Repede Family

Catching Up

2011-04-01T15:42:00.003-05:00

Will be updating the adventures of these two rockstars soon!

Our Little "Chef"

2010-12-22T16:00:00.004-06:00

Our dear sweet little Collin.

With all the research on the psychiatry of birth order, I wonder if there is research on the psychiatry of rainbow babies, the children that come after loss and fertility struggles. Collin is our miracle and at 2 1/2 years old he seems to be aware of it. He is a sweet, bright, snuggly boy, full of energy and admiration for his big brother, but he also has that occasional twinkle in his eye that says "I'm a little chef"

Boys will be Boys

2010-11-22T19:20:00.003-06:00

September 23, 2003-November 21, 2010

I believed the phrase "Boys will be Boys" meant

*newborn baby boys pee on the wall every time you take their diapers off

*toddler boys prefer Thomas trains to Cabbage Patch Dolls, but still enjoy a daily dose of Dora

*preschool boys eat, live and breathe Star Wars

*primary school boys love Harry Potter and Magic Treehouse books, but will tolerate Junie B. Jones

*boys of all ages love Legos

November 22, 2010

The phrase Boys will be Boys actually means boys will jump off a piece of furniture causing fractures in both tibias. The only evidence of this is a mysterious limp, and that after two weeks of medical appointments, xrays, blood tests and an MRI, will be diagnosed as toddler fractures probably caused by an attempt to jump off something.

After growing up in a house where the G:B ratio was 4:2, God decided that I should have Will first, an intro to boys, the pre-algebra of boys if you will, before giving us Collin. Boy. All boy. The algebra of boys.

He started limping on Tuesday, November 9th. He didn't seem to be in pain at all but he was definitely limping. Mike took him in the following day and he was diagnosed with a limb length discrepancy, but that just didn't sit right. One leg grew a centimeter overnight, without the other leg?

We are blessed to have a wonderful friend, Mark, who happens to be an orthopedic resident at the Mayo Clinic. By the following Wednesday we were on the phone with a resident on the service of the limb length specialist at Mayo, Dr. Stans. He was concerned about an infection in the hip so we brought Collin to the ER at St. Marys. They took some standing xrays, ruled out an infection and sent us home with orders to see Dr. Stans. Dr. Stan's resident, Dr. Abdel called the following evening to tell us they found a fracture on the xrays and to report to the cast room in the morning.

I laid awake that night trying to imagine life with a two-year-old in a full leg cast.

When we got to the cast room the next morning they took more xrays and could not find the location of the fracture. What they saw on the xray could be evidence of a variety of things, simple things like infection or arthritis and scary things like leukemia. They found this on the right leg. He's been limping on his left. They then sent us to the children's lab for bloodwork.

I left the cast room wishing I was leaving with a two-year-old in a full leg cast.

On Friday night we learned that the blood counts were normal, ruling out leukemia! There were two other levels outside the normal range indicating a range of problems, this time on the infection/arthritis end of things. We were to be scheduled for an MRI on Monday.

We reported to St. Marys at 6:30 on Monday morning. At 8:30 I held my baby while they put him to sleep and handed him over to the professionals. We would be hearing something within the hour and would be there when he woke up. At 11:30 we were finally reunited, numb to the possibilities awaiting us.

At 5:30pm Dr. Stans called. They found fractures on both legs, explaining the limp on the left and the xray results on the right. Toddler fractures are common, but somewhat unusual in both legs, probably the result of jumping off something.

The phrase Boys will be Boys means finding relief that it's just two broken legs.

You've Got a Friend in Me

2010-11-07T14:50:00.006-06:00

This year's Pixar Halloween theme was Toy Story!

Special thanks go to Grandma Sharpe for sending Buzz his space suit and to my godmother Joan Izzo for making the perfect cowboy shirt and vest!

We had a busy Halloween weekend!

Collin's school had a costume parade on Friday afternoon.
My friend Kate also signs her monthly paycheck over to Primrose. We don't teach together anymore so it was great to see her and her darling Fairies at the school's Halloween parade!

The Winters hosted us for pumpkin carving on Friday night and for a sleepover on Saturday night so we could party in up with locals at the annual neighborhood Halloween party.

Sunday night was trick or treating and Monday was detox day!

Apple Orchard Update

2010-10-24T19:48:00.005-05:00

Apparently the Repede Family Blog has two disgruntled readers who are not on Facebook and want to see updated pictures of the boys. I'm not really sure what happened to the month of August, and I give myself the six weeks between the start of school and MEA weekend to let just about everything go to heck (laundry, eating habits, exercise and the blog...) Well, here we are, the Sunday night of MEA weekend and it is time to get back on track!

Vegas Baby!

2010-07-17T19:31:00.003-05:00

4th (somewhat) Annual Mother's Day (or pretty close) Weekend in Las Vegas!

A highlight of our June trip to Phoenix was going to Las Vegas to meet up with my Aunt Linda and cousin Amy. For us, what happens in Vegas doesn't stay in Vegas. It either needs to be crammed in your suitcase or walked off when you get home! Our four days went something like this (not always in this order)

Eat. Drink. Shop. Relax. Repeat.

Arizona-June 2010

2010-07-02T14:59:00.004-05:00

Here are a few of the highlights from our recent trip to Arizona.

The Main Event: Toy Story 3 in IMAX 3-D!

Everyone was dressed for the occasion-Pixar shirts and Movie Shorts.

(Movie Shorts-shorts with cargo pockets, necessary for sneaking candy into the theater when no one with a purse is invited!) Will, Uncle Kevin and Grandpa were the VIPs who saw the IMAX 3-D version. Mike, Grandma, Collin and I settled for the regular version a few days later. Poor Collin had to sit on my lap, his hair soaked with my tears as I watched Andy go off to college!

Collin LOVED swimming in the pool!

In keeping with the theme, Grandma got him a "Foody" towel.

Uncle Kevin selling soup with SARRC

Diving for Dollars.

This is a game Grandma invented. The player who recovers the most dive sticks gets to choose a numbered upside-down dixie cup containing money, anywhere from a penny to a dollar. The player with the most money at the end of the game wins five bucks. For those of you who are fans of Friends, it is was very reminiscent of the episode where Chandler invents cups to give Joey money! I believe the final score of Will vs. Grandma was $7.32 to $0.26.

Will and Collin at the Sugar Bowl in Scottsdale. Collin had been on a BRAT diet after some pretty nasty diapers. This was the first thing he'd seen that wasn't bananas, rice, applesauce or toast in a few days. He finished his sherbet AND Will's dreamsicle drink!

Costco cake to celebrate Father's Day, Bridget's return to Phoenix and my birthday. Rumor has it they are still eating it.

Collin eating one of Grandma's lemons, as if it was an orange.

Flying with Children

2010-07-02T14:37:00.004-05:00

I have decided that flying with young children is a lot like running. If you do it regularly, you stay in shape and it isn't painful. Going a year between trips will knock the wind out of you and leave you sore for days. Last year I took two solo trips with the boys, before Collin was a year old. In the past year the only trip I took was just grown-ups. Clearly, I am out of shape.

Now, it wasn't all bad. Will is now a seasoned traveler and drags a suitcase for us.

I'd like to personally thank Steve Jobs for creating small, lightweight devices that play movies, tv shows, music and audiobooks.

I would NOT like to thank Frontier airlines for losing a suitcase, not having a tracking system to track lost luggage, placing Will in a exit row alone and blaming us for it, yelling at Will and I for him having to use the lavatory after the plane left the gate and for charging us an extra $30 to check a 4th bag and then offering FREE gate checks when we got to the gate. I'm so thankful Mike was with us this time. I think if I had been alone you may have seen me on the evening news.

Kindergarten

2010-07-02T10:53:00.006-05:00

What an incredible year.

At our fall conference we wrote down our hopes and dreams for Will in kindergarten.

