The Wagler Family

Oh, Finnean.

2012-02-03T23:33:00.000-06:00

Just a few little things about Finnean...

We often say O my! or Geez Louise! or O-my-lanta! as terms of surprise/excitement. Finnean turned all into one big word, "O-my-geez-o-lanta!" Says it all the time.
He has declared that if something is broken I cannot fix it, "Dad can fix it later."
If something doesn't work, "It needs new batteries, Dad can get those."
He has taken a liking to Guns and Roses, specifically the song "Sweet Child of Mine." I think it is because of the rocking guitars that are in the song. He always says "that is me playing guitar" when I try to sing, he says "No, Daddy sings, you are the shaker." SO I am like the back up dancer girl?!?! What? Where does he get this stuff. Only if a girl is singing, he lets me sing, otherwise it is Daddy. Even Hutchinson gets to be a drummer and I am the "shaker!"

So needless to say we need to be working on that girls can do things that boys can do too! It is weird because in our house, Michael does a lot of things that only "girls" do but I clearly don't fix enough things around here to let him know that. Maybe I will start. :) We just can't get enough of the things he says. We need to have a pen and paper with us all the time to catch everything.

Kiwi

2012-02-03T23:19:00.000-06:00

We have had kiwi before but Finnean must of forgotten, it was a fun little experiment!

This is Hutchinson watching the entertainer (Finnean) from his high post of the high chair! He watches Finnean's every move.

I asked him what he thought it was going to taste like...he had to think about it...

...hmmmm....

This is his face while describing it to me. Love this boy!!
These are the words he used to describe the kiwi, all very accurate I might add:
The outside was brown and a little bit ouchy
It was green, slippery, crunchy, sour, tasty and spicy, but just a little spicy.
We are not sure that he knows what spicy is but you definitely do not want things to be "too spicy"--- he won't eat it if it is :)
I just love his attention to detail and his ability to observe. Today he was messing on the kitchen chair with his feet and it was making a weird noise and he told Michael, "the chair sounds broken, we should fix it!" So now they have a project for this weekend.

Little Photo Shoot

2012-02-03T23:06:00.001-06:00

Checking out the fish and waterfall.

Big bro showing Hutchy how to smile for the camera :)

love, love, love!!

Snuggling with Dad.

Happiness.

Love how this one really shows off his cheeks!!

We are still planning on doing a shoot at home...so more six month pictures to come!

Around the House

2012-02-03T23:05:00.001-06:00

Big bro showing the little bro how to play with the pop up toy.

O MY GOODNESS! When did he turn 6?!?!
He looks so old here and a lot like Adam Wagler in this picture.

I love this boy and his crazy imagination!
He rolled up my yoga mat and said "Look at my hot dog shooter!! Like at the Cubbie Bear games! I can shoot t-shirts too!"
So we spent the next few minutes catching "hotdogs and t-shirts!"

Did you know that washers had transmissions?
We didn't either, until ours went out! So no our house did not flood again but we were without our washer for a week or so. It is running normal again (after the repair guy was here for 7 hours!!) and we are thankful for that!!

Check out his second tooth! It looks so silly with one big one and one tiny one, but who cares with that awesome smile!

I just love this picture.

Something is funny?!

AHHH! Look out Finnean!

Love his open mouthed smile! So does Finnean and boy can he make him smile!!

Finnean thinks it is great when Hutchinson "plays" with him, oh the fun they will have!

Hutchinson's new favorite chew toy-a measuring cup. All thanks to Finnean and his imaginary ice cream shop he set up earlier this week. The cups were the scoops or cones of ice cream and he gave one to Hutchinson, it worked perfect for him!

What else do you use mixer attachments for???
Drumming, of course!!
(They were also a part of the ice cream shop:)

January!?

2012-02-03T22:28:00.000-06:00

We were so lucky to have amazing weather in January-tons of "play outside" weather kind of days, in a sweatshirt! These pictures just didn't get posted but doesn't it look like they had fun!!

Main Streeters

2012-02-03T22:24:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday we attempted to go to the Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant Presentation at the Botanical Center. This was the first year that Michael was in charge of it and we wanted to support him...Hutchinson slept and slept that morning, so we arrived right as it was over. We still got to visit with the MSI team. Hutchinson got some snuggles and Finnean ran around like a crazy man! Then we hit up the Botanical Center to check out all the plants and snap some pictures (more on those later!).

Hutchinson was all snuggles with Jimmy. He kept nuzzling his head into his chest and cracking Jim up. So cute!

Then Hutchinson headed over to Thom and was just as relaxed as could be. Lounged with him for quite some time. We all had to chuckle because Finnean has been afraid of Thom for quite some time :)

Senator Harkin was at the presentation and he was nice enough to chat with us for a few minutes. He loved talking about Finnean and was singing all kinds of Finnean's Rainbow's songs. He raved about Finnean when he met him 3 years ago (for a flashback, look here) and couldn't believe that he had a little brother now!

Hutchinson meets Piper Lee

2012-02-03T22:07:00.000-06:00

Hutchinson getting some guy time with Cory before Piper arrived.

We could have just talked for hours! We all went to high school together and have know each other for years and years it seems. Lots and lots of talk about babies!!

Piper and her Mom and Dad (Laura and Ryan) came to Des Moines and we got to meet her. Little Piper was just a few weeks old! She is so sweet :) Piper was less than impressed with Hutchinson!

Happy Half Birthday, Hutchinson!

2012-01-30T11:55:00.001-06:00

Hutchinson turned six months on the 26th.
Hutchinson is...smiley, funny and happy. He loves to watch his brother do just about anything. He is becoming a pro at sitting up (with a few pillows around him for now) and rolling back and forth. He is becoming a pretty good napper(two 2-hour naps with a little one squeezed in somewhere). Good sleeper at night...not so much. We have been struggling to get him to sleep through the night...hopefully soon! He loves to snuggle and gets excited when you get out books to read. His little arms and legs kick all over, it is pretty sweet. He LOVES to play peek-a-boo and looks for you when you are "hiding." He has moved into his big boy crib in the same room as Finnean. Besides him not sleeping through the night it has not been too terrible. They are both doing pretty good with the transition. Sweet potatoes, apples and bananas are his fav. Carrots and avocado, not so much. He is getting so good at keeping the food IN his mouth and is sure to let you know if you are not spooning it fast enough :) He loves the bath! Loves it even more when Finnean is in the tub too (he is like built in entertainment!). Hutchinson has relaxed in the car seat, thank goodness. He is a pretty easy going guy for the most part. He doesn't mind when new people hold him. He DOES mind when I walk away and forget to tell him where I am going! He seems to be thinning out a bit but isn't losing any of his cute cheeks! He seems long, can't wait to see how much he has grown. His hair is growing in and he is getting a second tooth (on the bottom, in the front) and has to be getting some others. We think that this is the reasoning behind the not sleeping through the night but who really knows!! He likes anything that lights up or makes music and is getting pretty good at drumming along to brother's guitar playing. Hutch has started "talking" more and has perfect timing to answer questions that we ask him :) He went to the YMCA child care (first time at any daycare place) for an hour the other day, Michael couldn't believe it! He has started to refuse the bottle from Michael when I am gone, little turkey. We are still breastfeeding, hoping for 6 more months! When he is tired, under his eyes get red. He has had his first stuffy, yucky nose and we are hoping for that to pass soon! He is wearing size 2 diapers and 6 or 6/9 month clothes. Mainly 3/6 month pants...no booty just like Finnean. Yes, we do call him Hutch but we also call him Hutchinson or Hutchy or Hutchy baby or H or the little one. I get this question more than I could ever imagine. We have stayed close to home this month and have enjoyed that. I can't tell you enough how much Hutchinson loves to play with Finnean and how much Finnean loves to play with him. Finnean has just started to want to hold him, which is always a good laugh. Life is good and it will just keep getting better when we all start getting some sleep!!! We can't believe that Hutchinson has been here for SIX MONTHS!
PS...more pictures to come of his six month photo shoot(s)!

Caught up!!

2012-01-21T01:24:00.000-06:00

Whew...it feels good to be fully up-to-date! As always, keep scrolling and clicking older posts and leave us a comment! I love to hear what you think (well, I think anyway:) and what your favorite pictures are or if one of the pictures reminds you of a story. Tell me about it!

Enjoy,
Courtney

All play and no work.

2012-01-21T01:20:00.000-06:00

Have I mentioned how much I love being able to stay home with these beautiful boys? There are trying days and days that I think I am going out of my mind but most days, most times are fun and full of laughter, learning and being together. I recently read an article (that I will attach) that explains how life as a mom seems to be. It is full of moments, crazy ones and crazy good ones. I am just thankful that I get to be apart of all of them. This is what play looks like at our house, this week anyway.

Little H doing some exploring in the exersaucer. He amazes me how much control he has and how his little face lights up when he makes the music play on it!

