Dreams and Octopuses

     Lately Mikayla has been waking up and running to tell us her dreams.  It is the cutest thing.  It is also funny because we used to always ask her what she would dream about and she would say that she didn't know.  The latest dream was one where she woke up in the morning and saw princesses and a Dora doll house.  She has wanted a doll house for a while now, but we are trying to using it as a goal object to get her to stop sucking her thumb.  Anyway, the best part is that she always says that it is a dream come true.  I don't think she quite understands what that means but it is still so cute.
     Noah's vocabulary is ever expanding.  But his latest word just makes me smile.  He learned how to say octopus and even identifies it in one of the Dora books we have.  It makes it really cute when he will turn the page in the book and say "octopus, go?"  Then he will turn it back and be all excited and say "there it is."  It makes me sad that he is growing up so fast but I am enjoying the opportunity to be a part of it.
     I don't think I will ever tire of these kids amazing me.

2009 Year in Review...

      So here I go with my second blog.  Since it is the beginning of 2010 I thought I would reminisce about the year that has passed by posting a few of our favorite happenings from 2009. 

1.  Noah turned 1!  A big milestone for our little boy.  We celebrated with a party with close friends and family at a park.

 

2.  Our trip to Omaha where we enjoyed the hotel pool, Henry Doorly Zoo and the Omaha Children's Museum.

3.  I started an in-home daycare.  A leap of faith switching from an office job to starting my own daycare.  With help and support of friends and family it has been great!
4.  Our Florida Vacation.  We enjoyed Magic Kingdom, DownTown Disney, West Palm Beach Zoo, and the West Palm Beach Children's Museum.  Noah and Mikayla also took their first swim in the ocean.

Welcome to our blog...my first post!

     Okay, so I have heard many things about this blogging thing and have even read a few, but have always wondered what I could possibly write that any one else would be interested in. But anyway I thought I would give blogging a chance by sharing some things about my family and anything else that I think may be interesting.

      I would like to start off first by saying that it is beyond bitterly cold outside. We woke up this morning to temperatures near zero and about four inches of snow on the ground. That does not do it justice though. This is in addition to the 12+ inches of snow that was already on the ground and there were also snow drifts that were measuring close to three feet. To some people this may not seem like much, but being that I have lived in Kansas most of my life I cannot remember it being like this before so it is something new. I can't complain too much though. I have been fortunate to start the in-home daycare so I don't have to go out into the weather. But I am beginning to understand the whole cabin fever idea. I feel like I have been inside for so long that I am actually thinking about taking the kids out this weekend in the frigid to do something, anything.

     Okay, so enough about the weather. Onto some fun family news. Noah continues to surprise me on a daily basis. Yesterday, out of nowhere it seems, he started standing on one leg and lifting the other one back and up and saying "exercise." I love it. It is just too cute. Also he has been doing great with potty training. He has moved to wearing underwear except for at naptime and bedtime. Yay! The most recent thing that makes me feel so proud is that he counted to 10. He can do all 1o in English and is working really hard at getting them in Spanish too.

     Now onto news on Mikayla. She started going back to school full days this week. It will be good for her to spend more time with kids her own age and cognitive level. However Noah has really missed her this week. The daycare has been slow with the holidays and the weather and he seems a little lost without someone here to play with. She continues to surprise me too. Her vocabulary is greatly expanding. But what I really love is how she will come into a room and ask "Do I look pretty?". She loves to dress up and typically changes her outfit three different times a day. What a typical girlie girl. One thing I never thought I would have, but I am loving it.
      It is about the same ole same ole for Mike and I. We love watching the kids grow up. Mike continues to work hard and is hopefully going to apply to Iowa State for his Masters in IT Security. As for me, things have been going pretty well with the daycare. I enjoy watching each of them grow and really get into each of the milestones. Right now I am just looking forward to when we can get back to our normal routine with all the kids here.
     More to come next time.