The Kwiatkowski Family

2009-12-14T14:28:00.000-08:00

Lizzy would like to tell you some things. I am typing what she says:

My daddy is great and my mommy is great. I love my mommy and she loves me too. When she goes to work I stay with my daddy. I love my daddy so much that I cannot keep up with him. I love my daddy and I love you too. I love my cousins and they love me too. And I love Uncle Mikey. He needs to come play with me. I love my mommy so much that I want to keep up with her.

I like the windows. I like the animals. I like feet. I like hands. I likes legs. I love television when I am good but television can't keep up with me because they are not alive. All the ways to home.
And I love my momma and dad.

2009-08-09T17:03:00.000-07:00

Originally I used this blog as a diary almost to remember all of the stuff that Lizzy did at her different stages. Recently I have become obsessed with facebook, and I have neglect the blog and writing down things about Lizzy. So tonight I have a couple of minutes and I just want to get down all the amazing (and challenging) things my lovely daughter is doing now.

Lizzy is currently CRAZY for puzzles. She does them constantly. She has about ten that she rotates and does them over and over again. She is actually pretty good at them, and her new logic skills are amazing to me. She also amazes us with the funny things that come out of her mouth. Her speaking has gotten really good in the last year, and I feel like she is watching us even more. About three weeks ago she asked us why Jenn's belly was so big. We told her that she had a baby in her belly and that soon we would get to meet her. The next morning Lizzy told us that she had five babies in her belly. She then rubbed my face and asked me, "Mommy you still love me when my five babies come out and you not be sad?" We asked her if she could just start with one baby; she said no-it had to be five. Then she started having the babies-this meant that small objects around the house became "babies": crayons, pom poms, etc. Lizzy's babies would cry, and then like any good mother she forgot about them. Yesterday she told us that she now has ten new babies in her belly. I cannot wait to meet them too!

2009-08-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

The kids bouncing in the bouncy castle we rented for Lizzy's birthday party.
The birthday girl blowing out the candles.

Lizzy and cousin Colin on Father's Day.
Lizzy, taking a break, at soccer camp.
Chasing Uncle Javier's kite on our trip to Chicago to see their new apartment.
Lizzy's rocker face. Lizzy and Matt have been working on this for awhile.
The family after Lizzy's dance recital. She danced to "Yellow Polka Dot Bikini".
The FAIR!!!!!

2009-05-03T17:00:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T16:29:00.000-07:00

2009-02-09T16:04:00.000-08:00

Eating with Uncle Neil
Abba holding an impromptu story hour.
Playing in the foot and a half of snow.
Going to Valpo basketball games.

2008-12-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

2008-12-28T11:28:00.000-08:00

Lizzy was a flower girl for Troy and Stephanie's wedding. She really thought she was the star of the show-she even got presents from strangers at the wedding for her cuteness :) She danced the night away, and when I tried to join her she told me, "No Mommy. I dance myself."

We had a great time, and we loved getting to watch two wonderful people start their lives together. Lizzy now claims she is married, but Matt and I are concerned because she is saying that she is married to the Moo Moos that live in our house.

I guess the right wing conservatives were right-gay marriage really does start us down the wrong path :)

2008-12-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

2008-12-07T12:52:00.000-08:00

2008-12-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

Lizzy and Daddy making cookies. Yes. We have made Christmas Cookies in our house twice all ready since Thanksgiving. We like any excuse for sugar, and Matt could drink icing.
I am THRILLED to show a picture of Ione's FIRST cookie. Welcome Ione to your Mom's favorite things: candy on Halloween and icing and cookies at Christmas. Congrats.
Ione, Caden and Lizzy all "made" cookies. Okay they played and their mommies ate the dough.

2008-12-07T12:04:00.001-08:00

Lizzy and Mommy decorating the tree.

Lizzy, Caden, Santa and Mrs. Clause. Lizzy went straight up to Santa and told him that she pooped.
Baby Brogan and Lizzy give THANKS for each other :)
Lizzy and Abba make a snow man.

2008-11-16T10:30:00.000-08:00

2008-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

2008-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:00

We were worried that Lizzy would be bored at home instead of going to daycare, but Matt has been documenting their fun-filled days.
Jared, Matthew, and Benjamin Dhaemers came to visit Lizzy and Matt recently. Two Dad's on kid duty...how fun.
Helping Daddy clean up the Halloween decorations. Apparently everything is more fun in a wagon.
Eating lunch at Round the Clock with Grammy Dizie. Lizzy eats out A LOT.
Posing as a big girl. Where did our baby go?

2008-11-03T14:47:00.000-08:00

Lizzy is now does perfect imitations of Matt and of me. For me...she says most things just like I do, with the same inflection, wait time, etc. For Matt...she has his laugh down, so now we she "pretends" that things are funny, she just closes her eyes and shakes. She looks just like Daddy. It is the funniest thing, and it always gets Matt to actually laugh.

Also, we have noticed a lot of "here you goes". If she is handing you anything, "Here you go, Mommy. Here you go." This comes straight from Matt. This is his catchphrase.

2008-11-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Abba and Grammy both gave Lizzy non-candy gifts. She was not falling for it :) Thanks for trying.

Caden joined us for about seven houses. Lizzy said he was the best part of Halloween...oooh!
Lizzy was the Little Mermaid, and LOVED Trick-or-Treating. We walked from our house to Dave and Dianne's, making sure we stopped at every house. Lizzy kept asking if the house was "open" and didn't fall for Mommy's trick of saying the candy was for her. So...we gave in and gave her three, very small pieces of candy. Long story short...apparently when a child who never gets candy has candy sugar really does have to effect. She was CRAZY, and Mommy has volunteered to eat the remaining candy.

