Done with Diapers!

It's finally happened. After eight long years of having 1-4 kids in diapers at a time we've finally made it. The baby has been potty trained. Girls are so much easier than boys. Our boys still pee all over the wall half the time, but Baby Bree has it nailed - with only a handful of accidents to speak of. That's my girl.

Life has been busy in the Gerdel household. Between being parents, managing rentals, working, commuting and trading/blogging Forex we just don't have a ton of extra time. What little extra time we do have we focus on spending together as a family. Training boys to become men is a consuming task to say the least, and teaching girls to love themselves in spite of a society that says otherwise is an enormous challenge. But we're Gerdels. We'll make it.

That's all for now. I'll try to post back more often but, like I said, we're busy!

Marathons hurt!

Missy and I ran our first half marathon on Sunday, and there's only one thing I can say about it: ouch. Miles 1-6 were OK, but mile 7 was entirely uphill, and it cooked my bacon. Miles 8-13.1 were 5.1 of the most painful miles I've ever run, and that's saying something.

Lesson learned: do more hill training. We're planning on doing another half marathon this September, and my wife is crazy enough to think we can to a full marathon next January. But, crazy people say all sorts of crazy things.

The best part is that I hit my goal for time. My goal was 2 Hours. My final time: 2:00:36. I can deal with being 36 seconds over.

Who doesn't love puppies?

We were tricked by a good friend of ours. She had a whole heard of pure bread cocker spaniels, cute little things. We told her we would consider adopting one of them and that we'd like to spend a weekend with one. She showed up with two. Her plan worked perfectly. Initially it was just supposed to be a weekend, which turned into a week - and now we're stuck with them both. Genius.



Quite honestly, I'm OK with having two dogs. They're adorable together, and occupy each other quite nicely. Dogs are like boys - they're easier in pairs. But, not too unlike our boys, they're pooping all over our house. That needs to stop.

Who's sick of winter?

It's cold here in Missouri, and we're all about sick and tired of it. This is the worst part of the year - Christmas season is well over and stupid winter just lingers on.

The good part? Sledding. And we've had plenty of snow and ice to do it in.

Bree

Aubrey Christine Gerdel

She's quite the pistol. She's got the beauty of her sister and the spunk of her strong-willed brother Collin. She's the baby of the family - and she knows it.

• Birthday: August 10, 2006
• Nickname: Bree
• Favorite Food: All of it
• Hobbies: Laying on the charm, demanding her way (unsuccessfully), imitating her sister.
  
• Favorite Things: Dog-dogs, books
  

Collin Porter

Collin Porter Gerdel

Collin is normally a good kid, unless he sees an injustice. Then he gets pissed. In a single minute he can go from one of the most kind, compassionate people you'll ever meet to one of the fiercest fighters you've ever seen. He's got potential for great things, if channeled correctly.

Generally speaking he's a little shy in a group setting, and is perfectly happy playing by himself for long periods of time.

• Birthday: April 13, 2004
  
• Nickname: Porter
• Favorite Food: Chocolate
  
• Hobbies: Playing ninjas, tough guy, tickle kisses, playing with his brother
• Favorite Things: Kinex, books, dogs
  

Caleb

Caleb Andrew Gerdel

What to say about Caleb?... Caleb is a character. He's a little quirky, that boy. He doesn't like to wear any clothes that match. He likes to wear snow boots. he would rather play by himself than make friends with somebody who isn't cool enough. He can be a snot toward his brother. He loves to annoy his sister and frustrate his parents. Typical middle child behavior I suppose...

But he's a great kid. He's got a huge heart, which makes him easy to like. He has excellent people skills; everybody loves Caleb.

• Birthday: April 19, 2003
  
• Nickname: Number 2
  
• Favorite Food: Vanilla, bread
  
• Hobbies: Wrestling, riding bikes, reading, singing
  
• Favorite Things: Various toys, army stuff, his little sister
  

Sydney

Sydney Hadassah Gerdel

Sydney is an incredible girl, she really fascinates me. Never before have I seen a little girl take so much interest in the well-being of other people. She is beautiful, sweet, soft-spoken and truly has a servants heart.

I am excited to see Sydney grow up, she is already way too mature for a 6-year-old. She is going to be a great mother someday. She'd better find a husband who treats her right, because if there's ever been a girl who deserves it, it's her.

• Birthday: May 6, 2001
  
• Nickname: Sissy
  
• Favorite Food: Most candies
  
• Hobbies: Drawing, playing with friends, babysitting
  
• Favorite Things: Barbies, dogs, school