A Christmas Recap

Henry got in on a little WII action....

Grandpa Schulte plowing the feet and feet of snow...

Grandma Kim, Henry, and I with the blanket she made for him for christmas.

Henry with his new Lightening McQueen couch...he LOVES this thing.

Henry with his hammer and nails...such a little man:)!

Christmas 2009 will be one to go down in the books. Between the weather, getting snowed in, and rescheduling get togethers, it was interesting to say the least. Henry didn't even bat an eye. This child amazes me at his ability to adapt to his surroundings and adjust to changes in his schedule. It was wonderful to see so much family over the holidays. We look forward to the adventures 2010 brings us.

Happy Snowmas from the Schulte's:)

Snowy travels with grandma

Henry was thrilled!

VACUUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Grandma, your floor is dirty....

FYI...ALL of the pictures I am posting are via Linda Schulte's camera. I didn't bring my USB reader..go figure! Our holiday so far has been wonderful! We started our adventures on Christmas Eve after opening presents with Henry at home in the morning, we bravely set out for Sioux Falls. The roads we surprisingly not that bad. Although I was gripping the wheel so hard I had nail marks in the palms of my hands, but anyway, we finally made it to Sioux Falls in time for church, christmas eve supper, and present opening with the Schulte family. We have been stuck here ever since, and mama is ready to get out for a bit, if you know what I mean;)

Henry has been having a wonderful time with his grandparents and uncle Jay! He got a vacuum for christmas and has ever since has been vigoursly cleaning grandma's carpets. We are a very gender neutral family and believe men can clean as well as women..hahaha...who am I kidding:)!! Henry is also learning to be bilingual with the help of his new Handy Manny talking tool set, thanks Uncle Jay for that one. We always appreciate loud obnoxious gifts!

More pics of our winter wonderland to come!

Henry's new adventure

He made himself right at home:)!

Umm..I don't know if I appreciate this look...devious?

So I couldn't resist letting Henry open just one christmas present before the big day. For some reason, I got this wild hair up by butt that Henry just HAD to have his tent BEFORE friday. Really, I'm worse than he'll be someday, but opening presents is just SOO much fun. Seeing the look on my little guys face made the impluse totally worth it. Christmas is going to be so much fun this year:)!

Christmas party!

Henry as santa!

Henry ran and ran and ran with those balloons. Who knew they could be so entertaining...

I had my work christmas party last night at Famous Daves in Sioux City. The food was good but the conversations were great as usual. I really like the ladies that I work with, and truely that makes all the difference in the world. It's hard to believe I have been working there for over a year. The time has really flown, and I am just so thankful for the opportunity to be home with my bubba. I heart swells for that little guy more than he'll ever know:) Henry had a great time running around chasing balloons and eating corn bread muffins and chicken. He did very well, and Matt was a big help:)! Thanks hunny:) Henry is so lucky to have you as his dada's!

Proudly presenting...

Henry and Mama foolin around taking pictures together:)Henry was so thrilled with this new space he christoned it with a booger..nice...

I still need to paint behind the speakers, but I think it looks great:)!

I love the little nook with the chair, lamp, and table!

Henry's room minus a few pictures I hung..pretty intense but sooo adorable...

The before, sort of, we had to first put a pink primer down...awesome!

My new lights for the upstarirs..You can't see the cords when you look straight on..hahaha...

my newly designed living room and Henry's bedroom!!!!!!!!!

I basically painted from 9:00am saturday morning til 1:00am Sunday morning then back at it again at 8:00am on Sunday morning until 6:00pm Sunday evening. Three coats of red paint later, Henry's room is...mostly done!! After two coats on every wall, the living room is also mostly done. I JUST WANT IT ALL TO BE DONE!!!!! The living room has also been newly arranged and looking fabulous. Henry's room is also newly arranged and seems so much bigger...

Henry's room was designed around the Farmall tractor red theme...if you couldn't tell by the blazing red in his room. I have yet to hang some canvases (courtsey of my bestie Jordan), some tractors on shelves and Henry's name. The living room was inspired by two pillows I found at Target I just had to have. I love the warm homely feel of the downstairs now. I seriously couldn't be more thrilled!!! Our house is starting to feel more like home after 4 years of marriage. Matt parted with the last bit of his bachlorhood, his purple coat rack that he drilled into the wall. along the stairs.

I love little boys!

I came into the living room this afternoon to find a whole garage of cars on my window seal. How perfect a spot for a little vroom....vroom...action:)! Sorry for the lack of blogging lately. I have been busy devising my new downstairs. More pictures of my painting adventures to follow. I hope to get Henry's room done with at least the painting this weekend...

