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The Wiederstein Family |
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Stories Hello---it's been awhile since I've updated the website-once again, time has gotten away from me!! At least it looks like winter may be coming to an end, or at least the snow is melting. The last couple of months have been full of change, excitement and new adventures!
I was blessed to be able to be home with the just the kids until mid-February. Then, just when I started to get desperate for kids to start the childcare, and started to look for another job, the Lord blessed us with being able to do back-up childcare for my kids' old provider while she was on vacation. I had 3 of her kids for 2 weeks, which helped make ends meet. Then, the flood started...I got 3 kids of my own and more calls that I had to turn down!! Since March 1, I have been hopefully enriching the lives of 3 other children, in addition to mine; Jayda (2), Joaquin (5 months) and Hank (20 months). They are at our house all day every day. Next week, I will take on two more, part-time. Ava (3) & Addison (3 months), will be at our house 10-15 hours per week! So...we are busy! The days go quickly between diaper changes, feedings and activity and I am loving it. There are moments where I think I might lose my mind...but the unconditional love and excitement the children have make it all worth it. I love being home with my own children, although it seems there are times when it is hard for them to understand that I have to divide my attention between them and others. But, we are all learning and growing together. I have had a blast coming up with weekly themes and daily activites and projects for the kids. So, that it the big change in our lives...we thank the Lord that He has made a way for me to not have to work outside the home and still help out financially. Little Blessings Childcare is officially off the ground!!
Claire is starting the process of getting ready for Kindergarten! She had her kindergarten screening today (hearing, vision & language check) and will go to Kindergarten round up next month. I am still thinking about homeschooling...not really...but, it is scary thinking about releasing her. Although it has been somewhat gradual with going to preschool, I am still reluctant to let go! I guess it has to start somewhere. It just seems she is still so innocent and sweet and I am afraid for what her little ears might hear or her eyes might see! I guess that's why we continue to hold our children up and surrender their little lives to the Lord. She is truly a tender hearted little girl and such a blessing to me every day.
Lila continues to be a little fireball who doesn't stop moving unless she is sleeping!! She keeps me on my toes and seems to always be looking for trouble. She does have her tender moments where she will say 'I love you' out of the blue and give a huge hug and kiss. She is pretty rough & tumble, otherwise. Although she challenges me every day, I am grateful that she is independent and a go-getter! She is enjoying having friends her age around daily and her language is expanding. It is so neat when you can start to have a conversation with your children and you know that they understand! She is getting bigger everyday and in the last week, I think her hair has grown 2 inches!!
Dane is just a little honey! It's hard to believe he's nearly 9 months already!! I don't know where the time has gone with him. He always wakes up happy and is talking and happy all day, unless he is hungry. He is eating solids like a champ and LOVES to eat. He is a little lover and just the sweetest baby around. He had a difficult couple of weeks adjusting to this other baby being around everyday and mommy not being able to give him ALL her attention, but he is doing better now and I think the boys' schedules are just off enough that they sleep opposite times so they can both be fed and played with independently. He blesses us everyday with his sweet voice and happy disposition. How can I forget---he was baptized on Valentine's Day...we will always remember that special day.
David is busy as ever. Now that he is partner, his firm has changed it's name to Otto, Lorence & Wiederstein. Pretty cool, I think. As busy as he is, he is still enjoying his work and I know he is grateful that I can be home with our children. April 26 will mark our 7 year anniversary...what?!? So, we are going to try and get away from it all for a couple days and take a long weekend. Unfortunately, not to somewhere tropical, but maybe Omaha or Kansas City...we'll see!!
That's all for now...enjoy the pictures. If you're ever in Western Iowa, stop by!
WOW--is about all we can say to explain this Iowa winter!! We have had snow, ice, blizzards, freezing temperatures...it has been unreal!! I guess that is part of the reason I haven't updated things in such a long time!!
