Max and Calli's world

How time flies

2012-01-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Holy cow, it is January 2012 and my kids will be 5 in 43 days~it can't be so!!! I remember when they were born and just learning to walk and talk~now I can't get a word in or keep up with them.
We had an amazing Christmas!!! We celebrated several times with family, friends, school and church. Max got to be Joseph in their school production and Calli got to be one of the singers (which she did wonderful at~knew every single word!)

Calli had her first dance recital which she was a little reluctant to do, but she did it and is wanting to continue to dance. I love that she has finally found something that she likes instead of just doing whatever Max wants to do! She loves her teacher and is meeting new friends in her class. It is adorable watching them:)

Max "graduated" from physical therapy:) He has been working on increasing his strength in his legs and core (which we could all use a little work on after the holiday). Anyway, he continues to work on his strength, but is doing a little better with his running. He is playing basketball now (which is hilarious). He really loves it and is learning a lot about the game and how to play it. He dribbles the ball ALL THE TIME, so he is definately improving in that area! He did shoot the ball 3 times last game, unfortunately no basket:(
So, we are finally back into our routine and now focusing on planning their birthday, again, I can't believe my babies are going to be 5!

A month later...

2011-11-14T20:31:00.000-08:00

About a month has past~wow, how time flies! Halloween was great! Max was Spiderman and he teamed up with a neighbor and RAN to every house on our street. Calli was dressed as Cinderella and paired up with a neighbor and pranced around to about 10 houses total. The difference in the two are amazing~sometimes I wonder if they are even related:)
Anyway, Calli is still dancing and doing so well. She is now in the next level up and really learning some challenging steps. Max has started basketball and he LOVES it. He is really starting to pay attention to a real game too. We got to go to the UL mens basketball game yesterday and he watched the entire first half very intently.
We are talking a lot about being Thankful lately. Tonight Calli said "thank you God for my mommy, daddy, brother, school and friends"~love her sweet heart! Max said "thank you God for my mommy, daddy, sister, brother" I reminded him that he didn't have a brother and he quickly said "uh huh, Logan" which is his monkey stuffed animal:) Anyway, he also said "and thank you for my city so I don't have to sleep on the ground and I have a house". Obviously we are trying to discuss larger issues in this world~which I am trying to learn about too. Tonight our discussion was about Haiti and they were both so interested in the idea that we know someone visiting there right now. Anyway, it is a learning experience for all of us.
On a lighter note, the other day Max was getting his hair fixed (ie~mohawk) and he said "look at all this grey in my hair". He is a trip!
Lately, Calli has been talking about becoming a "animal doctor" when she gets older:) It's so cool to listen to them dream and think about what they are excited about.
Of course Christmas is coming up, which the kids think Santa is bringing them EVERYTHING. Hopefully we can continue our discussion of thankfullness and appreciate the things we have! We are putting together some items in a shoebox to mail to a child in another country. Hopefully we are able to track it to see where it lands~we'll see!
So with all that said, we are great and trying every day to be THANKFUL for all that we have!!!

Staying busy!

