Just for Laughs!!

As I have been looking at other people's blogs and then at ours, I realize that I have really only posted about my kids. So, I am going to try to post a few more things about me and David. The inspiration for today's post comes from a book we are reading with Katelyn. We have been reading the Junie B. Jones series with Katelyn at night and they are hysterical! I know a kids book isn't that intellectually stimulating, but every time I read it to her, it just makes me laugh so hard. The way things are described is absulutely hilarious and I actually look forward to reading it to her. The other night, I thought the chapter I read was so funny, I brought it down and read it to David!! He didn't laugh as much as me, but if you want a good laugh and something quick and fast to read, try one out. The pic is the one we just finished reading.

Isn't She Lovely.....

I never wanted to be one of those parents that went on and on and gushed about how cute and how great their kids were, but I just can't help it!! I just think these pictures of Maya are so darn cute!! I know, every parent thinks their own kid is the cutest and I am no exception (except for those days when Katelyn dresses herself and uses her oh-so-unique sense of fashion!! Or when Jacob won't let me comb his bed-head hair).

Chatting with Maya

Maya is always doing this thing where she opens and closes her mouth, but no sound is coming out. In person it is really funny. So, I took this video the other day when she was doing it and then she babbled a little bit too. And since I think she is so cute, I just had to share it!! Enjoy!!

Playing in the Snow

Jacob and Katelyn love to play outside, whether it is hot or freezing cold, they love to play outside. They really love to play in the snow. I am always amazed that they can stay out there for so long playing without getting too cold. So, of course during the lastest snow dump, they wanted to go out and play. Jacob was pushing his mower, just like he always does. He loves that mower and never misses a chance to go outside and mow!!

March came in like a Lion...

February ended with bang here in Ohio, with a huge snow storm and now March has come in like a lion. On Monday, it was really nice and sunny. We got up to about 55 degrees and almost all of the snow melted. It was so great to see the sun and feel some warmth. It was only a little taste of spring though. Because on Tuesday, it was a different story- there was lots of freezing rain and ice and then snow to top it all off. Here are the pictures from the latest storm (you might have to open the pics bigger to be able to really see the layer of ice that was coating everything). It looks really cool, but it was sure yucky during it. They even cancelled school on Wednesday. In the last month, we have had 5 snow days!!! It is crazy and now as I look out the window.....it is snowing again. I think we are supposed to get 6 more inches today!!

And an inch to grow on...

Maya is exactly 6 weeks older than her cousin, Jordan. When Jordan was only 1 week old, I took a picture of them laying next to each other. Maya, of course, looks huge compared to Jordan. This past weekend Jordan was at our house for a visit and we took another picture of the two babies next to each other. What a difference 6 months can make!!!

Sittin' Pretty

Maya is officially upright, sitting up that is!! She actually started sitting by herself about 3 weeks ago, but I am slow at getting this up :) Below are the pictures for proof. She really likes sitting up too. Now if we can just get her to roll over.....

Gong Xi Fa Cai!!

Last Saturday night we had a Chinese New Year party for some friends from David's work. We decorated the house and made lots of food. Of course, I forgot to take pictures of the decorations. But I did get pics of the kids and you can kind of see some of the decorations in the background. We all dressed up too, in outfits we got when we went to Singapore. David even made Chinese Dumplings from scratch and sticky rice cake for dessert. We did steamboat for the main dish and also had rice, sweet and sour meatballs and the dumplings. Everything tasted great. We even had a tray of plenty, with the traditional things on it. We had gone to some Asian markets and gotten some candy and other stuff. Then we had a Chinese New Year Quiz and we gave each person a print out of their Chinese zodiac. All in all, it was a good time!!

Ride-a-Cock-Horse (or bouncy seat)

Maya has always loved the bouncy seat. I borrowed one from a friend of mine so that I could have more than one. And she especially loves the one I borrowed. She figured out awhile ago that if she kicks her legs that she can make the seat bounce. And she kicks and kicks and kicks to make it bounce. She really gets the thing bouncing!! So, here is a video of her bouncing and talking to us. Warning: It might make you seasick!!

Our Brazilian Baby

Maya received this outfit from Grandma and Grandpa Bertasso,who are in Brazil on a mission. I just thought she looked so cute in the pics and had to share them. The one with her tongue out is her new thing that she does. She is constantly sticking it out half-way. It is not the most flattering thing she does, but it is so cute!!

