4th of July Weekend-Part 2

Earlier in the day on the 3rd, Cort and I met up with Venessa and Jimmy. Venessa and I had originally planned on taking the kids to the Arboretum, but it turned out that both Cort and Jimmy had the day off too.

It was a beautiful day and the kids had a great time.

Cole LOVES the water ball there!

Erica at the water ball

Our almost 3-year-old!!!

Our almost 1-year-old!!!

These make me laugh :)
Mia was having a great time with the water pump-she was soaked!

Cole checking out the rocks

Mia has become quite the climber lately

Erica and Cole

Thanks Venessa and Jimmy for a fun outing! (and sorry I am missing Aaron pics!!)

Fourth of July Weekend-Part 1

This past weekend was a BUSY one! I do have to say though, I love the 4th of July, it is one of my favorite holidays. On the 3rd of July, Mike and Sarah came into town from Texas. Kristy and Graham were kind enough to host the old ISU gang for a BBQ at their house. It was so great to see everyone, especially Mike and Sarah, even if it was only for a night.

Cort and I were really hoping to stay a little later even though we had the kids, so we decided to put them down at Kristy and Graham's. Cole gave us a run for our money, but Cort persevered and got him down! After I knew Cole was down, Kristy and I worked on Payton and Mia. Payton slept in his bed and Mia on his floor in a sleeping bag. It was sooo cute. Payton gave Mia a good-night kiss and proceeded to tell her stories. :) Kristy and I had to go in a time or two to give reminders for them to go to sleep, but I was pretty impressed that they actually did with not much of a fight!

I was super-lame with picture taking and took only 1 picture (the other doesn't count because I'm in it-ha, ha!).

The ISU girls (minus a couple!)

Payton and Mia having dinner

Cole Walking!!!!

So I am so behind on blog posts that I failed to mention that Cole started walking with the help of a push toy about 2 or 3 weeks ago. The other day though, he became slightly more adventurous and took about 3 steps from the coffee table to the sofa. Cort and I were shocked (as Mia didn't walk until 15-16 months-so this is early for us!) and thought it was a bit of a fluke, but he did it again today, taking several steps unassisted!!!! Check it out!!!!

2nd Haircut

Mia had her 2nd haircut the other day. She is going to be a flowergirl in a wedding in about 2 weeks and I wanted to get her a trim and make sure it was evened out a bit more before the big day. We went to Kidsnips again and she got to watch Nemo while she got her hair cut. Then she got a balloon, lollipop, and stickers on the way out. Today when I asked Mia what she wanted to do for the day, she told me "get my hair cut." :)

Mikey's Birthday Party-Thanks Pam!

Awhile back, Sarah and I signed up for our neighborhood garage sale. We figured it would be a great way to purge a lot of that junk that has been sitting around our houses and make some extra money while we were at it. Plus, we didn't have to do any of the advertising or signs, it was all taken care of by a local realtor. Unfortunately though, it coincided with Mikey's birthday swim party, which I knew Mia would want to go to (Cort was working, so he couldn't take her).

But, in stepped Auntie Pam, offering her services. Pam said she would be willing to take Mia to the party. We loaded up the carseat in Pam's car, I stocked her up with a sippy and some snacks, and off they went!! Needless to say, it sounds like it was a success. Mia is still talking about the fun that she had! Thank you to Melissa and the boys for the invite, and thank you to Pam for making Mia's day-she had so much fun with you!

Here are some pictures, kindly taken by Pam. :)

This cracked me up when I saw it

Mia with a lot of boys, hmmmmm....

Love this! Mia and Payton

Apparently Mia REALLY liked her goggles and didn't want to take them off, even on dry land. :)
And the best godmother EVER!!!

Mia-Ready for American Idol

As one of our summer activities, we took a trip to the library due all the rain we have been having. While we were there we picked up some children's CDs. I have been keeping them in the car and they seem to work wonders when we are driving, especially on Cole who has been pretty hateful of his carseat lately (is it time to turn it around yet?????) Anyhow, Mia has really liked to sing lately, so her is her rendition of "5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed," her favorite song on the CD we have been listening to.

Happy Father's Day

First off, Happy Father's Day to Cort, who is a wonderful daddy to Mia and Cole. He is very loved!!!

