Sievers Family

Deep Creek 2011

2011-09-06T22:30:00.000-04:00

Having a look at the lake

Caden demonstrates the proper way to enjoy the lake

Enjoying the waterfalls at Swallow Falls State Park

Taking a break on the hike at Swallow Falls State Park

Majestic Muddy Creek Falls

"American Pride" - the vacation home

Say cheese!

A carriage ride in Oakland, MD

Owen tames a bear

Advanced Mobility

2011-08-20T15:40:00.002-04:00

Owen is displaying his newfound advanced mobility. He started walking recently and has become quite adept at it. We were glad that we could capture his new skills on video.

Happy Birthday!

2011-08-17T22:01:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Owen's first birthday, which he got to spend at the county fair.

It's Summertime!

2011-06-10T21:09:00.000-04:00

Owen's First Baseball Game

2011-04-29T00:16:00.000-04:00

We went to a Pirates game during their opening homestand. We arrived early to enjoy the pregame kids day festivities

PNC Park is fantastic even if the team that occupies it is not

Amity helping daddy keep score

Owen enjoyed the ballpark atmosphere and even took a short nap

BaZoople

2011-03-27T20:40:00.002-04:00

Here Amity is "reading" a book to Owen. This book was a gift from Aunt Bec to Amity when she was born. We turned the story into a little bedtime song that we sing to Amity regularly. She now recites the song while turning the pages for Owen. In case you can't tell, it goes like this:

Goodnight, Sleep Tight, My BaZoople Friends
The sun goes down, it's time for bed
Goodnight BaZoople sleepyheads
It's time for jammies soft and snug
Pillows, blankies, and goodnight hugs
Goodnight Gertrude
Goodnight Zach
Goodnight Lester
Goodnight Max
Goodnight Elsie, sweet dreams, sleep tight
Goodnight flutterbugs, 'till morning's light

Cousins!

2011-03-19T11:57:00.000-04:00

"Appease me with food and I may let you play with my trains!"

Caden demonstrates one of the many uses of his favorite cabooses

Owen's checking out his peer

Amity poses for pictures but Caden likes to play it cool

Charming and cute!

On the Move

2011-03-06T21:18:00.000-05:00

Owen has discovered a bit of newfound mobility. He rolls around to get to things out of reach and is starting to pull up onto his hands and knees. He may skip crawling altogether though, since he already likes to stand on his feet and is beginning to try to pull himself up.

Short Song for a Ukulele

2011-03-03T08:00:00.011-05:00

A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Lady

Solid Food

2011-02-27T09:51:00.002-05:00

Owen's ready to try solid food.

Yum! It's a big hit. He slurps it up hungrily every time.

Amity likes to help too.

Amity looked at these pictures and said "Sometimes he gets dirty and messy. He's still a baby."

All done!

Hysteria

2011-02-20T23:22:00.001-05:00

Staredown

2011-02-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Go Steelers!

2011-02-06T10:54:00.000-05:00

Getting ready for the big game

Owen's excited for his first Super Bowl

Touchdown Steelers!

Even Moxie's getting in on the action.

Bouncing!

2011-02-01T08:00:00.003-05:00

ABCs and 123s

2011-01-29T16:40:00.005-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-29T13:50:00.000-05:00

A nice, cozy way to look for a Christmas tree.

Found the perfect tree!

Make a joyful noise!

Explaining the concept of the photo shoot to Owen.

Open it or eat it?

A fantastic gift from Pap and Granny!

Sunday picture session

2010-11-14T14:52:00.001-05:00

Family Portrait circa 2010

Amity in her Sunday best

Not camera shy.

Solemnity.

Costumed

2010-11-01T22:23:00.000-04:00

Posing with her lion pants.

Double roar!

This is the happiest he's been all day. Maybe we should keep him in costume...

Amity had a lot of fun on her second Halloween. She stood at the window and proclaimed: "People coming!" She liked being in her lion costume and stayed in it most of the night. She helped daddy greet the trick-or-treaters and hand out candy. It was a fun night for all!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T15:26:00.002-04:00

Good Morning!

2010-10-11T08:22:00.000-04:00

Apple Picking

2010-10-02T12:15:00.003-04:00

Last weekend we went to a nearby apple orchard. It was a perfect day for picking apples.

Amity's enjoying the fruits of her labor.

Why pick just one?

Uncle Jon displaying his haul.

Picking out the perfect pumpkin.

Contemplating the apple.

Taking a break to learn how to play wheelbarrow.

Hi-five for apple picking!

The apple picking gang.

Heading back home.

The end result!

More Summer Fun

2010-09-21T15:31:00.000-04:00

The best attempt at lining the kids up for a picture.


Eying up big sister.

Owen gets a "Caden hug"

Big boy.

Cooperative play.

Perusing the periodical.

¡Ay, caramba!

Sundry Summer Fun

2010-09-13T22:36:00.001-04:00

Happy girl in a flowery dress!

A wry smile?

Enjoying a snack at grandpa's picnic table.

Tuckered.

Looking good, officer!

Summer Fauna

2010-09-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

A hummingbird hovers between the cannas.

A tasty snack!

Arilus cristatus. A prime wheel bug specimen. It is a member of the assassin bug family. I came across this guy on the back porch, and transported it to this leaf. I had never encountered one of these bugs before.

A nice look at the rostrum which it will use to stab its prey. Assassin bugs primarily feed on pests (japanese beetles, cockroaches, etc) and are considered beneficial. However they do bite, so watch out!

