Ready, Willing, and Adle

Same Ol' Same Ol'

2012-02-08T14:00:00.004-05:00

The children remain excessively cute.
No surprise there. :)

Happy Returns

2012-02-06T13:48:00.003-05:00

When mom got back from Ft Wayne on Saturday, the kids quickly switched from having me read stories, to having mom read stories.

That Don't Impress Me Much

2012-01-29T22:59:00.001-05:00

I've seen a couple posts lately in which people claim to have eaten their weight in something. Here's the thing: If you're skinny, I'm not impressed.

I mean, who couldn't eat 100 pounds of pulled pork?

:)

Achievements

2012-01-24T09:21:00.004-05:00

Though historians may have other judgments about my reign, it will also be said that it was a time of great accomplishment. For example: four tracks and trains going in the same room. Also overheard: "At least the trains ran all the time." It is unsure if this was praise or criticism.

Sloth

2012-01-23T10:54:00.003-05:00

Well, mom is in Ft Wayne today, which means it's 10 a.m. and we're still in p-jams. I'm trying to figure out if going to the post office is too ambitious a task for the morning hours. Also wondering what I'll make for lunch, since I already made mac and cheese last night.

Hurry back, Ro.

So Proud

2012-01-19T15:10:00.004-05:00

Aw, look at Baby Precious.
Finally has some hair.
Take a bow, Maria.

On Being a Mother

2012-01-16T23:22:00.004-05:00

I enjoyed a conversation with a friend today that helped me articulate an epiphany (timely, no?) I've had when it comes to mothering... Thank you, Friend!

[Also, I think MOS said something along these lines at some point. So I'm probably leeching off her epiphany. But we can just say that we've had a mind-meld or something for having occupied the same womb though at different times.]

Ok, before becoming a mother myself, I thought I had a lot of really good, important ideas on being a mother. There were certain things that fell into the Good Mother camp. Others that landed squarely in the Bad Mother camp. How enlightened I was to understand all of this! How prepared I was to be a mother! And how qualified I was to criticize mothers who were doing a poor job by my excellent standards!

(All of that is sarcastic. If you belong to a culture that does not recognize or appreciate sarcasm, please forgive me.)

Anyway, upon becoming a mother I realized that this gig is tough. I try to do my best and I fail often. And sometimes I fail without even trying to do my best. :(

So here's the thing. I don't care if you give your three day old infant a pacifier and I don't care if you give your three year old child a pacifier. I just don't. Not anymore, I should say. Because I'm willing to bet you're doing what you hope and think is best -- just like I'm generally trying to muster the energy to do the same.

And you know what? If you want to eat your placenta, I will not look at you cross-eyed. Because if I could be convinced that eating a placenta would make a post-partum experience even slightly less painful & difficult, then by golly, I'd endorse a full-on gobbling thereof. Ok... I could not have done this myself...but only because I'm really squeamish. The point is, if you are a placenta-eating mother, I salute you and I pray that many health benefits will aid you in your recovery.

And for all the "right" things that I try so hard (or don't try so hard) to do, I recognize that everyone has to come up with a system that will work for her children and her family. So keep at it, Mothers, and know that I'm not judging you. Or if I am, I shouldn't be. Because for all the books I've read and the decisions I've reached, I am not the authority.

It's hard and I get it.
I finally get it because it's hard for me.

When I fail in my vocation as mother, and it happens often, I have the sure promise of forgiveness and grace in Jesus Christ.

That Didn't Last Long

2012-01-12T16:13:00.003-05:00

After lunch, Maria and I stayed inside while Dad and James went outside to chop logs. And by chop logs I mean scoop snow. Good job by the dudes! So glad I'm not one!

Warm Day in January is officially over.

Warm Day in January

2012-01-10T21:43:00.004-05:00

I'm sure we all remember the Dixie Chicks song "Cold Day in July." Yes?
I'm sure we all sang it over and over in our super awesome 1984 Cavalier Wagon with the windows down. Yes?
And I'm sure once we were back at the dorm we all tried really hard to put just the right amount of twang (don't skimp - obviously) into the strings of our acoustic guitar as well as our vocal cords. Yes?

No. Ok.

Well, today is like, the total opposite. It's a Warm Day in January!

January 10. Perfect sweatshirt and hat weather! Yes!
Sun's comin' up comin' up down on Main Street.

Looking Fine

2012-01-01T20:37:00.004-05:00

It's still Christmas, at least in the churchly seasonal sense of the word, which is the only sense worth our time. So, in the true spirit of it still being Christmas, we dressed up the kiddies in their finery today.

We struggled mightily to come up with a decent picture of them. We also included a couple of outtakes.

Eyes closed. Classic blunder.
Also: collar out. But that never got fixed.

Sad baby.
Goofy-grinned child.

Break the cardinal rule of parenting.
Cheer the baby with a pretzel.

