Christmas / New Year's Recap

It has been almost a week since I last posted and obviously there is some good stuff to catch up on! We spent a great Christmas at home enjoying our little hooligans. They received WAY TOO MUCH and now our house is truly filled to the brim. And the presents didn't stop coming on Christmas night...Grandma Pam came with more presents on Tuesday from back home!! The only thing Dane asked for from Santa was a skateboard. Although he is not yet 3 we decided to get him a skateboard...I mean, how could we not when that is the only thing he asked for from Santa??? It will be an inside toy for quite some time...

On New Year's Eve, Dane and I went to Stay 2 Play for a countdown to noon party for the kiddos. This is a place we go to quite often (actually the boy's birthday party is going to be there). We had no plans for NYE so it seemed like something really fun for Dane. Cameron and Kale stayed home so I got some QT with our eldest child. He had a great time and the party ended with a balloon drop at noon. I will stop my babbling and just leave you with a ton of pictures from the Christmas season....Enjoy!!

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Merry Christmas!!!

We wanted to wish all of our blog readers a very Merry Christmas and a safe & happy New Year!! I have found that anytime I think life is just going to pass by with no bumps, God has another plan. As a baby in our extended family battles cancer, I am once again reminded how life can change in an instant. Hold onto your family tight and tell them you love them every chance you get! Jarrett family...we pray for a better 2012 for you and especially for little Lilly!

And on a totally separate note...Barley & Roscoe are doing fabulous in their new home. I stay in touch with their new mommy and she sends me updates and pictures. I haven't visited even though I would love to see them...I just don't want them to be confused if I show up. Anyway, their new mommy sent me this hilarious picture of the boys for Christmas...this is the same way Barley always looked when we would dress him up (absolutely miserable)!

Gingerbread House

I have always wanted to try building a gingerbread house. This winter I have been trying to find activities for Dane to do inside. He gets bored so easily and he was so used to being outside all the time when the weather was warmer. The gingerbread house kit...best $9.99 I ever spent. Dane never does anything for longer than about 7 minutes, unless it's running laps and he spent a full hour putting together the gingerbread house. Part of the appeal was that he was eating the candy and the icing, but he was pretty into the decorating part as well. So...while Kale napped, Dane & I created a masterpiece (or at least a decorated gingerbread house that didn't fall down).

and on a side note....the counter is a landing strip for EVERYTHING and you get to see first hand how messy it gets. That is the only part of the house I allow to get a bit cluttered but it's pushing my limit at this point.

Kale's Dedication

Last Sunday we had Kale's dedication...finally! We've been trying to fit it into our crazy schedule and finally figured out a date. Thankfully, the entire family was able to make it just like everyone did for Dane's. It was the same schedule of events...big brunch with everyone and then onto the church for a private dedication. We again had to write a promise to Kale....
We promise to be protective
We promise to allow you to learn from your mistakes
We promise to be nurturing
We promise to introduce you to many unique experiences
We promise to be comforting
We promise to ensure you have thick skin for when life deals you a bad hand
We promise to be your biggest fans in life
We promise to make sure we bring you down to earth when you feel like you're invincible
We promise to be loving
And we promise to be the best parents we can!

Thank you to everyone who made it to this very important event in Kale's life!

Baby Jesus...you can't eat him!

Straight out of the mouth of babes. Dane often says absolutely hilarious things that I neglect to post on the blog. I really should because this is it...I don't keep a baby book or a book of funny things they say, just this blog. This past summer when Dane, Kale and I were taking a walk, Dane picked up a rock and with all the wisdom of a 2 year old said to Kale "see Kale, this is a rock...you can't eat it." This Christmas, I am making an effort to teach Dane the true meaning of the holiday and have been using our nativity set at home to explain things. Last evening we were driving through the Vernon Hills light show and when we were passing the nativity scene I pointed to it and asked Dane what it was. His response was "it's baby Jesus...Kale can't eat him." I am not quite sure what Dane's obsession is with Kale eating everything, however it made Cameron and I laugh and I thought it was worth sharing. Maybe Dane is just repeating what he hears every day when he gets a snack....I always tell him that "Kale can't eat it, he's too little." Ya think?

