Two Peas in a Pod

I know that it goes without saying that little siblings always emulate their older brothers and sisters. I know I did, and my boys are no different. We have some serious monkey see-monkey do action going on around here. Sometimes it's good behaviors, sometimes it's bad ones, and many times it's great for a laugh. Lately, my boys have been enjoying being, "ghosts". Yes, the short, red lump and taller, the heart-covered lump pictured below are my two little ghosts. The best part of this game is that they walk all around the house making ghostly noises, and bumping into walls, furniture, each other- because they can't see a lick. Then they dissolve into laughter, rolling around on the floor cackling.





They also spend a lot of time wrestling now. I get a lot of enjoyment out of this activity because I think that it's hilarious to watch them roll around on the floor giggling and "attacking" each other. Now that they're on a more equal playing field, strength and size-wise, I don't worry too much for their safety. I do however have panic attacks thinking about them continuing to wrestle as they get bigger. And bigger. And bigger.





Seriously folks, we are going to need a bigger house.



They are going to tear this one down if they continue this wrestling business into their teenage years. (And I've been told by many mothers of boys that it won't even end then!) We're looking into building an annex to "put them in". Maybe part-time, maybe full-time... Who knows? :) It will have mat-covered floors, and padded walls. It will be made of concrete, and they'll just be able to have at it in there. We'll hold a bake sale soon to start funding that project :)



Although they still do their fair share of arguing, fighting, and many tears are shed each day about the injustices done to each by the other- things have gotten better with the two of them. (Remind me of that on a day when my voice is hoarse from screaming at Owen to "BE NICE TO YOUR BROTHER!!!") They can play together more now, and they both enjoy playing in their room together. I honestly don't even know what they're doing back there, but when all we hear is giggling and shrieking, we let them be.



Their sleeping situation has been getting more and more interesting. Owen is still in his tent, Eli is still in his crib (kinda). Almost every night, the bed process takes significantly longer than it used to because now that Eli can get out of his crib he crawls out of it and into Owen's tent and the playing/giggling fest commences. We usually have to go in there and relocate him back to his crib multiple times. It's gotten somewhat better though because they've been losing light and open door privelages as a result of their behavior.



Last night was different. I went into their room right before I went to bed to check on them like I always do, but what I found when I peeked into Eli's bed shocked me...

Houston, we have a problem!

It didn't take long to figure out where my MIA baby was though... I'd actually checked on Owen first, but totally missed that Eli was in there since he was back in the other corner of the tent behind the "door". I couldn't believe that he'd gotten out of bed after Owen was already asleep and then just laid down and fell asleep too. It was actually really cute.

Later, I checked again and they were even sleeping with their heads together. They just look like a couple of baby angels :)

Tonight, Owen asked to go to the spare room until Eli got to sleep because he was being too loud. About 30 minutes later we went to check on them and find that Eli had gotten out of his crib, went into the spare room and was laying in the bed with a sleeping Owen. That boy can't get enough of his big brother!

The Love Affair

My boys are smitten. They are head over heels for a little brown-eyed girl. (Are they brown?? Hard to say for sure, but they're big and gorgeous!) Ever since I've been watching Allie, these boys have been nuts for her. Eli loves her like a little sister, he sometimes gets jealous of her when she's being too "time consuming" of his mommy, but 90% of the time, he loves her.

Can I get a collective, "Awwww."?

Owen's love for Allie is different. He loves her unlike I've ever seen him love anyone. He cares for her comfort, worries about her, wants to help take care of her, he's very serious about loving her. It's amazing to watch him with her, because he will sit and hold her until she falls asleep- and even then, he'll sit still with her. During the time that he's home from school and she's awake, he's usually with her. He reads to her, plays with her, sings to her, builds things for her, and genuinely enjoys being with her. And you know what? She loves him too. She talks and giggles at him, she'll coo and carry on in a way that you rarely hear unless she's "talking" to him. It's pretty much the most precious thing that I've ever seen. It's really something that this little girl has tamed my wild, rambunctious 4 year old into a little boy who worries about Allie getting cold feet and spends his day trying to keep her tiny baby socks on.

We Gessners love our Walroths, our next generation is no different.

Mr. Charisma

Can I just say how in love I am with this little guy? I'm in love with him from his stinkbug face down to his Babylegs clad, chunk-a-rific thighs, and right on down to his incessantly naked toes. I love that he currently marches everywhere he goes, declaring, "Moch! Moch! Moch!" swinging his little arms in what he believes to be a very authoritative way. I love his developing language skills- he's quick to imitate, and saying new things every single day. Admittedly, a lot of it is hard to understand- but it's still awfully cute! He still has to be rubbed for a good portion of every day. He can be playing happily and he'll suddenly drop everything to climb up on my lap, and get his belly rubbed. He has definitely made his presence known as a two-year old and he can throw the tantrums to prove it, but most of the time, he's still my silly, sweet, lovable little guy.
Love him.

