Tractors and Babies

Mia and Owen are extremely curious about our baby on the way.  We've had many questions to try and answer.  Mia wants to know how the baby slept last night, and when she can see baby "B".  They've also given us some great name ideas like Meatball and Chicken Nugget.  We're not sure baby "B" would appreciate their name choices though, but we'll give them some careful consideration! :)  The other night Mia wanted to know when she would get to have a baby in HER tummy.  We said when you get older.  Owen pipped up that HE wants a baby in his tummy too.  Mia proceeded to instruct him that only girls got babies in their tummies.  After a few minutes of thinking he said "I know!  Boys get TRACTORS in their tummies!!"  Such a typical answer from my little farm boy!  This morning Mia and Owen wanted to "smell" the baby.....  Mia thought he smelled good and Owen thought he smelled bad....  You never know what they are going to come up with next....

Friday Feature!

The Brandt Family and their new eating benches were featured again on Friday!!  This time it was on the blog Sawdust and Embryos.  When you get a chance stop over and take a look!   Here is the link.

In other news...  We are still working our way to 30 followers for the print giveaways.  Those who have become a follower will receive a print, and also those who have left comments and links!  Thank you!

They might be related....

Wow! I can't believe it...

We've been featured on Better After!

http://betterafter.blogspot.com/2010/10/two-bums-up.html

I love seeing all the creativity of everyone out there!  This blog is filled with awesome befores and afters!

The rules are changing...

The Brandt family is giving away these inspirational art prints!

Here are our REVISED rules:

• Because I am turning 30 in less than 6 days each new follower up to 30 receives a free print of their choice.  

• One randomly selected follower who's been there through the thick and thin will receive a print.

• Any of our followers who link to this post and spread the word will also receive the print of their choice!  Leave a comment for us so we can give you credit.

• Please do not copy.  These are the Brandt Family's original art.

Giveaway!

Happy Monday!

The Brandt family is giving away these inspirational art prints!

Here are our rules:
• Our 25th and 28th follower will receive the print of their choice....
• Plus one randomly selected loyal follower.
• Any of our followers who link to this post and spread the word will also receive the print of their choice!  Leave a comment for us so we can give you credit.
• Please do not copy.  These are the Brandt Family's original art.

Smile

Mia and Owen's Great Aunt Lois!

The week of my (Owen) birthday a man in a big brown truck with the letters UPS on the side brought us a big box of treasures from Auntie Lois.  Mommy made us spread out the fun, we only opened one at a time.  If you know me, that was VERY hard to do!  Mia got some really cool presents too!  Thank you Auntie Loie!

My New Benches

I've always wanted some type of built in eating area on our porch.  We eat most of our family meals out there, and because the room is long and narrow a long table with benches would fit the space better.  I knew these old benches, my brother in law built in shop class back in the day, were hiding out in a pile behind the garage.

I decided to see if they were useable...

First we cleaned spiders and dirt off, then sanded and painted the benches.

I ordered some awesome fabric from fabric.com and with a roll of foam, a staple gun, and some clear plastic, we are now eating in style!

Birthday Balloon Wreath

Mia and Owen just celebrated their 3rd and 4th birthdays {birthday photos to come} since I hired a professional photographer this year, I wanted to make sure there were lots of birthday details around.  

I found this adorable idea on HowDoesShe.com 

and went ahead to use the tutorial and make it!  

It was very easy and will be fun to pull out each year during birthday week!

This is our version of the birthday wreath:

Ugly Owls

Most of you would know I have a hard time passing a Garage Sale sign.  I can't help the creative itch I feel knowing there might be a treasure waiting inside!  Most of you would also know that hubby J has about the most opposite feelings possible.  Usually he'll point out something on the opposite side of the vehicle to attempt to distract me.  I can spot those neon signs miles away though.... nice try.

This summer at 3 separate sales I found these cute very ugly owls.  But I could see they had potential.  Hubby J thought they looked like official pieces of junk.  Owls are very popular right now in designs so I purchased them.

After a few coats of white spray paint they now reside in my office...

My Big Girl

I can't believe Mia is going to preschool already!  She started September 8th, and is having so much fun.  Friday they learned a "ca-choo" song.  She came home with a puppet blowing it's nose.  So far I've heard "circle time" mentioned the most....if she decides to tell me about her day.  The first day Mrs. Robinson gave me a run down about their day at school when I picked her up, at home I asked Mia what she did, and her response was "the teacher already told you everything we did".  :)  Since then she's been more open, I guess the first day was just too tiring and there were too many new people to watch. :)

Mia standing next to our "Evan" tree.
We are going to see how much they both grow each year.  

