Well, I have been quite the slacker in documenting events of the Sonderpeople as of late. It's a shame too - so much is going on. Isn't it ironic that when there's actual exciting stories to share, it's also hard to find time to write them down? I try to share tidbits and some pics on Facebook, but I like to make a blog of more detailed notes in Michael's development as well as what's going on in the family.
I started a blog when I was first pregnant with Michael. After having increasing frustration (and maxing out my free storage limit) on Webs.com, I decided to switch to Blogger. We'll see how this goes... Welcome new and returning readers. I am going to make a conscious effort to post more regularly, so future entries will not be nearly this long - I promise.
My last post on the old blog was on Sept. 6, 2010. Wow. So much has happened since then. I have nearly a year's worth of stories and pics to share since the last post, so I'm going to focus mostly on summer so far in addition to highlights from last fall, winter, & spring.
FALL
We took Michael to the zoo for the first time on October 8, 2011. He was pretty overwhelmed and a little scared of the animals. He seemed to enjoy the kangaroos the most and still watches the videos we took of him and the animals.
For Halloween, the 3 of us dressed up as the Black Eyed Peas. Grandma & Grandpa Doll helped him carve a Brobie pumpkin (a character from a TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba) and roast pumpkin seeds. He didn't trick-or-treat, but actually fell asleep in his high chair while eating dinner.
In November, John & I were so fortunate to get to take a trip to Costa Rica. I had studied abroad there in 1998, and had vowed to come back someday with my husband (although I didn't know who he would be at the time). We got to visit my host family as soon as we arrived and spent the rest of the day with them. They don't speak English, so it took a lot of brain power on little sleep to communicate with them - but it was SO worth it! They didn't look like they'd aged a day. My host mom, Guiselle, and her daughter, Hazel (who is my age), made an amazing dinner for us. We chatted and hung out and visited with other family members. The next day, we drove (well, were driven - I was way to scared to rent a car there) to La Fortuna. The town neighbors an active volcano, Arenal. It was so gorgeous. While there, we went on a hike through a rainforest and saw a poisonous snake, relaxed in natural hot springs heated by the volcano, and went ziplining - all simply stellar. John especially enjoyed the "Tarzan swing" on the zipline tour. On our third day, we were driven to Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific Coast. We stayed in a hotel on a hill, The Falls, just a 15-min walk from the beach. It was a 5-hour drive, so we spent the evening relaxing and recovering from the crazy driving and primitive roads. The next day, we spent most of our time at the beach. The water was only a little cold at first. We enjoyed watching the monkeys that roam the area like squirrels do here. The weather was perfect for the entire trip.
We were so lucky because there had been massive rains (47" in one week!), flooding, and even a deadly mudslide just the week before we arrived. On our last full day, we spent a lot of time just relaxing at the pool and shopping in Quepos. We were supposed to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, but it was closed because of the flooding. I LOVED doing a yoga class outside with a beautiful ocean view surrounded by monkeys!
The day after his birthday, Michael wrote on a leather chair with a pen and colored his face with lipstick. I remember thinking, "The terrible twos come on quickly!"
| We were so saddened by the news that John's Aunt Cindy passed away on Oct. 16, 2010 after courageously battling cancer. She will be truly missed by so many. We drove to Atlanta in October for her funeral.These pictures were taken in St. Louis, where the family gathered for a memorial service in November, 2010. | | |  |
| Catie & Aunt Pat with Michael |
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| Scott, Michelle, Uncle Joe, & Aunt Sue with Michael |
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| Michael & his Great-Grandma Kay |
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| Kathleen, Uncle Jack, and Colleen with Michael |
WINTER
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| Annual holiday dinner - Michael coloring with Lily, Dylan, & Jack - 12/4/10 |
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| Eating ice cream after watching the trains at Union Station - 12/18/10 |
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| His new robe & pjs that he got for Christmas |
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| Making tamales - 12/24/10 |
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| His toy kitchen that Santa (aka John) made him for Christmas |
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| We took Aunt Max & Aunt Ruthie to a Comets' game with Aunt Laura, Uncle Brian, Evan, Noah, Uncle Mark, and Aunt Sarah |
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| Michael & I bought John tickets to an MU basketball game for Christmas. |
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| Michael & I had never been to Mizzou Arena before. We all had a blast! The Tigers beat Old Dominion. 12/30/11 |
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| Our nephew, Ben, born on January 7. Congratulations to my sister, Geri! |
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| playing in the snow - January 10, 2011 |
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| Michael LOVED singing karaoke at the Janets'! 1/23/11 |
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| Michael & his buddy, Gus - 2/2/11 |
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| Michael & Ali - 2/12/11 |
We were thrilled to find out on Feb. 16, 2011 that we are going to have another baby! Michael likes to call the baby Superbaby, a name he got from a Dora the Explorer episode. Superbaby is expected to arrive around Oct. 17, 2011. This is a picture from our sonogram on May 31, 2011.
