Whew!! Where did summer go?!

Well, it's September. Wait...what?? September? Already? I thought summer just started! Guess we must have been busy!

May saw the end of my Spring semester of school. We were gearing up for the Memorial Day holiday....which is normally the first "official" day of Summer! Except we were all bundled up because it was really dang cold outside! What a difference a year can make!

June wasn't an extremely busy month, but we had fun. We went to see Thomas the Train on Father's Day weekend. It was HOT outside! WELCOME SUMMER! We missed you! We also made at least one trip to our local zoo. June also saw me switch to night shift at work. It was really hard, but I didn't really have a choice. I think it took everyone a good month to make the transition. But it seems like we're in a better routine now.

In July we took our first ever Family Vacation! We visited Wisconsin Dells for 3 days and had a blast doing it. We did lots of things! We visited the water park a couple times, where Clara would have spent an entire day on the water slides. Sam had fun, but I don't think he had nearly as much fun as Clara! We also visited a zoo, and they both loved it! We saw all kinds of animals that neither of the zoos near our house had! We also ate out, stayed in a hotel room as a family (an adventure of a totally new and terrifying kind!), and even rode through a canyon in a horse-drawn wagon! It was so much fun, there's no way we can't do that again. :)

In August, we didn't really have any big adventures. We tried to enjoy the summer by going on bike rides, playing outside at the playground, and spending some quality time together as a family. The weather has really been stellar this summer and I hope that as we make the dreaded transition into fall and *cringe* winter, we can find new and exciting things to do to pass the dark and cold months! Maybe we'll take some trips to the Children's Museum (which we haven't been to yet). And we'll stay busy with dance classes and swimming lessons. And HOPEFULLY our basement playroom/office will be up and running before the end of September so that we'll have a nice and functional space to spend time in!

Clara in August

August 2013

What were we up to this month?

Well, nothing out of the ordinary. We made another trip to the NEW Zoo this month. Both kids got to feed the giraffes. We got to see more of the animals this time, as the weather was nicer and we apparently got there around feeding time! She was even brave enough this time, to feed the goats! 

Of course, we also had to stop to play on the playground equipment. She just loves going to playgrounds to play. She loves to climb up on them and then slide down the slides. And I'm pretty sure she'd do it all day if we let her!

One afternoon, we loaded up our new bike trailer with the kids and a picnic lunch and headed out to Neshotah Park to play. And play they did! I have NEVER seen these 2 kids as filthy as they were that day! But everyone had so much fun. I'd like to get out at least once more before it gets too cold.

Clara also had her very first dentist appointment! She came along with me to my cleaning. She sat in the corner on a stool while I got my teeth cleaned and checked. Then when it was her turn, they did an awesome job of showing and telling her exactly what all the tools were and what they were going to do. I even let her wear my sunglasses so the light wasn't so bright. I didn't think they'd do an actual cleaning that day, but she did so well that they went ahead and did it! She did so amazingly well. I was a very proud mama, for sure!

Here are some pictures from this month:

Next month (September) she'll be starting swimming lessons again, and she has her very first dance class with her Auntie Jessi as a teacher! She's doing really well and is so excited to go! But more on that in next month's issue. :)

Sam's 17 month survey

Monthly Survey

1.       How old? 17 months

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: October 7, 2013 for his 18-month check-up

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 25lbs

b.      Height: about 32 inches (it's hard to measure him when he's so wiggly!)

c.       Clothes size: 18-24m

d.      Diaper size: Still in 4's.

e.      Hair color: Still blonde.

f.        Anything else?

4.       Milestones:

a.       Teething: He has all but his 2-year molars

b.      Talking: He still doesn't say much, but he's a very 'vocal' guy! He's always making sounds.

                                                               i.      New words: He can now do a sheep (sort of) sound and does "wheee" appropriately. That makes 9-ish words/sounds.

c.       Anything else? He can now do somersaults! Well, kind of. :) He mostly tips over sideways, but he gets the idea.

