Thanksgiving and 4 months old

Thanksgiving has been hosted at our home for the last 6 years. We just love Thanksgiving! I have a very country, fall colors, comfy-cozy home, and we love to host people! We keep saying that one day we could run our own lodge, that's how much we love making people smile and hearing them say "oh yum, this is just awesome" is the best! Anyway, I did a lot of the cooking this year, which for me is a big deal. You see, I don't cook. Very rarely do I cook, but I am getting better! Nathan likes to cook, so all of these years, he's done a lot of it. Well, then Pioneer Woman came along, and with her cookbook and pictures, I can just about handle anything. Just about. :)

I got up early on Friday morning (because Nathan had to work Thanksgiving, so we held it Friday) and what do you know, I get everything going, and there's that darn mouse. UGH! He made me SO mad! A very smart ratatouille! So after a few screams and swear words, I got used to him. He finally went somewhere, and I had some peace and quiet again. That is, until the boys got up!

Pork loin (done by nathan) Mashed Potatoes with 2 sticks of butter, cream cheese, and whole milk-ohhh yes! fresh buns, corn, and made from scratch pies are just a few of the things that I, myself, contributed! I was impressed with myself!

Becoming best buds...

Big boy! We watched the NFR all last week and said that Sutton is our future bulldogger! If he keeps his eating habits up, he will be bigger than the steer!

This isn't the best picture, but, Gunnar usually doesn't look at the camera (must be a 2.5 yr old thing!) So with BOTH boys in my hands, I couldn't resist adding this picture!

Our handsome 4 month old!

Sutton had his 4 month checkup! He is SO big!! He weighed in at 17.5 lbs, and is over 26 inches long! He can start cereal, and in 2 weeks, I can start adding foods to his diet. WOW. I know the time goes fast, but it has seriously flown by! These days, Sutton is so relaxed and goes with the flow. Sure we have our "both kids are screaming" moments, but who doesn't? He is on a great night time schedule of bath at 7:00/7:30, drink 6 oz. and by 8:15ish he is out. We can typically lay him down drowsy, and he'll go to sleep, sleeping until 5:45 (most mornings) So I really cannot complain. NOW...if my 2.5 year old would sleep, I'd be a REALLY happy Mama! I regret never letting Gunnar cry it out at night, he always woke up, got nursed, loved, and rocked back to sleep. Well, he STILL doesn't know how to go to sleep on his own, and I feel bad. I guess it's a "first child" thing, because I am sure not making that mistake with Sutton! :) I figure there will be a day that he won't want to wake up, and I'll be begging him to! And he is still my cuddler, with his blankie and thumb, who can resist that? Ah...love my boys.

So now we're going into Christmas. And while I'm excited, I'm dreading it. Nathan has to work, and I'll be feeling bad that he won't be with us for most of it. We didn't get much for the boys, they don't know what is really happening anyway, and kids get too many toys the way it is. We do most of our playing outside, so I can't justify buying toys when he hardly plays with them. Books, DVDS, and some clothes. Easy enough!

After the Holidays, we'll be going to Pierre goose hunting January 12/13-15th. We haven't been back in over a year and a half, so it's time. Both boys will be coming with us! THEN, the beginning of February, is the Black Hills Stock Show! YES! We will be leaving Friday, and coming home Monday. Our good friends from Buffalo, Jamie and Justin Brown, will be meeting us there. No kids, which will be VERY different, and the longest I've ever been away from Gunnar is 2 nights, so it will be a nice getaway!

Christmas cards and letters are out, today! Wrapping, baking, cleaning, and ordering a few more gifts is left! Thanks for checking in, and Happy Holidays to everyone!!

6 years

We celebrated our 6th Anniversary on October 8th! We got up on Saturday morning and went to Omaha for the day and night! The weather was beautiful, and the drive through the Loess Hills is always amazing, but putting Fall colors in the trees is even better! We had a lazy day in Omaha, stopping at a few places to shop, but for the most part Omaha kicked out butt, again. Everything is so fast paced, and I went down there with NO schedule. Nothing. No reservations, no schedules, and very few intentions. We learned that next time we will have reservations, and plan a bit more, because our time is to precious and gas is to expensive to drive that city unprepared! At least we always manage to find our way to Cabelas! :)

Now that's what you call an Iowa Pork Chop! Yummm..it was amazing.

