Welcome to our little corner of the world

It's About Time!

2009-06-29T22:30:00.019-05:00

Hello, everybody! Sorry it's taken so long since my last post. I honestly think about writing, but then another week passes. I was looking at this tonight and the kids look SO LITTLE! I decided I had to post some new pictures and let you know what we've been up to.

Like everyone else, we've been really busy, but here are the main reasons I've been absent:

- I returned to school in late May. I started with 12 credits but realized it was too much in addition to working full-time and having two busy boys. So I'm currently still taking 6 credits (online) and will be done the first week of August. I'm studying Elementary Education. The original plan was for me to go full-time to ISU in the fall (hence the 12 credits) but we scrapped that for Plan B. I will try to take part-time classes through a UNI-DMACC program instead.

- Sam turned THREE on May 28!! We had many celebrations for our biggest boy. First, G&G Edmondson brought him a new bike on Memorial Day. (And he LOVES to ride his new bike; thank you G&G E!) His actual birthday was on a Thursday so we ate doughnuts in the morning and he took cupcakes to daycare -- where they made him a special hat and sang "Happy Birthday". That night, Brian, Jake and I took him to Happy Joes to celebrate. He got to play one of his favorite games -- skeeball! He picked out -- imagine this -- a pink baseball bat with his tickets. Then we had a party in conjunction with Scandinavian Days with the rest of the family. Here is a picture of his party at our house and the cake Brian and I made for him. We had so much fun making it!! Thanks to everyone who helped to make his third birthday so memorable. He loves all his presents and can't get enough of his baseballs, bats, and bike!

- We went to Osage Beach at the end of May/first part of June. We had lots of fun with G&G Edmondson, Connie, Kirk and Lukas. Those boys were inseparable and had a blast together. And we even found an arcade with $.10 skeeball!!!!

- We bought an acreage. And I use the word 'acreage' loosely. We bought a little more than three acres of land with a house on it. And the word 'house' may or may not describe the property that sits on the land. It is going to take A LOT of work. A. LOT. We are estimating that nobody has lived there for about four years. Unless you count cats, raccoons and other varmints. We are currently assessing whether or not it's salvagable to rent out until we have the time/energy/money/etc. to bulldoze it. In the meantime it's a nice place to have a campfire. If we cut the 8-foot weeds.

- We went to Omaha last week. Brian had some work meetings, so Sam and I tagged along. Jake got to go to G&G Knoll's. It was fun to have some one-on-one time with Sammy D. He's a different boy when his little brother is not around for him to pick on. We went swimming, to the zoo, out to dinner, etc. And he got to ride on a big charter bus to and from the zoo. I think that was his favorite part! He was one tired little boy at the end of our short trip. But we are so glad we had the chance to spend some quality time with our oldest "little man". (No pictures yet since I used a disposable camera.)

- I've been interviewing for jobs. Haven't been hired yet, but hoping to land one soon. I was in the final two of a company last week, and have a phone interview this week for something that I'm pretty excited about. Keep your fingers crossed! :)

- And, last but not least, Jake started walking on Father's Day! Here's a quick video from last night:

That's about it in a nutshell. I will hopefully be able to post more frequently. I can't wait until the first week of August when school is done!! And Jake's FIRST BIRTHDAY is August 3! YEAH!!! Until then ... hope all is well with you! :)

The Sky is Falling!

2009-02-27T23:23:00.001-06:00

I'm actually updating our blog!! Yeah!

So sorry for the long delay in updating this. Much has changed in the past few weeks.

The major changes in a nutshell:

- Brian has lost 20 pounds! (I started a Body Boot Camp on Jan. 5 so we decided to start eating better.) I'm so proud of him -- and lucky to have such a supportive spouse who helped me through this 8-week program!

- I have lost 11 pounds, 7+ inches and gained some muscle. Anyone up for a gun show? I can give you one! My last actual day of Boot Camp was today and I'm sad it's over. I'm about halfway to my goal. The next boot camp starts in May and I can't wait!! In the meantime I plan to train for the Drake Relays half-marathon and Dam to Dam. And now that I've written it on this blog I HAVE to follow through! :)

- My territory for work has grown fairly large (we've had 3 rounds of layoffs since August, so although I'm fortunate to still have a job, my area has grown to compensate for those who were let go ... hence one of the reasons for my absenteeism on this blog!).

- Sam is truly a joy although sometimes he'd rather be a naughty big brother. He is a very sweet little boy who is quick with a hug and kiss and constantly makes us laugh. He loves to say "Idea!" and then proceed to tell us his next grand plan. Some of his favorites include playing catch and lining up and playing with his Matchbox cars. Tonight he was watching TV with Brian while I made supper. He asked if Brian would like to share his blanket. Brian said "no, thank you". To which Sam replied, "good job saying no thank you, Daddy!"

- Jake is movin' and a shakin' like no other! He's army-crawling everywhere and is starting to get up on all fours. His first two teeth are just around the corner, too, as both of his bottom teeth are starting to poke through.

That's about it from here. Sorry to take so long in posting. Hope all is well and I'll try to update this more often. :)

Update

2009-01-14T20:24:00.006-06:00

And here I am again, two weeks later! (Told you I wasn't going to make any resolutions I couldn't keep!) The past month has been a little crazy.

Here are a few videos from the last week ...

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T08:51:00.004-06:00

Once again it's been more than two weeks since I've updated this. Time just gets away from us! We switched daycares in early December, and that's taken a little toll on the family -- especially me! Instead of traveling too far for work, I stayed close to home these past few weeks just in case anything came up at the daycare. It's going pretty well; Sam seems to have fun and likes his new buddies. But I am still struggling with thoughts of staying home versus working. We'll see what 2009 brings ...

We celebrated Christmas and family A LOT this year: Knoll side Dec. 19-21; a surprise b-day party for Grandma Yori's 80th on the 21st; Casey's 13th birthday on the 23rd; Christmas Eve at Grandma & Grandpa Yori's; Christmas morning at home followed by lunch at Grandma & Grandpa Edmondson's. Another Christmas for the Burchland family was scheduled for the 27th and was postponed until the 28th due to bad weather. We ended up missing that because Jake was still feeling a bit under the weather. (He had a cold/flu for a few days but I think we're mainly all healthy again!)

And speaking of 2009 ... hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve! We stayed home with the boys and were up by 5:45 the next morning! Happy New Year!! :)

Here are a few pics and videos from the past few weeks ... hope you had Happy Holidays and we look forward to a happy and healthy 2009! Hopefully I'll update this more often, but I'm not making any resolutions I can't keep! :)

Happy 13th Birthday, Casey!

2008-12-18T21:44:00.004-06:00

On Saturday night, my cousin Casey had her 13th birthday party. She got to choose what she wanted, and she picked a 50s-themed sock hop! They invited 40 kids and had the party at the elementary school gym. Brian and I were able to stop by on our way home from Christmas shopping. We arrived just in time for the 8 p.m. limbo. Most of the kids were dressed up for the sock hop (poodle skirts, white t's and jeans for boys, etc.). Menu items included burgers and fries, and the cakes looked just like vinyl records! It looked like a lot of fun and we are so happy to be part of this amazing young lady's life. She is a great person. Happy 13th Birthday, Casey!!

Visit To Santa

2008-12-18T21:31:00.004-06:00

On Saturday morning, we took the boys to eat breakfast with Santa. Sam was so excited to see Santa, but when we got to the room, he chickened out. Santa finally came up to our table to tickle Sam and ask what he wanted for Christmas. Sam changed his "blue car" request at the last minute to "doughnuts!" (Don't know where that came from, as our breakfast with Santa consisted of eggs, sausage and cinnamon rolls ... which Sam called Tootsie Rolls ... too funny!)

Afterwards, Sam and I went to Santa's Workshop to make some crafts and color. Fun day!

