The Steorts Family

When Life Gives You Lemons...

2012-01-25T23:07:00.000-05:00

I have to set the stage for this one. After picking up Josh from work this evening we decided to swing by the optometrist office to pick up his contacts. Upon arriving, I was proud of myself for two reasons: 1) I knew where the office was, which is a small feat in a new town, and 2) we made it there safely despite the freshly fallen snow.

As we pulled into the parking lot, the following conversation ensued:

K: I'll just park over here so you can run in real quick.

J: Actually, I usually go in over there.

K: (not seeing a place to pull the car around) Where??

J: Right there. Whoa, watch out!

CURB.

During this conversation I was looking in the direction Josh was pointing, confused as to where I was supposed to pull the car around so he could go in the front door of the building. He was pointing at the door itself, thinking I would just park on the side of the building. Obviously, this conversation happened really quickly, which is why I completely overlooked the curb and ran right over it. Actually, we jumped the curb and pretty much sat on top of it... and I had to back up in order to get off. Lame.

Now here is where the story gets interesting. Hopping the curb immediately gave us a flat tire. Since we had 2 hungry girls with us and the tire store was just around the corner, we decided to just drive there. Super slow.

I'll spare you all of the details, but basically everything turned out OK. (In fact, this is all very funny to me now). A quaint little Mexican restaurant was right next door to the tire store, so we just went there for dinner. It was amazing food and now I can cross "try a new restaurant" off my 2012 bucket list. The girls were well-behaved and didn't even realize that we were flying by the seat of our pants.

After finishing all of her food, Summer colored...

...and Kylie played "Angry Birds" for the first time on Josh's new work phone.

*Side note: As we were getting the girls ready for bed tonight, Kylie asked to play Angry Birds. We told her that it was time for bed but maybe she could play more tomorrow. After a short pause, she said to Josh, "Maybe you could take your other phone to work and I can play Angry Birds." Clever.

Anyway, I'm counting my blessings tonight. 1) Josh wasn't ticked at me for making such a dumb mistake. 2) The girls did incredibly well, even with our change of plans. 3) We got to enjoy a new restaurant as a family. 4) We only had to pay for a new tire-- no dented rim or anything like that.

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade!"

Four

2012-01-23T20:30:00.002-05:00

Kylie celebrated her FOURTH birthday over the weekend. About a month ago Kylie spotted a Rapunzel cake at the grocery store and has been talking about it ever since. That inspired me to throw her a "Tangled" themed birthday party. I got most of my ideas from here if you're interested in the details, but I modified them a little to keep things simple. Kylie invited some of her closest friends over to join in the fun and she was very excited!

There were a lot of purple and yellow decorations in our house since those are the main colors in the movie.

I made Pascal party blowers (super easy) and decorated plain yellow party hats with stickers. When the kids arrived, they got to choose their own hat and party blower.

The party blowers were definitely a big hit!

Parents were invited to stay since the party was only an hour and a half. While we waited for all of the kids to arrive, the parents got to enjoy some munchies. I'm glad I didn't put a whole lot of effort into the spread because I had WAY too much food! Some of it was inspired by the movie: blue kool-aid to represent Rapunzel's boat ride to the kingdom, apples (Max), and a frying pan (Eugene).

Once everyone arrived we started off by playing "pin the frying pan on Flynn Rider."

The kids were way too good at that game. Note to self: use a much larger poster and put it up higher...

Kylie also had her heart set on having a pinata...which had nothing at all to do with the movie. BUT, I did make a super long braid to hang the pinata from, so that has to count for something! After about 10 seconds we decided to ditch the blindfold and just let the kids swing.

Here's a better shot of the braid.

We had a few setbacks with the pinata. 1) It's pretty tough for 4-year-olds to break open. I totally knew that going into it, but Kylie really wanted a horse pinata. So we just let them take their time. 2) Kylie was excited for her to hit the pinata and nobody else. There were a few tears shed each time she had to hand over the bat to let someone else have a turn.

It didn't take long before the kids started their own cheering section. They all gathered together, held hands, and screamed for the person hitting the pinata. Sorry for the totally blurry picture, but trust me, it was cute!

After each child had a turn, we took the pinata down and just let them hit, kick, and stomp on the thing to break it open. That was so much more fun!

There we go!!! There was plenty of candy to go around!

Immediately following the pinata, Kylie opened her gifts (really fast).

And here is the cake. What four-year-old girl wouldn't want that cake??? Someday I might actually make a birthday cake for my kids.

The moment she had been waiting for...

Kylie wasn't the only one who loved the cake! It was definitely a big hit. Every single one of the kids wanted a piece of cake that had "Rapunzel hair" on it (the swirly yellow frosting). Eventually all that was left was the center of the cake with the birthday message on it.

The party was tons of fun but MAN OH MAN was it a lot of work! Luckily the kids played well together and enjoyed the theme of the party, but our apartment felt just a little too small with that many bodies (SIX four-year-olds, plus parents).

The following day, Sunday, was Kylie's actual birthday. I woke her up that morning by saying "Happy birthday, Kylie!" and she responded, "Again?" It was still special because she got to open gifts from her grandparents and even skype with them for the first time :) She wore her new dress to church that her great-grandma Jefferson got for her. In primary the kids sang a birthday song to her and she got to pick out a bracelet.

All in all, it was busy, crazy, chaotic... and fun. I really enjoyed watching Kylie's excitement during all of the festivities over the weekend. She's such a sweet little girl and we're so blessed to have her in our family.

The Daily Transformation

2012-01-08T15:44:00.000-05:00

I am not a morning person, but one thing I do enjoy about mornings is getting the girls ready for the day. Oh, how I look forward to getting my hands on them! I LOVE brushing their tangled hair only to find loads of curls beneath the mess. I love changing them from their wrinkled jammies into clean clothes.

It's a real success when I'm able to pull those transformations off in 15 minutes or less... We may have overslept this morning, resulting in a mad dash to church.

Anyway... I love having little girls!

2012: A Year of Changes

2011-12-31T17:33:00.000-05:00

2011 has been such a wonderful year. We celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays. We went on several mini vacations, played sports, and enjoyed the great outdoors. The kids grew like crazy and learned countless things. Josh got a new job which brought us to a different state that we happen to love. We served in various capacities at church, made new friends, and just enjoyed the changing dynamics of our young family. To state it simply: we just lived life. And loved it!

2012 is already looking like it will be an eventful year. The kids will continue to get older (they change so fast!), we'll continue to settle into our new life in Indiana, we'll go on vacations and embrace opportunities to spend quality time with family and friends.

A lot of people make a New Year's resolution to go on a diet. That is certainly NOT my resolution but it will have to happen anyway because I've been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. To make a very long story short, I started developing weird symptoms while I was home for Christmas. I was drinking at least a gallon of water a day. As you can imagine, that made me have to use the bathroom a lot. I was tired even though I was getting plenty of sleep. I was also losing my vision-- BAD. At the start of the week things were a little blurry. By the end... I couldn't see 2 feet in front of me.

When I returned home to Indiana, I got out my trusty glucose meter and tested my blood sugar. It was through the roof! Mine was at 564. Most glucose meters give you an error message if you go over 600. After a trip to the Emergency Room, I walked away with a shot of insulin, my lab results, a stack of papers regarding my new diet, and a number for an endocrinologist.

This is all very unexpected. For one thing, I don't fit the bill of a typical type 2 diabetic at all. I am under 30, underweight, and have no family history of diabetes. None. I knew that I was at risk of getting diabetes eventually because I had gestational during pregnancy, but I thought it would come much later. Surprise!

So, like I said, 2012 will be full of changes. It will take countless doctor's appointments, finger pokes, and diet changes before I finally get a handle on this. It's a difficult adjustment anyway, but maybe even more so for me because I need to gain weight while counting carbs. Luckily I'll have plenty of help from a dietician that can create a specialized diet just for me.

Despite the disappointing news, I'm grateful that I have so many resources available to me to help me adjust. I've got medicine, various doctors, and a wide variety of foods that I can eat. I'm grateful that I found out before the problem got too bad... like going into a coma or something.

I'll keep you posted throughout the upcoming year. Bring it on, 2012!

"All These Sicks!"

2011-12-29T12:19:00.000-05:00

"Mommy is sick. Daddy is sick. Ky-yee is sick. And... Summer is sick. All these sicks!" --Kylie

Yes, we are all STILL sick.

Josh and the girls have really disgusting colds and Kylie has the flu on top of that.

I have recently been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Check back soon for the details of my experience.

Feeling Blessed

2011-12-26T21:16:00.000-05:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit our friends and family in Michigan this year for the holidays. We were there for 6 days and, unfortunately, I don't have very many pictures to prove it. But we had such a blast reuniting with everyone again.

Josh and I feel incredibly blessed as this year comes to a close. Our life may not be perfect; we still have a ways to go before we start achieving some of our goals. But our family is healthy (well...relatively), Josh is employed, we love where we live, we have many people in our lives who fall under the category of "loved ones," and our needs are met-- we even get to splurge every once in a while.

While we didn't do anything extraordinary during our trip, time was not wasted. We baked cookies, went on various outings with friends, attended our family Christmas party, and enjoyed a wonderful church service on Christmas Day. I LOVE when Christmas falls on a Sunday-- it's a great reminder of the "reason for the season." Anyway, here are a few pictures.

We ended each day with story time. It was very cool seeing my parents and brother participating too.

Summer totally got another cold while we were in Michigan, hence her expression in this picture.

A little help from the pro.

Playing with Grandma J.

Note: Kylie received a tool set for Christmas, complete with hard hat and vest. She grew attached.

Summer and Papa... and a snickerdoodle.

We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas as well. Maybe next year we'll actually send out a Christmas card...

As long as you don't mind a few bloopers along with it!

For the most part, I did have a healthy family for Christmas. But now that Christmas is over...

...we're right back at it :)

My Grown-up Christmas List (part 2)

2011-12-17T20:28:00.000-05:00

In my previous post I wished for a healthy family... and unfortunately I'm still waiting.

I'll spare you the details of her sleepless night, but basically Summer came down with the stomach flu. She wasn't even over her cold yet! Luckily it only lasted about 12 hours. By the end of the day you wouldn't have even known she had been sick.

There's still time for my wish for a healthy family to come true!

My Grown-up Christmas List

2011-12-11T20:40:00.000-05:00

Kourtni's Christmas List

1. A healthy family

We had the opportunity to attend several Christmas parties this weekend, but sometimes fun comes with a price. The kids had been fighting colds all week and we probably should have stayed home so their bodies could recuperate. Now, the kids have passed their colds on to Josh and I and the entire family is sick. I can only hope that we'll all be healthy in time for Christmas!

Despite the illnesses we managed to have a great time! At Josh's company party we got to go on a carriage ride, which Kylie loved. Josh was kind enough to wait outside in the FREEZING cold to hold our spot in line. (No wonder he's sick!)

The girls and I waited in the car until it was our turn to ride in the carriage. The girls loved it!

At our church Christmas party Kylie put on a brave face and actually sat on Santa's lap. She asked him for candy, presents, and slippers. (That morning Kylie was a little jealous that Summer had slippers and she didn't).

