Trahan's Happenings

Sand

2012-01-31T18:35:00.000-08:00

We have had very nice weather lately - windows open, playing comfortably outside. H decided it was perfect sandbox weather!

I don't know what was making C laugh, but he was happy.

He seems to like his bike - when we are outside he really wants to get down, but I don't think crawling or unsteady sitting would be good outside. He gets squirmy if I hold him or if he is in the stroller, but the bike seems to do the trick!

I think C wanted to play in the sand too.

I am certain that if I let him down the sand would have been in his mouth, eyes, nose....

That last picture of the boys reminded me of this picture of me and Karen (KK) by the sand box. What a perfect setup she had for her snack. I think I was about the same age in this picture as C is now.

The scene is not too different, except for all of the pink!

The first bike ride

2012-01-30T15:33:00.000-08:00

Since C has been sitting up so well, we thought that we would try him in H's old bike with the infant seat on it. He loved it! And H loved riding with his brother too!

Ready to ride!

Not the best picture of C, but H looks like he's ready to rev up his engines!

C sure looks big and bad with his paci hanging down by his side...

A video of H riding. If you turn the volume up you can hear some of his chatter/singing. His chatter goes on allll day.

Band of Brothers

2012-01-30T15:14:00.000-08:00

Nothing better than a little music on a Monday morning!

(Most of these little wooden instruments were found for about 59 cents at Goodwill! An easy way to make a music box!)

This definitely satisfied C's love for patting/tapping. He was very happy when he found the xylophone.

and the maraca...

I was kneeling on the floor to take pictures of C, and H decided that my back was the perfect place to get to make some music with the maracas!

(Please excuse my messy hair - I was at the local Methodist church this morning by 6am to get in line to try to register H for pre-school in the fall. It is serious business here! One woman said she was there by 4:15 this morning... I'll let you know in a month or so if we got in...)

Making music together

It is fun to see them interact together. H was trying to sit on C now, I think he will be ready when they can rough house and wrestle together.

A little taste of their music. They were both really making some noise before I decided to make a video of it, but that seems to be how it goes.

Thank you, PawPaw and GrandMissy!

2012-01-28T19:10:00.000-08:00

Thank you for our wonderful marble run.

I was excited when it came and followed the diagram to set up a very neat run,

but I soon realized that I needed to set my marble run standards a little lower for the time being...

H enjoyed examining the different blocks and helping me stack them into a slightly more simple track.

(C liked to tap the blocks together)

It has a neat xylophone staircase that makes a little music when the marbles hit it.

It was fun to find all of the places for marbles to go

Thank you! I can't wait to show it to you!

This boy

2012-01-28T18:58:00.000-08:00

This boy has two little teeth now and loves to pat-pat-pat on the floor, on my shoulder, on a book...

but he loves to pat/tap something on something else - a toy on a book or a pan on a box. It makes him sooo happy. He giggles and sings along to his rhythm.

This boy is also getting more mobile. He can go from crawling to sitting now.

And he likes to pull himself up on things.

But you have to be close by - just in case brother comes to make him laugh.

Then he forgets that he needs to hold on....

This boy has definitely worked his way into our hearts!

H's sleep styles

2012-01-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

On Daddy's chair before supper

Long day..

The Bookworm

Fell asleep while reading..

This one is for the girlfriends.

Sleeping with the potty seat. We tried putting the (clean) potty seat in H's room at naps/bedtimes (that seems to be when he does his business) and one night when we went to check on him we found it in the bed with him! Thankfully it hadn't been used.....

Groundhog Day

2012-01-26T14:20:00.000-08:00

I read somewhere that for a stay at home mama, every day is Groundhog day - you wake up in the morning wondering if it will be any different, but for the most part every day is the same...I'm not complaining, I love our days, and if you look closely there are little changes each day - C's new developments, H's new words, new crafts and projects to do, errands to run, etc... So, that was a long explanation to say that this post is representative of most of our days!

Breakfast - the boys had just finished eating (cereal for H and peas for C) and H likes to feed Bubba his puffs.

Walking/riding bikes

A couple of months ago H's legs were almost too short for his bike, but he has since had a growth spurt and now his legs easily reach the ground!

Playing while brother takes his morning nap.

To the store!

This was C's first time sitting in the buggy instead of riding in his car seat of the sling. He kept dancing a little and grinning like he felt he just became a big guy!

Lunch - bagel for H and soft cooked carrots for C

Jumping in the bounce house next door while Mama cooked supper

A little after supper music - H calls it his 'strum'

Bath time!

Snuggles and stories before bed.

I wonder what tomorrow will be like....!

A photo shoot

2012-01-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Our wonderful friend, Diana (Henry's Mama) called us up one day and said that she wanted to take some pictures of C with her new fancy camera. How could I refuse!!!

He enjoyed the attention, but kept crawling my way so she had to snap some pictures quickly before he was in my lap. He made a very cute model!

A behind the scenes look:

Diana working hard with her wonderful assistant, Henry. He quickly grabbed H's camera and started taking some pictures with his mama. Cute!

Brought to you by H: outside

2012-01-20T20:08:00.000-08:00

Das my shirt. It's bwack.

Daddy's car. See de circles?

Das a shadow.

Das my bike! I ride and ride it. And pedal, pedal, pedal.

Das my pwaid shoe. I put it on by myself.

See de rocks? I pick 'em up and throw dem.

Das de sky. It's bwu.

Das my nose! Dere boogies in dere!

Das Kay-Way-well's house.

(Clara Hartwell's house)

Das a circle.

Das de stroller. We go for a walk now.

Way Gator!

(Later Gator!)

Yay!

2012-01-19T20:11:00.000-08:00

Yay donuts!

Yay jumping!

We have been a little scarce on here lately, but we have been dealing with the winter crud (cold/sinus), and enjoying Daddy's last week at home before school starts back next week. We'll return to more regular blogging soon. Until then, enjoy your weekend!

That's mine, bruver/ I wanna play too

2012-01-16T19:34:00.000-08:00

Clay Canvas

2012-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

Today H and I had a little date to the Clay Canvas - a paint-your-own-pottery place. The local Moms group had an outing there. H was excited about our date. He wanted to pick out all of the items to paint and all of the different colors of paint. We finally settled on a couple little boy shapes and a few colors to use.

They had a neat little set up, mason jars with water, lots of paintbrushes, here H is painting from his palate.

H was telling how he was painting shoes, hair, a nose, and jammies.

We brought our own art smock today. I learned that he is a little put off by provided art smocks for whatever reason, so if we bring our own he is willing to wear it.

The Moms and Tots

Bringing his paints back to the basket. A very serious task for this little independent boy!

Playing with Hayden while the Mamas chatted and took care of business.

Talking to Chicco, the cockatoo, who said "Craaack!"

On the way home, H wasn't talking about painting or his buddies, but about Chicco "who was making noise and said craaaack!"

In the morning

2012-01-07T19:50:00.000-08:00

We played some football.

This ball is C's favorite toy. It is easy to grasp, and a color he likes. He cries if anyone takes it from him.

We made some silly faces.

I guess we are getting to the point where normal happy faces will be harder to come by.

We did a little yoga

Hello sun!

We did a little crawling

C does more of a "worm" type crawl - makes me think of break dancing, but he gets where he wants to go. H is not entirely happy about it, especially when C wants to get his toys.

We offered encouragement for little crawlers.

Good job, bruver!

We explored.

(the underside of the piano)

We looked at white squirrels out the window.

N told me about the albino squirrel he saw a couple of weeks ago, but I thought he has exxagerating - we have some lighter gray squirrels here. But we saw it today! I was so surprised! So pretty!

Brought to you by H: playdate with Henry

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Das Henry! He my friend. We take turns."

