Celebrations!!

Thanksgiving was very relaxing this year. We went over to Grandpa Dan’s this year for dinner. The food was great and the girls had a great time. The best part about Thanksgiving this year was that Savannah started crawling the day before!! She finally figured out how to pop her belly off the ground and off she went! We were very excited even though we know we are going to be constantly following her around now. She is already into everything and eager to explore.

December has been a very busy month! We started with a birthday celebration for Nana. Abby and Savannah had a great time playing with their cousin Katelyn. We went to Zoo Lights with Papa Maury and Grandma Kathy. Then we celebrated with the Wulbrecht side of the family out at Papa Maury and Grandma Kathy’s house. Cousin’s Mason and Kylee were there too. Abby and Kylee are only a year apart so they had a ton of fun playing and running around together! We spent last weekend celebrating Hanukkah with Granny and Uncle Max. Then the next day was the Lantrip party out at Uncle Eric’s and Aunt Amy’s house! Abby played football with all the boys and her cousin Liv! She was very excited when she got the ball and got to run for a touchdown! Savannah had a big day too! During the party she stood up on her own and she also figured out how to climb up stairs. Good thing the baby gates are all ready up! It has been a great month of celebrations!

Just this past week Abby also got to go on the Polar Express! Nana and Granny took her and had a sleep over. They went to Williams, AZ on Thursday, checked into the hotel and then on to the Polar Express! Abby, Nana and Granny loved it! They spent the night in Williams and then the next morning she played in the snow before they headed back home. Savannah stayed home with Mommy and Daddy, but when she gets older she too will be able to go on exciting trips like this with Nana and Granny!

Abby and Savannah got to see Santa on Monday and ride the train at the Railroad Park. Now we are just finishing up wrapping presents and getting ready for Santa to come! Abby is super excited this year. It is the first year she has written her own Santa wish list. Only 3 more days to go!!!

Abby all bundled up in her pajamas for the Polar Express!

Nana and Abby on the Polar Express after she got her bell

Granny and Abby playing in the snow

Savy sitting on the sidelines watching everyone play football at Eric and Amy's house

Daddy and Abby playing football

Savannah, Ryan and Liv

Aunt Amy took our family picture this year again! She is getting so good! We are so lucky to have a photographer in the family!

Halloween 2012

This was Savannah's first Halloween and the first Halloween that Abby was really excited to go trick-or-treating! We started the day off with Doctor checkups. All went good and off to school they went. Abby did trick-or-treating at school and had a class party. Savannah got to participate in the Halloween school parade they had too.

That night we all got dressed up. I was a Surgeon, Abby was Spider Girl, and Savannah was a Turtle. Nick was going to be a Surgeon too, but ended up being a Broncos fan. Nana Barbara and Granny Annie joined us for Halloween trick-or-treating too. We started the night by going to the church festival that is in our neighborhood. Abby played a few games and then was ready to go trick-or-treating. We went to the east side of the elementary school this year to try out some new streets. There were a lot of houses to go to and a lot of people around. Abby trick-or-treated for about 45 minutes before she got tired and wanted to go home. Savannah rode in her stroller and even took a little nap. We were home around 7pm with a pumpkin full of candy!! Both girls were exhausted, but had a fun night! Abby is already thinking about what to dress up as for next Halloween!

Turtle Savannah

Spider Girl and our little Turtle

Abby's Candy (she kept pushing it away from Savy and Savy was not too happy with that!)

Doctor Checkups

Abby had her 5 year annual wellness checkup and Savannah had her 9 month wellness check up on October 31st. Here are the stats:

Abby - Height 47" (97%), Weight 49.7 lbs (96%)
Savannah - Height 31" (over 97%), Weight 22.5 lbs (96%)

Both girls are still growing strong and very healthy. Abby received 2 shots and Savannah only 1 this time. Both girlies cried big time though. We think Abby now really realizes what a shot is and that it hurts. Nick had to almost hold her down for her two shots. Abby also received her hearing and eye test and both are normal! Savannah enjoyed trying to eat the paper on the table and Abby danced around in her Halloween costume while sucking on the flavored sticks that are used to check her throat (not sure of the medical name). Over all a good appointment for both of them!

