Weigh-In

Today was the day I haven't been looking forward to for a month! Weigh-in day. Nope, not a weigh in for me (thank goodness, that really would be depressing and I surely wouldn't blog about it), but for Ryker. Last month when I took him to his well-baby check-up they were concerned with his lack of weight gain and ask me to bring him back in a month. Last month he weighed 21 lbs, this month, drull roll please...........TWENTY POUNDS!!!! Ahhh...he lost a pound. No parent awards here, I am obviously starving my child or something.
I don't get it. We fed this kid so much I was afraid he would have gained to much weight and they were going to tell me he needed to diet or he would be obese! He really eats constantly. He eats well at most every meal, and the kid loves snacking. He even goes into the kitchen and points directly at what he wants (and even says "banananana, if he wants a banana). I even let the kid eat cake and cookies to help fatten him up!!!
So, I now the doctor has ask me to put Carnation Instant Breakfast in his milk and give him PediaSure to help boast his caloric intake daily. The doctor didn't hassle me as much as I was expecting when we learned he had lost a pound, but she did request we come back in another month to weigh him. It is funny because Gunnar has always been a small kid, below the 5 percentile, his last check up was the first time he wasn't below and he was in the 25th percentile. Never did he have to go to monthly weigh-ins. Ryker is between the 5 and 10 percentile at 20lbs for a 13 month old boy, and is usually around the 25th percentile at previous check-ups, so I suppose he is dropping, but should I be worried? He is happy, loves life, runs around like a wild man all day, and definitely eats (even without teeth, his first two are coming in at the same time right now!).
So any ideas on how to fatten up a 13 month old kiddo????
Here are some fun pictures from bath time tonight (pictures of dinner would be more appropriate for this blog, oh well)
I really do have the cutest kids!!!

 They both love bath time. Ryker isn't always a fan, but the last few nights he has been having a lot of fun. He just gets upset with Gunnar knocks him over.

Our little cookie monster, Ryker.

 Our silly monkey, Gunnar.

A Quick Trip

This weekend we made a fast trip over to Post Falls. Kyle's dad was home and they were celebrating the life of Grandpa Albert Pettit, so we wanted be there during this time, even if it meant a fast trip.
We got there late Friday night. Saturday we went up to Priest Lake. Some went up to a special place of Grandpa's and spread his ashes and shared stories of his life. I got to meet some more of the Pettit family which is always fun...they are a lively bunch.
Sunday we hung out back in Post Falls, and then said our goodbyes and headed home around 2:00pm. We had a good trip home minus about 10 potty stops for Gunnar. While it was annoying it is a HUGE accomplishment. Bedtime and car rides are about Gunnar's biggest hindrances as far as the potty goes. He was peeing his pants almost EVERY time he got in the car no matter what distance the trip (even 5 minutes) up until last week. So making a trip of about 6 hours in the car with only one potty accident is a HUGE achievement.
Gunnar playing with his Great Uncle Harlin

 Ryker enjoying a graham cracker and dirt

 Gunnar showing off his soccer skills

 Shawn and Caleb doing something "safe" under the direction of their dad

 The boys going for a ride.

 Shawn, Caleb, Gunnar, and Ryker having fun

 Gunnar's thinking face.

 Haha...the nerds!

 Grandpa and Gunnar coloring. Grandpa drew Gunnar one impressive motorcycle

The crew just before we left for back home.

Kyle's dad Mike wrote Grandpa Pettit's obituary, I have included it here. I found it quite interesting to read, but an adventurous life he lived. We love Grandpa Pettit and he will be missed very much.
Albert M. Pettit
(January 18, 1929 - September 14, 2011)

Albert M. Pettit of Priest River, Idaho passed away Wednesday, September 14, 2011 at home with family after a long battle against cancer.

