Castens' Blog

The Girls

2012-01-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

I took the video of Lexi saying the Lord's Prayer (definitely saying, not praying it) last weekend. The Johnny Appleseed one is from July. She's changing so quickly, though not as quickly as Brielle. The videos of Brielle below were taken toward the beginning of December and the end of December (at Liz's house). Brielle officially crawled on December 18 at the church nursery and while we were Skyping with Neal and Ruthie, just before we left for Christmas break.

Christmas

2012-01-03T14:41:00.000-08:00

It WAS a Merry First Christmas for Brielle. We had a wonderful time with both sides of the family in Nebraska at Liz and Lon's and at my parents'. We were busy with lots of great memories - thanks be to God for this reason to celebrate!

I wore the sleeper/hat in the picture above when I was a baby. =)

Grandma Bates gave Brielle this sweet first Christmas shirt.

Brielle's dress was from Mom and Dad and Lexi's was from Grandma Bates - too sweet!

We went to Chances R and then to a New Year's Eve dance with my family. For most of the time we were at the dance, Lexi had the floor to herself. She loved it!

Lisa reminded us about the real meaning of Christmas.

Hauling water to the cows with Grandpa

Brielle fell asleep on her first tractor ride

The girls had fun decorating a gingerbread train together.

It was nice enough to head to the park a few times while we were in York.

Gotta love glow-in-the-dark bracelets

Neal made this set for us. It's absolutely beautiful!

Cutie Pies

2012-01-02T21:04:00.000-08:00

Brielle is officially on the move - time to block off the stairs!

December 18 - Lexi's first Sunday School program in church and the day Brielle officially started crawling

One of my former students gave the girls matching pajamas - so fun!

Thanksgiving with Lisa and Brian

2012-01-02T20:09:00.000-08:00

We were excited to have Lisa and Brian come out for the week of Thanksgiving. While they were here we ate Thanksgiving dinner at the Stepanek home with friends, hiked a trail near Lake Mead through old train tunnels down to Hoover Dam, visited the Ethel M Chocolate Factory and the cactus garden (complete with a Santa), ate at some great restaurants, played disc golf, and went to a funny magic show. Great times!

Brielle's first Thanksgiving - Aunt Lisa walked her to sleep

San Diego

2011-11-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

We all had fun at Imperial Beach while we waited for Aaron to run his half marathon. Lexi loved the beach (what's not to love about a GIANT sandbox?!), and Brielle naturally wanted to eat the sand! Aaron did an amazing job. He finished in 1 hour and 36 minutes. For 13.1 miles, that's FAST!

Almost there!

We had such a fun time at Sea World. The girls and I had never been there, and Aaron hadn't been since he was little. The shows, animals, and rides were all a hit!

One of the Sea World rides was to take a gondola out over the ocean. Beautiful!

We all love this double stroller we bought a couple of months ago.

The hotel was fun too. Lexi slept great . . . Brielle on the other hand . . . spent part of each night in our bed. We're all thankful that hasn't continued since we've been home.

Brielle

2011-10-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Fall Pictures

2011-10-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

At Little Lambs this week, the kids all wore their Halloween costumes. Lexi is a dalmatian (Grandma Bates made her costume for my cousin years ago and it's still going around the family - precious) and Brielle is a poodle (we borrowed it from the Renner clan - thank you). They look adorable, and Lexi is very excited that they're both dogs.

Brielle and Bible study - How much better can life get?

Brielle is on the move - backwards that is!

Before and after - the first veggie, peas

Not a fan

A hot morning at the Pumpkin patch - Lexi pulled her pumpkin from the vine and picked a tiny one for Brielle.

I snapped this pic as I was leaving for school - now who's watching whom =)

Brielle fell asleep on the changing table while I washed my hands. I guess she was tired.

Lexi and I are moms, Brielle is a baby of course, and these are our kids. Brielle has to ride in the back seat of our "car" with the kids. Lexi is only posing in the back seat with the kids, she often drives. =)

I guess Brielle got tired while Lexi and I were playing around her in the loft.

Colorado Wedding

2011-10-08T21:50:00.001-07:00

We went to Rick and Stephanie Goldammer's wedding in the mountains in Colorado last weekend. It was gorgeous!

Naomi, Marta (Liz and Lon Renner's girls), Lexi, and Brielle all had fun together.

We stayed at a condo with Liz and Lon and family. The girls loved playing together, and it was fun to catch up with them.

Aunt Debbie watched the girls while we got dessert and slow danced together (just the two of us, no kids, kind of like a date for two songs!). She eventually put Brielle to sleep.

Lexi, Naomi, and Kayla loved the dance! The rest of us did too, for that matter.

The patio view from the condo we stayed at was beautiful! The weather was too.

Family

2011-10-08T21:16:00.001-07:00

I wore this "Thank heaven for little girls" outfit when I was a baby. It won't fit Brielle much longer.

Brielle can go to school with all the "kids" too.

Mom's heading out for school and one of the three is fed and ready for the day. =)

Our Little Lambs field trip to Anderson Dairy ended with ice cream for everyone! (Yes, Lexi's the child wearing short shorts - time to put those away for Brielle.)

