4 HUBERS

Week 9? Maybe? 3/1/2011

2011-03-03T21:20:00.000-05:00

I've been slacking a bit on my 52 weeks of pictures projects. Well...I wouldn't call it slacking exactly. More like it hasn't even been on my radar until I see my friend post her adorable weekly pictures. And then *POOF* just like that! It's out of my head again. I was so proud of myself for remember this particular morning. Too bad the girls wouldn't look at the camera at the same time! This was on our way out the door on Tuesday. Natalie was on her way to preschool and Ava was on her way to her 18 month check up.

Which went well, by the way. Except for the fact that she had a bad reaction to her Hep B shot. Doh. Never a dull moment! She's doing ok now and it was nothing super serious, but we were a little worried. Her leg got very swollen and at one point had a fever over 103 (which she's never had) and wouldn't even walk. You could tell her leg REALLY hurt where she had her shot, so by the 2nd day of her refusing to walk, we called her doctor and he confirmed the reaction. Lots of benadryl later, she's a new kid and doing just fine. (And sleeping nicely too! HA!) She is 33 inches tall (90% for height!!) and 24lbs - she was 24lbs 5oz at her last appointment so she has lost weight (probably from her cast situation...) and that bumped her from the 75% to 50% for weight. Tall and skinny!

Natalie is starting a colors unit at preschool this month. She informed Jeff and I that leprauchans can be found at the end of rainbows and they have a pot of gold, but they won't share. Sounds about right! It is so much fun to hear her learning about these things. Then she mentioned to me that maybe we should beat the leprauchan up to get the pot of gold...which is PROBABLY the way to do it. But I'm not exactly where she got that idea from and we had to have a little discussion about not beating people up. Natalie has also decided that she'd like a Pinkalicious birthday party this year. It was originally princesses and then strawberry shortcake, so we'll see if this sticks!

What's not to love? Especially about the outfit.

2011-02-21T14:09:00.000-05:00

She picked the entire thing out. All by herself.

Coloring!

2011-02-21T12:40:00.000-05:00

How a load (or 5) of laundry almost gave me a heart attack.

2011-02-15T19:18:00.000-05:00

Last week, I was home one day with both girls because they were sick with strep throat. You wouldn't know it from the following pictures. While they were having "quiet time" I thought it might be a good time to catch up on my never ending pile of laundry. Why on earth I thought this, I have no idea. Folding the laundry with these 2 around has never really been successful, as you can see below.

Within minutes of setting the basket down, chaos ensued. They (yes, Ava too!) ripped the clothes out of the basket and Ava climbed right in. Excellent. Just the kind of activity the doctor ordered for a child who just got out of a body cast for a broken femur.

Ava soon lost interest in the laundry and moved on to the toy room. Natalie, on the other hand, thought it would be a fantastic idea to flip the laundry basket upside down and use it to jump into the pile of laundry. Hmmm...lemme think about that. Ummm, no. No. No. Natalie, I said no. (And I roared my terrible roars and gnashed my terrible teeth. She didn't like that very much). And she stopped jumping into the laundry pile.

I'm standing next to the laundry basket and about 30 seconds later I hear this giggling and turn to find THIS:
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OF COURSE this isn't the exact position I found her in. I got a firm grasp on her before I yelled out to Jeff that he should most DEFINITELY get the camera for this one. OH. EM. GEE. This child is going to send me to an early grave. Oh she was so proud of herself! And man, she was quick - and stealthy! And poised to JUMP! Monkey see, monkey do, right?

Just look at the look of satisfaction on that lil' stinkers face!! She knows exactly what she did!! "Hey Mom, whaddya expect? I gotta make up for lost time!"

And she's not kidding.

In addition to her laundry basket climbing escapades that day, I can also share with you her dishwasher climbing escapades as well. Luckily I was right next to the camera to take pictures and Jeff was right next to Ava...to save her. I swear if there weren't dishes already in there, she would have climbed RIGHT inside.

You CAN eat goldfish with a fork.

2011-02-14T21:15:00.000-05:00

The other day, Ava thought she could eat her Goldfish crackers with a fork. I tried and tried to explain to her that it just wasn't going to work.

She thought it was pretty funny. "Whatever Mommy!!"

"I'll show you!"

She tried so hard!!

And she proved me wrong. You really CAN eat Goldfish with a fork. The things I learn from an 18 month old.

A work of Art.

2011-02-14T09:47:00.000-05:00

Natalie recently drew this for her teacher, but hasn't given it to her yet. Call me a mean Mommy, but I hope she changes her mind and let's me keep it! It is by far my most favorite picture she has drawn! It is just so pretty and I can't believe she is only 3 and a half years old! If she lets me keep it, it is DEFINITELY going to be framed and hung in the playroom or my sewing room.

No More Cast!

2011-02-10T12:15:00.000-05:00

A much more interesting and detailed post to follow shortly, I promise! But for now, a quick picture!

Aunt Katie came to visit!

2011-01-18T20:09:00.001-05:00

YAY!!!!! When Ava fell and broke her leg, I felt such a wave of relief when I heard from my sister that she would be flying up the following Friday and staying until Monday. She was so helpful, gave Jeff and I a break (when Jeff would let her - HA!), went shopping with me, played with the girls, hung out with my friends, and helped out with Ava. Words cannot express how grateful and thankful I am that she was able to come and help us. We all miss her a lot. (My Mom also came this weekend and helped a lot too!! And we miss her a lot too!!!! We can't wait until she comes back when Ava gets her cast off!)

