Jack hit the high note

If you're going to watch this video, just know that it's a bit long and the punch line doesn't come until the end.  

Jack was talking on the phone with my dad and was going on and on, so I decided to pull out my camera to record their chat.  I've never heard him try to really sing before, so I'm so glad I caught it on tape.  He hits his high note around 1:18.  Enjoy

Time to potty train

This is happening, folks. If Jack can intentionally pee on the bathroom floor every time he gets out if the tub (and then giggle in a proud, "look what I just did" kind of way) then he can do it in the toilet, right?

Here goes nothing!

Audrey is 8 months!

Today marks eight months for Audrey.  She's still a little peanut!  We don't go back to the doctor until next month, and I'm excited to see if she's grown much since she's been consistently eating solid food.

She loves to eat and really enjoys feeding herself.  We had stuffed shells last night and she had her own helping plus all of Jack's leftovers.  She even ate the sausage and spinach inside.  It's fun to watch her eat and it will be nice when she can always eat with the rest of us.

If you come over to our house, watch out!  You will step on a Cheerio while you're here.  I don't know how they get from her high chair to the rest of the house, but they are everywhere!

Audrey is going through a bit of separation anxiety.  And when I say a bit I mean a she cries almost every time I walk away from her.  I'm hoping that this is a quick phase, because I'd love to drop her off in the nursery or leave her with our family without leaving behind a screaming baby!

Every week I take the kids to a music class that is taught by a childhood neighbor of Jacob.  Audrey really enjoys the class, and she is beginning to anticipate the rhythm of some of the songs and the order of the class.  Last week the whole family got out our musical instruments and played along while Jacob practiced for worship.  Here's Audrey in her overalls watching her daddy play.

8 months in the big red chair

Treats from Grandpa

The kids spent the night at my parent's house on Saturday night while we were at a party for Mom and Carl.  My dad works early hours, so he's typically not home when the kids wake up.  Since they can't have breakfast together, he always leaves a fun treat and a sweet note for Jack that is taped up on a low cabinet right where he can find it.

Unfortunately this weekend we left it behind, so my mom dropped it off this morning.  Jack has been carrying around this baggie all morning.  We finally decided to sit down and enjoy it as breakfast.

What's better than an early morning treat from grandpa? Sharing it with your sister.

Photo Board

This is one of my favorite spots in our house. Each year I hang all of our Christmas cards and birth announcements on this board. Jack loves to find his friends, and it's a great reminder to pray for the friends we love so much.
Thanks to everyone who sends us a card! I'm glad I finally got around to reorganizing this year's pictures!

Spoons!

I put Audrey in her chair with a toy while I scooped out cookie dough today. This is what she did instead.
Each of those spoons were intentionally thrown on the floor. She would pull one out and toss it on the floor. She repeated this process until she ran out of spoons and moved on to the forks. Stinker.

What's for dinner?

We've been trying hard around here to make meals that serve the whole family. It's a great idea, but some nights it just doesn't work. (Jack is just getting his back teeth, so hopefully he'll soon be able to eat meat!)
So rather than making a grilled cheese or a hot dog for Jack, I've been looking for healthier alternatives that he can have while we're enjoying our adult dinners.

Here's a picture of tonight's meal. I know, it looks disgusting!! But I can testify that it's actually quite delicious!
I'm not certain that its completely healthy, since I did make a rue and add quite a bit of cheese. It does have three vegetables tucked inside however, and the whole thing took about 15 minutes for Jack and I to assemble.

Weelicious.com has quickly become my favorite new place to search for kid-friendly recipes. You should check it out!

Here's the link for the the green macaroni and cheese.

We've also made the spinach cake muffins which were a HUGE hit with Jack.  Audrey has been enjoying them too, and a few adults liked them at my last staff meeting.  Who knew spinach could be so good?  

Here's a picture of Jack helping with the muffins and proof that they were well received.  

Update: Dinner was a huge success! Audrey and Jack both loved it.
The next time I make this I will probably cook the broccoli a bit before assembly. Other than that, it was a hit!

I go to Drew's house

Jack wants to go to Drew's house.  He tells me at least once a day, and pretty much every time we get in the car.

For those of you who don't know Drew, he's one of Jack and Audrey's six cousins that live in West Lafayette, IN.  We haven't been to visit since little Cohen was born in January.  My parents have talked about taking Jack soon, and he's so excited.

Jack was going on and on this morning about going to Drew's house and what he was going to do when he gets there.  He quieted down when I grabbed the camera, but I think you'll see that he's pretty excited!

I think my favorite part is the way he says Sam!

Mom and Carl's Pictures

I know that most of you are friends on facebook, but some people haven't seen the professional pictures from Mom Carl's wedding.

Leah once again did a fantastic job.  Here's a link to her blog and also to the slideshow.

Quiet time

While I was dressing Audrey this morning the house was quiet. Too quiet. Jack had been in his room playing and I remember hearing him dump out all of his cars. No surprise here. I heard engines revving and construction trucks working. And then nothing. Ugh oh. This is never a good sign, right?
So I gathered Audrey in her onesie and went into the bathroom, assuming I'd find him playing in the toilet. Nope. Not there. So I went into my bedroom to see if he had dumped out my underwear drawer again. Not there either. So I called his name, hoping that he wasn't downstairs eating the hot dog buns again.
Much to my surprise, he answered my call from his bedroom. I went in there to find him reading quietly in his rocking chair. Oops. Sorry to assume the worst, Jack! I'm so glad you love to read and it was fun to find you reading all by yourself!

Mr. Independent

Jack woke up one morning and decided that he's a big kid.  He wants to do everything by himself now.  It's fun to watch but a reminder that he really is growing up!

