Woah, ok. I promise, I'm back!

So my last post was in September of 2013. Sorry. Life just gets away from me...a lot!

I'll try to put together some posts chronicling what we've been up to, with pictures, but in a nutshell, here's what happened since September.

In September Clara started dance class. She goes once a week on Wednesdays and loves it. I don't love the drive down there or trying to entertain a very energetic 2-year old boy, but we make do most days. Once it gets warmer I'll take him for a walk while she's in class.

Clara went as Rapunzel for Halloween. She also was supposed to wear the dress for her birthday, but decided on that day that she was definitely not going to. Welcome to the age of 3-the one no one warns you about! 

She also turned 3 on November 2nd.

Here's a picture of Sam from November. He's attempting to learn how to use a fork. I have no idea what he's actually eating because, quite frankly, he doesn't eat many things! He's a really picky eater.

We met with some friends from out of town at the Children's Museum in Green Bay. She has one son who is the same age as Clara and one who is less than a year old. They were all really cute together, even though we didn't get to spend much time together. We're planning to get together sometime this summer for a weekend, though.

November also began the winter that never ends. 

In December, Clara got to be in her school's performance of The Nutcracker. She didn't have an actual dance part, but she was really adorable!

She's having a snack between shows. :) Everyone loved her and she was really well behaved. 

We survived the craziness of Christmas, with my Aunt & Uncle and their kids coming up from Texas for the holidays. They arrived in town just before one of the biggest snow storms on record. It was a whole lot of fun and we were sad to see them go.

Adam also got an email about a job at Manitowoc Cranes. They wanted him to interview...so he did. Fast-forward a few weeks and they offered him a job! He began work on February 4th, just 3 days after my last day at the plant. My original release date was January 31st, however they did offer me an extension that I turned down. 

It's now almost the end of March. We've been really busy! Adam and I both have school, he has work (and overtime, at that), the kids are both in swimming lessons (Clara on Mondays and Sam on Tuesdays), I'm taking spinning classes twice a week and running 3 days a week, and then Clara has dance on Wednesdays. Other than that, we hang out at home or at either my or Adam's parent's house. We're all looking forward to Spring coming soon and the opportunity to get outside! 

I'll try to get some more specific posts up about what the kids have been up to and some more recent pictures, too. :) 

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!!