Meet Stegosaurus.
Please note his "plates" -Finnean informed me that is what the spikes are call on a stegosaurus.
If you look closely you can see tiny eyes, nose and a mouth. The big ball on the right side is a leg...I guess they have big feet!!

Mr. Shark.

My little sculptor!

He even cleans up after himself....well, kind of!!! He tried!

Hutchinson also found a love of bouncing!! This little contraption lets him bounce up and down, he thinks it is awesome! He really loves when you bounce up and down and make faces at him! Finnean is a pro at this!
Thanks Stephanie for letting us borrow it! Grady and Jace loved to bounce!

Finnean is playing with "cloud dough." It is 4 cups flour and 1/2 cup baby oil. It is still soft but moldable like sand. He played in it for two and half hours. If we would not have made him wash up for dinner, he probably would have still been playing in it!! He raced cars, built a mountain, made a nest...the ideas were endless. He LOVED it and it was so easy!!
(I wish I would of thought of this great idea, but I have Pinterest for that!)

He told me they were getting ready to race!!

What does Hutchy do while brother makes messes? Lounge on the floor, talks to us, smiles and coos, fusses to see what is going on, naps, reads books, plays in the play gym, watches Jerry, snuggles Mom etc. etc. etc.
*****
Check out this boys mouth. You can see the front tooth that has popped through, now look to the left (our left) of it, on the side of his mouth. There is a BIG white thing, trying to pop through and that is what we think is causing us to not get any sleep at night!! Poor little guy and there is another bulge on the other side :(

Here is that article I was telling about...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/glennon-melton/dont-carpe-diem_b_1206346.html

Carter turns SIX!

2012-01-21T00:39:00.000-06:00

Last weekend, Ellie, Carter and Grandma Lisa came up to Des Moines and we got to hang out with them for the afternoon to celebrate cousin Carter turning six!! It is hard to believe he is that old! Happy Birthday, Carter!

Love this one of Grandma and Hutchinson. Especially love H's little belly hanging out.

So serious. I guess you have to be if you wear cardigans :)

LOVE this picture of little H and Grandma.
Doesn't she just look so happy.
I think so :)

We went out to lunch and bowling to celebrate Carter's sixth birthday. Finnean, of course, thought it was a little too loud and a bit scary to bowl. Thankfully he was only scared for one frame and then he couldn't wait for his turn!!

Watch out, Finn! That shark is going to get you :)
Sorry if you don't think my jokes are funny, but I do blog late into the night. Getting a bit sleepy!!

Finnean would carry his ball all the way to the front of the lane. They had little helpers that he could roll it off of. It was pretty awesome! We will definitely be bowling again!

Sculpture Garden...at night!

2012-01-21T00:13:00.000-06:00

Love this picture of Finnean running (can you find him?) and the DM skyline. So pretty and so thankful we live in the metro!

Just a cool picture that Michael took!

Love, Love, LOVE!
This is really what you should do when you are in the Nomad. It is awesome when you are an adult, I can't imagine how cool it is to look up at all the letters a three year old. Thanks, Finnean Wagler, for letting us see the world through your eyes!

Around the house...

2012-01-21T00:02:00.000-06:00

This shows off his cute little tongue sucking that he does. Makes his little lips look so pouty.

I know this picture is so similar but I had to post. We are totally in love. His eyes and cheeks are just perfect!!

He is pretty perfect too. Love that smile, oh and the picture can't even start to capture his personality. Sweet, sassy, lovey and did I mention the sass? :)

Finnean LOVES to play with Hutchinson.

Finnean got a sweet hat from Vicki and Randy for Christmas...perfect for all the cooking/baking he does!

We call this SUPER BABY!!
Finnean loves when I "fly" Hutchinson after his bath.

This is just plain awesome. Finnean likes to get Jerry going (he plays along, against his will really). They run back and forth down the hall, Jerry barking and Finnean laughing hysterically! Hutch just watches them whoosh by!

Love.

We thought Hutchy might be a thumb sucker but turns out he just likes to chew on his thumbs. Feels good on those teeth that are trying to pop through! Man, I wish they would just come on in!! Poor guy:(

First time in the exersaucer! Hutchinson LOVED "working" and had a lot of fun exploring all the new toys. It is nice to have another place to set him down (so he doesn't get run over by the big one)!

Last week we went OUTSIDE! Yes, outside. The weather has been amazing. The boys were wearing sweaters or sweatshirts! 60!!! I just love this one of Hutchinson. He is always craning his neck to see what you are up too!
(Please note the warm weather is gone...it is 9 degrees as I type :)

I know there is a sun spot on this one but I just love his little expression. Sweet, sweet boy.

This is what our house looks like most nights. Usually about half way through dinner Finnean says, "After I eat a good dinner, we should play a game...that be okay?" Well, most night he doesn't eat a good dinner but we do usually play a game. Michael FINALLY won Candyland just the other night. He gets so close to Candy Castle and then somehow always gets sent back to the beginning. Finnean almost always wins-we are just not sure how! He even plays by the rules. The other go-to game at our house, Hi-Ho Cherrio (I always lose, my basket is always spilling!!!). It is so fun that Finnean can play games and it is a great way to spend our evenings. Hutchinson loves to watch and take it in, then gets fussy towards the end, he is just too tired!

Finnean ready to catch a pass!

He looks like he is deep in thought. I wonder what almost 6 month olds think about?
Milk? How much their teeth or almost teeth hurt? What in the heck that small person that is always in my face is up too? What is that furry thing that walks around here? Milk?
What do you think?

O man, winter is finally here...

2012-01-20T23:07:00.000-06:00

...Hutchinson looks none to impressed with the arrival of the chilly temps, but he still looks pretty darn cute!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-20T22:58:00.000-06:00

We rang in the New Year at Kelcee and Matt's. Ashlyn and Adam were visiting and Kelcee's bro and his girlfriend joined as well. The evening was fun and full of laughter. The Murphy's out did themselves with awesome food. They had appetizers come out all night long, chicken wings and Matt's mom's recipes of Gyzo?? (potstickers) that came out around 10 pm...awesome!!! It was a great, low-key evening! We are so thankful that our friends love our boys, so they could join too!

Ashlyn and Adam were visiting from Madison and got in some snuggles from little Hutchinson!

We spent most of the evening playing Celebrity, you must check it out! So fun!! It worked perfect because Finnean thought he was playing too!

Then Finnean "Just Danced" a bit before heading up to bed! YES! He went to sleep at the Murphy's, there were a few requests but he did!

Then, about five minutes before midnight, Finnean started screaming...so he rang in the New Year with us!! This is the ball dropping, he thought it was funny!

As you can see, he was very tired but still pretty cute! Thankfully he went back to sleep when we got home and so did Hutch!

Football...

2012-01-20T21:35:00.000-06:00

...the boy loves football.
At this point in the day, he had fashioned the Halloween bucket into a helmet, had a coozie as a tee and was kicking field goals!!

Finnean goes ice skating!!

2012-01-20T21:31:00.000-06:00

We took advantage of one of the warm winter days earlier in January and took Finnean ice skating for the first time. He was a little worried at first and then got the hang of it! Abby and Cory were so nice and snuggled Hutchy up for us! We ended our Finnean date with a trip to The Waveland Cafe (you must go there!!) for...pancakes. We all ordered pancakes and man were they tasty!! What else would you eat with on a date with a three year old!!

All smiles because didn't even fall down!

After Finnean got the hang of it, the boys would go around, come and sit down then Finnean would say. "Let's go again!!"

Michael and Finnean developed their own style. Kind of looks like two person speed skating!
Michael's back was killing him but Finnean was happy! He would do anything for that little boy!

Getting ready to go on the ice for the first time ever!!!

Ice dancing with Mom.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-15T22:03:00.001-06:00

We headed to Bloomfield for a few days to celebrate Christmas with our families. We hung out at Grandma and Poppa's, visited with Jeff and played at Grandpa Stevie's. It was a good trip without any memorable hiccups! We had a great time playing games, eating and visiting. Boy were we tired when we got home! Santa even found the boys at our house! Finnean thought it was pretty awesome to get a stocking filled here too!!

Finnean is ready to head to Bloomfield!
He loves to read and wanted to read The Polar Express on the way home.
Doesn't he look old?!

Carter is learning to read...so he thought he would share a story with Grandma, Hutchy and Finnean.

Jerry dog!

Aunt Ellie loves to snuggle with Hutchinson :)

HA! Love this picture of Finnean, silly boy!

Hutchinson, o how we love you!

We headed out to Grandpa Stevie's and of course he got Finnean a super cool race track!! It even "whoop-d-whoops!" Finnean loves playing with Grandpa Stevie! He also got Finnean a Spiderman fishing pole. Finnean can't WAIT to go fishing this Spring!

Hutchinson getting some snuggles with Daddy.

Love him in this sweater. Sweet, sleepy boy.

Hutchinson loves snuggling with his Grandma Lisa! They were trying out her new rocking chair!