New Playmate

2010-08-29T22:26:00.003-04:00

Owen Benjamin

2010-08-22T14:01:00.001-04:00

Meet Owen Benjamin!

Owen Benjamin was born on Monday 8/16/10 at 1:20 PM at a healthy 9lbs 10oz and 21 inches long. It was a fairly short delivery and Mom is doing well. Owen was transferred to the NICU on Tuesday night due to a high level of jaundice. He was placed under bright blue phototherapy lights for a few days to help lower the jaundice level (we learned more about jaundice this week then we ever cared to know). He is doing well in every other way and was discharged to come home on Saturday. We are both exhausted, but happy to be home.

Brand new arrival.

Happy family.

Meeting Grandma and Grandpa.

At home at last!

Baby brother, meet big sister.

Dance Party

2010-08-13T20:43:00.001-04:00

Apparently someone's been playing with Windows Movie Maker...

Family Portrait

2010-08-03T22:50:00.000-04:00

Family Portrait (complete with pending new addition)

Mugging for the camera!

Baby bumpin'. Only a week or two to go!

The cannas in bloom.

NES!

2010-07-29T22:04:00.003-04:00

Enjoying a bit of nostalgia while reorganizing the spare room.

Guggle!

2010-07-24T13:09:00.003-04:00

Joy Ride

2010-07-18T22:38:00.006-04:00

Uncle Jon enjoys a trip down the slide at the fire station.

(Summertime posting has been kinda slow, but we'll catch up soon, we promise!)

Cousin Emu

2010-06-02T21:22:00.001-04:00

Caden and Amity enjoying the play house on Memorial Day.

Sunny Day

2010-05-31T20:28:00.005-04:00

Enjoying May sunshine!

Me and Mommy

2010-05-20T14:54:00.003-04:00

Taking a break at the Toledo Zoo last Saturday.

Taking Turns

2010-05-10T22:03:00.004-04:00

Now what?

Happy Saturday!

2010-05-01T21:40:00.001-04:00

Boy, Oh Boy!

2010-04-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

We're having a boy!

We're pregnant again and this time around we're having a boy. He's healthy and growing and we're getting more and more excited. We've told Amity that she's having a little brother but so far all she does is poke at Mommy's tummy (not hard to find it these days : )

Weekend Away

2010-04-20T08:00:00.002-04:00

We got the chance to visit with Gramma and Grandpa, Aunties and Caden this past weekend. What fun times!

Our beautiful girl just loves being around family.

Cousins!

Filling Grandpa's bird feeder.

Climbing up to put out corn for the birds. Woohoo!

Check out the tractor!

Checking out the fields...where did that tractor go?

Amity and Grandpa ride on the tractor.

Grandpa's train and cars...what could be better?

Mom and Amity hang out on the swing.

The ladies.

Amity just loves having Caden around. He's so entertaining.

Thanks for a fun weekend!

Catching Up

2010-04-14T23:25:00.000-04:00

So I've definitely been out of the blogging mode lately but here we are again and we'll try to do better with keeping posts coming. Here are a few pictures of Amity from the past month. She's now 15 months old. Time just flies! These days she's making a lot more sounds and forming some words: "ca" anytime she sees a car, hears a car or looks out the window at the road and thinks she might see a car; "cra-ker" when she wants a cracker of course and she'll show you where they are too; "Da-deee" who is her favorite buddy, she asks for him when she wakes up from her nap every day and off and on throughout the day; "Pap" for her grandpap and "pop" when she sees the push around popper she likes to drag around; "da" for down while pointing down. She's signing "birdie" all of the time and loves watching them in the yard. She's also a huge, and I mean HUGE, fan of cheese. She would eat it all day. Amity is really good at following directions, like finding her hat and shoes and pointing at the door to go outside. She still loves to read. It's definitely a favorite thing to do.

She's a smiley, happy girl who loves being around people. She turns on the charm every time we go to the grocery store and has at least one person waving and smiling at her before we leave. She's willing to try any type of food we offer but doesn't always keep it in her mouth. She loves to point at my glasses and have me say that they are glasses. She's sleeping through the night really well now....thankfully and finally. She's also going to sleep on her own very well and is even now asking to be put in the crib instead of cuddled a little at bedtime and nap. She's decided to like bath time and wants to lay back in the tub and talk with her ears in the water...I think she likes the sound of her voice under the water.

She loves to be outside and is literally running circles in the yard and around the house. She's also putting together where things go in the house....where the water, milk, crackers and other things belong. We're definitely enjoying all of the new and exciting adventures we're having as a family. I just love the moments when Amity does something sweet and unexpected. The other night I laid her down in her crib and she giggled as she was falling asleep....precious. I also love when she holds our hands while we pray before dinner. Such a sweet baby girl. We love her to pieces.

Welcome to YouTube

2010-03-27T18:37:00.003-04:00

We officially joined the world of YouTube. Ben set up a channel this weekend so henceforth, we will be updating videos via YouTube. Check out the link on the right to see any new, terrifically adorable Amity videos. Never fear we'll still be blogging our photos. Enjoy!

Rocking Horse

2010-03-23T19:33:00.000-04:00

Snowman

2010-03-13T14:13:00.000-05:00

After what was hopefully our last snowfall a week or so ago, Amity and Ben spent some time outside. The snow was just perfect for building our very first snowman.

Amity is a great helper. She's developed a sense of adventure in the snow. She walks right out into it without a moment of hesitation now and she wants to touch it. That's partly due to her dad encouraging her to try making snowballs to toss at Mommy.

