2011_12_19 Tuesday

Mom: "Elise, thank you!"
Elise: "Ye'come!"

and pretty consistently!

2011_12_15 Thursday

I changed into sweatpants after dinner, as I'm still recovering from this nasty cold. Jonathan said, "mom, you have on tse-tses but they aren't like [classmate's]" and grabbed the string of my waistband. I realized he was talking about the tzitzit, which are fringes that orthodox Jewish men wear. I only had two, and mine had metal clamps (which weren't like his classmate's). How observant, though!

2011_12_06 Tuesday

Jonathan stayed home sick today. He got to use a "thermodemer" under his tongue for the first time. He had a fever that spiked at 102.4, so he also missed swim class last night. By late this afternoon, he seemed back to normal (99.2) and his body was much cooler. So, we ventured out to a Scholastic Warehouse Sale. I got a bunch of Reader 1 books for him and a couple of chapter books that we can read together.

St. Nickolaus came overnight too. Jonathan got a flashy toothbrush, Geld, a Pez dispenser, and a Playmobile set. Elise got hairbows, hairbands, toothbrushes, and Geld. What nice kids they've been all year. I have pix to share, eventually.

2011_11_23 Wednesday

How is it possible that I don't watch Elise for a few seconds and she's gotten a container of yogurt smeared across her book, her tray, her sippy cup, and both hands/arms!? She managed to smash through the foil lid too. man, she is quick...and a mess!

2011_11_11 Friday

The three of us were in the car, driving home from the gym, when the clock hit 11:11:11am today. Somehow I feel like I should record that piece of trivia.

Ok, over dinner tonight, Jonathan told us the following:

eeny, miney, meeny, moe.

catch the tiger by his toe.

if he wants to go, let him go.

if his animal friends come, let them all play together.

Elise is signing 'thank you' and saying buckle (which is on her highchair).

We are having a blast with LOUD and quiet. The kids get a big kick out of screaming for a few seconds and then whispering.

Although the day got away from us so we didn't make Laterne this year, we did make Bretzeln. Jonathan was a big help in kneading the dough. He made a "cat bread," which started out as a pizza crust but ended up popping up and looking like a cat. And, we all split the 1 lb of bread for 'dessert.'

2011_11_07 Monday

Today, Elise got her first taste of sit-and-think after she emptied out the pantry of snacks...and left them in a trail around the house. Shortly after that, she gave me the toilet sign and successfully peed on the toilet (her successful 5th time!!). big day for a little lady.

2011_10_26 Wednesday

Elise peed on the toilet for the first time!!!! She gave me the toilet sign, and I put her on it, and a few seconds later, she peed..a lot!!! Soooo cool!!!

2011_10_24 Monday

On the way to school today, Jonathan and I had something close to the following convo:

J2: Mom, the news said there's a storm in Chicago. [he didn't watch/hear any news]

J1: really? should we call Aunt Shannon to tell her?

J2: No, it's a different Chicago. It's not her Chicago.

J1: oh, what else?

J2: the water is rising at Oma and Opa's.

J1: should we tell them?

J2: you can call them and let them know when I'm at school.

J1: ok, was there anything else on the news that I missed? Sometimes they talk about sports or what is going on in the world, or if President Obama has something important to say.

J2: I hate that guy.

J1: what??!

J2: I don't like it when grown-ups talk on TV. it's so boring. I like my shows.

This morning, Elise had a playdate with Toby, who said he loves her, although we aren't sure he knows what he's saying. They do seem to like each other, though. She really honed in on some large, wooden beads that they pretend is sushi. She even slid one through a hole in a ball--pretty impressive dexterity. We'll see them again on Thursday at the tunnel park.

I was suppose to have my first, official yoga class this morning, BUT Elise wouldn't have it. She screamed (a la hyperventilating) in the daycare area for 20 mins before the ladies came to find me. I had just enough time to start yoga breathing before I had to leave. boo, hiss. But, lady luck was on my side; there was another class at 6:30 tonight that I did get to go to because Dave was still home and made dinner for the babes. waaahhoo. Boy, could I tell it's been four years since my last class!!