"Das Dinah (Diana). Her Henry's Mama."

We pway wif toys togethuh.

We pwaying.

Das my mouf.

Das my chair! I sit in it and wock and wock.

Snack. Crackers and cheese. I stack them up. Put broccoli on top.

Henry make music. Tap tap tap.

See you waiter!

Brought to you by H

2012-01-04T18:46:00.000-08:00

We got H a Fisher Price kid friendly digital camera for Christmas, and he has enjoyed taking pictures on it. There are 156 photos on it. About 80 of them were of either the floor or the ceiling. The rest took a little deciphering to figure out what they were. We have a little work to do on our photography skills. But for a little boy who is enjoying his growing independence, it is fun to put the camera in his hands!

"dis my hand."

"Das Winnerd. He wooks out da winnow."

(That's Leonard. He looks out the window.)

The Christmas tree

"Das Brubba."

(A mix between Bubba and brother)

"Dis Daddy. He eats pie"

"Dis Mama. She smiling"

"Das me! Harrson!"

Breakfast buddies

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

This morning a zebra and the "Why Men" (Wise men) ate breakfast with us.

The zebra got covered in squash,

and the "why" men had a few bites of cereal and splashed in milk puddles.

Sweet Dreams

2012-01-03T12:00:00.000-08:00

You know your child is sleeping well when they have mohawk bed head...

H has been enjoying his big bed. He still sleeps with his blankies at night, but I have been finding a collection of things in his bed in the mornings - shoes, plates, water, cars, and many other items. When I put him to bed, he likes to stuff his blankies, a toy and his water cup under the quilt with him. If I put his blankies on top of the quilt he starts to stuff them under the quilt and says "they play hide and seek." One of my favorite things that H says these days is "I love you all day!"

C has been sleeping longer stretches at night, and that helps Mama!

A trip to Monroe

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

A beautiful Oak Tree all lit up.

It was amazing to see in person. I can't imagine what it was like to put all of the lights on it.

We went back to Monroe for a quick holiday trip. As always it was great to see family - Nanny, Mary Ann, Pawpaw and GrandMissy - and some of our friends.

H enjoying a little snack on PawPaw's treadmill

C and PawPaw kept each other laughing

Run! PawPaw's going to get you!

Cheese!

Enjoying a little outside time together

This viewfinder was one of H's new car ride toys.

This is what he looked like for much of that first day.

Jumping man!

C likes to move! Rolling on the floor or jumping - doesn't matter, he just wants to move!

I don't have too many pictures from our trip, we were just enjoying all of the people we saw, but we had a great and busy time.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T19:14:00.000-08:00

When the boys woke up this morning, I told H "Happy New Year," and he replied with "Oh! Presents under the tree!" He must still be thinking about Christmas!

This morning when we woke up the power was out, and H wanted to watch his shows. I told him the power was out, the TV wasn't working. He said "Daddy get new barries (batteries) for the house." Hehehe! And when the power came back on he said "Daddy fixed it!" Growing up (and still) I always felt like my Daddy could fix anything and make anything better, so it is fun to see H having the same feelings.

On New Year's Eve we had a little fireworks show after supper. (Our New Year's Eve celebrations are getting earlier and earlier...) H's best friend, Henry, and his parents came over, and out neighbors Joe and Millie and their granddaughter, Amelia.

The boys were mesmerized by the fireworks.

We had to keep reminding them not to go too close.

They all really enjoyed the sparklers

H also liked the poppers (the kind that you throw on the ground and they pop). He couldn't throw them down hard enough to make them pop, so he would drop them and then stomp on them. It was hilarious watching him try and try and try to stomp on them.... we still have a little ways to go with foot/eye coordination...

C thought it was all great.

I was a little worried that the noises would make C nervous, but he loved it all. This little boy loves to be rough and tough.

They called the sparklers and Roman Candles "Super powers!"

Maybe they reminded them of some show where someone had a wand that had super powers?

Watching their Daddys playing with the bigger fireworks.

It really didn't look this smoky in real life, but I like how the camera picked up the smoke.

He is born!

2012-01-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

"Baby Jesus came to our house! It's his birfday!" (What H said)

A new member of the nativity came to visit every couple of days, so on Christmas morning, they finally all made it. H was enjoying checking to see who came to visit in the mornings.

We didn't put any presents under the tree until Christmas morning (mainly because we were worried that they would be demolished well before Christmas), and so on Christmas morning when there were gifts under the tree, H said "Ooohhh, Christmas!!!"

H got a few games for Christmas this year, I think I must be excited to play games with him

Elefun was the first game. We turned it on to play with him and he thought it was great fun - not catching the butterflies in the net, but grabbing them off of the floor.

Animal 2x2

- another game. He now knows what a "humbird" (hummingbird) is.

C really would have been perfectly happy if we just let him crinkle all of the wrapping paper, but he likes his LeapFrog Brightling Exploration Station. It is great for little guys, H enjoys it too, and the voices and sounds don't drive me absolutely crazy, so it is a great toy.

After a couple of gifts, H really got into the unwrapping groove, he got a good strong stance and ripped the paper off!

H and C playing together with a new toy.

We had a great Christmas - enjoyed our little family, received some very nice gifts, had a wonderful dinner (ham, sweet potatoes, green beans and pecan pie), and enjoyed a beautiful day together.

'Tis the season

2011-12-24T20:11:00.000-08:00

for Christmas-y things!

While C was busy admiring the Christmas tree,

Hey, you!

H was busy decorating gingerbread men with our neighbor Clara-Hartwell.

He had a great time and thought it was a lot of fun. It's a good thing that he doesn't like cookies, he had no interest in sampling the gingerbread. CH on the other hand was very interested and kept eating a bite out of her gingerbread men's heads.

H alternated between calling the sprinkles pepper or medicine. He was either cooking or playing doctor.

We just let them have fun and do all of the decorating with very minor coaching - so we have beautiful gengerbread men with bites out of their heads, piles of sprinkles, spotty icing, but we had a great time doing it! Lots of laughs, and it kept them happy and seated for about 40 minutes!

H is very excited about Santa coming tomorrow. We will see how the day goes!

Merry Christmas to you!

May your Christmas be filled

with wonder and light!

Hanging out

2011-12-21T18:34:00.001-08:00

As C has started reacting more and becoming a little more fun to interact with, H seems to be enjoying having a little buddy to play with.

"Mama, we're watching a show together."

"We're switching!"

I think he meant that they are switching places. C rolls and rolls and rolls all over the place, and H likes to get right by him and roll with him - like switching places.

Sidenote - One of my favorite things that H has said is "Mama, I'm having." I don't know what he was having, but I'd like to be "having" too!

"We're hiding!"

I was putting clothes away in the bedroom and looked over and both boys were under the bed playing with the bed skirt.

"We're 'pwashing!"

"Mama, we're trading together!"

H was handing C toys, he would drop them, and then he would hand him another one. H has also learned that if he takes a toy from C, to hand him another one to keep C from crying and himself from getting fussed at. They learn quick!

It is fun to see the boys start to interact and play together more, I am sure that they will have their arguments and squabbles, but I do hope that these little guys will be good friends. It does feel good to have two little boys at Christmas time this year.

Pre-pre-school

2011-12-21T09:49:00.000-08:00

I have felt like H has needed a little more stimulation lately, something to challenge him a little, and something that just he and I can do while brother is napping. I was browsing on Pinterest for some Montessori or toddler school ideas and came up with some great ideas, many had free printables that you can use. Here is a link for my collection on Pinterest. Usually when I put C down for his morning nap, H comes to me and says: "Mama, you wanna do thumteen (something) wif me?" How can I refuse.

Here are some pictures of H doing "thumteen" over the past week or two.

Matching colors/items.

