The Roney, Christmas, and Stricker Families

Cutest girls I know

2012-02-05T21:29:00.003-06:00

Savannah 4 1/2 and Kelley 14 mos.

Daddy's birthday

2012-02-05T21:26:00.003-06:00

Daddy & his girls

Kelley at 14 mos

2012-02-05T21:10:00.002-06:00

Kelley is...

adorable
smart
a climber
opinionated
a screamer
doesn't like to share mommy with other babies in Sunday school
loves to play outside, on the playset, and riding her tricycle
loves cheese
loves her sheep blanket "Ba-ba"
can say mama, dada, ba-ba (sheep, blankie, drink), sa (Savannah), and today she suddenly started saying two word phrases: "brush teeth" and "more cheese"!!! I couldn't believe it!

Mommy diaries

2012-02-05T20:54:00.002-06:00

Now fully in the midst of being a mother of two, I really see my life changing in so many ways.

So many things have taken on a new meaning. For example:

"The house is clean" now means "The dirty dishes are in the dishwasher. There's a bunch of crap on the kitchen counter, but it's in organized piles of what to take upstairs, to the car, mail, etc. The toys are pushed up against the couch and not in the walking path. Most of the eggs from breakfast that landed on the floor are swept up, but don't look too close in the morning light. The clothes are still in the dryer, so at least I can walk in, and there are no dirty pjs or underwear on the floor of the living room." This is what my life has come to.
"We're leaving the house in a few minutes" actually means "I still have to brush three sets of teeth, put shoes and coats on, make sure I have diapers in the bag, a drink for everyone, a snack for everyone and wait, I'm still missing socks, mascara, and a diet Coke." So we'll be leaving in 20 minutes.
"Sitting down for dinner" means "Making sure there is something that grew in the ground or on a tree on everyone's plate even if that means everyone gets a different vegetable. And then finally sitting down to eat when everyone is half way through the meal."

Other things that have changed include my tolerance for gross things (dipping things in the toilet, eating food off the floor, sharing cups, digging in the dirt).

I'll be back...

Phone pictures

2012-01-14T20:27:00.001-06:00

Pictures you take with your phone camera are always so ridiculous. Maybe because they are so spur of the moment. Check out the kissing sissies, Baryshnikov, and the pirate. Arrrrh.

Book from the Christmas boys

2011-12-28T22:22:00.004-06:00

This video is so great...probably only to five people in the world, but I just love it. The Christmas family gave Savannah and Kelley a recordable book about princesses in which they recorded themselves reading it. I love how nervous the boys get. And Savannah LOVES the book. She has read it at least 3 times a day since she received it, and already know some of the pages by heart.

Christmas

2011-12-28T21:29:00.005-06:00

Hanging the star with Daddy

Santa Pancakes!

Savannah and Kelley with their presents Christmas morning.

William, Robert, Ethan and Savannah all painting their wood cars on Christmas day. Gram and Elizabeth supervising. A unusually quiet moment that day!

Savannah and the Eggnog Pound Cake house

Kelley (1) and William (6) playing in the leaves at Paul & Lucia's farm.

Uncle Paul taking Savannah (4) on a tandem ride. Does the helmet law apply on farms? Guess not!

Kelley's first birthday

2011-12-11T21:15:00.003-06:00

Watch out world, this little one is no longer a baby. She's is officially a toddler.

Boys and Santa!

2011-12-07T20:59:00.002-06:00

The boys were happy to tell Santa what they want, but Robert told him we already HAVE toys. This was at MADRAC Farms.

Decorating

2011-12-03T09:23:00.003-06:00

My normal definition of decorating for the holidays is to pull out the Christmas knicknacks and put them up high where a toddler won't get them. Little thought usually goes into what looks right based on color, symmetry or theme. This year was different...I was inspired to recreate some of the ideas in my three favorite magazines (Sav. Mag., Southern Living, and South) Best part, in true Roney fashion, is that I bought almost nothing new to accomplish it. Having palms and magnolias in your yard to draw from doesn't hurt. (disclaimer: Joey bought this new runner and I bought a can of gold spraypaint for the pinecones...oh, and I'd love to buy some gold taper candles to go in these candlestick holders...anyone know where they sell gold ones?)

Many thanks to my friend Karen who helped me pull it off. Couldn't have done it without her help! Next year, I'm going to tackle the tree. Gonna look for a thrift store tree sometime for those homemade ornaments and put ribbons or something on the big tree.

Poor Robert! I have GOT to get his name on that stocking this year!

My magnolia leaves above the mantle start to turn brown every time I turn on the fireplace. (It doesn't really make sense to run the fireplace anyway when it's in the 70's outside.)

Happy haircuts!

2011-11-27T21:16:00.002-06:00

Kelley's first haircut on Nov. 26, 2011 at The Hairy Elephant. She was a good sport. Wiggled a little, but not much.

Autumn and growing girls

2011-11-17T20:43:00.004-06:00

So behind on so many things...blogging and keeping track of the girls' benchmarks is one of them.

Savannah:
Can write her whole name now, first and last. She can also recognize numbers up to 9. She is really starting to enjoy reading in her free time (with help of course).

She can also hula hoop like a pro and just started ballet/tap at the Performing Arts Center and seems to love it! We go swimming at the center and she can swim with a kickboard (or "clipboard" as she calls it). She can swim with her face in the water and kicking. She loves the lazy river.

At home she helps set the table and put the clean silverware away, and she's doing better staying in the lines with coloring. She tends to like to play with older kids, but she's learning to play with the younger kids in her class.

Kelley:
At 10 months on the dot, Kelley was walking. Now at 11 1/2 months, she's steady on her feet. She's getting quite a personality.

She doesn't like other kids (including her big sis) in her personal space...she wants to take charge. She's funny and assertive. She's smart too.

She can say "mmmmm" when she sees a cow, "ma" for more, "ah da" for all done, "hi" and "ba-ba" for bottle. She can also wave bye-bye.

She throws temper tantrums and lays face down on the ground. She knows how to go down stairs on her tummy. She loves toothbrushes and walking around with pen and paper (my little journalist!).

The girls and I at the pumpkin patch

Gram and our little monkey Kelley for Halloween

Savannah on the pumpkin patch train.

getting ready for Halloween

2011-11-01T09:36:00.002-05:00

Nothin' like carving the pumpkin at 6:30 p.m. on Halloween.

Robert at the pumpkin patch.

Robert at the candy kitchen.

2011-10-10T14:49:00.002-05:00

I think the Capitol was the most impressive building...beautiful and grand!

It was almost impossible to get them all to be serious for a picture!

Ethan imagined being a monkey swinging from the vines in the Botanical Garden balcony.

Davy Crockett visits Abraham Lincoln.

I think I could put my two hands around these guys' waists and my fingertips would touch...so slim! I was as nervous as a cat on a hot tin roof that the boys would act out here, but they were silent and thought it was really neat. We enjoyed imagining what it was like for Pop as a guard here in the 1960s.

