Kiddie updates...

Matt & I haven't decided how we are going to handle halloween w/the kids. But for now, Austin just knows that we bought a bunch of candy to give away to other kids that were dressed silly. He had a blast. He was trying to give candy to everyone (every jogger & car that went by). As you can see, Justin was getting into the act as well. Both of them were waving boxes of nerds in the air like they were anticipating the candy buzz. Notice the large bowl FULL of candy. We were only able to get rid of half of it, and that was with Matt giving hand-fulls in the last 1/2hr.





















Justin is rolling all over the place to get to where he wants to go. He also gets on all 4's and rocks, but then ends up on his belly or back or on his behind. At church Wednesday night the ladies that watched him in nursery said he actually crawled some. I suppose I forgot to tell Justin he is only to have his "firsts" around mommy & daddy. Austin rolled a lot also. He never did the army crawl. Went from rocking on all 4's to crawling. Justin is a big solid food eater, but still predominantly a nurser, just as Austin was at this age.

As I was reading our women's bible study book Feminine Appeal, there was a part in the latest chapter I read where the writer remembered her child running around in circles in the kitchen, at age 4, singing "your the best mommy" over and over. It immediately reminded me of a few small things that Austin has said that I should be remembering and cherishing. Thursday, I was cleaning the kitchen and the floor. I stopped a couple of times to nurse the baby and give him a different piece of real-estate to hang out in. At one of the breaks I was sitting in the l.r. in the recliner and Austin came up to me and hugged me from the side and said "mommy, your the best cleaner." I told him how nice it was of him to say that to me, and I thanked him. (It's a good thing he's only 2 and doesn't really know what clean is.) Often he will come to me in the kitchen and hug my legs and say "mommy, I love you" or "I love you more."

Austin's funny saying of the week, "mommy, only girls have rest raps." He means bra straps.

Potatoes, potatoes, and more potatoes...

Quick funny....

On Sunday, as I was getting the kids and I ready for church, Austin said "mommy, you're wearing a dress." I explained that it wasn't a dress, it was a skirt. Later, before we actually got out the door, he said to me "you're wearing a curtain." Later that evening after we had gotten back from the evening service, he and I were washing our hands and he said "mommy, I love your curtain." Out of the mouth of babes....maybe I should rethink the look of my wardrobe. Funny thing is, we don't have any curtains. However, it did bring to mind one of my favorite all time Carol Burnett skits.

The letter A, The color Red, & The shape Circle.....

After 3 days of preschool, I decided to end the day with some play time outside. Ok, MAYBE I made them dig dirt around the foundation of the home, but they thought it was fun! :)








Here they are after 3 days of intense pre-schooling. They are proudly showing some of their art projects and yummy snack choices.








Those were our first 3 things we tried to identify and remember in our first 3 days of preschool this past week (see above title). At the end of day 1, Austin was the only one who could remember what letter we were learning, but they all could remember the shape and color. At the end of day 2, only Elizabeth could remember the letter. And at the end of day 3, only Elizabeth and John could remember the letter. Don't know what happened to Austin the last 2 days. We did may coloring activities to reinforce shapes and color. We looked at books and magazines and toys to help identify all 3. We read Raggedy Ann & A Raggedy Andy in the Deep Deep Woods (a collection of short stories). We sang a lot, they danced a lot, we played listening games. Each day we had snacks that were red: apples, peppers, jello, red pop (thank you miss Karen!). All in all they all seemed to have fun and look forward to the next time. Last night Austin asked me "when are we going to play school again?" There is so much I want to do, but it looks like they will set the pace and amount we tackle. Looking forward to next week. Thank you Karen for suggesting I try it, it got me off my lazy duff!

