The Daintys

Sledding At Last

2012-01-25T17:06:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year Leah got a new sled - her first sled actually. The only problem is we have had an unusually "green" winter for this part of the country. The other weekend we went to visit our friends, Greg and Emily, in Ohio and were dumped on with snow. It made the drive a bit slow, but the sledding was great!

Leah's first trip down the steep hill got her a face full of snow.

And her dad may or may not have landed on her a bit...

So then she opted for what she refers to as "bum sledding."

While the grown boys continued to enjoy the sleds and had races.

Fortunately, there was a smaller hill, and Leah gave Dad a second chance.

She's a brave little soul.

And worked her way up to sledding all by herself!

Here's a video of Leah's sledding technique.

And here she is going solo...

Happy 2012

2012-01-08T14:54:00.001-08:00

Ok, I am finally catching up on the holiday season pictures and posts! Our New Year's Eve this year was also fairly quiet and relaxing...well, Leah had her first sleepover, so it was quiet once the munchkins went to bed! The girls played dress-up (obviously), jump-on-the-bed, board games, snacked on popcorn, and watched the Grinch in their matching pajamas.

We wish you all a very happy, peaceful, and blessed 2012!

A Christmas of Many Costumes

2012-01-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

We had a very calm and quiet Christmas at home this year. We slept in until after 8am (which is quite late by our standards!) and had a big breakfast and lazy morning opening presents. Actually, opening presents took us WELL into the afternoon. Partly because Leah changed her apparel after opening nearly every present. When she opened a Disney Princess book, she had to get changed into a princess outfit. Then, she got a pirate outfit. Then, she got a magic wand, so she needed her blue dress back on... You get the picture. Seriously, count her outfits.

Even Lucy was spoiled!

This is from when we went to pick out our tree a few weeks before Christmas.

Happy 30th Ryan!

2011-12-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Ryan celebrated his 30th birthday this past weekend! So, Grammy came to watch Leah, and Ryan and I took a trip to Indianapolis. (Thanks Mom!) I didn't think I'd like Indy the first time I went there a few years ago. I guess I was feeling a little superior having grown up outside of Chicago, but I have to say the city has really grown on me since becoming a hoosier.

The Big Ten conference championship game between my dear Spartans and the Wisconsin Bagers was at Lucas Oil Stadium, which is a pretty awesome place to see even if you don't like football! We had seats on the 50 yard line, and it was a great game - even SEC-loving Ryan enjoyed it - despite a heartbreaking ending. (Well, Ryan wasn't too sad. I guess that's good since it was his birthday and all...) We ate at Jersey's Cafe, which we had seen featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, & Dives on the Food Network over the summer...it was delicious. Homemade chips piled with bacon, cheese, BBQ sauce, and green onions with the best ranch dressing I had ever had for dipping... Definitely worth the side trip.

Sunday we celebrated as a family, with hot-wing chicken and banana cake with peanut butter cream cheese frosting. In the picture below, Leah had just realized that she didn't get any presents this time. She was a little disappointed, clearly.

But, after a mid-dinner wardrobe change into a "BOOOOTIFUL Princess Aurora blue dress" and the promise of birthday cake, Leah joined in the fun.

Happy B-Day Ryan! We love you!

The best ever purple dragon princess party!

2011-12-06T15:59:00.000-08:00

Leah turned three about two weeks ago, and over Thanksgiving we had a little birthday celebration for her since we had the benefit of out-of-town family being around. We celebrated at the toddler-revered chocolate cafe, which has a giant play structure in the theme of a cocoa tree and, of course, a great deal of chocolate. And, at Leah's request, there was a dragon cake. A PURPLE dragon cake.

It was fun to watch Leah play the hostess; we read this birthday book a bazillion times before the big day, and the book highlights birthday manners. ("Oh, thank you for this gift, let me put it at the present table and we can go play." Rather than, "Mine, mine! All these presents are MINE!") Speaking of presents, she got all kinds of new dress-up clothes, which she changes into every afternoon the minute we get home.

Someone ELSE had a special birthday recently too...tune in next time for the special "Ryan is thirty" post! :)

Turkey Day

2011-12-01T17:24:00.000-08:00

We hosted family here at our house this Thanksgiving. We had the works - Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, squash, green bean casserole, broccoli-cheese casserole, rolls, corn bread, salad, cranberry sauce, (and canned cranberry!), and PIE... Lots of pie. (Thanks Grammy and Auntie JJ!) There was a lot of card playing, many stories read, and many naps. We are so thankful for all the blessings in our lives, and most especially for our family.

After scarfing this pie Leah said, "I think I'm full."

Hah!

Chicago Weekend

2011-11-20T17:34:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we headed to Chicago. I had a very fun reunion with my college roommates, who I hadn't seen for quite some time. And Ryan and Leah met up with his parents, who happened to be in town for a conference.

My girlfriends and I stayed at a hotel on the Magnificent Mile and had fun wandering around, trying to find a restaurant or bar showing the MSU game. (We were not successful.) We ate a lot of good food, laughed a lot, and got cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory. I guess that goes along with eating a lot of good food. So good to see you all my friends!

Meanwhile, Miss Leah had an adventurous day as well. They went over to Millennium Park, and to the kids museum at Navy Pier where Leah climbed and played and explored. Then there was swimming in the hotel pool, and playing with Grammy and Papa. The girl practically slept all of Sunday after all the excitement!

In other news, Leah turned THREE this week. Somehow, I did not take any pictures of the actual day. But we are celebrating this upcoming weekend, so we will post more. She got to choose a restaurant on her birthday and decided she wanted to go to a, "happy birthday Mexican restaurant." Can't go wrong with rice, beans, and cheese enchiladas! Happy birthday, Bug!

Trick or Treat!

2011-10-31T17:48:00.001-07:00

Trick or Treat! Halloween is here again; this year, Leah dressed up as Cinderella. Actually, she was "Cinderella on her WEDDING day!" She made us refer to her as Cinderella during the course of the evening. ("Can you get your shoes on, Leah?" "No! Mommy, say, 'Can you get your shoes on Cinderella princess?'" What a drama queen!) We had fun trick-or-treating with friends, and then had hot dogs and chili back at our house. Yum.

Happy Halloween!

Mr. Incredible, Spider Man, and Cinderella

These kiddos lucked out and got a ride in the wagon when they got tired...

With door-to-door service!

Congratulations Amber & Bryce!

2011-10-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

We had an amazing weekend in Connecticut this past weekend as we joined with the rest of Ryan's family to celebrate the wedding of Ryan's cousin, Amber, and her now-husband, Bryce. The wedding was beautiful, and it was so great to see so many people we haven't seen in far too long! It was hard to choose which pictures to post here, but here are a few favorites.

At the rehearsal dinner.

Grammy took Leah to get her first manicure!

Ryan, walking his aunt (the mother of the bride!) down the aisle.

Amber looked so beautiful!

Our little goofball...

Leah, Paige, and Peyton twirling, spinning, and dancing!

Leah was starting to get tired at about this time...

Sunday Brunch.

Leah finally mets Uncle Ronnie!

Fall Fun

2011-10-02T19:09:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a visit from Auntie Teresa ("Auntie 'Resa"), her boyfriend, Pat, and Grandma R. Leah was in seventh heaven. Teresa brought a craft that involved paint. We watched football and played silly board games. And, my favorite, we went to an apple orchard and got MANY, MANY apples. (So far, we have eaten them whole, and we made apple cinnamon pancakes with fried apples on top...there will be much apple crisp, apple sauce, and maybe some apple french toast in the coming days...) Thanks for coming, we had lots of fun!

Girl's Day Out

2011-09-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Ryan is coaching golf alllll day long, so I decided that Leah, Lucy, and I were going to have some quality girl's time. We packed up our backpack with water, snacks, and rain gear and headed out for a local county park.

The weather forecast said 10% chance of rain. It of course began raining just as we pulled into the parking lot. But it wasn't raining very hard, and fortunately, Leah has and adventurous spirit. So we set off down the trail anyway, because who doesn't like an occasional adventure in the rain? And because if I had turned around at that point the dog would have certainly become mutinous. Lucy was very excited about a hike at the park.