Quick! Snap the shot before the Parenting Police arrive!
Ta-Da! Two happy tikes!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:05:00.002-05:00

Well, due to James's illness, Christmas was a little more subdued this year. But we did manage to get him to smile, and he's been in pretty good spirits, considering. Maria has used the extra solo time to hog grandma and grandpa for herself. And test out any and all new toys.

More toys that make noise

was just what Maria wanted.

You had to see this coming.

James actually did his own Christmas shopping

at the Kiddie Bazaar. Grandma KK got a mug.

Maria delivered presents to others. Sometimes

she stuck around to help open them.

Ever since we went to that park by Jaelle's house,

James has been wanting to go back so that

he could excavate more. To ensure he didn't run away,

we got an excavator he could use in Secor.

This smile holds until she realizes that the

stroller is only for the doll, not her.

Maria loved James's toy at

least as much as he did.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Sickness

2011-12-25T04:34:00.001-05:00

Dear All,

There are no pics of babies in Christmas finery because our dear James is ill. Fever and stomach issues, you get the picture.

Good thing we know there are 12 Full Days of Christmas and we'll get a party out of him yet.

And the cute Christmas outfits will be just as cute next week.

Merry Christmas!
Love, the Adles

Eatings

2011-12-19T18:24:00.003-05:00

Rosie chose to go with homemade pizza for her lunch choice. Made with the new pans. Turned out pretty well.

Not a cake, but some butterscotch pudding. Due to holiday cookies, treats, et al, Rosie opts to take her cake at a later date.

December 19th

2011-12-19T07:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday, dearest wife. The kids and I are giving much thanks for being able to spend another birthday with you. We love you.

Advent Open House 2011

2011-12-17T21:58:00.004-05:00

Guests in attendance - 34
Cups of Cranberry Yumness served - 48
Times James had to be told, "no more cookies" - 15+

Happy times had with our St. John's friends- more than can be numbered :)

Oh, and here's where it gets really impressive:
Number of party prep related kitchen disasters - ZERO (Not trying to be boastful here. It's just that normally I have to throw out a lot of food that's been utterly ruined due to kitchen incompetence, so this was kind of a big deal.)

Before everyone started to arrive, Scott took this picture of me with the beautiful spread. I tried to pose like one of those ladies in the Pampered Chef catalogs. See how I put both hands on the table all fancy-style? Yep.

Starring Maria

2011-12-17T21:45:00.002-05:00

We have a ton of videos of James as a baby & toddler but not many of Maria. We understand that this is the lot of the second child. She will grow to accept it as all second-borns must. But we wanted to put forth a little effort to minimize the resentment that will grip her around age 12 when she notices the abundant attention that was lavished on her brother before she was born. So here she is.

See, Future Maria - we tried!
Love, Mom and Dad

December 8

2011-12-08T05:00:00.004-05:00

Hey folks, it's that time of year again.
You may remember December 8, 2010.

This year I won't say quite as much but I will say this...
My husband continues to be the best around. True fact.
Happy birthday, dear Husband! Happy birthday to you!

I'm really happy you were born. I love you.

Little Talker

2011-12-06T19:28:00.003-05:00

Maria has been getting quite chatty recently.
She can now say the following words:

green
blue
yellow

cracker
hot dog
mi mi (milk)
cat cook(ie)
thank you

(Winnie the) Pooh
clock
flower

Amen
****************

So we're pretty proud of her for all that.
Oh, and she has 11 teeth!

:(

2011-12-03T22:33:00.003-05:00

We went to a fundraising event today.

We bought a dozen homemade Christmas cookies.
They were a sight to behold. A variety of our choosing. Each one so carefully and lovingly selected.

I set the box on top of the van as I strapped Maria into her car seat.

And...yes... you guessed it.

:( Bye bye, Cookies. We really wanted to eat you.

Huh.

2011-11-30T21:40:00.002-05:00

As I was reading a dress review online, I encountered an interesting language bungle.

[The dress] can show bumps, runs a bit large and will cling to stalkings if you aren't wearing a slip.

Pretty original, no?

Stalking = Stocking. And vice versa, presumably.
Got it.

Thanksgiving 2011 - The Everybody Else Edition

2011-11-26T21:33:00.004-05:00

I have a lot of cute pictures of Peter, but this one might take the cake. Look at that kid! He is not only cute, he's also an incredibly sweet friend to Jamesy. Those two were inseparable. (James loves this picture, by the way. We may have to frame it for him.)

Grandma Jan with (some of) her girls.

My attempt at a picture of Linus and Maria. (Fail.)

Grandpa Dan worked so fast and furiously that the picture is a blur. No, but seriously. Thanks, Grandpa Dan and Grandma Jan for all of your help in the kitchen. Cooking and cleaning and cleaning and cooking...

Mary, James, and Peter spent a lot of time playing nicely upstairs. It was great. We are so happy to have a kid big enough to play! In another room, even! Yes! We've arrived.

Well, as you can see, Thanksgiving was pretty much awesome. Two Gilberts and 8 Curtii blessed us with their presence. And we were indeed thankful!