Adam and Maddy brought fun reindeer ears...of course Hutchy had to try them on :)

Hutchinson looking big after Christmas Eve service. He did great and only made one little peep. Finnean also did great and sat by Maddy and Adam. He looked SO old sitting with them and even ~~walked~~ ran all the way back to Grandma and Poppa's house!

Boys with aunts.

Waglers-2011
Seriously, Finnean. Love that silly face!

Hmmmm....I wonder where he gets it????

I loved how his Christmas outfit made him look so round and rolly. Sweet, little man!

Giving Aunt Maddy some giggles :)

Snacks!!!!!
Grandma makes some yummy treats for us to enjoy. There was a lot of laughing, snacking and game playing!

Christmas jammies!! Finnean got a matching pair!

Each Christmas Eve we open a few presents. The boys always open one that "happens" to have PJs in it :)
Richard got something that had A LOT of bubble wrap which meant instant fun!! Looks like Finnean is attacking Carter with it...that couldn't be, right?

Obviously, writing Santa a note is very serious work!! After this, Finnean, Michael and Carter went outside to put the reindeer food out for the visitors that would be coming that night! It was great because the recipe for the reindeer food tells you all the things to do and then the last thing says "Come inside and go straight to bed!" Finnean walked in the door from outside and said...I am going to straight to bed and headed upstairs! Hopefully it is always that easy to get him to go to sleep on Christmas Eve!

Santa came!!! This is Finnean checking the tag to see who it was for!

Love, love, love this picture of my boys.
Finnean was so excited to see what Santa brought Hutchinson!
(Sophie the Giraffe)

What is it?!?!

Santa brought Finnean his very own guitar!! Just like Daddy's. He was so excited and loves to play with Michael. Christmas day he just sat around strumming, so serious.

Hutch: Carter, did you know that you have something funny on your head??

Aunt Vicki and Uncle Randy sent this adorable hat for Hutchinson! Doesn't he look sweet?!

Finnean LOVES his camera that Aunt Ellie and Carter got for him! He takes pictures ALL the time!

Hutchinson's first bite of fruit, bananas!

Adam and Maddy

Getting a few snuggles in from Hutchinson on Christmas night.

Pretty sure that this picture sums it up. We were all exhausted!!!!

o hutch.

2012-01-14T23:34:00.000-06:00

july, september, august

october, november, december

So close...

2012-01-14T23:07:00.001-06:00

Hi family and friends! December is almost up-to-date, only Christmas left to blog about. Hope you enjoy the adventures from December and if you haven't been here in a while...keep scrolling and clicking Older Posts! We hope you are staying warm, it finally (and unfortunately) feels like winter here in Iowa!

Enjoy!

Finnean's THIRD Birthday Festivities!

2012-01-14T23:00:00.000-06:00

Finnean loves peanut butter pancakes! He started off his third year with a number 3 pancake!

Then we picked up Grady and headed to Pump It Up (crazy awesome bounce house place) and ran the boys for a solid hour and a half. They jumped and jumped and jumped some more!

Then they shot some bounce house baskets!

Little boys love McDonalds, so we headed there for lunch. If you remember celebrating Grady's birthday, I could not get a picture of them both looking "normal" that day either! They had so much fun!

That afternoon we made Finnean's birthday party treats. He loves to bake, we had a great time together.

The next day we had a party at Pizza Ranch and went with the cowboy theme. All of Finnean's family and friends gathered to celebrate our little man. It is so fun to have everyone together!! We asked everyone to dress up in their cowboy gear. Everyone seemed to have a great time and it was so fun to watch Finnean with all of his little friends when he was opening his presents! We had 11 boys under the age of 6...whew!!! That is a lot of boys!

Best. Dressed.
Matt, Matthew (Kelcee's bro) and Kelcee had great outfits. Matthew dressed up special just for Finnean. Every cowboy birthday needs a real cowboy at it!

Yummy treats!

Each year we have all of Finnean's guests write him a little note in a new book, then we he is old he will have his very own birthday collection!

Cowboy Matthew and the littlest cowboy, Hutchinson.

Coen absolutely rocked the mustaches!

Finnean shouting out his thanks! He is one lucky little boy! He went home with all kinds of loot! Race tracks, cars, pillow pet, clothes, books, art supplies, play-doh and much more!

Enjoying his frosting.
This happens to be the frosting that we are pretty sure made him throw up all night. He wouldn't eat ANYTHING at the party (which is not abnormal for him) but when the only thing you do it is sugary frosting, your belly doesn't feel good. Oh, what a way to end the day!! Thankfully Michael is AMAZING and coached him through the adventure!

More presents!

Little cowboy getting some snuggles from Grandma Lisa!

Blowing out ALL three candles! He did a great job.

The Waglers and Grandpa Stevie

Love getting some snuggles from Hutchy!

Go Cyclones!!

2012-01-14T21:58:00.000-06:00

Love that smile!

Uncle Trav got us cheap tickets to the game! It was a fun "just Finnean" adventure!

Getting some love from my little Cyclone fan!

Ha! Finnean and his hate for loud places. We forgot his headphones so he spent a lot of the time with his hands over his ears OR with his hood up (that seemed to help the noise!) If he wasn't covering his ears, he was cheering and clapping or looking for Cy!!

Gingerbread Town!

2012-01-14T21:41:00.000-06:00

Finnean working hard to hold up the walls as Michael got them ready to go! Or he was whining, that is always possible :)

My guess is he was whining, look at the look Michael is giving him! We work hard each and everyday to leave our whiny voice downstairs but it seems to sneak up here all the time!!!

Ahhhh, a happy Finnean! He LOVED the way it smelled.

So proud of the village that him and Michael put together.

Decorating is some serious business!!!

All done!! He managed to not eat very many of the decoration either!!! We had a great time hanging out together and making a little bit of a mess! The gingerbread made our house smell good for the next few weeks!

Hutchinson's first bite! {12.13.11}

2012-01-14T21:29:00.000-06:00

He looks so excited!

Oooooh! The anticipation...

Eh, he was luke warm about the whole rice cereal thing. :)
Once we added a little fruit to it, he has been all about it!

December!

2012-01-14T21:21:00.000-06:00

Hutchy doing his "exercises" in his high arm. Of course he is wearing reindeer ears...it is DECEMBER!
(Hutch pumps his little leg up and down in the high chair for a work out :)

SURPRISE!

Finnean helped Daddy put out the outside Christmas trees and then came in for some hot cocoa to warm up with. He really only ate the marshmallows, can't blame him, that is my favorite part too!

Hutchinson is really starting to look like a real boy! His smile is just plain awesome!

He is also getting so long!! Growing so big!

Hutchinson loves snuggling with Daddy when he gets home from work!

We love this look! If he is laying on the floor or on your belly he will crane his neck to see what you are up too!

We watched Grady and Jace for a couple hours and the boys had SO much fun playing downstairs. Most of the night was spent in the tent (behind Finnean) hiding from us and then jumping out as fast as they could! Their giggles were so fun to listen too!

The boys had their ISU gear on to cheer on the Cyclones in the bowl game, unfortunately there cuteness didn't help the Cyclones win!

Doesn't he just look like a little heart breaker?

Dad and Hutchy relaxing watching the big boys play.

Things I want to remember...

2012-01-10T17:09:00.000-06:00

Finnean told me this morning at breakfast..."Me and Hutch love you!" Seriously.
Hutchinson rubs his eyes when he is tired, Finnean used to play with his hair and still does.
Hutchinson sucks on his tongue and makes this ridiculously cute face when he is doing it!
Finnean is emotional. Some days it is very trying, but I am glad that he feels like he can express himself.
Hutchinson can roll over and now that he can he doesn't want a thing to do with tummy time. He may never crawl!
Apples and bananas are yummy. Carrots are not (if you are 5 months old, anyway!)
Finnean and I were watching a show called Word World yesterday. They spell out letters and then the word turns into the object. The were spelling GUITAR and then before it turned into a guitar, Finnean says..."GUITAR!" Then they did it with drum and he says "DRUM!" He blew my mind, I have know idea how he knew what they were spelling.
It has been so nice this January. Like play outside in a sweatshirt nice. It is crazy.
Finnean rocks library time. He used to just watch everything and soak it up. Now he sings the songs and answers the questions that the library lady asks, dances along. It is so fun to watch! Hutchinson digs it.

These are just a few things that have been going on in our house that I want to make sure I don't forget, ever.

November Catch Up!

2012-01-03T22:11:00.000-06:00

I am finally getting back to the blog! I hate not having it up to date, so today I conquered November. Keep scrolling to find out what were up :) Come back soon...I plan to get December done this week!! Be sure to click older posts at the bottom for Hutchinson's five month update!

Finnean Michael Wagler-3 year photo shoot

2012-01-03T21:43:00.000-06:00

We took Finnean's pictures over Thanksgiving weekend in Bloomfield. It was a beautiful, warm and sunny day. Perfect day to capture our big man and all of his smiles!