Savannah on montages

2011-10-01T20:13:00.002-05:00

Before I forget this comment, I have to post it. Savannah is watching "Barbie Charm School." Let's not discuss the quality of the video which is questionable. But while she was watching it, they had a montage of a woman tutoring Barbie in becoming princess-worthy, learning balance, dancing, etc. At the end Savannah said, "Whew, she had a busy day!"

Apple picking part 3!

2011-09-25T22:17:00.004-05:00

This time Kelley joins our three year tradition.

Pictures before the picking.

Girls with their Gram.

Apple season isn't great this year, but we cleaned them out!

Savannah with her apples...she likes the baby apples that probably are no good.

Kelley's first apple!

Piled in the wagon!

Savannah's birthday

2011-09-21T20:31:00.006-05:00

Jasmine cake she wants, Jasmine cake she gets. And she didn't care that it was a little lumpy & lopsided.

Audrey Niermann, Bennett Blair, Danielle Key, Sophia Mancusi, Savannah, Hailey Romeo, Carson Richardson, Sophia Stricker, Payton Romeo, Kelley, and Ellah Sweeney

Kelley had as much fun as everyone else!

She got wrapped up in her queenly parachute robe!

Opening one of Gram & Pop's presents!

This video is for Elizabeth...thought you might like to see Kelley. She loves stuffed animals and dogs. So we got Savannah a walking barking dog and Kelley goes crazy when she sees it. She loves to bury her face in them too.

Kelley's baptism

2011-09-04T21:56:00.004-05:00

Savannah--she's almost 4!

The other two babies got just a splash, and then Father Archie took over and doused Kelley in the face! It was sweet and hard to watch all at once.

I just love this picture...my little baby post-dunk.

Kelley with Pop before the service.

Kelley & Gram

Charlotte, Earl, Emma, Marc, Savannah, Christine, Kelley & Faith

With our beautiful girls!

our good little eater

2011-09-04T21:43:00.004-05:00

Kelley @ 8 mos. Loves spaghetti more than any other food, but is not picky. She loves watermelon, cantaloupe, peaches, and corn.

Vacation in Michigan

2011-09-04T21:30:00.002-05:00

Savannah & Robert...I think this looks like it's from a magazine!

Robert, watching the fish.

Kelley in the only tub in the lake cottage

My mom & Savannah

Wrastlin' camp

2011-07-06T20:16:00.004-05:00

Ethan's match is in background, William's is in foreground. I find it disturbing to cheer for my sons while they appears to be mauling other children.

Kindergarten graduation

2011-07-06T20:13:00.002-05:00

Mrs. Lee and William, who got an award for perfect attendance!

GA Aquarium

2011-07-06T20:10:00.002-05:00

Things Kelley likes

2011-07-06T19:51:00.003-05:00

Being held. She does not want to sit on the floor for longer than 10 minutes.

Standing. She's great at locking her little hip joints and making it literally impossible to sit her down.

The refrigerator: When I open it, it's like the shining light from heaven. She starts grunting and jumping and reaching. Her favorite thing to reach for? The ranch dressing. Just like big sis & Dad.

Others: Remote controls, ice cream, yogurt, pears, bananas, apples

Imagination

2011-06-30T13:54:00.003-05:00

There are few things more heartwarming than watching (and listening) to your child play make-believe. Savannah loves to play with her princess dolls and play make-believe and it is just my favorite thing to hear and watch (though she doesn't want me to). She speaks in a voice just soft enough so she thinks I can't hear.

Lunch with Gram & Pop

2011-06-12T21:58:00.003-05:00

We had a nice lunch on the porch today with Gram & Pop. Finally the heat broke so we could enjoy the weather!

With my girls--Savannah @ 3 1/2 and Kelley @ 6 mos.

Our family--by God's grace. We are so fortunate and happy.

Savannah snaps a pic of her "Grammy."

Kelley and Gram

Gram with her granddaughters.

Playing doctor

2011-06-12T21:40:00.004-05:00

The girls were bored, so we encouraged Savannah to play doctor on Kelley. Surprisingly, nothing went wrong, or at least not right away.

Giving shots,

Applying bandages,

and taking temperatures. Paging Dr. Savannah Stricker!

Kelley eats!

2011-06-06T14:52:00.001-05:00

Savannah loves to feed her bananas and cereal.

Kelley @ 5 1/2 months

Savannah's words

2011-05-26T21:47:00.003-05:00

Some cute mix-ups by Savannah, age 3 1/2:

"I want to watch some diveos on the diveo player."

"Oh, yes, that dress is so endorable."

"Mommy, will you put me to school?"

Other sayings:
"Mommy, when I am bigger, I'll sleep in your bed with you." Me: "Where will daddy sleep?" Savannah: "In another room."

Daddy: "Savannah, don't pick your scabs." Savannah: "But Daddy, I love picking them all of the time."

"Mommy, why you wear that necklace all of the time?"

Some milestones:
Finally ate carrots for the first time. Likes carrots, green beans, corn, salad, and mashed potatoes is a new veggie for her.

Can cut in a semi-straight line with scissors.

Is learning to write her name: She can write some loops in about the same number of letters as in her name.

Can count items on her fingers.

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T21:57:00.003-05:00

The hospital is not the ideal place to spend Mother's Day, but we were at least able to get out onto the patio where the jasmine was blooming and the sun was shining.

Savannah & Sophie in Fashion Show

2011-05-08T21:34:00.004-05:00

Grandma Stricker works at Mt. Carmel Nursing Home and they had a fashion show. Savannah and her cousins Sophie, Emma and Hannah dressed in their "beach wear" section. I was afraid Savannah would be nervous, but she held hands with the other girls and did a great job!

Savannah & Sophie

Kelley with Emma

Sisters

2011-04-25T07:18:00.003-05:00

This is my favorite picture so far of the girls together...watching a movie.

Meeting Great-Grandma Roney and Great-Great-Aunt Cleo

2011-04-18T09:26:00.002-05:00

Kelley got to meet many of her cousins, aunts, uncles, and great-grandmother. It was so great to see everyone!

Aunt Cleo (94 years!) juggling Landon (2 1/2 mos) and Kelley (4 mos).

Happy with Great-Grandma Roney. We were so happy that Grandma is back from the hospital and was doing really well.

Kelley's first swim

2011-04-18T09:14:00.003-05:00

We met our friend Shannon at a hotel in Springfield (she lives in Chicago) to hang out and swim! It was Kelley's first pool experience. She really seemed to like it, even though it was cold. She's our little hot potato though, so maybe it was the right temperature for her.

Big sister loves to swim!

Savannah shows Kelley how it's done.

She really likes it...or feels indifferent. Not really sure.

Lots of kids splashing around us.

And now it's getting a little cold.

Soccer practice

2011-04-10T22:43:00.003-05:00

Here's a video of Savannah playing Red Light, Green Light. She's in the yellow shorts and of course, pink soccer socks.

I will not give up!

2011-04-10T21:57:00.008-05:00

I am starting to understand why mothers of two have little time to do things. So, three months since my last post, but I am determined to push on, and continue blogging!!!

Practicing snow angels

Snow bunny

Daddy gave Savannah a new playground!

