Mornings

I had this really long post about my mornings. It wasn't complete and I didn't love it, so I just deleted it.  The main point of the post was that during the week, I get up at 5:45 am to run in the mornings. I started in Oct, took a little break in Nov when I was sick, and now am up to running about 5 times a week and I can run about 30 minutes at a time.

So, good for me. I'm not going to lie - it's hard to get out of a warm, comfy bed so early to exercise, but every day I do it, I always feel so good.  Sometimes on the weekends I even miss running.  But, the down side is that I am so tired at night.  After running around chasing 2 kids all day, I am tired! I started running to get more energy. I do have more energy during the day.  But by the time they go to bed, I just want to sit and watch tv or read. And as a result, I spend very little time in the evening on my computer. Less time on the computer means less blogging.

Hopefully I can carve out some time during the days this week for a more exciting post that's not just full of excuses.  Until then, here are some pictures of a couple of cool kids that I know!

Happy Retirement and Surprise!

 Last week on Friday was my mom's last day of work!  She finally retired.  It was a little bit earlier than expected this year, but she still welcomed it all the same.  For a few months my dad, brother and I have planned to give her a laptop for her retirement.  And of course I wanted to be there in person to give it to her.  So, I had planned to come down and visit the weekend of her retirement.  She had no idea, and then my dad planned an open house for Sunday.  I knew she really wanted me to come, but I kept telling her that it wouldn't work because I already had plans.

Well, surprise!  The kids and I were there on Friday when she got home from work!  She did have a little idea that we would we probably be there for the party, but she was surprised to see us that early!  We had a fun weekend. Uncas stayed home with Sammy, so we missed them :-(

Saturday morning we visited Great-Grandma.  When I told Eddie who we were going to visit, he said "She's a really old person!" When we told her that, she laughed! Edith wasn't too sure about her, but towards the end she warmed up and was laughing and smiling.

Great-Grandma reading to Eddie

Edith playing in G-grandma's room

 Sunday was the big party day. To keep the kids busy for a little while, I took them to the local World of Variety to play.  It's sort of a catch all store and they have a train table for the kids to play with.  And they had little shopping carts which the kids enjoyed running up and down the aisles!

We gave my mom her laptop before the party and she was quite surprised!  It was so much fun to see her face.  The party was fun.  Many of her former co-workers stopped by as well as some friends too.  The kids had a blast playing with their cousins and with the neighbor kids.  It was a fun afternoon!  I am so glad we were able to celebrate with my mom!

Cousins on the stairs (worked a little better than the usual couch picture)

Party Food!

Eddie playing with Ally and Trenton

Me and Ma

Hamming it up for the camera after most people left!

Special Birthday

A couple of weekends ago we got to celebrate a very special first birthday with our favorite twin girls - Josie and Ronie!  I offered to bring some cookies and their theme was snowmen. They are so easy going and seemed to have a lot of fun at their party. Josie LOVED her cake while Ronie was a little bit more timid. Eddie and Edith had fun running around and playing.  Happy Birthday Josephine and Veronica!!!

Eddie and Josie

Josie and her new Doll

Presents!

Edith checking out the doll.

Cake!

Josie enjoying herself

FMO for Edith!

Back in December I received some exciting news about Friday Morning Out! After my first time volunteering there (the rotation schedule has me there about every 4 weeks) with Edith, I realized that she would probably benefit from the program.  I was really unsure as she is pretty clingy to Uncas and I, but after being in the room that she would be placed in, I realized that it would be ok. Unfortunately when I inquired about signing up Edith, there was a waiting list.  I wasn't sure how long the list was, so I just figured that she wouldn't get in and that was ok.  Imagine my surprise when the program director told me in December that starting in January Edith could start attending!

The toddler room which she is in doesn't have much structure, so calling it "school" is a big stretch.  There are two main teachers in her room and they do a lot of playing.  I have done all my volunteering in that room so far, so I knew exactly what to expect for Edith. Most of the kids who cried a lot back in September were totally fine in December.

When we walked in on Friday the teachers greeted Edith and were ready to make her feel comfortable. I quickly ducked out after saying good-bye before I could see any tears.  It was the fastest three hours of my life.  I spent the whole time cleaning the house and didn't get nearly as much done as I had planned. I knew Edith was in good hands and sure enough when I walked into the classroom, her back was to me and she was busy playing.  When I finally got her attention and she turned around, she was like - what?  She didn't seem excited to see me at all!!!  But the teachers assured me that she asked about me constantly :-)

I forgot to take pictures that morning, so I had the kids pose with their backpacks the other day.

