Josh is 6 months old and Emily is 7!

What a weekend. Emily had her birthday party on Friday. She had a great day. She has basically been counting down from her last birthday. She had hoped for an Alvin and the Chipmunks themed party, but we ended up with Hello Kitty instead. Since is was actually Friday the 13th this year we had a PJ, Pizza, Popcorn Movie Party. I thought most kids would not be able to make it, but almost everyone could come so it was a little wild here! All the kids seemed to get bored with the movie half way through, but we finished it anyway with minor interruptions to eat pizza, and frost cookies. Then we had cake & opened presents. Josh was done about that point, so Karl took over and helped Emily not completely get the greedy gimmies! After the presents were opened, we had 30 more minutes before parents showed up so we got out the Disney Dance Dance Revolution and that was a huge hit! Emily & I practiced last weekend over and over until we actually got her to able to play a whole song straight through. She was so proud of being able to complete a song and then did it 4 more times by herself. Emily really enjoyed her presents and had a hard time going to bed at 9 after all her friends had left. We tried to get her to properly thank her guests and say goodnight, but it was hit & miss! With one boy, she barely even thanked him before she rushed back into the DDR fray!
Pictures will be coming soon!

Sydney has been asking me to cut her hair for the last few weeks. Finally this week I caved. She cries almost every time brush her hair and never lets me do anything fun with it. What is the fun of a girl with long lovely hair if she doesn't let her mommy play with it! So unfair! So I took her on Thursday and she got about 4 inches taken off. It is a cute little bob. She likes it better. We didn't get it as short as she wanted it, but that seems to be ok now. It isn't as tangly anymore although it still gets in her food.

I did get to put rollers in Emily's hair last Sunday that she slept in. It made her hair absolutely adorable & bouncy. She loved it. We tried again on Thursday, but it was not as effective without the slightly damp post bath hair. We also awakened the inner phone diva in Emily. She got to talk to my Mom on the phone. Normally Emily gets a little useless on the phone. She doesn't put her ear up to the phone and prefers the speaker phone. She did use speaker phone this time, but actually held it to her ear and talked for a good 25 minutes to mom. Karl and I were amazed. We think she actually had her longest conversation. Either that or it was the longest monologue on record. Thanks Mom for your patience!!!

Question about food bill

Does anyone know anything about the Food Safety and Modernization Bill? HR 875? I got an email about it and trying to find something in plain English that explains this. I can't tell if it will affect organic farming, backyard gardening, or what. It seems like there are lots of post against it on blogs. If anyone has any insight, I'd appreciate an education.

It's a Snow Day!

We actually got something other than rain this weekend. In a shocking twist of fate we got a snow day this year and we actually had snow on the snow day! It wasn't much, but the girls had a blast and licked snow off the ground, the bush, the car, and out of the air. Gross, but lots of fun if you are say 6 or 4. They threw snow at one another, and looked at their footprints and even thought about making snow angels.

As Karl and I were driving around town looking at the pretty snowfall and the lovely frosted trees and roofs. It made us nostalgic for Connecticut. But we decided we were not quite nostalgic enough to go back to the frosty temperatures for so much of the time. We were thinking maybe Northern Virginia instead!

Weekly Excitement

Going in no particular order...

I got a haircut and love it.
It has rained for 48 hours and the yard is squishy.
We started composting-so far no master system is in place, and that is also squishy.Thank goodness for the garden and the rain!
Size 2 diapers are no longer a good fit for Josh. We know this because they leaked and were also very squishy and gross.
Sydney learned to wiggle her eyebrows to add interest to her speech. It is incredibly funny.
We discovered a new pacifier that Josh likes. It is the Soothie kind.
Karl signed up for his first masters class yesterday! yeah!!!
Gremlins came into the house and made a mess of my nice tidy craft desk.

Living with Felines

I have somewhat unusual cats. They prefer to not eat out of plastic. They like cold filtered water, and appreciate the finer dining options. When pressed or generally unimpressed with their options they are willing to get takeout however. About two weeks ago we bought a different kind of kibble. (Strike 1) They were not thrilled. We also served a different variety of their normal wet cat food. (Strike 2) They got take out.

