Back From My Writing Hiatus!

Hello everyone! It's been a LONG time since I've posted last. It's been a very, very hectic couple of months: we sold our home, Sam went back to work part-time, we moved in with my parents, we hired a nanny, and we started building a home in Shorewood. Forgive me if I haven't had enough down time to keep the blog going! It is going to be my new summer project, though!

Here is a brief overview of what's been going on with our kids:

Taylor
Taylor is 4 1/2 years old now. She finished her first year of preschool and loved every minute! She is taking gymnastics every Saturday morning, and just started taking piano lessons on Fridays. Even though she still likes dress-up and princesses, her favorite movies now include "Despicable Me", "The Croods", and "Lilo and Stitch". She even requested to watch "Hannah Montana" the other day... she really is growing up! She is also really into drawing lately. She draws pictures all day long, and has decorated the walls of the house with her works of art. She recently got an iPhone - an old iPhone 3 that my dad didn't use anymore. We loaded it with music and pictures, and she spends a lot of time in her room listening to music. We have gotten a glimpse into her pre-teen years!

Madelyn
Maddy is 21 months old now. It's hard to believe that, soon, we will be celebrating her 2nd birthday! She is still easygoing, but with a little bit of that "Terrible 2" sass peppered in! She is quite talkative. Here are some of the phrases that she says well, and often:
"Where did mama/dada/Bapa/Mar/etc. go?"
"I hungry! Tay-Tay hungry too!"
"Are you ok?" (after anyone gets hurt, cries, coughs, etc.)
"It's mine!"
She loves watching dogs on YouTube, playing in the water, blowing bubbles, reading stories, playing the "Fishy" game on the iPad, playing dress-up with her sister, going for walks in the stroller or wagon, building with blocks or Legos, trying on mommy's shoes, and exploring anything she can get her hands on. Here are a few of her stats:
Height (as of her 18 month checkup): 31 inches
Weight: 26 pounds
Shoe Size: 5
Diaper Size: 4
Clothing Size: 24 month/ 2T

Sam & Cheryl
Sam went back to work part time, and transitioned really well! He has been getting stronger and stronger every day. He is also still in remission, so he has been clear for one full year, which is a huge milestone in the cancer world!
We had a nice, relaxing time in Punta Cana recently, with our dear friends Anthony and Sarah. It was the most relaxing weekend that we've ever had!
We also purchased a plot of land in Shorewood, which was bank-owned and dirt cheap. We've been working with a wonderful builder, who has helped us design a family-friendly ranch home that will make Sam's life much easier. We should break ground soon (really, we will!). We will be living in the Kipling Estates Subdivision soon!

Overall, we are thoroughly enjoying our summer together. Living in Lemont has been great, being close to our family, friends, and suburban life! We've had a lot of fun so far going to parks, play dates, splash pads, picnics, and museums. This is a fun age for both girls to be at, and we can't wait for the rest of the summer to enjoy with them!

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the last couple of months:

First trip to the Bulls Game with her daddy!

Chocolate Ball Gala 2014

Daddy Daughter Dance

Preschool Pals!

First haircut! She was also sick that day, we didn't find out until later but you can totally see it in her cheeks here!

Mother/Daughter Pajama Party with her buddy Evelyn! Yes, Taylor did her own hair. 

Easter

Posing for the camera!

Picnic on our "land" in Shorewood!

Maddy loves the splash pads! 

Exploring at the zoo!

Painting faces at the zoo

Movie night!

Punta Cana!

Trip to the Children's Museum of Oak Lawn

Welcome, 2014!

Well, 2013 was an improvement from 2012 for the Pavelka family! We were given the news in April that Sam is, once again, in remission! We spent a very fun summer traveling to San Diego, Florida, and Wisconsin! Even though it was short-lived, Sam was able to begin working in August, which was his goal for 2013. And I was able to transfer to Grande Park Elementary, which is significantly closer to home. I miss my Lakewood Creek friends dearly, but I'm so grateful to have been warmly welcomed by the GP staff and families!

We spent countless hours enjoying our children. Watching them grow, learn, and play has been the best part of our lives. Our hearts are especially touched by watching Taylor and Maddy develop their "sisterly" relationship! They love playing together, and their interactions are priceless!

