The waiting game

Hello again everyone! Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Christmas. Our first Christmas in Montana was great, even though we missed lots of things we had always looked forward to with Christmas at "home" (dinner theater, dinner with our small group, dinner at my folks...do all of our Christmas memories revolve around food??!!) Juliana had an absolute blast opening all of her presents, and the tree stayed surprisingly intact throughout the entire season (minus a few broken ornaments that were falsely advertised as "virtually unbreakable!"). When she came out into the living room on Christmas morning and saw all of the presents under the tree, Bo asked her who they were for and she just shrugged. Guess we had her so conditioned NOT to open anyone else's present that she just couldn't imagine she might actually get to open them! When she found out they were, in fact, ALL FOR HER, her eyes went huge and she dove right in before we could change our minds. She has cooked us breakfast every morning since Christmas on her new kitchen set from Grandma and Papa Vaught, and I think Bo is enjoying playing with all of her new toys as much as she is (I have caught him with her Barbie computer on more than one occasion).

Well, our bag is finally packed for the hospital, and we are anxiously awaiting Landon's arrival. Now that we are only 4 weeks away from our due date, each day we wake up wondering "Is today the day??". Looking at the bag ready and waiting by the door is worse than waiting for cookies to come out of the oven (or for Juliana to get herself dressed) so we are hoping the day comes soon! I know that I have started to get that look in my eye of a woman on a mission, and I have stopped wondering why people give me an extra two feet of personal space when they see me waddling towards them in the grocery store. I think they are just hoping I don't eat them as a pre-dinner snack before they can race to get in front of me in line. (Let's just say at my next appointment my doctor may not be singing the praises of my weight gain as much as she has in the past!).

We'll continue to keep everyone updated on the progress of Pumpkin Head #2.

Congrats to two couples, Katie and Lenny and Libby and Stu, on finding out the gender of your upcoming arrivals! I have a bad habit of spilling the beans on things that are supposed to be a secret, so if you are going crazy with curiosity you'll just have to check with them!!

Love and miss everyone.

-Brooke, Bo, and Juliana

Jesus Loves Me

Hello everyone! Thought we'd try our first attempt at uploading a video. More to come if this works!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful and very merry Christmas.

Big Girl Bed

Just wanted to share the latest from our newly graduated "big girl". She has made the switch from the crib to a toddler bed with hardly a glance behind her...what else would we expect from full speed ahead Juliana? We hadn't planned on moving her to the bed just yet - I had just told my dad the day before that she was going to be in the crib as long as possible just to keep her in one spot for naps!! (I remember when Juliana was born that someone told me to keep my words sweet since, as a parent, I'd be eating a lot of them!) The move happened after a near-traumatic incident with one chubby thigh getting caught in between the bars of the crib. I was sitting in the living room, patting myself on the back for not giving in to Juliana's cries and staying strong that she WOULD nap that day, when I finally caved and went in to see what all the fuss was about. Evidently, she had a good reason for crying, since her leg was so stuck in the crib bars that we had to use lotion to grease that puppy out of there! (Talk about getting the Guilt-Stricken Mom of the Year Award!) After that, there was no way she was getting back in the torture chamber that she had slept so peacefully in for the past two years, so welcome Big Girl Bed!! It only took a few times of getting out during naps, and one or two suggestions that the crib might be coming back in the picture if she didn't stay put, to make her decide that the bed was the coolest thing since...well...the temperatures in Montana!

In other news, we're getting all geared up for Landon's arrival. Even though I techincally have six more weeks, I have been having so many contractions lately that it's hard to believe this can go on for that much longer. I know they say that all of the sleepless nights during pregnancy are just to prepare you for the sleepless nights after the baby, but doesn't it seem like NOW is the time when I should be storing up peaceful, sound, hours and hours (and HOURS) of sleep to get me through the delivery??? No one asked me, though, so it's up and down every few hours. Bo sprained his back earlier this week, so between the two of us limping around and me holding my belly and he holding his back we are quite a pair. Those of you who have been fortunate enough to observe my husband on pain medication already are getting a mental picture of those fun-filled evenings we have had lately.

Hope everyone is doing well and getting ready for a wonderful Christmas!! Love and miss you all.

