Our Little Models

We've been waiting until Nathaniel could sit up to take the kids in for some professional photos. The time has arrived! He is really close to crawling too; he pushes up on his knees and scoots about. We went in for portraits and the place was packed. Our appointment was pushed back and we had to wait. Stella was placated with fruit snacks, but when it came time to pics, both kiddos clammed up a bit. Here are some of the cute ones (before Stella decided to lay face down on the floor).




One the way home, I asked Stella why she didn't smile for the pictures. She replied, "I was in trouble, so I laid down on the floor." :)

The Kids Meet Santa

Here are a few teasers from our trip to Monastero's Restaurant to dine with Santa. We met up with the Neurauter Family, enjoyed a nice meal, and got to hang with the big man. Stella and I had been rehearsing all week so that she wouldn't be afraid to sit on his lap. All week long, she said she wanted a sticker book. However, on Santa's lap, she changed her mind and asked for pizza!



Nate is getting to be a big 7 month old boy! Still no teeth, but he is eating his way through the first foods list and does the cutest little rocking thing when we sing or play music. He is a total doll.


Finally, here are some cute little pics of the kiddos at bath time over at the Stahlmann house. Stella was such a big girl in the bath! She laid on her stomach and "swam", blew bubbles, and scrub-a-dubbed. She allowed Nate to join her for a dip for a bit as well.

Halloween 2011

The Stahlmann babes had an awesome Halloween. We started out in Streamwood at the Stahlmann's where we trick-or-treated with Grandma and Uncle David. Stella was really excited to go up to doorsteps and was more interested in the Halloween decorations than the candy. After hitting up the whole block, we headed back and Grandad snapped some really cute pictures of the kids.

After haunting the streets of Streamwood, we drove back to Des Plaines and met up with Grandma, Silly David, and Renee. Stella wanted to trade one of her candies at every house, but got the knack of it after a few stops. It was fun to see all the neighbors from my youth. We finished up the street and headed back to let Stella enjoy a few of her spoils. She talked about candy for days!

The Pumpkin Farm

I love Fall! It is always great when the weather changes, we can layer up, and sip a hot cider. As Halloween approaches, the family made an annual trip to Goebbert's pumpkin farm to pick out a pumpkin and enjoy the Fall festivities. Goebbert's has a petting zoo with a giraffe and a tiger, and despite my cries of animal cruelty, we headed out to take advantage of the entrapment of wild animals and perhaps grab a pumpkin cookie.

In the style of Baby Nate, Nate kept to himself and stayed snug as a bug for the large portion of the excursion. It seems that this is the trend, and every outing has a picture of him keeping cozy in the stroller. Stella, on the other hand, can be gregarious when out on the town. She has no fear, and trots off with the spirit of exploration.

Stella fearlessly rode her first pony, and was all business about it (she has plenty of practice riding on Uncle David's shoulders, shouting, "Giddyup horsie!"). She also climbed around with Eric on the various trains and wagons at the pumpkin farm.

After it was determined that it would be cheaper and easier to buy a pumpkin from the local grocer, we settled in for a gigantic pumpkin cookie, hot chocolate, and hot cider. Stella killed off one of these same cookies last year, again proving that her sweet tooth will always triumph over Mommy's objections.

Aunt Elaine was in town from England, so the kids had the opportunity to spend some quality time with her. As always, she showered them with gifts and cuddles. We took a trip out to Sushi Station, and snapped this sweet group shot. It is fantastic that Stella has the chance to see Elaine so often and that Nate got to meet her.

Today we head off to the doctor for check-ups, and I am excited to find out where Nate is on the growth curve. He has been a hungry little dude, and he appears to be as tall as a toddler. We may have to cut the feet off of his 9-month pajamas so that they will fit! He is going to be a tall kid for sure, and he is already the cutest baby alive. He recently started babbling, and is quite grabby. He is getting the hang of eating, and much like his sister, loves sweet fruits. He is Mommy's snugglebug, and Stella loves to sneak in for a hug with him as well.

Stella's New Ride

We took Stella out on her new Powerwheels Little Quad that she got from Jack and Colleen (after buying a helmet, of course). She isn't all that great at steering, but loved to make it go. She yelled, "Faster, faster!" Here are some pics:

Happy 2nd Birthday, Stella!

"I'm not a baby; I'm a big girl!"

Happy 2nd birthday to our big girl, Stella! Mommy and Daddy are so proud of our beautiful and amazing little two-year-old. We had a wonderful couple of days to celebrate the milestone birthday. On Friday, Grandma Louise came over with some little Sesame Street characters for Stella and a pair of overalls. Stella loved the overalls because they have a ton of pockets for all of her little buddies.

We then headed over, pockets stuffed, to meet Daddy and the Stahlmanns at a restaurant for dinner. Stella was able to indulge in her favorites: pizza, mac and cheese, and the biggest bowl of ice cream imaginable. Once she had eaten it all, she turned to Dave and asked, "Can I have some of yours?"

After dinner, we went home to open another gift. Grandma and Granddad had given Stella a desk/easel for all of Stella's coloring. She has since created several pictures, which she then crumples up and throws on the floor. A perfectionist at two!

