All boy

I have a feeling this guy is going to keep me on my toes in the future....he certainly does now. All boy!

Chompers....

..that's right. Chompers, not chomper. Not just one pearly white appeared in Amy's mouth last week, but TWO (2)!!!!!!!!! That may explain the lack of sleep for all member so the family. In addition, Maddie lost another tooth. So, Amy now has 2 and Maddie lost 2. I guess it's a fair swap.

Good Times Roll.

Maddie and Luke here. We just got back from a weekend in Iowa visiting family. Gosh it was fun, but we decided mom and dad are holding out on us. Really, I think they are trying to raise us in a bubble....but, we caught on. You see, they took us to Uncle Tom and Aunt Mary's house. Our cousins have the coolest toys! We learned to drive while there. That's right, we always thought we'd start with something simple, like a golf cart, but nope, we started with a riding toy called the "Gator." Now that we had a taste of the good life, there is no turning back. In fact, we just might keep asking for one of these until mom and dad crack. What do you think? We didn't hit anyone....except the 4-wheeler. We think if we position the need as something to assist Dad with yard work he might buy into the idea....although we have a lot of work to do, because right now he says, "No." Perhaps we should keep sweet talking mom. I guess we could position this as something to tote Amy around in as well. Perhaps it could be a infant transportation option...thoughts?

Maddie and Luke PS. Amy was a really bad traveler on the way home....a 5.5 hour drive took 9 hours...it was not fun for anyone involved. Ugh. PSS. On the plus side, we did get to stop at Hickory Park in Ames, IA to eat. We love that place!

Pearly whites....

That's right folks.  The little lady got her first chomper. Thankfully too.  I had resorted to the fact she would learn to sleep when she went to college and not a moment too soon.  It's safe to say lately she has slept horrible.  On that note, I love my Keurig coffee maker. We're you aware the morning news starts at 4:30 am on week days?  Yes, we are all about late nights and early mornings around here. It's a lively place.  

March...

...March. I guess that's a thing of the past. Really the past 10 weeks have been interesting. It's been one illness for the kids after another. Jeremy and I realized we haven't had 1 normal week of work in 10 weeks...that just seems wrong, don't you think? Ear infections, RSV, asthma, flu....oh the flu (less than fun). But thankfully, we were able to escape MN for a quick trip to FL, in hopes it would rid us of all the germs. FLORIDA Yes, a quick trip to FL occurred last week. Traveling as a family of 5 is no small adventure really. Especially when one of the members is 6 months old and more dependent on us all the time versus the older ones. The trip was great. We visited grandma and grandpa Kiefer, went swimming, spent a day at the beach, visited alligator alley, went fishing and just played outside. It was great! The kids said they want to live there because there wasn't any snow....apparently winter has worn on them as well. The only hiccup of the trip was Maddie and Luke both getting ear infections. Thankfully, they had a few days of swimming in prior, so they were content playing outside, going to the beach and just having fun. Speaking of swimming, Maddie swam from one end of the pool to the other on her own. We were all very proud since she's been working hard on this skill for some time. Luke floated on his back all by himself for 20 seconds. They are both coming along and doing great. 6 Months Yes, our little lady is 6 months old as of yesterday and doing great. She is enjoying the exploration into "real" food and thus far loves squash, sweet potatoes and green beans. She's a good little eater. All smiles, all the time. I don't care if it's 3a.m., a smile from her lights up my world. Dislikes? apparently she is not a big fan of stroller rides. This started in FL and still happens at home some. I attribute this to her not being in a stroller outside over the winter, so she's uncertain what's going on now. Adventures Luke and Maddie are back in gymnastics to help burn off their energy from winter in MN and hibernation mode. They are loving it. This is Luke's first experience in a class free of parents and he feels like such a big kid. It's been great.