Memorial Day 2011

Anita loves to watch for birds/bunnies out the window

new sand box

Anita very happy as she is about to shove gma around the yard

smelling tulips

watching the parade, drinking lemonade

gpa and gma love me

lunch in her window, skips the high chair most days now

chores, watering the flowers

making cookies for Memorial Day

growing girls, both by about 2 inches in 6 months

the ballerina, "I am not a princess"

Been trying to find time to get on here and blog again but life gets busy.  For now, Anita is sleeping and we just came home after a delicious bbq at gma and gpa's house.  One year ago today Jim was working like he is today and the rest of us were out touring Yankton and grieving thinking that Anita was never going to be home with us.  It was just a little later then this that Holly called and said she was ready for Anita to be with us and we made plans for me to come get her in a few days.  What a whirlwind this year has been and how much our lives have all changed for the better.  Anita reminds me to count my blessings every day even when I am worried and stressed it doesn't matter when she smiles and gives me a hug and kiss.  Now to catch up on the last few weeks as it has been busy.  We were able to attend the Tulip Festival as a family this year and gma and gpa met us there.  Anita enjoyed watching the parade, especially the marching bands as she does enjoy her music.  Later that week, Anita and I went to Hull to visit and had a good morning playing with the kids.  Her biggest accomplishments lately have been climbing onto everything and also trying to say everything.  She climbs onto chairs now and then moves them to climb onto tables.  She also climbs onto the toilet and turns on the water in the sink.  What we all regret she learned this week was home to climb out of her crib which ended in her falling to floor at 4:15 in the morning.  Scary for all of us.  Today Pa is going to bring over her crib that has been at their house and not in use as it sits lower so she can't climb out.  Gma has spoiled her in taking naps together in bed or in the chair so we are having a difficult (traumatic) time doing that at home.  I just decided that for the summer I will just take naps with Anita.  Won't be long until she's not interested in cuddling and taking naps with her mom so I will enjoy it now.  This week is the first of my short weeks of the summer and I can't wait to enjoy my time with her.  While Anita climbs, Kristina has become quite the dancer and was part of a performance last week at the Orpheum.  She did a great job and has decided to continue next year with dance.  We're looking into Anita joining her.  Kristina also finished Kindergarten and I can't believe how quickly that has happened or that she will be in 1st grade in "90 days."  When she was asked what she felt someone graduating kindergarten would like for a present she said a cell phone, she got cash.  She also had a good night out to dinner with the whole family so that was fun.  Jim continues to adjust to a busy work schedule and is almost done with a six day stretch before having several days off.  We are planning to go to the Sioux Falls zoo this weekend with Brenda/Kristina and Holly and the kids.  Hopefully the weather will be as nice as predicted.  Today will be close to 90 with very strong winds so me/Anita are now home for the day.  Writing about this in case I ever forgot how sick I got taking the antibiotic Keflex.  I was told to throw it away and never touch it or take it again.  Thank you again God for answering prayers and allowing Anita to sleep through that as I couldn't have taken care of her and would have called gma/gpa at 2am.  Anita's new words today are bunny, face, pretty and lemonade.

week of mother's day pictures

Anita covered in suger eating a churro Jim brought her

Mother's Day playing in the fort with Kristina

Kristina flying on the trampoline, look at all that hair

Mother's Day Brenda and Kristina.  Anita messing around in the back

so happy she has two rocks

put the rocks in the bird bath.  pa mentioned he keeps finding piles of rocks everywhere he goes

coming down the ramp to play

two precious girls getting their picture taken for gma

we all love this one, so sweet

wearing her new shoes, so proud

Anita's trip to the mall

Anita enjoyed a relaxing day at home with dad yesterday and took a 3 hour nap after such a busy weekend.  Poor girl was wore out and so was her dad so I'm guessing he had a little nap in there too.  Today she was able to wear her new pink Converse shoes and she was so proud.  She wore her tank top, striped shorts and pink shoes proudly.  Off she went to gma's early as we prepared for our realtor to do a walk through with other realtors.  Anita arrived and showed Aunt Brenda her shoes right away.  Brenda asked if she wanted to take them off and Anita said "no way."  When gma came home from the store she also asked Anita if she wanted to take them off and she heard, "no way."  Anita kept them on until her and gma layed down for a nap and gma showed her painted toe nails to Anita and that was quite interesting so she was willing to remove the shoes for a nap.  After her nap she went out to the mall with gma and gpa.  They said she had a great time playing with the kids, climbing in and out of the boat and also sliding down the slide on her belly.  I can't wait until I can take Anita to the playground during the week.  She is conquering so many new tasks and I hate to miss them.  We are so lucky that gma and gpa enjoying taking her out and keeping her busy.  They had fun a few weeks ago at the Dorothy Pecaut Center and I can't wait to take her back there to check it all out again this summer.  Jim is off for a few days so he picked up Anita and after her throwing a fit and getting her home she still didn't want to part with the shoes.  We have got a drama queen/fashionista/music player/dancer and ball player wrapped up in one.  We're glad to see her enjoying herself and looking forward to swimming tomorrow night.  Next week begins parade season and the Tulip Festival so we are looking forward to a busy summer.  Tonight, Anita said "book."  It was drawn out to emphasize the k on the end.  Sounded like booooo ka.  perfect