Hopefully we can rest up and regain our health in time for Christmas!

The Girls

2011-12-06T22:58:00.001-05:00

I'm amazed at how quickly the girls change. In just the last month Summer got 2 more teeth and Kylie started saying new phrases like "Um, I need a hand." I'll definitely journal all of the things I can about what life is like for us right now, but I'll just put a few highlights on here.

SUMMER

She is at such a fun age and she's almost always happy. It's great! She's also our little social butterfly. In the grocery store, she says hi to everyone. She's also very loud. At church we spend a lot of time in the halls--not because she's fussy, but because she babbles so loudly. I'll admit that I LOVE how naturally friendly she is. Her vocabulary is pretty impressive and I'm amazed at how quickly she picks up on new words and phrases.

She's pretending to say "hello" on a telephone

Every baby has a certain "thing" that they constantly get into. She has several. (1) The DVD stand. No baby can resist. (2) The pantry. She will open it, grab a snack that she wants, and bring it directly to you while saying "thank you." (3) My bathroom cupboard. She always finds my chapstick and refuses to leave until I pretend to put some on her.

This child has a mop of hair! It has gotten longer and thicker during the past month and I'm just grateful she leaves her hair ties in.

She eats constantly. She eats an impressive amount of food for such a little thing! I think she takes after me though-- I'm a grazer too.

Summer has become quite the go-getter. If there is something she wants, she'll figure out a way to get it (much to my dismay sometimes). This little stool has become her new best friend and she carries it from room to room all day long. She'll bring it into the bathroom while I get ready in the morning. It ends up next to my bed... or next to the table... or the pantry. Despite her mischief, we sure adore her!

KYLIE

Her imagination has suddenly come to life! She has gotten really good at entertaining herself because she creates pretend scenarios to act out. Today she told me that we needed to rescue the baby chinchilla because it was trapped in the tree (my closet). On another occasion she dressed up as a princess, waved her little wand at me, and told me I turned into a puma. Really???

Here she is giving her pretend puppies a bath.

She is a very polite and considerate little girl. Summer usually only takes one nap each day and Kylie is very good about only doing quiet activities during that time. She is the first to apologize if you accidentally bump into her and always remembers to ask permission to leave the table after a meal. When I drop her off at nursery each week at church, I have to talk her out of bringing her snack with her because she wants to share with everybody.

She enjoys learning new things and practicing them. We're currently working on writing letters and sounding them out. She knows what most letters sound like individually but now we're working on putting small words together. She's actually pretty artistic and prefers drawing over coloring. I'm thrilled that she has such a strong desire to learn!

Today she drew these shapes. She identified the triangle, circle, and big oval. I asked her what the other picture was (that funky one on the right) and after a short pause said, "A violin." That's my new favorite "shape."

BFF's
It's so fun to watch how the girls interact with each other. There are sometimes when Kylie feels the need to take away every toy that Summer wants to play with, but most of the time they giggle and play together just fine. I love just soaking it in.

Kylie Studios

2011-12-06T22:01:00.000-05:00

It's not unusual for me to find Kylie with my camera. She LOVES taking pictures. However, there are plenty of times when I find out after the fact that she used it-- like when I go to upload pictures onto my computer and I discover pictures like these:

I'll tell you one thing: she's excellent at capturing "moments."

Visitors

2011-11-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

We may have celebrated Thanksgiving Day on our own, but our weekend was jam packed with fun because my parents and brother came down to visit. Kylie had been anticipating their arrival the entire week prior and was absolutely beside herself when she opened the door and they were standing there. How fun!

They arrived Friday evening just in time for dinner and it was so fun to have face-to-face conversations again! The girls absolutely loved showing my parents their toys and books (like they haven't seen them before).

We live about 20 minutes away from Butler University and when a certain sports fan learned about this, it became necessary that we make a trip to see the campus. It was a gorgeous morning-- perfect for walking around and getting some fresh air.

We spent plenty of time driving around, talking, laughing, EATING, and exploring the town, but it was over all too soon. (These pictures are from an afternoon at the park).

Fortunately we'll see them again in just a few short weeks when we go to Michigan for Christmas. We miss them already!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T16:30:00.001-05:00

This is the first year in a long time... maybe ever... that we celebrated Thanksgiving on our own. We didn't do anything super special that day, but it was still so fun to prepare our own delicious meal. Note: Josh is the KING of making turkey. Seriously. I prepared other side dishes, but the turkey was all him.

We have so much to be grateful for. Kylie and I made a turkey out of construction paper and recorded our blessings on each feather, but I totally forgot to take a picture of it! Some of the things she mentioned were: her blankie, the blue playground, nursery (at church), and prayer. How cool is that?

I could make a VERY long list of things I'm thankful for, but ultimately I'm most thankful for a wonderful family, friends who care about me, good health, the gospel, and endless opportunities to grow.

Love/Hate Relationship

2011-11-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

I have a love/hate relationship with fall. I love busting out the sweaters and boots again. I love that it gets darker earlier because that means my kids go to bed at 7pm without a fuss. I love the crisp autumn air, the colorful leaves, the smell of grass being cut for the last time. I love celebrating the holidays and all of the preparations that come with them.

However, I hate that it takes twice as long to buckle my kids into their carseats because of their gigantic winter coats. I hate being cooped up inside all day everyday... for months. I hate getting all bundled up to play in the snow. Or worse yet, telling my three-year-old day in and day out that I really don't feel like going outside to freeze. I know, I'm such a killjoy.

I have been trying to take full advantage of the few moderately warm, sunny days remaining. Last week the girls and I ventured out to a park. This park is awesome!

But I think it will be 10 times more enjoyable in the summer when we won't have to worry about seeing our breath. On both occasions, we lasted only 30 minutes before we all started having coughing fits and runny noses. Don't be fooled by the blue sky. It was a whopping 37 degrees that day. BRRR!!!

This is the time of year when I begin to dread the coming months. I get so stinking bored being cooped up inside with the kids all day, and if I'm bored, I can only imagine how they feel. I absolutely have to branch out to different places during the week so we can have a change of scenery, but you can only go to the library or grocery store so many times. I'd like to think that we're pretty creative: we blow bubbles, have water play in the sink, have dance parties, build forts, make art projects, make play-doh, read books, etc.

To my fellow stay-at-home moms out there, what do you do to keep sane during the winter months???

Oh, to be Three!

2011-11-16T21:18:00.000-05:00

During Summer's naps, Kylie and I have an opportunity to spend quality time together-- just the two of us. She is at a very funny stage right now and I am so amused by the things that come out of her mouth. Here are some of her latest.

Kylie has always been a picky eater but lately she's been really good about eating however many bites we tell her to. Tonight after eating most of her lasagna, Josh told her to eat 2 more bites. As she took the first bite, she gagged on it and we had her spit it back out on her plate so she wouldn't lose all of her dinner. After she spit it out, she said, "One..."
The other day I was trying to explain to Kylie that her birthday is coming up soon and she will turn 4. I then asked her how old she is right now, and after a short pause she said, "A clown." I don't think we were on the same page.
Kylie has her own way of speaking. Lately she has been overusing the word "for." She gave me this run-on sentence the other day: "For I have a body, for I have germs, for I sick, for I cough! I go [insert fake cough here]. For I need medicine!" She also started saying the phrase "I forgot" but not in the traditional sense. The other morning she was calling out for me and said, "Oh... I forgot! I'm awake again!" Finally, she has been telling me what to say when she asks me a question. Today she said, "Hey, Mommy... can I play with play-do? Say 'sure, Ky-yee!'"

Trust me, there are MANY examples I could include here, but these are just a few of the latest that I find most amusing. She's at an interesting stage in other ways too. She has finally started taking an interest in dressing herself, and most of the time she does a pretty good job. However, she insists on picking out her own socks and they almost always look like this.

I'm hardly fazed by mismatched socks. I'm just thankful she's not insisting on wearing her Halloween costume everywhere or something, although we came close the other day... (We went to the grocery store and she wore her Dora the Explorer backpack, yellow sunglasses, and a cowboy hat that's been stepped on one too many times). Oh, to be three again!

Recipe for Disaster

2011-11-12T21:50:00.010-05:00

Kylie loves to help me in the kitchen and I equally love her company. Sometimes, though, we run into a situation like this:

Today as I was pouring my homemade Teriyaki sauce over the chicken, Kylie slipped on her stool and knocked over the bottle of soy sauce. It mostly poured out right on her face, but it got the front of her clothes too. A bath suddenly became very necessary and she dripped soy sauce all the way from the kitchen to the bathroom where I was running her bath water. Ugh. What's really frustrating is that this is the second time she made a huge mess this week. (She spilled enchilada sauce and I had to start that recipe completely over).

I will say, though, that after she was in the tub and I had some quiet time to clean up the kitchen, the situation became very humorous to me-- the way she said, "My eyes!!!" when the soy sauce ran down her face; the way she repeatedly said "BLECH!" as she tried to get the mess off her clothes; the way she was SO grossed out that soy sauce ended up in her belly button. Daily tasks wouldn't be nearly as interesting without her!

Festivities

2011-11-07T10:43:00.006-05:00

Halloween
I realize I'm a little late, but it's been kind of chaotic around here! Kylie dressed up as a witch for Halloween. We started out the day by going to her preschool Halloween party. She was super excited!

She got to decorate Halloween sugar cookies...

...and she got to bring home some fun little treats. She loved playing Halloween games and singing Halloween songs with her friends. It was a fun last day of preschool for her.

Summer dressed up as an itsy bitsy spider. She's the cutest spider I've ever seen!

That evening we went to my parents' house. Grandma was perfectly happy hanging out at home with Summer...

...while we took Kylie trick-or-treating. She had been looking forward to it for weeks! I was impressed with her understanding of Trick-or-Treating. She went up to the first door, knocked, said "trick-or-treat," and even said "thank you" when she got her candy. By the fourth house, she was DONE. Four houses?!? She's actually very wise. She knew she could get as much candy as she wanted in Grandma and Granddad's house.

Dad's Birthday
My dad's birthday is on the 2nd but since we were moving that day, we celebrated it early. We had a meal together, gave him a few gifts, then let him relax. The boys attempted to wash the dishes for him, but it turns out it's a little harder to stack dishes than it looks! It's the thought that counts, right?

I think he enjoyed spending an evening with the whole family.

Since then, things have been nothing short of crazy! Last week Tuesday, we loaded up our 24' moving truck and said goodbye to our family and friends. The following morning we made the trip to Indiana. Everything went SO smoothly and we've enjoyed getting to know people and becoming familiar with the area. We've unpacked all but 5 boxes and are almost completely settled in our new apartment. I'll post more soon!

Guess Who's in Town???

2011-10-28T20:58:00.005-04:00

It's always fun (and interesting) when my brother, Kyle, comes to town!

The girls took to him almost immediately. It's so fun to watch them interact with one another!

I tried to get a good picture of the two of them wearing Detroit Tigers hats (or "Engwish D" hats, as Kylie calls them... thanks, Dad). On the first try, Summer's hat fell over her face as soon as I took the picture. Whoops!

