Christmas

Ahh Christmas - the time we swore we weren't going to travel . . . but we did. It's hard to resist all the Mehler boys being in one place for a holiday, and the house full of cousins jumping on the bed downstairs, running through the house screaming, and tearing into presents when it was their turn.

The travel started with a couple of cancelled flights and much time on the phone with multiple airlines - but the bright side is that we had a day in Pittsburgh at the Children's museum and joined the rest of the Chicago crew early the next morning.

The concept of Christmas clicked for Joshua this year and he started looking for more boxes to open. He is still singing Christmas songs - Santa Claus is coming to Town and Frosty the Snowman.

Dancing and singing pantless - what could be better?

Some of the best photos follow.

OH the Mehler boys in their matching pajamas - how cute. Better yet (and not posted here) are the pictures of the boys holding up their speedos their mom had saved since junior high. You're welcome guys!!!

The cousins of course had to have a picture together - little did they know they had to sit for dozens of shots. Don't they look so enthused? What don't you see - my on the opposite couch jumping up and down singing songs to get the kids to smile.

Another group shot of the cousins.

Nana has a giant stuffed giraffe - Tara, and she is so huggable.

A chicken hat - just what he always wanted. This picture doesn't help the boy/girl confusion Joshua gets.

Making funny faces with Uncle Ray and Annaliesa.

Tia Maureen and Joshua wrapped in his Super J cape/towel.

Oh Christmas can be so rough . . . . so rough Joshua fell asleep sitting up while eating a bowl of Cheerios. Poor guy - it took him a week once we got home to catch up.

New Years at Noon

I was so overwhlemed with the numerous choices for New Year's Eve festivities in Meadville I decided to escape it all and throw a New Year's and Noon party for the kids. Luckily my mom was still in town and we had a great time in Walmart shopping for all the art supplies to make hats and noise makers. Not to mention the wine drinking and sample hat making the night before.

The kids all had a blast and were quite into hat making when noon was approaching- so we just wound back the clock a couple of times to give us an extra 15 minutes.

My mother was the official photographer of the event and I am promised pictures soon. The highlight really was Jim Bullman making my hat for the event - classic Jim style. I only hope the picture is close enough to capture the detail.

Chocolate Liss

So Joshua thinks he is sly. He comes into the kitchen while I am washing dishes and slides the step stool into the dining room. I go to follow him and he puts his little hand up, "no mommy. stay kitchen. wash dishes. mommy go kitchen." He then closes the door between the dining room and kitchen. Of course I give him a moment and then peek through the door. There he is up on the step stool with the bowl of hershey kisses. By the pile of wrappers he had already consumed 3. He turns to see me peeking through and gives me a melted chocolate mouthed smile. I am not sure what I appreciate more - his love for chocolate or his train of thought in securing the coveted treat.

Gobble Gobble Gobble

This Thanksgiving we did something totally different - we stayed put and hosted Thanksgiving dinner for Mama, my mom (Ga) and Tim (T). Mama showed up the day before for some extra time with Joshua. I heard Mama reading with Joshua his alphabet book - enjoy the video.

Ga and T stole the show Thanksgiving when they brought in a bucket of FISH!!! Joshua spent the rest of the day watching his 5 fish swim around in their new home. Until we got the cover on Joshua tried to pet the fish.

We had a great visit and way too much food. We all did the stairs many times as Joshua led us up to show us his fish - perhaps that helped burn off all the apple raspberry pie . . . or not.

We also loved being able to see our California family via the computer.

The first Thanksgiving in Meadville was wonderful! Hmmm . . . . maybe we won't travel for Thanksgiving from now on.

More Snow!!!!!

Ok so the real snow started - in 24 hourse 10 inches of snow had fallen. Knowing the snow was coming we stopped at the Boot Box the afternoon before to get some snow supplies - snow pants, boots, gloves, and a sled. Joshua wandered around the Boot Box observing the stuffed bears, deer, moose, and whatever else can be shot in the woods.

Well they didn't have snow pants out yet but Joshua found the gloves he loved - they were purple and sized for a 6-18 month old. Of course I tried to convince him that they were too small for him, but he insisted on the purple gloves. Once they were paid for he tried them on and had a melt down for the 20 minutes saying repetatively "purple glops too small, purple glops too small!!!!" Prior to this he was upset that the purple crocs were too big - so we purchased red crocs instead. The chant continued, "Purple glops too small, purple shoes too big!" Trip to Walmart it was - once we found the toddler sized glove Joshua refused the purple ones and settled on pink gloves instead. Ever since - whenever he puts on his gloves he now says "purple glops too small, puprle shoes too big!"

The next morning prooved to be as snowy as the weather forcasted. We layered up in our warm clothes grabbed the sled and went to the backyard. Joshua thought the snow was awesome until it spilled over into the sled and got onto his gloves. So don't be fooled by these photos - he is not enjoying the winter wonderland . . . he was screaching to go back inside.

