Stuck on You

Hi All,
We've been getting out the stickers lately, and the kids love them. Bree likes to put them on her clothing, as well as other people's clothing, and apparently also the chair!

Drew, on the other hand, likes to have them on bare skin. He often asks for them to be stuck to his hands. I walked up to him yesterday and found him like this. I guess he couldn't resist all that skin just asking for it!

23 Months

Hi All,
23 months and counting! How is it possible that these kids are almost two?!? It was dinner time before I even pulled out the camera. Locked in their high chairs is probably our best chance at a side by side pose anyway, haha! We have funny kids that LOVE olives. They absolutely devour them. But, as you can see, they also think they are very fun to play with. I suppose you're not really supposed to play with your food, but what's the harm in a few olives on your fingertips?

In our unofficial weigh in, Drew weighs 28.5 pounds, and Bree weighs 24.5 pounds. They are each down a half a pound from last month. They must have taken off the holiday weight. :)

Sleepyheads

Hi All,
Drew as of late has been especially good about taking naps and going to bed. In fact, he sometimes even tells us "night, night" and heads into the nursery and stands at the crib. But yesterday, he curled up on the chair with Blanca and passed out while watching TV. I'm not sure how he found it comfortable to sleep with his legs stuck through the opening of the chair arm. And I am a bit amazed that Blanca didn't mind the company. Apparently she was too tired to care!

Night, night!

P&M Daycare is Here!

Hi All,
The much anticipated day has arrived. Jim's work hosts daycare on Saturdays during tax season, and yesterday was the official start of daycare season (as I like to call it). The day went like clockwork (for me anyway). The kids were off with Jim around 8 am and returned around 3:15 pm. This is already a big improvement over last year, when I picked up the kids at lunch, because they were accustomed to two naps a day then. Turns out Drew has no problem sleeping at daycare. I didn't get a detailed report from Jim, but I think the picture says it all!

Daddy and Daughter

Hi All,

Just a quick daddy/daughter self portrait. Not bad!

Great Wolf!

Hi All,
We had such a great time at Great Wolf Lodge up in Traverse City. We could not have been more impressed with the place! We checked in and were able to have two pack n plays delivered to our room. (We typically have to take our own when traveling overnight.) We stayed just one evening which allowed us access to the water park for two days. The water park had lots of fun slides and other water stations. Of course, Drew and Bree could not do all of them, but there was plenty for kids their size. They enjoyed the mini slides and the water works pipes. They also liked the water spouts shooting up from the floor and the "lazy river" where we were able to float along on inner tubes. We had a nice meal at the on site restaurant, and the kids received free wolf ears. Then, we capped off the evening with story time in the main lobby. We heard a fun story and got to meet Wiley the wolf mascot, and it even "snowed" inside!
Other entertainment for older kids included an arcade and a kids salon/spa. It's really a great spot for kids of all ages.
As far as sleeping in the hotel, we did just okay. Drew did not have any problem sleeping in the pack n play. However, Bree was not happy with the arrangement. She started crying 45 minutes in, and I retrieved her. We had two double beds, so she and I took one for the rest of the evening. I've decided sleeping with Bree is not all that pleasant. She wanted to sleep sideways and kick me. All.night.long! Of course, as I type this, she is curled up on my lap and sleeping like an angel.
On day two, we made a breakfast of leftover pizza and headed back to the water park. We enjoyed it for a few more hours before heading out for lunch and the trip home.
We got our new DVD screens out for the trip (the kind that attach to the headrests). We figured out too late that one screen did not work. So, we went with the working one, which was better than nothing. It definitely kept the kids occupied for the long ride. No regrets with that purchase!
All in all, four thumbs up for Great Wolf Lodge!!!

Suiting up

Splish, splash on deck!

Drew manning the waterworks station and Bree catching the spray

Loving the water spouts!

All of us in the midst of it all

My Kitchen is for Climbing

Hi All,
Drew has decided that the new kitchen is for cooking climbing. He likes to scale the cabinets, stand in the sink, and flip the light switch off and on. He's quick at it, so I don't always catch him in time to stop him. I don't want him to fall, but he's really quite proficient at it now. :) I only hope our real kitchen cabinets are not next!

And this was a sweet moment between Drew and Riley (or should I say the best pillow ever!)

New Years on the Homefront

Hi All,
My parents came and watched Drew and Bree during our Florida trip. We know they undoubtedly had some fun filled days!

It was nice enough for a wagon ride on New Years Eve - not a bad way to end the year.

Bree is happy about something here - I'm pretty sure it's not the MSU game!

While talking to my parents from Florida, my dad asked if we were saving the box that the kids' kitchen came in. We came home to find the kids have a new playhouse!

 So it IS possible to exercise with the kids around, and even on top of you.

And lastly, we noticed when we got home, Bree had added a new word to her vocabulary - rock. This is as in, "I want to rock before I go to bed". And, believe me, this is a demand rather than a request. Oh brother! I asked Bree who taught her to say that, and she said "Papa". But I think we all know the real culprit is Grandma. :)

New Years Bowling

Happy New Year!
We hope everyone rang in the new year in a fun and safe fashion. As for us, Jim and I traveled to Florida on New Years Eve to attend Michigan State's bowl game. We spent New Years Eve at a Japanese restaurant in Orlando with my friend Michelle and her boys, who were also in town for the game. It was a quick trip and a brutal loss for the Spartans, but still well worth it.

Here we are outside the game for our makeshift tailgate. We met up with some fellow Spartan tailgaters while there. I finally got a shot of Brian's famous cigar!

 Here is the home of the Capitol One Bowl in Florida, where we played Alabama.

We ended up losing 49-7. It was never close! On a good note, we got awesome seats on the 30 yard line about 10 rows up. We have our friend Jerry to thank for that. Oh, and did I mention the weather could not have been better.  Bowl game recap: The national anthem still gets me teary eyed, the flyover still gives me chills, and win or lose, I still love my Spartans!

And on another good note, we had just enough time to day trip over to Clearwater beach and have dinner with my good friend Nancy and her husband Gene on the way back. We shared some good stories and laughs. With them being in Florida, any chance to see them is a treat!

Thanks to Jim for planning and taking care of all the little details for our New Years getaway!