Jeffrey-and-Brittany-Luna

Boat trip continued

2011-10-04T16:53:00.001-05:00

Ellison loves to read. Her favorite book is "Dear Zoo."

We Are Officially moved to Madison.Boat trip on Lake Monona

2011-10-04T16:38:00.001-05:00

Don't ya just love car rides honey?

2011-10-04T16:23:00.002-05:00

I am the one who usually drives the kids anywhere so i have a huge selection of kids music in the Jeep that is always playing. When Jeff gets in the car and starts it up the music comes blaring out and the kids begin their usual poses...fingers in the mouth, Wyatt dancing, and of course Ettoile singing at the top of her lungs begging to have her window down so she can shout the words of the song to people on the sidewalks.

This is Jeff's "Really, do i have to listen to this crap.?"If you have kids in the car...you betcha.

Ellison's Birthday

2011-10-04T16:13:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Ellison! She is officially 1 year old. She wasn't very excited about cake or even opening presents since she had gotten her immunizations the day efore and wasn't feeling her happy self. She was a good sport though and her party was short so she could sleep.

Ettoile Birthday

2011-10-04T15:53:00.006-05:00

Wyatt and Daddy hung out most the day.

Ettoile had an icecream themed party so rather than cake we had icecream sundaes. Ellison prefered the fake cone since it made more noise and wasn't as messy.

Thanks to Brandon and Desi we had a bounce house at Ettoile's Party. As you can see it was a big hit.

Riverside Park with Nanie and the kids.

2011-10-04T15:44:00.002-05:00

Nanie with the two big kids.

Etttoile during the childrens march.

Wyatt saw a really cool car and we had to get a picture. Ettoile and Wyatt at the fountain. I would have had Ellison in the picture too but I was afraid that one of the two would accidently push her in.

Ellison loved the band that was playing in the park.

long over due update

2011-10-04T15:29:00.004-05:00

Ettoile and Wyatt were invited to march in a childrens parade at River Side Park in the beginning of june. Ettoile made sure Wyatt stayed in step.

Notice how sad and upset Wyatt is... Then notice how exhilerated Ettoile is. They both were eating icecream cones while waiting for the carousel to start. I told them both that i would hold their cones while they rode the ride. Wyatt i guess didn't believe that he would get his cone back after the ride and put up such a fight that i finally just let him eat the cone. They run a real tight schedule so in the end he didn't get to ride and this was his mad face. Drama, drama....

This was memorial weekend hanging out in the land and our old backyard.

Spring fever

2011-04-20T19:07:00.008-05:00

Ellison is getting so big. She now can crawl and feed herself.
I now find her standing in her crib in the mornings waiting to be picked up. She is still a little peanut so her head doesn't even look over the rails. She looks like she's in jail. I will have to remember to grab the camera and take a picture. Otherwise she is the happiest baby ever. (Yes, thats a cheerio in her hair).

This is my nephew Baby Hudson. He loves to come to our house to play with his cousins. Wigs are a commodity here.

This last month Jeff and I took the kids to a petting farm. They had all kinds of things like ducks, turkeys, rabbits, sheep and lambs. It was really fun to see all the little kids petting the different animals. Wyatt liked the ducks best. Ettoile was just happy to be there. She had just gotten a huge bump on her noggin from tripping earlier in the day. She gets distracted easy.

all boy..

2011-02-23T21:58:00.002-06:00

Wyatt loves going over to my sister's house, not just because she spoils him with treats and has different furniture to climb on, but becuase she has the coolest dog ever, "Ruger." Wyatt hangs out with him and only him when he goes over for a visit. He follows her dog and treats it like it were his own. I just recently got this picture of Wyatt when he was really little.(Courtesey of my sister Deisha.) This little man needs a dog of his own I think. Maybe someday.....

The entire Durnford Family Picture as of 2009. A lot has changed since then since we are missing Baby Ellison and Baby Hudson. Thanks Deisha for sending me this.

Long time...

2011-02-21T16:11:00.011-06:00

Ellison is sooooo much fun. She is the happiest little child and loves to smile. She is now rocking on her hands and knees and is an expert backwards scooter crawler. The typical Santa picture... maybe next year they will all be looking.

We forced wyatt to try on the wig. As you can see, he was not very happy about it, hence the forced mad smile. Ellison didn't mind one bit and just like Ettoile, doesnt mind hair in her face and loves girly things.

Wyatt now is potty trained. Here he is showing off his gymboree undies. Ettoile of course in one of her princess formal dresses.

Our trip to Cancun was wonderful. I just wish I had been able to get more of a tan.

Jeff and I went parasailing for the first time. It was scary at first but soooo much fun.

Noni and Papa had a great time too. They loved our timeshare resort. It was a nice change from WI. We literally drove late into the night through a blizzard to get to Madison where our plane left. Jeff even had an exciting trip back from Josh's graduation in CA. He and Grandma had 3 flights get delayed and cancelled due to weather and ended up driving all night long from Minneapolis to Madison. Jeff got to the Airport 10 minutes before we got there just in time to check in.

The kids were big fans of the sandy beaches and playing in the water.

The best place we ate was La Tequileria, it was a small hole in the wall and cheap but had better food than anywhere else, plus within walking distance to our resort.

The kids were super well behaved and are excellent little travelers. This was Ettoile's 2nd trip to Cancun.

Its a night picture but we had our own private balcony overlooking the beach. It was the best to sit outside at night in the warm breeze.

We have been so busy the past few months. Jeffrey recently started a new job in Madison, which now requires us to relocate. Our house, thus, was put on the market as of January. I haven't had much free time to update the blog so this is my attempt.

We went to Cancun, Mexico for Christmas and really didn't get any tans only sand in our suits because of the kids but It was so much fun. This will be a new Luna Family Tradition, destination holidays... forget the gifts, lets go see the world.

Wyatt is now potty trained. YEAH! We tried treats, charts, and lots of praise. None worked. Instead, we went the hotwheel car route and every time he pooped (on his own effort) he got to pick a new car, and one new one for every five times he peed (Also by his own efforts, no forcing). He caught on real fast since the kid eat, sleeps, and dreams of cars. He even uses them as utensils.

Update

2010-11-08T21:11:00.005-06:00

Getting the kids ready for church

When Wyatt and Ettoile are watching a movie, they always have to sit right next to each other.

Ellison loves bath time, and is an excellent smiler.

Wyatt was a dragon, Ettoile was a pink cupcake.

Ellison was a flower.

Trip to the ZOO

2010-09-12T21:07:00.006-05:00

Our trip to the zoo was awesome. I was a little bit scared to take all three by myself in Madison, but I did it and no one ended up getting lost/taken or thrown to the bears for not listening.(smile) I went down to Madison to visit Jeff's dad and went to the zoo while he was at work. The kids loved it.

Even Ellison loved it.

The zoo had a few of their exhibits under construction. Wyatt spent most his time watching the bulldozers and trucks. The kid loves trucks. This was his favorite part of the day.

The zoo had a really cool bridge over by the flamingos. They both were more thrilled by running back and forth.

We also recently went to a family reunion on my side. It was SOOOOO hot. I thought I would melt. I also caught Ettoile on the toilet talking to herself. She has recently entered a phase of imaginary friends. She named her's "Kelly." Jeff gets really weirded out.

Baby Ellison never gets enough love.

when kids are too quiet...

2010-08-31T14:56:00.003-05:00

I had recently put Wyatt down for a nap and Ettoile was cutting paper.(so i thought) and I was upstairs feeding Ellison. When Elle was done (15 min. later) I came downstairs and began cleaning up the kitchen where Etty was doing her art project. Only she wasn't there. I called her name and no answer. I called it again and she appeared. She was holding our digital camera. (oh crap!) i grabbed it from her and asked why she was playing with it. She told me first that she wasn't playing with it and was bringing it to me. I asked her again and said that i never asked for the camera so why was she playing with it. She then told me she couldn't find her play camera and was "borrowing daddy's." I spanked her hand and told her that she needs to ask to borrow things and she knows not to touch any of daddy's things.(ie: t.v, dvd, game system, camera. etc.)

I found probably 100 pictures of Etty not playing with the camera.

