Adah is 16 & 17 MONTHS!

Adah at 17 months!

4 days before 16 months!

This was actually a result of me taking Kezzie's month pictures.  Adah just had to have her picture taken too and they turned out so cute!  She is such a ham ball!

16 months old!

Here is Adah at 16 months!  She loves glasses, headbands, goggles, hats, etc.  Pretty much anything that she can put on her head/face she will wear around for quite a while at a time!

Adah is such a copy cat!  I don't know what kid isn't at this age but it's so fun to watch her try to imitate you!  Adah loves birds!  We have a bird feeder right outside our living room window and she gets super excited when birds come to eat!

Words Adah says: Hi, Ahtin (Austin), up, out, done, apuhm (apple), gook (book), baby, lanna (cousin Alanna), lella (Bella), puppy, cat, meow, moo, baa, quack, duck, off, hot...I will have to think some more!  She is great at signing: milk, book, eat, please, movie, drink, all done, more, hello/bye, bath, thank-you.

Whenever I leave the room for even a second, she know it and will start yelling, "mooooommmmm".  It's pretty cute and I usually holler back, "Aaaaadaaaaah".  She thinks this is a fun game! 

One thing I am really enjoying with Adah is prayer.  We have been trying to remember to do it just the two of us before bed every night.  We pray at supper but this is different...she sits on my lap facing me and sometimes she will rest her forehead on mine or lay her head on my shoulder and I will say a prayer about her and about our day and our time together and you can tell she loves it!

A funny story about Adah:  a while ago...probably a month at least, I was doing some spot cleaning around the house.  Adah had followed me into the bathroom where I noticed some dust collecting on the kleenex dispenser.  I lightly blew some air at the top of it to blow all the dust away and apparently Adah was watching because now every time she walks into the bathroom she climbs up onto the stool and blows the kleenexes!  I can't believe she even remembers me doing such a thing.  She's my little helper, keepin' those kleenexes dust free!

Adah's schedule is pretty much the same.  And even though it's been two months since I posted her schedule, she is actually still nursing 3 times a day!  I don't see her making changes to that anytime soon, but I could be wrong!  One change she did have is she dropped her morning nap mid April.  She is still occasionally taking it, (1-2 times/week) but it is typically best if she doesn't have one at all!  This is kind of nice because it leaves the mornings open to do other things.  But one down side is the girls aren't really ready to eat/take afternoon naps at the same time anymore.  I have to push Adah to wait 'til 11:30/12 for lunch and then I have to push to keep her up until 12:30/1 so Kezzie is ready for a nap too.  It's all worth it though when I am sitting her blogging to you with no noise around me, or sorting laundry without somebody unsorting it!

I also wanted to make note that Adah quit her breakfast infant cereal mid April too.  I have religiously pumped milk every morning to mix in with Adah's cereal and when we went on our mini vacation I didn't do it while we were gone and didn't feel like picking it back up when we got back.  Adah seemed to make up for it by drinking both sides so I wasn't uncomfortable anyway!  It was an easy transition for both of us.  I still occasionally give her cereal mixed with fruit and water but mostly just give her what everybody else is having! 

We continue to have fun playing tickling games, chasing Adah around the room, rolling and bouncing a ball, and just plain loving her!  She is such a joy to be around and I can't wait to see what the next month is going to bring!  We love you Adah!

Cuties!

  

These are my adorable (and strange) kids! Yes that is a pair of goggles Keziah is wearing! She got them from the Easter bunny and hasn't hardly taken them off since! And that purple ball didn't even come from the Easter bunny (just came the same weekend), but it was from a consignment shop in Waverly. She LOVES it and obviously holds onto it at all times in fear of Adah stealing it! The girls look so sweet sitting there together! They are probably having a book read to them on the iPad or something. In just a matter of moments though Adah will have the 'home screen' button pushed and Kezzie will be screaming for her to get away! I had to catch a photo fast! Of course Austin would cover his face. I think I get the back of his hand more then his face but that's ok because I really just wanted to capture Adah gleefully bouncing up and down on that ball (and in adorable pig tales none the less)! And the last is of Adah laying on her blankie on top of the register which is blowing out heat! She couldn't get enough of it. Plus she wasn't quite fully awake yet so she was pretty relaxed!

