Kate had her 18 month check-up yesterday and I just wanted to share her stats because they're simply crazy. All the sunshine this summer and garden food must have really agreed with her. Okay, here they are.
Height: 34 inches (98.5%!!)
Weight: 25 lb. 6 oz. (71%)
Head: 49.5 cm (99%!!)
This means that in 5 months, Kate grew almost 4 inches and gained 4 pounds. Wow.
Not able to be outdone, Anna wanted to be weighed and measured, too. Her information wasn't as precise because the nurse was just doing it to be nice, but I'm pretty sure she was over 40 inches tall and around 37 pounds. That means that she grew more than 3 inches and gained about 3 pounds in only 4 months. I didn't think kids grew this fast at these ages. Oh well ... no complaints here!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
To Ft. Wayne and back
My Grandma Grossman passed away while we were in the midst of our trip to South Dakota. Though we rejoice that she is at home in heaven, she will be missed by many who loved her.
So a few days after returning from South Dakota, we were preparing once again for a big trip. Since Ft. Wayne is a "medium" distance away (more than a morning drive, but not an all day drive), we decided to break up our traveling days with a fun stop. Originally we were going to stop in Valpo on the way out, but made a quick change of plans when we saw the sign for the Indiana Dunes. For those who don't know about this state park in Indiana, Matt and I visited their often during our college years, both before we knew each other and then again together. In fact, Matt proposed to me during a picnic up at the Dunes! We thought it would be fun to take the girls there and visit, especially since we hadn't been back in almost 10 years. We had a fun time :)
This family picture is on the same dune where Matt proposed, although not quite in the same spot; these are moving dunes so much has changed in just 10 years!
Friday night and Saturday were filled with family, memories, and tears, in addition to chasing around and caring for the five under-six-year-olds who were there. Not only were we surrounded by my immediate family, but my Aunt Sandy, Cousin Travis, and Cousin Leigh (and family) were all staying at the same hotel. The last time we were all together in one place was at Grandma's 80th birthday 6 years ago, before there were any babies!
The kids enjoyed playing with each other and with the uncles. We also all managed to have some pool time together on Saturday afternoon. Anna was pretty excited to have her oldest girl cousin, Lucy, around.
On the way home, we stopped at the Illinois Railway Museum, thinking it would be fun for the girls to see some big trains up close. We learned on the website before we left that if the kids went in their Halloween costumes, they could ride the Trick or Treat Trolley. So we packed along their costumes and dressed them up, only to find out that the only thing special about the Trick or Treat Trolley was that each girl got a piece of candy when they got off. Oh, well. At least the girls liked wearing the costumes.
We've had a rough time transitioning to life this morning. Kate picked up a cold sometime in the past week from any number of places and Anna has been really struggling today. At least we don't have any trips planned for awhile and can all sleep in our own beds once again!
So a few days after returning from South Dakota, we were preparing once again for a big trip. Since Ft. Wayne is a "medium" distance away (more than a morning drive, but not an all day drive), we decided to break up our traveling days with a fun stop. Originally we were going to stop in Valpo on the way out, but made a quick change of plans when we saw the sign for the Indiana Dunes. For those who don't know about this state park in Indiana, Matt and I visited their often during our college years, both before we knew each other and then again together. In fact, Matt proposed to me during a picnic up at the Dunes! We thought it would be fun to take the girls there and visit, especially since we hadn't been back in almost 10 years. We had a fun time :)
This family picture is on the same dune where Matt proposed, although not quite in the same spot; these are moving dunes so much has changed in just 10 years!
Friday night and Saturday were filled with family, memories, and tears, in addition to chasing around and caring for the five under-six-year-olds who were there. Not only were we surrounded by my immediate family, but my Aunt Sandy, Cousin Travis, and Cousin Leigh (and family) were all staying at the same hotel. The last time we were all together in one place was at Grandma's 80th birthday 6 years ago, before there were any babies!
The kids enjoyed playing with each other and with the uncles. We also all managed to have some pool time together on Saturday afternoon. Anna was pretty excited to have her oldest girl cousin, Lucy, around.
On the way home, we stopped at the Illinois Railway Museum, thinking it would be fun for the girls to see some big trains up close. We learned on the website before we left that if the kids went in their Halloween costumes, they could ride the Trick or Treat Trolley. So we packed along their costumes and dressed them up, only to find out that the only thing special about the Trick or Treat Trolley was that each girl got a piece of candy when they got off. Oh, well. At least the girls liked wearing the costumes.
