Precious Moments

Jump into Japan

2011-05-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

How Long Has It Been???

2010-08-06T11:20:00.002-05:00

So yes, it has been awhile since I have posted anything here on our blog. I am not to sure if the last couple post can really count as posts at all, but it is what I was able to do. Things in our house hold have been crazy busy with tons of new happenings. April-July was pretty much spent planning and making things for Kain's mega 4 year old Zelda party. While doing that Mike was also gone doing quite a bit or travel to places like South Africa, Canada, and Germany. We also managed to some how find the time to house hunt, find a house and will be moving August 16th. We are all very excited. Our new house is everything that we could ever dream of. So long Milwaukee county and hello Racine. I am sure we will still be spending plenty of time in Milwaukee since it is not that far from where we will be moving but it will be nice getting out of the big city, esp since our newly turned 4 year old will be starting 4K in September. :0 I really can't believe my baby is starting school. Also Mike's travel will be picking up again come October we believe with a trip to Chili. So since our schedule is pretty packed probably now until late September/Octoberish I will be putting blogging on a hold. If I get a chance I may post some pictures but I am making no promises. I do enjoy doing this so as the Terminator says, "I will be back". :)

Makings Of A Sun Goddess

2010-05-10T14:53:00.004-05:00

So she may only be 18 months old but she has got sun bathing down to an art. She is one little mama who knows how to soak in some Raes.

She is so stinken cute sometimes it hurts.

Looking Forward to Some Warmer Weather

2010-05-10T14:18:00.007-05:00

Wisconsin is such a tease. One day the weather will be sunny and in the 80s the next day it is down in the lower 50s. My kids are getting ants in their pants and want nothing more then to spend these days in swim wear and running through the sprinkler, going to the water park, or spending it at a beach. Ok Mommy is a bit ready too, I need to start working on my tan you know. The other day it was so nice, well nicer for around here that I got the kids in their suits and let them have at it in the sprinkler. Rae had a blast. She is such a brave little soul, she will do, and does do anything to have some fun. She sat and let that sprinkler hit her right in the face. Kain on the other hand had a hard time getting any where near the sprinkler. Most of my pictures where of Rae sitting in the sprinkler and Kain's legs high tailing it out of there. We all had a great day, and the kids have been dying to do it again, but of course our lovely weather has been that lovely ever since. Hopefully the warm weather will be back soon and lets hope it sticks around for a bit longer this time.

Yes, We are Still Alive

2010-03-02T15:59:00.006-06:00

Sorry that it has been so long but this year has been a busy one so far. By the time of the night that comes along where I could have time to write and post I just can't muster the energy to, or have some other obligation. I can't really say that things have slowed down, but I managed to fit a post into my schedule, or in other words the kids are being some what compliant. Thank you Blue's Clues.

Mike's new job is going awesome, but busy. He is rarely home on time these days and is usually going in early. All the hard work is tiring but he is enjoying the day to day challenges his job gives to him. There has even been some talk of the whole family relocating to Germany for three years. This has been something that we have been discussing as a family and looking into what we think will be the best for all of us. It is not a for sure thing or anything but a possibility and we want to make the best decision for our family. With that being said, we are still preparing in ways just in case we do go, like taking on a second language. I am not as young as I use to be and it can be a challenge, but it is something fun for Mike and I do together that is a bit out of the norm. He has a huge lead on me too which is a bit on fair. ;)

My online children's boutique is doing quite well and I have been busily working to fill orders and design my new summer and spring lines. It is nice being able to do something I enjoy here at home with the kids, it most definitely keeps things busy around here.

Kain and Raelyn are growing and getting smarter as the days go on. Kain talks about everything all the time or is singing some video game song. I really don't think that he is ever quite, he definitely keeps things interesting. I swear his life has a soundtrack. The other day he was drawing a picture. He shows it to me and says, "Mom this is a constellation," I was a bit surprised by the use of the big word, I wondered if he was just repeating a word he had heard so I asked him what a constellation was, he looks at me if I am crazy, "its a group of stars Mom". Of course. :)Rae is not walking yet, though she has taken many a steps. She prefers to walk on her knees though. She is such a little cheat. She also climbs on everything. If she is on the couch she makes her way onto Daddy's desk. She is even smart enough to tip over a toy bin, push it up to the table and then climb from the bin to the table. You tell her Rae Rae No No, she looks at you and says Oh Oh. My day consists a lot of pulling her off of some high up spot she shouldn't be.

So there is a bit of an update. Unfortunately I don't really have a whole lot of new pictures but here some.

Cabin Fever Anyone???

2010-03-02T15:53:00.005-06:00

Well I have it terribly. I am so sick of winter and being stuck in the house with colds and what not. Give me sun shine, warm breezes, green plants alive with life, and my kids in bright colored clothing and I will be in heaven. Until then I will just droll over some pictures of last summer.

A Little New Years Resolutions

2010-01-11T16:19:00.003-06:00

All right this has nothing to do with actual New Years resolutions but just a few new year updates on the family. Not only did we bring in a new year but our little princess turned the big number 1!!! We had a small family celebration with lots of presents, a Terra, a beautiful Princess sash, and a yummy angel (because that is what she is ;) ) cake. What a big girl she is now. Drinking from sippy cups, walking (with a little help that is), wearing jewlery, Mommy got her, her very own specail baby necklace. Oh so cute.

