Happy 3rd Birthday, Elise!

Elise turns 3 years old today. In her honor, here are a few things you may not know about her:

1. Elise is a great food sharer. Even when eating her most coveted foods (like chocolate pudding and M&Ms), she'll offer you the last bite.
2. She is an outdoor girl through and through. She loves to play in Grandpa S's birdseed and in Grandma K's gravel garden path. She's quick to dig in sand, wood chips and whatever else she can get her hands on. She also loves to ride her bike, blow bubbles and play ball.
   
3. Elise is a pickier eater than her father. She will only drink milk and water (no juice or pop, even if offered). She loves tomato soup, pasta and rice. She'd rather not eat anything good for her.
4. She is a great big sister. She loves Julia immensely and is miserable she can't play with Julia when she's sick.
5. Elise might be part monkey. She scales the rock wall and other climbing equipment at the playground likes she's been doing it all her life. She loves to chase Briscoe and wrestle with Daddy.
   
6. She has an impeccable memory. Elise can remember details of events from a long time ago and knows where everything is at in each of her grandparents' houses (including the cookies and treats). She also has some of her Curious George books memorized and can recite them word for word.
7. Elise is very friendly from a distance (saying hello to anyone walking on the sidewalk). But if you get too close, she becomes very shy and takes a while to warm up.
8. She has recently discovered that baking with Mama means licking the beaters from the mixing bowl. She's quick to offer her 'help.'
9. Like her Mama, she requires lots of sleep, yet she really hates taking naps (I love them!). She can quickly turn into a grumpy bear and drama-queen if she is sleep-deprived.
10. She is a bright, articulate, funny little girl. She knows what she wants and how she wants it done (my way or the highway) and can negotiate for anything. The twinkle in her eye and her silly smile make saying 'no' a hard thing to do.
    

Julia giggles....

Is it Soda or Pop?

Click on the "Many Eyes" icon to see the map of the US by percent who call carbonated beverages "pop"...the darker the orange, the higher the percent. Here's where the US stands....



Thanks to Paul for this educational experience.

And I thought my babies were big....

Russian woman's 12th baby weighs in at 7.75 kg

BARNAUL, Russia (Reuters) - A Siberian woman who gave birth to her 12th child -- doing more than her fair share to stem Russia's population decline -- was stunned to find that little Nadia weighed in at a massive 7.75 kg (17.1 lb).

Nadia was delivered by caesarean section in the local maternity hospital in the Altai region on September 17, joining eight sisters and three brothers, a local reporter said.

"We were all simply in shock," said Nadia's mother, Tatyana Barabanova, 43. "What did the father say? He couldn't say a thing -- he just stood there blinking."

"I ate everything, we don't have the money for special foods so I just ate potatoes, noodles and tomatoes," she told the reporter, adding that all her previous babies had weighed more than 5 kg.

The Guinness World Records lists a 10.2 kg baby boy born in Italy in 1955, and a 10.8 kg baby boy who was born in the United States in 1879 but died 11 hours later.

The average weight for most healthy newborn babies is around 3.2 kg (7.06 lb), according to World Health Organisation figures.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Briscoe!

Briscoe celebrated her 2nd Birthday yesterday. Here are a few things you may not know about her:

• She is a miniature apricot poodle through and through. But she sometimes acts like a cat, cleaning her face with her paws and perching on the the tops of pillows and the back of the couch.
  

• She LOVES to play ball. Inside, ouside, anywhere and anytime. And she never gets tired.


• She is all bark, no bite. Briscoe wouldn't even hurt a fly.


• She is a mama's girl, but Grandma and Grandpa are pretty special too.


• She's very smart, but her sense of smell and sight are not too keen. Sometimes she can't see the forest through the trees.


• We like to call her a shared dog. She vacations at Grandma and Grandpa's from time to time and we are so thankful!


• Grandma taught her the work 'squirrel', which whether she sees one or not, gives her permission to bark.


• She's one of Elise's very best friends.

Julia's 4th Month in Review

Well, so much for staying on top of the weekly pictures. The last few weeks have been a bit crazy with little time for anything but eating, sleeping (somewhat), bathing the girls and doing laundry.