I was in the kitchen when a heard an odd thump on the door and heard scurrying sliding cat feet. I looked away from the stove and saw a little grey bird fluttering around on the floor and getting picked up by Abby. I ran over, scolded her and tried to catch the bird. The bird was thrilled to be out of the cats mouth, but was not as eager to be in my hands. It flew down the hall before I could convince it that it really wanted to go back to the kitchen and out the now open glass door.

I went out a bought their regular kibble that afternoon. No more takeout orders have been placed since then.

However, the other night while nursing Josh, Carrie hopped up onto my lap. Karl commented on the kitty snuggle time and wondered where Abby was. I jokingly suggested checking the closed closet. He opened the door and called her name, and sure enough she had gotten locked inside the closet. This happens to her at least once a week. Does she not care or is it that she falls asleep inside the nice dark closet and only worries about it when she wakes up. Who knows!

Solid Food and Puffed Apple Pancake

We are feeding Josh some solid food now because he just seems hungry! He also like watching us eat now, and so far he likes everything he has tried. (Apple, Brown rice cereal, potato, & sweet potatoes) For just starting to eat semi solid food (basically soft mush at this point) he is grasping the concept really well. He really enjoyed his rice cereal and apple mush tonight.He was even opening his mouth for the spoon and sort of lunging for it. It was cute, but messy. And I didn't have the camera handy. The high chair is not out of the attic yet, but hopefully that can happen tomorrow! So far he has eaten while sitting in our laps, and in the baby bjorn. I am hoping that by eating solid food, he will go back to sleeping trough the night. It has not happened again since the one recorded posting. He has been waking up once or twice, even 4 times in the last 2 weeks. Yuck.

I cleared off my craft table about 3 weeks ago so I could work at it and just did Josh's first scrapbook page. It was lots of fun to get back into it. As Karl was looking through my book last night, he commented on the jump from December 07 to September 08, but what can you do. So I missed a year. I was working on 07 in 08, so now I will work & catch up on last year.

We are thinking about trying to teach the kids Spanish. If anyone has any good suggestions let us know! Sydney's preschool teacher suggested it for her, and we think it is a great idea. Sydney is a little sponge and just soaks up new material. If she hears a song only once or twice, she can sing it back later in the day and get the gist of the song. It amazes me.

Emily is a puzzle. At some times she is an incredible helper, with Josh, with odd jobs, etc, and at other times, she is overwhelmed by simple things like her socks. Lately her special seamless socks have been too itchy for her to wear. I don't know where else to get soft socks since I am buying the softest ones I have ever found. Pants that were perfect just a few weeks ago are also no longer ok for her either. Argh. She holds everything together at school, but when she gets home the littlest things upset her and she just dissolves into tears. It is rough. She is also starting to have lots of loose teeth. Right now she is missing one and looks like 4 more are getting ready to fall out.

Karl and I are trying to figure out what to do with the next few years. Wish us luck! San Diego has job offers, and perfect weather, but it is really far away from the majority of family members. We saw a house for was really lovely up for foreclosure, and Karl was thinking if we end up staying here is Suffolk, he wants to unload our house and live in a different one. We never planned to live her for very long and now we know a few more things about house layouts that we like & that we dislike. Someday I would love to design and build a house that is just for us, and has all the charm of a really old house, but all the features of a new one. That day is pretty far away though.

I made a puffed Apple pancake tonight. My mom used to make it when I was a kid. I thought I followed her recipe, but it did not turn out the way I remember it tasting. I'm not sure what I did wrong though. I remembered a higher fluffier puff in hers. Think popover meets apple pie. It was more cooked apple filling meets egg-y cooked dough. No really impressive air in the thing.

So, my other plan this week is (after reading an article saying that good sleep habits aid in weight loss) to turn in around 10:30 every night. We'll see how I do! Good night!

Emily lost a tooth

After only 6 month of wiggling, the front tooth is finally out!.

He did it!!!

Yahoo! Josh slept all the way through the night by himself in his crib! Yeah!!!! And he found his thumb. He is still a fan of the other 8 fingers, but mastered thumbsucking alone. Right now he is sampling my thumb bone. Apparently it is also tasty.

