The Life and Times of Joseph and Maren Muhlestein

Nicholas at 28 months

2012-01-26T19:15:00.000-08:00

Weight: 34 lbs

Height: Almost 3 ft!!

At 28 months, Nicholas is quite the catch. He enjoys bubble baths, long walks outside, cooking, holding hands in the parking lot, and snuggling after naps. He is an outdoors man and owns his own red convertible. He has great muscles and isn't afraid to flex them for the ladies. (He hears that chicks dig it.) He is an animal lover. He also loves his Mama and treats her right.

Talents:

He can count to 15. (We make him count to 15 if he wants to get out of time out, so he gets lots of practice. It also is a little self esteem boost at the end of time out, because we always tell him how well he did at counting.)
He can now recognize all the numbers from 1 to 10 about 80% of the time.
He has become a great TV watcher. I love this new found talent. Joseph has been on his surgery rotation so it has been great because it gives me about an hour break in the morning and at night so I can actually get something done. He LOVES Mickey Mouse club house. Half our conversations are interrupted by him telling me, "I need to watch Mickey." I just respond by saying, "Yeah, you like Mickey." Then I just keep on going with our conversation.
He has become really good at putting both hands on the side of the car while I unload Lexi. He gets lots of praises for this!!
He loves singing time during nursery, and he loves to sing all the songs he learns. He knows The Itsy Bitsy Spider, The Wiseman Built His House Upon a Rock, Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree, Patty Cake, and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to name a few.

Other fun things about Nicholas:

He is my exercise coach. I try to load the kids up in the jogging stroller every morning when the weather is decent. I will start running and I'll hear him say, "Good job Mom for going super fast." When we get within sight of the park, he will celebrate and say, "Yeah! We did it. We are at the park."

At the park there is a very specific order when it comes to taking turns going down the slide. First, Steve the red car gets sent down. Second, Mom has to go down. I have to pretend I get stuck at the top of the slide, and Nicholas helps push me down. Finally, Nicholas goes down the slide.

Joseph taught Nicholas to thank me every time I make some food for him. He will exclaim, "Thank you very much for making this yummy food Mom." I always act EXTREMELY happy when he tells me this and tell him the best way to say thank you is also by eating your food. I think it is also cute when he tells me, "I need some [insert random food item] to put in my mouth."

Nicholas has always LOVED dips. Right now he is obsessed with ketchup and french fries. The funny part is that he will dip all his food in the dips we give him. Tonight, he dipped all his grapes in ketchup. When we went out to eat at Five Guys Burgers, he dipped his peanuts in the ketchup. Sometimes I will look over and his dip will be gone before he has even touched the item the dip was meant for. The other night we had stromboli and dipped it in spaghetti sauce. Nicholas just requested a spoon and ate the spaghetti sauce as if it was tomato soup.

Nicholas will suddenly decide he is done eating and get this panicky look on his face like he is claustrophobic and the walls are closing in around him. We are working on saying, "May I please be excused from the table." Right now all he can muster is, "I'm stuck. I'm stuck. I'm stuck. GET ME OUT OF HERE. GET ME OUT OF HERE."

Nicholas still uses a binkie during nap time and bed time. Sometimes I let him have it when we read a story before bed. When he talks with the binkie in his mouth it gets the binkie wet with spit. This upsets Nicholas and he will give me his binkie to wipe off.

I went to a Relief Society meeting and took Nicholas because there was going to be child care. I told Nicholas we were going to a hot chocolate party, because the activity was a game night with a hot chocolate bar. Now he ALWAYS wants to have a hot chocolate party.

Favorite Books:

Thomas the Train
Frosty the Snowman
Puppy Present
Hungry Caterpillar
Mama Bear, Mama Bear. What do you see?

Grandfather Muhlestein and Nicholas at Five Guys Burgers enjoying Nicholas' favorite foods.

Nicholas spent 20 minutes giving this duck drinks, hugs, and a bath.

Nicholas' gingerbread house. It had a few more decorations on it, but Nicholas thought they could be put to better use in his mouth.

Nicholas working on his gingerbread house. He ate a whole dish full of gumdrops.

I took this picture before Nicholas and I headed down this huge slide at The Ark. I almost love going down the slide as much as Nicholas. I can get going REALLY fast on it!!

Nicholas loves wearing our shoes around the house.

Nicholas at the Bob the Builder exhibit at the Museum.

Nicholas' imagination turned this pipe into his "shooter." He is pure boy.

Nicholas' first rootbeer (aka root juice) float.

Nicholas at 27 months

2012-01-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

Weight: 33 lbs

Favorite Activities:

Looking for bugs (We watched A Bugs Life and we have a bug catcher and net that he loves to carry around at the park.)
Throwing rocks in piddles (aka puddles)
Running "super" fast
Drawing circles
Coloring
Playing in a bubble bath
Playing hide and seek
Playing with the ipad

Favorite Books:

Frosty the Snowman
Santa's Stuck
The Hungry Caterpiller

Nicholas Makes Me Laugh:

The other day he was drawing a picture and he proudly told me, "It's lookin' good like Mr. Incredible." I asked him, "Is Mr. Incredible really good looking?" Nicholas enthusiastically replied, "OH YEAH, Mom!!!"

We have been trying to teach Nicholas to be careful and not to break other people's things because it hurts their feelings and sometimes we can't fix everything we break. We were at the park examining a huge ant hill and going over how ants bite when Nicholas reached down and picked a little plant in the middle of the ant hill and a stream of ants started coming out of the hill. I told him, "Ants are so sad when you break their house. Look they are all coming out of their house. Careful they are so sad they might bite you." He looked down closely at the ants and said, "Yeah, Mom. Sometimes I break our house and Mamma so sad that she cries."

Nicholas has been doing really well sleeping in his big boy bed. Some nights he will come out a couple of times. The first time he gets out of bed, we ask him, "Did you forget it is bedtime? Do you need some help going back to sleep?" Usually, we let him pick one of his toys to take back to bed with him. If he comes out a second time, we make him go to time out. A couple of nights ago when he popped out of his room for the second time, he said, "I don't want to go to time out. I want to be happy." He was spared the time out chair because I was laughing so hard.

Nicholas' favorite delay tactic for going to sleep is he will tell me he needs certain toys before he goes to bed. For example, he might need his turkey baster, flute, or a certain remote. The other night he ran out of ideas of what else he could request. He started saying, "I need, I need, I need, I need..." I leaned in closer to hear what it was he needed. He took that opportunity to grab my nose and laugh hysterically.

Nicholas likes to talk on his cell phone. This was a conversation he had the other day, "I'm calling Mama. Mama what are you doing? You are having so much fun with me. Yeah. Okay. Love you. See you later." After he hung up he decided to call Grandma and Grandpa, "Grandma and Grandpa, what are you doing? You want to play games with me. Okay. Love you. See you later. Come and visit me. Happy New Year."

The other day we were at the park with one of his friends. She is about a year and a half and she loved to mother and touch Nicholas. Nicholas found this very upsetting. He would tell her, "Stop pushing me." He also had to keep reminding himself that he was a "nice boy" and that he shouldn't push her back. Finally he resorted to running from her. It was hilarious to watch him run from this little girl that was half his size. He was so upset as he ran away that he tripped and I couldn't help laughing.

Looking at ants.

Nicholas with Bark.

Counter Strike

2012-01-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

When we first saw our house, one of our first thoughts was, "what's up with those funky countertops?" Soon after moving in, we realized that they were hexagonal tiles which had been painted over by a peachish-beige. Soon after that, we realized that the paint job was more of a quick fix than actual solution, as it soon began to flake off and reveal patches of the underlying tile. Needless to say, this was not one of our favorite features of the house.

We have wanted to do something about this for a long time, but realized our options were limited by time and budget. Replacing them with laminate would have been in the thousands of dollars range. Repainting them as before seemed like it would just get us back into the same boat we were already in. Maren did quite a bit of research into what options we had, and this Christmas break we decided to go ahead and try what seemed like the best one.

We first spent several weekends sanding down the old paint. We were worried that painting on top of poorly adhered paint would just perpetuate our problem. When that was done and the break started, we began to paint. First we used a special chemical to clean the surface and let it dry. Thent we put a coat of primer down on the counter and backsplash. Then we did a coat of "silky" black. We found some paint chips used for texturing, and after running them through the food processor, we liked the size they were. We got an old spice bottle and applied it salt and pepper style while the paint was still wet. Once this dried, we began putting a polyurethane coat over it. We thought that 3-4 would be sufficient, but I guess our paint chips were thicker than we expected, because we ended up doing 10 before we were satisfied with how smooth it was. The polyurethane goes on totally clear, and gives it a nice shine. It's probably not as nice as brand new counter tops, but we did the whole project for about $150 dollars including tools/supplies, and have been pleased with how it turned out. We are also satisfied it will be much more durable than the previous single coat had been with the all of the super durable coating layers we added and the careful surface preparation. Please tell us what you think!

Teaching the Joy of Giving

2012-01-08T11:53:00.000-08:00

This Christmas we worked really hard to teach Nicholas about the joy of giving gifts, and we were marginally successful. Our first step was to have him help pick out gifts for the neighbors. He loved picking out wrapping paper to give them and tying the card on it. He even picked out a special doggy toy and treat for our next door neighbor's dog Ozzie. He worked really hard at making a very colorful Christmas card for Ozzie and was so excited. However, things didn't go as smoothly when it came to giving the gifts to the neighbors.

At the first neighbor's house, Nicholas broke down in tears when he handed her the wrapping paper. He was a little better giving the second neighbor her gift, mostly because he was distracted by her dog Toy. At the third neighbor's house, we gave the wrapping paper to them and Nicholas gave the gift for Ozzie. He was so upset that Ozzie didn't come to the door that he had a second breakdown.

Later that month, we took Nicholas to Dollar Tree and had him buy a gift for Papa, Mama, and Lexi. Papa helped him shop for me. Nicholas decided that I really needed a spatula and a turkey baster. Papa also helped Nicholas shop for Lexi. Nicholas insisted that Lexi needed a princess. He looked through all the Barbie dolls and found the perfect one for her. It was really sweet. Then I took him to shop for Papa. He bought Papa two badminton racquets and a bug catcher. When we got home, he helped wrap by being in charge of the tape. He also made cards for each of the presents.

On Christmas, he was very excited for us all to open our gifts. However, he didn't really get the concept that he had purchased and wrapped the gifts for us. He was only excited for us to open our gifts so he could adopt the presents back. It seems like Nicholas learned to enjoy the shopping and wrapping part of gift giving but not the actual giving part. Oh, well. We have something to work on for next year:)

Christmas Fun

2012-01-01T11:49:00.001-08:00

Here are some of our favorite memories from this Christmas:

Our all time favorite Christmas tradition down here in Texas is visiting Bethlehem Revisited in Waxahachie. A local church in this little town recreates Bethlehem at the time of Christ. You can follow Mary and Joseph through Bethlehem to the manger. You can follow the wisemen who have real camels as they visit Herod and the Christ child. You can even see the shepherds with real sheep as they are visited by an angel. There are tons of actors that all stay in character and have fabulous costumes. Nicholas especially loved the Roman soldiers with their sword and shield and King Herod's dancers' skirts. Nicholas also loved petting all the chickens, goats, and sheep that were running around. When we visited the tax collector's hut, he gave Nicholas a tiny coin which Nicholas treasured until he lost it. My favorite part was tasting the hummus and bread balls dipped in honey that they cooked on an open fire. Joseph's favorite part this year was the synagogue. They had a Rabbi in there teaching some of the young Jewish students and interacting with the crowd. Joseph had a lot of fun testing the Rabbi's knowledge. The Rabbi loved their debate so much that he gave Joseph a little yamaka to wear.
This was our first Christmas not in Utah. It helped a lot though that we had some of Joseph's brothers and sisters come down and visit. Nicholas had the best time with all the attention he received. We took all the aunts and uncles down to the Stockyards in Fort Worth and tried out a new BBQ place called The Railhead. (We give it the reward for the best sausage we have had in TX so far.)
Almost every Sunday in December, we spent the night driving around and seeing Christmas lights. It worked out well because Nicholas would be so tired from missing his nap due to church being at 1 that he would pass out on the drive to the lights and then wake up and see all the Christmas lights. He LOVED looking at the lights. Our favorite place to go see lights was up in Deerfield near Plano.
This was our second year going to the Nativity Festival in Carrollton. They gather tons of nativities from around the community and put them on display. It is fabulous. They also had a bell choir and Nicholas' attention was completely captivated by their performance. We were so grateful that Nicholas was strapped into his stroller so he couldn't break anything. Nicholas' favorite nativity was the one made of puppies.
We went to lots of Christmas parties. Nicholas would get so excited when I would tell him we were going to go to a party. All day long he would tell me, "Lets go to the party now and eat lots of food and play lots of games."
Joseph and Nicholas went to the train display at Gaylord Texas. Even more than the trains Nicholas enjoyed the fountain.
Nicholas loved doing his advent calender. He also loved eating candy canes and drinking/making hot chocolate.

Lexi at 2 months

2011-12-23T06:49:00.000-08:00

Weight: 14.2 lbs with clothes and a diaper

Height: 23 inches

Chins: 2

Clothing Size: She is in 3 month clothes now.

Eye Color: Grey blue

I can't believe my little girl is two months old. She has been such a fun addition to our home. I tease that holding Lexi is better than therapy:) When life gets crazy, Nicholas throws tantrums, or I'm worn out, I grab little Lexi and snuggle with her and the world is suddenly okay. She is pure sweetness and smiles. She is never upset for no reason and is very patient. She waits her turn to be loved on.

Talking: She is making fewer dolphin noises as she is getting older. She has the cutest laugh. She can also carry on a good coo conversation. I talk to her and she will coo and smile back. It is my favorite thing to do with her. My other favorite noise she makes is her very unlady-like burps.

Sleeping: She still has no schedule. She can sleep a good 6 hours straight every once in a while. She doesn't have to be swaddled as much as Nicholas. She likes sleeping in her bouncer chair the most, but will actually sleep in her crib really well. The only thing consistent is she likes to stay up until around 11 or 12. When she wakes up from a long nap, she is always at her happiest. She will sit, smile, and do her superman stretches before she eats.

Hates the Most: Wardrobe changes

Likes the Most: Being talked to and smiled at. (She especially likes it when you tell her that she is smart and pretty.)

Funniest Sibling Interaction: Nicholas had decided to wake up super early one morning and I wasn't too pleased. I was telling him that it was too early to be up. His noises, however, woke Lexi up in the next room and at that point I gave up the idea that he should go back to bed. I went into Lexi's room and brought her back in Nicholas' room. When we came into the room, he said, "Look Mom, Lexi is happy to see me." I burst into laughter. I got the hint. Nicholas thinks we should all be happy to see him, even if it is six in the morning.

I Love Lexi!!

2011-12-14T13:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-11T08:04:00.001-08:00

11 Reasons

We are Grateful for 2011

We welcomed Alexis Elaine Muhlestein into our family on Oct. 24th and had all the grandparents come for her blessing.
Nicholas turned 2!!
We celebrated 5 years of marriage.
We survived the hottest summer on record in Texas.
Joseph finished his second year of medical school and passed his huge, comprehensive Step 1 test!!!
Nicholas went from only saying “Yeah” to speaking in full sentences!
Nicholas learned his ABCs and can count to 10.
During spring break, we visited Louisiana. We saw alligators and celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Maren and Nicholas were able to visit Utah twice. Joseph visited Utah once.
Our family and house survived a huge hail storm and tornado.
We have loved playing tourist and exploring Texas.

