Preschool Pre-Season :)

Two posts in one month?! This must be some sort of a post-Alec record! :)
Well, the big day is almost upon us...we are exactly 48 hours away from Andra's first day of preschool! I mentioned in my last post I'm a little nervous and sad about it...but the closer it gets, the more excited I get for her. I truly think she's going to love it.

A couple weeks ago, we visited her classroom and met her teacher during the "meet and greet" afternoon. Andra was so...Andra. We walked into the room, and she confidently made a bee-line for the table of trains, planes and automobiles (populated entirely by boys), completely bypassing the gaggle of little girls at the kitchen playset. :) 'Atta girl. I love that she marches to the beat of her own drum. Next was blocks (mostly boys again), and then she chatted with her teacher for a few minutes...and finally, a trip to the playground. It earned her seal of approval. And mission accomplished...the afternoon seemed to help both of us get rid of the butterflies and get excited about the school year ahead. I'm relieved...her teacher has so many fun things planned, her style matches my parenting style (very structured, scheduled days..Andra should feel right at home!), and she's a veteran with 15 years of preschool teaching under her belt. It still tugs at my heartstrings that Andra will be starting this whole new life completely independent of me...but that's what kids are supposed to do, right? Spread their wings and fly. (sniffle)

After her meet and greet afternoon, we had a little date at the nearby Starbucks (which is VERY conveniently located for Mommy for preschool drop-off and pick-up..uh-oh!). We had a fun afternoon just the two of us celebrating this new chapter in her little life (note: that's not espresso in her cup, just some good 'ol chocolate milk!).

Speaking of starting a new chapter...Alec is WALKING!!! He went from being a weeble wobble to a confident walker in just a matter of days! It was pretty incredible to watch, and my heart is just bursting with pride. I have tried my darnedest to upload the video to our blog, but to no avail. And a photo just doesn't do his cute little waddle justice. :) Andra didn't walk until after her first birthday, so Alec beat her by over a month! I knew he would...he's gotta keep up with her afterall!

In other news, we're gearing up for the kids' double birthday bash in just a few weeks. Since their birthdays are only 2 days apart, we'll be combining the parties into one. I'm making it my mission to be less "hostess" and more mommy that day, so I can just soak it in.

So...I guess it's goodbye to the summer, since we're officially part of the "back to school" season now. We'll let you know how it goes!

We're Still Here

Oh man, it's been a long time since I've posted! I really am going to try to get back into the blogging groove...I know I said that last time too! So lets see if I can give you a brief update of our summer...can't believe it's nearly over.

First of all, Alec. He is into EVERYTHING and certainly keeping us on our toes! He is still the easiest baby EVER, but man, he is into everything he's not supposed to be into! i.e. the dog food bowls, the dishwasher (with a distinct attraction to knives and forks and all things sharp), the glass wine bottles as SOON AS I open the fridge door! He is lightning quick...and SO close to walking. I sure am going to miss seeing his little hips shake and dragging feet disappear at warp speed around the corner when he crawls away to another adventure. He also decided to be an overachiever this summer and cut FOUR teeth at once. Pretty impressive, don't ya think?

Andra has been a delight this summer too with the typical challenges that 3 year-olds bring. She seems to have really stretched out this summer and is looking more grown up by the day. We've had some special "big girl" dates where she gets to leave her little bro at home and have some time with Mom or Dad or both. We took just her to Symphony on the Praire for music and fireworks, which was a special treat for her. She got to stay out WAY past her bedtime, which she always gets a kick out of. We also took just her to Holiday World for a fun day with her cousins.

Next on the horizon for her is preschool this fall. This will be the first of two years of preschool before she begins kindergarden, and I'm already questioning if it's the right thing to do. She's so bright, and I think she'll really thrive...I just don't want her to get "burnt out" on school before she even gets to kindergarden. So far, her little life has revolved around playing all day with no time commitments or structure. And lets be honest... it makes me a little sad to know she'll have this whole new world at school that's completely independent of me. I hope to be involved in her classroom as a room mom, etc, so I can at least get a glimpse of what she's like in the classroom.

