where did january go?

well, i'll tell ya. for starters, i spent the first month of 2009 getting adjusted to my new "school" (see previous blog :0) much to mom and dad's delight, i went from crying when they dropped me off to crying when they pick me up cause i don't want to leave. a good sign, indeed. i love to say the names of my new friends there: miss natalie, mr. david, miss laverne and all the kids. i'm learning to walk in my green rubber boots with the frog faces on them. when we play outside, we all wear boots. it's my first boot experience. i'll post a pic for you. i'm learning so much -- always coming home singing a new song -- jesus loves me, twinkle twinkle, i'm a little teapot, wheels on the bus, and other things mom and dad can't quite make out yet. other things i'm saying a lot: c'mere pleeeeease!...cutie patootie...amen, ALELULIA! (i shouted this at church with grammi and papa last week)...what happened?...kittie food, daddy said "NO" (indicating daddy's preference that i keep my hands out of the catfood)... MY mommy (as in, not YOUR mommy)...where'd mark and kim go?...mommy be back, daddy be back (when they drop me off at school)...right here!(showing mommy where to put something)... move please!...sit down here...go see OLD PEOPLE (mom says we need to start calling them seniors)...walk AGAIN. i like to put on mommy's stocking hat and grab my purse and other random items and pretend i'm going to mexico. i've decided i like baths cause mom and i always play with letters and numbers in the bathtub and dora and boots take a bath with us. today a package arrived in the mail. it was "helen" -- our dear friend sarah tripp's cabbage patch kid. sarah's husband jack sent helen to me to raise since sarah went home to be with jesus. we became fast friends, helen and i. i was delighted to discover she has a belly button too! oh, i also love serving people from my play kitchen--food and drinks of whatever sort. i often ask mom to get the coffee pot out (which i call a teapot) so that i can offer the good stuff. oh! i've fallen in love with the moon. tonight mom got the cutest picture of me reaching for the moon. she and dad think its cool that i think i can actually reach it. they say if more adults were like that, they would dream more and doubt less. whatever. too deep for me at this point. i'm just reachin' for the moon.

I'm a Lil' Sprout!

Announcing my first official week at Lil' Sprouts Montessori Daycare/Preschool. I'm not gonna lie, people -- it has been rough. Well, mostly in the mornings as i cling to mom and dad and cry "don't like it!" as they run out the door feeling guilty. However, the truth is, Miss Natalie says i'm happy most of the day, learning and interacting with the other kids (who are all different ethnicities --a bonus point with mom and dad). I've learned to sleep on a little mat at nap time. We all have our own spot that we sleep in every day. Miss N. turns the lights down low and plays soothing music and makes it smell really good. The only problem is,i can only have my pacifier and blanky during naptime, and it's been like quitting smoking cold turkey when she takes it away. I'm adjusting, but dang, it's hard. Mom says i'll thank them one day when other kids are still trying to quit. Whatever. So how did we find Lil' Sprouts school? Mom and Dad had been praying for a long time to find just the right little place to continue loving care i received from miss peggy during my first year of life. They were feeling like i was ready for the next step. One day, Mom was at our favorite coffehouse (Homers) and she found a business card for Miss Natalie Nelson's Lil'Sprouts Montessori Preschool -- Nature Based, Christ-centered, a little urban farm in the city -- mom and dad loved the sound of it! So, we visited and found a beautiful log home with a huge backyard that has raised garden beds, a green house, a big tree house, little fish ponds and best of all CHICKENS!! Miss Natalie is a really neat lady. She, her new husband, Mr. David, and her housemate Miss Laverne are the teachers. There's a neat little kitchen where we learn to cook organic foods and even to recycle! (mom loves it that this place is granola!) We kids have an "egg business" that includes collecting eggs from the chicken coop, putting them in cartons, and selling them to our parents. We have "circle time" where we sit cross-legged on mats and Miss N. says i'm good about sitting still and paying attention. We learn praise songs, things like days of the week and months of the year. Unless it is bitter cold, we go outside for awhile in the afternoon. We wear slippers inside and rubber boots to run around in outside. Mine are green and look like frogs. Well, gotta run. Week #2 is coming up. We're enjoying spending the weekend as a family!

