A Blueberry in My Coffee

Backyard Camping

2010-10-24T19:58:00.001-07:00

So we didn't really camp. We just pretended.

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CHEESE!!!

2010-10-22T03:28:00.000-07:00

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An afternoon walk

2010-09-24T04:10:00.001-07:00

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Bug bite!!

2010-09-24T04:09:00.001-07:00

This is a very crabby Jonah. Check out his eye! So nasty & swollen!! It earned him a trip to the dr today. Dr says it's a mosquito bite. The actual bite is right on the corner of his outer eyelid. Lots of jokes today about him being in a boxing match.

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@ the apple orchard

2010-09-24T04:05:00.001-07:00

We have been busy. Must catch up on this blog sometime. Yesterday was apple picking. Many thanks to Ronda for this photo.

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iPad = eyepatch

2010-07-23T14:41:00.001-07:00

Leah says, "I'm pretending I have an iPad"

I say "Leah, do you even know what an iPad is??"

She says "yup, it's what pirates wear when their eyeballs fall out to help them see better."

:)

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Nekkid

2010-07-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

It's hot here. Really hot. Like 110 heat index or something miserable. We went to the park anyway. It had a fountain. We got wet. Couldn't talk the kids into putting dry clothes on. So here we are reading books. A dress for me. Just a dipe & undies for them. Ahhh summer

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Virginia Beach

2010-07-21T14:01:00.000-07:00

Every year for years and years Paul's family has vacationed in Virginia Beach, VA. Every winter for as long as I can remember they have bugged Paul and I to join them. Paul always refused stating "why go somewhere hot when it's hot". We'll this year he got talked into it. So it was our first official family vacation!

Smartly, we opted to fly rather than try the 15 hr or so drive with the kids. And, since Saint Louis seems to be on the way to everywhere, both Paul's parents and his sister and brother in law stopped on their way through driving and took all of our luggage! Nice!

All in all it was a good trip. Our intense kids in a hotel room is always a bit rough and Jonah's need to wake up at 5am made for some LONG days. I will say the boardwalk on VA beach is an interesting place at 5am. Peace and quiet with the exercisers and the homeless people!

Other notes about our trip

- the kids really enjoyed the time spent with their cousins
- the pool was much more popular than the ocean with the kids. Leah didn't like the salty taste and JOnah didn't like the motion of the waves
- The four of us on a "family bike" was lots of fun
- I personally loved that Paul is willing to get ice cream everyday just like my dad was on vacation growing up!
- Mostly good food except for one meal that was ruined by a very loud very bad band.
- the kids did surprisingly well on the flights. That was one advantage to Jonah's early rising. He was TIRED by the time we flew.

I'm sure there are more but nap time is over!

MOBOT with Grandma Helen

2010-07-21T13:37:00.000-07:00

With Paul needing to be out of town for work 17 days in the month of June, we spent some quality time with Grandma Helen & Grandpa Lee. First 5 days up in Pella and then a few more when Grandma came down to see us. The highlight of her visit here was a trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden. It was HOT and HUMID but we got there early and enjoyed our visit.

City Gardens

2010-07-21T13:29:00.001-07:00

We made a trip to City Garden again this summer on a day when the heat index was 105!! Paul was out of town so we picked up auntie Bethany from work and spent the evening getting wet!

Leah can Fly

2010-07-21T13:11:00.000-07:00

Yup, she can fly, or at least tries too! Off the chair into the pool. Off the back of the couch. OFf the floor. Girl seems to be jumping, hopping, & skipping all the time. I fear she has inherited a pair of LOUD feet from me. I am forever asking her not to stomp or shuffle her feet!

And yes, this feat of flying off the chair into the pool, she taught to her baby brother as well. Praying for no broken limbs around these parts!

I have a blog??

2010-07-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Guess I forgot I have a blog that people might be checking. Darn facebook hogs all the photos but doesn't give a spot to add a story. Some photos need stories.

So I shall try to blog again.

Sidewalk paint.

2010-06-03T11:24:00.001-07:00

Cornstarch + water + food coloring = lots of fun on a hot day. Paintbrushes, old tennis balls & hands & feet made a big ole mess. Fun times for all!

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Go Cards!

2010-05-24T13:24:00.000-07:00

We have been talking all spring about taking the kids to a Cardinal's game and yesterday was the day. Thanks to Craigslist, Paul was able to score us some good tickets in the shade which was nice since it was 92 degrees yesterday! We made it through 7 innings and I only had to spend two of those chasing Jonah around in the halls. When we left the Cards were down by two but came back to win in the 10th inning. We had fun I think. I didn't see much of the game!

With my sister Bethany. Did I mention she's living with us till the end of July??

Baby's first Cards game.

Slip N Slide

2010-05-24T13:12:00.000-07:00

Last summer Leah loved the slip and slide. However, I tossed the one we had last summer. It was pretty gross & part of it was broken. It saw lots of mud and grass and such. Yesterday we stopped and Marshalls and LEah went through the check out line with daddy while I was cruising the clearance section in the back. She talked daddy into a new slip and slide. This one has a tunnel to go over it too but we didn't get that part up yet. We invited some playgroup friends to come over and try it out with us (yes us, I took a turn too). Leah loved it, especially when I picked her and Jonah up and threw them down the slide super fast!

36 hrs in Nashville

2010-05-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Back in April my friend Ronda and I hopped on an airplane early on Saturday morning headed to San Antonio! It was a great 36 hrs visiting our friend Jennifer who moved down there with her family in March. We had a small shower for Jen and then hit the Riverwalk for the rest of the evening. Fun times for sure!

Of course, it may be the last time I ever get to go anywhere. Paul had quite the time with the kids!

Weekend in Nashville

2010-05-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Paul had a meeting for work at Opryland Hotel down in Nashville so the kids and I drove down at the end of the week to hang out with him. We learned that 3 nights in a small hotel room with little people is less than ideal but we survived. We spent some quality time in the swimming pool and exploring the gorgeous gardens at the hotel. Supper at the Aquarium and lunch at Wildhorse Saloon were pretty cool too.

Ready for swimming!!