This oatmeal thing is getting better.

Happy 3rd Baptismal Birthday to Lexi! We celebrated with ice cream sandwiches.

Brielle still sleeps the best when she's swaddled, but she gets her arms out or rolls onto her stomach most nights.

Happy 30th Birthday to me! While we were at the restaurant to celebrate, I nursed Brielle and helped Lexi change into dry underwear (s0 close - just a little damp). I am officially old!

Brielle and Lexi

2011-10-08T16:39:00.000-07:00

Brielle's first oatmeal meal. Lexi was definitely the most excited about it!

Brielle loves to roll to her stomach and is pretty content there for a while.

What a cute baby doll!

Happy Birthday to Lexi!

2011-08-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

Grandma B mixed up her homemade chocolate cake and icing - delicious! Then I decorated the cake like a pig since the theme of the party was a piggy party. We gave little ceramic piggy banks with the kids' names painted on them, pigtail holders, and pink candy as the party favors. Lexi had a wonderful time!

Guess who sang the happy birthday song the loudest? Lexi - too funny!

Grandma B made pigs in a blanket for all of the kids with her homemade bread dough.

The kids and dads did a relay race that included piggy back rides, carrying a pink balloon, and eating a pink marshmallow out of dirt pudding without using their hands.

A Visit from the Grandmas

2011-08-22T15:44:00.000-07:00

Mom and Grandma Bates were able to come and stay with us for a week while I had school meetings and Aaron is in one of his busiest times of the year. They baked, cleaned, and took care of the girls. We are VERY thankful for them. Lexi cried when she woke up Sunday morning and realized they were gone. She said, "How can we get them?" and "I wanted them to get me breakfast." The answer to the first question was on an airplane at Christmas and to the second comment - you can still have upside down rolls, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, etc. Our freezer is full, our girls are happy, and we are thankful!

Brielle warmed up to Mom right away.

Mom and Grandma really enjoyed this show at Aria.

Grandma B taught Lexi to love ice chips. Lexi already loved the chocolate!

Brielle (and some other family members too)

2011-08-22T14:37:00.000-07:00

Lexi's first dentist visit. She loved it! It definitely helped that she could watch Sid the Science Kid the whole time. She liked holding and using the spit sucker too. She'd like to go back soon. =)

Movie time - hmmm . . . I don't think Brielle's actually watching the movie

Brielle really likes the outdoor baby swing, so much so that she fell asleep on her first swing ride.

For Aaron's 3oth birthday, we threw him a surprise party. I bought snacks and drinks for the guys, and they all played computer games at the Meyer home until the early morning hours.

Lexi mailing a letter - yes, our neighbors find us very interesting

Grandma and Grandpa Schardt's

2011-07-19T14:54:00.000-07:00

Time to go canoeing! Lexi and Aaron both had their first canoe ride on the Little Blue while we were there.

Four generations - Alyssa has better pics of this because my batteries died

Good morning!

Nap time

Endorf's 4th of July party was lots of fun

We had a great time at the water park in Salina with my family. Mom watched Brielle quite a bit and Dad spent lots of time with Lexi on kiddo water rides.

Dad and Mom were harvesting wheat while we were there. Lexi and I got a combine ride and a couple of rides to the elevator. Aaron tried driving the grain truck for the first time.

Grandma and Grandpa Castens'

2011-07-19T14:11:00.000-07:00

Good morning!

Uncle BJ and Lexi on Grandpa's recumbent bicycle

Happy Anniversary!

Kathryn and Brielle

Grandpa Castens had just had both knees replaced but was doing really well.

Marta and Brielle

Nap time

Kathryn and Lexi

Marta, Lexi, Naomi

Brielle's first flight

Fun at Home

2011-07-19T09:36:00.000-07:00

Brielle and Lexi's first baseball game - Las Vegas 51's

We had some rain a few days in a row - definitely a reason for a Vegas girl to grab her umbrella

Brielle loves to watch me from her carrier when we go on walks.

Lexi has gotten so much better at riding her tricycle!

Lexi LOVES sweet corn on the cob.

All an explorer needs is a telescope and some maps.

While Lexi plays outside on the swing set or in the pool, Brielle is usually pretty content in the bouncer.

The swaddle helps Brielle sleep well.

A little morning workout

Happy Father's Day!

Lexi loves the clubhouse pool . . . Brielle not so much

Everybody's happy outside =)

Turns out Lexi likes racing video games too!

All dressed up and ready to play

Videos of Brielle

2011-06-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

Brielle and Lexi

2011-06-13T16:39:00.000-07:00

Brielle weighed 10 pounds 11 ounces and measured 23 inches at her 2 month appointment. She's doing great!

Picnic time in the swingset playhouse

Brielle has started enjoying bath time

Brielle is such a good sleeper! She's been sleeping 5 and 6 hour stretches fairly consistently since she was six weeks old. Thank you, God!

