Christmas Preparations

As most families are this time of year, we are busy getting ready for Christmas, but enjoying the process with Joy A LOT! Her favorite Christmas things, so far, include:
1. watching two Christmas videos, Frosty the Snowman and The Crippled Lamb (nativity story)
2. listening to her Christmas CD with Jingle Bells, Frosty the Snowman, and Baby Jesus songs
3. singing 'Happy Birthday Jesus'
4. going to Christmas light display at local park
5. eating candy canes

Here are some pictures to highlight our Christmas activities so far...

Joy made her first batch of Christmas cookies.

Joy loved hiking out in the rain to get our Christmas tree. We met this very friendly reindeer at the tree farm.

Train display at Olbrich Gardens.

Decorating the Christmas tree (above) and house (below).

Our little golfer

Joy loves to play golf these days. You will see some serious concentration and good basic golf skills in the pictures below. Dada is really proud. But, I think we may have to move the golf clubs outside pretty soon because she can really hit them far and in the air. I also think it is so cute to hear her call the 3 clubs she has by name: putter, wedge, and driver.

Night Swinging & Sliding

Hi everyone. We are grieving the loss of our outdoor playtime before and after dinner these days. Joy asked to go outside while she was eating on Monday night. I started giving her our usual response, "It's too dark to play outside". Then Danny chimed in quietly & respectfully, asking for my approval, "you know..." My response, "if you want to continue allowing this idea past tonight, it is up to you". To his credit, they had a blast. Here is what resulted...

Halloween 2011

Joy plays in leaf pile

Hi again. Life during the month of October has been very busy. It's been a good busy, working during the week, and family events on the weekends. We moved Joy into her big girl bed at the end of September. She really likes it and has adjusted well, for the most part. There is an occasional skipped nap, but that doesn't happen too often. We've been soaking up the last of the nice weather. Joy loves playing outside, so she makes sure we get our fair share of vitamin D everyday. It has been quite windy lately. This caused all the leaves in the yard and nearby to pack in around the front of our house. We went out after work on Friday to clear it out some and Joy took over the pile. It is something that all kids do, but it is so fun to have my kid doing it now too. We took some photos and video of her having a blast out there. You'll find that below.
Lastly, the baby and I are doing well. I'm over the 'morning' sickness and just hungry all the time now. I had several migraines early on during month 4 but I haven't had one now in two weeks! Danny is nearing the end of the golf season. The internet-based golf program that he started with his dad is taking off. There are at least 15 golf courses in the area using it and lots more to reach out too yet. There have been several on-the-spot sales which is very encouraging for everyone involved!
Well, that about covers us for now. Have a very blessed fall and I'll do my best to keep this updated better.

Joy's Birthday Party

Well, Joy is officially 2. I think she celebrated for almost 5 days straights. My whole family arrived at our house either on Friday night or Saturday morning. We had about 40 people to our house for Joy's party on Saturday afternoon. Joy was pretty quiet and overwhelmed by it all, even though she knew almost everyone there. She was very excited to eat her Elmo cupcakes, decorated by Aunt Christi! My family left Sunday afternoon and she had another small party at Grandma Rainbows with all the kids on Monday morning, her actual birthday. The days before, during, and after her birthday were filled with lots of birthday songs, even at 6:00 in the morning one day. We all had a wonderful time last weekend! Thanks to everyone who made it so special! Here is a highlight video of the birthday party.

