Fantastic Weekend with Daddy

This weekend we had a taste of spring... the weather was warm, the days are getting longer, and Daddy was home! We played baseball outside, got a trampoline and the boys had fun racing their race car with Daddy in the empty lots near our house. Peter also is teaching Stephen to ride a dirt bike so they can go riding together. Stephen did the best he has yet, riding laps around the empty lot! I think they are going to have fun doing this together. Scottie is chomping at the bit to keep up and wants to ride the "motorcycle" too... Not for a couple of years though (at least Mommy hopes!)

We put up a trampoline in our back yard. The boys love going to friends' houses and jumping so I finally talked Peter into getting one and man, its a hit! Peter even had a great time jumping and showing the boys how to do some "tricks" on it. Now Stephen shows everyone who comes over what Daddy taught him to do. Scottie gets up every morning and looks out the window and with a big smile on his face says, "Look, there's our trampline..." and wants to be out there every minute of the day. Its going to be rough when its rainy....

Enjoy our weekend pics!!

Sports begin....

So this past weekend we had our first sports practice with our kids. Stephen is on a T-ball team called the Bats and we are so excited. Since Stephen was 2 years old he was throwing a baseball (like a pitcher) and has been interested in baseball ever since. We signed him up this year to play t-ball and even though we have only had one practice, it has grown his love for the sport even more. Saturday was our first practice, and the coach is a neighbor so she even let Scottie participate in the practice. The coaches are great with the kids. Stephen learned about trapping the ball, running the bases, throwing properly and hitting off the tee. Some of these skills we have practiced in the front yard but others we are sure glad he is in t-ball for. He wants to learn to catch a ball this season and I think he will! He hit the ball the farthest this practice and was very proud. I look forward to updating you on the season but for now here are some pics of our first practice!!

Potty Training Complete!! ... Almost..

I am so proud of my boy Scottie! He is doing so well with potty training. It took just about a week, like Stephen, and we are staying dry in the day. Scottie feels like a big boy and wanted so bad to be like his brother that it wasn't hard to do after the first couple of days of fighting it. He is such a sweet boy. If he does have an accident he gets so upset and asks if he is still a big boy. The accidents usually come about if we are doing something really fun and Mom forgets to ask him to go potty. He has now stretched it to being about 2 hours between potty breaks and I am so proud of his accomplishments. He is my BIG BOY!!

Now just to work on night time and standing up....

Trip to Ohio

We just got home from a fun trip to Ohio to visit my sister, Rachel, brother Craig, and her children~ Victoria and Caleb, and Baby Farrell. This is the sister that is due 3 weeks before me...! We had so much fun watching the kids run around together, going to the library, playingin the snow we didn't know was coming, having a birthday party, going to church and countless hoursplaying different games and make-believe at her house.

We started by driving there on Wednesday, through the snow in Pa and rain, rain, rain in Ohio... I was glad to have the big vehicle and not Peter's car when the snow was almost blinding and trucks still going 70 on the Pike. We got there in one piece and made it in 5 hours which isn't bad considering we stopped for potty breaks along the way since Scottie was just potty training! I am happy to report we made it with no accidents too!!

Wednesday night we took the kids to Rachel's church where Victoria was happy to "show off" her cousins and again we had no accidents. I was able to go with Rachel to her choir practice to see some of the music for their upcoming performance for Easter. It sounded amazing and I was equally impressed at the choir director being able to pick out one person from the 80 or so that was there who was singing off key! Wow was his ear amazing.

Thursday was Caleb's 3rd birthday. We had lots going on that day, Rachel with 1st grade registration for Victoria in the morning, (we stayed home with Caleb and played), story time at

their fantastic library, and a party for Caleb with some of Craig's family in the evening. The snow started that evening and continued through the night as Rachel warned, "We live in Ohio, don't count winter over yet... last year we had 3 feet of snow on Caleb's birthday, and when he was born, there was a blizzard!" So to hold true to those words we got a few inches and the kids were ecstatic in the morning to wake up to the winter wonderland!

Friday morning we went out and played in the snow with makeshift snowsuits. Scottie wore 2 pair of pants, 3 socks, and rain boots, while Stephen wore 2 jackets, Victoria's next size snow pants (yes, they are purple but he didn't care!!) and her next size snow boots. They had a blast playing snow ball fight, eating the white stuff, and with the help of me and Rachel~ mainly Rachel, we built a snowman! It was a great couple of hours and then we came in for some hot chocolate!