A little bag filled with wooden bowls, people and felt balls in matching colors. Right now I was just letting him do what he wanted with them. He matches the bowls and puts the people or balls in them, he mixes them all up, he puts one color on each kitchen tile... I've seen kids using tongs to put move the items around. For now it is just primary colors (and green) but I was thinking that we could eventually put orange and purple and learn about color mixing...

Dominoes

He loves to stand them up and knock them over. We've started matching dots a little bit too.

A daily schedule and weather

I will see H refer to this every now and again throughout the day (although some days he totally ignores it). On Sunday's when we have family movie night, he keeps bringing me the family movie night card as if he hopes it will mean its time!

And he will change the weather card too (today it is "Sunday" (sunny)).

I should have taken a picture - last night I found all of the days events with the magnets taken off hidden in the book I'm reading! Haha! Maybe I should put them away for a little while...

Heads and Tails

Matching the head and tail of each animal or creating new strange animals!

(From Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear)

Some little plastic frogs.

Setting them on their noses was all H's idea.

Matching frogs by color and making a frog train.

Coins

Counting numbers and putting coins in the jar - there is a little slit for them in the lid.

He found quickly that sometimes they get stuck and you need to shake them between additions. It is fun to see how quickly he figures out how to manipulate things!

Matching

These have the picture of the robot/person/animal and then the silhouette to match it with. He does pretty good with it and likes to stack the matches (these are on the lids of old tea tins). Eventually we will play this like a memory game where you flip them over and have to remember where the matches are.

H does pretty good with all of these activities. There are a couple that I prepared and thought he would be ready for but quickly realized that we will need to wait on them. We also rotate some of these activities with coloring, playing with music, building block towers and playing with his farm animals or trains. Sometimes I have to help him stay focused long enough to finish the activity, and I also have to try to not step in when he gets stumped... but I am enjoying our little pre-pre-school activities and I think he is too!

Funny boys

2011-12-19T19:19:00.001-08:00

For bath time tonight, we tried C out in the Bumbo seat instead of the huge baby bath. He loved being able to check out all of the toys floating around, and H liked having a little more room to play. And they both enjoyed making each other laugh!

While visions of sugarplums

2011-12-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

danced through their heads...

Six Months

2011-12-15T06:13:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that this little boy is six months old! I know that I have been with him every day of those six months, but it has gone so quickly that I feel like I've missed some. He has been such a joy and such a fun addition to our family. He has been strong and chubby since day one!

He is very expressive and likes to smile. He will stare at someone until he gets their attention and then will grin. No one can get him smiling and laughing like his big brother can, though.

He has started sitting up on his own this week. I love when babies can sit up. They seem happier, and it is a little easier for Mama too!

I love the rolls on this stocky little boy! At his last check up, he was in the 90th percentile for weight (18 pounds) and 17th for height (24 inches). We've got short and stocky down! He is already in 9-12 month size clothes.

He's coming around to food (again). He was very happy about his first couple of meals, but then decided food wasn't all that exciting. But now he likes it again. He likes sweet potatoes and apples the most. Bananas are pretty good. He doesn't really like peas or pears.

He is very curious and determined. He will roll himself this way and that way until he gets himself close to what he wants, and then he will try to ooch himself up to it.

He is still very attached to his blankie - he must have it to sleep with. He needs his paci to fall asleep, but otherwise doesn't really want it.

(If you look closely, C is just on his hand and toes - his belly is off of the floor)

He has started getting up on his knees and doing the yoga plank pose. I am glad that he is sitting and rolling, but I don't know if I'm quite ready for crawling.

C has a husky little voice. I look forward to hearing what it sounds like when he talks.

C likes patting things - the floor, toys, whoever is holding them - anything!

Rolling a little bit.

This boy likes to move! He gets really squirmy if you hold him. He is happiest rolling on the floor.

Sesame Street and H cheering C on in the background.

A little before lunch art

2011-12-14T18:25:00.000-08:00

We had a little impromptu art lesson today before lunch. C is sitting up pretty well these days and H's little art tray is just the perfect height for C. H thought it was great fun to teach brother the basics.

Lesson One: Don't eat the crayons.

I felt like I was repeating this every few seconds.

C is a little young to know this, and H thought it was funny that C kept putting them in his mouth, so he started doing the same....

Lesson Two: "Dis is bwue, bruver."

(this is blue, brother)

H is really into drawing with multiple crayons in his hand at a time even though he may only use one of them.

Lesson Three: "Wook, dis is how you make spiwebs."

(Look, this is how you make spiderwebs)

Spiderwebs must be H's code for "scribble, scribble, scribble!

Lesson Four: Improv can be a lot of fun!

C started using the lid for the crayon tin as a musical instrument. He was banging it on the tray and H thought it was hilarious!

Lesson Five: Art is more fun with family

You wike corring wif me?

(You like coloring with me?)

University Museum

2011-12-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Today we went to the University Museum for a lesson and craft on African Masks. We had another little date while C napped at home with Daddy. We had gone to one of these before but H didn't do so well at that one - I think he was put off by the fact that they had to wear blue paper smocks to use the paint. There were no smocks required this time, so participation was great!

He was so excited that there were cool foam stickers! In cool shapes! Alligators, zebras, giraffes, sparkly stars and more! Every two year olds dream!

They had some masks that the kids could try on.

He did great peeling the back off of the stickers. I have always loved watching little hands work. They get so focused and determined.

H's work of art!

I think he used every sticker and feather that they allotted him. Some kids just used a few and seemed to have some sort of design in mind, but H wanted to fill up all of the space on his mask. He was so proud to show it to Daddy when we came home.

Play!

2011-12-12T13:52:00.000-08:00

Today the moms group had an open gym at the local gymnastics place. Since Daddy is just about done with school for the semester, he and C did a little bonding while H and I went and had a date. We had a blast! H did a lot of playing and I did a lot of following and helping, but it was a great time for all.

He did a little jumping

A little hooping

A little hiding

A little waiting

A little hanging

And a little resting!

We had a great time! This was a perfect activity for a day too cold for playing outside. H seemed to like having somewhere to run, jump, climb, swing, and more - and where he wasn't getting in trouble for climbing, running, or jumping on the wrong things (like couches, cribs, and beds!).

Naughty or nice?

2011-12-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Naughty or nice?

Definitely nice!

Ole Miss had a Gingerbread village exhibit and Santa came to visit today. We went to take a picture with him. He had a real beard and talked with the little ones. Just what you imagine Santa to be like - jolly, kind, asking what you want for Christmas, reminding you to help Mama..... H was excited to see him and seemed great until the little boy in line in front of us started screaming when he was placed in Santa's lap. Then H started to seem a little nervous, but he didn't cry, just became very stoic. But we made it without tears from either boy! H still seems a little foggy about what the whole Christmas deal is - presents, reindeer and such, but he likes the candy that seems to be associated with it...

Memories in the making!

Hello!

2011-12-10T19:14:00.001-08:00

Peekaboo!

I see you!

We're just hanging around here!

Story time

2011-12-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

We went to Oxford's Christmas parade a couple of nights ago and H really enjoyed it - he waved and yelled "Christmas" (for Merry Christmas) to all of the passing people and floats.

This morning we went to story time at the local children's bookstore.

C kept himself occupied while we waited for it to begin.
(It has been cold again! We woke up to snow and a white neighborhood this morning - and 32 degree weather!) H actually thought it was neat this year, instead of screaming like he did when he saw snow last year.

Miss Jill reading a story in the white rocker. She is a lot of fun and often will pull out her guitar and sing after reading the story. One thing that we love about this story-time is that there are so many fun toys to play with. H listened to the stories and then would go play here and there.