Leah was screaming, "I love hiking!" in this picture...

We stopped at a little shelter for a while to snack,

have a water break, and play around.

Leah found a dragon nest near by, so we left some acorns.

That's what baby dragons eat.

Who knew?

"Hey - can I go in that backpack? I'm getting tired!"

By the end of our hike, we were pretty wet. Most of the trail was actually quite dry under the tree canopy, but the end of the trail is a wide road without the benefit of a think blanket of forest overhead to keep you dry. But Leah never complained once. Actually, she was giggly the whole time.

On the way home we went through the drive-thru window at Starbucks. I got a vanilla tea, and Leah got a kids hot chocolate. (Starbucks is not my usual cafe of choice...Ryan and I tend to like the hole-in-a-wall places, but I have to admit, their kids hot chocolate is pretty adorable.) At home we got into jammies, made a fire, and snuggled and read books. A perfect morning. Leah is napping now and I just might join her...laundry and grading papers can wait.

Looks like all kinds of places around America are getting rain today... hope you enjoy your rainy day!

Entertainment

2011-09-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

Leah is singing, singing, singing these days... Some nights we hear her singing all kinds of songs to herself after we put her to bed. One of her new favorites is "Twinkie Doodle." We tried to teach her how to say "Yankee" for a while and then figured, why bother? We like this Twinkie Doodle character better. The other video is her very first knock knock "joke." Often while I am cooking dinner she hangs out in the kitchen with me, being my helper and entertainment in one.

Tiny Tumbler!

2011-08-29T17:35:00.001-07:00

Today was Leah's first tumbling class at the YMCA. Leah said her favorite part was "the jumpy jumpy," otherwise known as the trampoline. She is in the class with one of her very best friends, and the girls had so much fun, though at times caused a bit of mischief together! Here they are jumping with excitement:

I find it comforting that gymnastics leotards

haven't changed much since I wore them in the '90s...

When Ryan first saw this picture he thought she was jumping off the high beam,

but she's actually hopping off the low one just beneath her right foot!

Tennessee

2011-08-28T08:40:00.001-07:00

We took a wonderful vacation to Tennessee at the end of our summer. (We've only been in school a week and a half...but vacation already seems so long ago!) We visited Ryan's parents and got to hang out with them for about half a week. Both Leah and Lucy had tons of fun in the swimming pool. Lucy is going through "rehab" after being hit by a car earlier this summer, so the swimming was great for her. (Lucy is doing very well these days...we go for two 45 minute walks a day to exercise her hip and legs and she is loving all the extra attention and walks! I have grown to quite appreciate my early morning treks with her.)

After visiting Grammy and Papa, we went to stay in Pigeon Forge right near the Smoky Mountains with friends of ours. There was again, more swimming involved, as well as hiking, mini-golf, picnicking, and other fun adventures. Leah was a real dare devil at the waterpark and went on some HUGE waterslides with us. ("Let's do it AGAIN!" she says...)

Leah-isms

2011-08-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

I know I write a lot about Leah on here. Mostly about Leah. But, let's be honest...that's why most of you are checking this blog anyway, and she just brings us so much joy everyday! Here are some of the things we love about her these days:

She is becoming a very responsible dog owner. She tells Lucy to stay when we open the gate in the back yard. She brushes Lucy's hair. She gives her a treat when we leave home. When we were heading home from vacation she brought me her very own special blanket and said, "Here mama, we need to put this in the car right next to me because Lucy has to lay down and take a nap. She can have it."
She has her own little Leaptop (laptop) toy that she fondly refers to as her "pootager." She uses her "pootager" to "do her work," "look up recipes," and "check her email." I'm waiting for the day she says, "Just one minute mom, I have to check the Red Sox score on ESPN.com."
She has these funny tactile pet peeves...she'll freak out if I touch her arm with wet hands, and she cannot stand having sweaty clothes! (This leads to many wardrobe changes in the heat we've been experiencing...)
She looks for any excuse to jump off anything high and potentially dangerous.
She went down some HUGE water slides and had so much fun exploring and climbing rocks at a river we visited on vacation - she is a brave adventurer at heart.
She learns songs really quickly...with only minor hilarious 2 year-old substitutions. One of our favorites is when she sings Whole New World from Aladdin..."Shinning, shimming, splendid, tell me princess now when did you last let you heart decide, a WHOOOOLEE NEEEEW WOOOOOORRLD! You better BELIEVE IT!" I really need to get this on video. It would be much more effective.
Her favorite song seems to be Amazing Grace. She requests it every night at prayer time, and then again at bedtime.
Leah sometimes tells Ryan and I that she is very proud of us for using the potty.
She is such a good eater...she eats lots of things I wouldn't have dared to touch as a child like salmon, pistachios, red pepper, celery and hummus, and even the crust on her bread. Granted, she doesn't like any of those things as much as she likes mac and cheese...
She asks such deep questions sometimes....today in the car she randomly said, "Mama, can I be a priest?" My jaw dropped. Seriously - where did that come from? I stumbled through explaining to her the Catholic Church's stance on that and the idea of vocations in general...ending with, "Go ask your dad when we get home, he has a theology degree." We then discussed who could, and could not, become a priest. (No, Papa cannot because he is married. Mom cannot because she is a girl, and she is married. Her friend Hunter could become a priest someday because he is a boy, and he is not married yet. )
Mostly, she is a very well behaved little girl. But she has been known to throw occasional 45 minute long tantrums. Using the word "tantrum" might not actually give you a picture of what these 45 minutes look like. When upset, she is a hurricane. And she has a deep stubborn streak. We're not sure where she gets that.

I could go on...but tomorrow is back to school for us...and I'm trying to adjust my sleeping hours! We'll update with pictures from vacation in Tennessee soon.

Rock Garden

2011-07-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

At our cottage in Wisconsin growing up, my mom had the idea to begin a "rock garden," which was full of rocks painted by all of us over the course of many summers spent there. Our rock garden was a source of entertainment and a keeper of memories at the same time.

We have been reading the Ladybug Girl books with Leah, which are fantastic childrens' books that encourage creative play, being outdoors, and facing kid issues with bravery and courage. Ladybug Girl and her friends paint rocks in one of the books, and I asked Leah if she'd like to paint some rocks this morning. Words can't really describe her reaction...you'd have to hear the enthusiasm for yourself.

So, first, we hunted for the perfect rocks outside.

Then Leah picked out three colors to start with. (Pink, purple, and blue.)

I love the intensity and focus she has when doing art...

After painting the rocks we originally found, Leah made a decision.

She wanted a big rock.

Her words were, "a REALLY big, big, BIG rock Mama!"

So, then I got my workout for the morning digging and hauling this thing.

In the craziness that always ensues when combining toddlers and paint, I didn't get a picture of the final project, but it is beautiful. The start of our very own rock garden...

Weekend Of Fun!

2011-07-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun visiting with Emily and Greg this weekend. During the day the boys went golfing, and then we all went to the beach. We had a fun adult evening out at a new restaurant in town that serves delicious food that is locally-grown and organic. Everything we ate was amazing! In the picture of Ryan and I below you can see Ryan's entree...it was called "the sword of John Adams." Hunks of steak and veggies served on an actual sword! Once the food was off the skewer, the sword kept swinging on its hinge and several of us were nearly injured. It was pretty amusing... Later we visited our favorite Irish pub downtown and heard live music and stayed up much later than what we're used to! So fun. Thanks for visiting Emily and Greg!

The Zoo! Again...

2011-07-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking. More zoo pictures. It's true; we've posted a lot of them. Well, what can I say? We have a season pass! We went the other day with lots of Leah's friends. It was sooooo hot. And humid...like breathing air from a humidifier. The kids were sticky but they were such troopers and had a lot of fun.

Thank heavens for this misting station!

Beach!

2011-07-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

We recently took a trip to Silver Beach in St. Joseph, Michigan on a beautiful, hot summer day. The sand was so hot I think the soles of our feet are several centimeters thicker from walking on it. I know, gross. Leah's been taking swim classes this summer and was showing off her kicking and back floating skills. We wished Uncle Greg had been there, as she requested the "motor boat" song, and he seems to be the only adult we know who can travel in a circle at high speeds for a ridiculously long period of time without feeling quite sick....