Tooth #8 & A scare for mommy

You can see Justin's 8th tooth coming in, bottom left next to traditional 1st tooth. You can't actually feel it, but it is So right there! He had his biggest solid meal yet: mashed potatoes, chicken, mac & cheese, peaches, rice, cheese, and a little cinnamon roll. Mostly he ate chicken, followed by the mac & cheese. I think he might have kept going. Normally when he has had enough solids, he waves his hand in front of his mouth or shoves the food off the tray. Not tonight, he just let it keep going in. These are all things he has had in the past, just not this much in one sitting.

My scare: a few days ago I was out grocery shopping w/the boys. I haven't been able to use the remote to unlock the car, probably due to the fact that Justin chews on it in the grocery. No surprise there. However, after I got home and put the kids in the kitchen in their chairs and gave them lunch, I proceeded to unload the car. As I went out to get the first load, I heard the car door locks locking and unlocking, as if someone was playing w/the remote in the house, which has been known to happen on occasion. However, I was pretty certain the kids were out of reach of the keys, and they were strapped into their chairs. So, as I took the first load in, I scanned for the keys. There they were, where I had left them, out of reach of the kids. So I decided to look for the spare set in the drawer where we keep them just in case they had been taken out. Nope, there they were, just lying there, buttons side up. Great! Now the car is locking and unlocking itself w/o keys in it or even around it!

They say things happen in 3's. Well, this makes 3 scares: gas leak, Matt's incident w/the baby monitor, and now mine w/the mysterious electrical system of the car. Or do they say deaths come in 3's? Whichever it is they say, I don't believe such silly nonsense! Which, of course means, there could be a #4! :)

THE Circleville Pumpkin Show & more Austin sayings

Austin feeding carrots to a deer











Isn't the baby goat just precious?
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Motorcycle ride anyone? Savannah and Austin had a blast on this!


This was as close to a horsey ride as they got.











How about that!


That's 1375.5#'s for the King and his Queen came in under 1200#'s.




















Yes, today we (me, Austin, Justin, Therese (Matt's sister), Savannah (Therese's daughter), and grandma Paula) went to THE place to be seen if you want to be seen w/a giant pumpkin. I have always wanted to be a food critic, and I can certainly put away the food. I decided that, for YOUR sake, as possible future Pumpkin Show attendees I would taste as many foods as I could and let you know what was worth eating. Ok, let's begin. Rating from a scale of 1-5 w/5 being the best.

crab corn chowder, approx. $5.50 for approx. 8oz.-- 3--I ate most of it, not much crab flavor
chicken & sausage jambalaya, approx. $4.50 for approx. 8oz--3--I ate less than half, rice overdone
fried swiss cheese, approx. $3.50--4.5--to small, I ate most of it
thick cut french fries, $???--5--yummmmo--I ate maybe 1/4 of them
steak on a stick, approx. $5 for approx. 2oz.--3--it was tender just not very exciting, I ate most of it
pumpkin doughnut, $1--3.5--it was better because it was warm but Circle S Farms has the best!!!, I ate half
elk chili, approx. $4 for approx. 8oz.--3--to sweet, I ate most of it
shredded chicken sandwich, approx. $4--4--little to much pepper, I ate most of it
chicken & noodles, approx. $4 for approx. 8 oz.--5--we asked for little broth, I had 1 bite
deep-fried snickers bar, approx $2.50--5--need I say more?, warning--don't get the powder sugar on it, TOO messy, I ate ALL of it
hot chocolate, approx. $2 for 12oz.--3
nacho chips in a bag (they were part of a meal-deal for Austin that cost a total of $4)--2--I only had a few
caramel apple w/nuts, approx. $3--5--I ate 1/2 of it

Austin sayings: When he gets in trouble and has to go to his room, he is asked "tell me what you did wrong that got you in trouble?" Now, when he comes out, w/o being asked he immediately says to me "tell me what you do wrong?" He has been saying lately that Jesus is in his heart and in mommy's heart and in daddy's heart and in Justin's heart. Well, the other night, after reading a few bible stories he starts telling me the whole "jesus is in my heart" thing again...but adds "and Noah is in my heart." I told him Noah wasn't in his heart and that Noah had been dead a long time. His reply was "but the animals aren't dead..the giraffes and the elephants."

