The day after Thanksgiving, we took the boys to see the trains at the Duke Energy building in downtown Cincinnati. Adam was in heaven! Duke puts up the display every Christmas season, and it's a great family trip to share with the boys. This year, Sue Sue and Pawpaw were also able to join us for lunch and trains. We all had a great time!
Tyler had his first cold of the season this month, and the poor guy is such a trooper. Since all doctors now seem to agree not to give cold medicine to children under 2, we didn't give Tyler anything but ibuprofen for a mild fever. And he did remarkably well, especially with the humidifier in his room during sleep time (and that's another story trying to clean those things out this year!).
Oh yes, yet another holiday that I never got around to posting about. So here are a couple of photos of the boys this year all dressed up!
And Tyler's birthday was also back in October, but alas, where does the time go? I can't believe our baby is ONE!!! That's just crazy!
OK, so Adam's real birthday was way back in October, but I am just now getting the opportunity to upload some pictures and post about his fantastic 3rd birthday! How sad is that?
Here are a few tidbits of information about Adam these days.........he's really turning into such a wonderful big boy!
1. Adam still loves his thumb and blanket. Not sure which one he'll give up first, and right now, they both make life easier for him these days. If he's upset, his blanket makes it all better, after Mommy does, of course. He loves to "make a hole" with his blanket by wrapping it around his left first finger and holding it under his nose while he sucks his left thumb. Sniffing his blanket is like a 3 year old's drug of choice. One sniff......just one more!
2. Every word Adam says is completely legible. He's so precise that about 95% of people can completely understand him. He's so thorough in his talking and always has been. He's really getting into cause and effect lately. Although, not to the effect that discipline is easy with him. Oh, boy, that's another story!
3. Potty-training - where did it go?? It's pretty non-existent now. I'm just waiting for Adam to decide that he's done with diapers and pull-ups. One day, he's just going to decide on the spot and will want to wear real underwear........please just let it be soon! Apparently, that's how his mommy switched from diapers to underwear - on the day SHE was ready. :)
4. Adam loves "Baby Tire!" He's really good when he plays with him and entertains him. Of course, not when Mommy actually asks him to or when she needs him to. But, we're working on that. For the most part, Adam loves playing with Tyler, and REALLY loves to make him laugh. They are just adorable together! I am envisioning a strong brotherly bond growing through the years......
5. We may have finally found something that works for disciplining Adam - taking away toys one by one. Timeouts are not working, spanking doesn't really phase him, discipline has been really frustrating!! But as soon as we tell him that we're about to take toys away when he doesn't listen to us, or if we take one of his favorites away, he calms down pretty quickly. And then he earns his toys back when he's good. Let's hope it keeps working!!
6. Adam LOVES Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Little Einsteins. He's even getting into singing along which he's never done! Adam has never been a big singer or dancer, so it's always funny to see him interact with the shows now. We are going to see his sing with his class next week at school - can't wait to share pics and stories from that adventure!
Click Here for more pictures from Adam's birthday celebration!
Daddy completed his first triathlon last Sunday! He kayaked 6 miles, ran 5.5 miles, and biked 18 miles. Whew! He finished in 4 1/2 hours, which was great for his first time considering how difficult the course was, too. We're so proud of him and were there to cheer him across the finish line. Everyone is looking forward to his next triathlon!
(A day late, but none the less...)
Who knew a hurricane could come barging through Cincinnati! Not so much rain, actually none at all, but high winds with gusts up to 75 mph. And who knew that the biggest tree in our backyard would fall into our house. By the grace of God, our house has no significant damage. The gutters will probably need to be replaced, and maybe the deck is scratched up. We don't know because we haven't had the tree removed yet. But we are so thankful to God that nothing happened to any of us or the house! God was really looking out for us because the umbrella in our patio table is still standing straight up, surrounded by tree branches, and Adam's climbing toy was not hit at all by the trunk of the tree. It's amazing!
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| From Recycle Bins |
Last Tuesday was Adam's first day of preschool. He's attending the same school he went to last year, but this year, he's going two days a week! Wow, what to do with my time! Well, it's been interesting considering Tyler usually takes a good morning nap. But, since we're on the go when it's time for him to nap, he's cat napping in the morning. I think he's going to adjust well simply because he really won't have a choice.