Yoga Dad wanted Will to enjoy school and learning.

Teacher Mom wanted him to master the skills necessary to be ready for first grade.

We both wanted him to make a diverse group of friends.

I think the most important thing Will (and I) got out of kindergarten was something neither of us could have anticipated or dreamed of.

Will learned that he is the only one who can place limits on his success.

He spent the better part of the year telling me he was going to read at a level 30 by the end of the year, to which I responded with more "reasonable" goals and reminders that meant lots of practicing home. Like the monkey bars, I had a idea of what was reasonable and possible and it wasn't the same as Will's idea. Guess who was right?

Maybe everything you need to know about parenting you learn when they are in kindergarten. Provide them with structure, a safe warm place to learn, fruits and veggies, and a damn good kindergarten teacher and get out of their way.

Thank you Mrs. R-H for an amazing start to school!

June 6th

2010-06-08T22:01:00.003-05:00

Becoming parents changed our lives, but losing our child changed us.

June 6th marks the day we met and said goodbye to our daughter, Caroline, a day we were changed forever. It is a hard day and a hard time of year, but it is also full of reminders of how supported and blessed we are.

The boys send pink balloons to Caroline in honor of her birthday.

Will thought it would take a long time for them to get there since they had to go all the way through space. He talks about Caroline sporadically and shared the other day that he had a dream about her. She talked to him in his dream and she looked like Mrs. Rollie's baby.

It is hard to know what Collin understands. We got a card in the mail from NILMDTS sharing that a donation had been made. He asked "dis?" which means what's this? I'm not sure exactly what I said but he carried the card around for awhile and said "sister."

Thank you to the Leverenz, Kruse, Auger and Friedman Families for your donations to NILMDTS and to all of our friends and family for kind words and prayers.

Memorial Day Camping 2010

2010-06-08T19:45:00.003-05:00

Memorial Day weekend marked the first camping trip of the season! I wasn't prepared for the difference in prepping for a camping trip as a stay-at-home mom (last season) and a back-to-work mom (this season). Items we forgot included: towels (beach, bath, wash-you name it, we forgot it), Collin's booster seat (which resulted in only one tumble off the picnic table bench) and a cooler (yes, a cooler! although it really limits your caffeine and alcohol consumption when you can only chill one beverage at a time in the mini-fridge). We are lucky to camp with experienced families who provided us with a few of those items.

A year has passed since we began this pop-up adventure and the boys are definitely a year older. Will is not quite 7 and big enough to roam with the big boys, who are 8, is happy to hang with Allie, the middle-schooler, yet a little bit bummed when Katelyn has girlfriends to play with. Collin is now mobile and thinks he is also going 7 and able to run with the big boys. Luckily, Allie and the 'tweens think babies are cool and love to play (babysit!) with him.

Collin enjoying the pool with Paige, Allie, Andrew and Mike

Lindsey, the baby-whisperer, got Collin to sleep twice!

My boys chillin' in a raft (on the grass!)

Collin enjoying breakfast in a booster provided by the Adams! People with 4 kids have everything! I think it is appropriate that Collin is eating strawberries and drinking Silk in this picture, as our camping food choices are the source of many questions and jokes!

Collin's new love of camping (after successfully smearing pancakes and blackberries everywhere!). Last year his expressions said "Are we seriously STILL outside?" while this year he is happy to play all day with Auntie Soup and Grandpa Chad!

Monkey Bars

2010-05-21T00:46:00.000-05:00

For quite some time I've been hearing occasional chatter about the monkey bars-one kid is learning to skip, another kid can do the rings-and I've noticed the familiar scabby palms, but I think I just pictured my experience with monkey bars. Hanging from the first bar for awhile and then falling.

The other day I was able to go outside during my prep to see Will at kindergarten play day. As I got outside they were heading to the big toy (that's Minnesota for "playground equipment"). Will hopped on the monkey bars and started to swing! I was shocked. I had no idea he could do this! I was SO glad I had my camera and was able to catch him in action. Go Will!

Today's school work

2010-04-19T17:19:00.002-05:00

Will usually comes home each day with a piece of writing he did.

This was today's:

We thought his Grandmas would appreciate this.

Good Reports

2010-04-08T21:59:00.003-05:00

In my teacher preparation programs they stressed the importance of making regular positive contacts with parents. Before I had kids of my own I never really understood the importance of this. My days were busy and depending on the year I had anywhere from 18 to 40 kids each day. I assumed the good kids' parents knew they were fine.

After I had Will and sent him to daycare I understood it a little bit better and the daily report of what he ate and when he pooped gave me a window into his day. Now that he is at Riverside with me I can peek in on him at anytime. I know when he eats and hope not to talk about his poop. Collin is attending daycare now and they have an eat/sleep/poop form as well, but what I really love about Primrose is the Happy Gram notes we get every once and awhile. The thing about Collin is that he is very different from Will. At home he thinks "no" is funny. When he hears it he smiles and runs away. It's hard to picture a child as young as Collin reserving that behavior for home. He is a sweet boy with a mischievous side, but I love that his teachers only see him as a sweet boy. Or at least that is what they share.

These pictures and this note came home with him today.

I'm not sure how clearly the note will post, but it says that he was busy with the linking toys seen in the pictures. He was building towers and when his friends would come close he would yell "No, No, Thank you!"

I think what every parent wants is for the other trusted adults in your child's life to know how wonderful they truly are and you never really know that until you hear it.

FotoBugz Photography: What Boys Are Made Of

2010-04-07T19:37:00.000-05:00

FotoBugz Photography: What Boys Are Made Of

HBM!

2010-04-04T18:18:00.003-05:00

Happy 33rd Birthday, Mike!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

Here is an overview of some of the Easter weekend highlights!

Will at the IBM egg hunt.

Collin on Easter morning-very excited to find all the surprises in the basement!

A big boy cup like Will's!

The bunny brought Will a duffle bag, perfect for traveling to the Grandparents' (we can pack and send immediately, just say the word!)

Collin thinks he is hot stuff in his new backpack!

Brunch at the kids' table.

Family picture! Franny and Bridget visited from Des Moines and Chicago!

Sharpe Sisters

Repedes

Aunt Franny and Aunt Bridget with Will and Collin (who was overdue for a nap and had poopy pants!)

The Easter Equation

2010-04-04T16:45:00.003-05:00

The Past 10 Days

Day 1. First day of Spring Break-Mom leaves for a scrapbook weekend with the girls. Dad is in charge.

Days 2 & 3. Dad is in charge

Day 4. Mom returns a little short on sleep.

Days 5 & 6. Collin goes to daycare to stay in somewhat of a routine. Did not appreciate the genius this was until today.

Day 7. Playdate with Henry.

Day 8. Aunt Franny and Aunt Bridget arrive. We celebrate Mike's birthday at the Winters and stay up late.

Day 9. Egg Hunt at IBM and the Aunts babysit while we go out. Will stays up late.

Day 10. Easter! Discovery of the Easter Equation:

(overstimulation + candy)-sleep/lack of routine=meltdowns

Here is the annual Easter picture with the Winters' kids. Where is Will?

Here he is!

I believe this was tantrum #2 of 4 (so far) and it had something to do with dress pants. Will is a pretty laid back kid for the most part but there are 2 things that really throw him for a loop: lack of sleep and too much sugar, also known as Spring Break and Easter. I'm actually looking forward to Monday.

Whose child is this?

2010-04-01T16:52:00.002-05:00

First, I will start by saying it was 79 degrees in Rochester today and I was totally unprepared for summer weather. You would think having two children of the same gender born three weeks apart in the calendar year, this would be no problem. Will's clothes from the summer before he was 2? Size 2T. Today Collin is sporting his "1st Birthday" onsie. Size 12-18m. Luckily I found a pair of 12-18m shorts Grandma Sharpe had given him last summer. I pulled out Will's Teva's (the only sandals that fit Will's Fred Flinestone double wide feet) and as you can see Collin's big toe is barely peeking out. Our garage is lined with totes of clothes organized and labeled by size, none of which will work for this little peanut.

