Having a Great Summer - 33 Months Old

Hello everyone! Since I last talked to you, I've been enjoying my summer playing outside as much as possible. I've been playing and watching baseball with my daddy, and splashing in my little pool in the water whenever its warm enough. Unfortunately, this summer hasn't been that hot, but on the sunny days, you can bet I'll be wading in my pool or at the park with my friends.

Other than the usual, my family went on another mini-vacay here at the end of July to Cragun's resort near Brainerd, MN. Once again, Daddy had a meeting there so we made some fun out of it:) I LOVED the lake. I think I'm like Mommy and could live at the lake. I made sandcastles and much as I could, walked in the cold, cold water a few times, checked out the boats and fishermen, enjoyed the bonfires, and played to my heart's content. Unfortunately, it was just too cold to make renting a boat worth it. Boy do I want to go on a boat some day. Mommy says its not right to go to the lake and not go boating;) Maybe we'll have to go back to that resort again and rent a cabin next time and go boating. It was a really cool place!

32 Months Slideshow

What a busy month! To start off, there was an Art festival here in Grand Forks that we all went to. I liked the bouncy houses the best;) Then, we all headed off to Minneapolis for a bit of a vacation. Daddy had a conference in St. Paul, so Mommy and I hung out at the hotel. One day we went to the Children's Museum there and had a blast! I got to paint my own face, meet Clifford the Big Red Dog, play lots of pretend, splash in the water, and do lots of other stuff! Wish we had a children's museum like that here.

From St. Paul we drove on down our old home, Kansas City, for a visit. We stayed with my friend Lexi! I've missed her so we had lots of fun together. Lexi's parents hosted a BBQ so we could visit and catch up with all our old KC friends. Lexi and I also went to Deanna Rose Farmstead together and swam in her neighborhood swimming pool. Deanna Rose was fun but it was also really hot outside so I had the most fun playing in the water play area. I even made a new little friend who joined me in my splashing:) We also went to a Royals baseball game and down to the Plaza to see my beloved fountains. While at the ballpark, we got to see the new renovations they've done to Kaufman field. We went out behind the outfield and I got to bat at the Little K field. I did really well with my hitting but didn't quite grasp the running the bases thing at the end so Mommy ran with me. I also got to ride the Merry-Go-Round and play on the playground equipment there, but we didn't have time to do mini-golf before the game started:( While heading back to our seats, we walked underneath the fountains right above the bullpen. It was LOUD and I screamed bloody murder. I still don't like loud noises, especially that loud. Anyway, back at our seats, we got tot watch the game with our friends Megan, Jarad, and Averie. Averie sure is getting big!

After we got home from KC, it was time for the Fourth of July. My Aunt Becky, Uncle Byron, and cousin Abi came to our house to visit. We shopped and hung out and ate, but we missed the fireworks because everyone pooped out too early. Ah well.

Until next time!

Welcome Baby Damien!

I have a new cousin! Woohoo! And its a boy:) Can't wait til we're old enough to play together!

Damien Francis Laub was born today at 1:16 in the morning weighing 7lbs. 12oz. and measuring 20 inches long! Welcome Damien! And congratulations to my Aunt Anna and Uncle Daren!

What a cutey pie!

31 Months Old

Here's a slide show from the past month. Enjoy!

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Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday Mama!

My mommy had a great birthday on Thursday. Well, at least I had lots of fun;) First, I had better mention that she had a good Mother's Day on Sunday as well. Daddy and I took her out to eat at Paradiso where she enjoyed a margarita, and we gifted her a Wii and Wii Fit which we've all already played tons. So much fun!

Anyway, back to the birthday. So, my grandparents and my Uncle Dusty came up to GF to help us celebrate Mama's birthday. We all went out for Italian food and then Grandma and Grandpa watched me while Mommy and Daddy went to the movies. Good times!