Scott and I both feel that this is the best hosting we've done yet. The food was great. Scott smoked meat till the cows came home. Well, technically the meat was more turkey and pig oriented. But still.

The children played together really well. Like, so well that we couldn't figure out why there weren't kids crying. It was amazing. And Baby Eve was a tiny little sweetie who even slept 6+ hours overnight if you can believe that.

There was an online Gilbert festival courtesy of Google plus, so we also got to see Lydia and Titus and Amalia from a distance.

Oh, and Grandpa Dan and Grandma Jan bestowed many treasures on our household. Alcohol, treats, advent calendar, you get the idea. Mil gracias!

Come again soon, all yous guys. We love you!

Thanksgiving 2011 - The Baby Eve Edition

2011-11-26T21:25:00.002-05:00

Look at this adorable girl in the vintage Adle bouncy seat.
(CTS co-op, we thank you.)

Aunt Ro loves Eve!

This baby has a great belly on her. Had to highlight that.

Tired babies are good babies.

The picture of a happy grandma getting a picture of her littlest is too sweet to pass up.

Ok, so I was preparing to post some Thanksgiving photos and then I realized that Eve deserved her own post because she was so terribly precious. She was just a delight. So this post is to you, Eve. Keep up the good work!

Christmas stories

2011-11-26T21:23:00.002-05:00

Grandma KK and Grandpa Pat sent James and Maria some very special Christmas books. Grandma KK read the stories and recorded them! It's pretty slick. James and Maria both love them. And it's a good thing those smart grandparents knew to send two! Thank you!

Golden Gilbert

2011-11-26T16:08:00.001-05:00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Golden Gilbert steering committee is soliciting nominations for
the 2011 Golden Gilbert Award. A reminder on the rules: All members of the non-boomer
generations of the family who were born with or who now carry the name
of Gilbert are eligible. (The Goldenness of the Boomers is implicit in the award itself.)

Magistrix of Ceremonies, Eve Curtis, bequests your nominations by Boxing Day, 12:34 AM.

Nominations should be clearly marked "Golden Gilbert" and may be sent
via post or email to one of the members of the steering committee:
James Adle

Maria Adle
Scott Adle (scottadle@gmail.com)
Anastasia Curtis
Heath Curtis (pastorcurtis@gmail.com)
Mary Curtis
Peter Curtis
Silas Curtis
Linus Curtis (President pro tem)

Eve Curtis (Magistrix of Ceremonies)

A Note for Maria

2011-11-18T22:28:00.002-05:00

Dear Maria Kay,

You are a sweet little girl and we think the world of you.

Won't you please grow some hair? I want to bedeck you with bows and braids, but you're making it very difficult.

You're still cute though. Obviously.

Love,
Your mom

4 Years

2011-11-17T02:00:00.002-05:00

Four years ago, I stood in my sister's parlor and married Scott T. Adle.

Before the wedding, I waited in the girls' bedroom upstairs. Abra called me over to the window and pointed out Scott as he was walked up the sidewalk and into the house. I thought to myself, "He's the best." And I was right.

He was then, and still is now: the best.

M.O.S.

2011-11-08T03:00:00.002-04:00

My Own Sister is really something. You've all heard me speak on this before.

Evidence of her coolness is implicit in that post from 2006. I bet most of you fools never even saw that post because no one knew I had a blog until My Own Sister linked to it from her blog which was started quite some time after mine. Now you're all like, "wait what?" But My Own Sister is the best and she knows exactly what I'm talking about. (>high five for that<) Oh, and P.S. My Own Sister knew about my blog and read it when no one else is in the world did. That was before I had pics of cute babies to lure her in. She's that devoted to sisterliness.

Anyway, you all go back and read those posts and remember her greatness. I don't have to re-read them because I wrote the book on Becky's greatness.

Oh, another thing - Not long ago, I was talking to a friend of mine who is new in her friendship with Becky and she was like, "Wow, is your sister great or what?" And I said, "Yes, in fact, she is. And you probably don't even know the half of it." Then I proceeded to tell her lots of great things about Becky and polished it off the way I always like to end those speeches: "And she won a national parliamentary debate championship!" BAM!

One other thing that should be said of My Own Sister: She's 33 today. Happy Birthday, MOS! 33 years and still Becky (Guilbert) Curtis is the coolest.

Love,
YOS

Bear-bottomed Polka-daughter

2011-11-04T12:22:00.002-04:00

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-10-31T22:42:00.001-04:00

Thank you, Grandma Donita, for the second-hand use of these first-class costumes. James and Maria loved wearing them. The town loved admiring them. :)

Halloween Prep

2011-10-31T11:49:00.003-04:00

We already borrowed some costumes from the House of Curtis, but there were still a couple other things to take care of in order to ready ourselves for Halloween. First up: Jack-o-Lanterns.

James is really liking the process.

One for each.

Happy Halloween.

Finishing the Fall Fruits

2011-10-31T11:42:00.003-04:00

Maria learned quickly from her brother in regard to the picking of the raspberries. Hand-to-mouth is the technique they prefer. We got a pretty good fall crop. Also closed down the garden, and we're already planning for next year.