Here's "take two." *sigh* Kylie...
Yes, she actually hit her over the head with that stick.

Third time's the charm (sort of)

I say that it's "interesting" when Kyle comes to town because you never know what will happen while he's here. One day, Kyle, Josh, and I got pedicures while my mom got her manicure.

The very next day, Kyle and I went to a shooting range. (Pedis and shooting???) But it was so fun! This is what I got to shoot-- a Walther P22 semi-automatic.

Turns out I'm not half bad!

I'm glad we've had the chance to spend quality time together. He's in town until the 3rd. It's weird that he'll be seeing me off this time!

I Shouldn't be Blogging Right Now...

2011-10-24T20:23:00.005-04:00

Seriously. I have about 5,000 things to do. But... I have learned that if I don't do something for myself each day, I'm a total monster. So... here is what we've been up to :)

Kylie has been knocked flat by illness several times in the past 2 weeks. Unfortunately, they have all been stomach-related so it's been pretty gross. Poor thing. She can't do much so we just let her watch her favorite shows (over and over and over...)

This guy is her all-time favorite. Sorry, fellas. Diego has captured her heart.
Yes, Kylie actually took a picture of the TV screen.

This little girl, on the other hand, has been happy as a clam. She was sick too, but only once (cross your fingers that it doesn't happen again).

I can't get over her belly laughs. She has at least one good belly laugh a day. I dare you to watch this video without smiling.
She's laughing at Kylie who was pretending to stub her toe on the wall.

Meanwhile, Josh and I are getting ready to move to this beautiful place.

I'm getting excited, but man, is moving hard work! To make it even more challenging, my brother is in town and I would much rather hang out with him than pack boxes. I'll definitely post more about his visit, but I won't promise that it will happen before the move. T-minus 8 days...

Alarm Clocks

2011-10-13T10:32:00.005-04:00

If I don't have anywhere pressing to be in the morning, I generally don't set an alarm. (I really should though). I wake up to the sound of my girls calling for me. Here are some conversations between Kylie and Summer that I get to wake up to:

Kylie: Mooooommmmmyyyyyyy! Summer's stinky!!!!
Summer: tink-E!

OR

Summer: Mama.
Kylie: No, it's my mama.
Summer: Mama.
Kylie: NO, it's my mama!
Summer: Mama.
Kylie: NO, it's my mama!!!
Summer: (pause) Dada?

OR

Summer: Uh...oh.
Kylie: Mommy! Summer drop her monkey!
Summer: Uh...oh.
Kylie: MOMMY! Summer's monkey fall down!
Summer: (laughs) Uh...oh.
Kylie will get out of bed, hand Summer her stuffed monkey, and get back in bed... only to realize that Summer is playing a game.

I usually wake up with a smile on my face. They crack me up.

Post Family Farm

2011-10-10T21:34:00.004-04:00

This evening we took advantage of this beautiful weather and went to the Post Family Farm. We went there last year and absolutely loved it. Someone was excited to go back-- she was just a little thing last time!

Kylie was super grumpy so we didn't take full advantage of everything on the farm, but we still had a good time. She really enjoyed swinging from the ropes. Had I known she would enjoy it that much, I would have just tied one from our tree out back...

We attempted to get some pictures of all the girls and this was the best one we got. Not too bad!

Here's my trick: Find a random dog, center your subjects around that dog, and crop the dog out later.

(No dogs were needed for these pictures).
That just melts my heart.

Our plan was to save the hayride to the pumpkin patch for last, but when we introduced that idea to Kylie, she freaked. She was in rare form because she was tired (we went in the evening) and I think that had she been well-rested she would have happily gone to the pumpkin patch. But since that was not the case, we went to the zip line instead. She LOVED it and probably could have stayed there for hours going back and forth. She's a pro!

I'm so glad we got to spend a beautiful October evening outside with the family. This is definitely one of my favorite places to visit in the fall.

Highs and Lows

2011-10-01T08:07:00.003-04:00

Employment is such a blessing. Josh's company has been so good to us but we have been on quite the roller coaster ride.

During his 4 1/2 years there, he has held 6 different positions. Sometimes he had the responsibilities of several positions but conveniently only had one title. When they were downsizing in May 2010 we were all geared up to move back to Utah, per their request, and then they changed their mind. The company has continued to downsize many times since then and we always held our breath that Josh wouldn't be the next one to go.

In early August of this year, it happened. He got the dreaded phone call. Being unemployed in the state of Michigan is scary, to say the least, because the unemployment rate is so high. But unemployment can sometimes be a blessing in disguise too. Although a paycheck was nice, Josh had been ready for something new for a while. With an 8 hour workday eliminated, Josh used his extra time to look for a job that he truly wanted.

After only 6 weeks of searching, he found it. He has accepted a job in Carmel, Indiana. He officially starts on November 7, so we will be moving sometime the week before.

I have to admit that it's a little scary. I will really miss having my family right around the corner. I know a couple of cute little girls that will miss them too.

I will miss my friends.
These are my friends who came with us to the pumpkin patch shortly after Summer was born.

I will miss our favorite places around town that have become so familiar.

I will miss my job! It's only a tanning salon/swimsuit store, but I love how laid-back it is and I LOVE the people I work with. I had been toying with the idea of getting a part-time job for about a year, but held back because I was afraid that we would just have to move anyway. Finally, I went for it... and Josh was laid off a week later. Figures :)
But this is truly a great opportunity and we're SO excited about it! It's a great area and we're looking forward to another adventure. Fortunately, this adventure will take place only 4 hours away from the place I will always know as home.

Art Prize 2011

2011-09-28T21:14:00.003-04:00

For our youth activity tonight we went downtown for Art Prize. Artists of all kinds from all over the world come and set up their displays. People vote for their favorites and eventually one piece is chosen as the "winner." I had never been before and I LOVE art so it was fascinating.

This guy made beautiful sand art. He had been working on this particular one since noon.... I took this picture around 8:00pm.

This piece was made completely of tiny pictures of handicapped people.

This was a HUGE belt made of belts. Who thinks of that???

This was a charcoal drawing of a family tree. (My picture isn't that great but they drew generations within the tree).

An artist painted about 10 different portraits of elderly people. They're stunning as is but what's even more impressive is that each wrinkle on the person contained writing about them-- their story was literally told in their wrinkles.

This one is called "Glitter Girl." It's made of sequins.

There were tons of sculptures too. I think a lot of people liked this one.

Flooded

2011-09-27T21:22:00.006-04:00

The past 24 hours have been interesting.

After a crazy day with the kids and a later-than-usual bedtime, Josh and I chose to stay up late so that we could actually spend time together without being interrupted 5000 times. Around 11:30 we decided to call it a night. Josh headed downstairs to plug the laptop in and... stepped onto wet carpet. After finding standing water in our storage room we had no choice but to call our landlords and have them come over and help us fix the problem. They are the sweetest people and had no qualms at all with being forced out of bed in the middle of the night and staying with us until almost 2:30am.

Since then it's been nothing short of crazy around here! At this point we're just trying to save the things that got wet (see picture below) and air dry the carpet as best as we can.
What is it with us and water damage? Remember our condo back in 2008? Hopefully this pattern won't continue!

"Mommy Brain"

2011-09-25T23:35:00.002-04:00

I have the worst memory on the planet. Here's proof:

WORK

Scenario #1. I work at a tanning salon. When customers come in, I pull up their profile and enter the type of bed and amount of time they would like to go. Sometimes I'll enter the necessary info (which takes all of 10 seconds) and I'll forget which room I just entered into the computer. It's really embarrassing when you have to say, "Ok, you're all set in room......... Hold on. I have to pull it up again. Sorry."

Scenario #2. I entered a room number on the computer and sent the customer to a completely different room. After a few minutes she came out and asked why her bed wouldn't start. That would be because I'm an idiot and there's a bed in the room right next to yours that's humming away with nobody in it.

HOME
Scenario #1. It is not uncommon for me to walk into a room and completely forget why I'm there in the first place. I'll end up in the kitchen just staring at the fridge when I actually wanted to grab a hair brush from a bathroom drawer.

Scenario #2. I live by my calendar, but since it's on my wall, I can't remember anything I have scheduled when I'm out and about. I constantly have a conflicting schedule. I commit to attend a meeting when in fact I will be at work. Or I'll schedule a hair appointment during Kylie's preschool class (that meets once a week for a 2 hour block). What are the chances?

Scenario #3. I always forget to put something on the grocery list. Sometimes I think I'm really fortunate because I'll remember that item while I'm at the grocery store, but when I get home I realize that I forgot to actually grab that item. Yeah...

FAMILY
Scenario #1. I try to be really prepared when it comes to my kids. I load up that diaper bag with everything I can think of that will keep Summer distracted and Kylie entertained. However, it is not uncommon for me to pack tons of diapers... and no wipes. I have done that several times and it's useless. Today I had a great selection of toys and books in the diaper bag for the kids to use during church. I was so proud of myself! I even packed some pretzels for Kylie and her sippy cup of water. Did I remember to pack anything for Summer? Gerber puffs, graham crackers, cheerios? Nope. Nothing. She expressed her disappointment loudly several times.

Scenario #2. I was holding Summer today in between church meetings and she was very squirmy. I finished a conversation that lasted several minutes and when I was done, I realized that I had no idea where Summer was. I remembered that at one time I was holding Summer and now I wasn't. I honestly couldn't remember if I set her down or if someone took her from my arms. Seriously. Eventually I remembered that I set her down and she walked off.

I'm sure you get the gist. I have a terrible memory. Don't ever ask me to remind you to do something, grab something, or write something down. I will NOT remember. I honestly feel like I have Alzheimer's sometimes. How do you not remember whether you set your own kid down or not???

But there is some good news: I remember the things that matter. I have never forgotten to buckle my kids in the car. I have never left anyone behind. I do make it to all of my appointments/meetings/events on time (even if that means that I have to juggle and reschedule 50 times). I have excellent long-term memory. I can remember even the most minute details about my childhood, such as all of the teachers I've ever had from preschool through high school or the phone number of the house I haven't lived in since I was 7. Despite what you have read, I am competent at work, and I'm great at remembering faces so I can call customers by their names when they walk in (even if I've only met them once). So based on this I don't think I'm too far gone... yet.

I'm telling you: Mommy Brain is real! Either that or I'm losing my mind.

It's Officially Here!!!

2011-09-23T21:25:00.000-04:00

Rise & Shine!

2011-09-15T22:35:00.003-04:00

This is how we begin each day: cartoons. I can promise you that Summer stays in that little chair for about 2 minutes max and then she moves on to the next part of her routine...

...breakfast. Kylie almost NEVER eats breakfast so it's kind of nice to be able to share it with someone. Summer is known for sitting like this, with one chubby ankle crossed over the other. Now that the weather is getting cooler, we attempt to keep her feet warm. You can see how well that's going!

Check out those teeth :D

Never Forgotten

2011-09-11T21:40:00.004-04:00

It's hard to believe that on this day 10 years ago, four American planes were hijacked by terrorists. Two of those planes crashed into the Twin Towers, where much of the devastation was felt.

