Top 10 Things To Do On A Cold Winter's Day

It's been pretty cold around here and we've been spending a lot of time inside. (OK. Too much time inside.) What do we do all day to keep ourselves from going stir-crazy? Well, I'll show you.

10. Read the paper with dad.


9. Play in the sink.


8. Make pizza.


7. Have tummy time.


6. Build a tower.


5. Play "So Big".


4. Wash all of the toy trucks (and Eli's mouth too).


3. Sit in a box.


2. Laugh.


And the top thing to do on a cold winter's day...

1. Bundle up and go outside anyways!!

The Greatest Kids In the World

I have to admit that I have been blessed with two great kids. They make me smile, laugh, think, and enjoy life. What great gifts!



We got the snow I requested so we took Eli and Sadie out to enjoy the simple pleasure of sledding. Sadie is nestled in my coat and Eli was enjoying the ride.


Eli's big grin.


Eli's favorite past time--reading!

Just Sadie

Growing up, I hated the fact that my brother is in almost every picture of me and that he had twice as many baby pictures. Now that I'm a mom of two I know why this is. First, you're too busy to think of taking pictures of every 'first." Second, you still love your first baby so you still want to take pictures of them. Third, your first baby just scoots his butt into every picture no matter if you want them to or not. I don't want Sadie to feel like I love Eli more so here are just a few of Sadie. She'll be 3 months on Sunday!!

Sadie lifting weights so she can protect herself from Eli.


Getting stronger at tummy time.


What an angel.

Brother and Sister

Eli insists on having Sadie do everything that he does or wants to do everything that she is doing. It's really quite sweet. Here are a few pictures of them enjoying each other's company.

Taking a bath together has become a nightly ritual. Sadie and Eli both LOVE it.


Tickle, tickle. Playing with boxes.


Fun in the baby gym.

More From ND: Hanging With Grandpas

Grandpa Zeman with Sadie and Eli. Dennis and I got to go out several times alone while grandma and grandpa babysat. Everytime we came home, Sadie was snuggled in grandpa's arms sleeping and grandpa was sleeping too. They must have really enjoyed each others company!


Grandpa and Grandma Sperle have about 100 stuffed cows that Eli just adored. His favorite game was "bring cows to grandpa". I think they played it allday, everyday we were there.

A Few Pictures From Christmas

We were very busy over the holidays and found every minute enjoyable. Eli was so excited to meet all of his cousins again and maybe felt a little overwhelmed by how many there are. We spent Christmas Eve in Napoleon with Grandma and Grandpa Sperle, then we got up early the next morning and drove to Fargo to spend Christmas day with Grandma and Grandpa Zeman. We ate too much, laughed a lot and watched as Eli took in all the pleasures of Christmas and family.

A Christmas kiss.


Sadie's sweet smile and silly hat.


The careful tearing open of presents. Eli was a little slow for me as he wanted to take off every little piece of paper and I just can't wait to see what's inside!! (I've had this problem my whole life.)

Sadie's Baptism

While in ND we had Sadie's baptism in Napoleon. Sadie looked beautiful all dressed in white. And, like her brother, didn't make a peep when the priest poured water on her head. Her Godparents are Dennis' brother, Greg, and my best friend, Mia, but Mia couln't be there so Dennis' sister, Terri, filled in and did a great job. When the priest was pouring water over Sadie, Eli leaned in, pointed at Sadie and really loud said, "Ha,Ha".

Sadie, family, and Godparents.


Getting dried off.





Sadie in her first of many dresses that cost too much and that she'll only wear once, but are worth every penny.

To Tide You Over

Happy New Year!!! I'll post more pictures when I get caught up with my long list of things to do, but until then, enjoy these!

A Visit With Santa

You can tell by this picture that Eli did not enjoy his visit with Santa and that Sadie couldn't have cared less who was holding her. Oh well. It was a fun time anyways.

The 100th Post

This is my 100th post on the Eli and Baby Sadie Blog. I have posted about 2 births, baths, sitting, walking, eating, falling, family, vacations and more. That means, you have read a lot about my children and you probably know more than you need to know. Thanks for tuning in every week to watch my children grow. It's been an exciting run! And, I'm sure, the best is yet to come.

Now, for the pictures.

I took pictures of Sadie's first bath, but they weren't very cheerful. She hated every moment of it and screamed her head off. I realize now that she likes the water really, really warm (like Eli) and is perfectly content to sit for long periods of time as long as the water is warm enough. So, these pictures are from her 8th? bath.



Last Thursday it snowed in Columbus. It doesn't snow in Columbus very often so Eli doesn't have the opporunity to enjoy snow as much as he would like to or as much as I would like him to. It snowed several times last year, but he was oblivious to the fact that white flakes were falling from the sky. So, when it snowed Eli and I went out in our jammies and played in the snow. When he touched it, he said "Oooooo". I think that about says it all.



Eli got this very cool sled as a gift and this is the first time he got to use it. As you can see, the snow is already melting. It was gone about an hour later.

The Many Faces of Sadie

Finally! We've had some camera difficulties around here so I'm just getting some pictures posted. Sadie looks sort of washed out in these pictures, but such is life with flash. These are the best ones. I can't believe she's already 6 weeks old and almost 11 pounds! She's starting to smile, follow people and objects and knows my voice. She's also pretty tolerant of Eli.






Eli fell down our front porch steps on Sunday. He fell so hard his head bounced off the cement. It must have looked worse than it was because he only cried a minute.

Christmas Is In the Air

We're getting ready for Christmas at the Sperles. I can't believe it's less than a month away. We'll be heading north again to see all of our family! I can't wait for them to meet Sadie and see Eli.

Sadie reading with dad.


Decorating the Christmas Tree. Yes, it's small and fake, but our small apartment is already too crowded to have a large tree.


Ho! Ho! Ho! Eli is a Santa in training. He already has the rosy cheeks and round belly.


Wildlights at the zoo. They were so beautiful and the weather was just perfect. If only we could have done something about the crowds. Sadie is in this picture. She's nestled inside daddy's coat!

Settling In

We are settling into our new schedule with our new family member. Grandma left about a week ago and I am getting used to getting both kids ready and out the door in attempt to arrive at our destination on time. The house is in constant disarray, but who am I fooling? It has always been a mess and now I have a really good excuse!

Dog pile on mom.


Sadie covering her ears. It's a wonder she gets any sleep at all.


Eli imitating dad and feeding his baby. The baby also gets rides in the swing, bouncy seat and car seat and MUST be swaddled or there is a big "uh-oh".


Eli enjoying his view from inside the dryer.