Merry Christmas!

Dear Family and Friends,


This holiday season has inspired much reflection in our hearts and home. We are so grateful for the star that arose in Bethlehem with the purpose of leading others towards the stable in which our Savior was born.

In an attempt to teach our boys what Christmas is all about, we have been reenacting the search for the Savior. These reenactments have caused our minds to ponder - what was it truly like for those individuals to locate the stable? How much more difficult would this journey have been without a star shining brightly in the heavens?

We are so grateful for the stars that shine brightly in our lives - we are truly blessed with inspired leaders, books, family, friends, and personal revelation that guide us towards our Savior. It is remarkable that we have not been left alone to find our way! We Believe in Christ, his teachings, and his love for all man-kind!

We appreciate each of you and your kind and generous lives that set an example to all who surround you. Continue to let your light shine as did the star of Bethlehem!

Merry Christmas to all!


Love,

Nate, Angie, Conner, and Caleb

--Card created by Cristi and the pictures were taken by Coray

Our Awesome Thanksgiving Utah Trip

Highlights of "Utah Thanksgiving Trip:"

• Caleb started to roll over from his back to his stomach.
• Spending time with both grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.
• We enjoyed thanksgiving dinner at Great-grandma Shand's and Grammies.
• Meeting our little niece Elsie - she is so cute :)
• Meeting little Adelaide Trujillo... it was so fun to see some friends from Texas!
• Angie loved catching up with her girlfriends from high school :)
• A trip to temple square. Conner loved the trees with lights so much that he did not even recognize the cold!
• The trains at grandpa's and great-grandpa's house.
• Becca's performance at the festival of trees. We had such a great time looking at all of the trees and the wreaths (my favorite).
• The giant bubbles at the festival of trees.
• Miriam's awesome performance in the play "A Christmas Carol". It was such a treat to watch her - she is a natural!
• Kyle's choir performances.
• We loved playing with cousins. Miles always can make Conner and Caleb laugh. We love cousins.
• Conner loved playing ping pong with Uncle Preston and Uncle Kyle. To play, he would throw the balls at his uncles during their games.
• Conner's trip to the "Lehi Temple" a.k.a Cabala's with grandpa one afternoon. He loved looking at the fishes and animals on display.
• Conner loved helping us with the luggage at the airport.

We had such a great time! Thanks again to all of our family and friends who took time out of their busy schedule to hang out with us! We love you all!

What was OLD is now NEW

We pulled this bouncer chair out for Caleb yesterday morning. Guess who LOVES this chair? I find it completely ironic that Conner HATED this chair when it was age appropriate. Now that he can run, jump, and hop - all he wants to do it play in this chair.

Out of the Mouth of Conner

A couple weeks ago, I woke up from a nap to hear Nate teaching the phrase "mommys hot" to Conner. I quickly tried to combat this phrase by teaching Conner to say "daddys hot".

I feel much more comfortable with Conner saying "dads hot" at church or playgroups rather than the alternative phrase of "moms hot".

Nate did not agree. Whenever Conner would say "dads hot" he would quickly say "no, moms hot"... I reacted the same way with a quick "no, dads hot".

At church on Sunday, I was asked to help in the nursery for the third hour. I was MORTIFIED to hear Conner say clear as day "mommys hot... no, daddys hot... no, mommys hot... no, daddys hot".
The nursery leader quickly looked at me and asked me what he was saying. I lied. I said that I had no idea what he was saying... sorry Kim :)

On the way home from church, I immediately addressed this situation with Nate and the fact that we have a parrot for a toddler. He did not find any humiliation in this situation but rather praised Conner and once again said "mommys hot". YIKES!

Going to Work!

Conner's new favorite game is to play "daddy". To play, he finds his set of keys and truck.

Before getting in his truck, he comes up to me and says "Work mom... kiss?" He then gets a kiss, hops in his car and drives around the house. After he has driven his car around the house, he comes up to me and says "home... kiss?" He then plays for a minute to eventually repeat the game again.

Shoes... Wonderful Shoes!

Conner and I have had a on-going battle for the last two months. His favorite pair of shoes are three sizes to small. Getting these shoes on his feet is quite the challenge.


