6 Months of Gymboree!

Here's a little Gymboree montage - it's a great way to see how much Mira has grown and all the new things she has learned!

First Day!

Learning to sit!

Graduating from Level 1!

First Day in Level 2!

Learning to stand!

Dance Party is our FAVORITE!!

Look how BIG I am!

A week with the girls...

My nieces, Olivia & Avi, came and stayed a week with us, and we had tons of fun! They were a big help with Mirabelle - changing diapers, feeding her, and entertaining her!

Avi and Mira playing in her room

We tried to go places and see things on most days, but in our "down time," the girls worked diligently on a week-long project. They each designed a boardgame complete with little clay playing pieces! Avi's was "Crazy Jungle" with lots of palm trees, monkeys, and elephants. Olivia's was a Fairy Tale theme - the playing pieces included a princess, prince, princess warrior, and a fairy. The object was to collect all the potions (I made 16 tiny potion bottles out of clay!) and get to the castle first. At the end of the week, we had a couple of Game Nights and played their homemade games along with a couple that we bought (Twilight & ISpy). Ironically, Kenny won Twilight the game although he was the one with absolutely no knowledge of the book or game!!! This thoroughly peeved me and Olivia; we're both big Twilight fans and felt sure one of us would win!!!

My very own sweat shop! Olivia & Avi working long and hard on their game pieces (they liked it!)

At the begining of the week, Kenny's sister Kara was in town for a day or so and joined in all the fun. We went to the mall just to get out of the house before Mira drove me crazy. Her second tooth finally came through Thursday, so the week before was killer!

Wednesday, after watching Mulan, the three girls and I went to check out the R.W. Norton Art Gallery down in Shreveport. We took a stroll (okay, it was more like a hike!) around the grounds, and, after working up a good sweat, we went inside to study the artwork. I was very impressed with the collection. I honestly didn't have very high expectations at all, but was pleasantly surprised. Olivia, especially, enjoyed looking at the works - recognizing many of the artists from her UIL Art studies. I think Avi's favorite part was seeing the new honey bees set up outside a big window in "Fairyland" (the more kid-friendly portion of the gallery).

My girls!

Mira & Mommy

My beautiful Mira

Avi pushes Mira in the stroller while Olivia acts as our tour guide

Trying my hand at the artistic photography

Thursday, after watching Mulan for the second time, we loaded up and went to Sci-Port. Sci-Port was nationally ranked by Parents magazine, so I have been itching to go!! It was great!! We were there for about 4 hours and could have stayed longer! There was so much to see and do - Olivia & Avi both really enjoyed it. Mira even enjoyed some of the displays - her favorite was the demonstration of Bernoulli's Principle in which a beach ball floats up and down in a column of low pressure air. Okay, I don't think she cared about the principle - just the crazy floating ball - but, one day... =)

Olivia and Avi really enjoyed all the opportunities to learn about everything from identifying fingerprint patterns, to planets, creating circuits, using pulley systems, to making their very own batch of slime!! As soon as we were headed for the exit, Avi was asking if we could come back the next day! So, I guess that means it was a success! =)

Olivia & Avi play on the big floor piano - Mira was pretty amused

Avi goes to town on this wheel trying to create horsepower - by the look of her "mane" I'd say she did a fine job! ha ha ha!

Making slime (or "Dragon Snot" as the instructor called it)

Friday morning the girls painted tons of beautiful pictures since their games were finished by this point. Later, we had lunch at Jason's Deli and then took Mira to Gymboree. Avi took part in the class, playing with Mira during the activities while Olivia took advantage of some quiet reading time. After Mira's class, the gym is open for "free play," and Avi had fun running, climbing, balancing, sliding, and jumping with a couple of other kids her age.

Avi gives the balance beam a try

Saturday, Kenny and I took all the girls to the Boardwalk. We started things off right with lunch at The Cheesecake Bistro! Afterwards, we headed to the Funny Bone for a game of bowling - where yours truly won by quite a margin (I'm "REA" on the scoreboard)!!! This was our first time to these lanes, and I was very, very impressed. It's small, comfy (three leather sofas and a coffee table at each lane) and super-clean (no smoking allowed ever)!

We had a lot of laughs as Avi used "Crazy Arms" to encourage her ball down the lane, and Olivia learned to actually throw the ball rather than roll it slowly toward the pins. Olivia eventually decided to try the "Crazy Arms" tactic since she wasn't having much luck.

