Colton's 1st Birthday Party!

the cakes

I got to slide with Papaw while others were swinging and talking

I got to open gifts with my mommy

I got some cool toys!

I just love this photo...so young yet he looks so old with his grown up jeans standing reading a card!

I got to ride Lauren's bike with Nona and Poppa Louie

And of course I got to eat cake!!! (with a quick bath afterwards)

Happy Birthday baby boy! I can't believe you are 1 already!

What are you doing these days?

• Says Da-da, Ma-ma (not as often as Dada), Uh Oh (when you drop something), Ugh (in a louder than normal voice when you are frustrated and need to get someones attention)
• Walking (started November 1st)
• drinks from a sippy cup and bottle
• started drinking 2% milk as you started weaning from breast milk
• eats table food with baby food as snacks if needed
• takes a paci some
• Is teething (you only have 2 bottom teeth to date)

Colton loves...

• pulling everything out of the bottom drawer in the kitchen
• having pillow fights
• dancing when Lauren is dancing
• taking the toilet paper off the roll in the bathrooms
• being rocked at night
• being held
• sitting on a box, chair, anything that you can do yourself...you could do this for hours
• sneaking in Lauren's room and pulling everything out of her toy chest
• bath time

Colton hates...

• being put down
• strangers
• being told no
• when I walk out of a room without him

Colton you are into everything at this age and I love it because you are exploring and learning right before my eyes! You are starting to get a temper when you don't get your way which is funny at the moment...won't be funny too much longer though! You are so loving and playful. You adore your sister and want to be everywhere she is. I think that you believe you are as big as she is and can do anything she can do.Your smiles brighten our days and we love you SO much!

Love, Mommy, Daddy and Lolo

Colton Excited to see Lauren

Colton was playing in the exercauser today and started to get a little cranky but when Lauren would come around he would do this so I had to get it on film because it was pretty cute!

Nona's Breakfast Casserole

6 eggs
1 pound sausage
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste

Brown sausage, drain. Mix all ingredients.

Bake uncovered 30 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased pan.

Nana's Meatloaf

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb hot sausage
1 large or 2 small/medium eggs
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup bread crumbs (store bought or just put some bread in a blender/food processor and chop it up into fine pieces to make a 1/2 cup...normally 1 piece of bread)
salt and pepper to taste
ketchup

Mix beef, sausage, eggs, onion, bread crumbs, salt and pepper in a bowl and place into a 9x13 dish formed into a rectangle with rounded edges. Cover with Ketchup and put crisscross pattern on top to make look pretty.

Bake at 350 uncovered for 1 hour 20 minutes

Enjoy!

Recipes

I've decided I'm going to start putting my favorite recipes on the blog so I can share them with the kids when they are older. Some are recipes I've found and others are recipes from family members that I would like to keep in the family as a way for us to always remember our family members/traditions.

Lauren Funny

So three must be the age where kids decide they are going to really start working their parents. I've noticed lately that Lauren will tell little white lies! YES my perfect little princess! While I was putting Colton to bed Wednesday night Kraig and Lauren were watching Wonder Pets. When I was done with Colton, I came out and the show was almost over. Kraig went into the bedroom and when the show went off I said "ok, lets go to bed" and she went right into bed and went to sleep like a princess...said "NO, dad said I could watch two!" and she meant it! I however was not born yesterday, so I said "no, daddy didn't" with a smile on my face and I put her to bed. I told Kraig what happened and he said he didn't tell her she could watch two...and so it begins! :-)

Colton's 1st Birthday!

Yesterday was my baby boy's first birthday! He spent the day with me going to the Dr for his 1 year check up, taking a nap at daddy's office, having lunch with Papa Barenberg and then playing with his sissy! It was a great day but I can't believe my baby boy is already 1 year old!!!! Crazy!

Stats:

Weight: 21 lbs 9 oz (30th percentile)

Height: 29.53 inches (50th percentile)

Head Size: 18.9 in round (90th percentile)

He got 4 shots yesterday...flu, chicken pox (Varicella 0.5 mL SC), Prevnar and Hib (HbOC) 0.5 mL IM

He looks so big here!

Lauren got her flu shot (mist) yesterday and did great!

