Chores Calendar

A few months ago Sammy asked me while we were driving in the car if she could have a baby brother.  She begged and pleaded for another baby in our family and since I'm so quick on my feet I suggested a fish instead.  She quickly gave up on the brother and became obsessed with getting a fish.

I drew out a chores calendar and every day she brushed her teeth or helped pick up she added a sticker to the calendar.  The deal with that once she had completed the month she could get a fish.  But, before a recent work trip we were passing by the pet store and I caved.

After she filled the hand drawn calendar, I suggested we get her an actual chores calendar and we went online and picked one out.  Being the rule following, determined girl that she is, she was ecstatic about the calendar and apparently had shared with her class that it was coming and when it did, she would bring it in to class.  The days that she waited she was so worried her calendar wouldn't arrive before the weekend and she insisted the Dave send her teacher this note she wrote:

Luckily the calendar arrived later that day and I took it in for her to proudly show all her friends at school.  

Full of Life

We recently were sent the link to the photos that were taken of Carina's class.  As we scrolled through kids with half smiles and barely looking at the camera, we then got to Carina's two photos:

I mean seriously, could she be any cuter? She is at an especially cute phase right now with a hilarious, high pitched voice that she uses to chatter non-stop. She loves to dance, sing and follow after her big sister.  She really is a delight to be around and is always making us all laugh.  You can tell the happiness and love she exudes by her pictures.  

And...those teeth! Soon I am going to post a photo of her Daddy and Grammy to show exactly where those teeth came from! They will most definitely require braces but I believe they add to her big personality.  

Kindergarten!

Today was Samantha's first day of elementary school at Columbine Elementary.  She is carrying on a family tradition because this is the same school her Dad and Tia Molly went to as well.  She has been anxiously awaiting her first day of kindergarten and the anticipation has been building these last few weeks before school.

We drove to Dave's parents house and from there walked over to Columbine with Sammy's entourage of me, Dave, Carina, Grammy, Pops, Sara and Michael.  Good thing she has a few people who love her right? We took some photos, she played at the playground and then she lined up and they took them into class. I waited until she walked away before I cried, but just for a moment.  We are so proud of her and what a kind, smart, fun, little girl she is.

The program at Columbine is a bi-literacy program and half of her class is English as a second language.  She has her core curriculum in English with the other English speakers and then the class is mixed with Spanish and English speakers for homeroom, arts, music, etc.  We are all excited for her to begin learning Spanish.

She was worn out at the end of the day.  She is a very focused child to begin with and a full day of undivided attention is going to be a lot for her, but when Grammy picked her up she exclaimed "It was so much fun!". Our little baby is growing up, hard to believe 5 years ago we were doing this.  We have all come a long way.

You can see all the photos we took from her first day here.

My Baby in a Big Girl Bed

Last week Carina got her very own big girl bed.  She has slept in there without a problem for the past week. She is such an easy going kid and she just rolls with the punches.  I have been impressed at how easy transitions are for her.

I will admit to feeling pretty emotional about taking the crib down.  And, I've been going through all her baby stuff to give away.  There are many parts of this next phase of our kids' lives that I'm excited about...no more diapers, getting sleep, traveling, camping, movie nights, etc. But we all know I love babies and it is sad knowing we are past that time now for our family.

This video is pretty cute, you can see how excited we all are as the bed is unveiled!

Camping

We don't take advantage enough of all the beauty in Colorado but last weekend we got away from Boulder and took the girls camping.  We went off the Peak to Peak highway to Rainbow Lakes.  Dave and the girls went early in the afternoon to set up camp and I met them later along with Sammy's old friend Drew Hyde from school and his family.  The kids loved sleeping in the tent, roasting marshmallows, going on adventure hikes and playing hide and go seek in the woods.  It is always nice to get away and was a fun, family adventure for us all.  

Five?! Oh My!

Her new desk from Grammy and Pops

I have been feeling quite emotional about Samantha turning five.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that she will be starting kindergarten next month, or how thoughtful and grown up her conversations are these days.  Or perhaps it was when I was looking for clothes in the toddler section at Target when I realized I needed to be looking in the little girl section for her now.  When I said the other day "I can't believe my baby girl is turning five", she looked at me with a perturbed face and replied "I'm NOT a baby Mom!".

I was smitten with Samantha from the start, and she has taught me so much about myself and continues to be a joy to everyone around her.  She is a sensitive, perceptive kid with a wise soul.  She likes rules and order and she is very excited about school and getting started with her studies.  She is incredibly kind and has learned to combat her shyness and makes fast friends with boys and girls alike.