2008-10-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

The Fam at the Pumpkin Patch. I am so rarely in the pictures that I had to post the two that I had.
Lizzy at the Lincoln Park Zoo with Katie. She LOVED the farm. We all kept trying to not have to go, but Lizzy's cuteness outsmarted us all.
Lizzy in a field of pumpkins. This picture makes me want to have a vest.
Lizzy and "Aunt Karen". My friend Karen is dying to be an aunt, so we are allowing her to pretend.

Okay...so I would like to apologize for taking so long to post something. I have been busy with going back to school at Washington and teaching at Ivy Tech. I know, I know...no excuse is good enough to stop blogging, but I hope it will do for now. I have been texting, so hopefully that still keeps me a little cool-OMG lol.

Luckily we have been taking pictures, so here is some of the fun stuff we have been doing in the two months since you heard from us.

2008-10-22T15:45:00.000-07:00

The new GREAT band: Lizzy and Onie.
Driving the bus at the mall.
Playing at Butterfly Park.
Riding a pony with Abba at the Pumpkin Patch.
Wanting to be like Mommy...sad news for Lizzy :)

2008-10-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

Cooking with Mommy
Meeting Baby Brogan our newest cousin. Apparently age doesn't matter. The O'Connors are always cute.
Getting ready for the Lil Kernel Race...she quit half way through. Caden took off and did great.
Going with Abba to Disney on Ice. We LOVED seeing Cinderella.

2008-08-18T18:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight I was cooking, and suddenly I felt something run into my legs. This is a common thing for Lizzy to do, so it took me a second to turn around. When I finally did, this is how I found her :) Apparently she needed to use her bug net for something other than catching bugs.

Lizzy and I also wanted to show off her toes. Lizzy was having a little trouble learning her colors, but as soon as I put paint on her nails she learned blue, yellow, and she keeps saying her toes are pink. Who knew it only took a little beauty to bring her out :)

2008-08-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be invited to the wedding of one of my former students, and I got to go with my good friend and fellow English teacher Christi. Here we are all dressed up, and below I got to pose with one of the prettiest brides I have ever seen. You could just she her happiness and loveliness shine out.

Congratulations Hannah and Drake- Thanks for having me.
And tonight we were blessed to have the Walters family over for dinner. Lizzy has been going to the Walters house since she came home, and now she will be staying home with Daddy full time. We will miss seeing them all the time, and as you can tell Lizzy seems a little attached.

We are so lucky to have found people outside our family who love our little Lizzy, and I know we all feel like they are family now.

Good luck in college this year David, and we should all wish Danny good luck because he has me again this year-poor boy-for three hours a day :)

2008-08-10T17:37:00.000-07:00

2008-08-10T17:17:00.000-07:00

The family (with the Crowells-of course) at the Doodlebops. Lizzy LOVED it. Later, I learned that we could have had front row tickets if I had only called Lonnie Steele. Lonnie used to be the principal at Washington, and he runs the Porter Co. Fair. Well...there's always next year.

Here is the Lizzy with the prize that she won (with Daddy's help) in a fishing game. She is quite proud.
Okay...so this was our fourth trip to the fair. We HAD to go with Ione, and we had a great time looking at the animals and riding the rides. I love how Lizzy is even smiling perfectly while she lets Ione drive.

2008-07-17T15:31:00.000-07:00

We have been going swimming a lot this summer thanks to our friends Natalie and Caden. Yesterday Lizzy talked one of our favorite lifeguards into giving her a lesson, Caden, as you can see did not want to be a part of it :)

Today we tried to go to the fair to see the dog show...it was a disaster. We had to beg for food vendors to give our hot, hot kids some food; the dog show was two hours later than I thought; but luckily Caden had his first ice cream cone-which was a huge success.

2008-07-14T12:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a weekend where a lot of things changed-some more than others. Lizzy went to her first baseball game. I came armed with the heaviest bag ever full of toys, but I should have known that Caden as all the excitement Lizzy needed. Here there are eating their dinner-french fries. I know-Brittney has nothing on me:)

Also, we, okay me, were excited because this was the first time that Lizzy was able to wear reall pig tails. Prepare to see them everywhere.
We also got to see the Valpo Triathlon up close because the runners come right past our house. Matt caught the three of us watching the race outside Lizzy's playroom. Maggie was as excited as Lizzy was.
Mommy and Daddy go to a wedding. And this is the last big first this weekend. Justin and Melissa spent their first time together as marrieds (do I sound British?). I was part of introducing them a couple of years ago, and we were so excited that my only time matchmaking ended up in a happy ending.

Congratulations to the happy couple and thanks for letting us be a part of it.

2008-07-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

Lizzy absolutely loves Caden Crowell, and she talks about him all the time. We have been having such a fun summer getting to see him more, and last night we all got to go to El Salto for some fun, music, and drinks (especially for the mommies).

2008-07-09T10:52:00.000-07:00

We were very busy the last couple of days. We headed to Winamac twice to see Aunt Heather and cousins Connor and Chapman who were in from Atlanta. We were lucky enough to catch the county fair in Winamac when we were there. Lizzy needed her pig and cow fix.

Then, on Saturday, we were thrilled to head to Indy for Cousin Bevin's baby shower. Only seven weeks until Baby Boy O'Connor arrives-who can stand the suspense.

