One week old

Its hard for us to realize some times that Klayton is already a week old. This has been a big difference for all us, considering last time we still had 8 more weeks to go in the NICU. Everyone is doing well and the girls are slowly adjusting. Brynn loves to give kisses to Klayton and they are always curious as to where he is. Its a good thing that babies do well sleeping through loud noises because its not the quietest place always. This past week we have had the grandparents up to help out and also get thier fix in with the kiddos. Below is a few pictures of this past week.

4 generations of the Van Mersbergens

Klayton eyeing the goal of being a future Hawk. Start them young and raise them right. Go Hawks.

Klayton likes his swing.

Brynn and Klayton

Hailey and Klayton

Hanging out before bedtime.

The girls like to color and they make beautiful pictures for our fridge.

Up close and personal

He is a good cuddler

Klayton Wayne

Klayton Wayne was born at 5:45 am on November 8, 2010. He weighed 8 lbs 4 oz and was 20 inches long. We are very blessed to have him.

Well, I am sure some of you thought that the next post you saw from us would be regarding our new addition. Well he must know its been a little colder out and he wants to stay warm inside of Mommy. We are patiently waiting and we know that God has the perfect time for him to come into the world. I thought I better get some pictures of Kristin and the girls before the little guy came. Good news for you is that you will get another posting next week as well, when he comes. Sorry it took us so long but we tend to forget to share what is going on.
Some things that have happened since the last post was a campout with my entire family in September and enjoying watching the Hawkeyes on the weekends. The girls had the opportunity to go a pumpkin patch with their friends and Dad got to take them trick or treating for their first time. The girls were not real sure of what to do but we only went to a few houses on our block and the girls still came home with a bag full for Dad and Mom. Don't worry, we do share a few items with them. Hope you enjoy the pics below and keep an eye out for a posting any day with pics of our latest edition.

Waiting patiently. Her due date was today, Nov 5.
Girls love to go on walks. They are so nice to go with Mom and Dad to help Mom get an individual out.

Daddy and his girls.

Our little giraffe, Brynn.

Hailey the Lady Bug

Attempt at a pic at the Pumpkin patch.

Brynn, Hailey, Lola, and Camille at the Pumpkin Patch

Baby Boy update and Fair pics

Last Friday Kristin and I headed to the doctor's office for another ultra sound. At our first ultra sound they found a spot on the heart and they wanted us to come back to make sure it was gone. It was a little nerve racking going into this ultra sound as we were just hoping that God had healed our little guy. After seeing our little boy, we were reassured that everything was fine and he is doing well and is healthy. Based on the measurements that were taken, he was at 3 lbs 10 oz. This was interesting as this is the same weight Hailey was when she was born. It was a good mental picture for us to know just how big he is. It is so amazing how technology has changed and we were fortunate to have some close up pictures of his face done. I hope you enjoy the pictures of our newest addition.

A few weeks ago, Kristin and I had the opportunity to take the girls to the Iowa State Fair. I thought it was funny because before we had the girls Kristin would never go into the animal barns because she thought they smelled. Now that we have kids, she says, we should got to the fair because I think the girls would love the animals. So we headed out and met my parents there. Below are some pictures from our little outing and the girls liked the animals and they even got the grandparents to share ice cream with them.

Trip to NY

Over the 4th of July, we had the opportunity to travel to upstate NY to visit Kristin's aunts and uncles. We were a little nervous about how the girls would do with the travel but everything worked out for the best and we made it safely there and home with out any big troubles. We were very fortunate and grateful that Kristin's parents drove out a day ahead of time with the luggage, so all we needed to do was make sure we had the girls, strollers, and our carry on. Good news is that we remembered everything and all the flights went well...except one. Flying from Chicago to Rochester, the girls had enough of lap and stroller time and decided they would let their frustrations out. The flight was an hour and 15 minutes and they managed to be quiet for 25 minutes of the flight. We did get some dirty looks from one individual but now I know what is like to try and take care of 18 month olds on a plane. Its not the easiest but it sure beat driving 14 hours.