It seems everything has been a blur since about mid-December! Not only did we get snowed in over Christmas, but we all got the flu...starting with Claire, we had it one after another. I thought I was in the clear when I hadn't had any symptoms 36 hours after everyone else was done--I was wrong! It hit me like a ton of bricks and was awful! Sadly, when we visited my family for Christmas on the 27th, they all got it...one after another!! Yikes! Then, right after that, Lila got pink eye, followed by Claire & Dane!! It didn't matter how much I cloroxed or wiped things down, we all have had our share, hopefully we are done for the year! ;)
As I mentioned, it has been one snow storm after another! Poor Claire only goes to school 3 days a week and has missed about 6 days!! We had close to 2 feet around Christmas and it seemed to snow a little bit each day after that. Last week (January 19), we got a huge ice storm. I have never seen so much ice covering EVERYTHING! We woke up to transformers blowing and branches crashing all over town. We lost power for close to 48 hours and stayed with Ed & Nicki in Audubon to stay warm! I don't know how much more excitement we can take! We are definitely ready for spring, that's for sure. Little Lila keeps asking about going to the park--it might be awhile!
Aside from all those crazy happenings, life is good! Wonderful, actually! I began staying home on January 1 and am SOOOO blessed!! There are moments when I have to remind myself how blessed I am, but most of the time, experiencing every waking moment with my babies is wonderful! More than anything, it is nice that our schedule isn't so hectic and we aren't running from one thing to the next at every hour of the day. Claire started taking the bus to school and LOVES it...I wasn't enjoying it at first, but it has gotten better as I have learned to release her, just a little bit!
Lila is chatting up a storm, repeating everything (good and bad) and still trying to get the hang of potty training. It is so sweet to watch her try to emulate her older sister. Claire gets annoyed at times, but I think she likes to have someone admire her. Lila definitely keeps us on our toes and laughing. She helps us remember not to take things too seriously, as she reminded me this morning, while I was getting ready, she ate 3 cookies we had made that I had left on the counter to cool. When I caught her, she looked at me as if to say 'silly mommy, what did you think I was going to do?'
The girls got bunk beds, officially moving Dane out of the pack-n-play!! We are blessed that my parents had bunk beds which my sisters had used for a short time when they were younger. They are in perfect condition and look beautiful in the girls' room! The first couple weeks were rough; bedtime would start about 2 hours ahead of time since it was easy to confuse 'play time' and 'bed time'. Now we are in the swing of things...just have to take the ladder off at night and during naps as Lila is our little climber! Thanks, mom & dad!
Dane is growing like a weed...can he be almost 8 months already? He is rolling like a champ, sitting up and trying really hard to crawl. He wants so badly to keep up with his sisters and it doesn't seem like it's enough just to watch them! He is such a happy baby, always smiling and brightening our days. He loves his solids and can't eat enough. I am afraid he is going to follow in his dads footsteps and eat us out of house and home!!
I am still looking for clients to start my daycare business; we are being patient and trusting the Lord's timing. There has been some interest, but nothing yet, so I am just enjoying my kids to myself while I have them!
David is busier than ever, but happy to be a partner in the firm, which will be renamed 'Otto, Lorence & Wiederstein'. With the additional workload and the City Attorney position, he is glad to not have to be Mr. Mom 2 nights each week; although he is still so good about balancing work and home. I don't think he has appreicated this winter either as he clears snow both at home and work, but was grateful to get a snowblower from the in-laws this winter, which is saving his back!
Well, I guess that's the latest from snowy, cold Atlantic!! I will try to update soonner this time...all I can do it try!! Enjoy catching up on our pictures.
It's been about a month...so time for another update! October was full of fun...we took a special trip to the Wasserbahn Waterpark in the Amana's for some fun. The girls LOVED the swimming, fountains and slide. Dane just took it all in!! We tailgated in Iowa City for the one and only time this year while we were there. We've had fun raking (playing in) the leaves, playing in the SNOW in early October and enjoying the change to fall. The girls have even picked apples and been on the combine at the farm. Halloween was fun, too. Claire chose to be a bumblebee, Lila was a pink poodle and Dane was our little 'punkin' (look at the pictures of Claire in the same outfit...striking resemblence)!
