Catching Up

Hello there. It's been a long time. Well, we're back! A big thank you to all of you who have encouraged me to continue the blog even though time and some other issues made themselves obstacles. I have thrown to the wind my situation with my brother and his wife and figure that if they do in fact read this...well, then they will know what they are missing out on since they have shut us out of their lives.

Time. Time seems to be in warp speed and I have begged for it to sloooooowwww down. There is so much that has happened that it's hard to find a starting place. 2010 was a crazy year....for many reasons. Nico and Lulu are both doing really well and watching their friendship grow has been such a gift. Really, there were times I thought there would never be harmony in the Stiver's home again....of course I was wrong, but believe me there was some big crazy chaos in this house!

Nico will turn two at the end of the month and he is just a jokester. He continues to climb, jump, and marvel in his own fearlessness. The other day I was playing with him and Lulu and took a quick break on the coach...when I looked over and saw him climbing up onto his lego table where he had stacked his chair and he was just about to sit in the chair when....it slid off sending him flying through the air. He recovered quickly and then we discussed why chairs go on the floor and not on tables:) He had his tonsils, adenoids removed and tubes put in on January 21st. It was a really hard and long recovery but well worth it. He is not in any pain or discomfort anymore and we are truly grateful. The day after Christmas, every joint in his body swelled up and we ended up in the E.R only to find out he is allergic to all the penicillins. Long road...but he is a true fighter.

Lulu is such a happy baby! She is will be 8 months on the 4th and is just delightful! She wants to keep up with her big brother so she started crawling at 6 months and has been on the go. She is soooo fast...we secretly think she walks when we aren't looking because she gets from one place to another in seconds! Nico loves to play games with her and they both giggle until their bellies hurt. She loves to laugh and talk...she has a lot to say! Right now, she is discovering so much and you really forget how precious these moments are. I feel like both of the kids have grown up so fast.

As for Charlie and I we are doing fantastic. Since Nico's surgery...he doesn't wake up as much and doesn't cry in his sleep so life for us seems to have really calmed down. I have to say I am happy that spring is just around the corner...it's so much fun to have the kids outdoors and play with them! I promise I will post again very soon!