Fearless D & Girlish Glee

Em's Birthday Celebration

2010-06-25T12:15:00.001-07:00

We had Emilie's birthday party over the weekend and it was a huge success. We had beautiful weather and the kids played outside for the whole party. Emilie had a Dora the Explorer party complete with a life size Dora balloon thanks to Aunt Vicki. Thanks to everyone who came!

Two Years Ago Today

2010-06-17T19:13:00.000-07:00

She was born. What a precious angel.

The Outdoors

2010-04-20T11:33:00.000-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time outside lately. It is so nice after being stuck in doors all winter. Here are some pictures we took at the park. Enjoy!

Puppy Love

2010-03-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

2010-02-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

I hope he knows how much I love him. There are day where I feel I didn't do enough for him or spent more time on the "no, don't do that" phrases than the "I love you more than you'll ever know" ones. I look at him while he sleeps and hope he knows how special he is and how much he is loved. He is no longer a baby, but he will always be mine.

Dora Who?

2010-02-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

It's official... Emilie loves Dora. "Dora who?" some of you might ask. No, we don't have a new pet, I am speaking of Dora the Explorer whom Nickelodeon features 6 billion times a day. Well, not really but it feels that way with a 1 year old running around ordering you to turn on Dora. I have friends with little girls who are not at all surprised by this, apparently this is a normal "phase". They say don't worry, they usually get over it around the time the turn 3. Three???

I know Dora has been around a while because Abbie watched her when she was little. So I did a little digging and found out Dora first aired in 1999 so she has been around for a little over a decade. If you have never seen an episode I will fill you in on what Dora is all about. She is a little latina girl and in each episode she embarks on a journey with her best friend, Boots the Monkey, to help someone or find something. Along the way she faces different obstacles including a sneaky fox named Swiper. She always comes through in the end and saves the day. She also teaches spainish along the way, so I don't mind if Emilie wants to watch the same episode over and over. At least she will learn to speak spanish, right?

Today we went to the library and I decided to get some Dora books there so Em can fill her Dora needs in ways other than TV. We'll see how that goes.

My Weekend in a Picture

2010-02-16T08:58:00.001-08:00

It's been a long time....

2010-02-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't blogged in ages! I was so busy with Christmas and then Ari's birthday and then recovering from them both! I find myself home this afternoon and EVERYONE but me is asleep. We have been battling some kind of crazy hardcore virus this week. After 3 trips to the doctor this week Emilie seems to be on the mend and now Luke and Ari are sick! I think I will have to find some university that could grant me some kind of honorary nursing degree! As for me I am trying to keep myself well and everyone else hydrated and fed.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Valentines Day. Although everyone here is sick I am with the ones I love most, so it is a good (not great)Valentines Day for me.

I will leave you with some recent pictures of the kids... since it has been awhile.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2009-12-21T15:37:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-16T16:59:00.000-08:00

All I want for Christmas....

2009-12-07T10:51:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend we made our traditional trip to the Sheridan Public Library to go see Santa. Our neighbor is the director of the library and invites us to come see Santa every Christmas. We had high hopes this year that Ari would really have a good time, but silly us! Should we really have expected him to sit on a strange man's lap and happily report what he would like for Christmas? After much persuasion, and Uncle Stephen sitting on Santas lap, we were able to get the kids to cooperate, although neither were thrilled.

What did they ask for?

Ari wants a house to go into and a robot and he said Emilie want's baby dolls.

Speaking of Cardboard Boxes

2009-11-18T10:48:00.000-08:00

For Ari's second birthday we wanted to get him a toy box so I scoured the interent looking for the perfect one. I found one I liked and what made it even better was that I could order it online and get free shipping. When it came in the mail we were so excited to put it to work. We opened the box and pulled out the toy box, put it where we wanted it and loaded it with toys. We were left with a HUGE box so Luke, remembering how much fun it was to play in a box, cut a door into the side and a window into another side and made it Ari's "house". It was his favorite toy for a long time.

We finally had to throw it out because it had been taped and re-taped and was falling apart rapidly. But I think it lasted a good 6 months! What a gift!