Then, on Friday, the grandparents, parents and I took off for Minneapolis for my cousin Jill Zentner's (now Davis) wedding. I had fun in the big pool at the hotel with mommy and the wedding was fun, too! I didn't make it through the ceremony as it was prime naptime so I was tired and kept talking and moving around to keep myself awake. So, Mommy took me into the lobby and I layed down on a couch and took my nap:) All was good after that. At the dance, I got my boogy on with my Great Aunt Bev and the wedding party. It was so much fun. That is, after I got used to the really loud music. I don't like loud noises, but I got used to it after a while. I even got me a glow necklace so I could rave. I didn't want Mommy to dance with me (she's lame) because I wanted to dance with everyone else by myself.

So, it was a great week. Here's some more pics for you all.

From 30 to 31 Months

Mommy's birthday cake from Cold Stone Creamery. Yummy!

From 30 to 31 Months

Me and Mommy in the pool at the hotel

From 30 to 31 Months

The lovely couple at the ceremony

From 30 to 31 Months

Me in my monkey suit

From 30 to 31 Months

Me and mama at the wedding

From 30 to 31 Months

Blow out the candle Daddy!

From 30 to 31 Months

My family at the wedding

From 30 to 31 Months

Me and my grandparents

From 30 to 31 Months

Dancing with Aunt Bev.

From 30 to 31 Months

Getting my groove on.

From 30 to 31 Months

Uncle David is a funny but wonderful dancer!

From 30 to 31 Months

I liked the glow sticks

Two and half years old!

Yes, I am 30 months old now! Wow!

More info coming soon. We are getting way behind on this blog O_o

Happy Birthday Daddy

Happy birthday to my favorite person in the world! Thanks for listening to music with me, playing ball with me, being my ride-on horsie, laughing at the silly things I say, reading to me, and loving me all the time. You are the best!

Love,

Nicky

Happy Easter!

Dude this has been the best Easter yet! Yes, yes, I know I've only experienced 3 so far in my life. But still, this one was great! Baking with Mama. An Easter egg hunt at the Alerus Center with hundreds of eggs plus facepainting, moonbounces, and a firetruck, and now Easter day with a great Easter egg hunt at home plus an Easter basket filled with goodies! I totally made out. I got a bit of candy, some stickers, plastic animals, a yellow stuffed ducky, a Spiderman baseball hat, some books, a mini flower pot to plant daisies in, and even a Pez dispenser. Score! Mommy took a rare time off from cooking the holiday meal so we all went to the bufet at the Blue Moose instead. Yum!

I got a Bearnstain Bears book recently about how Easter is not all about candy (or toys) or even food, though. Mommy and I have been readin about how in Christianity, it is about Jesus's death and resurrection, and in pagan traditions, it is about spring and new life.

Hope you had a blessed and joyfilled Easter as well!

Here's a few photos and videos of my Easter. Enjoy!

From 29 to 30 Months

Had my face painted!

From 29 to 30 Months

Checking out the eggs before the hunt.

From 29 to 30 Months

That hunt was competitive!

From 29 to 30 Months

Me and my Easter basket.

From 29 to 30 Months

Click on the image for a video of me before the big hunt.

From 29 to 30 Months

Click on the image for a video of me after the big hunt:)

From 29 to 30 Months

Click on the image for a video of me hunting for eggs at home on Easter morning.

29 Months Old!

What's been up with me, you ask? Well, last month I got my second 2 year molar in, and this month I'm getting the last 2 in. So, I've been busy teething and now have a complete mouth of teeth. I haven't been too grouchy considering all that's been going on in my mouth. Two molars should not come in at the same time, I say! But then again, at least that's all over with. Mom says all my teeth will fall out in about 5 years. WHAT?!!! I'm not gonna think about that.

In other news, just when we thought spring was coming because the snow was melting, we get another snow storm. Ah well. I kinda like the white stuff. Mom says we can go outside more once it gets warmer. I can't wait!! I love the outdoors! And I'm looking forward to trying out my rainboots.

Mom and Dad and everyone, it seems, keep talking about the flooding and the river. Guess its a big deal, though our dike system should keep us safe, they say. Daddy sure is busy taking care of the town and giving interviews. I like seeing him on TV!

