I'm getting excited!

I was going to post some cute pictures, but for some reason the computer's acting up and I'm going to have to have Marty check it out and see what's up.
So...I'm really looking forward to this weekend. Not so much this week because of all the cleaning and housework...planning and preparation needed for Saturday. Thursday is Elizabeth's birthday and YEAH...she'll be 2!!! We are getting her 2 year pictures taken and having lunch with Marty. Not too exciting for a birthday, but we are waiting for Saturday. We are having a Minnie party for her and her grandparents are coming in for it. We are making a little bit of a big deal, because I'm really excited. SHe's not sure what's going on, butreally...Im okay with that...we only need to get Martin feeling better. When baby's not happy...no one is either.

happenings

It's been about 2 weeks...maybe more since the last time I posted, so I thought I'd give some update on what's been going on in the Hiers household.
We are working hard on potty-training. Elizabeth mostly has it down, but we still do have an accident here and there. As long as we are on top of her...taking her to the potty, she does really well. She is continuing to learn new words and can talk your ears off...even if you don't know what she is saying, you usually get the drift. She loves her little brother and likes to go in his room to check on him. That usually leads to him waking up.
Martin is becoming my little boy. He is crawling all over the place. He also loves his sister. His face beams when he sees her. He likes to follow her around...even if he can't keep up. He is one of the happiest babies ever. He is always smiling.
We are really excited about next week. We will be celebrating Elizabeth's 2nd birthday and then having a party for her on Saturday. I'm excited to have the family here to celebrate it with us.
I will have to post pictures after the event.

My Little Crawler

I call this...the plank

Martin started crawling a week ago....ahhh! Actually, it's wonderful...if you can believe that. He is becoming independant and wants to crawl. He wants to discover and of course, chase after Elizabeth. She sometimes thinks it's fun, but most of the time tries to sit on him. One of the unfortuante things about him crawling is that I have to keep an eye on what's on the floor. He's already had goldfish and m&ms that Elizabeth has dropped. Yesterday I heard him gagging and ran to him and he threw-up this hard plastic thing. I have no idea what it is, or where it came from. I felt so bad for him and thankfully was glad that I didn't walk too far. He is also sleeping through the night...finally...although we think he's teething a bit. He wakes up a couple times a night crying, yet he's still sleeping. Of course I can't sleep through it, so I usually go into his room and give him his pacifier. It calm him for a few more hours. I look at my little baby and see a little boy. He is growing like a weed and it makes me sad to think he is quickly growing out of his baby phase.

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland this past weekend for Marty's B-day. We met up with his family and had a great time. We went to the beach and then spent 2 days between Disneyland and California Adventures, which was new to all of us. I really enjoyed watching Elizabeth get to meet Minnie and Mickey and to see her go on rides.

Elizabeth and Martin on the tea-cups with Kathy and George.

Elizabeth got her very own Minnie ears. They were sooo cute on her.

Elizabeth was a bit scared when she saw Minnie for the 1st time.

Inside Minnie's house....the dishwasher moves, makes sounds, and bubbles.

Marty and Martin with Donald.

Kathy and I had to push our way to get pictures of the kids with the characters. It seemed like everytime we got in line they had to leave to go do something else. Marty and I decided that there needs to be at least 6 Mickeys and Minnie around the park so everyone can get pictures with them. They were very popular!

6 month visit

Martin went in this morning for his 6 month visit with the doctor. He was such a good little boy. He weighed at 17lbs. 5 oz. and is 27 in. long. He is right at the 50th percentile for boys his age. I thought for sure it was going to be in a higher range.
I've also had some concern over this rash he has. He's had it for about 3 weeks and I've tried about everything. I tried diaper creams and also switched diapers 3 times. I finally called a friend of mine and she is loaning me some cloth diapers. The doctor took a look at it and said it was yeast. He has a prescription and it will finally go away. I just feel so bad that he's had it for so long and all we needed was to get a little cream for him and it'd go away. He will be one happy baby once it's gone. I'm sorry my little man.

Butterfly Pavilion

The other day we went with some friends to the Butterfly Pavilion. It was the first time I had been there. It's out in Elkton, which is a bit of a drive, which is probably why we haven't been there yet. The butterfly pavilion is only open Memorial day through Labor day, so this was our last chance to go before they closed for the year. There, they have a small enclosed area where you can go inside and see tons of butterflies flying around. It was quite amazing.

Here you can see that a butterfly has landed on Martin's shoulder. Doesn't he look super excited about it? I think he was more in tune with the sound of the butterflies as they were hitting the ceiling and windows.

Elizabeth is exhausted after visiting. I bought her this cute plastic butterfly that goes on your finger. She fell asleep with it on her finger. I think this is a cute picture of her.

Chicago

We went to Chicago for our vacation this year and had a good time. The weather was perfect. I had heard it gets real humid and muggy there and I thought that it was a bit humid and muggy, but in combination with the moderate temp. it wasn't too bad. It did rain several days we were there and on one occasion we walked in the rain was got soaked. I'm sure we looked silly to others.
Elizabeth on the steps at Navy Pier. She spent a lot of time climbing and jumping off these steps.

How the kids slept in the hotel. Elizabeth would wake up in the morning and see Martin and exclaim..."a baby." It was very cute. Notice the pillows surrounding Martin...so he can't roll off the bed.

Family pic. at Navy Pier.

Marty...hours and hours of driving past corn fields.

One of my favorite pictures. Elizabeth standing in front of the Nauvoo temple.