Halloween Fun!

Here are Micah and Eli's first pictures together for Halloween. Micah was a pumpkin (or "Silly Pumpkin" as he called it), and Eli was a dalmatian puppy!

Eli is now obsessed with tugging at his feet.

Micah is a very loving big brother, and Eli tolerates him nicely.

Micah and I (Ked) went "trick or treating" at Simpson in the dorms. Thanks to the Rehmeiers, Ryan and Tara, for the great pics!

This last shot is my favorite...

Might as well JUMP

What's worse: The kids' behaviors or that the Mommies took video of it rather than stop them?

It's 1:18pm. What have you accomplished today?

Here's my day so far:

• Got to sleep in until 7:15. A rare treat!
• Got Micah up; he had soaked through his diaper.
• Notice we're out of Micah's overnight diapers.
• Start a shopping list for our trip to WalMart later today.
• Got Eli up; fed him.
• Ate breakfast.
• Cleaned kitchen while Ked showered.
• Set up Micah with his trains and Eli on the floor so I could shower.
• During shower, made a mental note of all the things I need to do today.
• Done showering; Ked off to work.
• Changed both boys out of their jammies.
• Gave constipated baby milk of mag.
• Put Eli down for nap.
• Built a cool train track for Micah.
• Sent 2 emails.
• Skimmed newspaper.
• Gave Micah a snack.
  
• Tried to teach Micah how to move the chair up to the counter so he could crawl up to get the phone while I nursed Eli.
• Realized that was a bad idea.
• Cleaned up spilled bottle of bubbles that Micah knocked over while he was trying to get the phone.
• Set Eli down to clean up gooey bubble mess; came back to notice Micah laying on top of him.
• Tried to nurse Eli again; interrupted by cat clawing at the screen door to be let in.
• Let the cat outside and inside 3 times each.
• Changed 6 diapers (3 were poopy).
• Lost shopping list I started earlier.
• Made lunch.
• Tricked/bribed toddler into eating said lunch.
• Fed constipated baby prunes.
• Watched with delight as Micah entertained Eli with a game of peekaboo while I cleaned up lunch.
• Made a mental list of things the boys could use for Christmas.
  
• Gave formerly constipated baby an emergency bath when prunes worked too well.
• Soaked dirty baby clothes in sink.
• Lamented as both boys are awake and screaming 1/2 hour past their naptimes.
• Noticed that the great train track I made had been torn apart all over the floor.
• Put dirty dishes in dishwasher.
• Put away clean dishes in sink.
  
• Took out trash.
• Put cat in laundry room so he doesn't puke on carpet.
• Silently cursed all those who have ever wondered what a stay at home mom does all day.
• Realized how much I really do love my life!
  

And now, folks, I am going to go upstairs and eat a piece of pie. THEN I will start to tackle all of the things that I planned to get done today :)

Update:

• Tried to publish this post.
• Got upset when computer crashed.
• Wrote down Xmas gift ideas while I waited for computer to reboot.
• Scarfed down pie.
• Heard Eli waking up after only 25 minutes.
• Retyped some of post with baby on lap.
• Hoping to publish post now. . .

Ridiculously Handsome

I think Eli is going to look like his Daddy. Lucky boy.

My son is becoming his bizarro self.

Eli had his 6 month check up today. He is healthy and doing fine, but the best part of the visit is that Micah did NOT have any meltdowns in the doctor's office. :)

So, at Eli's 4 month check up, he was in the 40th percentile for height, and 75th for weight. This time: the exact opposite! He is 75th percentile for height (he grew 2.5 inches in 2 months!), and 40th for weight. Apparently he's gone from short and stout to long and lean. That's my boy. I'm sure he'll eventually lose the 'long' but I'll settle for lean. I guess. It was fun having a chubby baby while it lasted!

The Great Pumpkin(s)

We took advantage of the warm weather this weekend by going to the Red Rooster Pumpkin Patch by Winterset. The boys loved it. Micah is all about pumpkins right now, so he in particular had fun (at every turn he screamed, "More pumpkins! More pumpkins!"). We took a wagon ride out to the field to pick our own pumpkins. My astute husband had scouted out the field and already found the perfect pumpkin before we even got off the wagon.

Yep, we sat down right in the muddy field. Eli wasn't a fan of the ground; Micah didn't mind.

We found photo ops galore!

This is my favorite picture. They just look like angels, don't they?

Peachy. Just Peachy.

Feeding Eli peaches: Attempt #1

Feeding Eli peaches: Attempt #2

I'm 6 months old!

That’s right, folks! I’ve been alive for a half a year! I celebrated by being crabby this month. I know, I know, I’m supposed to be the “good” baby, but I spent several days (and nights) screaming, crying, and writhing around in pain. My parents finally figured out the reason – I’m constipated !! Now that they’ve figured that out and are treating the condition accordingly, I am back to my happy, easygoing self. I’m napping pretty well and sleeping better at night. Overall I’m on a pretty consistent sleep schedule. I continue to love tummy time and am just starting to pivot around. My neck is stronger now so my head doesn’t lean to one side as much as it used to. I am a wiggler; I arch my back if I don’t like the position I’m being held in. I can’t quite sit up on my own yet. My brother could at this age, but I have quite a bit more weight to balance than he did! I am cooing and giggling more. I’ve tried rice cereal (still getting used to it) and sweet potatoes (they are awesome!). I LOVE to spit! I spit when I don’t want the pacifier in my mouth, or when Mommy doesn’t warm up the rice cereal. I eat much better for Daddy these days. Also, I will NOT take a bottle well. Mommy said that is kind of a problem sometimes. . .

Our Newest Football Fan

This is for all the Hawkeye fans out there...

ISU or other teams' fans, not so much. :)

The Great Outdoors

It seems like the boys and I have been cooped up in the house all week. Yesterday between naps, we spent some time in the back yard picking the rest of the garden vegetables and swinging!

Micah even helped Mommy push Eli in the swing.

I don't mean to brag, but we really do have gorgeous children.

Yes, my 2 year old is balancing on a flimsy chair placed upon slippery small pebbles, behind a moving swing. But I had to get them both in the picture.

Thanks

Thank you to all who have sent cards, emails, phoned, visited, and most of all prayed for us during this time of loss in our family. We'll continue blogging but are going to take a break for a little while as we adjust.