Neuberger Family News: January Recap

Wow! Where did January go? I just realized that it is almost over... and that means still 3+ more months of winter, more travel for Tom, and another round of birthdays coming our way that I need to shop for. What do you get a daughter turning two, and a brother and brother-in-law turning *BEEP*? (I won't reveal their ages to the world, just know that they are major milestone birthdays!)

So our January has been really full it seems, yet not that eventful either. We fill our days with lots of activities, but there is always more that I know needs to get done. I think the winter is getting to me - I'm just not motivated to accomplish that To-Do List. Anyone want to come help me tape and paint a couple rooms or hang some pictures or move our elliptical machine from the basement to our bedroom upstairs or sew some curtains or write thank you notes from Christmas for me? I pay good - nice meal and dessert! Well, I guess it is good that we have more winter left so I can get these things done, because I know once summer comes, they definitely won't get accomplished.

So here are some of the highlights from January...

1. Jackson is potty trained! Yay! I know I reported on this before, but I'm so proud of him that I have to say it again! We have had a couple accidents along the way (for instance the Y just yesterday), but he really has accepted the challenge and has felt the same sense of accomplishment as me. So proud of him! And I know Morgan is going to accomplish it soon too.

2. Tom has traveled quite a bit this month... almost a week in Cancun, Mexico for a conference and now a week in Las Vegas for a trade show. Why is it that he is leaving me in cold snowy Wisconsin so that he can go to the nice warm areas?! So lucky!! Can you tell that I'm just a little jealous? And I think that I have a curse or something... every time that he has left town, we get snow that I have to shovel. The first time it was six inches that drifted in our driveway to places that were over a foot. Silly me, I turned down an offer from our neighbor to snow blow it.... I thought it would be a good workout for me to shovel it. An hour and a half later at 10 PM, I finally finished it. Just this Thursday it snowed again and our neighbor beat me to it and snow blowed it before I could shovel. It was only 3 inches this time, but I was still thankful that he did it for me. It looks like Tom's travels will continue through the winter and into spring... I think he mentioned a trip to Orlando next month and possibly China in March. Wow!!

3. Since we had a stretch of pretty cold days (single digit highs), we have stuck inside quite a bit. We've played Cooties, built with Legos, designed numerous tracks for Thomas the train, created beautiful artwork, and lots of singing and dancing. But the singing and dancing can only be started by Jackson or Morgan. If I try to get them to do this, Jackson yells at me, "Momma! Stop! I don't like your singing! You are a bad singer and dancer!" Talk about a hit to the ego!! So it goes.

4. The kids have also started their first class at the Y. I signed them up for a class called Kindersports. It is a parent/child class that gets us moving and teaches the kids pre-sport skills. We go every Friday morning for one hour until mid-February. Jackson and Morgan are really starting to enjoy it and like meeting their new friends each week to do something new. We start out the class the same each week with a couple songs with actions that get the kids stretched out and then we run laps...which Jackson loves. The teachers blow their whistles and then they freeze and have to follow the instructions for their next laps. Sometimes they just run, other times they have them hop like bunnies or crawl like bears. They also have them stop and balance on one foot or follow some other direction. They love it! Then after that they get into the curriculum for that week. So far we have had "Catch & Throw", "Soccer Kickin'", "Basketball Bouncing & Shooting", and "Tumble Bumble" classes. This last week for the Tumble Bumble has probably been their best... I think they are just now getting into the whole objective of the class. I will say that Jackson loved the basketball class though too. Which excites me!!

5. We celebrated my birthday. Tom brought me home a dozen roses, chocolates, and wine the day of my birthday. Then one of the moms from our playgroup watched Jackson and Morgan for us so we could go out for a nice dinner. Thanks Jessica, Mark, and Maxim for coming over for the evening to play and to watch the kids. They had a great time and Tom and I loved the evening of quiet, uninterrupted conversation. I was also spoiled with an iPad from Tom and our families. Love it!

6. What has become part of our standard routine each week and something we all look forward too is the library story time and our playgroup. Surprisingly, Jackson is starting to warm up to the story time more each week. He is participating more (with the singing and action parts) and he is wanting to help me pick out books to check out afterwards. Our playgroup meets each Wednesday usually rotating between homes, but we all seem to meet up a couple other times during the week for little impromptu events. That really helps to make our week go a little quicker. This past Friday, the moms threw a little surprise baby shower for Jessica - the mom that watched the kids on my birthday. Jessica and her husband Mark are adopting a little girl from Russia and they expect to bring her home in the next couple months. They are so excited for their new addition and Maxim (who was also adopted from Russia) is excited to be a big brother. It was a fun celebration and everyone had a great time - nothing better than celebrating life!!

7. And how could I forget! The Steelers are going to the Super Bowl!!! We are trying to keep a low profile here in Packer land, but we are so excited for next week's big event. GO STEELERS!!! Whoop them Packers!!

Here are some pictures...

Jackson posing by the train track we built together.

Morgan getting ready to go to our playgroup.

The snowy day where we got six inches. This was first thing in the morning when we only had about an inch. It didn't stop until the afternoon. It looked this way all day - just gloomy.

Jackson and Morgan playing Cootie.

My birthday presents!

Cheesy Morgan playing one afternoon.

Another game of Cootie - Morgan was going to roll the dice.

Jackson tries to get a leg into his Cootie bug. Notice the tongue...think he has some Kneifl blood?

Jackson rolled the dice.

And he won! The first to complete his Cootie bug... no cheating either!

Our Snow Bunny (as Tom called her). She thought she was ready to play in the snow just like this. She took off her jammies and put on her boots herself.

Finally caught a good smile on camera. Mental note: Don't ask her to say "Cheese".

Jackson cuddled up on the couch to watch Veggie Tales.

Morgan was cuddled up too!

Morgan was trying on shoes at our playgroup... funny she picked out the ones that matched her outfit first (gray and pink). I think we have a little fashion coordinator on our hands.

Our play group - Melissa and son Kyler; Jackson, Morgan, and me; Stacey and daughter Adelyn; Jessica and son Maxim, Jennifer and son Chase, and Melissa and daughter Cassie