We have purchased at least four new pairs of shoes... hoping he will wear them and like them. No success yet. Whenever I try to put a new pair of shoes on his feet - he quickly screams "NO.. NO.. NO!" This has become super frustrating for me.

Then, we meet this awesome family two weeks ago.


Conner instantly "fell in friends" with their cute boy Mcayden. Mcayden has these adorable blue shoes that Conner has obviously noticed. Today, he let me buy him a new pair of shoes that he is excited to wear!


Yeah for friends! A thank you needs to go out to Mcayden for helping Conner get new shoes!

What is a parent to do?

This morning Conner said a new word, a word he is very proud of. The word Conner is trying to say is "shirt" but he still can't quite pronounce the "r" sound.

What is a parent to do? Do I praise him for his accomplishment... and pray that he doesn't say that word at church today? What ever happened to that Owner's Manual? I could sure use it today :)

Happy Sunday!

Better watch what you say around here...

I no longer have the right to freedom of speech.

Yesterday morning something horrible happened to which I passionately exclaimed "oh shoot!" Conner instantly fell in love with this word... love at first sight? He quickly repeated back to me "oh shoot mom!"

"Shoot" is the only word I heard come from his lips yesterday. Luckily, it sounds more like "oh stoot." Still, this phrase coming from the lips of my toddler makes me extremely nervous.

I leave you with one final "Oh Shoot" as I am no longer able to express this phrase... until we meet again, oh blessed phrase.

Caleb's Baby Blessing

The blessing went really well... unlike Conner, Caleb only cried for half of the blessing - which was a big relief for Nate.

My grandparents joined us for Caleb's blessing. It meant a lot to me that my grandparents traveled from Utah for Caleb's blessing. When choosing Caleb's middle name, I wanted to name him after someone who had greatly influenced my life. While the name "Stewart" represents my brothers, mother, and father... it also represents my grandparents. I chose the middle name "Stewart" in honor of my grandparents - they have had such an amazing impact on my life, and I am tremendously grateful for their love and support.

Our First Outing: Bloomba

The three of us had our first outing today without dad. We had such a great time!

Conner loved grocery shopping, climbing, reading, and running around with his friends - Caleb enjoyed being held by Jenay and Christine - and mom enjoyed some much needed socialization!







WaHoo for getting out of the house!

Poop and Trucks

The two best things in the world for Conner are poop and trucks.

The two most interesting topics of conversation in the world of Conner is also poop and trucks.



This morning, Dad took Conner on a trip to go "fetch" more horse poop for our backyard. I'll have to post an update on our backyard soon :)

On the way to the poop - Conner got to ride in a truck.


When loading the poop - Conner got to ride in a tractor truck.

On the way home with the poop - Conner got to ride in a truck.

When watching the men unload the poop - Conner got to watch the truck.

Basically - I think Conner is going to be talking about this day for weeks to come. Unlike poop and bum - Poop and trucks definitely go together and make our little boy super happy.

You Smell Like a Band-Aid...

In addition to running his own chiropractic business - Nate also teaches Anatomy and Physiology part-time at the community college.  Yesterday as he went to go help one of his adult college students with a microscope, the student looked at him and said, "You smell like a Band-Aid." How do you respond to a comment like that? A simple "thanks" does not quite cut it :)

This whole topic has inspired some real deep reflection on my part. If I could be any type of Band-Aid... which type would I be, and how would I want to smell??

The little girl inside of me demands that I be a "bright pink Band-Aid decorated with Barbie" while the Mom inside of me screams for Pixar "Cars" or "Nemo" to occupy Conner - then he would really think I was cool... while the adult quietly and maturely asks to be an "invisible Band-Aid" to quietly blend in with the crowd and better observe the lives of others. As for the smell - all three agree on wanting to smell like ice cream decorated with Oreos..

First Bath... with Pictures

Definitely not the first bath for Mr. Caleb - but the first bath with pictures. Mom and Dad are sure grateful for Conner... he is such a good helper!

More Caleb Pictures

Out of the Mouth of Conner

Conner rarely answers questions with a "Yes". We only receive a yes, if it is something he is very serious about.

Yesterday, Nate had a conversation with Conner that went something like this:

"Conner - do you want to go to the store?"
"No!"

"Conner - do you want to eat something?"
"No!"