Lila celebrated her 2nd birthday on October 17 with 2 birthday parties...a breakfast brunch with a birthday coffee cake and grandma Diane & grandpa Gary's house and then a birthday party at Uncle Ryan & Aunt Reyna's house with all the cousin--Landen & Charlie turned 2 in October as well! What fun! Lila is talking up a storm and working on going potty like a big girl, Claire is still loving school and curious about everything--she never stops asking questions!! Dane has been rolling over and yells loud enough for his voice to be heard too!! We are loving every minute of their growing and changing...our only wish is that it would slow down a little bit!!
Has it really been 2 1/2 months since I have updated the website?? Well, I guess after August 1st, things really picked up and haven't slowed down yet! I went back to work at CASS. David is still doing great with all three kids 2 overnights/week. It requires a lot of flexibility on everyone, but we are making it work. Dane started sleeping through the night right around the time that I started back, so that helps, too!!
Claire started back to school--she is now going 3 mornings a week from 8:10-11:30 and is loving it. We have really seen her mature in the past year. Lila is still curious, climbing and getting into everything. She doesn't like to word 'no' and spends plenty of time on the steps (time-out), but she loves to play with her big sister and is very interested in her baby brother, too. Both Claire & Lila are in dance this year. We weren't going to enroll them until Claire started asking when she was going to start dance class and when Lila went to watch Claire's class, she ran in the room and we couldn't get her to come out without a scene. So, it is luckily on the same afternoon, which I never work, so it all works out!
Poor Dane gets hauled all over the place! His naps and feedings are constantly interuppted, but he sure is a good sport! We joke around that someday it will be payback and his sisters will be dragged around to all his games and activities! He is such a happy, easy going baby. We are truly blessed with that--it's like he knew he couldn't be high maintenance! Little did he know that he wouldn't have a choice!! As if life couldn't be crazy enough, my school job started again in August as well and David made partner at the law firm. So, come January, he will probably be working even more hours, but will have a littlemore $$ to show for it!! We are so proud of him and it is another confirmation that we are where we are supposed to be.
In the hecticness of our crazy life, we are always reminding each other to enjoy each day and all the little moments with the kids. We realize every day how quickly it is slipping by...Lila will be two on the 17th!! I can remember her doing a face plant into her birthday cake as a 1 year old like it was yesterday!!! Cherish every moment...
As promised, I have uploaded pictures of the little guy (and the rest of the family)...finally!! I can't believe it is already the end of July. We have kept busy with not only getting into a routine and adjusting, but also taking a trip to Okoboji for the Lansman family reunion, a little getaway to Mound Lake in MN and have also celebrated Claire's 4th birthday! Has it really been 4 years?!? I head back to work next week, which I am not excited about (I think only David is less excited than me)...so, we'll see what kind of excitement that brings. I can't imagine our life any more hectic, but it will surely happen. :( The little one is doing well--we have learned that he is a lazy eater and prefers to sleep over eat! He has been slow to gain weight, but the dr. thinks he is metabolizing as fast as he is taking in, so hopefully he will soon catch up! The girls are still doing well and haven't missed a beat. We are truly blessed for three healthy & beautiful (if I do say so myself) children! Until the next time... Dane Benjamin Wiederstein joined our family on Monday, June 15. He made his appearance at 8:44 a.m. and weighed in at 7 lbs. 12 oz. He was 20 inches long. The past two weeks have flown by as we have all been adjusting to life with a newborn again and as a family of five. The girls are doing well...after some initial acting out for attention, they are back on track and loving their little brother. It is precious to see them interact with him and makes us love them even more! We are a little sleep deprived as Dane's fussy times seems to be in the middle of the night (2-6 or 3-7 a.m.), but we are hanging in there! Life is good and we are truly blessed with 3 little angels. We will post pictures soon! We're getting closer--just 5 days until our little boy arrives. Or...perhaps he will be a BIG boy; at this week's appointment, he is measuring 8 pounds! We are starting to get excited and anxious. I think we are just about ready--waiting to set up the cradle until this weekend so that it isn't too tempting for the girls as well as other last minute things. I guess the nice thing about having a c-section is knowing when it's coming and having an opportunity to be a little more prepared! We were blessed with a bundle of baby boy clothes this week--so I was very happy about that!! I have been trying to spend quality time with the girls this week-knowing it will be the last time it's just us 3, so we have been going to the parks, the pool, etc. as well as trying to get the house prepared!! I work my last shift on Thursday night and then we have the weekend to continue to prepare! Claire is excited and looking forward to being a big