sibling love

I love my kiddos. Dennis was sick today and stayed home from school. Most of the day he was laying on the couch watching TV. Zola layed down on top of him and put her face on his face (cheek to cheek) and slowly patted his mouth. I just love it how they love each other. Tonight as they were going to sleep, Zola started to cry a little. I heard Dennis say, "It's ok Zolie. Zolie. Zolie, It's ok". She calmed down and they both fell asleep. Moments like these are so tender to me. It reminds me of my deep love for my brothers and all the times that they comforted me. Even tho we will be moving into a bigger house next year, I think I will keep them in the same bedroom.

Scrub a dub dub

They love taking baths.

snow!

We woke up Sunday morning to 3 inches of snow! This only happens once or twice a year. So, after church we hit the hills. They were pretty worn since everyone in the neighborhood had already gone down the hills earlier that day. Dennis loves to go fast and he loves to wipe out. If you are able to zoom in on Dennis's face in the picture it is classic. I love that boy. 

 Zola had her first sledding experience. I couldn't tell if she liked it or if she was terrified. She had wide eyes and was kicking both legs all the way down.

 Jackets just don't fit babies very well.

Dennis was not so happy after a good face plant... that is until I wiped his face with my bare hand... I didn't think it did anything but he bounced back immediately.

 Our friends, the Bookers met up with us.

 wiped out.

 Brad and Jude

 Dennis with his best friend Eloise. When she found out Dennis was moving she cried really hard and said, "but he's my best friend!"

It was a great day. The snow didn't stay long. On Tuesday we went to the park without jackets.

a few words about z

Zola's stats: height 28.5" weight 18 lb 7.5 oz

Zola has been saying a couple of words. She says mama, dada, denne (dennis), buda (buster), buyo (bruno), uh oh

She is working really hard at getting more mobile. Last night she took one step before lowering down to sit. She is always scooting further from the couch and pushing up to stand. She is pretty cute when she does it because she focuses so hard and then after she looks at you and gives the biggest grin. She loves rice, quesadillas, and oranges. So far, she doesn't like too many vegetables. I guess I can't give up on them but she just spits them right out. She loves to dance to any kind of music... even if it is just me singing the same line of the song that I can't get out of my head. She is always ready to party. She doesn't like strangers talking to her  in the store. She glares at them. She learned how to get off of Dennis' bed without falling- turning around backwards with feet first. She does that getting off of the couch and my bed now too. She gets really excited when daddy comes home. If he doesn't pay attention to her, she will yell at him until he looks her way. She loves to play chase. It's amazing how fast kids grow up. I love my little one year old. 

Here are some videos of her dancing. 

zola's first birthday

Zola LOVES playing with Dennis and his friends. They don't mind her playing with them either. Eva and Dennis are playing doctor and Zola is as close as she can get. 

 Like any good big brother, Dennis likes to make silly faces in pictures meant for Zola.

 She is wearing this super cute outfit that Nonnie bought for her.

 The dogs are so patient with Zola as she learns to be soft.... for the hundredth time.

 We went out to applebees for Zola, Grandma, and Ryan's birthdays.

 We sang happy birthday to Zola over and over again because she loved it every time and would start dancing.

 I love my husband. He is so handsome.

 Zola got a complimentary chocolate mousse. She loved it.

 She liked it so much she kept licking her lips.

 yup, it was that good...

 Like always, I can't have that nice of a cake for the first birthdays... I can't set the bar too high.

 I LOVE THIS PICTURE.

 She started out pretty timid. She doesn't like to get her hands dirty.

 She had enough to enjoy herself without getting too messy.

 Then she opened presents...

 She got a musical table from Grandma and Grandpa

 and a baby doll from me.

 She is a very good mama.

 She went to bed a happy girl.

talented d

I love Dennis! He is so much fun to have around. This morning he asked to be excused from the table and I said that he had to answer 4 questions first. Which do you like better the car or the van? D's response: "the car with daddy in it- he is so cool."

Dennis goes to a very unique school. It is in the upstairs of a lady's house. She wanted to make  montessori school affordable for student families. So, she volunteers the space and our tuition goes straight to the teacher that comes in everyday. We have really loved it. His classroom is a classic Montessori school where it is student driven. It is really quiet and the students are doing their own "work". I came to observe one day this last week for about 30 minutes. In that time, Dennis cleaned up his station where he was washing a baby doll, He made me some orange juice, he made a snowflake, put some batteries in a snowglobe, and led circle time. I wish I could find a place like this in Rochester for next year that didn't cost thousands of dollars. 

Here are some videos for you to enjoy: 

This one was of Dennis skiing in Utah over christmas

This one is of Dennis at his gymnastics class. He is so much fun to watch. He is by far the best one in his class, he is very strong and agile. He was the last one in line to use to bar. Everyone else really struggled getting their feet up to the bar. When it was his turn, he did it so quickly that he surprised everyone. You could hear an audible gasp from one of the parents... yes. I am a bit proud.

Here he is sharing his elephant at circle time at school.



Here is some work that he did at school. Sorry, I didn't know how to rotate my photos