Kyra's Planting

Last year we planted a sunflower and she has waited all winter to be able to plant some more seeds. We had transplanted out sunflower to our garden and this fall after the frost she looked out the window and was devastated to see her dead flower...."Mommy it died!" she told me. I told her to wait till the spring and we would plant some new ones.

We went down to Dollar General to buy our supplies:

• Styrofoam cups
• Seeds
• Little box container
• Potting soil

We poked three holes in the bottom of the cup and she helped me count them each time. Then she filled the cups with her potting soil, planting her seeds and covering them with dirt.

We watered them and put them in the back so they could get some sun. We planted tomatoes, green peppers and two cups of flowers. She was so excited to show her daddy what she did!

I am going to try and take pictures of her plants as they grow. It's such a great learning experience!

Kyra Loves Coloring Easter Eggs

We had fun dying Easter Eggs! Kyra was doing great dying eggs. She wanted to do them herself which was o.k. since Mr. Brady was needing mommy to hold him.

I got it all set up for her and she just went to town. She would say "I make a blue one!" She was so fun to watch. She gently would put them in and stir them with the spoon then say "They are done!" while taking them out and putting them on the towel.

We tried putting glitter on them like the box said, but they didn't give you enough white glitter so we tried using our green glitter. She remembered that we used the green for our Christmas tree ornaments.....she has the memory of an elephant!



After we did eggs it was such a beautiful day we couldn't stay inside! We went on a walk to the park. She loves to go outside and she has discovered the merry-go-round. She will lay in the center and laugh and laugh saying "It tickles my tummy." We are learning how to pump out legs when we swing too. We say Out and Under. She loves the park so much that we went back when daddy got home.

Mr. Brady did the whole baby thing.....slept!:) Next year he will get to color some eggs of his own AND he'll be toddling around after his sister at the park.

Easter Bunny and Parents As Teachers

We had fun today! We went to the mall to visit the Easter Bunny. Kyra wanted to "pet" the bunny. I think she thought she was going to see a real bunny, but she wasn't disappointed.:-) When we got there the bunny was on a break and Kyra wanted to know where he went. I told her that he was hungry and went to eat a carrot. I love taking these photos to go back and compare how much they have grown in a year:)

While we were at the mall I broke down and got a double stroller! It was such a lifesaver for my mental and physical sanity! We came home and while daddy went to play basketball at the school we went on a walk to the park. It was such a beautiful day!

Parents As Teacher (PAT) came to visit Brady! We have missed Hollie!!! Brady is doing well and was giving her lots of smiles:) He is such a flirt! I enjoy this program so much and even though I feel as though I'm pretty well educated I find that there is always something more she can teach me. One of the coolest things she gave us was a card that showed what babies see from birth to 1 yr. It was a great learning tool for me. We can't wait to see her again!

2 Month Check For Brady

Brady had a great check-up. His weight is in the 75%ile and his height is in the 35%ile, while he head is in the 50%ile. He is one healthy boy;) He did great with his shots and only cried a little bit before falling asleep before we left. I think the shots were still harder on Big Sister Kyra. She told me that they scared her and she didn't like them hurting her brother. She is such a caring little girl. We go back in 2 months for his 4 month appointment.

He is doing well on sleeping. Stretching it to 3.5 to 4 hours at night. He is still eating around 3-4 oz but on occasion will eat 5-6. Definitely growing out of his clothes;)

After our appointment we went to run some errands and he slept though all of it until we got home. Then he ate and went back to sleep.

Better go while both are resting!!!!

Trip To Cawker City To See Grandparents

My little boy turned 8 weeks while we were out at Cawker visiting my parents. His newest trick is smiling and laughing. Isn't it just the CUTEST thing? His smiles and little giggles warm my heart every time he does it. He definitely wants your attention too. He has been crying in his swing or bed and when you go talk to him he just smiles and laughs like "See mom I got you!" He goes to see Dr. Duff tomorrow for his 2 month check up. I'm anxious to see how much he weighs. He has gotten his appetite back since having that cold/ear infection. Now if we can get him on a schedule of eating. If he can eat at midnight he CAN make it till 4 a.m. We'll see how this is all going to work out when I head back to work the 5th of April. I have a feeling the first couple of weeks will be tough, but I'm a trooper.....I am MOMMY! Mommies can do anything right?:)


We got to Cawker Monday afternoon and right away Grandma Green was ready for Miss Kyra to go out and find some Easter Eggs while boiling others so they could dye them when she got back inside. She LOVES to go hunt eggs and she was too cute with her little Bunny Ears:)

After the hunt we had her sit will all her eggs and take some pictures...of course we had to get Mr. Brady and put him in the basket with the eggs.

Kyra was having fun dying eggs. She did such a nice job. When they were dry she put some funny face stickers on. They didn't last long because about an hour later she was ready to eat them;)




Uncle Kenny came out on Tuesday to visit. We always love seeing him:)

Kyra of course followed Freedom around the WHOLE time we were there. I can see how much Freedom loves the kids...she loves to hold little Brady and I caught them resting on the couch...too cute:) Freedom told me "Holly it just hasn't registered that your a mom!" I think I'll take that as a compliment:) Love you girl!

I enjoyed a couple of NICE long hot baths. Mom as a great cast iron tub that I can actually stretch out in. Plus it is great having a teenage sister that loves buying all the coolest bath products. I felt like I was in a spa...a much needed relaxing break.

The kids(I can't love saying that enough) and I headed over to the school on Tuesday to borrow the computer and Grandpa Green got to show off his granddaughter:) Brady was with mommy in the office working. Brady got to see some teachers the next day when I went over to download some pictures. Grandpa also took Kyra out to see the horses...I get a little nervous though, but Kyra loves animals so much.

Before we left Kyra and I did out nails. We painted them purple with silver paws to cheer on the Wildcats!!! We got home Wednesday night and hope to get out there again soon!

We will be heading to Ryan's parents for Easter Weekend while heading over to Marysville for the Egg Hunt at Dad and Carla's church.

7 weeks & First Ear Infection

Mr. Brady turned 7 weeks this week. He is such a smiley baby and is smiling more and more in response to us. He is doing better at trying to cooo and say "Agoo". His eyes get super big when trying and his little voice is adorable when he gets it. Here he is having some tummy time on what Kyra calls her "pickle". He is just changing so fast and wish he would slow down a bit.

On a sour note, our poor little guy has been sick. Kyra and I had a terrible cold a week back and he caught it. We had went to Hays on a Thursday to watch Hanover play B&B in the State Basketball Tournament and by the time we got to Cawker around midnight he was having trouble breathing. We decided to take him to the ER at Beloit. They measured his oxygen and it was at a 93 which is lower than they want in babies.....it should be 100. They also tested him for RSV which came back negative thank goodness. By the time we left his oxygen was back up to 100 but the Dr. never came to see us and they really didn't do anything for him other than tell us to give him P-lite to cut down on the mucus accumulation and to alternate tylenol and ibuprofen. We came home the next day and he wasn't eating but only an oz or two compared to eating 3-4oz. He just didn't look great. We got the humidifier going and saline drops for his nose along with Vicks Vapor Rub. He started to look a little better but his congestion still bothered me so I took him in to the Dr. today and well the verdict.......he has an ear infection in the right ear. They are treating it of course with antibiotics twice a day for 10 days. Hopefully in a few days I'll have a healthy baby back. He is a trooper though! Really isn't too fussy....just can't get comfortable.



Little Miss Kyra has had her Aunt "Freebum" here since Sunday night and she is LOVING IT! She looks up to her so much and is like her little shadow....reminds me much of Freedom when she was little;) We were heading into Manhattan and I thought Kyra was talking to me so I answered her and her reply was "No Mom! I am talking to her!" Then when we were outside with the chalk I told her to put her coat on her shoulder and she told me " Mom, I be like Freebum." Freedom drew her the Blues Clues for her and Kyra was very proud of all the artwork on the sidewalk.

Tonight Kyra and I worked in a Preschool workbook on her letters. We got all the way to the letter E and she was doing great! It was fun to sit at the table with her and do some "school" work. She really has turned into such a little person this year...transforming from baby to a young little lady.

I am just so blessed to have two wonderful children! They are the joy of my life and bring smiles to me face and heart everyday!

I will pray for you

It is so sad that someone has to tarnish something by posting such negative and nasty comments on someone's blog. Not just on my but others as well. I forgive this person and hope that they find a better outlet and use of their time. I do have a fairly good idea of who this person is and pray for their harden hearts.

6 Weeks Old Today!

Can you believe it? He is six weeks old today! Time has truly flown by. Watching him change has been amazing. He really now is smiling all the time when you talk to him and he has started to attempt cooing. He is still eating 3-4oz every 2-3 hours, but I'm expecting a growth spurt soon since he is at this mile marker. He loves swinging in his swing and could spend all day in there chillin' out. He continues to love love his baths and looks so relaxed when he is in the water.

I only have about a month left of maternity leave...so sad. I love being able to be home with my kids. Hopefully the last two months of school go fast so I can get back to spending all day with them.

Kyra loves her little brother. She will be doing an activity and he will cry and you'll hear her say "Just a minute baby brother....I'm almost there!" OR "I'm coming baby brother."

Growing right on schedule!

Brady Becomes a Catholic

Brady Anthony was baptized into the Catholic faith on March 7, 2010 at St. Mary's Parish in St. Benedict, Ks.

Fr. Ed Oen presided over the celebration. Fr. Ed was at my home parish in Hanover, Ks while I was growing up. It was very special to have him baptize Brady and be a part of our family celebration.

Godparents to Brady: Jerett Ranieri (Ryan's Cousin) & Freedom Green (my sister)

Brady's Godparents and Brady

My dad (Bob), Mom, Ryan, Brady and I

My dad (Reinhard), Carla, Eunice (Carla's mom), Ryan, Brady and I

Jr. Betty, Ryan, Brady and I

The Olberding family grows by one more equaling the grand total of: 17!

After the baptism we had lunch/reception at the Windmill Inn in Seneca. It was a great day to spend with family and celebrate Brady's entrance to the faith!

5 Weeks

Brady has started to really smile now:) He is so darn cute! He has the cutest little smile ever. He has also started to try and mimic you by sticking out his tongue. Thanks to Aunt Michele for teaching him how to do this:) Try to coo is something he is working on and trying to figure out right now too:)

The kids and I have been sick with a cold..YUCK! I always feel so bad for the little ones because there really isn't much we can do other than suction out their nose and Vicks vapor rub. We also have the humidifier going too. Poor Kyra her little voice was squeaking last night when she was talking to us. She was very upset with daddy last night because he was taking care of Brady and she was telling me "Mommy, daddy not TALK to meeee!!!" She has been missing her daddy this week.

We went to Riley on Thursday to watch the B&B boys play Centralia in the first round of sub-state. We had a great time and even better when B&B won! Lakeside was there and we saw my dad for just a minute because he has to head back with the JH. We plan on going tonight to watch them in the Championship game against Linn...hope they make it to State. Hanover plays over in Clay Center and am pretty sure they will make it all the way to Hays again this year. We have a great league really... the TVL (Twin Valley League) is truly such a strong league.

Brady sticking his tongue out at us-OK we were doing it to him too!