tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18016151930189703702011-12-16T15:43:05.791-05:00Joe Hansbauernoreply@blogger.comBlogger9331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-48179386955664993672011-12-13T15:38:00.003-05:002011-12-13T15:44:12.357-05:00

st nick arrived to much excitement. even selma was excited, and greta and otto thought it was hilarious that st nick brought selma things like puffs and other baby treats. after emptying their stockings, our kids did their typical "sort everything and line everything up in an orderly way". do other kids do this?this was also day 6 of our advent calendar, and our christmas "thing" for the day

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-87022297549482246732011-12-13T15:33:00.003-05:002011-12-13T15:38:00.775-05:00

....do a christmas craft. we had three christmas crafts lined up, but the kids tired (and we ran out of time before bed) after two of them. they colored and glitter-glued wooden ornaments, and then they put beads on pipe cleaners to make candy canes. selma was there to supervise and to attempt to grab and choke on every single bead that was dropped.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-60705607423601807012011-12-13T15:28:00.003-05:002011-12-13T15:33:32.628-05:00

get a tree and decorate it. we got our tree from that same shop on monmouth street where we've gone the past few years. not much to report here. we got a tree. we decorated it. otto broke a few ornaments. the end.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-34044532880576748852011-12-04T15:25:00.004-05:002011-12-04T15:32:09.145-05:00

we lucked out this year with two, two-day passes to redsfest. the whole fam headed down on friday night, and then joe and uncle bill took greta and otto on saturday.it was super packed and super overstimulating, but super fun. otto loved it, but he barely smiled the whole time and was just looking around with big wide eyes (see exhibit A of otto in the pic with greta getting her autograph from

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-71273322569571519232011-12-04T15:14:00.004-05:002011-12-04T15:25:26.721-05:00

and he's hanging out at macy's on a friday night with NO ONE waiting to see him!!it's never been a big deal of mine to take our kids to see santa. i guess maybe when they're a bit older they might ask to go see him, but for now i think the season is about so many other things. the first (and i think only) time our kids sat on santa's lap was when greta was two at christkindl market. on her own

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-82958957208327685642011-12-04T15:07:00.004-05:002011-12-04T15:14:23.898-05:00

day 3 of advent calendar....make a paper chain.greta and i had been talking about making a paper chain to help us count down the days til christmas (even though that's exactly what the advent calendar is doing).greta and otto worked on the chain for a while this evening. otto tired of it quickly, but greta was so into it i bet she could have done the whole thing by herself. they were both

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-28481228129911402482011-12-04T15:05:00.001-05:002011-12-04T15:07:20.220-05:00

day two of our advent calendar.....eat popcorn and watch a christmas movie.we were running short on time before bed, so we settled for watching yo gabba gabba christmas episode. as you can tell from the glazed looks, i don't think the kids minded one bit.they added the candy canes that santa gave them, and i think they'd call this a perfect end to a great day.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-36725907766311714642011-12-04T14:54:00.003-05:002011-12-04T15:05:11.046-05:00

day one of our advent calendar....make christmas cards.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-26489829355978744362011-12-04T14:44:00.003-05:002011-12-04T14:54:17.037-05:00

and so begins the season of advent. we kicked things off with our advent calendar. each pocket holds a tiny ornament for a small tree that the kids decorate. this year, the pockets also hold a paper that tells us something "christmas-y" we are going to do that day.....from have a christmas music dance party to go to festival of lights. so far the kids seem super excited about this. and i've

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-7184948332583474092011-11-04T21:30:00.002-05:002011-11-04T21:39:32.997-05:00

greta got a yoga mat and a yoga dvd for her birthday, and she tried it out today. well, she and otto tried it out. they both laid out mats, and then greta moved through the poses like an experienced yogi while otto sat on his mat with the boppy pillow, sucking his thumb and staring blankly at the screen. child's pose, anyone?

