Go Leah!

Leah has been practicing for a few days now. She seems to be getting the idea. I think she will be a certified 2 wheeler quite soon. Here is some video I took last night while we practiced (and showed off for Grandpa and Nonna). Note she is wearing fleece pants and a long sleeve shirt with the temp in the 90s. Yep, she was sweating.

4th of July 2011

Leah spent the weekend (Thursday through Tuesday) with my parents and Dan's family up at the lake. It sounds like they had a great time...well, most did. Unfortunately, my mom spent the weekend sick. Leah, Thea and Delila had a great time together and playing with the neighbors. Great weather except they were stormed out of fireworks.

Joe, Amber and I stayed home because I had to work on Saturday and Sunday. We had a nice dinner at our friend's/neighbors, Sara and Mike and Michael. Amber was too tired, so we did not make it to fireworks.

Leah played T-ball

Leah played T-ball 2 nights a week in May and June. She was always excited to go, but she did not always pay much attention while she was there. I helped my friend, Sara, coach the team. So, Leah's good buddy, Michael, was also on her team. I think that was good for her, but she definitely did not want mommy to be "coaching" her, but she did like that I was out on the field with her - as long as I did not try to help her! I am glad that we tried this, but not sure if she will try again. Leah told Grama Mary that she was not going to do it again next year, but she has not mentioned this to us. So, I guess we will see. She is back in swimming now which she just loves. Next, she says she wants to try soccer. Maybe in the fall, but then again...she wants to do dance and gymnastics again. Too much for a 6 year old!

Beth's Wedding 6/26/11

Yup, I am behind again. But, I still need to record this special day. I was so happy for my great friend Beth who married a fabulous guy, Rob. I am so excited for them to begin their journey. They had a great start with a beautiful outdoor wedding.

Joe and I headed to Eau Claire, WI on Saturday for the rehearsal. This would mark the longest time away from Amber since she was born (Saturday to Monday). I also got to have my nails done along with all the other lovely ladies prior to the rehearsal. We even convinced Beth to get a french manicure (she NEVER does her nails, so this was a big step). The rehearsal dinner was a grill out at Irvine Park in Chippewa Falls. A few sprinkles, but not enough to ruin the evening. The rehearsal followed the dinner at the same park. This park is such a beautiful setting for a wedding.

On Sunday, the girls got all pretty. We headed to the park in the Limo bus for the special day. The boys had already had pictures taken and were hiding so that the groom did not get a peak at the bride while the girls took pictures. The wedding was just perfect, well, except it was too windy to light the unity candle. No biggie, they just lit it at the reception instead. More pictures were taken after the wedding. Then the wedding party (and spouses) headed off in the limo bus for various picture destinations. My mom and Leah also made it to the wedding. Leah just loved being at the wedding. She loves being dressed up and anything girly!

Back at the hotel, sister Suzy had a surprise. She had Uncle Jimmy go get Beth's beloved Mustang. She had made a key to said Mustang. They got off the limo bus to see Beth's mustang with signs reading "Rob's Commuter Car" and "Today begins 50/50." Suzy then presented Rob with the key to the Mustang, and he even took it for a spin with the bride in the passenger seat!!
We had a great time at the reception. Leah danced her heart away (or just ran around the dance floor). She was also quite in awe of Beth and her lovely dress.

Congrats Beth and Rob!!

Happy Father's Day!!

Thank you for being a great dad! The girls are lucky to have you. Well, and so am I!!