And now here are a few more cute pics of the kidos. They are both getting so big.

Happy New Year

Christmas Photo Time.....

2009-12-08T14:37:00.006-06:00

Ok so with having the two kids my life is well, chaotic, ehm I mean very busy. So I am no longer the organized, put together person who always had my Christmas cards done and sent out by the 1st of December. No, I am now the kind of person that contemplates even sending them out because I just don't have the time. But today I was in a festive mood so I got the kids dressed up in their Christmas best after their baths and set them up in front of the Christmas Tree determined to get the cutest Christmas pics for our Christmas cards. Well things didn't go quite like I wanted....

There is nothing like brother and sisterly love. Don't worry though I did get one or two shots that didn't picture them killing each other so Christmas cards will be sent out, just a bit later then usual.

Things are Looking Up

2009-11-07T22:37:00.003-06:00

Well things here are finally starting to look up. Mike just finished his first week of work. His new job is such a blessing. So far he is loving it, he is finally getting the kind of recognition that he so deserved and was lacking at his old company. It has been a challenge for me though not having his wonderful helping hands here with the kidos. I had gotten way to use to him being home, and now with him gone my work load has doubled to say the least. Rae is every where and her and Kain work well in causing all sorts of trouble together. At least he rarely says he doesn't like her any more and he actually wants to play with Rae, some times even when she doesn't want to play with him now that is trouble of a whole new kind.
Halloween was a blast. This was the first year we took Kain trick or treating and he enjoyed getting all those yummy treats. I will soon be taking our pictures from last weekend off of my camera and onto here. I am a bit behind in things like that. Now our family is just trying to get back into a normal rhythm and enjoying the blessings that we have been given. We will definitely have many thanks to give this upcoming Thanksgiving that is for sure. Hopefully I will be able to update more often then I have been too.

Please Pray For Stellan

2009-10-28T09:28:00.002-05:00

Please prey for little baby Stellan. He has suddenly gotten very sick again is in need of everyone's prayers for healing for his little heart.

2009-10-03T22:39:00.002-05:00

Lots of new things are happening at my MyRaeOfSun.etsy.com shop and myraeofsun.blogspot.com blog. Feel free to check it out. Plus here is a teaser of what you might see.

Mmmmm photo shoots are so much fun.

Kain has got the Kicks

2009-09-30T20:42:00.005-05:00

Alright here they are, as I promised. Pictures of Kain's 1st Soccer practice. He looks so cute running and playing with the other kids. I look at these pictures and can barely believe that he is my little baby boy, because he isn't a baby any more. I remember when he was a baby and I was thinking about how when he was older he would get to play soccer. That seems like it was just yesterday, yet here my little man is older. Sigh. Time goes fast, it really is times like these that makes you think about how you shouldn't take time that you have for granted because before you know it, it's gone.

Running Drills....

And More Running Drills

Standing in Line

Warm Ups

And Streches

Kicking

Watching

Learning

And then there is Playing, His friend was a very friendly little guy named Jeremiah who was very good at bouncing the ball on his knee.

A Little Bit Of A Recap Of Well.... Life

2009-09-23T18:44:00.008-05:00

So it has been some time since I have last posted, and that is because life has been chasing us down. Well I think that things have finally caught up and maybe things will start to slow down. To be completely honest thing at the home have not been going as wonderful and cheery as I would like to say. Mike has still not found the job, there are just to many other people looking as well. He is competing with for sure 300 alone from his old company and I haven't had any luck either. No one wants to hire a new graduate but a person with background in the field. Sigh so here we sit with things inflating and are belt getting smaller and smaller. This has been causing us a great deal of stress and tension and forcing us to make some hard decisions, but some time soon hopefully something with give, or at least give before we break. We have been making sure to try to keep things away from the kids as much as possible, esp. Kain. He is so sensitive and always knows when something is up.

On the positive side Kain has started school with Mommy. We have been working a lot on pre-K things such as learning how to write his name, Months, Days of the week, Math, and Phonics. He is doing wonderful and he loves to learn. Kain has also started Soccer on Saturdays and Tae Kwon Do on Wednesday. He has to work on the listening to others a bit but I think that he will catch on pretty fast. I will have picture of this posted soon. They are just sitting on the camera and I am to lazy to up loud them. Hehe sorry.

In other news Raelyn is finally sitting on her own and getting to be a pro at standing, with a bit of help that is. She also has a pretty good nap system going on right now. Two naps one in the morning and one in the afternoon makes for a much happier and easier to manage baby. We have still been having some issues with her getting up way to much in the middle of the night. So Mike and I have been doing a bit of tough love and sleeping in the living room. Tonight will be the first night this week we will be back in our bedroom. We have gotten to her down to one feeding a night after a 8 hour sleep. So that is much better then what we were dealing with before. In a couple of weeks we will try to wean her from this also, if she doesn't do it on her own.

Other then that things have been normal, lots of cleaning, diapering, making baby food and what not. I have also been working hard on getting my store going on the side. I have put in some long hours and have quite a few new things up in my shop and more on the way. I also have some people who will be helping me get my stuff out there. Hopefully this will help and things will start to take off. We will just have to wait and see. I am excitedly going to take advantage of the up coming holiday and my cute daughter and get some spectacular costumes up and for sale. Well that is what I have been working on, along with another blog for my shop. Sigh just so much to do to keep me busy. Lets just hope that it pays off.

