Liesel's 14-Year Trip

Hi everyone! This is Liesel.

When we were little, my parents decided that they were going to take each of us on 3 trips. One trip with our mom to Utah, one trip with our dad to Palmyra, and then our senior trip with both of them.

Here is my trip to Palmyra (and upstate New York in general) with my dad.

While driving around we found a random state park that we decided to explore. there were a lot of little waterfalls and cool cliffs everywhere and I really glad we decided to take a look.

Throughout the trip, I wore outfits from my closet that gave me fall vibes so on this day I wore a white shirt and my brown shrug along with jeans. You can't see it super well in this photo but the staircase in the cave is pretty cool!

We also went to visit Niagara Falls and we went on the "Maid of the Mist" boat tour, where we proceeded to get drenched in water. Here are some photos I took while we were there before I had to put the phone away so that it didn't get soaked.

 

And a picture of the falls afterwards once we were off the boat.

Here is a picture some nice ladies took of us in the Sacred Grove

And a picture of us near the temple.

This is a picture of us when we went to the E.B. Grandin Building and tried to find my Aunt Whitney's testimony from when she served there, we weren't able to find it but we had a good time anyways.

These two pictures are from a restaurant where we ordered buffalo wings. They were spicier than I expected but sooo good!

There were a lot of adventures on this trip that couldn't be shown through the photos on this blog post such as the many songs and playlists we played, the gas station snacks, the many sisters and strangers we bonded with while we were there, all the places we ate, and finally the orange, red, brown, and yellow leaves everywhere. I had a great time and I really enjoyed the trip and the memories that I made! I can't wait to make more on my senior trip in 4 years.

Sincerely, Liesel

Liesel's First Day of School

To say it was highly anticipated would almost be an understatement. Liesel was bursting to go to preschool like a sunrise on a cloudless day. In the days leading up to it, Brent and I made the mistake of discussing whether or not she needed a backpack right in front of her. Liesel let us know that she absolutely, positively NEEDED a backpack! Ever the sucker for personalization, I chose one from Pottery Barn Kids. When it finally came in the mail she spelled out the letters over and over. That backpack carried some crayons and a sweater (it was 85 degrees btw) and I think Liesel felt as important as the president with it on.

Liesel's first day was actually a parent-child introduction. Given that I was still coughing up a lung, Brent accompanied her. He reported that during roll call the teacher would say the name and then everyone would repeat, "HI Joe Schmo!" Apparently Liesel was getting impatient and hey, with a last name of Wuehler she has good reason. They were between names when she interjected, "My name is Liesel: L-I-E-S-E-L!" When I asked her what her favorite part of preschool was she said, "My friends." Oh that we could all make friends as easily as a toddler! She definitely did not want to leave, even when we reminded her she'd be back.   

When I took Liesel in for her evaluation last week, Ms. Diaz sat down with me to ask questions and complete forms while Ms. Miller played with Liesel. I warned Ms. Miller she'd chat her ear off and that was exactly what happened. Some of the questions threw me a bit. "Does your family eat dinner together?" Woah, where did that come from? Uhm, sometimes... I often go workout and regain my sanity. But Dad feeds them. "What nationality would you say she is?" I immediately said, "American" and Ms. Diaz blinked like she wasn't expecting me to say that. I added, "Her family history is from Northern Europe but she is definitely American." I'm still not sure why that seemed like an odd response. "How would you describe her typical mood? Happy, moody, volatile, melancholy or enthusiastic? I'm gonna go ahead and put happy." Liesel was chattering away while playing with Ms. Miller.

I was greatly surprised by Ireland's reaction when Brent and Liesel got out of the car. She definitely felt left behind... with the sick parent no less. Ireland cried for quite a while. I guess I just assumed she'd be excited to have me to herself for a change. Not that I can fault her. The car was strangely quiet. When we met up with Dad and Liesel, it was immediately filled again with her talking, singing, and harassing her little sister.

Twirling

Oh how I love this little girl!

Do's

I love doing Liesel's hair! She's such a good sport about letting me experiment with new styles. Here are some of my favorites:

Braids braided into a braid. Looks complicated but is actually super easy.

Twisted pigtails. When this is taken out her hair is beautifully wavy.

Can't remember what kind of braid this is, but I divided her hair into sections and then put ribbons on the end. It looked really cool.

A close-up of one of the braids.

Another braid but this one has ribbon incorporated rather than just tied at the end.

This was almost like weaving. My hands were definitely full!

Grandma Nielsen did this one. Liesel looked like a little princess
Zig zag part, braids and then an upsweep on the back with the ends curling around. I have a plethora of bobby pins with little flowers on the ends. It anchored the upsweep and made her look so sweet!