Born in Menahga, Minnesota, January 18, 1929 to Charles Albert Pettit and Signa Lydia Burkman (Pettit), Albert was the second oldest of a large farming family with 12 children. Albert first arrived in Priest River in 1948 at the age of 19, entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that most of the Pettit siblings (minus Melvin the oldest and some girls) arrived safely by train in Priest River after a long ride from Minnesota. Strangers on the train noticed the large group of children traveling together and although handouts were offered, family pride would not allow Albert to accept or allow any of the siblings to accept anything without working for it. Arriving in Priest River the group then traveled to the Kerr Ranch located north of Nordman, Idaho. Here they were welcomed by Aunts and Uncles and later joined by their father and mother and the girls who drove the family automobile to Idaho via Highway 2 from Minnesota.
Albert frequently reminisced about life at the Kerr Ranch, hunting, fishing and helping build what is now the Nordman Store. He also talked about growing up on the farm in Minnesota. Riding to school during the winter in a the back of a old truck converted into a school bus that was heated with a potbelly stove, and the difficulty trying to keep the fire lit while bouncing down the road. Always smiling while talking about stopping by his cousins houses on the way home from school because “you could always get something good to eat”. When asked how long he went to school, his answer was that he went to the eighth grade (in the front door and out the back); always finishing with the fact that working to help support the family was more important than going to school back in those days.
Albert joined the Army in 1951 during the Korean War, but unlike his brother-in-law Richard McGee (married to his sister Hazel) who deployed to Korea, he spent his Army enlistment as a Tanker/Gunner stationed stateside at Camp Cook, California. He was honorably discharge as a Corporal in 1953.
After a memorable courtship, in 1953 Albert married Sheila A. Faust of Noxon, Montana. Initially they resided at the Kerr ranch with the rest of the family; it was during these times it was mentioned that “Grandma Pettit would cook a quarter of a deer each meal to feed the number of people living on the Kerr ranch”. Nobody can explain how this feat was accomplished using a wood stove and cast iron skillets, guess you had to be there. Albert and Sheila moved many times throughout the Northwest while raising their five children to ensure necessities were met and they were. Although Albert was not always able to express his feelings due to his upbringing, on many occasions mentioned to those closest to him that Sheila was the only one that could ever be in his life. He went on to become a respected member of the Logging community. Being one of the founding members of the original Pettit Logging Crew, everyone knew than if able and given the chance, he would have worked alongside his brothers forever. Throughout the years Albert taught those around him the importance of working hard, taking care of machinery, being safe and loving the job. He also taught his “six is six” (we never really figured out what that meant) approach of conducting ones self and the importance of working hard at everything you do. After many years, the original Pettit Logging Crew disbanded, but Albert continued to work in the woods until he was 74 years old. He often mentioning that the most memorable and satisfying job he ever had was working one-on-one with his nephew Donald Pettit Jr.
Albert loved the outdoors, always looking forward to prospecting and hunting season. Finding Gold or filling a tag was not as important as just driving around, supervising over the dredge, camping or walking around for hours with family just talking about how life was, how it is, but never saying “I should have” or “I wish it were different”. At times it seemed as if we were not hunting or prospecting at all, but cruising Timber looking for the next load of “Pickles” to saw down. He did manage to plant the Gold bug in many of us, especially his son Ken and Grandsons Tony and Andrew.
Albert is survived his wife, Sheila, four sons, Harvin (spouse Tina and Grandsons Levi, Michael); Harlin (Grandson Harold, spouse April Great Granddaughter Katlin and Great Grandson Duncan); Army MSG (Retired) Michel (spouse Laura), Granddaughter Leah, spouse Joseph, Great Grandsons Dylan and Kolby and Great Granddaughters Alysa, Grandson Army Specialist Albert “Kyle”, spouse Elisabeth, Great Grandsons Gunnar and Ryker, Granddaughter Megan, Grandson Shawn and Grandson Caleb; son Kenneth (spouse Lucinda) and his only daughter Cheryl (spouse Kevin and Grandsons Anthony (Tony) and Andrew. Albert is also survived by Brothers Melvin, Donald, Roy and Sisters Deloris, Hazel, Arlene and Juanita.
Albert is preceded in death by his Father Charles Albert Pettit, Mother Signa Lydia Burkman (Pettit), Brothers- Ervin, Harry, Earl and Sister- Clara The Pettit family would like to give a special thank you to the following for all their help and support during a very difficult time in our lives. Daughter Cheryl and son Kennith for being the strong ones and being there through everything. Andy from Hospice Care, Barb Adkins – Family friend / respite care and Phyllis Stoats- night Nurse, we are truly in your debt. We will always love and truly miss you Brother/Dad/Grandpa.