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-13701611667666619342011-11-04T21:26:00.004-05:002011-11-04T21:29:57.224-05:00

i love halloween, but i have to say i don't love the candy. up until this year, our kids have been little enough to pretty much forget about candy or treats (for halloween, easter, christmas, etc) after a day or two. but not this year. not otto. he asks for candy pretty much first thing in the morning. i mean, look at his face in the picture. he was on a sugar high just thinking about all

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-35189713055081451902011-11-04T21:18:00.003-05:002011-11-04T21:26:17.072-05:00

took about a million pics of our trick or treaters this year. not sure this is the best one, but i wanted to get one on here. otto the monkey (remember greta the monkey), selma the ladybug and greta the princess. happy halloween! the kids had a great time trick or treating and they loved passing out candy too! they sure took that job seriously!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-86649792986353401112011-11-04T21:08:00.002-05:002011-11-04T21:18:19.460-05:00

carving pumpkins is always a big event around here. we waited til the last minute this year and ending up carving just before we went trick or treating. otto was big on supervising, as well as trying to grab the knives and permanent markers at every chance.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-90082355840982016152011-11-04T21:06:00.001-05:002011-11-04T21:08:23.111-05:00

isn't she sweet?!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-13295854265340015342011-10-14T20:51:00.000-05:002011-11-04T21:06:39.511-05:00

so our greta girl turned four. we had a day of beautiful weather to celebrate our girl with our family. it was a fun day, complete with a princess cake (per request)!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-43647115765720785332011-10-13T20:23:00.001-05:002011-10-13T20:31:42.807-05:00

check out this video of selma moving around the kitchen!!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-50217140992893832932011-10-13T20:01:00.003-05:002011-10-13T20:08:41.053-05:00

she continues to amaze us. you would think that having a degree in early childhood education and working in this field with 3-6 year olds for over 10 years would mean that not much would surprise me. but when it's your own child.....it's all pretty much amazing.we all know that our girl can read. i mean, READ. like chapter books. it's crazy.and she can compose words with the moveable

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-76427734382446012952011-10-13T19:54:00.004-05:002011-10-13T20:01:47.857-05:00

selma has finally gotten the hang of eating solid foods. she has had green beans, peas, zucchini, squash, carrots, sweet potatoes, apples, pears, peaches, and prunes. and she seems to like them all. she didn't really care for baby cereal all that much, and since she was having a bit of a constipation problem, the nurse suggested we omit the cereal for a bit. selma doesn't seem to miss it.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-67671935274921487122011-10-13T13:47:00.006-05:002011-10-13T19:32:26.724-05:00

shortsleeves and sunburns again for us this year at the pumpkin patch! it was another warm day (like it was last year) when we headed to blooms and berries to pick pumpkins. well, pick pumpkins, walk the sunflower maze, slide on slides, play in giant vats of corn....you get the idea. everyone had fun....selma loved the corn and actually played in it for several minutes before trying to put

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-64579238642795407992011-10-12T19:32:00.005-05:002011-10-13T19:54:09.051-05:00

our sweet greta girl turned four! i was lucky enough to get to observe her birthday celebration at school, just like last year. looking back at the pictures and posts from last year, it is crazy to see how different greta looks. i mean, obviously she's bigger. but she just looks so much more like a KID and less like a toddler. her face and her body have thinned out. where did that baby girl

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-6779830914504722852011-09-28T21:26:00.002-05:002011-09-28T21:31:27.763-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-33559557363770839762011-09-28T21:24:00.000-05:002011-09-28T21:26:42.950-05:00

try the prunes!!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-78149953960069483052011-09-28T13:35:00.001-05:002011-09-28T13:37:36.768-05:00

for some reason, selma is not too fond of grandpa. if he gets too close, or God forbid try to hold her, immediately her bottom lip goes out, her arms go out to the sides of her face and she is reduced to a crying mess. but last saturday was gramps' birthday. and i think selma gave him the best gift of all.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-36851810879000334552011-09-28T13:33:00.001-05:002011-09-28T13:35:12.452-05:00

obligatory baby bathtime photo.selma would not take her eyes off of the toys to look at the camera, for fear of not being able to gnaw on them like a crazed animal.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-39905008168045239012011-09-28T13:27:00.002-05:002011-09-28T13:33:16.448-05:00

yo gabba gabba has been a family favorite around here since before our kids were born. joe discovered this show and we realized that it was decent to watch....had good lessons, funny characters, and real rock music with bands we like. we sort of decided that if our kids HAD to watch tv, they should watch this show. luckily, they like it too.we decided to take greta to see yo gabba gabba live