I am sure he is talking! :) & A small scare for Matt!

This morning when the kids and I were waking up, Austin and I always say "good morning" several times to each other and to Justin. I am sure he said it also. It sounded more like "gu mo." I know parents understand their kids talking way before others do. But when you don't expect it, and the same words/sounds come out during the same conversations or times, you can't help but wonder.

The other morning, Matt was sitting at the dining room table drinking his coffee before work. He said he kept hearing what sounded like wind. After trying to ignore it, he finally decided it was coming from the basement, AND, he decided it no longer sounded like wind but that it was definitely breathing. Now he was getting spooked. He thought for a second it might be me w/the baby, but he knew he had just left us in bed. Now he wanted to know who was in our basement! So he quickly turned the light switch on and went down stairs. He looked around and listened. Definitely breathing, heavy breathing! Then he saw the source, the baby monitor. Apparently someone (that would be me) had accidentally left it on the night before while I was cleaning. Ooops!

List found!

Austin: He says often "thats a loving heart" when he shares something or, more importantly, when you have something he wants. However, the other day, he went to the bathroom after Matt had gone, and then I went. He said to me, "You pottied and daddy pottied and I pottied in the same toilet, that's a loving heart." Who am I to argue with that? If you ask him what he is doing when you can't see him, sometimes he answers "just chillin."

Justin: He very nearly had himself pulled up on the back of the leather couch today to look over and see what Austin was doing. He is purposely leaning all the way down to the floor and then stretching out on to his belly to reach for things. And I swear (well not really SWEAR) he was trying to sing along w/a toy that sings different songs. He does occasionally sound like he is trying to sing w/Austin, but this was different. There seemed to be real music there, for a 10 month old. Also, tonight in bed, I was talking to Justin about his big brother and it sounded like he kept trying to say "butt ta."

Update on the other night when I took Austin's diaper off. He actually slept all night w/o an accident, and w/o a chux pad. At one point Matt had taken it off the bed, then later Austin took it off. Whew! We squeaked thru. Haven't done it since.

The Bauer's ABC's of Life

To serious of a title for a christian preschool? In all seriousness, please pray for our family and the Steven's family. Beginning in a week, I will be 'trying' to teach preschool to my Austin (2.5) and their John (3.5) & Elizabeth (4.5) 3x/week for 2 hours. I am doing this for a few reasons: 1st, we need the money. JUST kidding, there is no money being exchanged! 1st, I needed a reason to start researching homeschooling for my kids. 2nd, Karen needs extra help these days w/2 home schooled kids, a baby, 2 youngsters, and a baby on the way. The reason we/I need prayer? I have my own insecurities about raising and teaching my own children, let alone somebody else's. I want to honor God in this new endeavor without making enemies out of 3 small impressionable children! I am feeling overwhelmed w/so much info. out there that it is easy to shut down and quit looking. So, I pray.

Speaking of praying, continue to keep Matt & I in your prayers. These love notes I have been writing aren't producing the immediate change in Matt that I thought they would. Oh, they weren't suppose to change him? They are suppose to transform the way I think & feel about him? Ok then, its going to take awhile! I will say this, each time I write one at night, its sort of like not letting the sun go down on my anger. I know the note can't be a replacement for truly talking things out, but its a much bigger step in the right direction for me.

Austin says.....Justin does

Not really like it sounds. This post is about some funny things Austin has been saying and something new Justin did yesterday.