18 months

2010-03-07T19:57:00.002-06:00

Collin Michael

18 months

Height: 32 inches (42%ile)

Weight: 23 lbs 12 oz (22%ile)

Head: 18 3/4 inches (46%ile)

Words:~40

Our sweet little Baby C is 18 months old. I may have mentioned before how different it has been for us the second time around. I feel like all of Will's "milestone" ages were carefully planned for and professionally documented. Collin turning 18 months went something like this:

Monday: Well-child check

Tuesday-Friday: Normal hectic week

Saturday: Pick Collin up from Kids Care at the gym to discover a RAGING case of pink-eye. In the car on the way to Mayo Express Care try to determine if Collin is 18 months old (minimum age to be seen) yet. Never registers that I took him for his 18 month well child check 5 days earlier.

Sunday: Go to blog Collin's 18 month stats and realize the most current picture I have of him is a month old. Take pictures. Email photographer about setting up a sitting over spring break.

I tell myself that our laid back approach will be good for him. Fingers crossed!

Arizona

2010-03-07T19:43:00.002-06:00

Lucky me! I got to spend the last week of February in Phoenix, AZ! A group of us for Riverside attended the Professional Learning Community Summit. For those outside of education, it is like a 4 day rock concert for nerdy teachers! It was so great to hear incredible speakers with a team of teachers inspired to move forward. The 60 degree temps were nice, too!

Danielle, Marie, Michelle and I at a restaurant in Tempe that Franny recommended.

The Riverside crew: Michelle, Malachi, Marie, Danielle, Will and I

I also happened to be in town to celebrate Kevin's 22nd birthday!

I stayed through the weekend to hang out with my family. They were bummed that I didn't bring "the babies" with me, but they let me stay anyway.

Mike survived 6 days with the boys. The house was still standing and pretty clean. I will say that the new bedtime routine I came home to was "sit on the couch and watch the olympics until everyone falls asleep" and Collin wasn't too happy with the transition back to sleeping in his crib. Everyone was happy and healthy! I can't complain!

Mike's Yoga Article!

2010-02-20T13:26:00.000-06:00

Wes Emmert: Yoga and finding your physical activity niche

Eat. More. Please.

2010-02-15T16:16:00.003-06:00

I've been playing with iMovie.

The backstory here is that the first round of Valentine's Day pictures went a lot like the first round of Christmas card pictures. When we tried again I was armed with fruit snacks and Collin was cooperative. When I went through the pictures later, in search of the best one, I noticed Collin was signing one of three things in almost all the pictures:

Eat.

More.

Please.

The Tooth Fairy

2010-02-14T13:53:00.003-06:00

After 6 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 6 days of life,

Will Repede FINALLY lost a tooth.

This was a very exciting event- first tooth, first tooth fairy visit, it happened at school the day of the Valentine's party (note red kool-aid mustache!), but it was also good news because he was a little more than a week away from a visit to the dentist. As you can see in this picture, his two permanent bottom teeth have already grown in behind the baby teeth. Loosing your wiggly tooth at school is much more fun than having it pulled by the dentist.

The other bottom tooth is loose and Auntie B is giving him tips on getting it out.

This one is just funny.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T11:48:00.003-06:00

The boys in their Valentine shirts.

Our "heartbreaker" and our "handsome little devil" reading Snuggle Puppy.

Me and my Valentine on our first date-Prom 1996. That was during Mike's bald phase. One of the other parents asked him how his treatments were going. I'm glad he's grown out of that.

Our 14th Valentine's Day-skiing at Welch

We've lived in Minnesota for 10 years now, with our closest relatives over 300 miles away. Since our family is the target demographic of this blog, I will say that there no positives and only negatives to living far away from your family. One of those negatives is finding people to guilt/pay to watch your children so you can have time together. My sister Bridget moved to Chicago a little over a month ago and asked when she could come for a visit. I sarcastically suggested Valentine's Day so Mike and I could go out and she jumped on it! She came on Thursday night, went to Riverside with us on Friday and volunteered for Will's Valentine's Day party and then watched the boys all day Saturday while Mike and I went skiing. It was FANTASTIC! We had a great day, Will tested the boundaries of having Auntie B in charge and between her day of babysitting and afternoon in a kindergarten classroom we have provided her with free birth control. Aunt Franny is moving to Des Moines in a few weeks and we can't wait!

Everyone Should Share (Will and MLK Day)

2010-01-18T11:37:00.008-06:00

Here's a little background on Will and his curiosity about Martin Luther King, Jr. and civil rights (aside from being born into a family of crazy white liberals). A few years back we were all hanging out on the couch on a lazy Sunday watching a kid's video on VHS. Mike and I dozed while Will watched the movie. When the tape ended the VCR shut off and the TV was tuned to PBS. We woke up from our Sunday afternoon nap to find Will attentively watching Eyes on the Prize. The was probably 3 at the time. In the weeks that followed he kept asking when we were going to watch "that Martin Luther King movie" again.

Fast forward a few years and a lot has happened. We elected our first black president, who happened to be the family favorite. I've attended a series of trainings through my job about the importance of talking about race and the effort to eliminate racial predictability in achievement data. Will started school at one of the most diverse elementary schools in Rochester.

Toward the end of December a flyer came home outlining the school's plan for a Martin Luther King, Jr celebration in January and invited students to participate in a poster and essay contest. Being a teacher mom, we got out our picture books about MLK and Rosa Parks. We read them and then I asked Will about his dream (required for poster contest). He said his dream was for "it to never go back to that way of whites only again" and then he drew this poster and submitted it for the contest.

In the past few weeks we've had many conversations in the car about MLK as they have been talking a lot about this in school. He tells me he gets sad when they talk about it, "mostly about the dead part" and asks if we can go see Martin Luther King, Jr's grave. Early last week I learned that Will's poster had been chosen as one of the winners and that he would be recognized at the all-school assembly. Aside from being a very proud mom, I was excited for Will to be recognized for something that has been a real interest of his.

Here are some shots from the assembly:

Here he is with the principal reading "Everyone Should Share"

The principal announcing the other winner, a 2nd grader.

Will and his classmates with his award winning poster (that my mom refers to as "Everyone should share and have jazz hands").

Collin

2009-12-27T23:32:00.002-06:00

Our Little Collin. I took him in on Wednesday for his 15 month well-child check and shared with the pediatrician my concerns that he isn't very verbal, only knows a few signs and I'm unsure of his receptive language-he laughs at "NO." (to a teacher that means one of two things-a language delay or a behavior disorder.) She wasn't concerned, said we'd keep an eye on it and sent us on our way. Of course in the 4 days since that visit he is now clearly saying a variety of words and added a number of signs. It was almost like "oh, you were concerned? you should have said something." I'm not sure if it would have freaked me out more to have him say that or sign it. I took this video of him today as I was teaching him to use a spoon. Clearly all is well with his verbal skills and receptive language.

That Was Awesome!

2009-12-27T23:11:00.003-06:00

We've reached that point here in SE MN where we have gotten the right combination of snow, freezing rain and cold that the snow on the ground has frozen over. If you are light enough you can actually walk on top of it, which makes for great sledding on the hill in our backyard. Will had a friend from the neighborhood over this afternoon and they were taking turns going down the hill. I wanted to get a video because they were going so fast. Will's reaction at the end is priceless.

Merry Christmas-2009

2009-12-25T21:28:00.004-06:00

Christmas Eve

Trying to get the boys together for a picture

Note to self: do not schedule immunizations for December 23 for a teething toddler.

Pictures with the Winters kids before church on Christmas Eve.