5 YEARS OLD!!

Abby is officially 5 years old now!! She had her birthday party on October 22nd at Desert Horizon Park from 2pm to 4pm. We got to the park early in the morning to hold the spot. Later in the morning Nana and Granny came to sit while we got ready for the party! There was a purple and pink dream castle bouncy house and Halloween crafts for the kids. All year long Abby has been telling us that she really wanted a piñata at her party!! So Abby picked out a rainbow piñata! Each child got 2 turns to hit the piñata, but we had to leave it up to one of the 7 year old siblings that attended to really bust it open. The kids loved it! Abby also had a rainbow cake and we are happy to say that every kid got a piece of the rainbow to eat! There were about 13 of her friends there and it was a great party!! On Abby’s actual birthday (the 26th) we went to swim practice as usual and then picked up pizza, which is what she requested. Then went home and opened more presents, sang happy birthday and spent the night watching her new movie “Barbie Princess Charm School”. Abby and Mommy really enjoyed watching the movie. Daddy enjoyed his new iPhone instead!

Savy at the park in the morning...still in her PJ's

Aunt Amy, Granny, Nana, Uncle Eric, Grandma and Savy

The Kids!

Abby's Rainbow Cake

Abby's Rainbow Piñata!!

Hitting the Piñata!

October Fun!!

October has been a very busy month for the Schroffs! It started out with my (Shelley’s) 35th birthday and me starting a new job!! I am an Account Manager for a company called WageWorks. I now have one month with the company and so far so good. It is always exciting and scary to start a new job and I feel I made the right choice in changing jobs!

Savannah is now 9 months. She is trying sooooooo hard to crawl, but just won’t do it. She gets into position and it looks like she is going to get up and go, but then changes her mind. She still gets around a little by scooting around on her bottom and wiggling backwards while on her tummy. She got so fed up with trying to crawl this month that she slammed her face down in frustration and bummed her nose so hard it gave her a bloody nose. Poor baby! Maybe she will be one of those babies that skips crawling all together and just gets up and walk.

Abby also had her very first sleep over with one of her friends. She spent the night at her friend Keira’s house. Their friend Gabby also joined the sleep over. Abby did great being away from us, but unfortunately there was a lot of tears between the girls just from not getting along. Girls in groups of 3’s are not really the best thing. I think the next sleep over may need to be with just one friend! But it was still exciting for the girls to have a sleep over with each other!

Abby ready for her 1st sleepover!

On October 15th we drove up to Chino Valley (near Prescott, AZ) to go to the Freeman Farms Pumpkin Festival. Grandma Bev and Grandpa Wayne came with us! Even up in Northern Arizona it was a warm day. The farm had been hit by a freeze that came through the week before so the sunflowers, corn field and pumpkin patch were a little wilted. It was still beautiful on the farm though. Abby found her way through the corn field maze, got her face painted, rode on the merry-go-round, hay ride and the children’s train, went to the petting zoo and of course….picked out a pumpkin! Savannah came along for the fun too, but mostly just chilled out in her stroller. She too helped pick out this year’s pumpkin. We are looking forward to Halloween!

Grandma and the Girlies!

Abby


Abby and Savy in the Pumpkin Patch

Our little pumpkin!

Girl's Weekend!

This weekend I was able to go to California for a girl’s weekend. Not all of the girls could make it, but we had tons of fun with the ones who could. We spent Friday and Saturday at the beach and the weather was perfect!! It was great being able to catch up with everyone!