I took Michael to Disney on Ice: Toy Story with Aunt Laura, Noah, & Evan on March 25, 2011. He loved it!
SPRING
Michael loves golf! On 4/9/11, we took him miniature golfing for the first time. He enjoyed it, but he's just as happy putting at his favorite store - Dick's Sporting Goods!
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| Michael was a dancing machine at Dusty & Kellie's wedding reception - 4/22/11 |
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| He loved the cupcakes too, but I'm not sure why he didn't think he could use his hands. |
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| Michael dyeing Easter eggs with Gus - 4/23/11 |
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| Easter Egg Hunt - 4/24/11 |
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| Our nephew, Josh, arrived on May 2. Congratulations to Laura & Brian! |
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| We enjoyed Damien & Shannon's wedding on 5/7/11 |
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| Michael & John treated me to an amazing brunch at Tomfooleries on Mother's Day. Michael loved the chocolate covered strawberries. |
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Mother's Day on the Plaza - 5/8/11
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| Michael riding his bike for the first time - 5/18/11 |
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We went to the Royals/Cardinals game on 5/21/11. It was awesome that Uncle Joe, Aunt Sue, Michelle, & Scott all got to come visit from St. Louis and go to the game with us. Grandma Kay visited too, but it was a little too hot for her to come to the game.
Joshua was baptized on June 19, 2011 at St. Regis. His godparents are Mark & Sarah. He was so quiet and slept through most of the ceremony. This was just a few weeks before Fr. Tom Holder was transferred to Presentation. We will miss him.
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| Cousins Noah, Evan, Charlie, & Michael after Josh's baptism | | |
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| Michael turned 2 1/2 on May 20, 2011. |
We took Michael to the zoo for the first time on October 8, 2011. He was pretty overwhelmed and a little scared of the animals. He seemed to enjoy the kangaroos the most and still watches the videos we took of him and the animals.
In November, John & I were so fortunate to get to take a trip to Costa Rica. I had studied abroad there in 1998, and had vowed to come back someday with my husband (although I didn't know who he would be at the time). We got to visit my host family as soon as we arrived and spent the rest of the day with them. They don't speak English, so it took a lot of brain power on little sleep to communicate with them - but it was SO worth it! They didn't look like they'd aged a day. My host mom, Guiselle, and her daughter, Hazel (who is my age), made an amazing dinner for us. We chatted and hung out and visited with other family members. The next day, we drove (well, were driven - I was way to scared to rent a car there) to La Fortuna. The town neighbors an active volcano, Arenal. It was so gorgeous. While there, we went on a hike through a rainforest and saw a poisonous snake, relaxed in natural hot springs heated by the volcano, and went ziplining - all simply stellar. John especially enjoyed the "Tarzan swing" on the zipline tour. On our third day, we were driven to Manuel Antonio, on the Pacific Coast. We stayed in a hotel on a hill, The Falls, just a 15-min walk from the beach. It was a 5-hour drive, so we spent the evening relaxing and recovering from the crazy driving and primitive roads. The next day, we spent most of our time at the beach. The water was only a little cold at first. We enjoyed watching the monkeys that roam the area like squirrels do here. The weather was perfect for the entire trip. 
We were so lucky because there had been massive rains (47" in one week!), flooding, and even a deadly mudslide just the week before we arrived. On our last full day, we spent a lot of time just relaxing at the pool and shopping in Quepos. We were supposed to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, but it was closed because of the flooding. I LOVED doing a yoga class outside with a beautiful ocean view surrounded by monkeys!
I had stopped nursing Michael when we left and we missed him terribly, but he did awesome staying with friends and family while we were gone. We returned just a few days before Michael's 2nd birthday. We brought him a Costa Rica soccer jersey with "Gomez" on the back. This has spawned a new nickname for him. We hosted a sports-themed party with family. Michael especially enjoyed the chocolate cupcakes with chocolate icing and it was nice enough to go outside and play a little with his new football too (a gift from Uncle Mark & Aunt Sarah). After the party, Michael was wired and avoided taking a nap. We still continued with our plan of what has become our annual tradition of eating at Bo Ling's then shopping at Crown Center. Of course, he fell asleep on the way there and slept all through dinner! He woke up as we got in the car to go to Crown Center. We let Michael pick out one birthday gift each year in the toy store there. This year, he picked out...big surprise...a ball! It is fluid-filled and flashes red when it bounces. 