2011-10-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it though our tball season, or as Max would quickly correct me "Baseball season". I still didn't get any pictures, but it was a great experience! Max has started physical therapy to address an "awkward running gait". He is working really hard at building strength in his legs and stomach. He does great with his physical therapist~sometimes he has a little too much fun though:)
Calli is still dancing and is getting ready to move up to the next level. She is really excited about going each week~I hope it continues as the difficulty increases.
They are going to school 3 days a week and really loving it. They have started going to computer class on Fridays~which Max LOVES. Calli is more interested in the music class that they go to on Wednesdays. She won't sing the songs for us when we ask, but when she is playing she sings a variety of songs about Jesus and how to spell colors:) Speaking of singing, the kids have become very familiar with the top hits on the radio as my CD player is currently broken. Their favorite songs are "Moves like Jagger" by Maroon 5, "Super Bass" by Nicki Manaj and "Last Friday Night" by Katie Perry. I can't say that I approve of the lyrics or the lyrics that they think are correct, but it beats hearing screaming and fighting!!! The other day at school, Max was laying down for naptime and was being disruptive. His teacher told me she walked over to him to ask him to be quiet and she realized he was singing "moves like Jagger". She had to quickly turn away to keep from laughing before she asked him to be quiet. It seems like every week we get some kind of "Max story" home from school. They find him to be "full of personality". He also learned how to snap this week which he thinks is SO COOL.
Calli has been mostly into pretend play. She is often a vet taking care of her cat or dogwho is either having a party or has a boo boo and needs attention. She is also often playing with her babies, taking them to school or on a field trip. She has joined Max in his love for wrestling and has earned the name "pretty girl". Craig wrestles with them for about 15 minutes every night on our bed. Luckily, no major injuries have occurred~knock on wood!!!
They are dressing up as Spiderman and Cinderella for Halloween. I am learning to sew and made a treat bag for Calli. It turned out really well~at least for my first project.
We also visited the Zoo last week. It was a great day! It was cool outside so the animals were active. Also, the decorations for the Halloween Party were up, so the kids were even more entertained.

I love this pic~this is how a giraffe has to stand to get a drink. We also learned that his tongue is as long as the kids arm~They thought that was AWESOME!

These pictures are from a farm that we went to last weekend. It was another great day~animals to feed, hay mazes, pumpkin bowling, horse rides, hay rides and of course snacks!!!

Oh, and I almost forgot. We weighed the kids the other day. Max weighs 51 lb and Calli 37.6! No wonder I can't pick him up anymore:(

Fall is here!

2011-10-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

So Max has started t-ball, but unfortunately I don't have any pictures yet. Craig is coaching and I am the "helper", so I haven't had a lot of down time to take pictures during the game. Managing a dugout full of 12 four year olds is INTERESTING!!! Max is doing great though. This is actually coach pitch, which means you get 3 pitches to hit and if you don't hit then you use the tee. So far he has only needed the tee one time. He is very motivated about not using the tee:) He still has the infamous Max run, which has now become a source of entertainment for the teachers at school. They tell me he is the highlight of the recess time. Oddly enough, Craig and I have been informed that his run may be due to weakness. He did have a weird injury a year or two ago, but an x-ray revealed no broken bones so it was ignored. Now, I am starting to wonder if his run is due to compensation from that injury. I am going to try to arange a PT eval soon, so hopefully we can work out some kinks on good o Max's run:)))
Calli is still dancing and is doing a great job!!! She LOVES her teacher and listens very well in class. One day she got a "great listener" sticker, which has been the highlight of her dance "career". I am trying to prepare her for a recital in December. Anyone that knows Calli knows that she is very shy, so I want her to be fully informed that she is expected to dance in front of people. We will see how that goes!
School is going great! Both kids love their teachers. They are learning songs to remember how to spell color words, which is sometimes a topic of arguement in the car. It seems that different teachers teach different lyrics, OR my kids are just thinking they do. So there is often a discussion about how you are supposed to sing the songs. Max has gotten to be the "Star Student" during the month of September. He has enjoyed being the helper for the teaching including vacuuming the classroom (I wonder if I can create a star student at home that can learn how to vacuum?)
They have both started participating in the children's choir at their school AND we are doing Sunday school at St. Gabriel (which I am teaching as well).
So to wrap it up we have been really busy lately!!!!

So now that Fall is here, we went to a farm in Shelbyville to pick pumpkins. It turned out to be a great day! We enjoyed a hayride to the pumpkin patch, face painting, climbing on hay bails and of course snacks. Here are a few pics....

One more busy week!

2011-09-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

Max and Calli started 4 year old preschool this past week. They are in different classes and both love their teachers! I am excited to hear about all of the things they are going to learn and do this year!

First day of school

Calli and Boo at dance class

Max and Calli got to visit the Halloween store with Boo while we were at the rehearsal dinner. They thought it was so cool and a little bit scary. This is how Max greeted me the next morning~he thought he was so scary!

