Kostman Christmas Tree.....

Promised Pictures.....
Gabe had a good time snuggling with Katie one day while visiting Grandpa and Grandma Kostman in Nebraska.

Hello Everyone......

Here are a couple pictures of the kids sleeping in the car at the same time, which did not happen very much on this trip.


Pictures of the kids one Sunday morning. It's so hard to get any really good pictures. Those out there with kids can relate.

Back from Nebraska...
The time has flown by so quickly the last few weeks. We have been back from Nebraska for almost a week now. We had a wonderful time visiting family. The kids did a pretty good job riding in the car. Anna was more content traveling then Gabe, but the little guy still did pretty good for not napping very long while on the road. Thank the Lord for pretzels & animal crackers, which helped calm the fusses.

The trunk of the car and the front was pretty full going out, but coming home we were over flowing. We had to fit Christmas present in the trunk along with all of our stuff. We managed to fit it all in without having to have Brandon's mom mail us anything, except for Brandon's presents. It sure will be nice when we are able to get a mini van. The next trip will be a little more crazy with three car seats in the back seat of our Buick.

This past week I have been busy unpacking, cleaning, and decorating the house for Christmas. I have only a couple more things to put up and then I am all done. Then it's on to Christmas cookie baking and planning the menu for when my family comes. I am looking forward to having everyone over to my house for Christmas. It will be nice not to travel especially since I will be 36 weeks along at the time.

I went in yesterday for a OB appointment and everything is fine. I have gained 24 lbs so far, which is pretty good. I am still hoping that maybe they are off a month and the baby will come at the end of December, but I'm sure it's just wishful thinking. I am also done working at Victor Allen's now, which is wonderful and will make things easier on my legs and back.

Well that is enough for now. I will post some new pictures in the next couple of days.

Yogurt Fun......
This is what happens when daddy watches the little guy on mommy's work night. Well actually it happens to mommy quite often too. Watch out if we ever have to come over to your house. No yogurt or pudding:)



Bubble bath time with daddy after the big mess. Wow.. daddy is so much fun:)

Big Bump.....
Just a couple days ago Gabe tripped over my foot in the kitchen and hit the cupboard really hard. Poor little guy. I felt so bad and I don't think he has ever gotten a bump like this one. It looks better today, but it is going to take a good week to really look better or even go away.



Here's a couple cute pictures of Gabe trying daddy's hat on. What a cutie pie:)

Thanksgiving Plans.....
It was just a week ago that Brandon realized how much time he could get off around Thanksgiving (six days), so we have decided to drive to Nebraska to see his family. We're really looking forward to the visit. I know Grandpa & Grandma Kostman are excited to see the kids. It was such a pleasant surprise because we didn't think we'd have another opportunity to see his family until Summer 2008.

The days are counting down fast and we will be at Brandon's sister's house in Omaha two weeks from today. It's such a blessing that Jen lives in Omaha. It's about a 7 1/2 hour drive from DeForest to Omaha and then from Omaha to his parents house outside of Hershey it's another 4 hours. So, Omaha makes a nice stopping point on the trip. We're planning on leaving after Brandon gets done with class on the Monday of Thanksgiving week. We'll get there about midnight. We actually like making the trip in the late afternoon & evening because the kids will sleep most of the way. Oh, the sweet peace and quiet! Brandon doesn't have class on Tuesdays and most students skip Wednesday of Thanksgiving week anyway, so we've got off from late Monday afternoon through the following Sunday night.

It will be such a nice week, but I will have to remind Brandon to work on homework, since he will have plenty he will need to get done. The semester is coming to a close so quickly. See you all soon and for those we will not see I hope you have exciting Thanksgiving plans to look forward to...

Puppy Pictures.....
Here are some cute pictures of Anna and a little cocker spaniel puppy from my parents house. Anna had so much fun the last time we went to visit Grandpa & Grandma. She just loves puppies and this one was just her size. To bad they don't say this size.

Here is just a cute little smile from my little girl. She is growing up so fast.

Sunday Morning....
We tried to take some family pictures yesterday with the kids all dressed up, but it's so hard to get them to sit still, look at the camera and smile all at the same time. Here is our attempt. I guess we will have to try again next week.

This picture of Gabe is so cute.

Way to long.....
I can't believe how long it has been since I have last posted. I can't say I have been to busy, but I think I have been a bit tired and the weeks are just flying by. It has already been a week since we were just at my parents house visiting. It was a nice time of getting away and I was able to bring home some really good apples from Grandma Beulah. So I made some apple sauce and the kids loved it especially Gabriel. Anna was a little hesitant to try it, but after she saw Gabe eating it she gave it a try and decided she liked it. I have to say it is so much better then any store bought brand. Here a few pictures of the kids enjoying there applesauce.

Cool Fall Day....
The kids and I went for walk today and it is such a nice cool day. We usually walk down around the park, which is on the way to the library. We then stopped at the library, so I could look for a book, which I did not have any luck finding. After the library I debated if we should stop at the Grasshopper Cafe. I was not ready to go home yet and the kids did not want to go home either. It was about lunch time so I thought the kids may enjoy some yummy French fries. They have really awesome fries called brew city fries. I also got a cup of the soup of the day, which was Chicken Tortilla. It was very yummy and the kids really enjoyed there ketchup and fries. It was nice to get out of the house and enjoy some good food.
Now Gabe is napping and Anna's coloring at the table. I think I am about ready to sit down and read. Maybe even take a little nap if Anna will let me. She says she's tired, but she does not always fall asleep. Enjoy the fall weather:)

Blanket Time.....
The blanket that Anna is wrapped in is so soft and warm. She loves her blanket... thanks Grandma Kostman. Gabe also has one, which is blue with cute little doggies on it. It has been keeping him warm on these fall nights. You will also see that the last couple of days Anna has been having fun snuggling in the laundry basket. We thought she was going to fall asleep in the laundry basket yesterday, but it didn't happen. Oh well it did keep her occupied for quite a bit a time, which is nice for mommy, so she can have a little time to herself.

Here are some pictures of Daddy & Sleepy kids......

Weekend with Friends
Here are some pictures from Friday, Sept 21 when Chris and Kari came to visit. Don't tell me how Chris managed to not get in any of the pictures. We had a nice time at the park with the kids.







On Saturday, Sept 22 we headed down to Hannah's house and visited a apple orchard called the Elegant Farmer and also enjoyed a hayride through the orchard and pumpkin patch.

Renee's Kitchen
I came across this recipe in a Rachael Ray magazine and tried it out and they were awesome, so much better then the ones you buy in the store. I did not put pretzels in it and you could use dried cranberries instead of raisins, so be creative and enjoy:)
No-Bake Chewy Granola Bars

Ingredients:
4 tb. butter
1/2 c. packed browned sugar
1/2 c. honey
2 c. granola
1 c. rice cereal, such as Rice Krispies
1/2c. raisins
1/2c. thin pretzel sticks
1/2 c. chocolate chips



1. In a medium saucepan, combine the brown sugar with the honey and butter. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.
2. Add the granola, rice cereal, raisins and pretzels to the saucepan and fold the ingredients to evenly coat with the sauce. Transfer the granola mixture to a 9-by-13-inch ungreased baking pan and press firmly to evenly fill. Gently press the chocolate chips onto the top of the granola. Let the granola mixture set in the refrigerator until firm, about 15 minutes, then cut into 2 1/4-by 3-inch bars.

Ultrasound Appointment....

I had my second ultrasound yesterday and it was so much nicer then the first one. The ultrasound technician was actually pleasant this time instead of a complete grouch. Also Brandon was able to go with me and we found out together that we are going to have another little boy. What a blessing:)

I am 23 weeks along now and am due Jan. 24th. The first half of the pregnancy has gone by pretty quickly, but I'm afraid that the last 17 weeks is going to go by pretty slowly. I am already pretty big, which you can see from the picture and am not looking forward to the bigger me in the next few months. How can I be this big when the baby is only about 1 1/2 lbs? Well I'll try and keep you posted in the months to come. I need to head to an OB Appointment, so I got to go.

Company Coming......
I'm so excited because Kari Roney & Chris Kerndt are coming to visit tomorrow. I made a big pot of Potato, Leek & Ham soup today for lunch tomorrow and baked some yummy peanut butter cookies. I also managed to get all the toys picked up this evening. I don't know if it will stay that way by the time they come tomorrow, but I tried.

Then on Saturday Anna and I will be traveling down to Westbores WI were Hannah Coddington lives. It's only about a hour and a half drive there. We will all be spending the day together catching up on life and having a nice time together. I am so looking forward to the time and I know that Anna will have a fun time with the girls.

See you tomorrow girls:)

Renee's Kitchen:

So do you have some over ripe Bananas that need to be used up????? This is a wonderful Banana Bread Recipe that does not have any butter in it and only 1/2 cup of sugar.
Enjoy:)

Low-Fat Banana Bread (makes 1 loaf pan or use for banana muffins)
4 large ripe bananas (1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas)
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tb. vegetable oil
2 ounces fat-free cream cheese (softened)
1/2 c. sugar
1 3/4 cup flour (I used 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour in place of all purpose)
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt

Mash bananas first and then add eggs, vanilla, oil, cream cheese and sugar. Mix well. Then add the rest of the ingredients and don't over mix. Grease a large loaf pan & bake bread at 350 degrees for about 1 hour. Check it at 45 minutes and do the tooth pick check. This recipe make enough batter for 1 loaf pan and 6 muffins. I also sprinkle a mixture of brown sugar and white sugar on top of the bread before I bake it.

FINALLY....
Well I finally got a You Tube account, so I could post this video. I came across this video on another blog and just loved it. I hope you all will enjoy it as much as Brandon and I did.

Pachelbel Bedtime

Cry Cry Cry.........
Anna loves to watch movies like the Wizard of Oz, A Bug's Life, Swan Princess, Elmo in Grouchland, Shiloh and many more. One thing that she hates about programs on t.v. is the commercials. Every time a commercial comes on she makes a big fuss and I have to remind her that the movie will be back on soon. Anyway, Shiloh is the movie about this really cute little beagle. I like the movie myself, but every time the end of the movie rolls around Anna has a complete meltdown. She doesn't do this with any other movie, just Shiloh. Weird.

Anna has been saying a lot more phrases that are understandable. One that she says quite often is, "that's loud". She says it pretty much whenever anything is too loud for her. Brandon said that when he was little he did not like loud noises either. Some other phrases are: "I do it", "Go way!", "No Gabe!", "I need more now", "Thank you" and I know there are many more, but that is all I can think of right now. It sure makes life a bit easier for us to be able to understand her.