Pumpkins

So the little man never made it to go Trick or Treating but he did help carve pumpkins. He was not sure if he liked pulling the slimey pumpkins guts out or if he didn't like it stuck to his hands.

Glenn Falls

We also stopped at one of our favorite places - Glenn Falls in Williamsville. Joshua sat and watched the falls for a long time before we were interrupted by the ducks.


We waddled over to see the ducks. We seemed to be the only ones abiding by the "Don't Feed the Ducks or it will attrack rats" rule. Joshua felt left out so he did the next best thing - tried to feed them rocks. These savy ducks were not fooled - they knew the difference.


After such a long day the little guy was so tuckered out. He was sound asleep when I pulled him out of the car and placed him in Ga and T's bed. He didn't move for the next 2 hours.

Trip to Buffalo

This October Joshua made a trip to Buffalo - the 'since we are closer now let's visit' trip. One day while we were there Joshua and Papa went to the zoo while I ran in Delaware Park. On what we thought was our way out we saw the elephants coming out for a walk arounf the zoo. At first Joshua was more interested in his goldfish cracker snack.

Trick or Treat

Joshua played a Trick on us all - he napped through Trick or Treating. In Meadville they set trick or treating for the day before Halloween and Joshua, the boy who no longer naps, decided to nap. I think he heard about his certified organic banana outfit and was peacefully protesting. I could almost hear him talking in his sleep, "no more stupid costumes mom - are you trying to scar me for life?"

Really the trick is on him. When we head up to Buffalo this week (yeah!!) for Bill's wedding I am bringing the costume and along with Ga, and JJ we are getting him into the costume and taking pictures. I am anticipating pouty shots, but how many more years can I put him in a crazy costume and take pictures to save for his high school friends?

On Halloween we went to the park and he learned how to, and insisted on, swinging on the monkey bars by himself. He would direct me to a distance well beyond my arms reach and then he'd reach for the bars and swing once or twice. I was terrified he was going to fall and would always rush up to be there just in case, but he swung himself safely back to the landing.

SNOW!!!!

October 29th and the first of many snowy days to come here this winter in Meadville. When Joshua woke up I opened the blinds and pointed to the snow. After showing him the pretty new fallen snow he says, "Josh outside see snow." For the first time he id not protest changing his diaper and switching pajamas for warm clothes. We headed to the backyard at 7:45 this morning. Here is the video.

He just stared at it for the longest time. Once I walked around in the snow he felt it was safe. And then he had enough. At the end of the video you will hear him say (in toddler speak) "blue cereal" known to us all as Rice Krispies. We went in for breakfast and then had to come back out to play in the snow again.

Some other snow pictures. I just love the bed head and sleepy eyes - he just couldn't wait to get outside.

Yesterday was Micahel's birthday and while he was at work Joshua helped me make his birthday cake. I needed to put in egg whites - well this just bothered Joshua. He wanted me to put in the whole egg so he grabbed the freshly crakced egg and dumped the whole thing in. He al helped stir with his own wisk and grabbed mine when he thought it would stir faster. After his arm got tired from stirring he would pull out the wisk, lick it, and then continue stirring.

After it was all done, Joshua saw me place the decorated cake in the fridge. The rest of the day he would walk over to the fridge and open it. One time I found him sitting on the kitchen floor with the fridge door wide open. he was staring at the cake like it was TV. He kept saying "look cake" "da-da birthday cake" As soon as Michael came home he opened the fridge, showed him the cake and said Joshua eat da-da birthday cake.

As you all know I will let Joshua eat sugar - in moderation. He ususally has cupcakes without frosting so when given the option of a piece of the cake or a plain cupcake Joshua chose the cupcake.

We've moved again

It wouldn't be like me to stay put in one place forever. So late September I joined Michael in Meadville, PA where he took his prior position with friends in the Theatre Department at Allegheny College. Life is definitely slower here . . . (so perhaps it will take me a while to realize I like it here).




Drop me an email if you would like our new address.
saramehler@yahoo.com




I found the cable to the camera so I can upload photos to the computer.


Today I enjoyed raking - yes I said enjoyed. I didn't realize how much I missed the smell of leaves and making a big pile. Joshua joined me outside and immediately knew what to do. He started kicking the leaves around and then sat down in the middle of the pile and tossed a handful in the air.

And here is a picture of Joshua at Woodcock dam looking at the beautiful fall colors. He has not missed a beat since moving up north. He seems to be loving it - and his big boy bed.

For the fun of it (and beacuase I recently found these files) below are two pictures of Joshua from last year at this time. We were playing in a pumpkin farm. It's amazing how big he's gotten in one year, and how much his hair has grown.

JJ's boys

Joshua and I made a trip to Buffalo to visit family and take the opportunity to visit friends in Erie, PA - Dave, Maura, and Felicity - who are moving to Texas. (Sara was also interviewing for a job but that's a whole other post. In short M is heading back to Allegheny so we are heading back to Meadville).