And of course, this Mama will take the beef! Nice slab of prime, it tasted sooo good!

CONTENT & FULL.

Nathan made reservations after we got checked in, to eat at Spencers, which is downtown at the Hilton Garden Inn. It was amazing. The most expensive, fancy, and yummiest place I've ever eaten at!
We celebrated 9 years of being together on October 27th, and those 9 years have flown by! I told Nathan "Wow, in 9 more years, we'll be together for 18 years...unbelievable!" to which I got, "very good math, Erica" smarty pants! ;) We're a good team, and while we aren't perfect, we are two peas in a pod! Here's to many many more years of craziness and love to come!

Living Life as a family of 4!

Well, here we are...3 months later and I finally have some motivation to blog! I have so many people say "I checked your blog, but no updates since...July!" as to which I say "I know!" come home and sit down to blog, and then some kind of interruption happens! So here we are...3 months later, with a 16 lb 3 month old, and 32 lb 2.5 year old! They are healthy, loud, and messy! I've never been so unorganized, tired, and happy! Let's back up a bit first...to the arrival of our new bundle...

This is RIGHT before we walked out the door to get to the hospital!

On August 7th I went with the guys (Nathan, Mike Modrell, and Gunnar) to Anthon, to watch them rope all afternoon, on the hottest day of the year! With a chairs-width of shade, I'm not kidding, I had to move my chair every few minutes so that I didn't bake away! I watched and ran after Gunnar all afternoon, hours before giving birth. Monday came, and I was organizing the house, packing bags, and writing instructions. I got the yard all mowed and trimmed, weeds pulled, and helped saddle my horse so Gunnar could ride. We walked down the road quite a ways with Rex and Gunnar, when I said, ohhhh geez, I know this feeling, contractions! We got home, they went away, and I kept getting things in order. Gunnar finally went to bed, and little did we know, this would be the last night we were a family of 3! At 4:30 I was woken up with hard contractions, took a bath, lolly gagged around (because I wasn't going to go to the hospital and be sent home!!) finally got admitted at 6 am with a contraction every 2 minutes. I was checked, told I was at a 2....a 2? Come. On. I was so disappointed and mad! These contractions were so hard, I wanted my epidural! A half hour later, I was checked and I was a 4! Now that's more like it! :) I kept this up, moving so fast that before we knew it, at 9:45 I was a 10 and ready to go! In 4 pushes, and 10 minutes, out came a 7 lb. 6 oz. 20.5 inch little boy, who we named, Sutton Roan. He looked SO little, even though he had the most perfect body and fingers! This experience was a complete different one from having Gunnar, so I should've known that since the labor was so easy, the next part of raising him, wouldn't be!! I didn't know how lucky I was to have an easy baby for the first one, but I have found out that that's the trick! God gives us the easy one first so that we have another one!! Well, just so we're clear, 2 boys is enough for me to handle, especially the little movers that I have! Baby clothes are already packed away and ready for a garage sale, along with all of my maternity clothes! This Mama is done, and very blessed with what I have!

Mama's first look!

                                                               I love my boys!!

                                  Great Grandparents! Grandma Bonnie and Grandpa Bud
                                                                  Grandma Belle and Grandpa Richard

                                            Daddy checking his boy over...and approving! :)