When we go on walks, Lexi rides in her stroller or little red car, and Brielle sits in this carrier.

pudding painting =)

Mother's Day

Lexi's first pony ride at Heidi's birthday party

Brielle's Baptism

2011-05-02T22:00:00.000-07:00

Easter

2011-05-02T21:48:00.001-07:00

Our First Weeks at Home

2011-05-02T21:26:00.002-07:00

Lexi's first haircut!

Lexi picked her own outfit complete with "slicky" pants and a stocking hat. Now she's "going shopping" . . . a child after my own heart!

Brielle's first sponge bath at home.

2011-05-02T21:26:00.001-07:00

Brielle Barbara is here!

2011-04-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

Lexi is already doing some fun impressions of her baby sister!

Brielle seemed to enjoy transitioning from her hospital attire to her take home outfit.

Our happy little family... is growing :).

More than just Brielle needed a nap.

Beautiful big sister is already taking care of her new sibling!

Mommy did so well -- delivery was smooth and everyone is healthy, what a miracle!

Welcome to a cold, outside world... where's my blanket?

Brielle Barbara Castens, born 3:18am on Monday, April 11th at Summerlin Hospital.

7lbs 8oz 18inches

Neal and Ruthie's Visit

2011-03-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

We loved having Grandma and Grandpa Castens here last week. Neal built a workbench and shelves in the garage and worked on several other "honey-do" items that we are appreciating. Of course, Ruthie and Lexi had fun playing all week.

Lexi loves satin pants (known as "slicky" pants). You'll probably see them in many photos in the future.

My friends threw a little baby luncheon for me at a nice restaurant a couple of weeks ago. We stayed at the restaurant for over two hours. Lots of fun, such sweet friends!

There's still a little room for Lexi in the chair, but the new baby is definitely taking up space!

Lexi said, "I have pants like you, Mom" when she did this. Oh dear . . .

More Lexi Photos

2011-03-28T14:31:00.001-07:00

Supper time - evidence that Lexi still needs naps

Mornings with Dad

I walked into the bathroom and found this . . . already reading the Deshler Rustler

Grandma Bates made overalls for the baby doll, so Lexi had to put on her overalls too!

Watercolors are the new favorite

Can you say "Delicious?"

Miffy - a Valentine's gift from Grandma and Grandpa Schardt

A perfect fit

Lexi Fun

2011-03-28T14:14:00.001-07:00

Music time with Dad

Our shower/bathtub have become Lexi's "car" for her babies over the past several months. I'm sure they're headed to California, Kansas, or Nebraska in this picture! :)

Everybody needs a "blanket" for a nap.

Dollhouse and babies - what more do you need in life?

Snow in Vegas

2011-01-08T16:53:00.001-08:00

Monday, January 3 was a fun day in Vegas. It snowed - enough that we could build the above snowmen in our backyard! Fun times!
We survived the trip to Kansas and Nebraska and back! I-40 was closed on the way home, which meant a night in Las Vegas, New Mexico instead of making it to Albuquerque to stay with friends. The most exciting part of the trip home was all of the stuff we had in the back of our pickup (see below) from our families. Aaron and Neal had wrapped everything in plastic wrap, so none of it was damaged in the snow. Praise God nothing was stolen since we were unable to park the pick-up in a garage as planned. Neither of us is ready to drive 20+ hours each direction with a two year old in between us any time soon, although we're pretty sure Lexi is still game. She told us that she misses having us next to her when we're riding in the car.

Merry Christmas

2011-01-08T16:40:00.001-08:00

Fun Times

2011-01-08T16:28:00.000-08:00

The Little Lambs group went to Krispy Kreme. Lexi loves sweets (and so do I), so we had a great time!

We went camping at Big Bear Lake in California with several of our friends over Labor Day weekend (I'm a little behind). It was beautiful, and we had great weather.

Happy Fall!

2010-11-03T19:17:00.001-07:00

Lexi had her first trick-or-treating experience Sunday night. She loved it - carrying her own bag and saying trick or treat at the doors. The only bummer was when scary (she says "cary") costumes were near. She's still talking about the wolf costume. Lexi was a sweet KU cheerleader.

We had a wonderful time last weekend with Lisa and Brian here. Lisa and I took Lexi to the pumpkin patch where she picked one of the smallest pumpkins out there. It's just her size, and she loves playing with it at home (last night when we went to bed, the pumpkin was sleeping on a pillow on the couch). While Lisa and Brian were here, we went to the strip, played disc golf, Lisa, Brian, and Aaron hiked at Mount Charleston, and Aaron and Brian did some golfing. Fun times!

Lexi - ABC's

2010-10-24T16:34:00.000-07:00

Lexi - Nursery Rhymes

2010-10-17T14:24:00.000-07:00

My parents gave Lexi her first nursery rhymes book for her birthday. We've been reading it off and on since then but were surprised to find that she's actually memorized several of them. She loved making this video (actually, watching it when she was done), so I think there will be more to come!

