Well child check ups

I thought that I was being the multi-tasker of the year by scheduling Ella and Grant's well child check-ups at the same time. One trip to the doctor, 2 kids, good idea right? Well it sounds great, however when you add "10 shots" along with lots of tears, I quickly second guessed my decision! But overall we survived. Ella had her one year immunizations along with the flu shot, and Grant was a very big boy and got the mass quantity of shots that he needed to go to pre-school.
Ella had a clean bill of health, which of course we were thrilled about. She weighed in at 26.5 pds and 30.5 inches. Dr. Dykema said that she had a little extra poundage for her age, but will slim down as soon as she starts running around.
Grant weighed in at 41.25pds and 42.25 inches tall. He got a great report too!

Here are a few pictures from our eventful day! Grant thought that he should check Ella out to make sure the doctor didn't miss anything! Cheerios and doctor toys, does it get any better than that?

School is in session!

Well after 2 weeks, I am finally able to have a minute to post first day of school pictures! Some may think that having a portion of the children in school might prove for a quieter day around here, but it is actually quiet the opposite! Between the insane carpooling schedule, packing lunches, filling out forms, and homework there has been little time left to sit!

This year proves to be a pretty major transition year for all the kids. Jakob is in 6th grade, which is the progression from elementary school to middle school. He was very excited about this change! He is now able to play junior high sports, be on a power plus team at school, and switch classes. With this he is being challenged more with responsibility and organization. So far, we are very impressed :0)

Logan and Brayden had a huge transition this year as they have switched schools, and also were introduced to an entirely new learning style. The boys are at Waukazoo Elementary School in the Montessori program. Brayden is in a 1-3rd classroom, and Logan is in the 3rd-5th class. We are very excited about the Montessori approach to learning, and feel this will be a great growth year for both the boys. Although the change has not been without some struggles, we are hopeful that in the end the year with prove to have been a positive one.

And lastly, our little Grant started his first ever school experience today. We weren't sure if we were going to put him in a preschool class, or just have him be home with mom this year, but after a couple weeks of having his brothers gone we realized he would benefit from some structured time with other kids his age. He is in a 4 year old pre-school program at Tot-time, which meets Monday and Wednesday mornings for 2 hours. He had an awesome first day, but came home pretty tired out! It is so fun to see him have an experience that is all his own!

Oh, I guess I can't forget that daddy (Nate) has gone back to school as well, in a couple ways. One, he started the fall semester teaching Management at Davenport University as he has been doing for the past year. And secondly, he has joined the Institute of Managerial Accountants, and is beginning the process of studying to sit for the Certified Managerial Accountant exam. Crazy some might say........of course it is, but our family is not very well known for being boring!

Upcoming events in the Sandstedt Family.........Ella starts walking(hopefully), Brayden loses his first tooth(hopefully),apple picking, more soccer games,and engedi moves to a new home....stay tuned!!!

Grant-isms

I have to write about my little Grant today, because as much as he can challenge every ounce of my being, he also has such an innocence to him that I don't want to wish away.
The other day as we stopped at the store to run and in get "1" quick thing, he insisted on going in with daddy. Therefore a 2 minute trip, was now going to be a 15minute trip, thanks to unbuckling and buckling the seat belt and little footsteps versus fast big ones! Not to mention the conversation that he was bound to initiate about God knows what. But as I watched him so eagerly take daddy's hand it occurred to me how very little he still is. I think that with a family our size the younger ones start to follow after the older ones and sometimes we take for granted the preciousness of their age. They seem to grow up quicker because they are constantly trying to do what the "big brothers" are doing.

Now that our family is complete, I am amazed at how fast time flies. I am determined to keep the little ones little for as long as I can. I have also decided that I am not going to correct his "Grant-sim's" as I call them, because soon enough he will figure out that he is mis-pronouncing words and then they won't be his cute little words anymore. Some of my favorites are "headick" for headache, which I am sure he has never had, but he will on occasion tell me that I am giving him one. Another is "eye-bra" for eyebrow, and my personal all time favorite Grant phrase lately is when he tells me that he has made a bad choice because he is "frustred", of course that is frustrated, but when I asked him if he knows what frustrated means, he replies "Well if you tell me, then I will know for next time."

Another thing I have chosen to let go are the wardrobe choices. He has a real interest in dressing himself. Most days we have a nice stripe on top and perhaps a plaid on the bottom. Or other days we might have a white tank top on top with Batman boxers on bottom. And it would not be uncommon to have some sort of cape or costume accessory somewhere in the mix as well. I almost like it when we are out and someone asks him if he dressed himself, because he is so proud to say "Yup", having no clue why they would ask such a silly question...

As much as I am not looking forward to summer coming to an end, and the boys all heading to school, I am looking forward to some one on one with the littlest Sandstedt's at home during the day.

Above is a picture of Grant as we went through the car wash. He asked to sit in the front and sat in awe the entire 5 minutes! It captures life in the eyes of a 4 year old.

Ella's 1st birthday!

We were thrilled to have friends and family with us to celebrate Ella's 1 st birthday! In some ways it is hard to believe that she is one year old already, but on the other hand, it is hard to remember what our family was like before her! She has been such a content, happy baby, even in the newborn days. She is a true delight! One of my favorite moments is when I wake to hear her babbling from her crib. She always greet us with a HUGE good morning smile....what an awesome way to start any day! We feel so blessed to have been given this "gift" to complete our family!
We are excited to see her change and grow over the next few months. Although she is not walking at this point, we expect that to be in the near future. She is pushing toys, baskets, and even her highchair all over the house. She has also started standing alone for a few moments too! Her vocabulary has increased, and she now says "Hi", "Bye", and "Door", (which we believe is "Dora"). She loves to look at books, play peek-a-boo, and climb stairs (this new trick proves to be a bit challenging for mom!) She also LOVES music! She shakes her head from side to side and bounces up and down. I must say that daddy is responsible for all her awesome dance moves...and he is quite proud to show them off!


Upcoming event in Ella's little world...
~First trip to Alcona County over Labor Day!

Stay tuned for walking updates.....

Ella's 1st birthday!

July parties!

Nate and I had a lot of fun celebrating with friends and family over the past few weeks! We were thrilled to witness the Sagmoe and Crowell weddings and we also had an awesome time at the 40th birthday celebration of our friend Bridget. Good times....