Amity jumped right in to help push the big snowball along. She's so strong.

When a chunk fell off, she was showing Mommy and Daddy what happened.

Ben found the snowman some necessary accessories so he would be a true, unashamed snowman.

Being outside is a treat. Amity will now walk to the door and hit it and say, "da!" Which means she wants to go downstairs and out to play. Sometimes she grabs her coat and boots and brings them over too. I think she just wants to make it clear to us. If we try to bring her in before she's ready, she cries.

There he is. Such a handsome snowman. So he's almost perfect. He's got sturdy sticks for arms, buttons for eyes and old sweatpants for a scarf.

Posing for a picture with the snowman...or looking at a car going by. Amity now says, "ca" for car, "ha" for hat and "ho" for hot. It's fun to hear her making all kinds of new sounds too.

Can I Go Outside and Play?

2010-03-03T20:41:00.003-05:00

Please?

Belly Laughs

2010-02-20T20:19:00.004-05:00

Amity loves being chased behind and around the couch. One of her favorite games is to have Daddy running circles around the living room furniture. Here Amity also decided she wanted to wear her pants on her head just to add to the fun. Moxie, our cat, lies ensconced in the lap blanket watching the action with usual cat indifference. What great times!

Just Having Fun

2010-02-10T08:00:00.002-05:00

We've been hanging out in the house quite a bit lately so we've got some pictures of Amity being her usual adorable self. Here she's reading her Beginner Bible and Brown Bear with her doll.

What's more fun than climbing into a pan?

Amity helped fold laundry the other day. She picked out this t-shirt that Grandpa bought from work and tried to put it over her head so Ben helped her put it on. She was so excited and looked so cute!

Amity helped Dad fix the loose leg on the chair. Such a great helper!

Season of Snow...So Far

2010-02-07T19:57:00.000-05:00

This has been the snowiest winter season we've seen since we've been married. I've had a few sets of pictures of Amity enjoying her first experiences with snow. Our first snowfall was right before Christmas. Ben took Amity out and pulled her around the snowy driveway in her blue bird sled. She wasn't sure about it at first but within a few minutes she was smiling as the snow swirled around them.

Here's Amity signing for "more" as Ben pauses in pulling her around.

They even went up the little hill on the side of the driveway.

Bundling up to go out into the snow and cold is exhausting...Amity just needed a break before we put on her coat and gloves. She was interested in this new outfit too. She walked around and around the house in her snowpants trying to lift her legs up. It feels different to be in layers of swishy clothes.

We had a chance to enjoy the snow a couple of weeks later when cousin Caden came over for Amity's birthday weekend bash. Here they are bundled up ready to go out with Dad and Uncle Jon.

Caden was much more excited about riding down the big hill in the backyard. He laughed and smiled all the way down.

What a blessing to have such loving fathers and uncles.

So here we finally come to the big snowstorm of this weekend. The weather stations predicted 6-12 inches and Pittsburgh averaged 20. We measured 15 in our driveway alone. The record books will show that it's the 4th biggest snowstorm for our area in recorded history. We fared pretty well. Our electricity was only out from 10:30 pm- 6:30 am on Friday night and we lost cable from Saturday afternoon to about 1:00 on Sunday. We have stayed warm and inside most of the weekend. Ben doggedly shoveled our driveway clear on Saturday. What a big job!

Amity ventured out into the driveway when Ben had it partially cleared. It was just a wall of snow all around. At first she wasn't sure about it but then started smiling and wandering around pointing and jabbering.

I'm not sure what she saw but she sure was wanting us to see something.

Ben and Amity have a heart to heart by the snow. Amity even reached out to touch the snow at one point.

The weather stations are calling for more snow on Tuesday so we'll see what other adventures this snowy winter brings our way.

Cheshire

2010-02-06T10:57:00.000-05:00

Cousin Caden Came to Visit

2010-02-01T20:07:00.006-05:00

We had a great weekend visiting with Brigitte, Jon and Caden. Amity is definitely a people person. She enjoys having company over to play. It's fun to watch them grow up together already. Each time we get together, they interact with each other a little bit more. This is the one and only picture we got of them sitting next to each other before they started crawling all over the couch.

Caden lounged in the chair chatting on the phone. Where would he have learned this from?

Amity crawled up onto the couch to help out with the crossword puzzle. She wants to be a part of everything we do.

Auntie Brigitte is so much fun! Check out that big smile!

So...is this two adorably guilty faces? or are they in the midst of a toddler power struggle for the chair? Caden has quite an affinity for whatever object Amity happens to have at the moment while Amity watches Caden like a hawk if he has a beverage or snack. If Caden puts down his food Amity will snatch it up and if Amity picks up a toy it becomes what Caden wanted all along.

Anyone who has met our cat knows that she's the opposite of cuddly. We were pleasantly surprised when she tolerated Caden's snuggle for a few seconds.

Amity and Caden play one of the best games in the house, run behind the couch. It just never gets old, especially when you have someone chasing you.

Chefs in the kitchen cooking up a gourmet masterpiece...it looks like a variety of pan fried fruits, cheese and a drumstick.

Caden is the master of the pushing ball popper. He sped around the house popping all the way. Caden also said Amity's name for the first time...sort of..."A-tee."

Auntie Brigitte reads a captivating story.

After the kiddos are in bed the real fun begins. Euchre, Virgil's root beer and warm brownies....yum! What a way to end the day!