The rest of the day and Saturday we pretty much spent just playing together and enjoying cousin time. We had a blast when Craig was home with the kids playing attack Uncle Craig, and he would throw them around. At nights, the adults enjoyed "adult time" playing games like Greed and Rummicube.

Sunday came too fast, packing up to leave, and going to church with Rache and Craig. The kids went to sunday school while we went to service. We said our good byes and headed back home. We were excited to see Daddy, yet sad to leave Aunt Rachel's and Uncle Craig's. They said the whole way home, "Mommy, when can we go back?"!! I am so glad they had such a good time with their cousins. I am looking forward to having Marc here this summer so they can develop a great relationship with him also, as I remember the times with my cousins at my grandparent's house growing up, and what special memories and relationships they are still to me today!

Potty Training...???

Potty Training...

What was I thinking??? I am trying to potty train Scottie~ not because he is ready, but because I will not have the patience or energy any later in my pregnancy... But because I am trying to do it on my time and not his, it's meaning countless accidents, lots of clean ups, loads of clothes and few successes. It's ok though because Scottie wants to be a big boy (like Stephen) and doesn't want to wear baby diapers any more... now just to get the connection between the feeling of peeing and holding it until we can get on the potty. He doesn't like to be wet, he wants to be big, and I like the fact that I don't have to change diapers. I enjoy the time we get to spend sitting on the potty reading stories, playing phones or any other games he comes up with to pass the time. I hope that we will get the hang of this really soon...

February In a nutshell...

February was both happy and sad. Peter was gone for a good portion of it, leaving the kids missing their Daddy and mom more tired than usual. Baby grew a bunch, or at least Mommy did. It was an emotional month with the happiness of Valentine's Day, but the bitter sweetness of loosing my Meme to her fight with Pulmonary Fibrosis and her eventual reunion with our Savior and ultimate healing. We went to a funeral at the end of the month that was also bitter sweet. It was hard to say "good bye" to a special woman, one who was a prayer warrior for her entire family, but was very nice to see the rest of our Ohio family. Stephen and Scottie had a great time playing with their Uncle Caleb, cousins Victoria and Caleb, and seeing many other members of our family we haven't seen in a long time. I enjoyed time with my sister who is due with her 3rd baby 3 weeks before me and seeing friends and family I haven't seen in a longtime. Peter was able to have some good guy time with Craig, our brother in law.

We finished the month off by celebrating Bobbie-Mom's birthday with a nice dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse in Front Royal where Scottie was scared out of his mind at the fire and the guy making the fire. He was like "Mommy, I'm scared. Fire is bad!!" and then went and hid behind me and under my jacket until the chef was done cooking. Then he could come out and eat until someone else at another table started their fire cooking. Stephen loved it and it was fantastic food! The kids wanted to bring her some balloons so we picked some up and some flowers and brought them to the restaurant with us. It was a good night.

We also had a little taste of spring a couple of days this month. We had a few days in the 60s with one almost 70! We took advantage of these days by going to the park, playing outside with our friends, playing baseball in the front yard, and riding bikes. The flowers say that spring is on its way with our crocuses and tulips coming up. The crocuses are beautiful little flowers and the tulips have just peeked out... I can't wait for the colors of spring!!

One of the biggest events of the month was that my nephew, Marc, celebrated his 1st birthday! I was not able to celebrate with him but I was able to sing to him and send him a birthday package with cards made from my boys to him. We were not there physically but I was so there in spirit! Happy 1st birthday, Marc!!!

Now on to the next month... Hopefully I will take more pictures, but it will be challenging with my pocket camera broken.... Things to look forward to in March ~ the start of t-ball for Stephen, a trip to Ohio to visit cousins, potty training, and so much more! Thanks for hanging in there and I will try to do better on updates!!

Valentine's Day 2011

Happy Valentine's Day from the Steyaert family. We hope you had a great day with the people you care about. Unfortunately for us, Daddy had to be on a trip to California but we made the best of it we could anyway. From doughnuts shaped as hearts, to cookie decorating and hanging out with friends, our day was filled with love. We had a blast creating fun treats on a play date- the kids each made their own cookie... then the mom's took over and had fun icing and decorating for the people we care about. We went home afterward and played with some friends until the evening and then talked to Daddy on the phone before bed. Peter spoiled me with some beautiful flowers before he left and got me some fun jewelry to go with thering he bought me in Cancun for our anniversary. I have a sweet husband that loves his family! Enjoy the pics of the fun cookies!!