Craig was in a friend's wedding and Max and Calli got to go (which may have been the first actual mass that they attended). Max thought it was "unfair" that he didn't get to go on the alter with Craig. He also asked if "daddy was going to marry that girl" (the girl he walked down the aisle). At the reception, Max danced his shoes off with an 11 year old that he thought was so cool. Calli had a blast too, mostly because she caught the boquet (thanks to a friend's daughter).

Then we went to an MS fundraiser where we won a toy basket full of stuff! Max said we would win it and low and behold we did! It has been a great source of entertainment since then.

We have another busy week with tball starting (2 rain outs last week) and another wedding this weekend. More to come.....

Labor Day weekend

2011-09-05T18:00:00.000-07:00

Max and Calli at the Aquarium

We just returned from a very fun filled weekend at Pigeon Forge. We went with a friend Kristi and her husband Wade and two girls (Annie Lynn and Kendle). We had a great time! We stayed in a cabin that had an awesome view of the mountains and a few attractions for the kids (hot tub and pool table). We visited the town for go-carts, bumper boats, putt putt, rides and of course good food. Those kids sure are full of energy!!!

We also got to go up to Gatlinburg to go to the Aquarium. Max was initially a little scared as he thought the sharks could "get him", but once he had confidence in the glass, he was all for it! This was our first trip to an aquarium, so it was a cool experience for all of us!!!

We had a small malfunction with the storm that came through (lost power for about an hour), but thankfully the power returned and we didn't have to "rough it". It was a great weekend~love making memories with our family and friends!

Max took this picture of us at the Aquarium

Hot tub fun!!!

Racing go-carts

Fun boat ride

Who needs a ride when you have a fun daddy?

This ball landed on the top of this hill~he thought he had skills!

WOW, what a week!

2011-08-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

We haven't started back to school yet (their preschool starts after Labor Day), but we have had one very eventful week!!! Calli started Dance this week at All About Kids. It is a mix of ballet and tap. She did awesome!!! This is the first thing, aside from school, that she has done without Max. She went right into the class and participated very well. She is very excited about wearing her outfit and shoes (as is Max, but he only wears the shoes).

We also got to go to the zoo this week. Max insisted on wearing his new cape and mask, and I didn't feel like arguing. We had to stop at Dillards for Craig, and everyone that saw him told him how awesome he was (like he needed the ego boost:). Anyway, the zoo was hot and short lived, looking forward to the weather cooling down just a little so we can do some more outdoor activities.

So, another event we have coming up is Danny and Bethany's wedding. Craig is in the wedding, so of course he will be a little more dressed up than usual, so I took it as an opportunity to get a family picture with us all dressed up. I found this suit for Max and he initially resisted wearing it, but then when he saw how handsome he was, he starting doing all kinds of different poses~HA! Calli has a cute dress that has a matching doll dress~which she is soooo into right now:)

And last but not least, we went to the fair today (our Hanke tradition). It turned out to be a great day! A little hot when we watched the dog show, but other than that pretty good. We all ate junk and the kids had a ball. Chloe and Calli were inseperable as well as Max and Will. The hit of the day was a free bouncy foam ball~go figure. I was excited to buy a template to make hairbows for Calli~I am sure Craig was thrilled too since he already thinks her hairbow collection is rediculous. Anyway, here a few pics from our day at the fair...

catchin up

2011-08-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

So doing a post a day is really hard, so it may be more of a weekly summary of our busy world! We are wrapping up the summer before school starts~their school doesn't start until after Labor Day. We went to Holiday World yesterday and had a blast! Max was quite the thrill seeker and wanted to ride the "big and fast rides". Calli was very excited about the water park and the kiddy roller coaster that they got to ride all by theirself.

Their first solo roller coaster

After their first BIG roller coaster

August 9, 2011

2011-08-09T18:51:00.000-07:00

#3
We have spent a lot of time at the pool this summer. The initial thrill was jumping off of the diving board. Max named a few of his own jumps like the "carrot crusher" and the "gargelin smasher". Calli was just thrilled to jump off onto her knees or an occasional pencil. Now the thrill has moved to swimming without their floaties. They are both able to swim about half the width of the pool now. Max really has found an interest in diving for toys and Calli just likes to play with her toys. Here is a video of them learning to swim without their floaties.

