST??

Me, of course ;)

Just a lil piece...

Tiny piece.

With no ice cream.

No need to get your grunders in a bundle, daddy...he's just playing! Quite the imagination he's got too...heels, shopping bag, cell phone...! I said, he's all mine, girls! In case you were fighting over him... lol.

Now, here's the real boy in him! Him and daddy were workin hard to pull up posts in the yard, and settled on the tail gate for supper.

 Just call Benters "creepy crawler". "Crawler" for the obvious reason, but "creepy" because it IS creepy how he knows just what to get into that will push my buttons, and knows just what to head to after I have just picked up his last mess.



and now, i will brush his teeth

i attemped to take the boys pictures at a friends ranch today.

total disaster.

coy was a rash 2 year old and just about turned him loose with the cows.

my camera bag fell off the log it was sitting on, and got dung in it.

and, this was the last picture i took.

yes, that there, in bentleys little clean fingers, is what you think it is.

if i werent scrambling over there, the face he made after he tasted it was pretty funny too.

yuck.

there are no words...