Jingle Bell Time!

This year I have been so excited for the Holiday season and I am pretty sure my excitement stems from having two little kiddos to enjoy it with. It was so nice to not have to travel over Thanksgiving and I could not wait to be home that Sunday and get all our decorations out. It started with our tree purchase (a bit anti-climatic) it was cold, we walked up to the lot, Grant said I want this tree, and there it was. It actually ended up taking 2 days to get all the decorations up, but daily I continue to love Grant's tree choice and the glow this time of year brings into our home. I think Grant likes it too because as soon as we come out for breakfast, he wants the holiday lights on.

Road Trippin'

The start of November took Nick on his annual deer hunting trip with the Sutko men. Knowing he would be gone for 5 days, I decided it might be fun for the kids and I to make the trek to South Dakota and see my Grandparents. It didn't take much effort and my parents were quickly on board to take on this adventure with us. So Friday am off we went to Columbus where we met my parents and they happily loaded all our gear and us into their suburban. This is about a 6 to 7 hour trip without little ones...and with the little one's this became an all day excursion. The kids actually traveled awesome, but between stops here and there to feed Hadley, changing diapers, and getting a bit of a break ourselves-we finally arrived in South Dakota just in time for dinner.

It was so fun to see everyone and in our little time we were there, I must say we accomplished a lot! We were able to spend time with my Grandpa and Grandma Iverson, Grandma Frost, my uncle's Jimmy and Bobby, my Great aunt Norma, and spend a fun morning with my aunt Amy and her crew. Grant loved playing with all my cousins, seeing the farm, meeting Willie the horse, and coming home with his first toy rifle.

Even though Nick is a big hunter, there really hasn't been a lot of talk about hunting with Grant. But when we arrived home I think Nick was pretty impressed to hear what Grant had all learned. Grant was a pretty lucky boy on our trip and my uncle Jimmy gave him a toy rifle to take home. He learned all about shooting pheasants and other animals. Grant had some pretty funny lines on our trip, but one of his best took place at the Mitchell Cabela's on our way home. We walked in and he saw all the animals and with so much enthusiasm stated "Papa, we need to go get my gun!"

It was a long trip and we came home pretty tired but it was so good to see everyone and so fun to have Hadley meet her Grandparents. And I must say Thanks Mom and Dad because we never would of got there without you! :) The rest of November seemed to be pretty quiet and really just spent hanging out and enjoying being home. Hadley did have her 4 month appointment and this statement from the nurse sums it up..."if you lined up 100 other 4 month olds, Hadley would be the tallest by a long stretch". So currently measuring bigger than her brother did, Hadley's stats are: 27 1/4 in long=99%, 15 lbs 6 oz=80% and head circumference of 17 in=90%. Go Hadley! And Go Grant too!

Fall Fun!

Nick and I kicked off our October with the Market to Market Relay. This is an 84 mile relay race that takes you from Omaha's Old Market to Lincoln's Haymarket. The day was fun, the weather was beautiful, and it was great to hang out with our running crew. However, I don't think I'll sign myself up again for a race about 12 weeks post-baby...it was tough! Hadley's little personality is coming on strong. She is our easy tempered, easy going little girl. She loves to smile, giggle, and will talk your ear off. Her brother continues to adore her as do her Dad and Mom. :)

Fall is a favorite time of year around our household and we had a great morning with Grandpa Mark, Grandma Diane, and the Gutz's at the Pumpkin Patch. Grant loved the big tractor-tire swing as well as the Hayrack ride and finding his own pumpkin. He enjoyed his horse ride, but got a bit scared when the horse shook and off he went (I think it scared his Mom and Dad more).

After a fun morning of goodies, coffee, costumes, and pumpkin painting with our friends Jaime and Nora- We found out that painting pumpkins was a great activity for Grant. I will just say we have about 10 painted pumpkins of various sizes on our front porch.

We've also enjoyed being back in Nebraska and rooting on the Huskers in their home state.

