Little Lady

In the past month, Abby's girlie-girl side has really come out. She has turned in to quite the little lady in the things she seems to be enjoying and exploring. I'm not sure where all this came from, as I'm not exactly the girlie-girl kind of mom, but I'm pretty in love with how very cute it all is!

This girl loves to carry a purse! Anything with a handle turns into a purse for Abby. Most of the time, she throws the purse over her shoulder, just like she sees me do everyday.
I know I just said I'm not the girlie-girl kind of mom. This is the first pair of tights Abby has ever worn and the whole giddup was a gift. But, it was ADORABLE and turned many heads! Abby felt pretty neutral on the tights. She seemed extremely relieved to take them off that evening. Who can blame her?

Abby cannot get enough of shoes! When things seem to get eerily quiet in the play room, most of the time it is because Abby is around the corner trying on everyone's shoes.

Pushing babies in her stroller is a huge hit! She loves it even more when one of us pushes the other stroller and around the house we go. She also likes to show us how she hugs and burps her babies.

Abby loves putting hats on her head and, on this particular day, was also insistent on wearing one of Ben's vests.

And, nothing like a little multi-tasking to prove that you truly are a little lady. I caught Abby toddling around the kitchen drinking milk and jabbering on her play cell phone. Now that she can say the word "Hi!" we hear it a lot. I also think I've picked up on some "Uh-huhs" while she chats away.

We have also noticed in the last month that the way Abby communicates with us has become clearer. She seems to have her own jabbering language a lot of the time and can become frustrated when somehow, we can't interpret what she means. However, she is very clear in her pointing, nodding her head "yes" and saying "Okay", and nodding her head "no" when something is unfavorable. Her other words include dada, ba (for ball), okay, uh-oh, mama, hi, and more. She likes to think she is very independent, with doing such things as combing her hair (which really isn't necessary for reasons that don't need to be explained), putting her own sippy cup back in the fridge, putting her clothes in the hamper, and throwing away her cups after brushing her teeth.

Obviously, this whole post has been about Abby. However, our Ben is still as sweet as can be. He is very excited about Valentine's Day. He and I did his Valentine's for preschool yesterday and he stuck with it long enough to write his name on seven of the cards, but then got sidetracked with the Lightening McQueen tattoos included with the Valentine's set.

As most of you know, Ben tends to be a picky eater, but he must be going through a growth spurt. Either that or he is turning over a new leaf in the world of eating. I'm hoping for the latter. Ben has eaten entire meals over the past week! This is rare in our house. I'm practically beside myself! In fact, one night this week in which I made meatloaf, Ben had eaten everything on his plate, but had not touched his meatloaf. He said to me, "How many bites until I can have dessert?" I replied, "I don't know, you'll have to eat a lot." He has become a master negotiator and said, "I'll eat five bites and then I can have dessert." I said, "No, six bites." Holding firm, Ben said, "Five bites!" I replied, "How about this, if you eat five bites, you can have one cookie. If you eat six bites, you can have two cookies." Ben's face lit up, and not to allow me to have the last word in this negotiation, stated enthusiastically, "And if I have TEN bites I can have three cookies!" Deal, with the result being the consumption of yet another entire meal! This might not be creating a healthy relationship with food, but at least it is creating a relationship with food - and meatloaf at that! Score one for Mom... and Ben!

Christmas on the Beach

Sunset walks on the beach...
Strutting her cute self on the beach...

Going on a stroll with Daddy...

Enjoying the biggest sand mound EVER...

A being "King of the Beach!"

Yep - it doesn't get much better than that! Over Christmas, we enjoyed a wonderful vacation to Bonita Springs, Florida with the Ausenhus family. The weather couldn't have been more perfect, with daily temperatures in the 80s and the skies clear and sunny. Although it was far from our traditional Christmas, it was an awesome getaway and we all had a great time!

Ben and Abby both loved playing on the beach. On our first time going out on the beach, Abby was very unsure about the sand on her toes and the water. She sat with Papa for awhile and just watched Ben, and suddenly it was like she thought to herself, "I can do this too!" She got up, bee-lined it for the water, and was fearless from there on out. She would squeal with excitement every time the water would touch her legs!

Ben enjoyed being "buried" in the sand, making and knocking over sand castles, running into the water, and playing on the massive pile of sand you can see in the pictures above. On a few evenings, we'd go out on a walk at sunset. We quickly found that we couldn't walk far because Ben would spend most of the time sifting through the shells to find what he considered to be the most interesting ones. He was also glad that Santa was able to find us in Florida and still fill his stocking.

While on vacation, I decided that if I could get out and jog on the beach every morning, my life satisfaction rating would sky-rocket! There is nothing better than an empty beach, cool air, low tide, the sunrise, and a good run. Oh well... my life satisfaction rating is pretty darn high the way it is!

Overall, many fond memories were made and Ben is bound and determined that we need to go back to Florida very soon. I think we all agree!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, friends and family! During this time of year, I always find myself reflecting on Christmases from the past, and the events of the last year. Today was no exception. As I reread my Christmas post from last year, out of curiousity and the fogginess of my memory, I remembered how much has happened and how much the kids have changed in the last twelve months. I've recently been reminded by someone that, "The days are long, but the years are short." If I have any resolution in 2012, I think it will be to remember that and to better appreciate every moment.

