Rowedder Family

A little catch up

2012-02-16T10:47:00.003-06:00

The other weekend we finally had enough snow to actually get out and play in. Nate was great and took Judson out in the morning and in the afternoon. In the morning they were busy sledding and having a snowball fight with the neighbor kids. Then in the afternoon they started to build a snowman and a snow fort. The snowman ended up being a tunnel, we got out shovels and dug through it. That was a lot of work, but pretty fun to see how excited Judson was so crawl through it.

Judson's new favorite thing is to help vacuum. It of course it not all that helpful, but it so super cute!!

The other morning when Lawson woke up from his morning nap Judson heard him and decided to check on him. Then he decided that he should just crawl in the crib with him and nuggle -snuggle-. It was pretty cute to see them together! They love each other so much already!! It is so fun to see Judson help with Lawson and Lawson laugh at Judson!!

3 Months

2012-01-31T19:07:00.003-06:00

On Saturday Lawson turned 3 months old!! I knew it would, but time has gone by so fast!! Especially with him being born right before the holidays. The last few months have just been busy.
He is doing awesome. He has been sleeping through the night since 6 weeks, 9:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. That has really been nice!! Nate and I have really enjoyed the long stretches of sleep at night! Lawson has also rolling over from his stomach to his back. This just started on Friday. So the day before he turned 3 months. And he is very close to rolling from back to stomach. He gets on his side and wiggles, but then rolls back to his back. But it will not be to much longer that he is rolling all over the place and we have to be more careful of where we lay him.

Sledding!

2012-01-25T12:23:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was Judson's first sledding experience. We do not own a sled, and there has not been much snow to sled on! But yesterday some neighbor kids were out playing so we decided to join them. They had sleds out and shared with Judson. We have a hill between our houses that is just right for little kids! A great size and close to home when you are so cold and ready to get back inside. :)

Yes Judson did have mittens on!! He was just having trouble grabbing onto the sled so he took them off! :)

Judson's new interest

2012-01-24T14:36:00.003-06:00

Many people have told me that in the winter they fill up a tub, move their sandbox inside or fill something else with rice for their kids to play in. This has always seemed like a great idea to me, but was not sure I wanted rice all over the place. So after I saw some pictures on my friend Laura Beth's blog I decided to go for it. Well at the grocery store I was having second thoughts again. I knew it would be a fun activity that Judson would enjoy but still did not want to have to clean up so much rice. So as we were passing all the beans I decided that is what we would go with.
Judson still makes a mess with them, they fall on the floor as he is measuring them out or pouring them form bowl to bowl. But they are easier to pick up! And next time we are at the store I am going to buy another kind of bean, maybe lima beans or navy beans, then he can mix the different kinds and sort them back out.
It has been a great activity for him! Keeps him busy while I am making supper many nights! And he has lots of measuring bowls, and spoons from his own kitchen that he can play with.

Laundry Day???

2012-01-19T13:48:00.005-06:00

My typical Monday is laundry day but we also have play group that day. I usually get up sort the clothes and start a load. I can get one through to be folded before we leave to play. Usually not a problem, when we leave I have one load folded, one in the dryer and one in the washer. Then I can finish up the rest once we get home. Well not this Monday. When we got home and I opened up the door to the laundry room this is what I found.

Yes that is blue detergent all over the white floor. So I closed the door and waited until I put the boys down for a nap to clean it up. It was an adventure let me tell you!! It has hard to clean up so much soap without turning it all into bubbles! But an hour later I had accomplished it! Not how I thought my Monday would go!!

Oh this kid!!!

2012-01-13T14:28:00.002-06:00

It has been a long week with this kid!! And these pictures will give you a little bit of an idea why!!
Today we were getting ready to leave the house for awhile and I hear Judson. "I am going to wash my hands mom." Okay that sounds great. I finish grabbing what I need to have, get Lawson in his car seat... the water is still running. So I go to the bathroom and check on Judson! AHHHH, he had plugged the sink, added soap to make bubbles and was having a great time!! The water was all the way up to the top when I reached the bathroom, just about to spill over!! He did at least pull up his sleeves so his shirt did not get wet, we did not have to do a wardrobe change, and were able to get out the door on time! :)

Yesterday Judson decided that he was going to make supper. So he pulled a stool over to the fridge opened the door, slid the stool in and started looking for what to "make". Oh my the kid has a way to get around anything. He is to smart for his own good sometimes and wears me out!! But I LOVE him so so much and would not trade any of these adventures in for anything. I love being a mom to boys and love the blessing of being a stay at home mom!!

I had to pull the plug before I ran to get the camera because it was so full, but you get an idea!

Family Picture

2012-01-06T12:51:00.003-06:00

Well we finally got a family picture taken. Well we had one from the day that Lawson was born, but oh that was not a good one!! With all the holidays you would think that it would be easy to get one, but we just kept forgetting. Well New Years Day before we left for worship we made a point to take one!! YAY!! It is still not the greatest, but it is so so so much better than the hospital one!! And as you can see Judson either does not smile or has his super goofy smile, but that is totally him right now. So it did capture us where we are right now! :)

Tummy Time

2012-01-06T12:44:00.002-06:00

Lawson does not love tummy time at all! And because he does not like it I am really bad at remembering to make him have it anyway. Well that and it is hard to fit it in at this age. I mean I feel like he either has just eaten or is sleeping, so those are not great times for him to be on his belly and working on his neck strength.
But I was a good mom and remembered today!! And even remembered to get the camera out too. Poor kid, it is so true that the more kids you have the less you do for them because you are so busy with the others. And I only have two! I need to work on that for sure, because we would like to have more than just these two. The other kids will be lucky to have anything the rate I am going now! :)

2 Months Old

2011-12-28T12:49:00.002-06:00

Lawson is two months old today!! Where has the time gone!! It goes by so quickly anyway, and then with all the holidays it has been so busy that it seems to have sped up even more!! But it has been a wonderful 2 months! We love him so much!!

He has reached some milestones already. He has been smiling since 3 1/2 weeks!! It is so much fun to talk to him and have him respond with that great smile!! He has also started cooing. It is such a sweet sound, but we have not been able to catch it on video yet.
Lawson has also started sleeping through the night. This started right around 6 weeks. I feed him around 9 or 9:30 and he sleeps until 5:30 or 6!! It has been so great to get a full nights sleep!! He then will go back to sleep until he eats again at 9. Which helps give me time to get ready in the mornings and only have Judson to worry about.

Lawson is also a great napper. He sleeps from about 1-3:30 in his room. Judson naps from 12:30 until whenever he wakes up. So it is great to have both boys in their rooms napping. Then I am able to get things done kid free or even take a rest myself!!
We have been very blessed with addition of Lawson to our family!!

Trying to catch some smiles

2011-12-21T16:03:00.005-06:00

Lawson is already 7 1/2 weeks old!! He has been such an amazing addition to our family!! He is so easy going which really makes having two not so hard! :) But Judson makes up for it!! He is to smart for his own good and keeps us on our toes for sure!!

Lawson was an early smiler, at least in comparison to Judson, starting at 3 1/2 weeks. It has been so much fun to know he sees us and that he can react to us. But as all you moms know it is hard to catch in a still shot, so I tried to get a video. But that is very hard to do too, especially with the help of Judson.

Judson got a video camera of his own at our first Christmas. He LOVES it!! Though he is not very good at using it. While watching the videos back if feels like being on a really bad roller coaster ride!! :) Judson was trying to record with his camera, but it was not working because the memory was full, so that is what all the back ground beeping noise is about.

Christmas #1

2011-12-19T14:13:00.003-06:00

Over the weekend we celebrated our first family Christmas.
Saturday all 21 Rosekes got together. It was so great to see everyone. It is always a
really busy day/weekend, but fun.

Judson loves being able to play with all his cousins and to see all his aunts and uncles.
And of course opening all those presents is great too!

Judson got a train set. It was a great thing to play with right away. It kept him and the cousins busy for awhile!

Lawson enjoyed the weekend too with lots of snuggles!

Pete the Cat

2011-12-19T13:31:00.004-06:00

Wednesday at the library we checked out the book Pete the Cat. Judson loves this book!! Miss Kelly read it every week over the summer time story time.
Here Judson and Landon are reading it to me! :) So cute!! Though of course, they did an even better job before I got the camera out.

Fire Station Visit

2011-11-22T16:14:00.003-06:00

The boys and I are a part of a play group that meets once a week. This has been a great group!! i have gotten to know many other moms and Judson gets to play with many other kids. We are all developing some great friendships through this play group.
Well Monday one of the moms set up for us to have a tour of one of our fire stations. Here are a few of the pictures of our adventure with the kids, all 3 and under! :)

Trying to get a picture of both of the boys together. Lawson slept the whole tour, while Judson ran all over the place checking everything out!

Lawson and his buddy Vera! They are already getting taken all over the place because of their older brothers! :) They were both so good the whole time! So cute all snug in their strollers.

There was a small play area with a fire pole that all the kids LOVED!! Judson went down so many times I lost count. There were also a few hats that they took turns wearing. I think it was by far the favorite part of the tour! :)

Another picture to get Lawson in on the action.

Judson and his buddy Landon before they went down the fire pole!

It was a little crazy with so many little kids, and little boys, but it was a very fun experience!!

Week by Week

2011-11-19T14:58:00.001-06:00

Two Weeks Old

Three Weeks Old

One Week Old

A few pictures

2011-11-08T09:28:00.004-06:00

One week old!

Dressed and ready for his first Sunday service!

Big brother wanting in on the sunbathing action. It was so bright though that you can hardly see Lawson! :)

A little better sun picture.

Our pirate and giraffe!

YO HO HO, Walk the plank!

All my boys!

Ready to leave the hospital

Our sweet Lawson!

Taking foot prints right after he was born

In his car seat ready to go home

The pictures got a little mixed up, but there are a few from Lawson's first week. We LOVE him so much. Big brother Judson is doing so great and LOVES him so much too. If Lawson is not in the room with us Judson gets worried and wants to check on him! :) Judson has also been a great big helper with getting things I need, "helping" with diaper changes and baths.
We are loving being a family of 4!

Lawson's story

2011-11-04T12:43:00.003-05:00

So I was 40 weeks on Tuesday October 25th and had an appointment the next day. Because I was "overdue" I had a NST (non-stress test) that day. That just means that the hooked me up to monitors and I hung out in a recliner for 25 min while they checked baby's movement, heat rate and if I was having any contractions. When I got to my actual appointment with the doctor my blood pressure was high, which was not great because it should not have been since all I had been doing was sitting around for the last 30 min! :) It had also been high the previous week, so they decided to just call things good and induce. There were no available rooms for that day or Thursday so Friday at 7:30 was going to be the time. I was so happy to hear that they would induce because I was just feeling so ready, even with it only being one day after my due date!

So my parents came on Wednesday night, we went to bible class and were able to enjoy trunk or treat with Judson. Thursday we made sure our bags were packed and things were in order to leave Judson with my parents for a few days.

