Big Boy Bed

We have graduated Andrew from his crib/toddler bed to a big boy bed. It's actually the top part of new bunk beds, but for now we aren't putting the bunks together. Too much temptation to climb to the top and then jump off! We spent Saturday morning putting the bed together with Andrew helping by stealing all the nuts and bolts required to hold it together. But we finally got it set up, and he was very excited about it and climbed right in with a book. We thought it was a great sign until naptime came along. He wasn't interested in napping in his new bed and instead emptied all the clothes out of his dresser - twice. I don't know why I waste my time and energy folding his clothes! He did, however, sleep through the night in his new bed the past two nights and right now he's in his room trying to nap. Hopefully today will go better than the past two days! So far I haven't heard any dresser drawers opening...

Bathroom, Library - Whatever you call it

Yesterday, Andrew did a poopy in his diaper as he does everyday. But after visiting Grandma on Thursday and learning how to fake grunt and try to poop on the toilet, he decided he needed to sit on the toilet fully dressed to finish his business. I thought it was cute and funny until I had to confiscate three rolls of toilet paper AND disconnect the flushing chain to keep Andrew from flushing his college savings away. I finally convinced him that I needed to change his diaper, all the while burning a pan of cookies in the oven and letting my lunch get cold. Needless to say, I no longer found his new fascination of the toilet amusing! Later in the day, I thought he had forgotten his new found playroom only to notice him missing. These pictures are what I found. Where do they learn this? I can tell you that I do NOT have time during the day to read in the bathroom, so he didn't learn this from me! I'm sure more potty training woes are in my future. At least he's interested in the toilet even if it is just to watch the paper flush away.

A Beautiful Mess

This past Monday, much of Kansas was hit with a horrible ice storm. Fortunately we were spared the worst of the storm here in Wichita. This morning Andrew and I ventured to Hutchinson and couldn't believe how bad they were hit by the storm. Here are a couple of pictures of my parents' house. They still don't have electricity and don't have any hopes of getting it anytime soon...The good news is that it was above freezing today and much of the ice melted off the trees by the time we left this afternoon. Now they are predicting snow for this weekend. We can only pray that it's not as bad a storm as last weekend!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This past weekend we put up our Christmas tree. We had every intention of going to the tree farm and getting a real one, but with the lovely ice storms we've been experiencing since Friday night, we opted to put up the fake one. Probably a better choice anyway, since Andrew has a hard time leaving the tree alone. He likes to practice his decorating skills and move ornaments from one part of the tree to another.

And here's something you probably never thought you'd hear me say - I miss North Dakota a little. Mainly because in ND it is TOO cold for nasty ice storms. I don't miss the cold, but I do miss safe driving conditions! Hope all of you ND friends are staying nice and warm right now!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chaos in the playroom!

Grandpa entertaining Sydney and Andrew.

Sydney bonding with Andrew's Great Grandma.

Andrew and Sydney sharing the portable DVD player.

We had our first snow on Friday night. A beautiful, heavy, wet snow that melted the next day. We had to play in it a little and the kids didn't care that it was melting or that they were freezing and soaking wet!

Andrew and Sydney playing in the snow on our "hill."

Andrew helping Keith put up our little mini Christmas trees.

How cute is Brenna in this hat and coat?!

Happy Thanksgiving a couple of days late! We had a relatively quiet Thanksgiving this year. All of the Nislys except for mom, dad and grandma were with other family this year. So we had Thanksgiving at our house with the Petersons, who came to stay with us and joined us for the feast. The food was fabulous, but sadly I didn't think to take any pictures of our bounty, so you'll just have to trust me. Unfortunately, Andrew caught the stomach bug and lost all of his Thankgsiving dinner. I'll spare you all the gruesome details. We are just praying the rest of us all stay healthy, especially Brenna and Sydney!

Happy Birthday Grace!

Check out this AMAZING cake that Amy made!!

Andrew, Lejer, and Holden - the only boys at the party.

Grace, the pretty, pretty, princess opening her gifts.

Andrew and Lejer hanging out in Grace's room, away from all the girls and party fun.

The dads - Keith, Joel and Cameron

Andrew's friend, Grace, turned 3 on Sunday and Andrew wnet to his first birthday party. He didn't care that it was a pretty Disney princess party. He was thrilled to hang out in the playroom and play with all the new toys and ignore all the party festivities. I was a little worried that he would try to open all of her presents, but he could not be dragged away from the toys to be social or in the way! He was, however, interested when the cake and ice cream was served! Thanks Grace, Joel and Amy for a fun party! Happy Birthday Grace!

Oliver and his new "friend"

Here's a scary video. We had the windows open the other night and I had baked chicken for dinner. Apparently it smelled yummy, and we attracted a neighbor cat to our deck. Oliver was not pleased with our little visitor and spoke to him/her in a very scary and disturbing devil voice! I don't think it scared the orange cat as much as it did us! :)