Week 3: 52 Weeks of Pictures

2011-01-18T20:02:00.001-05:00

1/17/2011
Just before I was going out for neighbor night. Clearly Natalie and Ava were SUPER interested in having their picture taken :)

Week 2 - 52 weeks of pictures

2011-01-16T11:20:00.002-05:00

Here's week 2. 1/11/11

It was the first full day at the babysitter for both girls and the first full day of work for me since Ava's injury. Clearly, we were all tired. And not everyone was feeling cooperative.

Week 1 - 52 weeks of Pictures

2011-01-16T11:16:00.002-05:00

My friend Staci shared this idea with me. Wouldn't it be cool to take a picture with your kids every single week for a year? And it doesn't have to be a perfect picture - just a picture. With your kids. What a great idea! I love it!

Here is week 1. I think it's a perfect representation of where we were at the first week of 2011. We were adjusting to Ava's injury. I was exhausted and not showered. Natalie was being very goofy. Ava had finally gotten her appetite back and was eating nonstop.

Love her.

2011-01-15T10:09:00.000-05:00

3 more weeks.

2011-01-14T15:26:00.002-05:00

That is how much longer Ava will have to be in her cast. I'm bummed. But the good news is that her leg is healing well and 3 more weeks in the cast ensures that her leg will be 100% by the time it comes off. We went to the orthopedic clinic today for xrays and her appointment and the doctor was very pleased with how well her leg was healing.

Ava has been doing well this week. She had a great week at the babysitter. She's also learned how to crawl forward!! She's still been having difficulty sleeping at night, but we're working on that.

Aunt Katie comes to visit later this afternoon - yay!! And Nana is coming again tomorrow. Double yay!! I had to share a picture of Ava NOT smiling. Everyone thinks she's smiley all the time. And yes, she does smile a lot. But she has her share of tantrums and cranky periods too!!!

Oh!!! And a little disclaimer...Ava is NOT going to be a big sister. At least, not any time soon. She is just wearing Natalie's Tshirts while she's in the cast. :)

Why won't she just SLEEP?!

2011-01-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

These kiddos of ours. They just don't realize how freaking good they have it. They can take a nap WHENEVER THEY WANT!!! They can go to bed as early as they want. They can sleep in as late as they want. But for some reason, Ava just does not want to sleep.

She has always been a tough sleeper since she was about 8 weeks old. She didn't sleep through the night until she was about 7 months old. And even then there were nights with multiple wakings. And she just fights her naps - or takes just 45 minute naps. A stark difference from Natalie who took 2 solid naps a day (2 hours!! EACH!) and slept 12 hours straight at night. And slept through the night by the time she was 12 weeks old. Even now, at 3 and a half years old she STILL takes up to 3 hour naps! (Although not as frequently as she used to!)

Since Ava's accident and her stay in the hospital, she has been less than interested in sleeping. I thought naps were a struggle before...HA! And that easy baby that always went to bed...right at bedtime? GONE. As I type this, Ava is going on 1 1/2 hours of crying/yelling since she went to bed. But she was TIRED! Rubbing her eyes and yawning, TIRED! All I can think of is that she just doesn't expend enough energy with this cast on. Last night she cried for an hour before going to sleep. The night before she was up, screaming from midnight-3am. This kid REALLY doesn't want a younger sibling someday!!

In good news...she has been great at the babysitter so far! YAY!

On the bri

Some good news today :)

2011-01-10T15:31:00.000-05:00

Not related to Ava, but the Natalie-monster.

We went to visit Dr. John today because just after Christmas, Natalie had to be rechecked for her VUR. They do that through a renal ultrasound and super fun (**insert sarcasm here**) test called a VCUG.

The good news is that her VUR has decreased from a Level 2 in both ureters to a Level 1 in only 1 ureter! YAY! That means she will most likely outgrow it. She will have to have another VCUG in 18 months, but we'll deal with that when we get there.

Ava had a good morning! She also had an appointment with Dr John just so he could take a look at her. I really appreciate that he wanted to see her and talk to us for himself. He's so involved in the girls' healthcare and you can tell he cares so much about his patients! Some doctors just don't care and would just take the report from the hospital and move on.

I think Ava was really excited to get out of the house. She barely even cried when she was dropped off at the sitter, which is GREAT! She's been having separation anxiety for the past month or so. I hope she enjoys being with the other kids. Natalie had a really tough time at drop off - she didn't want me to go to work AT ALL. Just breaks my heart into a million and ten pieces!!! The poor thing has had me home for 3 weeks - what a tease, right? Maybe I'll be home more, someday. :)

Here's hoping that the day went well at the sitter and that Ava sleeps better than she did last night! She decided to scream last night from midnight until 3am. Maybe longer. I think 3am is the last time I remember opening my eyes. Until Natalie came in our room at 4:45am announcing to us that she threw up. We have yet to detect any signs of throw up in her room, or ours. She climbed into bed with us and went back to bed. 8pm bedtime for me tonight!

Tomorrow will be 1 week...

2011-01-09T09:47:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe that tomorrow will be 1 week since Ava got her cast on. One week ago today is when she fell. Still having a hard time believing that this is really our life right now!! It feels so surreal.

First of all, I need to thank all of the special people in our lives that have helped us. My Mom came on Thursday morning and has been a godsend. I was really getting into a funk and she has helped me come out of it. And she makes it look so easy to take care of all of us!! And I'm so happy she is coming back next weekend, along with my sister. I'm really looking forward to that!

I'd also like to thank Jeff's Mom and Dad, Gary and Sue. They helped take care of Natalie while we were in the hospital and helped us out a ton when we got home from the hospital. Uncle Steve and Aunt Sara sent us a yummy welcome home gift too!!