The other thing that has brought so much enjoyment for us lately is really seeing the kids interact. When Andra starts acting goofy, her brother will just cackle and get such a kick out of it. It's fun to see them interact as siblings. But don't be fooled...sometimes Andra gets tired of Alec chasing her everywhere (and he IS like her little shadow!). I know she needs some space when I hear her bedroom door slam so she can shut her little bro out and play alone for awhile. :)

And a major time suck for me (hence the lack in blogging) is, of course, trying to sell our house. I was so foolish going into it...thinking our house is so cute that it would rise above the terrible market and sell quickly. It's been 10 months, we've had 30 showings, and not even a nibble. It makes me a little angry, to be honest. Cleaning for the showings always takes my time and attention away from the kids (which makes my blood boil), I don't like having strangers tramp through my home where my kids' names are in plain view on the wall (it just gives me the heeby jeebies), and without fail, the showings are notoriously smack in the middle of naptime or on the weekends when we're supposed to be relaxing and rejuvenating as a family. I thought for sure we'd sell this summer, but here it is, with the summer almost over and no prospects. I tell myself God has a plan for our family, and we just have to be patient. But in the meantime, it's a major pain in my behind. :)

So not to end on a sour note, here's pic of the kids. Both their birthdays are right around the corner...so hard to believe!

Air Show!

all right all right. For all of you bugging me...at long last, here's a new post! Life has just been crazy lately...between taking care of the kids, yard work, endless house showings...yadda yadda yadda...
BUT
Andra and I had a lot of quality time over the weekend at the air show! It was really such a good time and some nice one-on-one time with my little gal.

Friday night, we went to the balloon glow. There wasn't much "glowing," because it gets dark so late, and they had to deflate the balloons when the wind kicked up, but we still got to spend plenty of time checking them out. It was pretty cool seeing that many in one spot. We tried to go to the State Fair balloon glow last year, but it was rained out...so it was nice to make it happen on our second attempt!

This was "Sad Andra" after we found out that she was too short to go on a tethered balloon ride. I know it's heartbreaking, but no worries...A little distraction and she was over it a few minutes later. She has to be 48 inches tall to ride, so I'm afraid it's gonna be a few years! :)

On Saturday, we went to the actual air show...just the last couple of hours of it. She got to see two light weight planes do some really cool tricks (red and blue, her favorite colors!). And the Blue Angels were the grand finale! I'd never seen them before, and they gave me goosebumps several times...and I'm not even a plane person! It was pretty incredible.

Here's Andra checking out the inside of a helicopter...

And below, an illustration of my motherly ingenuity. I knew the planes would be loud and that Andra wouldn't tolerate ear plugs, so we brought along her ear muffs...and they worked like charm! :)

It was a busy weekend, but we made some fun memories...and I'm sure we'll be attending future air shows! And maybe next time we'll let the boys join us. ;)

Gimme the Sweet Stuff

Just when you think you've seen it all in the Hoosier state... we discovered the National Maple Syrup Festival! Yep...right here in Indiana. Who knew?

A whole festival for maple syrup? Yes. And this had Dave's name all over it. He LOVES maple syrup. We actually buy bottles of pure maple syrup at the grocery store that cost $18. Yes, you read that right. $18. For a SINGLE bottle of syrup. The boy loves his syrup.

So the highlight of the festival is indulging in the syrup they make at the farm. It was divine. Our choices were a maple pork chop or pancakes with syrup. So we all chose the pancakes. Obviously. Something about eating hot pancakes in the crisp (almost!) spring air just warms the soul...and definitely fills the belly. Mmmm...it was delicious!

Getting ready to dive into our plate of pancakes! They were definitely homemade. And since I usually don't eat the pure maple syrup, it tasted especially rich to me! (and no, that's not a scoop of ice cream on the side...that's a generous scoop of butter!)

It really was a beautiful day to be outside...breezy but sunny, and it felt so good to fill our lungs with some fresh air after the horrible winter we've had! The pancakes made it even better. :)

So we learned a little about maple syrup (I still don't think Andra's convinced it comes from a tree), walked the wooded grounds, went on a horse and carriage ride, and indulged in a delicious brunch! It was a good day...definitely worth the trip. oh....and we bought pure maple syrup too. Dave forgot the check book, so we had to limit ourselves to one measley bottle. For $15. :) But we'll savor every last drop!

Did I Dream This?

Was it really 60 degrees?? In February?? Praise the Lord for the warm temps, snow melt, and breaths of fresh air for all of us!!
'nuff said!

