2010…What a Year!

2010 was one for the books…the addition of our sweet baby girl, the “growin’ up” of our little boy, and some great “mommy/daddy time” for Scott and I!

Here is a little recap that just makes me smile from ear to ear!!!

January

Scott traveled to India for 2 weeks and we grew to love Skype

I was getting bigger and bigger…(and this must have been when scott was gone = EXHAUSTED Momma!)….I actually miss this – is that Crazy?  :-)

Jack had great times in the snow at Gma and Pops!

February

our last family pics as a trifecta

we have a big 2 year old!

 March

  got ready for BW2’s arrival

and celebrated Easter (the weekend before “she” was supposed to come!)

April 

I was ready to pop!  (the day before i went into labor – 10 days late) 

SHE’s HERE!  Emma Grace – April 14, 2010

i will never forget the feeling of seeing your new baby for the first time – it is the most unbelievable experience; I feel so fortunate to be able to do this.  we were so excited for a GIRL!  and shocked!

my proudest moment

May

 May was spent learning how to be a family of 4 (so fun!)

  some growing for Miss E.

and a long week home to Indiana to visit the Grandparent and debut Emma to friends

 

June

Mommy’s Last Month home on maternity leave…

 Aunt Kensi came to visit and Emma’s first American Girl tea!

beachtime fun

and brother/sister love!

July

4th of July in Libertyville

Daddy and Jack left the girls at home to go to Pop’s Lake in PN!

  and we girls had fun with friends!

August

Another fun trip to Indiana

And the kids first photo shoot together!  great shots!

September

Labor Day spent in Columbus w/ the Walti family

and Emma and I delved into solid food!

 

Jack is potty-trained!!!!!

October

6 months old?  WHAT?!

Family Fall Shoot 

  Our always AWESOME trip to my Dad’s in Florida

Halloween w/ Friends!

November

Big Boy Bed! (and we got our room back with Emma in her own crib!)

Scott and I got to go to a Colts Game

And I had a girls-weekend away with my besties!

Family Thanksgiving w/ The Walti’s

December

Scott and I got away for a holiday weekend in NYC!

  Jack’s first foray into athletics

…and we rounded out this wonderful year with some family holiday celebrations…

 

and not only is Squishy-Face crawling, but she is STANDING and cruising!

What a WONDERFUL year of blessings, growth, fun, and happiness for my family – I am so grateful and overcome with joy!!!  I LOVE my LIFE and everyone in it!

(insert cheesy, sappy music here…) 

quirks

 

i just want to record these funny little “quirks” that i have noticed about jack…the kid seriously cracks me up.

• Every night before bed, he likes me/us to hold our hand to his chest and he says “Cocular.. means I love you and To Eat”  No clue, just a silly made up word, i guess.  His new thing is that we lay our head on his tummy and scratch his back as he falls asleep.
• He is scared of lions (my brother once told him that there was a lion in the hallway and how he always asks if the lion is out), scuba divers (he got very upset and scarred when the scuba diver from Nemo took him from his daddy).
• He hates “managers.”  This started as he was watching the PBS cartoon “Martha Speaks” – there was an episode with a “mean” janitor that wouldn’t let Martha in the school – well he thought I said “manager” when i was explaining who the person was, so now when we go somewhere (grocery store, restaurant, you name it), Jack asks where the manager is and starts to hid.  SO FUNNY.
• He eats like Bob from the movie “What About Bob” – loves to describe dinner as “Scrumptious,” “Delicious,” “This is so good, Mommy, I Love It.”  I have to admit that it is really nice to get my cooking complimented most nights!  The kid LOVES to eat. (which he got from me, so lets hope he gets Scotts metabolism)
• His latest thing is rhyming and repeating what people say, but changing the first letter of every word to the letter B – for example, I say “Hi Jack, How are You?”  and he repeats “Bi, Back, Bow Bar Bou?” 
• He calls is Emma “Sister Mister” and gets very upset if she gets hurt – like it totally grosses him out or something.  she busted her lip last week and i thought the kid was going to puke or pass out from seeing her blood.
• When he is scared of something, or nervous (like during the “scary parts” of The Wizard of Oz play, cups his hands and holds them up to the sides of his eyes to “shield” them. 
• His current lovies are his big brown blanket “Big Blankin”, a little blue blanket "”Blue”, and his Pillow Pet named “Squeeze” (like the pliers from Handy Manny.  He usually has to have them all with him, and he likes to have Blue on the right side of his face, Brown either under his head or on the left side (and he will tell you if it is not the correct side), and takes the corner and puts it in his ear. (that is how you know he is tired).  He also ALWAYS says “Where are my blankets” when he gets in trouble (time-out) or is upset.
• Jack only likes to eat his waffles cold – like straight out of the freezer.  No toasting.
• Likes to dip everything in sour cream and hates tomatoes, but LOVES tomato soup.
• My mom got him a subscription to HighFive magazine and he likes to have that read to him every time he goes #2 – going to the bathroom with him is a 15 minute ordeal, but I guess it is better than diapers!
• His memory is scary.  We can read him a book one time, and he will have it memorized. 
• He knows who sings what songs to him and requests certain songs from certain people – Daddy gets “Baby Blue,”  Mommy does “Jingle Bells,” Katie does “Baby Beluga,” and Grandma does “Pony Boy”
• He told me last weekend to please not call him “Bubba,” but call him Jacky Boy or Punky.
• We think Jack is confused on his birthplace – he seems to have 3-4 various accents.  Sometimes he reverts into an Indiana twang “Yeaah”, sometimes a Chicago or Wisconsin nasal speak, and sometimes he turns ghetto all-together.

