It's a "Cousin" Thing

I don't know how they know, but it's like my girls realize that cousins are something really special. They get SO very excited to spend time with ALL of their cousins. Of course, it seems so expected with Macy and Colby because they are close in age, but they get so excited about spending time with their older cousins too. They always leave their time together talking a mile a minute about all the fun that they had. This time was no different. They had so much fun with Justin, Shelby and Lexi (Aunt Lori and Uncle Todd too). They were lucky enough to show them around Scovill Zoo, and got in plenty of play time in our own backyard.

Lexi was amazing. I wish she lived closer and could babysit for us...the girls would love that and so would I. She helped with the girls baths, read them stories each night before bed and pushed them on the swings countless times. When our family packed up and hit the road on Monday morning there were a few tears. Thankfully, we had the first day of school as a distraction, but there has been lots of talk about our cousins since then. Both the girls want to know when we get to see them next, and when they will get to go swimming with them again (because they remember our Easter trip to the Dells). I love that the girls feel close to their cousins, despite the age difference, I hope their love continues to grow. 

Godparents

Hattie is blessed...of course, because she was just baptized, but also because she has such an amazing extended family. So many people love this little girl, as well as her sisters. Before I was even pregnant with Hattie, Mitch and I started talking about who would be the Godparents of our final addition to the family. And it took us no time at all to figure out. Uncle Matt and Aunt Cynthia were a simple choice. They live close by and spend the most time with our kids and LOVE our kids, just the same way that our kids LOVE them, and BOY do they love them. Their eyes light up and they get so excited to spend time with Uncle Matt and Aunt Cynthia. On the flip side...or Mitch's family, as we like to call them, we decided to ask our niece Shelby and nephew Justin. Aunt Lori and Uncle Todd are Leah's sponsors, while Uncle Brian and Aunt Lisa are Kiersten's sponsors. Justin and Shelby are both baptized and confirmed members of the Lutheran Church. They're old enough, and not to mention some of the coolest teens we know.

 

It was perfect. What really solidified my decision (and Mitch's too) was hearing Shelby's confirmation speech last year when she talked about how much she loves Jesus, and considers him to be her friend. Such a smart and well spoken girl...I was so proud of her. And she is so good with the girls. Well, I didn't get to hear Justin's confirmation speech...we were living out in Jersey at the time.  Justin is a boy of few words most of the time, but what he doesn't know is that whenever our families are together we have watched him. We noticed how attentive he was to our girls, what a great job he did playing with them and entertaining them...even when he didn't have to. Leah loves to play with Justin, even though he teases her. And as Kiersten has grown he has been just as attentive and playful with her. This is not something that every teenage boy is good at. Most would probably refuse to play with little cousins, but not Justin. And the fact that he does, makes me proud of the person he is turning out to be too! We love those kids, and not just because they are family. They are genuinely good kids. We know that all of Hattie's Godparents will pray for her, the same way that we will continue to pray for them. It was a special day, a good day... But it always is when we are all together.

Hattie's Baptism

This past weekend we celebrated Hattie's baptism...and what a celebration it was!!! Aunt Lori, Uncle Todd, Justin, Shelby, Shelby's friend Shonna and Lexi all arrived on Saturday around noon. We hadn't seen them since Easter so we were super excited. They couldn't wait to meet Hattie and I could tell she was excited to meet them too :)

Grandpa Dave, Grandma Tootie and Grandma Fran arrived around 3 PM. We were so happy that Grandma Fran could make the trip. this was her first time visiting us in Decatur and of course her first chance to meet Hattie as well. Gigi, Papa, Matt, Cynthia and Colby arrived around 4 PM and we started getting ready for the night.

We had a quick dinner: a sandwich tray, potato salad, a veggie tray, fruit salad and chips. After everyone was done with dinner, we got dressed and headed for St. Paul's Lutheran. Church started at 6 PM. We got seated and  shortly after it was time for Hattie's dedication. Pastor Rob Mrosko conducted the ceremony and he did a great job. Shelby was holding Hattie...she was nervous and wasn't sure she wanted to, but she did great. When Pastor had her hold her near the baptismal fountain, Hattie spit her pacifier out. Thankfully it didn't land in the water, and Pastor didn't skip a beat. He picked it up and put it right back in. 