Lincoln, Nebraska-Iowa

2008-12-18T21:25:00.001-06:00

I'm finally posting from the past few weeks ... On Dec. 6-7, we rented a van and drove the four of us plus my grandparents to Lincoln, Neb. (Sam calls it Lincoln, Nebraska-Iowa.) My aunt coaches basketball so we usually make more trips there during the season to watch her team play. She and her hubby have a four-year-old son and the boys have a blast playing together. We drove straight to the arena for the Noon tipoff, and when we got there we discovered the boys were dressed exactly the same! (We received the outfit last year from Aunt Connie and it's about the only red one he has without ISU on it!) They had so much fun playing together in their matching outfits! We had a great time visiting with Grandma and Grandpa in the van and Sam had waaay too many snacks! That's what grandparents are for! Thanks for a fun weekend, everyone! Here are some pics and videos from the weekend ...

So Proud

2008-12-08T07:47:00.000-06:00

This morning, Brian and I took the boys to a new daycare. Our previous one is closing and it's the only place our boys have ever known. Sam has grown up there, and has made some very good buddies. He absolutely loved playing with them, as well as our provider's older boys who are 11 and 13. He looked up to them and idolized them. So it made this morning extremely difficult for us, especially me. I was dreading taking them someplace new and unfamiliar. It literally hurt my heart.

Last night, we invited our new care provider, her hubby and two boys (2 yrs. and 3 mos.) over for pizza. We wanted them to play together at least once before just leaving him there with unfamiliar people. They had a great time playing cars and trucks and just running around. That was a good sign and eased my anxiety a bit.

Then, this morning, our precious two-and-a-half-year-old did something that brought tears to my eyes. He was ready to go to "Carson and Carter's house". We piled into Brian's car and Sam said that HE wanted to knock on the door. That little dude knocked on the door, went on in and started playing with Carson. He thought Mommy and Daddy would be staying, but when we said we had to go to work, he came over, gave us each a hug and kiss and even made a joke, saying "Bye bye, Pumpkin!"

That little guy made me SO PROUD to be his mom. Even though I can't stop thinking about him and Jake today, I know we are doing the right thing and raising a confident and happy little boy. And that makes me so proud.

Slacker

2008-12-04T07:03:00.004-06:00

I haven't posted in awhile so am taking the lazy way out and putting pics in a slideshow. (Weird how having two kids, a full-time job and getting ready for Christmas makes life a bit hectic!) I'll try to post more when I have a little more time. For now, enjoy the pics and we hope you are doing well!

The Other One Talks, Too

2008-11-21T20:40:00.004-06:00

Okay, so I've been meaning to post a couple things that Sam has said recently. He's starting to put more words together and it's funny how his little mind works.

Lately we've been talking a lot about where people live. He knows that some of our family lives in "Ankey, Iowa", some in "Altoona, Iowa", others in "Tadinda, Iowa", and so forth. So today at Wal-Mart we saw a large inflatable Santa Claus. Our conversation went something like this:

Sam (excitedly pointing to Santa): "Look, Mommy, Santa!"

Me: "Yeah! Good job, Buddy!" (I was so proud because he'd never called him by name, and last year he was very afraid of him.)

Sam: "Where Santa live, Mommy?"

Me: "The North Pole."

Sam: "North Pole, Iowa."

And one more ...
The other night we were saying prayers. We usually just "God Bless" everyone and call it a night. But we've started doing the sign of the cross now. So I say "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen." A couple nights ago, Sam surprised me by saying it all by himself.

His version: "Father, Son, Holy Shoulder. Amen."

"Happy Thanksgiving"

2008-11-20T13:31:00.004-06:00

Here's a quick video of Jake "talking" a couple days ago. I'm sure he's saying "Happy Thanksgiving." :)

(We are amazed at how much he talks, since Sam did not babble very much at all! Although you're not supposed to compare your kids, it's amazing how different they can be!)

We're At It Again ...

2008-11-14T16:46:00.012-06:00

Most of you know that we spent almost two straight years demolishing and remodeling our home. Yes, TWO STRAIGHT YEARS. It consumed every spare moment we had. We tore out each and every piece of plaster, re-wired all the rooms, installed insulation, hung drywall, laid tile, etc., etc. Here are some pictures (they are at least 3 years old so some of the rooms have changed again, such as the kids' rooms), but it gives a little glimpse of what we did. These are just a few of the gazillion pictures we have ... and they're a few years old so most are missing furniture, etc., but you get the idea!

And now we are doing the same to the basement. Why, oh why, do we do this to ourselves?? Although the basement is going to be small potatoes compared to the rest of the house ... and we're not doing much drywall or anything too complicated so hopefully it won't take too long ... but now we have two kids ... hmmm ... we might be done in a few years! :)

Kitchen/Dining Room Before (we knocked out the wall in-between)

Kitchen/Dining Room Mid-Job

Kitchen/Dining Room After

Kitchen/Dining Room 2 Before

Kitchen/Dining Room 2 After

Kitchen/Dining Room 3 Before

Kitchen/Dining Room 3 After

Kitchen/Dining Room 4 Before

Kitchen/Dining Room 4 After

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

Hall Bathroom Before

Hall Bathroom After

Hall Bathroom Before

Hall Bathroom After

Office Before

Office *Almost* After

Office Before

Office After

Guest Room Before

Guest Room After (now Jake's room so different from this pic)

Guest Room Before

Guest Room After

Fireplace Before

Fireplace *Almost* After

Bedroom Walkout Before

Bedroom Walkout After

Master Bathroom Before

Master Bathroom After

Three Months Old!

2008-11-03T21:45:00.004-06:00

I can't believe how fast time has flown with Jake! He turned three months old today. It seems we were able to savor Sam's little moments a bit more than we can with Jake. (Funny how you lose track of time when you have two of them!!) He's growing so fast -- too fast. Here is a video taken today in which he's almost rolling from back to front! I'm excited to see all his changes, yet it makes me a little sad that he's getting so big so quick.

"Two Boys"

2008-11-03T21:21:00.003-06:00

A couple more of our "two boys" ...

Kid Cuisine

2008-11-03T21:17:00.005-06:00

How many two-year-olds would rather eat shrimp than chicken nuggets? Check out his plate of nuggets, and look what he's reaching for instead. Shrimp is probably his favorite food, followed closely by eggs or tenderloins.

And the second picture is him eating "green eggs" for breakfast. We've been reading "Green Eggs and Ham" (featuring, of course, Sam-I-Am!).

Our Neighbor: Part II

2008-11-03T21:00:00.004-06:00

As promised, here's a better video of his yard on Halloween:

The Pirate and the Bumble Bee

2008-11-03T20:11:00.007-06:00

Here are some shots from trick-or-treating last Friday here in town. It was such a beautiful night! We were lucky and got to do it two nights in a row -- and both were terrific so we had to take advantage of them! :) At first Sam was apprehensive about going up to people's doors, but that shortly wore off. By the end of the night, he was walking up to doors and knocking on them all by himself (see videos at the end of this post). Such a big boy! He also found a "titty-tat" that he loved. He kept wanting to "touch it, touch it" but we weren't sure where it came from. The cat starting following us for a little while, and Sam loved that, too.

Welcome To Our House

2008-11-03T20:04:00.004-06:00

Just a quick glimpse of what happens at our house ...

"Uh Oh, Mickey"

2008-11-03T19:55:00.004-06:00

Last week, I was cleaning upstairs and Sam was 'helping' me. He disappeared for awhile but apparently I was too busy to notice how long he'd been gone. Once I realized he was being too quiet for too long, I discovered him in the bathroom. Upon my asking what he was doing, he replied, "Uh oh, Mickey." He had squirted the entire bottle of his brand-new Mickey Mouse bubble bath into the tub. It was fun while it lasted, albeit not very long!