Aaron's Half-Iron Man Triathlon Relay

2010-09-27T16:20:00.000-07:00

September 26, 2010 - Half Iron Man Triathlon Relay at Lake Mead - Stephen Blank swam 1.2 miles, John Chilman biked 56 miles, Aaron ran 13.1 miles. The temperature was a balmy 100+ degrees by the time Aaron ran. Lexi's shirt says "My dad is super speedy" and my shirt says "Go Aaron" on the front and "My husband is hot and fast" on the back. I made them for us when Aaron ran in California in February.

John and Aaron switching the time chip after John's leg of the relay. Unfortunately, John was 10 minutes past the cutoff time, so the team was technically disqualified. However, Aaron still ran the whole 13.1 mile course in 1:59.24.

The takeoff . . .

The return . . .

Aaron was really hurting after the race. The heat was brutal for him since he ran from about 11:40 am to 1:40 pm. He definitely had heat exhaustion (as evidenced by his chills, goosebumps, blurred vision, and throwing up) and felt like he was going to die.

Aaron, John, Stephen

We're thankful that Aaron appears fully recovered today! I'm guessing he'll actually run a half-marathon again some day, but it'll be a while.

Happy Birthday!

2010-09-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

The birthday girls!

It was pretty dark outside by the time we sang to Lexi, but she loved it!

"Under the sea" was our theme for Lexi's birthday party. The kids did a bean bag game and went fishing for prizes. We served fish for supper for the adults along with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches cut out in the shape of fish for the kids.

The Ersland and Stepanek kids were the only kids left at the party by the time I remembered to take a picture. All of the kids loved the swing set and sandbox.

Lexi helped me bake her birthday cake. She's figured out that beaters are delicious!

July and August - Lexi Pics

2010-09-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Lexi's been busy this summer (which I suppose means that we have been too!). She loves the sandbox Aaron built her. You'll notice that she's wearing a Kansas Jayhawks cheerleading outfit(hand-me-down from the Cheney girls) in the picture. We're not sure where it started, but she refers to the KU outfit as her "playground" outfit. She'd wear her playground shirt everyday if she could.
Lexi is getting very good at helping me bake. We're making bread dough in this picture.
The play dough set from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brian has been a real hit!
Dad's little helper when it came to weather proofing the swing set.

Grandma and Grandpa Castens gave Lexi a musical instruments set for her birthday. It's been fun to have parades at our house!

We've enjoyed eating on the patio a few times this summer.
Getting so big . . .

Even the pantry can be a fun place to play.

Grandma and Grandpa Castens' Visit

2010-09-13T16:12:00.000-07:00

Neal and Ruthie's visit in July was wonderful! We were able to celebrate Aaron's birthday with a "running" cake while they were here. Neal and I (more Neal than I) worked on lots of house projects (painting doors, walls, putting in kitchen shelves, switching door knobs) while Ruthie watched Lexi. When Ruthie left, Lexi was asking me to sing all kinds of songs I'd never sung before (thanks for sending me the words, Ruthie!). BJ was in Vegas for a conference while they were here and was able to come out for three evenings. One of the evenings the boys put up Lexi's swing set that we bought on Craig's List. That has been a hit ever since! We also made it out to Mt. Charleston while they were here. Fun times!

Summer Travels

2010-07-12T16:12:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surprise . . . this year our summer travels have taken us to none other than Kansas and Nebraska! We always love our time there and were able to see all of our parents, siblings, and Maria's grandparents. We were able to spend time in Wichita with the Castens clan including hitting up the Derby water park. While in Wichita, we caught up with friends, checked out a new playground, and enjoyed the swings, baby pool, and sprinkler in the backyard. Then we stopped at Lisa and Brian's for lunch en route to the Schardt farm. With the Schardts, we spent some time at the lake, had an awesome time at the Endorf residence for the Fourth of July, and enjoyed lots of other farm activities. Grandma Bates came over and helped us make some delicious baked goods that made it back to Vegas! Lexi and Maria had fun playing with the Renner girls (in their backyard park) in York before flying back to Vegas.

May and June Update

2010-06-21T16:23:00.000-07:00

Lexi is transforming from a toddler into a little girl these days. She's really gotten into drawing (she likes the corners of paper the most), reading library books, and swimming in her little pool. Lexi's latest trick is counting from three to ten. Don't ask us what happened to one and two!?! The picture of the two of us below is from Mother's Day.

Aaron went to Nate Peregoy's wedding (friend from college) in Florida over Memorial Day weekend, then I headed to Bethany Buchinger's wedding (friend from college) in Indiana in the middle of June. We each had a great time reconnecting with our college friends. We just wished we could have taken the family to both weddings, but that gets pretty expensive.

The Katz visit

2010-04-25T16:55:00.000-07:00

When Tony and Heather Katzenmeier came for a visit a week ago, we headed out to Red Rock Canyon. It was Lexi's first time to go out to Red Rock, and it was beautiful! Aaron carried her on his back for a good four miles, and besides requesting a drink now and then (she must have been working really hard!), she didn't make a peep! Throwing rocks in the water was probably her favorite activity.

