New Beginnings

I know, I know. It's been a long time since my last blog post. Maybe that's a good thing. I can honestly say that I have been too busy! And here's why...

Summer Fun

The summer of 2015 was jam packed! We traveled to the Adirondacks of New York, went to Washington to visit Dave's family, and spent about 3 weeks in Michigan with my family while Dave did field work. The highlight of the summer, of course, was having Jonah with us full time. During the school year we do our best to see him and participate in his school life as much as we can, despite the long distance. We have him every other weekend, split holiday breaks, and every spring break. We volunteer in his classroom and frequently call or FaceTime to check in. Still, it's hard to feel like we never have enough time with him. In the summer time it is a different story! He is with us for basically the entire summer, so we have the ability to travel and do all kinds of fun things!

New York

Last June we had the opportunity to spend a week at a YMCA camp in New York on Lake George. It ended up being an incredible experience for our family, away from technology and reconnecting with nature. Dave (along with some other IUP faculty members) taught a class for the Road Scholars program at the camp, so we were all able to join him and participate in some of the classes as well. Jonah loved tagging along with the professors in the fishing class, the amphibians/reptiles class, and the insect class. Jonah was able to teach the scholars a few things, too! It was probably the most relaxing week of the summer. It's amazing how your brain responds when you disconnect from technology for a few days. We were able to do some rock climbing, archery, and hiking, but my favorite part was taking Will to a beautiful deck overlooking Lake George where I could rock him to sleep while watching the big boys fish off the docks. It was beautiful weather, beautiful scenery, and a beautiful trip.

Happy boy! Love his two little teeth.

Jonah trying archery for the first time. He was a good shot!

Boat ride!

Mommy got some alone time on the kayak-one of my favorite ways to unwind.

We were all so excited to find a luna moth!

Will with the luna moth

My boys

The view from the deck I mentioned earlier.

Jonah and a caterpillar

Boat ride on Lake George

This baby loves a good hike!

The IUP crew

So relaxing!

Love his sweet smile!

Go Jonah!

My turn

Dave and Jonah racing to the top

Jonah checking out a common loon in the distance

We found the biggest tadpoles EVER!

Little hiker

Dave and Jonah paddling in after an evening of fishing

July 4th

Shortly after our trip to New York, my nieces and parents came for a visit over the 4th of July. They enjoyed spending time with our neighbor, Gabby, and swimming at Mack Park pool.

Silly kiddos!

Will LOVES the water!!

Splash in the face!

Maysie, Jonah, Cammie, and Gabby

Jonah loves the water slide!

This girl knows how to use a fishing rod!

All right, Papa!

I took Cammie and Maysie on their first kayak rides!

Love these fishermen

Will's first fireworks!

Waiting for the fireworks to start

The kids had fun pretending to be fireworks.

We had so much fun tubing with our neighbors!

Jonah-7 yrs Will-8 months Reggie--30 yrs?? (Dave has had him since he was 7!)

Port Townsend, Washington

Shortly after our visitors left, we went on our annual summer trip to visit the Janetski's in Washington. We had a wonderful time catching up with family, exploring the shores, and watching cousins meet for the first time! Will and Donovan are only 5 months apart, so it was fun to watch the babies together. We always enjoy our trips to Washington. This year I had to miss out on the annual fishing trip to Neah Bay with Dave, Joel and Travis. I have gone the past couple of years and loved it! We often see whales, sea lions, seals, and lots of other wildlife. Plus, the scenery is spectacular and the fish bite! This year I had to skip the trip to stay with my nursing baby. Dave was still able to go, which was great because he loves taking fishing trips with his dad. I can't tell you the number of times Dave has said, "I wish we lived closer." I am so fortunate to have such great in-laws that live in such a beautiful place.

Exploring the beach

Crabbing!

Jonah became quite the fisherman this summer!

Daddy and Will

We love exploring the beach!

Jonah's favorite thing to do--hunt for crabs!

Will relaxing with Grandma and Grandpa Janetski

Little pirates!

The two youngest boys--Donovan (5 months) and William (10 months)

These two are always up to something...

At the Seattle Zoo with cousins Adele and Jewell

Grandma Janetski with the older grandkids: Jewell, Adele, Ivy and Jonah

Jonah loves Pippin! (And, of course, Aunt Renae!)