So in conclusion to this long post I will let you guys see some pictures of the last weeks of our summer and how we spent them. Now bring on the Fall I am so ready for hot cider, Carmel apples, sweaters, and trips to the woods and apple orchards.

Going to the beach and playing in the sand.

Going to the beach and playing in the sand, never mind sleeping Daddy in the background.

Getting real excited playing computer games.

Pondering the meaning of life.

Driving the Boat

Sitting in the sand in our underware

Enjoying the Waves

Building sand castles in our underware

Jumping rocks with Daddy

Just being cute

Chillen in the woods

Hiking in the woods because Mommy couldn't wait till Fall.

Lusting at cute baby puppies

And just hanging in our Pjs.

These are the things that made up our Summer. Summer we will miss you but look forward to the up coming new season. See you next year.

The Corn and Tater Fest

2009-08-24T21:27:00.009-05:00

So every year we venture to the Adams County Corn and Tater Fest with Mike's family. Oh and it is a grand old time, with live music, games for the kidos, a little flea market, horse shoe tournament, and so much more. I haven't even mentioned the yummy corn and taters. Well for your enjoyment here are a few little pics of us attending the festivities.

First there is the yummy Corn and Tater Fest Chocolate Milk,

Mmmmm Thanks Grandma for sharing.

A sleepy baby stares intently as the men throw horse shoes.

The boys being silly

Sitting pretty in the stroller.

And of course Kain's very first face (or in this case)arm painting.

He got to choose the shape and color, so a purple heart it was.

(0ne Of) My Most Precious Treasrue

2009-08-11T19:57:00.013-05:00

I love my baby girl. She is so scrumptious I can't stand it some times. It rings especially true when I look at these new pictures that I took of her. This red hat was definitely made for her adorable little head. So here is a treat, just eat it up because it is so delicious.

Blue's Clues Surprise

2009-07-15T20:51:00.014-05:00

Since my little man means the world to me, and I love to give him what he wants, I threw together a little birthday surprise for him. I had promised him a Blue's Clues Birthday party, but because of some unseen complications his little party had to be cancelled. Well on Tuesday we decided that we were going to celebrate his birthday since we will be out of town on his birthday. The night before I made him a Joe shirt and handy dandy notebook and made me some of my own clues. With a bit of Daddy's help we came up with some good clues to where Kain's birthday presents were hiding. Can you figure out the Blue's Clues...

Kain's Shirt and Notebook

Kain in his shirt with notebook

All right first clue...

Soap

Lets write this down in our Handy Dandy Notebook

Second Clue... Water

More jotting

Last clue.... towel

Now lets think.... I know I know

There in the Bath Tub, oh how clever Mom and Dad

And to end this post here is the train cake Kain had to have for his birthday this year...

Didn't turn out half bad.. and here is Raelyn

Because she is just that cute. :)

Castle Rock Fun

2009-07-15T20:29:00.012-05:00

During the Fourth of July weekend the family headed up to Mike's parents camper and then out to Castle Rock Lake. This was Rae babies first time out on the pontoon and out on the lake. She did pretty well soaking up some rays of her own and even getting her little feet wet. Kain absolutely had a blast. Running and playing in the sand, jumping the waves, and just hanging with everyone. It was a nice fun, and relaxing weekend.

My little man and me.

What a stud, and who would ever wonder why I love him.

Don't those little lips just look delicious.

Father and son. I love my boys.

Hey Mommy whats up. Such a cutie.

Catching some Rae's. ;)

Mmmm Popsicle

2009-06-27T21:49:00.005-05:00

Oh it is so good it hurts....

Mmmmmmmm....

I just need to bite it......

Oh That Was Good!!!

Summer Fun

2009-06-27T21:35:00.007-05:00

Who doesn't enjoy this beautiful warm and sunny weather. Our family sure does. We are out and about doing as much summery things as we possibly can. Going to the swim park, going out to the camper, fishing (in Grandma and Grandpa B's pond), eating Popsicles, swimming in the backyard, going to the park, and posing for lots and lots of pictures for mom. Whew, and that is just to name a few.

Falling on Busy Times

2009-06-17T14:45:00.004-05:00

Things around the Brandt house have been a bit hectic as of late. This is what we have been up to; a very crabby baby, little boy needing extra attention, mommy trying her hand at having her own business (which has yet to sell anything), potty training,cloth diapering, having healthier eating habits (this includes Mommy making something more then a dinner from a box), doing grocery shopping online, I finished my Medical Coding Diploma, entertaining on the weekends, pumping out 5 cheesecakes in one month, Mike turning twenty-five, trying to getting back into my and Rae's yoga practice and now as of yesterday Mike has to search for a new job. His company laid off over 300 people and he was unfortunately one of them. Hmmm just writing this out makes me tired. Unfortunately I have not had the time I would like have liked to work on my blog. But now with somethings slowing down I should be able to do a bit more. At least this can be a bit of an update on our hectic lives as of right now.

Just Some Cute Pics of the Kidos

2009-06-10T10:47:00.004-05:00

So it has been awhile since I have really sat and posted anything, but now just isn't the time. Things have been kind of busy and hectic, but for your veiwing pleasure here are some new pics of my adorable little ones.

