Rest in Peace, Brother

After an amazing life spanning 119 doggie years, our beloved Murdock was laid to rest this morning. While we weren't ready to say goodbye, it was definitely time for our dear Murdie. We know that he is in a much better place and are so thankful for all the years we got to spend with him. He was a great family dog, and while he wasn't the most energetic, he was the perfect dog for the Wellenreiter household and will be greatly missed. We know that he is enjoying the ability to run around for the first time in years and is probably enjoying some amazing table scraps, since those were his favorite :) 

A Beautiful Friendship

We think she likes Turner, just a little bit :)

Brynlee is 5 Months Old!

As of yesterday, we officially have a 5 month old. I can't believe she's already that old....time is flying! The following, Brynlee, is the highlight list for your past 5 months.

-You still sleep between 10-11 hours a night, which is amazing if I do say so myself :)

-Still wearing size 2 diapers, but finding a way to soak through them and lay in a big puddle of pee about 2 times a week. Any suggestions for diapers that will hold a whole bunch of urine?!

-Eating 5-6 times a day, with cereal now added in one time per day.

-As of our last doctor check (May 26), you weighed 13 pounds 9 ounces and were 23.5 inches long. That's the 25th percentile for weight and 10th percentile for height (you obviously take after your momma on the height, poor girl)

-You are officially in 3-6 month clothes and all of your 0-3 month ones are packed up :(

-You love watching Turner and trying to "pet" him, which for you means grabbing onto his beard and seeing how much hair you can yank out!

-You are doing much better on your tummy and last week, you even scooted across a blanket to get your paci. You haven't done it since and I'm ok with that because I'm not ready for you to be crawling all over our house!

- You are really ticklish and let out the cutest little giggle whenever we tickle you.

-You are a smiley, smiley girl! All it takes is one silly look or a grin from either your Mommy or Daddy and you grin from ear to ear :)

Brynlee is discovering so much every single day. It's amazing to see how much she has changed in just a short 5 months. She's also getting so much fun! What a blessing to our lives she has been already and we can't wait to see what this next month holds for her :)

So happy to be 5 months old!

More, please!

After Brynlee and I returned from Illinois, she got to begin her adventures with solid foods. Right now she's getting to enjoy oatmeal with bananas and, so far, the variety it brings to her diet seems to be agreeing with her :)

Before the action began

The first bite

This isn't so bad!

Somehow Daddy manages to get a lot more on my face than in my mouth :)

Oh What A(n) Night Update

Last weekend was chock-full of excitement and activities for the Yoder family. Brandon's sister flew in from Florida on Friday so Brynlee finally got to meet her Aunt Heidi for the first time! Though I don't have any pictures of the two of them, I do have this picture of Brynlee with our nephew's stuffed Clifford that he sent along with his mama to be photographed wherever she went.

After spending Friday and Saturday with the Yoder clan, Brynlee and I headed off to my parents' house in Illinois. My sister flew in from Arizona and was anxious to meet her niece for the first time. We spent 5 days in Illinois and had so much fun!

Brynlee thought her Aunt Bria had some appetizing fingers

On Sunday, I went with my mom, sister, and grandma to Chicago to see Jersey Boys. I left Brynlee in the care of my dad and grandpa. This was my grandpa before we even left for Chicago.

You can see why I was a little nervous about leaving my daughter with two out-of-parenting-practice males. However, everyone survived the day and we had a fantastic time in Chicago. If you ever get the opportunity, go see Jersey Boys. It was fantastic! My mom had already seen it once and she said she'd even go back a third time. It's that good!

Monday, my sister and I took Brynlee to visit her grandpa at school. Grandpa enjoyed showing her off to his fellow teachers and Brynlee developed a liking for Fredrica the Skeleton, leading us to believe she apparently has a future as a doctor :)

All in all, it was a wonderful five days spent hanging out with my sister and my family. Brynlee enjoyed getting spoiled rotten by every family member in sight and managed to bring home three bags stuffed full of clothes. She absolutely did not need any of those clothes, but being the only baby on my side of the family so far, it's impossible to stop Brynlee's aunt and grandma from buying her things. We had a great time and can't wait to have the whole family back together again at Christmas. Judging from the picture below, it just might take my sister that long to recover from five days spent with a five-month old!

Foot Fetish

We have officially added the phrase "Turner, don't lick her toes!" to our vocabulary in the Yoder household. The other day, Brynlee discovered her feet. Since then, it has been a non-stop drool fest over those tootsies of hers! Bring on the daily feet washing and toe jam checks :)

Brynlee turns 4 months old!