5.       Things he likes:

a.       Toys: Anything with wheels. He has learned how to "zoom" the trucks and has fun doing that.

b.      Books: Isn't really into books. He'll look at them on his own if he wants to.

c.       Songs: He loves all music! Doesn't really have a favorite right now.

d.      TV Shows/Movies: He likes "Tangled" probably because Clara wants to watch it twice a day. Otherwise he likes the LeapFrog movies and SuperWhy.

e.      Other Activities: He loves being outside, climbing on anything he can get onto, and generally scaring the crap out of his parents by tumbling off of everything head-first.

6.       Things he dislikes: Nothing in particular, but we're getting into temper tantrum territory and he can throw one with the best of them!

7.       Sleeping: He's a great sleeper at night. We put him down after his bath and he puts himself to sleep-without the paci, too! He usually goes down around 8 and sleeps until 6:30-7. He takes one 2-hour nap every afternoon.

8.       Eating:

a.       Favorite Foods: Raisins are a big hit recently. He also likes apples.

b.      Not so Favorites: Anything we try to feed him for lunch. lol

9.       Nicknames:

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: In September we might start thinking about Halloween costumes and apple picking. But we have no big events planned. We do have swimming on Tuesdays that we look forward to, though.

Pictures!!

Clara in July 2013

Clara in July

So, what has Miss Clara been up to this month?

We went on our first family vacation!! We went to Wisconsin Dells and had a really great time. We left on Monday July 22 and stayed for 2 days. We visited lots of places, and I plan on making a post about it in the coming month *fingers crossed*

Mostly, we've just been living life. I got moved to night shift in late June and our whole family has since been trying to make the adjustment. I think the kids are finally doing better, which is more than I can say for the adults! lol But I know we'll get there eventually.

She's now around 30-40 inches tall. Good thing I bought her pants a little longer last year! She is very articulate for her age, and improving almost daily. She is getting better at helping around the house, too. Today she picked up all her Elmo puzzle pieces, even without being asked! She even helps me with chores if I ask her if she wants to help. Sometimes she'll offer, but not always. 

We're on the verge of giving up naps, I think. If she's home, we still try to get her to take one. Afternoons/evenings are a lot less stressful if she takes one. Neither of them did while we were on vacation and it wasn't a total disaster, but I certainly wouldn't want to make a habit of it!

Potty training is almost complete. She has been dry for naps for a while now and is waking up dry in the mornings now, too. She does still have occasional accidents, but she isn't even 3 yet, so I think it's ok. She made the 3 hour car ride down to the Dells without an accident (we did make one or 2 pit stops along the way)!

I bought a new bike and we took the kids for a ride on Monday (we have a little trailer for them). She had so much fun, but wanted to get her own bike. We're looking into balance bikes, but they're a bit on the spendy side. I think she would do ok with one, though. 

Just a little over 90 days until her 3rd birthday!! I can't believe how fast time flies and how big she is getting. Next year we will be thinking about school!

Sam's 16 month survey

Monthly Survey

1.       How old? 16 months

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: Just had one July 31, 2013. His next is October 10, 2013 (18-months)

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 24lbs

b.      Height: 32.5 inches

c.       Clothes size: 18 months-2T. I have a feeling he'll be in 2T pants this fall.

d.      Diaper size: Still in 4's but getting snug.

e.      Hair color: Blonde.

f.        Anything else?

4.       Milestones:

a.       Teething: He now has all his teeth except the 2 year molars.

b.      Talking: He still doesn't really say much. We pretty much know what he needs without him having to say anything.

                                                               i.      New words: No new words this month.

c.       Anything else? He has started walking backwards more frequently. I hadn't actually seen him do it until tonight (8/2/2013).

