Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Halloween!



I love observing the kids on Halloween, they are besides themselves that people give them candy just because. We trick or treated at a local nursing home, then enjoyed ourselves at the veggie tales live show. Surprisingly we ended up with a ton of candy, the nursing home was very generous, the show handed some out, and we even got some at the restaurant we ate at for dinner. Now we have enough to get us through till Christmas, then the Christmas candy will get us through till Easter, and the vicious sugar cycle will never cease.
Guess who has ALREADY gotten a paddle for sneaking the candy? Winner gets....Halloween candy!!!
This is Bella's fake smile.
2 bags for me, none for you.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wednesday Confessions

My name is Heather, and I am a sugar addict.

I've eaten about 3 lbs. of Halloween candy already this season, usually in a corner with my back turned so the kids don't notice, perfecting the art of opening the wrappers so as not to alert tiny little ears. But, when the children kindly ask for a treat I become all Mrs. Healthy Hypocrite on them, saying that that it'll spoil their dinner or ruin their teeth. Send help, please, or at least more chocolate.

Short Order Cook



It makes me so proud when the muffin man dresses like a chef. Probably would be a little better if the apron wasn't hot pink, but Bern's secure in his masculinity. He cooked Bella quite a spread, hot dogs, steak, fries and coffee.

This chef makes rounds through the restaurant to make sure the diners are pleased.



Bella opted for decaf, since it was almost naptime.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Little Buckaroos


Hang on Bella, Green Bean can and will buck.









Bella and Bern took a spin on the pony train Sunday (we hit yet another pumpkin patch). The thoroughbred of choice was Green Bean, and he did not disappoint. The kids came back from their trail ride all smiles, which was a stark contrast to what Bern looked like right before boarding.


The cranky cowboy.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Movin' On Up


You don't see this every day.


Bern's dream becoming a reality.


Bern: "Thanks Grandpa!" Bella: "I like your pink shirt!"



We had a great visit back home this weekend. The kids dressed up and received some halloween goodies, and Grandpa and Bern worked on the treehouse. Brian's uncle (who lives next door to Grandma and Grandpa) offered Grandpa an old playground set/tree house, and on Saturday the boys moved it over. How does one move a tree house, you might say? With a tractor, silly! When the kids saw it coming down the lane road, they literally jumped up and down with excitement. Grandpa plans on doing some awesome "renovations" and juice it up a bit.

Dainty Mini-Mouse


Extreme close-up of a power ranger.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

The Variety Show



Bern has made up a "show", which he performs in the guest bedroom for Bella. He sings, dances, makes his stuffed animals sing, performs magic tricks, and pretends to juggle. Bella eats it up, and is an enthusiastic audience member. He keeps a bunch of props on the other side of the bed, and calls it his backstage. He's all "mommy I have to go clean my backstage and get ready for my show." Not only is is adorable, but it keeps them (and by them I mean him) out of trouble.



He figured out a way to "magically" make the balloon float by keeping it in the fans airstream.

My friend Steph "hired"me to make a cake for her baby's baptism, because my cakes are TASTY! Can't decorate all that hot but I'm working on it, also working on humbleness.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

So Slick



Last night I went to get Bella's bed-time snack (she gets a little cereal or fishes in a tiny cup) Brian informed me that she refused to brush her teeth so she didn't get a snack. Later she was on the toilet and afterward told Brian that she gets a marshmallow for going poo (we reward our children for this sort of thing). Brian interjected that we didn't have marshmallows, Bella said "I think we do." Later as he was putting her down for the night she said "why don't you just check, mmmk?"

Do you think Bella went to bed without a snack? Brian might be just a bit smitten with his princess. I asked him who he loves more, me or Bella. He said "that's a hard question." Thanks, honey. At least I can be grateful that my husband loves our kids so much.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Which Fishy?

Can you guess which little fishy used blue marker as chapstick today??












I had my annual "girl" appointment today, and asked her a few questions about pre-pregnancy preparedness JUST in case, since it's been awhile. She talked diet, exercise, etc and then asked if I wanted to know specifics (like how it happens), and I was like, um, no I get it. Kinda have 2 of them already.... Silly doctor.


