It's a Blizzard!

Well, of course I am falling behind, but feel compelled to make a post tonight. We got one of the worst snowstorms we have seen in years yesterday and today....and we might get even more tonight. Neither of us went in to work today, and even the courthouse closed down, along with many other local businesses. We have probably at least a foot of snow, with some drifts much bigger than that. I will post a few pics once it's safe to take my camera outside!

Not much else happening....just the hustle and bustle of the holidays and getting ready for all the family Christmases. We started a new tradition this year - Alvin - our Elf on the Shelf. Each night he goes to the North Pole to tell Santa if the kids have been good or bad that day, and when he comes back the next morning, he is sitting in a new spot, somewhere around the house. We have to remind Blake several times a day that Alvin is watching him!

Well...today Blake peed his pants at daycare. Mary said he tried to get to the bathroom, but didn't get there on time. When I asked him why he was holding it, his reply was, "Because we were playing house and I didn't want to miss Christmas." How do you get mad at that!?! I kept my face stern though. :-)

Thanksgiving came and went. We had a busy one with 3 dinners and a wedding reception over the long weekend. It was good to see all the family.

and so it begins...

Blake told me today after pre-school that he has a girlfriend..."Maddie." He's been talking about her lots lately. I think what prompted this was that Amy, a co-worker, asked him if he had a girlfriend. Anyway...I said, "well, what about Vanessa...she's your friend and she's a girl, so she's your girlfriend too, right?" He responds, "No mom, she's just my friend. Girls can be just friends, ya know. But Maddie is my girlfriend." So, I convinced him that kissing girls besides his momma is gross....he agreed with me. So...I guess thats good.

Making a wish....& "nuts"

I'm really not sure where Blake comes up with these things...but he does. Sometimes, he can by SO sweet.

Tonight after we read our bedtime story and said our prayers, he told me he needs to see a star, so he can make a wish. So, we shut out the lights and looked out the window. He then says, "I wish for all my grandmas, grandpas, moms and dads, all my cousins and my Cora." Not sure what he wishes for us all, but I think it's all good. :-) Those are some of the people that we pray for every night, so I think he was just saying an extra prayer for all of us.

Today at pre-school, he came home with a chipmunk puppet made out of a brown lunch sack, and another brown lunch snack that had a few shelled peanuts in it. When we got in the car and were headed towards daycare, he says to me, "Mom...I can't wait to show Mary my nuts!" Too cute! Can't wait to haunt him with these things when he gets older! lol!!

Cora's 1 year pics

Finally...got them edited and ordered...she's so stinkin' cute!

Productive Weekend!

Gotta love those weekends where we actually get a lot accomplished! We went and picked up the camper from down at Westland Camping Center in Westland. It was quite a drive, but it was a nice day with my hubby. Thanks mom for keeping the kids!

We also stopped at Ikea and bought a kitchen cart to put against the north windows. WOW, so much extra storage space we have. Not to mention, it looks much better than the old microwave cart. :-)

Still have lots to do, so gotta keep on moving. One more photo session to edit and then I'll be done until after the holidays! :-)

Love you mommy...

Tonight after I read Blake his bed time story and say our prayers (he can say the entire Lords Prayer, by the way!), he gives me a hug and says, "Momma, I love you VERY much! I had fun wrestling with you tonight...I had fun laughing with you momma." He melts my heart! :-)

Ears Glued On

Back a few weeks ago....in fact it was October 17th...the day of Cora's birthday party. I was sitting down with Blake, just relaxing and unwinding. I started to tickle him and pretend to bite his ear...this is our dialogue....

Blake: "Momma....you can't bite my ear off!"

Me: "Why not Blake"

Blake: "Because it has glue on it!"

Me: "Why does it have glue on it Blake?"

Blake: "Because Momma...everyone has glue on their ears....so they don't fall off!"

Too funny!

Wow, I knew I was behind, but didn't realize it's been 6 weeks already! Yikes...thanks for the reminder mom!

Probably the biggest excitement in the last 6 weeks was that my baby girl turned one! We had a nice party for her at our house. Everyone was able to make it - Grandma and Grandpa Arbaugh, Todd & Kristin and the boys, Jody & Brian and the girls, Jeff & Trisha & Robby, Grandpa Maya (my mom), Grandpa and Grandma Lynn, Erin & David, Grandma Regentin, Grandma Vogel and Virgil. Hopefully I'm not forgetting anyone! Cora got a whole new wardrobe of clothes, which was perfect because she didn't have much for the winter.