Birth Announcement

2011-12-11T07:59:00.001-08:00

*Thank you Aunt Kathryn for making the announcement. (Kathryn is a graphic designer extraordinaire.) We LOVE it!!

Nicholas at 26 months

2011-12-08T07:24:00.000-08:00

Weight: 33.2 lbs

Height: 34.5 inches

Favorite Books:

Dott the Fire Dog
I've Seen Santa
Snowmen at Christmas

Favorite Food:

Hot Chocolate (He is a little obsessed. I just add a tiny bit to a big cup of milk and he is one happy little boy.)

Big Accomplishment:

He finally learned his colors. For the longest time, he couldn't care less about colors or learning his colors. Now he finally knows them!!

Discipline:

We use to have time out in his crib. Now we just pull a kitchen chair in the middle of the room and make him sit in it. We have him sit in it for 1 minute. During the last ten seconds, we have him count to 10 before he can get out. Sometimes, he will just start counting as soon as he gets in the chair thinking that will magically get him out faster. Sometimes he comes and tells me when he has done something wrong, like touch the Christmas tree, and he will put himself in time out.

Speaking:

He is wonderful talker. People are always impressed, mostly because he is just more vocal than other kids his age when talking to strangers. He talks mostly in simple sentences now, but will say sentences with 4 or 5 words. Some of my favorite words and phrases because of the way he says them are:

"Oh YEAH."
"That's right Mommy."
"Thank you very much."
"Ozzie. Ozzie. Ozzie. Ozzie. OOOOOOOOzzzzzzzzzie."
"I run super fast."

Christmas:

We have LOVED teaching Nicholas about Christmas. He knows it is Jesus' birthday. He knows that Mary and Joseph were Jesus' parents. He does get confused about whether Joseph or Mary was Jesus' mother. He has learned about stars, wisemen, shepherds, and angels. I made him little nativity people that he plays with, and we use them to tell the Christmas story.

He has also learned about Santa, snowmen, Christmas trees, ornaments, elves, and Rudolf. We have a little elf living with us named Jack that watches Nicholas and tells Santa if he has been good or bad. When Nicholas touches the Christmas tree, he says, "Oh no. Jack's watching me. No touch Christmas tree. Time out chair." We also have an advent calendar that has 24 treats. He is always good at remembering to get his treat each day.

Nicholas also loves all the Christmas lights. He even has some colored Christmas lights draped on his bed that he calls his "Nicholas lights." He loves to have them on when he sleeps and when we read stories. He also has loved driving through different neighborhoods and seeing the lights on different houses. He also loves egg nog, Christmas parties, Christmas songs, and candy canes. Nicholas wants a bat and ball from Santa this year.

Nicholas definitely makes me laugh and sometimes cry. Here are a couple reasons why:

Joseph has taught him to flex his muscles and say, "Chicks dig it."
Nicholas has a good imagination. He likes to pretend he is sleeping or that his toys or puppies are sleeping. Sometimes he tells me, "Sleeping Beauty. Kiss. Wake up." I'll kiss him on the cheek and he will laugh hysterically.
We ordered too many size 4 diapers. Nicholas is way too big for them, but they are still doing the job during the day so I have been having him wear them. They are stretched a little tight so they remind us of a thong. Two weeks ago, he suddenly looked up and told me, "Oh NO!! Diaper popped." I thought he maybe was stinky, but I understood the situation when I saw that one of the tabs had broken. This has happened three times since, but he is always good to alert me to the situation.
Part of the reason Nicholas loves his new big boy puppy bed is that sometimes I forget to put his binkies up high and leave them on the bed. Then when I am feeding Lexi, he will go back to his room and suck on his binkie until I catch him. Sometimes I sneak up on him and scare him so bad because he knows what he is doing is against the rules.
Lately Nicholas, Lexi, and I have been playing store. I put a few items of play food out on the couch and tell Nicholas the price of the food. Nicholas then has to give me enough pennies to buy the food that he wants. He then puts the food in his wagon or his shopping cart. As the game goes on, he gets sick of counting out the pennies and will just give me all the pennies he has and takes whatever he wants.
Nicholas is very into drawing. We are working really hard at having him only draw on paper. When we go to the park, he spends half the time drawing letters in the dirt. Last week I was raking leaves on the side of the house while Nicholas said hello to Ozzie. The neighbors keep their convertible parked on the side of the house. Nicholas walked around to the other side of the car where I couldn't see him. He was only over there for a few seconds before I went to check on him because I was worried he was playing with the jug of blue windshield wiper fluid that he thinks is juice. Instead, I see him holding a rock. He looks up at me and smiles proudly and says, "I draw car." My heart sank. I picked him up and raced him inside. I told him it was SUPER NAUGHTY to draw on cars. I couldn't get too mad at him because I hadn't told him this before. He is just a creative, sweet two year old. I cried though. Not because it would be expensive to fix the car, but more because I felt doomed to follow that boy everywhere and never let him out of my sight. There is so much more that I need to teach him before he can be independent. Everything worked out with the car. Our neighbors were very nice about it and even laughed.
On Sunday, we don't let Nicholas watch anything but church movies. We tell him it is because it is Sunday and we need to think about Jesus. During breakfast on Monday (Nov 21), Nicholas smiled and announced, "Not Jesus time. Time for new Toy Story. Woody, Buzz, Jessie. Yeah!" He then clapped.
Nicholas is really good at praying. However, if you pause too long when you are helping him pray he will immediate conclude with "In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
If you sit by us during sacrament this is what you will hear Nicholas LOUDLY announce, "I take one bread. I take one water. I take sacrament. I think of Jesus." It is really so sweet you can't get too mad about the volume at which he makes this statement.
Nicholas recently has become scared of the vacuum. He will tell me, "That's too scary Mom."
He is having a harder time going to bed at night. He will come running out of his room and tell me, "I can't go to sleep." We will tell him to go back to bed and most of the time, he will run back to his bed and lay there. Sometimes he will try to negotiate. My favorite was when he told me, "I can't sleep. I sit on Mama's lap and watch Mama's show." I told him nice try buddy and sent him back to bed.
When Lexi was born, Nicholas' grandparents brought their iPads and Nicholas LOVED them. We bought one of the fire-sale touchpads, but the lack of games for it kept him from getting interested. When we put android on it with lots of games, he quickly became more proficient at using it than Mama. His favorite game is "monkeys", or Monkey Preschool Lunchbox.

Nicholas As a Big Brother:

Nicholas always wants to carry Lexi. He will try and then say, "I pick up Lexi. Lexi too heavy."
He is never mean to Lexi. He is fine with her taking over his crib and his old room. He is not crazy about sharing Mama. At first when I would feed Lexi, he tried whining and crying to keep my focus on him. Now, he has changed his tactics. He tries to get me to stop feeding Lexi by getting into as much trouble as possible. For example, today he went through the garbage, colored with pen on everything laying on my bed in my room, and dumped a cup of water.

I LOVE doing crafts with Nicholas. Nicholas loves it too. The hardest part is convincing Nicholas that we have to stop and clean up at some point. He is always so proud of his creations. (FYI: At first he wanted a pink castle birdhouse. He only settled for a green and blue castle birdhouse because I didn't have pink paint.)

Nicholas loved our Thankful tree.

Nicholas' motto is: Talk LOUDLY and carry a BIG stick.

We drew a little city for his car named Steve to drive around in.

He loves to play with Papa's racket. He thinks he needs to put on Joseph's racquetball glove and glasses each time he holds the racket.

Lexi in the Leaves

2011-12-07T21:01:00.000-08:00

Today the huge tree in our front yard dumped all of its leaves. Luckily, I was able to vacuum them up with the leaf blower we bought on Black Friday. (You know you are an old married couple when your big exciting purchases on Black Friday are a leaf blower, dress socks, and fabric.) When I saw the huge piles of leaves, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to photograph Lexi in them. (Nicholas was napping at the time.) It was a cold day so I expected a lot of wailing and gnashing of gums during our little photo session. I was surprised when she just laid in the leaves bewildered but calm. I only had time to snap a few shots before I had to rush her back into the warm house. Here are the results:

Lexi Laughing II

2011-12-04T21:56:00.001-08:00

Lexi Laughing

2011-12-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Family Photo Shoot

2011-11-30T02:54:00.000-08:00

Our friend Tatia took these pictures when Lexi was almost two weeks old. Thanks Tatia!

Lexi at 1 1/2 weeks

2011-11-29T11:10:00.001-08:00

Lexi's Blessing

2011-11-29T06:13:00.000-08:00

Joseph blessed Lexi on Oct. 30th when she was less than a week old, because all of her grandparents could come from Utah. Lexi was all dressed up with matching shoes, socks, headband, and bracelet. My mother and I had so much fun finding a dress for Lexi when I visited Utah in August. Lexi looked like a little angel and was so good when she was blessed despite the fact that she was starved.

My Little Turkeys

2011-11-29T02:16:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We ate dinner down at the church with a bunch of families in our ward. I was glad I didn't have to make a whole thanksgiving dinner. We just brought a vegetable tray, salad, and dessert. Below is a picture of "Pete" our perky vegetable turkey. Nicholas liked him, but not as much as Mama did. Joseph was amused by how big of a kick I got out of arranging the vegetables to look like a turkey.

As a mother, it is my right to put my kids in embarrassing head wear. I have really exercised this right with Lexi. For Thanksgiving, I branched out and included Nicholas. In my defense, he LOVED his turkey hat. I thought I would be lucky to get him to wear it for a couple of pictures. Instead, he wore it to Thanksgiving dinner and slept with it a couple nights. We kept telling him, "Looking good Nicholas." Now when he wears the hat he says, "I'm lookin' good, Mama."

Lexi at 1 month

2011-11-28T09:37:00.001-08:00

Weight: Approximately 11 lbs

Height: 22"

Diaper Size: 1

Number of Chins: 2

Eye Color: Dark grey/blue

I can't tell you how much we are enjoying this new little one. I had forgotten how much I LOVE newborns. Joseph and I fight over who gets to hold her at church or when we sit down to watch a movie. She is just pure sweetness. She is generally content to sit in her bouncer and watch the world in between naps. About twice a day, she demands to be held. Usually she likes to be held for about two hours in the morning and two hours at night. Of course we love to snuggle with her every chance we get, but sadly we usually need both our hands to manage Nicholas and the messes he makes. I think she somehow realizes that so she usually demands to be held when Nicholas isn't awake. She is pretty mild mannered. Even the pediatrician commented that she wasn't a fussy baby. She never cries when she is being held unless she is hungry.

Special Talents:

Nicholas made coughing noises and grunts. Lexi makes squeaks and clicks.
Making funny faces.
She enjoys tummy time if you sit and pat her back while she does it.
At 3 weeks, she started smiling at us on purpose and even started to laugh. Her laugh is just a little, "Ha."
Going to the bathroom during diaper changes. It doesn't matter how prepared I am, she always manages to make some sort of mess at least once a day:)
Making LOTS of messy diapers.
She has a little tuft of long hair on the top of her head that likes to stick up like Alfalfa.

Things She Doesn't Like:

Wardrobe changes are traumatic.
She doesn't like her diaper changed, but she is coming to terms with that.
She doesn't really like using a pacifier. She will suck on it for a minute or two when she is really hungry, but that is about it.

Sleeping:

For the first 3 1/2 weeks of her life, she wouldn't go longer than 3 hours between feeding. Now she is going up to 4 hours between feedings at night.
She likes to hang out and be held by Mama or Papa between 10 pm and 1 am.
She sleeps better swaddled, but she also likes to sleep with her hands by her face.
She sleeps either in her vibrating bouncer or in her crib.

Nov. 25-Lexi at the mall watching ice skating and the big tree lighting ceremony at the Galleria.

Nov. 25- Joseph admiring Lexi.

Lexi playing store with Nicholas. Nicholas gives her lots of play food to hold.

Nov. 13- Lexi all dressed up and ready to go to church.

Lexi spends a large part of her day looking like this.

Nov. 6- Lexi and Nicholas all dressed up after church.

Nov. 8- Lexi is all dressed up and ready to go to playgroup. This was our second big outing with just me and the kids. We went to the movie theater to see Lion King. It wasn't a very successful outing. Nicholas talked through the whole first part of the movie. He loudly named every animal he saw and announced when the animals were being "not nice." He then proceeded to wander the theater. He enjoyed touching all the lights that lined the aisle and flipping seats. Lexi then decided that she wanted to eat so we ended up leaving.

Who Do I Look Like?

2011-11-16T00:13:00.000-08:00

I am the worst at figuring out who a child looks like. I think Lexi looks just like Nicholas when he was born, except with less dark hair. You be the judge.

Lexi at 2 weeks. She is dressed in the same outfit my parents took me home from the hospital in.)

Nicholas at 2 days old.

Me (Maren) at 3 days old.

Sadly, I don't have a baby picture of Joseph yet.

Nicholas at 25 months

2011-11-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

*Photo from Nicholas' 2 year photo shoot. I don't know how to flip it so just turn your head.

Weight: 32.5 lbs

Height: Approximately 33.5 inches

Clothing Size: He is in 3T to 4T tops and 2T bottoms

Big Events in the Past Month:

Nicholas is a BIG BROTHER: A lot of people have asked how Nicholas is liking being a big brother. For the most part, Lexi has been pretty easy for Nicholas to ignore. When he remembers he has a sister, he is very nice and soft. He will lay down by her and say, "Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi! Hi Lexi." We have tried to have him hold her for pictures, but before we can snap one he will start standing up and say, "All done." His favorite part about Lexi is that he finds it funny that Lexi will burp after she eats. Sharing Mom is the hard part of being a big brother. When I have to feed Lexi, Nicholas will say in a super sad voice, "Mama back. Mama back." He also hates it when I use the nursing cover. The first time I used the nursing cover he forgot Lexi was behind it and he ran over and jumped on Mom. We all gasped and Lexi let out a cry. We didn't yell at him, but our startled reaction let him know that he had done something bad. His little tender heart was broken and he melted into tears. It took awhile to calm him down.
Nicholas now sleeps in a big boy bed: Grandmother Muhlestein let Nicholas go to the store and we picked up new sheets for his bed and a waterproof mattress protector for his birthday. We then dug up a Dalmatian comforter that use to be Uncle Morgan's and that Joseph had stolen from his house. Nicholas loves his new "puppy" bed and went to sleep happily in it. The first night he didn't fall out. The second night he fell out three times. Since then, he hasn't fallen out. The bed is up on risers so it is quite the drop. He sometimes has problems falling asleep and will come out. Grandmother Muhlestein was smart and told him that he would lose his binkie if he kept coming out of his bed. He has been better to stay in it since then. Our next battle will be about giving up the binkie.
Nicholas had his Grandparents visit: Nicholas LOVED having all his grandparents come. (Almost as much as I enjoyed it.) He was very friendly and loved going with them. He is thankfully past his SUPER clingy stage. Now he is smart enough to know that he will have more fun if he goes with his grandparents.

