Royals Game / Amana Colonies

Wyatt's first MLB Game! Grandma Terri got him a Royals outfit to wear for the occasion. I want to be clear, my Mom WON these tickets at a conference - we did not pay for them. And she only entered because Derek likes the Royals, my Mom and I are died-in-the-wool STL Cardinals fans (which Derek would classify as annoying.) :)

My Mom was great and played with Wyatt during most of the game.
What a great Dad!
Derek and I went to Iowa with his Sister Keri and brother-in-law Jon. They had planned this trip way before the flooding started and we were not calling it off. Derek is big on "road-side attractions". His trusty atlas showed that we were traveling through Madison Co., home of the covered bridges. So we found a town, followed their signs to one of these infamous bridges. It was pretty neat and there was even a little gift shop by this bridge. Supposedly this is bridge is also haunted, wooooooo!
Our main destination were the Amana Colonies in Iowa. We stayed at a bed and breakfast and had a great time! I found a supplier of awesome Dandelion Blossom wine. The direct routes around the colonies was flooded, but the detour was pretty short. Here is a picture from the front of the Brewery in Amana, the Iowa River has flooded all the way up to the edge of town.

11 months old

Look who is learning to feed himself! Wyatt really enjoys using the spoon and holding the bowl but we don't know how much food is getting into his mouth!
He is also doing better with looking at books, this one in the picture sings and has movable parts. His other favorite book is "Brown Bear, Brown Bear", he drags it around then will sit and look through the pictures.
Our government stimulus check went straight up to Derr Equipment for a new mower. Wyatt enjoys the springy seat (Mom enjoys the cupholders!)
Wyatt thinks every surface is potential for standing.
Derek took Wyatt for his first tractor ride (first combine ride, go back to November). Wyatt was not scared by the noise, smell or vibration!
Whew, the life of an 11-month-old can be exhausting - so can the life of the parents of such a child. Here Wyatt has passed out while taking his bottle. It made me think of college when I have seen my friends in this same position late at night/early in the morning. How quickly our lives change!

Peonies

Derek's Gandma Vesta called last weekend and wanted us to bring Wyatt up to take some pictures by her peonies. She said she had a picture of his Dad with these flowers when he was little.

A family picture - I think I only have one other picture of us three together in the 10+ months we have had Wyatt!

Derek, Wyatt and Great-Grandma Vesta.

Summertime!

We spent Memorial day weekend at home this year. We got a lot of work done around the farm and we even got to relax! Here are pictures from the weekend - this is a big update! I figured I owed it since I had been slacking.

Wyatt loves his red wagon we got from Cory and Allison Schweizer! I pulled him down the road and back and out to the Quonset hut to see Daddy working cows.
I gave up fighting Wyatt's interest in the kitchen drawers. He now has his own drawer with toys in it (instead of aluminum foil and Saran wrap). I have also learned that I have wasted a lot of money on toys when he is happy playing with wooden spoons and measuring cups!
Pre-bath ritual consists of running the water and then letting Wyatt stand on the bed and look out the window, sometimes in his diaper and sometimes naked!
Home from church on Sunday, after the service both Mommy and Wyatt were tired - I can't believe he can sleep like this.
Cool sunset before a storm, it was better when I got out of the shower and noticed it out the window, so I threw on a robe and ran out to the pasture to take a picture (just ONE of the great things about living on the farm.) Derek was confused when he saw me walking across the driveway. :)

It was still raining Monday morning but we went to Great-Grandma Vesta's to do a little yardwork.

"I love to crawl!"

Monday afternoon was sunny and warmer so Derek and I went to Joe and Mary Kay Lyle's house to swim in their pool (they are good Holt family friends). Here is Wyatt in his swim gear, he DID NOT like the hat and neither did I after a while - sissy looking I guess.

Mommy and Wyatt - it is hard to hold a baby and take pictures.

So we ditched the hat and I got in the water - wooo! It was chilly! Wyatt didn't like the temperature either so we didn't stay long. Wyatt loves when I splash him in the bathtub, but here is a picture of him post-splash at the pool. We still have some work to do before he is a true water baby (like his Mom!)

Busy Weekend

Okay, okay, okay Aunt Stacey, I hear you. I have been bad about adding pictures because it is the end of the year at school = busy, busy, busy! Two weekends ago was Mother's day, Wyatt's 10 month birthday, and our 5 year anniversary! We didn't do much but stay around the house and relax - which was awesome! Here are some pictures.

Hanging outside with Mommy! Wyatt played in his pack-n-play while I worked in the yard.

Derek found a bunch of wild mushrooms while checking fence. We cooked and ate so many in one day that we are done for the year!

Wyatt spent a little time at the FFA plant sale. My students are so good at entertaining him.

We let our yard get away from us this spring while were waiting to buy a lawnmower. So, Derek fenced off a bit of our yard by the pasture to run cows on it. Yes, it is a little white trash but we didn't have to pay for hay and gas for the mower!

Enjoying the outdoors

Finally! I got an afternoon with nice weather and no school activities! Wyatt was asleep in his car seat when I got home, I made it to his crib with him still asleep and I went outside! I got some work done before I heard a "Meow" from the house. Dixie was laying in Wyatt's bedroom window and 'hollering' at me. I went and looked in the room and Wyatt was awake and playing in his crib. I grabbed him and a blanket and he sat outside and watched me work while sitting on the blanket.

Ooo, it is getting windy and cloudy. Wyatt doesn't really like the feel of grass yet so he stays on the blanket. It doesn't help that our grass is pretty tall. You can see behind Wyatt that I was taking out the old wire fence that was around the backyard.

This picture above and the one below are from last weekend, Wyatt and I sat outside in the sun waiting for Derek to get home. This was Wyatt's first real experience with grass. Even though he doesn't talk yet, his face was telling me, "eww, scratchy"

Okay, back to the work day. I took Wyatt inside to eat and Derek got the tractor out to pull up the posts, which were set in concrete. Derek is frustrated because the backyard looks worse now, but I keep telling him it has to get worse before it gets better!
This picture is for my Mom. She gave me this poncho thing that she had gotten from her friend Pat. When Pat's kids were babies, my Grandma Doney made this from them. Well, Pat saved it and now Wyatt has it! We have wore it several times in the morning when it is still a bit cool. Now he has something hand-made from my Grandma who passed away when I was in college. She was really good at knitting, crocheting, and sewing!

Spring is here!?

The calendar indicates that it is officially spring, I also have daffodils and tulips blooming at home - but it just DOES NOT feel like Spring. Warm days are usually wet, dry days are cold and about once a week we get a freeze warning. All for the best because I have been so busy with school events to be able to work in the yard. Here is what we have been up to:

Derek has been a great Dad lately, picking up Wyatt and bringing him home when I have been stuck doing school stuff. This day Derek wanted to show me how Wyatt was trying to 'drive' his farm truck. "Hit the gas Dad!"

We all went to Tipton this past weekend and Wyatt got to see his Aunt Stacey - they get along so well. She played with him and fed him breakfast!

" Aaargh, I like to lick the mirror!" *slobber, slobber*

This is the time of year I look forward to coming and then going. Banquets and ceremonies and officer interviews. April 30th was our South Holt FFA banquet, here is a picture during opening ceremonies. The banquet went well and I am decompressing today!

Of course, we have to have officer interviews to select our new FFA officers. Not able to leave Wyatt at the sitters too late, he got to come along and hang out the with students waiting to interview. In this picture, they have given him some musical items to test his aptitude for the fine arts (I think we will stick with practical arts!)