The Relatives Came

We had such fun last night when April came with her crew of kids. Caleb thinks that his cousins are great! The kids stayed up until 1:30 a.m. playing with each other and were in good moods this morning too. Here are a few pictures that my nephew Shane, a budding photographer, took to capture the evening.

Snow

The snow has come in full force. It is wonderful powdery snow-great for sledding or skiing but not great for snowball fights or snowmen. This is really Kendall's first year playing in the snow and to put it lightly she absolutely detests it. Definitely a mommy's girl in this area. The second we start putting on all of our winter gear the tears begin and then she tends to just lay down and cry outside instead of playing. Caleb, on the other hand, thinks that snow is nature's best sandbox. He made snow angels (I CANNOT believe he remembered this from last year), tried his best to make a snowman-it was about 2 inches tall, and loves to just roll around in the snow because apparently snow is fun.

Blankies

Well, if anyone even checks this after a month or two being down I am super impressed! So, blankies. Both my kids have a blankie fetish. Caleb calling his favorite blanket, "blankie #2" and Kendall calling hers, "night night." Here they are with their blankets in absolute heaven because I let them have their prized possessions out of their beds. The fact that they are both smiling and are looking at the camera is amazing unto itself!

Multitasking

I wish that I had had my camera with me this morning. I left it at school. Caleb was brushing his hair with one hand and his teeth with his other hand. He is multitasking already!

Artists

Yes, I have budding artists in my hand. Add that to me being an insane person and you get a 1 and 2 year old painting at the same time, on opposite ends of an easel. Oh, and add some finger painting and I would assume my kids had a wonderful afternoon! I did have to have a discussion with Caleb that we paint the paper not our hair, nose, or body.

Norton's Farm

This adorable farm is nestled right outside of St. Charles. It is great for young children! I would say the ideal age is up to 4 or so. Caleb and Kendall had a wonderful time there on Saturday. I could not believe how independent and brave Kendall is becoming. She crawled through a hay tunnel and had no issues wandering to exactly where she wanted to go. She LOVED the animals, especially the horses. Caleb enjoyed throwing hay onto his head. I guess it is the little things in life!

Pictures with Grandma

Mom is ALWAYS complaining that I never take pictures of her with the kids. So, we went to the pumpkin farm on Saturday and I made sure that I took lots of pictures with her. She really does exist. Enjoy!

We Have A Dancer

Kendall now dances by running in place. We have a leapfrog alphabet magnetic set on our fridge and if you stick a letter in it, it sings a song. Well, Kendall is having a great time both putting the letter in and then dancing like a mad woman!

What I Learned This Weekend

Steak is good!

Swings are fun!!

Life is good! (Especially when wearing a cute poncho.)

The garbage is full of great almost new toys. 

Face Painting

Face painting has changed from when we were youngsters. They now use an airbrush. It is amazing that we survived with the unsanitary paint brushes! We went to the Primrose Farm Frolic yesterday, and Caleb got his first taste of face painting. He decided to go with a tiger on his cheek. The rest of the day, he pretended to growl and had his cheek 'bite' us. 

Climbing

Caleb is now climbing and getting into EVERYTHING! Today, he climbed into the kitchen sink and washed our vegetables with dish soap. He dives over the couch, climbs onto the sink in the bathroom, and has scaled his bookshelves. For as big of a clutz as he is, this is pretty impressive-nevertheless naughty!

Figures!

So, I told Caleb yesterday that we could go to the park after dinner. We cooked, ate, and cleaned up. Then did potty break/diaper change, put on shoes, put Kendall into the car, downpour. Yup, before Caleb even got into the car it began to downpour. He was so disappointed!

Sibling Rivalry

It has already started. Caleb is so jealous of Kendall and wants whatever she has. For example, today Kendall was playing with cute toy where you use a hammer to bang balls through a hole. Caleb of course wanted it. So, he pushed her down and took it right out of her hands. This earned Caleb a timeout where he cried and thought that life was terribly unfair. So, after his timeout he went right to the toy shelf and picked up the other toy that needed a hammer. We only have one plastic hammer-so of course he started crying hysterically saying that he couldn't play because Kendall had the hammer. Thankfully, Kendall gave it to him and ultimately he got his way-mostly. Totally deliberate! Once he saw that Kendall was through playing with the hammer he immediately put the toy back on his shelf and played with something else!

We Braved the Richmond Family Social

So, I took the kids to the Richmond Family Social. They (PTA) had promised babysitting but they were unable to secure anyone. It still went pretty well. Caleb was a dancing fool. If you have ever seen Caleb dance it is the weirdest thing. He mostly  bobs up and down and moves one arm in a weird I'm having a seizure way while focusing on wiggling his fingers. His favorite parts of the evening were 1. The Hokey Pokey, 2. That Stomp song (You know right foot, left foot, now stomp two times, criss cross....yes I am a little old and out of touch. But, I crissed crossed with the best of them!), 3. The locomotion (he held a little girl's butt.), and 4. Hula Hooping (as in he held a hula hoop and spun in circles.) Kendall did great but kept trying to leave. So, a few parents did door duty and turned her around when she reached a door. Having them also allowed me to leave an hour early which was a wonderful thing!

