Bartlett Family

Evening with Pinterest

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000-08:00

Last night we had a pinteresting evening. I started working on some wreaths, while the boys sat and played with bubbles. All thanks to pinterest.com. Man I love that idea site.

Wreath pinspiration / Bubble pinspiration

Eight Feet

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

...of shelf. That is what we built this weekend.

I had been struggling with decorating this wall for... umm, six years. Then it came to me out of nowhere (well okay: pinterest, houzz, and blogging) that I could build my own shelf! Some husband convincing, a trip to Menards, and $20 later. Hello mighty shelf!

Here is the wall before the mighty shelf. Someday the entire wall will be one color. Just haven't gotten to that yet. We need to put in our archways and do some drywall blending first...

Building the shelf: We glued the pieces first and then screwed them together.

Cory predrilled the holes to make them easier to hide with wood putty.

We added brackets to what we thought was going to be the underneath of the shelf. I changed my mind after it was all painted. My next shelf will have the brackets on the opposite side. The way the shelf ended up makes the brackets kind of pointless, but they can be hidden. Still learning DIY...

All painted

And hung above the couch. Doesn't that fit better? The items on the shelf are just for height ideas. I've only purchased one thing for the shelf and I'm waiting it to arrive. I'll take down the candle holder that you see on the left. It never really had much business being there anyway. Just one of my past random thoughts that didn't quite work. ;-?

Whatcha think?

Carter 7 Months

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Our sweet baby Carter is 7 months old! He is trying to lift him self on his hands and knees. We usually help lift his legs for him and he props his arms up and laughs like crazy. He loves to roll over and spin himself in circles. He also loves kicking his legs and swinging his arms all the time. Once he starts crawling and walking... I have a feeling there will be no stopping him. Carter gave up the pacifier this month! He also started holding his own bottle and trying to feed himself. I have to make sure not to hold the spoon to close to his hands while feeding him or he'll grab it and food will go everywhere.

We sure love you lots smiley baby boy!

Sick

2012-01-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

We are all sick. 4 out of 5 of us are on meds... Carter had an ear infection and pink eye. Ethan had pink eye and now has an upper respiratory infection. Cory has a canker sore on the back of his throat and an ear infection and a horrible cold and cough. I have a double ear infection. Mariah just started coughing and blowing her nose yesterday. Yuck... This past week has been horrible. Horrible.

Pink eye, chapped lip from runny nose...

and yes, some blue frosting on his lip from leftover birthday cake.

Friday night: Waiting at the doctor's office

Snow Fun

2012-01-15T02:00:00.000-08:00

We finally got enough snow for sledding! Yes, I am actually excited about that. Normally I am not a fan of the winters and cold weather, but I'll have to admit that playing with the kids in the snow kind of makes me feel like a kid all over again.

Mariah and Ethan sledding down the hill together.

Coming to a crash landing.

Ethan getting up to do it all over again.

Mariah telling me her butt is so cold there are penguins on it.

Heading up the hill for more.

My brother trying to take me out...

literally...

I had to run out of the way and he laughed the whole time.

Happy 4th Birthday Ethan

2012-01-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

Ethan is 4 years old today. Funny saying that he is "finally" 4, because it feels like he's been 4 for a while. We kind of skipped right over the 3s. He didn't wear size 3 for very long. He moved in to the 4's room when he started school (aka daycare). Most of his friends are 4 or 5. So in my mind, I guess he's been 4 for a while. Not that I would ever try to rush past these preciously heart warming years.

Ethan is a lover. He loves his teachers, his friends, his family, his dad, his brother, his sister, and me. He calls me an angel, his angel. "I love you my angel" said with a tilted head and his quirky half smile.

Over the past year:

Ethan has become a big brother

Learned to ride a bike

Learned to drive a John Deere Gator

Started preschool

And warmed my heart day after day

I love you Ethan James

xoxo, mom

Oh the Anger...

2012-01-13T19:24:00.000-08:00

I spend a ton of time putting a post together for Ethan's birthday. I went to post it from my iPad and the entire thing vanished. I think I threw up a bit... I seriously spent hours over the past week putting that post together...

Ethan's 4 Years Old

2012-01-13T02:00:00.000-08:00

Fever

2012-01-11T19:45:00.000-08:00

I want my happy smiley baby back.

Fevers are horrible, colds are horrible, daycare germs are horrible. Building an immune system is some serious business... and it's horrible. Poor Carter started a fever last Sunday. I took him to the walk in on Monday and they said it looked to be just a nasty viral bug. I was kinda hoping it was something that could have been treated, but not pumping his little body full of meds is better. Made me sad that I took him to the walk in though. There were so many people coughing and wearing face masks and looking all germ-infested. It gave me goose bumps to sit in there next to all of them. Luckily they call the babies in right away so we didn't have to sit in the germ-breading-grounds for very long.

Carter's fever finally broke on Wednesday morning. Things were looking up and back to normal and his second tooth popped through. Maybe the fever was from teething? But, they say high fevers aren't from teething, right? So, my poor little man must have been teething and fighting a fever bug all at the same time. :-( Oh I wish babies could talk and tell us what's wrong.

Last night Carter's fussiness started all over again. He was screaming at us, moving his head from side to side, and crying non-stop. I gave him some Advil around 8:30 because I knew he was in pain, but had no idea what was causing the pain. Cory got him to sleep around 8:45 ~ thank you Cory! Then Carter was up on and off throughout the night whimpering and looking to snuggle.

This morning his temp was 99.6. I took him to daycare and got a text a little while later saying his fever was up to 100.4. So, back to the doctor we went. This time we got in to see Carter's pediatrician. He checked out Carter's ears and found a nasty little mess in his left ear. Carter has his very first ear infection. No wonder our little man has been so fussy lately. He's been hurting.

Hoping for the meds to work soon and for Carter to feel like his adorably happy little self.

Oh Ethan, I love you to the moon and back

2012-01-06T17:00:00.000-08:00

Ethan has a personality the size of the biggest dinosaur that ever walked the earth. Ya never know what you're going to get with him. Take these pics for example...

Yup, that's food on his face and a headband in his hair.

And some oh-so-blurry-pictures taken with my ipad captured the moment perfectly.

Carter 6 months

2012-01-05T05:00:00.001-08:00

Carter turned six months on Christmas day so I guess this post is a little late... Too say we had a couple things keeping us busy is a bit of an understatement.

At Carter's six month check up he weighed 17 pounds 12 ounces. He's our perfect little chunky-monkey! He also has... TWO teeth! Which makes nursing him a bit more challenging at times. His first tooth came in on Christmas Eve and his second tooth came in on Jan 4th. Hopefully he's done teething for a while, because teething is some serious business which results in a screaming baby and no sleep for this mama.

We started him on cereal at 5 1/2 months. He wasn't too sure at first, but he is loving it up now. Think we'll introduce some fruits and veggies soon. Look out Carter, the world has big things awaiting you.

Love you my little "Stud Muffin" xo

Yes, Yes I Can Get Anotha Room Up In Here!

2012-01-05T05:00:00.000-08:00

The request. "Can I Get Anotha Room Up In Here"

The solution: Another room!

So much decorating I shall do!

Step 1:
Move everything out of Cory's office.

Step 2:
Locate a new office space in the basement.

Step 3:
Paint Carter's new room! Turned out a bit more blue than I wanted, but I like it.

Step 4:
Move Carter in to his new room.

~curtain change~

yes... that is a fish tank in his room... no it will not be staying

moved the new curtains to my room ~ don't they look great with my pillows ;)

Step 5:
Bring a new (old) dresser in to Ethan's room.

I will eventually get some nicer looking handles for this dresser to update it a bit.

Ta-Da! 4 bedroom house with a fabulous office in the basement! Happy Dance, Happy Dance!

Project Breakdown:

Thanks to Menard's amazing clearance paint section where they keep all their miss-tint paints..... (drum role please).... $5, $5, and $1. Mix in a splash of blue paint that I already had... Total paint cost for the lovely new room = $11 Ah-May-Zing!

Husband's handy cable work = FREE thanks to extra parts that we had around the house.
Husband's handy electric work = $50 for five outlets, one cable connection, two light switches and some extra wire.

Curtain rods for Carter's new room = $30 just a regular great price at Target.
Curtain panels for Carter's new room = $108 due to four $10 off coupons for JCPenney that I've been saving up. But... I kinda stole the curtains from Carter and put them in my room and moved my brown curtains to his room. Much better look for both rooms!

Wall for Cory's new office = $100

I love this picture. Ethan is such a great helper.

Door for Cory's new office = FREE (we had it on the wall to the playroom)

Before: on playroom wall

After: office looking through to bar

After: bar looking through to office

Finishing the wall to the playroom where we removed door = $20

Total project cost = $319
I feel like I am missing something. I can't believe we made all of these huge changes for just $319.
Woot Woot!

Future plans if all goes well and the money tree rains down on us:
Build a retaining wall outside Cory's office and add a look out window.

Oh how I love projects like this. I'm jumping around doing the happy dance right now and making a fun squealing noise! ;)

By the way... we did this in FOUR days. Yeah, we rocked this one!

Not As Planned

2012-01-03T17:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't really have a plan, but if I would have put a plan together... this would not have been it.

2012

Day 1: I had a horrible migraine and Carter started his first fever

Day 2: I had to call in to work to stay home with Carter and take him to the walk-in and sit next to tons of germ-infested people only to find out that Carter has a virus and nothing can be done right now to make him better. By the way... I used all my days for maternity leave so any day off through the end of June is unpaid.

Day 3: I went to work and left Carter home with Cory ~ which Cory enjoys, but is completely heartbreaking for me. Then I took Ethan to daycare ~ which he normally loves ~ but today he clung to my leg and cried until a teacher peeled him off of me and tried to comfort him. Yup, another heartbreak.

One, Two, Three strikes your out....

Is there a reset button?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2012-01-03T06:00:00.000-08:00

2011 Year in Review

January: Ethan turned 3 years old

February: Cory turned 30 and I threw him a surprise birthday party

March: Ethan started Preschool

April: I turned in to a mini-van-driving-mama

May: Mariah got confirmed and graduated from junior high

June: Carter Oliver was born ~ true blessing

July: Cory and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary

August: We took a family trip to Mall of America

September: I went back to work after a lovely 12 week maternity leave

October: Mariah went to Homecoming

November: We moved a ton of trees

December: We moved Cory's office to the basement and gave Carter his own room

Hope everyone had a fabulous 2011.

I wish you all a healthy and happy 2012.

Can I Get Anotha Room Up In Here

2011-12-28T05:00:00.000-08:00

...because we've run out. Three kids, two parents, three dogs (which mainly live in the garage) and only three bedrooms = too many people / too little house. I need more house. This oh-so-adorable boob huggin mommy lovin baby needs to move out of my room and in to his own pad. If only we had a spot for him. Uh honey, there's no room in the "In", can you build a manger?

The above was from December 8, but finally posted today. There will be a step two to this post. We are just settling the dust and adding the finishing touches. More to come soon!

All I want for Christmas... are Comments

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-08:00

I know you're out there. Drop me a comment and let me know who you are. I see my reader numbers go up daily. I would love to hear from you. It would be like a giant Christmas present to me. It would give me warm fuzzies inside.

I got a Christmas card in the mail a couple days ago from my favorite aunt and uncle (aww) and they wrote that they love reading my blog, but aren't sure how to post comments. So, I thought I'd try to give a little step by step and see if I am any good at directions.

