The Wagner Adventure

2009-07-13T22:08:00.000-06:00

Forgotten blogger?

2009-07-13T22:04:00.002-06:00

Okay, so it has been so long since my last post that I forgot my password to log in to the website! That is sad. Very, very sad. I could offer lots of valid excuses for why it has been so long, but no one would believe them anyway. Not sure if anyone even reads this anymore, but I just wanted to say a quick hello with the promise of more to come later. I am on Facebook so if you are just DYING to learn more about the ever-exciting life I live, search for me on there! :) Landon thinks the computer is his own personal toy, so trying to type anything when little Monster Man is awake is almost as pointless as my attempts to load the dishwasher in his presence. (Sigh). He's sleeping now, and I have a feeling that he will be my 6 am wake up call, so off I go. More to come!!!

Random ramblings...

2009-02-19T20:53:00.003-07:00

First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! This year might qualify you for the worst gift-getting ever, as I just mailed your birthday card yesterday (no chance of it getting there by tomorrow unless the postman flies all night to deliver it for only 49 cents...) and I still have yet to finish your present. What do I do with myself all day? I'll try to be more on the ball next year, but for now, hope your day is great!!

I have been reading some awesome stuff lately and, not that I have any brilliant insight to add, wanted to share. I grabbed a book at the Christian book store the other week called "Found Faithful" by Elizabeth Skoglund. It is a compilation of stories about Christian heroes like Charles Spurgeon, Amy Carmichael, C.S. Lewis, and Ruth Bell Graham. I found myself reading the part on Spurgeon, not because I wanted to be some big shot intellectual, but just because I wanted a little light reading to help me fall asleep (sorry, Chuck!). But, what I read kept me up a lot longer than I had planned, pondering over how God uses terrible, inadequate, miserable people to do His awesome and mighty will. The man who was called the prince of preachers was so overcome by depression and anxiety that he would spend weeks in bed and was physically ill with worry and loneliness. My favorite quote that I read was "'The strong are not always vigorous, the wise not always ready, the brave not always courageous, and the joyous not always happy.'" I realized that God might have given Spurgeon this cross to bear so that he would never be able to fully rely on himself and pat himself on the back at all that he had accomplished. Rather, it would keep him with one eye on the world and one eye on his Lord, without whom he could so obviously do nothing.

I'm also reading a book by Stormie Omartian, the author of "The Power of a Praying Wife". This one is called "Just Enough Light For the Step I'm On"...a long title but pretty self-explanatory. One quote grabbed me so much that I am stuck at that point in the book - I can't read another word until I get my puny little brain around these..."Even if you are certain God has given you a vision or dream for your future, He will still ask you to surrender it to Him so thoroughly that you will think it's as good as dead." Now, I don't know what that means to you, but that thought kind of scares me! Good as dead? Yikes! How about stable, doing well, or even "kicked in the rear but still breathing!". The more I think about that statement, though, the more freedom I see in it. Hope it means something to you, too.

Well, since I have left myself with no room to hide, guess I'd better get cracking on that present for my dear old madre. Hang on, Billings...spring has to be right around the corner...right?

Cherishing every minute,
Brooke

Dancing in her birthday suit...

2009-02-19T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ni-Hao, Kai Lan

2009-02-10T20:08:00.003-07:00

Weird title, I know, but I am watching this very strange show with Juliana before she goes to bed. I can tell she's getting older...she used to wind down with books before bed and now it's "Can I please watch a show?" At least all the shows she loves are on safe channels so far, like Noggin and Sprout. (By the way, Ni-Hao means "Hi" in Chinese...aren't we so multicultural?) She still does love to read, though. Today I had to read her a book ("Pinkalicious"...yes, that really is the title!) three times in a row, and when I refused to submit for a fourth she picked up the book and started "reading" it to herself, making up the words by looking at the pictures. Ahh, a girl after my own heart. I remember getting in trouble at school for having my Nancy Drew book stuffed inside my math book, and reading it during class when we were supposed to be doing homework (if you're reading this, sorry mom!)

I have started trying to get back into the gym, since the last time I dragged myself to a scale (sneaking into a friend's bathroom while we were at lunch last Sunday) I was amazed at the pounds I still have left to lose after Landon. I really thought all of those midnight milkshakes and chocolate chip cookie bakes with Juliana were adding to my overall nutrition, calcium and all!! Guess the older you get the harder it is to keep the spare tire at bay...I remember in high school not giving a thought to calories, fat content, or sodium! (I'll miss you, Salt and Vinegar potato chips!) Please don't send me emails telling me not to worry or fret, or how spare tires ARE actually coming back in style...I guarantee I will not starve myself or do anything crazy like give up chocolate. I just feel better when I try to get some exercise, and as an added bonus, an hour to myself every other day. Montana isn't exactly famous for being a bathing suit state (unless you count three weeks out of July) but our trip home to NC in June looms in front of me, full of opportunities to showcase my extra 10 pounds. :)

That seems to be all my little brain can muster up for now. I'll leave you with my top five ways you know you have become a Super Mom...

5. When you ask your husband "What's that white crusty stuff all over your shirt?" you already know the answer is dried snot, but it doesn't gross you out in the least.
4. After putting the kids to bed, when given the choice between doing the dishes or goofing around on the web, you choose to update your blog...
3. While at the mall, you find yourself admiring not the latest style and fashion, but the awesome new stroller parked beside yours...must be the first kid because there is not a dent, scratch, or spit-up stain to be found on the whole travel system.
2. When your toddler says "Daba daba doot do" you know that translates into "I love you Mom!"
1. Instead of fixing yourself some breakfast, you eagerly await the leftovers from your kids plates! Half eaten blueberry pancakes and two bites from a carton of yogurt...HEAVEN!

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Love and miss ya'll!

Pictures from a Party

2009-01-26T20:26:00.005-07:00

Hey everyone! Not much typing this time - just some pictures from Landon's first birthday party. I had mentioned that we were just having a small, simple affair, but (ahem) it kind of grew as the weekend went on. We hate to leave anyone out so we decided to invite our entire community group from church (they have been such a HUGE blessing to us since we moved here). The grand total at the party was 15 adults and 13 kids. Now Lori Carnes, if you are reading this, I thought back to Jadon's first birthday party with the BBQ in the backyard and the folding chairs and tables, where half the church turned out to wish your little man a happy day. This in no way rivaled a Carnes affair, but it was close. (Love ya girl).

Hope you enjoy the pictures! We sure enjoy our kids and try to relish every day with them. (Landon just popped up in his crib..."Relish? Hot dogs?? I could eat!")

Love and miss everyone!

How the Time Flies...

2009-01-18T21:06:00.003-07:00

Hi everyone! Can't believe it's been almost a month since I updated. Man, I'm getting slack. Could be all the chocolate chip cookies I've been consuming lately. Unfortunately, I am usually consuming those cookies while watching The Biggest Loser and thinking "Man, how do people get that big?". Um...HELLO! It's not like I'm eating DIET chocolate chip cookies! I have finally found the perfect recipe for higher-altitude baking and I've been getting in WAY too much practice lately.

On to skinnier subjects...

Bo is in Denver this week doing a bunch of things for work. The kids and I are at home trying to do a bunch of things to keep the boredom (and craziness) at bay until he gets back. Is it really only Sunday night?

Landon will be a year on Thursday, and it is hard to believe how the time has flown by. We're just having a small, simple party on Sunday after church - it fits his laid back personality. He is starting to give Juliana a run for her money as far as getting into things, and his new nickname is "Destructo-Boy!" If he can dump it out, tear it up, or turn it over, he will. It cracks me up because Juliana used to dump things out and then PLAY with them, but Landon just seems to delight in creating the mess and then finding the next thing to attack. He is such a sweetie pie, though, and has all of the nursery workers at church wrapped around his chubby little finger. One lady even has his laugh as her ringtone on her phone...a little disturbing but cute all the same.

I will post some new pictures of the birthday boy and big sis later on this week. Hope everyone in NC is doing great and staying warm!! We have some extra room out here in Montana if you don't like the recent cold snap...it was 62 degrees here today! WooHOO! Only in Montana can you have 30 below and 60 above in the same month.

Love and miss everyone!

A Not So Perfect Christmas

2008-12-28T20:33:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! Hope that Christmas was great for you and your family, and that everyone got to celebrate Jesus's birthday in style. We had a whirlwind last few weeks, as I'm sure everyone did, with gifts to wrap, parties to go to, places to go, people to annoy - oh, wait. Forget that last part. We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas, and spent the day at home opening (and playing with) presents. Juliana's one request was a Barbie cash register from Costco, with a real working microphone and pretend money and credit cards. She was so happy to see that cash register that it took her a half an hour to even notice she had other presents under the tree. She was very concerned that Santa didn't bring Landon or Mom and Dad as many presents as she had, but we assured her that next year maybe Landon would have a longer list. He was content to eat the wrapping paper and crawl all over Juliana's gifts, much to her annoyment. (Is that a word?)

I say "Not So Perfect Christmas" because I found myself getting so caught up in all the little things that just weren't quite right. The tree looked funny because we had to put all the ornaments on the top half (thanks, Landon). My Christmas cards got mailed out on the last possible day that the post office would take them and still tell me with some confidence they would get there before New Year's. Bo and I didn't really get each other anything because, let's face it, it's more fun to buy for the kids! And, I was bummed that I would spend another Christmas without my family in NC getting to see the look on the kids faces when they saw Santa or opened presents. Christmas Eve we went to service at church and the pastor's message opened my eyes to what I almost missed. He said that the first Christmas wasn't exactly post-card perfect, so why do we put such high expectations on our earthly attempts at celebration? He reminded me that Mary, bless her little pregnant heart, probably did not enjoy the trip to Bethlehem very much in her condition, and Joseph was probably heartbroken at the thought of his first born kid being brought into this world in a stinky barn. Perfect by our standards? No. God's perfect plan to remind us of His human-ness and holiness? Yes.

So the tree looked goofy, but it reminded me how blessed we are to have two perfect, hilarious kids to tear the house apart and put their own stamp on decorating. Did the cards get there in time? Maybe, but addressing the envelopes reminded me of so many special people and friendships in our lives to be thankful for. And Bo gives me a gift every day in the kind of father he is to our kids and the provider he is for our family. As for all of our family and friends in NC, we are looking at coming this summer in June for my sister's graduation, so we will hunt you down and hang out!!

So, overall, I'll take my not-so-perfect Christmas any day. Hope yours was not-so-perfect in a perfect kind of way, too.

Love!! -Brooke

Baby it's cold outside...

2008-12-12T21:00:00.002-07:00

Hello everyone! Has it really been THAT long since I posted? Man, I am getting to be a terrible blogger. We have had some interesting developments on the home-front, so I have been trying my best to keep all the plates spinning for the past week or so. Those of you who know my husband know what a medical miracle (medical incredible!) he is with all of his ailments, and this week proved to be no exception. He was lifting Landon out of his carseat carrier on Tuesday when he heard a "POP" in his back and suddenly found himself unable to move. Long story short, we ended up in the lovely ER for a few hours that night and they determined he has a herniated disk in his back. It's almost painful to even TYPE that!!! He has been given the title "Chief Couch Holder-Downer" for the past few days to try to rest and recover. Add in LOTS of narcotics and muscle relaxers and you've got the ingredients for an all-around good time at the Wagner house. (Nathan Stamey, if you're reading this, we could have used you the past week!)

We are STILL planning on moving tomorrow morning, in spite of Bo's back and the weather forecast. Put a sweater on before you read this...the high for Sunday....yes the HIGH for Sunday...is 28 degrees. Then, it gets better. The high for Monday is negative 5. Are you people hearing me??? I don't even think you can BREATHE in weather like that. So please don't email me and tell me that you are still wearing shorts in that balmy 60 degree NC weather. I am just going to delete your email and send you a nasty reply, anonymously, of course.