Hopefully, within the next month or so, I will be able to rid our house of the sand that somehow traveled home with us.

4th of July

2011-07-09T17:18:00.001-07:00

First... traveled to the Chicago suburbs for some Spatz family fun on the 3rd.

Leah and her Great Grandma Spatz!

Then back home for some BBQ and s'mores on the 4th!

S'more face. Mmmm...

Our 4th of July decorations...

Toddler + Flammable Magic Wand = Glee and a healthy dose of fear

Watching fireworks in the neighborhood. Notice the look of astonishment/terror on Leah's face.

Her favorites were the pink fireworks and the kind I call "popcorn" fireworks.

Garden Update and Silly Pictures

2011-07-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Summer is flying by! July already! Our garden is growing like crazy, which is very exciting to Leah. We made these garden signs so we can remember what we planted, because the arugula, lettuce, and spinach are looking the same these days. Leah painted them, then we wrote the names of the plants, and sprayed 'em with a weather-proof coating. Now, if I could just get her to stop moving them around on me when we go out to play... :)

We get lots of pictures that look like this....

("Let ME see, Mama!")

And now and then, a real keeper. I love this one.

This next one was taken just after she "tooted,"

which she finds hilarious every time these days.

Artsy Fartsy

2011-06-22T18:13:00.001-07:00

One of the best parts of the summer (so far) has been having time to do some fun arts and crafts with Leah. This project from the other day was a smashing success, and will surely be repeated.

Step 1: Cover table in some leftover bubble wrap.

Step 2: Paint all over the bubble tape. (Ok, and smush some bubbles just for fun.)

Step 3: Gently press some cardstock onto the paper. Or smash it. Either one works.

Step 4: Show off your work to your adoring fans.

Step 5: Clean up the huge mess that was made during the project...

Step 6: Let dry, and use as stationary!

p.s. Leah put her own headband on, and rocked the Richard Simmons look alllll morning. Cute, huh? :)

Take me out to the ball game...

2011-06-21T15:08:00.000-07:00

Ryan's baseball team had an awesome season this year. They made it all the way to the state championship game in Indianapolis this last weekend. Sadly, they didn't win that game, but we had fun anyway! Well, Leah and I did anyway. We went down to Indy the day before the game and spent an exhausting and fun-filled day at the Indianapolis Zoo. We painted our nails bright blue to cheer on the team. (Well, that was the plan anyway until Leah backed out and opted for sparkly-pink-glitter-princess-explosion instead.)

The pictures are actually from the semi-finals, which they won...I forgot to take pictures at the game in Indy.

And here are some pictures from our zoo adventure...

Again, here's Leah making friends with a tiger....she loves them!

Aloha, Uncle Max!

2011-06-14T06:47:00.000-07:00

We went to visit Grandma and Uncle Max and Uncle Gus this weekend because Max will soon be moving to HAWAII! We are going to miss him! I love this picture of him playing guitar with Leah. (Leah is actually playing a Ukulele but it looks like a guitar on her...)

Grow, Garden, Grow!

2011-06-08T12:50:00.000-07:00

Leah enjoying some of the first mint harvest!

Sometimes, there's just nothing like getting your hands dirty. Back in March Leah and I planted seeds over spring break. We have been faithfully watering them and watching them grow. This week we let the seedlings harden off outside and have finally transplanted them to our new garden box that Ryan and I built. First some pictures of the seed planting in March... (Seems like so long ago!)

Here's our herb garden on the deck....most of these we bought as seedlings instead of starting from seeds. In our potted herb garden we have parsley, cilantro, mint, thyme, and something else that I can't remember. (I guess I have to wait until it's big enough to smell!) Leah walks over here to pick some mint whenever we go outside. We're planning on having a homemade tea party with her one of these days with mint tea...

And here's our new raised garden bed. We're growing tomatos, peppers, eggplant, zucchini, cucumber, lettuce, spinach, arugula, and lavender. I haven't grown the salad greens before, and I'm hoping that they take! I'm looking forward to going outside to pick my own lunch!

The science teacher in me is giddy with joy that Leah

is so excited about caring for our growing plants.

I find myself encouraging her to use the word "soil" instead of "dirt,"

and using a POE structure to our conversations!

(POE is teacher talk for Predict, Observe, Explain.)

Poor girl.

The "Sprinkle" has Launched

2011-06-07T17:26:00.001-07:00

The "sprinkle" - or sprinkler - is the best $12 I have spent at Target in the last year. (And I have spent a lot of money at Target over the past year...) We have been breaking out "the sprinkle" on a daily basis, because summer has finally arrived. Yeeeeeeeeessssssssssss. Both Ryan and I are done with our school year, and we have several months of family fun ahead. So excited!

Visit to Madison

2011-06-05T11:33:00.000-07:00

We got to see the whole Rutecki clan at the baptism of my cousin's little one this past Memorial Day Weekend. Leah just fell in love with her second cousin Maddy. She also had lots of fun playing with her Aunt and Uncles.

Fun with Gwammy and Papa

2011-05-23T18:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you all, but we have had rain, rain, rain, and more rain here. Our grass is growing like crazy, but doesn't stay dry long enough to cut it! Last weekend we finally had some beautiful sunny weather. Ryan's parents were here visiting. We went to Ryan's baseball game. His team had an awesome season this year. (I think their record was something like 19-3?) We also did some playing outside. As we were cleaning out the little fountain in our backyard Leah had lots of fun making a mud pie out of herself. She was really funny about sticking her head into the water from the hose, too. Unfortunately, I didn't any pictures with "Gwammy and Papa!" I guess because Grandma took these pictures...but Leah had a fun time with them, including a day shopping and riding the choo-choo (twice!) at the mall.

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's day to all mamas! Ryan and Leah made me breakfast on Sunday and then we took a little family trip to our local zoo. It was beautiful and sunny, and it is about time! It was great to have time together as May tends to be a busy and hectic time for us as the school year is winding down. (And by "winding down," I mean accelerating at a rapid pace until the last day of school at which all will come to an abrupt halt!) Here are a few pictures from our day...

How lucky am I that I get to be the mom of this little girl?

We came to the consensus that this Lion looks like he could use some extra rations...

Snack time talk

2011-04-30T07:27:00.001-07:00

I felt the need to record this conversation I had with Leah during snack time today.

(Note: Lissyment = Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty)

Leah: Mama, we gotta talk about Lissyment, allright?

Me: Okay, can you tell me about her?

Leah: Lissyment came in and she was like "Raaarrrrrrrrrr!" And she was scary!

Me: She is scary, isn't she?

Leah: Yeah, and I said, "I want fruit snacks!" And lissyment said, "NOOOOO! You CAN'T have fruit snacks!"

Me: Oh, why didn't she let you have fruit snacks?

Leah: And then, Lissyment chased the prince. And he was runnin. And then, she ruined my dress! My pretty dress!

Me: Maleficent ruined your dress?

Leah: Yeah, my pink one. She ripped it.

Me: How did that happen?

Leah: Um, because. She was a dragon.

Me: Oh, okay, that makes sense.

Leah: And her broke my necklace!

Me: Oh no!

Leah: And then...and then...lissyment went "gogogogogogogogogogogogogo" and then Lissyment went "AHHHH!" and she fell down. And then the prince went to the castle. And him gave Sleeping Beauty a KISS!

Me: That's a pretty wild story, Leah! Do you have an active imagination?

Leah: Um, yeah. I do. Can I have fruit snacks?

Easter Joy

2011-04-27T18:26:00.000-07:00

This past week we celebrated the Holy Triduum and Easter Sunday. It was a moving experience to observe Leah making sense of the stories we heard and read through her two year old eyes. On Good Friday she exclaimed, "Can we get Jesus down from the cross? So him don't get lots of boo-boos?" On Holy Saturday she said, "Daddy, him in the rock, and Jesus gotta get OUT of the rock!" And on Easter Sunday she sang the Alleluias loud and clear at Mass.

Leah got to wear her new pink dress, which she has been gushing about for several weeks now. (The girl LOVES dresses these days. The first thing she says in the morning is "I wanna wear a dress.") We also had a little Easter Egg hunt in our yard, and Leah was hysterical to watch. Once she realized the eggs had chocolate in them she ruthlessly snatched eggs from Ryan's grasp. With every one she found she would yell in her sing-song voice, "I foooouuuunnnd one!" We treasure the fact that she is so excited plastic shells that contain two M&Ms each. (I mean how much sugar does that little body really need?)

Puddle Stompin'

2011-03-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Grandma R. got Leah a new raincoat and matching rain boots this weekend in the nick of time. We had a rainy day here today, but after nap time decided to head outside and explore. Leah's rain boots got an excellent breaking-in. And the neighbors, I must say, received some quality entertainment as they sat all snug and cozy in their warm homes...

Here she is, nice and dry, at the beginning of our walk.

(And going for a "walk" for Leah currently means going for a run, with one arm pumping like crazy.)

Puddle jumping in the street. I know what you're thinking...

that this gave us the perfect opportunity to review street-crossing procedures...

Leah was fascinated by her own reflection in the puddles!

I LOVE this picture!

Light of Learning

2011-02-13T10:12:00.001-08:00

Ryan was awarded the Light of Learning Award for the 2010-2011 school year this year, and we couldn't be more proud of him! The award recognizes excellence in teaching as well as being a model of our faith. Ryan is truly a talented teacher, and he is so dedicated to his students and the players he coaches. This past week we attended the banquet where the Light of Learning award winners were recognized. Ryan's parents were able to come as well - all the way from Tennessee! Somehow we didn't get a picture of him with them at the banquet...

Leah admiring the pictures on the poster board honoring Ryan!

(She was actually the star of many of these pictures...)

Shaking hands with our new Bishop.

Snow and Sesame Street

2011-01-08T06:59:00.000-08:00

We woke up to sooooo much snow! The kind where you can't get the back door open and you have to shovel your way to the garage to get to the snowblower. Leah and Lucy were both pretty amazed - the snow is deep enough to swallow them both up! We played in the snow while Ryan, bless his heart, began excavating our house.

Leah helped shovel us out for a while. What a trooper!

Another recent fun event was going to see "Sesame Street Live" on New Year's Eve. We saw Elmo, Grover, the Count, and all of Leah's favorites. The music was pretty awesome - my favorite was a medley of "I love trash" and "We're moving trash," which is a song about decomposition sung by an R&B Beetle. Very fun - Leah was mesmerized.

Christmas #3 - Indiana

2011-01-03T09:49:00.001-08:00

We finally celebrated our little family Christmas after our trip to Boston. It was actually kind of nice to do it that way...it gave us something to look forward to after our trip. Here are some pictures!

Here is Leah sprinkling reindeer feed on our lawn.

(Oatmeal to eat, and glitter so they can find our house.)

Opening stocking presents.

"Christmas" Breakfast of pancakes and turkey bacon.

Leah is using all her new Disney gear - plate, silverware, etc.

Leah got some fancy new jewelery - how cute are those clip-on earrings??

Merry Christmas to you all!

Christmas #2 - Boston

2011-01-02T11:37:00.000-08:00

During Christmas break we traveled to Boston to visit. Despite a massive snowstorm that somewhat limited our activities, we had so much fun. It was a relaxing trip, filled with lots of card games, ring-around-the-rosy, and yummy food. Leah loved playing "motorboat" with Uncle Greg and Grandpa, playing Bananagrams with Grandma and Auntie JJ, and she fell in love with all the cats we encountered. She currently places all new things into one of two categories: scary or nice. She decided the cats were not scary. ("Him not scary, mama. Daddy, the kitty not scary. Him nice!")

Haircut!

2010-12-30T11:59:00.001-08:00

Leah got her very first hair cut last week. Now she doesn't spend half her waking moments pushing hair out of her eyes! It was very exciting, and very challenging, as it required Leah to sit still for approximately 7 minutes. Didn't Ryan do a good job? (The pictures are in the reverse order, starting with the final results!)

Christmas #1 - Michigan

2010-12-30T11:54:00.001-08:00

This year we have had a nice long Christmas! We started the weekend before Christmas in Michigan and Grandma R's. We had fun painting ornaments, making pretzels, doing a little shopping, and playing Taboo. We'll put more pictures up of Christmas soon...

Firsts

2010-12-15T16:59:00.000-08:00

Leah has had some new "firsts" lately... We took her to her first movie theatre show the other weekend to see Disney's Tangled. She LOVED it. "Punzel" is one her favorite princesses now, and she often wants to watch the trailer online. She also had her first hot chocolate, and that went over big as well. She continues to make us laugh by saying funny things. Tonight I said, "Okay Leah time to get ready for bed." She said, "Lemme check my email first mama. I gotta check my email." What?!

Snowy Adventure

2010-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

I can't get these pictures in order for the life of me, so here they are in no particular order... Our recent adventure to find our family Advent/Christmas tree! We went to a local tree farm and cut one down on a beautifully snowy day. Leah did NOT want to be carried, and did a great job trekking through snow and brambles. She has been loving the snow, and especially likes to watch our dog Lucy jump to catch snowballs and make snow angels. (Except she likes to lay on her belly when making snow angels...)

The Silly Monster ABCs

2010-12-06T16:06:00.000-08:00

Check out this hilarious rendition of the ABCs.

Thanksgiving

2010-12-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for, especially our family and friends. This Thanksgiving we were able to see my dad's side of the family in the Chicago area. Leah had lots of fun with her Opa, Aunt, and "Unkies."

In case you can't see it, her headdress says "Pretty Fawn."

Leah is TWO!

2010-12-05T17:17:00.001-08:00

Leah turned two years old several weeks ago. We sung her happy birthday and all day long she said, "Eets my happy burday day!" We got to celebrate with "Gwammy and Papa" the weekend before and she got an awesome ride-on train. We got her a play kitchen and she's been cooking us pancakes galore. And hiding her sippy cups in the oven. More pictures coming soon!

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

This was the first year we took Leah trick-or-treating, and we all had lots of fun! Though we only went down one block, Leah collected a ridiculous amount of candy, which I am enjoying at this very moment. Leah was Minnie Mouse, her current absolute favorite. We also got a little visit from Grandma R. So between the Gwammy visit, candy, and Minnie dress, it was a fantastic day for Miss Leah. (Just check out the last picture to see her enthusiasm...)

Fall Fun

2010-10-30T15:11:00.000-07:00

Other than the current MSU football score, it has been a pretty great weekend so far! Last night we had our first family movie night with Leah. We watched How to Train Your Dragon and had "sbejjie treats," or special treats. Leah watched the whole thing and LOVED it. Today we've had some fall leaf fun, some arts 'n crafts time, some football watching, and we're about to enjoy the beef burgundy stew that's been cooking in the crock pot all day. Mmmm.

Practicing her trick-or-treat face.

She is singing about climbing in this video

if you can't quite make it out over the swishing!

Time Out

2010-10-27T16:57:00.000-07:00

Today, about an hour before dinner, Leah wanted a snack. It would have been her third or fourth snack of the afternoon, actually. She she opened up the cupboard and was digging around finding all the items that had the highest sugar content. I closed the cupboard doors and told her it was almost dinner time, so no snack right now. I expected her to throw a fit, but to my surprise she didn't! How wonderful!

"Mommy! Go my woom!" she said. I thought she was all excited to read a story or play with some toys in her bedroom. So she drags me there by my pant leg, points to her bed and says, "Mama, sit* down! Sit down!" I was just about to ask what book she wanted to read and then she says, "Time owd mama, time owd."

Then, she closed the door and left.

I sat there with my mouth hanging open thinking, DID MY ALMOST-TWO-YEAR-OLD REALLY JUST GIVE ME A TIME OUT?!

A moment later she came back in. "Aw done time owd mama, aw done." And she grabbed my face and gave me a kiss! I guess I should be pleased that she understands what a time-out is, we weren't quite sure she was getting it!

*Though I have tried to write how Leah says her words phonetically in order to capture the cuteness, this word was not written how she says it, as the initial sound she currently uses is /sh/...."

Random Morning Shenanigans...

2010-09-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

A snippet of mealtime conversation with Leah as she was awaiting her brunch...