A big thank you to our wonderful friends and neighbors. Wow, I feel really lucky to have all of them in our lives. Michelle and Enza brought us a super yummy dinner, Jessica made us a fantastic chicken noodle soup, Jen brought us chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits, Carolin and Boris sent us an edible arrangement while we were in the hospital, and Maansi hosted a girls night on Thursday to help get my mind off of everything. On top of that, Michelle and Maansi also took care of Natalie for us when we took Ava to the ER - THANK YOU!! Everyone has offered to take Natalie ANYTIME we need it. And another HUGE thank you to Michelle, she has helped us out with getting Natalie to and from preschool, brought us MORE food (chicken pot pie!), has had Natalie over to play, AND came up with the idea to use her backpack to cart Ava around in. THANK YOU!!!!

I'd also like to thank my friends Jenessa, Dana, and Sheila for the care packages they've sent to us - filled with lots of special treats for Ava and Natalie!! And thank you to everyone for all of the kind words, messages, and prayers to get us through this. We are humbled by the kindness, support, and generosity everyone has shown us.

Ava is doing pretty well considering most of her body is in a cast!! We are all finally adjusting to our new "normal." It has been tough...and I think the next few weeks will still continue to be tough. I just hope it goes by FAST! Ava has been in pretty decent spirits, however her fuse is SHORT! She gets frustrated easily - can't blame her! As long as we keep her busy, she's good. Yesterday my Mom and Jeff took her outside in the backpack and went snowshoeing. She LOVED it. We're going to try to get her out for a walk as often as we can. We also bought a bean bag chair (who even knew they still made those?!) for her to sit in and she really seems to like that. She is also starting to get mobile. She's trying to figure out how to crawl, she's getting good at going backwards and sideways and she's great at rolling over.

She is SOOOOO heavy with her cast. Makes it hard for me to carry her around for any length of time. Diaper changes are getting less challenging, but her cast is starting to get a little stinky. :( Oh and her cast is rubbing on her hip really badly and it looks like she's getting some bad chaffing. We go visit our pediatrician tomrorow, so I am hoping he'll have some suggestions for us. If not, we go to see the orthopedic clinic on Friday.

Enjoying her new chair. Oh and did I mention we bought her a bazillion new toys too??

Getting ready for her walk!

More pictures...day 6

2011-01-08T21:56:00.001-05:00

Nice hair.

Ugh, Mom, enough with the pictures!!

Daddy has had enough of the pictures too.

Day 5 in a cast.

2011-01-08T21:52:00.002-05:00

A new ride.

Watching The Lion King. Well, Natalie was.

Yet another mode of transportation!!!

Enough pictures!!

Ava, Day 3 with the cast

2011-01-08T21:42:00.001-05:00

This is how I roll.

Cheesy smile! Enjoying fruit from Aunt Sara and Uncle Steve

Big sister trying to entertain Ava!

Cheesy face again - happy for french fries!

Chillin'

2011-01-05T12:54:00.000-05:00

Ava is home!

2011-01-05T12:34:00.001-05:00

Picture of Ava in the hospital

2011-01-05T12:33:00.000-05:00

Ava in the hospital. Bad picture, taken with camera phone!

Our first hospital admission...

2011-01-04T23:10:00.000-05:00

Oh boy. Ava is going to be the death of me.

On Sunday 1/2, we were at a birthday party at a kids gym. Ava was walking on a trampoline and slipped and fell. The way she fell, it was like she did a split, but sideways. You know, the way you are NOT supposed to do one. I knew she was probably hurt, but I was thinking worst case would be a dislocated hip or something. We headed for the MAC (Mercy Ambulatory Center) Center first because the weather wasn't good and it was close. Plus, we knew the wait would be minimal, especially since they would probably do xrays.

We got there, signed in, got xrays and found out that my darling little baby BROKE HER FREAKING FEMUR!! You know, the thigh bone. The one that is REALLY hard to break. Yup, she broke it. So, we were transferred to Children's Hospital. I rode in the ambulance with Ava. That was weird. Because she was a baby, I sat on the gurney and she sat in my lap. We get to Children's and talk to the ER doctor. Yup, leg is broken and it isn't a good break. It isn't a BAD break, but it isn't good either. It is a spiral fracture and it was displaced. It could have been worse though (and I keep reminding myself of that!). I didn't care for the orthopedic resident that came to look at her - he was very "eh, you'll deal with it" and that's not really what I needed! I needed a HUG dammit! Not, "you'll figure it out." He told us that she needed a full body cast that would go from her chest, all the way down her broken leg and then halfway down her other leg. Um, what? And that she'd need said cast for 6-8 weeks. Not cool. They loaded Ava up with some morphine and vercet and set her leg and put it in traction. She did really awesome - not even a peep! Oh and most people who got that much medicine would fall asleep, right? Not my kid! She was WIDE awake until 1am!

Anyways, after her leg was put in traction, we were sent up to her room. She settled down and started to sleep and Jeff ran home to get stuff for us since we were going to be there for awhile. I hadn't laid down (on the super awesome - insert sarcasm here - pull out couch!) for more than 5 minutes when Ava started crying. She had started having muscle spasms which is very common with a break like this. They give Valium to stop them - only the Valium didn't touch it. And neither did the morphine. Oh my poor baby! Needless to say, it was a ROUGH night. She was having spasms every few minutes and would cry, then fall asleep, have a spasm again. They had her maxed out on each type of medication and it was barely working. They slowed down around 6am and we were able to sleep for an hour or so. Then all the hustle and bustle of the hospital begins, so we didn't sleep much after that.