Surprise

Hi everyone. Joy's interest in babies has become even greater lately because we've been talking about her becoming a big sister soon. Yes, we are expecting our second baby around March 29. Joy says she wants a sister and she has named the baby Tom. :) I'm sure she doesn't understand half of what she is saying, but it is very entertaining to us. Since our due date is March 29, that puts me at 10.5 weeks now. I've been feeling nauseous most days, but mornings are the best. I'm looking forward to the first trimester being over soon which should equal the return of some energy and more normal eating habits again.
We are also looking forward to the upcoming celebration of Joy turning 2. Time has FLOWN by! She has definitely entered the terrible twos. I'm a bit surprised by the huge challenge this has presented. I'm very thankful for two sets of grandparents that love Joy so much and are so willing to have Joy visit them often. She actually just returned from a visit to the Krafve farm. Danny and I enjoyed some R&R for 1.5 days. We went out to eat and did some shopping on Saturday. Sunday started by getting some work done and then ended with us golfing and going out for pizza at Doughboys in Waunakee. I highly recommend that pizza place if you are in the area! I guess it's one of Steve Stricker's favorite spots!
Here is a picture of us the night we shared our baby news with the Rainbows.

Joy goes golfing

We finally got Joy out to the golf course last week. Of course, she enjoyed riding the golf cart again and she even took a swing, with dad's help, at a few balls. She demonstrated some great problem solving skills on how to get the ball from point A to point B. She has been practicing at home ever since and has quickly learned how to hold the club and hit the ball on her own. Dad is pretty proud! Enjoy the videos below...

Joy enjoys the guitar

Hi. We have all been enjoying a less humid week after last week's hot and HUMID weather. We even attended a kid's concert mid-week where one of the musicians played a guitar. Joy talked about it often for the next 24 hours which prompted Danny to bring out his guitar again. She was so excited and danced her heart out. She has been requesting it a lot lately. She innocently called the guitar pick 'money' at first, which took us awhile to figure out, but now we are all clear on what everything is labeled. We worked Monday-Thursday this week. So we are enjoying a 4 day weekend! Yesterday we took Angel, our cat, to the vet to learn that she has diabetes. We have chosen not to give her the recommended 2 insulin shots per day. Instead, we will adjust her diet and enjoy the time she has left with us. :( We have had a couple play dates with our friends the last two mornings which may have been over-stimulating for Joy because she has had a really hard time falling asleep for her nap the last two days. Lastly, we are preparing to switch Joy to a regular single bed soon. We went shopping for a new mattress for her last night and man did she work it. She kept making statements about random things in the furniture store, like "That's cute" or "Ohh, I like that." Danny and I couldn't stop laughing. This girl loves to shop! I just hope it is a phase and she will become more balanced over time.
Below is a video of Joy dancing to Danny playing his guitar. Enjoy!

Chicken Dance

Joy had a busy start to the week. She went to visit Grandma and Grandpa Krafve for two nights (Sunday - Tuesday). She got to help them pick up debris from a strong storm that went through on Sunday night, taking down 6-7 of their tall pine trees behind the house. Evidently, Joy slept through the whole thing.
Joy was happy to see her pseudo-siblings at work upon returning home. We were are the families new home starting this week. We are definitely enjoying the extra space they have now. Joy adjusted very quickly and took a nap with no problems on the first day.
We enjoyed a visit from Grandpa and Grandma Rainbow last night. Joy enjoyed being the center of attention, which we caught on video. She has a pretty funny version of the chicken dance. :)
Lastly, our weekend plans consist of helping out some friends today. Joy and I are hanging out with our godchild and her baby brother for the day. When Danny finishes work, he's going to help the parents with some house projects. Tomorrow will consist of watching golf, resting, and catching up on a few things around our house. We're bracing ourselves for a VERY hot week.

Enjoy...

practicing 'Happy Birthday'

We had a great 4th of July. We were home on Saturday doing things around the house and yard. We had Joy in her kiddy pool when she started singing her heart out. Check it out below...



On Sunday, we drove 5 hours to my cousin's place in MN. He and his family live on a lake and own two jet skis and a pontoon. We snacked, grilled out, and then spent the last part of the day out on the lake. It was very relaxing and so fun to watch Joy experiencing so many new things with some of the people she loves so much. She even was brave enough to ride on a jet ski with dad. She was smiling from ear to ear and asked for more when she was done. Here are a few pictures that capture our visit. You can find a lot more photos on facebook. Happy Independence Day!

