TBT: Halloween Style

Happy Halloween everybody!

I have a few Halloween throwbacks, and then a couple other ones to post before November hits and I get to look at a new month (April 2010) of Callie pictures.

As you can see, in Halloweens past, Kona was an integral part of the costume theme we had going.  Now that there are 2 children, Kona's matching costume days are behind her.

2010: A happy bee and a mad bee
2011: A happy cow and a mad cow
2012: A happy cowgirl and a mad bull
2013: Mermaids

But Kona is still has a costume this year.

2013: A mad pirate.  Argh.

On to a couple other throwbacks...

Playing with Chewy the giraffe

Working on  the baby bald spot

And lastly, I'll bring it back to the Halloween theme. We usually see the Held family around Halloween, and this year was no exception.  They came over on Monday night for pumpkin carving and costumes.  So after taking the picture of the four kids, I thought I'd dig up Charlie and Callie's first Halloween.

Treats QOTD

Aaaahhhh Halloween week.  The time when you have a bowlful of candy in your house and your preschooler tries to use all manner of trickery to get as much sugar into her system as possible.

Callie: (holding up a piece of candy) Can I have one of these treats?
Me: No.  You JUST had a sucker.
Callie: (leaving to find Chris) Daddy, can I have one of these treats?
Chris: Go talk to Mom.
Callie: I did. She said no. Can you say yes?

At least she is honest.

As for me, I had a good first day back today.  Though Miss Maya did not want to eat from the bottle for Chris.  So I got a mid-day visitor.

Can't say I disappointed!

She is with G-pa tomorrow...hopefully the change of scenery will entice her to do more than just gum the bottle.  We shall see. 

Maternity Leave

The days could be long.

But the weeks flew by.

The three months were like a blink of an eye.

I couldn't be more thankful and grateful for this time with my girls.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Hey all!

I am astounded that it is the end of October.  Flabbergasted.

A new chapter will be starting on Tuesday- new schedule, new routines, a whole new way of life, really.  I'm anxious and a little excited.  I wrote a song when my sister left for college and part of the very deep lyrics were "Change change change change change changes everything." 

See what I mean? Deep. Or not, but regardless, it is true.

So I'm fully prepared to soak up every inch of tomorrow and just enjoy the last hours, minutes, moments at home.

Anyway, we had a great weekend.

We spent Saturday as a family- went to Choo Choo Bob's and lunch. and then hung out at home.

I can't believe how big and old she looks.

Rockin' the bald spot.

Later we went over to the Wicks' and the girls were busy playing and learning to share.

Callie, Sydney, Kylie, Maya

This morning Callie and Chris headed to Sunday School while Maya and I stayed home to cuddle and play.  I can't stop taking pictures of this girl.

Then we headed to the condo to hang with Boom, Bops, Great-Grandma and Auntie Yoda.



At home, we went to a royal ball.  Picnic style. With some cool animals.

Preschooler imaginations rock.

There it is.  I have done this post one-handed once again.

Have a great Halloween week!

Favorite-Things-Phone-Dump Friday

Here we are- my last Friday as a stay-at-home mom.  I have had 5 more weeks home this time around (not even counting the 4 weeks of summer I had before Maya was born) so I've been off work for about 4 months.  I'm so thankful for the time I have had with the girls, but I'm also thankful for the wonderful and supportive workplace I get to return to on Tuesday.

My favorite things are broken down by day again this week.

Monday:
*A day with my baby (how funny is the baby punch
picture? Watch out for flailing baby limbs!)
*Our beautiful fall tree

Tuesday:
*Play time with Boom and Great Margie
*Ice cream
*Reading
*Wrestling with Daddy

Wednesday:
*Matching outfits
*A day with the 3-month-old
*Independent napping
*A walk with the 3-year-old
*Dinner at Auntie Mari's

Thursday:
*A craft fair at Centennial Lakes
*A brave preschooler getting a flu shot
*Chucky Cheese

And a funny QOTD from the flu shot experience.

Before the shot.
Callie: It's just a little pinch, right? Like my nail?
Me: Yep! Just a little poke.
Callie: (thinking about it) I'm good at taking shots!!!!
Me: (Thinking: Um...I hope she can't say the same as a college student talking about a different kind of shots.) Yes you are!

After the shot.
Me: Wow! You were a champ!
Callie: I'm not a champ. I'm a ROCK STAR!

Friday:
*Starting the morning off with hot chocolate for a work meeting
*Sister reading time
*Meeting Auntie Terese
*Playing with Uncle Dan
*Ending the evening with a glass of wine

Additionally, Maya has been working hard this week discovering her hands and feet.



Have a great weekend!

TBT

Hello there!

Today's throwbacks are baptism related. 

First up: The babies getting baptized by Uncle Joe while I look on.

Next up: The babies with their Godparents (and parents too).

Then: The big family group shots. 

Lastly, after the baptism in the cute coral dress.

The rest of the baptism pictures will be posted some time next week.

Three-Months-Old!

When Callie was 12-weeks-old I did a post listing five things we know about her.  I haven't really been keeping track of Maya in terms of weeks, but now that she is three months (which is about the same as 12 weeks), here are five things about her!

