Bode Bannack Wuertz

 

 

Bode Bannack Wuertz made his arrival!!  Following in Cash's footsteps, Bode just couldn't wait until his October 25th due date and made his debut on September 21st.  Andrea had a whopping 30 minute labor!  She delivered him in the triage room of the Labor and Delivery Ward.  I got the text from Mom saying that baby was on his way and by the time I rushed out the door and up to the hospital, he had already been born!!

 

A tiny peanut, weighing in at 4lbs and 14 oz and 18.5 inches long.  He was having trouble keeping his oxygen levels up and was also having trouble feeding.  So a 3 week stay in the NICU helped him get well enough to come home.  He is still on oxygen at home but at least he is at home!! 

 

 

Welcome to the family, Bode!!  We are thrilled to have another boy to love on!  I can't wait to watch you grow and see who you become!!

 

Love,

Aunt Betsy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOUR

 

 

Oh my sweet and sassy Clara June turned 4!  We had a Pajama Party on her actual birthday.  Everyone came jammied up and we had pink doughnuts with purple sprinkles (her request!) and made Fruit Loop necklaces.  The weather was perfect so we were able to have all the kids outside and they just played and ate! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                           Friendship bear from Ella!  I love their faces!
                     

                                         She has always disliked being sang to on her birthdays!  She twirled her     pigs the entire time we serenaded her!

This sweet faced girl is full of piss and vinegar most days.  She is has this adorable sense of humor budding and often tries to do silly things to make people laugh.  She has a bit of a sassy mouth and isn't afraid to voice her opinion most days.  She holds her own quite often with her big bro, which is a good thing around here!  She loves riding bikes and being outside.  Her sweet side shows though when she is quick with a hug and I love you Mama throughout our day.  Callie and playing house are among her top things to do lately.  She asked for baby things and clothes for her birthday.  Her bedroom may explode soon with all the "equiptment" that her babies have acquired! 

The well check confirmed what we all knew, she is a petite thing and tracking right along where she has been the last few years.  We have finally cracked 30 lbs on the scale!  She is in the 14% for height and weight.  She told Nana the other day that she is probably going to be a shorty like her! Ha!

Clara June, we love you so much and you provide us with daily entertainment!!  Although time is going so fast and I can't believe you are already 4, I can't wait to watch and see who you become!

{1st Grader}

This post about entering 1st grade has a totally different vibe next to the post about entering Kindergarten.  This is old hat, both knowing what to expect, there were no first day jitters around here.  In fact I had to remind him the night before that school was starting, he groaned a little when I told him that it was his first day of 1st grade in the morning but I knew better, he was somewhat excited to get back.

 

 

Summer treated us well; trips to parks with friends, lunch out followed by walks downtown, two trips to Yellowstone, a few camping trips, movies at the theater and lounging around the house in jammies longer than usual.  But truth be told he was ready to get back into his school routine and so was I!  We had a "supply fly-by" last week where we went and dropped off the long list of supplies for his class.  We met his teacher and toured the class.  He found out that his desk lifts up this year which was a highlight for him!  We rode our bikes home afterwards and he said "I think I love my teacher!".  Seriously, what more could I ask for.  She is a veteran teacher with two grown boys of her own.  Well equipt to deal with wiggly little boys. 
 After the first day of school he was tired and hungry.  Stories began to trickle out over the course of the night as he told us that he had Health Enhancement (PE) and that a kid in his class was already in trouble most of the day.  He found his good friend from last year on the playground at recess and seemed happy about his day.  This kid loves to learn and I can't wait to see all that is in store for round 2 of school! 

Pink or Blue...Niece or Nephew

This has been a sentimental week around our house.  Kindergarten finished up, T-Ball ended and Andrea found out the gender of her and Brandon's baby. 

 

It's surreal when I stop and think about my baby sister having a baby of her own.  Maybe because she is 6 yrs younger than me and I can specifically remember the night she was born.  Or possibly because it will have been 4 years since we have had a newborn in the family.  Whatever the reason, it has been a crazy sentimental week.