We had an INCREDIBLE daytime nurse. I just LOVED her. Upbeat, full of personality, wonderful with Ava, and so empathetic toward us. We had no idea what time they would get us into surgery to put Ava's cast on. Oh yea, forgot to mention that. She had to be put under anesthesia to get her cast on. We were so thankful when around 10am we got the call that there was an opening in the OR and it was time to get her cast on. I seriously cried and hugged our nurse. I was so relieved. Once she got her cast on, the spasms would be so much better. Surgery went great, she did great with the anesthesia. Oh and awesome news - she only needs the cast for 4-5 weeks. And they only had to put the cast on the 1 leg. WHEW! She then slept for a LOOOONG time after. Jeff and I took the opportunity to snooze on and off during that time as well. Once she woke up, she was crabby but mostly because she was HUNGRY. And so done with the hospital. BUT she had to stay another night. It was for the best, I know that. It was just sad. Jeff and I decided that I would go home to spend the night with Natalie - she needed one of us to be home with her. And honestly, I was just NOT strong enough to be with Ava by myself. I was having such a hard time holding it together (still am!). My father-in-law came and picked me up at the hospital and took me home. It was GOOD to be home. REALLY good. I didn't realize how done I was with the hospital too! It felt good to shower and spend some time with Natalie.

In the morning I woke up with a migraine. Of course. Because you know when it rains, it pours. I was trying to fight through it (and wouldn't you know I left my imitrex at the hospital!!) but Jeff told me I needed to get better for when he came home with Ava and to take care of myself. And he was right. So I got Natalie to the neighbors (thanks Michelle!!!) to go to school and play and then I laid down. Jeff and Ava were home by noon and everyone at the hospital was very helpful. Luckily Ava fit in her carseat! They got home around lunchtime. Oh boy, Ava is SO happy to be home. She's a little crabby (I can't blame her!) but overall she is doing well. We lay her on the floor or in her wagon. Eating is interesting...and messy. But that's ok! She has slept well so far and is taking Tylenol with Codeine for pain. It seems to work nicely and hopefully she'll only need it a few days.

Natalie is very concerned about Ava, but is handling it well. My Mom is coming to help us out soon, as is my sister and I'm thankful for that. We have had lots of help from Jeff's parents and our neighbors and I can't even begin to express my gratitude. We've made some really wonderful friends in our new neighborhood. Jeff is incredible. He has been my rock throughout all of this. I'm having a hard time - typical Momma! I'm just scared of the cast, worried about hurting her, moving her, keeping her happy. I just need a few days and some practice and I'm sure I'll be doing better then. I'll be off of work for at least a week and after that I'll evaluate day by day. Any friends and family in the area that are reading this, feel free to visit! Ava is bored, so new faces make her happy! And it's nice to have an extra set of hands and some company.

Ava will go to the Ortho Clinic next Friday for new xrays to see how things are healing. We'll have a better idea then of how she's healing and when the cast will be off. Thanks for reading and I will be sure to keep everyone posted.

Merry Christmas from the Hubers!

2010-12-24T11:56:00.000-05:00

Support a great cause AND shop for Pampered Chef!!

2010-09-16T12:39:00.000-04:00

I'm having an online Pampered Chef show! 10% of the sales will go to benefit the Waner Children's Vascular Anomoly Foundation. http://www.pamperedchef.biz/katiegalvin Just type my name in as the host (Kristine Huber) and you're set to go!

The Waner Children's Foundation is a great cause and has been a great help and support to my friend while her daughter has gone through treatment for a hemangioma birthmark. For more information check out http://wanervascularanomaly.org/

Please consider helping me out with this very important cause! Thank you!

Almost there!!

2010-09-14T20:23:00.000-04:00

Our Lil Stinker

2010-09-14T20:07:00.000-04:00

1st day of preschool!!

2010-09-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Today was my baby's 1st day of preschool!! ACK! How did she get to be so grown up? She had a great first day (well, according to her!). She was a little overwhelmed at first - so many people! It was hard for me because you hug them goodbye and then she's whisked away into the classroom. I wish that I could have walked with her to her cubby and hung her backpack up or something. But I guess I need to get used to her doing that stuff without me, right?

Natalie's teacher, Mrs Peggy, is so sweet! She kneeled at the entrance of the classroom and gave each little kiddo a great big hug and told them how happy she was to see them. Natalie absolutely loved her, and the other teacher, Mrs Lori. From what I can gather...she hung up her backpack in her cubby, there was another Natalie in the class, there were also 2 Dylans (she got a kick out of that since her buddy at the babysitter is Dylan!), and Mrs Peggy played the guitar during circle time. They played with some playdough, ate cupcakes and goldfish crackers for snack time (interesting combo...), played with some toys, and cleaned up. And apparently she didn't talk to any boys - LOL!!!!!! She said she just wanted to talk to girls. Too funny!!

She was totally zonked when we picked her up. We took her out for lunch at Friendly's but I'm thinking we should have skipped that because she was EXHAUSTED and in a really goofy mood. AKA - driving Jeff and I BONKERS!!

All in all, it was a great day!

My Little Model

2010-08-31T15:09:00.000-04:00

Ava had her picture taken back in July for commercial photographer Rhea Anna. Look at this beautiful picture! I will certainly treasure this!

http://www.rheaanna.com/

Natalie's 1st Bills Game!!!

2010-08-30T14:33:00.001-04:00

Goooooo BILLS!

Ava's 1st Birthday Luau!

2010-08-23T12:10:00.001-04:00

Daddy has no control over the kids.