Avi's crazy arms - "Go Ball, Go!"

Olivia's CRAZY arms - she adds a bounce for extra emphasis!

Anyone up for Baby Bowling? Mira loved it!!! (no worries, I didn't actually let go of the baby!)

Reasie is a superstar bowler!! (three strikes in one game is pretty awesome for me)

After bowling, we headed to the arcade where we played an air hockey tournament (Kenny got the Gold), scored some tickets on Ski Ball, and Olivia and I faced off on Dance Dance Revolution. It's been a while since I DDR'd, but I was still pretty decent! The girls cooperated nicely while cashing in their tickets for cool prizes!

Kenny looks like some slacker dad that snuck off to the arcade with his baby in tow...don't worry she's not being neglected - she's napping, and we were keeping an eye on her! ;)

We finished up the Boardwalk trip with a quick visit to Bass Pro, so Kenny could drool over the boats, and I could change Mira's diaper. We looked at the ugly fish for just a little bit before heading out and heading home. Avi was so worn out, I had to carry her back to the car! I just thought Mira was getting heavy!!

Once back at the house, Olivia managed to convince Avi to watch Singing in the Rain rather than Mulan for a third time while waiting for their parents to arrive.

I think the week was a total success! We had a lot of fun with all the girls in the house despite the increase in noise level and decrease in hot water!! =)

Fourth of July Weekend

We had a great Fourth of July weekend! Grandma Sheila & Papanui were here to celebrate with us, and we packed a lot of fun in to three days!


Friday, since Kenny was off for the holiday, all 5 of us went to Gymboree!! There were tons of moms, dads, and grandparents there (could it be because half the dads work for Twin Cities and the office was closed?)!

I'm going to do another post with some Gymboree pics, so I'll wait on those.

Saturday morning, Kenny & I did the Firecracker 5K! It was a beautiful, mostly shady, very hilly course. Since G'ma Sheila & Papanui were available to hang out with Mira, I was able to pick up my speed during most of the race (you weren't supposed to go faster than a walk if you had a stroller). I was proud of myself for jogging the majority of the distance and finishing strong! Kenny did great; he finished in the top 100 men (67th) with a time of 19 min some-odd seconds - so, he got a Firecracker 5K mug!!! He had his heart set on that mug! ;)

Pre-race family pic.

Mira waits and watches while Mommy & Daddy run (jog/walk).

Yay Kenny!!!

Saturday afternoon, we took it easy - working on a jigsaw puzzle and napping!

Saturday night, we loaded up Mira, some lawn chairs, and the cooler and went to Kenny's office building to watch the local fireworks show. We parked on top of the parking garage and visited with a friend from the office while waiting for the fireworks to start. Mira fell fast asleep in the car on the way...and stayed that way the entire time!

Miss Independence sleeping through her first fireworks show! Happy Fourth of July!!

On Sunday, Kenny & I got all the childproof outlet covers put in place during Mira's morning nap, and then we got to go to the movies and see The Proposal while Mira hung out with G'ma Sheila & Papanui!

Sunday evening, Coco arrived with Olivia & Avi. She spent the night and headed out early this morning, leaving me all alone with three girls!

We've already had fun and look forward to a great week together!

Clean as a Whistle?

Well, let's just say, "clean as a whistle that's been enthusiastically played by a Schnauzer."

Do you think she would still think this is funny when she's 13??

I sure liked that bumper pad...

I've gotten a bit of flack about Mira sleeping in her co-sleeper in our room (and often snuggled up to me in our bed) for so long. I finally convinced myself that it would be best for everyone involved if she sleeps in her room. I mean, I understand she's got to sleep in her own room at some point. I'm just not sure what that magic age is. I know plenty of babies sleep in their own rooms from day one, and that's great if it works for those families. They have fewer problems down the road, I'm sure.

But, that didn't work for us, and I'm not sure it works now. If she goes down peacefully (i.e. I've just nursed her to sleep), it's not a big deal. But, when I lay her down and she screams bloody-murder, I have a very hard time making her sleep in there all by herself.

We're all human. Humans crave human contact. And, she can't understand why she's being left alone. But, since I couldn't pin-point the exact age that a child should be exiled from their parents' warm, comfortable, reassuring arms, and because she was sort of out-growing her co-sleeper, I figured we should take the plunge.