Taylor has grown up quite a bit in 2013! She is such a "kid" now - fully potty trained (thank God!), and becoming more and more independent - and sassy! We've discovered that there are trade-offs with them growing up - some things become easier, such as not having to help her dress, go to the bathroom, etc. But others are more difficult, such as dealing with the back-talk, deciding what "freedoms" she is ready for, and teaching her manners and appropriate social behavior. Now, we have to begin molding her into an honest, productive, motivated, kind human being! We're still trying to work on that ourselves! :)

Maddy has grown into a "toddler". Officially. She is moving around like crazy, babbling, and exploring anything and everything that she can get her hands on! She has taken a few steps. Once she figures out the walking thing, we are in trouble! She's also developed a cute sense of humor. She loves making us laugh, and doing silly things to entertain her big sister! She had surgery in May and July to correct her hydronephrosis, and she was a total champ. Since then, her kidney is getting smaller, and she has had no infections. We will continue to see Dr. Smith to monitor her health.

We certainly had our setbacks - Sam's surgeries in September and October were very frightening, and took quite a while to recover from. We are hoping to begin 2014 letting go of some of the anger and frustration that we still hold over that event. Sam is getting stronger and stronger every day. He continues to go to physical therapy 3 times per week. He is hoping to go back to work in early 2014.

Once again, our friends and family really came through for us this year. We want to sincerely thank everyone, from the bottom of our hearts. We don't know what we would do if we weren't surrounded by such amazing people. 

Last year, I chose a song that I felt was an appropriate representation of our year. This year, I think that the lyrics to "I Won't Give Up" by Jason Mraz epitomize 2013 for the Pavelka family. Here are some of my favorite lyrics:
We had to learn how to bend
Without the world caving in. 
I had to learn what I've got, 
And what I'm not, 
And who I am. 
I won't give up on us,
Even if the skies get rough.
I'm giving you all my love,
I'm still looking up.
I won't give up on us, 
God knows I'm tough enough.
We've got a lot to learn, 
And God knows we're worth it.

I hope that 2014 brings everyone lots of love, health, and happiness! Happy New Year everyone!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Taylor!

On November 24th, Taylor Grace turned 4 years old! She continues every day to amaze us with her determination, spunk, humor, and kindness! She has officially become a little girl, with very little remnants of her "baby" or "toddler" years left in her. She is maturing every day, and it brings a lot of mixed emotion to Sam and I. We are proud as we watch her growing into the strong-willed girl that we know will be successful and happy, but it is bittersweet knowing that we are getting closer and closer to those years that she will no longer want to cuddle with us or crawl into bed with us in the morning. We are embracing every day that we have with her and enjoying every minute of the age that she is!

Taylor is in preschool this year and loving every minute! She has been practicing writing her name with us at home, and she loves playing phonics puzzles and phonemic awareness games with us to prepare her for reading. We read every night, and she has memorized so many books! Her favorite right now is "Pinkalicious". She loves it so much that it is missing it's cover, and has a lot of Taylor's own contributions to the pictures that she has made over the years!

She is very much into all of the Disney princesses, but especially Ariel, Rapunzel, Sofia the First, and Jasmine. She loves coloring, building with Legos, reading books, painting, taking a bath (and pretending she is Ariel), and playing dress-up. She loves pretending to be a princess and getting everyone in the family involved. From the moment she wakes up, she puts on a princess dress and her imagination begins! She also loves listening to the Disney radio station on Pandora and dancing with mommy and Maddy!

She is a very picky eater, especially at dinner time. Her favorite foods are pancakes, oatmeal, grilled cheese, pizza, and any fruit or vegetable (one thing that I did right!). Her tantrums are becoming few and far between (thank God!) but we are starting to get some of the "mommy, you're mean!" or "that's not nice, daddy!" comments. On to the next chapter of parenting!

