Keziah is 15 months!

Today Kezzie is 15 months old. WOW! There are so many things to speak of I don't know where to begin! Kezzie's two upper eye teeth are taking forever to completely come in continuing to give her trouble. She constantly wants something to suck/gnaw on. The bottom ones have yet to show themselves and can stay under as far as I'm concerned! Her hair is getting much different...not longer and not thicker, just different! It is really thin and still pretty light. It also has a pretty crazy mind of it's own so most days, when we are planning an outing, we put as much as we can get in a pony tail on the top of her head! Kezzie is talking up a storm, as you can imagine...here are the words I can think of that make up her vocabulary (I may add some as I remember them).

Kezzie's Vocabulary:

bape (grapes), bip (dip), teats (treats for the dogs), cheese, ater (water), hat, hot, puppies, doggy, cat, ight (light), papa (grandpa), bebow (elbow), ottle (for her baby's bottle), up, chichen (chicken), peas, apple, bear, ball, cup, che chew (thank-you), choes (shoes), ah done (all done), ganger (danger), two, bib, shishin (lotion), bebe (baby), bobbles (bubbles), Hi, peace (please), mom/mama, dad/daddy/dada, ahs-tin (austin), paci (pacifier), poop,

Among the words she can say there are many more that she can understand. For instance if I tell her to point to a duck on a page of animals, she knows what to point to (and many other animals!). If I tell her to go get her purse, she knows what I am talking about, etc.

Sign language she knows:

more, eat, bed, bath, play, movie, drink, bye/hi, book, milk, all done and she can point to all her body parts.

Body parts she knows:

eyes, ears, hair, nose, teeth, tongue, mouth, face, leg, toes, foot, belly, bottom, fingers and head.

Favorite things to do:

Eat, give the dogs their treats at random times during the day, turn on and off light switches, play in Austin's room with all his big boy stuff, climb on the fireplace or anything really, put lotion on, clap, dance, scream and sleep! She also still really enjoys her stacking boxes and is very fond of her new baby doll that she can feed. Her newest discovery is that we both have bellies and she likes to see them! Also, a few days ago I introduced her to the concept of dip...you know, like ketchup for your fries, ranch for your chicken, etc. I did not really think she would understand this wondrous way of eating but apparently she does and LOVES it as much as me! I love condiments! She actually found an extra container of ranch in the lazy susan the other day and was carrying it all over the house saying 'bip, bip, bip'...she is so adorable! I find myself creating her meals around being able to use dip! She is also really into giving hugs and kisses! Another favorite is lotion...I don't know how it ever got started but I have a little bottle of lotion that is now 'hers' and she knows where I keep it and requests to have it put on several times a day. She has also realized that pretty much anything in a bottle similar to that one is lotion and that she should be able to have it applied at will! This includes hand sanitizer, make-up, etc. She even considers 'bip' to be 'shishin' because if you stick your hand in your dip at lunch time you can rub your hands together as if rubbing in lotion!! Oh the days of toddler-hood!!

Kezzies' NEW schedule:

Last week (2/17) Kezzie decided she was done with three breast feedings a day so now she is down to two. Her new schedule goes something like this...

Between 7/7:30-Wake (Kezzie lays on my chest and lets me know when she wants to nurse)

Between 7/7:30-Breast Milk

8ish-Breakfast (Kezzie is eating a wide variety of breakfast foods, no rice cereal anymore)

9:00-Nap Time

10:30/11-Wake

11:30-Lunch (usually a meat, veggie, grain, and fruit, whole milk to drink, which she is doing better with)

1:30/2-Nap Time

3:30 (sometimes as late as 4)-Wake

3:30/4-(snack of cheese fish crackers, raisins, dried blueberries, string cheese, apple, yogurt, or puffs along with a drink of water or milk)

5:30-Supper (whatever I make!!)