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-90932118640313963212011-09-28T13:24:00.001-05:002011-09-28T13:27:06.351-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-6720775688955437182011-09-28T13:12:00.003-05:002011-09-28T13:23:57.781-05:00

greta has been asking to take dance class for a while now. so a few weeks ago she started class at dance express in ft. thomas. we had to get all the gear....tap shoes, ballet shoes, leotard, etc etc. and she loves it! i was nervous for her for the first class, as we all know how greta is with things that are new and not our typical routine. but she did great! the parents got to stay in the

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-87477994054729135852011-09-12T20:24:00.002-05:002011-09-12T20:32:26.872-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-34170150029513422602011-09-12T20:11:00.004-05:002011-09-12T20:24:42.121-05:00

the latest session of gymnastics started, and this time otto was able to sign up. oh man, was he excited!! the first day, he walked into the gym, turned around to us and threw his arms up in the air and said, "YES!!" it was awesome. he is loving it....it's funny to watch him and think back to greta starting gymnastics when she was two, and now she is almost four. not to compare, but they are

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-33474896462133371522011-09-12T19:47:00.007-05:002011-09-12T20:11:26.276-05:00

so our selma girl turned 6 months old. can you believe it? where has the time gone.our girl can sit up now all on her own.and she started eating solids. she's been practically diving out of our arms to try to grab at our food and drinks, so we thought she'd be pretty into eating. turns out, she'd rather just suck her thumb. surprise surprise. she's had rice cereal, green beans, and

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-46935088191019291832011-08-18T13:44:00.001-05:002011-08-18T13:46:39.269-05:00

we're back from vacation in michigan. we had a blast and will post more pics from our trip soon!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-16354465634685556532011-08-03T13:46:00.002-05:002011-08-03T13:49:58.795-05:00

went to totter otterville this week with holly, owen, and caroline. the kids had a great time! otto spent about half his time in the ball pit, just pretending he was a baseball player and throwing ball after ball. greta enjoyed the dance area, where she was able to put on a tutu and follow along to a ballet instructor video. now that i think about it, it's funny that i paid for them to come

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-31465603430048591662011-08-03T13:27:00.006-05:002011-08-03T13:46:48.660-05:00

we had been talking of camping for a while. not that we are wilderness folks, but we definitely did a ton more camping before we had kids. and needless to say, our two person tent wasn't going to cut it anymore. so the kids got joe a 6 person tent for father's day....he upgraded to an 8 person tent and off we went.we decided to do a trial run at a place closer to home before venturing out

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-22224490241896098762011-07-22T13:56:00.004-05:002011-07-22T14:20:58.086-05:00

nothing better than jumping in the puddles with your rainboots on. the kids had such fun, and i loved watching them.....

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-88573701044783698862011-07-22T13:51:00.003-05:002011-07-22T13:55:17.497-05:00

it's a running theme around here, but our kids are definitely a little obsessed with baseball. otto especially. they study their baseball cards, they turn any toy into a bat and ball and run the bases, and they love singing "take me out to the ballgame" and "God bless america." here is the latest rendition. the video is a little long. notice how otto totally hams it up for his audience.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-88255363938681502942011-07-22T13:39:00.000-05:002011-07-22T13:51:17.431-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-15115019124203042412011-07-22T13:30:00.002-05:002011-07-22T13:39:35.927-05:00

selma has recently joined us around the table in her new highchair! she's not eating food yet (6 months), but she likes to sit and play with toys and drool over our food and laugh at greta and otto. what a big girl!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-7084827279353032672011-07-22T13:29:00.000-05:002011-07-22T13:30:38.113-05:00

even superheroes like to read. while sitting in the bumbo seat.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-63426300944437996112011-07-22T13:25:00.002-05:002011-07-22T13:29:06.020-05:00

this week has been super duper hot. so hot that many of the days i felt like we should just stay inside and play instead of venturing out. monday was hot, but it rained early and then was overcast for most of the morning. when selma went down for her morning nap, greta and otto and i headed out back. they played and played and played. first the water table, then the pool, and they watered