Just a quick belly picture for those of you who are curious (you sick, sick people! Just can't wait to laugh at the pregnant woman, can you?) Let's just say there's a LOT more of me to love right now. My belly also has the added bonus of being able to "accidently" annoy rude people at the grocery store ("Oh, excuuuuuse me! I didn't mean to knock over that entire display of canned green beans right in front of you! No, I'm not smuggling a watermelon under my shirt...please don't call security...No!! Wait!!)

Hugs, kisses, and love from one cranky momma in Montana.

Life in 3D

Sorry for the long delay in updating our blog! These last few months of pregnancy are going to find me staring blankly at the wall while Juliana naps (the only time I get to "check out"), thinking of all the laundry that should be done or the dishes that are NOT washing themselves in the sink like I asked. Ahhhh, but there is always something to be done or folded or washed or baked, and just not enough hours in the day. Juliana's favorite phrase lately is "Sit DOWN, mommy!" and I am taking her advice more and more. It seems like she gets a little smarter and grows just a little bit every day, and I am so thankful that I get to be home to see every minute of it. Enough bragging on our firstborn...on to baby #2!!

We had another ultrasound today to check out little Landon's progress. I was informed after one of my updates that I had accidentaly spilled the beans on his name, so I'll just go ahead and ruin it for those of you who actually like being surprised...his name is Landon Creed. Landon because we just like it, and Creed because it means "belief, guiding principal, I believe". Ultimatley our prayer for our son is that he will believe in Jesus with his whole heart and be a strong man of God, but until he can decide that for himself we'll just tell him that's his name so he has to do it. :) Everything looked really good on the ultrasound, and he is DEFINITLEY a boy (he wasn't shy at all today!) and it was so neat to see him again. He sucked his thumb through the entire ultrasound, and we even got some 3D images of him going to town on that little finger. You could see his jaw and lips working...he wasn't moving that hand for anything! Juliana was addicted to her pacy, but a thumb is a little harder to poke a hole in and throw away, so I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there. Right now he measures in at about 4 pounds, so if they gain a half a pound a week and I have 8 weeks left, does that mean I'll be delivering an 8 pound baby? Voluntary C-section, anyone? (Sorry fellas...that was more than likely too much information).

It snowed here again this afternoon and I had not one but TWO phone calls telling me to stay off the roads (only one was from my husband). I have no desire to go out until temperatures get above 20, so I've been keeping occupied inside and have consumed almost an entire box of Dibbs ice cream today (oops, did I say that out loud?). I actually saw a woman jogging this morning in SHORTS and I tipped my nice warm winter hat to her as she ran by...she either is crazy or is dealing with some serious hot flash issues! (Both?)

To all of my wonderful Christmas Dinner Theater comrades, I will be thinking of you over the next two weeks!!! Hope everyone has fun and is blessed for giving their time and talents. Know that all the work you have put in is remembered and appreciated by many, many people.

Love and hugs from MT!!

A trip with Buffalo Bill...

Hey everyone! Here's what happens when you ask to go on a date with my husband. All I wanted was a nice, quiet, candlelight dinner where I could actually eat all my food while it was still hot and not have to cut anyone else's meal into little bite-sized pieces, but NOOOOO! My wonderful husband went all out and secretly planned a trip to Cody, Wyoming last weekend and whisked me away Saturday night. (Actually, it's kind of hard to "whisk" a pregnant woman anywhere, so he gave me a little advanced warning before we got in the car). We had a great weekend just relaxing and sleeping in past 7:00 am (that is usually an impossible feat at our house).

In case any of you are tempted to spell Wyoming with a "Why", I figured out the answer to that last weekend. There is not too much of anything in Wyoming unless you like lots of nativity animals and open road. A few of these pictures are animals we actually saw just sitting in the middle of the highway waiting for us, looking at us as if we were really upsetting their relaxing Sunday afternoon plans. We probably looked like crazy Japanese tourists, because with every new animal group we'd come upon, I'd grab the wheel and shout at Bo to STOP AND TAKE A PICTURE!!!

We did get to go to the Buffalo Bill historical center and museum, which was pretty interesting (at least for the first hour). After a while we kind of decided that after you'd seen one buffalo, you'd probably seen them all. I did learn, however, that grizzly bears have a hump on their back, and brown and black bears do not, so if you see the Hunchback of Notre Dame covered in fur and heading towards you out in the woods, it's probably a good idea to turn around and tiptoe out the way you came. One picture is my hand compared to a grizzly's paw....let's just say I won't be shaking hands with one anytime soon.

My dad is stopping in this weekend for a quick visit. He's combining a trip to Canada with a return trip through Billings and staying through Sunday. I told Juliana that Papa was flying on an airplane to come see her, and she smiled and said "Thank you, Papa!" We're going to attempt a picture with Santa tomorrow afternoon, so hopefully Papa will be a good distraction and she won't be too freaked out by the big man in the red suit.

For all your Crossroads people at home getting ready for the dinner theater, I'll be thinking about you!!! Maybe you could just put a cardboard statue of me on stage at some point so I can at least feel like I've been there with you through it?? Somebody suggest that to Mark.

Love and miss everyone! More to come...

Yes, I am pregnant!

Just had to share a funny story that happened at school on Tuesday. I teach music to all grades, Kindergarten through high schoolers, and it never ceases to amaze me how differently their little brains develop. My high schoolers ask me all the time about the baby, and fuss over me if they think my heels are too high or if I'm not sitting down enough. I had a second grade class, on the other hand, who apparently just thought "Mrs. Wagner" had been hitting the Krispy Kreme a little hard. I made a comment about how fun it was to carry another person around all day, and looked up to see almost the entire class with shocked expressions. One student finally had the courage to raise his hand (precious) and ask, "Mrs. Wagner, are you pregnant?" My jaw dropped about as far as theirs had, and I managed to stutter out that yes, I was expecting. I heard several "Cool!"'s and "Congratulations!" as they exited, and just stood there amazed that it really hadn't occured to most of them that I wasn't just smuggling a basketball under my shirt every day...weird!

Not too much excitement around here after that. Bo and I are in a state of mourning over the news that 24 will not be returning in January as we had eagerly counted on. Some writer's strike or something equally goofy as that. Bo is especially disappointed because 24 is the only TV show I don't talk through...we're both silent and breathless until the commercial breaks.

This little fella I carry around all day sure likes to be on the move! I was pretty sure I was having twins the other day because he was ALL over the place...a foot under my ribs, an elbow in my side...Juliana is quickly running out of lap room and is NOT happy about it. I'll try to post some new fat belly...I mean baby belly pictures soon.

Love and miss everyone!!!

-Brooke, Bo, and Juliana

New pictures

Ahhhhh, the belly pictures have arrived. This will be a short post with mostly pictures, but please feel free to point and laugh at the lady with the big belly. Today was a "no nap day" in the land of Juliana, so needless to say, my brain is fried. She went to bed at 7:30 and BARELY made it that long!!! I never knew I could be out-dramatized by a 2 year old with so little effort, but obviously today she has had lots of practice.

A couple pictures are from our pumkin painting adventure. Yet another project to occupy us on another no-nap day! She had a ball and was covered in paint by the time we were done. That was the first day she started to call herself a "Pumpkin Head", except in Juliana-speak it kind of came out "Punk-in-HEAD!"

Love and miss everyone!!! (A very pooped mom is going to bed!)

Prayer Request

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been so long since my last update. We have had some excitement here in Montana! My sister in-law, Traci, delivered a healthy baby boy last Tuesday. He was 8 lbs, 6 oz and they named him Andrew William. He had been doing pretty well, and it was an uneventful delivery, but he started to run a fever yesterday out of the blue. He was still not doing very well today, so the pediatrician wanted to admit him to the hospital for lots of tests and at least 2 days of observation. Needless to say, my sister in-law and Bo's brother C.B. are very concerned about their new little guy, and still don't have any answers as to what could be causing the fever. They do know he has some kind of infection, but none of the tests have come back so far. Could you just take a minute to pray for Andrew and C.B. and Traci? I know after our scare last week it just reminded us again how precious our children are, and how little control we really have over their lives and health! Thanks in advance and I'll keep you updated.

In other news, if you are watching the weather here in Billings you know why I have had the heat AND the air conditioner on in the same day this past week! Today it was 74, but they're calling for snow by Friday. I won't say I miss the humidity of NC just yet, but this weather will make you a little bit crazy.

Belly pictures to come soon! I promise this time!!

Love and miss you all.

Landon update

Hello everyone! We wanted to update you on our very scary day in the hospital this afternoon. Let me preface this by saying that everything is fine, and we are just so thankful for the good report we got, but it was a very scary couple of hours. I called the doctor this morning because I just had some weird feelings and some pain (I'll spare all of you men reading this the lovely details). I wasn't too worried, but the nurse did want me to come in to the hospital and just get checked out. We got settled in to a triage room, just thinking we'd be an hour and then out the door...Juliana was with me and Bo met us at the hospital. Long story short, they did several tests and one of them came back to show that I was leaking amniotic fluid...not a good thing unless the baby is ready to make his appearance. At only 25 weeks, we knew it was way too early to be talking about delivery, but the nurse and doctor were very concerned. They started talking about magnesium and steriods to help the baby's lung development, and even taking me by ambulance to a nearby hospital that is better equipped to handle preterm babies. Bo and I just prayed and cried and tried not to fret for about two hours while we waited for the doctor to repeat the test. I had to lie at an angle with my feet above my head for an hour to see if fluid would accumulate and the doctor came back in to recheck me. After a very tense 10 minutes while we waited for THOSE results, she came back in and said that she could see no sign of any amniotic fluid, and we were in the clear for a preterm delivery. We're still not quite clear on how the whole thing worked out...they blamed a lab error but we are claiming a miracle and know that God was in control the whole time, even if we were terrified! I was contracting a lot more than what I should be at this point in the pregnancy, so the doctor gave me a very stern lecture on resting and not over-doing it...Bo was there as a witness so he had me sitting on the couch as soon as we got home.

Today gave us a new appreciation for how little control we really have over things, and how perfect God's plan is, even when we don't understand. We are so thankful that it turned out to be nothing, but we know it could have just as easily gone the other way.

On a lighter note, I'm attaching a picture of me relaxing with Juliana (for a second!). I had a spur-of-the-moment pregnancy hair thing and decided to go darker for the fall. She said my hair was "black"...hopefully it's not really that dark!

Thanks for your continued thoughts and prayers as we hopefully have a very uneventful final three months of this pregnancy! Love and miss everyone.

Golfing adventure

Hello everyone! I just figured out how to turn pictures so that they would be right side up, and since all of my pictures of our golfing outing last weekend were sideways, I didn't bother to post them. (Didn't want to give everyone a crick in their neck trying to check out Bo's swing from a sideways view!) BUT...since I have mastered the concept (small wonder since my brain cells are slowly diminishing as the pregnancy gets further along) here they are! We are all doing well, enjoying a Montana fall. The leaves are turning and we haven't had our air on all week, although I did go ahead and throw the electric blanket on the bed just in case of a cold-weather midnight emergency. My sister-in-law, Traci, is due in a few weeks with baby #3 for that branch of the Wagner family (a boy) so Juliana will soon have another little one to terrorize. Let's just call it good practice for when little mini-Bo comes along in January! Hope everyone is doing well...we love and miss you!!!

Belly Pictures

Hey everyone! Since we posted some shots of baby Wagner, we wanted to let you see what the rest of us on the outside world are looking like. Juliana is fascinated with my ever-expanding belly, and is constantly lifting up my shirt at inappropriate times (ex: the grocery store) to "talk" to the baby. At least the kids are getting along for now!! Hope everyone is doing great.

Welcome To Our World!

Hello everyone! We just came from our 22 week ultrasound and wanted to share some pictures of our new addition. For all of you who are waiting in anticipation to find out if we will have a Bwoder or a Sissy.....IT'S A BOY!! He was very modest throughout the whole ultrasound, keeping his legs crossed and at one point even covering his...er...boy parts with one hand. Finally at the end of the ultrasound he gave us a nice shot and it was determined that he is, in fact, a boy!! Bo kept asking the technician, "Are you sure? Now exactly how sure can you be on this?". Juliana exclaimed that she still thought it was a sissy, but we still have a few months to convince her now that she will BE the big sissy, not exactly HAVING a sissy. Otherwise the kid will just be really messed up. Hope everyone is doing great! We love and miss ya, and will keep you updated on other news, kid/baby related or otherwise!

Goodbye, pacy

Well, we have finally done it. We went and did what we said we would never ever do. We crossed the boundary from infanthood and all it's baggage to toddlerhood and all of it's woes. After our last visit to the pediatrician, we were enlightened to the fact that if Juliana keeps her pacy much longer past the age of 2, her teeth could be forever damaged...or at least until they fell out and new ones grew in. Stricken with images of our daughter walking around with her bottom teeth jutting out so far she can't bite an ear of corn, we decided the day had come to get rid of pacy!!! (Insert Jaws-like music here). Easier said than done. For all of you who have children, and for those who don't but are wondering what all the fuss is about, I'm sure this is a much smaller deal in the grand scheme of things than what it seems right now. BUT, as I am typing this, Juliana is laying in her crib pining away for her beloved "PAPY", and has just finished begging me to go to the store to buy a new one. Her current pacy has a large hole in the top, courtesey of Mom sneaking away with a pair of scissors. She looked at it pitifully, held it up to me, and with big crocodile tears sadly proclaimed it to be "bwoke". Mom and Dad are hanging strong with this endeavor, and we are bolting the door and hiding the car keys from each other to keep from running out and snatching up every single pacy in the Walmart baby aisle.

If anyone has any support/comments/suggestions/sympathy they would like to impart on us, please email or call or just fly to Montana and show up at our door.

In other (less depressing) news, we find out Thursday at our ultrasound if this new baby is a boy or a girl! I am 21 weeks and halfway through the pregnancy, but I feel like my stomach is quickly running out of growing room! I'll post some new pictures soon.

Hope everyone is doing great!!! Hugs and kisses from the Wagners, minus one pacifier.

Happy September!

Hi everyone! First and foremost we have to say Happy Birthday to Laura Stamey, Lori Carnes, and Lowell McNaney. Lori and Laura both turned 25 on September 2nd, and Lowell finally reached the ripe old age of 65 on the same day. Congratulations on you AARP membership, Lowell. Actually, just kidding on the ages, but the birthdate was right!

We are looking forward to fall in Montana. I wish everyone could see the scenery and views here...God truly shows off when the sun sets over the mountains. I am settling into a routine with my new job at Billings Christian school. The students are great and actually laugh at my jokes...I think they are just trying to make me feel better but hey, what the heck? Juliana came to class with me to visit and thouroughly amused the 3rd and 4th grade classes by stripping off her pants and diaper when I had my back turned. They got a kick out of it, but mom was not so amused.

Bo was in Wisconsin this past weekend following up on some leads for an event. He drove...in a Ford Probe...with two other guys. He figured he hadn't taken a cross-country road trip yet in the month of August, and since the one in July was so much fun he should aim for one every month or so just to keep the feel of the road beneath his tires. Umm, yeah, not really.

While he was gone Juliana and I spent a few days with Bo's parents. They have 80 acres outside of town and lots of room to run, plus the addition of the world's most-brushed pony, Ladybug. I'm including a few pictures of Juliana's day on the ranch. In one picture she is bugging the heck out of another horse, Jewell, with the water hose. The other picture shows the reason why I have gone through 50 bottles of SHOUT in the last month. Juliana was totally fearless and jumped up on the pony like she had been doing it all her life. We thought we'd start a little off-road enterprise and start charging all her friends for pony rides - a dollar a minute like those massage chairs in the mall?

Hope everyone is doing great! We miss everyone so much and would love to see anyone brave enough to make the trip out west. Our door is always open!!

P.S. - We have our ultrasound to determine if baby #2 is a "Sissy" or a "Bwuhduh" on September 20th, so we'll keep everyone posted!

Hey everyone! Nothing much new in Montana land lately. I know we are having better weather here than everyone back home in NC. Today the high is only 85, and it is nice and breezy and not humid at all...in fact, it has been so dry that there are several fires burning within 25 miles of us. One that was particularly bad started on Sunday and burned over 800 acres. Thankfully only 2 houses were destroyed but you could smell the smoke very strongly yesterday. The news reported that half an inch of rain fell and they were very VERY excited. I thought, "Half an inch? Do we even count that in North Carolina?"

I have been tossing around a possibility for a job at a Christian school just a few miles from our house, teaching music two mornings a week. The school only has 143 students, so it would be a nice part-time thing to get both Juliana and I out of the house and give us a little extra money. It would also still give us time for the all important gymnastics class that Juliana takes on Mondays. She is hilarious...I will have to post some pictures of her doing her "roll" and her "swing". (She hangs on the low bar and pulls her toes up to her hands...she thinks she is SO cool!) The girl has enough energy for a gymnastics class every day, but sadly, it's only once per week.

I'm posting some pictures of Juliana's new doctor kit and her ballet costume. We were watching Elmo on Sesame Street this morning and he was practicing his ballet moves, so Juliana ran and got her leotard and tu-tu. We had to buy the doctor's kit because she LOVES to "check" on the baby in Mom's tummy and poke it and basically make sure everything is doing okay. "Dr. Wagner...paging Dr. Wagner to the OR..."

Love and miss everyone!

Belly pictures!

Hey everyone! I have had a few requests for some shots of my ever-expanding belly (mostly just Lori Carnes begging to see how fat I am now) so here they are! We are officially 4 months, and I am starting to feel some movement every now and then. Juliana likes to poke my belly and "talk" to the baby...she's already learning how to bug her little brother or sister!

Some thoughts...

Hey everyone! I just had to write and share what I've been thinking about this past week. We were recently so blessed by our small group at home...they sent a HUGE package with birthday gifts for Juliana, little things to remind us of the south (a Dale Earnhardt sticker, anyone?), and even a case of Sun-Drop and a recipe for Sun-Drop pound cake! (Thanks, ladies!) It got me thinking about how much we left back at home, and how far away we are from anything that made us feel comfortable or content or even "important". Here, no one knows that I love to sing or that Juliana had eczema when she was a baby, or that Bo once got hit in the face with a golf club. It has made us take a step back and realize that if we don't find our identity in Christ and put all, I mean 110% of our hope and trust in Him, we are lost! It has made me realize how much I looked to others to confirm that I was "okay" and accepted, when all along Jesus was wanting me to ask HIM that question instead. I'm not saying that having wonderful friends and family is a bad thing...I have just been thinking this week about how much Jesus wants to fill us up and complete us (in the words of Jerry McGuire) if we will only make enough room for Him.

I have been reading "The Divine Conspiracy" by Dallas Willard (actually, I stole it from my mother in-law...is that legal for a Christian book??) and it is so deep that I can only read a few pages a day. I have to put it down after each paragraph and literally think about each word I have just read. The part I just finished talks about Jesus having dinner at Simon's house when a woman comes in and begins to wash his feet with her hair and an expensive perfume. It looks at it from Simon's perspective, as he must be thinking (and I quote) " 'If this fellow really were a prophet,' Simon mused, 'he would know what this woman does, for she is filthy.' Perhaps Simon consoled himself with the thought that it is at least no sin not to be a prophet. It never occured to him that Jesus would know exactly who the woman was and yet let her touch him." And then later on, "We must not overlook the connection between faith and love. The woman saw Jesus and recognized who he was and who dwelt in him. That vision was her faith." That last part just grabbed me so much..."that vision was her faith." In this whole move and process we've been experiencing, we have had no choice but to keep THAT VISION as our faith. We know that God has bigger plans for our lives than we could ever dream or imagine, and I'm sure if He told us everything right now we would probably flip out and not know how to handle all that information! We have just been taking one day, sometimes even one minute, at a time, recognizing that no, we are not comfortable, but yes, we are in God's will and He is working out the details. He has been so faithful to strengthen us as a couple and as a family through all of this, and we are just looking to the future with increasing anticipation of what HE has in store next! A pastor we heard last week said something that I keep telling myself..."Faith is living in the present what we will only understand in reverse." Until then...

New Pictures

Hey everyone! Nothing much new to write this time but I did want to send some new pictures. We went to the park on Juliana's birthday and she's showing off her "monkey-ness". Love and miss everyone!

Pacy in the "Pop!"

Just had to share this funny Juliana story in honor of her upcoming birthday on Thursday. I (Brooke) was on the phone with the doctor's office, trying to make her an appointment, when I hear her come running over yelling "Mama! Pacy! Mama! Pacy!" I gave her the usual "Yes honey, pacy" and wrapped up my conversation when all of a sudden, I smelled burning plastic. She dragged my by the leg and led me over to the sight of her newest science experiment. Juliana had gotten the toaster oven from under the cabinet, found the only outlet that wasn't covered with a child-proof cover, plugged it in, inserted her pacy into one of the bread slots, and pushed down the lever. By the time I discovered what she had done, the pacy was...er...excuse the pun...TOAST! She calls the toaster a "pop", I guess since we make Pop-Tarts in it? Needless to say, I was shocked/mad/amazed/cracked up by my daughter's creative attempt at cooking. Oh, to be in the mind of a two year old! We are now 100% sure that ALL of the electrical outlets in the apartment are properly covered.

Juliana had her first gymnastics class today at the same gym where Bo became a world-renowned gymnast. She loved it and can't wait to go back next week. We are staying busy while it is still warm outside, swimming and going to the park almost every day. Bo has been making lots of progress with his company and is staying busy too! He's joined a soccer league but no worries; no major injuries just yet.

That's about all for now! I'll try to put some new pictures up next time. Hope everyone is doing great! We miss ya and love ya!

-Bo, Brooke, and Juliana ("Toaster Queen") Wagner

New pictures

Hey everyone! I wanted to post some pictures of the landscape for those of you who are having a hard time imagining what Montana looks like. It's different but beautiful in it's own way. I also had to include this one of Juliana making "coffee" in my Mr. Coffee Iced Tea maker. I didn't have the heart to tell her she forgot the coffee grounds! She was occupied for at least 5 minutes so I didn't complain. Hope everyone is doing great! More to come later...

We have arrived!

Whew! A world without internet is not a fun place to be, let me tell ya! We finally got our internet connection this morning, so we should be up and running with email. Not much else new to post - we're trying to get used to our new surroundings and figure out where the heck the closest mall is (okay, so maybe only Brooke is trying to figure that out). No one has gone into sweet tea withdrawal just yet but sources say there is no sweet tea to be found anywhere west of the Mississippi. We'll keep checking.

We had our first doctor's appointment here for the new baby this morning and got to hear the heartbeat. It was 158, which I'm told means absolutley nothing, but it was good to hear. We'll have an ultrasound on September 20th to determine if Juliana has predicted correctly for a "sissy".

Bo is already making some connections around town and working on getting his company, Vintage 5, off the ground.

I'm looking forward to the fall when the women's Bible studies begin at church. Hopefully by then we'll have a better idea of where we'll be worshipping...there are several churches in town that seem great!

Please call or send money...oops, I mean a letter....anytime! We are really missing NC but hoping to find some roots in MT as well. Until next time....bye, ya'll!

The journey begins

Bo left Monday night for Montana, complete with a 24 foot Budget truck towing a minivan, and Chad Cozad close behind driving the car (which also happens to have a broken windshield). Oh, the fun! They didn't get as far as they had planned to get last night, due to the fact that they could only go about 25 mph on the mountains of NC with their caravan. The truck was so huge that Juliana looked at it and said "Choo-Choo!". I guess it looked like a very orange train to her little eyes. Juliana and I fly out tomorrow morning (Wednesday) at 8:30 am and should arrive in Billings around 12:30 (there's a 2 hour time difference). Let's pray for an empty flight and/or sympathetic passengers! More updates and pictures to come...

This is the great adventure...

Hello everyone! We thought we would try our best to keep up with this website to keep everyone updated on our progress as we move to Montana. We first and foremost want to thank EVERYONE for the continued love, support, and encouragement we have felt. We truly did not know how blessed we were to have such wonderful friends and church family until this whole journey began. It's hard to believe we won't be around to see the daily ins and outs of life in Concord, and we will miss everyone so much! From the bottom of our hearts, we value each friendship, each relationship, each conversation, and we are thankful for how much we have learned and grown in our time here. We promise to keep this page updated regularly so that you all can see how we're adjusting to life on the ranch...er...in Montana. Love ya'll!

P.S. - The baby is due on January 25th (Lee Z.'s birthday!) so we'll keep you updated on his/her progress! Juliana has already put in a request for a "sissy".