Goodbye Summer

2010-09-14T18:16:00.001-07:00

Fall is officially approaching. Football has started, we dug some fallish clothes out of storage, and the school year is well underway. (We are a month into the school year already... How did that happen?) Ryan's coaching the girls golf team and they are wrapping up their season. I am enjoying my new job as a middle school science teacher. Here is a quintessential summer picture before fall is here full force...

We're back!

2010-09-13T18:37:00.000-07:00

We have a new computer. That is my excuse for another long absence from posting. But, I installed my camera on here, so new pictures. Leah is 22 months old; I can't BELIEVE she's almost two! She is an energetic little goof ball, and we love to see more and more of her personality and spunk emerge as she gets older. Here are some pictures from the other weekend when we took a trip to the local zoo with our good friends...

(Leah was enamored with this tiger. We watched him for a long time, and she ran in and out of this little viewing area over and over...)

Beach Day

2010-07-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since we updated our blog yet again! So, for the sake of Leah's biggest fans, here are some pictures from our recent day trip to the beach. We went to meet a few of my girlfriends from college and it was so fun to see them. And, to make the day even better the temperature of Lake Michigan was perfect! It didn't feel like you were swimming in a recently-melted glacier, yet it was still refreshing. Ahhh.

Leah had a blast. She LOVES the water, or as she calls it, "wahbie." She also enjoyed the sand. What is it with toddlers and sand? She buried her own knees and toes, she used it as a condiment in which to dip her peanut butter sandwich, she did somersaults in the sand, she kicked it up in the air, she investigated shady patches of sand to try to figure out why they were so much cooler that the hot sunny sand... Needless to say, we are still cleaning the sand off of her nearly a week later...

Father's Day

2010-06-20T08:29:00.001-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies! (Especially Grandpa Dainty and Grandpa Rutecki!) We started off the day by going to the early Mass, then Leah helped me make her daddy some banana peanut-butter chip pancakes and cherrywood smoked bacon. Yum! We gave Ryan his gifts. He is holding up his nifty new golf towel below. (Who new a towel could be so high tech!) After breakfast Ryan started working on painting the basement since we're trying to get most of that done before we have new carpet installed. Leah decided to paint as well. She made some beautiful pictures and got very messy. So, of course we had to get out the sprinkler to rinse off. Next it's lunch and nap time!

Check out her face in the picture above. She was not crazy about the feel of paint on her hands!

Happy Graduation Uncle Gus!

2010-06-19T10:56:00.000-07:00

Big Girl Bed!

2010-06-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

Now that it is officially summer, we took the plunge and converted Leah's crib into a toddler bed. (Due to the fact that she could climb both in and out of it...) It has been an adventure. The first night Ryan went in to check on her and found her sitting cross-legged in the middle of her bedroom, looking exhausted but content with her own power. The next night we checked on her before we went to bed and found her sprawled out on the carpet. Tonight, she came out to see what we were doing a good half hour after we thought she was asleep. Such a stinker! The best part is hearing her little feet POUNDING down the hallway in the morning when she runs into our room to wake us up. What a great alarm clock! If only she had a snooze button... :)

In other news, I have a new job next year! I am transferring to another Catholic school that is much closer and I will be teaching middle school science, which I'm really excited about.

Also, we have had a bit of a home-owner catastrophe this week. We woke up at about 5am on Monday to find our kitchen and basement quite...squishy. Fortunately we woke up then and not a few hours later when more water certainly would have gotten into everything. So, we are having some restorations made in the kitchen and basement. It's not what we hoped our first week of summer would be like, but we're trying to see the bright side - new carpet! We will try to post some before and after pictures, but our internet may not be constant over the next two weeks as our modem is in the soggy basement.

Ryan's PlayStation. An unfortunate casualty of the basement calamity.

Sunny Afternoon on the River Bank

2010-04-27T05:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a beautiful spring afternoon, so after school I packed Leah, Lucy, and some snacks into the car and drove over the the East Bank Trail along the river. We went for a walk, played around on a little ampitheatre, and stopped at the park. Then, we went home, grilled hot dogs, and read Grumpy Bird. What a good day!

( I LOVE this picture of her!)

Leah's swings just one arm like crazy when she runs!

Ok, this is her "No-no!" finger wag.

Lucy was trying to climb up on the playground, and Leah didn't think it was a good idea.

(I didn't think I did this, but apparently I do...)

Grumpy Bird

2010-04-25T17:36:00.000-07:00

Leah has recently taken in interest in being read to! Obviously, as we are both educators, we are very excited about this. Now, we just have to work on broadening her horizons. Because currently, she has her sights set on one particular book: Grumpy Bird, by Jeremy Tankard. She cannot get enough of little Grumpy Bird. My favorite is when she jumps in my lap when Bird jumps. When we finish reading it, she opens it right back up and says, "Gen? gen?" (Again?)

I love Grumpy Bird as well, but I no longer need the book to read it because after reading it at LEAST 25 times this weekend I have the whole story memorized. She brought it to me while I was making pancakes. She brought it to me while we were playing with the bean box. She brought it to me when we were getting ready to go play at a friend's house. We read it after dinner. After bath time. Before bed. You get the picture. Every once in a while, we can get in another story between dramatic readings of Grumpy Bird. (Curiously, the characters in the other two books she likes right now are equally as stubborn and spunky as Grumpy Bird: Pigeon, from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Llama, from Llama Llama Mad at Mama! Hmm...) However, after reading one of those once through, it's right back to her favorite. I was delighted to find out today that there is a sequel... I may have to order it from Amazon very soon.

And here are pictures from a few of Leah's recent non-literary pursuits...

Bean Box!

2010-04-09T10:22:00.001-07:00

We have all been on Spring Break this past week which has been a VERY welcome event. Unfortunately, after the first day of sunshine (into which we crammed a zoo trip, park visit, walk, and tricycle ride) we have had rain, rain, rain. And Miss Leah tends to get ants in her pants when trapped in the house for too long. Her what-should-I-not-play-with sensor goes into red alert and she becomes quite impossible. So, while Ryan had baseball practice Leah and I visited the library, the chocolate cafe with the indoor cocoa tree themed playhouse, Target, the Farmer's Market, and other assorted indoor venues. However, I decided we needed to come up with something to entertain our busy girl at home.

And so, we took one last trip to the dollar store and the Bean Box was born. Take one long, shallow Tupperware box. Fill it with dried kidney and pinto beans. Add tumblers, shovels, sand molds, spoons, measuring cups, etc. and you have a toddler magnet. Leah played with those beans for 45 minutes straight and was very enthused about it. There were lots of shrieks and giggles and babbling. She did really well at keeping the beans in the box too, which was a pleasant surprise. When I said it was time to clean up the bean box so we could have lunch she had a total meltdown. She stubbornly tried every trick in the book in order to convince me that it was play time, not lunch time: limp noodle, stiff-as-a-board, rolling on the floor, pounding her little fists on the box, yelling "Noooooooo! No! No! No!" saying please in sign language, crawling onto my lap and looking cute, crying so hard no sound came out, crying so high stray dogs showed up in the front yard... She'll soon learn that she can't out-stubborn the Queen of Stubborn. Eventually, she scarfed down some ravioli, peas, and milk in 2 minutes flat and returned to the bean box saying, "Muh? Muh?" (More? More?)

In conclusion, the bean box is both a smashing success and a potential point of contention...

I found this cool sand mill at Target. The Beans are a little big, so we tried Lentils. Awesome!

Happy Easter

2010-04-09T10:04:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter Everyone! We had a great Easter here at our house. Grandma and Grandpa Dainty came for the weekend it was wonderful to see them as it had been far too long! Of course, we put them to work as soon as they got here rearranging furniture, fixing the kitchen sink, and replacing window treatments so it may be a while before we see them again... Some of my family joined us for Easter day, so we had a nice merry crowd and of course couldn't find enough seats together at Church. After a beautiful Mass at our Church, we ate a big brunch, hunted for Easter Eggs, and opened goodies in our Easter baskets.

New Game, New Stats...

