October 2013

   Fall has definitely arrived, so October was full of all things pumpkin, new kid experiences, Husker football, our 9 Year Anniversary and Kalum's First Birthday!  Our anniversary, being in the middle of the week during a busy month, was spent at home with the kids.  We will go out sometime in the near future to celebrate.  We are celebrating Kalum's birthday on November 2nd with family, so I'll have more photos and details in the November post.  Jeff, of course had work, and I did as well this month.  With a couple NARI events being in the evening, some home show work one Sunday and a trip to Chicago in mid-October it was busy again!  Jeff and my parents coordinated to survive the  three days without me and I appreciate that for sure.  I enjoyed my trip to Chicago and learned a lot to bring back to our chapter, as always.  I also had a big MOPS event to plan crafts for, and all went well.  I feel like the position for MOPS will get less stressful with a few more meetings under my belt.  But, despite the occasional busyness, it is still rewarding and I enjoy interacting with all the ladies in our group.
  With Halloween approaching, I asked my mom to bring over some costumes that she made and still had from when Courtney and I were little.  She brought a couple for Kalum and a few for Samara.  Samara said the Pink Panther head was stinky inside.  She was quite disconcerted that Minnie Mouse only had four finger spots in the gloves!  In the end, she chose the Pink Panther to wear to daycare on the 30th and the Lion for "Noah's Ark Party" at preschool and trick or treating.  We chose the pumpkin for Kalum, since he finds any form of a hat unacceptable right now.  We figured at least people would know what it was and we could put warm clothes under it.
  Samara was SO excited to carve the pumpkins that we got!  We had gone to a pumpkin patch on a sunny Sunday to get some small ones, but had to get a couple bigger ones at Hy-Vee, as the patch was already out of big ones.  She kept asking when we were going to cut them open and pull out all the guts (her words).  She had no fear in digging her hands inside and scooping everything out - this is much different than her Mommy was, and still is.  It was a Daddy/Daughter bonding experience while I photographed, directed and played with Kalum.
  Samara LOVED trick-or-treating!  She got super excited when kids started coming to our door, and made sure they each got some candy in their bag.  When it was time to head out, we could barely contain her to the same driveway as us and the nearby sidewalk.  She was off and running, but at least politely saying trick or treat and thank you.  I heard an occasional roar for the people at the door as well, upon request.  She kept saying, "One more house, one more house." Then when we'd gone all the way up and back down our entire street (Daddy and "Pumpkin Kalum" retired to the house before then) she was like, "My legs are so tired, I don't think I can even walk any more."  Good thing we were just one driveway from our house, or I think I would have been lugging a lion back home!

Samara's Moments & Milestones for the month:

• Early October -  Recognizes her name on paper, something she has to do each morning of preschool (find her cubby, then her name on the table and put it into the mailbox)
• Talks completely non-stop when she is excited!!
• Early October - had a phase for about a week where she was waking at night, talking LOUDLY in dreams.  A few of the times she actually was very scared and crying.  It took a while to get her to actually wake up, but I didn't want her to hurt herself the way she was thrashing around and hanging off the edge of her bed.  One time she said the carpet was going to get her!
• Mid October - says Kalum is her favorite boy! aw, sibling love.
• Loves jumping - off the couch (even though it's a no-no with Mom), steps - as high as we'll let her jump from, over cushions, etc.  She is fearless and actually lands on her feet most of the time.
• Jeff's gecko from work was not doing well, so he brought her home to keep a better eye on her.  I asked Samara what would happen if Daddy's gecko "Shera" died.  She was very unemotional and matter-of-fact in her explanation.  She said, "Shera would just go to gecko heaven".  I asked her about the body, "we would just throw it in the trash after leaving it in the cage for a while, then we'd have to get another gecko later".  I guess we won't have to be burying a shoebox when the inevitable happens, huh?
• Oct 23rd - we had our first Parent-Teacher conference with Samara's preschool teacher.  It was a phone conference call with Mrs. DeVries.  She said Samara gets along with all the girls and when asked she will say her favorite part of school is "playing with the other kids".  She has made progress in knowing that during Circle Time she can't go and play.  At the beginning of the year she didn't really understand that (or choose to).  She seems to like all the activities, not just one toy or craft station.
• At Hy-Vee (one of Samara's favorite stops) she chose the grocery cart with two steering wheels, one for each kid.  Samara taught Kalum when to drive, turn and stop.  They both enjoyed the adventure until Samara got to hug-y, then K was done!! 