Nick spent that weekend being a single Daddy. On Friday, Granny Annie took them out to dinner at Islands and then spent some time with them at the splash pad. Then on Saturday, Abby had a sleep over with Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric! They started off with a trip to As You Wish for some pottery painting and then some styling fun at Target! (thanks to Amy for the pictures I took off Facebook :)) Abby had a great time. A BIG thanks goes out to Amy to Eric! Nick and Savannah spent Saturday watching football and being fussy because 3 more teeth are coming in. Poor baby.

Laura, Karen, Ashley, Shelley, Carrie and Lisa

Abby's painted piggy bank

Fun at Target!!

First day of School!!

The 2011/2012 school year has started! Abby has started Pre-K this year! She missed the cut off for Kindergarden so she will start next year. Abby is very excited to go to Pre-K! She is also very excited that this year she will turn 5 which makes her BIG. She says she is still little because she is 4 years old. Savannah started "Infant Room B" on Monday too! This is the "Big Baby" room. These babies are about 6 months, can sit up and eat baby food now. We are just waiting for the other babies to show Savy how to crawl. She has already made new friends and is having tons of fun!

First day of Pre-K in my new dress!

On my way to school to go to Infant Room B!

Summer Vacation 2011 - Carlsbad

Our annual trip to Carlsbad, CA was so relaxing this year….even with two kids! We got over to Carlsbad on Friday night, August 5th and stayed until Saturday, August 13th. The weather was perfect. Cool 72 degrees and the marine layer burnt off around 10-11am every day. 

On Monday we decided to go to Sea World! That was so much fun! Abby loved watching the dolphins and Shamu. The park wasn’t too crowded so that was nice. Savannah was a trooper. She just hung out in the stroller and napped here and there. I think she enjoyed seeing the animals too. Then on Tuesday night we went to dinner at Patty and Rod. Patty is an old friend of Nana Barbara’s. It was fun to see their house and chit chat!

Abby with a Sea Turtle at Sea World

Abby with Sesame Street Friends at Sea World

Aunt Amy and Uncle Eric joined us for vacation on Wednesday night. Nick played golf on Thursday and we went and saw the Sea Lions at La Jolla on Friday! All the time in between and during the week was spent at the beach! Abby played in the sand, jumped in the waves and searched for seashells and rocks. This year Abby didn’t go out too far in the ocean. It took me all week to get her out far enough to float in the water. Savannah spent the time at the beach mostly napping. I think she really enjoyed the cool weather and ocean sound. We would have lunch and then she would always lay down for a nap. She didn’t really like it when we would put her feet in the ocean. Too cold for her.

Lunch at Ruby's on Oceanside pier

On the way to the beach!

Mommy and Savy


Abby

Savy playing in her beach tent

Abby relaxing at the beach!

Savy napping at the beach

The last morning before heading home we all went to the Del Mar Racetrack. We had breakfast there and got to watch the horses warm up and train. That was a fun experience. The food was good and Abby really enjoyed seeing the horses. The racetrack was fun to check out too. There was hardly anyone there so we practically had the place to ourselves!

At Del Mar racetrack

"Daybreak at Del Mar" - Breakfast

It was so great seeing Abby and Savannah have fun on vacation and create new memories. We can’t wait until next vacation!

Family Picture at the condo - taken by Amy Schroff

6 Month Checkup!

Savannah had her 6 month check up last Wednesday! She weighs 20 pounds (97%) and is 29 inches long (over 100%). She is already 2 pounds heavier than Abby was at this age. She is our little chuncky monkey!! She had 2 more shots, but she was good as always and only cried for a second. Savannah also got her first tooth last week. She is very drooly and we can tell her gums are bothering her. She likes to chew for relief, but so far she has not been too fussy. We will see what the other teeth bring.


Off to California this Friday! We all cannot wait! Time to get out of this heat and do some relaxing!