Just in case you're wondering the ladies won. : )

Behind the Couch

2010-01-24T16:02:00.002-05:00

Amity's 1st Birthday Bash

2010-01-20T21:15:00.000-05:00

Amity celebrated her first birthday nearly a month ago now. I'm a bit late with the post but we celebrated a couple of weeks later than her actual day when all of the family could be here. It was such a fun time! Amity just adores all of her grandparents.

She did open a couple of presents early from her Grauntie and Gruncle (Great Aunt and Great Uncle). I think that's such a cute nickname. Here Auntie Chelle is helping her enjoy her gifts.

Grauntie and Gruncle got her a pull toy frog and she was just delighted with it.

Amity paused to look through one of her new books. She just loves books. We read many over and over, every day. She plucks them off of her shelf and brings them over and then plops in our lap and waits to hear. If you offer to read a book, she recognizes the word and will take you up on the offer right away.

Opening presents can be so tiresome so....why not try it laying down?

Here's Amity's candle cake!

Dad helped her open some of her presents. She even likes cards. She'll carry them all around the house and open and close and open and close. Amity also likes going through the mail.

Grammie made Amity an interactive "fun book." It's terrific.

A big thanks to our families for making Amity's first birthday so special. We love you!

Welcome 2010!

2010-01-12T20:59:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful New Year's weekend. We ventured out in the snow for a GCC friends/spouses reunion. Amity had a grand time.

Here's a classic group shot. What a great looking crowd!

Julie gave Amity a Zoe doll for her birthday. She carried it around hugging it and taking care of it all weekend.

Mike was a great reader. Amity and Ben enjoy story time!

It wouldn't be a true GCC weekend without some euchre!

Amity snuggles up with Lisa in her Snuggie!

Amity renewed her friendship with Tim. She turned on the charm when he was around!

Lindsay got big smiles. She must be a great playmate.

It was a great, relaxing weekend filled with games and fun with old friends. We couldn't have asked for a better New Year's.

Simple Joys

2010-01-04T22:08:00.000-05:00

I have some pictures from December that I wanted to get up before we posted our New Years photos. Amity is a happy girl. She laughs, smiles and giggles through most every activity.

We tried some play dough with relative success one evening. As long as she had her pacifier in, the play dough stayed on the seat and not in her mouth. She enjoyed the new feeling of the soft dough in her hands and dismantled nearly everything we created. Good times!

This picture was blog worthy simply because it made me laugh. Can you find Moxie? Moxie loves to sit under the "heat lamps" on top of the fridge or cabinets when the kitchen lights are on. Here she found double pleasure in not only being under the warm lights but also being ensconced in a basket. Yes, we do place things around the house just for the enjoyment of our cat....uh huh.

One of Amity's favorite past times is reading. Several times every day she picks up a book and comes over to hand it to us and sign "more" so we'll read it to her. She really likes these simple books that are just objects with their names.

Amity and her friend Sam read "together" while we visited.

If there are too many words or if there's no one available to read to her, she'll just flip through the pages herself.

Amity and her cousin Caden take a milk break.

Cousin love.

One of Amity's Christmas presents was in a box so naturally, she emptied the box and climbed right in. The packaging can be just as enjoyable as the gift.

Amity has been playing with her Fisher Price farm since Christmas. Lately when she gets exicted, she has been making fists, stiffening her arms and squealing with delight. Here she was captured almost in that moment. Yay for adorable smiles!

New Year's Eve Countdown

2009-12-31T08:00:00.003-05:00

In the spirit of New Year's Eve, may we present to you a countdown of our top 10 favorite songs of 2009. These are the songs that we loved the most this year and will still be listening to next year and beyond. Enjoy!

10. Warm Heart of Africa - The Very Best

Bouncy African pop featuring vocals from the lead singer of Vampire Weekend. We only recently came across this song but have been enjoying it immensely ever since.

Warm Heart of Africa (featurin...

9. Doomsday - Elvis Perkins in Dearland

Another fairly recent discovery, this song is a slow builder that ends in a fretful cacophony. Who would've thought that "doomsday might fall anywhere near a tuesday"?

Doomsday - Elvis Perkins In De...

8. Slight Figure of Speech - The Avett Brothers

We are especially fond of The Avett Brothers, having enjoyed the controlled chaos of their live shows and their past several releases. This song is one of the few upbeat songs on their new, sombre album "I and Love and You". Here is the terrific (and hilarious) video for this song:

The Avett Brothers - Slight Figure Of Speech - watch more funny videos

7. Daylight - Matt and Kim

This song was featured on an early episode of "Community", one of our new favorite shows. It's upbeat, catchy, and fun!

Daylight - Matt & Kim

6. The Rake's Song - The Decemberists

A little bit disturbing when taken out of context of their prog-folk fantasy album, "The Hazards of Love", it is nonetheless quite a rousing entry in the Decemberists' whimsical catalog. This is more a favorite of Ben's (especially after seeing them live this summer) than of Marci's.

The Rake's Song - The December...

5. Queit Dog - Mos Def

One of Marci's favorites, Mos Def's return to rap is a rhythmically triumphant affair. Here he is rocking the tympanis on Letterman earlier this year:

4. Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear

This is the catchiest song on what is probably Ben's favorite album of the year, Grizzly Bear's "Veckatimest". It's a carefully constructed, folk-rock album that takes a few listens to fully reveal its grandeur. Here is the delightfully odd video:

3. Lisztomania - Phoenix

Phoenix could've easily had two songs on this list, with the equally delightful "1901", both from the album "Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix". This one is Amity's choice, though, since she likes to dance to it. We also like singing "Like a rhi- like a rhino!", although that's not the real lyric.

