Thursday, January 29, 2009

Putting Words Together

One of the sweetest things to hear is Kaelyn putting words together. Of course hearing her say anything is wonderful, but when she says "Dada ByeBye" or something along those lines I just can't help but smile. It's fun to hear her putting words together because it helps us understand what she's needing or wanting. There's very little crying for things these days, as most times Kaelyn can either tell us with her words what she wants, or with the sign language she she has learned. Learning to communicate with a little one isn't always easy, but once the ball is rolling it makes the days go so much smoother! :)

One of the most recent phrases that Kaelyn has been saying, or trying I should say...is "where'd it go?" or "where's it at?" Although it kind of flows together (as I'm sure you'll hear in the video) as one long word, being around her enough, Scott and I know what she is saying. Her little hand gesture as she shrugs her tiny shoulders gives us insight as well. :) I still can't get over how much kids catch onto things, even gestures like a shoulder shrug or the tone of their voice to let us know she is asking a question not telling us something! Last night Scott was playing with Kaelyn and she began saying her new favorite phrase while hiding a ball in our shoes. She'd say "where's the ball?" and hold up the shoe and say "shoe". It was very cute to see her playing this little game and using her newly learned words.



I always knew that Kaelyn would be a talker, as she has jabbered non-stop since she was very young and has always enjoyed looking through books and being read to, however I had no idea that she'd love to talk so much that she'd be trying to say phrases like "where'd it go?" at the age of 15 months. It's so fun! I wonder what words and combinations we will hear next?!? Your guess is as good as ours...as she never ceases to amaze us and make us smile!

We'll keep you posted.....

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Playful Toddler

I remember graduating from college with my education degree and wondering if I had in fact learned all that I would need to know to be a successful teacher. There was just so much information thrown at me over those four years....the test was soon to come and I would quickly find out whether or not it had all sunk in. Shortly after graduating college, I took a position teaching two year olds, as well as a preschool class of four and five year olds. All that I had learned in school came back to me fairly quickly and was finally able to be applied. I remember thoroughly enjoying my job as I watched in amazement all the stages children go through. What was even more exciting for me though, was thinking how great it would be to watch my own children one day and all the stages they would go through. Well...almost 4 years later and here I am, loving every minute of it!! As I watch Kaelyn daily as she changes and grows, I am often reminded of many things I learned in college, and really appreciate all that I have taken from my past experience as a student and teacher.

Recently I was having one of these moments as I observed Kaelyn playing in her playroom. I remembered my days as a college student, learning all about the stages of play in children...especially "pretend play". It's the most fun stage of "play" to witness in young children because right before your eyes you're seeing that they are making sense of the world around them. As I watched Kaelyn playing that day in her playroom, I realized that even though she's only 15 months old, she's making sense of her environment and watching the things we do all the time. She's modeling our behaviors and applying them in her playtime. For instance, the other day she walked over to her toy crib and pulled out her favorite baby. As she pulled her baby out, she said "baby", gave her a hug, and sat her in the play swing. She began pushing it back and forth. It was absolutely adorable to see her playing in this way. While her baby swang, she walked over to her kitchen set, pulled out the cup, put it up to the fridge (where there's a play water dispenser) and then put it up to her mouth.







When Kaelyn was young she enjoyed batting at toys, looking at them, squeezing them, and of course the ever so popular....chewing them. However, over time she developed the understanding to use toys correctly and even engage in a little "pretend play" of her own. This was the first I had seen of it with her, and I have to say, I really look forward to more opportunities in the future. It's so fun to see her learning new things and growing into such a smart and fun little toddler. ;)

I'm leaving you with a few photos of Kaelyn over the past year and the stages of play we have witnessed. It's fun to see how she went from being an observant newborn to an interactive toddler. :)
2 Months-Grabbing For Toys

5 Months-Chewing on Toys

7 Months-Up and About

10 Months-Exploration

12 Months-Interactive Play

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Weekend Wrap-up

Isn't it something what babies go through when it comes to teething?!? It's quite the ordeal for most. I know with Kaelyn that it didn't start out too bad, but once she got to her molars, we had quite the sad baby. :( Thankfully her one year molars are in, but is still working on a few teeth. One of them is almost in....It's right there waiting to poke through and we couldn't be happier! She's been having so much pain with it that it will be nice to relieve the pressure once it pokes through. Poor baby...the teething seems neverending. At least we're nearing the end and soon enough she will have all 16 teeth until it's time for the two year molars.