Circus

Last Sunday we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus! This was Abby's first time to the circus. Savannah is still too young so she stayed and played at Nana's. Abby loved it. There were horses, zebra's, tigers and elephants. The elephants were Abby's favorite. The show was really long, but was so entertaining that Abby sat and watched the whole thing. Well...as usual she sat on Daddy's lap for most of it! We were very impressed by the circus and hope we can go again sometime.

Abby's new stuffed animal that she liked to put on her head!

Dance

Last Saturday was Abby's first Dance Class! She is taking a combo dance class of Ballet and Tap. For her class you must wear either a pink or black leotard, pink tights and have your hair pulled back. You may also wear a pink or black dance skirt. You would think this is too formal, but pretty much all dance studios have this dress code. Abby had a great time at dance. She loves her tap shoes so I think that the tap dance portion of the class was her favorite! The class is 6 weeks long. If she likes it then we will sign her up again. If not then it will be on to the next thing!

Abby ready to go to class!

Abby tapping during class

Vacation Bible School / Sedona

On Saturday June 18th we took Abby up to Munds Park, AZ to spend a whole week with Granny Annie. Granny signed her up for Vacation Bible School. From Monday through Friday she went to Vacation Bible School in the mornings. She did a lot of coloring and crafts. Not sure if she understood some of the Bible stories, but she enjoyed everything that they did. In the afternoons she went swimming or would go into Flagstaff with Granny to see a movie. Granny and Abby went and saw Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer 3 times!! Abby really liked that movie. During the nights she would get a little home sick and cry, but was always okay in the morning. On Friday, when it was time to come home she didn’t want to leave Granny’s cabin. Once she saw us she was very excited to come home though. She kept telling us, “God loves us all” and, “God is watching us”. Once she even told us, “God was watching us with his glowing eyes”! Hmmmm…..not sure where she picked that one up. Over all I think Vacation Bible School was a hit and I know she is looking forward to going again next year!

The girlies before we left to take Abby to Granny's

Now…..while Abby was gone the parents got to play….a little. That first weekend Nana watched Savannah so we could go play with Nick’s golf group in Sedona, AZ. Our friends Carl and Amy came and played with us. We met them up in Sedona after we dropped Abby off at Granny’s. We went to the Oak Creek Canyon Brewing Company and several other interesting Sedona places and just enjoyed ourselves!! We stayed overnight and the next day we played golf at Seven Canyons in Sedona. It was a very difficult course, but Nick ended up coming in first place in the tournament!

The next week was weird without Abby around, but we got to have a whole week with just Savannah. It was strange to just have one child again…..and much more calm since Savy is still so young. Mostly we sat around and watched movies for 5 days straight! It was great, but we missed Abby and we were very glad when she came home!

Carl and Amy Rider, Me and Nick

Seven Canyons Golf Course

More pics of our Girlies!!

Savannah is 5 months old (well....tomorrow she will be)! She rolled over at daycare last Thursday, June 9,2011, back to belly. We tried all weekend to get her to roll over, but she wouldn't do it. Of course on Monday she rolled over at daycare again! I guess that is one of the downsides of being a working parent.....you miss some of the "firsts". :( Maybe she is just waiting to show us until the perfect time!

Last weekend we went over to Uncle Eric and Aunt Amy's house for an early Fathers Day/Nick's Birthday celebration with Grandpa Dan and Jaci. we all went swimming and Aunt Amy took some updated pictures of them.

Next week Abby is going to go up to Munds Park, AZ to spend a whole week with Granny Annie! This will be Abby's longest trip away from Mommy and Daddy. She is going to go to Vacation Bible School in the mornings and then spend the afternoons at the Pine Wood Country Club, swimming with Granny! Since this is the first time being away from us for so long we are not sure how she is going to do. Hopefully she won't be too home sick and have tons of fun!!

Daddy and Savy

Savy 5 Months - I found my toes!!
whacha doing Aunt Amy?
Oh hi!!

Abby - 4 1/2 Years old

Happy Birthday Daddy!