My New Bike

2009-06-10T10:42:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Kain man got a new bike from Grandma and Grandpa T. Oh he was so excited when it was pulled out of the truck. Even though it was an icky day he still played outside with it for a bit. Even now whenever we go outside it is the first toy that gets pulled out of the garage, that and his swords of course. We still need to test it out and take it for a walk. Finally we have weather that will let us do that.

Thanks Bunches Grandma and Grandpa T.

Happy Birthday !!!!

2009-06-06T11:24:00.002-05:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, to the man of my dreams, and the greatest Daddy ever. We love you so much and love spending everyday with you. Hopefully getting one more year older isn't as bad as some people make it seem. ;)

WildOlive T's

2009-05-29T12:52:00.004-05:00

Looking for something new to wear, you should try a t-shirt from WildOlive. They are great, comfy and support a great cause. The Unfolding t-shirt benefits Until Journey's End and was designed by MckMamma from MyCharmingKids. There's nothing like getting new clothes and knowing your purchase can help others out. Just click the links on my page and start shopping.

An Old Block Of Wood

2009-05-28T12:07:00.004-05:00

So over the weekend we went to Mike's parents camper up North. We love it there. It is beautiful with all the woodland creatures and the coolest pond right out back that all the boys had but their sweat and tears into a couple years back. Kain loves running around and being outside, and luckily we had a beautiful weekend, but this post is not about our weekend at the camper, or the weather, or what we did, but about a block of wood that I took from there. Right next to the fire pit there was a large pile of brush that needed to get burned, so as the weekend progressed we would add that brush to our fires at night. Well on one of these occasions Mike came upon a block of wood, about the size of a ruler, actually a bit smaller. Before he tossed it into the fire I said.... STOP. I want that wood. Ahem, now take your minds out of the gutter. Either way I saved this block of wood from its immanent fiery death. Everyone laughed and could not figure out why it was I wanted this old, dirty piece of wood. I would just smile and know that I had found a treasure. The day after we got home I gave my block of wood new life. With a little cleaning, paint, and some creativity I turned it into some thing golden. At least that is what I think, as for everyone else I will let you decide.

Here you can see my block of wood sitting on the tree stump under the baby monitor. It even had another useful purpose back then.

And Now the Final Project.....

And they laughed.

Letsa Make A Pizza

2009-05-26T21:59:00.003-05:00

So the other day my husband comes home from work at lunch with a bag full of dough and announces that we will be having home made pizza tonight for supper. Mmmm that sounded splendid to all of us, esp since making it would be half the fun. So the dough raised while Mike went back to work and when he got home the fun began. Mike was in charge and he dove right into the gooey mass of dough. He pounded it, he spread it, he even tossed it a few times(and it never landed on the floor!!!). All together it turned out pretty delicious. Next time we are going to try and make our own pizza sauce for it. If anyone knows of a good and healthy recipe let us know.

Patty's Yummy Cheese Cake Desert

2009-05-22T12:20:00.002-05:00

Alright I am sure this post will make all who went to my Welcome Baby/ Baby Shower very very happy. Since this desert was such a hit with everyone I finally got the recipe to share with everyone. Let me tell you that it is really one of the easiest things to make. So her it is my mother-in-laws famous.....

Cheese Cake Desert Recipie

Preheat Oven 350 Degrees
Bake for 30 Minutes

Ingredents
2 8oz packages of Cresent Rolls
2 8oz packages of Cream Cheese
1 Egg Yolk
1 cup Sugar

Topping
1/4 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnimon

Mix cream cheese, egg yolk, and sugar with a mixture until smooth. Spread one package of cresent rolls into the bottom of a glass backing dish. Spread the cream cheese mixture over rolls in pan and cover with the other package of rolls. Sprinkle sugar/cinnimon mix on top. Bake for 30 mintues. Serve warm.

Just Chill'n

2009-05-21T14:10:00.005-05:00

Mommy's Park Art

2009-05-21T14:06:00.004-05:00

So At the plaground that we go and play at there is a square filled with white and brown tiles that turn. So I decided to take a couple of minutes and make something cool on it. All and all I think Mommy was more impressed with the outcome then any one else. It still looked pretty cool though.

A Day at the Park

2009-05-21T13:57:00.009-05:00

There really isn't a whole lot to say about this, other then who doesn't enjoy a day at the park.

Just Like Mommy

2009-05-21T13:49:00.005-05:00

Well it seems like one of my children have in fact inherited the thumb sucking trait. We should have known it was going to be our little girl before she was even born, since she was doing it already in the womb. It took her awhile though, to start it up again. I am sure that she lost it while in the hospital and having all those things hooked onto her face. I can say that I am not all that pleased, since a Nuk can be taken away a lot easier then a thumb, but she sure does look cute doing it.

Her thumb is so tiny and she sucks on it so cute.

Alright I am in love.

