B-day Boy!

A message from Maddie...

We had so much fun celebrating Dane's 2nd B-day.  Maddie was very excited for Dane as well.  Matt took the day off of work to spend the day with the kiddos.  They went to the library (which they love) in the morning and then out to lunch.  We then headed to LEGO Land in the afternoon and then had a quick and easy dinner at Corner Bakery.  We headed to Purdue the next day to continue the celebration.  He had a joint b-day party with Allie and his auntie did a great job planning it.

Dane is 2!

Oh my sweet little boy is 2.  It seems like it has flown by, yet I feel like he has been in our family for much longer than 2 years!  He is such a good boy and he melts our heart every single day.  He adores his sister and does everything she does.  He is a very easy going little guy who loves to laugh, snuggle, run, play/watch sports - especially basketball, sing, be read to, play, ride his scooter and climb.  He is  a very loyal little Purdue fan who sings "Hail Purdue" all of the time.  He is very into sports.  He has been able to identify all the different types of balls for a few months now.  He can count to 20 (not always perfectly!), knows his colors and wants to do everything on his own.  In the words of Dane, "I do it!"  His favorite show is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He is still a pretty good eater, but has a bit of a sweet tooth!  He is on the small side and he fits best in 18 month old clothes.  He has very clear speech and can communicate all of his wants and needs quite easily.  He has been sleeping in a big boy bed for about two weeks now and is doing quite well.  He does need to be returned to bed quite often lately, but after a couple of times, he gives up and goes to sleep.  He still likes to study people and try to figure things out.  He has been a joy these past two years and we love him so very much.  Dane Brian Welke is such a blessing and a special little boy!!!

Maddie is very into doing hair these days.  She does my hair in a very similar way that she did Claire's hair.  She is such a little girlie girl!

Princess Maddie

Maddie was signed up to be in the Homecoming assembly again this year.  Last year she was nervous, but she did it.  I feel like she isn't as shy as she used to be and is quite familiar with my school, so I thought she would do it with no problem.  Well, it is Maddie afterall.  Looking at her in the pictures, you can see just how nervous and uncomfortable she was.  She had a lot of people there to watch her.  Oh well...better luck next year!

AFTER... a much more relaxed girl.

Maddie and Matthew

We Love Mimi

We were lucky to have a special guest come and visit!  The kids adore her and we do too.  She read them books before bed.

ARLINGTON PARK

We had a blast at the race track with our visitors from Denmark.  The kids loved making bets.  They would cheer on the horses and got super into it.  Maddie still talks about all the horses she bet on.  According to her, their names are: Pink Lemonade, Muppet Man, Michelina, Buttercup's Baby, Richie's Girl.  Then she adds, "Dane's horse is Scissor Tail." 

Dane on the train. 

Maddie's First Day at Grace Preschool

Maddie was very excited for school to start.  She picked out her outfit and had her bag packed for weeks.  She has been doing great and she loves school.  She is also asking when she can go back to Little Vikes. 

Family Get Together

The kids were so cute together.  It was so nice to be with our family and we wish we could see them more often!  We sang Happy Birthday to Jill and the kids were all about the cake!

G-ma's B-day

We love our grandma and she is so special to us.  She had a very hard birthday, but she is so strong.
The girls sang to her...

Monkey Dane

Dane loves hanging, climbing, being all boy.  This picture shows his pure excitement!

Gymnastics

Maddie took soccer and gymnastics over the summer.  She was a soccer drop out, but she did like gymnastics.  She is currently in dance with her cousin and she loves it.  She will have a recital in the spring to an Ariel song.  She is very excited.

Zoo Day - Late August

This was one of my most favorite days of the summer.  We had such a great  time and it was a beautiful day.

 The kids were so cute and so excited to ride the carousel!

Heidi is here!! Late August

This cute girl will be living with us for the school year.  Can she handle the Welke family for that long?!?!?  

Claire's B-day/Movie Under the Stars - Early August

 Maddie loved the movies under the stars this summer. She would get SO excited.  She would pack her bag of treats and get everything organized.  She was extra excited for the final movie of the summer...TANGLED.  It also was on Claire's B-day.  We still had fun even though they cancelled the movie due to the weather (even though it was a beautiful night).

 We brought a little cake for the 3 year old!  The girls LOVE each other so much.