5.       Things he likes:

a.       Toys: Cars and trucks/vehicles of any kind really; he likes to play with balls, his tractor.

b.      Books: There are a few Baby Einstein books that he really loves looking at, as well as his Highlights Hello! magazine. He doesn't like to be read to, though. Too busy for that.

c.       Songs: He likes any songs.

d.      TV Shows/Movies: LeapFrog movies, SuperWhy, and anything musical.

e.      Other Activities: He really had a blast at the water park when we were on vacation. He also likes playing in sand, but not really playing on any playground equipment. He also likes chasing the dog and his sister, and riding his tractor.

6.       Things he dislikes: There isn't much this little boy doesn't like right now.

7.       Sleeping: He sleeps great. He sometimes goes to bed super early, like 7pm, but he usually sleeps straight through until 6:30-7am. He naps for around 2 hours at least once a day, sometimes in the morning but usually in the afternoon.

8.       Eating:

a.       Favorite Foods: Peanut butter sandwiches, raisins, and chicken nuggets.

b.      Not so Favorites: Pretty much anything else.

9.       Nicknames: Linus...he has taken to walking around with his blanket when he's tired. The other night he was riding his tractor with his blanket.

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: Not much going on in August. Just trying to have as much fun outside as possible before it gets cold!

Sam's 14 AND 15 month survey...we had to play catch-up this month!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old? 15 months...I know, I missed 14 and tried to go back, but couldn't remember much! So we'll just catch up now!

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: July 31, 2013

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 24.2lbs

b.      Height: didn't measure this month, but probably around 32 inches tall.

c.       Clothes size: 18-24months depending on the brand.

d.      Diaper size: Still in 4's...I think that's a record. lol

e.      Hair color: Super blonde!!

f.        Shoe size: 5's.

g.       Anything else? He's really starting to get lean from all the running he does. He really looks more like a little boy than a baby now. It's kind of sad!

4.       Milestones:

a.       Teething: He has all of his teeth except for the top canines (which are coming soon) and his 2-year molars. The kid has been busy cutting some teeth!

b.      Talking: He's pretty vocal most of the time, but doesn't talk a whole lot. The things he does say are, for the most part, in context.

                                                               i.      New words:

c.       Anything else? He has discovered echoes! If he is in a room that is echo-y, he will shout to hear it. It's cute. :) He recognizes an enormous amount of letters. We play games with that while we're in the tub every night.

5.       Things he likes:

a.       Toys: He likes anything with wheels. Other than that, he'll just play with whatever's handy. He also really likes the foam letters that are in the tub.

b.      Books: He likes to look at them on his own terms. He doesn't sit still to read.

c.       Songs: The kid is seriously a music-junkie. He can't get enough. He LOVES music!

d.      TV Shows/Movies: SuperWhy, the Wiggles, Mickey Mouse Club House, and any of the LeapFrog movies.

e.      Other Activities: We bought a pool for the kids this summer. He has been in it once but really seems to love it. Other than that, he just loves chasing the dog and his sister, and playing with his toys. We're about to go on our first family vacation EVER towards the end of this month. We'll see how that goes, but I think both kids will love it.

6.       Things he dislikes: Eating, apparently. The kid hardly eats anything anymore. It's really frustrating. And he still hates getting his diaper changed!

7.       Sleeping: Well, up until very recently, sleep has been crap. Everyone in the house was sick for the last couple weeks. Couple that with a huge upheaval of the entire house's schedule when I got bumped to night-shift, and yeah...it's been rough. He still naps at least once a day, sometimes twice and anywhere from 1-3 hours.

8.       Eating:

a.       Favorite Foods: Strawberries, Goldfish, or Cheerios.

b.      Not so Favorites: Everything else. lol

9.       Nicknames:

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: Our very first family vacation!! And my mom's and Grandma's birthdays as well as mine and Adam's 3rd wedding anniversary.

Pictures!!

Clara in May and June 2013

What has Clara been up to??

