Popcorn Anyone??

I've blogged about our family movie nights before and how we eat a bag of popcorn. Well, we decided to email Pop Weaver to see if we could get a coupon. They ended up sending us two coupons for a free box of popcorn up to $5. We got 48 bags of popcorn for free. We were pumped! Then, when I got home today, I discovered that they sent us 48 more bags in the mail! 96 boxes free (Over $20 value!). Besides eating it on Monday nights, I plan to make caramel corn for Macie's birthday. Needless to say, we won't be buying any Boy Scout popcorn this year!

Big sisters sure are funny...

I was holding Gavin during Macie's snack. All of a sudden, he started squealing and laughing hysterically at Macie. It was the cutest thing! I still don't know exactly what he was laughing at. I guess Macie is just that funny! I grabbed the camera and got two short videos. How can you not smile when you hear this??

Disclamer: The video quality is very poor. It is very difficult to hold Gavin and video tape at the same time. I also forgot to turn the camera the correct way. The second video is the best!!!

Happy Birthday Dylan!

This afternoon, we celebrated Dylan's 2nd birthday! He had a party with balloons, cake, ice cream, and presents...what more could a kid want? The funny thing is, Dylan doesn't like cake or ice cream! He did get some really cool presents! We got him a Buzz Lightyear kite, playdough, and Elmo bath tablets that color your bath water. Macie and Gavin had a great time at the party! Afterwards, we went to Hornville Tavern with Allie, mom, dad, and my aunt Alice and Uncle Gene. Brian was bartending for Hornville, so he couldn't join us. What a great day!

I love his picture of Gavin. Too bad my dad's eyes are closed!

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Blow Dylan, Blow!
Hannah loved her ice cream!

Puffs!

Gavin ate puffs for the first time today! He loved them! It was so cute to watch him suck on them! He isn't quite ready to pick them up on his own yet, but it won't be long!

Mmm, Mmm, Good!

5 Years Ago Today...

...I met my best friend! I love you Brian! Thanks for making all my dreams come true!!!

Infectious

Gavin has been laughing out loud a lot lately! It is absolutely infectious! He is the happiest little guy! Children's laughter is God's music...it makes the world a happier place!

I'm getting better at sitting on my own!
TIMBER!

Of course, Macie has to be in on the action!

Very Exciting News!!!

We recently received some very exciting news! I am going to be an aunt!!! Brian's sister, Beth, is expecting her first child in March. I am thrilled to be an aunt. This will be my first niece or nephew and I can't wait to love on them, spoil them, and SEND THEM HOME!! That's the best part of being an aunt:) In about 8 weeks, we will find out what they are having and then the planning can begin....showers, shopping, and preparing for the arrival of baby Shepherd!

"Put Dadin Don"

Macie cracked me up today. She wanted me to "hold you" before I went to my parent meeting. When I told her to hold on a second, she said, "Put Dadin Down, bakit". She wanted him to lay on his blanket so I could snuggle with her. Macie rarely shows real jealousy towards Gavin and usually wants to include him in everything. I guess she really wanted her mommy all to herself tonight!

I stand corrected!

Gavin doesn't have a tooth yet after all! After school today, I took him to see Dr. Voyles for his 6 month check up. He said that it wasn't a tooth, but a cyst that is very common at this age and will disappear soon. Oh well...

Here are the stats from the appointment: Weight 19 pounds even (80th percentile), Height 27 1/4 inches (75th percentile), Head (she didn't give me the exact measurement but it is in the 95th percentile!!!!)

Dr. Voyles said he is right on track with everything. He said that he was happy that I nursed him until 6 months because that is the most crucial time. He did very well at the appointment. He got four shots again, one orally and three in his leg. He always has to get all of them in his left leg bless his heart. He screamed of course and I didn't have a pap with me (guess it was left at daycare as we left in a hurry). Overall, he is a happy, healthy little boy!!!

Macie went with us to the appointment. She is such a mess! She did very well considering we were there for over an hour. She helped the nurses with Gavin and ate her cheerios. She kept saying, "Me turn" for everything....even the shots!!! I assured her that she didn't want her turn on that!

Tooth Spotted!!!

Gavin has been fussier than normal the last few days. In fact, today he had a few screaming fits and we couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Tonight after his bath, I noticed a white spot in his gums. It is his upper left tooth. I put my finger in his mouth and didn't feel anything, but you can clearly see a little tooth about to pop through. Now I know why he has been so fussy! Our little man is growing up all to quickly. I got a little choked up to be honest. I love watching my kids reach each and every milestone!

