Thursday, September 30, 2010

Where does Abby get her curls?

Any more questions?

Everyone asks us where Abby gets her curls.
I mean EVERYONE!
Strangers at the grocery store ask to touch them.
I have heard stories from strangers about their children and how they had curls as babies and lost them.
I have heard how Great Aunt Sue and 2nd Cousin Bobby have curls just like hers.
She has been asked by an almost blind lady at the post office if she would trade hair with her.  (I can't make stuff up this crazy.)
I've been told how the curls are cute now, "But, just wait until she gets older.  She will hate them".  Nice.

So, here is a summary of the FAQ regarding Abby's Curls:

Q: Are those curls real?
A:  No, we used a hot iron on a two year old.  Of course they are real.

Q:  How do you get her to sit still long enough to comb her hair?
A:  She likes Curious George, so we turn on a show for her.  God Bless TV!

Q:  Where does she get her curls?
A:  Her mother, of course.  Take a look at Aunt Loretta or cousin Hannah.  My mother had tight curls, too.  Most of my mom's siblings have very tight curls, if grown out, they become an afro.  Most of the Meyer cousins have curls, not wavy hair, but full blown ringlets.  And as you can see from above, I had more curls when I was younger than I do today.  (However, the answer may deviate depending on which family is asking..hehe). 

Q:  Is there any product in her hair?
A:  No.  (Hairspray in your eyes stings.  If you know of a product that is kid friendly and doesn't cost a fortune, let me know.)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a related note...
I chose this picture of me in my green overalls, 
because it is one of my Grandma Cernech's favorite photo's of me.  
Or so I have been told.
She suffered a small stroke a few weeks ago.
She is trying her best to get back on her feet again.
Of course, all of us are worried about her.
So, if I may be so bold to ask...
Please include her in your prayers.
Her name is Dorothy.
Thank you.




Wednesday, September 29, 2010

George's first Tailgate!

Last weekend we took the short trip south to Ann Arbor.
Home of the Big House,
and the 
University of Michigan 
Wolverines
Big Ten
Football National Champions of past!!  
(Hail! to the victors valiant.  Hail!  to the conqu'ring heroes!....)

We were invited to a tailgate/Surprise 40th Birthday party for our good friend Dean!
He loves UM just like we love the Lions.
He has a UM room in his house.
He painted his basement Maize.
And he has had season tickets to the Big House for longer than I have been alive.
So, a birthday celebration at a tailgate was PERFECT for him.

Here's Abby and George wishing him a Happy Birthday.


It was pretty cold this past weekend, 
so we broke out the winter coats, hats and gloves!

George had a great time.
He loves being outside.
He was being very social.

He was hanging out with Dean's Cousin Jerry for a while.
And then Jerry put him down to walk.
However, George doesn't really walk yet.
So, he fell down and cried.
Since he is our second child, we hurried up and took a picture before we comforted him.

Then George was all worn out and he fell asleep.
We all wish we could do this at a tailgate.
But, only some of us are so lucky.
Seriously, doesn't taking a nap outside on a fall day after drinking a few beers sound glorious?

Well, hopefully this is the first of many tailgate's the Ascencio Family attends.
We hope to host our own each Sunday in Downtown Detroit when the kids are a little older.
We are already looking forward to it!
We like Big House Football,
but we LOVE LIONS FOOTBALL!
Goooooo LLLIIIIOOOOONNNNSSSS!

Monday, September 27, 2010

George has taken his first steps!

Abby took her first steps just a few days before her 1st Birthday.
George has her beat (not that we are competing..heheh).

George took his first unassisted steps today!
He is 10 months and 2 weeks old.

Take a look at our sweetie!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Our Daredevil and Future Chef

George can't walk...
 BUT HE CAN CLIMB!!!

He was climbing up one or two steps of the ladder.
Now he makes it to the top and doesn't know what to do.
His motor skills are increasing exponentially.

Looks like the slide will have to go away for a while.
We can't leave him alone for a second.
Good thing I work at home in case Tommy has to use the bathroom sometime during the day.
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Abby is fixing lunch.
We are having Pizza,
with Green Peppers.
nYum nYum.
Abby likes to help in the kitchen.
Could she be a chef one day?  
Ta-Da!!!