Friday morning we loaded everything we needed and headed to the hospital. We were supposed to check in at 7:30 but were a bit late because we could not find a place to park. We finally made our way to the correct part of the hospital and checked in. After doing a little paperwork and answering some questions they started patocin (SP) at 8:30. I was regulated to my left side right from the beginning because of the high blood pressure. So I was just looking at the wall for a long time, and not really able to do anything. That was a little frustrating and boring! The nurse kept upping my dose every so often to get things going, it was not so bad. I could feel more contractions and knew things were progressing, but nothing to bad. Then the doctor said it was time to break my water, which also went fine. I was a little nervous, because with Judson my water broke naturally even though I was induced. After that though the contractions became much much more intense and I was ready for my epidural! I am not really sure time frame on all this because I was staring at the wall most of the time, away from the clock! :) The epidural was great, but did not take as well as the one with Judson did, so I was in much less pain but still had a lot of feeling!

Then at 1:30 Lawson Ray Rowedder came to join our family!! We were so excited to finally meet him!!

Here is how Lawson and Judson compare.

Judson born on a Thursday, 1:49 a.m., 8 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches, head 13 1/2 inches, chest 13 1/2 inches
Lawson born on a Friday, 1:30 p.m., 7 lbs. 12 oz. 21 1/2 inches, head 13 1/4 inches, chest 13 inches

We are loving having our two boys, things are going great, Judson is a wonderful big brother and I am feeling well too! Life is wonderful!!

Birthday

2011-10-13T08:51:00.004-05:00

So I turned 30 yesterday. I think I handled the transition out of my 20's pretty well. But being 38 weeks pregnant and super emotional there were a few bumps in the road. I know 30 is not old! And I have such a blessed life, amazing 2 1/2 year old, baby on the way, super husband, great house, get to be a stay at home mom... but it still feels weird to be 30!

Nate came home from work yesterday with these beautiful flowers for me!!

And this super yummy ice cream cake!! Yes it was even better than it looks! :)

The third letter

2011-10-13T08:40:00.004-05:00

Okay so here is the third letter of little brothers name to be told! You still have no idea how many letters there are, but you know that N, S and O are three of them! :)

We have enjoyed the guesses to so much already!! And look forward to hearing more!

Well I had another appointment today, but there is nothing to report. Baby is still in there, still moving like crazy, heart rate in the 140's, but not making sign of coming out any time soon. So we just continue to wait to meet this little boy!

Center Grove

2011-10-08T16:07:00.005-05:00

Nate Judson and I spent some great family time this morning at Center Grove Orchard. There was a big Corn Pool that Judson LOVED to play in.

He loved to put it on his head, bury his feet, roll around in it... it was a fun thing. He kept wanting us to get in with him, but it was a pretty busy place!! All the kids were having such a great time.

There was also a kid hay maze. He liked waking through that too. The first time he walk right to the exit with no wrong turns!! Nate and I were super impressed!! But the next two times he was a little more distracted and needed a little help. They have a big corn maze too, but this was a much better size for Judson. And a much better amount of time for all of us! :)

Judson's second favorite to the corn pool was the train. He rode it many many times and would have ridden more if we had let him.

He did such a great job holding tight and sitting still. By the last time he rode though he was getting more comfortable. He would let go and wave to us!!

There was also a great slide that Nate went down with him. The first time down he was not so sure, but after that he LOVED it as well. I never captured the smile, but it was awesome!!

There were also many animals to see and feed. Judson liked to look at them, but was not so sure about the feeding part. It was hard for him to keep his hand flat. So he just gave up after awhile.

Checking out the one room school house

Riding the peddle tractors. He is getting very good at peddling, but these were a little heavy for him and his legs were a little to short. Good thing Dad was there to help!

Hay ride out to the pumpkin patch. It was windy and my hair was flying everywhere!

Looking around for a good pumpkin!

Found a perfect little one.

It was a very fun morning!

Another Letter...

2011-10-08T15:59:00.004-05:00

So as promised here is another letter in our new little boys name. Again they are in no order, but both N and S are in his name!! Bring on the guesses!! :) It has been so much fun to hear what everyone thinks! And we will be excited to see what everyone things when his name is reveled.

As far as how I am doing... Pretty good. I am getting more ready everyday to hold this little baby and introduce him to everyone! His clothes are washed, bassinet is put up, groceries are stocked...we are as ready as we can be. I have been feeling well, but BIG!! Everything takes more energy and time these days. Which can be a hard thing for Judson to understand. But he is patient with me! :) Sleeping is getting harder. Rolling over and getting comfortable are so hard to do. My hands swell a ton at night and are so sore in the mornings. My feet also swell and ache at night. The swelling is something that I never experienced with Judson, but I was also pregnant in the winter. I was hoping to be a little more comfortable at the end of this pregnancy with Fall weather. But NO!! It has been in the 80's and HOT!! What a funny October!! Well no matter what this baby will be here soon! I am 37 1/2 weeks already!

Name!

2011-09-30T10:25:00.003-05:00

When I was pregnant with Judson we told three of his letters to let people guess his name. It was so fun and funny to hear every guess!! So we decided to kind of do the same thing again. But instead of giving all the letters at one time we are going to space it out. A friend suggested posting a little a week until the baby is born. I think this will be more fun. It will be interesting to see how guesses change when more letters are revealed.
So here is the first letter. "N" The letters are in no certain order and are found anywhere in his name!!
Enjoy guessing!! We will enjoy hearing all of the wonderful ideas that everyone comes up with!

Baby is doing well. I had an appointment yesterday and his heart rate is 133. I am measuring right where I should be and my blood pressure is staying in check. I am dilated to 1 to 1 1/2 at this point. So that is nice that he is getting ready to make his move.
Judson was induced and right now I am wishing that this baby would be too. Just because it would be easier to plan for where Judson will be and all that good stuff that comes with having your second child! I know I need to get organized because things could happen at any time. Which is wonderful but crazy that we are about to have 2 kids!

Feeding the ducks

2011-09-12T15:38:00.006-05:00

Friday we decided to have some family time, and away from the house so we were not sucked into a T.V. show or tempted to work on a project.

So we went and fed the ducks. It is always so much fun, and Judson LOVES it. He also loves to run and scare them away! But he does enjoy feeding them.

As always it was so much fun to see Nate and Judson interact!! I just love to watch them together, and watch Judson learn from such a great dad!

Unfortunately there were many geese around!! Nate got bit a few times and Judson did once too. If you had bread in your hand and did not toss it out fast enough they would just come and try to take it. Judson was right at their level so they would go for the bread in his hand. They would nip at Nate's legs. The ducks were nice, they were just a little over powered.

Once our bread was gone we headed over to the playground. Judson wanted Nate to play too. And here is catching him as he comes down the slide! :)
It was such a wonderful night!!

Judson kept calling the ducks babies, because they are smaller than the geese! And when he would throw the bread he would say "here you go" it was so cute!!

Go Kart Rides

2011-09-01T15:16:00.002-05:00

Minnesota Cousins

2011-09-01T14:35:00.005-05:00

Last week Judson and I went to spend some time with my sister and her boys. We had a fun filled few days! Here we are in my Grandma's apartment. The three boys did a good job entertaining themselves in the small space while Ryna and I visited with Grandma. They played hide and seek for awhile, even though there were only about 4 places to hide, and then played video games. Judson thought he was big stuff "playing" video games with the big guys!

This picture was just to cute of all of them watching TV for a bit.

Friday morning we went to a little free "zoo". Judson enjoyed it and it was a great size for the amount of time we had. We could have had more time, but we were all kind of slow to get ready that morning! :) Ryna and I stayed up to late talking once we got the boys to bed!

Toward the end Judon was getting tired and wanted to be held. Cole decided to be the good big cousin and pick him up, but soon decided that Judson was to heavy! It was so sweet of him to try though!

Cole and Judson by the eagles.

Friday night Ryna let the boys get the go kart out and take turns driving Judson around. Judson thought that was pretty awesome!!

Kitchen?

2011-08-23T08:50:00.003-05:00

So we have started getting a little more ready for the baby to come. Yesterday Judson and I unpacked two large boxes of baby things. We have no unloaded them from our move because he has not needed to. But being as there are only 9 or so weeks until we get to meet this little baby I thought it was time to get a little more organized. Once I emptied one of the boxes Judson wanted it in his room to play with. So for awhile that is what he got to do. He would walk across to his room, get in the box and pretend to make me different things. He would walk back to the baby's room with cookies, bread, noodles... It was really cute!!

So once I was done in the baby's room (well as done as I was going to be at that time! :) ) we brought the boxes down stairs where he could get some of his play food and actually play in the boxes a little more. He then had to dump out all the food and all the dishes!!

Our living room has totally been taken over for now, but it is so fun to watch him play and hear the things he is pretending!! I love this new stage of being able to pretend!! I know his imagination is only going to grow!!

Two of the pictures were taken yesterday, and two today. Yesterday when he woke up from him nap he ran to the bathroom to go. But took off his shirt and shorts. But he made it!!! So that is why he is in his underwear!! Today he was actually staying clothes! :)

Rotating Toys

2011-08-22T08:50:00.003-05:00

I LOVE rotating toys, though I should do it more often. This morning when we brought the Little People up from the basement Judson was so excited. He ran right over to the tub and dumped the whole thing out and started to play!! It was so cute, and so nice as I was trying to get other things done!!

He was smiling and playing so nice, well until I got the camera out. I said Judson look at me and he just said NO and looked away. Oh well! :)

He is talking so much these days!!

2011-08-18T12:28:00.003-05:00

I love the way that Judson says Chicken Nuggets. So I wanted to catch it on video. Well the first time he says it the way he always does, but the next times he actually says it correctly. Goes to show that I need to record things right away because he is learning and changing so much all the time!! We have also been working on his name. He has been able to tell his first name for a long time, but we have been working on his full name. I love the way he says Rowedder and Samuel!! I hope that the video works and you enjoy!!

Such a busy summer

2011-08-16T13:25:00.002-05:00

Over the weekend we were able to be back in Lincoln and celebrate the marriage of Nate's cousin Bob. It was a great time to spend with family and friends but was very busy as all trips back are.
Our whole summer has been that way though it seems. So many exciting things with weddings, baby showers, camp, soccer games, youth group activities...but so busy. We have a few more weeks of events that are planned out but then things will settle down a little. Well for a bit at least.
Baby boy is due October 25th and we know that will be here sooner that we realize!! He is doing well and growing well!! I have been feeling good for the most part, a little heartburn here and there and tired, but good.

Bring on the toys! :)

2011-07-19T13:25:00.002-05:00

This picture does not really do justice to the state my living room has been in today, but it gives you an idea. I am totally not a get all the toys out and make a huge mess kind of person. Judson knows that we play with 1-2 things at a time. Then put them away before playing with something else. Well with 3 boys in the house on Tuesdays it is a little harder. Especially with one of them only being 18 months. But today there is no hope because it is 115 outside with the heat index so there is not much other choice but to stay inside and play. So I am letting them play. And they are making a huge mess! :) But we will all survive the day this way! :)

4th of July weekend

2011-07-15T13:43:00.005-05:00

Laura going on a ride with her sister

Nate had to work Saturday and Monday of the 4th weekend. But we were still able to fit in some fun!! Saturday when he got off work we drove up to Clear Lake to spend some time with friends there. Then on Sunday after worship and lunch we went to the fair. Judson enjoyed people watching and thought all the rides were great. But we did not take him on any.

Judson hanging out with Sam

There was a playground in the middle of where the carnival was. Judson thought it was a great place to play. And I thought it was great because it was not $5 a ride! :)

This was a pretty tall slide and Judson climbed all the way up by himself and would go down unprompted. He is very adventurous!! It was so much fun to watch him play!

