Go Big Red!

Last weekend Joe and I were able to go to the Nebraska vs. Arkansas State football game. Bailey came down to stay with Sydney and we headed out Saturday morning to Lincoln. We had been one other time when we were both in college and had an amazing time-so I was very anxious to go back! We were two of over 85,300 people that showed up for the game--Nebraska's 299th consecutive sell out game! It was just incredible to see all the red surrounding us--there wasn't a single empty seat that we could see once it was time for kick-off. It was a great game to watch and even better that they won! 38-9. I'm trying to talk Joe in to bringing Sydney to the KU-Nebraska game so she can have her first game! :) She has the NU cheerleader outfit all ready to go. ;)





You can't see very well but the top row shows the years of their national championships; the second row shows the 30-yep 30, conference titles.

Great Labor Day weekend!

We had such a great, long weekend! Joe was gone all last week to Colorado on business so it was wonderful just to hang out this weekend as a family and catch up on time together we had missed. We were really lazy (except he mowed and I did some laundry) but isn't that what Labor Day weekend is all about? Taking it easy? :) Anyway, this afternoon Joe and I went golfing at a nearby 9-hole golf course and we had a babysitter come and watch Sydney. This is the second time she has watched Sydney (the last time was about a month or so ago?) and the first went just "okay." Sydney had some moments where she just wanted one of us, threw a couple of fits, etc. I was worried that she may have scared our hope of a local babysitter off, but she was still more than willing to watch Syd when we called again! Our babysitter's mom was going to drop her off at 2:30 which was the plan since Sydney usually wakes up from her nap at that time. However this morning she had laid down and taken about an hour nap--so at 2:30 Sydney STILL had not fallen asleep for her afternoon nap. (We lay her down at 1:00.) I was terrified that she'd be a little terror for her. However...the report was fantastic and SO much better than last time--no reported meltdowns or fits, but instead just lots of fun! So our babysitter must have done something right with our exhausted little princess to keep her happy all afternoon long! :) I love it because I feel some freedom by way of this babysitter--we love having Aunt Bailey watch Sydney (and I know she loves it too) but it's nice having someone local too for little outings such as these.

Tomorrow is Sydney's 20 month appointment. I'm anxious to hear her "stats" and compare them to her 18 month measurements. It seems like we were just at her 18 month appointment! After this we don't go back until her 2 year appointment. Can it be? Our baby is almost 2? It's unreal!

Our crazy life!

It has been SO long since I last posted. I didn't realize that life would be so chaotic (well I did I had just forgotten how I had managed it before!) Life is finally starting to settle in to some sort of routine. Sydney is finally doing better in the mornings when I drop her off. Last I posted we were still in the clingy, screaming, hysterically upset, heart-wrenching stage and then literally one day, out of the blue, I let her walk in instead of carrying her and she carried her grapes. She walked right in, carried her grapes to the table and puckered up for a goodbye kiss and hug and even told me "bye"! I just started dumbly at our daycare provider out of pure confusion---but glee! I was so happy to have our drop offs back to "normal."

Sydney is talking SO much now. It seems like just in the last couple of weeks she has started putting 2 to 3 words together as she orders us around. :) She'll even attach our names to most of her requests or statements. When her toast popped up this morning she, kindly of course, said: "Mama, go!" (or maybe it was "mama toast!" :) ) At night before bed she enjoys looking at pictures of herself (mostly) and other pictures on our computer. I dropped her off with Joe after a bath the other night and she said "Mama, go." Very definitively. I was a little hurt but I smiled a bit because I thought it was pretty cute too! Even tonight when she wanted to read a book it was "mama...up...please." She even started saying the word "airplane" (a-pain) and looks to the sky. She got so excited the other day when we saw two flying around--she kept running around the yard trying to see them through the trees! It is so exciting and really pretty awesome to be able to communicate even more with her! Oh we still have a long way to go before we fully understand each other (but will we ever fully "understand" each other anyway?)

End of summer, beginning of the school year=chaos!