Valentine's Love for my boys

For Valentine's Day this year, I decided to make love gifts for my boys. (My biggest boy got a new hammer drill) I thought long and hard about what they might love to have, and came up with this...

A super hero cape for Owen

And a super-soft penguin quilt for Eli.

Let's just say that I was 50% successful. Owen LOVES his cape and he looks adorable in it. Eli also enjoys wearing the cape when Owen allows it, so that was a big win. Eli however HATES the quilt. Okay, maybe "hate" is a strong word, but he really doesn't care for it. He has given it to his brother, throws it out of his crib nightly, (Even though I cover him up with it after he's asleep each night in my futile efforts to make him like the thing) and generally seems somewhat offended by the thing. I got him to hold it so that I could take this picture, but he promptly threw it down after the picture was taken. It really is a very cute penguin quilt, but he just doesn't like it. Maybe eventually it will grow on him.

Stuff I want to remember

These boys. Lately, they've been cracking me up. They're growing up so quickly, it just doesn't seem fair. I have a bunch of silly stories, quotes, and quirks from the past month or so that I want to remember so I am just going to write them out here- stream of consciousness style.

1. Until the past couple of weeks, Eli referred to Matthew as "Map" He would walk around the house calling for him, " Map! Map! Map? Map!" No matter how many times Matthew requested that Eli call him Daddy, it remained, "Map". This video was shot on one of the last days that Eli still said, "Map". Now, he says, "Daddy" It makes me a little sad, I really kind of liked, "Map". :)
(I'll add this video soon!)

2. Owen has had some funny sentiments lately, including: "My pizza is too pointy", and "Falling out chairs: A problem." We decided that the latter statement is possibly his thesis statement.

3. I metioned this in another post, but Eli currently "marches" everywhere he goes. It's the funniest thing- I need to get it on video!

4. Eli LOVES wearing Owen's super hero cape. He always runs when he wears it, usually looking behind him so that he can see the cape fly out behind him. The first time that Owen let him wear it, Owen was trying to snap it around his neck and all I hear is giggling and Owen saying, "Ewhy, you have a fat neck! You're a fat chunk, Ewhy!" followed by more giggling. Later that night, Eli was trying to wear a paper crown that Owen had made at school that day, and again we hear giggling and, "Ewhy, your fat head is going to break it!". We've not heard any of the "fat" talk since that day, and even though it was mean, we couldn't help but crack up at Owen's commentary of Eli's physique.

5. Owen is finally saying his phone number, birthday, and we're working on memorizing our address. I feel like he's got the short end of the stick when it comes to memorizing our address since most kids around here get to memorize "510 Hawthorne st" and call it a day. They don't have house numbers AND county roads AND multiple cardinal directions to keep straight. (Ehh, I may just be making excuses :)

6. I'm sure that I have some more to add, and I know that I have at least one video to add to this post- but I'm hitting publish for now.

Happy 90th Birthday, Grandpa!

This January, I had the privilege of planning a super-special event for one of my favorite people in the wide world, my grandpa. My grandpa is such an amazing guy and has done so much for me throughout the course of my life. He and my grandma were always there for me, so it was amazing to be able to give something back to him.

The other great thing about planning this party was that my brother and I worked together to plan it. It's been a couple of years since I've seen him, so it was awesome to be able to plan this with him, and that he and Jane came home for the event. Being able to spend the day before the party hanging out with them, was also a highlight of the weekend. Our boys LOVED their Aunt Jane and Uncle Rob. It was great to see them getting to know each other better!

The day of the party, Rob and Jane, and Matthew and I got everything ready at the hall while Mom and Dad went out to get Grandpa. Since the party was a surprise, I made them go out and keep track of him so that he didn't disappear right before the party. The guests all arrived before the party started, and Mom and Dad got Grandpa to the hall without a hitch. His face when he saw all of the people yelling, "Surprise!" was priceless! Then he realized that Rob and Jane were there, and that's about when I lost it.

Grandpa checking out his cakes and fruit bouquets

Most of our extended family made it out, including a few guests that we hadn't seen in years! It was such a nice turnout, and Grandpa was completely overwhelmed. I'm so thankful for everyone that was able to make it out and make Grandpa's 90th birthday party such a special day!

The family

Rob and I with Grandpa

Grandpa with his siblings and siblings-in-law

Happy 60th Birthday Grandma Carol

Last month, my wonderful Mother-in-law turned 60. To celebrate, we rented a cabin in Brown County and spent the weekend with the entire family. Unfortunately, on the Friday that we were all supposed to meet- the first of our crazy winter storms hit. I was in an accident that day, and we had to obtain a rental car and deal with insurance issues before we could even head down. Fortunately, we all arrived safely and were able to enjoy the time that we had together.

We had a great time at the water park and we enjoyed a delicious meal at the lodge with the fam. It was so nice that we were all able to be together to celebrate such a special occasion.