Favorite Foods:

Hot Dogs (Nicholas ate more hot dogs with ketchup then I can count while his grandparents were here.)
Applesauce
Chocolate Pudding
Ice Cream

Favorite Activities:

Fuzzy Balls (A colors game where he has to sort the fuzzy balls by color.)
Visiting Ozzie (Ozzie is the next door neighbors dog. The dog has a doggy door and can go in and out as he pleases. Nicholas will yell VERY loud and Ozzie will come out to the fence and lick Nicholas' hands. Nicholas will have long conversations with Ozzie about all sorts of things from telling him about his new baby sister to discussing what Ozzie likes to eat.)
Dumping out things.
Playing with Grandmother's and Grandfather's ipads
Running "SUPER FAST" with airplane arms
Playing in his sandbox
Swinging
Playing hide-and-seek
Building forts
Building tall towers, stairs, and airplanes with his blocks
Coloring and drawing letters.

Skills:

Nicholas can count to 10; however, he often says, "1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10. Yeah!!"
He knows his letters and most of their sounds.
He is still working on learning his colors. He knows blue, yellow, and orange pretty well.
He is quite the talker!! He is putting together surprising long sentences now.

Nicholas getting his hair cut by Papa. It requires A LOT of M&Ms to get him to sit still and cooperate.

Nicholas frosted his first cookie at playgroup. He loved it almost as much as finger painting. He enjoyed covering the turkey in red frosting and dumping on sprinkles. He kept on saying, "I make messes. I make messes." He was also one of the few kids that actually ate their cookie and not just the frosting.

We bought some glow sticks and put one in a balloon. After the balloon popped, we played hide-and-seek with the glow stick. Nicholas loved waving it around and took it on the swing. After playing outside, he took it in the bath and had a bath with the lights off. He finished off the day by taking the glow stick to bed with him. Oh to be a two year old again and be happy with the simple things in life.

This is Nicholas' fuzzy ball game that Grandma made for the him.

This is Nicholas talking to Ozzie, the next door neighbor's dog.

Nicholas in his puppy bed on the first night. You can see his stuffed puppies, three blankets, and two binkies that he insists on sleeping with every night.

Halloween

2011-11-06T18:22:00.000-08:00

Nicholas had a lot of fun learning about Fall and Halloween. He went to his first pumpkin patch. He pushed and rode around in a wagon. He had a long talk with a horse. (I tried to record it, but it was too windy to hear what he was saying.) We also took a hay ride.

Due to Lexi's arrival, we didn't put much thought/time into our Halloween costumes this year. Joseph and I went as Woodstock performers. Nicholas went as a rain cloud since the first Woodstock had intermittent showers. He had a spray bottle for rain and a flashlight for sun. Lexi didn't dress up. She stayed home with Grandmother Muhlestein while we went to a friend's party.

I did decorate our front porch, but we didn't get out the fog machine this year. Nicholas LOVED putting all the spiders in the spider web.

We had some friends over and carved pumpkins. Nicholas loved cleaning out the pumpkin with the "pumpkin shovel." Joseph carved a haunted house into our pumpkin while I supervised Nicholas.

We carved the pumpkin about four day before Lexi was born. By the time I was feeling better, I discovered that our pumpkin was as furry as a black cat inside. Carved pumpkins have a short life down here in Texas.

Introducing...

2011-10-25T11:35:00.000-07:00

Alexis Elaine Muhlestein ("Lexi")

Lexi was born Oct. 24, 2011 at 3:49 pm in Irving, TX. She weighed 7 lbs 10 oz and was 20" long. She has been a wonderful little girl who rarely fusses, is a good eater, and sleeps lots. After having had only Nicholas for so long, it is kind of surreal having a little newborn again, but we already love her bunches.

As a side note, her name Alexis means "defender", and her name "Elaine" (after Grandmother Muhlestein) means "light". So together, it means "Defender of the Light". We hope that that is exactly what she will be!

Ants Bite!

2011-10-19T19:13:00.001-07:00

During the past two months, Nicholas has suffered through the following:

A burnt hand
A bad cold
Hand, foot, and mouth disease
A BAD stomach bug (which he was willing to share with Mama and Papa)
Tons of mosquito bites
An ant attack (pictured above)

Guess Who is 2?

2011-10-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Weight: 32 lbs

Height: 33 inches

Tooth Count: Unknown (He bit Joseph so we gave up. He loves us looking in his ears, but he hates us to look into his mouth. He doesn't usually bite.)

Belly Circumference: 22 inches

Favorite Foods: Applesauce, M&Ms, Pizza, Pasta, Meat, Cheese sticks, Juice, Milk, Chocolate Pudding, and Fruit

Favorite Shows/Clips: Toy Story 3, Sleeping Beauty, Leapfrog Letters Factory, Puss in Boots Old Spice Commercial (aka Kitty in Shower), Old Disney Cartoons, and Veggietales: David and the Giant Pickle

Favorite Phrases:

"Saurs spit."-- There were two dinosaurs that spit water at the Hogle Zoo when we visited UT. Nicholas was kind of scared and simultaneously fascinated by them. Even a month afterwards though, he will say at random intervals, "Saurs spit."
"Broke. I fix."--He is convinced that he can fix anything. When something is really broke, then he will say, "Mama fix." If I tell him Mama can't fix it, then he will say, "Papa fix."
"No touch. I look."--He then will assume his looking position. However, looking almost always leads to touching.
"Baby sister like binkie, like blankets, like puppy. No marbles, no markers, and no scissors."--We are preparing him to be a big brother.
"Fire hot."/"Hot like mower."--Nicholas has a healthy respect for things that are hot.
"Buzz and Jessie dancing."--He loves the part of Toy Story 3 when Spanish Buzz does a little dance.:
"Self."--He likes doing things on his own. He hates riding in a shopping cart. He will keep repeating in the saddest voice, "Walk self! Walk self!"
"Cars street. Mama helps. Look both ways."--You can tell we have had a lot of discussions about car safety.
"Trunk."--Nicholas has decided that hanging out in the trunk of the Acura is even cooler than driving the Acura. If I don't watch him closely, he will find money and small objects and find various holes in the car to drop them down.
"Carries."--He still LOVES to be carried.
"Leaves fall."--He is fascinated by the changing season. He is going to have a lot of fun raking with Mom in a couple of weeks.
"Mama back." "Mama seat." Mama's lap."--He likes me close.

Sleeping:

He goes to bed around 8 or 8:30 and wakes up 11-12 hours later from when he went to sleep.
Instead of telling Nicholas it is time to go to bed, we just ask him, "What do you want to go to sleep with?" He starts collecting his special items. Lately he has been insisting that he needs "two binkies" to go to bed. He has also been sleeping with his special monkey blanket, frog blanket, and choo-choo blanket. He will also sleep with his little puppy, big puppy, Ozzie (another puppy), and a couple of balls. It is a little party in there.
When he wakes up, he has to go through and tell me about everything in his crib before he will agree to get out.
He is still a great napper. We usually do our big outings in the morning, so that usually wears us both out. He usually will nap for an hour and a half around 1.

Favorite Activities:

Helping me cook. I think he just loves all the dumping and stirring involved.
Animals. He loves feeding the ducks and playing with dogs.
"Driving" our cars.
Coloring, especially with markers.
Looking at letters and numbers.
Lining things up and making a choo-choo.
Stacking things and making castles.
Playing with various kitchen utensils and measuring cups.
Playing in the bathtub with lots of bouncy balls.
Dancing in his "dancing shoes." They are are some super girly tap shoes that I got at a yard sale. I'll have to get Joseph's permission before I post pictures of this activity.

Overall, I am LOVING two a lot more than 1. He is fun to have a conversation with and he has an actual attention span. All our work about using your words instead of just crying is really paying off. He will tell me what is wrong and we can usually make a deal that makes us both happy. (Unless he is tired.) He is a good little buddy. He loves living on the edge, but he hates be in actual trouble. He is still extremely destructive and messy, but he will now help me clean up one activity before we begin another one. He keeps me busy coming up with new ideas to keep him entertained. We have made marble race tracks, experimented with magnets, and used the fan to blow balloons up to the ceiling. It is surprising what will catch his interest. I love this sweet little man!!

I made Nicholas an M&M cake for his birthday. He liked the frosting and the M&Ms.

In our ward, there are five other kids born within weeks of Nicholas. One of the mothers suggested we do a joint birthday party for all the kids. Nicholas loved the party. He got to finger paint for the first time and there was all the juice he could drink. He also loved bowling. The destructive nature of bowling just appeals to him. They picked to do the party on Nicholas' actual birthday.

Nicholas wanted pizza for his birthday dinner, so we took him to CiCi's. He ate an impressive amount of pizza, ranch dressing, lemonade. We then took him to his favorite park. Surprisingly, his favorite park doesn't have a playground. He loves to go to Irving's War Memorial Park because it has lots of statues and fountains. He got a remote control car for his birthday and enjoyed driving it around the park super fast. After dark, we settled down and watched How to Train Your Dragon. We tried to keep our birthday plans really simple and just mainly spent time doing whatever Nicholas wanted to do. Nicholas LOVED his birthday.

State Fair

2011-10-03T07:23:00.000-07:00

We originally planned on celebrating Joseph's birthday last Saturday, but Nicholas was under the weather and I had church stuff most of the day. I was then going to surprise Joseph with a camping trip, but sadly it became too expensive and impractical to do with a two year old and pregnant wife. Our back up plan was the Fair. We had free tickets and very few free weekends the rest of October, so we jumped at the chance to go on Friday because Joseph had only a short day. I can't believe this is our third time going to the Texas State Fair.

Our first stop was the petting zoo exhibit. It is one of our favorite parts of the Fair and we were excited that Nicholas is finally old enough to really get into it. They have tons of animals that you can feed and pet. Nicholas was willing to pet/feed anything that got near him. He made special friends with a baby camel.

Our next stop was the cute little play farm area that they have set up next to the petting zoo. Nicholas put on an apron, collected eggs, planted seeds, milked cows, and rode a tractor. His favorite part was using the shovel to plant seeds. He would have stayed there all day. At the end, they gave him fake money for his work and he was able to buy a bag of chips.

Nicholas also loved "driving" all the cars on display and watching the bird show. His favorite part of the bird show was Graucho, the singing parrot. We have watched him multiple times on youtube since then. Nicholas keeps on asking for the "singing bird."

The State Fair has a contest each year for the best deep fried food. We usually will buy the winner and try it ourselves. Deep fried buffalo chicken in a flapjack was the winner; however, we broke tradition and Joseph picked some fresh made lemonade instead for our Fair treat. Nicholas and Joseph both passionately love juice. Nicholas drank more than anyone. We ended up getting a refill.

The firework/light show at the end of the Fair was fabulous. We ended the night by watching and dancing along with an Elvis tribute concert. Nicholas was a wonderful sport the whole day, but we complete got him off his sleep schedule and haven't been able to get him back on schedule since. Nicholas just gets more and more fun as he get older!!

Joseph at 27 years

2011-09-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

Joseph enjoying his steak birthday dinner today.

Height: 5'9.75"

Weight: Higher than his wrestling weight in high school

Favorite Toys:

He is very excited for his new GoogleTV box to come
His Nexus One phone

Favorite Activities:

Teaching Nicholas to like the things he likes. Yesterday, he tried to convince Nicholas that he liked watching Papa play Final Fantasy VII. He did succeed in teaching Nicholas to say, "Chocobo." He has been more successful at catching Nicholas interest with other activities. While Nicholas wasn't too interested in watching football, he did love it when Joseph taught him the proper way to hold a football and let him run "super" fast around the house with it.
Going to the park with Nicholas.

New/Favorite Words:

Thrombocytopenia
Pathopneumonic
Henoch-Schonlein Purpura
Cytomegalovirus
Quasar

Big Accomplishments This Year:

Finished his second year of medical school. On Friday, Joseph also finished his internal medicine rotation.

Sleeping Habits:

Joseph has the strangest sleeping habits out of anyone in the family. It doesn't help that for the past few weeks he was on call all night at the hospital every five days. His major sleeping problem is that he has a hard time falling asleep and a equally hard time getting up. He will lay in bed for hours tossing and turning or playing games on his phone before he finally drifts off to sleep.

Favorite Food:

He is easy to please and will eat whatever I make him. He is even good at eating all his vegetables.
He loves eating what we have grown in our garden.

Quirks:

He hates power cords to get tangled.
He wears cargo pants with his tie and white shirt.
You know that tree climbing phase kids go through? Joseph never left.
Being partly deaf has made him capable of sleeping through anything.

Nicholas at 23 months

2011-09-13T17:17:00.001-07:00

Weight: 32 lbs

Height: 34 inches

Belly Diameter: 22 inches

Favorite Foods: Pizza, Pasta, Ice Cream, Milk, M&Ms, Hot Dogs, Peaches, and Strawberries

Favorite Phrases and Words:

"I look."---This is his response when I tell him not to touch something because it will break. He also assumes his looking position. He will bend down and put his hands into fists and hold them up next to his body.
"Carries"---He LOVES to be carried by Mama.
"One. One. One."---He will run over to my kitchen utensil drawer and keep repeating this. It means he wants to choose one utensil to play with. He LOVES kitchen utensils.
"Mama."---He is still super attached to Mama.
"Broke. I fix."--He is such a man. He wants to fix things all by himself with no help.
"Much."--When we play in the bathtub, I tell him "too much" when he turns the water up on high. Now when he wants a lot of something, he says, "Much."
"Super fast."--He likes to race and swing super fast.
"No push."--Nicholas knows he gets in serious trouble when he pushes people. At random times, he will say, "No push." He then will list off all the people he is not allowed to push and then says, "Sorry."
"No potties."--Our first step towards potty training is that Nicholas now knows that he is not allowed to go potty in the bathtub.
"More Grandma. More Grandpa."--He misses his grandparents. He really bonded with them while he was up in UT.
"Hold."--Nicholas loves holding things.
"Dump."--He has an overwhelming urge to dump things out.
"Messes."--He loves to make messes.
"Pour."--He loves to pour water from one container to the next.

Favorite Shows: (He is getting MUCH better at watching TV.)

Word World
Toy Story
Beauty and the Beast
Baby Signing Time
Chip and Dale

New Tricks:

He can count to ten all by himself, though he sometimes skips 6 and 7.
He will repeat pretty much anything you tell him to.
He can say his ABCs with help.
He can correctly identify both sets of Grandparents and most of his aunts and uncles. (Before our trip to UT, he could only say Grandpa.)
He can identify Jesus, temples, and prophets.
He is saying lots of sentences.

Favorite Toys:

His stuffed puppy is his FAVORITE security object.
Phones
Flashlights
Magnets
Ball Popper
A Bucket of Pennies
A Bag Full of Beads
Papa's Tools
Kitchen Utensils
Swing
Sandbox

He continues to be a happy and busy explorer. He keeps me busy and constantly entertained. He also continues to be a wonderful sleeper.

My favorite parts about this age:

The look on his face when he is thinking.
How he is finding new ways to express what he is thinking.
His complete love and trust in Mama.
That he will still turn around and run towards me when I say, "I'm going to get you."
His laugh and that he thinks Mama is hilarious.
He gives the best loves/hugs/pats.
He has the cutest smile and is so expressive.
When he is really happy, he will rub his belly with both hands.

My least favorite parts about this age:

He is testing his limits. He knows when he shouldn't do something and he thinks it is funny to see what Mama will do when he disobeys.
He is all consuming and loves Mama's complete attention, except when he is having fun destroying something.
His constant exploring is extremely messy business.

HOT!!