Hmm, what else? I continue to love going to Storytime at the library, hanging out with my friends Kael and Asa, and visiting all my relatives. I absolutely LOVE my grandparents. All they do is play with me. Its the best! My Grandma and Grandpa Huizenga came to visit not long ago and they bought my Great-Grandma and Grandpa Deibert with, too! They also brought my beloved Christmas pony from Glenburn. Now I can ride it every day.

Oh, and Easter is coming up so Mommy and made Easter cookies for this weekend and froze them. That was fun! I love cooking with Mommy. She even let me have my own little rolling pin and a little dough. We also made an Easter Bunny House, sorta like a gingerbread house, from a kit from Target. Mommy had fun, but all I wanted to do was eat the icing and candy, not help. That annoyed Mama. Sorry!

Anyway, lots of excitement coming up here including Daddy's Birthday and another visit from the Easter bunny! Catch you again next month!

Happy Birthday Grandma Kathy!!

Molar #2, Symbols, and "Exactly"

Just a few random things I've been doing lately:

• Teething my 2nd 2-year molar. That explains why I caught a cold, but I'm not feeling too bad. Two down, 2 to go. Then I'll have my complete set of milk teeth:)
• Symbols - I LOVE them. I like identifying them, and since I like tv commercials way too much, I've picked up a few new ones lately. I know the symbols for Sprint, AT&T, Verizon, NBC, FOX, Magor League Baseball, Sioux hockey, and lots of others.
• My favorite words and phrases as of late are "million dollars" (maybe because I like gameshows?), twenty! (its a big number in my mind), tilla (tortilla), Oh Buddy! (my parents say this to me all the time so I've picked it up in its various intonations), Because, and my most recent addition has been "Exactly." That one cracked Mama up.

Just thought I'd share. Hope your spring is warmer than ours has been. I want to go outside!!! And I also hope Uncle Dusty and everyone in Fargo stays dry. Peace out!

Nicky the Pirate

Showing Off My Pipes

Batter Up!

28 Month Update

I turned 28 months old back on the 9th, but we've been busy the last few weeks so not enough computer time to get this post done. But, hopefully devoting some time on this lazy Saturday will get it done! Anyways, I've just been doing what I do this past month. That means playing, learning, creating, eating, sleeping, you get the idea. As you know, I love reading and I love creating art, so Storytime at the EGF Library has been quite enjoyable for me and Mama. We try to go every week and have been pretty successful at doing so for the last 2 months. The lady who reads the stories is so animated, involves us kids in the story, is super patient and nice, and comes up with great art projects for us to do afterward that are related to the story we just read. I love it!! I like to show off my art projects and play with them. Check out my slide show and you'll see what I'm talking about.

My obsession with sports has reached a new high. Everything is either baseball or hockey to me. I find it everywhere! I notice team decals and symbols where ever I go. Can you blame me? They are some fun sports! And I love playing them, too! I use my plastic golf club and my nerf foam baseball bat interchangeably as a bat and a hockey stick. Sometimes I just hit the ball around myself, but I love to have people actually pitch to me. And let me tell you, I can HIT it! I make contact more often than not! Its quite something to see. I also have quite the arm. Mommy had no idea I had such good coordination! I also get many laughs when I wag my bat:) I scream, "Hit!," or "Home Run!" or "Twenty!" when I make contact with the ball (twenty is a very large number in my mind so it means it was a BIG hit).

I'm so happy the weather is getting warmer! It means that Mommy or Daddy sometimes put my rain boots on me and take me for walks around the block and through all the puddles. I just love being outside. I do love eating snow, but I don't like getting stuck in the drifts, though. Scary! But those have been melting away the last week or so. Spring is on its way! Yipee! Mommy tells me that we'll go for stroller rides and walks down by the river after the spring flooding is all over. She also tells me that we will go to the pool and maybe do some camping this summer! Did I mention I love the outdoors?! I just can't wait for all this. Mommy says it will be nice to use our screened-in outdoor room off the back garage once it gets warm, too. Here's to sunny days.