1) She is a spaz. An adorable spaz, but a spaz none the less.  When she is happy she is REALLY happy. But when she is pissed, WATCH OUT.  You best cover your ears, because you are gonna hear some screams.  And she can go from happy to pissed in .032 seconds.  But I'd like to just think that she is passionate.  Very very passionate.

But that FACE.  The happy face.  It melts my heart into a big ol' puddle every time.

2) Even though we have been working on independent sleeping, the place she sleeps the best is close to where she spent 40 weeks before joining the world.  As she proved a week ago Monday, she can even sleep through a ridiculously loud pep rally if she is in the Moby.  I love it.

3) She is just discovering books and toys.  She has been working on grasping things and getting more control of her limbs.  It is amazing to watch her concentrate and explore the world around her, even if it is only one toy at a time.  It will be hilarious (and frustrating, I'm sure) when she can start taking toys from her big sister.  There is sibling revelry going on right now, and I'm soaking it in, because I know sibling rivalry is right around the corner.

 
4) She really likes being outside.  She stares at everything and seems enthralled by nature.  Even if we can't be outside, she is happier if she can look out the window at the trees.  Maybe she'll be more of an outdoor girl than her mom and sister. 

5) She is the sweetest baby, just like her sister.  And she brings out the absolute best in her sister.  I love them each separately and I adore them together. 

Happy 3 months birthday Little Squish!!!

46-Months-Old!

TWO months until 4!!!  What?!?!?!?  I'll be honest, I'm pretty excited for 4.  I've heard it is awesome. 

Today we were working on spelling in the car (Maya was sleeping an not screaming!).  Here is a video showing the fruits of our labor.


IMG 7411 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

She obviously got a little help with Maya, but did Callie all on her own.  Next up: Mom, Dad and Kona!

Two Things Guaranteed to Make My Girls Freak Out

I go back to work a week from tomorrow.  I decided to post something every day until then, and thought I might as well start with a post that might get me more excited to get back to work.

A post about what to do to get the girls screaming.

Am I an awesome mom or what?

What Makes Callie Freak Out

I think (hope, wish, pray) we are working our way out of the terrible threes.  But, as I alluded to when I described the baptism yesterday, she has an issue with laughter. 

It is as ridiculous as it sounds.

If she is around, you're pretty much not allowed to laugh, even quietly, or you will hear something like this come out of her mouth in a very loud screechy tone: "STOP IT RIGHT NOW!!!! I DON'T LIKE PEOPLE LAUGHING AT ME!"  And then she usually bursts into tears.

Let me be clear, you were NOT laughing at her, but it doesn't seem to matter.

Until she wants you to laugh at her.  If that is the case, she will yell out loudly: "TOOTIE FACE!!" and then expect laugher right away.  If you don't laugh, she asks why you DIDN'T laugh at her.

It is all very confusing.

I have had legit conversations with her where I say, "Callie, we are going somewhere where people might be laughing. And that's okay. They aren't laughing at you. You don't need to freak out."  But it doesn't do a whole lotta good, seeing as I did it before church on Sunday and she still freaked out.

So basically we have become accustomed to doing the silent laugh and cringing when others laugh, all the while ready to calm down a girl about to freak out.

I control your laughter.

What Makes Maya Freak Out

She's  pretty regular freaker-outer (it happens at most transitions), but lately? It is car rides.  Lovely car rides that used to put her to sleep are now scream-fests that cause us to drive as quickly as possible (without speeding, of course, Police Officer Uncle Dan...haha) and curse at red lights under our breath.

She can be totally happy and/or totally asleep in her car seat in our house or in the stroller, but as soon as we click her in the car and start driving...yikes. We all need ear plugs.

After the drive is over and we get her out, she is usually totally fine.

I was screaming 2 minutes ago.

So, I really hope both of these freak-out inducers don't last much longer and that nothing is ever funny enough to laugh at in the car, because the double freak out is something that no one wants to experience.

That would be What Makes Mommy Freak Out.

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Baptism Edition

Happy Sunday!

This was a big weekend for us- Maya Leigh was baptized today!  My mom's family came into town from Connecticut and Colorado, and we were able to spend a lot of time with them throughout the weekend.

On Friday night, Callie had a sleepover at G-ma and G-pa's house.  The highlight of it was a bonfire in their yard!

While Callie was over there, we had Boom, Bops, Yoda, Craig, Uncle Joe, Carolyn and Uncle John over to our house for dinner (and we used them for labor as well...to get our house ready for today).

Maya did a great job being adorable and entertaining the crowd.

On Saturday we worked more on our house and had some baby time.   Thankfully she has pretty much figured out night time sleeping and usually only wakes up once about 4 or 5am.  Then goes back to sleep.  It is awesome.

I slept til 9am.  No big deal.

Then we headed to the condo, where Maya got to meet my Aunts- Jenny and Margie.  We went for a walk, ate a delicious dinner, and spent more good quality time together.



