Author Archives: April

Jul 26 2006

you and me kid!

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Hey there – Well, Daddy has started working his 12 hours shifts. He is gone from 6:30am to 8pm, sometimes on weekends. Last Sunday was our first such weekend day together… and it was SUCH a fantastic time!!

We started by picking up Jimmiqua and taking her to chuch with us. You and I sang a couple of the Gospel Choir songs (the oldies but goodies), and you sat on my lap through the whole sermon. 🙂 After the sermon, we played in the daycare room with the other kids. We arrived just in time for snack.

After chuch, we came home to find our neighbors, Hannah and Timmy, selling lemonade on their front lawn. Hannah was wearing a big, bright pink straw hat she got from the dollar store. Though church had run quite long (2 hours!), and we were running late for lunch, we just had to go visit! You wore Hannah’s big hat and tried to ride Timmy’s scooter. : ) What a trip you are! We told them we weren’t sure what we were going to do that afternoon, and they suggested a little-known local camp that had a pool and spraypark. It sounded perfect, and it was!!

After your nap, we headed out on our adventure! What a great time we had! This camp is our new favorite hanging out place. And it is free for YMCA members. We met such wondeful people while we were there. Here are a few pictures from our day:
maya n me1
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maya me 2
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sprayground2
sprayground3
water cans

When we got home, we had dinner and crashed. You and I snuggled up together while you had your milk, giggling some and otherwise just resting. We stopped down to tell Hannah and Timmy THANK YOU for their great recommendation, and off to bed you went. What a fantastic day!!!

Thank you! I will treasure these memories forever! Love you Peanut

Jul 18 2006

star birthday girl

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Sunday you were 16 months old on the 16th!

Happy Birthday Peanut Butter!

We spent the afternoon at Aunt Judi and Uncle Jim’s cabin… Great time was had by all. You were the first one in the lake… you couldn’t wait! You are definitley a swimmer. You also played with Joey N’s puppy Taos and CJ’s dog Maddie. Joe gave you a bowl of wild berries, and you thoroughly enjoyed them, coating your face, arms, fingers and Mommy’s leg with the pink stain. We looked silly, and everyone giggled. You and I had to take another dip in the lake to get cleaned off!

You played with Monica, Auntie Judi and Uncle Jim. Ashook gave you many pieces of bread and a few more berries. You watched Madieu and Gabe intensely as they wrestled and jumped off the pier. I think you wanted to join them! 😉 You ate everything under the sun while we there: peaches, pineapple, apples, organges, macaroni, olives, crackers, chees, peas, blueberries… What a wonderful day! Thanks Auntie Judi and Uncle Jim! You rock!

Yesterday was Mommy and Daddy’s anniversary. Know what we did? We took you to the Strong Museum and to Brighton Pool for an after-dinner swim. You jumped into the pool all by yourself. We all had a ball! Best anniversary to date!

Jul 12 2006

our busy day

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Yesterday was a busy day for all of us!

Daddy and I got out of work 15 minutes early, and we met at daycare to pick you up. The three of us headed off to the Strong Museum. They allowed members to have a sneak preview of their $37 million expansion. Wow! What a great job they did!

There are now SO MANY more things for a wee one such as yourself to play with! Here are some pictures of our adventures:
carousel

A Fantastic Carousel Ride

checkers

Big Checkers!

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chess1
chess3
chess4

Harry Potter Chess

Connect 4

Big Connect 4

Hoola Hoops

Hoola Hoops

Note for future reference: perhaps swim lessons at the end of such a day is a bit much for all of us. 😉 You fell asleep in your stroller on the way home…

What a fabulous day!

Jul 12 2006

our new swing set

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We now have a swing set (hand-me-down from our sweet neighbors), sand box and sand-and-water table…. Now all we need is a Grandma and Grandpa to come and play!!! An Aunt, Uncle and/or Cousin would be great too!!

swing set 2

The Swing Set

slide

I love to slide!!

swing set

Neighbor friends come to play with their Grandma

Swinging with Daddy

Swinging with Daddy

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The Sand Box

sand and water table

What a great water table – Thanks Orlando!

Jul 11 2006

Our little fish

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You are loving the water! You have already had your second swim lesson.
swim take1
swim 2 take2
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swim take 4

This past weekend Daddy and I took you to the neighborhood pool. We had a blast. Daddy chased you and me, and we giggled and giggled and giggled!
family swim

I love you Peanut

Jul 9 2006

Been meaning to write…

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Hey there Peanut –

I’ve been meaning to write. We have had quite a week!

Last Sunday, we played outside in our backyard all morning. Our neighbor down the street is moving, and she gave us her swing set. Your Daddy (I helped just a little) took it down and moved it down the block to our house on Saturday. The next morning, you and I played in the sandbox,
sandbox small
while Daddy reassembled it, building new pieces for different parts to make the structure stronger. We had SUCH a great morning. We also played with the hose,
hose2
hose1
and helped Daddy when he needed it.
building 1
building 2

After lunch we headed down to Auntie Judi and Uncle Jim’s cabin on Canandagua Lake. What a fantastic day we had! Here are some picture highlights!

Hanging out with Judi

Hanging with Aunti Judi

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karen and pie

Karen and Miss Maya share a piece of pie. Sharing is ALWAYS better!

save me from myself

“Save me from myself!” Ashook and Judi protect Maya from a hot chili pepper. She keeps them on their toes!

family paddle boat

Family time in the paddle boat (Our second such ride. We first took a family paddle boat ride at the mountain cabin for Laura and Alan’s wedding.)

ethan and maya

Water balloons with Ethan

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Water balloons are fun!

ashook

Hanging out with Ashook

fun day

What a fun day we had!