In thinking about last Christmas, Abby was only two months old, and in fact, a year ago this weekend, was hospitalized with a high fever. Of course, I remember it vividly. I also remember that last Christmas, Abby was not the happiest baby. I think I (or whomever had a turn with her) spent most of last Christmas in a separate room with her, trying to comfort a crying, colicky baby. Oh, what a difference a year makes! Abby's first few months of life are a stark contrast to the spunky, smiley, playful, cuddly, and happy fourteen month old we all know now! In the past year, we've watched her roll over, crawl, sit up, and walk. Currently, she is talking in her own language, and knows exactly what she is telling us, but we have yet to figure it out. We've found that Abby is a girl who knows what she wants, and will go after it, whether it is a snack she just pulls out herself, or incessent pointing for something she sees, or simply some cuddles. Since starting to walk just before she turned one, she is after Ben all the time. She loves her big brother, while also finding him hysterical most of the time. A few other things she enjoys at the moment are taking her shoes and socks off during every car ride, being chased (this results in the cutest squealing!), and tickling us (she does this with a funny sound with her tongue, which we can only assume is her version of saying, "Tickle, tickle!").

Ben has grown up so much in the past year! Over the summer, he started to get interested in baseball and wanted to play all the time. Brant and I both spent a lot of time pitching him the ball and chasing after it while he hit "home runs". He also loved the water over the summer. On a trip to Oma's and Opa's over July 4th, Ben shocked us by strapping on a life jacket and leaping off the dock over and over into the lake with the big boys. That was not our typical reserved and cautious Ben. He did the same on our summer vacation to The Lake of the Ozarks, and also loved the pool we set up in our yard. Ben started preschool in August and seems to enjoy it. He also started going to Sunday School at church this fall. We are excited for him as he shares the things that he has been learning in both places (on the occasions he decides to share!). Currently, some of Ben's favorite things are dinosaurs, movie nights with mom and dad, art projects and science experiments, and helping Daddy with any sort of project. Some of my favorite things about Ben at the moment are that he is writing his name and Abby's name, doing more drawing, and "reading" to himself during his rest/nap time. I can't get enough of listening to him retell the stories we read together - and most of the time, with gusto!!

Brant is still working for Bader Rutter and Associates, which is in Milwaukee. I am still an Instructional Coach for Ankeny Schools, and am serving two elementary buildings this year. I think we would both strongly agree that we continue to enjoy the work we do and people with whom we work. However, nothing compares to the days at home that we spend as a family of four!

I know I say it every year, but the Christmas season also causes me to reflect more frequently on those who are not with us during the holidays. We miss my mom and dad every day and I think so often of the joy they would have radiated with their two grandchildren. It still doesn't seem fair that Ben and Abby will never truly know what wonderful people that they were. However, I also know that Mom and Dad would never want us to forget the true reason of this season - and that they are at peace together, enjoying this Christmas with more love and joy than any of us can imagine.

In conclusion, here is a wrap up of the past year...

This budding sibling relationship has been a joy to watch! Abby thinks the world of Ben and Ben is very conscious of including her and making sure she is okay. Let's hope that continues!

Abby couldn't get enough of the swing on summer days!

Ben LOVED the water this summer!

Ben started 3 year old preschool this year!

Trick-or-treating with our pumpkin and our triceratops

Helping Daddy with the "kid's" Christmas tree (or with his hair?).

We wish you all the joy of the season and the best of 2012!

Victory!

It may be possible that Ben had not eaten a green vegetable for two years. I know, what kind of parents are we anyway? As many of you can relate, when you have a child who is a finicky eater who barely eats at all, with food allergies to boot, you carefully pick your battles, right?! My theory: always offer and put it on the plate, but don't create a struggle over it.

Well, on Saturday, we experienced our first green veggie victory! You cannot imagine the excitement that resulted from this mama! Ben loves chips, so I made kale chips. I can't say I had ever eaten kale myself, but supposedly it is a super food, so I thought we'd give it a try. Here is how you make it:

1 bunch of kale
1 tbsp of olive oil
seasoning salt

Cut the kale away from the thick stems. Wash well and rip into bite size pieces. Some of my pieces were too big and didn't get crispy, so next time I will make sure I really make them bite size. Drizzle the kale with olive oil and salt to taste. Toss together. Spread on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 until edges are brown, but not burned, probably about 10 minutes.

I watched in stunned amazement as Ben devoured them, had seconds, and then had thirds. Unbelievable! Kale chips are going on the current short list of "likes" for Ben!

Halloween Weekend

Halloween at our house was quite festive! We had a lot of fun doing activities beyond Trick or Treating, although that was a lot of fun, too. Ben gets such a kick out of us having "parties", so of course, we had a Halloween party at home filled with all kinds of fun and treats.

Our Halloween festivities started with some slime! This water and cornstarch mixture is a throwback to the solid, liquid, and gases science units in elementary school. Ben played in the "slime" for 45 minutes and told me, "I could play with this forever!" I think we'll have to do that again sometime!

Ben and I enjoyed making these black cat brownies (box brownies, York peppermint patties, candy eyes, chocolate chip ears, white decorative frosting). We also had pumpkin floats (orange sherbet and 7Up). Besides the candy from Trick or Treating, why not add litte more sugar to it?!

Nothing says Halloween like eating dinner by candlelight with black candles covered in wax rats.

No Halloween party would be complete without a little pumpkin carving.

Getting ready for Trick or Treat! It was a beautiful night and Ben had such a blast filling his pumpkin with candy! Seeing how thrilled he was made it lots of fun for Brant and I, too. Abby, our adorable pumpkin, rode along delightfully!