I love this program. It's not only a great transition to school (Eddie will start 3 year old preschool this fall), but it also gives me a little break. I love staying home with the kids and I'm starting to realize how quickly this time is going by, but the break - oh the break is so nice!  Unfortunately I also learned this past Friday on Edith's first day, that this program won't be continuing next year.  I'm bummed for Edith, but I'm grateful that she at least has the opportunity this year.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2013! I once again made it until 12:00 am, although just barely.  I think we were all in bed by 12:30!!  We started New Year's Eve day with a trip to the "big" zoo or the Minnesota Zoo. It was a very cold day, but fortunately our zoo has a lot of indoor stuff to see and do.  We also bought a membership this visit, so I am looking to many more trips this year. And as the weather becomes warmer with spring (yes, I am thinking about that already) we'll be able to explore much more outside!

Playing at the tide pool

Checking out the crab

He picks the only sunny spot to sit!

Riding a turtle!

 That evening my parents, Uncas and I kept up with our tradition and played games all evening.  My cousin Tyler and his friend stopped over for a bit to play games too. I pulled out my New Years stuff, but no one was really happy to wear it this year . . .

Eddie crying and refusing to wear anything!

Edith just as upset as Eddie!

2012 - A Review

I can't believe that we are getting ready to celebrate a new year again already!  The first half of this year was a blur.  By June things finally seemed to settle down and I had adjusted to getting some regular sleep again!  Here are some highlights from the year:

January - There were two highlights this month - both involving travel.  I took my first road trip to my parents with the kids (and Sammy) by myself. My dad kindly met me halfway. For the most part it all went smoothly. I also took a road trip by myself to Madison for a girls' weekend with my best friend. It was fun to get away from the kids and take a little break.

February - Edith's first Valentine's day! Uncas and I had a date night - an actual night away from the kids. Eddie also was able to build his first snowman.

March - Eddie turns 2! The weather was amazing - like 80 degrees, so we spent a lot of time outside! I made an orange dinosaur cake per his request.

April - The biggest highlight was Edith starting to sleep through the night! I never thought we would see this happen so soon, but it did and she continues to be a great night time sleeper - thank goodness! Also her first Easter.

May - I drove down to my parents so we could have a garage sale with them. The sale itself was ok, but we had a lot of fun with family and friends there.  Edith also took her first steps there which was really exciting.  I was elected secretary for the local MOMS Club that I joined when Eddie turned one. We also got our backyard play system or our playground as Eddie calls it. Installed just in time for summer!

June - Busy month with Father's Day, my birthday and of course, Edith's first birthday.  Unfortunately the poor girl was sick, but we still had fun celebrating it. Uncas also left his job and some of his favorite co-workers ever to contract at Best Buy, making his commute about 5 minutes!

July - It was hot, hot, hot outside in July. We spent a lot of time playing in water in our yard. The other big event/milestone was having Eddie get rid of his nuks! This was tough for him and I know he still misses them, but the transition wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be.

August - Vacation time! We took two vacations this month. One down to Iowa with Uncas's side of the family for a weekend. Our "big" vacation was in northern WI with my parents. We stayed at a "vacation" house and played at the beach. Daddy and Grandpa Ron got to fish, well, at least they spent a lot of time on the boat! We can't wait to go back again this year!

September - Eddie started going to a Friday morning out program. He eats lunch there and his room is a little more structured.  We call it school for him and he loves it. He also, finally, got his hair cut for the very first time, at age 2 and 1/2!

October - Another big milestone for Eddie this month - his big boy bed! We moved him out of his crib and happily he likes to stay in bed (knock on wood!) We also spent all month preparing for Halloween.  Eddie dressed up as Bob the Builder and Edith was Wendy - Bob's helper. Pretty easy costumes and they still play with them/in them!

November - This month was our month of illness.  We had at least one sick person, usually more, in the house all month long! The kids and I went on a road trip to IL for a week and had a lot of fun seeing family and friends. Thanksgiving was a low-key event due to illness, but we made the most of it. Uncas left his contract position for a full-time job at a start-up company. He likes the work, however his commute is a bit longer.

