michael + leyna = michaeleyna

heart, soul & three dozen years in the bag.

2012-01-29T11:17:00.000-08:00

i have reached the 3 weeks & counting period of the pregnancy aka 'the i'm ready, no wait, i'm not ready, wait, yes i am, heck i don't know...let's just get this baby out of my body' period. i timed some contractions earlier this week & they consistently came at every 6 minutes. i laid on the couch that night with my mind racing...i still haven't packed my hospital bag. and the house is still a catastrophe! mike has been making so much progress though. i think the urgency factor finally kicked in & i am grateful for that! he's finishing up with the buffing process today & applying stain. he even worked through the day yesterday...his birthday! and might i add...this was his sole decision, i had nothing to do with him slaving away on his birthday...for the record =) oliver & i baked him a "happy happy"...& when i say baked, i mean stacked a nine story oreo cookie cake. something i found on a website once. and since all three of us have a slight addiction to oreos...it was a nine story hit...until oliver decided to play oreo jenga & pick out all the vanilla flavored ones =)

so i've been trying to manage my {somedays uncontrollable} pregnancy induced emotions/hormones/chemical imbalances that i've slowly started to notice creep back into place. down this road again?! i was hoping it would be manageable, but i am starting to feel it slip. it's a road i'm ready to tackle, however. basing a lot of the newborn decisions {like breastfeeding} on this chemical management. i want to be a strong mother. i want to be a mentally healthy mother. and to take on prescription free/unmanaged depression with a newborn & an oliver...is not an option, period. i fully plan on tackling this issue again once schweitzbaby two arrives. i can't & refuse to slip like i did the first time.

but there have been a few things that have made my heart ache & sink lately. it is no lie that my soul was left in the mountains. it's why michael & i have such a connection i believe, b/c we share this similar need. the need to feel the mountain air on our faces & breathe it in. there is a sense of peace & despite the storm we endured the majority of the time we were mountain living {due to the above mentioned issue}...i truly appreciate the way the mountains made me feel. i'm reminded almost daily of the experience of living in colorado. and then comes the crossroads. the heart & soul crossroads. it's a blessing to have family as generous & loving as both of ours. and that's why the heart is here, right where we reside. but the soul...the soul is lost somewhere out west. it's the lifestyle. the experiences. the ease. and something i would surely never take for granted if we were able to live in the mountains once again.

anyway, the reality of both issues here: we are surviving. we will survive. and we will certainly make sure that our babies are given everything they need to thrive =) i'm getting very anxious about how the next 3ish weeks are going to go! i'm anticipating how our family dynamic is going to change! and i'm ready to take on all of the challenges! and now that mike has 3 dozen years in the bag as well, he's one year older & wiser, which makes him all the more proud to take on all of these challenges as well ;) happy happy michael! we love you!

the three ring ranch.

2012-01-15T11:13:00.000-08:00

when we would take our frequent drives in colorado...we would sometimes end up in an area that was speckled with ranches. mostly horse ranches from what i could tell, but one thing was always certain...at the entrance of their sometimes gated drive there would be a big elaborate sign stating the name of their acreage. while some more creative than others, i asked mike what our ranch would be named if we lived on one...and we came up with 'the three ring ranch'. a play on a three ring circus =) so hence the post title...it has been nothing short of a three ring ranch around here lately!

we started prepping the kitchen today for the restart of "the michaeleyna floor renovation project". i have changed the name due to the proceedings w/ the much anticipated confirmation that we will start immediately. michael brought home the tile that will be placed in the bathroom & entryway, once the kitchen floor is done. and the new carpet is scheduled for this friday! we'll be staying up at the 'parental hotel' again while the dust flies during the sanding process & the stain is applied. as much as i want to help & get my own hands dirty in the renovation, i'm physically incapable of doing so =( and breathing in toxic fumes is not acceptable pregnant lady behavior. but, on the day the carpet is laid, i'll probably come over just to lay around on it & breath in it's lovely 'new carpet' smell for a bit. that change alone is going to be a-maz-ing! i do plan on making a photographic log of the progress, including before's & after's...but i am going to wait until the final projects are complete before posting. just to take a little pressure off. i, more than likely, won't be posting either until then, or the new baby arrives! i've got some other much needed organization & catch up to tend to. so i'm giving myself a blogging time-out for now. but stay tuned to the exciting announcements soon to come! over & out.

waddling talking unpredictable baby bomb!

2012-01-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

it's snowing, oliver & i are eating fruit loops, sitting on the couch contemplating the day. and then this conversation happened:

oliver starts: "poop mommy"

"ohhhh {wincing & smelling him as he butted up against me on the couch}, did you poop em olly?"

"yeah"

"yes you did, wow, you smell like piggies, should we change your pants?"

"no"

"why not, that's gross, you don't like poop all over your butt"

"yes"

"why"

"poop mommy"

wow...things are really starting to unfold this morning. and the point of this is not so much to share with you the intricate details of oliver's bowel movements, but to mention that there are real conversations starting to happen around here. i noticed it yesterday when we were on the phone with mike. and usually i can't make out all the words, but he's spitting out sentence fragments as he's looking me straight in the eye expecting a response. and all i can come up with most times is "oh is that right" & "really, you don't say" & "what the what" or mike's "i think you're not telling the truth"...& then oliver will smile so big, satisfied with the correspondence. and it ends with us scratching our heads, asking what the heck that was all about. but it's cute, b/c oliver thinks he just had the most intellectual conversation he could have ever had with mommy & daddy...& maybe he did.

anyway, it's a saturday & i'm getting zippo accomplished. i'm annoyed...i'll leave it at that. just a waddling talking unpredictable baby bomb i am! and that's the given right i'm giving myself today. happy weekend.

it's snowing today. which brings me back to oliver's vocabulary development. he's very much into us telling him a word & then repeating it like he's listening to a rosetta stone 'learn english for the first time' cd. "snowing" "snowing" "snowing"...each time, feeling more proud about his usage of the new word. and each time, making me more proud of him for just being him...& it's one step closer to his acceptance into harvard. "poop mommy" =)

i'm thinking of the number...

2012-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

ten - the date i'm predicting schweitzbaby two to arrive.

two, four & six - each a separate time that i will most likely be up going to bathroom tonight.

sixty - the amount of minutes i've sat here with "the falsies" - see 'oh my aching uterus' post to find out more about that.

forty seven - the volume level on the tv, so i can hear over michael's snoring.

four - the current temperature degrees fahrenheit.

three - the number of bags i need to pack this weekend to prepare for an unpredictable entrance into labor: one for oliver's stay overnight bag, one for the hospital & one for emergency reasons if god-so-help-me my water breaks while i'm at work!

eight five - the number of glasses of water i've drank today...better add one, three & five to my 'potty' run times =)

thirty - the whole reason why i started to think about numbers...thirty...the age i will turn this year. for some reason, this is giving me more anxiety than having a human being inside of me stealing my brains. thirty years doesn't freak me out b/c i feel old...to call yourself thirty is just weird. i still feel like i'm only seventeen, or in my early twenties, or six for that matter...but thirty...hmmmmmmm. weird.

one - the three most important number one loves of my life...that are sleeping away...well, one is doing somersaults in my belly.

preparing to welcome child number two.

2012-01-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

as a parent, becoming a parent again with child number two, i think my first fear/worry is 'how is child number one going to react to child number two entering our world??? i fear that oliver's little feelers will be hurt when the attention isn't on him 24/7 anymore. i fear that he will act out irrationally in public, to show me & a million strangers that he's not getting the attention he needs. i fear that it'll lead to all sorts of issues when he's entering into his adolescence & adulthood. okay...so maybe i don't fear that far...but it happens!!! i mean, he can hardly stand that i'm giving the laptop more attention than him right now just trying to tell this story...oh man! more fear!

often, i have people ask me "oh is oliver excited for the new baby?" and i don't get it...he's two...he barely knows the difference between his pants & a spoon. how is he supposed to interpret his emotions for a new baby? i can barely do that =) oliver engages in "baby" talk as much as he can, but it's hard to tell if he's excited or understands what is about to happen. how do i know?! how does anyone know?! he says "baby" when i ask 'who's in there?'...but i can't really determine what's going on inside that expanding 2 year old brain of his. because he also points to my belly button & says "brokey" which translates to broken...& i have to agree with him...my belly button is by far the furthest protrusion of my body & that just isn't right! it looks brokey for sure!

i also anticipate the feeling i'm going to personally have when there's another little being to love with all of my heart. i thought that it couldn't ache anymore with love for the tiny human you created, but it's going to. i may explode! and then WHO'S going to teach them how to create the most perfect plate of nachos ever in the world & build the best pillow fort in the living room to watch movies until way late hours on the weekends?

the fears aside, i know that all i can do is love each of my boys with every last piece of me & trust that everything will turn out just fine. and that's just what i'm going to do.

oh my aching uterus!

