Mamo aka Elmo

Joy LOVES Elmo! And she has since she was 7 or 8 months old, evident when she started giggling when I was carrying her through a store. I looked where she was looking, only to find a big poster cut-out of Elmo waving. Recently, Joy started saying two syllable words. Her first being "uh oh", which was soon followed by "Mamo". In the video below, she demonstrates her love for Elmo with some prompts for the camera from mom.

Joy Says Please

Joy is talking a lot these days. We are trying to teach her how and when to use the word 'please'. Danny caught her on camera saying her 'goofy please' when she wanted me to start a dancing Santa and reindeer. Enjoy.

Christmas with the Rainbows

We spent Christmas with the Rainbows in Madison this year. We enjoyed spending some time at home as well, which spurred us to think about what we would like our family 'traditions' to be in the years to come. The ladies (Peggy, Sarah, and I) started Christmas by going to the Nutcracker at the Overture Center, performed by the Madison Ballet Company. Then we went to Christmas Eve service at Mt Olive Lutheran Church. We opened gifts slowly over Christmas Day, giving Joy the opportunity to play with each gift a bit before moving onto the next. And, Joy learned the word cookie from trying several different kinds of Grandma's delicious Christmas cookies.
Danny and I are on vacation this week. Our plans include: going skiing tomorrow, picking up our new 2010 Mazda 5 tomorrow, getting together with friends, polishing off a few unfinished projects, Joy visiting Grandma and Grandpa Krafve without mom and dad, and celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary. Danny pointed out last night that we have been together for 10 years already.
Below are a few pictures of our Christmas celebration.

Doctor Stats

Here are Joy's stats from her 15 month appointment back on December 13. Sorry so late...

Height - 31.5 inches 75th percentile
Weight - 22.5 lbs 40th percentile
Head Circumference - 19 inches 95th percentile

Christmas with the Krafves

We celebrated Christmas with the Krafves early this year since we will be spending the 24th and 25th here in Madison. We send a big thanks to my wonderful family for saving a day just for us this busy time of year. Joy enjoyed the time with family as well as all 4 dogs that belong to my sisters and their husbands. We shared a delicious meal together, opened a few gifts, and then played outside in all the snow that afternoon. Joy did not want to do anything outside but be pulled around in the sled, only by mom or dad. Needless to say, dad especially, was exhausted after this. You will find a video below of Joy helping Grandma in the house and sledding. The other video is of my crazy fun family 4-wheeling/ATVing in the snow. They were attempting to plow through a snow bank and drift to get to a field road. Both Bart and Jenni's attempts didn't work, but were pretty funny. Somehow, Christi, Aaron, and I ended up on clean-up crew. Enjoy!

Joy Plays in the snow

We got our first snowfall of the season today. We all got bundled up and went outside to play for awhile this morning. Joy did really good walking around in boots that were a little big and really stiff on top of being all bundled up. She looks like a little marshmallow. The highlight for her was dad pulling her on the sled.

Joy Plays Kinect

Well, Danny talked me into getting the Kinect for our Xbox. The plan was for him to sell the Xbox since we have a Wii. I really feel one game system is enough for a household. However, now that the Kinect came out (controller free game system), he had to get it. So, Danny was showing his dad how it worked earlier this week and Joy decided to try it out too. Dad is thankful Joy is too short for her movement to register into the game and mess up his stats. Lastly, I was getting Joy ready for bed when she pulled her usual stunt of running off once she is undressed. She loves to run around and away from us when she is undressed, and this night was no different. Thankfully, she at least has her diaper on in this video. Enjoy!

Joy Dances to Gummibear

Happy Belated Thanksgiving! We hope your Thanksgiving was relaxing and fun. We spent the holiday at the Krafve farm. We were indoors the whole visit because of the frigid temps and because I came down with a cold. We returned home Friday afternoon and Joy had a lot of energy after being strapped into a car seat for 3+ hours. We turned on the Gummibear song and away she went. We extend a special thanks to Danny's young cousin, Shae Baker, for introducing Joy to this song. She is a big fan as you will see.