I've had some requests for our address for Christmas cards, and it is still the same one we have always had since we moved here. It's our box at the UPS store, so if there are any creepy stalker-type people reading this, a mapquest search will only take you to the post office. Our mailing address is: 1302 24th Street W., #295, Billings, MT 59102. I'm going to try to get my cards out next week - no fancy letter but I promise some cute pictures of the kids.

Well, better get to bed. I think we're all going to freeze our buns off before this weekend is over so I'm going to snuggle in with my electric blanket while I still can.

Love and miss everyone!

-Brooke

Welcome back, Jack!

2008-11-25T22:59:00.002-07:00

I only bite my nails during 24. Honest. Actually, that's not true. But I REALLY bite my nails during 24.

I have just a minute to write this since I am watching 24 on the other computer as I type. We don't have FOX for some unknown insane reason, so we are resigned to watching the episodes a few days later on fox.com. Which, I must say, is nice, because there are still no commercials. I can't imagine knowing that 24 was being shown on TV AT THIS VERY MINUTE but knowing I can't watch it until the season comes out on DVD, so being able to watch my breathless hero Jack Bauer save the world one more time just brings me more joy that I can even express.

A few bones to pick, though.
1. Why does the new president ("Madam", this time!) have a hairdo that looks like a sprayed on hair helmet? Can't they get a decent hairdresser for that poor woman after 7 seasons?
2. Why do people still argue with Jack Bauer when he is standing there covered in blood with half his ear chopped off and a huge gash above his eyebrow? Where do they get the nerve to confront him when he looks like he could eat them for a mid-afternoon snack?
3. Can Jack go at least one season without having his best friend/girlfriend/fiancee blown up or harassed or buried in some type of concrete? Doesn't the poor guy deserve a buddy?

That's all for now - until next time....BEEP...BEEP...BEEP...BEEP

The Wagner Family

2008-11-19T21:42:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone! We just got our pictures back from the photographer so I wanted to post at least one tonight! I get lots of comments (complaints?) that there's lot of pictures of the kids on the blog, but none of Bo or I, so hopefully this will satisfy all of you crazy people.

Post more later! Going to chat with my hubby...

There's A Reason We Call It An Adventure!

2008-11-18T21:04:00.003-07:00

Hey from Wagnerland! I have some exciting news to report, although I can hardly believe it myself. (No, I am not pregnant - that would just be weird). Bo and I have been married for 5 years, and in the next few weeks we will be moving into our 6th house as a married couple. Yes, do the math...that is more houses than some people live in in their lifetime. I proclaimed this fact to Bo this morning with just a hint of negativity, and he responded with a very positive "Yep!"

I am actually REALLY excited about our new house, just not too excited about the prospect of moving again. We will be moving from a good situation to a great situation, so you can't really ask for more than that. We are renting the house we're in now, and with the current fragile state of our economy we don't really want to buy, so we have been given the opportunity to do a rent-to-own (Thanks, God!) in an even BETTER place with lots of updates and all of the bedrooms on the same floor. Right now our bedroom is in the basement and the kids are upstairs, so I will feel better when everyone is right across the hall. Yay! Here's the perfect part...Juliana's room is already painted pink and has a total diva/princess feel going on, so she is stoked. Landon is just concerned with whether or not there will be anything to eat in the new house, so he's good to go (I'd say we're going to give the kid a complex, but the boy can EAT!)

Throw all of this in with the fact that Thanksgiving is coming up, then the whirlwind that usually is December, and it could be a busy couple of months! Please be nice and don't send me hate mail for not updating the blog more often. If I could figure out a way that I could give up sleeping and eating I could get an astounding amount of stuff done during the day.

Miss and love everyone and hope all of our NC friends aren't freezing to death - it was almost 70 here today! (Don't worry, I won't be so chipper here in a few months when it's 10 below.)

Treatapalooza

2008-11-05T10:37:00.004-07:00

Hey everyone! I've added a few pictures of the kids on Halloween. They had a GREAT time! We went over to the church for "Treatapalooza" and got entirely too much candy. I read somewhere that it is better to just let the kids eat the candy all at once rather than spread it out over weeks and weeks, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Juliana has taken to having "parades" in our living room where she pretends to ride on a float and throw candy to her friends watching the parade. Cute, but very messy. I've stepped on so many sucker sticks with my bare feet that I'm almost running out of acceptable words to say when it happens. In case you're wondering what Landon is supposed to be, we thought it was only fitting that he dress as a 50's rocker dude - we spiked his hair and he wore a button down shirt with the collar and sleeves rolled up. I found him a leather bomber jacket that was TOO CUTE but unfortunately TOO HOT to wear inside, so he ditched it within the first 10 minutes. Juliana was the most beautiful princess at the ball, and she was very proud of her Sleeping Beauty dress and tiara.

Hope everyone is doing great and recovering from the drama of the election. I, for one, am just glad it's over and now we can move on to bigger and better news stories (like what type of trouble Brittany Spears is into now!)

Adventures in Rodeo

2008-10-29T15:40:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long since the last update. We have been crazy busy Wagner-style around here and by the time evening rolls around, I have just enough energy left to haul myself to bed and turn out the light. We've been having a late-night nocturnal visitor to our room for the past few weeks (her initials are Juliana Wagner) and between a little peanut asking for juice at 2 am and another little peanut requesting to be held at 3:30 am, we're not getting too much sleep around here! I always said I didn't want to move to the whole family-bed sleep arrangement (too many elbows and feet flying) - not to knock anyone who this DOES work for...I just can't sleep when I'm crowded!! I am starting to see the beauty of it, though. I have learned the art of barely having to open one eyeball to move over a little bit and let Juliana snuggle under the covers. Hopefully it's just a phase, but for now we're going with the motto "IF IT LEADS TO SLEEP, LET'S TRY IT!".

If any of you are YouTube fans, I have tried to post a video of Juliana at the Stick Horse Rodeo from a few weeks ago. I think if you just type in "Stick Horse Rodeo" and maybe "Juliana" it should come up. Somebody email me and let me know if I actually did it right and you can find it!

For those of you who are now wondering, "What the heck is a stick horse rodeo?", rest assured - it is not much more complicated than the title would suggest. It was during the event called the NILE (Northern International Livestock Exposition) which is pretty much a week-long celebration of all things western. Kids can sign up for the rodeo in events like barrel racing, calf roping, and even bull riding. Instead of scary and smelly live horses, the coordinators wisely provide stick horses for the kids to use. Add in a cowboy hat and a real paper number to go on their backs and you have an arena full of hyper preschoolers ready to take on those wild animals! It was pretty hilarious, and also much more hypo-allergenic than the real rodeo which followed. Check out the video and prepare to be amused.

That's all for now, folks! Hope everyone is doing great and enjoying some good weather - it was almost 70 today!!

love and miss everyone!

-Brooke

Are ya kidding me?

2008-10-09T21:44:00.002-06:00

Low. Grow. Know. Show. SNOW!!!! Yes, that's right. The forecasters are calling for snow this weekend in Billings! (I'm so depressed as I'm typing this that I just ate an entire Snickers bar - no, I really did.) After enjoying temperatures in the 70's and 80's for the past few weeks, winter has decided to make it's arrival a little early in Montana. This is all very confusing for Juliana, who is trying hard to figure out the seasons and get them in the right order. I was explaining to her the other day how fall is the same as autumn, and next comes winter, and then spring and summer. Here in Montana it is apparently more like spring, fall, winter, summer, spring, winter, fall. Don't even try to figure it out. All the moms I talked to this morning at preschool made me laugh because they all have entire outfits for every season for every kid in their vans at this very moment.

I got to go to the annual consignment sale here today and spent waaaay too much money all in the name of BUT LOOK HOW MUCH I'M SAVING! It's an addiction, really. This is the biggest consignment sale in the state, and if you've ever seen the Running of the Brides at that bridal store in New York, you have a little taste of what this sale is like. Women were lined up 30 minutes before the doors opened, and when they finally let us in it was like letting my husband loose in a Mac store - madness! Women were running to things like high chairs, bouncy seats, and play kitchen sets, knocking each other over and cursing like sailors at anyone who got in their way. Okay, maybe that last part was a stretch, but I did see one lady running valiantly towards a Thomas the Train lego set. Anyway, it was fun, and I got some good stuff for the kids.

Well, better try to get to bed. Juliana has requested snow cream if we really do get the white stuff, so I'd better rest up for the big day tomorrow. Hope everyone is enjoying warmer weather!!

love,
Brooke

P.S. - John Curran, if you're reading this, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Adventures in Anesthesia

2008-10-06T21:10:00.006-06:00

Thank you to everyone who was thinking of and praying for Landon today! His test went well and we are just so relieved to have that behind us. We went in at 9:00 this morning and checked him in, and took him back to the room where they were doing the procedure. At this point he was all smiles despite the fact we had been starving him since 8:00 the night before. At 20 pounds, Landon is not used to missing many meals, so he was in a surprisingly good mood for his malnourished state. We were able to be with him while they gave him some "sleepy medicine" through a mask - he fought going to sleep and it was hard to watch him struggle. We got to hold his hand and I sang "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (a Wagner kid favorite) while he went to sleep. Then we had to leave while they got him all set up. When we came back in the room he was on the table with a little breathing tube taped around his mouth, his eyes taped shut (so they didn't dry out) and an IV stuck in his little hand. Bo and I both just looked at each other and willed each other not to show how upsetting it was to see our baby like that. The anesthesiologist was in the room the entire time and was a wonderful guy, and there was another nurse who was right by Landon's side for the whole procedure. When it was finally over it took him awhile to wake up and come out of the anesthesia. He cried and cried and it was weird because it is so unlike him to be that upset! Guess what made him feel better? His wonderful 6oz bottle of pure joy - he gulped it down and we were free to go.

We heard from the doctor late this afternoon and it sounds like there is definitely some kind of blockage on that left kidney that isn't allowing it to drain properly, but there was nothing from the test that had the urologist concerned enough to do surgery. We are just going to follow up with an ultrasound in 3 months and see where to go from there. It's a little frustrating not having many more answers than we did this morning before the test, but it is GREAT to know that his kidney IS working and functioning well.

Thanks again for all of your kind words and phone calls!

On a more fun note, I'm posting some new pictures of the kids from Juliana's trip to the pumpkin farm. The lady on the hayride is an aunt of one of her classmates that Juliana decided was obviously there to visit HER - she wanted to sit on her lap during the hayride and was her little buddy for the morning. We love our two little pumpkins!!

Hope everyone is doing well! Love and miss you all.

Throwing Up Trumps Going Under

2008-10-01T20:44:00.002-06:00

Hey out there everyone! Just a quick note to say that Landon's procedure has been rescheduled for this coming Monday, October 6th at 9:00 am. I called the radiology nurse this afternoon just to let them know that he had, in fact, had the stomach bug in the past few days, and they weren't comfortable using anesthesia unless he was at 100%. SOOOO - even though I am disappointed that we won't have any answers for a few more days, I am relieved that he will have a little bit longer to recover before going through the test.

Thank you so much for your prayers - I've gotten lots of emails letting me know you all are praying for Mr. Creed (as we call him...one look at his hair and you'll know why). I'll update again before Monday just to let everyone know it's a go.

Thanks again for the love and prayers!! Miss everyone.

-Brooke

The Bug

2008-09-29T21:06:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! Just a quick update - we have been fighting the stomach bug here at the Wagner household. I'm surprised the screen isn't turning green right now...it's been a gross past few days! Poor Juliana got pretty good at aiming for the bucket by yesterday afternoon, and that's all I'm going to say about that in case any of you are reading this on your lunch break.

Landon's procedure (it's technically called a nuclear scan) is scheduled for this Thursday at 9:00 am. Please be praying for the test to go well, for him not to require too much anesthesia, and for the test to reveal 100% kidney function.