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-8219945774619817372011-07-22T13:20:00.002-05:002011-07-22T13:25:17.954-05:00

otto is a pretty good eater, but he's not usually very hungry for breakfast (unlike greta). he also prefers cereal that gets mushy pretty fast in milk. his favorite? rice krispies. but what a mess! he's good with a spoon, but he likes to use his opposite hand to make sure all the food makes it into his mouth...which actually makes more of a mess. good thing he's cute!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-39518289878717887102011-07-22T13:16:00.002-05:002011-07-22T13:20:52.568-05:00

aa few weeks ago, our whole family plus ellie, jacob,and grandpa hansbauer, headed down to the ballpark for yet another reds game. on this particular day, the giveaway for kids was "bronson arroyo plush doll". we had been telling the kids about this doll, and they were super excited. they like to call it by its full name, such as, "have you seen my bronson arroyo plush doll?" ellie didn't

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-48391869885710539122011-07-22T13:13:00.001-05:002011-07-22T13:16:10.216-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-3500315605343313332011-06-30T21:23:00.001-05:002011-06-30T21:25:38.477-05:00

so i think i mentioned on here before that our friend holly has been taking selma's pictures every month. here are the latest pictures...can you believe that selma is 4 months old? or that she looks so cute sitting in a bowl? holly does such a fantastic job capturing our sweet selma girl. check out the slideshow of pictures.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-53392454748390529152011-06-30T21:11:00.000-05:002011-06-30T21:11:29.670-05:00

this past weekend, joe, selma and i headed to vermont for johnmark and anne's wedding. we had toyed with the idea of leaving selma with grandma and grandpa (like greta and otto) since she is sleeping through the night, but i couldn't really see leaving her when we would be so far away. not to mention that as far as breastfeeding goes, i wasn't really prepared to leave her for four days. so she

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-41677094139951764902011-06-30T21:03:00.000-05:002011-06-30T21:04:01.800-05:00

after our fun day at glenwood gardens, we took a nap and then headed up to the pool. we are so lucky to have a pool within walking distance to our house. we ordered pizza to the pool and spent the evening swimming and just hanging out.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-51029832154793411582011-06-30T21:01:00.000-05:002011-06-30T21:02:05.728-05:00

on wednesday we headed up to glenwood gardens to check out their 'big bugs' exhibit. i had never been to glenwood gardens before and really had no idea what to expect. this place is amazing! the bugs were gigantic and pretty cool to see, although they were set up along a 1/2 mile walking path and the kids were exhausted by the time we got to them. the last part of the walk was otto drudging

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-77782839503917506932011-06-30T20:53:00.001-05:002011-06-30T20:55:46.177-05:00

first....a cute picture of greta hugging otto. totally on her own. well, she hugged him on her own, and then i asked them to recreate the moment.the last two pictures make me laugh. i was telling the kids that we will be getting family pictures soon with grandma and grandpa hansbauer and all the ford cousins. then i asked them to show me how they will smile for the photos. we'll work on it before

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-4015003674260648722011-06-30T20:47:00.000-05:002011-06-30T20:48:34.801-05:00

this morning we headed out to otto armleder park. this is the park where greta had her fun run/end of the year celebration for school, so i fielded lots of questions today about whether or not there would be a fun run and would her school friends be there. the weather was gorgeous, although there is absolutely no shade to speak of by the playground equipment. well, that's not entirely true.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-42370495153147920022011-06-28T21:57:00.000-05:002011-06-28T21:58:53.407-05:00

i think ellie's got the right idea!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-91368666109433278272011-06-28T21:50:00.001-05:002011-06-28T21:54:01.313-05:00

greta and otto spent the night at grandma and grandpa hansbauer's while joe, selma and i traveled to vermont for johnmark and anne's wedding. here is doctor greta and nurse otto, giving gramps a thorough checkup.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-27200326178286467122011-06-15T19:50:00.003-05:002011-06-15T20:10:05.837-05:00

being a mom is hard. being a GOOD mom is harder still. as a stay at home mom, i treasure all my mom friends but i am really so very thankful for the other stay at home moms. the ones who make me feel sane, or who can relate when things get crazy and all we can do is wait til naptime to take a breather. high on my list of favorite mom friends is anna. we don't see each other that often,