We came back late Sunday night and Nate had to go work Monday morning. Judson and I however got to go to a birthday party. It was at a great park with a fun playground and sand volleyball court that the kids could all play in. Judson had a great time playing with all of his friends. But he really loved the cupcakes!!

Then that night we were invited to cook out and watch the fireworks with friends. It was a fun night. We bought Judson some sparklers to do. It was funny to see his reaction with them. I really should have taken video but it was hard enough to take pictures with a 2 year old and fire involved! He did seem to like them, and really liked the fireworks!

It was a very busy weekend! But it was fun to spend so much time with so many friends!

New Room

2011-07-09T15:13:00.004-05:00

We decided to go with a ball theme, even though that is every little boys room.
We feel it is something he likes now and that can grow with him.

Same letters we had before, I just painted them blue.

He loves to drive his cars around, so for now we have both of his car mats on the floor.
There is also a book shelf full of books that I had when I taught. It is so much fun to be able to cuddle in his bed and read books at night!

He is so excited about his new room!!
There is not much on his dresser, but I am sure that will change as he gets older! :)

A place for his toys. Actually I can not decide if I like this shelf better or just a regular book shelf. He has trouble getting his toys out of this one. And we already keep his toys in tubs so when I rotate toys into his room I have to store the tubs. So this may be taken out and replaced with a different shelf!

He also like his little chair. It helps him to be able to get in and out of his bed too.
He also found his slippers in the closet. So it did not matter that it was 90 outside, he was wearing fuzzy bear slippers.

He seems so small in this big kids bed! But it is so much nicer to put him to sleep at night. I do not have to bend down nearly as far, and with my growing belly that is nice.

It has been a good transition, and has actually been easy too. It is nice that he has so much more space too. This room is bigger than his other was. So that is great for being able to play toys in his room!

Birthday Pary Fun

2011-07-01T14:03:00.007-05:00

Last weekend Judson was invited to a birthday party. It took place at a park and there was a "Natural Playscape" there that the kids were able to play on/at/with!

Judson enjoyed building with the wood.

He also enjoyed walking through the hollow log.

There was also a water feature to splash in. Judson really, really like that. But the water was so cold and it was not a very warm day.

He really enjoyed jumping in the puddles that were formed from the water that ran out of the water feature when you splashed in it.

There was also a great sand pit to dig in. It even had fossils buried that you could discover.

There was a small pond that the kids could walk around in too. Judson like the puddles better and never got in the pond. Not that I blame him, like I said it was not all that hot outside.

All the birthday party friends together!

Judson getting the birthday boy in on the splashing action!

This was a super fun birthday party. Judson loved getting wet and dirty. Every little boys dream right! :) After all the kids played for awhile we went back the the family's campsite and ate smores and opened presets. I thought smores instead of cake was a very creative idea! I did not get any pictures of the mess made with the smores though because I was just trying to keep Judson away from the fire and not a total mess! :)

First Movie

2011-06-25T10:37:00.002-05:00

I know!! Not a great picture!

We took Judson to see Cars 2 last night. It was an adventure for sure!! He did pretty well though!! It was his first in theater movie. Really his first full length movie ever.
We made sure to take his special blanket and lots of snacks. We also went with the youth group so he had lots of laps to sit on and cute girls to cuddle with!! He even held one girls had for awhile, it was pretty cute!!
He did so great at sitting through all the previews, but there were SO MANY!!, so by the time the movie actually started we had already been sitting for so long.
After each of the previews he would say "cars now?". He was ready for the movie!! And when the cars were racing he would yell out "go guys go!" it was so much fun to have that experience with him!! I LOVED IT!! Even though there were some moments that I just had to wrestle him!
I do have to say though it was a cute movie, I liked the first on better!

Please pray for Josie

2011-06-25T10:15:00.002-05:00

Our friends Katie and Troy had their beautiful little girl on Tuesday!! But she and her family are in need of prayers. I took this from Katie's sister's blog, to be able to share more information.

Josie needed a little help with oxygen intake and was shortly after birth taken to the NICU. While in the NICU Josie was showing improvement, when she suddenly "crashed." Doctors and nurses worked on sweet Josie and got that little heart pumping again - they saved her sweet life!! Praise God for those medical professionals!! After her crash, Josie's little body went into a sort of shock, and she has since had us on our knees petitioning God on High for healing. Josie is on a respirator, although she has done a little breathing on her own. She has had 2 EEGs that show quite diminished brain activity. But she is stable and seems to very slowly be showing some hopeful signs of improvement. Today she was taken off her blood pressure meds and they have slowly been warming her little body back up (they've had her on thermal blankets to cool her body from the trauma of the arrest). She even sucked on a pacifier for the first time tonight! Tomorrow Josie will have an MRI to get a better look at her brain. PLEASE LIFT HER TO GOD OUR FATHER, THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. Josie's Daddy, Troy, has been talking of Jesus' first miracle, where he showed only a glimpse of His coming glory. We have been seeing glimpses in Josie's short life of the glory of Jesus, and now we want to see it all unleashed in full, spectacular view!!

Puzzle time!

2011-06-21T18:45:00.002-05:00

Judson has always loved puzzles, but lately he has really enjoyed doing them. And can actually do them independently, which is nice for me!! They are what he most wants to do at the library and even will sit at home and play with them for long chunks of time too. It is so fun to watch him figure out where the pieces go and then get so excited once he completes the picture. Now I just need to find some new puzzles because he will be tired of the ones we have soon.

Father's day weekend

2011-06-20T13:17:00.002-05:00

We love you Nathan!!

We had a great weekend!! It was so much fun to celebrate Nate and what a great leader he is for our family.
Friday night we headed to the mall and ate Chick Fil A and did a little shopping. It was so nice to be out as a family and spend so time together!! Then Saturday we had a great breakfast, the boys came home for naps and I went to a baby shower. After naps Judson really wanted to take Nate to a pond here in town that has ducks. Judson really enjoys feeding the ducks and always wants Nate to feed them with us, but we usually go in the mornings. So it was a great thing to share with Nate. It was so fun to see Judson get so excited about the ducks and for Nate to get to share in those memories. We then walked around and let Judson play on the equipment. He had a great time showing Dadda all the things he can do!
It was such a great weekend of spending time together!! I can not wait until we go feed the ducks again as a family. And yes next time I will remember the camera!! I had thought about it before we left, but prego brain left it at home! :(

Long time no blog!

2011-06-20T13:04:00.004-05:00

So we have been busy lately. Well let me rephrase that Nate has been really busy lately. Judson and I are pretty much doing the same ol things but with out Nate around as much I am tired. So I have not been good about blogging. But then I get on other peoples blogs and love all the updates and pictures and know I should be better at sharing our lives with other people too.

Nate had been reffing soccer games like crazy and has been getting involved with the youth from church. Both of these things are great, but with working full time he had just been really busy. Well soccer is finally slowing down!! Which is good for all of us, we were both getting worn out from such a busy schedule.

Let's see what has been going on that is more fun to share...
Well we found out that we are having another boy and are so happy that he is healthy. We had our ultrasound on June 1st and everything was measuring correctly and we got to see our baby boy for the first time. This picture was taken that day. I was 19 weeks. So I am now 21 1/2 weeks. I am feeling the baby flip and kick all the time and love the reminder that he is there!!

I have been feeling good, just tired. But I take advantage of napping most days!

We have been working on Judson's new room but do not have any pictures yet because it is not finished. He is sleeping in there though because he loves his new bed!! He could climb out of his crib anyway so this is nicer, and easier, for me to put him in and safer for him to get out of!! We should be done with it soon and I will share pictures for sure!

Tuesdays from now on

2011-05-10T12:37:00.002-05:00

A friend I have met through story time at the library and am involved in a play group with needed to have chile care for her boys one day a week. So I am now watching them on Tuesdays. She just works one day a week and then on weekends. So even though I am doing daycare again, it is just one day a week. We have had a busy day, but it has been good! We walked to the park earlier today, that was an adventure let me tell you. No one wanted to walk so all three boys rode in the wagon!! They made it work!! We made it to the park and had a fun time. But I am sure we were a sight to be seen while walking!! And yes Judson is in his underwear in the top picture, it is just easier and faster! Potty training is going well, but of course we still have a ways to go! :)

Stay at Home Mom

2011-05-09T12:50:00.006-05:00

Feeding the goats

Ever since moving here and being able to be a full time stay at home mom I have realized how much I love it and how blessed I am that Nate works so hard so that I can stay at home. But last week I was really reminded of what a blessing it is to be home with Judson!! Oh there are moments or days that I think that going to work might be easier. But I would not give this up for anything!! Our week last week consisted of playgroup on Monday, park with friends on Tuesday, the zoo with friends on Wednesday, library time and feeding ducks on Thursday and then park play and home time on Friday. It was such an amazing and fun filled week. I was so glad that I was able to be there with Judson for all of it!! I am just so blessed!! Here are more pictures of our adventure to the zoo.

Sitting with his friend Solon in an egg in the play area

He was very much on the move any time I let him out of his stroller, and did not want to stay still for a picture with the tiger

All the boys playing in a jeep

Judson got a turn in it all by himself, he thought that was pretty great

More pictures of the boys climbing around where the jeep was

eI am so blessed to be this little boys Mama!!! I know that number 2 will change things, but I know it will be wonderful and just that much more fun!!

Potty Training???

2011-05-02T17:17:00.002-05:00

Well...we are going to start potty training! Judson is really interested and is seaming ready. So today we went out and bought underwear!! He was pretty excited and picked out everything himself. I got three pair that are more absorbent and seven Cars kind. I hope that they get him excited! :) I also did find plastic pants and Target so I think those will be helpful while starting the process. I am thinking that I will tackle this project next week. I know I should just start now, but we have some things going on this week that I would like to not miss out on and know he will not be ready to be out and busy and successful! So next week it is!! I will keep you updated on how it is all going!! I hope that it either goes great or we find out quickly that he just is not ready, and need to wait awhile. :) Whatever happens it will be an adventure!

I couldn't get the top picture to flip. Aren't these little undies just so cute!! I know he is going to be so cute once he is in them too!!

Garage Sale finds!!

2011-05-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

Friday and Saturday 15 of us from the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group that I am apart of did a garage sale. It was crazy, I mean CRAZY how much stuff there was! It was such a great sale though because there was something for everyone! As a group we made around $3000! I am was so pumped because I made almost $100 just on the random things that I had taken!!
Garage sales can be so much work, but this one was so great because we just worked shifts and helped each other out so much. And of course I had to buy some things while I was there. But I feel that I got some great deals. I got a Little People Ark with some of the figures, a tub of play tools and a bed rail. Judson LOVES the tools and has had then dumped all over the house since I gave them to him!! Also the bed rail will be great once we move him into his new room and new bed!! I am excited for garage sales to start!! There are always such great deals to find!!

Easter at the Lake

2011-04-25T12:15:00.005-05:00

Most of the Rowedder side of the family was able to get together over the weekend. Our main purpose for gathering was to honor the life of Nate's Grandma that passed away. So Friday night we had a big family supper and then had time to remember and share stories of her life. It was a neat thing to be a part of, she was a very special person!

Papa (Nate's Grandpa) catching up on a little sleep!

There was a line set up off the end of the dock and there was actually a fish caught. Judson had a good time watching all the action, but did not want to get anywhere close to that fish! :)

It took awhile to real it in, and to get the net down in the water to help pull it up. It was a pretty big fish and sure put up a fight for being caught!