Bedtime Guilt

What a day! It's days like these that I can hardly wait until 7:30pm rolls around so we can start baths and then quickly get the kids in bed. Then once I am sitting in silence as my little ones are sound asleep within 5 minutes of being in bed, I find myself feeling guilty for all day only wishing it was their bed time.
Last night was rough. Gunnar and I seem to have head colds and Gunnar especially has a pretty nasty cough. He woke up at 11:30pm last night screaming, crying, and coughing (which sounded more like a bark). He didn't want me to put him down and through all his screaming woke Ryker up. This was the first of about 3 times he woke Ryker up. I figured I better just suck it up and sleep with him so at least two people (Kyle and Ryker) could get some rest. So into the spare room the two of us went. Kyle at one point got a not so nice wake up call from a grouchy wife and was told to get Ryker one of the times he was woken up. I went and got Ryker and put him back in his bed once Gunnar was back asleep.
Gunnar never slept good, waking up every 30 minutes to an hour needing to go poop, pee, or to cough. He insisted on laying over the top of me with no covers, so you can imagine how wonderful I slept. At about 3am, sleepy eyed I found some Vicks and that seemed to help him sleep until about 6:30 when he was wide awake. When I woke up to get the Vicks I was so confused, I thought I was holding Ryker, I think this is a sign my baby is to big when I get him and his big brother confused, it happens more often than I would like, especially in the middle of the night. I ask Kyle to take over at 6:30 until he had to go to work at 9 and I slept in until about 8:20.
Both boys have acted as though they feel just dandy today, minus a little cough here and there from Gunnar and clear runny noses from both boys. I gave Gunnar some cough syrup (even though that totally isn't allowed) tonight, and am hoping he sleeps better. I REALLY need a good nights sleep. I only managed about 15 minute nap and have had an awful headache all day.
Here are some pictures of one of the finer moments in our day.
Ryker has mastered the wave. He even says a "hi" or "bye-bye" to go with it. I think it's so cute!

 "Hi," Ryker is all smiles until.....

 Big brother comes and pushes him out of the car and steals it from him. What I didn't get a picture of was Gunnar speeding down the hallway. Mean big brother.

 Here is a much more pleasant Gunnar, he was outside and has learned that he has to hold his food up high to keep it from the dogs. Here is he keeping a muffin from Suesse.

 This doggy, Oma thinks since there are no babies in the house she can utilize the baby accessories. Spoiled dog.

Tree House

Last evening we went to my Uncle Peter and Aunt Perki's house. We had some relatives, Stuart and Margaret visiting from England. Kyle, myself, and Gunnar had planned on seeing them on our trip to England in 2009, but sadly we had to cancel because Gunnar got ill. So, while we weren't in England it is always nice to meet some extended family.
The boys loved every minute of their time there. So much that I didn't  manage to get them to eat much. They were to busy wanting to play. Gunnar and Stuart played together with  Gunnar's new soccer ball and he was in heaven. He didn't think life could get much better until he was reminded about the tree house. All of my boys love it up there.
The joys of being near family....
My little boys in the tree house.

 My big boy in the tree house.

 Ryker and Gunnar were loving this rocking chair. Gunnar was really good at taking turns...

 Ryker wasn't so good at taking turns. Anytime Gunnar would come near Ryker would push him away. I wanted to get a cute picture of them sitting on it or Gunnar behind Ryker in it, but Ryker wasn't having it!!!

 Gunnar is such a loving kid. Here he is giving Margaret some goodbye kisses!

 Stuart looking on as Aunt Perki tickles Ryker. Ryker isn't so much into the kisses yet. He will give you a nice slobber but most people pass on that!