So raising Sutton has been rough, I'm not going to lie. First I thought I was giving him too much, and then after a few weeks of no results of him stopping screaming all day long, I fed him more, and he seemed to be more content, for a bit. I cut things out of my bland diet, took him to the chiro, walked with him nonstop, etc...nothing worked. Finally we came to terms that we had a colicky baby and that TIME was the only answer. I've had many days of wanting to give this child away, and many long days of crying. Thankfully, as I said before, God gave me Gunnar first. He's amazing, and is the funniest child ever. For being 2.5, he is so mature, and helps me a lot. Of course we have our times of him not listening or screaming back "NO" but for the most part, when I'm having a rough time with Sutton, Gunnar behaves and gives me loves to cheer me up. The other person has been my Mom. She's been there this whole time, taking Sutton when I didn't want him! Ha, I don't sugar coat it because it's been a tough go! Now we're to the 3 month mark, and Sutton is weighing in at 16 lbs! He's a big boy, half of Gunnar's weight already! They are complete opposites, even though some of their looks are just alike! Sutton has been smiling since the 6 week mark-thank goodness! His giggles are coming more often, and since he's so big, it's fun to bath a chubby baby! Gunnar never had rolls, and still doesn't, so this spreading the rolls out and washing them because they have dirt in them, is all new to me! :) We're figuring each other out, little by little, day by day. I know next year I'll look back at my hard days and laugh, because I'll have two healthy and amazing boys playing tractors on the floor together! The joke is that Gunnar better watch it, because with Sutton being such a big boy, if he ever catches Gunnar (because G is FAST!) he's going to be in trouble, because Sutton will squash him! Oh the fun things to look forward to, that's one of the main things that is keeping me going!

I went back to cleaning a month ago, and it's gone good. Sutton goes to daycare on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 8-noon. Gunnar is usually found with Brama (Grandma Anne) or Papa, or Unc. He's never went to daycare, and that was a mistake because he hates to leave my side! So Sutton is learning right off the bat, and so far it's going great! Pat is a great friend, and I've known her all of my life, so there was no problems with leaving him, in fact, I was excited for a break from the little stinker!

Nathan is working his stupid swing shift. We are always praying and hoping for a change, but for now, I've made my peace with it, and am looking at it as a time for me to prove to myself that I can raise two boys, do chores, keep the house up, and remain sane! It's a challenge, and I usually am negative and say how bad I'm failing, but when I look back at some of the days, I haven't failed at all. It's tough being a single parent most days, and once again, I am SO thankful for my parents being right up the road!!

We had a fun filled fall afternoon outside while Sutton was taking an unexpected nap one day!

Gunnar and Daddy!

Mommy and Daddy

The best view....ever. These two are where Sutton's middle name came from...Roan. We love our roans. They are part of our family, and the best horses ever. We gathered pairs this fall, and Nathan and I even sorted 50some head on our own, I was so proud! I think everyone around knows our kids will and are growing up on the back of a horse, we said it when we moved, and it's just part of our lives. This day was wonderful, the weather, everyones attitudes, the horses, everything was just great.

Here's to hoping I'm back soon...I'm going to try my hardest to keep up with our crazy kids and wonderful life. We are SO blessed!

A few favorites

This has to be one of my new favorite pictures! Gunnar is in love with combines, and has been for some time now! He tells you what he's combining that day, corn or beans, and then goes on combining the carpet, grass, or rocks! :)

Gunnar's other FAVORITE love is riding with the big boys! Nathan and Mike Modrell have been roping quite a bit, which means we've been spending quite a bit of time at Modrell's arena! Since I'm not riding as of right now, Gunnar gets to spend the whole time riding, and good luck getting him out of that saddle! It's so cute to watch him!

Here the guys are, getting ready to rope. I downloaded the wrong pic on here, but you get the idea. If Rex wasn't screwing around, then it just wouldn't be Rex! I love how we don't even have to worry about the horse for one, or our child. He is so comfortable and is usually saying "GO!"

Camping...was interesting this year! This is the 10 minutes that Gunnar actually SAT and wasn't investigating each and every thing that I didn't want him to investigate! Thank goodness for DVD players and John Deere DVDs! I came away more tired from camping, than relaxed! It was so much fun getting together with Mike, Katie, and Wyatt, but having a 2 year old who has a mind of his own and who needs to be on a schedule, but wasn't, was hard.

