We're Alive!

Ok - I'm a blog failure! I can't believe it's been so long since I've updated. Yikes. I can't even blame it on an exciting and action-packed life. Anyway...I'll summarize the last 2 1/2 for you.

Stay with me. :)

M2 turns 8 months on October 18!

We had a fun Halloween this year! M1 vetoed my idea of her being Dorothy and M2 being Toto. (I mean - HOW cute would that have been?!) She instead decided on being a ballerina...which was actually very thrifty since she's in dance anyway. Ha! She must be her dad's child. :) Quick story: One day at Lynn's (daycare) they were talking about pumpkins and how they don't grow on trees like apples do. M1 then says, " Money doesn't grow on trees either." I can't win!

She enjoyed trick-or-treating...she's the cutest ballerina I'VE ever seen!

I think she enjoyed handing out candy more than getting the candy!

There are two days during the year that parents can watch at dance class for M1 - the first was in November. It was THE cutest thing! Every time I drop her off I say, "Be a good listener."...but you never know what happens when you leave. The good news is that she was an awesome listener! She stood in her little spot and did all the ballet moves just perfectly. (Remember what I said in an earlier post...this is MY blog, so I can brag about my kids.) :)

M2 turned 9 months on Nov. 18! She's getting bigger by the day, and is a mommy's girl. I love it until she won't let me put her down! I'm learning how to do a lot of things one-handed. Oh well. Some day she'll be tired of me. I guess I should savor it now. :)

Christmas is next week ALREADY, and we're almost ready. M1 CANNOT wait for Christmas morning...she asks every day when she wakes up if today is Christmas. She's funny. She wants nothing to do with Santa, however. She is perfectly fine with the idea of him coming to our house while she's sleeping...but she does NOT want to see him. She's been 'calling' him on her phone and asking him what kind of cookies he'd prefer. (I'm trying to listen carefully.) :) We will probably never have a picture of her with Santa because she won't go near anyone dressed up as something else. I wonder what that phobia is called?? HA!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Here she comes!

Well, it was bound to happen...M2 is on the go! She is crawling AND pulling herself up on furniture. The other night I put her to bed and a few minutes later I heard her fussing. I went in to check on her and she was standing up in her crib! What!? So, naturally, I turned the light on, called for B to come see, and took her picture...we have to have pictures of all the firsts! :) She was pulling herself up on the couch last night too. Silly baby! M1 starting walking on her 1st birthday, but I think M2 just might beat her on this one. It's so fun to see her getting bigger and smarter!

This is how I found her...looking guilty. :)

Both girls have coughs...no fun. M1 knows the drill. She wants the vaporizer on, cough medicine, and Baby Vapo Rub on her chest before bed. She LOVES routines...I wonder who she gets the from?! Hmmm. Anyway, she's getting smarter by the day too (of course). This is my blog so I can brag about my kids, right?! Ha! We have officially started our first fundraiser. It's for dance, and all profits go to her account for dance costumes. Phew...$65 for a costume!? Yikes! Two girls are going to put us in the hole. :) They're worth every penny...right hun?! So I'm trying to sell all the wrapping paper and junk food I can to help us out. Let me know if you're interested!

Our sweet girls

Thanks for reading. Happy Fall!

Can it be!? :)

M2 IS 7 MONTHS!

Our little photogenic, happy baby is 7 months! It seems like every day she can do something new. :) She is 'pre-crawling' (that means she can maneuver around the living room one way or another...using her knees and hands sometimes, otherwise she uses her toes and elbows HA!). Anyway, these are some pictures from our monthly photoshoot. Enjoy!

Always on the go!

I remember this with M1 too...it gets tricky trying to find a spot for the card so I can snap the picture before she tries to eat it. I didn't quite make it this time. :) Still cute!

Sisters. :)

Look...we even had time to take a picture before leaving for church.

Our cute girls...we're blessed.

Have a great week! Thanks for reading!

September So Far...

Well, we broke out the bike trailer last weekend thinking it would be a fun idea! And...well...M2 likes it for about 10 minutes and then screams the whole way home. Yikes! We can't figure out what she doesn't like about it, but it sure makes for a cute picture. :) M1 loves holding on to her, and trying to keep her happy while we ride. It amazes me that she never gets upset with her...even after she's been screaming in her ear for a good 3 miles. She's a great big sister! Hopefully next year we'll be able to convince M2 that it's fun. Ha!

M1 has recovered (knock on wood) from her sickness. She was home for the first four days of the month. Thanks to Nana and Kiki for taking time to spend a day or two with her!

I am putting bets on the fact that I think M2 will be crawling in no time! :) She gets up on her knees and sometimes gets one to move, but she somehow travels around the living room pushing off with her toes. She's funny. We're already planning the new layout of the living room once she starts crawling. So funny. She also has two tiny teeth on the bottom...can you see them?!

M1 started dance this month and she's quite the little peanut in her outfit. She missed the second week since she was sick, but we'll head back tomorrow! She said she had fun, and it's so cute to see them all in their little leotards. She's Miss Uncoordinated, so this will be good for her. (It will be good for me too since she'll burn off a little energy one day a week!) :) She's also doing swimming lessons a couple times a month, which she loves too! I'm hoping to make her an olympian, but since we live in Pella, that may not be possible unless Chow's Gymnastics relocates. Ha!