Sunday was Ben's birthday, and we had a great family celebration. Going out to dinner with our great friends on Saturday and just taking it easy on Sunday was pretty much the weekend for us. Adam is really starting to understand what birthdays are, so it will be so much fun when his third birthday comes next month! Oh, and try not to be too jealous of the beautiful "cake" I made.
We took some pics of the boys outside today because they looked so cute dressed up for church. I couldn't help it! Of course, it's very hard to get both boys to do exactly what you want them to do, so some pics aren't so great. But they are still the most adorable boys in the world!!
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| August 2008 |
Adam has had a VERY productive week potty-training! It's almost like this was definitely the week he wanted to start because I can't believe how well he's doing. He was just ready! We literally ran out of his diapers on Monday, so I told him he didn't have a choice about wearing underwear. He immediately put it on, and about 5 minutes after I asked him to tee-tee in the potty, he peed in his pants. I thought, "oh, brother" but I stuck with it. I decided to whip out the pull-ups, in case of accidents. This way, I wouldn't be doing laundry twice a day. And not to mention, Adam only has 3 pairs of underwear right now.
I think I've used this title before, maybe long ago, but there are definitely several instances in Adam's day, week, month, life that prove he is Ben's son. Today is no exception. And being that it's political season, we're probably going to see more of these stories.
Oh yes, like I said in the previous post, August has been nothing like a relaxing time at home. Not even a week after I got home from Montana, Tyler started running a fever. The next day, he was so out of sorts that I took him to the doctor. Turns out, he had hand, foot, and mouth disease. (No, Daddy, it's not hoof and mouth disease, silly). It's nothing serious, but Tyler was just not himself. He had really bad blisters on the back of his throat which made it very hard to eat and swallow. Blisters slowly showed up on his hands, as well, which looked painful. He is now getting better, 7 days after the first symptoms. Kids are contagious for 7-10 days, though, so we have not gotten out of the house much. But we're very thankful he's feeling better now!
Then, on Thursday, Adam began running a fever. The doctor had told me not to worry about Adam catching HFM, because he had probably already been exposed to it, and you only react to it once. Well, I now believe he does have the virus. He's complained about a sore throat a little bit, and he continues to run a fever off and on. Today, I was looking at the thumb that he sucks, and sure enough, there are blisters on it. I do believe, however, that Adam is fighting the virus better since he's older. He's definitely not as miserable as Tyler was. So, looks like we'll be spending a lot of this week inside going nowhere, too! ugh!
Where has this summer gone? We have travelled so much that we're very excited it's now August. That means we will be home ALL month! Don't get my wrong, we've loved all of the trips and the time spent with family on each one. And don't get me wrong that this month has been wonderful.......I'll get to that later.
I had the wonderful opportunity to take a 10 day vacation to Seattle, WA and Bozeman, MT with my mother-in-law the end of July. We had an awesome time visiting with Ben's sister and her husband, as well as their 20 month old. It was so great to see all three of them and not to mention the beautiful area where they live in Washington. Sue, Stacy, and I took an overnight trip to Victoria, Canada, as well, for some girl time with no kids. Sue and I then left for Montana for a family wedding that was gorgeous! What another beautiful area of our country......awesome! It was so much fun to attend the wedding, too.
While in Montana, Sue and I decided to take a quick day-trip to drive through Yellowstone. See, we were only 1 1/2 hours from the north entrance, so we planned to get up early, borrow a car from family, and drive through Yellowstone, stopping to see Old Faithful and other various peaks of interest in the park. Then, we would leave Yellowstone through the West entrance and drive back to Bozeman. Well, we got to the small town of Gardiner, MT, where the north entrance to the park is located. As we were driving through town, the car started acting like it wasn't getting enough gas to the engine. After spending an hour or two at the service station, it was determined that the car would have to be towed back to Bozeman! Sue and I had about 30 minutes while the technician loaded the car on the tow truck, so we walked over to the park entrance to take a few pictures so I could say I had been to Yellowstone. :) We got back to the Toyota dealership in Bozeman, and they determined that diesel gas was the culprit!! (Sue, I won't tell anyone that you filled up the tank in Livingston.........oops!!).
