December Days

December has flown by! As you can see from the picture, Rachael has turned evil, and since she has a developed a thirst for blood, it has been harder to keep up with the blog. Like most vampires, she rarely sleeps at night. Her usual time to finally give up the fight and surrender to the sleep is about midnight. This is a new development which has Mike and I both exhausted. Our Christmas was wonderful, and we were treated to a visit from Harold and Marjean earlier this month. When I am less exhausted, I will add some anecdotes. Now, I am hoping to break in the new Whirley Pop my dad bought me for Christmas and watch some mindless TV. Of course, it is after midnight, so I should probably just go to bed.

Pumpkin Patches...

Here are some pictures from our trip to the Didier Farms pumpkin patch this fall. We went with a group of families from Mike's class at Kellogg. We enjoyed a hayride, pony rides, wagon rides, and a petting zoo. We got a few pumpkins too. Rachael loved the petting zoo. She ran up to each animal and enthusiastically crouched down and said in her friendliest Dr. Doolittle voice, "HEL-lo!". She loves her animals.

Big girl bed...

Rachael has moved into her big girl bed. These pictures show her napping on the floor while we finally break down and change her crib into a toddler bed. She had been refusing to fall asleep in her crib for a few weeks. We would let her fall asleep on the floor and then move her into her crib. It seems a bit ridiculous, but sometimes parents are slow. Well, we dug out the tools and instructions on how to take the one side off the crib, which, of course, is not rocket science. Rachael is now happily falling asleep in her big girl bed, and rolling out onto the floor across the room each night. We are always surprised where we will find her in her room when we wake up. We have put a body pillow on the floor, so when she rolls out, it doesn't even seem to wake her up.

Halloween

Halloween was a great time for us all. Rachael dressed up as Wonder Woman. She loved climbing up the steps of each house and saying hello to our neighbors. She didn't care about hte candy too much. She just liked meeting everyone. She still thinks we are trick or treating when we go out for a walk. She hasn't grasped the concept that you only knock on your neighbors' doors for treats once a year. The rest of the time its just a bit creepy. We did really enjoy meeting our neighbors. There were some amazingly decorated houses around here. Rachael and her best friend Ana are getting ready to head out trick or treating in this video. They are both really spazzy(and adorable). This is a common playdate for us. Ana's mom Mara, who is about 8 months pregnant, is refereeing the chaos. Enjoy.

Summer's ending...Rachael's growing

Rachael has been getting bigger and bigger. She is recently very focused on taking turns, putting her shoes on, and playing ring around the rosy. She also has started taking a toddler gymnastics class which is probably going to teach her how to successfully catapult herself out of her crib. We have had an amazing summer and we are off to Seattle and Portland for a visit with Ganna, Goomba, Uncle Joe, and Aunt Lee. Mike will be running the Portland marathon.

Super sweeper

Here is Rachael helping sweep the kitchen. She loves to make a mess so she can help clean it up. We have created a monster...a monster of frantic cleaning...she must take after the Van Gilder side...the genes I didn't inherit.

Random Cute Pics...

Here are some random pictures from the last few months of summer. She is bouncing at her daycare funfest, playing at the beach, and walking with her Goomba. It is hard to imagine that time has flown by so quickly. I remember a year ago Rachael was just learning to sit up, and now she won't sit still! Enjoy!

New tree

Here are a few pics and short video of Rachael helping take care of our new tree. We recently improved our backyard by pulling out some ground cover and putting in grass. Our old tree was dead, so we replaced it with a cute little lollipop crabapple tree. Rachael had fun watching the handymen work building our new deck and improving our backyard space. She stood at the back door watching, waving, and saying "ell---ooo" over and over.

Rachael Lately

Here are some pics of toddler Rachael lately. She has been very busy creating silly games like "feed Cookie Monster a mouth full of Kix cereal" and "try on Daddy's bike helmet". As Rachael and life get busier, the blogs get shorter. But, pictures are worth a thousand words, so here you go! Enjoy.

Rachael's Daycare Funfest

Rachael had fun at her daycare's yearly funfest/ picnic. She enjoyed a pony ride with her Goomba. Here is a picture of her! It is hard to believe she is only 18 months old....She also had fun bouncing around in the toddler "bouncy castle" which included a pirate ship and inflated dolphin for her to bounce on. More pics will be added later I am sure.

Ganna and Goomba are visiting until Tuesday. We are going to a Cubs game on Sunday.

Life gets busier and busier...

Rachael is growing so fast! She has transitioned to her new room at daycare, and is such a big girl. In the last few weeks she has hit many milestones. She is trying to talk more. She does the "toddler" slide all on her own at the park. She can go down the big curly slide with help. She rinses her own hair in the bath by lying back--- a major milestone for a little girl who refused to get her hair wet at all without screaming... She loves to wave and say, "hi" to everyone in the neighborhood. We have been having a fun summer so far.

Here is a video of Rachael rocking out. She loves to dance.