Every night before he goes to bed we pray together in his room.  We've always had a bit of a routine - we stand together next to his bed and I hold Jack while we pray.  Out of the blue Jack has decided that he wants to stand next to us instead and he wants to be the one who prays.  I love to hear his little prayers.  Here's an example of what he prays most nights:

Dear Jesus, Papa Carl, Nana, Hop Hop (his bunny), Ooh Ooh (his monkey), Papa Carl, Papa, Maw Maw, Mommy, Daddy, Awa, Papa Carl, Aunt Christy, Papa Carl, Hop Hop.  Amen

Papa Carl, he prays for you over and over again!  

I love that Jack is always by my side while I'm cooking, but lately he has been getting into the food while I'm not around.  He's been caught getting cheese sticks from the fridge and I saw him steal a bagel from the bread drawer last week.  This is what he was up to while I was upstairs feeding Audrey this morning.  Ugh! We're trying to learn about boundaries and permission. 

Here are another few ways that he's showing his independence lately:

• He's climbing up and down the step ladder to brush his teeth -- no help me, mommy!  And he makes sure to turn out the bathroom lights before he leaves the room, too.  
• He no longer likes to sit on my lap while we're reading books.  When we read during the day he won't even sit in the chair with me!  He insists on standing next to me.  At night before bed, he'll sit next to me in the rocking chair, but no longer will climb up in my lap and cuddle.  It's actually pretty sad, and I'm hoping this is just a phase.  The only sweet thing about this is that he occasionally leans over (thumb in his mouth) and rests his head on my arm.  It's pretty cute.  

And here are a few pictures of our little guy:

At the end of the day, it's good to tuck him into bed and know that he's still our little boy who loves his blue blankie and sucking his thumb. 

Mom and Carl's wedding

Well, the big day has come and gone:  Mom and Carl are married!  Now they are enjoying a two week honeymoon cruising the seas and we are not a bit jealous.  Not a bit.

Congratulations Mom and Carl! We hope you're enjoying your trip!

Unfortunately, I didn't do a great job documenting the day.  I think I was too busy running here and there and enjoying the time.

We started with the rehearsal on Friday at ECC.  Jack didn't want to sit still and Audrey was full of tears.  We were in full-blown panic mode by the time we went to the rehearsal dinner.  But we learned from our mistake and packed a bag full of snacks for the wedding.  (Sorry, ECC.  I think we broke your 'no eating in the sanctuary' rule that day.)

The ceremony was beautiful and the kids did great.  Jack ate enough Goldfish and Nutter Butters to fill his belly twice and Audrey sucked on her pacifier and smiled at the people around us.  Whew!

A big thanks to my parents and my aunts who juggled carseats, blankies, diaperbags, and the kids.  Jacob and I were able to enjoy two nights at a hotel which was a wonderful break.

One of the best parts about the weekend was getting to know some of Carl's family a bit better.  Jack just inherited eight new cousins and we have six new friends to BBQ with in the summers.

Congratulations, Mom and Carl!

Audrey rolling over!

This post is way overdue!  Audrey's been rolling for over a month.  But I'm a bit computer illiterate and today my friend Betsy helped me think through alternative ways to post videos.  I really don't like the way YouTube works and I've had troubles posting anyway.

So here goes:

I like you

We sing around here a lot.  But I think this is the first song that Jack has sung all by himself.  He doesn't start the song right away, so wait for it.

If you've ever watched Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood you might recognize the song.  If you're not familiar, it goes like this:

"I like you, I like you, I like you, just the way you are." 

Audrey's wants it closed

Lipstick?

We've got to work on the application, Audrey. But the color looks great.

Her shade of choice? Roasted beets with yogurt.

Snow day!

Jack and I just spent the last 45 minutes playing in the snow. I think that's a record for Jack.
Thanks to Audrey who took a good nap while we were playing (and shoveling).

Comparisons: Jack and Audrey's first seven months

One month

2 months

3 months

4 months

5 months

6 months

7 months

Girls weekend

I have known some of these girls since childhood.  And some of our friendships are as new as the last few years.  But I love each of them and had a wonderful weekend getting to know each of them a bit better.  I am thankful for their friendships and for our weekend away!  

5, 6, 7

It's official, Audrey.  I was much better at documenting Jack's monthly achievements than I have been at yours.  But it doesn't mean that I like him better.  In fact, I probably hold you more and spend more time sitting and playing with you than I did with Jack.  And that's exactly why these pictures are so far behind.

Audrey is 7 months old now.  It's amazing to me how quickly these last seven months have gone by.  I think what they say about raising kids is really true -- the days are slow but the months (and years) go by quickly.

I feel so blessed to have two happy little kids.  Audrey smiles all of the time!  You'll see it in some of the pictures below.  I love to see her little face light up, especially when she sees her brother or her daddy.  She loves those guys!
But don't let those smiles fool you.  She's a little pistol.  She can scream and let you know exactly how she's feeling.  And she's LOUD!  We're working on it.  I'll take it as an even trade for that grin.

5 months 

6 months

Cheese!

7 months

Audrey can roll over both ways, although she doesn't roll very often.  Maybe it's because I don't leave her on the floor for long periods of time -- big brothers tend to get a bit rough.  She started rolling right at six months and two weeks later figured out how to go back to belly.  

She's officially sitting up!  She loves being upright and looking around and I am really enjoying this new phase, too.  Today she even sat up in the shopping cart at Kroger.  Good-bye Baby Bjorn!  

We've talked about taking away her pacifier for awhile now, but decided to wait until after Mom and Carl's wedding.  Well, the wedding is over and now I feel ready to go for it.  We took it away for bed last night and it only took her a few extra minutes to fall asleep.  This morning's nap and Kroger were a bit more difficult.  But we made it through and she fell asleep quickly for her afternoon nap.  Wish us luck!