Getting ready for a walk around the 'hood!

Making "Solid" Progress

Well, I'm embarking on a new adventure in motherhood. I've decided to make--as in homemake--all of Alec's baby food. Yes...peeling, slicing, dicing, blending, and storing. :) I feel a bit like Dianne Keaton in Baby Boom...you know, that 80's movie where she gets rich making baby food. Anyone? Anyone? Well, I happened to LOVE that movie for some weird reason when I was young.

To be honest, I was really nervous about this new goal of mine. But I know other mothers who work full-time (hello, guilt), and still managed to make all of their baby's food and PROMISED it was super easy. And to be honest, I've been pleasantly surprised...mainly because my friend Shannon and I went in together quite a while back and bought this awesome Beaba baby food maker. They say it's all the rage in Europe (and really, how would we know otherwise? It's not like I've been to Europe recently)...and this awesome gadget has now crossed the pond. Shannon used it first with her baby, then passed it down to me, and now I'm learning how to master this mighty little machine.

It intimidated me at first, but now I think I've got the hang of it! So here's the deal...you just prep the food (like I peeled and diced the above sweet potatoes...or even better, dump in a bag of frozen peas!). Then, it steams the food, then blends it...all in about ten minutes, AND, all in one dish...very little clean-up. And WAY cheaper than the jarred stuff. And I must say, I feel a sense of pride making his baby food. So Alec's first taste of "real" food was the above sweet potatoes. And let me tell you, he is INHALING them. Since the sweet potatoes, he's also mastered squash and carrots. Next, we'll add in some fruits!

He's a happy little guy in his high chair. He's becoming quite the little consumer of solid food, and I'm so proud. It's fun to add in new foods and watch his reaction. And he's been an EXCELLENT eater since the day he was born, so it's nice to have more fun with the whole eating-thing this time around (Andra was a horrible eater, which equaled a stressed out Mommy at most feedings!) So, Bon Appetite!

Baby Dedication

It was a special weekend for our little family of four! We had Alec dedicated at our church on Saturday night. Since everyone keeps asking me...it's not a baptism (although I certainly pray he makes that choice someday!), it's where parents make a promise in front of the congregation to raise their child in a Christian home. We did this with Andra as well...although the girl refuses to pray with us before dinner, we're trying our best!! :) *sigh* The wills of three year-olds... :)

So the moment was significant...although I must admit,we were more than slightly distracted. You see, my typically shy, quiet three year-old decided to show off some less than desirable behavior as we stood on stage. in front of the entire church, mind you. *more sighs* It was nothing incredibly dramatic, but still humilating for a mommy. She refused to stand still, and kept trying to make a bee line for family next to us. You see, each family had been given a baby's bible for the child being dedicated. All the families were standing on stage, and the baby bibles were sitting on the floor in front of each family. Well, Andra decided SHE wanted the bible of our neighboring family because it had a pink post-it on it. Our pink post-it wasn't good enough. She wanted it BAD. So she kept trying to make a run for it and grab it, and Dave had to keep physically pulling her back.
She resisted...
Squirming and arguing ensues...
note to self: trying to reprimand a three year-old in a whisper doesn't work very well...
this is starting to feel like the longest five minutes of my life...
Dave spots an old lady in the congregation shaking her head disapprovingly, as if we have no control over our children...

See? humiliating. (clearly, this woman has either (a) never had children, or (b) long since forgotten the challenges of toddlerhood)

Funny thing is...my sister's family was also having their newborn dedicated. As we're physically wrestling with Andra, I look down a few families only to see my sister also manhandling her three-year old, Garrett! I had to chuckle. The joys of parenthood! My parents were in the congregation, and I wanted to burst out laughing...their hearts must have been bursting with pride knowing THEIR two grandchildren were the two worst-behaved kids on stage! That said, Andra and Garrett are both outstanding, usually well-behaved kids. I think they were in cahoots together to embarrass their parents that night! :) (I was really glad Alec and Callie were being dedicated together...Andra and Garrett, as newborns, were also dedicated together the same night!)

Despite the drama...mission accomplished. We introduced Alec to our church and made a promise that will impact his life and every detail of it. Now I just pray, every day, for wisdom to guide him to God...what an awesome responsibility.

(check out Garrett's face in this one! haha! note: click on the picture for a full screen view to truly appreciate his face-making skills)