To Post a Comment:

Click on what usually says "O Comments" under the post content. A window will pop up that allows you to type your message. If you get an error message asking you to allow pop-ups you can select okay, or allow pop ups on this site. It's safe. I promise I'm not sending you bugs. :)

Type your message in the box.

Enter the word verification for security.

Then you have to choose an ID. If you have an email address through google/gmail or yahoo you can select the Google Account. If you don't then you should select OpenID.

If you select Google Account you will have to sign in on the next page (it will take you there when you click Publish Your Comment). Just use your email address and password to sign in. Don't worry, it doesn't share this info with anyone. Just verifies your identity.

If you select OpenID (which I have never used so bare with me) then you need to have an account with LiveJournal, TypePad, WordPress, or AIM. I have none of these so I am not able to give this a run. Hmmm this seems difficult. Maybe I should check my settings to allow for anyone to post without verification of who they are.

Okay, I opened things up a bit. Now you can also choose from Name/URL (URL optional) or Anonymous. Please don't choose anonymous. I like to know who you are. If you don't have a google or yahoo ID then choose Name/URL and just throw in your name. If you have a blog I'd love for you to leave that in the URL. I want to read what you write about too.

Publish Your Comment and then await my approval. I added the approval part since I opened this up to anonymous posts. I want to keep this family-friendly people.

Thanks! I'm looking forward to your comments. Don't make me beg ~ again. :-)

Merry Christmas!

She's a Good Kid

2011-12-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

Mariah has a loving heart. She really enjoys school, loves her friends, loves being a part of the dance group at school, and loves buying gifts for others. This morning I dropped her off at school just like every other morning, but today... I almost had to park the van and help her in with all her bags. She had a bag full of presents for her friends, a 9x13 pan of brownies that she made last night to share with her friends, a 2 liter of soda for a party in Spanish class, and her actual school bag. She was getting out of the van this morning and looked up at me like "mom, I need a couple more arms". We stuffed her school bag as full as we could and she scooped up all her stuff. As she was walking in to the school one of her friends came running out and gave her a hug. Mariah couldn't hug back because her hands were full. Her friend quickly took the brownies ~ of course ~ and helped Mariah in to the school.

Moments like this are heart warming and worth remembering. She really has a loving heart.

I love you lots Mariah.

I found this picture while looking through my phone for pictures of Mariah to add to this post. With this picture I'll also have to say that I love your comical side too, Mariah. So lovely of you to sneak my phone and occasionally take goofy pictures of yourself for me to find later. :)

Hey Santa

2011-12-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

Santa made a visit at mom and Harry's house during our Christmas party.

Love the "earlybird" editing feature on instagram. I'll try not to over use it, but no promises.

Grandpa "Santa" Harry and Carter

Grandpa "Santa" Harry and Ethan

Ethan playing in the first snow of the season

Mariah and Leah with Santa (they must be too old for Santa's lap)

And then my chubber-cheakers guy. Random, but adorable.

Christmas Caroling

2011-12-20T07:59:00.000-08:00

On Monday evening a group of us from church headed out to a local VA Home and sang for the residents. This was extremely touching and I was so proud to be there with my family. Even Ethan got in to singing some of the songs. Now this is what Christmas is all about.

Can I Have a Couple More

2011-12-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

Because I love these guys. They own my world.

Carter thinks his feet are yummy

Oh yes, the bath time photo

Too much sun in the room for my phone-camera, but this moment was adorable.

Again, bad lighting, but he finished the whole puzzle by himself!

Christmas Lights

2011-12-19T11:30:00.000-08:00

Cory bought a groupon to go to Jelly Stone and see their Christmas lights. We had no idea what we were in for. It was AMAZING. So worth the money. This will definitely be a yearly tradition.

(iPhone-photos)

Full Moon

2011-12-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

Does a full moon really bring craziness? I am pretty sure there was a full moon on Saturday night. Even an eclipse and a giant glowing moon if I am correct. Normally I don't think much about that stuff and instead just jokingly throw the comment around "must be a full moon", but let me tell you I am starting to believe in the creepy effects of a full moon. Or the crazy coincidences that seem to take place when a full moon is present.

Saturday night we went to bed. Carter hasn't been sleeping well lately (total understatement). So I was up with him around 10pm, 11pm - 12pm... and on and on. Around 11:30/midnight I realized the nightlight in our room was going from dim to bright, brought back my club dancing strobe light nights. Anyway, I thought maybe it was burning out so I turned it off. Then I heard a beeping from our living room ~ which usually means the smoke detector on our 16' tall ceiling has a dead battery ~ Cory asked what he should do about the beeping, because getting the giant extension ladder from the garage and changing the "beepin" battery (insert word) in the middle of the night did not sound like a fun idea. So, we shut the bedroom doors and figured we'd deal with it in the morning. Well, in the morning we had a bit more to deal with. Turns out the battery wasn't dead, the night light wasn't burning out... instead the power was out. We are guessing it was out for two hours. The beeping noise was our battery back up sump pump. The nightlight was working on battery power instead of electricity. And... our fish tank back flowed and we lost over an inch of salt water through the bottom of our tank and on to our carpet, ceiling tiles in the basement, and basement carpet.

Next time... we'll get out of bed and check out the "beepin'" situation.

This is what happens when parents are sleep-deprived from a boob-huggin-mommy-lovin' monster.

Martini

2011-12-09T09:05:00.000-08:00

Yes please! I am in lust with Martinis. A while ago Cory and I went to a martini bar with some friends. This was the first time I had ever tried a martini and I seriously fell for them. Like a first snow fall, the smell of apple pie in fall, the fresh air after a rain storm, the scent of baby's skin after a bath, type of yumminess.

So, now we are makers of martinis on a regular basis. Our first martini experiment consisted of Three Olive Vodka (yumm), blue curacao, and pineapple juice, with a couple pineapple cubes for extra delight.

I should have taken the picture before I drank half of it, but I couldn't resist.

What type of martini should we make this weekend?

Don't Co-Sleep

2011-12-08T05:34:00.001-08:00

Because if you do, you will create a boob-huggin-mommy-lovin monster. Don't get me wrong, I love my boob-huggin-mommy-lovin monster, but holy crap am I tired. I love the snuggles, the grunts, the smell of baby, but I also love a good nights sleep. Something I haven't had in over a month.

I went back to work when Carter was 3 months old. My boob-huggin-mommy-lovin monster was pretty much sleeping through the night. All was well. Then a couple weeks after getting in to our new routine my BHML decided it would be fun to start getting up once or twice during the night. I was dragging from working all day and not being able to take a nap so I started bring my little BHML in to bed with me. Thought we could snuggle, I could feed him, and we could all sleep. Well that worked for a little while. Then he got spoiled. Realized there's-no-place-like-the-marshmallow (AKA mom and dad's bed).

So, now we have an overly tired mama. A boob-huggin-mommy-lovin monster that won't sleep anywhere besides the marshmallow. And... a giant cup of coffee.

Good night, I mean morning. What day is it?

The guilty party (AKA Carter)

Some of My Favorites

2011-12-06T10:27:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to share some of my favorite recent pictures.

My Thanksgiving tablesetting.

Spending some time with my great friend Lindsay.

Yummmm Martinis!

Yeah... I was talking :-)

Me and my Mariah.

Isn't my niece Charlotte adorable?!

Daddy getting some Carter snuggles.

Well hello monkey man! Look at you sittin' up!

My boys ~ love them ~

Holy Crap! Cory's on the roof! (he hates heights)

Big boy - play time.

Happy 15th Birthday Mariah!

Paige and Mariah

Carter all dressed up (on the changing table)

Cory and me

Silly kids

My pinterest inspiration ~ a snowman wreath

My Christmas Village is up, thanks Cory!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Carter's first Thanksgiving (don't ya love his new high chair!)

Mariah is 15 years old!

2011-12-02T06:09:00.001-08:00

15 years ago my life changed in the most amazing way. It was a Monday afternoon, December 2, 1996. My beautiful Mariah entered the world at 7:04pm and warmed my heart instantly.

What a journey it has been. I am so blessed.

I love being a mommy.

I love you Mariah! You will always be my "baby girl".

Carter ~ Five Months

2011-11-30T08:40:00.001-08:00

It seems crazy, but our little man is 5 months old already. That's almost half of a year! Feels like yesterday when I was anxiously awaiting his arrival. Such a blessing. This little man has stolen my heart. One of the most fabulous things about him is that everyone says he looks just like me. Aww, my guy. ~LOVE YOU~

Carter has changed so much this past month. He's trying to sit up on his own, but hasn't conquered the skill yet. He watches us eat, turns when we call his name, hugs us, tries to kiss us with an open mouth against our cheeks, and... he rolls over! The first time he rolled over he was about 4 months old. Cory got to see it, but I was in the other room. The second time he rolled over was at daycare so I had missed it again. But, this weekend I finally got to see him roll. And roll he did... over and over and over. Now whenever I lay him on his back he instantly flips over to his tummy. I managed to catch this roll over on video.

Man I love all the "firsts".

Thanksgiving Horror Stories

2011-11-21T10:01:00.001-08:00

I was browsing through yahoo stories and came across this. The more I am reading these stories, the more I'm laughing out loud. I sure hope none of these crazy things happen for any of us this Thanksgiving Holiday. I'll have to say that after my daughter and my cooking mishaps this weekend... anything is possible.

1) I made these amazing oatmeal cookies this weekend, but decided to ditch the raisins, cut back on the butter and add peanut butter for extra taste. Well... lets just say they turned out like oatmeal-peanut-butter-hockey-pucks; however, I ate them.

2) Mariah made banana bread and added an extra banana for extra moist flavor. She put the bread in the oven and made the entire house smell delicious. I opened the microwave, put in my coffee, warmed it up, opened it back up... and found a stick of butter that rotated around in front of my coffee. Yup, she forgot to add the butter to the banana bread. The bread turned out a bit rubbery, but we ate it - put our butter on the bread.

3) Mariah made brownies for her friends at school. She put the ingredients in, added a little extra Hershey's syrup for extra chocolate-y-ness... and because... she had mixed up the measurements on the oil and water. They were like fluffy pieces of chocolate cake instead of brownies.

Hopefully this is no indication of whats to come on Thanksgiving!

I love My Husband

2011-11-17T05:34:00.001-08:00

Cory is the best. He puts up with so much. I can really be a handful.

The kids can really be a handful. But, he loves us and he is our hero.

The soon-to-come-story-of-our-bed will explain even more how wonderful my dear husband is.

Every morning we go through the same routine. Cory and I wake up and get ready. We get Mariah up so she can get ready. Cory makes my coffee, gets my pump bag ready, wakes up both boys, gets them ready, and I continue to get myself ready. Then we all meet in the kitchen shortly before leaving the house.

Cory and I are morning people (most of the time), Mariah on the other hand is not. However, we were all laughing yesterday morning because of my morning-happy-husband. Mariah came out of the bathroom and was walking down the hallway to her room. As she was walking she heard "ba-da-da-dum" she looked back towards our room, then kept walking. She heard it again "ba-da-da-dum". She chuckled and quickly walked to her room as she heard the rest of the song coming loudly from my bedroom "ba-da-da-dum, ba-da-da-dum, ba-da-da-dum... The Adams Family..." Yup, Cory was in full song singing the Adams Family to the boys that morning. Gave us a good laugh all morning long. And to top it off, he stopped singing at one point, looked down at Carter and said "if you were a cookie, you'd be a chunka-chip". :-)

One of my favorite new lines and a possible new nick-name for our Carter Monkey, Chunka-Chip.