Attempt at a family photo

2010-08-30T12:46:00.006-05:00

So, my sister La Sharra left at the beginning of August for a year exchange in Finland. This is her and my parents. Before she left we decided (very last minute)that we should get a family photo. It was decided that we could wear brown, black, white, and denim. These were our attempts at getting a great family photo. Note: none of us are professional photographers and none of these photos have been touched up or enhanced in any way.(you probably can tell)

So we began with our family. Ettoile and Wyatt were more interested in picking flowers in the front than come when we called them to pose.

This ended up being our best shot with our family. I had mixed feelings about wearing white.

1. it is not a slimming color(sigh...remember i had just had a baby five weeks earlier)

2. I wasn't even sure everyone had white clothes that were nice for pictures.

3. try keeping kids white clothes clean and bright for an hour outside during a hot humid wisconsin summer...impossible

Then we took photos of all the sisters, and then all the girls in the family(except ettoile because she was too busy picking flowers and running around.)Next year perhaps we can get a complete picture.

Then a picture of everyone minus the son in laws.

Then we rounded up the kids and sat them on the deck and quickly took the shots. Wyatt was already covered in grass stains (sigh)

Since it was so hot we decided to go inside to take a picture of all the sisters with mom and Katrice.

Then we did some silly pictures. Apparently my mom doesn't know how to make a silly face.

I thought i would share this one with you because I could barely contain Wyatt. Deisha caught him running away and headed for fresh dirt. If it weren't for my sister Deisha who is due in Nov,

he would have been wearing brown rather than white for the pictures.

Life with Ellison

2010-08-04T16:29:00.007-05:00

Ettoile loves to play dress up. This is her new favorite hat.
Ellison loves her swing and will chill in it when the big kids are playing around her.

Etty wants to hold Ellison when ever she can. I let her hold her when she is the cleanest (right after bath)

Ettoile was admitted to the hospital for a rash and fever that she had for a week that only got worse with treatment. She is all better now and off predisolone(thank goodness... it made her so naughty)

Yeah! she was looking right at the camera!

Wyatt loves to pose for pictures.

Ellison loves her blanket from Aunt Sara. Thanks again! I just thought it was funny how close they sit to one another in the bath tub. Probably not Wyatt's choice.

Ellison's gorgeous blessing dress made by Grandma.

Ellison's photo shoot

2010-06-28T07:32:00.007-05:00

With the first two kids, the hospital nurses take a really crummy picture and then it gets posted on the Hospital website and published in the sunday paper. Now there's a contracted photographer that comes in and takes pictures... We bought 'em (just like everyone else does). Enjoy... and if you're interested, you can read what I think about photography at the bottom.

These were the main reason we bought the pics. The two bigger kids were too cute with Ellison to pass up... If you know Ettoile, she's the most unphotogenic child on the planet so we need good pics whever and wherever we can get them.

My Opinion on Photography: I'm sure some of my photographer friends won't like what I have to say. Maybe I'm just ticked because these pics cost $200 for a CD of about 30 pics, no prints (the pricing went as follows: 2 pics on a CD for $99, 4 on a cd for $149, or all on a cd for $199 - If Im already into it for over a hundred bucks, whats another $50?). I think what I should have done is gone out and put that $200 towards a nice digital camera that I've had my eye on for some time now but can't bring myself to spend the near $1k for it. Also, we had some family pics taken in Vegas a few years ago, the photog was just some chick with a pretty nice digital camera that photoshopped the crap out of the images and they turned out OK, but not great for the rediculous sitting fee she charged (the "family-friend discount"). All we got was a CD of the images with few of them ready to frame... and even then she did strange things with angles... I can respect the artistic value of a diagonal picture, but I dont generally hang a diagonal frame on my wall so it made all of the diagonal photos useless. Regardless, the milk is spilt and I'm happy with the baby pics.

Am I wrong to say that almost anyone can take a descent picture now days? I'm not a photographer but I'd have to say that I have a good eye and generally most of my pictures that I put any effort into turn out really nice. With modern cameras it seems like almost anyone can pick up a camera, switch it to the auto mode and whip out a good pic. (Auto Mode translated means, I have no idea what shutter speed is, that light is a factor in taking pics, and I dont want to deal with focusing). Is it me or has the art of photography significantly changed? When I first got into photography, I bought a nice hard film Pentax Camera and got a nice Tamron telescoping lense. While the camera did a lot of the work, one still needed to know the functions to be able to spit out a good picture. Back in those days, photography was about taking a good picture ready for processing, and it seems like today photography is about good editing regardless of the POS picture you took. Has editing always been a part of photography? You bet... but significantly more today... which Im not saying is wrong but allows almost anyone to pick up a camera, blur out the background and have a stellar picture. i think these comments was sparked by the photog's comment when we were about to start the session, Me: "Where do we take the pics at?" Her: "Just in here is fine." Me: "oh." Her: "it doesnt really matter about the background, I'll just photoshop what I need to." These pics were taken in the hospital room, on the hospital bed with one of the hospitals boppy's with a sheet over it. I guess it worked.

Just my opinions above, don't take offense photographer friends... I still have respect for good editing and still believe that one does need to have a good eye and a knack for taking pics. I have seen many of your photos and websites and am quite impressed by your work. But I have greater respect for traditional hard film photographers. BUT, with technology changing, like everything else, I guess even photography needs to evolve out of the hard film dark ages.

Welcome Baby Ellison

2010-06-16T20:13:00.011-05:00

Welcome

Ellison Rosalie Luna

12:46 pm - 6/16/2010

7lbs 8ozs - 19.9inches

Britt being brought back to the OR, Ellison's first moments. I was 95% sure we were having a boy... Thank You Britt for keeping it such a secret from me (Britt knew all along what we were having and I didn't, I wanted to be surprised). I was shocked when the Dr. pulled her out and announced she was a girl. This is one instance where I was more than OK with being proved wrong.

Cutting the cord, Proud Daddy.

When Ellison heard Britt for the first time, she opened her eyes really wide and stared at Mommy.

Britt's first moments holding Ellison.

Cute bum, Good pic of her eyes open.

Ettoile was the proudest big sister on the planet today.

Operation went quite well overall. Britt is of course very sore and in quite a bit of pain but happy to have a beautiful baby girl. She was amazing and I am so greatful for the sacrifices she makes to have such a beautiful family!

More update to come later!

3rd Birthday

2010-06-15T07:07:00.010-05:00

Ettoile's 3rd B-Day

Note the progression...

Mr. poopy pants doesn't like getting splashed by the crazy daisy.

Ettoile's birthday breakfast... she got to use her little demi tea cup.

Anything Alice in Wonderland related is a big hit. Forget treats...

Ettoile would rather play tea party as a reward. Her breakfast of choice was bacon...

Well if that's what she wanted on her special day... sure.

She got an eye mask for her B-Day... She slept so good.

Our cute niece Anya... she's super girly.

We got Ettoile the "Rose Petal Cottage" for her B-Day. According to Britt, all little girl's mommies know what this is??? All I know is Britt found it on craigslist for $40 with all of the accessories and they go for close to $300 new with all the accessories.

Britt made a topsy turvey B-Day cake for Ettoile. She's so amazing.

Of course we sang her families birthday song with britt on the guittar.

I thought these pics were super cute.

Daily routine = filling up the little pool. Ettoile wanted to play in

the pool but didnt want to get wet because the water was still cold...

so she put the tub in it and floated like a boat... clever girl.

Silly face. Britt just on Sunday... 3 days to go. "Don't post that picture... do I look fat? Im so done being pregnant! I want my body back. My feet are so swollen. That's soooo sad (she cries when we watch UP or any other movie). I feel like this baby is going to fall out. Baby just go to bed. I can't breathe. I just went to the bathroom like 5 minutes ago."

Picturemania

2010-06-15T06:55:00.010-05:00

When I look at other blogs I'm most interested in the pics...

so my 2 month update will be mostly just pics.

memorial Day Weekend at "the land" (Britt's parents land)

All the grandkids on Britt's side... by the end of the year 2 more to add

to the mix.

As Ettoile put it... "painting the roses red." Wyatt was in heaven just sitting on

the mower.

We put the sprinkler under the trampoline... Ettoile and Collin

had a blast.

Note Ettoile is also posing to show the camera her baby also.

The kids were clean and cute before church on sunday that we took
a few pics to document their cleanliness.

I like their goofy faces.

Britt and her sister Deisha. We're excited for her to have her first baby in

November. Britt's about 8 months preggers here.

