4 Months

Wow, the time is really flying by. We can't believe our little one is four months old already. What a goofball she is! She's rolling all over the house and trying to get up on all fours. It's going too fast!

My SIL Melea and I decided to do a cousins picture of the kids for Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas this year. That's right, Christmas. Brian and I might even beat our record of having all gifts purchased by mid-August. Anyway, we did a beach theme to match Grandma and Grandpa's house, and they turned out really well. We had Aaron Brothers frame it, and we sent it on its way. Um, hello? You all know there is no way I could wait until Christmas to give it to them. They of course loved it.



Speaking of Aunt Melea, she has been helping me with my new obsession! No, not Sudoku. I'll post about my obsession with that later. Melea is helping me get all of our VHS tapes onto DVDs, and she's teaching me how to edit them, add titles and music, etc. Very, very fun. Thanks, Melea! :)



I don't know what I'm going to do without Simon during the day when he goes back to school in a few weeks. He is such a help with sissy, and her face just lights up when she sees him. I'm able to get a lot more done when brother's home to help. This day was so cute. Simon has been interested in his First 1000 Words in German book, and he was saying to Nina, "Can you say Tischtennis?"



Nina is so lucky to have not one, but two BFFs in the neighborhood. Here she is on a recent playdate with one of them. It looks like a loving touch to the face, but it was actually an attempt to steal Nina's prized chompy! :) No worries, it all ended well.



We're looking forward to a visit from Elaine, Clint, Melissa and Avery starting tomorrow. Indoor skydiving, here we come!

Play Ball!

Simon has had such fun on his baseball team this season. He has really grown as a player. He now gets a hit off the machine during almost every game. He has gotten to experiment a bit with different fielding positions, and his favorite by far is catcher. That stinker does a really good job catching! He loves it. Of course I'm afraid he's going to get hurt because the ball comes so fast out of the machine, but I just clench my chair and raise my blood pressure and get through it.



Running in for a point (or whatever they're called!):



Good sportsmanship after the game:



Nina had her very first swim on July 5th at Grammy Schmidt's pool. She wasn't sure quite what to make of it at first - look at that face - but she ended up loving it!



After her swim, Nina cuddled up to her ChaCha (my friend Eileen). Thanks to Eileen's sister LiLi's husband Chris for these amazing photos! We all love when Chris brings his camera!



Hope everyone is well!

3 Months Old & Laura Ingalls Wilder

Hi all! It's been awhile, hasn't it? This post will be picture heavy (duh!) and should catch everybody up on what we've been up to this busy, busy summer. First, our doll baby is already 3 months old. Can you believe it? She is so much fun -- I can't believe I was ever nervous about having a girl. She is a hoot and even more fun everyday!

Simon made it through his 1st grade year at Landmark Academy. He had a great year, and we were so pleased with his progress. Here he is with his teacher, Miss Cantrell. We love her! She did an amazing job with 28 energetic first graders, making each of them feel unique and special. Simon just received a postcard from her from her summer travels to the Philippines. He was so excited and even googled the church on the postcard (with dad's help) so he could read more about it.



Simon with Mrs. Witt, the Principal at Landmark:



We had some fun family time at the beginning of the summer. We celebrated our niece Kendal's confirmation with her family (my brother Randy's daughter). By the way, Randy is quite smitten with Miss Nina, always wanting to hold her right away when we see them. We keep saying that he and Melea should go for #4, but somehow they aren't available for that.



We spent Memorial Day in Scottsbluff with Grandma Klein. We enjoy going with her to the ceremony the cemetery does for the veterans every year. Grandpa Klein was a very proud veteran and was always very active in the VFW, etc. Nina met Great Grandpa Benzel for the first time.



Simon turned 7 in June and we went low key for his party this year compared to the ufsuchs we've had in years past. Simon invited four friends to go with him to the Kung Fu Panda movie. Then the boys came back here and had pizza, a silly string war in the backyard, and rootbeer floats instead of cake. It was a great party. Please note the balloon animals, including the octupus hanging from the lamp. Yes, I made those myself and am available for hire for any of your future parties. It takes me about 45 minutes to make each animal so budget that into your time. :)



Simon has always adored my cousin Nicholas (like, who doesn't?) so we went to Aunt Pat's for a BBQ with him and his adorable girlfriend Kelly. Aunt Pat scored an original Barbie board game at Goodwill (she always wanted it as a child) and Simon played a round with Nick and Kelly. Nick turned out to be the prom queen, but Simon did secure a beautiful dress and a dashing date to the prom before the end of the game.



