Easter Weekend

Carter's First Easter

The Thursday before Easter weekend we packed up the vehicle and headed for soggy southern Indiana to celebrate Easter with our families. It had rained there for several days straight and showed no signs of letting up for the holiday.  Even though the weather was super rainy, we had a wonderful time visiting family and celebrating Easter. 

On Friday we headed to the Gasthof with my family.  It is an Amish restaurant about an hour from my parents' house that has a great buffet and cute shops on the property.  This is the second year in a row that we made the trip to Montgomery on Good Friday, so I guess you could say that it's almost a tradition.  After having a great lunch and running a few shopping errands we headed back to my parents' house and spent the rest of the evening there. 

On Saturday we headed to Derek's Mom's house to celebrate Easter with his family.  Derek's younger brother and his family came down from Terre Haute to spend Saturday celebrating with us.  Addy always gets very excited about seeing her cousin Cameron and now Carter really enjoys seeing him too!  It's a lot of fun watching them interact with each other.  Due to the soggy weather outside we decided to forgo the Easter Egg hunt we had planned on taking the kids to and elected to visit the nursing home where Grandma Freihaut volunteers.  The kids got to travel from room to room to "hunt" eggs from the residents trick-or-treating style.   It was a great experience for all involved and was a great alternative to the muddy mess that I'm sure Addy would have been after an outdoor hunt.   Later that evening we went to church with Derek's mom.  Addy loves visiting her church because she gets to go to childcare with Miss Leslie.  She always has a great time there and comes away with a craft and song that she has learned.

Checking out Addy's Easter book.  We have continued Derek's family tradition of giving the kids books for Easter.  Each year they get a new book with a short inscription from us.  This year both kids got collections of Disney stories and they have become bedtime hits!

Sunday morning we headed back to my parents house to see if the Easter Bunny found us there and sure enough...he did!  Addy and Carter had fun checking out their Easter baskets and their gifts from Grandma and Grandpa.  The kids also hunted the eggs the Easter Bunny left in the yard.  Yes, the bunny was crazy enough to brave the mud and muck to hide eggs in Grandma and Grandpa's front yard.  I was suprised that the kids managed to stay reasonably clean and mud free.  We had a yummy easter lunch with my whole family and grandma and spent a bit more time together before heading back just as the kids were getting a bit cranky and were ready for naptime. 

Checking out his loot from the Bunny

Addy was very concerned about the Bunny finding us at Mamaw and Papaw's house.  She even let him know where we would be when she saw him at the mall.  He obviously listened!

Even the eggs were soaked!

They miraculously stayed fairly clean!

Addy loved the Bunny decoration!

Although we fought raindrops and gray skies all weekend we had a fabulous time visiting family and celebrating,  It was the first time we had made the trip home since Christmas and we were so glad to be back in Indiana again.  We have several more trips to Indiana planned over the next few months and hope that we can see more family and friends during those trips.

Wordless Wednesdays...

I really like this idea that a few of the moms in the moms' group I just joined use on their own blogs.  Since this is the first "Wordless Wednesday" post I had  to use words to explain the purpose, but after today be sure to look for picture only posts on Wednesdays. A few of you should be super excited about this concept (and you know who you are) because often times when I see these certain people in person and discuss the blog they tell me that they want to see less words and more pictures.....so your wish is granted..at least on Wednesdays anyway:)

A Big Birthday!

A few weekends ago Derek reached a milestone as he turned the big 3-0!  We're always so excited when our kids reach big milestones, but I can honestly say that this is one that Derek wasn't asexcited about.  On Friday we had a pretty low key celebration with a nice dinner at Outback and an ince cream cake from DQ.  Derek's mom also came up for the big occasion.  We had planned to do a day trip on Saturday to continue the celebration but had to postpone those plans due to Derek getting sick in the middle of the night.  At about 2 a.m. he woke up feeling terrible....sore throat, pressure on ears, headache, etc.  I knew that he was feeling really bad when he agreed to let me take him to Prompt Care first thing Saturday morning.  It turns out that Derek had an ear infection, a pretty yucky sinus infection, and possibly strep throat (which the Dr. didn't test for since he was going to be on an antibiotic regardless).  So most of Derek's birthday weekend was spent resting and recouping in bed.  I let him know that if this is what happens to you when you turn 30...I don't want my birthday to come!   All throughout the day people would ask Addy how old her Daddy was and she would respond "thirteen."  It's really hard to believe that we are hitting the 30 mark!  I don't think that it's something eaither of us are afraid of or dreading.  Although we don't particularly like the idea of not being twenty somethings anymore, it's not something we are experiencing depression about...yet.  We'll see how I feel when I actually have to accept turning 30 next month!  For right now I'll enjoy being able to giving Derek trouble about being an old man:)

