September in Pictures

The month of September (my birthday month!) started with a short Labor Day weekend trip back to the water park hotel we went last summer...the Holiday Inn in Elk River. John, Trisha, and Tenley joined us this time, which was super fun. Unfortunately, it was absolutely packed which made getting a tube to use for the lazy river and tube slides nearly impossible. The one we did have (and hoarded for two hours) had a small hole in it. Ha. Tom and I were only able to go down one slide one time, which was a disappointment (I love a good thrill ya know...) but the kids had a great time and it was fun to get away for a night!

July 2013 vs September 2014

We slept in the same room as Conrad and I've decided that's just never fun. Staying in hotels with young children is always excitingly unpredictable. And exhausting. :)

He was up early-ish so hung out in our bed for awhile before it was time to officially get up for the day. Zzzzzz....

Hanging out in the arcade!

Culver's for lunch on our way home...

I wish these weren't blurry. Love their relationship.

We started attending Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) on Thursdays and all three of us will be learning about the life of Moses this entire year. It's proving to be quite wonderful and the child care provided (for free!) to G & C is so sweet. She's coming home singing hymns and reciting her version of the Pledge of Alligance. They're teaching her about quiet time and God and Moses and Pharaoh AND making crafts and doing lots of playing. I've picked Conrad up multiple times and the teacher goes on about how "awesome" he is and how he loves to sing and is so good with the babies. (Bless his heart...he's the oldest in his room since it's infant - 18 months. It's adorable.)

And mommy is learning all sorts of things as well. Moses was quite the man. I knew of him of course, but I didn't know him. God's pursuit of him and the Israelites is a powerful story of his mighty power, forgiveness, graciousness, and love for his people. It's given me a whole new perspective and it's only been two months. I can't wait to see how much we learn and grow this year! 

First day of BSF:

Helping mommy make protein bites. They're a delicious and healthy snack!

(Notice how we now have to use both stools since they both need a place to stand.)

Yum!

Playing at the park...I'm semi shocked she actually went down that big of a slide on her own; however, I know from experience that it goes veeeeeery sloooowly.

That's her basically walking out of it. Ha.

For my 32nd birthday, Tom nailed his gift to me. Once again. The man never fails to come up with the best gifts. He speaks my love language, that's for sure. I took Gwendolyn down to Charles City for my great aunt and uncle's anniversary so Tom had a Saturday at home with Conrad. It wasn't like I was gone overnight so I had no expectations for what he'd accomplish (I've been known to leave honey to do lists). Plus, he had Conrad so I figured they'd just hang out and play. Tom had other plans however.

We're not talking jewelry or a shopping spree. 

We're talking....

A CLEAN REFRIGERATOR and groceries purchased for a WEEK'S WORTH OF GROCERIES.

Before:

And after!

This picture still makes it look like mass chaos, but it was sparkly clean and super organized. 

I hesitate to share these disgusting pictures because they're just nasty. I really had no idea my refrigerator was soooo gross. Probably because there was so much stuff in there covering it all up. Ha. Or maybe I was in denial. It was in major need of a freshening up.

Look at that film!

This was under a drawer! Ahhhh!!!

This was every thing he threw away that had expired. I was a bit upset about the Grenadine, but I quickly got over it when he said it expired in 2012.

And then he explained to me that he and Conrad had used our NEW eMeals grocery list to buy groceries for the week!

eMeals is a weekly meal planning service that emails you seven recipes AND a corresponding grocery list. You can pick a meal plan or a store so he chose Aldi, which only offers the "classic plan." It's been a life saver for the Barntsen family. Meal planning and cooking was something I was really getting down on myself about. Not anymore! 

We love it because:

a.) I'm not buying random things with no purpose in mind for them.

b.) I'm shopping almost exclusively at Aldi.

c.) We now have a plan for the week and there's not guessing what to make.

d.) We're trying recipes we wouldn't normally think to make.

e.) It even provides sides! 

f.) The grocery list is divided by section of the store making my trip so fast and easy.

g.) For the most part, the meals have been delicious! I skip things I know we wouldn't care for, and we've liked things that we didn't really think we did (like pork chops!)

h.) I'm saving time because I'm not searching the internet for recipes anymore. 

It's been pretty fabulous. Our lives are changed. 

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Celebrating my 32nd birthday at Como Zoo! Daddy took a half day and we picked him up after BSF and lunch. It was the perfect day!

I mentioned that I was craving these really yummy almond bars from a local restaurant so what does Tom do but go into the kitchen and whip up almond bars. He's so good like that.

Happy birthday to meeeee!