2012-01-10T17:48:00.000-08:00

for real...these false contractions are obnoxious! and what's worked in the past to get them to pass along is to chug about 18 glasses of water & sit down...in doing so, i decided that i might as well share my current condition with you bloggies {plus...my time to openly complain about everything & not get "the look" is quickly coming to an end}. i've continued to experience this since i first reported. even reporting the continued irritation to my doctor...but, honestly, they aren't anything out of the norm & i'm not experiencing any of the 'you're in labor!' symptoms. goes to show...that no two pregnancies are the same! i was hoping for another clockwork labor...and maybe it will still be once i get to the hospital, but these falsies are sucking! i mean, why does my uterus need to exercise...it's already been exercised by one kid already?! however, if it means that i will push for less than my first time {20 mins - ha!}, then i'll gladly embrace the pre-labor "contractions"! the 20th of january i anticipate my last bi-weekly doctor appointment...then...every week! there's another planned ultrasound in there somewhere too, to check out little mans weight, position, etc.

as far as preparation goes...i'm stuck somewhere between 'i need to get some more things crossed off my list asap' & 'i'm just gonna wing it, it'll be fine'. we weren't completely prepared when oliver arrived...i mean, c'mon, i was unemployed & living with my parents, mike was working up in sioux falls, living with his parents, we had no nursery set up awaiting...& oliver doesn't seem to hold it against us, nor has he expressed that we are slacker parents...so, i think we'll be okay. i have added some menu items that are more motherly to my 'done it' list: jello & chicken pot pie. not together, but as separate entities...both were a hit...& mike & i decided that we both had forgotten how much we liked jello!

i have no photos this post...just my words. but i can share that i am planning on a little project of my own during my maternity leave. i've been inspired by two fellow bloggers & photogs with their 365 {a photo a day} projects they completed in 2011. and...although i someday am going to complete this very same project, i can't fathom taking it on this year...plus, i'd already be 10 days behind & then that would lead to 20 & then 94 days behind & then it wouldn't happen. so, during my maternity leave, i plan on doing a mini photo a day project...for the whole 6 weeks {i need more! but that's another post} i'll be home with our two boys. we'll see how the creative juices flow post-partum with 2 kiddos...alone...all day...gulp!

it sucked & then i cried.

2012-01-07T20:44:00.000-08:00

this post is a heaping pile of random, so get ready. i was going through old folders & files of photos b/c i'm now on the organizing everything kick that even the computer desktop must make room for new! so, please allow me to photo vomit on you. i believe that most of these photos were never posted, but should have been.

we've seen some progress on the home projects in the past week. mike has actually been like crazy picker upper of everything, clothes-folder & dish-doer...which i am fondly impressed with & appreciative of...i'm not getting any smaller, more energized or motivated these days. aside from general cleanliness, we picked out new carpet & tile for the kitchen & rest of the house! whoop! shopping for flooring was a little less painful than car shopping, and i'm glad i don't have to do it every day. so, we're looking forward to the flooring facelift coming in the next week...yay! other than that, i've been showing up on the motherly/girlfriendly duties like: making kick butt meals, homemade cookies, slowly putting together baby stuff here & there...re-constructed the infamous spewed on baby carseat {sans the spewage}...& i've found a book that has been thoroughly entertaining. this go-around, i didn't have the cliche 'run to the book store & grab as many books to educate myself' urge. and aside from everything happening in life, i just don't usually make the time to read.

'it sucked & then i cried' is a book by the author heather armstrong. she's the founder of dooce.com {i believe some of you bloggies will be famliar}. although i've only touched on the first couple of chapters, she's an extremely brilliant story teller. and it touches home in the fact that she's openly expressing her battle with post-partum depression. it's a book that those who have suffered major effects from the chemical imbalances left behind from pregnancy can really relate to. i've been clinging to it, b/c like her, no amount of exercise or humming with your legs crossed on a yoga mat is going to "fix" it. i feared when i became pregnant again that i would slip into my symptoms i was just starting to get rid of, and to an extent, i have. it's not anything you can tell yourself to put on a shelf. it's not anything that you can wish away. i am strengthened by the words of someone else who has really gone through the same thing. to the same magnitude. and her humor takes away some of the sting.

one other more recent finding...as i'm busily trying to finish up on my cousin's wedding photos, i came across some moon photos that michael had taken the other night/morning. see, i tend to fall asleep early, so most nights, he doesn't have my vivacious personality to entertain him =)

and now for the complete randomness...

this was a visit up to sioux falls to see the schweitz's...the kids all look so young!

oliver loved golfing this past summer...he frequently joined his daddy on the course.

it must have rained?

easter...pants optional.

oliver & i attended kinsley's 2nd bday party out on her grandma & grandpa's farm here in town. pony rides! and farm life...oliver had a great time!

stella's cowgirl boots.

and mud! o was in heaven.

on the course again...this time with the doxtads.

another storm i guess...this one brought hail!

so that leaves me caught up on overdue un-posted photos...and i can now breathe.

wrapping up 2011 & what the 2012 brings...

2012-01-01T11:14:00.000-08:00

jumping a bit out of order here, but before we headed up to sioux falls for schweitzberger christmas, we were able to get together with some friends & their little bundles of joy. marcell & josh brought over vaughn & we were able to meet little miss eva...kim & tom's little lady. uncle tate even brought over his new baby...jacey...his new little black labrador. so glad we were able to sneak in some holiday kidness this year!

...and after we returned back on monday following christmas day...we headed over to my parents for one last celebration...& one more opportunity for oliver to get spoiled =) after this christmas, i want to thank everyone for turning our home into a toy car lot! oliver will have a ton of fun once springs rolls around & he can cruise around in his new rides outdoors!

on top of christmas, this past week, we also had family on my mother's side home...my cousin, natalie, celebrated her wedding here in holstein. {photos to come, once i have all the editing complete.} it was a beautiful, unseasonably warm december wedding! and i can't wait to share. with christmases & the wedding checked off our lists...we can now focus on 2012 & what it will bring. schweitzbaby two!!! i am officially in baby mode...
organizing... planning... packing... digging out all the baby baby stuff... i love it! amongst the baby preparation is a new calendar...picking out flooring {both tile & carpet}...taking away the christmas decor & tree...and trying to put back together the house from about 2 weeks of neglect. can't wait to relax...oh wait...there's no time for that anymore!

little brother man outfit...i can't believe they're that tiny!? =)

holiday time w/ the schweitzbergers.

2012-01-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

the eve before christmas eve, we travelled up to sioux falls to celebrate christmas with the schweitzberger crew. oliver has so much fun playing with his cousins now. he's finally caught up to the age where he can keep up with them. it's very entertaining to see them all interact together! we decorated christmas treats, filled our bellies w/ delicious food, watched mike & jolin show off their 'just dance 3' skills on the wii & i was able to indulge in an hour of bliss in a candle-lit spa...aka liz & jolin's jacuzzi tub...aaaahhhh...merry christmas mama!

grandpa steve telling the kids about how naughty jack frost is...

fat & jolly =)

izzi's wearing out

the grandma/grandpa schweitz w/ grandkids photo attempt{s}...

"just dance" begins...

setting out carrots, cookies & milk...

despite starting up an obnoxious christmas cold on christmas eve...this guy remained a trooper =)

the end.

love you schweitzbergers!

hanta clause came to town early.

2011-12-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

we celebrated w/ my dad's side of the family this past saturday...& yes as oliver would put it... "hanta" showed up as well. i enjoyed the early festivities...kind of prolongs the holiday a little more =) but...really found out that it's hard to be a preggo during such times. no wine. no follow up with baileys on the rocks. no 'tis the season, i'll have another, why not!? haha =) despite my lack in indulging in beverages, it was so much fun to get together with everyone! especially watching our little oliver & stella bounce around all hopped up on sugar & good times!

our first round of snow has since disappeared...

it's not gonna be a white christmas at this rate...& that's okay with me!

giving jared a big ole hug!

the guys piecing together toys...their job for the next how many years to come =)

the gift that keeps on giving...jelly of the month club!

fabulous anthro coffee cups

and james showing off his "forever lazy"

room for stella in there!

oliver sharing his sucker with james...courtesy of lucas

and this is our attempt at a family photo...wow!

and then the dance party began...

via stella's request for damon dotson...

it was a good night =)

eric teaching the kiddos the 'hanny dance'

and then it was time for "sleigh rides"...

they hooked up their trusty reindeer to tow them around

sugar high + non-stop running around for hours + christmas jammies = crashing soon!

...and then the dance party was revisited...this time in their christmas jams

...the next morning =)

love you hanson family! xoxo

a little nice & a lot of naughty.

