October Love

October is always such a great month. We really love all the sights and smells of a Michigan fall. It was a busy month for us. So busy, in fact, we didn't even have a chance to visit our cottage. This months marks the one-year anniversary of buying it! It has brought us some great memories this past year, and we are looking forward to making many more. Adam and I also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary this month. We had some fun plans that we made, but unfortunately the plague ripped through our home and it just happened to hit me over our anniversary, so we have rescheduled our fun plans until December when the babysitter is available again!

Something really momentous happened this month......Gabrielle wrote her name!! Now I have been working with Gabrielle on letter recognition and letter formation for about a year, and that is just proof that kids truly accomplish things only when they are ready. She was just like, "I'm gonna write my name, Mom." And sure enough she wrote it small and neat as she signed a rather small Halloween card. We were so proud! Gabrielle is not the easiest name, that's for sure.

Onto some Carter news: he is a talking maniac!! Some of his new words are up, get down, bub-bye, apple, grape, pumpkin (although his version sounds like ba-pump), milk, Amen, and book. He just put two words together, too, which was cool..."Bye-bye, Dada." He may talk even more than Gabrielle did at that age! I need to go back and look. He loves to play with his cars and trucks and he also loves to play in Gabrielle's kitchen. He also loves to read his car and truck books. He brings them to either Adam or myself and plops down in our laps. He has a book that has baby faces in it, and he loves that one. He likes to look at pictures of dogs, cats, and other animals!

This month is better said in pictures, so below are several of our highlights! See ya in November!

 

Carter loved the three light up pumpkins, and he liked to take me to each one to show me.

Carter also loves throwing dirt out of my hydrangea. 

 

 Gabrielle had a field trip to Spicer's!

 

 My furry little Pooh Bear

 

Little Blondie in the leaves

 

Gabrielle was Rapunzel for Halloween

 

Money Shot!

 

 

September Stuff

September started with an unexpected long trip to Houghton Lake. We headed up on August 30th to stay through the long, holiday weekend. However, on Labor Day, I realized that I could stay up for another week due to the fact that I didn't have to work and Gabrielle's preschool didn't start until the 11th. Poor Adam had to pack it up and head home, but he joined us again the following Friday. The only real bummer was that I forgot my camera again, so I was rather annoyed with myself.

We came home to the start of a busy week and the beginning of our new fall routine. Gabrielle started dance on Monday and began her 4-year-old preschool career on Tuesday. She was super-excited for both to begin. Luckily for me, she skipped off down the hall as she waved goodbye to me. There seemed to be plenty of other crying kids saying goodbye to their moms, so Carter and I high-tailed it out of there before she could change her mind! Gabrielle is going to school for two full days per week. That means I pack both Adam and Gabrielle's lunch.... It is a long day without her, but it is good preparation for all day/everyday kindergarten next year. She hasn't complained about the long day, so everything seems to be going just fine!

Carter had his 15-month well-baby check-up on the 13th. He weighed in at 24 pounds, 2 ounces. (44%) He was 30.8 inches tall (39%), and his noggin is still in the 90th percentile at 19.25 inches! He doesn't look nearly as big as he did before he was mobile, and he has really thinned out, although I would never describe him as skinny! He's definitely solid and very healthy. I really wish I could just freeze Carter at this age. He's so sweet--quick to give hugs and kisses and snuggle up. He continues to be very verbal repeating everything as best he can. He's learning body parts such as eyes, nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, and tummy. He is also learning animal sounds such as that for a dog, cat, duck, and frog. He really loves dogs and bears. He likes to carry around those particular stuffed animals and snuggle and kiss them. He's very sweet. Every night when we say goodnight, he leans in for a kiss with a real pucker. He also will lean in for a kiss when we say good-bye, such as when we drop Gabrielle off at school. Again, he's a sweetheart. He likes to be rough and tumble, but he has a real tender side which is just the cutest thing ever.

Pictures are a little low this month although you may not be able to tell by this post. Happy fall, everyone. Looking forward to October!

Colleen

1st day of 4-year-old preschool!

 A sibling pic just wasn't happening!

 

Some fun that fall brings...

(She actually made this one just as I snapped the pic!)

 

 

Cartie is looking more like a big boy!

Awesome August!

I am hoping that now we are into a fall routine, I will be more disciplined in my blogging. It's September 18th and I am now writing my August update. Get it together, Colleen!! You have to do your September update in a week!

So anywho, August was AWESOME. Loved every long minute of it. It really seemed like a long month. Or maybe it was because this is my last August with no back-to-school anxiety? Next year I may require medication. HA! I know, it must have been the heat. And I loved the heat. The month started out with Gabrielle attending her *third* and final VBS at our very own St. Mary Magdalen, a fun playdate with good friends who were visiting MI after moving to FL last year, my step-sister's wedding--Gabrielle's first.