On the way home from school, Jonathan and I picked up another set of alphabet playmats for our new and improved basement playroom. While Elise napped (for 4+ hours!!!), we installed them and tested them out. They aren't the exact same as what we already had, so there is a slight bump between the old and new sets, but it works just fine! I can't believe how less kiddy our den looks already, even though there's still plenty there!

2011_10_23 Sunday

Today, Jonathan said I have been having a lot of hiccing ups. Then, on the way home from Home Depot (we are starting 'construction' on my new office), he poked himself in the eye, saying he didn't know where his finger was. (???)

Elise has discovered the hilarity of balls bouncing. She drops it from eye level and laughs hysterically as the ball bounces away. And, headbands are now more stylish as belts.

She clearly identifies all dogs in eye sight, yelling 'dawww' until someone acknowledges her and then barking, albeit fairly quietly.

We spent yesterday recreating the playroom downstairs. It's coming together nicely. Dave sprayed mildewicide, so that will hopefully take care of any that might have been growing. I have had crazy spurts of sneezing, like 7-10 in a row, all weekend long. I don't feel sick, but I just can't stop; I've also had nausea (like pre-vomit watery mouth) for the past two days. I really hope it's not from the basement, but no one else seems to have this.

2011_10_18 Tuesday

On the way to school, Jonathan sang There Was A Man Named Isadore and asked me to sing it back to him. And, considering how long ago he heard it, he recited it nearly 100% correctly!

More or less:

There was a man named Isadore,
Who tied his goat outside his door.
That day the goat was feeling fine
And he ate his redshirt off the line.

Now Issac said the goat must die
So he tied her to the railroad tie
The whistle blew and the goat in vain
Coughed up the shirt and flagged the train.

2011_10_14 Friday

Jonathan: "Mom, this is my hi-poppy-sis...we should clean the dishes."

Elise got to sit on the potty this evening! I have two photos.

We had the water guys here today to finish off the trench in the basement, so we headed to KidzVillage for the morning. Surprisingly, it was pretty empty. It was quiet enough when we got home that Elise was able to nap. The rest of the day was sort of bland, especially because it's been rainy.

2011_10_06 Thursday

Today, Elise has discovered PlayDoh! She's in her high chair with a purple glob of it and a bunch of cookie cutters, a play knife, and some other Playdoh tools. So far, she hasn't even tried to eat it. She's trying to stack some of the containers and slamming the cookie cutters into her table. I can't believe how quiet she is while exploring this new world. Guess I can do lots of work while she's Playdoh-ing!!!

She started off the morning super booger-y, and her sneezes are just plain gross. After taking Jonathan to school, she insisted on coloring. She actually took out a crayon box and sat down on the stairs to investigate them. So, I got her a few crayons (many of which she sucked on, tore paper off of, and subsequently ate) and drawing paper, locked her in her high chair, and she went to town while I unloaded the dishwasher.

Dad is coming home tonight, and Oma should be here this afternoon. What an exciting day!

2011_09_28 Wednesday

I'm going to maintain a link to Jonathan's artwork throughout this year. It will include school projects and any major works of art he does at home. Check it out:

And, here are some shots of us messing around last night:

2011_09_23 Friday

The past two weeks have been pretty hectic.

I flew with the kids to Atlanta for a long weekend. They did fabulously in the planes. I wrapped up a bunch of $1 items to keep them busy, and it totally worked. Elise was a little squirmy, but since we were flying during the day, we had the row to ourselves. Jonathan was a little nervous going through security, but he did great. And, on the way home, the plane was smaller so we only had two seats in the row.

Then, I flew to Orlando for a fantastic three days of work. Gosh, I'm so happy to be back in the workforce!!

2011_09_14 Wednesday

Elise's Walkabout:

As I was making dinner, I knew Jonathan was in the den watching Sesame Street, but Elise was unusually silent. After scanning the first floor for her, I heard a noise upstairs. Sure enough, Elise had climbed all the stairs and crawled over the gate and wandered into the bathroom!!! Guess she can do stairs!