Room With a View

2008-10-31T14:53:00.004-05:00

For those of you who have been to our house, you know about "the neighbor". (I posted about him last year, too. Click here to refresh your memory.) Today as I'm working in my office, trying to enjoy this beautiful day with my windows open, I am listening to all sorts of Halloween music and scary sounds blasting from his yard. He's scurrying around trying to get his yard ready for the "big night". I just had to tape some of this, but he's out there right now so I'm doing it from the confines of my house. I'll try to get some better footage tonight, but for now, check this out:

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T13:44:00.006-05:00

Here are a few quick pics and videos from last night and some from this morning. We trick-or-treated at my parents' house. We are tentatively planning to do it again tonight at home, although it was a major struggle to get Sam to wear his costume (hence the reason his shirt isn't buttoned and he's missing his bandana ...). So, we'll see what tonight brings! And it was such a rush that I forgot to take pics of Jake! (He's only three months old and he's already getting the shaft.) I'll try to get some more if we dress up again tonight ....

OCD?

2008-10-27T20:17:00.003-05:00

Here is Sam, a year later, still organizing things. If you'll recall, I wrote about this more than a year ago in a post entitled "Mr. Organization". And, here he is, still lining things up. This particular activity kept him busy for at least 10 minutes. He was "helping" me make supper but got sidetracked by organizing Jake's bottles. He'd take them out of the cupboard, line up the bottles, then the lids, then put them away one-by-one. Then repeat. We'll definitely have to remember this little activity.

First 'Official' Day

2008-10-27T20:00:00.004-05:00

Here are the "two boys" before heading to daycare this morning. (I put this in quotation marks because that's one of Sam's favorite phrases. Each time I type it, I think of his little voice saying it.)

(Do you like Brian's new tattoo in the last picture? Sam has a matching one on his arm, too. They are monster trucks. We can't seem to get them to come off ...)

Dreading Monday

2008-10-26T20:43:00.002-05:00

I'm dreading tomorrow. It's not just an ordinary Monday. It's my first day back to work after having 12 weeks off for maternity leave. It's the first time both boys will be at daycare together and the beginning of a new chapter in our lives. Sam will probably never remember going by himself. He'll always have his little brother by his side. Although I'm extremely glad they'll be buddies and have each other to play with, I'm sad I won't be there for them each and every day. It's such a heartbreaking, heavy guilt that mothers go through when taking their kids to daycare. I think it's a bit easier with Jake than with Sam since we already know the caregiver, but it's still difficult. If anyone knows of a part-time job in the Ames area with benefits, I'm seriously interested. Seriously.

Random Pics

2008-10-19T20:18:00.001-05:00

Chunky Monkey

2008-10-09T15:08:00.007-05:00

Jake had his two-month check-up today. His pediatrician was pleased with his progress and called him a very happy baby. He even said Jake was 'ahead of schedule' in rolling over. He said you want them to be active, but then there's no looking back after that! We thought Sam was pretty active; now his little brother is trying to show him up!

Jake was 13 lbs., 6 oz. and 23 1/2 inches long at his checkup. (At birth he was 8 lbs., 7 oz. and 21 1/2 inches.) This puts him in the 60th percentile for height and 90th percentile for weight!

During the visit, poor Jake was lying on the examination table, just grinning and cooing and having a grand 'ol time. The little guy had no idea he was about to receive five shots! Of course he didn't think they were fun, but he did a pretty good job. And I didn't do too bad, either.

We're Still Here!

2008-10-08T16:22:00.006-05:00

So I've been slacking a bit in posting ... here are some pics from the past few weeks ... it's been a little busy lately, but the biggest news is that Jake rolled over at nearly 8 weeks old and started sleeping through the night at exactly 9 weeks old! (Hey, a proud mom has to share!!) Today he is 9.5 weeks old. He has his two-month check-up tomorrow so I imagine I'll post more then ...

Happy Fifth Anniversary!

2008-10-02T06:11:00.000-05:00

Five Years Ago Today ...

2008-09-30T07:38:00.009-05:00

This morning when I was feeding Jake at 4:30, I couldn't help but remember that Brian and I were up at this time exactly five years ago -- Tuesday, Sept. 30. We voluntarily awoke to our alarm at 4:30 a.m. and eagerly put our carefully-packed bags into the car. We had been anticipating the moment for months and it finally arrived! We were heading to Hawaii. It would be no ordinary trip, as we would return home as husband and wife. Today all of those memories come flooding back. So much has changed in the past five years but in some ways it seems like yesterday when we arrived in Maui and walked along the beach.

Brothers Part II

2008-09-26T15:02:00.003-05:00

Trendsetter

2008-09-22T21:20:00.002-05:00

Sam is quite the goofball and here are a couple pictures to prove it. They were both taken during the past week. Maybe he has a future in fashion design ??

"Two Boys"

2008-09-22T21:01:00.007-05:00

Like most two-year-olds, Sam is quite observant and likes to talk about everything. He often says "two boys", and then fills in the blank with whatever. For example, "Two boys ... drinking milk" or "Two boys ... riding bikes", etc. The best was on a Saturday morning when he and Brian were watching cartoons. He turned to Brian and said, "two boys ... in bed". He used to say this about himself and Brian, but now he's starting to say it about himself and Jake.

Fran's Clan

2008-09-22T20:42:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, the boys and I walked in the Alzheimer's Association walk in Marshalltown to help raise money and awareness for the disease. Brian's grandma, Fran, has this devastating disease so all the women (and kids) on that side of the family walked together in honor of her. Our team was called "Fran's Clan". It was a lot of fun, and all for a good cause! Thanks, Julie, for organizing this! Hopefully we will hear some good news from you in the next week or so!! :-)

Prayer Request

2008-09-18T12:57:00.006-05:00

The son of some good family friends was in a terrible ATV accident on Sept. 6 (this family introduced my mom to Lynn, and I grew up with their daughter). Jeff is doing better than expected, but is not out of the woods yet. It could take a full year for his recovery. Any extra thoughts and prayers for the Moore family are greatly appreciated. You can read about Jeff here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/jeffmoore.

The Week in Pictures ...

2008-09-18T12:57:00.002-05:00

Smilin' Jake

2008-09-11T14:07:00.002-05:00

One more video I forgot about ...

Here's the Church, Here's the Steeple ...

2008-09-11T13:54:00.003-05:00

I forgot I made this video last week; it's Sam teaching Jake 'here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors and see all the people'. (At the end you hear him saying "all done, all done". He absolutely loves to hold his baby brother, but whenever there is any hint of fussing on Jake's part, immediately Sam is "all done".)

Brothers

2008-09-08T16:01:00.004-05:00

Okay, so Sam had a bad day last week (see "Naughty Boy" post below). But then there are moments like these that make me appreciate that these two, healthy, sweet boys were given to us from God. We truly are blessed. Hopefully we don't screw them up too badly. :-)

Fun-filled Weekend

2008-09-08T15:49:00.004-05:00

On Saturday, Sam and I went to the Pufferbilly Days parade in Boone while Brian stayed home with Jake. Then we all went to a street dance in Gilman to help celebrate aunt Sue's 50th birthday. Sam got to dance with his cousins and he kept repeating "dark 'side, dark 'side". He was amazed it was dark outside -- and he was out there! He had fun listening to his very first live band and running around with his cousins. We also got to introduce Jake to his great-grandpa Burchland for the first time. Jake also met most of his extended family on the Knoll side, which was neat. He has another little cousin who's just two weeks older than him so it was fun to meet her as well.

Naughty Boy

2008-09-08T15:44:00.002-05:00

Last week, Sam was upset about something ... can't really remember what right now ... but here's a few pictures that Brian took after the 'temper tantrum'. This was by far his worst, but he has been known to pick up his bed a few times recently and rearrange his room. Ahh, the fun times of life with a two-year-old and a newborn! :-)

Go State!

