Last day of School!

 Amelia had her last day of school today. She was excited and sad at the same time. Although, when I picked her up she informed me that in August she'll see school again.

                                       First day:                                                             

 

                                    Last day:

To celebrate, we decided to get some ice cream afterwards! Of course, they had just run out of kid size so Amelia happily ate this huge cone mostly by herself.

Amelia continues to impress us daily. She still loves to read and by read, I mean, read. She has, by some method, learned to read all by herself. She also has been interested in clocks and telling time. She counts to hundred by ones, fives, and tens. She knows the months and family members birthdays. She is in the "Why" phase which has turned into many interesting conversations. And, if only barely, she's getting bigger. :)

She is learning how to be a great big sister, loving and helpful. And she's learning more about her heavenly Father. Some days, I will admit, she can get lost in the craziness of Jack and his issues, but today was a good excuse to celebrate Amelia. We are so proud of her and can't believe she's almost 4!

Picture Update!

 Turns out when life gets busy, it's much easier to update with pictures! More wordy blogs in the future... for now, enjoy this cuteness:

Snacktime!

It finally started to feel like May... so be declared summer and broke out the kiddie pool and sprinkler!

 Laughing at sissy running through the sprinkler

Handsome boy

We got to go with my grandparents to the YMCA for some swimming and splashing!

toweled up babes

Reading books to brother. He loves it when she plays with him.

We had lunch downtown with Daddy 

 

And we've been to the Zoo a few times

Amelia's new favorite place is the gardens where there are several different kinds of butterflies everywhere. She likes to hunt them and then try and hold them. These blue ones are our favorite. Their wings are a moth like brown on the outside and this beautiful blue when open.

On top of this we've seen family, graduations, park trips, and much more ... staying busy here.

nine.

Nine Months!

Hobbies:

Playing with things he's not supposed to

Bath time; especially with Sis

Chewing on the remote

Playing with Dad

Giving Kisses

New Things:

Crawling. Last update I said he was getting close, I think he did it the next day. He gets around quickly now.

Pulling up. Once he figured out the knee thing, pulling up followed quickly after.

MaMa- He has started calling after me when he wants to be picked up. Sometimes it's just a "mum" 

12 month sizes ...

At his check up, he is only in the 39th percentile for weight and 55th in height but he seems so much bigger than that. Meanwhile, I'm beginning to see Daddy in his eyes. 

My News

Well, it's official. I've started a catering business with a close friend of mine. We've done one party but have a few others coming our way. Still at the beginning and planning stages, we are going to piece together some ideas, what we want to do, prices, etc. but looking forward to seeing where this goes. 

Here's the card.

Our first event was a silent auction for a preschool with a Kentucky Derby theme.

Pecan Pie bars

Our Triple Crown: 3 Kentucky bites table

Chocolate cupcakes with blackberry buttercream

hot browns 

Mint Julep cupcakes 

Cucumbers... and plenty of them 

Two shots of the buffet table: pasta salad, hot browns, Veggie burgoo, and brown sugar balsamic pork

So thankful we had pictures taken by a professional, April Showalter, so we could focus on making sure food was out on time and not on capturing the moment.

I learned a lot and had plenty of fun. Looking forward to more days in the kitchen!

Easter

We had a wonderful Easter season!

Amelia had 2 egg hunts, we dyed eggs, and most importantly, celebrated our Risen Savior!!

We did our egg advent again this year and it was great to see Amelia understanding more and more about this season. So grateful for her heart for God.

Here are a few pictures from all the festivities:

In a effort to get a good picture in Easter outfits without the stress of getting to church on time, I tried to take some pictures earlier in the week...Jack wasn't a cooperative as his sister but I guess efforts weren't as futile as they could have been.

Dying eggs! 

 

James had Good Friday off and since it was the first warm (ish) day in what seems like years, we stopped by the zoo for a bit. Our Easter eggs:

Easter Afternoon.

eight

Eight Months!

Hobbies:

Being held ... he loves being with people

shoes! Still a favorite "toy" and I think our closest is his favorite place to be.

Bath time! For about a month now, kids have started taking a bath together! They both love it so much.

New Things:

He still isn't crawling on his knees, but he is SO close. He is actually trying to just get to his feet instead and I think that's why he hasn't quite figured it out yet. We have lowered the crib, though, since he can basically pulling up.

He is eating a lot of table foods. After a week or so of resisting baby foods, I started trying whatever I could.  He is getting so big.

Seven

Friday March 1st marked 7 months for our little guy!

catnap with dad

Hobbies:

Giving big wet kisses ... all the time. He's very affectionate.

Shoes! He seeks out footwear, whether on foot or off, for chewing. It's like we have a dog

Feeding himself. Since he can eat a few finger foods, he has a hard time with his bottle lately. Whether it's the new independence of self-feeding he prefers or now that he's tasted something better than the soy, that's all he wants, I don't know.

He loves being with people-again, nothing like his sister. Even if he's tired or hungry, it doesn't matter when there's lots of people around.

New Things:

Well, it happened. It's been expected, it was only a matter of time... Jack had his first allergic reaction.To what? not quite sure, but we've backed off of baby food for a few days to get him settled again. He was not sleeping well and was extremely gassy/had some stomach pain. He would really only sleep 15-30 minutes being held until he would cry and whine and squirm. He also had a rash. After a few phone calls for opinions and dosages, he was sleeping. Much better today and hopefully, he will be back to himself soon!

Currently, Jack has been perfecting a mean swim move like an all-star defensive end. Sometimes we call him Robert Mathis (colts player). It's aggressive and quick.

This weekend, Jack also to a trip to Sterling, Il (where he was named after). Jack and I, with my parents, went to my Great Uncle's 100th birthday party! It was wonderful to see some family and be refreshed. Amazing to celebrate a man (and his legacy) that though nothing special, impacted many people for Christ.

On the way to Sterling.

This is Uncle Roy (left) and Uncle Charlie. Looking good for 100!