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-76601516844047120912011-06-14T20:09:00.001-05:002011-06-14T20:12:41.541-05:00

greta needed a headband at dinner to keep her hair out of her face (and her food). otto asked for one to keep the hair out of his face, so i obliged.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-74295292312252246332011-06-13T22:03:00.002-05:002011-06-13T22:09:54.434-05:00

grandpa hansbauer likes to play a game called, "no piggies on the table". the kids think this is hilarious. after one extended stay at grandpa and grandma's, it took us about 3 months to convince the kids that this game was fun to play with grandpa, but that we don't play it anywhere else. poor otto had his chair pushed away from the table many a night because he kept sneaking his little toes

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-47039039530827879782011-06-13T21:59:00.002-05:002011-06-13T22:03:10.976-05:00

she's getting pretty good at that tummy time stuff.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-65844799368611839832011-06-13T21:54:00.002-05:002011-06-13T21:59:24.310-05:00

so our kids dress themselves. and on this particular day, they were going to the REDs game. clearly, they take supporting their home team very seriously. monochromatically, some might say. wow.....

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-24252767533208851172011-06-11T20:41:00.004-05:002011-06-12T06:42:35.244-05:00

sound and letters have been greta's 'thing' for some time now. when she was little, she was constantly asking us what the sound and name of letters was. by the time she was 2 or so, she knew the names and sounds of every letter in the alphabet. she was able to memorize parts of books and repeat them easily. after she started school this year and started composing words with the Moveable

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-87287876318391661042011-06-10T19:39:00.003-05:002011-06-10T19:54:38.734-05:00

my mom took the day off today to accompany the kids and me to the zoo. i wasn't sure i could manage the outing on my own with all three kids, and boy was i right. the zoo is just so much....in and out of the stroller, holding kids up to see animals, snacks, etc. i am SO thankful my mom was able to go. and that our kids are such troopers. maybe i could take them to the zoo on my own, but i

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-27918295723894995232011-06-03T13:52:00.002-05:002011-06-03T14:09:10.263-05:00

here are a few videos of selma talking. i think baby talk is amazing. and i like these two videos because in one she's pretty calm and serene and in the other one she's almost yelling, and starting to get all worked up.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-9529577343660621552011-05-31T21:35:00.002-05:002011-05-31T21:39:34.336-05:00

5MAR - Baby Selma, a set by hollyburkholder on Flickr.our friend holly was kind enough to ask us if she could take pictures of selma when she was first born. i was so thrilled that she asked us....and even more ecstatic to see the photos. aren't they beautiful?! holly did such a wonderful job. we asked her if she would take selma's pictures each month of her first year of life...so stay

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-23556079793386849352011-05-30T21:52:00.000-05:002011-05-30T21:53:09.146-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-77448375063412631752011-05-30T21:42:00.002-05:002011-05-30T21:51:26.541-05:00

have i mentioned that selma started sleeping through the night about 2 weeks ago? one of the first nights she did this, i woke up very late and totally disoriented. i barely had time to brush my teeth before feeding selma (who was starving!) and heading out the door to take greta to school. we thought maybe it was a fluke, but the girl has kept at it. she sleeps from 8:30pm or so until 7:30am

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-57932433420041942292011-05-30T21:28:00.002-05:002011-05-30T21:42:05.506-05:00

this past week was greta's last week of school for the year. it's so funny to think back to those first few days (weeks) of school when she was having such a rough time transitioning. she loved school right from the start, but she did not love all the changes to her routine. in fact, i don't think i ever really blogged about it because it was pretty traumatic for all of us. greta is a lover

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-34677902887491156992011-05-30T21:25:00.002-05:002011-05-30T21:28:00.286-05:00

selma really is the sweetest thing. she cries when she's tired. or really hungry. or especially when she needs a change of scenery. or if her brother and sister are entertaining her and then suddenly go play where she can't see them any more. she really does love to watch them. she smiles all the time and 'talks' so much. AND she is sleeping through the night. praise the lord.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-73999853928887508672011-05-30T21:06:00.005-05:002011-05-30T21:13:18.521-05:00

both greta and otto enjoy playing babies, and both are pretty good at caring for their dolls. they feed them, sometimes with bottles and sometimes now they will both (yes, otto too) pretend to breastfeed their dolls by lifting up their shirts and putting the baby to their chests. hilarious. they will change their baby's diapers, push them in the stroller, etc. sometimes, selma gets included in