Cora has been walking for a while now...she's actually starting to run now! She isn't talking much...once in awhile she says "mama" or "dada" or "hi"....but that's about it. The doctor said that's normal though. She had her one year check up a on 10/21/10...she was around 21lb and 29.5" long. She is in the 50th percentile for her weight and 75th percentile for her height. So, she is growing just fine.

This was an extremely busy "picture" month... I think I did around 12 sessions. I guess that would explain why I've been so absent from this blog!

Other excitement....we bought a fifth wheel! It's a 2001 Jayco Qwest....here's a few pics...Ok...I guess the pictures are up top...can't seem to figure out how to move them down here.

Halloween was today.....we ended up taking Nathan and Braden along with us because Todd and Kristin had to go to a funeral for Sara Wood. Blake was a hunter, Cora was a chicken, and Nathan and Braden were Star Wars characters...couldn't tell you which ones! Those pics are still on my camera....They had fun tonight though. We went to my Dad's, Grandma Vogel's, Aunt Peggy's, Aunt Gail's and Aunt Diane's. They were SO generous and got TONS of candy. Thank you all!!

Aunt Diane even gave us homemade popcorn balls...brings back memories of trick-or-treating when we were kids and going to Great-Grandma and Grandpa Peruski's.

Tom and I are in another weightloss competition with Jody and Brian...it started 10/1 and will go to 12/31. This one is a little less intense, as we are really focusing on eating healthy and making this a lifestyle change. If we all meet our goals, we are going to start another competition focused on maintaining our weight.

Cora had another tooth come in this week....top right...She now has 3 on top and 4 on the bottom.

Blake has been doing very well with pre-school. He had one bad day, and it took awhile but we figured out that the problem was he had to go #2 and didn't want to go at school...so he threw a terrible fit and didn't want me to leave. We haven't had any problems since then, and he really looks forward to going to school. He goes 2 days a week. He is starting to talk a little more about it...and about the kids in his class. He talks about this "girl with the beautiful hair and beautiful eyes...but she has a mad face." Too funny! He also mentioned "the girl with the little head." I'm trying to put "a name with the face" now that I have his class photo!

That's all for now....I'm gonna really try to keep this better updated from now on!!

Walking & Waving & School

Well...last week Cora took her first few steps and started waving - all on Labor Day - August 6, 2010. Can't believe she is starting to walk at 10months already. Craziness!!

Blake started pre-school on September 8th. He goes to Peace Lutheran in Sandusky, 2 days a week for 2.5 hours each time. He has been looking forward to it all summer, and was very excited on the first day. When I picked him up from school, he almost cried because he didn't want to leave. He said his favorite part was going outside to play. He says he didn't make any new friends because they "all had mad faces." I asked him if maybe the other kids were just being shy, and he thought that might be it. Looking at his class list, he is one of only 4 boys in a calls of 14 kids! It's hard to believe my baby boy is in pre-school already and how fast the time flies. Even harder to believe that Cora is going to be a year old already next month!

I've been very busy with photography as well. I've been trying to cut back and am learning to say No to some people, just so that I can manage my time better and be able to spend enough time with my family. The extra money has been nice, especially in this economy, but it stinks being gone more and spending so much time on the computer when I am home!

Cora talking & Blake's 3 year check up

Cora was saying ma-ma and da-da by the end of July. Over this past weekend, she started saying "up" and "uh-oh". Not real clear, but definitely repeating after us.

Blake had his 3 year check up at Dr. Kramer's today. I was afraid that he was going to freak out about getting shots. When I told him he had to get a shot, he acted like it was no big deal. I told him it would hurt for just a second and then it wouldn't hurt anymore. He even picked which leg he wanted the shot in. He cried from the initial pain, but got over it very quickly. I was SO proud of my big boy! Speaking of big...he is almost off the charts for his height - 41" tall which is above the 97th percentile and 37lbs, which is around the 93rd percentile. So, he's definitely a big boy! We also went to get his new bike after the appointment (which was a great bribe). His daddy accidentally ran over his other one that he got from Grandma Bower for his birthday.

