2 month stats

Miss Megan will be 2 months old on Friday. She went to the doctor for her check-up yesterday and here are her new stats: Weight--8lbs. 7oz. Length--20.5 inches Head--14.75 inches (Birth stats: 5lbs 11oz., 18.25 inches long, 13 inch head) She was 15% for weight and 3% for height. Even though she is still tiny, she is growing! I looked back at Kelsey's stats to compare and Kelsey was 10lbs at this point, so Megan is on the smaller side. While at the doctor's office, Kelsey kept us entertained while we waited. She sang all her princess songs, sat in the doctor's chair and said "So, what's the problem?", and read me her books. I wasn't sure if they would give Megan shots due to her cold last week, but her lungs were completely clear so she received them. Kelsey was along at the appt and I warned her that Megan would be getting shots. She was such a sweetie and held her hand. She told her "It's ok, honey." Priceless. Megan of course cried when she got them, but was pretty easily comforted. I just HAD TO spend a lot of yesterday holding her though to make sure she was ok ;) Twist my arm, right?

Easter Weekend

Megan made her inaugral trip to Pulaski this weekend for Easter weekend, and she did wonderful! Big sister Kelsey was excited to have a buddy to ride with her in the back seat, too.
We began our trip with a stop in Eau Claire to meet my friend Liz's new baby boy, Dylan. It was pretty special to be able to visit her in the hospital and see all of our children together.

Once we arrived in Pulaski, the craziness began! It is always so fun to see all 8 cousins together. We spent Friday night just catching up and relaxing as a family. We also celebrated Korinne's 2nd birthday with cupcakes and presents.
Saturday morning, our friends and neighbors, Paul and Mary, came over to see us and meet Megan. We always love seeing them!

Next up was coloring Easter eggs. Kelsey was more excited about it this year since she was able to do more on her own.



We continued with the Easter activities by having an egg hunt. It was a cool and chilly afternoon, but we bundled all the kiddos up and took them outside to search for eggs.


In the late afternoon, we had a Smith/Wojkiewicz gathering at my dad's house. Megan was able to meet her Great Aunt Evie, Great Uncle Dennis and Great Uncle Jim. She also met her extended cousins. There is always good food and good company when we get together.



When everyone left that night, we all got into jammies and played Just Dance on the Wii. It was a hit and everyone loved it, especially the kids. It was quite amusing to watch everyone shake their booties ;)
Sunday morning we went to my dad and Chris's church for Easter service. Matt and I always talk about how much we like his church and how much we get out of the service because they make everything so relevant to our everyday life. Not to mention the music is also a huge plus because it is so modern and upbeat. Plus, my dad sang in the choir which made it more special. The theme of the service was about black and white vs. color. Do you have a black and white relationship with Jesus that is old and lacks connection or do you have a close relationship with Jesus that is full of color? There were also artists painting pictures in black and white, and when they finished each one came out and put some color on it as the final touch. It was a very neat experience. It never fails that I always seem to tear up when I attend there because I become overcome with emotion.




We did traditional Easter pictures with the family and had our first Easter picture as a family of 4 :)




The girls were great all weekend, too! Kelsey played well with everyone and Megan handled all the noise and people like a champ. Both car rides there and back went pretty smooth as well. We had to make a few additional stops, but we were expecting it. Overall, I was very thankful that they both stayed as content as they did.

It was a wonderful weekend of family. We had not been home since Thanksgiving and were thrilled to be able to bring Megan along and introduce her to everyone. It definitelty gets a little wild at times, but it is part of the unique situation we have where we all get to stay with each other. We joked about what it will be like when all the girls get to be teenagers. (7 girls and 1 boy) Poor Soren will be putting up with more drama than he already does since he is the only boy! But truly, it was a great time! Thanks for a fun and eventful weekend!

Lunch with Kelsey

Meal times with Kelsey are interesting these days. She eats really well for breakfast, ok for lunch, and not the greatest for supper it seems. Plus, she takes a very long time to eat. I am used to this though since I am a vey slow eater as well. Well lately, she pulls a few tricks to try to get out of eating. She says she needs to go to thw bathroom. Being potty trained, we don't want to risk her having an accident, so we of course take her and let her go. And she usually does go, so it is rightly justified. Then, she will say her belly hurts and she needs to lay on the couch. So, she will go lay down for about 2 minutes and then come back and say she is better. To try to keep her eating, we have been really trying to have good conversation at the table that keeps her wanting to stay seated. What does Kelsey love most? Princesses! So, she will ask us to tell her stories: Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Snow White, etc. If we tell them wrong, she will correct us and add the correct details. We also play a game called Colors. We will ask her what color certain objects are. We also throw in asking her how to spell her name, how old she is, where she lives, her phone number, etc. She is getting quite good at answering all these questions. Yesterday she asked me if I would ask her more questions. Thus, it turned into sort of an impromptu survey with her that went like this:

