10 Months and Counting

Happy 10 month birthday, Marie! You are growing so quickly. Here are some of the things you are doing now:
- trying to walk by yourself and while holding onto the couch, toys, and anyone who walks by
- Trying to feed yourself with your spoon
- Talking with many new sounds
- Playing games with Daddy & Mommy
- Jumping on Charlie
- Giving kisses and hugs
- Waving 'hi' and 'goodbye'
- Playing in the grass and sandbox at school
- Looking at books all by yourself and 'reading' them, too!

This past weekend Grandma Nel came to visit. Marie was very anxious so she waited until way past her bedtime so she could see Grandma before she went to sleep for the night. It was very cute to see her try and make Grandma laugh...Marie is definitely one to play to the crowd. We were lucky to have nice weather over the weekend so we made the most of it. We went for walks, shopping, and even to the duck pond. Marie was so excited when she saw the ducks and geese walking and swimming around her. She kept waving her hands and laughing...until Mommy decided to get a little too close to one of the geese. We tried to inch our way closer with our bread and one of the geese gave us a little warning to not come any closer. Marie noticed that the mood had changed and was ready to be done with those birds!

walking with Grandma at the pond

I know this is a sad little picture, but in a strange way - it's cute. She had been so good and had so much fun all day.
This is what overly tired looks like!

Easter Fun

Unfortunately we couldn't make it home for Easter. Andy had a class all day on Saturday so we stayed in Des Moines for our own little Easter. We enjoyed a nice day at home and a delicious dinner with some good friends.

Marie officially has her front teeth! They are making their way down and she is trying to grind them together...sounds terrible!
With those new teeth, she is enjoying trying all sorts of new foods. Marie is also wanting to feed herself with her spoon...let's just say it's a work in progress....

Trip to Peoria

This past weekend we said goodbye to Charlie, loaded up everything but the kitchen sink, and drove to Peoria, Illinois to visit Bryant & Molly. This trip was long overdue, but worth the wait.

Marie with her "Baa." Thank you Bryant and Molly!

We all had a great time enjoying a lot of firsts: Marie's first french fries, Marie & Andy's first time in Illinois (minus the airport), Kelly's first time doing Wii Fit Yoga poses, and our first time in a long time staying up past midnight with friends and not a sick baby - much more enjoyable. Thanks for all the fun!

Signs of Spring

Ahhhh Spring. Don't get me wrong, we really enjoy winter. We like the freshly fallen snow, sledding, hot chocolate, etc., but there is a time and place for that. This week was the perfect week for Spring to arrive. Marie has yet another ear infection along with a fever, cold/cough and mattered eyes. (ENT appointment in April) So, Andy & I have been juggling our time with Marie and school making a very interesting week. On Wednesday afternoon, the kids and I decided to soak in some Vitamin D and enjoy the fresh air. It was just what we all needed.

Charlie is the only one who could get Marie to really smile this week.
He was very patient with her.

What a good buddy - enjoying his time in the sun.I wanted her to look at me but the tree was much more interesting.

Happy 9 month Birthday, Marie!

4 days old

2 months old

9 months old

It's hard to believe, but our Marie Beth is 9 months old already! She is so busy and already has a sense of humor. She is such a blessing to us.
Happy Birthday Marie!

Another weekend at home

We didn't have much planned for this weekend. Andy has tests this week, I have conferences and a class, and Marie must have had a busy week at daycare because this is what she was doing on Friday afternoon:

So tired we didn't even wait for the coat and hat to come off. She is also going through yet another ear infection.
The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful, but busy all the same...Cute outfit from Aunt Mindy - I couldn't believe Marie was wearing a skirt.

Marie 'reading' her magazine. Which seems to be tasty, too!

I don't know why she looks so scared in this picture, but we really were having fun crawling around the floor together.

Marie was enjoying crawling around Andy's feet and the table & chairs.

Another magazine moment.

Pheasants, puppies, flu, teeth....oh my!

This past weekend definitely had its ups and downs. It started on an "up." On Friday night, Andy & I took Marie to Pheasant Fest to see all the puppies and hunting dogs. I know, an entire Fest dedicated to Pheasants? You better believe it. We knew she liked dogs, but this was just ridiculous. Dogs of all ages were there to try to eat her cereal out of her stroller and of course give kisses. Another "up" - Grandpa & Grandma Mueting and Chris, Mindy, Alissa, & Abby came to visit us! No matter how much we try, Andy & I will never get Marie to laugh as hard as these two girls make her laugh. They just smile at her and she cracks up.

Ok, our "down" - Andy & I got sick on Saturday morning and couldn't enjoy our visitors. After only a little time together, our visitors left so we could recover. Not how we planned our weekend to go, but what do you do. Grandpa & Grandma Mueting stuck around and took Marie for awhile so Andy & I could rest.

"Up" - Marie got her 2nd tooth!
Plus, she is getting pretty good at playing "sooo big" - thanks Grandma Nel