Savannah and Nolan waiting for the Metrolink

Savannah (3 1/2) and Nolan (2) in the Cardinals dugout

For spring break, we went to Rincon/Savannah, Georgia for a vacation and to see the Christmas family! Savannah and Robert on the beach at Coligny Hilton Head beach.

Me and my girls at the beach! Savannah (3 1/2) and Kelley (3 1/2 months)

Savannah learned to ride a scooter in Georgia.

William (6) and Ethan (8) looking for the mysterious creatures that blow holes in the sand.

We headed to the swamp on the last day of our vacation to look for 'gators! We saw one. This is Elizabeth pointing it out to Savannah.

Dad, Mom, Elizabeth, Savannah, Robert, and Christine

Savannah and Kelley cuddling

Savannah playing soccer on the YMCA Rookies team for the first time!

Kelley at 4 months, pushing up and rolling from her back to her front!

Kelley sitting in her bumbo seat.

Tummy time!

Cousins

2011-03-15T19:43:00.000-05:00

Little cousins Kelley and Landon; Allan and I were babysitting.

Getting bigger

2011-01-27T18:00:00.000-06:00

Kelley at 6 1/2 weeks. She is starting to smile, has discovered her hand, and likes the camera!

in a nutshell...

2011-01-15T21:16:00.008-06:00

So much has been happening, there's no way I can sum it up other than in a quick display of my favorite photos during the past month:

Savannah monitors the traditional weigh-in on the antique Roney scale. Kelley weighed 10 lbs at about 1 week and was 11 lbs 7 oz at her one month check up.

Kelley and Marc on Christmas Eve at Gram and Pop's house. Elizabeth and the boys were there too. It was a near perfect Christmas Eve with the snowfall (if only Joey were there too).

Sisters cuddling on the couch. Savannah is a great big sis. She's gentle most of the time, likes to help throw diapers away and turn toys and swings on and off for Kelley. We are very proud of her.

Christmas Day. Fire in the fireplace, lovely tree, snow outside...and a million tiny little doll shoes and pieces all over the floor. What more could you ask for?

Hannah and Savannah at Christmas with the Strickers. I love this picture. Aren't they darling?

Kelley & Daddy snuggle time

Bath time. This might be my favorite part of having two kids. I love giving them baths at the same time. It just gives me the warm fuzzies. Reminds me of the fun times I had with my sister.

Marc coaching his first home game with the ABA team St. Louis Pioneers. It's awfully fun to watch him coach (and the game was great too)!

Kelley's first smiles!

Savannah has her last day (show day) at Gymnastics...

...and starts swim lessons at the YMCA. She was doing great. No fear (except of going under water all the way).

Savannah and one of her best friends, Carson (they go to school together though Carson is a year older). Carson and Savannah can play for hours without once arguing or wanting any contact with adults. They are so sweet to each other.

Kelley Charlotte Stricker is born

2010-12-10T20:13:00.005-06:00

We are overjoyed to welcome Kelley Charlotte to our family. She arrived on Dec. 7 at 4:41 a.m. weighing 9 lbs. 2 oz. and measuring 22.5 inches long. It was a relatively easy delivery and we are so happy our little big girl is just healthy and here.

Savannah loves cuddling with her little sister on the couch.

We named her Kelley which is on my mother's side of the family. My mother is Lynne Kelley, my sister is Elizabeth Kelley and my great-grandmother's maiden last name was Kelley. Her father came from Ireland. Charlotte is Marc's mother's name.

Sleeping arrangements

2010-12-01T22:08:00.002-06:00

William is soooo proud of the fiber optic tree in the boys room. (You might be a Roney if...you got a $5 artificial tree from the Salvation Army Store...so what if there was no transformer electrical cord...you've got just the thing! And you might be a Roney if...you've kept all the transformer electrical cords from anything you've ever owned after the item broke...you never know when you're going to need one!)

Aunt Janet would be happy to know that the boys absolutely adore those fleece blankets she gave a few years back and we were given two more, so now they have five! They sleep with them under their covers every night and call it their nest. So, when we set up the little tree in their room, William grabbed his favorite two blankets (Jeff Gordon 24 and Mizzou) and wrapped them around the base of the tree, just like Linus in Charlie Brown's Christmas Special. He was beaming. Think it's probably a fire hazzard though.

We're trying to get Robert used to the big boy bed. Ethan decided he isn't ready for an upper bunk yet, so we unbunked the beds and Robert will be in the twin, but it starts out like this.

And then moves to this. Indeed, he is off in a galaxy far, far away. I just love it when he's quiet!

Thanksgiving in Florida

2010-12-01T21:56:00.002-06:00

Robert's desire to be warm wins out over his desire to swim. Highly recommend Wakulla Suites if you want a big suite for very little cash. Would be perfect for a Roney reunion....

The wave catches up to Robert on Cocoa Beach. William was so desperate to swim, but couldn't because Mommy didn't have her suit on.

NASA Ethan asked what NASA stands for and Joey and I decided it stands for No Americans in Space Anymore

Space Shuttle...it was fun while it lasted.

giving thanks

2010-12-01T21:50:00.002-06:00

We're thankful for old friends

mealtime traditions, and family...

especially Linus. (Thanks to the Nutts for the tee-shirt...Robert's blankie is blue too!)

Thanksgiving break

2010-12-01T21:37:00.005-06:00

Sorry this is sideways. Pirate ship in the children's museum in Hilton Head.

Robert's Indian name was "Smiling Rainbow" and William chose "Little Deer".

William stands guard at Ft. Pulaski

Scout campout at Ft. Pulaski (someone get some pants on that kid!)

Fall fun

2010-12-01T21:04:00.003-06:00

Scout campout in Statesboro

One of four we've caught

Breakfast of champions

Pumpkin patch

We had a great time at the county fair. Christine's sugar cookie recipe won a blue ribbon again (in two states now!) I got whiplash from one ride and consoled myself with a batter dipped and deep-fried chocolate Moon Pie.

Disney

2010-12-01T20:52:00.002-06:00

This was just at the County Fair Parade, but just love that grin.

A dinosaur made entirely out of legos.

Joey's favorite, terra cotta warriors in "China" at Epcot.

This was the only one of many that I took just for Savannah to see (I even cut out my own child's face just to get a better shot of...is it Cinderella? Yes, I think it is Cinderella.

Cinderella's castle at the Magic Kingdom.

Halloween

2010-12-01T20:47:00.003-06:00

Thought I'd better get some pics up here quick before the baby arrives! :)

Hayride with Daddy

Obi Wan, Tigger, and a hybrid Star Wars/transformer

Thanksgiving & Gram's birthday!

2010-11-27T10:36:00.006-06:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, dinner with lots of family, which we are grateful to be able to do. But we missed those that we couldn't be with. We can't wait to see the Christmas family around Christmas. And we couldn't believe it snowed a little bit. It was a lovely day.

We're also grateful that the baby decided not to come on this day so we (and our doctor) could celebrate it normally.

It was also Mom's birthday! We tried to make it special for her (even though we had pie instead of cake). She received some nice gifts, including some renewed and beautiful jewelry and books, and maybe a few things Dad had on his wish list.

