Deck the Halls

Season's Greetings!

We have a lot to share with you today. Saige and Westin visited Santa with cousins Aidan and Ronan. We also set up the tree. We have videos and photos of all of it for you viewing pleasure.  Remember you can click on the photographs to get a larger picture.  

 Visiting Santa at Bass Pro with the Crane's.

Saige told Santa she wanted a Barbie House

and Westin wanted a dinosaur.

The next few pictures are of the Christmas tree we put up at our home.

Sweet kiss.

Westin trying to return the kiss.

As you can see the kids are on their best behavior!

While putting up the Christmas tree Saige was a very good helper. Westin was a good sport and did a good job of staying content most of the way through decorating.

Our Elf on the Shelf is name Ivan and Saige absolutely loves finding him every morning. 

Thanks Grandma Liz!

Thanks for stopping by. We hope that Santa finds you and your family healthy and happy!

~ The Stallbaumers

Brother Bear's turn to talk!!!

The other night after we had gotten Saige in bed, Westin decided to give us an ear full. We thought you would like to hear too!

More teeth seem to be on the way too!

Enjoy.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone! Here is what we've been up to in our cool costumes.

While Mom was in St. Louis for a Math conference Dad got daring and brought the kids out to Boo Bash held by the Gardner Parks and Recreation.

When we first got to the Bash these guys were there to meet us. Surprisingly enough Saige was the one that wanted a picture with these guys.

Saige was Tiny the Pteranodon from the PBS show "Dinosaur Train" each time we went out. Westin was a "Little Monster" and a "M&M".

The lines were long and Dad had a hard time keeping both kids in a good mood, but Saige was able to play a few games and win some candy and prizes.

Here's a quick shot of us before we packed up to head home. Note the look in Westin's eyes when he sees Saige's hat up close......or the popcorn. Not sure which.

This is Westin and one of his favorite Halloween toys.

The four of us were invited to a Halloween Party at Dad's boss' home. There were many kids to play with. Most of them were Princesses. Apparently Saige missed the memo.

Below you can see the photos of us trick or treating at a rehabilitation hospital in town where our good friend Amy works. Claire was a cute little ballerina and Amy dressed up as a gardner.

We went ahead a stole Amy and Clint's front porch for a nice family photo.

We hope that this message finds you all well and your bellies full of sweet candies. The Holiday season is fast approaching and we can't wait to see all of you.

-The Stallbaumers

It's Been Too Long!!!

Sorry all!

We have been extremely busy this summer. Between family vacations and working on Grandpa Roy and Grandma Connie's house we have neglected our blog. But here are some pictures for you to enjoy. The pictures with the giant dinosaurs are from the night we went with Uncle Matt and Aunt Abby to the T-Rex Cafe in the Legends. Another picture has Westin's first time in a Bumbo. He did really well considering it is yellow! He is also such a ham with that cute smile of his!

The two kids are getting old enough and able enough for Mom and Dad to trust them taking a picture together. But we have to be quick before things spiral completely out of control.

We hope that this post finds you and your family well. We sure are; life is good!

Potpourri

Summer is flying by and we are managing to stay pretty busy.

Here's what we have been up to!

SISTER BEAR

Saige is enjoying swimming, being with her friends and cousins, and playing with Westin (she calls him brother bear). Saige has also decided it is time to ditch the diapers; so far she is doing amazing with very few accidents! YEAH!

BROTHER BEAR

Westin is working hard at eating and growing. He will being going in for his two month check up soon. At home, he was measuring almost 23 inches already and is no longer wearing newborn clothes. He's getting so big! Now, if he could sleep through the night...

4 weeks ago...

... my water broke at school. Luckily it wasn't like in the movies with me standing in front of a class of juniors with a huge puddle around my feet. I was discrete; I calmly left the room, came back, and called some colleagues for help. Ten minutes later, while I'm standing in the hall with the other teachers, my students realized something was happening and they started freaking out! Honestly, I was shocked that this was happening and it was happening at school, but I remained eerily calm. The school secretary drove me to the hospital. Tim was rushing from work, after my two strange phone calls. The first saying I think I'm in the labor. The second saying, I am going to the hospital because I'm pretty sure I'm in labor.

Our son was on the way!

Six hours later, Westin Michael was welcomed into the world! Labor was intense, I didn't use any medicine this time. Near the end, I thought I was really dumb and was doubting my choice. But after he was born, it didn't matter anymore and I was so excited to have Westin here!

Happy Birthday Westin!

We are trying to adjust to life as a family of four. Tim and I knew that life was going to be really different, but I don't think we were prepared at all. It has been challenging to balance our attention between the two kids and one another. Although, I think we are starting to get more of a routine now and we are making progress.

Here's Westin, 4 days old

Saige (aka Sister Bear) loves her Brother Bear so much! She is constantly checking on him and trying to help. She is doing a pretty good job; we are just working on touching him gently, speaking softly, and staying directly out of his face.

Baby feet are just too cute!

Our little monkey after his bath. He is starting to be more awake and looking around.

