New Skills: Bike Riding

The children were recently outfitted with bikes of proper size and good repair.  MMan loves riding and usually can be heard singing while he zooms around.  GGirl is working hard to overcome a bit of a fear of falling, and gets her cycling groove on best when she's rested.  We took advantage of an empty parking lot this morning so they could work on their new skills.  

Kamikaze and the Kindergartener

Oye!  Summer flew by and now fall is half way over.  Oh, how time flies when you're working hard and having fun!  We are healthy and well, even with MMan sporting a nice little splint on a broken arm.  It turns out trying to escape one's crib can be a dangerous venture.  GGirl is rockin' the kindergarten world: learning to read, loves "kindergarten math" because its fun.  Of course her favorite part of school is taking her own lunch, gym class and playing outside for recess!
This week also brought making and canning 16 quarts of applesauce for me and a semi-failed gluten free baking project.  The GF Zucchini bread tasted great, but ran over everywhere.  More flour next time I think.  So there's a snippet of our world.  I hope you are all well!

Snow Days & Snaggle-Tooth

It was an eventful day around our corner of the woods.  We got snow today - a lot of it.  I think there's probably 11-14 inches of fresh white stuff out there.  GGirl and HandyMan spend a lot of time outside today shoveling the driveway, the roof and building "mountains" to play on.  MMan got his run outside this morning too.  Waffles and cocoa followed the first round of shoveling.  

More cocoa to fleece jammies to warm up after the second round outside.  While snacking on an apple, watching a movie I hear "MOMMY!" and she came running at me.  "MY TOOTH CAME OUT!"  That's right folks, one week from wiggle to out.  

An "Anything Goes" Afternoon

or Self Feeding 101.

Our Last Day of Summer

It is September 4th and our last day of summer.   The sun is shining, there's a gentle breeze and it's just beautiful out.  We caught some outsidetime after MMan's nap. Tomatoes and sunflowers were ready for the picking.  MMan was loving his snack.  He even sat his tomato in the playhouse window so he could open the door and go in.  Then picked it up and startrs sucking on it again.

Tomorrow summer ends and GGirl starts afternoon Pre-K.  She is so excited and so ready that I can't help be excited for her and for the new routine that is coming my way.

MMan @ 1 Year Old

Stretched out at 31.5 inches long and floating in at 20.7 lbs, MMan was deemed healthy and on track by our pediatrician this morning.  He has cut all 16 of his of baby teeth and will eat anything!  As a bonus, his iron levels were perfect as well so no nasty supplements like we had to do with GGirl!

Look Who's One!

On Monday we celebrated MMan's first birthday.  He is a strong little guy who would rather climb than walk and has mastered a very entertaining bear crawl.  He is often happy playing on his own, out of the grasps of his ever loving, always moving sister.  Water and the outdoors prove to be favorites.  If it can be chewed, it is a favorite toy and we have yet to introduce a food that he won't eat. 

His birthday was his first experience with a cupcake of his own, and after he got over his disbelief, he had no problem making that special treat disappear!  We had friends with us for dinner and Granny and Granddad in on Skype.  Modern technology can be so fun!

Little Bunny GGirl & First Steps

Today, GGirl was very in to masks. She's been working on her Halloween costume for weeks, aka, coming out dressed in whatever strikes her fancy. Her imagination is in overdrive. So, on yet another rainy day here, the imagination of masks, collided with the role playing of "mommy and baby". Here is my GGirl bunny, tending to her baby bunny while she vegged out to some PBS Kids.

In other news, MMan took A step today. I remember vividly, baby GGirl's first steps. I was getting ready to take something out of the hot oven and she had snuck up behind me. I turned away from the open oven, grabbed her and stood her in the middle of the kitchen floor, to get her out of the danger zone. She got mad at me and pitched a fit as she toddled the two steps to cling to the cabinets for dear life. Today, we were rocking out to kids' music on Pandora when MMan woke up from his nap. He woke up very happy and when I got him downstairs I stood him next to his high chair. He held on, looked upmat the tv playing the music and did his little bouncy-squat-dance [which is super cute] then LET GO and STEPPED AWAY and continued with a couple more bouncy-squats before he landed on his behind. So, I think that particular step is going to stick in my head as his first. I doubt it will be too long before it is followed by the second, and third and he will be off and running, trying to keep up with his sister.