The second week of August we took a trip to the farm at Kensington. This was Carter's first trip to the farm as a toddler.  When he sees something that excites him, such as a large truck, he gets wide-eyed, starts to shake, and his hands open and close like pinchers.  He definitely was interested in what he was seeing, but prefered to look at the tractors. He was especially tentative around the pigs. I don't blame him. There is a funny picture of him below petting a cow for the first time.

We left on August 11th for Houghton Lake and stayed until the 19th. It was a great weather week. We got to spend a lot of great quality family time...plenty of bike rides and boat rides. Gabrielle found lots of rocks, leaves, feathers, and mushrooms. She is quite the collector of things au natural. Grandpops even came up for a few nights, and all who know him know that he is the ultimate playmate, so Gabrielle and Carter were in heaven!

As we made our way back to reality, the summer started to wind down, and Gabrielle received a visit from her new preschool teacher. Ms. Jayme came over and they worked on a special project. Gabrielle saw the 4-year-olds when she went to preschool last year and always looked at them with a little trepidation. I don't think it has sunk in yet that now she will be one of those "big kids."  She is definitely ready to get back into a routine. She is a little social butterfly and she loves to be around her friends, so school will be a welcome change of pace.

I am looking forward to all the updates in September!

Colleen

 



My precious kids! How sweet!

 

Notice the facial expression

 

 Please note: I was inside making lunch at the time this was taken.  HA!

 

Daddy's Little Husky

 

Boating Beauty

 

Gabrielle with Ariel & Tiana!

 

Check out this old-school trike! LOVE IT

 

My handsome little dude

 

Mama's Little Spartan

Getting Caught Up on July!!

Now onto July....
The first 15 days were spent swimming and boating and playing non-stop. We neither have a working TV up north nor any internet, so we partake in good old-fashioned fun....bug collecting, minnow catching, zebra mussel collecting, lots of bike rides, trips to the Four Seasons Party Store, riding the retro trike, watching (not feeding) the ducks, Seadooing, and taking the party barge out to the sand bar and throwing the anchor out.......... It really is pure bliss. Don't get me wrong, however. Life wasn't always sunshine and lollipops up there. The trip started out with Gabrielle catching the plague from a playdate before we left. I, unfortunately, was hit with a double-whammy because I got a milder (but still annoying) version of it coupled with poison oak. Adam was having some ear issues, as in both of his ears were completely plugged. Combine that with my laryngitis, and we were quite the couple. We tried to communicate, but with him not hearing anything and with me not being able to talk, that was just another exercise in futility! Everything was fine the second week (poor Adam had to go home and go back to work) and we enjoyed ourselves quite thoroughly. We never had a gray, rainy day, which was pretty amazing. We also had 16 visitors while we were up. That was so awesome!!!! We love hosting guests whether it be for a week, a day, or even a few hours. (Hint, hint!)

During the second week of July, Carter mastered the art of walking!! So now my little bubbers is a walking boy... bowed legs, arms our like Frankestein, taking high steps... those first little steps are so precious. He is also starting to talk (using words) a lot more too. He's always been very vocal jibber-jabbering in his own language, so I think when he realizes that talking will be more effective, I'm sure his verbal skills will take off!! Right now his favorite words are truck, duck, fish, da-da, mo-mo (that's me;), sis-sis, this, that, what's this, and what's that. He loves to pick up small toys that are choking hazards and then find me to show me that he is going to put something dangerously small in his mouth. The cottage is not baby-proofed, so he will go to the stairs, make eye contact with me, and start climbing furiously until I snatch him up. He obviously can't be left to play for more than 30 seconds at the cottage, so that is one nice thing about being home: I don't hover over him 24/7.

Once we got back home, it took me a couple of days to get back into reality. I really liked not having all the technology, but I didn't forget how to use it;) I may not do Facebook, but I can pin like a maniac! I signed Gabrielle up for another VBS at Shepherd of the Lakes Lutheran Church in Brighton.  They, too, had a nice program there. MUCH bigger.... Gabrielle said she liked this one better because the songs were easier to learn. The CD from this one was very catchy. Adam even admitted he listened to it on the way to work one day!

That's all I can think of right now--enjoy some of our favorite pics!!

Anchored at the sand bar

There's even a play set!

Carter's 1st Seadoo ride

Playin'

Eatin'

The party barge (a.k.a. Adam's nemesis)

Getting Caught Up on June

Now I know why I blog monthly...getting caught up on two months is quite the task. I missed blogging June because we left for our cottage and didn't return until July 15th. By that time, I figured I might as well wait!

The biggest highlight of June was Carter's 1st birthday, of course. We had a wild party at our house with lots of cousins and lots of outdoor water fun. We are quite accustomed to hosting parties at our home, and we are used to a fair amount of clean-up after them, but this was a mess of epic porportions! There was water, sand, and watermelon rinds everywhere. The only reason I am mentioning this is because it looked like wild rumpus had taken place at our house, and I think every single kid left tired, full, wet, sandy, and amped up on cake and ice cream. So basically it was the most fun party we have every had! Too bad Carter won't remember it:( I have feeling, though, that there will be some repeats.