We've had a rough time transitioning to life this morning. Kate picked up a cold sometime in the past week from any number of places and Anna has been really struggling today. At least we don't have any trips planned for awhile and can all sleep in our own beds once again!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Life at home
The week before the trip to South Dakota was a busy one for us, filled with our family's fall preparations. Before we left, we loaded up this year's supply of firewood into the basement and I finished painting the garden shed out back. We also finished filling up the canning shelves and the freezers. I was realizing that by the time we got back, autumn could possibly be over so I was feeling very motivated to get a lot of work done before the vacation.
We got back on Friday evening and were able to spent Saturday gathering leaves for next year's garden mulch. This meant that we raked up the leaves, piled them in the back of the truck, and then dumped them behind the garage. The girls had a blast. Anna really liked being completely covered with the leaves while Kate liked the truck rides the best (I'd ride in the back with the girls while Matt drove around the yard ... lots of fun!) Then Matt and I stacked the next supply of firewood while the girls napped. We were all really tired by the end of the day ;)
Our transition back from the trip has gone well so far. After almost a week of sleeping on air mattresses or in pack and plays, our sleeping is almost back to normal ... except that Anna didn't nap today and Kate slept pretty bad last night. Now that I think about it, maybe that's "normal" for us ... :)
We got back on Friday evening and were able to spent Saturday gathering leaves for next year's garden mulch. This meant that we raked up the leaves, piled them in the back of the truck, and then dumped them behind the garage. The girls had a blast. Anna really liked being completely covered with the leaves while Kate liked the truck rides the best (I'd ride in the back with the girls while Matt drove around the yard ... lots of fun!) Then Matt and I stacked the next supply of firewood while the girls napped. We were all really tired by the end of the day ;)
Our transition back from the trip has gone well so far. After almost a week of sleeping on air mattresses or in pack and plays, our sleeping is almost back to normal ... except that Anna didn't nap today and Kate slept pretty bad last night. Now that I think about it, maybe that's "normal" for us ... :)
Howdy, South Dakota!
Last week we traveled out to South Dakota to spend some time with Matt's family; his parents accepted a call in Chamberlain this past summer while Michal and Sam have been in Vermillion for about a year and a half.
The trip out went really smoothly, maybe because we were all pretty fresh and excited. We arrived in Chamberlain on Saturday afternoon and stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and Bear, the dog, until Thursday morning, when we drove the three hours to Vermillion and spent the night with the Needhams before coming home. The drive home felt the longest, but probably because we were all tired and ready to be home.
Overall, the trip was good and we really enjoyed spending some extended time with Matt's parents. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, especially considering that last year at this time there was an inch of snow on the ground out there. We were able to visit some museums (the Lewis and Clark expedition is a big tourist attraction in South Daktoa) and go to a variety of parks with the grandparents, as well as just spending a bit of time relaxing with them at their home. The parks in South Dakota, by the way, are really cool, or at least they seemed that way to Matt and me :) All of the ones we saw in Chamberlain had good, "old school" playground equipment like merry-go-rounds, horse swings, metal slides, etc. Matt and I enjoyed reminiscing about our childhood playgrounds as we played with the girls at the parks.
Here's a sampling of pictures from our trip. I may post some more on Facebook one of these days, but we'll have to see how the transition home continues :)
The trip out went really smoothly, maybe because we were all pretty fresh and excited. We arrived in Chamberlain on Saturday afternoon and stayed with Grandpa and Grandma and Bear, the dog, until Thursday morning, when we drove the three hours to Vermillion and spent the night with the Needhams before coming home. The drive home felt the longest, but probably because we were all tired and ready to be home.
Overall, the trip was good and we really enjoyed spending some extended time with Matt's parents. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, especially considering that last year at this time there was an inch of snow on the ground out there. We were able to visit some museums (the Lewis and Clark expedition is a big tourist attraction in South Daktoa) and go to a variety of parks with the grandparents, as well as just spending a bit of time relaxing with them at their home. The parks in South Dakota, by the way, are really cool, or at least they seemed that way to Matt and me :) All of the ones we saw in Chamberlain had good, "old school" playground equipment like merry-go-rounds, horse swings, metal slides, etc. Matt and I enjoyed reminiscing about our childhood playgrounds as we played with the girls at the parks.