Saturday was Stella's birthday party. We held it at The Little Gym in Glenview and invited fifteen of her closest kid buddies and thirty adults. It was a massive event. The venue was great; the staff ran activities, served the food, and packed up the presents. All of the kiddos appeared to enjoy themselves. Stella was a bit obstinate (she is two, let's not forget) and didn't feel that she needed to follow instructions on her birthday, but she had a hoot of a time jumping, running, and swinging about. Uncles Jack and David stole the show with their floor routines and general perpetual eight-year-old behavior. It was a lot of fun.


Stella's party was robot themed, and wouldn't have been complete without a giant vegan pink robot cake, made by Mommy. She had been snagging tastes of the frosting every time we opened the fridge door. When snapping a photo of the cake, Chris caught Stella in the act! She also had RoboStella buttons, and RoboStella cupcakes. We ordered in pizza, sang, and blew out candles!

We hauled the loot home with the help of Jack and Colleen, and boy, did Stella make out like a bandit! She has a very generous group of friends and family. So generous, in fact, that Mommy had to stash some of the goods away to release on a future date. There were just way too many toys to put out all at once. Here are some of the highlights: Lots of cute clothes, a toy ipod, a toy phone, puzzles, a play dough factory, some great books, videos (including the Elmo Potty Time video), Sesame Street stuff, a faux fur vest and outfit (like a rockstar!), my little ponies, a baby princess, a leap frog game, a vet clinic, her first Barbie (a mermaid for the bath), a rocking electric guitar, and a POWERWHEEL ATV. Craziness, right!!! What a spoiled little queen we have. We have many thank you cards to write, and I hope someday Stella realizes how much she is loved!

We had a great time over the birthday weekend, and are so thankful for those that celebrated with us and continue to support and love our children. Also of note, I can now say that we've survived two under two! Love and thanks to you all!

Door County, and End of Summer

Nate and Stella had their first Lundgren family vacation and got to explore Door County, Wisconsin. Grandma Lundgren arranged accommodations in Jacksonport, on the lake side of the peninsula. Stella has an awesome time playing in the lake. She is definitely a water baby, and had no fear as the waves charged her and knocked her down on her "tushie butt".


Uncle David brought some sand toys for Stella and she and Daddy (well, Daddy mostly) had a ball making a sand castle. We tried in vain to capture some little fish, but did get to detain a frog for a bit. There were also, ahem, a plethora of bugs for Stella to observe.

Nathaniel and Stella enjoyed time with Aunt Colleen and Jack while the rest of us celebrated Kate and Kelly's wedding. Jack claims that Nat crawled... There may be a bit of exaggeration there. He is, however, rolling all over the place. We just started cereal as well. He is a hungry dude, but hasn't gotten the knack of eating off a spoon quite yet. It probably isn't helping that I am feeding him with one hand and snapping photos with the other.

The trip was great, albeit a bit tiring for Daddy and I, and we are excited about the prospect of returning next summer. Thanks Grandma!



I am back at work part time, and Stella and Nate get to play with Uncle David S. We are so very blessed that he is available and willing to watch the kiddos. We had Emily last year, and Stella adored her. I am sure that Dave will do a great job as well. It is so comforting that we have never had to worry about the quality of care for our children. Stella already wakes up in the morning and calls for Dave instead of us!

Nathaniel had his four month doctor appointment. He is 27 inches (98th %ile) and 16 lbs (65th %ile). The pediatrician called him "long and lean". She thinks he is going great, and he gave her a great big smile when he saw her. He whimpered after his second shot momentarily, but then went right on back to being his super-happy self. He is eating cereal, pears, and sweet potato; the pears really helped him get the hang of eating. He wanted to get them in, so was motivated to work extra hard.

Stella is hilarious lately. She will only kiss us if we trick her- we have to pretend to be asleep and can only be woken by a kiss. It is as though she holds kisses over our heads. She is talking so well. She has been using full sentences for a while now, and her vocabulary is becoming richer. She surprises me with her adjectives and prepositions. It was raining today and she said, "A storm is coming. We have to clean this mess all up." She must have learned that her mommy doesn't like to leave spills around. She is very loving toward Nathaniel and continues to grow as a helper. He thinks his sister is pretty funny as well.


We spent a day up at the Walworth Co Fair with the Sharpes and Cousin Arthur. My family has had this tradition since I was little, and I hope to continue it with Stella and Nate. It was a very cold day, but Stella enjoyed many rides and played in the kids' barnyard.


We ate tons of "fair food" and hung out watching some musicians perform. Stella, showoff that she is, stood in front of the band and danced the entire time. The lead singer exclaimed, "It has taken us several years to get a back up dancer, but no pictures please!" Stella was wearing a t-shirt that said "No Pictures".



There was a sandbox filled with corn, and Stella must have spent an hour playing in it. She also got to see lots of animals, and I believe the cows were her favorite. Baby Nate stayed snug as a bug in the stroller for almost the whole day, but seemed thrilled to be there!

Those are the updates. Things are rolling merrily along, and we are doing our best to find happiness in the chaos and enjoy the ride!