More Snapper Shots

Ella was really fascinated with the red snapper. She wanted to watch, but was a little cautious about being too close to the fish. Moving the cutting board to the floor allowed her to feel helpful, but also gave her the comfort of knowing she could pop-up and run to safety at any moment.

The Cold Isn't All Bad

To our friends who live further south (say, Texas, for example) ... who enjoy bragging about their balmy winter temps this time of year ... I have a question for you:

Let's say you found a great deal on a red snapper (the fish, not the mower). And let's say that you didn't have room in your refrigerator to store it. And even if you did, let's say you didn't want to make the whole fridge smell fishy. What would you do?

If you're a Northerner, you simply toss it out on the deck, as is, ready to be retrieved at a time of your choosing.

Hiking in February

We all came down with a pretty nasty case of cabin fever last Sunday. So we headed to Big Creek State Park to hike it out.

Hiking in February (2010) from TMS on Vimeo.

Last year, we did the same thing, but were considerably warmer.

Hiking in February from TMS on Vimeo.

Playing Together

Good Friends & Fun

Rocking Chair

The Kids

Ella @ 27 Months

Ella has such a personality and is still quite the talker. She loves to sing songs, read to her brother, daddy, and stuffed animals. She also loves to be read to. She is always using her imagination and pretend play (especially with her stuffed animals and baby dolls). She has been wearing underwear for about two weeks now. She stays dry sometimes at night (she is still wearing a diaper at night) and is always dry during nap time. She continues to be a good sleeper (12 hrs. at night) and one afternoon nap (3 hrs. long). She loves when we tell her stories and does a great job of retelling books that I read to her. She still loves Elmo and Barney. She can count to 15, knows all her letter sounds A-Z, can recognize some of her colors and letters (especially the letters E, F, A, B, W). We are still working on shapes and sharing with her brother :). She frequently tells Todd, Jackson, and I that she loves us.

I am so blessed to be able to stay at home with my kids this year. I love to be able to see them learn new things and be the person who is teaching them those new things. It is definitely not easy, but very rewarding and I wouldn't trade it for anything!

Jackson @ 10 Months

So my easy baby boy who sleeps and eats perfectly during the day right on schedule is long gone I am afraid. At 9.5 months he learned how to sit up from laying down, crawl, pull up on things to a stand (he can't figure out how to get back down), and walks around furniture. He decided since he can do these things, nap time is really play time and he will only take one nap a day. After two weeks of this, I am assuming he has weaned himself to only one nap. Some kids still take three naps a day at this point, but at least I will have a ton of fun this spring/summer with him and Ella being on the same schedule. I will have all morning to go on walks, to parks, the pool, library class etc. He also decided anything fed to him with a spoon is so 2009. He will only eat big people food and only if he can feed it to himself.

He is also:

• taking 2 bottles and two sippy cups of formula a day
• signing "all done"
• loving his sister & dad, especially when he can wrestle and hug them
• in 12-18 month clothing and size 4 diapers
• clapping, waving, pointing, shaking his head no, and giving high fives
• a basketball shooting fool like his daddy (watch the video to see)
• a moma's boy
• still sleeping 12 hours a night
• saying: moma, dada, Ella, uh-oh (when he drops things), eat, up, nigh-nigh
• 21 lbs and has one tooth

What's Happening Jack?

Valentines Dinner

We enjoyed a nice Valentines dinner at my parents' house. The cousins always have so much fun together.

Fun Day

Kristin & Cole came to visit.

Ella & Jack had fun with bubbles.

Standing Up

This is how I found Jack this afternoon.

This is how I found Jack during his morning nap. I was impressed to see him stand up for the first time in his crib with his sleep sack on.

Stickers

I guess with having an older sister, Jackson will have many more situations like this in his future....

Congratulations Sages

Aaron and Michelle Sage welcomed their second son, Roman Boe Sage into the world on Tuesday, February 9th. Check their blog for more photos.

Sunglasses in the Morning

Ella likes to look out the window in the morning. But since it's so bright, she puts her sunglasses (and her funny face) on first.

Big Sister

Grandpa & Grandma Schulz Visit

We enjoyed an unexpected visit from grandma and grandpa Schulz today. Ella was SO excited to see them. They surprised her by being there when she woke up. Jackson hasn't eaten any baby food in the last week (ever since I introduced people food to him). Today he ate like a champ at Palmer's Deli. He loves turkey, chicken, applesauce, and bread.

Big Boy

Ella and Jack sat on the coach together, watched Barney, and ate a snack today. They are such good friends. It is fun to see them interact. Their favorite thing to do together is to wrestle around.He loves his cheerioes!Jack started to crawl on Thursday. He sat up for the first time on his own from laying down on Friday. Today he actually walked half way around our coffee table. It is hard to believe he will be a year old in just 2 months!

Date Night

Friday night we enjoyed a triple date with our good friends the Ryans and Tjernagels. We ate at Ranallo's in Ankeny.

Cousins