The Algeras

David - 1 year old!

2009-07-20T20:32:00.000-05:00

Give me pie!!

2009-06-03T07:33:00.003-05:00

Let me sum up...

2009-06-02T20:57:00.002-05:00

"I want some too!"

Sara drives the new car

Dad helps Sara plant the garden

Sara makes her own bed

Picnic on the patio

We've been busy! Let me hit the highlights. These are some of the cuter pictures from the last week or so. The kids are keeping us amused and growing up so fast!

Ben ran the Hope Classic on Saturday and ran his fastest 5K ever - 19:35! He was aiming for under 20 minutes so he was really excited.

After the race we went car shopping. We were looking for a car with a little more room than the Altima. We finally bought a car on Monday; a Subaru Forester. Sara thinks it is her own car and likes to sit in the driver's seat. She also likes her new booster car seat and lets David used her old one. I love driving my new car around!

Sara has been saying many funny things. It's amazing to watch her communication skills improve. She tells stories, has full conversations and gives opinions. We've moved from the question and answer stage to the actual conversation stage. I love it!

David finished his physical therapy yesterday. He met all his goals and "graduated"! His crawling improves everyday and he's starting to pull himself up and walk holding onto my hands. He's such a toot. He is very motivated by food, plastic bags and crayons. He fell all over himself trying to get Sara's strawberry pie this evening! She finally gave him a couple small bites. It's so cute to see them interacting with eachother. David isn't just the baby sitting there anymore, he's turning into the little brother.

Sara and I took a walk to the park after Dave fell asleep. Ben stayed back with him and worked on the boat. We had a nice conversation about robins with red breasts and wings. She likes to list things and we made a good list of different kinds of birds. When we cross the street she says "Now we look both ways for cars! No cars! Let's go, Mommy!" At one street there were cars; "One, two cars. Wait for them. Now we go!"

When we got to the park there were a few other kids there. Two brothers came up and asked Sara if she wanted to play tag. "Ask your Mommy if you can play tag!" Sara grinned and said "OK, what's tag?" I told her to go ahead and the boys explained how it works. She really liked running around although she was a little fuzzy on the rules. "I'm it! I run away!"

Sara helped me do some baking today. We made strawberry pie and rhubarb berry jam. She had fun measuring and mixing and tasting. She got her chef hat and apron so she could be a chef just like Chef Pig on Word World. Ben is very happy about my new baking kick. He's going to have to work out a lot to keep up with his calorie intake! Actually, I'm just trying to use up all the rhubarb I picked at Mom's house. Sara will actually eat it raw but the rest of us like it sweetened up a bit.

It's getting late; Ben and I can't believe we're still up. We're getting old! But the kids always wake us up nice and early so we have to grab sleep when we can!

Guy, guy, guy!!!!

2009-05-26T21:00:00.002-05:00

That's David's happy giggle - "guy, guy, guy!!" I've never heard a baby giggle like that, but it is really cute. He's such a happy dude, and always dimpling at something. Here he is, sitting on his beach chair supervising Daddy's boat building and chatting away.

Ben and the kids had a great Memorial Day; I had to work. I had a good day working and everyone else had a good day together. Ben took the kids to the parade in Jenison. It goes down Baldwin, right near Nate and Ellen's house. The group gathered early and walked down to watch. The kids had a great time. This parade still lets people throw candy and Sara was amazed. They saw Clifford, Curious George, Ronald McDonald, firetrucks, cars and dogs. Sara has been listing the fun things in the parade all day long. She doens't mention the dogs - she is still being afraid of them. After the parade, it was time for lunch and then all the kids took naps together and the adults relaxed. My contribution was a devil's food cake I made for Ben's birthday. He's 31 now!

Sara and David were up early and back to their normal routine today. They have been so amusing! Sara has been explaining camping to David. "We will pack toys and books and food and sleep in a tent and get dirty! We will swim and have a flashlight!" She can't wait. I hope she enjoys the actual camping as much as the talking about it. What's really cute is how she ticks each fun thing off on her fingers as she lists it.

David had his first experience playing on dirt today. He scooted off the blanket in his efforts to get to Sara's pink ball. He was one dirty little dude by the time we came inside to escape the sprinkles! He can't move very fast but he certainly is persistant. He gets to what he wants!

After baths the rain got a little harder and there was some thunder. Sara told me "sometimes it storms in the nighttime and I wake up. But the thunder does not come in my bed so I just go to sleep. Sometimes I find mommy if it does. I think I will be OK tonight." Since things have calmed down, I think she will be. She also worries about David a little; "you need to check on Davy if it is loud tonight, OK? He might be scared. Maybe he should have Dolly tonight." I reassured her that he would be fine and I'll keep an ear out for him.

What a fun day. I'm sure I'll have more quotes by tomorrow. And David should be warming up to some new tricks soon!

He's a man on the move!

2009-05-21T20:53:00.002-05:00

Oh dear. Dave is mobile. This causes much glee on David's part and much angst on Sara's. "Davey is in my STUFF! Mommy! Help!!" Yes, its true! Dave has learned to crawl. It's still a mix of crawl/hitch/scoot, but he's getting where he wants to go. Way to go little man! He scoots himself all over the rug. The floor is a little harder because he loses traction with each forward movement. But now that he's got the forward motion figured out I'm sure his crawling abilities will improve rapidly. Time to check the baby-proofing!

David had therapy today and Sara went to Allison's house. They had fun playing. Ellen says it's pretty funny to listen to the kids playing together. They really have a great time. Dave did well at therapy and didn't even get to fussed.

After short naps we went to visit Great Grandma. She's finally feeling a little better and was glad to see all the grandkids. Dave showed off his crawling attempts and the older kids gave hugs and hung out. David really eyes the cookies he sees everyone munching on. Soon you will have enough teeth to get one, Dude!

After dinner Sara helped me make cinnamon rolls for Ben's birthday treat for work tomorrow. She likes to measure and mix and especially to punch down the dough after it rises. She packs a pretty good punch for a two year old! This is the first time I've fridged them overnight, so I hope they turn out well.

David went to bed after that and Sara and I had a girl picnic for bedtime snack. We made lemonade with ice and sat out on the patio chairs. I showed her how to do a toast; she calls it "knocking sippys." We chatted and played some catch until she started to get sleepy.

Sara got a package from Grandpa Algera that had a new bedtime story in it! She was so excited to get an envelope with "my own name! See! S-A-R-A! That means it is mine!" It's the story of the Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. She loves it. Thanks Grandpa! She got some pictures of Grandpa by the lighthouse on the Hudson and has to have them with her when she reads her book. She wants to go see this lighthouse for herself "some soon day with Grandpa"

I got her into bed and quick finished up the rolls. Dave started bawling towards the end of the job. I let him watch Daddy boat build for a bit and then tucked him back in. Both kids are sleeping comfortably now that the air conditioning is running. They were both unsettled and I finally noticed that the house temp was 80 degrees. Too hot! It was really warm today. I'm finding that I don't have enough summer clothes to keep from doing kid laundry every other day. Time to find some deals!

It's been a good day. I'm so glad David is learning to move. He gets so frustrated when he can't get where he wants to be. Go Davey, keep it up! He's a happy dimple face through it all. Oh, he learned another trick today too, speaking of happy flirt faces. He waved bye-bye to his therapists. He tried waving to Grandma but just ended up staring at his hands. It's very cute and I'm sure he'll master it so we can catch some major cute video soon. He's such a little man!

Go fly a kite

2009-05-20T20:22:00.002-05:00

It felt like mid summer here today! We took advantage of the great weather for a trip to the beach after Ben got home. We had a picnic dinner which Sara loved. "We are having a picnic! It's the best way to have dinner!" Then we went to watch the boats and fly Sara's kite on the beach along the channel. There were plenty of boats for Sara to wave at and Dave seemed to have fun discovering sand. Sara ran around wearing herself out.

After a quick stop to Target for Tylenol and baby wipes, it was time for baths. Sara has started to get terribly upset when she has to get washed up. I'm not sure why. She just sobs when she sees the soap. I managed to get her cleaned up and into her clean nightgown. Then she let me brush her hair and help brush her teeth with no complaints. I can't figure this out, but I suppose this will probably pass in time. Dave does not have this problem; he loves his bath. He splashes and giggles and has a great time. Ben noted that I looked more soaked than Dave after that bath was done.

David is still up rolling around on the rug. He's been a little crabby and sick today. Tylenol and cuddling seem to put him right, but I'm giving him a helmet break for a bit and letting him just lay and snuggle his fuzzy blankie. He's such a laid back little man.

Just got Dave to bed with his blankie and thumb in mouth. Ben is out working on the boat and I'm listening to the Tigers on the radio/watching the score online. And as I type that I see that the game finished while I was up tucking Dave in. The Tigers are on a roll! I hear a few babbles from upstairs, but it's mostly quiet. I'm so glad both kids have the ability to put themselves to sleep, it makes bedtime so much easier.

Warming up!

2009-05-19T19:51:00.002-05:00

The weather is starting to get more and more summerlike here! The kids love it. Sara doesn't like to come inside at all. We ate lunch at her picnic table and read books on the backyard chairs. She did come in for a short nap.

David is just discovering the fun of outdoors. He mostly likes to tackle Sara, point at birds and just yell a lot at everything.

We unpacked our new tent last night. It's great, especially since it only cost ten dollars! It's very roomy and the kids love playing in it. Hopefully they will like our camping trips this summer. We're hoping to go up to Sleeping Bear Dunes in July. Sara has been telling Dave all about camping and how fun it is. I don't know how much she remembers or is making up, but it's really cute.

Another cute Sara thing I have to get written down: when ever she doesn't want to do something she says "That's OK, I'll be all right." Example; Mom says "You need to put your jacket and shoes on to go outside." "No, Mommy, that's OK, I'll be all right." She never wins, but she'll keep trying. She'd run naked if I let her.

We had a very summery night tonight. Sara discovered sweet corn on the cob for dinner. She loved eating from the ear. Then Dad and kids ran outside while I cleaned up. We listened to the Tigers game on the radio and then Ben went out to work on the boat. David is still up, he feels a little warm and has a nasty cough starting. Hopefully this is nothing...he'll just need a little mommying for the next day or so.

This and that

2009-05-15T18:10:00.002-05:00

We've been spending these spring days hanging out at home, for the most part. No big happenings. The kids love playing with each other - I love the picture of David giving hugs to Sara in the laundry basket. Doing laundry with two helpers is almost a futile effort. Dave has discovered the fun of messing up piles. Sara eggs him on; "Go Davey, throw the socks!"

Sara loves being able to be outside more often. Her sidewalk chalk is almost gone, helped out by me driving over it one evening. She likes hopscotch and random running around the house. She really likes Grandma and Grandpa's big backyard and going to pick rhubarb in the neighbors garden "just like Peter Rabbit!" David likes to sit on his blanket, rolling around and attempting to crawl and just babbling at the world.

Dave had a doctors appointment bright and early this morning. He needed a reweigh after not gaining a whole lot of weight between 6 and 9 months. I think this was mostly due to him being sick with no appetite the week before his 9 month appointment. He definitly made up ground this month, packing on a pound and a half to bring him up to 17 pounds 14 ounces. He is a bottomless pit with a wide open mouth and loves his food.

Our big project today was a "big cave" for Sara. Every kid needs a sheet and blanket fort! David was not allowed in her "own cozy bear cave". I was allowed in for the sole purpose of book reading and then I was thrown out.

In the afternoon Sara and I baked a rhubarb pie. We snitched rhubarb from Steve and Lauren's backyard. They've moved, but said we could raid their garden. I've never made anything from rhubarb before, but Sara sucked down a small piece and proclaimed "This is so yummy pink pie! It's my favorite." Ben says it's excellent, although there are very few baked goods he does not love.

Right now Ben is being tackled by both kids. David is crawling up and over Daddy and Sara is zerberting his stomach. There is a whole lot of giggling going on. Dave is the cutest happy baby and he is always happy when he's getting into things.

Ha ha!!! Ben just lost some poop roulette. Those giggles were actually signaling a blowout. I'm watching the haz-mat operation from afar. Dave is having teething diapers and plenty of them. He just attempted to escape from Daddy with his little bare buns in the air, but Daddy is onto his tricks and he is safely covered up now. Ben even managed to save the pjs!

Ben has been making very good progress on the boat. Check out his blog for some updated pics! Hopefully we'll be on the water by mid summer.

I nearly forgot last Saturday's happenings! How could I say that we have no news? Ben ran the rerouted, cold and rainy River Bank Run in 1:58:38, meeting his goal of under 2 hours. He was thrilled, and still had enough energy to take the kids to the parade downtown. Sara jumped up and down most of the time because she was so excited to see floats, bands and horses. David fell asleep halfway through. He really can sleep through anything.

It's time to get the kids ready for bed. I suppose I should help Ben out and get Davids last tanking up in. He eats a bowl of cereal and nurses for bedtime snack. Last night he consumed two bowls for Grandma and then proceeded to sleep through the night. Maybe I'll try that tonight, or maybe it's just the special Grandma touch. If that's the case, you should come over every night, Mom!

Hopping along

2009-05-06T20:48:00.003-05:00

It was a great day for playing outside! Sara flew her kite and was very excited about it. I got it flying and then handed her the string. "I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" David was pretty excited about it too. We heard lots of "guy guy guy"ing. That's his excited noise, accompanied by much pointing and waving.

Sara heard the ice cream truck while we were out there. She loves the "music truck" She hears it, runs out into the yard looking for it and yells "here boy, here boy!" Did you know that trucks come when they're called just like dogs? She never begs for ice cream and I'm not sure she even knows you can get ice cream from it. She just likes the tunes, and the fact that the driver says hello to her on the speaker.

We played some hopscotch after David went in for his nap. She does get it but after a few times through she just started skipping and running. Watch and see!

David is getting so close to crawling! He gets his little butt up in the air, balancing on his hands and feet. Ben calls it his plank position. Sara calls it his good pushups. "Good pushups, good job Davey. Work it out!" Just this afternoon he got up on all fours and moved his hand forward before face planting. I think he's getting it. Go Davey, work it out! He really wants to be moving so he can get into stuff. I hear lots of guy guying when he gets to junk mail or the letter blocks. I hope he figures it out soon

Tulip Time is here!

2009-05-06T09:59:00.002-05:00

It's Tulip Time! And that means time to dress the kids up and head downtown for pictures, dancers and elephant ears. Sara loves getting into her dancing dress and going to smell the flowers. Four tourist ladies had taken the kids pictures within 15 minutes of getting them out of the stroller. This just confirms our belief that we have the cutest kids ever :) They were happy and happy to pose for Daddy. This picture of Sara is similar to a pose from last year; I can't believe how much she's grown! She's turning into a little lady. David just liked flashing those dimples and watching dogs and people.

We went to Froggy's for dinner. Sara really enjoyed her hot dog, eaten plain. David tried a few fries, but found them hard to chew with only two teeth. That didn't stop him from gumming and drooling until he got it down. We visited the junk food carts for elephant ears for dessert. Such a healthy meal! Sara loves elephant ears, we had to spell them until we were ready to buy one.

We stopped at Sandcastle to find Sara a kite. She's so excited! I hope the wind picks up a little so we can fly it. Last night was pretty calm but Ben still took it out for her and ran around to make it fly. She's very excited, even though we could not find a pink shark kite to name Bruce after the Finding Nemo shark. (Remember, fish are friends, not food!)