2010-08-19T10:08:00.000-04:00

Eden Corn Fest

2010-08-08T17:17:00.002-04:00

Hopefully this slide show works!1

Ava's Revenge

2010-08-08T12:30:00.000-04:00

Ground Breaking!

2010-08-03T22:03:00.000-04:00

Ava's Balloon

2010-08-02T18:11:00.000-04:00

We got this balloon when we went to eat at Applebees. From the second she woke up the next morning, she would not let go of the balloon. Not even to eat breakfast.

Look at the death grip she's got on the ribbon! I couldn't get it away from her!

HOLD THE PHONE!

2010-07-25T19:27:00.000-04:00

My children are playing together. NICELY. This is a monumental occassion.

I know I shouldn't encourage her...

2010-07-25T18:47:00.001-04:00

But she was just so stinking CUTE while pushing on the screen.

Mom, are you freaking KIDDING?

2010-07-25T18:45:00.001-04:00

Well, that's what it looks like she's thinking!! Sorry Ava!

YAY! Ava pooped on the potty! Well...not really. Not in the "potty training" sense. But she did poop in the potty! She's been gracing us (Jeff) with a bowel movement during bath on a pretty regular basis lately. So we decided it was time to see if she'd at least get it in the potty.

When Natalie was this age, she was doing the same thing. So, we tried sitting her on the potty and it worked! Within a few weeks she was consistently pooping on the potty either before or after the bath. I know people thought we were crazy (I know our pediatrician did!!) but I really think it helped with REAL potty training when Natalie was a little older.

Oh Ava...

2010-07-23T22:09:00.002-04:00

You are going to be the death of me! This child is into EVERY.THING. And she thinks it is hilarious. She scoots up the stairs the second your head is turned - looks over her shoulder with a devilish grin, cracks up, and scurries up the stairs as fast as she can. She finds anything and everything that is on the floor and instantly puts it in her mouth. She is going to be my handful. Silly me!! I thought it would be my 3 year old!

Just look at her expression. You can tell she's up to no good!

Getting into the garbage can. Greaaaaat.

I wish I had gotten a better picture of this. I was unloading the dishwasher. I set her in front of this toy bin MAYBE 1 minute prior to me finding her like this. Of course I HAD to take a picture before I rescued her. LOL!!!!!! I cannot believe she actually climbed into the toy bin...and then got stuck.

She was none too happy when I pulled her out of the toy bin, so she decided to start chucking her toys all over the place. And this all happened before lunch. I'm tired.

Pro Pics sneak peak!

2010-07-23T09:13:00.002-04:00

I won a contest through a local baby photographer, SH portraits and we had the girls pictures taken right before the 4th of July. They turned out so beautiful! Here is our sneak peak from SH Portraits Facebook page.

Picture 1
Picture 2
Picture 3
Picture 4

Wordless Wednesday...

2010-07-21T19:25:00.000-04:00

I needed this.

2010-07-20T09:23:00.004-04:00

After a craptastic day...my sweet husband thought he'd make breakfast for dinner. Super French Toast topped with Whip Cream.

Only...you need CREAM to make whipped cream. Jeff thought he'd try to make it out of whole milk.

FAIL.

Ava wasn't impressed.

And Natalie was very concerned that Daddy was messing up her dinner. Such a little helper. Sort of.

Posing for Pictures

2010-07-19T16:01:00.002-04:00

Aunt Katie figured out how to get Natalie to pose for pictures. Funny faces FIRST.

Then smiles!!!

Hubers go to the zoo!

2010-07-16T21:03:00.008-04:00

Here are some pictures from our trip to the zoo today! Natalie had a great time and Ava did too! We saw all kinds of animals and Daddy had so much fun he had to take a nap when we got home!

Woodstream Estates - Here we come!!!

2010-05-24T15:47:00.002-04:00

The Huber family is excited to announce that we are moving!!! We are building a home in the Hamburg, NY area. We're hoping to break ground by August and be in the house before Thanksgiving. Keep your fingers crossed! These are some pictures of the new neighborhood, the model home (which is the one we're building), and the lot we picked out. More to come soon as things progress!

Turkey Day

2009-12-02T15:16:00.005-05:00

How do I get a piece of that...

Wheeeeee!!!

2009-12-02T15:14:00.001-05:00

Wazzzzzzzzzuuuuup?????

2009-12-02T15:11:00.002-05:00

Happy Holidays!!!

2009-12-01T12:09:00.003-05:00

I haven't updated in awhile - hoping to get better at that soon!! The girls keep me so busy!! But I wouldn't want it any other way. Ava is a joy and Natalie just adores her little sister.

Goofball!!!

2009-10-29T17:45:00.002-04:00

Talking Ava

2009-10-29T17:28:00.002-04:00

Love

2009-09-08T16:39:00.004-04:00

Welcome Ava Kathryn!!

2009-08-28T12:39:00.002-04:00

Born Tuesday, August 25th at 11:43am via c-section
She was 8lbs 15oz, 20 1/4 inches long

We're so in love!!

Here are some pictures from the hospital photographer!
http://our365.com/NewbornPortraits/BabyDetail.aspx?birthid=9b7d7657-ae80-45ff-b1af-14820f961994

38 weeks 5 days

2009-08-22T11:39:00.004-04:00

Almost done!!! We're about as ready as we're ever going to be I think. The basement is almost finished. Just a few finishing touches left. Natalie LOVES her new play area.

I'm so excited to meet this baby - for the past few weeks I've definitely felt like we're missing a member of our family. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't anxious about all the changes we have coming our way. I hope Natalie handles everything ok - it breaks my heart a little to think of the HUGE transition she'll be going through soon. I'm going to miss her SO much while I'm in the hospital too. Due to concerns about the Swine Flu - no visitors under 14 allowed...including siblings. So that will definitely be hard. We're trying to explain things to her, but I'm not sure how much of it is clicking.