Favorite color: pink and purple
Favortite number: 2
Favortite cereal: Lucky Charms
Favorite food: Mac and Cheese
Favorite drink: Chocolate milk
Favorite movie: Beauty and the Beast
Favorite princess: Ariel (which by the way changes daily)
Favorite toy: Doctor's set
Favorite show: Super Why
Favorite book: Pinkalicious and Princess Encyclopedia
Favorite games: Memory and Yahtzee (played on a daily basis)
Favorite song: Old Macdonald

Other tidbits we talked about: She only likes bananas and watermelon for fruit. She likes corn, carrots, peas, and celery for veggies. She likes to talk on the phone to Grandma. She likes dance class and seeing her friends there. She does not like it when I wash her hair and have to get the soap out because it hurts her ears. She likes when Daddy dances with her and throws her up high. She likes smooth applesauce, not the chunky kind. She wants it to warm up so we can play outside and go to the park. She does not like ladybugs.

It was quite the lunch with her. I think we sat at the table for a good hour. And she even managed to eat all her food!

Wedding showers, weekends, and a cold

Life at home is still amazingly wonderful. I love being home with my girls. Our weekends lately have been so busy that the time I get at home during the week to just relax with them is great.



Speaking of busy weekends, we have been on the go lately. The past few weekends have been filled with bachelor/bachelorette parties and wedding showers for Nate and Diane. (Only 2 more weeks until the wedding. Woo-hoo! Check out my sister-in-law's blog for pictures from all these events: www.fourguysandagal.blogspot.com) Plus, there is always some baseball mixed in there as well. Although, with the cold spring we are having, there have been a few games rescheduled already. So we have lucked out and been able to see Matt a little more than expected.
Last Sunday we went to Grandma and Grandpa's after church to have a mini-Easter celebration with them since we won't see them for real Easter.


Poor little Megan got her first cold last weekend, too :( She started with a runny nose, which turned into being very stuffed up to the point it seemed hard for her to breathe and feed. Once a slight cough accompanied it all, I took her to the doctor. They said she had a bronchial infection and did a nebulizer treatment on her. She seems to be doing better today, so I hope we are on the mend from it. Kelsey and Matt also had something very similar a week earlier, and thankfully they are both better now. Let's hope the sickness stays away.

Family Night

Last week we took Kelsey and Megan to Family Night sponsored by our local Early Childhood and Family Education association. It had a lot of hands-on activities for Kelsey, as well as a lot of good information for Matt and I about all our town offers for children ages 0-5. The pictures below show Kelsey talking with Mary (our daycare provider) who was using puppets, walking on the balance beam, doing a science experiment, and watching the animals. Megan was a trooper and hung out in the stroller while big sister played.

Megan's Newborn Pictures

Here are some of Megan's newborn pictures. I think they turned out so well. Enjoy!

Remembering Mom

It seems crazy to think that it has been 10 years since my mom passed away. Seriously, how can that be? Losing my mom was the most traumatic experience I have ever gone through. I was just a 19 year old college freshman trying to find myself in this world. 10 years later, I am now a 29 year old mother of two, wife, and teacher. At the time of her death, I couldn't have imagined my life would be as amazing as it is. I am sure my mom has a big part in that though since I know she is my angel who watches over me. In the years past, I have shared stories of my mom. Today, I am going to share a list of things that I remember about her.

*My mom loved to talk on the phone. Plus, she would talk to my grandpa everyday in Polish when he called. I think it was because she was talking about us kids and didn't want us to know what she was saying ;) But she was a phone-lover. She would have loved having her own cell phone.

*My mom used to drink coffee when she ate ice cream. She always said the ice cream was too cold on her teeth and she needed the coffee to off-set it.

*She used to set out her piece of fruit she wanted to eat the next day, rather than keep it in the frig.


*My mom was very afraid of water because she did not know how to swim. She made sure we all took swimming lessons though so we didn't have the same fear.

*My mom was the only one our pet cat liked. She would hiss at the rest of us and cuddle right up by my mom.

*My mom liked the shows Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Survivor, 20/20, and anything that had to do with doctors and medicine.

*She was not flashy and not a fashionista at all. She liked to get dressed up, but preferred her sweatshirts and comfy clothes.