The boys, of course, had their relaxing time! They went fishing both days, and here Nathan caught a nice bluegill! They definitely owe us some relaxing time, and we're hoping for a date night to Coldstone in Sioux City. It's really not that hard to please us girls, they are just slow at figuring it out! :)

Baby time is almost here, and I can't believe it! August 12th is the due date, and today is July 12th, so if he's anything like Gunnar, a month from today, we'll have a baby!! Yikes! Nathan has been working on priming and painting in the nursery...what a job that has been. The room was a dark navy blue, even the ceiling was that color, so 3 coats of primer later, our room is looking lighter! It's a caramel in color, and half done. Mom and I got the crib set up, I got my fuzzibunz cloth diapers all washed and put away, and his clothes are ready to go! Gunnar's room turned out to be a complete success, and I'm SO glad that he's loving it as much as he is! If not, I was going to move in there because it's so cozy! :) I'm onto weekly doctor appts..and today at 2:30 is my next one. I've been measuring just ahead of my due date, and my ideal date-ha-would be August 8th! We'll see if that happens!! The heat and humidity have been terrible lately, great corn growing weather, which it should be, we live in Iowa for goodness sakes! We finally broke down and turned the AC on...when you can slide your hand down the railing because it's so wet with humidity, it's time for some AC! Needless to say, I am much more comfortable now!

Well, I wanted to update with a few new pictures, riding horses, being outside working on the yard and flowerbeds, and the nursery is what all that's been going on here! Gunnar gives us new words to laugh at every day, so he keeps us on our toes!

One of these updates (hopefully soon) will be a welcoming to our new baby boy, so stay tuned! (Then I'm really going to be slacking with my blogging!) :)

Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day, daddy!! We all went fishing on Sunday, at Crawford Creek. It is so beautiful there! Nathan had caught a bluegill, so Gunnar was checking it out! The weather was HUMID, but with the breeze coming off the water, it wasn't so bad! We've been getting a lot of use out of our boat, and I think each time we all get more comfortable with it!

Bug got a SLIDE!! We've been wanting to get him a swing set, and here our wonderful friends, the Porters, were done using theirs! So on Saturday it got delivered, and let me tell you, this little boy is in heaven! It sits in a perfect spot, NW of the house, under the BIG Maple tree, so he's in the shade!

Here's Mama...8 months along! Only 7.5 weeks to go! Like I told Nathan today, if I were to go 2 weeks early-hah-that's only 5 weeks away!! G came RIGHT on his due date, so going early to me seems funny to say! My appt today went great, no concerns, and I'll be back in 2 more weeks! This lil' guy is such a wiggle worm, just like Gunnar was/still is! :) We opened tubs of newborn clothes today, which brought back a lot of memories!

We got a lot done this weekend! I shouldn't say WE so much as Tom and Nathan! 4 new windows, the ceiling painted, and new carpet remnant put down in G's room! HUGE checks went on my checklist! THANK YOU, Tom and Cullen for coming to visit or I should say WORK! It helped us out 110% and there is nothing else to say but THANKS!!

A week from today we'll be camping (in a cabin, we're over the TENTING phase!) with Mike and Katie Modrell. We'll be there Monday and Tuesday night, so we're all getting very excited for a nice and relaxing time! I'm praying the weather cooperates for us! With two little ones, (Wyatt, almost one and Gunnar) the nights can get long if everything isn't just right! No matter what it will be fun times with good friends! I'm hoping that will be my next post...camping!!

Fishing Time!

Well besides working on our acreage, which we've taken minimal breaks from, we have been fishing 4 times with Gunnar! The first 3 times were trying...what to bring to keep G busy? Lots of snacks-ha! We still need to get a time in where just Nathan and I get to go, but for now, we did good with our 2 year old busy bodied son. I think he was starting to wonder IF we knew what we were doing...because we were not catching anything! Finally, our luck changed, and Nathan and I both caught 2 nice bass!