2011-08-21T06:36:00.001-07:00

Nicholas was spending Saturday morning "helping" Papa in the yard. Joseph had to mow the lawn and had explained to Nicholas at least 5 times not to touch the lawn mower. Of course the moment Joseph was distracted, Nicholas ran and touched the hot lawn mower. Joseph ran cold hose water on his hand as soon as he heard Nicholas cry out. Luckily, Nicholas was smart enough not to touch it for that long. He was very upset until noon. We convinced him to play in the bathtub with the cold water running on his hand. He kept on crying and saying, "HOT!" We also got him some Tylenol and some Aloe Vera. (We told him that the Aloe Vera was hand sanitizer, which he LOVES using.) He then asked to go to his crib. It is his little happy place. He laid down and watch the WHOLE movie of Beauty and the Beast with his puppies. (That was a small miracle. This boy won't watch more than 15 minutes of a movie at a time.) After that, he was back to his usual self. He doesn't even favor his other hand. We hope he learned an important lesson that will save him from future accidents, but we hated watching him go through the pain associated with this lesson. The picture is of his hand this morning.

Happy Birthday to Maren!

2011-08-14T16:31:00.000-07:00

We celebrated my birthday on Saturday. I was frankly too tired to plan a fun outing. When it came down to it, I just asked for Joseph to watch Nicholas while I cleaned the house. I also requested a nap. I guess I'm showing my age and the fact that I'm in my third trimester. (FYI: I often forget how old I am. I have to ask Joseph how old I'm turning.)

Joseph spent the morning entertaining Nicholas in the backyard. It had rained hard that morning and there were plenty of puddles for Nicholas to explore. Later that day, Joseph came home with flowers. The sweetest part is he had taught Nicholas to say, "Happy Birthday Mama!" It was the first time he had said, "Birthday." (We have been trying to get him to say it for awhile.) This is my first birthday that my offspring could wish me a happy birthday and that was probably my favorite part of my birthday. Dos also kicked a lot in order to say, "Hello."

Nicholas didn't completely understand the whole birthday concept and he did argue with me sometimes that it was Papa's and not Mama's birthday. He did, however, enjoy our Sunday birthday treat of ice cream and berries! I think that was his favorite part of my birthday.

Joseph also made me a wonderful birthday dinner on Sunday. We had fresh caprasi salad from the garden, steak with sauteed mushrooms, and a seafood pasta. There are few things better in life then a good steak with mushrooms.

I also convinced the boys to have a family picture before church. I love how I can get them to do anything I want on my birthday.

Here is Nicholas "singing" happy birthday.

Nicholas at 22 months

2011-08-08T14:28:00.000-07:00

Weight: 32 lbs

Height: 33 inches

Belly Diameter: 25 1/2 inches

Tooth Count: 14

Current Obsessions:

Dumping out things. He has an overwhelming urge to dump things. He is pretty tricky because he will be helping clean up and then suddenly grab the box/bucket and dump it and laugh hysterically.
Soon-to-be-uncle Josh. I think Elisabeth has competition for who thinks about Josh more during the day. Every time Nicholas glances at the wedding announcement, we are treated to a five minute ode to Josh.
Stirring pitchers full of juice or water
The Kitchenaid mixer
Playing in the sink
Playing with buckets filled with coins
Playing with his bag full of necklaces
Blowing bubbles in the bathtub
Stickers
Kitchen utensils

Current Hates:

Diaper changes. The only time he is willing to play by himself is when he knows he needs a diaper change. Suddenly something on the other side of the room from me is super interesting. He also tries to tell me that Whitney, the girl we babysit, really is the one that needs the diaper change.
He loves cooking, but he can't handle when his job is done. If you have him stir something, he has a little breakdown when he has to be done stirring.
Getting dressed. I don't blame him with the heat.

Cute Quirks:

Anything we tell him is dangerous, he translates that into meaning that it must be "HOT."
He can say his ABCs by repeating after me and count to ten. He, however, really struggles saying "W."
He loves to say, "Ready, Set, Go!"

General Demeanor:

He is a very happy boy. (He gets his happy personality from his Papa.) The only time he is seriously unhappy is when he is tired. (He gets that from his Mama.)
He is a great talker and very clear for his age. I think it is because he knows he won't get anything from Mama unless he uses his words. Whining gets you nowhere fast with Mama. If he is being too unreasonable to use his words, it usually means he needs a nap.
He is still super active. He has a quick attention span, but it is getting longer. He goes from one activity to another with lightning speed. Thankfully, his active nature is balanced out by the fact he is a great sleeper. He is super easy to get to take a nap and to go to bed. I just tell him that we should go find his puppies, baby, and blanket. He then lays down and he will say, "Bye-bye" as I walk out.
He is ALL BOY. He loves tools, getting dirty, dogs, balls, and bugs. He loves to fix things, but refuses help. He wants to do it all by himself.

Favorite Shows:

Barney
Beauty and the Beast
Davy Crockett (He says, "Rock" when he wants to watch this movie.)
Chip 'n Dale (He says, "Munks" when he wants to watch this movie.)

Favorite Food:

Peaches

This is a picture of Papa and Nicholas pretending to be pioneers that had to "push" and "pull" things across the plains. We all raced around the house pushing and pulling toys. It was a big hit with Nicholas.

He loves his swing and going "high."

You can tell from this picture he is all man.

Josh! Josh! Josh! Josh!

2011-08-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Nicholas immediately latched onto Uncle Josh when the wedding announcement came. Whenever he sees the announcement, he's good for a minute or two of straight "Josh"ing. This is just a small taste of what has given us lots to laugh about. We are also very proud of him for immediately associating Elisabeth and Josh with the temple where they will get married.

Papa Needs a Nap!

2011-07-17T06:42:00.000-07:00

Joseph has been adjusting to his new early to rise schedule. To make matters worse, he pulls an all-nighter every five days. Sometimes he needs a little nap during the day. Nicholas decided to help put Papa down for a nap. Nicholas just happens to be an expert on what is required for a good nap. He shared his blanket and his puppies with Papa and gave him a good love.

Sink! Sink! Sink!

2011-07-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

Nicholas has three great obsessions in his life this week. He is always asking for the following three things: Barney, Sink, and Peaches. Now, I just need him to start washing the dishes instead of creating more dirty dishes.

First Two Years of Med School are Officially Behind Us

2011-07-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Joseph got his STEP scores this week and now the first two years of med school are officially behind us!!! I wasn't completely sure his scores would come this week, so when they came on Wednesday we only had a small family celebration that included nutella and strawberries. You can see Nicholas loved this celebration. (Nicholas wasn't sure why we were celebrating, but he was happy to get in on the action. All he really understands about Papa going to school is that he goes on a choo-choo each day. ) We did a slightly bigger celebration on Saturday and went to see Thor and Nicholas got a babysitter!

Dinner at Chick-fil-A

2011-07-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

We dressed like a cow to get a free dinner at Chick-fil-A. Nicholas was fascinated by the cow but scared when he got close. We were trying to get Nicholas to say, "Moo." Finally, we used the juice that came with the meal to bribe him into say, "Mmmmm."

Nicholas at 21 months

2011-07-07T17:57:00.000-07:00

Weight: 25 lbs (He has really slowed down on how much he eats.)

Height: 33 inches

Tooth Count: 14

Words: Too many to write them all down. He is a talkative little guy. Try as we might, we can't make him be quiet during church. If someone says too long of a prayer, he was shout out, "All Done!" half way through it. If he doesn't like the snack we brought, he is quick to say a very loud "No." If he sees one of his friends, he will shout out their name. He has learned a lot of new words but he hasn't learned to be quiet.

Random Things About Nicholas:

Nicholas loves cheese. Since he thinks it is so wonderful, he thinks all other animals must also like to eat cheese. So when you ask him what birds, puppies, and cows like to eat, don't be surprised when he tells you they eat cheese.
We are trying to get Nicholas excited about visiting his grandparents in August. I tell him he gets to go on an airplane to visit them, but he insists he wants to go on a choo-choo to visit them.
I hear the following every morning when Nicholas wakes up, "Puppy, puppy, uh-oh...Mama, Mama, Mama..." He will wake up and the first thing he sees is his puppy, then he will throw his puppy out of his bed. When he can't get it, he then calls me in to alert me to the situation.
Nicholas loves to watch Barney and Beauty and the Beast.
Nicholas loves to wear his fireman hat around the house.
He still idolizes Papa, but clings to Mama.
He is becoming a real good climber. He does stairs really well.
His favorite treat is juice. We use it as a reward as a way to get fluids in the little guy. He sweats so much. He does not do well in the heat. Sweat just drips into his eyes and his little face goes bright red. The heat doesn't slow him down though, but I always get a good nap out of him after he has been outside.
After a surprisingly successful FHE, Nicholas can now point to the picture of the temple hung up in our house.
We took him to the aquatic center by our house and he loved going down these really big slides with his Papa. He didn't like the slow slide, he wanted the fast slide and would just get giddy every time he went down. He kept on saying, "Tube, Tube, MORE Tube."
It is hard to refuse Nicholas when he says, "Please."
We have a battle every time we have corn on the cob. Nicholas wants to have a large corn on the cob instead of the little one that we cut off for him. He will spend the whole dinner whining about it.

JFK Date

2011-07-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

We didn't go on any exciting vacations after STEP. We just stayed home and did chores. We did, however, do a really fun date on Saturday and left Nicholas with a babysitter for around 9 hours!!! (Thanks again Kents!) It was the longest we have ever left Nicholas with a babysitter. It is also the longest I've been away from Nicholas since he was born.

On Saturday June 25th, we left after lunch and started our JFK themed date. I had done some research and discovered that the house that Lee Harvey Oswald's wife lived in and where Oswald stayed on the weekends was only two blocks straight behind our house. This house was searched the day he shot Kennedy and it was in that garage where he kept the rifle. We did a drive by and the house looks abandoned.

Next, we hit the JFK museum. We first went outside and stood on the grassy knoll and where the two shots were fired. We then went in the Sixth Floor Museum. The museum was fascinating. It has a wonderful audio tour that takes you through JFK's presidency, assassination, and investigations following his assassination. The museum lacks actual artifacts. It has Jack Ruby's hat that he was wearing when he shot Oswald. The only other authentic thing is that it is housed on the sixth floor where Oswald shot from the window. The tour was great with just the right amount of conspiracy theory mixed in.

After the museum, we went to Campisi Egyptian Lounge. It is where Jack Ruby dined on the eve of Kennedy's assassination. Jack Ruby was a regular customer there. It is a really good Italian restaurant with fabulous New York style pizza.

Next, we went to Jubilee. (This part had nothing to do with JFK. We were just lucky enough to get tickets.) The prophet wanted the 11 stakes in this area to put on a big Jubilee performance, even though we didn't have a temple being dedicated or any church officials visiting. It was a fabulous 2 hour long presentation with dance and musical numbers. The amount of work that went into this was amazing. The stakes turned it into a three day youth conference.

So that was our big fun splurge post STEP!!

Mavericks Parade

2011-06-26T14:39:00.001-07:00

A few days before I sat for step, we decided would go on an adventure to the Mavericks celebratory parade. The plan was to take Nicholas and Whitney (the little girl Maren babysits) on the train to downtown and find a spot. We ended up waiting in Irving for four different trains that came by before getting on one which came from downtown and then turned around especially for our backlogged station. The route was crazy full, but we found a place only about 7 rows of people back so you could occasionally see something if you jumped. I eventually found a tree with only one person already in it and soon made myself at home and was able to get the Dirk shot when he finally came by. The way back was just as crazy, but we did eventually get back to the train. The exciting points included a fight that broke out behind us and the rush to get Maren and the kids shielded from the brawl. I read later that there was one fight with three arrests at the parade. I don't know if that referenced our fight, but it was exciting none the less. Also, I got off early to go study at the school, and Maren got to fight her way to the door with a double wide stroller all by herself. She decided that was less than ideal. All in all, I don't know if we would do it again with this age group, but it certainly was an adventure and I am glad we went.

All Done With STEP

2011-06-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

Joseph took STEP on Saturday. I have a husband again for 1 and 1/2 weeks. While he has been studying, I have managed to make a page long "honey do" list that will keep him busy during the break. One of the things on the list was to sort through all his med school papers. He ended up getting rid of 53.6 lbs of syllabuses and handmade note cards. (I think there is another box of syllabuses still in the shed.) Before you get too worried, all these syllabuses are available online if he ever needs to reference them. He also had the option to box them up and put them in the garage, but he thought he would never go to the effort to look through the box to find any information.

We also found some fun stats that he recorded the first week of school.

237 students in his class
Students came from 82 colleges/universities.
48% of the class is female
14% are under-represented minorities
13 home countries
13 students have masters degrees
3 students have doctorates
Ages ranged from 20-39
32% of the class was non-native English speakers

IT'S A GIRL

2011-06-07T17:08:00.000-07:00

We found out today that we are having a little girl. She is still due at the end of October and she looks healthy. We are super excited. Finding out the gender is one of my favorite parts of being pregnant!

Nicholas at 20 months

2011-06-05T08:41:00.000-07:00

Weight: 30.2 lbs

Height: 32 inches

Eating Habits:

He loves to eat and he eats A LOT!
He loves sitting in new places when he eats. It makes meal time exciting.
He loves dipping his food in different sauces.
He is pretty much to the point that he will eat at least a part of whatever we are eating.
Vegetable Update: He still won't eat broccoli. He will eat carrots, tomatoes, green beans, and sometimes squash.
He will share his snacks with Papa, but he won't share them with Mama. It makes him laugh so hard when I ask for him to share.
He can climb in and out of his highchair, but I don't let him do it.
He has always liked to throw his food, but recently it got a lot worse. He figured out it was a quick way to get out of highchair when he was done eating. Making him stay there didn't work, because he would just enjoy making a bigger mess. So after trying the punishment route, we decided to offer an incentive instead. He now gets a treat at the end of each meal if he doesn't throw things. We have only been doing this for a week, but it has helped a lot.
His favorite treat right now are juice and Cadberry eggs.
He clings to Mama, but he idolizes Papa. He wants to wear Papa's hat, use Papa's toothbrush, and do all the things Papa does. For example, he likes to study, ride the motorcycle, and mow the lawn.

Words He Will Say:

Fish, Saws, Hammer, Tool, Bowl, Ball, Please, Thank you, Eat, More, Juice, Choo Choo, Backpack, Hi, Bye, Car, Airplane, Puppy, Mama, Papa, All Done, Treat, Up, Yeah, Yes, No, Potty, Book, Egg, Bird, Baby, Elmo, High, Shoes, Outside, Inside, Swing, Spin, Barney

Favorite Toys:

We got the Playskool Explore and Grow Ball Popper. I love this toy. It entertains him for a good 5-15 minutes each time he plays with it. He loves chasing the balls and putting them down different ways.
I got him a car that has a handle on the back that I can use to push him around. He rides in it when we go to the nearby park.
He loves the sandbox. We are still working on keeping sand in the sandbox.
He loves his two trains.
He loves to sleep with his glow worm. He calls it his baby.
We have two stuffed puppies that he loves. He also sleeps with them and carries them around the house.
We got him a little shopping cart and he likes to fill it up and walk around the house.
He loves the TV remote.
He loves "playing" the Wii. Right now his favorite games to play are Baseball and Bowling. He can't really bowl, but he asks to do it all the time.