Michigan

After the trip to Washington we were home for one day, then it was off to Michigan! Our primary purpose for the trip was so that Dave could conduct research with Grand Valley State University. When he was a post-doc there he wrote a grant to study perch in the Great Lakes, so it required about 3 weeks of field work last summer, and will require about 3 more next spring. It was a big grant, so I am super proud of him for getting it, and am especially supportive since it gives me the opportunity to go see my family and friends in Michigan! While we were there we took a long weekend to visit Mackinac Island. We had gorgeous weather and stayed at a great little campground. I do love Michigan summers!

My nieces, Cammie and Maysie

It's hard to beat a Lake Michigan sunset

Splash pad fun

Mowing with Papa

Will was not happy to pose for this picture with Meg!

Will loves Meg, but was NOT feelin' the picture taking this day!

View from the top of Arch Rock on Mackinac Island

We had a beautiful day for a bike ride around the island!

Will playing in the rocks at our favorite stop

One of my favorite pictures of Jonah :)

Will dipping his toes in the lake for the first time!

Ferry ride from the island

Fall Fun

This fall I started my graduate program at IUP. Will's adjustment to spending time with babysitters while I went to class did NOT go well. It some adjustments and juggling of schedules, but we were finally able to find a routine that worked. He would still fuss, but eventually he realized that babysitters could be fun! I hope that when classes start up again next January we will have a bit of an easier adjustment.

Other than the agony of leaving my crying baby as I left, I really enjoyed my classes! I think it was good for me to get out and socialize with other adults, and to stretch my mind a bit. Personally, I think I will be happiest as a mom if I can work part time. I LOVED being home with Will for his first year, but it was nice to work towards one of my career goals as well.

Birthday Boys

Speaking of Will's first year, a huge highlight of the fall was Will's First Birthday!! Since Jonah and Will's birthdays fall on the same week (along with Dave's and my anniversary!), we decided to have a big celebration at Maui Sands in Sandusky, Ohio! It is a fun indoor water park where my sister's family and my parents met up with us for a fun-filled birthday weekend! We all had a GREAT time! Well...at least most of us did...as it turns out, Uncle Bob is not a fan of water slides. But he sure seemed to like the Lazy River! ;) Jonah turned 8 and Will turned 1. Such big kids!

Nana and Papa with the 4 grandkids

We also had a little party for Will with Pennsylvania friends. Some of the people from our Moms and Babes group, along with some friends from IUP, joined us to celebrate Baby Will. I was very grateful to everyone who came! It is hard sometimes, having a baby without any family close by. It is nice to know I have some great moms in the area I can turn to.

Will with his little friend, Cooper

Sarah's Wedding

This October Sarah got married down in Austin, Texas where she and her wife, Katy, live. They got married at an amazing place called Casa Rio de Colores. It was like no other place I have ever seen! Every inch of every wall was COVERED in some sort of decoration, and each room had a different theme. Dave, Will and I stayed in the Outer Space room. The grounds were beautiful with a river flowing through and fun little mirrors dangling from the trees the sparkled in the sunlight. This place had so much personality, just like my sister! I can't imagine a more perfect place for her to get married. We had lots of fun! Of course, it wouldn't be Texas if we didn't find a scorpion at some point. We happened to find ours in the shower in the middle of the night! Eek!

Mommy and Will right before the wedding.

All dressed up!

Will did a great job marching down the aisle!

Sarah and Katy with the kiddos!

Wildt sisters!

Family photo! (But no Jonah :( He was with his mom.)

The Outer Space Room!

The bathroom ceiling

Halloween

Jonah got to spend Halloween with us this year, and once again, my parents and nieces came out to join us. We had a beautiful night for Trick-or-Treating--clear skies and in the 50's! This was our first time trick-or-treating here in Indiana, and I was pleasantly surprised to see how many people participate. There were TONS of trick-or-treaters out and about! I'm sure the beautiful weather helped. People would just sit outside on their porches handing out candy. It was super fun! In our group we had a Soul Taker, a Ninja, a Witch, and a Pirate. Can you guess who was who?

We also took the boys to a local farm to pick out pumpkins and enjoy the fun kids' activities. We had a great time!

