Poodin'! and Johnny Jump Up

So Carter had his first experience with pudding today. He called it "poodin" and said "Hmmm. Hmmmmm." after each bite. It was hilarious. Here's how he looked afterward.




Addy had her first experience with the Johnny Jump Up today. She kept twisting and un-twisting. Perhaps with the help of her brother?! :-) She really seemed to like it and it provided a good hard surface for her to chew on. I think she's working on getting her first chompers and has been chewing on everything!

The Big 3-0!

On September 9th, I turned 30! Much to Chris's delight, I handled it much better than I handled turning 20. :-) I did keep the number quiet, though, because I didn't want anyone to get any ideas for a party. I got my wish and had a wonderful, family-centered 3-day celebration!

On Tuesday, I was scrubby and just getting ready to start cleaning the house. Imagine my surprise when the doorbell rang and it was my mom! I was 100% SHOCKED beyond imagination. She had come to watch the kids so that Chris and I could go to a Cubs game that night. We had tickets, but had decided that we didn't want to drag the kids to a night game. I was so excited by the surprise trip to Chicago, decided the house cleaning would have to wait, and got ready to go! Chris and I had a great time without the kiddos and it was a great start to my birthday celebration.

On Wednesday, my mom had gotten appointments for us at Zenders salon in Iowa City for massages and pedicures. It was a wonderful massage and the BEST pedicure I'd ever gotten. No rough spots on these feet anymore. :-) After the spa treatments, mom and I went out a wonderful lunch and then she took me on a shopping spree at the mall. It was a great time!

On Wednesday night/Thursday morning, Chris got up with Addy every time she woke up (every 2-3 hours...) He changed her diaper and brought her to me to nurse and then put her back in bed. I didn't have to get out of bed one time!

Thursday morning I got to sleep in until 9, which would have been gift enough for a whole year. As it turned out, it was just the beginning. The boys had made me a wonderful breakfast including sausage, bacon, pancakes, eggs, and orange juice. After breakfast we had some relaxing family play time and went for a long walk. For lunch, we went to Red Lobster. We all took a nap in the afternoon, played out on Carter's swingset, and then Chris grilled the most wonderful steak for supper. After the kiddos were in bed Chris and I watched the Hangover again (love it!) and went to sleep relatively early. I also got a bunch of great gifts including clothes, kitchen utensils, an awesome Bears glass, and Cubs slippers.

It was a wonderful 3-day birthday and I thank everyone who thought of me on my special day!

Papa's Birthday!

September 6th was Papa's 29th birthday. He worked late the day before so he slept in a bit. We woke him up with lots of hugs and kisses and "Happy Birthday!"s from the kids.

Carter and he shared a bowl of cereal, in their adorable way, and then we got ready to go to Des Moines.

We went to eat with Colin and Michele, Chris's brother and his girlfriend, at Fuddruckers. It's one of our favorite places to go as a family. Chris loves the burgers and Carter eats great there. We even had a birthday coupon for a free burger!

After lunch, we all trekked to the Blank Park Zoo. None of us had been there before so we didn't know what to expect. It turned out to be really great! It was pretty small--mostly because we're all used to the Henry Doorly Zoo--but that was actually great with the kids. Carter loved seeing all the "aminals!", fed the fish, chased a duck, petted a steer, and saw "Memo!" (AKA Nemo). Addy was a quiet little princess the whole time and only required a diaper change the entire visit! It got a little "national geographic" (according to Mish) at one point as two of the giraffes were attempting to mate. But, I guess that's all part of the lustre of the zoo. We wrapped up our zoo trip with a ride on the "Choo! Choo!" Even Colin, who was a little resistant, came along.

After the zoo, the four of us headed back to North Liberty for a supper of meatloaf, hashbrown casserole, fresh green beans, and rolls. We finished up the feast with a bit of cake with strawberry frosting.

All in all, I think Papa's birthday was a success. Happy birthday again, Papa! We all love you very much!

Addy's first trip to Wrigley...

Good morning, all!

On September 3rd, the whole family made the trip to Chicago for Addy's first trip to Wrigley Field. It was great! We were running a little behind and ended up arriving sometime in the 5th inning. That actually worked out well because I doubt that both kiddos would have lasted the whole game--and it cut down on traffic!

When we were walking into the stadium, one of the ticket takers told us about a neat feature for "First Timers". We got to take Addy to the Customer Relations desk and she got a packet for her first game. It included a plaque, stickers, coloring book, and other fun memorabilia for her first game. We wish that we would have known about the service when we brought Carter to his first game.

The kids behaved very well during the game. Carter kept occupied with a hotdog and lemonade and he watched the game like a hawk. This is quite the change from the games he has attended in the past where he didn't really seem to care much about the game. In typical Addy fashion, she was great and only fussed when she was hungry. She got a bottle part way through the game and was our little angel the rest of the time.

After the game we went to some of the souvenir shops in Wrigleyville. We found a great Cubs shirt for each kiddo and aside from the crowds, had a wonderful time looking at all the cool Cubs "stuff".

Enjoy the photos from our trip.