Welcome. (She's so serious! :) )

Wow, I haven't posted in such a long time! Sydney's weekdays have been spent at daycare and my days have been spent at my classroom preparing for my 17 cherubs for the 2009-2010 (2010--how did that happen?!?) school year. At the beginning of each school year I find it SO difficult to go from having free time throughout the day to prepare supper, sweep up the floor, do a load of laundry, etc. to having approximately 45 minutes to get supper prepared and on the table and maybe an hour or two after Syd goes to bed to do the rest of the items mentioned up there. :) It'll take time but we'll manage!

I won't rehash the last 12 days of our life, but just make a few notes instead. :)

• Sydney has had a rough transition going back to daycare, which makes the transition extra hard on me. :( Luckily her days have improved, even if our drop-offs have steadily gotten worse. Today she noticed two blocks away where we were going and started whining "Mama...mama..." and was crying before the driveway. I'll be glad for the day when she cries when she doesn't want to leave!! :) (Which happened frequently last year!)
  
• We went to Delphos this past weekend and spent time with family there. Sydney got to play with Addison at Erin's baby shower and Alta at Grandma Ponton's jewelry party. It was fun to see them chatter and play with each other--even if Sydney was a bit bossy at times. :)
• Saturday night Joe and I went to our very first ever dirt track race (if that's even what it's called). We were invited by Joe's brother and his wife (they have invited us nearly every time we see them when we come back)--it was a beautiful summer evening and although we were out later than normal, we had a great time!
• 
• Sydney has become a little Polly Parrot (I am stealing Miss Kim's name for her son)...she tries to imitate everything we say and I mean everything. I slipped up with "crap" the other day and she said her Sydney version of it. Oops. :) She also said "geez" after me the other day and now will say "Bye Maa (Maggie)" and blow kisses in the morning as we pull out of the driveway. It's so fun hearing her say all these new words and now, some new phrases!!
• Sydney finally learned how to climb on to the couch herself! She loves to climb up there and roll around and relax. Here she is kicking back and reading a book!
• Trying on her dad's shoes...quite a unique strategy, but she was successful!
  

Joe had to take her car seat out for his car pool day to drive. She thought it was so neat she wanted to eat her snack in her seat. I had to cater her snack to her from the kitchen down to her chair because she didn't even want to leave it. Silly girl!

Days in Delphos!

Joe has been in Georgia since Wednesday for work (he's coming home tonight--yay!) so Sydney and I made a trip up to Delphos to see my parents/her Grandma and Grandpa and our other family. I figured it'd be a great time before school started. Sydney had such a great time! She took right to her grandparents, especially Grandpa Rod. (There's no doubt that she's a Daddy's girl and a Grandpa's girl! They were always off doing "chores" like watering the flowers, or helping Grandpa check his e-mail.) We weren't there long before Great Grandma Dodo came down to see Sydney, then came cousins Jessica and Addison, then Great Aunt Rhonda and Great Aunt Dee, and then Traci and her "puppy" Scout! It was so funny how everyone dropped in, but it was great to see them. I was also beaming inside at how well Sydney did with everyone. We don't make it back as often as we'd like (or as often as they'd like) but she took right to everyone. Even giving them kisses and hugs when they left! She was chattering the whole time and she *loved* Scout and kept calling her "puppy" in a screechy, drawn out, cutesy type voice! :) It was quite funny if I do say so myself.

We arrived Wednesday afternoon and left the next day at about the same time, so we weren't there long, but it warmed my heart to see her loving on her grandparents and making memories with them in just the short time we were there. Here are a few pictures from our trip!

Riding the spring horse my Grandpa Nelson made years ago; she has never had any interest in riding this until the day we arrived! She loved it (and her cousin Addison did too!)Cleaning off after watering flowers with grandpa!

She spotted me! (Moments after this she wanted to get completely soaked...Grandpa caved and she was soaked from head to toe and kept wanting "more"!)Reading with Great Grandma Dodo

Playing outside before we headed back home!

Mommy's cell phone and Sydney's bottomless pit

This morning I let Sydney play with my old cell phone and although it doesn't light up or randomly call people like my present cell phone, Sydney sure had a great time "talking" to whoever she talks to and helping her baby talk on the phone too.

