Halloween Fun

Halloween is my favorite time of year. I love the candy, costumes, candy, the pumpkin carving, did I mention the candy? The weekend before Halloween we went to the St.Louis Zoo. They had a fun day called, Boo at the Zoo. The zoo was decorated for Halloween,they had a candy trail, costume parade, and many more activities. Since Isaiah is really too small for candy or crafts, we just went to check it out. I didn't want Isaiah to get his costume all dirty, so we dressed him in his warm pumpkin sweatsuit. I think that he had fun looking around at all of the other kids.

This past week Isaiah learned how to shrug his shoulders, which we think is just the most adorable thing! We caught a few moments of film. He also started puckering his lips, like the famous fish face. I have not been so lucky to catch that on film yet. I'm still trying. He also celebrated his 10 months birthday on Halloween. We got some smiles even though he was sick, again. We had plans to go to a Halloween party on Saturday, but Isaiah had been on Motrin all day, with a runny nose and drool like you wouldn't believe. We are not sure if his teeth are moving, or if he is sick. Either way he was crabby, so we decided not to go and share our germs, just in case. So we got in our costumes and headed to a friends house to say boo, then we hung out at home and passed out candy. You can see who had the most fun with the candy. I think that we have a little sweet toothed man on our hands! They always say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, I guess they are right! A man after my own heart, or sweet tooth!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures of our Halloween fun.

Every Week

Well, my goal was to update this blog every week...where does the time go? I can't even remember all of the things that have happened since my last post, so sorry for the repeats.

Since our last post I celebrated my birthday, and I have realized that after 30, I just want to forget that birthday's exist. So I will celebrate them, but I think that I am going to remain 30 forever. Actually it was a great day. It started too early in my opinion, but I got to spend some one-on-one time with Isaiah while Steve was at church. (yes, we skipped church. Steve had to be there for two services, which is too long for Isaiah to be quite) It made me SO happy to spend the one-on-one time with Isaiah, and it made me realize how much I miss it. As Sunday ended, I was dreading going back to work because it meant that I had to leave Isaiah all day again. I also had the opportunity to watch the Vikings win, and eat some fried chicken at a wonderful restaurant (Hodak's) who gives free birthday meals. All-in-all it was a great day.

On Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch which is the same place we go for our apples. We had fun picking out our pumpkins, even though Isaiah looks less than thrilled in the pictures. Steve bought me a mum for my birthday, since they last longer than flowers. Saturday night we went to an LWML banquet for 4th year students, while Isaiah was at the childcare they provided. After the banquet, Steve and I raced to pick up Isaiah. (Steve won, I had heals on) Little things like this just remind me how lucky I am that Steve loves being a Dad as much as he does. And how lucky Isaiah is to be loved so much that his parents fight over who gets to pick him up.

Later in the week Isaiah got pretty sick, with croup. He had a hard time sleeping since his cough would wake him up. The croup cough went away fast and left a rattle when he breaths. His upper four teeth have also been coming in quicker too. So needless to say we laid low over the weekend.

I think that something must be lacking in Isaiah's diet, because Sunday morning I found out that he likes to eat wood. The rails in his crib in particular. I was especially not happy since this crib turns into a full size bed, which will now forever have teeth marks in it. What a memory!

I hope that you enjoy the pictures of our week and half.

Too much to see

Well, the weeks seem to be flying by, which is both good and bad. Good because it brings us one week closer to the end of our seminary journey, bad because it means Isaiah is one week older and getting bigger. While I enjoy watching his new accomplishments, it makes me sad that he is getting so big. Thankfully he still likes to cuddle.

On Sunday I was boxing up some of his old clothes and he decided to close the box, the right way, and use it to walk around the room. (sorry no picture...I was too slow) He loves to stand, and now uses the couch, coffee table, and anything else he can find to pull up on. Last Saturday I went to scrapbook, so Steve decided to use the pudding in the refrigerator to play with..pictures below. It looks like they had a great time!

Steve and I had our first placement interview on Monday. This interview was to review the paperwork that we had already filled out with information about what geographical location we would prefer, size of city, and so forth. They wanted to meet to get an idea of who we are, and so that we could elaborate more than what is asked on the form that we filled out. It was a nice interview and exciting that the process is starting! We have our second interview on Thursday. The purpose of the second interview is to review and talk about the kind of people that we are, and Steve's ministry style. We'll have to let you know how that one goes!

As for now that is the news from St. Louis. Enjoy the pictures that I FINALLY got around to posting. (I had to bring my camera to work to get to them!)

Feeling the Fall

Ahhh, the crisp smell of the fall, leaves turning colors, and pumpkins galore. The sights, sounds and smells of autumn have hit the St. Louis area. I have yet to get out my fall decorations (gasp), but hopefully they will get out before it's too late.

Our family has been settling into a nice routine these past few days, even though it is a busy one. We have been enjoying our Sundays together watching football. Steve in his NY Giants gear, Calie in MN Vikings apparel, and Isaiah alternates weeks in his Vikings/Giants wear.