The addition is complete!

Hi again. There isn't too much to update you regarding Joy. She continues to be a lot of fun! We are soaking in as much of her as we can these days.

We finished the addition and moved in about two weeks ago. We are enjoying the space tremendously. This means Joy also has her own big play space, which she is breaking in really well. The first day we opened the doors to the addition, Joy stood there and stared at the floor wondering if she could really enter. Once she realized she was able to enter, she ran in and out of the room and has barely stopped. Here is a before and two after pictures.


I also started working part-time this week. It has gone great!! I was really worried about Joy adjusting to taking naps in a new place. Of the last three days, she has gone right to sleep without a peep twice. I am caring for a 2 week old baby named Sarah. Her mom is still home on maternity leave. Joy and I spend 4.5 hours there 4 days a week so mom can do some things she needs/wants to do.

That covers things for now. We are looking forward to spending Thanksgiving at the Krafve farm. We also enjoyed visiting my sister and brother-in-law last weekend in Minneapolis, MN area for my cousins wedding. It was a busy, fast-paced weekend, but still fun, despite 8 inches of snow. We pray your Thanksgiving is very blessed.

Halloween 2010

Joy's first Halloween was a lot of fun. She was a lion since she has the cutest roar, which she changed to a quick roar the last few days - maybe because we've asked her to roar so much. :) The Halloween festivities started on Friday afternoon at Grandma Rainbow's house. She threw a party for all the kids in her childcare and Joy got to join in the fun. Saturday afternoon we went to our friend, Jane's, Halloween party at her house. The highlight was getting to roll in and kick around some leaves. Last night, Joy and I went to a 40th birthday party for a friend. There was another little friend there and both were dressed in their Halloween costumes. Then, finally today, we went trick-or-treating at some of the neighbors. She was a hit! Then, the best part was tonight after she was done with her bath. She escaped from dad when I was about to open the door to greet some trick-or-treaters. Thankfully, I caught her in time before she put on a full show for the kids. :)
Lastly, Danny is putting the finishing touches on the addition and we are getting carpet in tomorrow. We hope to move in at the end of the week!! Enjoy the video and pictures.

Joy playing in the leaves at Jane's party.

Joy having fun in the swing this morning.

Joy is Learning to Count

Joy surprised us last night by saying the numbers two and three while we were stacking blocks. Danny, of course, grabbed the camera. I think it is safe to say she isn't actually counting but saying the numbers is a start! Enjoy!

Joy Says 'Hi' to Dad!

Joy has just started to say some two syllable words and say some two word phrases. Her favorite thing to say/do, when dad is home working on the addition, is to run to the doors and say 'hi da'. Below is a video sample of how excited she gets about it. The addition is nearing completion. Danny is putting the stone up around the fire place in this video. All that is left is trim and carpet and we can move in. :)

Joy Knows Our Facial Features

Hi. Well, here is the latest with Joy. She has been curious about our faces lately, so dad and I started labeling our facial features about two weeks ago. Now she can point to different things that we label. She can also say 'eyes' perfectly now since we took this video. She is a very curious little girl. She is learning and growing at such a rapid rate. She is also walking everywhere now with fewer falls than in her previous video. Her favorite thing to do is go 'sigh' or more understandably, outside. She walks around the yard with a rock in her hand, swings on the 'wee', and picks flowers and leaves.



I had a VERY scary thing happen to Joy and I this past week. We returned home after having a frustrating morning at the shop with the Danny's car. After I parked, I dropped the keys in the diaper bag, got out, hit the lock as I always do in my car (manual locks), and shut the door. As I walked around the car, my brain re-entered my head, and I remembered Danny's car has automatic locks, which means I just locked Joy, keys, phone, etc in the car. Thank God we have retired neighbors who I ran to for help immediately. He called Danny at work while I waited by the car with Joy. Danny arrived with his key about 15 minutes later. Joy did great the first 10 minutes and then got more irritated with the situation the last 5 minutes, which felt like 10 years. We are all fine now, but Joy got a lot of extra love the rest of that day because mom felt, and still feels, really guilty.