It's amazing how quickly he has changed!

Here's Westin, 4 weeks old, and still living with his parents.

Thankfully!

The last 4 weeks have been quite an adventure,

full of fun surprises, lots of naps, some tears, and a lot of love!

Tim and I are so blessed to have two amazing kids!

A Family of Four

Westin Michael has arrived!

Westin was born on May 20, 2011 at 7:32 p.m. He was 7 lbs, 15.8 oz, and 19.75 inches long.

We are so excited to be a family of four!

Saige adores her little brother and enjoys holding him. His cousins also think he's pretty cool.

Thank you for all your prayers and support along the way!

38 Weeks, No Baby Yet

I am officially the most pregnant I have ever been!

Baby Deuce is quite comfortable and is not ready to leave yet,

but hopefully he decides to join us soon!

Saige wanted her picture taken too!

Giving her little brother a hug!

Such an excited big sister; hurry up brother!

Trial Run: 36 Weeks

Here I am at 36 weeks, it was almost our last pregnancy picture!

On Monday, we went to the hospital with some late-preterm labor symptoms. We called the doctor shortly after we got up to get ready for work and he decided we should go to labor and delivery to get checked out. Luckily, we had started to do some packing on Sunday, but not all of it was done. Tim was running around the house trying to throw things in the bag and get Saige out of bed.

We drove Saige to daycare and she was very confused. She wanted to go to Matt and Abby's and could not figure out why we were all going to daycare. After we dropped off Saige, Tim and I headed to the hospital. We joked about how this was similar to when Saige was born, we thought we would be sent home shortly and we laughed about how we didn't even put the baby's car seat in the car yet, nor did we have a bed ready for the baby at home yet.

When we got to the hospital, we found out that I was having contractions and I was dilated 2 cm. We also found out that I had an infection, that was likely causing the contractions. The doctor and nurses were hoping the antibiotics would stop the labor from progressing and we would go home soon. After the first round of antibiotics, I started to have more contractions and had dilated further. All of a sudden, everyone thought we were going to have a baby!

The doctor called and the nursery staff came in and talked about all the risks and complications the baby could have because we were a week premature. Tim and I were overwhelmed and shocked. We were just trying to take it all in and were starting to realize that we were not quite ready for this baby (we still had a list at home to complete)! But, we also were excited and anxious to meet our little boy!

After a few hours though, we hadn't really noticed any changes in my labor and we began to realize one of two things. One, that this was going to the longest labor ever or two, that we maybe weren't going to have a baby. As you may have guessed, it was option two.

We ended up staying overnight for more antibiotics and observations. We were released this morning. We came home and started working on our list to do before the baby really gets here! Next week would be great, we would be full term! I am staying home for a couple of days to rest and then I will go back to work. Tim is back to work tomorrow.

Thank you to all of our family and friends for their support and help! Thanks to the Crane's for helping with Saige! Thanks to Emily and the math department for helping take care of my students and everything else at school!

Stay tuned, our next post may be to introduce the newest member of the Stallbaumer Family!

Hoppy Easter!

Saige was really excited to the Easter Bunny when we got to Bass Pro. Up until the point that she realized we wanted her to sit there by herself. She cracked a couple of smiles when the bunny tickled her, but of course the camera was to slow it get a smile.

If we don't see you this weekend, have a Happy Easter!

- Tim, Renee, Saige, and Baby Deuce

Puppies!!!

Here are a couple videos from the Winkler Easter at Paul and Mary's house. They raise many types of dogs at their home. The lab puppies were extremely excited to have a little kid to play with.

Everyone thinks Saige needs to bring one home. Mom and Dad think not.

Paul tried the whole day to get Saige to acknowledge him. He finally got his chance when the puppies became too much for Saige. Plus, she was extremely tired from not having a nap all day.

32 Week Comparison

Here's two pictures of Mommy with both of us crazy kids inside of her. Which one of us is bigger? Little Brother Baby Deuce will be here in eight weeks. We cannot wait to meet him and welcome him to our family.

Here is what Dad and I are up to at 32 weeks!

Recent Happenings

Way to go Dad! He figured out how to load longer videos to the blog via YouTube. Expect to see more cute stuff from Saige and Family!

This is the first night with my new Froggy Dress PJ's that Grandma Connie got me. I was so excited I could hardly stand up. Check out the video and see for yourself. Pictures also below.

(Photos and Video take 3/16/2011)

I have decided that pancakes are one of my favorite foods. Sorry Uncle Matt! (He doesn't like pancakes for all who don't know...I know, weird right?) I've also decided that my Buddy the T-Rex shirt is pretty cool too.

Here is some pretty artwork that I have been working on at Daycare. Feast your eyes!

Last, but not least, Dad took a picture of me in my Cowgirl boots I got from Aunt Shayla for Christmas. They've come in pretty handy since it snowed again at the end of March.

Take care all! More to come soon; pictures of Mommy's belly with baby Deuce next to a picture of her with me!