We ran into Uncle Paul and Aunt Donna, Phil, Paula and Lawrence while waiting for the Dutch Dancing in Centennial Park. Sara sat by Aunt Donna while Ben and I took turns rocking a tired boy. Lawrence looked so cute all dressed up, but he and Sara were beyond the mood to pose by that time.

It's a cloudy day today, but the wind is picking up a little. We might go to the park and try to fly that kite!

Pink Shades Lady has an adventure

2009-04-28T20:10:00.002-05:00

Sara got a treat tonight - a Burger King kids meal with Pink Panther shades as the toy. Does life get any better than pink glasses and chicken nuggets?

We picked up fast food so that we could get to Grand River Park and meet the paddlers doing the Ultimate Hugh Heward Challenge - a paddle from Detroit to Chicago. We managed to get there just minutes before they did and were able to hand over some banana bread and chat for a bit. I just wanted to say "here are the keys to the car, I'll take that canoe from here!" Ah well. Maybe next year. Getting to the boat launch was slightly complicated by the overflowed river. Ben got brave and waded in only to discover that the big lake over the road was really only ankle deep. We were able to drive along the road, but the boardwalk was cut off by thigh deep water. We've had an amazing amount of rain lately. But today ended up bright and sunshiny, just right for a small adventure.

Sara was hoping she would see a pink boat. I told her that those are really rare, but we will keep our eyes peeled! Ben says he will buy her a pink paddle when she is big enough to use one. She loves pink.

One other story related to the banana bread. Sara would like everyone to know that she made it all by herself. She did help. Today she was "reading" one of my cookbooks and telling me how to make her favorite dishes. David was cheering her on whenever she said "and then we eat it!" For example - here is Sara's chicken pot pie. "It has chicken bits, salt, corn and pepper. You sprinkle the salt and shake the pepper. Then you put it in a hot oven and bake it until it is yummy. Then you put it on the table to cool and then you eat it all up!" She had similar instructions for banana bread, cinnamon bread, pizza and cookies. She's pretty observant.

Future Calvin Track Star!!!

2009-04-26T21:36:00.003-05:00

Watch Sara run her race! It's an action shot, so forgive the crazy angles; Ben did his best following a randomly moving target!

I'm racing - for real!

2009-04-25T19:01:00.002-05:00

Sara ran a real race today! She did one lap around the indoor track at Calvin's new fieldhouse for the Family Fun Run. She got her own race number and race shirt and thought that she was the biggest girl ever. "I got a shirt and a number! I'm a real racer. I'm like Daddy!" She got to pick up her race packet and then we walked around campus to see what had changed since we were there. Ben and I graduated 9 years ago, can you believe it? The new fieldhouse is amazing. It's huge! We showed David and Sara where Mom and Dad lived and ate and went to school. Sara was impressed. David just blew gazoos.

There were games for the kids before their race, and Sara loved the parachute game. She ran under it and did her jellybean dance. Thanks for teaching her that, Grandma! When the race actually started she had a hard time focusing on running in a straight line, but eventually figured it out and finished about 5 kids from the back of the pack. Hopefully she'll fix that by the time she runs for the Calvin track team :) Ben got some cute video of her racing, I have it up on Facebook.

David and Sara were both very talkative on the drive home. They make each other laugh when they ride in their car seats. Our trip was a little longer since we got a flat tire just before the Zeeland exit. Ben worked his amazing manly skills to fix it before the kids even got too upset. We ate lunch, then Ben went to get the tire replaced. I got a nap in with the kids and Ben got to work on his boat for a while while a big spring storm rolled through. Dave must have been really tired because he didn't react to the thunder at all.

It's still rainy and rumbling outside. David is sleeping and Sara is snuggling Daddy in her heart pjs. Thanks for the hand-me-down, Allison! "These are my heart pjs, from Asilon!" Silly kid.

Outside at Meijer Gardens

2009-04-18T19:52:00.003-05:00

It was a summer like day today - warm and sunny. We took the kids to the Meijer Gardens. They had a great time. It was amazingly crowded in the butterfly conservatory and the childrens garden so we spent most of our time in the Farm Garden and the Woodland Shade Garden. Sara did get a chance to play tea party in the tree house and sail a toy boat, though. David got to splash his feet in the Great Lakes. The water was a little cold, so he would pull his foot out as soon as he stuck it in, pause for a minute and then put his foot back in and giggle. Both kids enjoyed sitting on the farmhouse porch and rocking. Sara loves the farm, especially the old barn. She ran all over in her new racing shoes and cried when we started to head back to the entrance. "No, I stay by butterflies and tea party all day! Please!" Both kids fell asleep soon after we started driving home. I'll update Flickr soon so you can check out the cuteness.

After we left the gardens we went to pick up the plywood for Ben's canoe. We made it to Johnson's Workbench minutes before they closed. Ben got his wood and is very excited to start building. Go check out his boatbuilding blog!

Bedtime was a little hard tonight because they were both worn out. But they are both snoozing away now. Ben and I are watching the first Harry Potter movie and unwinding.

Playing outside all day long

2009-04-17T21:09:00.003-05:00

It was a beautiful spring day today and the kids took full advantage of the sunshine. "Oh Mom! The sun came out to make me happy! Davey, we can be outside today!" Sara still put on her hat and coat and was suspicious of my assurances she did not need them. Two minutes outside and they were laying on the driveway.

Sara brought all her books and favorite toys outside on the patio. She read, colored, kicked, threw and caught all her balls and just ran around being happy. I have lots of grass stains and dirt to get out of her jeans! But it's worth it. I did have to go buy her new shoes tonight. Her old ones are so worn out they fall off when she runs. "Mommy, my shoes came off! I'm helpless! Fix it please!" I got her some lace up tennis shoes. I can't wait to show them to her tomorrow morning.

David came out after his nap. He had fun finishing off Sara's snack at the picnic table and sitting in the grass playing with a soccer ball. He was very talkative and happy watching and pointing at the birds.

Sara and I made a cake for Ben from scratch! It's pretty good, but I think I'll try a new recipe next time. The frosting turned out a little dry but after some doctoring looks pretty decent. Sara got to lick the beaters and made a huge mess of her face and hair.

Both kids were in serious need of a bath before bedtime. They're both sound asleep now and hopefully they will stay that way. I made a quick Target run and Ben loaded up the truck for the Project Pride dump. We have a big day planned for tomorrow and the weather is supposed to be wonderful again. We are planning to go to the Meijer Gardens and then to pick up plywood for the canoe Ben is building. Should be a great Saturday!

Training walk and GPS fun

2009-04-15T18:25:00.002-05:00

Ben here...

Emily is working, so I have the kids for the afternoon and evening. Since it is such a beautiful day, I took the Sara and David for a walk after dinner. For Sara, this is a training run / walk. Next weekend (April 25) we are 'running' in the Calvin Classic 1k Fun Run, and Sara needs to get in shape! For me, this was another oportunity to play with my new GPS. I logged our walk and uploaded it to Google Maps; see below:

View Walk in a larger map

Some other vital statistics:

Total Distance: 0.56 miles

(Sara quit and sat down after 0.5 miles, so I carried her the rest of the way)

Top speed: 4.4 MPH (I'm not kidding!!)

Moving Average: 2.4 MPH

Trip Average: 1.8 MPH

Soundtrack of Sara

2009-04-08T10:03:00.003-05:00

I'm just typing as she talks/sings:

"playing the piano da da da in my hiding spot....I am playing the ladybug song Laaaaddddy buuuuuggg da da da....the ladybug goes flit flit, the dolphin goes splashy splash in the salty sea la la la la..."

"I play like Beethoven"

" I need some lemonade for my throat to keep going now"

"all night long I sing at the zoo, play with me la la la goo goo goo..."

"I will bring my lemonade in here, no, that's really silly"

"Oh Mommy, I will not spill, that would be naughty!"

Dave is singing now too - "agaaaaa gaaaa maaaaa maaaa"

Unintelligible singing to the tune of Rock a Bye Baby

"I take a picture of you, Mommy, because you are pretty! Cheese for me! That's cute"

"How do I turn this off? Silly camera. Want to fix it Mom?"

" Battery is dead? I know where to find more Mom. Here you go!"

"My camera is not a real one , I want real one to work!"

"Oh can we have lunch? Banana and cheese with milk?"

"Oh the sun came out to make me happy! It is far away up in the sky but it will make me warm"

"My lunch! Thank you, so good cheese. Carrots are good for my eyes!"

I might continue this later, but for now we have to eat some so good lunch.

A new Olympic sport

2009-03-24T20:36:00.003-05:00

David is now a champion speed roller! He thinks it's a lot of fun, too. Lots of giggles and squeals when he gets moving. He rolled from the couch to the kitchen table this morning when I was upstairs getting Sara moving. But the funniest thing was when he got himself stuck under the couch while I was getting Sara on the potty. There he sat, chatting away on his tummy and chewing his thumb with his whole body except for his head under the couch. I got a big dimply grin when I came to save him.

We went to the library today so Ben and I could get a break from Ping Pong Pig and Gladys Goes Out to Lunch. We replaced them with Big Al and Cock a Doodle Quack Quack. Sara loves the library because she can do puzzles and say hi to the turtles. She likes to carry her own books and hand them over to be checked out herself. While I was picking through the new book shelf she sat in the chairs and read her books to herself in a whisper after I told her she had to be quiet in the library. I can't believe how well behaved she is when we go out to do errands. Now that I've written that she'll probably hit her two year old stride, but I'm just so proud of her.

Sara got her hair cut today and thinks she is a very beautiful girlie. She was so solemn sitting in the chair that she looked like a whole different girl than my little chatterbox. But she gave a grin at the end when we told her what a pretty girl she was. She chattered away about her most beautiful bangs in the car. "What you think David? I pretty?"

Right now I'm hearing singing from upstairs. I thought I had two sleeping children, but apparently not. Ben went up to listen at her door. She's in bed but the lights are on. Ben couldn't tell what she was singing but she sounded happy so we're ignoring her for the moment. It's hard, she's so cute! I bought a night light shaped like a little lampshade for her and she thinks it's the best part of her room. "Thank you Mommy, it is my own little light for bedtime! It will make it nice!"

David did well with his first night and full day in his helmet. He really does seem to be forgetting about it and going about his business. His teeth seem to be bugging him the most. Drool and chew, drool and chew. But all with a smile!

Ben and I are watching The Biggest Loser and getting a little nighttime clean up done. I suppose I should go check on Sara since I don't hear anymore chattering. It was a busy but very fun day!

10:44 update: I checked on Sara; she turned her lights off and tucked herself back into bed. Her books were off the shelf and stacked at the foot of the bed and she had her junk mail catalogs in bed with her. I think she just wasn't quite ready to sleep when we put her to bed!

Random posting

2009-03-23T20:47:00.002-05:00

So here's a picture of sad little Dude. He did not have such a good therapy appointment today. All he wanted to do was hug Mommy and suck his thumb but Mommy and his therapist wanted him to roll and bounce. He did OK for a bit and then melted into a sobbing heap. He gets the biggest tears rolling down his little fat cheeks. We cuddled a bit and then headed to Ellen's house where he slept all morning except for one eating break. When he woke up he was much happier and played all afternoon. He's learned how to roll to get wherever he wants and rolled all the way across Sara's room so he could play in the pile of laundry. Ben said he probably would have headed down the hall but he stopped him because he was afraid he'd go down the stairs.

Sara had a fun day playing with Andrew. They both love to play catch, color and read books. They both get the giggles when you read The Pigeon Has Feelings Too! You're looking at one happy bird! Happy, happy happy!! She has also been singing the Butterfly Song. It involves the word butterfly, lots of garbled singing and arm waving. She wanted Ben to sing it with her but he was mystified by the lyrics.

Sara funny of the day: While enjoying her chicken and broccoli, she stopped suddenly and said "Excuse me!" We asked why. She grinned and let out a very loud burp. "That's why! I'm excused!" It seems some more manners education may be necessary.

Back to the butterflies

2009-03-21T19:30:00.002-05:00

Sara was so excited today: we went back to see the butterflies! And Grandma and Grandpa came along! How could it get any better? When we pulled into the Gardens she started laughing and pointing "we are at the butterflies! How super fun! To the butterflies!" She grabbed Grandma's hand and headed for the door while we slow people got David out of the car and bundled into his stroller. She got her own guidebook and walked through the conservatory saying "I will find that one in my book now" and then pointing to a completely random picture. She lasted a little over an hour before she wanted to run and have a snack.

I love this picture of David and Sara. David looked around and giggled when a few butterflies came over by him. There were a lot more out than there were two weeks ago. He was content to take it in while being held by whoever's arms were the least tired. He's getting big!

In other David news, he has figured out how to go from sitting to tummy so that he can scoot over to toys. Today the favorite target was his Jack in the box. The giggles he gives when he succeeds are so cute! He did well with his helmet training today - 2 hours on then 1 hour off. He didn't seem to mind the on/off process as much as yesterday.

This afternoon turned into a beautiful spring day. David and I took a nap while Ben and Sara worked in the yard. Sara is so glad to be able to be outside. We took a walk after dinner and she wanted out of the stroller to "run fast myself!" She probably ran half a mile and we were walking pretty fast to keep up with her. It's so fun to watch her toddler run ahead of us, waving her arms, yelling and giggling. She fell once and immediatly announced "I'm OK! I'll keep running!" David rode in the stroller looking at all the barking dogs and chewing at his teething toy. Poor guy. He really seems to relax in the stroller so I'm glad we can get out more often now. I bet that he will love the beach as much as Sara does! We don't dare say the word beach to her unless we really are going out there.

After the walk we did baths and bedtime. Both kids went to sleep right at their bedtimes, all worn out. We're hoping for a good night from the teething one!

Snapshots of the Dude

2009-03-20T19:22:00.002-05:00

March has been a busy busy month so far. These are my favorite shots of David with his big and sometimes naughty grin. Last week I got that Dutch costume for Tulip Time - isn't he the cutest little Dutchman? I think the hat is the best part.

We had a short stretch of really warm weather and the kids lived outside for a couple of days. It makes for good sleep at night, or it would if David was not teething. Sara loves running around and playing catch. She tried to teach David but "Davey is not a very good catcher."

David also started his helmet therapy for the flat spot on the back of his head. We got it fitted today and he is on a getting used to it schedule. By Tuesday he will be wearing it 23 hours per day and will wear it for 4-6 months. Hopefully that will round him out nicely. He is also getting some physical therapy mainly for his neck, shoulder and arm muscles. He is doing very well with that and started rolling over and scooting for toys this afternoon! Way to go Dave! The therapy wears him out so he has been eating ravenously and sleeping as well as his teeth will let him. We'll do this for 6 weeks and I think he'll be up to speed by then. Having mastered rolling, we are now working on getting up on his hands and knees. Soon he'll be running with Sara! He's such a good little dude about the whole process.

Ben made supper tonight by going to Village Inn. Mmmmmm, pepperoni and green pepper hand tossed crust pizza. Sara loves it as much as we do. Dave grabbed for it but was denied. I do let him eat soft table foods like potato, applesauce, yogurt or Cheerios. Every now and then I catch Sara trying to feed him her lunch. I should let him try chewing some toast or crackers and see how he does with it. I remember being so nervous when Mom fed Sara a graham cracker at 8 months old. Now I just let Sara hand him one to see what he would do. Mostly, he just made a big drooly mess but he seemed to like it!

Both kids went to bed with no protest tonight and I think I'm going to follow their lead and curl up with a book. Ben got a sailing adventure story from the library (can't think of the title at the moment) and I've gotten into it. A quiet house is a nice change from the way things usually are.