In May, it was still cold...believe it or not. But, we did a lot of fun stuff. We took our first trip to the NEW Zoo. We missed out on feeding the giraffes, but I know we'll be there a bunch more times before the end of the year. She had such a fun time last time when we did that. She got up close with some of the goats. She did well...until one sneezed right by her. It freaked her out. :) But she recovered quickly. I think that was one of the nicest days of the month! 

We also went to visit Nama and Grandpa at their campsite. Come to think of it, the weather was nice that day, too! We played a lot at the little playground at the campground. 

We went to the Two Rivers Memorial Day parade. That was NOT a nice day! Last year, we were trying to find a piece of shade to watch the parade in because it was really hot. This year, we were in sweatshirts and pants...and the boys had blankets on them in the strollers! Totally ridiculous for the end of May.

June was a really fun month, too! The weather finally got warm! 

We took a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo. I took Clara's picture with the famous Lion fountain that's right by the front gate. She didn't want to at first, but then she was ok with it. 

We also went to see Thomas the Train at the National Railroad Museum. I don't have any idea why, but she was NOT having fun that day. She was pretty much a sourpuss the whole time we were there. The big picture in the collage might be the only one we have of her smiling! 

Other than that, we've been enjoying the warm weather by playing outside as much as we can. She and Sam even went swimming at Mimis already! They both love swinging. She loves making things for us in her playhouse. Sam just loves climbing on the table to look out the window. :) 

So aside from the fun things, life just goes on around here. Everyone in the house was sick for the last couple weeks, but we're feeling better now. 

Clara is doing really well with the potty training and now stays dry during naps as well as all day. She is even mostly going to the bathroom all by herself without even telling us.
Developmentally, she's really growing by leaps and bounds. I need to keep a piece of paper and a pen handy for the hilarious things she says. 

For the most part, she's a great helper. She loves to help everyone do things. She and daddy make "chocolate milk (milk with Nestle Quick in it)" at the kitchen counter. And I know she helps Mimi with the cooking and baking. She helps me feed Scooter in the mornings. She likes giving him treats, too.

We're going on our first family vacation in July. I can't wait to take a ton of pictures and have a lot of fun. I just hope it's as fun for the kids as I'm hoping it is. I have things planned that are their speed, so I think they'll have a good time. Summer is going by so quickly. Pretty soon we'll be having birthdays again! Hard to believe that in a few months she'll be 3 years old! OMG!

Clara in April

Here's Clara in April! 

We took our first trip to the Manitowoc Zoo. She got her picture taken while we were there...and of course Abby had to come along, too. 

We've just kind of been on cruise control with her lately. She is pretty much day-time potty trained. She still has occasional accidents, but for the most part she's really good. 

The weather has finally started getting decent so we've been spending a lot of time outside, or as much as we can when the weather is nice. We brought her play house from Mimi & Papa's and she loves playing in it...except for the one time there was a bunny hiding in the cabinet in the play kitchen. She's still traumatized from that!

The net-thing she's wearing on her head is the butterfly house that I bought. It comes with a certificate for 5 caterpillars. We're going to raise them and release them when they turn into butterflies! I think it'll be really neat. 

I plan to take them both to the Memorial Day parade. They both went last year, though Sam was just a tiny baby. I think they'll both like it. 

I also think that one of these days, I'm going to start writing down all the hilarious things she says. She is learning what the street signs are so she has turned into quite the backseat driver! 

I can't believe that she's 2.5 already. The time is just flying by. Pretty soon we'll have to start thinking about what to get her for her 3rd birthday!

Sam's 13 Month Survey

Monthly Survey

1.       How old? 13 months

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: July 31, 2013

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: 22lbs 4oz (taken at his 1-year appointment)

b.      Height: 30.75" (also taken at his 1-year appointment)

c.       Clothes size: Mostly 18m.

d.      Diaper size: Still in 4s.

e.      Hair color: Really blonde.

f.        Anything else?

4.       Milestones:

a.       Teething: He still only has 9 teeth, but he's also still working on the molars.

b.      Talking: He constantly makes noise, but doesn't really say a whole lot.

