If only I was a stuffed moose...

Oh my lanta, it has been too long. I had been prepared to update about a month ago and then it happened.... we started the crawl.  Monday, November 19th started off like any other day, Trev and I got up and ate breakfast, and began to play.  He kept pushing up on all fours and really seemed eager so I moved his toy a few feet away and that was all it took.  He put one hand in front of the other and started to move.  Of course, he was sooo wobbly. His lack of coordination was adorable. I was so thrilled and gleaming of pride for my sweet baby. I think all we did for the next week was simply watch him. Exactly a week later he had improved so much that he required full on attention.  He was a-movin.  Cords were hidden, decorations put up, gates in tact, and Mom lost her mind. One of those first days, I had Trev at home while I was trying to finish up some urgent school work.  We locked ourselves in the office and I 'attempted' to get something done.  Before I knew it, the trash was dumped over and he was  thrashing around in it.  I didn't get much accomplished that day...  Since then he has only gotten faster and smarter.  It has been entertaining!  He absolutely loves cords.  He has also tried to climb up the brick fireplace hearth.  We have since tried to keep sleeping bags around the ledge so that it doesn't look as interesting.  That has helped keep him away.  It seems like we have a lot more messes now that he crawls. He finds so many things to scatter around! :) 

***I found some pictures on James' phone, so there are some flashbacks!

Trevin's first solo ride with Dad in the tractor for a few hours. 

Trying to remember what the last 2 months have brought... Obviously, crawling... He turns 8 months old tomorrow. He's eating a lot of new foods and starting to get more from my plate.  He likes everything! He loves to eat new foods and is doing pretty good at feeding himself with finger foods.  We have somewhat started a sippy cup. He really hasn't taken to it much.  He prefers drinking from a cup.  I originally started him with water in the sippy, but he didn't even give it the time of day.  Then I put juice in it, thinking that it would be much more enticing, nope.  He doesn't really care for it.  He drinks anything out of a cup if I let him, but the sippy thing isn't quite there yet.  He plays with it more (like the picture) than he uses it.  He still gets a couple bottles, one right away in the morning, usually one in the afternoon, and one before bed.

Trevin got his top tooth in 2 weeks ago and the other one is probably coming soon.  That's 3 official teeth now! He is getting closer to walking, it will probably be a few months yet (hopefully!!!)  He does great in his walker and can get going pretty fast.  He loves walking with your hands and pulls himself up to things now, so it may not be long before he is shimmying around furniture.  He still loves taking baths.  It's hard to get him out. Last night we let him sit in the big tub for the first time and he got to splash and play.  We even had the shower head on for a little bit and he loved it! It was precious.  Say goodbye to one more baby item! 

My camera has a light that blinks before taking the picture,
so now he just squints when he sees the light so that he's
prepared for the flash. 

At the beginning of November I had all of the Kliewer women over to my house for Bunco night.  We do it annually, and I believe this was the 8th year.  It was a blast! The theme was Farm and we had a great time. James took Trevin for the evening to his parents and they stayed the night there.  That was my first night away from my little man.  It didn't phase me too much because we were pretty caught up in the party and he came back right away in the morning.  But we got that 'first night' out of the way!

Trevin had his first Halloween this year! It wasn't much, really.  We just went to Stockham and hit 3 houses maybe? Which was ok! All of the candy he got, went to Mom and Dad anyway, so we didn't need too bring home a big bag stuffed full. But it was fun to see him all dressed up. He wasn't too sure about his hot dog costume. He hates hats so that hood didn't stay up for long.

This was from the State Fair in September.

Trevin has started giving hugs and kisses, which is just so sweet! He is not a cuddly baby at all! So when he does give hugs and kisses it just makes me melt.  His hugs are short and his kisses are with a big open mouth, usually right on your chin.  But I'll take what I can get! :)  He also has started walking up you when holding him.  He plants his feet on your stomach and starts to climb or just push away.  Makes it hard to hold onto him. He also likes to sleep with his stuffed moose and his blanket.  He cuddles them at every nap and night. I am jealous of that moose...

We see this face way
too often!

Since he has started crawling we have had a few owies. The corners of our brick hearth are wood blocks that come off, so that it is more forgiving if you fall into it.  Well, for a while Trevin would try to climb up right on the wood, and before I caught him one day, he had put all his weight on it and the block came up and hit him in the face. It caught his lip and it bled for a little while, but it has healed nicely and there haven't been any trips to the ER, yet.... He has also started exercising his attitude.  When we tell him 'no' or take something away, he gets mad. Sometimes he screams and throws himself back on the floor, hitting his head in the process, and then sits up and does it again.  He is a ball of fire sometimes. But such an angel! :) As much as I am deathly afraid of this child as a toddler, he is so precious to me and I wouldn't change him. Hopefully his strong will can be turned into great motivation when he's older.  He is so determined and curious, when trying to figure out a toy, or how to get past the gate, he just won't quit.  He has great focus.