Kalum's Moments & Milestones for the month:

•  Early October, he moved beyond his first one and only word - BALL! and now says "baby" for anything with two eyes - babies, kittens, other kids, etc.  He kind of makes an S sound for Samara, so we'll see when he gets that one down.
• Oct 6th- figured out how to go up our short set of stairs - Daddy found his triumphantly at the top! Three days later he had mastered the full set of stairs and could make it all the way to the top in about 30 seconds.
• Mid October - adding more sounds to his vocabulary, kind of says "yay" when clapping, "bup bup" when going down the stairs on his bottom, "eesz" for please while signing.  Cookies are the food that helped him to master this request - REALLY likes those animal cookies!
• Late October - understanding more and responding more every day.  He's already into football and will hold up one hand and says "da!" when there's at touchdown.  Says baba when he wants his milk and can sign please and more during meals.  If you are snacking, he'll hang by you and grab at you wanting some and signs please.  He thinks anything that comes out of a crinkly sounding bag must be good.  How do we learn this so young?!
• When he smiles really big, I think he really looks like his daddy. :)
• Getting even faster on his feet and when you play a chasing game, he really runs away!
• With turning one comes inevitable toddler injuries - nothing major, but just they typical... has rolled off of our bed, rolled in slow motion down the stairs and face planted out our front door when it opened (thank goodness for the welcom mat on that one!)
• We are trying to get rid of the bottles in our life (and thus his).  He will say "baba!" and shove the sippy cup away if he's not in the mood to settle for less than bottle-yummyness.  Both the bottle and sippy cups contain the same milk, just at a different temperature.  But, we have been fairly successful during the day at meals.  He is essentially just down to a bottle at bedtime with Daddy.
• Kalum had his Doctor's appointment for his one-year wellness check-up ON his birthday.  A healthy little boy, cruising through the motor skills, much like his sister!  He also had to get FOUR shots - poor kid!  Here's his measurements at that check-up:
• Weight: 24 lbs (76%)
• Height: 30.75" (78%, up from 66% at 9 months, grew about 1.5")
• Head circumference: 45.1 cm (15% - so where are the small-ish head genes coming from?) At least he looks proportionate!  :)
• First Halloween at home! Last year we were still in the hospital, so it was fun that this year he got to dress up and go trick-or-treating with Samara.

November is next - so much to be thankful for, that's for sure!!

September 2013

September was a month with lots of firsts for both kids and plenty of activity for all!  Everything kind of got started back up between our church Journey group, MOPS for Amanda (and kids), Amanda's work events and of course, Husker football! Jeff is still enjoying (or not minding) his drive time to work each day.  He is cranking through books on CD, which we got a pile of from the library and his mom found some on sale as well.  He is getting to know his co-workers better and that always makes your work environment better.  He has been working with them on upgrading some of their ways and systems to be more efficient.

Since I took on the position as the Creative Activities Coordinator for our 1st/3rd weeks MOPS group, I've had to start on the planning for purchasing and teaching the crafts.  We don't have a craft though at our first few meetings, so it gives me a little time to get going on everything.  I do have MOPS monthly Steering team meetings and went to one MOPS local leadership event.  Though it can be a lot of work to get everything set for the crafts, so far I have found it very fulfilling to work with this group of Godly women in planning the year for our whole MOPS group.  I am just hoping I can get more comfortable once a few crafts are under my belt.  For NARI this month, in addition to a board meeting, general meeting and tour committee planning, I planned our annual golf outing this month and all went well, with 16 teams participating.

We celebrated Poppy's 90th birthday this month with a pizza party at their house!  We had a fun evening and now Poppy is off towards the next goal - 100! Happy Birthday Poppy!

Samara's Moments and Milestones for the Month:

• First dental cleaning appointment-she did great!!
• PreSchool Open House - night before school started.  All was great until we went to leave.  She didn't want to leave unless she could take the fish in the tank with her.  "But I would take good care of them!" she insisted and repeated over and over through sobs. Hoping the first day goes better!
• First day of PreSchool - so far she loves it.  Brought her blue school bag, found her cubby and name with help and joined in for circle time on the rug.  She seems excited to go each time, no tears at all!
•  We have entered a phase where EVERYTHING is a competition or a race.  We hear how she's going to win or "I beat you!" is said after every activity.  She even says our dinner prayer quickly, then says, I beat you!  We had to talk about how everything is NOT a race.
• At Lowe's with Daddy, she would walk right up to the Halloween tall blow-up decor and touch it. She told Mommy about it when home, "I walked right up and touched it and it didn't eat me!"
• She speaks very clearly and can say most anything, but it's so cute...she still says "laly bug" for lady bug
• After only 3 days at PreSchool she can sing parts of a few and all of the "apples in the tree" song.  They are in preparations for the field trip to the Apple Orchard this month.  Mommy went along to the field trip, Super Bee Apple Orchard.  They got to go out and pick their own apples off the tree and then come up to learn about the apple sorting machine.  It was a chilly day, but thankfully not raining!  All the girls had fun (12 girls, 0 boys in her class) and we came home with some apples.  We made apple cake and then apple crisp with them- yum!
• Spt 19th - first sick day :(  She had a fever and was up at night saying she couldn't swallow.  Had her stay home just in case it was strep throat or something.  In the end it wasn't and she bounced back by that afternoon.
• Maybe with all of the new things going on, she sucked her thumb too much?  She got a blister on her top lip.  Was thinking maybe it would put a stop to the thumb sucking...it did not. Oh well, it's really only when she's tired.

