Spring has sprung

Alaina's 6 month picture! Too cute!


The birthday boy with his girl.


Alaina's present to Daddy. It says "Mom Says...I don't have enough fingers or toes to understand how old you are, but I love you anyways."


A visit with Grandpa Herbst. Alaina Autumn meeting Grandpa for the first time. Herbst is the german word for Autumn.

Daddy! That's not how you swing!

My boy!

Feeding the ducks...

He is using the pedals now!

Just plain cute!

Swinging together!

First time in a swing. She loved it!

I call this "Peas."

At the waterpark---Alaina took a while to warm up to the water.

Ky had no problem with the water.

Look closely and you will see a splintered bat sticking out of the ground by the pitcher's mound.

My camera has poor zoom..but you can see we were only a few rows back

Dominic at Easter

Pops with his littleist"princess"

Uncle Rick

Alaina giving Grandma Debi a kiss!

Kylan on Easter

Kylan found his Easter Bag.

The best Easter pic I could get with both of them.

Waiting not so patiently for the Egg...

The dirty face Mom should have cleaned better....

Ky pulling out his first egg.

"Is it done yet?"

Ky's first Easter Egg hunt.

Napping in the boppy....

At the children's museum. Ky the construction worker and...

Alaina

Sleepy boy....stuffed with good food..

Future drummer?

"BLAH!"

The days pass so quickly! I am so excited the warmer weather is here. It is time to get the garden underway--though it will be interesting to see how my time is vested in it with two little ones now.

As you can see updating my blog has been a lot more difficult with 2 little ones. I have lots of pictures, but my entries are becoming more sparse as I try to find the time to sit down and write. Thank goodness I have my camera with me often to help remind me what to type about. So lets start at the beginning of April.

Rob's b'day was on the 4th. We had a good day. Alaina and Ky both painted pics for daddy. And yes I am a bad mom, I took a pic of Alaina's pic, but not Ky's. I hope he will forgive me. We gave daddy some good presents and then Nana & G'ma Jan joined us to take him out for lunch. After lunch I took Rob shopping for some clothes--Some much needed clothes. We then celebrated with some sweet treats with the family and I decided on what vacuum I was going to purchase---yeah I know--sounds pathetic...but I am very happy with my choice!

The next day we took the kids to the Children's Museum. I have to say, it just wasn't as fun as the past times we have been there. They are building a new museum, so I think they are just putting less effort into the old one in order to conserve money for the new. Alaina enjoyed the drums and Ky especially enjoyed playing with the construction equipment stuff. The highlight was dressing both kids up as construction workers.

That week I took Ky to a church for an Easter party. He had a lot of fun making his own cookies, hanging out with friends, making an easter basket & necklace, and then searching for the eggs. FUN FUN!

On Friday Ky dyed some eggs for easter. He had a lot of fun sticking his fingers in and out of the colored water. I think his fingers got more color on them then the eggs. On Saturday our friend Wendy came over and watched the kids so I could take Rob on a birthday date. Ky finished decorating his eggs with Aunt Wendy--and she said he was amazed to see what was inside one of the eggs (one of them broke.) It's funny how sometimes you just assume they know things when in fact, I have never peeled an egg with him. So she had a lot of fun talking to him about the inside of the egg and then getting him to eat some.

I took Rob to a local Belgium restaurant that specialized in imported Belgium beers. I know he enjoyed it. He's German afterall. We then stopped at Bluephies for some yummy cookie dough egg rolls for dessert---they are so yummy! Mmmmmm....

The next day was Easter and it was a busy one. In fact we never gave Ky his presents because we just forgot with all the hustle and bustle. We got the kids up and went to church early for brunch. After church we stopped briefly at home to feed the kids and then left for Milwaukee. We celebrated Easter with Pops and Debi and then left to go to the Brewer's game. For Rob's birthday, Debi had gotten him tickets to the Brewer game and told us that she & Pops would watch the kids while we went. The game sucked---Suppan is a horrible pitcher and really threw the game--however the seats were awesome. We were 8 rows back from home plate. In one of the pictures, I think it was Cory Hart, cracked his bat and it splintered and actually stuck in the ground by the pitchers mound. That was pretty cool. The best part of the game was when Fielder was robbed of his "grand slam" and then the Brewers pitcher later hit the guy in the back with the ball. I had never seen anything so blatant before. "OUCH!" That had to hurt.