By the time the church service was over, Hattie was getting fussy. She just wanted her gown off, and was feeling a little warm. So after we snapped a few pictures we loaded up and headed back home. I fed Hattie while Mitch got everything else ready. We served spinach artichoke dip, taco layer dip and had a key lime cheeseball. And of course we had cake. What's a party without cake?!?!? 

Hattie wore the same baptism gown that I wore when I was baptized 34 years ago, August 17th, 1978. My grandfather, Les Schaumburg bought it for me. Both my sister and brother wore it, as well as Leah and Kiersten. I hope someday their children will wear it too! Anyway, when all is said and done, it was a fantastic weekend with our family. We are so happy to introduce Hattie to our church family and pray that she will be blessed for all of her days. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4

First day of 4 Pre-K

Wow, we had a CRAZY busy weekend!!! We celebrated Hattie's baptism and had a house full of family...but this morning was ALL about Leah. She was so excited to start school, so after our company departed we were in school mode. She HAD to wear a dress, and only pink would do. She wanted her hair done, and mommy is less than stellar in the hair styling department so pigtail braids was the best I could do. We loaded up her back pack with the school supplies, she kissed her daddy good-bye and we were out the door. Poor Bug...she wants to go to school so badly. Daddy stayed home with her for the first morning and did puzzles and other fun things to take her mind off of Leah being gone. 

We got to school, snapped a few pictures and there was NO apprehension what so ever. Leah was super excited, and most of the kids from her class last year are in her class this year so she quickly picked up right where last year left off. Here's to hoping for a great year for my big girl!!!

My Little Bug

There really just aren't words to describe how much you are changing. Every one we meet assumes you are older than you really are because you speak so well and have such an expansive vocabulary. And boy are you FUNNY! I laugh out loud several times a day at the things you say. You like to say "No" and you like to tattle on your sister but lately you are pulling out the big guns and saying "Shame on you" and "that's not nice". Now I know where you got the latter of the two but haven't a clue where you heard the first one. You and Leah are best friends and you will tell everyone that she is your best friend, even though you two can fight like Cats and Dogs. I've been a little bit worried about how you were adjusting to the new baby...but you ADORE your little sister. Almost too much! You want to hug, kiss and snuggle her all the time. Sometimes it looks like you are laying on top of her in her bouncy chair and we have to remind you to be gentle, but you always are. You smother her with kisses morning, noon and night. You are also really good at playing with her toys. When I ask you if you are the baby? You simply answer with a shake of your head and say "I'm not the baby, I'm Kiersten." And whenever anyone comes near Hattie you are quick to inform them "This is Hattie, she's our baby!" And it's about the most precious thing I've seen, except of course for your smile.

You have been doing brain quest games and showing us how smart you are, already almost at the 3-4 year old level and just this past week you finally took an interest in writing. You are off to a good start, except that you insist that Kiersten starts with an "X", easy enough mistake...it kind of looks like a "K". You are so eager to start school, and keep saying that you get to go too. And I keep trying to break it to you that it's not time yet. But to make up for it I have you signed up for Kindermusik this fall and we have MOPS every other Friday, so hopefully that will be enough to keep you happy for a little while longer.

You are in a stage where you LOVE hanging out in your bedroom. You will go up on your own and shut the door behind you. I will come upstairs to check on you and you will be singing away to your hearts content. It cracks me up...you just make up the words to a tune of your own, it's so sweet. Sometimes when you are in the playroom or outside you start singing to your hearts content too. Right now you love to sing the song "Time for your check-up" from the show Doc McStuffins. You are still super attached to your "lambie" and your blanket. Just this morning daddy and I were laying in bed listening to you while you looked for blankie "Blankie, where are you? Where are you, blankie, I want you." And we both just smiled. You have such a kind heart and are definitely my snuggler. You climb into my bed every morning and we get our snuggling in before the day begins. And it always starts my day with a smile.

