What I will remember about this Christmas

I will remember...
a little girl who bounces up and down at anything that resembles a tune of music
a little girl who has a way to tell me what song she wants me to sing by either hand motions or grunts until I get it right, and then bouncing her little heart out with a grin a mile wide when I sing
a little girl who learns a new word everyday and says the words she knows more clearly each day too
a little girl who is obsessed with finding Bluey the elf and would love to hug him to death if that wasn't against the Elf on the Shelf rules (when big brother isn't watching I let her kiss and hug him all she wants)
a little girl who waddles everywhere she goes on her bow legs
a little girl who is at the prime age to destroy and pull off every ornament at her level of the tree, but hasn't bothered them at all
a little girl who makes her brother's blood pressure go through the roof when she toddles over to his tool area with no real interest in anything
a little girl who hangs on my legs and says mama, mama
a little girl who loves her daddy and his tickling
a little girl who loves her new stuffed Santa and elephant because she loves anything soft
a little girl who sat in a chair on Christmas morning and just took it all in
a little girl who loves her brother's new tools
a little girl who steals a little more of my heart each second
a little girl who I tried to rock today before her nap and thought oh my goodness, she is not a baby this Christmas. Sigh.




a little boy who loves his milk, PB and J, Spots the giraffe, and his screwdriver
a little boy who is giving up his naps
a little boy who still needs his naps
a little boy who says please and thank you... right after he says, Gimme some milk... please
a little boy whose pants are too short but too big around the middle
a little boy who is a bit nervous about this whole Santa thing and claims we don't have a chimney so he can't come in
a little boy who loves to snuggle with mom and dad
a little boy who growled at his cousin, "Today is baby Jesus' birthday, not yours." 
a little boy whose vocabulary surprises me every day
a little boy who loves to read books
a little boy who doesn't seem to understand nor care about the correlation between being good and Santa bringing presents... ha!
a little boy who can be so sweet
a little boy who is turning into a big boy in front of my eyes. Double Sigh.


Merry Christmas 2012!

Capturing the Moment

Lainey at almost 15 months....

-You are figuring out how to say so many things. Your favorite is whenever dad comes in a room or is somewhere nearby you yell, "Hi dada!!" You also say "Hi mama," "Hi papa," (grandpa) and "Hi mawma!"(grandma). You like to say ollie, ollie, ollie when you talk about our dog. Some other words you say often are: Elmo, nana (banana), baba (bottle), night night, teddy, bots (Spots, Grady's giraffe), Iya (Isla), thank you, here you go (both of those sound the same), Santa
- You are becoming more interested in sitting on laps and reading books. Currently, your two favorite are Beep Beep Blue and Polar Bear, Polar Bear. If I tell you to go get them, you go and search for them on the shelf and come back so proud of yourself and ready to listen
- You are a little climber. Grandma has found you standing on the coffee table at her house. At our house, you can climb up onto our couch and to the ottoman. Just the other day, we were playing outside and you shimmied your way up to the patio furniture chair and had one knee onto the table when I grabbed you. You can also climb up the ladder we have in our family room right now. (For your brother to play on) Don't ask.
- You love to sing the songs grandma teaches you. Your two favorites are Itsy Bistsy Spider and I'm a Little Teapot. You make it very clear which song you want to sing by the hand motions you do.
-Grandma taught you how to stomp, and it is all you did all day long today.
-You are so laid back and not into much of our Christmas stuff like you should be at the age you are.
- You are such a happy girl. What a difference a year makes!!!!




Grady at 2 years 10 months....

-You still have zero interest in potty training. You may wear diapers forever.
- Your favorite color is blue, and every plate you eat with, fork you use, clothes you wear, coats you like, crayons you draw with... are blue.
-You love Jake and the Neverland Pirates, Dora, and Special Agent Oso. You would stare at a TV all day if I let you.
-You are still obsessed with tools and sleep with your red screwdriver and Spots, the giraffe,  every night.
- You are getting to the age when you go to bed, you need a drink, you need some food, you need to "Nuggle" with mama, you need to play.
- You have a big boy bed that you are working on staying in all night long. Working on being the key word there.
-You still wake up at about 5:15-5:30 most days of the week.
- You are hit or miss with naps, today you didn't take one, so you were my cleaning helper. You loved every second of it.
- You have started to say "I yuv you mommy, I yuv you daddy!!!" All the time.
- You say things that make you sound so much older than you are. For example, after asking you a question, you say, "Hmmmm... Let me think about that for a little bit....." before answering.
- You are a handful and are still saying things that are not too nice to mommy and daddy. For example, "I'm gonna put you in a trashcan. I'm gonna take you out back and make you sleep in a tree. You are mean, go back to work." Those are just a few I can think of right now, there are many that pop out of your mouth a day.
- Mom loves to talk with you at night before bed. You love to snuggle.
- You have such a great little personality and we love what every day with you brings!!

November Fun

 I think I already posted a pic like this, but just wanted to add another one because it is how we've been spending our days lately. Still.

A pic of Handy Manny in mid-November, the year Halloween came and went without him because of the stomach bug.  On a side note, he is still telling me he will be dressing up as Handy Manny for Halloween. I just say, "Oh yes, that will be fun!"

 Hank and Andie come to our house every other Wednesday now. These boys keep busy digging in the yard and doing lots of work. At one point, I had the girls inside, and went out to check on them since I couldn't see them out the window. They were over in the side yard.  I asked what they were doing, to which they replied, 'making bad choices.' Hey, at least they know.

 Sometimes a lumberjack lives at our house.

So does a little one year old with clothes and accessories much cuter than her mom's.

 

They loved the leaves in our backyard this year!

 

 Fun with a trashman and astronaut at Hank's birthday!