Kalum's Moments and Milestones for the Month:

• Sept 2nd - pulled self to standing in crib
• Early Sept - can walk and kick a ball, new favorite syllable... "b, b, b", can push self up from tummy to standing, walks hands and feet together until he's up!, 4th tooth on top is coming in, that makes eight chompers now.  He will bite whatever part of you he can reach if he is trying to get your attention - beware, he can bite through jeans!
• Sept 11th - started a z/s sound today
• Sept 15th- first long car tip.  We went to Moline for a baby shower for Jeff's cousin Todd &Teresa Green.  He did well, thank goodness for Curious Buddies video on the way home!  He had had enough of the carseat.
• Sept 19th- he is making more sounds and understanding more and more.  If you say, go get your ball, he'll look for one and go get it if in sight.  Saying memememe for Mommy (usually when unhappy or scolding for not paying attention to him).  Has said Dada.  He can wave hi and bye-bye.  Working with him on signing please.
• Sept 19th- consistently sleeping all night now - thankfully!  Bed by 8:30, up at 5AM for either a bottle then back to sleep until 8AM, or if he doesn't wake up at 5, then he'll sleep until about 7:15-but wants milk ASAP!!  If home all day, usually naps at 10ish and 2:30ish.  If we run morning errands, he just naps at about 2ish.
• Starting to be slightly unsure of others.  Sept 19th was first day Gemma watched him all day without Samara there.  Samara was at daycare and I was working our golf outing.  We had to distract him with Curious Buddies when I left.  Then he didn't want to nap for Gemma!  Threw quite a fit but finally surrendered.
• Now loves for you to say "Gonna get you!", especially Daddy.  He runs away smiling and laughing.  He is still VERY ticklish and giggles like crazy. He has dimples in both cheeks - melts your heart! :)
•   He figured out how to make this "frog kazoo" toy make noise.  So, now he walks around with it his mouth, then stops and dances (bounced up and down) to his own tune.
• Late Sept. he figured out how to go up two stairs.  And also switched from memememe to Mamama, still mainly for scolding and days Da! for Daddy when he sees him.

Overall, a great month for our family.  We're ready for October and some more fall fun and events. not to mention a certain little 11 month old's birthday!!

August 2013

   August was over before we knew it!  I feel like I say that often, but really this month went SO quickly.  With swimming lessons for Samara through the month, MOPS Steering Team starting for me along with a work baseball event and normal meeting schedule, Jeff trying to finish up the shed and work a few extra hours (but getting paid OT when he does!) and Kalum learning to be more vocal and mobile - each day was full!  It wasn't all work though, as we went to Samara's preschool orientation and then Samara got to meet her preschool teacher at a separate home visit.  With the month still being warm there was a chance for Samara to swim at a "big pool" for a daycare friend's birthday party and playing outside.  Kalum is still not a fan of walking in the grass, so we have to sit him on a blanket while we play - one day he happily munched on cheerios while Samara and Mommy did sidewalk chalk hopscotch and shadow tracing on the driveway.  The kids can play together in the living room, peacefully for the most part and can pull every toy out of the toy box at an unbelievable rate!
  We went to the Wine & Balloon Festival with some friends and kids one evening.  Jeff changed the course of parking by taking the initiative to drive over a curb in the truck and park in a different grass lot.  We parked, then everyone started doing the same, it was a parking revolution, as the parking system they had set up was a disaster and we'd have been sitting in the vehicle for WAY too long with the kiddos.  We knew Samara would love to see the hot air balloons take off and especially the balloon glow!  It was warm and crowded, but the kids enjoyed the balloons, bounce house, some strawberry-lemonade and being outside.  We saw the beginning of the glow then headed home before the kids got too restless, and were able to get out quickly, thanks to Jeff's parking job. :)
  We also went to the NE State Fair at the end of the month with the Pennell's, Kalum just kind of took it all in from the stroller and Samara loved seeing all the animals.  She watched "Wreck It Ralph" movie in the car on the way there (Kalum knocked the cords out of his screen with his feet in like 2 minutes, so he babbled then fell asleep).  Samara was basically running from one thing to the next the whole time we were there.  Samara passed out in the stroller just before Courtney and Nick were buying their fried cookie-dough, when at the fair..., right?!  We stayed to see the Llama Contest Show (and Samara woke long enough to see them, Kalum fell asleep on way to the bus) then headed for some ice cream at Wendy's to cool off before heading home.
  Late Night Think Time:  One night, late night, while cuddling Kalum in his rocking chair, I had this realization.  When your kids are sick, they want to cuddle and rest with you, even if that's not their normal demeanor.  You feel bad they are sick, but secretly enjoy the cuddles and feeling them just breathe against your chest.  It hit me that this is the same thing that God feels.  Sometimes things don't go your way and God feels bad for you, but knows that it may be the only way you slow down and lean in to Him.  He wants you to take time and love Him back.  I know I need to take time for God each day, even if it can just start with slowing for a few minutes to be still and know He is God.

