The things we do....

Here are a few pictures of some new things we have been up to....

Joel and Alyssa have started coloring! They still try to get the crayons in their mouths some (mostly Alyssa) but they are kinda getting the hang of coloring.

Last week Kaitlyn got a new car seat and it is BIG. For now it is sitting in the living room, and Joel and Alyssa think it is a great place to read books.

Now that Joel and Alyssa are walking we have tried out a few new activities. We have been to two different open gyms with lots of toys, cars to ride on, and lots of room to RUN. Here is a picture of Joel, who found a great spot to look at himself.

And lots of running around leads to naps in car seats! One day last week Joel and Alyssa had been sleeping for about an hour in their car seats when I noticed they were BOTH in the same position with their right hand up behind their head and their left hand down on their leg. It was super cute.

Half Birthdays

January was the month of half birthdays! Joel and Alyssa are now 1.5 years old and Kaitlyn is 3.5 years old. Their birthdays are going to be here again before we know it. It's hard to imagine my little girl turning 4, or my little babies turning 2. Life just keeps on moving.

Yesterday we had Joel and Alyssa's 18 month check-up. Joel was 25 pounds 6 ounces and 30.5 inches. Alyssa was 22 pounds 7 ounces and 28.5 inches. Our doctor is very happy with how they are growing and learning new things, and we are too.

The last few months have been pretty overwhelming with doctor appointments, therapy, and surgeries. In the surgery center at Children's hospital Joel had a bronchoscopy, hydrocele repair, and got tubes in his ears. Kaitlyn also got tubes in her ears. In the clinics at Children's hospital we have recently been to: Radiology for Joel and Alyssa's chest x-rays, the lab for Joel's blood work, Cardiology for Joel and Alyssa's heart conditions, Ear Nose and Throat for all three kids' ear issues, Audiology for all three kids' hearing issues, Pulmonology for Joel and Alyssa's breathing issues, and Urology for Joel's kidney and boy parts. I take Joel and Alyssa to another clinic once a month for five months during the cold and flu season for shots to protect them from RSV. Kaitlyn also has speech therapy three times a month. And yesterday we were back to our pediatrician's office.

Yes, that is a long overwhelming list! No wonder I am exhausted. We still have some appointments coming up, including Alyssa getting tubes in her ears, but I'm hoping that things will start to calm down soon.

Joel and Alyssa started walking in November, and love their new skill. Alyssa also loves to climb! They like to say, "uh-oh" and "ta da!". Alyssa also can say, "up". They are also starting to understand some things I say. A few days ago I asked the kids if they wanted to take a bath and Alyssa took off for the bathroom. And they like to help me do things. Last week I was folding laundry and I handed Joel two wash clothes and I told him to go put them away. And he did! I was so proud of him. Alyssa especially likes to get into everything. She has even learned how to turn on the dishwasher and pull the plug in the bathtub.

Kaitlyn can now spell her name and about five other words. She has always loved her letters. She also loves going out of the house and while we are driving she points out every bus that goes by. And just today Kaitlyn did something new. She made her very first #2 in the potty!

It is so fun to watch the kids playing together more and more all the time. The little games of peekaboo or running around in circles, or all sitting on Kaitlyn's bed each reading their own book are so fun to watch.

January Pictures

My two girls dancing!

Yeah, this is two one-year-old's standing on a chair trying to reach the toys.

Not a good sight for this momma.

And here's a few silly pictures

All my kids LOVE to read. It makes me happy seeing them read books!

We took a family trip to the mall and checked out the new play area!

The girls watching a show together

Probably my favorite picture of the month - the kids love Grandpa!

They like cousin Lori too :)

We tried to pose them for a picture and it didn't work too well

February 1st

Today is February 1st! I can hardly believe January is already over. With one month gone of the year, I thought today would be a good day to look over my goals for the year and see how I'm doing so far.

Now, first let me say that I was sick for at least two and a half weeks of January. Really sick. I know I didn't do a great job on my goals, because I was mostly trying to keep my 3 kids alive when all I wanted to do was lay in bed. Another problem this month was that my computer was broken for about two weeks, so my two goals that required a computer did not go well. And now that I'm done with my excuses we can continue.

The goals that did not go well in January were posting on the blog and catching up on the family yearbooks.

The goal that went so-so in January was writing in my journal.

And the goals that went great in January were Bible reading, reading books about parenting and homeschooling, losing weight, and doing art and cooking projects with Kaitlyn.

Here are pictures of Kaitlyn's two art projects - a cow puppet and finger-painting.

Overall, not too bad. I have more goals in the great category than the bad category, so I am happy. Hopefully in February I will be more healthy and have a working computer. On the other hand, I need to learn to not waste so much time on my computer so that I can actually get some of the goals done.