We went back to Pops & Debi's for the night. The kids slept pretty well. The next morning we then went to a water park in Sheboygan. We had been given tickets at Christmas for the park so we figured we should take advantage of it. Ky had a blast. It took Alaina a little while to enjoy the water. She didn't like it at first. I wish I could have taken more pics, but the place was so humid it kept fogging up the camera lens so I gave up. Alaina was so cute in her little swimsuit. And Ky--he loved the water slides. There was one little slide he went down and he just forgot to stand up at the end, so the lifeguard had to help him up. Sometimes he acts so mature that you just forget that he is only 2...Speaking of which--3 is just around the corner!!! But I am not going to go into that right now.....I will start getting too sentimental.

We only spent a couple of hours at the waterpark. When you have 2 little ones, that is about all they can handle. We then headed home--and both kids slept the entire way. They were wiped.

On to the milestones. Alaina continues to surprise me. She started clapping her hands and signing milk in the same day. She will also say "Hi" to people as they greet her or walk by. She will get on all fours, but not usually stay that way too long. Her two bottom teeth have popped through. And the biggest news is that she has pulled herself up to standing--and sadly I missed the first time she did it. I was talking to someone, then I turned around and there she was very proudly standing up and wiggling her butt. She has to find the right type of furniture to pull herself up, but when she does, there is no stopping her. She also says "Da Da" alot...It was funny. Rob came home and she said "Hi Da Da". Her first sentence! Though it is really hard to know if it was on purpose.

Ky is now reading books to us (I should actually say reciting--as he isn't reading yet.) It is pretty neat for him to get the books right word for word. It shows how much he pays attention to us when we are reading to him. He is starting to identify words and ask what a word says if he sees a sign or he sees a word appear a lot in a book. Sometimes he will stop me in a sentence and ask me to point out the words as he repeats me. Very smart kid. I know he will be reading soon. I am sad to say that I have actually pulled back a bit on Ky's schooling as I have been working with him more on his attitude. Manners & keeping emotions in check, to be precise. We battle a lot in the morning--as he can often be a grump and does not want to get dressed or brush his teeth. I have gone through a lot of different methods to try to get him motivated and to be happy about it. I often send him to his room and tell him he can't come out until he has a smile on his face...It is pretty funny when he comes out minutes later with this tight grin and tears running down his face. He is my sensitive boy and I love him for all those extra cuddles I get with him. He is my snuggly kid and I love that--we just got to get the rest of the sensitivity in check.

Alaina is not snuggly. She rarely falls asleep in my arms (though will on occasion when nursing.) She is so active that nursing has been a struggle with her from the beginning. Once she got long enough she figured out how to brace her legs on the arm of the rocking chair and push off. ARGH--makes for miserable nursing. I often nurse her on the couch or an armless chair now--but even the she will use her arms or arch her back. She is just always moving. I am surprised that she isn't crawling yet (though she rolls around a lot.)

Wow so much..I need to do a better job at keeping track of my stories. I guess I should mention my bout with pneumonia. After being sick for almost 3 weeks I went into the doc. They told me I had a cold and to go home. I went back 2 days later feeling worse than ever and saw a different doc. She listened to my lungs and told me my right lung was full of fluid and it was definitely pneumonia. Gave me antibiotics and I was better within days. I was very angry with the first doc. I was having dizzy spells and everything--and she told me I had a cold. Boy--you think the doc would be a little more concerned when I tell them I have been having fevers for 2 weeks. I also paid 2 copays....But enough of my whining. I have been very blessed to have had little sickness this winter and to have two pretty healthy young ones. I am going to bring this blog entry to a close....I will hopefully do better at giving good stories in my next one. Later Gator!

Learning to Play Together

"Ummm...Ky...I don't think this is a very good idea...."

"You want me to smile for the camera at a time like this?"

"I guess this load got dumped!"

We told Ky he would get stuck...he didn't believe us..

Ky VERY proud of his block tower he built ALL by himself!

Nana's favorite birthday presents

A walk to the park and for ice cream...does life get any better?