7:30ish-Bath Time (every other night)

7:30-Breast Milk

7:30/8-Bed Time (depending on when she woke from her afternoon nap)

This is the month we have to get some more shots. Tomorrow is the big day with her apt at 10. She will have her iron tested again as well since it was low at her 12 month exam. We pray everything goes ok and the pain will be minimal! We love you Keziah Gail...

Keziah's Well Check Exam:

(2/24) Kezzie did a great job at her check-up. She had to have three separate shots. The only time she cried was when they held her legs down and put the needles in. Usually she cries through the whole exam. Kezzie is 22 pounds 7 ounces and is in the 50th %. She is 31 inches long and just below the 75th %. Her head is 18.5" and is in the 75th %. They didn't feel it was necessary to test her iron since it was only slightly low at 12 months and are instead going to check it in another 3 months. The doctor did mention a slight heart murmur that he said is really nothing and she should grow out of it in the next couple years.

Bennett James

He is just way too cute to not put any of these pictures up...this was from the 15th at my mom's birthday celebration. Bennett is so much fun to be around! He has such a great personality. He has a very loud voice, much like Kezzie's! He loves to hear himself scream just for fun and makes the most adorable noises with his lips! He has perfected rolling over and is starting to scoot himself around. It's in a pretty peculiar way...he leans to one side scoots with his foot, leans the other way and pushes with his other foot...it's the 'Benne crawl' (clever eh?)! He is going to be doing things his own way his whole life I have a feeling! He is doing very well at solids and is really getting into some finger foods. He loves his banana puffs especially! Bennett turned 10 months old today! Before we know it he will have blessed us with a year!

Mom's Birthday!

My mom's birthday was Feb. 12th but as a family we celebrated after church on Sunday the 15th. We didn't want her to have to cook for everyone on her birthday so we ordered Applebees to go! It was delicious, easy to clean up and nobody had to lift a finger to cook it! Emily, however, did make a very delicious dessert to have afterwards! Since my mom does so much for all of us and has our whole lives we really wanted to do something special for her. She never ever buys anything for herself and every time we ask her what she wants for Christmas or Birthdays she never gives us any ideas. She always says, "I am truly blessed with what I have, I honestly don't need anything else". Her mixer is small and really old and is used all the time so we have been wanting to get her a new mixer for a while now. We never really got all the funds rounded up to be able to do it though. So this year for her birthday all my sisters, my dad, and my grandma all went in to buy her a professional Kitchen Aid mixer. She has wanted one for so long and uses a mixer almost every week to cook for us on Sundays. I think she was pretty happy with her gift and we were all happy we could finally get her something she really wanted!

Brady Visits!

Since Brian and Brian's brother-in-law, Mat, were gone together (along with Brian's dad) over Valentine's weekend Steph and Brady came to New Hampton to visit. They stayed with Brian's mom. Friday, Kezzie and I went over there while Austin was in school and then we went back after Austin got out of school and after Kezzie woke from her nap. We had supper together and LaVonne, Brian's grandma, came to eat with us too! Brady was feeling under the weather and teething so he was pretty laid back. Austin just played with the neighbor kid pretty much the whole time so we didn't see much of him. I love watching Kezzie and Brady interact since they are so close in age. Usually Kezzie is busy stealing whatever toy Brady is trying to play with but Brady is getting a little more of an opinion and is starting to hold his own! Go Brady! On Saturday, Steph and Brady came to our house to visit. Brady and Kezzie enjoyed playing with the kitchen set that Kezzie got for Christmas! After a little while of playing and a big effort at eating lunch, Steph concluded that Brady really just needed a nap so they had to leave! It was really great to see them when they were here!

Early Valentine's Day!