Samara's Moments for the Month:

• First time sewing! - with Gemma, by hand on a little stuffed heart
• When I told her I made macaroni for lunch, she told me I didn't make the macaroni, GOD did.  Also, if you ask her the reason why something happened or why something is the way it is, she says "it's just the way God made it"... obviously with the new Sunday School year they are learning about creation right now!
• Aug 10th - First time off the diving board!  She went once, then the 2nd time was shaking like a leaf up there because she was cold from the breeze (the water was also very chilly).  Second time she ended up walking back off the board and jumping off the side of the pool.
• If I ask her if she should get her hair cut, she says "Yes, all the way to my booty!"  So, I guess we'll keep the long hair for a while.
• Phrases/words she uses all the time- literally, definitely, that's the deal, that's the law.  Hilarious to watch and listen to her talk on the phone, whether to a person on the other end, or her play phone to a made-up listener.
• At Sunday School they are learning how God made everyone special, the storyteller is going around with a hand-held mirror to each child.  She holds the mirror up by their face and says, "What do you see in the mirror?"  Eight children in a row respond "Me!" and to each she says, "Yes, and God made you special".  Samara's turn is last and she says, "I see myself!" God definitely made you special too Samara. :)
• With the start of a new Sunday School year, Samara has moved up to the 3 year old room instead of the 2 year old room.  You'd think a yellow instead of red room wouldn't make that much of a difference, but apparently kids don't like change any more than we do.  She has had a screaming melt-down as soon as we go to drop her off at her Sunday School room!  I know it only lasts a couple minutes, but I feel bad for the teachers, because she's not usually like that.  Hoping she'll realize it's still the same fun that she's used to some week soon.
• In light of the Sunday School meltdowns we've been prepping her for the fun she's going to have at Little Lamb Preschool starting in September.  She will be in the Tues & Thurs (Blue) morning class with Mrs. DeVries.  She got to decorate her school tote-bag with Gemma this month, first day of school pics to come next month!

Kalum's Milestones for the Month:

• Kalum has this look on his face often, like he's just going to get into trouble. Boys, it starts early!
• Went for ice cream after swim lessons one Tuesday.  Kalum and Daddy had an ice cream battle.  If the spoon didn't go into his mouth, Kalum was not a happy camper! He probably ended up eating a third of Jeff's treat. :)
• Early this month we started introducing the sippy cup to Kalum at lunch - so far, not a fan - give me the bottle I can guzzle, Mom!
• Mid-August - starting to babble more and more - dadada, mamama (not related to his parents yet), wow, oooooh.  One day he sounded like he said "Whoa" when he was walking.  Often sounds like a little person walking around speaking a foreign language.  He also points at things, makes noises and smiles.  Starting to be more aware of the world around him for sure.
• Will eat some baby food now, mostly fruit and some meat/veggie combos, but Vegetable Beef - a definite NO!  He is a protein-lover though, especially chicken!  He can eat as much chicken as Samara in half the time (of course he is focused on eating, and she is taking time for lots of conversation).  Jeff can barely get a bite of his own dinner in and Kalum is demanding more pieces on his tray!
• Aug 19 - 6th tooth is in!
• Late August - can put arms up for "So Big" and can go from laying on stomach to sitting up (does it best in the tub of all places) and if he is walking and goes forward on his hands, he can push back up and keep going.
• He started signing "more", "milk" and can kind of do "ball" and "all done".  In one day, he seemed to figure them all out!
• They moved him up to the crawler room for Sunday School, since he can walk, but is not super steady yet.  They didn't want the seasoned-walkers to knock him over.  He has no separation anxiety as-of-yet when dropped off, so we're hoping that trend sticks around for a bit.  At home he knows when Mommy walks out of the room or upstairs and often complains.
• August 29th - First word - "Baw!" for Ball.  Just in time for Husker Football - he's all boy it seems. 

It's still warm and in the upper 90's, so we're looking forward to a break from the heat and some Fall weather and activities, including Go Big Red!