We got a good laugh over some of the gifts too. Savannah was overjoyed to help Gram open her presents!

Princess talk

2010-10-19T20:49:00.003-05:00

Savannah is totally and completely obsessed with princesses. She equates most outfits and women with one of the Disney princesses. I lay out two outfits for the day, one is with a pink t-shirt and one is with a purple t-shirt. She doesn't want to wear the pink because "I not Sleeping Euty!" or doesn't want to wear the purple because "I not Jasmine!" Instead we have to find something with blue in it so she can be her favorite, "Cinderella."

Other examples:
"Mommy, are you Sleeping Euty?" if I'm wearing pink.

"They're all Jasmines!" watching Shakira and her dancers in their bikini & pants outfits on Dancing with the Stars.

This is one example: Her Cinderella dress. I'm going to have to hide it soon because she overwears it because...it's her Cinderella dress, of course. It's an endless cycle. This is after we picked pumpkins. We painted one.

It's hilarious and out of control all at the same time.

Make-believe and missing house

2010-09-27T20:48:00.003-05:00

The Augusta National Golf Club acquired and tore down our old house. It's sad in a way, but the house was nothing special to look at. I must admit, it looks nice with gas street lights and lovely grass, which you can see beyond where the van is parked.

This tree was in our front yard. I had always hoped they would preserve it. The golf club left the big oaks, but got rid of the bamboo and camilias.

Ethan in his Harry Potter outfit, complete with miniature wand (Nintendo DS stylus).

Three little boys do a Three Little Pigs puppet show.

Apple picking round 3

2010-09-26T15:08:00.002-05:00

We devour apples around here, so couldn't wait for apple picking season! We hit up Centennial Farms again. It's such a great little orchard, and then lunch at Mt. Pleasant winery. Although this time we brought Ken, Christy, Paige and Brooke. The weather couldn't have been finer and the Golden Delicious were perfect.

Brooke, Savannah and Paige

Turning 3!

2010-09-26T14:40:00.009-05:00

We celebrated the many Stricker fall birthdays at one party on Sept. 12. It was Savannah's birthday party too, and she received some wonderful gifts, mostly princess-related. That's fine with us as long as they don't cross my Princess guidelines: No calling her a princess, no t-shirts that say "I'm a princess" and no Disney t-shirts (pjs are exempt from this). I'm a princess snob, I know. Grandma Stricker made her an amazing cake, and we had a great time visiting and playing volleyball, washers, cards, and watching Aris take down the pinata!

With her first Build-A-Bear. Paige and Brooke named it "Rookie" after our 2-month-dog, but Savannah calls her Rookie Bear.

Opening her Princess luggage with Brooke, Hannah and Gram.

Pinata goodies

All the birthday kids

The Princess Belle cake!

Family picnic!

Her actual birthday was Friday, Sept. 17. Savannah now wanted an Ariel cake but Mommy's cake skills trail far behind Maw-maw's. However, we made a funfetti cake and just stuck Ariel on top and that seemed fine with her.

Notice, this is her Cinderella outfit. It's a blue dress with a blue headband, just like Cinderella. Gotta get the accessories right people.

Opening gifts, wrapped in all princess paper. However, we did not give her any Disney Princess gifts. Shocking.

Her magnetic ice cream playset gift. She loves serving us.

Conveniently, Disney Princesses on Ice was in town on her birthday, so we did that afterward (I'm sure you are not surprised). Daddy was a trooper. Savannah was so enthralled, she couldn't eat or do anything else during the show. It was awesome. She wore her beautiful new princess dress that Aunt Faith gave her (not pictured). It's quite beautiful and even among the gazillion little girls wearing princess dresses that night, she got lots of compliments on it. She also calls it her Cinderella dress (I think we have 3 total). It has a big hoop skirt and she couldn't sit in her car seat with it on, so we had to wear something else on the way, change in the car, and then change back into pjs for the ride home. Whew. I wonder how many more Disney on Ice shows we'll go to....better slow down with another girl on the way. I also wonder how many times I wrote "princess" in this blog. Ugh, it's giving me a stomachache.

The girl of summer

2010-09-06T15:37:00.005-05:00

I'm thinking we have a baseball player on our hands. She likes to play catch with Daddy and Mommy, but there's still a lot of growth ahead of us. She wants Daddy to squat like a catcher (Yadi Molina) and she gets frustrated that he doesn't throw the ball directly into her mitt.

Big Girl Room!

2010-09-06T15:24:00.004-05:00

In preparation for the arrival of little sister, we went ahead and moved Savannah into her big girl room. I'm sure at some time I said "I will never paint my daughter's room pink," but I did. Chalk it up to the 500th thing I said I would never do and I have.

Part of her bedding was a gift from the Christmas family! Thank you so much! The bed is from my grandparents B & Bud. My sister and I slept in the matching twin Jenny Lind beds when we stayed with them. Her dresser is from Grandma and Grandpa Roney, and Grandma stored Uncle Paul and Aunt Kay's baby clothes in it. I hung the ballerina art in my room when I was little, and her dollhouse is also from B & Bud's house. There are lots of other wonderful things in the room given to us by friends and family. The room just seems extra special with all of the loving memories attached.

Savannah loves reading her in new bed! She's finally used to sleeping in there, at least at bedtime (not so much for naptime).

Boys' art

2010-08-26T12:59:00.002-05:00

Sorry it's sideways, but I love that William put cousin Matthew Roney on his "prayer hand" at church.

Ethan has decided we should build this concrete tree house as our full-time residence. Being a lover of concrete, Joey said yes! Mommy says we need to think this through a little more.

Christine, this is what Ethan was going on and on to you about the other night.

On a different topic, Uncle Marc will be so pleased...Ethan sported a blazer and tie for his school portrait this week. William deviated from his usual favorite of black to wear the same navy and stripes polo that Ethan wore in his kindergarten portrait.

Thoughts that made me smile

2010-08-25T21:29:00.003-05:00

As I helped William put his cleats on for football, he asked, "What if they come untied during practice?", which made me think...how crazy is it that I'm putting my kid in tackle football before he can even tie his shoes?! Still, he had a blast tonight at the first team practice. His coach is the principal at the high school and he and his assistants are super with the boys. When it was Will's turn to tackle the ball-carrier in a drill, William ran right around him, but when the coaches explained he was supposed to STOP the kid and gave him a second try, he nailed it. Joey and I marveled at how attentive and quiet the boys were (compared to baseball and Upward Basketball) and decided it must take all their concentration just to keep themselves upright with all that gear on! Our Ram's jersey that he can wear in practices brings Bud to mind again this week. While football took a backseat for Mom and me, William is enjoying reviving the old favorite (for now anyway).

As for the future, William declares he wants to be "an Army guy who jumps out of airplanes, just like Daddy" and then "a police". But Ethan, who wants to be a children's book author, frequently warns him of the dangers.