Julia is now 4 months old. She had her well baby appointment and weigh-in last week and is still growing like a bean stalk. She measured 26 1/2" long and 14lbs., 12 oz. (95th and 75th percentiles). She is one tall cookie. Her 3 immunizations were less than desirable...she was very fussy and capped off the night by getting up every hour. Too bad Paul wasn't home!

In the last couple of weeks, Julia figured out how to roll over from her back to her belly (though she's not done it since). She loves to make raspberries (and is quite good at it with all of the drool she makes). She also is beginning to interact more with toys; not just look at them, but reach for them or kick them. The most fun is hearing her giggle. Nothing can make my day more than a good belly laugh.

Auntie Sharon and Uncle Tim

Paul's Aunt Sharon and Uncle Tim are here from Arizona for a week's visit in Indiana. We spent the afternoon with them yesterday (before Elise got sick). Fun times! Elise wasn't being all that cooperative for pictures, so this was the best we could do:

Bugs...

The bug season has officially begun in our household. Elise brought home a cold last week, which she kindly shared with Paul and me. Funny how she one had it for 2 days, but Paul and I were feeling it's effects for a week!

Yesterday, while on our way home from visiting family, Elise threw up all over herself and her car seat. Not to be overly graphic, but it must have been more than a day's worth of food and drink. We took the car seat (with Elise still strapped in) out of the car, took off Elise's clothes and threw everything into a big garbage bag (except for Elise of course). When we got home, Paul gave Elise a much needed bath while I hosed everything off in the driveway. Yuck! Let me just say that this is one thing about having kids that I do not enjoy. :<(

Aunt Bethie and Uncle Jon Come to Visit

Elise was very excited to see Aunt Bethie, Uncle Jon, and cousins Reagan and Libby ("my best friend"). Elise and Libby had a great time playing--it was by far the highlight of Elise's week! We didn't go anyplace or do anything particularly exciting, but it was so fun. "Wa-Wa" (Laura) and "Tall" (Paul) loved spending time with our nieces. I miss having my sisters (and their families) close by--a lot!

One of our goals for the weekend was to having a cousin picture taken. No small task considering there are 4 girls under the age of 3. Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa and to the great grandmas too! You can see all of the pictures here. But here are a few of our favorites:

Our girls are the cutest!

Happy 9th Anniversary!

It snuck up on me....and without warning. I was even in the card section at Target yesterday and failed to remember. Not to say that I've forgotten in the past, but I was hoping to be a little more prepared. Ah well, I guess there's always next year....

Here are 10 things you may not know about Paul and me:

1. We met at Purdue when I was a freshman and he asked me out on a date as a result of a dare. Who said girls can't drive manual transmission vehicles?


2. During our 3 years of dating, we rarely spoke on the phone. At the time, we 'talked' via the precursor to Instant Messaging. For all you computer geeks, it was the 'Talk' function in Unix.


3. Paul worked very hard to propose to me. He carried around the ring for a whole weekend, trying to find just the right moment. Finally, the time seemed opportune right after we had a snowball fight on the campus of Trinity.


4. We were officially married during our rehearsal dinner. The actual wedding was a formality.


5. Our first apartment was located in what is now the heart of the drug trade in Wheeling, IL. Oddly enough, a good friend of mine from Discover lived in the very same apartment right after we moved out.


6. Opposites do attract. (i.e. I am a neat-nic and Paul doesn't mind clutter. I like to tinker and fix/put stuff together while Paul would rather not open the tool box.)


7. Paul's love language is 'quality time'; mine is 'acts of service'.


8. Paul taught me the game of baseball. For that reason, I'm a Chicago White Sox fan. It was fun to see our team win the World Series in 2005. We watched the game together over the phone (Paul was in Chicago, I was in Detroit).


9. We love being back in Chicago. It's our goal to live in the city across from Millenium Park for at least a year when we retire.


10. And last but certainly not least, Paul works extremely hard so that I can stay home with our girls. He takes good care of us and provides for all of our needs. We are so blessed!

Happy Anniversary, Paul! Love you!