#100!

This post is my 100th post! I can't believe it! When I first started this blog, I wondered how I'd be able to keep it up and if I'd keep it up...seems to be going ok! I really enjoy posting and keeping a diary of sorts on our life. Just looking back to when I started this, I was just pregnant with Hailey. Now she's almost 10 months old. Time flies...which is exactly why I'm doing it-so I can look back and try to savor those precious life moments....

Hailey went to work with me one day for part of the day...she's a good helper!

Hailey is such my little lady! She is such a smiley baby-always has a grin on her face. She's babbling away and seems to respond to us when we talk to her. She's full of "mama's" and "dada's". She also does "baba's". Miles says that she's trying to say "big brother"-which may be true! She enjoys walking behind her push toys and is standing more on her own. She started clapping and if you say "yay, Hailey", she'll often stop what she's doing and clap. :) She is also starting to clap to music and bob her little head and move to a beat. She has also just begun holding on to my hands and walking. She's so proud of herself, and she should be! What a big little girl. She melts my heart. And her snuggles...I love her snuggles. She snuggles right into my shoulder and under my chin, burying her head into my neck. I just want to keep her there forever. I love you Love Bug!



And then there's Miles. Miles is such a light in my life. He's such a wonderful big brother and son, he melts my heart. He often exclaims "Oh I love my baby so so so so so so so SO much!" And then he proceeds to give her hugs and kisses. If he's hard to wake in the morning, I just bring Hailey in and he perks right up and says how Hailey wants him. This morning, she was clamoring to get to him and gave him hugs and kisses until he woke up. Then he hugged her and hopped right out of bed. He's so smart and is doing so well in this new class. He's in the 4's room, a Pre-K room. He's writing his name really well now and counts forward and backwards all the time. He looks for things to learn about in daily life; for example, we'll point out and look for different shapes when we're waiting for something (i.e. at the doctor's office or in a restaurant). He knows the months almost in order (just skipping a few). He's figuring the world out and just can't seem to get enough! He's doing awesome in school and hasn't had any incidents in a long time. I'm so proud of him! And we're working on his drop offs in the morning as well. In the past, he's liked for me to carry him to his classroom and then has a meltdown-crying and grabbing my neck-sometimes hanging from my neck. I usually leave him in the teacher's arms crying. So, we're working on that. I'm not carrying him back anymore and he's giving me lots of hugs and kisses in the room. I'm taking my time with him and allowing him to have that. When he's ready (with me moving it along without rushing him), I leave. He's done so well and I can tell by the look on his face that he's proud of himself. And I'm proud of him too! Oh Smiles, I love you so much!

This past weekend, we went to visit my parents. My brother, Matt, and his 2 boys, Gavin and Emmett, were in town too. We had such a great visit! Dad seemed to be doing pretty well and so was mom. I was happy that we were able to do a little bit of work for them while we were there. I hope to be able to do more and more of that. I like being able to help them. We went bowling on Saturday morning and that was the first time for Gav and Em and the first time in about 2 years for Miles. Of course it was Hailey's first time too, but she didn't really bowl! :) It was a great time. It was also funny while we were there-Em and Miles got snacks and slushy drinks. Miles drank his drink really fast and ended up with brain freeze. While I felt bad for him, it was pretty funny! It was also a great treat that my very dear friend, Shauna, was able to join us! I haven't seen her in about a year and it was really nice to catch up. Even if we did get beat by all 3 boys!

Brain Freeze!

Friends since Kindergarten!

While I anticipated a very busy weekend, it was actually pretty restful! Miles, Gavin and Emmett played together nicely and didn't require too much direction. Ahmad was also wonderful and often kept watch over them and ensured they had lots of fun things to keep them busy. It was a wonderful visit and I hope to see everyone again real soon.