Amber is 16 months

Oh, how times flies. It is so hard for me to believe that my little princess is nearing 1 1/2 years. Wow.
She is a talker with a number of words in her vocab, but some that only a mommy or daddy can interpret!
· All done
· Meeee (and points to something that she wants)
· Doddy (doggy)
· Daddy or Dada
· Mommy or MaMa (now sometimes Joe is mommy and Andrea is Daddy, but she usually gets it right)
· Hi and Buh Bye (with a wave)
· mo mi (more milk)
· baby (blanket)
· ashee (ashley - teacher at daycare)
· essica (jessica - teacher at daycare)
· ni ni (night night)
· nods "yes" and "no," and sometimes says no
· Nonna
· Grandpa
· outside
She is a great sleeper, and goes to bed with ease. You say, "time to put your jammies on" and Amber nods her head and goes toward her room. You say, "time for bed", she says "ni ni" and starts waving.
She still loves to take baths, but they are short ones because she refuses to sit down in the bathtub! She hates to have her nails clipped and her teeth brushed.
She adores her big sister, but she still does not share mommy's or daddy's lap! If Leah is sitting with mommy or daddy, Amber is right over there screaming at Leah and then usually starts to pull her hair and/or push her out of the way.
She is getting into everything these days. Nothing is safe anymore. She is a climbing machine! She can crawl onto the kitchen table in seconds and then she looks at you and giggles with an adorable smile.
She is working on 3 more teeth - 15 total now. She really has been an easy teether. She is a stubborn one...as one daycare teacher put it "I have learned, Amber gets what Amber wants unless it is dangerous."
She loves to play outside. She was a little hesitant at first on the grass, but this has faded as we get to spend more time outside. She really loves to swing. She has even taken a short nap in the swing!
She has graduated to sitting at the table in a booster seat with a tray. We did attempt for her to eat off of the table, but that was just a mess. Will try again soon. Right now, she seems happy with just being at the table with the rest of us!
She eats all table food now, no more baby food for this toddler. She is a great eater and not at all picky like her big sister. Her favorite foods seem to be bananas and (oh no) chocolate! She is getting better at using a spoon and a fork. She still likes to dump her food if it is served on a plate or in a bowl. She is a full fledged toddler, even graduated to the toddler room at daycare in May. She has had a few firsts since that last update:
· First time meeting the Easter bunny
· First time walking for March for Babies
· First time at Adventure Park
· First wedding shower
· First Pedicure (at daycare) - Leah just loved that Amber's nails were painted!
She loves to dance and listen to music She likes to sit on your lap and read a book (for a brief moment) as she typically does not sit still. She likes anything she can bang. She still puts everything in her mouth. Oh, and did I mention that she likes to climb!
She has the most precious smile and laugh!

Addendum:
She also says Pease (please)
She points to her nose when asked "where is Amber's nose"
She blows kisses (adorable)!

6/15/11 Taylor Swift Concert

Joe took Leah to the Taylor Swift concert last night. The tickets were her 6th birthday present. Leah decided to have Joe take her this time. I got to take her last year, so it is only fair for Joe to take her this year. Leah also said, Daddy should take me because he got the tickets.

Leah was so excited that she was up at 6am (even after strong encouragement the night before to sleep in). Since it was on Tuesday - her first Tuesday of summer break- we were at home. She did attempt to take a nap. The attempt lasted about 20 minutes before she came out and asked if she could be done. So, I had her play quietly for a bit. Then, she asked for her nails to be done and her hair. She then got dressed. It is now 2pm and she is ready to go! Oh, and we listened to the "Speak Now" CD multiple times during the day.

Daddy got home and showered. Finally they were off to the show. They left in plenty of time to get something to eat at the Excel Center. Joe thought they would sit down to eat at a restaurant. But, Leah would have none of that...she just wanted to eat from the concessions. So, they had pizza. Then, she wanted to go to their seats. They got to their seats at 6pm for the show which started at 7pm! The people next to them had many glow sticks. The young lady (about 13) sitting next to Leah made her a glow necklace and many glow bracelets. So nice.

The show starts. Opening act - Need to Breath (never heard of them) - Leah fell asleep! Don't worry, she wakes up for Taylor! According to Leah, there were fireworks even though it was inside, and she sang under a tree, and she wore pretty dresses, and she played the thing that she got when she was at the place Mrs Klar went to. Oh, it is so fun trying to follow a 6 year old. Let me translate - Mrs. Klar (K teacher) went to Hawaii, Taylor told a story of going to Hawaii and getting a ukulele which she proceeded to play while singing "Fearless." When I asked what song she liked best, she said all of them! Joe told me that she got very excited when Taylor was wearing a purple dress - Leah's favorite color. So, the concert ended about 10:30, Leah didn't make it through the entire show, she took a cat nap and missed about 10-15 minutes at the end. Joe was able to wake her for the last song, but she somehow managed to sleep through thousands of screaming girls wanting an encore! During the last song, "Love Story," Taylor was floating around the arena in a basket - Joe says that she pointed toward them as she went. Leah thought that was cool. Of course, after the show, she was wide awake! Joe did humor me, he took the camera - and even took lots of pictures! I am so glad that they were able to share this special night together. It sounds like they both had a great time.