Now I get to go eat it!
Bye Bye.
Hope you have a nice lunch, too.

Monday, September 20, 2010

Fun at the park - before it's too cold.

Grandpa leaves tomorrow. 
He spent Sunday with Loretta in Kalamazoo, and she brought him back to Brighton today. 
So, this evening when I was finished with work and the kids were finished with their naps,
we walked to the park. 
Soon it will be too cold to play outside.

I climbed up into one of the play structures with George and looked back at the MillPond. 
I love downtown Brighton. 
I walked with Abby in the stroller over the boardwalk and it put her to sleep. 
Now, I walk it with both kids and we feed the ducks.
I wanted to take a picture to share with you.

In the picture above, it appears that Grandpa is taking a picture of nothing. 
In reality, Abby is so quick up and down the slide she ran right past him before he could react. 

This is the first time George has enjoyed the swing! 
He used to just get wide-eyed, look at me scared and shake. 
But, Tommy has the magic touch. 
He got him laughing and kicking and for some reason it was very unnerving for me to watch. 
But, I LOVE this picture. 
So, I guess my anxiety was for nothing.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

George's New Teeth

George has a few new teeth!

He has for a few weeks now, but we haven't had a good picture to share.

Until now!


Isn't he hansome?
His smile reminds me of Michael Strahan..hehe!
He actually is working on his 5th and 6th teeth already.
One is already through on the bottom
and one is almost through.

I finally took George to the doctor's on Friday.

Tommy and I debated all week, and he was so cranky on Friday I said

'Enough is Enough'!

Glad I did because he has an ear infection.

He is feeling much better after a few doses of antibiotics.


Friday, September 17, 2010

Grandpa is in town!

It's easy to forget he had four kids running around not to long ago.

Looks like he's still got it.

We love having him here.

Wished he didn't have to leave.

We hope he brings Grandma next time.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Genetics 101: According to Darlene

1 Strong-Willed Dad + 1 Strong-Willed Mom = 
A Real Good Chance for a Strong-Willed Goose!

Abby is 2.
If we as parents can't convey that there is a hierarchy in our relationship with our children, the future is bleak for all of us.  I don't want to constantly fight with my children, but I also need them to be well-behaved.  I am coming to realize more and more everyday that there is no formula to have well-behaved children.  You have to figure it out as you go because each child is different.

The jury is still out on rather George will be strong-willed like the rest of us.  
I can't decide which I prefer :)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We had the infamous parent/child argument last night.
It went something like this...

Mom:  "Abby, you can get down from the table as soon as you eat
1 Green Bean and
1 Carrot."

Abby:  "NO".

Mom:  "Well, you need to eat 1 Green Bean and 1 Carrot before you get down.  If you get down without eating 1 Green Bean and 1 Carrot, you are spending the rest of the evening in your room."

Abby:  "NO".

~Now repeat the last few lines at least 150 times~

Eventually, she went to her room and was hysterical, 
the entire time I was giving George a bath in the next room.
I couldn't very well leave George in the bath and go calm her down, 
and Tommy is stronger than I am at letting her cry it out.  
So, she was crying in her room for a while.

When I did get a chance to talk to her, she gave in and wanted to go back to the table and eat her
1 Green Bean and 1 Carrot!!!

Score 1 for Mom and Dad!
Woohoo!

And then she had her bath.
And aftewards.... she wanted more carrots!
This is why we call her 'Silly Goose'!!!

Abby Dabby Doo - We Love You.  
Always have!  Always will!!

Oh yeah, after this episode, it was bedtime.  
And the entire strong-willed side of Abby came out again.
(This is an unfortunate common occurrence lately.)
But, last night she and her brother were both in their beds asleep by 10PM.  
I felt quite acccomplished when I looked at the clock and realized that! 
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
~George Update~
He seems to be feeling better.  
He has been sleeping and acting better.  
Lots of smiles.
And I think I saw his 5th tooth coming through.
So here's hoping that he is over  his cold and that it didn't settle somewhere else... 
like his ears.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Star For The Day!

Today at PreSchool,
Abby is Star for the Day!



That means she gets to bring some of her favorite books 
and a game 
and sit in the special chair up front.

She seems to be enjoying herself, you think?

