The Lienau Family: 8 months and going places

Well... that time is finally here... Kennedy is on the move! She has been working pretty hard for a month or so at figuring out the mechanics, but she finally figured it out shortly before New Years while I was at home on break. Nothing is safe! :) She doesn't get up in the air on her hands and knees, but she lays flat on her belly and pulls herself along while pushing with her legs. She is FAST! :) She has already learned how to unplug things from the wall, open and close drawers (repeatedly), stick her hands in Henry's water bowl and climb into the "saucer" part of her exersaucer. Lots of lessons learned in a fast amount of time there for me! She also mastered sitting up from the laying down position one day... mostly out of frustration, but now she can do that little trick too.

I was home for a week and a half with her over break and could not believe how much she changed and developed during that time. She has to be a part of the action all the time and loves to sit and "analyze" whatever it is she can get her hands on. She is trying new foods like yogurt and apricots, and likes most of them. She pulls quite the face when she doesn't approve of what you are trying to give her. She is quickly growing out of most of her 6-9 month size clothes, but mostly in length. I can't believe how quickly she is growing!

Our Holiday break was lovely. Christmas Eve was spent with my family at my parents house in our usual tradition of presents, good food, hot tub... oh and martinis too! ;-) Christmas day was spent with the Johnson family at my grandparent's condo in Holland. Again with the good food and time with family :) We also played bingo which is always fun! Saturday Zach's parents came to town and we were able to spend some time with them and hear about their trip to Disney in early December. They also babysat for us so we could go to our friends Aaron and Jen's Christmas party that night. We had a lovely lunch at the Kirby (are you sensing a food theme here!?) with Zach's parents on Sunday and then they headed back to Birch Run. The following week was mostly recovery but on Tuesday we headed out to GR so Zach could go see Avatar with my dad and I could meet up with my old friend Kristin and her husband Tony. I have not seen them since their wedding last summer, so it was nice to reconnect. :) We also painted our living room during the break and it turned out really nice. I am not 100% sure I like the color, but it is FAR better than the blank white it was before.

It was wonderful to have such a nice break from work and to not have to think about that for a few weeks. Zach has been back at it this week and remembering why that break was so necessary! He is finishing up coaching in the coming weeks and starting his class for his masters program. It will be a few weekends (Fri/Sat) over the semester, but he doesn't have to go to a weekly night class... which is nice. He also turns 26 this weekend! Happy Birthday! We have plans to meet up with Zach's parents in Lansing and have dinner with them, which will be fun!

Anyway... here are a few pictures from the last few weeks and from our Holiday celebrations