Today to celebrate Father's Day, we took a little trip to see the Kane County Cougars with our family, Sarah and Ian's family, and Cort's parents. Despite the fact that the weather was supposed to be overcast, the sun was shining periodically, baking us and making it rather hot and sticky. The kids did good though, with breaks in the shade, some treats, and a trip to the kids area with the jumpies and slides. While I couldn't really tell you much of what happened during the game, a good time was had by all, and that was followed up by a trip to Sonic for some cool treats-yum!!

I will start with 2 pics actually from yesterday-I realized that heat stroke must have caused me to forget taking any pictures of Cort with the kids today-duh!!

Cort and Mia-perfecting her gymnast moves

Cort and Cole

And from the game today....

Mia and Ava checking out the players on the field

Cole found my leftover pizza on a plate on the blanket and was going to town on it :)

Funny story-as soon as Mia saw some kids with the "Number 1s," she knew she just had to have one. I tried to distract her from that idea, but she kept bringing it up. One of the times I had Cole in the shade in the concourse I saw a vendor with them. They weren't too expensive, but of course I didn't have my money on me. He said he would make his way over to the lawn later (where we were sitting), but by that time, I already was at the play area with Mia. Gigi and Papa surprised her though when we got back and I have not seen Mia so happy in a long time. She was so excited to put her "Number 1" on her hand. :)

And the trip to Sonic...

Cole enjoying Papa making piggy noises at him since Cole wanted to eat all of his ice cream

Mia enjoying her sundae
Cole and Papa

Wiped out on the way home

Mia's Last Day of School + Updates

June 5th was officially Mia's last day of school at Childtime. Even though she had only been there since January, it was hard to say goodbye. She was lucky to have such great teachers and I have really seen so much growth in her since she started. But, I am thankful that it is summer and to have some more time with the kids and to not have to rush out the door each morning! Here's Mia on her last day with 2 of her teachers.

Miss Farzana

Miss Julie

In other related school news, I found out toward the end of the year that I would be working in the afternoon for the 2009-2010 school year, so that presented a challenge of what to do with the kids next fall. I knew Cole would be easier than Mia, and as it turns out we are going to be sending him to Mia's old babysitter who is right in the neighborhood, which is awesome.

Mia was more of a challenge, being that she still naps in the afternoon and I definitely wanted her in some type of preschool program (at Childtime, they nap in the afternoon, so she would be missing all the curriculum). After much research and creative scheduling, we have decided that she will be going to an afternoon 3-6 Montessori program, three days a week. The other 2 days she will be watched by Sarah.

We will be doing some creative juggling and trade-offs between the kids, and once Ava turns 3, I will take her to school along with Mia. The school is only about 2 minutes from both Georgetown and Waubonsie, so that is perfect for Cort and I. The bad part is that she will have to transition off her afternoon nap at least 3 days a week, but the good part is that I am excited for her to be in a Montessori program and that it fits my hours perfectly! Cort and I observed the class and it was very impressive. School has been such a positive for Mia in terms of her growth and independence and I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the same in the fall.

In other news, I am off for the summer!!!!!!! Cort is off too, but working half-days at Waubonsie for the summer school program. It is great having so much more time now! Come fall though, I will be embarking on a new educational adventure-I will be seeking National Board Certification. I don't think I fully know what I have gotten myself into yet, but I think it will be a great challenge for me and will help my teaching. It's been awhile since I got my Masters, so hopefully it will not be too traumatic to get back in the swing of the extra work! Until then, I am ready to enjoy summer!!!

Cathy's Retirement Dinner

The other night we went out to dinner to celebrate my aunt's retirement from teaching. We went to a cute little Italian place called Mangia Mangia. The food was awesome and the kids did great! Congrats Auntie Cappy (Mia's name for my aunt-ha, ha)!!

Suprise!! My aunt didn't know that my sister and I would be there with our families

The whole family

Mia

The Silly Pulins Kids

Cole getting close and personal with the tv back at my mom's house

Gifts

Cake time! Mia and Noah were waiting for this all night!