                                                               i.      Words he knows: Mama, Dada, no, yeah, Elmo,

c.       Anything else? He can shake his head no, he can pick out some letters, he loves to point at everything, he claps, waves, and dances. He's also getting good at throwing a ball.

5.       Things he likes: Being outside and swinging in his swing are his 2 favorite things right now. If you take him out of the swing or make him go in the house after being outside, he lets you know just how unhappy his about it.

a.       Toys: He loves cars and trucks. He also likes to play with blocks and balls.

b.      Books: He really isn't into books as much as Clara was. He doesn't like to sit still that long.

c.       Songs: He likes the Alphabet Song, Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Old McDonald.

d.      TV Shows/Movies: SuperWhy is his favorite.

e.      Other Activities:

6.       Things he dislikes: About the only thing he doesn't like is either coming in from outside or not letting him go out when he wants to.

7.       Sleeping: He's back to taking 2 naps again most days. Some days he still only takes one. At night he is still sometimes up once during the night. But he's been putting himself to sleep! I give him a bottle after bath and put him in his crib awake. He usually falls asleep within 30 minutes.

8.       Eating: Eating has been a real adventure lately. He doesn't always eat well. Sometimes all he'll eat is bread and Cheerios.

a.       Favorite Foods: Yogurt and the Gerber Fruit & Veggie Melts.

b.      Not so Favorites:

9.       Nicknames:

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: We're going to see Thomas the Train! And we'd also like to get some camping in.

Randomness...

So, this is me attempting to get more stuff up here. :)

Let's see...what have we been up to?

School-wise, I'm almost finished with the Spring semester. I'm going to try to finish up one of my classes this week, with the exception of the final exam which won't open until next week. Hopefully that will allow me the time I need to try to get my grade up in my other class, which I'm kind of on the verge of not passing. I'm registered for 2 classes this summer...I just hope it's not going to be too much! We have a lot of things we want to do this summer.

Adam is working on getting his Certified Personal Trainer certification and has been accepted to UW LaCrosse for his BS in Health & Wellness Management. He'll be starting that this fall and it's online.

Work-wise, there hasn't been any further information on how long I'll have a job. I've been looking around for something else, but the pickings are rather slim. And with mine being the only paycheck right now, I can't afford to take an enormous pay-cut. I'm hoping we'll get more information next month and that we won't have to wait until the end of June to find anything new out.

Fitness-wise, I've been back at the Y now for a couple weeks. I've been taking a Pilates class and a Yoga class once a week. I ended up liking Pilates so much that I bought a DVD so I can do it at home. The great thing about the DVD I got is that it is 5 different 10-minute workouts. You can make a playlist and do as many or as few as you like in whatever order you choose. I've been just doing 2 sections every night for the last 2 nights and I hope I'll start seeing results faster. I'm gaining weight again, but some of that is probably muscle. We've been trying to walk after supper every night, but the weather has been less than cooperative. It doesn't seem to want to decide if it is winter or spring...60 one day and snowing the next.

At home, we've been working on remodeling our basement with the goal of moving our "office" down there and making the rest of the room into a playroom for the kids. The living room has gotten too small for all of the kids' toys and it would be nice to have more space for them to play. We're then going to turn our former office into Sam's bedroom. It's beyond time for him to be in his own room. I'm tired of tip-toeing around after he goes to bed or not being able to go in there while he's napping. Plus, with the office downstairs, Adam can play computer games at night without being afraid to wake the kids up. So, on the list of things to do: replace the floor in the hallway, bathroom, possiblty the kitchen, and office, paint the office, finish doing whatever we're doing to the bathroom, insulate and drywall the basement, paint the basement, put down the foam mat flooring in the play area, and I'm also looking into possibly doing the roof. Good thing I'm getting a bunch of money in June! We're also looking at possibly replacing the kitchen cabinets and countertops, but we'll have to see how much we can get done this summer.