2008-08-29T13:28:00.010-05:00

Last night we went to Iowa State's football season opener. This has become a tradition for us and I hope it continues as the boys grow older. Although we didn't make it into the stadium this time, we still had fun people-watching and tailgating for awhile. Hopefully we're brainwashing the kids enough so they don't grow up to cheer for the dreaded Old Gold and Black (no offense, Vicki)! :-) Oh, and the Cyclones beat the South Dakota State Jackrabbits, 44-17.

Family of Four

2008-08-29T13:10:00.002-05:00

Our first official outing as a 'family of four' was last weekend. We took a quick trip to Little Wall Lake (just north of town) for a few hours. Sam had fun playing in the sand (he didn't want to get into the water) and Jake did what he does best -- sleep!

Random Shots

2008-08-29T13:05:00.000-05:00

Here are few random pics from the past week. Last weekend, Ray and Casey came to visit, so here's a picture of her holding Jake.

The next picture is Sam wearing Jake's hospital hat. The ladies' auxiliary from the hospital crochets a little hat for each baby, so we have one for each of the boys. Sam thinks the hat is hilarious since it has a "ball" on the top of it -- and he loves to wear it all around the house!

And the last picture is Sam's 'Spongebob Squarepants' bandaid. He is sort of proud of this. It's the first bandaid he's ever had (besides from the doctor when he received shots).

Random Pics

2008-08-17T18:50:00.004-05:00

Proud Big Bro

2008-08-17T16:24:00.005-05:00

Here's a quick video of Sam and Jake at the hospital ...

He's Here!

2008-08-06T07:47:00.004-05:00

Jacob Thomas Knoll ("Jake") was born at 1:24 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 3. It was a very fast labor. I started having regular contractions around 7:30 p.m. and we got to the hospital at 10:30 p.m. Unfortunately, the umbilical cord was wrapped around his neck, (they didn't know this until he was delivered, but his heart rate was dropping so they needed to deliver him quickly). But he's here and healthy and that's the main thing. We are adjusting to life and all is going well.

Still Here ...

2008-07-28T20:17:00.002-05:00

I have received phone calls and text messages from a number of people, so thought I'd update our blog. No, we have not had our baby yet. Since Sam was 10 days early, we thought we might go a bit early. We are still 7 days from our due date but nothing yet. I have another appointment tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. so should learn more then. As of my last appointment, I was 2 cm dilated and 60-70% effaced. Sorry if that's too much info for some of you! We'll let you know when the little guy makes his appearance! Talk to you soon.

Visit to Grandma B.

2008-07-27T14:06:00.005-05:00

Today we visited Grandma and Grandpa Burchland. We hadn't been there in quite awhile and needed to make a visit. And since our projects are finally done, it was the perfect opportunity. In addition to visiting, Sam got to see some fish, a white puppy, and go out to eat! And he got to eat some of Dad's french fries! Life is good. :-)

Everybody Loves Raymond

2008-07-27T14:02:00.003-05:00

After the zoo, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Yori's house since Mary and Cris were visiting from Colorado. Unfortunately I must've been too exhausted from the zoo, because I just realized I didn't take any pictures of them!!

I only took one picture that whole night, and it's this one. Sam was having so much fun playing with Uncle Raymond that he decided he needed to start giving him hugs and kisses. I thought it was very sweet.

Fun at the Zoo

2008-07-27T13:57:00.003-05:00

Grandma Knoll and her sister, Karen, took all their grandkids to the zoo last week (7 of them!). Traci and I also went along, which I think was a good thing; there were a lot of munchkins to run after! Thanks so much for a fun day!! Although Sam was deathly afraid of the "red choo-choo", he can't stop talking about it now!

Shout Out to the Grammas

2008-07-20T20:58:00.007-05:00

After three months of trying to grow out Sam's hair, we decided it needed to be cut again. (It stands straight up in the back and we have the worst time trying to keep it down!) He might have a buzz cut for his entire life! But it's hot outside so it's good for summer. Here he is, showing off his new 'do.

Our New Baby

2008-07-09T20:42:00.002-05:00

Here is the latest addition to our family -- a 1967 Mustang convertible! She's not the prettiest girl on the block, but hopefully with some TLC she'll shine right up in about 20 years!

Brian has wanted one since, well, forever, and this kind of just fell into our laps. So hopefully the boys will take an interest in cars and they can help Dad fix it up in the future.

Oh, and the *other* baby is due in about 26 days (but who's counting). We'll keep you updated upon his arrival!

One Tired Kid

2008-07-03T22:23:00.003-05:00

Since I had to work tonight, I picked up Sam early and we spent the afternoon together. We got to eat pizza for lunch (or "pizza ... hut", as he calls it), go to the pool and play at the park. He did not nap although I put him to bed for more than an hour. He just played and played -- and knocked over some stuff in his room. But, anyway, here is some video that Brian took while they were having dinner tonight. If you know Sam very well, you know that he DOES NOT fall asleep easily just anywhere. He has never been a napper in the car or any of those places where most kids easily nod off. So this was quite entertaining to us!

Fun In the Sun

2008-06-24T15:05:00.006-05:00

Last weekend was a pretty hot one, so we were finally able to break out Sam's pool! He had so much fun putting ALL of his balls and water toys in the pool, then taking them all out -- one by one -- then putting them back in, etc., etc. If I would've known this would keep him busy for so long, I would've set it up a long time ago! :-)

We also went to the local berry patch to pick strawberries. It was funny watching him pick berries and "sample" a few along the way. He'd take a big bite out of one, then throw it back in the pail to take home with us. As I was cleaning them later, I came across five or six with teeth marks in them. It made me smile each time I found one.

Sam also realized that he likes to wear his "shades" when it's sunny outside.

Happy Father's Day AND Happy Birthday!

2008-06-18T06:54:00.000-05:00

Brian celebrated his 35th birthday and his 3rd Father's Day on June 15. He got to sleep in, eat doughnuts and play with Sam! But -- bless his heart -- he actually worked most of the day to try to meet our deadline of getting projects finished by July 1. There are still a few things around the house (linen cabinets for both upstairs bathrooms) that have been unfinished for nearly three years, so we're trying to get them done before this baby!

Sam and I (and the baby) are so very lucky to have such a hard-working, loving and supportive husband and father. Thanks for everything. We love you!

Camping Fun

2008-06-08T20:38:00.005-05:00

Here are a few pictures from our quick camping getaway last night. Sam can't stop talking about his cousins: Ava, Jack and "Mac" (Max)! He had a blast running around with them and throwing rocks in the water. We all had a great time relaxing and eating too much! :-) Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa Knoll!

Mother Nature

2008-06-08T19:59:00.011-05:00

We went camping with Brian's family last night. As we returned home around 11:30 a.m., we could tell it had rained overnight. (This makes about a million days of rain in a row.) The golf course, south park and baseball field were all underwater -- which is a fairly normal occurance -- but it was higher than usual. We didn't think much about it; came home, ate lunch, did laundry, caught up on the newspaper, etc., etc.

Later, I heard a helicopter flying overhead for quite awhile and told Brian, "WHO or KCCI must be taking footage of the water." Then we both proceeded to fall asleep while Sam napped. A siren woke us briefly but we ignored it -- it drove past our house quickly like they normally do -- and went back to sleep.

Fast forward to this evening around 7 p.m. After putting Sam to bed for the night, I noticed some barricades at our intersection signaling that our road was closed. I went to check it out, and lo and behold, our little town is flooded! We were so oblivious this was happening -- just down the block! I guess we should pay a bit more attention when there are helicopters overhead and police sirens blaring.

I grabbed my camera to quickly find most of our neighbors walking around and surveying the town. It was quite interesting. I overheard someone say they "never thought they could go fishing at the football field".

But I would definitely call us lucky. We don't have much water in our basement, and even if we did, we would still feel extremely blessed. After all that has happened this spring, weather-wise, at least we have a basement and a roof over our heads.