Daddy Daughter Date

Brent took Liesel (just Liesel!) to play some miniature golf. He sent me this photo and I texted him back asking how it was going. Here's the conversation string:

B: Fore!
D: Is she winning?
B: Since she keeps picking up my ball... and she sets her ball next to the hole and tips it in.
D: LOL!!! Haven't you explained the rules to her?
B: Since she listens and follows my every word...
D: Are you having fun?
B: Definitely.Brent later told me the people in line behind them really got a kick out of Liesel and how enthusiastic she was about it all. His scorecard only had numbers for a handful of holes. Apparently he gave up after that.

In terms of personality, this girl's got it in spades!

A Little Off The Top

Lately a lot of people have commented on how long Liesel's hair is getting. Although she rarely has it down, the ends were dry and frayed enough to warrant a hair cut. We decided to venture into the city and take her to Snippets. She got to sit in the police car chair and watch Elmo while she got a trim. In my humble opinion, all hair stylists should start their career at a kid's salon to earn their stripes. If you can do a good cut with squirming toddlers with next to no attention span, you can do anything. I really liked Liesel's stylist. She took one look at her hair and immediately knew what I wanted. Just a trim to keep the ends healthy and a little tapering and layering for texture.


Every other little girl in the salon was getting a chin length bob with bangs. One girl had raven black hair with adorable ringlets past her shoulders. All that loveliness fell in heaps on the floor per her mother's request. Logically I know a bob is probably the easiest cut for this age, but I'm in love with Liesel's locks. Doing her hair in the morning is part of our routine. When I get her ready for bed and take out her pigtails or braids, her locks fluff out. She runs around the house with her hair flying behind her and it's the most adorable thing and I just can't bring myself to cut it short.

Sweet

After Brent came home from work he told me he had a some lingering office items that needed to be taken care of immediately. His job allows him to leave work so he can be home by 6PM on the dot, even when it's busy. However, every now and again Brent has to bring a little work home with him.

We decided to divide and conquer. He felt he could handle Ireland if I could get Liesel out of the house. I decided to take her to Portillo's for dinner where she noshed on fries and a chocolate malt (I'm such a horrible mother!). She was so excited she chattered endlessly. She even flirted with the guy in the booth behind us. Out of nowhere the following conversation ensued:

"Mom? Did Dad kiss you?"

This bears some explanation. Whenever we pick up Brent from the train station he jumps in the car and immediately gives me a kiss on the cheek. Ireland was sleeping when his train arrived so I asked him to walk home. We kissed in the hallway where Liesel didn't see.

"Yes he did!"

"Ooooooooh!" *thoughtful pause* "He LOVES you Mom!!!"

Too true :)

Birthday Girl

Liesel's 3rd birthday was pretty low-key. We took her to Rainforest Cafe for lunch. What a perfect place for little kids to eat! Between the fish tanks and electronic animals, there's plenty to keep a 3 year old and 1 year old entertained. If one of them starts fussing, it's loud enough that no one notices. Even if they do, it's usually pretty packed with families. We decided to forgo the little birthday sundae and we all shared the volcano. Liesel enjoyed blowing out the sparkler.

Afterwards, we went home to open presents. Since Brent and I are pragmatists, we got Liesel a piggy bank and rolls of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies. If Liesel's old enough to understand the concept of money, we figure it's time she learn to save. We also gave her a $2 bill as she leaves her "twos". Liesel happily filled her piggy bank with her birthday money while Brent and I smiled at each other. When it comes to financial responsibility, you can't start them too young!

The piggy bank itself was not just any piggy bank! I scoured Etsy to find someone who did personalized piggy banks. One person's listings caught my eye because her lettering was nice without looking too homemade. I contacted her and asked if she could put Liesel's name on the piggy bank and some edelweiss for an extra-special touch. Like many people, she had never seen edelweiss and asked me to send a picture. She even asked me if we had her room decorated in any special colors so she could coordinate with them. I couldn't be happier with the final product! Neither could Liesel :)

Simple Pleasures

Liesel has wanted her own credit card for quite some time now. Brent and I put as many expenses as possible on our credit cards to earn frequent flier miles. We've found it's also easier to track and categorize our spending. I guess because of that practice, my little girl became fascinated with the many times I've pulled out my card, swiped it and signed on the electronic pad. Now when we approach a check out, she asks for her credit card. In the past I gave her my Panera rewards card, but I think she had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't real.