We had fabulous weather this fall and went on a lot of walks in September and October. Conrad was also getting used to dropping his morning nap so sometimes he'd fall asleep before we made it home. Gwendolyn thought this was funny. Mommy not so much. (However, majorly adorable.) But I think I'd fall asleep being pushed in that thing too.

Playing in the courtyard. I still kept a very close eye on them, but it was nice to be able to send them out there while I was preparing lunch. There are definite perks to having that closed in court yard area.

Meeting friends for walks and play time at the park is always a good idea. 

Hudson to Gwendolyn: "Want to hold hands?"

Gwendolyn to Hudson: "Sure."

We made a trip to the apple orchard where we confirmed that indeed these two are growing WAY too fast and time needs to sloooooow down.

Everybody enjoyed feeding the goats.

Look who joined us! 

It.was.really.hot. Not your normal mid-September apple orchard weather. 

Daddy got them ready for bed. (See comment above about it being HOT.) Daddy decides Conrad needs to sleep in something more comfortable than footed pj's, but he doesn't own jam jam shorts. 

Sissy, however, does....

I about died.

He started being able to climb up on the couch, turn around, and sit down like a big boy all by himself. I don't know what it is about seeing him sit like that kills me so much, but I love it.

Watching a short movie while I prepare lunch...

They discovered a tub of books that they'd never seen before, and were entertained for a good 20 minutes one Saturday morning.

We went on a double date with our good friends Dana and Rosa and had such a great time! They brought Hudson over to our house and Miss Danya watched all three kids for us so it was a win win for everybody (Gwendolyn is constantly asking if Hudson can come over so she was thrilled.)

We walked along the pier in Hudson and then had a super yummy dinner at The Postmark Grille. Take me back anytime, Tom!

Hudson was Gwendolyn's puppy and she was the mommy.

Sissy and I went back to Iowa just for a day to celebrate Aunt Gladys and Uncle Lyle's 70th wedding anniversary. SEVENTY YEARS! That's amazing! My cousin's hubby brought along his wagon and two ponies to pull the kiddos around Rockford, Iowa. They thought it was so great!

I love that she's a snuggler! My own grandpa never got to meet or hold her, so I find it extra special that at least his brother does.

The girl has a lot of cousins!

This is only a handful of the Stauffer crew! My mom has the best family!

She "leads" him around a lot. I would imagine she was saying "come on, Son" at this moment. Sometimes it's "grandson" or "prince" or "child".

And Conrad is a very good sport! (Most of the time.)

A lot of times they stop to dance...

Gwendolyn:

I took Sissy with me to an adoption fundraiser for a family at church. It was her first time ever singing "on stage" with her church friends and I loved every second of it. Gosh, those kids are cute. They were a small part of the music that was going on in the sanctuary for the two hours of the fundraiser. Very entertaining!

She was pretty pumped about her new backpack from Brookie.

We thought maybe she'd be more comfortable on the balance bike if she had the appropriate gear. 

Wrong.

We'll try again in the spring!

BIG NEWS!

She started 3-year old preschool!

This is first day "at school". 

We're lucky to get the lesson done one or two days a week, but when we do we're both blessed by it. We're super relaxed around here, but it's been a lot of fun. I'm using the Little Hands to Heaven curriculum and it fits our needs and style perfectly.

She's learning her letters so quickly!

Conrad:

Do you see Conrad up front and center at library time?

He's quiet thankfully, but loves to explore. And steal carpet squares from non suspecting kids.

This is his "I accidentally woke up too early and I'm still sleepy" face. I LOVE his big brown eyes and squishy lips.

And I LOVE his belly laugh and big smile. It's the best.

Here we are celebrating 14.5 weeks!

He actually stayed asleep after bringing him in from the car! It's a miracle!

NOT!

This was a few minutes later. Awake, but happy. Per usual.

He loves to read.

Playing outside and just kind of chillin' after diaper change.

Head on shoulder = time for bed!

Hmm.....something tells me he won't be taking a nap today...

(This was after he snoozed in the car on the way home from the apple orchard. A car snooze - no matter how long - is NEVER a good thing.)

Trisha so graciously watched him for me while I had a newborn session since Miss Kathy didn't have room for him on this particular day. He is a HUGE fan of Aunt Trishy and Tenley.

Even when Tenley steals his toys.

And is all up in his business...

(Love this look like...."um, Trishy...are you going to help me here?")

Love his smile.

They're attempting to break out of their barricade.

"Ohhhh, that feels kind of good. Thanks Tenny."

That was our September! In addition to six photography sessions, I finally began feeling better, we celebrated my 32nd birthday, started pre-school, saw family, hit up an apple orchard, and had lots and lots of chances to be thankful for God's abundant blessings.