Sydney's bottomless pit in the title obviously refers to her stomach. Awhile back she was teething and wasn't eating normally at all, however recently she's been starting to eat more like she normally does. Anyway, today I warmed up what was left of her supper last night (lasagna and mashed sweet potatoes). She ate that up in no time. I was also eating leftovers (tater tot casserole) so I shared several scoops of that with her. Keep in mind that she is shoveling this food in..I couldn't take bites for myself fast enough to keep up! Once we were both done with my lunch, :) I gave her a couple scoops of cottage cheese...then a couple more scoops of cottage cheese...she was still on a roll so I gave her some mandarin oranges. When she finished these she wanted more cottage cheese, so I gave her a couple more scoops. I was amazed. I was honestly scurrying around the kitchen trying to find something else that was lunch-worthy and somewhat healthy for her to eat!

She LOVES her cottage cheese!

Coffey County Fair and the "beach" at Melvern Lake (WARNING! lots of photos!

This past Friday night was the parade in Burlington and since Sydney and I hadn't seen some of our friends, the Fullens, for awhile I convinced Joe to take us after he got off of work. Kent and Janelle had saved us spots right along the path of the parade and by the time we got there Sydney was raring to go! (A few seats down from us were two guys and a little boy who Sydney was drawn to right away--she kept calling him "baby" and kneeling and saying "aw"--we later found out that Sydney and this little boy were just a few weeks apart in age and actually we were in our birth class with his parents! Kind of ironic, but not so much in a little town like that!) Anyway, my plan was to feed Syd the supper I had packed for her (PB sandwich, grapes, cheese, and sweet potatoes!) However, the parade began and she was so enthralled by the animals, people, vehicles, etc. that she only ate about half of the sandwich! (I saved it for later when we ate supper.) Here are some pictures of her at the parade!

Anxiously awaiting the next part of the parade!
Playing with the ball that the ladies of Central National Bank passed out!
Enjoying her first sucker...Janelle was convinced I was depriving Sydney for never letting her have a sucker. So in the spirit of parades and fair weekend, I caved but I watched her like a hawk--and didn't let her finish it. :)

After the parade we went out to eat (at this point it was already her bed time! yikes! We were a little bit nervous on how this could pan out.) Sydney didn't last long in her chair, but we were in the back room so she had some space to run around and throw her ball, etc. She was doing so well once we were done eating, we thought we'd take her down to the fairgrounds to see the animals. When we brought her to the Franklin Co. fairgrounds she LOVED the animals there...just loved them. So I knew she wouldn't be throwing any fits there surrounded by the stinky farm animals she loves so much! Our first stop was the goats and bucket calves. The pygmy goats were by far her favorite (probably because she could pet them!) Then we went to the birds and bunnies, which she also enjoyed (especially the ducks!) We saw cows and she liked them when they "moo"ed at her. The pigs kind of scared us though! We just watched them from afar!!

The goat saying "hi" to Sydney...you can kind of see that she's smiling or at least doing her "oohh!" face!
The pygmy goat she was able to pet!She is thrilled to pieces--can't you tell? :)
Some type of chicken that she thought was cute.Reading about the bunnies
The quack-quacks! (FYI: her fingers were promptly removed from the cage, just in case :) )

Today, Sydney and I were invited to go to the Melvern Lake swimming beach with some new friends of ours. Last time we went to the Pomona swimming beach and it was really crummy. The beach part was full of big, rough rocks, the water was very very dirty...so needless to say we hung out on the sand and Sydney just scooped sand in to her bucket! This time was completely different--there was beautiful soft sand and the water was clear up to my knees, which I thought was pretty good! Sydney LOVED it, absolutely loved it. Her inner "fish" came out and she was splashing, and walking circles around me, carrying on. She even loved it when she lost her footing and fell in to the water (I had her hands the whole time, but she would still get her face in it or her shoulder, etc.) She laughed hysterically while we were out walking around in the water. It was so much fun to see her enjoy something new and to enjoy it as much as she did!!

Playing "catch"/float with her new friend Lexi.
Splashing!Splashing some more!!
Refueling with some craisins after playing hard in the water!