Snow fun

Thanksgiving

I put up Thanksgiving pictures a couple of weeks ago and never wrote a blog post about it. We had a really fun time traveling around seeing family. This year we were in Fort Wayne all day on Thanksgiving. Nate and I participated in the Galloping Gobbler 4 mile race on Thanksgiving morning. That was fun, a good way to start off a day of eating. Later that afternoon we went to the Festival of Christmas Trees where Will and Sara told Santa Claus what they want for Christmas. Will wants a CARS video game and Sara wants a doll. We'll have to see what Santa ends up bringing. :-) Friday of Thanksgiving we traveled to Hobart, IN and visited with Nate's family. We had a great time seeing a lot of people we don't get to see very often. When we returned home we got right into putting up Christmas decorations. Never a dull moment! Check out our photo album for pictures from our Thanksgiving adventures.

Disney!!!!

One week at the most magical place on earth can really wear a person out, just ask Sara. We need a vacation to recover from our vacation!! hahaha. We had a fabulous time at Disney World with Nate's family. The weather was perfect and we really had a lot of fun. Will especially had a great time. He is tall enough that he was able to ride some of the bigger rides and roller coasters. His favorite ride was Splash Mountain. Sara's favorite was Small World. She liked the dancing babies. :) She also really enjoyed the fireworks and parades. We have a crazy amount of pictures in our photo album, and that's not even all of them. Check them out!

Welcome, baby Julie!

This past weekend we took a trip to Fort Wayne to meet our new niece/cousin, Juliet Grace Keefer! She is sweet as she could be and we all loved holding her! It's hard to imagine Will and Sara were ever that small, and they were smaller! Will and Sara got to play with all of their cousins too. While we were in Fort Wayne we also visited a craft bazaar, went to a Veteran's Day Parade and played in the leaves in Grandma and Grandpa's back yard. Not bad for about 24 hours time... :-) Check the album for pictures of the weekend and all of us holding sweet little Julie.

Playing in the leaves at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Boo!

Happy Halloween everyone! Will and Sara definitely got their money's worth out of their Halloween costumes this year! To celebrate fall and Halloween we went to 2 pumpkin patches (one as a family and the other for a field trip for Will's preschool), 2 zoos (Indianapolis and Fort Wayne), a Halloween party, Will's Halloween party at school and a bunch of trick or treating!!! This was Sara's first year trick or treating and she LOVED it! Nate and Will tried to drop her off after visiting a few neighbors and she insisted on continuing on with them. That's my girl!! Will was his favorite: Lightning McQueen and Sara was definitely rockin' her Minnie Mouse costume.

In other news Sara has really been saying a lot more words, just in the past week! She is beginning to say different colors (she has just been saying everything was yellow, maybe its her favorite) and shapes. Even Will said "Mommy, Sara is learning a lot of words!". She has just started saying "Thank you, Will". It sounds more like "dtee dtee, ill" but we know what she means.

Check the photo album for pictures!

Fall is here?

In my last post I said goodbye summer, hello fall but it has barely been fall yet. It has been so hot (and dry)!!!! The kids could have worn shorts to the pumpkin patch, but it was borderline so they didn't because I thought it would just look funny. However, the warm temps and lack have rain (I read in the paper today that our last significant rainfall was July 28) have given us tons of time to spend outside!

Will has taken advantage of the summer-like weather to learn how to ride his tricycle (which he is too big for) and soon after his "big-boy" bike that Great Grandma and Grandpa McComas gave him for Christmas last year! We spend every spare minute outside with Will driving his McQueen car or riding his bike up and down the street (on the sidewalk) and Sara trying to keep up while pushing her babies in her "bella bella" (Cinderella) stroller that our next door neighbor girl handed down to her.

In other news, Will has scored a few goals at his soccer games! It his hard to tell the exact number though. Some of them are actual goals are scored by him and some are scored by bouncing off his leg, or scored while he is near the goal and he counts those as his too. But he has really improved since last season and really seems to enjoy it. Thanks to all the fans who have come out to watch him play!

Check out lots of new pictures in the photo album.

The attached video is of Will when he first started riding his big bike in Great Grandma and Grandpa McComas' driveway. They offered to store it for us until he was ready for it. The video shows Gramps giving Will some pointers.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall!

I have added some pictures to our photo album. They include Will playing soccer (he scored 2 goals his first game!!!), a couple of trips to the zoo (both Indy and Fort Wayne) and Grandma and Grandpa McComas 60th Anniversary celebration!!