Love you Cory

xoxo

Brotherly Love

2011-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

There is something truly amazing about brothers.

Their love for one another isn't easily described with words.

Their bond is magical and melts my heart constantly.

Their need to be close to one another is precious.

Their unspoken connection makes life that much more fabulous.

~Love~

4 Months

2011-11-04T11:11:00.000-07:00

Happy 4 months, 1 week, and 3 days to our little Carter-Monkey!

I would love to say that I am on top of things like some of my fabulous mom friends, but I can't. There are no similar picture post for every month showing how my little monkey is growing (love those by the way to all my mommy-friends that are doing them). Instead, just a couple random pics from the past month.

Sleep: Yes, we are co-sleeping. I know... shame on us... shouldn't be done... I know, I get it, but we love it. Carter and I sleep so well when we are snuggled together. Some say it's unsafe, but to me there couldn't be anything safer than mama bear protecting baby cub all night long. We are careful. No crazy blankets, he sleeps in a swaddle, no fluffy pillows, no sleeping by the edge. Just tucked in gently under my arm with me facing him all night long. Yeah, I might be getting a bit stiff, but it's worth it.

A little morning snooze after getting unswaddled. So content on mommy's pillow.

~swoon~

So close...

Almost there...

I can taste it... oh wait, that's the blanket...

And one more for fun

How Do We Shop?

2011-11-03T05:50:00.000-07:00

Baby in the cart, purse in the cart, maybe room for a loaf of bread or gallon of milk...

so, where do the rest of the groceries go???

In my handsome little man's cart of course!

This is how we shop.

How do you shop?

Trick Er Treat

2011-11-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

CANDY!

I love CANDY!

Can you tell I'm on a sugar high right now?!

I have been eating candy non-stop! Went to the break room today to wash my water glass, dropped it in the sink, splashed water all over my entire face and outfit. Geesh! Better lay off the CANDY... I'm starting to get the shakes!

My adorable munchkins all ready for treatin' on Halloween evening.

Carter slept through the adventure and snuggled up nicely with Giana's blanket.

Thanks for letting him borrow it Giana.

Look at all this candy! SCORE!

And of course... I dressed up a little bit myself for my coworkers.

Happy Halloween!

Oak Trees, Mold, and Dust Mites

2011-10-28T05:59:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday we took Ethan to an allergist for testing. He hated the tests. He screamed and shook and screamed... it was horrible. He was terrified. I don't think the tests hurt nearly as bad as he made it seem, but he was scared. Cory and I were both there trying to calm him down the best that we could. Heartbreaking, but I am glad we did it.

The results were worth the trouble. Turns out he does NOT have food allergies which we are very thankful for. Instead he is allergic to oak trees, mold, and dust mites. Dust mites are the worst because they are everywhere. I enjoy a clean house though, but some times lack motivation. Now, I have complete motivation. This weekend we'll pick up pillow covers and a bed cover which should help eliminate dust mites. We also moved our dogs outside over a month ago. That is supposed to help a ton. Dust mites populate in areas where people sleep and where dogs sleep.

So, my question for my readers is: What products should I use for dusting? When I cleared out all the toxic sprays for cleaning my house and switched to Method cleaning products and vinegar, I also switched to dry dusting with a microfiber towel. Well, I read that dry dusting is 93% less effective with removing dust particles and getting rid of dust mites. That is a huge percent! So what type of toxin-free product do you suggest for dusting?

Recipes for Cleaning

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

I did it! I made my own laundry detergent this weekend and it was super easy, fun, and made my kitchen smell really fresh! Here is the recipe I used (taken from this website):

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Most homemade laundry detergent recipes out there contain the same ingredients:
1. 1 bar of Fels-Naptha soap
2. 1 cup of Washing Soda
3. ½ cup of Borax powder

To make a powdered detergent, cut the soap into small pieces and then powder it in a food processor or blender. Mix this with the soda and borax. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load depending on the size of the load and the amount of soil. This recipe will make enough detergent for about 40 loads.

Super cheap and super yummy smelling! I've read that you can use different types of bar soaps instead of the fels-naptha if you prefer.

The next recipe I'll try is for homemade dish detergent (from the same website):

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Ingredients
• 1 cup washing soda
• 1 cup borax powder
• ½ cup salt
• ½ cup citric acid

Mix all the ingredients together and store in a glass canning jar. Use one tablespoon per load. For best results, use white vinegar in the rinse dispenser.

Ethan helped me make the laundry detergent.
And... Cory is completely on board because its cheap and smells delicious.

Trying to Create a Healthier Household

2011-10-21T07:36:00.000-07:00

I am not by any means completely naturalistic or holistic, but I would like to say that I am trying to do more of that little by little. Recently I had a conversation with my family about trying our hardest to cut out fast food and soda. This will be easy to do for Cory, Ethan, Carter, and myself, but Mariah may be a bigger challenge. She is able to buy and drink whatever she wants while at school. They have a full cafeteria that is open the entire day. The kids can stop in there between classes and fill up on snacks, soda, artificial juices, something called a milk shake that is just really thick milk loaded with sugar, cappuccinos, the list goes on. So, since I can't completely control what she eats while at school, I can control what I buy for home meals and snacks.

Getting away from processed foods sounds like a great idea; however, its close to impossible. Just about everything we buy is processed or highly sprayed with chemicals. We eat all these chemicals on a daily basis and then complain about our increase in allergies and other health issues. Then we go to the doctor for medicine to try to balance the imbalance in our bodies. As easy as that sounds... it is not healthy at all. I would like to think that by making a couple little changes with cutting out fast food, soda, and the highly processed foods... that maybe, just maybe, I can make a difference in my families health.

Another harsh thing that we do to our bodies is surround them with cleaning chemicals, toxins, and pesticides. This is in addition to the world of pollution around us. While I can't control the environment, I can control what comes in to our home. I can do my best to reduce the use of chemicals and toxins in our home. I have found a million ways to use white distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and baking soda for all of our household needs. I am yet to try all these ways; however, the fact that my husband hates the smell of vinegar might be a bit of a road block. Hopefully he'll understand the benefit and jump on board soon.

This article alone was enough to make me understand the benefit: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/11/earlyshow/health/main20052745.shtml

"This is so important. Unfortunately, the statistics are pretty scary when it comes to childhood obesity. Today's generation of kids may be the first to not outlive their parents, because we're seeing diseases in kids that we normally see in adults," Sass says. "From type 2 diabetes to high blood pressure and even heart disease. In 1976, five percent of children in the U.S. qualified as obese. Today it's 20 percent, or one-in-five kids.

I don't want to obsess over this like a fad diet, but instead I want to make some lifestyle changes with hopes that my children will carry these lifestyle changes with them. My mom made everything homemade when we were kids. We used cloth diapers, bought local honey, grew most of our own vegetables, made apple pies from hand picked apples from trees that weren't sprayed with chemicals. We rarely ate fast food, never had soda in the house, and ate a lot of farm fresh meat and eggs. So, I grew up this way, but some where in the busy world and busy way of life, I lost a lot of those values. The harm didn't affect me so I didn't think about my poor choices. Now I have a three year old son with possible allergies, and a rash that makes him itch like crazy. He takes allergy medicine daily and uses a steroid cream to reduce the dry itchy skin. I don't want this for him. He's only three and shouldn't be filled with medicine. I don't want Carter to have these issues either. Luckily for Mariah I didn't use a pesticide in the house every three months, I didn't feed her as much fast food and processed foods, and I didn't let her drink soda until junior high.

Life gets busy, we forget, and we pick the easy road. Ads are confusing, misleading, and truly makes all the bad foods look amazingly delicious.

My next step will be considering cancelling my pesticide contract... this will be the hardest change for me. I hate bugs. Terrified of bugs. Want nothing to do with bugs and spiders and centipedes. However, I love my family and their health is more important. Maybe allowing pesticides outside my home and not inside will be my first step.

The other thing I want to do more for fun than anything is to make my own laundry soap. It's pretty natural, it's fun, it smells good (I've been told), it's extremely cheap, and it's very gentle on clothes and skin. These are a lot of changes at once and I'll send my family in to shock if I make them all instantly. So, I'll slowly make a couple of these changes and hopefully my family will find it fun and jump on board.

Last night we had raw carrots for dinner along with mac-n-cheese (yup, highly processed - I'm not perfect or crazy) and strip steak with tortillas. The big change was introducing the raw carrots in to the meal instead of canned vegetables. We loved eating the big raw carrots and the best part was teaching Ethan how to peal them. He LOVED it. He couldn't stop talking about how mommy taught him how to peal a carrot.

I love seeing him so proud to learn.

Family Pictures

2011-10-18T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've finally uploaded all of the pictures from our family photo shoot
with Lindsay McGowan Photography

Click on the following link to see them: Our Family Pictures 2011

Homecoming 2011

2011-10-10T19:11:00.000-07:00

Mariah went to Homecoming this past weekend with her friends Cameron, Paige, and Martin. The four of them were a blast to photograph. We took a couple pictures at Paige's house, then brought them to our house for dinner, then caught a couple more pictures in our yard.

click here to see all the pictures

The girls posing like Charlie's Angels

The guys lookin' cool

My beautiful daughter

The group

Cameron... that's a pretty crazy smile

So pretty

Week and a Half

2011-09-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

I have been back to work for a week and a half now. There are some nice things about it like the adult interaction, the "me" time, and of course the money. BUT, there are the not so nice things about it like getting all three kids in to the vehicle and pulling out of the driveway by 6:50am. Dropping the kids off at two different locations. Carrying lunch boxes, a car seat with infant, jackets, keys, a blanket, and holding the hand of my toddler all while trying to enter a building at 7:00am. Taking Ethan to the breakfast room at daycare and getting him settle in and ready to eat while saying good-bye to him and giving him kisses... all while he's looking at me with his puppy dog eyes and asking me why I have to leave and why he has to stay there. Dropping off Carter in the infant room and unloading all of his stuff in to the correct spots, telling the teachers how he slept and when he ate last, and catch them up on anything else they might need to know, then kissing my little man good-bye and heading out the door all by myself. Doing all of this within 10-15 minutes every morning. Then climbing in to my car and feeling my heart sink in to my chest as I am telling myself that this is good. I can do this.

In all reality... it bites.

Family Photos 2011

2011-09-25T17:09:00.000-07:00

This weekend not only did I get to spend some much needed time with a close friend, I also got some great photo memories out of it. My friend Lindsay came to town and took our family pictures on her mom and dad's beautifully wooded property. We managed to sneak in the pictures between all the rain storms on Saturday. She did an amazing job! Below are some of my favorites.

Click here to go to Lindsay's blog and view a couple more pictures.

and one in color ;-)

Carter: 3 Months

2011-09-25T17:06:00.000-07:00

Happy 3 months Carter! Such a big guy already! You are the most amazing baby. So calm and relaxed, you sleep through the night, you love to smile and giggle. You are amazing! We love you lots, xoxo!

Today our little Carter Oliver is 14.4 pounds and 24 inches. He is growing like crazy! Perfect little man.

Photo by Lindsay

I did it!