Our plans for this summer as far as fun things go, we have a few things planned already. In May, Adam and I are going to Madison to see the Dalai Lama. He's also going fishing the last weekend in May, also down in Madison, so I thought the kids and I would also go down and maybe we'd visit the zoo. In June I have off for a week and on the Friday before Father's Day, we're going to the National Railroad Museum to see Thoms the Tank Engine. In July we plan to go to the Dells for 3 days. There are lot of things to check out there. In the past I've always gone as an adult (mostly, anyway) so it'll be neat to do things for the littles. :) Other than those things, we're going to try to squeeze in some camping (a first), more trips to different zoos (the NEW Zoo and the Milwaukee Zoo), and some trips to the Green Bay Children's Museum.

So anyway, I know it's a lot. We've been really busy with work and school, the kids, and other things that are going on in our extended families. I really want to try to get better with this! Also, I'm part of another blog, too...I added a link to the side. It's called Between Naps. Go check it out. :)

Sam's First Birthday Party!

Well, here's the birthday boy! He had so much fun at his party. :) And miraculously, everything worked out just like we needed it to...which never happens!

His party was scheduled from 3-5pm on March 23rd, but our photographer, Katie, was coming down a little early to take some pics of Sam for his 1-year "photo shoot". I also had to stop at Subway and pick up the sandwiches, and run around and get the balloons filled and pick up last minute items.

Luckily, my mom was able to watch him in the morning which allowed me to run all the errands I needed to, as well as get the car mostly packed up so we didn't have so much to worry about after lunch.

When Clara and Adam came home from tumbling class, we all had an early lunch and then the kids went down for early naps, too. Amazingly, they actually both took naps, and I even had to wake Sam up in order to get him dressed and ready for his party.

We might have been only a few minutes late, which was pretty awesome. All the grandparents showed up around the same time and helped us set up while I tried to corral Sam into getting pictures taken...which was ridiculously hard now that he's walking! 

See me chasing him?? lol

He had a blast. He was running all over the place. 

Clara helped him unwrap his presents (ok, well she mostly did it for him).

And, of course, he had some cake. He wasn't real sure about it at first, but ended up liking it. I couldn't believe how neatly he ate it, though! He barely had a crumb on his shirt until the very end!

It was a lot of fun and we were glad that everyone could make it. Now, I just have to get the dang Thank Yous sent out!! 

Don't worry people, it's on my to-do list (which is growing exponentially!).

Clara in March

March was a busy month for our family! We had Sam's birthday party (which I'm still working on getting a pots done about that!) and Easter! 

Clara and Mimi had lots of fun coloring eggs. Clara really loved her bunny ears, too. :) I only managed to get one picture of her in her Easter dress this year. It got wet before I could get any more pictures.

Just for fun I made a collage of Easter pics from her first 3 Easters.

She sure has changed a lot!

Anyway, things are pretty good around here. We're still working on potty training. Some days are definitely better than others.

She is having fun in Tumbling class, though last week was a total disaster and I'm not even sure why. She just started crying and wouldn't participate so we left early. No sense in disrupting the rest of the class.

We've been working on some discipline issues here at home. We're mostly trying to deal with her not listening and following directions (and talking back, though I know where she gets that from and I'm terrified!!).

I'm hoping that the weather finally clears up and we can get out of the house more often. She does better when we're out. We try to go for walks whenever it's nice enough. There were a couple nights where it was probably just a tad too cold, but we needed to get out. But now it has been raining for what feels like forever and we just want it to stop and get warm already!

We don't have much coming in the rest of April. Brayden has his first birthday party at the end of the month and we're all looking forward to that. Otherwise we have Mother's Day in May and then in June we'll be going to see Thomas the Tank Engine!

Sam's 12-month Survey!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old is baby? 1 year old!

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: April 25, 2013

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight:

b.      Height:

c.       Clothes size: 12-18m in pretty much everything. He needs 18m pants for the length.

d.      Diaper size: 4's.

e.      Hair color: Still very blonde.

f.        Anything else?