End of Summer

Labor Day weekend we went camping at Brown County State Park with Chrissy's family. Despite setting up our tent in the dark because of Chrissy getting us lost (I KNOW!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?) we had a perfect weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful and the food was delicious. I think Will, especially, could not have had more fun. He really enjoyed hiking trails, playing with cousin Ben in Grandma and Grandpa's camper, sleeping in his "room" in our tent, going to KidsCommons and eating lunch at Zaharakos and most importantly, hanging out by the campfire at night eating giant marshmallows and popcorn.

Fall is coming, or here, depending on how you look at it. I have created an album called End of Summer that wraps up our pictures through Labor Day. On a side note, I also added a few more pictures from my cousin Sarah's wedding to the August Activities album.

Sara and Taylor's Farm Market

At least once a week, while Will is at school, Sara and I stop by Taylor's Farm Market to get some fresh fruits and veggies. When I tell her we are stopping there she gets super excited because she loves their dog and rocking chairs. Each visit is pretty much the same... I pick out some produce, Sara looks for the doggie, the ladies that work there talk to Sara, we stop by the rocking chairs on the way out and then I have to drag Sara kicking and screaming to the van because she doesn't want to leave. I think she could really hang out there all day. Maybe she likes it so much because their corn on the cob is so delicious. :-)

Will and Sara at the Indy Zoo splash pad

The kids and I took an impromptu trip to the Indianapolis Zoo today and we had a wonderful time! I was a little skeptical since it was my first trip by myself with both kids since Sara turned into an avid walker, but it went great. The key to success was giving her snacks while Will was playing at the playground instead of letting her out of the stroller. She doesn't mind riding but loves to get out and typically puts up a huge fight to get back in. When we left the house it was cool and foggy so I hadn't planned on the splash pad as even being a possibility. Sure enough it was sunny and warm as we were walking by so the kids went splashing in their clothes. Since Will took his shirt off, Sara insisted that hers come off too. Hopefully the day will come when Sara doesn't need to do everything Will does. Check out the video...

Cleveland Rocks! and other August Activities

August has been a busy month! (I think I say that every month) We went to the Colts Practice Facility for some fun with Nana and Papa, we went to Cleveland, OH for my cousin Sarah's wedding (CONGRATS, Sean and Sarah!!), Will turned 4, and Sara is now 18 months.

I took both kids to their well-visits today and it was wild. I posted Will's information in his birthday post. Sara weighed 25 lbs, 9 oz (75th percentile) and is 34 3/8 inches tall (97th percentile!!!!) Her head is also still big at 19 1/2 inches (95th percentile). I think it is interesting that Will's information sheet no longer measures his head, but BMI. Another sign he isn't a baby anymore. boohoo. The wildest part of the appointment (besides having both kids running around in a small room) was the shots! Will had 5 and Sara had 2. We got our money's worth on the bandaids this time for sure. New pictures are in the photo album.

Will is 4!!!

Happy Birthday to our sweet little boy! We really cannot believe that Will is 4 years old. It seems like it was just yesterday that we brought that precious, tiny, little baby (he weighed 5 lbs 7 oz the day we brought him home!) home from the hospital. Things sure have changed! He went to the pediatrician today for his 4 year well visit and he weighs 35 3/4 lbs (50th percentile) and is 41 inches tall (also 50th percentile)... tall enough to go on some "big" rides when we go to Disney World this fall!!

Will started pre-school this week and although he was surprisingly a little hesitant when I dropped him off (he said he wanted to stay and play with Sara); he was full of stories of playing outside, learning about the letter "c", being asked to hand out the markers and wear your pajamas to school day coming up. I think it is going to be a good year for Will. :-)

Johnson County Fair and Dinosaur World

Nate and I took Will and Sara to the Johnson County Fair this year. Aside from the carnies blowing cigarette smoke all over the kiddie rides and Nate and I needing to use valuable tickets for ourselves to cram into the little rides we had a great time. :-) Also, Sara had her first elephant ear and was a big fan!!

Nate's parents treated us to an overnight trip to Cave City, KY where we went to Kentucky Action Park and Dinosaur World. It was probably the hottest two days we have had all summer but we had a lot of fun. Will was slightly disappointed when he found out there weren't any real dinos at dinosaur world but he quickly got over it. Thanks, Nana and Papa, for the great trip!!

Check out the photo album for pictures.