I sure missed my boys like CRAZY while I was away, but they had an awesome time with Nana and then Daddy. I would call them everyday to talk, and Adam was just too busy to talk to Mommy. Several days went by when he was would say, "No, I don't want to talk to Mommy!" It broke my heart to hear that, but I'm so thankful that he wasn't actually missing me too much. And while Tyler was with Nana in the mountains for a week, she taught him to say "Nana." He says it all the time now, along with da-da and ma-ma every once in a while.
Tyler learned a new trick while we were in the mountains last month. He's still practicing it everyday.
Tyler: "ssbbppttssbppt" (blowing raspberries with his tongue and spit)
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| Dan and Torrie's Wedding |
Life has once again taken over, and I haven't had time to update the blog. Right now, as I type, the boys are watching Madagascar (thank you Kate and Ryan for letting us borrow it!), and it's a great movie! I highly recommend you see it, especially if you have little ones. I know, I know, we're a little behind watching it considering it came out so long ago, but I hear the second movie is coming out soon. It'll be a must-see in our house as soon as we can rent. Although, both boys have seen TWO full-length movies in the theater this summer, so who knows, maybe we'll venture out to see Madagascar 2.
We haven't officially started any kind of potty training, but our little man WANTS to use the potty on his own! I've always read not to push potty training, especially on boys, so I haven't. I had decided we'd hit the library after our traveling this month to get a DVD on using the potty, but we haven't made it to the library yet. But, in the meantime, Adam has been using the potty after every bath when he doesn't have a diaper on!! He sits directly on the big potty and has actually peed every time! So, it's definitely a start for getting rid of diapers, size 6. :) But, he's also a little obsessed with doing it over and over and over, even when he doesn't need to pee, because he gets an M&M or a Skittle each time he pees in the potty. I can deal with that, though, since we're taking steps in the right direction.
So, it's been forever again since I've blogged, and I just hate that! I am always having thoughts in my head about what to blog about and what pictures to share, but I never get around to actually getting on the computer to do so! It's starting to drive me crazy, so I've got to get better at sharing when I think about it. But seriously, these precious boys just keep me busy, and I love it!!
So, my first attempt to post some videos didn't work, and I've since figured out that I need to edit the videos in iMovie, and then youtube.com will recognize my format. Guess it's a crazy Mac thing!
Anyway, the boys are doing great, despite Tyler's sickness this weekend. He has now been diagnosed with an ear infection, so we started his 10 days of meds last night. Great! Just in time to hit the road for Dan and Torrie's wedding. But our doctor did say yesterday that Tyler is the happiest sick baby he has ever seen! Seriously, you wouldn't know he was sick by the way he's still acting, bless his heart!
Hope you enjoy the video below!
It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted, but we are all doing well now! Both boys have been a little sick with colds that we can't seem to shake. So I finally cleaned their humidifiers with bleach, and they are doing better now.
We traveled to Lexington a couple of times last month for various activities. The first was a birthday party for our friend James. Adam had a great time playing with the other kids, and both grandmothers kept Tyler while we were at the party. It was a fun day!
Over Memorial Day weekend, we had a great barbecue with our neighbors. Adam absolutely adores his friend Charlie, so we got some great pics of the two of them.
On Memorial Day, we walked as a family in the local parade. We walked for Senator Mitch McConnell who was in town for the parade. It was awesome walking for the Republican Leader of the US Senate! But Adam did not enjoy the people dressed up as characters, such a McGruff the Crime Dog. We have realized there is NO reason to take our boys to Disney World ANY time soon!
After the parade, we drove to Lexington to meet Ben's cousin's new fiance, Ian. It was great to have the chance to see Ben's aunt, uncle, cousin, and Ian considering they live in Montana. Our visits are few and far between, so it was great to see them all as they drove through town. We also took a trip with them to see some horses who breed race horses on a local horse farm. We were so close to the mares and their babies, and Adam was not impressed. He's not much of an animal lover right now, unless it's his cat, Macey. :)
Oh my goodness, has it really been over a month since I've last posted?? Well, I guess a few things have been going on...
Tyler is now old enough that we let the boys take a bath together for the first time this week. Adam was very good in being patient while I bathed Tyler. I didn't let Adam have any toys in the bath while Tyler was in it, and Adam would say, "Toys when Tyler gets bigger." So smart! They were too cute, even though Tyler didn't stay in too long.