Night of the Butterflies (3/5/09)

2009-03-12T20:22:00.002-05:00

Sorry these pictures are a little late. We took the kids to "Night of the Butterflies" at the Meijer Gardens last Thursday. We all had a great time! Sara loved the butterflies that "come on my nose!" One flew in her face and her night was made. She had her own flashlight and ran around "finding just another one, Mommy!" There were snacks and a drum band that let the kids play on the drums. Sara got her picture taken with "fluttery bugs" and got a ladybug tattoo. David rode in the stroller giggling and babbling. We finished off the night with a tram ride highlighted by David's major stinky diaper. We were glad it was warm enough to have the windows open our our fellow passengers might have tossed us off the train!

Is it warm time yet?

2009-02-28T20:48:00.004-05:00

That's what Sara asked me today - "Is it warm time yet, Mom? I have my sunhat, we need to go to beach and swim. I will get Mommy's sunhat too!" So here we are, wearing our sun hats and ready for the beach. Except that it is 20 degrees outside, definitly not warm time yet. My hat is the one I wore paddling the Upper Delaware River and hiking through the Grand Canyon and I get the urge to wander adventurously whenever I put it on.

We had a good Saturday even though David is still coughing and sneezing. Sara has learned how to wipe his nose with a Kleenex. "You sneezy, Davey, I clean your nose!" He prefers my gentle wipe to Sara's face scrubbing. We had to ask her to just wipe her dolly's nose for now.

Dave officially has a tooth now! It is just poking out on his bottom gum. He doesn't really like people sticking their fingers in there to check it out, but he doesn't have enough teeth to bite back yet! It's time for me to start buying Tylenol in bulk again. I'll try to get a picture sometime soon when he's in a better mood. He still looks pretty miserable and just needed to cuddle today. However, he did sleep ALL NIGHT LONG!!! last night! I woke up at 6:30 feeling far to rested. I'm 95% sure he slept all night, I have a nagging feeling that I did get up and just don't remember. Ben thinks I'm losing it, but I have perfected the art of feeding David without really becoming concious. It is a little scary now that I think about it. But how else can you survive the sleepless baby days?

Both kids went to bed early tonight and Ben is out playing broomball. I'm sitting in an unnaturally quiet house sipping my hot chocolate and blogging. What a nice break. Just typing that sentence made me feel relaxed. I'm internet planning some wishful thinking vacations - Grand Canyon hikes, canoe trips, tropical locations... I can dream! This may be related to the hat coming out of the closet today! Hopefully the kids will be good outdoors loving troopers and we can haul them all over the National Parks. Ben will promise to read the maps correctly and I will promise not to spill the food. It will be fun!

Poor Little Dude

2009-02-26T21:46:00.002-05:00

David was a sick toot today. Look at that drooly, snotty, teary face! He tried hard to play and be happy but really just wanted to be held and cuddled. He's also cutting his first tooth and not to happy about it. After lots of love and Tylenol he's finally sleeping. Of course, its thundering so hard that the windows are shaking so that may not last so long. I'm just waiting to hear "Mommy, Mommy!" or "wah wah wah!"

We had a laid back day since neither Ben or I had to work. I got the grocery shopping done and Ben and Sara got to Menards. Sara loves riding with Daddy in his truck to do errands. And when she got back she yelled "Mommy, I'm home!" I quoted some Princess Bride to her the other day and now she likes to say "Have fun storming the castle!" when ever Ben or I leave. Oops!

We're really proud of Sara tonight, though! She went on the potty again and got a toy ice cream cone for telling me she had to go! Way to go Sara!

Museums are "super fun!"

2009-02-23T20:46:00.004-05:00

Sara had a "super fun!" day today! Ben is home for his week of "vacation" so we decided to do something fun this morning. We got off to a leisurely start and then headed out to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. I was afraid Sara might be a little too young to appreciate it but she had a great time exploring the place. Her favorite thing was the big whale skeleton, or "big fish bones." It brought back memories for me of the old museam on Jefferson! They even kept some of the "Michigan habitat" dioramas - remember those from school field trip days? Sara loved driving the little tractor, trying to lift the big rock, seeing the old GR street and riding the bicycle and the streetcar. She got a bookmark from the print shop and cards from the furniture exhibit. David rode in the stroller and was happy for over two hours, so he must have enjoyed it too. He giggled and looked around. Both kids loved their carousel ride and were ready for a nap by the time we left.

We had a relaxing afternoon and Ben did laundry for me! It was necessary because of the huge blowout David achieved while sitting on my lap. Ben heard it from across the room. Sara giggled "David tooted out loud!" And I got to clean up the smears of poop and the diaper full of poop in a blast pattern. Ben was so proud of his little man.

We went to 8th St Grille to round out this red letter day. We decided to make this the fun day since I'm working much of the rest of the week. Sara enjoyed her grilled cheese and sneaking sips of my iced tea. "Mommy's juice" was so much better than her water!

Nate and Ellen and the kids came over to return Ben's bike tonight. Sara jumped up and down on the couch when she saw Allison and Andrew getting out of the truck. The kids enjoyed ripping around and then having a cookie snack. It was good to see you all! You can go visit Ellen's new blog by clicking on the link for "The Pastoors" Maybe my advertising here will get her to start posting!

The kids are sleeping now and Ben is getting ready to watch 24. I'm enjoying my clean kitchen and messing around on the computer. It's been fun! I hope you enjoy my slideshow that I set up ALL BY MYSELF. No Ben instructions needed. I feel like a big girl now :)

Close ups

2009-02-19T08:11:00.002-05:00

Ben was playing with his new lens (50 mm plus extension tube) last night and took these cute closeups. He'll probably have more posted to his photo blog. I'm so glad he got a shot of David and his thumb and Sara with a crayon - so typical of them both! Sara was extremely hard to photograph as she would not hold still for more than 5 seconds!

Sara funny of the day: After being told that carrots are good for your eyes she attempted to stick one in her eye. Oh the literal mind of a toddler.

David is getting so big!

2009-02-16T20:53:00.002-05:00

I just can't believe how old David seems. He's growing like a weed! He likes to sit and play with Sara and only occasionally tips over when he gets too excited. I like the picture of shirtless baby; Ben told him that chicks dig a man with no shirt. I just like the baby belly. It's so kissable! I'm sure he'll love the bathtub pic when he's older too. And just look at him learning to play Legos with Dad and Sara!

We had a great weekend. We got together with the college roommates on Saturday. The adults still outnumber the kids - but only barely. Brand new baby Jack Becksvoort was there - were my kids ever that small? He's adorable. Sara had fun playing with everyone. All the way there she said "I'm going to a party!" and all the way home she said "I like parties, I was at a party!" Thanks Nate and Melissa for letting us all invade your house!

We visited Great Grandma after church on Sunday. Sara was so excited to see Allison and Andrew now that they are both feeling better. They played hard and ate cake. We went home for lunch and changing and then went to tour the new Haunstein Center and the new critical care unit we're moving into. It's a beautiful building! Sara liked seeing Mommy's work and getting a cookie. She thinks that work means you go somewhere and get candy or cookies because thats what happens every time she goes to JCI or Saints. David was a good sleeper at first and then woke up to see the sights. He was happy and smiling and I was so glad I had well behaved children so Ben and I could really explore the place. The big move starts next week. I really hope I don't get called off this week because I would like at least one more shift on the old unit. Oh the memories!

The kids were pretty well behaved if slightly clingy today. Sara played nicely with David and helped me make dinner in the crock pot. I chopped, she dumped. I picked David up afterwards and he did not enjoy slobbering onion-y hands. His face was priceless!

Sara got a Valentine card from Grandma Algera today. She's still trying to comprehend the mysteries of the post office but was excited to get mail to open. "Oh Mommy, I got a card! From Grandma! It's so cute, I hug it. And kisses too!" Every so often she would say "Oh, where my card? There it is! I read it again."

David is widening his horizons of fruits and vegetables. Bananas, sweet potatoes and carrots are now acceptable foods. And rice cereal with mixed fruit is almost as much of a hit as cereal with apples. I think he'll be able to start finger foods as soon as he figures out that he can shovel stuff into his mouth and chew. Teeth might help with that.

Both kids are sleeping now and I should be getting stuff together for tomorrow. I'm working so I like to have everything organized for the kids before I go to bed. Ben is watching 24, his one TV addiction and picking up toys during the commercials. The toys are beginning to take over around here - but we try!

Reason 462..

2009-02-13T09:14:00.001-05:00

Yes, reason 462 to have kids -the excuse to play Nerf football in the living room. Sara needs to gain a little weight before she'll be an effective blocker. But she knows how to do a touchdown dance!

Hungry hungry hippos

2009-02-10T20:51:00.002-05:00

I love this picture of David. It shows how excited he gets over his cereal. Veggies are still somewhat suspect, but rice cereal with apples is the highlight of his mealtimes! Ben calls this his bird mouth and Sara says "Davey is open wide!"

We had a wonderful, warm day here with high temperatures near 60! It was sunny and felt like spring. "I hear birdies, see mouses Mommy!" Mouses are squirrels; we don't have any resident rodents that I know of. Maybe she is seeing something I don't? Our kitty has been gone for seven months now.

Grandma and Grandpa came over for a visit today and Sara is still excited. Grandpa played catch with her. She's discovered a new favorite game. "I catch and kick and throw!" I think she'll be an athlete someday. I got a good amount of housework done while Dad watched the kids and Mom helped with the laundry. Thanks Mom!

Sara had a great dinner tonight. Chicken pot pie! When I put the plate in front of her, she checked it out and then squealed "Look, chicken bits! Pot pie is so yummy." I think she might have eaten more than I did!

Hopefully tomorrow will have some sun, since we hear that the cold weather is heading back this way. It's been wonderful!

It's been too long

2009-02-09T21:10:00.003-05:00

Do you still recognize these cuties? It's been so long since I last posted. We've been pretty busy and worn out from lack of sleep. Fortunatly we have all been healthy and happy and just hanging out through the cold and gray days of late January and early February. Maybe I'm feeling more communicative because the last few days have been sunny and warmer. As Sara said "The sun came out to make me happy!"

This picture of Sara is her spring dress and shoes. Ellen found it for her last year, and guessed the size about right. She calls it her dancing dress and pretty shoes. She is such a girl! Even at two she likes shoes, dresses, hair bows and makeup. She got to watch Grandma and Mom try out Mary Kay makeup last week. She sat in her chair for 45 minutes with her own brushes making herself beautiful. She's still talking about it. Ben just shakes his head and is glad that David is a boy.

David has been a happy drooler. He soaks his clothes and bibs! When is that tooth going to show? His newest favorite trick is grabbing at faces and giving hugs. If he's hungry he'll chew at my chin. And of course, this is all accompanied by huge belly laughs. He loves sitting on Sara's bed listening to her read books and loves when she pats his back and tickles his tummy. I've given him some bath books to chew on and he flips the pages like he really knows what he's doing.

I took Sara to the library on Saturday. She was so excited to see the turtles and fish that live on the children's floor. But when she got up there she saw all the books and the turtles were forgotton. "So many books! Whose books?" When I told her she could pick two books to borrow she headed right for the shelf and started choosing. I'm already sick of reading "Stuck in the Mud". She already has it memorized! I hope she will understand that these books have to go back.

Sara has been feeding us such delicious dishes such as pancakes with special butter, pizza with "all the fixings", alphabet soup (David's favorite according to her) and happy birthday cake with peanut butter frosting. That kitchen was the best gift for her! What an imagination she has!

I'm sure I'm missing a bunch of small happenings. I'll try to stay a little more caught up!

Big Foot Boogie!

2009-01-24T19:33:00.002-05:00

We're having a fun weekend in frigid Traverse City! Ben ran the Bigfoot Boogie snowshoe race this morning in below zero windchills. I decided to keep my sleepy, sneezy and teething children inside instead of being a spectator. He finished in 1:13:57, fourth place in the 30-35 age group and good enough to win an official Bigfoot Boogie coffee mug! To all our running friends - who wants to join in next year?

We had a very nice drive up here while the kids napped. It got a little snowy and we had an interesting spin down the driveway of the grocery store. Sara had a hard time settling down to sleep at night and David woke up with a fever at 2 AM, so we are feeling a little worn out, but I'm glad we decided to come up with the whole family.

Ben had a great race, as I mentioned. He was pretty cold when it was all over! I'll have to get the picture of the grand prize off his camera -a Bigfoot trophy!

Sara's favorite part of the trip was the hotel pool. "I swim in the sea, Mommy! I brought my bathing suit!" She stayed in until her teeth were chattering but "I not cold, no! Stay in longer!" Later, while watching her Letter Factory DVD in our room, she said "I like hotels, Mommy." Probably because the rules were relaxed a little on vacation!

In the afternoon we took a drive up Old Mission Peninsula where Ben took some pictures of the lighthouse and the bay. It was cold but sunny and he got some good shots. The kids napped in the car and we enjoyed some grown up conversation while enjoying a beautiful drive.

The kids are probably so sick of being in the car! It's going to be a little rough getting back into the routine, but it's nice to get away and explore a little every now and then. Ben and I would really love to come back some time without the kids and just drive and hike around. We realized that our tenth anniversary is only 18 months away, so maybe that will be a good excuse! Who wants to babysit?

Happy little dudes!

2009-01-20T21:40:00.002-05:00

Look at David sitting with his truck! Tonight he sat without his Boppy and giggled at his favorite toy. He's getting so big!
He grabs for toys and belly laughs when anyone plays with him.

We had a good day, got going slowly until I got called into work. I worked a few hours and then came home to napped up kids. Sara and I made chicken enchiladas for dinner. Ben was very happy with that.

We watched some inauguration celebrations. "See Mommy, it's Barack Obama!" Sara did not want to go to bed, but finally the promise of reading Imogene while cuddling Daddy was too much to resist. Both kids are snoozing now and we are watching Biggest Loser.

For your daily funny: Sara's new favorite game. I invented "hibernating bears "when I wasn't feeling well with some inspiration from Mom. We hide in the blanket cave and do bear things. "Let's be hinerbating bears, Mommy! We eat nuts and berries, carrots and 'matoes! And salmon! Davey is a skeeky skirrel outside the cave!"

Playing together

2009-01-18T21:50:00.002-05:00

Sara and David really are learning to play together. Unfortunatly for David, this often means Sara hugs him and then takes his toys. She likes to read to him and show him the right way to play with his things. What a silly big sister. She loves to give hugs, too.

It's been snowy and freezing cold here. It's finally warm enough for me to let Sara out to play in the snow. It's difficult to explain below zero windchills to a kid who wants out on her sled!

David had his six month check up on Wednesday. He's healthy, weighs 16 lbs and 4 ounces and is 26.5 inches tall. He's getting so big!

This weekend I actually worked a whole shift. I've been getting called off alot, so it was really good to be at work. Sara and David had a Daddy day. They had a good time and the house was good and trashed when I got home!

Today was a very snowy day. It took Ben an hour to shovel the driveway! Oh well, that means that Sara will have plenty of fun tomorrow. She loves her sled and making snowballs. Hopefully it gets warm enough to make a good snowman. Maybe we'll teach her snow angels tomorrow. Ben will be home for MLK day, so we have an extended weekend! Yeah!

And now the funnies...you knew they were coming. I can't help it, I have such amusing kids! I made David cereal for lunch today and walked away to get his bib. When I got back to the high chair he had pulled the bowl over, stuck his hand in and was happily licking at his fist. Cereal is a finger food, who knew?