Sunday, October 19, 2008

Picnic at the Park

The kids needed to blow off some steam tonight, so we packed up a picnic and headed to the park. It was an elegant feast consisting of ham sami's, grapes, gogurt, and yummy little chocolate cups we received as favors from a wedding last night. Afterward, Brian chased the monkeys around the playground. Lovely end to a busy weekend.


















Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Sprinkle

The Guests of Honor






Tonight we had a sprinkle for my friends Carrie and Elizabeth, who each raked in some adorable baby boy booty. Brian thinks that the proper term for a second child arrival should be a tsunami or hurricane, sprinkle is just not accurate:-) Wish I would have remembered to pass out the cute little gifts I bought...

Why We Had Kids, Part 3

Bern loves to help out, it earns him a much-loved coin. I love that while he was doing this, I was able to carry on a non-interrupted conversation with Brian. Just imagine the possibilities in a few years!!

Mommy, my arms are too short, how do I get the clothes out?

Forget it, I figured it out myself.
Knits or cottons??






Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Crime and Punishment

The suspect in his get-away tractor


We are experiencing a crime wave here in the Luitjohan household. The stolen goods are usually candy, sweets, and coins. The suspect is about 3 1/2 feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes, and usually shares the rations with his trusty dog/partner in crime. Last night the suspect was apprehended with a shoebox full of chocolate syrup (as in he emptied the whole bottle of syrup into a shoebox), for which he was fingerprinted, tried as an adult, and received the maximum sentence of one paddle. Be on the lookout, the suspect is armed with bad knock-knock jokes and could be considered dangerous in about 10 years.

Monday, October 13, 2008

More Fall Fun





I owe Bern a nickel for this one...







Bernard was off school today so we ventured over to Rombach Farms and we practically had the place to ourselves. Grammy met us there and then treated us to lunch at red robin, sooo tasty. Then I got the best present ever, Grammy took the monkeys back for naps and I got to run errands BY MYSELF. Yay for Grammys!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Punkin' Pickin'

Scary.


Heather, Melissa, and a bunch of pregnant girls.



Bern in the tub o' corn.



My two main men.

Hayride through the orchards.



Bella at the helm.

Spent the day at Centennial Farms with some of our buddies from our small group. Had a beautiful drive out to Augusta, played at the farms, picked some pumpkins, and had a yummy lunch at Augusta Brewing Co. It was a beautiful day!

Friday, October 10, 2008

The Thing That Goes Bump in the Night


We are having a bit of trouble with Bernard staying in bed lately. We'll wake up to noises in the middle of the night, and he'll be in the fridge, or downstairs, in my purse sneaking coins. He's had an obsession with money lately (not really for spending, just for playing with).
It's getting frustrating, and we've tried incentives, punishments, praying with, etc. The sneakiness is what bothers us the most (and the middle of the night wakings). I've cut out his nap, thinking that maybe he is getting too much sleep and that's why he's been waking, but it is still happening. Any suggestions?

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Family Pictures


The lovely Michelle Ross of Under Grace Photography http://www.undergracephoto.com/ took our family pictures Sunday. You can see them at http://www.pictage.com/558608

There's a ton of them, so if you want an abbreviated version click on my favorites, and it will pull up the best ones.

Had a yummy birthday feast last night, it felt good to cook a big meal for my family. Been a bit lazy when it comes to meal time lately. On the menu was pork tenderloin with maple pan juices, glazed carrots, potatoes au gratin, and a special birthday cheesecake I concocted just for my honey. Bella enjoyed her pork with ketchup. I was about 20 before I stopped asking for ketchup at fancy restaurants, too bad I passed this on to her.





Tuesday, October 7, 2008

31 Reasons Why I Love Brian


1. He lets me sleep in a bit everyday and takes care of the kids till I wake up.


2. When he reads the children bedtime stories, he changes voices for all the characters.


3. He only shops once a year, but still manages to dress nicely.


4. He usually turns a blind eye when I shop way more than once a year, because knows it's important to me to have cute clothes.