The Birthday Boy and his two biggest fans

Couldn't put all 30 candles on the cake because we couldn't find the fire extinguisher:)

Earlier in the week history was made in the Freihaut household as Derek finally decided on and purchased his first riding lawn mower.  After weeks and weeks of online research and creating a spreadsheet to compare models (can you say dorky?) he finally went to the John Deere dealer and made a decision.  I was so happy that he finally made the decision.  I was getting a bit tired of talking about moving decks, turning radiuses, horsepower, etc., etc. at dinner.  Although I don't think my dad was too happy about Derek's choice to "go green"....Derek is excited about his purchase and I am just excited that it is finally done!  And Addy likes the colors:)

Taking the first test drive



The new mower got Addy's approval!



Hello April....We're SO Happy to See You!

**I just wanted to note that I have had this post written for some time but had issues uploading photos all week.  Sorry about the delay.  Look for another post in the next few days:)

 Last week the Freihaut family was so glad to be able to turn the page of the calendar to begin a brand new month.  Sometimes people have one of those days or one of those weeks. Well, for the Freihaut family March  2011 was just one of those months. Although nothing catastrophic happened (thank goodness!) and we are lucky to say that  everyone in the family is healthy and happy, it seemed like each week we had something  to deal with or something that hadn't gone as planned.  From a knee surgery to sick kiddos several times over to two scheduled closing dates on the old house that fell through and resulted to putting our house back on the market--March wasn't our best of months.  However, we managed to make it through and we were ecstatic to turn the page of the calendar to reveal a new month and a blank slate. 

We had a wonderful first weekend of April.  Saturday was officially declared Girls' Day in the Freihaut household and Addy and I set out for a fun day out and about.  I had heard about a local cosmetology school having a "Princess Days" where girls could get a makeover and all proceeds went to charity.  So I made Addy an appointment and planned to make a fun day out of it.  We started out our day with lunch at Olive Garden.  It's no secret that Derek isn't a fan of this place, so we don't go there often.  In fact Adalyn hadn't ever eaten there, which is something short of a miracle considering how often we dine out.  Well, last week Addy saw a commercial for Olive Garden and asked if we could go there sometime.  After hearing her interest for the O.G. I knew we had to seize the moment and take her to lunch there.  I had high hopes of transforming her into an Olive Garden fan with future girls' day lunch dates in mind.  Well, the fettuccine alfredo was my ally that day and won Addy over!  She loved the Olive Garden and ate her share of bread sticks, salad, and "white sauce noodles" and asks to go back there daily.  That's my girl!  I knew someone in the family would become my O.G. buddy!

After lunch and a trip browsing through the aisles of Toys-R-Us we headed to the cosmetology school for Addy's princess treatment.  Upon arriving there and searching for a parking space I realized that the event may be a bit bigger than I anticipated.  Come to find out that one hundred little girls were actually signed up for the makeovers.  There were princesses everywhere!  I was very impressed with how organized everything was and everything ran very smoothly.  Addy was given a tiara when we entered the building and we were taken to the "princess theater" where Aladdin was showing.  After watching the movie for a few minutes Addy was given a pedicure.  She chose a teal for her nails and chatted it up with the manicurist.  Then we moved on to the make-up area where Addy got a little blush and lipstick and a lot of glitter.  She was so excited to be getting make-up done and kept looking at herself in the mirror afterwards.  Next, Addy was taken to a chair by one of the stylists and she got an updo fit for a princess.  I was so amazed at how well Addy sat for so long.  The stylist took her time and did an awesome job!  After her pampering was complete we went back to the theater to finish watching the movie and have a few treats.  It was a great day!  Hopefully the cosmetology school makes this an annual thing and we can make it something Addy and I do together on a yearly basis...at least until she's 22 or 23:)

Getting a touch of sparkle



I couldn't believe how still she sat for SO long!

 

All finished and ready to mingle with the other princesses



After a quick trip to Meijer where Addy got many looks and compliments, we headed home to see what the boys were up to.  When we got home Derek let us know that they had done two of a boy's favorite activities--watching baseball and napping.  Overall it was a fantastic day and is one we will remember for a long time.  It was al day that made the craziness and chaos of March seem not so important, which is a good thing and something we all needed!