Rachael Pretends

Lately, Rachael has begun "pretending" more while playing with her toys. She also does very silly things that make us wonder what goes on in her amazing little mind. For example, she likes to climb into boxes, baskets, and her step stool and fill the space around her with her fisher price animals. All of them. She will point to any stray animals that didn't make it in with her and once they join her, she will climb out and dump them on the floor. The game starts over. She also loves to "pretend" that each little animal is going to sleep by lying them down on the floor. They also eat from a toy that has little bananas in it. She is learning her animals. She can usually pick out the right animal when I say, "where is your lion, giraffe, panda bear, etc.". She likes to trace our house numbers in front with her finger, and we talk about how we live at 609A and neighbors Tiff, George, and doggie Kiki live at 609B. She traces their numbers and says, la la la BEEE ba ba Beee. I guess she knows the letter b. It does begin her favorite words, "ball, bubble, balloon..." Here is a video of her climbing in her step stool and feeding her animals some bananas. Notice she makes a little eating sound for them.

Early Heckling

Rachael warms up her heckling technique. Later she tries to spell out Podsednik you're a bum with the crowd, but even grown-ups can't spell Podsednik very well...It was a beautiful day in the left field bleachers at Wrigley.

Cubs Game!

Rachael (and her parents) ventured to a Cubs game against the Rockies on Sunday. First off, if you haven't been following, the Cubs have had the best record since like 1908. Seriously. They finished their homestand on Sunday an amazing 7-0...

Rachael had a great time. We sat in the left field bleachers with our usual group of regulars. Before the game, she got a souvenir ball from the grounds crew. In the 6th inning, she finally caught Alfonso Soriano's eye with her adorable face and Soriano shirt, and got yet another souvenir ball. (She got her first one from Soriano last June 16 at her first game.) She enjoyed the game until she passed out moments after getting that ball from Soriano. It was almost like she held out until she got it before giving in to a nap! She slept right through the seventh inning stretch until the end of the game.

Her are some pics and video of her big day at Wrigley Field.

Running and screeching...

Adorable, but, yes, it is a video of Rachael pushing her school bus and screeching with glee. Advil, anyone?

Filming some movie...

After our trip to the zoo, we dropped Andrea and Maddie off at the train station to catch the South Shore. There was a movie of some sort being filmed near there. On Wells Street there were a line of antique cars for the filming, so we took a picture of it. Earier there were actors dressed in period costumes, but I didn't have my camera handy to take any pictures. Enjoy the cars!

Lincoln Park Zoo, Part Two

Here are some pictures from our second visit to Lincoln Park Zoo this spring. One of my best friends from college Andrea met us there with her daughter Maddie. We had a great afternoon of visiting and seeing all the animals.

We all enjoyed the spider monkeys, marmosets, gorillas, kangaroos, and polar bears. Maddie liked the pink flamingos. I enjoyed the mama gorilla hugging her baby gorilla while they were napping. I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but it was pretty amazing. The pictures are of Maddie and Rachael petting a goat. Also a family shot. We didn't take as many pictures as we should have!

Rachael especially loved the carousel they had there! She rode on a lion that did not move up and down. I stood next to her holding her on the lion. The carved animals on the carousel were absolutely beautiful. Rachael had so much fun, that she unexpectedly starting crying giant tears as soon as she realized that we were leaving and that the ride was over. I know this reaction is probably pretty common with kids, but this was our first real experience with Rachael crying like this. Luckily she calmed down a few minutes later. It was very adorable how broken-hearted she was that the ride was done. We'll have to visit it again one day!

Rachael's Best Friend

Here are a few pictures of Rachael with her BFF Ana. Ana is a few months older than Rachael, and they love to play with each other. Ana says, "Rachael, Rachael, Rachael" --- since she is talking more----and Rachael says, "blah, dah, doo, ba" back. Ana's mommy Mara is pretty fun for Marci to hang out with too. We both love walking and drinking large amounts of coffee. Good times... We are so lucky we found such great friends only a few doors away!

Born Comedian

The picture says it all...Shecky Rubin. Cha cha cha cha....

Growing super fast!

Rachael has been changing very quickly these last few weeks. It is amazing what she picks up each day! Here are some highlights (which we hope to capture on video to post as well). She loves to make a frog face-- sticking out her tongue--- She waves hello and says, "HI" to every person, dog, squirrel, and pigeon we pass. She loves to help out and has really started to mimic each action that mommy does...I really have to watch what I do! She wants to help put the groceries away, sweep the floor, comb her hair, put on lotion, pick up her toys....really...she is quite the helper now! Will it last?? Here are some recent pics from the last week. Pajamas and a rainy afternoon.... Enjoy.

Go Cubs!

Here is a picture of Rachael in her Soriano shirt. Soriano gave Rachael a souvenir ball at her first Cubs game last summer, so she is a big fan. We've been busy lately now that spring has come! Rachael loves blowing bubbles, playing at the park, and helping in the garden---digging dirt and pulling weeds. She especially loves playing in the sandbox at one local park. Ganna Marjean came to visit last week, and we had a great time with beautiful weather. We are so excited for summer!