Cole-11 Months

I know I recently did a post on Cole, but yesterday he turned 11 months and it seems like there have been lots of new changes in the last month. First off, we has Cole's Early Intervention evaluation. Like I suspected, he did come up as being a bit delayed in his speech, but not enough at this point to qualify him. The funniest thing is that a friend of Cort's from high school, Erin, is the one who came to do the evaluation. She is into photography and we had recently gotten together to talk photo stuff. It was so nice to have someone I know come! Ironically enough, an occupational therapist also accidentally showed up that day (it was only supposed to be a speech therapist and developmental therapist), but I am so thankful she did, because it turns out Cole also has some OT delays. The biggest eye-opener for me though that she mentioned that Cole has some sensory issues. This was a big "aha!" moment for me as we have really been struggling with diaper changes, wiping Cole's hands and face, etc. He just hates it!! again, he didn't qualify for anything at this point, so we are going to have him reevaluated in a couple of months, to be sure he is progressing.

The good news is since his eval, I have seen some improvement, mainly in his speech, and hoping this trend continues. He has been babbling more and more, and mimicking sounds that we make. I swear he said "hi" to me when I walked in the room today. He is now waving on his own and when you ask him "How big is Cole?," he does the arms above the head-so cute!!! His newest trick is giving high-fives.

Cole continues to motor around and live up to his nickname of "Trouble." You really cannot leave him alone for a second, or he gets into something. Favorite items include houseplants (still) and toilet water (gross I know!). I had forgotten (or purposely put out of my mind) how much trouble little ones can get into. He if funny about it too. If you try to go after him, he takes off crawling as fast as he can, or else gives you a sly little grin. What a stinker!!

He is very mobile these days and cruises around furniture and has even tried to stand from a sitting position. He will let go of furniture and stand for several seconds, but it inevitably leads to him collapsing. He has mastered the stairs, which is yet another area that needs to be kept under lock and key. :)

Cole is changing every day and looking less and less like a baby. His hair is growing and he has sprouted 2 teeth, which you can now finally see. He continues to be a good eater-although we need to work on using the sippy more. Our baby will be one in a month-yikes!!!!!

And of course, some pictures of our handsome little guy. :)

Our brown-eyed boy

Teething on his toothbrush Contemplating what to get into next :) The concerned look

More Congrats!

First off, congrats to Dave and Liz, who welcomed Baby Braiden on June 4th. Braiden couldn't wait any longer to meet his wonderful parents, and showed up a bit early, weighing in at 4 lbs. 3 oz. and 16 3/4 inches. We cannot wait to meet him!

Second, congrats to Brian and Cyndi who found out that they will be having a GIRL come October. Mia will be happy to show her the ways of jewelry and nailpolish. :) Cyndi has joined the world of blogging, so check out the Smith Family Blog here.

Mia's School Pictures

Back in April I had mentioned that Mia had school pictures. I wasn't sure what to expect since I wasn't the one taking the pictures, and I wasn't there to supervise (bribe her with m&ms). After picking her up from school though, her teachers told me that she did a great job posing for the camera (actually not so shocking as she is becoming more and more of a little ham!). I am a little late in sharing these, but when I got the finished product, it gave me a good laugh.

Here is Mimi, in her full glory, crazy hair everywhere and with a scratched up face. The fake green background and log compliment the photos nicely too, don't you think? :)

While they took the pictures, apparently the door was open, and in this one you can see Mia's hair blowing in the breeze :)I also have to say thanks to my mom for the adorable outfit!!!!

Guess Who Finally Got a Tooth??

The last 2 weeks have been a little rough in the Graske household. First Mia got an ear infection and I got sick at the same time. Then poor Cole got a double ear infection last week! Mia recovered quickly, but needless to say Cole has been a bit of a bear!! I was thinking that the amoxicillin wasn't doing the trick and so I scheduled a follow-up today. It turns out that his ears are getting better, but before the appointment I realized he had FINALLY cut his first tooth. So no wonder the poor guy has been so crabby-he was getting his first tooth on top of a double ear infection-yikes!!!

Anyhow, today was a bit of a better day, so I am hopeful that Cole is finally on the road to recovery! I mentioned in my last post on Cole how he has become a thumb-sucker, and I was able to capture it the other day (doesn't he just look sick in these pictures???)....