Here's a sampling of pictures from our trip. I may post some more on Facebook one of these days, but we'll have to see how the transition home continues :)
Monday, October 4, 2010
Making the most of fall
I think autumn is becoming my favorite time of year. I've been feeling a little guilty lately whenever we have to do something inside. All of the sunny skies, cool weather, and lack of bugs make the out-of-doors hard to resist. So I've been frequenting county parks with the girls lately in an attempt to, hopefully, stock up on this beautiful weather before we are forced to hibernate for several months.
We planned a family day this past Sunday to enjoy some outdoor time together. We got up early (well, actually, we were awakened early by a few pint-sized Mischnicks) and went to early church so we could drive up to Devil's Lake State Park for the day. We had a picnic, went for a hike, played at the playground, and gave Matt a chance to experience what the girls and I have been doing several times a week lately :)In the past, I've used the term "hike" pretty loosely, but not this time. We did a real hike, even if Matt and I weren't expecting to do something quite so strenuous. Although the hike itself was only about a half mile each way, it was practically straight up, climbing up stairs cut into the rocky hillside. Anna was in such a good mood the entire time; Matt and I couldn't get over how "mature" she seemed and how good-natured she was being in spite of the craziness of the hike. I mean, she's usually a pretty good kid, but this hike was definitely more than what she was used to and we were expecting some whining by the end. But, nope, she sang songs the whole way down the bluff and chatted with the many other hikers we passed. (Kate enjoyed things, as well, from the backpack point of view. I carried her up; Matt carried her down. My legs hurt today.)
We made it up to Balanced Rock, seen in the above photo, about half way up the hillside.
Saturday and then Sunday afternoon and evening were yard/garden clean up days at our house. Matt and the girls helped a LOT and, except for things like hauling firewood into the house, tilling the garden, fertilizing the garden with manure from the farmer, etc., things are pretty well cleaned up. Okay, maybe it sounds like we have a lot to do yet, but we really did get a lot done on Saturday! This year it was a relief to finally pull up the tomato and pepper plants and pick the last of our pumpkins; I think it was a record summer in our garden for many reasons.
We've got another beautiful weather forecast here this week and have already spent one afternoon hiking with some friends at the University Arboretum. More fun afternoons to come!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The power of two
Having two little girls around the house now can be quite powerful. Twice the energy, twice the volume, twice the smiles and laughs ...
... and then of course twice the tantrums and twice the germ exposure :)
Thanks to the start of the fall activities and the subsequent introduction of new germs into our weekly routine, we're battling colds. Thankfully, it's been mild and short-lived, but still. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that if we're going to do things like go to story time, playgroups, museums, etc. then we're just going to end up with colds. Oh, well. After the bad one this summer, I feel like we can measure our colds on a different scale.
One of the experiences last week that might have caused these lovely colds was a day trip to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, with a neighbor and her two boys. Picture this ... four kids ranging from 2 months to 3 years in the van for an hour and half each way plus a few hours exploring the indoor and outdoor exhibits. All in all, I'd call it a success and Anna is still talking about some of the exhibits, including the big fish, sharks, and sting rays that were in the huge tanks.
Another activity that could have caused these colds might have been the first Kindermusik class of the semester. Now that Anna is older, she attends most of the class by herself, with Kate and I only making an appearance at the beginning and at the end. She seems to be enjoying it, but I think I'm having a harder time adjusting, especially since "music class" had always been a special activity that Anna and I did together.
We also did a few afternoon activities last week that might have caused these colds, including a trip to the Madison Children's Museum one afternoon. I'm definitely going to remember that it is much less crowded (and thus much more fun) in the afternoons!
By Friday morning, Kate had a runny nose ... just in time for my parents and brother to come for the evening and Saturday morning. Oh, well. The girls had a great time, especially with Uncle Adam, who they don't get to see very often. Saturday morning we all loaded up in the van and drove downtown for the Farmer's Market and to visit the Capitol (Anna was SO excited to show it off).