Mothers Day

It's been a busy week where Jim started his new overnight hours and we are all adjusting.  Me and Anita were home in the evenings by ourselves and she has been a little fussy and growing.  She needs new shoes already and I had packed away her new pair thinking she wouldn't need them for awhile.  I packed them so good that I looked all week and couldn't find them until tonight.  While Jim needed his sleep this weekend, Anita and I stayed busy spending time with Gma, Gpa, Brenda and Kristina.  They had a yard sale yesterday and Kristina and Anita helped out by drawing with chalk on the ground and also helping the "customers."  We then played in the backyard and enjoyed a beautiful day playing in the sunshine.  We also went to a street of yard sales and enjoyed seeing all the busy people.  Anita refused to nap and finally fell asleep while she attempted to eat her dinner.  She slept 13 hours and woke up happy and ready for today.  This morning we were at gma's bright and early and Anita enjoyed a good long hug from gma.  She ate breakfast with gpa and then Kristina gave her a bath so it was the start of a great day.  Anita and I took gma out to put flowers out from Gma Kaufman and it was extremely windy.  I'm glad Anita feels relaxed at the cemetery and she enjoyed looking around at the flowers, windmills and markers.  We went home to have lunch with everyone and Gma Cline came over too.  Then Jim surprised us that he was awake and came over too.  We all had fun playing in the backyard and watching the girls run all over.  Anita is busy with her rocks and putting them into the birdbath.  She also loves playing in the sandbox and trying to sit in the dump truck.  Some things don't change for Anita.  She is also talking so much more we can't believe it.  She finally said YES this week and had cheers from all of us.  She also said blanket, ice cream, and up.  I can't keep track of what all she is saying but she is rambling on all the time.  Tonight she was watching Gabba while Jim fell asleep beside her and she would yell every time something came on and wake him up.  Then she was trying to do the dance moves with them and working hard to get it all right.  After waking Jim up about 10 times he gave up b/c she was talking non stop throughout the whole show and we just laughed about it.  She is enjoying life and the increased dose of allergy medicine and adenoid removal has made a huge difference in her ability to be outside.  Enjoyed a great Mothers Day and looking forward to many more. 

babysitting Fabian

Fabian eating pudding



Anita the cheeseball



Maddie, Anita's oldest sister, she is 11

This last Sunday we had an open house but we also watched baby Fabian for several hours.  The rest of their family came into town for shopping and going to Chuck E Cheese so we watched the baby.  Anita enjoys playing with his car seat but she didn't enjoy sharing attention.  At one point they were both sitting on my lapping pouting and crying.  Another time he was crying and Anita stood over him playing her harmonica trying to help out.  Anita also had fun playing with Maddie and laughed really hard while she chased her around to play.  In Anita's picture she likes to say cheese when I am trying to get her picture and then she immediately wants to see what the picture looks like.  I have to get quicker and quicker with that.

drum set and painting

Anita loves to fill up the crib w/balls and toss them out to me

I of course, toss them back

helping touch up paint, she wants a bigger room

not understanding exactly where the paint goes

got a drum, and it came with a harmonica

look at that amazing skill

Easter pictures

Good Friday and Saturday pictures

In Hull, also in a sugar coma

indoor egg hunt

Anita using her manners and sharing candy with Fabian

Javier says that he is a cowboy

the scraping and painting begins, wearing orange is optional

Anita ready and willing to help out.  Enjoyed yelling out the windows at Pa

Anita and I went to Hull to visit on Good Friday afternoon.  We had fun with the kids and enjoyed an Easter egg hunt inside.  Anita had spent the morning with gma/gpa/brenda and kristina having fun at the mall.  They played on the playground and had lunch at Chik Fil A while I worked until noon.

pictures from first couple weeks of april

Anita's fashion statement, loves dad's hat

working in the yard with dad when it was a little warmer

bought a suit, thought it would stay warm

at Fabian's baby shower with Lucy

JoJo 7, Anita 1, Lucy 4, Fabian 6 months, Lula 8 and Javier 4

nobody is happy here, fabian wanted her bracelet

Cousin Pattie did a practice makeup session

ready for her close up and pictures for dance

yes it did snow in the middle of april

anita is very coordinated and standing on a frog stool to look at her frog vaporizer

house is clean and ready for someone to buy it

I really love Anita's room

in a dress Aunt Sue bought her before I washed it and now it's too tight