Aside from that exciting news...we had a fairly busy weekend. It was fun, but as always went by way too fast!! Friday I had a dentist appointment, so Kaelyn got to go spend some time with Grammy Sankey. That night Scott wanted to take me to the movie Marley and Me. It was a GREAT movie, but what a tear jerker! It was so nice to have a date. We don't get to do that very often, but when we do it's wonderful! :) Kaelyn had a fun time with Grandma Annie while we were out. It sounds like she was very entertaining and sure enjoyed all of her fun toys! Saturday was one of our more relaxing days...aside from cleaning and doing some things around the house, the three of us had the chance to relax some and spend time together. Today, we went to church and then Scott's Dad and step mom stopped by. It was nice to visit with them, and kaelyn enjoyed it as well! She was showing off her walking skills...as they hadn't seen her racing all around like that yet. Tonight Scott surprised me by renting a redbox movie (we love 1 dollar rentals :))...PS I Love You. It wasn't quite what we expected, but it was a good movie and we both really enjoyed it.

Well, it's off to bed...another week is upon us and I need to rest up.... :)

Thursday, January 22, 2009

You Never Know...

...until you try. Every time we have gone out to eat since Kaelyn was very young...she has always enjoyed playing with the straws....or so I thought. I realized this weekend though, as we were out to eat with my brother Jake, that maybe it wasn't so much that she liked to play with them as it was that she was trying to be like Mommy and Daddy and actually use it like a big girl?! Hmmm.... Today my curiosity got the best of me, and I decided to get out some fun colored straws that we had to see how she'd react to using one with a cup.

To my surprise, the moment the straw was in her mouth, she began sucking and using it correctly! Wow!! I guess you never know until try something. I had NO idea she could use a straw. This would have come in handy so many times when we were out to eat in the past. I thought she'd begin to chew on it, or suck and get way too much in her mouth. Neither of those things happened though and I was pleasantly surprised. :)



Anyone who is a parent can relate to getting excited, even with the little things. Although small...Kaelyn using a straw made me so happy and proud of her! I could tell she felt like such a big girl too. It was so cute!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Fun Weekend

It's always nice to have family visit. My younger brother Jake lives a couple of hours away...so we don't get to see him as much as we would like. He's great about coming to see us when he can though, and we always enjoy it...Kaelyn especially! She loves her Uncle Jake! :) He doesn't have to work today, so he decided he'd come up for the night and see us all! Kaelyn knows he has a kitty, so when he walked in the door yesterday, the first thing she said was "meow"...hehe. He didn't bring his kitty with him this time, but we thought it was pretty cute that she would think of that. She was following him around like a little puppy dog when he got here....continually saying "up" and giving him lots of hugs.

Kaelyn Saying "Jake" and "Meow"




The rest of our weekend was great as well! Friday and Saturday I have to admit we did a lot of relaxing and spending time together as a family, and not much else. :) Scott had been gone all week last week, so it was nice just to hang out. Sunday we went to church, cleaned the house and then spent the evening with Jake. As always the weekend went way too fast, but it's nice that this is a long weekend for most due to the holiday!

All Ready for Church


Spending time with Daddy!


I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

I am leaving you with a couple of pictures of Kaelyn....she has been walking all over, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get a picture of her all dressed up for church. :) When she was crawling more, we didn't get to see and appreciate her outfits as much, so it's been fun to watch her walk around in all her cute little clothes!

Walking Around


This is how she stands up from the floor :)



Friday, January 16, 2009

Surprise!!

Wow was Scott surprised to see Kaelyn walking all around when he walked in the door today. :) He had been gone for a week for work, and over that time she started walking very well. The moment she saw him she walked across the room to him and gave him a big hug. It was adorable. I could tell she had missed her Daddy as much as I did! We finally got her walking around a bit on video tonight and I thought I'd share!! We are such proud parents....what a big milestone. Our little girl is no longer considered a 'baby', but now a 'toddler'.



As for Scott being home, both Kaelyn and I are very happy! We missed him a lot...a week was along time to be apart from each other. It was great to see him, and be greeted with beautiful flowers....he's so sweet! I'm very blessed to have him as my husband. I couldn't ask for a better guy...... :)


We're hoping to just relax this weekend and spend time together indoors where it's warm...those temps outside are bitter these days!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Getting the Hang of.....