2008-07-09T10:30:00.000-07:00

2008-07-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

I spent most of my childhood dreaming, practicing, okay praying, that I would become a famous actress or writer (it didn't matter...whichever got me on Oprah) and that someday I would give an award speech. Well who knew it would be for my blog that I don't update as much as my mother would like. I think she wants to know what Lizzy is doing second by second:)

So my friend Sara presented me with an Arte y Pico award for my blog. Thanks Sara for the shout-out. I promise, in my speech, to be better about commenting on all of your blogs...I know, I know...it really is the best part.

Translated, it means "Peak of Art" and here, folks, are the rules of the Arte Y Pico award:
1. Choose five blogs you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2. Post the name of the author and a link to his/her blog so everyone can view it.
3. Each award winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given him/her the award.
4. The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the "Arte Y Pico" blog so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5. Please post these rules.

So here are my five. They are really just the five I check the most:

1. Natalie: both Bo and Sam and the Notables...where do you find the time to be so good about this?

2. Jenn: Ione is so great, and I just love that I am getting to watch her get bigger in person and in cyberspace.

3. Jacque: Ty is adorable and his blog just makes me wish we could see him more, and we are super excited about baby #2 joining the blogging world as well!

4. Quinn: Have you seen Avery's blog?!?! I was blown away with the "Over the Rainbow" montage, and I am still speechless.

5. Beth: For a new mom, and all that comes with it, she is great about letting us all know about Baby Alaina. And, I love the title!

2008-07-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

Lizzy Lee has been enjoying her time with Josh, here from California. Apparently they are both really tough. I like how she is tormenting him with not only her muscles, but with the Gymboree bubble blower. Take that Josh.
And we all really enjoyed seeing Amy, Rob and all of the Bardons on their yearly visit. Here's hoping you come back to the Chicago area soon!

2008-06-30T12:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend we had some quality time with Daddy. We went to the European Market for the afternoon, and Lizzy loved the lemon freeze and her new hat from Abba. (My parents just got back from a trip.

Today we went to the beach with our friends Caden and Natalie. We had a great time until there was a near bird attack...don't ask...okay the seagulls wanted our snacks and they got a little too close for the mommies and Lizzy. Luckily Caden grabbed his bat and yelled "Back birds! Back!"
Good thing we had a man around especially since Lizzy has started saying, "Mommy, Daddy I princess."

2008-06-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

Lizzy...this is how she looked when I went to get her this morning.
Later we went to visit Grammy at work, and she let Lizzy destroy her desk and stick post-its all over her. See...the whole family is crazy :)
And here is Lizzy's latest art project from her art class. Yes...I did most of it. That is why it is so good.

Today when I went to get Lizzy this is how I found her. I particularly like that she slept in her boots all night.

2008-06-24T11:18:00.000-07:00

Lizzy at the Michigan City Zoo. The farm section was her favorite part.

On Sunday, we celebrated our Father's Day. We did it this way so that the whole day could be just about Matt, not so much running around, etc. Lizzy and I made a scavenger hunt for Daddy so he could find and go to his favorite places. We ended with lunch at a resturant that Matt actually picked...he claims he never gets to pick. We went to Pikk's and it was great. Maybe I should let him pick more often :)

On Monday, Lizzy and I went to the Michigan City Lighthouse Mall to return some things (and yes buy some more) and then we met Matt for lunch. Lizzy LOVED seeing her Daddy in the middle of the day.

2008-06-20T11:39:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I went to scrapblog.com and changed the top of the blog. Thanks for the tip on your blog Sara and Tatum...What do you think?

2008-06-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Our Lizzy Lee turned two on Monday, and we couldn't be happier or prouder of our wonderful little girl!

2008-05-24T11:14:00.000-07:00

Just a small picture of the madness. This picture doesn't really do it justice.

Angelina...playing so sweetly.
Lizzy and Evan working on their rock band.
Matt usually ends up working as a jungle gym at these parties, and last night was no exception. Don't feel badly...he encourages it and usually gets a couple of kids in trouble.

We decided to buy our new house for the room, for us as a family and to have people over. We have been lucky enough to have had several playdates here and to celebrate Mother's Day here. We wanted this to be a family house, so we pushed it to the limit last night when we invited over my work friends and their families. We had 11 kids here at one point, and it was great. Thanks everyone for coming and HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH! Don't worry...I won't post how old :)

2008-05-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

2008-05-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

2008-05-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

Almost every Saturday starts out with breakfast with my mom. This Sat. Lizzy was joined by "Abba" (Abuelo) and Cousin Bevin. She learned to cross her legs watching my dad, and then we hung out and wait for Gymboree (or "Ball" as Lizzy calls it).

2008-05-15T05:46:00.000-07:00

Lizzy has been "talking" for a while now, but this week something happened. She started speaking in sentences that made sense :)

In the past the sentences were just combinations of blabbering and words, but on Sunday (a Mother's Day present to me) Lizzy started saying several new words and then on Monday morning when I got her out of her crib she had a sentence for me.
She preceded to tell me that she had an owwie (sp?) and that it was her lip. I then asked her if she got it from jumping in her bed...she then said "YEAH!!!" It was so funny because it was almost a scream of excitement, and it was funny to finally hear some form of yes. We have had no down for quite a while, but I guess it just takes girls a little longer to learn how to go with the crowd :)

2008-05-11T16:29:00.000-07:00

Lizzy at Railcats Stadium.
Lizzy's cool, cool shades. She won't take them off and is constantly asking for "eyes, eyes".
I got to see Hillary Clinton from five rows back when she came to Washington Township in March.
Lizzy in her new chair!
Our first playdate in our new house. We were so excited that Ty and Zoe could both stay for supper.

We're back...after a month with no internet acces (or at least access to our blog) here are some pictures of our month in-between houses.