P.S. The helicopter was Chopper 13, as there is a picture of Story City sandbagging on the Channel 13 web site: http://www.whotv.com/global/story.asp?s=8448640

Random Pics

2008-06-05T20:24:00.000-05:00

Sam helped Brian put together his very own table last weekend. And he also got to have a picnic inside when it was raining. What fun!

Thank You

2008-06-05T20:23:00.000-05:00

After Sam's birthday, Brian's mom stayed with us from Wednesday night until Sunday. It was so nice having her here to help out. She makes life so much easier for us. She did laundry, cleaned the bathrooms, played with/watched Sam, came with me to Sam's two-year check-up, planted the remainder of our plants and helped put down mulch. It was great. Thanks so much, Kathy. You are wonderful!

Birthday Celebration(s!)

2008-06-05T06:32:00.007-05:00

I'm a bit late in posting Sam's birthday pictures from last week. On Wednesday (his b-day) we took him to an indoor playland in Ankeny called "Recess". There he was joined by his cousins Franki, Jack & Max, Aunt Traci, Uncle Will, Uncle Todd, Grandma Knoll, Grandma Edmondson, Great-Grandma Yori, Great-Grandpa Yori and Brian's cousin Julie. He had a blast playing and running around, and I think he rode the train at least 10 times. He also enjoyed shooting hoops.

After that, Grandma Knoll came to stay with us until Sunday morning. She was very nice and helped with a million things around the house (see 'thank you' post). Sam loved having her around and was very sad when she went home.

Then, on Sunday, Grandma & Grandpa Edmondson and Great-Grandma & Grandpa Yori came to visit again since Grandpa E. couldn't attend Wednesday night's festivities. And we had the birthday cake that Grandma E. made since they wouldn't allow us to bring it in to the playland.

He was so excited for our company to come over that he didn't nap on Sunday. By the end of the weekend, he was all partied out! But it was a good time had by all. Thanks, everyone, for helping to celebrate the little man's birthday. I'm afraid his world is about to turn upside down in a couple months once his little brother arrives.

Happy 2nd Birthday!

2008-06-03T21:09:00.002-05:00

Ahhh ...

2008-05-26T21:58:00.008-05:00

A day of mowing ...

... followed by some riding ...

... then carefully selecting and lining up vehicles ...

... should always end with a cold one on the deck!

What a Weekend!

2008-05-26T21:43:00.004-05:00

We got so much accomplished this weekend! Saturday morning, Brian dug a trench around the outside of the deck so we could lay landscaping pavers, while Sam and I purchased some plants to plant after we installed the pavers. While Sam was napping, Brian and I installed most of the pavers, and Sam 'helped' when he woke up. He was such a good boy this weekend, and loved being outside helping Dad and Mom.

On Sunday, we put down the preen and then planted the 12 plants we bought. We would still like to plant about 26 more -- but who's counting? -- and we're planning to do that next weekend.

Today, Brian was able to stain some more of the deck. The only thing left to stain are the stairs and the main floor.

Oh yeah, and I painted around the new laundry room doors while Sam was napping.

And Sam 'helped' me mow the lawn. He got a bubble lawn mower last year for his birthday, and we finally opened it this weekend. He had a blast and it kept him occupied so we could do a lot of the yard work.

All in all, it was a very successful weekend. We also celebrated Sam's birthday, watched the Memorial Day parade and attended a Memorial Day program at the cemetary. Oh, and we did have a chance to relax on our deck for awhile, too. :-)

Early Birthday Celebration

2008-05-26T21:35:00.003-05:00

We decided to celebrate Sam's second birthday this morning instead of waiting until his actual birthday on Wednesday. We figured we'd be rushed on Wednesday morning, and we are planning to go to Chuck-E-Cheese in West Des Moines that night, so we opened presents this morning. And, we got to have DOUGHNUTS! He was loving every minute! This was the first time he really understood how to open a present and it was fun to watch him. He received: Curious George stickers, a dinosour, talking Mickey Mouse (see him kissing Mickey in one of the pictures), sidewalk chalk, three books (one about TRUCKS, Dr. Seuss's ABC book and Are You My Mother?). But I think his favorite gift was the Matchbox cars! He jumped up and down when he opened them, and wanted to play with them right away. Of course we took them straight outside to the deck and played all day with them!

30 Weeks

2008-05-26T21:21:00.005-05:00

Here is another prego photo of me, this time at 30 weeks along. I'm feeling good, and we got a lot done this weekend, which makes me feel even better! Sam was born at 38.5 weeks, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed this little guy will be early, too! :-)

Our Budding Architect

2008-05-19T12:34:00.000-05:00

Sam has always enjoyed stacking things. His most recent hobby is stacking his cars -- onto anything. Here is one of his latest and greatest.

Circus, Circus!

2008-05-04T13:34:00.004-05:00

Yesterday, my mom and dad took their five grandkids (and me) to the Shriners Circus in Des Moines. This was Sam's first circus and I was so curious to see how he'd react. As soon as the lights dimmed, he started saying "bye" and didn't want to stick around to see what would happen next. As a two-year-old, he was probably a bit young to sit still for the 2+ hours, but he did a pretty good job. Plus, he loved playing with his cousins.

His favorite parts of the circus were: the pigs that slid down the slide; the balloons that the clowns had; and the motorcycle on the high-wire. After each of those acts, he yelled out for "More! More! More!"

Afterwards, we got to go to McDonald's and play at the PlayLand. He thought that was tons of fun. Since he had some older cousins with him, he was able to finally go to the top and slide down. He thought that was pretty cool.

Then we got to stop and see Grandma and Grandpa Yori on the way home. We hadn't seen them since before our Colorado trip. It was fun to play basketball with them and show off his somersaults.

All in all, it was a great day. He was completely exhausted when we got home, and nothing felt better than lying in Daddy's arms.

P.S. I'm still trying to figure out the settings on our new camera (see Colorado trip where we broke our old camera) so these pics are a bit blurry. Unfortunately they are the best ones of the whole day.

Garage Sale Haul

2008-05-04T13:23:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was the citywide garage sales in both Story City and Gilbert. By 9 a.m. I was finished shopping and had pulled in almost 20 shirts and 10 pairs of shorts for the kid. I went to the same houses as last year; they have boys a little older than Sam and everything's always in great condition. Plus he now has new stuff for his "big boy" room, which is going to have a car/airplane/bus/anything-with-wheels theme. Oh, and I broke down and bought three toys. I couldn't resist. He loves his new grill (he calls it a "daddy") and his bus.

Paybacks ...

2008-05-01T21:04:00.002-05:00

You know the old saying, "Paybacks are a b*%^&"? Well, today Sam got his payback. A couple months ago, he bit his best buddy, Garrett, at daycare. Apparently, today, Sam decided he wanted to play with the toy Garrett had. And Garrett had finally had enough of Sam, and bit his arm! It didn't break the skin, but you can totally tell he'd been chomped on. (The pics are a bit blurry due to the unability of a two-year-old to sit still and hold his arm up for a picture.)

Spring Has Sprung!

2008-04-28T20:08:00.000-05:00

Nothing says "spring" more than your little boy playing in a tent in the living room! I'm so excited that garage sale season is here! We wouldn't have this wonderland of fun if we hadn't spotted it at a garage sale a couple weeks ago. And this weekend is both Story City and Gilbert's "citywide garage sales"! I have been looking forward to the first weekend in May since last year, and it's almost here! Look out, people, I'm on a mission!

26 Weeks

2008-04-28T20:01:00.001-05:00

A couple people have asked for some "body shots" (no, not those kind of body shots ... that was so 1998). Since the whole Easter-hospital-visit, things have calmed down and pregnancy is getting back to normal. I'm feeling good. Next week I'll be in my third trimester. Whoop, whoop!

Yummm ...

