October - (also called Marching Band Season)

October weekends were filled with marching band competitions and Halloween festivities. And the weeks were filled with work and sewing projects.

After Halloween 2014, we suggested to Brek that his costume for 2014 be one of the old marching band uniforms at the school. He HAPPILY agreed, since this kid loves anything band. Really, all I did was cut up one of the purple suit jackets that goes underneath (you can only see the sleeves) and make it smaller. I say "really" because in the whole look of the uniform, it isn't that big of a deal, but REALLY, I had never altered any article of clothing before and my sewing skills are already limited to straight lines, so this was a HUGE ordeal. There was one suit jacket that was completely sacrificed and didn't pull through the operation. 

I thought Brek looked awesome. Brek thought he looked awesome too. As did every single other person that saw this cuteness:

Again, sorry for the sideways look. I'm working with some new computer programs and haven't figured this part out yet.

My other sewing projects were also using the old marching band uniforms to make other items for a band raffle basket. I was super proud of this drawstring backpack that I made from the old capes. I'm planning on making one for each of us, and have been approached by several members in the community that have shown some interest. I also was able to make a pillow too. (Lucky for me, Joe's sister Janelle who has some amazing sewing talent made one for us a few years ago when we first moved here, so I was able to copy her pattern.)

This is the whole raffle basket: We put it all in an old drum and just turned it upside-down. We got a nice plant and put it inside one of the old hats. Students contributed drum sticks, earphones, an iTunes gift card, a band shirt, and school colored treats. You can see the edge of the pillow in the back, and the backpack is hidden in there too. It was the best raffle basket at the event, and we were all pretty proud of it.

Marching band season went really well for us this year. We marched 50 kids which was awesome. (Last year we were at about half of that.) Joe arranged the song "Hooked on a Feeling" and it was fun. We had to do some re-scheduling of the competitions we wanted to do vs weekends when the kids weren't already committed to volleyball/cross-country/football events. But it all turned out. Brek got to come to both of our parades this year and he wore his costume/uniform (pictured above.) He walked with me on the side of the band and did a great job. And of course, he received lots of "oohs" and "ahs."

Once marching band was done, we focused in on Halloween. We had a church Halloween party that was a lot of fun. We had dinner and games.

Brek with his friend Parker

Brek with his friend Addy 

We also carved pumpkins as a family for the first time. Brek got to help pick out the designs for carving, and of course he got to help gut the pumpkins too. He thought it was pretty slimy, but he was still all smiles:

Here's the result of our carvings. Joe did the cat in the moon, and I did the silly face.

Here's Brek posing with the pumpkins. Kinda hard to see a a brown boy in the dark.

The biggest highlight of October was the birth of our new nephew, Bennett David Aaron Belt. Brek LOVES the idea of having a new cousin, and I'm so excited for my sister to have a sweet little prince to add to her 3 princesses.

One night we were having a cobbler for dessert and Joe asked Brek if he wanted it "a la mode." Joe thought that Brek would either turn it down because he didn't know what it was, or would actually ask what it was and discover that he was getting ice cream. Instead, Brek asked Joe if he was having it "a la mode." Then he followed his question up with, "I just like to copy you."

Actual Halloween night: He used this old toy drum (which used to be Joe's younger brother Dan's) to hold his candy.

He stands up here on the couch so he can look at himself in our big mirror.

It was a fun month. It was also nice for November to come so we could have some down time at home. Brek's pretty sure he'll dress up as a marching band kid again in a couple years. And another post to come where we had Joe's sister Janelle take some more professional pictures of Brek in his costume. For those that read this blog and haven't seen them already, be prepared for awesome!

Time line title: Very end of August through mid-November. Subtitle:ZZ

The very end of August brought our family a new experience, and it lasted until mid-November. I have permission to post these pictures and to talk about the past few months. There are tidbits of Brek and his milestones, but to be perfectly honest, almost everything going on in our home revolved around a little boy we call ZZ. 

We were asked to be foster parents for a brand new baby boy. He was 2 days old and just out of the hospital when we brought him home. Here are some pictures of Brek's first experiences being a "big brother".

Having a baby in the home spurred a lot of questions for Brek. He wanted to know about what things were like when he was a baby. We spent a lot of time looking through his baby pictures. Brek liked seeing him in the baby swing, and then seeing ZZ in the baby swing.

Brek decided he still liked the bouncy seat, so much in fact, that he broke it.

Brek loved doing tummy time with ZZ.

And he did a great job of taking care of him, comforting him, and talking to him.

loves.

Brek and Joe were introduced to the awesomeness of our local lake. So we did a family outing one evening so the boys could wade in the water and throw rocks. This is what ZZ did the whole time we were there.

Love the scenery

Usually when I go running, it's out and around the lake and back.

This is Joe trying to give instructions about throwing rocks so he didn't get hit.

Brek wasn't the only one who was enthralled with having a baby in the house. Muser the cat was too. Well, she liked the pacifiers. At one point, I was too slow to capture it on camera, but she actually had one in her mouth. She's a silly cat.

Here's a non-ZZ moment: This is Brek before we took off his last LAST diaper. Diaper free baby! At this point, he had been diaper free during the day, with no accidents for quite some time. We still had him wear a diaper for most naps, and all bedtimes. He was really ready to not wear them, so we made him go a full week of waking up dry and using the potty in the mornings without fighting us (he's pretty cranky when he wakes up.) He made it 5 days and then had a few not so good ones, but then made it a full week. In a way, I miss the cuteness of my little guy in a diaper; it makes me feel like he's still my baby. But then again, a little boy in underwear is just so adorable too!

*Part of me feels I should be totally honest and document that we have had to use a couple diapers since then, as he's had diarrhea a few times, and after cleaning up poopy underwear 3 times in 10 minutes, I was ready for a break. And shortly after ZZ left, Brek was acting out and peeing on things on purpose, so I made him wear a diaper for 2 days straight until he was ready to use the toilet again. We've had less pee on the carpet since then, but more clogged toilets, as he's found another way to act out. :) Gotta love toddlers!

Just capturing another silly Brek moment. Gotta love his "dark, curly hair."

ZZ's mom Patty has become a dear friend to our family. She has been in our home almost daily for many hours, and we have just loved getting to know her and seeing the incredible woman that she is. ZZ is definitely a momma's boy. He loves her tons, and to put it kindly, he hasn't been huge fans of us. This was one of those sweet moments were Patty got him to sleep before she left for the day.

Brek having another "big brother" moment and holding the baby.

They've both got some great faces going on here.

Can't pull out the camera without giving the "grumpy face."

"Ok, I'm done."

Having a newborn, working part-time, having a toddler, and being in Joe's busiest time of year made our life crazy. My sister was able to come out for a week and took all of the nighttime feedings with ZZ so Joe and I could catch up on sleep after the first month. It helped, but life was still rough. It was determined by court peoples and social workers that there was an issue with "bonding." From our point of view, ZZ was a great kid, but not meant to be "our" kid. We have all the faith in Patty that she's the right mom for him, and that she is totally able and capable to actually be a great mom, because she is one. They felt it was a conflict of interest, blah blah blah. There were some issues. Still, great baby. Hard baby, but great baby. Wonderful mom. Tired Jensen family.

This was the first time ZZ ever smiled at Joe or I. He's somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks here.

Brek got sick one day. So sad, but so cute.

Halloween happened. We went trunk-or-treating at the church the night before, and then trick-or-treating around town on Halloween. We didn't last as long as last year, but he still got a bucket full of candy and we enjoyed eating it. Glad he's still young enough to not know.

Our cute little cowboy.

Brek story:
For those that don't know, Brek is totally obsessed with the band. Concerts. Marching band. Pep band. DRUMS! He's pretty certain he can play any of the instruments. He's been singing pep band songs and the school song for over a year. This year he picked up the drum line cadence and the marching band song. He'll carry his hand drums around the house in marching band style. If he's on the drum pad, he'll stick the drum part and then call out the song, and then start singing it. He's crazy. He picked up the drum part to one of the pep band songs called "My Sharona." He and Joe had a good little gig going one night - Brek played the drum part, and Joe played the melody on kazoo. It's awesome, and totally embarrassing all at the same time. I promise we don't brainwash our kid. He just loves this music stuff. 

We came to a point where we felt like we needed to stop being foster parents. In reality, I held out much longer than I should have, for my mental and emotional well-being. I hated letting Patty down, and I felt terrible for requesting the change to take place. Luckily, Patty has forgiven us. It was the right decision for us. I am glad that we were able to be apart of Patty's and ZZ's lives, and that we've developed a wonderful friendship because of this. I'm also glad that we're able to mellow out our lives a bit and work to get our family back to a good place.

Had to capture some "brother" moments before ZZ left.

ZZ at 10 weeks- man they grow fast!

This one is my favorite

awww!

All in all, Brek did a pretty great job being a big brother. He was helpful in getting diapers, wipes, blankets, you name it. He loved Patty and her supervisor Christine, (and Pat too). He loved all the baby things and toys, and wanted those bottles and pacifiers like crazy. For the most part, he was very gentle and loving with ZZ. He always wanted to share, even when it was things that should be shared with a baby, like food. Glad we've got ZZ and Patty as a part of our "family!"