Week 8: A Photo a Day

Feb 19 to 25

TUES Feb 19: The kids make just as much noise hammering as the construction workers downstairs!  At least the workbench is getting more action since Christmas!

WED Feb 20: Time to build a fort!  There's room for everyone!  Come on in and play!

 THURS: Last week was supposed to be the bi-weekly trip to the library for Story and Song time with Mama Bear- but we missed it due to an ear infection.  So this week we made a library at home- filled with read alouds, songs and a felt board. 



 


FRI Feb 22: Celebrating Rob's 25th birthday at Brewski's 






SAT: After baby sitting the kids, mom K and Shanny slept over and we went to the Milwaukee Domes- for a special model railroading expo and train ride as well as to look at the beautiful plants and pretend it wasn't freezing outside. 



SUN Feb 24: Here we are at church!  So maybe I shouldn't have been snapping pictures during the sermon, BUT I had to document how well behaved our kids are during church.  They are complimented all the time.  The kids "sing" and fold hands to pray, as well as play quietly and eat snack during the sermon!  They make us very proud!


 MON Feb 25: Playtime is the best!  Here we are crossing off another item off the toddler bucket list: 101 Things to Do with your toddler!  

 

A Photo a Day: Week 7

Feb 12 to 18

TUES Feb 12: We found one of Moira's stocking stuffers from Christmas.  It is a thin cardboard cake that comes with stickers to decorate and smell like cake!  She loved it!  It was very tasty!

WED Feb 13: We're getting ready for Valentine's day!  Moira is making her first homemade card for her daddy!  Heart paper, tissue paper and glue sticks!  This kid couldn't be happier!

THURS Feb 14: Well, Valentine's Plan B was in affect.  Moira had a fever and a big dinner was the last thing on our mind after our little girl had her first ear infection!  So the steak marinated a little longer and we made heart shaped pancakes and exchanged cards!  The stickers made her feel a little better!



 


FRI Feb 15: Moira continues to amaze us with her continued ability to try new things.  This is her first drawing!  She loves to create!  

SAT Feb 16: Saturday turned into quite a busy day.  Ken got a haircut, I went grocery shopping.  We began to clear the basement (more on that below) and then we had the Wilde's {Melissa is Ken's colleague and her husband} over for dinner and games.  Check out my stud muffin below!

SUN Feb 17: Girls Day Out at the bingo hall!  Aunt Sal invited cousins Amber, Ashley, Shannon and I to go to bingo!  Erin (Rob's girlfriend) and her sister Ashley joined us too!  Ashley won $200!  I just donated!  But it was a lot of fun!

MON Feb 18: Well, while the girls were playing Bingo yesterday, Ken and his brother Rob carried a lot of "stuff" out of the basement and out to the garage in the cold weather!  And this was the result!  Day 1 of the renovation!  Studs are in! 

A Photo a Day: Feb 5-11

Feb 5 to 11

 Feb 5: Isaac is not a huge fan of arts and crafts.  So we tried to do some play dough.  He did well until I told him not to eat it!  Then we had a little break down.  Try again next time.  

 Feb 6: What to do with a large box?  Imagination makes the possibilities endless!  Why not a car!  Moira pushes Isaac- the girl is stronger than she looks!

Feb 7: Does this not melt your heart?  As a SAH (stay at home) mom, one of the things I take joy in is watching them learn to clean up!  "Clean up, clean up everybody everywhere.  Clean up, clean up everybody do your share!"  I can't wait until these kiddos can help for real.

Feb. 8: Moira is excited as she writes her very first uppercase letter: H!  She's growing up way to quickly! 

Feb 9/10: "If all the snow flakes were candy bars and milkshakes, oh, what a joy it would be."  {That would be the only way mommy would go outside.}  Luckily daddy is home on the weekend!  Two days of snow fun begins!  Isaac loved shoveling! 


Feb 11: It's our first library card in Milwaukee!  And our first stack of books checked out!  Some favorites: Spot books, Corduroy, a book about cars (Isaac's favorite) and a book about going to school {Moira's favorite}.