Samara 3 Year & Kalum 9-Month Check-Ups

Samara - 3 Years
Weight: 33 lbs - 67%
Height: 39" - 83%

Kalum - 9 Months 
(measurements taken closer to 10 months)
Weight: 23 lbs 4 oz - 77%
Height: 29.25" - 66%
Head Circum.: 44.8 cm - 25%

July 2013

July was a great summer month!  Swim lessons, working in the yard, playing in the yard, Samara's birthday, summer food and on and on.  For 4th of July, Jeff got Thursday and Friday off so it was nice to have some relaxed family time at home.  This, of course, involved some shed work, but it was still fun. :)  We got together with some high school friends to connect, which is always good and we enjoyed some Big Fred's pizza.  Kalum insisted on walking along the table and chairs the entire time, resulting in really dirty baby feet.  We will have to invest in some shoes I think!  We also had a cook-out at our house with everyone from our church small group.  It was fun to hang out and see the two new babies in the group.  Jeff and I both agreed we are NOT ready for another one of those.  We spent one evening at a BBQ event at Grandma Kathryn Derby's place.  They had food, music, and kid games/face painting.  Kalum got to sit in Great Grandma's lap and Samara enjoyed dancing to the music (though no one else was) and the all kid stuff.

I had a couple work events this month, two days on a local chapter community service project and then a trip to Chicago on the 22-25th.  We got my suitcase and the kids all loaded into the car to take me to the airport.  Samara was so excited all the way there, asking questions galore about the airport.  When we got there, I got out gave kisses and hugs goodbye to Jeff and both kids (in their car seats).  Samara started sobbing and I could still hear her as they pulled away!  Talk about Mommy-remorse on going out of town.  I thought I might start to cry, too.  :( But, after face-time on my phone with her that night, she seemed calmed down a bit and fun with Daddy had helped her sadness, and I felt much better.  It was a great trip, I learned a lot about NARI and enjoyed some time with adults.

Samara's milestones/moments for July: 

•  Really wants her independence!  She is so proud when she does things all be herself.  I have to hold myself back from helping many times, so that she can finish the task without help.  If you help and she doesn't like it, she will undo what you did and do it again herself!  Better to just stay out of it from the beginning really.  It has really tested my patience, as it can make getting ready or doing a task take WAY longer, which there is not always time for.  She can also completely turn her ears off to the fact you are talking to her, and keep going in her own lala land and pace.  When I snap and try to get her going, she'll say, "Mom are you mean or nice?"  Please pray that I can keep my cool with her, I don't want to constantly be the "yelling mom", even after the repeated attempts to move her along.  Working on finding that balance...
• We had a luncheon at church, she introduces herself to the people at our table, "My name is Samara and this is my baby Kalum and this is my Mommy and Daddy and they spank me sometimes."  All in one breath - no, not they love me, play with me, feed me... They spank me.  (Ugh - Can I hide behind my napkin please?!) Oh well, it's the truth,  it was in good company and the other moms knew that these were spankings on an as-needed basis (the same kind their kids get).
• Tells everyone she is 3!  (And that there are two kinds of three, which she demonstrates with her fingers).
• Mid-July - completely potty-trained at night now!  She hasn't wet the bed for weeks and will even get up and go on her own, or come ask me to help.  I'll take that any day over diapers and changing sheets. 
• Swimming lessons update (I guess I missed that in June when she started them): Will put her face in the water, jump in from the side to daddy with no fear, working on floating.  She is in the class that parents swim with the kids so she and Daddy have been bonding in the water. Aw, so cute!
• Got her face painted for the first time.  The lady asked what she would like painted (referring to a sheet of examples).  Samara said, "I want pink" Lady, "A pink what?" Samara "just pink".  In the end it was a flower on her hand and later a pink butterfly on her cheek.
• We went to Little Lamb Preschool to drop off the payment for her to start this fall.  She was so excited to go!  When we dropped off the payment and we were leaving she wanted to stay and play on the playground so badly!  Thankfully it was fenced in, or we may never have been able to leave.
• Playing Dr. with Mommy - she is the Dr. and I am the patient.  She said she has to leave and I am to call her on the phone and ask her to come back (some healthcare she offers!).  She stood on the other side of the room, arms bent at the elbow, wiggling her fingers.  She said she couldn't come back because she was typing.  I asked what she was typing and she said "I'm typing for NARI." :)
• She has a huge vocabulary and knows how to use it!  She loves to learn new words and uses them once taught.  She also pretends she's reading by moving her fingers along lines of words in books.Sounds out words slowly that she knows are in the book.  It won't be long, Samara girl!  Just get that alphabet down in Preschool and you'll be off and reading in no time.  I'm excited for her eagerness to learn and hope it continues as she moves on in school.