We also had a real nice visit today. Since I got off work early, I took the kids over to our old neighbor's to play and have dinner. It was a great visit and the kids really had a lot of fun. The dads got there after they were done with work and enjoyed dinner and some playtime before we had to leave. Miles was very sad to leave and told me on the way home that he wanted to take his bed to Evelyn's so he could stay there for a long long time. It was cute! On that note, Ahmad also has a new job. Today was his second day and I'm so proud of him. It seems like a good fit so far and I hope he enjoys it. I'd love for him to like his work.

I'm excited about this week and about everything that is coming up. I hope that we all find peace and happiness in God's time-which is sometimes different than our time!

Boo!

We had a marvelous Halloween! We went to Zoo Boo the weekend before Halloween with Amber, Jeff, Lauren, and Monica. We enjoyed the zoo, trick or treating, and seeing everyone dressed up. It was a good rehearsal for the big night!


We had fun getting ready for the big night too! Last year, Miles wouldn't touch the pumpkins and I had to carve them myself. This year, he was pretty into it! Hailey liked it too and had fun getting slimy. Miles decided he wanted his pumpkin to be be scary and Hailey's pumpkin to be sad. :)

Hailey turned 9 months old on Halloween!

Halloween night was a bit chilly, so Ahmad and Hailey were only with us for a short while. Then they headed back to the house to pass out candy. Miles did really well for the most part. He wanted to ride his bike and that worked out pretty well. He got upset once because he wanted to keep crossing the street back and forth and he got tired towards the end. He decided he wanted to come back and help hand out candy, so we skipped the rest of the houses and headed home. The candy bucket is still pretty full....

Drinking From My Saucer

I got this poem as an email forward from my mom. I love it and of course it came at the most appropriate time.

I've never made a fortune, and it's probably too late now.
But I don't worry about that much, I'm happy anyhow
And as I go along life's way,
I'm reaping better than I sowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

Haven't got a lot of riches,
and sometimes the going's tough
But I've got loving ones all around me,
and that makes me rich enough.
I thank GOD for his Blessings,
and the Mercies HE's bestowed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

I remember times when things went wrong,
My faith wore somewhat thin.
But all at once the dark clouds broke,
and the sun peeped through again.

So LORD, help me not to gripe,
about the tough rows I have hoed.
I'm drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

If GOD gives me strength and courage,
When the way grows steep and rough.
I'll not ask for other blessings,
I'm already Blessed enough.

And may I never be too busy,
to help others bear their loads..
Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,
'Cause my cup has overflowed.

When I think of how many people in this world have it worse
than I do, I realize just how BLESSED WE really are.

Falling Into Fall

So much to catch up on, I don't know where to start! The other weekend we enjoyed an afternoon at the pumpkin patch with our friends Jeff, Amber and Lauren. It was pretty funny right from the start-when we got there and parked, we discovered that Hailey had a dirty diaper-that had leaked. So, we changed her and put her into the backup pants that I keep in my bag, and as Ahmad called them, they were "seafoam green". Oh well, it was just the patch, right? As we were standing in line, Amber called me and said that Lauren threw up when they got there and it was all over her. And they didn't have anything to change her into, what did I have? I had a pair of Miles' pants (size 3T) and one of Hailey's onesies (size 6 months) and Lauren is 19 months old. But it worked! The onesie was amazingly stretchy....! Despite the funny outfits, a good time was had by all.

The other weekend while I was working, Ahmad, Miles, and Hailey were playing outside and Miles wanted to play football. He had his helmet on and was ready-but then he asked Ahmad for another one. When asked why, he said it was for his friend, who was standing right beside him. Miles has an imaginary friend! His name is Joshish and he appears at random times. He was around quite a bit for that week or two, but hasn't been mentioned too often lately. OK, time for a classic Zahler tale-when I was little, probably 3ish, I had an imaginary friend and her name was Sarah Cindy. She lived in this huge pink motel in a nearby (was it nearby? Or was in my town? I'm not really sure) town. My dad tells a story that one time my mom and I got into an argument because I wanted Sarah Cindy to spend the night, but we were having company in for the weekend and my mom said there wouldn't be room. HA! Cracks me up. That's one the first things I told Ahmad when he told me about Joshish-there was always room for him to come over! :)

Miles likes to get in the closet and do "work". He pulls everything out and then has to put it all back. It's very important work!

Hailey is doing so much these days! She's eating everything that we eat and loves it! We only give her water to drink (and breastmilk) and she doesn't get any sweets or other obvious bad foods (i.e. chips that Miles thought she would like), but pretty much, she's eating what we're eating. We've also noticed that she eats with her left hand. Wonder if she'll be a lefty! She still takes baby food at daycare just because we thought nutritionally it was better because for a while, she wasn't eating a very balanced diet. And she still eats it just fine from them, so we stuck with it. We'll see how much longer that goes on though. She's also reciprocating affection! She's trying to kiss us sometimes and is hugging me! I love it. She started doing it when I get up with her at night. I always pick her up and hug her to me and ask her what's wrong, etc etc. She started hugging me back! Now she hugs me often, just presses her little body to me and clings on. Melts my heart.

My Little Pumpkin!

Hailey also did another first-she made her first sign. I've been doing sign language with her pretty much since birth, mainly signing "milk" when I feed her. Once she hit 6 months, I started with other signs and have been waiting for her to catch on. The other night I thought she signed "light" when I did after we finished her night time story, but wasn't sure. Well, the next night, she did it again! Yup, she signed it. I was surprised she didn't sign "milk" first, but then I thought, she gets her point across just fine by sucking on my face or fussing that I know when she wants to eat. Why would she bother signing?! And another first is that she stood up by herself! She was standing up holding on to the stool and let go-and stayed standing! She's done it several more times now and has even done some real standing-using her legs and bending at the knee to lower herself or to stand up. I can't believe it! She'll be walking before we know it!

A drawer Hailey can play in!



All warm and ready for a walk!

Miles is still motorcycle obsessed. On almost a daily basis we talk about motorcycles and he still insists he wants one and that he's big enough to touch the ground while riding it and therefore should have one. It's a never ending battle. And I probably didn't help much. It was pretty funny. One day when I was talking to my mom, she told me there was an ad in the paper for a powerwheel that sounded like a motocross bike type. She asked if it might be good for Miles for Christmas. I told her it was a good idea, but probably not. They were big and pretty expensive. That evening, I got on Craig's List, which I hardly ever do, and found an ad for a motorcycle powerwheel for $50. It was down the street from my work, so I contacted them and went to see it the next day. It was cute. And I talked them down. I couldn't resist. I brought it home and Miles loved it. :)


The other day when I took him to school, he got upset with me because I didn't turn in the first drive to school. I mean, an all out tantrum-screaming, not walking, crying, hysterical. It was a bit ridiculous I have to admit, but now kind of funny. We've had a talk about how I am the driver and the mommy and I make the decisions about where we drive. I hope that sticks.

Miles playing in my makeup

Miles had a rough few days (like 2-3) the other week and the administration at his preschool decided it was best to move him to a new room. We had briefly talked about it, but I didn't realize that meant the next infraction. Well, it did and he was moved mid-day one day. He's now in the older 4 Pre-K room. He's by far the youngest in the room, but maybe this will be good for him. He's been in there 2 weeks now and has done great. He did learn 1 new bad word, but didn't take it too far. I hope this is a good move for him! We have noticed that he's already learning lots more, which is fantastic. He's sounding out words and is able to identify what letter most of them start with. Maybe he'll be reading soon! And he's working on learning the months in order. He does January and February and then skips to June and can finish out the year. If we get spring in there, he'll be set! Another thing I've noticed in the past week is that he's having a hard time with transitions. Like finishing one thing (TV show, finished playing, putting on jammies, etc) and moving on to the next. We give him plenty of warning-"Miles, almost time for jammies!", "Miles, this is the last show, then jammies", "Miles, 2 more minutes until jammies", "Miles, time for jammies" and he's still have trouble. Really wanting "one more thing" or not wanting to finish playing. We'll keep working on it, but this is definitely something new for him.

Last weekend, we went to South Bend to visit Ahmad's family. We had a great visit! We went over to the Azar's house Friday night and had a nice time. Saturday, Jamal and Tiphanny were headed out of town for the evening, so the kids were at grandma and grandpa's house. We had all the grandkids there! We went to the pumpkin patch and came back and did activities and played. It was great. We definitely decided we don't want 5 kids though! :)

Ramzi

Miles and Tofiq dancing

Mckenzy is all smiles!

"Up Mama!"

I don't know who's sillier!

All smiles with Aunt Tiph!

5 grandkids!

Now we're looking forward to this weekend and hope to have some quality time with the family. As long as the rain holds out tomorrow, we're going to head to Zoo Boo to do some trick or treating. We're all going to dress up this year, so I can't wait to go! Miles is Spiderman (and can't wait to save people), Hailey is a Ladybug, I'm a Princess, and Ahmad is the Red Stripe Man from the Red Stripe beer commercials. It should be a good time!

Nana and Grampie

Last weekend we headed down to my parent's house and had a really nice visit. Dad had just gotten home from a long stay in the hospital and mom's foot was still a bit troublesome, so we were really glad to be there to help out with some things. It was of course also nice to visit! We came in early on Friday, so it felt like we had a whole extra day to have fun! Miles really stole his Nana away and occupied the majority of her time, but I don't think she minded too much! We hung out on Friday and on Saturday, we went to the Harvest Homecoming parade in New Albany. It was a good time and fun to show Ahmad what a small town parade was all about. Then we headed to Gretchen and John's and had a real nice visit with them and their kids, Micah and Abigail. Sunday we celebrated Grampie's birthday a bit early and had a nice brunch and cake. At some point, I pulled out some storage boxes with my name on them and went through a few things. I found all my old dance costumes and had fun reminiscing. Hailey is going to have a ball playing dress up in a few years! We were all sad to see the visit come to an end, but Miles especially was missing his Nana and Grampie and really hated to leave. Hopefully we'll see them again soon!

Miles helping Nana feed the birds

Hanging out with Grampie

Bug-bugs with Nana

Harvest Homecoming Parade

All ready for church!

Playing with Grampie's birthday balloon

Visiting with Micah, Abigail, and the cat-Friday

This week has been back to normal, but kind of busy! The kids are doing great and are always up to something. Miles is still on his motorcycle kick and gets very mope-y at times because he can't ride one. He continually tells me that he can reach, but I remind him he has to be 16, it doesn't matter if he can reach. He even gets teary about it.

When we got back home from my parent's house, they kids started playing-by themselves. We went to see what all the laughter was about and found this scene!

Hailey continues to crack me up! Sometimes when she's nursing, she'll make a "MM!" sound, almost like a little grunt. I do it back at her and we go back and forth. It cracks her up. Miles also cracks her up and we're sure she's going to get him in trouble at some point. She just laughs and laughs at him and his crazy antics-more motivation for him to be silly! It's also fun now at bedtime because we've gotten into a good routine. I ask her if she's ready for Nite-Nite and she smiles or otherwise indicates 'yes', so we kiss Miles and Daddy goodnight and go to her room. I ask her if she wants to read a book and she looks over at her books. She loves her books, especially the ones where she can touch the fuzzy animals or look in the mirrors. In the mirror books, she often turns the book over to try to look for that baby she saw! She's also trying to turn the pages while we read. We read a quick book and then put it away and I sign All Done Book. Then I sign Light and tell her we're going to turn it off and she looks at the light switch. She cracks up as we turn it off and head back to the chair to nurse and snuggle and sing. Except for tonight of course! Tonight she was completely off and had a hard time going to bed-I actually had to walk her around her room and it took her about an hour to go down. I hope that phase is short lived!