4.       Milestones:

a.       Verbal skills: My goodness! He's talking! He can say "mama," "dada," "hi," "Elmo," and "no."

b.      Teething: He has 8 so far and the molars are almost breaking through.

c.       Walking: He's all over the place. I know it was only 2months ago that he started walking, but it seems like longer!

d.      Running: Sometimes he'll take a few running steps, especially if you chase him.

e.      Anything else? He likes to wave, clap, dance, pretend to jump, tackle, chase, and laugh. He can do "so big" and he still plays "peek-a-boo." He's just a really fun and laid back little guy.

5.       Things he likes: He likes to play with his trucks and cars, pull books off the shelf, take baths (mostly splash in the tub), play with Scooter and Clara, go for walks outside, and play under the kitchen table.

6.       Things he dislikes: Teething. :( Poor guy's teeth have just been terrible lately.

7.       Sleeping: He has been back to waking once per night. It's hard to tell why. I don't know if he's hungry or if it's his teeth, but it doesn't usually take long to get him back down. And then sometimes he'll sleep late...until after 7. Naps are usually 1-2 per day. He isn't really on a strict nap schedule because if we go somewhere he tends to sleep in the car. But he naps anywhere from 1-3 hours and sleeps around 12 hours at night.

8.       Eating: He has been getting lots of food off the table. He does ok with most of it. We have been giving him 1-2 jars of food at lunch and supper, though, because it seems like it bothers him to chew.

9.       Nicknames: Little Man and the Captain.
10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: Cousin Brayden's birthday party and Mother's Day.

I solemnly swear...

...to get back to regular blogging!

I've been so bad at it lately, but I've also been really really busy! I know we all say that, but whatever. I work full time, go to school part time, and have 2 very active kids at home. By the time I put the kids to bed at night I'm exhausted!

So anyway, back to my purpose for writing.

Back when I found out I was pregnant with Clara, I got on the interwebz to try to find all the information I could to learn about what I'd be going through during my pregnancy. That led me to theBump. The Bump is a message board that is designed for women who are trying to get pregnant, have lost babies, and who have babies. My due date was in November so I found the message board specifically for moms who were pregnant and due in November 2010 (meaning we found out we were pregnant around Feb/March 2010).

Fast forward 3 years later, and there is a rather large group of us who are still friends. We've mostly moved over to Facebook now, but we're still going strong. We've been through a lot: divorces, new houses, new babies, dating...yet it is still amazing to have this group of friends (whom I've never met in person) to vent to, ask for advice, whatever.

Five of us have now set up a blog together about our trials and tribulations with "2u2". Our blog is called "Between Naps" and there's a link to it in the sidebar of my blog. I encourage you to go check it out sometime. It's really neat to see the difference in personalities of us five ladies....and we all have some wicked cute kiddos, too!

Clara in February

Well, what kinds of things has Miss Clara been up to in February?

She participated in her first Valentine's Day exchange. The November moms have one every year and this year she AND Sam got involved. She got quite a few Valentines from her friends, too! I addressed them but she helped me decorate them. It was fun.

She  has been going to Story Time at the Library on Mondays. She always has a good time there. Sam has even gone along a time or two.

Everyone in our house is finally starting to stay healthy so we've been trying to get out more often.

Developmentally, things have been a bit up and down. We thought we pretty much had her potty trained. She would stay dry most of the day and almost always told us when she had to go. Now she could care less if she pees through her underwear. She'd rather wear a Pull-Up. And if you notice her doing the "pee pee dance" and ask her if she has to go, she says no. It's really frustrating.

The fits have also seemed to really ramp up, too. She throws them over the smallest things! And we're not talking just a little fit. Oh, no. She usually ends up crying like someone pushed her down. And poor Sam...if he touches something she doesn't want him to she either yells at him or pushes him down (or takes it away from him all together).
Eating has been interesting. Some days she'll barely eat anything and then the next day she's putting away 10 chicken nuggets for lunch.