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-29015060193051681002011-05-30T21:03:00.003-05:002011-05-30T21:56:08.293-05:00

here's selma in the bumbo. first picture is her first time in the seat, which lasted just long enough for me to take the photo. it was about a month ago. the second pic is from this week. for reference, here are some pics of otto and greta in the same seat.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-88764194194064895152011-05-22T21:13:00.003-05:002011-05-30T21:20:54.403-05:00

we had selma's baptism at st. monica st. george on sunday. it was a great day. selma's grandma joan (my mom) and her great aunt boo are her godparents, and we are thrilled that they agreed to fufill such an important role in selma's life. selma did great for the whole thing. she was calm for the actual baptism and even smiled at father when he poured the holy water on her head. greta and

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-30875520567286868472011-05-21T20:59:00.004-05:002011-05-21T21:05:16.633-05:00

otto's birthday is may 8th, and this year it coincided with mother's day. we held his birthday party at ERPSC clubhouse, or as the kids call it, the "birthday house". the day could not have been more wonderful. it turned out to be a beautiful warm day, so the kids were able to spend most of the party playing outside. otto got some fantastic gifts, including a gapper doll (that he loves) and

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-49283132257292097002011-05-21T20:49:00.005-05:002011-05-21T20:59:05.305-05:00

and did i mention we ended our great day with ice cream? we headed to schneiders sweet shop in bellevue for a few scoops before bedtime. the kids were super dirty from playing outside, and ice cream seemed like the perfect treat. yum. selma slept through the whole thing. maybe next time, selma.....

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-73763059423290323952011-05-20T20:45:00.001-05:002011-05-21T20:49:18.844-05:00

gorgeous weather (great light) and adorable kids. it was one of those days when everything seems perfect.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-126916762051373632011-05-20T20:39:00.001-05:002011-05-21T21:06:46.623-05:00

friday was such a gorgeous day! we had both lunch and dinner outside on the deck, and the kids got lots of time playing in the yard and digging in what otto calls his "yarden" (yard/garden). selma spent some time laying on a towel on the deck, just cooing and enjoying some vitamin D.please note how FILTHY otto is. that boy loves his dirt.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-18345428105122497802011-05-17T22:01:00.001-05:002011-05-17T22:04:42.335-05:00

we've got a bunch of pictures to post from otto's second birthday bash. heck, i think we still have easter photos to post. having 3 kids keeps us pretty busy.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-35101840904323180462011-05-17T21:58:00.000-05:002011-05-17T22:01:12.279-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-68240387456961383952011-05-17T21:56:00.004-05:002011-05-18T13:39:28.101-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-63059718513122077222011-05-17T21:52:00.002-05:002011-05-17T21:56:13.813-05:00

a few reds games ago, the giveaway was a pack of reds baseball cards. these have quickly become quite a popular "toy" in our house. the kids like to look at them and ask who each player is,what position they play, etc. they've gotten a lot of the names down, and it's hilarious to hear otto say things like, "is this brandon phillips? is this edinson volquez?"

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-22873649608564701742011-04-23T11:40:00.003-05:002011-04-23T11:48:30.167-05:00

from RIGHT to left: greta, joe, otto, jessica, shamus, john, and roman. not pictured: melanie and selma. so back in winter/early spring, joe had the foresight to purchase a set of reds tickets called the 'baker's dozen' after manager dusty baker. the tickets are for 13 (get it? baker's dozen?! ha ha) sunday afternoon reds games. even though the kids will miss their naps with the 1pm

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-28841498563082294462011-04-23T11:39:00.000-05:002011-04-23T11:40:20.586-05:00

i think someone needs a brother.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-21268160756213503772011-04-23T11:33:00.003-05:002011-04-23T11:39:37.987-05:00

selma has on her forehead what's called a hemangioma. our pediatrician noticed it at her 2 week check up. he mentioned it nonchalantly, and we thought nothing of it. i mentioned to him that i had one when i was a child as well, and dr. bird let us know that often they show up a few weeks after birth (which selma's did) and often fade away or break up by the time the child is 8 or 9. turns out