Ky, after he discovered the muddy area...

The battle over the pants....

I think Daddy won this round....

"Oh Happy Day..."

Until Kylan dumps dirt on my head...

"Say I'm the best sister ever! Say it!"

Ky--so very proud of his puzzle that he did by himself--yeah I don't know what's up with the glasses either...

Ky finding similar shapes....

Ky matching sizes....

Ky traced the words "Live Life Together" all by himself.

SIX MONTHS! I can’t believe it! The time has just flown by—and way faster with Alaina than with Kylan. I think that is because with 2 kids I am definitely twice as busy!
Well since I have started blogging with Alaina—I will go ahead and give her updates. At her six month check-up she was a dainty 19 lb 3 oz (94%) and 27” (87%). I guess has some Humpley genes (my mom’s side---lots of height over there…). She just amazes me at her growth. She sits up really well now—and is eating and enjoying more solids. She has had carrots, squash, sweet potato, rice cereal, multigrain cereal, and applesauce so far. Honestly I think she prefers nursing to solids---but at least we don’t have as many tears when she eats. She still loves to stand—in fact if you put something taller in front of her she does attempt to pull up to stand (just like big bro). Her coordination is amazing. She will grab her nuk and put it in her mouth perfectly. She also enjoys her piano and you can watch her think about which key she will hit next and then she will hit it. She shakes her head “no” (and looks like Stevie Wonder when she does it—you know—the bob thing). She mocks my coughing, she will reach for me or Rob to pick her up. She also helps push her arms through her sleeves. She still is not a fan of tummy time—so I do not see crawling in her near future. She also has become a much better sleeper. We kicked her out of the room a few weeks ago—and well there has been some drastic improvement. I only feed her once at night and if she wakes up otherwise---we just give her her nuk or put on her music box and she goes back down. Naps have also become a breeze. I just put her down now and she goes right to sleep! Yeah Alaina! Definite signs of maturity in these areas. Now my next goal is to get rid of that single night feeding….

Moving on to Ky—This boy continues to amaze me. He just learns in leaps and bounds…On Mondays I try to attend this free “preschool” class for Ky. He loves it. They have circle time, sing some songs, read stories, make a snack, do a craft, etc…There are two teachers. Last Monday, both of the two teachers came up to me independently. One of them told me that she was amazed by how well he talks. She said that he talks like a four-year-old. The other told me that she was amazed by how focused he was at his age and how quickly he picks up on things. That’s my boy!

Otherwise, Ky is loving workbooks. I have a couple of pics of him above with pages that he completed. And those 2 pages he figured out on his own (after I read him the directions)—so smart! I figure taking pics is easier than me actually keeping the pages he completes---and saves me from collecting extra papers. The last picture is the front of our church bulletin—during church—Ky traced the letters Live Life Together—and did an awesome job! I am so proud—yet don’t really want to save the bulletin—so Voila!—the computer takes care of it for me. Ky is also really into puzzles right now. 25+ piece puzzles. He will do puzzles all day. I have a pic of him above with one of his completed puzzles. The last couple of weeks I have been running to the second hand store to buy him more and more puzzles so he has new challenges.

Kylan funny quotes….

We were sitting down for dinner and starting with a salad. I told Rob that the main course was in the oven keeping warm and I would bring it out when we were done with the salad. Ky then replies is a very questioning voice “The main HORSE is in the oven?”

So Nana & G’ma Jan came to visit the kids and when Nana went to leave Ky asked Nana “Can you please take Alaina with you?” HA HA! Can you feel the brother love….

Speaking of brotherly love---yeah the dump truck pics are a set-up—but it seemed like a really great idea at the time. Ky actually took off with her at one point and then “dumped her out” on his own (you can see that pic above) She seemed to enjoy that—but then got mad when we put her back in the truck the next time….Perhaps she didn’t feel like being a “big load”.

There is also a picture posted of Ky and Alaina outside. Ky is holding his bulldozer and Alaina has dirt all over her head. Well I was working outside and Ky was playing with his bulldozer in the dirt. Next thing I know, I turn around just in time to see Ky dump the dirt on Alaina’s head. I did reprimand him—after I took the pic—it was just too funny….she did get back at him later---you can see the pic of them wrestling on the floor—He may be on top, but she has his hair. She is smart that way—she always goes for the hair.