Congratulations Aunty Kates

2009-05-21T12:26:00.003-05:00

This past weekend my best friend Katie graduated from college with a degree in Business Management. It was so fun to go and watch her graduate. Kain thought that it was the coolest thing that his Aunty Kates was graduating from COLLEGE!!! It is quite the accomplishment and we are so proud of you Aunty Kates. Way to go!!!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-14T15:41:00.008-05:00

I got to spend a wonderful Mother's day with my great little family. My wonderful husband let me sleep in and then when I got up I was able to get ready in peace and not have to worry about the kidos. While I was getting ready Kain came into the bathroom and wanted me to come and take a look at the special cake that Daddy and him made. It was supposed to be a secret. Hahaha, and it was a pie not a cake. I also had some beautiful art waiting for me too. The day before Kain made me a beautiful bracelet and necklace. Mike then spent the day doing everything for me, and following me around making sure that I didn't do anything. He made me chicken on the grill for lunch and tacos for supper. We then spent a lazy afternoon snuggled up on the couch watching "Lilo and Stich 2" with our little one's snuggled with us. It really was the greatest Mother's Day anyone could ask for.

And Here is a Picture of my Lovely Jewlery....

The Three Amegos

2009-05-14T14:48:00.003-05:00

We are a family that loves cats. We alone in our house have three, and all of our relatives at least have one cat living in their home. So our children generally have a love for the fuzzy critters also. Kain adores our cats, his favorite though is his kitty Mana. She is the youngest of the 3 and is most definitely Kain's cat. They are the bestest of friends. They spend hours on end playing with each other. The other day I was working on editing some of my photos when I realized that the house was quite quiet. So I got up to see what kind of trouble that Kain was getting into. I look down the hallway towards his room and notice that his door was shut, Oh oh that spells trouble. I walked up to the door and could hear Kain talking to someone. I opened up the door a crack and peered in. There on the floor sat Kain and Mana. Kain was telling Mana how he was drawing her in his handy dandy notebook, and she just sat there staring at him. It was so very cute. They really are the cutest things together.

Then there is our other cat Kyo. He is the oldest of the three and all mine. I was never that much into cats. They actually kind of scared me. I guess you could say I was more of a dog person. It didn't help though that I had gotten bit by a cat at a young age and still have the scar on my arm to prove it. Any way I always said that if I was ever to get a cat that it would have to be a long haired black cat, with fangs. Hahaha and low and behold about 4 years ago I was looking at the Milwaukee Humane Society website and there before me was a picture of that exact cat. I made Mike take me to go look at him and we were both in love immediately. He was such a little demon when he was a kitten, so we named him Demon Eyes Kyo, after one of our favorite animes. It is hard to believe that he is going to be four this summer. It really seems like it was just yesterday. Though he has had some small adjustments that needed to be made, he has done wonderful every time we have made a new addition to the family. He loves to cuddle with Mommy and Rae.

And then there is our Kitty Haru, which was the only one up until now to make it onto my blog. He is the newest yet second oldest of the bunch. He is such a funny guy. He is a beast and grunts and snores when he breaths and we love him and are so happy he could join our family.

Now Mike says, "No More Danielle", but I say "We'll have to see."

Happy 2nd Birthday Haru

2009-05-12T22:11:00.005-05:00

Happy 2nd Birthday to our Buda sitting.....

Sink laying....

Beasty Fuz man...

who we love so much!!!

Kain Went Pee pee in the Potty

2009-05-12T21:40:00.004-05:00

Yes Kain I know this is embarrassing but Mommy is so proud she wants the world to know. KAIN WENT PEE PEE IN THE POTTY!!!! After words we danced around the house singing the "Pee pee in the potty" song. We then went and picked up a new T-ball set for doing such a good job. We are so proud. Hopefully we are on the road to being potty trained.

Rae's First Night in Her Big Girl Crib

2009-05-12T21:33:00.002-05:00

On April 14th Rae spent her first night out of her bassinet and in her big girl crib. She slept pretty well in it too. I can't believe that she has grown out of her bassinet already. At least she looks tiny again laying in her crib.

Kayleigh Anne

2009-05-12T21:25:00.003-05:00

Please keep this family in your prayers, they just loss their precious daughter Kayleigh. She was born 3 months early and weighed only 1lb 1oz. She fought hard and survived for almost a year but she went to Jesus on the 11th. I have only visited their blog a couple of times recently but have been greatly touched by their story, and I am very saddened for their loss. For more on their story here is a link to their blog http://kayleighannefreeman.blogspot.com/, also the show the Doctors is airing a show on the family tomorrow. Again my heart is broken for this family, please pray for comfort for them.

Sorry it's Been Awhile

2009-05-12T21:20:00.002-05:00

I am sorry that I have been so behind in updating. Things around here have been pretty busy. With the nice weather that we have been having, the kids and I have been spending as much time outside as possible, which leaves me with less time inside to update. I have also been trying to buckle down and finish my painting inside the house. I just have some wood work in Kain's room and some in the living room left to do. Woo Hoo. Speaking of Kain's room last week I finally got it painted and I added a cute mural to his wall also. I have pictures and I will post them soon. I just have to upload them from my camera. But until I get those new photos on here I have a few things from last month that I wanted to post about, so at least there will be some new content.

Not Me Monday

2009-05-04T20:43:00.003-05:00

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

This past weekend while we were visiting family in Fond du Lac, it was not me standing over the bathroom sink "relieving" myself, since it was not me who forgot my ever precious breast pump at home in Milwaukee.

Yummy Yummy in my Tummy

2009-04-27T13:36:00.003-05:00

With all of the rain that we have been having I decided that the family could use something to brighten their day. I got out the bowls, pans, and cake mix and got to cooking. I do have to say I was pretty pleased with the out come, and I think that the little one peering over the counter was too.