The very late family Newsletter for 2008

Happy Chinese New Year,
This past year has brought lots of changes to our family. Most notably, we had a baby boy in September. I’d like to blame the lateness of this letter on the baby, but it isn’t really all that fair to him. We still live in Suffolk, Virginia, and have really settled in here. We have done some traveling to see family this year. We went to Fairfax, VA, Ithaca, Rochester, and Syracuse, New York; Ayer, Massachusetts, and New Haven, Connecticut. Karl also made it to Hawaii, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Denver on business and to see his nieces get married. Although we are far away from most of the family, it was fun to spend a lot of time this year with our closest family members, Heather’s sister and her family.

Emily & Sydney absolutely love school! Emily finished Kindergarten in June and began 1st grade in September. She loves her teachers, loves reading and art, and is enjoying being 6. She is also a wonderful helper with her baby brother. Sydney is in preschool this year. She is as creative as ever, and as feisty as ever! She is a big hit with her teachers at school & at church. She makes it easy to forget she is only 4. They absolutely adore tigers. They like to dress up like them, to draw them and to collect all kinds of tigers.

Both girls were expecting a baby who was more like their cousin Caleb (who is almost 2) who moved & talked, than like an actual newborn baby, so it is only as Josh gets a little older that they are realizing he really is a baby too, not just a bundle in Mom's lap. They are excited to teach him things, and love making him smile. Josh is a wonderful happy little fellow. We love how his smile lights up his face and it is so great to have in our family at last.

Karl and I are struggling with the challenges of life, but hoping we are meeting them well more days than not! Karl has a heavy work load, and a lot of stress at work. He is also dealing with some recent medical issues, like diabetes, which we hope can be turned around with diet and exercise! Sadly it will mean less candy and raw brownie batter!

The kids and the house keep me busy, but I enjoy getting the one on one time just with Josh. I took some time off from my regular design work this year and focused on more creative pursuits like scrapbooking, stamping, and photography. I still love to read and will fall into a book any chance I get! I have made many good friends here and enjoy the time we have spent in this area.

We don't know where we will be next year, but hope it will go as well as this past year has gone for us. We hope this year has started well for you, and wish you all the best in these uncertain times.

With love,
The Pilz Family

I am proud of me!

I actually got a lot done today. This was the kids first day at school for a full day in 5 days! We had a lack of snow day and 4 half days. It was really amazing when 2pm rolled around to see what I had accomplished. what I am most proud of is that I have a clear craft desk! Yeah! Now I can get back into my scrapbooking and stamping! Yeah haw!

Phrases taken out of context

If you just heard this..."Emily, I can balance my poo on your feet." You might be alarmed, repulsed, or confused. Never fear, this was said in reference to Winnie the Pooh, who was perched on top of Emily's feet. But hey, it made us laugh.

Snow Day

School was cancelled today for snow. Odd thing was the snow (a 1-5" snowfall) never came. Thankfully the YMCA was open and we were able to get there and blow off a little steam. We heard all weekend that we had a Winter Storm warning in affect. We saw a few flurries today but that was it. North Carolina got lucky though:)

Doctor Day

Josh is 17lbs 3oz and 26.5 inches. He is healthy but not actually cutting a tooth. The white spot is an epstein pearl. He is teething though. Yeah me! I tried to get him in his crib tonight, but was not successful as of yet. He is sleeping in my bed right now. Sigh!

Sydney on the other hand is not healthy. She got a double whammy strep & UTI. Poor kiddo! No school for her today or tomorrow. They are not sure what kind of UTI it is, so they are culturing the bacteria over the weekend. Oddly enough she is not complaining about feeling sick, but she is just low energy, and not really hungry. She isn't even that whiney. I have never had one, so I have never had one, so I did not know that it feels like it is burning you when you go to the bathroom. I think she has had more than one of these, but I didn't know it. She has complained about "hot pee" before. Now I know! She isn't even really complaining about it either. But she has a 103.5 fever, so it is definitely not ok in her body.

Just need to rant for a moment

OK, does anyone else know about the lead free Consumer Act going into place on Feb 10th? Toys, clothing, anything market for children under 13 and made here in the US must be tested for lead. This means at the manufacturing level and on the second hand level-By ebay, thrift, & consignment stores! I found out about it by accident on craigslist, and it just shocked me that our government thought this was a great idea. By all means let's make it harder for families to buy inexpensive things for the children.

