The Latest Family Photos

I was looking on our Wall of Pictures (about 4 feet of wall space in our stairway) and realized that there were very few that had Alex in them. So, in an effort to correct that problem, we had professional family photos done over Alex's birthday weekend. I love these far better than the last set we had done a few months after Alex was born. Anyone who wants copies (Grandmas and Grandpas, etc.), let me know!

Happy 1st Birthday, Alex!

Can you believe it's been a whole year?? Neither can I! But it has been, and we celebrated it yesterday (his actual birthday was Friday). Not too many people came to the party, but we had fun with those who did! Alex is walking now. Well, mostly walking. He's still getting the hang of it. And he's talking too! Actually, he only speaks Baby right now, but he's learned a word or two in English. His first word? "Yeah" And he's said "Daddy" a few times.

On with the pictures!




And some video too!!

Long time, no blogging

Well, here we are!! I haven't put anything new on this page in over 3 months. I guess I have a lot of catching up to do.

Evie is now 2 years old. And she acts like it. It was almost magical. One day she's sweet and does what I ask her (for the most part), and the next day, the word "No!" suddenly become her favorite. I've been trying to be good about not phrasing things that are really important (safety issues, etc.) as a question so she doesn't get it in her head that she has options in those instances, but she doesn't really care. It's still "No!" I can say that time-out has been extremely useful so far. We've nearly mastered not pushing Alex down when he's doing something she doesn't like. Now we scream for Mommy instead!! Hooray! Her vocabulary is growing like crazy. She's a little chatterbox who comes up with new sentences everyday. A while ago, she was telling the cat "No kitty-cat, these are my noodles. No cat! Bad cat!" She's also learning to sing the ABCs! Right now, she tends to skip a lot of letters (E, MNO, R, UV) but she gets better everyday. She also sings "Fly Me To The Moon" and a few other songs. Our biggest accomplishment is moving into a Big Girl Bed (that would be a toddler bed for now). She's been doing well, although we did have to take a step backward in terms of falling asleep, but at least she's sleeping through most of the night!

Alex is a big 11 month old. Less than a month, and he'll be 1 year old!! He's getting more and more personality everyday. He loves to pull himself to standing and cruise around the furniture. He has just begun walking. Right now, we are up to a few steps, and they are very small. He doesn't get very far very fast so he won't walk a lot. He loves to dance, both on his own and up in my arms. And, last but certainly not least, he is talking much more. So far, it's mostly baby babble, but I have heard some "ma ma", "da da" and "ba ba" in there. He's even called out "Ma ma" when he sees me! Plus, I swear he says, "Yeah" everytime I ask him a question. His favorite toys are anything with wheels: cars, trucks, strollers, etc. If it rolls, or he can spin the wheel while the toy is upside down, it'll keep him amused for quite a while.

Steve and I are doing great. Steve is busy with work, and has taken up a hobby of his own (to balance out against my bell choir). Friday nights are now fencing lessons for him. He's only had 2 so far, but he has loved both lessons! I have taken on more responsibility at work and have become the substitute lead preschool teacher (only until the regular teacher comes back). I'm really enjoying planning lessons, working with the kids and just having fun! Evie comes with me to the preschool (even though she's too young by a year - I love the people I work with!) and Alex stays in the nursery. It's been an interesting adjustment, but I hope we can continue with it. Once the regular teacher comes back, I'll be just assisting again. Still a happy prospect!

Alrighty, time for the pictures! Enjoy!



Evie out playing in the snow (1/21/07)



Evie's 2nd Birthday (1/28/07)



Alex on the piano and standing up (2/7/07 & 2/11/07)



Evie's new big girl bed! (2/26/07)




Playtime with whipped cream (We love fingerpainting!) (2/28/07)




Evie's Art Time (using water on a chalkboard) (2/28/07)

Mark the day!

Just 2 short weeks after learning to sit on his own, Alex is already trying to stand! It actually happened yesterday, but we were too crazy yesterday to post this.



