Brady's Birthday!

Brady turned 2 on the 19th of January. But he was pretty sick on his birthday so he didn't get to enjoy celebrating it. Since they were all here for LaVonne's funeral we decided to celebrate it with him. I baked him a really dorky but yummy cake and we all got together yesterday afternoon after the funeral (1/30/10). Kezzie and Brady enjoyed running around together and Henry and Adah mostly just slept! Austin got to be there with us too and he mostly found joy in irritating/playing with Kezzie and Brady. We love you Brady and hope you had a good birthday!

Adah Kathleen-2 months!

Wow...she's already two months old. I know that is the classic thing to say but it really is amazing how fast time goes by. And oh how they grow...She started sleeping 9.5 hours just this week. She doesn't have a schedule during the day but I try to have her last fed by 9:30pm. She will then make it until 7am, most of the time. Well, actually I wouldn't call it 'making it'... I hold her off until then. She typically wakes up a few times between 3am and 7, but doesn't complain too much and always falls back to sleep. Also just this week I have been laying her in her bassinet for her naps. She seems to sleep longer/better in a quiet area. She doesn't have a nap schedule but whenever she looks drowsy or falls asleep on me I will lay her in there (her bassinet is in our bedroom). At night time I have a special swaddler that I put her in. It holds her really tight and keeps her warm but during the day I just wrap her in a blanket. At the beginning of her second month she had her first smile (12/31/09) and her first coo (1/9/10). And now at the end of her second month she is cooing a lot more and will talk to pretty much anything bright or dark colored like our ceiling fan. She has terrible cradle cap but on the bright side, her baby acne has subsided quite a bit. Her spitting up is much better however she does still have some bad days, or even just a random bad feeding (probably something I am eating). She is nursing anywhere between 7-8 feedings a day and still sleeps almost the whole day. In the evening she seems to be the most awake having almost a 3 hour stretch.

Doctor Check-up: Weighed in at 11 lbs. 14 oz.-75th % (that's almost 2 lbs more then Kezzie at this age). I guess I don't need to worry about her sleeping through the night! She is 22.5" long-50th%. She is getting chubby in some areas and definitely still has her double chin! In other words she isn't starving! She had to have three shots and drink something too. I made sure she needed to nurse so that I could do that immediately after her shots to comfort her, so she did really well drinking the liquid. She kept gargling it because she was trying to 'talk' to the nurse that was giving it to her. She naturally screamed when they did the shots but seemed fine while I nursed her. Tonight she seems a little fussy but is doing just fine.
Funny Adah story: (12/28/09) I was sending Austin off to spend the weekend with his dad who had just arrived at our house. As he was standing by our entryway door I was holding Adah forward facing and Kezzie was standing in front of me (showing off as usual) and we were all just standing around talking before Austin left. All of the sudden Travis' fiance Linda said, "um, Adah just spit up in Keziah's hair". She is such a sweet and quiet person and she said it so calmly. It was the biggest glob of puke and it hit just right on the top of her head that it slid all the way down the back of her head, down her shirt and onto the floor. I was laughing so hard I could hardly wipe it off-partly because Kezzie didn't even know it happened and why we were all laughing and also partly because it took me back to the memory of my nephew getting pooped on all over his face while watching his little brother get a diaper change. Just when you least expect it...God gives you a laugh!

Grandma Troyna

Brian's Grandma Troyna (Brian's mom's mom) lost her battle with cancer today...she was a very loving grandmother and great grandmother. Keziah loved her dearly as well as Austin. Austin is having a harder time then I realized he would. Death is such a confusing thing and he hadn't really experienced it at an older and more understanding age. The wake will be Friday evening and the funeral on Saturday. Thanks for any of you that prayed for her in the days past.

Bendaroo Art by Austin!

I love it that my 5th grader still does sweet things like this to make me feel loved. He must have been particularly bored this day (or maybe grounded from the TV) to make something like this. It was so nice to see none-the-less! There are two trees and a little bug of some sort and a flower. All made out of bendaroos!

So cute!

More Adah!