Happy belated Easter to everyone! The Lord is risen indeed! We had such a great Easter this year (don't be fooled by the sun in the picture - it was still 45 degrees outside), and it was so much fun at Adam's age. He was really into the egg hunts, and he had plenty of them! But first, we dyed some real eggs at home. That was fun! Only 2 egg casualties out of 18!
Our first egg hunt with our local MOMS club was rained out, so we held it at the library indoors. It was perfect for the toddlers because they didn't have to search hard to find the eggs.
Next, our church had an Easter Eggstravaganza celebration on Saturday before Easter. Not only was there an age-appropriate egg hunt, but they also had crafts and games to play. Adam had a blast playing the games, as you'll see in the pictures below.
We then headed down to Lexington to spend Easter with Sue Sue, Pawpaw, Mim and Da. The Easter Bunny was quite generous to both boys, and even hid eggs around Sue Sue's house for Adam to find! We finally took some family pictures, although Adam was not cooperating too much. He was crashing from all the candy he had been eating!
Every day this week, Adam has asked me for chocolate. Oh boy, will we all be happy when the candy is gone!
Tyler has been a champ at eating! He drinks 8 oz bottles throughout the day, and we put cereal in his last bottle to make sure he sleeps all night. Whoever said that was an old wives' tale was wrong! It totally worked for us when Tyler was always waking up at 4am. As soon as we filled his tummy at night, he slept 12 hours.
Now we've introduced spoon-feeding, and he's having a blast! Actually does really well with the spoon when we can keep his fingers out of his mouth. I think he's expecting to slurp it down like a bottle and spoon feeding is just too slow for him. We started him with cereal and now have moved on to vegetables. He has finished every single container of 1st foods we've put in front of him!
Ben's paternal Grandmother, Laine, also lives near us, so we have the great opportunities to spend time with her. Laine celebrated her 82nd birthday a few weeks ago, and of course, the boys were there to help celebrate!
Ben's grandparents, Mim and Da, now live close by in Lexington. We are excited because they will get to spend so much time with the boys now (they used to live in Florida). Adam has a blast with them, and they love seeing Tyler, too. One of Adam's favorite activities to do with Da is read books. Mim and Da are so impressed with how fast Adam can find Goldbug in his "truck book."
Well, it's been a while since I've taken the time to actually write a few words about the kids! Hope you enjoyed Ben's video below......he sure had fun making it!
Tyler is now 5 months old, and getting bigger every day. I can't believe how adorable he is and how much his older brother loves him! I'm enjoying every minute with these two boys. Our daily routine is just that - finally a routine. Tyler wakes up in the morning, and he talks in his bed for about 30 minutes while Mommy and Adam wake up. I then get Adam up and out of his room (he can't get out on his own because of a doorknob cover), and he always wants to crawl into the crib with "Baby Tire." So, they enjoy playing for a few minutes until it's time to get diapers changed and dressed.
Then, all 3 of us hit the YMCA, Mommy to workout and the boys go to Child Watch. It's wonderful! They can stay in there up to 90 minutes, so it's fabulous to get some alone time, even if it is while working out!
We then go run errands, if necessary, then home for lunch. Both boys go down for naps about the same time every day, and little Tyler is sleeping good, sometimes over 3 hours! Now, after naptime, that's when the day is the hardest. Finding things to occupy the boys, teaching piano lessons, heading to the grocery store, etc. Then, time for dinner, and Tyler is now eating baby food! The child is eating the entire container of baby food every night! So far, he's had carrots, peas, and green beans, and has eaten them all with no problems! I'll post pictures.
Tyler is rolling over from back to tummy, but can't seem to find his way back over. One night, he woke us up crying (very unusual) because had flipped in his crib and it woke him up. So, I gently rolled him back over, and he went right back to sleep! Tyler has his first two bottom teeth, and I believe some more bottom teeth are making their appearance. He's constantly chewing his hands and drooling. He even plays with his tongue! He's not a thumb sucker, he's a finger sucker! He sucks the first two fingers on his right hand to soothe himself and go to sleep. It's precious!
At Tyler's 4 month check up on March 7th, he was 75%ile for weight and 90%ile for height! We'll see if that changes at his 6 month appt.
Enjoy the pics and the rest of my posts.......there are lots to come because I need to catch up!
I love my fingers!
Uh oh! I'm stuck!