As of my doctor's appointment on Tuesday I was already 4cm dilated. WOW! So, any day now!

Natalie's weekend with Nana and Poppy!

2009-08-22T11:30:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was a big weekend for all of us. Jeff was in a wedding and we were very busy so Nana came and took Natalie for the weekend! Natalie even went to her first wedding - our cousin Anna was also getting married. It was hard for us to be away from Natalie for 2 nights, but she didn't miss us at all!! She had a blast at Nana and Poppy's house!

Natalie with Poppy, Kevin, and Aunt Katie

Natalie seems to enjoy weddings!! Or maybe she just likes coloring with Aunt Katie and Kevin...

Swimming in Nana's BIG pool all by herself!!! First time using swimmies. What a BIG girl she is!

We have our first F-bomb. Oops.

2009-07-16T08:25:00.003-04:00

Sorry Mom, but I have to post about this. Even though I know its bad she said it...it was pretty funny.

We were eating dinner and Natalie asked for more milk. She just had 2 sippys of milk so Jeff was asking her if she wanted juice or water (which anyone who knows Natalie knows she's NOT going to take juice or water...especially when she wants MILK!).

She says...

"No. bleeping milk. bleeping milk. milk milk bleeping milk."

OMG!!!!!!! I'm hoping her using the word in the accurate context is merely coincidental. I almost died! But I had to leave the room because I was laughing so hard. She hasn't said it again, so I'm hoping she has no clue what she said. Or maybe we misheard her (wishful thinking, right?).

Regardless...we're all going to have to be more careful from now on.

Oops.

Professional Maternity Pictures!!!

2009-07-15T11:54:00.010-04:00

Professional Pictures!!

2009-07-15T11:47:00.005-04:00

I need to do some serious updating of this blog! I'll start with our professional pictures taken by our good friend Angela. www.angelaocchino.com

Love Lucas Creations Giveaway!!!

2009-07-02T09:25:00.003-04:00

Check out this blog. She is hosting a giveaway for a free initial Tee from Love Lucas Creations. A friend of mine is the owner of Love Lucas Creations and her Tees are FANTASTIC. I am a huge huge huge fan and highly recommend checking out her website. www.lovelucascreations.com

If you go to this blog you can earn 6 chances to win a free Tee!! Good luck!

http://smalltownfamous.blogspot.com/2009/07/love-lucas-creations-giveaway.html

Happy Birthday to YOU Natalie June!

2009-05-12T19:02:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Natalie!

2009-05-12T18:43:00.002-04:00

23 week picture - whoa.

2009-05-03T20:42:00.000-04:00

Natalie's big girl room!

2009-05-03T20:39:00.003-04:00

Had our big UltraSound!!!!!!!

2009-04-08T09:53:00.003-04:00

Baby is healthy and perfect!! In fact, the tech said that it was a text book perfect ultrasound! YAY!

And...It's a...

...SURPRISE!!!! Ok, no not really. We know what the baby is and we're not keeping it a secret. I just don't want to ruin the surprise for anyone who doesn't want to know until the baby is born. So, if you want to know the sex of baby #2, email me and I'll let you know!!! We're very excited and happy!!!

Big Girl Bed

2009-04-08T09:51:00.002-04:00

Well...last night Jeff decided it would be a good time to try Natalie out in her toddler bed. It started off well. She climbed right in (when did she grow up on me???) and went right to sleep. Unfortunately she woke up around 3:30am and wouldn't go back to sleep! She kept getting out of bed. I miss the crib already.

Funny thing though...
when I went in to check on Natalie when she woke up, I opened the door and she was standing RIGHT THERE!!!! ACK! It scared the bejeezus out of me! So much that I screamed and jumped! (and startled poor Natalie...) But then I couldn't stop laughing because it was too funny.

Natalie sings her ABC's...sorta.

2009-03-18T11:21:00.000-04:00

Natalie's first hair cut!!!!

2009-03-15T13:05:00.001-04:00

It went so well! She was an angel!!! She was a little nervous, but I figured she would be. Jeff didn't get any pictures of the finished product, but honestly it doesn't look all that different, just cleaner and a little bit shorter. They even put some layers in - and it is as curly as ever!! So we didn't lose those curls!

The stylist was really good with her and gave her a hair clip to play with. The ladies in the salon just loved her! I even hear one of the other stylists say to someone "Would you love for your kid to have a face like that?" Its so fun to hear comments like that!

Pleeeeease vote for our friends!!!!

2009-03-05T14:48:00.003-05:00

http://www.buffalobrides.com/ultimate-wedding/contest-entries?detail=1&id=71

This is a local contest in Buffalo that our friends Cory & Krystle have a shot at winning. If they win, they get a $30,000 wedding package! They are getting married in August and could really use the help, so if you could click on the link and vote, I know they would really appreciate it!!!

A Special Announcement

2009-02-26T14:43:00.002-05:00

BOO BOO BUNNY

2009-02-21T17:00:00.003-05:00

Ultimate Sledding with Daddy

2009-02-21T17:00:00.001-05:00

Natalie loves to dance!!

2009-02-21T16:57:00.001-05:00

Laser Pointer Fun

2009-02-21T16:52:00.001-05:00

I'm convinced I'm going to hell for this one.