I will never forget that day as long as I live. I had just taken my seat in my 2nd hour high school geometry class. Just before the bell rang, a classmate came into the room and announced to everyone that a plane crashed into the World Trade Center. None of us believed him, until the teacher turned on the TV just in time for us to witness this...

We all remained in a state of shock for the rest of the day. Suddenly we had an interest in the news, and every TV in school was tuned in to follow the events of the day. We watched as things went from bad to worse...

I was only a freshman in high school, but I knew that tragedy had struck-- hard. So many lives had been lost: firefighters, businessmen/women, passengers, friends, spouses, parents...

...and we mourned.

But because of the courageous acts of some, many lives of others were saved.

Instead of falling apart, we came together as a nation. I will never forget that. Strangers embraced each other, cried together, and candlelight vigils were held. We lived through tragedy and became stronger everyday.

And now on this day--10 years later-- we remember it all: the shock, the horror, the sadness, the strength, the unity, the love.

September 11, 2001-- We will never forget.

Someone has the Giggles

2011-09-10T10:42:00.003-04:00

Kylie had Summer laughing hysterically this morning. She was running around with an empty pop bottle, dropping it on her toe, then hopping around as if it hurt really bad. You have to watch the video all the way through-- the best part is at the end :)

A Perfect Day

2011-09-05T20:56:00.005-04:00

For Labor Day, we went to my parents' house for a barbeque, and it was such a perfect day! It was about 60 degrees (a nice change from the hot and humid weather we've been having), we spent time together as a family, and we all just relaxed and enjoyed the holiday. After we ate, we all headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

Once we were all ready...

...we all kind of did our own thing. Doesn't Summer look SO happy to be getting some fresh air???

She really did enjoy being outside-- don't let the previous picture fool you. She got some cardio in by chasing her shadow...

she played on a small hill (she's totally falling backwards in this picture)...

and spent some quality time in Grandma's arms.

Meanwhile, the guys threw a football. That sure made it feel like fall!

Kylie headed straight for the garden. I truly think she loves dirt more than anything on earth.

Hmm.... I wonder who was playing on the porch?

Even after we drove home, we continued to enjoy spending time together as a family. See-- Summer smiles sometimes :) You know what's cool about this picture? Kylie took it!

I hope you all were able to enjoy this Labor Day as much as we did!

Birthday Shots

2011-08-31T15:42:00.004-04:00

No, not those kinds of shots :) Vaccinations. Summer had her one-year wellness check today, and despite getting a shot in each limb and getting her blood drawn, she did a GREAT job! She came out of the doctor's office wearing 5 band-aids and a smile. Amazing.

ONE YEAR STATS
Height: 29.5 inches -- 65th percentile
Weight: 22 pounds, 13 ounces -- 78th percentile
Head circumference: 44.4cm -- 31st percentile
One year ago Summer joined our family. When I think of the events that transpired exactly one year ago-- the labor, delivery, etc.-- it seems like it's been longer than a year! It's hard to imagine someone so special not being in your life at one time. The day she was born was such a wonderful day. I was so excited to meet her.

Everyone I met was so surprised that I had such a BIG baby. Now, a year later, people are still surprised I have such a big baby :)

Here are some fun facts about Summer:

She is very laid back and hardly ever cries
She doesn't like most vegetables or rice, but almost any other food or beverage is a go
She is riveted by TV. Whenever it's on she will stand about 3" from the screen. At this rate she'll need glasses by her second birthday.
She talks quite a bit for her age: mama, dada, baba, go, up, baby, more, yeah, all done.
It takes a lot for her to hurt herself. She trips and falls A LOT; she wrestles with Kylie; she bumps her head multiple times a day, but none of these things typically make her cry.
She has 8 teeth, two of which are molars.
She climbs up stairs and is practically running now
Her favorite place in the entire house is Kylie's bed. We find her there quite often.
She doesn't smile a lot, especially in front of strangers. She is perfectly happy doing her own thing, but apparently doesn't feel the need to smile to let you know it.

We just love her! She is such a sweet little girl and I'm a little sad that she's growing up so fast, but it's been such a blessing to have her in our family.

A Summer Celebration

2011-08-27T20:55:00.005-04:00

Today the whole family gathered together to celebrate Summer... the season, and our baby girl!

Here's the birthday girl! (She doesn't officially turn 1 until Wednesday).

We started our celebration by eating some amazing food. Summer has teeth now so we didn't see any harm in allowing her to participate in the feast as well. She gnawed on rib bones and chicken wings for a really long time!

Some quiet time after the meal.

Then we moved on to presents. While Summer was distracted by the camera, Kylie took advantage of "helping" opening gifts.

Every time Summer turned around there was a new toy to play with. Kylie's help really paid off.

And the moment you've all been waiting for... the cake. Isn't it cute?!

When Summer got her piece, she didn't even hesitate to take a fistful. It mostly made it into her mouth.

I can't believe my baby girl is practically one! We love having her in our family!

ARRRR!

2011-08-23T22:16:00.003-04:00

Yesterday I took Kylie to the park just up the street. She's been really into playing pirates lately so we ran around pretending the playground equipment was a ship and we looked for enemies.

During our little game, a little girl showed up who was wearing a REAL eyepatch. She must have had surgery or something very recently. Kylie took one look at her and said, "Mom, look! She's a pirate!" I had to take her aside and explain why it was impolite to call her a pirate.

What are the chances that a girl with an eyepatch would show up at the park while we're playing pirates???

Just the Two of Us

2011-08-23T21:39:00.004-04:00

Lately Kylie and I have been spending a lot of one-on-one time together, particularly in the mornings during Summer's nap. We eat breakfast together, though I prefer to sit at the table. To each their own...

We put on makeup together. Kylie put some lip gloss on all by herself. Not bad! In her words, she said she looked "bee-a-full."

While I got dressed she put on some sunscreen... or what she thought was sunscreen. That was actually Desitin.

Then to the park we go (big surprise). Ya gotta love splash pads, and today the weather was much more cooperative. We met up with a friend there (the little boy wearing the striped swimsuit).

Here's another shocker: Kylie didn't play in the water. She played around the perimeter where it was all muddy. She seems pretty proud of her legs!

But I learned something about her-- she is completely fine spraying other people. Luckily, they didn't seem to mind.

While we were walking from the splash pad to the playground, we ran into another friend-- Thad! They play so well together (mostly).

A Day of Firsts

2011-08-17T23:17:00.003-04:00

Three "firsts" happened today.
(1) We went to the library and Kylie played on the computer. She insisted on playing all by herself and she did!

(2) Kylie had her first kiss! It was with her very good friend, Thad, and it appeared to be mutual.

(3) Kylie only had 2 screaming fits at the doctor's office and both were very short.

Now I don't have pictures to back up #3 so you'll just have to trust me. I DREAD taking Kylie to the doctor because she usually screams the entire time and will not cooperate at all. For her 3 year check-up, she refused to take off her boots and coat, would not step on the scale or allow the doctor to listen to her heart, check her ears, look in her mouth, or take any measurements. All of the stats gathered were a total guess.

I took her in because she was complaining about her ears... nothing serious. But while we waited for the doctor to come in, Kylie was just cracking me up. She named all of the animals on the wall. She pretended the stool was a turntable. She drummed on the table. She played with her band-aid. She even put her little hand to her mouth and called out, "Wendy! Oh, Wendy!" (That's her doctor's name). When Wendy finally did come in, Kylie hid behind the chair and asked for mints. Yes, mints. Not a day goes by that she doesn't ask me for a mint... or five. The good news is, she only screamed when the assistant tried to take her temperature and when the doctor tried to look in her ears. But we got both accomplished and we walked out of there still smiling. Baby steps!

What We REALLY Do

2011-08-17T22:11:00.005-04:00

When I first became a mom and I was home all day with a newborn, I had no idea what I was supposed to do to keep busy. To tell you the truth, I was SO bored. Now that I have two little ones at home, our day fills up pretty quickly and I miss those days when I had loads of free time. I frequently write about our typical days so that (a) people understand that our life is all about the day-to-day happenings, not just big events, and (b) friends/family who may not have little ones at home see what life will actually be like. This is what our day was like yesterday.

I woke up to a miracle... the girls were still sleeping! I usually wake up to happy squeals from Summer, followed by Kylie yelling, "MOM! Summer wake up! Come get Summer!" The sight of a sleeping baby was just too cute not to share. Babies really do sleep with their bums in the air!
Once the girls were ready we made our way to the park. Josh was going to use the car to drive to the gym so he dropped us off, leaving us the double stroller just in case we needed to head home before he was done. (More on that later). Since Summer is still too little to do much at the park, we spend most of our time on the swings while Kylie runs around.

Sometimes she'll even stop to "help" for a minute.

From the pictures, it probably seems like we spent a good long time at the park. Try 15 minutes. About 15 minutes after arriving at the park, Kylie proudly declared that she needed to use the bathroom (of course). So I loaded the girls into the stroller and walked the 15 minutes home. And no, I did not walk all the way back to the park when she was done.

Since I was the one doing the walking in 80 degree weather, I sat down to rest when I got home. The girls had plenty of energy so they tackled each other. Seriously. It's their favorite game in the world. Summer will take a couple steps, Kylie will grab her ankle and TRIP her, and they both laugh hysterically. Anything to fill the time, I guess.
Proof.

After lunch and Summer's nap, we'll either go back outside, run errands, or spend some time in the cool basement. Yesterday we opted for the basement. Someone was busy working on her climbing skills.... I have a feeling that she'll be one of those kids that tries to crawl out of her crib at a very young age. While Kylie plays, I alternate between playing with her and keeping Summer off the stairs. Believe me when I say it's exhausting.

The girls played dress up. Well, Kylie played and decided to involve Summer, whether she liked it or not. Summer started getting a terrible cold, which is why she doesn't look very thrilled in this picture. But she's still cute, nonetheless.
After playtime (which can seem like it goes on forever some days), we have dinner, baths, and then the bedtime routine. From reading this it may sound like my day is a piece of cake. I mean, how hard can it be to go play on the playground or play dress up?? The answer to that could take up an entire blog in and of itself....

To: Kylie

2011-08-13T13:39:00.003-04:00

I feel like I hardly ever post anything about Kylie. It's not that she doesn't do anything interesting. It's just that it's difficult to document those interesting things.

The other day we met up with a friend to enjoy the splash pad.
Of course it was only about 70 degrees and cloudy, but Kylie braved the freezing water several times.

But she mostly did this. I would too.

I love the butt ruffle on her swimsuit. I call it a "buffle."

Usually around 2:00 every day, Kylie and I hit the same wall. We have already spent the morning running errands or playing so we're a little low on energy. Since Summer sleeps during this time, it's pretty common for me to take a quick cat nap too. I hate to admit it, but this is usually when I turn on the TV for Kylie and it sometimes stays on for quite a while. I know it's not a great habit to get into, but I have to say that she has learned A TON from the shows she watches. It's a daily goal of mine to minimize the TV watching, but it's nice to know that her brain isn't turning to complete mush. (eg: she knows what a boutique is. I definitely didn't teach her that).

