Ky's Modeling Debut!

Here is a poorly scanned picture (It is too big for my scanner--that's why it is discolored and cut off) of Kylan in his modeling debut. (See previous blog.) You can see the real thing at my house or at JCPenney's on Madison's East side--I also signed paper work releasing it to be shown at other stores (but I doubt that will happen.)

Soon I will update with San Diego (I hope before christmas--but that is doubtful!) BTW--Christmas cards are being sent out late--due to our trip and slow turnaround of pics--expect them soon!

Visiting the Great Ones, Thanksgiving & Jared + Deb

First of all I need to share with you that my baby's portrait is going to be displayed in the JCPenney Portrait Studio at East Town Mall here in Madison. I took Ky for his 18 month pics--and the little booger would not smile (we have never had this issue before!) He would give a half smile--but that was about it. I saw a teddy bear laying near by and asked the photograper if I could give it to him. I was hoping the Bear might work some magic. Well--Ky started to do his normal stuff with the Bear. He hugged it, then he kissed it, then he examined it....Well she took lots of pics with him and this Bear and then turn it into a very nice collage portrait. She was so in love with it--that she asked me if she could make an extra copy to display in the store--and of course I said "sure". Hey--I know my kid is cute--and I want others to know and see it too....

So of course I also ordered the same portrait (i'm a sucker). When I get it, i will see if I can scan it in the computer and blog it. It is a cute series--and you probably don't see and capture babies being so affectionate with stuff animals very often. Which reminds me--I keep wanting to get him a baby doll--I should remember to do so.

Also before I forget--I took Ky for his 18 month appointment--get this. He is 25 lbs 9 oz which is 46% and then 34.25" which puts him in the 96%!!! Holy smokes! I knew that he was growing a lot lately, but I didn't realize his growth spurts were that huge! Oh yeah and his head is also average---like the 56% (for those interested in that stuff.)

THe weekend before Thanksgiving we drove to Chicago to visit Ky's Great Grandparents. They really enjoyed seeing them. Great Aunt Linda was also there--she kept the humor going. Ky gave lots of hugs and kisses. He is a good boy like that---like I said before--very affectionate kid. I know Grandma was melting with his hugs. We had a nice lunch together and then went to a local drugstore where Grandma showed Kylan off to all of her friends. Ky also discovered G'ma/G'pa's piano. He had a lot of fun banging --I mean creating beautiful melodies.

For Thanksgiving, we spent the morning and afternoon with Nana and Grandma Jan. Ky has formed quite a relationship with Nana so he was very happy to see her. (He calls her at least 50 times a day on his pretend phone!) We went over to Jan's mom's house (Carol) and had a yummy T-giving day lunch. Afterwards we were off to T-giving at Grandpa and Grandma Debi's house.

T'giving was the normal and loud bunch. G'ma Bucky was the belle of the ball though--I think she often is. SHe told lots of stories and was first to give her opinion on all topics. Richard has definitely found a soft spot in her heart. It was neat to see him make her laugh. THose two have a special connection. Richard always asks her if she has pushed any old ladies down and robbed them recently (He phrases it a bit differently with her.) She then laughs and gives a sly no...I think the idea intrigues her. You really have to be there to experience this humor to truly appreciate it.

G'pa spent some time with the boys and played with them on the floor. Ky really connected with g'pa on this visit. In fact ever since Thanksgiving, Ky asks for G'pa multiple times a day.

Sidenote---Ky has also become very connected to my coworker Stacey at the Y--He asks for her often. And when he sees her, he runs to her and says "Up-Please!" (aka Hold me!)

So that was T'giving.

The following weekend we were blessed to have Jared and his girlfriend Deb stop by. It was great seeing Jared again and meeting the lady of his life. We caught up on each other's lives as well as other alumni. Ky spent a lot of time getting Jared and Deb to read to him. He also had fun when Deb showed him her camera.

So new facts about Ky--he snaps his fingers now--or I should say he attempts to. IT is so cute. When music comes on he will start flicking his fingers. I need to snap pic of that....

When I give him turkey to eat--he says TEE TEE - Gobble Gobble. He also says "Go Pack" often and will spit it out randomly. The other day he was sleeping and woke up yelling "Go Pack!" Makes you wonder what he was dreaming. Did I mention he loves cheese? He is definitly a Wisconsin boy.

Well that's all for now. Stay tuned for "San Diego." We are packing right now--and it is hard to pack with a kid. Right now we have 3 suitcases, pack n' play, carseat, backpack, and a diaper bag. That is ALOT of stuff to be lugging around, not to mention a squirrely 18month old that moves like a 2 year old.

Double trips to Indiana

To Indiana we go...

So a long long time ago, we had planned to visit Liz & Adam in Indy. We had set a date in September, but that didn't work out. We traveled too much in September between weddings and funerals. So we replanned in November. So off we went to Indy. The drive was pretty good. Ky did well and slept for a few hours of the drive, which is about all we can ask for. We stopped in Lafayette at Bob Evans for dinner and let him run around a bit. He was so glad to be out of the car. We arrived at Liz & Adam's Friday evening and spent the time catching up and letting Ky get the wiggles out.

