Beans Beans the Magical Fruit

Beans, beans, the magical fruit.
The more you eat, the more you toot.
The more you toot, the better you feel.
So let's eat beans for every meal!

I wish beans were magical enough to get themselves unstuck from a nostril of a toddler.

So last week during bible study, the kids were in Caley's room playing under the supervision of our lovely teenage sitter Sadie. Caley had been playing with a noisemaker I made out of an Easter egg filled with dry chickpeas/garbanzo beans. I remember thinking when she started playing with it, "I need to remember to take that away because it could open and make a mess." Well, everyone started showing up and I forgot about the egg. It opened at some point and there were chickpeas around her room, which Sadie tried to pick up and move away from the kids. Halfway through bible study Sadie called down to me and I went upstairs. Caley had stuffed a bean up her nose, and it wasn't coming out. I could see it, and with tweezers it'd come out, but I knew Caley would have a fit. She actually looked really funny, just like she had a stuffy nose, and while it was in there she really didn't seem to mind beyond being a little uncomfortable. My friend Angela and I held her down, and I tried to get it out, but she was wailing so much it made me really scared, more to see my daughter in such distress than anything else. Thankfully my friend Casey took control and I held Caley while she tweezered it out. After it was out, Caley was fine. This is yet another reason I love my women's community group: we pray for each other, watch each other's kids, and when the time comes get beans out of their bodies.

Alas, I doubt this is the last time one of my kids will shove something in a crevice, but hopefully it has taught me not to be stupid and leave nostril-sized/shaped items lying around.

Bye bye binky!

We had a good weekend just working around the house mostly. On Saturday Caley and I went to our friend Fiona's birthday party and it was really fun! She got a custom made sandbox that the kids had fun playing in. Thankfully Caley didn't really want to get dirty, I had dressed her in a pretty dress. She's such a girl. :)

On Sunday Caley helped me wash the Volvo and did a really good job. She got out of the way when I had to spray the car with the hose, and only washed in the area I was washing. She did get pretty dirty though, and wet. She's less like a girl in that way. :)

We also worked on a doll house from our friend Jennie. Jennie is letting us borrow it long term because she just had a baby boy and probably won't be using it for a while. And with our 2 girls I'm sure it'll get a lot more use. I washed it down and put in some "carpet" and took down some old wallpaper. When Caley saw it she got really excited. She likes putting things through the front door and putting her little bears and dolls in the rooms. She's a girl for sure. :)

Sunday night we decided to take away the binky. I was a little nervous because I've heard of people trying to extinguish the binky and their children cried for hours. We just continued with her normal bedtime routine, but without the binky. She started asking for it and when we left the room she cried, but only for about 15 minutes. Then she slept through the night and I didn't hear a peep from her. No more binky! Although I'm sure she'll latch onto any stray binky, especially when her little sister comes. That's just how she is and we love her for it. And if she ever wants a binky of her own, this is what she'll be getting:

Tell it like it is...

While in Value Village today I found a great book that teaches kids about toileting. It's called "Everyone Poops" and it surprisingly truthful and accurate! I'm all for telling the truth to Caley and this is one way to make the poop conversation a little easier!

Happy Easter!

He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!




























We celebrated Easter this year by attending church in the morning and then by hosting Addie's family for a yummy ham dinner, complete with potatoes, veggies, crusty bread, pie, and angel food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Fitting 16 people around our table was no easy task, and we realized late Saturday night that we had enough chairs, but not enough places to put those chairs, nor did we have enough matching plates for all the people. We got by though with Aunt Roberta and Uncle Jan's card table, and two sets of different plates (once food is on them who really notices or cares what the plates look like?).




This weekend was fun too, we went to Bunny Bounce at the zoo with our friends Alden, Trish, and Patrick. The kids did a little Easter egg hunt and then we checked out some animals. Caley liked the snakes, elephants and monkeys (and Alden's goldfish crackers). It was a bit cold and sprinkly, but for Seattle the weather
was pretty nice.

Jesus is not dead, He is alive and active in our lives! We are thankful that Jesus did not stay in that tomb!

And the winner is......

We had our 20 week ultrasound today and found out we're having another girl! Yay for girls! I guess now people know that we'll be having at least 3 kids. But it's going to be fun having 2 blondies running around and I know Caley will love having a little sister.

For Bill's birthday we got a Bowflex. You might not recognize him because he'll probably look like this soon:























The name's Bond, Billy James Bond.