August 8, 2011

2011-08-08T17:08:00.000-07:00

Max got to go to wrestling when it was at the YUM center, which he thought was "really cool". He has since been "Randy Orton" and "takes down Cane" every day now. Thankfully he has moved from wrestling Calli to wrestling a body pillow. Craig has to introduce them both for a wrestling match every day; Calli is a 32 pound "lovely Calli Brooke with baby". She has a unique move where she takes down a bad guy with her baby. Max is "47 pounds of solid muscle" and is perfecting his "butt drop", "power slam" a "clothes line", "pirate slam" and the "gasser".

A new year!

2011-08-07T19:45:00.000-07:00

So a friend's post inspired me to attempt a post a day for 365 days. Oddly enough, by last post was just a little more than one year ago today. So here it goes....

#1 August 7, 2011
Max and Calli have attended "Music Week" at their school and tonight was their concert. They were in the front row and sang every word to every song (and there were 9 songs). They followed directions and acted like such well behaved little angels. Craig and I were so proud of them!

So just to catch up on some highlights since the last post in Aug 2010. The kids are now 4 and are so big, they think they can do anything!!! They are preparing to start 4 year old preschool in the fall 3 days a week. They are both swimming short distances without any floaties, which makes mommy really nervous. Max likes to dive for toys and Calli likes to play with her princess' and dogs. Max got his tonsils and adenoids out in May. He had a good recovery and has been well ever since!!! We went to Destin for Spring Break with the Hanke's and had a great time. Max and Will (cousin) got to play t-ball on the same team~The Rays. They both did really well at learning the game. Looking forward to fall ball which is right around the corner. Calli wasn't interested in tball, so she was given some choices of activities and has chosen dance. She went to a "practice" session to make sure she really would do it. She did awesome. She went right into the class and did everything the teacher said. Since she has dressed in her dance dress and shoes just about every day. Max wants to dance too, but for now, he only gets to dance at home. I want Calli to have her opportunity to do something that she wants to do without her big brother to be her comfort item. Well, I'm sure I forgot something, but don't worry, there will be more to come!!!

The Beach

2010-08-04T06:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Panama City Beach at the end of May. Fortunately we made it there before the oil did. The beach was beautiful! The water was calm. We had a blast. Thank you Kristi and Wade for such a great week!

catching up!

2010-08-04T05:52:00.001-07:00

We went to Magic Kingdom at the beginning of June. We had an action packed day, but enjoyed every minute of it! We got to meet some of our favorite characters and ride our very first roller coaster! It was so much fun, we can't wait to go back and stay longer than one day:)

They love the pool. They are swimming with floaties on their arm/chest, but making small strides to swimming without:)

Max swinging his new golf clubs

The family at a cousin's wedding

What's going on lately...

2009-04-29T18:06:00.000-07:00

Calli's hair is finally getting longer in the back

Max got a big boy hair cut

Pushing the stroller at the Parade preview

What a HAM

Playing in the playground at a party

Playing at they playground at a party (check out his shoes)

So proud of the dollar he got in his Easter Egg

Proud of her dollar that she got in her easter egg

Grammie and Papa at Easter

Dying easter eggs with Mommy

And Daddy

Easter Egg hunt with the Twins Group, very excited about the stickers

Easter Egg hunt with the Twins Group

Circus in IN with the Hanke's

Our new back yard

Yes, It has been a LONG time since I have updated this blog!!! My sister is on my case, so I thought I would post some recent pictures. We have had so much going on... We bought a new house and moved the same weekend Max and Calli turned 2. We were able to celebrate their party the weekend before at my mom and dad's house and it was great! We moved the following weekend and we are just about settled a month later:) We still live in Fern Creek, just a little bigger home (basement). Max and Calli got their own rooms and they love it! They each got a fish for their b-day and named them Nemo and Dori (they were on a Finding Nemo kick for a while). They are getting so big and doing so many fun things! It is more fun to take them places now that they can understand a little of what's going on. We have done a circus in IN, Easter Egg Hunts, Parade preview, zoo, mall, Barnes n Noble, Gymnastics, and of course our trips to Target! I am looking forward to the summer to do more things. They actually got to swim this past weekend. Max did great, no fear at all. Calli was hesitant, but that might have been because it was freezing cold! We'll see how they do in the pool with some floaties on! They tell me every night in the bath that they are "wimming" by kicking their legs and moving their arms (which you could imagine the amount of water that is on my floor with two of them).

