Happy New Year!!

Ok so that is about 12 hours from now. I actually have some time now so: Happy New Year from my family to yours. We hope everyone enjoys celebrating to coming of a new year. Our last year was filled with so many great memories with family and friends. So much has happened and we are thankful for what the has brought us. Our one main hope for the up coming year is that our house sells. Well, I should probably head to bed soon!

Merry Christmas!!

The girls had a fun Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with Travis' family. They had a great time playing and opening gifts. Becca also loved to laugh along with everyone. Supper was great! Christmas morning Marisa didn't want to wait for Becca to open gifts. Finally got her to wait. When Becca came down stairs she went right to the presents. We figured it out quick that they were not going to eat until after we opened the gifts. Becca became a pro in no time at all! Marisa remembered a lot from last year and was helping everyone open gifts. I will try to post pictures of Christmas morning.

From our family to ours, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!

Congratulations Garret and Anna!!!

We would like to congratulate Garret and Ann on the birth of their baby girl !!!! They named her Mary Cecilia. She weighted 7lbs 1.5oz. We are so excited for you!! Can't wait to see our new niece!

The girls are decorating today!!

We will be putting up the tree tomorrow. The girls and I thought we would start the decorating today (we are a week late from or normal tradition of decorating the tree). Looks like they are having fun!

Congratulations Greg and Amanda!!!!

Your wedding was beautiful!! Thank you for inviting us to be part of your day. We look forward to seeing your love grow over the years.

Sharing

Here is a picture of the girls yesterday. Becca actually wanted to lay on top of Marisa but Marisa thought that was a bad idea. So Becca cuddled next to her instead. Marisa decided to share her blanky with Becca (those who know how much blanky means to Marisa knows this was a huge gesture).

Helping with Laundry

This is the girls' idea of helping with laundry.

Proud of our Girls!!!!

We started potty training Marisa Monday afternoon. Starting at noon yesterday she has not had an accident (we are not counting sleeping times, she is in a diaper still then). She is very excited and doing great!

Becca has decided to walk everywhere. She is having a great time chasing around Marisa!

Happy Birthday Nicole!!!

Happy Sweet Sixteen!!! We hope you have a great day!! We miss you a lot.

Happy Birthday Nikki!!

We hope you have a great day!

Happy Monday!

Okay, I am sure no one is happy it is Monday but I hope it was not too bad. This past weekend was the beginning of deer hunting season here in Nebraska. Travis got a deer during the afternoon hunt on Sunday. Garret got his deer Saturday morning. I am not sure about Jason or Dennis.

Becca is walking every where now. Sometimes she pauses for a break but loves to chase Marisa around the house. Finally I am not center of attention all of the time. Marisa is having a hard time sharing lately. If she does not want Becca to have a toy she hides it in some corner. I am the lucky one who usually steps on them later or finds the microwave stuffed with toys and blankets.

I started physical therapy today. I can already tell that it is help tonight. I am trying to update the website a little more now. Well, time for dishes and then hopefully bed. Good night!

Happy Birthday Aunt Jean!!!

We miss you a lot!! Hope you have a wonderful day!

Happy Halloween!!

Sorry no pictures of Halloween costumes. Marisa would not cooperate, my guess is that she was on a sugar high. Marisa was Ariel (from "The Little Mermaid") and Becca was a Husker Cheerleader. They had a great time going out. It was really cold here so Travis had to take them in early. We then took them to visit family. Travis said Marisa liked to ring door bells and pick out her candy. She was a lot better at saying "trick-or-treat" this year too. I hope everyone's Halloween was fun and warm!

I know it has been a long time since I have blogged. Things just got so busy here. I am sorry I missed my cousin's wedding. She looked beautiful and happy in the pictures I was able to see.

My prayers and thoughts go to my other cousin who lost her child.

The blog missed Travis' birthday. So Happy Belated Birthday Travis!!!! We had lots of fun that weekend home.

I just had a knee scope done on my right knee on the 17th of this month. I am slowly getting back into the swing of things. My mom came out to visit and help with the girls. We are so thankful she did! We had a wonderful time too. The girls sure did have fun. Marisa still looks around the house for her. Becca took her first steps alone, with Nanny here. She also cut two more teeth while she was here. Nanny always seems to come when the girls are going through something. We got to eat some of her great home cooking. It was wonderful for me to watch the girls interact with my mom daily, what a wonderful bond they made. Even though I had to be in bed for two days I knew the girls were happy and taken care of. Thank you again mom for coming out!!! (Dad thank you for giving her up for two weeks!!!)

Marisa's vocabulary is growing very fast. She decided that her and Becca get to go to bed and nap time together rather than Becca going in first. She can be a "mom" to Becca making sure she is staying out of everything and other times they can fight over everything. Marisa has the Husker cheers down now. She also cheers next to Travis very well. She mimicked Travis yelling at the TV very well. Well, it is late so I should go to bed. Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!

A Birthday Weekend

Marisa and I would like to thank everyone for their cards, gifts, and birthday wishes. You helped make our Birthdays wonderful! We had a wonderful time with family! We didn't get any pictures from my birthday on Monday but I will try to take pictures tonight of the girls. I hope everyone is having a great week!

Happy Birthday Marisa!!

Marisa turned two today!! The past two years have gone fast. Marisa had a great time last night visiting with everyone. She had fun playing. It was fun watching her all night. Here are a few pictures last from last night. She had a great time today also. Travis took her to the park. She loves the slide.