I keep hearing from people that I'm getting so skinny and tall. But check this out: I'm 30 pounds and 36.5 inches tall. Mama looked it up and according to the WHO baby charts, I am in the 70th percentile for weight and the 75th percentile for height and my height to weight ratio is perfectly average, so while I'm a little on the tall side, I am not skinny;) People seem to forget who babies go from being chubby as infants to starting to look with long, lean, proportional little people in their toddler years. Quite the transformation, yes, but perfectly normal.

My other development over the past few months is that I went from being a co-sleeping kiddo to sleeping in my own big-boy bed in my own room most nights (Mommy's still there for me if I need her). I usually can sleep from 9 or 10 until 6 in the morning when I go and hop in Mommy and Daddy's bed with them. Good morning Parents! Mommy's so proud of me. I still prefer to snuggle and sleep close to someone when I'm sick or feeling off, but now I know I can do it on my own, too.

Oh, forgot to tell you guys last month that I got my first 2 year molar. Ouch! But no big whoop. One down, three more to go. Then I'll be done with getting my milk teeth.

No more developments on the potty learning front. I am not interested!! I seem to be a little scared or put off by the big potty. NO!!!! Is what I say when asked if I want to sit on that thing. No way. I do announce quite often that I'm going poop, have to go poop, or just went, but I am quite happy with using my diapers right now. Mommy bought some pull-up type ones both for better fit and to encourage me with the potty learning, but that hasn't done much. Next up, a little potty of my own, but no expectations.

I've been making some great friends lately and going to playgroups and some meetings with Mom. There is a group of moms that meet every week or two at mall playland, a fastfood playland, or someone's house. We're working on making it a regular weekly thing now:) Mom also taking me to MOPS meetings every other week. We've gone twice now. I like playing with the other kiddos in the nursery and Mama gets to know some other moms and listen to neat speakers. I also go with Mom to the breastfeeding support group once a month (and play with the other kiddos there, too), API parenting group once a month (same deal), and when Mom goes to LLL group in Fargo once a month, I either hang with Daddy or get to play with my Uncle Dusty at his place while Mom is at the meeting. So much fun! Mommy's also looking into swimming lessons for the two of us or maybe a music class. Good stuff!

Well, guess that's enough news for now. Its March Madness time so I have lots of basketball to watch with my parents. Our hockey team, the UND Fighting Sioux, lost not only in regional tourney first round game, but they just lost the 3rd place game today so we are really sad about that:( Hopefully they do better in the national tourney!

Oh, my grandparents (the Huizengas) and my great grandparents (the Feists) came up for a visit on Thursday, but I guess I should save those details and pics for my 29 month post since technically they don't belong in this one. Confusing! But that's what happens when I'm late with my posts (hint, hint, Mom!). Anyway, the important thing is that I got my Xmas pony back (they hauled it up for me from Glenburn since we couldn't fit it in our car at Xmas), and I absolutely adore my Grandpa. He is the best! I had fun!

Also, I just went to my second hockey game to watch my second cousin, Jarad Zittleman, play in a tourney at the Ralph arena. At first I was overwhelmed by the sounds and lights (I HATE loud noises, they freak me out!) but by the second period, I got used to it. It was neat to see elementary aged kiddos playing really skillful hockey. After the game, we went to Susanne, Rich, Brady, Jarad and Jackson's hotel room to hang out and watch the end of the (dreadful) Sioux game. I showed off my hockey skills by playing with Jarad and Jackson's mini hockey sticks and using a pop bottle cap as my puck. Cousin Rich is excited that there's another kid in the family interested in hockey.

If Mom could ever catch me on video, I'd show you my singing skills. I love to sing along with the rock songs me and Daddy listen to or really any other song I know. My favorite is Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, though. I love my "mu-kac."

Peace out, everyone. Here's hoping that we all stay dry and have a happy Spring!