2011_09_08 Thursday

Today's Back To School Day!!!! wahoo. We had orientation yesterday since Jonathan will be in a different classroom. It was nice for him to preview it and meet the new kids and two new teachers. There are 24 kids and 4 teachers! Anyway, he got a Schultute this morning. Pix to come. And, we strolled right in and he ran off to play, not once looking back or even saying goodbye. I showed him where the toilet was, and he went off to find the Legos. He was completely fine...in fact, he was more worried about Ducky (ugh!) being ok while we was gone. Everyone said how much he's grown; I don't see it since he's with me daily. What a kid.

2011_09_05 Monday

Happy Labor Day! It's been raining for most of the day.

We had a quiet morning, with Dave and Jonathan up "early" to play trains quietly until the rest of the house (ie mom and Elise) woke up. Oma and I made a huge batch of pesto for Dave.

This afternoon, we had the pleasure of seeing the bear lumber across the street and then over to the bird feeder. The chickens under my car must have been nervous; I was! It was about the size of a pony. Jonathan, who was the one who saw it at the bird feeder, leaped up into the 'tree house' to yell at the bear: "Hey bear! go away!" Elise has been yelling 'mbaaaah' and 'pssst!' ever since and running between two low windows and pointing outside.

2011_09_04 Sunday

I woke up to "psst. psst. psst. psst. psst. psst. psst. psst. psst. psst." this morning. Elise has figured out that that's an attention-getter. Dave got a toe-grab since he was slightly closer than I was.

E's working on new words...

ee-a ee-a = rocking, rocking

chee-chee = chicken

dah = dog

dat = that

Along with mastering the omnipresent NO and ME. She can sign for more and help, which are basically the same signs. She's enjoyed splashing water from the dogs' bowls. She's enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with Oma's scarves. She's made a great hat/halo for herself out of a squishy floor mat. She's discovered the washing machine and has made it into a toy, opening/closing the door, spinning the dial, taking things out, etc. Opa taught her to High-Five.

Jonathan is having a great time exploring the toys (especially the trains) and games (classics like Battleship) in the loft. He rode with Oma and Opa to/from dinner last night without a second thought. I love his critical thinking: "Mom, why do grown-ups get to stay up when I have to go to bed?" If only we could leave Ducky for one split second!!

2011_09_03 Saturday

Well, we all survived Hurricane Irene's torment. We lost power on Saturday night BEFORE the hurricane actually hit, around 6am. It rained the entire day. In the end, we had about 3+ inches of standing water in our basement. Luckily, Dave and I moved all the low-lying things up. Once the rains stopped on Sunday, I took some buckets to the basement in a vain effort to scoop out the water. I do think that I made a small impact, but at best, I was able to keep the water from rising too much more. By the evening, it was back to the level where I had started...and my back and hands hurt. We decided it was best for me and the kids to head out to the Barony on Sunday night. Power wasn't restored until Tuesday around 5am. Dave followed us out on Tuesday night once the power came on and the sump pump and dehumidifiers were doing their jobs. Water was also shut off, and even today it needs to be boiled before use.

So, here we are at the Barony...we played putt putt, went to a 4-H-type fair (saw lots of farm animals, milked a (fake) cow, and watched a "tractor" pull competition: http://s757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/ldemmert/110829J2Milking%20GrangeFair/?start=all), went to a minor league baseball game (traded autographed balls with the mascot, saw great fireworks, J2 ran the bases: http://s757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/ldemmert/110901Baseball/?start=all), helped Opa hang owl houses, plant veggies, build bookcases, collect eggs. The boys split off and did an amusement park while the girls got haircuts. Man, we've been busy!

2011_08_27 Saturday

Today is the big day: Hurricane Irene is due in this evening. It's sort of drizzling here now, and the wind is very low. I've done as much preventive work as I can, including cleaning up the neighbor's back porch. The storm windows and jalicies are down; everything possible is stored in the garage. The anticipation is hard. Jonathan keeps asking when we're going to Oma/Opa's, and I keep asking him if I missed the rain storm.