 

Grady

 A few things out of his mouth lately.....


"I think I will drive a mini van when I get bigger, mom. A blue one."

"Mom, I would like cuddle with you tonight. A lot. I don't cuddle with dad. He doesn't cuddle. Only my mommy-cakes cuddles."


"Mom, this crescent wrench is too small for my bike. I need to go in the garage and get a wrench from dad's tool kit."


When driving on highway 36 these days,  it is little boy heaven. Every time we head West, there are diggers, bulldozers, earth movers, and cranes. As we drove one day, we saw a crane holding a beam just like in our favorite book as of now, "Good Night, Good Night Construction Site".
I never know any of these construction vehicle names until a year ago. Now, I nearly drive off the side of the highway as I shout, " Look, Grady!!! An excavator!!! Check it out!!" Who would've thought..


G: "God and Jesus live in my hand." 
Me: Yes, they they live in your heart.
G: "They live in the sky too. With Bob and Larry."


G: "I have no screwdrivers."
Me: "Why did we take all your screwdrivers away?"
G: " Because I threw dice at you." 2 seconds later. " I'm gonna pick this piece of wood up and poke you in the eye."
Me: "Wow, why are you being so mean?"
G: With a crinkled up nose and squinty eyes, " Because I am not nice."

Today, he told me he was going to stab me with his toothbrush. (Any advice to help with my unruly child is appreciated). I took him up to his room and told him to think about how he can say nice things that make people feel happy instead of mean things that make people feel sad. As he was up there I heard a thud and went to investigate. He had pulled the drawer out of the dresser and bent up the wheel and track it rolls on. I tried to fix it. Unsuccessfully.  He told me, "Don't worry mom, I will go get my screwdriver and fix it for you. Can I leave my room, mom? I think I will fix it and it will make you happy."
  
Oh, terrible twos... I could have written a book on the things he says, but I never remember to write them down.

Stomach Bug:1 DeCola Kids:0

 Happy Halloween!!! Oh wait, we didn't observe the holiday this year. Grady was sick on Monday night and Tuesday night, but was fine Halloween morning when I dropped him off at grandma's house, before I braved the whole day with 20 something third graders awaiting the Halloween party after a combined total of 6 hours of sleep the previous 2 nights. (I was such a pleasant and patient teacher that day- the most annoying day of the year as an elementary school teacher with or without a full night's sleep).

 We planned to go over to Hank and Andie's house to eat chili and Trick or Treat that night after I picked them up. I called mom on the way home to check and see how things were going and things were good. Then, two minutes later, she called back and said, "Actually, Lainey just threw up." Needless to say, plans canceled, no handing out candy or Trick or Treating for us. Just a bunch of puke and poop for the next few days.

 We didn't leave the house at all Thursday and Friday. This is one way to entertain ourselves... Laine sat in the stroller for 20 minutes without saying a peep.

 He even parked her facing the wall for a few minutes while he stopped at "Home Depot" to "do some work."

 One screaming because he was covered in poop, the other screaming because she was about to puke. My text to Kris read something like this, "OMG puke and poop. I may start drinking at noon."

 You know she is sick if she falls asleep like this. On the floor. Our kids are the ones who never fall asleep anywhere except a bed (and even that is a struggle half the time... ha!)

 She crawled around in circles and just laid on the pig all afternoon on Friday. So sad.

 Lainey tricking me into thinking she was better. Liar.

 We thought G was better last night so we gave him some real food for the first time in days. That backfired when he was screaming his head off for more than an hour from 9 to 10 last night that his tummy hurt. We considered taking him to urgent care because we couldn't get him calmed down. He curled up on the floor of our room and slept like that all night, after 2 episodes of Diego, while lying naked on a towel with no diaper because he was freaking out about the poop. Too Much Info, I know, but I shall read this again next time one of them is sick and I am complaining to remind myself it could be worse.

It is now Sunday. This started on Monday. As I sit here typing this, Lainey is screaming and pooping all over the place right after Kris just changed her diaper 3.5 seconds ago. 

Wow, we have never had 2 kids with the nasty stomach bug. All I can say is, we are exhausted and grumpy, and mom and dad are probably going to be next..... eek!!

Lainey Lately. Her Tongue. Mama and Little Girl.

 

 

A Worker and His New Bed

Old Friends

 Tracy and I have been friends since second grade, played soccer together in high school, and were roommates freshman year at Colorado College. Fast forward 14 years, and she now lives in Cambridge, MA and just finished her Master's at Harvard... she's all fancy and smart. She was in town visiting friends and family and texted to see if we were around. I was so excited to see her and to catch up. The last I had seen she posted a pic on facebook over a year ago of her new family of 3 (with a one year old little girl that was about the cutest thing I'd ever seen).... I had SO many questions!!!! She caught me up today- She and her husband adopted Sasha and she and Grady are 2 weeks apart in age. They played all morning and Tracy and I got caught up on life. It was a great way to spend a chilly fall morning!

Here are some pictures of all the cuteness. Her personality was just as cute as her little face.

Laine's Birthday: Part 2

 Round 2 of Laine's week-long birthday celebration happened on Saturday with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Ash, Uncle Brandon, and cousins Isla and Tatum.

 Lainey got a new fleece pink coat, some shirts, and a remote control that sings to her! She holds it up like a cell phone and talks to it.

 Lainey and Grandpa hanging on the couch.

 Cake time!!!

 Since this was the second round, she was an expert cake eater and got more messy than the first time. She loved the pink frosting, so did Grady!

 Tatum was totally into the party.... :)

 The boys (mostly Kris) were thrilled with a Buffs win to top off the evening.

 ** In other news, Grady is teaching his little sis how to climb the stairs, safely, of course.