Merry Christmas

Christmas was a very busy day! We started the day off at 7am. Liam must have been a good little boy this year, because Santa Claus went a little overboard. He got this awesome train table that he didn't stop playing with for hours. Liam was not interested in opening any presents, he just kept playing with his train table. Santa made a good choice by picking that out for him. I'm super bummed because I filmed his reaction to his first sight of this table and for some reason my phone no longer has it. :(

Kevin's parents and sisters came over at 8am and we had breakfast. After, the opening of presents. By the time everything was opened it was 12pm. I needed to get Liam down for a nap. We needed to be in Brownsburg at 2pm. Well the excitement of Christmas was keeping Liam from napping. He just kept screaming. I finally allowed him up. He ran to his train table and wouldn't leave it until he was forced to. I had to dress him at this table. Kevin and I are so glad he likes it.

As soon as we arrived at Nick's house Liam decided to fall asleep. Well, a least he got a 5 minute nap. I bought Nick's kids the new Michael Jackson wii game. I have to say that this game is awesome. Liam really loved it. I have video below.

Meeting baby Ari

Well today Kevin and I got to meet the newest member of the Theodore family. Little Ari James was born last night and he is perfect. They had him at Methodist Hospital and I hadn't been there since my mom died. It was a little weird walking in. My emotions started to get the best of me, but I took a deep breath and pulled myself together. It helped that the maternity ward is on the opposite side of the hospital. Holding that little baby got me so nervous and excited for the twins. I forgot how small newborns are.

My dad came over and watched Liam for the first time on his own. I made it easy on him and picked nap time for him to come. Liam was up when we got home but it had only been about 10 minutes. Papaw did change a diaper and put Yo Gabba Gabba on. I was impressed.

Liam is blowing my mind everyday. He is trying to count and sometimes gets the numbers in the correct order. I can't believe how fast they grow. Holding Ari made me have flash backs to Liam being that tiny. Everyone with older kids say it goes by fast. It really does. Liam is now almost 2 and trying to count.

Thanksgiving

So this year I decided that we would host Thanksgiving. I don't know what I was thinking. Our house is so small and 15 people inside of it makes it even smaller. I felt like all I did was wash dishes for 2 hours. I need a bigger house and multiple dish washers.
Kevin made a delicious turkey and John Soderberg brought us a yummy ham. We also had the sides that are mandatory, stuffing, sweet potatoes, mashes potatoes, corn, green beans, cranberry sauce.

Everyone left around 5:30 which gave us a little time to rest up before the next party started. I've made it a tradition to have game night on Thanksgiving eve. The weather was terrible and I was afraid that people wouldn't show, but everyone did. I'm not sure how I got the reputation of cheating, but everyone seems to think I cheat. I don't even know how to cheat at Trivial Pursuit. I once cheated playing a game called Pass Out, but that was only because I didn't want to pass out! Can you really blame me. :) I am a competitive person and I hate to think that everyone thinks I win because I cheat. It really sucks.

The 2nd party ended around 1:30 in the morning. I haven't stayed up past 10pm in months. I felt like I was dying. Liam stayed the night with Kevin's parents. He actually stayed 2 nights in a row. I missed him terribly.

All in all it was a fun and eventful Thanksgiving. Next year is going to be so different. We will have 2 more people to add to the crazy mix. I can't wait!!

Yo Gabba Gabba

Liam is a chatterbox

So Liam is now talking all the time. This little guys loves to talk. A lot of it doesn't make sense, but I still enjoying listening to it. His favorite thing to do is call for Vada, our cat. He finally can say her name. Today in Target, he kept yelling for her. We went to the zoo yesterday and all the animals were Vada. It's funny how kids associate things, now if he sees anything red, he calls it an apple. If he sees anything round, he calls it a ball. If he sees an animal he calls it Vada.

If you say anything now Liam is starting to repeat it, which means that I need to watch my potty mouth. Curse words sometime come out without me even realizing. The days of speaking freely are now long gone.

I have signed Liam up for a "mommy and me" gymnastics class at the Monon Center in Carmel. He is always full of energy and he loves being around other children. I want to get him comfortable with other kids, because soon he will be in daycare. Kevin keeps telling me that Liam will love daycare. I hope he is right. I hated it when I was little.