Mid-September

Is it really September 16? Seriously, where has this month gone?
I'm not entirely sure what we have been up to this month, but I feel like we have been going 100 mph.
A mid-September Recap:
1)Trip to Post Falls and Priest River to visit with Grandpa Pettit and Laura, Shawn, and Caleb. Grandpa Pettit passed away Wednesday so we are thankful we made this trip to go say goodbye. He was a wonderful, hard working man and will be greatly missed.
2) Doctor Appointments: Really just Kyle. But I usually go with him so I can get a better understanding of his medical conditions and the boys go off to daycare. Next week they will be there for about 12 hours during the week. Today was the first time they had to nap there. They both went right to sleep, but apparently the teacher in Gunnar's room didn't know he was potty trained (he is the only one in his room who isn't in diapers) and she didn't understand him or something so he pooped his pants at nap time. Poor kid.
3)Weaned Ryker. Yeah..I wrote about that earlier. It's true it happened. I am suffering a little on my end still, but he is SO over it all!
4)Date Nights. Kyle and I back in the early summer went to a marriage seminar and made it a goal to have one night a week as date night. It has been the beneficial thing we have ever done in our marriage. We are fairly good at sticking to it. Last night we went to a concert, Heart and Def Leppard were at the Amphitheater in Auburn and Kyle's work had free tickets so we snagged some (people donate tickets to all sorts of things). We made a stop at legendary donuts for a pre-dinner snack. We then went and ate a "cheap" dinner at Arby's. I was really worried about the concert thinking I would just hate it, but it was so fun. Plus people watching at concerts is AWESOME!
---I guess that is about it. See, I told you I wasn't really sure what we were up to! I really feel like we have been going non-stop. Maybe because we live with a 2 year old and a 1 year old?!?!
Picture time:
Ryker loves the slide. My boys are both climbers and it has been fun to watch Ryker learn the ropes of the playground by watching his big brother.

Ryker is so not a fan of the helmet. Haha, but it just cracks me up.

He loves ringing the bell on his bike.

Gunnar is into off-roading on his bike. I am really surprised he hasn't tipped this over yet, we have many close calls.

Kyle went in to check on Gunnar at naptime last week. Gunnar didn't make a sound. Kyle was so confused, sat on the bed, he then heard a little noise behind him. That's when he noticed Gunnar's silhouette in the window sill. This was before the little dude got into trouble.(Ignore their bare windows, I have fabric to make curtains, I just didn't get around to it. At this point, I think I am saving the fabric for when we move and our new home ...wherever that may be.)

Date Night. The donuts were awesome. I chose white chocolate mocha and a snickers donut. Kyle went with blueberry cheesecake which was the best of all and he also got an old fashioned donut (boring, I know).

So I am still trying to figure out my camera and getting a good picture at the concert was pretty hard (I think I need a lenses with a better zoom, but I suppose I better figure out the lenses I have now), but here is one picture of Heart and one of Def Leppard.

My parents went to Canada for a week and sent these boys super cute shirts. When Gunnar opened the package he insisted that they both put their shirts on immediately. I attempted to get a good picture of them, Gunnar kind of cooperate, Ryker wasn't having it. This is the best I got. Ryker is just a blur in his individual pictures.

Side Note: Blogger has made some changes recently. If you click on one picture it will give you a slide show of them all. You won't get my commentary about them, but I think its a nice way to see the pictures. :)

Weaned

Genesis 21:7-8 "And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age. The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast."

 Last night was the first night that Ryker went to bed without nursing. I never thought I would care much as I honestly never really enjoyed breastfeeding. I felt that it was more just a motherly duty, but was still pretty teary eyed when I had to say goodnight to him. I only nursed Gunnar for about 4 months and had to stop more out of a necessity after having mastitis twice and Gunnar had constant thrush. However, I got mastitis THREE times during this past year of nursing him, but stuck with it. I would say they bouts of it weren't as bad, but that simply isn't true, they were just as awful. Ryker just took to breastfeeding a little easier. I felt like I always struggled with Gunnar, so that could possibly have made the difference.
A year was my goal and I made it. Ryker only used a bottle a few times when left with the babysitter. I will say he probably had formula a total of 5 times when I was unable to produce enough milk to leave some behind for him. He has transitioned nicely to the sippy cup, he is still getting used to cow's milk, but is taking to it slowly.
I have slowly been weaning him the past month or so. He really cut back on nursing at the beginning of August, so I thought it was my chance. He pretty much cut himself down to morning, before nap, and before bed. Then I cut out the before nap about 2 weeks later, then a week later the morning feeding, and then last night we removed the final feeding before bed. I would say I only felt uncomfortable one of those days. Last night his first night without nursing he cried for about 5 minutes before drifting off into a sleep and he woke up once during the night. Tonight, his second boob free night....not a single tear. He just laid down and went to sleep.
Kyle is quite thrilled with breastfeeding coming to an end. Who knew it effected him. He says Arbraham threw a feast because he got his wife back. Ryker still isn't sure if he is sharing me as he has been quite clingy lately, but I do think he may finally be teething. While I may not have bore a child in my old age like Sarah, I do agree that weaning a child is worth a celebration, Kyle and I will be going and doing something fun just the two of us to celebrate tomorrow!

