Fall 2010

This my 3rd attempt to post. I don't have the time or energy to put it in order. Enjoy!

It has been a very busy fall. Working full time, pumping and taking care of the kids and house has proved a challenge, but we're limping through. Once football season is over I'll have a whole lot more help at home. Sandy Creek is having a banner year. Sectionals start Friday. We play at home against Waterville, who we stomped earlier this year.

Madden and Grady are growing like weeds. Grady was 28 inches long and 17pounds 9 oz at his 6 month check up. He is giving me a run for my money at night. He isn't a good sleeper. We get up around 3:00 am every morning. He was going right back to sleep, but the past couple weeks have been tough. He's gassy and uncomfortable and can't settle down. I can't figure out whether its something I've eaten, or the little bit of formula he's getting each day, or the solids he's getting. It's just a puzzle... Grady is rolling all over and starting to sit by himself. He eats 3 solid meals a day. Once of which always has to be prunes. It seems his digestive system is like Madden's. One day he'll poop 5 times, then he'll go 4 days without pooping. What is it with my kids and pooping? I never thought that my days would revolve around whether or not my kids have pooped. Anyway...

Madden's vocabulary and personality continue to grow. She keeps us laughing. I try to post some of the funny stuff she says on facebook. She often tells me I'm her "favorite best friend." A couple weeks ago she told me I was her "favorite best friend I(she) ever had on Christmas." She still loves her books. We've starting going to the library once a week. I was nervous at first because I figured she wouldn't want to take the books back, but once she sees all the books in there she forgets about the 2 we've returned.

We haven't done much this fall. We've gotten out to pick apples so far. It was a gorgeous day with my entire family. Madden wasn't super cooperative taking pictures. I hope this is a phase. She will never smile for the camera. She's starting to talk about going trick-or-treating. She is going as Tinkerbell, which she's in denial about. I'm hoping she'll come around to the idea. We bought the costume last November for like $5.

Here are some more pics from our apple picking outing. I didn't get too many pictures.

I love this serious of pictures...



Yeah, yeah Grandma....

Alright Grandma.....

Enough Grandma....

Grady was crying on the way to get apples, so Madden held his hand. She is such a great big sister. Grady thinks she is pretty cool, too.

Ok, so I should explain this picture. I ran upstairs to change the laundry over and heard Grady crying. I came down to find him with this head band on his head. I'm sure you can't guess how it got there... I had to snap a picture before I took it off.

Hadley is Madden's buddy. I'm not sure the feeling is mutual. Hadley tolerates her.

It's August already???`

In a couple weeks we'll be headed back to school :( I have had a great summer home with the kids. I've done the best I can to get out and about with both kids. We've been to the playground, the zoo and Enchanted Forrest. We even road tripped it to Cooperstown with Michele Z and Henry to visit with some Geneseo friends.



Madden's personality and vocabulary continue to amuse us. Maybe, probably and actually are popular words right now. Things have been known to "annoy" her and she will not smile for the camera any more because "it's too hard."



Grady continues to grow exponentially. He's around 16 pounds and has reached a point that breast milk isn't enough, so we started cereal yesterday. He is getting the hang of rolling. The first time he rolled from his belly to his back, no one saw it. I put him on his belly and went to the kitchen to put batteries in a toy. When I came back, he was on his back. Matt was sitting in the living room on the laptop and missed it. Darn...



Here are some pictures from the summer. I tried to upload some video but Matt won't leave the computer alone long enough for them to finish... I'll try again later.

Riding the roller coaster at Kristin's house in Cooperstown. I was nervous to let her try it but she did great and loved it.





Grady trying cereal.




I think I'd rather have my thumb Mom...

Handsome guy.






Madden on the toddler water slide at Enchanted forrest.


She loved the swing.


She finally decided to smile, but it was too late. The train was leaving the station.


The Zimmermann Family. (+1 Michele is expecting baby #2 in February!)


Grady chilling at Water Safari.


Madden and Henry peaking in a house on the Storybook trail.









Do you see the hand telling me no? I have lots of these pictures lately. She doesn't want me to take her picture any more.



She played so hard at enchanted forrest, she fell asleep with a book on her face that night.







Henry riding the roller coaster at Kristin's.

Madden spends a lot of time on the lawn mower.

Grady working out in the exersaucer.

He isn't super entertained by the toys yet. He's more interested in his thumb.

Madden LOVES ice cream. Who doesn't?