The Renner Visit

2010-04-25T15:45:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic time with the Renner girls a couple of weeks ago! Naomi is 2 1/2, Lexi is 1 1/2, and Marta is 7 months - fun times! Liz was brave enough to fly with the girls by herself, and we're so thankful that she did. The girls made a couple of park visits, spent lots of time playing with babies and reading books, visited chapel at Faith, went to storytime at the library, and took lots of naps (the kids, not so much the adults, although we could have used some naps too!). We slipped some time for shopping and game playing in too. Lexi has talked about "Omi" and "Baby Marta" since then. We're looking forward to seeing them again this summer!

Happy Easter - Jesus is risen indeed! Alleluia!

2010-04-05T14:34:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we took Lexi to her first Easter egg hunt sponsored by a local Christian church (see video at the bottom of this post). Lexi understood the concept of putting the eggs into the basket (dare I admit that we practiced the day before in our back yard), but we could use a little work on speed!

You guessed it - not a big fan of the Easter Bunny!

Grandma Bates made Lexi's Easter dress. It was adorable!

Grandma also sent me a piece of material to make into a matching hair bow for her (thank you, Grandma!).
We had 32 people at our house for Easter dinner. We had a fantastic time! Everyone brought food for the dinner, which makes it so easy. The kids enjoyed an Easter egg hunt after dinner in the back yard while the adults visited and played games. In the picture below, Lexi is standing behind the table holding the orange egg.

Since our company stayed through the afternoon, and Lexi wanted to keep playing outside (and Mom wanted to keep playing Bananagrams), we skipped an afternoon nap. By supper time, Lexi was a little bit tired.

More Home Improvements

2010-04-05T14:21:00.001-07:00

I finally took a picutre of Aaron's new (Craig's list - new to us) u-shaped desk. It's working out great for him.

The lighting in this picture isn't the best, but this is our new (also Craig's list - have I mentioned that we love Craig's list?!) dining room table and chairs. We loved using it for Easter yesterday with all of our company. The table runner was made by Grandma Bates.

Our house is looking more like spring with flowers in the planters and some tulips in the door hanger. Aaron also got all of the door handles downstairs on this past weekend, which has been a bit of a fiasco since the burglary.

Adventures in the Great Outdoors

2010-03-26T21:45:00.001-07:00

Today the Little Lambs group from our church visited a farm. The owner of the farm was very sweet with the kids, letting them pet and feed her animals. Lexi got to feed goats (pictured above) and a pig. We were also able to pet a bunny rabbit, a horse, and chickens. It was super cute!

The pictures below are from a recent trip to Floyd Lamb State Park with our friends for Five Families Field Day. It's a fun competition among the families we've made into an annual tradition. We loved the state park because it reminded us of Nebraska and Kansas. Aaron tried to help Lexi feed the ducks and keep her from falling into the water!

More . . . Lexi

2010-03-26T21:25:00.001-07:00

We received the electronic
zebra (and lots of other cool
stuff) Lexi and the baby doll are riding from our neighbors who were cleaning out some items their granddaughter no longer uses. Lexi loves it!

We finally upgraded Lexi to a "big kid" car seat about a month ago. We didn't know if she'd be able to fall asleep in it since it sits more upright, but as you can tell from the picture, she's managing!

The weather's been beautiful. We've been playing outside quite a bit and going to the parks.

The paper Lexi is studying below is Aaron's NCAA tournament bracket. Aaron's getting her started with her love of basketball early!

Catching up with Lexi-Roo

2010-03-26T21:03:00.001-07:00

At 18 months, Lexi's favorite things include: baths (she asks for one every night), hiding (not very well, but she giggles a lot!), eating yogurt (when it comes to yogurt she says, "I like"), putting on chapstick (licking it), wearing a variety of hats and looking at herself in the mirror, playing with her sock monkey and babies, being chased by Mom or Dad with the baby strollers, paging through large books (a Math II Teacher's Edition works well - see below), and cleaning. I pretty much understand all of these interests except cleaning. She says "cloth" every day,
then spends a good deal of time wiping down the floor, refrigerator, wall, etc. She often gets out an ice cream bucket too. It's pretty cute!

Grandma Schardt's Visit

2010-03-26T16:54:00.000-07:00

We had a fantastic time with my mom when she was able to come out in February! Aaron had to go to Phoenix for work while Mom was here, so she was able to keep Lexi three mornings while I was at school. She made runzas (Lexi really likes run-as), a turkey, and cookies, went shopping, stopped at the park, and played. Lexi learned to say "grama" right before she came. Since then, Lexi has mentioned grama several times when we take a bath, eat a bar, play with a baby, or sew (all things Grandma did while she was here) and knows she's in brac "Nebraska". For Easter, Mom bought Lexi a little baby doll with clothing and food accessories so we would have two real babies (one from Grandma Bates) to play with when friends come over. Lexi picked the baby doll out in the store and carried (drug) it all of the way to the checkout once Grandma said she could have it. We can't wait to have Lexi see Grandma Castens in Kansas this summer.