Saturday, Brynlee turned 4 months old. Brynlee, here are some highlights of your life at this point:

-You love to smile. Early morning or right when you wake up from a nap are your happiest times.

-You regularly sleep between 9-10 hours a night. You are spoiling your parents with all the sleep we're getting and we love it!

-You still are not a fan of taking naps, unless they're on your momma. If only I had a housekeeper to take care of the chores I don't get done because of afternoons spent cuddling you!

-Bathtime is quite the adventure for you. You splash and squirm, having the time of your life, while simultaneously giving me a drowning scare at least once per bath.

-You also love to suck on your fingers. You frequently spit out your paci just so you can shove your fingers in your mouth and get them covered in drool.

-You roll easily from your belly to your back and are trying desperately to roll from your back to belly.

-You are wearing size 2 diapers and are just starting to fit into your 3-6 month clothes.

-You take 5-6 bottles a day and eat anywhere from 4-8 ounces at a time. You chug your first and last bottles of the day, but you are usually more concerned with playing than eating during your other feedings.

-Your cheeks get bigger by the day, but they aren't a good indicator of your size. You're still pretty little for 4 months old. Doctor's check is at the end of the month, so we'll see just how much you've grown!

We love you, baby girl, and can't wait to see what the next month holds for you!

Mother's Day

On May 10, 2008 I found out I was pregnant. On May 10, 2009 I got to celebrate being a mom to the precious gift God blessed Brandon and I with. Brandon took care of all household responsibilities that day and I even got a nap! I am so blessed to have these two in my life!

Wedding Weekend Wrap-Up

I have been trying to write this post for a few days, but the craziness of our weekend seems to have carried over into the work week. Regardless, the long-awaited summary of last weekend is finally here!

Friday night, Brandon and I went to the wedding rehearsal and dinner for our dear friends Dan and Jenni. My friend Ashley and I decided that we didn't really need to be part of the rehearsal, so we headed off to Spencer's Gifts to get the soon-to-be-newlyweds some choice gifts. We were completely out of our element going in to that store, but we had a blast! When we returned to the church, we strategically moved Dan and Jenni's car to the main entrance so that all could see our handiwork. We especially loved that the cross is right in the middle of the bag, as if God was blessing the contents inside. If only we could have seen Dan and Jenni's face when they came out to their car :)

Saturday was the big wedding day. Brandon headed off at about 8:30, leaving me alone to get both myself and Bryn ready. Usually, Brynlee is a sweet, easy-going girl. She must have sensed my urgency in getting ready that morning and promptly decided to have a complete meltdown 10 minutes before we needed to walk out the door. I was so glad to finally get us both in the car and get her calmed down. I do not know how single parents do it every day! We finally got to the church, where Brynlee acted like the angel that she is and let me enjoy the beautiful ceremony. We ate Nelson's chicken, had some yummy cake, then hung out at the church playing yard games until Dan and Jenni left at about 6 pm (the wedding started at 11:30). We headed home, completely wiped out! What a fun and exciting day, though. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Godfrey!

Prom Queen

Last Saturday night, Brandon and I ventured out with our good friends Chad and Ashley, for a dinner and a movie. It was our first movie night out since before Brynlee was born! Brandon's aunt and uncle watched Brynlee for us while we were out. She even got to go to her first prom! Brandon's cousin, Kenzie, attended her senior prom and Brynlee got to go with the family to watch the festivities. I would have voted her for prom queen, wouldn't you?

Yesterday I survived Cinco de Mayo at school. It's amazing how much quieter high school students are when you bring them doughnuts and cookies to celebrate the holiday :) And I'm hoping they at least all learned that it's not Mexico's Independence Day (that's if they could hear me teaching over all their food chewing!)

We haven't done too much today. Brynlee got bit, for the second time, at the babysitter's today. So I've been checking her bite mark all day and making sure I shouldn't take her in for a rabies shot....j/k. Apparently being the smallest kid at the sitter's and not having any teeth makes for an easy target. How could anyone want to bite this cute little thing? (Yes, I realize I'm biased. If you're going to read our blog, you'll just have to get used to it!)

This weekend Brandon is a groomsman in one of his friend's wedding, so we'll be participating in wedding festivities all weekend. We are so excited for Dan and Jenni and are looking forward to a great weekend celebrating with them! I'll make sure to post pictures from the big day, even if they are just of Brynlee, since I'm sure she'll look darn cute! Here's hoping you all have a great end to the work week :)