Joy Blows Bubbles

Joy has been practicing how to blow bubbles a lot lately. She cracks us up with how big of a breath she takes to blow them. Check her out in the video below.



Here are a few pics from our weekend. Danny introduced Joy to her sandbox. She played in it for 1.5 hours while I got some much needed cleaning done. The second picture is of Joy, myself, and our cat, Angel, hanging around the house Saturday afternoon.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there! We had a low key day with a lot of golf on the tv today.

Visit to the Krafve farm

Last weekend, Joy and I ventured up to visit my parents. Danny stayed behind because he had to work and to take advantage of some free time to put in a new mailbox, light post, and flood light in front of our house. All of which were really rusty and probably the originals with this 1960's house.
After an hour delay in the Dells because of construction (only to find the workers were taking the barrels off the road), Joy only sleeping 20 minutes because of it, and some very rude drivers, we finally made it there late Friday afternoon. We enjoyed a visit from Joy's aunt and uncle, Christi and Bart Chapin, and their dogs on Friday evening. The first half of Saturday was spent on the farm and the second half was spent at a friend's 30th birthday party. There were lots of babies and older kids for Joy to play with. She was a busy and happy girl, as long as we didn't talk to any one person too long so she could keep playing. We came back on Sunday and Joy is taking a nice long nap this afternoon to make up for some of the lost sleep over the weekend. Here are some pics that capture our visit.

Aunt Christi, Grandma, and Joy were coloring together on Friday when Joy missed the paper by a long shot and got her forehead instead.

We got out the old little people and scrubbed them up for Joy. She has been on a huge kick over little people lately so she was really excited about this. She didn't want to wait until they were dry so she just sat on the counter and got busy. An hour later, we moved them to a bench so they were more her level and we could all sit down. :)

We went for a ride in Grandpa's truck out to see the Angus with 14 babies. Joy was nervous about the truck at first, but loved it and wanted to ride more the rest of the visit. She also loved the baby cows. We'll work on teaching her the different between calves, cows, steers, and bulls in the future. For now, they are all just baby and mama cows.

Here, Joy is jumping by herself because all the kids ran inside for cupcakes. But let me assure you, she wasn't too far behind them. This girl LOVES cupcakes!

Bratfest

Here are some slightly old photos from Bratfest held on Memorial Day Weekend. We went with Joy's Grandpa and Grandma Rainbow to eat brats and go to the carnival. Joy got to ride on a carousel and loved it so much she asked for it over again several times. She also got her first taste of funnel cake and she thought it was pretty good. Danny played a couple games and won her two stuffed snakes that she was very excited about as well. Lastly, we were all in awe of the beautiful Clydesdale Budweiser horses. Enjoy the photos.

Joy Counts by Herself

I dug out the video camera the other day and found this video of Joy. It was taken only a month ago. But what amazes me, and does every day, is how quickly she learns. In this video, she is practicing counting butterflies in her book. If I were to catch her doing it now, she would count every one in order from 1 to 10. In addition, she can also point to each one as she counts and stop at the correct number. I love watching her learn and grow! I'm very thankful for cameras. Since I'm with her all day everyday, it don't always notice how much she is changing, learning, and growing. As you may be able to tell, this video was really fun for me to discover tonight. Enjoy!

Hair

Joy's hair is finally long enough for pig tails! She started wearing them about 3 weeks ago. I also gave her a hair cut last week. It is all one layer in the back now! Here's a few pics as proof.

Arboretum

Joy continues to be a busy girl. She went to visit my parents on their farm last weekend. She helped them dog-sit the Chapin's dogs. Joy LOVED them. She had so much fun with her grandparents that she wasn't very happy to see us after being gone for two days. Danny and I missed her very much. But, we also enjoyed having the ability to go out at night and do as we please throughout the day. However, I, of course, could not sleep past 6:30 but Danny did a good job of sleeping in until 9:00 AM on Sunday.
We have visited the Arboretum twice in the last two weeks. Two weeks ago the Magnolia trees were blooming. And this week, the apple blossoms and lilacs are blooming. They are all so fragrant and beautiful! Below are a few pictures of our outings there. We went with Grandma Rainbow and the kids both times. Joy really enjoys seeing the kids and asks to see them nearly everyday.