A Photo a Day: Week 5

January 29-February 4

January 29 (Tuesday): It's official.  We've signed paperwork to begin construction on our basement.  We are finishing off the space for a family room and playroom!  We couldn't be more excited!  2 months and no more toys all over the living room!

January 30 (Wed): You know its a good day when Girl Scout cookies arrive.  

January 31 (Thursday): We went to the library.  The final song of the class is a song where all the kids pretend to sleep and then after a quiet moment the teacher shouts "Wake up, Wake up!" and the kids all jump.  It is a family favorite! {Thank you for taking the picture Mama Bear, the library teacher}

February 1 (FRI): DATE NIGHT {Kiddos with Aunt Sally}.  We planned on going to a budget theater movie, but it was like -15 degrees outside and we had a busy weekend ahead of us, so we decided to do some "work" instead.  We went grocery shopping and spent a couple of hours just talking at Starbucks afterwards.  It was a great date!

(SAT) February 2: We did a bunch of errands (Home Depot for lumber to customize our side tables.  It took longer than expected so we stopped at McD's for lunch (buy 1 get 1 for yesterday's temps).  We only cut Isaac's cheeseburger in quarters rather than mini bites.  He's growing up so quickly!  And he LOVED every minute of it!

 

February 3 (Sun) Moira "shoveling" snow with her daddy!  It was bitter, but she was so excited to help out!

February 4 (Monday): Isaac had his 18 month check up!  He's growing so quickly!  He is 26lbs 10 oz and almost 33" tall.  His noggin is in the whopping 92 percentile!  He does limited talking and gets angry easily because he cannot communicate how he wishes but he is growing healthy and strong and we couldn't be more proud!  He completely rocked the 2 shots he got! (Not sure why this is being double spaced so if you know let me know how to fix it. Thanks)

A Photo a Day

WEEk 4 [jan 22-28]

JAN 22 (TUE)- Ken brought home cupcakes (thanks to the many wonderful birthdays of his students).  This time, the cupcakes had rings on top!  The kids were so pumped.  They didn't last long- both were stepped on within 24 hours, but it was so fun to see them with their new accessories!

JAN 23 (WED)- Moira's clothing has been getting a little shorter lately but it wasn't until the kids were standing side by side that I realize she hit a growth spurt.  Isaac was "catching" up to his sister, but she has just shot up recently!  Looks like we need to get some new clothes- unfortunately for us- it's tough to find clothes for a string bean like her with such a skinny waist and long legs!  (I pray this is a trait that stays with her for the long haul!)

JAN 24 (THURS)- I made stir fry for dinner.  Isaac wasn't a fan (as you can see by the rice that he constantly kept spitting out!  Moira didn't care for it either.  It was a new recipe.  Needless to say, we won't be making that kind of stir fry again and Moira and Isaac had frozen waffles for dinner!  The next meal we made with rice (sweet and sour chicken in the crockpot) was much more of a hit!

JAN 25 (FRI)- Ok, so I promised on picture a day, but today I HAD to pick 2!  Moira and Isaac have been loving the Disney movie "Alice in Wonderland."  So today, Moira asked if they could have a tea party- nothing new, but today she had to have her {PARTY} hats on- aka winter hats that look like owls.  The first tea party (picture to the left) the kids had in lieu of their morning snack, but they insisted on having another tea party when their daddy got home.  So after dinner (for dessert) we had another tea party with oreo cookies.  The picture to the left was an after shot of Isaac.  He really enjoyed his cookies!

JAN 26 (SAT)- Dinner at Grammies!  We had to reschedule after I wasn't feeling well yesterday, but it was well worth the wait!  Ken's mom made spaghetti and meatballs with a glass of smooth red wine.  The best part was cheesecake for dessert.  She even had recorded a movie for the kids to watch (Charlotte's Web) while we played games!  What a fun night!

 Jan 27 (SUN)- Well, we had a rough night last night- kids up multiple times, so we slept in and missed church.  We made blueberry muffins for breakfast and just spent the day as a family!  This was one of my favorite moments!  Cuddles are the best!
 

JAN 28 (MON)- Yesterday afternoon snow flurries and ice came to WI.  Today, the sunshine came and melted it away! So we took the opportunity to take a walk.  But, kids will be kids and the WILL FIND puddles! 

Week 3: A Photo A Day

WEEk 3 [jan 15-21]

 JAN 15 (TUE) More bedtime routine: Reading books!  We're really trying to get Isaac to start talking and so the more language we surround him with the better!  He really enjoys the time with books!  He wasn't a reader until recently.  We knew he'd catch on sooner or later and eventually so will talking!

JAN 16 (WED) Game time!  We got a new game- Battleship Cards- for Christmas.  We're officially addicted.  We love the game Battleship and this is a new twist! 

JAN 17 (THURS) Every other Thursday I take the kids to the library for songs and story time with "Mama Bear."  It's fun to see the kids interact with other children.  Isaac is getting so much better about sitting still!  This could be a really good thing for him!

 JAN 18 (FRI) Cuddles and stories with mom!  Isaac got a new magazine in the mail!  He is loving them so much!

JAN 19 (SAT) We head down to Dundee for the weekend!  I was really in the mood for a good Chicago hot dog, so we met the gang at Maxwell's for lunch!  Then we went bowling with the Mooney's and Tyler.  Logan and Connie showed off their new bowling shoes- and Logan kicked butt with a 185!

 JAN 20 (SUN)- The reason we went down to IL was to celebrate Immanuel Lutheran church {the church that I grow up in}.  Immanuel celebrated 150 years of service with beautiful services filled with music and a catered luncheon to follow. What a wonderful experience to be a part of!  Thanks Opa for comping our tickets!


JAN 21 (MON)- New recipe: Chicken Alfredo Roll ups {delicious} Thank you pinterest for the idea!

A Photo a Day (Week 2)

Week 2: Jan 8-14

JAN 8 (TUES): "Look what I can do mom?!  I learned how to push up the couch cushions so that I can climb up all on my own!" ~Isaac

 

JAN 9 (WED): Time for chores!  But chores are so much more fun when there's a new ironing board cover involved.  Thank you ETSY and James Sproule for the wonderful birthday gift!

JAN 10 (THURS): What a BIG girl!  Moira has officially begun her independence.  We've been potty training on and off for quite some time- since arriving in WI (back in July).  We bought her the potty seats that sit on the regular toilets- a cheap one and then a Mickey one, hoping she'd get really excited about going.  We gave her chocolate chips as a treat every time she went.  Then we made a sticker chart, but she was just not that interested in making it a full time thing.  That was, UNTIL... she had her own size potty that she could use all on her own!  After buying her a small froggy potty that she can use at her leisure, she has been 3 days accident free!  She has made us very proud!  And you can tell how excited she is!  Way to GO giRL!

JAN 11 (FRI): Moira and Isaac's bedtime routine is very simple and works quite well.  We don't take too long getting ready at night, but one of their favorite moments is brushing their teeth!  (Maybe because their toothpaste tastes like fruit...hehe).  Isaac just graduated to a big kid toothbrush since the little on that we were using on the end of our fingers no longer protects us from his constant biting!  Now he can be just like his big sister!  He loves it!

JAN 12 (SAT): Christmas #5.  We are ready for our last and final Christmas of the season.  Some people celebrate the 12 days of Christmas, but we were going on a month.  We weren't able to see Bridget and Tiffany when we were in IL for a Dundee Christmas because B was working and Tiffany was busy studying for finals.  So...they made the trip up to WI for a little exchange!  First we enjoyed homemade pizza, then we went to the brewery for a tour and free tasting.  Finally we enjoyed dinner, games and exchanging gifts!  We had such a wonderful time! 

JAN 13 (SUN): Isaac digs into play dough for a fun afternoon!  

 JAN 14 (MON): Will you accept this rose?!  The Bachelor has started!  We used to watch this show religiously with friends of ours in CA- a good excuse to get together for dinner and dessert!  So we're trying to keep the memory alive so we made homemade nutella brownies enjoyed a great night of guilty pleasures!