My Baby Blue

2009-04-27T13:35:00.003-05:00

I love this picture, Kain's eyes look absolutely stunning. Daddy takes some good pictures.

Having Fun in the Sun

2009-04-27T13:32:00.004-05:00

Kain loves to play outside, Raelyn not so much. She prefers to just chill in the shade.

Summer Cutie

2009-04-27T13:29:00.005-05:00

So last Friday the weather here was magnificent. We hit 80 degrees, but there was a nice breeze that kept it from feeling to hot. It was nice enough though for us to dress in our summer best. I have been dying to put my little one in this outfit since I got it, which was way back when I just found out I was having a girl. Kain thought that it was a pretty cool outfit to since it came with a matching hat. I really can't believe how fast she has grown, and that summer is right around the bend.

Stop and Smell the Roses

2009-04-27T13:24:00.003-05:00

Kain loves to sit and smell the flowers. He got so excited when we were taking a walk because all our neighbors had these little purple flowers growing on there lawns.... He was ecstatic to find tons of them growing in our backyard.

Weekend Clean Up

2009-04-27T13:06:00.007-05:00

So with us coming up on our first year in our home here in Milwaukee it is hard to believe that we still have so much of the other residence's junk lying around. So I was overjoyed to hear that our neighbor hood would be having a bulky waste pick up. Unfortunately they only gave us a week to get ready for it. So two weekends ago Mike and I got ready to get some cleaning and landscaping done. Saturday the weather was picture perfect. Kain got to wear shorts for the first time this year and Rae got to wear a cute summer dress. They played outside while Mike and I got some plants planted and some new landscape dug out. Around noon we stopped for lunch and then planned on cleaning out the garage and start putting things out to the curb. Not even a half an hour after lunch I was sicker then sick. Food Poisoning!!! Yucky. I can't even remember the last time that I was that sick. There was so much to be done. It was supposed to rain Sunday and Monday is when they were picking up. Poor Mike got stuck with the kids and couldn't get out to get things to the curb. I took an hour nap and luckily I started to feel good enough to take care of the kids while Mike could start getting things put out. Lucky for us our friends Katie and Steve came down, and Steve was able to help Mike finish up. Thank goodness for good friends. Luckily we were able to get a good chunk done. I wonder when they will do bulky waste pick up again. :)

Orange for Baby Stellan

2009-04-21T14:51:00.003-05:00

Our hearts and prayers are with precious baby Stellan and his family as he goes in for his surgery today.

Please join us.

http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

Easter Basket Time

2009-04-13T14:30:00.003-05:00

After we got home Easter Sunday from our weekend in Fond du Lac it was time for Kain to look for his and his sister's Easter baskets. We told him that while we were gone the Easter bunny would be stopping by our house to drop them off, so he was ready to get out of the car as soon as we pulled into the driveway. And guess who was in our backyard, the Easter bunny himself was sitting nibbling on some grass right outside our house. Well Kain was pretty excited about that, he was even more excited that he got to thank our favorite bunny personally. Well now it was time to go into the house and do some more searching. It took him some time but finally he found his basket. He was so excited about the Lugi and Yoshi action figures he got, could have cared less about the stuffed chick who got tossed to the side as he dug for the jelly beans. He also got a movie and some books along with tons and tons of sugary goodness. After looking through his own basket it was now time to look for Rae's basket. It took a bit more time before it was found but eventually he did find it. Raelyn was fast asleep and wasn't able to enjoy her goodies, which included a baby Einstein movie, stuffed toy, and some books, until later that night. All together I think that we all had a very enjoyable Easter celebration, celebrating all the blessings that we have.

Not Another One!!!! Aunt Amber

2009-04-13T14:28:00.003-05:00

Happy Easter Kain. Your Aunt Amber loves you bunches. Not to sure what she has against Mommy and Daddy though. :) Haha yes this is a different bunny then the one in an earlier post, even though Kain is wearing the same shirt.

A Hunting We Will Go

2009-04-13T14:18:00.003-05:00

Having an Easter Egg Hunt is always loads of fun, having 3 Easter Egg Hunts is even more loads of fun. Well that is exactly what our little man Kain got. On Thursday he got to do an Easter Egg Hunt with Mommy and Daddy. Since it was his first ever egg hunt he had some difficulty getting the hang of finding the eggs, but soon towards the end he was a seasoned pro. Even after we had found all the eggs he was still ready to go out and find more. On Friday he got to have an egg hunt with Grandma and Grandpa Brandt out at the camper. I guess he did so great that he spotted an egg hiding outside from the bedroom window. Then on Saturday he got to have an egg hunt with some of his friends at Grandma and Grandpa Teichmiller's house. There were over 200 eggs scattered throughout the backyard. He ran through the yard grabbing and screaming, "Egg, Egg" as he went. He ended up with quite the basket of candy and goodies after combining all of the hunts findings. We won't be in need of sweets for a long long time.

Rainbow Eggs

2009-04-13T14:11:00.004-05:00

A few days before Easter, Daddy, Kain and Mommy took on the adventure of coloring eggs. I was a bit worried that it was going to get a bit on the messy side but figured it would be fun any way. Well low and be hold to my surprise, it was not messy at all. Kain did awesome. He would take his egg and pick his color. Then very carefully he would put the egg on his metal holder and dip it into the cup. He was so gentle with all his eggs. After the dye dried Kain and Daddy put some pretty gold glaze on the eggs, now that was a bit messier process. They looked so pretty all glittery. All together I think that the egg coloring was a success.

