Hot Broccoli Dip Recipe

Make a Smilebox recipe

Snow fun!!??!!

Yesterday we went to Emily and Jeff's to play in the snow with the boys and Bree. Well Bree lasted maybe 5 minutes and decided she had had enough and we didn't want her tears freezing to her face :) So Bree and I headed inside to watch from the window. Colby stayed out a little longer and Andrew could of stayed out in the snow forever!!! We then had sandwiches and some warm soup along with playing Mario Kart!!! It was a great Saturday afternoon!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Bree's First Christmas!!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Thanksgiving and Christmas in South Dakota

We headed to South Dakota for thanksgiving last Wednesday. We had a great time seeing his family and hanging out with everyone. Holly did a great job hosting her first thanksgiving dinner!!! Bree LOVED the pumpkin pie, I think she could eat that all day!!! On Thursday we also celebrated Christmas with his family since we wont be making it up there. Bree wasn't interested much in opening the presents, but the look on her face when she saw what she got was priceless!! We got the lights on the house last night and decorated the tree!! It is beginning to look a lot like christmas here!!

Bree's Buddy

Bree and Great-Grandpa Kipper have become quite the buddies!! Courtney captured this picture and I just loved it so I thought I would share it with you all!!!

Happy Halloween!!

Here are a few pictures that Courtney took of Bree "the Ladybug" at Grandma and Grandpa's house on Saturday. She is one tough cookie, because I wouldn't of wanted that itchy tutu on all day but she did it. We hope you all enjoy!!!

Sleepy Girl!!

Bree must have had a rough day today. Brian and I are eating and we look over at Bree and she is falling asleep in her highchair. She has never done this before. We layed her down, then she woke up we fed her a bottle and she was asleep for the night at 7:00pm. We have started not having her nap in the evening and I think tonight she could of used one when we got home from the babysitter.

Fall Time!!

We tried to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and take a few fall pics. Bree wasn't her smiley self, I don't think she likes the feeling of the leaves. Though we were able to capture a few good ones. Bree has been busy crawling everywhere, and she is taking steps hanging onto the couch, though she is getting a little daring and is going from the couch to the end table. We had our first bout of sickness this season, Bree had a cold the last two weeks, we took her to the Dr. on Monday because it was lingering. She was put on some yummy amoxicillon, she loves that stuff. Though to be honest there isn't much that she doesn't love to eat. Well we will update after Saturday, she is a ladybug for Halloween, we are baised or anything but we think she is the cutest ladybug ever!!!

Black Hills Vacation

We returned September 21st from a great vacation with Brian's brothers and their families. It was a great time to spend with them since we aren't able to get together very often. We headed up Thursday and stayed the night in Sioux Falls. On Friday we headed across the state and drove through the Badlands and stopped at Wall Drug and had a vintage family picture taken. On Saturday we headed out early to Cosmos mystery, then Mt. Rushmore, Bear Country, and Reptile Gardens. Then we headed back to the hotel and got ready to go to a large indoor waterpark for the evening. On Sunday we headed to Hill City for a ride on the 1880 train and a nice walk around Hill City. Brian, Bree, and I headed to Custer State Park to drive around and hopefully find a geocache. Unfortunately after a very long walk it started to rain and we headed back to the vehicle empty handed. Oh well, we will try again. Monday we headed back to Kansas with a long 12 hr drive. We were pleasantly surprised that Bree enjoyed the drive home. Tuesday was a great day to recover from the vacation and for Bree to catch up with her sleep. Speaking of Bree, had we told you that she is a crawling machine. She doesn't stay in one place for very long at a time. On Tuesday she was able to pull herself up to standing by using the couch. We also have started using cloth diapers. It will take a little bit to get use to, but I think we will get the hang of it eventually.

Check out Bree's Pics!!!

I wanted to let everyone know they can check out Bree's 6 month pics online if you would like. Go to www.rockersphotography.com then click on order online at the bottom of the page, then click on shafer and the password is Bree. They were great, I have no idea how we are going to pic any out!!!

6 month Happenings!!!

I wanted to update everyone with the happenings of Bree. Last Saturday on her 6th month birthday she got her pics taken then later that day we discovered that her bottom front teeth had come in!!! We were shocked because she hadn't been fussy that day and actually was pretty chipper at the photo session.
Friday was her Dr. appointment!! Dr. Grimaldi was very happy with her growth, here are her stats:
Weight: 19 lbs 10 ounces
Height: 29 inches
She is over 100% on both things!! Dr. Grimaldi was also happy with how well she is sitting up. Next came the bad part SHOTS!!! Poor thing had to have 3 shots, one was her flu shot. I have to bring her back in a month for the 2 nd flu shot and she also has to have 2 more shots for the swine flu. She better not get the flu with 4 shots to protect her!! Brian and I will also be getting the swine flu vaccine even though we hate shots as much as Bree.
Since she is so close to 20 lbs and she is so tall we decided to change her infant carseat out for the convertible seat, she has so much more room now!!!
She is getting closer and closer to crawling. She gets up on all fours and really gets to rocking, then she will more her legs forward and fall. She hasn't quit figured out how to move her arms along with the legs yet.
She is now eating her solids a lot better. We don't have to strip her down to her diaper anymore!! She use to make a total mess when eating, but now she has started to get the eating thing down!!

