ABC simple as do, re, mi

So I have been posting lots of videos lately...this one is of Kendall singing her 'ABCs.'

Well the girls and I survived the last few days together as Aaron was held up at school with parent teacher conferences. I don't know how single parents do it! It wasn't all bad, but trying to nurse an infant while simultaneously entertaining, bathing, and putting a toddler to bed is a little challenging.

Goo Goo Gaga

Hanging with my ladies

Small Victories

Well it was another busy weekend. "Uncle Brooks" came to visit so that he could help to celebrate a mutual friend's birthday. As always, we had a good time. Aaron had a little bit too good a time and wasn't much help on Saturday morning.

Some how I managed to start a little project I had been wanting to do. I decided it was time to re-cover Kendall's nap mat for school. Marna was good enough to stand in for Kendall this morning so that I could take a picture of the finished project.

On Sunday we visited the zoo. This time we got to see one of the zookeepers feeding the fish in the aquarium (which is by far Kendall's favorite part of the zoo).

While there we also fed the giraffes.

Aaron had the day off work yesterday, so he joined Avery and I for my 6 week check-up. We enjoyed lunch at Red Lobster and then headed to the pediatrician to see about Avery's apparent cold. She has been stuffed up/congested (nearly since birth), but only recently has developed a cough and even threw up several times. It was quite scary, so we opted to play it safe and have the Doctor take a look. We left with a prescription for amoxicillin to treat the apparent fluid in her ear/mucus everywhere else. Hopefully that does the trick! I hate seeing babies sick. Now, if I can just kick my head cold we'll be doing good.

In other news, we booked our flights home for Kendall's birthday celebration. We are flying into Traverse and spending the weekend there - joined by the Denja's for Traverse City's Winter Wow festival. Kendall is very excited to see all her cousins again. She has regularly asked about them all since leaving, and as a result, has learned a few more words - Michigan and California. She has also almost mastered "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and the Alphabet song. Now we just have to catch them on tape.

In even more exciting news, she used the big girl potty last night. I think it was more accident than a potty training victory, but we'll take it. Sadly, I think we now have a licorice addict on our hands.

Snow Days

Where has the time gone!?!? Avery is already over a month old. She is putting on weight - how much I am not sure. What I do know is that none of the new born clothes fit anymore...we are on to 3 month attire.

And, although it is too soon to tell, it looks like she might be a thumb sucker one day. For the time being she really likes her fist.

Still has pretty blue eyes.

Still has strawberry blond hair - although she lacks the locks on top of her head. Hopefully that corrects itself soon.

This has been a strange week! As the weather related delays and cancellation his the air waves on Sunday night we were skeptical whether we would actually see snow. Boy were we wrong. We ended up with about 4-5 inches...and 3 snow days where both daddy and Kendall stayed home. Kendall was a bit under the weather and we left all our snow gear in Michigan so we opted to stay in doors. Needless to say we were a little house happy and eager to get back to our routine by Thursday.

A little static.

My girls!

The view out our back door on Monday morning.

The view out the front.

Papa needs a new pair of shoes

The 2011 Blizzard

Oh my goodness. The BLIZZARD of 2011 has hit! Schools and business started to close last night. Aaron knew before going to bed he didn't have school. And..if I was working I would have the day of too. Now as we watch the news...fast food restaurants are closing. Insane - a news reporter just called the conditions "treacherous."

Too bad Kendall has a cough and we left our winter gear in Michigan, we could have some fun. Here is a picture of my beautiful girls!

Gpa Bob has been bugging me for more photos of Avery - so here you go. She is growing fast and is a lot more alert.

A rare picture of mom and Avery.

Kendall watching "Fairy Tale Theater" movies - a Christmas present from Grammy. She loves them. Aaron and I are having fun watching as well. They are depictions of all the classic fairy tales with some famous actors in their primes. Yesterday we watched Aladdin which was directed by Tim Burton and starred James Earl Jones as the Genie.

More pictures of Avery.

And...our new dishwasher! We used some Christmas money and purchased this to replace the old one which wasn't working properly.

Well that is it from SC. I guess we'll spend the day rationing our milk and bread because we didn't stock up and who knows how long the blizzard will last!!?!?!?

The Name Game

I don't feel like Aaron and I went out of our way to pick strange/unique baby names for the girls, but I surely didn't think that either of the names we chose were this common!?!?

According to babycenter.com and their top 2010 names, both girl's names are on the top 100. I have to say I am a bit disappointed in this....

Transitions

Well it seems everyone else is writing about the year past and what to expect from the year ahead...and, since I have a lot of time on my hands these days - here are some of my own musings.

First off, a lot has changed. I won't bother with a run down of the top ten 'big events' of 2010...most notable a new family member. Instead suffice is to say that life has been a bit hectic and hard this past year. I have found myself struggling to come to terms with being a working mom and the guilt associated with having my baby in daycare. This year has been an exercise in patience (something I don't have a lot of) as I have learned to tolerate both my husband and my baby's struggle to learn to communicate effectively.

As we begin to embark upon 2011, I am sure this year will be equally challenging - if not more...in fact, strike that I know it will be more challenging! Already it has been a bit of a rough transition as we learn what it means to go from 3 to 4. Just when I felt we were establishing a routine and each others roles, I am quickly discovering it has all begun anew. Avery is an absolute blessing - as is Kendall, but I don't think I could have imagined how much her arrival would change things. Perhaps the biggest challenge has been to renegotiate the division of labor with Aaron. Oh, how I already loath the coming of March when I go back to work, when Avery goes to daycare, and when Aaron starts the baseball season...I can't imagine how I will survive it all. My only solace is trying to imagine Aaron struggle with this summer and all the joy it will bring as he embarks on his 'vacation' with two little girls in toe.

In spite of all the adjustments that we have to make, it is all worth. Today was Avery's 2 week check-up (a little late as she is actually closer to 4 weeks old). She is doing great! As a reminder she was 6 lbs, 15 oz. and 19 inches at birth. She is now 21 inches long and weighs in at 9 lbs, 5 oz. In comparison, I went back through Kendall's records and at 2 weeks she was 21 inches long and 8 lbs, 7 oz. I also think that she legitimately smiled at me today, although I still can't be sure. Kendall loves her baby sister and continues to wake up every morning/come home everyday to ask about 'baby Avery' first thing. She also routinely showers her with kisses.

For all the challenges that this new year will bring, I know it will be overshadowed by our ability to watch our kids grow, to continue to learn to love one another, and to learn to juggle our personal and professional lives. So...cheers to 2011 and ALL it has to offer.

A Mason Christmas

As I mentioned in the previous post, we headed to Coldwater on December 26th to have Christmas with Masons after spending the first few days in Detroit. It was great to see everyone and introduce them all to Avery.

We played a lot of Monopoly and watched a lot of football.

Four generations of Mason.

Playing with the tractor from Gpa Wayne.

We did miss seeing the other 'Mason' family and cousin Mike. However, we had a nice time and were glad to see everyone that we could.

The flight back home was a bit rough as everyone was tired and it is definitely nice to be back home. Thanks to all of our family and friends for making our Christmas so enjoyable.

A Redmond/Denja Christmas

Call us crazy - we made the trek home to Michigan this year for Christmas with our 2 week-old and our 22 month-old. The flight to Michigan actually went pretty well. We arrived in Detroit and spend the first few days there with the Redmonds/Denjas. Here are a sampling of the pictures of our time with them.
Dad opens his birthday present - an Ipod touch.Daddy and Kendall get ready to go sledding. Avery and Mateo - hard to believe just a few months separates them.Gma and Gpa with all 8 grandkids.The Denjas.Cousins. On December 26 we headed to Coldwater for a brief visit with the Losinski families and then spent the remaining time with the Masons.
It was a very busy trip. The girls did remarkably well! They slept great and no one got sick (I think this is a first for us). The last few days were hard - maybe a result of too much time, stress, or postpartum. Either way, I was SO glad to be home.

New Years Eve was a bit of a let down. I was in bed at 10:30 and for the first time since we started dating (15 years ago) I missed kissing Aaron on New Years Eve. I guess having 2 kids changes things in more ways than you realize. Only now do I feel like we are able to settle into our new lives as a family of four. It will take some getting used to and has been harder on Aaron and I than I thought. But, we continue to be blessed by two beautiful girls that are healthy and happy. I am looking forward to 2011.