So happy!

Love this one of Finnean and Jerry. It is weird how Finnean can look so young in this picture and then in another look so old!

This is one of my favorites from the day. Love the colors and his look.

Sweet boy!

This one is perfect for his cowboy birthday party!! He did this on his own, silly boy!

He looks so old in this one!

Those dimples!

O Christmas Tree!

2012-01-03T21:25:00.000-06:00

This is Finnean using his "binoculars" to make sure that Michael is putting the star on straight!!

HA! I love this picture. Very telling of the end of our decorating night. Finnean was a bit grumpy and I love Michael's look. Hutch is even saying "what's his issue?"

My sweet Hutchinson.

Finnean the happy reindeer!!

Family photo minus Hutchinson :)

LOVE this one of the boys. Finnean was so excited to help put the star on top!

The Wagler's 2011
(It is hard to believe that just one year ago little Hutch was a TINY peanut in my belly...so weird!)

Sweet boys.

The Mineart's visit Iowa!

2012-01-03T16:40:00.000-06:00

Eric (blue shirt) is a friend of Michael's from Savannah. He has some family that live in Iowa and we were so excited to get to see them while they were here. Scott (red shirt) is Eric's brother and him and his wife just had a baby a month after we had Hutchy. It was fun to see them and their growing family. I love this picture of all the Dad's reading to the little boys!
(Scott, Lucas, Eric, Taylor, Finnean, Michael and Hutchy) Taylor is getting a little sister here anytime now :)

Family.

2012-01-03T16:35:00.000-06:00

I am blessed to say that this is my little family.
Love these boys!

Finnean in November!

2012-01-03T16:31:00.000-06:00

Check out Finnean's awesome cutting skills! He cut up this strawberry all by himself! He loves to chop and dice. Don't worry, he doesn't have a sharp knife, it is amazing what you can cut with a kid's butter knife! It is just his size!

Practice shot for our Christmas card photo shoot...just too sweet to delete!

I have been obsessed with his profile since the day he was born. Can you see why!? It is just so sweet!

He has so many different expressions. He is just so full of life!

Hutchinson in November!

2012-01-03T16:24:00.000-06:00

All of these were taking in the month of November. I just love how he is starting to get different expressions and just getting so big!

Lego world!

2012-01-03T16:14:00.000-06:00

Everytime we go to Bloomfield, Grandma and Poppa have a whole room that has been taken over by Legos, the boys get to building "the whole world!" This was taken over Thanksgiving and somehow this is the only picture from that weekend!?!?

Boys, boys, Wagler Boys.

2012-01-03T16:09:00.000-06:00

Patty caking with Hutchy.

The play gym was built for one but I always find TWO little Waglers under it :)

Snuggling up Mom.

One of my FAVORITE pictures of these boys! Love how Finnean has his arm around Hutchinson and that smile, it is just awesome.

First Snow 2011 (I think...)

2012-01-03T16:01:00.000-06:00

I am pretty sure that November 9th was our first snow. Anyway, Finnean loved it weather it was the first or not! He really wanted to go outside and play in it! It was nice so we could take Hutchy out with us!

Thumbs up for snow!

Love his dimples!

This is the best picture of Hutchy I got from that day! His little hat reminds me of Where's Waldo!

Finnean playing away, as H and I watch :)

Grady turns Three!

2012-01-03T15:50:00.000-06:00

On November 7th, Grady (Finnean's Favorite Friend) turned three! It has been so fun watching him grow and being apart of his first three years.

We started off at the Windsor Heights Fire Station. The fire fighters are so nice and the boys had so much fun! Hudson (the blondie) is one of Finnean's other good friends!

Then we headed to McDonald's (Grady's fav lunch spot!) for a little lunch. It is a tough challenge to get both boys to smile at the same time :)

Hutchy looks so little!

On the Sunday after Grady's birthday we headed to the McDonald's play place for his birthday party! All of the boys had a great time running and playing!

All the ladies!

Grady had a dinosaur party! Check out these adorable hats that Stephanie made!

Hutchy and Daddy getting a little snuggle time in. Geez, those cheeks are so big!!

Finnean, the ALMOST three year old!

Hutch, the dino!

Bloomfield trip

2012-01-03T15:02:00.000-06:00

At the beginning of November, we went back to Bloomfield while Michael got us moved back to our house from the Clubhouse. It was nice to go home to a put back together house! Thank you Michael Wagler!!!

Hutchy getting some of his many snuggles from Grandma Lisa. He loves snuggling with her and LOVES to fall asleep on her should. She has the touch!

Lego time with Adam, Maddy, Hutchy, Carter and Finnean

Hanging with Uncle Adam

Finnean and his family checking out pictures of his Daddy's past. It is amazing how much he looks like his Daddy!!

The little owl.

2012-01-03T14:53:00.000-06:00

So I could post 50 pictures of Hutchinson as an owl but I won't. I can't get over how stinkin' cute he was!!! Love this little owl-perfect 1st Halloweeen!

Hutchy is FIVE MONTHS...what?!

2012-01-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Hutchinson turned five months old the day after Christmas. It is absolutely amazing how fast the past five months have gone. Okay, the first 6-8 weeks took a while due to all the screaming but after that it has just been flying!! Hutch continues to steal our hearts and has turned into quite the little person. He has an awesome laugh. If you can get him to do it, it is just one of the best parts of my day. He made the most of his last few days as a four month old. He threw up for the first time (awesome, huh?) We thought he might have had a virus but turns out he was getting a TOOTH! Sweet boy, we didn't even know it and we found it on the 23rd, already popped through. He had is first Christmas (more on that later), tried his first fruit (bananas) and LOVED them and has become a rolling machine. He goes from belly to back like a pro and really has no interest of being on his belly at all! He is soooo close to going from back to belly, soon enough he will just be rolling where ever he wants to go! He can scoot himself in a circle and really moves when he is on the floor. He loves watching Finnean play and you can really tell he is excited to play Legos with Dad and Finnean. Hutchinson LOVES his big bro. He gladly accepts all of the too close conversations that Finnean has with him and watches his every move. They melt my heart when they "talk" to each other and when Finnean makes Hutchy smile. Hutch always smiles when you fake sneeze and that is how I get him to smile for the camera most times, it is ridiculously cute. He has decided that he really isn't a fan of his car seat. That makes going places interesting but we are managing! He has tried apples and bananas, both of which is loves and is getting much better at keeping the food IN his mouth. Hutchinson also has found out that toys are fun! He loves to pat and bang on them while they make music. He favorite thing to do right now is chew on his new toy, Sophie the Giraffe (best teether ever)! Napping is going well (most of the time anyway, when Hutch doesn't talk his Daddy into holding him for a snooze!!) We are loving life and just trying to enjoy each moment with these two sweet boys!

Hutchinson Reyes Wagler is FOUR months old!

2011-12-15T09:39:00.000-06:00

Oh sweet Hutchinson. He is wrapped around my finger. He has these mysterious eyes. We are all so in love. He is active. He loves floor time. When he gets excited his whole body moves! He is still looking like his Momma for the most part. Hutch is 14.8 pounds and is 55-60% in weight. He is now 25 1/2 inches long and is also 55-60% in height. He seems really long and his is pretty round. His cheeks are awesome. He is trying SO hard to roll over and has only made it happen once, on Thanksgiving. He is starting to grow back some of his hair. Hutchinson loves to laugh with Daddy and talk to Finnean. Hutchinson likes to watch everything that is going on and then tell you about it in squeals and coos. He is very observant. He is becoming a pro at putting things in his mouth. He had rice cereal for the first time this week (more on that later). He is a really good baby. Hutchinson loves to be snuggled and to cuddle in your arms. He is getting way better at taking naps in his pack and play. He is still sleeping upstairs, but in the living room (makes for a tight fit with the Christmas tree!!) Most nights he sleeps til 5 or 6 but a few nights he has been up a couple times. Someday he will sleep through the night, consistently! He is getting to a really fun age, loves to interact with you and is just so smiley!! Hutchinson is just a happy little guy and we can't get enough of him.

Finnean Michael Wagler is THREE years old!

