Bertino Graveyard

I dont need to remind you of COles love of Halloween, or the excitement right? Well, a month ago, he and Dan decided they wanted to make a cemetary in our yard for Halloween. We had a few things from last year, and bought a few more this year.Well, we have had nothing but rain over the last few weeks, so the poor kid has been dying to see the sun and be able to make the cemetary. Finally on Sunday it was beautiful so he and Cole put the things out! Cole was so excited!He made Dan stand out in the yard at night and watch cars drive by and would say, "dad, do you think they liked it?" COle would even move dan and say, "dad move, people cant see it." When it was daytime, and man was walking his dog and cole said, "Mom, holler at him and tell him to look!" HIs excitement is so amazing and innocent and thats what I love about him most! Out skeletons all light up at night so he loves to just go out and stare!

Proud Wife....Again

Last Sunday St. Louis County had an award ceremony to recognize fire and EMS personell who went above and beyond the call of duty. As most of you know last May Dan and his crew had that horrific call where the Aunt was driving the car and got sidetracked and hit the pole, causing the car to burst into flames. The aunt was able to get herself and her daughter out, but the neice was trapped. Dan and Travis responded, Travis breaking the window and Dan pulling the burning child from the car, trying to administer CPR, resulting in her death.
Dan says every now and again that he never forgets her face, or certain moments of that call. On SUnday Dan and Travis were recognized and given an award for the job they did on that call. Dan was very negative about the whole ceremony for the weeks prior to the ceremony often saying, "Why would I get an award when the child died." I have explained that it was the effort and act of heroism that is being awarded. On Sunday when he, and Travis and chief Emmert, were called to the front, I watched and listened with tears in my eyes as the announcer reread the dispatch of that call and the play by play of Travis and Dan. Cole stood next to me waving and smiling at Dan, as his face changed solemnly the more the announcer spoke. When he came back to his seat he said, "That just brought back some really tough memories."
I will always be proud of Dan, and I am so glad Cole has a role model like him!

Its In His Genes

Cole has been wanting to do "Binastics" for a while. We did a mommy and me class when he was 2 and he liked it, until the day they didnt do the trampoline and pit! You all know we have done t-ball at age 3...i am still trying to forget that experience, and soccer at 4..which was great...except for after the kid pushed him down. SO he has been begging to do binastics. I took him last Saturday for a class to see if he would want to do it. We tried a new place this time and he loved it. There is only 1 other boy in the group and you could tell that bothered him, but he did so good! The 3 teachers really didnt realize it was his first time because the session had already started a week prior. He didnt bother tellnig them either, he just jumped right in and followed what the other kids were doing, as I watched from above crying. Yes, crying! So my hormones had a lot to do with it, but I have always been emotional watching Cole do anything...but that day it hit me watching him "catch on" and follow the directions without anyone even explaining what was going on. It just hit me that he is growing up! After a little while they realized he was new and explained the skills to him. I was so proud of him.
He actually is very good. He has always had amazing upper body strength so I was not too surprised. Dan is hoping for another sport, but I told him with my gymnastics background....its in his genes!

Ahhh.....Apple Picking Time!

Well, one of my favorite things about living in St. Louis is fall! I never really got ot experience fall when I lived in Texas, and now I really appreciate it as an adult with a child! SInce I met Dan (13 years agg) we have been going apple picking at Eckerts...as everyone in the area does! He went very unwillingly each year in college and before Cole. Having a child to take makes it 1000 times more worth the trek! We have made it our 3 yr tradition with the Hudsons to take the families in the fall. We ride the ferry over, eat apples off the trees as we pick them, have lunch at the Finn Inn and then head back across the river. This year Kristy and Karl also joined us with the kids and we all had a wonderful time! This was Kristy and the kids first time! Can you believe that...and she grew up here! We took a new route...this year 2 ferries! It was freezing this year! THe boys ran through the orchard like maniacs and had a blast eating apples. Cole totally enjoyed the pumpkin cannon that shoots pumpkins like bombs at the truck! He even got picked to load one and it hit the truck! He was so excited! The kids also rode horses...Coles all time favorite thing to do!
Well, its never a Bertino trip without something crazy right...no, Dan posing with the soggy apples at his crotch with Karl egging him on was not the craziest! On our way back, the line to the ferry was LONG! We were in our cars roped off so you cant go anywhere once you are in line. After about 25 minutes of waiting, and the ferry coming back across the river to get us, Cole tells us he needs to poop "berry bad." Dan and I tell him there are no restrooms (we arent lying)and no way to get out of line. We told him to sit still and maybe he could will the poop away. He got more and more antsy as the ferry was approaching. We told him just please try to hold it until we get across the river and we maybe we would see a port-o-potty...as we are in the middle of nowhere on the other side. He continues to tell us, and his eyes fill with tears becuase it is starting to hurt and he can hold it. I grab an empty mcdonalds cup and tell him hes gonna have to poop in the cup beucase there is nothing more we can do. The SECOND he pulls his pants down and I reach around with the cup, it comes out! By the grace of GOD it ALL goes INTO the cup! We are now on the ferry with all the windows down and Dan gagging. IM holding a cup full of poop and COle needs to be wiped, and we have nowhere to go on this ferry with a cup of poop! Heather was in the car ahead of us, so she gave us wet wipes to wipe him with. Dan continues to gag as we drive off of the ferry and off we go! This child is a direct product of Dan. He has now pooped off the side of a boat, in water, in the woods and now in a cup!

27 weeks and counting!

Today I am 27 weeks! We also had another dr appointment and ultrasound today! I had to take the glucose tolerance test today which sucked! I had to drink the orange stuff which wasnt bad, but on an empty stomach I had a hard time keeping it down. I guess I will hear back in a few days! I gained 4 lbs this month! I guess vacation caught up to me! THat puts me at 16 pounds now. Emmy put on some weight too! SHe now wasys 2.5 lbs! We have an ultrasound each month and it is so funny to watch how each month she takes up more and more of the screen! TOday she was hard to see they way she was sitting. She lays on her back with her feet at her head. In one picture she has her foot flat facing my stomach and gave a nice big kick when the lady pressed down. We caught her playing with the umbilical cord today also and practicing taking breaths!

Pumpkin Patch FUn

Yesterday it was absolutely gorgeous fall weather! We knew we were expecting 4 inches of rain today so some friends and I took the kids to Aholt farms in Augusta. ITs about 16 miles out of town in wine country! It was a beautiful drive next to the river! The farm was awesome! We had never been before to this one. You paid one price and the kids got to go in a "spooky reading nook"m to hear a halloween story, dance with frankenstein, then onto a spooky kids house they walked through! They had a huge hay bale slide, 3 huge corn boxes, animals, hay maze for little ones, a 5 acre corn maze, little tots cars to drive and more im probably forgetting...oh yeah a hay ride and barrel rides! All that for 8$! Cole, Isaak, Allie and her cousins had a ball and were worn out.....thats the good part!

Church Circus

Today our church held a family circus. It was absolutely adorable! ANd even better, it was all FREE! They had tons of bounce houses, games, prizes, food, tye dye shirt making, dog shows and a petting zoo. The weather was freezing! (by my standards) We met our friends Denise and her family and Heather and the kids there also. They loved the bounce house! Coles favorite thing was the tye dye shirt making. Although, in the end, he won a sword that makes lots of loud noise that I am hoping will break soon! He and Allie got snow cones to add to the cold weather! It was great and we had a blast!

Picnic In The Park

On Friday it was beautiful weather here in St. Louis! It was really windy but it was definately pretty! Cole and I met Heather, Kim and all the kids at the park for a picnic and play. COle and Isaak handnt seen each other in a week or so, so they had a blast catching up! Tessa tried to keep up with them, but it didnt work in her favor. It was great seeing Kim and Peyton! She is getting so big!

Sin City

After 3 years of being away from Las Vegas, we finally made it back! As many of you know, we had been trying to pregnant for 2 years, so I finally felt it was time to quit and move on. SO we booked our vacation with our best friends, and 4 days later, we find out we are pregnant! SO I was 26 weeks pregnant in Vegas!
As always, we met Monica and Eric out there. It has become a tradition to go together! We have the BEST time! This time we stayed at Mandalay Bay on the strip. As usual, we spent one day at the pool, watching Dan and Eric go stir crazy, and then abandoned the pool for the rest of the trip. We gambled and gambled and gambled. We all played craps together and had an awesome time! We always eat at a local italian restraunt named Batistas. It is amazing, and it was hard to stair at the bottles of free wine on my table! We made lots of new memories and lost a LOT of sleep. Not ideal for being 26 weeks pregnant, but it was worth it!