This is a article from a political talk show, but I think it nicely covers the common sense side of things. I emailed my congressperson, but since it has already been passed, the only thing I think people can do it make enough of a fuss that we can make get it interpreted better, or possibly junked. Bottom line, buy any second hand items before this law takes effect, because those store may go out of business next month.

Glenn Beck Link

But if you feel so inclined, read more and contact your congressperson too!

Primary Quote

This wasn't my child, but I was teaching sharing time today and we were talking about the War in Heaven. When I asked who was fighting, one little boy replied "The French". It was just so funny!

Emily this afternoon for snack was assembling apple slices, coating them with peanut butter and rolling them in goldfish. People eat apples & cheese, and apples and Peanut butter, but this takes that combo to a whole new level.

My Grandma would be so proud!

Today while reading scriptures, Sydney mentioned something about a friend and me, then she stopped and corrected herself and said her friends name and I! We went over this once a few weeks ago at dinner and she remembered and corrected herself! Oh and did I forget to mention she was doing the reading???? The mind reels!

Baby Teeth

I think my baby is working on his first tooth. I see something white in his gums!!! He isn't even 4 months old yet!

Happy New Year!!

So, Thanksgiving, and Christmas went by in a blur! We have been having a great but very busy time these past few weeks. We went to Connecticut and Massachusetts for Thanksgiving to spend time with my side of the family. We spent some a day with my sister on our way North which was wonderful since they could not join the rest of us in CT. We celebrated Turkey day on Friday this year so we could spend Thursday traveling. It was really weird to know the majority of America was dining on turkey while we were at McDonald's. I wanted to go up to the other diners and say "What's your excuse?" The trip home was incredibly slow! It should have been 9 hours of driving time, 12 including stops. It took 17 1/2 total. Yuck! I was not the driver, but what a long time to spend on the car! Josh was as good as he could be, but after 12 hours, when his little bottom hit the car seat again, he just crumpled up and started to wail. I felt so incredibly bad for him. I had a book (the 4th Twilight book) so my trip flew by faster than any one else's did.

The last month of school went to quickly. I did not feel prepared for Christmas this year. I was working on so many different projects, and none seemed to get done on the time schedule I wanted! But, the big day came and went and everyone had a good time. I am dabbling in jewelery making, sewing, stamps and a bunch of other things as well as my design projects. Our office and bedroom are a mess right now!

In fact, the other day Emily asked why we (Karl and I) got dessert since our room was messy. She said I know it's messy I was in there today! How rude!

i can't believe another year is almost up!

This is the cute little onesie my cousin made for him. It is so cute! Prior to picking up my camera, he was smiling at me.

I really remember last year at this time fairly well! It just amazes me for quickly time shot by this year!

Emily got 2 awards at the end of Quarter Award ceremonies. She got Principal's list for all A's and a Perfect Attendance Award. Sydney also got Student of the month of September/October. I didn't make it to her award ceremony because I was trying to get registered to vote.

Last week was rather awful.Karl was gone, the heater was not working for 2 full days, Sydney fell on her way to the bus and did a face plant and did not go to school, the next day she was sent home for a possible case of pink eye, and had to stay home the following day. I had a killer project, and was not sleeping well since Josh was also not sleeping well due to his cold. Poor baby still has the cold! Emily was a little whiny, but over all not too bad. We also found out Karl really does have diabetes. He meets the with doctor next Monday, but until then we are trying to figure out the best approach. I am trying to put my speedy reading skills to good use and go through a few books for him. It is much easier to get through fiction though!

Updates

So a lot has changed in 2 weeks. Josh is two months old tomorrow! yeah! He is growing so fast. He has had his first cold and had to sleep in his week for part of the night so he didn't choke. Sydney has struggled at night with coughing/asthma, but is doing well at school. Report card & parent teacher conferences are happening today. I have taken family photos for two families here which is exciting. Maybe some day i will include professional photographer to my repertoire.

The big news is the Karl just got told his blood sugar is out of whack and he has type 2 diabetes. This is crazy news and we have not quite figured out what all this will mean for him.