The four fishermen, Carol (Nate's mom was out there too, but busy looking for a scale when picture time came. A scale we could not find, so we are unsure how big the fish really was.)

Nate and I had gotten Judson some things for his Easter basket, but they never actually made it into the basket because things were need as distractions and entertainment while at the Lake. These glasses were one of his new items though. He always wants glasses to wear if I have mine on. So now he will have a pair, well for a day or two until he breaks them! :)

Nate's mom and sister were very sweet to want to do an egg hunt with Judson so they got plastic eggs and filled them with marshmallows, animal cookies and peanut butter cups! Judson loved going out and finding all the eggs, especially with no competition! :) His little basket was so full!! He was just loving it.

Once he found all the eggs we told him there were treats inside and oh man did he get excited then!!

He took his basket inside to have Grandma Carol and Grandpa Dan open the eggs for him!

Second time around

2011-04-21T08:22:00.004-05:00

So I had not been feeling very well yesterday, and woke up so nauseous this morning too. Judson decided to come join me in bed this morning around 7, well it was early for us. And I was not feeling well so we just decided to watch a little T.V.. Then all of the sudden I had to run to the bathroom! And yes I had wonderful morning sickness! :( Anyway, next thing I knew Judson is in there too rubbing my back and then giving me a hug. He is so cute!! Then he just sat down on the floor next to me. It sure is different being pregnant and having another child. But he has been very patient with me and my lack of energy and nauseousness. I hope his caring continues once the baby is here! :)

New discovery

2011-04-19T18:36:00.002-05:00

Judson discovered where I keep my hair ties the other day. And I had just bought more, so there were many to find! He very carefully put all of them on his wrists while I was getting ready to leave the house. It actually was pretty great because I knew right where he was, and he was not doing anything inappropriate. :) He was so proud of himself too!

Our Newest News

2011-04-19T18:11:00.002-05:00

Well the news around here is that I am pregnant!! We are all pretty excited! I know it will change things around here, but it will be awesome!! I am 13 weeks right now, and am due October 25th. Judson will be 2 1/2 when the baby is born and we are hoping he will be a great help. So far he LOVES babies and helping with them. But I know it is different when there is one around ALL the time! :) We will be finding out what we are having, that will be in about 7 weeks!! I will share once we know, but we will not be sharing names again until the baby is born!!

2 Years Old!!

2011-03-05T20:54:00.004-06:00

So my parents came yesterday (March 4th) and celebrated with Judson. They brought him a golf set and an Iowa hat. Judson has been busy playing golf ever since.

My niece Sydney is on Spring Break and was able to come hang out for a bit in the afternoon. It was fun to have her around and Judson really enjoyed the extra attention!! He really loved having Sydney all to himself, with out the other cousins around! :)

My brother Ryan and sister-in-law Valene gave Judson this jersey. When he see it or wears it he says "football" it is pretty cute!! So here he is wearing his jersey and hat!

Little People bus

Little People dump truck

Flip the flap book

Judson also got some Husker wear from is NE grandparents but he did not let me get any pictures of that. He was opening his presents to fast. But he loves the new clothes that he got!

Time for cake and a yummy cookie. Nate had the fun idea to make a "2" cookie for the second birthday!

It was a great day!! I can not believe that our little boy is already 2. He is so grown up!! He is talking more and more everyday!! He has an amazing personality and so many great facial expressions. He is totally the joy of our life!! He is so amazing and has been such a blessing!
We do not have his next doctors appointment until later this month so I do not have new stats to share, but will when I get him.

!?! Spring !?!

2011-02-16T08:27:00.002-06:00

The weather is getting so much nicer!! Judson has loved being able to get out and take walks!! There really is not that much snow left, though it looks like it from this picture. Judson just likes to be able to walk in the snow and play in it. He has loved the snow all winter. But we both are really enjoying being in it now that it is so much warmer outside.
I am getting very excited for Spring!! For being outside, going for walks on a regular basis and reconnecting with the neighbors.

My New Adventure!

2011-02-07T21:56:00.003-06:00

I have become a Thirty-One consultant. Thirty-One is a great company that sells purses, accessories, and many different totes and organizational items. It is a business that started just 6 years ago in a ladies basement. And has grown by leaps and bounds!! The name for the company came from the Proverbs 31 woman.

I have been having a lot of fun with it so far. Though it has not been very long yet. I think this will be a great opportunity for me to have some "me" time and to make a little extra money for our family.

If you are interested in looking at a catalog please go to my website...
www.mythirtyone.com/rylarowedder
and please let me know if you are interested in any product or in having a party
ryla_rowedder@yahoo.com

His newest LOVE!

2011-02-07T21:44:00.002-06:00

Judson has discovered foam shapes. And I have a TON of them! I used them all the time when I was teaching. Well Judson loves to play with them. He will get out all of his play dishes and dump them from container to container. He also can get a little carried away and dump them all on the floor!! Ooops!! But at least the kids LOVES to sweep. :)

He has also discovered how to maneuver a glue stick, pretty much independently. So now he loves to glue the foam shapes to paper. It is so cute to watch him. And we now have many foam shape artworks to show for it!

I love that he is growing up so much and learning so much!! But at the same time it is going so fast. He will be 2 in less than a month!!!

Hair cuts

2011-01-21T21:24:00.003-06:00

The boys got hair cuts last night, they are looking "sooo cool"!

They both look much better. They were getting pretty shaggy. Judson looks so much older to me now. Thought we might wait until 2 year pictures to get his hair cut, but it was just getting so long. They cut a lot off too, so maybe it will still be okay for awhile. This was his 5th hair cut already!! We could save a lot of money if I learned how to cut hair, but I do not think that is going to happen. It is not really in my skill set! :)

Back in Lincoln for the weekend

2011-01-21T11:51:00.003-06:00

So we went to Linclon for the weekend. We left Friday after Nate got off work. It was a little crazy though because Friday morning Judson had woken up with a fever. I was just so unsure about what to do and was worried that he could get sick while we were in Lincoln and get all the kids there sick too. After talking to some other moms and Judson waking up from his nap we decided to leave for the weekend. And we are so glad that we did because we had a great time and Judson never got sick!

We got in around 8 Friday night were able to let Judson play for a bit with Nolan and Delaney then they all went to bed and we were able to catch up with Katie and Troy.

Saturday was a busy day but was great to see so many friends. I went to brunch with some friends that I taught with while Nate went to coffee with another friend. Then he picked Judson and me up and we headed to lunch with other friends. In the afternoon we headed back to Baker's where Judson took a nap and then Nate headed out spend some time with his cousin. Then we had supper plans with other friends that night.

I know this is not a great picture at all, but it is the only one that I was able to get because my batteries died at brunch. This is Ellie the little girl that I watched for almost a year. It was so much fun to see her and her mom too. She is just so grown up!! And now how such long hair, it was so cute in her piggy tails!!

Nolan had gotten a bean bag toss game, but the kids much prefered to play with it at a tent. Here they all got on the couch with Katie so they could all get in it. It was so funny to see them all try to get in. Poor katie just got piled on!

Nolan, Delaney and Judson watching a movie for some down time.

I tried to get a picture of Judson with Darby, the dog, he loved spending the weekend with Darby. He loves dogs, especially smaller dogs that are not so overwhelming.

Sunday after worship a bunch of us went out to Runza for lunch. Nate wanted to make sure that we ate there while we were back since we do not have Runza here. This is Miles, he has gotten so big! All the kids have chnaged so much in the 8 or so months that we have been gone! It was so much to see all of them and catch up with all of their parents.

After eating Delaney wanted to take a picture, so this is her artwork.

Delaney, Nolan and Judson hiding next to the couch.

D being a little to loving to her little brother! :)

Judson had so much fun with Delaney and Nolan. They were so good at sharing all their toys and playing so great with Judson.

Sunday night we were able to go to 24/7 and hang out with the youth. It was nice to be back for that. And Judson did a really great job, which was not always the case when we lived there. Nate took Monday off so we were able to really enjoy our time on Sunday and were then able to see more friends on Monday for lunch. Nate met up with some guys that he used to work with and I went out with the Baker family and our freind Mandy.

It was such a great weekend. We miss you Lincoln friends!!

Resolutions??

2011-01-13T14:07:00.002-06:00

Well I guess these are my new years resolutions, but they seems pretty borring and ordinary. I mean that to say what many people reslove to do them and I have before as well. But I really hope that I can hold to them this year.

#1 Personal Bible study.
I have been doing a pretty good job at this. The ladies at my parents Church had been doing the Beth Moore study -Jesus. My mom had bought me the book and I am working through it. I am liking it, but I still find it a stuggle a lot of days. Not beacuse I do not want to do it, but because I stuggle with finding time to do it. I have been trying to get up early with Nate so that I can do it before Judson wakes up, but of course he has just decided to wake up ealier! :) Then there is nap time, which is great too, but that is also a time I can do some of the things around the house that I need to do with out Judson's "help". Then there is after Judson's bedtime, but I get so tired and am also wanting to spend time with Nate. So I guess I am saying that I am really going to find a time to do this everyday, it just may not be the same time every day! :) I am also praying that I am able to really focus on the study while I am doing it and not go over the list of things that need to be done in my head.
I know that this busy time with Judson or children is a season of my life, but hopefully it will be a season I will be in for awhile still, so I need to get this all figured out!

#2 Working out
Again finding the time is the hardest part here. Not that finding the motivation is not hard!! So for now I have chosen to do Turbo Jam, it is only 20 min. a day. So I am hoping that I can fit this in somewhere. It again may not be the same 20 min. everyday, well Monday-Friday, but I hope that it is in there somewhere. I know there are pounds that I never lost after Judson was born and then there was some emotional eating starting in October which just led to the holidays and so many yummy treats. So who even knows how many more pounds have been packed on.

So these are my resolutions this new year, I really hope that I can make them both a regular part of my day and life.

A Little Chit Chat with Judson

2011-01-12T14:52:00.004-06:00

As you can probably tell ,part way through the video I could not think of more words that Judson knows. There are many more that I have thought of since making this, but this still gives an idea of his cute little voice and some things he can say. :)

Lori you have inspired me to post a video. I love all the ones you post of Brooke!!

And thank you to Nathan for clearing off the card so that I can take more video!! It has been way to long!!

Lots of fun!!

2011-01-12T13:25:00.003-06:00

Judson loved helping Daddy shovel the driveway, and play in the snow for awhile!

Later Judson wanted to dress up in Nate's snow gear. He would bring us something and say Da-Da and want us to put things on him. He can also say goggles, it is pretty cute!!

My sister gave us a sugar cookie kit, it had the mix, cookie cutters and frosting. It was a lot of fun, but we made a HUGE mess!

Judson had a great time painting on New Years Eve. He loves to paint, really to do anything messy!

Last week Judson was sick, so I was trying to think of quiet activities that he could do. He was not feeling well and still wanted to run around. So we decided to make play-doh. It was a great way to pass the time and to do something creative.

The other day we made our own finger paint, Judon really got into it. It was a good time!!

Christmas

2011-01-12T12:59:00.005-06:00

Our first Christmas was with my family back in Davenport. It was a lot of fun but pretty crazy too. With my parents, us four kids, our spouces and all of our kids there are 20 of us.

Judson LOVED being with all of his cousins and Aunts and Uncles. He also loved all the great gifts that he got. A Little People barn, Little People airplane, and Little People castle. He also got a tent and tunnel, and musical micraphone.