2 Months Old

My Sweet Hattie is 2 months old today...and changing so much! At her 2 month check-up she was 11 lbs, 11 oz (75th percentile) and measured 23.25 inches (90th percentile). She looks LONG! And she is still such a sweet and mellow little girl. On August 8th and 9th respectively Mitch and I both got to see her first smiles.  So Adorable! And then on the 17th we started hearing her first coo's and baby babbles. She is totally trying to find her voice. We've been putting her on her play mat more and more, and she is batting at the toys, and I would guess that we are super close to rolling over. She gets to her side and then rolls back to her back.

As far as feeding goes, I couldn't be happier with my little champion breast feeder. She is on a pretty solid 3 hour schedule. And her sleep schedule is going very well. She's down for the night between 10-10:30 and then sleeps until 4-4:30 and back down until 7. For now she is still in the co-sleeper in our room. No immediate plans to move her to her nursery. It's so convenient just rolling over and scooping her up to feed her in the middle of the night. Just like big sister Kiersten, she is SO close to finding her hands. We are pretty sure she is going to be a finger sucker...or a thumb sucker too! My baby is growing and changing so quickly, soon I will be saying "Let me hold you longer."  I love this stage!

Puddle Jumpin'

It's not news to anyone around here that Decatur has been suffering from a massive drought...with serious water restrictions. Well, this week the rain finally came. We has a good storm on Monday afternoon/evening followed by rain off and on all day Thursday. The tornado sirens even went off in Charleston. The sky was dark here several times throughout the day, and I LOVE a good thunderstorm. The girls, on the other hand weren't too sure about it. In fact, Kiersten would run crying and cling to me after each crack of thunder. Well, by afternoon I was tiring of the tears so I made a little suggestion. Leah was adamant, that she was absolutely NOT going out to play in the rain. It was dark and scary and she would blow away. But Bug was super excited about the idea of a raincoat and her rain boots. So we geared up, and Leah changed her tune pretty quickly. 

I grabbed my camera and we headed out the front door for a little fun in the rain. Can you see all the brown leaves on the ground? A sure sign that the trees are in distress. But I digress. We got outside and there was thunder and lightning. I laughed and so did they. Kiersten got super excited about the "lighten-sky" and I told her to jump in the puddles, so she marched around yelling "jump, jump, jump." Leah, a little older and wiser realized pretty quickly that there were no puddles to be found. But she entertained herself none the less. They loved playing in the rain so much that they made Daddy take them out for round 2 once he got home from work. It was fun...and now we can't wait to do it again. Who doesn't love rain boots?!?!?

Tea Party!

My girlfriend Laura, over in Monticello, hosted a tea party in honor of sweet Hattie and we had SO MUCH FUN! We started with playing outside. Leah and Kiersten had fun seeing the barn cats and Dustin and Scarlett took them on a tour around the pond. Of course, there was lots of playing on the swing set...and we HAD to check out Dustin and Scarlett's toys inside. Little Hattie was such a good guest of honor. She slept for most of the party, let Sidney hold her, and then ate her lunch like a good girl!

Laura had perfect tea party treats...little tea sandwiches, fruit kabobs and teeny-tiny cookies. The kids loved it, and she even used beautiful china for the grown-ups. Sidney cracks me up. She asked me not to take any pictures of Charlee since she forgot to put her in a dress, but I figured since Leah was wearing her Woody the Cowboy costume no one would know that Charlee wasn't dressed for the occasion...except of course I just told you :)

It was a great playdate and I can't believe that summer is over. Laura and Ellen go back to work teaching at Monticello High School on Monday so our weekday play dates have come to an end, SIGH...at least we have the weekends!

Leah-rella

You know the saying...A picture is worth a thousand words? Well this one speaks volumes!!! My Leah is no longer a baby, no longer a toddler. She is growing up right before my eyes. I took this picture last week. We were at Gigi and Papa's house and she was in full princess mode...giving her sister orders and running the roost. You have attitude, sometimes it's good and sometimes not so much. But you certainly know how to stand up for yourself. You are independent and strong willed...both characteristics that will get you far later in life. You also have a tendency to be a little bit dramatic. You are my little drama queen, sometimes you can turn on the water works over the littlest things. Gigi took you swimming a few days ago, and you got to be good friends with the lifeguard. She helped you kick and swim in the pool and even got you to jump off the diving board all alone. When it came time to leave, you cried and said "But I don't know if I will ever see you again?" I don't know where you come up with this stuff, but it makes me laugh.