Welcome Summer

After my 8 week maternity leave, I was able to make it through the last 3 weeks of school and now I have 10 more off! I am so excited to be back home with the kids. Grady has started sleeping through the night!!!! So I'm hoping to catch up on some sleep so I'm worth something during the day.

Grady continues to grow like a weed. I can't get over how big he is, and so happy. He thinks Matt is hysterical. All Matt has to do is laugh at him and Grady laughs too. He is definitely a morning person like his Daddy. I don't want anyone to look at or speak to me for the first 45 minutes after I get up. But not Grady. He wakes up cooing and moving. I'll look over and the pack 'n' play is shaking.

Madden has finally gotten the hang of potty training. The last week of my maternity leave she decided to start using the potty on a regular basis. I swear it was like it was over night. She'll even go on big potties when we are shopping or out. The last Friday of my leave, we left Grady with Aunt Shell and Madden and I went to the movies for the first time to see Shrek, the Fourth. She did a great job sitting through the entire movie. We only had to leave once to go potty and get pop corn. Madden LOVES Shrek. It is by far her absolute favorite movie. We've tried to get her to branch out and watch something else. I can't lie, I love Shrek myself. That Donkey is so funny.

We have a busy day tomorrow. Madden is going to be a flower child at graduation tomorrow for one of my former student/players. She went today to get her hair cut in preparation. It was just a trim, but she loved it.

Here are some of the latest pictures.



Putting on Daddy's shoes to go outside.



Madden called me into the bathroom to tell me: "Mommy, I'm peeing and pooping."



Smiley guy.

Madden's 2nd Birthday

We celebrated Madden's second birthday Mother's Day weekend with all of her cousins and her buddies Henry and Hudson. I still can't believe she's two. It seems like just yesterday I was home on maternity leave with her. Where does the time go? It has been such an experience watching her learn and develope. She's a little person now, with thoughts and feelings and such a fantastic little personality. She can be quite the character. It's been so fun staying home with her and Grady. She loves to be outside. She got a new swing set for her birthday, so she spends a lot of time swinging. She says "I could swing all day." When she isn't swinging outside, she's riding something. If I'm inside with Grady I'll see her and Matt go by the window on the fourwheeler, then a few minutes later they're passing by on the tractor, and then shortly after that she's driving the lawn mower.

When she's inside she loves to read books. She rarely lets us read books to her anymore. She'll let you read it to her as many time as it takes her to memorize, and they she's reading it to you. It is shocking to me the books that she has memorized. My favorite to hear her read is "You Are My I Love You." To hear her say thinks like "I am your chocolate, you are my licorice. I am your dandelion, you are my first wish," or "He nashed his teeth and stomped his feet and chased them out the door" (from The Very Cranky Bear). I had no idea she is listening that closely when we are reading her books. When she goes to bed she takes several books with her to read to Dora. She spends quite a while in her bed before and after naps reading to and playing with her babies and Dora.

Grady is a tank. He left the hospital at 7 lbs. 6 oz, and at his 1 month appointment he was 10 lbs. 10.5 oz! I guess eating every 3 hours is paying off. I keep waiting for the light at the end of the tunnel. He still eats every 3 hours, sometimes less. I am praying for a small miracle between now and June 7th when I go back to work. Right now he gets up 3 times a night and we're up for 30 - 60 minutes. If he keeps this up I'll have to pass one feeding off to Matt. Matt will hopefully be staying home with the kids when I go back to work. We thought it would be a great opportunity for him to bond with Grady and I wouldn't have to pack both kids up along with breast milk and bottles to send to Michelle's. I say maybe because Matt's superintendent is giving him the run around about using his sick days for his paternity leave. If they don't allow him paid leave, then we'll both have to work and Michelle will take the kids. We are certain that the law states that Matt must have paid leave, but Matt's superintendent is too ignorant to know or even care. If we don't get a definitive answer in the next day we are sending a lawyer his way.

Here are some pictures. With both kids I am not good about picking up the camera very often. I'll try to do better.


Madden blowing bubbles.




She lets me braid her hair now.

Madden's new swing set.

Madden and Grady "playing."

Mother's Day at our house.

Madden's Tinkerbell cake. I didn't stress about making the cake this year. We got this one at the P&C.

Madden in her dress up clothes that she got for her birthday.

So sweet....

Ready to raise some hell!

"Tuggling" with Daddy.

This isn't a very recent picture. I'll try to get another one up soon.

Texting her peeps on Grandma's cell.