Summer Vacation 2008

We're just back from our summer vacation, and we had SO much fun! The ultimate destination was Brian's hometown in Iowa for his brother's wedding. We took our time getting there and made many stop along the way. The first stop was in Scottsbluff again. We love to visit the grandparents. We don't usually have time to do touristy stuff while we're there so this time was extra special. Instead of a hotel, we ended up staying in the guest quarters at Grandma Klein's retirement home. It was awesome! The guest quarters just happen to be right next to her apartment so we were able to go back and forth all day with ease. Nina was such a good baby, and she loves her Great Grandma Klein.



Our first stop in Scottsbluff was the Scottsbluff National Monument. We went there many times as kids so it was fun to share it with Simon and Nina. It was a gorgeous day so the views from the top of the monument were amazing!





We also visited the farm that Grandma and Grandpa used to live on, the country school they and my mom and Aunt Pat attended, and the house in town where they lived until Grandpa passed. As always, we enjoyed going to the cemetery to see Grandpa. I told Nina all about her amazing Great Grandpa.



Our last stop in Scottsbluff was their city pool. They have very cool waterslides there, and somehow Brian got to watch Nina and I got roped into going swimming with Simon. And this is where the first injury of the trip occurred. Before I went down the white slide, the guy said to sit up if you were going too fast. Well, too fast was an understatement, so I lifted my head to try to sit up, went around a curve and banged my head against the side of the slide. It is just now starting not to be super tender. Sympathy, please! I am injured! That slide was without tubes. Simon and I rode the yellow slide with the double tube too many times to count. I had lost my voice by the end of the day from screaming in terror because it went so fast. Simon's response? It was too slow, mom! And yes, I am purposely holding the tube in front of me so that none of you have to witness me in a swimsuit. It's not pretty.



Our next stop was our beloved Rapid City. One of our first vacations when we were kids was to Rapid City. We had so much fun that Brian and I have been bringing Simon there each year for about five years. We try to do something different every time, except for Mt. Rushmore. We go there every time.



This year Brian and Simon did the alpine slide, and instead of Old MacDonald's Farm, we did Bear Country. Simon LOVED it, and I wouldn't be surprised if we did that one again next time. He wasn't amused by my and Brian's jokes that we were going to roll down the window and offer the bears some licorice, reminding us several times that the sign says to leave your windows up!





Simon was excited to see a lynx, the mascot for his school. Go Landmark Lynx!



Our last stop in Rapid City was a picnic lunch at Storybook Island. The free public park is full of different little exhibits from all sorts of beloved stories. Aunt Pat used to take me there with her boys when we were kids, and Simon loves it. It's usually on our list as a must-do as well.













After Rapid City, we headed east across South Dakota. Destination: De Smet, Home of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Historical Society. The Ingalls lived in De Smet in Laura's books The Long Winter and On the Shores of Silver Lake.

The first thing we did in De Smet was visit the cemetery. Ma, Pa, Mary, Carrie and Grace are all buried there. Laura and Almanzo are buried in Missouri, where they lived later in life. Reading Pa's grave:




In the long winter, the Ingalls lived in the Railroad Surveyor's house, which still stands in De Smet. We took a tour of the house and were able to see tons of original Ingalls items.



The other house in town to tour is the house on third street. Pa built this house for the family as Laura and Almanzo were getting ready to move to Missouri. Pa, Ma, Mary, Carrie and Grace all lived there. Carrie eventually married and moved to Keystone, SD (near Rapid City). Grace was married in the parlor of the house and lived 7 miles north of De Smet with her husband. Mary always lived with Ma and Pa. She never married. Pa died first. Mary died just four years after Ma. She was very close with Ma and found it hard to go on after her death.



After the tour of this house, we went to the Ingalls' homestead which is the original land that Pa laid claim to when they came to Dakota territory. There are 16 interactive stations on the homestead and tons of original items. At this point Brian decided that Nina was cranky and that he must go back to the hotel immediately. Whatever! Simon and I plunged in and completed all 16 stations. I won't post a picture of everything (I know, you're bummed) but here is a glimpse of what we got to do:

Ingalls' Homestead:



I could TOTALLY ride for several hundred miles like this! Okay, maybe not:



Stoking the fire in the shanty:



Simon drove our group to school in a covered wagon. He did a great job with the horses!