Kalum's milestones/moments for July:

•  Has a good laugh now (something that is do fun to hear!)
• Cruising really well around furniture now, especially if he spots something he wants
• Can hold onto table and bend down to reach something off the floor
• July 5th - can stand unassisted for about 1 minute, but even stood for 5 minutes in grass, so as to not touch it!
• He babbles a lot when in quiet surroundings (in other words when Samara is not home)
• July 15th - He figured out how to get from coffee table to couch to end table to wall!
• Weening him, and he seems to take the bottle just fine, unless I'm there and he's really hungry or tired
• First time swimming!  Went to family swim night where Samara takes swim lessons.  He was content the whole time and just took it all in.
• July 18th - 3rd bottom tooth and 1st top tooth came through last night.  That makes four teeth now!
• July 23rd - took first steps (at Papa and Gemma's house)
• Another top tooth is coming in, which is good because he can and will eat anything we do, just in smaller pieces.
• July 28th - can walk by himself a few feet at a time.
• End of July, Daddy and Kalum both get a yucky cold - boo to summer colds!  So far, Samara and Mommy have "dodge the bullet" and aren't sick like the boys.

June 2013

June - Summer is here! The month was full of outdoor activities for all, family fun-including Father's Day and Courtney and Nick's wedding and some much needed down time between activities.  The wedding was a really fun weekend and it was great to see a lot of family and friends, some even got to meet the kids for the first time.  Jeff continued to keep his garden growing and the crop so far looks like it is faring much better than in last year's heat.  He also made lots of progress on the shed, getting all the prep work done and starting the build.  Samara loves helping Daddy with the shed construction and tells people that her Daddy is building her her "own house" in the backyard.  She's always asking if she'll get to sleep in it, etc.  Papa and Gemma were on their cruise with friends a couple weeks, but thankfully it was a slower month for my job, so it worked out okay to just work a little less.  Jeff's new job being more family friendly has allowed him to shift his schedule here and there to accommodate times when he needed to be home so I could get to a meeting.  See the updates and photos below, I guess that was all for June!

Samara's updates for the month:

•  June 4th - Had her first "own" ice cream cone - and we've created a monster!
• When she started feeding her "crying" baby doll a bottle, I said "that's good your baby is not crying anymore, she must have been hungry."  Samara set the bottle down and said "that's the point, mom"  OK- I was just trying to give positive reinforcement, but I will not state the obvious anymore I guess...
• First time eating corn on the cob - loved it and asked for more!  If she sees that you've missed any kernels on your cob, she points that out.  We had it another night and she asked me "Are you gonna eat that?" when she saw some left on my cob.  I said I was done and she picked it up and finished off every last one.
• Said "I Love you Kalum!" Turned to me, "He's my size and I just love him!"
• She loves to cuddle with Mommy in the morning.  Comes into our bedroom and if I'm still in bed, she'll ask if she can cuddle.  I say yes whenever I can, as I know she won't want to do that forever.  If I'm already up, she will say, in her scratchy morning voice, "I wanted to cuddle with you!"
• Was the flower girl in Nick and Courtney's wedding - adorable in her dress and actually made it through the day with no melt-downs pretty much.  She didn't walk up the aisle slowly as she did during her practices, but ran up the aisle after me.  At least she went up there, no complaints, it got a good laugh from the congregation (the ones who saw the dash of magenta at least) She danced all night long and we had to pull her off the dance floor at 11PM to head home!  :)
• June 29th - First time she ever saying she smelled something.  She was playing away and then said, "Something smells stinky in our house."  Unfortunately, it was the chicken Mommy was cooking in the crock-pot.  Oh well, at least she can acknowledge scents now - and she has been vocalizing things about them ever since then.

Kalum's updates for the month:

•  June 3rd - First trip to the zoo! and First tooth is in!
• Early June - can self feed frozen bagel, cheerios, etc. Has even tried broccoli, gobbled up pieces of chicken at Arby's by mid-June
• had some nights he slept through the night (between teeth coming in) but for the most part still waking up once per night around midnight and wants to eat
• June 6th - started taking steps while holding onto your hands
• June 9th- first time with Dino walker toy, actually kind of walked as long as its speed was kept under control
• June 18th- 2nd tooth is in!  Good thing since he is still adverse to that baby food stuff.
• June 21st - 2nd haircut, just in time for Courtney's wedding and his studly suit
• End of June - Gets really mad if Samara takes away something he is playing with, started clapping (especially if you say "yay!") and actually ate baby food a couple times with an open mouth.

May 2013

May was a great month!  There were lots of firsts and fun things going on, and we were finally into some Spring weather. :)

My work was still busy, but not quite at the scale that is was during the Spring, so that allowed for some more playtime with the kids and a couple play-dates.  MOPS wrapped up for the year and I have registered again for next year.  It is a great time to get together with other real moms and to remind myself of my most important job, raising the two kids we've been blessed with.  I find it so easy to get caught up in all the "busyness" of life and not soak up those moments of the everyday.  I have been making a concerted effort to make mental snapshots of funny things, and take advantage of my iphone to take a moment to enter in things as they happen.  So, there may be no actual baby books created for my children, but I have this blog with details that I can use to fill them when I get to that in my free time-ha!  Jeff planned a date night for us to go eat and then see Star Trek the weekend it opened.  We enjoyed the time just the two of us and really appreciate having family in town to help watch the kiddos.  On Mother's Day we had Kalum dedicated at our church, then had all the family over for brunch at our house.  It was a nice day to just chat and relax a bit with family.

Jeff's work took a big change this month, starting a new job at NIFCO Mechanical in Lincoln.  After much debate, thought and prayer, we decided it was the best option for our family.  Though he has a longer commute to work, almost 50 minutes, he works only 40 hours per week and doesn't feel the level of stress that he was dealing with before.  I really was concerned he was going to have an anxiety attack or something with all that he had to get done, and his desire to always do his best work AND be a great Dad.  He misses the co-workers he had become friends with over the 5 years at Continental, but we already had a chance to get together with some of them for a cook-out, so it's nice to stay in touch.  He is adjusting to the new job and coworkers and so far, so good!  He has even enjoyed some relaxing weekends at home with family, and we've been glad to have him there for sure!  You don't realize what a weekend not having to fit in time at the office can be until you have one. :)  He's had time to do some projects at home, including that start of the projects for this summer - his garden and a new shed in the backyard.  Our two-car garage is packed and needs an addition, so this is the next best option.  Samara tells everyone he is building her a house to live in in the backyard!

Samara's moments/milestones for May:

•  I sang the Star Spangled banner once when we saw the American flag, the rest of the week she demanded I sing that song every time we saw the flag! Thankfully (for anyone with ears) it was always in the car with the windows closed when we saw them.
• If you ask her if she did anything naughty at day care or during that day, her response is "No, I'm a good girl."
• When I told her Daddy and I were going on a date night on Friday evening, she explained that she was Daddy's sweet heart and I was Daddy's love heart. Aw, how cute! :)
• She is so excited to wear her flower girl dress in Auntie Courtney's wedding!  She has tried it on and showed us her "walk down the aisle".  She walks really slow and smiles.  Says, "And everyone will be smiling at me and looking at me. And I have flowers to hold." Oh dear, the Bride will have to work to get some attention it sounds like, according to Samara.  I told her, yes they will, but then they will all be watching Auntie Courtney!
• May 21st - first swimming lesson.  She is in the pre-school class where a parent is in the water with her and she loves it!  Daddy helps Samara splash and float and do all the fun things the teacher instructs them to.
• She has now been mistaken multiple times for a four year old.  Not sure if it's the height, long hair or fact that she talks in fully-comprehensible sentences, but it will be really fun to watch her as she learns even more at pre-school in the Fall.
• One night at the end of the month, she woke up in the middle of the night, realized she'd wet her pull-up, went on the potty, changed into a new pull-up and put her jammies back on.  The next morning as she relayed this story and I had to go look in the diaper pail to see if I really believed her - it was true!
• She has reached a very bossy phase! Everything is an opportunity to tell someone how to do something it seems.

Kalum's moments/milestone for May:

• Visually tracks objects (including watching Mommy walk out of the room, not always his favorite moment)
• Early May, actually had a couple days where we coaxed him to eat some baby food.  After working way to hard at it, we decided to let that go for a couple weeks and see if he's more ready later.
• His sleep schedule is getting more predictable, usually a morning and afternoon nap about 1:00 each day now.  At night, still waking up a couple times usually - c'mon kid!
• May 9th - first time sitting in the grass, not really a fan
• Mid-May - has mastered the raspberry or motor-boat sound and loves making it!  Anyone who has held him lately has the spit splatters on their shirt to prove it. :)
• May 13th - first haircut! Mommy held him and he got a trim.  He'll probably need another one before the wedding, but Mommy was afraid to cut it too short.  With only having hair on top, it needs some love or it looks kind of like a toupe.
• Really likes to eat his toes, and bends right over to get them when sitting. Good thing he's so flexible so he can enjoy them!
• May 22nd - noticed the signs of first tooth on it's way in
• Memorial Day - had watermelon for the first time - yummy!  Also will open his mouth for Cheerios.
• Rubs his eyes when tired, so you don't really have to guess if he should go to his crib.  But, if he feels he isn't full enough, you'll get quite the tantrum before he goes to sleep.

Kalum is 6 months old! - April 30, 2013

We got Kalum's 6 month photos taken, and they turned out so cute, it was hard to narrow down our choices!
Here are his measurements from his 6 month checkup on 5/1/13:

Weight: 20 lbs 3 oz - 87%
Height: 27" - 69%
Head circumference: 17.22" - 48%

Basically, he is super squishy, happy and ticklish!!  But, still not sleeping all night or having any interest in baby food... Though it doesn't look like he's missing any meals. :)

2013 April

What, April is over too?!?!  Believe it or not, Spring is here... 