Austin: If you say to him "we don't have the money for it" he says "then get some out of your purse" or "go get some from the bank." Referring to a food item he wants, if you say to him "we don't have anymore" or "we are all out of it" he says "we need to buy some more, its on sale." When we go to the store he says "am I going in mommy? Don't leave me by myself, I can't drive." If Matt talks about his paycheck, Austin will say "that's money in the bank." He still says "hold me" when he wants you to hold him. I know there are more cute things, I have a list, somewhere.....
Altho he has been "potty trained" since early summer, we still put him in a diaper at night. Tonight he informed me he didn't like how the diaper felt and wanted it off. I obliged, but in a little bit I will be putting a chux pad under him just in case. Especially since he sleeps w/us!

Justin was sitting upright on our bed today, as he does often. I had my back to him and when I turned around he had turned towards the edge of the bed where the rail guard is and had pulled himself up onto his knees and was very excited to be looking down over the edge of the bed. over the next few minutes, every time I sat him back down on his behind, he immediately turned himself sideways and pulled himself back up. Altho the rail is 12" high, I am not comfortable with this new ability. I remember when Austin was able to do it, altho it was after he could crawl, matt and I had to stop letting him do it for fear he would push himself up and over. Altho Justin is still not crawling, he dives head first off the couch now (no more setting him there unattended) and rolls enough that he can't be left alone or unattended on anything that is up off the ground. He has been rolling to his right side to go to sleep at night.
He is going on 2 weeks w/a cold. We pray he gets better soon. We're running out of toilet paper to wipe his itsy bitsy nose!

Many things to talk about....

So much has gone on in the past few weeks, besides the gas leak, I'm not sure where to begin.

Justin is rolling quite a bit now. Still not as much as the Timothy S. or Ryan T. You can't even put him on his belly now because he automatically rolls to his back. He began clapping 2 weeks ago, but is really into it now. Even when someone starts saying "patty cake patty cake" he puts his little hands up and starts clapping. Last Monday he started having a runny nose. By Wednesday night he had a fever. Tonight it looks like we might have turned the corner, as he is back to eating solid foods and was able to fall asleep laying down instead of being propped up. However, this past week of him being miserable brought about consistent calls for "ma ma ma ma."
Great Grandma Sue picked a 20# bag of Jonna Golds for us Sat. morn. We were suppose to go, but Justin was to sick. This apple is almost as big as his head! He doesn't seem to mind.


Austin is starting to play with puzzles and shape toys correctly. His new funny thing to say is, "I had that/did that/saw that yesterday." Yesterday refers to any time frame in his past. 1 hour ago, last night, 2 days ago, 1 week ago, 1 month ago, etc. Poor kid needs to wear 24 month/2T pants for the length, but the waist is to big on most of them, so they fall right down. I have been saying, what seems like forever, that I need to find a baby belt. However, with a potty training toddler, that's probably not such a good idea.

Our Sunday school group went to Circle S Farms Friday night. Altho chilly as the sun went down, the scrummcious doughnut made up for it. It looked like all the kids had a blast. There was a corn maze, sunflower maze, hay bale cave, hay ride to pick out your own pumpkin, petting zoo, apple juice, and many many photo opps. They have their own bakery on site and they make the BEST glazed pumpkin doughnuts anywhere!!!

The Bauer family w/grandma Paula May.












Austin and his cousin Eamon.














The Knudsen's














"What do we do with it now?"













Future farmer of America.










All of the kids in the hay bale barn/cave.











"THE HAND OF GOD WAS KEEPING US SAFE DURING OUR JOURNEY THROUGH THE PUMPKIN PATCH!" Ok, maybe not exactly like that. But isn't it a beautiful pic? Thanks grandma Paula!











Some of the Steven's Clan, all of the Schmidjel's, and most of the Joesph's.












That's Cassie Blevin's with her little blondie Tony.









The Prince's.