Craig has become a little more spirited about events:) He dyed easter eggs with us and is planning to go to the Derby Parade on Thursday. Of course Max and Calli love every minute of when Craig is home. Lately they will ask "Daddy home in morning" because they are looking forward to spending time with him:)

I also posted a picture of their hair. Max just got a big boy hair cut today and he did so well. He sat perfectly still and even let her use the clippers! He says "Max good boy" and "Max big boy". He is his own biggest fan:) Calli's hair is really starting to grow. Our signature hair style is pig tails (that's the only thing that looks right because she doesn't have much hair on the sides). She asks for "two ponies" for pig tails. Usually Max will ask for "two ponies" too, but we tell him boys don't wear ponies, they wear hats (of course he goes to a party this past weekend and a man was wearing a ponytail).

So that's it, we are busy and loving every minute! We say a prayer every night and at the end we say "Thank you God for" and Max says "food" and sometimes he names people. Calli usually sticks with her favorites "Grammie & Papa and Nana & Papaw". I am so shocked at how big they are, but also looking forward to watching them grow!!!

2009-01-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

It has taken me about 4 weeks to get Calli to try this skirt on! She has refused every time, I have even bribed her and used peer pressure (Max, picture below). I wanted her to wear this skirt for her b-day pictures/party

Enjoying the snow of 2009. They wanted to eat it and stomp their boots in it.

Calli in time out:) She wouldn't stop pulling toilet paper off the roll. Look at her cute "no butt"

Winter hats Grammie got at St. James Art Fair

Calli sneaking a kiss to Elmo (her cousin's gift)

Family picture at Christmas 2008

I have been very busy with the kids, job and selling our house. We finally sold our house and just this week signed a contract on a new house:) We are scheduled to move Feb 20th, which has made Max and Calli's b-day party a little hectic to plan. They are so excited about moving into a house with steps and a slide!

It is unbelievable that they are almost two years old! They are so big and becoming so independent. Sometimes in ways I don't want them to be, but I am trying to appreciate that strength.

Max is having his right ear tube replaced tomorrow, but other than that we have had a great couple of months. Christmas was wonderful! They were so much fun to watch. They loved everything they got. Our house looks like a Toys R Us showroom (hence the move), but it is well worth watching them learn. They are talking up a storm, almost everything out of their mouth is 2 word phrases and sometimes more. Max is very articulate and thinks he is the boss. He walks around telling "Brookie" (that's what he calls Calli) "no no Brookie". Calli talks a lot, but sometimes you don't know what she is saying. She has A LOT to say! She loves to sing and almost has her ABC's down. She sings ABC's, Happy Birthday, Frosty the Snowman, Itsy Bitsy Spider and Twinkle Twinkle. They love to cook and to help out in any way possible. They are both showing interest in the potty. Max is going #2 about 75% of the time. Calli is asking to go potty, but has only completed the transaction about 3-4 times. Today she did and she was so proud of herself!

I'm sure there is more to comment on, but I am a little crazy from being in this house for the past 2 days. More to come...

2008-11-26T11:41:00.000-08:00

Calli and Mommy helping with Thanksgiving dinner

The first Christmas decoration (fiberoptic), they loved it!

Dressed warm to play outside

Playing at Incredible Daves

Painting a turkey, thank God for non-toxic paint!!