Though there have been only a few days where it actually felt like Spring, another month has passed on by!  This month was filled with a couple big events for Amanda - Remodeled Home Tour and a Conference in KC for 3 days/3nights for work, MOPS, and Bridal Shower planning and hostessing for Courtney.  Jeff had work-of course, Sunday school teaching, our church small group, taking his concealed carry weapon class(which Amanda went to as well - for "moral support" and knowledge of the topic), handling the kids while Amanda was out of town - yes, what a guy!!  He took two days off work and had the two kids all alone from Wednesday evening through Saturday afternoon, and he and both kids survived.  Logistically it was a little difficult since I am still nursing Kalum, but it worked out and I really enjoyed the trip, learned a lot and, though I love them so much, time away from the kids. :)  Since my Dad is on the Board for the chapter, we rode together and it was good to have some time to talk in the car and between meeting times.  

Unfortunately while we in KC we got news that Grandpa Pennell was having some medical issues following a fall he had in the last month or so.   They had to go in an relieve pressure on his brain and everything sounded very serious very quickly.  Since they are out of town, it was hard to know exactly what was going on.  We were definitely praying for the best possible outcome for him, since he is 93 and still going strong!  In the end, it seems they were able to accomplish their goal with his surgery and after a scare with some seizures, he has been in rehab and will be heading home soon.  My Dad even headed out there to visit and did some work on their home (adding hand-rails etc) to make it safer.  We hope that he will recover quickly and be able to come to Omaha in June for Courtney's wedding!

Jeff had a potential job opportunity come up this month, despite not really looking for anything else.  He interviewed with a Sprinkler company out of Lincoln that is smaller and has the potential for great opportunities for him, along with keeping his priorities in the order that he wants them to be.  We actually both ended up going to have dinner with the owner and his wife to get a feel for the company and what would be expected, etc.  It went well and after much consideration, negotiation and deliberation, Jeff gave his two week notice at Continental.  It will be bittersweet to leave, but he feels it will be the best move at this time.  The only downside will be the commute, but really 45 minutes isn't all that bad considering what some people have to drive every day.  It will allow him some decompression time (which we're really hoping he'll need less of on this new position).  His first day is May 6th, so we're just praying and hoping that the transition will be as smooth as possible for everyone involved!


Samara's milestone/moments for April:

• Driving home one evening, she saw a cloud that was shaped like a shark.  She said it was following us, then when we said Daddy was driving our car safely away, she said, "Thank you for saving me."
• Okay - forget talking in sentences, this girl can talk in paragraphs! And they go from sun-up to sun-down (and then she talks in her sleep)  :)
• She is nearly potty-trained during the day, but sometimes if there is too much fun going on she still forgets until it's too late - example - She is out helping Jeff wash the truck, when she runs over and crouches on the sidewalk.  I see a puddle forming under her on the concrete.  I told her Samara come on inside, we need to clean you up, why didn't you just say you had to go potty, etc.  Jeff asks how I knew she peed her pants since she was all wet from playing in the wash water and I point to the puddle..  He laughs out loud.  Later that day Samara recounted the event as, "I crooked down on the sidewalk, then there was a puddle.  Daddy saw it and he laughed, he thought it was funny!" We'll have to work on Daddy's poker-face I guess...
• When playing in her toy kitchen, she all of a sudden said "I gotta get my ipads!"  She grabbed her hot pads and took whatever was cooking in the oven right out. Lol-the things kids of this age say that never would have been said even 5 years ago!
• We have officially entered the WHY? phase - oh, Lord, please give me patience...
• Says "open meal" for oatmeal
• April 25th - first night with no pull-up.  It's been up and down, depending on the night, but at least she is aware when she's wet and she'll figure it out...just have to do more loads of laundry until she does.
• The night of the shower in Breda, we ended up just having her stay over at Grandpa and Grandma Derby's since it was late and she was already sleeping.  At 2:30AM, Grandma woke up to a strange noise coming from the floor where Samara was sleeping.  After talking to her, Grandma found out the noise was Samara "snorting like Grandpa", awake and imitating his snoring . :)  Grandpa apparently also woke a couple times to her saying "Stop it!" because his snoring didn't cease.

 Kalum's milestones/moments for April:

• April 6th - first time at the park!
• April 8th - started sitting up unassisted
• Survived three days and nights without Mommy - our first real separation
• Mid-April - found his feet and won't let go!
• April 27th - first trip out-of-state - we went to Breda, IA for a couples shower that Nick's parents threw for them in his home town.   
• For the most part, he is all-smiles!  Happy baby boy.