"Conner - do you want to drive one day?"
"No!"

"Conner - do you want to get married?"
With thought - Conner responded with a enthusiastic "YES!"

Later that day - Nate wanted to know more...

"Conner - Do you wish that Dad drove a big truck?"
"Yes"

"Conner - Are you disappointed in the cars that dad drives?"
"Yes"

"Conner - Would you think more of Dad if he drove a big truck?"
"Yes"

We are just so in love with our growing boy! He keeps us laughing!

The Arrival of Caleb

Caleb arrived safely and triumphant to earth on 8/12/08 at 2:20 a.m. He weighed 7 lbs. 15 oz. and measured 21 inches, deciding to enter the world "OP" (occiput posterior). He and Mommy are doing extremely well.








When we called Grandma Stewart to notify her of the birth (she was at our home with Conner), she informed us that Conner awoke at 2:20 a.m. calling for "Mommy". She informed Conner that she was giving birth to a baby at the hospital, and Conner said, "Yeah," calmed down, and fell back to sleep.

Uh-Oh!

Usually when their is a bug or a spider around the house, Conner quickly alerts one of us of it's presence.

Saturday morning - Conner decided to take matters into his own hands.

Upon finding a spider, Conner quickly grabbed one of Dad's shoes and began whacking the floor... multiple times - while exclaiming "Uh-Oh!"

He was not successful in his attempt to kill the spider. Daddy had to help.

Mommy is so grateful for her cute toddler who is determined to protect her from the scary spiders that crawl around our house... and for Daddy who assists in the process!

Father's Day

We were so excited to spend Father's Day with the Stewarts in St. George Utah. We loved spending time with grandma and grandpa, uncles, and even great-grandparents.

We visited St. George to experience the Tuacahn. The Tucachn is an outdoor amphitheater utilizing the red rock cliffs as background. We saw Les Miserables and Sound of Music. It was an amazing experience - we have never experienced quite anything like it!

Teeth, Teeth, and MORE Teeth

Conner almost has all of his teeth! This last weekend, he started to break three of his back back molars. We are so proud of him! Teething is such an ordeal!

Baby Proofing -- a Whole New Level

We have had to take our baby proofing efforts to a whole new level this last week.

Conner has officially learned how to:

• Open the car door with his foot
• Roll down the car windows with his foot
• Take off his highchair tray
• Remove electrical outlet covers
• Open all of the baby proofed cupboards
• Take off his pants
• Open the garage door

Wow ... our life has taken on a whole new meaning!

Dorothy

On Monday, we welcomed four goldfish into our family... Today there is one surviving goldfish.

I am not sure why they are dying so quickly. It couldn't possibly be the fact that Conner loves to growl at them... could it?

We purchased the goldfish with the goal to teach Conner how to feed and care for an animal - hoping to use this lesson as an example when the baby is born. Mission accomplished! Conner thinks his fish needs to eat ALL of the time. He has been very good at caring for the last remaining fish named "Dorothy".

--All four fish were named Dorothy.. Why you ask?? Dorothy is the name of Elmo's fish on Elmo's World.. Yes, the obsession continues!

Our Progressive Backyard

Our backyard is coming together a little bit at a time. I would have to say that I am tired... Even though I have had time to keep working on the yard this last week, I have just stayed inside.

I figure I will plant some trees in the fall when they go on clearance and I have a bit more motivation to touch a shovel.

We are happy that we have green in the back though and do not have a plethora of weeds.

The Amazing Conner

Conner is absolutely amazing.

A couple days ago, we had a play date with a friend who LOVES to climb on objects. Her ambitions have motivated Conner to begin climbing on more objects.

Yesterday, I was in the kitchen making dinner when Conner decided to climb into his high chair. Yes, you heard me - he climbed into his high chair on his very own!

He climbed into his high chair by pushing a chair against his high chair. He climbed the chair, climbed onto the kitchen table, and then into the high chair.

Wow - I am scared!

Nate!

Conner has learned that his Daddy's name is "Nate". When walking around the house, he now calls for "Nate" instead of "Dad".

I have been diligently working on teaching Conner to address Nate as "Dad" - but to do so, I have had to teach myself to address Nate as "Dad"... it has been an interesting adjustment to make.