Anna is still very much in the "why" stage, as my parents and brother discovered. Of course, they thought it was hilarious, but I'm ready for it to be done. Kate has actually picked up on it, too, and if Anna doesn't pipe in right away with a "why", then Kate will say "why", without quite understanding what it means. Sometimes I long for silence :)
Although I must admit that the bus game we play in the van now is pretty entertaining. Kate likes to identify any kind of bus she sees and will usually say "too bus, Too Bus, TOO BUS, TOO BUS!" (kicking and waving her arms at the same time, this kid has bottomless energy) until either Anna or I acknowledge that she has accurately identified the school bus, or we say "No, Kate, that's a city bus." Then Kate says "ci-tee bus". After having Kate do this several times, Anna tries to get me to laugh by saying "Mommy, school bus, school bus" and pointing at random things until I say "No, Anna, that's a car/truck/building/whatever-she's-pointing-at".
Anyway, I digress ... after my family left and the girls napped, we headed to a birthday party for a friend (turning 4) and her dad (turning 40). It was a great evening filled with good food, good company, and a special birthday performance by David Landau! Anna was thrilled and couldn't wait to dance. (If you could really see her expression in this photo, you'd understand just how excited she was.) Although by the end of the night, she proclaimed that Pastor (who was also there) was more fun to play with than Dave Landau :)
Whew! It feels like time is just speeding up, just when I'd really like it to slow down a bit.
... and then of course twice the tantrums and twice the germ exposure :)
Thanks to the start of the fall activities and the subsequent introduction of new germs into our weekly routine, we're battling colds. Thankfully, it's been mild and short-lived, but still. I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that if we're going to do things like go to story time, playgroups, museums, etc. then we're just going to end up with colds. Oh, well. After the bad one this summer, I feel like we can measure our colds on a different scale.
One of the experiences last week that might have caused these lovely colds was a day trip to the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, Iowa, with a neighbor and her two boys. Picture this ... four kids ranging from 2 months to 3 years in the van for an hour and half each way plus a few hours exploring the indoor and outdoor exhibits. All in all, I'd call it a success and Anna is still talking about some of the exhibits, including the big fish, sharks, and sting rays that were in the huge tanks.
Another activity that could have caused these colds might have been the first Kindermusik class of the semester. Now that Anna is older, she attends most of the class by herself, with Kate and I only making an appearance at the beginning and at the end. She seems to be enjoying it, but I think I'm having a harder time adjusting, especially since "music class" had always been a special activity that Anna and I did together.
We also did a few afternoon activities last week that might have caused these colds, including a trip to the Madison Children's Museum one afternoon. I'm definitely going to remember that it is much less crowded (and thus much more fun) in the afternoons!
By Friday morning, Kate had a runny nose ... just in time for my parents and brother to come for the evening and Saturday morning. Oh, well. The girls had a great time, especially with Uncle Adam, who they don't get to see very often. Saturday morning we all loaded up in the van and drove downtown for the Farmer's Market and to visit the Capitol (Anna was SO excited to show it off).
Anna is still very much in the "why" stage, as my parents and brother discovered. Of course, they thought it was hilarious, but I'm ready for it to be done. Kate has actually picked up on it, too, and if Anna doesn't pipe in right away with a "why", then Kate will say "why", without quite understanding what it means. Sometimes I long for silence :)
Although I must admit that the bus game we play in the van now is pretty entertaining. Kate likes to identify any kind of bus she sees and will usually say "too bus, Too Bus, TOO BUS, TOO BUS!" (kicking and waving her arms at the same time, this kid has bottomless energy) until either Anna or I acknowledge that she has accurately identified the school bus, or we say "No, Kate, that's a city bus." Then Kate says "ci-tee bus". After having Kate do this several times, Anna tries to get me to laugh by saying "Mommy, school bus, school bus" and pointing at random things until I say "No, Anna, that's a car/truck/building/whatever-she's-pointing-at".
Anyway, I digress ... after my family left and the girls napped, we headed to a birthday party for a friend (turning 4) and her dad (turning 40). It was a great evening filled with good food, good company, and a special birthday performance by David Landau! Anna was thrilled and couldn't wait to dance. (If you could really see her expression in this photo, you'd understand just how excited she was.) Although by the end of the night, she proclaimed that Pastor (who was also there) was more fun to play with than Dave Landau :)Whew! It feels like time is just speeding up, just when I'd really like it to slow down a bit.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Fall activities begin!