2010-02-23T16:36:00.000-08:00

Leah has invented a new game we have dubbed "The Bye-Bye Game." She brings us her shoes to put on. She brings us her jacket to put on. She collects ALL the keys she can find. She straps at least one bag to her person in some way. (Any bag will do: a grocery bag, cosmetics bag, purse, diaper bag, carton of goldfish...) Then, she marches around the house saying "Buh-Bye! Buh-Bye! Buh-Bye!" to everyone, and everything. She gives bye-bye hugs and kisses. She pets the dog. She pretends to put the keys in the lock. She might bang on the back door a few times. Then, the game starts alllllll over. This last Sunday she must have tottered around in her winter coat for a good half hour. I love it!

She also, as you will see, has been quite a ham for the camera lately. She likes the close-up shots, and then she likes to see the little digital image on the back of the camera and point to herself and laugh. How funny!

And finally, in case you were wondering what her current stats are, she had a check-up just today. (I know, who wonders what a child's head circumference is other than his or her very own parents? Well, guess what - I'm going to tell you anyway.) Actually, I don't remember the exact number for that, but I know she is in the 99th percentile! She is only 31 in. (60th percentile) and between 21-22 lbs (25th percentile) which officially makes her a living bobble head. I just think it's funny that she was a whopping NINE POUNDS when she was born and now she's just a little peanut in comparison to other 15-month-olds.

On with the show...

Here she is strapping on her gear.

Couldn't you just eat her in this picture?

Ok, and in this picture it looks like she might eat you.

In fact, here she is making her lion noise. ("ROOAAARRR!")

Hooray for Sun!

2010-02-18T17:24:00.000-08:00

Today, the sun was actually shining - the snow on the sidewalks was melting and everything! It was shining long enough for me to bundle up myself and Leah after school, find Lucy's leash, dig out the jogging stroller, clean off the cobwebs, and go for a little jog/walk with my little friends. They were both incredibly excited about it.

Leah kept saying, "Nooooo!" when I put the weather guard down so she wouldn't have wind in her face, and giving me the dirtiest looks through the little window on top of the stroller. She would pull the clear shield to the side and stick her bundled little head out into the breeze. What a kook! She loves the snow and wind - a true midwest kiddo. Then, there was Lucy, who hadn't been in close proximity to a squirrel in a week or so and could barely contain her hunting instincts. Lucy kept walking into the stroller, because she didn't want to walk in snow and puddles. (?!) I honestly thought the tire was going to wear off a patch of her fur she was walking so close. Leah thought her antics were hilarious, while I found them a bit obnoxious. It was a fun mini outing none the less, and I am always grateful for a sunny day in winter!

The pictures below are from a few snows ago when I took Leah and Lucy out into the backyard for some exploring...until Leah got tired of wearing mittens and I was afraid the Lucy kisses would lead to frostbite...

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day! A few pictures of our little rascal in her very vintage-looking Snoopy Valentine shirt...she looks like such a rock star. I haven't been able to get video to load lately, but we're working on it, because Leah is chatting up a STORM these days. She says mama, dada, woof-woof, ju (juice), dju-dju! (thank you!), NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!, hmmm?, bye-bye, and a few others here and there. And then there are the conversations we have with her in which we have no idea what she is saying - but she sure does. It's very fun. Anyway, on with the pictures...

New Years Eve

2010-02-04T17:31:00.001-08:00

Still catching up on the past month and a half, but we are up to 2010 now! Our dear friends Greg and Emily got married on New Years Eve in Ohio. We had so much fun at the wedding. Grandma and Grandpa D. even took Leah back to the hotel and we stayed up past midnight! Here are some pictures from the evening...

(This was Leah's pre-wedding nap. Grandma and Grandpa got her
dressed while she was still asleep! So cute...)

Catching Up

2010-02-02T16:23:00.000-08:00

Clearly, it has been a while since we posted. We are not still sick.

Computers have been slow, and work has been busy, busy - as has Leah. And the house, as usual, has been messy, messy. It's usually clean by Saturday and dirty by Monday. At least Sundays are quite orderly.

Anyway, in no particular order, here are some pictures from our Christmas and New Year's vacation - which turned out to be very nice despite the rough start!

A Christmas Break to Remember

2009-12-21T14:06:00.001-08:00

Alas, our Christmas break has thus far not been what we dreamed of. Here's a run down of our past couple days:

Wednesday, December 16th, I came down with a nasty little virus and missed two days of work. It was a little annoying to have to use a few of my precious sick days so close to break, but what are ya gonna do? So I slept, and drank tea, and slept, and as I was getting all mentally prepared to go back on Friday and see my sugar-high sixth graders...

Leah got her first stomach bug Thursday night.

It was awful. I took her to get a few vaccinations that afternoon, and right after getting the shots she got sick. All over the two of us. (I should mention, that if you're reading this while, say, eating dinner, you might want to come back to it later...) The nurse said she had seen it happen before, it was probably just because she took in too much air crying after getting poked.

However, she disproved this hopeful hypothesis later that evening. The poor little girl got sick a lot, and each time she would look at us like, "Hey, what the heck is going on here? This is not fun!" Of course, she was her happy self in between bouts of nausea, playing peek-a-boo, throw-the-stuff-out-of-the-drawer, and waddle-around-after-the-dog. The most adorable part of the whole event was that every time she saw Ryan cleaning up after her, she would look down and go, "Uh-oh!" with her round little mouth uh-oh face. One time she even looked at me and said, "uh-oh!" in between heaves over the sink! She just loves the word uh-oh these days, and finding new ways to apply the word.

Our sickly adventure continued the next day. Leah recovered, while I caught her stomach bug. Of course. It was not pretty. Ryan slept in the basement.

Saturday, we were convinced that we were all on the mend. But, we were fooled. Because despite Ryan's confidence in his ability to never, ever, ever get sick, he got sick. The stomach bug caught him. But that would be all, right? Now that everyone had passed it around?

No.

Because Sunday, we woke up to find that Leah and I had contracted pink eye! Eeew! So we got to spend the morning at the clinic getting antibiotics for that fun little ailment. By this time, even the dog was avoiding us. We decided nicknames were in order. So Leah is now the Puking Princess of Pink Eye. I am the Coughing Queen of Conjunctivitis. And Ryan is the Dismal Duke of Diarrhea. (I told you not to keep reading if you were eating...) We couldn't think of any good alliteration to go with "K" for "King." Suggestions?

The good news is, Leah is doing much much better, and Ryan is doing much better. And I may or may not be developing a sinus infection! But really, sometimes in a strange way its the yuckiest of days that remind us that we are blessed. My mom is here to do our laundry and take care of us, we are lucky to have this time off anyway, and by the time we go back to school we should be immune to every germ in Northern Indiana.

I am off to make my family more chicken noodle soup and dole out more oragel. (Did I mention Leah has cut two new teeth in the past few days, too?!) We hope you are all staying healthy and happy yourselves!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T19:36:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. We braved the cold weather and the crazy suburbanites. We passed construction and mall traffic. We wore long johns and boots. We let out the straps of the car seat to accommodate Leah's many layers. And we went to get our Christmas tree. We found this tiny family farm where we (ahem, Ryan) cut down our tree. It is quite perfect - on three sides at least - and Leah is fascinated by it. Well, maybe less by the tree and more by the lights. (See pictures below.) She "helped" her daddy untangle the lights...except then she did not want to give them up!

"What is he DOING?"

Leah started a little game of tug-o-war...

In the background, "Peace on earth and mercy mild..." is playing...

Leah eventually forgave her daddy for taking the lights

when she saw how pretty they were on the tree!

Let Her Eat Cake!

2009-11-20T21:40:00.000-08:00

Leah is officially one year old! Tuesday was her first birthday, and along with that - her first cake! She also took her first steps on Monday as both Ryan and I were sitting there, so that was exciting as well. We were both glad to be there when it happened! Now she is attempting to walk more and more...often times at greater speed than she can control... But now, back to that cake:

"Check please!"

1st Halloween!

2009-10-31T17:54:00.001-07:00

I love Halloween! On what occasion other than Halloween can you dress your little one up in tulle, styrofoam, and wire wrapped in nylon, and watch her wiggle around the house while the dog tries relentlessly to figure out what these wings strapped to her body are... I know neither Leah nor Lucy really appreciated the homemade ladybug costumes, but I will cherish the pictures of them looking out the front door at the trick-or-treaters forever! Now, Ryan and I are going to watch (another) creepy movie. Eeek!