This Little Piggy

2009-04-13T14:04:00.004-05:00

I have been waiting pretty much since Raelyn was born to be able to put her hair in pig tails. Every now and again I would try and fix her hair into them, but I was always running a little short with the hair. Well the other day I decided to try again, even though it really wasn't that long ago that I had tried, and guess what. Little Rae's hair is finally long enough for it to be put into pig tails. I was so excited. She looks so darling, Mommy just wanted to eat her up.

Rabbit Remains

2009-04-02T13:57:00.001-05:00

Yummy, Thanks Aunt Amber

2009-04-02T13:49:00.004-05:00

So when Aunt Amber comes down to visit she usually comes down with some kind of goodies for the kids. Well this time it was a Easter bunny for the Kain man. His eyes grew quite large since this was the most chocolate he has ever been allowed to eat in one sitting. Of course he needed to start with the ears, and he made his way down from there. He thought it quite funny when he got down to the eyes, and needed to announce to everyone that he just ate them. He then changed his method of eating the rabbit since I think it was getting a bit slippery as the chocolate was seriously starting to melt. He eat the front of the rabbit and then decided that his tummy was a bit full and would save the behind for later. Ah what good messy fun. We love you Aunt Amber.

Hard at Work

2009-04-02T13:45:00.002-05:00

Kain loves to play pretend. Sometimes he is Mega Man fighting bad Dr. Wily, or a train conductor, there are even days where he is Steve looking for Blue's clues. Today though he was pretending to be Daddy hard at work, or maybe he is pawning the noobs in some DoTA. Which ever it is we will never know.

Choo Choo Here Comes the Train

2009-04-02T13:34:00.003-05:00

So Mommy and Daddy like to have little train track building contests every now and again. I am pretty sure that Mommy has won the last one we have. Unfortunately I do not have a picture of Mike's track which he had built the day before, but you can take my word for it that mine, pictured above, is much cooler. Kain seemed to like it a lot too.

An Angels Smile

2009-04-02T13:26:00.003-05:00

What a joy it is to see our little baby girl light up every time she sees you, or talk to her. It is so amazing the she big enough to do this already. It is just another indication that time really does fly by. Rae is so smiley and she talks and coos all the time. She is so happy. She is such a little blessing. We love her so much.

Our Little Kitchen Table Garden

2009-04-01T20:22:00.003-05:00

So last week, right before the weekend, I ended up getting a shipment of plants for spring in the mail that said, "Plant Right Away." Well unfortunately I knew that there was a chance for snow that coming weekend and possibly into the next week. No way was I going to plant them and let them get killed by the snow. So right now I have a kitchen table full of plants, that are even starting to flower. Kain has been Mommy's little helper in keeping them watered and safe from the ever pesky cat. Any time he sees one of the three on the table he makes sure to come and tattle on them so that I spray them with the water bottle to get them down. Unfortunately have they have been doing quite a bit of damage to the plants. I find leaves all over the floor in the morning when I wake up. Hopefully the weather will turn around soon so that I can get them planted where they are supposed to go.

Bowling Fun

2009-04-01T20:13:00.004-05:00

It was so nice our friend Dave was in town this past weekend from Minnesota so we all decided to get together and go bowling. Now this was especially exciting for the Kain man since it was going to be the first time he was actually able to bowl. When we first walked in to the ally his eyes got huge and he all he could say was, "Bowling Pins!!!" After are long wait in line we finally got to our lanes and started to get our shoes on. Kain's bowling shoes were a bit large but they were the smallest size they had. It took him a little bit to get use to walking in them. He walked really slow and silly at first. It was pretty funny. Now it was time to start to bowl. The lightest ball that they had was a six ponder, which is still pretty heavy for the little guy. He couldn't throw it and he could barley push it. It seemed to take his ball ages to get to the pins, but when it would get there it at least knocked down some of the pins. Kain would get so upset though if he did not get all of his pins down. He would shake his little head and put his face in his hands, he even would fall to the floor some times in sheer defeat. Now I wonder which parent he gets that from. ;) All together it was a great time for all of us. It was nice getting to spend time with friends and watch our son have the time of his life bowling for the first time. I am looking forward to doing it again some time soon.

Rocky Road

2009-04-01T20:09:00.002-05:00

This have been pretty busy around here and getting time to sit down and get a chance to work on things is hard to find. Usually I am able to work on things a bit at night after the Kain man has finally drifted off to dream land but Rae has been making that a challenge. Right around super time she decides it is time to just be unhappy. This lasts for most of the night till about 9 o'clock, and by then I am just plain ready for bed. Lucky for me though, tonight her cranky period ended about 15 minutes ago so I am quickly taking the chance to try and update somethings. Hopefully she will stay peacefully napping.

My Future Photographer

2009-03-20T14:18:00.008-05:00

Kain loves taking pictures with Mommy's camera, and guess what he really isn't half that bad for a two year old. These are a few of the pictures that he took of his family. There was the picture of Mommy and Raelyn, but ended up just being a picture of Mommy. So we tried again of course, and well that ended up being just a picture of Raelyn, but a very nice one minus my chin. Then last of all there is the picture of Mike seeing Kain with the camera, which he wasn't suppose to have at the time, and Daddy asking for it back. I think that as he gets older he will be pretty good at taking pictures he just needs a bit of practice and his own camera to use. It would be great to have a photographer in the family.