We even had breakfast in town today where peoples' opinions of the storm ranged from "no big deal" to "the sky's falling." It's funny: I catch myself talking mental photos of things around town to see what it will look like afterward. How half-empty am I?!

I'm trying to think up as many no-light-needed games/activities (in case--or when--power goes out): playdoh, making sock puppets, legos...

I've got a couple of finger-lights for J, 3 headlamps, and lots of candles (which authorities advise against but I have no choice since there were no flashlights or batteries left at stores. We'll be careful). I'm tempted to pack 3-day Go Bags for each of us, but that might be overkill.

2011_08_24 Wednesday

yeah, yeah, it's been awhile....

We went on an overnight adventure on Tuesday-Wednesday. I drove the kids up to Mystic, CT to the aquarium and then to Oakdale to The Dinosaur Place. We had a total, absolute blast. The drive was much longer than I had anticipated, but we still got to the aquarium around 1, in plenty of time. We visited all (or at least 90% of) the exhibits before having lunch around 3. J wasn't interested in the Balogas, although I was. He liked the sharks (he touched one!), the penguins, and the dang $2 boats that you drive remotely in a pond. ugh. The glow-in-the-dark fish, the jellies, and the sea lion came a close second for him. He also tried touching the rays, but the tanks were deep enough that they'd swim by, but too deep, him. We looked for frogs, tadpoles, and turtles in their marshland. J told me that tadpoles go through 'metaphoosum.' (oh, and we didn't feel the earthquake.)

We ate dinner at a local pizzaria. I think we all were beat by then, and I should have carried out. Next time. Our motel wasn't spectacular, but it was fine. E went to bed around 7:30 (on time), J played games on my phone and I read until 8:30, and we went to bed around 9. I woke up at 4am ready to party, though. The kids woke up around 8:30, so that worked out well. We had some fruit that I had brought along to hold us over until breakfast.

After checking-out, packing the car, and getting b'fast (Dunkin Donuts, oh well), we headed to The Dinosaur Place in Oakdale, CT. It's an outdoor dinosaur exhibit around a pond and in the woods. It was gorgeous. We walked the trails, and "life"-sized dinos were hidden along the way (see pix below). The have a maze, a playground, and a splashpad (of course, all dino themed). At the playground, E loved the old-school dino and seahorse rockers, and J (naturally) loved the 3-story rope climb (more gray hairs for me). Four dino characters roam (we found 3 of them). And, on the hour, their volcano, which is in the pond, erupts. We literally spent seven hours there! The kids ran through the splashpad with trepidation but lots of laughs (good thing I was in a suit too). Some of the bigger kids really annoyed me. J befriended an older boy, who helped him through the maze and who leeched on for the rest of the day. A strawberry ice cream topped off the day for us.

And, luck was on my side; I didn't hit traffic either way. amazing. The kids could not have been better. I'm energized to do more excursions now!

These pix should do our trip justice:

2011_08_21 Monday

Auntie Shannon gave J a super-cool dinosaur excavation kit. We decided to crack into it (literally):

As it turned out, we had a slightly defective dino, so we're getting an entirely new set sent, and I'm buying the T-Rex one. We are both really excited to do it again and to try out the T-Rex.

2011_08_02 Tuesday

JONATHAN PEE-ED STANDING UP!! And, he got it 100% in the toilet!! How exciting. He's more interested in sitting, still, but now he knows he can do it!

2011_08_01 Monday

We went to our town pool for the first time this summer. It was wonderful despite being 92+humidity. Jonathan found Joshua to play with for awhile. After he left, we went to the bigger pool, which is just a tad too deep for him at the very end, and had a blast. Jonathan would go underwater; he even sat at the bottom of the pool and touched his toes. He's working on pushing off from the side, but hasn't figured it out at all yet. Elise loves being in the water. Both kids were moderately willing to practice floating; I think it was still a little too splashy around us for them to be comfortable. A woman even stopped me (as I had Elise in front and Jonathan 'swimming' on my shoulders) that we looked like a photogenic family and a very sweet moment to capture. It was nice to hear that.