Sara had fun taking David to the doctor. But when the nurse walked in with his immunizations, she got wide eyed, ran to the corner and said "Not me!"

Sara loves riding in Ben's truck. Ben was going to pick up some pizza on Friday and Sara did not want to go until Ben said he was taking the truck. Then she picked herself up off the floor and said "Daddy's big red truck? Let's go! I like truck."

My favorite Sara quote: "I would like a glass of milk." (big grin) "And milk goes with cookies!"

David's 6 month pics

2009-01-10T21:53:00.000-05:00

Enough with the camera, Dad!

2009-01-10T20:44:00.002-05:00

The kids started the day playing so nicely together while Mom slept in! David looks skeptical of Daddy and the camera, though. Sara will cheese for any camera any time.

It was a cold and very snowy Saturday. Sara was so excited to help Ben shovel! Bundling a toddler up is quite the process, but very necessary since Sara will stay outside as long as we will let her. She shoveled with her present from Uncle Rich and just ran around and got covered with snow until her little cheeks were glowing red. David had fun looking out the windows at the snow and squealing at it. He also likes the birds by the feeder next door.

Sara did not want to come inside, but once she was in and unbundled she said "I tired, Mommy. Snuggle with big blanket?" She loves the fleece blanket Ben's mom gave me for Christmas. So I tucked her in on the couch and she was soon sound asleep.

She ate another huge dinner tonight - snow play must work up an appetite. Then she helped with David's bath and raced to "my bath, my turn, lets go!" After a small dose of Veggie Tales she was ready for a bedtime story and sleep. David just settled in, too so Ben and I are trying to get some speed housework done.
Oh yes, Sara's prize count is now two toys. She added a teacup to her collection! She's so proud; I'm so hopeful!

Getting back to the routine

2009-01-09T21:34:00.003-05:00

I think we're finally back to our normal routine. Between Ben's vacation and a short bout with the flu we've been all off schedule. But it has been a fun week since we got back home!

Our flight home from NJ was wonderfully uneventful. The kids were so well behaved. Sara loved "taking off into the sky" and "coming in for a landing!" Her favorite parts were having her own carry on backpack and getting her own pretzels.

Not a whole lot has been going on since then, we've been keeping things pretty low key and Sara is just happy to play with her kitchen and read her new books. She has already memorized "Imogene's Antlers" and "The Foot Book" David likes his truck - see him sitting to play with it? It makes revving sounds and he is fascinated.

Some Sara quotes for your enjoyment: "I want to stay in my bath for my whole life!" "My dolly is named Grandma Z" "David is kind of wet" (in reference to a slobbery kiss he gave her). "I'm doing it! I get a prize!" for going on the potty. It's my new strategy; a piece of food or dishes for her kitchen every time she goes. I hope this works! She got a tea pot today. She has also been singing the Veggie Tales song pretty clearly and loves Larry the Cucumber.

Sara is asleep now after a big dinner at Culver's and a trip to Lowe's. She loves the lighting section. "Drive this way, Daddy! So bright!" Someday when she's a teenager I'll remind her how easy it used to be to entertain her on a Friday night.

David is still giggling at Ben. He did not sleep so well last night, at least not in any kind of continuous fashion. As Sara says "Davey was a wakey snoose last night" I have to admit that snoose was a silly name I gave Sara when she was little and it just stuck. She even gets a little jealous "Davey is NOT Mommy's snoose. I am!" We compromise: she is my snoosa. Don't laugh at me, it's hard to admit my goofyness to all who read this. Blame the mommy hormones! But it's so cute when she uses my silly words.

So we will hope for better sleep tonight. He ate like a monster and has pooped out a ton already this evening, so he should be good to go. We'll see!

Happy Birthday to Mommy!

2008-12-27T21:58:00.003-05:00

Yes, I'm 31 today, and what a great birthday it was! Sara sang to me to start things off. What could be better than a 2 year old version of Happy Birthday to You?

In the morning we loaded everyone up and went to the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. Sara had a great time and will probably be talking about this trip for weeks. She got a kiss from a sea lion! She saw real penguins, a walrus or "big monster!", otters and seals. She loved watching schools of fish. "Those fishies have a problem" she said as small fish swam around a bigger one. She liked the seahorses and jellyfish too. We may have a future marine biologist on our hands!

Tonight Ben and I went out for dinner while Grandma and Grandpa watched Sara and David. What a birthday treat! Sara got her bath in Grandma's tub and now both of them are snoozing away. Sara has claimed her bed here - we caught her jumping up and down on it this afternoon. David sleeps in his pack and play in the hallway. He had a very rough night last night, so hopefully he'll sleep better tonight. I was so tired this morning I poured my juice until the cup poured over and Ben asked me what I was doing!

Christmas and airplanes

2008-12-26T21:11:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful day with the people they love. Congratulations to Brad and Ericka (Nate's brother and sister-in-law) on their beautiful Christmas baby, Leah Grace!

We had a busy but very enjoyable day. After church we headed to Grandma and Grandpa Zandstra's house for a delicious meal, presents and games. The kids could hardly enjoy their food with all those presents sitting under the tree! They had fun ripping and got great presents from Grandma and Grandpa and the aunts and uncles.

In the afternoon, Nate and Ellen dropped us off at the airport and we got on a plane to New Jersey to see Grandma and Grandpa Algera! It was David's first plane ride and Sara's fourth. They were so well behaved! David hung out on my lap laughing or just sitting. Sara read her book and played with her giggle stick. She took a midflight snooze and then looked out the window until we got to our gate (a half hour early!)

Bedtime was a little chaotic when we got home, but both kids slept pretty well and got up bright and early this morning for presents! Sara had a great time. Ben's dad restored the toy tractor he got as a gift when he was three and gave it to Sara. It looks like new and Sara has already taken it for a ride down the sidewalk. David sat on the seat and twirled the steering wheel. He's not even close to reaching the pedals yet!

Aunt Pam, Alyce, Kyle and Matthew came down from Massachusetts for an Algera family party. Sara was shy at first but warmed up to her usual silly self pretty quickly. She enjoyed her pizza and presents. It was so good to see everyone again.

Sara and David both went to bed with very little convincing tonight. Sara is back to being a big girl, going on the potty and being good about bed! I'm so excited about that. The'll need their rest! We plan to go to the aquarium tomorrow so Sara can see some penguins. That should make her week!

We've taken so many pictures in the last few days it's hard to choose just a few to put up here. Go check out Facebook or Flickr if you would like to see photos of all the fun!

A picture is worth a thousand words

2008-12-23T20:43:00.003-05:00

We had a great day today! Check out this slideshow and enjoy it along with us:

Quotes of the day
"Here my snowboots, snowpants, snowcoat...lets go out now!"
"David WANTS to share his truck" (After she took his present away from him)
"Oh, my merry Christmas! My tea party! Thank you Daddy!" (after seeing her new kitchen)

A blizzard day!

2008-12-21T21:05:00.002-05:00

Yes, it is still freezing cold and snowing like crazy! Church was canceled and we were stuck inside watching the snow all day long. It looks like we'll have a lot more snow to shovel by morning, too!

We had fun at home, playing and finishing Christmas wrapping. Sara took pictures for us. She loves saying "cheese for the camera, Mommy!" She is also very intrigued by the presents under the tree. "Toys for Daddy, Allison and Andrew!" There is stuff under there for her, but I didn't make a big deal of that. I don't need three days of whining! I get enough from Ben!

Sara is in bed, sleepy from all the Daddy playing. She and David love when Ben wears his Calvin sweatshirt with strings. They both got hold of them this afternoon and just about strangled him. David is working on finding his sleep while cuddling Daddy right now.

I might go shovel a bit. I have to work tomorrow and I'd like to be able to get out of the driveway in my car. The road has about four inches of snow on it right now, so the plow shouldn't bury us in too badly when or IF it comes by again. Before the plow came through this afternoon there was absolutely no way I could have gotten out. It was that deep! We'll go to bed soon and hope the snow winds down before morning.

Tons of snow

2008-12-19T20:45:00.006-05:00

It just kept snowing this morning. We got about a foot of snow, starting in the early morning and going until about noon. A big thank you to our neighbors who snowblew our driveway today! It would have been a huge shoveling job. We're all dug out now and things are quiet again.

Sara and David got one of their presents a little early. They needed a good sled for this good snow! Sara yelled and laughed the whole time. David was just wide eyed. "This is fun David! Wheeeee!!!" There really is a baby in that blue bubble. We wouldn't want the Grandma's worrying about their baby in the snow. He was well bundled. Check out the video posted below! There is a snow hill from the neighbors roof. They had to shovel while reroofing last week. It's just the right size for little sledders.

Sara helped get more Christmas decorations and the stockings up today. She wants to know why there are socks on her fireplace! She'll find out soon! I need to get wrapping tomorrow or Sara and Ben are going to discover their presents. He's worse than a kid when it comes to present hunting and trying to get hints!

Sledding is fun!

2008-12-19T19:34:00.003-05:00

David and Sara got an early Christmas present for this snowy day. It was perfect for sledding!

Ho Ho Ho...Christmas shopping is done!

2008-12-18T22:03:00.004-05:00

David hangs out

Sara makes recipies

David and Sara hung out with Daddy tonight while Mommy Claus went out to do ALL her Christmas shopping. There are still a couple things not crossed off my list, but it was a very productive evening. And it's amazing how much I can get done without my little helpers!

They did "help" me with the grocery shopping this afternoon. They were very good - David slept the whole time and Sara rode in the cart chatting with me. She helped empty the cart and then got a ride on the horse for being so good.

We headed to Great Grandma's house after that. Sara played hard with Allison and Andrew! "Allison wear me out, Mommy" she said on the way home.

Worn out Sara is snuggled in bed in her "very favorite" Christmas pjs. David is snuggling Daddy and hopefully have a good sleeping night. Sometime we do, sometimes not so much. We go to bed hopeful!

David hangs out while Sara chatters

2008-12-17T21:05:00.002-05:00

That's what we did today: listen to Sara talk and talk and talk. Ben wanted me to write these wise sayings down so we can laugh about them later. So here are some of the things heard in the Algera house today:

"I draw beautiful penguin eggs!"
"Pipie goes night when Sara is wakey!" (She only gets her pipe at night and she knows not to beg for it now)
"David is boring today"
"I want jelly sandwich, please no peanut butter"
"Mommy and Sara sailing away" (during her bath)
"When Daddy gets home, I give huge big kisses...Mmmmmaaaaa!!!!"
"Shake your booty!"
"found the baby wrapped in cloths laying in a manger"
"My Hayden Scott came to play. We hide from Mommy"
"Pizza! Give pizza!"

Dreaming of Christmas

2008-12-15T21:46:00.002-05:00

Here's David, taking a mid afternoon snooze by the Christmas lights. Maybe he is dreaming about the presents Sara told him about. He fell asleep while looking at the lights and shiny ornaments.

It was freezing cold and blustery today. There was plenty of snow for Sara to shout at. She really wanted to go out and play in it, but the temperatures were in the single digits, not even figuring in the wind chill. So Mom was mean, even though Sara found her coat and begged "here is snowcoat, I go play pleeeeeaaase!!!!!"

But she did find plenty to do inside. Dominique and Parker stopped by on their way home to Wisconsin. Parker and Sara had fun running up and down the stairs and doing downward dog with somersaults. Sara also had fun acting like a penguin. Penguins are her new favorite thing. She told me to "shake my penguin booty!" She walks like a penguin and dances like a penguin. It's hilarious.

Now Sara is sleeping in her new Christmas pajamas. David is fussing a little, but he'll be out soon too. He's been doing a little better at the nighttime sleeping. Ben's been getting full nights of sleep and I'm usually only short a half hour to an hour of sleep. Not bad!

Busy days

2008-12-12T21:12:00.002-05:00

Do these three characters look like they might be related? No Zandstra genes expressed in these kids. But they are still adorable, and Daddy isn't so bad looking either!

I'm just back from a few hours at work, which was a complete circus. I'm still on call just in case the craziness continues. One of the ER nurses said he was trying to bat a cycle; bring us one of each kind of patient. He was getting pretty close! Ah, fun times.

Sara and David were very happy and silly today. David likes to blow raspberries and Sara calls them "David's gazoos" as in "Mommy, David is making gazoos!" He belly laughs for two things - Mommy kissing his fat little cheeks and Sara. Sara has been walking like a penguin all day and reading her Christmas books. She won't go anywhere without her three Christmas books. They go to bed with her at night, and come downstairs in the morning. They are necessary for car rides and naps. Some boring day I'm just going to blog a list of things the kids do that I don't want to forget. It's like an online baby book!

Ben is out making a quick Meijer run, Sara is asleep with dolly, blankie and books and David needs some settling down. I think he might be getting a tooth. He is producing enough drool to water a small garden! Good night!

Pretty Christmas trees

2008-12-10T09:54:00.002-05:00

Things were just to busy last night to get to the blog, so I'm catching up in the morning. David is playing with the fish on his play mat and shrieking right now, and Sara is eating her morning snack "so good granola bar!" They are busy and happy for the moment.

Last night we met Grandma and Grandpa at the Meijer Gardens to see the Christmas trees. Sara had such a great time! The trees are big and bright. "So pretty 'Chrisas' trees! My tree so pretty too!"

The tropical garden was dark, lit only by lights wrapped around trees. It was beautiful and Sara had a great time running around and around the paths. The poinsettias and amaryllis were big and beautiful "So big plants, so pretty!" She liked the birdhouses on the bird tree, too.

The trains made of natural material were set up in the seasonal gardens again this year. It's so funny to watch groups of kids follow the trains through the rooms. Sara loves the trains. While she was chasing them, she ran into Ally and Andrew and their grandma and grandpa! They were all so excited. Andrew waved hello and bye-bye to the trains and said "toot toot!" when they came around the bend. Ally and Sara ran along the tracks and squealed when they saw the trains.

We found the childrens activities in the basement, and Sara had a wonderful time making a paper house with Daddy and playing with the toy trains. She also liked the turtle tank in the hallway.

David was a happy toot the whole time. He squeaked for food once, and when that need was met he was good to go again. He giggled and dimpled at everyone. Sara lasted until about 7:30, and then she started getting tired and cranky. So we headed out into the snowstorm for home. It was a slow drive home, but we made it in one piece. The kids were a little wound up so bedtime took a while, but they slept pretty well last night!

Sara woke up this morning and said "see pretty trees and trains today too? Please?" I guess she had a good time. Maybe we'll take her again some Saturday. If I bundle her up she would probably have a good time wandering around outside, too!

Let it snow!

2008-12-06T22:23:00.002-05:00

We were snowed in today. Ben just finished shoveling the driveway and he estimated he moved about a foot of snow. It's been going pretty much nonstop all day. Sara had fun telling David all about snowballs and snowmen! Ben took their picture as they were discussing the blowing snow.

The kids slept in until about 9 today - how nice! We didn't have to negotiate with eachother for the parent sleep in. Ben made overnight french toast, so we stuck that in the oven and had a great breakfast. Sara ate a whole big piece and a whole banana! She's been a very hungry child lately.

We watched football and played indoor games all day. Sara is starting to feel a little cooped up, I think. But she loves having Dad home on the weekends, because he will give horsey rides and do somersaults with her. I'm not very good at somersaults. Ben and Sara were laughing at my attempts.