But, during that lull, we do these little workbooks too. She loves to learn and I'm happy to teach her. My mom got her several books that will help with fine motor skills, such as tracing letters, dot-to-dots, etc. She is doing awesome!

It's not the best picture, but she traced the uppercase and lowercase "F."

For Christmas we bought her flashcards that focused on letter sounds. A few weeks ago she got really interested in them again and she's a learned a lot from these too.

I'm so impressed by her ability to remember things. Once you teach her something, she remembers it. It's really unfair. My older brother is the same way. I admire her desire to learn new things.

GOOOAAAALLLLL!!!

2011-08-13T13:31:00.002-04:00

My younger brother played in a community soccer league this summer so we decided to watch him one evening. It was ridiculously hot that day but we still had a great time. (Kramer is the one on the right wearing blue).

For at least half of the time we were there, Kylie bounced this rubber ball off the wall and chased it everywhere. She played with rocks the other half.

Summer found this random patch of shade and walked back and forth, back and forth...

Then she got ambitious! She's such a go-getter.

And We're Done

2011-07-30T21:13:00.004-04:00

Can you believe July is already over??? This month has been a busy one (as always, it seems). A few noteworthy things that have happened:

Josh was released as the Elders' Quorum President and called as the Ward Executive Secretary at church. This means that he will spend much of his time on the phone or computer setting up appointments for the Bishop, helping to assign callings to ward members, and attending meetings every Sunday and Wednesday. He is SO excited to have this calling because he will be working with some pretty awesome guys.
I was released as the Personal Progress leader and called as the 1st Counselor in the Young Women organization. I'm very excited for this calling but it will be very demanding of my time. Wednesday night activities, Sunday church meetings, bi-weekly presidency meetings, monthly Saturday activities, quarterly temple trips, and firesides will fill my calendar up in a hurry!
I got a part-time job at a store/tanning salon called Endless Summer. I'll be working evenings and weekends, about 15-20 hours a week. I'm looking forward to getting out of the house and doing a little something for me (plus the extra income can't hurt).

And here is what else we've been up to!
Anniversary Celebration
On May 18, Josh and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. Time flies! We decided to celebrate it a couple months late so we could enjoy a relaxing weekend on the beach soaking up some sun. Unfortunately, it rained so we moved on to Plan B. We went out to lunch, saw Harry Potter, played pool (a favorite past time of ours), and then went to a Whitecaps game with another couple. Then we spent the night at the JW Marriott in downtown GR. We had such a great weekend, just the two of us.

Our room was on the 16th floor and the view of the city was incredible.

My favorite part of the whole suite was the bathroom. Seriously.

At night the place just came to life. This is the view from the 16th floor straight down to the lobby. I'm usually not afraid of heights but looking straight down that far kinda freaked me out.

Enjoying Summertime
As I mentioned, we stay pretty busy, but it's the "mundane" things that really fill up our day. We spend most of our time outside in the garden, kiddie pool, or driveway blowing bubbles. We also visit several of our favorite parks in the area, which the kids absolutely love.

Even Summer finds something to do at the park!

Some days it is just too hot and humid to spend the whole day outside, so we switch it up a bit: the library, the play area in the mall, or the basement :) This is what I try to avoid...

Growing Up

Summer is now 11 MONTHS OLD and developing like crazy! Here is some more info about her.

Eating: Summer pretty much eats solid food all the time now, except for the bottle that she gets in the morning and before bed. She snacks on Graham crackers, Cheerios, and Gerber puffs in between meals too. She is not a picky eater at all, which I love.

Walking: Summer prefers to walk rather than crawl. That girl can move, too! She is great about playing in the living room on her own, but when she gets bored, she has no problem finding me anywhere in the house.

Sleeping: For a while there she was actually sleeping through the night consistently, but now she's back to waking up once. I think it's either because she's going through a growth spurt or because she's teething (she has SIX teeth now!) It's honestly hard for me to get used to her not being on a predictable schedule because Kylie was such a textbook baby, but she's perfectly happy without one.

Playing: I could not ask for a more content baby. Summer will keep herself entertained for hours, especially now that she can get wherever she wants to go by herself. It warms my heart to see Kylie sharing her toys, playing Peek-a-boo, or hide-and-seek with her. Believe it or not, they even rough-house too, but Summer can totally hold her own!

Talking: In addition to mama, dada, and baba, Summer will say "up," "go," "more," and "yeah." I love when she says "yeah." For instance, when she's getting fussy in her high chair, I'll ask her if she's all done, and she'll immediately reply "yeah."

So that's what we've been up to! I'll try to update more diligently in August.

Check, Check!

2011-07-16T21:06:00.004-04:00

We made a Summer Bucket List a few weeks ago and have been slowly checking things off. We were recently able to check off two: camping and going to the beach.

Some friends from our church hosted a father/child campout at their house, and Josh was thrilled to take Kylie. Can you tell she chose her own accessories?

She had a great time trekking through the woods and throwing rocks in the pond.

Anyone was welcome to stay overnight, but since Kylie is still pretty young, Josh brought her home. But she enjoyed spending time outdoors with her daddy!

And, OK, we have totally been to the beach multiple times already this summer, so I may have been able to check that one off the list a while ago.... but here are some pictures anyway :)

This time we went to Millenium Park. This is, by far, the most kid-friendly beach out there! It's a man-made lake so it's not deep at all, there are no waves, and the temperature is perfect! As you can see, everyone LOVED spending time in the water on this 90 degree day.

This picture makes me smile :)

Rainy Days and Mondays

2011-07-13T20:27:00.003-04:00

We got hit with a pretty crazy storm Monday morning. We waited out the storm in the basement where we were surrounded by the essentials: toys, toys, and more toys!

Summer used her time wisely.... It was only a matter of time, I suppose. (Sorry, that picture is super blurry).

We've had this cute box full of dress-up clothes since Christmas and Kylie is just now starting to show interest in it! There's no need to rotate toys at our house-- Kylie just picks and chooses all on her own, I guess. Love her ensemble. That's exactly what I would wear if I were going out in public too.

After spending most of the morning in the basement, we headed upstairs for lunch. I gave Summer a sippy cup to try, which she handled like a champ. Is there anything this girl can't do???

By afternoon the sun was out so we ventured outside.... and couldn't believe the damage! It's kind of tricky to see in the picture, but that's a tree laying right on top of that house. Absolutely nothing happened to our house/yard. It was pretty incredible.

Kylie decided to play dress-up again, but this time she used Summer as her model for her headbands.

Ok, Kylie, seriously...

We played a little hopscotch...

...and even Summer got in on the action!

That evening we enjoyed some family time. We talked about the earth, the weather, and all of the creatures Heavenly Father created. Then we had dirt cups to tie it all together. Somebody LOVED them!

Just Another Day at the Beach

2011-07-07T21:13:00.002-04:00

I took the girls to Tunnel Park today with our dear friends from church, the Smith's. Their 5 girls are always willing to hang out with my girls, whether they be happy, sad, overtired, hyper... you name it. Here is a prime example-- Madison is holding Summer, and Alissa is building a sand castle with Kylie. Needless to say, I enjoyed a relaxing afternoon.
Summer and Madison. Summer had that look on her face almost the whole time we were there. She may have missed a nap...

Kylie actually went in the water! She'll usually wade in to her knees, but today she went in up to her neck. Brave girl! Can you tell the water was cold?

Me and Summer :)

Madison and Kylie. They have the cutest little friendship!

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-07T20:19:00.008-04:00

Fourth of July weekend was jam packed with fun stuff! On Saturday, my parents were sweet enough to watch the girls so Josh and I could go to Detroit for my date of choice. The 2 1/2 hour drive each way was almost as enjoyable as the date itself. We're hardly ever the only ones in the car these days!

First, we went to the Detroit Temple where we were married. It's always a great experience going to the temple, but that one will always be special to me.
Then, we went to a Detroit Tigers game. We were way at the top, but I totally didn't care because it was still a cool experience. Plus, we were covered by an awning that provided us with some much-needed shade on that hot 95 degree day!

And, of course, when you go to a baseball game you have to get a hotdog!

About an hour into the game, around the third inning or so, we heard thunder. Within minutes the sky became dark and it began to pour. Not only was the rain coming down really hard, but it was blowing ferociously too. The announcer told everyone to go to the nearest concourse.

It was a pretty tight squeeze!

We knew there was a chance they would resume the game once the rain stopped, but after an hour of being sandwiched together, we just decided to take off. (The Tigers were already down by 6 anyway). About 15 minutes into our drive, this is what the sky looked like! Tornado weather? I think so! Believe it or not, we only drove in heavy rain for about 30 minutes, and then the sky cleared right up and the temperature dropped to a comfortable 74 degrees. Crazy weather! We did stop and get something to eat on our way home, so we didn't feel rushed and we were able to enjoy our ride back.

On Sunday evening, we went to my grandparents' house, who live just around the corner from us. Kylie just had to use their spacious backyard for a game of baseball. My grandpa (PaPa) was happy to get involved.

Check out that stance!

This man has so much energy for an 85-year-old. He has always been so great about playing with the kids-- back when I was little, and even now with my own children.

My grandparents bought this baby swing just for Summer. She loved it, but like most things, she'll outgrow it very soon!

Kylie would jump in front of the swing and let Summer kick her in the chest. I have no idea why that would be fun, but whatever floats your boat!

Monday was a chaotic day, but it was so fun! We started out at Tunnel Park in Holland. It was the perfect day to be at the beach. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, it wasn't super humid, and there was hardly any wind at all. We really enjoyed every minute of our time there.

After the beach, we went to our friends' house for a BBQ. Again, Kylie loved having someone--anyone-- willing to play baseball with her, but I think Summer's favorite part was dessert.

Our plan was to take the girls to see fireworks in the evening, but we actually dipped out of the BBQ kind of early because the girls were so drained. Summer went right to bed, but Kylie hung outside with me and we had our own little festivities. We started out with some poppers. She loved that noise!

Then we did about 5 boxes of sparklers. When I did the first one, she only wanted to watch, but that quickly changed.

We had such a great time celebrating Independence Day. It's wonderful that we have several days set aside each year to remember those who fought-- and still fight-- for our freedom. I know I take it for granted on a daily basis but I really do feel blessed to live in a free country.

Guess Who's Walking Now?

2011-06-26T21:56:00.004-04:00

At 9 months and 26 days old, Summer took her first steps! I had a bet against Josh that she would walk before the end of this month. I win :) Now I get to choose what date I want to go on.

First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T22:26:00.006-04:00

Summer (the season) is officially here! Josh and I created a summer bucket list that I'm way excited about--thanks, Lindsey! One thing that we put on the list was blowing bubbles. I bought this bubble blower for Kylie and she had a great time testing it out.

She also enjoyed testing out the new nozzle I got for the hose.
Oh, I don't see this going well at all...