Then on Christmas we were home just the three of us. It was great to wake up that morning and take Judson down and let him open up all of his presents. He also liked opening up all of our presents. It was so much fun though, and we loved having the time with just him.

Judson got another Little People airplane, a Little People swing and some actual Little People. He also got a little Husker football.

It was a very Little People Christmas!! :) But he loves all of them.

Then over New Years we had Nate's family here for another Christmas celebration. Judson enjoyed lots of great time with Grandpa, and Grandma too.

He also enjoyed showing Aunt Alyssa all of his Little People.

With the help of Dan and Nolan, Nate gave me another Christmas present. They built shelving for storage for the basement. It is so much easier to get to each tub now!!

Judson got an awesome car mat that he has really enjoyed.

Finally working...

2011-01-12T09:01:00.002-06:00

Since the start of November I have not been able to get on blogger consistantly. When I log on it kicks me off the internet. Well it all worked today and I was able to catch up on other peoples blogs. Hopefully it will let me back on later and I can catch up what has been going on in our lives. I hope to use nap time to do that. So I hope to have pictures and things up later today!

Big Boy

2010-12-08T12:09:00.003-06:00

Nate and I have been talking about transitioning Judson to a bed. He is fine in his crib, not crawling out or anything, but it seemed like time. Judson is already 21 months old, I know where has the time gone!!! So we thought it was time. I have been told by other moms that actually 18 months is the best time, well we already missed that but oh well. So last night Nate and I took a side off the crib to make it a toddler bed. It is so nice that it converts!! We wanted to keep Judson in his room and did not want to have to move everything around to make room for a bigger bed. As soon as we took the side off and remade the bed Judson got so excited and climed right in!! It was super cute!! Then last night when it was bed time Judson was so funny because he did not want to go thourgh his normal routine and read a book he just wanted he bed. So I put him in it and he stayed all night!! What a great kid!!

I said he stayed it in all night, I didn't say that he didn't get out this morning! :) I was in the bathroom and I heard him get up. I went to check on him and of course he was not in his bed!! So I looked around his room, then around to the other bedrooms and no Judson. I then heard a noise downstairs. So I went down to see Judson opening a Christmas present that had been under the tree. He was so proud of himslef, and really it was cute. But that is not what I was hoping for!! I now have to make sure that I am always up before he is, which happens most days but not all! :) But it is good to have him out of his crib, he is not a baby anymore!! We will just have to see what happens with this new freedom of his. I am a little nurvous about nap time today!! Without being trapped, like he was in the crib, who knows what he will get into!

Little of this, Little of that

2010-12-07T12:05:00.003-06:00

We have started to let Judson play with play-doh. He loves it!! And it is great to have something new to do. With the weather being cold and us having to be inside more we are getting more creative!! Well he had been playing great with the play-doh so the other night I let him play with it while I made supper. It was great!! He was happy and busy, and strapped in to his seat at the table. Well he had also decided to see what it tasted like!! Really this was the first time he decided to eat it, which is amazing!! But he had nice slimy blue teeth as you can see. We will try again though, play-doh is just to much fun not to play with!!

We put up a few decorations around the house. Not all of our Christmas things, but enough to make it feel like Christmas!! We have also used our fireplace some too. Judson loves to have the tree lit. If it is not one, he will go over and plug it in. I have to agree though, I like it on too!!

The other night was had a great family night. Went and got haircuts for the boys, ran some errands then came home and just played games and hung out. We made a point of not turing the T.V. on and just spending time together. It was such a fun night, though there are only so many things you can play with a 21 month old that just wants to knock everything over or mess everything up. Judson enjoyed playing cards with Nate though, he thought he was big for sure!!

Texas/Ray Wedding

2010-12-02T20:06:00.005-06:00

Here we are... on our way to Abilene. We stopped for supper and were able to eat outside. It was crazy to be eating outside, it short sleves, the day before Thanksgiving!!

We traveled to Texas with friends of ours, Sam and Laura Burleson. It was nice to have extra drivers and Judson entertainers!!! I do not know what we would have done with out thier portable DVD player!!

Playing with Grandma Dee and Grandpa Roger. My parnets were traveling the entire month of November and were in Abilene for the wedding too. Judson loved having them to play with. Nate and I loved that they were so great about watching Judson so we could spend time with friends!! Thank you again Mom and Dad!!

My paretns treated us to the zoo they day of the wedding. It was a great time for Judson. He loved the animals and running around!!

Judson got to feed the giraffes.

Mr. and Mrs. Ray!!!!

The four of us together, Mom and Dad had already taken Judson back to go to bed.

Our friends Cason and Ashley

Heading out!

Judson really did a good job of traveling. There was less crying then I thought there was going to be. But at the end he was just so sick of his car seat and wanted to be able to move around!

Judson loves the PBS show Word World, and this DVD made the trip so so so much better. We watched it SO MANY times! :)

California

2010-11-10T08:49:00.003-06:00

Shasta Dam, second largest dam in the U.S.

Krisitn and I at the dam, don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!! :)

At the sun dial bridge Friday before rehersal.

This was a pretty place and the bridge is an actual sundial, though only one day a year!!

The lovely rooster that lives next door to Kristin's parents house,

no we were not in the county!! And this lovely bird liked to start crowing at around 5:15 EVERY morning!! And then didn't stop all day long!! One on the many reasons i was so tired while I was there.

All five bridesmaids

Lesley, Keri, Saprina, Shelby and Me

The wedding cake. A eight inch round on top then cupcakes. This is how I spent a large amount of my time before the wedding, making, frosting and putting sprinkles on the cupckaes. We made around 300 of them, so we were busy. They did taste good, I was a little worried about that with our mass prodiction! :)

Kristin and Nate trying how to toast with being such different heights! :) She even had heals on!
Leaving, we all threw leaf confetti at them.

All the York girls

It was a great trip!! I left here at 5:15 a.m. Wednesday morning and got home Sunday at 11:30 p.m. Sunday was a very long day of traveling, but it was all worth it. I was so proud to be there to help with everything that needed to be done and stand up with Kristin!! I am so happy for her and the wonderful future that I know she and Nate will have!!!

Halloween

2010-11-10T08:35:00.003-06:00

Grandma Dee painting Judson's face

Our little lion, he loved to ROAR!!!

Not that you can tell by this picture.
Getting the paint put on his face kind of relaxed him.

Trick or Treat!!
He loved running from house to house and was so excited that everyone kept giving him candy!! He would have gone to many many more houses if we would have let him, but we did not need that much candy!!

He loved when he got to pick his own candy.

We went up and down the block then came back to the house to hand out candy with Grandpa Roger and Grandma Dee. Judson enjoyed handing out the candy to other kids as much as he did trick or treating!

Not the greatest, but a family picture.

We did not actually did not hand out candy, we did fruit snacks. Judson liked coming back to hand them out because he was able to sneak a lot to eat! :)

Who was I trying to fool!! :)

2010-10-19T12:34:00.002-05:00

I loved your opinions!! Thank you for your comments and sharing what you thought! It gave me a lot to think about and I loved the ideas of the other stores to shop at.

Well over the weekend when I bought the red purse I had seen this purse and really liked it but thought that I wanted something nicer. But after reflecting I just wanted something big for traveling to CA and for when I want to take some of Judson's things with also. I also decided that I am not in a season of life that I need/want a nicer purse. I am always in jeans or sweats and never felt like my purse went with what I had on. So this purse is way more my speed right now.

AND

The purse started out costing 14.99, was on clearance for 10.48 but rang up as 3.47. So it for sure is a purse for me!! And if I still want another purse I can still go shopping for one with all the money I saved!!!!

I NEED YOUR HELP!!

2010-10-16T13:16:00.003-05:00

Okay so as many of you know it was my birthday on Tuesday. So I have, well had, some birthday money to spend! I have been wanting a new purse lately. This is kind of funny because I do not normally carry a purse because I already have the diaper bag and do not what to carry both. But as Judson needs less for us just going out for a bit I have wanted something more stylish. Something more me and less "hey I'm a Mama".
I also get to go to California for a few days the beginning of November for my friend Kristin's wedding!!! So I will not be in Mama mode then, so thought it would be fun to have a new purse.

But here is the thing... do you like this purse? I could not really decide. It was the one that I liked the most, but am not totally sold. Well I guess I should say that there were others that I liked more, but were at least double the price!! I like that it is big so that I could take things for Judson with if needed, or will have room to take lots of things with me when I travel. But it doesn't have pockets or any kind of organization inside. If you know me... I like me some organization! :) So I need your help! What do you think? I am not so stylish and do not keep up on trends but do not want to fall to far behind either!!

No Longer Safe!!!

2010-10-16T13:07:00.002-05:00

Judson has figured out how to open doors so we had to put the safety nobs on some of our doors. BUT!! Judson has figured out how to open those too!! So our hallway closet that has the cleaning supplies and extra shampoo and things in it is no longer safe. The other day Judson got a bar of soap out ripped into the paper and was chewing on it when I found him. Judson can also open the door to down stairs!! This worries me a little because the stairs are open because it is an unfinished basement. So even though he knows how to do stairs he could easily fall and get hurt. He is so funny when he opens one of the doors though because he is so proud of himself! We already do but for sure will have our hands full with him!!

What a great Kid!

2010-10-12T13:15:00.003-05:00

So we have been working with Judson on praying with us before meals. He is so cute when he folds his hands!! And he is so funny because now we have to pray before each meal and each snack. He even wants to pray multiple times through out the meal or snack. It is so cute and we have said many prayers lately. But it has been such a great reminder that God is always there for us and that we can talk to him and thank him for so many blessings at any point throughout the day!

Busy Weekend

2010-09-29T21:26:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday (the 25th) we drove to Kansas City. It was a CRAZY rainy day, and not an enjoyable drive. The rain combined with the road construction was about enough to drive us crazy. A three hour drive took us nearly four hours. So we were very glad when we arrived and were able to be out of the car and out of the rain.

We had gone to Kansas City to spend some time with Nate's parents and go to a soccer game. The game started at 7:00 so we had a little time to relax!!

(sorry I could not get it flipped)
So Judson spent some time hanging out with Grandpa Dan and Grandma Carol at the pool. He was not super excited about getting in but thought it was great to watch Grandma. And was walk around the pool and feel the rough floor on his feet. He did get in a little, as you can see in the top picture, but is not a fish by any means. He very much is still getting used to swimming and being in the water.

We went out for some BBQ for supper before the game. This was Judson first time to have Arthur Bryant's and he LOVED it.

It sprinkled on us a bit as we got out of the car, but then it did not rain at all during the game. Which was a HUGE answer to prayer!! But everything was wet so Judson still got pretty wet and did not have much freedom to roam around. He did really good though! For it being wet, him wanting to walk around, being after bed time and it being loud at time! He was such a trooper. At the time that I took this picture Judson was pointing out to the field and saying, well what else would he say, "ball, ball, ball".

Sunday we went to a Kansas City Chiefs game. Nate's aunt and uncle had tickets they were not using and knew that we were going to be there... It was quite an experience. Judson's favorite part was flirting with the girl that was sitting behind us. He did pretty good, but really just wanted to run free. He was already tired from the night before and this game was right at nap time. So we only stayed for part of the game, because he just could not sit anymore. And I could not wrestle with him any more. He of course only wanted me, even though he had three other people there to hold him and love on him.

He did let Grandpa Dan hold him for a bit, and Nate was able to capture this super sweet picture.