H was doing some cooking. He brought me a tray of muffins and was having a good time making sandwiches with another little boy. He seemed to feel very good about the oven mitt he found.
It doesn't really show, but H was dancing to "On Top of Spaghetti" while cooking in this picture.

C liked the music a lot. Especially Old MacDonald, and especially when I let him stand up and dance.

Now you know where we will be next Wednesday!

Ginger's house

2011-12-05T18:55:00.000-08:00

The local moms group had a gingerbread house party for the little ones this morning. When I told H what we were doing he asked when we were going to Ginger's house! We had a great time. There were about 15-20 two to four year olds and their mama's. Thankfully there was a large living area so there was plenty of space for everyone to play.

H (and his bed head) playing with his buddies Virginia and Evie. The girls are twins and he calls them "Evie and the other Evie." It is so fun to see how their little minds process things like twins.

Creating his masterpiece
He was more concerned with eating the marshmallows and lining up the gum drops than actually decorating the house.

While the bigger kids were working on their houses, C enjoyed a little time to play on the floor.

H and Siobhan had a blast bumping up and down the stairs. They were climbing up the stairs and then sliding down over and over again while giggling and laughing!

The moms, tots and the masterpieces.

H's house is the one on the back right. Beautiful, right?
H did it all on his own. I think some of the other kids had some parental help...

Thankfully H isn't too crazy about sweets (except marshmallows and lollipops) so I think his house will survive a few days.

Advent

2011-12-02T19:45:00.000-08:00

It's that time again! I am having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit (maybe due to the fact that it has been in the 60's and 70's the past few days), but I am working on it! On Dec. 1st, we pulled out the Advent calendar that I made last year and am pulling out a cute wooden nativity set. (Have I written about Totsy yet? I love it! They are a mom deal site and offer great deals on all sorts of things related to mamas and children. I have purchased nursing bras, a balance bike and this nativity from them - all at great prices too! Check it out here! ) I had been looking for a nativity set that looked nice but could be played with by little hands and found a great one on Totsy (originally $100 and for sale for $30)....

H was excited about the nativity and Advent calendar!

He seemed to remember just what to do
This year he is very definite about which button he wants to hang the ornaments on.
"That one, no, that one. Yes. That one!"

When H saw Mary and Joseph (or May and Jovis if he is not thinking) He said "Oh! Mary and Joseph came to my house! Jesus is coming tomorrow."

Mary and Joseph proceded to accompany us throughout our day.

Eating breakfast with us.
(C has come to terms with peas, sweet potatoes and bananas)

Going tee-tee with us

Watching shows with H

They even played a good game of peekaboo (hide and seek) in the armoir.

They also took a little nap with H.
I went to wake H up from his nap and he had his legs in the pillow, Mary and Joseph next to him and the toddler rail from his crib with him. Busy guy!

When I went to add the donkey to Mary and Joseph to accompany them on their journey, I saw that when H put them on the table for bed he made them kiss! Silly boys!

It's cold!

2011-11-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

Cold! Within a week it has gone from being in the 60's and 70's to being in the 20's and 30's. H, who is normally ready and willing to stay outside as long as possible has been asking to go inside before I'm ready to!

It has turned drastically cold lately, so we have been spending a little bit more time inside.
So that also means finding more indoor activities. I have spent a little (bit too much) time on Pinterest lately finding awesome toddler/Montessori printables for matching and early learning activities. I have most of those activities prepped and ready for use, but today we just did some good old art! Stamping, coloring and stickers.

Doing a little art while brother watched on. C thinks that H can be quite funny!

Hey!

Cheese! (My new camera (early Christmas present from Pop and SweetHart) has smile detection!!! We were trying it out, and it worked!)

We also blew up an old exercise ball to get a little activity on cold days. H loves it, and C thinks it is funny when we bounce on it, or when I bounce him on it. I think this will help get a little energy out when it is too cold or rainy to go outside.

What are you doing to entertain yourselves in cold and rainy weather?

This week

2011-11-25T19:54:00.000-08:00

There has been some splashing in puddles and playing with the neighbors.
Lots of rain, clouds and wetness.

Some trying of new foods
(Not such a big fan of peas... We will try sweet potatoes tomorrow...)

And visits with Aunt Jennifer. H and C both loved Aunt Jennifer!
She and Frank came for the LSU/Ole Miss game and went to the Grove (Ole Miss' version of tailgating) and we had a great time.

I hug bruver!

Thankful

2011-11-25T19:38:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed a beautiful Thanksgiving day here. H and his daddy enjoyed a little bike ride. I found a little guy bike seat at Goodwill last week, and H and N have been loving it! H especially.

Getting ready to ride.
I think H really likes that he gets to sit in front of his daddy and see the world pass by

Hey people!

Clapping for a fun ride

C and I took a few self portraits while the big boys were riding.

I kept trying to get him to smile by making animal sounds
(always makes him smile and laugh) and tickling him

But we kept ending up like this!
He likes to give big, wet kisses!

We have so much to be grateful for!

First meal

2011-11-20T18:40:00.000-08:00

Little brother has been all but begging for his first meal lately. Any time we eat around him he starts chewing and reaching for our food, never taking his eyes off of it! Tonight we gave in and fed him!

H's first meal was around the same time and was a much different experience than this one. (You can see it here) H wasn't much interested in food and hated the cereal for the first week or so. C, on the other hand loves it!

For H's first meal, I prepared a small bowl of cereal and milk.

He may have had a spoonful or two.

For C, I prepared a small amount, but I think he would have eaten another helping

Aside from the excitement of a new experience for C, one of the fun parts about this meal was how excited H was about it. He's turning into quite a caring big brother. (the other day C was fussing in his crib after he woke up and before I could get to him. I heard H coming down the hall saying "It's ok bruver. I coming.")

For your viewing pleasure.

Cloud 9

2011-11-18T19:41:00.000-08:00

The Moms group went to Cloud 9 this week. It is an awesome place to go - there are a bunch of blow-up bouncy machines in it. I thought H would love it since he enjoys the "bouncy house" at Clara-Hartwell's next door, but we walked in and H got a smile on his face and went straight to the play tables. There were some little animals with beds to play with, a marble run, and a train table. He had no interest in jumping. I don't know if the noise from the blowers, or the size of the jumpers, or what, but he just had no interest in jumping. Happy as a clam playing with the other toys though.

There was a wide range of ages there - but at one point I looked over at the train table and it was full of two year old boys - and none of these little boys ever ventured over to the jumpers, they stayed happily away. We were all laughing that all of the other ages, and the girls were jumping, but all of the two year old boys had no interest in going.

All of the two year old boys.

A father and his sons

2011-11-14T19:16:00.000-08:00

Daddy, we love you!

You make us laugh

You keep us safe

You make us feel secure

You are strong for us

You are there for us

We know we are in your heart

We're so happy to be yours!

Reading Rodeo Round-Up

2011-11-13T19:42:00.000-08:00

Our local library (which we love!!!) had a Reading Rodeo Round Up this weekend. It was sort of during nap time, but we just had to go! I put the boys down a little early for their naps so we could make it. Our library is great. They have Toddler Time every Friday and Miss Nancy (the childrens librarian) and Mr. John (the awesome puppet show actor) are rock stars in our house! And they put up with H asking about every five minutes if there is a puppet show that day.

There was a cute little pony named Popcorn.
H kept trying to get everyone to give her some hay to eat.

Watching all of the activities.
He is at a stage where he seems to prefer to watch what is going on instead of participating.

Daddy lassoing.

Roasting marshmallows with Daddy and Mr. John

I think this marshmallow made the whole afternoon worth it!
H's favorite snack these days is a little cup full of cereal, raisins and a few marshmallows.

