Thanksgiving Weekend

Well it has been a very long time so I thought I would update you with what we did this weekend.

...Wednesday, Mommy helped Grandma Boe with the rest of the shopping for the Thanksgiving meal, while Kaylie was at daycare and Daddy was at work.

...We went to my brother Tom's house and had pizza. Kaylie got to play with many of her cousins and Mommy and Daddy got to have some adult talk time with some of my family.

...Thursday morning we got up and headed to Grandma & Grandpa Boe's for Lunch. Mommy helped Grandma get lunch ready while Kaylie played and Daddy watched some football.

...Kaylie took a nap while Daddy walked football with my Dad, my brother, and my nephew. Mommy went to Walmart with my mom and my niece Mahogani.

...We hung out at my parents until my sister and her family came so Kaylie got to play with some more of her cousins.

...Mommy and Mahogani wrapped the Christmas presents that we bought that afternoon.

...Thursday night, Daddy went Black Friday shopping at Best Buy & Walmart with our friend Chris and his sister Ashley.

...Friday morning, Mommy, her mom and sister went out Black Friday shopping. We went to Kohls, Walmart and the Mall. My mom won the Dream Receipt at Kohl's which meant that she got her bill completely free!

...Kaylie hung out with Daddy, they went to visit his parents and Chris. Then went home for a nap.

...Mommy was tired from shopping so she didn't want to cook so we went to Carlos.

...We then watched a Christmas Movie, which was suppose to be about a Christmas Puppy and it didn't even have a puppy in it. False Advertisement!!!

...Saturday morning we woke up and went back over to my parents so Zach could take family photos and 18 month photos for my sister and her family.

...Then we went home so Kaylie could nap. She didn't sleep long and was very cranky the rest of the day.

...We got our Christmas tree up and decorated! It looks pretty great, if I do say so myself.

...Once Kaylie went to bed, Mommy got about half the presents wrapped to put under the tree. Can't have a tree with no presents under it.

...Sunday was a relaxing day....we just played and hung out all day.


Well we had a wonderful holiday weekend and we can't wait for the next month. It will be a very busy month, but should be full of fun and memories.

18 Months going on 15...

Well it is that time again. We have a "Big Girl" these days and we can't believe that Kaylie is already a year and a half. Where has the time gone? On to her new stats!

Movement: She has been walking since her birthday so we have pretty much mastered running. She pretty much runs everywhere. Her little run is so adorable because she thinks she is going so fast. Her running everywhere has made it very difficult to go anywhere; shopping is not easy at all. She also hates to ride in the carts...M & M have become out best friends while shopping. 

Eating: She isn't the greatest eater anymore; she likes Mac & Cheese, Spaghetti, Ramen Noodles, & Fruit. She also likes chicken, but only if it is my Italian chicken or BBQ. She can be very hard to feed, but everyone says it will get a little better. We will see. 

Teeth: She now has 11 teeth; her 4 front top teeth, 3 bottom front teeth & her 4 1st morals. It was a rough few months because she was getting them all at one time. We know when she is teething because screams around 2 hours into bed time. Fun Fun!

Sleep: She is a sleeping champ most the time. She sleeps from 8 p.m. to 6:30 or 7:30 a.m. Kaylie is becoming great at putting herself to sleep. We do a bath, read a book or work a puzzle and then she has to turn the lights of. She will then talk or sing herself to sleep. 

Voice: She is always talking. Most the time it still doesn't make sense, but she can say quite a few words now. Here are her new words:
Grandma
Grandpa
Papa (Her Daddy)
Thank You
More (She also does sign language with)
All Done (Signs with)
Mommy
Juice
Oh No
Please (She signs this only)
Let's Go

Favorites: Her babies, the last few months she has really taken to playing with her babies. It is so cute, she is quite the little mommy. She feeds them, rocks them and loves to tuck them in for naps. I get a kick out of watching her. She also loves stools and tubs because she can climb on them or get into the tubs. Kaylie is always trying to climb onto the table or our chairs; she makes us very nervous. 

Diapers/Clothes Size: size 4 diapers, 18 month pants & 24 month shirts.

