Baby Pics!

Here they are! She looks like an alien!

Tilt your head sideways...it is the little booty and the girl parts!
You can see her hand, arm, tummy, and part of her face!

Look at that big toe!!! She is covering up her face with her hand.

It's a Baby GIRL!

We are so excited! We just found out this morning that we are having a baby GIRL!!! Peyton Emily Petersen...my due date has stayed the same, the 20th of June, and everything looks good. She weighs 11 ounces right now, and was grabbing her feet and playing with her hands a lot during the ultrasound. When the sonographer said "I'm going to see if I can tell the sex of the baby..." Peyton took her hand and covered herself up. She is already little miss modesty! Luckily, she pulled her hand away though, and she was able to show us what she was! :o) Pictures will be posted later tonight when I get them scanned in.

Potty Training Treats

So, we have decided to start getting Brody familiar with the potty. We aren't pushing the subject yet, but would like to have a firm foundation before our little bundle of joy arrives in June.

The other night, Brody looked like he really had to go potty, and when I asked him if he had to go, he said "yeah, potpot!" (Potpot is his word for potty). Excitedly, we got his diaper off and he sat on the "potpot" for a little while, then exclaimed "all done!" When he got off of the toilet, I looked to see if he had done anything, and sure enough...he had poopooed on the potty! I was so excited, and my Great Aunt Emily had given me an M&M's dispenser to use as potty training treats. Of course, Brody got 2 M&M's for going #2. His little mind did not grasp the concept though, and wanted "moe" (more). When I sweetly praised him and told him that he only got more when he went potty again, he got very upset. We left the bathroom and shut the door, which caused an all out temper tantrum.

Later that night, I went into the guest bathroom, and forgot the shut the door behind me. Nick and I were in the living room, and I wondered "where is Brody?" I walked around the corner, and this is what I found:

"I said I wanted more mom! So, I got more."

"Don't worry about me, I can get my own."

Our cute Walgreens M&M Dispenser

He doesn't just love TV...

I have realized that a lot of my posts are about Brody watching his favorite shows or movie (notice how movie is not plural...it is Cars, and ONLY Cars). The other day, Brody was really fussy, and needed a nap, but was being very defiant about the issue. Instead of Nick letting him relax on the couch with him to watch TV, they snuck off to Brody's room. When I went to check on them, this is what I found:

He loves touch and feel books. This one was given to us by the Dragovich's before Brody's birth.

Momma is busted! I tried to be sneaky.

Patience

Patience is never something that I have been good at. It is definitely not inherent in my family. I have been thinking a lot about my desire to be more patient with my husband and my son lately, and it is still so hard to do.

I think back to a couple of years ago, when Nick and I were first married, I prayed for patience. Boy, was I EVER given opportunities to learn patience. Nick and I joked about how you should NEVER pray for patience, because you will definitely be tested to the limit. I got through it somehow though.

These are the ways that I am trying to improve my patience:

1.) Rather than yell at Nick for leaving dishes in the sink, I can politely say "Babe, dishwasher's dirty."
2.) Hug Brody when he is mad and hitting, instead of getting angry and frustrated.
3.) When Brody asks to watch Cars for the 4th time in a day, I can say "I know you would love to watch Cars, but we are going to read a book, or watch something else instead today. Maybe tomorrow we can watch Cars again."
4.) I am going to sing to my babies when I put them down at night. Bedtime has always been a struggle in our house, but over the past week, Nick and I have been singing Brody 3 songs before bed and we walk around the room with him. I have noticed a dramatic change in his ability to fall asleep easily and sleep longer in the morning.
5.) Finally, I am going to take more "me" time. By doing so, I am more relaxed and have the ability to be more patient with my loved ones.

Brody's not the only one who loves Sesame Street

I've begun to think that the reason Nick DVR's Sesame Street during the week, is because HE misses it on the weekends. We all love Sesame Street in our house, and I think these pictures are so cute of Nick and Brody watching Sesame Street Friday night. (Wow...my last 3 blogs have been about our Friday night at home...we sure accomplish a lot when we stay home on a Friday night!) As you can tell from the picture, Daddy makes a wonderful chair.

"hmmm...that's very interesting!"

My boys, very involved in the show.
"Come on Mom! Stop taking our picture!"

He loves the Wii!

Brody may only be 18 months old, but he knows what he likes to do. We often have to "hide" our Nintendo Wii controllers out of his sight, otherwise, he will cry and point and say "on" until we turn it on. Friday night, we decided to let him play for a while. He loves to play baseball, he swings the remote when it is his turn at bat, and he flicks his wrist when it is his turn to pitch. We can't believe that he has understands the concepts behind the game. He claps if he hits the ball (he also claps if the other team hits the ball), and he gets very involved in his games. I wanted to post some pictures of the little man playing ball, even though the real thing is much more entertaining.

