12 hours by 12 weeks

Hmmm...well maybe by 5 months! Anyways, the idea is that your child should be sleeping (or at least in their crib content) for 12 hours.

I guess God decided to teach me yet another lesson...don't brag when your newborn sleeps through the night by 8 weeks old! Around 10 weeks old Caleb decided that sleeping through the night was not at all fun for him. So we have been struggling with sleep deprivation in the Buntrock house for a couple of months. He only eats once during the night but he wakes up a few times for comfort or his nuk. Well mamma Buntrock is tired of it!

I was speaking with a new friend of mine (Carrie) who has twin boys and she told me about a book she read that helped her to teach her boys how to sleep through the night. The idea is that your child should be sleeping (or at least in their crib content) for 12 hours. There are four steps in the program and it supposedly works for babies that are 12 weeks of age. The first step is to get your child on a four hour feeding schedule (four feedings every four hours with a 12 hour break). So we are going to gradually get Caleb from a 3 hour schedule to a 4 hour schedule. When we have accomplished this step I will let you know. I will also share step 2 with you. Say a little prayer for me!

ELMO

We had our first big adventure to the Bradley Center with the boys to see Elmo's Green Thumb. We thought it would be fun to head downtown early and check out the holiday lights and grab a bite to eat. It is so pretty down there this time of year. We got to the Bradley Center early enough to get some family pictures and get our tub of popcorn. Of course an adventure like this wouldn't be as fun without "the girls"...Hannah, Hailey and Riley. Uncle Nick and Aunt Leah are fun too!

My sister got us some pretty awesome seats way up front. Unfortunatley Casey wanted nothing to do with them so we ended up sitting up high. We still were able to see just fine and everyone was happy. We ran into some friends who graciously took our seats, that made us feel a bit better.

I really enjoyed watching the kids and how they each reacted differently to the show. Casey was a bit spooked at first. Caleb and Hailey were mesmerized. Hannah was dancing and having a great time. And Riley was talking a lot about the characters. It was a fun time. We'll probably go again next year with one more little addition (not ours, my sister is pregnant).

Turkey Day

Tuesday night we headed up to Spring Green to start our Thanksgiving adventure with my dad and step mom. On the way to their place we stopped to visit my friend Kari and her husband Scott. Casey was a bit upset because there were no toys to play with. But he soon warmed up to them when Kari gave Casey a cookie. I think they may be thinking twice about having kids!




When we got to my dad's it was getting late. So we got the boys ready for a good night sleep (or so we hoped). Casey slept in a twin bed...big stuff. He didn't really sleep all that well though. I think he was up for a couple of hours in the middle of the night. Between Caleb and Casey waking us up I think we got only a few hours of sleep. But I got to sleep in while Sheryl took care of the boys.



Matt and my dad went hunting early Wednesday morning. They saw a couple of deer but no shots were fired that morning. It was a beautiful sunny morning though and Matt really enjoyed his first time out. In fact he will be going back the first weekend in January to hunt again!




We spent most of Wednesday relaxing and playing. My sister and her family came up Wednesday night and that is when the fun really began...for the kids that is. I had taken the boys outside that day so we got a great night of sleep that night.

Thursday was Thanksgiving and my dad made us buttermilk pancakes for breakfast...yum! We had a great time playing and relaxing that morning. We put all four big kids in the bath to clean them up for the big day.

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner with my family. We all agreed there was lots to be thankful for this year. Matt is especially thankful for his trophy wife (inside joke with family)!

What's up?

Well, we are finally all feeling better. I think 4-5 different illnesses just swooped through our home in the past couple of weeks. But, we are all feeling well in time for Turkey day! We will be leaving in a couple of hours to go up to my dad's in Spring Green. Matt is going to go hunting with my dad for the first time on Wednesday. I don't know what he is planning to do if he actually shoots a deer! Anyways, here are a couple of pictures of my oh so cute boys. Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone....gobble, gobble!

Thankful heart

It is that time of year when it is so easy to get swept up in the hustle and bustle of the season. I encourage you to take a step back this Thanksgiving to really think about all of the blessings God has given you.

Maybe this has been a tough year for you and it is hard to find blessings in your sorrow. I had a year like that not so long ago. We lost our little angel a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Although it was hard for me to see blessing at that time, I can look back and see how God was working in my life. For starters, I still was here on Earth with a purpose and a story that would be used to bring Him glory.

This year has been a year where I can't begin to count the blessings! What a wonderful feeling that is. I have an amazing husband, two beautiful healthy boys, my health, close family, great Christian friends, a roof over my head and warm food on the table every day.

What I realized is that no matter what is going on in my life (good or bad) I always have one very important thing to give thanks for....my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without him and what he has done for me I would not have the hope of eternal life. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

So as this holiday season gets started make sure that between all of the yummy food and shopping for hot deals you take time to give thanks to our amazing creator for the most amazing gift of all. God bless!

He's a peanut!

Well, compared to his big brother that is. Today Caleb had his 4 month check up and weighed in at 14 pounds 7 ounces which is 2 pounds lighter than what his big brother was at that age. He is doing great and had lots to say to Dr. West. He even giggled for her while she was checking his hips. Casey did a great job being patient and hardly cried for his flu shot. Dr. West commented on how much Casey has matured in the last year. We agree! I was so proud of both my boys today.



Here is a video of Casey and Caleb "talking" to one another and some recent photos of them as well.

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Trainfest 2008

Trainfest 2008 was on Saturday the 8th, Joy had to work that day so it turned into a Daddy-Casey adventure. Joy asked Karen to watch Caleb so Casey and I could go hang out together. Casey is into trains, big trucks, construction vehicles, helicopters basically anything big that moves. I had been talking to him about the show for a couple of days so he was very very excited to go. The show was HUGE - it took up the whole expo center at state fair, there were trains of all sizes, types and yes there was plenty of Thomas the tank engine. Casey got to start and stop one of the trains at a booth (I somehow forgot to take a picture). There was a Lego setup complete with Lego trains. There was a train you could ride but it was a circus theme, and Casey wanted nothing to do with it. One thing I learned, the smart or experienced train show parents brought a stool for their little one to stand on so they can see, otherwise most of the exhibits are to high. I ended up carry Casey most of the time, at least I got a work out (sorta) out of the day. Casey's favorite of the day was the exhibit pictured below, I thought it was cool too. It was the only setup that was on the floor, they had multiple trains going at the same time, there was a Christmas train, a Thomas train, a Percy train, and a whole bunch of other cool stuff. There is a video that goes along here, it's neat but a little long.


After we got back to the car Casey said "I went to the train show and it was fun" and when we got home he told me he wanted to go back. It was so cool to see Casey so excited and having such a fun time. I love being a dad.

Fun!

This week we have had some really beautiful weather in WI. You never know when it is going to get really cold and start snowing so I decided to take advantage and get these boys outside.

Casey has absolutely been having a blast playing in the leaves. Yesterday at the park I got some great shots of the boys rolling around (well one was rolling) in the leaves. This is a great way to get out some energy I tell ya. Both boys had great naps yesterday afternoon.

Besides playing around in the leaves, Casey has become a great commentator. He likes to tell you what he's doing, what your doing, etc. So today after nap I put him on the potty and this is what he told me:
"Mommy's putting on make up, Casey is going pee pee. Mommy will not put medicine in Casey's bottom (long story). Oh, I hear it...pee pee is coming out of my peeeeenuts! Now I will get a new sticker".

I about fell over laughing! What a funny little man.

Angel Madilynn

Today marks the 4th anniversary of our angel Madilynn Marie Buntrock's birth date. We try to celebrate it every year by doing something special as a family. So tonight we took the boys to visit her grave site at Parklawn. We brought cupcakes and 4 purple balloons. When we released the balloons we prayed for 4 things:

• That our boys would grow up to be healthy, strong, Christian men
• That the Lord would guide our path as parents
• Casey prayed for his cupcake:)
• For the future of our family

Here is a picture from our time as a family honoring Madi's memory.

This day always is a day of reflection for me. It is funny how the whole ordeal is engraved in my memory like it was yesterday. But yet I look at how much we have been blessed since our loss. I will never regret carrying Madi in my womb for 5 short months. Her little life has been the source of many blessings.

The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. -Job 1:21

Trick or treat

What an adventure! We went trick or treating in my sister's neighborhood last night with Casey. Let me tell you, Casey has never held my hand or stayed so close to me ever! He has not been a fan of costumes this year. My favorite was when he was afraid to walk past a little girl dressed like a fairy. Needless to say he got a nice bucket full of yummy treats. Here are some pictures of our little Thomas the tank Engine and his care bear cousins. Oh, and of course we dressed up Caleb like a little lion (no trick or treating for him this year).

My favorite was when Casey said to a lady, "I want some". How many times did we practice that we say trick or treat when they open the door and thank you after they give you a treat...oh well! Later at least he said please.