Santa Babies

Brayden wouldn't put the Santa hat on his head until now. I tried many times before Christmas but then the day after Christmas he put it on himself. Then my little Cam, this has to be one of my favorite pictures of him.
We all had a wonderful Christmas here in Minnesota. It was a white Christmas with 10 inches still on the ground (had compacted to about 6 inches) from a snow fall early December. Snow does not melt here!!! Then on Christmas Day Jared took Brayden sledding and it started to snow, talk about postcard moments. Well it didn't stop snowing until the next morning so we now have another 4-5 inches of the white stuff. Good thing I like snow!
It was just the four of us for Christmas, the first one without my mom. We went to church on Christmas Eve, bummed that our church doesn't have a candlelight service. But with two small children it was probably a good thing! Then Jared and I started getting ready for Christmas morning. It was his idea to wait to wrap gifts, put toys together until that night. We were up until 2am, but it was so worth it. We got video of Brayden coming downstairs and the boys opening their gifts (Camden just wanted to eat the paper). It was a very peaceful/lazy day. I missed my mom but truely LOVED having my boys wake up in their own beds and walk down their stairs on Christmas morning. So now we just have to convince grandparents to come to us for Christmas!!!!!

I don't know what happened to it?!?!

Brayden and I were decorating Christmas cookies last week. He decided he wanted to decorate some all on his own without my help so I went to pick up a few things. In the few minutes I wasn't standing over him, but could still see him out of the corner of my eye one of the snowman cookies was attacked. I asked him what happened to the bottom of the snowman to which he replied 'I dono'. So I looked all around the counter thinking that he tore off this section of cookie for whatever reason and threw it somewhere. After I didn't find it anywhere I gave up never imagining my picky 2 year old would have eaten the dough! When I was washing his hands I noticed the sprinkles and the dough in the corner of his mouth. I asked him about it and he answered laughing, "I ate Santa's snowman". Priceless!! We baked the cookie and Brayden enjoyed the remainder of the snowman the next day.

Quick Weekend to Chicago....WITH TWO KIDS!?!?!? Who's idea was this!!!!

I believe the conversation started Thanksgiving weekend with the fact that Jared and I were going to miss seeing the tree in Rockefeller Center this year. This gave my husband the wonderful(!?!?)idea of going to see the tree in Chicago. I don't think I really responded to this thought until the following week when he told me that he really wanted to go to Chicago. My response was simply, 'if you want to go then you have to plan everything'. I am sure I was thinking that he would NEVER get it together enough for us to go. Not that he's not a good planner, he's just so busy.

Well the next time he spoke of Chicago was to tell me that his cousin Tina offered us a place to stay and it was free. It seems her company has a 2 bedroom apt that wasn't being used that weekend (Thank you again Tina it was wonderful!). Again I don't think I really thought we would go, the kids had been sick and it was just too close to Christmas.

Now anyone who knows me knows I am a planner, a list maker, an over thinker, etc. Well I never made a list of what needed to get done before we went. In fact I almost forgot to make reservations for Murphy. When I made them I thought they would be full and that would be the end of our weekend trip. Brayden was sick Monday and Tuesday and we were supposed to be leaving on Friday, so again I thought this is so not going to happen. Well they had plenty of room for Murphy and Brayden started to feel better on Wednesday and then was completely back to normal on Thursday. OH NO, we actually might be going!!! So laundry needed to get done, the dog had to be dropped off and I needed to start the mind-numbing task of packing for 2 kids!!! YOU HAVE TO BE KIDDING ME, I CAN'T PULL THIS TOGETHER! I am so far behind on my Christmas shopping, baking, etc since the kids had been sick for the past 2 weeks. A million and three reasons not to go but my husband did it, he pulled this thing together and planned everything so now what!?!?!?

So now Thursday evening after the kids are in bed I start the packing process. Anyone with kids knows you can NEVER pack lightly when you have children even when it's only for 2 nights! Jared pulls down mapquest for directions to the apartment and finds that the travel time to Chicago is about 7 hours (translates to 9 hours with children). WHAT, it was supposed to be 5 hours!!!! Well if I would've thought this was actually going to happen and would have spent more time thinking about it I would've maybe thought it through and realized that 5-6 hours didn't make sense since Jackson is about 2 hours from Chicago and it takes us 10-11 hours to get to MI from MN. Oh well we push on! Now the car is packed with suitcases, pack and play, stroller, etc and there is almost no view out the back window.

We get stuck in Chicago rush hour and Camden begins to cry (aka SCREAM). Jared says 'this is the first and last time we will do this'. We get there finally around 6:30pm and meet friends for dinner who we hadn't seen for a year. The kids don't get to bed until 10:30-11pm but we get everything settled in the apt after Jared makes 3 trips up and down to unload the car (we were on the 21st floor).