So, Mira is now sleeping in her own bed, in her own room (for about two weeks now, I think). At first, Kenny & I were sleeping in the guest room, since it is right next to her room (as opposed to being across the house like our bedroom). People laugh at this, but I don't think it's that big of a deal. It's not like we're camping out in the bathroom or something - just a different bedroom (it has a bed with pillows and blankets!). Anyways, Kenny has been super-supportive and patient about the whole set-up, and has never even hinted (to me) that he was ready to be back in our room.

But, I gave our bedroom a mini-makeover and decided I was ready to try sleeping in our own, very comfy, bed again. Of course, I have the video monitor right beside me, so I can listen to Mira all night and "look in" on her every so often.

The first night was pretty uneventful - she woke up at her usual times (2 and 5 a.m.). The second night was, again, uneventful.

On the third night...there was an event. Not a good one.

You know how they say you're supposed to remove all the pillowy stuff from the crib? Including the bumper pad? Well, I really didn't see any danger in leaving the bumper pad in place. Mira isn't much of a tosser & turner while she sleeps. She has gotten to where she wants to start on her side, then she ends up turning over onto her back.

I mean, I worked hard making that beautiful bumper pad, and without it, the crib is so plain! So boring!

Well, a good kick in the stomach put my priorities in line. They tell you to remove it for a reason!

Around midnight (I'm well asleep since our normal waking time is at 2 a.m.), I wake up because I think I hear Mira cry out. Just one quick yell. I roll over, still in that in-between sleep & awake stage, and turn on the video monitor to see if she's starting to stir. Nope - she's laying there very still. She is covered up with her blanket (she likes it pulled up over her ears), and so the angle of the camera doesn't allow you to really see her face).

Okay, I figure she's put herself back to sleep (great!), or I just dreamt her crying out. Video monitor off - roll back over and close eyes.

Another single yell.

Now, I know I heard that! I'm more awake this time. I turn the video back on. She's still. I keep looking. Then a little movement in her legs - they start to kick...a lot! That's when I notice the angle that her knees are bending - her feet are kicking up. She's on her tummy, and her face is buried under the bumper pad! She's struggling to get herself back over, but for some reason, she can't.

Another single yell, but I'm already to her room...

I grab her, flip her over, and scoop her up in one quick motion. My heart is racing. Her heart is racing. She clings to me, and I cling to her. She and I slept in the guest bed the rest of the night - I snuggled her as close as possible.

I didn't take her back to our room because our comforter is so big and heavy, it's hard to keep her from getting covered up completely, and she gets way too hot.

This was the worst experience as a mother yet. I feel horrible. I feel incredibly stupid. I hate that she spent those moments scared and needing me, and I wasn't there sooner. I couldn't help to think of the "whatif's." What if I hadn't checked the video monitor? - I might have just assumed she was putting herself back to sleep and went back to sleep myself. What if I had slept through those yells for help?

I have a horribly wild imagination (thus the reason I had a hard time moving so far away from her in the first place), and now I can't stop thinking about all the things that could happen to her in the middle of the night without me there to protect her! Yes, I understand this is a bit neurotic, but that's how my brain works...

Well, suffice to say, Mira's crib looks very plain now...and I will be the crazy mom who checks on her after every little noise. It's like the woman who slathers boatloads of sunblock on her children and puts them in long sleeves, pants, and big, ugly hats at the beach. You think she's weird and over-protective, but perhaps she's had an awful scare with skin cancer - you can't blame her for being "crazy" about protecting her kids from something that almost took her away from them forever.

Maybe I'm over-reacting. Maybe, she would have gotten herself out of that fix, no problem. Maybe she was just frustrated, not suffocating. Maybe in a few years I'll look back and laugh at myself for being so overly-dramatic about it. But, in that moment, I was terrified.

I thought Mira sleeping in her own bed was supposed to help me sleep better??

And, as for having another!! It's way too stressful loving someone this much! Rewarding - yes; joyous - yes.......but stressful!!

Sons of the American Revolution

It has been a while since I've contributed via text (I tend to do the behind the scenes photo and video portions), so here goes.