Christmas 2008

We had a delightful holiday week! Mom says it’s one of the most relaxing she can remember. It started Sunday as we headed to Gammi and Papa’s (notice I changed her name to “Gammi,” so mom says we’ll go with that). I ate all kinds of good things (as usual) and we went to some fun parties – at the Bradfords I played with my new friends Reece and Ava Gray. Christmas eve we went to church and mom and I joined the procession of children who brought the baby Jesus up to the manger. Then, we went to Great Gram’s house for dinner and to open our stockings and a few gifts, too. I got a “cell phone” from Great Gram and a baby doll from Gammi and Papa. To mom’s delight the baby is not Caucasian (she wants me grow up appreciating many different ethnicities!) We named him Moses and now he has a brother T-Shawn, which I named after one of Grandma Jeanne’s friend’s sons. Afterward, I entertained everyone at the Shums with my favorite yoga position – the down dog! We headed for Leavenworth Christmas morning to see Grandpa Carl & Grandma Jeanne & Uncle Alex. We all gathered around the tree to open gifts – I opened some cool new books and then ran off with them while everyone else opened their gifts. Finally, they lured me back in and I discovered all sorts of goodies – even a high chair and a cradle for my baby dolls! We watched daddy played in an alumni basketball tournament at IMAC. I wasn’t sure at first about the whistles and the buzzer and daddy being jostled around out there, but then I decided it was pretty fun to run around the bleachers and watch people. As we watched, I kept saying, “Go Daddy!” He loved having us there. In the last week, my vocabulary has exploded. I like to say, “C’mere!” and “OH MY GOSH!” “I see you!” (which I kept saying at Christmas eve mass in the cry room). I like to point at the dollar bill and say “George Washington.” I like bust out singing “Happy Birthday, Jesus” like mom taught me at Christmas. Tomorrow is my last day with Miss Peggy before I begin Lil’s Sprouts next week. Mom and Dad are praying for a smooth transition!

From the desk of Josephine:

OK, I’m WAYYYY behind with my blog update. Mom and Dad have been dragging me all over creation (actually, being a true socialite, I love it!) Most recently, we spent a week together in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Our generous friend Jack gave us a week in his timeshare! Here are a coupla pix. I learned some Spanish and said HOLA over and over. Other favorites were: Buenos Dias, Buenos Noches, and Josefina (the name of my new Mexican doll). Our room was really nice with 2 balconies that I loved to play on. However, I just wanted to be outside ALL the time.“Outside!  Outside!” I kept saying. And also “Elevator! Ding-dong.” I LOVE the elevator and the sound it makes. Still not sure about the water. I usually resist it and then end up having a good time in the pool. DEFINITELY didn’t like the wet sand on my feet. I saw the ocean for the first time, which was really cool.Mom and Dad took a MILLION pictures. Grammi and Papa flew down and spent a few days with me so mom and dad could have enjoy some romantic outings together. Whatever. I don't know how they could stand to be without me. I'm becoming quite independent and i prefer to go where i want to go. If you want to me walk left, i'll probably go right. I enjoy the word NO. Mom says i'm establishing my boundaries. Dad says i'm just being a turd like he was when he was my age.  When we got home from mexico Grammi and Papa and Grandma Jeanne came to church with us for the annual Christmas program -- Walk to the Manger, so we could be reminded why we're celebrating. Then, we had a little "pre-Christmas" dinner at our house. Everyone else cooked and brought stuff over and we ate it.  Good deal for us, huh!  Oh, also, before we went to Mexico, we headed up to Lincoln to celebrate the Kopetzky Christmas at Aunt Julie’s house. As always, we had a blast. I played with my cousins since I could actually run around this year and get into all kinds of mischief.  Oh, and before THAT we went to Des Moines for the annual Thanksgiving gathering with the Kellers and Great Grandma and Grouchy Great Grandpa. Everyone doted on me, fed me stuff and played cards together like always. Next week we head for another tour -- Marysville until Christmas day and then Leavenworth for the rest of the week. Guess what!?! I start Montessori school -- "Lil' Sprouts" with Miss Natalie on January 5th!  There are chickens, bunnies, a real tree house, a green house, organic garden, and lots of other farm-y granola stuff mom loves.  Also, Miss Natalie loves Jesus, so she'll carry on Miss Peggy's loving Christian care.  Merry Christmas!!!

