Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is such a great reminder to be grateful for what we have. We have a verse of the week chalk board in our kitchen - something I bought in July and finally just got hung a few weeks ago. Anyway, our verse right now is Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever. Psalm 107:1. Just spending time teaching Tyler this verse has been a great reminder for me to constantly give thanks for all that we have. And to remember, that even in the hard stuff, God is good!

We truly have much to be thankful for. Yesterday we drove to WI to visit Carl's parents. We had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner and Tyler had a blast running around with who he kept calling either, "Gamma, Gampa Hagen," or "Gamma, Gampa and Wayne." One of his favorite games lately has been Red Light, Green Light and he loved running circles through their house playing it last night.

This year I am especially thankful for two healthy little boys. Over the past five months, we have had many doctor and physical therapy appointments for Carsten. At least weekly, if not more. And I know I've said this before, but you just don't always think about what other people in this world are going through if you don't know them. But when you go to a specialty health care center all the time, it's just a great reminder to be grateful for our health. There are so many kids going in and out of that place with really serious issues. Carsten's was not serious. It wasn't fun, but it wasn't serious. It could be easily fixed, and as of Wednesday, it is fixed! He finished physical therapy three weeks ago and he was done with the helmet Wednesday. The doctor said that the small amount of correction that is left will probably fix itself faster on it's own than with the helmet. We are so glad to be done with it! But I won't lie to you, it was good protection. Several people told us they actually missed the helmet when they were done with it. And I thought they were crazy. But I get it now. Yesterday we were sitting at the table and he leaned forward and banged his head on the table. It looked intentional. But it hurt. With the helmet, things like that didn't phase him a bit! I don't actually miss the helmet though. We just might need to put padding on the table and gymnastics mats on the floors. :-)

Anyway, yesterday was our first full helmet free day. They gave us the mold of his head that the helmet was originally made from. It is truly incredible to hold it up to his head now and see where he started and where he is now. Thankful.

I have missed his cute little head, I just want to cuddle his little face up to me all the time! I still keep looking at him and thinking, "Oh no! We forgot to put his helmet back on!" I'm still getting used to him without it I guess. :-)

Tis the Season

I normally really don't like it when Christmas stuff starts going up before Thanksgiving. I love Christmas time. I really do. But I also love Thanksgiving and don't like when it gets skipped over. But for some reason, this year I was really excited. And we normally set everything up the day after Thanksgiving, but this year I don't think that would have worked. So Sunday, Christmas arrived at the Hagen house.

I think part of my excitement is for Tyler to be able to experience and truly understand Christmas this year. But our house is a little confused. We have a Christmas tree up in one room, and a turkey with thankful feathers and other fall decorations in our kitchen. Today Tyler pulled out a Christmas shirt that's been in the bottom of his drawer. He has never worn it or pulled it out. But today he took it out and said, "I have to wear my Christmas shirt now. It's Christmas time!" I had to convince him to save it until Friday. I just couldn't let him wear it out in public before Thanksgiving.

I always look forward to the day we set up our tree. We always set it up, makes Crepes, and watch a Christmas movie. We skipped the movie this time and will still do that on Friday. But our tree is up! There is nothing like the coziness of white lights all around the house.

Not the best picture, but I love it because it was not posed. They  both put their arms around each other all on their own!

We've always bought one ornament with the year on it every Christmas. Last year Tyler chose and this year we decided they can each pick their own.

Tyler chose a One Fish, Two Fish book ornament.

Carsent didn't so much choose his own, but it's a Baby's First Christmas ornament.

Tyler loved his Crepes! And he really wanted to eat it by the tree.

Until he needed more. Who doesn't eat Crepes with safety goggles and tools?

And this is my favorite part. The Little People Navitivy Scene. I especially love the tow truck parked by the stable. :-)

Little Grown Up

Personally, I would love for my little boys to stay little forever. I don't want them to ever get too big for hugs and kisses and snuggles. But it is pretty cute to see little kids doing grown up things.

A few weeks ago Carl decided to teach Tyler to play Chess. Yeah, I thought it was crazy too. :-) But Tyler loved it! It was hilarious to listen to them playing. I would hear Carl say things like, "Wow, that was a great move! I didn't even know you could do that." Ever since then every once in awhile Tyler will ask me if he can play Chess again. Today at dinner he asked and we could not figure out what he was saying. Probably because asking to play Chess is not what we're expecting our two year old to talk about. Finally he was getting exasperated and said, "Daddy's game!"

