June 2012

June - Samara seems more like a kid and less like a toddler every time I look at her (or listen to her talk)! She has entered a Lion King and Madagascar phase and loves to watch those movies. She will sit and watch the movie in entirety so we have maintained our one video per day limit. She is always talking about different parts of the movie, and if I hadn't seen both a number of times, I wouldn't know what she was talking about! I do a lot of asking, "who says that" when she tells me something, just so I can clarify before I know how to react. Example: One day she was having one animal kiss the other one's foot, then saying "stop that, stop that" - after several times I asked where she heard this. She said "lion says to the pig". Ah, Lion King conversation between Pumba graveling at Simba's feet when he finds out he is a king. :) Oh, all I can do is laugh! I love Disney movies, so I'm glad she likes them now too. With talk of a new baby coming into our household she has taken to wrapping up her animals in blankets and feeding them. I think she'll be a great helper, because she already is with many things, we'll just have to monitor the helping a bit. I'm definitely showing, but she still really has no idea what is coming her way. October could be a real shocker, but I have a feeling (maybe it's a hope) she'll be in love with this baby from the start. We are going to wait to find out the gender of the baby until the baby is born. It was a fun surprise last time and the nursery is already gender-neutral, so why not?! We got Samara a potty chair "the tiny potty" as she calls it to start working on this concept prior to baby #2. We'd like to only have one in diapers at a time if possible - time will tell I guess ... June 13th brought my last day at Slosburg. I didn't think I'd really be emotional about it, but after a nice sign and card from co-workers, then flowers with a nice note sent by Jeff (a first in my over 7 year time working there)and several sad goodbye's I was done for. I am going to blame some of this on pregnancy emotions, but who knows. Either way, I have been working to adjust to being home more and not always having to go at 110 mph. It has been an adjustment, but going well so far. I can tell Samara likes having me around more and we get to "play" a bit more than before rather than always trying to accomplish something. Jeff took a day off work so we could go to the zoo as a family on a non-busy morning. It was perfect weather and fun to spend time seeing the animals with Samara! Father's Day was also this month and we had our families over for pizzas on the grill (a first-time experiment). In the end, no one went home hungry, we learned how to make them better next go-round and a nice time was had by all together. :) Samara will be two next month! In some ways I can't believe it, and in others it does feel like she's been here for so long, changing our lives in so many ways. I still have moments where she is running around or playing and I think to myself, "Wow, that is my child!" The next thought is always, "and we are going to have another!". I feel more excitement this pregnancy on meeting the new baby now that I know how quickly they become their own little person. Having Samara meet him/her is something else I really look forward to. Four months to that though, so we'll not get too ahead of ourselves. :) July's post will be coming soon!

May 2012

May was a flurry of work (yes, still two jobs for Mommy and busy at Jeff's office) and summer fun. Samara has loved the warm weather, going to the park almost every day whether with Mommy, Daddy or Papa. She still gets to run errand or go out to Iron Horse on her days with Gemma, too. When Papa got an "owie" on his hand from the table saw, he got some extra time to hang out with Samara, but wasn't able to lift her or change diapers, etc. Thankfully, his hand healed really well, better than expected, so he is back on track now for work and spending time with Samara baby. She was thrilled to see her sprinkler ball and swimming pool brought back out from her first birthday last year. One of the many songs she can sing in almost complete entirety is "Swimming, swimming in my swimming pool". She sings it in the pool, in the bath, or whenever it comes to mind. She can say her numbers 1-10, then 11, 13, 15, 19, 20! She knows tons of animals and all the colors, it is really fun to watch her learn. Her hair is becoming lighter every day - people actually say, Wow she has blonde hair, where did that come from? Great Grandpa and Grandma Pennell were in town and so we got to see them a couple times, too. It is wonderful that Samara has gotten to meet and spend time with so many of her great-grandparents. Our family is definitely a blessing and we don't take for granted the fact that they are almost all close by and get to spend time with them often. June is up, here we come summer - officially!

April 2012

April - Easter, "camping", T-ball, baking, overall Spring fun...oh and work too! This month was packed to the brim with events. Easter was a great weekend with family. We went to church at Christ Community on Saturday evening with Grandpa and Grandma Derby. Then Sunday morning was out to Iron Horse for brunch and Easter egg hunt at Pennell's. It was quite cool, so we threw a sweater on over Samara's Easter dress and she was off to the races (or the eggs at least). She would see a yellow one and run to it "ello egg!" then see a green one and run to it "gween one!" and so on... She knew to put them in the basket and really didn't even know (or care) that there was anything inside of them. When they were all found, she was not ready for the fun to end. We were able to get everything out of the eggs and give her the empty ones and she was thrilled! After all that fun, she fell asleep on way to Derby's, but then woke up when we got her out of the car. :( This led to a meltdown, but eventual nap on the floor of the guest bedroom. We had our dinner while she slept, then we had another egg hunt outside at Derby's. Some of these had "moneys" in them which she could hear by shaking and she enjoyed putting them into a piggy bank! April brought the planting of Jeff's garden-another experiment year to learn from last year, but also experiment with some other types of vegetables. So, with cucumbers, broccoli, squash, zucchini, lettuce, peas, green beans, yellow peppers and tomatoes we'll see what the results are. Jeff had to have quite the fence around his garden to keep those pesky rabbits out - but Samara loved when they were in the yard! At the end of the month, we decided to do a test camping night to see if we want to try a camping trip this summer. Samara was pumped about the tent being set up in the living room and the fact we were all going to sleep in it. Our plan was to lay down until she fell asleep, then come back to lay down when we were ready for bed. Of course, you guessed it, we both fell asleep in our clothes. I woke OFTEN to Samara kicking me due to her perpendicular sleeping and Jeff realized that sleeping on the floor may not be for 30 year olds. So, before an all out camping trip we'll be looking into a blow-up mattress or cots. The day after our night of test-camping, we celebrated Grandma Cheryl Derby's birthday/Mother's Day while Nick and Laura were in town. We had lunch then went back to their house for cake and ice cream - which Samara is always a fan of! And me too, I can't seem to get enough sweets with this pregnancy so I've been (rather unsuccessfully) trying to hold myself back. Work was still crazy between the two jobs, but April 15th was the Remodeled Home Tour, so that was my "if I can just make it to this day, I'll have survived" date. We also started telling people we are expecting following my April OB appointment since all was well. That was a relief to explain my tiredness and quickly growing abdomen! After making it to this date, we decided it was best to give notice to my Slosburg job and just go down to one job. This will allow me to spend more time with Samara before the new baby is here and get a better handle on the new job. I gave a nice, long two month notice in order for them to find a replacement and to fulfill the one year minimum I told them I would work in my current insurance position.

March 2012

As predicted - March was in like a lion!! Samara kicked it into her "terrible twos" high gear this month. She started to throw tantrums to the point where she cries to until falling asleep on the floor! There is no consoling, so you just let her wear herself out. And we also found out we are expecting our second baby! This was planned, so not a surprise, just not intended to be in the first trimester while working two jobs in addition to keeping up the house and with Samara. So, this month was filled with getting up really early to get some work done before Samara wakes up, then working during any time she was napping and then working after she (and Jeff) go to bed until very late-then the same thing the next day. Needless to say, I'm sure I was not that fun to be around and if I even sat down on the couch I was out unconscious on the couch. (So, there was no sitting down for me-too much to get done!) Jeff was great and would take Samara on bike rides or to the park so I could sleep when possible on the weekends, or get some work time logged. But, when we weren't working or having a tantrum, March was good! The weather was unseasonably warm so we were able to get outside some. Samara got to go to an Easter Egg hunt in our neighborhood and loved it (she only got two eggs, but was thrilled). She was mesmerized by "big bunny" as she called him, and she knew he had "pink hands". Unlike Mommy in her younger years, she had no fear whatsoever of this costume-clad human and I could barely peel her away from the park that day. Only the excitement of showing Daddy the eggs she found was enough to get her headed home. Easter should be fun this year!