Aaron's Surf City Half Marathon

2010-03-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Aaron ran in the Surf City Half Marathon in Huntington Beach, California on February 7. Our family made a quick little trip to Huntington Beach that weekend, meeting up with our friend Tony Katzenmeier on Saturday. Aaron ran the half marathon on Sunday in 1 hour 43 minutes (which is just under 8 minute mile pace - I teach math!), which was awesome! He wore his Team Challenge gear for a little extra marketing and lucky red shoelaces his parents gave him for Christmas. I surprised Aaron by making shirts for Lexi and I to wear during the race. Lexi's said "My dad is super speedy" and mine said "Go Aaron" on the front and "My husband is hot and fast" on the back. I also made a shirt for Aaron to wear when he finished the race that said, "I'd say I've had a rather productive day - 13.1 miles in 1:43." Obviously, I filled in the time after he finished. We had a great time and are really proud of him!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-03-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I haven't posted on the blog in . . . over two months! Yikes! My spring break started today, and this was first on my "to do" list. You can look forward to several blog posts in the coming days!

Home Improvements

2010-01-16T23:24:00.000-08:00

We've made a few furniture additions over the past several months. I need to take pictures of Aaron's desk and the loft yet. Below is a picture of the bunk bed we were fortunate to receive from a Faith family. We put the top bunk in the attic for now. Grandma Bates made the quilt for Lexi's birthday. We bought some new patio furniture on Craig's list and are looking forward to really using it in the spring. Aaron installed the baby gate at the top of the stairs this week. Aaron and I are both loving it - Lexi's not so sure! We also bought a 9 foot Christmas tree on Craig's list this week. Aaron and I are excited about the tree - Lexi, on the other hand, is more impressed with the box =) !

Christmas with the Schardts

2010-01-16T22:45:00.001-08:00

We got to see the Schardt and Bates families while we were in Nebraska for Christmas. We did some sledding and four wheeling in the snow, bowling and dancing in Hastings for New Year's Eve, a shopping day for the girls, hit up some church services, lots of game playing, and
eating =) ! Lexi got lots of attention for that week as the only grandchild. She loved it!

Christmas with the Castens

2010-01-16T22:10:00.000-08:00

We had a great time with the Castens family in Wichita for Christmas. We enjoyed playing games, eating delicious food, going to church, and just catching up. Lexi had a hard time keeping up with her cousins, but she sure tried! Aunt Liz made the adorable tutus the girls are wearing below. I also put Lexi's first picture with Santa below. She screamed when we tried to put her on Santa's lap, so I got to have my picture with Santa too!

Grandma Bates and the Holtzens

2010-01-16T21:59:00.001-08:00

Bev and Don took a vacation to Vegas in December and were able to bring Grandma Bates with them. They came to our house for dinner one night and we went to the Tournament of Kings show together another night. Grandma stayed with us for three nights. As you can see below, she baked up a storm! She made 15 runzas (Lexi's a fan of runzas - see below), 4 dozen rolls, 2 maple twists, and 15 and 1/2 dozen cookies! Needless to say, we're eating well! A family from Faith gave us a bunk bed they no longer needed. Grandma made the quilt below for Lexi's first birthday. It will be so cute when she's ready for a "big girl" bed.

Rock and Roll Half Marathon Weekend

2010-01-16T21:47:00.000-08:00

Aaron did a great job getting his team ready to run in the Las Vegas Rock and Roll half marathon in December. Pictured below is the team after the pasta party that occurred the night before the race. The race went really well, and his participants had a great time! Lexi and I attended the pasta party, stayed at the MGM with Aaron on Saturday night, and headed out to the finish line Sunday morning. As you can see below, Lexi enjoyed her first hotel stay on the strip!

Our Little "Talker"

2009-11-11T11:03:00.000-08:00

Lexi's Dance Moves

2009-11-11T10:35:00.000-08:00

Lexi definitely didn't get these fancy moves from me. Aaron gets all of the credit!

Landscaping

2009-11-09T22:38:00.000-08:00

I don't have a true "before" picture of the front yard. By the time I took this picture, Aaron had already ripped out the dead grass and created this ring of rocks around the tree. I'm still amazed by how hard he worked, and I'm continually thankful for how great the yard looks now!

We decided to go with "desertscape" on the section north of the driveway. Aaron ripped out all of that dead grass too, had a friend of ours help him with the drip system, put in some plants, put down weed barrier, and then covered it with rocks.

Aaron ripped the dead grass out of the backyard too and replaced it with sod. Lexi is going to love the backyard (so are we)!

Surprise, surprise, another Lexi update!

2009-11-09T22:13:00.000-08:00

Lexi's favorite word right now is water. It's a fun word because it's in so many places - the sprinklers, the bathtub, even her cup. Last week she learned how to say "please" by using sign language. Today Lexi surprised us by locating her tummy and toes when asked. Giving high fives is still her crowd pleaser. Fun times! Her favorite toys right now are definitely her baby and baby stroller (thanks Grandma and the Renner family!).

For reasons we'll never know, Lexi is really excited about "reading" and carrying around the printer manual. Maybe she can help me in the future.

We wore these jean jacket outfits (both hand-me-downs) to church a few weeks ago. Poor Lexi, I enjoyed coordinating our outfits way too much!