Will the pirate

Jonah in the Kids' Corn Maze

Holiday Fun

Thanksgiving

To me, the "holiday season" begins with Thanksgiving. It starts the time of year when we focus on family and togetherness, giving and gratitude. This Thanksgiving we went to Michigan and spent the week with my family. My aunt and uncle were also able to join us, which was great because they had not spent much time with Will. Jonah spent the holiday with his mom, but we were still able to see him for his baptism! He attends the LDS church when he is at his mom's, and that is where he was baptized. I'm so glad we were able to attend his special day. Dave participated in the service, which I think meant a lot to Jonah. He seemed to feel pretty loved that day! I had never attended a Mormon baptism before. It is quite a bit different than what I grew up with. For one thing, they wait to baptize children until they are 8 years old. They believe this is the age when kids can make the decision whether or not they want to be baptized into the church. For another, people are fully immersed in a pool of water and wear a special baptism outfit. I know a lot of other churches do this, but mine did not. I just got a few sprinkles of water on my head! It was a nice service, and everyone we met was very welcoming and warm towards us. Most importantly, Jonah was glad to have us there on his special day.

I was also glad that I got to meet up with some friends from high school who also have baby boys! At the time, their babies were only about 3 months old. You will notice how HUGE Will looks next to them! It's easy to forget how little babies start out!

Cari and Max, Liz and Lucas, Me and Will

Max, Lucas, and Will

Being wild with Aunt Katie!

Peek!

"Quality" time with the ipad?

The boys at Jonah's baptism.

Jonah's baptism

Christmas

Even though this wasn't Will's first Christmas, it sort of felt like it! He is now 15 months old, so he was much more aware of the excitement of opening gifts! And BOY were there a TON of gifts!! Once again, Santa outdid himself. Everyone came to us this Christmas, which has it's pros and cons.

Pro: We didn't have to travel--AWESOME considering all the traveling we do!
Con: We had to fit everyone in our small house
Pro: Our boys were home on Christmas morning
Con: The heat went out with a house full of guests!
Pro: You have an excuse to thoroughly clean your house
Con: You have to thoroughly re-clean your house after everyone leaves

All in all it was a great Christmas. Yes, the heat went out on the coldest night of the season. However, my landlord and another friend offered up lots of space heaters, so the house was actually warmer than it is when we have the heat running! It was tons of fun spending time with family, playing games, and EATING. Holy, eating. Too much eating.

I know the holidays can feel hectic sometimes, but I loved having my family here for Christmas. Sarah flew in from Texas, and the rest of my family was here from Michigan. My parents stayed for a couple of extra days so they could see Joel and Joyce, who flew in on the 22nd. There was lots of love and joy in the Janetski home this holiday season, and I am so, so grateful!

Dave and Will at the IUP Biology Christmas party

Dave and Will with our friend Mike and his daughter, Allison

Reading time with Daddy

Wildt Family Christmas

I love this picture of the kids playing!

Will loved opening presents this year!

While we all received great, thoughtful gifts, I think the highlight was Jonah getting his pet snake! It is a baby corn snake that Jonah named "Flame" because of the bright red markings on the back of his neck. I'm not sure who is more excited about Flame--Jonah, or me! He is such a cute little guy!

"Flame"

My parents stayed a couple of extra days so they could see the Janetski's, and since we had unseasonably beautiful weather we decided to take a trip to the zoo. It was a perfect day for it! The tiger was running around, the lions were roaring, and we got to watch the Komodo dragon and the penguins get fed! Who would have thought that the zoo could be so much fun in December?

The boys with an Amur leopard

Elephants!

Checking out the puffer fish

"Look at this, Dad!"

Playing in a polar bear cage...or something.

This kid is always silly!

Little meerkats!

One meerkat came up close to say, "Hi!"

Checking out the tiger (who was checking out the nearby flamingos).

While the Janetski's were visiting we went to the Carnegie Museum, and then later to see the Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater house. Very fun, and very interesting!

Dave and I on our Fallingwater tour

Fallingwater

Out for a stroll

Handsome fellas!

Close up

Two little bookworms

As far as the boys go, it is probably pretty obvious that they are doing well! Jonah is in 2nd grade and doing great. My parents were able to go down to watch his Winter program where he had a speaking part and sang lots of songs with his class. We are very excited to go do a "Creepy Crawlies" program in his class next month. We love when he brings home school work like this:

Will is 15 months old, running everywhere, getting into everything, and climbing on top of anything he can. He loves to read books, play with toy cars, and he LOVES to play in the water! He just finished his first swimming lessons and enjoyed every minute of it. He can say a few of words like, "Mama" and "Up," and to say please he will just say, "Ba!" He still loves peek-a-boo and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and could be chased around the house all day long without getting bored. He still doesn't eat solid food particularly well, but a couple of his favorites are bananas, yogurt, and of course, cheese sandwiches. All in all, he has been a pretty happy kid!