We had a special visitor after the girls went to bed. A bat decided to fly around the down stairs. Travis was nice enough to "escort" it out the front door.

Pictures

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of days during Tim's visit. The one of Becca eating was taken this past weekend. She now weighs 22lbs and 6oz.

Hello

As most of you know Marisa will be turning two on Sunday. The past two years have gone by really fast. We will be having cake and ice cream Saturday night (that way she can stay up late) at about 7pm for family, friends or anyone else who would like to stop in to wish her a Happy Birthday that night.

Becca has decided to bypass stage three foods and go straight to table food. She is slowly getting the hang of it. She hasn't even gagged on any food yet. She is also army crawling everywhere. She started crawling about 2 weeks ago. It is fun to watch (also a lot of work keeping everything out of her way). She wants to start "cruising" around but she not quite ready for that yet.

Tim just left from our home today to North Carolina. We wish him safe travel. He had a great time with the girls and the girls had a blast with him. Yesterday Tim was the only person that could do anything for Marisa. I thought he was going to have to change a diaper but luckily (according to Tim) he did not have to. Marisa had a great time dancing and going for a walk with Tim. We will miss all of your visits!!

We would like to thank Tres for watching the girls a few Saturdays ago. It was our first supper out alone with out the girls for 2 years. We had a wonderful time. Thank you for also trying formula with Becca (she will hopefully take it some time soon).

Marisa has discovered slides. She loves them!!! We can never get her to leave parks once she finds the slides. It has been great having the time to go to parks. It helps that they are so close.

I will post pictures when I can get them down loaded (that means I need some time to finish hooking up the computer and accessories.

We are back!

Finally we are hooked-up to the outside world. After a few problems we were finally able to go on-line today. The move went as smoothly as can be expected. We had unmotivated movers, so it took a lot longer than it should have. Oh, and we moved on some of the hottest days this year. Our house has not sold yet in Kearney. The girls are adjusting fine. Marisa is happy she is closer to some of her favorite people. She asks to go see a few of them everyday, but when they come to visit she hides. Well, it is late and I am tired. We had a late night last night grocery shopping (first time we had a babysitter in a long, long time THANK YOU MANDI!!). Off, to see what is wrong with Becca then hopefully bed time.

Moving Date Set

We are moving!!! Finally we have found a place to move into. We will be renting a home in Hartington, NE. They will be packing us on Tuesday, loading the truck on Wednesday, and unloading the truck on Thursday morning of next week (the 27th). We are all so excited and happy about the move. We have a lot to prepare for. I will be away from the blog for a few days that week. I need to open the account for phone and internet in person. So, we won’t have internet access starting Wednesday night, I will blog once we are back on-line.

Our New Pool

This is the girls enjoying their new pool that Travis installed. They are having a blast with it. We are having no problems warming up the water during the day with it reaching over 100°. Becca is learning to splash in the pool and Marisa splashes back. Marisa loves to wash rocks and grass in her pool.

Pictures! Pictures!

These were pictures taken this morning. Marisa is giving Becca a kiss. It took here a few tries to keep Becca still long enough for a kiss. Becca was enjoying all the attention. Marisa now loves to pose for a picture she just doesn't stay still long enough. Travis seems to be enjoying is time off of work. We are staying busy trying to to find a place to rent so that we can all move up together.

Doctor visit today

Wow! The girls are growing fast! Today was Rebecca's 6 month check-up (she turned 6 months yesterday) so we also took care of Marisa 2 year check-up (she turns two August 20th). Marisa is 34" (50%) and 27.8 lbs (60%) with a head circumference of 19" (70%). She is very healthy and doing well.

Becca is 26" (60%) and 20.5 lbs (100% ok we know she is big) with a head circumference of 17.25" (80%). The doctor says she is doing great and ahead in her development with scooting, attempts at crawling and her rolling ability.

Busy day today. I will try to get pictures and post them later. Here is a picture taken on 4th of July of Marisa eating her first ice cream cone. Lots of stories to tell, I will post later. Have a great day!!!

Congratulations Curt and Stacy!!!!

We had a wonderful time at your wedding. Everything looked beautiful (or really nice according to Travis)!!! Marisa had a great time dancing and spending time with Grandpa and Grandma that night. She also had a blast in the pool. Travis says that Marisa considers herself an expert swimmer. We do not. She has no fear around water even after going under a few times. Travis tells the story better (again he needs to blog) but Marisa decided it would be fun to jump from the step out into the pool all by herself. Needless to say, Travis was there to pull her up from under the water. She looked quite surprised. Sorry we have no pictures at this time. Since Travis was in the wedding party and my hands were full with two girls we were unable to carry a camera along with us.

We would like to thank Grandma and Grandpa for watching the girls through the reception and dance afterwards. The girls had lots of fun and so did we.

Big news!

Sorry it's been a while since I last posted. It has been quite crazy around our home lately. Travis has accepted a position with Kolberg-Pioneer in Yankton, SD over Father's Day weekend. We have put our home on the market and have been searching for homes in Yankton, SD and surrounding areas. Travis is very excited about the new job (bug Travis about blogging information on his new job, he will soon have lots of time to blog and no more excuses) and we are all excited to move closer to family. He begins work on July 31st and his last day at Baldwin Filters is July 10th. We will hopefully find out when we are moving this weekend. I will keep posting as much as I can through our move.

Uncle Tim Visits

The girls had a great time with Uncle Tim’s visit. Marisa wouldn’t let him out of her sight. She would look for him every morning and would not be content until he was juggling for her. He now has a permanent spot at our dinner table, according to Marisa. She thinks everyone who calls is Tim. Tim you are greatly missed. Thank you so much for all of your help last week!