Joy talks and counts

Joy has started saying 3 word sentences. Her first was 'Dada cut tree" after Danny cut down the tree in our backyard one weekend. She's been talking about it ever since. :) She has also taken a big interest in learning to count to 10 in spanish. She almost has it down now. However, as you will see, her favorite place to count is in the bathtub. I'm not sure why, but at least you know why there is naked video of her. Enjoy.

Joy Shakes Her Sillies Out

Hi. Joy has started singing bits of songs that we listen to often. This one is 'Shake Your Sillies Out' by Raffi. Danny listened to Raffi music growing up too but somehow I'm the one dancing and singing it with her while he is running the camera. :) Enjoy!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter! We all spent Easter with the Krafves. Joy was very excited to see everyone, evident by her talking about her grandparents and aunts/uncles most of the trip. Grandma had a Elmo Easter basket ready for her on Sunday morning, which was a big hit along with the colored magna-doodle. Joy was well behaved during church and then enjoyed a lot of outdoor time (FINALLY) the rest of the day. She also had lots of fun watching and talking about her aunts' dogs but she was skeptical of actually touching them. Here are a few pictures that capture our visit.

Old McDonald

Did you know Old McDonald only had cows on his farm? Joy will tell you all about it below...

Krafve Visit

We were blessed with visitors over the weekend. My parents and Jenni and Aaron came to visit us. We had a great time together and Joy loved the extra attention. One of our best memories of the weekend was when Uncle Aaron was teaching Joy to label her elbow. She couldn't quite pronounce it right, so she reverted to a word she knows really well, "Elmo". Then, whenever she wanted his attention the rest of the day, she would call him 'Elmo'. So, Aaron received a new nickname from his 18 month old niece. :) My family also helped us transport a wood swing set from a friends place. Joy is very excited about it and asks to swing constantly now. It sounds like we will be able to get outside to use it more towards the end of the week when it hits temps in the 60's!! This is a pretty normal week for us. We are looking forward to visit from Joy's aunt Sarah this coming weekend! Have a great week!

Joys favorite color

Joy has taken a huge interest in coloring lately. She wants to label every color she uses and often picks out and labels the color yellow. I caught a little bit of her on video this evening. She also had her first experience of finger painting today. She loved that as well. I am having a hard time deciding what art work to keep and what to recycle because I know there will much more to come. :)

18 month photos

We got our camera and had two photo sessions with Joy. :) Here are some of our favorites. It's hard to believe she is 18 months old already!

18 month Dr Appt

Joy had her 18 month doctor appointment. She screamed anytime a nurse or the doctor came near her so that was most of the appointment. She got two shots today too which made her cry pretty hard. But she recovered quickly and went shopping with mom for a few new shirts and skorts for summer. She wondered from rack to rack and found a dress and a pair of shoes she was not happy to leave behind. :)

Here are her stats from the appointment.
Weight: 23 lb 9 oz 39%
Height: 32.5" 76%
Head: 48.5 cm 93%

We are getting a new SLR camera this week. So, there will be a lot of pictures to come as we learn how to use it. We decided to invest in a nice camera instead of getting professional pictures done. And, we were tired of missing so many shots or things turning out blurry. Hopefully we will be happy with our decision.

February Highlights

Hi. This month has flown by! We started it by celebrating Danny's 30th birthday. We talked about throwing a small party for each other since we both turned 30 within 2 months of each other, but didn't get around to it - no surprise. The night of Danny's birthday, 2/1, and into the next day, a blizzard dropped a total of 19 inches of snow in our area. We were snowed in on 2/2 until our very helpful neighbors used their snow blowers to get us out. We've also enjoyed a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Krafve two weeks ago.