I feel like a bad mom today because I snipped David while trimming his fingernails. He was bleeding! Have you ever tried to bandage an infant finger? It's tough. He seems to have forgiven me, though. He is still awake right now, so maybe that's his revenge.

We're watching the snow blow and waiting to stick the baby in his crib. Hopefully things calm down by tomorrow, since I have to work in the afternoon. We've seen a plow go by once in the last two days, and our road is pretty full of snow. I'm not even sure the car could get out!

See this!

2008-12-05T16:00:00.001-05:00

I can't seem to get this video to upload here - so follow this link to see some cute David.

My little funnies

2008-12-04T21:46:00.006-05:00

What funny kids! David has been having fun rolling around and grabbing at his feet. Video coming soon! Sara helped herself to David's leftover pears after dinner tonight. "I eat David's pears! He all done!" David chowed down about half a jar of pears and I let Sara finish it off. She said it was very good. I'll have to see what she thinks of pureed veggies next!

We had a good day today. It was snowing pretty much continuously. Sara loves to watch snow, and it was the pretty fluffy stuff. We had to get out in it this morning so Sara could get the second half of her flu shot. She was not happy about this. She threw every excuse she could think of to stay home. "I tired, need bed! I hungry, need food! No doctor, no!" While I was strapping David in the car she stripped of all her clothes; "No clothes, no out!" I finally got her there and she did great. Everything was fine after she got a pink plastic dolphin for a prize.

We played some Chutes and Ladders, had a big lunch, had a nap and then headed to Great-Grandma's house. Sara loves to see her Grandmas. She read books and ate cookies. David was in a very cheerful mood. Grandma loves her baby giggles! Then Allison and Andrew showed up and the fun began. They read Elmo says with hyper child actions. Sara took off her shirt and Allison and Andrew followed her lead. Three half naked children running around! It was too funny.

Sara was upset at bedtime and I think we can blame the shot for some of it. Tylenol and cuddles made it at least bearable and she's sleeping now. David has had a very happy evening and is still blowing bubbles and giving Ben giggles. He is starting to slow down and look a little sleepy. His napping/eating routine got a little messed up today. Hopefully he'll crash soon and we'll be able to crash too!

David got dumped

2008-12-02T21:36:00.002-05:00

Look at my little man with a hat over his eyes. He got dumped yesterday. Anika found a cute preschool boy she wants to marry instead. Oh well. He seems to be taking it well!

We've had a great couple days here. Not much going on, just playing and enjoying the snow. Sara really gets a kick out of the neighbors who are reroofing their house. They have to shovel the roof every morning. She thinks this is hilarious.

Sara helped make sugar cookies with cookie cutters yesterday. She thinks this process is great fun. She also really likes using a rolling pin. She also likes to eat these cookies. She ate three of them before I caught her pulling them off the cooling rack. She just grinned with her mouth full "So good cookies, Mommy!" Next time she wants to make all stars and moons with frosting smiley faces.

David is sound asleep right now. Sara is having a little bit of trouble settling down. She's had a couple of good bedtimes, but I guess she's just unsettled tonight. What a 2 year old.

David's first Christmas tree!

2008-11-29T20:30:00.002-05:00

We had a beautiful sunny day to spend together today! David got us up a little early, but Sara had a good sleep-in. We got moving in a pretty relaxed fashion, and then headed out for a walk to the park. The temperature was near 40 degrees, and I don't think we'll see many more days like this! Sara hadn't been to the park for a while and was so excited! She swung, climbed monkey bars, played soccer ball and just ran around in the grass. She was upset when it was time to go! She is impervious to cold and would stay out all day if she could. She took a good long nap after all that fresh air and energy burning!

David ate some cereal for dinner again tonight. He keeps getting better at it! It was so cute to see the kids grin at eachother at the table. Sara pulls the high chair over by her chair and says "David sit by me! I talk to David." He just grins and yells.

After dinner we put up the Christmas ornaments. Sara danced to Mariah Carey while Ben and I got the tree and lights up. She "loves Christmas music, Mommy! Dance with me!" She helped put the ornaments on and had fun counting the red ones. Check out the video posted below! I think she's so cute and smart! The tree is decorated with a concentration of ornaments at Sara height. She wanted to do it herself!

David seemed to like the sparkly lights and reached for the shiny ornaments. He wasn't quite sure what was going on, but he had fun laughing at Sara. It's so cute to see them grin at eachother. Sara told him all about Christmas trees and presents.

Now the kids are both bathed and PJ'd. Sara got to watch Dave and the Giant Pickle and now Ben is reading her bedtime story. She's been fussy about bedtime lately even when she's exhausted. We just stick to the routine and hope she gets over it. We're going to watch a little football by Christmas tree light while sipping some hot buttered rum. How relaxing!

Sara counts ornaments

2008-11-29T19:57:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-28T21:20:00.002-05:00

Look at the big man! Isn't he cute sitting up in a chair?

We have so much to be thankful for this year. Our kids are healthy, cute and bright. We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving day together (mostly). After church we went to the Haveman's for Thanksgiving lunch. It was a good time with good food. Sara and David were the only kids until later in the afternoon when Buck and Grady showed up. Sara really enjoyed the squash and turkey and ate lots of pie! She liked seeing the calves and the kittens on the farm. And of course, seeing Grandma and Grandpa is always a highlight. They got big hugs. After lunch Sara watched football with Dad and the uncles. "I go downstairs now, see football with Uncle Richie!" The Lions lost pretty spectacularly, but she didn't care.

I had to work for a few hours in the afternoon, but got sent home at 7. So we had a nice evening at home. Sara loved having Mom and Dad with her all day!

Today we started out slowly. Our new dishwasher was delivered in the morning and Ben spent a few hours getting in installed. It only took two trips to Menards! The first load of dishes just finished up. It runs so quietly! I guess I won't be using the dishwasher sounds to soothe David anymore. Which isn't such a problem since he seems to be leaving his colicky days behind.

In the afternoon we had a housecleaning fit and I did some cooking. Sara loves chicken pot pie! "Veggies so good, Mommy! Thank you! I eat big sporks full!" She calls her utensils sporks, and insists on eating everything with them. "No eat with fingers. I big girl!" David got some rice cereal and pears, which made him laugh and spit.

Now the kids are both in bed and Ben and I are enjoying some hot chocolate and blogging. I suppose we should go get some sleep, since David will be calling for me in way to short of a time.

"I feel better now! Want a pretzel?"

2008-11-25T20:16:00.002-05:00

Here we are, playing dollies! I feel like such a mom playing dollies with my little girl. Two years ago I could never have imagined how much fun this could be. These dolls are my old Strawberry Shortcake dolls. They are at least 20 some years old. My mom found them in the closet and gave them to Sara. She calls them "Mommy's dollies" and loves to take their shoes off and put them back on. She also likes to line them up and count them.

I just finished giving her a bath, and it is so good to see her play and splash. The last few baths have been tired scrubbing ups with only a kick or two. She's really starting to get back to her old self. It's taking a while! She still gets tired quickly and looks a little thin and pale. But the sparkle is coming back to her eyes.

We made monkey bread this afternoon for our kitchen project. Sara really loves to bake! She likes to eat too. She said "Monkey bread (insert crazy monkey noises here) is SO good!"

David is sitting next to me in his little onesie. His pudgy legs are so cute! He's learned to suck his thumb and it makes him very happy. He's been smiling and laughing most of the day. He sat in Sara's rocking chair for a few minutes today and looked like such a big boy!

I should be getting my little ones into bed. We're all sitting on the couch watching Biggest Loser and snuggling. It's so nice.

2008-11-21T22:16:00.005-05:00

It's Ben again... with a little explanation of the last post. Emily started the post, but Sara started saying "I blog! I blog!" So we let her punch at the keys for a while. The funny thing was, she actually posted it! We were just watching her type and all of a sudden, the screen said "Your post was successful!" I guess we have a very tech savvy daughter!

Anyway, as you could probably tell from the picture, Sara went outside to play in the snow yesterday. Everyone is feeling much better, no more noroviris! Sara learned how to make snowballs, and even practiced throwing a few. As usual, once she got outside, she didn't want to come inside, even though her cheeks were red and her lips were blue. Emily finally lured her inside by telling her she could make cookies for daddy (good idea!). Once inside, Em tried to distract here with something else, but Sara insisted "I make cookies for daddy!" (good girl!) So they made some peanut butter cookies, and Sara helped measure ingredients and mix things. They were delicious, thanks girls!

David has continued to be very happy and playful (as much as a 5ish month old can play). He likes pretty much anything that rattles, and he likes grinning back when grinned at. He even belly laughs sometimes! The only problem was that he continued to be happy and playful most of the night last night. He had both of us up quite a bit, not crying or fussing, but cooing and laughing?!?!?! Who knows... Hopefully, tonight is a better night.

Which brings us to now. I am holding down the fort for the evening, Emily is at a "girls night out" with the girls in our church middle school group. They are having a sleep-over, but Emily is just staying for a few hours. She has to be up early for her ACLS class tomorrow. Extra points for anyone who posts a comment with what you think that stands for!

Sara Blogs

2008-11-20T20:17:00.004-05:00

This is Sara's entry:

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:?CKCJJVK ';778IU'I

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Happy little toots

2008-11-18T21:51:00.002-05:00

Hey, I actually feel well enough to type! We've been hit hard by this stomach bug. We're moving into the nasty diaper stage of things. Yuck! Sara is still awake after throwing up after dinner. She "feels all better now, stay up now!"

Ben stayed home this morning because I couldn't get myself off the couch. He took some very cute pictures of David sitting on my lap. He says he is feeling very paternal today. Look at my little toot! What a grin. He loves his mommy.

Sara has been taking very good care of me too. She read me stories and let me cuddle her dolly today. "You hug dolly and me read to Mommy. Make all better now!"

Hopefully we will all be better soon and David and Ben will stay well. I'm imposing a quarentine on us for at least another day or so. I don't want to pass this on to anyone else!

Before and After

2008-11-17T21:52:00.011-05:00

Well, it is time for me (Ben) to write a blog post, this is my first! This is Sara this morning... she was pretty miserable all day. She layed on the couch or her bed most of the day. When I got home from work, she was still napping, but she came downstairs and drank a whole sippy of juice and perked right up. That led to the next picture. She was running around with a mop bucket on her head... who knows the mind of a two year old!

Emily is feeling pretty miserable too. I feel so bad for my girls! I hope they are both up for running around in the snow soon.

Thats right. Snow. It snowed almost all day today and a bunch last night. We probably have ~6 inches on the ground, and more is coming all this week. We are VERY jealous of my parents who are in St. Thomas, USVI right now... sigh...

Speaking of USVI, I am going to take this opportunity to "advertize" my new photo blog:

http://algeraphoto.blogspot.com/

Todays post features a photo of St. John (the next island to the east of St. Thomas) where my parents will be later this week. If anyone has any suggestions for a name for my photoblog, please let me know, the current name is pretty boring.

So, other than worrying about Sara and Emily, and dreaming about warm beaches, things are going ok. Fortunately, David has shown no signs of being sick. Actually, he is more playful and happy then ever. He loves playing with his turtle rattle and squishy hippo. Really, he is a fan of anything that rattles. We played for a while, then he got hungry, Emily fed him, and he soon fell asleep. What a life!

Well, I think I'll sign off for tonight, hopefully the next post finds us a fully healthy family!

So sick!

2008-11-16T17:43:00.002-05:00

Poor Sara! She got so sick today. I thought I heard her vomiting in the early morning, but when I went to check on her everything looked clean and she was pretty sleepy, so I let her be. She got up and seemed happy enough, although she only picked at her breakfast. We got all dressed for church and into the car. When we got to the corner she puked all over the car seat and her Sunday clothes. We pulled over, I hopped in the back and she continued to heave into David's spit rag on the way back home. Half digested milk and bananas are gross! After a complete clean up and snuggle she did it all over again, all over the couch and herself.

I went to check out the bedroom and everything WAS clean - except for her blanket which had undigested beans in it. I felt so bad! I left a sick kid to herself at night! But she seems to have survived.

She seemed to perk up a little after a morning snuggle. She ran to the window and shouted about the snow. But as she sat by the window watching snowflakes...she did it again. Puke splashing off the window! No food in it this time because she hadn't eaten anything all morning. I threw in pukey laundry load number 2. I am happy to report that I sucessfully got the smell out of her blanket, her Sunday coat and her dolly. But I learned that dolly needs to be hung up to dry or water stores up in her legs and drips out when she gets a good hug!

This afternoon she took a good nap and snuggled on Daddy. I covered the couch with an old sheet, just in case. She seems better now, running around and eating some toast and crackers. We are a scrubbing, hand washing bunch! I really don't want to deal with a vomiting baby.

I'm getting ready to leave for work and hoping Sara's stomach contents stay where they belong for Ben. I'll bet bedtime is not a struggle at all tonight! She's so tired.

David is happy and waving his arms at me while telling me a story that involves lots of drool and cooing. He's been ignored a little today while we tended to his sister. He was OK with that. He didn't nap much and was a little fussy until he filled a diaper. It's so fun to watch him become more and more interactive. Ben just told me he said "Daddy". He gets worried now if he doesn't see someone and gives big grins when someone comes to get him. Sara loves his smiles and babbling. She told me "I speak baby talk!" I guess we have a translator!

I hope the stomach bug is done! Good luck Ben!

Saturdays are fun!

2008-11-15T21:07:00.003-05:00

This is Sara writing her name! Really! Well, maybe not. She picks up her pen and says "S-A-R-A, I write my name!", and then scribbles. But doesn't she look so grown up? She almost looks like she's doing homework.

The story of how she acquired that pen was the highlight of yesterday. We went to visit Grandma and Grandpa who have their Christmas tree up. Sara was so excited! "Christmas tree so beautiful! Where my presents?" Grandpa told her there weren't any presents, and she took that to mean no presents ever. She collapsed into a sobbing heap. So Grandma ran to the grandkid toy stash and rolled these pens in some wrapping paper. Sara loves her light up Pooh! She's been writing all day. I'm just glad she listens to me when I tell her she may only write on paper!

Today was a great Saturday. The kids slept in until a more decent hour. We made pancakes for breakfast, which made Sara extremely happy. We made a Target run and got Sara a step stool for handwashing and toothbrushing - she's getting a litte heavy to hold up there. I got her some flannel sheets, too! They're pink with snowmen and Christmas trees. She loves them. "Fuzzy sheets like Grandma's house! I like! I show Hayden!" She slept on flannel sheets at Grandma's house when David was born. She has a great memory!

I like to try out new recipies on Saturday afternoons when Ben is around to play with David. Sara helps me. We made a tiramisu triffle! Ben calls it "faux" tiramisu since it has no ingredients in common with the real thing other than the coffee. But it was really good! Sara got to lick the beaters and she licked them clean. "So good pudding, Mommy!" She learned what spatulas are and how to use them, too. "This my spatula. For scraping sides!" I love teaching her things!

After dinner Sara played Chutes and Ladders with Ben. I got that and Candyland at a garage sale last summer. Best $1 I ever spent! Sara likes to play games even though she really doesn't get the concepts yet. We play by taking our turns and then letting her do whatever she wants for hers. Occasionally she will "get it" and take a proper turn. I guess that's how she'll learn. In six months she'll probably be routinely kicking our butts.

I got my guitar out and played a little this evening. It's hard to practice when Sara wants to play, too, but I'm going to try to make time for some music every now and then.