Chillin on the "jumpoline" as Ettoile calls it. The first pic shows what it looks like when a princess jumps on the jumpoline.

Love the sleeping pics.

Easter egg hunt. Poor Wyatt couldnt figure out why it was so hard to pick

up the egg... his head kept hitting the pole.

Ive had to travel quite a bit for work and Wyatt decided he was coming too

so he grabbed his shoes too.

Bath time with Jason and Sara's kids.

Baby 3 Update

2010-03-23T08:30:00.007-05:00

Wyatt Tried really hard to eat with chopsticks but got frustrated and started using his hands. His vocab is starting to beef up and he is finally starting to point out things like his cars and say the word's. He knows a lot of his colors and most of his body parts. His favorite thing to do right now is climb... he'll climb on top of anything that looks like a challenge.

Our little fairy... If it's not her tiara, it's her wings, if not her wings, then her cinderella dress. Such a girl. Ettoile is talking better and better every day. She's quite feisty and witty. It's interesting to see some of her personality traits that mirror her Mommy. Her hair is finally growing in nice and thick and is getting long enough to get into ponies. Ettoile responds very nicely to her behavior chart and getting stars for each item. She reminds me when I have to get after her for being naughty to be a "happy Daddy" and not to be a "mad Daddy." She LOVES Wyatt and thinks that she also has a baby in her tummy like Mommy.

They always watch movies really good together. The favorites right now are Petes Dragon, Peter Pan, and Monsters Vs. Aliens. Ettoile getting ready for Church, she loves her church dresses.

So here's the hotty mommy. Turns out that Brittany gained 11 pounds in one month at her last appointment. She obviously isn't gaining all over so Doctor thinks she may have Gestational Diabetes. She'll have to drink that nasty orange stuff and get a blood test. Worst case = she'll have to be on insulin until the baby's delivered which will most likely be early since the baby is growing quickly. Her belly measures about 2.5 weeks farther then it should. At this point Britt likes the "deliver early" option. Britt says she's been pregnant for almost 3 years straight so her body is going on strike, probably true. This one has been the hardest pregnancy due to all of the pain she has from her adhesions from previous c-sections and this baby is extremely active. Those of you who just saw her at Christmas where she barely had a bump... BAM! Baby popped and really quickly too. Britt has been a trooper with this pregnancy and I applaud her for tolerating the constant pain and discomfort for our eternal family. I know she will be blessed for her decision to have one more beautiful baby.

March is finally here!

2010-03-06T20:28:00.005-06:00

I am super exhausted at the end of the day. Here Etty and I are resting from a long day at work and daycare.

My two little helpers.

Jeffrey made some amazing cinnamon rolls this week (from scratch).

Wyatt loves to be like daddy so he helped fix the chair.

My niece, Anya, turned one this weekend. I made her a cake and cupcakes. Since she was a March baby her theme was "in like a lamb, out like a lion." It turned out really cute.

Quick Update

2010-02-26T07:33:00.004-06:00

Just being goofy after bath but before bed.

For the last couple weeks, any time we say "smile" to Wyatt he gives this goofy smile face. I think he learned it from Papa.

When the kids woke up on Valentines day Britt had a balloon with a candy tied to it. They also got some new super warm heavy fleece lined sweaters.

Wyatt's always super cuddly when he wakes up.

This was Ettoile's face when she saw the carousel.

Past 2 months in Pictures

2010-02-12T22:46:00.015-06:00

The grocery store had a christmas open house...

I think the development of the pictures clearly shows what Wyatt thinks about Santa

Of course Santa plays mini golf

Decorating some houses

Wyatt's daily ritual of pulling the pots out of the cubbard

Santa Barbara carousel. Dang I look fat... Im back to what I was before Christmas now. I hate that I gain and lose weight so easily

Ettoile was excited to see all the gifts... "for me?" she kept saying

The kids ate what Santa didn't...

Kids got a ball pit

and a jump castle

Ettoile loves Wyatt to death... so we have to keep an eye on her

airplane to Cali for Christmas... The cold water didn't stop Ettoile from enjoying the beach

Milpas is a strict requirement any time we're in Cali... locals know what I'm talkin 'bout

The beach wore the little guy out... really wore him out

he's such a ham

Papa and Grandma... and Ettoile doing her American Eagle pose

Tuckered out... you'll notice she can't sleep without "baby white" as she calls him. We have no idea how she came up with that name... especially since he's really more like a dingey gray color now

7 grandkids with 2 more coming this year... so far... sheesh

Maybe one of the best parts about being home for the holidays was being able to let the kids play outside

Wyatt's other daily ritual... playing with the farm. And no bedtime routine is complete without a book

bathtime fun and us at my work Christmas party

Wyatt was sleeping so just us three. Yes you can see the baby bump... Ettoile also claims to have a baby in her tummy. Sometimes she'll laydown on the bed next to Brittany and say "whew, this baby's gettin big."

Dance class disaster. "Twinkle twos." She loved everything about dance class except for... the dancing... we'll probably try it one more time

We don't know where she gets her expressions. The kids LOVE swimming

Ettoile found some pirate treasure at Preston's B-Day party

Wyatt and Damien hung out most of the day and Etty was super pouty the first hour until finally she broke down... all she wanted all morning was to sit next to Preston at the party. She was so sad... once she got next to her cousin she was a peach

car ride home from Preston and Damien's house

Baby #3

2010-02-09T21:03:00.005-06:00

Baby's profile and baby's feet.

One where you can see the bones in Baby's fingers and another foot.

"The thinker." Baby has it's hand on it's head.

...And no I don't know what the gender is.

Baby is 22 weeks... The c-section is scheduled for June 16th.

We were lucky to get what pictures we did... this baby is a maniac. The ultrasound tech had a hard time getting all of the measurements, baby was too active.

2009-12-16T23:25:00.012-06:00

Surprise! We are having another baby!!!

The Story
We have been discussing the possibility of having another baby for quite some time, really teetering on the fence. I felt we should have one more child and Brittany didn't at first, possibly because of the two difficult pregnancy/ birthing experiences she has already had. While we have no issues getting pregnant, most of you know that Brittany's only option for birthing is via c-section... which unless you have had and recovered from a c-section, it is hard to comprehend the difficulty and long recovery time associated, as well as the lasting effects on the mothers body and health (Ettoile was an emergency 'crash' c-section, and Wyatt was scheduled by our specialist's recommendation). We came to the conclusion that if we were to have another baby then now would be the time. We prayed about it and felt strongly that although it may be a difficult journey, for Brittany especially, our family was lacking one more member and this was the right choice for our family.

On the flipside, we also felt very strongly that after this pregnancy, we will not be having any more children. SO...

The Kicker: Announcing to my family... Post Vasectomy...
Because Brittany is unable to keep secrets she told her family at about 2 months into the pregnancy. I on the otherhand did not tell my family. I did however, tell my family I would be scheduling a vasectomy, which was performed on December 10th (It's not bad at all, the worst part is just the anxiety and nervousness beforehand. There is little to no pain except for the initial anesthetic injection and I would compare that to less painful than novicaine at the dentist... once that parts over you feel nothing and the whole thing is over in about 10-15 minutes).

I'm certain that our decision was met with some confusion and sadness but it was always our decision to make. I never lied to anyone... I just chose not to fully disclose that when I said we had been blessed with enough children, we had already been pregnant for a while. I apologize for leading anyone on. My mom especially.

We didnt have any spectacular way of telling my parents once we got to Cali for the holidays... Brittany is in her 2nd trimester already and it's almost noticable... she's quite petite so any sort of "bump," is going to be noticed right away.

So far so Good...
Brittany is now almost 15 weeks along and has an estimated due date of June 10th. We'll have a more accurate date on January 8th at the ultrasound. This pregnancy will be a bit painful because she has adhesions from the previous surgeries scar tissue. This can only be corrected by surgery making this next c- section a little more difficult than the previous 2. We are happy and excited to welcome baby #3 into our home!

Weekend...

2009-12-01T20:25:00.005-06:00

Here's our weekend in pictures. We went to Preston's Pirate B-Day Party.

The drive up to Minneapolis.

Yes we kept his mohawk... it's awesome.

Ettoile didn't want to be a pirate... she chose "Cinderella" for her pirate name.

Ettoile found a treasure on the treasure hunt.