2011-09-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

I've managed to get up every morning, get out of the house on time, and make it to work every day this week! I thought for sure I'd go in to denial by Wednesday or Thursday and refuse to leave the house, but I did it. I so badly wanted to be home with my kids every day this week, but I did it. That's huge.

Ethan and Carter have helped to make the transition back to work easier. They both had a nice time at Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Harry's house on M, W, F this week. They are also enjoying their new daycare. Ethan went on a field trip on Thursday and got to ride on a BIG YELLOW SCHOOL BUS for the first time! He went to an apple orchard and learned how to pick apples. "Mom, you lift and twist, lift and twist."

I Can Do This...

2011-09-20T08:58:00.000-07:00

...my hearts not in it, but I can do it.

Coming back to work after maternity is hard. It's isn't fair and it's hard. There is nothing I want more than to spend the day with my kids. This isn't something that parents get to do forever because kids grow up. I get that, I have a teenager. But, we should be able to be with them all the time until they grow up. Until they head off to kindergarten on the big yellow bus. I should be at home taking care of them, teaching them, feeding them, playing with them. I should be there with them until they grow up. My heart is there with them, but unfortunately I am not.

I can do this. I can stay strong. I know my kids are in good hands. After a while they will even start to have a lot of fun and meet new friends. They will come home with stories that will warm my heart.

On Monday the boys played with Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Harry. Here we are getting ready to leave the house the first morning.

On Tuesday they started at their new daycare. Here we were getting ready to leave the second day.

ONE

2011-09-18T18:58:00.000-07:00

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ok, maternity leave is over.
Carter was baptized today.
Back to reality tomorrow morning.

Yes, this truly was THE BEST SUMMER. EVER.

Extremely grateful.

TWO

2011-09-17T16:44:00.000-07:00

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Getting ready for Carter's baptism tomorrow!

THREE

2011-09-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Friday, September 16, 2011

Had a horrible migraine yesterday afternoon. Horrible.

Got a massage this morning. My mom came to watch the boys and surprised me with a Starbuck's pumpkin spice latte! Massage and latte....ahhh bliss!

Went to a bonfire at the neighbors house with Cory, Ethan, and Carter. We had a great time! Carter slept most of the time and Ethan fell asleep on Cory while watching the fire. I love this time of year. Outdoor fires are wonderful.

FOUR

2011-09-15T07:40:00.000-07:00

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Only four more days...

I am sitting here watching Ethan and Carter hang out in the living room. Carter is in his bouncy chair and Ethan is playing with toys. They are both so happy. I love these moments.

This morning Mariah had late start for school. Once a month they start at 9:30am instead of 7:30am. So, I surprised her with a trip to Starbucks before school! She got a french vanilla cappuccino and I got a pumpkin spice latte (first time trying this) and it was AWESOME!

We are getting a new dryer today. Five years ago we bought a front load washer because our old machine went. Now we are finally getting the matching dryer! It's the little things in life that excite me greatly...

Signing off for now. Time to go spend day four with the kiddos.

FIVE

2011-09-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ethan calls Carter little Fu-Fu. When I ask why he says because he's my baby brother. Hmmm, okay. ;)

I started a taking zumba class tonight and LOVED IT! This was the best dance class, workout class, ever! I even got Mariah to go with me. She just watched for the first couple songs, but then realized how much fun I was having and she joined in the dancing.

SIX

2011-09-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Six days left of maternity leave. I feel like I'm grieving today. Definitely a day of sadness. I don't want these 12 weeks to be over. I'm not ready for this chapter in my life to end. I want 12 more weeks... then 12 more after that. I want a maternity leave like England's. They get 52 weeks! They know that family comes first. They know that healthy lifestyles start at home.

Today my heart is breaking as I sit here holding my sleeping baby on my lap.

Precious Smiles

Making crafts for mommy and daddy (Ethan: because I love you guys!).

Carter checking out what big brother is making.

A little daddy snuggle time.

SEVEN

2011-09-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

Monday, September 12, 2011

Seven days left of maternity leave. It has been AMAZING being home with my family this summer. AMAZING. It is going to be very hard to leave Carter and Ethan with the daycare and return back to work. I know it is best for all of us, but it's still going to be hard.

We are living up these last days as much as possible. Today we spent lots of time outside looking at nature, playing, and just enjoying the beautiful day.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures.

My little rock star

Ethan in the pool... fully clothed... dumping water on his head with his hat.

Carter Monkey about to fall asleep outside in his stroller.

My big guy having a blast on his swing set.

Fresh raspberries from our garden - DELICIOUS!

Look closely at the center of the picture. There is a baby bird in there.

Pretty butterfly on a plant in our landscapping.

Two Months

2011-08-25T18:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 2 month birthday Carter!

12.8 pounds!

Sleeping a 5-7 hour stretch at night!

And getting lots of love from all. :)

Oops!

2011-08-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted anything on my blog! Time is flying this summer and I am holding on to every precious moment and spending very little time on the computer. I am having so much fun at home with the kids. We have been BUSY! We went to the fair, spent days/weeks home alone while Cory traveled for work, we took a family vacation to MOA in Minnesota, we've spent lots of time with family and friends, and we even managed to play in our pool and do some projects around the house. Did I say BUSY?!

Hopefully I'll get some MOA pics up soon. We had a ton of fun in Minnesota. We visited friends, did lots of shopping, went to the aquarium, ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, and went on some fun rides inside the mall. We even got to experience a store lock down due to a bomb threat! We were locked in the back of a shoe store (full of Uggs) for about an hour. Nice thing is there was no bomb.. and we got 10% off of our shoes!

Okay, signing off for now to go back and play with the kiddos! I promise I'll get better at updating soon. Just 4 more weeks left of maternity leave...

Carter's First Month

2011-07-25T15:15:00.000-07:00

Our precious little Carter is 1 month old today! He is an amazing baby. He sleeps well, he eats well, he is so lovable and snugly, he is enjoying more and more awake time and once in a while even gives a little smile (even if it's just gas... we'll take it).

In his first month of life Carter has already gone to the 4th of July parade, fireworks, the Racine Zoo, birthday parties, and out to dinner by the lake. This week he will be visiting the fair, smelling lots of animals, and possibly seeing his first tractor pull. Next week we'll be taking our first vacation as a family of five! We will be driving up to the Mall of America and visiting some great friends while we are up there.

Here are some pictures from Carter's first month (youngest to oldest).

Brand New

Look at those feet!

Brothers

Baby Rock Star

1 week old

Daddy's first time feeding Carter

Nap Time

Little eyes are open! (one of Ethan's favorite new sayings)

More love from big brother Ethan

One of the many amazing pictures that Miranda took for us!

Love this! They look so much alike!

Relaxing at the rummage sale at 3 weeks old

Getting ready for his first swim in the pool

Swimming with my boys!

Tummy time - he fits on a burp cloth!

One of life's precious moments

Mariah, Ethan and Carter getting ready for dinner by the lake

Four weeks old

Happy 1st month of life Carter Oliver!

Date Night

2011-07-09T06:08:00.000-07:00

Last night Cory and I had our first date night since Carter was born. Cory's mom came up and watched the boys for us. I was nervous about going out and really didn't want to leave the boys, but knew that I had to. Grandma Linda wanted alone time with the boys...and to be honest when I am around I don't share the boys well. Also, I knew it would be good for Cory and I to get out.

We headed downtown to a restaurant on the lake by the marina. We sat outside at the bar and had a drink and nice dinner. Afterwards we walked around and admired all the boats. Then we went for a little drive, grabbed ice cream, and headed home. We managed to stay out for three hours. It was nice to get out, but nicer to get back home. Maybe I'll be more ready for our next date night.

Next weekend - dinner with friends.

The Perfect Summer

2011-07-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

I don't know where to start besides with saying that I finally feel 100% complete. I am a family of five. I always wanted a big family and for a long time I wanted five kids, but I'll have to say there is something magical about the three that I have. Something so incredibly fulfilling that I wish I could make this summer stand still, go on forever the way we are right now.

We are already 11 days in to our perfect summer. A summer at home spent with my family. We have done so much in these past 11 days and plan to do so much more over the next 10 weeks, before I return to work.

My perfect summer began on June 25, 2011 when Carter Oliver was born in to this world, in to our lives, and mostly in to our hearts. Cory treasures Mariah, Ethan, and Carter. Mariah adores her brothers, and Ethan can't seem to get enough of his sister and new baby brother. And as for me... I am at peace. I am complete and couldn't ask for anything more besides for life to go on as magically as it us right now.

Carter Oliver Bartlett - born June 25, 2011

2011-06-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

In my last post I promised to keep you posted... but lets just say that things got busy!

On Saturday morning, June 25, our world as we knew it began to change. I woke to my water breaking at 5:00am. I was so excited that things were starting to take place and that Carter would soon be in our arms.

Cory called my mom around 5:30am and had her come over and stay with the kids. We drove to the hospital and checked in around 6:00am. My contractions were very light and not consistent. I knew we were going to have a long day ahead of us. By noon the nurse started me on pitocin which really sped thing up. My contractions went from every 12 minutes up to every 3 minutes almost instantly. By 3:00pm they ordered the epidural. The anesthesiologist gave me the local and when capping the needle before disposing he managed to poke himself in the finger. The needle actually poked out of the cap sideways and got him! I felt bad, but even more so, nervous! He still had to put in the epidural. I turned to him and apologized in a light hearted way hoping he wouldn't be upset about poking himself with the needle and continue to do a great job. The epidural went in a little to the right. I could feel the poking and pinching much more than I had with my past two epidurals. Shortly after the epidural was in place my entire right side went numb, but my left side still very much had feeling. So... they increased the meds and I was pretty much numb all over. Nice, but not so nice...

By 7:00pm I knew things were getting close. I was really ready for this part to be over. I needed to hold baby Carter and get unhooked from all of these machines. By 8:00pm things were about to start, however, two other women decided they needed to have their babies first. So... I waited... finally it was our turn... and baby Carter entered the world at 9:19pm on Saturday, June 25th, 2011. He weighed 7 lbs 15 oz and was 20 inches long. He entered the world sideways with his armed wrapped up around his face. But all in all... he was (and is) absolutely perfect! He has a full head of hair, but otherwise looks very much like Ethan as a newborn.

Mariah, Ethan, and Carter

Proud Daddy Cory with Carter

Our new little blessing!

Big brother Ethan holding Carter

Mommy and Carter

Carter all bundled and ready to go home

Carter taking a peak at the world around him

LOVE

Carter is sleeping and eating very well. It is so nice to finally be home and begin our lives together as a family of five. Thank you for all of the thoughts, prayers, and well wishes. We love the messages from everyone. Thanks for being a part of our beautiful experience.

Love,

Cory, Kelly, Mariah, Ethan, and Carter

Baby Day!!!!!!

2011-06-25T04:48:00.001-07:00

I will keep you posted!

Dear Carter...

2011-06-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

This is a motivation post written to my dear sweet little Carter that needs to come out NOW! Mommy is in pain and is having a hard time walking, getting in and out of bed, getting in to my van, and just plain moving around in general... it even hurts to lift up the milk gallon. Sweet little Carter.... you have wedged yourself in to a position that is causing my feet to swell and hurt, my hips to no longer work in a rotating motion which is needed for walking, and randomly I am getting shooting pains down my legs. I believe they call that sciatic nerve pain. Yes, I am in pain. I am complaining. I am asking you nicely to come out. Please. On your own before the induction day would be greatly appreciated. Mommy needs to hold and snuggle you now. I would also like greatly to be able to walk and possibly even bend over again.