Our pretty Princess



Our happy and handsome little guy

Handstands are becoming more and more common around our house

A sweet sibling moment

10 Months and Counting...

Our little guy reached the 10 month mark this past Sunday--March 27th.  It's crazy to think that he is already 10 months old! Carter continues to surprise us with his personality and abilities everyday.  He has such a fun-loving personality and is always smiling and laughing with or at his big sister.  When I take the kids out and about on errands Carter catches the eye of many people.  He is certainly an attention grabber. He laughs, smiles, and points at everyone.  Our trips to the mall always take longer because Carter causes people to stop and interact with him.  He also likes to stare people down at restaurants and give them his biggest smiles.  Our little guy is quite the charmer, that's for sure!

Carter loves music and will bounce and wave his hands whenever he hears a tune.  He has become proficient at pulling up on things and has taken a few shuffle steps while holding onto furniture and his walker.  He hasn't really had the gumption to let go yet, but we're certainly o.k. with that!  Carter's sleeping habits haven't been so great the past week or so.  Now that he can pull himself up, he often does so in his bed if he doesn't feel as though it is time for him to sleep.  He has been more difficult going down and has woken up around 2:30 the past three nights.  Those early morning wake up calls aren't something I had missed and hopefully won't stay around for long.  Even his nap schedule has been disrupted this week.  We know that Carter is cutting teeth and he was recently sick with a cold and ear infections.  Those issues are probably having an effect on his shut eye.  Hopefully we'll get back on schedule very soon. 

In the food category, Carter remains to be a pretty picky eater.  It appears that Carter not only inherited Derek's looks, but his taste buds as well.  Great, if this is indeed true it means meat and potatoes for most meals and another Culver's fan.  I only hope that Addy continues to be a foodie and is always willing to try other types of foods...she appears to be my only hope!  Carter now has five teeth--two on the bottom and three on top.  At his last appointment the doctor gave us the go ahead to give him any  of table foods, as long as he could handle them with his few teeth.  This week we have started offering him gummable table foods.  Carter is a huge fan of scalloped potatoes--surprise, surprise! At first he wasn't crazy about green beans, but warmed up to them fairly quickly.  This evening we gave him spaghetti with sauce.  He pushed most of the noodles back out with his tongue, but didn't act like he hated it. 

Addy continues to surprise us with the things she says and does everyday.  We took a big step this week and officially enrolled her in preschool.  A few weeks ago we found out that our school district is lucky enough to still have their pre-k program. Since our district is on the small side all students who like in the district are eligible to attend.  I was (and still am) nervous about the thought of taking my little girl to school everyday. I cherish my days with her and didn't want to give them up so quickly. However, after talking to many people I realized that the program has an outstanding reputation in the community and I shouldn't keep her from from this opportunity for my selfish reasons.  The program is free of charge and runs with the school calendar.  She will be in the morning class which runs from 8:15-10:45.  Derek's remarks when I was having a hard time deciding whether or not to enroll her were--"Hold on, it's a better program and it's free?? Tonya, it's a no brainer!"

I had to take her to school for a few screenings during the past few weeks.  The other day when we arrived at school she saw the small school bus and was upset that we didn't hitch a ride on it to school:)  An when we were sitting and waiting for the teacher to meet with us, we watched the students go to the cafeteria for lunch.  I explained what they were doing and Addy said, "Wow I didn't know schools had restaurants!  I want to eat at that restaurant sometime!"  Addy did very well at the screenings and was told by several people that she is ready for an academic environment.  I know that she will love school.  I just don't know if mommy will love her going to school!

Admiring the cookies we made for snacktime




This past Sunday I had the opportunity to take an awesome photography class in Rochester with my good friend Kristi.  Derek stayed home with the kids and I was so thankful to have a day to get away and learn more about something I am really interested in.  The class was very informative.  I feel like I learned a ton about using my camera and I had a great time visiting with Kristi and catching up.  The photography class sparked my interest even more.  Since then I have been playing around with my camera and trying to get Addy and Carter to pose for pictures.  I'm not so sure they're as enthusiastic about my new interest as I am.  I am taking another class at the local community college in April and am looking forward to learning more.  Hopefully as I continue to take classes and practice you'll be able to see the quality of my pictures improving.  My children are soon going to become tired of being my guinea pigs, so if anyone else wants to volunteer their kiddos, let me know:)

Busy Times

Besides Adalyn's birthday party, we've had a lot of other things going on in the Freihaut household during the month of March. Here is a post to catch up on all that has been going on with our family...