Here she is again...I know there are a lot of photos, but I don't want to forget a minute of what my kids looked like when they were little and precious! I have been told that eventually they grow up and aren't so little and precious! I wouldn't know that by experience or anything...ha ha!

26 months old!

Can you believe how big Keziah is...she is so cute! And such a big helper these days! Things she loves to help with are: picking out Adah's next diaper (she will thumb through the diapers and find the sesame street character she wants Adah to wear next), she will unhook the dirty diaper and she will try to help wipe Adah's bottom. She loves to throw the dirty diapers away. She will gladly offer to help burp Adah (she actually does a really good job and doesn't hit too hard-she will do this with Adah over my shoulder), and if Adah is crying she will help her by putting her paci in. She proudly exclaims 'Kia (that's how she says her name) did it. I did it!' when she accomplishes something big like that.

I can't leave Keziah alone with Adah in the same room anymore. Kezzie used to pretty much ignore her but it seems like she is getting a lot more comfortable with Adah and thinks she can do all the things I do...like hold her whenever she wants. A couple of times she has just picked her up off the floor. The first time I caught her doing this she just wrapped her arms around the middle of her back and lifted resulting in Adah's head just hanging there. When I caught Kezzie doing this I gasped causing Kezzie to panic and just let go. Thankfully it was only from about a foot off the floor. And after a lot of soothing Adah was just fine. It only had to happen again for me to wake up and realize she can't be trusted! Kezzie is also starting to want to help more in the kitchen and since she got a step stool for Christmas this is a little more possible. She pretty much takes her stool everywhere with her...this can sometimes cause a lot of problems as it allows her to reach many more things! Keziah also LOVES to help me switch the laundry over. She gets upset when I throw a couple things in the dryer before she can get her one thing in. I need to work on patience!

Keziah says 'what mom' in such a teenagerish way (arms crossed and all). And she will refer to me as mom, mama, mommy depending on what she is trying to get out of me or get me to do for her! Same with dad, daddy, or dada. Another thing she is famous for saying is 'why? cuz.' as if she is asking a question and answering it herself. I guess I must answer her 'why' with 'cuz' a lot. She also answers many of my questions with 'I sure did' in a singing kind of voice. I just caught myself saying that for the first time tonight. Now I know where she gets it!

Keziah is also at the age where she would rather be naked or maybe she is testing out her undressing skills...Even though it is the middle of winter, most days she is getting undressed three or more times a day. I have started making her get herself dressed when she does this and she is getting quite good at dressing herself.

Keziah's favorite TV show is called Super Why. It's an adorable show teaching reading and spelling and she is learning her letters on there. She also learned a more jazzy version of the ABCs and sings the tune quite well! And of course her favorite movies are and probably always will be The Wiggles (we are now the proud owners of not one but four Wiggles movies and a Wiggles microphone along with the famous Wiggles jammies).

Keziah's favorite color: I didn't know a 2 year old could have a preference for color but Kezzie definitely does. If you ask her what kind of skittle she wants (for going potty) she will tell you 'gween pweese'. We have actually tried to get her to taste other colors and she insists that she get the color green. And if she sees something green she will point it out to me in great excitement. She LOVES the color green. I can't describe it...she just prefers it for everything!

A couple of bad habits Kezzie has picked up are 1) spitting. She evidently likes to watch her spit fall out of her mouth because she leans over whatever she intends to spit on (a couple of her favorite places are the fireplace and the arms of the furniture) and just makes a pile of spit. This little habit will send her straight to time out! I hope we can kick it soon! 2) gold digging. She just recently discovered the holes in her nose and the goop that develops inside them. Her fingers can be found there regularly! She has also started sticking things in them. I found her shoving a piece of string from the floor up in there this morning!

Keziah loves to pick up my phone. She will bring it to me to lock it for her so she can play with it. She will then pretend to be talking to 'grandma' and have everything in the world to say to her. She will pace around the living room and even use hand gestures. You can almost never understand what she is saying even though she has a very large vocabulary. I guess jibber jabber must resemble the way I talk on the phone!!