February 2012

February was a good month! After a resurgence of Samara climbing out of her crib, we decided it was safer for her and better for our peace of mind to convert her crib to a toddler "big girl bed". She was all about helping Daddy with this process (and she is about most anything you are doing). Lots of "MY do it" and phrases of the like are heard at our house. Independence is a good thing right?! She loves helping Daddy shovel snow, fix the sink and Mommy do the laundry and vacuum, etc. So anyway, once the side of the crib was off, we threw a body pillow on the floor and highly promoted sleeping and staying in her big girl bed! We would find her sleeping in all kinds of positions in her room, but usually just let her enjoy the body pillow or carpet if she was happily snoozing. We did have some episodes of her coming into our room at 4AM just because she was awake, but thankfully with some coaxing we were able to get her back to sleep. It was very reminiscent of having a newborn...Hey, we basically slept all night list night (except the two times she was up for an hour!). The newness of getting out of bed wore off-thankfully-and things were back to normal after not too long. Valentine's Day was so cute this year! Samara had her first experience with finger painting and loved it of course. She and Mommy made hand (AND foot) print cards for all the grandparents and Daddy too. They were a hit and diaper-clad Samara kept saying "More" after each hand or foot print we did! She also now knows when she is doing something that is funny - like making silly faces. She often says "Samara funny face" and then her fingers go in her mouth to pull it as far open as she can. She also loves playing with the couch cushions while they are OFF of the couch -thanks to Daddy's help. They wildly play games while Mommy is working or coming home from work, and of course she loves playing with her Daddy. He loves it too. :) A milestone for her favorite Lambie this month was getting his first "bath". He had actually gotten so grimy that we found the same one and purchased a replacement. Daddy revealed the new clean Lambie as he emerged from the bath (it was quite a production). She didn't quite like him at first, calling him "Mommy's lambie". But after a few days she decided it was better than no lambie at all and snuggled with him again! In February we had to say goodbye to Jeff's Grandpa Derby. It was the end of a long battle with cancer. Though it was sad to see him go, it was comforting to know his suffering is over. We had lots of time with family to remember good times and great memories. Jeff, his Mom and sister Michelle all spoke at the visitation service and they all did a wonderful job of portraying the man that Grandpa was. We'll miss you Grandpa Derby!! My job situation became a month of transition as I trained on days off from Slosburg when possible and then officially took over my role as Executive Director at the end of February. I knew I had a lot of learning coming up, but didn't really know exactly how busy I would be over the next couple months! March - will be in like a lion it sounds like (at least as far as work is concerned)...

January 2012

Wow, this is a long-awaited post! Let's just say by the end of January of this year life got a little crazy and, unfortunately, my monthly blogging updates didn't get completed. 2012 has been a great year so far, filled with lots of fun but also lots of changes. Where I left off in December was with an almost 18 month-old little girl, a Daddy working full-time and a Mommy working part-time three days per week. That was still the case through January... This year started off with a twist! Courtney was able to plan a surprise birthday party for Jeff and I at my parents house, under the guise of our annual "Winter Birthdays family get-together"! We walked in expecting the normal Pennell/Kunes crew and found my parents house filled with all of them as well as Jeff's family and some of our friends. It was a great evening and definitely a total surprise - how fun, I've always wanted a surprise party, but it's not something you can really request. :) Samara talks more all the time and seems to "get" the world around her a little more every day. Since this is written 6 months later, sadly (really, I am disappointed I didn't take the time to keep this up to catch all of the little moments of the last 6 months) I couldn't tell you her current common words or new things she just learned. But, I know she stayed in her crib better during January. At her 18 month Dr appointment, Samara was very much beyond the verbal norms for an 18 month old and here were her measurements... 25 lbs 6 oz (64%), 33" tall (83%), head circumference 47.4 (72%). So, still a Derby I think! :) The end of January I had a potential job opportunity open up! Yes, I already have the ideal job that lets me work three days per week you might say, so why would you even be looking? Well, I wasn't looking really. Jeff and I had planned on my working part-time until we had another baby (knock off the rest of the student loans, etc) then stay home full time. But, had our options open for something I could do from home to add to Jeff's income so our budget wouldn't have to be SO tight. My Dad is a member of the Greater Omaha chapter of NARI (National Association of the Remodeling Industry). The chapter's Executive Director was needing to move on and and it opened up an opportunity for me to interview for the position. We did discuss it at length and decided it was worth applying for, then we'd decide on best options. So, January 25th I headed in to the interview! The next day I got a call that said the interview went really well and they'd like to offer me the position. I was looking at a 20-30 hour per week commitment, but all from home despite meetings, errands etc. So, I took it! Now I just had to break it to my current job that I needed to cut back my hours to only 10-4 three days per week...and that will take us into February!