Dance class

Today I took Liam to a mommy and me dance class. Liam's friend Chloe is in this class and she invited us to try it out. I was worried that Liam would be the only boy. He wasn't, there was one other. He had so much fun. A lot of the class was teaching them how to march, skip, hop, and jump. Liam is a pro in all of these things so he looked like a superstar. He also likes to show off. The teacher kept telling me how cute he is and that he did really well for his first class. Well of course he did. He starts of shy, but then he turns on the charm.

After class I wanted to run some errands, but Liam had other plans like a nap. I decided we should head home and have lunch. Once lunch was consumed, we both took a 2 hour nap. I forgot to mention that Kevin was working so it was just me and the kiddo all day. Kevin has been home for 2 solid weeks now and Liam is very used to waking up with daddy. Today he was very confused. He just kept saying "daddy?". Anyway, after our naps I decided that we needed some new toys, so off to Toys R Us we went. I hate this store. It always seems really dirty and they never have what I am looking for. We left with a drum full of instruments and bubbles.

I've taken Liam off milk for awhile. He has a terrible upset stomach. It's been really hard on him. Every morning he ask for his milk. I've switched to soy and he seems to like it. Lets hope that is tummy goes back to normal. He also was consuming a massive amount of apples (thanks Anderson Orchard). I have now cut him off cold turkey. He isn't taking it well. I think I hear the word apple a thousand times a day. Everything he sees is an apple. I'll ask him "Liam what is that" pointing to a picture of a dog, and he says "APPLE". He has apples on the brain.

100 Acres at the IMA

Anderson Orchard

So today I decided that we needed to pick apples. We headed to Mooresville to the Anderson Orchard. They had tons of apples to choose from. Liam enjoyed picking and tasting. He also enjoyed his first apple cider slushy.

After picking apples we decided that we should eat at Gray's Cafeteria. The food was good. I didn't try any of their famous pie, but Kevin did. It must have been good because he didn't offer me a taste. Oh well.

Liam has been working on his words like crazy. He now say's "what's that?" He also was calling for our kitty. He kept yelling her name ( well something that sounded like her name) over and over.

Yesterday we had people over to watch the Colts game. Liam was having a blast with Ava and Junie. He was running around ruff housing with them. They would take off running and he would be right behind them. He was so worn out before the game was over that at one point he cuddled up with Ava on the couch.

Oh yeah I forgot to mention that Liam can do a perfect somersault. He has watched me do yoga and tries to copy me. Downward facing dog is something that he is constantly doing. Yesterday, he decided that he would just flip his little legs over his head. I was horrified at first. I was afraid he would break his neck, but he loves doing it.

This weekend

Kevin worked all weekend, so John came to town to hang with me for the weekend.

Friday- Liam was super excited to see John. He was dancing and jumping nonstop. It was super cute. We grilled out steaks and corn on the cob. Sometimes it's just easier to stay in than go out to eat. Liam is unpredictable in restaurants. After dinner, Kevin went to bed. He had to get up at 4am the next morning for work. John and I watched Dateline and I learned a lot about albinism. I didn't know that they were hunted in Africa. Witch doctors use their limbs, skin and blood for "magic potions". It was horrible. This woman was asleep with her son when hunters came into her hut and cut her arms off. It was so sad.

Liam decided to wake up around 1am, screaming at the top of his lungs, waking the entire house. I rocked him for a hour and he still wouldn't fall asleep. Finally, Kevin went in there, and Liam laid down.

Saturday, John, Liam and I headed to the Carmel Library for Things that Go rodeo. We met The Smith family, Kelly and Graham. This event gave Liam a chance to get up close and personal with some massive trucks. He could care less. He did enjoy the bubble truck. After, we all had lunch at Bazbeuax Pizza. All the kiddos did awesome.

Saturday afternoon, Amber Lynch and Ryan came over to visit. They didn't stay long and Liam was not super energetic until right before they left. He had just woken up from his nap and didn't feel like being social. Once his chocolate milk hit his bloodstream he was all tap dancing and jumping around.

For dinner we met Amber and Mikey. It was a super busy day. Once we got home, all I really wanted to do was watch Dexter on dvd. I was afraid that John would be bored since he had already watch the season that I'm on. He kept promising me that he didn't mind. I hope he wasn't just being polite.

Liam, true to form, woke up screaming again at 1am. I don't know why this keeps happening, but I sure hope it stops. I rocked him for twenty minutes and he finally fell back to a deep slumber.