In other news...Macie no longer calls us "Mama" and "Dada". We are now "Mommy" and "Daddy". When she says it in her sweet little voice our hearts melt!

Masterpiece

Last year, the music teacher taught my class a song called "Masterpiece". She picked out a few verses for them to sing along with the Kindergartners at Mass. I thought it was the sweetest song and it brought tears to my eyes listening to the little kiddos sing it. The music teacher suggested that I sing it to my own kids. I changed a few words so it would make sense, but now I sing it to them all of the time before they go to bed. It brings tears to my eyes when I hold my precious little babies in my arms and sing to them. Who knows, maybe someday they will be singing this song to their children...

Masterpiece

Up in heaven many years ago

God was making shoulders, knees, and toes

He put them all together

And painted them with love

And he made you what your mom is thankful for

R. Like a Master painter,
God made you art

Like a Master thinker,

God made you smart

Like a Master builder,

God made you strong

And he'll work on you your whole life long

He created you the way you look

Using all the pieces that he took

I'm so glad he made you

The way you are today

And he'll never throw the pieces away

Salsa

Today, I attempted to make salsa for the first time. Brian's mom gave us another box of tomatoes and I knew we wouldn't eat them all. This summer I already made tomato sauce and chopped up some tomatoes to freeze. We went to Rural King and got a salsa packet. I followed the directions but I added onion, bell pepper, and banana pepper to it. I wanted to use up other things I had around the house before they went bad! It was a lot of work, but for a total cost of $3, I guess it was worth it! It is cooling right now. Brian and I plan to eat some with lunch. Hopefully it tastes good!

Macie wanted to help cook and had a hard time accepting the fact that Mommy was busy. I had the trash can pulled over by me so that I could put all of the tomato waste in it. Macie loves to play in the trash can and we are constantly trying to keep her away from it. When we weren't looking, she knocked over the can. Needless to say, it was a big mess and she was put in time out. When, Brian was cleaning up, she kept asking to help. He got an adorable video of her cleaning the floor. She wanted to help so I guess we didn't violate any child labor laws!

Outside and Free At Last!

It has FINALLY cooled off enough for us to go outside and play. After dinner, we promised Macie that we should take her outside. We were good on our word and Macie was all smiles as she ran around the yard, went down the slide, played with her balls, and was pushed in her swing. Because Gavin is sitting up so much better, we thought he might enjoy the swing,too. He LOVED it!! Macie was all but thrilled that Gavin was in "her" swing. We tried to distract her with the other swings, but it didn't really do the trick. We had to convince her to take turns. Brian and I decided that we will be buying another baby swing soon!

Getting So Strong!

Gavin is getting stronger and stronger every day! He is sitting for longer periods of time. He is also able to play in his exersaucer for up to half an hour at a time. When I got out the camera, he got so excited he was squealing and flapping his arms. What a ham!!

Of course, Macie had to get in on the camera action!

"Hi Dadin"

This and That

Got Milk?
Brian and I went grocery shopping last Thursday night when the kids were in Sturgis. We bought a gallon of milk among other things. Saturday night I was dumping out the rest of an old gallon and rinsing out the milk jug when I realize that the gallon we bought wasn't in the fridge. Hmmmm....did we leave it at the store? Oh no...it was in the back of the Escape. You got it....it had been the car with temps reaching over a hundred degrees for 2 WHOLE DAYS!! The carton was all disfigured and let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight. That thing would have exploded before long! The next morning, Brian had to go and get more milk!

Me Turn?
Yesterday after school, I laid on the floor and did my usual. I asked Gavin about his day. He kicks and squeals and smiles. Macie wanted to join in on the fun and she said "Me turn". I said, "Macie, how was your day?" She responded very matter of factly, "I played Melindas" (or a version of that I could plainly understand). I said, "What else did you do?" She said, "Eat". "Did you do anything else?" "No"
Did I really just have a conversation with my 22 month old about her day? Holy cow she is growing up fast!

A Few Words From Macie
vgft7 evczczzcswa;as;sa;sasa;aa;as;a;a;a;aa;a;;a;as;a;a;as;, ,s; ,sdl,lDa,LA,SS,S SS SSS

Schedule Changes
We've made some pretty big changes in the kid's schedules lately. Macie is officially down to one main nap a day. At daycare she is sleeping for 2 1/2 to 3 hours each afternoon. Every now and then she needs a late afternoon nap, but not as often as before.
Gavin has started going to bed at 7 when Macie goes to bed. We realized that we were pretty much shoving that last bottle down his throat. We thought we would give it a try last weekend and it was a success! We had to wake him up this morning to give him his bottle. It is both weird and nice to have both kids in bed by 7. Brian and I don't know what to do with ourselves. We are able to spend so much more time together and get a lot done! I'm loving it!! The only negative is that we have to split our time when the kids are awake even more and can't spend as much quality alone time with Gavin once Macie goes to bed.