Pretty girl in the gardens

Ice Cream!

swimming with daddy!

my two trouble makers

The Aquarium

Stressed out parents!!

Blog Schmog

2010-05-03T13:17:00.000-07:00

ugh, I am miserably behind on blogging. I missed posting about our sort of fun weekend in Nashville. I haven't posted about my fun 36 hr get away to San Antonio to see my friend Jennifer. I haven't posted about my sewing adventures. I haven't posted about hosting a huge babyshower for my playgroup. Really, I think it's the spring weather. We are busy but I'd rather be outdoors than in front of the computer. I shall add a few pics. Then back to to the grind around these parts!

Ready for some baseball!

2010-04-21T17:11:00.001-07:00

Yup, we are ready to watch some Twins & Cardinals games. Looks like we may have a future player on our hands. Paul got both kids balls & gloves for Leah's birthday!

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Easter Sunday

2010-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

We attempted to get a decent family photo and a decent photos of the kids together but this is about as good as it gets!

City Museum

2010-04-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we got a visit from Auntie Abby and her boyfriend Ryan. We were happy to see her and glad she made the trip all the way from Minneapolis. On Saturday we took them to City Museum. It's tought to describe what the place is all about. It's a combination of art and jungle gym and junk. The entire place is construced from materials "found" in the city of Saint Louis. Fun times were had by all. The rest of the weekend was great too!

How does your garden grow??

2010-04-01T20:18:00.000-07:00

Well, our garden isn't growing at all yet but after a week of 70+ temps I sure hope we see something before too long! Leah was super excited to get some seeds going this year. I wish I had been organized enough to do some ahead of time in the house but with a month worth of company every weekend, it just didn't happen. Oh well.

I'm hoping we get a bit more out of our little bed than we did last year. Last year was sort of a "test" and I figured out what we needed more of. Greens Beans and Sugar Snap peas are taking up most of the space, along with carrots, lettuce, & chard. We will do some buckets with tomatoes and peppers and a few herbs up on the deck too I think. Last year the tomatoes and pepper got eaten by squirrels. Hopefully we can keep them away this year. And hopefully we will have some seeds come up. Jonah really got into the whole "digging" thing and may have dug up more seeds than we got planted!

Four!

2010-03-23T14:20:00.001-07:00

My baby girl is four. For some reason this birthday was a hard one for us. She all of a sudden seems so grown up. Tall, pretty, opinionated, sassy all that stuff. I remember being pregnant and wondering what sort of personality she would have. . . .and know we know!

So what is Leah doing at four?? Totally into art work. Girl spends TONS of time sitting a the counter with crayons or markers. Give her a scissors and glue and you may not see her till supper time! YOu'll hear her though because she never stops chattering!! Music is another love. SO much that she requested a stage and lights to do her own shows! hmm what else

- calls herself a daddy's girl
- loves her brother as long as he doesn't touch her stuff
- play makeup was her favorite birthday gift along with the stage her daddy built her
- loves to talk to people on the phone
- interested in dinosaurs and this morning wanted to know if they live in volcanoes
- close to her friends. nice that she has had the same ones for quite a while now. making a few new ones too!

so much more I could say about my girl. I can only imagine what I'll have to say in 4 more years!!

Running

2010-03-17T12:39:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday we packed up the kids, some friends, & the bottle of Bailey's and headed downtown for me to run the Saint Louis Saint Patty's day 5 mile run and to catch the huge parade. 11,000 other people ran the race too and it was quite the experience. I'm glad to say that my kids know that exercise is important. They know that mommy likes to do it and that's why I haul them to the YMCA several days a week. They know that we do it to stay healthy and that it can be fun.

Now of course I'm not sure it was too fun doing it in 40 degree weather and then standing around in the same weather to watch the parade. And I'm sure it wasn't too healthy sipping Baileys after the race but good times none the less. It was all made better by the fact that our old friends, the Hansens, made the 8 hour drive down from Green Bay, WI to enjoy the festivities with us. I was thrilled that I treated them to thier first "corned beef and cabbage feast" and that they liked it!!

The Sewing Bug

2010-03-01T13:25:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if it's the winter blah's or what but last week I got hit the bug to haul out the sewing machine. I've been reading some craft blogs and saw some super cute ideas for turning old tshirts into little girl skirts, & men's dress shirts into dresses and pants! So here's Leah in one of my favorite old tshits!!! And it was easy enough for me, a beginning sewing without a pattern! I managed a sundress, hooded towels, & another skirt last week and did a bit of work on a pair of pants for Jonah today! Hopefully Leah will continue to think it's cool that I can make clothes her and not be worried about the "homemade look!"

Snot & Sun

2010-02-28T18:26:00.000-08:00

We've got the snot. Colds, hacking, boogers, icky stuff. Poor Jonah had the worst of it last week & was diagnosed with a double ear infection & sinus infection. Amazingly, it didn't slow him down much. Now Leah has it and has been wiping her nose so much it looks like she has a little red mustache. And I've got it too but I'm managing. Really it could be do much worse, a friend's son was diagnosed with pneumonia last week & supposedly RSV is going around. I had to laugh when the nurse at the dr's office tried to test Jonah's oxygen levels last week. They never got a reading & the dr walked in and said "I'm sure his lungs are just fine if he was able to put up that much of a fight!" Hopefully we will be back to normal soon.

As for the sun, we have finally gotten a taste of spring! We've made several park trips & covered the street in front of the house with sidewalk chalk. We sure were ready for some fresh air!!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T11:32:00.001-08:00

Okay, a few words. This is the stuff that is making me crazy!

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Cheesecake

2010-02-17T17:22:00.001-08:00

My boys lovin the Oreo cheesecake I made for Valenties!

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Winter Zoo

2010-02-17T17:09:00.001-08:00

Have I mentioned how much I like going to the zoo in the winter?? No? It's quiet & calm & you can visit with animals for as long as you like. And I get this feeling that the animals are actually happy to see you! Or at least curious about what the heck you're doing there when it's cold!

Oh & the old ladies volunteering in the reptile building were thrilled to see Leah coming. She got a full education on how snakes shed their skin, including a slighty creepy demonstration of a stuffed snake doing just that! Good thing Paul wasn't there, he'd have been running out the door! Did you know he HATES snakes!?