...this walking thing!! Just before Christmas, Kaelyn began walking some. She was a bit wobbly, but it was the first time she had taken more than just a few steps. Her confidence suddenly increased, and she was able to walk from one end of the room to the other. Unfortunately with the flu/cold combination that she got over the holidays, the walking thing was somewhat halted. Now though, a couple of weeks later she's back at it and better than ever. She's walking all over the place!! Slowly she's learning to stand from a seated position which has helped in her walking progression as well. Hopefully I will get her on video walking around very soon!

With each and every new stage Kaelyn goes through, Scott and I couldn't be more proud of her. I remember when she was just little and her cooing had us ooing and awwing :). Now our little girl is becoming more independent, saying new words and walking. I'm sure before we know it she'll be running around!!

Where does the time go?!?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

A Trip to FC

It's the first time since Scott and I have been married that he has had to go away on business for more than a few days....a week to be exact! Ugh....6 days is a long time and Kaelyn and I sure miss him. Thankfully my parents live fairly close to us...so I decided yesterday that Kaelyn and I would go visit them for a few days. It's nice to have family around and not be by ourselves the entire week. That would get very lonely I think.

We hadn't planned on making the trip to FC until later yesterday, but the weather had other plans for us. As the snow began to fall heavily yesterday morning, I thought it would be smart to try and venture out into the storm and get there before it started to blow and drift. Amazingly our drive was not too bad and we got here safely. I'm glad we came in the morning and not the afternoon, as the snow continued to fall and blow throughout the day...that would not have been fun. Now we're enjoying our time relaxing and enjoying the company of my parents, and Zoe of course ;). I'm happy to be in where it's warm...as the temps are absolutely freezing today.

We are so looking forward to seeing Scott in a few days, and are glad that we have been able to take this little trip in the mean time. :)

Stay Warm!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Our Family is Growing...

...with pets that is. ;) Scott and I do not have any pets, however my parents and siblings do. Mom and Dad have had Zoe for about 7 years now and she's a wonderful dog!! She's a sweet Bichon whose cuddly and very well trained. We enjoy dogsitting her when my parents are away. Kaelyn likes it too...as she and Zoe get along so well. Zoe is her "Pukitty" as Kaelyn would say. :)

Zoe

Then, a few months ago my little brother got a kitty. He lives on his own and Mylie has been a great addition to his household. She is very sweet and is wonderful company. I had never had much experience with cats before, but from the little time that we've gotten to see her and spend time with her she seems well behaved and quiet. She loves Jake and loves to cuddle him whenever she gets the chance! :) Kaelyn really likes Mylie too! She her "kitty, kitty, kitty".

Mylie


My twin brother and his wife have been wanting a dog for quite some time. They live in an apartment though, and had to get approval before getting one. Once they got the "ok" they did some searching and found the perfect match for their family....Wall.e! He is an adorable cocker spaniel and sounds like a sweetheart. (we haven't met him yet, but hopefully sometime soon we'll be able to!) Our little nephew, Emry, loves to play with him and give him lots of hugs and kisses.
Wall.e

It's fun to have new "additions" to our family. I don't think Scott and I will be getting a pet anytime soon, but it's fun to see the pets our family members have from time to time. :)

Friday, January 9, 2009

TGIF!

Yeah, it's FRIDAY!!! It's been quite the week getting everything in order here at home after having been gone a week over the holidays, and then nursing Kaelyn back to health. I'm happy to say that starting yesterday she seemed to be completely back to her old self again...so i think this flu/cold and teething thing is finally behind us!! She's up playing, walking around and jabbering away as always! Thank the Lord!! :) It's good to see her up and about, as it was a rough past couple of weeks for her.

Of course Fridays are also great because that means Scott is done with the work week and will be able to spend the weekend with us girls!! Kaelyn and I always look forward to that! I'm not sure what our plans consist of this weekend...probably every day things around the house...but we may also head up to the cities one afternoon as we have some gift cards from Christmas that we'd like to use. Any excuse to go shopping is always welcomed. :) Whatever we do I know it will be great because we'll be able to spend it as a family. That's my idea of a terrific weekend!!

I Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend as well!!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Out and About

With the cold and unpredictable weather of winter, Kaelyn and I are inside the house more than we are out. I guess that's the harsh reality of Minnesota winters. That's why I always enjoy any chance we get to venture out and do something fun. Today was one of those days. I had a Dentist appointment....not necessarily my idea of a "fun" day, but Kaelyn and I did get to go visit my mom for a while which was great. She has most Wednesday's off...so I dropped Kaelyn off while I was at my appointment so she could watch her. It sounds like they had a lot of fun together. After my appointment we got lunch and hung out a while Kaelyn napped. We always have such a nice time visiting my parents....I wish we could do it more often.

The day went by far too quickly though...and we headed home before it got dark (it gets dark WAY too early these days). It's nice to be home out of the cold and it was great to have a fun day outside of the house for a change. Kaelyn sure enjoyed it and so did I!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Quite the talker.....

Before Kaelyn turned a year old she had learned the common words to say like "mama", "dada", "uh oh", "baby" and many signs. It wasn't until after she turned a year though, that we really heard her saying more. In between the jabbering that she does on a regular basis, we're now hearing more and more words and it's so much fun! :) She's making sense of the world around her and picking up on all kinds of words. Everything from names like Di, Josh, Jake, Ella, etc....to things and actions like apple, book, ball, kitty, up, tree, and more.

Kaelyn started out as more of a quiet baby, however over the past 4 months or so she's really picked up on her vocabulary skills. Scott and I could sit for hours just listening to her jabber and talk. It's nice that she can communicate to us some of the things she is wanting or needing without crying. We're even hearing her sing some, and can actually pick up the tune and some words as she does.

Oh...to be a parent...I love it!! :)

Sunday, January 4, 2009

I'm Finally Back....

I'm finally back!! The beginning of 2009 has been an interesting one for us, dealing with the stomach flu and now colds for Kaelyn and I. Poor girl...as if it wasn't bad enough that she got the stomach flu...she is now dealing with a sore throat, runny nose...and not to mention four molars that are all coming in at the same time. Needless to say she has not quite been herself the past week or so and has been very cuddly. Anyone who knows Kaelyn, knows that this is very much unlike her...as she is quite active and hardly sits most of the time. :) Slowly we're seeing signs that she's beginning to feel better and can't wait until all of this is behind us so we can start our year off right!!

As I mentioned before...although we did deal with some of us not feeling so well...we thoroughly enjoyed the holidays and the time we were able to spend with family. After spending the day on Friday (the 26th), cleaning and preparing for Josh, Di and Emry to visit.....we got to spend the evening with them catching up and taking lots of pictures of the kids as they played together and took their first bath together. It was so fun to watch them interact....I have a feeling they will grow up being very close cousins!!
Playing in Kaelyn's Playroom


Cousinly Love :)


Bathtime


Hanging Out


Playing Wii


Saturday was a fun, but busy day...celebrating Christmas with my Mom's side of the family as well as Scott's Mom's side of the family. It was great to see everyone, eat lots of yummy food and most importantly celebrate the true meaning of Christmas with loved ones! I was sad to have such a fun day go by so quickly, but we still had a Christmas on Sunday to look forward to as well.
More Playtime at the Kruger Cmas....




Smiley Little Girl :)


Opening gifts from Aunt Sandy and Uncle John


The Kruger Clan


My Family


Opening presents from Aunt Stacie at the Reed Cmas




Opening a piggy bank and book from Great Gr and Gr Reed




Sunday we made the trip back to FC for my family Christmas with my parents and siblings. It was a fun day spent together....something that doesn't happen nearly often enough with all of us living so far apart from one another. I'm thankful though, for the chance we had to get together, play games and have fun!!
Grampa reading the kids the Christmas Story

Time to open gifts...








Grammy with the kids


Unfortunately Sunday night is when we began to come down with the flu and not feeling well. First me, then Kaelyn, Emry, Jake, Scott and my Mom. We ended up staying at my parents and spending quite a few days there. Although many of us were not feeling well...it was still a lot of fun to see each other and spend time with Di, Josh and Emry who only are able to visit a couple of times a year. I can't wait until they move closer from Texas!!

Playing in Grammy and Grampa's Playroom






Watching the Wiggles


Me and Emry


All in all we had a wonderful Christmas and New Years! It was definitely memorable and one we documented with plenty of pictures and video as always.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Just a Quick Note...

The holidays have been enjoyable and eventful for us over the past week or so. I apologize for not being better about posting recently. The new year has not started out quite as we had planned.....our family has had a bout with the stomach flu that we're all hearing so much about, and Kaelyn is still fighting it a bit. Thankfully we're slowly feeling better. I will try and update soon on Christmas, New Years and all the fun we've been having with family this holiday season!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Years!!