The next day we were off to the jewelry store (where Adam works) and we got a behind the scenes tours. We got to see how they make the molds for original jewelry and stuff and free ring cleanings (compliments of Adam). It was pretty cool. After the jewelry store we stopped at a small local cajun restaurant. The food was delicious. Liz quickly learned to keep her food out of arm's reach as Kylan kept grabbing for her beans.

Then we were off to the zoo. Ky had a great time! He especially loves the fish. To quote him "FEESH--Bubble bubble." (I know--he's so darn cute!)

The zoo was also a very confusing time. Ky has learned the basic animals and their sounds. However when we watched a polar bear swimming under water--we now had a bear/fish. Or how about a penguin--bird/fish and there was one other animal he couldn't understand. Boy why are things so complicated! He got to pet the sharks again! He loved that. He loved how they would swim up to him. There was also one very disturbing shark in the tank that KY wanted to pet--but I think there was something mentally wrong with him (He was swimming in circles.) We stayed away from him.

We also went to the dolphin show which was pretty neat. The dark pic above shows the dolphin jumping through a hoop. After that we went to the terrarium (?) . Where we saw Liz's meerkats and lizards. One lizard really scared Ky--second pic down. The lizard was just looking at him and kind of scratching at the side of the wall. Ky just started crying. Really bizarre. We then looked at all the rest of the animals you would normally see at the zoo. Ky definitely liked the fish the best though.

After the zoo we went to get icecream at a local organic creamery. It was pretty cool to be at the actual farm and look at the cows that helped make your icecream. It was very yummy and rich stuff. (Argh--can't remember the name of it...Liz tell me the name.)

Then we were off to the liquor store where Ky got kicked out for being underaged. Rob wanted to pick up some local brews--and Indiana is weird where NO ONE under 21 can be in a liquor store. So the poor guy got kicked out. Our little felon.

After that it was back to the Folkert's for good old family fun. And the next day we left...

THEN....back to Indiana on Tuesday to see my mom. It was just Ky and me--and Ky was not feeling well--which was actually a good thing, since he slept a majority of the car ride there and back. It was nice to see my mom, brothers, and wives. My mom is getting married (did I mention that in my last blog?) so I was there dress shopping with her. Ky had fun torturing the cats (he was carrying the kitten--poor thing) and dog.

Alright--gotta wrap up this blog so I can publish it..>Too many other blog entries that I am behind on....Stay tuned for Thanksgiving and then a week in CALIFORNIA!

Until then--milestones for Ky...

He says just about anything. He will make small incomplete sentences like "Dada go work". He says "go Pack!" He prefers to call animals by the sounds they make. The best animal sound he makes is the dog "Baboo Baboo" (that's baby for woof woof). Ky is also starting to climb now. I have been so blessed to have a baby that has not climbed...but now he is figuring out how to get on top of things. EEKS! I think we have aways to go for crawling out of the crib though. When Ky wakes up the first thing he does is turn on his music box and then he starts calling our names. He doesn't bother to stand--sometimes he will sit up, but he is lazy and just waits for us to get him. (and I am glad about that.) As far as potty training. Ky does go on the potty every now and then---but it has been hard to consistently train him when we have been so constantly on the road. If you remind him, he will usually tell you that he wants to go --and then after 5-10 minutes of dawdling on the toilet he will go. I am hoping that after Christmas we can do some real formal potty training. Well that's all for now.....

Pee Pee!

He did it! He understands. After 4 or so months he finally understands. Yesterday on his 17 month birthday and Grandma's birthday. Kylan looked at me and said "pee pee". I set him on the toilet and he then emptied his bladder. YEAH! What a breakthrough. He now recognizes what it is! And --to back up this new victory---later that night he once again said "pee pee" and then peed on the floor (we weren't fast enough)! But he understands! HE UNDERSTANDS!!! YIPPEE!!!! NOt enough time for a big blog entry---but I just had to share!! Enjoy the pics!

Pwease! More!

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What an interesting month. First of all, yes all the pics are from October. We had some upper 80's days, but now we are in the 50's.

About two weeks ago we went back to Ohlbrich Gardens (since we got rained on the last time we went there.) Ky left a water trail every where he went. He would find pots with water, the little creeks, ponds, fountains, etc...and let's just say we took home one very wet boy. I think his diaper was drier than the rest of him. What a fun place to take kids. We just let him wonder on the paths and followed him. He loved it.

Ky also went to two farms in the last few weeks. We went with Mom's club to Schuster farm, where he played in the corn box (somewhat like a sandbox), the playground, took a hayride, and picked out his first pumpkin. Ky thought the pumpkins were balls. He would yell "Ball" attempt to pick one up and toss it (the best he could). WE took home the one he abused the most.

This past weekend, we took Ky to Treinan farm--which is known for their 15 acre corn maze. Ky loved watching the chickens (and attempting to chase them) while we waited in line. So--rob and I do these mazes every year we are in Madison--and have never had any problem completing the maze. However--we do struggle getting the secret stamps. There are 8 hidden stamps in the maze. We normally get the 6 minimum--but this time with Ky we were only able to get 5. We had to call it quits early in order to keep him happy. After the maze, we let Ky play in the Corn Box--where he attempted to eat the corn! YUCK! He also went down the giant tube slide--which he loved....