Trying to get the Christmas Eve PJ shot, again, Collin not really about it.

Christmas morning-checking out what Santa left.

Collin got his own phone so we're hoping he'll leave ours alone, at least for the next few days.

This picture looks like the pause before the fight.

Christmas night -exchanging gifts with the Winters.

Collin playing the drum from Aunt Bridget and Aunt Franny.

I feel like I should blog something cheesy about what a magical blessed day it was, but the truth is that this month has been a little bit crazy. I recently shared with a close friend who is struggling with infertility that this was the first Christmas season in quite a few years I was excited to see the decorations go up in the store. This is Collin's 2nd Christmas but I'm pretty sure I was too sleep deprived to notice last year. For some reason my renewed excitement about Christmas also came with pressure and expectations that didn't seem to mesh with a busy full-time job and two active boys. Then I factor in a few rookie mistakes like scheduling Collin's MMR vaccine for December 23. The shot combined with teething led to a LONG Christmas Eve night of Collin fussing and Will freaking out that Santa wasn't coming because Collin was awake and crying. And then Mike's recent rental of Food, Inc. which makes you never want to eat anything that isn't vegetarian and from scratch, adds a whole new dimension to holiday cooking. While it seems like Christmas is magical for kids and a whole lot of work for moms, the optimist in me hopes to find a better way. I'm just not sure if I should start shopping for next year tomorrow or plan a family vacation and skip the whole thing!

"Just so you know, Mom, I'm really good"

2009-12-23T20:40:00.001-06:00

Will is suited up and ready to go. This was no small task, either. For a while I seriously thought we took the wrong boots with us and left the Will-sized ones back at Tyrol in Rochester!!

Will's first ski trip. Checking things out, getting excited, looking good...

Sliding down the hill, picking up speed, feeling the adrenaline!

And wiping out. No problem, the snow is soft and he's pretty padded.

But getting back up is a challenge. "Can't I just take my skis off?" Will asks. Umm, no it doesn't really work that way.

After a few hours and a couple trips to the chalet, Will really got excited about skiing! He asked if we could buy skis so he could go down the hill in our backyard. Maybe next year. So to get the full experience of the rentals, he wore his ski boots on the ride home and held the skis in his hands until he fell asleep in the car.

That kid.

2009-12-09T14:15:00.003-06:00

In my five years of facilitating parent/teacher conferences I can say one thing for certain. Every year you have at least one conference where you spend 20 minutes raving about how fantastic you think their child is only to have the parents look at you cross-eyed and insist you have them mistaken for someone else's parents.

While I hate to impose anything on Collin prematurely, there is mounting evidence that this will be the case. This is the note that came home from school yesterday.

First, I didn't even know Collin knew the sign for "thank you." Second, I've never seen him sign unprompted. Our usual routine involves him screeching and us modeling a variety of signs until we get to the one that addresses the need that started the screeching in the first place.

I'm happy that he is happy and communicating with his teachers at school and that he is learning and growing! And as those parents always tell me at the end of those conferences, I'm glad it is this way and not the other way around!!

Collin's Tricks

2009-12-06T15:36:00.003-06:00

Our dear, sweet 2nd child. I have to say we've lightened up a bit, okay, maybe a lot, since Will was our baby. One of the many things we've really slacked on is teaching Collin baby signs. As he began to use screeching as a form of communication we decided it may be time to buckle down.

Here are a few of his new tricks:

He now knows more, eat, drink, milk and all done.

and he blows kisses!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-29T13:09:00.004-06:00

We made our annual trip to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Mike's sister Chris and her husband hosted us for dinner.

Repede Family self-timer shot!

Visiting Great Grandma Repede the day after Thanksgiving

New Reading Video for Grandma

2009-11-09T19:29:00.002-06:00

If you haven't read this one (I Picked a Flower), you may not want to watch. I'd hate to give away the ending.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-01T10:02:00.004-06:00

Happy Halloween from Dash and Jack Jack!

Collin Walking and Talking?

2009-10-22T21:26:00.002-05:00

This first video was a Grandma Sharpe request-she needed a video of Collin walking.

Of course, I never get Collin doing anything on the first take and as I was looking at the out-takes I *think* he is saying "Will" as he knocks on the bathroom door where Will is taking a bath, as you can hear!

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

2009-10-15T10:31:00.002-05:00

October 15

Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

A few years ago I didn't even know this day existed and this year there were 18 families on my list to reach out to and let them know I was thinking of them and their angels. Please say a prayer for them.

Thanks Mrs. R-H!

2009-09-29T18:59:00.003-05:00

I have to show off all that Will is learning! We are so glad he has a fantastic teacher and goes to a fantastic school!

Happy Birthday Will!

2009-09-23T18:31:00.004-05:00

Our baby boy is six today!

We picked out a desk for Will for his birthday. Since the start of kindergarten and his 6th birthday are only 2 weeks apart we wanted to get something special to mark this milestone year. He was excited but did ask us how much the desk cost. He has had his eye on the Lego Death Star for some time which carries a $400 price tag. We keep telling him that is more than we spend on birthdays, Christmas (car payments!) and I think he is just checking up on us.

A Harry Potter shirt from Collin.

Eating his birthday donut at his new desk.

Proudly wearing his "6" shirt!

Here he is at school with his snack to share and lactose free milk ;) His teacher was nice enough to take my camera for the day!

Passing out his birthday snack to his classmates.

Will's class!

Will's birthday cake. I am so proud of him. He was supposed to have his BFFs Henry and Josh over for pizza and cake tonight but when I got Collin at daycare yesterday he had a fever and was banned for 24 hours. I talked with the other moms and we thought it was best to reschedule and not expose the other kids so Will's "party" was cancelled. He handled it SO well!

Collin is not in the family picture below because he was covered in pizza!

Our six year old boy!

Stats

2009-09-19T20:03:00.001-05:00

Because the boys' birthdays are less than a month apart I had the *bright* idea to schedule their well-child checks back-to-back. Lessons were learned that morning. Mike and I both went to the appointment because I needed to take Will straight to school so Mike had to take Collin to Primrose. The four of us are crammed in the exam room, Collin in nothing but his diaper. All books and toys have been removed during flu season. One of us needs to hold Collin the entire time because he LOVES cords and of course the desk in the exam room has a computer with about a thousand cords coming out of it. So much fun. Thankfully, both boys are very healthy so the most interesting part to me is the boys' growth stats.

Will-(6 years)-height 73%ile, weight 89%ile (they don't measure heads at 6y so when the nurse stepped out I used the pediatric tape measure, but it only goes up to 22 inches...) Will is closing the gap! He used to be ~50%ile for height and 90%ile+ for weight!

Collin-(1 year)-height 58%ile, weight 7%ile, head 45%ile. SO the opposite of baby Will. The pictures show it and the numbers confirm it!

Collin at 1 year (19lbs 11oz, 30 1/4 in tall, Head circ 18 1/4 in)

Will at 1 year (25 lbs 15 oz, 30 in tall, Head Circ 19 3/4 in)

Pictures!

2009-09-14T17:01:00.001-05:00

Check out some FABULOUS pictures of the boys:

www.fotobugz.com

under "clients" the password is "Repede"

The First Day of Kindergarten!

2009-09-10T21:52:00.005-05:00

He's got his lunch packed up...

Our kindergartner!

Will and Collin

Will and Grandma (I'm not sure we'd survive these two weeks without her!)

Will and Dad

Will and Mom, aka Mrs. Repede. My eyes aren't as red and puffy in B&W.

Will in line!

Mrs. RH is helping Will with his name tag, but I prefer to think she is saying "Listen pal, you step one toe, ONE TOE! out of line and I know where to find your mother" mostly because she would NEVER say anything like that!

Will and his teacher, Mrs. Ruffalo-Hady

Will is ready! Much more ready than Mom or Grandma were for this day.

