Hearts, smiles and half-birthdays

Brendan with his box for his class Valentine's Day party. It's a mix of Spider-Man and Star Wars. He was delighted to get so many Valentines, but gladly gave the candy away.

Father and daughter. Kelsey loves to say "cheese" for the camera.

Yesterday, the boys made creations from odds and ends around the house. Ryan made Obi-Wan Kenobi out of pens, pencils, markers and tape. I admit, it was hard to see the resemblance.

On Tuesday, Brendan celebrated his half birthday at school. This was new to me, but I am so glad he did it. The kids with summer birthdays truly miss out on special birthday fun at school. He wore this birthday crown all afternoon, and Kelsey and I brought in cookies for a treat. The kids sang "Happy Birthday" (with Scooby-Doos). Brendan also received a Pokemon bookmark from the library and a pencil from the principal. So special!

Good habits

A newspaper reader in training. (Perhaps a dying breed?)

Big towers

Ryan and I are playing "vacation" today. Part of our fun has included
building towers nearly as tall as Ryan!

The quiet ones

Parents treasure all sorts of moments with their children for various reasons. When I quit working full time last June, I expected to treasure the opportunity to volunteer in classrooms, attend playdates with friends and just play with the kids.

What I've discovered as one of the greatest treasures is the quiet moments. The times when your baby girl is sick, and has been for days, and you have the time to just rub her back while she lays in her crib after her nap. Or the minutes after a 3-year-old's meltdown, when he's regaining his composure, and you can sit next to him for support without saying a word. Or during the five-minute walk home from school, when even if no words are spoken, you know exactly whether your son had a good or bad day.

No words are spoken, nothing needs to be said, but so much happens during those quiet moments.

Warm weekend, snowmen and silly clothes

Finally, a warm-up made its way into Michigan this weekend. The last time we saw the ground or could walk outside without completely bundling up was a few days after Christmas. It's been bitterly cold since.

Folks in the north are quite familiar with SAD (seasonal affectionate disorder, I believe). I didn't believe in it when we moved here, but now I do! Good weather can be therapeutic. Our family hit the neighborhood for a long walk yesterday afternoon, and the boys could barely contain themselves. They broke out into a run or skip frequently and thoroughly enjoyed just being outside.

Ryan spent Sunday riding his Big Wheel through big piles of snow that Brendan and Dad built for him. He had made a few trips to the school last week but learned that riding on ice is difficult. Today, the ice was gone!

Kelsey, just being silly before she became sick this week. She's been battling a never-ending stomach and bug and now has a yucky cold.

Ryan and Brendan pose with their skinny snowman. The accessories are from an adorable kit that our friends the Staneks sent us.

Brendan with his bigger snowman, built with help from Dad. This snowman plays hockey! Unfortunately, the eyes and mouth started falling out about an hour or two later, when the warm sun melted him away.

Kelsey loves to find clothes in her dresser and put them on in whichever way she sees appropriate. Take this green polka dot shirt (not skirt), for example. I sense she'll be a handful when she begins picking out clothes on a daily basis.

Kelsey at 20-21 months

Kelsey at 21 months

I've missed the more traditional 18-month update by a smidge, so we'll go with an update on our sweet Kelsey at 21 months of age:

• Kelsey's bedtime is closer to 7:30-8. She generally wakes around 7:45 or 8 a.m. (Hubby visits her a couple of times during some nights. We think she just gets cold.)


• She naps every day from 11:30-noonish until 2-3ish. I love those three-hour naps!


• She certainly knows how to communicate with us, even if she can't say the words clearly (or in some cases, at all). Some of her words include brother, daddy, mommy, choo choo, Papa, blankie, dog (pronounced more like "bog"), nana (for banana), truck, bus, please, thank you, ball, this, that, want, and flag. We often search for trucks, buses and flags during car rides to keep her from crying.


• She is using a pacifier, but sparingly. I think she's very close to giving it up. She knows now that she can only have it in bed and doesn't throw a fit once I remind her of that.


• She eats all morning long -- ALL morning long. I spend my entire morning in the kitchen between her and Ryan. She likes yogurt, bananas, grapes, apples, pineapple, applesauce, bagels, turkey, Honey Nut Cheerios, apple cinnamon breakfast bars, green beans, carrots, celery, Honey Bees, pumpkin bread, graham crackers, fruit snacks, Salsa-flavored Sun Chips, salsa, ketchup, BBQ sauce, meatballs, pasta, breadsticks dipped in marinara sauce, ice cream, cookies, anything chocolate!


• She never walks anywhere. She dances, prances, jumps, all while singing her own little tune.


• She's a climber. I cannot keep her off the coffee table. Sometimes, she climbs onto the kitchen table. Where does she get these ideas?!?


• She loves playing in the boys' bedroom, which causes very unhappy brothers. We've started keeping their door closed, because she also loves jumping on Ryan's bed. Ugh.


• She's quite attached to Mom these days. That said, she did great with Grammy and Papa during Christmas when Hubby and I were away.


• She likes to draw on paper a little, but spends more time drawing on her hands or face and biting off the tips of markers.


• Lately she is attached to a battery-operated Thomas the Tank Engine. She follows it around saying, "Choo choo."


• Her favorite books: Baby Faces, The Foot Book (a Healy fav), Moo Baa La La La, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, the Gerald & Piggie books, and just about any board book you'll read to her.


• She loves playing outdoors, even when it's freezing. Kelsey also loves the snow. Often, we have to bring her in kicking and screaming, even though the boys are frozen solid and ready to come in.


• Kelsey loves the water. She enjoys bathtime and is our biggest splasher yet. She also loves the pool. I will have my hands full this summer with her!


• I mentioned she sings. All the time. At Target recently, she sang her own song called "Mommy" for a good 15 minutes.


• Kelsey is a bit aggressive. OK, very aggressive. She doesn't stand by and let her brothers pick on her. Often, she starts the fighting. We're working on it, but I think she'll get better when she picks up more words.


• Along the same lines, Kelsey can get a little rough when she's tired. That's always her first signal that it's nap/bed time.

Army boys

Brendan and Ryan decided to dress like army boys today. Kelsey snuck
in for the photo, too.