 

 

 

 

 

Andrea has been the best Aunt to these four munchkins.  They all have a special place in their hearts for her. So when Aunt An decided to have a Gender Reveal BBQ just for them, it was so fitting.  We wrapped up Evan and Clara (and Grandpa's!) last T-Ball game on Wednesday which happened to be the same day Andrea had her 20 week anatomy scan.  We had a potluck dinner at Beall Park and right before we all ate, the big ol' box full of pink or blue balloons was hauled out. 

 

As we can see by the above pictures, Clara is severely outnumbered in our family.  Three boys in a row followed by a little girl who we were originally told was a boy at her 20 week ultrasound!  We had been asking everyone what they thought the baby would be, Clara would say "it's a girl, we have enough cwazy boys in the family!".  The boys naturally thought and wanted baby to be a boy and the rest of us were fairly split down the middle for our guesses. 

 

So when the box was finally revealed:

 

 

                                           IT'S A BOY!!!!!

                                              We all cannot wait to meet you in October, sweet boy.

 

dad

 This Friday was my Dad's birthday.  56 years young.  Exactly 50 years older than the two older boys.  Which they think is pretty awesome.  I, on the other hand, think that my Dad is pretty awesome in general.  When we were growing up, Dad was the one that meant business.  When threatened with Dad, the three of knew that we needed to shape up. The threat of a size 10 boot up your ass generally made us stop in our tracks.  I have witnessed over the last six and a half years a transformation of this man that I never thought was possible.

I have witnessed, over the past six and a half years, this man transform and soften.  He was working in Big Sky the morning Cash was born.  When Mom called him to tell him that his first Grandson had arrived, he left work and came straight to the hospital.  Eager to meet the next generation. In the early morning hours the day Clara was born, he met us at the hospital to take Cash home.  Then arrived back later in the morning to meet his {only!} grand daughter.  Layers of his rough demeanor being pealed away after each Grandkid was born. 

                                                       {grandpa and Cash}

                                                               {grandpa and Clara}

Grandpa is Cash's favorite person in the whole world.  His fishing buddy and youtube watching partner.  If Gramps is around, nobody else matters.  Clara runs to him to give him hugs when she sees him.  I didn't have a Grandpa that I would ever want to touch or hang out with.  They were hardened and never soften with our presence.  Cash, Clara, Ryan and Evan have no idea how lucky they are to have a Grandpa like him. 

Those deep wrinkles that have grown over time from a life spent outside have not hardened him.  They have grown in a way that has softened him overtime.  Time spent with 4 little kids and 3 grown kids that love him more than anything.

Happy Birthday, Dad

pre-summer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like a sunrise in the early morning hours cresting upon a mountain, summer is on our horizon. School is out a week from tomorrow.  The days are {kinda} beginning to warm.  Lily white legs stick out of shorts as we walk to school each morning.  Summer is coming...it's almost upon us. 

 

We ventured up to Hylite the past weekend for a picnic lunch.  A ever so light rain subsided enough for us to have lunch at a day campsite and throw some rocks in the river.  Even Angus enjoyed getting out and exploring in the fresh air!

T-Ball Begins

 With the crack of the bat making contact with a tiny baseball perched on a rubber tee, T-Ball season commences. 
 This year we have two t-ballers in the house.  Clara decided that she would like to try it out this year and so far she is having lots of fun!  A few weeks after sign-ups I got a call from the parks and rec department saying that Clara and Evan (we got them on the same team to ease up the schedule for Nana and Grandpa!) didn't have a coach.  I knew the right man for the job instantly!  So Gramps was called and without much hesitation he agreed to be the Coach.  Cash is on a 6-8 year old team this year and it will be his last year in T-Ball, a move to coaches pitch next year will bring a whole new element to his game.  He has a nice coach named Tim that has two of his own kids on the team.