Busy week

Last week was a very busy week. Travis went on his fishing trip with brothers and father. It sounds like he had a good time. Marisa had a hard time letting her father leave. She decided to hysterically cry and bang on the door after he left. I finally got her calmed down. Every morning though she would be looking for him. Both girls didn’t sleep that well while he was gone.

Marisa's Big Day

Marisa wanted to help Dad yesterday with installing the deadbolt. They paused for a moment for this picture. Marisa had a big day yesterday. She had lots of fun running around outside and helping Dad with every project. In the evening she made some friends with two kids that were visiting next door. They played hide-and-seek (Marisa just chased them and when she found them she would say peek-a-boo). After we put her to bed she knocked on her door. Travis went to see what she wanted (I was nursing Becca) and the next thing I knew they were heading for the bathroom. After a minute cheers erupted from the bathroom. Marisa went potty in the big toilet! She was so excited she woke up her sister trying to tell me what happened.

On the move

Rebecca is on the move. I went to get her after her morning nap and the picture shows how I found her. Lately I have been finding her in different spots on the floor than I have left her. That was the only nap she took yesterday.

Supper Star!!!!

This is a picture of Marisa last week. Can you see anything different in this picture?

Becca's Turn

This is a picture of Rebecca playing while Marisa takes a nap and I am starting to cook supper. She was having lots of fun!

Thursday

Marisa and I just went out to get the mail. (Nothing fun in the mail) She walked on her tips of her toes until she got to the big patches of grass. She had fun playing in the small patches of grass and began to run between them and say “ahh” as she reached each spot. It will be exciting when all the grass finally grows in. I already was able to mow the grass twice. On the North side of the house it is beautiful!

This is a picture of nap time.

Happy Birthday!!

Happy belated birthday Bryan!!! Sorry I am late wishing you a happy birthday. I hope your Sunday was fun! Happy early birthday to my Uncle Joe. I hope you have a great birthday tomorrow! I miss you both and hope we can see each other soon.

Wello Meets Becca

This is a picture of Wello (my dad) meeting Rebecca for the first time in Baltimore, MD at the airport. It was a wonderful moment I would like to share. There were a lot of other moments that weekend but did not get a picture of them (I know it was my fault for not taking out the camera).

A good laugh

While I was posting the pictures yesterday Marisa walked in and yelled “Papa, Turner”. She started jumping up and down and spinning while yelling Papa. After she finished her dance she sat on my lap and started to talk to me about Papa. Though the only words I could understand were Papa and Turner.

Last night we let Marisa go to bed in just her diaper. It was quite warm out this way (96°) and thought it would be a good way to keep cool. I won the bet that she would have her diaper off by the time we went to bed (she had it off twice) so I am now looking forward to my steak. Just as we were putting Becca down (early) Marisa was proudly jumping on her bed with the diaper in one hand laughing when we walked in. I put the diaper back on her and put her to bed again. After an hour outside Travis and I returned inside to finish cleaning in the house. Rebecca decided to wake up. Travis laughed while he walked into their room. Marisa was sprawled out with her diaper carefully placed next to her.

They have finally started to fix everything on our 1 year punch list for our home. We had 4 visits yesterday. It was a really busy day. Other than a busy day and cute stories nothing else has been going on. I have been trying to call my brothers (Anthony and Tim) so if you are reading this “hello, and call me back or post when I can call you.” No other news to report. As info comes we will post.

Play Time

The Weekend

This weekend was lots of fun. Marisa decided it was fun to swing for the first time. Last summer she would cry anytime we tried to put her on a swing. We were just out walking and looking and Grandma and Grandpa’s gardens when she decided she wanted on the swing. She kept going back all weekend to swing some more. Marisa started to open up a little more with her cousins and try to play with them on Sunday morning. Travis and I had a great time watching Star Wars with Chase, Dylan, and Turner Saturday night. I am still teasing Travis about Dylan referring to him has my daddy. We have been just been unpacking this week from our 3 weekends of traveling. Nothing special has happened.

Marisa's turn

Here is a picture of Marisa this afternoon right before nap time. She didn't want to look at the camera so this is the best picture I could get from her.

Sleepy

This is a picture of Rebecca catching up on some sleep this afternoon.

Weekend Trip

We are all excited to go and visit Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Mandi tomorrow. Travis took half of the day off and all of Friday for a long weekend visit. Right now Rebecca is taking a nap while Marisa is playing. It is the perfect time for me to get laundry done and to get packing again. We are leaving at about 1pm tomorrow. Hopefully the drive does not take as long as it did last time. Let’s see if I can remember to take pictures this time. All girls are healthy so we shouldn’t have any fussy, sick girls for the trip. We should also hope that nothing happens with the van this trip around.

I should venture off and start packing. I will try to get a few pictures of the girls posted today.

Picture

I would like to thank my mom and dad for this picture. It is of Elaine and Chris walking out of the church. The church was beautiful. It reminded me a lot of the church that Travis and I got married in.

Our First Family Vacation

Congratulations to Elaine and Chris!!! Your wedding was beautiful!! We wish that we all could have stayed longer to see you both and to see the rest of the family.

It was great to see everyone that was there (I wish I could have seen everyone). I miss everyone so much. We really didn’t want to trip to be so short. I was so happy to introduce all of you to my two little girls. Ok, Rebecca is not so little anymore.