As a new citizen of "metro" Savannah, I have had it in my mind that we have no previous link with Savannah, but it occured to me today that 66 years ago, my grandfather was trained here to fly bombers in preparation for his deployment during WWII. It touches my heart to think of a 22 year old Virginia coming down here to visit her new husband, the pilot.

"Baby" Robert, he's slowly coming along with his vocabulary. When asked anything other than a yes or no question, he innocently replies, "nothing?".

Boating and football

2010-08-17T12:39:00.003-05:00

I couldn't help but think of my grandfather Bud a lot this week while we were doing two of his favorite things.

Savannah River looking south

Daddy and William keep a lookout for 'gators.

Robert is ready with the bow line as Ethan stays close, worried Robert will fall in.

After enthusiastically tackling it, William straddles the dummy for good measure, as Bear Bryant and other coaches take note and pick teams. Yeah, the kids even weigh in! Five year old tackle football is serious business here! :) William was thrilled.

Back to school already!

2010-08-10T06:22:00.004-05:00

Waiting for the bus: William's first day of kindergarten, Ethan's first day of 2nd grade.

Waiting for the bus: the second day. Yes, William was very unhappy this morning. He likes his teacher, but says the bus ride is "too sweaty and long". Poor guy. He brought home a picture of him on the bus being "sad because his mommy was gone." :=(

bedtime stories

Joey and I got a sitter and spent Saturday "in town" i.e. the Historic District in Savannah. This is us in front of Mercer House. It was made infamous by its resident Jim Williams and the book Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil. I don't remember it being open for tours in years past, but now it is. We didn't go in...just happened to be walking by. We antique shopped and had lunch in the terrific Soho South Cafe/Gallery which is owned by Joey's secretary's aunt. We reluctantly ordered tuna medium rare...it was delicious! Crab cake, shrimp and grits were scrumptious too. We highly recommend this place.

Barque Eagle

2010-08-02T13:38:00.002-05:00

The US Coast Guard's Cutter Barque Eagle docked on River Street in Savannah for the weekend. Wish I hadn't taken the picture when a giant container ship was passing behind it. I could stand to learn a thing or two about photography from my little sis.

It was mighty hot on board...don't know how those academy cadets stood there all day hardly breaking a sweat in their long pants! It's a unique experience for the cadets to actually "sail" a big ship. The boys asked the cadets where on the ship do the airplanes land and have pirates lived on this ship before. :)

Michigan Photography

2010-07-25T20:10:00.006-05:00

I love nature photography, but I usually keep my photos to myself. Plus, I don't think I can keep another blog going! However, I have some shots that I really enjoyed taking from our Michigan trip, so I thought I'd post them for kicks.

Jordan River. Savannah's fingers smudged the bottom right of the lens, but I actually like the effect it had on the picture. Maybe it's our new signature look?!?

Lighthouse off of Mackinac Island

Horse drawn carriage on Mackinac Island

I don't remember if this is Traverse Bay or Lake Michigan

The Arch on Mackinac Island

View of Lake Michigan from Sleeping Bear Dunes

Is it just me or can you actually see that the earth is round in this picture?

Michigan vacation

2010-07-24T14:44:00.006-05:00

We had a wonderful vacation in Michigan.

Savannah and Gram at the beach at Sleeping Bear dunes.

At a lookout from Mackinac Island

Waiting for the ferry to return to the mainland at Mackinac.

Dune climb #1 at Sleeping Bear dunes: Mom estimated this at about 1,000 feet, with at least a 60% grade. The sign at the top says "Climb is extremely exhausting." Not sure why anyone would want to do this. You'll see why if you click on and look closely at the picture.

Dune Climb #2: This is the easier dune climb. Imagine a sledding hill, but with no snow. There were field trips with busfulls of campers there. What do you do? Climb up and run down. That's it. Check out Pop trying it below! He was trying to convince Savannah to do it, but she was not buying it.

I love that there are playgrounds on the beach.

Our first day in Charlevoix, MI. It was the favorite town of Marc & mine.

We loved hanging out at the cabin in East Jordan, following frogs, bats, and dipping our feet in the cold water. We were right on the East Jordan river. We also canoed the river. Unfortunately, our canoe tipped somehow and Marc, Savannah and I went overboard. Scary at the time, but the memory seems to be getting funnier by the day. Three cheers for lifejackets! Got to remember dry bags and for that matter, taking a raft next time.

I couldn't get a great shot of the s'mores, but we sure made a lot of them.

This picture seems a little out of place. It's Savannah posing with Sleeping Beauty. This is probably one of the highlights of the trip from her perspective. On our last day we went to a children's fair on the Charlevoix lakefront. In additional to petting zoos and facepainting, there was a performance by all of the princesses. She was beside herself with joy.

4th of July & funny sayings

2010-07-16T10:39:00.004-05:00

Hannah and Savannah throwing "pop-pops."

Tripp sporting his red and blue faux-hawk.

Aliyah and Savannah sharing "pop-pops."

Sayings:
I say to Savannah, "I love you." She replies, "I love soda."

"You hafa wait in li-on." (You have to wait in line.)

This morning she threw a 15 minute crying fit because I tore off a bandaid from a group of bandaids. She wanted to do it. She got all splotchy and I told her to go to her room to cool off. Then she ate a snack. I think it was just the hunger talking. And the terrible twos.

Summer outings

2010-07-12T22:36:00.004-05:00

It was blazing hot, so we piled back into the air conditioned van fairly quickly, but Joey stuck it out and picked 14 pounds of blueberries at a joint fundraiser for scouts/cancer. Wish we had a deep freezer!

Ok, I didn't center this photo well, but it's a neat view at Wormsloe Plantation. The home is still lived in...can you imagine this is your driveway?!

Perhaps engineer is in his future? (of one type or another)

I told him how Gram's Pop used to ride the street car to work and as he posed for this picture, he asked, "Do you think he got to hang off the edge like this?!"

This steam engine took us on a short ride out to view the spot where the Revolution's Battle of Savannah took place.

Art Camp

2010-07-12T22:23:00.004-05:00

The boys participated in the art museum's kids camp where they recreated the "grown-up" exhibits. They had a lot of fun.

hot dog and ice cream

part of the banquet table...they even made the flatware.

William's portrait of Joey

Ethan's portrait of Joey

On the right is the museum and straight ahead are the boys sitting on the steps of the kids/education building. Although small compared to similar facilities in major cities, it's a really neat place for kids to visit.

Effingham Hospital

2010-07-01T14:35:00.002-05:00

Joey's office officially opened today.

The Christmas Family.

William, Robert, and Ethan. Robert had colored his palms and nose with blue highlighter, but fortunately, that's not too visible in this picture.

Townsfolk and hospital employees begin to gather in front of the physicians building ahead of the ribbon cutting.

Anchors Away!

2010-07-01T14:25:00.002-05:00

During our weekend in Charleston, Joey took the older boys to the USS Yorktown, which they all LOVED. The next day, we swam at Isle of Palms beach.

On the aircraft carrier deck (is that what it's called?)

Guns! (I think?)

USS Yorktown in Charleston, SC

SC Aquarium

2010-07-01T14:21:00.003-05:00

The boys were fascinated by the seawater tank.