2011-12-13T09:10:00.000-08:00

the title is a direct reflection of oliver, yes...while he really does have a sweet sweet personality {sensitive heart & affectionate}, he continues to show us how the terrible twos are going to proceed. we have overcome 2 major barriers in the recent past: we've managed to add more movies to our watch list {i haven't watched Cars for like 5 days - ring the alarms!} & oliver's vocabulary is growing daily! it's amazing. i constantly catch myself thinking back 2 years ago, when he was just a little muffin, screaming for food & sleeping more than awake. such progress! but he's repeating everything, which means, mama & daddy really need to watch it =)

as far as this mama bear goes...i am reaching that...okay! i'm ready to have this baby out of me threshold! i know, already. i physically feel how i did at 9 months with oliver. but there are still 2 months to go. the beginning part of this pregnancy really mirrored my pregnancy with oliver, but as the days close, i'm starting to experience some very different side effects. loss of breath, fatigue after minimal activity & braxton-hicks contractions. i'm going to admit that those scared me a little. i had not experienced any of these "false" contractions when pregnant with oliver, so this new experience threw me off. and to call them "fake/false" contractions is a horrible name might i add...they hurt! they didn't continue like real labor pains, but they hurt! i told mike that if i was dilated, it felt like this baby was going to fall right out. i have since felt any since the weekend, so i've made the conscious effort to really watch my energy exertion. but you tell me how the heck i'm supposed to do this w/ a maniac 2 year old?! ha. i've started my 'every 2 week appointments' to the doctor this friday, so i am hoping that between the more frequent visits & the holidays...february delivery day will come soon!

with the braxton-hicks going on, it was a real eye-opener to how close this was to actually happening. we have numerous home improvement projects that have been put on hold due to mike's extra-curricular jobs on the weekends...but now...i am seriously ready, as is mike, to continue the progress. just a short home improvement list to check off in amongst the holiday activities & baby delivery. no biggie. i think this is what they refer to as "nesting" with preggos. i never had much interest my first pregnancy, but now, it's time to get some stuff done!

on a sweet note, i also wanted to share that despite my failure of first round glucose testing during first pregnancy...i passed this one w/ flying colors! whew! so to wrap this post up, i'll leave you w/ some holiday ollyness & texture. i love me a fresh christmas tree & the lights aglow =) and yes, shirts & pants are still optional in this household...

oliver matthew black & whites.

2011-12-03T16:11:00.000-08:00

oliver wears his birthday suit!

2011-12-03T15:46:00.000-08:00

oliver turned two back on november 10th...& when asked how old he was going to be previous to that day, he would stick out his thumb & pointer finger {like you would if gesturing a gun} & say dwooooooooooo! i tried & tried to snap a shot of it, but failed. oliver's personality has blossomed i would say within that past couple of months. he's somewhere between the "terrible twos" & the "even worse threes" {so i've been told about..."the even worse threes stage"}. and i suppose that i would have to agree...yep, we're somewhere between there. oliver has a sweet personality, but as you know if you are or have been...a parent of a toddler, this can change in the matter of a pindrop =) good stuff, good stuff. and as a parent embarking on this new stage of life, i'd have to admit that's it's a challenging era. and maybe it's b/c i'm 40 lbs heavier, feel like there's a bowling ball in my belly & have the energy level of a snail, i don't know?!

we celebrated oliver's birthday "cars" style...as in Cars the movie. complete with a "mater" cake that i created for his actual day, cupcakes made by oliver's daycare lindsay, & a "lightning mcqueen" cake for his party {thanks to amy conover - it turned out fabulous}. so we had the sweets covered ;) the menu consisted of mini slider burgers, french fries, chocolate milkshakes & plenty of snackies for all of oliver's party guests. since we were able to celebrate locally this year {last year we were in colorado}, plenty of family & friends could help us celebrate. as the house filled with guests, oliver conveniently slept an hour past the party was supposed to start. he woke up from his nap to a houseful & was a bit surprised. after he warmed up to all the commotion, he enjoyed running around with cousins, grandmas, grandpas, great grandma & grandpa & mom & dad. he was into opening his presents & only gave about a 30 second window for anyone to get the toy out of the box, packaging & twisty ties before having a complete meltdown. lovely =)

here is a mix of photos from both celebrations...and i might add to the story {b/c when oliver reads this as an adult, he'll probably be super mad at me, but it's the chance i'm going to take & it's a right as a parent to have embarrassing stories saved up for down the road}: a couple weeks prior to his birthday, he started showing interest in the potty. sitting on it. flushing. so, mike & i decided that he'd be thrilled to open up a box that had his very own potty on his birthday. and he was, once daddy took it out of the box. he showed us all how excited he was by stripping down naked {b/c apparently this is how you use the potty} and sat down on his throne. and then, proceeded to spend the rest of the present opening festivities in his real life birthday suit! so very proud of our little naked man...mama & daddy love you so muches!

birthday spaghetti...o's favorite...& the reason why we're sans t-shirt in the rest of the photos!

the last days of one...

2011-11-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

i don't wanna be a penguin!

2011-10-30T08:32:00.000-07:00

on friday, holstein hosted a 'pumpkin parade' for halloween...which is a business oriented trick or treat session for the kiddos. before we headed downtown for the treats & tricks, we had a pretty busy day! stella came over for an afternoon playdate & i got my first taste of two young ones running around in my solo care. yikeso. just kidding =) friends, marcell & josh were visiting town for the weekend with their little guy vaughn, so they were able to bring him over to join in the madness. the two older ones were quite fond of vaughn, but i think he just thought they were a bunch of crazy indians running around. and this led to no naptime for miss stella & sir oliver. and then came costume time. my aunt connie had found a penguin costume & brought it for oliver this year for trick-or-treating. lovely...took the creative effort on mama's part away...now my only challenge was the get him to stay in it. last year, he could have cared less what i put on him. but this year...different story! as i tried to casually slip on the penguin costume, it sent mr. two-yr-old attitude dude into a complete meltdown! ripping at the legs, ripping at the coat, flipping, flopping, causing mama to break out in a complete sweat. after about 10 minutes of wrestle mania, i manage to strap him into the carseat & head downtown for a FUN GOOD TIME! ugh. the ripping & yanking at the penguin suit continued as we met up with mamaw at the cosgrove law firm. good thing debbie saved the day with candy! of course...why didn't i think of that?! so, i did manage to get a few quick shots of the mad penguin & oliver did snag some sweet treats for mommy & daddy...i mean...for himself =) so at the end of the day...sugar high + no nap = meltdown city shortly after dinner & an early bedtime =) awwww...here come the holidays!

great bumpa, the newest "ne-ne" & the scarecrow farm.

2011-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

i haven't been able to mention the heartache we endured back in august, up until now. i realized that every time i wanted to share, there were still some wounds that needed to heal. in august, i lost my first grandparent. and i know that many have already experienced this loss & many of you will tragically have to endure this in the future, but it was an experience that taught me a lot. a lot about myself & a lot about how strong of a man my grandpa leon was. losing grandpa, was like losing a parent to my siblings & i. growing up, if we weren't with mom & dad...we were with grandpa & grandma ehler across town. there are so many cherish-able memories i will take with me from that. and i am so very thankful that oliver was able to know his great grandpa leon also. oliver very tenderly told his great bumpa goodbye the last night we were up at the hospital visiting him. that is a moment that i will forever keep dear in my heart. these two just hit it off...the first time i brought oliver to see grandpa after getting home from the hospital, i remember grandpa reaching out wanting to hold the little guy. i believe that these two had a very special connection & they always brought smiles to each others faces.

switching gears here...one of oliver's new favorite words is "ne-ne"...& yes, this is in reference to his "ne-ne" aka weinie. upon listening to mike & oliver in the shower one day as i was getting ready...i overheard the conversation of oliver repeating "ne-ne, ne-ne, ne-ne" & mike responding, yes, oliver, that's a "ne-ne", yes that is daddy's "ne-ne" and that's oliver's "ne-ne". nice! we're learning parts around these parts apparently.

on the other hand, we are also very excited to announce that baby schweitzberger number two will be a boy!!! so, that makes me an official "ne-ne" farmer. mike's first comment before we even left the ultrasound room was "oh yes! this means three motorcycles!" oh boy oh boy...mama is in for a treat =) and this explains the undying 24-hour sickness, equivalent to his brother's pregnancy. he's a healthy little man in there, weighing in just under a pound & starting to move around a lot.

so mike & i have been finding ourselves working more & more with our side jobs lately. myself with my photography & michael w/ his handy carpenter work. our weekends have been full of busy-ness & trying to find a balance is so hard. i'm just hoping...hoping that we can find some time to work on our own house projects in the near near future! at least the little "ne-ne" news bought us some time on the addition to the house talk =)

yesterday, as mikey was mr. handyman somewhere else...my mom & i decided to hunt out some pumpkins & enjoy a little fall weather with oliver. we visited 'scarecrow farms' near lawton, iowa yesterday. it was a beautiful day & there was lots for oliver to do. i think that his favorites were the old tractor & the giant corn box...like a sandbox...only filled w/ corn...& i couldn't resist myself, i had to hop in & check in out myself.

so in less than a month, we'll have a two year old & only about three more months to wait for the newest baby schweitz. i've been working on party planning for oliver's birthday...which will appropriately be themed "cars"...as we cannot get that movie out of our dvd player...the weekends usually entail a 10 viewings minimum of that movie. but, hey, i cannot complain, it's the go-to for getting anything done...i am posting a blog entry...right?! it's either cars or listening to him say "puppy" & "baby" 3 million times through 'marley & me' =) his ever-growing vocabulary is awesome to experience. he says words like "battery" & i have to question "how the heck does he even know that the battery is dead in his toy car...really?!" it's so exciting to witness the evolution of child development! please stay tuned for an oliver photo shoot, as i have been slacking big time on photographing him & his birthday highlights!

you are my sunshine!