The girls traveled surprisingly well. We tried to get Marisa to nap at the Omaha airport but she wouldn’t. She actually wanted to get into the stroller and be pushed around (vroom, vroom to her). So I did laps while Travis played with Becca. I stopped counting after 10 laps but I know I at least tripled that count. Marisa thought it was pretty neat to be flying. Both girls fell asleep quickly after we were in the air. Though the flight attendant woke both of them up when he gave us our snacks and drinks (it was an interesting flight attendant, hard to explain his humor but Travis does a good impression). We barely made our connecting flight in Atlanta, GA. The entire plane was already boarded as we approached the terminal. Rebecca fell asleep before Marisa the first night.

Sunday seemed busy. We did get out of the hotel and walk down to the harbor. It was really nice, interesting, and very hot. We were not able to spend as much time there as we would have liked. Travis took Marisa to the pool. He said she had fun; I was upstairs with Becca trying to get ready for the wedding. (If you want Travis to post here you need to talk to him about that. He is able to but has chosen not to so far) The church was beautiful. The bridesmaid dresses were elegant. I loved the flowers too. I took Rebecca with me. She started to fuss so we stood in the back corner of the church. Of course after mass started Rebecca needed to nurse so we sat outside and I fed her. During the feeding she decided to have a blowout poopy diaper. Sad part was I left the diaper bag in the pew next to my mother. So took off my shoes and quietly walked up the side of the church to get it. My mom helped me change her. Rebecca then slept in my arms for the remainder of the ceremony (that is over 18lbs I got to hold for 1.5 hours, which included waiting 20min for an elevator until after mass). All this happened before the gospel reading. While I was at the church Marisa and Travis took a nap (I am not sure what else they did, good time for Travis to write). We woke up Marisa from her nap for supper.

We finally got Rebecca down at 10pm (Eastern Time) so I could head back to the reception. It was a beautiful reception. I had a great time talking to everyone. I wished I could have gone to the after party with everyone. If our plane did not leave so early in the morning I would have gone. It was bad enough that the hotel did not give us a wake up call like we asked them to. We rushed out (thankfully my parents were helping us) and hoped we didn’t leave anything behind. Overall the trip home wasn’t horrible. We were all tired and wanted to be home. We made a few extra stops along the way including supper in Lincoln. We were all happy to sleep in our own beds last night.

Ok, a picture is missing because we kept forgetting to take our camera out of the room to take pictures. Juggling two girls and everything else we would finally remember the camera when we were too far to turn back. Maybe I could get a picture or two from my parents?

Well I am off to unpack. As I remember stories I shall post them up here. If you want any stories for Travis just post and ask him (he is at work right now but reads this on his breaks), I am sure if he receives enough requests he would post at least once. We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Late night

Well, it is getting pretty late and we are just finishing packing. The girls are all asleep unaware of what tomorrow will bring. I on the other hand am very excited. I cannot wait to introduce the girls to my extended family. I can't wait to see my father hold Rebecca for the first time. Marisa and Travis will have a lot of time to bond while I am at the wedding (I think they could use some relaxing time together). It is storming in the distant right now. We are just getting some high winds now and again. If I am able to find a computer this weekend I will post how it is going. If, not I will post late Monday early Tuesday. We leave Omaha tomorrow at 3pm and return on Monday at 2:35pm. We hope everyone has a great weekend!!

Happy Birthday Garret!!!

I am sorry that I am posting this a day late. We did not forget about your birthday. We hope you had a great day! Hope we can see you and Anna soon.

Crazy day

We took Rebecca to the doctor yesterday for a rash on her face. Everything is fine, just a yeast infection and some acne. Her weight is now 17lbs 15.5oz. She is growing fast. I will try to post more during the next few days but we are busy. We will be gone this weekend for my cousin's wedding. That means the family will be flying to Baltimore, Maryland. We are excited. We can't wait to see family! I'll post next week about our short weekend.

Question

This is a question for all the mothers and grandmothers out there. Marisa is getting interested in using the potty. For some reason we can’t get her to stay sitting on the potty. She points to her diaper and says “stinky” and runs to the bathroom. We take off her diaper and sit on the toilet. She sits for about 20 seconds stands up and says “all done” then wants her diaper back on. I put her diaper back on and she cries that she wants it off. So I take it off and I help her back on the potty she cries and we put the diaper back on. We then go back to doing whatever she was doing. Two minutes later she wants/needs a diaper change.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to help her use the potty?

A long weekend

I know I have not posted in awhile but things have been interesting here. Marisa has been getting jealous of Rebecca lately, so when I finally get Rebecca out of my arms for a few minutes Marisa has been climbing into them. We have also been trying to get outside in the mornings before it gets too hot. I tried to post this weekend but ran out of time. Travis went to a bachelor party for Curt Saturday night in Omaha (sounds like he had a lot of fun) and my brother and one of his friends came to visit that night. They were a big help but it still took some time for Marisa to get used to Leo. Marisa really had fun with her Uncle Tim this weekend. She had to sit next to him, and he had to wash her up after her meals (I was not good enough at the time). He was trying to entertain Becca so I could feed her and Marisa was yelling at him to sit next to her while she ate breakfast. Marisa took off Tim’s hat and put it back on him, leaned back to take a good look and said “pretty”.

Marisa likes to stir Rebecca’s oatmeal and help me feed her. Marisa feels it is her job to buckle Rebecca into her highchair (or any other place that has buckles). She can be a big help at times. Marisa loves to play peek-a-boo with Rebecca. Rebecca laughs and giggles whenever Marisa plays with her.