Who is that girl in the braided pigtails and glasses? I've seen her in other blog posts. I think she was the one who was sick at a Clippers game from eating to many hotdogs. :)


I have started reading a new book w/a group of women from church. I will probably use this as my source for "spiritual" blogging over the next 9 weeks. It is called Feminine Appeal, 7 Virtues of a Godly Wife & Mother by Carolyn Mahaney, and it is just what I have been praying for lately. Chapter 2 is about loving your husband. I'm not sure if I ever have really loved Matt, but I have been praying fervently for some time that I will. After reading chapter 2, not only was it convicting, but I genuinely felt differently about Matt. Don't get me wrong, I have a long way to go, but I decided to write him a note each night and put it some place where he would see it each morning (and that was before the chapter actually suggested doing something like that!). I was skeptical if I could feel something sincerely nice enough to write, and would he perceive it sincerely. I discovered that the Holy Spirit has control over my heart during those few minutes of note writing. I haven't felt that it was forced or made up. I have written 3 so far. Tonight will be 4. The first morning I was asleep in the l.r. in the recliner w/Justin, and as he was leaving for work he kissed my cheek (I assumed he must have found the note in his lunch box.) The second day I was awake when he left and he came into the bedroom to tell me "thank you for the love notes", and that he liked them. The third one was this morning, and I put it on his wallet. I added a p.s. that included a reminder/to do list. I didn't hear anything about that note. Maybe I should just stick w/the "love note" part of it. Earlier tonight I thought note #4 was going to be hard, if not impossible, to write. We had a little disagreement/tif. My first thought was, "no note tonight for you!" But as I prayed, I realized that I would still be able to leave a love filled note, regardless of my black, sinful, vengeful, prideful heart. This is going to be an exciting study!

Gas leak update

We were told that Columbia Gas would be back today to do the outside repairs. They came yesterday and were here all day. Great! They dug a 3x3x3 hole in the front yard near the street. They dug a hole up by the house to find the line and to reposition the riser from in our garage to outside the garage. They did a fantastic job putting back grass, dirt, gravel, and mulch! At 4:30pm they said they were ready to call for a tech to come and put the new meter on the new riser and turn the gas back on. WAIT A MINUTE! We still had leaks inside that hadn't been fixed yet. That's another story. The insurance company told me Monday that someone would be calling us Monday to come out and fix the inside leaks Monday or Tuesday. By 4:30pm yesterday, still nothing. When I called, again, to find out what was going on, they informed me that they couldn't send someone out until the outside work was done. Thanks for letting me know! I figured as late as it was, we wouldn't see anyone until today. At 6pm yesterday a plumber showed up at our door. It took him 3 hours, but now the inside was done. Great! I called Columbia Gas at 9:30pm last night to get an appt. for today to have the gas restored. I was told that the computer showed that we still had work to be done outside, so an appt. couldn't be made. I assured her that it was a mistake because the 4 guys who worked all day outside in my front yard told me they were done. ALL done! She assured me that she had informed me of everything she could and that she couldn't tie up the emergency line anymore. If I wanted to register a complaint I could call back in the morn. and talk to customer service. Register a complaint?! Uh, no, I just want my gas turned back on. Sheesh! So, I called back this morning at 7am and found out I was scheduled for service between 8am and 12pm. Great! Well, 12 came and went. I called at 3pm to find out that we no longer had a time assigned to us, just that it would be restored today. Normal business hours are until 4:30pm. If they don't make it by then, they do work until 11:30pm. If they can't make it by then, then and only then would I get a call. Not so great! 9pm tonight was the golden hour!!! I have never been so happy to see a work truck w/blinking lights outside my house. If I had to pick losing gas or electric, it would be gas. We have an electric stove and a dishwasher that self heats, if necessary. The furnace and dryer both work off of electric and gas, so its a lose lose there. What a day, but thank the Lord we are back in business! Shower anyone?

Isn't it the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?

It is when seeing one of these added to your home at 9pm, 3 days exactly after having smelled the gas leak, means gas has been restored! Amen! Thank you God! I can't wait to jump in the shower!!!

Yikes!

10/1/08
Not exactly something you want to see in your front yard! Unless, of course, you want your gas turned back on.