time with mom

I've noticed how important it is for Addelyn to have special time with me (where I'm not focused on Jace and his needs). That crucial time can make a world of difference in her behavior. So I'm really trying to make a point to do special things together. Or maybe better put- to do ordinary things together and make them special!

Flour letter tracing turned into a flour bath! She told me she was shaving her arms! I decided to roll with it and let her make a mess....

Frog snack! This was a fun one we made (and ate!) together!

Youth Pavilion- Last week was $1 day at the Youth Pavilion. This is such a great kids place- and Addelyn loves it. My mom was still on summer break so we left Jace with her and Addelyn and I went for a few hours. We had a lot of fun together and even had a little lunch date out! We called it our special Mommy/Daughter date! Oh the fun. I got a few pictures- Addelyn is anti-photos these days so we do what we can. Note that she is not smiling! I promise we were enjoying ourselves!
I get excited for the future- lots of special Mommy/Daughter days. Addelyn is SUCH a Daddy's girl....so I have realized it is always going to be important for the two of us to work hard at being connected and for me to give her special time and focus.

Sorry, Daddy!

I don't know if Mark was more annoyed at the nasty blowout on his shorts or the fact that I took pictures before helping him get cleaned up!

swim lessons

Addelyn had her first year of swim lessons this summer. It turned into three weeks of lessons because of a few rain dates. The lessons ended up falling during those two really hot and humid weeks which was actually great- the water was wonderful at 10 am. I got to be in the water with her each day too which was actually great time for Addelyn and I to be together. One of the days, Mark took off work and came to lessons so I could watch and take pics!

She learned to dunk under water, do the alligator crawl, front float and back float (with help), and honestly- she really got much more comfortable and daring in the water. It has been fun to see her comfort level grow.

quinlan family

This is just a glimpse into the fun we had last weekend at the "annual" Quinlan family get together. Tom and Lori hosted this year in Mason City. I even golfed. Not impressive golfing for me but still, golfing. Lori bought the kiddos all horses and they had a blast riding them around and playing together. What a great family full of special people that I got to marry into!

smiles

Finally getting some smiles on camera of our sweet little boy!!!!

big sis - little bro

I still hadn't gotten a picture of these two wearing their shirts together and Jace won't be in his shirt much longer! Too bad I picked a day that they were not happy about a photo session....this was my best one!

another buddy

Jace got to meet another little friend the other day that was born right around six weeks after him. Nolan is such a little cutie with TONS of dark brown hair. Jace was a bit jealous of his full head of hair but otherwise, I think they got along great. Congrats to our friends Ryan and Leah on your beautiful little boy! It will be fun to see the boys get older and play together!

these days

Just a picture update of some of the things we have been up to these last days of summer. Where has the summer gone (and my maternity leave?) The pic above is from the Bremer County Fair. We went and saw some animals and also played some of the 4H games.

Lots of laying on the floor, staring (well, Jace does).....we are often talking to our sweet little boy and trying to capture smiles!

Ring around the Jacers

Babies taking naps

Our baby taking a nap (lots of naps!)

More naps, on the couch with Daddy

My beautiful kiddos on the playmat.
Just a few of the pics from our laid back days of summer.

2 months old

The many faces of Jace.....

He does smile......just VERY hard to catch on camera!

Everyone who sees Jace comments on how big he looks. Well, we went to the doctor this morning and yep, he is a growing boy! He is 13 lbs, 2 oz and in the 85th percentile for weight. He is 22 1/4 inches and the 25th percentile for height. His head was 16 inches and that is the 60th percentile. So a big, short boy ha ha!
Some of my favorites about Jace right now...
*how he keeps one creepy little eye open until he truly falls asleep.
*how he snuggles right into me- we seem to fit together! I love cuddling my little boy!
*how he is giving us sweet little smiles and coos.
*the mohawk of hair on each of his ears that he still hasn't lost (Addelyn lost hers at six weeks).

Happy two months of life my sweet little guy!

6, almost 7 weeks apart

*Don't miss my older posts, I am blog updating like crazy tonight!