We also really like the Zoomagination Station which is a giant playroom of zoo related activities. The snowleopard cave & water table were the kids favorites today. It was nice that there were 4 whole kids there today!

As for animals, we saw penguins, bears, apes, chimps, monkeys, all the reptiles & sealions. Our faces were the peguins & the moments we had with the gorillas!

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Snowshoeing!

2010-02-13T16:28:00.001-08:00

The kids & I are spending the weekend in Pella while Paul celebrates MardiGras with some work people. Grandma Helen found out about a snowshoe nature walk put on by the Army Corps of Engineers at the rec area just up the road. Jonah didn't last long in the shoes & we spent most of the hike pulling Leah in the sled, but it was fun & interesting. I now know all about snow fleas!

We were able to check out the shoes to bring back to my patents for the weekend & Leah is now a pro. Sure makes exploring the outdoors in the snow a bit easier. Grandpa Lee loves it & is ready to order his own pair!

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Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-10T05:16:00.000-08:00

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One Jonah = 10 normal kids

2010-02-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

Yeah, that's what the child care director at the YMCA told me on Saturday. He said that having Jonah in the class room made it like having 15 kids instead of just 5. He said they were all playing nicely until they heard a crash. It was Jonah pulling the bucket of blocks over. So they all headed over to pick those up until they heard more noise. It was Jonah who had climbed on the table and and dumping the container of crayons upside down. So the staff headed over to pick those up before Jonah and the other little ones started eating them. And then more noise. All of the coloring papers hit the floor. Jonah again.

Seriously, at least once a week someone asks me how I deal with him. It's like this. No chairs at the table or counter. Nothing breakable in bottom drawers. Locked lower cupboards. And yes, he still gets into stuff. I have very little make up left thanks to him and the dog gets extra meals because he sneaks into the pantry closet where the dog food is. Yesterday there were a million pieces of egg shell all over the kitchen. Don't ask!

Fast cars

2010-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

The other night I took the kids to the "Science is Fun" event put on by our Parents as Teachers program. Science was not so fun for me as all I did was prove that it's impossible for one mommy to chase two kids in opposite directions. I think the kids had a good time though. The big hit for both of them was a swimming pool filled with pasta & shovels & buckets. I decided not to recreate that one at home since Jonah was really into emptying the pool! I did manage to make some nifty car ramps like they had there today though. Leah's still sleeping & Jonah & I are trying to see which is faster, the fire truck or the garbage truck.

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Family Photo

2010-02-02T19:22:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure why I didn't put this up here before, but here's a family photo of us from Christmas taken by Uncle Ryan. Leah was just a little wound up about opening gifts and Jonah was ready for bed! Classic!

2010-02-02T14:55:00.001-08:00

This is where she put the furniture. I'm waiting for my mom to remind me about my obsession with moving furniture as a young person. I think I actually broke my bed from moving it so much.

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Afternoon antics

2010-02-02T14:52:00.001-08:00

My friend Wendy calls most afternoons around 4:30. This is what Leah did while I was on the phone. It's not the first time. I'm not sure if I should be singing the praises of the manufactures of those nifty felt floor protectors for an unscratched floor, or cursing them for making the furniture easy to slide. I'm seriously considering bolting the furniture to the floor. Or maybe I can talk Paul into heavier furniture??

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Tea Time with the Tiny Tots

2010-01-22T13:05:00.000-08:00

This is what goes on at our house sometime between 3pm and 4pm every afternoon. Snacks & juice for them. Espresso for mommy. I just want to squish their little faces when I seem them sitting up there like that. Squish, squish, squish. Love those two little blonde heads.

2010-01-22T13:02:00.000-08:00

This is Leah teaching Jonah about the fine art of splashing in puddles. Yup, puddles in January in Missouri. I really don't miss the never ending blanket of snow and ice we were covered with all winter long living in Wisconsin, but I can't say I love the dreary gray of winter here either. Temps have been in the 40s and 50s this week which has gotten us outside and helped with that cabin fever. Seriously, between fighting with Leah, "sassiest mouth in the south" and being up all night with "toddler beds suck" Jonah it's been a rough two weeks!

The Monkey has Escaped!

2010-01-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

So I knew the time was coming. I knew because over the Christmas holiday Jonah climbed out of the pack & play at Grandma Sally's and ran down stairs like he was hot stuff. I prayed that it'd be a whole lot longer before he figured out how to climb out of his crib, but today was the day. I carried him upstairs after lunch and did his normal nap time routine. He laid down and snuggled up to his trusty dinosaur and acted like he was going to sleep. Nighty night! About 5 minutes later I heard him hollering but figured I could wait to check him until I finished my lunch. I ate and he quieted down so I figured he'd decided to go to sleep. Nope, I head a "MA!" and there he was on the stairs. Guess he's moving to a toddler bed with a gate at the door now!

Made me think of how kids are so different from each other. Leah was a busy toddler like JOnah is but was never much of a climber. She was in her crib until she was two and never climbed out. I only moved her to a toddler bed because she loved her friends little beds so much and figured she'd have to move soon anyway since Jonah was on the way. Back then I had chairs in normal places too. Now chairs only make it to the table or the counter when it is time to sit on them. If we forget it's only moments before Jonah is standing on the counter!

I'm sure our monkey will be in trouble again. Stay tuned!

Wedding Video

2010-01-10T20:19:00.001-08:00

Today is Paul & my 6th anniversary so I dug out the DVD of our wedding to watch. We have been reminded of our love & the beauty of the beach. We forgot how windy it was. We realize what a long 6 years it's been & how much we miss miss Paul's brothers Collier & Billy who celebrated with us that day but are no longer with us. We laughed over how much we & many of our guests have changed. The best part was the comedy of sharing the video with Leah.

"look mom, it's Grandpa Chicken on TV!!"

"mom, are you marrying grandpa??"

"grandma looks old, she must have had a birthday"

"when can I get married?"
"when you are a grown up & you find the right person that you love, Leah"
"I love Carter so I can marry him !"

We didn't do much to celebrate today but I hope we showed our kids that we love eachother & that we love them & that we love a good laugh!