Christmas: Take 2

2009-01-04T20:34:00.006-05:00

We traveled to Syracuse for Christmas. Natalie was a trooper and had a blast playing with Nana, Poppy, Aunt Katie, and Kevin. We went to church on Christmas Eve and she was such a good girl! I'm sure she entertained the people sitting behind us! After than we went to Aunt Phil's for her annual Christmas party. Natalie had lots of fun running around and helping Aunt Katie bar tend.

Natalie was so spoiled on Christmas day and got lots of fun gifts. I think her favorite was the laser pointer - which was actually meant for Otis the cat. We spent the day with the Persons crew and had a great time. The next day Kevin flew into town and we went and hung out with the Nellenback's and Great Grandma and Great Jaja. Natalie got all sorts of fun gifts there too!!

We had to leave on Saturday and Natalie wasn't too happy about that. We went to visit Uncle Steve and Aunt Sarah and had a great time. We've enjoyed our couple of weeks off and we're a little sad to get back in the swing of things. We enjoyed our time off as a family!!

Watching Cars for the millionth time!!

Welcome to the world, Reagan Eileen!!!!!!!!

2009-01-04T09:15:00.002-05:00

My dear dear friend Katie and her husband Mike welcomed their daughter Reagan Eileen into the world last night at 10:27pm. Reagan was 5lbs 8oz which is a great weight for being 6 weeks early! Looks like she wanted to meet everyone as badly as they wanted to meet her!!

Mom is doing well and Reagan is hanging out in the NICU because she was so early. Her lungs look good and they'll watch how she eats today and go from there. Please send good thoughts their way!!!

Lots of love to Reagan and family!!!!!!!! The Hubers are SO excited and can't wait to meet you!!

Christmas: Take 1

2009-01-03T21:10:00.003-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Huber family the weekend before Christmas. Uncle Steve and Aunt Sarah came into town and SPOILED Natalie! They got her a super duper cute table and chairs set!! YAY! Natalie also got lots of Little People toys from Grandma and Papa.

Playing in the snow!

2009-01-03T21:05:00.002-05:00

She was a little wired...

2009-01-03T20:38:00.003-05:00

Think she was a little wired on Thanksgiving? :-)

Cheers!

2009-01-03T20:37:00.002-05:00

Aunt Katie taught Natalie how to toast at Thanksgiving!

Our First Born

2008-12-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

I got this survey from my blogger buddy Jenny!!! How fun!

Survey about your First Born-

1. Were you married at the time? Yes, we had been married for almost 2 years when we found out I was pregnant.
2. What were your reactions? Excited and scared to death!
3. How old were you? 26
4. How did you find out you were pregnant? I had noticed some symptoms of pregnancy, but I waited until I missed my period. Event though I thought I was, I was still surprised when the test came back positive. I made Jeff come right home from work so I could tell him!!
5. Who did you tell first? Jeff
6. Did you want to find out the sex? Jeff didn't, I did. I won!
7. Did you deliver early or late? Natalie arrived a little earlier than we had anticipated! She was due on May 29th (Aunt Katie's bday!) and was born on May 7th.
8. Did you have morning sickness? Yes, more like all day sickness though. Yuck.
9. What did you crave? French Fries and Cool Ranch Doritos
10. Who irritated you the most? People who kept asking me if I was having twins.
11. What was your first child's sex? Girl
12. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? I stopped counting after I hit 35 pounds and was put on bedrest.
13. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not really...at our ultra sound they found an echogenic focus that luckily turned out to be nothing.
14. Where did you give birth? Mercy Hospital in South Buffalo
15. How many hours were you in labor? Honestly I'm not even sure. I went into labor a couple of times...by the time it was ok for me to be in labor I went into labor Friday evening and Natalie was born Monday morning.
16. Who drove you to the hospital? Jeff and my Mom
17. Who watched? Jeff, Mom, nurses, midwife
18. Was it natural or c-section? I don't like the term 'natural' - I don't think its fair. Just because someond has a C-section, it doesn't mean that their delivery was any less natural than someone who delivered vaginally. They just needed a little extra help! Anyways...I had a C-Section.
19. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Gotta love that epidural!
20. How much did your child weigh? 6 lbs 13 oz
21. Did your child have any complications? Nope, thank goodness!
22. What did you name him/her? Natalie June
23. How old is your first born today? 19 months! Where did my baby go???

Some more pictures from our trip to Maryland!

2008-11-26T18:49:00.003-05:00

Natalie sees the fishies!

Family Pic at the Inner Harbor

Kevin and Aunt Katie playing with Natalie

Can you find Natalie?

Natalie at the aquarium with Katie and Kevin!

Katie's Baby Shower!

2008-11-11T10:36:00.004-05:00

Katie with her Mom and Sister

Natalie and Danielle

Kate with Baby Harper!

Natalie and Nana

2008-11-11T10:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Bday Dylan!

2008-11-11T10:27:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from Dylan's 2nd bday party!

Here Dyl, have some of my pizza!

Being Silly!

Aunt Sarah!

Birthday's are FUN!

Ok, I'm POOPED!

Natalie goes to THE WIGGLES!!! (Thanks to NANA!)

2008-11-05T19:31:00.007-05:00

We had such a good time!!!!! We had GREAT seats!! I definitely recommend going if you can - so worth it. Just the reaction Natalie had was worth the money to go!! This might sound corny, but the Wiggles were SO sweet. They came into the audience (the new Wiggle was right next us!) and they took the time to say hi to so many kids. Then they took the time to read each and EVERY sign that kids made for them and then THANKED each kid for the sign! Seriously, I think I fell in love with them a little bit because they were just so sweet.