Lisztomania - Phoenix

2. French Navy - Camera Obscura

Immediately likeable, and blissfully catchy, this song has been in my head almost all year, but I keep going back for more. I wanted to control it, but this song has projected itself all the way up to number two.

French Navy - Camera Obscura

1. My Girls - Animal Collective

This song's simple, yet profound statement about a father's desire to provide for his wife and young daughter was something I could easily relate to this year. Plus, it's a killer jam.

My Girls - Animal Collective

Happy Birthdays!

2009-12-29T18:00:00.001-05:00

Happy birthdays to my girls!

Time To Relax

2009-12-29T09:36:00.002-05:00

...after a busy week of holidays and birthdays!

Christmas Time Was Here!

2009-12-27T21:50:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! One set of Amity's Grandparents got to come over for the day and we had a great afternoon. Amity wasn't really interested in opening the presents but just loves to have family around to play with for the day. Here's the tree before gift opening!

Amity got her first pair of slippers and a fancy pink purse. She seemed most interested in a small jar of mustard given to Ben, though.

Amity got a rocking horse from her grandparents. The first thing she did was climb up on the box. That's a favorite activity for her right now. She climbs on anything. Note the satisfied smile that's coming as she begins to straighten up as conqueror of the box once again.

A "first Christmas" ornament got her attention as she tried to chew and pry it out of the box. No worries. They must pack first christmas ornaments with childproofing in mind. Her ornament is in tact for next year.

A Beginner's Bible!! Woohoo!!

Amity took to the rocking horse right away. She bounced and rocked away. Pap and Grammie helped her get into the riding action too.

Auntie Chelle and Pap helped Amity open presents. Cousin Matt came over too. Yay!

We had a very tasty Christmas meal too. Ben smoked brisket and made bbq sauce for it as well. Pap, Grammie and Chelle brought sweet rolls, ham and pies. What a feast!

The day was relaxing and fun. Amity did get to celebrate her first Christmas Eve at the Church Children's Service. She did very well in the crowd. She even got to stop and see the live manger scene. We discovered that her use of sign language is expanding when we got partway through the service and she began to sign and say "all done." So funny! What a blessing to celebrate a first family Christmas as three.

Happy Xmas Eve!

2009-12-24T09:15:00.000-05:00

O Christmas Tree

2009-12-12T21:06:00.000-05:00

We got all bundled up last weekend and went to a local tree farm to find the perfect Christmas tree.

Amity's all ready to go. So taking a stroller to the tree farm wasn't my best idea but she's so cute anyway.

Here's Amity in her winter coat, hat and gloves traipsing through the trees in the snow. We got our first snowfall too. What a perfect Christmas tree picking day!

So we found our perfect Christmas tree and Ben got out the saw to cut it down for us.

Amity supervised.

Success!! What a team. Ben loaded the tree onto the wagon and the friendly tree farm folks got it all shook and bundled for us.

Amity rode home next to the tree. She was very interested in this new thing and kept reaching out to touch the tree on the ride home.

What a wonderful day! We got our tree all decorated and Amity just loves when the tree lights up.

On another note, Amity has made some exciting progress lately. She put the circle shape in the right place. I watched her try to put her stackable cup in the round hole first. She got frustrated when it wouldn't fit. Then she reached over into the shape bucket, grabbed a star and a circle. Tossed the star aside and put the circle into the right spot. Go Amity!

Let It Snow

2009-12-08T20:15:00.002-05:00

Stair Climber

2009-12-03T19:36:00.003-05:00

We were getting ready to go away for the weekend and packing up when I walked by the stairs and saw Amity standing on the first step. Surprise! By the time Ben came back in from packing the car, she was high enough to look him in the eye. So we've reached a new level of mobility and babyproofing. We keep the gate across the bottom of the steps during the day and Amity gets to climb the stairs when she's going up for a nap or a bath and bed. We're working on teaching her to go down the stairs backwards. She's doing really well with it for the most part. She now stops on the stairs to explore the railing and banisters, the light switch, the carpet and to sit, clap, spin around, shuffle sideways and enjoy her new skills and area.

Chairs Aren't Just for Sitting

2009-11-29T21:26:00.009-05:00

One of our most used baby items is the convertible, grow-with-your-child chair. Amity slept in this rocking chair as a newborn all of the time and then napped as she grew. Lately, she started pushing it around so I "converted" it into the toddler version of the chair. It rocks if you don't put our the little feet but since out adventurer baby is getting more mobile, we locked it in place so it's an Amity size seat. She tested her chair and liked it right away.

It took her a while to figure out how to get in and out of the chair and she just mastered scooching forward the last 2 days or so.

Amity enjoys the game in her own chair.

It didn't take long at all for Amity to figure out that she could climb up onto the chair and stand on it. Here's her triumphant grin the first time she stood on her chair.

Amity has climbed on and off of her chair any way she can. She stands up on it and peers out the windows. I guess she can see further from her high perch.

This is Amity clapping for herself in her chair. She's such a growing girl. Her steps are speeding up into a semi-trot at times now and she's bending her knees more instead of just waddling. I'm amazed at how her mind problem solves. Sometimes I watch her get herself into a fix or try to do something new and just can't believe that she figures it out, perseveres and conquers a new task. She's signing "more" all of the time now and will also sign "all done" and "milk." It's great to see her accomplishing more and more. What a fun time!