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Christmas at Home

2010-01-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

Every year we struggle with when to do our family Christmas. I usually try to convince Paul to do it on December 5 for St. Nick's Day but let's face it, I'm never done shopping by then! I'd love to do it right before we head up to Iowa but Paul has been gone the week before Christmas for work for the past 10 years! I'm hoping next year will be different. Depspite the confusion, I've managed to come up with a "traditional" dinner for us and we dressed up and at in the dining room which Leah thought was fabulous! Stuffed Mushrooms, Crab Cakes, Seared scallops, broccolli, & molten chocolate cake were on the menu. We opened our gifts afterward. Leah who had decided that "she HATES pants" was most excited about two new dresses and her cupcake set. Jonah decided that it was more fun to climb on the box than open it. It contained a basketball hoop that he was pretty excited about. He knew just what to do. (Maybe Grandpa Lee will get a basketball player yet!) It was a bit of crazy day and evening but fun to stretch out the celebrating!

Christmas in Pella

2010-01-05T14:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas Day we braved nasty weather to make it from Mason City to Pella to be with the Luhrs side of the family. The entire trip was facilitated by iphone technology. I think I spent the entire car ride using my phone to check maps, weather, & check in with Abby & Ryan who were traveling the same route as we were. Our time in Pella was short and I forgot to take very many photos since there were lots of cameras floating around. Here are couple !

Christmas Morning!

2010-01-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

Boy oh boy am I behind on blogging about Christmas and New Years and such. Anyway. These are from Christmas Morning at Grandpa Gene & Grandma Sally's house in Iowa. Leah was thrilled that Santa came. (Especially since Mom doesn't believe in Santa) Many thanks to Grandma & Grandpa for taking care of the details on that! Poor Jonah who got up at 5am the entire week of Christmas was NOT happy that he had to wait for sleepyhead Leah to wake up. And there were no bows left on the gifts by around 6:00. It was 7:30 before Leah rolled out of bed. I know it was because she was upstairs snuggling with her Paul. I wouldn't have wanted to come down either!

2009-12-30T12:43:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that Paul refuses to smile nicely in any photo of just he and I. I'm pretty sure he does it becaues he knows it makes me insane. It's become a game and I can hardly hold a straight face because I keep averting my eyes to see if he is doing something strage. This is the "Christmas Collage" version of Paul being a dork. Click on the photo for a bigger version to get the full effect!

Leah Laughs!

2009-12-18T12:19:00.000-08:00

Holiday card Outakes

2009-12-17T06:04:00.000-08:00

So I'd like just ONE nice photo of the two of them together in their Christmas gear. I did pick one that a few lucky people will receive in thier mailboxes sometime over the holiday season. (No they haven't been mailed yet!) Seriously, for these photos, if it wasn't one crying or making a wierd face, it was the other!! And these are just a sampling of the 40 or so photos I snapped! It was much easier last year when Jonah wasn't mobile!

Bird Watchers

2009-12-15T12:18:00.001-08:00

Now that the weather is cold, I have been doing my best to come up with projects to keep Leah busy in the late afternoon. Birdfeeders were on the list for last week and boy are the birds happy! We made two differnt versions and already out deck is covered with a variety of birds. Honestly, I'm amazed! We've seen mourning doves, titmice, cardinals, chickadees, bluejays, downy woodpeckers, junco & a few more that we haven't looked up in our birdbook! The kids like to push thier chairs up to the windows and watch. We got the binoculars out for Leah too but no pics of that. Leah insists that all the birds make a "caw caw" sound!

2009-12-10T11:28:00.000-08:00

This is the face Jonah makes when I open the fridge right now. It's accompanied by a loud "Ahhhhh" sound. Why you ask?? It's because he wants this.

Yup. Canned whipped cream. I made the mistake of letting him try it and now he's like a little monster with his open mouth and "ahhh". Seriously cracks me up! Leah loves it too!

Puke

2009-12-10T10:57:00.000-08:00

Jonah,

Thank you for maintaining your generally good mood despite puking your breakfast all over the nursery at the YMCA and your entire lunch all over the tray of your highchair. It's gross but it'd be worse if you threw a fit about it. Hope you feel better soon. Love you,

Mommy

Tired

2009-12-07T04:23:00.000-08:00

Dear Jonah,

Mommy is very tired. Tired of getting up at 5am. Tired of you throwing a fit about taking naps. Seriously, you are 15 months old, it's time for a new schedule. So how about a Christmas surprise for mommy?? Start sleeeping till at least six! Or maybe even seven!! Love you

Mommy

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Take A Walk Through Bethlehem

2009-12-05T10:35:00.001-08:00

We did. Take a visit to Bethlehem that is. Thanks to the church we have been attending, Leah visited the carpentry, metal, leather, stonecarving & bakery shops. We gave money to the beggars & tax collectors & had a photo op with some Christmas celebrities!

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She's Not That Into You

2009-12-04T12:46:00.001-08:00

Poor Jonah, his friend Ellie was not near as happy to see him as he was to see her!

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Sibling Wars: The Brother Strikes Back

2009-12-03T11:32:00.000-08:00

So it finally happened, Jonah fought back. For 15 months Leah has been poking, prodding, pulling, pestering, and just plain bossing her baby brother around. Well Tuesday night he had enough. He was NOT cool with sharing the piano bench with her and reached over and bit her. I know this is not behavior I should encourage but I had to try hard not to laugh and be proud of Jonah for sticking up for himself.

Of course Leah screamed over the bite and was horrified that he left his teeth marks on her arm. That and "he doesn't like me anymore!!!!" After everyone was calmed down and in their own corner they did hug and make up.

I'm sure this is just the beginning of the Sibling Wars saga.

Holiday Dancing

2009-12-03T11:18:00.000-08:00

So these kids LOVE to dance. Love it!! Leah begs to have the music louder (her father's child)! We have been rocking out to quite the range of holiday tunes thanks to Pandora. Poor Jonah get's dizzy with all the turning about. Have to make sure he doesn't crack his head on the fireplace!

Stylish Hairdo

2009-12-03T06:57:00.000-08:00

Leah requested a "stylish hairdo" this morning and demanded that it include my huge scarf. This was the result. Hope her friends & teachers like it! Oh and now she's off putting makeup on. This could be bad. If she's like this at three what will she be like at 13???