Alzheimer's Memory Walk

A message to the Michael Family:
Well... Mom, Bree, Betty, and I went to church with Grandpa Michael tonight and he wanted us to spread the word that the Memory Walk is only a month and a half away and that we need to start fundraising for it!!! I think grandpa said the goal is $20,000 this year, so we have or work cut out of us. Can't wait to see ya'll on October 10th!!!

She's sitting pretty!!

Just a few pics of Bree. She has started sitting up really well!!! She is also started getting up on a fours and rocking!! We would love for her to start crawling, but the house isn't baby proofed yet!! We should probably get some gates to protect her from the stairs. We are getting her 6-month pics taken Saturday, we can't wait!!

Our Jumping Little Girl!

Bree absolutely loves jumping in her jumper. We taped her tonight to share with everyone, hope you enjoy. Bree is starting to be able to sit up by herself for a little while. We are so proud of her. Monday night we started having her eat a banana with her mesh feeder. The first night she wasn't quite sure about it, but Tuesday she devoured the banana and made an absolute mess in the process. This weekend Bree will have her first stay over at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Andrew will be there also so I am sure Grandma and Grandpa will have a blast Saturday night. Brian and I are going to the Keith Urban and Taylor Swift concert for my birthday!! I am very excited about the night out.

Summertime Fun!!
Friday night the whole family headed to the Royal's game. Even though they lost we still had lots of fun. The fireworks afterwards were great!!!It was the boys and Bree's first game. Mom and dad headed off to Niagra Falls Saturday morning so they stayed up in the city after the game. The top collage is a couple pics from the night. The bottom collage is of Brian and Bree in the pool, soaking up the rays!!! Bree is a natural in the water, she obviously didn't inherit that from me!! She loves to kick when she is out of her floaty, though now we think she may want to start kicking in her bath tub. That will make bathtime a blast for her!

5 Months Old!!!

Today is Bree's 5th month Birthday!!! We went outside tonight and took a few pictures of Bree. She is starting to sit up by herself. We are so proud of her!!! We have also learned that you can't hold her and try to do anything because she will grab whatever she can get her hands on and then it goes straight to her mouth. The other pics are her riding her horse. She really likes to sit on it. She is continuing to do great on solids, she loves carrots now!! This Friday night Bree gets to go to her first Royals game, hopefully she is in a good mood and the weather cooperates. We think that she will be getting teeth any day now!! She is slobbering, spitting bubbles, working her tongue like crazy, and is more cranky in the evenings. Teething is not fun for the baby and the parents!!! I hope you all enjoyed our new pics!!

4 Month appt and South Dakota Trip!!!

We had Bree's 4 month appointment last Monday and wanted to update everyone on what has been going on in our world. Here are her stats from the appointment.
Height: 26 3/4 inch Above 97%
Weight: 17 lbs 96%

Father's Day weekend we headed up to South Dakota for Revillo's 125 Celebration. Bree did a great job on the 8 hour drive. She really did not want to ride in the car seat for a couple days after though. Grandma Patti got to meet Bree for the first time on Friday and she really enjoyed her. On Saturday we enjoyed the town's celebration with Holly, Greg, and the kids.

Dr. Monzon wanted us to start Bree on rice cereal and veggies. The first two pics are of the first time eating rice cereal with a spoon. As you can tell she really doesn't like rice cereal, and still doesn't like it. The other one is of her eating sweet potatoes!! She loves sweet potatoes, and today we tried squash and she devoured it too. The other picture is of Bree in her stationary entertainer, and she absolutely loves it.

Brian has some good news to share with everyone!! He passed his PE Exam!!!! Yippee!!!! So now Brian will be Brian Schafer, P.E. It stands for Professional Engineer and with it he can get a promotion at his job. This Friday he has an awards ceremony at the State House, his parents are making it down for the weekend.

Bree is a Rolly Polly!!!!

Bree rolled over for the first time on Friday. Now that we have a mobile baby we will have to make some changes around the house. Granted she can't go far rolling over she can sure get herself into some tight places. I know we have all seen babies roll over, but we are so proud of her that we taped it for your viewing pleasure!! We hope you enjoy it. Friday night after T-Ball we went to the Moran park and had a lovely picnic. Saturday night mom and dad babysat Bree so that Brian and I could have an evening out. We started off going out to eat, then off to the casino for a little gambling. Brian was playing the $2 slot and won $1600!!!! We couldn't believe our eyes, he was so excited. Needless to say Bree and I will have to hit the mall with daddies winnings!!! I start my new job on Tuesday. I am excited, but also nervous because I have never worked under my new Physical Therapist. I hope everyone has a good week!!