The big news this week is that Isaiah turned 9 months old on Wednesday! I can't believe that he has been out in this world the same amount of time he was growing inside of me. He is full out crawling now, and trying his hardest to stand by himself. He enjoys walking with your hands to help, but you can tell he would rather do it himself. He is still full of cuddles which makes me happy, and I hope that he never gets tired of giving them. (or getting them for that matter!)

Steve is still plugging through classes. Calie is still getting up way too early to work. We have managed to squeeze in a date night, spend some time with friends, and scrapbook.

We are looking forward to a great weekend. Be sure to leave us a note....we always like to hear from you!

On The Go

Well, nothing is safe in our house anymore...the little man is officially crawling. He still doesn't do it much, but he can. He will crawl to get items such as Mom and Dad, paper and his nuk. Last night I dropped a piece of bread on the floor, and he quickly crawled over and ate it(pictures coming soon). We have also taken the stationary part off of his car, so now that the wheels are exposed, he can drive anywhere! He just has to figure out how!

Isaiah still likes to stand the best, and is working on pulling up on furniture. He likes to use our hands to pull up to stand, and will stand by himself if you get him to the furniture. He has tried many times to use the coffee table to stand, but it usually results in him getting stuck and hitting his head.

I am glad that he is learning new things, but I wish that I could have frozen him in time two days ago...when he didn't really move! I don't want him to grow up, he is a ball of fun right now. His little personality is shining through, and I love it!

Oh, I almost forgot, he also has four teeth coming in on the top! YIKES! He is such a trooper though, he was only crabby on Sunday afternoon.

Isaiah had his first Seminary babysitters, Joe and Katie Behnke. They are fantastic friends who donate their time to play with Isaiah.



Steve and I are doing just fine. We worked at an auction on Saturday night, saw the hot air balloons light up, and Isaiah and I took a road trip to see my Mom, who was visiting St. Louis on her women's weekend.

I will try to add more pictures when I get home from work.

Look Grandma!

This post is dedicated to my Mom, the dental assistant.

So life has fallen into more of a routine, Steve is back in classes, I'm back at work, and Isaiah is at daycare. We are still learning how to deal with homework and family time, but we will have it mastered in no time!

Classes started, and the report that I get is that they are, "not too bad". The intramural season has started as well, which makes Steve one happy guy. He does not have class on Wednesday's, so he gets to hang out with Isaiah all day.

I am settling into my new job. I can see that it may be hard in the future, because I am part time Youth Ministry secretary, and part time in the National Youth Gathering Office. There aren't any set hours for either, just working on which ever job needs to be done. So ultimately I support our Director and 5 Associate Directors. I also do not fully understand what each of them work on, so it is a lot of learning. I was approved last week to work 6 am - 2:30, so I have been getting a lot less sleep these days, but it is worth it to get home to spend time with my boys.

Isaiah is still fantastic. He is our whole world, and he knows it! Yesterday he figured out how to get onto all fours, in the crawling position, without falling onto his tummy. He screams when he is on his tummy and can't get up. I was making an apple pie on Monday, and he thought that it was super funny when I sliced the apples, so we had some good laughs.

Isaiah is still seeing the chiropractor, which seems to be helping. He is eating a few new fruits and veggies, and really enjoying finger food. He has also learned the Seitzer way of taking care of teeth. My sisters and I have always been taught the value of good oral hygiene, so I am passing my knowledge onto Isaiah. See the pictures below. He really LOVES to brush his teeth, and it seems to be a highlight of his day. He always smiles when I pick up the tooth brush, and proceeds to open wide. I don't even have to ask! He also loves to "brush" his own teeth, and he doesn't even stick the toothbrush in too far! Maybe he will grow up to follow in his grandma's footsteps and become a dentist.

The Grind

Well, since our last post, I have been back in the daily grind of the workforce. I have to say that I have not missed it at all! I sit and stare at my computer screen which houses a large picture of Isaiah, while wishing that I was at home with him. I daily remind myself that I am really lucky to have a job, and I will (hopefully) never live this day in St. Louis again. (Meaning I hope we will be at our first call next year at this time.)

Steve has been Mr. Mom, and a GREAT house husband. He has been busy doing the laundry, washing and putting away dishes, cooking yummy meals, and taking Isaiah on all kinds of outings. Oh and changing all of the poopy diapers with only minimal gagging. He will start school again on Tuesday.

Isaiah is still a fun loving, laid back little man. He is 8 months old already! He has been pulling up on everything and tries to get into the crawling position, but just can't quite get there. He got his first haircut the other day; see pictures below. He was really squirmy, but did a great job. The stylist even put gel in his hair!

As our followers know, Isaiah has had GERD, which is basically acid reflux, since he was born. In other words, he throws up a lot. He was on medicine, but we were not convinced it was working. So based on many recommendations, we decided to take him to a chiropractor who is also a nutritionist. She gave us so much helpful information. She felt his back and found that his body had tension spots in the area of his intestines, stomach, and gallbladder. She also said that she doesn't think that his body is breaking down proteins properly. So she did a little spinal adjustment (a gentle massage), put me on a dairy free diet (ugh, no ice cream), and Isaiah on organic food. He goes in again today for a follow up, and we are hopeful that this will eventually help solve this problem.