Catching up

I have a lot of pictures and news to catch up on. First of all, we had a fun Easter weekend. Friday night we went to Grandpa and Grandma Boyum's house. Jacob checked out all the toys there, and everything appears to be in order. He also made sure that someone was paying attention to him at all times, even if that meant following them into the bathroom. The most exciting part was getting to sleep on his very own air mattress! It's just his size, and he loved that it was his special bed and no one else's. He slept great on it, and we are very proud of him. The kids also got Easter baskets. Jacob was excited about his new car, and especially the candy. Mariella got some pretty socks and a toy. She'll be grabbing onto that soon and shaking it all around!

We spent Saturday in Iowa at Robyn's grandparents' house. A lot of the Kuehn family met Mariella for the first time, and she made a pretty good impression. Jacob got to play with the big kids (which he loves to do) and he also colored eggs. It was fun for him, except he didn't want to leave the eggs in the dye for more than 2 seconds. We kept trying to sneak the eggs back in after he took them out, but he caught us. After he tired of eggs, we played outside. He hunted for plastic eggs, and once he found them I would hide them again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

On Sunday, we went to Grandpa and Grandma Schoenbauer's. Jacob got to play with his cousins, which is always a big event. He was very excited. He also got an Easter basket, and this one had cars in it too! Mariella got a very cute stuffed duck. It was another pretty nice day outside, so the kids played for quite awhile. They did an egg hunt, and it didn't take long for all the candy inside the eggs to be eaten. By the end of the day, Jacob had had so much fun that he didn't want to go home.

Honing his egg hunting skills in our backyard.

Look at all the eggs I found!

There were CARS! in his Easter basket. His exact words: "Oh, cool!"

Putting eggs in his basket at Grandpa and Grandma S's.

Checking out the candy inside the eggs

Jacob playing with Mariella as she gazes adoringly at him. She really loves him.

6 weeks old, and yes this is Mariella. Someday I probably won't remember because they look so similar at this age.


Our chunky little boxer girl. Please excuse the camera strap in the picture. I'm sure it comes as a surprise that I'm not a professional.

In other exciting Jacob news, he has been going potty before bedtime for over 2 weeks! That's the only time he's interested so far, but it's a great start. Not surprising to us, he has no interest in using the potty chair, so fortunately the cover fits on the big toilet and he can go right on that. He is extremely proud of himself, and commands that we clap for him every time he goes. Of course, we are more than happy to do it. He has also been very entertaining lately, singing songs or counting/reciting the alphabet in a very loud voice. He's been caught dancing to a song when he thinks no one is watching. Just last night, as he was in bed "falling asleep," we heard him singing "Happy Birthday" to practically everyone he knows.

Mariella has been smiling a lot for us, and she can roll onto her side. She's very strong, and is growing very quickly. She is still quite the spitter, but it has settled down a lot. I think maybe her tummy is finally big enough for the amount she wants to eat. The best part is that she is a great sleeper (for now, anyway--I hope it keeps up). Sometimes I feel spoiled by how well she sleeps at night. It may not last, but for now I'm enjoying it!