we've really been enjoying the beautiful fall weather!  a few weeks ago, mom and dad took me with them to the drive-in. we saw a movie called "eagle eye" with our friends colby and kim.  they set up my pack n play in the back of the van and i was content as could be hanging out, watching the flick, and eventually just snuggling in to sleep...that was our first movie all together!  the next day, granda and grandpa deruyscher came to spend the day with me while mom and dad went to the maple leaf festival and football game with the morrises...last week we went to marysville for black squirrel night (which ended up being too cold to be outside, so i wore my princess leia costume over to the crists for a pizza party where i met my new friend, campbell brewster. on friday we went to the wedding of mom's old high school friend and then we went to emporia for paige newland's baptism saturday. it was so much fun to be with all the "butlo" kids. 

tomorrow, we're going to daddy's work so i can "trick or treat" and then i get to stay with gma and gpa d for the weekend while mommy and daddy go to the nu - ou football game in oklahoma.  i'm chattering away more than ever. i like to say, "oh man" "oh my gosh" and "wow".  also, like to say my "opposites" -- up/down, loud/quiet, near/far, clean/dirty...also LOVE when mom sings the itsy bitsy spider song. i try really hard to make a good spider with my fingers. i am a very determined little one.

October Fun

Just catching up as october 2008 is in full swing!  Well, I started off the month heading to the husker game with daddy in Lincoln--actually, daddy went to the game and i went to stay with aunt julie, uncle roy, and cousin dj.  I had a blast with the yardleys (especially the puppies!)  and for the next several days, i practiced their names everywhere i went!  roy...julie...dj...kuba...sassy...repeat. Mommy went to arkansas to visit aunt trieste while we were in lincoln and then we all met back at our house on sunday night. A sweet reunion!

 Speaking of reunions...Mom and Dad just took their longest trip away from me EVER-- 5 days in colorado for mark and kim davidson's wedding. Of course they missed me sooooo much, but they had a really great time. I, on the other hand, must admit that I didn't really notice they were gone!  Grammi and Papa said i was just too busy having fun in marysville. Here's a pic of me at vering's pumpkin farm in marysville. They also took me to the park, to mom's favorite place of employment ever--the wagon wheel cafe--where i met her favorite boss ever, doug parks, to church, to great gram's, and to a whole bunch of other places!  During my stay with them, I decided to exercise my 15-month-old authority and start saying nononononono. It is so cute, mom and dad have to keep themselves from laughing. However, they are trying to respect my independence while they firmly remind me there are other ways of communicating!  I'm really starting to put little sentences together about things I remember.  For instance, I think Grammi is a great cook, so I've been saying "Grammi Food" at dinner time, even when she's not around!  On Halloween weekend, Grandpa Carl and Grandma Jeanne are going to keep me while mom and dad go to Oklahoma for the nebraska game. Hey, I'm not complaining!  All this grandparent time is right up my alley!  Tonight mom and i had a little belated italian birthday dinner for daddy's birthday. Happy 31st Birthday, Daddy!  Happy October everyone! 

september happenings...

some of my new favorite things--saying "tickle, tickle, tickle" and tickling whoever is holding me...

saying "diamond!"  (as in neil) when i want to dance to my favorite record...saying "melon" because i LOVE to eat watermelon! a few things that have happened recently--mom and i had a wagon wreck with the cool new wagon grammi and papa gave me.she was pulling me down a hill, the wheels turned really sharp, and the whole wagon flipped on its side.we both ended up on the pavement, but we thanked God that we were spared serious injuries. i have a little scrape on my head, mom has a big bruise on her leg--but we survived! and i got right back in the wagon just so i wouldn't be afraid of it. mom went to chicago for a few days so dad and i had some fun together. tonight grandpa carl came over to babysit while mom and dad went to a wedding shower for uncle mark and aunt kim. oh, and today mom and i went to hang out with charli for awhile while her mom and dad went on vacation. we went to mimi's house and played on the horse mom and aunt jenn used to play on.  we took good naps and played together.  we're learning to share! tomorrow we are having a breakfast for miss peggy at the morrises house to thank her for all she does for us. then, mom and i are s'posed to go to a 1st birthday party for sophie willett. daddy's goin' to the nebraska game. oh, yes!  i love to say "football" now too! wonder why...