Trick or Treat =)

2009-10-31T19:54:00.001-07:00

Happy Halloween from a happy little pumpkin!

The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Mandi, Amanda, and I all took our kids to a pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. Not only was this Lexi's first trip to a pumpkin patch, it was my first time too! She liked walking around and playing in the dirt and was slightly interested in the pumpkins. =)

Our 1 Year Old

2009-10-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

Lexi loves the baby doll she received from Great Grandma Bates for her birthday. While she does carry her baby in her arms sometimes, she often drags her around by the foot. It's pretty funny! Last week Lexi surprised us when we asked her to go get her baby, and she did. She also understands how to bring us her (and our) shoes and a book. Let the games begin!

Lexi thinks the step to the side of the stairs was made just for her!
She loves to play there.

Aaron's been ripping out the dead grass left behind by the former homeowners and planting bushes and plants the past few weekends. It's so nice to have a happy LITTLE helper (see below). The emphasis is on the "little" and not so much on the "helper". This weekend Aaron will lay sod in the front yard and back yard and put rock in various places.

Lexi thought it was pretty cool when we finally lit her birthday candle!

HAPPY Baptismal Birthday

2009-10-02T21:25:00.000-07:00

Lexi's baptismal birthday was September 28 (also Liz's birthday - Happy Birthday, Liz). As you can see, Lexi was very excited to have me take some pictures of her. She really liked the candle (weapon). She is definitely ALIVE in Christ!

Harvest in Nebraska

2009-10-02T21:16:00.001-07:00

Aaron and Lexi had their first combine ride together. Aaron found it a bit more exciting than Lexi (see sleeping picture below). It's a bummer when the excitement happens at nap time! Mom took Aaron and I to the grain elevator too, while Lexi had more Grandpa and Great Grandpa time. She's definitely becoming a little farmer!

September Travels

2009-10-02T20:34:00.001-07:00

We traveled to Nebraska last weekend for Marta Anne Renner's baptism. Pictured below are Grandma and Grandpa Castens and three of their granddaughters. Naomi just turned 2, Lexi just turned 1, and Marta was born at the end of August. The girls will have lots of fun together as they grow up!

Lexi's been doing a great job of sleeping during our flights. I usually hold her for the whole flight after I walk her to sleep. However, on the way back from Grand Island we were able to have a whole row to ourselves. Her new baby doll from Grandma Bates came in handy as a pillow.

Before heading back to Vegas, we took a little road trip to Seward to see the new sports facility. A friend of ours from CUNE and her husband (from Deshler) gave us a great tour. The building is amazing! Now the question is . . . how do we get Lexi to want to go to Seward? Are we thinking a little too far ahead? :)

The weekend before our Nebraska travels, we flew to Jefferson City, MO for Grandpa Goldammer's funeral. The trip was a time to rejoice because of Grandpa's faith in Jesus Christ as his Savior but also a sad time because he will be missed. All of his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren made it to the funeral. In the picture below, Lexi is enjoying her cousins, Rachel and Rebecca Thompson and Kathryn Castens.

Happy Birthday to Maria

2009-10-02T17:34:00.000-07:00

For my birthday, Aaron took me out for dinner at a nice restaurant we had never been to. We had a great time on our date. We had a high school girl I used to teach come over to watch Lexi. I don't think they had quite as much fun. Apparently, Lexi cried most of the time we were gone. She was as happy as could be when we got home!

Lexi's First Birthday!

2009-09-10T17:38:00.001-07:00

The theme for Lexi's first birthday party was zoo animals. I made a monkey cake and monkey, lion, and bear cupcakes. The kids each made a balloon animal face using balloon kits I'd bought. We had several of our friends from Faith over for dinner and games. Everyone had a great time! The birthday girl had such a fantastic time that she stayed up until the last guests left after 11:00 p.m. She loved trying to keep up with the "big" three year olds.

We thought Lexi might feel overwhelmed when everyone sang to her, but she actually had no problem with the crowd. She LOVED the cake!

Lexi loved the gifts too . . . and the cards . . . and the wrapping paper . . . and the gift bags.

An Update

2009-09-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

Aaron mowed the lawn (mostly weeds and dirt) for the first time at our new house the day before Lexi's party. We love having a back yard already!

Lexi's bath time just as well be a shower because the only thing she wants to do in the water is stand and walk around. It makes washing her a bit more difficult, but at least she's happy!

Lexi's decided that her pink bear is much more fun to drag around and lay on than sit next to these days. Things have changed a little since she was one month old!

Lexi is walking . . . pretty funny

2009-09-10T15:53:00.000-07:00

I took this video clip on August 24, so Lexi's much steadier now. I'm just a little slow at posting it. Unfortunately, I had the camera turned and can't figure out how to rotate the video, so you'll have to turn your head. :)

The Schardt Visit

2009-08-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

Mom, Dad, Alyssa, and Grandpa Schardt came for a visit this week. They worked incredibly hard while they were here to help us get our house put together. It's amazing to think about everything they accomplished. We appreciated their help so much and hated to see them go!

