Solar power and final touches...

There were a few projects that the family helped with in getting ready for the open house at Kansas Electric.

One of them, was the solar panels..which Ben helped out in putting up.

Carissa and Christian cleaning the upstairs together...

The day before, it was nice to have a distraction for the kids while we were doing various things around the office. They really did quite well :)

And then Grandpa gave them a project...unwrapping and setting up chairs in the training room.

What good workers they were!!!

When we all work together, together, together....when we all work together...how happy we'll be!!!

Family times

With the open house coming up for Kansas Electric, we got to spend time with family we don't always get to see...Carissa & Tim, Grandpa Birky, and Stanley. And Camille & Russell happened to be in town this week visiting..so we got to see them too..and baby Hannah!

Hannah taking a joy ride in a dump truck at Mom and Dad's house.

We were able to celebrate Alyssa's birthday all together and Carissa's birthday (which I don't have pictures off :( )

Carissa, Tim and Grandpa came over one day to see the basement project. While they were there Tim put in a handy motion sensor light in our laundry room!! That was a pleasant surprise...didn't mean for him to come over to work!

Grandpa seeing and hearing all about the basement project from the boss himself :)

Bus, airplane, food, and friends

We went out to eat with our friends the Moore's...it had been TOO long.

Their little girl is about 7 months older than Christian, and they are having a baby in November too!

So, we took one of their buses (since that is the business he owns) and went to eat at an airport restaurant about 20 minutes or so outside of Wichita. 

The bus ride alone was worth the excitement for Christian...all the lights and music, and the fact that it was A BUS! It looks like a the "magic school bus"..it's pretty fun (and of course I didn't take a picture!).

The restaurant was so fun!!! We ate outside AND got to see airplanes fly out.

These two had fun running around and playing together. It was just a really good night!

A muddy birthday party

We went over to Mom and Dad's for my birthday meal on Sunday. 

I had requested tacos, and then grilled vegetables..because that's what sounded SO good..and it was!

And fruit pizza for dessert :)

Meanwhile, the hot tub was getting drained because Mom had filled it to have something to use as a temporary "swimming pool". Well, Brent had an ingenious idea to create a way to hold the water in the "dirt pit" where the real pool used to be. 

Oh my...the kids loved it.

It was only a little HUGE mess.

It started out innocent..I thought I'd better take off Christian's clothes and just leave the diaper on just in case he would get a little muddy.

After a few falls in the mud, the decision was confirmed to be a good one.

And then he went ahead and topped off the look by COVERING himself in mud.

They all had fun...what a night.

Christian...more material

When going down for a nap..he NEEDS both his green and brown blanket.
He likes them to be "open wide".
I said, would you like one in between your legs.
"Sure, that would be comfortable."

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"Good morning Christian, did you sleep so good?"
"Yeah, I did."
"What did you dream about?"
"Ahhh, trains." And then he broke out in this song...
"Here comes the Bible train, coming round the bend..choo choo
I know the engineer he's my special friend...choo choo
**Don't you hear the heaven that past along the way...choo choo
All aboard we're leaving, so get on board today...chugga, chugga, chugga, chugga.."

(Close to the real words..but he's own rendition)
**Destination's heaven, with stops along the way.

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While eating his breakfast he looks up and says,
"The lizard's won't go away!!" (said with a big smiling face)
"Are you going potty?"
"No, I'm just 'cheesing' (teasing)".

On his pull-ups there are characters that go away when they get wet..on some of them it is lizards.

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"Dry my hands off." (When in all actuality he is asking for them to be washed.)

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The words "kind of" are said QUITE a bit.
When asking a question...he will say, "Well, I just kind of.....(some explanation)."
Or if he is wanting something..he will say, "Well, I kind of need...(usually some kind of sweet treat)."
Used to describe something..he will say, "It is kind of a....(many descriptive words all together..such as 'very, huge, big, HUGE truck')
When answering for what he believes someones response to be..he will say..."You kind of do...or...I think he kind of does."

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"This is making me fus-trated!"

"Oh rats!"

"Those stinkin' birds (or moths..or bugs)" .....this one may or may not have a direct correlation to what I say to the birds that repeatedly build a nest on our front porch light..or the moths when they get inside..or the bugs that bite my legs.

Brotherly love...already.

The other morning, Christian climbed up into our bed as he sometimes does. He rolled towards me and said, "Can I pet the baby?"
"Yes, you can."
He "pets" my belly, and says, "does he like that?"
"I think so."
"Does he have a shirt on?"
"No, he doesn't have a shirt on."
"Does he have underwear on?"
"No, he doesn't have underwear on."
He looks a little sideways at me...and says, "you mean he is NAKED?"
"Yes, the baby is naked."
"You better tell his mama to put some clothes on him!"
"Well, who do you think his mama is?"
"I don't know?"
"I am. I am the baby's mama, just like I am your mama."
"I am a baby. You are MY mama."
"Your right I AM your mama...and I will always love you! And you will make a great big brother."

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We were checking out the progress in the basement, where there are still some baby things stored.
The high chair was sitting down there and he asked, "what is that?"
"Well, its the high chair. The baby will sit in it when they get older."
"And then he will go home."
"Well, he will stay with us. We will love him."
"And I was squeeze him SOOOO tight! And then he will go home."
"You will be a good big brother. You will get to play with him and show him things."
"Yes, I will. And then he will go home."

At this point, there isn't much more to say....later on he was explaining to Grandma that the baby will be staying at our house..so maybe it's starting to sink in. I'm guessing it won't probably truly sink in until the baby actually does come home :)

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We went to Wichita the other night to get a few things..it ended up that the weather got kind of ugly and we left before being to productive. The only thing we did get was a blanket for the baby. We picked out 4, and had Christian choose one for the baby. He has a deep appreciation for his 2 blankets..and so we thought at some point we would have him choose one for the baby so it can be identified as the baby's and not his. They had only ONE that was the same style of both of his, except this one was white. Out of the 4 we laid out he chose that one.
On the way home it was storming and he hadn't taken a nap. He asked for his blanket, and I said we didn't have it with us. I said, maybe we could ask baby brother if he would let us use his.
"Can I use your bank-it?"
I answered for the baby..."yes, you can."
"Oh thank you!! He is nice! I will share with him. Here do you want my Lightning McQueen?"
....."oh thank you. (I drove it over my belly a little bit)"
"Ok I need it back now. He IS good at sharing!!"

He proceeded to fall fast asleep with the blanket. In the morning it was folded and lying on the couch. He saw it and said, "I think that baby brother wants to share his bank-it with me again."
"No, I think we better save it to give to him, so we don't get it dirty. That was nice of him to share last night though wasn't it?"
"Yeah, it was. I think he likes sharing with me."

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Memorial Day Weekend

 Memorial weekend we got to see Kenny & Carol (uncle/aunt), Natalia & Drew (cousin/her fiance), Grandpa & Grandma H, and Jack & Karen (Ben's uncle/aunt).

Kenny, Carol, Natalia, and Drew were all here for a wedding they attended. We got to see them over at Mom and Dad's where they stayed though, so that was nice to get to visit and see them for a little bit.

Then on Saturday evening, we went over to Grandpa & Grandma Bergey's place for supper. Jack and Karen came from Colorado. So we spent time with them and Grandpa & Grandpa H, and Sam too.

Grandpa H and Christian walking down by the water, while the food was getting ready.

Christian was pretty excited to get a present from them...a lego dump truck...and some clothes...and some colored gold fish! 

And then we ate together Sunday noon. A rather odd photo arrangement..but it has all of us in there all the same.