This past Tuesday I went to my first SAR meeting held at the University Club in downtown Shreveport (right across the street from my office). You have to prove that you had an ancestor contribute to the American Revolution in order to join the SAR. I can't take any credit for doing the research (thanks Mom), but it has been very interesting learning about where part of my mother's side comes from. The local chapter president was very impressed at the application's organization (says he is going to have any new members use my template). Kudos Mom!

I am still technically a guest as I am still waiting on one last document to send in my application to "national," but was invited to come to this meeting after my application was reviewed by the local chapter's president. The meeting had its corny moments (there is a pledge to the SAR at the start of each meeting, as well as a recessional). There was an interesting guest speaker though; the head of the Caddo Parish Public Library. I thought I was going to be the youngest by a few decades, but there were two younger gentlemen (I'm guessing mid 30s). The rest of the group ranged from the 60s to a guy who was 98! They were very interesting guys and the few I was able to talk to over lunch had some great stories. One of the guys graduated from University of Houston back in the 50s in physical therapy; he told me that his first annual salary was $3300!

Now on to the ancestor. As I stated above, our Revolutionary War ancestor was John Lyle. He was a Lt. in the First Battalion of Northampton County Militia as of Dec. 10, 1776. Later on he was promoted to Captain of the 6th company of the 6th Batalion of Northampton Militia. His name is on the Revolutionary Way Memorial plaque in Cross Creek Cemetary, PA. There is a book about the Lyles, which takes the ancestry back quite a bit farther back to the time of William the Conquerer (1040 ish).

Mira will be able to join the DAR (if she turns out to be a history buff like myself). Teresa and I were trying to come up with an acronym for her title, but only came up with WSAR ("Wife of a Son of the American Revolution").

Weekend Wrap-Up!

Wow! What a FABULOUS weekend the Wolfe family had!! Here's a "little" re-cap... ;)

Farmers' Market

Saturday morning, we visited our local Farmers' Market. It was so much fun, and we got a lot of great stuff! Our first and favorite score was this cooler stand - handmade from salvaged wood and old metalwork. You lift the lid and, voila, there's a cooler inside! It even has a drain and a built-in bottle opener!! LOVE it!!!

After making our claim at that stand, we walked through the rest of the market browsing fruits, vegetables, fresh flowers, plants, jams, baked goods, homemade soaps and candles, home roasted coffees, etc., etc.!!

We bought some great blackberry and sugar-free blueberry preserves, a loaf of homemade jalapeno cheddar bread (yum! I love the fact that all the ingredients on the label are all "real" ingredients - i.e. flour, eggs, milk - no artificial anything, no preservatives), some super-sweet blueberries (I normally don't like fresh blueberries - but these were so delish!), a small basket of Ruston peaches, and a few big, beautiful zucchini (for Mira - they're her fave), and I got some cocoa almond granola with M&Ms (Sheila, I know you're mouth is watering!). We skipped the L O N G line for sweet corn on the cob (which apparently sells out in no time everyday).

By this point, we had spent most of our cash and decided to enjoy some homemade ice cream! I had vanilla, and Kenny had peach - very tasty! Mira seemed to really enjoy all the sights and sounds - skipped her usual cat nap while we were there!

We then went back to retrieve our cooler stand and headed home. While Mirabelle napped (what a morning!), I whipped up the batch of zucchini for her - she later had some for dinner and loved it!

So, we all really enjoyed the Farmers' Market, and we've already got a list for next weekend! We hope to make it a weekly visit as long as it's going on. We'll bring more cash and jump in the line for corn first thing next weekend!

Movie Date!!!

Saturday afternoon, Kenny and I were so excited to be able to go to the movie theater and watch a new movie! A friend and co-worker, April, came over with her little boy in tow and hung out with Mira while we went and saw The Year One (one of the two films that Kenny and I were extras in when we first moved out here).

I think Mira had a great time playing with April and Avery, and Kenny & I had fun watching "our" flick. We didn't see ourselves specifically, but know where we should be in a couple of scenes - we'll look in slow motion when we get the DVD.

The movie was funny, but very crude and downright gross in many parts - not for the faint of stomach!! I, not being a huge Jack Black fan, feel like Michael Cera totally made the movie - he cracks me up! - and he had lots of screen time and dialogue in this one.

Hangin' at the Pool

Right after we got home from the movie, we threw our bathing suits on and headed to East Ridge - Matthew, Casey, and Mason had invited us to join them for a swim!