Froggy's Song

Saige's cousin Aidan went to a birthday party and

got two toy microphones as party favors.

One was pink so naturally he wanted nothing to do with it

and wanted to give it to Saige.

Needless to say she has put it to good use.

Here is a little diddy about her most prized possessions - Froggys.

Twenty - Five Weeks

It's hard to believe that we are already 25 weeks into this pregnancy and Baby Deuce will be here before we know it!

Here are our thoughts and recent happenings.

Renee's Notes:

• I am officially feeling pregnant. I gained five pounds last month and I'm beginning to wonder what I will look like in May. Will any clothes fit? Oh well, I guess. This pregnancy is going super fast; even the doctor commented on how far along I was already. Yeah...maybe May will be here soon!
• The 3rd quarter is almost over, thanks to six snow days. I am still just as excited for Spring Break as the students are though. How will we ever manage to make it through 4th quarter with only a half day off? Oh right, the baby needs to come early so I can miss a few weeks at the end!
• I have been trying to convince Tim it is time to move and now that we are looking at new places, I'm not so sure. I am frustrated with the options in town and I am scared to even think about buying a house.
• My friend Amy and I have decided that we need to find a hobby. Both of our husbands have all of these things they like to go do and we don't really have anything. So we are looking into some options. Basically, these moms need some time outside of the house and away from work!
• Speaking of such hobbies, Tim is going skiing this weekend. I am a little bummed, I have a long weekend and will not be able to spend it with him. I keep hoping he will just change his mind and stay home, but I know that won't happen.
• I am going to try to make a scrapbook for Saige. This is a very lofty goal, but I want it done soon, so I can start on Baby Deuce's book. Saige, I am very sorry if your mother is not good at scrap-booking; at least your pictures will be stuck to pretty paper!

Here I am, 25 weeks pregnant, and anxiously awaiting my baby boy!

Tim's Notes:

• As Renee mentioned above it is hard to believe that very soon we will become parents to a bouncing baby boy. Being an Eagle Scout, I am excited to have a son that will hopefully enjoy Scouts as much as I did. Saige will probably want to be a Girl Scout too, so I will be getting a double dose of Scouts for sure. Cookies and popcorn, what a combo. The more the merrier I guess.
• Work has been going especially well. At the beginning of December last year I began working days. I'm not quite sure if I've adjusted completely after three years of second shift. It still seems unreal that I get to see so much of my family and friends in the evenings after work. The Jackson's are probably getting tired of seeing me so much. When spring comes I think I need to get a hold of a boat somehow...
• Renee mentioned hobbies. I stumbled upon this guy's blog. http://www.theinitiativesite.com/ He has turned a hobby into an obsession. He is planning on hiking 12,500+ miles this year. Nuts. Under the journal tab he puts up a daily post talking about the days travels and experiences. If your bored sometime, instead of wasting time on Facebook check it out, I find it pretty interesting.
• I'm going skiing!!! Pretty stoked about it. We're going to Winter Park, CO. I went there on Senior Trip in 2003. It'll be interesting to see what I remember from eight years ago. Sorry, to all you guys who weren't able to make it, I'll do a couple double black diamonds for ya.
• One last note on the pregnancy. Renee seems to be suffering from what is known as Pregnancy Brain. I should have known not to bother her while she was focused on giving me a hairs cut. Needless to say we had to go a bit shorter to correct the mistake she made when I distracted her. Haven't had my hair this short in a really long time. But, the more I look at myself with it, the more I like it. (Low maintenance, I like. No need for shampoo really.)

Well it's late now and I've gotta get up early to make that dollar. You won't be hearing from me until I get back from Colorado. I'll post some pictures when I get back.

Sending our love to you.

-Tim, Renee, Saige, and Baby Deuce

Cabin Fever 2011

All this snow has given us cabin fever here. Saige has begun sitting on the inside of the ottomans. (Top left hand corner.) She likes to 'text' Grandma Connie and Grandma Liz with a play phone from this position. She has also begun wearing her dress up high heels and shades to go shopping, while still in her pj's. (Bottom left, two over.)

We've permitted her to begin riding the bike inside. She really likes the fact that it's John Deere when she can't make it to the farm. She really likes her overalls too. They have built in pockets. (Bottom left, two up.)

Saige also likes to dress up in mom's stocking hat and scarf. She's already trying to figure out how to be a ski bum. Dad's looking forward to it.

Thanks for stopping by. The snow has begun melting, spring is on the way!...We hope!

First Pictures of Baby Deuce!

Mom and Dad were able to see me for the first time today. Starting packing away the dolls, I want trucks and tractors. I had a hard time sitting still for the camera, just like sister Saige. However, I let the nice lady get a few for your enjoyment. This first one is a nice profile pic.

These are my little feet. Watch out sister Saige and cousin Aidan and Ronan. I will be following you sooner than you think. So set a good example.

-Brother Deuce

P.S. See ya'll in a few months!!!

SNOW!!!

Saige's first real adventure in deep snow.

(Click on the collage to enlarge!)