I am amazed at how much Conner observes and imitates ... he is definitely keeping me on my toes!

Fathers and Sons

Nate took Conner with him to our ward's Fathers and Sons camp out last weekend. Conner loved spending time with his dad, playing with friends, watching Finding Nemo, and trying to stay warm with the unexpected snow!

Basketball Time!

Conner is growing up to be more and more like his dad!

Conner recently invented a game involving his stuffed animals, crib, and rocking chair. Conner will walk around the house and find random items such as deodorant, hairspray, Tupperware containers, etc. He will then take these items to his room and strategically place them on his rocking chair. Next, he gathers all of his stuffed animals from out of his closet, and throws them into his crib. Finally, he climbs into his crib - picks up the stuffed animals and proceeds to throw them at the objects he has placed on the rocking chair.. knocking them over one at a time. He could play this game all day.

Knuckles!

Conner has been giving "high fives" for months now. Upon getting a "high five" from Conner, all the kids in the ward always ask if he can "pound" or give "knuckles". Day after day, month after month, I have been trying to teach Conner to make a fist and give "knuckles", but to no avail.

Today at church during sacrament meeting, I stepped out into the foyer because Conner was a bit fussy. We went and sat on the sofa and a teenager in the ward came up and was playing with Conner. He put his fist up to give "knuckles" and Conner made a fist and "pounded" him. It was so sweeeeeet! Daddy sure was proud. Conner must have given "knuckles" to over 50 people today. What a trooper!

Trains, Cars, and Trucks

Conner has officially graduated from Elmo's World to Trains, Cars, and Trucks. We have spent a lot of time this past week at the Barnes and Noble bookstore playing with the train set (his new FAVORITE thing), watching Pixar's movie Cars, and playing with his trucks. He is definitely all boy - and we love it!

Yeah!

Conner has a toy that makes some funny sounds... When you lift up a ramp to let the car go down the slope, the melodic, repitious sound to soothe any eardrum is a bunch of little kids going, "Yeah!!!" Well, to keep me entertained so that I wouldn't get sick of the sound, I would put my arms up in a "Y" shape every time Conner or I lifted the ramp and heard the sound.

Tonight at dinner, Angie looked at Conner and said, "Yeah!" Guess what happened?!? Yep, Conner put his arms up in the "Y" shape and smiled from ear to ear. We were able to get him to do it with us 7 more times at the dinner table. It is adorable!

This goes to show how attentive to detail our kids our... Conner is now programmed just like his daddy... Yes, I do it too - entirely automatic. He he he. Now if we could only program him to fold his arms during prayers...

Happy Truck Day!

Conner loves the garbage truck. Garbage day is the highlight of our week. Conner will often spend minutes up against the window looking for the trucks - on garbage day, he will spend an upwards of 30 minutes waiting for the next truck to drive by our house.

When Conner woke up this morning, Nate proudly exclaimed "Happy Truck Day Conner!" Conner quickly ran to the window in pure excitement and waited until the trucks drove by our house.

Happy Truck Day everyone!

Does Sleep Ever Return??

Recently, Conner has began to wake up at 1:00 in the morning for something to eat, at this point he is determined to stay up and play. Instead of letting him cry in his crib for hours - I often bring him in bed with Nate and I, so he can see that we are sleeping too.

This morning, he was crying on my stomach because he desperately wanted me to get out of bed. This crying against my stomach quickly woke someone else up - who started kicking their older brother's face. This scared Conner and he started crying louder - which resulted in more movement from baby #2. I am only 22 weeks pregnant and already BOTH babies are keeping me up all night..
Does sleep ever return?

Sasha

A couple days ago, we asked Conner what he wanted us to name the baby. He looked at Nate and I and replied "Sasha" and he has continuted to respond with that answer multiple times.

What does "Sasha" mean - "defending men". Now the question is, what does Conner want defending from?

We have no idea where he got the name from - at least he didn't reply with "ball" or "Elmo" .. we already have enough Balls and Elmos in the house!

Our Painting Experience - the pictures are finally released!

The before:

The "Green:"

The amazing "after:"

I suggested to Nate yesterday that we should think about possibly painting the baby rooms.. he just laughed and said "No!". Nate is definitely done painting for a while - and who would blame him?? Look at those awesome corners he had to get himself into because W-Burt wouldn't allow me to!