About 2 weeks ago, Joy started to put two words together and has become more spontaneous with it recently. She also looks forward to going to work with me in the morning. She asks for the baby most days when she first wakes up.

Danny was away for four days at the beginning of the month. He went to Florida for a conference with one of his bosses. Thankfully it wasn't all work. They golfed one day and enjoyed exclusive seats at an Orlando Magic game one evening. Joy and I really missed Dad but made it through okay with one exception. On the last night Dad was away, Joy tried to squeeze between a table leg and the wall when she slipped and cut her nose on the only sharp piece on the table. There was a little blood but a quick recovery minus the scab.

Unfortunately, Joy has been sick this week. She came down with a cough on Monday, it got more serious Tuesday evening, fever started Wednesday, and fever on and off through Thursday (we stayed home from work this day). Danny is planning on staying home with her tomorrow.

Below is a 'highlight' video of our life this past month. It isn't anything too exciting, but captures moments of our daily life. God bless you and your family!

Hooray Packers!

What a game! We are still filled with excitement over the Packer's win yesterday. I really wish I could be in Green Bay today. It would be so fun to help welcome them home. We had our life group over for the game. We had a wonderful time and ate a lot of food!

What is the latest with Joy? I would say her interest in counting and spelling her name. She was given a block puzzle of her name for her birthday. As you will see in the video, she has learned to spell her name because of her interest in that puzzle. She doesn't fully understand what she is doing. I think she thinks of it as a song more than anything else. But it is still fun and cute. She has also been very interested in counting objects. She can count up to three objects but most of the time every object is two, two, two, and two. In the video below and sometimes during play, she gets three mixed up with 'y' or something else. Watching her learn and grow is so much fun. Enjoy.

High Fives

We continue to be amazed at how fun Joy is these days. Dad and Joy started goofing around the other night while giving each other high fives. As you'll observe, she had a lot of fun. It is especially fun to watch her language develop by the day. For example, just today she started saying "Oh no". Enjoy this peek into our daily life.

Boom-de-ada

Joy's recent favorite song is "Boom-de-ada" or "Booo" as she calls it. A more common title maybe "I Like the Flowers". Anyway, here is some video of her demonstrating her fondness for this song. She received this guitar for Christmas from Grandpa and Grandma Krafve in honor of Danny's guitar skills. We were pleasantly surprised to find her favorite song on it.

Touchdown

Written at the end of last week...
Joy and I are back in the swing of working again. The baby we are spending time with is a really good baby and a joy to be around. Joy has become increasingly interested in her own baby dolls since we started working for this family. She is a busy little mama. We add the baby's older 3 yr old sister to our little group towards the end of the day. Joy greatly enjoys her company as well.
Joy learned how to say and do the sign for touchdown last weekend. I'm sure you can guess what dad was watching on TV. We grabbed the camera a little late because I decided to record her doing it as dad entered the room with her favorite meal, pizza. At least she entertained us once more before she ate.
Her language is developing great! It is so nice to have her ask for things she needs/ wants rather than yell about it. She said her first sentence today. We always halfway joke with her when she puts doll pacifiers in her mouth. She found one at work today, put it in her mouth and mostly said what we say to her, "No, that's for the baby."
Joy and I are looking forward to a 4 day weekend that will include play dates with friends and extra time with dad. She has been especially excited about seeing dad return home from work these days.
Speaking of work, Danny's new position is going great. He is busy, but enjoying it. We also invested in a new 2010 Mazda 5 at the end of December. It is a mini, mini van. It can transport 6 people if no trunk space is needed. We had to upgrade because I need to be able to transport 3 kids for work, and we need more space when we travel with Joy.
I apologize we are unable to share videos we have of Joy. Youtube is not working for me so I have passed that problem onto Danny to solve.
We pray that God richly blesses your new year!