2008-03-26T17:37:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have no pictures for this, but I just had to write it on here if only so I can remember it. We only have two nights left in our house which is so happy and so sad. Tonight when I was putting Lizzy to sleep I was thinking about how for years before she came home, and especially after Abby died, the room was ready for a child but no child lived there. I used to come home from school sometimes, sit in the rocker, and dream about the day that there would be a baby in that room. Like all thoughts I have these days, this one didn't last long because my beautiful, fantastic daughter looked me in the face, said "nigh, nigh" and then put her cheek up to my lips and made the "mmmah" sound. She then pointed to her crib (her new sign that she is ready to just go in).
What a change for one little room.

2008-03-26T06:08:00.001-07:00

Ione came over the other day to help us pack and celebrate Spring. I am so excited that the girls are starting to play together and not just in the same space. BBF????

2008-03-25T06:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a mixture of all our Easter fun.

2008-03-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Lizzy's daycare. She LOVES this family, and her days look like they are more fun than mine!

2008-03-06T06:20:00.000-08:00

I got memed. Jenn tagged me. Here are the memeing rules:

For a definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme

(1) Link to the person that tagged you.
(2) Post the rules on your blog.
(3) Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
(4) Tag 3 random people by linking to their blogs. **Sorry, taking the liberty to revise the #.
(5) Let them know they're tagged by leaving a comment.

6 non-important things aboug me:

1. Today is my 30th birthday...okay that's very important :) The non-important thing is that I started my 20's by waking up in tears. Now I think I knew my 20's would have some very down moments, but I woke up today very excited. I think the 30's are the new 20's :)
2. I LOVE pink, but secretly also love brown. I wear LOTS of brown, and for some reason it makes me feel cozy.
3. Cozy is very important to me. I describe clothes, movies, events, food...everything in terms of cozy and not cozy. Matt particularly hates this when I describe food this way. UM...maybe I will just try to spend my 30's in cozy situations...what do you think?
4. I listen to classical music everyday. Lizzy and I listen to it while we cook, my students listen to it while they work (research claims it helps them focus), and I listen to it while I grade/plan.
5. I want one of everything in pink.
6. I claim to have a lot of secrets, but I don't really think I have one. I will attempt to secretly be more secretive.

2008-03-03T05:08:00.001-08:00

Okay, so again I am stealing pictures from other children's webpages. But, I also wanted to send a big CONGRATS to Keely and Dave. Matt and I went to their wedding in Chicago on 2/23. It was beautiful and a wonderful excuse to see some of my favorite people. Here are Keely and Dave...hope you had a GREAT time in Costa Rica and my sorority sisters all grown up and fancy.

2008-03-03T04:59:00.000-08:00

Okay...so we have been extremely busy lately. Tax season is in full swing so Matt works 6 days a week from 8-6/7. He makes it home a couple of nights a week to put Lizzy to bed, but at least with his new job he takes her to daycare, so he sees her everyday...a big change from working in South Bend.

We also have been looking at a lot of houses. Above is the house that we are putting an offer on...I really like it. We are still waiting for our buyers to finalize their pre-approval, so I am not holding my breath yet.

Lizzy has been going to Gymboree on Sat. mornings. She really likes it, and she is climbing there more than at home...which is where we want it to stay. She is talking more, and she now calls me Mommy, not MaMa. This just happened in the last couple of days, and it is a nice and sad thing for me. Where did my baby go?

2008-02-18T06:46:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty eventful weekend...we were a normal family with lots of errands, friends over, and time to hang out. It was wonderful. Lizzy has taken to eating right next to Matt, and if he isn't here she will take me as a second choice.

We got an offer on our house this weekend, so after a long drive around the area to see some houses Lizzy and I faked a nap on the floor. And yes...we stayed in our pj's all day Sunday. Gross...I know.

2008-02-14T03:33:00.000-08:00

My aunt Heather told me once that when you have children you can never make plans, things are always subject to change. Well, for the most part Lizzy has been pretty predictable, and I thought with our life (the hospital trips, etc.) I was used to not making plans. But yesterday Lizzy taught me otherwise.

I read online about a cute way to send a Valentine. I was going to take her picture with this sign and wish you all a Happy Valentine's...well. Elizabeth had other plans as you can see.

So, HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY from the Kwiatkowski's, and I hope it's the thought that counts.

PS...Jacque, this post is for you. I promised to tell the bad too, so here you go:)

2008-02-01T07:52:00.000-08:00

Lizzy's new favorite. Every night after her bath she yells, "obe, obe!" We like that she looks like a little person now. She wears this and walks around saying good night to everything in the house.

Our snow day...above happiness...below sadness. Don't we all feel that way about the snow?

2008-02-01T07:25:00.000-08:00

Matt doesn't like to put Lizzy down at all. He claims she won't take naps unless he stays in there too!
Lizzy's new toys: Dada's lunch box and tie.

Their reunion. I have never seen Matt so happy. I think he likes his girl.

Sorry for the delay. We have been asdjusting to Matt's health (he is finally over his pneumonia), Lizzy's cold/flu, and the beginning of tax season. Things are good here. Matt is getting home earlier (for tax season) at his new job, and Lizzy is still obsessed with Matt, but it now seems like a normal obsession. When he first came back home, Lizzy had to have both Mama and Dada in the same room, and she didn't want to sleep. It was very sad because she seemed a little traumatized from Matt's absence and my going back to work, but she is back to normal too. She wakes up and yells "go, go". I say do you want to go to Miss Kimmie's house, and she nods violently. I think she likes it there.

