September 2015

Yes, yes, I know. But life just gets crazy sometimes! But here is a recap of this past September for us.

This fall the kids and I joined a local MOPS group. I saw about this particular group on FaceBook and how it caters to homeschool kids too (typically once your kid hits school-age, there isn't a class for them anyway). Odin was NOT a fan of me leaving him in his class. But he was brave and kept his tears to himself. But, that made me not want to deal with leaving Genevieve too, so I kept her with me. Adelyn loved her class. Odin... didn't speak a word and was glued to one of the teacher's sides. The second meeting was easier. And in the second meeting I got my assigned table - Table 6! I am very blessed with awesome ladies at my table. Seriously. There are 8 of us and only 1 of the moms I don't think I would want to spend time with outside of MOPS. MOPS has been a nice escape for me and the kids have enjoyed it too.

We also found out about a weekly art class for homeschoolers. The lady (Mrs. Wolfe) is very nice and patient. She starts each class with talking about the artist and what is unique about him/her or the style of art. Then the kids get a blank canvas and they work to recreate the weekly featured art piece. Adelyn has been having so much fun with it. And... I have to say, I feel like the classes have improved her art.

Our Anniversary was also this month. That gets its own post.

The kids and Grandma Obert and I went on a field trip to the local dairy. We got to learn how they made ice cream! Best part was that after the tour, we got to eat some. So yummy! It was cool to be able to walk through and see the different steps in bottling the milk too. So thankful that there are moms out there that take the time to set up field trips for the homeschool kids!

We also celebrated Speak Like a Pirate Day. We had a treasure hunt. One of the prizes was a pirate game. We had fun playing that and earning our own gold doubloons. 

A Gift From Adelyn

For years I have been telling people that one great perk about being a mom is it is a great excuse to be a kid again. At the park with the kids and want to swing? No problem. In fact, going to the park at all is not a problem. Hear a song and you feel like dancing? Go for it! I love that I can act goofy with the kids.

At the beginning of the month Ben and I were in Argentina (more on that later). One afternoon we found ourselves at a Polo training camp. As we were walking the grounds and learning about Polo, I saw a bunch of purple petals on the ground beneath its tree. I paused. I thought, "Man, if Adelyn were here, she would want to make a snow angel in these pretty purple petals!" Then, "Maybe I should. Nah. That's a little weird." Took another step. "Wait. Why not?" And so I did. My friend Jeremy captured the moment.

Did I feel silly. A bit. Did I have fun? Absolutely! Any regrets? Not a one. Thank you Adelyn for reminding me to take advantage of the simple things in life!

Snuggles Turns 1!

Just over a month ago, Genevieve turned 1. As with everything she does, it was bittersweet for me. My last baby isn't much of a baby any more. :(

We were in Virginia for Jake's wedding. We were able to spend brunch together with the family (Grandma and Grandpa Obert, Grandma and Grandpa Roy, Uncle Jake, very-soon-to-be Aunt Katie, Auntie Krys and Uncle Pranob and Cousin Asher) to celebrate. The place I picked (forgot the name already) was good, but... it took forever! I felt bad for Snuggles because she was getting so tired and cranky. She didn't really enjoy her meal at all. She just wanted to nap! Poor baby.

She is 21 pounds and 31 inches. She can say "yes", "hi", and something that resembles Adelyn. She adores her big sister and brother. She will nod her head for yes, and shake for no. She has 2 teeth, but working on the uppers. She still loves to snuggle. She can almost sleep through the night. As long as mommy is near by, she is a happy baby.

We love you Snuggles!

Adelyn Turns 5!

Waaayyyyy back on July 3, my first baby turned 5! It still seems hard to believe that she is already 5. On her birthday we happened to be having plumbing issues in our condo, so we spent a good portion of the morning waiting for someone to show up. Eventually we just gave up. (Good thing because as it turns out, they never did come). Uncle Jake was in town so we all packed up and headed to a surprise... the Monte Carlo pool! Adelyn was pretty excited. They have a wave pool and a lazy river. Adelyn spent most of the time without any floaties on. She was so proud of herself (mommy and daddy too). Her birthday happened to be on a Friday, so we had pizza and movie and cake night. What a night!

We went back to MN a few days later and had a birthday party with family. Adelyn was pretty excited to have Malachi, Simon and Coen at her party.

Adelyn, you are a very special girl. I am so proud of the beautiful person you are and are growing into. You are an awesome big sister. You are a great helper. You are smart. Thoughtful. Caring. Sensitive. You adapt so well to our crazy life. I love your smiles, stories and songs. Your hugs, kisses and snuggles I can never get enough of. Happy birthday Baby Cakes!

Cinco de Mayo 2015

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo. It was a fun day.

In the morning we made paper mache pinatas. I was a little worried about the mess that this would make. Turns out, it wasn't messy at all, on account of neither kid wanting to use the paste (1 part flour, 5 parts water, boiled). So I ended up making the pinatas. Side note: in the future make these at least one day ahead of time. I only did only layer of newspaper and it was still damp in some areas. Adelyn filled hers with toys. Little did she know that we had candy to put in. So when hers broke open, she was so surprised to find candy inside.

For dinner we had my parents over. I made stuff for make your own chipotle knock-off bowls. So yummy. Genevieve really liked her black beans.

My Big Boy

(A bit late...)
On April 16 we celebrated Odin's 3rd birthday! I cannot believe it, on two levels. I can't believe he is already 3 and I also can't believe that it has only been 3 years since he entered our lives. It seems like he has always been a part of our family.