Movies He Will Watch:

Barney
Baby Signing Time
Thomas the Train

Quirks:

He is VERY active (like a little boy should be). He always has some sort of bruise or scratch from all his adventuring. I keep on putting off getting formal pictures of him until his most recent bruise on his head heals, but he always gets another one before I can take him in.
He is very quick to tell you when he is bored/ALL DONE. Once he makes up his mind that he is ready to go, there is no stopping him.
He talks a lot, which can be a problem in church. We feed him lunch during the first 15 minutes of church. Then, we desperately try to entertain him for the next half-an-hour. Then, he usually gets taken to the primary room for the last bit of church.
He hates water on his head, but he loves playing in the water. He will sit in the sink for a good half an hour and play with the water. He would do it for longer, but Mama usually calls it quits.
He is getting very good at being watch by other people. He likes going to nursery now. In contrast, he is not good at being passed to other people if Mama is anywhere near.
He loves to watch and copy older kids. He is very good about taking turns when he is playing with someone older. When he plays with kids that are his same size, he is a little bit of bully. He does it in a sweet way, but he is so anxious to show them how the toy works or to play with them that it can be overwhelming for the kid he is play with.
When he finds something interesting, he says, "Whoa." Every time I hear that I quickly look to see what he has in hands. Nine times out of ten it is something I don't want him playing with.
He loves his swing. He loves to go high and to spin in it. He looks like a drunken sailor when he gets out of his swing.

Survivor

2011-05-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

This week I survived a tornado, 1 1/2 days without power, 1 1/2 days without a toilet, falling through the floor, over a dozen chigger bites, the 17th week of pregnancy, a husband constantly study for his national boards test, and lots of time with a toddler that suddenly loves to throw thing (food, rocks, toys, etc.). While there have been moments that weren't so great, like late night bathroom runs to the nearest open grocery store, these problems have mostly worked themselves out. In the end, we are grateful for our problems and wouldn't want to trade them for most other people's problems. It is weeks like this that add a little adventure into our lives.

Hail in Texas

2011-05-24T19:44:00.001-07:00

Yes, world. Large hail is real.

Nicholas at 19 months

2011-05-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Tooth Count: 12

Weight: 29 lbs

If I had to sum up this stage of life in one word, it would be BUSY. He is always on the move and alway investigating/exploring something new. He keeps me on my toes and requires my FULL ATTENTION. If I had to pick another word, it would be CLINGY. Nicholas has a hard time when I leave the room. He is super attached to Mom right now. If I slip out of the room while he is playing with something, I can hear him run around to each of the rooms until he finds me. He will then greet me with a big smile and a "Hi." He does do okay with playing with other people if he knows Mom is not an option. For example, he does well in nursery. During the first few weeks, he had to be held most of the time. Now he is venturing out and playing during nursery.

Words:

Barney (Brrrrr)
Grandpa
Papa
Mama
All Done
More
Hammer
All Gone
Outside
Inside
Dog
Balloon
Ball
Choo-Choo
Car
No
Bye-Bye
Hi
Yes
YEAH

He is definitely a very opinionated young man. In the past week, he has really started to use, "No" a lot. Sometimes he even says, "No" when he means "Yes."

Favorite Activities:

Driving the car
Singing into the microphone
Grabbing objects off the table (He is tall enough to reach almost anything on our table and counters. We have lost a lot of glasses lately.)
Unloading drawers and cupboards
Coloring
Watching Barney Goes to the Zoo
Going outside and to the park
Making messes
Drawing on the refrigerator
Tackling Papa
Somersaults
Drinking from a big boy cup
Watching Choo-Choo trains
Dancing/Spinning
Smiling at people
Going through Papa's toolbox
Working at his workbench
Helping Mom cook

Texas Bluebonnets

2011-04-17T19:31:00.000-07:00

Nicholas at 18 months

2011-04-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

Weight: 29 lbs (He got really sick at the end of March and refused to eat anything for a whole week. He only wanted to drink milk and sit on Mom's lap. He lost a full pound during this episode. He is of course feeling better now and putting back on the pounds.

Tooth Count: 11 (His bottom right molar is about to break through.)

Sleep Schedule: He takes a nap from 10 to noon. He goes to bed around seven and wakes up at seven. He is still pretty easy to get to sleep. On nights when he is being difficult, Joseph just goes in and puts him to sleep. He always will go to bed when Papa tells him to. I think he knows I'm more likely to let him stay up later. He still takes a pacifier when he goes to bed, and he wants a blanket.

Words He Will Say A Lot: Car, Bird, Grandpa, Mama, Papa, More, Hi, Bye, Eyes, Touch, Balloon, Ball, Dog, YEAH, No, Bad

Favorite Show: Barney and Baby Signing Time

*The best part about Nicholas getting so sick at the end of March was he slowed down enough to learn to watch TV. Don't judge me, but I love that he will watch a few minutes of Barney.

Cute Things He Does:

He loves singing into the microphone that we have.
He will hold anything flat that is about the size of a phone up to his ear and talk to it.
When he gets scared, he lays his head on my shoulder. It is sweet to know that he has complete trust in me. He was really scared by the Easter Bunny at the mall the other day. He wouldn't take the bunny's candy.
We have been setting some boundaries about what he can and cannot do. He knows I don't love him to unload our hutch, so he will walk over to it and open the door. Then he will say, "No" and shut the door. He is so proud when he does this and I make sure to tell him that he is a good boy.
He loves looking in our refrigerator. He touches each bottle and asks what each object is.
He loves his sandbox.
He loves stairs, but he waits for Mom to help him down them.
He finally learned how to hold hands when he walks. It is rare that he will do it though. We've put some thought into getting a leash.
Dancing means stomping your foot and spinning around.
He loves dumping things out and making messes.
The best toy that he has is his treasure box filled with new random objects. He loves unloading things.
He loves balloons and will always point them out at the store.

Favorite Song: The Ants Go Marching

Favorite Foods:

Cottage cheese, cheese, chocolate, bread, and meat

Things I Wish He Wouldn't Do:

He pulls anything he can reach off the counter. Yesterday, I left a candy bar near the edge of the counter, and he just went over and helped himself.
He has a fit every time I put him in the car, because he doesn't want to get in his car seat. Nicholas thinks he should drive instead. He loves standing in the driver's seat and pushing every button. He will pick "driving" over going to the park.

Sandbox

2011-04-13T15:23:00.000-07:00

Grandmother and Grandfather Muhlestein sent us a sandbox for Christmas. It was a great toy inside until the weather got warm. Now we finally went and picked up three 50 lb bags of sand today and bought some sand toys. So far the sand box is a big hit. Thanks Grandmother and Grandfather!

Day Four in Baton Rouge

2011-03-11T17:50:00.000-08:00

We LOVED Baton Rouge. We woke up and went to see the Baton Rouge temple. I can't believe how much I take for granted having a temple close to me. I think the Dallas temple is so far and it is only a half an hour away when the traffic is good. I am grateful for small temples like the Baton Rouge temple that help so many people have the blessing of a temple more in reach!!

We then went to the Louisiana State Capitol building. We saw where Huey P. Long was shot. (We learned a lot about the controversial figure Huey Long during this trip. I want to read a book about him.) We also went up to the 27th floor and enjoyed a wonderful view.

*You can see the little orange cone bandit in this picture. Nicholas has an amazing ability of finding ways to entertain himself.
*The amount Nicholas enjoys one of our stops is directly proportional to the number of stairs or dogs there.

We then went to the old state capital. I was very excited to visit it. It has tons of character, but was way too small. They had basically turned it into a museum about Louisiana history.

We then went to The Chimes, a restaurant right by LSU campus. I wanted to have an authentic cajun meal. The food was absolutely fabulous. We ended up having blackened alligator, duck and sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffe, and a catfish and crawfish pasta dish.

*You can tell Nicholas loved the food.

We then made the long drive back to Dallas. Nicholas did pretty well in the car. We hooked up a portable DVD player and he watched Baby Signing time. He also loved the little container we call his "treasure box." I fill it with random things and he enjoys taking them out of the box, putting them back in the box, and then finally throwing them. It is messy, but it at least entertains him.

Mardi Gras in New Orleans

2011-03-11T14:20:00.000-08:00

This was the day we were most worried about during our trip, because we didn't know what to expect. Parking was a nightmare. Parking spots near the parade route were going for $40!! We luckily found a spot and enjoyed the walk over to Canal Street. We walked through the French Quarters and part of Bourbon Street. We wanted to get a peek at it before it got too wild. We ended up veering off it because at 9:30 in the morning the party was already going at one end of Bourbon Street.

We saw a tiny bit of the parade. We got there too late to get good seats, so we didn't stay too long.

We then walked to the Algier Ferry and enjoyed the view of the Mississippi.

We then went to the famous Cafe du Monde and had beignets. (Thanks Grandmother and Grandfather Muhlestein for the suggestion and for the Valentines money that we used to fund this part of our adventure.)

(This is Nicholas having his first taste. Later, he gets covered with powder sugar when he eats a whole beignet by himself.)

We then made the walk back to our car. As we were walking back, we ran into the costume contest/parade. There were some very impressive and elaborate costumes.

Nicholas was worn out by all our fun. He is our little Mardi Gras king.

We then drove across Lake Pontchartrain. This was one of the highlights of the trip for Joseph. He has always wanted to drive across this bridge since he found out about it.

We ate dinner and then drove back to Baton Rouge and did a little bit of sightseeing before we turned in for the night. We can now die saying that we did Mardi Gras in New Orleans. (We still have New Years in Time Square and Groundhog's Day in Punxsutawney, PA on our list.)

Spring Break in Louisiana (March 6th-7th)

2011-03-11T12:10:00.000-08:00

We left on Sunday after sacrament meeting and drove all day to Louisiana. We made one stop at the Sam Houston memorial. The rosebud trees were in bloom and it was gorgeous.

We made it to our campsite at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park after dark. We car camped that night and woke up to discover that this state park lived up to all of its positive reviews. It is amazing!! It has a splash park, a playground, cabins, fishing, and tons of place to hike, bike, and canoe. We hiked around and then went canoeing on the lake. We definitely would love to come back to Lake Fausse and spend a whole week. It is my kind of camping.

Our next stop was Lake Martin. We walked along the shore and spotted a lot of turtles and alligators. At one point, we counted around 24 to 30 baby alligators grouped together sunning themselves. We then took a boat tour and saw a lot of other wildlife and got real close to some big gators. It was a cold day, so we didn't see as many as we would have liked. We only got to see three really big gators. We did see tons of birds and a nutria. (A nutria is a swamp rat from South America that was farmed for its fur in Louisiana and then escaped into the wild.)

We then drove into Layfette and got a pizza and watched the Layfette Mardi Gras parade. It was really fun and completely family friendly. It didn't get going until after Nicholas' bedtime, so he spent most of the parade snuggled up with Mom and getting really annoyed when Mom didn't move fast enough and beads hit him in the head. He did enjoy all the trinkets we collected. He especially loved the giant coins. They are his "moneys."

Joseph's View in Class

2011-02-23T10:01:00.001-08:00

If you were wondering what medical school is like, here it is.

Seedlings!!

2011-02-10T09:38:00.001-08:00

We tried to think of the place in our house that would be the warmest and safest from our curious little Sqeeber. We are actually pretty pleased with our current approach, and Nicholas loves it when we open the door for him and he gets to see the plants.

Nicholas at 16 months

2011-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Weight: 28 lbs

Height: 31 inches

Teeth Count: 4 bottom 5 top

Nickname: Squeeber

Favorite Activities:

He loves brushing his lower teeth. He hates bushing his top teeth. I don't know if they are more sensitive or what.
Holding Papa's shaver.
Holding any phone shaped item up to his ear and talking on the phone.
Nicholas loves "studying" a lot more than Papa does. What activity that lets you hold a highlighter and a pen while flipping through a large book could be bad?
Playing hide-and-go-seek with the rings.
Looking at books. Within the last week-and-a-half, Nicholas has finally calmed down enough that he will sit on my lap and flip through some books. He loves his pop up Monster Transportation book and a book called Tails. He asks for me to read a book to him first thing in the morning.
He loves riding in the little car we got him or on his tricycle. He has to be pushed around on both of these, but he loves them.
He loves "driving" the car. He will sit in the front seat and push ever button and pull every lever until ever light on the car is on.
He still LOVES dogs. He also LOVES birds this past month.
He LOVES socks.

Things I'm Surprised He Doesn't Do:

Nicholas doesn't really like listening to music or dancing.
He doesn't climb. He likes it when Papa puts him up in the tree or on something high. (Papa loves to do this.)
He doesn't ever hit or bite people. When we hang out with other children and they take his toy, he will do one of three things: not care, watch and wait for them to put it down, or get sad and cry. He never gets angry. He has such a sweet soul.
He is still mostly a dropper and doesn't throw things very well.

New skills:

Two weeks ago, he started to fold his arms all by himself when we tell him it is time for prayer.
He is getting really good at feeding himself. He feeds himself oatmeal every morning.
He loves to help cook. He dumps the oatmeal into the cup, opens and shuts the microwave, and dumps a spoon full of sugar into his oatmeal. He loves to crack eggs and helps scramble them.
He can go down the kiddie slide all by himself.
Getting off of the couch and chairs.
His understanding has increased IMMENSELY this month. It is really great. He understands most of the simple commands I tell him.
He can pull almost anything off the counter. He isn't tall enough to see what he is pulling down, but he knows that is where we keep the real interesting stuff.
He loves taking the lids off things.
He actually will build with his giant legos instead of just singing to them. (He still mostly will just hold them up to his mouth and sing to them.)

Quirks:

He is becoming more attached to his pacifier. (Getting rid of it will be a struggle.)
For the past two days, he has loved running between my legs.
When we take him to feed the ducks, we have to bring a lot of bread because Nicholas ends up eating most of it.
His favorite part of bath time is filling a cup up with water and dumping it on his belly and laughing. He does this almost twenty times during his bath.
When he likes what he is eating, he will say, "Mmmmm."
He loves showing people his belly. When he meets someone new and he is a little nervous, he uses this move as an ice breaker.
We have been swaddling him again to get him down for naps.

Words He Says Consistently:

Ca-Las (Nicholas)
Yeah
This
Juice
Dog

*He will repeat a couple phrases and words that I say, but will only say them once or twice.

What I Think I Have Learned About Parenting:

This last stage he was in was a pretty hard stage for me. He was into EVERYTHING and wanted to be held ALL THE TIME and only by mama. Also he WHINED CONSTANTLY when I wasn't devoting 110% of my attention to him or we were out of the house. There were also about two or three weeks that his one hour nap turned into a 20 minute nap every other day. I had to step back and figure out how to parent a little smarter. We now have enough toys that I have started rotating them. This keeps him interested in the toys he has and also helps with clean up because there are not as many toys for him to spread through out the house. I'm trying to hang back more, so he learns to play on his own. I am also trying to get him around more kids. We try to do one outing per day.
I read the Love and Logic book for kids 6 and under. It wasn't much help for this age. It just basically said to be consistent (which is hard) and to remove and distract when they are not doing what you want. I'm anxious to try out the other advice this book gives when Nicholas gets older.
The most important and helpful thing I have learned is to not say "No, No" when he is just doing something I don't want him to do. I now say, "Oh, Oh" instead. I save "No, No" for when he is doing something dangerous.

Nicholas throwing acorns

2011-02-06T14:49:00.001-08:00

Nicholas loved picking up acorns and throwing them. After I picked him up and took him two houses down, he immediately went two houses back to where all of the acorns are.