Tired Baby!

After getting home this evening we had one wiped out little girl!  We always unload all our stuff and set it in the kitchen to unpack.  She got to it first and pulled out all her blankets and her little pillow.  We thought she was awfully quiet and nowhere to be seen.  Upon investigation this is where we found her!  I guess Easter wore her out!  She is such a sweetie!

Happy Easter!

We went to church this morning (wonderful service) and then over to mom and dad's where they made a ham and duck.  My grandma Smith came along with a couple of my mom's brothers (uncle Craig and his son Dustin and uncle Wayne and aunt Jane).  Jane made some superb pies that are definitely worth mentioning (and a couple other things too)!  I made some deviled eggs (our previously dyed Easter eggs came in handy), Emily brought Snicker Apple Salad and mom and dad provided everything else.  The meal was delicious!  Before we sat down to eat we decided to do our egg hunt.  We hid them all downstairs.  Some were really high up for Austin and some were just sitting in plain site for Adah.  Unfortunately, Jamie, Keith and Rylan were in New Hampton so they weren't there.  Mom had five special Easter eggs for each of the kids each containing gold coins.
Aren't my kids the most beautiful kids you have ever seen?  I do admit Austin really could use a hair cut.  I never think of those things until it is too late!  Regardless, they are still amazing kiddos!  I thank God so much everyday for the opportunity to have Life and raise these little blessings!

 Here is a video that my church played on Easter Sunday...I wish you all could have been there!

Easter Baskets!

We knew Easter morning was going to be pretty hectic since Sunday mornings always are so we decided to have the Easter Bunny come while the girls napped today.  So when they woke up their baskets were ready for them!  Kezzie was pretty excited and of course Adah got into it too!  Kezzie got: goggles, new cups, a water bottle, Don't Spill the Beans, Bambi, a pack of 4 puzzles, bubbles, a squishy ball and a little candy.  Adah got a big book, a furReal pet duck, molding clay (that doesn't dry out), squishy ball, some graham crackers and a little bit of candy (that she will probably never eat!).  Austin got (he was with his dad this weekend so he won't get his 'til tomorrow): a thing you stick in the ground and it holds your fishing pole, a kindle gift certificate, an Iowa Hawkeyes shirt, a squirt gun and a bunch of candy!  While we don't want to forget what Easter is really about we do enjoy giving our kids these little baskets of fun!

Keziah is 40 & 41 MONTHS!

My sweet Kezzie is another month older and another month older (I'm a little behind)!!  Here she is at 40 months old with her 'buga buga friend' (boxelder bug).  She insisted that he be in the picture with her.  She loves these things...if she sees one crawling around the house she will get really excited and play with it/let it crawl on her until she kills it or it flies away.  She really likes bugs! 

She is so grown up and such a sweetie!  She is so smart too...I am AMAZED!  She knows all her letters by recognition and the sound they make.  This makes things easier sometimes.  For example: when it's time to take her vitamin for the day I just tell her what letters to look for on her pill box pertaining to the day it is and she finds it!  This has also sparked an interest in the days of the week and months.  She has known her colors for probably a year but only recently she has become interested in them again.  She likes games that ask her to match colors, puzzles having to do with colors, etc.  She also knows her numbers, I'm not sure how high she can count though.  I know she understands the concept of counting but I haven't ever had her count really high.  I am also unsure of how many numbers she can actually recognize.  I know she knows up to 10 for sure.  She recently learned how to spell her name too.  For a while she knew the first three letters but recently got it all down (mid April)!  Keziah is getting really good at praying at dinner.  She sometimes requires help but for the most part makes it up herself.  One thing she is sure to say every time is 'thank-you for our bodies'.   So sweet! One last thing I want to mention is that she talks about death...excessively.  I don't think it's anything to worry about I just think it's strange.  She's just so curious!  Brian's great Aunt Mable died not too long ago (and within a year or so before that she had been to two other funerals also) and she tells everybody her 'great grandma Nable died'.  Kezzie has a lot of questions pertaining to death and Mable specifically (she saw her in the casket and asks things like: what happened to her legs, why were her hands on her chest, why did she have glasses on if she is dead, etc).  One thing I want her to be sure to understand is that when you die you get to go to a wonderful place called Heaven and live with Jesus only if you have Jesus in your heart.  She repeats this information a lot when talking to me or others.  The other day (4/20/11) we were having our tenth conversation about death that day and it was like something new just clicked.  She stopped to think for a minute and then asked me, "Well, what if you don't have Jesus in your heart?  Where do you go then?"  I thought that was such a grown-up kind of question that requires deep thought for a 3 year old.  I of course answered her with no sugar coating.  I said, 'Well, people who don't have Jesus in their hearts unfortunately go to hell'.  She asked what hell was and I told her it was a horrible place where a bad bad angle called the devil lives.  She went around saying 'hell is a berry berry bad place' the rest of the day!  She had many more questions about hell like: who is in hell?  are there ghosts in hell? where is hell?  what is hell like?  I cherish these sweet learning moments and am so thankful that she is learning the Truth about Jesus' love for us!  Here is our Kez at 41 months old!  Cute little pig tails.  I'm not sure the last time I put her hair up but she really loves it!

