GO GREEN!

We root for whoever daddy wants us to!!

Blanket Surgery

While we were on vacation Ethan somehow got silly puddy all over his much-loved-can't-go-to-bed-without soccer blanket. It is sort of like getting gum out of hair, nearly impossible! I explained to him that mom was going to perform some surgery and he would somehow have a new soccer blanket but also having some of his old one in the new one. So here is the end result and lets just say that the blanket has not left his side since he woke up from his nap today after mom finally finished it. He feels whole again and that makes mom very happy! :)
The old part is the blue soccer blanket and the new part is the colorful soccer balls. I was able to cut the end of the blaket off that had the silly puddy and un-sew the sides, put both fleeces together and make a no-sew blanket. It was a lot of fun and well worth all the effort!

Vacation 2010

We just returned from a wonderful vacation to the Smokey Mountains in Kentucky. Our family along with grandma and grandpa Jastifer, Aunt Mari, and cousin Dani stayed in a log cabin high up in the mountains. We went on hikes, toured a cave, visited the fort of Daniel Boone, played in the hot tub, grilled out, ate out, had bon fires (thanks to Dani) made smores, made a visit to the Cincinnati Zoo, and played lots and lots of Settlers of Catan!! The kids had a great time and let us sleep in a little bit some days. Mom and dad were even able to have a date night our last night there. Thanks grandma and grandpa for a wonderful vacation - we had a great time, something this family really needed!! Back to reality now.....

Preschool Field Trip

Today Ethan has his first preschool field trip to Gull Meadow Farms. We had a fun morning filled with wagon rides, picking apples, eating donuts, drinking apple cider, playing on "pumpkin lane" (a big field with tons of activities for the kids such as a slide, maze, etc..) and we each were able to take a small pumpkin home. The boys (Caleb was able to come too) had a blast and they both crashed when we got home! I love fall!

This is how Ethan choose to slide down the girant tube slide!!

Ethan could have played with the water pumper toy all day!

High School Reunion

Last weekend Jim and I went to our 10-year high school reunion. It was a lot of fun and interesting to see what people in our class are up to these days. Not too many surprises (thanks to facebook) but a few none the less. Are we really 10 years out already?? My girls!

Private Blog

We finally got around to making the blog private. We have been thinking a lot about this blog and how much private information is on here. We decided to move it to a location that is password protected. I would love to continue to share photos and news about our family with all of you that visit here. We apologize that it is going to be an extra step, but we feel that it is important for our family. Thanks and enjoy!

puppy love

SO ADORABLE!!Our awesome neighbor, who Ethan adores, was puppy sitting for a friend and invited us over to check out the puppies. Caleb and Ethan had fun playing and petting them. There was one in particular that Ethan really liked and he was the biggest pup of the bunch. Caleb really took a liking to them, which in some ways surprised me. I told Ethan that someday we will have a dog, mommy and daddy aren't ready to add another family member just yet. We are thinking more down the line when we are settled and not moving so much. For now, we love to play with our neighbor's dogs (along with Hunter and Kitty - grandma and grandpa's dogs)- they are the most wonderful dogs ever!