So they played again. And it was adorable again. He's learning the names of all the different pieces and loved collecting all of Carl's pieces. :-)

They're having so much fun.

 

Last time Carsten was sitting with them while they played. It must have been too distracting for Tyler, because this time he asked to play, "without you."

 



 So we found other fun things to do. He's getting so big!

A Few More

I've got more quotes. A few new ones and a few I just haven't remembered to get on here. I know if I don't write them on here I will eventually forget them. Or at least some of them.

Like lots of little boys, Tyler loves to show off his big muscles. If you ask him where he got his big muscles, he will tell you, "At the grocery store." Every single time.

We always tell Tyler that taking good naps will help his body feel good so he can play and have more fun later. He has translated that to if he's happy he doesn't need to sleep. Tonight after he was in bed, and I thought he was sleeping, he came out of his room with is arms full of stuffed animals and his biggest, most exaggerated smile on his face. And he said, "I happy! My alarm ringed."

Earlier today we were at church cleaning a nursery. There are several toddler rooms in one section and the doors to get into the section lock when they are closed. I was bringing containers of toys out and across the hall to wash and accidentally left my keys in the room with Tyler. He could've opened the door from the inside, but I was locked out with Carsten. So I knocked on the window, hoping he would hear. And he did. I started waving him over and trying to tell him through the glass to come and open the door. He didn't seem to be getting it, so I jiggled the door handle to try to show him I was locked out. He yelled out, "Mommy! You need your keys!" And he picked them up and showed them to me, then set them down and went back to play. Thanks sweetie. I had to go look for some one to let me in. :-)

I think I mentioned quite awhile ago that Tyler had started calling Carsten an otter. Well, he still calls him that. But he is now also an otter and he has decided that I am a tiger and Carl is an alligator. We are quite the unique little family. He actually calls me Mama Tiger instead of Mommy fairly often. And I never realized how many different names I call my kids until I started getting corrected every single time. Carsten is a baby otter. Tyler is either Little Otter or Big Little Otter or today he was Tyler Otter Policeman.

Last night we set up our Christmas tree. I know, I know, it's early. As we were setting it up, Tyler found the ipad and said, "Can I play with this ipad for Christmas please?"

I don't have any quotes from Carsten yet (although he's a pretty great (loud) little communicator), so here are a couple pictures. :-)

His new favorite thing.

Football player/firefighter?

They are so great together.

From the Mouth of Tyler. And Other Random Things.

Every so often I just have to get on here and write down some quotes before I forget them.

Carl: Tyler, do you know what time it is?
Tyler: 46. Not nap time.
Carl: Umm... I think it's 47. It's exactly nap time.
Tyler: No, it's after 47. Time to wake up!

Tyler's recipe for Triangle Smoothie Bites:
Ingredients
 - Peanut Butter
 - Ice Cream
 - Butter

Mix them together. You have to cook them. You have to cook them in butter. Put it in the oven and cook it. And you have to microwave it.

He made that recipe up in the car and was determined to make them. I had to really work to distract him when we got home. I think he would have been a little disappointed with the final result. :-)

"A couple bottom times..." Translation: Once upon a time.

Tyler loves for us to make up stories before bed. A couple months ago when he asked Carl for a story, Sanjeeve and his good friend Roddick were created. And I'm not sure there has been a night since where Tyler hasn't asked for a Sanjeeve story. Sorry, I don't know how to spell that. Because I don't know if that's even a real name. Of all the names in the world, somehow we ended up with Sanjeeve and Roddick. And they are basically part of our family now. Tyler helps make up the stories. And he makes sure that they always include animals and sometimes waterparks.

Carsten started eating puffs a few days ago. And Tyler loves feeding them to him! He constantly asks for two puffs. He gives one to Carsten and eats the other every time. So sweet!

What a little charmer.

Wait, what? You mean you don't go to sleep clinging to a chicken drum stick?

Love.

Carsten's first wagon ride!

Our "gort". Tyler alternated between calling it a fort and a gort. It was cute. We spent almost our entire day in the thing on Wednesday. And Thursday. When Tyler woke up from nap today he was completely heartbroken to see it gone. :-(

 



In other news, Carsten started moving today. Yesterday I told some one I thought it would be awhile before he crawled because he despises being on his tummy. Then last night he rolled over and slept on his tummy. He used to roll on to his tummy and then scream, forgetting that he could just roll back over. Today he figured it out, and hasn't stopped rolling since. He has been rolling all over the living room. He was rolling right over toys and even ended up under an end table at one point. So maybe it won't be as long as I thought it would be until he's crawling!

