Grandpa and Oma

The best part of our time in Ca. was being able to spend time with dad, mom and Marie! The kids always enjoy their time on the farm and go home talking about Oma, Grandpa and Auntie Ri and the fun that they had! One tradition that they talk about are the yummy homemade waffles that Grandpa makes on Saturday mornings and, riding his motorcycle. And, they love gathering the chicken eggs with Oma or visiting the talking "Mr Tree".

Grandma Great

Saturday afternoon Casey and I took the kids to visit Great Grandma Haveman; after grandpa passed away she moved into an assisted living facility in Ripon.. she is now closer to family. She was able to meet Kristiana for the first time... Kristiana was all smiles for her! The older kids drew her pictures and gave her an Easter basket.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday morning the kids got to do their egg hunt around the house and side lawn. The weather was warm and sunny... perfect for being outside and searching for those colorful eggs!




The kids with their Grandpa, Oma, Auntie Ri and Easter baskets full of eggs!

Dying Eggs

On Friday evening, after going to Micke's Grove and visiting Casey's long-time friend Will and his family, the kids dyed their Easter eggs.....

Spring Break 2012 California

The kids are on spring break this week... we let them begin a little early and took them out of school last Thurs/Fri for a long weekend trip to California! The kids traveled exceptionally well and we made it to Ripon in record time (6hr 15mins) It was SO good to see dad and mom, and Marie (she flew in from Boise on Friday) It's always nice to visit the farm this time of year as everything is green and there are still a few fruit trees in bloom. Being there for Easter made our time there even more special!

On Friday, Casey and I took the kids to Micke's Grove near Sacramento. The kids enjoyed riding the kiddie rides at Fun Town and, the zoo was pretty cool too. Casey grew up going to Micke's Grove so it was neat that we are getting to take our kids there now too! The weather was warm and sunny the whole weekend (with an occasional light jacket needed) I was pretty tired of our cold Nevada wind and totally soaked up the sun!!
Our little monkeys in front of the zoo monkeys :)


Riding rides at Fun Town

Kristiana 9 months

Kristiana turned 9 months old today!! Over the weekend she began crawling forward at a faster pace... she now gets herself stuck among the table room chairs, under coffee tables and in between toys and the wall. She loves her new found freedom and spends her days happily exploring and playing with whatever she can get her hands on. The kids and I spend our days making sure the house is baby proof! ha ha

Kristiana now weighs 21 lbs and is wearing size 18 month clothes. She's definitely a big baby! We often hear comments about how she's going to be a basketball star someday (or, a professional linebacker... hmmmmm...) I'm just thankful she's healthy! She still has a love for food and is eating 2-3 meals of baby food a day; along with nursing. Thankfully, eating so much during the day is helping her sleep so much better at night. Generally, she is sleeping from 8p-7a and will wake up just once.

Kristiana has a very happy, easy going personality. She is always smiling! She loves each one of her siblings but, has a special bond with Tys. All he has to do is talk to her or, act goofy, and she'll start belly laughing! Her favorite sibling to snuggle with is Katie; Katie is also very good about "babysitting" her little sister while I cook dinner. And with Tys and Katie in school, Trenton and Kristiana spend the most time together... playing with toys on the floor etc. They're going to be great playmates someday!

Kristiana is going through the "clingy" stage these days. She begins to panic and cry whenever someone other than myself or Casey holds her... I recently left her with a friend/babysitter for 2 hours and Kristiana cried the whole time! I felt bad for both my friend and baby! Yesterday Dena watched her for an hour and she did somewhat ok. She was fussy but was able to keep entertained being in the Johnny Jump Up.

Kristiana's new love is the cat! Now that she can crawl I often find her at the cat... who is sleeping peacefully on the floor. She likes to check out Blackie's fur; I usually have to save the kitty from little-chubby-fur-pulling-fingers!

Well, here we are at the beginning of another week! Last week seemed to just fly by as Casey worked many long days and, the kids and I kept busy with school and the everyday happenings at the house. Our spring time weather has included everything from sunshine and warmth to wind, snow, clouds and cold!

Kristiana has found a new cupboard that holds all sorts of fun things to entertain her :)