Nicknames: Bug-a-boo, Bubba, Baby Girl, Buggy

Weekend Update...

...we ate dinner at our favorite restaurant...just the three of us.
...we got some cheap candy from Hy-Vee and then headed home for a movie night. "The Rescuers" was the movie choice for the night. Kaylie watched the whole movie and then went to bed wonderfully.
...we took some time to relax and craft...about half way done with my niece's Christmas present. I know I am crazy for thinking about Christmas, but it is truly my favorite holiday.
...we spent some time shopping and decorating for Fall...I know we are very early, but I am hoping that it will be here soon. We are tired of this heat!

...we watched the Panthers play the Badgers; they didn't do to bad. Can't wait to go to the game next weekend.

...we went out to lunch with Zach's family at Sakura. Kaylie loved the noodles, it was pretty funny to watch.
...Zach and our neighbor took down our pine tree...it looks so much better already. Kaylie and I did some yard work which was needed.
...we made a great mess in Kaylie's new room...it was a disaster but we had a great time.

...we went to 7:30 a.m. church; Kaylie was pretty good. All the people around us got a kick out of us that is for sure.
...Mommy went shopping at Target & Walmart for a few things for Kaylie's new room. I stayed out for awhile because I don't usually get to shop in peace anymore. Plus, Kaylie and Daddy need more alone time.
...we just hang out around the house playing with toys and watching some TV.
...After Kaylie's nap we went to the grocery store to get our stuff for dinner. We got BBQ chicken for Zach & Kaylie, a steak for me, Cajun shrimp & portabella mushrooms. It tasted awesome! Good Job Daddy!
...When we got back we started up the grill and go the tent up. When our friends showed up we got the bonfire going and the guys played bags and the girls chatted.
...We roasted marshmallows. Yum! We tried to get Kaylie to sleep in the tent but she really wanted to play instead so we didn't end up sleeping in there. Oh well, our bed is more comfortable anyways.
...Mommy & Kaylie went over to Grandma & Grandpa's so Mommy could work out and Grandma could get her Kaylie fix.
...We went grocery shopping for the week. We got a lot of good food and Kaylie sat in the cart pretty well.
...Kaylie had a nap so Mommy & Daddy cleaned up some stuff from last night and then Mommy and Daddy just relaxed a little.
...We then had a snack and went on a family bike ride. It was a little hot, but we survived.
...On our way back home we stopped at the park to play a little.

...Had an awesome pot roast and cooked potatoes & carrots for dinner. It was yummy! Even Kaylie ate the meat.
  ...Had our fantasy football draft, we will see how Zach and I do this year!

Gearing up for Fall...

I have been really craving Fall lately, guess I am just getting tired of this heat. We talked about trying camping again this weekend and I am sure glad we decided against it. It is going to be another hot weekend. I figured that I haven't written in awhile so I figured I would write 31 things that I love about Fall, since today is the 31st.

1. The sounds of leaves crunchy under your feet
2. The cooler weather
3. Hot Chocolate...with marshmallows of course
4. Thanksgiving...yum pumpkin pie!
5. Chili in the crock pot
6. Craft show with my mom & sister...got to get a head start on Christmas shopping
7. Christmas shopping...I am a little bit of a freak about this.
8. Fall decorating
9. Family photos for our Christmas Card
10. Black Friday shopping with mom and sister...hopefully I can go this year :)
11. Pumpkins...can't wait to go pumpkin picking with Kaylie this Fall
12. The beautiful Fall leaves...I am still hoping we will get them this year.
13. Halloween...I love seeing the kids are dressed up and I can't wait to take Kaylie this year! She will be adorable in her costume.
14. Halloween decorating...I love any reason to let me decorate the house.
15. Christmas decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving...I take after my mother that is for sure
16. A warm hoodie on a cool morning.
17. I can't wait to put on a pair of jean again...I love Jeans
18. Wearing sweatpants around the house
19. New tennis shoes...I always seem to get new ones at the beginning of Fall
20. Apple crisp from fresh apples
21. Walks right after dinner all bundles up
22. Snuggling with my two favorite people
23. UNI Football Season...Go Panthers!
24. Hot Apple Cider...thanks mom for the trick :)
25. Bonfires with great friends
26. Soccer season...Zach decided to get back into coaching
27. Fall colors are pretty...wish I could pull them off
28. Fall candles...look the flickering of a candle too
29. No more frizzy hair...got to love this one!
30. My tv shows start again and we have new ones to add...not like we don't have enough.
31. Family time...I can't wait to spend this Fall with my little girl and hubby...looking forward to enjoying all these great times with the two of them.