Henry's been doing great though. He really loves the fact the puppies have been inside more because of the frigid temps outside. At least they don't shed much in the winter. They do smell, however:( Henry's been starting to RUN now...he can brush his teeth and enjoys feeding himself. Are you getting the inevitable pattern of independence developing:)!??

Happy Thanksgiving from the Schulte's

Thanks Lois, I mean grandma Kim for showing Henry the joys of fake fire...must be a grandma thing:)!

Great picture of grandma Kim and Henry. I don't have enough of those...

They boys chillin' on Friday.

Henry opening his christmas present from great grandma and grandpa Schwartz...

Thanksgiving 2009 has come and gone. We shopped, we chatted, we even drank some wine! Henry saw the Schwartz's in Iowa and the Schulte's in South Dakota. The weekend ended perfectly with dada's shooting his prized buck. It was great to see family and eat some wonderful food, but I'm sort of glad to be home ready for the crazy holiday season to begin:)

Tools and tough guys

Checkin' out the action...

Not quit sure what that was all about...

Yummers..don't even want to know where that had been.

Over the weekend, Matt, Henry, and Uncle Jay took some time to work on Matt's 4-wheeler. Henry, not wanting to be left inside with ol' mama bear, joined in some wrench and screw driver fun. He really likes his Uncle Gay, he can't quit say Jay yet...

On a sad note, Matt's grandma Eva passed away over the weekend. She is survived by 11 children, 35 grandchildren, and 24 great-grandchildren. She was an amazing woman who led a very full life, and she will be missed.

On a lighter note, Matt has given me the go on doing a little remodel of the basement, nothing crazy, he said...hehehehehe:) My ever faithful and patient friend Jordan, who has the most amazing home, is going to help me out since I seriously cannot paint, AT ALL! First we will tackle painting the living room and Henry's bedroom. Stay tuned... I need all the ideas and help I can get:)!

Mini me

All dressed up and no place to go, Henry decided to clean, just like his mama. Don't tell dada's, but when you spend 90% of your time with your female half, you tend to lean in that direction. I know that will change as Henry learns to hunt, mow the lawn, 4 wheel, and snowmobile, but for now, I enjoy the special moments I have with my bubba. Isn't he just about the most handsome little man?

A fun evening with the Berg Family

Henry and Ms Sadie spending some quality time together.

Lil Holly eating some pizza..What a dollie!

Henry has some really amazing relatives, come to think of it, Henry's a pretty lucky kid in that department. He's got so many close family members including great grandparents and even second cousins that are all very much a part of his life. One such family are the Bergs Kevin, Em, Charlie, Tommy, Sadie, and little Holly. They joined up and grampa Ken for supper last evening after attending a high school football game at the Dakota Dome. Sadie thought Henry was the cat's meow and was constantly wanting to be by him, play with him, sit by him, and squeeze his cheeks. He enjoyed all of the attention especially after his hard week at the daycare.

Return of the biter

So Henry's got an amazing daycare provider and 4 of the 5 kids that go to her are wonderful. Henry even has a girlfriend at the sitter, however, there is one monster who won't leave my baby alone. Since he's been going to the sitter, he's gotten bit 6 or 7 times by the same child. I have tried talking to the provider, she assured me the mother has been notified and is working with the child. That was 2 months ago. In the last week, Henry's gotten bite three more times. TWICE IN ONE DAY! WHAT DO I DO??? I am at my wits end. I had to discover the last 3 bites myself. The latest were last night while I was giving my baby bubba a bath. Two very distinct sets of bite marks on the same arm. HELP ME!!!!!!!! ANY ADVICE??

To the park we go...

Dada's is putting Henry in his swing.

Henry and dada's getting ready to slide down the slide.

Next summer bubba, next summer:)!

In hopes of enjoying the most of this beautiful day, dada's, Henry and I went to the park. Henry hasn't actually been to the park since he started walking due to rain and crappy weather in general. His eyes lit up as we approached the gaggle of kids. As soon as we let him out of his wagon, he toddled off towards the play equipment. Dada helped him slide down the slide and pushed him in the swing. Then Henry decided he was big enough to make his way towards the big kids play area. Mama spotted a kid with a mask on, and decided that it wasn't worth the risk of contracting H1N1 so we made our way home before Henry could decide he wasn't big enough to wrestle with the other kids!

It's just you and me sister!

So, my dearest friend Jordan and I have officially made the leap into business. The photography businesses to be exact. Yes some of you might be saying, Jessica, there is no way that your pictures are good enough to take in any income. And yes, you would probably be right, BUT Jordan's are and with a little help on the business side, Jordan K Photography is sure to be a success. And you just never know, with a little time and help, this ol' girl might just surprise you. Here are a couple shots from tonights session. A SWEET little girl named Hope with the most captivating blue eyes. She's 6 months old and just the most well behaved little thing!