helper, again. Lila isn't sure about the whole thing; although we know she senses something as she has been very clingy and whiny lately. We will post as soon as we can with the news on the little guy. I hope to get around to it once I'm feeling up to it!! Yikes--how could the past two months have slipped past without an update? Things have been wild and crazy here and in the midst of it all, our computer died, so I have had no way to post pictures or update the site! We are hooked back up now and I have A LOT to catch up on!! Well, we are now 4 weeks from baby #3's arrival. June 15 at 8AM he will join our family. We have been so busy that we haven't had much time to think about it, other than it keeps getting closer and closer! Claire had her last day of preschool today--the first year went quickly and it is sweet to see the friends she has made and how much she has matured throughout the year. She is such a sweetheart and is constantly talking about how she will take care of her baby brother and is such a wonderful big sister to Lila as well. If Lila falls or gets hurt or is sad, Claire is who she goes to for comfort. It is truly precious. Lila learns something new everyday and is full of energy!! I am blessed that she is a good sleeper, because when she is awake, she wants to go non-stop! She always wants to her big sister is doing and loves to be around other children. Both girls have been loving the springtime and want to go outside everyday. They love to help their dad in the yard, ride bikes and go for walks. The only trouble is getting them to come inside!! The summer will be full of adventure and late nights, I'm sure. I can tell I am in the last few weeks of pregnancy...everything is tired and achey and I feel huge! Sleeping is getting harder and less comfortable everyday, which doesn't help the tiredness, but it is all worth it! I am blessed that it has been another easy pregnancy and look forward to meeting the little guy. David is still keeping busy at work and being a full-time dad two nights a week. I wonder how he balances it all!! He was named the City Attorney for Atlantic in March, which is yet another thing on his plate. I know that he will be enjoying a little more time out on the golf course this summer to 'get away from it all'. Well, that's all from here--hopefully I can get one more post in before the baby arrives! Enjoy the pictures from the last couple months.
Another month! After this long winter, we are ready to see March come in like a lamb...but, it sounds like we might get another round of snow first! This week we were able to get out and go outside as it got into the 50's--we tried to get our fill until spring officially arrives! Life is still busy...we are always wondering when things will slow down, but trying to enjoy every hectic minute! Lila had her 15 month check up this week. She is in the 75th percentile for height and weight. Her little body, hair, attitude and everything is growing like a weed. She tries so hard to keep up with her big sister. Her latest, is lifting up the toilet seat and trying to sit down. She's also been observing her sister flush and wash her hands. We're hoping this might mean she'll be ready to go in the potty by the time little brother comes along! Claire is such a positive influence for Lila, in fact, Lila often is the one convincing Claire to be naughty!! :) I am now 24 weeks along already--June will be here in a flash. We are in the process of trying to decide what to do with bedrooms, beds, etc. and trying to get a collection of boy items started--we're all girl around here, so it's new and exciting!! Well, that's about it from here. Enjoy the new pictures. We'll keep posting. Blessings to all! Sorry, it's been almost a month since the last update. The days seem to slip away from me and before I know it, it's been another month. Well, our big news...if you haven't heard, is that we are joining yet another baby boom and are expecting #3 in June! We just had an ultrasound on Tuesday and despite my hesitation, we decided to find out the sex. There is a very good chance this might be our last one and we need to be prepared to 'tie the tubes', so we thought it would help us prepare. Anway...we are having a boy this time around! The ultrasound measured me at 19 weeks and with a c-section a week earlier, that would mean the second week in June! Fortunately, I have been feeling well, just tired and trying to keep up with everything going on in our lives. It has definitely taken us a little time to adjust to the idea of having 3 under 4, but...we are dealing!! Other than that--Lila and Claire keep us on the go non-stop and life is just busy!! David is being considered to the City Attorney positions in Atlantic, Griswold and Anita, which would mean additional work on top of what he is doing. The third attorney who had a stroke in November is still not in the office, so David keeps going non-stop!! It's hard to believe that Lila is 15 months already--she is trying to talk and I don't know what her reaction is to the baby--she knows something is going on, she always wants to lift up my shirt. Claire fully understands and is excited about having a baby brother, I know she will be a big help. When we first told her we were having a baby, she said that she would like to have a baby boy this time, since she already has a sister, but was afraid that it might be another girl. To her delight, it's a boy. I'll try to do a better job of keeping up with things!! Please know that we think of everyone often. More later!