Believe it or not, he LOVED painting, he was mad because I wouldn't let him have the paint bottle:(

This is a quick post to say hello and to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for! I want to share a few things that come to mind on a daily basis (in no order of significance): Health-our family has been very healthy this year and the mild illnesses that we have had have been quick to pass. The babies both had surgery (ear tubes) with no complications! Job-Craig and I are able to work our schedules to allow for time together as a family as well as time alone with the babies. Our jobs have been able to provide us with our lifestyle and we are so thankful! Friends: without friends and family we would be Very stressed! I am thankful for ALL of the people who are active in my children's lives. They know they are loved and that is priceless! I am personally thankful for my husband! He is a wonderful man to me and an even better man to his children. He is very dedicated and loyal and that is just one of the things I love him for! Freedom: We still have so many people in the war over seas and it sadens me to think of all of the families that are separated due to this.

I hope everyone feels as blessed as I do on this Thanksgiving!!!

2008-11-07T19:20:00.000-08:00

They had to wear their rain boots one day

Halloween night-Craig's first Halloween in YEARS!

Max enjoying a Kit Kat

Calli enjoying a Kit Kat

Max enjoying a sucker

Calli enjoying a sucker

The grouchy ladybug and the happy spider

Well, Halloween is finally over! Calli dressed up as a Ladybug and Max dressed up as a Spider. They ENJOYED their candy (a little too much). Max would even ask for it just before going to bed "de". That was a fun habit to break:) Since I have taken down the decorations they walk around the house looking for the cat and pumpkins. We did get to enjoy all of the great weather lately. They love going to the park and walking through the leaves. We also have been going for walks around the neighborhood, which is just interesting (my neighbors think I am crazy!). They both wear their backpack leashes and we all walk. Unfortunately, they don't walk at the same pace, so I usually just play tug of war between the two of them. Now that it is getting dark sooner, they are really into the moon and rars (stars). When the moon can not be seen they say it is sleeping:)

They are really getting big! They have thoughts of their own and aren't afraid to share them. They are both becoming more demanding as far as what they want to drink or books they want to read. Max is really talking a lot. He can say just about any word you say (sometimes even the bad ones:( ) Calli is trying to talk, but is just a little too busy. She is my climber and jabber jaws. She really LOVES shoes lately, which is too funny to me because that is such a girl thing. Max is saying his name really well and he lets you know when "max" wants to do something.

This Christmas is going to be so much fun! If we don't sell our house we may have to sell our furniture just to make room for all the STUFF.

2008-10-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Night out for our 5th Anniversary

Calli loves to dress up like Abby from Sesame Street

Go CATS!

Tailgating with Aunt Sam

Calli wearing a new hair style

Halloween Party at Cardinal Hill's childcare (Aunt Lauren's work)

Calli is starting to get enough hair to put in a barette, but she takes them out and they disappear-she may eat them, who knows?

Everyone is still doing well! We STILL have our house up for sale with no hope of selling it this year. I think we have both come to terms that we may live here longer than expected. We'll see, maybe we could let Toys R Us use our house as a showroom:)

Max is talking up a storm! He will say just about anything you tell him to. Unfortunately, he has started to repeat words not intended for him to repeat:( Calli is talking a lot, but only she knows what she is saying. She skipped the whole one word thing and has moved straight to sentences. Unfortunately, no one else on this planet speaks "Calli", so we both end up frustrated when she tries to tell you something.

Craig and I have been taking the babies to an open gym at a gymnastics facility. We go there on Wed mornings which allows for us to have some good quality time together as well as an opportunity for the babies to burn off some steam. She really likes to jump on the trampoline and is starting to jump with both feet leaving the surface. He isn't as graceful, but enjoys it just as much. It has also been an opportunity for them to learn from other kids as well as set an example for some as well.

I guess that's it. I will post some pics after Halloween, they are planning to be a spider and ladybug. We have been practicing wearing the costumes to make sure they like them. I just hope the weather cooperates!

Busy days

2008-10-07T17:58:00.000-07:00

Max is now holding the golf club with two hands:)

Max, Calli and Jessie at the Buddy Walk

Calli getting a drink after the walk

Max enjoying a sucker at the Buddy Walk

We have been so busy lately! We did the Buddy Walk for Down Syndrome this weekend. They had their first sucker, which they LOVED. Calli dropped hers before I could get a picture. Max ate his all the way to the stick and then of course through a fit when it was gone:)

My friend Jessie (child with Down Syndrome) was too cute with Max and Calli, she tried so hard to keep them close by. She treated them like her lost sheep getting them back to their mommy.