Let it snow!!

2011-02-04T19:17:00.001-08:00

The Superbowl party isn't the only group getting snowed on here in Dallas. The roads have been crazy but we've had lots of fun showing Nicholas something he hasn't seen since our Utah trip. The picture is from the train station this morning.
(This is Joseph testing out the Blogger application on his phone. Maren will soon have a much better post up.)

Snow in Dallas (Feb 4)

2011-02-04T19:02:00.001-08:00

We have been mainly staying at home since Monday night, when the ice storm hit. It is finally warming up, but it snowed last night. They say our winter wonderland will be gone by tomorrow:( I love snow, but I hate the fact that Dallas shuts down for it and that they don't have the capabilities to keep the roads clear.

Joseph went to school, but got home early because his last class was cancelled. Around 2, we all bundled up and went and played in the snow. It was Nicholas' first time out in the snow. Before, he wasn't stable enough and he lacked shoes. He loved stepping on the snow and making footprints.

We celebrated Chinese New Year today (one day late) for our big at home date night. We had ham fried rice (minus the ham), quick sweet and sour chicken, and mandrin oranges. We wore red and ate a little with chopsticks. Nicholas measured out the rice and water. He also cracked all the eggs and helped scramble them. He ate the mandrin oranges, the chicken, and he picked the eggs out of the rice.

Here is another cute little picture of Nicholas. You can tell how much he picks up from watching us. He wants to be just like his Dad.

Breaking Night

2011-02-04T09:19:00.001-08:00

I just finished Liz Murray's book Breaking Night, which is my book club's book for February.

Here is a synopsis I got off Amazon:

From runaway to Harvard student, Murray tells an engaging, powerfully motivational story about turning her life around after growing up the neglected child of drug addicts. When Murray was born in 1980, her former beatnik father was in jail for illegally trafficking in prescription painkillers, and her mother, a cokehead since age 13, had just barely missed losing custody of their year-old daughter, Lisa. Murray and her sister grew up in a Bronx apartment that gradually went to seed, living off government programs and whatever was left after the parents indulged their drug binges; Murray writes that drugs were the "wrecking ball" that destroyed her family-- prompting her mother's frequent institutionalization for drug-induced mental illness and leading to her parents inviting in sexual molesters. By age 15, with the help of her best friend Sam and an elusive hustler, Carlos, she took permanently to the streets, relying on friends, sadly, for shelter. With the death of her mother, her runaway world came to an end, and she began her step-by-step plan to attend an alternative high school, which eventually led to a New York Times scholarship and acceptance to Harvard. In this incredible story of true grit, Murray went from feeling like "the world was filled with people who were repulsed by me" to learning to receive the bountiful generosity of strangers who truly cared.

My thoughts:

Liz was a wonderful narrator that was really adept at staying in the moment and telling her story without moralizing or interpreting meaning. She had the rare ability to tell about her horrible childhood without making it feel like she was throwing herself a pity party.
It did what a good book should do in that it transported you into another way of life/world. It is DEFINITELY a book I wouldn't let my kids read. (In parts, it was even too graphic for me.) Liz is a great example of how kids and even teenagers shouldn't have to think about or deal with adult problems.
The teachers at Liz's alternative high school were inspiring. They showed what a difference a teacher can make who tries to really see and hear each student. They showed that a good teacher shouldn't pity their students, but instead have high expectations and hold them accountable to their word. I loved the teacher who called each student that was absent or late.
Something I would change: I really wanted to hear more about her time at Harvard. Did she struggle to keep up with the other students? I think a good work ethic can only get you so far. Could she really excel when she didn't even know where Europe was two years before she entered college?
I loved that I felt like I was a good mom after reading this book, or at least a long ways off from being the worst mom ever. I also was reminded of the fact that just like food and shelter it is one of a child's basic needs to feel loved and important. .
Other random tidbits that stuck with me: the description of the bathtub in her parents' apartment, mayonnaise sandwiches, the fact that she kept her mother's NA coin and a picture of her when she was younger (a tangible symbol that she chose to focus on and preserve the good parts of her mother), and birthday cards picked out from the sympathy card section

Favorite Quotes:

She shot up to feel better, to escape, but somehow the drugs always returned her to the trouble, as though it might be happening to her all over again, right there in our living room.
Homelessness was becoming more difficult, and I think we all could feel it, how the strain of not having your most basic needs met can drive you a little crazy. Hunger wears on your nerves; nervousness wears on your energy; malnutrition and stress just plain wear on you.
For the first time, I was making my daily life fit into a bigger purpose: climbing out of the place I'd been born into. That was my edge.
One thing that helped was a picture I kept in mind, this image that I used over and over whenever I was faced with these daily choices. I pictured a runner running on a racetrack. The racetrack was a reddish orange, divided in white racing stripes to flag the runners' columns. Only the runner in my mental image did not run alongside others; she ran solo, with no one watching her. And she did not run a free and clear track, she ran one that required her to jump numerous hurdles, which made her break into a heavy sweat under the sun. I used this image every time I thought of things that frustrated me: the heavy books, my crazy sleep schedule, the question of where I would sleep and what I would eat. To overcome these issues I pictured my runner bolting down the track, jumping hurdles toward the finish line. Hunger, hurdle. Finding sleep, hurdle, schoolwork, hurdle. If I closed my eyes I could see the runner's back, the movement of her sinewy muscles, glistening with sweat, bounding over the hurdles, one by one. On mornings when I did not want to get out of bed, I saw another hurdle to leap over. This way, obstacles became a natural part of the course, an indication that I was right where I needed to be, running the track, which was entirely different from letting obstacles make me believe I was off it."
"I'm Teressa. Terry...First of all, I want to apologize to you," she said, standing on the sidewalk on Nineteenth Street. I was confused; I had never laid eyes on her before. She continued, "I've had the article about you on my fridge for weeks. Since I didn't have any money to help you out, I thought I couldn't do anything for you at all. And then last night, I was doing my daughter's laundry, and I thought, how silly of me, maybe you had laundry I could do for you. I mean, your parents, someone, should be helping you with these things while you'r busy with school." I stared at her in disbelief. She asked again, "Well, do you? Do you have some laundry?" Once a week, every week, she stopped by the school in her silver minivan and picked up and dropped off my clean, folded clothing, true to her word. She even added a bag of cookies most weeks. "I can't do much, Liz, but I know I can do that," she said. So while I was studying for my eleven classes, Teressa--Terry--did my laundry.
Years later, I've often reflected on how blessed I was to have no real understanding of how difficult that day was supposed to be. Had I known how difficult it was supposed to be to interview with Harvard or The New York Times; had anyone told me that those were hard, nearly impossible, things to do, then I may have never done them. But I didn't know enough about the world to analyze the likelihood of my success; I had only the commitment to actually show up and do it. In the years ahead of me, I learned that the world is actually filled with people ready to tell you how likely something is, and what it means to be realistic. But what I have also learned is that no one, no one truly knows what is possible until they go and do it.

Overall: Not my favorite book. I don't think I would ever read it again. It didn't turn out to be an inspiring feel good book like I expected. It was wonderful written and interesting, but it was filled with subjects and topics that I really don't want to spend my spare time dwelling on. It also really frustrates me when people waste their lives away. Even though, I can better understand their perceived lack of options after reading this book; I think Liz serves as an example that everyone does have choices. It was a good book club choice though because it encourage me to read a book that I otherwise wouldn't have read.

Your Baby Ate Too Much

2011-01-16T20:20:00.000-08:00

Joseph had to teach in priesthood, so my new CTR 5 class got to meet Nicholas. Most of the kids were excited for the "baby" to come and visit. One girl in my class took one look at him and told me, "It looks like your baby ate too much." I had to laugh. Nicholas is proud of his little belly. He likes to lift up his shirt and show it to everyone he meets. It is a real crowd pleaser.

Hide-and-Seek

2011-01-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

Nicholas likes playing hide-and-seek; well, he actually hates the hiding part so I guess he just likes playing seek. Last week, we started playing hide-and-seek with the rings. He LOVES this game and he is pretty good at it. (Sorry that I'm talking to my Mom on the phone during this clip. I didn't know Joseph was filming, but it gives you an idea of how excited he gets playing this game.)

Wii Tennis Champ

2011-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

Nicholas likes to play Wii Tennis. He will also pick up our other remotes and shake them around like he is playing Tennis.

Christmas

2011-01-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from Christmas.

Nicholas being a shepherd in the Wells Family Nativity play on Christmas Eve. (Sadly, Nicholas had to go to bed before the Muhlestein's Nativity.)

On Christmas Eve, the Muhlesteins have a big dinner and each year it has a different theme. Since I've joined the family, they have done Indian food, English food, and French food. (I hope I am remembering right.) Joseph had the privilege of picking the theme this year. He picked New England cuisine, so they cooked up live lobsters flown in from Maine, coleslaw, bruschetta, and rosemary potatoes. They also bought clam chowder from Market Street Grill. For dessert, we had eclairs. Before the lobsters met their demise, we tried to have all 14 of them race. A couple of them moved a bit, but it wasn't that exciting of a race. Nicholas got to pet one of the lobsters. (FYI: In the month of December, Nicholas managed to pet a sting ray, a lobster, and a camel.)

As soon as Nicholas woke up on Christmas, we headed up to the Muhlesteins. They have a tradition where all the children sleep downstairs on Christmas Eve, so Santa can put out all the presents upstairs. In the morning, the children all line up on the stairs according to age and race upstairs to open presents. This Christmas was the only Christmas that Nicholas would be able to be first in line.

Grandma and Grandpa Wells took Nicholas to see the lights at Temple Square and to see Hogle Zoo Lights.

We also visited all of Nicholas' great grandparents on this trip.

Nicholas at 15 months

2011-01-09T16:39:00.000-08:00

Life got busy in December, so I didn't post about Nicholas at 14 months. Nicholas and I came down with a HORRIBLE little stomach bug just before he turned 14 months and it just put me too far behind.

Weight: 27.6 lbs (with a sleeper and diaper on)

Height: 30 1/2 inches

Tooth Count: 8 seriously crooked teeth

Favorite Games:

"Go Find Papa": He will go searching around the house until he finds his Papa.
"Can you touch it?": This is game that is hard on Mom's back. He likes to be lifted up so he can touch various items attached to our ceiling, such as fans, lights, vents, and smoke detectors.
Visiting the Puppies: He still loves visiting the neighbors dogs. He runs to the sliding glass window when he hears the dogs bark.

Favorite Times of the Day:

Bath time: He loves his little foam fishes that we got him. I will stick them all over his body and he likes to pull them off. He also loves dumping out cups of water on his large round belly. He does this about 2o times and laughs every time he does this.
Outdoor time: He loves wandering the yard while I rake leaves. It was weird to come back to warm weather after being in Utah, but I grateful for it. (Since I wrote this on the 8th, it has snowed and turned cold.)

Favorite Foods:

For the past week, Nicholas has been on a sugar detox after visiting the grandparents' house. Over the break, he loved all the juice and fruit snacks he devoured. Also, grapes are out of season so he hasn't had any since he left Utah. He still loves just about anything sweet, and he is SLOWLY learning to like vegetables.

Current Habits:

He still loves unloading things.
He loves lids.
He LOVES TO BE HELD!!! He wants me to carry him around all day. When I try to set him down, he refuses to stand up on his own and will lean into me. When we leave the house and go to a store or a friend's house, he doesn't want to be carried. For example, on Monday it was so cold we decided to do our walk at the mall. Nicholas loved wandering around and smiling at people. He didn't really want much to do with me; however, if the people got too close to him then he would point at me as if to say, "I'm with her, don't get any ideas."

Favorite Toys:

He loves the 3D glasses that we got when we saw Tron.
He loves remotes.
He loves all the new toys he got for Christmas. We got a sandbox from Grandmother and Grandfather Muhlestein. It is sitting in the middle of our living room and Nicholas loves to climb in it and hide in it. (Joseph likes the sandbox because he has finally found a way to eat in the living room on the carpet that meets my approval. He will pour himself a bowl of cereal and sit in the sandbox while he eats it and watches TV.) He got a pop up tunnel from Grandma and Grandpa Wells. He loves going through it and will now crawl through without any encouragement.
He loves big books. He loves looking through the Hymn book during church. He also loves all the new books he got from Grandma Wells for Christmas. His favorite is "The Wheels on the Bus."

Sleeping:

He still sleeps 12 hours a night and goes down at about seven o'clock. He gets really grumpy around 10 am, so I put him down for a morning nap. He refuses to take a afternoon nap though, so he gets pretty cranky during the evening.

Nicholas at 13 months

2010-11-07T17:31:00.001-08:00

***Notice the battle wounds on his face. Three-fourths of the scratches on his nose were caused by Nicholas scratching himself. The rest of his scratches are due to some falls. It is all part of the process of learning how to walk.

Weight: 26.4 lbs when he is fully clothed

Height: 30 inches

Tooth Count: 6 (two top and four on the bottom)

Favorite Foods: GRAPES and Milk

Other Foods He Likes: Cottage Cheese, Hot Dogs, Yogurt, Oatmeal

Foods He Hates: Vegetables (He will eat about three green beans. Sometime when I hide them in a soup, he will eat a few vegetables.)

Funny Eating Quirks:

When he eats a new food, he has a very similar reaction whether he hates it or loves it. First, he will plop the strange looking piece of food into his mouth. (He is usually willing to try any new food.) Then, he gives a look like that was the most disgusting thing he ever ate. He wrinkles his little nose and pulls the new food item out of his mouth and takes a real long look at it. If he liked the food, he will put it back into his mouth. If he didn't like the food, he throws it on the floor. (We are working on making him put it back on his tray, but he is convinced that throwing something on the floor makes it a lot less likely that Mom will try to make him eat it again.) Thanks to this system, Mom has a lot harder time trying to get him to eat foods he has already tried and decided he doesn't like because he is really good at recognizing them at first glance.
It is immensely easier to get him to eat a certain food if he has one of his hands immersed in it while your are trying to shovel it into his mouth. He also seems to have a more hearty appetite for something if you let him hold the lid of the jar you are feeding him out of. He likes to hold the whole jar, but Mom won't let him. We have an argument most mornings about who should hold the oatmeal cup. (I usually win.)
He is working on feeding himself with a spoon. He has the general idea, but most of the food falls off of the spoon before it makes it to his mouth. He also likes to shake his spoon.
He likes it when I hide a bit of food in each of my hands. He then picks a hand and is surprised by what is in there. It is funny when he finds something he doesn't like. He will then pick the other hand to see if there is anything better in there. If there isn't something better in the other hand, he then pushes my hand towards my mouth so I will eat it. I let him feed me the food he doesn't like because I figure that at least shows him that I think that the food tastes good. Plus no food goes to waste when I eat his cast offs.
He will take snacks from other people, but when he is really hungry he only wants Mom to feed him. I know that when he won't go to Papa and he won't let me put him down, then he is hungry.

Sleeping:

He goes to bed around seven and wakes up around seven. He takes one or two naps. The day goes a lot better when he takes two naps. The first one he takes about ten in the morning and it lasts about 1 1/2 hours. His afternoon nap is anywhere between 1 and 3, and only last about a half an hour. He is still really easy to get to sleep.