11 Months Old

MMan is officially 11 months old.  [Insert all cliches about how fast time goes by here.]  He's sporting 8 front teeth and working on a couple of molars.  The baby-face is slowly shifting to the face of a toddler and I'm alreading seeing glimpses of mischief in this little guy.  If he's awake, he's on the move.  He is a master crawler and with the introduction of shorts in the last couple of weeks, he has taken to the "hands and feet" bearcrawl method.  He gets around quickly on foot too as long as there is a piece of furniture or cabinet to hover his hand over as he goes.  If he's asleep, he's out for 3 to 5 hours at a time.  This makes for great naptimes, and not so great nights.  His giggles are just about the greatest thing and when GGirl gets him laughing, any of the frustrations of the day melt away.

He got to take his first airplane rides when we went to Colorado and travelled like a champ - even if he didn't sleep a wink on the way out there.  I think he may have the early stages of FOMSS (fear of missing something syndrome) manifesting.  I'm told it runs in the family.

Every day is an adventure and I'm having fun seeing the adventures with my little man.

Mama Denial

GGirl keeps informing me that she's a big kid.  Under numerous circumstances since her birthday she has made it known, usually very loudly and indignantly, that she is not a little kid and not a little girl. 

The voice in the back of my mind keeps saying "she's only 4, she's still a little kid/girl." 

Then there are days like today: Mama and GGirl day out for errands, lunch and haircuts.  She carries on a conversation about where we are going and what we are doing and there is a MiniMe talking away in the backseat.  I look across the table at lunch and see the big girl she us becoming.

My dad has a line that he's been using for a long time and now I use it with my girl: "You'll always be my baby girl."

4 Years Old

GGirl had her 4-year-old physical today and did amazing!  When Dr. P gave GGirl  the stethoscope and asked her what she heard,  GGirl replied "a baby"- to which I had to explain that she had gone to a few of my prenatal visits for MMan and got to hear the baby's heartbeat. She rocked the eye-chart and didn't even flinch when she got a shot.  She measured up at 42 inches tall and 41 pounds. 

I finished the day out with a clean car, alone shopping, and a girls' night out with some friends.  Not a bad Monday at all!

A Few Images of a Tuesday

Today was not a normal Tuesday.  Because of water issues at the school, our SitSter was at loose ends. So GGirl got some extra fun play time including tower construction and snow sculptures.  Very creative stuff!

MMan seems to morphing from Grumpy Teething Boy back to the happy little guy that is so much more fun.  He woke up from his nap this morning all smiles.  I turned to get clothes from his dresser, listening to happy jabbers.  I turned back around to find him STANDING in his crib looking oh-so-proud of himself.  I guess he should be impressed: he's not even 8 months old yet!

A Hair Raising Day

In addition to some fun with balloons and static electricity, MMan decided to throw me for a loop by pulling himself to standing all by himself.  Little MMan, you are only seven and a half months old.  Will you please slow down just a little?

Not Sleeping

In five years when we are trying to figure out when MMan started sleeping through the night, I will have this post to remind me that it was most certainly not at six-and-a-half months.

In bed at 7:30pm, up at 8:19pm. Only really one more nap tagged onto a long day.

In bed again by 9:00pm.  Awake at 1:03am for a snack.  Back in bed by 1:14am.

Awake at 3:02am.  Diaper, wallow Mama, snuggle, fall asleep,  wake up on transfer.  Repeat last three steps.  Repeat again.  Back in bed at 3:48am.

Happy squeels from the crib. It's just barely light out.  By the time the happy play turned impatient and I got my glasses on: 6:59 am.

Time continue the day.

(I still can't really remember when GGirl started sleeping all night but at almost 4, she's usually good for 11-13 hours a night.)