The kindergartners head in for their first day!

Will putting his things away in his locker. It took everything I had to be the teacher and not the mom and let him do it himself! I knew that would be the challenge of bringing him to Riverside. I want him to go to the best school in Rochester (in my opinion!) but have it still be school and not mom's work.

Big Steps

2009-09-08T17:40:00.003-05:00

It was a big day at the Repede house. Mike and Will rode to school with me for Will's kindergarten orientation and Grandma took Collin to Primrose for an hour so he can start to adjust to his new daycare center. Will did a great job practicing to be a kindergartner, I'm learning to be a colleague AND a parent, and Collin fit right in with his new "young toddler" friends. He even decided that walking may be a helpful skill in his new environment. Here he is taking a few steps in the kitchen tonight:

Not that we should ever compare, but here is Will's first attempt at standing alone at 10 months. They are so different.

A Day at The Fair

2009-09-05T13:26:00.003-05:00

Last Friday was MPR (Minnesota Public Radio) Day at the State Fair. It was also the day that Aunt Franny was flying in to MSP for a weekend visit. I had to work so Mike and Grandma took the boys to the fair!

Here are Will and Grandma at a farm exhibit. I wasn't there so this whole blog is hearsay, but there was some story about a corn hat needing to be super-sized for Will.

Al Franken! One of the main draws of MPR Day at the Fair! They got there early for front row seats and watched the Senator draw the United States.

Senator Franken on Midday.

Will on the Super Slide. I know the pictures are in reverse-that is how my Mac uploads them. I'd have go through and edit the HTML to rearrange them and you get the idea anyway.

Yes, Will went down the slide alone. Grandma was saving those front row Franken seats and Dad was in charge.

Apparently it was Will's idea for Grandma to be the male news anchor and for Will to be the female news anchor.

Let him eat cake

2009-08-31T19:36:00.002-05:00

This says it all.

8:11pm

2009-08-30T20:10:00.004-05:00

One year ago today, at 8:11 pm, Collin joined our family!

Saying goodbye to the mullet

2009-08-11T17:36:00.003-05:00

The time has come for Collin's first haircut. As much I was in denial that he needed a big boy 'do, he was growing quite the mullet. I took him to Amy, the woman who cuts my hair, for his first real haircut.

Here is the before shot:

And here is the after:

Poor kid is clearly #2, as I forgot to take the camera back out during or even right after the haircut. It was several hours before I realized I needed to take an "after" picture. He is pretty cute, but looking too old!

Here he is unsure if he is ready to be business in the front AND in the back.

11 months

2009-07-30T15:21:00.003-05:00

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words and that was true of Collin's 11 month photo shoot. It sums up exactly where he is right now.

1. His favorite toys include small electronics (phones, cameras, iPods), anything that is plugged into an outlet, and any outlet that doesn't have something plugged into it.

2. He is on the move. He crawls, pulls up and attempts to climb.

3. The two words that can bring a smile to his face? "No, Collin!"

4. The one thing that brings tears to his eyes? Following through on #3.

Here is a short slideshow of SOME of the out-takes.

Camp til you Drop

2009-07-27T16:54:00.003-05:00

We've been excited to get the most of our latest investment in a pop-up camper. We've taken 5 weekend trips so far this summer in addition to visits to Chicago and San Francisco, which means we've been out of town for 7 of the last 11 weekends. We've had a blast but it is beginning to take it's toll. Here is Collin on the way back from the pool at Jellystone on Sunday:

Sound asleep with his face resting on the tray of the stroller.

We're happy to report we have nothing planned for this weekend.

Our little Troy Bolton

2009-07-18T09:12:00.005-05:00

Here are a few highlights from Will's last day of basketball camp:

(I'm thinking I may need a digital SLR camera now...)

Happy Birthday Shane!

2009-07-13T21:28:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I question my sanity. It has been a crazy month for us. A trip to Chicago at the end of June, followed by 4th of July weekend camping followed by a weekend trip to San Francisco at the end of the first week of summer school. We live in a small town in the middle of nowhere and it is important to us that our boys see the world outside of SE Minnesota so when Grandma Sharpe called to say she would be going to San Francisco for my sweet little Godbaby Shane's first birthday I decided I would take the boys, too.

Here are the boys on the first leg from MSP to Salt Lake City. Will is in heaven. He ate McDondald's for breakfast and the in-flight movie was 17 Again with Zac Efron (of High School Musical). He has a scene where he battles with a lightsaber. Could life get any better than Troy Bolton with a lightsaber? I was happy because we were in a row with an empty seat so Collin didn't have to be a lap passenger for the whole flight!

Will and his cousin Megan being silly. When Will and I visited a year ago I was amazed how the two became instant friends and played with very little adult interaction. Amy and I were a little surprised that they were feeling the need to be entertained when we first got there. We have a feeling that the difference is that their grandmas (who love to entertain them!) were there this time!

Our modern men, Shane and Collin, playing with the kitchen

All of the Boyce cousins in town for Shane's birthday

Will (5) Collin (10m) Shane (1) Megan (4) Trevor (2)

The birthday boy!

When Amy and I were younger we were occasionally dressed in coordinating outfits for family adventures (more on that later) so we did the same for this reunion. The kids weren't all about sitting for a picture.

The Boyces/Malloys

Matt, Jodi, Trevor, Uncle Curt, Aunt Linda, Megan, Shane, Jim, Amy

Grandma, the boys and I

(Aunt Bridget thinks Grandma is giving Will a wedgie in this picture)

The boys

The girls

We made it home safe and sound and it was worth the chaos of travel to spend the weekend celebrating with family!!

4th of July

2009-07-06T14:56:00.003-05:00

We spent 4th of July weekend camping with the Winters and 2 other families from Byron. The campground is near Wanamingo, MN so we went "into town" (a phrase my friend Sue uses often, one I may never get used to) to watch the parade and fireworks.

At the parade in Wanamingo

Collin takes a snooze on Sue's shoulder

Collin enjoying his first fireworks

Watching the fireworks from the back of Chad's convertible, aka The Rocket.

Nine years ago today...

2009-07-01T13:15:00.003-05:00

Ten Months

2009-07-01T13:06:00.002-05:00

I can't believe Collin is 10 months old already! The time has flown! He is getting to be such a big boy! He is pretty much done with pureed foods. He wants to eat whatever we are eating. He is into everything using his crazy army crawl and his latest skill of pulling up to his knees. He isn't standing yet. He is still a bit of a peanut. At his 9 month check he was in the 40% for head and height and only 2% for weight. I wish I could take credit for those genes! Like Will, he is an easy going boy. We are so blessed!

Chicago

2009-06-29T14:18:00.004-05:00

Our annual 4th of July trip came early this year so we could spend time with all the Repedes. While we are sad that we won't get to see Grandpa Repede "march" (on the flatbed of a truck) in the parade or experience the fireworks at the race track, we had a great visit!

Visiting Great Grandma Repede

I love this picture of Mike and Collin. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

While this isn't the greatest picture of me, I think it is funny that our little yogi is doing tree pose!

Jill, Greg and Lois (Illinois Repedes)

Chris, Tom, Kim, Will, Meg, Collin and Mike (Illinois/Minnesota Repedes)

South Carolina Repedes

The Robin's Nest

2009-06-23T09:34:00.002-05:00

For the past few summers a bird tries to make a nest in the same spot under our deck. One summer Mike moved the nest so many times the bird eventually gave up. Last summer the birds won and laid some eggs but Will and a few neighborhood kids knocked them out in their curiosity. This summer Mike wanted to move the nest, but feeling the need to be an environmental advocate for the birds in the newly developed neighborhood with few trees, I asked him to leave it. Apparently I am an uneducated bird activist. I didn't realize how territorial our birds would be about their nest and eggs. For several weeks we could not go on the deck without a robin or two swooping over us, within inches of our heads, until we went back inside.