During our trip we stopped in at Papa's apartment to see the kitties. Pumpkin who is usually hiding came out to see Joshua. Enjoy the video!!

We thought taking the video was going to be the biggest challenge however formatting it and trying to send it to Aunt Jenny proved even more difficult. Hence the blog post. Go figure, but we needed a new post.

In case our luck continues enjoy some photos of the visit as well. The sweetest moment by far was watching Joshua run up to Mama and give her a kiss and big hug.

Dancing with the muppets

Like all kids Joshua loves to watch videos over and over and over. Recently his favorite is the muppet show; specifically the episode with Sandy Duncan. In the opening number Sandy is singing and dancing with muppets. Joshua has watched it so many times he now knows the choreography. He dances with the back-up muppets. At the end of the number the muppets fall on the floor and so does Joshua. He then stands up and claps for himself.

Aunt Jenny's Bear

Aunt Jenny sent Joshua a very special teddy bear. She recorded a message just for him and he seems to like it very much. If he's feeling upset, we get the bear and he snuggles into it and presses its hand to hear her message.

Merry Christmas to all!!!

What a great Christmas it has been. We started with a pre-Christmas trip to Chicago where we spent time with Michael's extended family. Sunday was quite a busy day at Great Uncle John and Aunt Debbie's house with tons of cousins. Joshua had lots of fun playing with Cole, Nate, Quinn, Madison, and baby Jack.

While toys and playing is fun - dessert is better. Joshua enjoyed the chocolate dessert made by French nuns - when it was gone he tried to lick the plate to get every last crumb off.

All weekend Joshua had a blast running around and playing with his NY cousins, Patrick, Benjamin, and Katherine. The one moment able to unite them all was a concert Nana's piano. It was quite a concert.

The night before we left Uncle Mango and Aunt Rebekah came over for a visit. We were so happy they made it. Joshua had a big hug for Aunt Rebekah and was full of giggles as he played catch with Mango.

Patrick was also happy Marc came to visit. He needed someone to play chess with, and we all didn't want to lose to a 6 year old. Marc, also a chess prodigy at a young age, was up for the challenge.

We hope you all have a avery wonderful Christmas, and wish you the best for 2008!!

Breakfast giggles

This morning I was quite hungry. After getting Joshua in his chair and fed at least some of his breakfast, I poured myself a bowl of cereal. My growling stomach was so thankful for the first bite that an instinctual "mmmh" came out. Joshua thought this was funny and giggled. So of course like every parent, when we do something that makes our child laugh we do it over and over. I was able to catch some on video - enjoy!

Bathtime!

I love Great Grandma Conway

July brought us another visit with the Buffalo family. We were lucky enough to make it to Great Grandma Conway's last party and see her awake and talking. Joshua was even able to give her a hug and kiss. His presence in the apartment brought many people comfort. Grandpa even couldn't keep from smiling.

Joshua also met all of my aunts, uncles, and cousins. He had a lot of fun playing with Joey and the trains.

This was also the first time Joshua got to meet Uncle Mango in person. I'm not sure what he was more excited for, meeting his uncle or being allowed to play with Mango's new IPhone.

There were lots of first the rest of the week including the first time to a zoo. Joshua really enjoyed watching the elephants. It was a perfect day at the Buffalo Zoo, sunny but not too hot. The elephants were out walking around and tossing hey on their backs. He was so excited he would not stay in the stroller. He just started running around (sometimes in circles) screaching. He chose to wear camo that day so as to blend in and perhaps get a better look at the animals.

Both he and Papa enjoyed the children's area and going down the big slide.

Later that week I took Joshua to a place I used to hang out with the kids I babysat . . . Island Park. We spalshed in the wading pool, picniced under the gazebo, ran around the playground and was pushed on a swing.

That wasn't enough for one day so we then walked over to Glen Park to see the falls, and of course get some Sweet Jenny's. Lucky for mommy he was more interested in walking around than the ice cream - oh the sacrifices we make as mothers.

We love you Great Grandma Conway!

Joy Grandparents summer visit

Just as Nana and Grandpa Mehler were leaving Whozat and Grandma Joy came to spend a week with us. We all had a good time just relaxing, enjoying the sun (as well as the air conditioning) and watching Joshua become more steady by the day with his walking.

Grandma and Joshua had lots of fun playing with his water table on the back deck. Joshua would watch as Grandma poured the water into the table. He expecially liked to splash and pull all the toys out of the water.

During their visit we also got 1 year pictures. Grandma came with to help with the outfit changes and kept Joshua distracted while I picked out the shots I liked. (How nice it was to have family around!!!) Joshua was sporting his best when he took a picture with me and my mom. I just love the little hat and his perfectly crossed legs as he reached out to each of us.

(picture to come - I have to scan it in)

Joshua was learning not only to walk but also to climb. After constantly being pulled away from the table and chairs, Joshua resigned to climbing into toy bins.