Story time got a little interesting with a s'more in one hand, baby in the sling, brother leaning against you, and a puppy trying to lick the crumbs off of brothers face...

That's a little better!

Coloring a horse.
When H colors with markers, he likes to take out all of the colors he wants, take off all of the caps, then color. He took a little convincing to understand that this was not the best place to do that.

"We go home and seep, seep, seep and then....we go to puppet show!!!"

6:09

2011-11-11T06:14:00.000-08:00

H's bedtime has always been around 8pm, and he would normally wake up about 8am. It was wonderful! After the time change, he would go to sleep between 7:30 and 8 and wake up about 7. Ok, I can handle that - it was actually sort of nice to have that extra hour in the morning. But this morning, someone came padding into our room at 6:09. 6:09!!! That is too early. Then I looked at the monitor and C was squirming around too. 6:09! C had some new toys in the crib and H had pulled out the under crib storage and found all sorts of fun things to play with!

So, when you wake up at 6am, by 8am (when we would normally be getting going) the little brother has already been nursed, big brother has already watched his morning shows, the yogurt (that was cooking in the crock pot over night) is already put away, orange marmalade is already cooking away in the crock pot, dishes are put away, breakfast has been eaten, a blog post has been posted, and little brother is already back in bed for his first nap of the day!

So, say a prayer for us that we all make it through the day in one piece! (I know that for some of you 6am is probably a great night sleep and maybe even late, but for our little family, it is a little earlier than we are used to!)

This week:

We have had a sick little boy - random fever, this is H snuggling and sleeping at 6:30pm.
(He is not really a snuggler and hasn't been rocked to sleep in almost two years!)

A little morning music and exercise.
C thought the sound of the bells was hilarious, he kept laughing every time they rang!

C started sleeping in the big crib!
I wasn't quite ready for this transition, but he was a little too active in the night for a small rocking cradle. He needed to have more space, and a stable place to sleep. The boys are also sharing a room now. I hope that we won't wake up one morning to find both of them asleep in the crib...

And this morning at 6:09...
You can see the under crib drawer pulled out and C's little eye peeking at you from the crib!
Even though it was a little early, these are very cute faces to wake up to - no matter the time of day/night!

A sleeping update

2011-11-07T19:13:00.000-08:00

Last night H went to sleep in his big bed, and this morning I found him in his old crib.

This is where I found him at naptime:

And little brother is enjoying sleeping on his tummy

Not so sure

2011-11-07T06:17:00.000-08:00

about the hat...

I had made C and H matching hats before C was born, and the 0-6 month size that I made for C was too small, even right when he came home from the hospital. So, now that the weather is getting cool, it was time to make one that fit. This one is in the 6-12 month size and I think it will fit for a little while. Although it fits him, I am not so sure he likes it....

What do you think?

Growing up

2011-11-07T06:09:00.000-08:00

Do you remember the picture of this sweet big boy sleeping so soundly in his big bed?

And this tiny little newborn in his cradle?

This is what I woke up to this morning (an hour early - we're still on the old time...)

Peekaboo! A cute little round head peeking over the cradle side.

I guess he decided he likes sleeping on his tummy better

And this boy climbed back into his old crib. We put the side rail back on the crib so he wouldn't get in the crib anymore, but I guess he had other plans...

PawPaw and GrandMissy, Part I

2011-11-06T19:06:00.000-08:00

PawPaw and GrandMissy came to visit us for the weekend, and we had a great time! Lots of hugs, loves, playtime, a few outings, and so much fun!

Watching morning shows with PawPaw.
(H has grown a little bored with Sesame Street (he's only been watching it for two years now...) and is enjoying Bubble Guppies and Team UmiZumi now))

Where's my breakfast, GrandMissy?
C is getting very interested in food! Just a little bit longer...

They brought my old bed with them for H - C will be moving into the crib soon from the cradle, he is about to outgrow it - and so we needed a bed for H to move into. He was so excited to see it, play a little on it, and is excited to sleep on it too!

A Barrel full of Monkeys!
It was time to pull out a new toy, and he enjoyed all of the monkeys!

Rocking with a grandmother - what better place is there to be?

PawPaw and GrandMissy, Part II

2011-11-06T18:42:00.000-08:00

We started the day out at Home Depot Kids Workshops, they made a picture frame, (although I think Daddy did most of the work), but it was a fun outing.

A little bit of love on the couch.

(Hat and blue cocoon just arrived from Ol' G in the mail.)

Watching the world go from PawPaw's truck after naptime

Adoration - it is so wonderful to see your children being loved and adored!

A little B-Ball with PawPaw

I'm flying!
H and PawPaw have been doing this since H was a tiny baby, and he still loves it!

A little night music. "I'm playing 'panio,' Mama!"

Sleeping in his new 'big bed.' Dreaming of PawPaw and GrandMissy....

We love you!

A little afternoon "ark"

2011-11-01T19:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I found this awesome art desk at Goodwill. I had been wanting somewhere for H to do some art that was contained and could stay ready and where I could keep an eye on him - to make sure that there were not any on-the-wall art projects. This was perfect, and only $4!

H has really been enjoying stickers lately, and thankfully I have a stash of stickers that I've been saving for years. He likes for me to draw circles and other shapes and put the stickers in the shapes.

He almost spends as much time sorting and organizing the crayons as he does drawing with them! The crayons are stored in an old gift card tin - the perfect size!

The lid of the tray flips over - one side works with dry erase markers and the other is a chalk board. He likes to "gribble' (scribble) and then wipe off all of the chalk.

And there is storage space under the lid! A perfect art tray for a little guy, and hopefully it will grow with him for many years!

Brother enjoyed watching from the jumper after he woke up

Last week we went to a Mommy and Me art class - he seems so grown up now!
We did marble painting and he was very proud of his masterpieces. I told him that we were going to do some art, and he seemed very excited. When we were in the car on our way to the art class, he asked where Noah's Ark was. Ha ha! Now when he does art on his tray he says he is doing "ark."

Arrrrrrrgh!

2011-10-31T19:35:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago, H was a pirate for Halloween, and C now fits the costume, so, being a little sentimental, I decided to let C wear the pirate costume and make H a bigger version. They were the cutest little pirates!!!

H was saying "candyyyyyy!"

First house of the evening!
(Our wonderful neighbors - the wife has been so wonderful to watch both boys one evening so we could go on a date and twice she came and rocked C while H napped so I could get a nap in while I was either sick or right after C was born. I hope to pass that on one day!)

Our gang

At our neighbors house (only the second house we went to) she asked if he wanted any candy and told him he could take a piece. He said "Yes!" and put his bag in the candy bucket and then tried to take the whole bucket!!!
After a few more houses he had figured out the system.

"Helping" carry his bag.
I made the bags last year from some wonderful tutorial that I can't locate right now.

Just right for Halloween night!

One little pirate fell asleep

He kept telling me: "you say knock knock trick a treat!"

Enjoying some of his bounty.
He showed restraint by choosing just two pieces.

H as a pirate in 2009

Lots of Animals!

2011-10-31T19:31:00.001-07:00

For being a little boy who has always only slept with his blankies - he now has a very full crib!

It it full of H, two blankies, Arlo the owl, 6 "new special bunnies" (that are actually from the bunny bowling set I made him), and about 15 various stuffed animals. Crowded!

Today while C was bouncing away, H brought him a lot of animals to "play with."

A spooky kind of photo shoot

2011-10-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

Well, not really spooky, but the boys were wearing their Halloween shirts. We headed over with Diana and Henry to a cotton field not too far from our house and took some pictures.

Me and the boys

Beautiful!
It almost gave me the same feeling that I get standing at the edge of the ocean - almost...

Cheeks!
While we were taking pictures another car drove up and it was some college kids from the north saying that they just wanted to see some cotton.