We love you sweet Kezzie!

SLIME!

Today Kezzie and I made a recipe from my church cookbook.  It's called SLIME!   It was really fun/easy to make together and we had even more fun playing with it!

Here's how to make it (I actually halved it and there was plenty, here's the full recipe):

mix together 1 cup (7-8oz. bottle) of Elmer's Glue with 1 cup of water and 1 drop of food coloring of your choice.

In a separate bowl combine 3 tsp. of borax and 1 1/3 cup WARM water.

Combine the two mixtures, drain off the excess water and play.  Keep in closed container.

We have had a lot of fun this afternoon trying different things with it and experimenting with cutting and smooshing.  We even made it into a ball and it bounced!  It doesn't have a nasty smell either!

I'm 30 :(

Today was the last of our days away from home. We didn't want to go all the way home to New Hampton after Bennett's birthday party and then drive back for church the today so we decided to end our weekend with a night at mom and dad's.  It turned out that Perry and Cindy and their four kids were coming to stay too!  I was pretty excited about this because I knew that we were celebrating my birthday after church and with Perry and Cindy in town there were more loved ones to celebrate with.  Grandma Smith even came for lunch and later Gary and Alena and Melissa and her two kids.  It was so nice to be with family!  The flowers came from my friend in Dubuque and my little sis Jamie!  They are so beautiful and smell wonderful!

Bennett is 3!

After leaving Dubuque Saturday afternoon we came straight to Bennett's 3rd birthday celebration!  He is such a sweet little boy and it's so much fun to watch him grow!  He is getting bigger and learning right along with his peers!  He is a talker and a screamer!  He has a very opinionated personality!  He is much braver than many kids and very determined to do things!  We love Bennett so much and are so thankful to have him as a part of our family!  Happy Birthday Buddy!

Mini Vacation!

Kezzie is showing us her swimming skills!  I couldn't get the better video to load so this one will have to do!

And here is Adah 'jumping' off the side into my arms!  She giggles so much when I catch her!  And when I set her back on the cement she gets super excited to do it all over again!

This weekend I turned 30 years old!  I can't believe it.  I feel like I am officially getting old.  I mean, seriously, I am only 10 years away from 40!  Anyway, to celebrate as a family we decided to take a little trip together.  We haven't gone anywhere for a long time so we thought this would be perfect.  We went to the indoor water park in Dubuque.  The Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark.  It was wonderful and just what we needed!  There were 3 bigger slides perfect for Austin's age, a lazy river, a basketball hoop area, and an area no more than 2 feet deep.  Adah and Kezzie had a blast.  They each enjoyed jumping off the edge to me.  Kezzie learned how to swim with a life jacket on and did awesome keeping her legs down so she wasn't wobbling all over.  She learned to hold her breath too!  Brian did great hanging out with the girls in the shallow end while Austin and I went and did our own thing on the big slides! There are two slides right next to each other so we had a good time racing each other to the end and back up again.  There's areas you have to climb up and through making it a challenge to get there fast.  Austin came up too fast in one area and hit his head really hard.  OUCH!  Kezzie was even allowed to go down 2 of the 3 bigger slides on my lap and really enjoyed that.  She even went down the other big slide that required an inner tube and was completely enclosed and dark.  On this particular slide she wasn't allowed to sit on my lap and instead had to sit by herself on the double tube with me.  That didn't seem to bother her at all and said she had fun!  I was really happy with how well everybody slept that night too.  We had the two girls in our room with us and Austin was out in the living room on a hide-a-bed.  The rooms were completely dark so the girls slept really well and Adah slept late!  After getting the girls to bed Brian, Austin and I hung out in the living room watching TV, eating junk food, and playing Angry Birds on the iPad!  Kezzie was up at 6:15 like usual on Friday morning and after I got her set up with a cartoon and some cereal, I went back to bed for another hour!  That was nice!  Probably not so nice for Austin since he was the one out in the living room with Kezzie watching TV!  While Brian and I got everything rounded up and Adah fed, Austin and Kezzie went down to the arcade where they blew through $10 earning a bunch of tickets to get some prizes for them both!  They had so much fun since it is basically a Chuck-E-Cheese!