Exhaustion

So as you can see, I've been neglecting the blog a bit...or posting a video just so I don't have to do a post. How terrible is that? Many people have told me that I am in the "hard phase" with the ages of our boys. I don't know if hard phase is the correct way to put it but I will say this...I am exhausted by the time our boys are in bed and that last thing I really want to do is blog! Once the kiddos are in bed I don't move until I drag my body off the couch to fall into bed. But here I am to update about our boys because this blog does serve as our family journal and I owe it to our family to keep it up even when I'm tired!

Kale turns 10 months old on the 14th. He now claps, waves, climbs on the furniture and does a hilarious scrunchy face that you can see in the video below. Dane continues to mimic everything and now sings songs that he learns in school. Together, they are quite funny. Every morning when Dane wakes up, he runs directly into our room. This morning, I heard Dane wake up and come out of his room. I laid in bed waiting for him to come in and he didn't. Then in Kale's monitor I heard Dane say "there you are, Kale. I find you." Too bad that Kale was still sleeping soundly when Dane "find" him.

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Holiday shopping Spree Benefits Those in Need

I wanted to share this for 2 reasons....1. because a person I graduated high school with is the associate pastor at Mission Point Church and 2. because I thought it was a great depiction of what Warsaw is about.

Our Life in Pictures...

I don't have all that much to report...I was severely lacking in picture taking over Thanksgiving but Aunt Christy captured a ton of memories thankfully. Tonight Dane and Kale were playing on the floor and Dane picked up his football and chucked it at Kale's head. As Cameron and I both started to correct the behavior by scolding, Dane yelled "right in the kisser"...Cameron and I erupted in giggles and thankfully Kale didn't cry because we weren't able to correct that behavior through our laughter. That is all I have to share (aside from the pictures from the last couple weeks).

During blizzard 2011 in Indiana:Date Night!

Giving Thanks

I didn't post my "Thanksgiving" entry yet due to the fact that we are still in Leesburg but I am taking advantage of a sleeping baby and a toddler enthralled in Mickey mouse clubhouse to jump on blogger. This year I am incredibly thankful for simple blessings....
- the way Cameron smiles and his eyes light up when he walks in the door and Dane yells "daddy's home!"
- having an entire week to spend time with my family in leesburg
- the good health of my family
- that I grew up in a home where the significance of the cross was taught to me at an early age
- that I have inlaws who love me like a daughter even when I am unlovable
- that despite living miles away from "home" I still feel incredibly close to my family
- for my boys...although there are frustrating days, they are the light of my life
- for the silliness of toddlers
- for a sideways glance from Cameron when Dane says something funny to make sure I heard it too

I hope that you all have as much to be thankful for...and I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving!

Shake Your Peanut!

So...this was on the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse last week and I had to share it because Dane was running around the house after he saw this singing "shake shake shake your peanut". Let me tell you..."peanut" doesn't sound like peanut coming out of a 2 year old's mouth. Let's just say it sounded really naughty and I gotta admit, really funny! He soon forgot about the song and is no longer singing it but it was quite hilarious for that day.

Hockey, hockey, hockey!!

We've attended 2 hockey games in the last 2 weekends...last Sunday we went with Luke & Nicole to a Blackhawks game. Then this past Saturday we went with Luke & Nicole and kiddos to see a Wolves game. Dane is absolutely obsessed with hockey right now so we thought we would take him to a game. With his ice skating lessons he received a free ticket to a Chicago Wolves game so we took advantage. He was enthralled with all of it from the opening fireworks and introduction of the teams to most of the first period...then we lost him, he wanted to get up and walk around. Luckily it was adopt a dog night at the arena so we kept taking him to pet the dogs. On a side note, I thought for sure by now Dane would have forgotten about our beloved Barley & Roscoe but he continues to ask about them, when we're going to go get them, where they're at, etc. A big thanks to our neighbors who agreed to watch Kale at the last minute because the game started at the same time he goes to bed. We were planning to take him but thought it would be better for him to get to bed. And also a big thanks for letting us borrow their Wolves jerseys!