Birfday Brothers

2011-10-25T20:36:00.002-04:00

Having already posted in the past the best birthday post that the twins have ever enjoyed, I'm under no obligation to say a word to either of them on their birthday for the rest of their lives. However, being the gracious sister that I am, I do have a few words to share:
Happy Birthday, Brothers!
We love you guys and your families.
It's great being just one year older than you two.

Fun Times in Chicago

2011-10-25T15:37:00.005-04:00

Here's Scott sitting in a chair that is shaped like a hand. Kind of creepy, kind of cool. He did have a fun time, but no one would guess it from the look on his face...

Look at that beautiful bride, will you? She had a wonderful time, as you can plainly see.

Here we are next to a column. Why not?

Some friends told us to look artsy. Um... the artsy look does not come naturally to us...

Here are the happy newlyweds.

This gives you an idea of their venue... Lots and lots of chandeliers. Very pretty. Salvage One in Chicago.

Thanks to Grandpa Dan and Grandma Jan for watching the kiddies for us! They loved it and keep asking to go back. Well, James keeps asking to go back. Maria's not so verbal, but we're sure she would ask if she were able. And thanks to a handful of aunts, uncles, and cousins who made the time in Addison even more fun for Jamesy and Mar Mar.

May the Lord bless Peter and Abra Wang!
Love, The Adles

New Niece

2011-10-16T21:41:00.002-04:00

Wonderful news to report!

We are the proud aunt and uncle of a new niece!

Baby Eve was born this morning. She's a wonderful little baby and we are happy to have met her already!

We forgot our camera in Secor and are kicking ourselves for that. But we did remember the other 80 million things we wanted to bring, so that's good.

Please congratulate us. We're very happy. :)

Bored

2011-10-15T21:15:00.004-04:00

Sometimes when James is bored he will say to me, "let's take a picture of my toes." Or, "let's take a picture of my elbow."

And sometimes when I'm bored on a Saturday night, I post those pictures on our blog.

There. Now we're all bored.

Not to be Outdone

2011-10-15T21:06:00.002-04:00

We enjoyed the video of Titus' first word on the Gilbert blog. We felt we should post one of our own.
And now for a delightful conversation we may one day hear between the two cousins closest in age:

Titus Marcus: Cookie.

Maria: Baby.

Titus Marcus: Cookie.

Maria: Baby.

(And repeat...)

The Littlest Red

2011-10-09T17:19:00.003-04:00

Maria can't wait for game days. She and James watch for Lil Red on the sidelines.

There's a Solution for That

2011-09-28T21:23:00.002-04:00

Getting James to bed is pretty easy. Getting him to stay in bed, much less so. Sometimes we don't even get down the stairs before he's got to: use the bathroom, have his sheets adjusted, get/give another hug, etc. Tonight, about a half hour past bedtime, I hear him calling down from the top of the stairs:

Me: James, why are you out of bed?

James: My legs are tired.

Me: Why are your legs tired?

James: From standing in bed.

Postcards from Grandma Jan

2011-09-27T21:12:00.003-04:00

James loves getting postcards from Grandma Jan. He reads them to Maria. On the front porch. While sitting in little baby chairs. Aren't they precious???

Los Peruanos

2011-09-24T21:18:00.003-04:00

We had some real life Peruvians with us last week! In Secor, IL! Aren't we cool? We showed them the charm of rural life. They loved playing with the babies.

Gracias por venir, Tia Tif y Tio Julio. Les queremos mucho. Bendiciones!

Bilingual Breakfast

2011-09-12T14:07:00.001-04:00

Today at breakfast:

Me: "James, would you like an english muffin?"

James: "What about a Spanish muffin?"

Dear Uncle Joel

2011-09-12T14:05:00.002-04:00

Today James found a piece of scrap paper on my desk. He asked for it. I said sure. He said, "I'll read it to you." And then he proceeded:

"Dear Uncle Joel,
Thank you for the hug you gave me.
And thank you for the treat you gave me."

He has been reading it over and over w/o deviating from the original version.

???????

What Was His Birfday?

2011-09-12T13:59:00.006-04:00

World map from Grandpa Dan and Grandma Jan which is now hung on a wall and referred to often - thank you!! (Not pictured but not insignificant: a map of the U.S.)

We spent a lot of time playing outside for Jamesy's birthday. Beautiful weather!

Cake and ice cream, of course!

A 3 year old boy in his wagon from Grandpa Pat and Grandma KK with his balloons. Does it get any better?

Yeah....so we're late on these photos. Sorry bout that. The boy had a great day!

A Couple Videos

2011-09-12T13:53:00.002-04:00

We've been a bit late to stick up some news of James's birthday, but here is the big moment:

Let us eat cake.

Maria's also been making advances. Perhaps the new toys encouraged her to walk more:

Solved!