Cheap Toy

2009-11-13T11:26:00.000-08:00

One laundry basket + 2 kids = FUN!

Mario & Luigi

2009-11-05T17:02:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T10:50:00.000-08:00

We had a hectic but very nice Halloween this year. Ari was so fun to Trick or Treat with. He was so grateful for the candy! He said"Trick or Treat" at every house we went to and when a lady gave him a sucker he hugged her and told her he loved lollipops! Emilie had a good time as well, but she was a little less vocal about it. And what were they you ask?? Ari was Luigi (surprise, surprise) and Em was a bee.

Halloween's Past

2009-10-29T09:45:00.001-07:00

I got this idea from another blogger... I liked it so much I decided to do it myself!

2006

2007

2008

What are they going to be this year? You'll just have to wait and see!

Daddy is Much Cooler than Me

2009-10-23T13:56:00.000-07:00

Ari asked me to spell his name in legos....I gave up at "R". I had no idea how to make one with legos. He asked Daddy and.... Wa La!

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-19T11:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to a pumpkin patch in southern Indiana on the way to Louisville. To call it a pumpkin patch doesn't really do it justice, it had an apple orchard, winery, baked goods, cheese and ice cream, restaurant and a corn maze.

We took a ride in a wagon to pick our own pumpkins and bought some yummy fresh baked bread. We also walked through a corn maze that had cartoon characters posted throughout it, and at the first bend there was people dressed as Bugs Bunny and Sylvester.

They really freaked Ari out and we had to carry him through the rest of the maze! Poor Guy! Never the less we all had a great time!

My Baby

2009-10-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

One year ago... time sure flies!

I WON!

2009-10-08T14:03:00.000-07:00

I won the Snuggle Me Stories!!!

Twilight

2009-10-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

I first heard of the Twilight series when the movie was coming out and all I really knew about it was that it was for teenagers and it was about vampires. So very not my thing. I don't care for any kind of horror movie or book for that matter so I completely disregarded the whole thing. A couple of weeks ago a friend of mine was over and she started talking about Twilight and I asked her what I was missing because it appeared that everyone was crazy about it. She proceeded to tell me a little bit about the story and said I ought to just read the first book and see if I liked it. So I went to the library and got the first book. I think it took me all of 3 days to read all 500 pages of it. I loved it. I then had to request the next book from the library because it was checked out. To my dismay it wasn't due back until the middle of October and I couldn't wait that long! So I did what any reasonable person would do... I ordered all 4 of the books from Amazon. Yesterday they came in the mail and I am already half way through the 2nd book, New Moon.

After reading the first book I decided it wasn't so much about vampires as it was a love story. Yes, some of the main characters are vampires, but I guess I just don't notice. Maybe it will change... I haven't read all the books yet. So I guess I will join the trendy teenagers and see the movies too.

I am looking at the bright side, at least I have something to talk to Molly about now.

Snuggle Me Stories

2009-10-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

For Easter Emilie got a book called Peek A Boo I Love You by Sandra Magasmen. It quickly became a favorite and still is.
When I started blogging I also started reading other people's blogs and I came across 2 women whose blogs I really enjoy. They both blog about their lives and families and I can really relate to them. One of them, Prairie Mama, is doing a give away for Sandra Magasmen books and I am really hoping to win them. I get an extra entry for blogging about it, so here it is!

Fresh Beat

2009-10-04T16:06:00.000-07:00

This is Emilie's favorite TV show (The Fresh Beat Band). I have to admit the songs are quite catchy. And she LOVES to dance!

What Are You Going to be for Halloween?

2009-10-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

I found Luke's old Brutus mask when I was getting out the fall decorations. Ari LOVED it!Emilie's thoughts on the mask.....

Ft. Wayne Zoo

2009-09-27T11:40:00.003-07:00

It has become a tradition for Vicki and I to take the kids to the Ft. Wayne Zoo every summer. My Grandma Rose has a grandparents season pass so we all get in free, which is a nice bonus! Last year the African branch of the zoo was closed for remodeling which was a bummer because that is my personal favorite part of the zoo. We made our annual trip last week and the African part of the zoo was reopened and boy was it AWESOME! It was by far the best zoo experience I have ever had. Our Uncle Mark was here from Thiland when we went so he came too and took some awesome pictures!