It was a very fun weekend, but I am very glad to be home and have Judson back on his schedule!! It has taken most of this week to have him back to "normal". I guess trips like this just help him learn to be flexible! :)

POP...POP...POP

2010-09-16T14:57:00.002-05:00

Nate got a package in the mail the other day. To protect the contents it had two sheets of bubble wrap. The kind with the big bubbles. Nate then showed Judson how to pop them. Judson LOVED!! running over them and making them pop. He did not understand when they were all popped out. He kept asking for "mo" more. It was a lot of fun while it lasted though!! We all laughed so hard!! It was great!!

18 months and FEARLESS

2010-09-09T13:14:00.003-05:00

As I was cleaning up lunch today Judson was playing so nicely by himself. He was sitting in a chair looking at his new library books, he got a few blocks out and was using them as if they were cars and then it got a little to quiet. He had taken his stool and but it on the coffee table so that he could climb higher and reach or try to reach the pictures that are up on the wall. Before I took him down I just had to get this picture to share with all of you!! We are going to have our hands full for sure with him. He is so smart and totally fearless!! But I love it!!

I mean just look at this face, how can you not just love it!!

Judson also had his 18 month appointment today! Yes 18 months, a year and a half!! Time just goes by so quickly!! He is not a baby anymore that is for sure!!

Judson is now 24 lbs. 14 oz. and 33 1/2 inches tall. I know hard to believe tall and skinny! :)
He is just below the 50th percentile for weight and just above the 75th percentile for height.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-09T12:57:00.004-05:00

We spent our weekend at the lake with Nate's parents and grandpa. Judson loved getting into everything and "helping" with projects. He also loved walking out on the dock and he took his first boat ride. He LOVED it!

He even thought he should help Grandma Carol steer. He thought that was pretty great too. We just have to make sure that he knows that it is okay to steer with your feel in the boat but not in a car!! :)

Fun in the Sun

2010-08-27T09:04:00.005-05:00

We spent the first week of August at camp. This is how we felt once the week was over!! It was such a hot week!!!! It was a wonderful week though. Nate directed again and Judson and I were just there hanging out. We helped where we could, but mostly were just there. One day at lunch Judson just could not hold on anymore and fell asleep in his chair. Even still holding on to his sippy cup. I was able to walk him to the cabin with out him waking up, where he continued to sleep for a few hours. He loved being at camp!! He was totally spoiled by all the staff and campers and loved having so much space to run and play in. He was also blessed to have Grandma Dee, Uncle Ryle and three cousins there. He also got to see four other cousins, three aunts and two uncles during visits to camp.

One night Remsey decided to help Judson play in the mud!! He loved it!! And was such a mess by the time I took him in to give him a bath!!

Our friends Lane and Mindy were at camp this year and Judson LOVED playing with their daughter Halle!! They were so much fun to watch together. They are only 6 weeks apart in age.

LATER AT HOME

Judson and I were playing outside the other day and I had a large glass of water that I was drinking, well Judson decided to help himself and it spilled all over. He enjoyed picking up the ice cubes and splashing in the water. So I went in and got some more ice to play with. It was a fun thing on a hot day!

Some sweet neighbors of ours that live two houses down gave us this great sand box. We had been talking about getting one but though maybe next summer. In conversation they had heard us say that we were thinking about getting one and it just so happened that they were getting rid of theirs. So we were able to get it! Judson loves it!! And I love that while he plays I can sit and read a book!! :)

We just need to get more sand for it though!! But even this way he stays very busy playing in it.

This is what we had for him to play in. And the sand is GROSS!!! We need to just get rid of it!! I do not want to dump it in the turtle!! The lid had flown off a few weeks ago in a huge rain we got and now the sand is moldy and growing who knows what!!

I know, poor kid and what lame parents, that this is what Judson had to play with!

Sarah Lannon I hope that you feel caught up! :) I will try to do better!! :)

What a Weekend!!

2010-08-24T09:18:00.002-05:00

My sister Ryna and I were blessed by our husbands with a weekend away. It all started by us meeting at the hotel we were going to stay at for the weekend. I was running behind and Ryna got there first and was not so sure about the hotel!! She was telling me about it as I was driving into town and I was not getting very excited. It was a very old and run down. Ryna got our room and said that it stunk and the whole place was really sketchy!! So she told the front desk about the smell hoping that they would just refund us our money but of course they just gave us another room. I had gotten to the hotel and was able to see the new room. And I was in totally agreement, the hotel was so sketchy!! There were stains on the carpet, the hallways were dark and smelly, and it was not in a great part of town. When we got to our room we were able to open the door with out using the key card. That was the last straw. We went back to the front desk and told them that we could not stay there. I know that the lady thought that Ryna and I were such snobbs but that is fine we could not stay there!!

Ryna had found the hotel using Expedia, the problem was the somehow the wrong hotel got clicked on!! So that is how we ended up with the scary hotel!!

After leaving there and feeling like we needed a shower!! We drove to Clear Lake and found a great hotel that was clean, had a pool, hot tub, breakfast and did not give us the willys!! It was wonderful!!! We then were able to get some supper and then enjoy our relaxing weekend. The next day we each had a facial and massage!! It was so wonderful!! Then we just hung out and relaxed the rest of the day/night!!

It was such a wonderful weekend!! Even with the very eventful start!!

Sprayground!!

2010-07-27T11:55:00.003-05:00

We went to the Spray Park today. That I found out is actually called a Sprayground, people had just been calling it by a different name I guess. Anyway we were there right around 10 and there were not many people there. It is a great place, but Judson did not love it. He did not mind going through things if I was holding him, but WOULD NOT go by himself. So I got much wetter than I had planned on, but that is okay.

We took a little water break. Next time I would also bring a snack, but just was not sure of what all to take with us. Any other child that was eating a snack though Judson would go over to and just watch. He really wanted anything to snack on.

I hope that we can go again, but summer is so busy!! And I will make sure that we are there right at 10 because by 11 it was so crazy busy. But it is such a great thing that they open it up for free from 10-12! It was extra nice because Judson did not love it and I did not have to feel like I was wasting money for only staying for an hour or so. :)

The pictures are not great because Judson did not want me to get to far away from him, and I did not want to get to close to the water with the camera.

chenges

2010-07-26T15:14:00.003-05:00

Well we have gone to one nap a day with Judson. He could almost do every other day, one nap two naps, at this point. But we are trying it. I think that it will be easier for camp, which is next week. And we are able to involved in more activities around here. We have been able to go to a play date with some people from church, play with a family here in the neighborhood, enjoy story time at the library and I hope to be able to take advantage of the spray park sometime soon. I have heard that it is free from 10-12 everyday, which would have been during nap time. Judson is doing well with the one nap, seems to be getting enough sleep and not getting to tired by bed time.

He has also been cutting so more teeth. They are just through his gums not really in yet, it was a rough couple nights with him crying and fussing. I was very tired, and so was he!! We both took very good naps on Saturday and Sunday. These two new teeth are on the top, so if his bottom teeth do not start breaking through he is going to look pretty silly. That is now six teeth on top and two on bottom. I am sure they are on the way though!

Going for it

2010-07-22T09:11:00.002-05:00

We have not been very good at letting Judson use a spoon 100% on his own. So today for breakfast I did, well for awhile at least. He did a pretty well but then he started finger painting on his tray! So I had to step in and help. :)

He does not usually wear a bib, because he just takes it off, but today I put one on him and it helped with the mess and kept his belly from all the cold yogurt spilling on it.

Judson has been using a fork for awhile and does really well with it!! He actually is a better eater if we let him use a fork. But it is not messy, which is why he has not used a spoon much, but we will get better so that he can!!

I love this kid!!

2010-07-14T14:11:00.004-05:00

Yesterday Judson and I ventured out to the library. He LOVED it!! We for sure will have to make in a weekly event. We found out that Wednesday mornings is when they do story time and songs, so we are going to try that next week. Judson love to look around at the book, had so much fun watching and playing with the other kids and he made these two crafts too. He is starting to enjoy coloring, though it does not hold his attention long. Judson also liked playing with the train table that was in the children's section of the library. He loves books and we hope that fun trips to the library will encourage that love!

I also took him to get his second hair cut yesterday. I know it is hard to see from the pictures but he got quite a bit cut off. It really changes his look. He is definitely not a baby anymore, in look or in actions. He turned 16 months on July 5th. He is a hilarious little boy and we love watching his personality grow more and more every day. He still is not talking much, not really any full words, but says "dada", "mama", "mo" for more, "ba" for ball and he still uses sign language for please. He does not say much but babbles a lot and is able to communicate most things that he wants to. I love that he can understand so much. Like if he wants to go outside then I tell him to go get his shoes and he does then I tell him to sit down which he does and we put his shoes on and go play. It is also nice that when we come back in I can tell him to sit down and take his shoes off and he does. Judson also loves to throw things away and go get things for us. He is still a super great eater. Love fruit of course, pretty much anything we will let him eat. But he also is still doing great with vegies too. He likes broccoli, carrots and cauliflower the best. We have tried hard to keep sugar out of his diet, but he still has such a sweet tooth. It is funny how he will sneak a bite from anyone that will give it to him. We have given him some sweet treats, but try to really limit them.

This is our neighborhood park. It is so nice to have a park that we can walk to. We were spoiled with that in Lincoln. We were told by a neighbor yesterday that Ankeny actually as 42 parks. It is crazy to think about, because Ankeny is not huge!! Ankeny has also been named one of the USA's "playful cities" so apparently it is a very family friendly town. We have not been to any other parks in town other than the neighborhood one, though it is plenty exciting for Judson so we may not get to many other this summer.

I realize more and more everyday how amazingly blessed I am to have a husband that is supportive of me staying home!! I am so blessed to be able to do all these things and make all these memories with Judson!! Thank you so much Nathan!!!! We love you!!!

Family Camping

2010-07-12T14:23:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend we went camping with my side of the family. We were at a park in Palo, Iowa. We got there Friday evening and stayed until Sunday afternoon. On Saturday after lunch we went swimming. It was a great little beach and lake. It was not very deep but that made it great for the kids and more relaxing for all of us.

Judson LOVED the sand, and playing with his cousins in the sand. I did actually get him in the water too. The first time I slipped in a whole in the ground so I splashed us both pretty good and he did not like that at all!! But later I took him out again and he was splashing people and having a great time. It was so fun to have him out in the water and enjoying himself. But he did not last to long, he really wanted to play in the sand again. :)

After swimming we went back to our camp site and had a little snack.

Here are some pictures of all of the family.

My brother in law Bill got a hold of my camera and these are some of the pictures that he took.

Maddy eating some chips.

Ryan, probably not even knowing that his picture was being taken.

Bill so proud of himself for taking the camera and getting all these pictures!

Judson's make shift highchair. It actually worked pretty well for the weekend.

The boys, Cole and Will, had a great time riding their bikes all over the park. They road around our campsite a lot and then road on many trails with Grandpa and their dad too. In these pictures Cole got the bike stuck in a hole, he thought it was pretty funny!

Judson loves all of his cousins but especially Will and Cole. These pictures were taken right before we left. He was so funny when it was time to say bye. He would give everyone hugs because he was asked too, but kept wanting to give Will and Cole hugs and was so excited every time!

Judson and I looked through these pictures today and when we got to these he got SO excited!! It is so cute how much he loves these boys!

It was a great weekend, though I am very tired now. It was a lot of work to chase a 16 month old around a camp ground!! He is worn out too though from his late nights, early mornings and lack of naps. I am so glad that he is sleeping well today!!