All the kids at a friend's halloween party last weekend...

11 Months

2009-10-19T19:28:00.000-07:00

Our first attempt at capturing Leah at 11 months

was clearly not very successful.

...But, we got some goodies the next day!

(Something about Leah in this picture reminds me of her Aunt Teresa...

maybe it's the strawberry tint to her hair?)

(If only we had the screechy noise to go with this picture in an audio file!)

Spaghetti!

2009-10-11T10:48:00.001-07:00

Leah had her first spaghetti dinner this week, and it was extremely entertaining,

so we'd thought we'd share these pictures!

Here she is, nice and clean at the start of dinner.

It didn't take her long to figure out she liked it!

I love the foot sticking out of her high chair...

"More please!"

By the end of dinner, her legs were plastered with noodles.

We put her right into the bath to avoid any possibility that she might

become a snack herself to a certain canine...

Ten Months!

2009-09-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Leah is ten months already and she will be one before we know it! She continues to be a very active little girl and she is learning so many new things. Here are some snippets of what's new in Leah's world.

1. Advanced Acrobatics and Climbing Skills

Leah has taken to weaving in and out of the table and chairs.

She does some excellent push-ups.

This is nothing compared to climbing up the entire flight of stairs from the basement!

2. Balancing

She can balance on a chair, and she is starting to stand alone for short periods of time.

(Before plopping gracefully back to the ground.)

3. New Facial Expressions

This is her new "What's-your-deal?" face.

And this one is my FAVORITE.

This is her look-at-me-I'm-so-cute-and-I-know-it face.

Labor Day

2009-09-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

For labor day weekend we took a mini road trip to the Chicago area to visit Great Grandma Grace, Grandma Rutecki, and Aunt Teresa. We also took Leah to her very first professional baseball game: White Sox vs. Red Sox. (You can guess what colors Ryan was decked out in. Fortunately, we had a cute baby with us so we did not get harassed.) Leah enjoyed clapping along with the crowd, trying to swipe the beer bottle from the cup holder attached to the seat behind us, trying to swipe the cell phone belonging to the man next to us, and throwing crackers and the guys in front of us. Here, of course, are pictures:

Especially For Aunt Jessica

2009-08-22T18:49:00.000-07:00

Aunt Jessica has been anxiously awaiting nine month photos of Leah, so here they are Auntie! Leah was nine months a few days ago. At her checkup she weighed 19 lbs, 10 oz and she is 29 inches long. Our infant car seat can't be used past 30 inches, so this weekend we took a trip to Babies R Us with BOTH grandmas to get a new one. We made a tunnel out of the box and Leah had a blast crawling through it. We would close the flaps and she figured out how to slither through and then she would crawl out and clap for herself. So cute! (There's a video down below.) She is in such a fun stage right now. She is not walking yet, but she crawls at the speed of light when she wants to, and she can pull herself up to stand on the furniture and walk holding on. She's also starting to wave bye-bye and babble with new sounds.

Partners in Crime

2009-08-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

Well there I was in the kitchen, doing some dishes, while Leah was playing with her books, and Lucy was quietly gnawing on her rope toy. Or so I thought... until suddenly I heard a big noise near the table. I turned around to find Leah and Lucy quite ecstatic about a can of Gerber Puffs that had been completely emptied onto the floor! As far as I can gather, Lucy got the canister off the table, Leah took the lid off, dumped the contents, and both of them dug in. I started to scold Lucy, but then realized that this was one of those priceless baby-and-her-puppy-moments that I would miss someday, so I got my camera instead. At least I had just vacuumed!

"Hey Lucy! That one was mine!"

Lucy now has a palate for banana flavored rice puffs after
finishing off this mess...

Little Helper

2009-08-11T06:26:00.000-07:00

Although school does not start until next week, I have already been going into school to work in my classroom and to reorganize a section in our library. Miss Leah has been my little companion on these trips which means I spend half of our time there cleaning up things she pulls off the shelf, but I'd rather spend the time with her than without her! If only I could bring her with every day once school starts! Here are pictures of her "helping" me...

Organizing school supplies...

Here she is during the two minutes she was interested in her toys...

But that was before she found this cool crinkly stuff!

As you can see, I still have plenty of work to do.

More fun things to climb on, and in, and around, and over...

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub

2009-08-07T20:08:00.001-07:00

Just had to share some pictures from a particularly messy evening...

Check out Leah's post- naptime bedhead at dinner!

Here is she is singing while anxiously anticipating her bath...

She loves to play in the water from the faucet.

This picture was not inteded to be a close up,
but she made a climb for the camera as I took the picture!

Leah's 1st Trip to CPBC

2009-08-03T16:55:00.000-07:00

At long last, here are new pictures! We took a wonderful trip up to Covenant Point Bible Camp in the U.P. and stayed with our good friends Kyle and Jenny for a week. It was a blast to show Leah around camp. She got to sing camp songs, and meet our old friends, and play in Lake Hagerman.

Here's Leah our first morning there. She appears to be

a bit apprehensive about breakfast with 100 people in the dining hall...

Kyle and Jenny after dinner. (Cooked by head chef Jenny - Yum!)

Leah found Kyle to be quite humorous...

It was cool while we were there, but we made it

in the lake a few times!

Leah and Jane on the John Deer during

the Western-themed dinner.

Back row: Ryan, Leah, and Kyle & Jenny Mecher

Front: Nicole, and Jane & Chuck Frasier

This is the Cross where campers gather every morning.

Backyard Fun

2009-06-30T10:55:00.000-07:00

We bought this blow up baby pool for $2.99 at the grocery store and it proved to be a couple bucks well spent during the hot, muggy days we had last week. Unfortunately, the pool did not survive Lucy's mischief one day, but we got some great pictures! Leah was hysterical slipping and sliding all over the place. She's officially crawling and was moving all over trying to grab Lucy - who would have nothing to do with the water. (You should see that dog when the hose comes out - she goes into hiding!) Leah finally settled for the rubber ducky in lieu of her puppy.

Vacation Part 3: Vermont

2009-06-24T10:21:00.000-07:00

Last, but not least, here are pictures from Erin and Jason's wedding in Vermont. Their wedding was in a beautiful setting, and the reception was in this great barn! Leah got to meet lots of family for the first time, including Great Grandma Marguerite and Great Grandpa Peter. Leah sat on Great Grandpa's lap at the reception and would have been content to play with his tie for hours if we let her!

Vacation Part 2: Connecticut

2009-06-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from our time at Auntie Laureen and Uncle Jim's house. Leah got to meet cousins Paige and Peyton for the first time, which was so fun! Leah and Peyton are just a few weeks apart and it was hysterical to see them interact; they both have such distinct personalities already! Peyton is so gentle and we had to make sure Leah didn't clobber her!

Vacation Part 1: Michigan

2009-06-24T09:53:00.000-07:00

We're back from our first travelling expedition with a little one! We went to Michigan for our friend Theresa's wedding, out to Connecticut, and then Vermont for Ryan's cousin's wedding. It was a great trip and Leah did so well. She was quite a trooper. Here are pictures from the wedding and Grandma Rutecki's house.

Flashback: May

2009-06-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

We didn't post much last month because we had LOTS going on, but now that we are on summer break (YAY!) we have a few moments to upload some pictures. May was a fun and hectic month. Ryan's mom came to help us out for the last month of school, and it was WONDERFUL to have her here. She took care of Leah during the day, and cooked us dinner in the evening. At night, we played a lot of pinochle, ate a lot of ice cream, and worked on getting Leah to sleep through the night again. (Which she did last night from 8pm to 7am. It's amazing what a good nights rest can do for you!) So, thank you Grandma Dainty!

Grandpa Dainty came for a few visits during the month she was here, and on Memorial Day weekend he and Ryan tackled our backyard. They redid our walkway so that it is wider and smoother, not to mention much more decorative than before. I can actually get the stroller out the back door and through the gate without pulling a muscle. We weeded and fixed up the fountain for the summer, too. Here are some snazzy before and after photos.

The path in progress above.

