Konked out

After a L-O-N-G afternoon.. Kyler finally gave in and took a snooze!

Apparently he just needed me to make him a "reading/quiet time fort" in order to seal the deal.

Now I know why I put energy saving bulbs in both my kids' rooms. They don't get hot!!

Mr. Church Perch

It finally warmed up enough for a snowman!  We call it "magic snow." Kyler kept saying, "when it warms up the snow will get sticky and then we can make the three balls for a man."

 Kyler thought his name should be "Church Perch."
He's obviously very into rhyming lately.

Mr. Perch is very fancy.

 And, the thing to Mr. Perch's right is, as Kyler put it, "Church's garden."

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Little Miss Nora has been on the move lately. No crawling yet.. just rolling. But she goes REALLY fast. Here is her progression the other morning. (She started on the blanket.)

 Then she wrestled/licked this coat for a minute.

 Then she decided to head to the stairs! A little too close for my liking!

Baby gates will be next, I suppose!

sittin up

 

Nora has been sitting up for a little bit now but in the last couple of days she actually STAYS up to play! So cute :-)

 

Happy 6 months to my little lady!! Couldn't imagine the world without you!

long time no see

Thanks Tom & Katie for your visit! Albeit quick, it's always nice to see you.

 

Building the city "Cedar Cove." Population: 30.

Here's the "official" photo from the sweetheart ball I posted about earlier.

 

Sweetheart Ball

We went to a really fun event at the local Community Center last night. It's called "The Sweetheart Ball." The gym is decorated and there's a DJ, bubble machine, heart shaped little debbie snacks, kool-aid, and a lot of overjoyed kids with their parents trailing behind them. Watching Kyler dance was super fun!! Sorry about the video quality.. I think Chris forgot to stop dancing during the filming.

 

 

 

 

 

Getting ready for the ball!!

 

PLEASE NOTE: Abby cannot check her e-mail at this time. So, don't send her anything of any importance. Thanks!

rolly polly

Nora is all about rolling and moving around! If I leave her on a blanket, I will often times come back into the room to find her off the blanket and way over in a different area. Sometimes it's not such a good thing (ie: laying in the middle of a bunch of small legos)... but at least it's getting me prepared for the crawling stage! It might not be far off..

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Today I ventured out in the snowfall with 4 kids... Kyler, Max (3), Damien (18 months) and Nora.. We went to the Crystal Community Center for some Preschool Gym time. Picture me with Damien in a backpack, Nora in her carseat in a stroller, and Max and Kyler running behind. Quite the sight! [Somewhat] organized chaos.

 

But, it was a lot of fun and the boys got to run off some energy. I was sort of surprised to see most of the parents interacting so much with their kids. As in, holding their hands as they went down the 1 ft high slides, moms and dads helping 2 yr olds set up the bowling pins.... A lot of open gym times I've been to in the past involved sitting around the edges while the kids run around by themselves. Let them manage things themselves.

So, I ended up talking with another mother who obviously has the same philosphy as I do. Her 3 kids were all over the place and it was GREAT!

 

It was a great time and worth all the effort that went into making it happen. So nice to see other mothers and kids ~ especially this time of year when everyone starts to feel clausterphobic and full of "cabin fever."

*****

Another video of Nora. She still loves her johnny! And, apparently, I love to ask her to say, "dada." Gotta love the "mom voice."

 

"dadadada"

 

Nora started saying, "dada" last night. And although the middle of the night isn't the ideal time to charm us with her adorable milestones, I thought I'd share it anyway :-)

I love when babies start talking!

We're also starting some more foods soon. Can't wait ~ another adorable milestone!