Sara splashed and swam through her bath and then got into her "so snuggly pjs" to watch a little football with Dad. She was very excited to sleep in her pink sheets. She's sound asleep now, and David is nearly there. It was a very satisfying family day!

Escape from the Boppy!

2008-11-13T19:40:00.001-05:00

Don't put smarties in your brother's diaper!

2008-11-12T21:28:00.005-05:00

It's been that sort of week. I've been saying things that sound so funny when I think about what I said. "Honey, we don't stand in the toilet" or "Don't put Smarties in your brother's diaper." Ah, life with a toddler. She discovered that she can stand inside the potty seat. How fun! There she was, standing in poopy water. I cleaned her all up and kept a straight face.

She's been doing pretty well with potty training and I want to keep encouraging her! She loves to wear her princess pants as a prize for telling me when she has to go. Before church on Sunday she pulled up her dress and told people "I have princess pants! Big girl me!" Her pull ups have princess Barbies on them.

David has been much happier this week. See him after his bath? He loves being wrapped up in a big warm towel. He's really starting to grab for things and chew at them. He got himself up and out of the Boppy last night, ending up face down on the rug. Unhappy baby! We'll get the video up soon.

I gave him cereal yesterday and he seemed to like it. He made a big mess of course but he laughed and opened wide! It's fun to start feeding him. I wonder if he'll like green beans as much as Sara did...ha ha ha.

Sara has been singing and dancing all day, and the living room is trashed because she was looking for something in her toybox. I can't wait to get our basement fixed up so I can hide all the kid junk down there. I can't believe what an imagination a 2 year old can have. She makes up stories for her stuffed animals and "reads" to David. She makes gourmet meals and serves them to Mom and Dolly, napkins and all. She sings Jesus Loves Me, Deep and Wide, ABCs and This Little Light of Mine. Yesterday, she brought me her Bible story book and said "Read story about God?" Of course we can, big girl! She likes Noah. "Made big boat. Pretty rainbow! Two animals!" We also introduced her to Veggie Tales. She loves Dave and the Giant Pickle! "Dave has tippy sheep!"

She seems to be hitting the twos, though. She needs to be in control! I have to give her choices as often as possible. Get dressed in her bedroom or downstairs. Waffles or cereal for breakfast. Green shirt or owl shirt. Sliced apple or whole apple. It works, but it can be challenging to always come up with two ways to do things. She has been throwing a few more tantrums than usual in the last couple days, usually when she is hungry or sleepy, which she has been more often than usual. Growth spurt? Who knows. She's a good girl 90% of the time.

Ben and I had fun creating a Wiki today. Mom Z told us about these web sites for planning things as a group. We are planning our summer camping trip. Basically, it's an easy to edit website. Ben is so hooked we can't even discuss the trip face to face; "No, we can only discuss this on the wiki!" We're having a lot of fun. We hope to go to Sleeping Bear Dunes sometime in the summer. Check it out.

A week of pictures

2008-11-12T21:13:00.003-05:00

Yes, Ellen, I realize that the blog is behind. So here is a week in pictures.

David got some cereal! He seemed to like it. Look at him smirk.

David loves his hippo. He loves to strangle it and chew on it. Poor hippo.

David has been getting us up early. Davey wakey now!

Sara loves to bake with Mommy while wearing her chef outfit.

Sara learned to play Candyland. She follows her own rules, and always wins!

Have some leaves!

2008-11-06T21:11:00.002-05:00

It was another beautiful, 70 degree day here in Holland. We spent as much time outside as we could.

Wendy and Hayden came over in the morning and we headed to the park. Sara loves playing there and runs around skipping and laughing. She climbed to the top of the climbing spiral by herself today. Of course, I was standing right behind her holding my breath the whole way. I got some pictures of her big grins, you can check them out on Flickr!

When we got back home it was time to play in the leaves. I raked them up and Sara and Hayden scattered them. Sara discovered how much fun it is to pounce Mommy in the leaf pile. David liked crinkling leaves in his hand and getting buried by the two year olds. Both kids had leaves in their diapers when I changed them!

Sara ate a big lunch and went down for a big nap. David was right behind her. I got a little time to relax and finish raking up the front and side yards. When Ben got home we had to hurry to get the leaves to the curb before the rain started. It looks like the nice weather stretch is over. Sara grabbed her raincoat and stood in the garage while we finished. "Have my raincoat, Mom, I can go out!"

We made dinner and I went out to get groceries after a hug and kiss from Sara. The kids were very playful for Ben. Sara loves to read her books and make block stacks. David likes to grab for his rattle ball and drool on Snoopy.

It was bath night and that meant a whole lot of splashing and yelling. Sara loves to swim and splash and then put her own lotion on. "I lotion my skin like Mommy does! So pretty, smell yummy." Then she gets to help with David's bath. She washed his toes for me today.

Now Sara is in her bed after stories. Last night, she was so tired she put herself to bed! I wasn't feeling well, so I was napping in my room. Ben was walking fussy boy. I felt a little hand on my face "Good night Mommy. Love you!" She walked out of my room, into her room and got into her bed! Ben covered her up, gave her a kiss and turned out the light and that was it! Wow. She did wake up in the middle of the night while I was feeding David. I just about laid down on her! She looked at me and said "Owl got my pipie. Need pipie!" She had lost her pipe and doll and couldn't get back to sleep.

Hopefully tonight will be better. David is 90% asleep in Ben's arms and we're watching Kitchen Nightmares. Ben wonders what Gordon Ramsey would say about my cooking. It's true I am not a gourmet cook, but I think I have a little bit of talent. The food doens't stay to long on his plate, at least!

Election day

2008-11-04T21:16:00.003-05:00

Don't these two look just thrilled to be out voting? Actually, Sara had a great time at the polls. We walked over to Holland Heights church so I could vote. Sara chatted to everyone "I vote too!" Sorry baby, you're not quite old enough. She pointed to a voting booth and said "Look Mom, it a voting booth! Duck for Pesident!" I gave her my I Voted sticker and she was very excited.

After voting, we went to see Grandma and Grandpa. It was such a beautiful day that we could go play outside with Allison and Andrew. Ellen has some extremely cute pictures up on Facebook. Go check it out! The kids had fun throwing leaves and jumping in Grandma's piles. David got to sit in leaves for the first time. I think he liked feeling the different textures. He grabbed leaves and waved them! Sara giggled "It tickles me! It tickles me!" when Allison dumped leaves on her head. A good time was had by all.

Sara took a really good nap after all that and so did David! So I did too. When Ben got home we went downtown to get some food. We planned to go to Froggy's but they are closed on Tuesdays in the winter! Who knew! We also wanted to see if Ben and Jerry's was participating in the free ice cream for voters. But we no longer have a Ben and Jerry's! Sigh. So we ate Quizno's, which was good, too. It's so warm outside it's easy to forget that Holland has switched to the non-tourist schedule.

We came home and Grandma and Grandpa called for a Skype call. Sara loves to see them on the computer. The kids were both a little tired and fussy, but now they are both sleeping. Ben and I are watching the election results with some munchies and warm drinks, discussing what we would do if we had an evening without kids. It's been to long! I'll have to work on a babysitter for some night.

Sara reads Where the Wild Things Are

2008-11-04T20:04:00.002-05:00

Ben makes Wordles too...

2008-11-04T16:21:00.001-05:00

Mine is nerdy though... This is a wordle of a design justification document for the instrument cluster that I am working on.

More word fun

2008-11-03T21:12:00.003-05:00

Some other wordles..this is getting addictive...

Declaration of Independence

Isaiah 53

In Christ Alone

A warm November day

2008-11-03T20:52:00.004-05:00

What is this, you might wonder? This is what happens when a toddler makes a sandwich. I left the loaf of bread on the counter after I made a sandwich. I walked away to take care of David for two minutes and came back to find this and a toddler with a mouthful. "I make bread sandwich, Mom!" She's a hungry munchkin!

The title of this post is not a typo. Our high temperature today was 71 degrees. We played outside without jackets! Sara liked picking up leaves and saying "a pretty ground flower!" Wouldn't it be nice if it stayed this warm all winter?

The morning was a little rough. I think the kids are still adjusting to the time change. Plus, we were out a little late at Great Grandma's last night. Wendy and Hayden came over to walk, but that didn't even make it all better. Sara didn't want to go for a stroller ride and didn't really want to share toys either. She took an early nap and was much improved after it.

After dinner, we sat down to read some books. I found out that Sara has pretty much memorized Where the Wild Things Are. It's so funny to hear her say "Be still!" and "let the wild rumpus start!" I'm going to try to get it on video soon so you can all laugh with us.

David is taking an evening nap. This is a little worrying, I hope he sleeps tonight. Sara is getting a story before bedtime. Ben and I are going to sit down and watch the SNL Presidential Bash. We'll see if the kids let us!

A Wordle!

2008-11-03T19:37:00.005-05:00

Thanks for the link, Mom!

Sara takes a picture

2008-11-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't have a new picture to upload today, so I'll show you one of Sara's. She likes to play with the camera. That's why we bought one that's shockproof and added a screen protector. She has a modern art sort of theme to her photography.

We had a very relaxing Saturday here. David has been short on sleep lately so we just took it easy to recharge. Sara slept in a little bit after her sugar rush yesterday, but was ready to rip once she got going.

Sara and I did our whole workout video uninterrupted today. She had a great time, I'm feeling it in my aching muscles. Ben tried very hard to keep a straight face. At least he didn't get out the camera. He'd never seen the great performance we can put on. Sara loves downward dog and fit frog!

She ate like a horse today. While Ben was making dinner (Thank you! The burritos were great!) she laid on the floor crying "I need food! So hungry! Hurry!" Trust me, we aren't starving her. She'd had a snack an hour before that. She was just being silly. She loved the burritos, though! "Daddy, these good burrito. Yum yum!"

We tried a couple bites of rice cereal for David. He grinned and giggled and grabbed at it but a lot of it ended up on his face. Oh well, he's just learning. He's not even 5 months old yet, but he's been so hungry lately! I thought we'd just start playing around with it. I'll probably wait till closer to 6 months to make it part of his diet. We'll see! I think he's going to like food like his Daddy does.

After dinner we went to the Carter's outlet to get David some footed sleepers. I love those things. They're comfortable and easy to put on. And I don't have to worry about pants and socks falling off his wiggly little butt. He's getting to be a scooter! Everything was 50% off or more, so I'm thinking about going back to get some holiday party clothes. They had some cute stuff.

Both kids had their bath already. Sara was not super excited about it, but she didn't sob this time. It's so strange! I used to have to pry her out of the tub when she started to prune up!

Now she's sitting next to me eating pretzels and milk for a bedtime snack. Hopefully the time change won't mean she's up at 6 tomorrow. We're watching some football and all snuggling on the couch. It's so nice.

Trick or treat!

2008-10-31T22:02:00.000-05:00

Look at my costumed cuties! David had a very comfortable, easy to dress a 4 month old in skeleton sleeper. And yes, that is the same costume Sara wore last year. This year it actually fits. She loves being a ladybug and has been buzzing around the house most of the day when the mood strikes.

The kids were up early today and in the mood for fun. I put David's sleeper on in the morning and Sara had fun pointing to his ribs, pelvis, spine and metatarsals. A baby anatomy lesson!

They were both very happy today, and very adverse to napping. Sara tried to convince me to let her eat muffins for breakfast, snack and lunch. It's funny what toddlers would eat if left to their own choices. But Mom was mean and made her eat her apple and carrots instead.

We went to the JCI trick or treating party at 3. Sara relearned grabbing candy very quickly. When we walked in, she spotted a cauldron full of candy. Ben took it down for her to pick one. She looked at it, then looked at her pumpkin. She put the empty pumpkin back on the chair and tried to drag off the full one. Nice try, kid! But you have to work for your goodies. She filled up the pumpkin and ran around for a while having fun seeing all the kids in costumes.

After that fun, we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sara quickly found their candy stash. We had to police the sugar stash all night or she would have overdosed pretty quickly! Ellen and Nate brought Allison and Andrew over after dinner and Ellen and I took the kids out trick or treating to the three houses with lights on in the 36th St neighborhood. I think Mom and Dad got two other groups of kids. It's a quiet neighborhood. But that was enough for one 1 year old, one 2 year old and one 3 year old. They had fun saying trick-or-treat and thank you! And Sara was done walking by the time we were five houses down the road. Those Hudsonville houses are well spread out!

The kids rampaged through the house while the grown ups visited or "were on the computer" (that's all I'm saying about that, Ellen!) Grandpa taught Sara a new game, jumping off the footstool into Grandpa's lap. It was good Grandma didn't see that! She was taking a quick walk with Mrs. DeBoer. They are suspects in the great crime of Hudsonville; the mystery cement sidewalk defacer. The cops were out measuring the footprints in the new cement. The circumstantial evidence is mounting...

David fell asleep on the drive home and Sara nearly did. Ben is giving her some night time cuddles and soon she'll crash. She didn't take much of a nap, ran all afternoon and is coming off a sugar high. She has discovered the wonder of 3 Musketeer bars. It's the first real candy she's eaten. She got 2 snack size bars and begged for more from whoever would listen. I figured she could be spoiled one night of the year, right?

Look at the cook!

2008-10-30T19:51:00.004-05:00

We had a very busy day at home after a slow start. David did not want to sleep last night and Ben got disoriented to the time. He was so confused he shut off his alarm and slept until the kids woke up at 8.

He rushed off to work and the kids and I got started on our day. Sara has been amazingly hungry. She comes up to me before meal and snack times and says "I'm hungry, food now?" Once she was full, she got out the books and started to read to David. She has Goodnight Moon nearly memorized. She loves to say goodnight to the little mouse, the clocks and the socks.

I put the fleece liner in the car seat for David today. I think the cooler weather is here to stay. Sara had a great time playing peekaboo with him while I adjusted the straps. He thought it was hilarious; he grinned and laughed at Sara the whole time. She patted him and kissed his head "David so nice brother. Peekaboo!"

When David went down for his nap, Sara and I made muffins. Sara loves to help. She helped me beat the eggs and poured the dry ingredients into a bowl. Then she helped me scoop the batter into the pan and put her oven mitt on to help me bring them to the oven. Mommy is the only one who may touch the oven, though. I made sure she knew that! She looks like such a big girl in this picture! It's so much fun to do things with her help. The muffins tasted really, really good, too. Sara would eat them all if I let her! "My muffins taste so good! I good helper!"

We took a family trip to Meijer to return pop bottles and get candy for tomorrow. Sara had fun watching and counting the fish in the tanks. "One, two, three, four, sixteen fish! Fish swim zoom, zoom!" Ben found her a pumpkin sippy on the Halloween clearance and she was a happy girl. What a treat it is to go to Meijer with Dad!

Sara threw a fit about taking a bath tonight. I have no idea why. She usually loves her bath! Maybe she was just tired. We read a couple stories and she said "I sleepy. Go bed now" That NEVER happens! I hope she's not coming down with something.

David is fussing away right now. He is starting to look sleepy so hopefully we're getting to the end of it for the night. My mom says this is what evenings with baby me were like, so I guess I had it coming. He was such a happy baby all day, though. Hopefully he'll wear out soon and we can all go to bed.

New toys!

2008-10-29T21:00:00.000-05:00

Today started early; David woke up hungry at 4:30 and then wanted to play. I laughed with him while getting ready for work...until the phone rang. My nursing talent was not required today. So I handed the task of settling David down to Ben and crawled into bed to snuggle Sara. We all snoozed until 8:15.