Luckily, when sharing this experience with a friend a couple days ago, she volunteered to help me with the baby rooms :).

The brown color is the color we like - the puke green?? It is finally gone!

We FOUND our Camera!

Nate and I lost our camera last week. We searched the house high and low - literally. We cleaned out closets, cupboards, under the beds, etc. To our dismay, we could not find our camera.

Today Conner opened up the closet door in our study, opened one of the many drawers, and brought the camera to me.. we are so excited that he found our camera!

Did Conner intentionally hide the camera because he wanted us to clean the house??

"We Can Share Mommy's Tummy"

W-Burt has began to move a lot the last couple days. On Saturday, Conner was cuddled up on me trying to take a nap when W-but decided that Conner was not going to nap on me. W-Burt began kicking hard enough for Conner to notice. This movement within my tummy was confusing and frustrating to Conner. The kicks did not stop until Conner was moved off of my tummy..

Was W-Burt just trying to say "Hi" to Conner, trying to wrestle, or simply expressing his/her ability to "hold his/her own" regardless of size and current situation?

Conner's New Trick

For weeks, Conner has been working on learning to undo a buckle found in a Sesame Street book he received from his Grammie and Grampie for Christmas. He finally mastered the buckle - he can buckle and unbuckle Burt's belt. I have been so proud of his new accomplishment!

Today at the grocery store, I buckled Conner into the grocery cart and began to do our shopping. Conner quickly found the buckle and released himself while I was quickly reaching for some produce - when I turned around, I was shocked to find him standing up in the cart reaching for me ... his intelligence definitely keeps me on our toes!

Ohh.. and Conner's new word of the day is "Ya Ba Da Ba Doo" and he likes to tap dance with Elmo!

"Bye Bye Ba-Ba"

Conner has officially given up his bottle.

I have been a little worried the last couple weeks that my toddler still needs his bottle. Some wonderful friends were over a couple weeks ago and they told us that they would make a small cut in the nipple of the bottle to teach their kids that the bottle no longer works. With Conner's recent decision to give up naps -I have been very hesitant to make that cut as bottle time with Elmo is the only break I get every day. Last week, I noticed that Conner had made a hole in the bottle with his teeth - he no longer asks for it or wants it! I try and give it to him and he shakes his head to indicate that he doesn't want it!

What a big boy! We are so proud of all of his big boy decisions.. now if he could only decide that Mom does need to shower every day :)

Boy or Girl?

We will find out in August! We have decided to skip the traditional ultrasound at 20weeks to determine the gender, and be surprised!

All of the old wives tests have told us that we are having a girl, but the speed of the heart rate says boy (although Conner's heart rate indicated that he was a girl)..

Nate is convinced that we are having a girl (he was right about Conner at 5 weeks) and I am having regular dreams indicating that we are having a boy..

It is going to be fun to wait and find out!

Watch Out Here I Come!

Conner has officially learned how to open doors.. Any door! The bathroom door, the garage door, the closet door - there is nothing stopping Conner anymore!

Funny Story About Our Baby-To-Be

I had my regular appointment last week with our midwife. The last two appointments, W-Burt has not enjoyed the Doppler experience.

Each time Carrie, my midwife, gets close to finding the heart beat the adorable W-Burt kicks, pushes, or moves away from the Doppler.

Carrie has been unable to obtain a heart beat the last two visits due to W-Burt's determination to avoid being heard. Luckily, Carrie is able to obtain a heart beat from the cord, and the heart beat is normal and fine. :) We are sure excited for this new baby to join our family!

Clean Conner, Clean!

Conner lately has been exhibiting signs of being a "clean freak".
Examples include:

1. He loves putting his dirty diapers in the diaper bin.
   
2. He loves to put garbage in the garbage can. If a wrapper is ever left unattended, Conner quickly puts it in the garbage can. We recently child-proofed our cupboards and he was very upset when he could no longer reach the garbage can to throw things away.
   
3. Conner now loves to put dishes in the dishwasher. Last night, he picked up his dishes from dinner and loaded them in the dishwasher.
   