Ta-Da! The finished paved path.

Leah helped by entertaining Lucy, who thought the wheelbarrow was an evil creature to be attacked.

This is the mess that is the fountain post-winter.

But now it is gunk-free and functional!

In other news, my sixth grade class graduated from St. Vincent school, so there was a lot of hooplah around that event. I planned a graduation retreat, a graduation field trip, we went on a graduation luncheon, the kids made graduation power-points... It's intense. I also had the pleasure of choreographing a graduation dance that the kids perform at the ceremony. Yes. A dance. It's something they don't teach you how to do when you're getting your degree in science education... These are the things that no one tells you you're going to have to do when you interview for a job. Fortunately, I spent several years of my life dancing around our living room to the Pointer Sisters with my mom, and the fourth grade teacher helped me out. As you may guess, I'm enjoying a restful summer after all that excitement.

My students performing their dance to "I'll Worship You," by MercyMe.

Delivering the graduation speech is another perk of my job in May...

Finally, last but not least, Ryan's baseball team wrapped up their season the other week. The Marian Knights Freshman baseball team had a winning season. They learned a lot about the game since they began back in January and it was fun to see Ryan get 'em into shape! Ryan starts summer baseball this week.

That's all for now! Enjoy your weekend!

Six Months

2009-06-01T16:32:00.000-07:00

Our little Leah is 6 months old! Ok, and she's not so little. She weighed in at 17 lbs. 12 oz. and is in the 80th percentile for weight and the 90th for height. We get good arm workouts carrying her around. In other news, we are both done with school until the fall and are looking forward to a summer as a family. We'll post more about the previous hectic weeks soon!

(Love this one!)

SQUASH!

2009-05-20T16:48:00.001-07:00

We started giving Leah some "solid" food this week. First-taste faces are priceless, so of course we had to capture them on film. Despite the faces she's making, she did very well eating her squash. For the record, her bib says, "Does this diaper make my butt look big?" Next up: peas!

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

2009-05-09T09:26:00.001-07:00

This week I took my sixth grade class on a field trip to Chicago for the day. I brought Leah along, and Grandma R. came to help me out by taking care of her while I managed a class full of hyped up 13 year olds! Our Lady of Sorrows Basilica was our first stop - it's absolutely beautiful. The kids really enjoyed seeing the replica of La Pieta, which we learned about during our unit on the Renaissance. Then we went to Lincoln Park Zoo, where Leah had fun looking around at everything. It was a perfect day for the zoo - sunny and in the 70s. Finally, we went to the Rainforest Cafe to eat dinner. Despite the stresses that accompany planning a field trip, and traveling with a 5 month old, the day went wonderfully. (Fortunately I had help - Thanks Mom!)

Beantown Rolling

2009-04-25T04:54:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Red Sox' 8-game win streak, and their first of many victories over the Yankees Friday night, we decided to post some pictures of Boston's newest fan.

5 Months

2009-04-21T19:03:00.001-07:00

Leah was 5 months this past week. Time flies!

She is getting to be so big, and she is learning so much.

For example, she is learning how to sit up!

And she is grabbing for anything within reach!

(Like this "5 Month" sign, my glasses, our dinner, earrings, books, nostrils, Lucy's tail...)

And look! She can read!

Well, Ok, not yet...

Leah's Baptism

2009-04-14T19:50:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter! We had an eventful Easter at our house because Leah was baptised on Easter morning. It was a beautiful Mass, and her baptism made the joy of Easter somehow more tangible and moving. Once again, we were blessed to have family and friends travel here to celebrate with us. Here are just a few pictures. I don't have too many on my own camera, but we'll probably post more when we get them.

(Leah was zonked out after the ordeal...)

Leah with her Godparents, Jessica & Greg.

The Best (Sports) Time of the Year

2009-04-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

I know what you are thinking. You are tired of Nicole's boring posts about babies and schoolsits and dogsits and whosits. And you are anxiously anticipating Ryan's next entry. Well, my loyal minions, your wait is over.

As a sports fan, I cannot help but love this weekend, and really thise whole week. The Final Four, Baseball's Opening Day, The Masters, and, of couse, Wrestlemania. This all got me thinking...

Although football may be America's passion, September seldom brings the excitement of sport that March and April boast. The onset of the football season (and the revolting idolatry and debauchery that accompany it) coincides with the death of the natural beauty of the world. The colors on the trees pop and fade. The weather turns cold, and the once beautiful landscape is left barren. Contrast this with the coming of Spring and sports goodness it brings: the richness, the grandeur, and the purity of America's pasttime; the drama and excitement that is March madness; and the riveting theater known as The Masters. These are not merely games, or even sports, no, these are events.

It is only fitting that such beauty and purity coincides with the Easter season. Lent is coming to an end--the barren, cold, desert is warming under the promise of Easter joy. The horrorifying reality of Christ's passion and death (a crucifixion our poor, marginalized, unemployed, and victimized still experience today) receives life-saving perspective in Christ's Resurrection light. Through the Christ event we are set free. For, "it is for freedom that Christ set us free" (Galatians 5:1).

The pure joy of these spring sports (even amid their clouds) embody the freedom of Easter. These events, like the Christ event, are spectacles to be witnessed. Drama to be embraced. Freedom to be lived.

Enjoy this most holy, blessed, and sportsly time of year.

Happy Birthday Lucy Dog!

2009-04-01T18:55:00.001-07:00

Today Lucy turned 2 years old! (So that makes her a teenager in dog years I guess.) We celebrated with a new rope toy and a piece of hotdog. The pictures are from when we first got Lucy in June of '07. She was just a 10 pound little creature - so cute! I chose the picture of Ryan wearing his MSU shorts on purpose. I'm hoping he'll wear them this weekend when the Spartan basketball team plays U Conn, though I don't think it's probable.

It was also an exciting day today because it was April Fool's day. Being an elementary school teacher on April Fool's day is a frightening experience. All day I was checking my chair for tacks and my back for sticky notes. At one point in the day when I had to step into the school office, I came back to my find my students attempting to tape the door shut. Unfortunately for them, the door opens into the hallway so all I had to do was step under the tape. Sneaky buggers.

Perhaps my favorite part of the day was when all the teachers played a prank on the students. After lunch we all went to a different class - I got to go to second grade, and pretend like I thought they were my students. The seven year olds were outraged. "But Mrs. Dainty! Who is with your sixth grade class right now?! You can't leave them alone!" I told them that the sixth grade teacher was with her class, like always, and that right now I needed my second graders to sit down so we could read a story. This left them a bit perplexed. Finally one especially spunky child says, "I know what's gong on! It's a fool! They're playing a fool on us!" Later, when I was asking the kids about the story we read, I called a child by his name and a girl in the back whispers, "She must really be our teacher - she knows our names!!!" (There are only about 140 kids at our school. I know almost all of them!)

Happy April Fool's Day, and happy birthday to our pup.

4(ish) months pictures

2009-03-21T14:27:00.000-07:00

We took Leah's four month pictures a few days late due to cranky evenings and a vaccine-induced fever, but here they are! She can sit up pretty well with support, but she's also trying to chomp on everything she can get her pudgy little hands on. So she was sitting on the boppy, leaning against the couch, and she kept leaning over to eat the blanket. Of course, she would then tumble off the bobby and giggle. It was entertaining!

In Case You Weren't Convinced

2009-03-19T17:48:00.000-07:00

As previously mentioned, we get a lot of comments about how Leah looks like Ryan. If you haven't decided if you agree, we have some convincing evidence. These are Ryan's baby pictures:

And here are pictures of Leah with someone else she resembles!

Chatty Time

2009-02-26T08:09:00.000-08:00

I figured it out! Here's a 2 minute video of Leah...

3 Month Pictures

2009-02-25T09:35:00.001-08:00

Leah is now over three months old! (Took a while to get these pictures up!) She greets us with a big smile in the morning and when we pick her up from daycare. She laughs at peek-a-boo and her reflection in the mirror, and she is starting to grab at things. Leah also starting to figure out that she can get our attention by shrieking. She babbles a lot - we'll work on figuring out how to get a video up!

Happy St. Valentine's Day!

2009-02-15T17:18:00.000-08:00