2011-08-13T20:15:00.000-07:00

so this is way past due...but...that's just the way we roll lately...i'm hoping to get all caught up with this summer postings by next winter =) but don't hold your breathe =) so the end of may marked the end & the beginning of a new era. michael & i flew back out to basalt for two reasons. to haul all of our belongings back to iowa. and to celebrate our friends, paul & sonya's, wedding. and we were ready for an exciting week off back out in the mountains! we arrived, late of course, due to the weather not cooperating in denver the day we were supposed to fly out. and we almost were way-layed over to grand junction due to weather in aspen for our final landing...but they took the risk & we landed safely!!! we made our way to basalt & checked into a sweet little local hotel "the green drake"...right behind paul & sonya's house...talk about convenience ;) so, thursday night was a fun meet & greet of their old college friends, family & familiar faces from the area. then came friday...this was "packing day". we picked up our trusty ole budget truck & opened up the storage unit that hadn't seen the light of day since february. and this is where is starts getting a little sentimental. i am, honestly, still a little devastated that we had to move from this place! so we packed everything from point a to point b & headed up to redstone...avalanche ranch...where we would spend the rest of the weekend celebrating the wedding. sans the budget truck of course =)

friday was wedding preparation & rehearsal. with a lovely rehearsal dinner at sonya's parents mountain home. the unpredictable spring weather in the mountains was in full effect already...sunshine...rain...you name it. the rest of the night consisted of bbq, flavored ice, unicycles, many cocktails, laughs & finished up indulging in the natural hot springs back at the ranch...aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! talk about zen.

saturday was first spent w/ coffee & a dip in the hot springs...i could seriously get used to doing that! then, we were down & dirty finishing up the final details for the wedding ceremony & rehearsal. i was honored to help capture their wedding moments so...please check out the link at the end of the photos to see more from the wedding =) and i must admit...i did get a little "shoe" photo happy. as ceremony time crept closer, once again, the weather was changing every 10 minutes...rain... sunshine... snow... overcast... sunshine ...and back again. highlights from the day... a rare rainbow sprung through the sky directly...and i mean directly...over the newlyweds! the intimate outdoor ceremony. pauly's gift to sonya, the coconut cruiser bike. margaritas on tap. wedding meal catered by the woody creek tavern. THE DECOR! dance party. paul & sonya koozies. and finishing up the night in the hot springs.

sunday, we rolled out of basalt in our giant loud budget truck & we trucked back to iowa, tired & sad...but anxiously ready to see the little o man! enjoy the photos & hit up the link for more wedding shots.

point a...to point b...

i told you there were unicycles...

and flavored ice

and this is my most favorite photo from the whole weekend!

i did have fun photographing sonya's wedding shoes!

paul is a bit of a koozie connoisseur.

sonya is very artsy...these were the name cards/table assignments...

margaritas on tap on your left...

as if you could reach out & touch the rainbow...it was unreal...& such a beautiful sign.

the coconut cruiser bike.

...and then we had to go...

the raging colorado river!

and there is where i stopped taking photos for the weekend. please visit the link below for more "moore" wedding =)

moore wedding.

we're pregnant!!! for reeaaaalz this time.

2011-07-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

so, ironically...the next to last post was titled exactly the same...except for the "for reeeealllz this time" follow up. and no i didn't accidentally re-post...it's july...& that was for april fools. and this is no april fools...we are excited to announce that we will be expecting baby schweitzberger number two in february! long live the blog address =) since oliver has now graduated to whatever you want to call it...toddler stage...terrible twos {he began his terrible twos the day after his first birthday i swear!}...we didn't want the blog to become neglected...of course, it has...& since i've already decided that i'm probably going to be calling oliver my baby until he's 50...society frowns upon that...so new baby schweitzberger will have to fill that gap.

oliver is becoming quite frequented with "baby" talk. we ask him where the baby is and...at first, he would lift up my shirt & poke at my belly button...now when you ask "oliver, where's the baby?"...it's a quick lift of his own shirt to show you his belly. well, not quite the right belly little man, but he's getting the point. he's already begun to blow kisses onto mama's belly, imitating fart noises & entertaining us all & listen by smashing his ear up to my stomach. it's going to be interesting how it all pans out. i think that this is one of the first things that new second parents think about...how's the first child going to accept & behave with the second child...stay tuned...

so, yes, i have deeply neglected you bloggies for months...& months...but for a brief explanation, hear me out. i started a new job about three months ago. let me tell you, it's been a godsend to be working...but, the transition from no schedule/flexibility to do whatever to clocking in & out...sucked. not gonna lie. oliver, transitioned to daycare quite well...& i dodged the first time daycare crazy bawling mommy transition because he was 18 months old & let's face it...i could stand to be away from him for a period of time...you know what i mean =) it is, however, the best feeling to go pick him up at the end of the day...it always brightens my mood & refreshes me for the evening to come.

as far as where else i've left you all hanging...mike is working in aurelia still pouring concrete...we'll just leave it at that. oh! and we bought a house in holstein! so, it looks like our residency here is going to be more permanent this time =) plus...i told mike that if we ever...EVER moved again, it would only be under the circumstances that oliver was graduated from high school, i didn't have to any of the packing, driving of a large moving vehicle {okay riding shot gun} or unpacking anything. we would leave that up to others & i would just show up at our new residence. so, that said, we have settled into our little money pit...2 houses south of my parents mind you, & have been enjoying the new space. we have a lot of plans for updating & remodeling...especially now with baby two arriving in february...our plans for some of this needs to move a little sooner than later! very exciting though.

a little update on the pregnancy so far...like clockwork...a couple days after we confirmed the pregnancy...i retreated into 24-7 nauseousness...again! turns out, this body just doesn't agree with pregnancy! i've a lot of indigestion this time around. something i don't ever recall with oliver...hmmmmm...could it be an indicator of the sex?! and other than that...i've just been trying to creep my way through extreme tiredness which is the first trimester. i really hope to at least post some photos from the past 3 months to update you more on the goings-ons. time just doesn't seem to be anything i have anymore. a giant transition for me!!! so, please stay tuned...

easter w/ "ah-yee" & "la-la".

2011-04-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

this past weekend i had cousins home to visit, so we took advantage of the opportunity to have a get-together with the hanson-vollmars. of course, oliver & stella stole the show all day as the adults spent the day chatting & sipping some wine =) it was so great to see everyone & we had a wonderful time. prior to the sunday get-together the guys spent saturday golfing in a tournament in holstein. mike & i just love getting together with everyone & are thrilled that we are able to not miss out on fun family events like this!

oliver now calls stella "la-la"...stella is difficult, but his version is pretty cute! and stella, the little speaker she is does well herself...calling oliver "ah-yee". it's wonderful these two play so well together, despite the spontaneous wrestling matches! seriously so entertaining. oliver was obsessed with the toy car...i think he spent 90% of the time sitting in that thing! guess we know what we'll be getting him for the spring/summer!

probably going to be an embarassing one when they are older ;)

we're pregnant!!!

2011-04-08T11:30:00.000-07:00

april fools!

haha!

i got you good!

i've been a little absent for any posts lately, so i thought that i'd get your attention with this title. truthfully, life hasn't been too exciting...

ritual mornings of coffee, computer work & eating more bananas than ten monkeys.

working on establishing {photography by leyna hanson}.

a couple more trips to the park.

instructing pilates & water aerobics four times a week.

and discovering a new favorite snack called 'garden veggie straws'. seriously, oliver & i can't get enough of them!

and...we've also adopted the tactic of using jellybeans as a reinforcement to get oliver to come back into the house after his play sessions out there. the kid hates to be inside. i love this about him & you can't blame him...but seriously, some things are just more productive indoors than out...
like diaper changes & bathing ourselves =)

parkin it.

2011-03-24T12:06:00.000-07:00

click {here} for more images of oliver playing at the park =)

gawcaw mamaw bumpa?!

2011-03-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

these are the latest words coming out of oliver's mouth...

"gawcaw" {cracker}

...o has become quite the grazer lately. a good little appetite means he's growing growing growing right?! his favorite snacks right now are whole wheat crackers, popcorn, oranges & cheese chunks. the kid, however, would eat a banana at every meal, snack & in between if you let him. he's going to seriously start growing bananas out of his ears!

"mamaw" {grandma}

...whenever mamaw puts on her coat, oliver starts waving goodbye...he knows she's leaving to do something. and i also got my first diss from him the other day. he chose grandma over mama to put him into bed. which was, actually, short lived, when he went to give daddy a hug & wiggled himself into his arms. then mamaw got the diss ;) he definitely has his own agenda.

"bumpa" {grandpa}

...which immediately results in him running to the back door to look out the window for grandpa =) earlier this week, as it was snowing, when grandpa got home from work, he took oliver outside with him while he shoveled. oliver loved loved loved it! he ran around the entire yard, occasionally over to the neighbors yard! he was in 7th heaven! and did NOT want to come indoors when it was time...his cheeks were bright red & he was not caring.

climb every mountain & first smooches!