It was a cool day so we actually got to see the animals that are typically hiding in the shade. We got to see the lions. The male was just on the other side of the glass. I couldn't believe my luck!

The kids got to feed the giraffes and play drums. We finished up the day with the usual ride on the carousal. It was a great day!

New Dress For Em!

2009-09-15T10:21:00.000-07:00

I had found a lady on Etsy who took old adult t-shirts and made them into dresses for little girls. I loved this idea since I have so many shirts that I have been hanging onto because I can't bring myself to part with them. So I mentioned this to my Mom and she said to order one so she could see how they were made and maybe she could replicate it. So I sent off an old Lucky shirt and waited. In the meantime I mentioned it to Katie too and she has since tried her hand at making Em some "pillowcase" dresses with success. I love this style of dress for Em because they look to be really comfortable. I received the one I ordered in the mail last week and Em looks so cute in it. I am excited to see what Katie comes up with as well, the trial dresses were great!

Bugg Books

2009-09-10T10:05:00.000-07:00

Recently my Mom brought over a series of books that she had found when cleaning out her house, The Bugg Books, by Stephen Cosgrove. I had forgotten about these books until she brought them over. I enjoyed them so much as a child! The first night Mom brought them over I read a couple to Ari before bed. These books have great stories and they teach basic human values. So many children books today are plain and pointless it was nice to read stories to Ari that teach something... anything. My personal favorite is Jitterbugg. It is a story about a bugg, Jitterburg, who loves to dance but because of a series of events has to take his sister to a dance he is attending. He pouts and is mean to his sister all day and when they get to the dance she showed him she really could boogie.

Our other favorite books to read are Dr. Seuss, of course, and The Berenstain Bears.

Louisville

2009-09-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

We went t0 Louisville over the weekend and went to eat at a restaurant on the Ohio River. It was a very kid friendly place. They had a playground complete with swings and a slide.

There was a large hill and we thought the Ohio River was on the other side, but when we got to the top all we saw were railroad tracks! The kids thought they were pretty neat so it all worked out. We opted to not walk through the woods to the river because the trail was very narrow and we didn't want anyone to get poison ivy.

After lunch we went back to Jeff and Mary Lee's and played crochet and the kids had their first encounter with the ice cream man. Ari had a Tweety Bird ice cream bar, Piper had Sponge Bob ice cream bar and Em and I shared a chocolate eclair bar. I hope they don't realize the ice cream man drives around Kokomo too!

All in all, it was another great Louisville Trip!

Big, Bigger, Biggest!

2009-08-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Today I asked Ari if he could stay my little boy forever. He said, "No Mommy I have to get bigger!" It's sad but true!August 2006

August 2007

August 2008

August 2009

Play Time

2009-08-26T04:32:00.000-07:00

The time I have been waiting on has finally come! The Ari and Emilie are finally playing together. It is so much fun to watch them interact. Ari loves to make Em laugh and can't stand it when she is unhappy. She loves copying what he is doing and you can watch her watch him and see her brain working to figure out how she can do it too.

Twinkle Toes

2009-08-21T12:49:00.001-07:00

We have noticed this week that Old Em's croc like shoes are too small for her, so I went down to the basement and unearthed Lilli's hand me down shoes. Let me tell you this, Lilli is a shoe collector like her mother (we all have our vices!) and in this case it spans multiple generations. My Mom is also a shoe collector! I of course did not inherit this gene... Emilie had a grand time trying on all the shoes and Ari said her wished he had some to try on. I remembered that I had some shoes that were too big for Ari earlier in the summer so I dug them out and he got in on the action too!

Funny Faces

2009-08-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

Let's Hear it for the "Little People"

2009-08-18T15:46:00.000-07:00

Fisher Price first introduced the Little People Play Family in 1960 and since then there have been 6 major body style changes. In the beginning they were small wooden cylinders with only minor differences between male and females. In 1968 Fisher Price began making the figures out of plastic and they also created the first playset, which was a barn.