In late October we took antiquities pictures.  They were Trevin's 6 month photos and they turned out great.  Cousins Jackson, Scott and Billy also took them so we got a few together!  I don't have the ones with Jackson yet, but the ones of just Trevin are on facebook.


As of Tuesday, I am finished for this semester of schooling.  I am one semester away from graduating with my Associates degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting.  I am so excited to be so close! I have learned a lot that I will be able to use here on the farm.  Starting January 7th, I will go over to G.I. every Monday and Wednesday for 2 classes, and the other 3 will be online.  My mom and James' mom will continue to watch him each week to make that possible.  I found out that my first class starts at 8:00, I realized I would have to leave home before 7:30, which isn't a big deal, but to get a baby out of the house and delivered by then is! I was expressing this to James when he said, "How about I just stay home with him every Monday and Wednesday morning until someone can pick him up."  I was very appreciative of his offer, but I reminded him that my semester won't finish until May, meaning we'd be into planting season. His reply was, "But isn't parenthood about give and take?"  I was so impressed by his genuine heart. Since Trevin has been born, it's been hard for him to balance work and home.  He's been trying, but still feels like he hasn't found the middle-ground where he wants to be.  When he said this, I was fully aware of how much he is trying. He's doing what he can to make sure that I can finish what I started.  I have much to be thankful for.

Driving the tractor with emotion! :)

We are planning a trip to Illinois in a few weeks.  We will be going to a suburb of Chicago, where James' relatives live.  I have met them many times, but haven't ever been out to their home. We plan to leave December 29th, or 30th. It is about a 10 hour drive...yes we are driving... We are going to take 2 days to get down there, stop in the middle somewhere and enjoy our little time away.  We will spend New Year's there, which I'm really excited about!  Hopefully we can make it downtown to do some touring, (not the prime time of year, but oh well!) I think we will do some ice skating at Millennium Park and check out the aquarium and Navy Pier, but mostly we will just enjoy family and getting to spend some time away from the farm. We will probably leave for home January 4th early in the morning and attempt to 1-day it all the way. We aren't sure how Trevin will do, but that's why we are so flexible with the time and events.  The more you try to plan and be in control the whole trip, the more disappointed you will be. :)  Anyways, I promise you pictures upon our return! 

 Family Christmas picture time again! We gained a few since last year! :)

















Each year Sutton does a parade of lights in December.  It's been a tradition to attend. We had a lot of fun and Trevin got to take it all in!

We are so excited for Trevin's first Christmas.  He is so curious about the new items in the house.  Everyone asks about the tree.  He does leave it alone for the most part.  When he does crawl over to it, he mainly just touches, and not pulls. So far, he's been good.  I'm just waiting for the day that he pulls it over on himself.  I'm sure it's coming.  He is also interested in the gifts under the tree. He likes to scratch the boxes and bang on them. It will be fun to see him attempt to open them. 

He is a busy one, certainly keeps us on our toes!

Oh and I've been working on my photography skills. Here is my most recent art.  Enjoy!  :P

Have a Merry Christmas! 

A year of firsts, growing on the farm...

Show me those pearly whites.

That's right. Trevin's first  2 teeth have made an appearance.  The bottom right came in on 9-24 and the bottom left came in week later.  They are growing each day it seem like.  I've learned the hard way a few times that he knows how to bite now.

These babes are all of the babies born this year in the Nuss family (my mom's side.) It was fun to have them all together for a play date. From left to right, Harpreet, Louie, Trevin, and Benson. 

Trevin has started to hold his bottle.  He likes to help, but still hasn't figured it out completely.  His hand-eye coordination isn't quite there yet.  He usually ends up looking like this picture below when I let him hold it himself.  

So hard to get a picture of his teeth!

My boys! Love them!

I went to Aurora's homecoming game a couple weeks ago.  It's hard to believe that it's been two years since I was standing on the field.  It brought back some great memories, but it made me realize how great my life is now, and there's no way I would ever go back.

He keeps us entertained for sure. :)

We have officially finished harvesting! Yay! Although we are done, it doesn't mean James is.  He is helping out some neighbors finish up.  Looking forward to the winter season which brings shorter hours. School is going by rather fast, surprisingly.  I'm already half way through the semester, which is amazing.  I'm staying caught up pretty well.  Hoping that the rest of the semester goes just as smooth!

He's got a buddy.

Last week I read through my entire blog.  WOW. What a year! There were so many things that I had already forgotten.  I found myself actually laughing out loud, bawling my eyes out, and everything in between.  Such an emotional story. Sometimes it is still hard to believe that it is MY story.  I absolutely love this life God has me in, and it grows with each day. 

 Fall pictures with the cousins.  Trevin sat in the leaves for 10 seconds and then was done.  Scott and Billy were trying to stay calm while Trevin screamed. HA! 

 On house news, we purchased new furniture, a couch and rocker-recliner, and a washer and dryer.  So we are set when our temporary furniture is taken.  It feels good to have it taken care of and out of mind! I was also able to catch up on some do-it-yourself projects today that have been on the list for many months. James was able to help me out and manage Trevin, and help with some of the power tools when needed. :) He's a good man.  It was nice having him around for a few hours just for fun.

Trevin celebrated his first 1/2 birthday on Sunday.  He's a whole 6 months young.  So unbelievable. Where has the time gone? He has started to sit on his own too! He does really well, except when he gets excited, then he topples over. :) 

Sitting in the office for multiple hours in a day has been affecting my tailbone again.  I got an X-ray last week to see if we could identify the problem. The doctor said it was hard to tell, but I may have a fracture in my tailbone, causing the issues that I've had.  His advice: don't sit on hard chairs, stand whenever possible, and carry a pillow. Unfortunately its a slow going recovery.  Just praying that it will one day heal completely.

Having fun with Aunt Ashton!

Another harvest finishes, growing on the farm...

5 months later!

Memorial Day wore this baby out! 

First time in the big boy swing!

James and I picked peaches off of a neighbor's tree (with their permission, of course!) one Sunday afternoon.  We had close to 65 lbs of peaches! I had no idea what to do with them all, but James did. He wanted to dry as many as we could.  So we washed, cut, soaked, and placed them on the trays.  Believe it or not, we ran out of trays.  We had 11 trays full of peaches, and James would eat them just as fast as they could dry.  :) We managed to save a few bags worth for the freezer.  With the extra peaches that we didn't dry, we covered in honey and put them in the freezer.  It will be so worth the work when we can have fresh peaches in the winter! 

Hard at work. 

Trevin couldn't just sit back and watch, he wanted some peaches!

The finished product!
Note the few missing already!

I laid Trevin down for a nap at my parent's house not too long ago, and I was surprised by how much he can roll.  I put him on a blanket on their floor in the middle of the room.  He always fusses before he goes down, and about 3 minutes after I laid him down, he started crying harder than he was before.  I went in and checked on him and he was up against the wall! This was over 6 feet away from where I laid him! What a stinker! :)  

Here's what is new: 

--He is fake coughing, or at least it sounds fake and dramatic.  It is hysterical. 

--He has learned to make motor noises with his mouth, and he loves to do it when he's eating food.  It usually ends up spraying all over Mom and the highchair.  

--He moans when he eats, yes, it is that good!

--He likes to hear himself, too.  He yells. Not because he's upset, or needing something, he just likes to yell.  It's great! 

--He also has started staring at his hands, like he's just realizing that they are his.  He holds them up to his face and stares in amazement! It's cute. 

--He chews on his toes.

--He's learned that he can shake his head back and forth, as if saying no.  He'll do it for up to 10 seconds at a time, just shaking as fast as he can back and forth. :) 

This little man is revealing his personality each and every day. I think we're still  working on teeth, although, nothing has poked through yet. Just fussy, drooling, and chewing! 

Trevin is starting the first stages of crawling.  He is able to push up on his knees.  Sometimes he can actually scoot a little bit, but most of the time he just flops back down.  Once he figures out his arms, there will be no turning back.  I'm SO NOT ready for a mobile baby.  The house is not baby-proof at all. Yikes.  Well, the pac-n-play will be very useful in the time to come! :)  Trevin turns 5 months this week.  It makes me want to cry. 4 months still sounds like a little baby, but 5 months... Oh man. 

This last week Trevin has woke up in the middle of the night every night, sometimes more than once.  I really can't complain, but we were so spoiled for such a long time! C'mon Trev! Give us a full night! We miss it! :) 

We took our first ride in the combine tonight and Trevin cried.  I hope James doesn't think that is a sign... It's such a great feeling seeing the first crop being harvested.  It brings a sense of excitement, relief and stress. This is my first harvest as mom, and my second as wife.  I'm asking God to give me strength through this season, but more importantly we're thanking Him for his provisions. What a gracious God we serve!

And this is what it's like in real life...
I'm sure James will be impressed that I'm sharing this.
Love my family, even if we're a little crazy! :)

Living the dream, growing on the farm...

Give me some real food.

Oh the changes that are taking place! For starters, Trevin is eating food!  Just for laughs I tried giving him some cereal (baby cereal, that is) a couple weeks ago.  He had just turned 4 months so I expected it to be a major flop.  Well, it wasn't.  He figured it out so fast! That first meal, he was able to get most of it in his tummy, and not all over his face.  He loved it!  He had started to pay attention to food when James and I ate, so I thought we would just roll with it.  He gets two "meals" a day, around noon and supper time.  So far, he's liked everything I've given him.  Yes, even the green beans. :)  What a good boy.  He now thinks that anything that goes into my mouth, should go into his. Sorry, bud.

I believe that Trevin is starting to work on some teeth.  He's been drooling like crazy for weeks, and he tries to chew on anything he can get his hands on.  But the last couple days, he's been a bit more fussy. And I think I'm starting to feel some bumps on his gums.  Oh joy.  I'll be glad when this is over with! 

Also a week ago, (8-25) he rolled from his back to his tummy, and he hasn't looked back since.  He's a rolling machine.  Unless there's an audience...then he freezes and pretends he doesn't know how.  It can be a chore trying to change his diaper sometimes when he thinks he needs to be on his tummy.  He also is rolling in his sleep.  We find him on his tummy, on his back, on his side, and that's just during one nap! 

I've started my fall semester of classes, that is part of the reason it's taken me a while to update. It is going alright.  A little crazy at times, but we're managing so far.  Trevin's grandmas have been pitching in to make life a little easier for me.  I'm able to get a good couple days of school work in without interruption.  On the days I have him, and it's crucial for me to get something done, he's cooperated.  We were given a johnny jumper from James' sister, Bethany.  And we are soooooo thankful for it! He jumps and jumps in that thing.  And it works perfectly in the office so I can keep and eye on him while I'm on the computer.  I'm nervous about next semester, since I will be traveling to GI twice a week for classes.  But, that's a long way off and life will be much different by then! We'll probably have a boy walking around!

I took a sigh of relief when James announced last week that they were done irrigating.  I'm so thankful that we live in NE where we have the ability to irrigate, but it gets to be too much for too long.  Now we have a short break before harvesting.  But by break, I mean, lets build 5 pipe trailers, plant alfalfa, service the combine, and who knows what else.  And James said that the popcorn looks like it could be ready to go next week already.  May this be a fast and smooth harvest for this farmer's wife!  I've never looked forward to winter so much, but I'm ready to see my husband. :) 

We did make it to the state fair last Thursday.  Trevin loved being outside, (even if it was 90 degrees).  He was so good for us all day.  As we pulled out of our driveway I realized I left the camera, James said that he would take pictures with his phone, and you know what? I believed him. :(   We got one picture.  Trevin (and Dad's) first state fair, and I failed. haha oh well, there's always next year! I went back last night to see the one and only, Steve Miller Band.  They have been a favorite of mine since I could talk.  It's been a lifelong dream to see them in concert, before THEY die... They were famous in the 70's... I know, I know, it wasn't that long ago for some people, but for me it was. Anyways, it was amazing! So glad I was able to go.  That meant that James played housewife yesterday, and he did a fabulous job! Trevin had a blast hanging out with Dad all day.

Trevin will be 5 months old in another week.  SO CRAZY!!! It is unbelievable how fast the time has gone.  Although, it feels like Trevin has always been part of our family. It is almost unfair at how fast they change and grow.  We hardly get used to a stage, before it's gone. Gone are the days of a sleepy newborn, gone are the days of that tiny innocent cry and changing 6 dirty diapers a day. (Ok, that last one isn't so hard to watch leave...)  Gone are so many adorable clothes that fit him for such a short time. Gone are the chances of him being in the same position in the morning that he was in the night before. Gone is the baby that would actually cuddle with momma.  It's all gone.  I absolutely love this stage he's in now, but I will certainly miss my little man being, well, little.  

Trevin's first Husker game day! GBR!!!

Trevin's balance is getting really good.
 He stands up next to things really well,
and he's started pushing up on his knees getting
ready to crawl!

The boys hanging out the their grandmas!

Trevin and Louie "playing" together.

Sleepy baby. 

All geared up for the Husker game!

Eating REAL food, growing on the farm...