2011-03-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

so mountains may not be literal mountains right now, but i'm sure they will be one day! oliver's latest is his climbing. he climbs everything. he has managed to climb out of the pack & play after a nap the other day. mike found him wandering around the room. he thought that maybe after i went into check on him, i took him out & forgot to put him back in it. haha no! every time we turn around, he has climbed onto something. and he's quick. he's typically perched on the back of the couch or chair watching out the window. the most dangerous obstacles right now have been the rolling kitchen chairs. ugh, it makes me sick to think about him cracking his head on the floor because he flies off.

i love that he has this in him though. not only is he showing off his optimal physical fitness =) but i think that it's such a strong personality trait! a climber. and although i can't say that i'm completely comfortable with the fact that he's potentially endangering himself climbing household objects, i love that he's strong. he makes us so proud! {and there will be no climbing photos in this post to illustrate, because i feel like if i try & focus on taking one, that's when he'll fall off of something!}

now that we are back in holstein, we {mike, james, em & i} are excited to get the kids together. right now, being a half a block away, it is so convenient! we've already had a couple of play dates between olly & weegie {stella}. the two are so good together. em & i have both commented that we have some "wild" children that never sit still...but for some magical reason, when they are together, they are dramatically calmer. em & i are dreaming of the days we can sit around & have coffee {or a glass of wine} together & let the kids play in the other room! i will share some photos from these two goofballs playing together...

caught them smoochin =)

haha, these two just love each other! emily thinks that stella has a personal space issue...but i think it's super cute how she's always giving love. so sweet.

for more of these two click {here}

we heart you & the mooa.

2011-03-03T13:44:00.000-08:00

i am such an awesome blogger lately {no?!} i have to say, that i haven't had much time for accomplishing much of anything. oliver is a nut! i am going to be taking a step back from blogging a little. the time barrier and the transition is taking more precedents. i will, however, let you know if there are any monumental changes again in our lives or if something super exciting takes place. like a job for me...anyone?!...bueller?! haha! like i said, monumental.

i should mention that we aren't lacking that bad now that we are back. mike started working for a construction company already. and i will be beginning to teach fitness classes at the ida grove recreation center in a couple of weeks. since my schedule for teaching is limited to evenings and saturday mornings, i will still be able to find more to do during the weekdays. yay! and i've actually started to book some photo shoots here & there. it's crazy what word of mouth can do around here, huh.

finally, i didn't post a valentines day post closer to the day, because michael was not here to spend it with us and i had a special present for mike {from oliver}. i let the crazy o go to town on a canvas to make a one of a kind 'oms' {oliver matthew schweitzberger}. it is currently being displayed in the "mooa"...the museum of oliver art. here are some quick action shots...& believe me...they had to be quick...because as you are probably guessing...things started getting out of hand really quick! oliver did thoroughly enjoy himself & of course, michael was excited about his first piece of art from his baby boy. we love you all! happy heart day.

and ps...i have added a new 'page' at the top of my posts..."the mooa". which will feature artwork by oliver in the future =)

pushing the panic button.

2011-02-18T08:49:00.000-08:00

i must warn you...there is a lot of emotion running through this post, my bloggies. and maybe a little snarkiness here & there, but it's only honesty. and i would assume that everyone we've invited to read through the ups & downs of our lives, would be supportive of that. so, the truth behind my absence from the blog world is due to the fact that i have been helping to pack up {our} lives, again. we went ahead & pushed the panic button in colorado. mike's job, once again, turned to haitus. and since i am convinced that every job application or resume i send out goes immediately to a giant black hole the second i hit 'submit'...well...you can probably guess that i'm still a job market skeptic.

we have been graciously taken in by my parents back in holstein. honestly, i love that they are opening up their home with welcome arms, but it's still a little strange, as a 28 year-old, to live with your parents...with your baby...again. i am truly trying my best to make the best of this opportunity. and i have to be grateful for this opportunity. i think of people that would not have this option. so, surrounded by support {and the unnecessary draining drama of a small town}, i am encouraged to try & get back on my feet. and truthfully, when i first sat down to publish this post, i don't think i had let reality set in yet. so, i stepped back for a couple of days...& now i am ready to report.

michael & i have put most of our belongings in storage out in colorado. for numerous reasons...one: we know we want to head back west, eventually, & don't know how long our stay in holstein will be. could be shorter, could be longer. we're going to see how jobs & everything goes. two: the mountain passes this time of year can be very unpredictable. so heading east with a giant moving truck again, just didn't seem like an extra dose of craziness we wanted to deal with. and three: our dear friends, paul & sonya, whom we have now abandoned in colorado, will be getting married the twenty-first of may this year. and we promise we will be out there for that! i am supposed to photograph it for heavens sakes! yes! we will be there. i would never want to miss that opportunity. it's going to be a very exciting wedding to see & shoot!

last week, my brother flew into aspen. we planned to have someone ride with oliver & i...just for good measure. and he was such a great help! more on those details later...haha! mike needed to stay back to close some loose ends & get the place cleared out {aside from what i could help doing while still there}, cleaned up & packed into storage. i can confidently say that today, he left this morning! delayed more than once, yesterday due to a blizzard in the rockies, he is on his way back to the midwest! we'll be staying with my parents until we can establish jobs & find a place of our own here {rent/own...we don't know}. this holstein venture is so up in the air. we thank everyone who has given us leads on jobs! it's been relieving to me, that i have already established a start as well {more on that later too}. but that is our news in a nutshell. i'm sure more will unfold in the next couple weeks! stay tuned...again.

our last photo in our colorado home, right before oliver, taylor & i took off.

pay no attention to the mass chaos in the background =)

our last couple of weeks, we tried to spend all of our time taking in our surroundings that would soon be in the past. it was honestly hard to take it in without our souls hurting a bit. but i'm glad we took the time to capture the moments, so we can look back at them & remember how much we loved this area & adventure.

oliver, taylor & i took off on saturday...& survived the 13 hour, straight through, drive. well...of course there were some setbacks. like when we were just leaving the mountains & heading into denver. we heard that all too familiar sound {to me} coming from the backseat...a major upchuck moment by oliver! major. taylor received a good dose of birth control as he witnessed his nephew spew his entire breakfast out of his mouth. poor little guy. he was a little upset while it was occuring...well who wouldn't be?! and while i searched for a place to pull over so we could assess & fix the situation, he sat there with the saddest face on i have ever seen. he just looked so disappointed. and miserable. but, after a quick stop in a strip mall, i had him scrubbed down, re-clothed and happy as a clam again. the stench, however, was less than appealing. oh, but after about two more hours, it went away. only to be masked by the first "bm" oliver has ever done on a road trip. i knew that i jinxed myself, when i boasted earlier that day to taylor how he has never done that! once again, taylor took another dose of birth control & helped me through it...what a good uncle! we had a very successful trip from there on out. we arrived in holstein between 11-1130 late saturday night. and thus, began our new holstein adventure.

the sun setting on our colorado =)

boys to men.

2011-02-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

a couple of weeks ago michael turned 35! yes...daddy turned 35, oliver!!! =)

sleepy birthday face...

getting ready to snowboard for the day to celebrate!

okay, dad, i'm ready to go too...

michael christened the mountain on his birthday, & thankfully, DID come back in one piece. him & paul spent the day out on snowmass mountain. the girls {sonya} & i, along with the little man, joined them up on the mountain for some lunch. unfortunately, i forgot my camera in the car. sometimes it's hard to remember everything...the baby, the diaper bag, the purse, the sippy, the paci...etc. so forgive me. it was a gorgeous day for riding {i mean, i'm no snow bunny, but it looked great!}. we were able to enjoy our lunch out on the deck patio, so there ya go! i love that you can enjoy the outdoors & not have to freeze your butt off here =) after the guys returned from their last run down, we mingled over at paul & sonya's for a birthday dinner & cake! german chocolate...one of mikey's faves. thanks to sonya for baking...but there were some candles missing ;)

all michael wanted for his birthday was a fishtank & fish {for oliver} =)

so we ventured to petco & found a tank.

and, i swear, we followed all the recommendations for setting it up. we used distilled water and let it filter for 2 days. then, mike & oliver returned to the store to choose fish. and...all the goldfish were sick {not sure how or how they know this} so they were being treated. they must have caught what's been going around. they couldn't get goldfish for another week or so, so they decided on five little tetra. very colorful fish!

but, sadly, despite our efforts of correctly introducing them to their new home, within the first 5 hours of being released...they were all floating. dead. ummmm...so we failed our first pet mission. they returned all five little dead guys to the store & had the water tested by the petco pros. nothing was wrong...so we're really not sure what the heck could have happened. so, now we're a little skeptical on what to choose. oliver, however, just enjoys the tank bubbling away with only plants in it, so i suppose we can wait until the goldfish have overcome their symptoms ;)

then the next weekend, was paul's birthday. so...once again, the guys set out to snowmass mountain for the day. no fresh powder, however, so it was a bit slick. i heard some pretty hilarious stories once they returned. although, physically unharmed, they did came back with some bruised egos, from being heckled by the younger skiiers when they not so gracefully attempted some jumps. haha. again, after their day on the mountain, we joined a crew over at paul & sonya's for some gumbo & refreshments.