 After a couple hour swim Friday morning, we requested a late check out and loaded our things to head over to our friends' house, who lives in Dubuque, and we stayed a night with them.  They graciously watched our kids for us while we went to a movie and out to eat for supper!  We went to Source Code (very good movie) and ate at The Star (wonderful food).  Saturday my friend and I headed to a consignment shop and got some good deals on clothes for the kids.  After Adah took a much needed nap we hopped in the car and headed to Independence where we celebrated Bennett's 3rd Birthday (post coming soon)!  It was a great couple of days away from home and just doing something we all enjoyed together.  I am so greatly blessed to have such a wonderful family!  And I am really looking forward to what Brian and the kids got me...a gift certificate to a spa in Cedar Falls.  I should be able to get an hour massage and a haircut or something!  And all without kids!  What a blessed 30th birthday!

Finally...

Won't be long now, my faithful blog followers!  I have finally received my new laptop (after having my laptop and desktop crash within a couple days of each other) and I am ready to catch up on blogging!  I will be back-dating everything so keep your eyes peeled for some new updates!  And thanks once again for keeping up with our AWESOMELY BLESSED family!

Dying Easter Eggs!

Today mom decided it would be a great day to dye some Easter eggs.  It didn't work out for Emily and Adam's family to be there but we did get to see Molly and Gavin and Nate.  Gavin and Kezzie always get along well and enjoyed doing the eggs together.  Austin even got into it!  Rylan and Adah just caused problems!  I didn't even let Adah near a cup of dye.  Jamie at least let Rylan do a little!  When it was all done we ended up taking home 17 eggs between Austin and Kez.  I guess we will be having some deviled eggs and egg salad sandwiches in the near future!  Thanks Mom for heading this up and keeping the mess at your house!!  We love you!

A walk to the park!

Today we decided to get outside in the beautiful weather.  We wanted to make it a family affair but Austin wasn't really thrilled about going to his school playground to play!  Not to mention that he is getting really sick of his annoying leg brace, but we made him go anyway.  It's only a short walk to the school so we put the kids in the wagon and headed out.  It was a lot of fun and even Austin got into it when he realized he might as well make the best of it!  I am amazed at how brave Adah is.  She is very confident going down even the biggest slide all by herself.  I hope that never changes!  She doesn't mind it when I help her either so if I don't feel comfortable at least she isn't pushing me away.  Kezzie really enjoyed the hanging bars and frequently asked daddy to help her move along them.  I even tried out my skills on the high bar and hung from my legs for roughly 20 seconds!  I think Kezzie was less than impressed, but it made me feel young again!  I wasn't, however, about to try spinning around the bar with one leg (do you remember this fun and scary trick?).  We headed home just in time for naps!  I am looking forward to many more walks to the playground this summer!

Dress Up Time!

The girls are playing more and more together these days.  Today the pulled out all of Kezzie's dress up clothes and had me dress them up in different things.  Adah was cheesin' it up in front of the mirror.  You could tell she thought she looked beautiful!  Kezzie really enjoyed it too!  They both especially like the wings and wands so it's a really good thing we have two of each.  And of course, Adah LOVED the hat!