October came to a close Halloween night with some fun festivities at our house-some friends, some family, chili, mummy dogs, hot chocolate, fire pit, and trick or treating with the kiddos. We started this tradition last year with good friends in KC and brought it with us to hope to do yearly here. I must say these festivities are making Halloween creep up on my favorite Holiday list. And to end this blog update I must post a few of Grant's most recent comments: Even though I would say Grant is potty trained, he daily tells me with a big smile- "Mom, I potty training!" When Nick asked him if he needed to go pee one day he responded- "I tired Daddy, my engine tired." Grant's got the peeing side of potty training down, but the pooping side of it has been a bit tougher. So while encouraging using the toilet to go #2, Nick told Grant that he had just pooped in the toilet....Grant' response-"Dad, I so proud of you!" When recently talking to Hadley, he told me-"I love my sister Hadley, she's my best girl!" Between Grant's comments and Hadley's giggles I'm reminded daily of what blessings these little people are in my life.

September

September has been a busy month for our fam! We kicked the month off with a fun Labor Day weekend helping the new Mr. and Mrs. Kimple celebrate their big day. Nick and Grant were both a part of the wedding and so cute to see the two of them in their tuxes. The day we tried Grant's tux on, he was not a fan. So I was a bit nervous for the wedding day. To my amazement (and the fact that two of his little buddies and their dad's were wearing the tux's too) we got it on him with no problem...the problem came when we wanted to take it off. The wedding was Saturday night and Grant didn't take his shirt and vest off till Monday night when we got back to Omaha. :)

Grant did a great job "running" down the aisle and had a blast at the dance. He kicked off his shoes and socks and danced the night away...I do believe he was on the dance floor from the time he got to the reception till the time we took him home. We left Hadley with her Mimi and Papa and she enjoyed all the loving and cuddling she got from them.



The week of Labor Day brought the end of my maternity leave. So back to work I went, Hadley started daycare, and a new level of busy overcame our family. Oh and a whole lot of sickness-strep throat twice for me, Nick sick with something that kept him in bed for about 2 days straight, Grant a sinus infection, and a case of the stomach flu. We are currently all healthy and I am saying prayers that it stays this way for awhile.
It's hard to believe but as this month is flying by Hadley is almost 10 weeks old! We are loving her like crazy and enjoying watching her become more and more of a little person. She's smiling, talking, and just this week I think I've heard a few giggles. All three of us can't kiss her enough! She had her 2 month appointment and continues to be our tall little girl. She was 24 3/4in (97%), 11lbs 4oz (75%) and a head circum. of 15 1/4in (60%)...and I must mention she was only 6 weeks old at this appointment. :) She recently discovered her hands and seems to by dying to get a finger to suck on. And to my delight-just this week-Miss Hadley slept through the entire night!



One morning this month we headed down to Nebraska City for the Applejack festival. The weather was a little chilly and wet so we didn't do all that we were planning to. However, we did have a lot of fun at the farm we did stop at. Grant had a blast riding the "train" and horses...and Hadley enjoyed being warm and snuggled up close to Mama in her sling for a little snooze.


This month Grant has become friends with the family up the street. They have a little boy who is 4 and called Grant his "BFF". Grant jumped on board with this and wants to see his best friend everyday! Lucky for us they are great neighbors and don't mind when we walk up to play. His "best friend" really likes playing catch, hitting the ball, and playing football. So Grant's been practicing as well. I've also started to see Grant "really" thinking about a lot of things. It's so cute to see what he all takes in and comprehends. The other day Nick asked him if he wanted to go for a truck ride to run an errand. When they got home Nick said Grant had wanted to know when they were going to go to "Erin's". :)
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Hadley's First Few Weeks

It's been three weeks since we were blessed with Hadley's presence and a pretty fun three weeks as we are getting to know Hadley's little personality. We quickly found out the first night she was in our room that she is a loud little sleeper...lots of grunts and groans. Therefore, that was Hadley's last night in our room :) We have since moved her to her room, which is helping us all get a better nights sleep. We have also learned that Hadley is much more vocal than we remember Grant. She is a good little baby but will let us know if she is not happy.