Slumber Party
On Friday, February 25th, Addy had the opportunity to spend the night with our good friends, Kim and Nate.  She came back very spoiled! It was like a 24 hour field trip for Addy and was jam-packed full of fun things including dinner at McDonald's, getting to see the real vehicles from the new movie, Cars 2, a trip to Target, getting to stay up late to watch Wall-E, and Krispy Kreme donuts for breakfast.  Kim and Nate were also nice enough to watch Carter for a few hours so Derek and I could go to dinner to celebrate the end of Derek's busy season.  To say that Addy needed a good detox on Saturday morning was an understatement.  She threw an enourmous fit when we arrived to pick her up!  It was kind of similar to the aftermath of a trip to visit grandparents!  Kim dropped the ball in taking pictures during their party, but I did manage to snap a few when Addy was waiting for friends to come pick her up.



Waiting for her ride with her Pillow Pet and Cinderella in tow

Doctor Visits
The kids also had their check-ups with Dr. Boe during the first week of March.  We had their appointments together, which is a big time saver.  Carter had his nine month check-up and is doing great.  He weighed in at 25 lbs. 7 oz. (97th percentile) and measured at 29 and 1/2 inches (90th percentile).  The doctor was very happy with his development and he is right on track in regards to development.  Carter has four teeth and is working on his fifth.  The doctor gave the go ahead to feed him any table foods.  Recently Carter has started pulling himself up and has been pulling up to reach things he previously couldn't reach. 

Addy--The Puzzle Enthusiast

The finished products

Addy visited the doctor for her three year check-up and did very well at listening and following the the directions of the nurse and doctor.  I was very proud of the way she did everything that was asked of her and answered the questions that Dr. Boe asked her.  She is also developing right on track and measured in at 39 inches (90th percentile) and 36 lbs (90th percentile). 

Besides the well check ups, we made several other trips to the doctor with the kids for illness.  First, Carter was put on antibiotics for a minor ear infection at the end of February, but it had cleared up by the time we took him in for his 9 month appointment.  However, about a week later he was pulling at his ears again and had a fever.  Derek took him to the doctor and discovered that the ear infection had returned, but was stronger than before.  Later in the week I headed to the doctor with Adalyn for similar symptoms and she was also put on antibiotics.  Needless to say, by the end of the three week period the Meijer pharmacists knew our names and what we were coming for--antibiotics!

I also made several visits to the doctor this month.   I finally gave in and went in for arthroscopic surgery on my right knee on March 8th.  My knee began bothering me in march when we moved into our new house and started frequently giving out on me at the end of January.  It started giving out when I was out and about with the kids and carrying Carter down the stairs of our home.  Needless to say, I was finally convinced (and strongly "encouraged" by Derek) to see an orthopedic surgeon and after an MRI it was determined that I had a torn meniscus.  Derek took me in for outpatient surgery and my doctor actually found that my meniscus was intact, but I had a lot of frayed cartilage that was was causing the problem and needed to be removed.  Derek's mom stayed after Addy's birthday party to help with my recovery and take care of the kids.  My recovery went very well and was surprisingly easier than I had anticipated. My follow up physical therapy and doctor appointments have gone well and I gaining back more of my mobility everyday.

Addy with my Get Well fruit bouquet from my family.  I think she ate more of it than I did!

Yes, it is true that our insurance cards have certainly had a workout this month.  Thank goodness for health insurance! All in all we have been very lucky with sickness this winter (I'm knocking on wood as we speak).  Hopefully the first days of spring will bring an end to ear infections and fevers!  I'm sure it will bring the onset of spring allergies, but I'll take that over my babies having achy ears!

Pajama Pals

A Mover and Shaker
During the past few weeks Carter has started to pull up on more and more things.  Now, many of the things we had placed out his reach when he was a crawler are within his grasp as a stander.  Adalyn isn't too happy with Carter's latest trick and has been irritated when Carter gets ahold of the toys she doesn't want him to come near.  He loves Adalyn's crayons, legos, and babies and will stretch out on his tippy toes to get his fingers on them.  It is very evident that he is quite proud of his newest accomplishment.  Anytime Carter pulls up on something he makes noises and waves one of his arms in the air to get your attention as if he is saying "Hey, look at me."  Last night (March 24th) he pulled himself up to his walker and took a few shuffled steps.  Although we are so very happy that Carter is making so much progress, a part of me wants him to slow down!  Just when I think that I am beginning to get things figured out, another challenge presents itself.  I guess that's what parenthood is all about!

Bouncy Ball or not...Carter is starting to bounce off the walls!

Carter thinks he's the Stuff!