Carter, for the most part, was his happy, jolly self. He got a little frustrated with his bib, so we saw a few tears, but that was the only time he voiced his unhappiness. Who needs a bib anyway?! Carter demolished his cake, so much so that he had to go right up for a bath after he was done. He rubbed cake all over his face, including in his eyes, so trying to clean him up with a washcloth was a lesson in futility. He received a lot of fun boy toys, which we appreciated greatly! He loves all trucks, cars, tractors, etc., etc. He also likes to look at picture books of trucks, cars, tractors, etc., etc.! He has a puzzle of construction vehicles, and he plays with the puzzle pieces as if they had real wheels. Needless to say, he can entertain himself for a very long time!  Carter also had to go to the doctor for his one-year check up. He weighed in at

One of our other highlights of June was Gabrielle's first experience with vacation bible school at First United Methodist Church in Howell. The theme was Operation Overboard, and Gabrielle loved every minute of it. I was quite impressed with the program they had there and definitely plan to sign her up next year. She got a CD with all the songs on it, and she still enjoys singing and dancing along to the music. Overall, it was a HIT!

June is the best month of the year, in my opinion. We ended the month by starting our two-week vacation at our cottage on Houghton Lake. 

We hope you are enjoying these summer months as much as we are!!

Colleen

Gabrielle holding a worm over Father's Day weekend

The last monthly pic!!

Birthday Boy

The birthday bath!!

Playing w/ new toys

My little sweeties-love this pic

Jolly Boy

Top 20

I am an unpaid product tester! After 4 years and 2 kids, I have used a lot of baby-related items. I am always on the search for products that make my life easier. I have emailed this list to quite a few friends who have had children in the past couple years, but I thought the time has come to make it a blog post.  I will probably update this list occasionally!

Colleen’s Top 20 Baby Items (In no particular order and updated to reflect items I used for Carter, too!)

1. Bellibands—elastic bands with a lacy edge that go around your waist and can keep you pants up when your belly starts to get big. I bought mine from www.mom4life.com. (I really like that website-free shipping and 10% of proceeds go to charity.)
2. I brought a nursing tank top to the hospital (Glamourmom brand, purchased at www.mom4life.com) that I wore for my entire hospital stay. It was a lifesaver—and fashionable, too!
3. A Boppy pillow--I really liked mine and used it at every single feeding for the first few months. I would take it to the hospital with you.
4. Hooter Hider--'Nuff said
5. If you pump milk and have to refrigerate it or freeze it, I would recommend a bottle warmer. Much quicker than using the stove top! It heats to the perfect temperature.
6. Hyland’s Homeopathic Teething Tabs—They work!
7. By far the best disposable diapers are Pampers. Use the Pampers Points!
8. White onesies—I had Gabrielle and Carter in one everyday in the winter under their regular clothes. So much warmer.
9. Best Pacifiers: Soothies—We got this kind at the hospital actually. Gabrielle LOVED them and never touched any other kind. Carter likes them only when falling asleep. I hope your child takes a binky!! I wish we had a WubbaNub... Soothie binkies bounce and are hard to find in a dark crib!
10. Baby Legs—perfect for crawling babies…protects the knees! Super cute on chubby baby legs. Gabrielle had pink & brown.
11. Best thing ever: Halo brand wearable sleep blanket—a miraculous thing. Gabrielle and Carter were so warm and snuggly in this that it would make them sleep longer. They come in all sorts of sizes and fabrics for different seasons. A safer alternative to blankets which never stay on anyway!
12. Another Best thing EVER-Summer brand cordless video monitor—It’s expensive but worth every penny!  Day or night you can see what your little one is up to in his or her crib.
13. Best widget—A Bouncer—I used it until the babies started really moving on their own.
14. Swing—Get a full-sized swing and not a travel-sized one.
15. Jumperoo and/or Exersaucer—Very ugly and obnoxious looking things in our living room, but both the babies really liked it.
16. Pack-n-Play—An absolute necessity for us! Ours has big a changing station attached to it. It has a sun shade, light, sound machine, music box, and vibrating mattress. WOW.
17. Get a stretchy elastic shopping cart cover that goes around the whole front part of the cart.
18. Moby Wrap and/or Baby Bjorn. The Moby is available on www.mom4life.com. The Moby is super snuggly, but there is a learning curve. Watch some YouTube videos on how to tie it, and practice before the baby arrives! Baby Bjorns are fine--just not as comfortable.
19. Best stroller-Chicco Cortina Travel System—A few friends have this one. The stroller can collapse with one hand, and the car seat snaps in very easily. I had a Maxi-Cosi stroller and it was very difficult to use for many, many reasons.
20. Best Potty—Beco Potty is the best. It is made from plant material, but it looks like plastic.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Our sweet boy turned 1 today! He is ready for all the fun that toddlerhood will bring. Looking at these pictures warms my heart and brings a smile to my face-hopefully it will for you too! He's such a sweet little man. WE LOVE YOU, CARTER!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! xoxoxoxo