After a shaky start to the month with M1 being sick...we've still had some good things going on this month. Keep checking in, and place your bets on when M2 will be crawling! :)

Thanks for reading!

My Baby is 6 Months (and 2 days)!

How sweet is this face?! M2 turned 6 months on Tuesday, and I will be the first one to admit that I am so glad we have made it this far! Phew! :) She was not exactly the easiest baby in the world, but we do adore her. She is a happy baby now. She also LOVES to watch M1 do anything, be held, go for stroller rides, play with her toys, and she loves her blankie and thumb at naptime. :) Yesterday at her 6-month check-up she weighed in at a whopping 14lbs, 8 oz which is the 25th percentile and she's in the 70th percentile for height. M1 has never made it past the 25th for weight, so we'll see if M2 follows suit. We, of course, had a little photo shoot to commemorate her half-birthday. Look at those little toes - precious.

M2 is doing really well with sitting-up, and can do it mostly on her own. What a big girl! We tried baby food for the first time today - squash! She wasn't diggin' it at all. After a few bites that came right back out, I gave in a fed her the usual cereal. She had a little fever this morning - probably from her shots yesterday - so she wasn't the happiest anyway. Oh well. Better luck tomorrow!

I think the tongue means 'no thank you'. :)

Busy Busy Bees!

Wow! We've had a busy last few days! I'm posting this at nap time - oh the quietness is great!

On Thursday my brother John and his girlfriend Liz took M1 to the 'outside door pool'

(as M1 calls it) and she had an absolute BLAST! She is still talking about it! Appar

ently she also talked them into going to the vet to see the kittens. Funny! (Ok - so that's Day 1 of no nap.)

On Friday we went to the Iowa State Fair.

Yes, we DID pick the hottest day of the entire fair to

walk around aimlessly with two small children in a stroller. B and I often wonder why we go every year. I guess we do it for the kids...although M1 wouldn't know if we didn't tell her, and M2 is too little to care. Hmmm...I guess that's not why we go. We did narrow it down to 2 reasons why we continue to go. 1) the shake-up lemonade YUM! (We spent $12 on lemonade.) and 2) people watching (It never gets old!) I am still amazed by how many people wear flip-flops to the state fair. You are dodging heaps of animal 'you-know what' the whole time, and walking on dirt paths...

why would you wear flip flops?! :) Dirty feet make me cringe. Ick! However, if you're a flip-flop wearer to the fair - just promise me that you washed your feet when you got home. :) Anyway, M1had a good time looking at the animals (except when she thought the biggest ram was going to 'eat' her) and doing the 'Little Hands on the Farm' place. It is a cute idea! (Day 2 of no nap for Mal.) P.S...If you are not familiar with the Iowa State Fair - it's kind of a big deal here (although we're still trying to figure out why) :)

On Saturday we went to MP to visit for the day. We had a great time playing, having a picnic, and hanging out with them and Siendra's boys! M1 was exhausted, but do you think she would close her eyes the entire hour & a half on the way home? Nope. (Day 3 of no nap for M1.) So, needless to say, I am REALLY enjoying the quiet right now. :)

I love being home. I think it's because of my possible case of OCD and liking my schedule to be predictable. Ha! I am so proud of our little M2 for rolling with the punches this weekend. She's done GREAT for being off schedule. She sleeps well in the stroller, car, and THANKFULLY all night in her bed. We are blessed to have good sleepers! Thank you, BabyWise! :)

Oh, and I almost forgot...M2 is getting her 1st tiny tooth! It's on the bottom on her right side. It's hard to see, but I can feel a little sharp part with my finger. How cute! She still seems too young, but she will be 6 months in a couple days, so I know it's normal. She doesn't seem to mind it growing in, and I never knew when M1 was getting new 'toofers'...it didn't bother her I either.

Thanks for reading...kind of a long one this time.

Baptism Day!

Give it a 'go'!

I thought I'd join in on the fun and start a blog. Weird. Anyway...we'll see how long it lasts. :)

Barry is away at training for the Titleist Golf Institute in Minneapolis and I'm trying to survive being cooped-up with two kiddos. It's too hot to be outside, (I know, I'm a wimp) too much work to pack up and leave, and since we live in Pella - nothing to do. Hmmm...it sounds like quite the pitty-party to me. Oh well.

And it's two weeks and (sadly) counting until I go back to school. I have been home for almost all of M2's 6-month life so far. It's going to hard for her and me. She gives me dirty looks when I hand her to someone else, and I can't wait to see her smiling face in the mornings when I go in to get her up for the day. M1 has gotten pretty used to this summer life too! Going to the library, park, and the occasional play-date with friends has been fun! I have decided without-a-doubt that staying home is WAY easier than working all day and then coming home to take care of my own kids after 25 7-year-olds need you ALL day. :)

I'll try to post funny stories, updated pictures, and the hum-drum happenings too. Thanks for reading!