This style of Little People lasted the longest, until in 1991 Fisher Price once again redesigned them making them chunkier and more colorful because of pressures from consumer advocacy groups for safer toy designs.

The Little People on the market today were created in 1997 and are smaller in height but larger around than the "chunky" people. In 2000 Little People were brought to life on DVD and the people were given names (Eddie, Sarah Lynn, Maggie, Michael and Sonya Lee) and personalities.

The lesson... if you have Little People hang on to them, one day your grandchildren will probably play with them!

Busy Weekend!

2009-08-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Boy did we have a busy weekend! Saturday morning we were up and running, we went to the farmers market (which was pretty lame) and got a cantaloupe and then went to Top Banana to get what the farmers market lacked and then we went swimming. Em took a nap and then the kids were off to Nana's so Luke and I could go play cards at Jan & Marty's. I successfully lost most of my money there for like the 3rd time!

Yesterday we were off again to the Anderson's for a cookout and then back to Jan & Marty's to swim! Ari is big enough this year to really enjoy jumping on the trampoline and Piper got into the action too.

The kids also got some volleyball lessons from their Dads.

As for Em... you know her... she is too girly for this stuff!

Old-Zilla!

2009-08-13T10:53:00.001-07:00

Slide Away

2009-08-10T14:13:00.000-07:00

One of the best things about the summer is playing at the park. Who doesn't like big fast slides or swinging high? This summer I have spent more time at the playground than since I was a kid. Angela and I meet every Tuesday morning at the park and the kids play until lunch time. Sometimes we will walk around and look at the ducks and squirrels. A couple of weeks ago Ang brought some walnuts and we actually fed the squirrels. The kids really liked that. I will miss these days as the summer draws to an end, but maybe it will stay warm enough that we can keep going for awhile.

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream!

2009-08-07T03:59:00.001-07:00

Airplanes

2009-08-06T11:22:00.000-07:00

Recently we have been talking to Ari about how Eva & Daniel are far away and that you have to ride in an airplane to get to France. I guess he really has been listening because this morning an airplane went over our house and Ari said "Maybe Eva and Daniel are on that plane!"

All Worn Out

2009-08-05T13:18:00.000-07:00

We went to one of my oldest friends wedding this past weekend (and by oldest I mean I can't remember not knowing her). The wedding was in La Porte and about halfway there it started raining. Not a big deal, right? Wrong! It was an outdoor wedding and the house it was taking place at was not large enough to accommodate the people that were there. We tried to keep the kids under the tent as much as we could, but they were getting tired of being confined. The wedding was supposed to start at 3, but when 3:30 rolled around and there was no sign of the wedding beginning we decided heck with it and let the kids walk around in the misty rain as much as they wanted. Once the service was over (it was very nice) they released balloons and it sent Ari over the edge! He HATES it when they fly away. He just freaks out, so we had to leave. Both kids feel asleep almost immediately after we got in the car. Ari slept the whole way home, which resulted in a very late night for him. But that's another story!

Do Over

2009-08-03T11:50:00.000-07:00

I would like to request a do over for today. Motherhood has overwhelmed me. Emilie is recovering from a stomach bug so she has been clingy and because she needs me Ari has gone into hyper attention seeking mode. I gave up earlier and laid down on the floor and let Emilie climb on me like I was a jungle gym. Which was okay for awhile and then Ari joined in and the poor boy just doesn't realize how big he is and that I am not Daddy and I can not take the force of his jumping on me like he does Daddy. So the fun ended and the tears and whining began again. Tomorrow will be better.

Despite all this they have still found ways to make me laugh.

Scrapbooking

2009-08-02T10:12:00.000-07:00

Sometime after Emilie was born I was at a friends house and she showed me the scrapbooks she had been working on for her children. I thought they were a nice way to showcase the pictures they had taken of their children. I use to scrapbook some, way back when I had time, you know, before I had kids! But, somewhere along the way I stopped. It made me wonder what happened to all the supplies I had and the book I had started working on for Luke and I.

