Andrew is 18 months!

On the 23rd of March, Andrew turned 18 months. I thought it would be fun to show Andrew one year ago at this time - I can't believe how much he's changed since then!

Here is Andrew today - he is clearly unhappy that mom is making him pose AGAIN -- one thing Andrew will eventually learn is that his mother comes from a long line of posers and picture takers. As painful as it is now, he will thank me later.

Well, 2 pictures later he lost it, but I'm grateful to have captured what I did.

Andrew is a joy to have in our home and we can't imagine life without him. He does, however, stress his mom and dad out when he doesn't eat or when his gag reflex gets the better of him (like it did at Sweet Tomatoes 3 weeks ago - so embarrassing and a terrible mess to clean up). He may look substantial, but he's actually quite light because he pretty much survives on baby formula, an occasional Cheerio or banana.

This week Andrew started occupational therapy to work on his eating issues and other developmental challenges. He also went in for another upper GI study 2 weeks ago to check if there's anything wrong inside that's causing him not to want to eat regular food. This upcoming week, Andrew will have an endoscopy so the doctor can take tissue samples and check for any additional abnormalities. On top of that, his other pediatrician thinks he might possibly exhibit signs for autism and wants him tested, but I really don't feel like that's the case. You know, there is something about a mother's intuition. Plus, anyone that knows Andrew knows that he really is a very active, social child.

Andrew, we hope that by the time you turn two you will have outgrown some of these eating issues so that you can grow bigger and enjoy life more. We're going to do all we can to get you to that point. Here are Andrew's stats for 18 months: 31 3/4 inches and 22 pounds. We love you to pieces, Andrew!

Outdoor Fun

We've been trying to spend a lot more time outside now that the weather is so beautiful and mild. I'm seriously not looking forward to the hot Dallas summer, so we're trying to enjoy the mild temperatures while we can. This picture above is of Laurel and Andrew in our garage -- isn't it sweet? They are the best of friends.


This picture was taken last week - it was Andrew's first experience on this little car we've had since we lived in Philadelphia. I remember when Laurel would drive this thing through our Philly apartment on the old wood floors. Poor, poor, poor downstairs neighbors!

Still trying to figure this new set of wheels out.

I think he likes it - hard to believe this boy is already 18 months.

Dallas Arboretum

I love, love, love Spring flowers! When we lived in Philadelphia, we regularly visited Longwood Gardens, a beautiful botanical garden about an hour outside of the city. I have missed those experiences of taking Laurel to see the beautiful floral displays throughout the year. This year, I decided to buy myself a pass to the Dallas Arboretum so that I can have those experiences again. Personally, I enjoy botanical gardens much more than the zoo :-) Besides, if you go to the arboretum on Mondays, they have a petting zoo, crafts for the kids, music, and face painting. Who needs the zoo, right?

Andrew was in heaven at the arboretum - wide open spaces with lots of grass and beautiful pathways for him to roam whereever he wished. It was very difficult to even catch a picture of him with my slow, outdated camera, but I did manage a couple.

Another mother graciously offered to take a picture of the three of us - I love the picture, but it would have been even better had Laurel opened her eyes. You can tell that Andrew is practically jumping out of my arms.

The colors were so beautiful -- Isn't it neat how Laurel's rain jacket matches the flowers? It was a very windy day, but we didn't let that stop us.

Here's another fun picture of Laurel looking at the flowers. She also enjoyed all of the playhouses spread throughout the park. All-in-all, it was a great day and we look forward to going again when the next batch of flowers bloom.

St. Patrick's Day

Grandma and Papa Chris sent a fun St. Patrick's Day package for the kids. The kids were thrilled to receive leprochaun hats, green clover glasses, green stickers, and some other fun toys. I love this picture of Anrew because it looks like he might be trying to tip his hat to say hello, but he's actually trying to rip the hat off of his head. I was just thankful to get this picture because the hat has never been back on his head since then.

My dad flew back to Salt Lake City on St. Patrick's Day. We were so sad to see him go! The kids loved him and I appreciated his help with the kids so I could wrap up my paper and get it done. I have more pictures of Papa Madrian's visit to Dallas that I'll post as soon as I'm able. Aside from having to drop Papa off at the airport, we had a good day. I took the kids to the mall to buy a couple of things and have lunch - it was so wonderful to walk through the mall without worrying if I should be home working on my paper. Freedom!

Visit with my cousin

Last week, we enjoyed a wonderful weekend together with my cousin (Katy) and her husband (Todd). It was a lot of fun to get to know her husband better and reconnect with her after many years. My dad recently told me that Katy reminds him of his Grandma Arlt. It was fun to imagine what my Great Grandma Arlt might have been like.

On the night they arrived, we went out for burgers and ice cream - not the healthiest of dinners, but it was good. Andrew, of course, refused to eat anything at dinner, but he did find his dad's cup of rootbeer rather exciting. I still can't believe how fast he is growing up.

After church, we made dinner together. It reminded me of the times we spent at my Grandma's house. I wish we lived a little closer so we could get together more often. Katy and Todd live in Little Rock, which is about 5 hours from Dallas. We're hoping that they can come for Thanksgiving.

Katy and Todd spent a lot of time with our kids, which I really appreciated. I don't have a picture of Todd because he was the man behind the camera - I'll have to look through my photos. Laurel had so much fun playing with Todd and Katy - she's looking forward to another visit already.

Still alive, just behind . . .

Well, much has transpired in our family over the past few months and I've neglected to record much of the happenings in our lives. I've been very busy writing my masters thesis for the past while and I'm happy to say that I turned it in last Thursday. It felt so great - I can't even explain how good it felt. I'll probably have multiple edits, but that should pale in comparison to the hours of reading and typing over a computer. I never thought I could write so much, but I did and I'm thrilled that it's over (at least the hard part).

While I was writing, Andrew learned to walk. The picture above is proof of that. He took his first steps on February 3 while we were in SLC.

I have many more pictures to share, but I chose these two for good reason. First, it is a big deal that Andrew is now walking. Second, this picture of me and Laurel is great because we are at a park, watching dogs, and just enjoying the beautiful weather. That is something I haven't been able to enjoy for awhile and I have to say that it is a great feeling. I hope I don't take free time for granted again - unfortunately, I'll probably forget, but at least I'll have this post to remind me.

Monopoly Money

It's been quite awhile since I've written anything on this blog - I'm not sure anyone even reads this thing anymore. Anyway, is it just me or is anyone else worried about all of the money our government is spending and printing to "stimulate" the economy? My sister sent me this video clip from Glenn Beck and I thought I'd post it here for anyone interested in seeing the fiscal direction our country is going. I don't care if you're a Republican or a Democrat, because they both have their problems - this should scare anyone, no matter what your political affiliation is. If you don't know what hyperinflation is, just ask my dad who lived through it in post-war Germany. He remembers taking a wagon full of Deutsch Marks to buy one small loaf of bread . . . it took thousands of Marks to buy bread because the inflation was so bad. Too much money had been printed by the government. Is this really what's best for our country? As Beck so aptly puts it, it truly is an "Inconvenient Debt."