Owen and the Tractor

Yesterday we celebrated Darren's 3rd birthday!  At the party Owen hopped on Darren's tractor.  Last year he could barely reach the pedals, now he's tearing it up!  Owen told Ellie to "go get the combine ready" and told Noah to "go check the dryer"  you can tell he's a farm boy through and through!

Remember us?

The Brandt family had a GREAT busy crazy 2010 summer.  Mia started her preschool program Wednesday morning, and the cool crisp air makes it feel like fall.  

Technically we have a few more days of summer but: 

The combine is out, 

Sweatshirts are on (we even broke out the footie pajamas the kids have been dying all summer to wear!) 

Windows are open, 

Pumpkins are appearing, 

Hawkeyes are playing, 

The mouse traps have been set... (eek)

Ready or Not.....it's Fall on the farm....!

Silver Beach...a sneak peak

A quick trip to Africa

Last Saturday (July 31st) We made a quick visit to the African Safari!

Before we left we made sure our malaria shots were up to date....

After packing our suitcases and boxes we were off...

We spotted lots of Giraffe, Zebra, Lions and Elephants!

With our powerful 'noculars' we were even able to see Yogi Bear's!

While we were in Africa, we practiced eating like giraffes.

It would be so much fun to eat fruit roll-ups out of trees all day!

The Safari Golf cart tour, took us by the nearby soybean field...

We had a great time in the Safari!  Next time we'll stay a bit longer!

BFF's

Best Friends Forever........  atleast for the moment

Yogi Bear 2010 in pictures

YOGI BEAR's 2010

Playing in the sand

Meeting Boo Boo

Yogi Rides around the campground

Ice Cream on a HOT day!

Swimming!  The favorite activity!

Making Breakfast

Puddles after the rain

So happy to be at the pool!!

Most of the kids, a few are missing and a few hiding :)

Yogi is History

What a great week we had in Wisconsin.  Mia and Owen got "roose" bands (wrist bands) to ride the pedal cars and jump on the jumping pillow.  We've been home over 24 hours and they are NOT leaving their wrists yet.  I've told them a few times that we're taking them off for meeting tomorrow, so we'll see what happens.  Mia wasn't able to nap yesterday because she "missed Yogi so much"  Joe and I both went to her room to comfort her a few times, but it was just too emotional.  Me..  well I'm loving the shower and the bug free bed.  Wednesday the temperature was in the high 90's.  We had a camper to stay in and the AC was going full blast but it was HOT.  It only rained once this week the rain went around Yogi Bear's all day, which we can be thankful for!

Some of the highlights were:
• Swimming!
• Swimming!!
• Riding bikes
• Yogi Movies with Popcorn
• Playing with friends all week
• Campfires and Smores
• Popsicles
• Sand.... Sand everywhere!

One of the ladies that works at Yogi, asked Joe and I in the pool if Mia was our daughter, we said yeeessss.....?  She said "I tried to offer Mia a push in the swings the other day and Mia's reply was No thanks, I'm just going to Chill...."

I thought maybe the Yogi addiction would have eased a bit after spending a week there, but M&O are already asking multiple times a day when can we go back??.... is it time to go back yet??

I think we'll have to start a new countdown....  but for now I'm just going to enjoy civilization again!

It's f.i.n.a.l.l.y... here!

Our Yogi Countdown says "0" and the day has arrived to head over to mosquito land.... aka Yogi Bear's!!

Owen can't wait to cross Mr. Rippi Sippi, (his new name for the Mississippi) and go over the BIG BIG bridge and see some TRAINS, all being said with a growl in his voice!

The forecast after today is looking promising!  That will be a welcome change from the past 2 years!  However, I am quite sure there will be enough standing water left there from the past 2 weeks to make an abundant population of mosquitos and mud puddles to splash.

Mia and Owen are busy "packin up" their backpacks full of treasures, not sure what we're all taking with us!

The newest Walmart greeter....

Being a Walmart greeter could possibly be Owen's ideal job.  

He would get to talk to everyone, and no one would need to turn on their hearing aids, they would have NO problem hearing him...

Sneak over to ride on Barny during breaks...

Check out the candy aisle every once in a while...

Be the first to see the new pool inventory come in...

Have large stretches of spaces to run...

And get to play with those cool blue stickers alllll day....!

May Memories

May was a great month!

• No Semi-Rollovers...

• No Tractor crashes....

• No rodents finding their way in...

• All the crops were planted

• I got a new kitchen sink!

• Daddy put Mia and Owen's swing set up!

• Garden boxes built and planted

• Lots of birthday parties and tres leches cake

• Hot sun and hot campfires

• Swimming and the smell of sunscreen

• Garage sales and new beds

• New babies

• Auntie Lois came to visit