Flooring

2010-07-08T15:27:00.005-05:00

Well they finally came to work on the floor!!

They delivered the wood last Tuesday, but in needed to just be in the house to acclimate for a week. So for that week it just sat in the hallway and Judson climbed on it. He loved having it there, thought it was so much fun to that "high" off the ground!

Here is what it looked like before they started. It had been buckled when we moved in, then service master came to check for water damage and tore out a bunch of it. We had been keeping this area covered in rugs so that we would not stub our toes.

They came Tuesday to get started. We had to move every thing out so they could tear out the old flooring. It was a bit annoying to have everything in the living room. We were finally getting settled and then had to live in a mess again. Luckily our living room is big so we still had room to live! Judson and I also spent a lot of time in the basement. So happy that we have a lot of his toys down there and Nate figured out how to get a T.V. hooked up down there. (there are not many outlets and is not a cable hook up)

Wednesday they came and started to lay the new flooring but did not get as far as they thought because they did not have the board that they needed to help move the fridge without scratching the floor.

They did get the entry and closet done though!! Just not all the bathroom or kitchen.

Today the guy came back and was able to finish the kitchen!!! It is so great to have a fixed floor!! It is so great to not have to worry about tripping on it too!

See doesn't it look so great now!!

The bathroom is not done though because they ran out of wood. The guy that measured and ordered the wood thought there might be enough but knew it would be close, well he was right it was close but there was not enough. I am just so glad that the guy that laid it decided to get the kitchen done! We can just shut the bathroom door and not have to look at in or deal with it for now. The wood under the toilet is the old stuff and has to be taken out and redone, but new wood has to be ordered first. It is sad because each box does 40 square feet and only about 9 needs to be done, but a whole box has to be ordered. I am just glad that the main part of the house is done!! SO SO SO HAPPY!!

4th of July weekend

2010-07-08T09:33:00.004-05:00

We spent our weekend in Clear Lake with the Burleson family. All day Saturday there was a MTG (Magic the Gathering) booster draft that Nate played in. It is a card game that I know little about but Nate and many of the Burleson family, mainly the guys and Callie, enjoy playing. So Judson and I went shopping and hung out with girls and Gerry for the day.

These are pictures of the Burleson grandgirls, in their cute matching shirts!

Judson thought he should get in on the action. It was so cute to watch him just wiggle in on the girls and make a space for himself. They liked having him there even if their faces do not quite show it!

He was way excited to have all the girls to play with!

Sunday night we went to go see the fireworks on the beach. It was a GREAT show. We were so close to them, we were a little nervous how Judson would do. But he did great!! He loved them. We tried to have him wear ear plugs because it was so loud but he would only last so long and then pull them out.

So we would end up covering his ears when it was really loud. Especially the finally, it was so super loud and bright. Judson just turned around and didn't even watch. I even closed my eyes because there were so many flashes of light.

Monday there was a parade that we went to. Many of the Burleson family walked in it with this float. It is in support of LUV Iowa, trying to keep marriage between a man and a woman.

It was a very busy weekend and we were very tired when we got home on Monday night, but it was a lot of fun!

The Clampits?

2010-06-30T14:42:00.006-05:00

My sister and her two boys were able to come and visit us for a few days this week. They brought Judson all kind of handed down goodies. This is how they looked driving down from Minnesota. We not have a trike with a cart to hook on the back, a picnic table, a double running stroller, a tag a long, a bike carrier, a chalk board, a car, and another little car thing. Judson is having a lot of fun with all his goodies! Some of them he will have to grow into though. And all of them need to be scrubbed down because they have been in storage for a few years.

I am sure that Ryna is having a much easier drive home today with out all this in the
back of the truck! :)

Judson had so much fun playing with his cousins Cole and Will. He also LOVES his new car!!

Aren't they so cute!! Our neighbors have this awesome swing set in their backyard that Will and Cole enjoyed playing on. Nate and Judson joined in with them one night.

The boys wanted to play in Judson's pool. It was so funny though because the pool is so small! The neighbor boy came over to play too. The three of them had such a fun time. I gave them each a cup and they had a great time splashing water on each other, and on me. I ended up being very wet when it was all said and done! It was a great time though. Judson was still not so sure about the water but he did stand at the side of the pool and dump cups of water around.

It was a fun visit, but I am tired now. Having three boys around made life a bit more busy!! And then Ryna and I would stay up to late talking at night once we put all the boys to bed.

Swimming??

2010-06-25T21:00:00.004-05:00

As close to the water as he got on his own.

Judson love when I flip the screen around so that he can watch as we take a picture.
This one actually turned out well. And it is fun that I actually get to be in a picture! :)

Climbing up the hill/slope in the back yard. He loves to climb up and actually does a pretty good job coming back down too. Though he picks up a lot of speed.

So I got Judson all ready to swim, see his super cute trunks and protective swim shirt, but he had other plans. It was funny, he wanted NOTHING to do with the pool. I thought that he might like it because he LOVES to play in the bathtub! But I have been proven wrong. Though I should have had a heads up that he would not like it because of his reaction to the neighbors when the kids use the slip and slide and the pool. If Judson sees then get into the pool he cries and cries and if he sees then run and slide down the slip and slide he also cries. It is kind of funny, but not good because we can not even be outside if the other kids are out playing because Judson cries SO much. I think that he thinks that they are getting hurt, because they get loud in/on both things because they get so excited!

Just playing in the back yard.

I got out a noodle out so that he could play with it in the pool, even stand on the outside and splash the water. But do, he would not even do that. He would not even let me put his feet in the water with out grabbing me to get him out.

Father's Day

2010-06-23T14:42:00.006-05:00

It was tricky to get Judson to stay still and get a good picture.

And some turned out better than others.

But we were able to take a few!!

And we are able to have a memory of this great Father's Day.

I was trying to get Judson to pose for me so I could get a good picture of just him and a good one of the shirt too. But he just wanted to run around the house and put toys in this mouth.

So this is as good as I got. But later in the day Nate got a super great one!
Go to Nate's Facebook page to see it. It seriously is so super cute!!
I tried to get it on here, but could not and the picture was taken with Nate's phone.

We love you Nathan!! Thank you for all the amazing things that you do for us!!

New Doctor

2010-06-17T14:51:00.002-05:00

So Judson needed to have his 15 month check so we needed to find a new doctor. This is something I was not looking forward to because I really liked and felt I could trust our doctor in Lincoln. But I had asked a friend from here and she suggested a doctor.

We went today at 9:15 to fill out paper work and get insurance figured out. It was not easy to do as Judson just wanted to run around and explore the waiting room, he even ran back to the patient rooms at one point. But we finally got all that done and were able to meet with the doctor. He seems very nice and Judson really seemed to like him too. I was so relived, I was not looking forward to having to "doctor shop".

So Judson was a bit late for his 15 month appointment because of moving and everything, he was 15 months on the 5th, but we found out that he is 32 inches tall and weighs 24 pounds. He is catching back up to "normal" so that is very good. He also had to get 4 shots today. He did not like that very much and cried big alligator tears. But the tears did not last long and he has been running around and playing well all afternoon. I was going to take a picture of his cute little bandaided legs but once he found the bright yellow and orange bandaids hidden under his shorts he torn them right off. So sorry no pictures to go with this post.

We are in!!

2010-06-15T14:45:00.009-05:00

Judson loves that the windows are lower and he can look out and watch everything outside. He also likes that we put the hope chest in front of one set of window so he can get an even better view!!

We closed and moved into our new house last Wednesday. We are completely moved in and mostly settled. We unfortunately were met with an unwelcome surprise when we came to the house Wednesday morning. In switching utilities over the power was turned off over the weekend and we are guessing that the ice that had been in the ice maker in the the freezer melted and ran out of the freezer onto the floor making the wood floor buckle. So we have been dealing with insurance and contractors since we moved in. We have found out that it is not able to be patched so the whole wood floor area has to be replaced. It was not the welcome to your new home that we were expecting, but it will all work out and there is no other damage.

So here is our new house!!

front view

back view, sorry there is a bit of a hill and it was raining so I could not find a good place to stand, that is why it is kind of a crazy picture.

opening the front door, straight ahead into the dining area, hall closet there in front, 1/2 bath to the right and living room to the left

1/2 bath

living room

around to dining area

kitchen, if you look at the floor in front of the fridge you can see the buckling.
The kitchen is nice and it LOVE that it is so open to the rest of the house, but it is small than our last kitchen, so it was difficult to put things away and we do not have a pantry at this house.

looking back around to the front door, laundry room to the left

laundry room, this is the set that they left. We do have our own, but we have to get things changed over, right now it is set up to be a gas dryer.

garage

door to the basement

play area for Judson

the basement is completely unfinished, so we have a lot of work to do down the road
we also do not know where to put our things because we had so much built in storage at the last house, but we will get it all figured out.

it is a walk out basement and has some pretty big windows too, so that is great!

guest area for now, where the guest room will be once the basement is finished

storage for now, later it will be part storage part 3/4 bathroom

another guest space for now, will be Judson's room whenever he gets a little

Judson's bathroom, guest bathroom for now until the one in the basement is created

master bedroom

Nate's closet

my closet
yes we have his and her closets!! It is so awesome!!

Judson's room

we need to figure out where to put up his name and some shelves so that his dresser is not such a mess!

this saying was on the wall when we moved it, I think that it is cute but I wish that it were in a different place in the room and I could do with out the airplanes.

we need to put a shelf in the bottom of his closet too, everything is just kind of a mess for now, but it is all in there

There are things that we miss about our old house and many people that we miss in Lincoln, but we know that God has great plans for us here and even with the floor fiasco that we are dealing with right now this is seeming like a great place to be!

House

2010-06-05T21:12:00.002-05:00

Well we were supposed to close on our house yesterday, Friday, but we were not able to because all the paperwork that needed to be done was not. They ended up needing more from us than we though so it just took a few days longer. So we are set to close on Wednesday now. We are unsure of what time but are hoping first thing in the morning because the movers are supposed to deliver all of our things that day. It would be nice not to have to call and reschedule with them again!! And we are just ready to be in the house too. It will be so super great to have more space, and to have the rest of our things back.

The hotel has not been so bad to live out of but we are ready to put it behind us. I am ready to make meals in a real kitchen and have actual rooms. Not everything in one room. It will also be so great to sleep in our own bed again!! The hotel bed is much better for one person as it has it sinks in in the middle.

We are also just ready to be settled. It does not really feel like we live here yet. And I know that it has only been a few weeks and even once we have our house it will take awhile. But right now we are in such a state of limbo.

15 months

2010-06-05T18:49:00.002-05:00

Judson is 15 months old today!! I know what you are thinking... already!! I totally feel the same way! He is such an amazing little boy and we love watching him grow and change ever day. He has been walking for about a month and a half now and is all over the place. He is a monkey and loves to climb up and over anything. He is very inquisitive, always trying to figure out what things are or how they work. Judson is also VERY social. Especially now that we are living at a hotel. When we have the chance to venture out he LOVES it. He gets so excited and smiles and waves at all the people. And if we see another kid he is so excited that he can not stay still. It is super cute and most other people love it too.