okay...so we seriously need steph's {dillon} cake skills around this area. remember the story i told over oliver's birthday cake & how it turned out completely NOT what i had ordered. well...this was the result of sonya's attempt at the market bakery. a cake with a fisherman & a skiier. she specifically wanted fish & seashells {an ode to their nantucket roots}. and this is what she was greeted with when she picked it up. neither sport of which does paul participate in. we all had a pretty good laugh about it & dug into it anyway =) oliver was a fan, so all turned out just fine.

so that pretty much wraps up our last couple of weekends. it has finally snowed here. and stuck around for longer than a couple of hours. but, the temps have just been too frigid to get oliver out in the snow to explore. if it warms up some, we'll be getting him out for sure! and i must prepare you, bloggies, there will be a lot for me to report on in the next couple of days...some changes coming our way...stay tuned.

i can't skip the party! (doxtad wedding revisited}

2011-02-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

okay, so i decided that i couldn't just skip a post of donna & lucas's wedding reception. i know, it's been like a month ago & you've probably already seen most of something like this somewhere by someone...but i decided to post them anyway. it's a snowy day & i had some time to edit. enjoy...it makes me want to be there all over again!

a winter drive.

2011-02-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

as simple as that. we took a drive up through the reudi reservoir area yesterday. we found a misplaced animal leg in the middle of the road. a quiet cave. and plenty of snow covering the barely traveled roads. and today, we finally had more snow fall! it always falls short of us in this valley. but, this morning it was nothing but inches of fresh powder. freshened everything up a bit.

schweitzberger holiday {revisited} photos only.

2011-01-30T13:55:00.000-08:00

oliver was NOT a fan of ava & kye's "roller coaster".

a rare caught moment:

oliver & kye playing. and getting along.

the cousins holiday photo.

notice oliver messing w/ kye.

naughty ;)

oooooh! emmy playing her new recorder =)

and that wraps up the 2010 holiday season!

hanson holiday {revisited} photos only.

2011-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

mom & dad's attempt to get a christmas photo with oliver.

hahaha!

christmas w/ the hansons {christmas eve}.

oliver was READY to run after the 13 hour road trip!

visiting great grandpa leon {christmas day}.

back in the car...onto sioux falls!

the turd burglar, winterskol & other random january stories.

2011-01-30T12:10:00.000-08:00

so i've become completely consumed in new stuff happening that i didn't get the last post for donna & lucas' wedding posted. click on this link to see more if you feel you've been cheated...doxtad wedding on fb

let's see...i think it may be time for an oliver update. he's transitioned his walk into a run. especially when he knows he has something in his hands he's not supposed to. which leads to me to a story. the other night, we were watching mama's new guilty pleasure 'american idol' {i have never watched it until this season...i think we all know why...steven}. so, oliver & mama were hanging out in her & daddy's room, lounging on the bed, laughing & crying at idol...i changed his diaper & put on his jammies. then, a minute or so later, i noticed he had something in his hand. well...the scenario will either go one of two ways...option one, i ask, what is in your hand & he willingly puts out his arm & offers it up. or option two, he knows it's more than likely something he shouldn't have & he tries to hide his pudgy little arm & handful of a naughtyness behind his back. well, he opted for option two this time, so i knew i was in for a treat. i grabbed his hand & pulled quickly pulled out whatever he had. i open my palm to see...a small...round...turd! excuse me?! he had burglarized a turd from his diaper?! what the what?!?! utterly confused by this, i threw it into the guys' toilet. & washed all hands & body parts involved. about an hour later, mike uses the bathroom & comes out a little confused. 'you put that turd in our toilet' {to me}. ummmm, not me, but your son. and it came from his hand! and thus became the weekend 'turd burlgar'. i say a little prayer.

moving on. so oliver is still a big fan of not using bowls & plates properly. it bugs him to just see the staring back at him with food arranged on them or cheerios resting peacefully inside. he just cannot handle it! so, he flips them around, so everything goes everywhere. and believe me, i have tried the suction cup bowls. and no doesn't work. and i have tried the rubberized bottomed plates. nope doesn't work. the kid hates bowls and plates.

next, we must talk about how much of a crazy mess this house has been lately. ya know when it first starts to become an issue & they get curious & you have to get the drawer & cupboard locks...we've moved passed this stage. he has figured out how to open drawer locks. i rearranged the drawers, so that the ones he can reach, if he's going to throw everything out of it, it's just going to be towels, bibs, washclothes & dishrags. no big deal? well, it does turn into a big deal when there's a constant 'dishrag landmine' happening in the kitchen. mike slipped on one the other morning & about killed himself. dangerous. but...what do you do? it's an endless chore to pick up behind him. so i suppose we'll just live with the alarm clock drug into the kitchen, the karo syrup in the bedroom, the dvds off the shelf all over the floors, mike's socks & undies in the living room, the fisher price records in the dishrag drawer, and the uncle ben's minute rice in the bathroom. among all sorts of other randoms in places they shouldn't belong.

and that leads me to my next story... 'no no' is the most funny joke you could ever here. in. oliver's. short-lived. life. so far. so so funny. 'no no' is enough to bring it on more & more & more. and parents reading this already know about this fun little gem. so constantly preaching 'no no' is not an option at this point. at least not for me. is that bad? i don't know, i'm new, that's my decision for now and i'm just going with it.

the kid is starting to show some extreme bouts of toddler-isms too. more specifically. the arched back tantrum. the fists clenched in frustration accompanied by the "grrrrrrrr" face. or just the sheer shreaking squeel in protest. it is really amazing how he will continue to do the same naughty thing over & over & over. like a skipping repetitious record. i feel like i'm on a parenthood roller coaster...& i'm at the initial climb & ascending higher & higher...& i'm just waiting in anticipation as i hear the clink. clink. clinks as i am elevated. oh boy...here we go...here we go...here we go. =) that said, i am proud to announce, {a reader of this blog too} my bestie kim {henry} remington, just announced that her & her hubby {tom} are expecting!!! a big congrats to them! a new little one for oliver to visit & play with! cannot wait to hear all of her preggo stories & meet the little peanut!

we've basically spent the entire month of january sick. cold. flu. ear & upper respiratory infections. man cold/flu. yes, whoever fabricated this "new" version of cold & flu, seriously needs to be locked up. we haven't been out & about all that much, given, i didn't want to risk any additional prolonging of our symptoms. but, i think we are finally {all} getting better. oliver always relapses in his sleep patterns when he's sick. so now, we're again working on going down at the same time every night & staying down all night. he did take it upon himself to decide he was going to trade in 2 shorter naps during the day for 1 longer afternoon nap. it's been an okay transition, i suppose. i kind of miss my 1-2 hour quiet morning time, but i suppose three hours in the afternoon will suffice!

one of the events we did check out once we returned to colorado, was apsen's 60th winterskol celebration. it is a community toast to winter! the most exciting event we witnessed was the snow sculpture contest. we did have to skip out on the torch lighting on the mountain & fireworks, since once again, illness rained on our parade. fun stuff to check out regardless.

what we missed...

photo courtesy of http://www.stayaspensnowmass.com/p-winterskol-festival.php

the doxtads wedding part three.

2011-01-25T15:59:00.000-08:00

donna & lucas's ceremony took place at their church in holstein, iowa {st paul's lutheran church}. it was a 530 ceremony, the candle-lit ambiance & the twinkling lights were a beautiful detail. so let's just rewind for a second back to that candle-lit ambiance. i'm just saying...that i must have a bad omen when it comes to participating in my cousin's weddings. remember...the cake debacle at mel's? so donna let me know that she wanted me {& cousin mel} to be candle lighters at the ceremony, among some other jobs. shortly after she asked me to help out...i had a dream. i had a dream that during the ceremony, i was just sitting in the pew. not doing my job. not lighting candles. and watching melanie do all the work. {i also want to make it known, that the other part of this dream involved donna & lucas putting on one of those dancing processions you've seen on youtube.com} i woke up laughing my butt off because i could only imagine how embarrassed donna would be about lucas's dancing. haha! and then immediately called donna to tell her that i slacked my job during their ceremony.

okay...now let's fast forward a bit to the rehearsal night. mel & i really thought we should practice our lighting responsibilities quickly before we left the church...just to make sure everything would go smoothly. and good thing we did! we found out that i was physically too short to reach the candle lighter up onto the wick of the aisle candlabras. i could only imagine the amount of embarrassment i would have had in front of 250+ people trying to reach up & light those candles! i would have gotten really hot, and then started sweating, my face would've turned red & i probably would have fainted...dropping the flame & lighting the church on fire. ugh! so, cue the short jokes. i'm 28 years old...i've heard them all...still not going to change my 5'2'' on a good day height! so, the point of this story, is that i totally predicted my irresponsibility in this wedding. we were given a minor alter lighting job & then we passed off the flame to the plan b recipients, who were tall enough to carry out the task. but, we did however, pull off handing out the handmade bells {a thank you very much & the others who strung them} to the guests. they were rung as the new married couple left the church {in remembrance of those who could not join us that night}. it was a beautiful ceremony.

miss ava flower girl.

this photo is of the late michael hanson.

donna's father. my uncle.

it was incorporated into her bouquet.

