Why every little boy needs his mommy -

Every little boy needs his mommy because daddies have been known to set the alarm, and walk right out the door leaving the baby playing quietly all by himself locked inside with the lights still on.

"Doo-Doo"

Ryan said a new word today - "Doo-Doo". The fact that he said it while holding his hands up in the air with an odd look on his face made me a bit suspicious. As I got closer I noticed that he had something on his shin, and his hands, and OH MY GOD COME HERE!!!! Oh it was nasty. He was covered. So were the play mats, the play house, and the path from the mats, through the playhouse door, across the tile, and all the way to where he stood. Ewww!!!

Life Lesson 21 - all children should be bathed at the same time. Or at the very least if they aren't they should not be stripped down to nothing but their diaper more than 30 seconds before it's their turn.

Taking it easy

We took it pretty easy this weekend. We did swim lessons, a little shopping (the boys needed shoes, and diapers!), visited the mall play area for the first time, had a small and quiet celebration of Kevin's birthday with his family, found a new favorite park, and had a little cake. And that was just Saturday. :)

Not that this surprises me in any way, but like lots of things in life the boys just couldn't be more different in the pool. Ryan reaches, kicks, pulls up, pushes off and just basically tries to swim and do all the activities at swim lessons. Connor on the other hand is content to just let you shuttle him around the pool where ever you think he needs to go with the exception of on his back. They really do seem to be enjoying lessons and are much more comfortable in the pool than when we first started.

Speaking of differences, I think we are going to have a Mutt and Jeff. Hopefully some day Ryan will grow into the boats for feet he has. He has really LONG feet. When we went shoe shopping on Saturday I had them measure his feet. He is currently measuring a size 5. Connor's feet are thicker, but shorter. Despite Connor's recent foot growth spurt even stretching he barely makes it to a size 4. I did find some cool new shoes for Ryan that should have enough room to grow for at least a few days at the rate he is going.

The mall play area was an interesting place to visit. There were lots and lots of kids there, and despite it being for the 42" and under crowd there were sure a lot of tall looking 42 inchers in the play area. The boys didn't seem to mind though. They watched the big kids and tried to do some of the suicidal things they were doing like climbing on top of the equipment. Ryan was in hog heaven - he flitted from one near death experience to the next surprisingly escaping more or less unscathed. Connor's feet remained a bit more firmly planted to the ground for the most part which helped to keep him from getting run over. Though we didn't stay terribly long the boys seemed to have a good time and were really thrilled when I pointed out a butterfly hanging over head.

Speaking of playing the boys really tuckered themselves out at one of the parks in Kingwood after dinner. It was clearly their favorite play ground yet by far. They both picked out a slide and kept going up the stairs and down the slide, then off to do it all over again. Ryan's slide was hugely tall and spiraled down. He did amazingly well. Other than one minor incident where he tried to walk down the slide instead of sitting down to slide he did really well. Connor picked a somewhat smaller, straight slide that a little on the slick and fast side. They must have gone up and down the slides at least 2 dozen times before we took a water break and ended up heading off to the swings.

Afterwards the boys got to play with a few new toys at Kevin's parent's house and we enjoyed a little cake and ice cream.

Happy 17 Months Boys!

Happy 17 months boys!

They are growing up far too fast. They amaze me everyday with the things they have learned. They know lots of critters now - cow, horse, pig, frog, cat, dog, duck, lion, tiger, bear, bird, fish, butterfly, bee, grasshopper, snake, caterpillar, dinosaur, rabbits, etc. They can point them out in books. They know the sounds they make. They know most of their body parts, too. They can point out their head, ears, eyes, nose, mouth, shoulders, tummy, belly button, knees, feet, and toes. Their vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds. Ryan is doing especially well picking up new words - he can say mama, dadda, banana, more, duck, ball, off, out, go, shoe, no, please, milk, water, car, hi, bye bye, and I am sure there are others I am forgetting. He is also doing a great job trying to repeat the things you say. They are also both signing. They can sign eat, more, milk, water, please, banana, all done, bird, butterfly, dog, and diaper.


They seem to understand most of what we tell them and are really becoming great little helpers. They put their shoes and clothes up every day. They help pick up their toys for the most part, too. At school they help clean up the tables and put things in the trash. They love carrying their school bags, too. They hold my hands and walk into and out of school. They give hugs, they blow kisses. They share when they want to, and often bring each other toys and try to offer comfort if the other one is upset.

We seem to have reached a lull in the teething department. Ryan is holding steady with 12 teeth. I think the next to come for him will be his "eye teeth" the pointy fangs. Connor finally had his outside bottom teeth break through the gums about a week ago, bringing him up to 12 as well.

They are both getting quite proficient at opening doors, and things that were once safely out of reach are unexpectedly within their grasp. And what they can't accomplish alone they are learning to do together. We are in so much trouble... :)

Feeling Scrappy Again

The Discovery Green layouts I did a while back just weren't screaming just how much fun we had to me. And I was having a hard time finishing Ryan's page(s). So I decided to go a different direction and came up with these....

Waterfalls, trains, and BBQ?

We took the boys to Valley Ranch BBQ today for lunch. We sat right in front of the big waterfall topped with stuffed dead animals. That's right - indoor waterfall, and dead stuffed things. Doesn't your local BBQ place have amenities like that? No? Hmm... What about a train that hangs from the ceiling and circles the whole restaurant? No? Then you really are missing out.

The food was much better than I remembered, and the boys loved watching the train. Ryan pointed to it and waved every time it came around. But the best thing ever? Whole corn on the cob. I actually tasted my food. I had a few minutes to sit around leisurely sipping my water. They loved it. Ryan actually did a great job eating his corn. He gnawed the cob practically clean. Connor wasn't quite as aggressive, and he kept trying to stuff the whole end in his mouth. Unfortunately we didn't think to bring our cameras so we didn't get a single picture of their first corn on the cob. :) I know you are truly heartbroken, but take my word for it it was actually very cool to see them try something new, learn how to hold it, and learn how to eat it. They did such a good job I was so proud of them.

Clearly I had reason to worry...

Remember that whole bully thing? This morning at McDonalds Connor picked up a shoe and wonked a little girl for no reason what-so-ever. Just because. Yep, clearly a bright, bright future first as a bully, then as a felon.

Ryan on the other hand might not live long enough to be incarcerated. Between his daring climb higher into the play structure than we thought it would possible for him to climb and a nasty spill on the tile while running from Connor after absconding with his toy it will be a miracle if he survives toddlerhood.

A bright, bright future

Conversation Kevin and I had while watching a movie last night:

Kevin: I hope no one bullies the boys.
Me: I hope the boys aren't the bullies.

Yep, it is going to be a bright, bright future indeed.

All American

All that is missing is the apple pie.

The boys enjoyed some hot dogs for dinner tonight.

Connor ate every.last.bite. He's going to explode any minute now.

Playing In the Rain

The boys and I played in the rain today. On purpose. And we got WET. It was fun. At first the boys stayed on the front porch watching curiously as the rain came down. They giggled in delight as the gusty winds shifted a little sending the rain pelting on to the front porch on to them. At first it was just a mist from the rain splattering down, gradually growing to full fledged drops as the winds picked up blowing the driving rain our direction. As the storm eased with the worst of it past I ventured out on to the front walk. And they followed. It didn't take long for Ryan to spy the rapidly flowing water heading down the driveway into the street. He ran in the fastest moving channel. His little bare feet sending the water splashing with each and every step. Connor wasn't far behind. They both ended up in at the curb in front of our driveway where the water drained out of our yard, from our gutter, and down the driveway into the street on its way to the big drain at the end of the street. They stomped. They splashed. They smiled. And they laughed. So much joy to be found in something so simple.

An Incident Report

This was awaiting me when I picked the boys up from school on Friday....

Ryan gets a Happy Gram, too

A Happy Gram

Connor got a "Happy Gram" from school today. Per the note he was lots of help today. He was the first one to come over and sit down for circle time. He also helped clean up the toys outside at playtime. Way to go Connor!

Place Your Bets

When I picked the boys up from school today the ladies at the front desk asked me to settle a debate they were having over why it was that Connor got a hair cut, and Ryan didn’t. Apparently the entire office and several of the teachers were speculating. Their guesses ranged from Ryan refusing to sit still (which I can totally see…) to Connor getting some sort of gunk in his hair that wouldn’t come out (like gum), or an accident of some sort (with Ryan being the most likely suspect in the imaginary crime).

I am not sure what this says about Connor, but clearly they have Ryan pegged.

Swimming with our friend Caden

We had a swim date with our friends John, Sharon and Caden today at our neighborhood pool. It was Caden's first time in the pool. Unfortunately the pumps to the water play area were down today so he didn't get to see the pool in full action. That didn't slow the boys down much though. They ran around as usual and even decided to try out a few new things today. Connor investigated some little spouts around the edge of the pool. And both boys decided to give the crawl through tunnel a try, too. Ryan and I played peek-a-boo and chase in the tunnel. Ryan would come looking for me, and when I popped out he would laugh and do the crawfish (backing up) so he was just out of reach as I jumped in and chased after him.

Ryan loves the slide. He slides down and then runs around to do it again about as fast as his little legs will propel him in the water, and back up the tower. Connor slid a few times, too, though he hasn't figured out how to come down so that he doesn't get drowned by the water at the bottom.

Thanks to John and Sharon the boys also tried out a water float. Technically it was meant for one baby, but since Kevin put Ryan in backwards the area for the baby to splash in wasn't needed so we dropped Connor in there as a stowaway and surprisingly the boat didn't sink. :)

Connor did eventually try out a crab like Cadens, but I was too busy chasing him around I didn't get single picture. :) The boys really had a good time in the floats, and it was really nice of John, Sharon, and Caden to think of them. We will definitely be using them again. Thanks guys!

Progressive Scrap

This past week I have been participating in a "progressive scrap." Every day the designer gave us a few pieces of a mini kit and some basic instructions (like the number of times something had to be used). The next day you would take the previous day's layout and add to it without changing it in any way.

I had loads of fun playing along. It was so much fun to see what new things we had to add each day and trying to figure out how to get it all in. It was also really neat to see everyone else's layouts and just how different all the pages turned out given we all used the same things with the same instructions.

Here's how mine turned out:

And of course I couldn't do one for Connor without doing one for Ryan, too. Here's Ryan's layout:

Energizer Bunnies - Part III

Last but not least we ended our Saturday adventures with our friend Travis and his father-in-law at the car show. Every Saturday night from spring through fall hundreds of old cars make their way to the Kroger near our house just before sunset. Cars and people alike come from all over the area. I am not sure how it came to be, or even how people know to come looking for it. But every Saturday the place is packed. We stumbled onto the show ourselves one Saturday night making a late night grocery run. Though we have known about the show for years this was the first time the boys and I had been. The boys had a good time snacking and being pushed around while I wandered up and down the aisles admiring the cars. We admired over a hundred classics, hotrods, and even motorcycles. The weather couldn't have been more cooperative either. The sky was a little overcast shielding us from the worst of the sun, and a nice breeze kept the air circulating as well. It made for a really nice outing.

I am not sure what sent me in that direction but I ended up wandering around the back of one of the cars and stumbled across this little gem. It was just too cute. It was just about the right size for the boys. Can you imagine seeing this running down your street? I can just envison a snoopy like character all decked out in his red baron outfit driving it down the block.

We picked this one out just for Grannie. :)

Energizer Bunnies - Part II

After an afternoon nap we headed to the pool to try out our new life jackets. They are called Puddle Jumpers. They did a pretty good job keeping the kids' heads above water. The boys didn't seem to mind wearing them either. The only bad thing was that everyone once in a while the boys would end up on their backs like little turtles and couldn't figure out how to get their feet back down and get vertical again.

Here's Ryan all suited up and ready to swim!

And Connor enjoying running around.

Ryan accidentally learning how float.

Connor showing off his swimming skillz.

The boys having fun at the pool

Energizer Bunnies - Part I

If there is one thing the boys are almost never lacking it's energy. They could seriously give the Energizer Bunny a run for his money.

So in a effort to keep them from driving us completely insane we like to keep them busy - too busy to get into too much trouble. :) So to that end right after breakfast we got them dressed and headed off to swim lessons. The boys were pitifully shown up by the girls in the class today. The girls kicked, blew bubbles, and sat patiently on the edge of the pool like little angels. They were good sports, too. Even after showing up the boys one of the little girls stopped by to say "bye bye see ya later." It was really super cute.

As for class, Kevin and I are getting an F. We really suck at the songs - we know maybe a 1/3 of the words. And by now they just expect you to know them so they don't even bother to tell you what they are before you do the exercises anymore. Or maybe it was just this instructor? I think this was our 3rd class, and 3rd different instructor.

The boys aren't doing too bad. They seem to be enjoying their lessons, or at least enjoying getting to play in the water. They are getting more and more comfortable in the water. Though neither of them is fond of being on their backs. Thankfully we don't have to do that too often.

After swim lessons the boys took a short nap at home and then we took them to Mel's for lunch where they polished off some catfish, pinto beans, corn, rolls, and mashed potatoes. Afterwards we took them to Burrows park to work some of it off. As usual the boys had barely stepped foot in the park when they found the first things they wanted to play with. For Ryan it was a sweet gum ball. Connor found a little sandy dirt and some pine cones. Why we get them toys is beyond me. We just need to gather junk from the park - gum balls, leaves, pine cones, sticks, mulch, dirt and sand and they would be set. They did eventually make their way to the playground. They had a good time playing in the sand, on the slide and just in general running around.

It is amazing how different of a trip this was. The last time we were at the park we brought the boys' walkers. Ryan could walk unassisted by then, but tended to get going faster than his little feet could carry him. Connor could walk with the walker, but hadn't braved his first steps yet. They were still small enough to put in the kids swings together then, too. We didn't try it, but I don't think they would still fit now. They are growing up far too fast.

Just before we left we decided to check out the pier. The boys did a great job negotiating the ramp up to the pier. Ryan practically ran uphill and down. Connor wasn't far behind. The views from the top of the pond were really nice. Not that the boys noticed of course. They were too busy chasing a nut of some sort that Ryan picked up at the bottom. He would throw it and then chase it. And then do it all over again.

Warning: The following photos may be disturbing.

Do you know who this kid is?

What happened? Where did my baby go?

Connor's hair has been in a funk lately. He has really course hair, and a lot of it. Unfortunately it just couldn't seem to decide what it wanted to do. Some parts were straight, some parts were wavy, some parts were curly. And it was getting a little long. Not to mention that no matter how often it was brushed there was always some part sticking up. So, after dinner I decided to take him to get his hair cut.

It was just the two of us. Since I had decided to get it cut about 5 minutes before we walked out the door needless to say we didn't have an appointment. Luckily there weren't too terribly many people in front of us and Connor was in a super good mood. We played in the little waiting area at the front, and flipped through a hairstyle book. I picked out a great gelled mohawk look, but Connor didn't seem too impressed.

After we finished the book one of the stylists mentioned that there was a play area in the back so we went to check it out. There were two other kids playing with trains on a big train table. Connor joined them with some legos he found along the way. I was really impressed how long he stood there and just watched them move their trains right in front of him without reaching out to snag one. There is no way Ryan would have shown that much restraint. :)

Before long it was our turn to get a haircut. Connor took his legos with him and sat in the little race car. He did amazingly well. He played with the legos and watched Elmo while holding really still. The trimmer didn't even phase him. He just kept playing and watching the show. The stylist had a neat trick to get him to look down so she could trim the back. She attached one of the magnetic train cars to the bottom of the car's steering wheel. It took him a minute or two before he figured out how to reach it and get if off.

When it was all done the top was a little shorter than I expected. I walked in with a baby and left with a toddler. He just looked so different! I missed his little curls already. Kevin was pretty stunned when we made it home, too.

As for Ryan, he still has his long curly locks. At least for now. :) Unlike Connor, Ryan's hair is pretty fine. It has a way of looking cute wet or dry, brushed or not. He's got streaks on the top that are sun bleached and oodles of little curls in the back. I have always thought that the boys looked night and day different and it just amazes me how we ended up with such different children. With the new haircut I don't think anyone is going to have trouble telling them apart, even from behind and at a distance. :)

Get Well Soon

My family is notoriously bad about telling me about the general state of their health until well after the fact in the vast majority of cases. And I am not talking about an ingrown toe nail, or a runny nose. I mean little things like surgery, emergency room visits, and a hospitalization or two. While they are getting better I still never cease to be amazed. Like Monday when my mom tried to casually mention something about taking my Grandmother to the hospital on Tuesday for some sort of run of the mill procedure. Like an angiogram or a little angioplasty. Warranted due to calcium scores in what sounds like the mildly alarming range.

So I called my Grandmother bright and early Tuesday morning to harass her shamelessly about not telling me and get the scoop. She was woefully unhelpful at answering my questions that I would think everyone would want to know like "How long is it going to take?" and "Do they knock you out?" She did however provide enough fodder to keep me entertained - "They go in where? Are you sure about that? How do they get there from there? That's a long way from your heart. Let's hope they don't get lost or take a wrong turn." And of course she knew all about the lodging requirements - "If they find something you have to stay." :)

So come Tuesday afternoon I got the equivalent of tweets from my mom. At check-in. Still at check-in. Yep, still here. They are carting her off. Found the beavers. Putting in a stint. She should be in recovery by now. I think they misplaced her. And so on.

From all accounts she is doing great. And I know with a get well card like this one she should be all better in no time.

Mikey Likes it!

I tried a new recipe for pulled pork today. And boy was it YUMMY!! Talk about finger licking good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

The proof's in the pictures:

Just getting started on the first serving...

Practically licking the plate after their SECOND helping of EVERYTHING!

Definitely a keeper!

It's a POOL!!!

No, not that kind. No yet, anyways.


But we did get the boys an inflatable pool. We got it all blown up and setup in the backyard this afternoon. The boys dove right in.

Tested the water.

Splashed a little.

Then we turned the jets on and they discovered the built in sprinklers.

And the slide.

And we played.

And played.

And played some more (the little climbing monkeys!)

I think they liked the pool... :)

Quiet, innocent little morning stroll

It was just going to be a little walk around the block. A quiet little morning stroll. Or as quiet as it can be careening down the street on two wheels with your parents making Vrooming engine noises while you hold on for dear life, or laugh manically depending on your personality. :) That is until we saw them. The sprinklers. Because really who can pass up sprinklers? Just one trip through? You wanna do it again? Oh yeah... :)