I’m still uncertain what we are having for dinner and there is laundry to fold but I have to blog about my son! It’s 1pm on Thursday and he has already said 4 new words today. Two names, “hole” which he made in his hummus @ lunch and “pin-ink” to be able to answer his sister with! He’s a great boy, and we love him to death! I had heard from another mom that her boys started talking a lot more at 2, this is the case with Matt. His birthday was in January and his vocabulary is 20 fold what is was then! We communicate so much better and he tells us stories over and over. J mentioned the other night that Matt practices in his bed at night, just saying random words over and over. Yesterday he started to call himself “Tall Matt,” he was standing on the couch over me. He’s 37″ tall ~ I think he’ll take after his father a bit more than me in height. He is a salty over sweets kid which is more like me for sure. He started saying “O K” in a very distinct fashion last week and has been asking me “why mama?” for 6 weeks now. (Isn’t that part of childhood grand?)
With his sister and all his cousins in January:
Practicing his salute with Uncle James:
He loves to be outside and still runs like a baby which I love! He plays golf in the house, babies with his sister and tries to color “on the paper Matt!” He likes to explore sister’s doll house and barbies, always a matter of contention. He can bunny hop across the living room, actually getting air. It’s amazing how much more physical his is than his sister was!
His first time sledding with dad (also in January):
His best friends are his Opa and his 10 year old cousin Ben. Currently he calls him “Ben 10!” We deal with some yelling and a bit of hitting but he’s coming around. He could not love machines more: Tractors, Trains, Diggers (Back Hoes), Dump Trucks or Semi’s. He won’t sit on anything that’s not John Deere Green, even at Home Depot or Lowes. They all fall under the term “Dawgie” at this point….
His other obsession is Choo Choo. “Home, Watch Choo Choo mama?” Which could only mean one thing…Thomas the Train. He had a Thomas cake which turned out to Edward since he’s the number 2 train. We probably watch 1 half hour show of Thomas a day, I’m so thankful he’s on PBS!
Matt sleeps with 2 blankies & a pillow in his crib covered by his Dawgie blankie that his Auntie and Uncle gave him for Christmas. He is still a 12 hour sleeper with quite a bit of talking in his sleep at night. Takes a nap 90% of the time from 2-4pm but if he misses, it seems to be okay with him (Maybe not so much with me!). He enjoys a tubby and plays with his guys, prefers bubbles to none.
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I feel like there is so much more to Matt, come over and spend some time with him if you’d like. He’d love to see you and I guarantee you’ll love meeting him!
I would say that it was Haley’s first time hosting a party, she did really really well. I mean, I did most of the decorating, inviting and prep work but she helped with all the decisions. It was the first time she had a group of her gf’s over for a party. I think it’s important for her to learn the in’s and out’s of entertaining so why not start now and have some fun with it!
We hosted a valentine cookie party for the 6 girls in her preschool class, decorating cookies & cupcakes then sharing some pink lemonade and red candy! Each girl brought their favorite sprinkles to share. I made 7 different colors of icing and put them into icing bags with tips on them, it was a first for most of the girls and they LOVED it. We had 2-3″ high piles of icing on these cookies with sprinkles in the middle and on top of the pile. They looked more like mini plates of spaghetti! You felt a sugar high just watching these girls to go town! Haley had so much fun and a few of the girls talked to me when I was in their classroom about doing it again for Easter! I’m so thankful that Haley has this group of gf’s for this time in her life! Thanks Addison, Grace B, Ellie & Audry for coming over!
We had a craft station to create cupcake toppers with stickers & markers. It was fun to see who really loved it and who walked right by. Their creations were all really great. Grace B kept making toppers for our dog Sam ~ so cute!
After everyone arrived we moved to the big table and let the sugar flow! A lot of decorating and a little bit of eating along the way:
It was a great morning, the girls spending time together outside of class and I got to know some of the other parents better. Matt even had a friend, Easton to play with. I think we’ll have to plan one more party before the end of the school year. Happy Valentine’s Day!