5. He has loved me for a long time, even when I wasn't very lovable.


6. He cried when I was in pain during childbirth, because he felt terrible he couldn't do anything about it.


7. He comes home from a long day at work, happily and takes on parental duties without complaining.


8. He enjoys going out to a good restaurant with me and trying new culinary treats.


9. He lets me order red wine when he prefers white.


10. He rarely requests a certain meal, just happily chows down whatever I make.


11. He is neat and orderly, I never have to pick up after him.


12. He taught me how to be neat and orderly, and when we were first married he usually did the laundry, helped me clean, and picked up after me.


13. He doesn't freak out when one of our children "releases" bodily fluids on him.


14. He lets me drive everywhere because I'm a control freak.


15. He tickles the kids and plays games with them while I'm driving.


16. He always has ideas about how things could be better, and actually implements them.


17. He stays patient with the kids long after I've lost it.


18. He knows when I'm losing it and steps in to rescue me.


19. He makes adorable videos of the kids, we would have no footage of them if it wasn't for him.


20. He was wrapped around Bella's little finger from the second she was born.


21. He doesn't mind having Bernard trail him all day long, even though it slows him down.


22. He makes the bed tight and perfect every single night.


23. He tries really hard to be quiet in the mornings so as to not wake everyone else up.


24. He has a heart for God, and prayerfully leads our family in His ways.


25. He doesn't complain about driving an old, broken into a thousand times, payed for car.


26. He is very unselfish when it comes to his time, he only gets a little time alone each night to himself but doesn't complain.


27. He took care of me in high school when my parent's were divorcing.


28. He is passing on his love of music to our children by singing to them and exposing them to different genres.


29. He is willing to consider a third child now, even though he would rather wait.


30. He acts like I'm attractive no matter what I weigh or how I look.


31. He is kind, gentle, mature, and so easy to love.



Happy birthday Brian, you are such a great husband and father. I'm so glad you chose me!

Da Da Daaaaaaa

Mr. Man came home from school yesterday complaining of a tummy ache...cue scary music and dramatic lighting. He napped and ate a green popsicle, in hindsight I wish that I would have chosen a different color or just given him a sprite, because the next thing you know he was spewing it all over our couch. Do you remember that scene from the Exorcist where the little girl was vomiting all over the priest? It was sort of like that, only instead of the priest Bern puked on his favorite stuffed ducky.

Overall he managed OK, and seems better today. Kind of a weird bug, it is not too severe which is good. I promise this is the last post about vomit, at least for a week or so. Hoping that neither Brian or I get it, especially since it's Brian's birthday tomorrow!

Monday, October 6, 2008

Up to Speed



Bernard's got a couple of projects going on here at the Luitjohan residence, he's is quite the little helper to Brian on Saturdays. He even finagled a small shovel on the last trip to home depot. In the above picture (the one were he has his socks pulled up to his knees) he is drilling holes in the ground, with the purpose of removing the ugly black plastic ring around the tree. Not really sure how drilling holes in the dirt will accomplish the task at hand, but it keeps him busy.
He also got the idea of building a tree house, and has even gone so far as to draw up "plans", and has made the call to Grandpa to get things in motion. We told him it would be best to do it at Grandpa's house since Grandpa's a carpenter, lives in the country (lots of trees), and has lumber. This morning on the way to school he told Brian how he was going to build it.
Step 1-put up the walls
Step 2- put up the boards against the walls
Step 3-put on the roof
Step 4- put in the windows
Step 5- put in a table
Step 6-put on a door
Step 7-put in the door handle
He is convinced that the only step he needs help with is step 7, because according to him he has never put in a door handle before. Not sure when he has ever done steps 1 through 6, but whatever.

Bella's been busy matching the right shoes to her current outfit, and getting Grammy to take her out to breakfast. She loves breakfast, she could eat it at every meal. She's been big on talking to her imaginary friends lately, she'll entertain herself for hours. She also likes to pal around with Oscar the dog, she likes to ask for popcorn and then take Oscar into her bedroom and "share" her snack with him. She's getting so big, it's killing me. Did I mention I've got baby fever? Just not sure I want the weight gain, sleepless nights, etc that comes with the little bundle of joy. If only a stork could deliver us a 6 month old...