Christmas has come and gone and it's hard to believe we'll be starting a New Year! As we reflect on everything, we once again realize how blessed we are and have been. Christmas was a wonderful time spent with family and those we love. We especially enjoyed waking up Christmas morning in our new home. The girls were showered with gifts, but most importantly, Claire seems to understand what Christmas is really all about. It has been a wonderful season and it's sad to see it end, but we look forward to all the New Year will hold for us and those we love. Blessings to all.
Brrrr...it is cold! Days like today, we wonder why again we are living in Iowa!! :) Of course, family and everything else we love about the Midwest reminds us. But it is fridgid-winter has arrived. Today it is -25 with the windchill. Stepping outside will take your breath away. So, we have been playing inside today. It's hard to believe Christmas is next week already! We picked out and decorated our tree--that was fun! We have done some Christmas baking and Claire has her party at school on Thursday and her Sunday school program this coming Sunday afternoon. All Claire has asked for this Christmas is a barbie. She is still a little unsure about Santa, but is always inquiring about baby Jesus. Lila on the other hand, is very curious about Santa and intrigued by everything she sees. We just have a little bit of shopping yet to do, the girls have been my big helpers, shopping until they drop! We'll post more pictures of our decorated tree and the weekend festivities soon! Love to all! December 2nd-we have already gotten our first couple of snows for the winter. Claire enjoyed putting on her snow gear and helpingr dad shovel the driveway-mom forgot to get the camera out, though! The snow is melting as we send this update, however, and Claire is telling me she is ready for some more. We celebrated Christmas over Thanksgiving with the Wiederstein family. We had a wonderful time with everyone and of course, ate too much! Claire & Lila had fun with their cousins Landen & Charlie--it sure was a lively and noisy house this year! The girls also got to visit their kittens, who are now living happily at the farm! Mom's allergies (& patience) couldn't handle them at our house. We have decorated a small tree at home and one with friends for the local Festival of Trees this weekend. We hope to pick out a big one for our living room this weekend. We found our Christmas decorations that have been in storage for a couple of years and Claire also helped put up the stockings (we realized we need another one for Lila)! Daddy has been putting in a lot of extra hours at work lately, as one of the partner's in his firm suffered a stroke and has a long road ahead of him. We have been missing him at home, but the girls are doing well. That's it from here...enjoy the season. We look forward to hearing from many of you over the holidays!