Sunday, I was awoken, not by my sweet child, but, by Beatrix the boston. She needed water at 7am and wouldn't stop whining.
John, Liam and I decided to go to breakfast at Hoaglin downtown. John ordered red velvet chocolate chip pancakes with cream cheese frosting. Lets just say that these were awesome.
After breakfast we went to Silver in the City. John noticed that they are hiring someone to work 10-20 hours a week. I decided to apply. I think I can handle working a couple nights a week. Will see.

Friday

Friday was a super busy day. First, Liam and I needed to run some errands. I had purchased a box of diapers on Monday and realized that some of them were defective. I had used a good amount of them but decided that they needed to be returned. I called Target and they said they would take them back. I didn't have the box anymore, but I did have the plastic that they were wrapped in. The woman at the counter looked at me like I was crazy, but she did take them back.

After Target it was lunch and nap time. Liam had slept until 9:30am and I was afraid he wouldn't want to nap. I was wrong. The kiddo took a 3 hour nap. I guess staying up all night will make you sleepy during the day. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that the night before Liam decided that he wanted to scream all night long. I finally got him asleep at 2:30 after hours of rocking. Anyway, while Liam napped, I decided to get caught up on all my chores that I had ignored all week.
Liam had a sleep over had his grandparents house so Kevin and I could go to a friends party. This was the second Friday in a row that Liam stayed with Kevin's parents. He always does great and I think Doug and Dianne enjoy having him.
Before the party we went to fashion mall to do a some shopping and to have dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. After dinner, we ran into John Soderberg and his friends.

The party was at Kristen and Rob's house. Their house is amazing. It is a mid-century modern home that I would love to have. Every time I go over there I get sick with envy. The party was a lot of fun. We stayed out late. Kevin needed to get some rest before his big hike with Andy on Saturday. He only got 3 hours of sleep.

Pictures

Liam

I haven't blogged in awhile. We have been super busy enjoying this hot summer. We have done a trip to the Children's Museum every week, play dates with Jonah, Maren, and Chloe. We have gone to "Storytime" at the Library a couple of times. Trying to pass the time until fall comes with cooler weather. It is now to hot to play outside.

The dental practice is coming along. We are still trying to finalize the details of the lease for the location. It is taking forever. I guess we have gotten a lot done in only a couple months. Kevin actually has gotten a lot done. We now have a lawyer and an accountant. So grown up. We hope to be open by November. Lets hope patients will want to see us. :) I have a feeling we will be fine. I can't wait to get back to work. I love Liam, but I really miss adult interaction.

State Fair

Saturday

Kevin worked. Boo. He is working for a company call Complete Mobile Dentistry where he goes and does exams and treatment plans on military bases. This left me and the little guy a whole day to ourselves. What to do, what to do. Well, first we did a trip to Target. We didn't have any food in the house. After the trip to Target it was lunch then nap time. I put Liam down at noon and he slept till 4pm. Well, there goes most of the day. While he was napping I mowed the lawn, cleaned out the fridge, and finished laundry. Once Liam woke up, I thought we deserved a treat so we headed to Mass Ave to a new frozen yogurt shop called Yogulatte. It was super yummy. They had 9 different flavors that you self serve. Once we enjoyed some cheesecake and banana flavored frozen yogurt we decided to head home. I had no idea when Kevin would be home and his phone wasn't working.

Nick came over on his way out of town to drop off his dog. We are dog sitting until next weekend. She is super sweet, but she is shedding everywhere. I haven't stopped sneezing since he dropped her off.

Kevin got home finally at 7:30pm. He left the house at 6am. I don't like these long days. He really only saw Liam for 30 minutes the entire day. The stinky part is that he has to do it again tomorrow. No break for him, and no break for me. This sucks.

The 4th of July

The 4th of July went a little rocky. First, I woke up to NO COFFEE!!! My brain doesn't function without it. Kevin ran to Kroger to pick some up and some supplies that we needed later for the BBQ at Nick and Robyn's house. When he came back he had my much needed coffee, but forgot my main ingredient for my mac and cheese. It was my dad's 60th birthday so Kevin and I decided that we would make him a birthday cake but also try to keep it patriotic. Kevin bought white icing that we could add coloring to to make blue and red. Well, once the cake was done it looked like a bright pink cake that had a funking design around it. It looked cool, but not what we were going for. We should have let it cool a little longer before adding the icing.