Brody "boxing"

Boxing again
Brody about to throw a fastball (you can see his little "mii" on the screen)

Playing from his favorite spot...the top of his slide

Home made pizza, chocolate cheesecake, and...HANNAH MONTANA???

So, last night, Nick and I decided to stay home for a variety of reasons. One, we wanted to try to make the Johansen's world famous home made pizza (ours came out quite well, but I still need to work on it to perfect it). Second, we bought one of those cheesecake factory cheese cakes at Sam's...I couldn't pass it up. I told Nick, "yeah, this might be $14.00, but imagine what we would spend on 2 slices of cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory!" So, I talked myself into it. Third, we wanted to watch a movie...something we haven't done in a LONG time. Although, by the time we got Brody settled down, and in bed (it was already 9:30!!!), I was too tired to watch a movie. Somehow, the TV got turned onto Disney Channel (by my husband of all people), and we sat down and watched Hannah Montana until 11:00. I can tell a huge difference in our Friday night activities now compared to when we were dating...9:30 used to be the time we would go out to a movie, and staying up late was never an issue. Now we are an old, married couple, who would rather watch Disney and go to bed by 11:00 (still really late for us), than even try to start a movie at night. I love it though! :)

Woohoo!

Woohoo for Mitt Romney! Way to win Michigan!

Computer Genius

As long as I can remember, Brody has loved being on a computer. If we ever leave the office door cracked, we can count on finding him in the computer chair, banging away at the keyboard, or moving the mouse around. I have been trying to use his love for computers as a learning opportunity, and we go to websites such as PBSkids.com, or noggin.com to play educational games and listen to music. However, Brody is Mr. Independent. He gets very upset when I try to use the mouse to navigate us through the pages, or press a key on the keyboard. He wants to do all the work. Even though he doesn't quite know how to use the internet, he finds it very amusing when he makes something move on the screen, or makes the characters talk. I love watching him learn and grow.

"I'll do the mouse, mom" So Cute!

"Oooooh!" Brody making the music start on PBSKids.com

It's Painting Time!

We have lived in our house for 2 1/2 years now, and we love it here. We love the location, we love the quiet atmosphere of our neighborhood, and we just plain love the house. EXCEPT for the paint! I have never liked the color of the paint on the inside of our house, and I have decided that enough is enough. I don't know if it is my nesting instincts or what, but I am on a mission to have my house painted by the time this new baby comes. We have started with our halls, and are almost done. Here are some pictures of our work so far. This weekend is the guest bathroom's turn!!!

"Are there laws against this?"
"I'll help, mommy!"

"Time for more paint!" (Note...the paint tray was empty, and he was "painting" with a dry brush"

Tashya, hard at work doing the top trim

The hall by my bedroom

OOOPS! Someone touched the wet wall!

"Wow! All that painting made me tired!!!"

Lovin' Life at Nana's

Who wouldn't love life at Nana's? The last time we went, Brody was able to sit in his chair that his Great Papa had made for him (although, Papa didn't know what a special boy he was making it for at the time.) I'm so grateful Nana gave Brody this chair, and we can tell him about his Papa who made it for him. It is just the right size for Brody, and I know that my Papa is so happy that such a sweet little boy is getting great use out of it.

Brody also was able to do another one of his favorite things at Nana's house...watch CARS! This is Brody was watching Cars while sitting in his new chair.

Another one of Brody's favorite things to do at Nana's is eat COOKIES (I'll admit, it's my favorite thing to do at Nana's also.) Brody loves the Snackwell's devil's food cake cookies that my sweet Aunt Emily buys for him.

Birthday Party Boy

The other night, we went the Seidel's house for John's birthday. It was so much fun to watch Brody run around with the other kids, laughing and playing. He has turned into such a big boy, and I love the way he laughs at the "big kids".

The Belly Grows Some MORE!

I am getting bigger and bigger EVERY day! I found these maternity clothes at Kohls last night on clearance...my favorite!

"18 Weeks"

Daddy's little boy

Brody is definately his daddy's little boy. Tonight at dinner, Brody's sippy cup lid came off, and orange juice went ALL over him. His daddy quickly scooped him up, stripped him naked, and ran him a warm bath (his poor little teeth were chattering because the OJ was so cold). Brody was really upset about this mishap, however, after the bath was all over, he had been calmed by his loving father. I love the picture I was able to snap of the 2 of them when bathtime was over.

Sunday Afternoon Rush

When we first found out that church was going to be starting at 2:00 p.m., there were a lot of moans and groans from the Petersen household. We didn't like the idea of it being right in the middle of the day. We have come to love it, though. We can all take naps, eat lunch, get ready in time...except for days like today!

Today, was a lazy, crazy, Sunday! Nick and I laid around all morning, while looking over lessons, dozing on and off, and taking care of Ava (the dog we were puppy sitting.) I decided at 11:53 to take an "official nap". You know, one where you actually go in the bedroom, set the alarm, and sleep for a good hour. HA! Brody was asleep in his crib, Nick was asleep on the couch, and Ava and I were in dreamland in the bed.