4. He does not like to get his hands dirty. If he ever accidentally gets his hands dirty from his meal, playing in the dirt, or something sticky - it is the end of the world!
   
5. Conner loves clean up time with Mom. He has to have his own bucket and rag! During clean up time, he will actually wipe down the tables and floor with me.
   
6. Conner loves to put the dirty laundry in the laundry basket - and will often pick up clothes from off the floor (when we are in the process of putting clean laundry away) and put them back in the dirty laundry basket.
   
7. Conner quickly flushes any toilet that may have a Kleenex or any toilet paper in it.
   
8. One of Conner's favorite games consists of throwing magic markers around the house and then quickly retrieving each marker to put it back into the container to which it belongs.
   
9. He still insists on showering/bathing every day.
   
10. Washing hands is a very fun and popular event!

The Flirt - Part 2

This morning, I held a business meeting in our home with a couple of extraordinary women that we have met through networking groups and other various business endeavors. Conner loved the opportunity to flirt with all of the women and began pulling out his "special" tricks.

My favorite trick of the morning was when Conner started to run around our house and in one particular spot, he will always "trip". Each time he tripped, he would look up and get attention from at least one lady - he repeated this for a good ten minutes before we all recognized his true intentions. Conner is so much fun!

Big Boy Conner!

Conner is officially in nursery at church! He did so well today - he handled the change much better than Mom did, I had a very hard time sitting still! He loved playing legos and blocks and even drew a beautiful picture!

We are so proud of him!

Playing With Mud

Today Conner and I decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather and play outside most of the day. We played at the park and played with our favorite dump truck - but the best part of the day was playing in the mud.

We started out with cups full of water and observed what happened when the water was poured onto the dirt in our backyard. Conner quickly found joy in dumping the water, dipping his hands in the mud, and smearing the mud all over! I was planning on taking pictures of this fun event, but ended up covered in mud myself!

The Flirt

On Saturday morning, Conner and I helped Nate set up for a business fair. Prior to leaving, Conner ate an entire packet of oatmeal and a banana, his large breakfast assured me that he would be okay without a snack for an hour - so I failed to pack one.

As we were setting up, Conner noticed a lady sitting across the hallway from us. He quickly made eye contact and began playing eye games with her. She played with him and even began to talk to him.

Conner did not show interest in crossing the hall to meet his new friend until she pulled out her breakfast. Once the food was in sight, he ran across the hall. He quickly gave his new friend a big hug, a kiss, and insisted that he sit upon her lap. He then proceeded to eat her breakfast and ask for more!

What a smart funny boy! He has already figured out the tradition many boys uphold of flirting with girls just for the food and goodies. He is definitely wise beyond his years!

Trains

I am constantly amazed at how much Conner remembers and understands. He is amazing! The other day, I spent the morning cleaning the house. I told Conner that if he “helped” (a.k.a. follow me around with dry rags) and “cooperated” (a.k.a watch Elmo and play with his toys), that we would go and see the trains at Barnes and Nobles after the house was clean.

At 10:30 am the house was clean but it was apparent that Conner needed a nap. I quickly explained that tired boys do not have as much fun with trains and promised him that we would go after his nap. He did not argue and went right to sleep…or so I thought. I was on the computer in the room next to his room working on stuff for our business, and never heard him stop playing or talking. Twenty minutes later, he started calling for me. When I went into the room he quickly said “train, train”. I asked him if he had taken a nap and he said “no”.

When I set him down he quickly grabbed a dry diaper, his shoes, a jacket, and ran to the garage door and pronounced “Go! Trains!” Needless to say, we went to Barnes and Noble quickly, and Conner had a great time playing with the trains.

Lesson learned: I can't expect Conner to take a nap if he is told that he is going to do something fun after – wow he is super smart and is growing up fast!

Elmo Influences

So with as much as Conner loves Elmo, I have had the wonderful opportunity of viewing Conner's Elmo videos over, and over, and over again. One of my favorite parts of one Elmo's World is when a chinese girl is teaching us how to eat food with chopsticks. She says, "You hold it like a pencil... then you take it, and eat it." I always tease, "Oh, that is so easy. I am sure I can eat with chopsticks now! Why hadn't anyone told me this before?!?"