We happen to be in MN. The day wasn't the nicest one - it is spring, after all. So, we ended up going to the Maple Grove Maze for something special to do. It was great! We were the only ones there! The kids (and mommy and daddy) had fun running around, exploring and going down the slides.

For dinner we had a family dinner(mom, dad, big and little sister, Jake, Katie and G&G Obert). The birthday boy picked chili and corn muffins for his meal. And since it was his birthday, we let him have a muffin BEFORE eating his chili. He was pretty happy about that. For dessert he picked a cookie monster cake. But green. Earlier in the day we had fun decorating it together.

He got some pretty fun presents. I think my favorite is a plane from cousin Asher. It is a take-apart plane. It comes with a drill (Odin's favorite part) and big pieces to build a plane. It's pretty cool.

Odin, you are such a special boy. I love your snuggles (at night he always asks for one more snuggle). I love how gentle you are with Evie Monster. I love reading books with you. I love how you are shy and want to be at my side when it is a new experience. I love how curious you are. I love your blond hair and blue eyes. In a nutshell, I love you. Happy birthday, little man!

(Stats... about 40 lbs and 41 inches tall, both above 95 percentile).

Pi Day 2015

This past Saturday it was Pi Day. Not just any Pi Day... the date was 3/14/15... the first 5 digits of Pi. That is cause for a celebration. So that's what we did!

We started our day with a quiche. For lunch we had chicken empanadas. That evening, we had a party. I made a seven layer dip "pie", pizza, blueberry pie (with Pi cutout) and an ice cream pie. Our friends rounded out the menu with a shepherd's pie, chicken pot pie, French silk pie, cheesecake, banana cream pie... I think that was it.

We ended up with 13 people at our place. Ben's friend Noah came with his two kids (ages 6 and 3). Adelyn and Odin had a great time with them. It was nice that I could be an adult and hostess. Joe and Gloria came and brought bubbles for the kids. They are so sweet. They also read my kids a goodnight story (Sir Cumference and the Dragon of Pi). It was a very fun evening. 

Up, Up and Away!

The other day was an exciting day for Adelyn... she got to go on the big ski lift! This was her third time skiing this year. The first time Ben took just her. He taught her how to make pizzas (aka snow plow). She seemed to get it and do well. The second time she went Grandma and Grandpa Roy were in town. That meant Odin got to ski too. He just likes to go fast. Anyway, Adelyn and Daddy went on the tow rope. She did pretty good. A few days later it was just Ben and Adelyn again. They did a few tow rope runs and then they went on the lift! I didn't know this was the plan. Probably a good thing. I think I would have been a nervous mommy until I heard from them. Ben said she did really well. When she got scared, she just sat down. Not the worst plan. We are going to try and get her out a few more times this year. Hopefully the snow will stick round long enough for that... forecast has upper 30's/40's for the next week or so. :-/

A Penny Runs Through

The other night we were just finishing up getting the kids to bed when Odin started crying. He does this from time to time when he is really tired. Ben called up from downstairs to go to sleep. Once I had Genevieve down, I went to see what the hysteria was about. It took a bit to understand him as he was crying so hard but I quickly discovered the problem - he swallowed a penny! I yelled down to Ben who quickly started to Google what we were supposed to do as I worked on calming him down. Based on Ben's research, we were supposed to let well enough alone. If he experienced any pain or discomfort, then bring him in as the coin could get lodged working itself out, or the dissolving metal could cause issues too.

Throughout the night I checked in on him to make sure he was still ok. In the morning he woke up throwing up. A few days prior Adelyn had a stomach bug, so I wasn't sure if it was the bug or penny. We decided to see how he did. I know his stomach was bothering him because he kept wanting to go to the bathroom to get sick, but nothing happened. After a few hours he was back to eating and running around.

This is a time that I am thankful that my children are so regular. And in this case, that Odin is still in diapers. Made checking things out easier. Anyway, turns out that he can pass a penny without too much problem. And in case you were curious, the penny stays pretty well intact. But no, we didn't keep it.

Six Months Old

And just like that, Genevieve is 6 months old. Where in the world did the time go?? Since we're in Utah, she didn't have her 6 month well check. I wanted to try and find a place to get her shots so her schedule didn't get out of whack, but I wasn't able to find a place. That also means that I don't really know how much she weighs or how tall she is. But, she did move up to size 3 diapers and size 9 month clothes, so I guess she's growing.

We started feeding her food a few weeks before 6 months. So far she has tried bananas, avocados and sweet potatoes. From my observation, I think she likes avocados the best.

Somewhere along the lines she learned how to roll from stomach to back. She is now a rolling, pivoting scooting backwards little wiggle worm! She will be crawling soon. She gets up on all 4 and rocks back and forth. No teeth yet. And she is still the happiest little thing. Love her to pieces!!

Evie Monster is 4 Months Old!

Genevieve is 4 months! I can't believe she's that old already. She is becoming quite the fun baby. She is happy and curious. Right before she turned 4 months, she learned how to roll onto her tummy. Now she spends a fair amount of time on her tummy. She loves it. She also loves stuffing blankets in her mouth. Mm, tasty!

She had her well-check last week. She's 26 inches long; 95 percentile (same as Adelyn was at 4 months). But only over 14 pounds; 50 percentile (she hasn't doubled her weight yet). That basically means she tall and skinny. 

Doctor said we can start introducing cereal to her. But I think we will wait until she's a bit older and go straight to fruits and veggies.

Also last week, Uncle Jake was in town for a visit. One say G and I were sitting on the couch. Jake walked in and I swear that G said, "hi."