As you can see the baby birds FINALLY hatched! Hopefully our "renters" will be out soon and we'll be able to use our deck again!

Father's Day Camping

2009-06-23T09:19:00.003-05:00

We spent Father's Day weekend camping with the Winters. Friday was an adventure as I had to work on staff development curriculum writing and Mike was home with the boys packing up to go. It was an interesting role reversal for the day. My favorite question was "How am I supposed to watch the boys AND get ready for camping?" I was impressed that he got up at 6am to do the last minute grocery shopping (so he didn't have to take the boys!). While I loved going to work and coming home with (almost) everything ready to go, we decided that we are all happier campers when everyone pitches in! Here are a few shots from the weekend:

Will plays HARD when we are camping. Here is is out cold in his bed, with just his foot hanging out!

Collin practicing a little morning yoga in the grass

Collin's first swim! He LOVES the pool!

Happy Father's Day! The boys are lucky to have such a great dad!!

Happy Birthday Baby Chocolate

2009-06-06T14:12:00.004-05:00

Caroline Margaret Repede

June 6, 2007

Please consider supporting Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep

Little Wonders - Rob Thomas

Photo Shoot

2009-06-02T07:17:00.002-05:00

I took Collin to Kiddie Kandids yesterday to get a 9 month picture taken. It was one of those times that I realize how different the boys are. Will had his picture taken every three months that first year and every time he smiled and laughed and hammed it up for the camera. I'd walk out of there spending way too much because all the pictures were SO cute! The picture above was one of two smiling pictures we got at the beginning of the 20 minute session. Collin didn't cry or fuss, he was just not amused. They tried everything! A multi-colored duster, squeaky toys, stuffed animals, everything and he gave them this look of "are you kidding me?" I guess he was just doing his part to keep us on our budget!

Nine Months Old!

2009-05-30T13:17:00.002-05:00

Collin's 9 month re'sume' includes rolling all over the room, getting into crawling position, scooting backwards, preferring finger foods over purees, and drumroll please....

SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT!

We've enjoyed 3 or 4 nights of 10pm-5am sleep! He'll usually go down with Will around 7:30, be up to eat between 10 and 11 and then sleep until 5 0r 6, eat again and sleep until 7 or 8!

Big Brother, Big Helper!

2009-05-30T12:54:00.003-05:00

Will has been such a great helper ever since Collin arrived. He is so patient with him and with us! Last Wednesday was a LONG rainy day in the house. Will was bored and I was trying to recover our home from two weekends in a row of camping. We have a beautiful wooden high chair for the boys. I love it, but it is a pain to clean, it usually gets a scrub down in the shower every few months. I decided to take advantage of the rain and Will's extra energy so I sent him out with the high chair and some dish soap! It worked really well and he was happy to play in the rain.

It is not uncommon for me to ask Will to talk to his brother or watch his brother while I run downstairs to switch the laundry. Now that Collin is more mobile it is more challenging for all of us, but Will came up with a creative solution. I came up from the basement to find this the other day:

Will keeping Collin contained!

Peek-a-Boo!

Memorial Day Camping

2009-05-25T18:58:00.004-05:00

We just got home from our first holiday camping weekend! We had so much fun at Shades of Sherwood in Zumbrota. Our friends have their camper on a permanent site there and we were lucky to hook up with three other families that were also camping there for the weekend!

Collin gnaws on a carrot. We got a little bit of a hard time for being the family that brings vegetables to eat around the campfire.

Yes, that is me with a volleyball. I have never been a fan of the sport. I'm not very good and don't like the red blotchy forearms it leaves me with, but a few friends signed up for the tournament and were short a player. I dragged Mike down to the volleyball court to be the 6th man only to learn that they needed a third GIRL to balance out the team! While I was definitely not the MVP, a few of my serves were in and I had fun!

Will LOVES the pool. I had to pull him out on Saturday and Sunday after his lips were turning purple!

Collin was the most popular camper. Everyone wanted to help. Here is Andrew feeding him a pancake.

Lindsey, Shelby and Paige playing with Collin. He is very popular with the ladies.

Collin tries watermelon for the first time.

Collin at the pool. He hasn't been in for a dip yet! I think we will wait for a quieter weekend!

QuickStart 1

2009-05-20T14:25:00.002-05:00

Our sweet little athlete, Will, starting taking tennis lessons last summer because the class was offered the half hour before his daycamp, which served as our daycare while I taught summer school. He really had fun so we signed him up again in the fall. The first set of lessons is called QuickStart 1 and the children have to master certain skills before they can move up to QuickStart 2. Will has repeated QuickStart 1 at least 5 times, possibly 6 (I can't remember if the fall was 1 or 2 sessions) but at the end of Spring session he moved up to QuickStart 2! Not exactly a quick start, but a good learning experience in perseverance!

Will hitting volleys.

Will and his friend Maddy working hard to advance to the next level.

Lunes (Monday in Spanish)

2009-05-20T14:13:00.004-05:00

Will and his friends Nick and Henry took Spanish class together after school on Mondays. The best part was the rotating playdates after Spanish! Every third Monday the boys would be at our house for lunch and a few intense hours of Star Wars play, the other two Mondays Collin and I would enjoy a quiet day and he would get two real naps!

I'm so glad Will has found such nice, well-behaved friends at school!

Last Day of Preschool

2009-05-20T14:04:00.002-05:00

What an emotional day-Will's last day of preschool. My baby is a kindergartner now. I've always seen Will's preschool experience as Caroline's gift to Will. We lost her after my maternity/child care leave had been approved so I was able to stay home anyway and Will was able to go to preschool at Aldrich. He was in a 3 morning/week program that we never would have managed if I were working full-time. He has had such wonderful teachers and he has learned so much. What a blessing our Aldrich experience has been.

We did it!

2009-05-17T23:27:00.003-05:00

We just got back from our very first official camping trip with our new pop-up camper! We survived a VERY windy day and frosty night and had a lot of fun! Here are a few shots:

Mike and Will unhitching the camper from the Winters' van. Our van doesn't have a hitch yet.

As I was taking pictures of Will cranking up the camper he stopped at about this point, looked up and said "Oh, I'm almost done!" As you can see, he had a little more to do...

Will and Andrew playing football. Winter hats in MAY! It was a little chilly!

Will enjoying the first s'more of the season!

Collin having pancakes for the first time!

Collin taking in the nature. He wasn't so sure about it at first...

..but then got brave and started to explore!

We had a lot of fun and learned a lot (Washing dishes with hose water is COLD, there are ways to improvise when your camper doesn't have a potty and you have to go in the middle of the night, the campsite shower costs extra, the furnace has a hidden on/off switch). We're heading out next weekend for three nights and I'm sure we'll have lots of great stories to share!!

Happy Campers

2009-05-15T23:15:00.005-05:00

I really want to believe that we are true-blue Chicagoans on temporary assignment in Southeast Minnesota, but day-by-day, and nearly ten years later, I'm starting to think I'm just kidding myself. Here is the latest evidence of this:

Yes, that is Mike, that is our driveway, that is a pop-up camper.

Growing up in Arlington Heights I went to camp, first Girl Scout camp (mostly cabins and platform tents), then band camp (once you are done laughing you can read that took place at Eastern Illinois University and then the slightly more rustic George Williams College). Once my best friend Michele's family took me camping and I'm pretty sure we slept in tents. All I remember was fabulous home made salsa and her dad telling us we had to be silent in the boat so we didn't scare the fish. That was the extent of it.

So how did all of this come about? Our good friends the Winters have a camper on a permanent site about 30 minutes north of here and it is Will's favorite place to be in the summer. The pool, the freedom, the nature, the junk food and the fact that his parents aren't distracted by all there is to do at home are a few of the reasons it is so appealing. We would spend weekend with the Winters in their camper and have a blast, but 4 adults and 4 kids in a travel trailer was a little cozy and now that we've added Collin to the mix we decided it was time to get our own place.