Wyatt will follow Ettoile anywhere... Ettoile loves to hold Wyatt's hand but she goes too fast so Wyatt usually faceplants. It's a love-hate relationship.

Kids had a blast at the pool... Ettoile strikein a pose.

Ettoile had her "twinkle twos" dance recital... she decided that she didn't want to dance that day.

She stood in her spot the whole time and just watched the other girls dance. Money well spent.

Walkin...

2009-11-15T21:43:00.003-06:00

Actually, Wyatt has been walking for about a month+ now... we just suck at updating our blog. He's now about 70% walking 30% crawling. He knows he's a fast little crawler so he gets lazy sometimes. If you listen closely... Ettoile's in the background telling us not to clap for Wyatt. She loves sharing in others accomplishments.

Trick or treat

2009-11-02T21:13:00.005-06:00

Lft to rt: Collin (Dragon), Anya (Strawberry), Wyatt (Dragon), Ettoile (Unicorn). This was the best picture we were able to get of the four kids together...

Daddy pushin the kiddies door to door. Sit N Stand stroller was a trooper.

Wyatt had a good tine just watching the rest of the kids... We thought Ettoile wasn't going to last very long but she ended up being upset that we didn't stay out later. I think we went about 1.5 miles total... she walked/ ran for about 3/4 of the time.

Deisha and Sharra (Britt's sisters) holding the 'dozer' and a random picture of the kids eating dinner... Wyatt lounges and puts his feet up when he's eating. He's super messy so we've resorted to eating in just a diaper... we even have to watch that he doesnt start taking Ettoiles food.

Ettoile's daily dress up routine, the tiara is never forgotten... this is her "cinneralla dreshs" (translated: cinderella dress) you can kind of see Wyatt's mohawk in the background. Jason helped me... I think it's awesome... even Britt said he can keep it... for a bit.

Ettoile riding into the sunset... tiara, cinneralla dress, and rainbow haired pony at her side.

Just a couple quick pics...

2009-10-17T11:49:00.003-05:00

Just the kiddies doin what they do best... playing.

They love their tunnel from Grandma Luna... IKEA has cool stuff.

Bath crayons... We wont be buying those again... The marks dont come clean as easy as it claims.

It's Fall! (Guess we'll put up some pics)

2009-09-27T21:00:00.006-05:00

Wyatt's 1st Birthday Party!!! Britt did a Crocodile and Monkey theme based off of Wyatt's favorite song... "Three little monkeys swingin in a tree sayin, 'Mr. Crocodile can't catch me... uh uh uh...' and along comes a hungry crocodile... and SNAP!!! No more monkeys.

Mommy playing Wyatt a birthday song... and Wyatt having his special cupcake.

I gotta say... Britt did a stellar job planning and executing!

Monkey and crocodile theme... Collin trying to hi-jack Ettoile

Handsome guys gettin ready for church.

Went to the pumpkin patch on Wyatt's Birthday but the hay ride wasnt going because it was too muddy... bummer... kids liked watching the animals get fed. This place was literally some guys farm in the middle of no-where who just grows lots of pumpkins every year and even does a corn maze.

Got to see sheep, goats, pigs, cows, farm cats and dogs, and some chickens.

Ettoile got a kick out of realizing that the strange animal sounds that we have taught her actually correlate to a live animal.

Back From Hawaii

2009-08-07T17:18:00.010-05:00

Lets be honest... we've been back for almost a month... so these pics are late as usual. There's just a few snapshots from our Hawaii trip with the Luna Clan. Thanks Grandma and Papa!

Not so "big foot" sighting... garden of eden style

The ride up the the cables for the zip lines

The crew on a canopy zipline tour

Guess we know where the kids learned to pick their nose... Papa.

Fourth of July bash

Aren't they cute? All the boys in the same jammies from Grandma.

At the Luau

Happy 2nd Birthday Ettoile!

2009-06-27T12:38:00.004-05:00

I'll just let you look at the pics...

Of course she wore a tiara the whole day...

Etty snuck her finger in while I was taking the pic... caught on film.

Blowing out the candles... the twins.

Durnfords singing their family birthday song.

This is how our bikerides usually end up... as nap time.

Picturemania!!!

2009-06-01T20:36:00.009-05:00

Ettoile and Daddy at "The Land" (Britt's Parents rural property) and the kids on the way home from a walk to the grocery store (Wyatt's first cone!)

Our little plant fairy helping to make the garden grow

Finally got a picture of her smiling, better frame it

Bubbles

I titled this pic of Etty "The Boss," Wyatt is allways smilin

Cool and the bathtub gang (from left to right: mini Jason, mini Jeffrey, mini Heather)

Our easter for the kiddies... Britt is allways in charge of holiday gifts and found some cute little baskets and the wagon is from Grandma Luna

Our really hard hiding spots for Ettoile's morning egg hunt

Easter egg hunt at Noni and Papas with Ettoile in her easter dress from Grandma Luna

Every time she went down for an egg, they all fell out of her basket... her cousin Collin was allways eager to help her pick them back up again but was not responsible for any misplaced eggs in his basket.

Has it really been 2 months since the last post?

2009-05-02T08:23:00.003-05:00

Etty loves to help in the kitchen, Wyatt... Mommas boy.

Always smilin Wyatt and tantrum throwin Etty when it's time to go inside.

I thought he kind of looked like Elton John with the glasses on... and a walk in the park.

Ettoile fell asleep holding her bug shaped grahm crackers, Wyatt at his 6 month.

The kids in their new wagon they got for Easter, Ettoile and Daddy... sometimes she makes goofy faces and looks kind of "special."

Lots of things going on right now with the Wisconsin Luna family. Graduation is only 2 weeks away and I'll finally have my Bachelors of Science in Accounting with enough credits to sit for the CPA exam. Unfortunately, no job yet... Just like 95% of my graduating class it has been a rough time to be looking for a job with the job market pool being saturated with many people who have been layed off or what not. The few employers who are actually hiring are able to obtain candidates with greater experience. Luckily Brittany is my Sugar Momma right now and has been stabley (splg?) employed as a fertility biologist for well over a year. I am confident that something will turn out soon. I'm not above bagging groceries for a while until something becomes available. We are confident that as we continue to make good choices and necessary sacrifices, Heavenly Father will take care of us.

We are looking forward to everybody coming out to Wisconsin in 2 weeks to celebrate graduation with us!

Pheasant extravaganza...

2009-03-02T20:18:00.003-06:00

Went pheasant hunting over the weekend with my two brothers in law and one of their Dads. It was pretty sweet but pretty cold too. trudging around the snow when it's 20* is not the greatest but overall it's an exciting moment when the dog flushes out the pheasants. We only got 7 total but it was still good times.

No clever title.

2009-03-02T09:17:00.002-06:00

We always put Wyatt on his tummy each day but this is what usually results... the thumb gets put in and he falls asleep, or he just gets tired of trying to hold his head up and falls asleep

Cousin Collin fishing for trout at the boat show here in town and the sleeping beast on our way home from the mall. She got to pick out a little summer outfit and was way overtired... we thought she would just fall asleep in the car right away but no... not until literally the minute she got her new outfit to hold she fell asleep in less than a minute.

Cuties

2009-02-12T20:45:00.004-06:00

Smiley and Crabby.

Wyatt's latest request

2009-02-12T16:51:00.003-06:00

Wyatt's latest request...

"Look at my face Papa, do I look like I'm joking?" - Wyatt

P.S. "Ettoile said she wanted a pony too... preferably a unicorn with pink hair..."

And the verdict is???

2009-02-05T15:58:00.006-06:00

THUMB SUCKER...

Wyatt has been sleeping through the night for about two+ weeks now... part of it I think may be that he likes to suck his thumb... I wouldn't say that he is a thumb sucker yet... just because it's not very often that we catch him... but none the less I have seen him put himself back to sleep by popping that thumb in there... On another note he's on the 75th for his weight, weighing in at 16lbs 10oz at his 4 month checkup. He's a solid little guy... err... well... "big guy." Ettoile is happy to have a little brother to love, we just have to watch her because she has so much love to give that she sometimes hurts Wyatt on accident, trying to give hime toys etc.

Wyatt's favorite thing is to be held by Britt and when he isn't being held by Britt he sometimes gets mad, hence the mad pic... he had just gotten put down.