So what else have we been up to.

Nana celebrated her 60th birthday and so we spent the day with her. She especially loved that the children came and she could play with them. Ky, at the end of the day, managed to find a large pile of mud and just got covered in it. We didn’t have extra clothes so he ended up running around in his underpants while Nana washed his clothes and shoes.

And I am sure you noticed the pictures I like to call “Battle Pants.” Ky has turned into a total three year old in personality. He wants to do everything himself and he wants to do it his way. This is a very frustrating time. I thank God that we have a camera and more importantly a video camera during these tantrums—otherwise I would lose my mind. When he starts his screaming and stomping—I pull out the camera and just think of how I am going to show this video to him and his wife and his children some day—then they can see how ridiculous he was…Anyway—battle pants—Ky didn’t want to put on his pants. Daddy insisted---Ky fought—Daddy said I will put them on you if you don’t put them on…Ky refused—Daddy put them on his head. We found it very amusing---Ky….not so much….ahhh…to know what was going on in his head. We at least now have a wonderful memory with these pictures….sorry Ky…but it was your choice to act this way—thanks for the laugh!

One last thing….turns out I have had pneumonia for the last 3 weeks….hmmm…I actually went back to the doc for a second opinion because the first said I was fine….Boy was she wrong—the second doc took one listen to my lungs and said “pneumonia—you need antibiotics.” The good news is that I would have been contagious like 2 weeks ago—and since Alaina didn’t get it—I was probably not really contagious at all….I am just glad she didn’t get it….

Time for my final thoughts….here is a quote I read the other day and I LOVE it….I think it really wraps up my life right now. “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about.” Yeah…I could write paragraphs about this…but I won’t….

On Friday, I subbed at an elemtary school. I was an SEA for grades 4/5--so an easy day for me. There was one boy that kept falling asleep when they had "circle time". The teacher asked me to walk him around to help wake him up. Poor kid. So we left the classroom and started down the hall. He however staggered and sat immediately on a bench next to the classroom. I asked him why he was tired. He told me he couldn't sleep last night because his little sister kept him up. I asked if she was a baby and was crying--he said "no, she is two and kept talking and pushing me." I asked him if he slept in the same bed as his sister and he said yes. Poor kid! No wonder he was tired. I was just trying to picture myself sleeping with Ky in the same bed--and it is next to impossible--he kicks and hits in his sleep. I was trying to think of a quick way to help him feel better about the situation, so I brougt up the "bear song". I asked him if he ever heard the "bear song" and he said no. So I sung it to him. "Two bears in the bed and the big one said --roll over, I'm squished, so they all rolled over and one fell out, one bear in the bed and the little one said--Now I'm all alone." I then explained to him how tonight he could use the song to push (gently) his sister out of bed. I emphasized to him that he should be nice and tell her it's a game. (YEAH--I know his mom probably hates me now.)

He then told me that he actually has two other siblings that sleep in the same bed as him. That means 4 kids in one bed! So of course we had to rework the song for him--and he really liked the idea of pushing his siblings out of his bed one at a time. But it did wake him up--and hopefully gave a little bit of a new perspective of sharing a bed with his brothers & sisters. Argh...and to think that so often I complain about Ky's tantrums or Alaina's midnight feedings. I am so grateful for all that I have--all that I have been given. I only pray that my children will never be in such a circumstance where they are forced to share a bed with siblings--and then are expected to behave well, when they are sleep deprived. I know it is just a small view into this little boys life--but you can probably infer that he is dealing with a lot of other stuff as well--hard family times. And he is the oldest--and as the oldest I know he probably feels responsible for his siblings. And he is proud of them. We walked past the gym and he proudly pointed out his little brother to me.

God please be with this family and help them to get through the hard times that they are facing. Please be with little N. as he grows into a man, show him that he is loved and the choices that he has in life matter. Direct him on the right path so that he may grow and touch those around him. Make him a blessing to his family. And most importantly Lord, please direct this little boy to you--let him search you out and let there be people in his path that point him directly to you. Amen.

Until next time...