In other news, Alex also learned how to drink out of a straw, and Evie was the one to teach him how!

Family Update Nov. 2006

Well, it's been a long time since I've updated this website. Here goes!

Evie is now 21 months old. Only 2 1/2 months until she's a big 2 year old. I think she's already hit the terribles twos though. She's in the "mine" stage. Everything is hers. If she played with it, it's hers. If she thought about playing with it, it's hers. If she might play with it anytime in the future, it's hers. This makes for some fun times in the nursery at the local YMCA. It gets a little tiring saying "Share, Evie!", but I'm getting used to it. She's not as terrible as I make her sound. She's developing more of her personality every day, and is constantly adding new words to her vocabulary. It's getting to the point where we have to watch what we say. Her current favorite thing is to say "OK" or "Yes" after whatever I ask her to do, but she doesn't always actually do anything. I must boast that she is also rapidly learning manners. She says "Please" and "Thank you" (with lots of reminders) and has even said "I'm sorry" a few times without prompting.

Alex is 7 months old. We haven't hit crawling yet, but he's getting there. His favorite mode of transportation is to throw himself forward toward his goal. He rolls both ways now, and we really have to watch what he does on all high surfaces. He's almost launched himself off his changing table a few times. He's beginning to talk more, and I think I almost have him saying "Mom" (or maybe this is just wishful thinking). He's smiles at the drop of a hat and everything not nailed down (and maybe a few things that are) go right into his mouth.

Steve and I are doing well. Steve's been busy at work with all his projects there, plus he has a number of projects going on around the house. He'll be starting up fencing lessons in Jan. as a way to get out of the house and have an activity all his own. I'm currently working at the local YMCA as a nursery attendant. I only work 1 1/2 hours a day, 4 days a week and the kids get to come with me. While I don't make much money, there are many other benefits. I still play with the Sinclair handbell choir, and we have 2 concerts coming up. Alicia even talked me into playing bells with her and another lady at a downtown cafe coming up next month. That should be interesting.

And now, I'll get to the fun part: pictures! I have a bunch since I haven't updated in a while. I'm not sure where to begin.


















Super days to all!!

If you like Ebay or video games...

Wow! Two months and nothing new. And now I'm just going to give you a commerical. Man, I'm mean!

Steve and I have decided to sell off our video game systems (we have Nintendo 64 and Xbox) because we suddenly lack the time to play them (imagine that!). We've already sold most of the Nintendo 64 games, and will soon be selling the actual system. Currently, we're selling 5 Xbox games on Ebay.

If you are interested in any of this or know someone who might be interested, just go to Ebay and look up our seller ID (serosencrantz). You should find a list of what we have for sale currently (I typically post new stuff on the weekends). If you live near me, I am more than happy to deliver it to you and not charge shipping.

Eventually we'll be selling off the full systems with a few games each. Then it's on to other things we find around the house!

Thanks for looking!
Erin

P.S. If you were looking for pictures of the babies, ha ha fooled you! Hopefully I'll have time to do that tonight.

Life With 2 Under 2

I can't even say "Life With 2 Babies" since Evie is officially a toddler now! And it shows too. She runs arounds the house all day getting into trouble (today was "Pull Things Off the Shelves Day") and talking to Alex and me one word at a time (her latest word: "fly"). She is also picking up some cute behaviors from watching me take care of Alex. She's starting to play with her baby dolls and bears more. I recently found her playing a game with her baby that I often play with Alex. It was so sweet!


Alex is growing up too! At 4 months, Alex is the happiest baby ever (Of course, I'm not biased in any way)! He smiles at just about anyone. At the restaurant last night, he smiled for the waitress so much that she stopped listening to us and couldn't remember our order. He's also started eating solids. Well, actually, he doesn't really eat it. I put the rice cereal in his mouth, he grins like a maniac, then he pushes the cereal back out with his tongue. It's a work in progress.



We held a luau at the end of July. It was a success! Even the kids got in on the fun.




And now I leave you with some random pictures we've taken over the last few weeks. Enjoy!