"All By Myself"

Recently, Elyse has been wanting to do everything on her own (which I should appreciate right now, but sometimes is just too much). One such thing that I appreciate is when she goes potty. She now successfully takes her pants and undies on and off and climbs up onto the adult potty by herself and does the entire bathroom routine without us. Today, however, brought a twist. After going potty she decided she did not want to put her jeans back on. Therefore, she proceeded to do something else she wants to do on her own, pick her clothes out and get dressed. So she went into her pajama drawer and picked out her summer pajama pants that don't quite fit her (look like leggings now). Plus as you can see, she puts them on inside out. (At least she color coordinates well.) The picture was taken right after her running downstairs saying, "Mama, look, new pants and no socks" :) Needless to say, I don't think we are going out in public the rest of the day. She brings so much joy and smiles to my life.

And so does this happy boy.

Perfect Kid's Clock

So I just have to say that this has to be the best, or one of the best clocks for children! The clock does just what the title of the clock says, "Ok, to wake." It lights up green to inform your child that they can get out of bed or call you. Here are other pros and cons for this clock and as you can see, not many cons :)
PROS:
-option to have only bell, only light or both to inform child they can wake up
-has both a nap setting and morning setting
-easy to use
-durable, Elyse often carries it and drops it too
-not too expensive, $29.99 (Amazon)
-option of either a green bug faceplate or pink flower
-built in night-light if needed
-has a snooze option too

CONS:
-runs on batteries (I maybe need to invest in some rechargeable ones now)

Elyse holding her new alarm clock (used older camera, sorry it's blurry)

Random picture of Caleb just because. (Again, did not use the good camera)

Prayer Needed for a Friend

As I have written many times, Nate and I are strong advocates in the power of prayer. With that, good friends of ours from our church have been in the midst of adopting their son, Tate from Ethiopia for years now. They were able to hold and see him in December and were told that they would have their court date today, January 24th and bring him home a month later. Unfortunately, another bad phone call today informed them that their court date is postponed to February which moves their travel date to March. Therefore, please will you pray for them?!? May God work a miracle and bring Tate home soon!!!! Love ya guys and may God give you peace, wisdom, His love right now during this hard time.

To read Dan and Angie's full story please visit their blog at: http://dangieland.blogspot.com

Spoiled By Nana Growden

Nate and I quickly got Elyse up and dressed this morning because Elyse's Nana (my Mom) was there to pick her up to take her out for a special surprise that we knew she would LOVE. So here they are right before they headed out to see...

Elmo's Healthy Heroes! Mom said she was smiling and in aw the entire time; but what 2 year old wouldn't be when they are eight rows away from some of their favorite fictional characters?!?
As you can tell from the pictures, she loved it. Thanks again, Mom, I know it meant so much to her and she will be talking about it for days, weeks, who knows, maybe months :) love you

Nothing Really Exciting

So it has been pretty low key here in the Klauser household. We have spent much of the last few weeks trying to stay warm or doing our normal things. These include, story time, play dates, attending MOMS and going to Target. So unfortunately I don't have much exciting news to share. However, I did capture videos of my chatty-patty kids today. Elyse is just being flat out silly (stupid silly) and Caleb is smiling and cooing which I can't get enough of. Hope to have more exciting posts soon.

Happy One Month Birthday Caleb

One month ago today a beautiful young lady named Mariah gave us the most precious and perfect gift she could ever give, her son. That's right, Caleb turned one month today, seriously where did the last four weeks go? We love him so much and are in ah of him everyday. He is changing and developing so quickly.


What He Is Doing
-smiling (and they aren't fart smiles)
-cooing non-stop. Which is a good thing, because I don't know how much he's going to be able to talk when he gets older with Elyse around.
-starting to hold his head up on his own
-identifies specifically who Dada, Mama and Elyse are
-playing with the water in his baths
-sleeping more at night

Overall, it's been a wonderful month and we look forward to the many more that will be here in no time. Happy 1st Month Birthday Caleb, we love you so much!!!

A Picture That Melts My Heart

Sleepless in Minnesota

So I have dreaded these days for over 28 months, the day where my child does not take naps. Unfortunately I think it may have come a little sooner than originally planned. Twice this week Elyse has decided she does not want to nap. She doesn't scream, fight it or complain, just sits in her room and sings. I went in today and asked if she was tired, she instantly said, "No." I gave her some books and successfully she spent the next 30 minutes having some quiet time. I don't believe her naps are gone forever since yesterday was 2 hours long. I also know she gets enough sleep since she sleeps 12 hours each night, but I still want to cry just thinking that this beauty below may not nap for me anymore.

Thankfully this handsome guy below still naps :)

Natalie Recommends

My new favorite Mama item and my recommendation to all moms, especially ones with more than one child, THE MOBY WRAP!

I believe many new parents go out and buy themselves a baby carrier. With Elyse we had both a side sling and the Baby Bjorn. I didn't care for how they felt on and were a pain to get the child out of. Therefore, when Nate's brother and sister-in-law sent us all their baby stuff and they wrote a note saying the Moby Wrap was their greatest baby position I was hesitant. However, after learning how to wear it, I quickly fell in love with this wrap! It compacts into my baby bag, really is super easy to get baby in and out of, extremely supportive as well as comfortable, and can hold up to 35 pounds in a variety of carrying positions. Overall, a must have for any parent.

A BIG thank you to Shawn and Amelia for sending their #1 baby item to us, which has now become my #1 item. Love you guys!

Lover of Baths

As I have written before, Caleb LOVES his baths. He doesn't like getting out because he gets so cold. Although if he is in the warm water, has a warm wash cloth on his chest, and can see himself he is good to go.

Real Men Wear Pink

I have often heard the statement, real men wear pink. Well I guess our two week old little boy is already a real man since he is proud and comfy sleeping surrounded by pink.
Story behind him sleeping in pink. First off, to save myself from looking like a horrible, unfit mother, Elyse and I were with him the entire time and I monitored him every few minutes to make sure he didn't move the blanket over his face and he NEVER sleeps with a pillow or loose blanket. Okay, now that I got that said, right after Elyse wakes up from nap the first person she asks for is Caleb. Therefore, everyday, Elyse, Caleb and I read books, talk or sing in her bed for awhile. Today while laying in bed, she started to sing to him while rubbing his stomach and he feel asleep. It was super sweet and because he looked so peaceful I didn't want to move him. Instead I captured him in something that will probably not occur again for a long time, him in pink.