On the move

This morning I was playing with Becca at tummy time. She is doing very well on her tummy. Marisa had a wet diaper so I changed her. Just as I finished with her diaper my bagel popped up out of the toaster. I buttered my bagel and glanced down at Becca she had turned 180° on her tummy. She also backed herself off of her playmat. Things are going to start getting interesting here.

Our Mother's Day

I was woken up by Travis and Rebecca’s big smiles. Ok, Rebecca was fussing a little for food but I did get a big smile first. We got two dirty diapers from Rebecca while she was nursing right before Marisa woke up. Now she didn’t wake up in such a good mood that Rebecca did. We finally got her settled in for breakfast. I fed Rebecca while Marisa ate and Travis cooked. As I was pick up Rebecca to clean her she decided to spit up all over me. After I got changed (she managed to soak me with spit up) I enjoyed a warm meal and received two cards (they are wonderful!). Rebecca is down for a nap (not usual for her but it is Mother’s Day so I will enjoy it) and after some tears (only mom could help with getting her sandals on) and coaxing Marisa is outside with Travis playing. (I don’t know what is going on with Marisa. She seems to be crying at everything.) I hope she gets over these tears soon.

Marisa decided she wanted to play inside the van instead of running around the yard, so Travis cleaned out the van while she played. Rebecca took a nice nap of an hour this morning so I went out and started on the garden. I placed the rest of the bricks and started to transplant some of Travis’ precious grass to bare spots in the lawn. Travis cooked hamburgers for lunch. Lunch was really nice. I tried to sneak in a little nap when I thought that Rebecca went down for another nap at about 12:15. Marisa wanted to join me so I thought that would be nice. She rested her little head down next to me for a total of 45 seconds. She pretended to snore then started to play peek-a-boo with the sheets, which turned into jumping on mom and tickling mom. It was so cute she would crawl up kiss me then tickle under my neck. Travis thought he got her to follow him out of the room to color but she did not like it when he closed the door. After the crying and banging on the door I heard Rebecca get up. I thanked Travis very much for the time he did let me sleep.

We got Marissa down for a nap and Travis went back out to take care of the garden. I thought I had Becca down a few times for a nap but that didn’t work out. Marisa got up at about 4pm and joined her dad back outside to play. I have been doing a few small things for Travis so that his day will go smoother (I know how hard it is to juggle the girls and he is giving a little time to myself so a got some minor things done in appreciation to all the help).

The girls made me feel needed and loved today. Travis gave me time to relax (by playing with the girls rather than worrying about meals and dishes). Overall it was the perfect day at this home so far.

Happy Mother's Day

We wanted to wish our mothers and grandmothers a happy Mother's Day. I hope that your special day is wonderful.

(I will post my day a little later. I'll just say it is truly a day of "mom" so far this morning.)

Saturday

Sorry I have not been posting as much. It has gotten a little crazy around here. Rebecca has decided to completely avoid all naps but get fussy. When I do finally get Rebecca content enough out of my arms, Marisa wants to be there. She has been extra cuddly lately.

I finally got Rebecca down for a morning nap (of course it is when Travis is home, now he will never believe me that she never sleeps). Travis and Marisa are out shopping at Menards. The two of them enjoy shopping there. They have a little play area for kids, hopefully that will get Marisa out of her little crying mood this morning. Travis went out and got Marisa sandals the other day. Now she freaks out if any dirt gets between her toes. It is so funny. She rolls around in the mud until she can get her shoes off. She still won't walk around barefoot outside. She did try it the other day. She was on her tipp toes the whole time saying "ouch".

Quick funny story. At night Marisa like to massage Travis' feet (I know he gets spoiled in this house). She also like to check in between his toes for lint. Then if she sees any (or if she thinks it's there) she reaches in with her little fingers. Of course at this time Travis is laughing and pulling his feet away (he is very ticklish between his toes) and Marisa is giggling.

Becca is up already. 20min nap only. I'll post a picture later (once I find where the camera went to after unpacking).

Thursday

Rebecca had a busy day Thursday. She tried rolling over. It seems easier for her to go from her tummy to her back and a lot harder to go from her back to her tummy. I tried laying her down for some tummy time and she instantly rolled to her back. She made it to her tummy once but quickly rolled to her back. She had lots of fun trying out her new trick. I only wished all the exercise would help her fall asleep.

Rebecca's 4 month check-up

Rebecca sure has grown. She weighs 16lbs and 10oz. Becca is 24.5 inches long and her head circumference is 16.25 inches. She is above normal according to the charts. The doctor said she is doing well and is very healthy. She did not like getting her shots at all. At least this time it was only 4 instead of 5. She must have known what was going on today because she only napped for 45min this morning. She is very tired but will not stay asleep out of my arms. Well, I better get back to her. Travis and Marisa went out shoe shopping. Marisa grew out of her sneakers. She is growing fast too. She is just over 27lbs.

Tuesday

Today Travis forgot his sandwich at home so he came home for lunch. Marisa thought this was great. She got to eat lunch all over again. She sat on her dad’s lap and ate his lunch with him. They share nicely (as long as Travis remembers to share his yogurt with her). Travis told Marisa he had to go back to work. So she cuddled into his arms and said “no work”, “I love you”, “miss you” and a few other things I cannot recall. She clung to her dad and would not let go. I am sure Travis had a hard time going back to work.