Weekend Trip

2009-11-25T21:02:00.010-05:00

We had a great weekend trip visiting Bec. We got to eat at a Mongolian Barbecue restaurant the first evening. It was quite tasty. Ben was bold and tried duck, lamb and varieties of sea meats in one of his culinary creations.

Amity tried the tortillas, several straws and a chop stick. Here's Aunt Bec and her fiance Jeromy.

Amity did very well on her first Metro ride. She just loves to watch people. She smiles at them and "talks" to them if she wants their attention. When she tired of that, Daddy read her a book.

On Saturday, we visited the National Zoo. Amity was excited. There were a lot of people and animals to watch.

It got a little chilly so Ben put up his hood on the bridge...or maybe he was trying to hide from the elephants...who knows!?

We spent most of our time at the zoo on the bird trail. Here Amity is checking out some of the birds inside the bird house.

An up close look at the peacocks.

The flamingos were a big hit. There were tons of them and they were making a lot of noise, eating and attacking each other for no apparent reason. Amity stood by the fence talking to them and watching them.

We had to stop and get a family picture by a big eagle statue on Amity's first trip to a zoo.

As we left the bird trail, Amity fell asleep all bundled up in her blankie. She missed out on the Gorillas and such we saw before we headed back to the metro.

Ben and Amity stopped by the regal lion statues for a picture as we left the zoo.

On Sunday, we went out for lunch and then walked around Old Town Fairfax. Amity started out wearing her sunglasses on her nose but apparently decided it wasn't sunny enough to put them on and instead moved them up onto her hair. Check out the arm of the glasses on her ear.

Amity played at the playground when we got back. Aunt Bec is just loads of fun.

Dad and Aunt Bec help Amity down the slide. She liked to lay down as soon as she started to go down the slide so you can barely see her face and feet as they come down the slide. So cute!

Amity navigated the uneven mulch terrain with grace and ease. Here Amity and Aunt Bec are greeting each other Tumnus-style.

Amity now has 5 teeth with 2 more just below the surface. Her hair is getting thicker, especially in the back and still has lots of red to the color. She's walking so well these days too.
What a beautiful baby girl!

Headband Stylings

2009-11-16T16:22:00.002-05:00

I found a couple of cute girly headbands at a little church rummage sale last weekend. She had some headbands when she was smaller and never seemed to mind wearing them so I thought it was worth a shot. To our surprise I stumbled on a great new entertainment for us. After I washed the headbands, I put one on Amity and we clapped and smiled and she grinned and toddled off. I thought that would be the end of it. She discarded it after a while and went off to play. Then later on Ben and I were surprised to watch her pick it up and put it back on her own head. It took a few tries but she did it. Yay for new fine motor skills and problem solving!

So now she'll wander around the house and find one of her headbands, put it on and just smile and continue on her way to play sporting her new accessory....so cute!

Here are a few pictures of Amity's styling creations.

Pumpkin Head

2009-11-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Amity just makes life so fun. She had pumpkin for lunch today and really enjoyed it. She wants to feed herself as much as possible so I mix in some cereal to make the pumpkin turn solid enough for her to grab and get in her mouth. She ends up with a mess most days but she's happy and getting so good at eating those chunkier foods.

I learned that pumpkin is great for lunch but also can be an effective hair gel. Amity added a piece of her bread to the side for that extra touch of wow. (Check out the pumpkin smear on the back of the high chair. I have no idea how she got it all over the back of her head. The magical mystery of 10 month olds.)

The other side of her styling creativity sports a glob of pumpkin to liven things up and add color.

Semi-cleaned pumpkin head hair-do. Woohoo! We live it up here at the Sievers' household.

"Dem, dum, dum, (squeal)" = "Want a drink? I'm good at sharing."

We Are! Penn State!

2009-11-07T09:48:00.003-05:00

Getting ready for the big game!

Looking good in blue and white!

Daddy and Me

2009-11-05T15:13:00.002-05:00

Ben and Amity got to spend some quality Father/Daughter time last week. When I came home, I got some fun pictures of the two of them enjoying the yard.

Our confident adventurer decided that she liked the driveway better than the grass. It's a lot easier to balance on the solid ground.

First Halloween

2009-10-31T20:13:00.007-04:00

One year ago we moved into our current neighborhood and handed out candy on our first night in our new home. This year Amity got to enjoy her very first All Hallow's Eve.

We dressed Amity in her first of 2 costumes (both were bee costumes, believe it or not) complete with antenna, fuzzy body and wings. She thought it was fun.

Check out the cute little stinger on the back of her costume...adorable!

Stealth bee baby.

This is the oh-so-cute bee costume Aunt Brigitte bought Amity. She was just fascinated with this one.

She found the cool wings right away.

The pretty skirt was just too irresistible...she "carried" it with her.

Daddy thought his little baby was just cuddly as can bee and Amity adores her Daddy.

It was a fun night. Amity watched out the front window and made talking noises to the kids as they came up our sidewalk or as they went down the road. She even greeted them as they got candy if they lingered long enough for her to amble on over to the door. Moxie had an eventful evening too. She sat on her cat perch and peered, meowed and pawed at the window as the kids came past to the front door. Having glass between her and them made this the perfect arrangement for everyone. When we asked one boy what he was dressed as, he responded with a lot of mumbling but then pointed at Amity and said, "And she's a bee." Yes. That's right. She was dressed as a bee.