Labor Day weekend

We spent this last weekend over in Idaho. Kyle's paternal grandpa is not doing well and Kyle wanted a chance to go and say goodbye. We left Friday morning, and had to make a stop at Fry's Electronics in Renton so that Kyle could get the parts to finish up his brother's computer while we were over in Idaho. What was suppose to be a quick stop ended up taking over 2 hours. This meant we didn't arrive in Post Falls, Idaho until around 7pm. We spent the night with Laura and the boys. My parents were on their way to Canada and made a stop in Post Falls for the night. So they came by for a short visit before the boys went to bed and then we all met up for breakfast the following morning.

Saturday we headed to Priest River to see Grandpa and Grandma Pettit. Grandpa really wasn't feeling well at all and wasn't able to get out of bed. Kyle went and laid back by him and spend the rest of the afternoon sleeping and talking with Grandpa. The boys (one at a time) and I went back and said hello, but really they were a little overwhelming for someone seeing double so we didn't stay back in his room long (imagine two Ryker's or two Gunnar's jumping on your bed, scary!).
While up at Priest River I made Caleb be my model for a few photos (he was thrilled, Shawn was on running an errand up to Priest Lake, or he would have been made a model too). This was my favorite of them all.

We all took a walk to the grocery store in Priest River to get a little break from the house. Haha..love these boys.

 This picture perfectly depicts my kids. Life is never dull around here.

Sunday Kyle headed back to Priest River and I took the boys (Shawn, Caleb, Gunnar, and Ryker) to Riverfront Square Park in Spokane. I had no idea that Pig Out Fest was happening so it was SUPER busy! Too busy. Luckily we got their in the morning, around 10, so it wasn't to bad, but quickly got crowded around lunch time. The big boys rode some rides, out of the kiddie rides Gunnar could only ride one because they all said he was to short. It really irritated me because they didn't say anything when we go their tickets (and the fact that 2 and under apparently are free), but oh well, we had fun none the less. After I let the big boys ride some rides while I wrangled my kids who admiringly looked on I took us all over the the carousel where everyone was able to ride and have a good time. My boys didn't look overjoyed (maybe some would call their expressions, scared), but didn't scream, so all was well. It was actually quite fast moving if you ask me!
The uncles on a ride.

 This is what my kids did while the uncles had fun...

 They started out on the carousel like this, one worker saw and didn't say anything, they started the carousel, then another worker made them stop it and made the boys sit on their own horse. They said it was for safety. It didn't make much sense to me. I was able to watch them better when they were like this than when I had to stand between them. Although, I do think they both enjoyed getting to ride their own horse.

 It's not a complete trip to Riverfront Square Park without going down the giant wagon slide a few times.

 We headed over to Fairchild AFB to get some things for Kyle's dad Mike after the park. Gunnar saw the train as we were driving in and I agreed once we got our shopping done that we could check the train and planes out. The boys had a blast. It gave my boys a chance to run free and not be confined to their carseats or stroller so they were loving it. Gunnar loves following his uncles around.

 Both boys got super late naps and turned into monsters at dinner. I decided it was best if we all just played outside the rest of the evening. Laura, Shawn, and Caleb joined us and helped me entertain the boys.

 Kyle had planned on sleeping at Grandpa and Grandma's but because Grandpa wasn't awake much he decided to come the 50 minutes back and spend the night with us.
He left again Monday morning to go say his final goodbyes to Grandpa and those of us back in Post Falls went to the park for a few hours. We headed back so Ryker could catch his morning nap, ate some lunch, then spent the rest of the time outside in their yard while we waited for Kyle.

I had loaded the car while Ryker was napping so once Kyle got there we hit the road. The trip home ended up being about 7 hours because of the holiday traffic, but the boys did great. They are getting so much better at riding in the car...plus it helps that we play movies for them now too!
Here are a few pictures of Grandpa Pettit I could find quickly....
Some of the Pettit guys, November 2010

 Gunnar and Grandpa, Thanksgiving 2010

 Ryker and Grandpa, July 2011

I feel like it was a whirlwind of a weekend, but I know it was important, especially for Kyle. We are thankful for the time he was able to spend with his grandpa this weekend.