After supper tonight Marisa went out with Travis to help him work on the lawn. It looked like the two of them had lots of fun. After that they came in for bath time. After Marisa’s bath she went potty in her own potty. I discovered the news from all the cheering in the bathroom. Marisa was very proud of herself. I hope it goes that well during the days.

Well, Rebecca is getting up again. There goes the idea of an early night. Tomorrow afternoon is her 4 month check up. Her appointment is not until 4pm. We won’t be getting home until about 5:30 or later. I will post as soon as I can after that.

Monday

I did not get a chance to write yesterday due to unpacking and a morning trip to the doctor. The spots on Marisa’s leg have not gone away. The doctor thought that they were just infected hair follicles but it turns out that it may be a mild outbreak of Chicken Pox (I left the doctor’s office with things to look out for and no real answers). We went to see the doctor last Wednesday for this reason. We did not want to bring anything contagious with us on the trip. We really hope no one gets sick.

Travis was able to get Rebecca to eat her oatmeal so she went to bed at about 9pm. Tonight she was in bed at about 8:30pm. We are enjoying the early nights. The girls are doing well. Marisa is slowly getting over the side effects of the medicine she was taking. Rebecca is getting stronger every day. She enjoys her tummy time a lot. Rebecca mainly enjoys watching Marisa bounce all over the house.

The Weekend

After much trouble with the website I was finally able to post.

We really enjoyed our visit to Grandma and Grandpa’s house! We only wish that the weekend did not go so fast and it was longer. Although the drive up could have gone a little better than it did. “I hope the rest of the trip is as good as the first three minutes” is what Travis first said as we passed under the Archway. Rebecca was asleep and Marisa was as happy as could be. Not too long after that Marisa fell asleep and we thought things were going great. Rebecca decided to get up a little grumpy just before Central City. So we decided to put gas in the car, change and feed Rebecca in one stop. With Rebecca fed we were ready to continue the trip (we were not at the half way point yet). So I go to start the car and it won’t start. Now is about the point that you could have seen panic on both Travis and my face. Our family cars have always breakdown on long trips. We figure it must be an electrical problem from what the car was doing. We get a jump from a nice gentleman. In the process Marisa is woken up. The car starts and off we go.

About 8 miles out of Central City, maybe a little further but not much, we stop to change Marisa’s diaper and let her walk around. Off we go again. Marisa starts to cry. We try games, food, milk, books, everything we could think of but nothing helped. So we stop again just North of Hwy 30 towards Monroe. We find out Marisa is sick due to a side effect from a medication she was taking. I change and feed Rebecca also and then off we go again. We make it to about few miles North of Columbus and we stop again. Change diapers and feed all. Finally we get back on the road. Rebecca falls asleep through Norfolk. Marisa has us make one more stop about 30min from Grandma and Grandpa’s house. About 20 minutes from Grandma and Grandpa’s house both girls were up and wanting to get out of their car seats. We entertained the best we could the rest of the trip. The trip started at 12:45pm and ended at about 6pm.

Marisa had a wonderful time exploring the outside and inside of Grandma and Grandpa’s home. She found a cat. They seemed to bond over the two days. It took a few hours of adjusting for Marisa but by Saturday morning she was settled in. Rebecca loved it there. She had lots of smile for all. We all enjoyed seeing everyone. Thanks to Kristen we were able to cure Marisa’s diaper rash that got out of hand. Marisa defiantly felt better by supper time. We only wish we could see everyone more often. There are so many stories but not enough time right now to type them out.

The trip home was great. We made it home with only two stops. The first was in Aurora for gas. Both girls were still sleeping but we were running out of gas. The second was at Gibbon. Dirty diapers from the girls and a feeding for Rebecca. We were home by 4pm.

(Picture courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Dendinger)

Packing Day

The family is very excited for their first trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house since October. This picture is of Rebecca waking up from her nap this morning. She was very happy to see me. Marisa is a little confused as to why I am starting a pile of diapers and other stuff in the living room. According to her they don't go there so she keeps putting things away behind me. I decided to give up and just wait for Travis to get home. I may not have time to post over the weekend. We will be heading out tomorrow at about 1:00 and returning Sunday afternoon. I will try to post tomorrow morning and Sunday night with pictures. I hope everyone has a great weekend, I know we are looking forward to ours!

Early Mother's Day gift

Ok, I am going to try to post yet again today. Earlier the website decided not to respond and froze on me. Travis and Marisa planted the tree they gave me for an early Mother's Day gift yesterday. I was very excited when they brought it home. Travis and Marisa started the prep work at about 6:15 last night. After all the interruptions and bedtime routine I was able to water my tree at 10:40. It looks great! Travis did a wonderful job! I will try to get out and take a picture of it today.

Funny story:
I was already in bed when Travis went to check on the girls. "Are you asleep?" was the next thing I hear. I hear him tell me that I need to come look at something, there seemed to be a little concern in his voice so I jumped out of bed. I guessing it had something to do with Marisa but I checked out Rebecca real quick since her crib is right next to the door. She was fine. I scroll around the floor of the room looking for Marisa. We have found her everywhere from on a vent to behind the door. I noticed she was in her bed. I moved around closer to the bed and noticed something interesting. Marisa was naked in bed. Her pajamas were laying out behind her and her diaper laying out perfectly next to her pajamas. "I am glad I checked on the girls" Travis said with a chuckle. We dressed her and spent the next five minutes laughing. She decided to get undress sometime after I put Rebecca down for bed at about 10.