We have "introduced" the potty to both of them. They are both attempting to go several times a day and actually doing something at least once a day. They think they are big stuff!!!

Still battling a little with control, but as they are getting older it is getting a little easier to reason with them. Max is now getting Time Out and Calli is well on her way:)))

They are loving the pumpkins and other Halloween decorations. They spot a pumpkin every where we go. They are practicing wearing their costume just to make sure they will tolerate wearing them when the time comes. We are even attempting to say "trick or treat" too bad no one will understand them. Any body know a good Speech Therapist ;)

We have had some playdates as well lately. It is interesting to see the kids interact. Calli certainly doesn't want to be a "baby" like the big girls want her to be, she wants to be the mommy too. Max just kinda goes around checking things out. He goes with the flow a little more (like his daddy) and Calli likes to control things a little (like her mommy). I am looking to get them into some program that offers a little more structure and interaction with same age peers. We'll see what happens...

Growing up!

2008-10-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Well, I know it is something that everyone says, but my kids are growing up so fast. I feel like I blink and they do something new. They are teaching me a lesson or two, that is for sure!
Based on typical boy vs girl development I have expected Calli to be more advanced than Max with language. Well that is definately not the case in my family. Don't get me wrong, Calli has her fair share of things to say, like ALL THE TIME, I just can't understand it yet. Max on the other hand has had this huge growth in his vocabulary. He can just about say anything simple and will sometimes even put two words together. Some of Max's favorite words are: Moma, Dada, Ca (Calli), Papa, Me (Mimi), Nana, Papa, Juice, Shoes, Broke, Cat, Rox (for Roxie), Lo (for hello), Book, Bye, Bath, Walk, Truck, Ball, Golf, Bat, Elmo, Abby, Monk, (monkey), Raf (giraffe), Ke (blankie), Pa (paci), ock (sock), Be/Bi (bear), uh oh, beep (timer for time out), ouch, no no (he hears that A LOT), Man (aunt Amanda), Ball, peach, bite, more, all done, meat (favorite right now), min (vitamin), up (means both up and down), brush, help, be (bird), hippo, poop, thank you and love you are not clear and sound a lot alike.
Need I say more, that is a lot of words for a 19 month old boy! As for Calli her favorite words are: Moma, Dada, Buba, Papa, Nana, Papaw, (working on a word for Grammie), more, done, bite, help, up, bath, ball, baby, paci, bear, pupka (pumpkin), cat, dog, Abby (she calls her Abba Daba), Elmo, book, love you and thank you are also not clear and sound a lot alike, bye, poop, cup, and a lot of animal sounds.
We did go to the ENT this past Friday and he said Max's tubes still look great. Calli's left one was not visible due to wax, but he wasn't concerned. I requested a hearing test for her which indicated her hearing was normal. They said if I was concerned about her speech growth that they would re test her at 2. I will just have to be patient I guess! I really need to come to terms with the fact that she is a preemie and a little behind, it's just weird because I have Max to compare her to.
Anyway, on a possitive note for both of them, they both pooped on the potty for the first time today. I have had a potty in my bathroom and they will ocassionally sit on it with clothes on. When they take a bath I try to make them sit on it before getting into the tub, but they have never peed or pooped. Well today, they were both acting like they had to poop, so I asked them if they wanted to go "poop on the potty", they ran into the bathroom. I told them to push it out. We opened a magazine and looked at the pictures and before you know it, Poop in the potty!!! They were so excited, most of all because I let them flush the toilet.
Enough talk about poop, they are getting so big and I am enjoying every minute. Max is still acting out, but he is understanding consequences a little better. Calli doesn't act aggressively, but she sure does things to get your attention. She however isn't understanding consequences that well. We are working on that though:)

Here are some pictures:

Max wearing his backpack leash, getting ready for a walkCalli Cheesing, wearing her backpack leash getting ready for a walk