Ettoile like to make funny faces and in the other pic she's showing off her muscles (It kind of looks like she's handicaped... she's not)

Ettoile likes to wear mommy's winter hats and Wyatt is always smiling.

Sunday Morning

2009-01-14T09:49:00.003-06:00

Just some pics from sunday morning... Ettoile was a book reading machine and Wyatt decided to take a nap... Funny the way kids think... Ettoile was reading her hungry caterpillar book and at the end it has a pop up with 10 butterflys... well she was in a sharing mood so she tore all of the butterflys and their wings and put them around Wyatt in his bouncy so he could see them... Although it was kind of cute we still had to enforce a time out for tearing up her book... this wasnt the first time shes torn pages out of her books... crazy child.

Our growing garden... (of children that is... obviously nothing grows in wisconsin in the winter)

2009-01-07T20:09:00.006-06:00

Our house in the snow and the kids in their Christmas Jammies. Britt wants to start a tradition of new christmas jammies each year.

Our Christmas tree and Wyatt... he falls asleep everywhere. We found a slim tree at walmart that fit perfect in pretty much the only available spot in our house.

Weve been accruing alot of these ornaments for years at the after christmas sales. It was nice to finally get to use them... Britt and I like a designer type of themed tree... the memory tree thing is cute but not our style.

You can see how Ettoile decorates christmas cookies, eat one... decorate one... eat one.

Smiley Wyatt and Ettoile in time out for hitting. Just in case your wondering... thats a ducky towel and I never noticed until she was in time out that there was a little tail on the butt. Time out in our house either consists of one minute in a corner, on the steps, or on a kitchen chair... whichever is closest... now that she's almost two it seems like she's spending alot of time in time out... I guess thats just the age... terrible twos...

Wyatt's getting so stinkin big... Ettoile was kind of squishy but Wyatt's solid. These pictures were taken this week so they're the most up to date of Wyatt.

Just a quick pic

2008-12-30T11:53:00.002-06:00

Just a quick pic of Wyatt and Damien

Christmas eve y'all

2008-12-24T06:59:00.006-06:00

We went to see Santa on Monday since Britt and I are off work for the week. Such a rip off. Whatever happened to meeting Santa for free? Well I take that back, you can meet santa for free but you are not allowed to take any pictures unless you buy one of their packages... the cheapest one was $16 and my pictures turned out better than what they had. Oh well, nothings free anymore. As you can see from the pics, Ettoile was really excited to see Santa. I had to hold her hand all the way to the chair and for those of you who are familiar with baby signing, the second picture is Ettoile saying "all done."

Just a smiley Wyatt and our sorry excuse at a gingerbread house... We had a really good one that was a pre-made package from costco you decorate but it got eaten by some of Britts family members before we got a picture.

Lately Ettoile has been all about climbing all over everything. She got caught climbing on her rocking chair to get onto her kitchen and started making believe she was singing a song to cover up. In the mean time Wyatt fell asleep listening to a Judy Garland CD, his favorite. Any time he's upset, Judy garland will ease his pain.

Getting ready to go see Santa.

Hotty Mommy and a blackmail worthy picture of Collin(Ettoile's cousin) for when he's older... were glad it turned out so good. You should have seen how mad Ettoile got when Collin put her tutu on... Ettoiles tutus are one thing she doesn't like to share...

2008-12-22T10:05:00.002-06:00

Just a few pics from this week. Wyatt will be 3 months on Christmas day and loves to smile every chance he gets. He's also a big talker... if you talk to him he's all about talking back and smiling. Ettoile is getting all of her molars in right now... arrgghh... so she is about 80% pleasant and 20% demon... Orajel has been our good friend lately. We'll be happy when teathing is over... probably just in time to do it all over again with Wyatt.

I took the kids to walmart this week and I knew Etty was tired so I let her bring her favorite blanket into the store with her to keep the beast content... she started doing the head banging thing and before I knew it both the kids were asleep. So instead of a quick trip, I was able to get all the things I needed... and made it a little bit longer of a trip.

Yeah so it's been a month...

2008-12-06T23:39:00.004-06:00

Busy, busy, busy; that sums up that past month for Britt and I. Britt's now back at work and I'm in school full time for one more semester and working part time. With two kids that leaves no room for anything unless of course I stay up all night... I'm getting old and can't seem to stay up past like 10 or 11... maybe when Wyatt starts sleeping through the night which might be any time now... Well in the past month we have been to Vegas for thanksgiving which was great! It was nice to see all the fam and all the kids too... The Luna family just keeps getting bigger and bigger. What else...? Oh, I got the internship that I've really really wanted at "Trust Point," formerly North Central Trust. I'll be the "personal trust intern," or in other words, Ill be preparing tax returns and tax planning for trusts and estates. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this internship turns into a job offer so that way I can stay locally and not have to move any time soon. And more recently, every single one of us got the flu for a day or two... theres a few pics of Ettoile, who got it the worst. She woke up one night after having thrown up all over herself and her bed, gross, and then she spent the night in her play room on a bed of towels watching Marry Poppins, her current favorite. The next night she was back to her usual active self. The bad thing about having kids is that they get sick and then when they start feeling better the parents get sick and then we're no fun because they want to play and we feel like poop. Anyways, enjoy some random pics... the "Ettoile the nudist" fotos I thought were just funny, she got her hair blow dryed wacky after bath time...

New addition to the play room

2008-11-07T16:09:00.004-06:00

We are currently trying to teach Etty her colors and thought that this new toy would help her on her way. We took her swimming pool from the summer and bought some play place balls from walmart to try and duplicate the fast food play place ball bin... which Im sure that most people know are uncommon now because they're pretty unsanitary. Anyways, she loves it and will separate by purple and yellow. As with all toddlers, her attention span is short and decides to instead roll in them or throw them all over the room, so at the same time as teaching her the colors she is also learning how to clean up.

On monday I had a big accounting test and I just thought it was funny to see my study area when I was about to put my books in my back pack. I love my kids to death, but studying is hard when Ettoile is coming in and out every other minute to bring me a toy. Britt says it's because Ettoile thinks I'm bored and wants to make sure I have some fun. So if you want you can play "I SPY..." See if you can find the little man from her dollhouse, a purple pom-pom, Wyatts green pacifier, a clean diaper, a used diaper, Wyatts doggy hat, a blue dog, and an orange my little pony. Also enjoy a pic of Wyatt at bath time.

And on his farm he had a...

2008-11-01T07:45:00.010-05:00

Alright... picture overload time. I couldn't just pick a few to put up. I think the pictures can sum up our halloween better than I could write it. Note the pumpkin guts eating pictures... I tried to tell Ettoile that she wasn't going to like it but she tried it anyways... I like to call the second pumpkin eating picture the "Daddy, why did you let me eat that?" picture.

Got this emailed to me yesterday...

2008-10-31T08:19:00.002-05:00

Already a month old...

2008-10-27T10:52:00.003-05:00

Wyatt is already a month old... he's a maniac when he eats and has gained a lot of weight... so he's really starting to fill out. Britt says, "the fatter the better..." Ettoile gets cuter every day and is learning her colors... we aren't pushing the potty training much but we are getting her used to sitting on her potty... She gets 1 recees pieces every time she sits on it and sometimes she'll go and sometimes not... But her personality comes out more and more every day and she always makes us laugh. Enjoy some pics of 1 month old Wyatt and Ettoile. (Disclaimer on Ettoile and the bottle picture: Ettoile has not had a bottle since 10 months but she got a hold of Wyatt's and must have decided to try it for old times sake... needless to say, she spit formula all over herself and the floor. I just didnt want people thinking we still give our child a bottle after one year.)

Twins baby blessings...

2008-10-22T14:58:00.007-05:00

My parents came out to the mid-west to help us out while Britt was recovering from her c-section and while they were out here we had a twin baby blessing outside at the Durnfords home. Jason and I have always done everything together; born together, bath time together (disclaimer: only for the first few years of life), school, etc. etc. So why not bless our new babies together. It was really nice and the experience was extremely nice to have it at home with just family. So here are some pics of the blessing... Preston and Ettoile had a great time together and decided the garden box was more fun than the blessing. We also wanted to say a great big public THANK YOU to Mom and Dad for coming out and helping us while Britt recovers. It means more than you will ever know!

No clever title needed...

2008-10-17T10:31:00.001-05:00

I think this pic helps everyone to know my political standing this year...