Slow Down Baby

Not only was Carsten's dedication on Sunday, but it was also his half birthday! I cannot believe he's half a year old already! Six months! I thought the time flew too fast when Tyler was a baby, but with the second, it is just ridiculous. These days have flown by in a blink and I already miss the tiny baby stage. But of course I love this new one. :-)

This is the stage of so-much-learning!  And I love it. Carsten is sitting independently and enjoys playing with all of Tyler's toys. He can roll both ways when he chooses to. He learned to roll from front to back first, a long time ago. Then when he learned to roll from back to front he stopped going the other way. Now when he rolls to his tummy he forgets he can move and thinks he's stuck. So he doesn't really roll that much at all. Little goofball. He does love, love, love to stand though. He can stand all by himself if he's holding onto furniture and he thinks it's the best thing ever. And it pretty much is. Little tiny people standing by themselves is just adorable. He's not a huge fan of books, because he gets frustrated that we are trying to read them when all he wants to do is eat them! He really likes anything snuggly - blankets, stuffed animals, anything soft. As long as they can be snuggled and chewed on, they are his favorite thing. And his other favorite thing is baths. He absolutely loves them! Baths solve all problems with this baby.

He is a tiny little eating machine. He loves his rice cereal and sweet potatoes and tonight he tried peas and loved them too. I'm pretty sure he would eat at any time of day if food was offered. He just loves the stuff.

Carsten had his six month appointment on Monday. He was such a trooper for his shots, although he was a little emotional later that afternoon. He is 14 lbs. 8 oz. (5th percentile) and 27 1/2 inches tall (85th percentile). His head is 90th percentile!

I love this boy.

 

And here are both Carsten and Tyler at six months.

Carsten

 

This one is Tyler. I think they are looking less and less alike every day.

 

Carsten, you are a gift. A sweet and amazing little gift. We have prayed for you since before we ever knew about you, and we are thankful every single day that God gave us you. You are a sweet, genuinely happy little boy. Your smile and laughter lights up a room. It is so fun to watch you learn new things and explore your little world. You have an opinion and you make it known when you want to. But for the most part, you are very calm and easy going. You are also one tough baby. You have put up with many doctor appointments, a helmet, physical therapy and a big brother who loves you to bits and shows it everyday. Carsten, we love you so much and feel so lucky to be called your parents. Happy Half Birthday little man!

Big Weekend!

On Sunday Carsten was dedicated at our church and we were so blessed to be able to celebrate his special day with lots of family. On Friday night my parents came into town and on Saturday the rest of my family came. Since my mom and dad can't be here for Thanksgiving this year we celebrated that this weekend too! I love Thanksgiving food.

On Sunday Carl's parents also came for the dedication and afterwards we all went to Redstone for brunch. I also love brunch. :-)

It was such a fun few days with so many people we love. Our boys were spoiled with lots of attention and they had a great time.

Dedication Sunday

Saying goodbye to a good friend. We will miss you Peters Family!

Opening up his first Children's Bible

My sweet little man.

More Fall Fun

Last week when we painted our pumpkins we were also going to carve one, but it got late and we ran out of time. And we never had time again until last night. Better late than never though, right?

 

 

Tyler chose what we carved. He picked a puppy pumpkin out of a book for Carl to replicate. It looks pretty similar. Good choice Tyler!

Dressing Up

When we asked Tyler what he wanted to dress up like this year, he immediately said a monster. He didn't even stop to think about it. That was about a month ago, and every single time we asked him, he said a monster. Lucky for him, we happened to go to Old Navy and they had a cute orange monster costume for a great price! Also lucky for him, I was willing to go to not one, and not two, but three Old Navy's to find his size. When we got to the third one he changed his mind and decided he didn't want to be a monster, he wanted to be a zebra or a parrot instead. I didn't really believe him so I got the parrot and the monster and told him he could try them both on at home and decide. Of course he chose the monster and we brought the parrot back. :-) Carsten had less of a choice. I bought his costume on clearance for $4 last December before he was even here.

 

Tyler had been looking forward for days to going to Carl's work for Trick-or-Treating. He went to work with Carl for lunch a couple weeks ago and still remembers his co-workers names and talks about them. He was very excited to go back! In fact, he was so excited that he pretended to take naps all day long because we said we would go after nap time.

