Where's Waldo?

Where's Lukey? This is what happens when you have a big sister!

My Preschooler!

I can't even believe it... my baby is starting preschool!!! She is going to Messiah Lutheran Preschool which is an accredited preschool that has a fabulous reputation around here.  On Tuesday, we went to her Open House. She was able to meet her teachers and visit the classroom.  Matt and I were pretty nervous about how she would react to the whole situation since she hasn't ever been to daycare or away from us for any length of time.  She has talked about going to school all summer so we hope her excitement continues!!! She seemed a little nervous at first, asking multiple times if we were going to be with her. 

Her first day of school (alone) will be very interesting! Starting on September 6, she will go Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11.  Wish us luck!

Ready to head to Open House

Full of EXCITEMENT.....

Until she wiped out on the brick walkway!  LOTS OF TEARS and BANDAIDES!

Playing in her classroom

Didn't take long until she found the babies! Here she is having quite the conversation with her teacher, Mrs. Christy.

The twins are in her class too! I missed the perfect photo op... all 3 holding hands running down the hall to the playground!

The Eggly Truth

I took Mya to the allergist today for her yearly allergy test.  I was crossing my fingers that her egg and peanut allergy would magically disappear! Unfortunately, the tests came back as positive to both! :-(  The good news is 90% of kids outgrow egg allergies.  "They" use to say most outgrew the allergy by 5 years old.  However, "they" are now saying by the teen years.  We will hope for earlier rather than later.  Although we have grown accustomed to reading labels and asking EVERY poor waiter or waitress a zillion questions, it would be so so nice to be free of the egg allergy.  It seems to be more of a hassle than the peanut allergy.  As for the peanut allergy, most kids do not outgrow this allergy.  However, our allergist said that there are high hopes for a treatment of this allergy in the next 5-10 years.  So for now, we wait!

Mya was SO brave at the doctor's office! She didn't shed one single tear!  But, the poor thing swelled up immediately and itched like crazy! I scratched "around" her welts and it seemed to help! I told her we could go to Target to pick out a new baby since she was so brave.  Her response, "I don't need to go there. I already have babies."  Practical kid.  So, instead she chose a baby crib and baby potty! Hmmmm.... maybe her baby doll will encourage her to use the potty soon!!!

The Scratch Test-
1. Shellfish: No reaction
2. Walnut: No reaction
3. Egg: Reaction
4. Peanut: Reaction
5. Control
6. Antihistamine: Reaction

Trip to the Lake

Matt and I decided to take the kids to the lake for a week!  We had a looooong roadtrip ahead of us. Knowing my daughter very well... I decided I needed lots of things to keep her busy! Otherwise, we would be answering her constant questions and demands!  A week or so before we left I started looking for good deals on things that Mya could play with in the car.  I wrapped them up and planned on giving her a gift an hour (or when she was gettting antsy!) It kept her entertained and excited! 

  

We overlapped with my Sister's family over the weekend.  It was so fun to be there with them and watch the kids play!  Mya is rarely seen or heard when her cousins are around!

Hula hooping at Dock Knockers!

Auntie with Luke- He didn't really mind his life jacket too much! Notice the humidity in the air! It was SO hot the first day we were there!

The Kuehl kids with Luke the Duke!

On Monday, my Bestie flew into Springfield, Mo and drove 2 hours to the lake just to spend a few days with us! It was SO great to see her and spend time with her!  It was a little different than when we use to go as "bachelorettes" but we still had a great time!!!

Mya and Auntie Sarah watching the storm clouds roll in!



Being WT! Nothing like taking out the garbage in your diaper and shoes!

Mya giving her brother some lovin'



Daddy is finally able to relax! 



The Wiegman Family

Daddy and Mya feeding the ENORMOUS Carp!

Luke the Duke, my happy boy!

Daddy learning to drive the boat!

The new boat..... "OutREYgeous" named after my momma!

Mya getting ready to jump off the board..... NOT! She chickened out!

But, she did get in!!!

Project time! Shaving cream kept Mya busy for a long time!!!

Messy Girl!