Saturday Jared and Brayden head out into Chicago to do some exploring while Camden takes a nap. Then we all leave after lunch and just as we head out it starts to snow......lots and lots of wet snow. I remember Jared saying flurries but he says he told me about the chance of a snowstorm, again if I'd been paying more attention and thought we were actually going I might have squashed this trip! Luckily I did have to forthought to bring the plastic cover for the stroller. Brayden gets into the stoller since carrying a 22 lb. baby is easier than a 37 lb. little boy! We hike out into the slushy mess and find the tree that was supposed to be the replacement for the NYC tree, whatever!!!! Nice tree but NOT the Rockefeller tree by any stretch! But there is a German Christmas festival going on by the tree and we get spiced wine. Things are improving! I look like a drowned rat from all the snow that is melting on my head (the above pic) but the kids seem to be enjoying themselves and I have warm spiced wine in my belly. We head out to Macys to see Santa and get inside out of the snow. We stand in line for an hour and when we get to Santa and I put Brayden in his lap, well it was priceless. I wish I could post a picture of that on this page.....just to give a visual, Brayden was red faced, arms outstretched and crying 'I want Mommy'. Camden just has a confused look on his face wondering if he should also be upset that his Daddy just dropped him in some Santa guys lap?!?! As Jared and I back away I yell "take the picture" to the lady behind the camera and then sweep in to pick up my son. We stand and talk to Santa for a few minutes but by this time Brayden won't even look at him! Some might think I'm an awful mom for doing that to my 2 year old, but it was that or take the chance that he would cry after we left because he didn't get to sit on Santas lap like his brother. And I was not going to stand in line for another hour! We leave and get outside and it had stopped snowing. We go to dinner with Jareds cousin and her boyfriend to a really nice Greek restaurant (the flaming cheese was impressive!) and my boys did wonderful. We left the restaurant and the 'real' snowstorm was in full swing, who knew?!?! We get a cab (wondering if we should have our children in a cab without carseats in a snowstorm?!!?) and slide back to the apartment. Then we sit inside watching near accidents happen on the streets from the 21st floor while eating Garretts popcorn (this stuff should be illegal!). And the guy from the apt across from us watched us as Jared pointed to where the Sears Tower was (couldn't see it in the storm) while he was standing in his pjs brushing his teeth, hello neighbor!!!!

Sunday Jared makes the 3 trips back down to load up the car and we leave to meet more friends on our way out of town. The storm has passed and the roads are clear. We meet our friends who live in Virginia but just happened to be in Chicago visiting the same weekend! We hadn't seen them for 4 years. We get back home to Minnesota around 8pm and Camden throws up 3 times when we get into the house (stomach bug we guess, he's fine today).

So some reading this would think this was a bit of a disaster (especially those without kids!) but it was actually a lot of fun. We got a taste of the city and Jared is now fully into the holiday spirit. We got to see friends/family that we hadn't seen in a long time, hang out as a family wandering Chicago a city I love (probably even more than NYC), and the boys were very well behaved with little to no whining or crying. I realized that sometimes not over thinking things is better and it can really open things up for a fun (at times hilarious) memorable experience. We are already discussing the next time we head out for a weekend.....we will add an extra day!!!!

So There is a Mommy?!?!

So my in laws always ask where I am in the pictures. It's always just the boys, Brayden, Camden and Jared. Well after our photo shoot to get the perfect Christmas card pic (ha-ha) I grabbed up my babies and threw the camera at Jared and said, "take my picture with my boys". I have a VERY shiny forehead and cheeks and the boys are completely tired of the camera but I DON'T CARE!!! I got my picture and I am even having a magnet made of it for myself!! As moms we get overlooked most of the time and I am perfectly fine with that, my kids are what matter and I am happy to take a backseat. But occasionally I will jump in and make it about me and I don't care what anyone thinks about that!

Let It Snow!!!!

Well we are in Minnesota after all!!! We have about 10+ inches of snow now with more in the forecast for tomorrow and a small snowstorm for Saturday!!! So it looks like we might have a white Christmas (keeping my fingers crossed!!)
Camden likes the snow but Brayden is still getting used to it. Not that NJ didn't have snow but it was rare so he's only seen it a handful of times. Brayden is my careful child who needs to really check something out before he dives in, but once he's in he doesn't want to stop. Hence the reason for the neighbors hearing my boy scream "I WANT TO DIG MORE MOMMA" with tears streaming down his face after I told him we needed to go inside.
Of course with this snow comes the cold weather with 0 degree temps (what it is right now). We had a high of 18 degrees today, we don't mind the idea of global warming here!!!!

I think I'm full now!