Cheesy Grin

Look at that cheesy grin!!! Bree has started smiling non-stop and when she does you can't help but smile yourself. As you can tell from the picture Brian and Bree were having a good time chilling in the recliner. We filled our pool and with the warm weather we had last weekend we tried it out with Bree. She just relaxed and floated around in her "wave runner". Ain't she adorable!!! I am getting excited to start my new job next week. I am going to Coffey County Hospital and working just 4 days a week. It will be nice to spend an extra day at home with Bree.

12 weeks old!!!

I can't believe Bree is already 12 weeks old. She is changing everyday, I love this stage in life. She is smiling all the time for her daddy(okay she smiles for everybody, but he wanted me to mention that he can get her to smile the most), she is cooing all the time, and is about to roll over. A couple weeks ago Bree had a cold and was having trouble sleeping at night, so be first-time parents I freaked out and took her to the Dr. He just told me that if it isn't better in a week to bring her back. Well while we were at her appt. they weighed her and she had gained 6 0z in 6 days. Holy Moly, I hope that she doesn't keep that up or we are looking at one chunky monkey. Her cold is better and she is sleeping better at night. The first picture is of Bree and I on my first Mother's Day!!! Isn't that the most adorable smile!!! The 2nd picture Brian took to prove to me that she has found her thumb. I think she knows she isn't suppose to suck on it from her reaction, she looks like "Uh Oh I am caught!!" We had her 3 month pictures taken and they turned out great. I can't wait for everyone to see them.

2nd Month Appt.

Well Bree had her 2 month appointment today and everything went well. She is 13 lbs and 5.5 oz in the 96% and 24 1/2 in long and 97%. The doctor said she is a big girl, he said that she is going to start not being satisfied with her feedings and that we need to start her on rice cereal. So with 2 of her bottles we are to put in a tablespoon of rice cereal everyday. We tried it with one bottle already and she seems to like it. Also at the 2 month appointment she had to have 3 shots :( It was sad seeing her cry, but she is a trooper and only cried for a couple seconds and was fine. also some good news she slept from 9-7 last night, if she keeps this up she will have a very happy mommy and daddy. Bree started at the babysitter this week and has adjusted very well. She goes with 3 little boys and they love her. I am really glad to have found a good babysitter that I can really trust. Everyday she sends a detailed note home of when she eats, changes diapers, and naps.

Happy 2 Month Birthday Miss Bree!!!

We had a fun filled day!!! First we had lunch with Marikay and Courtney in Ottawa, then on the way home we stopped and said hello to grandma who was working in Richmond today. Next Bree and I came home and went on a walk around town. In the evening when Brian got home we went on another walk. Bree really enjoys going on walks now. This evening was so nice we decided to do a few pictures outside with the tulips. Bree really likes her Bebe Pod, and will enjoy it more once she gets a little more head control. Well I hope you were all able to go outside today and enjoy the nice weather!! Only four more days on maternity leave :( Oh well the bills won't get paid unless I work so I better go back!

Busy Weekend!!

This last weekend Brian's dad Jerry came down from South Dakota to visit Bree for the first time. I think he enjoyed meeting Bree, though I think she is a pretty likeable baby :) He was only able to be here for a short time, but Brian and I will be making the trip to South Dakota in June. On Saturday afternoon Bree and I attended Amanda and Payton's baby shower and really enjoyed ourselves while Brian and Jerry were back at the house working outside. Little Miss Bree wasn't so little when next to Mr. Payton at the shower, she is growing like a weed. Last week when I weighed her she was 12 lbs and 8 oz. On Sunday evening we headed to Emily and Jeff's for supper. Jeff is trying his smoker out and we were his guinea pigs, the meat was great Jeff :) Well this is my last week of maternity leave, I am glad it is going to be gorgous outside so Bree and I can go on walks and maybe get some flowers planted!!!

Happy Easter!!

I hope everyone had a good Easter today. We dressed Bree in her Easter dress for our family get together at Grandpa Michael's house. We learned that she must not like wearing tights because Saturday night at church she peed on them and grandpa Kipper then today she had a blowout and got her tights dirty. Oh Well!!! I think she really likes to wear dresses, I think we have a girly girl on our hands. The next picture is of Brian and Bree's Saturday afternoon ritual, they love to nap together. Aren't they Cute. The last picture is bath time with Bree. She has really started to like taking her baths, she doesn't fuss until she gets out and is cold. She continues to sleep really good at night, anywhere from 6-9 hours at a time!!!

Picture Time...

I just wanted to share some pics from a couple of Bree's photo sessions!!! A couple are with her bunny ears and the others are with her tutu that I made. I am pretty proud of myself for being able to make it, it was quite easy to make and only took me an hour!!! Today was not a nice day outside with the rain, sleet, and snow. We stayed inside all day and made cinnamon rolls and a pot of stew. I hope everyone has a good weekend.