Danny continues to work hard on our addition. The wood is finally installed on the walls. We are both going to work on staining trim and the windows over the next couple days. We are thankful for this stretch of warm weather we are having. But once the staining is finished, then it can get cold so we can start talking about the golf course closing for the season. Because we would love to have more time with Dad! Danny will start tiling the floor and putting up the stone on the fireplace over the next couple weeks. We hope to have that done before the assessor comes for our refinancing deal in about two weeks.

Life is busy! But we are all happy and healthy. We are very thankful for all we have been blessed with!

Joy has started golfing

Joy got her first lesson from her dad a few days ago. She's been busy golfing around the house ever since. Here is some video footage of her practicing.

Joy Walks Around the House

Hi. I thought I'd share a little bit of what Joy has been up to the last few days. It is so fun to watch her learn and grow. She started walking from room to room and around the loop in our house one day. Then the next day we showed her how to stand up a few times and by the end of the day, she is walking independently around the house. And now she doesn't stop. It is fun and exhausting at the same time. Enjoy!

Joy's Birthday Celebrations

Joy started celebrating her birthday at the Krafve farm on Saturday, 9/4. Grandpa, Grandma, and all the aunt and uncles were there to watch and help Joy eat her first piece of cake.

Then on Saturday morning, 9/11, Grandma and Grandpa Krafve went with Joy and mama to a car show at a local VFW here in Madison. Joy enjoyed all the cars and said 'wee' when she saw a golf cart driving around. She is her father's daughter! Joy also insists on walking half the time, with some assistance still. Here are a couple pictures of the fun.


Joy's first birthday party was held on Saturday afternoon in the gym at Mt Olive Lutheran Church in Madison. Joy had about 13 little friends there, along with their parents, to play with. We had a lot toys, music, and balloons, which, after a few loud pops and tears initially, turned out to be great fun. The gym was the perfect setting for Joy since she still mostly crawls to get around.
I'm sad that my baby is now becoming an independent toddler, but am thankful at the same time. We all had a great time and are so thankful for all of our family and friends!!

Here is Joy kicking the balloons with some support from mom and dad.

Here is Joy playing with the balloons with dad and Aunt Sarah before her friends arrived.

Finally, on Sunday, 9/12, the actual day of Joy's birthday, we stayed at home and had company most of the day. Aunt Jenni and Uncle Aaron, along with Grandma and Grandpa Krafve, were here in the morning. Then Grandpa and Grandma Rainbow visited during the Packer game. Note: We had the party on Saturday so it wouldn't interfere with the Packer game on Sunday - guess who made that request? :) Joy had more cake and opened a few more gifts. She got her first Cheese Head but isn't too excited about wearing it yet. Needless to say that night, Joy was a little overtired from the weekend festivities. Below are a few pictures from Sunday.

What a year it has been! I look forward to making many more memories with our dear daughter, our pride and JOY. If any of you figure out how to bottle any of this for a lifetime, please let me know. May God richly bless you and your family!!

Joy's Birthday Party

What a weekend!! Joy had a fun-filled weekend with family visiting and a party on Saturday. She got lots of attention! We threw a party for her at Mt Olive Lutheran Church in Madison. It was a great location and I think all of Joy's friends had a good time. There is some video of the celebration below. Thanks so much to all of our friends and family who helped us celebrate and for all of your birthday wishes. We all feel very blessed!!





I have a lot more video and pictures to share with you. I'll get more up as soon as I can.

Joy's First Steps

Joy has JUST started walking. We caught her on camera as she took her first few steps. What an incredible feeling! It's amazing to think just a year ago she couldn't hold her head up. And, yes, her first birthday is quickly approaching in just two weeks. Today was an eventful day as well. We took Joy on her first bike ride thanks to some friends who borrowed us a bike trailor. She loved her helmet and the ride, evident by her saying 'wee' most of the way. It did get a little hot this afternoon, so we had to leave a little earlier than planned. But she was a trooper! And the smoothies afterward really hit the spot!