She brought a Curious George book.
And one titled 'Silly Little Goose'!  (Thanks Grandma!)

Thank goodness Daddy sneaks in to snap a picture or two so we can get a glimpse into her day at PreSchool.

Tommy says that once she is there, she doesn't even know he exists.
He finds her to say good-bye, not the other way around.
Perfect!
She is growing up so fast.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
~On another note~

George is sleeping better, but he is still fighting a runny nose.
I think he may be getting a few teeth, too.
When it rains it pours.
Maybe he will feel better tomorrow.


This picture of George reminds me of Grandpa.  
Grandpa and George both only have bottom teeth 
and they are sticking up in an otherwise 
gummy smile.

Monday, September 13, 2010

Insomnia

I read this today...
 
Insomnia:
A contagious disease often transmitted from babies to parents

It was followed with a quote from the bible...
"There is a time for everything..."

 George has a cold.
His nose is running and he doesn't want to sleep.
I can't blame him.
But when the baby doesn't sleep, neither do the parents.

I tried putting him in his carseat to sleep.
That only lasted about 30 minutes at a time.
I tried to hold him in the recliner, but I'm too afraid I will drop him when I fall asleep.
Then he developed a fever.
I didn't need the thermometer to tell me he had a fever, he was burning up.
So, out came the tylenol and then he finally slept.
That was around 4:30 this morning.

So, even though I barely slept last night (or the two previous nights) I feel alright.
I will trust in the lord to show me when "There is a time to sleep"
and until then I know he never gives me anything I can't handle.

~I just wish I wanted to handle everything he gives me~
Oh well, that's a discussion for another day.


Feel better Georgie!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

First Day of PreSchool

I can't believe it's happened already.  
We have a child in the house going to school!!

She is so excited.
I can't wait to hear about her first day.


She loves Monkeys!
Perfect backpack for her :)
 
~Update~
The first day of PreSchool was a success!
She used the potty TWICE!

 

 Her jeans were too big. 
They have the adjustable waist feature, but I didn't know how to use it.
(I know, I know, I have an engineering degree.)
And, for the record, the jeans weren't too big a week or so ago.
Ask Grandma Ascencio, she was here when we tried them on.
I actually thought they might be too small.
I guess she has grown and thinned out since then.
Oh well, Aunt Monica has many things she can teach me, this is one of them :)


Abby can't wait for PreSchool next week.
And, I think George enjoyed getting Daddy all to himself.

Monday, September 6, 2010

All Boy!


While Abby and Mom went shopping yesterday, the boys hung out at home.
Uncle Shane even came over for a while.
(We were bummed we missed Uncle Shane...Come back! Come back!)

While we were away, George found a new toy to chew on.  See?


The problem is... he ripped it off a bigger toy!!! 
It is supposed to be attached to the green palm on top of the elephants head!


Maybe it is a good thing that our girl arrived first.
She seems to be gentler with the toys.

Our Fashion Model

We all have probably modeled new clothes for our mom & dad. 
But we grew up in the 35mm film era and our modeling probably wasn't captured on film. 
If it was, it was probably shared with Grandma and that's it. 
But, times have changed and all of our little models can have photo shoots.  
And they can be shared with the world :)

Here is Abby's first one since I started this blog. 
I doubt it will be her last one. 

Abby and I went shopping yesterday.
I saw this winter hat while we were standing in line at Osh Kosh B'gosh.
I tried it on her and she liked it right away.
I then saw three other mother's around me grab the same hat to purchase.
I guess I wasn't the only one who thought she looked cute :)

She picked out her glasses at the GAP.
She was wearing them before we bought them and
people stopped to ask me where we found them.

She is our little model.

Now I can't wait for it to get cold so we can get out the winter coat that matches the hat :)

Friday, September 3, 2010

Labor Day Weekend! Yay!

Even though I am working today, it feels like our weekend started last night.  
The kiddos and I made a trip to Meijer to grab some groceries, and some Princess Bubble Bath, and Tommy stayed home and cleaned the house (to my surprise!).  
~Where did I get such wisdom at 20 years old when I started dating him???~  

Now that George is out of his infant carseat, you might wonder... 
How do I go to the grocery store with 2 small kids??

Yup... 
I'm that person in the grocery store with the super duper long cart who talks to her kids the entire time I'm shopping.  