Mira was exhausted by that point from such an entertaining day with April & Avery that she laid back in her new float (much better than the one we took to Destin!) and nearly went to sleep (I think the big kids splashing nearby was the only thing that kept her awake)!

Mason was pretty worn out too (but still a happy boy), since they had been to the pool the evening before, and Mason kicks and kicks and kicks!

It turned out to be a very pleasant evening - the oppressive heat waned and the temperature dropped nicely, plus we were in a nice shaded part of the pool! We had a great time chatting, watching the babies float lazily, and then enjoyed some eats and drinks by the pool!

Best Saturday (in Louisiana) that we've had in a long time! =)

Kenny's 1st Fathers' Day!!!

Sunday was very nice as well, with a little slower pace. Mira & I gave Kenny his Fathers' Day gifts. We got him a classic tie (what's Fathers' Day without a tie??!); cuff links engraved with our respective terms of endearment for him - "Daddy" on one & "Sweetie" on the other; a frame with a pic of Kenny and Mira that says "My heart belongs to Daddy;" and we arranged for the Geek Squad to come out and get the surround sound connected for him (I think this was his favorite part).

I made us a quick breakfast: whole grain waffles topped with some of the blackberry preserves that we got from the market with fruit on the side. Mmmmm......healthy and delicious!!

After breakfast, Kenny and I took turns getting a workout and shower in before heading off to McAlister's for lunch. After lunch we made a quick stop at Home Depot where I finally got a hedge trimmer - that loropetulum is going down (just a little anyways)! =)

I think we'll finish off the day just hanging out at the house - Kenny is watching the USA beat Egypt in soccer while Mira naps, and here I am updating the blog...again!! =)

Miss Teen Freestone County

On Tuesday, Mira & I drove to Fairfield to see my beautiful niece compete in a local pageant. She was so gorgeouse and did a fantastic job of walking in way-high heels, answering her interview question, and not falling off the riser she had to stand on!!! Total success as far as we're all concerned!!!

Here's Olivia in her "Theme Wear" - the theme was "Country Paradise," so the outfits ranged from jeans and pearl snaps to hula skirts and leis! I think she favors Taylor Swift (her favorite artist) in this pic.

Formal wear - Olivia is breathtaking in this red evening gown! And, to think, we always thought blue was her color!

Mirabelle and Aunt Coco

Of course, we had to stop at Gilberto's for some fine Mexican food before the pageant.

Avi and Mira showing the love.

One word - DIVA

Dadfest 2009 - Richardson, TX

We made a quick trip to DFW last weekend to take part in the annual Dadfest 5k. Kenny ran (placing 4th in his age group and 34th overall!) while Mira, Grandma Sheila, Papanui, and I walked. My brother, Kenny, also ran - he's a Kenyan......in his dreams! Just keep your shoes on, okay?!

Mira worked up a good thirst from the 5k - she slept the entire 58 minutes that it took us to walk it!! She loves drinking from cups and bottles!

After the race, our whole group had brunch at Cafe Brazil - Y.U.M.!!!! We had so much fun visiting, drinking splendid coffee, and eating delicious food!

Mira made the rounds...

I *heart* LaLa

That Krazy Aunt Kara is very interesting...I'll have to keep my eye on her.

Ahhhh....Aunt Coco's so nice to nap with....

3rd Supper Club!

Well, we had another great Supper Club last Wednesday! Once again, we got all the babies together for a snapshot before they all had meltdowns! They did very good!!

We had a cookout at the Dicharry's house with burgers, chicken, baked beans, chips & dip, peanut butter pie, and banana pudding! Yum!

Looks like next month it will be at the Budziszewski's. I hope we're in town - we love Supper Club! It's a lot of fun to get together with other young families, visit with friends, and meet new people in the area.

The babies have a lot of fun, too! The kiddos got to hang out and play with all of Maddie's toys.

Mira and Mason are usually vying for the same toy...

Bennett's loving those linkadoos!

Maddie, Mason, Bennett, & Mira - Supper Club pals

Mira has a tooth!!!

Mira's first tooth poked through on Tuesday, June 16th - the day after I took her to the doctor to be sure she didn't have an ear infection (she's been pulling on her ears like crazy), and the day before she turned 7 months old!

Finally got a pic of that itty-bitty tooth!!!