For Family Home Evening we decided to get our library cards. The Schaumburg Public Library is a five-star library. No lie. I didn't even know libraries were rated! There's a deli/coffee shop as you walk in. One of the rooms has comfy seats and a fireplace! Story time takes place in "The Enchanted Forest" which is a section of the children's area (which is the size of a regular library). They have tons of programs for all ages and even meeting rooms. It's definitely a nice library.

The only downside is getting a card is harder than being accepted into the FBI. I figured we could gather all the required information and get it taken care of in one fell swoop. With our lease agreement, bill with the new address, and random piece of mail we were approved to check out materials (phew!). The woman processing our information asked if we wanted a card for Liesel. Since a card is also required to play with any toys on the premesis (ie Thomas the Engine trains are not sitting out on the large train table), I figured it would be a good idea.

Oh my. When Liesel found out she was getting her own (credit) card she danced like a dervish. The fact the card has her picture on it is even more amazing because it really and truly is HERS! She was so giddy with joy about it they had to take her picture 4 times because they were all coming out blurry. I love that the fish face one is the keeper. When that woman handed Liesel her (credit) card she was happier than a pig at slop. Even she obliged Liesel's fantasy in saying she was glad to help process her 'credit card.' The other card processing people left their desks to come over and hear Liesel rhapsodize. As we walked out, she flashed it to everyone (seriously, EVERYONE) and loudly announced it was her credit card. Liesel carried it around all night and I thought I'd have to rip it out of her hands while she was sleeping. If she loses it, I have to sell her to the library or something like that. I have a feeling she'll keep a close eye on it though.

Sabbath Sweethearts

After sacrament meeting ended, a little boy suddenly appeared in our pew. He didn't say anything, he just stood there and stared at Liesel. When his mother caught up with him she explained he'd spotted Liesel during the service. That probably wasn't too hard since they announced us as a new family in the ward. Anyway, once he saw her he was determined to meet her. I made the introduction and he continued to stare. Liesel was generally polite but finally told me she wanted to go to nursery.

Too bad for the little boy, there's another little boy in nursery. He's blond and his name is Joe. Liesel and Joe are apparently attached at the hip. His mother reports he's been telling other people about "my Liesel."

Ahhhh, it begins. I wasn't quite ready for this stage of raising kids!

Sorry Mickey

There's something about the way Disney markets their princesses that drives me crazy. I can't quite put my finger on it. When I'm in a store and I see something in bright pink with 1 to 3 of those princesses smiling provocatively at me, I just cringe. To me it's akin to giving my child a tattoo. I'm convinced Disney products are essentially gateway drugs that lead to sugar which leads to heroin and a life in prison. So much of it is made so cheaply! And what's with all the glitter? And why do the princesses have to be life-sized on a 3T shirt? Just to make sure I'm not being cynical, I recently took Liesel to a Disney store. Apparently nothing jumped out at her either because she acted like we were at Menard's.

Rather than focus on Disney movies for Liesel's entertainment, I've been slowly introducing her to some classics like Wizard of Oz, (child-appropriate parts of ) West Side Story and Annie. The latter has definitely become a favorite. I'd completely forgotten that the opening numbers have a cast of little girls doing gymnastics. She's now watched it enough she has parts memorized. My heart just melted when I heard her quietly singing in the back seat of the car, "Maybe they're stict, as straight as a line. Don't really care, as long as they're miiiiiiiiine. So maybe now this prayer, the last one of it's kind. Won't you please come get your baby? Maaaaaybeeeee." There are some other quotes that have come out at really inoppportune times. Like Miss Hannigan's, "KILL, KILL, KILL!" When a 2-year old repeats that to her baby sister in public there's just no way to make it cute. She sounds like a psychopath, no question. Also, when she's dragging her feet about something she now says, "I can't run anymore!" Even if she wasn't running to begin with. In any case, I'm glad she's watching something with actual humans in it, rather than animation. I'll take a cheeky orphan over a glittery princess any day. I'm hoping to take Liesel to the live Broadway show someday!

Indulgence

The shoes are a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa Wuehler. Liesel first spotted them in the Von Maur shoe department and she cried when we left without them. For months we "visited" them but I couldn't bring myself to buy them. Thank goodness for grandparents or she never would have owned a pair. Liesel gets nothing but smiles when she wears them in public. For that matter, Liesel IS nothing but smiles when she wears them, as you can see.