Beautiful Fall Day

2009-10-25T21:08:00.003-04:00

We have been trying to get in some time outside while the weather is still enjoyable. We bundled up and took a walk while the rain was taking a break. Ben and Amity make a great team.

We love taking a walk!

I got my turn to hang out with Amity.

What a beautiful girl!

Steelers Family

2009-10-20T15:55:00.004-04:00

Go Black and Gold!

The whole family got ready for the opening game of the season in style. Amity and Caden missed out since they were in bed by the time the game started but we all enjoyed the day anyway.

We were all decked out for the game this week against the Browns too. Gotta show our support against the "rivals."

We are starting our daughter out right!

A Day at the Park

2009-10-16T22:21:00.006-04:00

On one of the last warm days in September, we walked down to check out the local park.

Daddy takes Amity down the "Big Foot" slide. Amity seemed to enjoy the ride but Daddy wasn't so fortunate. Those kiddie slides can be rough on the big people.

Mommy and Amity conquer "Big Foot" without mishap!

Amity tries going down the slide on her own. Her smile says it all. Fun!

Amity pauses at the bottom of the slide to check out the mulch and her new shoes.

Daddy and Amity take a break from all of their fun.

Daddy's girl is so Loved!

Practicing her steps on the uneven terrain.

Who doesn't love the swings? especially when someone is doing all of the pushing for you?

All in all a memorable afternoon when we had the park all to ourselves to enjoy some quality family time together. We were even able to keep Amity from eating the mulch.

Early Walker!

2009-10-11T16:46:00.003-04:00

Amity is officially walking. She has spent the last couple of days roaming around the house. At first she moved from wall to furniture to coffee table in small spurts. This afternoon she's walked clear around the kitchen table and across the room. Unfortunately, her cute little walk is still a bit unsteady so she spends a lot of time picking herself back up off the floor. She's a determined little lady. Amity also likes to carry something around in her hand as she wanders from place to place. Today she's carried a frog puzzle piece everywhere. She still likes to stop and clap for herself too. What fun!

Stool Pusher

2009-10-10T17:38:00.002-04:00

A video with that title could go one of two ways...

First Step?

2009-10-09T19:23:00.003-04:00

Amity attempts her first step?

My 26th Year: A Photographic Essay

2009-10-06T20:55:00.015-04:00

The Great Race Playlist

2009-10-04T18:57:00.002-04:00

Last Sunday, we participated in the Great Race in Pittsburgh. Roughly 8,000 runners in the 10k on a rainy, chilly morning run. In order to maintain focus and composure among such a horde, I devised a playlist to aid me on the run. Here are a few songs that made the cut:

A rousing opener to kick off the run:

continue with tribal beats and thoughts of pandemics:

my role in the race?

need some encouragement as the large hill looms:

made it to the top, now it's downhill to the finish:

now a powersong to the finish line:

Step

2009-09-30T16:14:00.002-04:00

Amity spends a lot of time by the bottom step of the stairs. It's the perfect height for her. Ever since she could pull herself up she's leaned, pushed, chewed, cruised and slapped the step. It's definitely one of her favorite places in the house. Lately, she's starting to lift up a knee like she's thinking of climbing up on that step...we'll see how long it takes her to try that.

Sometimes when Amity gets excited, she'll scrunch up her face and puff at us. If you look really close you may be able to see her new two top teeth. Adorable!

Happy Amity hanging out on the step.

Moxie Time

2009-09-21T13:02:00.004-04:00

Amity and Moxie are more and more interested in each other. Sometimes Moxie seems to follow Amity around the room and either watch her or just be there by her. It's amusing.

Checking out the yard.

Smiling at the camera.

Moxie "rests" while Amity circles below.

Moxie takes the higher step. Wait until Amity can climb up after her. Moxie better enjoy it now.

Moxie loves her giant cat perch by the window. Amity likes the perch too. It's just the right height to pull herself up. She also likes to pull on Moxie's scratching post rope. I gave the posts a trim with the scissors when they got hairy and Amity decided to try and snack on them.

Amity vs. the Giant Hand

2009-09-20T14:36:00.001-04:00

Reluctant Playmate

2009-08-28T12:39:00.003-04:00

Moxie does well with the small human who now can slowly come close to her. Moxie was napping when Amity decided to share her toys. Moxie tolerated it with typical cat arrogance.

Crawler

2009-08-25T19:34:00.003-04:00

Tunnel

2009-08-21T21:37:00.005-04:00

Amity's interest in her tummy time mat has really dwindled so we decided it was time to transform it into a tunnel. I wasn't sure that Amity would be interested in it yet or that she would be ready to explore. So we sat it down and waited....it was a hit.

You can peek around the tunnel and see Daddy too.

First she checked out the outside of the tunnel...

Then she decided to go through the tunnel...yay! Amity soon discovered that she can pull off the dangling ball, mirror and fish using her sheer might. That velcro is no match for our strong baby.

And what has become normal in our house...Moxie decided to check out the tunnel as well. Moxie thinks that these new things are cat sized, not baby sized.

Apparently, it seems like a good place to hide from the small human who is very curious about the furry creature these days.

E-town Firsts

2009-08-15T19:07:00.005-04:00

Elizabethtown, PA - where Ben spent most of his childhood, home of wonderful Grandparents, land of the Amish and oh so close to the sweetest place on earth

We took Amity and headed home for a weekend to visit the Grandparents with Brigitte and Caden.

Amity and Caden are going to be great friends.