Standing & Camping

We went on our first family camping trip last week up to North Park in Harbor Beach with Jody, Brian and the girls. We borrowed Dad and Lyn's pop up camper. It was a good time, except for the rain! We ended up going to John & Flo's in the middle of the night because I was sure that we were going to either get flooded or the camper was going to be picked up and blown away! We had fun and want to go again, but maybe not in a pop up next time! :-)

Cora is 9 months old now and is actually standing up by herself! Crazy stuff. I remember the day that Blake stood by himself, it was the day of his first birthday party! She is really doing her best to keep up with him. She is crawling, standing, pulling herself up, clapping her hands, shaking her head "no" when you tell her no, and she gives kisses too!

My baby boy turns 3 tomorrow. We celebrated his birthday last weekend with our family. He is really into Toy Story 3 right now, so he had a Buzz birthday cake. He had a great time. Some of his favorite gifts were his new bike and helmet (from Gramma Sue), Big Buzz (Gramma and Grampa A), fishing pole (Grandpa and Gramma Lyn), and his Leapster 2 (from us).

Blake amazes me everyday with his knowledge and wit. He speaks unbelievably clear and has for over a year now. He's a really good kid overall, love him lots! :-)

Milestones - clapping & talking

My little Cora, who will be 9 months old next week, started clapping her hands this weekend and trying to talk. She's starting to say mamamama and dadadada!! I'm quite sure she doesn't quite know what she's saying, but she repeated it enough all weekend that I think it's notable! :-) She is still pulling herself up like crazy and not far from standing on her own. Wow!

Today, Blake and I went out to play on his swingset. He climbed up his ladder to go down the slide. Once he got to the top he sat there and says to me, "Mama, wanna come down the slide with me?" I said, "no, I'm too big." He pauses and says with complete innocence, "Oh, your butt's too big mama?" Good thing I love that boy!!!

Yikes, where has time gone!

It's been a busy couple of months, obviously from the lack of my posts!

My Grandpa Regentin passed away June 5, 2010 down at Port Huron Hospital. It was a long, tough day. He ended up having a possible heart attack and obstructed bowel. Fortunately, he did not suffer and was not sick long. He was very healthy up until the end, at age 86. Love and miss him lots.

My little Cora is now crawling! She has been taking just a couple "steps" the last few weeks but finally today has really started taking off. The remote control or her bottle are great motivators for her!

Blake has been doing very well with the potty training. He has accidents now and then, but overall has done extremely well! He has only had one accident at night and it was shortly after he went to bed, and we had forgotten to put him on the potty before he went to bed (so much to remember!!). As a reward for him doing so well, I took him to Chucky Cheese down in Port Huron with Cora, my mom, Jody, Brianna and Kelsie. He loved it!!

Blake also had his first movie theater experience. We went to see Toy Story 3 at the Firebird Theater in Sandusky on Sunday, June 20th. He loved it! Pics are posted above.

Teeth!

Cora got her first tooth last Saturday, April 25th and her second one came through just yesterday - May 1st. Not sure if it was teething or what, but she had diarhhea for about 5 days, poor little thing. However she had just had her 6 month shots too, so it was probably a combination . Poor little thing. At least she is feeling better now, except for the teeth that is.

Blake is still a potty master! He even tried it standing up a few times today and liked it. Boy, does that make me nervous though..I'm gonna have pee everywhere in my bathroom!

Milestones - Sitting up & Potty training

So proud of the kids this week. Today was day 3 of NO accidents with the potty training. He even told us tonight that he had to go poop, and sat on the potty with no arguments!! He's doing SO good!!

Cora has been able to sit up for a little bit on her own, but tonight sat up for about 5 mintues on her own! So proud of her. Can't believe she is 6 months old already! She has been rolling both ways for over a month now. No teeth yet, but I'm sure thats right around the corner too.

T0night I asked Blake to put the ketchup and mustard on the table. He looks at me and says "of course!"

Yesterday, on the way home from work, Blake told me that "his knee cap tickle hurts." Which means his knee.....Daddy likes to give him "knee cap tickles." He also pointed out a "loader tractor without a loader." Too cute!