{my most favorite detail in their wedding} and so very special.

her brothers, gavin & eric walked her down the aisle...& cue the tears. it was a beautiful way to be 'given away' i thought. so very meaningful. we all had uncle mikey in our thoughts that evening...especially when the dancing started...i'm sure he would've been out there cutting a rug with the best of them!

i had a great 2nd row seat. but i had the piano in my line of focus. i kept staring at the reflection of her dress under the piano top.

the bell choir during the ceremony. beautiful sound.

the doxtads wedding part two.

2011-01-24T14:53:00.000-08:00

so, i am miss unorganized these days {gasssssp, i know}. i have done some edits of the wedding rehearsal & dinner, so i am going to go ahead & get some of these up. then i have the ceremony & reception to tackle. and it just dawned on me i haven't even posted christmas photos {which is way old news now}. but at some point, i will. hey a month late...this is what my second year as a mom is turning into...uh oh ;) and i suppose i should also give some oliver updates too. maybe by the end of this month, i will be caught up before i continue to get piled on by photos, events & happenings. good luck me.

the wedding took place in holstein, at the st pauls lutheran church & the legion auxiliary {reception}. and this would also be the second uniting of our families {doxtads & hansons}. emily {vollmar} married lucas's brother james a couple of years ago. i wasn't a blogger at the time, so unless you are up to date with the happenings, i thought that i would fill you in. ps, emily & donna are cousins, so it's okay =) and i did try & keep the warm ambiance our church gives off...but that red carpet can just be overwhelming sometimes. the black & whites make it a little more timeless & special =) and i am also learning that i have been shooting in a way too high iso {may mean nothing to you}, but i am seriously noticing the grainyness & busyness in my photos. yikes. enjoy.

rehearsal {day/night} was actually donna's birthday!

she received a surprise cake & we sang 'happy birthday'!

i told her that she totally screwed herself...

she's going to always get a birthday slashie anniversary gift now ;)

just kidding. lucas is a sweetie {but it will be a great reminder}.

the holidays {revisited}.

2011-01-17T20:34:00.000-08:00

so the holidays have come & gone again. and...as most of you know...we finally made it back to midwest to spend them with our families. we rolled into holstein on christmas eve eve. spending some time with my hanson side. and we were able to hold donna off from the gift exchange until we got there {i know it was hard bubba ;) just kidding}. christmas morning, we visited my grandpa in the nursing home, along with my aunt, uncle & cousins from minot, nd. it was a quick but sweet visit. and then we were back on the road up to sioux falls to spend christmas day with the schweitzberger crew. we were fortunate that michael was allowed more than a couple days off, so we spent that whole week {plus new years} up in sioux falls. we had a great time with all the little cousins running around! and we were able to spend a night with our friends, kent & jill. they're such a fun couple...& their son, andrew. after the new year, we headed back to spend a week in cowtown {holstein}. this led up to the big wedding of donna & lucas {and that will be a whole other post}! loved spending all the quality time we could with everyone & can't wait until we see everyone again {when they all come & visit us in colorado} =) enjoy the holiday photos {they are in a bit of random order...bear with me}!

the drive east.

in our past 13 hr road trips...oliver has slept like 80% of the time.

but this trip was the first time he was facing forward...

and he spent the opposite asleep...guess he didn't want to miss anything!

thumbs up little man.

a little wii dance party with jill & kent.

don't worry...i dominated!

let me note that it was this night...that i ran my camera battery out. and of course...despite it keeping me up all night before the night we left for iowa...i forgot my spare battery & charger. so i have to thank christina for letting me use one of her chargers once we returned to holstein! she totally saved the day! or i would've had one mad cousin {donna} on my hands come wedding day ;)

olly & rudy.

they had a variety of fun concoctions to share =)

don't know what i love more about this shot...

kent so into guitar hero...or mike kissing the dog?!

toss up!

oliver's favorite thing to do while at my parent's was to sneak up into taylor's {my bro} room & pluck away at his guitar. and for a fourteen month old...he's not too bad!

i realized i have a ton of photos i forgot about during the holidays...so i will have some additional {photo only} blog entries to follow.

the doxtads wedding part one.

2011-01-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

we extended our holiday stay back in the midwest an additional week {this was planned for oliver & i} because my cousin donna was marrying a great mutual friend of mike & mine, lucas! lucas is from galva, so we have all known each other for years. the best part, was that michael was able to stay the additional week also & participate in all the wedding festivities with me! i have a lot of photos to post from the great couple of days spent with these two. but, i wanted to give a preview. i put together a short {30 second} video featuring some of my favorite photos. i was motivated to create it because that week's 'themes from the bottom' theme was 'lyrical photography'. i somehow, got really motivated through the busy-ness, sickness & looming bad weather to give this a real shot. more photos from the wedding to come...i promise. please click the link below to view the video =)

donna & lucas.

first twenty eleven post.

2011-01-14T10:10:00.000-08:00

a lot of time has passed since my last post...pre-christmas...holy smokes. well, christmas occured, new years, a wedding, a delayed homecoming & sickness. a lot of sickness. colds. the mother of all cockroach colds. i'm deeming it a cockroach cold because it just won't go away! no matter what i try...it just creeps around. yuck. not only for myself, but for oliver. he ran his first temperature for a fever the past couple of days {during our drive back}. and i don't know what it is about a fever in a child, but they make me nervous. luckily it wasn't too high & he has since regulated back to normal temps. my week feels all wacky as it doesn't feel like the weekend already. i have a long list of catching up & posting & chores & finding normalcy on my to-do list for the weekend...but who knows how much will happen?!

i have intentions of a christmas & wedding festivities post coming in the {near} future. and i had the pleasure of sneaking in a short maternity photoshoot of my pregnant best friend, marcell =) and this is where my learning skills in photoshop are going to have to come in. and not only just photoshop, but photoshop on a mac. anyway...as new years was very uneventful this year...there really is no big news on our celebration of the year twenty eleven. i just hope the best for all of you...& maybe a little good stuff for us too ;)

these are some shots from the road trip to & from the midwest. we left very early in the morning to head east & caught the moon still out. joy. and on our trip back west, we were delayed a couple days due to a big snow storm {another joy}, but we rallied a 13 hour drive back on wednesday. we witnessed this beautiful sunset as we were just arriving upon denver. whenever we return or arrive at a destination, i always take a deep breath & thank our lucky stars we had a good trip & are so fortunate to be able to spend the time we can with two very generous & loving families. i'm only making a point of this because my heart seriously goes out to an anonymous family that lost {probably} most of their belongings due to a house fire. when we pulled into basalt around 9ish on wednesday evening...we drove up on the most devastating site {one of those where you heart sinks}...a home in our neighborhood was engulfed in flames. smoke billowed up & the orange & red blazed through the night sky. truly horrific to witness. the emergency vehicles & firetrucks stormed through our streets...i think i counted four firetrucks scream by. and we drove right past this scene...heading home...to be home sweet home. and my heart truly hurt for what we just saw. the loss. the tragedy. the safety of those who resided there. i could not stop thinking about it. and i still can't. we unloaded our vehicle after we arrived at our doorstep & every time we stepped outside the smell of burning memories & a home filled the air. such a loss. and although i do not know who lived there, i felt for them big time. i drove past the home yesterday to see the curdled damage. it wasn't good. and i only hoped that everyone was safe. so it's because of this story, that i just wanted to genuinely thank you for being a part of our lives. and i am grateful for those that i have. the things don't matter as much when you don't have anything, but what does matter, is who you can lean on. thank you for being a follower of our blog. we love sharing stories & memories with you. and we are looking forward to another year of sharing with you! thank you.

=) don't take offense.

making the season bright!

2010-12-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

merry christmas.

love lmno.

pump pump pump it up...