2011-09-06T14:16:00.005-04:00

I've had a bit of a problem, one not unusual in this profession -- my desk accumulates stacks of books. This naturally makes it hard when I need to use my desk for whatever other important tasks (read: hobbies) I need to do. Clearly, one could put the books back where they came from, but in my case I am reading all of these books right now, even the ones at the bottom, the names of which I can't remember (nor the occasion for getting them in the first place).

Thankfully, I came across a remedy while watching all of The Office seasons: Mega Desk. Now I can have one desk for book stacking, and another for other tasks. It's perfect.

Don't mind that small stack on the new desk.

It's temporary.

Jamesy Boy

2011-09-04T14:23:00.002-04:00

James is 3 today! How happy for him that it fell on a Sunday and he was wished well by all of his friends at church. One lady even gave him a box of raisins and a sheet of stickers, which was pretty much his definition of the perfect present. :)

James is staying true to his healthy nature. For his birthday menu, he could have chosen anything. What did he choose to eat? Green beans, pineapple, grapes, and watermelon. He also ate a bit of a hot dog and pasta salad just to be polite.

We are having a wonderful day and we'll post pictures for all of you soon.

Happy Birthday, dear James! We love you!

The Dumbest

2011-09-03T15:18:00.002-04:00

A couple weeks ago, Scott and I arranged for a few months of cable in anticipation of Husker season.

And guess what game isn't being covered by lame-o mediacom today? That's right. The Huskers game! Would you believe it?!

And this with real live Nebraskans under our roof. Oh the shame of it all!

On the upside, we are having a grand old time w/ Grandma KK and Grandpa Pat and we ate homemade deep dish pizza today to ease the pain of missing the game. And we put BACON on one of the pizzas. That's how seriously we needed comfort.

New dress by Grandma KK

2011-08-21T13:21:00.003-04:00

Grandma KK worked her magic again -- turning ordinary yarn into pure cuteness. Thank you! (Perfect fit, by the way!)

Birthday Girl

2011-08-19T22:15:00.004-04:00

This beautiful girl is a year old. She had a delightful day. We told James that he had to let her play with his toys since it was her birthday. He was surprisingly agreeable. No toy snatching for a whole day was his gift to her.

She also got lots of nice things from other folks. And cards & phone calls. Plus she got to eat waffles for breakfast. And she had pizza for lunch AND supper. Oh, and cake and ice cream, of course. Topped it all off with a nice family walk this evening which she loved...all smiles and squeals.

She's still kind of small, but nowhere near this small anymore!

Happy birthday, Maria! We love you!

Early Birthday Pizza

2011-08-18T18:20:00.003-04:00

Maria loves pizza. Any time we have it she eats way more than her brother does. So, we figured pizza is what she wants for her birthday meal tomorrow. Problem is, both mom and dad have to visit the dentist tomorrow in the a.m. Is there any chance we would miss out on homemade pizza due to dental work? Of course not. Rather than risk the possibility that we might be too mangled to eat tomorrow, we just decided to fix up the pizza tonight. Plus, she'll have leftovers on her birthday.

This time around we tried out the Chicago-style deep dish. It was a success.

Look to your left. Look to your right.

One of you will not be here by the end of the night.

First cheese, then meat, then sauce.

The almost one-year old loved it.

GGJ Summer Hats

2011-08-17T22:36:00.004-04:00

Toward the beginning of the warm weather season, GGJ came to Secor and brought hats for the leetle ones. This post is to thank her and to showcase how cute the babies have been all summer long. Oh preciousness! Thank you!

Child Prodigy

2011-08-12T13:32:00.002-04:00

monkey see, monkey do

2011-08-10T17:22:00.002-04:00

CH VI - And now: a Word for Our Generous Sponsors

2011-08-06T09:24:00.002-04:00

A hearty thanks to this adorable couple.

We had a great vacation! And we love you lots. :)

CH V - Lake Manganese

2011-08-06T09:22:00.002-04:00

Lake Manganese was much warmer than Lake Superior. Even Maria found it to her liking.

CH IV: town dock

2011-08-06T09:18:00.005-04:00

We enjoyed some ice cream one night. Maria was over zealous. And that picture of James leaning on the bench is just funny. What a silly guy.

CH III

2011-08-06T09:14:00.003-04:00

Mom w/ Maria at BD's party

Dad w/ Mar Mar

James made a friend...

who just happened to have a motorcycle

Uncle Jack read the Chuck Truck book to the Chuck

Papa on Mt. Brockway w/ the babies

CH II - Rock Beach Fun

2011-08-05T23:25:00.004-04:00

James and Maria basically wanted to spend the entire vacation here at the rock beach. James loved to throw rocks in the lake. Maria loved to put rocks in her mouth. Or just hand them up to her dad and have him throw them in the lake for her. :)

Copper Harbor Sneak Peek

2011-07-30T23:23:00.003-04:00

Baby Maria with her little pink bucket

Jamesy Boy finding rocks to hurl into Superior

Mom w/ Maria

Dad w/ James

Father w/ his Winged Tubby (note the look of well-deserved awe on the onlookers' faces)

Just got home from CH and had to share a few of our top shots. Many more to come, obviously.