Love Always,

Mom

38.1 Weeks

2011-06-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

Today baby and I are 38.1 weeks. We have 8 days left until eviction day! I will arrive at the hospital around 5:30am on Thursday June 30th and they will start my induction. My doctor figured the 30th would be a good date since my original due date was June 24th and my second due date was July 5th. We'll just split it down the middle and ask nicely for baby to come out on June 30th - plus that is my doctor's on call delivery day.

Baby Carter and I had our 38 week check up yesterday. I am now measuring at 2+ cm dilated and 85% effaced. That is just a bit more progress than last week's status. I was told, again, that it could be any day now because my body is progressing. So... every day I wake up and Cory asks me how I'm feeling and I say fine (under my breath) and he chuckles and says... most people would be happy to say they are feeling fine. Yes, well, I want to feel like I am in labor - and be in labor... ;-)

My blood pressure was at a beautiful 116/74 yesterday and some how I have managed to lose 1 pound. This puts me at a 27.6 lb gain during this pregnancy. Way different than my 50 lb gain with Ethan!

This past weekend we went to my cousin's wedding on Saturday night. I was exhausted, but Cory and I managed to get dressed up and get out and enjoy ourselves for a while. It was a very lovely dinner and reception.

Here is a picture from 37.5 weeks.

Oliver William Kolbow

2011-06-14T18:00:00.000-07:00

Oliver W. Kolbow, age 98 of Watertown passed away on Monday June 13, 2011 at Angels Grace Hospice in Oconomowoc.

Oliver William Kolbow was born on September 19, 1912 in Franklin, the son of George and Alma (Grassle) Kolbow. In 1935 he married
Hazel Dietz at St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Franklin. Hazel preceded him in death on January 11, 1968. In 1969 he married
Elaine Koester at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc. Initially Oliver was a carpenter, then became a steamfitter until his retirement. Dairy farming was also his second occupation for many years. Oliver is a member of St.Paul's Lutheran Church in Ixonia, and a former member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Franklin where he served
on the Church Council and St. Matthew's Lutheran Church in Oconomowoc.
Oliver was a member of the Milwaukee Steamfitters Union, Local #601 and the Future Farmers of America. He enjoyed carpentry, playing cards, gardening and winter trips to Florida.
Oliver is survived by his wife Elaine of Watertown, five children, Richard (Carolyn) Kolbow of Watertown, Kenneth (Jerri) Kolbow of Hubertus, Robert (Becky) Kolbow of Oconomowoc, John (Deb) Kolbow of Hartford and Sandra (Harry) Dembroski of Union Grove, a step-daughter, Judy Draeger of Watertown, twelve grandchildren, twenty great-grandchildren, six step grandchildren and four step great-grandchildren, a sister Elaine Halter of Muskego, sisters-in-law Pearl Kolbow of Muskego and Lorraine Dietz of Franklin, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. Oliver was further preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Leroy and Glenn, two sisters, Lorraine and Gladys, a step-son, Alan Koester and a step son-in-law Palmer Draeger.

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 17, 2011 at 11 am, St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church,W1956 Gopher Hill Rd,Ixonia,WI, with Pastor Kenneth Ewerdt officiating. Visitation at the church, 10-11 am, with service at 11 am. The burial will follow at Arlington Cemetery, 4141 S. 27 St, Milwaukee at 1 pm. A luncheon will be held after the interment. Memorials if desired may be directed towards St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church or School, Ixonia. The Hafemeister Funeral Home of Watertown is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.hafemeisterfh.com.

37 Weeks

2011-06-14T14:26:00.000-07:00

We made it to 37 weeks! Baby Carter is now considered full term and can make his appearance at any time! Over the past two weeks I had been worried about making it to this point. My body has never progressed ahead of time like this and I feared that Carter might come too early and not be able to go home with us right away. However, I can let go of those fears now. 37 weeks is a huge milestone. You can come out any time now Carter. We are ready and waiting for you!

Well... Okay... Now Carter has to wait a couple days. I wrote this before I got the news that my Grandpa Kolbow passed away. He was 98 years old and lived an amazing life. He was a wonderful man and will be very much missed. His funeral is on Friday. So... It would be nice if Carter would wait until this weekend to enter in to the world.

36.2 Weeks

2011-06-09T07:17:00.000-07:00

Well this has been an exciting week. Last Thursday I had my 35.2 week check up where the doctor checked my cervix to see if my body was progressing towards labor. My cervix was soft and I was possibly a small centimeter dilated. Well after that appointment I started having lower back pain, upper leg pain, and random contractions until late Friday night. My guess was braxton hicks because they weren't regular contractions and eventually stopped.

Today at my 36.2 week check up I learned that those contractions were real! I am now 1-2 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. This has never happened for me in the past. Normally I don't start to dilate until the actual birthing day of the baby. This is pretty exciting! Could be tomorrow... could be 3 weeks from now. No way to really know. Just excited that things are progressing.

At my 37 week appointment we will schedule my induction for June 30th. She mentioned that this probably won't be necessary though... :-) Looks like baby Carter will be here soon! I am not worried about the early delivery because my original due date was June 24th which would make me 37.6 weeks right now and baby is considered full term around 37 weeks. Plus... baby is measuring big.

Here is a picture from 36 weeks

35.2 Weeks - Pictures

2011-06-02T07:21:00.000-07:00

I didn't have a picture to post for 35 weeks so I had Cory take a couple pictures this morning before my check up with my doctor. All is looking well according to the doctor. We are talking about a possible induction date of June 30th. My doctor will be on call that day for deliveries. Otherwise if I wait until the 4th of July weekend I may end up with whatever doctor happens to be on call. We'll make a decision over the next couple weeks. :-)

35.2 weeks - looking in to the sun

...and with the sun to my back...

...and Ethan and the dogs getting in on the picture action...

Crazy little man! xoxo

Kids

2011-05-31T11:47:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post.

I walked in to the kitchen one of the evenings this weekend and found this:

She is an interesting child. I can't imagine how that would possibly be comfortable, but Cory and I both admitted to her that we were very jealous and would both love to be able to be that flexible and lay on our stomachs right now.

And then there is Ethan. He is getting so comfortable with the water and is loving it! He did better than ever at swim classes this past Saturday. Then on Monday he was swimming around in our pool with just a noodle. He was smiling from ear to ear. Seriously proud of himself!

35 Weeks - just 35 days to go!

2011-05-31T05:42:00.000-07:00

I am so ready, so so so ready to have this baby. SO ready! I have 35 days left. That may not sound like a lot of days; however, when I think about tossing and turning all night long for the next 35 nights... well that sounds like a lot. When I think about the weight of my body on my poor little ankles... that sounds like a lot. I am so ready...

I had terrible cramping pains on my left side for about 6 hours on Sunday evening. They would come and go every 10 - 12 minutes and then eventually stopped. Then Sunday morning when I woke up and started walking around the house I would have to stop every couple steps because baby was pinching my nerves and causing shooting pains down my legs. Fortunately that all went away for now.

Ahh... 5 more weeks... I can do this. Just 35 more days... baby Carter better not decide to come late!

34.4 Weeks and Cory's Surgery

2011-05-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

I didn't get to post right at 34 weeks because I was a little busy that day... That happened to be the day that Cory had a much needed surgery to hopefully correct the back issues he's been having. About 2 years ago Cory started having terrible pains in his back that would go down his right leg and make his foot numb. The doctors did lots of tests and decided it was L5 and S1 that were causing the issues. The disks were leaking and creating hard substance that was pinching the nerves and causing a lot of pain. They sent him for a cortisone shot and lots of physical therapy. That seemed to do the trick up until about 3 weeks ago. Cory started having bad pains again. This time things were worse. He ended up in the ER on the opening night of Mariah's play for school. They gave him an IV of 3 different pain meds and sent him home with instructions to follow up with his doctor on Monday. He did just that and within days surgery was scheduled for a diskectomy. Not only was there an issue between L5 and S1 but there was also a bigger issue between L4 and L5. Things were really pinching and the doctor was afraid of permanent numbness in Cory's right leg and foot. The surgery took place on Tuesday, May 24 at Columbia St Mary's in Milwaukee. Dr Block performed the surgery and did an excellent job. They removed a bunch of the extra bone material that leaked out of the bones and had been compressing the nerves. The doctor said it was a lot worse than he thought it was going to be and he was really happy Cory didn't wait to have the surgery. We are hoping that full feeling will eventually come back in Cory's foot. So far Cory is feeling great. He is stiff, moves slowly and cautiously, has a weight lifting restriction of 20 lbs for the next three months, and basically has to take it easy for the next couple weeks, but he is respecting that and very happy that he went through with the surgery. He has been feeling tingling in his right foot which is a great sign that feeling is coming back. Next Thursday he gets the staples taken out and a better update on how he is progressing.

A funny story from surgery day:

I was sitting in the patient room by myself during Cory's surgery. I was anxiously waiting to hear how things were going. It had been 2 hours since they took Cory in to surgery and they said it would only take 1-2 hours. I was getting antsy, but trying to stay calm. Surgery is scary! As I was sitting there the loud speaker went off in the hospital announcing Code Red First Floor Main Building. This repeated a couple times so I quickly googled Code Red in hospitals and came up with a bomb threat?! Ummm really? Here I am 34 weeks pregnant on the 4th floor of the main building, my husband is in surgery and there is a Code Red which looks to be a bomb threat?! I quickly text my friend Lindsay, gave her the details, and she called me within seconds saying Code Red is a fire alarm. By then the nurse had also come to the door and closed me in the room saying there was a fire drill of some sort going on. I started to calm down a little bit, but was still nervous about a potential fire a couple floors below me. Then about 10 minutes later over the loud speaker I hear Code Blue Main Building. Wow... really?! More codes?! I know what this one means... it means someone is having cardiac arrest and my husband still isn't out of surgery and I have no idea what is going on. Luckily the floor that Code Blue was taking place on was a different floor than where I believed Cory to be at while in surgery. I sat there and continued to try to calm my nerves and not force myself in to early labor out of panic. Finally about 15 minutes later Dr Block came in and told me that Cory's surgery went wonderfully. Phew! Relief finally started to settle in....

Now for baby and my update. We are doing really well. Baby Carter is a natural acrobat and loves to move all around making my belly look like an ocean on a rough day. It is fun to watch, but tends to get a bit uncomfortable at times. Ethan keeps asking me if baby Carter is going to jump out of my belly soon. He is getting anxious. Well, we are all getting anxious, but we are also hoping he waits until closer to his due date. I would love for Cory to be further along in his recovery. As for my swelling... it's gone down! My blood pressure is good, weight gain is good, I am feeling good. Next week I start my weekly appointments. We are getting down to the end. Just 39 days to go until due date!! :-)

Here is a picture from this morning at 34.4 weeks. Please ignore my wet hair. I managed to start the blow dryer on fire yesterday morning and almost set the bathroom wall on fire. I desperately need to get to the store to buy a new blow dryer. That... is another story though.

Mariah's Confirmation

2011-05-23T07:52:00.000-07:00

Mariah was confirmed yesterday morning. The church service was very nice and the weather was beautiful. We filled our house with family and friends and had a great time! Thank you to everyone that was able to make it over and celebrate with us.

Here are some pictures from her confirmation: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ckbartlett/sets/72157626786968160/show/

I've also added Easter pictures, May pictures, and Swim Lesson pictures.