These pics are from the 1st time we took Gunnar out, and yeah, he looks all calm and collected, but this was only for the first 10 minutes! I am happy to say that we didn't have any major breakdowns, and he's lasted anywhere from an hour to two, which is great for someone with a short attention span and for a mother who is not a good multi-tasker! Sharp hooks, worms, water, prego belly, PLUS a 2 year old...all in a tipsy boat...yeah I'll say we've done good! :)

Nathan and I haven't done many date nights...which we NEED to do in order to keep things calm! I have attendancy to be around Gunnar for days on end without much of a break, and overdue it with housework and organizing....and then seem to have a mild breakdown when things aren't going right, just to realize that I've gone days with G clinging to me, day and night (sometimes) We're in lots of transitions...with more to come I realize! And sometimes, instead of fighting the child at night time, I'll crawl in his big boy bed with him, with intentions of getting out, and then fall asleep till morning! SO...date night was a must a couple weeks ago. Our good friends, Mike and Katie Modrell and us went to the Cherokee Rodeo. I knew that after seeing people riding and roping that the boys would be all jacked up to get more riding done this summer, especially since I blogged last time (a month ago-sorry) that Mike has the perfect arena and steers. So now, every Monday night the boys are going to a local arena to rope, and get more educated on roping! It's a win-win for everyone, since Katie and I were getting tired of hearing how spoiled we are with having ONE night a month to get together with our Dresser Club, which is girls time!

 Anyway, here is our date night picture!

7.5 months pregnant!

Which leads me to my next update...

As of today I'm just short of being 8 months along, which means I have 8 weeks or less until we meet Baby Wagner! We have so much to do, but it's funny how calm I am this go around! Tom is coming this weekend-thank goodness-and I'm hoping to get a lot of accomplished as far as the 4 new windows installed, ceiling painted, trim work done, and new carpet put down! I have been going to my 2 week appts and everything is right on track! Now if the heat continues to show up in 3 day phases, and then leaves again...I'll be good to go! We hadn't had our AC on...until 2 weeks ago when the temps were unbearable! When 85 degrees was a "cool down" you know it was hot! So it came on for 2 days, and those two days were bliss on the main floor, the upstairs (where ALL the bedrooms are) was SO hot...sleeping was very uncomfortable for everyone!

We purchased a boat-a little puddle jumper :) to fish the local dams and ponds around! So far the $350 we paid for it has already paid for itself! We finally caught some Bass for Gunnar to see! I think he was starting to give up on us...and then Nathan caught one for him!

But Mama was the winner for the day! :) I just love beating my husband, especially in the fishing department! This bass, like they usually do, put on a fight! My adrenaline was pumping because I wanted Gunnar to see this fish so badly! I was so proud for balancing everything from Gunnar to toys and snacks, to baiting my hook (which isn't easy with everything going on) and then to end the day with this fish! It's been a fun investment, and I can only imagine the years to come of all the fun we'll have in this boat!

Horsin' Around

As most of you know, we love to ride! We have two amazing horses that we brought back from the ranch with us, and they are just part of the family! On Tuesday I heard it was going to be a BEAUTIFUL day, and I told Nathan that we were getting the horses loaded and heading 10 miles North of our house, to our friends', Mike and Katie Modrell. Mike has been working on building an outdoor arena, and got it finished, so it was time to ride! He's had an indoor arena that we rode in all last year, but to be outside, in this HUGE arena is so much different and better! Since Nathan was doing field work for a friend, I ended up getting the horses both brushed, saddled, and loaded in the trailer so that when he got home, we could go again! The night was perfect, the only way it could've gotten better was to have um....ME...riding! Gunnar made up for it though, he was in his glory on my horse, Rex! When we became parents 2 years ago, we thought this two year old kid that we have now, was what was coming out of me then! We wanted to throw him on a horse immediately-ha! SO, we've been dying for the perfect day to get him on the back of a horse (for more than a few minutes). Tuesday late afternoon was the day, and it couldn't have been more perfect. The weather, Gunnar's mood, the horses, the steers, the lack of wind, everything...was perfect. It will be a day that we all will have in our hearts forever, that is how much fun we had. I took around 30 pictures, but these were a few of my favs...our little guy is growing up, and to see him sitting tall and proud and 2 years old while showing no fear, just loving life, was great!