Wonderful week. Many thanks to DP & J.

Not the Usual Routine

2011-07-20T16:30:00.007-04:00

This week mom and Maria headed down to St Louis to speak Spanish and be extra cute (both of them), which leaves James and dad to fend for ourselves. James gave mom a hug before she left:

But not all is lost. Monday evening the Johnsons showed up. That meant a lot of playing to get in on Tuesday morning. The truck got used, and the floor is much worn due to all the running and chasing.

As or Maria, she's getting two top teeth in, although you can't quite see them here:

She's also getting serious about walking:

Almost 11 Months

2011-07-16T01:37:00.004-04:00

Baby Maria will be with me in St. Louis when she celebrates her 11 monthiversary. So I've planned ahead and posted this picture early.

As for her accomplishments, she finally feeds herself finger foods. She is rather picky.
Likes: melon, applesauce, yogurt, cheerios, crackers, pizza, waffles.
Tolerates: bananas.
Dislikes: everything else, basically.

She still won't let go of furniture when she's up on her feet. But we keep thinking it will happen soon.

In addition to her two teeth on bottom, she's getting two teeth on top. She hasn't bit me too fiercely, yet. We hope that she continues to behave.

Other than that, she's just a happy & smiley baby girl. We have lots of nicknames for her, but their excessive sweety-honey-ness would make people roll their eyes, so we'll refrain.

Babies on the 4th

2011-07-08T20:42:00.004-04:00

Baby Amalia spent lots of time lounging with Grandma Jan.
She's a very good baby. (Oh, and Grandma Jan is really good, too.)

Baby Titus and Baby Maria sported their stylish hats from GJ.
All smiles from these two!

So as you see, we didn't take many pics up at Gpa Dan and Gma Jan's, but these were quite adorable and deserved sharing. Thanks for having us! xoxo

Shroom

2011-07-08T20:33:00.004-04:00

We had a really big toadstool-like thing growing in our backyard. So we did what any responsible parents would do: we took a picture of the baby sitting next to it.

Sadly, this Fun Guy was cut down in his prime before we could gauge his full potential to take over the world. Bye bye, Nasty Mushroom.

Visitors of the Recent and Not-As-Recent Past

2011-07-08T20:16:00.006-04:00

GGJ came to visit us a while ago and we forgot to post this super cute picture. Oh preciousness!

Aunt Jaelle came this past Wednesday and was a big hit with James and Maria -- as always. Pool, park, picnic = fun times.

Babies just love her, and who can blame them? Can't wait to meet her own baby girl in a few months!

And after Jaelle left on Thursday, we welcomed Uncle Dennis and Aunt Jan of the Letterly Dynasty. We had a great visit with them. The babies took to them quite nicely and we hope to see them again before long!

Thanks for your visits, everyone! We love you!

Baby Birthdays Bearing Down

2011-06-27T11:20:00.004-04:00

For family members who are interested, we've updated the "Little Adles" wish list on Amazon with various gift ideas for James and Maria.

As always, they don't need anything, so feel free to ignore the list and just come and give them hugs. :)

Father's Day + 10 month old

2011-06-19T07:38:00.004-04:00

Pretty exciting when two big events happen on the same day, isn't it?

1 - First of all, three cheers for the fantastic father of James and Maria Adle.
Hip hip, Hooray! x 3!

2 - A very happy Father's Day to our dear dads.

3 - Baby Maria is 10 months old. Whoa! She stands a lot these days but hasn't ventured far on her own two feet yet. She sends you all smiles and laughs and squeaks.

Also...yes...you're right...it is my half birthday. Kind of a big deal but I hate to steal the show.

The Day Has Arrived

2011-06-17T14:21:00.004-04:00

At long last, the day for James to drive his truck has arrived. He's very happy.

Baby Mar Mar

2011-06-07T23:00:00.002-04:00

Not to be outdone by Big Brother, little Marushka would like to share some of her own accomplishments.

She can totally out-crawl anyone. Super fast little thing. She also pulls herself up using furniture and lets go. She stands there for a few moments like she's the all-time coolest. (Which she is.) And then sits down soundly on her bum. No independent steps yet, but we're sure they are forthcoming.

A video for all of you adoring fans.

First Day of (Vacation Bible) School

2011-06-07T22:46:00.006-04:00

The LCMS church down the road is kind enough (slash crazy enough) to accept 2 yr olds in their VBS program.

So yesterday, Little Jamesy boy went off to his first day of school. His participation is not up to 100% yet. His teacher informed me that during the singing he goes and "sleeps" in the corner. ???? Other than that he seems to be enjoying himself. On the drives home he mostly talks about the teacher (Miss Taylor) and the cookies (m&m's hiding in them).

Here are some first day of school pictures. :)

thumbs up from our big kid!

Nebraska!

2011-05-31T16:28:00.005-04:00

Aunt MaryAnn drove out to see us and brought some of her famous books.