Deal with it!  

If you have any suggestions on how to do it differently, I'm listening. 

And the great thing about Meijer, is that they have a 'Penny Pony'.  
So, if Abby is a good girl the entire time, she gets to hold a penny while we check out and ride the Pony on our way out to the car!


She was actually very very excited.  
She was just a little scared once the pony started to move.  
This was only her second time on the pony.  
Before that she was too scared to even sit on him.

Anyway, we have our Fantasy Football Draft tonight.  
We are planning on ordering pizza. 
I gave in to the easy route.

And then tomorrow we have a picnic/park/feed the ducks/ice cream trip planned with the cousins.  
There's a cold front coming through, we might need long pants and jackets.  
Maybe, I don't know.  
And of course watching the opening day of College Football!

And then on Sunday... the girls are going shopping while the boys are hanging out at home :)  
I'm looking forward to this the most.  
I like getting out of the house, and Abby is to the age where she can go with me and have fun, too!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

George is Cruising

And climbing.
And he is very proud of himself :)
He has been very mobile recently,
however it wasn't until today that I
noticed him 'cruising' along the couch.  

For you non-baby people out there...
Cruising means walking while holding onto something.

Anyway, I wonder how much longer I will
have to wait until he takes his first 'unassisted' steps?
Any guesses?

I'm guessing by Aunt Karen's Birthday - Oct 1st.

Abby's Angel Jammies

Abby wore her new jammies for the first time last night. 

(Sorry for the blurry pictures, 
but if you are going to read this blog 
you might want to get used to it. 
I have a shaky  hand and a camera phone 
ready at a moments notice.)

 Yes, that is a waffle in her hand.  
A frozen cinnamon toast waffle to be exact.  
Still frozen.  
That is how she likes them.
What Angel is complete without a set of wings?
And a tutu?
And morning hair?

And an FYI... I didn't do anything on my list.  I went upstairs to get a cup of coffee and I was greeted by a 2 year old telling me her brother was awake.  So I did diapers and breakfast instead (while Dadda cleaned up cat puke, of course!).

My Life the Balancing Act

I am up.  And now I wonder what I should do...
  • Shower and risk waking the kids up?
  • Plan a meal for the Fantasy Football draft tomorrow, when people are coming over?  We can order pizza, but seriously, given the time I really do enjoy cooking for people.
  • Work.
  • Research info for the Cernech Family Vacation next summer?
  • Clean the kitchen I didn't get to last night because the kids had trouble going to bed and then it was so late I would have probably woke them up in the process?
  • Clean up the cat puke I noticed on the living room floor?
  • Run to the grocery store to get the stuff I couldn't get last night because it was raining and I had both kids with me?
  • Eat?
  • Give myself a pedicure?
The issue is... I need to do all of these things.   
My life consists of identifying tasks and prioritizing them.  
I guess that is no different than anyone else.  
I just struggle with it everyday and some other people make it look SO EASY!

Well, atleast I am having coffee as I think about it.  I'm going to go get another cup.  
Wishing us all a productive day!

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Meet Tommy aka Dadda


This is Tommy.
He is my partner in everything.

He loves me.
Even when I'm crazy.
And cranky.
And when I don't deserve it.

I love him, too.
Forever.

(Abby is saying 'Cheeeeeese' for the camera.  
Can't help but love her!)

Welcome to my blog!

Well, I've done it.  I have started a blog. 

I feel alot of pressure to make this first entry contain some profound content that will change the world, but if I wait to come up with something that meaningful, I may never post anything!

I started this blog for me.  It will be somewhere that I can type out my thoughts and then revisit them in the future.  This will be my journal.  Perfect for me because I type much better/faster than I write.  Who doesn't now-a-days?

So, Welcome to my blog.
I imagine you will learn things about me and my family, so I hope you enjoy :)


This is Abby

She is 2 and starts Pre-School next week. 

I can't believe it! 
She is going to love it. 

It won't be hard for Mom to let her go,
because she is very, very, very ready to go! 

Plus, it is only 2 half days a week :)



This is George.

He is 9 months old.

He loves his Mama.
His Mama loves him.

He is extremely fast when he crawls.
I often think...
Were all boys this sweet at one point?

George is very, very sweet.