We are celebrating this year with a pool party (no train!) at Sammy's request.  I'll be spending my day remembering the day I became a mother - the hardest and luckiest day of my life.  We love you Samantha Lee - Happy Fifth Birthday!  

No So Terrible Twos

By guest blogger David Brantz 

Summer is here and Carina Jean is quickly approaching 2.5 years old.  Time flies doesn't it?  I realized that she should be well into her terrible twos the other day when Carina painfully asked "WHYYYY?!?" (tears in her eyes) in response to my statement, "No, you cannot just have pickles for dinner." :)

Of course, there are a few "WHYYYY?!?" moments now and then, but it is usually over minor things like pickle diet.  Tantrums typically end quickly with Carina self-imposing a time out in her room, and overall our smiley Carina is such a sweet and wonderful two year old.  She loves to follow her big sis around playing, dancing and laughing together.  She is a joy to parent, and the melodic tune of phrases like "thank yooou" or "hi daaddyyyyy" are the cherries on top each day!

Pig Green Red Dog

by guest blogger David Brantz

A few days ago, Samantha asked me to “write some words down for her to read.”  It was great to see this unprovoked interest in reading, but she is so young (kindergarten doesn't start until this fall) and my expectations were low.  I randomly wrote the word “PIG” with the pen.  Sammy calmly looked at the paper, and to my amazement, sounded it out “puh-ih-guh…..PIG!”  I don’t think I’ve ever smiled so big.  It was truly amazing – Sammy could read!

Next I wrote “GREEN” (she did need a little help sounding out the hard “EE”), then “RED” and “DOG.”  Each word was calmly sounded out and correctly read aloud!  We celebrated with a big hug and I could see the sense of pride and accomplishment radiating out of Samantha’s smile.  It was one of those moments when you love to be a parent! Sammy has always been an intelligent child, but this was an unexpected surprise that truly warmed my heart. 

P.S. My mom keeps reminding me that both Molly and I didn’t start reading until 1^stgrade, so the smart genes must come from Carly’s side of the family.  :-)

Carina's Stats

Last week I took Carina in for her two year check up.  This kid has so much personality, it always cracks me up to see how much she draws people in.  She chatted with the nurse, stood right up on the scale and showed off how she can count.  After Doctor Cohen checked her out, she told him thank you and blew him a kiss.   Then, the nurse returned to give her a shot - Carina was very brave and only shed a few tears.  Then said thank you to the nurse as we left.

She is a perfect little peanut.  Thankfully she has her father's metabolism because as I say, she eats more than any of us and still doesn't even weigh 25 lbs.  Her stats are shown below.

Height: 33 inches - 25 percentile
Weight: 24 3/4 lbs - 19 percentile
Head: 19 1/2 inches - 75 percentile

Cousins!

by guest blogger David Brantz

One of the things I love about my family is the close relationships that I have with many of my cousins, especially those that are closest to me in age.  I have many fond memories of playing together when we were young, sharing holidays/weddings/etc., and growing up through each stage of our lives.  The same goes for Carly and her cousins too.  We both feel that the cousin bond is special.

For the last 10 days our niece, Lucy Auld, has been visiting Colorado while my sister and brother-in-law are on a trip to the Galapagos Islands.  My parents get tons of credit for taking on primary babysitting duty, but Carly and I did take Lucy for a few nights (with the girls’ help, of course).  And, even when they weren't all sleeping at the same house, the three girls all got a healthy dose of play time during the day. 

It has been a real treat to see the cousin bond grow between these girls.   They are starting to become individuals together.  I smile big watching them scamper down the hall to go play “monster” or to take a “cousins bath” -their favorite.  Samantha (4 ½ years) is the careful nurturing big cousin/sister, with Carina (2 years) and (Lucy 1 ¼ years) both just one step behind.

We’ve loved having Lucy in Boulder, and we hope the cousins will get many more chances to grow their family bond!

Ski Day #1

By Guest Blogger: David Brantz


On Friday, Samantha had her very first ski day at Eldora Mountain.  She is enrolled in a great program for 4-6 year olds called “Eldorables” that meets once a week for 5 weeks.  It is an introductory class that teaches kids the basics with a big focus on fun and comfort.  Needless to say, I was worried about how Sammy would do (especially on her first day), and my worries were magnified when we arrived on Friday morning to find subfreezing temps, wind, and blowing snow. 

