Another Trip To Cincinnati

Dennis is on spring break this week. This is the first time since we've been married that we haven't done anything exciting over spring break. I feel like we're letting the kids down somehow. But, Eli has just settled into his sleep schedule again after being off for awhile (he was getting up really, really early!) and Sadie is sleeping very well in her crib for most of the night and we decided we just didn't want to have to start all over again with the sleep training and decided to not do any over-night trips. We thought it would be fun to spend the day in Cincinnati going to the aquarium and children's museum again as Eli loved them both the first time we went.

Eli loves to sleep in the car.


Sadie, not so much. (At least she's past her scream-bloody-murder-every- time-we're-in-the- car stage!)


Eli enjoyed the aquarium, fish, bubbles, sharks and penguins. But it was very dark and he was a little scared of that. He didn't want to sit still as he always wanted to see the next thing that was around the corner. Although, he had to go through the shark tunnel twice!


Sadie was pretty fascinated too.


Look at the teeth on that shark!


There was too much to see and do at the children's museum. He loved every minute of the whole thing and I must have been too busy chasing him down as this is the only picture I took while we were there!

Sadie Went Swimming

We went swimming this weekend and decided that Sadie was old enough to join us. She was a little shocked at first, but she ended up having a great time.

Brother and Sister Hanging Out

It's been pretty uneventful around here, but here's some highlights:

• Eli and I were sick for a couple of days last week, which was difficult on all of us. Luckily, I have a wonderful friend who took the kids and risked her family's health so I could be sick in peace and so Dennis could take a test.
• Finals are next week, so Dennis is busy studying. And that means that spring break is coming up. I don't think we're going to do anything too spectacular this year. We finally got Sadie sleeping decent in her own crib and I'd hate to throw all of our hardwork out the window. Although, a fun trip to North Carolina would be nice.
• Both kids had drs. appts. and are healthy and growing. Sadie's weight is in the 80th percentile while Eli's is only in the 5th. Eli better hurry up and grow or Sadie will be outweighing him really soon! Eli, if you haven't noticed, has his father's figure and appetite!
• We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Grandma and Grandpa Zeman in a couple of weeks. They are going to stay for several weeks and (I'm sure) spoil the grandkids rotten.

Sadie laughing at her silly, silly brother.


Eli reading to Sadie.


Going for a walk in the double stroller.


A piggy-back ride.

Sadie In A Dress, Saying "Cheese!", and More

I realized this weekend that I never put Sadie in a dress. In fact, the only dress she has ever worn was her baptism dress. She looks really cute in dresses too. I might have to put her in them more often.

Eli has learned to say "cheese" with a really cheesy grin in his face whenever I have the camera out. I don't know if I'm going to get a normal smile out of him ever again.

Ahhhh... A tender moment.

Aunt Pat came to visit and I snuck in a few shots of her and Sadie. We all love when Aunt Pat comes to visit because she is really good at playing with babies. And she watched the kids so Dennis and I could go to a hockey game. Nice!

Wow! I think Eli looks just like his Grandma Zeman in this picture. Too cute. Oh, and this is how I know he's tired: He lays on the floor and plays with his cars.

Sadie is already a good reader.

Auntie Mia Came To Visit!!!!

Guess where we went? You got it, the zoo! (Note to all future and returning visitors: we like to go to the zoo. If you come to see us, we WILL take you to the zoo for free!!!) It was sort of cold, but not bad. If we lived in ND (or Alaska), we probably would've worn shorts and t-shirts, but when you leave ND your ability to tolerate cold leaves quickly. There are plenty of indoor exhibits (elephants/rhinos, aquarium, reptiles, gorillas and manatees) to keep us busy for several hours and there were hardly any people (we got to park really close). I can't think of a better way to spend Eli's half-birthday (yes, Eli's already a year and a half) and Dennis' (35th!) birthday. And then Thai take-out afterwards. Yum!! And Dennis beat Mia and me really good at trivial pursuit. Now I remember why I hate playing trivia with Dennis.


The kids had such a great time with "My" as Eli called her. And I loved having her around too. She just knew what to do and did it without me having to ask. It was like having my own personal nanny. It was great. We were all spoiled except Mia who had to sleep on the couch and get up when Eli and/or Sadie got up! She was a great sport.


Eli loved having "My's" attention the whole time and kept her entertained by reading to her, dancing for her, playing catch with her, etc. And she happily played along. We miss her already. We all hope she comes back soon.

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!