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Other Items of Interest

2009-11-23T06:40:00.000-08:00

- Leah's Native American name is "Blooming Flower". Many thanks to her preschool teachers for that one. She no longer wishes to be called Leah. Just Blooming Flower and don't you forget it!!

- Jonah points. At everything. He has very few words but has pointing and grunting and whining down. Baby boy knows what he wants!

-Who ever said the twos were terrible did not have a verbal three year old. Holy Sassy Pants!! Seriously, I thought the attitude was supposed to wait until she was a teenager. I have startted calling it her "Rude 'Tude!"

- Jonah seems to be prone to bloody noses just like his daddy. A few weeks ago his crib looked like a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre!! Scarey stuff. He's had 3 bloody nose bumps since then. One frightened the neighbors and had the lady next door scrubbing the concrete with Clorox and another made the childwatch people at the YMCA have to file an incident report!

-I think I am going to spend all of December redecorating my Christmas tree thanks to a small boy who insists on taking all the ornaments off the bottom third of the tree. Many thanks to the inventor of shatterproof ornaments!

-This morning LEah said "Let's have a naked dance party!" Classy, huh?? But we did. I was clothed but the kids were in panties & a diaper and we rocked the Christmas Music. Yeah for Pandora!

=We also keep it real by doing silly things like wearing goggles in the bathtub!

What We've Been Up TO

2009-11-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

MOre Blog neglect. I wish I was better at keeping up but it's tough. I really enjoy reading other people's blogs and get annoyed when they never update so I should be better at it here!!

So the big news for this past week is that the kids were sick. Nothing major just temperatures & snotty noses and then an ear infection for Jonah. Made life rough for thier momma since Leah had to miss two days of school and we couldn't go to the YMCA either. We entertained ourselves by getting out all of the Christmas stuff, starting on our Christmas baking & doing some Christmas projects. Fun stuff!

Hmm before that we had two busy weekends of company. First a visit from Grandma Sally & Grandpa Gene on a GORGEOUS weekend. Seriously, almost 80 in November!! We spent some nice time outdoors and had a fire including smores!! The next weekend Grandma Helen & Grandpa Lee came down and spent ANOTHER gorgeous weekend with us. November has had better weather than OCtober!! Paul and my dad hit Cabelas and Bass Pro Shop and mom and I took the kids to the Wildlife Preserve for hike. Lots of walking in the sun!

This weekend we had visitors again. Aunt Laura, Uncle Jim, cousin Brian, & our friend Dave came down to attend the IA State vs Mizzou football game. The kids and I did NOT go along. We tackeled some Christmas shopping!

So yeah, that's what we've been doing.

Good Friends

2009-11-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

Fall Fun

2009-11-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

So who doesn't love a good leaf pile?? There is something about the smell and the crunch and crisp air! Leah has been begging to make a leaf pile since the first leaf fell from the tree! Little man was in heaven and I was lost in memories of leaf piles from my youth.

Halloween!

2009-11-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

I sadly way behind on blogging as usual. The week of Halloween was pretty crazy since Paul came down with the dreaded swine flu on Tuesday of that week. We quarantined him to the bedroom and spent hours keep the kids away from him. We were pretty cute wearing our masks all week too!

Due to the germs our Halloween plans got stirred up a bit since Grandma Sally & Grandpa Gene decided to postpone thier visit. Our friends Troy and Jen still came over to share the festivities with us though!

Jonah was the cutest little fire man in the neighborhood. I had to trick him into wearing the fireman hat by putting a winter hat on underneath it so he couldn't feel the fire hat!

"Uncle" Troy was in charge of handing out candy. Between his scarey set up and the creepy music Paul blasted out the upstairs window we had the creepiest house in the cul de sac!

Leah said "let's take a laughing picture mom!"

Dr. Mom and her swine flu patient!

Bat Girl

2009-10-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

So about two months ago we started talking about what the kids would dress up as for Halloween. I picked out a cute fireman costume for Jonah at a rummage sale over the summer and Leah was perfectly happy dressing up in her princess gear. That last quite awhile until I recieved a magazine with a boy with a bat hat on the cover. Leah thought it was cool and switched her tune. SHe over and over requested a bat costume instead! Well, I tapped the internet for some ideas and came up with a pretty easy one. We cut an umbrella in half and sewed it to a sweatshirt! I picked up the ears at Walgreens. The combination made for one VERY happy little girl.

Oh and she was the only kid at her school in a homemade costume and the only girl who was not dressed as a princess!

Grand Parents

2009-10-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in October Paul had to be out of town for business meeting. Usually when that happens I pack the kids up and head to my parents to hangout. This time though, I found out that my mom was headed up to north west IOwa for teacher meetings. Since my Grandma & aunt, uncle & cousins live there we decided to go along for the ride. . . . . . and it was a LONG ride. (Kitty corner across IA! Keokuk to almost Sioux Falls, SD in one day!) The kids were troopers and I was VERY thankful for the DVD player in the car. Makes me wonder how my parents traveled long distances with four kids in the car.

Anyway, we were hoping to get a taste of the farm while in IOwa but the weather did give us much opportunity for that. Leah did get to see her cousin's bottle calves, market steers & bunnies and we made a fun trip to the Washington Pavillion in Sioux Falls, SD. It was great to see family and I think our visit really made Great-Grandma's day.

We broke up the trip home by spending a night in Pella. Grandma Helen & Grandpa Lee squeezed in a trip to the park and a walk in the prairie even though it was chilly!

More from YEsterday

2009-10-16T13:35:00.000-07:00

CORN!!

2009-10-16T13:22:00.000-07:00

I am dreadfully behind on getting photos up here and blogging about what we have been up too. YOu'd think with the down right dreary cold weather we've been having I'd have lots of time on the computer. NOPE! Too busy hauling JOnah off the counter tops and table tops.

Yesterday we made our first pumpkin farm visit of the season. It felt more like winter but we had fun anyway. The corn box was the kids favorite. We got a quite a few laughs when Leah's classmates & parents saw me sticking my hands in her pants to pull out corn! Her boots were full of corn too. I'm trying a new program for the photos so we'll see how this goes!