The post where I make excuses

So it's been awhile since I've posted anything. I could tell you that we had a *really* busy January, (we did!) or that sickness has swept through our home on more than one occasion (it has!) But really, when it comes down to it, winter gives me the blues and the blues give me a serious lack of motivation. This past week with its sunshine and 60 degree weather have done me worlds of good though, and I'm starting to feel like I can function again. Please stay with us nicer weather... PLEEEEAASE!

My other problem is that I am beginning to hate Blogger as a platform. I don't want to uproot myself and move, but I really, really hate how slow and tedious Blogger has become. I swear that uploading pictures has become a chore that takes hours to complete. It used to be more user friendly. Can any other Blogger users out there give me any hints to making this a less cumbersome task?

Top 10 of 2010

I was hoping to have this post up before we rang in the new year, but alas, it's a little late. Story of my life. Deal. I have compiled 10 of our favorite events from this year into a top ten list. They are basically in the order in which they occured, and not at all in order of importance. Enjoy!

1. Bathroom Remodel- This one was a long time coming! Since we've lived in this house (6 years) I've hated our bathroom. A lot of things in this house need remodeled, fixed up, replaced, etc- but that bathroom was the number one thing that I've wanted to change, and in January 2010, WE DID IT! I absolutely adore everything about my new bathroom, and it was totally worth all of the effort that we put into it!

2. Nolan- May 17, 2010, we welcomed our first nephew into the world! This little guy can light up a room with his smile and charming personality. Matthew was honored to be named as his Godfather in October. We're so excited to watch him grow and change each time that we get to see him!

3. Florida Vacation- In June we were able to take a fantastic trip down to Florida with several of the people that we love the most! We celebrated our anniversary, Sara and Todd's last trip as a couple, I was able to reunite with an old friend, and meet up with a close one! We were blessed to be able to have my mom and dad accompany us and help with the boys. We had the best of both worlds getting to spend time with our boys and my parents, and also being able to go out with our best friends sans kiddos! I couldn't have asked for a better trip!

4. Five year anniversary- This is one of my favorite events from this year. Celebrating 5 years of marriage to the man that I adore? What could be better than that? So much has changed since we said, "I Do." Yet, we're still the same two young kids that fell in love 9 years ago in so many ways. I wake up every single day, thankful to have him by my side. He is the best friend I've ever had, the best husband any woman could ever ask for, and the most amazing father to our two wonderful boys! I can't wait to celebrate all of the anniversaries to come with him!

5. KaeLynn- When Michelle first told me that she was expecting a baby, I was shocked. It was a lot for me to digest at first, but it wasn't long before I was falling in love with that little peanut. By the time that she arrived on July 29, 2010, I was head over heels in love with her! This girl made my Little Sister a mommy! She's such a sweet, precious little thing- and it's such an amazing thing to watch my little sister be such an awesome mama!

6. Cooper- I knew this little guy was in the works before his mama would even admit it to me! He made his debut on September 13, 2010, and he is just perfect. I'm so thankful that Jodi and Brett live so close and that I'm able to see this little guy pretty often. He looks a lot like my two boys did, so it's fun to watch him grow and change. I can't wait to watch him play with my boys as he grows! Hopefully they don't corrupt him too much :)

7. Allie- This little princess?? Well, I pretty much adore her! She's the daughter of my best friends, and everything you'd expect the child of two awesome people to be! She arrived on September 24, 2010 and completed the foursome of nieces and nephews that we were blessed with this year. I'm pretty pumped to be the one that will be watching Allie when her mama goes back to work, because she's such a sweet and fun little girl!

8. Growing in Christ with my husband and family. This has been a big one this year. We've become far more active at St. Susanna and it's been such an amazing thing. After finishing RCIA last Easter, I started teaching FPU there. I'll be starting my third class on February 22. Beyond that, we've enjoyed attending mass regularly and getting to know the other families. Owen is also loving his PreK class and has made a number of friends. It's truly an incredible thing to see your children grow in Christ, and in turn to grow with them. It goes without saying that our two boys are our world (They're our Top 2- every day of every year!) , so we're incredibly thankful to be able to raise them in a place like St. Susanna!

9. Saying Goodbye to credit cards! This December, we broke up with credit cards forever! After 21 months of "Living Like No One Else", we've cut this chain that was holding us down and are one (BIG) step closer to being debt free!! If things go as we plan, we will be completely out of consumer debt before the end of this year! WOO HOO!!! It is a pretty amazing feeling to see our hard work turning into serious momentum!

10. Watching my friends and family members become parents- Maybe this one is kind of cheating since I already gave each of the babies their own number- but seriously these little souls defined our year in a lot of ways. We're so happy to have nieces and nephews. We're so happy that our kids have cousins, and watching my "sisters" grow into the role of motherhood has been amazing! We love you Nolan, KaeLynn, Cooper and Allie- Thanks for making our 2010 so special and memorable!