Gunnar is saying "YES! Finally MY turn!" He was so excited to ride with his daddy!

"Let's make this thing go faster, Dad!" He stayed riding on Rex for a good 10 minutes, with the occasional "tractor" and he would point to a tractor, and we heard a lot of horse whinnies coming out of his mouth too, which was so cute!

When the guys let the steers out, G and I stood on the other side of the fence. We had fun watching!

Nathan was riding my horse, Rex, in this pic, but it's one of my favorites!

We have been enjoying the spring weather, the little bit we've had! I'm noticing longer naps and easier times going to bed from the little guy, now that we're outside 24/7! I'm already picturing a 4 year old little boy and a 2 year old little boy out riding with their parents in a couple years, and we can't wait!! :)

His Own Little World

Gunnar is a few days away from being 2!! He is SO independent these days, and we're actually working on being potty trained! His idea, not ours! We are outside as much as possible, and since the rain has been a daily appearance, we've been stuck inside, which is not fun! Anyway, one of the nice days last week, I found him sitting in the corn field with his payloader, in his own little world! We played outside until Daddy had to go work, so I snapped a pic of him and his daddy! I'm busy trying to plan his birthday party-John Deere of course! The kid dreams of tractors, cows (hips...since that is what we say when we're moving a bunch, "hip...hip" so he calls them hips!) and just plain farming...I wonder why?! It will be a small party, a week from tonight, since Nathan's work schedule is so inconvenient!

I had my 6 month checkup on Monday. I can't believe how fast 6 months have flown by, and we are NO where near ready for a baby! I will be when the nursery is painted, new windows installed, and baby clothes are washed! I look back, and when I was 6 months prego with G, I was pretty darn ready for a baby! This time around, we're pretty laid back, and the time is just flying by! I've only gained 5 lbs so far, and I'll start my 2 week appts in 2 weeks! We've already taken time to look at the hospital, which is the same one my brother and I were born in, at Ida Grove. There are 2 birthing rooms, so it's small and cozy, which I love! The babe's heart rate was in the 140's and my BP was perfect. He's SO low, which G was too, and he's moving just as much as Gunnar did..active little boys!

Our Easter was great, mostly because we got a beautiful day to spend with our family!! It was very laid back, and so nice that we didn't have to travel anywhere! Gunnar had an Easter Egg hunt at my parents, and still says "Egg...Egg...Egg" and points outside when we go to their house!

The SUN made an appearance today, but only for a bit. It sure makes it hard to get in the fields or gardens, and to do some riding when the weather doesn't cooperate! I have a feeling we're going to go from wet and cold to hot and humid, and just skip the wonderful season called Spring!

That's our update for now! G will have a 2 year checkup next week, since his birthday is on Saturday!! I'll have new stats, and some birthday pics to post!

S is for Snake

A big, nasty, 4ft long bull snake that is!! So GROSS! And yes, it's in my kitchen..just under my feet, and I was inches away from accidentally grabbing it WITH the laundry that is on the floor ready to wash! I haven't been that shook up in a long long time! Nathan was my hero, and after screaming lots of things at each other...Nathan grabbed a pitchfork and escorted him O.U.T. and now he's dead. And while we both felt bad about killing him-sort of-we knew he'd come back to our house if we didn't kill him! I can now tolerate the millions of Asian stink beetles that have invaded our home, or that mouse that was in my kitchen this fall? Anytime...I can handle that! But please, please, please....don't ever bring this 4 foot nasty snake into my home!! And while I could deal with them, and rattle snakes on the ranch...this was a whole different ball game! Going to reach down to grab that pile of laundry and looking down to see that I'm eye to eye with this thing that should not be there, was a whole different feeling!
That's been our excitement in the last 24 hours! And while everyone is telling me that where there is one, there is more than one...I cannot muster up the courage to walk downstairs in my creepy basement! And you can bet that every time I come from the dining room, into my kitchen, I look down at that exact spot to make sure the snake isn't there!
Gunnar sure got an ear full...poor kid! He was shaking as well, and giving me kisses all over my face, while saying "Mama....Mama....Mama" So we learned that the letter S...is for snake, and we are to never ever bring them in the house!
Here's to hoping this is the one and only snake that is ever found in my house again! Wish us luck with this old farmhouse! :)

Catch Up!