Blackhawks game:Wolves game:

Kale's 9 Month Check up

So...our little nugget is now 9 months old! We took him for his check up on Monday and found that he has continued on the same trend...tall & skinny! He weighed in at 19 lbs and 29.5 inches...he fell into the 25-50th percentile for weight and the 75-90th for height. He & Dane continue to be almost the exact same size...Dane measured 21 lbs and 29 inches at his 9 month check up. At 9 months, Kale is starting to eat a bit of table food and is loving it. He cruises along furniture, can stand for about 1 second on his own and can push toys but really isn't interested in doing that. He is a speedy crawler and always makes a beeline for the stairs. We did attempt a baby gate at the bottom, however our 2 year old destroyed any idea of keeping that up. It is really fun to start seeing Dane & Kale really interact. Although at times Dane is still way too rough with Kale (thinking that will never end), they melt my heart when they are playing and giggling together. Pretty much if Dane isn't making Kale cry then he's making him laugh hysterically!!

See below for a clip of Kale eating rice...you'll get to witness what it's like to have a 9 month old "yelling" at you for more food!

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The Greatest Show on Earth!

Yesterday we took the boys to the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Dane was MES. MER. IZED. From the time the clowns took the floor, he was staring open mouthed at what was happening in front of him. He told us on the way that he wanted popcorn...he has a thing for popcorn and always wants it if we are out doing something where it is offered. Kind of nice since there was cotton candy, snow cones and ice cream all being waved in his face. The surprising thing about the trip was that Kale loved it too. He was standing on my lap clapping his hands and squealing. Everyone around us thought he was the show!

Kale Finds His Voice

So turns out what they tell you is so true...your second child doesn't get as many pictures or videos as the first. Why is that? Maybe because you're so much busier juggling 2 kids. So I have tried to make a point of taking pictures and video of Kale to catch up to the gazillion photos and videos we have of Dane. Sorry that some of the video is grainy (taken with my phone because I always have that on me). Kale just started pushing toys last week and I missed it! Cameron was home with the boys and I had a ladies night out and Kale decided that was the night to push a toy....but Cameron sent me a video so it was like I was there. He also started waving yesterday. Anyway, here is a montage of our smiley, happy baby...

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Week 3 Ice Skating

Dane is doing pretty well on the ice. He has kind of mastered "ice running"....

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What Happened to the Halloween Candy?

Make sure you watch it to the 2 little boys at the end...they are the funniest!

Halloween Weekend

Halloween weekend was a busy one for us. Cameron landed back in IL late Thursday evening, got home around 10:30pm and headed out before the boys even woke up on Friday morning to go to the office. So the boys finally got Daddy back on Friday evening. Kale had been battling some bug all week (starting with diahrrea, ending with congestion and a fever). Cameron and I had a wedding to attend on Saturday evening so we left the boys with Grandma & Grandpa Hatten. And I forgot my camera so no pictures of how well Cameron & I cleaned up! We had a great time and are so excited for our friends Nicole and Chris to start that new chapter in their lives! Congratulations you two...Nicole - you looked stunning! On Sunday we took Dane trick or treating...he very much understood the concept this year and LOVED it. This year we asked Dane what he wanted to be and he (without hesitation) said "football player" so he was a Bears football player. Kale was a football.

Cameron and I attended our annual Halloween party the weekend before Halloween. Cameron's cousin Jamie joined us for the fun because she was in town from southern IL. The party we attend is generally very adult themed and anything goes although we kept it relatively clean this year.