H liked it a lot until he felt the prickles.
He picked a little while we were there.

I made the shirts for H and C, but what better thing to do than to make a matching one for H's best friend, Henry!

Bruvers

One day I'll be able to keep up!

Trick or treat!

I think we are back now...

2011-10-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

We returned from our wonderful trip, but then C came down with an ear infection and H got a stomach bug. Then I caught the stomach bug... But now we are all recovered from our illnesses and starting to resume normal life - just in time for Halloween! Yesterday was the first day that we got back to our usual activities - Moms group in the morning, and then playing outside in the afternoon. H got to play with Clara-Hartwell (our neighbor) a little while too!

Fun Stuff!

C was enjoying watching the action from the blanket.

I looked away to see what H was doing and looked back to C to find this:

Maybe he was cold?

I made these shirts for the boys awhile back using the Silhouette and freezer paper.
I think they turned out pretty cute!

Throwing Rocks

2011-10-18T07:43:00.000-07:00

Pop had the great idea to take H down to the creek and let him throw rocks. H thought it was a great idea! He enjoyed filling the bucket with rocks and water, feeling the cold water on his hands and only fell once! He threw rocks, splashed weeping willow branches and had a great time!

Where's the creek?

Over the bridge

Watch your step!

Pop was showing him how to do it!

Splash!

Look!

Me, C, and Pop

He even threw some rocks in from the bridge.
Great fun!

Looking back

2011-10-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

Just for fun, a few pics of H from his first trip to CA when he was the same age as C was on his first trip to CA!

Park time!

2011-10-17T09:07:00.001-07:00

One of the nice things about this trip to CA is that Pop just retired this summer (!!!!) so he was home a lot more. So, we were able to play with him a lot more and go on "bentures" (adventures) with him. (We took a little trip to the store one day and I saw a fabric store that I wanted to look at. We went in and the workers were looking for an item that was boxed away somewhere and Pop was a CHAMP keeping two busy boys occupied while I browsed and waited for the worker. Thank you Pop!) We went to the park a couple times with him and had a blast! It gave H a chance to run, climb, play and scream! (He apparently feels the need to scream sometimes (H, not Pop) and I don't let him scream inside, so I guess by default I must let him scream outside...)

I'm "finking shumpfing"
(thinking of something)

strong!

I want to slide!

Peekaboo!
(Can you find H?)

Up and down, back and forth
H was in good hands!

At Pop's house

2011-10-17T08:56:00.000-07:00

We did so much! It was a jam packed week. I know it must seem a little boring to H and C to be back home with just me and Daddy. All week that we were in CA, H pretty quickly got on CA time while C seemed to be stuck on MS time. Now, H is back on MS time and C is still on CA time. Eventually we hope to all be back in the same time zone!

While in CA, there was
many side trips
(this one to Windmill Farms pumpkin patch and petting zoo)

much talking and snuggling and sharing

much reading of cards and stories

much excitement over pink donuts!
(a little sharing of them too!)

much after supper conversations

much wrestling

much playing outside

much checking of mail

and much, much more!

Lindsay Museum

2011-10-16T09:18:00.000-07:00

There is this awesome wildlife museum/rescue place in the area that we thought H would like. They take in injured or found critters and try to rehabilitate them and educate about. I remember going there when I was young, and it has changed/grown so much. We saw vultures, hawks, owls, snakes, squirrels, foxes, turtles and so many more animals.

After a quick snack, we were ready to go!

A opossum

The lever made the jaw open and close.
The first time Pop showed H, it made him jump! It surprised him!

C rode through the whole museum. Watching a presentation on some sort of critter.
He is a drooler!

H watching a video about animal rescue/rehabilitation

C and SweetHart watching the animal hospital. He looked like he was so into it.

There was a really cool hawk flight simulator.
Pop really wanted to take a turn...

Like birds of a feather...

In the Discovery Room - it was geared towards younger kids with all sorts of things for them to play with, manipulate and learn with.
H used the stethoscope like a hat and a water finder.

I think we were all ready to lunch and naps at this point, but it is still a cute picture.

We flew away!

2011-10-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

But we are back again. Me and the boys flew away for a quick trip to CA to visit Pop, SweetHart and KK. We had a fun, wild, packed week with them and are back home now. I was a little nervous about flying with two boys, but with enough entertainment and snacks it wasn't too bad. Both boys did pretty good with the traveling part, but we were all losing our manners by the end of the flight. Thankfully Pop and SweetHart were there to pick us (and all of our pieces) up upon arrival (and Daddy did the same when we returned home). I am happy to be home, but I also miss being in CA. When we were driving home from the airport last night, H was saying "no, we go to SweetHart's house!"

H started out the flight with some little toys and then all he wanted to do, or all I had the energy for was movies!

C spent most of the trip like this.
but he also spent a lot of time smiling and flirting with the flight attendants. He likes to stare at someone until he gets their attention and then smile and giggle at them.

Riding in style back to Pop and SweetHart's house

C and Pop were buddies!

KK!!!!

We were so glad to be there

A good way to end the day.

Jumping Beans

2011-10-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

Our neighbors just got a bouncy machine from a consignment sale this weekend. They blew it up today and invited us over to jump for a little while. We love having so many little ones in the neighborhood!

H and "kay we-well" (Clara Hartwell) jumping. Every time H sees them outside he must tell them about our day and when the next puppet show is (he looooves puppet shows!).

Peekaboo!

Henry is here too!

It was funny to see how the little ones interact. Henry just turned two and Clara-Hartwell is about 18 months old, and H looked so rough compared to them. Comparatively, he was fast and strong and a little aggressive (passionate/excited). Alternately when he is with kids who are older than him, he looks so passive/meek. If the older kids are getting rough, he will just sit quietly and watch. It is interesting to see the difference in the interactions!

Weee!!!!
All three little ones had fun and there were no meltdowns or major bo-bos, so I would say we had a very successful time!

Movers and Shakers

2011-09-30T18:27:00.000-07:00

These little boys have been on the move lately! Keeping this Mama busy! I haven't had any trouble sleeping in quite some time....

C is starting to be more active. Sometimes I forget that he can do more than just lay there... He is starting to roll to the side and can sit in the Bumbo for longer periods. I'm thinking about getting out his Johnny jump-up to hang in the doorway.

H loves to get on the toy box and look out the window.
He feels the need to wiggle and dance every now and again too!

Watching big brother ride his bike. I am now putting him in the stroller without his car seat! Growing up!

My mama used to tell me that on days that I would ask for a side ponytail in my hair - to look out - that meant I would be feeling sassy on that day. For H, on days that he wears his red boots are his extra sassy days! (Even more so if they are on the wrong foot and accompanied by sunglasses, Daddy's old phone and chocolate milk!)

Strong boy! Look at those rolls!
(4 months old now! Can you believe it?)

Let's cook!

2011-09-27T07:33:00.000-07:00

I gonna cook for you!

Where are the peas?

I like my pancakes prepared on the floor, don't you?

No, that's not pizza, that's a kiwi!

The kitchen is mostly the same from when I first made it, but it has had some additions/alterations.

Wanna bite, Mama?

Water says "shhhh."
I've found some felt meatballs stuck in the faucet from time to time.

Here, bruver, have a 'mato.

Boys will be boys

2011-09-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

Watching for fish
(that is H waaaay down at the end of the dock)

H loves that we bring a special juice box when we go out.
He preferred to sit and drink it instead of running with the other kids.

Throwing rocks in the "creek"

When we got home, H started right in on building block towers.

Silly!

build a tower 'gain...

Smiley Boy

2011-09-26T12:23:00.000-07:00

You've got my attention, Mama

Woah, a hand!

It opens

And closes

and tickles me!

Giggly, smiley boy!