2011_07_22 Friday

We spent a long weekend in Ocean City, MD. What a wonderful retreat; we were well away from the touristy stuff, so it was nice to visit but great to have our own quiet space too. We did the Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum. I'm apparently one in 1,000 people who can fold my tongue up on itself. Had fun making faces in a mirror to try. Had fun going through a mirror maze. Jonathan got to ride a ferris wheel for the first time, and he won a pink dolphin at the chinzy arcade. And, then he and I played mini-golf twice. He's good and really enjoyed it. We spent each day at the beach. Elise warmed right up to the ocean and waves; Jonathan took about 45 mins each day to venture in. Dave spent a day boogie boarding. But by the end of the day, they both were giggling and jumping waves. On the last day, I threw caution to the wind and let them both go nuts in the sand...I'm still finding grains everywhere...everywhere.

2011_07_17 Sunday

J1: "Jonathan, will I be able to see the restaurant from the car?"

J2: "No, mommy! You'll see it with your eyes."

2011_07_16 Saturday

Spent the day with the Asteritas at the ice cream festival. We had a blast. It's so fun to watch Jonathan and Julia play together. And, we had our fill of ice cream samples...nice since it was pretty hot. We went back to their place afterward to hang and grill. That's when Jonathan tipped over on a plastic trike and cut his lip. Nothing major, but he was upset.

2011_07_09 Saturday

The Birthdays Party Was Awesome!!!!

Here's the first round of pix, thanks to Oma....

http://s757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/ldemmert/2011%200710%20Hardwick%20Bdays/?albumview=slideshow

And, here are a couple more...

guess I should have hired a photographer!

and a couple more from Oma...

http://s757.photobucket.com/albums/xx211/ldemmert/2011%200710%20Hardwick%20Bdays/?albumview=slideshow

2011_07_07 Thursday

I finished the dinosaur pinata for the party. There are two braided pulls (one for J and one for E) that should break it open. There will be ~13 other pulls for guests to think they did it. :o) We've also made dinosaur eggs from small balloons. I painted them white, but it's not as I had envisioned. I still need to cut them so they look 'cracked' and then fill them with some goodies. On track for that being done.

It's only in the mid-90s today, so being outside is very uncomfortable. That said, we've got a date at the park this afternoon. I'm considering joining the pool in August so we have somewhere to cool off.

2011_07_05 Tuesday

We have begun Phase One of the basement toyroom. It turns out the water guys aren't coming until October, so I'm not going to wait around, sweating in the July/August heat to use the cool basement space. Of course, the space is smaller than I remembered, so I think the swing idea is out the window. I've already had to rearrange things to fit the tunnels and train table, which is actually quite confining for our elaborate train track designs.

Our foyer needs attention now since it's complete bare again.

2011_06_26 Sunday

Jonathan and I are working on a world map with drawings in each continent...

J: "mommy, I spy an igloo."

M: "what do you know about igloos?"

J: "nothing"

M: "well, what do you do in an igloo?"

J: "hide from creditors." [meaning: predators]

M: "This is the Sears Tower. that's where Aunt Shannon and Cousin Shawn live."

J: "Oh, in which window?"

OMG, I soooo love Freecycle! I just got a train table with drawers, in great condition!!! It's huge, so it's still in my truck. But, it's going to be awesome once we get it up and going!

2011_06_20 Monday

Today was Jonathan's first day of summer camp/school. For June/July, he'll go four days/week for the mornings. There were new kids today and some of his old classmates weren't there, so it was a little bit of an adjustment. But, they apparently went in "the pool" (I'm guessing a kiddy pool), which made his day. It was pretty exciting. Right after camp, we stopped by Target because he needed a water bottle to leave at school and an undershirt for tie-dying next week. I bumped into a classmate's mom there, and we chatted for a bit.

I'm going to try to visit the Farmer's Market every Monday this summer with $20. Today, Jonathan picked out local and fresh pickles, olives, carrots, bread, lettuce, and an M&M cookie. And, we sampled some gelato. It was fun, albeit a short visit with only $20!! ;o( He cut (with his scissors) the greens off the carrots and started to wash them. Attention spans are still pretty short at nearly-four, so he didn't get through washing them all...or the lettuce at all.

Elise saw the two Brittanys down the street and yelled "dawwwg" after them and blew kisses. She thinks she just spent the week with those two! ha.

2011_05_29 Sunday

Ugh, Jonathan got his first splinter tonight. I'm not sure exactly how it happened. But, as we were getting ready to brush teeth, he fell off the counter and slid past the toilet, coming to rest splat on his back on the tile floor. He was scared and hurt. When I scooped him up, I saw two black lines on his foot along with a little scrape. I'm fairly sure that's where it happened, although he apparently was outside without his flipflops on earlier tonight. Who knows. I carried him into our bathroom, sat him down on our sink, and tried to 'entertain' him -- which failed miserably, and he wailed -- while Dave dug both out. Jonathan thought it was a good idea to put medicine on it, so I dabbed some Neosporin on and flipped his sock over it; should be all set. Today marks our first 'serious' injury.

Prior to that, though, we had a lovely day. Breakfast at the bagel shop. The Js saw Kungfu Panda 2 in 3D; the glasses would not stay on my nose, naturally. A little outside time. Dave installed the a/c units, so the house is quite cool now. Take-out Mexican for dinner. Happy Memorial Day to all!

2011_05_26 Thursday

I finally got around to taking Elise's one-year old photos (and a few others). Now I just have to print, frame, and hang them...

2011_05_21 Saturday

Today was Jonathan's graduation from Deutscheschule, and Oma was on hand to see it too. What an experience! We had to sit through all the older kids' performances, most of which were very hard to understand, and their award ceremonies before we got to the little guys (bad planning on their part!). They did a show about "Ein Vogel wollte Hochzeit machen." After that song, I understood very little! :o) But, Jonathan was adorable on stage. He found us right away and waved and winked and sang his little heart out...as much as he could. The lighting was a bit off, so photos are a little dark.

Afterward, we raced home so that we could go to Ali's wedding on the shore. Oma stayed with the babes.

2011_05_19 Thursday

Happy Birthday, Opa!!

I am brilliant. I gave Elise a spoonful of peanut butter at dinner, and she went to town, smacking her lips and trying to lick it all off. So, I put a sausage bite on the remaining PB on her spoon and she's feeding herself. So long as there's some sticky PB, she can get food in her mouth!

From Jonathan: "Mommy, I have a suggestion for you."

Mom: "oh, yes? what is it?"

J: "A sweatshirt would be beautiful on you."

Mom: tear.

Here are some other recent photos of the kiddies goofing around (Elise really loves headbands, although to eat more than to wear):

2011_05_13 Friday

Dinner is too funny. Elise smashes peas and black beans with her fingers/thumb. She searches her tray for every last one to smash. She thinks it's pretty funny. Sometimes they shoot away from here a la Pretty Woman. And, I sure have a hard time not breaking a smile.

The other thing that is hilarious is that she tries to hide in her high chair:

She's also taken to hiding in the Tupperware cabinet:

2011_05_08 Sunday

Oh today is Mother's Day and my big 3-7. Gotta love it. Jonathan came home from school on Friday with a Mother's Day apron with his handprints. It's adorable. And, someone wonderful sent me a dozen roses and chocolates (well, an empty chocolate box).

The MD Hardwicks had a BBQ at Vicki's place, and they sang me Happy Birthday. Very sweet. Then, we drove back home, with a stop-over at Nana's for dinner. I don't know if it's my age or what, but the drive was exhausting, and I didn't even drive!!!

2011_05_11 Wednesday

After Jonathan got back from school, we went on a new adventure to the Museum of Early Trades and Crafts. They had an exhibit on pirates, although to be honest, most of it was above him. But, we watched Peter Pan last night, and we made a pirate bandana/hat (a la Jack Sparrow), which he refused to wear to the museum although wanted to wear it to school. They did have a lot of Please Touch space, so that was good, and we were the only people there. Afterward, we went across the street for ice cream; funny how I just can't swerve away from Hershey's.

On the way home, Jonathan asked me: "Is this [a bag] symmetrical?" what?! I know they've been talking about caterpillars, crysalises, and butterflies at school. I wonder if symmetry is one of the topics. The other day he told me: "Mom, I love Israel." When I asked him why, he replied: "oh, because it's cold there." ???

2011_05_04 Wednesday

Today we went to the Morris Museum; what a cute little place. They had a dinosaur exhibit that I wanted to see, but they also had a train room, a stuffed wild animal room, a (luminescent) rock room, an olden day toy room, and a women's hat room. Much of it was 'please touch' too. Jonathan got to punch holes in paper to run it through a music box and push pegs into a very big wheel to make music; he thought both were pretty cool. Of course, we spent a long time at the 'Thomas' train table (that drives me nuts since we have trains at home!).

Elise is definitely walking now. She can stand herself up and take a number of steps before loosing her balance and falling down. She knows to point to what she wants. She also knows, by my facial expressions, not to drop things off her high chair. I've been doing happy/angry faces, and she totally gets it; she likes to play with me. She also seems to enjoy carrying bags around; she's absconded with a very small backpack of Jonathan's and his library book bag. She's not talking much, but she does babble and sing a ton. Over breakfast, she and Jonathan tried out out-sing each other...volume-wise! lucky me. She can do the sign for 'more' although her's is pointing to the palm of an open hand. She was doing 'milk,' although I haven't seen that in awhile. She's wildly excited about 'all done' and flails her arms like a chicken. And, she does 'mom' and 'dad' at will.

The only disappointing thing is that she's an early bird; she's typically up by 7am. And, when I pushed her bedtime back, she woke up earlier (like the sleep bible said would happen.). She's a great sleeper; I just wish she'd wake up closer to 8!! poor me, I know.

2011_04_28 Thursday

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TO ELISE!!!!

wow, has time flown by. I woke up just before 6:54am today and watched the clock tick to her actual birth time. I couldn't believe how many memories of her labor flooded back to me. She finally woke up around 8, and we snuggled, and I nursed her for the last time (9:10am). Jonathan came in and we sang Happy Birthday to her a few times; she seemed to enjoy that. He also brought in a bunch of bathtub cars and roads (that stick to the walls), and Elise chewed on them, offering them to me -- mouth-to-mouth. So funny.

He got himself dressed completely by himself this morning. I mean, he pulled open the drawers, picked out an outfit (blue sweats/red polo), and got it all on alone. I only realized what he had done when he went to the bathroom and had TWO pairs of underwear on. He's left them both on all day, refusing to take one off!

It's a crummy day, raining off and on all day! We made it to the ice cream store, though, to follow our birthday tradition! We all shared a 'birthday cake ice cream' with rainbow sprinkled. I had intentions of trying a new museum out, but with the rains and a sleeping babe, we'll have to try again another day.

While the little lady slept (11:30-3), Jonathan and I made a new playmat out of his ghost Halloween costume. I sewed blue felt into the face hole, making a lake. Now we just need to find paint for some roads. He put his train trees up as a forest and then mixed in Playmobile, Lego, and trains. I also have him some kitchen items (corks, chopsticks, etc) to use his imagination.

2011_04_26 Tuesday

First, Happy Birthday to Aunt Shannon!!!!

Today was Jonathan's first day of "soccer school." He did amazing. Coach Nathan basically works on techniques, skills, and developing coordination, not actually matches. J was just awesome. He listened, followed instructions, and tried all the things Coach asked of him. Plus, he was running for basically 45 minutes straight! I am going to love this!!!!!

And, here are some shots of Elise with her hairbow (I bought 17 non-slip teeny bows for her!). Her hair is still a bit too short. She's also taken to climbing on, and standing up on, Jonathan's rocking chair and then rocking. I can give her an angry face, and she'll sit back down...backward:

2011_04_24 Sunday

We spent Easter at Nanie's and Grandpa's, but not before the Easter bunny stopped by our dining room with some goodies. Elise wouldn't let go of the bunny ears for days and really tries hard to get them onto her head. Had a lovely visit:

2011_04_22 Friday

Today is the last day of 'free entrance to national parks week.' We tried out the Edison National Park. It's a neat complex, but it's not exactly kiddy-focused, including some stair-only exhibits. I thought Jonathan would really like the 'phone' that they handed out for the self-guided tours, but the novelty wore off very quickly. It was also too crowded for us to tour his home (we would have had to wait for a few hours to get in).