Moving:

He is getting more stable at walking. He had his first bad spill at Six Flags on the 6th. He started running down a little concrete ramp and fell on his face. His nose bled a little bit and he bit his lip. Poor little guy.
He has mastered turning when he walks, so he doesn't just go in a straight line.
He doesn't hold his hands above his head anymore when he walks. He still holds them up a little lower than shoulder height.
He still won't stand up with out using something.
He only does a typical crawl now, so no more army man.

Favorite Activities:

He loves playing in our bed. He loves be thrown down on the pillows or be flipped around and tickled. He also loves doing this on the couch.
Unloading drawers.
He loves bath time. He likes splashing and dropping things over the side of the tub. When all the water drains out, he likes to try and avoid Mom so he doesn't have to get out of the tub. He thinks it is so funny, so I play along.
He loves visiting the dogs and cats in the neighborhood. I'm grateful for neighbors who have pets so we don't have to. He loves watching the squirrels in our backyard that come for our acorns. He also loves it when Mom pretends to be a dog.
Walks outside and trips to the park.
When we go shopping, the only way to keep him happy is to have him stand in the shopping cart. He loves it! He is actually really good at holding on and hasn't ever had a tumble. He also hasn't wanted to climb out of the cart yet. He loves riding in the basket also because then he has access to all the fun things Mom puts in the cart. He loves to keep me on my toes and drop items over the side. When he gets sick of that, I make him push the cart around the store. We go pretty slow, but he loves this. It is super cute, because he laughs the whole time. This only works for about five minutes until he decides he wants to go "shopping" and then I have to put him back in the cart or carry him.
He is FINALLY starting to like books. Before, he would just grab the book from my hands chew on it and throw it on the ground. Now, he will look at a few pictures before he sticks it in his mouth and throws it on the ground. Yeah for progress.
He LOVES looking at himself in the mirror. He also loves looking at pictures of himself. (Maybe all our compliments have gone to his head.)

Pet Peeves:

He absolutely HATES having his diaper changed. It isn't bad if I can find an interesting item for him to hold while I change his diaper; however, I'm running out of new things to have him hold. Another problem is that this item he is examining while he is getting his diaper changed has to be really light, because as soon as I'm not looking he will drop it on my foot. I have two bruises on my foot from when he dropped a big belt buckle and an air freshener.
He hates getting dressed. He really just hates anything that gets in the way of his investigating the world. I have become really good at getting him dressed while he is playing. I have not found a good way of getting socks and shoes on without him noticing, so we do battle when it comes to footwear. The worst time is at night when he is cranky and I'm trying to get him into two sleepers, so he is nice and toasty now that it is cold.
Mom and Papa being out of his sight. We left him with a babysitter and he cried the WHOLE time. They said Nicholas seemed to have a three foot rule, he wouldn't let the babysitter get closer than three feet or further than three feet away from him. He is getting better at going to other people, but he wants Mom and Papa nearby. It is mostly my fault that he isn't good with babysitters. We have only left him about 10 times during his life and most of those he was asleep for and were under three hours.

Words: He talks up a storm, but the only word he consistently says is, "Yeah." He hasn't picked up any signs, but that is our goal for next month. He is getting really good at following commands. He recognizes the following phrases:

"Go find Papa."
"Get your puppy."
"NO, NO."
"Up."
"All done."
"Pick a hand."

Nicholas is SUPER BUSY and really clingy!!!! I was getting a little frustrated until I changed my perspective. Now, I don't plan on getting anything done while Nicholas is awake except for caring for Nicholas. During his first nap, I run around getting everything cleaned up and I cook dinner. During his second nap, I usually have to clean up all the messes he has made during the day. After he goes to sleep, I clean up dinner and do the rest of my chores. I usually get a few things done while he is up. For example, he likes it when I vacuum and he usually doesn't mind if I exercise as long as I don't mind if he climbs all over me while I'm doing push ups. Nicholas has a way of knowing if playing with him is not my top priority, and when he senses this he becomes super needy and it takes 5X longer to get anything done. So, I'm just working on enjoying him. He really is so CUTE, so HAPPY, and so FUN. I'm never going to have the opportunity again of just having one child to care for, so I've decided to just enjoy it as much as possible.

The End of the Okra

2010-11-04T16:09:00.001-07:00

Well, the okra has reached its end, and the only thing as impressive as its 11' height is its complete lack of complimentary root structure. No wonder I had to support it after a rainstorm during the summer.

The Monkey Walk

2010-10-27T17:35:00.000-07:00

Nicholas can now walk across the room. He looks a little like a monkey with his hands up in the air.

Happy Birthday Aunt Mary!

2010-10-27T17:29:00.000-07:00

P.S. Thanks for always leaving comments on our blog.

FALL in Texas

2010-10-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

We have a GIANT tree in our front yard that is dropping all its leaves. This week I have raked up six bags. Every other day, I spend Nicholas' morning nap time raking. This is right before nap time when I shot these pictures. He first started out wary but interested in the leaves. I got a lot of photos like this with him wearing his pajamas....

But generally, he was happy.

That is until, I decided to strip him down to his diaper and photograph him in the leaves. Don't worry, when Joseph sees these pictures he will probably call child protective services on me so you don't have to. What can I say? I think he is too cute to stay all covered up.

At first, Nicholas was in disbelief. He thought I had made a mistake and he expected me to fix it.

Then it degenerated into this....

This is the closest I came to a decent shot. I kept telling him if he would just smile it would all be over soon. He didn't believe me. I wonder if he will grow up with a phobia of leaves?

Kids are Entertaining

2010-10-14T17:42:00.000-07:00

Life was so different before we had Nicholas. We still have a lot of fun. It is just a different kind of fun. Here is a glimpse into one of our forms of entertainment. (It was filmed back in August.)

ONE of a kind

2010-10-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

Weight: 25.8 lbs (84 percentile)

Height: 29.5 inches (34 percentile)

Tooth Count: 5 (Two top and three bottom)

Amount of Ice Cream he ate on his B-day: 3/4 a cup (I was disappointed. We think he got a little brain freeze by eating it too fast. Don't worry, he also ate a cookie and a cupcake. He basically refused to eat anything but junk food the whole day. )

Getting Around: Nicholas took his first steps during the Saturday morning session of General Conference. He can take about five or six steps before he falls. He doesn't really bend his legs when he takes a step, so it is more of a waddle. He is very good at standing. When he first started standing by himself, he would laugh loudly every time he did it so he could make sure that we told him how wonderful he was for standing. He has given up his army crawl and only does typical crawling. He caught on that it was a lot easier to hold something when you crawl on all fours.

Hobbies: He loves unloading drawers. I think his paradise involves being surrounded by drawers that are filled with interesting things to put in his mouth. He also loves taking baths.

Food: He doesn't like lunch meat, Ritz crackers, cheese, or bananas by themselves. I'm having a real hard time getting him to eat enough protein. He does like cottage cheese, yogurt, fruit, applesauce, oatmeal, bread, and sometimes eggs. He LOVES grapes. Sometimes I feel like I'm feeding the ducks at the park when I feed Nicholas because I'm always ripping things up and throwing them on his tray. I feel like I am ALWAYS feeding Nicholas. He is always hungry, but he is picky about what he will eat. I am a believer in the theory that it takes about 10 tastes before a child likes a food, so we are just persisting. It took him forever before he started to like pieces of bread and now he will eat a whole slice. He has been getting in trouble lately for throwing food on the floor. It was his way of making sure I didn't try to feed him that piece of food later (or maybe he was saving it for later). He has got in big trouble for that. Now he is starting to give the food he doesn't like back to me.

Popular Tricks: He will give high fives, turn off the lights, and wave Bye-Bye. He can also stand up in the shopping cart even when the little belt is fastened tight. He is also hilarious when he flirts with himself in the mirror.

Words He Will Say: He makes noises that sound like words a lot. Sometimes I think he says keys, up, no, and yes. My favorite noise that he makes is, "Yeah." We ask him questions like, "Does mommy love you?" and he will respond, "Yeah." His response to most questions is "Yeah." Have I mentioned that he is the noisiest critter ever to roam the earth!!! I can't wait until he really starts talking and I get to hear what all these noises that he makes really mean.

Words He Knows: He knows, "No, n0." He now knows to stop doing whatever he is doing when mom says, "No, no." He knows that he will get in trouble when he plays with the garbage can, goes over by the toilet, plays with the VCR, or tries to unload books from the bookshelf. When he first started crawling, it seemed like he was getting into trouble wherever he went. I felt bad for the little guy. Now we have done a lot of baby proofing, so he isn't being told to stop as often.

Favorite Song: "The Wheels on the Bus" He thinks it is the funniest song. When he starts crying in the car, we will sing it. He doesn't like it when you make up verses and he doesn't like the verse about the babies.

Sleeping Habits: He goes to bed at 7 and gets up at 7. We don't have a long bedtime routine. We just turn his static on, give him his pacifier, lay him down, say "Good Night", and turn off the lights. 95% the time, he goes straight to bed. If he doesn't go to bed, we wrap him up in a big blanket rock him for 5 minutes until he is asleep and then put him in bed. He is just as easy to get down for naps. He naps around 9 and then around 1 or 2. He is horrible at napping when we go somewhere. At church, the only way to get him to sleep is to give him his pacifier and then wrap him up really tight so he can't move. Then you have to cover his face so he can't see anything. Finally, you have to rock him (or Joseph just jiggles his belly) for about five or 10 minutes until he gets to sleep.

Pet Peeves: He hates being dressed and getting his diaper changed!! He thinks it is pure torture. He also hates it when you try to get something out of his mouth that he put in there.

Nicholas' Upcoming B-day

2010-10-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

Nicholas turns ONE this Friday!!!! I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. My little man is growing up so fast. He took his first steps during the Saturday morning session of conference.

To celebrate our favorite little man's B-day, we are going to have a super casual party this Friday. It is mainly an excuse to eat fall-themed treats with our friends. Anyone who lives nearby is more than welcome to attend. I thought I would post a modified version of the invitation Joseph made.

Also, to celebrate Nicholas' B-day we are going to let him eat as much ice cream as he wants. He loves to take little tastes of our ice cream and has always wanted a bowl to himself. I don't know if he will end up only eating a spoon full or downing half a gallon. I'm betting he will eat two cups worth in one sitting. You are welcome to comment and leave your bets. I'll post the results on Saturday.

Nicholas 10 1/2 month pictures

2010-09-23T08:45:00.001-07:00

Sorry parts of the picture are cut off because they were too large for our scanner. I love how these pictures capture his three crooked little bottom teeth.

Nicholas at 11 months

2010-09-12T16:48:00.000-07:00

Teeth Count: 3 and 1/2 (He has the bottom middle three. The middle one is VERY crooked. His left front tooth has also cut through the gums recently. He had the worst runny nose while this front tooth was making its way through his gums.)

Weight: 25 lbs

Clothing Size: 18-24 month outfits

Height: 29 1/2 inches

Goal in Life: Get the Wii remote!!!

Mobility: He still does army crawl to get around if there is no nearby furniture. His favorite way to get around is to side step along the side of the couch. He pulled himself up for the first time when he turned 10 months old. Now he is doing it like a pro, and he has even figured out how to sit down after he has pulled himself up. I don't know if I'm a fan of his new found mobility. I do think it is cute when he searches around the house to find me or papa. I don't think it is cute when he tries to unload all the knives from the dishwasher. I don't think his new found mobility has made him a happier baby because now he goes to all the work to finally get to something interesting and mom tells him he can't play with it.

Noises: My favorite is after he is done nursing, he will lean back his head and talk to himself and make little happy breathy "heee, hee" noises. It is hilarious. We are working with him to make only "nice noises." He has a real angry grunt that he makes when he isn't getting his food fast enough or he is not getting something that he wants.

Great Parts About This Stage: He rarely spits up anymore. Blowouts are rare. He is over his extreme stranger anxiety and is willing to be held by others.

The Help

2010-08-22T20:05:00.000-07:00

Some of the med student wives have started a book club. I had the privileged of picking the first book. I chose The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I loved the book!! I didn't actually read it; I listened to it instead. I would definitely suggest the audio version because it will make you want to talk in a deep southern accent after listening to it. We had book club early Sat. morning on the 21st. Despite the fact that it was 9 in the morning, I couldn't resist making "Minny's Chocolate Pie - minus her special ingredient." Everyone who has read the book will get the joke. I also made some blueberry muffins for those who couldn't stomach a piece of pie so early in the morning.

Date Night at the Rodeo

2010-08-22T19:43:00.000-07:00

We took Nicholas to his first rodeo last Friday (the 20th) because we got free tickets through UT Southwestern. Nicholas loved the rodeo. I could barely get him to look at the camera because he was so interested in the horses. When he got bored with the horses he would side shuffle along the benches and visit other people watching the rodeo. This was the first outing that he started to get upset because it was past his bedtime. Usually, he doesn't mind staying up late as long as he has our complete attention. This time he spent a good portion of the drive home crying. If this continues, it is going to put a serious damper on our social life.

Joseph and I enjoyed the rodeo and loved going with our friends Dave and Laura. (Dave is also a 2nd year medical student.) I loved the bull riding and Joseph loved the mutton busting. Mutton busting is when terrified children ride terrified sheep. I have a feeling that Nicholas will get signed up to do this if Joseph can find a way. The arena was nice and air conditioned! (It has been over a hundred for the past three weeks.)

Nicholas at 10 1/2 months!!

2010-08-22T19:20:00.001-07:00

Weight: 25 lbs with a diaper (90%)

Height: 29 inches (50%)
Head Cir: 18.25 inches (65%)

Cuteness/Happiness: Off the Charts

Tooth Count: 3 (The three bottom ones have come in. The middle one is very crooked. It looks like he is going to have teeth like his mama's. We are going to have to start saving now for all the dental work he will need done. Sorry, little guy.)

Joseph Would Rather Be A Cowboy Than A Doctor

2010-08-22T15:16:00.000-07:00

We LOVE having people come visit and stay at our house. We were lucky enough to have Joseph's cousins Nancy and Rachel come stay a night with us. Nancy served her mission in Fort Worth and was visiting some members before she had to go to BYU. We were lucky enough to get to tag along while she visited one of her converts named Chico. He works at a beautiful ranch in Fort Worth. He let us all have the opportunity to ride some of the horses. Joseph took to it naturally!!! He was at home in the saddle. Nicholas on the other hand was scared of the horses, but he did love Chico and riding in the golf cart!

It rained most of the time we were there. It poured while we were headed to Fort Worth making the freeway dangerous! It was worth the scary trip because the rain cooled everything down and we loved watching lightning streak across the sky as the sun set.

This horse is worth over a million dollars. It was fun riding a horse that was worth more than I ever will be.

Nancy

Welcome to Japan

2010-08-22T14:56:00.001-07:00

After our trip to Utah, I was a little sad because I realized that a vacation is not really a vacation when you are a mother. There are no breaks from being a mother. My funk was mainly due to the fact that I was exhausted and desperately in need of a nap. Joseph offered to watch Nicholas and cook dinner while I took a nap. I woke up to this. Oh how I love my sweet husband!!!

(Nicholas was dressed up as a Sumo wrestler and loved eating his chopsticks.)

Our Trip to Utah

2010-08-22T13:01:00.000-07:00

Joseph had one week off this summer, so we decided to make the trip up to Utah during the last week in June. During the ride, Nicholas got his first tooth. It seemed to me like he cried about 15 of the 22 hours we were in the car. We also hit a dead deer and the check engine light came on around Vernal. Needless to say, the drive up was not one of my favorite memories. The drive did have some highlights. We drove through Aspen, which was breathtaking, and we stopped at Royal Gorge Bridge in Colorado. Once we finally made it to Utah, we had a fun time hanging out with our families. I have included a few pictures of some of our favorite memories that made the trip worth it.

