Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009


I'm stealing this from Julie!

In my 2009...

What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before?
Celebrate Gracie's first birthday. Yeah, that's kinda a cop out answer, but I can't think of anything else.

Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I don't really think I made any last year. This year, I've got just a couple things, but I don't really consider them resolutions, more changes that need to be made.

Did anyone close to you give birth?
ME!! I'm pretty close to me. Bri was born October 11th, 2009. My sister-in-law, Jenni also just had a little boy on December 21st, and I can't wait to meet him (hopefully in March!!). This coming year will be baby central, with my other sister-in-law, Julie due in late Feb, Erin in late March, Naomi in April, and Carrie in August! What an exciting year ahead of us!


Did anyone close to you die?

Nope, had a couple of scary moments, but we're all good for now! I did have a more distant relative pass away though (my Grandpa's brother).

What countries did you spend time in this year?
Just the US. I'm pretty content just spending time with friends and family.

What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Buy a house, but it may be wishful thinking at this moment.

What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
June-Got offered a job in Hudson, and had to chose if we wanted to return to friends and family, or stay with our new friends that had grown to feel like family. One of the toughest decisions we've ever made, but we felt that God was pushing us to get closer to our family and we're really glad to be here.
Really, the whole summer was a whirlwind. It was the single most stressful summer of my life, with many terrible things and a few good things that happened, and I'm glad it's over!!

What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year?
My interview with Hudson. I got advice from my principal at the time and used all of it. I never felt so good about something as I did when I left that interview. They told me they'd make a decision in the next two weeks, and called me the next day to offer me the job! I was scared because I was pregnant with Brianna, but God cleared a path for our move. It was hard, and financially crippling but we are recovering, and the benefits definitely outweigh the stresses.

What was your biggest failure?
Our finances. I think we need to seek help.

Did you suffer any serious injury or illness?
Does pregnancy count? Sometimes I think it should. . .

What was the best thing you bought?
I guess our van. My new phone is pretty cool too.

Whose behavior merited celebration?
Daddy's. He has a hard time with change, but he has been very supportive of my insecurities and is now working to also improve himself too. One of the best parts of moving home is that he now gets to return to school. I know he's scared, but he's starting classes on the 11th, and I am so proud of him.

Whose behavior made you appalled and/or depressed?
I plead the 5th, but some of you know who I'm thinking of.

Where did most of your money go?
New van, moving, new apartment, maternity leave. SIGH.

Compared to this time last year, are you,
a) happier or sadder? Mostly happier. I am so glad to be home with family and friends that I have missed so much, but also miss the people back in Milwaukee a lot.
b) thinner or fatter? Fatter. Booo.
c) richer or poorer? Poorer. Moving and maternity leave sucked it all up.

What did you get really, really excited about?
Brianna, moving, being close to people we've been missing.

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Sleep! Ha! With a toddler and a newborn, there wasn't much of that happening.

Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Hate is a wasted emotion.

What was the best book you read?
Oh how can I choose?
I guess Change of Heart by Jodi Picoult. I've never been so happy but mad about how a book ended.

What did you want and not get?
A house, but that's a good thing, since we ended up moving!

What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31, but I don't remember doing anything special.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If Josey was still happy.
Being able to chop the middle of Wisconsin out of the map so Milwaukee and Hudson are close together (who needs Madison?). Then I wouldn't have needed to move or start a new job and I wouldn't be missing my Milwaukee family.

Who did you miss?
Before the move, everyone near Hudson...after the move, everyone in Milwaukee!


Who was the best new person you met?

I don't think I added anyone to my friends last year. . .Clearly, if I did they are such an important part of my life that I feel like they've been here forever!

Tell us a valuable life lesson(s) you learned in 2009.
Nothing is more important than family (and the friends that are considered family)!

What sums up this year?
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes.

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Ballerina

I found Gracie a cheap dance outfit to play in, and taught her how to spin like a ballerina today. She was doing great, and having lots of fun until she saw the camera come out!




All tuckered out from all that dancing!

Toddler Talk

Daddy and I were laughing the other day as we realized that since Gracie started talking, most of our commonly used words now end in the long e sound.

For example:

Tick-E: tickle
Col-E: color
Up-E: pick Gracie up
Eat-E: eat
Sis-E: Brianna
Nap-E: Nap
Poop-E: Yeah, I think you get it.

Sunday, December 27, 2009

My Princess



Grandma Y found Gracie a big girl hooded towel with princesses on it, and a crown on top. She actually got out of the bath voluntarily when I put it on to show her!

Now I Lay Me. . .

Bri has taken to holding her hands like this:


I thought she looked like she was praying, then Brian said what he thinks. . .


He decided she looks like a ninja, bowing to her sensai.
He now calls her the Diaper Assassin.

Bri Smiles

Are so much fun.

So Big!


Bri, filling out a sixth month sleeper.

Piggy Tails



Momma's Hat


AquaDoodle

Gracie's favorite Christmas presents are her AquaDoodle and her new Gracie-sized chair. She likes to suck the water out of the water pen!




Saturday, December 26, 2009

Chicken Rings

I went to Aldi the other day. I decided I'll give it a chance. Despite how they treated me in Milwaukee, they seem nice here and if it saves us money to eventually get a house I'll take it. I bought a bunch of "onsies," just to sample things and see if we like it and should get it again. One thing I got was "Chicken Rings."