50 Things...Progress Report!

I figured I should post the progress report of my 50 things...

Start Date: Saturday April 21, 2012

End Date: Tuesday September 3rd, 2013

1. Experiment with sidewalk chalk paint
2. Lose 20 more pounds (6/20)
3. End every night in prayer (7/500)
4. Buy a cute new swimsuit
5. Go camping with Kaylie and Zach
6. Finish Kaylie's 1st Scrapbook
7. Complete Kaylie's New Room *Working on her new bed now!
8. Organize all the photos on my computer *Waiting for Zach to organize his
9. Go on a spontaneous, unplanned weekend with Zach and Kaylie
10. Go to Chicago with Zach & Kaylie
11. Build a sand castle with Kaylie
12. Make a new mom friend
13. Bake cookies with Kaylie *Cake Pops Count right!
14. Play in the rain with Zach and Kaylie
15. Get a pedicure
16. Have regular movie nights
17. Do a girls day
18. Read a book fully The Intentional Family, completed 7.23.12, started on 50 Shades of Grey now!
19. Pick a pumpkin with Kaylie
20. Take Kaylie to a BIG zoo
21. Go Tubing with friends
22. Buy veggies from the farmer's market and make dinner with them Italian Chicken
23. Take Kaylie to the Aquarium
24. Get a tattoo in honor of Kaylie
25. Make homemade Ice Cream
26. Go on a romantic weekend gateway with Zach
27. Plan a family reunion
28. Take a photography workshop
29. Work on more graphics projects
30. Do another 5K walk
31. Complete our first  Relay for Life
32. Take a Quickbooks/Accounting Class
33. Take Kaylie to her first waterpark
34. Read with Kaylie more
35. Make a wishlist on Amazon
36.Get $1,000 in our savings
37. Payoff the Durango
38. Clean out my cookbooks
39. Have another child
40. Be a home-owner
41. Pay off our debt to my parents
42. Go to an apple orchard
43.Go look at Fall leaves
44. Finish the Irish Fest Program Completed 7.19.12
45. Make our own Christmas Traditions

46. Make 3 things from Pinterest (2/3)

• Shrimp Penne
• T-shirt Tank Top

47. Do a craft with Kaylie once a week for three months 0/12)
48. Host a dinner party 
49. Stop biting my nails 
50. See a New Movie starting with each letter of the alphabet
A:American Reunion
B:
C: Contraband
D:
E:
F:
G:
H:
I:
J: Jack and Jill
K:
L: Lincoln Lawyer
M: Moneyball
N:
O: One for the Money
P: Princess Protection Program
Q:
R:
S:
T:This Means War
U: Underworld:Awakening
V:
W: We Bought a Zoo
X:
Y:
Z:

Chicago Vacation

Our Travel Bin 

We took Kaylie to Chicago this last weekend. We were going to Zach's Cousin Morgan's wedding so we decided to make it into a family vacation.

Lincoln Park Zoo

We started out on Friday morning around 6 a.m.; Zach, Kaylie & I were in our car and Zach's parents & sister were in another car. We grabbed breakfast and headed on our way. Kaylie was great in the car, probably because we were very prepared. I took some advice from Pinterest and made a travel bin. I got things from the clearance and $1 bins at Target. I got a notebook & crayons, a beach ball, pool toys, a Duplo set, ColorWonder Markers & pad, Mickey books, and we made sensory bottles. I then wrapped a few of them so that she had something to open up. She loved this and she has gotten good and unwrapping presents...she will be ready for Christmas I am sure. Zach also got our tablet set up with Mickey & some Disney movies. She loved this!