FOX and Geico

I can read the words "Fox" and "Geico" as in the television station and the insurance company. Yeh, Mommy and Daddy are definitely putting limits on my TV now.

27 Months Old!

I turned 27 months old on the 9th:) I just keep growing and learning. So what have I been doing this month, specifically you ask? Well, I have my alphabet down as you've seen in the video I posted in the last entry. I also have my shapes and number up to 10 down and I'm working on the teens now. I have a pretty good grasp of colors and get blue, red, yellow, green and purple right most of the time. Now I'm working on black, brown, white, gray, and pink.

I am obsessed with baseball! Well, all sports, but especially baseball! I have taken a new interest in my baseball-themed room ever since Mom finally put up all my baseball decorative items. (They're the same ones from my room in KC, she tells me, put I don't remember them so they're cool and exciting to me!) I know the baseball terms including strike, hit, helmet, bat, ball, glove, grounder, out, safe, slide, home run, and others.

I have taken (way too much) of a liking to some of the television shows on the Sprout station (PBS station for preschoolers and toddlers) and will watch as much as Mom and Dad let me. My favorites are Caillou, Sesame Street, Thomas the Tank Engine, Bob the Builder, and Rory the Racecar. Sometimes Mommy makes me sad by declaring it TV-free day or turning off the TV when I want to watch more:( But, we have started to get out and about more, so I don't miss it we're on the go. Mommy is also not too excited that I have started to identify all the characters in these shows and talk about them often or point them out if I see them. I love, love, love Caillou (he's a 4 year old boy who stars in a cartoon about himself, for those of you who don't know) and Cookie Monster! They are my favorites. I now call all race cars Rory after Rory the racecar. I know the Thomas trains' names better than Mommy does.

I have also taken a big interest in art. I love to color with crayons and finger paints and watercolor paints and markers. I don't understand why it can't be art time ALL THE TIME! Hmm, what else...? I am quite the loud, boisterous little boy. I will to SHOUT and SQUEAL! I like to run around in circles and spin to get my energy out. My favorite time is when Daddy gives me horsie rides on his back or Mommy gives me airplane rides on her legs/feet. I also like to jump and tumble. Mommy really needs to get me a mini trampoline already! Recently I have taken to climbing on our leather rocker/recliner and diving onto the couch next to it. Mommy keeps telling me to be careful and says I'm gonna end up with stitches again soon.

Oh yeah! Forgot to tell ya! I was climbing on the cupboards in the kitchen a few weeks ago and slipped and landed belly then chin first on the ceramic tile floor! Ouch! I got quite a deep cut and it hurt so bad! I screamed for quite awhile while Mommy held a towel on it to get the bleeding to stop. Luckily it didn't take long. Then Mommy and Daddy and I headed to the emergency room (my first time there). They put some numbing gel on the cut for about 20 minutes and then the doc came in to stitch me up. Everyone kept going on and on about how hard it was gonna be and how I probably would freak out when they tried to hold me still. But I didn't! One nurse held my head still, the doc put towels on my face around the cut, and Mom held my hands and told me exactly what was going on, play by play style. I held so still and was so brave! I stayed very quiet and only asked for Mommy and Daddy once since those towels made it hard to see! Once Mommy reassured me that they were both still there, I settled right away. Everyone kept going on and on about how well I did, how brave I was, and how amazed they were. Mommy kept thanking me for holding still and staying calm. I don't know what the big deal was, I mean, yes, it was scary and weird, but I had my parents there, everyone was staying calm, and as long as I knew what was going on, I wasn't too worried. So, I ended up with 5 stitches. Five days later I went to my family doctor and she took them out. She was amazed at how well I held still, too. And let me tell you, getting them out was even harder because the stitches were stuck in the scabs and I didn't have numbing medicine this time! But the doc stopped and took a little break every time I said ouch and I resettled and pretty soon we were done! I got a bunch of stickers and coloring book out of the mess so that was nice! Now I have an inch and half scar on my chin, but Mommy is rubbing it with Vit. E and Mederma, so hopefully it will fade over time. Mommy says, please, no more trips to the ER!

