1st Day of 2nd Grade!!

Maddy started 2nd grade on Tuesday and has had a great week so far. She really seems to like her teacher and her classmates. So far things are off to a good start!! One new thing this year is getting used to homework everyday -- I will have to keep her on the stick!

Summer Is Coming to a Close.....

On Tuesday Maddy heads back to school and will start 2nd Grade. We are getting things ready for her to go back. Buying school supplies, a few new outfits, checking the lunch menu for the week, etc....This summer has been a lot of fun and has gone very fast!! Here is a picture of Maddy and Colby hanging out together on one of their last days. I have a similar picture from last year also -- Maybe if I get organized I will even post some pictures of the fun stuff we have done this summer!

Last year about this time:

Colby's 1st Dentist Visit

Colby being very nervous in the chair (but did great as long as Maddy laid up there with him :-):


Maddy's eyes are so sensitive to light that they let her wear sunglasses when she's in the chair:


Colby had his first cleaning at the dentist last week. Maddy went first so he could watch, but he was looking pretty nervous. I am very glad I had Maddy with me as he was fine as long as she laid on the chair with him. He did a great job and got to pick something out of the treasure chest at the end, which he thought was very cool!

Our Computer Whiz.....

Maddy just completed a Computer Club session at her school that ran for 6 weeks (1 hr per week). She got to learn all about different educational websites and they also taught them some things in Microsoft Word (or Microsoft Words as Maddy calls it :-)) Here is her latest writing that she did at home tonight (she had some cool fonts for her name, but they wouldn't show up in the blog format):


Maddy.Baumann’s story
Orange Fanta is yummy. It is the same thing as Orange pop. It is my faverit Drink.

Colby's 3rd Birthday!!

Colby turned 3 on Feb. 16th and I still can't believe we now have a 'preschooler'! He has grown up and changed so quickly this past year; it seems like weekly Jeremy and I are talking about 'Colby's new thing' that he's doing.

He continues to be fairly active, although he has slowed down some and will sit and play for longer periods of time, especially if one of us is sitting/playing with him. He loves playing with his trains and building blocks and also playing basketball and riding his scooter.

He also loves watching Barney (pretty much the only show he will sit and watch) and he enjoys playing on his drum when the music comes on in Barney. He likes to play house with Maddy and she loves to make up very specific directions and rules about how they will be playing ;-). Colby is also getting very close to being fully potty-trained and will need to have this done before going to pre-school this fall.

Colby is at an age where he is saying really funny things and asking all sorts of questions that always make us laugh. He is always tuned in to what is going on around the house and we can't get much by him :-) He loves to laugh at just about anything and I love that about him. He really is a fun-loving little boy and we are very lucky to have such a wonderful son.

Here are some pictures from Colby's Thomas party he had with all of his DSM cousins:

We got him a batman tricycle:

Food for Thought - Motherhood.....

I've read some rather inspiring articles on motherhood lately and decided to post a few of my favorite quotes on the blog. Food for thought?? :-)

Happy Friday!!


"The doctors told me that I would never walk, but my mother told me I would, so I believed my mother." -Wilma Rudolph, American athlete

"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher. Then suddenly they disappear." -Dorothy Evslin

"Love your children with all your hearts, love them enough to discipline them before it is too late...Praise them for important things, even if you have to stretch them a bit. Praise them a lot. They live on it like bread and butter and they need it more than bread and butter."-Lavina Christensen Fugal

"Never being number one in your list of priorities and not minding at all."-Jasmine Guinness

And last, but not least, a picture of Colby hard at work:

You Know You're A Runner If:

1. You're envious when you see people out running and you're driving in the car

2. You spend more on running clothes than work clothes

3. You have a "running" playlist on your Ipod

4. You can easily convert kilometers to miles and vice versa

5. The theme from Rocky gives you goosebumps

6. You correct others that a marathon is really 26 point two miles

I read over this list in one of my running books the other day and thought it was pretty accurate, at least for myself. I have been reading more about running lately, than I have actually been running, unfortunately. I have some issues with my back that I'm trying to get resolved so I can get back out there. Had a MRI today to pinpoint what's going on, so hopefully will get some answers next week.

Will be posting pictures sometime soon, hopefully. We bought a new camera over Christmas, but it's not working, so need to find a replacement. I don't think I've ever gone this long without being able to take pics!

We are keeping busy with moving Grandma Barb into her new town-house in West Des Moines. Luckily the weather has been awesome for January! Makes it so much easier to be out and about!

Hope everyone is having a great start to 2012!