Conversations with Leah

2009-10-11T13:06:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to NW Iowa last week to see my grandma. We had this conversation in the car.

"Mom, we are going to see great grandma right?"

"Yes Leah, we are going to see her at the nursing home"

"Where is grandpa? Does he live at the baby nursing home too?"

"No, he's in heaven"

"With God? How did he get there"

"WEll his body isn't there Leah but his soul is. It's hard to explain. When you die just part of you goes to heaven"

"I think that you hold an umbrella and fly up to the sky. Up above clouds to heaven to be with God. I think that would be really fun mom."

"Me too Leah"

"I was just thinking about that mom"

Cousins

2009-09-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

Back on Labor Day, which now seems like ages ago, we ventured up to Iowa for a visit with Paul's parents and extended family that were in town for a memorial service for Paul's uncle. For almost a year now Leah has been talking about seeing her cousin Nickolas. He is really her second cousin but it's all the same to her. Even though he is a five year old boy, he is sweet and dear to Leah and she loves him for it. The two of them were pretty much side by side all weekend and Leah sobbed when he had to leave on Sunday afternoon. It's a good think Thanksgiving isn't too far away! I'm not sure I can take the "when do we get to see Nickolas??" questions much longer!!

Give me a Break

2009-09-14T13:05:00.000-07:00

So Paul and I were super tired a few weeks ago and were trying to come up with some way to keep our kids under control with minimal work. This is what we came up with.

Yup, that's carseats in the living room. Yes, they are bucked in. NO, they aren't going anywhere. Yes, they sat like this for a good 15 minutes. Yes, I am considering purchasing another set of carseats to leave in the living room permanently!

So we don't really pin our kids down like this! Leah got a new car seat and JOnah's was in the house for cleaning. They are much more fun in the house than in the car!

Back to School

2009-09-14T12:32:00.000-07:00

So it wasn't Leah's first day of school ever ,but it was her first day of school this fall. We went back and forth about sending her to two day a week preschool but when I found out that almost all of her playgroup friends were going somewhere and that there was lots of room left in the program at the YMCA, I signed her up!

It was quite a change from dropping her off last spring where she clung to us and cried when we left. This year she helps pack up her pricess lunch box & elmo backpack & gives me hugs and kisses at the door and says see you later! Sweet! Looks like she is goign to have a fun year full of crafts, games, songs, swimming, field trips, parties, etc!

Oh and it gives me a break!

Conversations with Leah

2009-09-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Paul: Leah, no cartoons tonight. We are going to watch the President on TV
Leah: What?
Paul: We are going to watch grown up TV, the Presidential Address.
Leah: I have dresses daddy. Some of them don't fit anymore. But the flowered one still fits and the pink one still fits!

Sting Razors

2009-09-03T12:13:00.000-07:00

The new attraction at the STL Zoo this year is the stingrays. They have a big shallow pool filled with them. You can stick your hand in and pet them and even feed them! It's right at the height for kids Leah's size.

I found out last week that the sting rays will be leaving for the winter and realized that we hadn't been to see them yet, so I packed the kids up on Saturday and off we went. My friend Jen and I totally built up the experience for Leah and somehow in her little mind, stingrays became "sting razors!" Sounds like a scary shaving experience doesn't it!! Leah did stick her hand in the water but never did actually "pet" a sting razor. She got freaked out when the very first one splashed us.

The rest of our day at the zoo was great. Jonah finally is at the age where he was interested in the animals! Fun times.

mmm ice cream cake

2009-08-21T13:10:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE ice cream cake??? It's one of the perks of having a summer birthday! (Although I've been know to purchase it in the winter too!) Being out of town prior to Jonah's birthday and having no time to bake was the perfect excuse to get one last weekend for his celebration! I think he loves it almost as much as his momma!

ONE!

2009-08-17T12:11:00.000-07:00

Jonah is one! A year ago last Friday I spent the day twiddling my thumbs waiting for the pitocin to kick in. I spent 3 hours feeling the pain and about 3 minutes pushing him out! I then spent 30 minutes waiting to hold my cold, congested baby boy. What a year it's been. The sleepless nights are sort of coming to a close. We survived the first few months of projectile puking, the burn, and other aches and pains. Our mellow mushroom has blossomed into our crazy monkey full of personality and attitude. Love you baby boy!

And we're off . . . .

2009-08-10T02:59:00.000-07:00

No photos for this post. I'm blogging from gate C18 at the Saint Louis airport. Paul & I are headed to Puerto Rico for 4 nights. The kids are hanging out with Grandma Helen & Grandpa Lee for the week. I think we'll all have fun!

Monkey Boy

2009-07-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned that we call Jonah "monkey boy". He is a climber. Refuses to sit in shopping cart. Tries to scale the bookshelves in the YMCA childcare room. Hangs from the crib rail. Climbs backward up the slides at the playground. Regular little monkey.

This is how he arrived on the back of the couch.

mmm Fritz's

2009-07-16T19:26:00.000-07:00

"What would you two like?"
"Brown ice cream"
"chocolate?"
"yeah I want chocolate" "yeah me too" (said while jumping around in circles!)
"with sprinkles?"
"yeah sprinkles" "yeah sprinkles" (also said with jumping around with excitement!)
"okay two chocolates with sprinkles"

So Carter and Leah totally got to order for themselves tonight. I'm not sure I paraphrased their conversation with the girl at the window correctly because their order was complete and they were off running before Jen and I even walked up to the counter! Good thing we had the money to pay for their treats!

Mmm Fritz's sure tasted good tonight. Oh and it's custard not ice cream. Frozen custard seems to be the thing in Saint Louis.

And Jonah was happy about the free baby cone!

STL City Garden

2009-07-16T18:59:00.000-07:00

So have I mentioned that I really like living close to a big city? More than I ever thought I would!! I wish I had the time and energy to explore more of the cool neighborhoods, nooks & crannies of STL but I guess that will come with time. Today we had a blast at the newest park downtown , City Garden. I guess it's not really a new park, but a newly renovated space. Regardless, it was a great time for the kids on a hot day! Makes you want to come cool off here doesn't it??