Today I have a snow day, so Lizzy and I went and played in the snow for a little while. She refused to wear her gloves and managed to take them off when I was trying to take a picture. As you can see, she doesn't like how cold the snow is. She did like watching the dogs in the snow though. Maggie runs and rolls in it, and Lizzy was encouraging her by yelling "NO, NO"-her way of saying snow. Forgive any words that are not spelled correctly; the computer won't let me check.

2008-01-07T13:16:00.000-08:00

And here's just one to remember how cute she really is...as if you could forget?

EVIDENCE

Okay...so in case you didn't believe me here are some pictures of our sad, sad girl. I kept thinking the chicken pox was no big deal, but her fever went up to 103 several times, she is not eating well, and she is an itching machine. Luckily, today we are over the worst of it and scabbed up. We think the all clear for Dada to return tomorrow is still a go. We really miss him :(

2008-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

A Pox Upon Our House
So last night in the bathtub I discovered some evidence of chicken pox on Lizzy's torso...so I guess the precautions for Matt's health were warranted. And Ty don't worry...Lizzy wasn't contagious when we saw you so with the vaccine you should stay just as cute and pox free.

Matt can come home in about a week, which is what we were hoping for anyway, so it seems to be working out a little. If you consider missing Christmas and living apart for three weeks working out...I guess my point of view is always changing:)

2007-12-29T11:41:00.000-08:00

This is a repeat for those of you who check Ty's blog too, but Lizzy and Ty finally got to "play" together. I think that Lizzy finally met her match. There was a stare-down at one point that would have put some Wild West cowboys to shame. Ty won, and Lizzy was finally humbled.

2007-12-26T08:30:00.000-08:00

Well...the Kwiatkowskis had a pretty lousy Christmas. Lizzy was exposed to chickenpox at her daycare, and because Daddy can't get it he has been living at his mom and dad's house for a week. Which means...no family Christmas for us. Lizzy did go to her Great Grandma's house for Christmas, but we have postponed all of her gift opening until Daddy can come.

2007-12-13T17:40:00.000-08:00

Not many people can pull of this outfit, but we think Lizzy can do it.

2007-12-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

Lizzy had a big week. On Monday she and Kim (our daycare provider) went the dollar store. Lizzy went in a normal girl, but she came out a princess:)

On Thursday, Lizzy had a Christmas cookie party. She was so excited the Bo, Sam, Ione, Cam, and Evan could all come to her party. We had a GREAT time!

2007-12-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

Some friends of ours came over today to look at our house...they are thinking of buying it. So in the middle of last minute cleaning, Lizzy decided to pitch in. Truthfully, she does this everytime I clean. I think she has a tad bit of OCD like her mommy :)

2007-12-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Last night was the Christmas celebration downtown. Again this year Matt was a "wise man". I guess he is pretty smart because he seems to like me and Lizzy :)

Also, Lizzy got to meet Santa Claus which because this is Valpo was my high school student council sponsor's husband. I know that sounds like no one close to us, but it was again fun to walk around and feel at home. Lizzy like Santa for about 30 seconds. Then she seemed to realize that she was with someone she didn't know...then the tears which were not captured on film.

2007-12-02T16:14:00.000-08:00

We had fun this weekend at Colin's (our nephew) birthday party. The fun began when we found Dianne locked in her own car. We decided to take a picture first before we let her out. Lizzy loved the video games and spending time with her cousins.

Happy 5th Birthday Colin!!!

2007-11-25T15:44:00.000-08:00

Lizzy celebrated her first Thanksgiving this weekend. We were so excited to have her with us this year. She loved seeing everyone, and she even got involved in the yelling at Grandma O'Connor's house. Who knew Mommy's relatives were loud :)

2007-11-15T03:27:00.003-08:00

Lizzy had a fun weekend. She got to see two of her Great-Grandmas, and she got to spend Sunday morning playing with her cousins.

2007-11-04T17:27:00.000-08:00

2007-11-04T17:01:00.000-08:00

2007-11-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

I know that I have been taking my time in posting some things, but here are some recent pictures of Lizzy. As you can see, she is a very busy girl, and occasionally she doesn't have time for blogging.

2007-10-13T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of Lizzy at County Line Orchard on Saturday afternoon. As usual, she loved the animals, and her teething process has slowed down, so we all had a better time than last week. My favorite part of the trip involved Lizzy and the rake. At the orchard they have a small area for children her age. Lizzy sat there for awhile raking the hay back and forth. Two children (older) tried to take the rake from Lizzy. The first time, like all mothers, I stepped in and told the child that Lizzy was playing with. The second time I realized that my help was not necessary. Lizzy saw the girl, put a firmer grip on the rake, and stared at her with her furrowed brow. The two girls had a "Wild West" style stare down, and Elizabeth won. It was then that Matt and I realized that we probably don't need to worry about Lizzy taking care of herself in the world. We thought her strong opinions were just with us, but our Elizabeth seems to know what she deserves:respect.

2007-10-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Lizzy and her new favorite toy. We forsee some problems in middle school.

2007-10-07T16:19:00.000-07:00

Lizzy, Cat, and Leslie at dinner to get ready for the big race.

Lizzy and Karen wondering...where is Leslie?

YEAH...Here come the runners.

And here is Lizzy once she had had enough of the race. Luckily there were five adults to take the many trips that Lizzy wanted to go on :)

This weekend Lizzy was a city girl as she headed to the Chi to cheer on our friend Leslie in the Chicago Marathon! Lizzy liked watching the race for about twenty minutes. The combination of teething again (this will make 10) and not moving made it a long time for Mommy and Daddy too. Lizzy did have fun on Saturday at a fancy Italian restaurant and at the zoo and Nature Museum.