2008-04-28T19:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, Sam and I had a fun time making cookies while Dad was outside getting the deck ready to be stained. We may or may not have accidentally eaten some of the dough.

Never Say Goodbye

2008-04-21T12:22:00.011-05:00

Last night, I got to see one of my adolescent idols -- Bon Jovi -- in concert. I had the band's "Slippery When Wet" poster on my wall when I was 10, and thought they were the coolest thing since parachute pants and jelly shoes. Time has definitely treated them well, and they performed an amazing show. They played for 2.5 hours, and I was impressed. I kept thinking about how long they have been together -- more than 20 years -- and wondered how many others could last that long and still look like they're having fun! I was also impressed by Jon's voice and how great it sounds. And Jon ain't too bad on the eyes, either. He just gets better with age. (Hi Brian, Brian's mom and Brian's aunts.) They have performed more than 2,500 shows since the '80s and seemed as fresh as ever. (Bon Jovi, not Brian's mom and aunts. Although they're as fresh as ever, too.)

Daughtry (from American Idol) was the opener. He had a great voice and my favorite part of his performance (at least, the part of his performance we got to see ... see below for reasons of our tardiness) was when he joined Bon Jovi onstage for 'Dead or Alive'. That song pretty much rocks.

It was a comical night from start to finish. Four of us planned to meet downtown near the arena for dinner and drinks before the show. We decided to meet two hours beforehand, because this is Des Moines, and we would have plenty of time to walk over to the arena. Oh, contraire! (You mean when there is a sold-out concert, a lot of those people eat near the arena? That is weird.) Most establishments within walking distance had a two-hour wait. And we checked about 8 of them after getting caught in construction, going the wrong way down a few alleys, illegally parking and other mishaps along the way.

Then we jumped into Kate's car and finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel: Zimm's! We settled in about 6:15 or so. (A disclaimer on the menu should have been our first hint: "One must wait for good food." Or something to that effect.) A few sandwiches and drinks surely wouldn't take too long. Mwa ha ha ha! After being told we wouldn't have time for dinner, we ordered appetizers to ensure we could leave by 7 p.m. A mere FORTY MINUTES LATER, our appetizers arrived. Oh, and I delivered them to our table. (Our waitress was pretty busy.) These little things may not sound comical on a blog, but everything just kept getting funnier as the night went on. I don't think it had anything to do with the pitchers that Kate, Kim and Deborah downed while waiting on our scrumptous appetizers. Needless to say, we scarfed down four appetizers in 5 minutes and ran out the door.

But we had a great night full of good friends, good laughs and good music! What else could we ask for? Besides dinner, I mean. :-)

You can read Kate's version of last night at: http://www.itsmekate.blogspot.com/.

Thanks, girls, for a fun night!! Oh, and thanks to Bon Jovi, too.

We Made It!

2008-04-13T19:20:00.019-05:00

We just returned from our first official family vacation. The three of us drove to Frisco, Colo., to stay with my parents at their condo. Since we are saving money for the next little chopper, we decided to take them up on their offer to stay with them. We hadn't taken a vacation since Jan. '06 (when I was pregnant with Sam), and it was very nice of them and we had a good time. But we need to start taking vacations when I'm not pregnant! I guess that's a blog for another time.

In addition to the condo in Frisco, we also stayed with two of my aunts and their families on the way home -- one in Fort Collins, Colo., and another in Lincoln, Neb. Unfortunately, the screen on our digital camera broke while in Frisco and we didn't take very many pictures afterwards.

In Fort Collins, we watched part of Aunt Mary's softball game before it was postponed due to inclement weather. It was kind of a blessing in disguise because we were then able to go out for dinner and spend more time with Mary and Cris. And in Lincoln, we watched our nephew while Aunt Connie had her basketball banquet. Then we had a great Chef Kirk breakfast and played before we took off the next morning.

Most of these pictures were taken before our camera bit the dust:

This was taken a few hours after arriving in Colorado. We were scoping out the slopes at Keystone for Dad and Brian's skiing adventure the next day. We had just driven 12 hours straight with an almost-two-year-old, and were pretty exhausted. Did I say 12 hours in the car? With a two-year-old.

Dad and Brian are getting ready to go skiing. Sam had to sneak into the picture, too!

Mom and I took Sam on a walk through Frisco while the guys were skiing.

Sam decided that he loved swimming. This was the first time he wasn't scared of the water.

We took Sam on his first bus ride! He loved watching all the people -- and dogs -- get on and off the bus. Everyone in Frisco had a dog or a pair of skis. Or both.

Brian and I took off one day to explore while Mom and Dad watched Sam. We drove through Loveland Pass.

Our camera was broken by this day, but the luckily the pictures still turned out.

Another pic from Loveland Pass.

And here is our lovely drive to Lincoln, Neb. A 7-hour trip turned into 8.5 hours due to the poor conditions on I-76 and I-80.

Brian drove the entire way to Lincoln. Bless his heart.

I was trying to take this pic with a broken camera ... I wanted to show that we were going 30 MPH on the interstate. It was not fun.

But we made it home with lots of great memories and were able to spend some time with family. Thanks to everyone who let us stay at their places. We had a great time.

I've Been Tagged, Again

2008-04-04T12:32:00.005-05:00

I've been tagged by my friend Vicki. I'm supposed to tell you 10 random things about myself, and then tag 5 friends afterwards. I'll be anxious to see how many of you knew these things about me, or if they're all a surprise.

1. I make lists. Constantly. Right now I think I have at least 3 -- one for work, one for home and another for our trip to Colorado. Oh, and one for songs I want to add to my MP3 player. And another for "boy names". And one more for the grocery store. I think that might be all, but I'm not sure. I would be lost and/or very disorganized without one. Sometimes I write something that I have just done on my list, even though it wasn't on my list, so I can cross it off. Did someone say OCD?

2. I was the only grandchild (on my mom's side) for almost 19 years. This allowed me to become extremely close to my grandparents. They have been the number one influence in my life. I try to live everyday by "how would my grandma do this" or "what would my grandma think about this". I truly value the advice and wisdom of my grandparents, and consider my grandma to be one of my best friends.

3. I love the smell of a clean garage. Not the oily or greasy smells, but the clean smell of dirt. I know it makes no sense but I absolutely LOVE the smell. And it's not just a pregnancy thing. I've been this way my whole life. (Right, Amy P.?) And I love the smell of dirt. Driving past a freshly plowed field is like heaven!

4. I do not like to take baths. I don't think I'm patient enough to sit still that long.

5. I absolutely love "funk" music from the 70s.

6. I used to play the piano and would like to take it up again. Maybe when the kids are older??

7. I must watch the local news and read the newspaper everyday. I feel lost if I haven't done so. And I read the paper cover-to-cover, including one of my favorite sections, the obits. Is that morbid?

8. I have never had a bloody nose. And I have never broken any bones. Knock on wood.

9. I cry ridiculously easily. Cards, commercials, seeing anyone else cry, etc. I get teary-eyed during the national anthem. And parades, too, when people stand for the flag.

10. If I were to change careers, I would've become a news reporter and then hopefully an anchor. I started off with that goal in college, but got sidetracked by working in the athletic department. I loved my experience there, but I wish I would've pursued the electronic media track a little more.

Ok, that wasn't so bad!! Did you learn anything about me? Well, I'm hoping to learn a little more about these that I'm passing the tag onto: Kate, Leana and Rhonda. Have fun girls!

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

2008-03-27T12:21:00.001-05:00

Last time I checked the calendar it was March 27. MARCH 27! So why are we getting snow again!?! It all started the first week of December with two ice storms -- and hasn't really let up since. (These pictures were taken today; this morning the deck was completely cleared of any snow.) Please tell me this is the end of it. At least until November. Thank you.