He is not saying many words yet but can communicate pretty well with what he wants. He does sign "all done" and "please" so that is nice. But with him always asking please and his super big smile it is hard to tell him no. Oh but we do, he is into everything!! He does say Mama and Dada, ba for ball, mi for milk, and mo for more. There may be others but I can not think of them right now. No full words though that anyone else may know what he is talking about! :)

He has six teeth, 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. He eats pretty much anything and everything we eat. And would eat more if we let him, but we are still trying to keep him as healthy as possible. He will learn about sweets, french fries and all that other good stuff soon enough. He loves to eat with a fork and is a better eater if he has one. It is so nice that he is a good eater!!

He still sleeps 12 hours a night but is starting to transition out of two naps a day. Some days he will take two, but it is become just 1 more often. But with living in the hotel life and schedule are not as they should be anyway!!

He goes for his 15 month check on the 17th so I am not sure about how much he weighs or his height. I am a little anxious to meet the new doctor, because I really liked the one we say in Lincoln, but am sure that it will go well. He was suggested to us by a friend.

Going Away Party

2010-06-03T11:40:00.006-05:00

Ella helping Judson get some toys out to play with

Hanging out in the Gulbrandson's back yard

The kids had a great time playing with all the toys and with eachother

Judson and his almost birthday buddy Leyton, she was born
3 days after he was
Kristin was making sure that they were playing nice

They are so super cute together

Amy, Miles, Heather and Kim

Troy and Jesse

Heidi and Heather

Judson and Miles playing with the bank

Judson loves Austen and his hats!!

Judson also loves Mason, he always went right to him when
Mason was helping in toddler time

Many of the kids playing in the living room

Before we left Nebraska our small group gave us a going away party. It was such a wonderful way to spend our last weekend of living there. We have grown to love these people so much and miss them all so much already. We will miss watching Judson grow up with all these kids and miss watching these kids grow up!!

We LOVED our six years in Lincoln and are so blessed that God gave us such an amazing church family to be a part of! We have so many friendships and memories from our time there. We will miss everyone so much but know that these miles between us will not keep us from being friends.

Come visit any time!!! Well once we have a house! :)

Thank you so much for the party and for the support through this move, and this last year!!

Fun with the Camera

2010-05-28T15:13:00.005-05:00

Play in the hotel room before we left on our walk. I have been playing with the settings on our camera. And thought these turned out pretty well. Granted there are not to many bad shots of Judson if I do say so myself!!

While on our walk, or stroll rather, I let Judson get out for awhile. The bike trail was relatively empty at 9 in the morning so that was nice and made it more safe. He loved exploring!! He would walk for awhile then just plop himself down and play with all the leaves and things that were on the trail.

He is such a cutie!! I love that he loves to be outside and is so intrigued by everything.
I took many other pictures but for some reason they are not loading the the computer, and the others are on Facebook, if you are interested. We saw a deer while we were out and were able to take pictures. It was fun to be so close, though Judson really didn't care. He was much more interested in all the birds that were flying around us. It was a fun walk! We even found a park that will be a lot of fun to play at this weekend. I just hope that it is not to busy!!

"Home" in between Homes

2010-05-21T10:32:00.003-05:00

When you walk in you are in the kitchen. There is a stovetop and even and oven. A fridge and dishwasher. It is not huge but it is nice to be able to make meals in the room and not have to eat out all the time.

This is looking back toward the door, the bathroom is around the fridge here. I did not take a picture of that. Nothing special, pretty small, but it fits our stuff!

Judson wanted me to be done taking pictures and pick him up. He was not so happy.

Walking into the room there is a bed in the left corner. It is not a comfortable bed, we are looking forward to being able to sleep in our nice comfy, cozy bed again!! There is also a chair to sit in, which is nice so you do not always have to be in the bed. Behind the chair back in the corner is where we have put Judson's pack n play. That way it is away from everything when Nate is getting ready for work in the morning.

There is a desk, which we do not really use. It is more of a place to put things so Judson can not get them.

We brought in some shelving and laundry baskets to keep up with our dirty clothes. It is not fun having to walk it down the hall and share one washer and one dryer with the entire floor. But I am glad that it is in the building so that we do not have to take it elsewhere and I can work on it even if Judson is sleeping.

A look back toward the kitchen. There is a good amount of closet space too. That is what the three taller cabinets there are.

Pack it up

2010-05-18T15:12:00.002-05:00

The movers came last Wednesday and packed up our things.
There were four of them that came and 8:30 and were done by 2:30.
They even took an hour lunch break.
I could not believe how fast it went, and how many boxes there were.

Judson thought it was great having such an obstacle course in the house. He loved running around the boxes and peeking his head out. It was very funny, but a little crazy to live around. Once Judson woke up from his afternoon nap we went to a friends house to hang out and then ate supper out that night. The house was just a little to crazy to be in for long.

The movers came back on Thursday and packed the truck. There were like six of them this day and they had the rest of the house packed up and the truck loaded by noon. It was so fast!! But it was good that they worked fast because we had a lot of cleaning to do. It was easier to clean and empty house, but it still it took forever!! I am so glad that Nate had taken Thursday and Friday off of work and was there to help me with everything.

The closing was on Friday, so the house is not longer ours. We really loved that house and living in Lincoln. We will miss all of our friends there so much.
But we know that God has sent us on this journey for a reason and we need to trust that He knows what is best for us.

We are currently living in an extended stay hotel (once we are a little more settled I will take some pictures and post them), but have made an offer and had it accepted on a house in Ankeny. There are just some things that the sellers need to take care of and we need to wait for the bank to get everything in order for us. We should close and be able to move in the first part of June. So just a few weeks or a month here in the hotel. It is close quarters, but it is great being back together as a family again!!

Crazy Kid

2010-05-10T21:16:00.003-05:00

As I was working on laundry today I forgot to shut the doors. Judson found the box of dryer sheets and decided that he should take them each out of the box. Oh yes, one by one he pulled them out and spread them around the hallway. I later even found some in the bedroom. He had such a great time, and smelled very good after wards!! I am just glad that the box of 250 sheets was half gone! He is just so curious about EVERYTHING!!!!!

Thanks to my boys...

2010-05-10T21:05:00.003-05:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. Judson slept in until 8:30, so I was able to as well.
Nate got up and made breakfast (scrambled eggs, pancakes, strawberries, and bacon) then he brought it all to me in bed, along with flowers!! It was so sweet of him and we all enjoyed the great breakfast! Then we went to a wonderful church service, grabbed Arby's for lunch and came home to eat and relax. It was a wonderful day!! I am so blessed to have two amazing boys that love me so much!!

THANK YOU LAURA BETH!!!

2010-05-07T08:02:00.001-05:00

Laura Beth you are the BEST!!! I love the new blog header!! And the new background. You are such a sweet friend and it was such a fun surprise this morning. I needed something to brighten by day and you totally did it!! I LOVE YOU!!

Park Play

2010-05-06T09:24:00.004-05:00

The kids LOVED playing in the sand!

They even did a pretty good job of sharing the few sand toys,
and not getting the sand all over each other.

The big girls. Delaney and Victoria.
They loved playing on the tire swing.

The big girls played so well together!! It was so cute to watch them play!!

Trying to get a picture of the boys together. It was not so easy!

Judson sure thought it was funny though.

But Nolan did not think that it was fun!!

Yesterday many of the moms and kids from our small group were able to get together for lunch and time to play at a park. It was so much fun to get everyone together. It has been hard to do with all the kids and different schedules. But when we are actually able to get together the moms and the kids have a great time!

A day with Ellie

2010-05-04T14:57:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Judson and I were able to spend some time with Ellie. (the little girl that I used to watch) Her new daycare person had sick kids of her own yesterday. It was so much fun to see Ellie and Judson together again. They were so cute playing together, "talking" to each other and walking around the house.

Judson was so funny at snack time... I was making some butternut squash for him for later and he did not want it later. So he passed on his yummy peach/mango puffs and ate butternut squash. So far he is a very good eater!

We went on a bit of a walk and played at the park. They are a lot heavier to push than they used to be. They both LOVED being at the park, I forgot to take the camera with though. But I am not sure if I would have been able to take any pictures anyway. It was busy keeping up with two climber/walkers!!

House Project

2010-05-02T20:56:00.005-05:00

We had a whole house inspection done on Friday because of selling the house. We got the results back on Friday night and found out that the house only did "fair". So with that there are things that we need to improve upon before the buyers really want to buy. We are still working on negotiations to see what of the things need to be done we will actually do.

But without finishing negotiations we decided to start on one of the projects. The back patio needed some attention. It was beginning to settle by the house. It was about an inch lower than it needed to be. So we started pulling up the bricks and of course one led to another and then 1/3 of the patio later we needed to get some sand to raise things up. It took many more trips to the store and many more hours than we thought. It is still not done, but already looks so much better!

James Hamilton came over and was a HUGE help!!! We would not have been able to get as far as we did with out him! And thank you so much Amy, Ella and Miles for sharing him with us!

Judson decided that while he was outside playing he should eat dirt. He ate many dirt clods but this was the biggest and made so much mud in his mouth.

Judson was very helpful moving all the sand around.

He also really liked to climb on the bricks that had been pulled out.

More sand play!

It was a very busy afternoon. It is so great that we were able to get so much done. It really is looking so great!! To bad we will not really be able to be around to enjoy it, but I hope that it helps us to sell the house and to be able to live together as a family.
Judson loved being able to play outside so much to day and to make such a mess. He was so funny exploring the sand and all the tools that were out.

Rowedder Family

A little catch up

3 Months

Sledding!

Judson's new interest

Laundry Day???

Oh this kid!!!

Family Picture

Tummy Time

2 Months Old

Trying to catch some smiles

Christmas #1

Pete the Cat

Fire Station Visit

Week by Week

A few pictures

Lawson's story

Judson born on a Thursday, 1:49 a.m., 8 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches, head 13 1/2 inches, chest 13 1/2 inchesLawson born on a Friday, 1:30 p.m., 7 lbs. 12 oz. 21 1/2 inches, head 13 1/4 inches, chest 13 inches

Birthday

The third letter

Center Grove

Another Letter...

Name!

Feeding the ducks

Go Kart Rides

Minnesota Cousins

Kitchen?

Rotating Toys

He is talking so much these days!!

Such a busy summer

Bring on the toys! :)

4th of July weekend

New Room

Birthday Pary Fun

First Movie

Please pray for Josie

Puzzle time!

Father's day weekend

Long time no blog!

Tuesdays from now on

Stay at Home Mom

Potty Training???

Garage Sale finds!!

Easter at the Lake

Second time around

New discovery

Our Newest News

2 Years Old!!

!?! Spring !?!

My New Adventure!

His newest LOVE!

Hair cuts

Back in Lincoln for the weekend

Resolutions??

A Little Chit Chat with Judson

Lots of fun!!

Christmas

Finally working...

Big Boy

Little of this, Little of that

Texas/Ray Wedding

California

Halloween

Who was I trying to fool!! :)

I NEED YOUR HELP!!

No Longer Safe!!!

What a great Kid!

Busy Weekend

POP...POP...POP

18 months and FEARLESS

Labor Day Weekend

Fun in the Sun

What a Weekend!!

Sprayground!!

chenges

Going for it

I love this kid!!

Family Camping

Flooring

4th of July weekend

Judson born on a Thursday, 1:49 a.m., 8 lbs. 13 oz. 21 inches, head 13 1/2 inches, chest 13 1/2 inches
Lawson born on a Friday, 1:30 p.m., 7 lbs. 12 oz. 21 1/2 inches, head 13 1/4 inches, chest 13 inches