The scuba diver was a highlight.

From the mountains, to the prairies, to the oceans...

2010-07-01T13:54:00.002-05:00

We thought it was fitting to go to Elkmont the afternoon after B's funeral. The boys did what every little one does there. She would have loved it.

Robert throws stones (would someone please get some pants on that kid?!)

See, I told you so, Will!

Will, Ethan, and Robert started out dry.

We stayed at Tybee Island while we were "homeless" and waited for the moving trucks to arrive. It was a crazy hair day at the beach! Joey's mom and her husband were such a huge help during our move...don't know what we would have done without them.

Everyone in the pool

2010-06-30T18:12:00.004-05:00

Savannah jumped right in at the Rittenbaums' pool.

One at a time on the board!

Form

2010-06-24T14:35:00.005-05:00

We started gymnastics again and there is a kid in her class who can shoot the basketball with really good form, whereas Savannah has the two-hands-behind-the-head form. I knew if I told Marc what I saw, he would immediately get to work. And so they did, that same night.

She does have the dunking technique down, minus the jumping part.

Museum of Transportation

2010-06-24T14:33:00.001-05:00

All aboard!

Ringing the bell on the mini-engine.

More sayings

2010-06-13T22:06:00.005-05:00

"Be patient, Daddy," when they are playing.

"The rain's going potty." Also said this about the sprinkler and the cars on the highway when we were driving in the rain.

"What happened? What we doin'?" whenever we do ANYTHING. And it's always both questions in that order.

"You hafa stand up, Mommy."

Getting home from Roshni's baby shower: "I want to go," says Savannah. "Where?" I ask. "See Rosh-ee."

"I want to do shampoo puzzle." Took me 5 times before I realized she meant the Winnie the Pooh puzzle.

At Maggie Moos: "What kind of ice cream do you want?" I asked. "Blue" she responded. So we got the blue cotton candy ice cream!

"Mommy, you're the doctor, I the mailman...and Daddy's the mommy!!"

Savannah is going to be a big sister come Dec. 6, so when we ask her if she wants it to be a boy or a girl she says girl, firmly. "What do you want her name to be?" "Girl," she usually says.

Cute sayings

2010-05-18T09:12:00.003-05:00

"I not Sannah, Mommy. I Cinderella," she said, wearing her princess dress and insisted we call her Cinderella for the next hour.

Looking into the back of the TV set: "Is Snow White in there?" she asked smiling. I told her earlier that "Annie" wasn't on a DVD, it was recorded on the DVR, so I said it was "in the TV."

"I get piece of prize!" when she wakes up in the morning. We promised her a present every morning if she goes to bed without a fuss the night before.

"Sannah, and Mommy and Rookie. They both girls. Daddy and Uncle Earl and Uncle Danny, they both daddies." She's getting good at categorizing!

"I wanna put some grease on!" (meaning lotion). No idea where she learned to call it "grease" but it's funny.

New skills

2010-05-02T18:46:00.005-05:00

Savannah started a new daycare in March called Elm P0int Early Childhood, run by Lutheran Family and Children Services. She loves it. She has learned so much already, including how to say Grace, and how to pass dishes because they eat family style (and sadly we weren't doing either of those things yet!)

Her teacher, Ms. Rhonda, said she's great at following directions and listening to the teachers, loves group time, has great empathy skills (comforts other kids when they are crying) and thinks she will be a leader in the classroom. We are so proud of her.

At home she's the one who feeds the dog, and does a great job. She also has (finally) learned how to smile for the camera and keep her eyes open, so that's the picture I have up here! That's my brag book for the day. She also must do everything herself, which we are both proud of and drives us absolutely crazy too.

Cinderella!

2010-05-02T18:39:00.002-05:00

Savannah met Cinderella at The Magic House. She had so much fun making her crown and meeting one of her favorite princesses. "Cinaella!" she calls her.

With Ella Klein, Audrey and Lillian Niermann

new quotes from the Christmas boys

2010-04-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

I gave William cola syrup for his upset stomach. He said, "It tastes like B's apartment."

William says, "Mommy, you should get a Bump-It like on tv. You just comb your hair backward toward your head, give it a little tease, and put the Bump-It in. It makes you handsome!"

Ethan's recent google searches:
what to do when your baby has gas
st. patrick's day
st. patrick's day vs. indiana jones
the storm trooper fell in the toilet

I tell William that I have to go to a Coterie committee meeting just for moms. He says, "Will there be wine?" I say no, we're going to talk about mom things. He says, "Like Bump-Its?"

Easter Saturday 2010

2010-04-05T19:33:00.000-05:00

Photos of the children having an early Easter egg hunt at Christine and Marc's house, complicated by new puppy Rookie and multiple Zhu Zhu Pets running loose.
Will and Ethan hunt for eggs.

Savannah with her basket.

Robert in the basket.

Pop and Gram with the grandchildren.

Winter bee gone

2010-03-18T21:43:00.006-05:00

Savannah had a rough winter. She had chronic constipation for 3 months. It was awful. All potty training went down the tubes. We have almost no pictures of her from the winter because she went pantless at home to try to maintain some potty training. It was to no avail though because she's pretty much in diapers again. But we've been to a specialist and now we know the cause (acquired megacolon--how gross does that sound?) and how to fix it, so hopefully she'll re-learn pretty quickly.

Ok, moving on from that "yuckies" as Savannah would say...

Savannah is our smart and funny girl. She's 30 lbs and 35 inches. She can count to 20, identify colors, and name most animals and even shells, among other things. She loves books about Sesame Street, Curious George, Little Golden Books, and especially her mail subscription to Babybug. Loves Yo Gabba Gabba, Sound of Music, and any Wee Sing videos.

She likes to play grocery store and beach. She has a basket of seashells that she carries around and sleeps with next to her bed (because we think sleeping with shells is probably a bad idea). But she does sleep with four Babybug books (plus her "Jesus book," which is a teeny-tiny book about the Christmas story) a bookbag, a puppy (that Eliz Park gave her), blankie, her water bottle...the list goes on. It takes about an hour to finish bedtime. Brutal. Tonight she was a live wire. She would just fall down and die laughing. Did this for about 10 minutes. Tonight I also brought out a blanket that her cousin Claire gave her. It has three Disney princesses on it. She could not have been more excited. She had to kiss and hug the picture of each princess 6 times.

She loves to sing and dance, like most kids. This is a video of her watching a video of a ballerina. Hence the ballerina outfit and her slick ballerina moves. The ballerina in the movie has a scarf so Savannah is waving hers around too.

She loves to draw. This is a picture of her drawing in her favorite spot, the kitchen counter. I'm sure you have seen several pictures of her in this same exact spot. It's dangerous and frightening, but she loves it up there.

She is really into drawing faces (we think). Check out the drawing below. We assume the dots are eyes, nose, mouth and the line coming out of the "face" is either a balloon string or a hair. You make the call.

Funnies:
Marc put a maraca in his mouth. "Daddy, no! You go to tineout." (walks him to timeout chair). "Dat's naughty Daddy. Dat's naughty."
"Dat's my favorite" to anything she likes.
"I want soya" (soda). Loves puffs, pretzels, apples, and Tagalongs (just like her mommy & daddy)!