The Tumbling Toddler

One of the benefits of squatting at my parent's home during Brent's job search is we were able to enroll Liesel in gymnastics. The local gym offered a Mommy and Me class on Thursday mornings which was ideal because it was during Ireland's nap time. My mom was happy to cuddle with the sleeping baby while I took Liesel to the gym. Ireland slept better and Liesel and I loved having our private time. In just a few classes I was amazed at her progress. She went from being afraid of being upside down to doing somersaults repeatedly. In spite of being afraid of the swing at the playground, she was eager to hang onto the rings and swinging by her hands. I think most kids enjoy the trampoline but she was able to bounce on her butt which is actually a little tricky for her age. Now every time I turn around she's doing a handstand on the couch. During her last class she was holding onto a parallel bar and she put her feet through her hands and flipped backwards. I couldn't believe it! I was so proud of her.

Liesel not only loved the class but she absolutely adored her new wardrobe of leotards. I put her hair in pigtails to keep it out of her face but to still enable her to do her headstands and somersaults. Her teachers always gushed about her pigtails and I have to admit she looked dang cute. The only downside to a Mommy and Me class is it's hard to get video when you're assisting with handstands and backward rolls. I got a couple though and thought I'd post them even if they aren't terribly impressive!

Negotiation

While sitting in Sacrament Meeting on Sunday Liesel asked for snacks. It was the Christmas program and I didn't want to rustle through the diaper bag to find them. She frowned at me and said, "But I'm being QUIET!!!" Up to that last word she had actually been very well behaved.

Despite the irony, her argument won her some Veggie Tale fruit snacks.

Still Not Funny

Liesel decided to go swimming in a brand-new 41.8 oz can of Enfamil formula. Bought from Costco on our last trip to Chicago since there are none anywhere near Iowa City. For $38 if you'd really like to know. If it weren't all over the floor I might have been able to salvage some but it was a complete loss. I had to vacuum the vacuum because the powder was EVERYWHERE! I sent pix messages to my family. My parents who had been out to lunch abruptly came home. Dad asked me what possessed Liesel to do this and I told him, "There is not to make reply, there is not to reason why, there is but to do and die." As part of Homicide Prevention Week they offered to watch the girls while I either went to the gym or took a nap. I burned 600 calories on an elliptical.

Maybe another 10 years and I'll laugh? Oh, and Ireland is now on regular milk.

Kids Say the Darndest Things

While having breakfast Liesel noticed the whipped cream Mom got out to top off her hot chocolate. She wanted some so Mom went to squirt it directly in her mouth. Liesel hesitated and to allay her fears Mom demonstrated on me. The only problem was that I had a load of whipped cream in my mouth and I made a face. Upon seeing that, Liesel's response was "You kill me Mom."

She kills me.

Hi Liesel

My name is Liesel, and I'm potty trained. It's been two weeks since I had my last relapse and even then it was in a Pull-Up. I guess I subconsciously traded naps for potty training but I think it's really a change for the better. Now that I don't have to wear Pull-Ups, I just feel free. I don't have any master plan per se, I just take things a day at a time.


You heard it here first folks! It's only been a couple of weeks but I'm cautiously optimistic Liesel is over the potty training hump. I'm sad she no longer takes naps but I'm more than happy to take the trade-off. She still wears a Pull-Up at night but she's been a champ during the day. First she stayed dry during a day at home. Then she stayed dry even when we spent the morning running errands. Last weekend she stayed dry while being in the car for 7 hours. I've high-tailed it out of a couple of places when Liesel stopped what she was doing and announced, "I have to go potty!"

When I'm running with her like an idiot through crowds to get to the restrooms she laughs and yells, "RUN! RUN MOM! RUN!!!" like a musher in a dog-sled race. You know how asassins always look for the exits when they go anywhere (well, according to the Bourne movies anyway)? I look for the restroom wherever we go. Interestingly enough, Liesel prefers to have her "privacy." She even asks for privacy when we're in a public restroom stall so I have to face the front door. If I turn my head to look at her she scolds me. On the flip side, when I have to go to the restroom and she's with me she says very loudly, "Did you go potty Mom? I'm so PROUD of you!" and then she cocks her head and smiles. People in surrounding stalls get a kick out of it.

I really am so very proud of her though!

Gimme a Break!

Per usual, Liesel climbed out of her crib and made her way into my room. Ireland had gotten up at 5:30AM but she was finally, finally asleep again. I'd had horrific nightmares and was exhausted to say the least when I heard my door creak open. I decided to lay perfectly still. When Liesel sees we are both asleep she lays next to us until there are signs of life. I'm guessing she actually started to fall asleep and then startled and that's how she fell off the bed. She's fallen off the bed before. She's fallen off higher beds. She's fallen head-first onto hardwood floors and this was carpet. But something was different. She sobbed and sobbed which is unusual for her. Typically if she's injured she can "shake it off" and move on. She doesn't really cry for attention. Something wasn't right. I made her a sippy cup of warm milk. She still cried. I put her in the bath. She was still crying. It had been over an hour since she fell off the bed and she kept asking me to kiss her boo boo. Dad volunteered to stay with Ireland and Mom agreed to drive me to the U of I Hospitals and Clinics. I'm glad I followed my instincts because she had two breaks in her wrist.