In about 10 days you start 4's preschool, at St. Paul's. And while I am ready for you to go back to school, I'm sad that we are that much closer to Kindergarten. You were a baby in my arms and then I blinked. And you are so smart!!! You can write your name, and a lot of other small words. You know your address and phone number and more. We've been working with you some on writing, and other skills. We have some "Brain Quest" games and you are already mastering the 5-6 year old level. You are amazing and smart and we just love you so much. You are definitely our little princess and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Goodbye, London!

The 2012 Summer Olympics are over. What a fun ride! Mitch and I were glued to the prime time coverage...and I did my fair share of watching during the day. I mean, come on...I'm stuck on the couch breastfeeding for hours a day. Plus, I LOVE the Olympics. I have to say one of the things I've enjoyed the most was watching it with the girls. Leah and Kiersten kind of got excited about the swimming, the diving and of course the gymnastics. After week one, Kiersten would come into the living room and ask "Is this the Olympics?" and then she would cheer "Go 'Merica!" the cutest thing was one day she came in and yelled "GO 'Merica!" and then said "Mommy, what's America?" She cracks me up. Leah of course would ask if she could "participate" in whatever event we were watching "Can I do Gymnastics when I get bigger? Can I learn to jump in the pool like that?" and more. Ha, I wouldn't count on us being able to shell out the money that those parents must spend to get their kids to that point.

I'm sad to see the Olympics end. Four years is such a long time to wait for my favorite events. But I thought I would give a run-down of some of our favorites so the girls can look back on their first Olympics some day and see how hugely successful it was for Team USA.

Highlights for us of course were Michael Phelps...we were amazed 4 years ago, watching him win 8 gold medals in 8 events when Leah was just a baby. Four years later, with Hattie in our arms we were so excited to see him become the most decorated Olympian ever with 22 medals. Just Amazing! He will be missed in Rio in 2016 and Missy Franklin the 17 year old from Colorado was awesome with 4 gold and 1 bronze at her first Olympics. I think I watched every single one of Misty May-Traenor and Kerry Walsh Jennings in their Beach Volleyball matches. Three time Gold medal winners...and their emotion on the court and podium brought tears to my eyes. The Fab Five: Women's Gymnastics team were crazy fun to watch. What a high when they won the Gold, and Gabby Douglas the all around Gold and Ali Raisman medals in individual events was super exciting to watch. Women's soccer and their overtime win and then on to the Gold...Men's basketball taking the Gold from Spain two times in a row. Boudain and his 10M platform diving gold was great. I don't know how they can jump from that height. No thanks! There were lots of highlights and I haven't even gotten to track and field. Wow..I love the Olympics. I don't know how the winners can keep their composure during the National Anthem. I cry here at home, I couldn't imagine being the one with the medal around my neck. Cheers to all America's Athletes that brought home the Gold, or the Silver and Bronze for that matter. Good Olympics, thanks for the memories London!

Summer Series Finale

Yesterday we went to the Children's Summer Series finale at the Little Theatre on the Square in Sullivan. The August production was the Princess and the Frog. I think the kids were expecting it to be the same as the Disney version and of course it wasn't so there was some confusion and I think it was difficult for Colby and Kiersten to follow, but for the most part...they LOVED it. Kiersten was cracking me up, dancing along and swaying to the songs. 

Colby didn't want to sit still, Kiersten wanted snacks repeatedly and we got a few looks from the lady in front of us, but overall it was nice to be out of the house. Hattie was a trooper...she was awake the first 30 minutes of the show and then slept the last 30 minutes of the show and until we got home. After the show Leah insisted on getting a picture with the princess. But of course the princess wasn't outside which resulted in a major meltdown and some tears until she finally settled for getting a picture with Gracey, the princess' maid servant. 

Normally we go to the park after the show for lunch and some playtime, but Gigi had to get back to Charleston for a meeting at Sarah Busch Hospital so I promised the girls if they were good we would have Dairy Queen for lunch. They delivered and so I did too. Hattie had lunch and I put her on her playmat for some awake time...well obviously she was beat from all the excitement. She used it for a nap instead. It was a good day, thankful that we are having so many of them!