Hmmm, so back to talking about playing! I like going down to my playroom/rec room downstairs so I can play with my trains, play my piano keyboard, cook on my play kitchen, or bounce on the exercise ball! I also have a stash of smaller toys in my closet and some in the living room. If I'm not playing with my cars or my many balls, I'm reading. My favorite books right now are The Roar of a Snore; Moo, Ba, La, La, La; The Very Lonely Firefly; and Dogs (a Dr. Seuss book). I have many of my books memorized and I can shout out parts of the books as Mommy or Daddy reads them.

If I'm not reading, I'm usually listening to music with Daddy. I love music! I memorize the words to my favorite songs (like Hiroshima by Ben Folds, You Don't Know me by Ben Folds, and So Happy by Theory of a Deadman as well as the classic, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star) and sing along with them when Daddy plays them on the computer. Daddy also showed me how to drum, and I am quite the headbanger!! Music is the best!

Enjoy the yet another monthly slideshow:

I Know My ABC's!

Here's a video of me and Mommy reading my Thomas's ABC Book.

Riding my Christmas Pony

26 Months Old

I turned 26 months old on January 9th, but Mommy and I were still hanging out in Regent then, so she nearly forgot to get my pics for the month uploaded. Anyway, this month I learned my entire alphabet, I can count to 10, I know my shapes pretty well, and I am working on my colors. I LOVE sports including baseball, hockey, football, and basketball and can say many phrases from each of them, and I LOVE transportation like trucks, trains, cars, boats, etc. I am very good at somersaults and I like to run around in circles or spin in circles sometimes. I also love to jump and bounce on the exercise ball (just like I did when I was a baby!). I am quite the memorizing machine and have a bunch of my books memorized. My favorite books right now are Thomas the Train Engine's ABC's, The Very Lonely Firefly, Baby's First 100 Words, Bambi, and We Help Daddy. Reading is the best! I also love music! Daddy taught me to drum along to the beat of the music (I have rhythm!), and I love to sing, too. My favorite song is Hiroshima by Ben Folds (I call it Oh, oh, oh, oh! because that is in the refrain and its my favorite part to sing). I also play piano on Daddy's old electric keyboard. Oh, I also had my 2 year check-up and I am 35.5 inches tall and weigh 29 pounds which are both around the 75 percentile! Looks like my typical picky toddler eating its hurting me. I am still mostly vegetarian (or should I say fruititarian since fruit is my biggest love), but I do like sausage and bacon and occasionally chicken or hamburger. It is hit or miss. Luckily, I do like nuts, seeds, and dairy so I get my protein. Anyway, that's it for me! I'll be 27 months old in just 2 weeks so you will hear from me soon:)

My 2 year portraits

Here are my portraits from early December. Aren't I handsome?!

My Christmas 2008

This year we were home in EGF for Xmas Eve, then went to Grandma and Grandpa Huizenga's in Glenburn on Xmas day, and finally to Grandma and Grandpa Laub's the Sunday after Christmas. We were busy! I really enjoyed the holidays this year. I became obsessed with talking about Santa, although I got scared when I actually got to meet him. I even followed Santa's travels on Google Earth with Daddy on Christmas Eve. I really enjoyed our Christmas tree and kept telling Mommy to turn on the "pretties" meaning turn on the Christmas tree lights:)

Though I don't need for much including toys, I did get some for gifts this Christmas. Some of my spoils include: a wood play kitchen, a play mixer and cookie baking set, a play pizza, a play sandwhich, a wood firetruck, an ambulence, a Thomas train, clothes, books, and a singing pony on springs.

Mommy also told me the story of Saint Nicholas, who has the same name as me:), and his role in Christmas. We talked about the giving spirit of Christmas and how it is important to be generous. I even made my own donation in the Salvation Arm plate at the mall.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, too, and are enjoying 2009!