Calli wearing her tutu and watching Abby on Sesame Street

Balloon Festival

2008-09-28T17:23:00.000-07:00

We had a fun family night at the Balloon Festival at Bowman Field Sat. Night. We got there just in time to see the balloons going up. We saw the Bear, B-day Cake and the HUGE Cow. Jared and Alyssa (friend's of ours kids) had fun walking Max and Calli around with their backpack leashes. We enjoyed the fireworks and listened to Kimmet and Doug (cool band!). The babies did awesome considering a short nap earlier that day. My favorite part was watching Max's expression when he watched the fireworks. He sat in amazement and pointed and said "wow". It was pretty cool. Calli just took it all in. They did great!
It seems like every event we have done this year I leave saying "next year the kids will love this". They are already so much easier to take into public, but it seems like it will only become more fun!

Hubers

2008-09-24T18:35:00.001-07:00

We recently took a trip to Hubers with Nana Boo, Aunt Vicki, and cousin's Chloe and Carly. We had a blast feeding the goats and chickens. We also saw cows, lamas, bunnies, chickens, and peacocks. We played on the jungle gym and best of all, picked our first pumpkins. It was a very fun day!

Calli and Max both loved putting their fingers in the goats mouth. It freaked me out a little, but once I realized how friendly the animals were I relaxed a little. Calli really got excited and wanted to chase the ducks around because they weren't in a cage.

They also had a very large slide and all three (Calli, Max and cousin Chloe) did it without hesitation. It was great to hear their laugh as they waited for the next person to come down the slide.

It was a great day!!!

2008-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

So we got 18 month pictures made today. Surprisingly we got some good shots. Their behavior was less than desirable. They want to do whatever they want and sitting and smiling was not it!!!

They also had their 18 month check up yesterday. They are both doing just great!!! Max weighs 25 lb and Calli just over 20 lb. The Dr. was very pleased with their development. We are working on getting down to just one nap, but they don't seem to understand sleeping for longer than one hour, which makes it harder later in the day when they are fussy before bedtime. Still sleeping very well 8pm-8am. They are eating everything under the sun. They love to eat "nack" (snacks). Calli's recent love is tomatos and pickles. Max loves pickles too. They sure must be my kids.

More later....

Outings

2008-08-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

We recently took some trips to a Louisville Bats game and the KY State Fair.

Last Sunday we went to a Bats game and the babies loved playing on the playground! Max really got into cheering, even when no one else was:) He just started clapping and saying "yeah" as loud as he could. They got to meet Jake the Diamond Dog and they loved him!!! It was a good family day:) Plus, we won a free gas card, which is obviously very handy.

Our most recent trip was to the State Fair. We went with all the Hanke grandkids. It was a great trip with very few melt downs. The animals were as stinky as ever, but the kids really enjoyed them. Max and Calli's favorite was the duck and chickens because they made the most noise. Surprisingly, their favorite thing was a free cardboard bus that you folded to put together. They really didn't know what to think about the Characters walking around. Calli eventually warmed up and gave the fair bear a kiss, but Max would only give him a five. We enjoyed some good fair food and headed home for a good nap:)

Catching up

2008-08-08T19:21:00.000-07:00

I really found enjoyment in writing on our website and posting pics. I have started this blog to allow people to stay in touch with us and to share in our lives.

Max and Calli are now 17 months old. They are running around like they own the world. They both are starting to be very independent which has it's goods and bads:) Things are going really well! Sleeping from 8pm to 8am consistently. Eating every thing in sight! Learning new things every day-it blows my mind the things they know.

We are trying to be adventurous and do things other than stay home all the time. We have been to Gymboree for an open gym. They loved climbing on everything-right up Calli's alley. We have also been to All About Kids for their open gym. It is a fun place, but our last encounter ended with Calli and our friend being scratched on the face by another boy:( We also like to go to the zoo when we can. Hopefully as the weather cools down a little we can go more. The park is always a good option, but the mulch becomes a major battle between mommy and Calli (wanting to wear it or eat it). Basically, they love to be busy. I hope we can maintain this type of entertainment when winter comes:/