*She liked to sleep in late and stay up late.

*She called me je-vue-ha (which means little girl in Polish) and tootse as my nicknames.


*Keeping to tradition was important to her and she always stuck close to her Polish roots.

*Her favorite non-polka song was Spooky.

*When she went to kindergarten, she only spoke Polish.

*I never once remember my mom ever having a drink of alcohol.

*She prayed the rosary everynight before bed and if she fell asleep praying it, she finished it in the morning.

*She loved to travel.

*Her hearing was amazing. I didn't get away with being late for curfew--ever.

*She loved her family unconditionally and lived her life for us.

When I left for college, my mom was really getting into emailing because she could keep in contact with all 3 of her kids that way. Here is an email we received from her in the fall after I left for college. I think it sums up what a genuinely sincere and kind woman she was. I sure miss her, but I know she is watching over me. Ja Cie Kocham, Matka


"Hi guys,I mean my kids. Thanks for all the prayers and for always being there for me. I love you guys so much. Prayers are answered, we all know that. Not everyone has kids like I do. You're one of a kind. You're always in my prayers and I always pray that you have a good life and a healthy one. Well enough because I can't see through my tears. Have a good day at work and at school for Kristin. Love you and thanks for being there for me. Mom"

YAY for Spring!

The weather has finally been nicer this past week. Therefore, the girls and I broke in the double stroller with the first walk of the spring! I went back and forth for a long time on what kind of double stroller to buy, so I have been anxious to try it out. Well, the verdict is--Wonderful! Kelsey thought it was pretty neat that Megan was next to her, too. It felt great to be outside in the fresh air. After our walk, Kelsey rode her bike for awhile. We ended our time with a little baseball. I am very happy to know that there will be more days like this ahead and the snow and cold are behind us. Welcome, Spring!

One month old

This little peanut is one month old already. She weighed in at 7lbs. 8oz. today at the newborn clinic. Therefore, she is almost up 2lbs. from when she was born. We are really happy with her growth given how tiny she was when she was born. She is still a tiny little girl though. Her newborn clothes finally fit her perfectly considering how huge they were on her when we first brought her home. She is really expressive and continues to smile at us. Her eyes have started to track objects we show her and she is much more aware of her surroundings. She is such a good baby and we all adore her. Love you, Megan!

Spring Break Week Wrap-up

Matt had Spring Break last week and for the first time since we both were in college, we both got to be off. My district does not have spring break, so I am usually quite jealous this time of year when Mattey gets a little extra time off. However, I was able to share in the fun this year :) Mattey had a lot of baseball which took up a lot of time and limited us to staying in town, but some extra time together is better than none. We did a ton of playing at home with the normal activities of dance parties, games, books, barbies, dolls, doctor set, and coloring. We did get out a little as well, including taking Megan to the newborn clinic, going out to lunch, story time at the library, and even a little shopping. I was able to squeeze in a haircut while Matt stayed home with the girls, too. The big event though was going to the Serengeti Indoor Waterpark. Kelsey has not been swimming since her lessons ended about a month ago and we have always wanted to check this place out since it is so close to our house. It was perfect for her! She absolutely loved it as well. She was a bit under the weather with a nasty cold, but you cannot tell from the pictures as she was all smiles in the water. She took a little convincing to try things on her own. For instance, she started off having to do the little water slide by sitting on Matt's lap. Then she would go down if Matt held her hand on the way down, and ended by going down on her own.



She played some water basketball with the big kids and floated down the lazy river, too. Speaking of lazy, Megan slept the day away while big sister and Daddy splashed about. She was a peaceful little lady in her carseat.

By the end of our time there, she even went down the BIG waterslide with Matt on the tube. She liked it so much they had to go a few times. She was freezing when she got out of the water though, complete with shivers and blue lips.

We ended our family time Friday with lunch at the hotel attached to the waterpark.

While we were out shopping, we bought the movie Tangled since it was the first movie Kelsey saw in the movie theater. Needless to say, it is the new favorite in our house.
The week concluded with Nate and Diane's bachelor/bachelorette parties on Saturday. Natey had his party in town at our house with yard games, NCAA final four, and a little going out. Diane's party was in Stillwater with a trip to a winery, dinner, games, and going out as well. I unfortunately was only able to make dinner since I am nursing and not able to be away from Megan for long periods. Dinner was great, and I was able to meet a lot of Diane's friends. Since I was away from Megan for a few hours, we tried a bottle with her earlier in the week so my brother could feed her while I was gone.
She took it like a champ. It is good to know we have the option should we need it. What a week it was! I am a big fan of spring break :)