Memorial Day Memories

Once again we attempted at a low key weekend but ended up filling it to the brim...

It started and ended with Andy feeling the need to get projects around the house started and completed. He worked outside on edging for our driveway/sidewalk, a retaining wall by our back entrance, and completely demolishing our front steps and building new ones. I wish I had pictures to show but we are just in the final stages and will wait to share until it is all complete!

We also had our first family photo shoot for Marie's upcoming 2nd birthday. Although we were rained out in the morning, we rescheduled the appointment to the afternoon and all went well. We are VERY excited to get all the pictures back and were lucky enough to get a sneak peek at a few shots from the photographer.

Here is one of our little girl...way too precious. Andy & I looked at it and were shocked at how OLD she looks! If you want to see more of the preview shots, head over to http://www.christiapalizziphotography.com/

Christia is the wife of a fellow DMU student. She is almost finished with her photography degree and she did a FABULOUS job keeping Marie focused and entertained.

After our pictures we headed to a BBQ with some friends. Marie got to run around with another little girl and was completely worn out from her busy day.

Marie had been asking to visit the duck pond so we took our stale crackers to the ducks once again. This time was even more special as we were able to pay our respects to the veterans and view the beautiful flowers and flags by the monuments.

Monday was sooo windy and warm! We played outside quite a bit, went to the dog park, and finished a few projects around the house.

Marie must have been tired from the weekend...

busy with baby

This past weekend Marie was busy with her baby.

The baby needed diaper changes, naps, bottles, etc. She would pretend the baby was crying and then say, "what? what do you want? you want a bottle?"

Apparently the baby also needed some play time outside. Marie decided to send her baby down the slide into the mud.

The main reason I love this video is because at the end, I was trying to have her "show off" her ABC skills.

She gave me the very typical toddler response...

Weekend in Review

This past weekend was a full one for us.

First of all, I got to spend some MUCH needed time with one of my very best friends, Molly. I drove to Peoria, Illinois to officially meet Piper Quinn Van Meeteren. I could go on and on about all the cute little things Piper did and all the laughing and talking Molly & I did...I can't wait to go back in June so Marie & Piper can play together!When I got back home, we decided to transfer Marie into her big girl bed. Ever since we got rid of the pacifier and introduced the potty, we thought it would be beneficial to stop putting our big girl into a baby crib.

Marie really likes to climb onto her bed and read books now. It's taking a little time for her to get used to it, but she is catching on quickly.

We also put together another early birthday present for Marie.
Grandma Nel decided that this little girl needed a sand box. Marie loves playing in the sand at school and she is always ready to dig in at home now, too!
Thanks Grandma Nel!

All this fun is leading into the last week of school for me! I am getting anxious to spend my lazy summer days with Marie where we go to the library, play outside, and go to the pool.
Summer, here we come!

Happy Birthday Daddy

We love you for all the silly, loving, and helpful things you for us:

-making us laugh-
-keeping us healthy-
-fixing the garage door-
-giving Charlie baths-
-calming us down-
-taking us for bike rides-
-doing the heavy lifting-
-surprising us with ice cream nights-
-dancing through the house-

we love you!

~ the girls

Fun in the Twin Cities

Uncle Nathan graduated from the University of Minnesota this past weekend.
So, we headed up north for weekend get-away with the family.
We were lucky enough to stay the weekend with Uncle Don, Aunt Jean, and Bella. It was great to spend some time with them - they always know how to make us feel at home.

Marie is officially in love with yet another dog. Bella & Marie hit it off right away. Marie also fell in love with their backyard. She found so many rocks to touch, sticks to throw, and flowers to smell.
Not only were we there to celebrate Nathan's graduation, but also the engagement of Liz & Andrew! Their wedding will be next summer, June 16, 2012! On Saturday, the girls went wedding dress shopping while the boys went to a cold & wet Twins game. Meanwhile, Marie, Papa, Uncle Don, Aunt Jean, and Bella had a popcorn party and practiced with Marie's new Louisville Slugger bat.
We had a great weekend eating way to much fabulous food, laughing so hard we were crying, posing for as many pictures as possible, and spending some much needed time with family.

Mother Hen

It does my heart good to go to school and hear all the "Marie tales" from Jo-Jo and Barb (her care takers in the Ladybug room).

The stories are full of friskiness, stubbornness, silliness, and care.

She is known as the 'mother hen' in the room as she is now the oldest child.

The younger ones will cry and Marie will run to them and say, "honey, what's the matter?"

They will fall down and she will say, "You're fine" and rub their back.

They will spit out their pacifier and she will give it back to them.

She will sit down and read a story to whoever will listen.

Mostly when I hear them it makes me happy, but today it made me a little sad....she is growing up way too fast. This is especially meaningful today as it is also the anniversary of my dad's passing. I am always reminded of how much he has missed with his grandchildren...awhile back I was looking through old pictures with Marie. We were pointing people out and I came to a picture of my dad. He was young and well in the photo. We have always talked about Grandpa Rick and she has seen photos, but none of him that young. She picked up the picture and immediately said, 'Papa Rick?'

That proved to me that she knows him and he knows her.
That's all I needed to know.

In June we will say good-bye to our Ladybug friends and move into the Butterfly room.
Once again the transition period will be a little nerve-racking for us all, but it is a good thing.
Here, we will venture into swimming lessons without mommy or daddy there, drinking from a cup with no lid, and potty training!

So, keep growing Marie. You are just getting better with age :)

Mother's Day and More...

As I write this post I realize that we packed quite a bit into this weekend. We had such beautiful weather so we spent as much time outside as possible.

Marie's daycare had a plant fundraiser so we spent Friday evening getting all our planters full. It was a lot of work but Marie was very willing to pitch in. On Saturday we went to Pella to celebrate Tulip Time. Marie was thrilled to just run around on the open grassy areas and look at all the flowers. There were so many great places to take pictures.As you can see, Marie was getting tired of saying "cheese!"
She finally just crawled up on a bench to get away from the camera I think...

It didn't take Marie 5 minutes of driving home in the car before she was sound asleep.

When we got back to Des Moines, we decided to try some of Marie's new paints. She did very well keeping the paint on the paper. Just look at that concentration...
We also watched the Kentucky Derby - a tradition of ours. Marie loved watching the horses this year.

And on Sunday, Marie woke me up with a kiss and I was treated to breakfast in bed!

Andy & Marie prepared raspberry streusel french toast, fresh blueberries, and coffee. Andy had been telling Marie that I was going to eat in the bedroom by myself in peace and quiet. So, when Andy came back to grab a bib for Marie, I heard her yell, "Daddy, leave Mommy alone!"
We spent the rest of Mother's Day playing outside and resting from our full weekend.

What a delightful family weekend!

HUGE POTTY NEWS

MARIE USED THE POTTY FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!

ok, for some that is not that big of a deal, but for this momma - it's HUGE!!!
We haven't even been training really, just letting her get used to the idea of using the potty and not the diaper.

We were just finishing up bath time when Marie told me, "mommy, I go poopie?"

So I quickly got her out of the tub and was going to get a diaper when I thought, "hey, why not try to sit on the potty chair?"

Marie sat down, did her business, and we celebrated!!!

What a big moment for this little girlie of ours.
She was very excited to tell everyone about it, too!

Dear Marie

Mother's Day is soon and it got me thinking...you have taught me so many things these past 2 years and I wanted to share them with you:

Dirty dishes and a dirty floor can always wait, but playing with you cannot
***
Get up and play 'ring around the rosie' whenever you can, even if you are way too tired to stand
***
The sound of your laugh makes me smile more than anything else EVER has
***
Ketchup and ranch make just about everything taste better
***
Sometimes LOVE means setting limits and using that time-out spot...it also means letting you discover your own way and allowing you to be your own person
***
NEVER take a full night sleep for granted
***
Being a mom is the most challenging job in the world when you are doing it right
***

Sometimes a rock found on the road can be the most precious gem - take time to see the magic in all things
***

Cookies are meant to be dunked in milk
***
The early morning drive to school is always better with a little dancing in the car
***
It's GOOD to be silly and not take everything so seriously
***

You are the best thing that has ever happened us.
We continue to be amazed by you every day.

Thank you for teaching me so many things.

Love, Mommy

Our Big Girl

It's happening...Marie is getting older.

We have purchased a potty chair, a bike, a toddler bed, and now we have officially gotten rid of the pacifier.
We needed a little help with that last item as
Marie was VERY attached to it.
(and so were mommy & daddy)

So, we decided to have Hudson give us a hand. Marie helped me package up the pacifiers so we could give them to Hudson because he is a baby and she is a big girl now. In return, Hudson gave Marie a nice new cuddly puppy named Kirby. So far it hasn't been as bad as Andy & I thought. She is making the transition nicely and we are very glad that we have pulled the plug out!
We also got to spend a great day with Eddie, Jess, & Hudson on Saturday. Marie continues to be in love with that little boy. She is always wanting her turn to hold him and give him big kisses and hugs.

We tried to get a few shots of the moms with our kiddos...but someone's daughter wasn't being as cooperative as she could have:

Thanks for visiting Dickes family! We had a great time!

P.S. Our good friends, Bryant & Molly Van Meeteren, are the proud parents of a baby girl!

Piper Quinn
5/1/2011

Congratulations Bryant and Molly!
Marie is excited to have another friend to cuddle!