Kevin Minnis

This last weekend was a little different than most (finally, something different than usual) . Kim and I took the kids and met up with their Grandpa and Grandma Wagner on Friday evening so that G’pa and G’ma could watch them for us. We then had the whole weekend to paint and clean. What a difference it makes in getting things done when you don’t have a 2 year old at your legs or a 2 month old to hold on to. We managed to get all that we could get painted without having to move the staging on Saturday. Thanks to Kim’s Mom and Dad for taking care of the kids and thanks to my Mom and Dad for coming down Labor Day weekend to help paint and watch the kids.

Sunday, we decided it was time to clean the carpets so we rented a Rug Doctor from Wal-mart. Man, what a difference it made. Looking at the dirty water wasn’t a pleasant feeling as it was much less than clean! I’m almost ashamed we let the kids lay/play on it. haha

It was nice to be able to be just a couple again for a short time. Kim and I went to Jordan Creek Mall to do some walking around and I ended up getting a ton of shirts for cheap at Dillard’s on Saturday. First time I’ve actually even gone in the store. Unfortunately, Kim didn’t find anything that she liked. Then we went to Merle Hay Mall on Sunday.

Well, it finally happened. Jayden turned 2 on Tuesday. Boy how time has flown. He thinks he’s such a big boy now! Over the weekend we had Jayden’s birthday party. He had a good time and was wore out by the days end. He was spoiled rotten with toys, toys and more toys. Because Jayden is always so excited about play kitchens, we decided to get him one of his own. Along with it, he received a lot of play food and accessories. He loves it to pieces and is ready to cook you up a meal when you come over. He doesn’t know yet that metal can’t go in the microwave! I think he takes after his dad because his mom is no Betty Crocker.

We decided to have something different for his birthday party this weekend. Most parents would probably get a clown or go some place cool, but we decided to have some fun with Pop and candy. You can watch the Mentos and Diet Coke video on YouTube. I think Jayden had more fun with that than he would have with a clown. haha (Or maybe it’s his parents and family that had more fun). Here are some pictures as well of the Mentos & Diet Coke fun.

On Jayden’s B-day, we took him to the Blank Park Zoo (Pictures). Although, it’s not quite like the Omaha Zoo, we still had a good time. He got to feed the goats and watch his dad get attacked by them. Probably his favorite thing was riding the train. He LOVES trains right now. Especially Thomas the Tank Engine.

We took the plunge and got Jayden and Josie’s pictures taken last Friday. It was a challenge but we managed to get a few cute poses. Some of you will be receiving copies in the mail, but you can look at them on line soon. We’ve started the fun process of painting the outside of the house. We are leaving it white but changing the trim to a reddish/burgundy/cranberry color. Right now it’s a little bright. We hope it darkens a bit when we put another coat on. We are at least getting the front done, and then we’ll worry about the rest next spring/summer.

Josie is growing like a weed and changes everyday I swear. Jayden has started to pester her a bit more, but really could care less about her. Hopefully someday he’ll stick up for her!

Man, has it been hot. This weekend we decided to go to Creston to visit Kim’s family. They were all camping out at Green Valley State Park. It was hot as anywhere else in the state. We were able to go to Kim’s parents place to sleep at night so that made it a little more bearable. Thankfully there was a slight breeze on Sunday to help us out. It’s hard to imagine what it would have been like 50+ years ago without any air conditioning.

Josie’s growing everyday and eats non-stop. I don’t remember Jayden ever eating that much, but I’m sure he did. Depending on the light you can see more blondish tint to Josie’s hair. She seems to be more active than Jayden was as she likes to lift her head when you rest her on your shoulder and she also enjoys tummy time more. Who knows maybe we’ll have a crawler at 9 months instead of the 18 with Jayden.

Jayden’s loving life and we’re enjoying watching him. Yes, he does on the occasion have a “terrible two” moment, but for the most part he’s (we’re) handling it pretty well. He’s starting to get clearer on saying certain words. His favorite is probably peeezzzz (please). Hopefully he’ll continue to be well mannered. hehe

Well, it’s sure been nice having off a week after Josie was born, but I had to go back to work today. Jayden was pretty sad about the whole thing. In fact, he even had to call his Dad at work to say hi and tell me that he missed me. Or, at least I think that’s what he was talking about. haha.

Josie is getting along nicely in her big new world. She actually is sleeping through most of the night and gets up around 4:30-5:00 in the morning to get her bottle. I sure hope she continues to do that as it’s better for her Mom and Dad. It’s amazing to see how fast they grow. After a week, she’s already starting to fill out in her face.

Let’s see. Where to begin? Life has been busy. Kim’s Mom, Pat, had surgery on her shoulder as a result of someone not cleaning up spilled water in the hall at the hospital she works at. We went down over the weekend (May 25-27th) to visit Kim’s Mom and Dad and make sure that Pat wasn’t doing anything she shouldn’t. Then we headed back home to have some fun for the rest of Memorial weekend. We took Jayden out to Big Creek State Park so he could play in the sand and water. We took Jayden to the splash park when it was in the upper 80s a week ago or so and he didn’t seem to like the water much. Instead, he liked to play in the grass and follow the fence around. Not sure what that’s all about.

In spite of Jayden graduating to his “big boy chair” and gaining another 2 pounds (not much, but at least he’s holding steady), he’s managed to gain his terrible twos attitude a bit early. This past weekend we went up to Hope and Mike’s wedding in Emmetsburg, IA. The wedding was short and sweet, but Jayden thought he should make a big deal out of it and wasn’t the quiet little boy he usually is. So, I spent half of the wedding in the atrium of the church with Jayden. Next we went to the reception for about a half an hour. Jayden proceeded to want to run around. Kim and I decided we’d just leave early and head back to Rockwell City to visit with her brothers. I guess the lesson in all this is that I don’t think we will be able to take Jayden to another wedding anytime soon. I don’t blame him any, he’s almost 2 and he had been riding in the car for about 2.5 hours.

Kim did okay on the long trip, but I think she’s paying for it now. She (and I) can’t wait to have the baby! We’re not all that excited about the birthing process or the sleepless nights, but more for the comfort of Kim and getting back to normal.

So, yeah, that’s almost all that’s happened within the last month.