HILARIOUS, I tell ya!

In other BIG NEWS – Sassafras Emma Grace has SLEPT THROUGH THE NIGHT FROM 7PM – 7AM FOR THE PAST THREE NIGHTS!!!!!!

Amazing!  Sunday night was terrible – we let her cry it out for 2 hours (seriously screaming) at 1am and did not go in until she passed out, but ever since it has been AMAZING!  She will occasionally cry out for a few seconds, and fall back asleep!  And she is also napping longer/better, and goes to bed awake and just puts herself to sleep. 

So…any parent that is wondering if the Ferber method works – IT TOTALLY DOES! 

I seriously don’t know what to do with myself now that we have gotten a full nights sleep for the past 3 nights!  Hurrah!!!

“c’mon cousins”…Christmas Part IV

jack and emma ADORE their cousins.  it is amazing how well they all get along considering that they are all so close in age and all very articulate, high-energy kids that see each other pretty often.  they just love playing together…while they do have their “moments” (show me a 2 year old that LIKES to share his new christmas toys), we are so impressed with how well they solve problems on their own and love each other. 

we had a great time in libertyvile celebrating.  lots of playing, sledding (gma/pop got a foot of snow on xmas day!), eating, laughing, and just good ‘ol fashioned fun.  on tuesday, gma/pop treated everyone to the children’s theatre production of The Wizard of Oz and brunch at Walkers Pancake House.  It was Fantastic!  My sister-in-law Heather and I even got out to have our annual xmas facial from my father-in-law (amazing!!!) and to shop the big sale at our fave store, Anthropologie and then to make our custom purses at 1154 Lill…so fun!

look at that fun snow! 

Colts helmet/jersey from Lily & Sam

jack liked to show sammy a little “too much” love

Lily & Jack – they are true soulmates and WONDERFUL play partners

the drumsticks were a big hit! And all the kids got new PJs and undies from Santa, so they were showing them off all week!

next year you can sled, emma!

Jack & Sammy 

we all know how jack loves his power tools – doesn’t everyone leaf-blow off their snowy driveway?

Christmas Dinner – Gma’s sous-chefs! 

lucky boy!

3 Generations – Granny Gleichert, Scott & Emma

baseball glove and pitching machine from drew, ryan and uncle todd!

scott and his brother todd and bro-in-law tarrey – he felt left out not receiving a nano-puff!

 

Pop passed out with Lily & Jack after his nightly ritual of “tucking in the sleepover partners”

adorable.

SOOO fun that we can get matching dresses for Emma and Lily!             Lily LOVES this! 

The whole crew - Emma

yes, that is my child having a fit on the floor.  stellar performance.

It seriously makes my heart want to burst when I think of all the fun stories  and memories that they will have to tell at each other’s weddings someday…Jack has told me how “sad” and “lonely” he has been the last few days without them!

A BIG THANK YOU to Pop and Grandma Walti for a wonderful week and for just being amazing to our kids!  And Happy Anniversary – they celebrated 40 years of marriage!  :-)