The other couple pics I have are of him on his bike--which he easily gets on/off by himself now--and scoots around. The only problem is, he doesn't always get on the right way. And then there is a picture of my friend--who I have yet to name. I have seen these large birds flying around my house but had yet to get a really good look until last week. We have HAWKS! Pretty cool. This one has a baby bunny that it is eating (look by his feet.) They are huge! I was probably within 6 feet of this one when I took the pic.

Okay so other news---my mother is getting married to a long time family friend-Terry. They are planning there wedding in January. I am very happy for her. Jeff, Sarah, John, and Terry are off to Israel for a few weeks. I hope they bring back some great pictures. Rob and I are in the process of ceramic tiling our entryways, kitchen and bathroom floor. A very long process--but it is well worth it. The 1980's linoleum had to GO! Rob just finished his first MBA class! YEAH! Only 10+ to go! and I am in the process of trying to get someone to knock out our kitchen walls---which should have happened a while ago--but my contractor backed out.

So milestones for the big guy...

TALKING TALKING TALKING!!! What doesn't he say!

Meow, Moo, Dog, pee pee (I like this one), poo poo, potty--(Lots of false alarms with these words--but soon enough I am sure he will put two and two together--speaking of which I have tons of cute pics of him sitting on the potty reading--he loves to read when he sits on the potty--but due to BAD internet people I am not going to share them online.) toes, shoes, more---and he signs "more"---

Okay have to pause...So I really worked with Ky from about 6 months to 12 months on signing. Ky never signed--but instead starting talking so I gave up. So out of the blue about two weeks ago Ky says More and does the sign for more. Now I haven't signed more to him in like 4 months! So he must have an amazing memory. So now I am trying to sign words again to see if he figures it out.

Please---he says "Pwease" It is the cutest thing! And for a long time we were just so entranced by his Pwease that we gave him whatever he wanted. Luckily the spell is wearing off.

He says, milk, bath, phone, big bird, up, open, walk, slide, mamadada--all one word--when he would like both of our attention.

Like before i am sure there is more, but it is hard to remember everything...

So everyone is asking--what is ky for Halloween. Well he is going to go as the same thing he was last year--a baby. We figure he is still young enough that he really won't get much out of it. And why introduce him to candy at this age? So instead we'll take the money we would have invested in his costume and throw it in his savings account--and then we will know that we gave him something he can truly enjoy later.

Well that's all for now. Stay tuned....

The Boys!

Ky went to his last baseball game of the season in late September. The Brewers lost, which basically counted them out of the playoffs. Ky has fun as usual. He loves watching the people, the fireworks, and all the lights.

The weekend after the game, Kelly; Karen & Dakota; Melissa, Steven, Dylan, & baby #2 came for a visit. It was a fun time. Kelly arrived late Friday night--and Rob and I were party poopers and went to bed shortly after her arrival--oh to be young again...Saturday morning, the rest of the crew arrived. We played (or I should say the boys played) briefly and then we caravanned to the capital for the tail end of the farmer's market. By then the boys were hungry though--so we spent very little time at the farmer's market and spent more time trying to find a place that could handle all of us and three small children on State Street. We ended up at noodles and were crammed around a small table. Kylan kept stealing Melissa's food off her plate. Good thing she has kids and is understanding! Or else I would have been embarrassed. He also kept trying to see if he could dump his plate on the floor.

Dakota definitely has the best table manners of all of us. He kept to his own food (at least what I saw) and finished his whole plate of macaroni. I think he even added a few pleases and thank you's in the conversation. Dylan was a bottomless pit. Even after lunch he needed more food! Reminds me of when Ky was younger. (Ky is getting to be a picky eater now.)

After the meal, we walked the rest of state street and went to the Union. The boys found ducks there and sat by the water. Melissa fed them some food--and then we had lots more ducks. The boys thought it was pretty cool. Some of them wanted to get in the water--and when we wouldn't let them they resorted to throwing leaves into the water at them.

Throughout the day we tried multiple times to get pics of all of them. They are very hard to get to sit still for the camera--and to look at the camera. Dakota---however--does say "cheese" and flashes a winning smile. Perhaps when Ky and Dylan get a little older we will be able to get better pics.

After the market we returned to the house and let the boys play some more---no naps. Which did make for some characters as the night grew closer. Dakota was trying on big people shoes, Dylan was crawling all over mom and dad, and Ky was--well pretty much just excited that there were so many people that could pay attention to him.

As you can see--after the attempted group picture on the couch (see above pic), I decided for some individual poses. I think I caught the boys' personalities well. It was too bad the visit was too short. We all had a good time just catching up and chatting.

Kel stayed most of the next day--and Ky was excited to have someone to blow bubbles with (yes in that pic above Ky is blowing his first bubbles!) and then in following pics eating the wand. And he had fun picking raspberries with her.

So the latest accomplishments for Ky is basically his talking. He tries to say just about anything we say. In the next entry I will put down all his new words--that I can remember/think of....