Brian was gone from Thursday to Sunday over Valentine's weekend so the kids and I decided we could celebrate V-day a little early. I always like to get my kids a little gift to show how much I love them and appreciate them on Valentine's day...I guess you could call it an excuse to spend money on them but I really enjoy it...Here are a few photos from our fun! Kezzie got a baby doll that came with its own bottle, teddy bear and sippy cup (she is really into feeding her stuffed animals and toys), along with a couple new bibs (she calls them 'hats' and loves to wear them even when she isn't eating), some hair ties and some bracelets (she loves to show off her 'pretties'). Austin got a new game for his PSP, some candy and a Wal-mart brand under-armor shirt (he's been begging me for one)! We missed Brian while he was gone but the kids and I got to spend some much needed one on one time together!

Tub Time!

Most of the time the hot tub gets a lot of neglect, but recently we drained, scrubbed, and leveled the chemicals and have been enjoying it ever since! We obviously can't heat it to the max, but at bath-water temp. it is still very enjoyable! Kezzie wasn't sure at first but is loving it and even though Austin never lets me snap any shots of him, he is enjoying it the most out of all of us!

Kezzie pics!

Kezzie has a little plastic baby bottle that came with a bath tub baby that she has recently rediscovered. I fill it up with water and she drinks it out of the bottle. I first go to the fridge and fill a glass with water and then suction the water out of the glass with the bottle...that is why she is standing at the fridge water dispenser saying 'ater! ater! ater!' (water). The really funny thing is that up until the discovery of this bottle she hasn't been a fan of whole milk but one day at lunch time, with many many refills, she actually drank half a sippy cup of whole milk out of this little bottle!

Special Guests!

Today we had some very special visitors! My friends from Cedar Rapids drove up here to visit...I used to work with Kristin and Jami at Yellowbook (Pindar). Kerra is Kristin's sister which I became friends with through Kristin. I am so thankful for each of their friendships, they are such awesome women to have in your life! I am lucky to know them! Kristin had a baby in October and named him Hunter...he is such a sweetie and just adorable. He is smiling and laughing and practicing his skills at rolling over! We all spent most of our time just watching him and Kezzie play and babble...who needs TV when you have kids!

Our sweet pups!

I just had to share this sweet picture of our puppies, Bucky and Bella. They will almost always lay together and lately the sun has been shining in this one window so it hits the carpet just right. They will do anything to stay warm!

Sunday Fun!

Every Sunday after we go to church, we get to eat lunch with the family at Mom and Dad Smith's. It is so much fun to get the kids together and have good food and great conversation. Ethan and Austin always have so much fun together. Here's Austin playing a car racing game on his PSP and Ethan watching!


Grandpa has been wanting to give rides on the snowmobile for a while now. It is finally warm enough to be outside so today was the day. Although we didn't remember until the Thilges' had already left, Austin was still able to enjoy it. Kezzie stood at the sidelines watching and when she realized it was grandpa and Austin on there she started shaking and she stuck her bottom lip way out...she was so frightened they were going to get hurt. She just kept calling out 'Ah-tin', 'pa-pa'...it was really sweet. (This also happened a couple weeks ago when we took Austin to get a haircut...Kezzie was very concerned for his well being!) She loves her brother so much! I really wanted a picture of the three of them on the snowmobile so what does a loving mother do but stick her ever so scared one year old on the very thing she is afraid of and take a snapshot of that priceless moment, tears and all! Fun times!!

Jamie's 25th Birthday Celebration!

Since Jamie turned 25 this year on the 6th, the family got together for a little celebration. Jamie invited Keith's family as well so it was even more fun! First we went to eat at the Bremer Diner in Waverly and then headed over to the bowling alley for a game or two! Kezzie had a blast watching all the balls roll down the lanes. My cousin Melissa and her daughter Olivia were there also. Olivia is almost 6 and Kezzie adored her. She kept wanting to steal her headband and necklace...I think Kezzie definitely has a girl's taste in fashion!

Spaghetti Os!

For lunch the other day, Kezzie ate Spaghetti Os and Meatballs...which she loved! I picked out all the meatballs and cut them up for her but for the most part she was on her own! This is the end result...I'm probably not going to be doing that again any time soon!

Hackmans!