Enjoy the video and thanks for dropping in to check on us. God Bless!



Also, an update on my job situation. I have accepted a position as a nanny for a family I used to work for. I start part-time in November and more full-time in January. My last day with the family I currently work for is Tuesday. I am very thankful to have found a job! Now I am praying to find something to bring in a little income in the next two months.

Danny continues to work hard on our addition. He is working on drywall at the moment. The fireplace is in and working!! Now we have a deadline to make so we can refinance in about 6 weeks.

Joy's first time on the golf course

Joy and I have this week off. So, we decided to start out by going to visit Dadda at work. Since it is beautiful outside, we got take her out onto the course. She loved the golf cart evident by her saying 'wee' most of the time. She ended up calling the cart 'wee' and reaching for it every time she saw one. Also, she loved crawling around the putting green but as soon as she got to the fringe around the edge, she stopped and didn't want to go any further because she doesn't like touching/crawling in the grass. And, yes, for those of you wondering, due to the chemicals, I took her in the bathroom and scrubbed her down good afterward. Lastly, we got to see some Sandhill Cranes up close this morning as well. They were pretty neat! Here are some pictures from our 'outing'.

PS, I also have to point out the cute little golf shoes she is wearing. She received them as a gift from one the reps Danny works with. :)

PGA Championship

The PGA Championship is currently underway at Whistling Straits Golf Course in Haven, WI. Danny volunteered to work at it on Wednesday and Sunday. I joined him on Wednesday with my parents. That day was an adventure! It started out being really rainy in the morning. Thankfully we all had umbrellas otherwise we would have been soaked to the bone. Then it got really humid!!! And then, because of all the rain, we had to mud bog our way out of the event because the parking lots are fields that were rented from surrounding farms. But, outside of all that excitement, we got see a lot of golfers. Due to the rain in the morning, all the golfers left the course only to return in one large group at the driving range and the putting green. Thankfully, those two places are right next to each other. Since we were there on Wednesday, we were allowed to take pictures and video and get autographs. I was on my way in to get Jim Furyk's autograph but he quit signing about 5 seconds before I got there. Oh well. Here are some pictures and video of the day.































The first few clips are Sergio Garcia and VJ Singh on the practice green. Then there is some video of many pros out on the driving range. Tiger is in the middle of the pack in a pinkish shirt and Phil Mickelson in towards the back in a white shirt - the only golfer facing toward the camera because he is left handed. Then there is some video of Ernie Ells both on the practice green and out on the course later on. I think that covers most of them. Oh yeah, John Daily is the golfer in the crazy pants on the putting green with Tiger. :)

Joy says "Bye Bye"

One of Joy's favorite things to say is "bye bye". We finally captured it on video. In this video, she is a little annoyed because she doesn't understand why we are not walking out the door after she says it. You'll notice it by her leaning and turning towards the door a lot. :) Enjoy.

Joy Dances to Pig's Music

Joy really enjoyed her new 'piggy bank' toy and all the music it played. Here is the evidence.

Joy Practices Walking

Finally, we've got all the video up we've been talking about. Here is Joy two weeks ago when she started walking with her push toy. As you'll see, she is pretty proud of herself. It's fun to go back and watch these because it helps me to see how much progress she has made in just two weeks. Turn your VOLUME DOWN for this one because she lets out a loud scream at the end. Enjoy!

Giggles

Joy got the giggles at dinner last night. She can always brighten a day, just like her Great Grandmother Joy always did.

She is eating a new recipe I tried. It's a pita pizza with spinach hidden it. She loved it!! Score for mom!! Her dad on the other hand, wasn't very crazy about it. For those of you who know Danny, that probably isn't a big surprise. :)

Playing on the Bed

Lately, one of Joy's favorite activities is to roll around and play on our bed. Here is a glimpse of her having a good time.

Joy's Lion and Horse Sounds

We finally captured Joy's two favorite animal sounds, the lion and the horse. Enjoy!

Joy's Tricks

We're testing out a new way of adding video to our blog. Here is a video of Joy a couple months ago, saying "Hooray", giving high fives, and waving "hi". She is doing much more now, which we'll upload soon if this works!