Well, here we are! We ARE alive! I've been without a camera since before Christmas, and since this winter was so boring at our house, I didn't even have the motivation to blog...sad I know! But, we're back! My 27th birthday was yesterday, and Nathan and Gunnar got me a new camera! Of course I knew I was getting it, because I picked it out, but still, what a great gift! And you can about imagine that with the nice temps, I was taking pictures non-stop! So here's to hoping I can keep up blogging better than I have, because it is nice to document our lives this way! So here's the latest in the Wagner world...

In November we found out that Baby #2 would be joining us on or around August 12th! I was pretty nervous for awhile, and was finding it hard to even get excited that we were going to have two kids, 2.5 years apart! While Gunnar has been amazing from birth, it's a lot of work! Was I going to be able to do this?? So after having the same exact pregnancy from week 5-20..I kept telling Nathan that it was another boy. I had zero pregnancy symptoms, felt normal, and even questioned if I was pregnant!! On March 29th we had our 20 week ultrasound, and sure enough, another sweet little cowboy for this mama to love! It made it SO real, getting to finally see him, getting perfect measurements, and seeing his longgg legs! I know there will be tough days, but I'm excited to have two little boys growing up together, being best buds! I am feeling great, normal, very non pregnant....which is nice! My lil' guy is growing, and we're already past 5 1/2 months along! Gunnar talks of babies, and knows when a baby cries, but other than that, has no idea that he won't be my number one forever! :( I know we'll adjust just fine, but I will be more nervous to see how he reacts!

Our house is coming along. We have been moved in since October, but boy does it take awhile to figure out where things need to go! We'll be getting the nursery ready now that we know it's a boy, using all of G's things! That was another reason I was SO excited for another boy, I get to use all of Gunnar's cute cowboy and farm clothes again...Wranglers, boots, and Cinch shirts for this babe to look just as cute as G did as a baby cowboy! Back to the house...we got all new laminate flooring in our dining room! That sure made a big difference and added to our living space! I'm always trying to find cute, cheap, antique looking buys to put in my home! It's definitely looking like us, very country and cozy!

Here is our dining room, I just love our cheap old table that we bought for $30. Nathan made the benches for me, and we can fit around 10 people at it!

Nathan is busy at work, and when he's not at work, we're usually outside working on our place! It's rewarding, but one of these days we just need to relax! We've never been on a vacation really! So I'm trying to get him talked into going somewhere!! I know this summer will fly, and August will be here before we know it!

Gunnar will turn TWO on April 30th! He's so funny. Talking up a storm, mostly about John Deere's, Papa, Brahma (grandma), Unc (uncle Evan), Dadda, or Mama. He loves his chickens, and his calf Belle. The dogs Jeeede (Jade) and NumNum (Libby) rank right up there too! He'll be having a John Deere birthday this year! The time has just flown, I feel like I was just blogging about being pregnant with Gunnar, and here we are with number two! He's pretty independent. He knows how to hang his coat up, usually without being asked after we come inside. He takes his hat off and on, which makes him look 10 instead of 2. He'll have his 2 year checkup, but I'm guessing around 30 lbs, and he's so tall, it will be interesting to see his height. He's over half as tall as Brahma Anne...we know that for sure! He's outside as much as he can be, usually in his own little world.

We hope this finds everyone gearing up for spring! We've got the garden almost ready to have things planted, and now we need to start getting the horses back into shape! I won't be able to do a lot of riding, but I'll at least put G in the saddle with me and do some walking around in our friends arena! Keep watching, and checking in, I'm hoping to get better at updating again! Happy Spring!!