Enjoy!

33 Weeks

2011-05-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

Today is Tuesday, May 17, 2011. It is 45 degrees out right now with a high of 56 expected for the day. It is the middle of May... the middle of May and still cold and windy. That means that we've been in our house now unable to enjoy beautiful weather outside for over 6 months. 6 months of being cooped up in the house unable to soak up the sunshine, eat dinner outside, play on the playground, swim in the pool... Sure we've had a handful of "teaser" days within the past couple months. A handful of days where we think that spring and summer are nearing, but then they leave. Those days are quickly swept away by 60 mile an hour winds due to 20+ degree drops in temperatures over night.

For someone who suffers from seasonal depression and just simply can't stand the cold weather... this is terrible. I keep hoping that eventually summer will come along and maybe I can play with the kids outside instead of in the garage or basement. I want to take the kids swimming in our pool after work and enjoy the sunshine. I want to smell sun tan lotion and hide under umbrellas to catch a bit of shade to cool off. We opened our pool on May 1st - same as we did last year - however this year we haven't gone in it yet... even though we have a heater. Not that the heater would work right now because every time we try to fill up our pool the water leaks right back out.... because.... we have a small hole in the bottom of the liner. So, maybe some day when it's warm enough and the water warms up a bit someone can fix the hole in our pool and we can fill it to the top, heat it up, and finally enjoy it. However... there is a good chance that I will be having a baby by that time and will be unable to go in the pool for a while. But, at least Mariah and Ethan will be able to enjoy it while Carter and I sit along the edge and watch them play.

Did you know that it's going to be sunny and in the 80's all week long in Sarasota, FL?! Did you know that the people that live there are some of the luckiest people on earth?!

Well, enough about my complaints and the things that are ailing me. Time to return to my cold weather WI post so I can update all of you on how I am feeling and how baby Carter and I are doing. We went to the doctor today for our 33 week check up. Baby is doing great. My blood pressure is back down to 114/76. I've gained 1 pound in the past two weeks, and my doctor put me on Zoloft to help with my emotions. Supposedly this will not hurt the baby at all; however, it is best to wean myself off of the meds while breastfeeding so that the baby can be weaned off also. That alone is enough to scare the crap out of me, but as she said... I need to be healthy mentally and physically for the rest of this pregnancy in order to keep baby healthy. Guess this is one of those risk v. benefits things and the benefits seam to be greater.

7 more weeks

32.1 Weeks

2011-05-11T05:17:00.000-07:00

55 days to go! Yes, I am very excited about that. I have never been this big of a complainer in my entire life. My friends and family are probably pretty sick of me by now. I feel like all I do is complain whenever anyone asks me how I am doing. This pregnancy has just been so different than the first two. I mean the beginning wasn't much different besides the allergic reactions, hives, and constant scratching. Then there is the fact that I can't eat peanut butter and have to take an allergy pill every day, the migraines that get so bad I have to sleep with ice packs on my head, and now the random swelling that comes and goes. Well, I guess that all adds up and eventually wears a person out. As far as weight gain I am doing really good. I am still under a 25 pound gain at 32 weeks. However, I feel really heavy. I can't stand for long periods of time and I get winded and exhausted really quick. Any time I go for a walk I start having lower back pain and cramping. Some mornings I wake up and I am just as tired as I was the night before. My feet and legs will be hurting before I even climb out of bed in the morning. I can't sit on the couch at home unless I put a couple pillows behind me because any slight incline backwards makes my face turn red, body get hot, and causes me to feel sick. I was told this and the swelling is mainly happening because the baby is pressing on the main blood vessel that runs down my back. I also have to roll over slowly when I am laying down because if I roll to fast I lose my breath and some times have heart palpitations. So yes, I am ready for the 55 day count down to come to an end. I am ready to bring baby Carter in to the world and lose sleep because I am holding my baby and nursing him in the middle of the night and not because I am breaking out in a sweat and trying to catch my breath from rolling over. I am ready for this to be the last time I ever put my body through a pregnancy. I am ready to complete my family of five.

Fencing and Mother's Day

2011-05-10T05:46:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the title of this post doesn't really go together... but it does sum up our weekend.

Ethan has been in swimming lessons for a couple months now and I decided to get Mariah involved in something also so that both kids stay busy at the same time on Saturday mornings. Well, Mariah has been wanting to learn how to fence for a while so I surprised her by signing her up. She was a bit shocked when I told her she'd be starting a fencing class. Maybe she was joking around about wanting to fence more so than being serious about it... Regardless, she started her first class this past Saturday and kind of enjoyed it!

This weekend was also Mother's Day. I made some fun cards for the moms this year. I am not by any means a scrap book expert or even good at making things like small projects or cards... but some how I managed to make this card turn out pretty well! The image on the left is the front of the card and the image on the right is how we signed the inside of the card. :-) I know... baby Carter is not born yet... but he's here with me all the time so I definitely included him on the card.

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day weekend!

33 YEARS!

2011-05-05T06:09:00.000-07:00

This is not a pregnancy post about weeks... instead it's a birthday post about ME!

Happy 33rd Birthday to ME! :-)

I used to be terrified of getting older (like my 25th birthday for those of you that remember), but once I hit 30 I learned to embrace birthdays. Every year something new and wonderful happens. I look forward to all of my years to come, all of my life experiences that wait ahead of me, and all of the years of watching my kids grow in to wonderful people.

And to celebrate my birthday... my wonderful husband and kids bought me some new items from COACH!

The diaper bag:

The purse:

The wallet:

LOVE THEM (my family and the Coach items!)

And to further spoil myself... I had leather put in my KIA and just happened to get it back in time for my birthday:

31 Weeks

2011-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

I feel like the count down is really in place now and it's making me think a lot... Even though I am very ready to have baby Carter join us in the world so I can hold and squeeze him and kiss and love him... there are also going to be a couple things that I will miss about being pregnant like feeling the baby move and kick about throughout the entire day - every where that I go - knowing that baby is safe with me at all times. :-)

We had our 31 week check up today. Things are still looking pretty good, but I am starting to retain water. I have never experienced this before and I'll have to say it is NOT comfortable. My blood pressure is up a little bit but nothing to be concerned with at this time. Baby is measuring right on track and his heartbeat sounds perfect.

We'll be going back again in 2 more weeks. Doc said to relax and take it easy as much as possible. I promise that I will do my best, but with 2 kids and 3 dogs.... seriously... how much relaxing can a person do?!

Ethan can ride a bike!

2011-05-02T05:24:00.000-07:00

Look what Ethan learned to do this weekend! He can pedal a bike! He is so proud of himself and even more excited that we gave him a big boy bike shortly after he learned how to pedal on the big wheel. It is a little harder for him to pedal an actual bike, but he can do it! He'll be flying around the driveway on his bike by the end of the summer! Way to go Ethan!

30.1 weeks with Carter v. 29 weeks with Ethan

2011-04-27T05:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture from 29 weeks pregnant with Ethan.

And since I didn't post a picture yesterday for 30 weeks with Carter, I decided to take one this morning. Here I am pregnant with baby Carter at 30.1 weeks.

30 Weeks

2011-04-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Baby Carter and I are 30 weeks along today! Just 70 days to go until due date time!!

Over the past weekend I washed all of Ethan's old baby clothes along with some new items and put them away in drawers for Carter. I think he should be pretty set on clothes! I am so glad that we saved all of Ethan's old stuff! I also bought a new crib sheet for Carter and new bed sheets for Ethan. Wanted to make sure the boys had the same theme going on.

At my last doctors appointment I was told that everything was still looking good. Blood pressure was 120/80, weight went up just a couple pounds, and now I will be visiting the doctor every TWO weeks! That was the point where Cory and I looked at each other and said WOW, this is going fast!

Just 70 more days!!!

A Big Step

2011-04-20T05:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I took a really big step in life. Now to some of you this may not seem like a big step, but to me it was huge. I never in my life thought that I would own a minivan... much less get excited about a minivan... and really want to buy a minivan... brand new! I have never owned a brand new vehicle before and for the vehicle to be a minivan.... is HUGE! I am a 100% mom. It is official. I love that part. No doubt about it. And as a mom my top priority is my family which includes being able to fit them in a vehicle that is safe, reliable, comfortable, and convenient for the family. I have been looking at sedans, SUVs, crossovers with third row seats, and finally minivans over the past couple weeks. I have been driving myself and my friends and family crazy while trying to make this decision. I had my heart set on a sporty looking crossover with a third row. I was ready to go to the store and buy it. I had put the world of minivans aside and wrote off the idea of ever owning one. THEN... Cory and I spent a day test driving... and we quickly realized how non-realistic a crossover with third row seating truly was. There would be seriously no way for Mariah and friends to get to the third row seating once we would put two car seats in the second row. Actually... there was one way... they would have to climb through the back hatch/trunk area, fold forward one seat, sit on each other's laps until they get the second seat back in to position, and then take their seating space. This may have been funny for a time or two, but it would have gotten old quickly.

So, Cory and I started driving minivans. I have to admit... I quickly realized how glorious these odd looking vehicles really are. There are no blind spots. The features are amazing. The interior is spacious and comfortable. The storage space is abundant. The gas mileage is great. AND the fact that I was buying one BRAND NEW meant that the warranty was fabulous. I seriously couldn't go wrong with the decision to buy a minivan. Why had I been in denial for so long?! These things are like mini living rooms on wheels. Now I didn't get the features of the leather seats, dvd player, or sunroof... but I got power sliding doors to easily let the kids in the vehicle! As a mom my hands are always full and soon I'll be carrying an infant car seat along with everything else. All I have to do is press a button as I am walking to my minivan and BAM the door slides open! I also now have blue tooth which means no more searching for my phone. I just press a button on the steering wheel and talk to whomever is calling me. Talk about safety! The other awesome new features are the back up camera that appears in my review mirror showing me exactly what is behind my vehicle as I am backing up. It also has little sensors that beep and tell me if I am getting to close to something.

While I may have given up some wonderful features in my SUV like power seats, heated leather, temperature gage for outside, sunroof, and a gage that tells me my average miles per gallon... I did acquire a lot of safety features on the minivan that in the long run will be much better features to have in a family vehicle.

So, what did I get?? I got the 2011 KIA Sedona. AND since I bought it brand new I got to pick the color! I have never in my life owned a brand new vehicle until yesterday. I always wanted a black vehicle with tan interior so that is exactly what I got and I LOVE IT! Oh and did I mention the 7 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty along with never having to pay for getting my tires rotated, oil and filters changed, and 105 point inspections until the vehicle reaches 105,000 miles?! All of this is included! NOW I know why people buy new instead of used. I am actually feeling a bit spoiled with my new minivan. :-)

Happy 33rd birthday to me!

Ethan's favorite spot - sorry the picture is a little blurry... he would not hold still.

Good Bye Trailblazer. You were a great vehicle and will be missed.

By the way... in 7 years for my 40th birthday... I am buying a sports car. ;-)

Weeks 28 and 29 = Start of 3rd Trimester

2011-04-18T05:38:00.000-07:00

I am combining my posts for weeks 28 and 29. I never quite got around to posting last week and honestly I really was in no mood to take a picture of myself. Just one of those weeks I guess.