Big brother Grant is continuing to adore his sister. Giving her lots of attention in the form of kisses, rocking her swing and bouncy, and talking and playing with her. It's easy to see what we say to Hadley because I hear a lot of it said to her by Grant...He is always calling her "sweetie" and occasionally I will hear a "Miss Hadley". If she's crying, he rushes to grab a toy or her blankie or tells her so sweetly to "calm down."


As you can see from the above photo Hadley continues to be our long little girl. At her 2 week appointment she was 22 in (95%), 8 lb 8 oz (50%), and head circum. 14 1/4 in (75%). People continue to notice her long feet, toes, and fingers. Her long fingers is something I noticed right after she was born and told Nick she would be able to palm a basketball. A friend said she would be a great piano player...maybe she will be both. :)

Welcome Hadley Lynn!

Last Friday Nick, Grant, and I headed out to the Mahoney State Park pool. We had a great evening crashing into the waves in the wave pool and doing all the fun things this little waterpark has to offer. We then enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Mahoney and the cooler evening weather with our Jimmy John's picnic. We got home and put our tired and happy Grant to bed and it wasn't long after that I started having some contractions. They seemed pretty good and regular-so after about 2 hours of contractions at home, calling Grandma Diane to come over, and grabbing a coffee for Nick-we were on our way to the hospital just after midnight.
From that point on things progressed pretty fast (remember Grant took 19 hours to arrive) and Saturday morning, July 23rd at 4:51 am, God blessed us with little girl-Hadley Lynn! She weighed 7 lbs 9 oz and measured 21 in long (ironically almost the exact same measurements as her big brother, but Grant was 21 1/2 in long).
It was love at first site and immediately our little family of three-that I had a hard time imagining any different-became our family of four and we could not be more happy!




Hadley is already proving herself to be a good little baby. She is eating great, sleeping as you would expect a 6 day old baby to sleep, and enjoying all the attention she is getting from her Mom, Dad, and big brother.


Speaking of Grant, my heart melts to see how already he has become the loving, proud, and protective big brother. He gives her kisses and pats her head so softly. He loves to hold her and is always making sure his "baby sister" is coming wherever we are going. When the pediatrician came in to meet Hadley, Grant made sure he knew that she was "his baby". He also makes sure Mom and Dad know when Hadley needs something...usually it's a yell from another room saying "Mom/Dad my sister is crying". When he first met Hadley he could just say "Haddie" but he has since gotten that "l" in there. Either way is so darn to cute to hear him say.


We hope it won't be long till all our family and friends get to meet Hadley! And have her capture your heart as she has so easily done to us. :)

What we've been up to!

The last few months have brought about a lot of changes for our family. First being that at the end of April we moved to Omaha. We moved in and took over Nick's mom's house, lucky for us she has a huge heart and took us in with open arms (and probably a lot of patience). This little adventure of ours was a great experience and I believe only a few things came out broken. :) Grant really enjoyed all the extra time and loving from Grandma and we really enjoyed her company. But at the end of May we decided it was probably time to get into our rental. The whole "nesting" thing was really kicking in for me and each week I am feeling less energized and able to do everything I used to, so I was really itching to get settled. So after a few van loads from Diane's and Nick helping the movers get all our stuff packed up in KC, we are settled in our new residence.
Grant seems to be loving the extra space and a neighborhood full of kids, while I'm finally feeling at ease and ready to enjoy the summer until our next big change takes place...the arrival of baby #2.
We've already hit up the zoo...a few times. :) And the day Nick was able to come we rode the train. This was a huge hit for Grant, I don't think a smile ever left his face. Not to mention the train whistle noise that he has become so good at just from hearing it that day.

Since we have moved Grant has shot up about a foot (continuing to look more like 3 than his actual 2). He is our little jaber-box and each day seems to impress me with all the things he knows. I got started right away in my new job at Bergan on the Oncology floor and Grant started at daycare there as well. He has been a champ with all the adjustments going on and is really enjoying his new daycare. He says this is where he plays with "the kids and the cars" and "where he has blue blankie". (His green blanket stays at home and we took one just like it only blue to keep for naptime at daycare). He has even come home singing a few new songs he has learned-Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Baby Bumble Bee-to name a few. It is so cute to hear him sing them.