Some of the other items we put on our bucket list are: camping, going to the beach, making s'mores, hosting a BBQ, and attending a baseball game. If, by chance, we ever make our way to Detroit, Kylie will be prepared to support the Tigers. She had a great teacher!

My parents got Kylie a little something for those dreaded rainy days. I love that she's hanging on the rim already. I think this will be a great summer.

Speaking of Summer (you like how I did that?), here are her stats from her 9 month appointment that I promised.

Length: 29" (90th percentile)
Weight: 21 lbs. 13 oz. (90th percentile)
Head: 43.2 cm (28th percentile)

She's still a big girl but, boy, is she on the move! Josh and I have a bet going. I think that she'll walk before the end of this month, and if I win, I get to choose a date for us to go on. I think she's on my side :)

Girls Camp!

2011-06-21T21:02:00.012-04:00

During the week of June 13-18th I attended Girls Camp and it was such a BLAST!

Background info: Every summer, the girls in our church that are aged 12-18 attend a week-long camp. The girls are split up according to age and each level is identified by a color. There is an overall theme for the week and each level also gets assigned a smaller theme within that theme. It's a great experience. The girls make new friends, try new things, experience the outdoors, and have a wonderful opportunity to build a stronger testimony of the principles of the gospel. I LOVED Girls Camp growing up so I was absolutely thrilled when they asked me to be a leader. I was even more excited when I learned the theme of the camp: "Happiness Ever After."

I was an assistant leader over the 15-year-old girls (AKA 4th years) with my friends, Sue and Stefani. The fourth years were assigned the color orange and their theme/story was The Ugly Duckling. The leaders all showed up Sunday evening to decorate the level sites.

We created a reflection pond because the Ugly Duckling looked down in the water and realized that he was a beautiful swan. The pink sign had a quote that talked about how there is nothing more beautiful than a girl who knows who she is.

Do you see that paw print on the upper right corner of the mirror??? We totally had a visitor!
Monday morning Josh and the girls dropped me off at camp. I was a little nervous about leaving the girls anyway, but that feeling intensified when Kylie threw up in the car and I knew I would have to leave Josh to tend to her alone :( She was totally fine, but I still felt bad. Anyway, this was my home for the week!

The 4th years got to begin their week by riding horses and then canoeing over to an island to spend the night. It was so much fun! By the time I canoed over there (which took all of 5 minutes) most of the tents were set up already. A couple from our church taught the girls how to use a dutch oven and they made us an amazing dinner: steak fajitas, pineapple upside-down cake, and apple crisp. Who eats that like when they're camping??? We do!

That night the girls played a game called Chaos. Basically, everyone sits in a circle with a partner sitting behind them. When the person standing in the center of the circle points to them, the back person will do anything and everything to keep their partner from getting to the center within 10 seconds. It is an all-out BRAWL. None of the other levels are allowed to play it because it's so brutal, but the girls LOVE it and it's something they look forward to doing as experienced 4th years :)

Told you it was brutal. My camera couldn't even capture the wrestling match very well. I got roped into playing too and I ended up with leaves in my hair and dirt all over my clothes... and in my ear... but I won!

The next morning we canoed back over to camp and, by then, everyone else was showing up to begin their week. The girls played games and participated in activities that focused on how to live happily ever after. They learned that they need to have a positive outlook on life, make good choices, be on the Lord's side, keep the commandments, live worthy to enter the temple, and serve others.

Each morning there was a 30 minute devotional, and guess who got to speak Wednesday morning? Yours truly! I was totally stressed about it before camp, but it went VERY well and I received a lot of compliments from both leaders and girls. My topic was on reaping what you sow (making good choices) so I talked about how certain fairy tales would have ended very differently had the main character just made one poor choice. I made posters of each fairy tale I talked about, which I think helped hold their attention at 9am.
The girls participated in a project called Little Dresses for Africa. They made these darling little dresses out of pillowcases.
Ok, some games and activities were totally just for fun!

Not only was there horseback riding, but there was swimming, boating, crafts, and archery.

The week was absolutely wonderful. It's designed for the girls but the leaders have fun and are spiritually fed too. My favorite moment? When a group of girls were performing a beautiful song and they began signing the chorus. That was my favorite moment because there was a deaf girl at camp that needed interpreting all week long, and I knew that those girls learned sign language just for her.

While I was away....
Josh and my mom took turns watching the girls. I think they loved spending time with their dad and Grandma, and I'm so grateful to them for stepping up so that I could volunteer at camp. One day Josh took the girls to Millennium Park, a cute little beach close by. Somebody's swimsuit was a little bit too big... Whose kid is that anyway? :)

Don't worry. We'll just tie some plastic around it and call it good! (That's such a guy thing to do, but that's why I love it).

Kylie loved playing with the water with her buddy Thad.

Somebody else liked the water too!

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T22:00:00.004-04:00

Happy Father's Day to my two favorite guys :) Here are just a few of the reasons why I love them so much.

My dad is incredibly friendly. People always comment that he always has a smile on his face and they're right. I love that he is always cracking jokes and doing impersonations. He's an excellent listener and I especially appreciate that he makes it a point to be super involved with my kids.

Josh is such a FANTASTIC dad... seriously. (Most of these pictures are of him holding Summer because Kylie is a mama's girl). He's a great sport. He gets actively involved in outings and holidays just because he knows it will make the kids happy.

He takes care of the kids during the evening so I can have a break. He also gets up in the middle of the night with them (sometimes both of them at once).

He knows how to make our kids feel special and loved. He truly knows them.

He is the best snuggler :)

He can bring out a smile in anyone, but especially the girls.

He is always willing to take the kids so I can have a break. He'll rock Summer to sleep so I'm not dealing with a cranky baby, or he'll hang out in nursery if Kylie is having a tough time.

He's not afraid to let people know that he's a family man, regardless of the setting.

He is one of the most patient people I know. (During this track meet, he took an overtired Kylie to the bathroom twice, which made him miss 2 of the 3 races we came to see. Was he mad? No. To him, it just comes with the territory).

He is game for anything! Parks, beaches, walks around the block, bike rides... you name it. The girls love that he is always willing to play, even if it's smack dab in the middle of his work day.

I am such a lucky girl. I'm so happy to be married to a man who is patient, loving, compassionate, forgiving, energetic, kind, and fun :)

June (So Far)

2011-06-05T18:08:00.006-04:00

Festival

Every year in downtown Grand Rapids there is an event called Festival of the Arts. It's just a fun opportunity to get outside and walk around downtown while sampling amazing food and listening to great music. We all loved it. The weather was perfect!

Kylie loved watching the water in the fountain go up and down

Kylie admiring the flowers. Actually, that's a lie-- she's totally checking out the dirt.

State
Yesterday we all headed out to the state track meet to support my cousin, Kendell. In a previous phone conversation my dad told Kendell to run like she belonged there. The family thought that was excellent advice so we showed up to the meet sporting these shirts:
The crew: Aunt Kim, Josh, Uncle Corey, me, Dad, Kramer, Kylie
It was so fun watching all of those top athletes run, but it was over 90 degrees out there. Even Summer was all sweaty.
I just thought this picture was kind of funny. People often comment that my Dad and Uncle Corey look so much alike. I would have to agree!
Kendell participated in the 400m relay, 800m relay, and 100m dash. She placed within the top 8 in every single one of her events, which is a really big deal considering that she's only a freshman. Way to go, Kendell!!!

9 Months

2011-06-05T17:56:00.003-04:00

Someday I'll get to move around, too...
What a difference one month makes! During the month of May, Summer seemed to learn something new every single day, such as saying "Mama" and "baba," holding her own bottle, pulling herself up to a standing position, and getting her 2 bottom teeth.

In addition, she is walking herself along furniture...

clapping...

and crawling!

She also puts absolutely everything in her mouth.

Summer still eats like a champ and is enjoying simple solid foods, such as cheerios, Gerber puffs, and small pieces of bread. She sure has come a long way! Her 9 month appointment is on Wednesday-- stats will follow :)

CHAOS

2011-06-05T17:15:00.006-04:00

I've said it before and I'll say it again: May is a crazy month! Here are some highlights.

Softball
Josh's softball league started up and he couldn't be more excited. It's always nice to get outside and enjoy the fresh air, but it's even better when you're watching friends and family members playing a sport that they really enjoy.
Josh pitching

Even Kylie gets involved :)

Anniversary

Not only did I get to celebrate my birthday, but exactly one week later Josh and I celebrated our 5th anniversary. So much has happened in that short amount of time! It's hard to believe that it all began here...
In honor of our anniversary, I decorated our bedroom :) Ok, I really did it because we moved into a new place and it was time to make it feel like home. Although, I once heard someone say that the way a couple's bedroom looks says a lot about them. For instance, if you neglect your bedroom, you may be likely to neglect your relationship. I have no idea if that's actually true, but just in case I bought new bedding and some wall decor. The saying reads, "Goodnight my Love, goodnight my everything."

Moving

We moved again! In our 5 short years of marriage, Josh and I have lived in SEVEN different places, including 3 different states. If moving was an Olympic event, we would take home the gold...to a different house, probably. Some friends of ours bought a foreclosed duplex so we began fixing it up and renting from them at the end of May. We LOVE the extra space: 3 bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths, finished basement, garage, yard, etc.

The day we moved in, Kylie sliced her toe on some blinds that were lying on the floor. It bled forever but once she got her bandaid, she was good as new. Welcome home, right?

The girls handled the move really well. Since it was only a few miles from our old apartment, we were able to make frequent trips to the duplex and get the girls familiar with their new home. They seemed to enjoy their last night at the apartment when our bed frame was taken down.

New 'Do

2011-05-23T22:07:00.002-04:00

Kylie got her first official haircut today! She just got a couple inches taken off and now has bangs again. I'm thrilled that she still has curls! I was so nervous that they would be gone forever since her curls are really only at the end of her hair.

I took her to a salon last week and it was a disaster. She cried and said it was "busy" so we just ended up leaving, despite my bag full of awesome stuff for her. A friend of mine from church cut her hair today and was so patient with her. Kylie was able to watch TV on my lap while eating popcorn. Worked like a charm.

Miss Mischief

2011-05-23T21:51:00.002-04:00

Each year for Mother's Day the women at church are given flowers. I was excited to bring my beautiful gerbera daisies home-- I thought they would add a little color to my living room. Kylie had other plans.... She ripped out the flowers and tossed them over the balcony so she could have easier access to the good stuff: dirt.

She even watered her dirt, which made a lovely muddy mess

At the time, I really didn't know whether to laugh or cry at this sight. I chose to laugh :)

I have caught her sitting in Summer's baby swing several times. I really can't get that upset about it though. (1) It's already broken, and (2) she is still within the weight limit!

May = Busy!

2011-05-13T12:43:00.004-04:00

Did I mention that May is a busy month? In addition to fixing up the duplex, packing/moving, and preparing for Girls Camp, we have a few special occasions to celebrate!

This past Wednesday was my 24th birthday. Since I knew my birthday would fall on a weekday this year, I decided to kind of do my own thing instead of going somewhere for dinner, etc. My one and only birthday gift was getting my hair highlighted :) I haven't done that since high school (and it was a TOTAL disaster) but I'm so happy with the way it turned out.

And here's the fun part-- purple! I did a purple strip on each side, but it's at the base of my neck so you can't really see it unless I really try to make it obvious (or I wear my hair up somehow).

That was supposed to be my only gift, but I may have splurged some more. I bought myself a new outfit, new jewelry, new shoes, a movie, some breakfast....

During the day we went to my grandma's house and just hung out in her backyard. I love to see her with my kids. It's just sweet. Summer took Grandma for a little walk :)

And apparently all that practicing has paid off!

Here is just a random video of the family. These are the kinds of things we do when life slows down for 2 seconds. I think Kylie and Summer have such a cute relationship.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T22:02:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Today was a great day. Josh pretty much took care of everything today so I could relax and just enjoy this special day. Not only that, but the talks at church were awesome and I got to spend time with my family this afternoon. I made my mom this apron for Mother's Day.

I am so grateful for my own mom. She's such a great example and is seriously the kindest person I know. Sometimes I forget that she's my mom because we're such great friends. When I grow up, I hope I can be just like her :)

Lately I have been thinking a lot about what it means to be a mother. It is SOOOOO much harder than I could have ever anticipated. For example, I grew up with the understanding that once you have a baby, the baby always comes first. This is definitely true. What I didn't fully comprehend, though, was that you have to put yourself dead last-- everyone and everything demands attention too! I struggle with this. At the end of each day I feel worn out, behind schedule, and frustrated at my shortcomings. I often find myself thinking, "Hey, what about me?"

I'm discovering weaknesses about myself that I didn't even know I had. For instance, I am an absolute monster when I don't get enough sleep. I am impatient. I raise my voice. In my head I swear like a sailor and... sometimes those words slip out. I can't function well when my house is a cluttered mess. I used to think that choosing to be a stay-at-home mom was easier than having a career because you don't have to get dressed up if you don't want to, you don't have to answer to a boss, and you don't even have to interview for the position! I was such an idiot. This is BY FAR the hardest thing I have ever done and I often wonder if I'm even doing a good job.

But you know what? At the end of the day I can recall every moment--happy or sad-- that I spent with my kids. I know how Kylie got the bruise on her knee and what made Summer giggle. I know that we had family prayer before bed and I know how many kisses Kylie requested as I tucked her in. I may have a billion worries running through my mind as I collapse into bed each night, but I find comfort in knowing that my kids are healthy, safe, and loved... and they know it.

I have learned so much from the daily grind of motherhood, but I have learned the most from my kids. I am just now beginning to understand what it means to "become as a little child." My daughters don't judge me if I don't get a shower until 1 in the afternoon. They are patient with me when I lose my temper. They instantly forgive me, even if I make the same mistake 1000 times. Their innocence makes me smile. When I grow up, I want to be like them too.
I'm so grateful for the wonderful moms all around me who inspire me to work hard at becoming an exceptional mom. I know not to compare myself to others, but instead to watch those I admire and learn from them. I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day.

By the Way

2011-05-04T08:57:00.003-04:00

I transferred pictures/videos from my camera onto the computer and came across some fun things. This picture has a funny story behind it. Since we started bathing Kylie and Summer together, Kylie noticed that Summer has a birthmark on her back and now she calls it "her brown." Kylie will spend a great deal of time washing Summer's "brown" in hopes of getting it off for her. Good luck with that, Kylie!

One nice thing about the weather warming up is the chance we have to get outdoors and enjoy some high school sports. My cousin, Kendell, is a freshman at one of the local high school and doing VERY well in track. I really enjoy watching her because she runs the exact same races that I ran in high school. Here she is running the 200 meter dash (1/2 way around the track). As you can see she's pretty incredible. She ran this race in 26 seconds. That is FLYING and I have no doubt that she'll knock it down to 25 seconds by the end of her season.

I absolutely love watching Kylie and Summer interact with one another. Kylie can make her laugh better than anyone!

Yesterday was a HUGE day for Summer! It's like a bunch of things just clicked all at once and she reached several developmental milestones. She said "Mama" and I know she associates the word with me. Yay! In the past she has been getting up on all fours from a sitting position, but yesterday she pushed up from her tummy. She'll definitely be on the move soon. She also learned to clap yesterday-- well, Summer style. She did it all on her own and once I realized what she was trying to do, Kylie and I encouraged her to keep trying.

Changes

2011-04-30T16:23:00.003-04:00

We sure are going through a lot of changes around here! Summer is now 8 months old and is making all sorts of discoveries. She is experimenting with getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth.

But it usually doesn't last too long.

Sleeping through the night is now the rule, rather than the exception, but she's still not 100% consistent. She still has an 8 oz bottle in the morning and evening, but will now eat 2 "stage 2" containers of a fruit for lunch and a vegetable for dinner. And yes, she eats it ALL-- her diapers prove it.

I know you're not supposed to say, "I will be happy when..." but this is the stage I wait for! I love that I can set Summer down on the floor with various toys and she'll be perfectly happy for a long period of time. I love that she can, for the most part, get where she wants to go. She is much happier now because she's sleeping well at night and becoming more mobile during the day. I love having a happy baby!

Summer and I are also teething :) Summer's 2 bottom teeth are still (slowly) working their way in, but at least she's not fussy anymore. Around the same time I started getting my wisdom teeth so I could totally empathize with her. Teething is a pain! I got my wisdom teeth out Friday morning and everything went really well. My procedure, including wake up time, took all of 35 minutes. Even the recovery has been better than expected. Thank goodness that's over with!

At the end of May our address will change. We'll be moving into a duplex around the corner and we are so excited about the extra space we'll have. Until then we will be packing and gradually moving things over. May promises to be a very busy month!

p.s. One more change I forgot to mention: Kylie started calling me "Mom" instead of "Mommy." Sad :(

Easter

2011-04-27T22:26:00.007-04:00

I hope everyone had a fantastic Easter! I know we did. To me, it was just an all-around great day. I felt so uplifted at church and then we got to spend the rest of the day with our extended family.

I wasn't able to get any pictures of the girls until after church so...they could be better. My mom bought the girls matching Easter dresses. They're too young to protest matching outfits yet :)

The girls were exhausted by the time we got home from church and attempted snapping pictures, but here ya go!

Summer was a little more cooperative

Kylie brightened right up when we brought out her Easter basket. She had a couple of eggs with pennies inside because she loves to ride the horse at Meijer (our local grocery store). Now she's prepared.

The Easter Bunny also gave her a gift...

"Tangled." Can I just say that it is the cutest movie ever?

We had about an hour and a half between the time we got home from church and the time we were to meet at my grandparents' house for Easter dinner. By the time we got there Summer was totally pooped and zonked out during dinner.

After dinner we headed outside for a little Easter egg hunt. My kids are by far the youngest members of the family, but it's so fun because the cousins that are teenagers enjoy playing with the little ones. They were happy to spread the eggs all over the yard and help Kylie find them.

There was a single skittle inside each egg. When we came inside, Kylie at them ALL. Uncle Corey helped her burn off the calories by doing a little yoga.

And in case that didn't work, she played with PaPa (Great-Grandpa Jefferson). When I was a kid, I would play this same little game with PaPa. I would give him a high-five as hard as I could, and he would pretend that it hurt like crazy. He would shake his hand, blow on it, and say, "Ow, ow, ow!" Even at 85, he's still got it!

Happy Easter, from our family to yours!

It's a Record!!!!!

2011-04-20T22:22:00.002-04:00

Summer slept through the night THREE nights in a row. Praise the Lord!!!!! I think I'm beginning to figure her out... after 7 months. Let's pray this continues.

Golf: Kylie Style

2011-04-14T22:41:00.004-04:00

So you want to play indoor golf, Kylie style? First, grab a bucket of balls. A lopsided jack-o-lantern one works great.

Set up your "tee." A strainer from a play kitchen will do the job just fine. Make sure you line up your shot-- it's pretty tough to play golf with a broom amidst loads of clutter.

Now give it a good swing!

I thought that was very creative of Kylie. After she went to bed, I was cleaning up and I couldn't find the tennis balls anywhere. As I went to put her little strainer away, I found one. Then another... then another....

I Make This Look Good

2011-04-10T20:58:00.004-04:00

Summer received this adorable dress shortly after she was born and I've been waiting for the weather to finally warm up enough for her to wear it.

The Ultimate Post

2011-04-06T14:26:00.005-04:00

A TON has happened recently so rather than doing a bunch of separate posts, I'll do one huge one.

KYLE'S VISIT
My brother was in town for about 10 days and we definitely enjoyed having him.

At my younger brother's soccer game

Since Kyle's birthday is on April 16th we surprised him with a mini party while he was here. Since he's not a big dessert person, my mom made him a fruit smoothie and put candles in it. I don't think any sank to the bottom...

THAD'S 3rd BIRTHDAY
We celebrated Thad's birthday at the church. I'm telling you, the cultural hall at the church building is a wonderful place for kids to run around! They had a blast throwing bouncy balls, playing with slinkies, blowing bubbles, riding bikes, etc.

SICKIES
Unfortunately, the Steorts fam has been sick. I think the only thing worse than a sick baby is a teething sick baby. It's been about as fun as it looks...

Not only was Kylie sick too, but she had to share a room with Summer when she was sick. That's enough to tucker anybody out!

7 MONTHS OLD
Summer has made great strides in the past month! She still rolls everywhere and enjoys sitting on her own, completely unsupported. She puts absolutely everything in her mouth and almost has her two bottom teeth. She is sleeping through the night more consistently now and has a pretty predictable schedule during the day. Have I mentioned how well she eats?? An 8 ounce bottle in the morning, 2/3 of a cup of rice cereal for lunch, 1 1/2 containers of veggies for dinner, and another 8 ounce bottle before bed. WHEW!

Now that she can sit on her own, we've started bathing her with Kylie. They both love the company and it makes for a more efficient bedtime routine for Mom and Dad.

She's not complaining!

As I mentioned, this girl loves to roll! One day at my parents' house Kylie mentioned that she needed to go to the bathroom. I set Summer in the middle of the floor to help Kylie with her business and when I came back, Summer was gone. I heard a muffled noise coming from under the loveseat across the room and sure enough... that's where she was! I leave her for 1 minute...

One interesting thing about Summer is her temperament. She's pretty laid back and enjoys observing what's going on around her. Many people have commented on how stoic she is, but she mainly seems that way because she's so wrapped up in her surroundings. I promise, she's one happy girl!

RAIN OR SHINE
Kylie keeps busy no matter what the weather. This girl would ride her bike in a snowstorm.

But when it does get too cold, she keeps herself entertained inside just fine!

Butterflies are Blooming

2011-03-29T15:03:00.002-04:00

Over the weekend we went to Frederik Meijer Gardens to see the butterfly exhibit. Since my brother rode with us, I had the privilege of sitting in the back with the girls. It was a tight squeeze!

Kylie insisted that she sit in the stroller.

That quickly changed once she saw these beautiful creatures!

She loved watching them flutter around...

unless they came too close!

Summer was happy as can be with Daddy :)

LOVE

2011-03-24T23:01:00.002-04:00

My family is my everything. I'm so grateful to have my older brother home for a few days!

This never gets old.

Either does this :)

I absolutely cherish these moments when our family is together.

JOSH FEST! Days 3 & 4

2011-03-21T16:57:00.006-04:00

On Sunday we finally celebrated Josh's birthday. We went over to my parents' house with Sherman, Jen, and the boys. Everybody had a blast (especially the kids). Back in January we had a potluck lunch after church and Josh got to sample a four-layered pumpkin caramel cake, which he promptly requested for his birthday. My mom was kind enough to make it for him and everybody absolutely loved it! It's definitely a new favorite for us!

Today (Monday) we all met up with Josh's brother, Aaron, and his wife Patti at this awesome deli in downtown Grand Rapids. The food was fantastic!!!!

We met up during Summer's naptime so she wasn't exactly happy with us...

but she got over it quickly enough.

Kylie was thrilled to get to spend more time with her Uncle Aaron!

After lunch we went to Centerpointe Mall and let the kids play for a while. They decided to play hide-and-seek. Here's Ryan counting...

Mason hiding...

and Kylie doing her own thing (as usual!)

We had so much fun this weekend with our friends and family. It was a great birthday for Josh but I think it's safe to say that we all had tons of fun!

JOSH FEST! Days 1 & 2

2011-03-20T12:16:00.005-04:00

This past Friday was Josh's birthday and we have been celebrating all weekend long. On Friday we went out to dinner and a movie with Josh's brother, Aaron, and his wife Patti. They are the first ones from Josh's side of the family to meet Summer so that was really special. Unfortunately, I forgot to get pictures during dinner so this is the best I could do that day. Don't worry--we'll see them on Monday :)

You know what I got Josh for his birthday? A Michigan sticker for the car and a Michigan sweatshirt. Oh... and this guy! Sherman is one of Josh's absolute best friends from college and they have kept in great touch all of these years. Since he doesn't live too far away (Wisconsin), I arranged to have him come for Josh's birthday weekend. We have such a blast hanging out with him and his 2 sons!

On Saturday we spent the entire day with Sherman and the boys. We went to the hotel and spent quite a bit of time swimming. I was so surprised that Kylie actually went in. This is the girl that will talk for weeks about going to the beach and then will sit in the sand the whole time we're there.

Kylie had a hard time understanding that she needed to walk when she was outside of the pool... until she biffed it like 3 times and scraped up her legs, butt, and hands. She really tried to follow directions, though.

I'm sure her new friends had something to do with her overcoming her fear of the water. Ryan (left) and Mason (right) had so much fun playing with their dad in the pool!

This little girl is our water baby!! She had no problems whatsoever with the water.

See?

On Friday morning I had a little accident with the door to my apartment and almost completely ripped my toenail off. OUCH!!! So unfortunately, I was unable to swim (and I've been limping around everywhere ever since) but I was more than happy to hang out with Summer when she finally tired of the water.

By the end of the day, we were all exhausted so we took some time to just relax and read some books. The kids played so well together all day long and they were very ready to relax together too. (Jen is a friend of Sherman's that came to help out with the kiddos. They adore her).

All in all, we are having a blast with friends and family! More to come soon!

Mi Muchachas

2011-03-16T21:00:00.002-04:00

I just love my girls. I love that they both bring such different but special qualities to our family. Kylie is pretty much the happiest kid I know.

But she has her mellow side too...

Kylie using Daddy's tools to help him put batteries in a toy. She's such a girlie-girl :)

And now, presenting Summer Productions! She has been incredibly busy the past couple of weeks and I happen to have many of her milestones caught on film.

She has been blowing raspberries like crazy!

Once she discovered the raspberries, it seemed as if she learned that her own tongue was making the noise. Her tongue then became her new obsession. She does this all day long.

After her 6 month appointment, I started her on vegetables. We started with squash and she was not sure about them AT ALL! (Sorry, this video is long, but I promise it gets funnier the longer you watch, haha).

Rolling is another favorite activity for her and that is her preferred mode of transportation for now. She rolls across the room to get toys, etc. Sorry about the squash all over her clothes... (By the way, the second day that I tried feeding her squash, she ate 2 whole jars!!)
Summer has started saying "da, da, da."

She is pretty much sitting up on her own now. I sat her down on the floor today, thinking that she would fall right over, and she just... sat there... for a long time (sorry about the sideways video).

Now that she is sitting on her own, we put her in the regular bath with Kylie. As you can see, it was interesting! (That's not poop next to Summer; it's a penny).
I just can't believe how quickly the girls are growing. Kylie is a little girl now who speaks in full sentences, uses the potty, and follows simple directions. Summer has just blossomed this month and is learning new things every single day. I love watching them develop!

6 Months Old

2011-03-06T21:30:00.007-05:00

STATS

Height: 27" (98%)
Weight: 20 lbs. 3 oz. (95%)
Head Circumference: 42 cm (50%)

Well, she's still a big girl :) We even had to buy her a new car seat a couple months ago because she outgrew the one we had!

Summer sure knows how to keep a smile on our faces! She is just a happy little girl who is fascinated with the world around her. She can now roll onto her stomach and then back again. She has slept through the night (YAHOO!!) but only a handful of times. Practice makes perfect, right? Even though she doesn't consistently sleep through the night, I can't complain about being tired because she goes to bed at 7:00.

Summer prefers to play with her fingers and toes rather than toys, she has discovered how to blow raspberries (so cute!), and will sometimes pretend to cough. I think she'll have quite the personality!

Now that she's 6 months old she gets to graduate from rice cereal to veggies and fruits. I don't think she'll have any problem...

Farewell, February

2011-03-03T21:19:00.004-05:00

The month of February always seems to fly by even though it's only 3 days shorter than March. Lots of random things happened so I apologize that this post doesn't exactly have a theme.

At the beginning of the month we noticed some water spots on the ceiling of the girls' room. My first thought was "not again" because we had a major problem in our last apartment.
I didn't get too concerned until it actually started leaking into Summer's crib! Naturally we called maintenance and they found some kind of animal nest in the attic. I have no idea how that is supposed to explain the water leakage, but we have stopped using a humidifier in that room and haven't had a problem since. Regardless, we're planning on moving to a new place when our lease is up in May.

Speaking of my baby girl, she rolled from her back to her stomach this month! She hates being on her stomach but rather than rolling back over, she tries to push up on her knees. I have a feeling she'll push up on all fours pretty soon!

She also prefers to sit and can almost do it on her own. Daddy doesn't mind helping her.

Kylie and Summer have become such good friends and it's really sweet to watch. They both look pretty interested in this Leapster game!

Kylie has been a little busy bee this past month as well. All I can say is that she is definitely a toddler! Remember what she did with the Christmas tree? She has started hiding things again and we'll find them in the strangest places: a magnet inside the fridge; my cell phone in the cupboard of her play kitchen; roller skates in Summer's baby swing; empty DVD cases (I have no idea where the discs are); and crayons in the bathroom drawer. My favorite, though, was when she put her sippy cup in the oven-- she'll explain it to you in the video. Luckily the oven wasn't on, but since we have a gas stove, the cup melted anyway.

Despite the interesting situations I have encountered with my toddler, she can still totally crack me up. For instance:

As she walked up the stairs at my parents' house, she saw a picture of Jesus. When she walked by it, she said, "Hi Jesus! What's up, Jesus?"

When we were in a public restroom and Kylie finished using the toilet, she said VERY loudly, "Look Mommy! One poo-poo! Mommy, mommy, mommy! Look! One poo-poo! Bye, poo-poo!"

Lately Kylie has been really into feelings. If something makes her cry, she'll say in between sobs, "I so sad!" She usually gets over things pretty quickly, though, and sometimes while she's still crying, she'll announce proudly, "Mommy, I so happy!" and then she'll smile, as if to convince herself that she's truly over it.

Kylie has a baby doll that she plays with sometimes. Today she decided to completely undress the baby and put her boots on it. It looked so funny to see this naked doll with toddler-sized boots covering up the legs.

Kylie has taken an interest in toothpaste and I'll often catch her with small globs of it on her fingers. One day, after telling her several times to leave the toothpaste alone, I caught her eating it again. Before I even had a chance to get after her, she flashed me a blue smile and said, "Mmmm... a-wicious!"

And, of course, she still has an obsession with my camera. I think her photography skills have improved!

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

2011-02-15T14:04:00.004-05:00

This girl has enough rolls for about 3 babies, but they're just so CUTE!
The rolls may contribute to her size, but she is also really long. You see this outfit?
Kylie wore it when she was walking!! We're rolling right through Kylie's old clothes!
Speaking of rolling, Summer rolled from her stomach to her back for the first time yesterday. She has been working very hard to roll from her back to her stomach too. I'll bet she'll master this very soon!

This video is just too funny not to share. She likes to babble these days but she has too much drool to really do it effectively. We'll just pretend she's trying to roll her R's.

In a Word...

2011-02-15T13:47:00.002-05:00

Cheerful

Mischievous

Artistic

Sweet

V-day

2011-02-15T10:13:00.003-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day (one day late)! We didn't really do anything special with the kids to celebrate Valentine's Day. Kylie actually had no idea that it was a holiday, haha. As much as I loved spending the day with the kiddos...

...I equally loved seeing their enthusiasm to give each other good night kisses and go to bed :) The kids were ASLEEP by 7:15.

We decided to enjoy a relaxing night in rather than fighting the restaurant crowds. We did this a couple years ago too and really enjoyed it. Josh marinated some huge steaks for an entire day and they tasted AMAZING. I can honestly say that they tasted better than any steak I've ever had in a restaurant. He also made garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli with cheese. To top it off, we had sparkling white grape juice. (Yes, those are martini glasses. We received them for a wedding gift and I love them. Who says you can't drink a wine-like beverage in a martini glass?)

Since Josh took care of the meal, I took care of dessert. I made chocolate covered strawberries for him and chocolate covered pretzels for me.

Daddy's Girl

2011-02-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

Little Stinker

2011-02-01T09:10:00.002-05:00

The other morning Summer had a majorly disgusting blowout diaper. I set her on her tummy so I could get her cleaned up and she posed like this all by herself, as if to say, "Aren't I a little stinker?" I forgot about the yucky part of that experience almost instantly :)

Kylie's Birthday

2011-01-29T18:08:00.002-05:00

I'm only a week late.

For Kylie's birthday we decided to meet at our ward building and just let her enjoy some wide open space. She's been stuck inside for a while because of the cold weather, but also because she's been potty training. It worked out well for me too because there was minimal setup involved and I didn't have to worry about my house being destroyed. These lovely balloons are still decorating our living room a week later.

The cultural hall was the perfect place for some of Kylie's larger toys that she doesn't get to play with very often, such as her tent/tunnel. She and her friend, Thad, chased each other in and out of that tunnel for quite a while.

Who says you can't ride a bike inside? Backwards? While your uncle chases you with a basketball?

Here she is blowing out her candle. It's a very different story from last year.

She had a very fun-filled day with family and friends.