Also...Lizzy is officially walking. She started on Wednesday moving from quick trips between furniture to just walking around the house. It is amazing to see her go, and she literally wants to walk all day long.

2007-09-30T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a video I have been trying to post for about a month. Here is Little Miss Chatterbox having a very deep conversation with her Aunt Christi and commanding the dogs by yelling "hey".

2007-09-30T09:49:00.000-07:00

Lizzy is reinventing Dance Dance Dance Revolution :)

2007-09-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

Lizzy was Daddy's biggest supporter at this year's Leukemia walk. Daddy was the honored hero, and Lizzy agreed with their choice!

We took Lizzy to the tractor show this weekend, but was she liked most was the grass.

Lizzy is walking more at home, and Little Miss Indepedent wants to walk EVERYWHERE.

Lizzy and Daddy on the merry-go-round. She loves it. She screams at the horses and "moo's". We believe this is because she thinks all animals are cows.

2007-09-17T03:11:00.001-07:00

Lizzy had such a fun weekend. She loved going to Daddy's 30th birthday party. She learned to play video games with her grandparents and Grandma Dianne let her eat all the frosting she wanted. Then the next day she got to spend some time at Grandma and Grandpa Arzola's while they babysat and came home to cheer on the Bears! How much fun can a little girl have :)

2007-09-03T16:18:00.001-07:00

Well...I am officially back to work, so the number of pictures of Lizzy has gone down some, but her new activities have not. Yesterday Lizzy took six steps on her own. YEAH!!!! My back is very excited at the idea of Lizzy moving independently. Also, last Weds. (Aug. 30th) Lizzy had her Indiana court date. Her name is officially changed to Elizabeth Lee Kwiatkowski, and she now has an Indiana birth certificate and everything. It was very exciting.

This weekend we headed down to Evansville for my sister's commitment ceremony. Here is a picture of Lizzy and her Aunt Christi and Aunt Jennifer at their rehearsal. It was a beautiful weekend complete with Lizzy as flower girl. She didn't really hold up her end of the bargain...She sat down, scooted across the floor, and she had to have Daddy pick her up.

2007-08-19T12:05:00.001-07:00

Lizzy with her great aunt and uncle. They stopped to see her and bought some really cute clothes. Lizzy prefered the doggie they brought.
Lizzy...Queen of the Mountain. This is Lizzy after her amazing feat of climbing up all the couch cushions when they are on the floor.

I don't know why we like close-ups. We just do :)

Well...Lizzy and I just finished up our last week of summer vacation, and the sadness is overwhelming. I hope you can tell by the pictures though that we had a good time. This week Elizabeth has shown us that she is smarter than even we thought. She now puts the telephone up to her ear and talks into it. She refuses to do this when anyone is on the phone of course, but she loves to talk to the time and temp. man. She was trying to put the lid on her cup, but she had trouble with direction. She is speaking clearer now and certain words are very clear: Hi, Hey, Up, Down. She also took a couple of steps on her own. YEAH

Also, Lizzy has started to dance. She now sways back in forth to music that she likes. She even sings (a lot of Ba Ba Da) when Mommy sings. We are amazing and going on the road shortly.

2007-08-13T05:07:00.000-07:00

LOOK...I CAN BRUSH MY TEETH.
READING TO DADDY :)
PLAYING WITH MY BUBBLE MACHINE FROM AUNT CHRISTI WHILE SHE IS VISITING.
GET ME OUT OF HERE...I CAN'T TAKE THESE PEOPLE.

2007-08-13T04:52:00.000-07:00

Did Picasso eat his paint as well? Lizzy loved finger painting, but she did have to learn how first.

2007-08-06T06:41:00.000-07:00

I know...we're not big fans of naked pictures, but did think it is funny that Maggie even has to supervise her bath.

Lizzy is getting much better at walking (with one finger) and pulling herself up. She loves to be close to the TV even when it is off, and the poor girl cannot go anywhere with out Maggie. Maggie is convinced that she is really her mother!

2007-07-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

With my cousins...we are ready for the zoo!
Look at my posture when I ride the pony.
Be careful... some of the animals bite.
All three of us in the wagon. I swear I liked it :)

2007-07-31T12:57:00.000-07:00

2007-07-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is a toddler now. She definitely attempts to "toddle" around the house. If Mommy's back could keep up, Lizzy would practice walking around the house all day. It is by far her favorite thing, and she is always so proud of herself. There is also a weird arm movement that she does while walking...it reminds me of Nazi solider :)

Lizzy has been very active this month...working on using a spoon (sometimes it gets in her mouth), going to the zoo, and spending time at the lake house. She has also discovered two of her favorite things in the whole world: the light from her train set and goldfish graham crackers (both are perfect for her little hands).

2007-06-18T07:40:00.000-07:00

Matt's first Father's Day started off so nicely, and then...

For Matt's first Father's Day we decided to buck traditional gifts and activities. No brunches or tools for us...we're going shooting. We both did surprisingly well, and I can't tell you how much I want to buy a gun. Who knew we were so secretly violent :)

2007-06-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

Lizzy and her "best" friend Ione.
YUMM... Cake. We knew she was her daddy's girl!

Lizzy is now one year old. She is offically a big girl. She ate her cake, surprisingly without any mess, and she LOVES all of her new presents. Mommy and Daddy love the presents too because we can now learn new songs :) We are looking forward to her big birthday party on the 4th.