Summertime and the livin' is easy

Is summer really half over? We have been so busy this summer it has really flown by. I think we have had something going on almost every weekend and the weekdays seem full too. Playdates, storytime at the library, swim lessons, gymnastics, swimming at Nate's grandparents pool and playing outside have kept us hopping but Will has said more than once "we had a lot of fun today" and that is what it is all about. :-)

Will turns 4 in less than a month and seems like such a big kid! He is swimming and jumping in (both with a float) all over Nate's grandparents pool, he has been writing his name, he can use the bathroom (most times) by himself, he can completely dress himself and can buckle himself into his carseat! He starts preschool in less than a month and is getting very excited!

Sara has nearly mastered spoons and forks. She still is pretty messy after a meal, but she really likes to use silverware. She has enjoyed swimming and especially likes getting sprayed with sunscreen, which is great because I think she would burn quickly without it.

The photo album has been updated with pictures of gymnastics, swimming, Nate's birthday, our annual 4th of July trip to Hobart, including a stop at Fair Oaks Farms, and a recent trip to Fort Wayne. Check it out!

Father's Day 2010

Happy Father's Day to all of the father's in our lives! Our dad's and grandpa's are great men, devoted to their families and leading great examples by their words and actions. I know another very special dad and that is Will and Sara's daddy. Nate really could not be a better daddy to our little kids. They adore him which is evident every day when he comes home from work and they run to give him hugs. Sara saying, "daddy daddy daddy daddy" with her sweet little voice, big smile and bright eyes and all day long Will mentions things he can't wait to tell daddy when he gets home. Nate is a dad who is not afraid to change a diaper, give a bath or go on a ferris wheel when he isn't a big fan of heights because that is what his little boy wanted to do. He is so special to us and we he hope you had a Happy Father's Day, daddy!!!!

June 2010

I have posted a bunch of pictures of what we have been doing this month. Check them out in the photo album. In other news, Sara is 16 months old now and such a sweet little girl! She likes to wear bracelets, carry purses, have tea parties and play with her dolls. She can say please and thank you and she LOVES babies!!! Whenever we see a baby (even if the baby is older than her) she likes to point and say baby. Of course she still likes to keep up with her big brother. She climbs all over our playset like Will does, including going down the big slide head first!

We have been noticing lately that Will isn't a toddler anymore, he is a little boy. It is hard to believe he will be 4 in less than 2 months!!!! That being said he is definitely "all boy", whatever that means. He is always getting dirty, playing with cars, and getting hurt doing something crazy. I don't mind the getting dirty and playing with cars but we have had enough of the getting hurt!! He is taking a tumbling class that he LOVES at the Greenwood Community Center. He likes to show off his somersaults and is getting pretty good at it! He is also starting swimming lessons tomorrow.

Busy month

May has been a busy month for us. We went on our vacation, we took our dads to a Raytheon Bump Day party at IMS, Will's last day of Mother's Day Out, Sara's last day of Gymboree and we went camping last weekend. Check out pictures in our photo album.

VACATION!!!!

We spent the past week on vacation with Chrissy's family to Sevierville/Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg Tennessee. Everyone had a great time, especially the kids. The weather was beautiful and we did a little bit of everything. Shopping (Chrissy and Sara), golf (Nate and (mini-golf) Will)), Ripley's Aquarium, Cades Cove and Smoky Mountain National Park, Dixie Stampede and Dollywood. Dolly Parton was even there when we were, along with Kenny Rogers! Check the photo album for a ton of pictures and I have also posted a video of the kids riding a ride at Dollywood. Notice the music on the ride. hahaha. Perfect.

Mother's Day 2010

Check out this picture to see how lucky I am. I have two precious children and a handsome, funny, sweet, caring, hard working husband (taking the picture) :-). I am fortunate to spend the most adorable and carefree days of my children's lives watching them grow and play. I am fully aware that I won't ever get these days back (maybe that is why I take a ridiculous amount of pictures) and I am thoroughly enjoying the time I have with them. I have a husband who made me homemade broccoli cheddar soup and toasted flat bread sandwiches for dinner Saturday night and a delicious omelet Sunday morning. Plus, check out the creative gift he and the kids gave me! So neat!

In addition, Nate and I both have mothers who are shining examples of dedication to their children, patience and understanding that I can only hope to replicate. This mother's day I have so much to be thankful for. I know how blessed I am and this Mother's Day was a wonderful reminder. Happy Mother's Day everyone!!!

Check out the photo album for pictures from Mother's Day and the past few weeks.