December - That brings us to this month.  Christmas was a month long preparation and the kids loved decorating, eating chocolate from their advent calendar and baking and eating cookies! I was excited to get my new oven to bake those cookies!  We are ending the month with a few colds, but we were thankful for a healthy and fun Christmas!

As I sit back and reflect on the year, I am reminded of how blessed we truly are. I am grateful for our family and friends, old and new, who have been there to support us. It's been tough at times with the kids, but this year I finally feel like the fog has lifted now that we are out of the baby stage. I believe it's really the fact that we are getting some good sleep!

I look forward to many more fun times and memories for 2013! I hope everyone has a fun and safe New Years!!!!

18 Months!

Wow! My baby girl is a year and a half! I can actually say that I believe it.  Over these past few months she is really starting to turn into a little girl. It's a little sad that our baby is growing up, but she still likes to hug and snuggle, so it makes the transition easier. Here are some updates with Edith:

Sleep - We are still doing great in this category. She goes to bed around 7 pm and sleeps until 6:30-7 each morning. She only takes one nap a day. Usually she goes down right after lunch (often times she be "all done" and requests to go "night-night"), around 12:30 and sleeps until 2. On a good days maybe until 3. She falls asleep fairly quickly and often will play in her crib for a while with her gang of puppies and babies and blankets when she wakes up. She still has a nuk when she goes to sleep, but they stay in her crib.

Eating - She is our savory child. She'll eat sweet stuff, but she prefers cheese. She also likes spicy food and has discovered dipping things into sauces. She does amazing with a fork and spoon. Sometimes she sits at the table with a placemat. It's still a little high for her, but she likes it. When we have messier foods, she uses her tray.  She doesn't love milk all the time, but that's ok. She doesn't have the hang of drinking from a regular cup, so it's still sippy cup. We have to watch her during snack time because she likes to steal from her brother when he isn't looking!

Moving - Edith can definitely keep up with Eddie.  She is tall enough now to "drive" his little car. She also likes to run around with her stroller. She can jump with two feet and likes to twirl around when she dances. Last week she kept twirling, falling down dizzy and then getting back up and doing it all over again!

Playing - We have a girly-girl on our hands. She loves her babies. And her bags. And her phones. And putting her phones in her bags. She likes to wear necklaces and glasses and brush her hair. And the phones - she has so many. I think she got this one from her mama! She also likes to play trains with Eddie and with his cars too.  She builds stuff with him and she loves to sit and play with duplos just as much as Eddie. She also likes playing with the toy kitchen and feeding Uncas and I with all types of food. She likes books, although it has to be on her terms for when she'll actually sit still for them.

Communication - This one is a talker! I remember thinking that she has started talking a bit later than Eddie, but I actually think that she is surpassing him from when he was 18 months. She knows lots of words and is already starting to put them together (referenced in my post a couple of weeks ago). I love being able to communicate with her and I love hearing her adorable little voice. She still will whine and point, but it's becoming less and less frequent (thank goodness!) She also does a great job saying "thank you" and also saying "please" when she needs something. She still won't say Sammy, which I find funny since that was like Eddie's first word. She basically understands everything we say and will respond to yes or no questions. She is getting quite animated with her responses too which is hilarious. She knows the color blue and if you ask her what color something is, she will always respond with blue. It cracks me up, so I often quiz her. I think she is also starting to understand pink. We'll just keep practicing!

Other - Edith has a very strong personality. She loves her mama and her daddy and Eddie. Outside of that circle, it can take some time for her to warm up. She does better in small groups, but most strangers she'll stare at them and give them the look. She has some separation issues with me, but starting in January, she'll be joining Eddie at "school" on Friday mornings.  I'm hoping this will help some. I want everyone to see the Edith that we know. She's funny and loves to laugh and make us laugh. But, she is also quick to throw herself on the floor and cry and scream if she doesn't want to do something. Her little "fits" don't usually last long. Sometimes it's because she can't communicate what she wants and sometimes I know she is testing us. Mostly I find it funny, especially because she will drop anywhere and act as though the world is ending!

I love this stage of exploration and learning about the world through a toddlers eyes. I love watching Edith and Eddie play together. They adore each other. She always asks me about him if he's not around. I truly believe she is 1 and 1/2 going on 10 or maybe 13! We love her silly antics and we can't wait to see what she will come up with next!

Wearing 2 necklaces and phone in bag!

Loading up stroller with animals to go for a walk!

Swimming with Eddie in their "pool" with their babies!