"C" is for Carrot

This drought is the WORST! Of course, I shouldn't really complain...it's the farmers who are taking the brunt  of it. The corn looks horrible, and in many areas they have already started to harvest. And it's much earlier than normal. We are still having a fruitful garden. Mitch has worked so hard on the garden this year. And Leah and Kiersten love being his helpers. They spend time out there everyday. They pick beans with him and hold the bags/buckets that get filled with fresh produce and then run to show me what they have.

So far this summer we have gotten more beans than we can count...enough to last us through the winter. Tons of tomatoes that are being put to good use and canned for pizza sauce and marinara. I've got about 10 jars of pickles in the basement from all the cucumbers and we can't forget all the peppers, spinach, zucchini and more that we've gotten. Right now I'm anxiously awaiting the acorn squash and the butternut squash. Mitch makes the most amazing butternut squash soup!

Well, starting on Thursday the water restrictions are stepping up a notch to complete water restriction. No watering landscaping, washing the car, filling the pool, etc. You can water gardens that grow food for "human Consumption" but you can only do so using a 5 gallon bucket...no sprinkler, and still only on Tues, Thurs and Sat. I'm bummed! It's sad to see something that Mitch worked so hard on get left in the dust, literally...dust is all we will have soon. The lake level is so LOW. I'm going to go get a picture. They say the last time water restrictions were this severe were in the 30's and 50's...We need rain. This weekend the girls enjoyed carrots straight out of the ground. These pictures crack me up, especially the Sunday morning bed head. Now if you'll excuse me I'm off to do a rain dance. Wish me luck!

What a Week!

Busy, busy, busy! That's the only word that comes to mind for the past week. On Monday I had a hair appointment...I desperately needed a cut and a color so Mitch came home from work early, so I could make it to my appointment that I scheduled in May, YAY! I was out of the house for over 2 hours and had adult conversation and it felt good.

On Wednesday I had my 6 week check up with Dr. Morisetty. We love him, such a great doctor. Of course he was excited to see Hattie. He never got to hold her in the hospital...with her health concerns, and then the next day when he was doing rounds she was eating. He was excited to talk about how well the foley bulb worked out and said he was going to talk to others at the hospital about keeping them on hand. When I was induced they didn't have any, and he brought a "sample" that he had in his office to get the job done. I love being a VBAC success story, and if more doctors would give the foley bulb method a chance maybe more women could have a positive birth experience. 

On Thursday my friend Sidney watched Leah and Kiersten, while I took Hattie up to Clifton, IL to see Grandma Schaumburg in the nursing home. It's such a long drive, but worth it to make my grandma smile and  to get a picture of Hattie with her very German Great-Grandmother. I got to tell my grandma about how we wanted a German name and what "Hattie" means. I dropped big sisters off in Monticello around 10:15...and they were so excited to see Charlee and Van that they didn't even say good-bye to me. By the time I got back to Monticello around 4:30, Sidney had taken the kids to the park, to the farmer's market and made us chicken fajita's for dinner...what a great friend!!!

On Friday Ellen came over and took Leah and Kiersten to the park. We are so happy to have Ellen here in Decatur. She has been such a great help the past two months...not to mention we just love her! Tomorrow we might try to hit up Decatur Celebration. It's just so HOT! Temps in the high 90's and even triple digits for most of the summer, and no rain. The water restriction took effect a week ago and if we don't get rain soon we will go on complete restriction. We are hoping that doesn't happen because we would lose our garden, but right now it doesn't look good.

Anyway, the last picture is of Hattie sleeping in our bed. No, we don't co-sleep but she does sleep in our bed on ocassion. Three out of the last 6 nights Hattie has slept ALL night, or at least until 5:15-5:20...I call that all night. And when she won't fall back asleep after eating, or when Mitch is already up and out of bed for work I let her sleep with me...don't judge, it works. Also this week Kiersten has really gotten into holding her baby sister. She asks every day to hold Hattie, and she's so cute I can't say no. Love my Girls!!!