Third Birthday Festivities

It's hard to believe that on March 2nd our little girl turned THREE!  When you have your kids people who are older, probably wiser, and who are season veterans at the whole parenting thing will tell you to enjoy the time because they grow up to fast. When Addy was a baby I took it with a grain of salt, just like all of the other advice that was thrown out at us.  However, I am beginning to understand just how true that statement is.  I know that Addy is only three years old, but it does seem as though those years have passed in a flash and a wink.  Adalyn continues to amaze us and make us laugh with her bubbly, fun-loving personality.  She loves her little brother and is a huge help to me in watching after him and keeping him occupied throughout the day.  She has learned so much since we celebrated her second birthday.  She knows all of the upper and lowercase letters and has recently learned the sounds that all the letter make.  She will often ask what letter a certain word begins with and will think about it and answer it herself.  She is constantly asking questions and making up her own stories.  We continued to be surprised by some of the things she says and does.  Just the other day she told me, "Mommy you're never too old to stop learning."  She has really been interested in pretend play lately and will play for extended periods of time with any types of figurines, baby dolls, puzzles, and books.  She still loves books and looks forward to our weekly trips to library.  Addy recently started a gymnastics class and had her first class on Thursday morning. There are three other little girls in her class. Her favorite part was when they got to do handstands with their feet against the wall.  She loved it so much that she tried to practice the move in our living room.  Oh my...what have I gotten myself into?!  Adalyn continues to be a happy little girl who is enjoying life as a newly turned three year old.  We are so proud of her for so many things!


We celebrated Addy's birthday on Wednesday with several things throughout the day.  Adalyn had been asking to go to Krispy Kreme for a few weeks, so I decided to take her there for a birthday donut on Wednesday morning.  We headed there before the kids' doctor appointment. Addy chose a donut with chocolate frosting and sprinkles and chocolate milk.  She was in sugar heaven! 

After breakfast we headed to the doctor's office.   Yes, I am the mean mom that made her daughter go to the doctor on her birthday, but only because the office called and cancelled on Tuesday and wanted to reschedule for Wednesday and I knew she wasn't getting any shots.  Addy's did great at her appointment.  She was was very cooperative with the doctor and nurses and answered all of Dr. Boe's questions.  Carter had his nine month appointment at the same time and Addy was very concerned and interested in what was being done to her baby brother.  I'll post the stats from his visit in the next post. 

After the doctor appointment we headed to Adalyn's restaurant of choice for lunch--McDonald's (of course).  She devoured her happy meal and then played in the indoor playplace for quite a while.  While playing she asked several of the kids playing to be her friends and even asked a little boy if she could come to his house and play sometime.  Our little girl is quite the social butterfly!

After naptime at home Addy was so excited to open her gifts from us.  Derek came ome early to take part in the festivities.  Addy was so excited to open her presents and was ecstatic about her new Princess Truck.  She wanted to take it on a test drive right away.  So we bundled up and went outside, so she could give it a try.  Let's just say that her driving skills need lots of practice!

Uncovering her Princess Truck

Very excited about her new wheels

After playing with her new toys for quite a while we headed to Chili's for dinner.  Addy ordered a blue slushie and a cheese quesadilla.  After dinner we headed by Chuck E. Cheese's to let her ride a few rides.  However, it was super crowded, which was surprising for a Wednesday evening!  She played a few games and rode a few rides and then we were all ready to get away from the crowds, so we ended the evening with a birthday treat at Dairy Queeen.  Addy chose an M&M mini blizzard as her birthday treat and loved every bit of it!

Enjoying Chili's with Daddy

We had Adalyn's birthday party with family and friends on Saturday.  Addy wanted a Tangled birthday party and even though not many themed decorations had come out yet, we made due.  I even recruited Ashley, Derek, and my mom to help me make a ten foot braid that draped over the front door...now that's dedication!  The guests arrived Saturday at 3:00.  Addy was excited and refreshed from a great nap and was ready to party!  She had such a fantastic time with her friends and family.  The kids made princess crowns and played pin the skillet on Flynn Ryder.  I had purchased lanterns to be released in the air, just like in the movie.  Unfortunately the rainy weather kept us from releasing them.  Addy was excited about her Rapunzel cake and blew out all of her candles on her own.  She got a little overwhelmed when all eyes were on her during the singing of Happy Birthday, but she quickly recovered and loved her piece of cake with tons of icing!  Addy loved all of the gifts she received from everyone.  We are so thankful that so many wonderful family and friends were able to celebrate Addy's special day with us.  Addy is lucky to have so many people in her life that love and care for her!

Addy and her Tangled Tower

The Party Crew

Proud to be 3!

Cake Time!

Dancin' it up to Just Dance Kids on the Wii

Birthday pic with Grandma and Grandpa Schum

Cheesin' wih Grandma Freihaut