They say a coincidence is what happens when God chooses to remain anonymous. However, I felt the hand of the Lord at so many points during the day:

• A few weeks ago I mentioned to Brent that Ireland is overdue for her 6 month check-up. He called around to see which Iowa City hospitals would accept our Massachusetts insurance. Ireland is scheduled to go in on Monday and I happened to have an appointment reminder card. I knew if I went to U of I Hospitals and Clinics we'd be okay and didn't have to waste time. I also had the address of Pediatrics in hand.
  
• This hospital is the largest teaching hospital in the WORLD! It's really a good-sized village. No seriously, it's huge. Ginormous. Even with the address it could have taken us a while to find it but Mom knew exactly where it was so again, no time wasted.
  
• I made an executive decision to take her to Pediatrics and not the ER. Pediatrics is usually much better set up to help children and it was regular business hours. While I was there I realized our ER copay has recently gone up from $50 to $100.
  
• The doctor was already double booked for her first appointments of the day. Because we were there a tad earlier than either scheduled patient, she agreed to see us anyway.
  
• Because Brent had made the appointment for Ireland, we were already in the system. They just had to create a record for Liesel and transfer the same info. Again, time saved.
  
• Before leaving the house, I put Liesel's hair in pigtails and slipped in some of the huge bows I just bought when I was in Utah. Call me crazy, but we got a lot of mileage off of those bows. No matter where we went we didn't have to wait long before being seen. She got lots of extra attention which I think helped to alleviate her fears somewhat.
  
• Ireland was really good for my dad during the 4+ hours they were together. Now that I think of it, when Liesel fell off the bed and bawled Ireland woke up but made no sound. It's like she knew something serious had happened to Liesel.

I felt horrible holding her down for x-rays, especially when I found out it was a broken wrist. I've had a broken wrist in recent years and I remember how painful those were for me. That I was adding to her pain stung me to the core. You can even see part of my hand holding down her fingers in the x-ray picture. Casting was also no fun. Liesel cried big tears while I held her on my lap and a nurse held her arm in the air. Thank goodness I'd thought to bring along my iPod. I played Beyonce's Single Ladies and tried to convince her she was getting kind of the same thing on her arm only in pink! The doctor quietly told me normally they'd cast a child under sedation but since they'd already started... I interrupted him and said I could handle her crying if they could. The cast has to weigh about 5 lbs and it's twice the size of her arm. That night I gave Brent the full run-down on the days events and as soon as I finished telling him I burst into tears. I honestly never felt the urge to cry during it all but in retrospect it finally got to me. Brent told me he'd never had a broken bone. Both my parents also told me they've never experienced a broken bone. Well little Liesel at the tender age of 2 is now a veteran. Poor thing!

Frenemies

When we first arrived in Utah I would say Liesel and her cousin Paisley had a love-hate relationship. That eventually blossomed into pretty much just a hate-hate relationship. Poor Paisley is the youngest daughter and suddenly found herself in competition with someone not only younger, but a guest. My sister Reagan repeatedly told her Liesel could do whatever she wanted... including poop on her bed. Reagan has some unconventional parenting techniques I'm eager to try out. Anyway, in spite of Reagan's threats, Paisley would lock Liesel out of rooms, take toys and yell at her. Liesel developed some coping tactics of her own that culminated in a confrontation during family dinner. Paisley wanted to go outside and Liesel was apparently not in a giving mood as she held the door closed. I'm told Liesel reached her hand waaaay back and b!#@$-slapped Paisley... hard. I didn't know whether to apologize to Reagan or have bumper stickers made, "My kid can b!#@$-slap your honors student." There's a video of my interrogation on the matter, but it is too large to include on the blog.

Not that Paisley is any wimp. She body checked Liesel the next day when Liesel wasn't looking. I have to say I was impressed. One bonus of these two not getting along is they were too busy irritating each other to bother their sisters. It was kind of a nice break for both Reagan and I. As my mother always says, "You'll be friends another day." At least I hope so!

Powder Fresh

I was alone with my girls at Reagan's house when I realized it was awfully quiet. "Liesel?" "Uh, I okay!" I thought that was an odd response so I tried again. "Liesel?" "I okay Mom!" This clearly required investigation. When I went into the living room I was met with this scene: