Gerlt House

The Last Day of Being Two

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:14:00 +0000

Today, I'm savoring Jake's last day to be two. I'm loving every bit of his two-ness. From the way he carries a car in each hand everywhere he goes all the way to how he prefers to go potty outside in the grass. He's so much fun!
Tomorrow he'll be three. Wow. I could just get way too sentimental about it all. The time just flies by, doesn't it?
This has been such a fun year with him and I can't wait to see what the next year holds.

Little Growing Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Because I've had sort of a rough pregnancy history, my doctor has been wonderful and done lots of ultrasounds. He said, "I realize that I have this machine and I can put Moms at ease and give them peace of mind just by showing them a little glimpse of their baby." He's the best.
So here are the pictures of our girl so far. She's grown a lot! I go back to the perinatologist on July 30th, so we'll have more then!

Cousins Camp, Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 19:55:00 +0000

Cousins Camp is something that my parents do each year for their grandkids. They get them all together for a week each summer for a week of fun and memory-making. Momma D and Papa work SO hard preparing for the week and planing lots of fun things to do. They are also careful to schedule lots of free time for the Cousins to just be together. We look forward to Cousins Camp all year long and we are so thankful for this true gift from Momma D and Papa. Each year we think it can't get any better than the last and it always does! I'm so thankful that my kids will always have these memories and I look forward to doing this for my own grandkids...a long way down the road!

Cousins Camp, Day 1

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 16:45:00 +0000

Here is a little slide show of the first day of Cousins Camp!

It's Official!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:11:00 +0000

Many of you have been praying with us throughout our Chick-fil-A journey. Most recently we have been praying that the Lord would grant Chad the opportunity to operate the new Chick-fil-A that is being built in our town. Well, yesterday we got word that it's official! Chad is the new Chick-fil-A operator of the Yukon freestanding unit. We are thrilled.
Our friends, Rey and Heather, called us last week and wanted to get together this Monday and give us some books that they had for Anna Kate and grab an early lunch together. Rey is a Chick-fil-A operator here in OKC and they wanted to see the land that the new store will be built on. We headed that way and got out of the car to look around at the site. As we were talking about it, we see Bill McPeters (Chad's business consultant) walk out from behind a wall with a big grin on his face and a sign saying, "Congratulations Chad and Erin!" We could not have been more shocked to see Bill there! They made it so special for us and it was so fun to be able to be with Rey, Heather and Bill to celebrate!

Got good news today

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 22:55:00 +0000

Chick-fil-A is building a new freestanding unit in Yukon, Oklahoma two miles from our house. Today, they asked me to operate the store.

Whoop!

We're At Cousins Camp!!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 03:58:00 +0000

It's Cousins Camp '09 and we're loving it! Yesterday we all arrived and there was lots of hugging going on. All of the cousins were weighed and measured and the results were marked on the growth chart. Each kid grew at least 3 inches since last year. Most grew even more! It is so fun to see how much they grow from year to year. Then we moved out to Papa's shop where we put all of the kids' handprints in concrete stepping stones. Momma D and Papa have a nice collection of stepping stones going because we make one each year. After our handprints, Momma D brought out the new Cousins Camp shirts. They are a hit this year, as they are every year! We always look forward to seeing what color they will be and what design they will have on them. This year's design was thought of by Logan and he did a great job. We quickly posed for a picture and then headed out for more fun. More pictures will come soon!

It's a....

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 23:25:00 +0000

GIRL!!!!
We had our big ultrasound today. It was so fun. We all cheered! My sweet friend, Jamie is in town and she got to go with Chad and me, along with Anna Kate. Jamie is a week further along in her pregnancy than I am and she and Dustin are not going to find out what they are having! It was so special to have her with us at this appointment.
The doctor says everything looks great. All the parts are there and everything is working great. We are so, so thankful. I loved the doctor who did my ultrasound. He was so informative and patiently answered all of my questions. Such a fun day!
Here are some of the pictures that we got. It was just so amazing to sit and watch that baby wiggle, seeing every toe, finger, both ears, tiny knees and elbows, arm and leg bones...just amazing. I don't think as many kids as I have that I will ever get over it.

Here's her sweet face. Her tiny arm is up next to her ear.

Here's a profile shot.

Here's another little view of the face.

And a tiny foot. So sweet.

Ten Years

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 02:22:00 +0000

Ten years ago Chad and I were married. Wow. Has it been that long? Some days it seems like it's only been a few years. Other days it feels like I could ask, "Has it only been 10 years?"

We've packed a lot into 10 years. They've been filled with overwhelming joy and overwhelming grief. Through all of it God has been oh-so gracious to us and I'm blessed to have been by Chad's side the whole way.

StarWars at the Library

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sun, 31 May 2009 03:17:00 +0000

We have a fantastic library here in our city and we are excited about the events that they have coming up this summer. Last week the kids got dressed up in their StarWars duds and we joined other enthusiasts at the library for a showing of Return of the Jedi. We met Kristal and her boys out front and then headed up the elevator to the movie. As we stepped off the elevator Darth Vader and his crew were there to meet us. He shook hands with all of the kids. We were all a little star-struck. He immediately won Anna Kate's heart when he shook her hand and said, "Well, Princess Leia, it's so nice to see you again." Smitten. And you can tell by the admiring expression on her face in the picture (you can click on the image to enlarge it). Before the movie started, all the kids got to say who their favorite character was. Guess who got her vote? Yep. Darth. Later she explained, "Well Leia has always been my favorite...but Darth Vader was just SO nice that I HAD to vote for him. But I should have voted for Luke Skywalker because no one else did. I bet he was sad." That girl is always thinking.

More Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 19 May 2009 02:50:00 +0000

The Fam

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Sat, 16 May 2009 16:11:00 +0000

We just got back from spending the week in Lubbock with my family. My middle sister, Brigitte, and her family are about to head back to Asia for a few years. So the rest of us got together to spend a little time together while we still have the chance.

Here's a picture of us all as we were.

Bottom row: Max, Anna Kate, Alayna. Middle row: Chad holding Jake, Granna holding Trinity, Papa holding Ava, Grace, Angela holding Caleb. Top row: Erin, Brigitte, Kevin, Chris.

Chris and Angela have Alayna, Caleb, and Ava. They live in Tennessee.

Kevin and Brigitte have Grace and Trinity. They have been in Lubbock for the better part of a year, and are heading back overseas soon.

We have Max, Anna Kate, Jake, and a little Chick-n-Mini on the way. We live in Oklahoma City.

Papa and Granna live in Lubbock.

My Talented Friend

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 22:55:00 +0000

I have this talented friend named Kristal. And she happens to be giving away some of the fruit of her talent and labor. Go check it out and put your name in the hat!

Dusting off the ol' Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:32:00 +0000

There are a few ways to look at yesterday's post. One could say that Chad is a dirty dog for posting only one sentence. On the other hand, you could say at least he posted something! Chad broke the news so I'll try to fill in the details.

We are so excited! We found out a little over a month ago that we are having baby #4! I am due on November 18th which seems like a long way away. Tomorrow I'll be 8 weeks along and so far everything is going well. Since I have a history of miscarriage (I've had 5 so far), the doctor put me on progesterone to help sustain the pregnancy until the baby starts producing progesterone on its own. That usually happens between week 10 and 12. I've had bloodwork done several times and everything looks perfect. On Friday we had an appointment with my new doctor and we were able to have an ultrasound and see a tiny heartbeat. It was amazing. Every single time it's amazing. And it was such a relief. I didn't realize how worried I had been about the well-being of this baby until I saw the heartbeat and knew that everything was okay. The doctor said that the baby measures perfectly for how far along I am. The doctor also gave me some medicine to help with my "every-minute-of-the-day" sickness. I'm very thankful for that because I have been feeling pretty terrible for the last month or so.

So, there's the scoop. Thanks for being excited with us! We are thrilled and feel so blessed.

Yep, it's true.

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 02:24:00 +0000

We're having a baby.

Teeth, Tornados, and Travel

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:20:00 +0000

Anna Kate lost another tooth Monday, she wrote the tooth fairy another note, and she made more cash money. That makes three teeth since Jan 29th. Funny thing is, she had one more very loose tooth that should come out any day now. Soon she'll be able to clinch her jaw and stick out her tongue at the same time.

Today has been full of Tornados. One lady in my store said "there's tornados everywhere, the Xerox plant has been hit, there's a tornado devastating Yukon, and there's one coming right for us! I'm getting out of here." She gave us an update every two minutes. Oh, and the Xerox plant did not get hit. Oh, and one did not even come close to where we were. Oh, and she was crazy. But they did do quite a bit of damage to the drive through of one of our Chick-fil-A's, and ripped the roof off of a Target and several homes.

Erin and I are about to travel to California for a week. We're going whale watching in the Long Beach area. Be jealous, be very jealous.

When it rains it pours

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 03:18:00 +0000

Yep, Anna Kate has done it again. She lost another tooth. I think this might be a trend for the next several days because she has three more loose teeth. She was eating dinner tonight and asked me to pull her tooth because she was having a difficult time eating. So...I pulled it. It took a little tugging, so she is definitely tougher than me. We'll give you mouth updates as she loses teeth.

Here's the most recent mouth update.

Anna Kate is getting to know the tooth fairy pretty well, so she wrote her a letter this time.

She is not going to put her tooth under the pillow tonight, so she gave her a scavenger hunt of sorts. (*Hey fairy: It's in the steps next to her bed)

Anna Kate'th Looth Tooth

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Every night after all the teeth are brushed, all the rooms are clean, and all the chores are done, our children prolong lights out by hugging each other, Mom and Dad, and each other some more. It is a routine that is sweet to dear old Dad. Well, tonight it generated some excitement. Max man got a little wild and crazy and knocked out one of Anna Kate's teeth with his upper arm in an excited "bedtime detracting" hug of his dear little sister. I was going through my routine with Jake when AK came in with her bloody mouth crying saying Max hugged her too hard, and Max signing away rapidly in the background trying to explain his side of the story.

Fret not folks. Anna Kate said not a half hour later "this is one of the best nights of my life."

Here's the pics. Enjoy.

Oh, and she wanted to make sure everyone saw the bloody side of the tooth.

Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Chad Gerlt) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 22:59:00 +0000

The Stare-Down

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Shortly after Christmas the kids and I headed to Sunfish to visit my parents. We got to spend time with Mark, Teresia, Landry and Reid. We were also joined by Aunt Carol. We had a great time just being together.
Just before we headed home, Papa took a few pictures of the kids. Jake was sitting in a tall barstool-type chair that has a back rest and arms. Max stood by the chair and posed by propping his elbow up on the arm of the chair. Jake pushed it off. Max put it back on. Jake pushed it off, again. And then there was a stare-down. Mom and Carol and I just died laughing and Papa caught it on camera!

Lest you think that Jake cannot hold his own with his big brother--those eyes say it all!

HoHoHo!

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Seconds before this picture was taken, Jake was lying on the floor screaming because he didn't want his picture made. I sat him in Max's lap and told Max to hang on and told them both to smile no matter what Jake did. I stepped back, figuring we'd get a picture of Max holding a Jake-sized blur. But Jake sat up and smiled instead. I could not have been more surprised! I don't know what made him change his mind but he did! He's so funny.

Jake and His Jacket

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Jake has learned to put his coat on all by himself. His head may get chilly but his backside will be warm!

Timberdoodle

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

One of my favorite homeschool resources is Timberdoodle. It is an amazing company and they have a catalog full of real toys. Toys that actually encourage your child to use their brain--not toys that just blink at them or play obnoxious songs. I look forward to each catalog to see what they've come up with this time, and I subscribe to their newsletter because I always enjoy reading what they have to say.

December's newsletter was no different. The Christmas season has arrived in full force. Every family celebrates differently and this newsletter addressed the differences and encouraged families to recognize the opportunities that the season presents to teach our kids. Here is the letter:

Dear Friends,
When it comes to celebrating Christmas, Christ-followers are all over the map. On one end you have the families so horrified at its pagan roots that they refuse to attend church during December. At the other end are the families that embrace it all, even to the point of displaying Santa bowing at a manger on their front lawn. Regardless of where your family's convictions put you on this spectrum, don't overlook one of the easiest opportunities you will have to talk about deep spiritual truths this season: Christmas songs.

Encourage others to chew on these lines: "Adam's likeness, now efface, / Stamp Thine image in its place: / Second Adam from above, / Reinstate us in Thy love." (Hark, the Herald Angels Sing)

Help them to sense the wonder in "Long lay the world in sin and error pining, / Till He appear'd and the soul felt its worth. / A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, / For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." (O Holy Night)

And is there a more significant tiding of comfort and joy than to "Remember Christ our Savior / Was born on Christmas Day; / To save us all from Satan's power / When we were gone astray"? (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

But don't neglect to see the value of discussing those songs you may prefer to ignore. Unless your plan is to keep your children sequestered in your home for the month, they will be bombarded with Santa anthems; talk about them!

Talk about the belief system that proposes as a solution to the taunts of others the superpower of a glow-in-the-dark nose. (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer)

Discuss a more God-glorifying reason that they better not cry or pout than that "Santa Claus is coming to town."

And laugh over the bewildering message of "Hang your stocking and say your prayers, / 'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight!" (Here Comes Santa Claus)

The birth of our Savior is worthy of a celebration so great that it can only be accomplished in heaven.
Until then: "Now to the Lord sing praises, / All you within this place, / And with true love and brotherhood / Each other now embrace; / This holy tide of Christmas / Doth bring redeeming grace." (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen)

Tidings of comfort and joy from our family to yours,
Timberdoodle Co
Dan & Deb, Joy, Hope, Grace, Abel, Pearl

www.timberdoodle.com

If you have some kiddos that you need gifts for, I encourage you to check out Timberdoodle! It is a company that is worth supporting and you are certain to find a perfect gift that will thrill your child (and their parents!).

Ornaments

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

We have several Christmas traditions. I hope to blog about them at some point. One of our favorites is letting the kids pick out their own ornament each year. The kids love having the freedom to pick whatever they choose. I love it because we have a tangible record of what captivated their interest in previous years. For example, Anna Kate has a Dora and Boots ornament from her Dora Days. Of course she has a princess ornament, as well. She also has a Bride and Groom ornament from the year that our dear friends, Kevin and Becky, got married. Anna Kate was their flower girl in their January wedding. She picked a bride and groom because that is what she was thinking about and anticipating that Christmas.
This year was Jake's first opportunity to really show his style. His first Christmas he was just 3 months old. I chose a picture frame ornament and put his picture in it. Last year we were in Pennsylvania and we made salt dough ornaments with our names painted on them. So this year was his big debut. What did he choose? Why, a big orange fish with a purple hat and big, red lips, of course. And he wasn't wishy-washy about it. He wanted that fish and no other ornament would do. I think it's quite funny.

Anna Kate chose a little ballerina set with toe-shoes, a tutu and a tiara, which perfectly suits her little dancing-self. She spins everywhere she goes.

Max chose his 3rd Darth Vader in a row. We now have a Darth Vader with his hands on his hips, a Darth Vader with one hand up in the air and a teeny-tiny Darth Vader that came in a set. He's a devoted fan.

We (wisely) took their pictures with their ornaments as soon as we got home from the store. Approximately 3 minutes after the pictures were taken Jake dropped his fish and broke the big, red lips right off. So sad.

It's a bit more tricky to get Jake to pose by his ornament.

And a close-up of the now lip-less fish...

Thanksgiving at the GerltHouse

noreply@blogger.com (Erin) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Thanksgiving this year was extra special. It marked the first holiday in 5 years that the entire Gerlt family has been together. We had Papa and Granna from Lubbock. Chris, Angela, Alayna, Caleb and Baby Ava drove in from Tennessee. But Kevin, Brigitte and Grace got the award for traveling the farthest to be with us. They are in from East Asia! It was so fun to all be together at last.
We had plenty of food, lots of grandkids, football, Wii, swinging outside, dress-up, coffee, and conversation. It was perfect.

Our family motto (brought to us by Kevin) is: "Eat through the pain." We should make shirts.
The great thing about November in the south is that it is warm enough to enjoy your meal outside!
The weekend before Thanksgiving our sweet Mindy came for a visit. Mindy and I love to craft together so we came up with a project to work on while she was here. We came up with these little pumpkins and napkin rings. We love you, Mindy!
Grace made Chad's day by climbing up in the chair and sitting with him for a long time. It was so fun to get to spend time with her and get to know her better. Sweet, sweet girl!
Baby Ava provided the snuggles for the weekend. She is such a sweet, content baby. She just sat with us and sang us songs and smiled. Precious.
Our two year olds did so good together. Jake is crazy about Grace and he loved having her here to play with for several days.

See? Isn't she adorable?
Jake and Papa talked and played cards and ate pistachios. It was a good time.

We gave thanks for many things during Thanksgiving, but I think we were most thankful for time together. We are blessed.