2011-12-15T09:25:00.005-06:00

WOW! We have a three year old. #1 it is awesome. He is awesome. #2 It makes me feel kind of old. I don't worry about my age ever, but Finnean turning three made me feel old! Okay, where to start. Finnean is so funny. He is particular. He is creative. He loves to make Hutchinson laugh and is quite possibly the sweetest big brother. He love to draw and can write the first two letters in his name. He can identify all of his letters and many times tell you what letter a word starts with if you say one to him. Playdough is awesome to him. He loves music. He wants to play the guitar in a band. The kid loves to bake and cook. He asks me everyday if we can bake something. If I say no, he says "Why not? Just get a recipe out!" He is a talker. He is not a very good eater. He has tantrums, knock down drag out tantrums. Thankfully not very often. He loves Sunday School. He is skinny. He grew 4 inches in the past year. Currently he is weighing in at 26.6 pounds and is in the 10-15% for weight. He is 37 1/2 inches tall and is 50% in height. He is so old that he got his blood pressure taken at his check up! We work everyday on being polite and respectful. He loves his friends but doesn't always enjoy sharing with them. He is emotional and maybe a bit dramatic! He loves football and sports in general. He loves his family and is the best at reminding us to do a "family hug!" Family hug involves everyone getting together for a big squeeze. He loves to read and is getting better at sleeping through the night (after potty training, it has been a struggle). He is completely potty trained. He wears 24 months and 2T pants and 2T and 3T shirts. He loves his Cyclone hat and we don't go anywhere without it. He loves stripe blanket still and now has a pillow pet that he must sleep with. He still listens to sleepy music. Finnean has these killer eyelashes and an amazing smile. He cracks us up and comes up with the funniest things to say. He loves to go on adventures and sometimes hates going to bed. All around we feel so lucky to have such an energetic, fun and healthy three year old! We can't believe that he is THREE!!!

We are still here!

2011-11-22T14:47:00.001-06:00

We are back in the house! Then our computer's motherboard went out. That is never a good thing. Hope you all have a happy thanksgiving and hope to have an update soon!!!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T01:07:00.000-05:00

In the Des Moines area we have Beggar's Night, which we learned was put into place to keep kids safe when Halloween started having a lot of vandalism years back in the area, so we dressed up the boys and headed out for a fun filled day! We started by hitting up the Pumpkin Parade in Valley Junction. Finnean wasn't quite sure what to do, he thought as soon as you got a piece of candy you were supposed to eat it! Hutchinson just relaxed and enjoyed the ride and the view of all the people dressed up as he was "perched" on Michael's arm. Then we hit up the Murphy's and the Darrington's for a little trick or treat action. We finally ate some actual food before "Trunk or Treating" with the Blanchard's at a local church. It was a sunny day but the wind kept it chilly. It really felt like fall, like it should on Halloween. As you can see Finnean was a fire man. He picked it out himself and thought he looked pretty cool! As soon as he put it on, he said-"I want to look in the mirror!' He had the biggest smile when he checked himself out! Little Hutchinson was dressed as the sweetest little owlet!! Kelcee got him the little hat and I made the little feather onesie! A lot of cutting and a whole tub of fabric glue later...he had the sweetest costume. I found the little booties at the Gap and of course he needed little tights for the skinny owl legs! I okay'd the tights with Michael and he said only for a costume can I put our children in tights. I agreed that is probably a pretty good policy! The way the feathers got ruffled from all of his snuggling and carseat riding really made him look like a baby owl. Our sassy fireman (I say sassy because lack of sleep and a need for sugar-make an interesting combination) and little owl were so fun to be with today.

three whole months...

2011-10-31T00:51:00.001-05:00

WOW! 3 months!

2011-10-27T19:34:00.000-05:00

We cannot believe that our little Hutchinson is THREE months old! He continues to steal our hearts. He has started cooing and ahhing and we have had the start of a giggle! It is about the sweetest thing ever. He is a good sleeper at night and has slept through the night a couple of time. Naps are hit and miss but I will take nighttime sleep anytime. He still loves his play gym and is a champ at sitting up in your arms. His head control is awesome. He looks so old sitting up! He is such a good smiler and just melts my heart. He is wearing 1-2 diapers and will move to size 2 here shortly. He is offically wearing 3 month cloths and does wear some 3-6 month stuff. It is so sad to be packing up the newborn stuff :( I am thinking consignment shop, here we come! Hutchinson loves to watch Finnean do just about anything and Finnean still loves him lots. It is finally starting to feel like it is normal to have two children....thank goodness! Hutchinson hasn't had his "offical" 3 month photo shoot yet...I am waiting until he is in his little owl costume. Here are a few pictures from the last couple days...

Seriously...have you ever seen anything so cute!?!?
Thanks Uncle Kevin and Aunt Nancy (my aunt and uncle) for this awesome hat!

Oh! I forgot to mention he is trying his darnest to be a thumb sucker. He is so silly because he has been fighting himself to get his thumb in his mouth when his paci is in but the thumb doesn't satisfy him as well as the paci. He is a torn little boy :)

Love that warm weather...

2011-10-27T19:08:00.001-05:00

It was beautiful here earlier this week (77 degrees for late October-we will take it!) so we hit up the park to get out of the Clubhouse. Finnean LOVED it!

Running just as fast as you can...

Love his little face!!

FREEZE!

He loves to pose :)

A little Finnean update...he has turned into a wild man. He loves to run. He really loves to talk. I am pretty sure there is some sort of word limit that he has to get to each hour. He says the funniest things. For example: "that is pretty darn cool" (chalk that one up to Michael) and "Awww Bam!" that is an expression of awesomeness. For example, we were at Scheels today and they have a bunch of Iowa State helmets. He walks by, looks at it and says "Awww Bam!" They were pretty cool! I am sure there are many other cute Finnean-ism, I just can't think of them now. I will try to keep you up on the new lingo we have going on here. Other than that, he is really into matchbox cars and anything with wheels really. He likes a lot of buildings and wants to know what every building is. He loves "church school." He has also been telling people that he is going to preschool. He says he likes his teacher and if we ask him where he learned something he says "at preschool." We have know idea where this imaginary preschool is but when he actually goes, I hope he likes it has much as he likes made up preschool :) He loves to read and memorizes books like crazy. He loves talking to Hutch and is always saying "he is getting bigger" and "he's so cute!" Finnean is full of energy and we spend a lot of that energy working on being polite and respectful, which I am pretty sure he is actually starting to figure out what that means :) He can draw an AWESOME person (will post a picture soon)! He keeps me on my toes but I wouldn't have it any other way. We are having so much fun being together!

Jace turns ONE!

2011-10-27T14:09:00.011-05:00

Family photo.
I love Hutchinson's eyes in this one :)

The almost 3 year olds know how to get dirty! They LOVED playing in the sand!

Hutchinson getting some snuggles from Miss Kelcee.

I LOVE this one of Jace. His little belly almost prevented him from getting after his cake!

Finnean the Grumps

Mr. H getting some love from the Murphys!

The birthday crew from left to right
The Folkarts-Dana, Tonya, Drew, Coen, Beckett
The Blanchards-Ben, Stephanie, Grady, Jace
The Kenhoulds-Jesse, Jen, Easton
The Waglers-Michael, Courtney, Finnean, Hutchinson
The Murphys-Kelcee, Matt

Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-27T13:32:00.000-05:00

Due to being at the Clubhouse for Halloween this year we decided to paint our pumpkins instead! Finnean picked our pumpkins out this year. He picked a gourd for himself because it is a "crazy pumpkin" (very fitting because he is CRAZY these days!) and a tiny one for Hutchinson because he is little. He picked a round one for Michael and a short, round one for me...hope that he doesn't see those qualities in us and that is why he picked them :) We had a lot of fun painting away (thanks Tonya for the awesome paint supplies!!)

Getting ready and all clean!

Hard at work.

Giving Dad some ideas of what to put on his pumpkin. Michael had creative block on this date, but his pumpkin did turn out pretty cute!

Happy as a clam.

A little big more messy!

I think Michael used Finnean as a model for his pumpkin design!!

Finished product!
Mommy's, Daddy's and Finnean decorated the last three :)

Hutch was in on all of this but didn't get quite as messy as the rest of us!

Sweet, sweet boys!

2011-10-23T23:10:00.002-05:00

CLUBHOUSE!

2011-10-23T22:03:00.000-05:00

Rough shot of what the kitchen and living area looks like. Think two bedroom apartment with tiny appliances and no food in the cupboards. Okay-we have food but no spices or stuff you actually need :) Thanks to all of our friends who have kept us fed with awesome meals!!! You are all amazing!

Looking back at the kitchen and in the living area. You can see the halls to the rooms and you can see the blur of Finnean too!

Jerry's house that he is none to thrilled about!

Grady and Finnean chilling at the Clubhouse!

Hutchinson doesn't seem to mind the Clubhouse at all. He sleeps well and I am doing okay without my rocking chair. I didn't realize how dependent I was on that thing!

Finnean loves his little brother! It is so fun to listen to them talk to each other. It is amazing how much Hutch watches Finnean's every move and how Finnean can really imitate the noises Hutchinson makes.

Best napping spot in the house.

Just relaxing at the Clubhouse.

No word on when we will be out of the Clubhouse, so until then we are just trying to enjoy our time here and be grateful that we have a place to sleep!

Wagler Boys!

2011-10-23T20:05:00.000-05:00

Do you think they are related?!
We can't wait to see if Hutchinson looks like the rest of them!

Hutchinson's Baptism

2011-10-23T15:12:00.000-05:00

On October 16th, Hutchinson was baptized at our church. It was a beautiful day celebrated with many of our family and friends. For some reason as I went to post about it, I realized that we did not get a good picture of just Mr. Hutchinson on this special day.

