In the Routine

Well, we are definitely getting into a routine now with one week of school complete.  Man, mornings sure are kicking my butt...6:00 is WAY too early for this Momma to get up and going after still being waken in the middle of the night for feedings.  Aubrey was doing well with only getting up only once a night around 4 or 5 a.m., but lately she is back to two times a night...ugh!  She must be on a little growth spurt 'cuz she sure is hungry when she does wake up; thankfully she goes right back to sleep after her midnight snack(s).

As far as the babysitter, I think Aubrey is getting into a routine, too.  At the beginning she struggled to take a bottle but now she is taking about two 4 oz. bottles a day, which is good news!  Her naps there very from very long 2 hr naps to only a couple 25 min naps a day...I guess Aubrey is in charge of that schedule :)  There is also another 10 month old baby there too and those girls are learning to get along and working out some jealousy issues...it already starts at such a young age. :)

All, in all, the transition back to school has gone well!

First Day of School

Well, the first day back to school is officially in the books and we survived! Steve started on Monday and today was my first day back. We already have a 2 hr early out tomorrow because the heat and lack of air conditioning! Hey, I don't mind the shorter days but man it sure was hot...they said it was 87 degrees in the building at 11:00 in the morning...yeuck!

Of course getting out of the door in time is much harder when you have a 5 1/2 month old to get ready, but we managed...barely.  Aubrey has been fighting a cold so she has been sneezing a lot and even gagging because of all the snot, and today was interesting to say the least.  I had just gotten finished feeding her and I wasn't ready to head out the door yet but I thought I would put Aubrey in her car seat so she would maybe get a head-start on her morning nap, but no, less than five minutes in there and I heard "rumblings"....so out she came for a diaper change.  On the way back to the car seat she gagged and suddenly threw up all over the kitchen floor...poor girl! That meant back to the changing table again and a new outfit.

Man, I knew it would be hard first day to get going, but I wasn't expecting this.  Oh the joys :)

Aubrey's 1st State Fair

This past Fri-Sun we spent at the Iowa State Fair.  Daddy is very involved with the cattle, but Mommy goes more for the other State Fair activities :) Mommy and Aubrey stayed overnight in a hotel 2 nights and Daddy joined us the 2nd night.  Aubrey did very well despite the dust in the barns and the warm air!  Here are some memories.

Aubrey with Daddy petting the cows

with (Great) Grandma Kaisand at the show

Daddy showing

Mommy and Aubrey watching her first cattle show at the Fair 

"I love my Auntie"

napping in the cattle barns

having lots of fun in her stroller!

with Aunt Andrea cooling off in the fountains

 napping in the cool camper for 2 hours!!

family photo at the Fair 

 Daddy and his future cattle show girl

checking out the 4H Building with Mommy

first time in a hotel...she slept great!

cousin Kailey with Aubrey

Happy 5 Months, Aubrey

Today marks Aubrey's 5 month birthday and we have done many significant things to celebrate! Here are a few pictures that capture the day.

Daddy assembled the high chair that Grandpa Craig and Grandma Char gave us

 what a big girl!

 so, we decided to try some rice cereal, too 

she did really well! yummmm!

 Happy 5 months, Aubrey!

we love you!

tummy time

Fun Facts about Aubrey:

• loves to laugh and giggle
• squeals/screams all the time for fun and flails her arms 
• each night about 1 hr into her sleep, she has a scream fit, needs calmed down and then is down for the count
• sleeps straight from about 9 p.m. until about 5 a.m., needs a quick snack, and then goes back down until 7 a.m.
• likes to be rocked and in five minutes, she's out
• her hair fits into a nice little barrette
• likes the whine when tired (kinda like her Daddy)
• likes the lift her legs up and slam them to the ground - hard!
• likes to make "raspberries" with mouth/tongue
• really enjoys the outdoors looking at the trees and the breeze in her hair
• nicknames: Aubs, Aubsey Waubsey, snookems, big girl 

Lake Red Rock Walk

It was a gorgeous evening last night so we decided to take advantage of it and we headed out to Lake Red Rock to go for an evening stroll.  Aubrey absolutely loves the outdoors and coos and squeals the whole time.  It's such a new scenery to her since she has been inside most of her life :)  Here are some pictures of our walk.  

she starting laughing the second she got in the "big girl" stroller

enjoying the walk

Daddy was there, too

notice her piggies sticking out of the blankie :)

family shot, kinda

Final Wedding Weekend

Well, my third wedding I was in this summer came and went already.  Caleb and Leah Stam were married on Saturday and my mom was a life saver again and came for a few days to watch Aubrey while I was involved in wedding festivities for three days.

family shot at the reception

we both were at the head table

 OSCI staff picture

"aww mom and dad, really?!!"

I should add that Grandma VG and Andy were out in the Pella area last week visiting, too, so we got to visit with them at a luncheon on the Bandstra side.

Wedding Weekend

Well, we had our first "vacation" as a family where we went to Northwest Iowa for Josh and Jessica's wedding.  We were very lucky that we were able to stay with Kyle and Ashley and had the whole basement to ourselves - very nice!  The wedding was lovely and we had a great time with family and friends.

It makes things interesting when I am still nursing Aubrey and a bridesmaid who was busy all day, so Steve was on Daddy duty and did a fabulous job, and brought her to me every 3 hours to feed her.  During the wedding and reception we had a babysitter who took care of Aubrey and Camryn and that worked out really well, too.

Here are a few fun things from the wedding weekend!

On our way to lunch.

The girls with matching outfits for Rehearsal.

Mommy & Aubrey 

This is how they preferred being in the wagon.

G&G VG with their granddaughters

Kaisand Family photo op

cousin love :)