The ski school staff helped us get Sammy into her ski boots and skis, and Sammy’s teacher, Daniel, tried to calm my fears by assuring me that it was only half as windy as it had been on the first day of the prior session.  Of course, in the end I had nothing to fear.  Daniel did a great job of making the class fun for the kids, and Sammy (as usual) was very diligent about following her teacher’s directions.  After two hours out in the wind and snow, Sammy could walk up the bunny hill in her ski boots, put on her skis by herself, ski downhill, and take her skis off by herself to start the hike back up to the top.  She was so brave and only got a little cold on her fingers by the end.  After the lesson, we warmed up with some hot chocolate in the lodge and Sammy told me all about the kids in her class.  

I couldn't have planned a better first ski day experience for my little girl.

Look Who's Two!

Very hard to believe that it was just two years ago when my incredible baby, little Carini was born. I always say that with Samantha, she never had that mischievous look in her eyes that some kids have when you know they are up to something.  With Carina, I'm familiar with that sparkle in her eyes because I see it every morning when I look at the mirror.  Carina from the start has been bursting with this personality and dazzle that is hard to describe.

Because of her big blue eyes, and blonde hair, people mistakenly think she looks like me.  However, while she may have many of my personality traits, she is a little version of her Daddy with lighter features.  With those adorable dimples and crooked teeth, she could win anyone over with her infectious smile.

Carina is a tough little peanut.  She is always in the lower end of weight and has the tiniest little body yet, she truly eats more than anyone else in our house.  She has incredible strength and can pull herself up in a pull up on the dining room table or the railing on a door.  After she falls she hops right back up and says "I'm okayyyy!" and you can usually see her with a fat lip, a bruised knee or a bump on her head because of her wild acrobatics off the bed, couch or wherever she can find a challenge.  She loves music and has some impressive dance moves when the right moment hits.  Definitely has her Grammy's dancing blood.

I've talked a lot about how vocal she is, my favorite two things she does these days happen at bedtime.  Every night after reading books, I sing to her the same three songs: You are My Sunshine, Love You Forever, and Skiddle a Rinky Dink.  About a month ago she started to sing along with me  There is nothing more endearing than hearing her belt out "Skiddle a Rinky Doooooo, I loooove youuuuuu".  Then I lay her in her crib and say "I love you Carina" and as I walk out, I hear her say "I love you too Mommy".  Melts my heart every time.

Every child is a gift and Carina is such a special one to us.  She is a bright ray of sunshine in every one of my days.  Happy second birthday to my baby girl, Carina Jean Brantz.

So Much to Cover

I know I've been in yet another blogging slump.  Dave has agreed to help contribute to the blog which I am really looking forward to and I am going to try and make more of a commitment as well.  We will see if we can keep this thing going a bit longer.

Since I last wrote the big highlights have been:

• Our friends Ashley and Don and their son Mason were living with Ashley's parents for 3 months and we spent all our time together! Carina has a special place in her heart for Ashley and when they weren't around she would constantly ask "Where's my Ash?" We all miss them terribly since they moved the long trek to Denver.  
• Dave and I got into what I would say was our biggest ever marital disagreement for months about where Samantha would attend elementary school next year.  Long story but after many arguments, school tours and advice from others, we decided and feel good about her attending Columbine, the same school Dave went to as a kid.
• We spent Thanksgiving in Florida visiting Tia Molly, Uncle Brian and Baby Lucy in Florida. The girls love Lucy and play very well with her.  We then had a fun, packed holiday season celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas and the new year.  
• Our incredible Broncos season came to a much too early end with Samantha yelling at me during the game that I needed to "Calm down!"
• I went to Mexico on my company kick off event. I am incredibly happy at my job and have the best coworkers.  We had an amazing time until everyone was wiped out by a horrible norovirus which caused about 80% of the company to be violently ill.  

I have a few more weeks until my crazy travel schedule kicks in again.  I make myself so anxious leading up to travel times and I hate thinking about being gone so much.  Then the trips happen, Dave is super dad with the HUGE help of super Grandma and Grammy and everyone is just fine.  

Best Buds

The girls have entered a new phase where they truly play with each other.  Being an only child for 15 years I have very little experience with this sibling experience but it amazes me every day. They really play for hours together; playing make believe, jumping on the bed, dancing, wrestling, hugging, coloring and debating on which show to watch.

Of course they have their battles as well. They both know how to push the other's buttons. I've seen Carina grab something important of Samantha's and run like the wind (it is pretty hilarious).  And of course Samantha can be a bossy older sister and Carina is not always receptive.  I know they will have their moments throughout the years but I hope they will always love each other and recognize what a special friend they have in each other.