C is a little more smiley than I remember H at this age, but that also might be that we are not so gentle and peaceful with C. He likes to be tickled and played with. Or, sometimes he just seems sooo happy for you to just look at him! Little boy smiles and slobbery kisses can make a Mama feel sooo good!

A look behind the scenes:

( When H saw what I was doing with C, he had to come over and try to make him smile too - that either ends with smiles or tears. Today the smiles won!)

Neighborhood story time

2011-09-24T12:24:00.000-07:00

In our neighborhood there are about six or seven little ones who are all between 1.5-3 years old. We decided that it would be fun to have a little story time as a way to get them all together to get to know each other. Only a couple could make it, but we had a great time anyway!

H and Beatrice
H is very into little and big girls!

We read Mouse Paint and Five Little Monkeys.
They particularly enjoyed the part in 5 Monkeys were the alligator says "SNAP!"

Listening so quietly!
(Today was also Henry's birthday! 2 years old!)

After stories they had some carrot muffins and juice.
Little brother slept through the whole event, but we went to story time at the library yesterday, so maybe that was enough story time for one week for him.

Then went outside to play in the sand!

I love seeing these little heads so close together!
Maybe next time there will be even more little heads working together!

The adults had a great time chatting as well. I believe that childrens activities and play groups are often as much for the mama's as they are for the little's!

oooh!

2011-09-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Pop and SweetHart sent H a balance bike for his (early) Christmas present.
It came this week and H was so excited to try it out.
I showed it to him and he said "Ooooh! A motorcycle!"

It seemed like walking with it and holding it by the handlebars...

and "swing my weg (leg) over it" came naturally to him.

Now he keeps asking to "ride my new bike?"

He looks too grown!

Tractor fire station

2011-09-20T16:08:00.000-07:00

Hey!
(C riding in the sling)

We told H last night that after his nap today we were going to the fire station. He then asked if we were going to see a tractor too. I said probably not, but since then he's been talking about "tractor fire station!" We went this afternoon with a local Moms and Tots group and had a great time, even though there were no tractors....

H and his buddy, Payton

H and SParky.
He was a little unsure at first, but after he saw the other kids sitting with him,
he decided it was ok.

Some very big shoes to fill!

woah!

Sitting with his buddies

It's berry, berry heavy, Mama!

Got a badge, a bwacewet (bracelet), and a fire hat!

(This is what H chose to wear this morning.
Thankfully I got him to change clothes before we left!)

Thankful for:

2011-09-15T17:56:00.000-07:00

sweet snoring babies snuggling with their blankies

silly big boys learning to put their own clothes on.
(you should see the dance he does when he tries to pull on his undies/pants)

Charlie and Lola: A video we picked up from the library on a whim - mainly because of the name - and H loves it! He likes most shows, but he usually gets that "million miles away" look on his face. With Charlie and Lola, he actually chuckles and giggles at the silliness of Lola.

(The boys on the dentists chair watching a movie)

Dentists not getting flustered by screaming two year olds.

We went to an awesome Pediatric Dentist today, and it was awesome - there were cool toys in the waiting room, super sweet nurses, balloons, a toy chest, and a TV on the ceiling so they could watch a show while laying back. All was going well until the dentist looked in H's mouth, and then he started screaming bloody murder. A team of nurses came in and the dentist moved swiftly, and then it was done!

(we almost had to go back to the doctor, or the ER again tonight - someone decided to put two peas in his nose! )

So today I am thankful for sweetness, silliness, swiftness and sleep!

What are you thankful for?

Cloudy day photo shoot

2011-09-14T17:21:00.001-07:00

What better to do on an overcast, muggy, hot, yucky day than stay inside and take pictures?

(Some of these are not the best, but I love H's expressions.)

I'm typing what H was saying while I was taking the photos under the pictures.

Mama, I hold Chardy

Go poo-poo on da potty get a cookie

Cheesy cheesy coco puff!

Cookie!

I get my juice

Chardy waffing (laughing)

Chardy funny

Mama, help!

Outdoor play

2011-09-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

We have had some unseasonably cool weather lately - I've had to go searching through the boys' closet for long pants and jackets - and have been enjoying it by being outside more! We've been out in the neighborhood, to the park, in the yard - and loving it! H has been enjoying some of his outdoor toys - many are toys that have been discarded by neighbors that I just happened to see. A quick clean up and they are like new!

Henry came to enjoy the cool weather with us.
The sandbox was a great neighborhood find!

This cool art table with a dry-erase board was on the roadside,
and is perfect for outdoor drawing!

C was enjoying the cool weather too!

We are working on pedaling - he can't quite push himself on it yet.

He shoots! He found this way of making a basket (or "ball in the tunnel") a lot easier than the traditional. (Another neighborhood pick up - it is just missing the net. Anyone know how to make one?)

Night is come

2011-09-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Night is come

Owls are out

Beetles hum
Round about

Children snore
Safe in bed

Nothing more
Need be said.

Faces

2011-09-10T19:10:00.000-07:00

C and I had a little mini photo shoot this morning. It lasted about two minutes - and then he was ready to get out of the Bumbo. When I was looking at the pictures, I loved seeing all of his different expressions! This little guy loves to smile and laugh, and has many other faces too! I will let you make up your own captions for these pictures.

(I think his double chin was helping him keep his head up!)

This little guy has been dressing himself lately, and he did a pretty good job today except that everything is on backwards and his undies are pooching out in the back. We'll get there eventually!

what we've been up to

2011-09-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. I felt like we were doing great and I was getting things done, but then Daddy went back to school full time, and I have been feeling like I can't do anything other than get me and the boys dressed, fed, rested, and entertained a little....

H playing with C's toy in a somewhat different way.
It is very hard to convince H that all of the baby toys are not for him! He really wants to play with them while C is too!

Two sleeping angels!

H likes to be a helper sometimes and today he was 'helping' me put the dishes away. He had his own idea about where the lids to his snack cups went.

"Mama, are you sure this is safe???"

New fluff! bG 4.0's! We love them! We went with snaps and they are wonderful so far. I think our old ones just had too much build up or something, but these are so great!

A few more wild things:

2011-09-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

Find more here:

Guess who picked out his own clothes today?
And dressed himself (with very little help)?

I love the critters who come out in the fall here! I don't so much love the ones that come out in the spring/summer - they tend to bite or sting. But fall ones are just fun to look at!

An alive katydid. They make a horrendous noise if you get too close to them. It scares me every time I do!

And a stick bug! So cool!

Yesterday was one of those days - I felt great because we got everyone ready and went to the park with a great snack, and even went by Daddy's office for a quick visit. But then we came home and it was one of those potty training disaster days where H went through about 4 pair of undies in an hour, C was crying because he was hungry. then had a major diaper, all while I kept rushing H to the potty or changing table, and I was hungry, H was hungry and tired, C needed a nap too.... and then after H woke up, he woke up feeling very "TWO." Very trying, and he would be telling me what naughty thing he was doing while he was doing it, and I spent the whole day smelling like spit-up (and probably tee-tee).... It was a long day for Mama!

Then, last night, he randomly came up to me, hugged my leg and said "I wuv you!" And later when I was putting his jammies on him, he was kissing all of my freckles "better." If that didn't help fix my opinion of the day (it did), C sleeping sweetly on my chest that night surely did!

So, just reminding myself (and whoever might need a reminder) that even on those days where it seems like one awful thing happens after the other, there will be those sweet little moments that make it all worth it!

Blankies

2011-08-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Me and KK on my blankie when I was just a few months old.

I think that blankies are very important - something that provides comfort, has sentimental value, helps out when Mama or Daddy are not there, etc. I had my blankie (that Mema, my mama's mama made for me ) for many years - probably too many years, but I loved it! And now, my boys have blankies that SweetHart made for them (their mama's mama). I love that we are continuing on the tradition and they have these comfort items to help them feel secure.

