A Need to Update

So...have you ever looked at friends'/family's blogs and thought "They really need to update this!" Well, I'll admit that I have and if I ever do it again, I give myself permission to scold myself because it has been a LONG time.

My apologies.

Right around Christmas, we bought ourselves an exercise bike. We discovered that it was my favorite way to exercise (minus swimming) and that it would be more cost-effective to buy one than to continue our membership at the YMCA. So, Josh took to it right away and talks about how he is going to go exercise.

Josh's friend (Rebecca) gave him some lace cards for Christmas. He loves them and pulls them all up onto the couch so that Kelsey can't get to them. It's quite hilarious to hear his squawks as she gets up and helps herself.

This is Rebecca. Even with the age difference, they are REALLY good friends.

Kelsey is figuring out how to walk and (wahoo!) took her first step on Mar 9 while we were in Ohio at the home of my parents. It was so cute to see!

Josh likes getting his turns learning how to walk as well...

Here is Josh hula-ing. I hope the video turned out alright.

We finally went and got a new curtain, towels and floor mat. We love the colors and it feel so nice in there! Unfortunately, we can't seem to get the red fuzz to stop settling on EVERYTHING!

They love to play together and Joshua's new favorite toys are balloons.

We had the Corotans over for dinner a while back and I kept hearing giggling in the kitchen. When I went to find out what they were doing, I found them under the table making faces at one another.

Kelsey outgrew her carseat and I kept getting people at stores telling me how I needed to get her a new one. I KNOW!! Keep it to yourself!
Anyway, so hers is actually pink and it faces backward. She loves sitting up and holding hands with Josh in the car.

She also destroys our bookshelves. I finally just packed all the books up and put them away.

Here is our new couch. It's a beautiful brown sectional and we love it! I feel especially good about it because it wasn't so expensive that I feel like I can't still let the kids play on it.

Bath time got so much better once I found some toys.

I think this is one of the most beautiful pictures of Kelsey. She skipped right over baby food (much to my great happiness!) and prefers her finger foods.

Here is Josh wearing his apron that my mom made for him and helping me to make...uh..cookies maybe?

Several evenings a week will find us sitting and singing Primary songs with Joshua. He likes to sit by us and play the bass notes. I love hearing his sweet voice and he has a really amazing memory for songs and lyrics.

My two monkeys in their monkey pajamas.

The Friday before Valentine's Day, I hosted playgroup at my house for food and valentine-making. I loved planning out the food and decorations. Here we have a snack mix (red M&Ms, craisins, pretzels and popcorn), duel-layer strawberry jello hearts, and raspberry-filled cupcakes. It was so fun and everyone loved it!

This is also a favorite of Kelsey's. She will sit at that window for quite a while!

Dear Camille,
Here is the beautiful dress you made. Kelsey finally fits into it perfectly and I have LOVED showing her off at church and telling everyone that her dress was made from one of my prom dresses. Thank you for your beautiful work!

Basket rides

On Valentine's Day, Steve gave me a cute teddy bear along with a chocolate rose. Josh and I gave him the cards that we made him.

A couple weeks ago, we decided to finally go see the dolphin show at the Brookfield Zoo. It was so cold out, but the show was phenomenal!

Last week, I felt like a super-mom. Though it had rained the night before, it was about 55 degrees out when we walked to the park. The kids loved the swings and slides and on the way home, I encouraged Joshua to stomp in as many puddles as he wanted.

All last week, we got to stay with my parents in Ohio. Steve had to be in Florida for a 4-day training, so he drove me down to Columbus, we spent the weekend with them, and then he was able to fly from Columbus to Orlando for his training. We loved getting spoiled with love and attention. We also had a few days of beautiful weather while we were there!

On one of the days, mom and I drove the kids over to Inniswood Park. We wandered around the park and enjoyed the sunshine. There is a small children's area there, and just as mom was showing Josh the treehouse, the rehearsal tornado sirens started blaring. Not only that, but they were seriously 100 feet from us. It hurt so bad, but mom was able to take care of Josh while I took care of Kelsey. Well, just when we thought they were done and mom was taking him to the treehouse again, a second round followed. Well, needless to say, Josh was scared of the treehouse and talked about it for hours.

Thanks for the fun Nufers!

Lastly--I started a new diet. It's called Take Shape for Life. I've been on it for 10ish days and have already lost 6 pounds! It's great! I've enjoyed most of the foods and I can't believe how much water my body can ingest. I greatly miss eating real food sometimes, but for the most part, it has felt very rewarding. Wish me luck!