Final Project ... For Now

2008-03-25T19:32:00.000-05:00

Here is our 'new laundry room' before it's finalized. We are moving it up from the basement to the main floor. I thought you might like to see some before-and-after pics. We (and by "we" I mean Brian) are hoping to have it finished in the next couple of weeks. Then we are DONE with everything in the house, except the basement.

Then it's on to staining the deck and landscaping the backyard. Then we can relax. We hope.

One Sick Mama

2008-03-25T19:17:00.005-05:00

I took Sam to my parents' house on Saturday since Brian is desperately trying to finish our final indoor project before April 1. He's moving the washer and dryer upstairs and our new appliances are scheduled for delivery that day. It's taking a bit longer than planned to get ready for them, and Sam and I aren't much help. In fact, we're no help. So we decided to make ourselves scarce to allow Brian time to work in peace.

We were having a great time at Grandma and Grandpa's house, although I was starting to experience some dizzy spells. I had four of them on Saturday. Strange, but nothing to worry about. Until 10 p.m, when I vomited a number of times. (Sorry if TMI.) That also was strange but nothing to worry about since it made me feel better. I went to bed as normal.

But when I awoke on Easter morning, the world was spinning and the dizziness only subsided if I lied down. Then the vomiting started back up again and as the day wore on, I could not keep my eyes open and things were going downhill. To make a long story short (too late), Brian took me to the E.R. in Des Moines, where we ended up spending the night in the hospital. I was very dehydrated and needed 6 liters of fluids pumped back into me, as well as anti-nausea medication. They still aren't completely sure what caused the 'world spinning' but think it was a viral infection in my ear that threw off my balance. Whatever it was, it was not fun and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Hopefully we're over this and on to recovery! Whew!

Oh yeah ... one little aside that I have to add ... as Brian was getting ready to take me to the hospital (and I was leaning over the toilet heaving), Sam came into the bathroom to give me a kiss and hug goodbye. I really didn't want to kiss him on the mouth, so I kept turning my head to give him my cheek. That little kid wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and insisted on kissing me goodbye. That just warmed my heart although I couldn't appreciate it at the time. We are lucky to be blessed with such a sweet little boy.

Happy Easter!

2008-03-25T19:12:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pics from the Easter egg hunt at KFR, as well as an Easter Egg hunt at my parents' house on Easter. I'm not writing much more about Easter as I wasn't coherent enough to know what was going on. (See above post.)

Not for the Easily Offended ...

2008-03-14T07:16:00.000-05:00

This weekend, we head out to Omaha for the Knoll Family Reunion (aka KFR). It will be the 28th annual reunion and is sure to be lots of fun. Here is the newsletter cover if that gives you any indication ...

Signs of Spring

2008-03-13T17:09:00.004-05:00

Just a few of Sam's favorite things ...

1. Playing with Easter eggs. AND vacuuming when the grass 'falls' out of the baskets.

2. Checking out all the sights outside, after a long winter! He especially loves waving at the school buses.

3. And his new favorite thing ... finding bugs, smashing them with a napkin and flushing them down the toilet! After the flush, he says "bye". No bug is safe in our house now.

A Few Bad Eggs ...

2008-03-11T12:20:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, we took Sam to see the Easter Bunny and go on his very first Easter Egg Hunt. It was quite interesting. All the activities were held inside our local outlet mall, which has quite a few open storefronts. And that's a generous statement. I'm not sure how the mall stays open. Anyway, inside one of the stores was the 'toddler and younger' hunt.

Just a little background info: before we left for the mall, we were cleaning up the house and vacuuming. Sam got to help with the vacuum and therefore threw a fit when we put it away. That little incident set him off for the rest of the day. Literally, he was not a happy child for almost the entire day.

Fast forward to the mall: Sam wanted the eggs, then he didn't, then he wanted his coat on, then off, etc., etc. We were a tad embarrassed that he was the only child making such a scene. Good times, good times.

So here are a few pictures of the hunt, as well as the car ride home, and a 'special' egg we colored later that afternoon (it says "Bad Idea" in case you can't read it).

So I guess the moral of the story is to let your child finish cleaning the house before trying to have fun! :-)

Meet Our Little Peanut

2008-03-05T20:55:00.000-06:00

We had our ultrasound today with Baby #2 and found out it's a BOY! For some reason we both had a feeling it was a girl, but we were wrong. (There's a first time for everything.) We are so excited that Sam will have a little playmate!! We think his profile looks a lot like Sam's ultrasound. Check him out.

Random Shots

2008-02-28T19:44:00.003-06:00

Sam has such a sweet -- but very silly -- disposition. Here are some pics taken over the past few days. (Note that he put on both hats all by himself ... and he was very proud of himself, I might add.)

The Floodgates Have Opened

2008-02-24T14:29:00.006-06:00

We were starting to get a bit concerned when Sam's vocabulary wasn't blossoming like we thought it should. That is, until last week. He had been saying 'Dada' for months, and uttered 'Mama' a few times in September before he decided to retire the word. As much as we begged and prodded him to say it, he wouldn't! Little stinker. That all changed on the morning of Feb. 13 when I was changing his diaper and he looked up and said 'Mama'. Talk about my heart melting.

And in the past 11 days he has added the following words to his repertoire:
- Mama
- Hi
- More
- Bye-Bye
- No
- Moo
- Yum-Yum
- Thank You (sign language)
- Nana (banana)
- Night-Night (this happened when he got his new bed!)

There are a couple more that I can't remember just now. But thanks for letting a proud 'Mama' share.

Big Boy Bed!

2008-02-24T14:16:00.006-06:00

Thursday night was probably my most difficult so far as a parent. Around 12:30, Sam was crying a little so I decided to go check on him. His diaper was pretty wet so I figured I'd change him real quick and get him back in his crib before he woke up any more. He had different plans, and didn't want to get back into his crib. Of course I told him it's "night night time" and I loved him and I'd see him in the morning. As I was standing near his door, he started to climb out of his crib. Only his legs went flying over his head, causing him to do a complete flip and land on the back of his head. Extremely hard. On the hardwood floor. It all seemed to happen in slow motion before I could get to him. The poor kid was crying really hard as I frantically checked for blood or bumps or anything. In the meantime, Brian ran into the room to see what was going on. And wouldn't you know, there is not a bump on his head at all. We were so glad that he was okay and acting 'normal'.

Needless to say, we didn't want to put him back in his crib for fear that it might happen again. So we brought him to sleep in our bed. (Not a great idea ... He just wanted to sit on our heads, play with my hair, tickle us, pinch us, stand up, etc.) Next I took him to the spare room and laid in bed with him. Same thing. Finally we brought out the pack-n-play and set it up in our room. We were all finally back asleep around 3 a.m.

So, guess what? Sam is now sleeping in his "big boy bed"! Since we had previous plans to stay with my parents on Friday night, on Saturday we set up his bed in the living room so he could "try it out" while watching one of his favorite videos. He loves it, and we are so glad! We figured he'd be running all around his room but the darn kid went right to sleep last night. And he's napping in it as I type. We couldn't be more proud of our "big boy"!!!

Sam In His Office

2008-02-05T17:10:00.000-06:00

As we were looking outside at all the snow today, Sam discovered that his little bottom fit perfectly in the window sill. Boy, was that fun!

I Wanna Be Like Dad

2008-02-05T17:04:00.000-06:00

Our clean laundry was sitting in the living room before I had a chance to put it away. Mr. Manly found one of Brian's shirts and got a huge kick out of putting it on.

Superbowl Fan

2008-02-03T20:23:00.000-06:00

Sam was pumped up tonight when he saw the football on TV. He ran to get his ball and couldn't take his eyes off the TV. I am not sure if this means he will want to play football when he gets older, or just watch it REALLY CLOSE (I don't think he could get any closer to the TV). Time will tell. In the meantime, check out his form.

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na ... BAT MAN!