I got brave and took both of the kids grocery shopping. It went pretty well. Sara only escaped once. Those long aisles were just to tempting. She took off running, much to the amusement of all other shoppers and Meijer employees. That earned her a seat in the cart, where she named every piece of food I put in. "These carrots. Bananas. Bread. Apple juice. Milk...."

When we got to our corner, Sara spotted Aunt Ellen's Explorer! She was so excited "Allison, Andrew, play with me!" The kids ate a big lunch and then played until everyone's eyes looked a little glazed. I hope that Allison and Andrew napped as well as Sara and David did this afternoon!

When Ben got home, I tried out a new recipe for fettucine alfredo, with tomatoes and chicken in the sauce. It was really good, but note to self: make only half the recipe next time. It's full of milk, cheese, butter and sour cream. Definitly not something to eat every day. But Ben and Sara both gave it two thumbs up and a "tastes so good!" The chicken is cooked in a skillet with garlic, basil and oregano and Sara really liked it.

I just finished reading Sara Silly Goose and Duck for President. She's fussing a bit about being in bed but her heart isn't in it. She'll be down in no time. David is sound asleep in his seat. I should move him up to his crib soon, but I think I'll wait until he wakes up for his 10:00 feeding. Ben is on the phone trying to fix Lauren's freaked out computer and I'm watching some baseball (Phillies are ahead 4-3 at the moment). It's a nice relaxing night.

Quote of the day...."He's been here the whole time you were upstairs? Really?" From Ben who was unknowingly watching David while I took a shower. Somewhere I read a funny about how women know all the important details of their childrens life while men are vaguely aware of short people living in the house. I'm thinking that's some Dave Barry...but how true it is sometimes!

Oh yes, the new toy. Ellen brought over the exersaucer. David is a fan.

My big helper

2008-10-28T20:16:00.000-05:00

Sara was my big helper today. She loves "helping" with the laundry and with David's bath. She got to do both today! How much fun. I give her one piece of clothing and she tries to fold it. After much waving she usually throws it back in the basket and says "All folded! Welcome, Mom!" and then grabs another piece. Socks are also a favorite for waving.

David just watches and smiles. Sara gave him a washcloth to wave and he sat and chewed on it while we folded. His help is much less distracting. I get a lot more done when David helps!

David was much happier today than he has been, although he's fussing away right now while Ben walks with him. He's trying to find his sleep. Poor kid. He sleeps well at night but the evenings are tough.

Both kids got a bath tonight. Sara loves it; David is not so sure. See the face we captured on camera? He does like splashing his feet and getting his face washed.

Sara is eating her cookie for bedtime snack and soon it will be time to rock and read Duck for President. I'm working tomorrow so I'm trying to get everything together for their day. I hope David does well with his bottles; I worry when I'm away from him. But so far he's managed not to starve. Look at that baby pudge!

A cold Monday

2008-10-27T20:54:00.000-05:00

We had a busy weekend! Ben's Grandpa Abma was here on Saturday so we all went to Mark and Kristen's house for a big potluck with lots of good food. Sara had fun running nonstop and playing with the girls. David was unhappy for most of the evening but there were plenty of arms willing to hold him for a while.

Sunday always keeps us busy. It's a lot of work to get two kids out the door to church! Sara had lots of fun in the nursery with Hayden. David slept through most of both services. Good job, dude!

Both kids went to bed later than usual on Sunday night, but that did not mean a sleep in today! They were up and at it right on time. I did convince Sara to cuddle in bed until David woke up. I realized today that someday I won't have anyone say "Cuddles me please, Mommy. Hugs now." I don't want them to ever grow up! What will I do when I don't get my daily dose of cuddle?

It was cold and sleety today. Wendy and I tried to complete a Pilates DVD, but Hayden and Sara took that as an excuse to climb all over us. So we gave up and chased them instead. That's exercise too!

David sat by us for lunch. Look at him grinning in his seat! You can have some food soon, kid. Right now he just gets to watch. Sara ate lots of strawberries - "More strawberries, please Mommy. So good, tastes so good!" She's been into her meals lately, and she has to choose what she gets. Strawberries or banana? Waffle or Cheerios? Cheese or yogurt? I feel like I'm giving a survery for every meal. But she eats much better when presented with choices. And of course, only a very clueless person would say "What do you want to eat?" She would ask for something like green beans with cookies.

After dinner we had a Skype call with Grandma and Grandpa A and then went to MC Sports to get me a new pair of running shoes. It was time; I've had the previous pair since our trip to the Virgin Islands. I found a nice pair on sale! Life is good.

We made cookies when we got home and Sara is just finishing up her milk and warm cookie. The kids are watching some baseball with Daddy before we start bundling them into bed. It's going to be a cold rainy night, I hope it's a little nicer weather tomorrow. Sara has energy to burn!

Big girl potty!

2008-10-24T20:31:00.002-05:00

Yes, this is an old picture, and somewhat shocking too. But this is what we are celebrating today! Two poops on the potty! One at Grandma's house and one before bed. She told me she had to go both times, hopped on the potty seat, and went! I feel like all the time watching her just sit there is starting to pay off. I know that two poops do not a potty trained child make, but it's nice to get off dirty diaper duty for a day. Especially since she ate a whole apple yesterday. Seeds, core and all. It was good to let the plumbing take care of that nasty stuff!

The kids slept in a little this morning, so we had to hurry a bit to get to Sara's doctor appointment. She's a healthy two year old. She's still on the small side - 23.5 pounds and 33.5 inches. But she's active and talkative and pretty well behaved. She chatted away to the doctor and giggled "It tickles my tummy!" during her physical.

She got two shots today, hepatitis and flu. She cried "Why, why, mommy? I'm sorry! Why, why?" I felt so bad. I keep reminding myself that I'd feel worse if she got sick because I skipped the vaccines. Be tough, Mom! Mommy-ing isn't for wimps!

We picked up Sara's two year pictures on the way to Grandma's house. They turned out so cute! They really caught her Sara look. Her haircut was curly and girly and when she agreed to stop running she posed so nicely. I'll be sending some out to New Jersey soon. Ellen, your's are at Mom's house.

Sara had fun playing with Allison and Andrew who spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Allison read me her new fish book, and Andrew climbed on everything. Sara was so worn out she fell asleep about halfway home and took a good nap. David got a cat nap on the drive and then played with me for the afternoon. He can be a fussy baby, but when he grins there is no one cuter!

When Ben got home, Sara demanded pouncing and chasing games immediatly. She had lots of energy to spare! She ate a dinner that "tastes so good!" and then calmed down a bit. David fussed while I was at the grocery store but magically calmed down right when I got back. They're both sleeping now, and I'm hoping to get a little sleep in tomorrow, too!

Time to bundle up

2008-10-22T20:42:00.002-05:00

It's getting cold around here! There was frost on the ground this morning and tonight is supposed to be freezing, too. I got out the coats and hats! Doesn't David look cute in his baby fleece?

We had a very awake night last night. About 4:30 David decided it was playtime. Big smiles! But no luck, kid, Mom and Dad just want to sleep at that time. He finally gave in.

The kids had a great day just playing at home. Sara wanted to make Daddy another pie, but we settled for slicing apples for a snack. She made me apple pie with cheese with her dishes today. And apple cider with ice cream. She comes up with some pretty good combinations! Usually her favorite foods in one mix or another. I wasn't to sure about the mashed potatos with waffles.

After dinner we went hayriding with the TLC kids. Sara stayed behind at church in the nursery with Hayden. They pretty much run around in circles and make the nursery volunteer's heads spin. Ben and David and I and the kids had a great time at Teusinks farm. It was almost completely dark by the time we got off. Of course, the kids thought that was great. David was bundled in several layers and in the snuggly, so he slept the entire time. When we got back to church, Sara was running in circles and jumping - she seems wide awake but silliness usually means sleepiness.

We got home and had a great bedtime! David ate and fell asleep. Sara got into her pjs, had a snack of crackers and milk while watching the World Series with Ben. She went right to bed after she finished with waves and kisses for all.

I hope the fantastic bedtime is a sign that we will have a fantastic night!

Drummer boy

2008-10-21T21:03:00.000-05:00

Look at my little drummer! He likes to make noise. Beating on a drum was possibly the most fun he's ever had. The only thing that he's laughed at more was Sara when she was laughing at his toots yesterday. He seems to get stronger every day.

She's had plenty to laugh at. The poor kid is full of gas and fussy about it. He had a rough night of sleep yesterday, but was sleeping adorably when the rest of us woke up. Sara was up early for breakfast with no clothes on. She took her pajamas off and announced "I eat naked now!" I suppose this should be discouraged.

We had a fun morning reading books, making puzzles and playing peekaboo with David. He loves to see his big sister and smile for her!

I had education stuff to do at work this afternoon so the kids went to Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sara was excited because there was a dump truck across the street. Grandma reported that she played hard and took a good nap. David took a good nap at the same time, so Grandma got a little down time. How did you do it, Mom? Please share! When I picked them up, Sara was busy making puzzles, again and again! Grandma's house has such fun toys.

We all got home about 6, so we picked up Dad and went out for some dinner at Culver's. Sara had fries and her treat bag from Grandma. We saw Uncle Paul and Aunt Donna with Paula, Phil and LJ at the restaurant. LJ had Grandma time today, too! He was all worn out and sleeping.

Sara wore her new footie pajamas to bed tonight. She gets cold feet during the night without something on her feet. She's starting to learn how to pull the covers back up, but it's not something she can do consistantly. So footies is it, to keep her comfy and in her own bed! She got new slippers for the house too, and insisted on wearing them over her pjs.

David took a little rocking, walking and singing to quiet down tonight. He loves to be sung to; he stops fussing and smiles at me. He will just watch my face and grin until his eyelids start to get heavy. He's tucked in his crib now and hopefully will sleep until 2 or so. It's time for a good night out of him!

We're healed!

2008-10-19T20:58:00.002-05:00

Finally, a happy healthy day! It started with an early morning call to tell me I was on call today. I got called in fairly early on in the day, but I got to sleep in a little and help get the kids going.

Ben decided not to take the kids to church in the morning because David had just settled down for a nap and Sara was bouncing off the walls with her newfound energy. They took it easy this afternoon and got back on schedule.

I worked a couple hours in the ICU and then lent a hand in the ER for a while instead of going back home on call again. Doing something different for a few hours made the day fly by! I definitly polished up my IV skills.

When I got home, both kids were grinning to see me. It's so exciting to see David start to recognize my voice! He gets all grinny. It's probably just because he knows his food source is near, but I can tell myself that it's his unconditional mommy love!

We made it to church at night, and then to Great Grandma's hosue for pizza and cousin time. Sara had a blast. She was chatting about Allison and Andrew until I put her in her bed. I could hear her talking in bed for a bit and I'll bet it was about her night. She likes to review her day and talk about tomorrow before she goes to sleep.

So now the little ones are sleeping and the big ones should be too.

Oh yes, this picture was taken a week or so ago. I think it shows how much Sara and David look alike! What do you think? And does anyone see any resemblence to me? Yeah, I didn't think so.

It's Saturday!

2008-10-18T18:24:00.002-05:00

Finally, this week is done. We are all starting to feel better, although tempers are a little short and tears were a little more common today than usual (Mommy included! Daddy was pretty tough, though).
Sara slept OK until sometime between 2 and 3. She crawled into bed with us but still couldn't get settled. I had a headache and David was hungry so by the time the kids woke up at 7 Ben was the only sane one in the house. He decided to stay home from bridgebuilding on the Macatawa Greenway to let us all get caught up on some rest. Thanks, dear! I felt so bad for him, but he and Sara did get to go out for a little while to help with the construction. Sara had a great time watching and seeing Sunstar the dog.
Ben got home and I went to work for a 2 hour class and then a grocery store stop. The kids were good for him and the house looked much better when I got home than when I left!
Jay and Laura came to visit in the afternoon. It was so good to see them! Can't wait until you move out here for good, guys! Sara started out shy, but soon enough she had Ben and Jay involved in her bouncing tumbling games.
David really likes sitting in the high chair while we eat, and today a little bit of applesauce might have made it's way into his mouth. He licked his lips and laughed. Yeah, getting this kid to eat food might not be as much of a challenge as bottles has been. I hope not!
I cut Sara's nap a little short today to see if we can get better night time sleep. We took a walk to calm the kids down and she did go to bed early with very little protest. She was so tired she didn't even want to help with David's bath! So unlike her. I hope my happy baby will be back soon. There's no more coughing or fever but she isn't quite herself just yet. Hopefully a good nights sleep will reset her for next week.
One more note - Happy birthday to Great Grandma Algera! She's 87 today!

Why are you still up?

2008-10-16T21:44:00.000-05:00

Sara had a rough night last night. Her fever spiked up to 103.7 and she was pretty miserable. Tylenol, juice and water, cold cloths and Mommy snuggles helped get her to sleep about 12:30. When she woke up she was sleepy with a low grade temp but otherwise better than yesterday. She played tea party, did puzzles, picked on her brother and took a good nap.

So now she's sitting next to me playing with her pig and cow. I gave her Tylenol about 45 minutes ago and I guess it's working! I should be hard hearted and plunk her back in bed for the third time, but she's being so cute! Her head is on my shoulder and she's chatting. She's pointing at this picture and saying "we holding hands in picture. So cute! Love David!" I think she's better and just awake after all the sleep she got the past couple days. I better go get her in bed. I think I'm in for a long rocking time!

For your amusement...

2008-10-15T21:16:00.000-05:00

Sara loves playing at Holland Heights Park. Here she is sliding with Daddy Tuesday night. Ben will have more and better edited video up on Facebook soon!

I love Tylenol!

2008-10-15T20:40:00.000-05:00

Look at this poor sick kid! Sara woke up about 1:30 this morning sobbing and burning up. She didn't really get to sleep until her second dose of Tylenol at 6 or so. Poor baby. She's so rarely sick that it really throws her off. On top of Sara's troubles, David decided to have a hungry night. And then I started feeling stuffed up and feverish. We're in real good shape around here. It's a good thing that Ben and David seem to have superman immune systems.

So today was a comfy clothes, cartoons, fluids and Tylenol kind of day. It's so strange for Sara to sit and cuddle or sleep all day long! She watched all of Super Why without saying a word or moving off the couch. Usually she's all over the living room and shouting out the letters and songs. My head and sinuses are killing me, so I assume Sara is feeling the same thing. She keeps rubbing her face and head. She says "I just sad, Mommy."

Right now she's in a peak Tylenol effect time and watching baseball with Ben. She likes to yell "safe!" and "out of there!" Soon she'll crash, and probably want to sleep by mom tonight too.

Last night it really hit me what being a mom means. You are comfort to a toddler when nothing else works. As long as Mommy is here, things are not that bad. And you sacrifice sleep and your own comfort so that your baby can have that reassurance. She clung to me most of the early morning and fell asleep while I held her. I'm just thankful that bad colds are the worst that has ever happened to her and pray that that is the way things stay. I think of all the parents who have really sick children and I don't know how they handle it!

I hope that tonight is a better night for everybody. Sara just felt my forehead and announced "Mommy sick too!" She thinks she is an expert diagnostician. After all, she knows how to use a thermometer now! "I do it myself! Check number! Now do Mommy!" She hands me her toy cup and says "Drink juice, Mommy!" What a good little nurse she is! We are both hopped up on our respective max doses of Tylenol and I think we'll be much better by morning.

I do it myself!