He is loving the warm weather, playing in the pool, running through the sprinkler, and Icee pops. We decided to go with the buzz cut again this summer and I can't help but smile when I see him running around shirtless, barefoot, buzzed hair, and popsicle in hand. He really is 100% boy. After being spoiled at Grandma's (as we all were) he has also found a love for ice cream and popcorn.

It's been fun having the ease to see family in a matter of minutes and fun to listen to Grant ask to see at least one of his cousins everyday. He is quite consumed with Millie (Doug and Brandi's little girl) and Ruby (Heidi and Tommy's little girl). They are both about 8 months and Grant adores and tries to be such a big help with them. I am hoping this adoration for babies continues when his own baby brother or sister arrives.

After a lot of trips back and forth between Omaha and KC, Nick finally seems to be getting settled in here too. His office is downtown and so he is adjusting to a little commute to work, but also enjoying what he is doing and some of the new roles he is taking on in his professional world.
While Grant shot up a foot, I think I have shot out a foot. This baby is growing quickly (actually just the size he or she needs to be according to the Dr's appointment this week). But the weeks are flying by...so quickly that I am already almost to the point where the Dr. is saying my traveling for the summer is coming to a close, which seems crazy to me. I am definitely ready to be done being pregnant but don't want to rush the arrival of the baby because I'm not sure I am ready for the sleepless nights and all that will entail.
However, we are looking forward to meeting this baby. Grant is talking more about the baby in my tummy and since moving here is saying it's a baby brother. I change my mind every other day on the sex, again we will just have to wait and see.

A Little Trip to Arkansas

The weekend before last Nick was heading to Nevada for a little golf trip with the Sutko men...so Grant and I decided it would be a great weekend to head down to Arkansas. Angie and her family moved down there at the end of last summer and we've been wanting to make a visit, especially before we have to add a few hours to the trip when we live in Omaha. So Friday morning Grant and I took off and ended up staying 5 days (once we arrived at their house we found out it was the girls' spring break and figured why not stay as long as we can). And wow did we have a good time! :)

Spring begins to bloom just a tid bit earlier in Arkansas than it does in Kansas City so we enjoyed the beatiful white and pink budding trees, the yellow budding bushes, and the mid 70 degree weather they were having. It truly felt like May instead of mid March and Grant and I felt like we really were on our own little Spring Break vacation.

We went for plenty of walks/bike/trike rides, played in the parks, had picnics, and of course learned plenty of new things from our big cousins. The first picture is from our first day there when we went to see the beautiful new home the Nachtigals are building. We stopped at the little park in their future neighborhood and Grant was a big fan of the teeter-toter. We also had a our first experience at Chucky Cheese's...huge hit with all the kids!


We were able to spend some time at the much talked about Beaver Lake. It was a beautiful lake and we all enjoyed our time there. The girls collected sea shells While Grant collected sticks and threw rocks in the water. We played on the playground and had a great picnic. When they took a bath that night the water was dirty! The girl's taught Grant how to "look to the sky" when he is getting his hair washed...he is still talking about this and all the bubbles they had in their tub. :)

A few other tidbits...
Nick could not believe how much Grant was talking after returning from his 5 day trip (some of this I am sure is just from being around the older girls) but it sure is fun to hear him tell us about his day, his friends, what he did, or what he had for lunch. He has also become our little parrot. Last night we made cookies and when I would tell him what to do in between ingredients, he would repeat it right back (including all my "ums" and "oks"). He has also become a big fan of Baseball and I must say is getting quite good. He throws like a champ and his hand-eye coordination are coming around for hitting. We've had pretty crummy weather this past week so of course all this practice has been taking place right inside.
As far as baby #2, on my birthday we had the big ultrasound where we could find out the sex...but again we decided we would wait till this babe's big arrival to tell us that. The Dr. said the babe looked great, which we were so happy to hear. The baby's movements are getting stronger and we are now able to see the baby move just from looking at the outside of my stomach. Grant continues to stay strong with his "baby Sister" prediction...I think he may be convincing me...but we shall see. :)