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-37900484069887962282011-04-23T11:30:00.002-05:002011-04-23T11:33:40.180-05:00

greta is pretty into selma these days. even though greta is having some struggles that seem to be related to a new baby's arrival/change in family dynamic (more on that in another post), she really is great with her baby sister. greta is constantly wanting to hug her, kiss her, talk to her, show her toys, etc. in this picture greta wanted to read a book to selma. and she is so so gentle with

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-66559253558383684542011-04-23T11:27:00.002-05:002011-04-23T11:30:09.091-05:00

within the past week or two, selma has starting smiling and "talking". greta was one of the first things she smiled at, and since then greta will come up to her and say, "smile at me!! smile at me!!" in sort of a demanding way. it's so cute to see selma watch greta and otto as they move around. and it amazes me to see selma really engaging with us....making eye contact, taking turns making

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-69369487630353754892011-04-23T11:20:00.003-05:002011-04-23T11:27:46.646-05:00

otto is master of the art of sucking his thumb and snuggling. he loves to lay on pillows, be covered with blankets, that sort of thing. so when we brought out the boppy pillows for me to nurse selma, otto was in heaven. he is constantly saying, "i want to see selma", but i think he really just wants to lay on the boppy pillow with her. i thought he would have some jealousy issues when i was

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-72046019999785038272011-04-23T11:18:00.002-05:002011-04-23T11:20:48.801-05:00

where do you put the groceries? look closely at my cart to see that there is indeed, no where to put groceries. the kids wanted to make joe some peanut butter cookies while he was out of town, so we all headed to the store to get peanut butter. one item. and this huge cart. but we never really take the kids to the grocery (i'm sure you can see why) so greta and otto thought this cart was

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-63071448357407618432011-04-23T11:14:00.002-05:002011-04-23T11:18:20.635-05:00

we headed to the zoo again this week for tunes and blooms. we love the bands that were playing this week, the tillers and the seedy seeds. the kids were hoping to hear one of their favorite songs by the seedy seeds, "the coyote song", so we stayed out way past bedtime eating popcorn (otto) and dancing to see our shadows (greta). alas, we had to head out before they played the song, but we

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-73391535242612096232011-04-12T14:09:00.002-05:002011-04-12T14:13:53.656-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-29970921656729700922011-04-12T13:53:00.004-05:002011-04-12T14:09:23.447-05:00

so before selma was born, i was dead-set on getting coordinating shirts for our kids to wear at the hospital after she was born. in fact, i insisted that we decide on a name so that i could get these shirts ordered. and then selma was born and i forgot about the shirts. fast forward to 5 weeks later (last week), when joe said, "what was the plan for those shirts?" oops.so i decided we'd dress

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-74507095027468746422011-04-01T21:12:00.003-05:002011-04-01T21:25:52.486-05:00

we love opening day in cincinnati. it's like a holiday, with all sorts of hype and tradition. when greta was just 6 months old, she attended her first opening day, and both she and otto have attended every opening day since then. with selma being only 5 weeks old, we weren't sure if she would make it to her first opening day. and with my c-section recovery being a bit rough this time around,

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-72248208723161243792011-04-01T21:09:00.002-05:002011-04-01T21:12:23.604-05:00

selma had her first bottle on wednesday in preparation for reds opening day on thursday. we headed to dewey's for dinner, and we all chowed on pizza while selma sucked down a bottle. it is always a bit of a relief to give that first bottle, knowing that even though it's still breastmilk, it frees me up a little bit.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-89752349400856750842011-04-01T21:08:00.000-05:002011-04-01T21:09:17.494-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-55944752357043209422011-04-01T21:07:00.000-05:002011-04-01T21:08:05.949-05:00

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-35550121411421011982011-04-01T21:05:00.001-05:002011-04-01T21:06:58.659-05:00

these are pictures from a few days after we came home from the hospital. i feel like selma has grown and changed so much already!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-84780166526532735872011-04-01T20:59:00.002-05:002011-04-01T21:05:00.449-05:00

when i was pregnant with greta, my friend tierney gave me a maya wrap/sling for a baby shower gift. she had told me how fantastic it was, and that i would love it. and then greta came and i tried to use it, but always felt like i was doing it wrong. it felt like too much fabric, and greta often seemed fussy or unhappy in it. so i tried a few times and then put it away. with otto, i wore him