Napping with Daddy

We ate lunch in Elgin, IL around 11 a.m. and headed on our way. We got to the hotel about noon and got checked in. Once we were checked in we headed downtown Chicago. We decided to start our trip out at the Lincoln Park Zoo. It is a free zoo so we thought it would be fun to check it out. At first, all the animals were hiding, but we finally got to see them. Kaylie loved the animals even though she was very tired because she only got a 45 minute nap.

The Everman Family

Mickey!

After the zoo, we decided down to Navy Pier. It was an interesting experience since it was rush hour on Friday night in downtown Chicago. We parked down at the Pier and walked down the Pier for a little bit. Bubba Gump's was our choice for dinner that night. It was good, Kaylie feel asleep on me so I had a hard time eating. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and went to bed pretty earlier. Kaylie slept the whole night in the hotel without waking up...first time ever.

Dancing at the wedding

Saturday morning, we woke up and ate at the hotel. We then decided to take Kaylie swimming for a little bit. After that Zach, Ashley, Kaylie & I went to the mall that was just down the street. We went to the Disney Store and got Kaylie a Minnie Doll & little Princesses. Kaylie didn't seem to be feeling well so we got her back to take a nap, which she ended up taking on daddy. We got ready and headed to the wedding. It was a gorgeous day for an outdoor wedding. We had a great meal and got to dance a little. Kaylie had a blast even though she seemed to have a stomach bug.

The Bean!

Sunday morning, we woke up bright and early and ate at the hotel. We packed up and then headed back into town again. We decided that Willis Tower was the first stop so we parked down by the tower and headed there. It was quite fun and Kaylie was fearless of course. She sat out on the sky deck and didn't want to leave. I was happy that Zach finally got to see the city from the Tower. We then headed to Millennium Park and saw the bean. Kaylie loved this because she kept seeing the baby in it. It was lunch time so we ate at the cafe there at the park. It was pretty good and Kaylie finally was feeling better and ate all of her hot dog.

Zach & I at the Fountain

 After lunch, we headed to the Buckingham Fountain which was on the way to the Shedd Aquarium.We were all starting to get tired so we didn't stay very long; we continued on  to the Shedd. We walked along the Lake which was beautiful. We got to the Shedd and there was a huge line because was a little scary. Luckily, we had a stroller so we got to skip the line. The Shedd Aquarium was an amazing place and Kaylie loved it. She loved the Aquatic Show the best, which was my favorite too because there were Dolphins. They are my favorite! We then headed back to our car, Kaylie finally feel asleep on the way to the car. We then headed on our way, it took us about 45 minutes to get out of Chicago because we ran into traffic. Kaylie did great on the trip back again, she played with her toys and watched movies. I turned the tablet off right around 8 p.m. and she feel asleep shortly after and slept all the way home.

At the Aquarium with Papa!

Willis Tower...our fearless child!

We had a great trip and it went much better than we thought it would have. It was harder to take a trip with a 1 year, but it was a lot of fun too.

All Day Playdate with Luke

Playing with my cousin!

Snack time!

 Last Thursday we had my nephew Luke for an all-day play date. Kaylie really loved having her cousin there to play with and we had a fun filled day. The morning we spent just playing around...my clean house got pretty messy quickly. It is amazing what two little 1 year olds can do to a clean house. Since my sister forgot to bring his high chair so we had our snack picnic style. I think the kids really enjoyed being able to sit on a blanket and eat their snacks.

 We then decided to meet Uncle Zach for lunch at Pump Haus. Kaylie really enjoyed it because she got to sit in a booster seat for the first time. Luke took a nap through lunch; which was good because he takes a morning nap and he didn't get it that morning.

Getting ready for lunch!

Playing at the water table!

Kaylie feel asleep on the way home from lunch so it was just Luke and I for about an hour and a half. He is a lot quicker than Kaylie; can't imagine what he will be like when he is walking better.

After both kids had a nap and a snack of course; we went outside to play on Kaylie's water table. They both had a great time. My sister thinks that she might have to get one now.

Kindermusik fun!

We are happy right now!