Another preggo from our small group had her baby! My wonderful friend Jess, had Carson a few weeks ago. He is so precious and sweet. Crazy that these boys are only six weeks apart- it will be fun to see them when they actually look the same size. Right now, Jace looks like he could eat Carson (everyone keeps saying how HUGE Jace is for his age, will be interesting to see his stats tomorrow at the two month doctor apointment!) The fun thing is- Jess and I have enjoyed our last two pregnancies together. Austin, her middle son, was born eight days after Addelyn and they are good buddies. So fun to share day to day life and welcome new life together with such great friends! Welcome to the world, Carson!!!

aunt jil-wa

This is one special aunt that loves her time with her niece and nephew. We love you Aunt Jil-wa! (this is how Addelyn has said her name from day one) Kinda sad, she is starting to say it right now- hopefully Jace will carry on the "Aunt Jil-wa" tradition.

sneaky

Check out these pics of the two kiddos, Carter and Addelyn. When we had a get together with Mark's high school/college friends and families a few weeks ago (who I must add are pretty wonderful people!)- Carter and Addelyn had a blast playing together. They are six months apart. They were busy at play on Sunday afternoon and little did I know, they had grabbed my camera and snuck to a far corner of the bedroom. I noticed these pics a few days later- and when I asked Addelyn- she admitted to taking pics with Carter in the corner! (They actually did pretty well with their picture taking skills). Can't you just imagine how sneaky they thought they were being and how funny it would have been to listen to their conversations as they plotted together and took pics?

your vote?

Would you let your little girl play with this doll? There is big controversy on this one! Addelyn would LOVE IT!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/44050086#44050086

drinks anyone?

After Addelyn's "quiet time" today, I found the garbage bag from Addelyn's garbage with water in it at the top of our stairs.

When I asked her why it was there and why it was wet, she quickly told on herself with a sheepish grin.
"Well, actually....I couldn't reach the sink and I was thirsty and so was baby so I decided to get us water from the toilet. I filled my sippy cup and baby's bottle."

We never got to the part of how the garbage bag had water. That was all I needed to hear.
Ahhh quiet time. You are never quiet.

wrestling

Go figure that Mark facilitated a wrestling match between Addelyn and Jace....already! He can hardly wait til both kids are at the roll around on the floor and play stage. I'm guessing by the size of Jace at two months that he'll be taking Addelyn down pretty quickly once that day does arrive!

six inches

I didn't have TOO hard of a time letting Addelyn get her haircut- six inches off. Considering the last weeks of swimming lessons and summer days with sweaty, tangled hair have ended in screaming and crying when we brush. It just isn't worth the fight I decided. And doesn't the new haircut look SOO CUTE!?!
Although it makes my little girl look older:(

chatty

My lil miss has been quite the talker lately. Okay, wait, she has been for awhile! But honestly, lately it has felt like all day long she is talking to me- asking lots of questions and waiting for my response. Maybe it is because we are in the eight week fog of not sleeping enough that I'm noticing?

Today for example....

"Mommy, how does the toilet work? Who makes toilets?"
A pause, as she waits for my answer. I was slow to get to that answer and before I did, she answered herself. "Maybe Jesus makes toilets?"

On the way to swimming lessons, she maybe took a breath once from her conversation! One of my favorite comments was, "Mommy, if I look up and into the sun- my brains hurt." My biggest goal right now is to continue to try to be invested and listening as much and often as I can and not give her the easy answer, but the right one! Wish me luck ha ha.

a different option

I LOVE these granola bars. And they actually are better for you than most granola bars you'll find. But I've started a dairy free diet for the sake of Jace (that is another story for another time.) So I'm having to change my diet A LOT. Have you ever realized how many dairy products are in many foods you eat? I am reading lots of labels. Goodbye to my favorite on-the-run breakfast. Good news is....I made my own granola bars and they are amazing! Plus, they are better for you AND easy. I made them with dark chocolate (yes, the special non-dairy chips) and dried cherry. I substituted flaxseed meal for the wheat germ. This recipe was passed on to me by my sister-in-law and they are great for you granola bar lovers. I'm thinking now I won't feel like I'm giving Addelyn a candy bar when I let her have a granola bar!!!

http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/04/11/homemade-granola-bar-recipe-no-high-fructose-corn-syrup-in-these-bars/

P.S. If you have good suggestions for dairy free recipes, eating tips, etc....I'd welcome your thoughts!