The Wendt Family

The Wendt Family
By small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Happy Birthday to Carly!

Happy Birthday to my baby Carly. Yes, she is still a baby. My big baby.

I do all the things I said I wouldn't do to a 3 year old: Swaddle and rock her, talk to her in a high baby voice, actually call her "Baby", let her sleep in my bed all the time... Heck I would even still buy her baby food if I thought she would eat it.

Yes, I'm in denial. (The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem, right?) My baby wont stay a baby forever. She is growing up! Just this year Carly has potty trained herself (yep!), gone through several laser treatments, said things like, "I want to go to Hawaii!" and, "Um, I don't think that looks very cute, Mom." She says all kinds of crazy things I can't even remember now. She rides a scooter, she can start a DVD, she says her own prayers without help (although she likes to have Tatum help her sometimes), she likes to get the mail, play with her baby dolls, take pictures with my camera {the results of which are pretty funny}, and help in the kitchen.

Yes she is a great kid. But I also know that she has her moments of being downright naughty!

For example, she smashed a dozen eggs for fun. She pushes Nolan and Tatum when she gets mad. She scream-growls when she gets mad. She colors on walls, cars, and clothes. She pours her drink all over her dinner and laughs as it drips onto the white chairs. She puts up a fight to have her hair brushed. She frequently refuses to sit in a shopping cart, instead insisting that she will hold on to the cart. That doesn't last long.

We love her. She's the best "baby" in the world! I'm so thankful that she's a part of our family!

She chose a pink piggy cake with piglets for her birthday. Nolan was ticked that it wasn't store bought and chocolate. Tatum wanted it to be chocolate too. But it was Carly's choice this time. And she was happy with that.

Goodnight little 3 year old! Also, I should mention that the day before her birthday we took her to Bouncing Off the Walls which is an indoor warehouse filled with blow-up bounce houses. She had a super fun time with Tatum, Paiten, Mason, & Chandler. (Nolan was in school) :)

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Tatum got Glasses!

Well, it was the routine Vision Screen in Kindergarten that alerted us! (We thought her vision was great!) The school nurse suggested we take her to the doctor for a more thorough exam. Good thing we did! Astigmatism in both eyes and she might need a patch! The optometrist even referred us to the ophthalmologist! Yikes. So we went right down and got her some glasses. She chose some PINK ones. The lady helping us said her prescription was really thick, so we should go with more round frames. Yes, THICK GLASSES! BEFORE:

AFTER:

Still a very cute girl!
Her first time cleaning her glasses. Well, she is very embarrassed to wear them around a lot of people. I'm always saying,
"Tatum... where are your glasses?" or "Go get your glasses!" or "Carly! Put those down! Those are Tatum's! She tells me, "Well, I'm going to get them on right after ________ "(fill in the blank) or "Mom, I just don't like to wear them!"
It's a big change for her (and me!) but she looks super cute and heck- she will see better! It's only a matter of TIME before they get broken or lost, right?!~~~ (sigh!)

Thursday, October 6, 2011

I love this cocoa!

My friend introduced me to this new cocoa that makes the most DELICIOUS, fudgy brownies EVER! They are super yummy. I doubled the recipe on the back of the container, *(but not quite double the flour)* and they turned out so awesome. It's very important not to overmix this batter.
AAAAhhhh! I wish I could roll this into a ball and stuff it in my mouth right now!
Even Danny loved them!
Don't forget the milk! That is also VERY important! Thank you Tiana for showing me your brownie-making ways!
If you want some too, it's only at Fred Meyer....... You're welcome!

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Mermaid Meat

We eat mermaids at our house. Today after school Tatum said, "Mom, I am hungry for a sandwich. First, we get all the ingredients out!" So I said,"OK let's get the bread and meat and cheese out." Tatum: "No, I want mermaid meat!" Me: "What?" (I'm laughing because I know what she means) Tatum: " I want to make a sandwich with mermaid meat and mayonnaise" Me: "Oh ya, the mermaid meat is right here." Delicious mermaid meat
She likes helping herself in the kitchen. I try to let her help me whenever I can.
Mix it up
Eat some right out of the bowl... just like Mom.
Lovin it! Yummy Mermaid-meat sandwiches:
1 can mermaid meat, drained
small squirt of mayo
shake of salt and pepper
maybe some garlic salt
Mix
Put on favorite bread and eat--- knowing that no real mermaids where harmed in the making of that sandwich.

Monday, September 19, 2011

Carly- the soldier

It's hard to post these pictures. But I want to keep a good record of how far she's come AND so I can look back and remember that this too did pass. It was really rough this time. Tramatic- for both of us. Right when we pulled into the parking lot, she was crying and saying,"Why I have to go hospital? I don't like the hospital!" I tried to unbuckle her carseat; she said,"Don't unbuckle me!" We finally got up to admittance and she was temporarily sidetracked by the playhouse. Then we went up to the 8th floor- peds surgery which she immediatley recognized and she starts wailing... then sidetracked by some toys. Her name was called and she stalled by saying, "I have to go potty!" So I take her potty then we go into our little partitioned area. (Like a triage room). She is fighting to leave the whole time. She is then sidetracked by toys and stuffed animals they give her. (It doesn't last long) Alright, fast forward through more crying, and we can't get her temperature, blood pressure, O2 level.... She claimed to have to go potty about 3 more times. I walk her back through the double doors down the hallway and into the O.R. Usually she is loopy at this point, but today she was fully aware of everything. She was bawling and clinging to me saying "I don't want to go!" and seriously even,"What are they going to do to me?" Yes, she really said that. I had to help a nurse and anethesiologist hold her down while she was kicking and screaming so they could put a gas mask on her. I told her, " I'll be right back Lovie" as I backed out of the room. She had tears streaming down her face as she watched me walk out the door. I felt pretty horrible. Thirty minutes later they brought her back to our area. They laid her on the crib and she was covered with those purple dots. I heard someone say she had over 300. Because they lasered a huge part of her face and neck it swelled up a LOT. They gave her a little O2 as she was waking up. Here she is at home the same afternoon. She slept the whole 3 hours home. Super swollen. When she saw herself in the mirror she said, "I have a birthmark." And that was all.
NOT happy. Need more tylenol.
It was a pretty drive. Some leaves where changing colors. She is so beautiful. I believe that one day she will be thankful we did this. (I mean, it IS medically neccessary, but she doesn't understand that.)
Carly, you are the best little 2.5 year old in the world. I'm sorry you have to go through this but it really is for the best. Hopefully it wont be too much longer my Love Bug.

Saturday, September 17, 2011

~~It's Great to be 8!~~

Eight years old! It's an important age for this guy! Nolan is able to be baptised now! In the LDS church we are baptised when we reach the age of accountability which is 8 years old. Click here to read why: http://lds.org/new-era/2009/06/to-the-point/some-of-my-friends-have-asked-why-we-are-baptized-at-age-eight-what-should-i-tell-them?lang=eng&query=baptism+eight Here is Nolan on his birthday- all ready for school! September 12, 2011
Nolan and Nana (Danny's paternal grandma..... Her birthday is 2 days after Nolan's!)
Nolan wanted a volcano cake with smoke... so I tried my best! Turned out cute- not incredible, but it was fun to make!
We ate dinner that night out at Brasada Ranch with Pam, Nana, Jamie, Addison & Aunt Vicki. Nolan got a new bike, a remote control race car and of course his model trains from Nana that he adores. I'd say he did pretty well! We love Nolan Michael Wendt!

Friday, August 19, 2011

I heart Oregon

We are so happy to live in the great state of Oregon!!!! We moved here in October 2005. It is so beautiful, Bend is very family friendly, there are lots of things to do in the summertime, skiing in the winter, an airport close by, the rivers, museums, recreation..... Yep, we want to stay here a long, long time!
Inside the "sleeping" volcano.
Happy 28th birthday Danny! Aug 12 His favorite- ice cream cake! Happy Birthday Danny, I love you~

Nolan read 100 books

Nolan isn't a fan of reading. We have to bribe, I mean, REWARD him with a prize. So I made him a chart to read 100 books over the summer. Here he is with some of his favorites: Go, Bus, Fat Cat, Hot Dog, Ant Jobs, Hop on Pop....
So his prize was to go on the ALPINE SLIDE on Mt. Hood. (Near Portland) He finished the last book and the whole family jumped on the bed clapping, giving high fives, making a big fuss... so he would know that we are super happy. Now, we didn't get a picture of the Alpine Slide this time- (I posted pictures of the slide in this blog last year)- but we did these fun things too:
Tatum on the canoe ride
Nolan climbed to the top of the rock wall- loved it!
Unfortunaltey, at 50 lbs, he didn't weigh enough for the rope to bring him back down, so the worker had to pull him down. We kept yelling, "Nolan, just let go and the rope will bring you down!" We figured he was scared to come down. But then we saw both his arms out and he was just stuck up there. It was high too!
Even Danny got to climb the wall- and make it to the top too.
Oh Gees- Nolan thought it was GREAT to pretend to be a hampster running in a ball.
Pony rides! Nolan rode Rain, Tatum rode Dottie and Carly rode George. They loved the horses. Oh they want a pony now. And really, they seemed very natural on the horses.
Kiddie Karts. They were super slow, but I think they were happy that they could drive it by themselves. Good boy Nolan! Thanks for reading 100 books. Now lets get ready for 2nd grade!

Monday, August 15, 2011

Grandpa Wendt

Grandpa Wendt died a year ago on Aug. 14 2010. Last night we had a lovely dinner with Nana and her sister Beverly and Grandpa's sister Jewel and her husband Bert. We ate at Range, which is the new restaurant at Brasada Ranch. It was great food and we were happy to be with Nana on a hard day. Here are some pictures to reminisce: Golfing was a big family pasttime. This is Danny's family (minus Jamie). Grandpa is the tallest guy there. And of course Nana is right beside him.
Grandpa, Danny, Mike, & Jacob at the Running Y in Klamath Falls.
This is a sweet picture of Nana and Papa in Hawaii. Christmas 2006
Here they are in 1951. Married over 50 years. Aren't they a good looking couple? We miss him, but we know that families are forever and we'll all be together again someday!
for a good article on what I believe happens to us after death.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Lasers & Concerts

Here is Carly after her 7th laser treatment. The two of us drove to Portland Sunday night for her appointment the next morning. It's slow going, but we're making progress...
Swollen eye, cheek and ear... poor girl. She finally got some food- that made her a bit happier.
Carly has a "silky". It's a little lovey that is (you guessed it!) silky. You can see the top of it on her shoulder. She just rolls the silky between her fingers and sucks her thumb. We always bring it so she can have her comfort toy.
On to something happier: Danny took Nolan to a Bend Elks baseball game:
Nolan LOVES police cars, so I'm not surprised he wanted a picture with this.
Oh, and he also loves mustangs. (I think there was one in Transformers) BRING BACK THE 90S!!!!!!!!! EVERCLEAR!!!!
Dan and I listened to this band all the time in Jr. High and high School and they came to Bend!! We HAD to see them! it was the greatest! They played my favorite song: Santa Monica!
Proof that we were there!
Renae; so excited to go!
Oh ya, the lead singer!
Dan: drinking soda
Renae: also drinking soda. Note to self: don't drink caffeine anymore. I thought I would need it to stay up for the concert. well, I was awake. For way too long. I must be sensitive to it since I never drink it.
What face is he making? This was our dinner before the concert at Pizzacato. yum! Nolan and Tatum did their sports camp this week. Monday to Friday for 3 hours they did baseball, basketball and soccer. I think they liked having eachother there.
Great job Tatum!
Hooray! They did it!