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-70634911127311746322011-04-01T20:53:00.002-05:002011-04-01T20:59:26.110-05:00

otto loves babies. so we figured that he'd love selma....love having a baby around 24-7. well, he definitely loves her. he's very curious about her, always asking "where's selma?" and saying, "i want to see selma". but he's also figured out that he gets attention, negative attention, for getting in selma's personal space. so....he's constantly getting in her face, trying to poke her in the

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-67441251901783365102011-03-19T10:47:00.001-05:002011-03-19T10:51:40.514-05:00

joe's sister tina has four kids....the oldest is jacob, followed by 3 sisters. poor jacob. and then there's otto, sandwiched in between two sisters of his own.even though jacob and otto are about 8 years apart, something tells me they will seek solace in each other the older they get.one of otto's latest loves is to play "guys" or "friends", which basically allots to standing up whatever

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-43798138941870486822011-03-19T10:42:00.003-05:002011-03-19T10:47:10.278-05:00

in addition to the visitors who came to welcome selma at the hospital, we've also had some friends and family stop in to meet her at our house. in the pictures are joe's aunt joy and uncle jim, and our friend carol.the other great thing has been people bringing food by for us. i cannot tell you what a blessing that has been....to have delicious food for dinner that you didn't have to make!

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-13045258377367616422011-03-19T10:34:00.002-05:002011-03-19T10:42:03.917-05:00

greta and otto can often be found sitting on the stairs together, reading books. the book they are reading ("i'm a big brother") is on loan to us from our friends the sprungers. and although it's about becoming a big brother (not sister), it has been a great read for both kids. especially greta. it hits on how lucky it is to have a new baby in your family, while also mentioning how special

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-47398974803501531102011-03-19T10:27:00.004-05:002011-03-19T10:34:27.957-05:00

(and sleepy papa!)it's amazing how much babies sleep in the first few weeks of life. greta has mentioned several times that selma is "boring." ha! i should let her try getting up with me every few hours in the nighttime to feed selma. that's anything but boring.the other thing i want to note about these pictures is that selma (please GOD don't let me jinx it) is able to sleep without being

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-23108561027164838402011-03-19T10:24:00.001-05:002011-03-19T10:27:04.038-05:00

otto and greta got a great new doctor kit from megan as a gift for when selma arrived. (thanks megan). here they are, playing doctor on their baby dolls.

Melaniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07193903369502455769noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-36898377316669182362011-03-13T13:44:00.002-05:002011-03-13T13:47:11.371-05:00

Greta and Otto really enjoyed what seems to be a new trend.... Birthday treats.... Selma got cookies from Meg, Birthday Cakes from Holly and Mindy, Cookies from Janet and Stacy and a whole slew of other treats... since she can't quite eat them yet, Greta and Otto are more than happy to take care of them for Selma...Happy Birthday Selma -

Joe Hansbauernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-11053123993886874372011-03-06T13:49:00.000-05:002011-03-13T13:51:25.333-05:00

The last two times around the ford cousins got to invade Greta and Otto at the hospital.... with new hospital restrictions at Hospitals during flu seasons, only siblings can visit. So the Ford Cousins visit with Selma had to wait for a week.... No less exciting though...

Joe Hansbauernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-1397764761142902812011-02-28T13:33:00.002-05:002011-03-13T13:44:20.571-05:00

After 4 days in the hospital we were all ready to go home and start getting into our routine. Though I must note that the first two trips at Christ Hospital I was on Wendy's overload, as that was the restaurant in the lobby... that's been upgraded now, as Wendy's has been replace by Au Bon Pain. But even though there was more choice and a bit healthier, you can only eat some many sandwiches!

Joe Hansbauernoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1801615193018970370.post-44631035137516465592011-02-28T13:30:00.000-05:002011-03-13T13:33:02.944-05:00

Selma had lots and lots of visitors at the hospital. She was super excited to meet everyone...we definitely appreciate everyone coming by to see us.... Grandparents, Meg, Patrick and Emily, Janet, Holly, Aunt Boo and Great Grandma, Nancy and Ken, and Megan (sorry Megan that your trip had to be cut short!)

Joe Hansbauernoreply@blogger.com0