Baby's First Trip to Hooters

2009-07-16T18:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it does seem a bit "wrong" to make note of this but boy did it really crack me up! We have always been fans of the chicken wings at Hooters and stopped there for lunch on a visit downtown today. We figure Jonah will think this photo is really cool when he's 18 or so.

Lonely Blog

2009-07-13T12:56:00.001-07:00

Yes this blog has been neglected a bit lately. The kids and I were up in Iowa at my parents for a week while Paul was in Dallas, TX for work. We got our fill of the Iowa countryside, picking raspberries, fun times with the aunties, campfires, good times!

The kids with Grandma Helen & the garden

And Paul joined us at the end of the week to celebrate the 4th!

ETA: notice that last pic of us. It's the night of the 4th and we are NOT at the fireworks. Why not you ask??? Well because Leah is terrified!! She has developed a fear of all sorts of loud noises including: fireworks, thunder, & loud flushing toilets. So since Jonah was asleep & Grandpa started a great fire we skipped out!

The Price of Beauty

2009-07-13T12:47:00.001-07:00

So all girls know that a made up face, great hair, etc, don't come with out a little time working on them. And fabulous curls take a LOT of work when you have the long, straight, smooth hair that Leah and I have. She has been asking for weeks to try out my hot rollers since she spied them in the closet a while back. This Saturday I pulled them out since Jonah was taking a nap and she had a birthday party to look cute for!

All was well until I told her they were hot. She freaked out!! Somehow I talked her into letting me put them in anyway. Guess I should be glad she wasn't impressed since I don't have time for hot rollers everyday!

Anyway, this is the finished product which she was quite thrilled with!

Conversations With Leah

2009-06-25T13:55:00.000-07:00

Leah is at the age where she says some stuff that really cracks us up. Paul and I keep commenting that we really need to write this stuff down. So here are some good ones.

Leah says "Dad, what is that your drinking"
Paul says "Scotch, Leah"
Leah says "Like hopscotch daddy!?"

Paul says "Leah, who's my princess??"
Leah says "I am daddy, and Jonah is mommy's princess"

In the Island

2009-06-25T13:46:00.000-07:00

So you would have thought Leah would have figured out how much fun this was LONG ago. Nope, took the sneaky little brother to show her how fun hiding out in the cupboards is. Goober is constantly unloading the bottom cupboards and climbing in. About 4 boxes of cereal and 2 boxes of crackers were displaced for these two monkeys to fit!

Finger Painting

2009-06-25T13:04:00.000-07:00

Yes, I let my baby finger paint. At 7:00AM. Can't deny the art bug for too long you know! He thought he was totally cool!

Honestly, he made less of a mess with finger paints than he did with the bowl of refried beans he had for supper on Monday. This kid LOVES a good mess. Note, there is no cover on the highchair due it constantly being filthy. It's easier to wipe down plastic.

Berry Picking

2009-06-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

After last year's adventure to the berry farm during which Leah shit her pants, I wasn't sure she would be too excited about returning again this year. She remember the big storm and asked many times if there was going to be thunder. (Her biggest fear at the moment!) We went right AFTER a storm this time.

We got there nice and early and before the crowd and the heat. Strawberry picking was slow since Leah wasn't much help. Too many mushy berries for her. It was tough work for me with a 20lb baby strapped to my back as well. We quit and headed to the raspberries which was much easier. There was room for Jonah to explore and to munch on dropped berries and Leah & I could pick standing up.

Seriously, Leah is pro raspberry picker. She knew just which ones were ripe and exclaimed "Mom these red ones are just flying off the trees!" If she was a bit taller I'd rent her out to the farm to pick berries!

We ended up with WAY too many berries considering Paul won't touch raspberries. It was a challenge to use them up. We did strawberries with french toast, ice cream, & in a dish with sugar, made strawberry pie, and made some fab freezer jam. MMM good summer eats!

FFF - On the Farm

2009-06-14T12:29:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I decided it was time for a little FFF. Forced Family Fun!! I gave Paul the option of picking the activity and handed him a list of "50 fun things to do in Saint Louis with your kids!" He was hoping to score tickets to the Cardinals game but there were no good deals to be had so he opted for a trip to Purina Farms instead. Dogs & cats instead of hot dogs & beers.

As far as family activities go, this one was much more exciting for the kids than it was for us. Small place, lots of farm animals, dogs & cats, a dog show. We managed to pick a stormy afternoon to go so the place was pretty empty which was nice. Gave us lots of quality time to feed the pigs & chickens while trapped in the barn as the thunderstorm passed over. The highlight of the day for Leah was watching the cows get milked. I didn't really appreciate the obvious comparison between the milking machine and my breast pump however.

All in all a good day and we came home with two sleeping kids!

This chicken had a crush on Paul!

CSA

2009-06-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

We took the plunge and decided to join a CSA this year. What is a CSA???

"Thinking about signing up for a CSA but want to learn more about the idea before you commit? Read on.

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. "

This morning a big box of veggies arrived at our doorstep. (Somehow I also volunteered to organize the local pick up spot!) So swiss chard, spring greens, yellow squash, zucchini, cabbage, lettuce and some other goodies will be on the menu this week! Fortunately I we are splitting this huge box with another small family so hopefully nothing will go to waste!

I'll have to post again on how the "trying new veggies" project goes for both Leah and for Paul!!

2 Man Band

2009-06-01T13:03:00.000-07:00

This was Jonah's idea. Those are dog dishes. This is 10 seconds of a 15 minute performance.

What We've Been Up To

2009-06-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Not sleeping enough! Lack of sleep equals overtired momma who doesn't feel like blogging. I feel like napping! Not that I've been doing that but whatever. I have taken a few photos over the past few weeks. The weather has improved around here and we are staying busy as usual.

The GIANT eyeball at Lumier Sculpture Garden. Even more interesting in person!

Fun times in the inflatable at our friend Carter's birthday party. Jonah LOVED it!!

The fountains in the Childrens Garden at MO Botanical Gardens are always a hit!