Another Blake quote...after I told him he couldn't have a drink of my pop because he hadn't been listening to me and was whining and crying when it was time to go home from Mary's..."mama...I wipe all the cry from my eyes...can I have a drink now?"

So proud of Blake and how he does so well using his manners. We have taught him that when he wants something, he needs to ask like this..."may I have a drink please?" So, when he wants us to do something for him....."mama, may you tie my shoe please?" or "mama, may you give me a drink of your pop please?" and if we say no, he responds with "mama - you need to share!" along with a finger point. :-)

Cora is the happiest baby ever...rarely cries...unless she is HUNGRY or tired. Definitely has her brother's appetite. She has her 6 month check up on Friday. She sure is growing!!

Potty Time

Well..Blake made it all day yesterday with no accidents...but he only went twice all day long.

Today, he even pooped on the potty at home!!! So proud of him!! Then..he peed his pants about 1/2 hour later. Oh well...we'll get there, eventually!

Pee Pee on the Potty!

We've been really trying to get Blake potty trained, but he has been very resistant and stubborn. Well, tonight he was in the bathtub and says, "Mama, I'm almost peeing!" So, I snatched him up and threw him on the potty and he started peeing after a little bit!!!! I was so excited!! So proud of him!!

A week or so ago, Blake had a not so good day at daycare. So, when we got home, I told Daddy to ask him what he did at daycare today...so he did...his response was, "It's a mystery!".

My BFF

Today, Blake was testing the limits all day long. As I was trying to keep my cool and not yell again...he says to me, "Mama, let's be Best Friends Forever...and ever!" My heart melted right then.

Easter Bunny is coming tonight...looking forward to tomorrow morning. We went to the Easter Candy Scramble at the school today, Blake loved it...he did pretty good gathering candy, I thought he would've been more timid, but not at all. :-)

Tom and I won our weight loss challenge against Jody and Brian. Tom lost 42 pounds and I lost about 21. Now...to keep going and lose 20 more.....

Cora at 5 months 3-28-2010

Happy Easter!!!

Spring has sprung!!

Fox, Medicine

So...we're sitting at the dinner table tonight chatting with Blake. He likes to assign animals to us...."Daddy...you're a cheetah!....I'm an elephant....Mama, you're a ....." "Fox?" I finish for him. He says, "No mama, you're a dog!" Nice.....

Blake had a bit of a cold over the weekend and rather enjoys taking his medicine. I gave him a spoonful of motrin, he barely has it swallowed and says, "Thanks mama, I feel better now."

Farts & Baby Sister

Last Friday, March 12th, Mom, Jody, Blake, Cora and I went out for fish. Mom and Jody were taking Cora home with them, and Blake and I were going to Tom's basketball game (district finals). So, we took Cora out of my car in her car seat, then took the base out to move it to mom's car. Blake asked where his baby sister was going, and I explained to him that she was going to Grandma's house so he and I could go to Daddy's basketball game. He bawled and bawled....tears flowing like crazy..."I want my baby sister....she's my baby sister..." he was SO upset, he literally cried HARD for about 15 minutes. We would be driving and he would start to settle down, then he'd look to his left where she usually sits and would just bust out crying again, realizing she wasn't there. So sweet....I guess they really haven't been separated before, so I guess we will know what to expect next time!!

Yesterday morning I was getting Blake dressed and I let out a "little" fart, I said "excuse me." Blake says, "momma, you need to cover your mouth!" Then he paused and thought for a minute, and said, "Ackshilly (actually).....you need to cover your bum!" he says, putting his hand on his butt!! What do you even say to that!?!? LOL!!

He has discovered his penis...he is definitely all boy...when he doesn't have his diaper on, whether we are changing his diaper or giving him a bath, his hand is on it ALL the time, it's ridiculous. Definitely a boy thing.

Cora rolled over for the first time from back to belly on Sunday, March 14th, at 4 months old. Can't believe she will be 5 months old tomorrow. :-( She needs to stay little!!

Tom had his vasectomy on February 19th....everything went well. No more babies for us. :-) Good thing we got two good ones!! Love them to pieces! :-)

Trip to the Dentist

Blake had his first visit to the dentist today. It was basically just a chance to get him used to the dentist. Dr. Gorringe...or "Dr. Orange" as Blake calls him, simply looked in at his teeth with his little mirror to see how things look. Fortunately..no cavities and everything looked good. Blake screamed and cried the whole time...Dr. Gorringe didn't really warm up to him as well as he could have before sticking his hand in his mouth. But the Diego toothbrush and camera that he picked out of the treasure chest, seemed to make it all worthwhile in the end. The real test will be in September when he goes for his first cleaning!