Goodtimes

This last month has been really fun! We have had great weather and been able to spend a lot of time outside. The photo album has a lot of pictures including: soccer games, a trip to the zoo with Nana and Papa, Sara's Gymboree class (which she loves) and a trip to the Children's Museum.

Will has started his soccer league. He seems to be slightly more focused than this past fall, but not much. He looks forward to the games and has fun running around and at snack time, but we're not seeing World Cup in his future... yet. :-) In other news, Will went to his first Pacers game with Daddy. Nate won a pair of tickets in really good seats so they went and stayed until halftime. Will also got his first foam finger. Pacers #1!! Well, not really, but that is what the finger says. Another interesting milestone is Will is not taking a nap everyday anymore. This isn't surprising, really, but the days where he doesn't take a nap can get kind of crazy around supper time. We're still working on this one.

Sara has added walking to her list of things to do! See the previous post for a video. She isn't walking exclusively, but she is doing it more and more and seems to be enjoying herself. Other news with Sara: She mostly takes one nap per day (YEA!!!), she is working on a few different teeth coming in (ouch) and she is constantly nodding her head yes or no (mostly accurately) if you ask her a question. It is ADORABLE!!! I need to get this on video to post here. It is so funny.

We've got a walker!

These past few days Sara has really started walking a lot. She is still crawling a lot too, but she has been practicing getting herself to standing in the middle of the room and then taking off. She is so proud of herself. It is adorable! She must be doing pretty good if she can walk through the minefield of toys that are out today. :-)

Easter and other things

I updated our photo album with pictures from Great Grandpa McComas' birthday party, Easter weekend and a few other random pictures thrown in. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the kids in their Easter clothes! I fully intended to get one of them standing with their Easter baskets. Maybe next year. We do have nice picture of the four of us though.

For those of you waiting for a Sara walking update... she's getting closer! She is taking a lot more steps and can go halfway across a room, but for some reason chooses not to unless we talk her into it. On Easter she developed a crawling technique where she lifts her rear end high up into the air and crawls on her hands and feet only to avoid crawling on her dress. I should have taken a picture of that! She has really started talking a lot lately. She tries to repeat a lot of words which is fun.

Will has been spending a lot of time outside and likes to try to get Sara to walk to him. It's really sweet. We signed Will up for 2 day per week preschool for next year. He is VERY excited!!! He seems to know a lot of the the things they will be teaching next year (letters, numbers, etc.) but we are looking forward to him working on sharing with other kids, taking turns, listening to a teacher, going to the bathroom by himself (this will be fabulous), etc. I am also looking forward to spending some one-on-one time with Sara. It will only be a couple hours, but it will be nice.

March wrap up

We have had a really fun and busy March. In fact, last weekend might have been our busiest weekend ever! We had Kyle and Amy's wedding weekend and our nephew Ben's 3rd birthday party near Fort Wayne. It was great to have the opportunity to celebrate with everyone! There is a separate album in our photo album for pictures from the wedding.

Unfortunately March has also involved multiple trips to the pediatrician. It seems the kids have had alternating bouts of pinkeye for the past month or so. I knew it was getting ridiculous when today Sara was rubbing her eye and Will said "Awww, Sara do you have pinkeye? Don't worry, we'll give you drops and make you all better".

Check out the photo album for some pictures of the kids on the swing set over the past year, random pictures from the past few weeks and pictures from our trip to the zoo today. It was a beautiful day so we went to the Indianapolis Zoo. The kids had a great time! I think it was Sara's 1st trip to the zoo where she actually looked at the animals. Since she is currently really interested in pointing at things (especially dogs) she had a great time pointing at all of the animals and calling a lot of them dogs. :-) Will also had a new experience. This year he is tall enough to ride the roller coaster and he went on his first roller coaster ride with daddy!!! He had a great time!

Introducing... Mr. and Mrs. Kyle McComas!!!

Congratulations to Amy and Kyle on their beautiful wedding day! We had a wonderful time and everything was perfect. We are so excited for you! Check out the photo album for a ton of pictures.

Tiny dancer

Winter wrap-up

Is it March already?!?! We have had a fun, although not super busy (probably due to sicknesses) last few weeks. The photo album has been updated with some new pictures.

Sara is not walking yet. She has taken her "first steps" and will probably walk to you from a few steps away if you can talk her into it, but her favorite ways to get around are still crawling and cruising. She is currently a big fan of ketchup, strawberries and pineapple. She has turned forward in her carseat and loved watching movies with Will our last trip to Fort Wayne. Sara is 13 months old today, can you believe it?!?!

Will is doing pretty good. He had a rough patch of asthma issues and pink eye but hopefully the worst is behind us. He was able to play outside on his swingset yesterday and is looking forward to spring soccer. In the near future he is going to be a ring bearer at Uncle Kyle's wedding in less than two weeks. Stay tuned for pictures!

Sara's 1st steps!

Sara took her first steps today! This isn't the best video of it, but she has definitely taken a few steps on her own back and forth between mommy and daddy this morning. Watch out world, here she comes!

Valentine's Day and Sledding

Happy belated Valentine's Day! We had a great valentine's day here. Will had a fun Valentines' day party at school. Every day he looks at all the treats and card he got at the party. I was able to be a "room mother" and help and it was a lot of fun. Thanks, Nana and Papa for watching Sara for me! Also, Nate surprised me with a Valentine's night on the town. What a sweetie. It's really nice to have a date night every once in awhile.

On Valentine's Day we went sledding at Great Grandma and Grandpa McComas' house and had a really fun time! I think Sara may have enjoyed the sledding more than Will, despite the look on her face in the pictures. She squealed and flapped her arms up and down each time down the hill.

Check the photo album for more pictures.

Here's a sledding video:

Almost walking!

Sara loves to use her new stroller/walker to get where she wants to be. Soon she'll be running around the house with Will!

1 year check up

Sara had her 1 year checkup today and she is doing great! One thing that surprised me is that she doesn't weigh 20 lbs yet. One of the questions I had for her pediatrician was if we are feeding her too much. I guess the answer is no. The "rule" for turning her car seat forward is that she be 1 year old and weigh 2o lbs. She's not quite there at 19 lbs 12 oz. Her doctor said she is 1 and close to 20 lbs so turning her forward wouldn't be a problem. I think we'll wait until our next trip to Fort Wayne in early March so she can watch a movie in the car with Will. If she continues eating like she has been, I'm sure she'll be at 20 lbs by then. (see picture)

Sara weighed in at 19 lbs 12 oz, which puts her in the 25% for weight (down from the 50% at 9 months and 75% at 6 months). She is 30 inches long which puts her in the 50% for length (down from the 95% at both 9 and 6 months). One stat I normally don't pay attention to is head size. Her head is 18 3/8 which puts her in the 95% for head size, where she has been since 6 months! I never realized her head was big. I guess I should pay attention more. Her doc said she carries it well. haha. So long story short I think Sara is starting to level off on her growing for the time being. That is good for us because most of her winter clothes still fit maybe we can wait to buy new spring clothes in the next size. Yea spring!!!

One year ago today...

At 6:58 a.m. one year ago today we were blessed with the arrival of our sweet baby girl. Each day her beautiful eyes and adorable smile brighten our world. She makes us laugh, cry and look forward to her next nap but then miss her while she is sleeping. :-) Looking back over the past year it seems that some of those nights when she was a new little baby seemed to last forever but yet I remember it all like it was yesterday. Again, time flies when you are having fun!

At 1 year old Sara absolutely adores her big brother, Will. She shrieks with excitement when I tell her we are going to get him up from his nap or pick him up from school. She likes to cruise around and has been using her walker/stroller toy she got for her birthday. She'll be walking soon! She likes to give her dolls kisses, dance to music, go to her Gymboree class and get into whatever Will is doing. She is a great eater and loves to drink out of sippy cups.

Happy 1st Birthday, Sara! We love you!!!!

Click HERE to see the video Nate made of Sara's 1st year pictures.

January wrap up

Can you believe it is February?!?! You know what that means... our sweet baby girl is having a birthday soon! I wanted to get our January pictures out before Sara's big birthday. :-) We had a rough January with Will being pretty sick for awhile but we are all better now and ready to party, although I can't hardly believe Sara will be one next week. Where does the time go? Check out the album for our January pics and hopefully I'll have Sara's birthday party pictures up by the end of next week.

11 months

Sara is 11 months old now! She just had her 1st Christmas and is really excited to have a good number of toys of her own, instead of mostly just hand me down's from Will. Her favorite activities include cruising around furniture, crawling after Will, playing with her toys and clapping and dancing to the intro song of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. In true daddy's little girl form, she is now saying dada and sometimes daddy. :-) Happy 11 month birthday Sara!

Holiday time

Happy New Year! We had an absolutely wonderful holiday season with a lot of pictures to prove it. Sorry it has taken so long to update pictures, we have been busy! Check out the photo album.