My alarm went off at 1:00 p.m., just enough time to get up, shower, eat lunch and get Brody ready. So I thought. Instead, I decided that 50 minutes would be enough, so I hit snooze for another 10 minutes. Then again, 10 minutes later. When I came to my senses that 40 minutes was NOT enough time to get everyone ready to go, I started panicking. I got Nick up, hopped in the shower, ate lunch, and by the time I was getting Brody out of bed, it was 1:53. He was not too happy about being woken up from his nap, as you can see from the pictures.



We finally made it to church...at 2:10. Luckily, we didn't miss the passing of the sacrament. Hopefully next week, we will be a little more organized, and a lot less lazy!

My little photographer

Brody has found a new passion recently. Photography. He loves it when I get my camera out, and is eager to put on his oh so cheezy smile for the camera.

He has begun getting a little "upset", we will say, when the camera is out though. He wants to be the one behind it. Yesterday, I gave up the fight, and let him take the pictures. These are the masterpieces he came up with. While viewing them, he would say "oooooh!" or "wow!" We are so proud of our little photographer!

"Self Portrait"

"The Fan"

"Mouth"
"The door"

Our Engagement Story

I was looking through pictures on my computer today, thinking..."what can I blog about today?" I am really wanting to keep up on my blog, now that I know what a wonderful way it is to preserve our family's history. As I was searching through pictures, I came accross our engagement pictures, and thought about what a great story it is to preserve for our children and grandchildren.

The day was May 14, 2005. It was my 22nd birthday, my mother's birthday (I won't disclose her age at the time), and the day that I graduated with my bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of Arkansas. Nick and I had only been dating for a couple of months, but we were very much in love, and I had a feeling that the engagement was coming soon...although, I didn't realize it would be THIS soon.

Nick called to wish me a happy birthday, and asked that I come over, so that we could go on a walk before graduation, and my graduation party. He felt that we wouldn't have much quality time to spend together on my birthday, and he wanted to be alone, if only for a few minutes. I was highly stressed out at the time, because here it was, 10:00, and I had to be in Fayetteville in an hour to take pictures with my dad's side of the family. I told Nick "We can go for a walk, but it has to be quick." Boy was I wrong!

When I arrived at Nick's house, his mother urged us to get going, so that I wouldn't be late. Here I am, thinking that we are just going to go on a walk around the block. Wrong again! Nick told me to get in the car (I'm thinking...okay...it's 10:15, where on earth are we going?) Then, we headed towards Bella Vista. "BELLA VISTA?! We don't have time to go to Bella Vista! I have to be in Fayetteville in 30 minutes!" Those were my frantic pleas for him to turn around so that I could get in my car and head south.

Nick convinced to me to just walk to the waterfall at Tanyard Creek with him, and then he promised to have me back at my car in time to head to Fayetteville. I compromised, and said we could walk to the waterfall, look at it for a second, then we had to RUN back to the car.
We got to the waterfall, and Nick handed me a sweet card, and appologized to me, for he hadn't gotten me anything for my birthday yet. I was a little dissapointed, but understood. He said he hadn't had time to shop for me, but he knew how much I loved getting cards.

We got to the waterfall, and he wanted to walk above the waterfall, to the reservoire of water that poured over the rocks to make the watefall. Reluctantly, I went. We sat down by the bank of the water, and he told me how much he loved me. Then, he looked into the water, stood up, walked out a couple of feet, and grabbed a large shell. He played with the shell for a minute, and then told me he couldn't open it. At this point, I was totally oblivious, and thought "why can't he open it? You can tell it is open already." So, I went along with it, and I opened the large shell. Inside it was a medium sized shell. I am still totally oblivious, and thought what a strange shell to have another shell inside. So, I opened the medium sized shell, and inside it is a small shell. Now I am catching on.

I opened the small shell, and in it is a beautiful diamond ring. My mouth dropped. I looked at Nick...wondering if he had done this, or if we had just found someone's ring in the lake. He again told me how much he loved me, and that he wanted to spend eternity with me, and he asked me to be his wife. Of course, I said yes, and I was crying. After I said yes, we heard laughter in the background, and his friends were standing on a hill taking pictures of the whole thing! They had also been present to safeguard the ring while it was in the water.

Needless to say, we had our moment, then reality set in and we RAN as fast as we could back to the car! What a wonderful day!

The Ring

So in love!

"Look at this cool shell!"

She said Yes!

Ava!

We were able to dog sit this weekend for Miss Ava, the prettiest Shih Tzu around. We all had so much fun with her, including Brody. He learned to say "No Dog!" and "No AVA!" He gave her kisses, and she did the same to him. We were all sad to see Ava go, but there is still not another chance of us getting a dog any time soon. I got my fix this weekend. :)

"Look at my new hat, mom!" (this was a CLEAN puppy pad!)
Kisses anyone?

Ava is ready to have her tummy rubbed!