She just had to smell it to see if it smelled like a flower! :-)

Playing hide and seek with daddy while waiting on Dr Furlow

(who we absolutely LOVE at NW Pediatrics in Fayetteville)

Snuggling Sissy

AND he got to sit in a big boy car seat front facing! He was so happy it was hilarious to see just how he was like "whoa this is a whole new world!"

He got a balloon from Western Sizzlin (my dad's favorite place to eat)

Had his first taste of ice cream as well as strawberries (couldn't give until 1 year old for allergy reasons)! My dad loves strawberries so he was happy to share his with Colton.

And this was the view this morning from the front seat looking back. Both kids facing forward! They were pretty happy!

Lauren Funny

Last week I was at Target with Lauren and Colton and Lauren was riding in the big part of the cart. She was sitting down until we got to the section with headbands (which is why we were there to begin with...she had to have a sparkly headband just like Hannah Nana)! She then stood up to look at headbands, etc and when it was time to go I asked her to sit down. She promptly sat down continued to stand up so I started counting 1....2...3...and then I spanked her...(don't worry it was not that hard)! She turned around and looked at me and said "that wasn't nice mommy!" The lady looking at clothes on the other aisle just started laughing...and so did I! Ha! Oh, the joys of a 3 year old!

Love you Lolo!

Great Book!

For all you new moms out there...this is the book that we used with Lauren and loved it! I used the same principles with Colton and he goes to bed every night without issue! I just feed him and then put him in his bed and he rolls over and goes to sleep!

Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child

First House Destruction Incident

Last Thursday I got to play in a charity golf tournament for work. I brought home a goody bad of golf balls and tees, etc. Lauren was playing with the golf tees and I turned my head for a second and when I looked back she was using the golf tee as a nail into the wall! This is what I found...

Then the same day we were in Lauren room and walked out into the hall and Kraig pointed this out...looks normal right?

Until you look a little closer. :-)

I mean who wouldn't want to decorate with cute kitty bandaids right?!?!?!

Love you Lauren!!!

Last weekend

Last weekend we got to keep this little sweetie (11 weeks old) Friday and Saturday while her parents were in St. Louis for the Ram's game weekend. She was so good and just went along with everything we did. And it was a busy Saturday!

First was Lauren's Soccer game where cousin Katlyn got to watch (brother Austin was playing his own game)

Granny Barenberg came too!

Then we watched Katlyn's game and Lauren ate her snacks

And Colton got in on the snacks too...his first Capri-Sun with Uncle Kody!

I think little Ava enjoyed being outside! She slept the whole time and i had to wake her up to eat!


And here are all 4 of us at Katlyn's game (Kraig left after Lauren's game because it was the first day of deer season so he went to the cabin but came back that night)
After Lauren's game and Katlyn's game, we had Lauren's soccer party at Party City where she got this bobble head trophy. Picture it...Ava in the stroller while I'm carrying Colton in the Baby Bjorn carrier and Lauren was running around playing! I literally had to run her down when it was time to leave because she would come down the slide so fast and run back up the stairs to do it again...I missed her twice but on the third try I caught her! :-)

Then it was off to the horse show to watch our hairdresser Becca in a horse show who did great and looked awesome while competing! I would not have made it here with 3 kids without Carrie and Jennifer! This was the only place little Ava was not happy at first...so I held her until she fell asleep and she was fine...but that meant that I didn't have a free hand for my other 2 kids. I took a photo of Jen and Carrie pushing Lauren, Colton and Addison (3 strollers with 2 adults) but I guess when I switched phones I lost it. :-( Just picture Carrie on the left pushing Lauren in the big stroller with her left hand and pushing the left side of Colton's stroller with her right hand while Jen was pushing the right side of Colton's stroller with her left hand and pushing Addison's stroller with her right hand while I walked behind rocking baby Ava. :-) Thanks girls for your help!

After the horse show we went home and Uncle Ryan and Aunt Lisa picked up baby Ava around 5...Kieran and Lauren played outside with Aunt Lisa while uncle Ryan got Ava's stuff together...but then Lauren was very sad (and a little mad) that baby Ava was leaving. She had what we call Crocodile tears! She was mad at Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ryan for taking Ava but we had to remind her that Kieran wanted to play with Ava too. :-)

So basically we were gone from 8:30 am to about 3:30 pm...busy day but lots of fun!