2 for 2 in 07

Bill's birthday was Monday, and I got sick with something flu-like. That's 2 for 2 on getting sick on the special days of the year. We all got sick on Valentine's Day and it was less than romantic to say the least. Then on an even more special day, I got sick again with the vomiting and overall yuckiness. Thankfully Bill is gracious and understanding, and we instead got to celebrate today with a yummy dinner and presents.

I'm not going to say how old he turned, you'll just have to figure that out for yourself. All I know is I've gotten to spend another great year with my sexy husband for which I am very thankful.

Although, I am a little nervous about what will happen on our 5 year anniversary in July, if the pattern of getting sick holds through the whole year we're in for it.

Girls and Their Toys

You know when you see a toy from your childhood and it instantly turns you back into the little kid you were? Caley had that kind of experience today. I pulled out her infant toys to lend to a friend and when she saw them she got so excited. I set up the Gymini mat and here's what she did:































Then I made a fort for her out of it, which is a little more age-appropriate, and she had a ball with it too.































She also loved the infant bathtub which I made into a lounge chair.























She loves the bouncer too! Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that, but she loves to lay in it and read books. At playgroup the big kids like to lay in it and bounce each other. The problem becomes when a baby is in the bouncer and a big kid bounces them!

More on #2

We haven't talked about Gerlach #2 for a while, so I want to update everyone. The pregnancy is going well, we saw the doctor last week and the baby's heartbeat is strong and s/he appears to be healthy. We find out the sex on April 2nd, when the baby will be 20 weeks. That happens to be the week that I (Addie) am subbing 3 days at a birth-three center. It will be a busy and exciting week! Right now our baby is about the size of an onion and weighs about 5 ounces. I think I've felt him or her move, but I'm not sure. I have been having some contractions though, so I need to drink more water. The unwanted side effect though is having to pee every 2 minutes! I think Caley will be a good big sister, but I'm glad she has a few more months to get used to it. Last week I was holding a friend's baby and Caley wasn't happy about it! She wanted me to hold her. She's also been really clingy with me and less with Bill. When Bill gives me a hug or kiss she often gets mad and starts crying. Get used to it kid, you're not the only one in town...

What a week!

This has been a crazy week.

Monday: Caley ate straight from the tube of toothpaste
The fridge broke and was getting warm
A tire on Bill's car blew out and we had to get a tow truck
The internet went out! (by far the worst thing that happened all week) :)
Tuesday: Caley got sick with the stomach flu
Wednesday: Addie got sick with the stomach flu
Thursday: Bill got sick with the stomach flu

Also on Thursday, we finally got a guy to fix the fridge so at least what's supposed to be cold is cold. And Caley was surprisingly good even though we were all sick. I think on Thursday we slept for about 16 hours straight. Needless to say we're all better now and thankful it didn't get much worse.

And the internet's back, so all is well with the world.

Happy Birthday!

Caley girl turned 2 on Monday! We can't believe it's already been 2 years, the time has gone by so fast. She is so smart and nice (most of the time), and such a joy in our lives. Her language is especially taking off. Lately she's started saying, "Ready, set, go" and "I see blue car" and "Blue doggie night-night." She's also using a lot of describing words in new situations like "slippy" (slippery) when we're outside and it's icy, and "heavy" when she carrying something big.

For her birthday we had a little party with the Gerlach side on Sunday. I made a bee hive cake and the living room was decked out in black and yellow streamers. We all ate chili and cornbread as well. She had lots of fun playing with her many cousins. The guys went to a Sonics game afterward while Bill's sisters, mom, and I stayed home with the kids, ate popcorn and played Scattergories. It was really fun. We love being able to host people at our house, and it shows again how blessed we are to live here! Thanks Mom and Dad Bales!

Caley went to her 2-year well-child appointment and she weighed in at 24 pounds, and overall is in the 20% for her height and weight. So she's starting to level out more against her peers. She got a flu shot and a Hepatitis A immunization (just as a precaution, she's not necessarily at risk for it) and the doctor said she was beautiful and just great! We don't have to go back for another year (although we will visit again when Gerlach #2 arrives).


Speaking of whom, we're almost done with the first trimester and the baby is now about 1.5 inches long and the size of a fig. I can't feel him/her move yet, but my belly is starting to get more round (probably not just from the baby, haha). Next week we get to have another ultrasound so stay tuned.

Caley at playgroup

Every Friday we have playgroup at home with some friends (mostly from church). The kids have tons of fun playing and learning together. Here are some pictures that were just too cute to pass up!