No clever title needed...

2008-10-17T10:10:00.002-05:00

I guess this lets everyone know where I stand politically...

McCain Rally

2008-10-10T10:58:00.003-05:00

Britt and I went to the McCain Rally in La Crosse this morning. Baby Wyatt went along too since he is also an avid McCain supporter. Ettoile decided to go to daycare because she is leaning more towards Obama... as long as it's an educated decision than I guess I'm OK with her choice. Britt, as many know is a democrat but is leaning more towards McCain. I, as most know, am a declared republican since I most closely relate with the republican party and ideals but I am proud to say that I am a bi-partisan voter, voting for whomever I feel represents me as an american.

The other day when I had mentioned to a coworker that I was going to attend the rally today, her response was, "Oh... I'm sorry." My response was, "Oh... I don't apologize for making well educated and rational choices for me and my family." I hate ignorance and rude people. I am fine with whoever supports Obama, in fact I have great respect for the man. I'm sure that he would do great as the next president, but I think that McCain will do much better and lead our country to a better standing than Obama ever could. If you support Obama, good for you and I am happy for your choice, AS LONG AS you have made an educated one. BUT, if you really dont know what either stands for or the difference between the two platforms than shame on you for jumping on the trendy bandwagon. Anyways, I guess thats all I have to say about politics. Heres a few pics from the rally and a few more from the devilishly handsome young man...

Wyatt Jeffrey Luna

2008-09-28T21:30:00.004-05:00

So here's some pics of Mommy's new man... There's one semi-graphic one of the c-section, I think it's beautiful but sorry to anyone that it makes a bit queasy and then a random one of Ettoile and her cousin Preston in the bathtub tonight.

HE'S HERE!!!

2008-09-26T10:22:00.006-05:00

We are proud to welcome to the world;

Wyatt Jeffrey Luna born at 12:38pm (CST),

weighing in at 7lbs 8.8oz and 20 1/4inches long.

He has semi-thick dark hair like his Dad. Im thinking he'll lose alot of it like Ettoile did. He's very alert and loves to keep his eyes open and look at Mommy for extended lengths of time. He has the Luna lips just like Ettoile, and Britt swears that he has a semi-butt chin like I do. I don't think I have a butt chin... but for arguments sake I guess I do. In short, you can tell he's our boy.

Mom and Baby are doing great. He's eating well and both are very healthy. Ettoile is with her uncle Brandon and cousin Collin at Noni Kates house (Britt's Mom). She was excited to see the new baby and was all about touching his face. I think eventhough Wyatt was an accident the timing between the two of them will work out to be really good. Wyatt gave Ettoile a new puppy (stuffed animal of course, with two kids under 2 who in their right mind would want a real puppy) which made Ettoile really excited and helped her to welcome the new baby. As most of you remember, Ettoile was born via "crash" emergency C-Section after 8 hours of labor with Britt fully dialated. We chose a scheduled c-section this time so that Britt and I could enjoy the experience (in crash c-sections the mom is put completely out and the Dad is not able to view the birth) and not feel robbed. As per our Dr. the chances of her having a second c-section were in the mid 90's so we accepted his recommendation to schedule the delivery to have a smoothe calm experience that we'd be able to enjoy and remember. Thus far it has been great and Britt is healing miraculously. After just a few hours she was up and walking around with no help, she's amazing. The whole experience has been very calm and wonderful. We couldn't be happier with the new addition to our family.

I know many of you have seen this photo already from my cell phone. Britt asked if I wouldn't take the digital camera until tonight... just in case she wanted to take some pics. Soooo more pics will be up later tonight or tomorrow morning. Love you all!

Just a quick ironic post...

2008-09-24T18:38:00.003-05:00

Yep, one day left till baby Wyatt joins the party! We're very excited and Britt, although a little nervous, is more than ready for him to be done in the oven... But on another note, my sister Heather had posted a bit ago about Logan's elbow becoming dislocated... I guess it must run in the family because today I dislocated Ettoile's elbow... it was wierd... I just picked her up by one arm like I have a hundred times before but this time her elbow dislocated... needless to say, she was not very happy and Britt had to take her to the emergency to get it placed correctly since I had to leave to go to class and I dont know how to do it anyways. Britt always gets on my case about picking Ettoile up by one arm or by her hands as opposed to under her arms and today I got the big "How many times have I told you... blah blah blah." She's doing fine now and while I was at work I guess it came out again... I think she slept on it funny while napping and woke up screaming. Brave Brittany called me a billion times and finally built up the courage to pop it back into place by herself. Im so proud. Anyways, just thought I should share my "Bad Daddy of the Year" news with everybody.

I'll try to post an update on Britt and the baby ASAP either tomorrow or friday...

Powerwheel hunk steeling Ettoile's heart...

2008-09-18T23:57:00.004-05:00

Ettoile's cousin Collin got a new powerwheel jeep for his birthday... today was the first day that Ettoile has gotten to ride with him. Needless to say, she was so excited that she was borderline hyper-ventilating... literally... I thought she was going to faint she was so excited... here's a few pics of the trek. I'm beginning to wonder if her love will be won by true love or by nice flashy things such as a jeep...

"Oh Collin, you're such a hunk." -Ettoile

Migrating west... MID-west that is

2008-09-16T07:28:00.005-05:00

We're very happy to have Jason and Sara closer to us. They came down this weekend to La Crosse from Minneapolis (about 2.5 hour drive). We enjoyed spending some time together and the kids had a great time. Damien turned one month while they were down here and he's sure a cutie. Britt loved being able to hold him since he's such a cuddler and is now more baby Wyatt hungry than ever. As of today we're down to the single digits of days remaining. Can you believe she's ready to pop from the pic below? She's one hot baby momma. Heres a few pics from the weekend. There's one of Jason rocking Damien, Ettoile and Preston watching Cinderella while the adults get ready for church, Britt and Ettoile at the park, Britt cuddling Damien or the other way around, and a few of Ettoile with Damien. Ettoile thought Damien was the best thing since sippy cups. She didn't get jealous at all and got super excited to be able to touch ("nice touches" was said alot this weekend) and look at the baby.

FHE this week...

2008-09-11T20:23:00.002-05:00

For Family home evening this week we went to Riverside park in the downtown and fed the ducks. Ettoile thought this was the greatest. The park is right on the shore of the Mississippi river and there are always a slew of ducks just waiting for some handouts. After that we went to "The Pearl." It's an old fashioned ice cream parlor downtown that makes it's own icecream. Coldstone is good but there's something about the ice cream here, maybe it's the wisconsin milk... the cold weather must make the cows here ice cream friendly... Etty's had ice cream before but I think she literally ate like half of each of ours.

Daddy's little helper

2008-09-11T20:14:00.002-05:00

Etty was playing in her room today and then saw that I was in our room putting up a new ceiling light/ fan. She took the initiative to come and help me finish the installation. She's my good little helper.

You may have also noticed that the baby count down was on 14 days for two days... apparently Britt's Dr. will be in a meeting the day that her delivery was scheduled and had to move it back a day. Britt was disappointed to say the least. An OB should know better than mess with a prego's delivery date.

Almost there...

2008-09-08T11:26:00.004-05:00

People always ask for a pic of Brittany and her preger belly. Only 16 days to go and I don't think that September 24th will come soon enough for my beautiful baby momma. A few of Britt's recent comments on being pregnant with baby Wyatt; "I thought babies were supposed to become less active at the end?" "I feel like he's going to fall out my rear right now." "Don't make me laugh, I might pee my pants."

I also posted a pic of Ettoile in her new "big girl bed." We decided over the weekend to move her into a twin sized bed and out of the crib. The crib is still in her room for now but she thought that the big girl bed was the greatest thing ever! She was even asking to go to bed for the past 2 days now. So far she's done really well and hasn't gotten out of bed or fought us on nap time. We have just sitting on the box spring on the floor for now, and then we'll put it on the frame after a little while, and once we get a railing for the one side.

Last night we put her to bed and when we went to check on her as we always do right before bed she was with her head at the foot of the bed cuddled up with her huge stuffed Giraffe. It was so cute. Britt also enjoyed being able to lay in bed with her a while she slept. OK, I'll admit that I layed in bed with her for longer than Britt did... What am I going to do when I have to drop her off at school for the first time?