Today we had a couple visitors. A friend of Brian's came to visit. This is Shaun and Jack. Jack is about 7 months old. Kezzie really enjoyed sharing her toys and seeing someone smaller than her! It's so cute how kids relate to other kids!

14 in all!

Kezzie's top eye teeth have started coming in now...that brings the total up to 14. She hasn't been very fussy with these, thankfully. She was up one night this week several times, but that's it! Maybe they get easier as they get older! Let's hope! They aren't very far through yet either so we'll see how she does as they start pushing through further! She will be chomping carrots in no time!

14 Months Old!!

Kezzie turned 14 months old today! I took these pictures in the morning after she woke up! She does have a calm side to her! In the first one she decided to play a little peek-a-boo...the second one she was thinking, 'Let's just get this over with so I can have breakfast!' She is so big! And so much fun to be around! We are having a blast building towers with blocks, figuring out shapes, playing in her pretend kitchen, reading lots of books, and chasing the dogs! She loves the dogs! There is never a dull moment when she is awake!

Kezzie is still nursing 3 times a day and still takes two naps a day. She is doing really well on solids but still hates whole milk. She has pretty much given up the rice cereal but still has it on occasion. She is growing like a weed...I can't believe she is growing up so fast.

And she is incredibly smart. Now, I know she's my daughter so I have to say that, but she is really smart! You can teach her just about anything and she gets it. She is saying so many things lately. She watches your mouth to see how you say it and then she will give it her best try. Sometimes it sounds nothing like it but you can tell she is eager to learn! A couple of her new words are 'cheese' and 'chicken', among many others. One really funny thing I have to make note of is that she is obsessed with baby wipes. Actually any kind of wipes. She pulls several at a time out of the dispenser and shoves them in her mouth as fast as she can before I can take them away. She sucks the liquid out of them and sniffs them. I don't intentionally let her do this, of course, but she does it every chance she gets. Even the sanitizing wipes. I use them to clean the tables and her high chair and occasionally her hands and she tries to eat them. Even with the biter nasty taste (yes I tested it to see what is so great about them) she still wants to suck on them. She's so sneaky, you really have to watch her!!

Kezzie and daddy have a fun game she loves to play...she grabs the remote and daddy chases her. She knows how much daddy hates it when she has the remote (and yes, sadly she knows exactly what to do with it) so she will 'run' as fast as she knows how and she giggles and screams until he catches her and then they giggle and scream together. It's so great to see her play with him! They have a lot of fun together and Brian is a great dad!

I know I say it every month and that still doesn't seem like it's enough but God has blessed us so greatly with the kids that we have. They are such an incredible gift to us. We are so thankful He has entrusted their lives to us. What an awesome responsibility!

Yeah! Kezzie can stand!

As you know, Kezzie has been walking for a while now. But as soon as she falls, she has to resort to crawling or walking on her knees until she can get near something to help her stand up...that is not the case anymore! Today she taught herself to stand up without anything to hold onto! I am so proud of her! And she is so proud of herself every time she does it. She plants one foot on the floor and you can see it in her eyes that she is concentrating on her balance as she lifts the other leg out from under her to a standing position! It's so adorable!

Weekend Fun!

It was a very busy but fun weekend. Originally we were just going to sit around and relax on Friday evening and thankfully we were doing just that when my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Perry and their four kids (plus a friend) showed up in their mini van that was having trouble. They live in MN so on their way to Cedar Falls, to celebrate the Smith family Christmas this weekend, they realized they were having some car trouble. It was a good thing they were in our town when it happened! We pulled it into the garage and he proceeded to find the problem only to find out the part he needed was in Cedar Falls. So my dad went and picked up the part and brought it to New Hampton. Him and my dad were able to get it fixed and they were all back on the road by about 9:30pm. I was really thankful for their misfortune because then I got to see them since Saturday we were unable to be at the Smith Christmas. We had plans of our own to drive to MN to attend Brady's first birthday party! It was a blast to hang out there and see Brady and Mat and Steph! Brady is getting so big...he is standing and walks while holding onto one hand. For his birthday he got some books, clothes and cute jammies. His Grandma Coyle brought over an old keyboard she had and Kezzie and Brady loved jamming out together! It was a short visit but a good time! We headed back home about 2:45pm and after battling the weather we arrived home about 6:15.