Gerlach 2.0

As many of you may know, we're pregnant! We found out in mid-December and have been waiting until our first doctor appointment to announce it to the world via the blog. Baby #2 is due August 20, 2007 and Addie's 9 weeks along. We got to see a live shot of him/her at the appointment today, and s/he's healthy and normal. The little heart was beating away at a perfect pace. Here's approximately what s/he may look like now.
He/she is about the size of a medium green olive and most of his organs are formed as are his body parts like hands and feet. His eyelids are fused shut and will remain that way until about 30 weeks. Aside from making Mom a bit tired, she's been feeling pretty good. A month ago however, this wasn't the case. Thank goodness that's over! God is an awesome artist and we can't wait to meet our little baby this summer.

Caley's New Faves

Every few months Caley finds a new toy, book, or activity that she loves. Lately she has been infatuated with two stuffed animals, Ernie and Marshall Grover, both ones I used to play with at her age. I wonder why, out of the tons of toys and stuffed animals she has, she loves these two. I'd say because it smells like me, but it doesn't, it smells like 20-year-old toy that's been licked, dropped in the mud, and probably peed on at some point. And because these are plush and not plastic, I'm hesitant to wash in the washing machine, for fear of making it look freakier than it already does. But Caley loves these toys, and rarely doesn't have either of them with her.

She also is really loving her book about Jesus, meaning her Toddler Bible. Every night we read a few stories and she always cries when it's time to put the book away and go to sleep. "Jesus! Jesus!" she yells. Although while we're reading she doesn't usually comment on the people in the stories, but more the animals and picture of fire ("hot" she says). I'm glad that she's at least open to Jesus, it gives me hope that she will come to know Him at an early age.

Indiana Jones and his toy collection

Now that the 4th installment of Indiana Jones is well on its way to "greenlight" status, I couldn't be more thrilled. I grew up watching and re-watching these movies and have always been interested in Kenner's toy line. I decided to try and collect them and just finished recently - a few pieces insanely hard to aquire in worthy condition. Thanks to our friends Spielberg and Lucas and the continuation of the franchise, it could not have come at a better time, investment wise. (ignore the last photos, just need them up for links to other places right now...)

See You Next Year!

It's been a wonderful 2006 for us, God has blessed us in unbelievable ways this year! With the new house, healthy family, finishing school, and so much more, we are very thankful that God has given us another year together.

Tonight we are heading to the Red Hot Bash at Mars Hill: Ballard with our friends John and Colleen. Caley's hanging out at home with Grandma and Grandpa Bales, and Great Grandma Evelyn.


See you in 2007!

What is your emergency?

On Tuesday I called 911 for the first time. The emergency? In a moment of "mommy brain" I locked Caley and my keys in my car while it was running. Thankfully she was not in distress and safely locked in her car seat. I don't think she was even suspicious there was an emergency. So I called 911 and an officer broke into my car for me. Very exciting! Now you can learn from my mistake, if you lock your keys in your car, make sure your kid's in the car too because then you can get it unlocked for free by the cops!

O Christmas Tree

This weekend we also went to the Children's Ministry Christmas party. Caley won in the kid category for most outrageous Christmas outfit. She wore a puffy paint Santa sweatshirt, and Rudolph antlers and a flashing nose. Bill and I wore equally weird Christmas sweaters.

We got our Christmas tree today and decorated it. It's always fun to remember how we got all the ornaments. Caley put a few ornaments on this year, she especially liked the Sesame Street ones from my Grandma Ev. My favorite ornament is my Baby's First Christmas one, it's a buggy with a baby and it says "1981." Grandma also gave us some retro tree lights, you can see them in the pictures, the huge bright ones. I'm sure they're a fire hazard, they get warm and some wire is exposed, but I just love them! It really adds a nostalgic look to our tree. Some people have a themed-tree, ours is just eclectic and random. I think it's the perfect kind of tree, one with lots of history. Enjoy these pictures!

Toddler Mischief

What happens when your toddler finds the Vaseline during naptime?? Hmmm, just so happens I have personal experience with this. It happened today! Caley was crying at her door so I went to check on her, and noticed she was covered in something. At first I thought it was vomit, but it didn't smell. Instead it was all greasy. Apparently she'd found the jar of Vaseline, opened it, and started smearing herself with it. Maybe she needed some chapstick? Oh well, this will be a funny story to tell her (and her boyfriend(s) ), and at least this time it wasn't poop.

Check out our new pics

I just uploaded a bunch of pictures on our Shutterfly site. Enjoy!