November--things are getting chilly here in Iowa!! I hope you enjoy the pictures of Lila's birthday party...she was a hit!!! Also, enjoy the Halloween pictures of our bunny and ladybug. We had beautiful weather for Halloween. The girls enjoying going downtown and trick-or-treating at the shops. We then handed out candy at the house and called it a night. We have our first colds of the season--yuck! And daddy is home with the flu today. And so it begins...keep well and enjoy the season! Love to all. Lila's 1!! What happened to the past year...it doesn't seem like it could have already been a year since we brought our little newborn home to our teeny house where she slept in the hallway in a pack-in-play! Now she is walking, exploring, talking, eating with us and learning everyday! What constant joy she brings us. We celebrated with a little cake on the actual day, but the party will be this weekend--stretching it out into a week long celebration, how fun. The other news is that we have 2 new additions to our family...despite my protest! Belle and Bo have joined our family-brother and sister kittens!! I don't care much for them climbing on the furniture, making more messes for me to clean up and all that goes along with kittens! But, the girls are so cute with them, Claire even came up with the names herself! Dad has agreed to take care of the litter box and everything that goes along with that, so I am just praying that they don't wreck havoc on my allergies...it's too late to get rid of them now! Everything else is going well as the weather turns colder and we prepare for another Iowa winter. Enjoy the current pictures. There will be more to come after the party! Here it is-fall already and another month has passed. Life is good in the Wiederstein house! Claire is adjusting well to her new routine including school. I was fortunate to meet many of her friends last week when I volunteered for the bike rodeo. Claire was quite the show-off on her bicycle! Lila was just baptised on Sunday, September 28. We were blessed to have family join us for this joyous occasion and lunch at our house. Lila decided to show off a trick of her own...walking is how she gets around now! About a week ago she really started taking off and prefers to walk to get where she's going and gets right back up after falling down. Work is keeping us busy, of course...both outside the house and at home. We are discovering all the joys of home ownership and having a large yard! Our family activity tonight will be raking up leaves and picking up acorns and walnuts. Good thing the girls LOVE the outdoors! Thursday, September 4 was a BIG day for little Claire! She started the day with french toast sticks, yogurt and a banana for breakfast. She then picked out her cupcake outfit for the first day of school! She chose to wear her pink shoes (with mom's help) and helped me to pack her back pack. Dad came home and took some pictures and off we went to Jack & Jill! Mom was a wreck when Claire got out of the car and walked up to the school with her teacher, but Claire was all smiles. 2 1/2 hours later, when mom picked her up, she was still smiling and was happy to tell us about her day. She even decided she will go back next week! :) Thursday night was Claire's first night of dance class! Dad took her while mom was at work and said she was a big girl and walked right in. Of course we are biased...but daddy said she's the most advanced in the class! :) What a day---hard to believe she's at this stage already! As for Lila, she's a little trooper, being carted along for the rides. She is still trying to walk but gets unsure after about 3 steps. She loves her big sister and can't wait to catch up. We can just tell with the look in her eyes that she's likely to be our trouble maker! Mom & Dad definitely can't begin to imagine sending her to preschool! Claire visited pre-school on Tuesday and was so brave--you never know what kind of day it will be! She was such a big girl getting out of the car and walking with the teacher. It brought a tear to my eye seeing how quickly she's growing up. We went to the parent's open house in the evening and are excited about the new adventures that await at Jack & Jill Preschool! Thursday, September 4 is her first actual day--I will be sure to post pictures of our little school girl! Wow--it seems like time has sped up even more since we have moved....there is so much more to do and keep up with! Claire LOVES to be outside enjoying the yard, riding her bicycle in the driveway and sidewalk and has been so helpful with pulling weeds!! This time of year we are also preparing to send Claire to pre-school and my school job has started up again. So, these are the reasons for the few weeks delay in updating the website! Anyway, next week Claire has orientation for pre-school where she meets her teacher and visits for a couple of hours. The following week, she starts school of Thursday and dance class that same night! As always, there is much to look forward to. As for Lila, she will be 10 months on Sunday and I have predicted she will be walking by then. Not so sure if she will be indeed walking, but she is definitely keeping us on our toes!!! She stands alone until she loses her balance, crawls very quickly when she sees something she wants and has found the stairs and can climb all the way up them before I even realize she's gone! Not a good thing when there are 2 stairways in this house! That's the latest from here--enjoy the pictures! We once again notice how truly blessed we are being in this house that has felt like home since the minute we moved in! Palle, Hege & Amalie joined us for dinner last night as our first dinner guests. We welcome guests anytime, and actually have room for them now! We celebrated Claire's 3rd birthday yesterday-a party with family! Claire had a wonderful time and we were so blessed to be around family to celebrate. It's unbelievable that 3 years have already passed since our angel was born...we remember her birth like it was yesterday. If you take a look back at the start of the website, you can journey through her life with us! She has brought nothing but joy to our lives!! Today we will be having a party with friends at Maid-Rite. Enjoy the birthday pictures of our 'Claire-Bear'!
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