I found the discarded craft supplies and the book in the basement along side some half finished cross stitching and some squares I had crocheted with the thought that I would some day make them into an afghan. I guess I start craft projects and don't finish, huh? Anyway, I dusted off the scrapbook and realized how nice it was to have all these memories collected in one place. I decided that I wanted to make scrapbooks for the kids.

I think Luke was skeptical. He never said anything but I think he thought it would be another half finished project that sat in the basement. I am proud to say that I finished Ari's first scrapbook last week and I am very pleased with the results. It spans from him being born to last August. I know there are fancier scrapbooks out there, but I am happy with what I created. I hope one day he enjoys looking back at it and realizes just how special he is to us.

Don't worry I am working on Emilie's too. It's just not completed yet!

Happy Boy

2009-07-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ari is such a happy boy. Not much can get him down. I hope he stays that way.

What a mess!

2009-07-30T10:20:00.000-07:00

Today I had my niece Piper for a couple of hours and my niece Lilli the whole day. It is now nap time and I am enjoying the silence, well maybe not silence, but it is definitely quieter. My friend Mary called this morning and she asked if she and the boys (they are 3 and 1) could come by for a visit since they were in town and I said sure, but I warned her of the chaos. She said they would be by in a little bit. Ang and Piper were just leaving when she got here and the house was a disaster. I don't think you could imagine how bad it was. Four kids 3 and under make a HUGE mess! There were toys strewn from the living room into the dining room and the kitchen, not to mention the den. Mary walked in and said "Oh my goodness!" She immediately said, "We will help you clean this up" and I assured her it wasn't necessary and I would get to it later. She began cleaning up anyway, which isn't a surprise if you know Mary (very organized!). The only bummer is I was going to take pictures of the mess to post and now I don't have any. I thought if I asked her to stop so I could take some pictures she would think I was crazy.
Thanks for the help Mary!

2009-07-29T11:37:00.000-07:00

Like Father....Like Son...

Like Daughter?

Looks like I have lots of Nintendo in my future!

Outdoor Fun

2009-07-27T11:42:00.000-07:00

After dinner last night we took the kids outside to play. It was a nice night and they played on the swing set for awhile and then Ari wanted to ride his bike. Ari loves his bike, but when he wants to ride it I am at a loss as to what to do with Old Em. She walks, but she is not very sturdy yet and I don't want her to fall on the concrete. We have this red car for the kids that they have to "Flinstone" to get it to go and she doesn't quite have the hang of that either, but the other day I remembered an episide of Jon & Kate Plus 8 that I saw where they tied the car to the back of a bike so the kids could pull each other around. I mentioned it to Luke and he found some string and tied the car to Ari's bike and he pulled her around the drive way. He loved it and so did she!

Where did the time go?

2009-07-23T11:15:00.000-07:00

I have recently realized that Emilie is rapidly becoming a toddler, and it makes me sad. In retrospect I spent the majority of last summer wishing she was older. She had reflux and was colicky for about the first 4 months of her life and I was in no way prepared for that! Ari was a dream baby and I never realized how lucky I was with him.

Em is 13 months going on 16, I think. Boy does she have a temper! I think part of it is a girl thing.. I have seen similar attitudes in my nieces. At the same time she is the sweetest little girl and all I want to do is snuggle her.

Last week she was sick and I held her a lot and as a result she wants me to still carry her around. Luke says I am spoiling her, but I really just want her to stay my baby a little longer.

Em.. 1 year ago today.

Daddy

2009-07-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

So begins day 2 of my blogging. I want to use blogging as a way to capture the funny things my kids say and do on a daily basis, because as time goes on I forget what Ari said two days ago that was so funny. So, my Ari memory for today is "I don't want Daddy to come home for lunch... I want him to be home for good!"

What can I say, he loves his Dad!

Testing 123

2009-07-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am in the beginning stages of creating my own blog. After reading the blogs of my husband and cousin in law for a few months I have decided I would like a place where I can write about my crazy days. We will see how this goes. As I am typing this I am being questioned incessantly about what I am spelling... oh the joys of having a 3 year old! Hopefully there will be more posts to come!