Both boys started loving on their blankies when they were brand new -
H just a few days old

C was still in the hospital when he started using his!

Little fingers and toes peeking through!

H snuggled up at a few months old

If C is having a hard time falling asleep,
all you need to do is put the blankie right up by his cheek and he will fall right asleep!

This is how H likes to be put to bed - his "big blankie " spread over his body and "2" (the little blankie) right next to his cheek.
(Did you notice? no paci! He's doing great! He asks for it every few days, but when we tell him it is all gone, he just says OK! It was not as bad of a transition as I thought it would be!)

Afternoon play

2011-08-30T07:05:00.000-07:00

I had found a cute little set of water creatures (frog, sea horse, and clown fish) that you can wind up and they will swim in the water, and a net to catch them with. I put them in H's bath the other night and he loved them! He really didn't want to get out, so yesterday we decided to play with them while we were waiting for Daddy to come home. I couldn't think of any other container that I had that would let them swim so I brought C's bath out and filled it up.

H had a blast making the creatures swim

C was even a pretty good sport when the occasional drop of water would come his way.

He had fun catching them too!

Sunbathing

"I'm finking sumping"
(I'm thinking of something)

A little bath full of water was just too much for a two year old to resist!

I snapped a quick picture (because he looked so pleased with himself) and told H to get out of the water, but he kept stepping back in and saying "take picture, 1-2-3 cheese!" so that I might let him get back in. Who can resist such a happy grin?

Where the wild things are...

2011-08-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

Check out this post from last year to see more wild things we have around here, and look at how young H looks! Just one year ago!!!

This moth has been making the rounds in our garage (carport) this week.
This morning he was in our doorway.

This one definitely qualifies as a wild one.
He put the rings from his stacking rings around his ankles and was calling them soccer balls (?). It made me think of tribal feathers and a war dance...

A catydid (cicada) shell on the corner of our house outside. It's been hanging there for a few weeks now. The insect has been gone for most of those few weeks too.
If you look closely, right underneath is a baby zipper spider too! Remember this one?

I love my wild things!

Still here...

2011-08-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

....just a little busy! Daddy went back to school this week, so last week was full of doctor's appointments, Mama outings, getting insurance squared away, etc... and this week has been full of being full! Getting back into our school year routine with two little boys instead of one!

A few things we've been doing:

finding foam letters that Mama was cleaning in the bathroom sink.
He loved naming each letter and then starting all over again!

Trying out the Bumbo seat for 30 second intervals.
H loved sitting in it when I pulled it out (I can't believe he still fits!)
and thought it was hilarious when I put C in it.

Playing with "kwayduh" (play dough) while brother sleeps

Going for walks before it gets too hot.

Livin' large!
(mr. 95th percentile!)
(H 'lets' C 'hold' his water cup while we walk...)

A surprise!

2011-08-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago a neighbor was getting rid of their old turtle sandbox, and so we said we'd take it. We finally got around to getting some sand and today while H was napping we set it all up. We pulled out some of the outdoor toys we had and it was a perfect set up.

We rounded the corner and when he saw the sandbox he threw down his cup and ran right to it.

"Sandbox, Mama!"

He typically doesn't like sand on his hands/feet so I didn't know how it was going to work.
He didn't want to put his feet in for awhile, but eventually got over it and got very messy.

"Look at my brother!"

"Build a hill, Mama. Good idea."

"Plenty pictures."
(no more!)

zzzzz...

He had so much fun playing, building, scooping, and more.

"This is (the) best!"

Something is missing...

2011-08-14T19:20:00.000-07:00

...can you tell what it is?

When I went in to wake H up from his nap this afternoon, I found him deeply sleeping like this. I would like to know what he was thinking....

Another Charlie video

2011-08-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

He laughs! He started this week and we love it!

zzz....

2011-08-13T06:02:00.001-07:00

I took this video to show the doctor at C's next visit and thought you might like to hear it too.
He has been snoring/wheezing like this since day one.
He is a very noisy baby!

A little Silhouette-ing

2011-08-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

I enjoyed doing a handful of crafts using the Silhouette today. A couple of months ago we had seen a little boy with a shirt on that said "Master of Disaster" and have been wanting to make a shirt that said that. So, I did! And then while I had the machine hooked up, I thought I might as well do a few other things as well.The shirt - made using a $1 clearance shirt from Walmart.
I cut out the words/truck using freezer paper, ironed it to the shirt and then painted it in.

We found a great wooden box with a lid on the roadside in our neighborhood that I thought would make a great toy box, so we grabbed it. I noticed later that it was actually an old bourbon box, and I didn't think that would be child appropriate, so I cut out words that said "Toys, time to play" and "Toys, make a mess!" and covered up the word "bourbon" with them. It helps our office look a lot neater!

I found a VTech VReader at Goodwill this week for $15! I thought it would be great for when I needed to nurse C out somewhere, and H could read a story and be occupied without me worrying that he would be tearing up the place! I thought it would be cute with his name on it.

Sprucing up the laundry room

I may have gotten a little out of control with these two, but who can complain about cuteness!

My iPod and nook reader.

So, I may have enjoyed myself a little too much today,

but they were all quick, easy, cute and fun projects!

A side note: I was realizing how much I rely on and am thankful for appliances. They definitely make life so much easier. You can do without them, but they streamline life nicely. When we visited Amish country, we saw them doing with out so many modern things that we take for granted - namely electricity, and then do just fine without it too!
When we were visiting Monroe, my grandmother told me about growing up without air conditioning, washers/dryers, anti-perspirants - and she grew up in the south! One story that I love is her telling about moving into her current house (about 60 years ago) and complaining to her mother-in-law, Mamaw, that the dishwasher was broken. Mamaw replied with "What? They didn't put a sink in????"
So, I am just being thankful for appliances today. I used the bread maker, microwave, crock pot, ice cream maker, Silhouette, washing machine, dryer, dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, breast pump, iron, sewing machine and the air conditioning today and am thankful for each and every one!

Oh, brother

2011-08-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

H is a good big brother to "Chardy." He makes sure he has his blankie, will bring him his paci (today he tried to open his mouth to put it in), will bring him toys, make him wave, and showers him with lots of kisses! C has been smiling a lot recently, and he gives H some of the best ones!

It is fun to see the big brother side of H evolve. We have to keep an eye out, not that he would be too rough, but that he might be too sweet and accidentally put his weight on C or something like that. I can't wait to see these boys grow up together (not too fast, though!).

Get bruver wet.

Here's bone (rattle), Chardy. Leave it there.

Kiss Chardy head.

Read book brother.

Bruver waving (at) you

Give Chardy zerbert (raspberry)

Chardy smiling (at) you!

pacifier update: H only woke up once last night asking for the paci, which I think is pretty good - we were expecting a lot worse. Today before naptime, he asked for it a couple of times and seemed to accept that it was gone when I reminded him that the paci fairy came to get them yesterday. I put him in his crib and when I checked on him in the video monitor about 30 minutes later, he was happily puffing away on a newborn pacifier, and I have no idea where he found it! We will see what he finds tonight!

Time for a change

2011-08-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

It was time for a little change in our living room... The orange of H's couch was starting to bother me, and my chair had some moisture spots and smudges, and it just got to the point that I couldn't ignore it anymore! While in Monroe, I picked up some fabric to make these changes, and now I love the room! I made a couple of new pillow covers for the couch to tie it all together, and it just feels like there is a little more sunshine in the room. I know that it will help me feel even better through the dreary winter months.

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

C also got his first bottle in the newly recovered chair the other day!

What do you think?

The boys think it's great!