Giving this blog thing a try!!

So, David was the one who set up this blog and I figured that he could be the one to do all of the writing. But I have found that I want to be able to add my own thoughts, so I am learning the ropes. I am somewhat afraid to do this, because David is the better writer and I am worried that my posts will all be really boring. But then again, maybe my personality is boring and so that is why. (You know how when people write, it reads/sounds just like they talk? Well, maybe my writing is boring, because I am boring!! ahhhh!!!!) I guess I will just have to get over it, right?!! So, sorry if my posts are boring, I am going to try to make them as entertaining as possible. Then again, most of my posts will be about my kids, since I think they are so cute and funny. So, I hope you enjoy. ( I use the word "so" a lot, huh?!!)

First race of the year

I did compete in a race on New Year's Day in Boise. It was 18 degrees at the starting line, and there was still some snow and ice on the course. Luckily, no falls or frostbite! I ended up finishing in 25:35 -- not great, but not awful for a pace. It will certainly give me something to improve on this year. (And I did place second in my age group! I wonder if that just means I am getting old!)

Results are here (for overall) and here (by age group), and pictures (if you really want to buy one of me) are here - I was bib number 108. Feel free to post the results from your first race of the year in the comments.

Year in Review - 2007

Rather than write a really long letter in our Christmas cards, we decided to give the whole year in review here. (That way you only have to read it if you really want to.)

And rather than post the whole thing in the blog here, we created pages for each month. Just click the links below to read about each month (and see the pictures). Comments are welcome!

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September (coming soon)
October (coming soon)
November (coming soon)
December (coming soon)

Christmas treats

We followed our custom of making Christmas treats to share with friends. (We did try something new - toffee - this year. It was a complete disaster though, so we didn't share it, or post the recipe here.) Some have asked for the recipes. We decided the best way to do that was to post them here. Enjoy them!

Chocolate Oat Bars
Fantasy Fudge
Rocky Road Fudge
Almond Joys / Mounds
Peppermint Bark
Keep Forever Gingerbread Cookies
Buckeyes (coming soon)
Cranberry Orange bread (coming soon)

Dinner, ogre style

For dinner we took a trip to the swamp and had a "Shrek" dinner. This included:

• lily-pads (spinach tortillas)
• swamp water with tadpoles (sugar-free green jello with shredded apples)
• rocks (rolls)
• frog eggs (peas)
• mealy worms (brown rice)
• fried frog legs (strips of chicken, marinated with green food coloring, oil, vinegar, garlic and basil)

The kids weren't completely sure at first, but eventually decided it tasted pretty good. Katelyn even wanted leftovers the next morning! See more pictures of the food here.

An open challenge

Over the last 18 months, David has been involved with fitness challenges at work. The results is being in much better shape, and having caught the running / racing bug again. I will be starting the new year by running a race on New Year's Day. Then I will try to race at least once a month. This is an open invitation to all to join in the racing. Almost every city has a race on New Year's Eve or Day -- so sign up!

I will post the results of my races here -- please feel free to comment with your results!

Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone had a great Christmas! We are enjoying the time together as a family. We are also happy with the chance to see and visit with other family members. Have a great new year! (Year in review posts will be available shortly!)

Another first -- not a hit

Maya had her first non-milk food tonight -- some very thin rice cereal. She was not a fan. She pretty much cried and choked on it the whole time. She did finish what we had made though. So, hopefully it will get better!

Nativity with kids

We have been getting out all the Christmas decorations. Jacob especially loves the "Little People" nativity set we got for them last year.

Of course, having a nativity set that they can play with has led to some new versions of the story. Jacob thinks that instead of going to Bethlehem on a donkey, Mary and Joseph got there in Deigo's rescue vehicle.

Katelyn really likes the Rauchermaenner (Smoker men) that we have on the mantel. She has asked many times for us to make them "steam". Jacob doesn't know what that means, but has decided he doesn't like it. So, every time she asks, he says, "Don't make them steam at me; that scares me!"

Photo cards for Christmas

American Greetings recently acquired Webshots. As a result, we are now doing photo greeting cards for Christmas. If you were thinking about doing this kind of card, then you might want to check it out. Use the code IMAGINE15 at checkout to get a 15% "friends and family" discount.

To learn more or try them out, just click here.