Happy Birthday! We celebrated Mom's, Maria's, and Lexi's September birthdays. Lexi wasn't thrilled about the picture but did enjoy the cake!

We went to the strip one night because we wanted to show Grandpa the Bellagio fountains and atrium. While there, we realized that it was also Lexi's first visit to the strip. That's pretty sad considering she's a Las Vegas native! What kind of horrible parents are we?!?

Lots of help with the move

2009-08-15T22:30:00.000-07:00

Lexi has been a very busy little girl around the house. It's safe to say that she's been "on the move during our move". Prior to moving, Lexi was busy helping me unload the dryer and with rearranging the kitchen towels and rug.

Since our move, Lexi has been into (literally, see below) everything!

She's always ready to help me unpack boxes. I was a little surprised to walk into the bathroom the other day to find that Lexi has graduated from being "into" the boxes and is now climbing "on" the boxes. It's great to have so much help!

Happy Birthday, Aaron

2009-08-15T22:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 28th Birthday, Aaron! I made a German chocolate cake for Aaron's birthday but forgot to buy candles. Oh well, this decorative candle worked out okay. Lexi wasn't sure what to think. She'll be blowing out the candles (attempting, anyway) soon.

Grandma and Grandpa Castens' Visit

2009-07-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Neal and Ruthie were able to come out to Las Vegas for a visit at the beginning of July. We were able to celebrate the 4th of July with them by going to a parade in the morning and enjoying an evening meal with friends.

During the week, we kept Neal busy painting on our new house with us, while Ruthie watched Lexi at home. Neal was actually more of a go-getter on the house than we were! We were able to get so much done - it was wonderful! We did find time to go to the pool, eat out, and relax too. We are very thankful for their help!

10 Months Old

2009-07-14T15:22:00.000-07:00

Lexi is changing every day and time seems to be going so fast! We can't believe she's ten months old already!

Lexi is really into cruising along the furniture right now. She also loves to stand without hanging onto anything and clap her hands. We're pretty sure the first step is right around the corner. Her other passions right now are ink pens and stairs. She loves holding an ink pen and waving it around. She falls asleep holding one quite often. As for the stairs, if she happens to break through the furniture barricade and make it to the stairs, she scrambles up them as quickly as she can and lets out shrieks of joy and excitement until she gets caught!

Below are pictures of Lexi with her pink bear at 1 month, 5 months, and 10 months. She's changed a little bit. Can you tell that we're in love with her?!

Castens Family Summer Fun

2009-07-08T11:49:00.001-07:00

After spending a week at the Schardt farm, we headed to Wichita for Castens family fun. BJ and family and Liz and family were all able to make it, so we had a great time catching up with everyone. Water was the name of the game due to the hot temps in Wichita while we were there. We hit the water park in Derby, had some water fights, and set up the sprinkler and baby pool. We had lots of fun!

Liz and Naomi and Maria and Lexi were all able to stay for a few extra days. The girls had a great time together!

If only these swings were a little closer together!

Schardt Family Summer Fun

2009-07-08T11:12:00.000-07:00

We had a great time visiting the Schardt family for a week in June and attending Maria's ten year high school reunion. Maria's parents rented a boat and jet skis at Lovewell Lake for an afternoon/evening while we there. We also got in on some disc golf, games, and great food! Fun times!

Aaron made skiing look easy - Maria not so much!

Lexi's first 4 wheeler ride!

Crawling is overrated . . .

2009-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

Standing is so much fun! Lexi has been pulling herself up to a standing position for over a week now. She uses people, furniture, and even just the wall to pull herself up. Lexi crawled really well for a week, then decided it was time to move on to standing. When we go in to get her out of her crib, she is almost always standing (sometimes jumping!). Exciting times!

At her 9 month well check, Lexi weighed in at 17 pounds, 6 ounces and was 27 inches long.

I can actually touch the ground! Yippee!

Lexi is fascinated by cords - vacuum cord, camera cord, blow dryer cord, it really doesn't matter. Who needs toys?

California Camping Trip

2009-06-02T17:13:00.000-07:00

We took our first camping trip with Lexi over Memorial Day weekend. We went with three other couples and their kids to Lake Casitas near Ojai, California. Lexi did really well, and we had a great time! The first two pictures show the crew we went camping with. You can see the view from our campsite in the second picture. The lake and the mountains were gorgeous!

Good morning, Dad! Our tent was a bit crowded, but we managed to fit Lexi's pack and play and our air mattress inside and even had room for some supplies.

Lexi fell asleep on Aaron's lap while we sat around the campfire on the second night. So sweet!

We had a great time at the ocean on Sunday. It was Lexi's first time to set foot in the Pacific Ocean - not bad for an 8.5 month old! As you can see in the picture, she wasn't really a fan of it. The water was a little cold for her liking.

We loved just sitting around the campfire singing songs, playing games, nursing (see picture below), and chatting. Lexi was very happy in the pack and play.

Our whole group played some disc golf near the lake on Saturday afternoon. Since each child was strapped to a parent at some point, the kids suffered a bit of whiplash each time the discs were released! Surprisingly, Lexi really liked the carrier.