Luke the Duke

Luke the Duke is how big sister Mya introduces her brother to those that ask his name.  They usually look at me funny wanting an explanation.  I explain that is what his Daddy and big sister call him.

I like to call him Tank.... he's huge!  We don't visit the dr. again until next month, but I can guarantee that he continues to be off the charts!  It's hard to believe he is already 3 months old.  He is wearing (snuggly) 3-6 month clothes!  He continues to be a FANTASTIC sleeper!!!! He naps every 1.5-2 hours with very little persuasion...often falling asleep before we even make it up the stairs to his crib!  He goes to bed around 8pm and sleeps until about 6:30. I have no complaints!  Unlike his stubborn sister, this big guy doesn't care if he has the bottle or the real thing... as long as he can eat!  He prefers breastmilk but will settle for formula if necessary!

Luke is the most easy-going, smiley baby! He really only cries when he is hungry, dirty diaper, or sleepy! He smiles ALL OF THE TIME! I love it!

Luke is super strong! He is able to completely hold his head high (he is a Duke for goodness sakes!) and can sit with a bit of help.  He can even put his weight on his legs and "stand" with some help! He isn't a big fan of tummy time but we still try to do it daily! He's started sitting in his exer-saucer and is quite entertained by all the sounds and colors!  His bouncy seat is still his favorite place to hang... he sits back, relaxes, and watches the craziness all around him!

Oh, how we've missed our little twinkies- Brookey and Addison!!! We are so lucky that they bought a new house in Lake Zurich AND they will be starting preschool together in September!  I offered to watch the girls for a bit so their Momma could pick out some paints for the new house!  As usual, the girls had a great time together!

The Kids



I can't EVER get all 3 to look at the camera and smile! This is the best it gets!



Being silly!

Pals!

Then, we played dress-up! They loved this!

Pocahontas! (with her dress backwards)

Greeting their Momma at the stairs! They were so excited to show her their outfits!

Who's the man behind the mask??? 

Pure Michigan. Pure Fun.

This weekend we vacationed in St. Joseph, Michigan with the entire Veneris clan (about 25 people!).  I was more than worried about staying with the two kids in a 2 room hotel room!  But... I must admit they did fantastic!! Mya was on cloud 9 the ENTIRE weekend! She had a full tank of energy the entire weekend, but finally hit empty on the carride home!

We got to Michigan Friday afternoon.   We unpacked and headed out to dinner with the entire group!  The kids did surprisingly well considering it was a loooooong sit-down dinner.  Bedtime Friday evening was pretty easy with neither kid fighting the process!  Matt and I even got to enjoy a few cocktails while Grandma Diane stayed in the room with 2 sleeping babies! 

Saturday, Mya woke up bright and early!  She had slept in the bedroom with 2 double beds.  Mya was in one while Daddy was in the other.  Matt told me she was up between 3-4am (which is extremely rare for her) and kept sitting up and staring at him.  When I asked her why she said, "There was a dog in the room!"  Hmmmm.... perhaps a snoring dog (AKA Daddy!).  Luke and I slept in the living room.  He did great... sticking to his 9-6 sleep schedule!  After getting dressed and eating breakfast, we headed to the beach!  Mya was a little timid at first but ended up loving it!  From there we headed to lunch, ice cream, some fun on the carousel, pizza at Joy's house, sliding on an awesome slide, and then finally.... back to the room for some much needed rest!!!!

Overall, it was a great weekend with a great family!

I have so much admiration for the closeness of Matt's family!  Thanks for the memories! 

Our family dressed up and ready for dinner (we had a little grouch on our hands after 2 days of no nap!)

Luke... ready to hit the beach!

Daddy and Mya heading for the water

Luke and Jameson couldn't take all the fun!

Mya LOVED the waterslide at Cousin Joy's house! We didn't have her suit so she wore Quentin's undies!

I couldn't resist! She looked a little trashy with her undies as a swimsuit...
so why not add a beer to REALLY make her look white trash!?!?! 

After a long day, Luke was ready for night night!

And so was Mya!