They splashed around for awhile and then it was time for Kindermusik. It was a lot more diffcult taking two little ones, but it was fun. Kaylie loved it as always, except when mommy had Luke on her lap. Luke doesn't didn't seem impressed, but if he went more often he would probably get used to it. Kaylie loves it so much that now she dances whenever she hears music. Side note: she will be taking another summer camp of Kindermusik and hopefully she will be enrolled in the Fall semester too.

What a mess!

Taking a nap!

When the kids and I got home we decided to take them for a bike ride and have a picnic. Luke and Kaylie did awesome on the 3 miles out to the picnic spot. They both fell asleep it was pretty cute! We ate our dinner and played a little. Then it was time to head back and Luke started crying when we put him in the trailer. We stopped to try to get him calm, but it didn't work so we decided we just needed to get home. Kaylie then was not happy we are pretty sure because he was upset so she was upset. Once we got home we ran over to Grandma & Grandpa's and both kids were happy. Then it was time for Luke to go home with his mommy.

Overall we had a great day and we hope Luke enjoyed our chaos! We hope he will come to visit again!

Where has our baby gone...15 Months

After Kaylie's 1st birthday I decided that I would blog every three months about what she is doing.

Movement: Kaylie started walking just before her birthday and she has gotten really good. She is now running almost every where. She doesn't let us carry her very much which is usually okay unless we are in a store or parking lot. We have to watch her very carefully because she doesn't like to hold hands. She is quite independent! 

Eating: Kaylie eats almost anything we put in front of her; some her favorites are BBQ chicken, Mac & Cheese, Ramon Noodles, Spaghetti M & M's and fruit snacks. She eats 3 meals a day and 2 snacks. She usually drinks milk, but she likes juice and water with Mio in. 

Teeth: Kaylie currently has 5 teeth. Teething has been too bad yet, but we will see how the rest go. 

Sleep: She is a wonderful sleeper....she goes to bed 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. and sleeps until 6:45 to 7:15 a.m. Kaylie only takes one nap a day now and it is usually from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Thank you daycare for getting her on a pretty set schedule!

Voice: Kaylie loves her voice very much and she is becoming quite the talker. Here are her new words:
Uh-Oh
Baby (BaBa)
Ball (Ba)
Shoes
Hi 
Buh-Bye
Yea 

It is getting so great because she now answers our questions, she almost always answers them with a "yea". So we aren't quite sure that she knows what we are saying, but it is still a lot of fun. We can't wait to hear all the new words she is going to start saying. 


Favorites: Her water table, she loves to play in the water and would probably play all day if she could. 
Her new bike, we got Kaylie her first bike and she loves it. She doesn't quite know how to ride it, but she will get there. Daddy wants to have her riding by herself by the age of 2. She loves to climb, she can climb up on a lot of things. She also thinks it is great to climb up the slides at the park which makes her mommy nervous.

Diapers/Clothes Size: Size 3 Diapers & she is mainly in 18 month clothes...she can wear 12 month dresses still. 





Nicknames: Bubba, Bug-a-boo, Miss Kaylie

Relay for Life 2012

On Friday June 15th, we participated in our first Relay for Life. My sister and I decided to do this in honor of our sister-in-law, Diane. She went in for her routine mammogram in March 2011 and had a biopsy for a suspicious mass. They determined cancer was present, so they decided to do surgery in April. After getting a deep cough with no flu/cold symptoms in November, they found out it had spread to the lungs. She just found out this month that the cancer has now spread to her brain and spinal cord.

On Friday afternoon, mom, my brother Jeff, Kaylie and I went over to Hawkeye Community College to get our camp set-up. It was very hot, but we got the tent up in about 45 minutes which was pretty good since I haven't ever put our tent up by myself. We then went back to get my sister and her and I went back to set-up the canopy tent for the night. Her and I went to back to get Zach and all the kids. We then made it out to the campsite around 5:30 p.m. and started decorating the campsite.

Opening ceremony was at 6:00 p.m. and they did a little announcement and then the survivors and caregivers took the track. We then did one lap as a team and then we started walking. Zach and I walked the first 45 minutes or so. Then my brother Tom & his family took over at 7:00 p.m and they walked until about 12:30 a.m. Then my sister Melissa, my brother Jeff, my brother-in-law Dennis, Zach and I took the track. Dad came out and walked an hour at about 3 a.m.