Since Chad Winters is the area dealer for pretty much anything you want to buy or sell, he found this 5-year-old camper for us. We think it may have been a hint that NINE people in his camper was just not going to happen this summer, especially when one of them isn't sleeping through the night. We'll be testing it out tomorrow and I'm sure there will be more pictures and stories to share.

Will and Katelyn Winters playing in the camper

Collin and Katelyn in the camper

My little cling-on

2009-05-09T20:21:00.002-05:00

Sweet baby Collin doesn't share his big brother's independent spirit. He prefers to be held and be in on the action. If I want to get anything accomplished (and sometimes I don't!) the sling and the front carrier really come in handy. I always position Collin in the sling according to the DVD directions, but he always seems to make himself comfortable.

He may not have his brother's independence, but apparently has his father's fondness for yoga!

First Bike Ride of the Season

2009-05-09T20:14:00.003-05:00

Now that Will has mastered the 2-wheeler and Collin is big enough to ride (sleep!) in the Burley, we took our first bike ride of the season. We live only a few blocks from the Douglas Trail which make it easy for Will- no streets to cross, no traffic. We didn't go far because we weren't sure how long Will would last, but he did well and we had fun!

Stinko de Mayo blessings

2009-05-05T21:41:00.003-05:00

I renamed May 5 Stinko de Mayo three years ago, as we lost our first angel baby on May 5, 2006. I was pregnant with Caroline the following year and pregnant with Collin last May so I haven't celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a margarita in 4 years! While I was excited to have my favorite drink today, it also turned out to be a day to reflect on all that has happened on our journey to having a second child. A friend who had her first of 4 miscarriages in May of 2006 had an ultrasound today showing a healthy baby with a strong heartbeat and she got a letter from the courts finalizing the adoption of their beautiful little girl. I don't know why the journey to parenthood is so difficult for some, but it makes me appreciate our little miracle and his big brother so much more.

Eight Months Old!

2009-04-30T10:07:00.004-05:00

Collin's Baptism

2009-04-26T16:40:00.005-05:00

This past Sunday we finally had Collin baptized at People of Hope in Rochester. While the weather wasn't very cooperative, the service was beautiful. Many things were different this time around. We've changed churches since Will's baptism and the outfit that Will wore (which was also worn by all the Sharpe kids) was too small for Collin, but we were able to get a copy of the music played at Will's baptism. Spirit of Joy, the music group at People of Hope, played "Walk as a Child of the Light," a song by Cathy Nelson, the music director at our former church, Holy Spirit. It is so beautiful, I find it hard to keep it together when it is sung!

Collin before baptism. He is so cute even with original sin! ;)

Collin being baptized by Pastor Jason

After baptism with Pastor Jason

Grandma and Grandpa Sharpe

Grandpa Repede and Grandma Kim

Grandparents

The Winters-Collin's Godfamily!

The Buckmeiers with Collin (Amy and Jon are Will's godparents)

Allie and Collin

It was a very special day for Collin. As you can see, his strict organic diet went right out the window when the grandmas came!

Grandma Kim giving Collin frosting

Grandma Sharpe giving Collin carrot cake

It was also a special day for our entire family, celebrating our special blessing and miracle baby, Collin, with our family and friends.

Not Glenn Beck

2009-04-22T13:34:00.003-05:00

Here at the Repede Family Blog we welcome feedback! Apparently Grandma Sharpe didn't like seeing Glenn Beck's picture on the msnbc video every time she went on our site. So here are a few pictures that aren't Glenn Beck!

I heart MSNBC

2009-04-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Rochester School News

2009-04-16T20:23:00.002-05:00

Teacher Lay-offs.

This is a link to the local newspaper article on our district's latest round of lay-offs. Sad news for everyone. Of the 47 elementary teachers let go, 10 were from my building. I have been so fortunate. I was contracted with the district in 2002, the year after the last big lay-off and long enough ago that I have a decent spot on the seniority list. My second grade class is projected to have 31 students next year, which will be an interesting challenge, but I'm very blessed to have that challenge.

Happy Easter from the House of Headcold!

2009-04-12T17:11:00.003-05:00

Will comes down to see what the Easter Bunny (and Grandma and Grandpa Sharpe!) brought for Easter.

Collin has a bit of bed head and has no idea what is going on!

Will's favorite gift was a Star Wars Lego game for Wii.

Both of the boys' baskets had a swimming theme-they are set for summer! Collin is wearing his new hat from the bunny and sitting by his Eeyore from Uncle Kevin.

Collin takes a snooze while the boys play their new game.

As you may have noticed there aren't any cute Easter outfit/dressed up for church pictures. We've been passing a cold around the house this week. Everyone was doing well yesterday so we took advantage of the nice weather and apparent good health by playing outside and cleaning the garage most of the day. We're paying for today. So we've spent the day in our jammies and had homemade chicken soup for lunch (Will let us know he prefers soup from a can!). We think the people at church would prefer we kept our germs at home and hope God understands!

Collin and solids

2009-04-07T19:27:00.005-05:00

Because of Will's eczema and food sensitivities, we'd been putting off starting solids with Collin. When we went to his 6 month check-up, he's grown an inch but hadn't gained much weight (apparently he is long and lean, I'll let you decide which end of the gene pool that is!) so Dr. McCoy recommended we start solid foods.

Here are Collin's first bites of rice cereal...

We then moved on to sweet peas...

My latest crunchy adventures is making my own purees. Fearing another battle with eczema, I wanted to know exactly what Collin was eating to identify any sensitivities. I also felt that baby food is packaged in such a way that it creates a lot of waste. I picked up a cookbook at Williams Sonoma and am amazed at how easy it is! Most foods are steamed, pureed in the food processor and poured into ice cube trays. Once they are frozen I pop them out into a freezer bag and defrost one or two cubes each day!

Collin has learned quickly that the high chair means food and isn't very patient while I'm warming it up for him. To distract him the other day I gave him small pieces of banana. It was funny to watch him try to get his hands to pick up the slimy pieces of food! Once he did grab it he couldn't figure out where it went or how to get it in his mouth!

As I said, Collin isn't very patient once he figures out it is meal time. I was holding him while I mixed some rice cereal. He was ready to dig in!

Happy Birthday Mike!

2009-04-07T19:08:00.003-05:00

On Saturday we celebrated Mike's 32nd birthday!

Will thought we should make a cake for Mike. The tradition is Sam's Club cake and while I was sad to break that tradition, this cake only lasted until lunch on Sunday. Usually I'd be eating Sam's cake for two meals a day for the next week. My jeans aren't complaining about the break in tradition.

Andrew and Collin

Allie and Collin, still friends despite the fact that Collin spit up on Allie's face a few months ago!

Mike opening gifts! Treats from the Winters, A lululemon gift card, Wii points and Night at the Museum from the Sharpes and more treats and a new yoga shirt from the boys!

We also dyed Easter eggs with the Winters that night!

I love old movies!

2009-03-30T14:32:00.003-05:00

We sometimes refer to Will as "Master of the Literal" and are reminded on a regular basis that he has truly earned this nickname. Looking back through old clips of him, I realize that it has been this way for quite some time. Will is 2 1/2 in this video I like to call "It's called jeans"

Out-takes

2009-03-30T09:52:00.004-05:00

Now that Collin is getting older, the monthly pictures are a little more challenging. He doesn't want to sit still and wants to eat the props. Here are a few out-takes from our last session!

Seven Months!