 

He kept laying on the floor, closing his eyes for a few seconds and then popping up to say, "I had really good nap!"

 

 

 

When we left we headed over to the mall to meet some friends for Trick-or-Treating there. It was pretty crowded, but lots of fun!





 

That Family

Have you ever been out shopping or at a restaurant and seen that family? You know the ones. Kids are screaming, possibly even throwing an all out kicking-match-tantrum on the floor? They are the ones who when you were younger and didn't have kids, you might have even silently judged them and though, "My kids will never act like that." Well, yesterday we were definitely that family.

Tyler certainly has his share of two year old meltdowns, but they are usually at home. Not in the middle of a restaurant. Usually when we're in public, Tyler's biggest issue is not listening and/or trying to do things that are dangerous. Our constant battles are to not climb out of buckles and jump out of shopping carts. That kind of thing. I've had many, many people comment on how busy he is, or what a climber he is, or how active he is. He even calls himself a "double dare", which I think is hilarious. He means dare devil. But it comes out double dare every time. :-) This is a total tangent, but one time I even had some one take him off of playground equipment when I was standing right next to him! He was climbing up a ladder at the park and A: I was literally standing right next to him, and B: he was perfectly capable of climbing that ladder. But this old lady started chattering away at us in some other language. Then she picked him up, put him on the ground and glared at me. Whoa. The little girl she was with wasn't allowed to go on anything without holding a hand or being carried, so I'm not exactly sure what she thinks playgrounds and ladders are for? Anyway, my point is, I've had plenty of comments on how active he is, and I'm very used to nervous, hovering old ladies. But I've never had comments on his not-so-fabulous behavior before. Yesterday we had three in about ten minutes.

After church we stopped at Panera for lunch. Carl sat down at our table (which happened to be the table in the exact middle of the room, where we could be seen and heard by just about everyone) with the boys, while I went and looked at the menu. When I came back, Carl went to order our food. And about five seconds later, Tyler was throwing himself off of his chair onto the floor flailing around and crying. Scream-crying. Why? I sat in Carl's chair. And that was about the worst thing I could've done. Apparently. :-)  I got him to stop crying several times and as soon as I thought we were done he started all over. Then as I was trying to talk him up off the ground I looked up to see one of the Panera employees standing at our table. I'm not going to lie - for a split second I thought he was going to ask us to leave. Instead he offered us a chocolate chip cookie the size of Tyler's head. It was clearly a your-child-is-disrupting-the-whole-restaurant-so-please-put-this-cookie-in-his-mouth-to-get-him-to-stop cookie. I told Tyler that it was very nice of that guy to give us a cookie to eat after we sit nicely at the table during lunch and eat all of our food. Not, "Here, you're misbehaving? Have a cookie." Hopefully he didn't make that connection.

While Carl was standing in line to order, a lady went up to him and told him, "You'll miss all this when he goes to college."

As soon as Tyler was calmed down and Carl came back, Carsten had a major blow-out diaper that required a whole outfit change, which also meant taking his helmet on and off. So it took awhile. And while I was gone, Tyler tipped his chair over backwards. Another couple sitting near them said, "Let me guess - he's two, right?" They have grandkids his age so they've seen these things before. :-)

It was an adventure of a lunch, but Tyler did sit very nicely and eat it all. And we all enjoyed the ginormous cookie afterwards.

The moral of this story is: If you want a free cookie, bring your crying child to Panera. :-)

Pumpkin Party

Last Sunday it was time for another one of my favorite fall activities - picking out our pumpkins! Tyler was so excited to go to the pumpkin patch. He had fun choosing his pumpkin to paint, along with some little ones for a centerpiece on our table.

Then we came home and made puff pastry pumpkins with pumpkin whipped cream filling. So yummy!

Carsten couldn't eat a pumpkin, so as usual, he just chewed on his feet.

 

Awww...

On Tuesday we got to decorate our pumpkins. Very exciting! It was Carsten's first real art project too.

He was a big fan.

I never doubted that Tyler would love it. He is my little art addict. He took decorating his pumpkin very seriously, so this was one of the only pictures I managed to get of him smiling. The rest are very focused. :-)

Tyler stayed completely clean all the way through, but right at the end he painted his hands blue so he could be like Carsten.

This little guy's bath was a two step process. This is Step 1 - rinse off in the baby tub before getting in the big tub to actually get clean. :-)

So. Much. Fun!