I told Daddy upon returning home "I got chicken rings, now you can pretend you are at White Castle."
"Pretend I'm at White Castle?"
"Sorry honey, we can't afford to go to White Castle." Wow, that's pretty much the most pathetic thing I've ever heard come out of my mouth!

Brianna


Sleeping at Auntie Julie's house.


Gracie sharing her toys with "On-a."


I sad to say that I am already packing clothes away that Brianna has outgrown. She is such a big girl compared to Gracie at this point in her life. I joke that Bri liked an outfit Gracie wore last week and plans on wearing it next week, she's so big! I don't mean that in a negative way, she's fit and healthy, and proportionate. She had her two month appointment on December 14th, and she was 11 pounds, 12 ounces and 23 inches long-both 75th percentile. Her head was 40.5 cm, which is the 90th percentile. She got oodles of vaccinations, and will see the doctor again at four months-which is rapidly approaching!


Sleeping in her bassinet, which she's just started doing recently.


Baseball baby.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

New Ride

Daddy: "What's Gracie doing?"
Momma: "The remote to the bassinet mobile is on the table, she's trying to get it."
Daddy: "Bassinetmobile?! That's it, I'm taking the bassinetmobile to grandma's tomorrow."
He then proceeds to sing the batman theme song.

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Can You Believe

My baby is two months old? Me neither!

Here's the skinny on Brianna:
  • She has a big mouth. I mean that literally. Just before she starts to cry, she gives the BIGGEST frown. Daddy calls it her Muppet frown because no one has a mouth big enough to imitate it. I've been trying to get a pic, but it's so fleeting! Of course, her smile is just as big and will light up the darkest room.
  • She is a really good baby. The "experts" say babies cry for at least three hours a day? Yeah, I'd say she's got more like three hours a week. OK, that may be a little exaggerated, but she's really a good, quiet baby.
  • She l.o.v.e.s. to be held. If she had it her way, she'd be in someone's arms 24/7. It doesn't matter who, she just wants to be held.
  • She hates laying flat and therefore sleeps in her bouncy chair or swing every night. But, she'll sleep all night as long as she's in a sitting position.
  • She likes tummy time, but only for a few minutes.
  • She LOVES her big sister. Even though she's usually about to get pounced by Gracie, Bri's face simply lights up when she sees her coming. Gracie feels the same, and is always "sharing" her blankie with her (putting it on her face) and giving her kisses (by crawling/jumping on her first).
  • She loves to tell stories in her babbling baby talk.
  • She found her thumb at about three weeks, and still finds it often. Although Gracie always sucks her left thumb, Bri always finds her right one.

Toddler Sculpture



Momma's so proud.

This is Why

We have to make sure the bathroom door is firmly latched!



Yes, she was putting it in the toilet. Yes, she was playing with it once it was in the toilet. EW.

Fist Bump

Josey and Daddy taught Gracie how to do a fist bump over Thanksgiving. After a while, Daddy taught her how to make it "explode" after being bumped. I tried to catch it on video, her face lights up when she opens her fingers to make it explode.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Christmas Cheer

I'm thinking if I ever get a house, I'll be the guy on the right.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

You're NOT Helping.

The girls and I went to the store yesterday. Usually, being in public settles them both down as they people watch and check everything out. Apparently yesterday was opposite day. As I'm trying to quickly get everything on my list the baby is screaming, Gracie's not happy either. I can handle my kids screaming. Even in public, I can keep my cool with them. They are little, they don't know better and that is their primary way of communicating their feelings to me. By the time I left, however I was c.r.a.b.b.y. Not at my kids, at all the people that felt the need to STOP me in the aisle to tell me "Oh, he's not happy!" or "Someone's hungry!" I got really sick of saying "She's fine, she just has gas." Seriously people, you don't need to try my patience, my kids are already doing a fine job of that.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Cool Dude(tte)



Learning Curve

Did my daughter learn anything from her trip to the ER yesterday?

Apparently not.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

ER

Gracie gave momma and daddy heart attacks tonight. She climbed up on the ottoman, jumped onto a big rubbermaid container we use as a toybox and promptly slid off, banging her head on the entertainment center on the way down. Her instant cries were expected, but the half a face full of blood was not. Daddy and I rushed her to the ER where, luckily, grandma was working! Grandma cheered her up, gave her Pooh stickers and a popcicle. The doc was able to simply glue the cut and if I hadn't seen how deep it was myself I probably would have thought it was just a scratch. I tried to take a picture of it, but it's pretty hard to see. It's just below her hairline almost straight up from her eye.

Sisterly Love



Kissing Bri's belly.

Potty Training


Let the fun begin. . .

Gracie loves her potty. She was even caught kissing it. Ew.

Hopefully that means this will be quick and painless.


Thursday, November 26, 2009

First Real Smile

Happy Thanksgiving




Happy Thanksgiving!
Or, as Gracie was saying all day "Gobby Gobby!"
(gobble, gobble)

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

More JCP


Julie made our joint appointment at JCP, so I didn't have the email with access to those pics. She put a few on her blog though, so I stole them! Here's some cute cousins pictures from our session.