Busy Morning

This morning was a little crazy. I took Marisa to the doctor to check out a rash. It has been on her leg for about 2 weeks and not going away. Since we were walk-ins at the clinic we waited over an hour to see the doctor. Marisa did well. She had some trouble sharing the toddler chairs by the fish tank, then again the other child was worse by sitting in every chair Marisa touched. Marisa was trying to "kiss" the fish. It was so cute. I finally got in by asking the receptionist for a empty room to nurse (I explained that I could nurse in the waiting room if they didn't mind, it always gets me in). Doctor said the rash is a insect bite that got infected. As she scratches it spread to other areas of the leg. There is no way she can infect anyone else. The doctor also put her on antibiotics to clear up the problem.

Rebecca is doing well. She decided to fill her diaper with poop in the waitingr oom. It was everywhere. Marisa tried to help me. It just made it worse. I was really thinking of Travis at this time. She was great the rest of the time. She even played with another little girl (Marisa got jealous). Doctor said both girls are growing fast and look healthy.

My Lilly is blooming today. We had a really bad storm yesterday. It rained pretty hard and there was hail. The lilies seem fine. I put a picture of the Lilly up because I was so busy I didn't get a picture of the girls yet today. Well, since both girls are napping I am going to try to get some lunch and a nap in.

Late night

Last night was a late night for all of us. I was up with Becca until around 11pm. Travis was up working on the garden "a little longer than that" (according to him). Looks like the girl's new wake up time is between 7 and 7:30. I wish Becca would just go down an hour earlier. Marisa is the picture of the morning. She is cuddled up with her teddy bear, baby doll and blankie. I was even invited to join her. Nothing new to report this morning. Just the normal feedings, playing, and dirty diapers. Oh, a lilly is starting to open in the garden. It's from the one that was not looking well. It is actually looking a lot better.

The yard

Here is a picture of the front of our home. It is coming along nicely. The family went out tonight to work on the gardens. Basically that means Travis did all the work, Marisa tried to help but got in the way of everything, Rebecca fussed in the stroller and I bounced around trying to help everyone. It was a nice warm evening to be out. My one lilly is not doing very well at all. Travis still thinks it will be ok. Becca is calling for me. Marisa is trying to fall asleep. Hope to update again tonight.

What a tease!

Rebecca was really fussy last night so I was prepared for a long night up with her. Marisa went to bed with minimal fussing (just the normal I will do anything to interact with mom and dad so I don't have to go to bed). Travis ventured out to work more on the flower garden and I began rocking, feeding, burping, and trying to get Rebecca down for bed. At 9pm she just fell asleep on my shoulder. I was shocked. I put her in her crib and quietly left the room. This is normally the time she begins to cry. I waited there for a few minutes and there was complete silence. So I went out to help Travis. We were so happy and excited that she finally went to bed early. Well, at 10:05pm she decided that it was time to get up again. We tried to let her fuss back down to sleep but she was not liking that. So after a burp and a toot she fell back to sleep at 10:30. What a tease!

This morning is going as well as it can be. It seems that the girls new wakeup time is 7am. Most woke up in good moods. Becca sat in her Leapfrog while Marisa played with all the buttons on the outside. That worked well until Becca spit up on Marisa's hand. Marisa didn't like that at all. Though she wouldn't stand still so I could wash it off of her. She rather rub it off on her own, on the carpet and wall. I am going back to folding clothes with Marisa, I will post a picture later.

Tree for the front yard

The family went out to Menards today looking at flowers and trees. We were looking for anything interesting. We stumbled across the Red Sunset Maple and think it is perfect for the front yard. What do you think? I love the color red that it turns during the fall.

Tomorrow I will take pictures of how our new flower gardens are progressing in the front yard. Travis' grass is growing very well there (the best spot in the yard) so I am thinking the flowers will do great. He is not so upset with where the garden is placed but rather the shape has changed causing him to move around the sprinkler system a bit. Hopefully he doesn't have too much work to do this summer. He told me he liked how it was turning out.

FYI: This is not a picture of our home or our tree. We have not purchased the tree yet. We got this picture from the link above.

Sunday

Our Sunday morning started quite slow. Everyone ended up sleeping past alarm clocks. I guess since the sun did not come out the girls did not want to get up. The picture shown is of this morning. Marisa wanted Rebecca to sit next to her after she was done nursing. After I sat her there Marisa shared her “blankie” with her. Anyone that knows Marisa knows that it is a sign of true trust and honor. The green blanket is at Marisa sight most of the day. She will not sleep without it. She usually will not let anyone touch her blanket or wash it. (that is another funny story)

We went out looking at flowers this morning. That was after Rebecca finally settled down a little so I could go out shopping too. We picked up some lilies and rosebushes. Travis and I were able to plant the lilies already this afternoon. Marisa had fun digging in the dirt after she woke up from her nap. Travis is out shopping with Marisa for more flowers and other items for the garden. Becca is finally asleep. It sounds like she will be up soon.

We take Sundays a little easy compared to the rest of the week. We have a few projects going on right now. The flower gardens, lawn, deadbolts, storm doors, the girl’s room, and the fence are a few of our projects. During the week and Saturday we try to get in as much of the projects as the weather permits.

Happy Birthday Dylan!!

We would like to wish a Happy Birthday to Dylan!!! We hope you have a fun day. It's cloudy and rainy down here, hope it's not like that by you. See you soon!

Family picture

Ok. Here is a family picture, well the best we can do for now. It was taken by my mom at Rebecca's baptism. Father Mike is holding Rebecca. Lots of people have been asking for one so here it is.