2008-02-03T20:09:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, Matt (Brian's cousin) came over so we could work on the newsletter for the annual Knoll Family Reunion (aka "KFR"). KFR is a wonderful tradition and will be celebrating 28 consecutive years this March. Although there are 60+ members of the family, it is so neat to see and experience the closeness of such a loving family. And KFR is one reason why.

Each year, a newsletter accompanies the reunion, and Matt, Brian and I (and now Matt's wife, Andrea!) have put together the past seven. It is always so much fun to hear Matt and Brian reminisce -- and it seems their stories get better with each beer. (If you have ever read "The Onion", that is very close to their version of a family newsletter.)

Anyway, as per tradition, they were putting away a few beers while I was typing up their drunken scriblings. All of a sudden I heard some sort of commotion coming from the dining room so I went to check it out. Turns out we had a bat in the basement! This is our very first rodent of any kind and it completely freaked me out. Since I was the only sober one, I went back to the other room and decided to let them figure it out!

And of course I tried to take pictures without letting the bat inside the main part of the house. They got the darn thing after a few minutes but not without Matt injuring his hand. To which he replied, "It probably would've been a lot funnier if we were drunker."

Fun With Dad

2008-02-03T20:04:00.000-06:00

The other night, I had the pleasure of watching and listening to Sam laughing uncontrollably as Brian pulled him around the house on a blanket. It is such a joy to see him so happy and enjoying some very simple things in life. We are truly blessed.

What a Difference a Week Makes!

2008-01-30T19:42:00.000-06:00

Last week, Sam was a bit under the weather. (And you know Sam is sick when he sits in one spot for more than five minutes.) Poor kid just laid with his blanket and Monkey all day long and barely ate anything.

This week, he is helping Mom around the house and eating everything in sight. It's awful to see your child sick and I'm so glad Mr. Energetic is back running around and getting into everything as usual. Never thought I'd say that. :-)

And Baby Makes Four

2008-01-21T21:22:00.000-06:00

We are expecting our second little bundle of joy on August 4th. We are so excited to grow our family and are very blessed. Sam's world is going to turn upside down. Thankfully we have 6 more months to "prepare" him, if that's possible. :-)

Thank You, Martin Luther King, Jr.

2008-01-21T17:06:00.000-06:00

Today I am reminded how far we have come since 1968, yet how far we still have to go, in the fight for civil rights. Although I was not alive during the same time as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., his legacy lives on as I feel empowered and inspired when I hear him speak. And his dream -- along with those of countless others -- helped to change the landscape of our country. I feel he would be extremely proud that, 40 years later, we have an African-American man and a woman both legitimately running for president of the United States. He had a dream that someday it would happen, and today that dream is coming true. I hope my children will grow up in a country where they are not "judged by the color of their skin [or gender, or sexual orientation, or handicap, etc.] but by the content of their character". And I owe it to my children to lead by example and follow in the footsteps of great leaders -- such as MLK Jr. -- so they know that they can do anything they dare to dream.

Family & Basketball

2008-01-20T19:08:00.000-06:00

Last night, my aunt's basketball team (Nebraska) played at Iowa State. For the past few years, we have had friends and family over prior to the game for food and good company. And yesterday was no exception. This year we had quite a few more kids and it was so fun to see Sam having such a great time with everyone. They were playing in the stairwell and just laughing like crazy. Those are some of my best moments so far as a parent; seeing my child so happy with others. And to top off a great day, the Huskers won their game in Ames. About 99% of the time we say "Go Cyclones" but last night was a "Go Huskers" occasion!

Oh yeah, and Sam received a brand-new "Dirt Devil" -- complete with dust buster -- from his Grandma and Grandpa Knoll. (He is a bit obsessed with our own vacuum and dust buster.) We cannot get him away from this new toy, which is awesome. This morning, after our get together, he ran straight to his vacuum to help us clean the house. I hope he keeps these good cleaning habits!! :-)

Two Little Monkeys Sitting In A Chair ...

2008-01-11T21:15:00.000-06:00

Lately, Sam has been carrying his monkey all around the house with him. And occasionally he has resisted sitting in his high chair, so I asked if he would like to have his snack today along with Monkey in his chair. Of course, that sounded like fun! As I was putting a bib on Monkey, Sam giggled. (It's so funny to see his sense of humor developing.) As I was peeling Sam's banana I mentioned that monkeys, too, like bananas. The next thing I knew, Sam was offering some of his banana to Monkey. Too sweet.

Proud to be an Iowan

2008-01-04T20:36:00.001-06:00

Last night, Brian and I both did something for the very first time -- we participated in the Iowa caucuses. It was a special birthday treat to myself. I wanted to see what all the hype and attention was about; and frankly, I was disappointed in myself for never taking part before. Nearly 3,000 media members from all over the world were here in Iowa -- little old Iowa -- to cover this first-in-the-nation event. And many other states were (and still are) questioning Iowa's role in this election process. I wanted to prove the pundits wrong and show that we Iowans are an educated people who truly care about the state of our nation, and are extremely dedicated to making an informed decision about the future leader of our country.

And, boy, am I glad I did. It felt so invigorating to meet my neighbors and hear how passionate people feel about the candidates, but more importantly, how strongly they feel about our great country. It was inspiring to hear each person talk about his or her candidate and how much passion they have for helping to change our country's path.

As I was leaving the precinct last night on a bitterly cold evening with my new friends, I couldn't help but smile and get a little choked up. I am so proud to live in this great country and meet people who care as much about change as I do. I know they are willing to do great things to help our future generations, and that makes me excited about tomorrow.

(Oh yeah, and we Iowans proved everyone wrong by showing up in RECORD NUMBERS. No one can tell us we're not dedicated. Just another reason I'm proud to be an Iowan.)

Love is Alive

2007-12-17T19:33:00.001-06:00

On Saturday evening, we were lucky to attend an incredibly touching wedding. It was Brian's cousin, Kate, and her new hubby Dillon's wedding. It was a 7 p.m. wedding and very pretty with all the candles and Christmas decorations. Everything was red and white and festive for the Christmas season. But that's not what made this such a special affair. During the wedding, two people spoke on behalf of the bride and groom. And I don't think there was a dry eye in the house. Dillon's speaker was the mother of one of his buddies, while Kate's speaker was her grandmother. Each talked about how Dillon and Kate grew up and how they met, and the obstacles each overcame to get to this point in their lives.

The woman who spoke about Dillon talked of her 12-year-old son passing away from cancer, and how great Dillon was to her family and older son. After a couple years and much hesitation on Dillon's part, Kathy and her family were able to talk Dillon into becoming a counselor at a summer camp for siblings of kids with cancer. Which is where he met Kate, who is a cancer survivor herself.

And Dillon's father passed away a few years ago. So, just hearing the stories of what they've overcome, and that God was there to put them together, was just amazing. They truly are an inspiration and we're so honored to have been there to share in their special day. Personally, their wedding inspired me to count my blessings and not to take anything for granted. It also made me believe even more that God puts us in certain places for a reason.

Congrats, Kate & Dillon! We wish you all the happiness in the world. And all the red-headed children you can handle! :-)

Our Big Helper

2007-12-10T19:14:00.000-06:00

Tonight, we had fresh bread and soup for supper -- and Sam was more than eager to help make the bread. He was such a good helper!

Then There Were Three

2007-12-10T18:57:00.000-06:00

Sam was not too excited when he saw Mom and Dad getting all dressed up on Sunday night. He knew something was up, and he wasn't included. It was Brian's annual Christmas party for work, which means the sixth anniversary of our "official" first date*. My parents were here to watch Sam and take the obligatory photos in front of the tree. Of course, when Sam noticed the picture-taking, he didn't want us taking pictures by ourselves. But he got to have a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa after we left!! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa Edmondson!

* Our first date is always up for discussion. Some members of this marriage think it occurred in October (Brian), while others think it occurred in December (me). And I'm writing this, so I win! :-)