She has a memory like a steel trap about some things. When the word "bee" comes up in a song, she says "Bee bite you" because of bee stings she got last summer. When she found out she would see her Aunt Faith she said, "Faith. Hi Love!" which is what Faith says everytime she sees her.

That's our two-and-a-half-year-old.

Potty Training

2010-03-17T16:36:00.005-05:00

I didn't really intend to do this until summer, but Robert is apparently wanting to start, so here we go.

He shouts, "MOMMY! POTTY!", runs to it and starts pulling his pants down. Up to now, one of us has not made it there in time, but today we both did for the first time! It was the size of a pea and there was so much excitement from the rest of us that I think we scared him, so that was the end of it. Ethan was equally excited to put together the potty pirate hat with its first sticker. Now the older two are asking if they can have special treats when they go potty too. So, I compromised with everyone gets treats when Robert goes potty.

Robert's also calling himself "Ah-boat" these days.

Happy birthday Robert!

2010-03-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

Robert turns 2! Gram and Pop were there to help celebrate.Will helped pick out a doggie cake since he knew Robert loves dogs.

All the guys helped.

Robert took a two-fork approach. Yum! Blue icing!

Will helps open presents.

Ethan enjoyed the recognition ceremony for his Upward Bound basketball team.

Joey passed!

2010-02-25T11:05:00.003-06:00

We're giving thanks to God today for the wonderful news that Joey passed his oral board exam, so is he now a "board certified" general surgeon now. Hooray! Answer to prayer! The next time he takes it is in 10 years...Ethan will be a junior in high school...yikes!)

Old San Juan

2010-02-24T23:56:00.003-06:00

Our resort's town is on the east coast and contained a famous seafood bistro that was wonderful. The presentation of Joey's entree would be frightening under normal circumstances, but absolutely hysterical after a few pina coladas and sangria.

neat picture of the rain over the ocean

view of Old San Juan from San Cristobal fort (El Morro sticks out into the ocean in the background

Joey loved both of the major forts. I think he took close to 100 pictures. I got my fill pretty quickly and plopped down to watch the iguanas.

Coping with the snow

2010-02-24T23:09:00.005-06:00

Robert reads to his pink bear.

Robert tries mommy's eyeliner. And we had just cleaned off the dinosaur stamps the boys had put on his forehead!

No surprise that Ethan got the Firecracker Award for Most Energetic Scout at his Blue and Gold Cub Scouts Ceremony. We were mighty proud of him for earning beltloops in basketball, gymnastics, and bowling.

Mommy had reached her limit with all the snow days and sent the boys to the trampoline despite the snow.

While the boys take gymnastics, the girls eat their supper in the lobby. Robert wants to be included, so he usually joins them with his dry cereal snack.

Ethan's birthday weekend

2010-02-24T22:13:00.002-06:00

William on the bobcat at the Magic House.

Beautiful picture of Savannah in the tot area. Joey says she looks just like Christine in this picture.

Savannah thought the sleeping bags should be for Robert and her. She changed her mind when she saw what a squirmy bunkmate Robert is.

Ethan models the inflatable jet pack.

William in one of the new Boba Fett costumes

Ethanisms

2010-02-02T18:58:00.001-06:00

Ethan to Gram: "That thing on your ring [diamond] looks just like a [Lego] Star Wars crystal!"
"Wouldn't you like to get my baby book and see what the first word I said was? Maybe it was a whole sentence. It might have been, 'I like pie!'"

Stricker Bowling League

2010-01-27T21:20:00.003-06:00

We decided we had to get out of the house and do a family activity tonight, so we took Savannah bowling for the first time. We went to Brunswick XL. That...place...was...AWESOME. Clean, smoke free, couches by the lanes, huge arcade (we played some air hockey too)...super kid friendly...wow. Makes you not feel scuzzy for walking into a bowling alley for once.

I think her favorite part of the whole game was watching the ball come out of the machine. They had 6 lb balls for kids, and she liked that. Didn't roll very straight though...

And they had these cool rolling racks that so she did not have to break her back to roll it. Ball still didn't roll very straight...

And the bumpers would automatically come up when it was Savannah's turn. That was cool. And thank goodness, because the ball continued to not roll very straight, to the point that we thought our lane was crooked.

She didn't know whether to be happy or sad when she knocked down the pins.

This is a snapshot of her "spare." But let's be clear, we let her bowl a few of our frames too. We're not quite that bad at bowling.

Last Day at Gymnastics

2010-01-18T17:53:00.001-06:00

Her gymnastics classmates on the last day with their medals. Mr. Darren was her teacher and she was totally obsessed with him. During every class she kept one eye on him the whole time. "Darren, watch!" she would say. She insisted he play catch with her every "ball time" too.

Rolling on the soft shapes at gymnastics.

Medal time with Mommy.

New Years

2010-01-18T16:07:00.008-06:00

Savannah's New Year's hat that she made at St. Louis downtown First Night celebration.

We celebrated the Roney Christmas on New Year's Day. It was a special day because we were also celebrating our Uncle Paul and Aunt Lucia's 35th wedding anniversary.

Savannah entertained us with the harmonica. At the end you can hear her saying "Where my Matthew?" More about that below.

Aunt Cleo, Grandma Roney, Sarah and baby Nolan.

Savannah's photo skills...capturing Matthew, who Savannah loves/is totally afraid of (see previous post). When she sees him, she says "Get you," as in that's what he's going to do to her.

Aunt Lucia & super cute grandson Nolan.

Crepes

2010-01-02T09:00:00.003-06:00

The boys and I made crepes this morning. It's one of our favorite, yet infrequent breakfasts because it's so labor intensive and unhealthy. I thought I might never find a good use for the mascarpone cheese that I bought at Aldi on a whim, but alas, it's so yummy on a crepe with sugar sprinkles!

Ethan figured out how to pour, tilt, flip, smear, sprinkle and eat all on his own! He calls them "the island of sugar!" William did mostly sprinkling. If you want a reliable, authentic crepe recipe with very detailed instructions, google "Jacques Pepin PBS crepes". It's been several years, but I assume it's still there. They taste just like the ones we bought on the street on Montmartre, while we watched artists paint and monkeys doing their tricks to music.

Food blogging

2009-12-31T11:25:00.002-06:00

(I'm encouraging Dad to begin blogging about his food experiments and experiences, so I'm starting off with the first food blog entry to get the ball rolling.)

Happy New Year! On New Year's Day, Joey's family, as is common in the South, served blackeye peas for good luck and collards (or any kind of greens) for good fortune, along with cornbread and pepper sauce, which are essential accompaniments for these two dishes. Though, I was fascinated when his grandmother told me once that she secretly loves great northern beans best of all! Heresy! :) Actually, I love them too, but Dad's 6 bean mixture sounds good as well.