It was a very emotional night and I was glad that we kept Kaylie there with us. She did awesome...she feel asleep in her stroller at 10:30 p.m. after the fireworks and slept until 4:30 a.m. when she unfortunately fell over the air mattress. Our niece Katelyn also stayed over night with us. It was a great experience and the lack of sleep and pain we were feeling is nothing compared to what all of these people with cancer are going through. We hope that we helped with our fundraising total of $3,070...not too bad for starting in February.

The whole Relay was a huge success because they bet their goal by more than $15,500. Their goal was $196,000 but the final total was $211,500. This money goes toward cancer research, education and outreach programs. We are glad that we took part in such an amazing and hope that the FIGHT AGAINST CANCER continues until we find a CURE.

Thanks to everyone that help us achieve our goal.

To read more of Diane's story and to get updates please go to her Caring Bridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/dianeishmael

What we have been up to..

Well it has been a very long time since I wrote a post so I thought I would do one about what we have been up to. Since I have been too busy to blog it seems. 

--We have been planting and watering our flowers...Kaylie is a very big help as you can see. We have lots of bunnies under our shed so my rose bushes took a big hit. Zach and I are trying to save them. 

--We have been to the library more, Grandma Boe should be so proud. Kaylie is really starting to like to sit and read books. We now all crawl up into our bed at night and read one or two books. She usually sits pretty still, but some times she likes to run around on the bed. (Which of course gets her into trouble) I am sure we will continue to visit the library more frequently; we have to at least go once more since we owe fines. (I know Mom, I am not use to due dates!)

--We took a trip down to Williamsburg and went shopping at the Outlet Mall. We found some great clothes for Kaylie, but who wouldn't at my favorite store Carter's. Mommy and Daddy didn't find anything for themselves so we made another stop at the Coral Ridge Mall. This was where Kaylie got her first experience with Build-a-Bear. 

-- We had a party for my seniors at work. Kaylie was a hit and of course loved all the extra attention. She was a little helper when it was time to get ready and she was great entertainment for the night. 

--Daddy had the day off one day so we ran some errands and Kaylie got to have her own smoothie. She of course didn't eat it all, but at least she didn't take all of ours either. :)

--We went to Wisconsin for my Aunt's 60th Surprise Birthday party. It was fun to have Kaylie play with all my cousin's kids. She also got to ride in this little John Deere Gator with her cousin. I am sure we will be getting one soon enough. She is quite the daredevil. 

--We have been going on lots of bike rides lately. She sits great in her bike trailer, but we are pretty sure she would rather be on her own bike. Too bad her legs aren't long enough (Daddy says she will be biking before she is 2, we will see!). We took our puppy swimming at Prairie Lakes one day, Kaylie of course wanted to go swimming too. 

--We have a new found love for balls, she loves to play ball whenever she sees one. She now can even say ball even though it sounds more like "baa".

--We got a water table from Walmart for Kaylie and we have gotten it out a much as we can. She is quite the fish and she will play in the water for hours if we let her. It was a great buy and it works nicely on hot days.

--We helped our cousin Luke celebrate his 1st birthday. We went to a park and played; we even went down the slide head first. Of course we thought that was lots of fun! We then enjoyed the great food and cake!

--We have been working very hard to get ready for our first Relay for Life. We have baked and made crafts. We have 15 days left and we are ready to experience our 1st Relay for Life. More about that after the 15th. 

--We have started to help mommy clean...she is a lot of help. :) Kaylie now has her own vacuum so she can help me more and more. 

--We got our new room cleaned out and we have the toys setup. She now will sit and play all by herself. She still loves her Little People, and she has a lot of them!

--We took our first camping trip last weekend and Kaylie did pretty good. We got a little cranky on Sunday, but it was because she was over tired. We decided to leave a day early, but mommy liked that better because I got caught up on some things like dishes and laundry.

We have had a very busy last few months and can't wait for what the summer will bring...should be a good one!