Becca won!!!

Becca was the first to wake up so here is her picture. If we missed anyone with our e-mail about starting this blog or you know of someone who would enjoy reading it, pass it along.

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning has been going well. Marisa slept in. Rebecca did too; 7am wake up call from her. Good thing too, Travis and I didn’t get to bed until after midnight. I got the wonderful job of grocery shopping. Since it has been a few months since I had really been able to shop I was in for a surprise. They had rearranged the entire store. I had an interesting time trying to find everything. I thought Rebecca was down for a nap but I was wrong. Travis got along great with both girls. It looked like they had a lot of fun playing. Rebecca was even content (this surprises me because usually all she wants to do is eat). Marisa had fun “helping” us put away groceries. We had to continue reminding her not to open all the boxes of food. Marisa was insistent on eating everything we ate and what was on her plate. She had a lot for lunch. She should sleep well.

Travis started to put in the deadbolt but ran out of battery in his cordless drill. (He needs a new battery the two he has are bad now) He is now shopping at Menards to get a corded drill to finish up. Marisa and Rebecca are napping. Though Rebecca is starting to stir. When one of the girls get up I will post a picture. Travis has been requesting daily pictures during the week, so I thought other people might enjoy seeing them over the weekend too. I am off to work around the house until Becca gets up.

Friday afternoon

I am starting to feel better today. I had a migraine headache Wednesday night that put me in bed for 4 hours. It decided to come back Friday morning. Since I am still nursing Rebecca I can not take anything but Tylenol. So I went to the doctor to see what was causing it and how to get rid of the pain so I could take care of the girls. It is now something I need to work with my doctor. The doctor and I prefer for me to continue nursing Rebecca for as long as I can, so some of the medication for migraines I cannot have at this time.

Since I was not feeling well yesterday Marisa decided to take a really short nap and Rebecca decided not to nap at all until 5pm. Marisa started the afternoon off in an interesting mood. Within about 40 min she was then bouncing off the walls. She stands at the end of the hallway and counts to 3 (yes, she is learning to count, but only knows up to three right now) then runs down the hallway. Stops, turns around, counts to three then races back down the hallway. She does this for the kitchen then starts all over again. Ever since the warm weather hit we can’t keep her still.

Marisa was really happy to see her dad come home. I guess I was not keeping up with her enough. She gave her dad a hug and kiss then dragged him all over the house jumping, running and spinning. Travis couldn’t even keep her sitting in her bath. After we finally got both girls in bed (10:15pm) we decided to just sit back and relax, we both needed it.

Sick Day

I will not be able to post much today because I am not feeling well. Travis was able to enjoy a couple of hours with Marisa around lunch time while I went to the doctor (Rebecca came with me since I am her food). They seemed to have lots of fun. I will try to write again tonight if I am feeling better.

It is raining here

Well, last night was fun. Marisa requested chocolate cake after supper again. Good thing it was warm out so she could go burn off all that energy from the sugar rush she had. I can't wait to get the fence up so that I don't have to worry as much about her wandering off. After playing outside she felt it was dance time with Mom, Dad, and Rebecca. She was avoiding going to sleep. She likes for us to sing songs at bed time so she can dance. She is starting to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with us now. She is also remembering some of the sign language to Silent Night that I have taught her. I learned it in second grade and still remember it (thank you Mrs. Muth!). Ok I really haven't been "teaching" it to her. I just used it one night to get her attention and calm her down. It has become part of the routine ever since then.

Marisa slept in this morning. Thank you Travis for tiring her out last night!!! Becca was up at normal time so she is napping now. Marisa is currently dancing in the office with me. She has had a lot of energy since it has warmed up. She is practically bouncing off the walls. It can be fun to watch until it is meal time and she can't sit still. Well, I am off to dance with Marisa. I hope everyone has a great day!!!

Trees

Travis and I are looking into trees to plant. One in our front yard and a couple in our backyard. I would really like a Weeping Willow. We decided that might be best in the back if we decided to get one. Any suggestions on types of trees? Travis is also interested in fruit trees for the back yard but not set on that either.

We are also looking at flowers to plant too. We are open for suggestions for them as well.

(first post with the subject not about the girls, wow, probably won't be many of these)

Becca

Well, I guess I should put a picture up of Rebecca since there are two of Marisa. This is from earlier this morning. She was "talking" to me so I thought I would grab the camera. She loves to smile, laugh, and talk all day. She tends to yell if she needs something. If she doesn't get it she then get hysterical. There is no middle ground with Rebecca.

Dad Surprises Girls

Travis decided to come home for lunch. Marisa thought it was great! Even though she had eaten already she felt she had to share Dad's lunch with him. Marisa also thought she needed to eat green beans with her dad too. Though we knew she has not liked the taste of raw green beans, we let her try them again. She would bite out the center of the bean and reach in for another one just because Dad did. The problem was that when Travis left she had a mouth full of green beans that she wanted to spit out all over the living room but not in a napkin.

Surprisingly both girls in the room hopefully napping soon. Well, Rebecca is trying to sleep and Marisa is trying to keep her up without getting in trouble. She is getting louder so I might need to head in there soon to calm her down.

A Request

There was a request this morning via e-mail for a picture of the morning. Since Becca is taking a small nap it is of Marisa. Lately she has been feeding her baby doll while I feed Becca. I finally got a picture of it. I hope everyone enjoys it. I better get back to some house cleaning while Becca takes her 20min nap.