This year, to save time and energy, we're having Margaret Holmes seasoned blackeye peas and leftover creamed spinach from Trader Joe's (poor substitute for collards). Probably will have leftover lamb too. Joey and I hosted his office Christmas party at our house last night and served Trader Joe's Burgundy marinated leg of lamb, which was a hit. It's so easy and I highly recommend their lamb tips too.

I'd suggested Dad turn his beloved Irish Dinner into a New Year's tradition since it includes greens (cabbage) and it's too good to have only in March, but then sickness is has hit the Christmas family, forcing us to stay home. So, if it's freezable/portable, I hope he'll bring it to Will's birthday in two weeks.

Okay, your turn Dad....

Stress-mas

2009-12-27T13:32:00.006-06:00

I now understand when Christmas changes from "wonderful" to "stressful." It's in your 30s. I'm not a fan of this change at all and plan to take steps to reverse it for next year. But it was still fun.

Savannah was sick for the past few weeks and it came back on Christmas morning, so all of our pictures of her show her making a funny face to keep her runny nose from dripping!

Playing with new toys. Savannah said that Santa would bring "BIG TOYS" but never specified what they would be. Hope she's happy with them.

Looking at her new Wizard of Oz Barbies that Santa ordered from Craig's List.

This is what she looked like by the end of Christmas. Poor sick baby.

Then we went to Gram and Pop's house for Christmas on Saturday.

We had lots of fun making a mess of their living room.

I think Ethan liked everything he got. What a gracious gift receiver!

Savannah got this adorable tutu set from Aunt Ruthie...

and this great cowboy outfit from Aunt Elizabeth. Merry Christmas!

27 months

2009-12-27T13:09:00.005-06:00

Savannah's newest sayings:
"I'm busy."
"Mommy, you go get it."
"I want ice sreem."
"I not a baby, I big girl!"
"Oh my goodness," which I think she picked up from her cousin Paige!
"Pay me" which means "play with me"
The really confusing one is "I want go sleep" which really means "I don't want to go to sleep."

She's stalling for bedtime more: wants a snack of apples and milk.

Puerto Rico (so, so late!)

2009-12-15T21:32:00.007-06:00

Joey on the bridge to the resort's private island. It was lovely and quiet there.

view of our complex from beach island

El Yunque Rainforest hike (a U.S. national park) and yes, it was raining!

Our resort's town was clearly not a port of call for cruise ships. Michelle and I had a lot of fun exploring and desperately trying to find souveniers, resorting to the drugstore where we were serenaded by the guitar player who roams the aisles there. Local people seemed to be surprised to see us exploring...odd because the resort is nearby.

view from our hotel room...Island of Vieques on the horizon

Gingerbread house construction

2009-12-05T20:54:00.005-06:00

Well, now I have a greater appreciation for the home building industry. If I had only read the architect's instructions and done a little better framing on the outset, our first house would have a better foundation. However, some reinforcement from cans of gravy worked after all. Then we had to deal with some flooding...of both icing and Nerds. Tiny little Nerds candies everywhere. I know now that the next time I get a Gingerbread house, I will throw out the Nerds immediately. And if course, they were Savannah's favorite candy.

More thanksgiving

2009-12-05T20:51:00.001-06:00

The Stricker grandchildren at Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T22:37:00.005-06:00

Thanksgiving was perfect this year. Delicious food, great company (although we missed Joey). We ate at my parents house and had a terrific dinner at Ken and Christy's. What a wonderful day.

We also got to celebrate Gram's birthday!

Friday we went to Illinois to visit family and to see baby Nolan for the first time. Only, he's not a baby anymore...he's 9 mos. old and absolutely adorable. A very happy baby.

We got to see Grandma and Aunt Cleo as well as all of our aunts and uncles and some of our cousins.

Lucas and Matthew took sus on rides on the combine and the ATV. It was a blast! Robert drove as you can see...

And to top it off, what's Thanksgiving without a little wrestling match between Robert and Savannah??

New things

2009-11-24T21:03:00.008-06:00

Savannah is loving Playdoh right now. "I make snake" is what she is doing here.

We love to watch Daddy coach the Lindenwood basketball games. My pictures are terrible but you get the drift. The first game she was really freaked out by the buzzer and band, but she's used to it now and we've loved watching every minute.

She likes to drink chocolate milk, blow bubbles in the milk, and then, of course, clean up the mess the bubbles make...

Gram and Pop babysit

2009-11-21T22:12:00.002-06:00

Lynne and Allan enjoyed staying with the Christmas boys for a week while Mommy and Daddy had a work/vacation trip. Highlights were building a bow at Cub Scouts, exploring the creek and throwing rocks in, bike rides on the new bike path, a field trip with preschool, Veterans' Day at school where Ethan was in the Scouts' color guard and Allan was recognized with other vets, and many others. Allan introduced the boys to pimiento cheese among other treats including root beer floats every night! Somehow we didn't get any photos of Ethan but will have video later.

Will loves racing trikes in the preschool gym.

Robert clowns around with his book.

Admiring fake nose.

A cold picnic in the park.

Pop shares a treat with Robert.

Obsessions

2009-11-03T21:10:00.009-06:00

I'm hoping this post will strike a chord with other parents rather than classify our child as OCD. Every week, Savannah has an obsession. For about two months it was playing tea. That evolved into the following, which she does about 10 times a day for 4-5 days in a row:

Setting the table with plastic wine glasses and filling them with apple juice, which led to...
Setting the table with red plastic party cups, which led to...
Filling the red plastic cups with water from the dispenser, all the way to the top. You see where I'm going with this? And don't forget the plastic straws and flatware...

Other obsessions:

Singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out real candles (4 times is the minimum in a sitting)
Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches first thing in the morning with her plastic toy knife. Every day for a week. And not eating them.
Making sure all of the dolls in the dollhouse are in bed before she goes to bed (seems to take longer than you would think)
Taking out all of the CDs and DVDs and stacking them into one tall stack until they fall over and then she cries about it. I just want to say, "You've done that half a dozen times. Did you not know that was going to happen???"
Making chocolate milk with syrup (I think I broke her of that today).
Getting shoes, a backpack and an umbrella and telling me she's leaving. She actually walks outside and down the street, but says "Bye Mommy, Byyyye," about 30 times, which makes me less concerned that this is foreshadowing her runaway teenage days.

The newest one is putting all of her toy food individually in ziploc bags. She loves to play with anything she can reach on the bottom shelf of the pantry. Potatoes and onions must be next. It's all terribly adorable (and hopefully healthy). Makes me wonder what will be next!

Boo!

2009-11-02T14:39:00.006-06:00

So it wasn't a scary costume, but Savannah enjoyed Halloween dressed as Dorothy from "The Wizard of Oz,"or "Bob" as she calls it. She can say "trick or treat," but she preferred to say "Candy!" She is also crazy about witches. Loves them, I think because of the Wizard of Oz and she doesn't really get the concept of a bad witch yet. She probably just thinks their green skin and striped socks are cool. Not so much with zombies. Although once she realized that one of the zombies was Uncle Billy, she relaxed a little bit.

This was a pic from our neighbor's house, the first of the night. She just walked right in like she lived there...until she saw the zombie statue.