She has been sleeping really well at night. She sleeps through most nights...probably 9 out of 10. Naps, on the otherhand....She will go lay in her bed, but she usually doesn't sleep. She will play in there for as long as we let her. I think most days she doesn't nap anymore. I think she may be trying to drop the nap all together, but I don't think she's quite ready for it. On the days she doesn't nap she often falls asleep before 8pm.

In March we have my birthday, Mimi's birthday and Sam's birthday. I think we'll be having lots of fun! I also hope the weather starts improving. I know we all have a bit of cabin fever and I look forward to having both kids be able to go outside and play. Last year I always had to have Sam in the stroller or in the carrier and it wasn't much fun. Now he can come out and toddle with us, too! I know we'll be going for lots of walks and trips to the playground. And even to the beach, hopefully, too!

She really is the sweetest thing, though. She loves to give hugs, snuggles, kisses and nosies. She's always excited to see us when we've been gone. She still loves to read books with us and she really likes her new LeapPad that she got for Christmas. She is really going to town with learning how to write her letters and learning how to make words. Her manual dexterity is really getting impressive.

I can't wait until we can get out of the house and enjoy Spring...when it finally gets here!

Sam-11 month survey!

Monthly Survey

1.       How old is baby? 11 months (ok, well more like 11.5 lol)

2.       Doctor’s appointments?: April 25, 2013

3.       Stats:

a.       Weight: Probably around 25lbs

b.      Height: Around 32 inches

c.       Clothes size: 12-18 months for everything.

d.      Diaper size: Using up the last of the 3's and have 4's standing by.

e.      Hair color: Blonde.

f.        Anything else? This kid is just solid. And adorable. :)

4.       Milestones:

a.       Verbal skills: He still jabbers constantly. He says "dada", "mama", "ot", "up", and I don't know that they're all words exactly, but those are the main sounds.

b.      Rolling: Oh no, he's got way more important things to do!

c.       Crawling: Very rarely anymore.

d.      Walking: YES!! He started walking on February 10, 2013! It's actually 2 weeks sooner than Clara did! Now he's all over the place. He even started walking with his hands down by his side!

e.      Anything else? He likes to point at stuff. He loves walking around the house and likes to carry things while doing so. He likes to eat, a lot! And he enjoys putting things into and taking things out of other things. Sometimes it drives Clara nuts. He claps, waves, and even dances a little, too.

5.       Things he likes: He loves to play, pull things off of shelves and tables, walk everywhere, do anything with his sister. He likes to clap along when he hears someone else clapping, even on TV. He ADORES SuperWhy. He likes to read his Highlights Hello magazine with us.

6.       Things he dislikes: Trying new foods and getting his diaper changed. :)

7.       Sleeping: At night he has been sleeping really well. He's usually in bed by 8pm and sleeps pretty consistently until around 6am. He will usually take one nap anywhere from 1-3 hours and either in the morning or afternoon. Most times he'll sleep in the car if we're out and about, too.

8.       Eating: He's still eating a lot of jarred baby food, but we're starting to feed him more from the table. He loves yogurt!

9.       Nicknames: Captain and Stormageddon.

10.   Things we’re looking forward to next month: His 1st Birthday (which is actually at the end of this month)!!! We're also having 1-year pictures taken and having pictures taken at his party. It's also my birthday. He and Clara are going to Mimi & Papa's for the evening so Daddy & I can go out for dinner.

11.   How I like motherhood: I still love it (most days, anyway)!! I think there will always be days when I wish I had more time for myself to do things besides homework and housework, but I love spending time with the kids. And honestly, when I've put in a hard day at work nothing warms my heart more than when both kids come running over to me after I walk in the door.

a.       Likes: Watching them play together and even breaking up their fights and arguments.

b.      Dislikes: Not having quite as much time to myself as I would like.

Pictures!!