Amity claps, grins and snorts with Lily. We were so glad to get to see Heather, Katie and Lily.

What great Grandparents! Here's a photograph to commemorate the first of many trips to chocolate world with Grammie and Grandpap. Yum!

We rode the Chocolate World Factory Tour and tasted the newest Hershey Kiss sample at the end of the ride (sorry Amity, maybe next time) and posed for a picture on a very busy day at Hershey.

Aunt Brigitte is so much fun to play with already.

Amity waited and watched for Grandpap to drive by on his spiffy John Deere. Then when he came around she bounced and waved her arms and snorted in delight.

Amity even got to ride!

Caden just couldn't get enough of the rocking chair.

Calle is only one day younger than Amity but she's on the move already.

We had a great visit with the Galls and Millers. Here's the best picture I got with 4 mobile kids.

We really had a wonderful visit. Thanks Grammie and Grandpap.

I'm On a Boat!

2009-08-12T17:22:00.007-04:00

It was a nice Saturday for boating so we headed out to meet my parents and spend a day on the lake enjoying some swimming and tubing. Amity wasn't sure she liked the boat but she's all ready to go.

Pap and Grandma and Amity smile for the camera...well, sort of.

Ben took Amity for her very first swim in the lake.

We got to get in quite a bit of tubing. Check out the skills we displayed on the lake.

Marci and Amity are having fun!

A long day wore Amity out. She's snoozing in Auntie Chelle's arms while Mom and Dad tube.

Visit with Friends

2009-08-02T10:27:00.003-04:00

We got to visit with friends from college last weekend for a fun afternoon and very tasty lunch. Amity enjoyed playing with her friends.

Sam thought Amity's hair was pretty. What a gentleman.

Three proud Papas.

Let's Go Bucs!

2009-07-20T18:49:00.005-04:00

Amity went to her very first Pirates game on Sunday. It was a kid's game day so she got a bean bag pillow. She just loved it, probably because it was in a plastic bag.

Here we are in the park.

Ben and Amity stopped for a pic with Roberto Clemente.

Walking across the Roberto Clemente bridge after enjoying the game...too bad the Pirates lost to the Giants 4-3...bummer. Maybe by the time Amity can remember being a Pirates fan they will be a winning, competitive team.

Laundry Helper

2009-07-17T14:53:00.003-04:00

I was folding clothes when Amity reached out and grabbed the laundry basket to hoist herself up to stand and snag some clothes out of the basket. She was so proud of herself. Who knew that getting things done would be so much fun?

What a great helper!

Are You Havin' A Laugh?

2009-07-14T21:12:00.004-04:00

Ben was juggling for Amity when he accidentally dropped one of the blocks. She thought it was so funny. Of course, her laughter just caused Ben to drop the blocks more often so we could watch her delight. I couldn't resist getting this on video.

Independance Day

2009-07-04T20:31:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July!

Great Grandma Visit

2009-06-30T21:58:00.004-04:00

Welcome Great Grandma! We are so glad you're here! Ben's grandmother and parents came over to visit for a few days. Amity got to meet her Great Grandma for the first time. They hit it off right away. We had a great visit.

Four generations together. What a blessing!

Amity loves spending time with her grandparents.

Great Grandma is so much fun.

Amity got to play with her Grandma and Great Grandma. They're very entertaining.

Yum! Real Food

2009-06-26T18:38:00.003-04:00

Amity tasted her first spoonfuls of solid food. She wasn't sure if she liked it at first but after a couple of days she's loving it. Waving her hands and asking for more.

Fun With Grandpa

2009-06-24T20:07:00.002-04:00

Trip to Charlotte, NC

2009-06-23T16:38:00.002-04:00

Marci and Amity went to Charlotte, NC with Auntie Chelle and Grandma to celebrate Robert's graduation. What a fun time visiting family!

Marci and Amity with the graduate. Good job Robert!

Auntie Chelle and Amity smile pretty.

Amity hangs out by the pool.

Great Aunt Jaci, cousin Sarah, Grandma and Amity enjoy the swing.

Thank you Uncle Ted for the great food!

amigos

2009-06-15T23:10:00.004-04:00

"su camisa es azul"

Twinkle Toes

2009-06-06T21:59:00.003-04:00

One of Amity's favorite activities for the past couple of weeks is grabbing those adorable feet. She just wiggles around holding onto her toes and chatting up a string of unintelligible syllables. Her latest new sound is na na na na na.

Memorial Day

2009-06-01T21:04:00.001-04:00

was quite an eventful day...

Too Cute

2009-05-18T20:04:00.002-04:00

Amity sure enjoys life. These random pictures were just so cute I wanted to put them up. First she likes to play with her butterfly while we eat dinner.

Thanks to Grandma, Amity gets to play with Redhead Rattle...a toy Mommy liked when she was Amity's age.

Daddy is one of Amity's favorite playmates...or is it that Amity is one of Daddy's favorite playmates? They look just a little too innocent, don't they?

Grandma shares her hat with Amity!

Amity Roll

2009-05-06T20:35:00.004-04:00

Story Time

2009-04-22T12:59:00.005-04:00

Maybe we should have given them something to munch on before story time...

Daddy is great with story time. Amity loves all of the different voices Daddy uses when he reads to her before bed.

First Easter

2009-04-13T18:37:00.005-04:00

Amity's all dressed up for her first Easter...

and she's loving it!

Amity's fancy dress even has matching shoes!

Pap Chair

2009-04-11T13:31:00.003-04:00

Relaxing in the Pap chair.