Baby Carter and I are still doing really well. He's growing, I am growing, and my ability to eat large meals or even medium sized meals is quickly leaving. Carter is a stretcher... he likes to press on my bladder and sit on my lungs at the same time. I quickly run out of breath and can't lean back much at all. If I lean back I start to get light headed, have trouble breathing, and quickly need to sit forward. He wants to make sure that I am always fully aware of his presence. I am a bit afraid of these next 11 weeks. There are days now where I am already very uncomfortable and I know that baby Carter and I still have much more growing to do. I just pray that he is good to me and doesn't make me too uncomfortable. The part that keeps me sane is knowing how worth it will be in the end when I get to hold the little munchkin in my arms. Ahhh :-)

A new thing for me with this pregnancy is swelling. I have never had any swelling issues in the past during my pregnancies... but I think this one is going to be different. Last night I had a hard time getting my ring off before bed. I also had stiff hands and feet and noticed a line on my ankles from my socks. Oh boy.... getting a little nervous... 78 more days... just one day at a time...

Here is a picture from 28 weeks and 6 days.

Ethan's 1st SALON haircut!

2011-04-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

I took Ethan to a salon on Saturday for the VERY FIRST TIME. Up until this point I have been cutting his hair myself. He usually sits "ok" for me, but my clippers are getting old, my joy for doing hair left a long time ago, and I was ready to give someone else the responsibility of making my little man look handsome.

I wasn't sure how Ethan would sit for someone at a salon, but to my surprise he did amazing! He flirted with the stylist (and all the other stylists around him). He had everyone smiling and giggling with him. He was such a little ham and I think he enjoyed every minute of the haircut! The stylist did a great job on his hair. We will definitely be going back to see her again in a couple weeks.

Now if I could just talk Cory in to going to a salon...

SPRING!

2011-04-11T08:32:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing weekend! The weather was absolutely beautiful and we got to spend a lot of much needed time outdoors! We celebrated Easter on Saturday and had a wonderful Easter egg hunt with the kids. This is the first year in a long time that we could stand outside during the egg hunt and not freeze! Amazing! Then we had 80+ degree temps on Sunday! We did some landscaping, put up the dog kennel, fixed the garage door opener, and opened up the house. The fresh air and nice breeze through the house was long overdue.

Ethan posing for his Easter picture.

Charlotte and Ethan

Alannah, Ethan, and Leah

Mariah, Alannah, and Leah

The dogs in their KENNEL!

Ethan teasing Mongo

Ethan pretending to throw a rock at me... boys.

We also spent some nice time with friends this weekend. On Friday night we watched our friend's little guy, Liam, while his parents and older brother went to see the movie HOP. Liam and Ethan had a great time together and managed to dump out every toy in the living room closet within about 5 minutes.

Little drummer boys

On Saturday Ethan went to swim class where he and Lucas continue to do better week by week. Miranda and I will be signing the boys up again for the next session. It's great friend chat time and also a great experience for Ethan and Lucas.

After swim class, Miranda and family came over and Miranda took some great pictures of Mariah. She also snuck in a couple family pictures for us! They turned out amazing! Now I have to pick my favorite and have it printed to include in Mariah's confirmation invitations. I have no idea how I will ever choose just one.

27 Weeks

2011-04-05T06:01:00.000-07:00

Just 3 months left! 3 Calendar months from today! Yippy!!!

I passed my glucose screening last week and my blood counts were perfect. Everything is moving along really well. My belly is growing like crazy and baby Carter's kicks are getting a lot stronger.

I have gained about 18 pounds so far. I have been in major nesting mode lately according to Cory. I keep telling him that I am always like this, but he says its been worse lately. I think he is praying for nicer weather so he can put me outside. ;-)

Here we are at 27 weeks.

Little Bit of This... Little Bit of That

2011-04-04T07:54:00.000-07:00

This was another busy and fast weekend. We took on a couple projects this weekend. The main project was giving Mariah's closet a make-over. A couple years ago we put shelves and some metal clothing poles in her closet to give her lots of storage room. She had a lot of baskets and things to keep on shelves and wasn't in to clothes the way she is now. Well for the past year or longer this set up has not been working for her. So we went to Menards and bought all new shelving. The nicest thing about this shelving is that it's adjustable and can change with her needs!

Step 1: Cory and Mariah removing the old shelving.

Step 2: The bare closet.

Step 3: The new shelving system!

There is another shelf up higher but you cannot see it from this picture.

Another project we tackled was clearing out the play room and making it a workout/playroom. Cory bought an elliptical so now we have "his and hers" for working out together in the mornings. These machines are huge and were no longer allowed in the downstairs family room. So I had Cory move them to the playroom. I think they look really nice in here. We also bought some more bins for the kids toys and got rid of some old stuff.

Here is a little glimpse of Ethan at swim lessons. He only has two more weeks left. In this picture he is learning to float on his back. Yes.. his eyes are closed.

Another one of Ethan's favorite times... story time!

And finally... a nice way to end my weekend blog post... a picture of our furbabies.

This is how they relax on the weekend. LOL

Do they look comfortable?!

26 Weeks

2011-03-29T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday I reached another big milestone - the 100 day count down began until we get to hold baby Carter in our arms! Today we are in the double digits with just 98 days left. Little by little I am doing more to prepare for Carter's arrival. Next on my check list is to go through all of Ethan's old clothes and wash and put away the stuff that should work for Carter.

Today we had our 26 weeks appointment. My blood pressure is still wonderful, I've gained 3 more pounds, Carter is growing right on schedule, and his little heartbeat is beating like crazy. Such a beautiful sound. I had the glucose screening this morning and should hear the results from that test soon. Hopefully I won't have to undergo the 3 hours test. I did not have gestational diabetes with Mariah or Ethan so I am hoping the same goes for this pregnancy. I also had a base line EKG done this morning. Over the weekend I had some wild heart palpitations that scared me a bit so I told my doctor about it. She said that it's probably normal, but it's always good to have a base line EKG reading. Hopefully I won't have any more of those crazy heart palpitations. I probably just overdid it that day with caffeine, chocolate, and activities.

After our appointment Cory treated me to an amazing egg and cheese breakfast bagel sandwich from Panera. I had never tried that before, but I think I have a new favorite place for breakfast! The coffee was wonderful also. Thanks hun! :-)

Here I am at 26 weeks pregnant with baby Carter

Ethan's 1 year anniversary!

2011-03-29T09:21:00.000-07:00

One year ago today Ethan starting going to Miss Melissa's house for daycare. This has been a very wonderful year and Ethan has really embraced the transition from a school type daycare to an in home daycare. Ethan has made some wonderful friends and learned a lot while at Melissa's house. Thanks for everything you do with him Melissa!

Saying Good Bye one year ago to Bright and Beautiful

Saying Hello to Miss Melissa's House one year ago

The Stroller!

2011-03-25T05:56:00.000-07:00

I really have no other words to title this post besides "The Stroller". This new stroller is the mother of all strollers. It does everything! Cory even jokes that it will feed and change the baby.

It is the new Phil and Ted's Vibe stroller.

I found this really funny. This was the large picture on the side of the box.

Ethan starting to assemble the stroller.

Ethan testing it out as a single stroller.

Here it is as a single stroller and single bouncer using the double seat.

Now it is a double stroller using the seat from the bouncer.

Second seat on top of stroller using main area as a flat infant area.

Looks like a single stroller doesn't it?!

Here is the view from the back.

Now to a double stroller with second seat on bottom so infant seat can go on top.

Surprisingly Ethan was having tons of fun under there.

Double stroller with Ethan on top and room for baby Carter on bottom.

The sun shades moves around nicely. Ethan was having fun playing hide and seek behind it.

Peek-A-Boo

Double stroller with Mousey and Tigger playing the parts of Ethan and Carter.

Single stroller

Single stroller for infant

...and Ethan thinking he's big enough to push the stroller; however, he can't see over the sun shade

This stroller is amazing. It has a super easy hand break and the front wheel can swivel or stay stationary for jogging. It folds up nicely even with the double seat attached. I am so happy with my purchase and can't believe I waited until the third child before investing in an extremely nice stroller. Well worth the expense!

Willing to Trade

2011-03-24T06:48:00.000-07:00

...I have three dogs that shed, roll in dirt, eat things that are not supposed to be eaten and leave pieces all over my yard, bark, destroy the one room that they are allowed in my house... oh yeah and one farts to the point that windows need to be opened even in freezing temps...

And yes, I am willing to trade them.

What I'd like in a trade is one small dog that doesn't shed, doesn't bark, doesn't fart, doesn't eat things it's not supposed to. I believe I am looking for something similar to whats in the picture below.

25 Weeks

2011-03-22T07:09:00.000-07:00

Time for another weekly pregnancy post. These weeks just keep flying by and baby and I keep growing bigger and bigger! Just 15 weeks left. Baby Carter and I are still doing really well. I am definitely showing more now. I go see the doctor next on March 29th. This will be my last appointment during the 2nd trimester!

I bought a couple things this week to prepare for baby Carter's arrival. My large purchase was a Phil and Ted's Vibe stroller. This thing is amazing and will definitely deserve it's own post as soon as I receive it and can take lots of pictures of it. Cory jokes that it will even feed and change the baby. I sold my jogging stroller and chicco stroller within days after purchasing my P & T stroller. The P & T Vibe will work as a single stroller, double stroller, and an infant carseat can attach to it. The double seat can come off and be used as a bounce chair or a booster chair. The stroller is very light and can fold up to the size of a medium suitcase. Truly amazing! The other items that I bought this week were new bottles. I used and loved the AVENT bottles with Ethan, but the kind that I had were not BPA free. This wasn't as advertised when I bought them for Ethan. I have since thrown them all away. I was going to buy the new BPA free AVENT bottles, but a friend recommended that I try the Tommee Tippee bottles. They are really cute and supposedly don't leak at all. I had occasional issues with the AVENT bottles leaking in the past.

Hope we love the Tommee Tippees!

Here is a picture from 25 weeks.

Doesn't Ethan look excited in the background.

I don't think he was fully awake yet.

As Always, Busy Days

2011-03-21T12:29:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick's Day isn't strongly celebrated in our house, but it's still fun to do a little something out of the ordinary.

Here are treats that I bought the family for dessert.

It was more like a cake than a cookie!

On Friday night Cory and I went out for appetizers and drinks ~ well, water for me ~ with some friends for a 30th birthday celebration. We had a really nice time and forgot how wonderful it is to get out without the kids. Yes, we love them dearly, but adult time is much needed also!

On Saturday morning Ethan had his second class for swim lessons. He did SO much better than last time. I think it helped that we all knew what to expect. I think he really enjoyed class!

Saturday evening we had a nice little birthday celebration for James and Linda. Cory made fajitas for everyone and they turned out fabulously! I think we'll actually be eating the leftovers for dinner tonight.

Grandma Linda with Charlotte and Ethan

James, Charlotte, and Linda

Sunday was a relaxing yet accomplishing day. We went to church in the morning and then came home and started painting the doggy, mud room, laundry room area. The new color looks great, but the naughty pups already managed to scratch up the walls...

Here is one of the walls before. I have cleaned it so many times that we were down to the drywall.

Here is one of the walls after!

Cory was still painting when I took this picture.

Another after paint picture. We only have one coat of paint on the walls so far.

Hopefully we'll get to the next coat this weekend.

Thanks for voting on a name for our next baby boy!

2011-03-16T09:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the results:

Oliver 33%

Carter 50%

Owen 16%

Carter Oliver Bartlett

We picked a name for our baby boy! Thanks for all the votes above. It was fun to read everyone's opinions.