Rolling Over
Gavin is rolling over more often, although still not consistently. He even rolled over from his belly to his back on Sunday with all of us watching! It won't be long and my little man will be on the move!

Missed You
On the way home today, I said, "Macie I love you". She said, "Missed you". Simple moments like that make me smile! That girl is talking nonstop! One of my absolute favorite things she says all of the time right now is, "Hi Dadin" (Gavin). She loves that little guy just as much as we do!

Gavin's 6 Month Pics

A few weeks ago, Allie took Gavin's 6 month pictures. I thought I would post a few of them to share. There were so many good ones it will be hard to choose. We also have several other photo shoots planned this fall. I LOVE PICTURES!!!
*Allie forgot to watermark the pictures so please don't steal them:)

Back to School

Did you notice I haven't been blogging as much as usual? Well, school started back this week and I am worn out!!! I have 18 students this year (more than double what I had last year) and the breakdown is 13 boys and 5 girls. I'm just thankful we made it through the first week!

Macie is doing better with drop off at the new daycare. Wednesday was the first day that she didn't cry when I left. I was so happy. Of course, she hasn't been there since so we shall see how Monday morning goes.

A grandparent found a paper that a former student had written about me. The student is currently in third grade and I taught her in first grade. She wrote it sometime last year. It was the sweetest thing and reminded me why I do my job!

Mrs. Mitchell

The teacher who inspired me was Mrs. Mitchell. She was my first grade teacher at Holy Spirit. Mrs. Mitchell is a great teacher because she makes sure I know things. Mrs. Mitchell is also a very good teacher because she said that I could stop talking in class. She is very nice because she had confidence in me. She said that I could do stuff that I didn't think that I could do.

Mommy and Me Monday

I was reading a blog and she started "Mommy and Me Monday". She noticed that most moms like her had very few pictures of themselves with their kids. Moms are always the ones behind the camera and not in the pictures. I do take most of the pictures, but I also am too critical of myself so it is just easier to take the pictures. Tonight, I decided to take on her challenge and get in pictures with both of my kids. They are growing up so very fast before my eyes!

Big Sister Story Time

As challenging as Macie can be at times, she is the best big sister ever! She LOVES her little brother. Tonight she wanted to read a book to him. I'm so glad that Brian was able to capture it!

Graduation Party

Yesterday we had a big party to celebrate Annie's graduation at Allie's house. I went early to help set up. There were two themes: Purdue and pigs. We got very creative with the food. We had bbq pulled pork, pork ribs, pigs in a blanket, bacon wrapped weenies, pork loin, 2 kinds of ham and even the sides had bacon in them! The centerpiece of the table was a pig head! My uncle prepared it. It creeped me out but it definitely pulled the whole party together. It was a great turn out and Annie got a lot of neat stuff! I was busy the whole day and very exhausted by the end!

Pigs in the mud

Macie loves Kaylee and Ellen

Uncle Bill and Annie

Lots of pork on that table!

Macie was trying to hula hoop. She would stand in the middle and turn in circles. It was precious!

Macie isms

Macie is talking more and more. Every day she is saying new things and blowing us away. She is even saying sentences. She is saying too many things to blog, but here are a few of my favorites.

uhwate (awake)

hamwin (sandwich)

I poold it (I pulled it)

I dod it (I got it)

me trn (me turn)

home

Congrats Aunt Annie!!

Annie graduated from Purdue today! My mom, dad, Allie and I drove up yesterday. We spent the night in Annie's new apartment. I can't remember the last time it was just the five of us. Brian was supposed to come to the graduation, but his dad is sick and he needed to stay home with the kids. We decided not to bring the kids because it was too long in the car and there was no way they could sit through the graduation. We had to get up very early this morning. The graduation started at 8:30 in the morning our time! I am so proud of Annie! She graduated with an Animal Science degree and she starts a new job at a pig farm on Tuesday. My mom is having a hard time with all of this. Annie is her baby and she is going to live 3 and 1/2 hours away. I told mom that she and dad have a lot to be proud of. All three of their children graduated from college, officially live on their own, and are employed in their relative fields. That indeed is a lot to be proud of!!! We are having a big party for Annie tomorrow. Congrats Aunt Annie! We love you very much!!!