2010-12-21T13:57:00.000-08:00

...pump that holiday spirit up! that's right bloggies, i just did that. i pulled out a cheer from the archive & changed the words to appropriately match my feelings! i'm not gonna lie, it's been a little difficult to keep our spirits up around here. to make things less offensive & pg, i will just say that it has to do with the fact that i am still posting from colorado & it's the 21st of december. at the last resort, i wanted to be on the road heading to the midwest by tomorrow. but...michael will still be working. yes, we are on our third, pretty unbearable at this point, week of him working 15 hour days! his scrooge of a boss is behind it, as you may have guessed already. and that's where i'm going to leave it...because believe me, the blog content will soon turn r-rated with what i have to say about him. and that is not the kind of person i am...in blogland ;) so, we are trying to make the best of it. because that's all we can do at this point now! and until we are "released" from this anti-holiday imprisonment, we must just. make. the. best. of. it.

so...we've been going on a lot of drives {oliver & i} while mike works. i've really tried to find some new areas to photograph for my weekly-themed flickr group. i even made {MADE} michael open his most exciting christmas present. he insisted no...but i insisted more 'yes'. it made me happy =) we've elfed ourselves. (click on elfed if you're not familiar) and we've just tried to keep laughing as much as we can...& since oliver has completely transitioned into a little boy, his funny personality is very humorous. so here he is being silly with me. he is a constant happy in my life, so at least i still get to surround myself with this silly man everyday while we await our trip back! excuse the up & down movement with the camera...i was trying to mimmick what we were doing with our heads.

oliver has been really interested in animals lately. so for the last couple of weeks, i've taught him a new animal noise. he's gotten down cow, puppy & now we're working on kitty "meow". mike was really impressed to see this last week when he was released & home earlier than 10pM. oliver still happened to be up, so we showed daddy our animal noises. he also has gotten used to watching me blow on his hot food. so now he blows on everything {hot} too. he's also come around to the birdies on his ceiling, hanging above his bed. he wasn't too interested in them at first. but now, every time he enters his room, he blows at them & waits for them to swirl around. here are some photos of how we've tried to keep the holiday spirit up...

watched it snow. which by the way...melts right away! we have no snow here!

mixed up some christmas cocktails.

tried to teach oliver how to properly use his lego man head lamp.

created light trails with the neighbors deer...& our christmas trees.

played in the snow.

hung out at paul & sonya's.

and dabbled in destroying their christmas tree.

which, by the way, he didn't even deconstruct, he left it alone,

except pulling this one, mitten ornament off.

drank milk out of a mason jar with a straw...because mommy

forgot the sippy cup.

decorated christmas cookies.

stumbled across some big-horn sheep on a drive outside of basalt.

this is the view from the home michael is working on.

the ski lifts, literally run right above the road up there.

so...there you have it. we are stuck here, luckily still surrounded by beautiful surroundings to go explore. and midwest bloggies...we promise. we will be home! still just don't know when! happy holidays to all =)

sweet holidays.

2010-12-13T16:03:00.000-08:00

so our christmas story continues...

we had planned for a fun-filled family outing with friends this weekend. mostly to tag along & have the experience of snowshoeing, as they hunted the forest for their tree. well...the grinch struck again. michael came home on saturday & said that he would have to go into work on sunday. yes, sunday. the only thing that would be make this story more of a bummer, would have been if he really only had to be there for two hours...oh wait! yes, that's all that he needed to stay. so it was enough time so we had to cancel our outing, but not enough time for us to catch up with the tree hunters. ugh. moving on...

i decided to tackle some holiday baking today! i made my final trip to the store before we head back to the midwest...& it BETTER be the final trip. i strategically planned out our meals (which is obnoxious & makes me feel like a lunch lady, no offense). it's just one thing that i don't want to have to mess with before we leave. i mixed up my favorite snack mix (donna, i know you're drooling) & pulled a new (but old) brownie recipe out of my stack of "to-make-someday" pile. i had this thing sitting for about 2 years now. and i finally became brave enough. i mean, when i have to study the recipe numerous times because i'm dealing with scoring, double-boiling & ganashing...then you know i must be in the holiday spirit. because these things just don't happen on a daily basis around here. i will happily leave you the recipe for you to attempt as well. of course, mine are only semi-martha stewart-ish...because, i don't think she has an ambitious one-year old cussing at the christmas tree or locking himself in the laundry room. oh the holidays!

peppermint topped brownies.

ingredients.

10 tbsp butter, plus more for pan.

6 oz of good-quality bittersweet chocolate, broken into large chunks.

3 eggs.

1 1/2 cups sugar.

1 tbsp vanilla.

1/4 tsp salt.

1 cup all-purpose flour.

1/2 cup cocoa powder.

1/2 tsp baking powder.

80 hard, round red & white peppermint swirl candies (17oz).

1/2 lb (8oz) semisweet chocolate, chopped.

1 cup whipping cream.

directions.

(just beware, it's a time consuming one!)

preheat to 350.

butter a 9x13 in baking pan.

in medium saucepan, stir butter & bittersweet chocolate over very low heat with a heatproof rubber spatula until just melted (do not simmer or boil). remove from heat & let cool slightly (5 mins).

in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, vanilla & salt. slowly pour in chocolate-butter mixture, whisking constantly. into a seperate bowl, mix flour, cocoa powder & baking powder. with a rubber spatula, gently fold flour mixture into egg mixture until just combined.

spread batter evenly in the baking pan. bake 20-30 mins or until brownies are firm, beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan & a toothpick inserted in the center emerges with only a few crumbs clinging to it. let brownies cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.

reduce oven heat to 300. line a level rimmed 11 1/2x16 in baking sheet with parchment paper. with a pencil, draw a grid of 1 3/4 in squares (5 rows of 8), leaving about a 1 inch border & turn parchment over. place a mint in the center of each square (i would push them more close together than further apart, as mine decided to not completely all mold as one). bake 15-25 mins or until completely melted into 1 large sheet, but remove before candy turns yellow. immediately score peppermint squares with a pizza cutter, using the pencil lines as a guide. if scored lines don't hold, rescore quickly. let candy cool completely. gently break into squares along score lines. arrange, bake & score remaining 40 candies the same way.

in the top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over simmering water, combine chopped semisweet chocolate & whipping cream. cook, stirring often, until melted & blended. remove from heat & let ganache cool until just warm.

pour ganache over cooled brownies in pan & allow to set until firm (about 2 hrs at room temp or 1 hour in fridge).

place peppermint squares bottom side up on ganache, leaving enough space between squares to cut brownies. cut brownies into squares along edges of peppermint tops. wiping knife clean between cuts. remove brownies from pan, discard (eat) scraps. and return brownies to pan. cover with plastic wrap, making sure wrap doesn't touch peppermint & refrigerate 3 hours (to soften candy). serve slightly chilled.

so there you have it, in case you have 6 hours on your hands & don't know what to do with them ;) believe me, mine was more like an all-day process & well, you saw the finished result. but yummy! and then, i will just leave you with some random photos of oliver & my day. i have set up a workspace & am quite fond of it. it gives me a place to retreat in silence if i need to. yet, oliver did show me how he can climb onto the chair & onto the table. so the door to my space is now under 24-hr surveillance little mr...by santa clause!

oliver's 'home alone' rendition...

thirteen. mo.

2010-12-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

so oliver has reached the thirteen month mark. and so, i thought it the appropriate month for this to be my official 'signing off' of reporting to you bloggies each month on oliver. remember our deal with thirteens...
http://babyschweitzberger.blogspot.com/2009/10/lucky-number-13.html =)

i figured, i'll just tell stories at random as they happen, or report here or there of the madness that oliver has been slowly bringing to our lives. good madness, if such does exist. thank goodness for christmas cocktails at the end of the night, after he falls right to sleep at 7pM (sorry, i had to mention it!). we are pretty proud that we have transformed our sporatic sleeper/waker into a very good nighttime man. he takes two one-hour naps through the day & then. and after his last milk fest between seven - seven-thirty, he is ready to clock out. yahoooooo! and even more impressive, is that after his bottle, we brush teeth, read a story (that he typically doesn't have the time of night for), & just lay him in his bed. he heads right off to dreamland. no fussing. no crying. no nothing. just sweet sweet dreams. it is the greatest feeling. ever. well, it's up against the way you feel right after you deliver, but it's a close zen!

so, anyway. it's pretty much been a free-for-all around our house lately. oliver has gained his independence by walking around without support. he now opens doors, so there's no closing things off or keeping him contained. he gets up on & down off of the couches at his own leisure, so there has been some changing of the decor recently. the end tables in the living room are glass-covered (i hate them to begin with) & since he thinks they make a great pedestal for reaching the light switches...they had to go! i could only imagine his chunky little body falling through...eeehhh. don't even want to think about it! so they are gone. and the christmas tree. oh the tree that i just had to have up asap! well...it's slowly starting to become a fixture i am wanting to just throw out the door! all the lights are thrown back on after he pulls at them. the ornaments are all jammed up towards the top...& his three favorite things to do...splash in the water, pull ornaments off & let them float in the water & unplug the lights. well...last time i checked, mixing electricity, water & a baby...it's not your ideal combo. so, for the sake of harboring a safe environment for our child, i must play 'guard' whenever he is in the vicinity of that dang tree! oh next year...will it be better?! other than wreaking havoc on everything in sight & climbing everything elevated at minimum an inch off the ground, we've been pretty good around here. we've just about made it through our first week of michael working 12 hour days. not as bad as i had horrifically imagined in my head, but i'm not gonna lie, i am in need of a break =) so, off to do some snowshoeing this weekend, hopefully gathering some christmas/holiday/mid june-july card photos. ha! i can already tell i'm going to be a bad christmas card mama. you'll get it in your mailbox about july 13th. merry christmas in july! you know mike & i, we don't tend to be mainstream ;)

no tree skirt...well...it just gets in the way...& wet!

naughty or nice?

i'll let you be the judge ;)