Kale Update

Kale continues to be a happy, smiley baby. He is pulling up and cruising along furniture, although he is not yet pushing toys. He is desperately trying to stand up on his own but he doesn't get any further than straight legs with his butt in the air. He is a pretty quiet babe except for in the car. He chatters a lot in the car and the other time he is very vocal is when his big brother is being crazy. Dane gets Kale to laugh like no one else can. Kale adores Dane and is always watching him. Kale's chattering generally consists of the normal...gaga, baba, dadda, mama, etc. He doesn't have any true words yet and although Cameron thinks he knows what mama means, I have my doubts. His little face lights up when we go into get him from his crib and he is always standing now that he can. I am convinced he is part Tiger (see pics below of him teething on his crib and you'll understand why). He has 2 bottom teeth and I think I can feel another one coming on top but it's not one in the front...might be a canine so he could look a bit vampirish if both of his canines come in before his front teeth. He generally is a very easy baby, but he's not as good of a teether as Dane was. We never knew when Dane was cutting his teeth because he didn't act any differently (maybe because his first tooth never came through until he was 11 months). Kale gets a bit cranky and gnaws on everything (again see pics of the crib below). Everyone comments about how tall he is, but he & Dane have measured exactly the same length at their checkups. We will see at Kale's 9 month checkup how they compare. He is wearing almost all size 12 month clothes and we're just beginning to put shoes on him. Not all that much to share about Kale...but really what do you share about a baby who doesn't yet talk or walk? He has been an absolute gift and was the perfect addition to our family! Bite marks!

Dane Update

Seems that life just continues to move pretty fast...we are very quickly approaching a 1st and 3rd birthday which absolutely baffles me. How did we get here already? I have been a slacker when it comes to giving updates about the boys. Since this blog doubles as a family info center and a journal, I need to get better at it! So....right now, Dane is loving school. He comes home with little art projects and often runs to his classroom once we get to the church. He sings all the little songs from school quite often and I had a "proud mama moment" last week when his teacher told me she has seen a "marked improvement" in his behavior since the first week (his issues were pushing, hitting & tackling). Don't get me wrong...I have "proud mama moments" almost daily but it's always nice to hear something nice from someone else about your child. We've noticed a definite improvement at home as well...he's listening better and has definitely slowed way down on the hitting, pushing and tackling. He is absolutely hilarious right now...the things that come out of his mouth constantly have me cracking up. On Sunday night he kept coming out of his room when we first put him to bed. The first two times I went in and tucked him back in and told him to stay in bed. The third time Cameron went to put him back to bed and what I heard from downstairs was (in a very serious tone): "Daddy, I can't find mommy!" Some of his favorite phrases are:
- What you guys doing in there?
- I'm trying to do stuff over here.
- My tummy's making noises.
- That's my baby brother Kale.
His favorite shows are Little Bear and Curious George. He loves animals...all of them and he definitely misses Barley & Roscoe. He still asks where they are quite often. Definitely thought he would have forgotten about them by now. We are slowly introducing / working on potty training. He loves jelly beans and that is his treat for going in the potty. He seems interested some days, but when I tried to really push the potty training he fought me. So we will continue to go with it and I hope that by the time he turns 3, he will be potty trained (at least during the day). He loves Kale...sometimes too much and he always wants Kale by his side when he's playing. Today Dane was playing football and he kept asking me to sit there with Kale so Kale could watch him. He's a very affectionate little man and we quite often hear "I wub you" or "i wub you Kale" which absolutely melts my heart. Dane is still a never slow down kind of kid and most days he doesn't nap. If a nap happens, it generally means he fell asleep in the car or we took him for a drive because he was cranky. The latest excitement for Dane is parent / tot ice skating lessons! He is so into hockey right now, we put him in ice skating lessons. Last Saturday was the first one and I was actually impressed with how he did. Our friends Luke & Nicole have a son who is 9 weeks younger than Dane and he is in the class as well. Anyway, I think that is all I have on Dane right now! See below for his debut as an ice skater! Stay tuned for Kale's update!

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Weekend Visitors

Last weekend Janel, Andon, Presley and Mom came for a visit. Andon was on fall break from school and Brian was on duty at the fire station so the rest of them packed up and headed here! They got in early Friday and we took the kiddos bowling. On Saturday morning, Uncle Buck dressed them all as pirates (?) and we had a dance party. Since then, Dane continually grabs the "pirate" gear and suits up for dance parties!

Kale watching the little bowlers:Dane & Pres showcasing their talent:Pirates?

Portland Girls Trip

Last weekend my wonderful hubby pushed me out the door for another girls trip! It's so great to be married to someone who realizes that being a full time mom is amazing, however there aren't many breaks. So I had the opportunity to catch up with my college friends and get some quality "me" time in Portland, OR. We had amazing meals and did some great wine tasting in the pinot noir region. It was great to get back to all 3 of my boys...it was nice to be missed!