Well, today at church, the Elmo influence took a turn for the worst. Conner was drawing with crayons on his coloring book, but the way that he was holding the crayon was not allowing him to color very well. So, jokingly I said, "Hold it like a pencil... then take it, and eat it." Two seconds later, Conner takes the crayon and attempts to eat it. The next three minutes were filled with me trying to get him not to eat the crayons. Oh boy! A daddy's mistake. We finally just decided to let him taste one so that he would stop trying to eat the crayons. It worked.

Belly buttons are for..

by Conner

1. Putting legos in
2. Putting chapstick on
3. Holding on to when I walk around
4. Playing with
5. Putting food in
6. Pulling
7. Twisting
8. Tickling
9. Poking
10. Putting stickers on

NO!

Conner learned a new word this weekend - "NO!". Now to every question or comment he responds with my new favorite two letter word - "NO".

This morning, Conner and I were playing with some toys and he didn't like the way I was playing with them so he walked over and took the toys from me and said "No No No!".

Later, I asked him what he wanted to do today and he said "NO"
Do you want to play with Elmo today? "NO"
What do you want to eat for breakfast? "NO"

Luckily, for Conner, he says "NO" with a smile. I think he finds his new authority funny!

Woof Woof

Yesterday, Conner was wearing an outfit that had a large dog on his stomach and chest. Nate showed him the dog and began saying "Woof Woof" when he pointed to the dog on Conner's shirt. Today, I asked Conner where his "Woof Woof" was and he pointed to his belly button! Where is your "woof woof?"

W-Burt

Conner is going to be a big brother around August 12, 2008. We found out today that we are 10 weeks pregnant!

We are really grateful that this baby is doing well so far. It was very exciting to see the little arms and legs moving - if you look closely you can see the eyes and the lips!

We have nicknamed this baby "W-Burt" in honor of Uncle Spencer who is serving a full time mission in Taiwan right now. Prior to his departure, he requested that we uphold the "Burt" tradition he started. For those of you who do not know, Spencer nicknamed Conner "Q-Burt" years before Conner arrived as a joke, and the nickname stuck throughout most of the pregnancy. Uncle Spencer requested that our next baby be called "W-Burt" until we come up with a more suitable name.

Happy New Year!

This year, Conner successfully stayed up until midnight to celebrate the New Year! He was happy and excited all night and LOVED hitting the pots and pans at midnight.

Thankfully, he slept the entire day of the New Year! He is so much fun, and we are enjoying his emerging personality.

Conner LOVES the snow!

A couple weeks ago, we took Conner up into the mountains for some sledding and snowmobiling fun! Conner loved the snow, but did not like the sledding or snowmobiling! Although, he did seem to get the knack of being wrapped up on the front of Dad in his coat.

Conner LOVES Elmo

During the last couple of months, Conner has grown very attached to his Elmo. We spend hours playing Elmo games online, watching Elmo, and playing with his variety of Elmo toys. He can now say "Elmo" - for months, he would call Elmo "MoMo" (which became very confusing for Mom).

For Christmas, Santa brought Conner a large Elmo. Conner was so excited and spent hours holding and loving his new Elmo.

At the Schilaty house - we love Elmo! Nate and I are even beginning to understand Elmo's humor and laugh at his jokes :). We love being parents!

A 2007 Retrospect

1. Nate graduates from Parker College of Chiropractic.
2. Move from Texas to Loveland, Colorado.
3. Nate begins teaching Anatomy and Physiology at Front Range Community College.
4. Conner gets some more teeth.
5. Our business license arrived 4 months early.
6. Conner gets some more teeth.
7. Centra Chiropractic opened in March 2007.
8. Conner begins to army crawl.
9. Moved into our first house.
10. Conner begins to crawl, and is excited about getting into lots of stuff.
11. Angie spends most of her time cleaning up his messes.
12. Nate begins teaching drum lessons again!
13. Conner begins to walk, allowing him to get into more things!
14. Angie spends all of her time cleaning up as a result of Conner's curiosity.
15. We spent a fun week in Estes Park with the Schilaty Family.
16. Nate and Angie begin to enjoy sleeping a solid 10 hours at night - that is when we can get to bed before midnight!
17. Conner begins to run!
18. Angie has come to the harsh reality that her house will never be clean again!