Today was baptism day!  The baptism itself was, well, a tad scream-inducing for both of our girls.  They held it together pretty well through the first part, and then both lost it (for different reasons) when I passed Maya off to Uncle Joe to do the actual baptism.  She is never good at transitioning between people, so she started crying.  Then when the congregation laughed a little bit, Callie lost it and started crying (have I mentioned her sensitivity to laughing before?  It deserves a whole blog post on its own...but let's just say she FREAKS OUT if she thinks people are laughing at her).  So they were both crying and then I started giggling and it was all done and we all made it.

We had lunch for everybody back at our house and it was wonderful to have the space for 30 people to sit and eat comfortably.  That would NOT have happened at our old house. 

Our friend Nik took pictures of the baptism, so I will post them later once I get them.  Here are a few teasers from the pictures my dad took.

Getting all ready in her pretty baptism gown.

Yep, both girls crying.

I didn't take very many pictures afterwards, but here are a few pictures from the lunch at our house.


With Great-Grandma Gi-gi

Getting Boom and Grandma love

A happy girl

Thanks to everyone who came to help us celebrate this special day.  And a special thanks to those who were part of the service- Uncle Joe, Auntie Cat and Auntie Mari (Maya's Godmothers), and Boom and Auntie Yoda for playing beautiful music.

Technology QOTDs

These phrases have come out of our preschooler's mouth within the past week.

1) "Yeah, Mom, I saw it on Facebook."

2) "Hold on, I'm just going to text Sydney to see if we can go to her house."

3) "I'm going to give this to Daddy and he can email his friends about it."

I would just like to say that:
1) No, she does not look at facebook regularly (unless I want to show her a picture), and even then I didn't think she knew that it was facebook.
2) No she does not have her own phone, she uses the search function on the ipad to "text."
3) No, she does not email, though she does have her own little "laptop" thanks to Bops.

Seriously, the kids of this generation are going to be technological WIZARDS.  She already is and she isn't even four yet.

Favorite-Things-Phone-Dump Friday

Time...seriously.  STOP GOING SO FAST!

How is it Friday again already?

My ALL TIME FAVORITE THING EVER this week is this sister conversation I was able to capture on video.

Be still my heart.


IMG 7290 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

Seriously, I can't stand the cuteness.  And the random preschool brain on display at the end.  Haha.

On to the other favorite things...

Favorite Thing #2: Working on independent sleeping...
my hand helps a little apparently.

Favorite Thing #3: Play date at the zoo with Kylie, Calvin and Sylvie

Favorite Thing #4: THIS FACE
Seriously. I can't get over it.

Favorite Thing #4: My Ekeberg uncles are in town! And my aunts will be here tomorrow!

Have a great weekend!

TBT

This week on Throwback Thursday I have matchy matchy shirt pictures.

I figure that I'll only get to do matching pictures during the fall and maybe spring months since they were born at pretty much the exact opposite time of year.  While Callie's cute chubby thighs were on display in the summer as a 6-month-old, Maya's will be covered up as a 6-month-old in the winter.

It's kind of a shame, actually, chubby baby thighs are THE CUTEST.

Anyway, on to the hand-me-down matching clothes pictures.

The heart shirt...bought for Callie for Valentines Day.  Maya still rocks it in October.

I believe this hoodie was a gift from Auntie Yoda.  Clearly they both enjoy it.

I call this the "Worried Princess" look.

They definitely have their own unique look, don't they?  It is fascinating how genetics work!

Lazy Mom Busted: QOTD

While getting Callie dressed this morning.

Callie: Jeans!
Me: Yep, you're wearing jeans. (Actually, they were jeggings, because she is too skinny with too long of legs to wear actual jeans).
Callie: What are you wearing? Capris?
Me: No, I'm wearing yoga pants.
Callie: Are we going to yoga today?
Me: Um, no.  They are just comfortable.
Callie: Oh.  I can yoga! (does a crazy yoga-like pose)

It may not seem that funny, but the way she said "Are we going to yoga today?" was asking more like yoga was an activity and not a place.  Like, "Are we going to run today?" or "Are we going to jump rope today?" 

Regardless, I was busted on wearing yoga pants with no intention of actually doing yoga.  Pretty much like every mom ever.

WNBA Champs

As you are probably aware of, if you follow this blog during the summer months, we are major MN Lynx fans. We have shared season tickets with my sisters the past 2 years.  My parents have been season ticket holders for all 15 seasons.  We LOVE women's basketball, and the Lynx are an amazing team to watch.

This season was special for us...for a few reasons.

 It started on June 1st- my dad's birthday. 

As we were planning which games to attend, we knew we had to take the end of July and most of August off, due to our special little delivery. 

Our little delivery just happens to have the same name as one of our favorite players.  And when she makes an amazing play, the crowd sings out "MAYA!" 

Loyal fans that we are, we watched a game in the hospital on the laptop after our Maya was born.

We got to sit courtside with my parents the last couple of games, and ended up with our pictures in the paper as spectators to the action on the court.

Last Thursday, they swept the post-season (only the 2nd team in the league to do so) and became WNBA champs for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Today, Boom, the girls and I went to a welcome home parade and pep rally to celebrate their season. 

We had a great time and can't wait for next season!!!! 

GO LYNX!!!!!!!