Cora has been eating baby food for a few weeks now. She has the appetite of her brother, that's for sure.

Peter

I'm falling behind, but I'm not surprised. I had about 6-7 photoshoots this month which has kept me busier than I really want to be! I love doing it, but my house is really suffering!

Trying to think of things from the last month...

The other day I was changing Cora's diaper, getting her ready for her bath. Blake was anxious, as always, to help me out. When I took off her diaper, Blake looks down, looks up at me with a puzzled look on his face and says, "Mama, where'd her peter go?" Too funny! Not sure where he got "peter" from, because we never have called it anything.

Last night we were sitting in the recliner, with our legs up, reading a story before bed. I put the foot rest down, not realizing Blake's legs were tucked underneath. He didn't get hurt, but let me know right away that his legs were stuck. I apologized and gave him a big hug. He looks at me and says, "it's ok mama...it was an accident." :-)

Backhoe loader & blowing away

On the way into work/daycare this morning, I pointed out to Blake that there was a snow plow on the street. As we drove past it, Blake says, "That's not a snowplow, that's a backhoe loader.....Silly momma!" Then when we get to Mary's, I go to get him out of his car seat, and he says in all seriousness, "Mumma, you better carry me...so I don't blow away." I think he really thought he was going to blow away because he never wants to get carried in!

So...the day started out cute, but didn't end so cute. Darned Blake and little Miss Sadie were apparently full of defiance today at Mary's. When she told them to pick up toys they told her "no". The other kids ended up picking them up and those two went back over there and spilled them all again. When she told them to pick them up, they told her to "shut up". All of this, after Blake bit Sadie again, for about the 5th time in two weeks. NOT GOOD. He never acts this way at home...if he doesn't want to pick up toys, he might throw a little tantrum, but has NEVER talked that way to us. So, I don't know what's going on. He never hears "shut up" at our house, so I think he must have heard it there. Either way, we are not too happy with him tonight.

Updated Pics

Blake at almost 2 1/2 and full of personality!
Cora Jane at 3 months old

Rolling Over!

Cora has been sleeping on her belly and sleeping all night long since December 27th. She usually sleeps from 7-5 or 7-6. This morning, I heard her cooing in her crib, so I went in there to find her on her back! Can't believe she rolled over and just barely 3 months old! I think she was surprised too!

The weight loss is going good. Tom is down about 15 pounds and I'm down about 10. So far so good!!

Yesterday, Blake was drinking a smoothie through a straw. He has a tendency to bite the straw to the point that he can't get anymore liquid through it. He brought the cup to me and told me "somethings wrong with it." I looked at it and saw the severely bitten straw and said, "well what are we going to do about it Blake?" He looks at me with all seriousness and says, "that's a good question mama." :-)

Hands....

Cora seems to have discovered her hands this week. She has been staring at them with intense curiosity just before shoving her fist in her mouth and sucking on it! So stinking cute!

New Years Resolutions

Well, I'm doing the traditional.."lose weight" for my New Years Resolution this year. But along with that, is starting healthy eating habits for myself and for my family...forever. It's too easy to get on the junk food path and I don't want the kids to grow up that way and to struggle with their weight like both of their parents have. To help get kick-started, Tom and I are competing with Jody and Brian. The "losers" (whoever loses the least) has to buy tickets for a Tigers game that the four of us will go to this summer. I'm glad that Tom is on board, too. He is going to try the Weight Watchers plan, and so far he's doing good, and helping me stay on track too!

My other resolution, which I've been working on the last couple of months, is to buy less and get rid of more. House is too cluttered and without much for storage space, I just can't be keeping so much stuff for so long. So, I really want to focus on getting rid of things that we don't need or don't use, and buying only things that we really need. Hopefully this will help to save some money and get some debt paid off too!!

I think I did pretty good with last new year's resolution, which was to keep this blog updated. Blake's scrapbook is done through age 2 and a little beyond. Cora's has some work to do, but I'll get there... :-)