Angel, fawn, and bubbles

Hi again. We are having video problems but hope to get that working again soon. Here are a few pictures to summarize our life with Joy lately.

Joy has fallen in love with our cat, Angel. However, Angel does not reciprocate the feeling. But she tolerates all the 'tough' love really well.

We've also been enjoying this abandoned fawn that's been living between our house and the neighbor. Unfortunately, it is getting sick and malnourished despite the neighbors feeding it. No one in the area is allowed to rescue it due to chronic waste disease - poor thing.


Joy also really loves bubbles lately. She made everyone laugh at storytime this week when she tried eating them. She looked like a frog sitting on all 4 with her tongue sticking out trying to catch the bubbles. :) She's been enjoying bath time more lately because she can sit, stand, crawl, and basically move about as she pleases. Is this one of those embarrassing pictures she's going go 'mom' me about later???


Lastly, Joy is exhausting us with all her walking practice lately. Thankfully, we were given this toy which helps tremendously!

Joy also got to experience her first county fair last weekend. She enjoyed showing off her animal sounds of: neigh, baa, and mmmm (moo). She also got to pet several animals including a baby pygmy goat. If only we could have goats within city limits. Both Joy and I would be sooo happy. She also added the lion to her list of animal sounds last Sunday. That seems to be her favorite evident by her roaring at her dad and I several times a day now.

Danny has been really busy at the golf course lately. We really appreciate our Sundays together (his only day off during golf season). He also works on our housing addition every night after Joy goes to bed. Thankfully she sleeps really hard, so Danny can do some pounding, stapling, drilling, etc. and not wake the baby. :)

I found out that my nanny position will be ending on August 30 because the little girl I care for is starting at a center after being on the wait list for a few years. I initially thought I would do in-home child care but that is looking pretty hopeless at the moment due to the economy. So, I'm consider finding another nanny position. Please pray for me to find a job that allows me to be with Joy.

Our Little Monkey

Joy surprised us this week by showing us that she knows how to make a monkey sound. She also kind of does the sheep and horse sound, but they sound pretty identical to me. We haven't been able to capture those on video because she's been on the cranky side the last few days. She got another bottom tooth last week and her other top middle is about to come in too.

Joy has also started to walk with help from us. We have video but this website won't let us upload anymore at the moment, so we'll try another time.

Joy has been working on eating regular solid foods lately too. Here's her latest attempt at peas.

Lastly, here is Joy playing around with her dad.

4th of July Weekend

Joy has started blowing kisses, check it out:




She is also pulling herself up on just about everything: couches, tables, railings, window ledges...




We had a nice 4th of July with the Krafve family. We spent a little time on the farm Saturday evening and did some 4 Wheeling (aka ATVing). On Sunday, the whole Krafve family (all 13 of us) gathered at our cousin's (Jeff, Gail, and Peyton's) home in Chisago, MN. Joy was a ham for all the cameras. Below are a few pictures of our time together. Aunt Christi and Uncle Bart received a nice camera as a wedding gift. So, Christi was making the camera work hard. The trip home was the most challenging yet. We had to stop 3 times to let her get the wiggles out. One of those time, she must have been car sick, because I was quickly covered in spit-up and needed a change of clothes. Joy did a lot of yelling early in the trip but calmed down and finally fell asleep the last 15 minutes - just 2 hours past bedtime.

Our First Blog

Welcome to our blog! We are playing around getting things set up right now. We hope to start making more posts soon. We have to test out the video feature of course... and it was taking forever. So we will try that again later. Here are a few pictures of our precious little girl, Joy, who is already 9 1/2 months old.


Daddy needed to do some baby proofing now that joy can crawl. Here she is giving him a little help.


Her first word was 'hi'. Now she says 'bye' and waves too. She also takes her Elmo by the hand and helps him to say bye and wave.

We are looking forward to the 4th of July. We plan to go north to spend some time with the Krafve family. We hope to have more recent photos to share with you from our trip.