Jonah meets a peony at MO Bot. Gardens

Band Festival Parade with Grandpa Gene in Mason City! Fun weekend at Grandma & Grandpa's. Should have taken more photos of rugby, karaoke, bocce, good times!

Jonah crawls where he wants to now. Including into the cupboards and the fridge!

Family Photos

2009-05-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

Last night we headed over to a local park for our mini photo session with Nicole Welch. She is a member of our moms group and was nice enough to agree to take photos for our group. I was REALLY hoping for at least one shot of the kids together and both smiling! These were better than I had imagined! THANKS!!!

oh and these are just the sneak peek I nabbed from her blog. Can't wait to see the rest!

Hopscotch

2009-05-14T19:35:00.000-07:00

9 Months

2009-05-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

It took nine long months to cook this little booger and as of today he has been causing me sleepless nights for nine months! Oh how we love him though. So what has he been up to??

- for the last month he was doing a cool army drag type crawl. It wasn't pretty but it was functional. Yesterday he figured out how to do it the "normal" way.
- known around the house as "Fuzzhead" and "Booboo"
- adores being outdoors, riding in the Ergo, funny voices & the bathtub.
- eats almost anything. Loves bananas, beans, melon, cheese & any type of cracker. Not so fond of broccoli or yogurt.

And here he is today. Eating dirt.

My how she's Grown!

2009-05-11T13:37:00.000-07:00

Since I'm posting Tulip Time photos. How 'bout one of Leah on each of her three trips to Tulip Time?!

Tulip Time '09

2009-05-11T13:12:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was what has become my annual trek back to my hometown of Pella, IA for the annual Tulip Time Festival. It's quite the celebration of Dutch heritage (I'm half Dutch!) and a great opportunity to stuff your guts with great treats, watch some fun parades and have a generally good time!

Being a good mom, I made sure Leah had her fill of vet bollen, poffterjies, stroepwaffels, ice cream, cotton candy and other good stuff. I had a tasty Dutch Spiced Beef Sandwich and Paul enjoyed Pella Bologna with Gouda. I guess it was only fair that I let Leah fill her belly with junk since I insisted on dressing her and Jonah is Dutch costumes for photos!

I think we had a good time. It was great to spend time with family and catch up with some old friends who were in town too!

Leah the Explorer

2009-05-07T12:18:00.000-07:00

Last week Tuesday Leah was sick. Poor girl lost her breakfast just as I was ready to haul her out the door to school. I quickly cleaned her up and she said "can we go to school now?" NOPE! I threw my plans for the day out the window and did my best to keep my girl entertained. Our morning project was to make a "treasure box". She covered a plastic grapes container with tissue paper squares, foam letters, stickers & ribbon. I told her she could put her treasure it in. She declared that she didn't have any treasure and needed a map to find it. Someone has been watching too much Dora the Explorer!! So guess what I had to do during nap time?? Manufacture a map and a treasure! I'm glad she can decipher my drawings and that stickers suffice as treasure.

We did some outdoor exploring that day too. I was bummed that I didn't drag the camera along because we spied a heron over at the neighborhood pond and a momma duck and 10 ducklings on our way back!

Water Table

2009-05-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Leah got a water table for her birthday! It's a nifty one that works as a picnic table too when you put the cover on. Oh how I love multitasking toys! We've had some fab weather this week so the water table got put to use. Yes, these pictures are of Jonah. He might like this toy more than Leah does! Oh and he LOVES bowls and cups!

and this is what Leah did when she had enough of the water table.

The Wheels on The Bus

2009-05-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

. . . . go round and round. Round and round.

HA! Now it's stuck in your head too! That song has been stuck in my head since Thursday when Jonah and I joined Leah on her first ride on a school bus! (I guess it was Jonah's first ride too!) The big event was party of safety week at preschool for Leah. She's been asking a lot about why she doesn't ride a bus to school so this was a special treat for her. I'm not sure she was entirely thrilled about the actual ride due to not having a seat belt but she said she had fun! Guess it doesn't take much for the three year old set. We'll see how she feels when she has to ride the bus every day!

Ma Ma

2009-04-24T13:37:00.001-07:00

Since Paul swears that Leah said "Dada" first it sure is nice that Jonah is saying "Mama" first!!

The Perfect Photo

2009-04-20T14:29:00.001-07:00

So it's really hard trying to get a decent photo of two kids. At least a decent one where they are both looking at the camera and making a "normal" enough face. See, here are a few cute "not perfect" photos.

Who needs a bed?

2009-04-20T14:18:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago Leah, out of the blue, started asking to take her daily nap on the floor. I'm not sure if it's because that's what she does when she is with the sitter or because she saw a friend do it. As long as she takes a nap, I don't care!!! I relocated a few things in her room and in the process made a cozy corner with stuffed animals that Leah has claimed as her nap corner. Notice her nap routine: oodles of books, empty water cup, pink bunny & fuzzy duck blanket. Oh and this is just for naps. She sleeps in her bed at night. And yes, that is a very large blue stuffed pony.

Organized Sports

2009-04-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Leah's first adventure into the world of playing organized sports. Soccer! Really seems like a perfect sport for three year olds. Leah was fired up and ready to go. She donned her shin guards and marched right out the door with her shiny pink ball that grandma & grandpa got her for her birthday.

All was well until it we got there and she had to put on the jersey. It was a no go. Guess green was against her fashion code tonight. The first ten minutes of her practice she spent crying and whining and trying to climb up my leg. I was a "mean" mom and lugged her across the field kicking her ball. Getting her out there was all it took for her to warm up! After she figured out how much fun it was she was lovin' it and kicked her pink princess ball all over the field and all the way back to the car when practice was over!

Now there are many other comments I could make about the joys of watching 3 year olds attempt to play soccer but we'll save those for another day. We have 5 more weeks to go!

New York City!

2009-04-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

So Jonah is trying his very hardest to crawl. He can't quite put the pieces all together yet. He does have the backward slide perfected as long as he is on the hardwood floors and has now figured out the forward slide as well. I am always asking "where are you going buddy?" Leah always replies, "New York City!"

I have no idea where she came up with New York City. Maybe because she has heard me talk about her Auntie Meagan & Uncle Ryan's plans to move to New York? Who knows? It really cracks me up though.