All Hallow's Eve 2009

The group! Henry LOVES LOVES LOVES these kids!

Henry and his vampire buddy, Hudson! They are so freakin' cute!!

Henry digging in his loot...

I think grandma and grandpa where having just as much fun at Henry!!

Henry had a BLAST last night. I think it was a very successful Halloween for the little man. Our golish friends the Krogman's came over, and after a quick photo session, playing wildly in the yard, and getting some candy, they were off. Henry was all dressed up so we headed down to Han's the babysitter's for a little lovin' and some more candy. Grandma and grandpa Schulte came down to see their little man all dressed up, and Henry handed out and ate candy the rest of the evening. His pirate costume was ADORABLE!!!!!!! Definitely a change from last year how they change so quickly!

Another haircut and baths

The before, he was a little shaggy

Henry LOVES his baths...

Sorry for my lack of blogging lately. With Henry sick, and Matt out of town so much, the house and Henry's care has been left to me. Henry visited his family in Iowa over the weekend. We got to ride with great grandma and grandpa George. It was wonderful being about to do the journey with others. Thank you for taking us. I didn't take a single picture while I was there. Too much going on and Henry had three floors to explore, so you can imagine how busy he was.

Henry also got his hair cut again. He even sat in the chair by himself. We are so blessed that he's such a great kid. As long as he had a comb or fruit snacks in his hands he was happy. It's definitely shorter than the last one. I don't know what I think about that just yet.

Henry is better now, and lovin' life! He has learned a few new tricks these last couple weeks. Henry can now go down the stairs by himself. He'll scoot down on his tummy and cruise down the stairs. He has hiccups every once in a while like missing the last step and taking a little tumble, but he's tough and recovers well. Henry also has learned to sit down and wait for his milk or snack. So where ever we are, he'll sit down put his hands in his lap and wait patiently for me to pour his milk or get his snack. This lasts about .5 seconds, but it's absolutely adorable!

Sick bubba update...

It's been a trying last week for mama and dada's. Little Henry bubba has gone from a happy go lucky, milk drinkin', green bean eating toddler to a sick little guy. It started as croup and a fever and has navigated north and consists of super congestion, runny nose, flemy throat, and a crazy cough. He gets better than within a few hours is back to snotty nose and crabbiness. He has developed a rash over his tummy and is just not a happy guy. I knew it was bad when he wouldn't even drink his beloved milks. NOTHING comes between Henry and his milks, so you know it's bad when he pushes his glass away and goes, "NO, NO" We return to Dr Krell tomorrow to get the official verdict, if there is one.

Meanwhile, I am just existing...exhaustion and worry gets tough after 5 days of this. The constant whining and crying and falling over....my poor little baby. It's amazing that we, as parents, can draw some of the most amazing patience from our reserves when times get tough. Being a parent is one of the most amazing, exhausting, exhilerating experiences of my life and he's only 16 months old! YIKES!!!!

When bubba's are sick...

They get to sit in mama's chair...

and lay around all day in their jammies...

But saddest of all, they do not get to go outside with dada's and bails:(

Henry bubba has been sick since Wednesday. He was officially diagnosed with croup and a high fever on Friday which meant that we didn't get to visit the Schwartz's this weekend:( We were both very very sad about this. On Saturday, I discovered that Henry was also teething his two eye teeth and had just had a molar pop through. That is 14 teeth in total 6 more and he'll have all of his primary teeth! YIKES!!!!

It is opening weekend for pheasant hunting in South Dakota which means dada has been out all weekend. Henry and I miss him especially me. It's alot to deal with a whiny bubba all day. The saga of motherhood rolls on....

Puppy pumpkin

Happy Fall:)!

Apparantly my son figured out stair climbing without me...

Henry got his Halloween pumpkin last week as well as some pumpkin decorations. These things are amazing no cutting, gutting, or scuplting involved. My kind of pumpkin decorating:)! Henry is now climbing down steps and showing little interest in posing for mama...go figure!

We recently returned from our annual shopping weekend with Linda and Teresa. It was quit the event as usual. Henry's got enough clothes to cloth him and his twin:)! We visited the Amana colonies, saw a play, and my family along the way. I really enjoyed the time to myself, and Henry and Matt had a great bonding weekend together. I didn't appreciate the many picture messages sent by my hubby of Henry, thanks dude...

A little of this and a little of that...

So I've recently been on a pity party poor me streak. The weather has been crappy. My picture taking mojo has suddenly evaporated. My life just seems a little dull. I love taking pics of my boy, but there are only so many shots and stories and angles before I need to find something else. A new direction, a new purpose, a new leash on life if you will:)! So we'll start slow and see where it takes me...