Keziah loves drawing too. She will sometimes want me to draw along with her. Some of her favorite requests are: a barn, chicken, pig, snake and bird. She will also claim her drawings are of these things. Sometimes they look somewhat like them but mostly she can only draw circles.

Keziah is great at reading. She loves to have me read to her but when I'm not available she will gladly read me a book. I am extremely amazed at how well she knows her books. She can read me a book almost word for word because she has them memorized. She just looks at the picture and knows the words that go along with it. I love hearing her read to me!

Keziah recently started counting beyond 10. She can usually get most of the numbers from 10-20. Some of them aren't in order but she is doing great. And she is recognizing more of her letters. While eating ABC spaghetti-o's she pointed out an O and W. I was shocked...her incredibleness will never cease to amaze me!

Keziah continues to make us laugh every day. I can't wait to share more with you next time!

Christmas gift!

I received many awesome Christmas gifts this year...this is just one of my favorite. Thanks mom! You know my taste and I think they look great! The one hanging on the left says 'Family-All because two people fell in love.' The one on the right says 'Home-Home is where your story begins.' They hang in my living room and have really made it feel/look more cozy and inviting.

More Winter Fun!

This last week Austin only went to school 2 full days. We have managed to stay sane, although by Thursday I was questionable! Since the weather has been above freezing we have made a point to get outside a little bit. Kezzie LOVES the snow and hates coming in even if her hands are going to fall off from being too cold. Austin absolutely loves having us outside with him. He helps Kezzie on the sled and helps her walk around as this is no easy task for a two year old in boots! Here are a few of my favorite shots of them playing! I am amazed at how well they get along when they want to. It's precious!

This first one just looks cool! Austin and Kez in/on the snow mound.

Austin being the helpful brother he is...and him sending her down the snow mound.

Kezzie peeking out of the 'fort' Austin made. This picture doesn't show the awesomeness of it...it really is a huge hole down inside.

Kezzie trying to play on the swing set. I wish it were summer!

Austin trying to dodge the photo. And another attempt at making a snow angel (I don't think Kezzie quite gets it-she mostly just lays there).

The face of an angel!

So many expressions. Here are just a few of what I could capture on camera. It's way cooler in person!!!

Wintery Fun!

On Sunday we were at my parents' house after church. I wanted to take all the kids out but Emily and Adam had to be somewhere so it was just me and my own. We still had a blast since mom and dad have some great hills for sledding. Kezzie hasn't ever been sledding so we first had her go down with Austin. After the first time, she wanted to go it alone. She had a blast. Then she wanted to ride the snowmobile with Grandpa since she had seen Austin do it. Last year she was deathly afraid of the thing but this year hopped right on without any problems. Dad took her slowly around the yard a couple times and she just grinned from ear to ear. Grandpa isn't so gentle with Austin though...they tear around all over the field across the driveway and all around their yard. They even tipped it once. I would be worried except my dad is pretty much the most cautious person on the planet. Kezzie also enjoyed making snow angels like she has seen done on Sesame Street. And when we were all done in the snow she just had to go for a spin in the little car. She says, "I'm going to the office." Just like daddy says!

How we do baths!

I think I have a system down...

With Brian being sick I have been doing most things solo. This has been a challenge for me so I have been finding ways to do things very efficiently. Bath time is one of these things. I love bath time. The girls get relaxed and it's a time for me to be with them both at the same time! Kezzie enjoys her bath so much and Adah will lay there so content just looking around our brightly lit bathroom. Every-once-in-a-while Kezzie will get to take a shower with mom and then Adah will have her mommy all to herself for bath time!
And for the record...I'm getting pretty good at serving dinner and nursing at the dinner table at the same time too!

New Adah pics!