Thanks Adam for getting a good picture of us! We often only have pictures of the cute little boys :)

Abby, Cory and Little Hutchinson

Kelcee, Matt and Hutchinson

We have always said that we have amazing friends. We asked that the Murphy's and the Darrington's be sponsors in our boys' lives to help us raise them in a Christian way and to be a support to our family. They all agreed and we were thrilled to have them be apart of this special day.

Bloomfield Retreat

2011-10-23T14:41:00.000-05:00

After our little flood we headed to Bloomfield because we didn't know that we were going to be put up in the "Clubhouse" by our insurance. We took advantage of the trip to hang out with Grandma and Poppa and to hit up a pumpkin patch.

Finnean loves looking out the window with his "mon-oculars." He went crazy for all the animals, barns and buggys that we saw on the way to the pumpkin patch!

"A green John Deere tractor!"

Sweet cheeked little pumpkin head!!

Bucking Bronco

Carter has been begging us to hold Hutchinson since the day he was born. He finally got his wish! He did a great job and Hutchinson LOVES to talk and smile at him!

Finnean looking old and burning off some energy at Grandma and Poppa's.

2011-10-23T14:26:00.002-05:00

Love the expressions of these boys...

Oh the adventures you will go on...

2011-10-16T08:06:00.000-05:00

It has been a crazy few days here in the life of the Waglers...I will fill you in!

Wednesday morning Finnean and I noticed some water on the kitchen floor. I went over to check where it was coming from (as it is not unlikely that something spilled!) and couldn't find a source. Then I stepped closer to our washer (which is on our main living floor) and my foot squished into a whole lot more water. I start to panic and open the laundry room doors, water everywhere. Go into the bathroom, water everywhere. I call Michael freaking out about there being water EVERYWHERE! He didn't believe me as he has just talked to me about 15 minutes before and there was no mention of water being EVERYWHERE!!! I went into our bedroom, more water. It sounded like it was gushing through our return air intake. Went downstairs, light fixture filling up with water and dripping on the carpet. Boys bathroom, water. Boys door jam, dripping water. It was everywhere. I could tell that the washer was full of water but could it really make EVERYTHING wet??

Yes, we found out indeed a washer can ruin a great deal of stuff in your house. We first thought, we will just borrow a wet vac and get some fans, it will be fine. Nope. That is not the case. Michael called ServPro (they have been amazing!) and they came out to check it out for us. The last thing we need is to have mold in our house if we tried to just do it ourselves. So Brian took out his little Ghostbusters looking meter and showed us that there is water everywhere. The flooring, the ceilings of the lower level, the garage, the boys' room. Sub-floor, kitchen cabinets, carpets, linoleum....all possibly will have to be replaced. Okay-great. So our house is going to be under construction. Nope. He tells me we will have to move out for 3-5 weeks to dry it out, demo it and then rebuild what needs to be. WHAT!?! So we spent the next 6 hours packing everything we thought we might need for two little boys and ourselves for our extended...vacation!!!

Thankfully we have amazing friends and family. Stephanie brought us supper, Keith and Jessica (Miss Kendall's mom and dad) took the boys and Kelcee came to help pack. The Matt and Kelcee put us up for the night (and cooked us an AMAZING breakfast the next morning) and then we headed to Bloomfield on Thursday. Grandma and Poppa so graciously opened up their house to our craziness. Michael has spent much of the last few days on the phone with the insurance people, the contractor, housing people, ServPro. He has been amazing at coordinating everything not to mention all the times he has moved our stuff around.

The good news is that we are officially in our "new home." The housing people found us a long-stay suite at a hotel. It has two bedrooms. Finnean got to pick out his room last night and put all of his toys in here. He thought that was pretty cool. He finally went to sleep last night about 1015 after he continuously said, "I am not going to sleep!" We have a little living area with a kitchen table and a little kitchen. It has miniature appliances, they are kind of cute! Thankfully the kitchen has some basic dishes. There is also a bathroom. One of the perks...complimentary breakfast! We are also on the first floor, close to an exit for the little Jerry dog. If anyone wants a mini-schnauzer for the next 3-5 weeks...call me! I will get some pictures posted soon of our "new house." We are trying to get Finnean to name it so he knows that it is not our real house but a safe place that we will be staying at for the next few weeks. He keeps saying..."this is our new house??" He is quite confused but also has been saying that he "doesn't want to go back to Ankeny." He definitely knows there was water in our house and when he left it was in quite disarray. I just want it to be put back together before he goes back there. Hopefully...soon!

Michael meets with the contractor tomorrow to find out what they will be doing and how long it will really take. We are hopeful but trying not to get our hopes up by any means. We will keep you posted of our adventures.

Keys to Sleep!

2011-10-10T08:28:00.000-05:00

I am sure that I have mentioned that Finnean can be quite particular. I thought I would share how that plays into nap and bedtime routine. The following items are needed for good sleep at our house or any where for that matter! Also, for some reason Finnean has always been requesting a drink of water and a kleenex that he pretends to blow his nose in before nap/bed!

1. Sleepy socks.
You must have "sleepy socks." The crazier the better. These are a recent purchase and Finnean loves them. He is rocking the pink and the purple pairs as well (they may or may not be little girls socks...BUT they are FUNKY!)

2. Stripe Blanket
You must have stripe blanket to snuggle with. He got this comfy blanket when he was born!

3. Sleepy music
AKA Jack Johnson. Finnean has listened to him since he was about 3 days old and now Hutchinson is on the sleepy music wagon. Oddly enough, we recently hooked up sleepy music by Hutch and the last two nights he has slept form 10p-6am!! Maybe it really is sleepy music!

We love Ames!

2011-10-10T07:24:00.000-05:00

My pictures got a little out of order on this one...blogger (that being me) error!!

Pondering the moment?

Iowa State has these great solar powered trash compactors and Cy says to "Live Green" on them...Finnean thought that was awesome...because Cy was everywhere!!

We found out the hard way that pine cones are super sticky!! YUCK!

"Dad! Wait up!!"

We finished the night up by heading to Hickory Park for some yummy food and excellent ice cream (you have to get ice cream when you go!) with Uncle Trav. Finnean loves hanging out with him and we had a great dinner!

On Friday we headed up to Ames to check out the campus (best time of the year to go) and take Finnean on CyRide. To say the least, he was excited!!!! He loved riding and kept saying "I like riding the bus with you!"

Going on a walk...

These boys just melt my heart. Look at them!

This is why it is the best time of the year to go. The colors are amazing, trees everywhere, crunching leaves beneath your feet, it even smells like Fall! Can you tell I love Fall?

LEAVES!!!

This is just a really awesome tree that we found:)

Michael and I spent a lot of time enjoying the campus grounds when we were in college. Always finding a place to meet up for lunch between classes. We remember taking Jerry to Central Campus to run around and noticed a young couple with their dog there on this day. They ooo'd and ahhhh'd over how cute Finnean was and we think just like us, probably talked about how they want babies someday, just like we did. It was a fun little flashback to our younger years.

Finnean Michael Wagler

2011-10-10T07:03:00.000-05:00

WOW! That is a BIG Lego building! Of course he had some help from Michael but it turned out pretty awesome. I think consisted of every Lego we have. It is so fun to watch the two of them work on "buildings" together! I think they are both so excited for Little Hutchinson to play with them as well. Finnean is always saying, "when he gets bigger he can play too!"

Playing puzzles. He LOVES puzzles and amazes us (of course we think he is a genius:) on how he can put them together on his own. It is so fun to watch him work on the puzzle and to see how excited he is when he gets it put together!

Mini photo shoot for the little one...

2011-10-10T06:51:00.000-05:00

Hutchinson looking sharp in his little jeans!
{2 months, 1 week, 2 days old}

O no a thumb sucker?!
Little Hutch is trying so hard to be a thumb sucker. We hear him in the middle of the night sucking away, when he gets bored his little hand seems to find it's way to his mouth. I am not overly concerned about him sucking his thumb in general, just the germs freak me out AND we won't be able to take it away!!

O my. See why I keep saying he is so cute.
I love this picture, it captures his expressive little face so well.

Sweet boy!

Picnic at the State Capitol

2011-10-10T06:43:00.000-05:00

Big brother doing a little exploring after we ate lunch.
(By the way-the Capitol Plaza is a perfect place for a picnic, the views are amazing!)

Little brother relaxing and chatting after lunch!

Our beautiful little skyline.

Love this big boy smile. Kelcee has been saying something changed about his smile, it seems bigger and more genuine.

Mom and the boys.

Doesn't he look so old!?!?!

Finnean loves to dome and loves the little domes on the Capitol just as much!

Warm, Fall Day!

2011-10-09T22:01:00.000-05:00

Hutchinson getting a little exercise before we went on a walk to get some exercise!

O how I love you Finnean...and I love you too, Fall.

Are you ready for some football!?

Sticks, Drumsticks that is.

Peek!!

Love that smile!

Hmmm....I wanna play to!

Crazy boy!!!

Dinner date...

2011-10-09T21:46:00.001-05:00

Last week we had Matt and Kelcee over for dinner and Finnean and I made brownies from scratch...YUM!!!! Finnean would have licked the bowl if I would have let him!!

If you notice the feet sticking out from each side of the ottoman...that would be Matt and Finnean in their fort. Matt is such a good sport, Finnean loves to play with him when he is here.

We made our dessert creation, Peanut Butter Cup Brownie Smores (thank you Paula Deen), and it required some very serious engineering of sweets. Way to go, Matt and Michael. You can find the recipe here... http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/peanut-butter-cup-brownie-smores-recipe/index.html
On a side note, Finnean loves Paula Deen. We watch her most afternoons on Paula's Best Dishes. She often has her sons on her show to cook with her, just like Finnean and me :)

Hutchinson getting some love from Miss Kelcee.

Finnean's dessert all wrapped up and ready to go in the oven!

This picture is deceiving...he actually didn't eat much of it. It was "too tasty!"

Bloomfield adventures...again!

2011-10-09T21:30:00.000-05:00

Out to lunch with Grandma Lisa!

Snuggling up the little one.

Finnean got a special treat from the business owner...a mini root beer float! He has never had pop before so he took a big drink and made the worst face! So Michael took one for the team and drank the pop off of it so Finnean could enjoy the ice cream!

He liked it!!

Thumbs up...for sure!

Every last drop.

Oh the concentration.

Carter and Finnean getting along...one of the only times of the weekend!!
This was one of the roughest times they have had together. The quote of the weekend was...
"We are not bickering, we are arguing!!" ~Carter

CRAZY boys! I think at this point Michael had taken them outside to run off some energy!

Watch dog, Jerry.

Bubbles!!!!!

Sweet picture by Michael.

Friday morning we headed out to the Amish Produce Auction (a must do if you are in the area). It was a really neat experience and they also make....

the best donuts EVER!!!

It was so beautiful. Fall colors everywhere. Tons of mums, pumpkins, gourds...love it!

Finnean and Mom getting ready to go home!

Finnean and the Warren boys enjoying a picnic before the Homecoming parade.

The parade route went right by Penny's house, so we had awesome seats...

so Finnean got TONS of candy!!!

Having such good seats has it's drawbacks as well...very close to the loud fire trucks! Finnean is not a fan of loud noises anyway, so that was his least favorite part.

The beauty of Bloomfield...you get to walk just about wherever you need to go.

Favorite part: Tootsie Gum AKA Tootsie Rolls

Finnean and Poppa playing Angry Birds on the iPad. Just want he needs to want :)

We decided to make a "kid's table" and was a pretty good idea except all the bickering that was going on. SO we are thinking next time we need to put them in another room, then we don't have to listen to it :)

Saturday morning we headed to Carter's soccer game...Finnean looks like he could do some coaching!

Carter!!!

Brrr...it was super chilly! We weren't quite ready for it (thankfully it has warmed up for now!)

Rancho!!! A must stop to eat if you are in Bloomfield. The service is amazing and the food is YUMMY!
Finnean was especially excited about his own bowl of salsa. He tasted it and said "It's too tasty." Which means he doesn't like it...we still haven't figured that one out yet. Too tasty is not good?!?!?

Boo!

Hutchinson getting some snuggle time with Hutchinson!

Hanging with Grandma and Poppa! Fun times!

Play dates, building and baths.

2011-10-02T21:29:00.000-05:00

Play date fun!
Every Wednesday, we get together with the Stephanie, Grady and Jace for a play date. This week's activities...teaching Stephanie how to make my frosting :) The boys LOVED the beaters!

YUM!

Double yum!

Finnean has so many different expressions...love all of his "moods."

BLOCKS!

This one just cracks me up. He is so relaxed.

Super serious.

So I have raved about Hutchinson's eyelashes...but boy does Finnean have some killer ones. Look out girls!

J-dog.

Sweet, big brother helping me make Hutchinson smile for his photo shoot!

Finnean loved helping give Hutchinson a bath! He is an awesome helper and an amazing big bro!

A big, fun mess.

2011-10-02T21:14:00.000-05:00

For some reason before we started baking, I swept the floor. I will note that and not do that again! We have so much fun and have fully embraced making messes. Some of the best parenting advice I ever received...thanks Kelcee!!

All about Hutchinson...Two Months Old.

2011-10-01T00:38:00.002-05:00

Hutchinson turned two months old on September 26th. It is so hard to believe that our little Hutch is two months old. We had a crazy busy month but enjoyed our little growing guy all the while. We are all continuing to adjust and it is definitely getting easier. We are all so in love with our addition and it seems like just yesterday he was born. We are all getting sleep at night. He goes down around 7-8ish and then I nurse him again before I go to bed and he sleeps for about 6 hours, wakes up, eats and usually goes back to sleep for a while. He is about to move into size 1-2 diapers and is wearing 0-3 and 3 month clothes. He is becoming a pro at taking a bottle from Daddy when he needs too. Hutchinson is awake a lot more during the day and has many alert times. We love him!

just born, one month, two months.

Little Hutch's first tubby bath! We had just been washing him up on the bathroom counter but he does such a good job holding up his head that we moved him to the tubby! He really doesn't mind it and it is a good way to wind down before bed!

He has the saddest sad face. He has been crying A LOT less this month :)
Way to go, Hutchinson!

He has been a bit more snuggly (just not a huge snuggler) and I think he looks like a little old man here :)
Those cheeks must be exhausting to carry around!

Love, love, loves to kick in his play gym! Lots of coos and ahhhs while he is playing.

two month photo shoot.

This one just warms my heart. Hutchinson LOVES watching his big brother's every move and Finnean can really make him smile. They are so sweet together.

Sweet, sweet boy and those captivating eyes.

Look how big he is!!!
12 pounds at his two month check up! Love his little chubby legs and cute belly!

First bandaid.
First shots.
[9.27.2011]

Getting so big. This is Hutchinson taking a rest while Finnean and I played on the floor. Hutch is in to cat-napping these days. He is a great sleeper at night in his pack and play (THANK GOODNESS and I am not complaining one bit!). We just haven't found our daytime napping routine. He can be sound asleep and you put him down...two minutes later he is crying. Put him down groggy and he instantly is awake. We will figure it out at some point and have to remind ourselves that he is only two months old!!

He has these amazing eye lashes already.

When he is waking up or when you put in down in his bed he does this cute big stretching, arches his back and sticks out his little booty...so sweet.

Hutchinson might be trying to become a thumb sucker. He always has that hand in there but just doesn't have the coordination to do it. He is getting better at his paci but still spits it out often :)

Love these toes.

Hutchinson is such a smiley boy. In the last week or so he greets me each morning with huge smiles and lots of talking. He loves talking with Dad, Jerry and especially Finnean.

Chuck-town tees!

2011-09-30T23:47:00.000-05:00

Charles City is where Jim and Marcia used to live and word got out that the newest little Wagler had arrived and we received these adorable little tees for the boys. Finnean obviously approves! The "Chuck" logo is supposedly not modeled after Jim but they sure look a lot alike! Finnean calls it his "Jimmy shirt!" He also has a "Jimmy cup." :)

He is so silly!

Future model?

Sweet little Hutchinson.

Love. They are totally in love already!

O how he loves to bake...

2011-09-30T23:31:00.000-05:00

So excited to make banana bread for our play date with Grady, Jace and Miss Stephanie.

Excellent dumping.

Scooping.

So proud, look at that scooping ability!

Trying not to spill!

Success!

Yikes...this is going to be yummy!!

just around...

2011-09-30T23:20:00.000-05:00

This boy just melts my heart....

Having fun on his play date! Usually big brother has all the fun but a couple weeks ago we had Rileigh and Miss Natalie over...you might remember their first date, 7 weeks ago in the hospital!

Looks like a baby dance party!

crazy!!!!

Hanging with Dad. I love how Hutchinson just fits in Michael's arm perfectly...it is like his own little recliner :)

So serious!

Gotta love his smile.

Finnean and Miss Stephanie with little Spiky. The painted turtle that we ~~set free~~ sent out to find his Mommy and Daddy :) The Blanchards found out how much it would cost to keep a baby turtle and decided to set him free! Finnean recalled the whole day's events to Michael. Saying how the turtle "painted his belly orange and that he had a hard shell." He went on and on in great detail. We are amazed at the detail he can remember!

It is just that simple...ducks are funny!

Mom and little bundle bear! It was chilly on this almost-fall day!

Goodness...I told he was sweet!

Another big update!

2011-09-20T14:59:00.000-05:00

My goal is to update the blog each week...as you can tell if you have checked back in the past weeks that has not happened...so again, please click on older posts when you get to the bottom of the pages, we have had a crazy busy month! Be sure to check back again next week...Hutchinson turns TWO MONTHS old! I hope to have a post all about Hutch!

Finnean meets Dave Grohl...WHAT!?!?!

2011-09-20T14:48:00.001-05:00

This is absolutely crazy!! We met and talked to Dave Grohl, the lead singer of the Foo Fighters. In Michael's words "a music legend that has change music TWICE" (he was also the drummer in Nirvana). As many of you know, Michael, most of the time, likes to do everything in the most efficient way. We usually have a plan and follow it. Saturday morning in KC we didn't really have a plan. We woke up late (we shouldn't and haven't stayed awake until two in the AM for a long time!), took our time getting ready and then got our car out of valet ready to leave the hotel. When we were leaving they told us there was a parade going on, so we thought, maybe we should check it out. SO-we drove our car about 1 1/2 blocks to park in another garage to check out this parade. The whole time we were walking to the parade we couldn't stop laughing about how we were SO CLOSE to our hotel that we could see were stayed and could also see Union Station and how it connected from our hotel by sky walk. Needless to say, not the most efficient route to getting to the parade or starting our adventure for the day...BUT if we wouldn't have taken this round about way this may have never happened...

We were walking to Union Station from the parade and said "hey there is a tour bus-maybe it is the Foo Fighters!!" Yah right like it would be them. Then we see a guy who looks like he could totally be with Foo Fighters and then we walk around the end of the bus and who looks up at us...but Dave Grohl himself. I thought we were seriously going to pee our pants. I look over at Michael and he looks like he is shaking. I just pushing the stroller over to him and thinking we are going to meet Dave Grohl. Holy crap. Then he starts to walk away and we ask the bus driver. He says that he can't say what he will do but he is just going to get his motorcycle and he will be right back. He also said that his is super nice and maybe he can take a picture but he is just the driver :) So about 3 minutes later here comes Dave on his bike. I just started talking to him to ask him for a picture. Telling him how much Finnean loves the Foo Fighters and his is just 2 1/2, that he can sing the songs. He just walks right up the boys, shakes Michael's hand and starts talking directly to Finnean. It was crazy, crazy awesome. He was such a nice guy and I am so glad that we didn't take the most efficient route that morning!!

Dave Grohl on his rocking Harley...yes it is really him!!!

Dave: You like the Foo Fighters, little man? Well I am the lead singer of the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl.
Finnean: That's cool.
Seriously that is what he said. Finnean wasn't scared or shy, he just listened to his every word. It was so cool.

Love Michael's face in this one...like holy crap. I am talking to Dave Grohl. Dave was telling them about his two daughters who are two and five and said it is pretty cool that Finnean likes the Foo Fighters because they don't.

Hutchinson---you were there too!

Just plain awesome.

This is my paparazzi picture...I just couldn't stop!! It was such an awesome experience. We just kept saying all day..."Did that really just happen?" "We just met Dave Grohl!" It was so fun! It made the concert that was already amazing (3 hours long) even better to know that he is such a nice guy and took a few minutes to talk to the boys. It is something that Michael and I will never forget and I am guessing that Finnean won't either! He told our friend, "I met the Foo Fighter guy." You know-no big deal. He also saw the picture on our computer back drop (the posed pic) and said, "That's the Foo Fighters singer, he had a black motorcycle." So we think that he knows it was pretty cool too :) Michael said that if you were to ask him a famous person that he wanted to meet Dave Grohl would have been at the top of his list. Seriously, that is some 30th birthday present, a rocking concent and then you get to meet your favorite rock legend. He said that he has a lot to live up to for my 30th birthday!!
Happy Birthday Michael Wagler!!

Kansas City, here we come!!!

2011-09-20T14:08:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we headed to Kansas City to hit up the Foo Fighters concert (a present to Michael for his 30th birthday) and then to spend Saturday in Kansas City as a family. The boys did great on the way down and we had an absolute blast. Finnean and Hutchinson had a party in our hotel with our dear friend, Lisa B. THANK YOU Lisa B! Finnean stayed up late watching Cars and they had so much fun. When he woke up in the morning he said..."Where's Lisa B?" Michael and I had a wonderful date night in the Power and Light District. It was awesome but so strange to be with out Hutchinson (we have left Finnean many times but this was the first big time without Hutch!). Michael and I felt like we had a VIP stamp on us Friday night. We asked for a shuttle from our hotel, they said it would be an hour, but then said okay-we will take you right now. Then we got to the restaurant and they said 15-30 minutes, then said or we can put you at the little table right now. We were checking out the Power and Light area and some girls from another bar came up and said Uncle Cracker is playing an acoustic set right now, we walked and watched him from 10 feet away. Of course you saw the Dave Grohl pictures...so we really felt like rock stars! It was such a fun little getaway but boy were we tired when we got home on Saturday night! We also caught a parade downtown and checked out Union Station. We put a lot of stuff into just over day but it was so fun. Enjoy the pictures from our big adventure!!

All packed up and ready to go!

We packed a picnic lunch for the way down but didn't plan on it being so chilly!! Finnean kept saying..."it's cold!!" It was a rainy, dreary day! Perfect for a car ride!

Hutchinson got some lunch too and we thought his face was too funny not to capture. It looks like he is saying..."Really? I have to go back in that seat!"

As soon as we got to the hotel Finnean got out the binoculars and started checking out the buildings outside our hotel. He was so pumped to be on vacation...it was so funny to watch him explore the room.

Hutchinson is growing so big!! He continues to amaze us each day!

Brothers!

Seriously Mom!

Finnean is such a ham! Look at that pose!

This is pretty much the same picture but I couldn't pass up Finnean's hilarious pose this time. He was literally bouncing off the walls, running back and forth bouncing off the wall to the other. Full of energy! Good thing we had a baby-sitter :) Thanks again Lisa B!

Dad and Finnean happy as can be just after meeting Dave Grohl!!!!

Finnean being mesmerized at Union Station by the awesome miniature train sets. It was huge and soooo neat! A must stop if you are in KC.

This picture is just so weird. The light was strange and look at his hand...but still a cool picture. Way to go, Michael!

After Union Station we had lunch at Fritz's in Crowne Plaza. It was so cool!! First, Finnean got a sweet conductor's hat and then you order over a phone and train, yes a TRAIN, delivers your food. It zooms around the ceiling of the restaurant (you can see the track in the background) and then it lowers to your table. Pretty awesome stuff!

Fav picture of Finnean and Mom for the weekend!

What?! Carter and Aunt Ellie in Kansas City!?
KC happens to be their favorite vacation spot so we met up with them for lunch at Fritz's. Thanks for the tip on this great place!

Cousin Carter and Aunt Ellie

This is when the food was being delivered to our table...priceless! He thought it was so awesome!!!

and again...so cool!

Little Michael Wagler.

Carter and Finnean looking old!

We added Hutchinson to the picture...he was with us the whole time :) He just isn't in too many pictures!

Finnean (thankfully) squeezed in a nap on the way to the farm...

This place was great fun! We wish it would have been a little warmer but we want to go back!

Dad and Finnean mining for gold!

It was so chilly and I didn't have a hat for Hutchinson, I felt so bad but he didn't want to be in his car seat either! Finnean had a great time but I will have a little more fun when Hutchinson is a bit bigger :)

Ride'em cowboys!!!
Hutch's first time in a saddle!

I love this picture-Finnean rocking his "chucks" on the farm. Such a city kid but loves the farm!! This cow cracked Finnean up because he was sitting on his knees sneaking grass from the other side of the fence!

Hutchinson thought it was funny too!! Love that smile!!

PEEK!!!!!

This is Michael putting a real worm on the fishing line. I love his face because I know he thinks it was so gross but he did it because Finnean wanted to fish. Way to go, Dad!

Fishes nibbling on the line...no big catches:(

"Whoa!"
That has to be one of Finnean's favorite words and is usually followed by "that's cool" or "that's awesome!"

HAHA!
Looks like Finnean is coaching Dad on how to put the worm on the hook.

These are my favorite pictures from the farm!

Finnean's favorite part, hands down. I absolutely love his face while he is feeding the goats!

Baby goats!!!

The Waglers-September 2011
Do we look tired?! What a FUN but exhausting trip!

Boys, boys, boys!

2011-09-20T09:33:00.000-05:00

This is the crazy big brother eating breakfast and...

....taking HUGE dinosaur bites...

...all while the little brother sleeps peacefully, looking like a little angel!

Hutchinson looks like...Mom?!?

2011-09-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

This is me with my Mom at two days old.

Hutchinson with his Mom at two days old :)
I think there are some similarities. Same crazy, tons of dark hair!!

Big smiles from me as a baby...I am guessing a few months old?

Big smiles from Hutchinson at about a month old!

Who knows if he will continue to look a little like me, it doesn't really matter, but it is nice to hear..."He looks like his momma!!" Since I did carry him around for quite sometime and all. His big bro obviously looks...just like Dad!! :) There is no denying that!