Taylor's stats:
Height: 40.5 inches
Weight: 40 lbs
Clothing size: anywhere from 4-6, depending on the brand
Shoe size: 9

We celebrated Taylor's birthday with the Pavelkas at her cousin Haley's birthday party, which was a blast because it was princess-themed and right up her alley! On her actual birthday, both sets of grandparents, Great-Grandma, and Aunt Mimi were over to celebrate. She came down with croup on the day of her birthday, too, and has been having a rough time fighting it all week! Hopefully it will clear up before her "friend" party on Saturday!

Princess Haley and Princess Taylor!

Pinata time!

The morning of her 4th birthday! You can see in her eyes that she isn't feeling well, poor thing!

Sofia the First birthday cake! "I want to eat her face and a flower, mom!"

Great Grandma, Mar, Mommy, and Princess Taylor

Fall Fun!

Despite this fall being chaotic with Sam's surgery, we still managed to have some fun with the girls! Here are a few favorite pictures from some fun fall events.

Taylor's Preschool Field Trip:
I was able to go with Taylor to her first field trip to Dollinger Farms, where she learned about farm animals, went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, and played with her classmates!

Picking out the perfect pumpkin

Channahon Bonfire and Hayride: 
Sam and I were able to go out with Taylor to the Bonfire and Hayride in Channahon. It was a little chilly, but we loved every minute of it! Taylor loved the hayride even more than last year. We only went on it twice this year, because it was a lot more crowded. Sam was so happy to be able to make it out so shortly after being home from his surgery.

Enjoying some s'mores with daddy

Having fun on the hayride

Preschool Halloween Party:
One of the benefits for Sam of being home on medical leave was being able to attend Taylor's preschool Halloween party! She wanted to be a witch this year. Mommy was really proud of finding this adorable witch costume on amazon.com for $8. Sam loved watching the kids parade around in their costumes, but his favorite part was Taylor screaming "Hi daddy!!" throughout the parade!

Trick or Treat!
It was a rainy Halloween, but we still managed to make it out for trick-or-treating this year! Madelyn and Sam didn't join us, but we still dressed her up in her costume to snap a couple of pictures! 

Trick or Treating with Gianna!

Sisters

Outside Fun!
Here are a few random pics!

Pushing Maddy on her new swing!

Hanging out!

Not sure how I feel about crawling on grass, mommy!

We can always count on impromptu playdates in our neighborhood!

Happy (Belated) First Birthday, Madelyn!!

Madelyn turned 1 on September 23rd. She continues to be the happiest baby ever! Even her fussy moments are "Maddy Fussy",  meaning that they are so much less than most babies!
She is crawling everywhere now, and pulls herself up on any piece of furniture, wall, or person that she can find! We think she will be taking her first steps in no time.
She eats all solid foods, and has been on whole milk for a little while now. Her favorite foods include: yogurt, Cheerios, cheese, most fruits and vegetables, pasta, tomatoes, eggs, waffles, turkey, chicken nuggets, and potatoes. She sleeps great, usually 6:30pm-5:30am. She is an early riser, but at least she sleeps through the night.
She is starting to use her voice quite a bit. She babbles often, and has said a few words: uh-oh, mama, dada, Tay-Tay, and baby. 

Here are a few recent stats:
Height: 30 inches (66%)
Weight: 20 lbs 14 oz (52%)
Shoe Size: 3
Diaper Size: finishing up 3's and about to move to 4's
Clothing Size: 12 months
Teeth Count: 2 1/2 (and 5 more trying to come through - teething has been very painful for her!)

Maddy likes...
Crawling, standing, walking holding someone's fingers, swinging on the swings, playing peek-a-boo, watching her big sister do just about anything, exploring, her red sock monkey, her baby doll (she likes to hug the both!), eating, playing with anyone, smiling, mommy's phone, being held, being rocked, music, listening to people sing, dropping things from her highchair, looking at pictures of her family.

Maddy dislikes...
Teething, getting her nails clipped, staying in one spot, loud sudden noises, being told "no" (she has the saddest pouty face!), when mommy tries to wipe her nose, when mommy leaves the room.

From our photo shoot!

Enjoying her cake! We love this face!

Smash cake!

Maddy with Mommy, Mar, and Great-Grandma

Some more photo shoot pics (Taylor's 4 year pics):