(The most recent photo here is actually from Jan. 3)

Adah is growing so much...at about 5 weeks old she started to smile. And a week later we heard her first coo. She is pretty easy to get to smile if you just talk to her. She is really enjoying laying on the floor under her play gym and watching the pretty lights and listening to the music. She won't last long there though. She gets tired easily and wants to be held. At 7 weeks, she is starting to build a routine. She will eat her last feeding of the day at about 9/9:30. She will sleep until 5/5:30 waking to eat. She will go right back to sleep until 8:30am. Sometimes I even have to wake her because I want her to eat by 9am. If she eats every two hours like she usually wants to do then feeding her by 9am allows me to feed her again by 9pm. It's a routine that works for now...I'm sure it won't be long and she'll be changing it up for me. Her daytime sleep pattern is still a mystery to me. She is starting to act like she doesn't want held during a couple of her naps so then I will lay her in her swing or bassinet. She is staying awake for longer periods. One of them being before bed (after Kezzie's asleep) so Brian and I get some time with her without any other distractions. She is such a joy. It's amazing how you can have so much love to give to each of your kids.

A long 3 months...

As some of you know, Brian has been pretty sick since the middle of October. We haven't known what the problem was until just this week. He has missed a lot of work and missed out on being a part of family things-instead, laying in bed feeling miserable. It was just an all-of-the-sudden kind of pain at the base of his esophagus that wasn't there one day and then was there the next. He called me from work to tell me he was feeling so bad he thought he might go to the hospital. It was the start of a very long 3 months. That night the kids and I (thankfully still pregnant and not with three kids) waited in the hospital waiting room while they took several tests. I ended up taking the kids home for dinner and going back for Brian. Several ER visits later, to not only the New Hampton hospital but also to Covenant in Waterloo, Brian finally made an appointment at Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN. That appointment was on January 5th. It was the start of us finally getting some answers. Brian's mom was able to watch Keziah so that I could go along. We met with a specialist that asked a lot of good questions about history and present-day stuff. We of course knew that wasn't going to be the last time we saw her. She scheduled him the following Monday and Tuesday to have several tests done. Monday the 11th Brian went down with his mom (I couldn't go) to have a scope done. Then early that afternoon they did a test where they had to insert a tube down his esophagus and attach it at the base. For a full 24 hour period he had to wear this tube coming out of his nose attached to a machine that he wore around his neck. This test measured the pH in two areas-his stomach and his esophagus. On Tuesday he had to go back and get the tube taken out and have an x-ray done. Then later in the afternoon he had to meet with Dr. Kelly to get the results of all his tests. Sometime in October of 2008 Brian had a surgery done that tied off a hiatal hernia. Apparently the wrap has come a little loose and is allowing acid to come back up into his esophagus. That doesn't necessarily explain the pain he is having but Dr. Kelly went ahead and referred him to a surgeon to talk about possibly re-doing the wrap on his hernia to see if maybe that would take care of the pain. Brian met with the surgeon last friday, Jan. 15th. The surgeon thinks the wrap needs to be redone and also thinks it is possible that the pain he is having could be caused by a nerve being pinched or leaned on by something. Brian goes in for surgery on February 5th to have the wrap redone. Please pray that everything goes smoothly and that the pain is fixed, that the doctors will do a good job and have a clear vision of what needs to be repaired. Recovery is much worse the second time around because they can't do it laparoscopically. He will be in Mayo for four nights and then he will have a 6-8 week recovery time after that. Also, pray for my sanity through the next three weeks until surgery while Brian is still in pain and then the months that follow surgery while he is recovering!!

Oh Christmas Tree!

We took the tree down today and as a tradition decorated Austin. This is the third year we have caught him on camera decked out with Christmas bulbs. Every year he gets bigger and bigger! I can't believe he is ELEVEN!!









2008 and 2007

New Year's Day!

Today we went to my Aunt and Uncle's house in Shell Rock to celebrate Christmas and to ring in the New Year. We have such an awesome family to be thankful for. Pictures from top left down to bottom right: Dad sharing his pop with Keziah. She didn't want to put it down; Mom, Aunt Jill, Aunt Alena holding Adah; Austin lining up cars; Aunt Alena and Adah; my cousin Alicia holding Adah; my cousin Leora and Keziah. In attendance was my Aunt Jill with her daughter Anastasia (we don't get to see them nearly enough), my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Perry with their four kids-Joshua, Alicia, Johnathan, Leora, my Aunt Alena and Uncle Gary, my Grandma Smith, me and Brian, Austin, Adah, Keziah and Jamie, Keith and Rylan.