Austin was busy having a great time with the Smith's since my mom offered to watch him so he wouldn't miss out on the Christmas! My Aunt Jill always gets a hotel room when she comes to visit so that all the kids can go swimming together at the pool. Austin loves to swim so I am sure he was in heaven! Sunday morning Brian and I woke up to do our regular routine of church and then dinner at mom and dad's. We wanted to squeeze in some time to visit my Grandma Smith since she had just had surgery. So before going to church we stopped at her house! My grandma just adores Keziah and Keziah really loves playing catch with her dog!

Kezzie is going to be a piano player someday, I think (and I hope)! She right away saw Grandma Smith's piano and wanted to play it!

Sunday afternoon was different then usual. We headed back to the church because Kezzie and Bennett were getting dedicated at 3pm. There were several other kids being dedicated also! It was a special time for us to profess our faith and to commit ourselves to raising Kezzie to believe in Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. We are so blessed to have an awesome and loving God! I love the dress Kezzie wore because a friend of the family made that dress for me when I was Kezzie's age.

Goof Ball!

Kezzie found this hat in her closet yesterday (it was an old hat of Austin's) and absolutely loves it (and equally loves saying it). I guess that's not much of a surprise since she really likes her stocking cap.


This is Kezzie's new hang out when I am working in the office room. This is where the dogs sleep so I don't exactly love the idea of her playing in there but she has a blast and it keeps her busy. She loves to open and close the door and when she looks out the side she can see me sitting at the computer. When she wants me to look at her looking at me she sweetly says, "mama".

Kezzie is walking!

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Kezzie walks everywhere. She really started to walk a lot the week after Christmas. She is doing such a great job on her balance and can catch herself from almost any fall! She does still have one problem though...once she's fallen, she doesn't know how to stand back up if there isn't anything near by to assist her. This causes her to resort to walking on her knees...it's a pretty funny sight, but it gets her where she needs to go. At least until she can get near something that will help her get back on her feet! I still smile every time I see her waddling across the room...it's so precious!

Quite the look!

I don't know why, but Kezzie pulled these seat belt protectors out of her diaper bag and brought them to Austin. Austin strapped them on her arms and she loved it. She wears them often now. If you take them off she just wants them put back on. I now have them hidden since it has become a little bit of a problem!

Free Space!

Well, we have finally gotten all our Christmas decorations put away...where the tree once stood is an empty corner. There was a desk there that seemed to be a catch-all for mail and whatever else, but I'm not sure I want to put it back. I kind of like having the extra space for the kids to play in. I think I might move some of Kezzie's toys over there from the living room. She needs to become a little more independent! Plus, the living room is getting a little crowded with all her toys in there! For now, it's a fort and the kids are enjoying playing it in together! We'll have to see what else it becomes!

New Year's Eve/Day!

New Year's Eve Jamie and Keith came to hang out. We at a good meal of chicken cordon bleu together along with a lot of yummy sides. We got Kezzie to bed and soon after started playing games. Austin went with his dad just for the day, to celebrate Christmas with Linda's side of the family, so I was glad to have him back and celebrating with us. We played Sorry Sliders (Austin got it for Christmas), Rumis and Jamie's new Cranium Pop game. We had a lot of fun. Brian even played along and had a good time! Midnight was late...we watched the ball drop and then went straight to bed. Jamie and Keith ended up staying the night and although we had our flooding problem in November we were able to put the guest bed mattress on the basement floor for them to sleep comfortably. New Year's Day the Iowa Hawkeyes played in the Outback Bowl so Keith and Jamie stayed for that. It was great to have company and let the kids play with them. I think Kezzie and Austin enjoyed having them around! And so did I!