More Red Snapper Please

That is what was heard at my dinner table today by Caleb and both Kendall and Caleb cried when it was finished. They are definitely not Dorfman's.

Shoes

Now that Kendall is walking we had to pull out her shoes and actually begin having her wear them. Caleb hated shoes. It was such a struggle to keep them on his feet. Kendall is the opposite. She was so excited yesterday. She kept looking and touching them. She marched around our house in them thinking she was hot stuff. Today, when I pulled out a different pair she began giggling and giggling. Then she started cheering. I was worried she was not going to like them, but maybe I should have been worried that she is going to love them. I have never cheered for shoes like she did. She is definitely related to her Aunt Rachel!

And Potty Training Continues...

Sorry I haven't been posting much. I can't find the computer cord for my camera. Grrr! Hopefully it will show up soon.

So, Anyways potty training continues. I wished I had known this months ago. Did you know that bubbles (from peeing) is award enough. Caleb laughs, claps, and shouts with glee when he sees he bubbles. He thinks this is just the best thing ever. And even better...he only wet himself once this weekend! We are making progress. :)

Speechless

I am slightly speechless. Caleb had a great day potty training today. We even did errands for about 3 hours and no accidents. He didn't initiate and I forgot to ask after dinner. Caleb and I laid on the couch together. 5 minutes later I felt a wet warm puddle forming on me. I screamed. He immediately stopped and apologized. "I sorry Mommy." I never would have guessed that being peed on would part of potty training!

Hapy Birthday Kendall!

I cannot believe that Kendall is 1 years old. This past year has just flown by. I still think of Kendall as my little baby and that is really not the case! She no longer uses bottles or pacifiers. Kendall is officially full of personality, wishes and tantrums when she does not get her way, she is persistent and determined. I have my hands full with her but they are all great traits (minus the tantrums) to go far in life.

Today Caleb and I are going to go out and he is buying Kendall a birthday present. I have a sneaky feeling that he truly believes that she will love a new truck or plane. It will be interesting to see what he picks out!

Happy Birthday Adam and This Scared Thing is Getting Ridiculous

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM!!











So, we can add to things Caleb is terribly afraid of: People on crutches. The cat on Cinderella. People named Rocco. Two different times and people. We met Rocco at Isaac's and Ivy's birthday. He's a very nice family relative. Rocco did tickle Caleb and apparently he did not like that. From that moment on, anytime Caleb saw Rocco he would scream like a girl and hysterically cry. It was truly embarrassing. If Rocco was inside, Caleb immediately went outside. If Rocco came back out Caleb would go back inside. Totally Ridiculous!

Bath Time

It has FINALLY happened! I honestly thought it would never happen at times to be honest... BOTH of my kids finally enjoy baths. Caleb has been a little fish (minus the swimming) from day 1. He splashed and enjoyed water. Kendall, on the other hand, hated her first bath and this has continued. She usually lets us know her displeasure by shreaking, crying, or once she was mobile trying to climb out of the tub. I don't know what I did or what happened. But, now Kendall is crying when anyone is in the tub/shower besides her. Overall, this is a great thing. Plus, now that Caleb and Kendall actually play with each other-well some of the time, they have a great time in the bath. Oh, and note the bubbles in the tub. Caleb's eczema is pretty much under control!!!

Kayaking a Family Tradition

So, Caleb went on his first Kayaking paddle of the summer. I honestly am not sure why it took until August for this adventure to occur. The trip began with a hike (okay a walk) down to the river. We live about 3 blocks from the river. Now most people would pull the kayak (it has removable wheels) and hold their child's hand. Not my family. Caleb rode down to the river in the kayak. Actually this turns out to be a great way to meet some neighbors. Who knew!

N0w all of you know that Caleb is a chicken. So, he was pretty worried about being on the water at first. But, at the end he was a 'pro' and didn't want to be done. I might just have another outdoorsman on my hands!

The Ghetto Coup and Brotherly Love

This was the best toy we ever got to be honest. Terry garbage picked this beauty last spring right when Caleb turned 1 and it is well loved. Perhaps a little too loved at times. Caleb and Kendall do fight over this ferociously! This series of pictures show the two of them playing. Note how nice Caleb is being (note my sarcasm!) He really wanted to play with Kendall at first but then decided enough was enough. This earned him a long time out. I would like to point out that the last photo is where Caleb is shoving Kendall's head to the ground while she is already down! And yes, he new exactly what was going to happen when he opened the door. Actually they often play nicely and ride in the coup together which is an adorable sight!

Bowling

We took Caleb bowling for the first time. Bumper bowling has actually come pretty far from when we were kids. The bumpers only come up for the specified kids. Great for them terrible for me! Caleb played 8 frames and scored a 56. He was "All done," after that! That is n0t too shabby of a score for a 2 year old. It was pretty funny to watch him. The smallest ball we could find was a 7. So, he would pick it up from the ball return and walk zombie like to the lane. He would then shove/throw the ball. It crept along at a snails pace but always made it down the lane. Caleb was pretty proud of himself.