As the Time Flies By... I Count My Blessings

2009-03-20T14:00:00.006-05:00

I really can't believe how fast time can get away from you. As I sit and stare at my beautiful baby girl I can't even fathom that she is already two months old, and how much she has changed since she was born. Really when I think about it, it was just a few months ago where she was still in my tummy moving and wiggling around. She was also on a pretty regular basis jabbing her little elbows into my ribs. It is so hard to comprehend that she was once living inside of me, this beautiful little angel. Everything about her is so miraculous, from her beautiful blue eyes to her strong persistence to get healthy and strong. She went through so many hardships after she was born and took them all so graciously. Even when she was a new born and hooked up to all these things a small little smile was not far from her precious little rose bud lips. It helped me to stay strong in a time that was a great challenge for me. I hope that she is still able, when she is older, to smile during trials and hardships, and make a difference for those around her. My love for her grows more and more every day, and makes me more aware to try not to stress, which is a hard one for me, and make the most of the life I have with my family. To stop letting time pass me by and stop and watch my wonderful little ones grow.

Kain the Basket Case

2009-03-20T13:46:00.002-05:00

After I get done folding laundry the empty laundry baskets usually end up staying by the door to the basement for a couple of days or so. Or they stay there at least until I need to go back down into the basement. I am a tad on the lazy side when it comes to that, I know. So the other day I was getting ready to run downstairs and went to grab the baskets to take with me, but they were no where to be seen. I could not figure out where they could have gotten until I walked into the living room and low and behold there they were. And there Kain was, sitting inside of them. Kain's kitty Mana was there playing with him to biting at his little toes as they poked out of the basket, but I was not fast enough to get the silly kitty in the picture with him. The funniest thing about it to me was I remember doing the same kind of thing with the laundry baskets at my house when I was little too. He had a blast playing with them for a good chunk of the morning. Kain really has such a great imagination for a two and half year old. He makes me laugh so much, he is such a little joy.

Kitty in the Sink

2009-03-20T13:40:00.006-05:00

So in the mist of my painting the bathroom. One of our three fuzzy felines decides he wants to spend some time with me. Haru happily makes his way past the paint, which I think he is going to knock over, and crawls right into the sink. What a goofy kitty. After this time he has been spending more and more time laying in the sink. It must be pretty cozy since he fills the whole thing.

Clean House

2009-03-20T13:09:00.002-05:00

So in the last couple of weeks I have had spring fever so badly. The house has been feeling stuffy, unorganized and dirty and I am so antsy. I decided to take matters into my hands and start to get the house in the condition that I have wanted for so long. Since we moved in the house I have been pregnant and limited on the kinds of things I was able to do. Now I can go full out. So I headed over to Menard's and got paint for just about every room, minus Mike and my bedroom, and got to work. First the mud room, where I painted everything and laid down a new title floor, then the kitchen walls, living room walls, and then bathroom walls and I put a new floor in there also. All this in one week while I also took care of a two year old and baby. I did have a bit of help from my sister in the living room, but other then that I went solo. I was pretty proud of myself to say the least. Now the hard part, painting all the wood work in the house. I have slowly been working on that. Yesterday I was able to get all the doors painted, but there is still so much more to do. I still need to paint the kid's bedroom walls, but I want to wait till I can open the windows. I don't want Kain to sleep in there while there is that icky paint smell. Soon enough I should have everything done, and in a month or so we should be getting started on remodeling the basement. It will make such a huge difference, having that extra space. I can't wait.

A Brief Family History

2009-03-18T10:52:00.007-05:00

Mike and I met through a mutual friend and hit it off pretty much right off the bat. We started to date a few months after we met and then we moved to Milwaukee together about a year later. Soon we found out the we were going to be having a baby, a preterm scare and eight and a half months later our baby boy Kain was born, and what a joy he has been. Mike and I got married a year later and Kain got to be the cutest ring bearer there ever was. Life was good. We decided that our apartment was starting to get a bit small for our expanding family and started the search for a home to call our own. In May we purchased our new house and a week later found out that we would be welcoming our second addition to the family. Unfortunately the second pregnancy wasn't quite as enjoyable as the first and we had a few complications. Raelyn Kristina was born January 7th a whole month before she was due. Because of that her lungs were a bit under developed and had to have a week long stay in the NICU at the Children's Hospital. She then was home for about 2 weeks and then had to spend another week in the hospital with RSV. So her start to life was a bit of an adventure, but she is now healthy and growing stronger everyday. And that puts us to pretty much where we are right now. Getting settled into a four person family, starting to do some remodeling to our home, and getting ready and enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

A New Start

2009-03-18T10:32:00.003-05:00

It has been a challenge trying to keep with things here at the house, with the children, and keeping all our friends and family updated on family status. I have been behind on keeping our family website up to date and time just keeps on flying by. So I decided that if I have two places with family info, at least when I get a bit behind there will be two places people can go to get the scoop on the Brandts. It will take me a bit, I think to get things up and running on this blog so please bear with me. For the mean time feel free to check out our website at www.easysite.com/BrandtFamily I will try and get some of the things more up to date on there later today. :)