Jeff is so much tinier in person!!!!!! It was a little long for Natalie I think - she petered out after an hour or so. It was a little to long for her. I was getting a little stressed because we were right smack in the middle of our section and had NO escape if she went into meltdown mode. Luckily it didn't really happen. I brought food to keep her occupied I will definitely take her again (probably when she's 3 or 4 though!) if they come to town again. It was great!!!

Here is a pic...and a VIDEO!!! Soooo illegal for us to take the video but she was too cute!! We couldn't help it. Sorry its sideways - we can't figure out how to turn it and I am too impatient and wanted to share!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

2008-11-02T20:57:00.006-05:00

Here are some pictures from Natalie's first time Trick or Treating. She had a BLAST! Unfortunately she wouldn't say Trick or Treat OR Thank you. She DID however grab candy from people's bowls AFTER they had already given her some!!

New Hat!

2008-11-02T20:11:00.002-05:00

Just had to share this pictures of Natalie's new hat. LOVE IT!!!!!

Sickies

2008-10-27T19:38:00.001-04:00

Poor Natalie...she isn't feeling too good today. Hopefully she'll be better tomorrow. She has been a miniature snot factory today!!

All sorts of Natalie tricks!!

2008-10-26T21:42:00.002-04:00

We've got some singing, Trick or Treating, body part identification, and dancing!!

Natalie loves Baby Einstein!

2008-10-26T20:46:00.001-04:00

Halloween preview!

2008-10-26T20:11:00.004-04:00

Not sure how she feels about the costume. Sometimes she likes it, sometimes she doesn't. Keep your fingers crossed for Halloween!

Um, seriously Mom??????

Natalie's first PONYTAIL!!!!

2008-10-26T20:08:00.003-04:00

Pumpkins!!

2008-10-26T19:30:00.002-04:00

Our trip to the pumpkin patch was sort of a bust. We got some great pumpkins, but Natalie wouldn't stand still for a picture! It didn't help that we were bordering on nap time and she fell asleep in the car on the way there! Natalie was very helpful when we got home and arranged all the pumpkins on the front step!

A snooze on the way there!

I got one!

Dad, I like this one

Wait Mom! I'll help!

I got my pumpkins!

I'm going to set them up!

Oh the DRAMA!!

2008-10-26T19:24:00.002-04:00

I was able to sneak a picture of Natalie while she was in time out. Notice the hand to the face as she's "sobbing" - can we say Drama Queen??

Parade!

2008-10-26T19:20:00.004-04:00

Here are some pictures of Natalie at the Lake Shore High School Homecoming Parade. Its just a cute little parade that goes down Main St. Lucky for us Natalie's babysitter lives on Main St so we get a great view! And we get to have a cook out too! Maybe when Natalie gets a little older we'll go to the school for the big bonfire!

Natalie wasn't that into the parade this year, maybe next year!!

Silly Natalie video

2008-10-18T20:11:00.000-04:00

Trip to Baltimore!

2008-10-16T09:41:00.003-04:00

We went to Baltimore this past weekend - whew! What a whirlwind!!! Natalie did pretty well in the car, thank goodness for Baby Einstein!!!!

We arrived on Saturday in the late afternoon. We had dinner at Katie's bar - Pub Dog. On Sunday we met up with some of my Mommy friends Gina and Sue at Federal Hill Park. We had such a good time! After Natalie's afternoon nap (and a very disappointing Raven's loss - sorry Kevin) we went to dinner at Kevin's Mom and Dad's house. Wow - SUCH a beautiful home!! And Mr and Mrs Hebbel were SO nice and welcoming! Monday we went to breakfast as this place called Spoons and then we went to the Aquarium (thanks again to Kevin and free passes!!). Natalie enjoyed it, but pooped out at the end. She fell asleep in her stroller for the first time EVER. Jeff and Kevin took her home while Katie and I did a little shopping! Then Katie went to class and Kevin took us to...IKEA!!!! Soooooo much fun there! After IKEA we came home and Katie made us a yummy dinner.

Thanks for a great time Katie and Kevin!!!! P.S. Kate - send me the pictures you took so I can post them!

Mommy pals!

Hugs to new friends!

Aquarium

Readability Test

2008-10-10T10:09:00.002-04:00

I was hoping for genius level...but a writer I am not. Oh well. College grad is better than a 5th grader, right?

Movie Reviews

An issue I have with Sarah Palin

2008-10-03T10:26:00.000-04:00

I cannot stand how she speaks. And I'm not talking about her accent.

I want my President and VP to sound like they're educated - unlike what we've had for the past 8 years! I want my leaders to be articulate. Especially after 8 years worth of Bush-isms!!!

"I'll betcha" instead of "I'll bet you"
Ending her words with -in instead of -ing
"yeah" instead of "yes"
"ya" instead of "you"
"ain't" instead of "isn't"

Its one thing if you use improper english once in awhile, possibly even in casual conversation. But when you're doing formal interviews and a formal debate? I'm not impressed by that.

I heard a commentator on conservative talk radio this morning say that American's relate to her because she speaks on their level - the guy even said she "dumbs it down" for people. Wow, seriously? She's dumbing down what she says so the American people can relate to her? I find that offensive. And yes, I know SHE nor anyone in her camp said that and I'm not saying they did - I find the speculation alone rather offensive.

I've been trying not to comment on the debates too much because I know I'm not a fan of Palin and therefore know I'm biased. And I really like Biden. So of course I think he won the debate. I think she did well, far better than I expected. But I don't know if people will take what I think seriously or respect my opinion because I didn't support her before the debate and probably will be more critical toward her than her supporters or those who are still on the fence. But I really had to share this issue because it is driving me NUTS! (and I would feel this way with anyone, not just her).