Last week was the offical start of many of our school-year activities ... hooray! We had story time on Tuesday, a new playgroup in McFarland on Wednesday and Bible Study on Thursday. These activities, along with Kindermusik for Anna, will be our weekly regiment for the next several months ;) I think Anna enjoyed all of these activities, with story time as her favorite. Kate, on the other hand, has had a lot of Mommy time this summer and it will probably take a little while for her to adjust to all of the new places/people/stuff. Bible Study morning was not a happy time for her; she didn't agree with Mommy leaving her in the nursery and ended up spending most of the time on my lap. Oh well, I've got a plan for the next few weeks and hopefully we'll get out of this phase soon.
The best part, for me, of our activities starting last week was that the afternoons were our "free time". So instead of simply waiting and biding our time until Matt got home, we were out and about doing things. On Tuesday afternoon we went to a local vineyard to pick some grapes for more grape juice. We'd already made some grape juice from the grapes in our yard, but when the girls finished off the first quart in about 24 hours ... AFTER me having watered down the juice ... I decided we needed more.
On Wednesday afternoon we went for a hike at the nearby state park, which was LOADS of fun. Granted, the 1.2 mile hike took us over an hour, but the girls had a great time. We went on a nature trail so Anna got a kick out of finding the next sign to read and then, by the end, telling me it was her turn to teach me things. Kate's favorite part, I think, was finding walnuts all over the place, picking them up, and then sticking her finger into the squishy part. They both enjoyed playing "red light, green light" down the path together, too. I've been trying to take mental pictures from time to time of these moments, because I know they are fleeting. Seeing them run down the trail together smiling and laughing ahead of me is one of those pictures I'll hold onto :)
On Thursday afternoon we went to the zoo and then on Friday morning we met some friends at a petting zoo/farm and then just hung out around home in the afternoon.
Busy days, but all of it fun.
We're (okay, it's mostly me) trying to start a Sunday evening tradition of watching the Packers game together while we eat dinner. Since most of their games are at noon, we've taken to recording them and then watching them later. The first week things didn't work out quite so well, but this past week was great. After the initial excitement wore off for the girls, they just played around in the basement for the rest of the game. Anna can fairly accurately identify Aaron Rogers now and when Kate first saw the game, she looked at me and said "running!", one of her favorite things to do.
Here's the results of our attempts at pictures before church on Sunday (and yes, Kate wore a Packers outfit to church; that kind of thing is okay in Wisconsin). We especially like the "Anna tickling Kate" pose :)
The best part, for me, of our activities starting last week was that the afternoons were our "free time". So instead of simply waiting and biding our time until Matt got home, we were out and about doing things. On Tuesday afternoon we went to a local vineyard to pick some grapes for more grape juice. We'd already made some grape juice from the grapes in our yard, but when the girls finished off the first quart in about 24 hours ... AFTER me having watered down the juice ... I decided we needed more.
On Wednesday afternoon we went for a hike at the nearby state park, which was LOADS of fun. Granted, the 1.2 mile hike took us over an hour, but the girls had a great time. We went on a nature trail so Anna got a kick out of finding the next sign to read and then, by the end, telling me it was her turn to teach me things. Kate's favorite part, I think, was finding walnuts all over the place, picking them up, and then sticking her finger into the squishy part. They both enjoyed playing "red light, green light" down the path together, too. I've been trying to take mental pictures from time to time of these moments, because I know they are fleeting. Seeing them run down the trail together smiling and laughing ahead of me is one of those pictures I'll hold onto :)
On Thursday afternoon we went to the zoo and then on Friday morning we met some friends at a petting zoo/farm and then just hung out around home in the afternoon.
Busy days, but all of it fun.
We're (okay, it's mostly me) trying to start a Sunday evening tradition of watching the Packers game together while we eat dinner. Since most of their games are at noon, we've taken to recording them and then watching them later. The first week things didn't work out quite so well, but this past week was great. After the initial excitement wore off for the girls, they just played around in the basement for the rest of the game. Anna can fairly accurately identify Aaron Rogers now and when Kate first saw the game, she looked at me and said "running!", one of her favorite things to do.
Here's the results of our attempts at pictures before church on Sunday (and yes, Kate wore a Packers outfit to church; that kind of thing is okay in Wisconsin). We especially like the "Anna tickling Kate" pose :)
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