I'll try to update with some pictures before Thursday. Hope everyone is doing great!

love,
Brooke

Random Ramblings

2008-09-18T21:04:00.002-06:00

Hello everyone! Wondering when I was EVER going to update this blog again? This week has been crazy. Bo is helping out with the college ministry at church on Tuesday night, then leading a men's Bible study group REALLY early Wednesday morning, and then playing in soccer games Wednesday nights. The kids have been keeping me busy, too - I don't know why I ever thought having one kid was so hard. Juliana has preschool Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and gymnastics in the middle on Wednesday morning. Landon is getting to that phase where he is not always in the same spot you left him in when you put him down. He doesn't really crawl yet but he does this weird scoot/roll/flip thing that gets him around the living room. Juliana likes to "help" him roll over and she says "He likes it!" but he usually just looks annoyed.

We had our first women's Bible study this morning and since I am helping to lead one of the breakout groups with Motherwise (a study just for moms - you probably got that from the title) I was super excited. This is a little out of my comfort zone - I'll sing all day for the women but lead them in the Word? Uh...let's see...I can barely find Genesis some days. Luckily I am leading with a very competent lady named Myla who has been a great friend since we've moved here. She has three kids so she is slightly crazier than I am but still manages to look pulled together when it counts.

Just a little insight into the mind of my daughter...we have had several discussions on the appropriate title for her preschool teacher. In a very casual way, Juliana has begun calling her "Rosanne" which is (luckily) actually her name, but she just omits the "Miss" that we tried to get her to put in front of it, as in "Miss Rosanne". Trying not to panic at the thought of my firstborn throwing all respect for her elders out the window, I very calmly (okay, kind of calmly) told Juliana that it was polite to call her teacher "MISS" to show respect. Juliana looked me square in the eye with one hand on her hip and sighed, "But Mom, Rosanne no mind!" I talked to her teacher today who informed me that it was, in fact, okay with her if Juliana just called her Rosanne. She said they were "cool like that" which was odd to hear from a preschool teacher (but funny in a weird sort of way).

Well, just one last request from this tired blogger. Landon is scheduled to be going in for a test on his little kidney sometime next week. We don't have an exact date for the test but I will post it as soon as we know. From the time I was pregnant the pediatrician has been following some slight swelling and fluid buildup in his left kidney, and it has gotten to the point where it is not decreasing as quickly as they would like. We've been through a few ultrasounds and tests so far but this test involves anesthesia and an hour long nuclear exam where they will take pictures of his kidney processing fluid and checking to see how it's functioning. Bo and I will be able to be with him the whole time but I just hate the thought of our little guy having to go under anesthesia and go through that. I know that God will hold him in His hand the whole time and we have nothing to fear, but I'm just asking everyone to pray for a smooth test, calm nerves for me and Bo, and for clear test results so this can be the end of it for awhile! Thanks in advance for your prayers and I'll keep you updated.

Love and miss everyone!! Email or call when you can - we miss our NC buddies!!

Mom for VP

2008-09-02T10:27:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! First I have to give a Happy Birthday shout-out to Laura, Lori, and Lowell - my three favorite "L's" to celebrate a birthday today! I know their ages but I'm not telling.

Today was Juliana's first morning of preschool, and I was more worked up about it than she was! She hopped out of bed, got dressed, and marched her little pony-tailed self into the classroom like she owned the place. I told her I was leaving and she said "Oh, wait, Mom - gotta give you a hug!" I was expecting tears and drama but as it turned out, they were only from my end. My plan was to take a picture before we went in but we were running late, so I'll try to get one this afternoon to post.

I don't usually comment on the political happenings (I know just enough to be dangerous but not enough to speak intelligently about it!) but I just wanted to say how interesting the whole McCain/Palin camp is turning out to be. I am excited to see how a woman who is a past beauty pageant winner, moose hunter, basketball player, and mother of five will do as a potential VP. We'll see how it will all play out but I am encouraged to read about her values and Christian beliefs - who knows if she isn't an Esther-esque figure "for such a time as this". Okay...enough of my soapbox. Research and make your own opinions, but I for one am excited.

Well, better try to get something done while I have a rare moment to myself! What will I do with all of this new-found free time Tuesday and Thursday mornings?? (Laundry, dishes, dusting...nah, forget dusting...)

Pictures to follow!

love and miss everyone.

Olympic Sports That Might Have Been

2008-08-24T16:15:00.002-06:00

In the small percentage of Olympic events I've been able to catch, I have noticed a shortcoming among the sports. Where are all the events dedicated to those champions, those heroes, those people just crazy enough to experience it - - - PARENTS!!! In honor of my fellow moms and dads, I have compiled a list of the Olympic sports that should have been. Maybe next year, folks.

1. Baby Food Feeding - medals would be awarded for fewest spills onto the bib and effective dodging of sweet peas and carrots spit out of baby's mouth during the meal.
2. Diaper Wrestling - Points earned for fastest changing times, least number of wipes used, and (for boy contestants only) avoiding fountain-like expulsions when cold air contact is made (shout out to Lisa Wheeler for the heads-up on this one!)
3. The 9 Month Waddle - This one is for moms only (sorry, dads!). Expectant athletes race to see who can get to the freezer full of ice cream while demonstrating the best waddle walk. Disqualification for pushing, swearing, or falling over.
4. DWI - Driving With Infants - Participants must navigate through an obstacle course of traffic lights, stop signs, and drunk pedestrians WHILE blindfolded by a three year- old's hands, WHILE listening to "This Old Man, He Played One" at top volume, and WITH the added soundtrack of a screaming baby. Extra points awarded for successfully carrying on a conversation with your husband in the passenger seat.
5. Attitude Challenge - This event is not for the faint of heart. Athletes must be mentally prepared, armed with an arsenal of thought-out and age-appropriate responses, and blessed with the patience of a saint. In this event the contestants will be challenged by a toddler's cries of "But I wanted to pour my juice MYSELF!", "You're a MEAN MOMMY!", and the dreaded "NO!". Beginner level challenges will take place in the comfort of a home environment, but advanced level participants will compete in various public settings such as the grocery store and church lobby. Watch out, parents - this one is characterized by onlookers gaping at your discipline techniques and whispering, "Look at THAT lady's kids!"

*****
On second thought, maybe I'm GLAD these aren't Olympic sports! I'm tired already!

Love and miss everyone.

Old, yes; Faithful, no

2008-08-18T16:05:00.004-06:00

Well, we survived our weekend in West Yellowstone sans kids. I won't even tell you what time we slept in until (it's too embarrassing) but let's just say I haven't slept that long since shortly after college. We had a great time driving through Yellowstone National Park and took a stop at Old Faithful to see what all the fuss was about. It was odd to be sitting on such a tumultuous piece of the earth - a little unsettling with all of the hydrothermal areas and geysers springing out of the ground. For those of you who might never get to cross the Mississippi to see Old Faithful for yourself, I've included a video of the most exciting part. Bo, I might add, was not as impressed as all of the tourists who gasped and grabbed their Nikons at the first little drop of water to appear. (No eyeballs were injured in the rolling that followed). She was almost 7 minutes late to erupt so everyone was on the edge of their seat.

The rodeo was a blast, and we came out of the weekend with only a dislocated elbow to write home about. Oh, sorry - WE didn't get dislocated elbows - one of the saddle bronc riders did. Bo did a great job announcing and we met a seriously crazy Russian grandma who wanted to shake his hand because he was "FAMOUS!" It was funny but disturbing all at the same time.

I'll try to post more with pictures later this week. We are home this weekend and then back again to West Yellowstone next weekend for the finals. Juliana is very excited to go and see her friend, the rodeo clown, once again.

Miss ya'll!

You Say It's Your Birthday!

2008-08-06T21:05:00.004-06:00

As always, it's been an interesting week here at the Wagner household. Last Saturday was Juliana's 3rd birthday party!! Those of you who remember when she was born are probably thinking what I'm thinking - how can it have been three years already? Rather than post (I'm so tired I almost spelled that "poast"...like "toast") a bunch of pictures, I'm including a link to my Shutterfly album of the Princess party. There's a few pictures of Landon in there, too, that were too hilarious not to include. Juliana had a fantastic time at her party, and couldn't believe that all of those presents were really for her. She was really into opening them until she got to the gift that included a pink purse, lip gloss, and her favorite present of all...GUM! (Thanks, Myla!) After that the presents were only so much tissue paper - she really could have cared less if she opened another one the rest of the day. She kind of flipped out when we went in to cut the cake and sing "Happy Birthday". It was a little too much to have everyone staring at her and being the complete center of attention. Enough rambling - here's the link to the pictures:

share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8Cat3DNy0asii

In other news, Bo has been worshiping at the temple made of stone - kidney stone, that is. We were in the emergency room last night from 12:30 am until somewhere after 4:00. He got two bags of fluid, lots of morphine, and a reminder of why it's good to drink water when your name is Bo Wagner. Chad Cozad was visiting from NC so it was a blessing to be able to leave the kids sleeping while he was at the house. We like to break all of our visitors in with some kind of midnight surprise, like "Hey! We're outta here! You're in charge of our offspring!" and hit the road for the nearest emergency center. Just for kicks, of course. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to witness my husband on narcotics would have been proud. He held his own and did not have to be physically assisted out of the hospital.

We are leaving tomorrow for West Yellowstone; my first visit to the Yellowstone National Park area. I am told it's one of the most beautiful places in Montana so I'll be sure to post a few pictures when we get back.

Hope everyone is doing great! Love and miss ya.

Putting Paris to shame

2008-07-26T22:22:00.002-06:00

"That's hot!" or so Paris Hilton likes to say. (Don't ask me how I know this or why I keep up with Paris Hilton's favorite quotes...I just do). Well, Paris, I have news for you - It's HOT here!!! The bank thermometer said 107 today, although I think the fact that the noonday sun directly beat down on the face of the tower had something to do with that exaggerated temp. I am SURE it was at least 99, though, and did I mention our house doesn't have air? (Hubby, if you're reading this, I'm not complaning - just stating fact!) Of course the only logical alternative to staying in our oven...er...house...was to go to the mall! Air conditioning, food, and a 75% off sale on kids clothes at JC Penney's, all at the same lovely place!

In other news, we are moving into our new worship center next week and there is lots of excitement in the air at church! I went over Thursday night for a bible study and was amazed at all of the ways the church is trying to reach out to non-churchy people. There's a huge atrium with modern lighting, a coffee shop, and a bookstore to browse in...and that's all just when you walk in the front door! The church's website is www.faithchapel.cc if you want to see pictures or listen to a message from Pastor Stan.

I was gardening (yes, the girl who proudly kills all of her houseplants) the other day and couldn't help but notice something. Weeds look a lot like flowers. Now, you might be wondering, "Where is she going with this?" and you would be justified to ponder if I had a point. Yes, I do. It just amazed me how nature reflects our lives and our struggle with sin - the weeds looked so much like flowers that I wondered if I should get rid of them or water them to help them grow! I honestly could not tell which was the beautiful, fragrant flower that was supposed to be growing there and which was the rotten weed that was slowly choking off the life of the other plants. I also noticed how deep you had to dig to really get rid of those weeds. I tried just pulling off the top that was exposed to the surface and sure, it looked better, but I knew the weed was still there. I had to dig and work and get my hands all dirty (yuck!) to get to the root of the thing, and when I finally suceeded in pulling out the weed I was TIRED! But, I also felt like I had accomplished something (which can sometimes be a change from other days when I feel like I have accomplished nothing!)

My point in all of these random ramblings is just to say how thankful I am for God's grace that points out the "weeds" in our life and is never satisfied to just make us look good. He wants us to wrestle with those things that entangle us not to wear us out, but to make us stronger and better in the long run. How often during the day do I catch myself NOT living with the mind of Christ and just thinking, "Nah...I'll deal with it later." Nope, not good enough. Not for this gardener.

John 15:1-8
1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

5"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. 8This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Finally...A POST!

2008-07-23T08:00:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! We made it back from our trip to NC last Monday and had such a WONDERFUL time seeing all of our friends and family! Thank you to everyone who took time out of their lives to visit with us. We were so glad to see everyone. We sure do miss all of our NC buddies.

It has been very hot here lately and without any A/C at the house I am spending most of the time in the basement. (Not whining - just stating fact!) We had some really strong thunderstorms last night that hopefully cooled things off a bit, at least for now!

I'm posting a few pictures from our trip to appease all of you nay-sayers who like to complain that there are no pictures on the blog (not mentioning any names but his initials are Eddie Siceloff). Enjoy!

We're Here!

2008-07-10T13:40:00.002-06:00

I've gotten a few comments lately from people asking why I haven't updated the blog recently. Just wanted to let everyone know that we are HERE in North Carolina until Monday, July 14th. We have had an awesome trip so far and gotten to see lots and lots of people. I (Brooke) will be at all three services on Sunday at Crossroads and Bo will probably come to 2nd with the Wagner offspring, so if we've missed seeing you please come up and grab us. Actually, on second thought, don't grab us. Just say hello and we'd love to visit with you.

We went to Myrtle Beach with the kids and my family and had a blast. Landon was SO over the sand in all of his fat rolls after about 20 minutes but Juliana was a beach bum like her momma. I'll try to get some pictures posted soon.

Hope to see everyone in the next few days!

It's a bear's life

2008-06-26T13:55:00.002-06:00

After an adventure-filled weekend in Kalispell, Montana, I finally have a chance to sit down and update! First, a funny story that could only come from the land of Wagner in the beautiful state of Montana...We were driving back from Kalispell where Bo had announced a rodeo, when he suddenly made a different kind of announcement - the call of nature was upon him. (Basically, he just had to pee). Both of the kids were sleeping in the back of the truck we had borrowed for our journey so we decided to just pull off the side of the road at the first available clearing. Keep in mind it is pitch black and going on 10:00 at night. As the truck slows to a stop I look up just in time to see where my husband has parked us - right underneath a friendly sign welcoming us to "GRIZZLY ENCOUNTER!" Nope, not kidding. We were at the entrance to what I can only imagine was a Jurassic Park-type arena where cuddly little grizzly bears are just waiting for a midnight snack. I pointed this out to my husband, with a VERY CALM tone of voice I might add. Needless to say, we didn't stick around long enough to encounter any grizzlys this time around.

We are really looking forward to our trip back home again!! We will leave one week from today, July 3rd, and leave on Monday, July 14th. Not excited about the humidity again but we ARE looking forward to the air condition (our house and van are currently sans air).

The kids are doing great and staying healthy. We are so blessed to have time with our kids and (usually) are able to look back on the day with a grin over all of their silly antics. Landon's nickname of late is "Chili Chomper"...not sure where that one came from but he did try to steal his sister's PBJ sandwich yesterday at the park. That kid can EAT! Juliana decided her bathing suit was a little too restrictive last week at a water park so I finally knew how it felt to be THAT MOM that everyone is laughing at (with?) as her kid streaked across the field.

Well, better run - kids are awake! Can't wait to see everyone soon.

Merrily we roll along...

2008-06-18T09:48:00.003-06:00

We had an exciting day at our house a few days ago - Landon rolled over for the first time! We almost missed it in the chaos that sometimes reigns, especially in the evening when Juliana is getting cranky (okay, I admit - I'm cranky too) and we're trying to get dinner somewhat arranged. Landon was laying on a blanket on the floor on his back, and I looked over just in time to see him trying to get his sweet (albeit chunky) little self rolled over onto his tummy. You can see in the pictures how he started out pretty happy but got quite annoyed when he realized he was STUCK on his tummy!

We are going to Kalispell, Montana, this weekend with Bo as he announces a team roping. 6 hours in the car with the kids should be an adventure, but we're glad to see another part of the state.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the week! Can't wait to see everyone over the 4th!

SERIOUSLY!

2008-06-12T08:40:00.002-06:00

Okay people, let's have a little weather recap. Apparentley all of you East Coasterners (is that a word?) have been suffereing from a tiny bit of a heat wave. Maybe your noses are a little sunburned from playing outside all day, and maybe you had to use just a tad more deodorant than you would have normally applied. Let me give you a little perspective - today, in Billings, Montana, United States of America, the high is FIFTY TWO (52) DEGREES! Did I mention the 50 mile an hour wind gusts? Oh, yeah - that's right. Bo wore a sweater yesterday. I am not kidding. A sweater.

In spite of this news, I have to look on the bright side. Our house and our minivan are without air condition at this point, so we are not roasting. That's good. And, let's see...I haven't had to really wear shorts yet this summer, so I don't have to obsess over my ugly kneecaps! (No, seriously - they're ugly). It's all good...I have been assured by many homesteading Montanans that this is NOT normal and we are actually over 20 degrees below normal for this time of year. It will get warm and sunny and beautiful..one day. (Just keep saying that with me...)

Enjoy whatever weather you've got for now! Miss everyone!

-Brooke

I have WHAT?

2008-06-09T16:45:00.002-06:00

This morning I woke up with a new illness to add to my repertoire - mastitis! For all of you menfolk reading this I will spare you the details, but for any woman out there who has ever suffered from this terribly fun ailment, I know you are cringing right now. I basically feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck going 85 miles an hour, down the interstate, carrying a load of bricks. My wonderful husband came home from work after I called him with a 101.5 fever. I was going to try to tough it out but I didn't think it was the greatest idea to stay at home by myself with two kids when I was feeling so rotten. I have some wonderful green sulfa-smelling antibiotics to keep me company so hopefully this won't last too much longer.

Everyone else is doing great. Juliana is already talking about how excited she is to visit the beach when we come home in July - we just wonder, is the beach ready for HER? Landon is (we think) trying to get some teeth in so his little cheeks are just as rosy red as they can be. He is starting to reach for things and pull tight, which makes big sister very upset when it's her hair that's in his path! It's so fun to see how different their personalities are, but how similar they are starting to look.

Well, better run for now. Hope everyone is doing great!

love,
Brooke

2008-06-03T21:04:00.002-06:00

2008-06-03T21:03:00.003-06:00

Here's some updated pictures from Bo's tummy time - I mean LANDON'S! Also, funny story about Juliana - her latest "thing" is to come out of her room at bedtime and say "My blankie is broken!" What do you do with that? Tonight she's on for a new record...we said "goodnight" for the first time at 8:00, and her blankie has been broken for over an hour now. If she comes out one more time that old blankie is in BIG trouble. I'm sure we'll laugh about this one day...right?

Enjoy the pictures!

-UPDATE: My computer is not wanting to publish images right now...I'll try to get the pictures up later! Sorry!

By George, I Think She's Got It!

2008-05-27T21:40:00.003-06:00

Well, it appears that our days of diapers (at least for ONE of our children) are over! Juliana has decided, after much begging and pleading and bribing on my end, that she is going to wear Princess undies and say goodbye to diapers forever! It's amazing what persuasive powers Ariele, Sleeping Beauty, and Jasmine have at our house, but hey, who's arguing??? We are so proud, and we throw a little party every time she...er...completes her transaction with success. She usually will run out of the bathroom, raise both arms in the air, and shout "I POOPED!" at the top of her lungs, which is really funny when we're at home but a little awkward in the middle of Perkins.

I'm posting some pictures of Landon's dedication at church from last Sunday. We have it captured forever on video, but I can't quite figure out how to get it on the blog just yet.

We are desperate for some warm weather here. It's been in the 50's and rainy all week - we've had more rain in the past week than we have gotten all year! The rest of the week looks more promising, though, so I won't have to cringe SO much when I talk to all of you from home and hear about your mid-80 days.

Hope everyone is doing great! Love and miss ya!

Numbers

2008-05-15T15:41:00.002-06:00

For those of you who would choose to criticize the lack of recent updates due to circumstances beyond my control (namely, potty training one stubborn two year old), this one's for you... (Tammy Cozad, I'm coming after ya...)

In honor of one of our favorite Friday night TV shows, NUMBERS, I have decided to post some numbers of my own.

Number of diapers changed each day at the Wagner house - average, 11
Number of times I wake up each night to tell Bo to quit snoring - 2
Number of goofy, drooly smiles bestowed upon us per day by Landon - 15
Number of goofy, drooly smiles bestowed upon us per day by Bo - 0
Number of times I remind Juliana to "please keep your clothes on, sweetie!" every hour - average, 4
Number of times I turn up the chocolate syrup bottle when I think no one is looking - on a good day, 5
Number of times I am thankful that I get to stay home and experience all the madness - countless!

Wish I could say that chocolate syrup one was made up, but you know how I feel about chocolate deprivation!

I am SOOO looking forward to our visit in July! I am also SOOO excited that my wonderful husband will be with me on the plane rides.

Landon is being dedicated at church on Sunday at the 11:00 service. Let's pray big sister keeps her clothes on at least long enough to stand on stage. I'll post some pictures next week.

Oh! Bunny update: We have seen one tiny little baby bunny hopping around the yard, but we have also seen one fat orange cat prowling around, so we'll see who prevails.

Love and miss everyone!

It's a bunny's life

2008-05-05T14:06:00.002-06:00

I am so excited!!! We are experiencing wildlife in Montana like we never thought possible! It all started when we moved in to our new house. It seems that a pair of bunnies have been renting the backyard (although I don't think they are paying the same monthly fee we are) and have decided to set up a little "love nest" under a huge tree out back. Juliana and I were having fun chasing one of the bunnies around the yard a few weeks ago when I noticed she looked a little more round than usual. Yes, I am that desparate to get my old figure back that I am checking out bunny bodies to compare! Sad but true. Anyway, I digress... Momma bunny disappeared for a few days and I didn't think too much about it until over the weekend when I saw her digging a nest. It was the cutest thing - she would gather some grass and straw from the yard in her mouth and carry it over to a little hole she had dug under the tree branches. Then she would pluck some fur from her front and add it to the pile. I thought she must be working on a pretty impressive hairball until I researched a little on internet and found out that's just what they do. Kind of like their own home-made security blanket for their little ones, I guess. Yesterday we looked out the window and low and behold, Momma bunny was giving birth! She didn't ask for an epidural, so I guess everything turned out okay. We watched her for awhile and then came back out to find her on her merry little way again. No rest for the weary, ladies! She covered the hole back up, so I'm thinking, "Okay, was it just a really ugly little baby bunny and she didn't want to show him off yet?", but again, my internet research revealed that they cover the babies up for about a week and only come back to feed them once a day. (Landon would HOWL if I only fed him once over a 24 hour period!)

So, the bunny chronicles will continue. I am so anxious to see this new little life that will emerge from our backyard! It never ceases to amaze me how our Creator takes such good care of His creation, from newborn babies to the tiniest little newborn bunny! I can just picture Him waiting anxiously, too, to see what funny little antics the bunny will perform for Him.

Psalm 8 says "Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?"

Have a majestic, bunny-lovin' day!

Deep thoughts

2008-04-29T22:34:00.003-06:00

I should go to bed. I should just turn off the computer, walk downstairs to our basement dungeon...er...bedroom...and go to bed. But, instead, I am relishing the first ten minutes of the day I have had to myself. Time to think about deeply important subjects, such as "What is going to happen with the economy?" and "What can I do to save money on the grocery bill?" and most importantly, "Why did Shannon and Derek get kicked off of Dancing With The Stars?" These are the things that trouble a girl when it's 10:30 at night and she has time to sit and ponder.

I started to make a list today of the things I never thought I would have to say to my children, but I didn't even get past number 3 before I had to quickly add number 4 - "JULIANA! Do NOT dump my glass of juice out on the carpet!". Needless to say, today was one of those days that has me looking forward to preschool in the fall. Bless her little heart.

In honor of Tina Siceloff I have posted a picture of me with the kids. Now she can finally stop calling me to complain that there are no pictures of Bo and I on our blog. (Just kidding, Tina...you better keep calling me!)

Bo and I are planning a trip back to NC somewhere around the 4th of July, so all of you beach-goers, beware! We will hunt you down even as far as Myrtle to make sure we can visit with you. We're hoping to include a beach trip in there somewhere for ourselves.

Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to the wonderful summer weather up ahead! It was 81 here today, but looks like the heat wave is short lived. Tomorrow is only supposed to be in the 50's (but my Rainbow flip flops are officially out of the closet to stay!)

Love and miss everyone!

Just the pictures, please

2008-04-24T08:34:00.002-06:00

We're planning ahead for Landon's future career as a linebacker in the NFL!

2008-04-18T21:30:00.002-06:00

In honor of our snow forecast for Sunday...yes, SNOW!!

http://howstrange.com/gallery/page10.html

The Invisible Woman

2008-04-16T12:06:00.003-06:00

Hey again! I just got this email as a forward from a friend at home and wanted to share it with everyone. Hope I'm not out of line as far as copyright goes...don't tell the plagiarism police!

An excerpt from the book "The Invisible Woman" by Nicole Johnson.

For all the times we have questioned....what we are doing????? You are building greatness!

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see, I'm on the phone?'

Obviously not; no one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.'

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude, but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well.

It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe.

I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: 'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals – we have no record of their names.

These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.'

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness.

It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder.

Just a hello

2008-04-15T16:03:00.002-06:00

Hi everyone! Nothing much new in Wagner-ville. Just wanted to say hello and say that we miss you all. We had our first very wonderful, very spring-like day in Montana yesterday. It was 79 degrees (almost broke a record!) and sunny. Juliana went outside and rolled around in the grass saying "It such a pwity day, Mommy!" Kids are so easy to please (uh, RIGHT!). She also got her first tick bite over the weekend after riding the horses out at Grandma Barb and Grandpa Dave's house. I was combing her hair this morning (miracle of all miracles, she let me do it!) and saw this gross, squiggly little bug right at the nape of her neck. SOOOOO disgusting. We got it all out, but I still can't believe I didn't freak out until after it was all over. I distracted her with Scooby snacks (from Grandma Carole) and goldfish and she was a champ. Glad she's a blondie so I could see that little bugger! For those of you who know me well, you KNOW I was all over the internet this morning looking up potential complications from tick bites (stop laughing, Lori Carnes!).

Landon is a dream baby, and we just keep looking at him and shaking our heads, thinking "What did we do to deserve such a SLEEPING CHILD???" He sleeps from about 8 or 9 at night until 6 or 7 the next morning, and basically puts himself down for a nap during the day. He just falls asleep wherever he is whenever he feels a little tired. He is obviously a healthy, growing boy, and weighed in at 14 lbs, 5 oz at his 2 month check up. That puts him in the 93rd percentile for weight and the 25th for height, so if he keeps growing at this rate I figure he can win the Sumo wrestler championships within the next year or two.

Our pastor at church is going through his Top Ten all-time favorite characters in the Bible, and this week he talked about Jacob. You can listen to the sermons online at www.faithchapel.cc - Bo and I have grown so much under his leadership. I feel like I have to listen to the message at least twice to get everything out of it!!

That's about all for now. Bo and I are going to dinner tonight sans kids for our yearly (seems like it) date...whatever happened to weekly date nights? Maybe when the kids can fix themselves dinner...(sigh)

Hope everyone is doing great!

love,
Brooke

Snacks on a Plane

2008-04-05T14:32:00.004-06:00

Hello everyone! We finally made it back to Montana from our trip home to NC. We had a wonderful time, and it was soooooooo good to see everyone again. I wish I could have hugged everyone at church and visited with everyone all day - I know there were still a few people I missed catching up with. Hopefully when we come back this summer we'll get to see even more people and spend a little more time there.

The plane ride home was a little more difficult than the first one. Somehow coming back from a trip never seems as exciting as going there, and I think the kids were both picking up on my emotions. We sat beside a very nicely dressed business man on both legs of the trip, and I just had horrifying premonitions of Landon puking all over some guy's $2000 suit or Juliana's fruit-snack-sticky fingers ruining his starched shirt. The poor guy on the trip from Charlotte to Denver informed me as soon as we sat down that he and his wife didn't have kids, and didn't really ever WANT any kids. I told him I was about to show him why. (Just kidding - I laughed and said the kids weren't mine, I had just found them wandering around the terminal and felt bad for them). Overall, the stress of travel was worth getting to see everyone again. You all have no idea how much it means to me to still be in contact with so many people from home, and to have had so many people go out of their way to see us while we were there.

My sister-in-law called when we got back to make sure we had really come back to Montana! She was worried we would step one foot into the beautiful 70 degree wonderfulness and decide to stay there for good. It's weird - going back home made me realize how much we miss, but also how connected we have become here in MT in the past 9 months. We have really made some great friends here, and if you can overlook the days when you have your heat AND A/C running in the same day, it's not a bad place to live.

We took the kids to the circus last night with Juliana's cousins, Aleiah and Andrew. Everyone agreed that the clowns were just creepy, but Juliana did insist on taking a ride on the elephant. Here's a few pictures from under the big top.

Love and miss everyone!

Just Pictures

2008-03-20T15:40:00.005-06:00

Hey everyone! Nothing new...just wanted to share some pictures of the kids.

To all of my peeps in NC - see you soon!!! Yay!!

Back online

2008-03-19T08:49:00.002-06:00

Whew! I didn't realize how much I relied on the internet until it was gone for a week! Kind of sad, I know, but when it's your only connection with the outside world at times, it's hard to be cut off. I know that Blues Clues and Max and Ruby are quality shows, but they just don't have any updates on current events (except for the fact that Blue now talks!!) so I have really missed my cnn.com escapes.

As I'm typing this, Juliana is sitting beside me "checking her email" on her Barbie computer. Have I passed my addiction on to my firstborn??? Landon is hard at work on his favorite past time...SLEEPING!

We are loving our new place and the big back yard. Juliana has rediscovered all of her outside toys and all of the dirt that goes with them. I have only seen one spider so far in the basement, and it makes the laundry more exciting to think I might have company down there. Juliana somehow picked up on the fact that I am terrified of spiders, and she now informs me every time we are down there that "Spiderman in there!" (Pointing to the laundry room).

Well, that's about all for now. One week from today we'll be headed back to NC!! God bless all of the people around us, and pray for sleepy kids!

Love and miss everyone. Here's a picture of a snuggle moment with mom.

Out of touch

2008-03-14T14:17:00.002-06:00

Hey everyone! To all of you who are still plugged in to the world wide web, just wanted to give a disclaimer for why I've not answered emails or updated the blog lately. We don't have internet service at our new place just yet, but hope to be connected again sometime next week.

Juliana is destroying Bo's office while I'm here typing this, so guess I'd better make it short for now.

Can't wait to see everyone in a few weeks!!

-Brooke

Homeward Bound!

2008-03-07T14:58:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone! Just wanted to let you know that Juliana and Landon and I will be coming to NC for a visit on March 26th!! I am SOOOO excited....it's been way too long. Bo has an event in Albequerque, NM, from the 26th to the 31st, and I had to decide if it would be more exhausting to be on the plane by myself for four hours with two kids, OR be at home by myself for almost a week with two kids. I decided the better (and more fun) option would be to fly back while he's gone, so here I come!! I think I am certifiable to try to fly with a newborn and a 21/2 year old but we'll give it a shot. Just feel bad for the people around us...I may have to supply earplugs for the surrounding rows of passengers.

Can't wait to see everyone!!

love,
Brooke

True confessions of a mom

2008-03-02T21:45:00.003-07:00

I swore I would never do it. I swore I would never become one of THOSE PEOPLE who neglect their house to the point of embarrassment, the kind of person who has to clear a path to the bed just to be able to sleep. I looked down my nose at those people who had the audacity to leave dirty dishes in the sink at night, and who let the laundry pile up on the floor until it was impossible to tell what was clean and what was dirty. Bo knew that my dream day involved an entire afternoon devoted to scrubbing, cleaning, dusting, and folding anything that wasn't tied down...an entire day to CLEAN THE HOUSE. Well, my blog-reading friends, that day is over. I have decided to come out of the fanatical cleaning closet and admit that my house is a mess. As a testament to those of you who still cannot believe it, I have posted a picture of the pile of laundry (clean, don't worry) that is currently resting beside the washing machine. The clothes are clean, yes, but by the time they actually make the leap from that pile to our bodies to be worn, they may be tragically soiled (Juliana has taken to using the pile as her personal daybed). I know that you may be thinking "What a strange picture to post on the blog! We wanted to see cute little cuddly pictures of the kids!". Those will come later, after I fold the laundry.

Well, maybe I'll post a few of the kids to distract you.

In other news, we have found a house to rent and will be moving in sometime next week. It is in a great section of town and has a big fenced in yard for Juliana to run around in. I am SO excited to finally be moving into a bigger space, and the yard is going to be so nice as the weather is getting better and better here. There's a full basement that we've already promised her will be a great home for all of her toys (her room looks like we're trying to compete with Toys R Us!). We feel really good about the decision to keep renting for now and not buy a house until we get a little more established.

Hope everyone is doing great!! I promise by the next posting I'll have that laundry folded...and I absolutely refuse to post a picture of my sink!!

Love ya.

Finally...and update!

2008-02-18T11:49:00.003-07:00

Wondering where all the updates have been lately? Thinking that I must have fallen off the face of the earth? Wondering if four weeks of sleepless nights and countless poopy diapers have finally sent me over the edge of sanity? If so...you are right!!

Okay...confession time. Last night at 3 am I came back to bed after nursing Landon for the third time that night and promptly burst into tears. I also distinctly remember spouting off to Bo as I got up with the baby, "Guess I won't sleep tonight...I'll just stay up and feed Landon every hour." (My tone, by the way, was on the snippy side). Yes, it's true. Life with a newborn is H-A-R-D. At least this time around I know it will not last forever, even if it seems like it. (And it does). Wish I could say I woke up with a Cinderella-perfect attitude, smiling at the new day, but it just didn't happen. We did have a ton of fun at gymnastics this morning, though...Juliana makes me laugh every time she flips her little body down the trampoline.

In spite of all my whining, every minute I am still reminded of how blessed we really are to have two beautiful, healthy, wonderful kids, and it makes nights like last night seem not quite so awful (now if I can just remember that next time I'm up at 3:00!!!).

Bo's recovering from an event he had over the weekend. He managed two concerts after a rodeo Thursday and Friday night...Little Texas and Neal McCoy. Everything went really well and he was crazy busy - just how he likes to be!! We brought the whole family to the rodeo Saturday night and Juliana was glued to every event. She kept waving to the clown and trying to get his attention. Maybe aspiring to a future career? (Please, no!!) Landon slept through the noise, smells, and general chaos in his carseat. He was obviously not as impressed as big sister.

Love and miss everyone!! I'll try to update with some more pictures later this week...but don't hold your breath. :)

More pictures

2008-02-09T09:16:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who has sent cards, presents, and prayers in the last few weeks!! It has been a blessing to go to the mailbox and have a card from home every now and then. Thanks also to everyone who has sent things for Juliana - she was so used to seeing Landon get gifts from my shower that she almost didn't believe there might be a present for HER in that box, too!

She is adjusting pretty well to having a new little brother. She is WONDERFUL with him, always kissing on him and hugging him and trying to give him his pacy. (He actually looks a little offended when we try to give him the pacy...maybe that will mean less struggles later on trying to take it away?). The other day in the car Juliana was actually trying to make him cry, just so she could "Shush" him and make him feel better! It was hilarious. Her favorite thing to say when he's crying is "I know, little buddy, I know." Where does she get this stuff?

Here's some recent pictures. Juliana decided Landon needed a check-up, so she got out her doctor's kit and went to work. I told her to enjoy it now while he is still a captive prisoner to her ploys and ideas.

Weather update for those of you enjoying 60 degrees back home...IT IS 4 DEGREES AND SNOWING RIGHT NOW! The novelty of how pretty the snow looks is quickly wearing off and I am ready for spring and warmer weather. Maybe we'll at least get enough for snow cream today.

Hope everyone is doing well! We are trying to work out details for a trip back to NC and I can't WAIT!

New Reason to Smile

2008-02-01T21:29:00.000-07:00

I just had to post these pictures from tonight...Landon seems to like the camera! These were after his bath (which he hated) and his nightly snuggle with mom (which I am going to say that he loves).

In the last week I have learned lots of things about life with two, most importantly:
1. Do not leave a 2 year old alone with a toothbrush and a tube of Desitin - it does NOT taste like toothpaste and it just makes her mad.
2. Do not assume that just because you need a nap means that everyone in the house is going to take a nap at the same time.
3. Just when you think you have enough time to a)run to the bathroom b)stuff a bite to eat in your mouth or c)return a phone call, little invisible sensors go off letting your children know that NOW is the time they need their mommy RIGHT AT THAT MOMEMT!!!
4. Life with two is twice as much work, twice as draining, and twice as fun as you thought it would be!

Love and miss everyone!

-Brooke

Life with two

2008-01-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

We are slowly getting adjusted to life with two little kiddos. Landon had a great night last night...went to sleep at 11, woke up at 2, and then not again until 6. I know all of you without newborns are thinking "That's a great night?" but trust me...IT IS! :)

I promise I am not entering the witness protection program and falling off the face of the earth as far as answering phone calls and emails. Just when it looks like a good time to call is coming up, the inevitable poopy diaper or nursing moment or "Mommy I have to go potty!" (that one's from Juliana) comes up. When I figure out how to be an adult in the midst of two little people I will pop back up on the radar, I promise!

Thank you to everyone for the phone calls, emails, and prayers. We miss all of our NC buddies and wish we were closer to introduce you to Landon in person!

love from the far side, (for now)
Brooke

Introducing...

2008-01-23T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! We are excited to introduce Landon Creed Wagner, born on Tuesday, January 22, at 1:47 pm. He weighed in at 8lbs, 1oz and was 19 1/2 inches long. I was able to have a VBAC (natural) delivery, which we were SO excited about! Labor started around midnight, so it was a very long day, but Bo and I made a great team and made it through. Landon spent some time in the NICU after he was born - he had swallowed some fluid on his way out and the cord was wrapped around his neck once and his leg twice. The doctor had to use the vacuum to get him out in a hurry because his heart rate was very erratic. All I remember is everyone yelling at me to "PUSH!" and me yelling back "I CAN'T!" but apparently, I did. God was in charge of the entire day and process...our nurse's name was "Julia" (reminding me of how all the pain and agony was worth it two and a half years ago). We just felt everyone's prayers and are so thankful that we ended up with a healthy and smooth delivery.

Juliana met her little brother for the first time today and just wanted to kiss him and hold him. We'll see how long that lasts, but for now, she is VERY excited to be the big sis.

I'll post more pictures and video later on. We are supposed to go home from the hospital tomorrow.

Thanks again for the thoughts and prayers...we love and miss everyone!

-Bo, Brooke, Juliana, and Landon

Too tired for a title...

2008-01-20T22:07:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! We had anticipated our next posting to come AFTER Landon's birth, but obviously he has not gotten the hint. Still pregnant, still waiting, and still ready to have a baby! Juliana even grabbed my stomach tonight and said "Landon, come out PLEASE!". I guess she's tired of hearing me whine, too.

We are enjoying a beautiful snowfall tonight. Over the last few days we've gotten almost 6 inches of snow (Bo said more like 4 or 5 but I like to think big). The temperature right now is -1, and the high today was only 7 degrees! It was hilarious. There's a big warm-up scheduled for later on in the week...I think the high on Wednesday is 27. Of course, I am enjoying it now (and eating lots of snow cream!) but I'm sure by March I'll be singing a different tune. The funniest thing about all of this snow is how much the people from Montana complain about it, too! It makes me feel better to know I'm not just a wimpy little Southerner...these die-hard Montanans don't like the cold any more than I do (although I did see a fashion-conscious teenager wearing short sleeves yesterday...guess the quest to be cool outweighs the need to be not frozen!).

Keep checking back...I just know one of these days I'm going to have a baby!

Love and miss everyone.

A Few Things I've Learned...

2008-01-14T15:29:00.000-07:00

This is mainly for all of you women...a few thoughts on things I have learned while waiting (and waiting and waiting) for Landon to make his appearance:

1. There is absolutley NO limit on the number of times people are allowed to ask you "Haven't you had that baby yet?", even if they saw you earlier in the day and asked you the question that very morning.
2. Mood swings and pregnancy are so intertwined that it is hard to tell if you are cranky because you are still pregnant or still pregnant because you are cranky.
3. Eventually you DO get tired of trying to hold the sippy cup, wrestle a purse and a diaper bag out the door, AND hike your pants up every few steps while explaining to your toddler why you can't hold her baby doll, too (but eventually, you do break down and carry the baby doll). This leads to your careful weighing of the decision, "Do we really NEED toilet paper from WalMart today?" even if you ran out three days ago.
4. There are skinny people EVERYWHERE when you are pregnant, and none of their faces look even the slightest bit puffy.

And, the most important thing I have learned in the past few days of this pregnancy (drum roll)...

5. If you can still manage to reach for the bag of M&M's just out of arm's length on the couch during a contraction, it is probably not TRUE LABOR!!!

Hugs and kisses to all, and keep watching...I just KNOW this baby is as ready to be born as I am to see him!

Landon's latest photo shoot

2008-01-08T20:05:00.000-07:00

Here's some ultrasound pictures from our appointment today. If you can't tell at first what you're looking at, don't feel bad...Bo and I had no idea how to tell a chin from an elbow unless the tech explained it to us! The first two are 3D - but of course, he had his hand in front of his face. The last picture is his profile in standard 2D...a little grainy but we still think he's cute!

2008-01-06T21:17:00.000-07:00

37 Weeks and counting! We had a baby shower today, graciously given by my sister-in-law Traci, and now I have finally been given the go-ahead to get this whole labor and delivery process on the move. I was going to have major guilt if I missed my own baby shower, so I was glad that Landon decided to come to the party still being carried around by mom. The shower was tons of fun and made me so thankful for the friends we have made since coming to Billings.

Not too much else to report from this end. Our apartment is getting more and more crowded with baby stuff, and is now starting to look like a cross between a small day care center and a toy store. Juliana has already figured out the buttons on the bouncy seat and swing, so if I thought that little "soothing" ocean-sounds music drove me nuts the first time around, now I am really on the rampage to TURN THAT MUSIC OFF!! (Thanks, Fisher Price!)

Speaking of noise, Landon will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for the time being, so we are praying that either Bo will be cured of snoring by the time he is born or he will just be a really, really sound sleeper. Pray for a happy, nap-lovin' kid!!!

That's about all for now. Hope everyone's 2008 is off to a wonderful start. We'll keep ya posted on Landon's progress!!

The waiting game

2007-12-28T12:51:00.001-07:00

Hello again everyone! Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Our first Christmas in Montana was great, even though we missed lots of things we had always looked forward to with Christmas at "home" (dinner theater, dinner with our small group, dinner at my folks...do all of our Christmas memories revolve around food??!!) Juliana had an absolute blast opening all of her presents, and the tree stayed surprisingly intact throughout the entire season (minus a few broken ornaments that were falsely advertised as "virtually unbreakable!"). When she came out into the living room on Christmas morning and saw all of the presents under the tree, Bo asked her who they were for and she just shrugged. Guess we had her so conditioned NOT to open anyone else's present that she just couldn't imagine she might actually get to open them! When she found out they were, in fact, ALL FOR HER, her eyes went huge and she dove right in before we could change our minds. She has cooked us breakfast every morning since Christmas on her new kitchen set from Grandma and Papa Vaught, and I think Bo is enjoying playing with all of her new toys as much as she is (I have caught him with her Barbie computer on more than one occasion).

Well, our bag is finally packed for the hospital, and we are anxiously awaiting Landon's arrival. Now that we are only 4 weeks away from our due date, each day we wake up wondering "Is today the day??". Looking at the bag ready and waiting by the door is worse than waiting for cookies to come out of the oven (or for Juliana to get herself dressed) so we are hoping the day comes soon! I know that I have started to get that look in my eye of a woman on a mission, and I have stopped wondering why people give me an extra two feet of personal space when they see me waddling towards them in the grocery store. I think they are just hoping I don't eat them as a pre-dinner snack before they can race to get in front of me in line. (Let's just say at my next appointment my doctor may not be singing the praises of my weight gain as much as she has in the past!).

We'll continue to keep everyone updated on the progress of Pumpkin Head #2.

Congrats to two couples, Katie and Lenny and Libby and Stu, on finding out the gender of your upcoming arrivals! I have a bad habit of spilling the beans on things that are supposed to be a secret, so if you are going crazy with curiosity you'll just have to check with them!!

Love and miss everyone.

-Brooke, Bo, and Juliana

Jesus Loves Me

2007-12-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! Thought we'd try our first attempt at uploading a video. More to come if this works!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and very merry Christmas.

Big Girl Bed

2007-12-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the latest from our newly graduated "big girl". She has made the switch from the crib to a toddler bed with hardly a glance behind her...what else would we expect from full speed ahead Juliana? We hadn't planned on moving her to the bed just yet - I had just told my dad the day before that she was going to be in the crib as long as possible just to keep her in one spot for naps!! (I remember when Juliana was born that someone told me to keep my words sweet since, as a parent, I'd be eating a lot of them!) The move happened after a near-traumatic incident with one chubby thigh getting caught in between the bars of the crib. I was sitting in the living room, patting myself on the back for not giving in to Juliana's cries and staying strong that she WOULD nap that day, when I finally caved and went in to see what all the fuss was about. Evidently, she had a good reason for crying, since her leg was so stuck in the crib bars that we had to use lotion to grease that puppy out of there! (Talk about getting the Guilt-Stricken Mom of the Year Award!) After that, there was no way she was getting back in the torture chamber that she had slept so peacefully in for the past two years, so welcome Big Girl Bed!! It only took a few times of getting out during naps, and one or two suggestions that the crib might be coming back in the picture if she didn't stay put, to make her decide that the bed was the coolest thing since...well...the temperatures in Montana!

In other news, we're getting all geared up for Landon's arrival. Even though I techincally have six more weeks, I have been having so many contractions lately that it's hard to believe this can go on for that much longer. I know they say that all of the sleepless nights during pregnancy are just to prepare you for the sleepless nights after the baby, but doesn't it seem like NOW is the time when I should be storing up peaceful, sound, hours and hours (and HOURS) of sleep to get me through the delivery??? No one asked me, though, so it's up and down every few hours. Bo sprained his back earlier this week, so between the two of us limping around and me holding my belly and he holding his back we are quite a pair. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to observe my husband on pain medication already are getting a mental picture of those fun-filled evenings we have had lately.

Hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for a wonderful Christmas!! Love and miss you all.

2007-12-04T22:54:00.000-07:00

Just a quick belly picture for those of you who are curious (you sick, sick people! Just can't wait to laugh at the pregnant woman, can you?) Let's just say there's a LOT more of me to love right now. My belly also has the added bonus of being able to "accidently" annoy rude people at the grocery store ("Oh, excuuuuuse me! I didn't mean to knock over that entire display of canned green beans right in front of you! No, I'm not smuggling a watermelon under my shirt...please don't call security...No!! Wait!!)

Hugs, kisses, and love from one cranky momma in Montana.

Life in 3D

2007-11-29T16:34:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the long delay in updating our blog! These last few months of pregnancy are going to find me staring blankly at the wall while Juliana naps (the only time I get to "check out"), thinking of all the laundry that should be done or the dishes that are NOT washing themselves in the sink like I asked. Ahhhh, but there is always something to be done or folded or washed or baked, and just not enough hours in the day. Juliana's favorite phrase lately is "Sit DOWN, mommy!" and I am taking her advice more and more. It seems like she gets a little smarter and grows just a little bit every day, and I am so thankful that I get to be home to see every minute of it. Enough bragging on our firstborn...on to baby #2!!

We had another ultrasound today to check out little Landon's progress. I was informed after one of my updates that I had accidentaly spilled the beans on his name, so I'll just go ahead and ruin it for those of you who actually like being surprised...his name is Landon Creed. Landon because we just like it, and Creed because it means "belief, guiding principal, I believe". Ultimatley our prayer for our son is that he will believe in Jesus with his whole heart and be a strong man of God, but until he can decide that for himself we'll just tell him that's his name so he has to do it. :) Everything looked really good on the ultrasound, and he is DEFINITLEY a boy (he wasn't shy at all today!) and it was so neat to see him again. He sucked his thumb through the entire ultrasound, and we even got some 3D images of him going to town on that little finger. You could see his jaw and lips working...he wasn't moving that hand for anything! Juliana was addicted to her pacy, but a thumb is a little harder to poke a hole in and throw away, so I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now he measures in at about 4 pounds, so if they gain a half a pound a week and I have 8 weeks left, does that mean I'll be delivering an 8 pound baby? Voluntary C-section, anyone? (Sorry fellas...that was more than likely too much information).

It snowed here again this afternoon and I had not one but TWO phone calls telling me to stay off the roads (only one was from my husband). I have no desire to go out until temperatures get above 20, so I've been keeping occupied inside and have consumed almost an entire box of Dibbs ice cream today (oops, did I say that out loud?). I actually saw a woman jogging this morning in SHORTS and I tipped my nice warm winter hat to her as she ran by...she either is crazy or is dealing with some serious hot flash issues! (Both?)

To all of my wonderful Christmas Dinner Theater comrades, I will be thinking of you over the next two weeks!!! Hope everyone has fun and is blessed for giving their time and talents. Know that all the work you have put in is remembered and appreciated by many, many people.

Love and hugs from MT!!

A trip with Buffalo Bill...

2007-11-16T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Here's what happens when you ask to go on a date with my husband. All I wanted was a nice, quiet, candlelight dinner where I could actually eat all my food while it was still hot and not have to cut anyone else's meal into little bite-sized pieces, but NOOOOO! My wonderful husband went all out and secretly planned a trip to Cody, Wyoming last weekend and whisked me away Saturday night. (Actually, it's kind of hard to "whisk" a pregnant woman anywhere, so he gave me a little advanced warning before we got in the car). We had a great weekend just relaxing and sleeping in past 7:00 am (that is usually an impossible feat at our house).

In case any of you are tempted to spell Wyoming with a "Why", I figured out the answer to that last weekend. There is not too much of anything in Wyoming unless you like lots of nativity animals and open road. A few of these pictures are animals we actually saw just sitting in the middle of the highway waiting for us, looking at us as if we were really upsetting their relaxing Sunday afternoon plans. We probably looked like crazy Japanese tourists, because with every new animal group we'd come upon, I'd grab the wheel and shout at Bo to STOP AND TAKE A PICTURE!!!

We did get to go to the Buffalo Bill historical center and museum, which was pretty interesting (at least for the first hour). After a while we kind of decided that after you'd seen one buffalo, you'd probably seen them all. I did learn, however, that grizzly bears have a hump on their back, and brown and black bears do not, so if you see the Hunchback of Notre Dame covered in fur and heading towards you out in the woods, it's probably a good idea to turn around and tiptoe out the way you came. One picture is my hand compared to a grizzly's paw....let's just say I won't be shaking hands with one anytime soon.

My dad is stopping in this weekend for a quick visit. He's combining a trip to Canada with a return trip through Billings and staying through Sunday. I told Juliana that Papa was flying on an airplane to come see her, and she smiled and said "Thank you, Papa!" We're going to attempt a picture with Santa tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully Papa will be a good distraction and she won't be too freaked out by the big man in the red suit.

For all your Crossroads people at home getting ready for the dinner theater, I'll be thinking about you!!! Maybe you could just put a cardboard statue of me on stage at some point so I can at least feel like I've been there with you through it?? Somebody suggest that to Mark.

Love and miss everyone! More to come...

Yes, I am pregnant!

2007-11-09T20:50:00.000-07:00

Just had to share a funny story that happened at school on Tuesday. I teach music to all grades, Kindergarten through high schoolers, and it never ceases to amaze me how differently their little brains develop. My high schoolers ask me all the time about the baby, and fuss over me if they think my heels are too high or if I'm not sitting down enough. I had a second grade class, on the other hand, who apparently just thought "Mrs. Wagner" had been hitting the Krispy Kreme a little hard. I made a comment about how fun it was to carry another person around all day, and looked up to see almost the entire class with shocked expressions. One student finally had the courage to raise his hand (precious) and ask, "Mrs. Wagner, are you pregnant?" My jaw dropped about as far as theirs had, and I managed to stutter out that yes, I was expecting. I heard several "Cool!"'s and "Congratulations!" as they exited, and just stood there amazed that it really hadn't occured to most of them that I wasn't just smuggling a basketball under my shirt every day...weird!

Not too much excitement around here after that. Bo and I are in a state of mourning over the news that 24 will not be returning in January as we had eagerly counted on. Some writer's strike or something equally goofy as that. Bo is especially disappointed because 24 is the only TV show I don't talk through...we're both silent and breathless until the commercial breaks.

This little fella I carry around all day sure likes to be on the move! I was pretty sure I was having twins the other day because he was ALL over the place...a foot under my ribs, an elbow in my side...Juliana is quickly running out of lap room and is NOT happy about it. I'll try to post some new fat belly...I mean baby belly pictures soon.

Love and miss everyone!!!

-Brooke, Bo, and Juliana

New pictures

2007-10-25T20:17:00.000-06:00

Ahhhhh, the belly pictures have arrived. This will be a short post with mostly pictures, but please feel free to point and laugh at the lady with the big belly. Today was a "no nap day" in the land of Juliana, so needless to say, my brain is fried. She went to bed at 7:30 and BARELY made it that long!!! I never knew I could be out-dramatized by a 2 year old with so little effort, but obviously today she has had lots of practice.

A couple pictures are from our pumkin painting adventure. Yet another project to occupy us on another no-nap day! She had a ball and was covered in paint by the time we were done. That was the first day she started to call herself a "Pumpkin Head", except in Juliana-speak it kind of came out "Punk-in-HEAD!"

Love and miss everyone!!! (A very pooped mom is going to bed!)

Prayer Request

2007-10-23T22:03:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. We have had some excitement here in Montana! My sister in-law, Traci, delivered a healthy baby boy last Tuesday. He was 8 lbs, 6 oz and they named him Andrew William. He had been doing pretty well, and it was an uneventful delivery, but he started to run a fever yesterday out of the blue. He was still not doing very well today, so the pediatrician wanted to admit him to the hospital for lots of tests and at least 2 days of observation. Needless to say, my sister in-law and Bo's brother C.B. are very concerned about their new little guy, and still don't have any answers as to what could be causing the fever. They do know he has some kind of infection, but none of the tests have come back so far. Could you just take a minute to pray for Andrew and C.B. and Traci? I know after our scare last week it just reminded us again how precious our children are, and how little control we really have over their lives and health! Thanks in advance and I'll keep you updated.

In other news, if you are watching the weather here in Billings you know why I have had the heat AND the air conditioner on in the same day this past week! Today it was 74, but they're calling for snow by Friday. I won't say I miss the humidity of NC just yet, but this weather will make you a little bit crazy.

Belly pictures to come soon! I promise this time!!

Love and miss you all.

Landon update

2007-10-10T20:26:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! We wanted to update you on our very scary day in the hospital this afternoon. Let me preface this by saying that everything is fine, and we are just so thankful for the good report we got, but it was a very scary couple of hours. I called the doctor this morning because I just had some weird feelings and some pain (I'll spare all of you men reading this the lovely details). I wasn't too worried, but the nurse did want me to come in to the hospital and just get checked out. We got settled in to a triage room, just thinking we'd be an hour and then out the door...Juliana was with me and Bo met us at the hospital. Long story short, they did several tests and one of them came back to show that I was leaking amniotic fluid...not a good thing unless the baby is ready to make his appearance. At only 25 weeks, we knew it was way too early to be talking about delivery, but the nurse and doctor were very concerned. They started talking about magnesium and steriods to help the baby's lung development, and even taking me by ambulance to a nearby hospital that is better equipped to handle preterm babies. Bo and I just prayed and cried and tried not to fret for about two hours while we waited for the doctor to repeat the test. I had to lie at an angle with my feet above my head for an hour to see if fluid would accumulate and the doctor came back in to recheck me. After a very tense 10 minutes while we waited for THOSE results, she came back in and said that she could see no sign of any amniotic fluid, and we were in the clear for a preterm delivery. We're still not quite clear on how the whole thing worked out...they blamed a lab error but we are claiming a miracle and know that God was in control the whole time, even if we were terrified! I was contracting a lot more than what I should be at this point in the pregnancy, so the doctor gave me a very stern lecture on resting and not over-doing it...Bo was there as a witness so he had me sitting on the couch as soon as we got home.

Today gave us a new appreciation for how little control we really have over things, and how perfect God's plan is, even when we don't understand. We are so thankful that it turned out to be nothing, but we know it could have just as easily gone the other way.

On a lighter note, I'm attaching a picture of me relaxing with Juliana (for a second!). I had a spur-of-the-moment pregnancy hair thing and decided to go darker for the fall. She said my hair was "black"...hopefully it's not really that dark!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers as we hopefully have a very uneventful final three months of this pregnancy! Love and miss everyone.

Golfing adventure

2007-09-30T14:45:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! I just figured out how to turn pictures so that they would be right side up, and since all of my pictures of our golfing outing last weekend were sideways, I didn't bother to post them. (Didn't want to give everyone a crick in their neck trying to check out Bo's swing from a sideways view!) BUT...since I have mastered the concept (small wonder since my brain cells are slowly diminishing as the pregnancy gets further along) here they are! We are all doing well, enjoying a Montana fall. The leaves are turning and we haven't had our air on all week, although I did go ahead and throw the electric blanket on the bed just in case of a cold-weather midnight emergency. My sister-in-law, Traci, is due in a few weeks with baby #3 for that branch of the Wagner family (a boy) so Juliana will soon have another little one to terrorize. Let's just call it good practice for when little mini-Bo comes along in January! Hope everyone is doing well...we love and miss you!!!

Belly Pictures

2007-09-22T21:26:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Since we posted some shots of baby Wagner, we wanted to let you see what the rest of us on the outside world are looking like. Juliana is fascinated with my ever-expanding belly, and is constantly lifting up my shirt at inappropriate times (ex: the grocery store) to "talk" to the baby. At least the kids are getting along for now!! Hope everyone is doing great.

Welcome To Our World!

2007-09-20T17:27:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! We just came from our 22 week ultrasound and wanted to share some pictures of our new addition. For all of you who are waiting in anticipation to find out if we will have a Bwoder or a Sissy.....IT'S A BOY!! He was very modest throughout the whole ultrasound, keeping his legs crossed and at one point even covering his...er...boy parts with one hand. Finally at the end of the ultrasound he gave us a nice shot and it was determined that he is, in fact, a boy!! Bo kept asking the technician, "Are you sure? Now exactly how sure can you be on this?". Juliana exclaimed that she still thought it was a sissy, but we still have a few months to convince her now that she will BE the big sissy, not exactly HAVING a sissy. Otherwise the kid will just be really messed up. Hope everyone is doing great! We love and miss ya, and will keep you updated on other news, kid/baby related or otherwise!

Goodbye, pacy

2007-09-15T21:00:00.001-06:00

Well, we have finally done it. We went and did what we said we would never ever do. We crossed the boundary from infanthood and all it's baggage to toddlerhood and all of it's woes. After our last visit to the pediatrician, we were enlightened to the fact that if Juliana keeps her pacy much longer past the age of 2, her teeth could be forever damaged...or at least until they fell out and new ones grew in. Stricken with images of our daughter walking around with her bottom teeth jutting out so far she can't bite an ear of corn, we decided the day had come to get rid of pacy!!! (Insert Jaws-like music here). Easier said than done. For all of you who have children, and for those who don't but are wondering what all the fuss is about, I'm sure this is a much smaller deal in the grand scheme of things than what it seems right now. BUT, as I am typing this, Juliana is laying in her crib pining away for her beloved "PAPY", and has just finished begging me to go to the store to buy a new one. Her current pacy has a large hole in the top, courtesey of Mom sneaking away with a pair of scissors. She looked at it pitifully, held it up to me, and with big crocodile tears sadly proclaimed it to be "bwoke". Mom and Dad are hanging strong with this endeavor, and we are bolting the door and hiding the car keys from each other to keep from running out and snatching up every single pacy in the Walmart baby aisle.

If anyone has any support/comments/suggestions/sympathy they would like to impart on us, please email or call or just fly to Montana and show up at our door.

In other (less depressing) news, we find out Thursday at our ultrasound if this new baby is a boy or a girl! I am 21 weeks and halfway through the pregnancy, but I feel like my stomach is quickly running out of growing room! I'll post some new pictures soon.

Hope everyone is doing great!!! Hugs and kisses from the Wagners, minus one pacifier.

Happy September!

2007-09-04T21:21:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! First and foremost we have to say Happy Birthday to Laura Stamey, Lori Carnes, and Lowell McNaney. Lori and Laura both turned 25 on September 2nd, and Lowell finally reached the ripe old age of 65 on the same day. Congratulations on you AARP membership, Lowell. Actually, just kidding on the ages, but the birthdate was right!

We are looking forward to fall in Montana. I wish everyone could see the scenery and views here...God truly shows off when the sun sets over the mountains. I am settling into a routine with my new job at Billings Christian school. The students are great and actually laugh at my jokes...I think they are just trying to make me feel better but hey, what the heck? Juliana came to class with me to visit and thouroughly amused the 3rd and 4th grade classes by stripping off her pants and diaper when I had my back turned. They got a kick out of it, but mom was not so amused.

Bo was in Wisconsin this past weekend following up on some leads for an event. He drove...in a Ford Probe...with two other guys. He figured he hadn't taken a cross-country road trip yet in the month of August, and since the one in July was so much fun he should aim for one every month or so just to keep the feel of the road beneath his tires. Umm, yeah, not really.

While he was gone Juliana and I spent a few days with Bo's parents. They have 80 acres outside of town and lots of room to run, plus the addition of the world's most-brushed pony, Ladybug. I'm including a few pictures of Juliana's day on the ranch. In one picture she is bugging the heck out of another horse, Jewell, with the water hose. The other picture shows the reason why I have gone through 50 bottles of SHOUT in the last month. Juliana was totally fearless and jumped up on the pony like she had been doing it all her life. We thought we'd start a little off-road enterprise and start charging all her friends for pony rides - a dollar a minute like those massage chairs in the mall?

Hope everyone is doing great! We miss everyone so much and would love to see anyone brave enough to make the trip out west. Our door is always open!!

P.S. - We have our ultrasound to determine if baby #2 is a "Sissy" or a "Bwuhduh" on September 20th, so we'll keep everyone posted!

2007-08-21T14:50:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Nothing much new in Montana land lately. I know we are having better weather here than everyone back home in NC. Today the high is only 85, and it is nice and breezy and not humid at all...in fact, it has been so dry that there are several fires burning within 25 miles of us. One that was particularly bad started on Sunday and burned over 800 acres. Thankfully only 2 houses were destroyed but you could smell the smoke very strongly yesterday. The news reported that half an inch of rain fell and they were very VERY excited. I thought, "Half an inch? Do we even count that in North Carolina?"

I have been tossing around a possibility for a job at a Christian school just a few miles from our house, teaching music two mornings a week. The school only has 143 students, so it would be a nice part-time thing to get both Juliana and I out of the house and give us a little extra money. It would also still give us time for the all important gymnastics class that Juliana takes on Mondays. She is hilarious...I will have to post some pictures of her doing her "roll" and her "swing". (She hangs on the low bar and pulls her toes up to her hands...she thinks she is SO cool!) The girl has enough energy for a gymnastics class every day, but sadly, it's only once per week.

I'm posting some pictures of Juliana's new doctor kit and her ballet costume. We were watching Elmo on Sesame Street this morning and he was practicing his ballet moves, so Juliana ran and got her leotard and tu-tu. We had to buy the doctor's kit because she LOVES to "check" on the baby in Mom's tummy and poke it and basically make sure everything is doing okay. "Dr. Wagner...paging Dr. Wagner to the OR..."

Love and miss everyone!

Belly pictures!

2007-08-15T15:08:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I have had a few requests for some shots of my ever-expanding belly (mostly just Lori Carnes begging to see how fat I am now) so here they are! We are officially 4 months, and I am starting to feel some movement every now and then. Juliana likes to poke my belly and "talk" to the baby...she's already learning how to bug her little brother or sister!

Some thoughts...

2007-08-07T13:41:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I just had to write and share what I've been thinking about this past week. We were recently so blessed by our small group at home...they sent a HUGE package with birthday gifts for Juliana, little things to remind us of the south (a Dale Earnhardt sticker, anyone?), and even a case of Sun-Drop and a recipe for Sun-Drop pound cake! (Thanks, ladies!) It got me thinking about how much we left back at home, and how far away we are from anything that made us feel comfortable or content or even "important". Here, no one knows that I love to sing or that Juliana had eczema when she was a baby, or that Bo once got hit in the face with a golf club. It has made us take a step back and realize that if we don't find our identity in Christ and put all, I mean 110% of our hope and trust in Him, we are lost! It has made me realize how much I looked to others to confirm that I was "okay" and accepted, when all along Jesus was wanting me to ask HIM that question instead. I'm not saying that having wonderful friends and family is a bad thing...I have just been thinking this week about how much Jesus wants to fill us up and complete us (in the words of Jerry McGuire) if we will only make enough room for Him.

I have been reading "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard (actually, I stole it from my mother in-law...is that legal for a Christian book??) and it is so deep that I can only read a few pages a day. I have to put it down after each paragraph and literally think about each word I have just read. The part I just finished talks about Jesus having dinner at Simon's house when a woman comes in and begins to wash his feet with her hair and an expensive perfume. It looks at it from Simon's perspective, as he must be thinking (and I quote) " 'If this fellow really were a prophet,' Simon mused, 'he would know what this woman does, for she is filthy.' Perhaps Simon consoled himself with the thought that it is at least no sin not to be a prophet. It never occured to him that Jesus would know exactly who the woman was and yet let her touch him." And then later on, "We must not overlook the connection between faith and love. The woman saw Jesus and recognized who he was and who dwelt in him. That vision was her faith." That last part just grabbed me so much..."that vision was her faith." In this whole move and process we've been experiencing, we have had no choice but to keep THAT VISION as our faith. We know that God has bigger plans for our lives than we could ever dream or imagine, and I'm sure if He told us everything right now we would probably flip out and not know how to handle all that information! We have just been taking one day, sometimes even one minute, at a time, recognizing that no, we are not comfortable, but yes, we are in God's will and He is working out the details. He has been so faithful to strengthen us as a couple and as a family through all of this, and we are just looking to the future with increasing anticipation of what HE has in store next! A pastor we heard last week said something that I keep telling myself..."Faith is living in the present what we will only understand in reverse." Until then...

New Pictures

2007-08-04T21:23:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Nothing much new to write this time but I did want to send some new pictures. We went to the park on Juliana's birthday and she's showing off her "monkey-ness". Love and miss everyone!

Pacy in the "Pop!"

2007-07-30T22:14:00.000-06:00

Just had to share this funny Juliana story in honor of her upcoming birthday on Thursday. I (Brooke) was on the phone with the doctor's office, trying to make her an appointment, when I hear her come running over yelling "Mama! Pacy! Mama! Pacy!" I gave her the usual "Yes honey, pacy" and wrapped up my conversation when all of a sudden, I smelled burning plastic. She dragged my by the leg and led me over to the sight of her newest science experiment. Juliana had gotten the toaster oven from under the cabinet, found the only outlet that wasn't covered with a child-proof cover, plugged it in, inserted her pacy into one of the bread slots, and pushed down the lever. By the time I discovered what she had done, the pacy was...er...excuse the pun...TOAST! She calls the toaster a "pop", I guess since we make Pop-Tarts in it? Needless to say, I was shocked/mad/amazed/cracked up by my daughter's creative attempt at cooking. Oh, to be in the mind of a two year old! We are now 100% sure that ALL of the electrical outlets in the apartment are properly covered.

Juliana had her first gymnastics class today at the same gym where Bo became a world-renowned gymnast. She loved it and can't wait to go back next week. We are staying busy while it is still warm outside, swimming and going to the park almost every day. Bo has been making lots of progress with his company and is staying busy too! He's joined a soccer league but no worries; no major injuries just yet.

That's about all for now! I'll try to put some new pictures up next time. Hope everyone is doing great! We miss ya and love ya!

-Bo, Brooke, and Juliana ("Toaster Queen") Wagner

New pictures

2007-07-22T21:30:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! I wanted to post some pictures of the landscape for those of you who are having a hard time imagining what Montana looks like. It's different but beautiful in it's own way. I also had to include this one of Juliana making "coffee" in my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker. I didn't have the heart to tell her she forgot the coffee grounds! She was occupied for at least 5 minutes so I didn't complain. Hope everyone is doing great! More to come later...

We have arrived!

2007-07-18T13:31:00.000-06:00

Whew! A world without internet is not a fun place to be, let me tell ya! We finally got our internet connection this morning, so we should be up and running with email. Not much else new to post - we're trying to get used to our new surroundings and figure out where the heck the closest mall is (okay, so maybe only Brooke is trying to figure that out). No one has gone into sweet tea withdrawal just yet but sources say there is no sweet tea to be found anywhere west of the Mississippi. We'll keep checking.

We had our first doctor's appointment here for the new baby this morning and got to hear the heartbeat. It was 158, which I'm told means absolutley nothing, but it was good to hear. We'll have an ultrasound on September 20th to determine if Juliana has predicted correctly for a "sissy".

Bo is already making some connections around town and working on getting his company, Vintage 5, off the ground.

I'm looking forward to the fall when the women's Bible studies begin at church. Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea of where we'll be worshipping...there are several churches in town that seem great!

Please call or send money...oops, I mean a letter....anytime! We are really missing NC but hoping to find some roots in MT as well. Until next time....bye, ya'll!

The journey begins

2007-07-10T12:14:00.000-06:00

Bo left Monday night for Montana, complete with a 24 foot Budget truck towing a minivan, and Chad Cozad close behind driving the car (which also happens to have a broken windshield). Oh, the fun! They didn't get as far as they had planned to get last night, due to the fact that they could only go about 25 mph on the mountains of NC with their caravan. The truck was so huge that Juliana looked at it and said "Choo-Choo!". I guess it looked like a very orange train to her little eyes. Juliana and I fly out tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 8:30 am and should arrive in Billings around 12:30 (there's a 2 hour time difference). Let's pray for an empty flight and/or sympathetic passengers! More updates and pictures to come...

This is the great adventure...

2007-07-01T11:08:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone! We thought we would try our best to keep up with this website to keep everyone updated on our progress as we move to Montana. We first and foremost want to thank EVERYONE for the continued love, support, and encouragement we have felt. We truly did not know how blessed we were to have such wonderful friends and church family until this whole journey began. It's hard to believe we won't be around to see the daily ins and outs of life in Concord, and we will miss everyone so much! From the bottom of our hearts, we value each friendship, each relationship, each conversation, and we are thankful for how much we have learned and grown in our time here. We promise to keep this page updated regularly so that you all can see how we're adjusting to life on the ranch...er...in Montana. Love ya'll!

P.S. - The baby is due on January 25th (Lee Z.'s birthday!) so we'll keep you updated on his/her progress! Juliana has already put in a request for a "sissy".