Love me some avocado...

Yeah, I eat avocado. You gotta problem widdat?

Pee Pee in a Potty!

Rachael peed in her potty for the first time today. We aren't quite ready for full blown potty training, but we are slowly introducing the concept. We take her to the potty each morning after she wakes up, and she sits with one of her favorite stuffed animals and waits for a minute or two. She loves the diaper free walk from her room to the potty. I don't have a picture of her on the potty (which she will thank me for when she is older!), but here is a cute picture of her loving herself in the mirror!

Stoli...

My sister's beloved dog Stoli is rather sick right now, so I thought I'd post a video from when Rachael and Stoli first met last May. In the video, we tried to capture Rachael giggling when Stoli licked her feet. That was the first reaction Rachael had when she met Stoli. During our visit, Stoli was very protective of baby Rachael and would run to her side whenever she cried. Rachael's second word after daddy was doggie, and she instantly fell in love with Stoli when they met. We are saddened to hear the news that Stoli is not doing well. They suspect she has a cancerous tumor in her neck. She is one of the greatest dogs ever! Gentle, sweet, playful, and beautiful. Enjoy the video.

Fencing anyone?

So Rachael has made a habit of putting the strainer on her face because, well, it is hilarious! She is such a comedian. Our babysitter Woojin was able to catch it in a picture after our failed attempts to capture the moment...I hope this brightens your day...

Cubs Home Opener...

Well today the Cubs have their home opener. Rachael decided to take a nap, so she won't see the start. It is currently a rain delay, so she may see some of the game today. Here are some pictures from today. In one, she is giving Curious George a ride in her school bus. The school bus was one of the abandoned toys we saved from the alley, and the George doll was a wedding gift. Now the monkey pillow buddy belongs to Rachael. Luckily, she has started giving her toys rides in the bus now instead of trying to climb in herself. The other picture shows her riding her favorite caterpillar Charlie. As you can see, she likes to stand on him. She is a little daredevil speed freak, so shortly after this picture was taken, she heard, "Get on your bottom, Rachael. No standing on Charlie!" Of course, she just giggles and keeps on climbing.

Bouncing and Giggling

Here we are bouncing on Rachael's crib mattress and giggling. You can see who Rachael got her "silly" from, right??

Easter- Cold and Sunny with the Bunny

Rachael enjoyed her second Easter in Michigan City with the family. We had an Easter plastic egg hunt and Grannie and Grandpa's house. She found all ten eggs. Each egg was filled with a shiny coin and sweet little note to Rachael. We enjoyed eating out this year, and after our afternoon brunch we went to Aunt Judy's to visit cousins Lisa, Scott, Abigail and Harrison and my Grandma. Rachael had fun hurling the bocce balls around the golf course that sits behind my Aunt's home. She has the "muscles of a steelworker" as Goomba Harold would say.

Lincoln Park Zoo

We took our first trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo today. We joined our friends Mara and Ana for a beautiful spring day amongst the creatures. There were no pictures taken because I was too busy wrangling up our little explorer. We enjoyed seeing the monkeys, apes, barnyard animals, and llamas. Rachael really enjoyed trying to feed her cookies to the seagulls at the picnic area. She doesn't share her mothers unnatural fear of large birds yet. We liked the gibbons best. They entertained us with acrobatic swinging. The zebras and chimpanzees seemed to be starting their "spring romance", so we decided not to stick around too long. When I was a camp counselor, the zebras started "mating" in front of my group of 7 year olds. I didn't need to relive that memory! Overall it was a great first trip to the zoo. I am sure we will be back with a camera next time!

Waterpark!

We took a trip to Lake Geneva to enjoy the warm waterpark at Timber Ridge Lodge when Marjean and Harold visited a few weekends ago. It was a great diversion from a hard cold winter...We realized after we returned that the spots that we thought were "skin sensitivity" were the start of hand, foot, and mouth, so I hope we didn't pass it to all the other kids there! Hopefully the chlorine killed the virus. Luckily, it seems like spring is peeking around the corner with the slightly warmer weather we've had the last few days. Here are some pictures of our adventure at the waterpark... Rachael also loved the giant chess board.

Hand, Foot, and Mouth...

Poor baby Rachael has hand, foot, and mouth disease and is pretty miserable. Hopefully she is at the tail end of it...We all are lacking sleep, and thank goodness Harold and Marjean are visiting to help us out!

Mommy's little helper

About a week ago, we noticed a few rather nice toys out in the alley for trash pick-up. We aren't picky, and they were in good condition. I felt like posting a note for our neighbor on how to use "freecycle". We grabbed the toys to do our part to keep them out of a landfill. After a good cleaning and check on the internet for recalls, Rachael had a new toy vacuum, school bus push toy, and a few Tonka trucks. Here is a picture of Rachael enjoying her new vacuum cleaner. "Dusty" the vacuum says things like "this place is a pigpen" and "let's clean the floor". She likes to chase me around when I vacuum, so now she has her own vacuum to push around. She vacuumed in front of our hallway mirror while having some random conversation with herself.