James and Grandma look forward to some fun at Cody Park.

Uncle Ryan and Aunt Kim were on hand for some partying w/ Great Gramps.

Grandma KK and Maria are both so pretty in blue!

Jamesy's first fishing trip with the guys.

Maria loves her Uncle Jeb.

And has lots of smiles for Great Gramps.

G.G. Ruth came out to Sterling to cuddle her babies.

James dreams of the day...

Great Gramps put up with lots of loud visits. :)

Thanks to Grandpa Pat and Grandma KK for hosting us out in North Platte all last week. We had a fun time and even got to see Uncle Jeb who is back from Afghanistan. Plus two great grandparents, the Gaunts, a handful of Letterly family, and Aunt Kim & co.

Enjoy the pictures! :)

Out of Here

2011-05-22T13:44:00.001-04:00

Early tomorrow morning we leave for Nebraska.

When the Good Life calls, we answer.

See you when we get back...

Amalia

2011-05-19T22:00:00.003-04:00

Well, what can I say. My personal guarantee was realized. I'm awesome. And so is Amalia.
I mean, she is really something. Just a beautiful little baby. And her ears were not croggly at all. Oh so precious.

A mere six hours and some minutes after her birth, I held all sweet six pounds and some ounces of the dear one.

Many happinesses are bestowed on Aunt Jenny and Uncle Jack.

(Chuck remains the only firstborn male of the past two generations of Gilberts, and therefore the heir apparent.)

Happy Birthday Amalia!

2011-05-19T17:23:00.003-04:00

Rosie's prediction came true -- James has a new cousin today. Her name is Amalia. More info to come.

For the Record

2011-05-18T00:45:00.002-04:00

Ok, here's the thing. I made a personal guarantee to Aunt Jenny that she would have the baby by May 15. And I was wrong.

BUT. I would like to state here, for the official record, that she *will* be having the baby on either May 18 or May 19.

And here's where it gets really great...

On account of a deaconess extravaganza at CTS, I will be in the state of Indiana on both of those days. And! (Yes, there's an "and" -- how could there not be?) I plan to be her personal doula (why doesn't spell checker recognize this perfectly cromulant word?) free of charge. Fine print: My doula-ing services are available only during the time leading up to their departure for the hospital. After that, it's up to the professionals.

Signed here with the fullest sincerity & utmost confidence,
Best. Aunt. Ever.

Mar Mar 9 month stats

2011-05-16T19:16:00.004-04:00

Baby Mars had her nine month wellness check a few days ahead of schedule.
Here's the scoop:

height - 27.5 inches (54%)
weight - 17 lbs (21%)
head circumference - 44.5 cm (69%)

So yes, she is still a bit shrimpy. But cute and wonderful, nonetheless.

She's a big time crawler. Really quite a speedster.
Also very smiley. And likes dancing to music.

Spring fun

2011-05-14T08:58:00.003-04:00

Spring is finally here. This means two wonderful things.

1 - Grandma Joyce is back on the road!

2 - And we get to play outside.

Doesn't get much better than that. :)

Happy Mother's Day!!

2011-05-08T06:38:00.001-04:00

We love you, Mom! Happy Mother's Day!

-- James and Maria

On Being a Mom

2011-05-07T21:32:00.002-04:00

When we were growing up, Mom used to say, "Every day is Mother's Day when you have a family as good as mine." Or something to that effect. And we'd all laugh and feel a little sheepish. And then we'd wish we were as well-behaved every day as we tried to be on Mother's Day.

I guess I'm not that mature yet, because I still like getting gifts and treats and the rest of the trappings.

Nevertheless, I can see why she said such a thing. Because it is a gift simply to have little ones to laugh with and hold. And it's a gift to hear James say he loves me. Or see Maria smile and nod her little head with delight. And it's a gift to share these joys with a wonderful husband.

So yeah, I can see it, Mom. :)

Happy Mothers day to our wonderful moms!

Happy Campers

2011-05-04T20:26:00.004-04:00

James and Maria love to go camping together.
We are pretty sure this comes from the Adle side...

Trivia, Trivia, Trivia

2011-04-29T23:40:00.001-04:00

Trivia night was tonight out in Old El Paso. Good times.
Our team came in 5th out of 10. Just shy of embarrassing.
Any of you smart followers of this blog are welcome to join us next year.

Clever Boy

2011-04-27T16:43:00.001-04:00

James: Please may I have a treat from the bin? (referring to the bin of Easter candy on our counter)
Me: Yes, after supper.
James: Please may I have supper?

The Revolution Begins

2011-04-26T21:39:00.004-04:00

Lately she's been getting around (somehow) by pivoting. But starting today, she seems to have begun the process of crawling. We are afraid.

Is she smiling with us, or at us?

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T20:25:00.003-04:00

We celebrated the Lord's resurrection today.

We also ate a lot of sugar. Oof.

8 Great Months

2011-04-19T15:19:00.004-04:00

Maria Kay is celebrating her eight month mark today. Just wanted to catch everyone up to speed.