Here are also some shots of Elise taking a bath (and one of Jonathan being cute):

2011_04_21 Thursday

We got home today from our first sleepover! Jonathan slept over at Julia's. He wasn't too keen on actually sleeping in her bed, so at some point in the night, he climbed out, unrolled his sleeping bag, and snuggled into it on the floor! Once we all got up and ready, we went to their diner for b'fast and played at a playground on a river for a short time b/c it was just too cold/windy. The kids also painted birdhouses and watched lots of movies.

2011_04_19 Tuesday

Today, Jonathan got himself dressed. His pants were twisted on sideways, but they were on correctly. My little man is growing up too fast!

And, man alive, does he LOVE that bunkbed. He's constantly on the top bunk, where his little Legos are (and Elise can't reach him). His stuffed animals go up and down with him.

(he's still dry every morning!!)

2011_04_17 Sunday

Opa arrived today to deliver and construct the 30-year old bunkbed that we've been prepping Jonathan for for some time now. It didn't take very long for us to get it built, and Jonathan was really excited for it. I had forgotten how big the bed is, especially compared to a toddler bed! It eats up a lot of space, but Jonathan is so happy! We went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond earlier in the day to get a mattress pad and new sheets for him, all in an effort to make this the huge deal that it is.

I also took out all the foam flooring from his room. It doesn't really fit anymore. I'm hoping to use it in the basement 'playroom' when we're sure it's dry.

Around 9pm, Jonathan peeked out of his room saying that he wanted his car bed back. When I explained that you can only have one bed and that Opa would have to take the bunkbeds back home with him, Jonathan decided that he could manage with the new bed. And, we've promised the car bed to his babysitter, Andrea.

(PS. another dry night!)

2011_04_16 Saturday

What a busy day!

Jonathan had Deutscheschule this morning, as usual. They made an Osterhase paperbag and had an Osterei hunt in front of his school. Then we dashed home to make the town Easter egg "hunt," which was a few dozen plastic eggs thrown onto a baseball field. We barely made it last year, so we ran this time and were there for no more than 15 minutes before the event was over. He got a free pizza slice & soda certificate in one of his eggs. And, he shared some with Elise, who enjoyed shaking them like a rattle, and some with kids who didn't get there in time. What a sweet guy.

It started to rain as we walked home and didn't stop until the following day. Good way to test out our French drain and sump pump!

Then we rested so that we were all charged up for Bobby's birthday party at a bounce-town and after-party at their house.

2011_04_14 Thursday

Jonathan has been dry every morning for the last three days!!!! Is my little boy fully potty trained!? It is super exciting, and I try to make a big deal about it each morning.

Yesterday, he and I made blueberry muffins together. I did all the measuring while he did all the mixing. We shared one for breakfast today; not half bad!

Elise, who slept until 8:30 today(!!), seems to be singing "EIEIO" when I sing Old MacDonald to her. Maybe it's only the right tones, though. She also managed to say "duck" in reference to Jake, the duckling from Oma.

2011_04_12 Tuesday

Last night, Jonathan decided he wanted to go to bed with big boy underwear on, and since he's been dry for three nights (or maybe four?), we agreed. And, lo and behold, the boy was bone dry after 13 hours!!!! He did it!!! So, he asked to have a pancake party. We went to the diner and celebrated and let every person there know what an exciting day it was and why. Jonathan was really proud of himself.

2011_04_13 Wednesday

Today was Jonathan's last day of preschool before Pesach and Easter break. I missed out in attending the school party b/c Elise naps during that time. But, he made a Passover plate and a frog crown. A few days later, his teacher delivered a chalice and 4 plates that he decorated.

Also included are two shots of Elise in Grandpoppy's outfit gift.

2011_04_09 Saturday

I made Jonathan a cape!! Check out Super Jonathan: