The Sieverts visit!

This weekend Bret, Stacy, and Camryn came up to visit.  We haven't seen them since Thanksgiving, so we were glad to have the opportunity to catch up!  It was especially fun this time, as Nolan is getting older and he and Cam are really enjoying playing together.  They spent a lot of their time together this weekend playing games together, or playing pretend, or on someones' phone...  It was really fun to watch them interact.

We went out to dinner at Holiday Acres on Friday night.  Nolan just LOVES to go there, so it was a real treat for him.  He loves to order corndogs and lemonade, and always has to eat some of Mommy's mac and cheese from the buffet.

On Saturday evening, the Ory crew came to our house for pizza.  Camryn really was enamored with Olivia and helped with her bath.  She got to hold her and liked to ask questions about her.  It was very sweet.

I stumbled upon this picture from last year in March when the came to visit.  It's amazing how much they grow and mature in a year!

Nolan and Camryn, March 2015

Nolan and Camryn, March 2016

Taste of Spring!

Today was such a beautiful day - 55 degrees and sunny - and the kids, Miles, and I went out for our first walk to Hodag Park.  This was the first time Nolan had to walk himself instead of being pushed in the stroller, and I was unsure of how I was going to do navigating him, Miles, and pushing Livi.  Miles was such a good boy - so patient and well mannered, staying right beside the stroller.  Nolan helped to push Livi and listened SO well about staying close and watching for cars.  I was proud of all of us!

Even though everyone was well behaved, it was still hard to get a picture of a squirmy dog, infant, and 3 year old old!

Livi was a good sport and remained smiley through the whole walk.  She's such a good girl.

I was really proud of Nolan because he made a new friend at the park and was really sweet and friendly.  I think he enjoyed the swings the most.  I was really happy about how well he listened when it was time to leave.  Transitions can be hard for him, and he obeyed right away without any fuss.  Yay, buddy!

When we got home, he thought he'd clean up the yard a little bit and put all the big sticks in a pile.  Such a good helper boy!

Catching up...!

I feel like I fell a little behind with my blog over the past few weeks.  Nolan and I both had colds and yet, the weeks just flew by.  Somehow, my little Olivia is already 7 months old, and all of sudden is starting to seem like a big girl.  She is finally eating more solids, and seems to like her veggies much more than she likes fruit.  She particularly likes carrots and squash.  She is rolling everywhere and can seriously cover some ground.  Baby-proofing things will be just around the corner!  She is still an adorable thumb sucker, still adores her big brother, and is still a mama's girl.  Last night, she slept in her own crib in the nursery for the first time and did a nice 5 hour stretch.  Her top two teeth have just poked through so she's finally sleeping better after a couple weeks of frequent waking.

Nolan is maturing in so many ways and I'm so proud of what a kind, sensitive, and funny boy he is.  He continues to be a very caring and loving big brother to Olivia and is enjoying the interaction he gets back from her now that she is older.  He's tried a lot of new things lately - Little Movers at the Y, and T-ball, and has been really brave with trying these new things.  We also started a sticker reward chart to work on some good behaviors - trying new foods, staying in his chair at mealtime, staying calm when frustrated, listening to mommy and daddy, and picking up his toys.  He filled up his sticker chart within a few days - his reward for that is a trip to the Dollar Store to pick out a balloon.  

Nolan has enjoyed building blanket forts lately, and insists that Olivia join him.  He'll bring all her toys in there too, so she has stuff to play with.  She certainly doesn't seem to mind... ;)

Livi is really getting a kick out of seeing herself in the mirror lately and is really entertained by making all sorts of silly faces.  She is definitely expressive, not unlike her brother.

And as for our spotted baby...he continues to be so gentle with both of the kids.  It's so nice to be able to trust him to be so careful.  It's like Livi is his own puppy.  He's been able to be outside more as we've had some nicer weather - can't believe it's been almost 2 years since we brought him home.  In some ways it has zipped by and in others it feels like he's been here much longer.

More to come in the next couple weeks - We have some fun things planned with the kids and spring is right around the corner!

Puppy see, Puppy do

Miles continues to be such a gentle and good natured guy with our kiddos, but we get such a kick out of how he lays on his back with his feet up in the air, almost like he's imitating Olivia.  Oh well...puppy see, puppy do! :)

Nursery Re-do

At the beginning of February, Rhinelander got a Hobby Lobby.  This might not seem like a big deal to most, but for a crafter like me to finally have a craft store that's not an hour away is amazing!  When I went there the first time, there were so many adorable things and great fabrics, that I just couldn't resist doing a little nursery decor update for Livi.  

It was really fun to start sewing again - I haven't done much in the past year, but I could tell how much I've improved since I first started around when Nolan was born.  The things that felt so clumsy early on, like pinning, keeping the tension right, threading the machine, etc. felt like second nature and I was really proud with how the curtains turned out.  I finished them in two afternoons and did the pennant banner out of coordinating fabrics as well.

I still want to make a crib skirt and do a few more updates with the stuff on the walls, but it's getting there...and it was fun!

Fifty Nifty United States (an update)

A while back I had posted that I was starting to teach Nolan about the US map and wondered if he could learn the states.  Well, it didn't take him long...  I taught him this song in an evening, and by the next day he had most of it memorized.  We practiced locating all the states on the map, and this is the result....Such a smart, smart boy!

Planting seeds

Every year around this time I start to get spring fever and so I thought Nolan and I could start some seeds for our garden.  Last year I had great expectations that he and I were going to plant these seeds together and it would be a wonderful Hallmark moment...and instead I ended up with dirt everywhere, except in the planters...  It's amazing how different it was this year.  He carefully spooned the soil in, and planted some of his favorites: peas (his all time favorite!), watermelon, pumpkins, a few pepper plants for daddy, some herbs for mommy, and some marigolds.  

We already had sprouts peek through by Day 3!  It will be fun to watch with him and later plant these in our garden!  Spring is on its way!