Jun 30 2006

Daddy’s Day

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Yesterday was declared Daddy’s Day… as it was a day he had been preparing for for over a year. He took his exams for his license as a nurse. He did a great job, and we are sure he passed. 🙂 Go Daddy!

On Saturday, we went to the public market and then came home…
flowers frommarket
to check the results of the exam on the computer. These are the pictures fromwhen we learned of the results:
happiness
pass

“Pass”

with maya small

My Daddy is a NURSE!!

Jun 28 2006

This morning…

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This morning you woke up at 5:30am giggling.

You had so many smiles to share! I brought you back to bed with Daddy and me (because Daddy especially was hoping we might all have a little family snooze), but you preferred to snuggle and giggle. It was SUCH a wonderful morning! Even Daddy couldn’t help but smile out loud when you rubbed his face with “gentle touch,” gave him one of your big smiles, and said “Da-da.”

Jun 27 2006

Double ear infection, 15 mnth appt and 1st Swim Lesson

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Wow, have we had a busy week!

First last Wednesday you came home from daycare with a temperature of 102.1. We took you straight to the doctor, and your temp had gone up to 102.5. Both of your little ears were infected. The doctor gave us a prescription for amoxicillin. You were feeling better within a couple days.

Even the next day you played quite a bit. The fun part was that I got to hang out with you all morning, and Daddy came home from work to hand out with us in the afternoon. Bonus family time! At the end of the day, we took a walk to East Ave to your daycare’s ice cream social. We didn’t stay long, but it was fun to have a slice of pizza on a picnic blanket with your friend Marlie. You may not have been feeling your best, but you still looked beautiful:
ice cream social

Today was your 15 month well visit (doctor’s appointment). You are doing great! Stats for the day:
Head diameter – 18 in
Height – 32 in (88%)
Weight – 22lb 13 oz (47%)
22 lb 13 oz

22 lb 13 oz of Sweetness and Spunk!

15 mnth

15 months already

Once we came home we were off to the YMCA for your first swim lesson. At first we wondered if we were in the right place. You were the youngest kid there it seemed. And you looked a bit overwhelmed.
taking it all in

Taking it all in… What have they gotten me into this time?!?

But soon they separated the kids into the wee ones and the not-so-wee ones, and we saw one or two other kids about your age. We sang songs, chased bubbles, jumped in from the side, and had circle time. We all had a BALL!!! My cheeks hurt from smiling so much! And when class was over, you did not want to get out! Your teacher, Linda, was very impressed with how brave you were. We can’t wait until our next class on Thursday!
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swimming2

Peanut, life is SO much fun with you!

Jun 19 2006

Trip #9

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Last night we arrived home from Trip #9.

This adventure took us to Uncle Gus and Aunt Rena’s house in Highland Park, NJ to see the opening for Rena Rae’s artwork. We drove down Friday night (you slept almost the whole way). When we arrived around 12:30am, your Mommy and Daddy realized that they were lost. We were in the neighborhood of the hotel, but we could not actually find it. By the time we found the hotel, it was about 1am, and you woke up. Rough night for all of us.

The next day more than made up for it though. We had breakfast and went over to the house where Uncle Gus, Cousins Bruce & Alka, Grandma Luehmann, & Aunt Mary were waiting for us with OPEN ARMS! After playing a little while, you took a nap on Grandma’s lap. What a treat!
a nap with Gma

bruce and alka

Here is a picture of Mommy’s Cousins Alka & Bruce hanging out on the front porch.

Sisters2

Grandma Luehmann & her Sister Mary

Later we went to Rena Rae’s art opening. Sadly, she passed away a few weeks back. It was such an honor and an inspiration for all of us to be at this opening. Her work is so beautiful, so powerful. You can see her passion, compassion, and spirit mixed in with her talent in each and every piece. This is a small shot of my favorite of her work:
An inspiration “Be all that you can be” Baby Girl Tatemann. Like Rena Rae, I pray you will grow up to be just as beautiful inside and out, just as passionate about what you believe in, and just as compassionate for those who need your love.

Here are some more pictures from the opening:
opening 1

Rena Rae’s brother Bruce, Gus, Mary, Grandma, some friends of Gus & Rena’s, and Kay

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Grandma Luehmann and her big brother Gus and little sister Mary.

gus and kay

Uncle Gus and his sister-in-law, Kay. What wonderfu people!

3 generations

3 Generations

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What a beautiful event!

cousins

Group shot

playing with Bruce

Bruce and Miss Maya exploring Lincoln Logs together… What a special day!

After the opening, you and your Daddy and I went out to eat. We giggled quite a bit. This is a wonderful picture from that trip:
restaurant

Daddy makes me giggle!

bruces

This is Rena Rae’s brother Bruce and Mommy’s cousin Bruce.

The next morning, on Father’s Day, we all went to church, and then headed back to Gus and Rena’s house for lunch.
Gma

Hanging out with Grandma

uncle gus

Uncle Gus shows me how the top spins.

Soon after, we headed home.
daddy car

Getting Gas

It was 92 degrees outside during our drive home. We stopped to have lunch in the Pocono’s and you and I gave Daddy some presents to tell him how grateful we are for him! Boy were we all POOPED when we got here.

sacked out 2

Sacked out!

Thank you to Gus and Bruce and Alka and Grandma and Mary and Bruce & Kay for such a FABULOUS adventure! We love you very much. Thank you for letting us share in this very special time!