Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fall Happenings

 We took a little hiatus from our blog updates but I'm finding some quiet time during Dana's nap to give a brief report.  We just returned from Dana's allergy appointment.  Confirmed: she has a peanut allergy.  We just filled a prescription for 4 epipens - 2 for home and 2 for daycare.  They cautioned me that this is a peanut allergy but could become a tree nut allergy so we should avoid those nuts as well.  They also warned that the allergy reaction could get worse over time (or perhaps she could grow out of it, but that's more unlikely). We are waiting to see if she develops asthma since it is common for kids with allergies to have asthma as well. So we'll see.  But certainly good to know the allergy is for real and now we have all the information we need to deal with it. 
 On a different note, we have been having a great fall. We have seen Gumma quite a bit as she has driven down for short visits to help out when I have to stay late for field hockey games.  The kiddos love this surprise pick up from school and enjoy having all that comes with Gumma (cupcakes, clothes, treats, etc.)!  Here are a few pics from a short visit when Kristi and Janet joined us as well.  Love this pic of Gumma with Dana and Janet.  Reminds me of pictures we've seen of Mom holding me and Kristi when we were that age. 

 
 And at last Reeves was able to join us for our annual trip to the Pickin' Patch.  This is the third year we have gone pumpkin hunting and the first year we've had Dad come along - it was very exciting!  We were a little late to get out there so the fields had been fairly picked over, but we found some decent ones (or Alice did).  In typical Alice fashion, she found a small one for Dana and a bigger one for herself.  Dana was more interested in poking through the mud so we tried to keep it somewhat brief!  It was fun and they seemed to enjoy the hay ride!










While it's hard to believe that October is almost over, we are looking forward to the winter season as it is a slower time of year for us with no Saturday games to juggle.  We are especially looking forward to getting up to Vermont next weekend for Momere's 100th birthday celebration. How incredible is that?!

But before we get to VT, we have Halloween to prepare for.  This is the first year that Alice has expressed interest.  In September informed us all that she will be a Princess, Daddy will be a King, Mommy will be a Queen and Dana will be a flower.  How nice of her to grant Dana flower status.  I think I might upgrade Dana to something a little more exciting, but we will certainly grant Alice her wish of being a princess.  In fact, Gumma has already supplied the outfit, so we are good to go!  It should be a fun holiday for us this year!

Wishing everyone the best.  We miss you all!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Dana's Birthday!



 She loved Paddington the Bear!!  A new favorite, I think!
 Alice was a great helper. I think she enjoyed Dana's birthday more than Dana!
 Her new favorite activity.  If there's not a chair around to climb...she loves to use the back of the stool!
 There she goes...getting comfortable!
 A very happy 1 year old!

 Ymmm...she loves chocolate!
Whoa...crazy girl!

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

September!

 First day of school and it was raining!  But Alice didn't mind.  She had her new Thomas backpack to sport and was so excited about meeting new friends!
 Playing in Alice's new class room - the Blue Room!
 Happy girl!
 Dana getting acclimated to her new room - the Purple Room!
 And after only 2 days of school, we skipped out and went to VT to celebrate Gumma's retirement!
 Dana loves to swing these days...  Even better when Janet is close by!
 Such a cutie!
 And Emma, showing off her very steady walking skills! Love that hair!
 Is it nap time yet?
 Isabel and Alice had a good time exchanging food here...
 I think Alice got an ice cream out of this wood chip exchange!
The vests are perfect for the chilly fall mornings!  They also make these munchkins look pretty grown up!
Happy girls!  Looking forward another busy month!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Dana's First Steps!

Much earlier in the summer I made the statement that I thought Dana would be walking by the time school starts.  As school approached I thought this little prediction was proving to be pretty off base. Well, school starts tomorrow, and she's not "walking" yet BUT she did take her first couple of steps last night! Close enough for me...

Dana IS a monkey

So funny/scary little story and then I'll finish my mass blogging effort for today.  Last night while Reeves and I were making dinner we could hear Dana playing in the other room.  She often likes to reach up to the piano and play the keys.  We heard her on the piano and thought, "isn't that cute...she's playing the piano again." At some point I realize it's been kind of quiet in the other room (always a sign that something bad is happening) and I go in to check on her. MY HEART STOPS. She is STANDING on the piano!!!!! For those of you who aren't picturing this in your head - try - it was horrifying.  Seeing her up on the piano with nothing behind her if she was to loose her balance (except a very unforgiving piano bench or wood floor) and fall backwards...I can't even imagine it.  Anyway, I grabbed her quickly and she giggled about the whole adventure. Shortly after, she was trying to climb our TV stand. Yes, folks...we have a monkey on our hands.

Evolution of the Playset

 Moving around dirt...
 Creating a "dirt box"
 Ahh...it's starting to come together. Weed barrier down - construction time.
 Alice loved helping to transport the wood chips!
 The real challenge was keeping Dana occupied. This set up worked for about 15 minutes.
 There she goes with her wood chips!
 Dana found lots of things that interested her once we let her loose. Unfortunately her favorite was crawling to the border to eat dirt.
 Dana has an uncanny ability to find the most dangerous thing to play with.
Adding the finishing touches...
The last step...filling the wood chips!