Laney's First Dentist Appointment

Laney had her first dentist appointment this week and did great! We weren't sure what the dentist would actually do. We were told he would just count her teeth and get her comfortable with everything. She did so well, they ended up cleaning her teeth and flossing. She only got a few flossed...by that point, she was bored with it!

Checking out the bubblegum toothpaste

Such a big girl getting her teeth cleaned

It's flossing time now

She loved her new tooth brush we both got! AND, she got a prize for being so good. I explained to her that it wouldn't be candy! She didn't care...a cheap toy works just as well!

Dr Stuckwisch said she did excellent! She didn't have any stains on her teeth. He said to limit the fruit juice and fruit snacks (which we already do!). He did say she had a cross bite, but we are all hoping that corrects itself as she looses her baby teeth. A crossbite is when the front teeth have grown back behind the bottom teeth. This explains why she is grinding her teeth and sticking her bottom jaw out all the time. He said there wasn't anything we can do at this point but live with it until she gets older.

Good job Laney!

Fun Days With Miss Laney

Before Max was born, I had a plan that while on maternity leave, I would schedule a few special days where it was just me and Laney. I knew that having a new baby around would take up a lot of my time, which would then mean less attention for Laney. Let's face it, Laney is used to getting a lot of attention at the drop of a hat! And we love giving it to her! There were a few things I had in mind to do that I knew she would enjoy. Things that involved her best bud, Charlo and Tiff. These things were going to not only be fun, but there wouldn't be ANY babies around to take away the attention these two kiddos need!

Our first little fieldtrip was the the fire station to see Pappy! Laney loves going to see him there, but Charlo had never been. I knew he would enjoy going to see the big fire trucks, hearing the sirens, and seeing the flashing lights. Boy, was I right...they both loved it! After our fun afternoon there, we treated the kids to Dairy Queen! Nothing beats spending the afternoon with my little girl and sharing a DQ Blizzard with her!

Pappy explaining the fire truck to Charlo and Laney

Laney said she wants to work at the fire station!

Laney and Charlo sharing the driving seat

These two firekids will protect us!
(you might need to look carefully to see their little hats in the window!)

Our next adventure was to the Kids Commons in Columbus. For those of you who have kids around our area, you must take them here. I will admit, Laney and Charlo were probably a little young for it, but they still had a blast. I would say it is more geared towards 4 and older. But our little ones still had a good time.

It's hard to tell in this picture, but there is a huge bubble surrounding us. Laney looks terrified!

Playing in the bubble room and showing them how to make big bubbles

Tiffany and Charlo on the toilet slide! It's a huge toilet that is a tube slide inside. When the person is far enough down the slide, you hear a flushing noise so you know it's safe to head down. It was so cool!

Laney and Mommy sittin on the toilet!

Laney and Charlie were playing with the balls and the pipes. They loved it when the air would suck the balls up out of their hands!

Tiffany and Laney were going down to the lower floor.

Laney thought these were so fun

They really enjoyed the teeter totter

2 points!

What a fun morning they had!

Today is my first day back to work from my maternity leave. I only took 5 weeks off (was supposed to be 4, but I went a week early with Max), but have enjoyed all 5 weeks home with my kids. I really do admire those stay-at-home moms out there. It's really a tough job. As much as I've loved being with Laney and Max, I am looking forward to going back to work. I honestly feel that working makes me a better Mom. It gives me more patience with my kids and makes me treasure our times together even more. Although I am heading back to work today, don't feel too sorry for me! I'm only working a few hours this week and next week before hitting it hard with my normal schedule (only 3 days a week!). I'm sure I would feel completely different about going back to work if I had to work 40 hours a week. I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful job that I can control my schedule around my family.

Happy 30th Birthday Benji!

The card Benji got from his parents had this tune in it; Tim McGraw's song says it all....

I think I'll take a moment, celebrate my age
The ending of an era and the turning of a page

Now it's time to focus in on where I go from here

Lord have mercy on my next thirty years

Hey my next thirty years, I'm gonna have some fun

Try to forget about all the crazy things I've done

Maybe now I've conquered all my adolescent fears

And I'll do it better in my next thirty years

My next thirty years, I'm gonna settle all the scores

Cry a little less, laugh a little more

Find a world of happiness without the hate and fear

Figure out just what I'm doing here

In my next thirty years

Oh my next thirty years, I'm gonna watch my weight

Eat a few more salads and not stay up so late

Drink a little lemonade and not so many beers

Maybe I'll remember my next thirty years

My next thirty years will be the best years of my life

Raise a little family and hang out with my wife

Spend precious moments with the ones that I hold dear
Make up for lost time here, in my next thirty years

It's official...Benji is now 30 years old! I think he had a great weekend...celebrated the last couple days in his 20's and then celebrated his first day in his 30's! For those that have kids, you know how little time you get to yourself and can actually do what you want. I told Benj to do what he wanted this weekend.

On Friday night, after the kiddos were in bed, he went up to the K of C to have a few drinks with the guys. Saturday morning and afternoon was full of doing yardwork (I'm not sure if that was really what he wanted to do or if he just knew it needed to get done!) and in the evening, we had a cookout with family. It was so nice to just hang out and catch up with everyone. Too bad the weather wasn't a little nicer, but let's face it, it could have been worse! Sunday, he drank some beers on the golf course with a friend, then we had dinner at my Mom & Pat's.

He truley enjoyed his Bose SoundDock that I got him for his birthday. I really think it'll be something we use a lot, especially with the weather turning warmer!

Happy 30th Birthday, Benji! My mom made him a chocolate chip cheesecake...YUM!

The famous "Schultz" cake...their cakes are wonderful! He did a great job on his Michael Jackson cake! We can't wait until they open their cake shop (coming soon!).

Happy 30th Birthday Benji!

One Month Old

Max is one month old now! He had his 1 month check up at the Dr; here are his stats:

Weight: 9 lbs, 12 oz

Length: 22 inches

Dr Kleber was very impressed with how well Max was doing. He is still breastfeeding and eating every 3 hours during the day and usually every 3 1/2 to 4 hours at night. There have been a few nights where he's gone longer.

Laney is doing wonderful with Max. She loves when she hears him on the monitor after waking up. Her eyes light up and she says, "Max is awake!" She wants to hold him and loves giving him kisses. She is such a great big sister!

Happy Mother's Day!

What a wonderful day I had! I woke up this morning to Laney running in our bedroom saying, "Hi Mom! Hi Dad!" She climbed up in bed, leaned over and gave me 3 or 4 kisses...how I love those kisses! At church this morning, we not only celebrated Mother's Day, we had Max's child dedication. The bible verse that our minister chose to give Max was:

Isaiah 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.

We had a nice lunch with my family and then came home and everyone got to take a nap, except for Daddy. He was busy working on my mother's day gift. I will post pictures when it's complete! :) We visited with Nana (Benji's mom) and then had dinner with Grammy (my mom). Both kiddos were excellent today. I'm looking forward to have many more Mother's Days with my beautiful kids. I love them so much!