2009-03-30T09:43:00.003-05:00

Preschool

2009-03-18T19:10:00.003-05:00

As we are in the midst school registration season, I wanted to plug Will's preschool for our local readers. Will attends Aldrich and I couldn't be happier. I wish I could say that after months of research and tours we finally decided on Aldrich, but the truth is that my trusted friend Marla, who happens to be a kindergarten teacher, sent her girls there. If Marla believed it was a good place to be, then it must be. I asked her to pick up an application for me, I filled it out, wrote the check and sent it back with her. Will had been registered for several months before I had even been to the school. I'm so glad I trusted her advice. Will loves school and really has learned through play, something the remedial math teacher in me was very skeptical about. He is loved, he is learning and he is ready for kindergarten!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2009-03-18T14:19:00.004-05:00

More pictures of Alan's new 'do

2009-03-18T14:05:00.004-05:00

My mom is working this week with one of my sister's friends from high school. Over lunch she was telling Bridget's friend all about her new grandson. She had a mouth full of lunch when she answered the question "What is his name?" and Bridget's friend responded "Alan? That's a cute name."

Apparently the Paradise Valley Target Pharmacy is now calling Collin "Alan" and when they saw the pictures of his new haircut thought it was even more fitting. Here are a few more pictures since I did the final updates to Alan's new 'do. He's not looking as "Simpsonish" anymore!

Video Share

2009-03-18T13:49:00.006-05:00

When I went back to the classroom full time after Will was born we were in the first year of implementing the Reading First grant. That story could be it's own blog, but part of our requirement was something called the "video share." We taped ourselves teaching reading and shared it in our study group. Because I have been home for two school years, I've missed out on half the fun of the one year, turned three year, turned four year grant. As I was taping Will reading to Collin this afternoon I was reminded of the fun of video shares.

I'm dedicating this post to my friend Jill.

The Haircut

2009-03-18T10:53:00.002-05:00

Both of my beautiful boys were blessed with crazy baby hair. Will's grew all over his head, but fastest in the back, and at 3 months old he needed a trim to remove the mullet that was growing down his back. Collin's hair, on the other hand, only grows in the front, forming a bit of a mohawk. After spending a good part of the church service on Sunday brushing it out of his eyes I decided something needed to be done. If I thought we could pull off a barrette I would try it, but instead, I cut it.

Here is the BEFORE picture

And here are a few AFTER shots. Unfortunately for Collin this is not one of my skills and I've actually trimmed a little more since these pictures were taken because when I saw the photo below...

...all I could think of was this:

Our favorite 5 year old!

2009-03-15T12:56:00.007-05:00

With all this clapping and cereal eating, we can't forget to brag about our favorite 5 year old. In this picture Will is celebrating a great parent/teacher conference with a Cold Stone Cupcake!

(That pack of cupcakes came in handy the following day when I freaked out about Collin not gaining enough weight! A friend asked me if I was trying to help Collin out by gaining the weight myself! Good point.)

Will is also a huge help with Collin. Here he is trying to feed Collin and discovering it is a messy operation!

Collin's Updated Resume

2009-03-15T12:41:00.008-05:00

Collin has been a very busy boy this month!

His newest skills include:

Sitting up!

Eating solids

We had been waiting on solids because Will has some food sensitivities that cause eczema. The longer we waited to start solids, the less likely Collin would be to have those same issues. When we took him for his 6 month check up he had grown an inch but only gained 1/2 a pound. Our pediatrician wasn't nearly as concerned as Collin's mom was, but she suggested we get started with solids. He put that first bowl of rice cereal away in no time!

And clapping!

The Winters were over for dinner last night and Allie, who loves Collin despite the fact that at one of their first meetings he spit up on her face, was teaching him how to clap!

Our Latest Addictions

2009-03-07T13:01:00.004-06:00

With two little ones at home, Mike and I find ourselves staying in a lot more. We've found entertainment close to home and have developed a few bad habits-watching Lost online and Facebook. The following article was posted by my neighbor (and facebook friend!) Andrea and I thought it was pretty true, although we can't really be "old fogies, " can we?

Why Facebook is for Old Fogies

Collin is 1/2!

2009-02-28T15:47:00.003-06:00

Since there is no 30th of February, I took Collin's 6 month pictures today. As you can see, his newest skill is sitting up (and wearing a mohawk!). He is also now putting himself to sleep at naptime, my favorite milestone next to the smile! He still has no interest in rolling from back to front which keeps him contained, for now. We're planning to start solids after his 6m check-up and shots. He is a happy baby and was a great traveller for his first plane ride to Phoenix and for the 400 mile car ride from Phoenix to Southern California!

Six Months

2009-02-28T15:30:00.003-06:00

A Disney Story

2009-02-16T17:58:00.004-06:00

We're still in Arizona and I plan to share tons of pictures of our Disney adventures when we get home, but I wanted to share one of my favorite stories. As some of you know, Will is not a fan of costumed characters. He is actually very afraid of them. In the picture below this is about as close as he would get to Mickey Mouse. Collin was happy to hold his hand and grab his nose but Will hid behind my leg.

Later that day we went to the Jedi Training Academy show. Unfortunately, Will was not picked to participate but had a front row seat and caught all the action. As part of the show Darth Maul is wandering around looking for recruits for the Dark Side. Several times he was inches from Will, staring us down with some scary colored contacts. Will didn't flinch. I thought it was a little strange that he was afraid of Mickey Mouse but not Darth Maul. We were talking about it later and he explained that he is only afraid of "Fat Head" characters. I had to laugh considering this was coming from a child who had a C/T scan done on his "fat head!"

Greetings from Disneyland!

2009-02-15T11:52:00.002-06:00

Aunt Linda, Amy, Shane, Megan, Collin, Will, Grandma Sharpe, Meg

I wanted to give the blog a quick update with a picture from our visit to Disneyland! More details to come!

Beautiful Article in Newsweek

2009-02-03T21:27:00.002-06:00

Mike and I were both touched by this beautiful article about stillbirth in Newsweek.

Chair Pictures

2009-01-30T14:50:00.000-06:00

Five Months Old!

2009-01-30T14:28:00.003-06:00

Collin is five months old today! Time flies! I can't say that we've hit any significant milestones. He has been rolling from tummy to back for a few months, but hasn't figured out back to tummy. He is still up to eat once or twice each night. We are working on transitioning him to his crib and he isn't on board with that project. With a bit of fussing we were able to get him to sleep in his crib from about 12:30-5:30am last night (this morning!) which was a major victory. We're thankful his big brother sleeps like a log so we're able to let him fuss a bit without waking Will. He'll be spending a good part of this next month with the Sharpes in Arizona where there will be a fair amount of spoiling so I think we'll be saving the sleep project for March!

Happy Birthday Uncle Kevin!

2009-01-25T13:06:00.003-06:00

My younger brother Kevin loves birthdays and holidays. He insists that everyone make a wish list, but then offers his suggestions of what would be "best for you." So we've decided that this year a High School Musical birthday party would be best for him and we've had some fun giving him a hard time about it. Here is Bridget's latest creation!

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

The Apple and The Tree

2009-01-23T15:21:00.002-06:00

The other day I downloaded podcasts of Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow's inauguration day coverage on my iPod. I was watching them in the kitchen while attempting to be productive. I had gone into another room to do something and came back to find Will attentively watching Countdown!

When I was driving Will and a few of his friends to a birthday party the other day one of them noticed an Obama bumper sticker on a passing car. Will then said "Oh yeah! Well, I vote for George Bush!" and laughter erupted from the other 5 year old passengers. Then his friend Josh started talking about how he would vote for John McCain but he lost!

Growing up I always had a crush on Michael J. Fox, but I never imagined I'd be raising an Alex P. Keaton!!!

Funny

2009-01-23T12:45:00.002-06:00

My sister Franny sent us this! Will's large head size has been a source of humor and medical testing over the years so we find this quite funny! Maybe Bratz have given Will the hope that he will some day find a woman with his proportions...

Bratz Dolls May Give Young Girls Unrealistic Expectations Of Head Size