Cute and Crazy

It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures or updates of Marin. She's 15 months already and moving all over the place. She has a new infatuation with the dog, loves cheese, knows where her nose is, her hair is getting quite long (esp. on top!), claps when she hears music, likes to be held, and is a signing pro. She just started attending the Bible Study Kaden and I go to and seems to enjoy it (i.e. there's no separating issues). She and I also just finished her first "session" of baby story time at the library. She was an adventurous one...never really sitting and paying attention to the story, but always up walking around. She did get the hang of it more by the last week and I could tell she really had fun with the songs and rhymes. Next week she goes in for her well visit with the dr., so I'll have stats and comparisons then.

Bob the Builder Exhibit

Our local Children's Museum has a Bob the Builder exhibit for the next several months. Kaden and I had been looking forward to checking it out and we weren't disappointed. We could have spent our entire visit there (it did get crowded as the morning went on though). There were TONS of things to do, many if not all of the machines to sit on, and even a book corner. It was a great place for Marin too, because she could crawl around and explore. It was a bit tricky keeping them both in my field of vision! Here are some of my favorite photos of our fun visit to the exhibit!

Marin and Pilchard

Kaden, Bob and Pilchard


Kaden and Muck

Kaden and Lofty

Kaden in Benny

Kaden trying to fix a sink in JJ's workshop. He spent a majority of his time here and LOVED all the hands on projects. It was so fun to watch him "work".

Marin assisting Kaden with the faucet project.

Kaden in Rolley

Kaden and Dizzy

Kaden and Scoop

We have plans to head back to the museum later this week and I'm SURE we'll be hitting this area again. If you're in our neck of the woods before June, be sure to stop by...I'll almost guarentee your whole family will enjoy it.

Quotables

Kaden: "Mom, if you were on the menu I'd order you."


Kaden to Marin: "Marin, if you do that again, I'm going to sell you at the garage sale."



It's been a rather nasty weekend around here. Marin came down with the flu on Wednesday night and by Friday night we'd all been hit. We spent all of Saturday in various stages of sick and recovery. Today has been more of the same. I'm VERY done with the flu, but oh so thankful it wasn't last weekend when I was having a great time in Columbus, or during the week when Jason is gone all day at work, or next weekend when I'm suppose to attend a women's conference at church. Gotta look on the bright side, right?

As for my lack of posts, I'll try to post a more upbeat one with photos later this week!

Swim Lessons---Take 2

Kaden had his first set of swimming lessons in September. I can't remember if I wrote about it here, but suffice it to say, it was traumatic for both of us. I was not impressed at all with the maturity or skill of the teachers, the water was FRIGID, and the head instructor was very loud, unsympathetic, and demanding. (I was going to add a picture here, but it makes me sad just looking at them, remembering how he cried on and off through the entire 45 minute lesson every day even though trying to be brave, and was so cold because he spent most of the lesson sitting on edge of the pool...so, no sad picture)

Inadvertently, I quite literally ran into a local indoor water park that offers swim lessons. The price was reasonable, the staff knowledgeable, and the water WARM (85 degrees compared to the previous 70 degrees is HUGE, especially to a 3 year old!). I was cautiously impressed on our first visit with both the facility and the staff. Kaden hesitated the first two lessons, but hasn't looked back since. He asks to go to swim lessons and he has FUN! He's moving his arms, blowing bubbles, kicking with a noodle both on his belly and on his back, and jumping in! I am so thrilled. It's not a battle any more and he hasn't been left with a "bad taste in his mouth" due to our first experience. Praise the Lord!

This week he has his final two lessons of the session. Now I have to decide whether to sign him up for the next session. Guess it's good to have that option instead of counting the hours until it's all over!

Forgot to mention...he is one of three students in his group and he really likes the two other little girls.

This is what Marin does for the 35 minutes while Kaden has his lesson...plays and snacks in her stroller. If given a choice, she'd be in that water too!

Overheard

While trimming his finger and toe nails the other day Kaden asked to see one of the clipped toe nails. So, I gave him the largest one off his big toe. He looked at it awhile and held it. Then he turned to me and said, "Can I keep this for decoration?" What?!?! I mean, where did that come from? After laughing out loud the answer was an emphatic "no, toe nails are not decoration!"

(We recently installed a bulletin board in his room where he hangs up misc. pictures and memorabilia. Perhaps he thought a toe nail would fall into the "needs to be displayed" category...who knows.)

*S*N*O*W*

These pictures are from our first "big" snow of the year last week. It was chilly, but I bundled the kids up and out we went. If I was sweating before I got outside (and I was!), I was glistening greatly by the time our walk was finished. Pulling 60+ pounds worth of children through 4-5 inches of fresh snow was A LOT of WORK! The best part was as we started walking and I heard Kaden say, "Weeeee!" and Marin (who was sitting between his legs) started giggling! Made it totally worth all the effort!

This is Marin dressed in Kaden's old (24 month) coat and 2T snow pants (they were SO BIG, but so warm). She was so bundled she could barely sit up without falling over...here, she fell over!

Ready to ride!

Marin LOVED being outside in the snow!

Snow buddies

This is one of the things Kaden likes to do in the snow...shovel it. He also likes to 1)drives his big monster truck (garage sale find this summer) through it and 2) use a piece of scrap wood board as a snow plow and "plow" the yard.

Photographic Christmas Recap

Ok, so I'm WAY late and TOTALLY not into blogging lately, so bear with me. I had close to 200 pictures on my camera, these are just a few favorites.

Here's a quick recap of our very fun Christmas:

Christmas Eve morning at our house (Marin's room opening gifts)

Kaden gets Cars Memory

Marin gets tired of waiting for breakfast, so she snacks on Kaden's new walkie talkies

Marin likes her new drum (and other instruments) set. This photo is followed by a break in photos for several hours while we travel to Illinois.

Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Steckel

Forget the Cheerleader, this girl's going straight for starting quarterback!

Kaden gets Cranky for his Thomas train set!

Climbing on daddy

Christmas morning...my first time holding new nephew Brayden John!

All the kiddos...between my sis and I, we currently have 4 under the age of 4. It was SO fun to see them together.

Kaden and daddy at Auntie's house on Christmas morning

My mom (gramie) and my kids on Christmas night at my aunt Ellen's.

Jason's dad (Grandpa Steckel) with Marin

Great Grandma Steckel and the kids...we don't usually get to see her, so it was a treat to have her come to town for a few days.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa Steckel

Final Christmas get together with my grandma, dad and Teri at Auntie's. Here all the kids get a picture with Great Grandma Finley. Check out Brayden's Santa outfit...so cute!

Kaden and Grandpa Mike

Kaden loving on baby Brayden with Great Grandma Finley and Grandma Teri

Daddy and Marin...needing to head home, but not wanting the fun to end!