Playing with bubbles

2008-09-05T08:48:00.004-05:00

The big thing right now is bubbles. And I got a pic in there of how cute her hair curls up naturally. Right now she's kind of in the inbetween stage according to Britt. It's too short to do too much with it, but it's getting pretty long kind of shaggy looking. Whatever, she's still adorable.

Our cute house (continued 3)

2008-09-05T07:42:00.003-05:00

Brittany and I are particularly fond of our kitchen. I wish we had some before pics of the house so that everyone could see the before and after difference. One of our stipulations was that the appliances were literally as old as the house (about 1950). They worked ok but lets be realistic. So we were able to write an extra 3,000 into the mortgage to purchase new appliances. Soooo we got all stainless... fridge, double wall oven, hood/vent, and a black glass cook top. Being the handy guy that I am I had to re-frame the spot where the oven is to fit the new bigger oven. See, back in the 50's, appliances were a lot smaller than our are today, so even though there was a double wall oven there before it was smaller than todays smallest model. Britt and I then decided to paint the cabinets black instead of refinishing/ staining them. They were a nasty brownish orange, most likely a faded version of the original stain. We also put in all new stainless cabinet hardware. All of the original appliances were a light brown poop color and made Brittany throw up in her mouth a little bit every time she saw them. And of course we painted the walls also but I think I might use the rest of the red to paint the walls under the cabinets but above the counter.

The backsplash above the cook top used to be the banged up copper tile that we thought was pretty cool but ended up tearing out because it didn't match anything. I was going to sell it back because it was copper but it ended up getting thrown away... I don't even want to speculate how much it would have been (probably over $100, they were pretty heavy solid tiles). Anyways, I put stainless colored ceiling tiles instead, and I'm pretty proud of my work It really adds to the kitchens character, kind of a "modern" "antique" feel. Then to finish up my lengthy description, we went to IKEA for the very first time (yeah I said first time ever) about 2 weeks ago when we went up to see Jason in Minneapolis and we bought that stainless angle halogen light for only $45. We've been looking for a light similar for a while but they have been in the hundred+ range so we jumped on the $45 light that we like even better at IKEA like white on rice. side note: IKEA is probably one our favorite stores now. I can't believe we've been missing out for so long. So all in all we love our little kitchen, it's small but one of our favorite rooms in the house. Just a few in-expensive improvements really went a long way to modernize our home. We already have a large amount of equity.

First day of School!

2008-09-02T16:28:00.002-05:00

It's the first day of school in Wisconsin!!! I thought I should have Britt take a picture of me just like my mom used to do when we were kids. Almost every first day of school my mom would make us stand in front of the house with our back packs on and our lunches ready to go to school and take a picture. I thought I would take a picture for "old times sake" for my Mama. The only differences now from when I was younger is that I am now standing in front of my own house, I have a kid (soon to be kids) in the picture, and thats not really a lunch bag... I have a credit card that buys me lunch now...

Well this will be my very last "first day of school" picture. I'm finally in my last year of college... well... at least until I start grad school in a year or two maybe. But, it feels good to have the end in sight finally, it's hard to explain the feeling of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel instead of a never ending darkening pit that school can sometimes give you. If all works out as planned I will be taking an excellent internship in december, and then be hired on to make bookoo bucks at the same company here in town...

Growing up too fast...

2008-08-29T11:37:00.006-05:00

So here are a few pics of Ettoile. We no longer say "baby Ettoile..." mostly because she's now a full blown toddler. Forget walking, she even runs a little bit now. She finally got two bottom teeth, says Daddy, Mama, dog, ball, no, hi, buh bye, night night, uh oh(whenever she drops anything), Ooooooh, giggles non-stop, smiles all of the time, weve even had a few temper tantrums where she throws herself to the floor... she's learning that it hurts her more than it gets the point across to us. She also signs all sorts of things... hungry, thirsty, milk, tired, all done, more, waves, and claps. She loves to dance any time she hears any sort of music, even if I try to butcher a song she'll bob her head. The favorite movie right now is Cinderella (she will sit and watch the entire thing) and favorite toy is a pair of butterfly wings we got her last year at an after halloween sale. Brittany's good, counting down the days... she is more than ready to be done with being pregnant. I'll be starting school... again... but for my last year, on tuesday. Then I will finally be graduated in accounting and have enough credits to take the CPA exam (150 credit minimum). These pics below are kind of funny because I went to Home Depot to get a few things we needed at home and I put her in a regular cart to push around the store with me. As I was about to start pushing her around she saw the cart with the dirty car attached to the front that the kiddies can sit in and started saying "ooooooooh, daddy, ooooooooh" and pointing frantically. So of course I gave in... Im a dad, and she thought it was the greatest thing in the world, even had her baby doll buckled in next to her.

Our cute house (continued 2)

2008-08-14T11:58:00.005-05:00

This is the staircase to the up stairs where Ettoile's room (pics below) and the master bedroom (no pics, it's a mess) are. And then at the bottom are some pics of the family/ living room. The stairs to the 2nd level are right across from the front door.

Our cute house (continued)

2008-08-14T11:46:00.003-05:00

As mentioned before, here are a few pics of the inside of our house. I included the 4th bedroom/play room which has a sliding glass door to our 3 season porch (like an enclosed deck with windows all around and a door to the deck). Theres a few of the bathroom, and one of the hallway downstairs, you can kind of see the original oak wood floors which Brandon (Bro. in law) and I sanded and re-stained ebony ourselves. We did most of the painting (we hate white walls). More pics to come soon

Our growing garden

2008-08-14T11:17:00.007-05:00

So I started this garden completely from seeds in our backyard and have proven that I have more of a green thumb than I thought... No cheating here my friend, seeds only, no already growing plants whatsoever (except for my raspberrys which I transplanted from my Ma in laws house, and some rhubarb... I couldn't find seeds). We have Zuchinni, Corn (which my neighbor said would never grow, now he's eating crow and we're eating corn), Cherry/ Bigboy/ and Roma Tomatoes (there's a lot I know, we plan on canning), Peas, Green Beans, Basil, Cilantro, Jalapenos, and Bell Peppers (all colors). No tomatoes are ready yet but just this morning a bunch are starting to turn red. Below, are some of the wildflowers we planted around the garage.

Our new Nephew!!!

2008-08-13T19:26:00.003-05:00

Damien Quinn Luna

9 lb 3.5 oz - 22 Inches

1:48am - 8/13/08

Thanx alot Heather and Sara... Brittany is beyond jealous that you have your new little ones and we have to wait another month and a half to revert back to the no sleep stage... I think she'll survive.

Also, if we follow the current trend, Baby Wyatt will be around 10+ lb... If so, it's probably a good thing Britt has to have a c-section...

Our new Niece!!!

2008-08-11T10:16:00.004-05:00

Emily Marie Serr

8/8/08 - 12:49am

(more pics at http://serrfamily.blogspot.com)

Now we're just waiting for Sara and Jason to have baby deuce... Hurry up allready...

On the river.

2008-07-28T23:21:00.006-05:00

This weekend was a river weekend. We had a family trip on a sandbar on the Mississippi. Here's a few pics from our excursion. Less than 2 months to go for Baby Wyatt... Britt's ready! The little tumbler is really active. I can feel my little soccer player kickin around at any time of the day. As Britt says (real quotes), "I think he's over 8 pounds already." "I think he's bruising my ribs." "Oh my gosh, I can't breathe he's so big."

Just a few cute pics (continued).

2008-07-28T23:13:00.006-05:00

Just a few cute pics.

2008-07-28T23:08:00.003-05:00

Ettoile's 1st B-Day! (1.5 months later)

2008-07-28T22:50:00.016-05:00

Ettoile turned 1 on June 15th. Papa Luna was here to enjoy the festivities and she was enfatuated with him. Papa also taught her a new word which she still uses today when she drops anything... "uh-oh." She picked it up real quick and will take the initiative to drop items on purpose just to use her new vocab. Etty enjoyed the cake most of all. She got a bit bored with the gift opening and began to just play with the bows. All in all it was fun and we enjoyed having a small family B-Day party.

Some pictures from a bit ago...

2008-07-28T22:36:00.006-05:00

Grandma Luna at the Santa Barbara Zoo and Papa Luna at home.

Noni Kate (Grandma Durnford) with the little smimmer.

Ettoile and Collin watching Veggie Tales...