Listening and learning at school:



How could I not get my sissy girl a sun bonnet? My prairie girl:



We had an amazing vacation! Our final stop was Brian's hometown for the wedding. Once I get the photos from the wedding, I will post again. Hope everyone is doing well!

Two Months Old

My sweet, sweet baby doll is two months old already! She chose this outfit from Aunt Pat and Uncle Tom as an apology to them for screaming so badly while they babysat last night that Brian had to go and pick her up and bring her back to Maggiano's so we could finish our dinner. We're headed to their house this afternoon for a BBQ and to make amends with the Godparents. :)

Two Cute Boys

Simon and Zach had their spring choir concert last week. The kids did really well. They sang Won't You Be My Neighbor? from the Mr. Rogers theme song. The kids all brought sweaters to put on before the song. It was so cute! I'll try to post a video of it below. The performance was at Horizon High School in Thornton. It has a really nice auditorium. It was a new experience for Simon. I could tell he was nervous at first because the theater was so dark, and he couldn't find us once they came on stage. He kept cupping his hands around his eyes and scanning the crowd for us. Luckily after a song or two, they turned the house lights on for all of the moms to stand up (they had a special song for the moms), and then he found us.



Brother and Sissy after the concert:



Simon has decided he doesn't like to read anymore. Apparently it was fun when he was learning, but now that he knows how, it's boring. Unfortunately for him, he still has to read everyday. I try to keep fun books on hand for him so we'll see what this summer brings. Brian swears he's going to sit in front of the TV watching Sponge Bob all day, but I promise he won't! How can he watch Sponge Bob anyway when another America's Next Top Model marathon is on? :) Recently, Simon read Judy Blume's Superfudge to Nina. So far Simon is quite the Judy Blume fan. When he asks to read Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret , I'll intervene. Until then, no problem.



Simon's school allowed him to have an excused absence to go to work with Brian on "Take Your Child to Work Day". The day started off just fine. There were 10 kids at Brian's office, and the firm planned all sorts of activities starting with a little lecture from Brian's boss, Ken Stern, about the basics of immigration. Things got a little hairy around lunchtime when Brian was in a meeting with the managing partners in the conference room. There was a knock at the door. Surprise - it was Simon. "Um, Dad? Can I have a pop?" Later in the afternoon, things continued downhill when Simon and another boy took some collector Star Wars figures from one paralegals office (he said they could play with them) to the park and buried them in a sand pit. The parents and kids dug for two hours and could not find them. The next day, Brian and the other kid's mom were back at the park with rakes, digging for the figures. They finally found them! Maybe next year Simon will just go to school on that day instead of Brian's office.



I'm so proud of my friend Erin! I blogged about her on our last blog when she and her husband Brian hosted their annual Kentucky Derby party. Erin is an amazing Milliner! She had a passion for hats, but couldn't ever find any that fit her well. She studied under a retiring milliner and then opened a shop in Cherry Creek. In the meantime they have lived in NYC, then moved back to CO and had two kids. Well, now Erin is opening a shop again! We went to visit the shop last weekend, and it looks amazing! Brian and Erin went to the Derby in person this year, and Erin sold 7 hats before they left. And she's not even open yet! I'm so excited for her. I LOVE to see people follow their passion. Go, Erin!! :)



Nina's BFF down the street was baptized recently, and we were honored to attend both the church service and the reception afterwards. It was a beautiful ceremony, and we loved the church. These are our friends where Simon went to the Easter egg hunt. Many of you met Annie at my baby shower so you know who I'm talking about. We just love those guys and look forward to so much fun this summer with them and Zach's family. Nina wore an adorable dress sent by our friends Claudia and Rory. We met them in Germany (she's American/German and he's British) and we've stayed in touch. They live in New Jersey now and have 2 adorable kiddos.



Ok, I've gone on long enough. We're headed out for dinner tonight with Kevin and Eileen to celebrate Kevin's and my birthday. Aunt Pat and Uncle Tom are babysitting. Can't wait!! :)

One Month Old

Can you believe it? Nina turned one month old on Sunday. It is going too fast!! Can you tell we LOVE the Mary Jane socks? :) Today Nina insisted on choosing her own outfit. I couldn't help but oblige, and let her wear what she wants! :)