We got to spend 5 days in NY and we tried to do things that would keep the girls entertained. The first day we were there we ventured out and checked out the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester. The girls enjoyed it after we took them out of their strollers. Who ever designed zoos did not really think of kids in strollers. Very hard for them to see and there always seems to be a bar in the way. Between Kristin, me and her parents we managed to take turns carrying the girls and keeping our arm muscles ready for our turn.

The next day was the day that the girls got to meet all of their great aunt and uncles and all of their other cousins. As you can see from the pictures above, all the little girls had a great time on the slip n' slide. There are not very many little boys on this side of the family so it was good that our little guy is tucked inside Mommy at this time. We had fun visiting with everyone and just trying to stay as cool as possible. Almost every day we were there, the tempature was over 90 degrees. On the 4th of July we had a relaxing day at Kristin's Aunt and Uncle's house who were kind enough to host us. That night, Kristin and I were able to get out and go watch some fireworks with her cousin and it was nice to be able to do that, since the girls usually would not stay up that late. On Monday, we took the girls out again and we went to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester. This is a museum for kids of all ages to run around and learn. Some of the things they had included a set of Seaseme Street, a train, a grocery store and a Berenstain Bear activity center. At Sesame Street the girls got to be on TV with Grandpa and Elmo. The best part of the museum was the grocery store where the girls got to push carts around and pick up fake food items. If you know Hailey, this is one thing she loves, so my goal is to let her shop now when its fake and get it all out of her system. The girls got to ride their first train and seemed to enjoy all the different pictures around the track. They finished the day off in the Berenstain Bear area, climbing in the tree house and letting everyone chase them around. We all had a great time at the Museum and we wish they had the same thing closer to home. The last day we were there, the women and girls went shopping and got more stuff to bring back and the men enjoyed golfing. It was a nice time to relax and be away from work and it was great to see all of the extended family again.

18 months and ?

On, June 24, the girls turned 18 months. Kristin and I can't believe how quickly they have grown up and they love to keep us on our toes. Both of them are such a joy and bring a lot of happiness to our lives. Hailey is the little talker of the two and she loves to jabber. Her favorite word today, might be Daddy, which is fine with me and it always brings a smile to my face when she says Hi Daddy. Brynn loves to climb and is getting very good at it. It amazes me everyday how well she can climb onto everything. We have to make sure that we keep our dining room chairs pushed in because if we don't, she will be climbing up the chair and then go to the table. As I said, they keep us on our toes and we wouldn't want it any other way. We love Hailey and Brynn so much and are so thankful that God has blessed us with two beautiful girls.

Kristin is doing well with her pregnancy and she is at 21 weeks now. She has made it past half way and is still on schedule for November 5 as her due date. On the 25th we were able to go in for her appointment and have an ultrasound done to see our little bundle of joy. Well, I am happy to tell you that everything looked good and the little one is already 15 oz. Close to a pound so we will see how big this little one gets. Hailey and Brynn were so excited when we got home and we could tell them what we were going to have. They seemed indifferent on wanting a brother or sister but I just think that is because they don't know what is going on. Hailey and Brynn are excited to tell you that they are going to have a little brother. We are so thankful that God is blessing us with a little boy and it will be fun to see the difference in raising a daughter versus a son.

I was very nervous going into the ultrasound because I will admit that I really wanted to be told we were having a boy. When I found out we were having twins, I thought I had a better shot at getting at least one little boy but I wouldn't have had it any other way because Hailey and Brynn are so great and we love them in our lives. Now some of you may know that I have had some pressure put on me since I was the last boy on my Dad's side to carry on the family name. I will never forget after Kristin and I got engaged, my Grandma came up to her and one of the first things she said was, you are going to have a boy right? Now lucky for me, this didn't scare Kristin away and we are so happy to let everyone know of our wonderful news. We are so thankful that God blessed us with two beautiful, healthy girls and now we can't wait for the arrival of our son and we pray that the remainder of Kristin's pregnancy goes well and we will have a healthy son later this year.

I hope you enjoy the ultrasound picture of our new addition and the 18 month pictures we got taken of Hailey and Brynn. The pictures were taken by Digital Galleria. Hope you enjoy.