We decided on Carter as a first name because we love it. It goes well with Mariah and Ethan's names and just seems to fit our family. We picked Oliver for a middle name because it's a strong name and a favorite of ours. It's also my grandpa's name. We love for middle names to have meanings. Mariah's is Rayann ~ Ray is short for her grandpa's name Reynaldo and Ann is my mom's middle name. Ethan's is James which is also Cory's middle name.

24 Weeks

2011-03-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

Baby Carter and I have reached 24 weeks! Can you believe it?! 6 months already! Just 112 more days to go until we will get to hold baby Carter in our arms and smooch on him like crazy.

We are still doing really well. I have gained just a little weight over the past two weeks since my last appointment. I think I am at a total gain of about 14 or 15 pounds now. I have been feeling well and baby Carter has been continually moving around like crazy.

We spent a fun weekend in the Dells with some friends this past weekend and I'll have to say that having a pregnant belly sure makes it hard to chase Ethan around at the water park and through the play area. I wasn't able to climb and bend and fit through areas that I had fit through in previous years. I may not be huge yet... but I sure can't bend! Thank goodness for Cory and Mariah. They helped chase Ethan around and keep him occupied at all times. He sure is an active little guy! :-) We are definitely going to have our hands full when Carter joins our family. I can't even begin to imagine how much running around we'll be doing with two active little men in our house. Click HERE for a slideshow of our trip in the Dells.

Here I am at 24 weeks pregnant with baby Carter:

For comparison, here I was at 24 weeks with Ethan:

Preschool!

2011-03-15T06:26:00.000-07:00

Our little Ethan started preschool this morning. I was really excited about this last week, but this morning was an entirely different feeling. I was heartbroken watching our little man go in to his new preschool. He was so unsure and very sad that we were leaving him there. I know it's the first day and it's normal for kids to be sad, but he really didn't want to be there... I am hoping that he's warmed up a bit over the past hour and a half and that he's liking it more now.

Ethan's First Preschool Lunch

This preschool program is at our church and it's a combination of daycare from 6:30 - 9:30am, then preschool with about 15 kids ages 3, 4, and 5 from 9:30am - 11:00am, then daycare from 11:00am - 3:30pm when I pick him up. There is another preschool program in the afternoon, but Ethan is a napper so he'll probably sleep through it. If he chooses to stay awake during nap time then he'll join the other kids for afternoon preschool.

A Little Unsure

We are sending him one day per week for the rest of the school year. The other four days per week he'll continue to go to Miss Melissa's house. Then if all goes well we will send him two days a week for the following school year and the other three days he'll go to Miss Melissa's house.

Okay Mom and Dad... I'll Give The Day My Best

A Quick Project

2011-03-09T06:44:00.000-08:00

I have been moving things around a bit lately and trying to come up with inexpensive ways to freshen up our home. I am currently working on painting the mudroom ~ which may take forever ~ and by doing so I took down this sign that I had hanging back there. This is a solid wood sign that I got on clearance a while back for $9.50 and I really like it but had a hard time finding a home for it.

I was in need of some new coat hooks for our front entry because I recently moved the hooks that were in the front entry to the bathroom for the kids towels. So, I decided to turn the sign in to a coat hook. I found hooks at Menards for $8.50 and with Cory's help, got them installed on the wood sign.

Last night Cory hung up the sign in the front entry.
Here is the end result of my $18 project!

23 Weeks

2011-03-08T05:43:00.000-08:00

I am 23 weeks pregnant today and trying my best to get over this nasty stomach bug. The bug hit me on Sunday morning while we were getting ready for church. All of a sudden my stomach started burning. I managed to go to church and run some errands with the family afterwards, but by 2pm I was napping with Ethan until 4pm. Then by 6pm I was in bed for the night. I stayed home from work on Monday. Started to feel a little better by Monday night. Now it's Tuesday and I am back at work, but my tummy is still rumbling. I am ready to have my strength back and only feel the movement from baby Carter... not the rumbling germ bug!

Besides fighting a stomach bug, baby Carter and I are doing really well. We had a check up last Thursday. My blood pressure is great, my total weight gain is 13 pounds, baby Carter is looking fabulous and moving around like crazy, and I am measuring right on schedule.

Here is a picture of baby Carter and I at 23 weeks.

Here is a picture of baby Ethan and I at 23 weeks (for comparison).

(yes, same room - very different wall color)

Family Fun Filled Weekend

2011-03-03T06:12:00.000-08:00

We had a lot of fun as a family this past weekend!

On Friday night we went to Steinhafels and bought my new chair for feeding and rocking baby Carter. I LOVE IT! We picked it up on Sunday afternoon. I can spin and look out the patio door in our room. It is so nice and it has white stitching just like our couches downstairs so when we are done with it in our room we can put it in the basement.

Fabulous!

Saturday we went shopping in the morning (the whole family) and then came home, Ethan and I took naps, and then we went up to the Brewers stadium to TGI Friday's for dinner. Food was excellent! Then we drove over to the Bradley Center and managed to park and get in our seats one minute before the game started. We were really high up, but the stadium was pretty full. I'd say the Bulls fans and Bucks fans were about 50/50. It was pretty exciting. Bulls won by a couple points. It was a close game all night. This was Mariah and Ethan's first attendance at a professional basketball game.

One of our Saturday morning purchases. Baby Carter's first swim suit!

(sorry, tried a bunch of times and for some reason this pic will only load sideways...)

Driving up to Brewer's Stadium for dinner.

Trying to get Ethan to cooperate for a picture with mommy was quite difficult.

Mariah and Cory at TGI Friday's.

In the parking lot next to the Bradley Center we could see the restaurant where Cory and I got engaged. It was fun to show the kids this restaurant through Cory's sun roof on his truck.

Mariah at the Bucks v. Bulls game.

Cory and Ethan watching the game.

Mariah and I taking a picture of ourselves.

The dancers getting things going.

On Sunday we ushered at church and had treats duty. Ethan is really loving Sunday School. Mariah only has a couple months left of Sunday School and confirmation. She gets confirmed on May 22nd. Then graduates 8th grade in June. Looks like I have more parties to plan..... Thankfully these will be outside parties!

Sunday afternoon we went to my sister's for my niece, Alannah's, 12th birthday party. We had a nice time and ate lots of yummy food. Happy 12th Birthday Alannah!

22 Weeks and 2 Tumbles

2011-03-01T09:36:00.000-08:00

I have fallen twice in last past 24 hours. How you ask... well I am pregnant... can't that just be my excuse?! Yesterday while walking in the hallway at work I slid on something right outside my office door and went down on hands and knees. I managed to keep my belly safe protecting baby Carter. I was pretty stiff and sore the rest of the day. Then this morning (around 6:40am) I took the mail to the mailbox and noticed a patch of ice in front of the mailbox. I was trying to be careful, but a car was flying down our street and I didn't want to get in his way so I stepped forward and down I went. I think my feet flew out from under me, I caught air, and landed completely on my right side. I couldn't get up on the ice so I crawled under the mailbox to the snowy area and pulled myself up on the mailbox all as the car was speeding by. I wobbled back to my truck and called Cory. He came back home (he was on his way to drop of Ethan) and we called the doctor. We had to wait for the nurse to call us back with the doctors orders so we decided to drop Ethan off at daycare and head back home. By 7:45am I was still waiting to hear from the doctor. Baby Carter was kicking all around (my coffee helps with that every morning) so I felt like things were okay. No cramping or bleeding. However, my body feels like it's been hit by a truck. At 8am I decided to drive in to town and buy some flat shoes for work. I picked out these adorable black flats with very grippy bottoms. By 8:30am I heard back from the nurse. She said that I should rest and told me no more falling ~ ha! If things change for the worse I should go in to labor and delivery, otherwise just take it easy. What a start to my week... hope things get better!

My new flat black shoes:

My second outfit of the day:

**By the way, we had a really great family weekend.

I have lots of pics to share and hope to get to that blog post soon!**

21 Weeks and Ethan's First Dentist Appointment!

2011-02-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

Right now I feel that the best things about being pregnant are:
1) I get to take the baby with me wherever I go and hold him close at all times. I never have to worry about leaving him or missing something that he's doing. I get to take him with me to work every day! I get to talk to him in the car and sing him songs when its just the two of us.
2) Feeling him kick. I love feeling him move around and kick every day. He is pretty much an on schedule baby. He kicks like crazy around 7am every morning ~ could be my coffee ~ and he kicks like crazy around 9pm every night. He also kicks through the day. Often when Ethan is sitting on my lap or next to me and I am reading him a book, baby Carter starts kicking around to let us know that he is listening too.

Here we are at 21 weeks pregnant. Just 19 more weeks to go!

And... here is Ethan at his first dentist appointment! I really thought this was going to be an adventure full of screaming, kicking, and a scared little boy trying to climb out of the chair. Much to my surprise it was completely opposite! The dental assistant was amazing and did a great job with Ethan. She should seriously get an aware for being a toddler whisperer or something! She was so calm and relaxed and knew exactly what to do to get Ethan to stay calm and enjoy his cleaning. She played a couple short movies for him with animals going to the dentist and brushing their teeth. Then she showed him the tools that she uses. Ethan's favorite was the water pick that squirts water into his mouth and the "Mr Thirsty" that sucks the water out. Ethan was giggling and enjoying having water squirted into his mouth and letting Mr Thirsty suck the water out. She asked a couple times to tickle his teeth with the tooth polisher but Ethan was unsure of that tool. He just wanted more water from the water pick. We finally told him no more water until he let her tickle his teeth. He looked and her and with a sigh he said... "okay... fine...". So she tickled his teeth and he giggled and enjoyed it and couldn't wait for the water pick and Mr Thirsty to rinse his mouth out again. It was an extremely wonderful experience! When we left Ethan looked at me and said, "I like her, she is my favorite lady".

Ethan is sitting in the chair watching a video of puppies going to the dentist.

Now he is watching monkey's brushing their teeth.

This time it's my little monkey's turn to get his teeth cleaned.

Great job little man!

Cory's Surprise 30th Birthday Party!

2011-02-21T07:05:00.000-08:00

I did it! I pulled off a surprise party for Cory without him suspecting a single thing! PHEW! I had been planning this party for two months, made hand-made invitations with help from a couple friends, and sent them out to close friends and family. We had a lot of people show up for his party. The evening was a hit! Cory couldn't believe that I had planned this for two months and never gave him a single sign! He is hard to surprise so I am pretty proud of myself!

Carter's Ultra Sound Pictures from 18 weeks

2011-02-21T06:11:00.000-08:00

I am finally getting around to posting the ultra sound pictures from our 18 week visit. This is the day that we found out we are having a baby BOY! We have since picked out a name for him, Carter Oliver Bartlett.

He is looking at us in this picture. Body on left and face on right. You can see his legs in this picture.

Side profile.

Side profile with right arm on top.

Another side profile with better view of arm.

He is looking at us in this picture.

Aww, look at his tiny feet!

Happy 30th Birthday Cory!

2011-02-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

Happy 30th birthday honey! I love you more and more every day! I thought you were pretty great when we first started dating over 8 years ago and think you are even more wonderful now. When we had our issues over the years I would turn to my mom for advice and she would tell me time and time again "He'll be better when he's 30". We've joked about this for years, but now... the pressure is on.

Love you tons! XOXOXOXOXO ;-)