2007-06-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

2007-06-11T16:17:00.001-07:00

Lizzy has been very busy this week. She met two more of her great-grandparents, she walked alone (with the help of a walker toy thing), and she is turning one on Saturday. She is trying REAL milk and a whole bunch of other things that only big girls can do because as you know she is "so big". :)

2007-06-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Lizzy and I had our first official day off today. We both could not be more excited. First we played at home (putting things in and out of bowls-unbelievable fun). Then we wen to see Great-Grandma Norma. Next, we went to the park and McDonald's with our friends Beth, Evan and Camden. And finally, we went to see Grandma Dianne because we saw her car. What a day!

2007-05-29T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is how I eat now...messy, messy, messy.

Helping Mommy with laundry.

This is how I prefer it...NO CLOTHES!!!

Watch out...we know she is cute, but with seven teeth now SHE BITES!!

Well...I have FINALLY responded to your complaints, and here is some much needed news about Lizzy :)

Things for the Kwiatkowski's have been great. Matt had his final surgery, and all is well. He is on the road to being back. This weekend he even helped clean the house!!! All you mom's out there no what a big help this is...five months cleaning alone was tough, especially since I have some problems with dirtiness.

Lizzy is still LOVING it at daycare. She loves watching the kids, and playing in the yard. There are four kids around the same age there, and I am so looking forward to her having friends there. BUT...ONLY FIVE MORE DAYS OF WORK, so then Mommy and Baby can be back to together again.

She is getting so big, okay, big for us. Lizzy is now 16 pounds...it has taken five months for this child to gain 4 pounds, but the doctors are excited about her weight gain, which includes 1.5 pounds in two weeks. She is just a little girl. A littler girl who is learning to use her looks to get what she wants. On Sat. we took her to breakfast and Lizzy spent that time "flirting" with a man at the next table. Long story short, he paid for our meal !!!

She has also taken to screaming her speech. This speech includes rapid hand movements. She is reminding us of a small Communist dictator. We knew she was smart, but smart enough to take over small countries..who knew?

No crawling still. Although Matt said that she crawled yesterday a little on her changing table. This was an effort, I am sure, to escape her least favorite task: putting on clothes. For some reason this is just horrible, and it makes me want to cry everytime too.

She is becoming more independent. Still curious, but now the curious wants explanations. Like yesterday, Memorial Day, we were feeding her at the Kwiatkowski lake house. We would put the food and water in front of her (yes...she is a big girl who wants to feed herself and use her sippy cup) and we would say, "Lizzy, do you want more food or water?" Then she points to what she wants. She is so smart, and we are constantly amazed by what she understands and gets. Apparently, this is a lesson that we need to watch our mouths :)

Well...here are some pictures, and I will attempt to be better about posting.

2007-04-14T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Kwiatkowski family before the ceremony.
Lizzy with her parents and godparents.
The "crazy-eyed" baby in her playpen...Where is my toy?

A lot has changed in the Kwiatkowski house...Matt and I are both back to work, and Lizzy is now going to daycare. She seems to love it there, but we would both rather quit and stay home with her.

Last weekend, on Easter Saturday, Lizzy was baptized. She looked very pretty in her white dress that her great-grandmother Collins had made for her.

She has started pulling herself up, and we had to lower her crib to prevent falling. She is making a lot of progress walking, and she moves (while being held) on furniture. She also has perfected the wave and No...she waves to EVERYONE (people at restaurants, the grocery). We think she likes the response she gets.

She is just getting so much better at moving herself around. She would be much better I am sure if her parents and grandparents would just put her down :)

2007-04-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

Lizzy and I have spent our last couple weeks together home with Daddy. It has been wonderful having Matthew home, and I feel like the time in the beginning of the maternity leave that we lost to hospital time was regained. We have been having a great time, even with Matt working from home, and I am even sadder now to return to work on Weds.

Before Lizzy came home, I really thought that I wouldn't mind going back to work, but I do. I love my job, and I do miss my students, but the thought of days without Lizzy makes me cry. I can't even imagine the sadness I am going to feel soon. She is so wonderful, and she does something new and funny everyday. I am so worried that soon I will miss all her firsts. In the last couple of weeks she has gotten very attached to me (crying when I leave the room), and she has become very scared of strangers. This new development makes me a little happy (I like to be her favorite) and scared about how she will do at daycare and about how I might not be her favorite soon.

We have done lots of fun things recently. Lizzy finally met my aunt and uncle...her first Arzola's. My cousin Bevin also came to visit. She also made her first trip to the Kwiatkowski lake house for a day of fun with her cousins, and she went to the park for the first time. She LOVES the swing. We knew she would. This child is amazing, and she loves to experience new things.

Her new tricks are shaking her head "No", clapping her hands, and basically mimicking anything that we do.

2007-04-02T14:06:00.000-07:00

Her new tricks are shaking her head "No", clapping her hands, and basically mimicking anything that we do.

2007-03-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

Lizzy meeting Amy for the first time. I like her shirt :)

Lizzy and her cousin Brooklyn.

Lizzy watching the action of the party.

The birthday boy...Dylan Matthew Kwiatkowski

I think the baby loves me. I have known for awhile that she loved Matthew-she jumps and smiles whenever she sees him, but she does not react this way for me. We are almost never separated, so there is little surprise or jumping required. But today, Lizzy wanted to cuddle more and when she usually doesn't want to-during feeding and playing. I think this might be because Lizzy has just spent a couple of overnights with her grandparents so I could go stay in the hospital with Matt. Everyone has said that she looks for my voice and follows me around the room, but until tonight I did not see any "real" evidence of her attachment to me. I love this baby, and I am glad that finally she can feel it too.