On our way to the BBQ (half way to Brownsburg) my dad called and needed a ride. He had blown a tire the night before and didn't have a spare (so he thought). Maddie, my little sister, had come to town from Alabama and promised to pick him up. Well, when he had called her she wasn't even ready. The BBQ had already started and my dad was upset that he wasn't there. Kevin, the sweet husband that he it, turned around and we headed to Broad Ripple to get him.

The BBQ was fun, but there was a lot of people I didn't know and wasn't in a super social mood. I really just wanted to go see a movie and relax. I'm also sick of people finding out what Kevin does, and then they try to make him feel bad about it by saying, "I hate the dentist" and "Dentist have a high rate of suicide". I wish people, especially adults, would think before they speak.

After hanging out for a little while we decided to go to a movie. Grandma came over to watch the little guy while Kevin and I went to see Eclipse.

The movie ended around 10pm and when we left the theater the sky was lighting up in all directions. Finally it was dark enough outside to light of fireworks. This stupid day light savings makes it still light at 9:30 at night.

The month of June

I haven't been on here in awhile. Lets see, oh yeah, Kevin and I are opening a dental practice in Brownsburg and we hope to have it opened by October. So far, we have the location picked, the loan approved, and the supplier picked. When Kevin is motivated, watch out. He has gotten so much done in one month. His last day at Small Smiles will be August 25th! I can't wait for him to be done with that place.

Liam is growing like a weed! I think all the summer sunshine is helping. I can't believe how much he is talking. When he says uh-oh it melts my heart. Here is a list of words that he can say:
1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. Ruff
4. Uh-Oh
5. Bite
6. Up
7. What
8. Hi
9. Bye
10. Eye
11. No
12. Yes
13. Cheese
14. Dog

He tries to say Yo Gabba Gabba and Buster Brown. He also talks a ton of German. Ok maybe it's not German, but it kinda sounds like it.

We just finished up swim lesson at Sahm's park in Castleton. He did awesome. They were 3 days a week at 10 in the morning. The stupid Indiana weather screwed up a couple lessons, but for the most part it was money well spent. I want Liam to feel very comfortable in and around water.

Thursday

Today Liam and I went to the Indianapolis Zoo with Tricia and her daughter Chloe. It was hot and busy, but still a lot of fun. We got to see the new cheetahs, which were very cool, and the monkeys. After walking around for awhile I decided that we needed ice cream and then some splash time.

The splash park was a big hit with the kids. The only problem was the bigger kids running around. What looked like a 5 year old boy smashed into Liam. This little boy was very polite and made sure that Liam was okay. He was. Liam kept dancing in the water. It was so funny.

We took the train ride, I had never done before, it was horrible. You can't really see anything and it cost money. BOO. Liam did find it exciting though. By the end I could tell he was sleepy. He kept putting his head in my lap.

Sunday

Last night Liam didn't sleep well. We didn't get home from Nick's until 9:30 and Liam didn't feel like sleeping. I think he finally went to sleep around 10:30. At 2am he was up screaming. He was overtired and a mess. It totally stinks when his schedule gets messed with. How do you teach a 1 year old to be flexible?

Today was Kevin's sister, Robyn, 30th birthday. To celebrate, Kevin's mom planned a family picnic. It was very hot and Liam wanted to run around like a wild man, which meant I had to run around. He had a chocolate cupcake and was on a sugar buzz. Kevin's grandmother, Teresa Zahn, birthday is on the 31st so we combined the picnic for both of them. She is turning 89.

After the picnic we ran home and I got ready for a movie and dinner celebration for Melissa's birthday. Amber Theodore, Amber Lynch, Melissa and myself went to see Sex and the City 2. It sucked. I knew that the reviews had been bad, but I still had a little bit of hope. After, we to Sakura for dinner. It was nice to hang with the girls. I don't get to do that enough.

Saturday

Liam was up by 7:30am this morning. I gave him some breakfast and we headed out the door. I need to pick up some supplies for Nick's bbq so we went to Trader Joe's. After, Kevin was hungry so there was a quick trip to Mcdonalds for pancakes.

It has been crazy warm for May in Indiana. I think the average temp had been in the mid 80's. After Liam had his nap he went for a swim. We have been swimming almost everyday this past week.

6pm we headed for Nick's annual pre race BBQ. There was a ton of people and lots of good food. Liam was a huge it. He has such a good personality.