She has two teeth.
She scoots on her bottom pretty handily but hasn't managed to get up on all fours.
She can clap her hands. Sort of.
She figured out how to eat food w/o spitting it all over the place.
She doesn't laugh as readily as Baby James did, but she sure smiles a lot.
She likes to be held most of the time and squawks when we put her down.
She looks like a baby doll. So that's what we call her.
She is capable of sleeping through the night, but she usually chooses not to.
She is very loved by her dad, mom, and big brother.

Sourpuss

2011-04-17T20:49:00.004-04:00

Some folks from our church brought us a bunch of delish citrus from AZ. I am a big fan of the grapefruits. I made popsicles - nothing but pure juice and pulp from the grapiest of fruits.
Mar Mar was *not* amused.

Baby Goldilocks

2011-04-17T20:40:00.003-04:00

Soooo...sometimes our neighbor finds funny things for our kids. And by funny I mean really funny.

Like this:

Adventures of a Tough Guy

2011-04-10T22:24:00.003-04:00

Grandma KK asked what happened to James' face, so here is your answer...

Some good friends invited us over for dinner on Friday night. James loves the big kids and was living it up with them when he inadvertently smashed his face into the coffee table. :( At first it appeared to be a scrape...tears were plentiful but not overkill. Out came a magic band-aid and back came the Jamesy Smile. But then the following day we removed the band-aid to discover a big ole black eye. Sweet kid. Well, he is quite pleased with himself and even asks to see his black eye in the mirror every now and then. So he's going to be just fine. But it is still rather sad for a tender mama who hates to see such a little guy with such a big bruise.

Warm Weather Happy Times

2011-04-10T21:20:00.002-04:00

Smiles

2011-04-05T22:19:00.002-04:00

Grandma KK!

2011-03-29T21:56:00.004-04:00

As evidenced above, we had some good times w/ Grandma KK. We missed Grandpa Pat but we'll be seeing him soon, Lord willing, when we travel to Nebraska.

Highlight:
* The inventing of a game that involved dragging "wagons" through the house and going on errands to places like the library, the toy store, the pasta place, and the dairy. James and Maria loved this game! Please come play again soon. :)

Addisoning

2011-03-21T21:00:00.003-04:00

We went up to Addison for a brief visit w/ the (grand)parents this past weekend. It was a great time, as always. We also got to see Jaelle and Kevin. And while their new baby was in no way visible, we know that (s)he was present, so that was special too.

OH! And I was the happiest little clam in the world because los padres took us to a Venezuelan restaurant on Saturday and I got to eat and eat and eat. La comida? Sumamente deliciosa. Y yo? Sumamente agradecida.

Pictures for your viewing enjoyment:

Just because...

2011-03-15T21:37:00.004-05:00

...we haven't posted in a while.

Babies continue to be exceedingly cute and silly.
Life is good in Secor.
We plan to see some grandparents in the near future. Always a plus.
And I think that's about it. :)

Baby Cuddles

2011-03-02T23:32:00.002-05:00

Happy Times w/ Our Favorite New Yorkers

2011-02-28T05:55:00.006-05:00

We were delighted to have Abra and Peter spend a weekend with us. The babies, being very good judges of character, took to both of them immediately.

Low point -
Flight cancellation in Chicago kept them from arriving in Secor on Friday as planned.

High point -
Flight cancellation in Peoria kept them from leaving Secor on Sunday as planned.

Thank you for coming. We loved having you!

Baby Mar Mar 6 month stats

2011-02-23T22:22:00.001-05:00

The girl rocked her appointment. No surprise there. She had many smiles and giggles for the doc. Until shot time, but even that she faced bravely.

height - 25.5"
weight - 15 lbs, 15 oz
head circumference - can't remember, and who cares?

So there you have it, folks. Feel free to applaud. She's great.

Second Baby's First Cereal / Maria is 6 months old!

2011-02-19T23:07:00.004-05:00

Some of you may remember (First) Baby's First Cereal. Let's review.

And now it's time for...
Second Baby's First Cereal

First taste

She likes it!

>Raspberries ensue.<

Mom dons apron to spare shirt from airborne ricey particles. Ew.

Baby continues to enjoy herself immensely.

Big Brother (First Baby) asks to be photographed as well.
Maria's like, "whatevs." The spotlight wasn't ever all hers. So she's cool w/ sharing it. Again. And for the rest of her life. Second-born children are such well-adjusted human beings, no?

Some of Maria's accomplishments in 6 months:
Cuteness. Happiness. Silliness. Messiness.

Happy Half Birthday to you, Maria Kay! We love you.

Best Buds

2011-02-17T18:14:00.003-05:00

James and Maria are good at making each other laugh.

Feb 17 - First Day of Spring

2011-02-17T18:09:00.002-05:00

We warded off the winter stir-crazies w/ an early taste of spring today. YUM.

Babies in a Bubble Bath

2011-02-17T14:52:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T09:26:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day from the Adles.