2008-07-16T22:47:00.000-05:00

Whenever we need a break to get something done all we have to do is turn on Veggie Tales... Etty's favorite. This is Ettoile and her cousin Collin watching "Lord of the Beans."

Our cute little starter home!!!

2008-07-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

So I know a lot of people have heard about our recent home purchase... now after like 4+ months I finally have a few pics, but just of the outside. Interior pics are in the works... Our house is a mess right now since we have been soooo busy this summer. It's classified as a "cape-cod" home. It has a full (unfinished) basement, 2 bedrooms upstairs (master, and Ettoile's) 2 bedrooms on the main level (one is the office/guest room, and the other is a walk through room, right now it's the toy/play room, with a sliding glass door to our large 3 season porch with a small wood deck built off of the porch). There's a detached 2 car garage facing the alley (most homes in La Crosse have an alley) and a nice sized yard with a garden plot in the back as well where we have a sweeeeet garden! I have no idea the square footage, I think it's around 1700 sq ft+/-. The kitchen, bathroom (yep only one bathroom), and family room are also on the main level. Overall it's small but so stinkin cute. We're very happy with our home and the size is just right for us. Britt and I re-did the landscaping in the front, before there were overgrown/ unkept nasty bushes kind of like the woody pine like bushes that have pricklys and are really dusty. I dug out the bushes and yanked them out with the jeep. We then got some very nice healthy dirt from the city yard waste plant (for free) and most of the plants were either transplanted by me from around the house or were transplanted from Brittany's Mom's house. So basically it was a next to free landscape job and I think that it turned out pretty good. There's also a birch tree in the front yard, my favorite. We also did the landscaping around the garage (there was nothing before but half dead grass). We're pretty proud of our hard work. Like I said, I'll try to get some interior pics up soon, probably after we clean up on some saturday and I'll also get some pics of my sweeeet garden. So we got this puppy for only 105k. It was assessed @ 120k by the bank before we did any work to it inside or out and we all know that the bank always low-balls it. SOOO, talk about buying for less than renting. Our neighbors house is for sale for 135k and is pretty similar but with some updating to do, so we think we got an excellent deal. The elderly guy passed away and his kids were just trying to sell it... they took our offer which was lower than another offer because they wanted it to go to a family and not some single older guy. Anyways, our neighborhood is pretty mixed... but mostly either retired or young couples like us. With the guest room we'll be expecting y'all to come visit soon! Love y'all!

I just thought this was a funny pic...

2008-07-16T21:25:00.000-05:00

We've started Etty on the potty. We sing the potty song every night right before bath time and she gets a little chocolate if she goes in the potty. It would be nice to have her trained before baby Wyatt so we only have one kid in diapers... I don't think we'll have any such luck...

Papa's visit to Wisconsin to see Ettoile! (and maybe he was on business too)

2008-07-16T21:20:00.000-05:00

Just a few pics of Papa and Ettoile from my phone. I think I have more on my digital to come later.

Update on the Wisconsin Luna Family...

2008-05-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

So not too much has changed since last time. Ettoile is now over her infantaigo and all of her little spots have cleared up. She's just happy as ever and loves to be outside! The dirtier the better in her book. Before she didn't care much for the grass and would even do a modified crab walk just to avoid her legs touching the grass but now she's all over... Dirt in her mouth, hair, grass stains all over her knees... I've had to start putting her in the pack and play because I worry she'll get sick from eating so much dirt and grass. Britt took her on a walk today and she grabbed a flower at the park and kid you not, ate it before Britt could get it from her. BUT we are very greatful that she likes to play outside especially now-a-days with most kids liking to be stuck inside in front of the CPU or TV... She really isn't all that interested in her kid movies... Veggie Tales is about the only thing she'll watch.

We're going to spend memorial day weekend at "The Land" in Richland Center... It's Britt's dad's land and there's a pond and forest and lot's of grass. I'm looking forward to escaping from the city for a bit... work is so crazy and we need a quick get-away.

I do have one crazy work story... so one of our technicians in Minneapolis died last week... yeah I said died. As you know I'm in the security industry and so we have a sales team and a technical services team that installs security systems... so this guy (I'm not mentioning names...) was installing a system when he started feeling light headed (luckily I have the techs in teams of two) so he sat down and the other tech said he passed out and his eyes rolled back... no seizuring or anything. The other tech had the homeowner call the paramedics and in the mean time tried giving CPR and to revive him (keep in mind the passed out tech is only 22 yrs old) . The paramedics got there quickly and had to use a defribulator (spelling) to shock him back to life, I guess he had been not breathing for about 5 minutes. He ended up in a coma for about 3 days and when all was said and done they had found 2 cysts on his brain and he had a heart attack. I thought he had no health history but it turned out that he was born with some sort of issue with the valve going from his heart to his lungs. It was supposed to never be an issue in life but I guess they we're wrong... He has since come out of the coma and is back to normal... his short term memory is a bit off but he's doing much much better and continues to progress... Weird huh? We're just glad he's doing well! I guess that didn't have much to do with our family... oh well. Britt is doing well and she's really started to show the past few weeks... My little boy is going to be a soccer player with all that non-stop kicking! Poor Britt.. baby Wyatt keeps her up at night with all the kicking sometimes...Enjoy a few pics of Ettoile outside, Ettoile in her bike buggy, Britt feeding Etty outside, and me using my economy stimulation (We bought a new grill with a little bit of our stimulus check, thanx Uncle Bush).

My Very First Posting

2008-05-13T10:42:00.000-05:00

So this is the very first time that I have "Blogged," (you should be proud of me). I guess I have just been too busy to sit down for even 2 minutes and keep my peeps updated on the Luna Family in La Crosse Wisconsin. I should probably be studying right now because I have a Micro Biology final in about 3 hours but I just wanted to post a few pictures of my little star. Ettoile is 11 months now and isn't quite walking yet but she stands up on her own and cruises around furniture like a maniac. She wont take a step yet unless you have one of her hands and I dont know where she gets it from (LIE - It's Brittany all the way) but her favorite thing right now is to put on her play jewelry and look at herself in the mirror. She's all girl, 110%. Just yesterday she was diagnosed with "Head, foot, and mouth Disease" (I think it's also called infantaigo (spelling)). I guess, according to the doctor it's the ailment of the week at the doctors office... She said she has seen a humongous amount of kids come in with the virus... All it is are chicken pox looking bumbs all over the outside and inside of the mouth and it spreads to the hands, feet, and also to her inside of the elbows, it's common in the spring and fall, lasts about 5-7 days, and once she gets it once it's not likely she'll get it again... She looks like a leprocy victim right now but it hasn't stopped her from being Daddy's happy girl. Baby Wyatt is an active little monster and keeps Britt up all night, I wonder if he can be diagnosed with A-D-D while still in Utero. He kicks and moves around like crazy but Britt told me yesterday that she likes it, and it makes her happy to feel her little boy movin around inside. She's due on October 1st but because of the crash C-Section with Ettoile she'll have to have C-Sections from here on out with any more kids we have. So we're one of the few couples that know exactly when the little guy will come into the world. September 24th to be exact. She'll go in at noon on that wednesday and have the Baby soon after. At first she was disappointed to hear that she could only have a C-section (well hold up, Doc said that he cant legally tell her that she has to have a c-section BUT he's the regional high risk pregnancy specialist and told her, "after having a CRASH c-section (crash=being put completely out during the operation, not too common around here... only about 5-10 per year) and having a hernia she's welcome to have a regular delivery if chosen but 99% chance that she's just going to end up having to have a c-section anyways and so might as well just schedule it out and be sure that you'll be awake this time to enjoy the birth). So she came to the realization that she felt gipped from Ettoiles Birth because she was put out for the c-section and then missed the whole birth and first precious moments of her life and wants to be sure that it doesnt happen again. So needless to say, were excited and happy to know it's a Boy because in all honesty, who knows if She'll be able to have more kids after this one with all of the birthing complications she's had. (DISCLAIMER - Obviously it's not because either one of us is infertile in any way with only 7 months between Ettoile's birth and Wyatts inception, OOOPS. Only that her births have been rough and you can only handle so many c-sectionc) (<--- just thought I'd clarify). So anyways, I guess I had better end this and get to cramming, I'll try to post new pics and announcements often...

-Jeffrey and Brittany (PS. Enjoy a few pics)