Catching Up

The kids are in bed and I have some time to blog! It seems like I have been slacking lately but I have a one year old who grabs the mouse and pushes all the buttons on the keyboard when I sit down to blog, so I have given up until he is either napping, distracted, or down for the night:) Where to start.....Ethan is loving preschool! The first day I dropped him off he started to get teary eyed and one of his teachers (who are wonderful-there are three) asked him if he wanted to swing and he was all smiles as I was leaving. I however had a moment in the car driving away without my little boy. How could this be? Is he really going to preschool already? Now when I drop him off he is running and playing and forgets to give me a kiss, which for him is a huge step! Whenever I ask him about his morning on the way home (I am dying to know!) he says, "Mom, I do not want to talk about it right now." He needs some down time (just like his daddy) and I totally get it, not that I have to like it. So I am patient and throughout the day he will squeak in little details about his morning at preschool. Ethan has also been into playing games, particularly Memory. I would say that we play that about a half dozen times a day and he is really good, beats me about half the time we play. He is a wonderful brother to Caleb, they have been playing so well together lately and Ethan is always looking out for his little brother. Jim and I can see the gap starting to close in terms of age and how they play. They sure keep each other (and mommy) going all day! Wouldn't trade it for the world! It is great to have some one on one time with Caleb. He eats it up and loves having me all to himself. He loves to be able to play with toys that Ethan does not let him play with, we just put them back where we found them and don't tell Ethan, it is our secret. I have plans to take some swimming lessons with him at the YMCA and go to Mother Goose Storytime at our library. Caleb is saying new words everyday. It is funny because he keeps saying the same thing over and over to us, but we just can't tell what he is saying yet, but we know that is trying to tell us something. His personality is really starting to shine and he pretty much follows his big brother around all day - so cute! He HATES diaper changes and that is always a battle but I remember that with Ethan as well. He is my cuddler. He will bring me his blanket, climb up on my lap and give me the biggest hugs and I cherish those moments every time he does that because some day I am going to be begging for one! It is funny because I have two boys, born the same month but with two totally different personalities!! Jim is doing well. He is trucking away at his third year of residency. The next couple of months he is doing research with he is liking and the days that he is not researching, he is in on cases. I am so proud of him and all the long hours he puts into his training. He always makes time for his family and I really appreciate that. The boys love meeting their dad at the door with big hugs when he gets home from work. I love that I am able to stay home with the boys. We have so much fun and seem to fill our days up with exciting activities. Due to Ethan being in preschool I can't do MOPS this year, but hopefully next year I can start that back up. I am co-chair of a playgroup and we get together once a week a for a couple hours and the kids enjoy that as well as the parents. I try to scrapbook when I have time. I don't want to fall too far behind! Jim stays home with the boys a couple nights a month so I can have some girl time and that is always fun and Jim and I also get our date nights which we enjoy. It is nice to have a conversation during dinner without being interrupted. We are also going to our 10 year high school reunion this Saturday which I am actually excited about. It should be a good time. Ten years already?? I am feeling old, not to mention the fact that I turn 29 this Sunday! I think next year when I turn 30, it will really hit me.

We are excited to be going on vacation here in a couple weeks. We are heading south to Kentucky with Jim's parents, aunt and uncle, and cousin for a week. We will be staying in cabin and hopefully the weather will cooperate. The boys will have blast and it will be nice to get away from the normal routine here in Kalamazoo.

Hope that catches you up on our side of things - happy fall!!

Our Boys

Our boys are growing up so fast! Here are a few photos of them that I thought were precious.

This could possibly be my favorite picture of Ethan - it describes him totally: happy, go-lucky, mild mannered, and full of life. His preschool wanted us to bring in a picture of him so I am asked him to smile and he actually did!

This is one of Caleb's blankets, he goes nowhere without it and loves to curl up in it. It is kind of big so Ethan like to carry the end of it so Caleb does not trip on it:)

First Day of Preschool!

All ready for preschool with a backpack bigger than he is! (He picked it out)
At his preschool playing with his favorite thing - the balls!

Our big boy started preschool today! He was super excited and let me leave with no tears (from him anyway!) So proud of you Ethan!

15 Month Check-up

Caleb had is 15 month check up the other day (is he really that old already??) and here are the stats: (In case you are wondering, Caleb has his hand wrapped due to a burn. He has the bandages off now and as you can see, is doing fine!)

Height: 34.5 inches (98th percentile)

Weight: 25 pounds (60th percentile)

Side Note: The pediatrician told us at the appointment that you can estimate how tall your child is going to be by taking their height at the age of 2 and doubling it. The pediatrician predicted that based on Ethan's measurements when he was two, that he will be around 6'3" and that Caleb is on track for being taller than that! Apparently my boys are going to be about a foot taller than me!

Trip to Minnesota!

We just got back from a wonderful trip to Minnesota. Jim had a conference to go to in Minneapolis and while he was there, I hung out in Rochester with some very dear friends from medical school who are completing their residency at the Mayo clinic. The kids and I had a blast hanging out with our friends and their two children Logan (8) and Maddie Ann (4). On Saturday Jim met back up with us and we were able to all spend time together before we took off on Sunday. Thanks for a wonderful and relaxing trip Ludwig Family!!