2008-10-14T20:25:00.000-05:00

"I do it myself!" That was the sentence I heard all day long. She wanted to make her own breakfast, brush her own hair, rake her own leaves, hold her blanket on the slide and wash her own hair at bathtime. She's officially two! I let her do as much by herself as she could, which is actually quite a bit.

She's started getting up between 4 and 5 AM and crawling into our bed. I'm not sure why but she generally sleeps OK and isn't tired so I guess it's not an issue. Just the confusing mind of a toddler!

David and Sara were both very good kids today. They took their naps right on time and played and smiled for me. Sara loves making block stacks and reading her new books. David sat in his seat or played on his blanket. Sara made apple pie and raisins for him with her new dish set. She told me these are David's favorites and he liked them so good!

During David's morning nap, Sara helped me rake leaves. Basically she dragged a rake over to the pile and said "I did it!", then went and played with her ball and Ben's bike pump. I can't believe what a big pile I had from just one tree! The maples still have all their leaves. It will be a busy fall. At least Ben got the grass mowed while it was relatively clear.

After dinner we took a walk to the park. We've discovered that a little after dinner play helps Sara burn some extra energy and makes bedtime easier. She loves to slide and swing! And it was a beautiful fall evening. I bundled David up and he slept through the walk and sat on my lap at the park. Next fall he'll be able to play, too!

Sara got her bath that she did herself and now she's working at a bedtime snack of apple slices. David is playing with his rattle ball and starting to get hungry/fussy. It's bedtime!

A beautiful Saturday

2008-10-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

It was a gorgeous day today! Warm and sunny. It's hard to believe it really is October. I keep remembering that it snowed when Sara was born. I don't think we'll be seeing snow tomorrow!

We had a very slow start to the day after all the excitement last night. Sara crawled into bed with us in the early morning and snuggled in until about 8:30. She started doing this occasionally and I'm not sure why. She just wakes up and goes looking for mommy.

We took a short trip to the mall so I could find some shoes that fit. My feet seem to have grown since last winter. The kids were not up for a long shopping expedition, though. So we went to Grandma's for a little visit. Sara ate her lunch on the porch and got Grandpa and Dad to read lots of books to her.

Both kids fell asleep on the drive home, so I took a nap and Ben watched Michigan lose another game.

David sat in the highchair to watch the rest of us eat. He's been fussy lately and sitting up seems to make him a little happier. His shirt explains his theme for the day. He was a hungry little munchkin. He seemed to have fun being at the table with us. He played with the straps and made talking noises.

Sara would not be separated from the doll she got from Grandma and Grandpa Z today. She threw a fit when I told her the dolly couldn't go in the bathtub with her. "Baby is dirty! Needs bath, mommy!" She grabbed it as soon as I dried her off. Now she's in bed with her dolly. I can hear her kicking the wall occasionally but she's quiet and will be asleep soon. David is being fussy and walking with Daddy. I hope he gets over this fussy/hungry streak. I guess he's just growing. Just add milk, you know!

Party!

2008-10-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

It was a busy day and we are very slowly winding down here. It started out great for me - Ben and Dad watched Sara while David and I slept in until almost 8:30! Thanks guys!

After Grandpa left to fly back home, Grandma Z and I took Sara to get her 2 year pictures taken. She was a little fussy and shy but we managed to get a couple cute shots. Usually she is a cheese for the camera but today she decided to show her two-ness.

Uncle Rich came to visit for lunch. Sara jumped up and down and got even more excited when she got some McDonald's chicken nuggets and fries from him. He knows how to get his neices to love him! Sara and Ally love their Uncle "Rip City" I'm not sure where that came from, maybe Rich can enlighten me.

Both kids needed cuddling to get to napping, but they gave me enough time to get mostly ready for the party. Ben came home a little early so I could get a last minute Meijers run in and decorate Sara's cake. Flowers and colored icing can cover a lot of lumps! Grandma and Allison liked the icing - we caught them licking some from the can!

Sara was so excited when she got down from her nap and saw a wrapped present and a cake. She wanted to party right then and got upset when we said she had to wait for the party. "Happy birthday cake, now! Present open now! Please!" She sobbed until Grandma and Grandpa showed up. Then Nate and Ellen and Allison and Andrew showed up and she was having to much fun to worry.

We had a Pizza Hut dinner and Andrew amazed us with how much pasta he can eat. I think he ate more than I did! And he had a nice marinara scent all night.

Present opening was a madhouse but the kids had so much fun! Everyone got such great gifts for Sara. She didn't know which ones to play with next. She got a doll and stroller and sparkly hair bows from Grandma and Grandpa, a book from Great Grandma, blocks from Mom and Dad and a book from David, and a chef outfit and dish set from Uncle Nate and Aunt Ellen. Check out Flickr for some great pictures!

Ben just finished reading her two of her new books - Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. After her bedtime snack we're going to have to convince her to get some sleep. David fell asleep very shortly after everyone left. He's not used to such a circus! It was a really fun day. I hope Sara will catch up on sleep by sleeping in tomorrow! I can hope!

The birthday-ing begins!

2008-10-09T19:33:00.002-05:00

Sara had a great day today - Grandpa came from New Jersey to visit her! She started jumping up and down as soon as she saw him get out of his car. And within an hour she had him reading Green Eggs and Ham and Duck for President. Ben and I truly appreciate the reading break. Sara loves her books! She reads them to David, too. It's so funny to hear her version of the story. It usually has a tangential relationship to the actual words.
Ben came home for lunch so Sara got to sit by Dad and Grandpa. She made sure everyone was sitting where she wanted them to. Sara opened up some presesnts - she got a Scooby Doo fishing pole from Grandpa. When we tried to help her cast and reel she pulled out her favorite sentence - "No, I do it myself!"
After lunch Ben went back to an afternoon of meetings and the rest of us went to Veldheers to get pumpkins. When we got there they had just finished plowing the patch under because they didn't have a very good crop! Sara didn't care. She picked her pumpkin off the wagon and then picked a "baby punkin" for David. She got to see their kittens, although she didn't herd them like she did last year. This year she had a purpose; "get my pumpkin!" She chatted about pumpkin patches until she fell asleep on the ride home.
After dinner Sara got more presents! She got a card in the mail from Great Grandpa and Grandma Abma. It had glitter on it - what else is necessary to fascinate a 2 year old? Grandma sent new sheets and a new puzzle. Sara has been making the puzzle since she opened it. It has animal pieces and she was able to match them all to the right spot from the first time! Now she is making the puzzle then dumping the pieces out and shouting "Again! Puzzle again! I do it!"
Soon it will be bedtime. David is nearly down already but I think Sara will take some more convincing. Why sleep when you can play with Grandpa?

"So pretty now!"

2008-10-07T20:43:00.000-05:00

Today was Sara's first haircut! She was starting to get a shaggy dog look going - hair always in her eyes. So we went to get things trimmed up and get some bangs. It looks really cute! She has that 50's Barbie doll look going on when I curl it all up. She was very quiet and shy while she was getting it cut, but as soon as a we got in the car she started patting her head and saying "mom, I so pretty! Hair is so nice!" She couldn't wait to get to Grandma's and show it off.
When we got to Grandma's, there was a backhoe digging holes to connect the new house across the street to the utility lines. The kids loved watching it. Sara was very excited about the "dump truck". She loved playing with Ally and Andrew even though Andrew kept running off with her books. David was fussy but Grandma got him to calm down. Finally, they were all worn out and we headed off for naps. They took good ones!
After nap, we squeezed in a little outside time before it started sprinkling. I don't know what I'll do with her when it gets to cold to go out. She knows exactly where her hat and jacket are and demands racing and ball playing. I guess we will just bundle up!
Ben was in Detroit again today for a class. He really enjoyed it. Unfortunatly the corporate shuttle had been double booked and he and his classmates had to drive back to Holland. I bundled up the kids and picked him up at the car rental place, drove back to Tulip City Airport to get the truck and then headed home. Ben picked up a Frosty for me at Wendy's as a peace offering!
Now Ben is upstairs reading Duck for President and I am blogging and eating my ice cream. Mmmmmm. David is starting to wiggle in an "I'll be needing some food soon" way. Mom to the rescue!

Toddlers everywhere!

2008-10-06T20:07:00.000-05:00

Sara had a great day today because her friends came to play! First Wendy and Hayden came over for a mom walk and a stop at the park. It was a little wet from the rain last night, but that doesn't stop our monkey children.
Anika joined us after preschool, and Dominique brought Parker too! They are here for a little visit and are heading back to Wisconsin tomorrow. (Thanks for the canned treats, guys!). Anika wanted all the kids to play school, but there is a reason 2 year olds don't mix with school. The attention span just isn't there. Sara and Hayden did have fun coloring together. They kept running around the easel to see what the other one was drawing. They had fun eating chicken nuggets and banging on things. Somehow, David pulled off a nap through most of the craziness.
Sara was so worn out after the morning she crashed for a nap about 5 minutes after everyone left. David snoozed a while too, so I got in enough sleep to replace what I didn't get in the night. Nice!
After napping, Sara was ready to rip. We read lots of books and made sandcastles out of legos. Her latest favorite book is Duck for President. Fortunatly it is a cute book that is fun to read. If you ask her who is running for president she says "Duck and Barack Obama!" She's up to date on her current events!
Ben had a long day in Detroit today, but he's finally home and has taken over reading about Duck and the recounts. David is taking his after dinner snooze. It's finally completely quiet here...how nice. I think I'll go enjoy it by reading a chapter or two of a book with more than 20 pages!

A great fall weekend

2008-10-05T19:57:00.000-05:00

We had a lot of fun this weekend! So much that I ran out of energy before I got to the blog on Saturday. So let's catch up.

The kids gave us a little sleep in time - Sara snuggled in "mommy's bed - nice" until David got up about 8:15. She lounged with some cartoons after breakfast while Ben and I finished turning our apples into applesauce. Sara loves Super Why! She also loves pulling up a chair to help Mom cook. She ran back and forth and was the official applesauce taster. "This batch good, Daddy! So good!"

I showed Ben my mom superpowers by getting them both to nap at the same time after lunch. After naps, we went to Crane Orchards for some fall fun. We were supposed to meet the Life Groups from church, but we were delayed by poopy diapers and missed the meeting time. Sorry everyone, we looked but never found you!

Sara had her first cider donut. Her first bite was just a suspicious nibble. But then she gave a huge grin and stuffed the rest of the piece in her mouth. "So good!" she yelled with a crumby grin. We ate while we waited to get on the hayride. Sara loved the straw. She played tea party with piles of straw. What a toddler imagination she has! She also loved looking at Hutchins Lake and riding through the orchards. "See apple trees, Mommy!" David slept in the snuggly the entire time. He was warm with a dry diaper and a full tummy. What else could a baby want?

When we got home, Dad made dinner. That is, we went to Russ's. Sara got a real glass of water and a grilled cheese sandwich. She is still happy about her glass with a straw. She really did OK with it. She only got a little damp and was dried off by the time we left. I'm still not ready to give her anything beside water in a glass, though. I clean up enough messes as it is!

We took a walk to the park when we got home. Sara had some excess energy to burn. She took her dolly with so she could swing and slide too. She loves the monkey bars and is learning to climb way to high for my comfort.

Bath time is always a Saturday highlight. Sara loves her bath! She runs up to the tub and throws in all her toys. She gets her towel, clean diaper and pjs all lined up. She dances up and down until I get the water running and then runs naked through the hallway yelling "bath splash now! Bath splash now!" Then she helps with Davids bath. I let her wash his toes and tummy. She feels like such a big helper!

Sara had fun in nursery and David slept for most of the morning service today. How nice to have uninterrupted worship! After church we headed to Great Grandma's house to share our donuts and play a little. Sara decided that she didn't need a nap after her big lunch but David took a good afternoon nap.

Sara has been reading books to us rather than getting them read to her. She has been reading her language book today. She was sitting by herself when Ben heard her point to a page and say "Arabic! Na'am!" (Yes in Arabic). "Inuktitut! Ima!" She also knows German, Russian and Japanese. (Ja, Da and Hai). We are very impressed!

We decided to try our luck at church tonight, too. David made it about half way through before he filled a pants and melted down. I spent the last half of the service rocking him in the nursery. But now he's on my lap giving big smiles. Sara is talking to Grandma and Grandpa on the phone and soon it will be time for bedtimes stories and cuddles. Time to get ready for the week!

The "No Sleep" pact

2008-10-03T19:41:00.000-05:00

This picture is deceiving. I think Sara and David made a no sleep pact this morning. Sara took no nap at all. David took cat naps. Mom is tired!

It was cold today but we still got some outdoors time. I bundled them up and let Sara race up and down the sidewalk for a bit. I thought it would tire her out - but no such luck. She does like running "Ready, set, go now!"

Grandma and Aunt Ellen and Andrew came for a little visit this morning. Sara was very excited; she loves playing with her cousins. Ally was hanging out with Grandpa for the morning - Sara is still asking when she gets to see her again.

Sara had her favorite veggie for dinner - "beans green, Mommy! Thank you!" It's funny because she would not touch baby food green beans. David learned to pull the cow toy on his seat and make it play Old MacDonald while we were eating. He was very pleased with himself.

Ben has taken the after dinner shift because I needed a break from the continuous noise. David is snoozing in his seat and Sara is demanding storybooks. She learned the word 'again' from someone and puts it to constant use. "Read new fish again! Read gecko book again! Millions of Cats - again!"

This is a Friday night with kids! I did get to go out -to the grocery store. Now we're hoping they go to bed at a decent time so we can watch America's Toughest Jobs in a quiet house.

Thanks for all the welcome back comments! I like comments, it lets me know that people actually do read what I write and I'm not totally boring. Keep them coming!

Let the blogging begin!

2008-10-02T19:38:00.003-05:00

What! This used to be about boats! I wonder how long it will take Ben to notice I've taken over his blog address. Since he hasn't updated since March, I figured he wouldn't miss it. I thought about continuing Sara's blog and adding a David blog but that seemed like so much work. And every now and then Ben or I do something blogworthy. So this blog will be about anything and everything concerning the Algera family.

Most of you readers (is there anyone except the grandparents?) know us very well, but I'll start with a short intro.

Ben - Sara calls him daddyman, and that's just what he is. A daddy superhero! He is also an engineer, triathlete, photographer, backpacker and a gadget-buying pack rat (he's been called Joe Campmor). He is my loving husband and I couldn't wish for a better one!

Em - I usually answer to Mommy, mommy, mommy!!!! I'm a mom of two, an ICU nurse, a reader, a cook, a backpacker and a blogger once again.

Sara - Born 10/12/06, she will soon be 2. She is running around constantly and talking up a storm. Much of this blog may end up being about what Sara said and did on any given day. She keeps us smiling! We are learning patience every day as we learn to parent a toddler. She definitely knows her mind!

David - Born 6/25/08, he is just over 3 months old. He still mainly lives for eating, sleeping and pooping but has now added smiling and giggling to his bag of tricks. He also likes to look at mirrors and shadows, shake rattles and watch his sister pull tricks to get him to laugh. He thinks tummy time is a joke since he learned to roll over at the age of 2 weeks. Hopefully he will master the fine art of sleeping through the night before his mommy goes crazy.

That's my family! Let the stories begin!

I'm Back

2008-03-05T13:40:00.003-05:00

After seeing the start of the Watertribe Everglades Challenge this year, I have become re-inspired and actually purchased plans for a boat:

XCR Sailing Canoe

Ideally, I will be able to start construction later this year, hopefully launching sometime in 2009, and if everything goes perfectly, do the EC in 2010.

Wish me luck!