BBQ with the Wells

My older brother Richard.

Grandma Wells and Nicholas

Grandpa Wells

My little brother Thomas and Emily

Megan, Lyndie, and Joseph

The Muhlestein Family Reunion in Monticello, UT

Riding in Uncle Jim's side by side.

Nicholas, Joseph, and Grandpa Muhlestein

Joseph and Nicholas in front of the Muhlestein cabin.

Great Grandma Muhlestein with Nicholas

Uncle George, Nicholas and Grandpa Muhlestein

Visiting my Grandpa Wells and getting another four generation photo.

Grandpa Wells, Me, Nicholas, and Great Grandpa Wells

Hogle Zoo

I couldn't pick a favorite picture of Nicholas with his grandparents at the zoo.

We had a lot of fun besides what was captured in these photos. Joseph and I were also able to attend two temple sessions during the trip thanks to wonderful grandparents that were willing to babysit. It was really fun going to the Monticello temple for the first time. Joseph also enjoyed spending a day rafting the Colorado river. That provided another one of the trips memories when he lost his glasses after jumping in the river. We are grateful he kept his old mission pair and are grateful for Christina letting him borrow hers so he could help on the drive home.

The drive back to Texas was a lot better than the drive up to Utah. Nicholas slept a lot because the trip had worn him out. Besides a big, scary hail storm (which Nicholas couldn't stop laughing at!), we didn't run into any problems. We had a really fun time and enjoyed the vacation.

My 26th Birthday!

2010-08-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

Birthday plans included:

Visit IKEA (Joseph was a wonderful sport and didn't complain at all during our two hour long trip. He had Nicholas try out all the beds and even sit on a few couches. We ended up only getting a shower curtain liner and some curtain rods.)
Eat at Macaroni Grill. (I even got a big piece of free chocolate cake for my birthday.)
Watch Netflix movies. (Joseph surprised me with a subscription to Netflix. We are doing the one month free trial right now and really enjoying it.)
Not to deal with anybody's bodily fluids besides my own. (I failed on this birthday goal. I wanted to go one day without changing a diaper, cleaning up a blow out, or wiping up spit up. I don't think I will have a day free of this until Nicholas is out of the house.
Go to yard sales. (I scored two beach ball and 3 pool noodles for 75 cents.)
Pick up a free smoothie at McDonalds. (Nicholas LOVED the smoothie. He drank half of it and cried when it was gone.)

It was a wonderful day. Joseph is an amazing husband and he loves to spoil me. My favorite part of the day was spending it with my two favorite men. I am so very blessed.

More Muhlesteins in TX

2010-08-12T18:42:00.000-07:00

Mary, George, Tanner, Morgan, and Grandmother Muhlestein all decided to brave the 100 degree heat in Texas. Their visit was quick because they were headed to Ohio for Lucas' blessing. They came on Wednesday the 11th at 2 in the morning and left very early on Thursday morning. While they were here, we went swimming, played in the park, celebrated my birthday, and ate at CiCi's pizza. It was so nice to see everyone and Joseph loved showing off the house and his favorite climbing tree. I loved showing off Nicholas. We had a great time and loved having family near, even if it was only for a day.

10 months

2010-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Favorite Foods: Popsicles, Ice Cream, Sauerkraut, Cottage Cheese and Yogurt, Ritz crackers, and Applesauce (You can see he is a man of varied and refined tastes.)

Tooth Count: 1 1/2 (So far, he gets a runny nose every time he is getting a new tooth.)

Weight: 23.6 lbs

Height: Approximately 29 inches (He wouldn't cooperate.)

Clothing Size: He wears 12-18 month clothes.

Favorite Toy: His fingernail clippers and a blue spray bottle

Favorite Things to Chew On: Shoes and Cords

Mode of Transportation: He can army crawl. It takes all his strength to drag his pudgy body across the floor. He works up a big sweat doing it. He does get in crawling position, but doesn't try to go forwards or backwards. He prefers to sit or stand over laying on his belly or back.

Favorite Song: Sadly, the ABCs no longer have a magical effect on him. He doesn't really have a song that he likes at the moment.

Newest Tricks: He can give high fives and will turn the light off when we leave a room. He sat up by himself for the first time the day he turned 10 months old.

Newest Fears: Dogs and horses scare him.

Sleep Schedule: He is down to two naps, most days. He naps around 10 and again at 3:30. He will only sleep for Mama when he is in his crib or in his car seat. Papa can get him to fall asleep in his arms. When I keep him up, he is still a happy child as long as I'm willing to hold him.

Favorite Noise: Why talk when a grunt says so much more? He grunts at things that he really likes and he will grunt at people to get their attention. He also loves to whine when I make him crawl around on the floor to get the things that he wants. The only time he is a silent crawler is when he is headed for something he knows he is not supposed to have (aka stealth mode).

New Hobby: We have taken Nicholas swimming a couple times and he has really enjoyed it. He mainly goes to people watch, but he also loves splashing. He does hate water getting splashed in his face. Bath time is also a lot of fun now.

Most Notable Quality: Everyone comments about how much Nicholas smiles. He always has a huge grin for people and that makes everyone happy.

Favorite Book: Moo, Baa, La La La (He likes the animal noises.) He really would rather eat the book than have me flip the pages.

Dislikes: Getting his diaper changed.

The Dead Man Crawl

2010-07-28T14:41:00.001-07:00

Nicholas has been getting up into the crawling position for over a week now. On sunday he began using a new technique we called the dead man crawl. We wanted to make sure that we got it on film before he actually figured out how to crawl normal way. Along with his rolling skills he is now a terror for any cords or other objects that might be lying around in the living room. While we love to see him learn and grow, it is kind of sad to see him leave the infant stage become more and more like a toddler. It is also sad to see him shed his baby fat in favor of a nice trim slim toddler physique.

Nicholas at 9 months

2010-07-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

He isn't crawling yet, despite multiple demonstrations of how to crawl by his parents. He is starting to stick his little rear end up in the air every once in awhile, but he doesn't really love tummy time. He would much rather be left sitting then laying on the floor. He can pivot, roll, squirm, or scream to get what he wants. He is lagging with his gross motor skills, but he has good fine motor skills. He loves picking up small objects and putting them in his mouth. He will pick up tiny pieces of grass and put them in his mouth. He also loves feeding himself Cheerios.

He is very excellent at walking in his walker. He has mastered backing up, so he can now get wherever he wants and rarely gets stuck. His favorite things to go visit in his walker are any garbage cans, the blinds on our sliding door, and the packs of water bottles on the bottom shelf of our pantry shelves. He also will find any cords we have hanging around. I have to be super careful to either close the bathroom door or put my curling iron away.

He has a tooth!! On the 22nd he was in a HORRIBLE mood, despite being well rested. I felt the bump on his gums that afternoon. He then was his usual self for two days. On the 25th, when we planned t0 make the drive to UT, he was in the worst mood he has ever been in. I ran out and bought some oral gel. We kept him pumped full of Tylenol and covered with oral gel, but he had a very miserable ride back to UT. The tooth broke through a little after Aspen. He was still in a bad mood though because he was tired and sick of being in his car seat. It will be a drive Joseph and I never forget:) If you look closely at the above picture, you can see his tooth.

We all visited UT for the last week in June/first week in July. Nicholas definitely had some stranger anxiety. He was okay if he was left with just one person and he couldn't see Joseph or I. If someone tried to take him from me, he would growl or start crying. When people would give him back to me, he would usually immediately stop crying and be willing to give them a smile. Part of his behavior was due to not getting enough sleep on the trip. He did make an exception for his Uncle Micheal. He couldn't tell the difference between his Uncle Micheal and his Papa. You can see in the picture how happy he was riding on Micheal's shoulders.

Nicholas still does best with 2 to 3 naps a day and he usually will sleep about 11 hours a night. He still sleeps sometimes swaddled. He is doing well with solids. He doesn't eat much in the morning or at lunch, but will eat a huge meal at dinner. He is starting to get distracted while he eats, so it is getting more difficult to feed him. He has actually lost weight. He now only weighs about 22.2 pounds and is 27 1/2 inches long. I think he lost most of the weight when his tooth was coming in because he refused all solid foods.

Favorite Song: The ABCs

Favorite Toy: Things that aren't a toy

Favorite Games: Tugging on the toys he is hold and Peek-a-boo

Favorite Books: Anything that has animal noises in it (i.e., Moo, Baa, LaLaLa)

Quick Update

2010-06-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

This is probably the last time Joseph will have free evenings for the next three years (or more), so we are determined to party as much as possible this summer. We have done a lot of fun things. A few of the highlights include:

Twisted Root. We went to Twisted Root in order to celebrate Joseph getting done with his first year of medical school. The restaurant has fabulous gourmet hamburgers and surprisingly good shakes.

Wicked!!! It was a first class production. We were lucky enough to get cheap group tickets through Joseph's medical school connections. We absolutely loved it and it will be one of the highlights of our summer.

Chickasaw National Park in Southern Oklahoma. We heard about this place through Mary Ruth's blog (Joseph's cousin). It was a wonderful break from city life. We went hiking in the morning and saw some beautiful spring. We had a picnic lunch and then played in the cool water the rest of the afternoon. It was worth the two and a half hour drive.

Gaylord Texas. We went up to Grapevine a week ago. We walked through a lovely botanical garden and then we went to Gaylord Texas and toured this huge hotel. They had an Alice in Wonderland exhibit going on. We then watched fireworks down by the lake.
Hard Rock Cafe. On the 14th, Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas celebrated their founders day by reverting the prices of five entrees back to what they were when they first opened in 1971. I got ribs for $1.10 and Joseph got a hamburger for .71 cents. We had to wait in line for two hours, but it was an adventure. We do a lot of these cheap dates thanks to a website called mydallasmommy.com, which tells us where to get cheap/free meals. In the past week, we ate for free at IHOP and got a really cheap meal at Quiznos.

Gardening. We have picked a couple of tomatoes, tons of cucumbers, basil, oregano, some okra, some beans, and lots of peas from our garden. The cucumbers have taken over our whole backyard. We are going to do a lot of things differently next year, but we are calling this garden a success.

Whirlyball and Donuts. On National Donut Day, we went to Krispy Kremes and got free donuts. We then went and played Whirlyball with the med school life support group. Whirlyball is a cross between bumper cars, lacrosse, and basketball. Joseph was pretty good at it, but I spent most of the time trying to learn how to drive the car.
Movies. We have spent a lot of evenings at the movies. A nearby theater has 50 cent Tuesdays. We also went to Studio Movies Grill and saw Ironman 2 with some friends. I'm about to call it quits with taking Nicholas to the theater. We still manage to get through the movie with only a couple of grunts getting out, but it is now becoming too much work to make it worth it. I think we will have to resort to Redbox.

Nicholas at 8 months

2010-06-08T04:51:00.000-07:00

This month has been so much fun. It contained many firsts:

First mohawk.
First cheerio.
First rice rusk (He acts like these are giant cookies.)
First time rolling over in the crib and sleeping on his stomach.
First time discovering his feet. (He wasn't interested in his feet at first because he couldn't put them in his mouth. Three weeks ago, he got his first taste and now he finally finds them worthy of his interest.)
First time swimming. (He kept a straight face and grunted a lot. I'm not sure if he enjoyed it or not.)

A few more things about Nicholas:

His mobility has increased exponentially just these past three weeks. He will pivot around on his tummy, but he can't go forwards or backwards. He mostly just rolls from his stomach to his back. He will only roll from his back to his stomach when he is in his crib.
He loves clapping his feet together. In the morning, I will find him doing his leg lifts and clapping his feet.
He is a grunter. If he spots someone and wants their attention, he will look at them and start grunting. When you look back at him, he will give you a huge smile, stick his hand in his mouth, and give an asthmatic sounding wheeze/gasp of pure excitement. This trick is a real crowd pleaser at church.
His new favorite sound/song is "chagachagachagachaga choo choo."
He sleeps through the night the majority of the time. (Approximately 7-8 pm to 6-7 am)
He is down to taking two naps.
He won't take a bottle. He uses it as a chew toy. I even filled it with apple juice to see if I could entice him, but no such luck. He doesn't really like the one sippy cup we have either. He prefers to share a water bottle or a cup with his parents. He also like getting drinks from the faucet when he takes a bath in the kitchen sink. I worry about him getting enough fluid because he sweats a lot when he gets hot.
As of this morning, he weighs 22 lbs and wears 9-12 month clothing. He still LOVES TO BE CARRIED.
He still loves his walker. He jumps up and down more than walks in it. His favorite game is to take a few steps towards papa and then papa will push him back. They repeat this until Nicholas gets distracted by the shoe rack or the garbage can.
Nicholas loves cords.
He is starting to be a good little eater. His favorite is what I call banana oatmeal mush. He doesn't really like green beans.
He is a wonderful sitter and enjoys that much more than laying on his back or stomach.
He always has a big smile for mom every time I look a him. He is the happiest, cutest little munkin in the the whole world. I love my little man.

Nicholas in the Park

2010-05-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

For Memorial Day we went to the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's concert in the park performance. Nicholas was in top form in the cuteness factor.

Nicholas at 7 months

2010-05-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

A few things about Nicholas:

He is sitting up reasonably well. Every time he topples over, he looks shocked. I cry, "Weeee" and clap. Then, he gives me a big smile.
We are still trying to convince him that it is not manly to cry like a little girl every time he finishes nursing. I have a hard time taking him into the nursing room at church because he distracts all the other children with his pre-feeding fussing, mid-feeding fussing, and post-feeding tantrum. Hardly anything (besides Daddy), distracts Nicholas when he is nursing.
Nicholas is an amazing burper.
He still spits up a lot.
He loves blowing spit bubbles. He drools A LOT especially since his hands are always in his mouth. He also loves putting his hands in mommy's mouth.
He can fit the whole green soothie pacifier in his mouth and then send it shooting out.
He shows no signs of teeth.
He has mastered eating rice cereal mixed with bananas. About a month ago, I was really worried if he would ever like solid food. We would put a tiny bit on his tongue and he would start to gag. It turns out he loves food, just not disgusting/bland baby food. In order to maintain his figure, he is not going to waste his time eating bland stuff. If I'm not willing to eat it, neither is he.
He still sleeps swaddled, but it takes two blankets to keep him contained. I cut up some old torn sheets and use them to swaddle him now that it is warm. He also now sleeps naked with a fan on him. He won't cry himself to sleep, he only escalates and gets REALLY HOT. Luckily, he is usually very easy to put down.
He has probably rolled over from tummy to back about ten times (mostly by accident). He won't do tummy time unless he is well rested and in a good mood. He can do a 360 turn while on his tummy.
He can stand while holding on to the couch. He can't pull himself up to this position.
He LOVES his walker. He mostly jumps while he is in it. He hasn't figured out the whole walking thing. Mainly, he will see something interesting and lean in that directions and eventually get over there.
His favorite toys are things that he is not suppose to play with (aka cords, plastic bags, magazines, papers, glasses, bowls, etc.)
He laughs a lot and smiles constantly! He is an angel, especially when you are holding him and devoting your full attention to him.
His bald spot is growing hair!!