So here is my little porkchop on Thanksgiving enjoying his drumstick! He might not have actually had any turkey but he did get to try some mashed potatoes and apple pie after his baby food. We had a very nice Thanksgiving, it was just the four of us so it was pretty relaxing. Of course the next day we were back to the craziness. I painted the den a dark burgundy color which I love but it took THREE coats of paint. Brayden made it all worth it since every time he walks past the room he says "momma it's really neat". Then on Sunday we tried to get our Christmas tree but there was a fire (didn't make it to the tree farm) so it was closed early. It was a perfect day for cutting a tree down with two kids, 50 degrees and sunny. So we had to wait until this past weekend and of course it was 20 degrees with a minor snowstorm, needless to say we did not make it to the tree farm. We went to a lovely indoor greenhouse where there were precut trees all lined up in neat rows. Next year we WILL trudge out into the wilds (ha-ha) for our tree like the Griswold's, even if there is a snowstorm!

Sorry Jodi there's nothing going on here!

So I went to check out to see what was going on with my cousins Kristin and Jodi and I find a plea for people to update their blogs from Jodi. I too have the mentality that I need to attach a photo and I have not taken any new pictures in a few days except with my 35mm. So here is an entry without a picture. Sorry but I am not a person with major excitement going on so this will probably be pretty boring!
Camden is cutting his third tooth and screams whenever he bites down on one of his Gerber puffs, but he's a trooper and will continue to shove them into his mouth (more likely he just hasn't made the connection).
Brayden is getting more and more independent every day. He now wants to wash his hands by himself and if we even get close to the bathroom he sticks his hand up like a stop sign and says 'no I can do it myself'. Very cute but my bathroom ends up looking like a duck stopped by. Oh well, it's staying clean with all that soap and water splashed around!?!?!
It's getting colder here in Minnesota and there may be a BIG snowstorm coming on Wednesday. They say it may miss us but if it doesn't we are going to get dumped on. So my husband freaked and went out and bought a snowblower. He was showing it to me last night and couldn't remember how to start it!!! I think we might be in trouble because HE WON"T READ THE MANUAL!!!
As for me I am enjoying my MOPS group and getting together with a couple of my mom friends once a week. And of course shopping! (That was for Jared!)

Murphys Dream Come True

Murphy is now 13 years old but he still acts like a puppy when it comes to chasing a ball. Brayden has discovered how much fun it is to throw the ball for him and even has the "drop the ball Murphy" part down. The two of them play until both of their tongues are hanging out from exhaustion. I knew the day would come when these two would become buddies, I just hope it doesn't kill the dog!!!!!

Brotherly Love

These are the moments I KNOW I need to cherish and get documented because someday soon I'm sure these times will be few and very far between. Brayden sat next to Camden and just leaned over and gave him a big hug and said "I love my brother". To which Camden was all smiles at his brothers attention. Camden's face lights up when his big brother comes into a room. There are times when Camden is screaming in protest to having his nose wiped, face washed (he will most definately be my little pigpen when he gets older) and all I have to do is get Brayden to come over close and Camden turns on the smiles and happy screeches. If I could have one wish it would be that they would always be like this and never fight, yeah right!!!!!!

My Little Trick or Treaters

Here are my little men before Brayden left for trick or treating. Brayden was a dragon and Camden was a puppy dog. This was Jareds first halloween home since Brayden was born. So I don't know who was more excited to go trick or treating, Jared or Brayden?!?! Camden stayed home with me to pass out candy. I am guessing we had around 70-80 kids come to our door, which was very neat. This is the first place we've lived where we've had that many trick or treaters. In New Jersey we were either too close to a busy road or out in the country too far. Jared said when he was out with Brayden in the neighborhood everywhere he turned there were kids in costume. Our new Minnesota neighborhood definately gets a big thumbs up when it comes to trick or treating!!!

Yum Chocolate!!!

This is Brayden's very first chocolate bar, a Kit Kat. Jared and I were trying to hold him off on candy until he was 3 years old, obviously we caved on halloween! After he had a bite I asked him what he thought, he replied "I LIKE IT!!" Now after every meal (even breakfast) he asks for a piece of candy!!!

So here is my first attempt at blogging! A little unsure about this whole thing but we'll give it a shot. My cousins; Janine, Kristin and Jodi have inspired me to give it a try!

I will start out by giving the reason behind the title, Contentment in Minnesota. I read an article long ago (before kids) where the author was commenting how when we are young we are always looking for excitement, but now he realizes life is best when he is content. Some would say "how boring" and I probably did too when I first read the article.

Now fast forward to my life with my Gehle boys. Raising children is anything but boring, on any given day I go through many feelings and emotions. There are extreme highs and bottom out lows (and that's within 15 minutes of waking up!) But somewhere between the highs and lows there are moments of contentment; when Brayden is 'reading' a book to his brother or the boys are just smiling at each other for no apparent reason. Those are the times that stick with me and get me through the day. Those are the moments I will cherish forever and the moments that make me realize how wonderful my life really is!

I thank God every day for such a wonderful husband who gave me two equally wonderful little boys. My childhood was not always easy and I remember thinking things are hard now but God will make sure my life is better when I get older. I was around 13 when I thought this not really understanding what better was going to be, now I know!