This weekend Lizzy and I celebrated her cousin's birthday. Dylan turned three this year, and Mike and Miranda had a family party for him. As always, it was wonderful to see our family, and Lizzy LOVES her cousins. Mostly she watches them in awe because our house is so boring and doesn't have as much action.

We also got to see my good friend Amy and her husband this weekend. They live in Virginia, and this was their first experience with Lizzy. So took to them right away...how could you not?

2007-03-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

This has been an interesting week for us...Matthew is back in the hospital to get ready for his surgery this Weds. We are hoping it is a shorter stay than last time because Lizzy and I are missing him all ready. We also meet some new friends this week. Lizzy finally got to meet Angelina Borowiak after a month of illness in her family, and the meeting went well. Lizzy, like her mother, has a problem with being loud, and she continually screamed "A-da" at Angelina trying to gain a response. Of course, Angelina, like most women, was frightened by this volume:)

Lizzy and I are both trying to work on our inside voices :)

Also, to add insult to injury for poor Angelina, Lizzy is apparently not good at sharing. Angelina had the nerve to grab for Lizzy's favorite toy, and as you can see Lizzy did all she could to get it back.

2007-03-06T08:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from Lizzy's first swim class last week. She LOVED it, and hopefully she loves it again today! Please ignore me in my bathing suit. I am not summer ready-emotionally or physically :)

2007-03-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

Lizzy had a party this weekend. Okay...she didn't have a party, but it was a party for her. Matt's mom, Dianne, threw a beautiful party for some of her friends and family to welcome little Lizzy Lee to Valpo. It was held in the same room where we had our wedding and in the same restaurant that Matthew proposed. It has become a special place for us, and it was wonderful to have so many people AGAIN be so excited about our little girl. When you adopt, you hope that your child will be welcomed and loved just like all parents do. We have been so blessed to have so many people love us and be generous to us all through our lives. It was a WONDERFUL party.

The best part, for us at least, was getting to see our niece and nephews. They have been very sick this winter, and as you can see Lizzy loves her cousin Brooklyn who is one month younger, but luckily for us bigger-lots of hand-me-downs!

2007-03-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

2007-03-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

I am sorry that I haven't written or updated you all in a little bit. Lizzy keeps me rather busy!!

This week Lizzy had her first swim class. She LOVES the water, and she did her kicking motion (her sign that she is excited) almost the entire time. What a natural! Some family came to watch her swim, and shortly before (after I realized that I would be in a swimsuit too) a friend reminded me that maybe I should stop inviting people to the swim class :)

We have been attempting to stay busy. Mostly we hang out with our friends Jenn and Ione Skafish (also on maternity leave), we go on walks, and we clean. I am still amazed at the number of times a week I do laundry, and I am terrified of what this house will look like when I return to work in a couple of weeks :(

Lizzy is still not crawling, but she has perfected her roll and it seems to get her everywhere she wants to go. She stands for long periods of time while holding on to things. And she seems to want to step while standing, but no major movement yet.

She, like her mother, talks constantly. Frequently in resturants she tries to play the game we play at home where she screams and then we scream back. At home it is cute because she laughs, I think at the fact that she can get us to perform for her, but in public I think it might be too much for others! She has started squealling at strangers to get their attention, and when they look she cocks her head to the side and smiles-all ready aware that she is the prettiest girl in the room.

She still loves her activity center and her jump-a-roo, but now that she is more mobile she seems to want to be out of them more than in. This makes my life a little more difficult, but I am sure her mobilty now will seem tame compared with what is coming.

Matthew was recently in the hospital for almost two weeks for his infection in his ankle, and it looks like he will have surgery on the 14th of this month. We are looking forward to it because we all hope this means we will be on the road to healing again. He has had trouble with his ankle for so long, and it would be nice to take walks as a family together.

2007-01-26T06:37:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures from this week. Lizzy in her favorite- her jump-a-roo. I wish something could get me this excited. Okay...maybe the baby in the toy does :)

Lizzy meeting some new friends and her future best friend Ione Skafish. Both were ready for a nap.

2007-01-26T06:26:00.000-08:00

Today marks the end of our first "normal" week home together. Matt is back to work, and Lizzy and I are running errands, taking trips to the library, and visiting friends. Her sleep schedule is much better. And after some advice from her doctor to "let her scream sometimes" I am sleeping much better too, and I am a lot less nervous I am doing the wrong thing. She is still trying to crawl and sit-she hasn't master either yet. But we did have our first time away from each other.

Last night Lizzy was left with Aunt Miranda while I did some tutoring. I didn't think it would be that difficult to leave her, but I almost didn't go at all. In that last couple of days my love for her has gone from ordinary to unbelievable. I am sad sometimes when she is asleep, and I contemplate waking her up so we can spend time together. She is funnier than I imagined, and everyday she gets better at the small skills that I take for granted.

Yesterday, for example, we spent some time playing with a pot and a spoon. It was amazing watching her little hands pick up this spoon that is as long as she is. She thought about each movement, and you could tell that she was improving. She still marvels at her hands, and frequently I just catch her staring at them. But, she stares at EVERYTHING-even people.

I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult it will be to go back to work and to be separated from her and to keep everything going here.

I am confident that I will be getting lots of help from at least one person. My mother has been here everyday to see Lizzy, and I am sure that at least one of them is in love.

So...for this week. Lizzy has managed to get some food in her mouth herself, and she LOVES her jump-a-roo. She jumps so much that she shakes the whole toy. We are sure it is going to break soon! The best thing about this toy is her reaction. I think that some drug is in this toy because she absolutely freaks out when she is in it.

2007-01-18T16:13:00.000-08:00