This morning I was fortunate enough to be able to join H in her preschool room for the Valentine’s party! It was so much fun! All the girls were dressed up and most of the boys too, they had special Valentine’s crafts & sports. We talked about Jesus’ love for us and handed out valentines to her friends. Even a special treat for the day! (I also cut her BP&J into a heart for lunch but when she got home she said she couldn’t tell what shape it was??) It was the first time this year that I’ve been able to be in the class and it was great! She attends Family of Christ Preschool and I feel like she has been blessed there beyond measure! It’s the perfect place for her and she will be more than prepared for K next fall.
We started the morning with a heart craft project, painting the kids hands white and making prints on the hearts then it was time for Valentine’s bingo with Mrs. Gunther!
Next was some play time while we set up for the special treat. Everyone got a graham cracker, pink icing and sprinkles. They were provided by one of H’s friends McKenzie…Yummy!
Then our half of the class switched and headed to the open area for sports. Doing some stretching and then playing with red & white balloons.
We headed back in the class for the free play and during that time the other mom (Molly) and I took each child out to distribute their valentines for their classmates.
Then it was Jesus time and we practiced 3 ways to count to 100. I have to admit that counting by 1′s to 100 with 19 four year old’s is…well, that’s a lot of numbers! Then it was time for us to go and they finished up their day with lunch and playtime outside.
5 of the 7 girlfriends in Haley’s class: Audrey, Grace B, H, McKenzie and Grace S.
H gets home at 2:15 each day with a ride from her friend Ellie and she was ready to break out the treat bag! Her choice for today and a dip-n-stick thingy – pure sugar! She let me know that she drew our family on her treat bag, Matt, herself, then the 3rd person is me: “sorta brown hair, sorta blond hair.” I guess it’s time for some highlights!
Love that girl, love her school and love to see her learn!
I decided to do another scrapbook documenting the month of December 2011 so the sheer volume of pictures is quite opposite from November. It was a blur and as I pray it will go slower next Christmas I fear it might be like this for quite a few years to come with smaller children who enjoy doing fun Christmas and Holiday type things! I want to do all of them now when there is interest and amazement! This month brought so many activities: hot chocolate, Christmas lights, Nativity sets, gingerbread houses and 4 different “Christmas’.” Here are some highlights of December in pictures (minus the week around Christmas that was spent in CA – a separate blog post required!)
Dad was sick on the first night of December so the kids and I decorated the tree so it would be bright and shiny when he woke the next morning!
Haley was pretty excited to decorate her own tree in her room, excited to fall asleep to the glow each night.
Our church Christmas program always includes 2 songs by the “little ones.” Haley went to a few rehearsals and 2 performances to sing “Jingle Jingle Happy Bells” and “Jesus loves me” – it was very cute and very entertaining
Some of our friends were surprised to deliver their baby boy 4 few weeks early. So, Justin, H & I headed down to the hospital after church on his birthday and H got to hold him. She really really enjoyed this experience, being a bit older than when M was born and a LOT more into babies! Welcome baby Jesse!
Mid December we grouped 2 family traditions into one night and headed downtown for the afternoon & evening. We saw the 8th floor of Macy’s, ate dinner @ Key’s Cafe then bundled up for the Holidazzle parade at night. It was actually a perfect night, a bit cold but we all know that here in MN – it could always be worse.
Haley picked out her own Christmas dress this year (a bit sad for mom ~ not the choice but the lack of input!) and got a lot of use out of it! This is her good friend Lydia from church.
We have had such weird weather this winter that multiple times the kids were able to play outside on our playground in December.
And then finally on Dec 31st we got a tiny bit of snow…producing a bit of excitement.
We had such a fun December! If you want to come over and see the finished scrapbook, we’re always around ~ stop on by!
I had mentioned at the end of the last post a forth coming picture of Haley in her Pumpkin Princess costume…and here she is! The skirt turned out to be quite large but fun (including 4+ trips to Jo Ann’s)! We trick-or-treated around our small neighborhood at 5pm then headed over to my sisters house to do a big loop there with the cousins, Ben & Ayden aka Captain Jack & Thor! It worked out really well!
Matt (on the right) encountered another monkey which was very strange for the suburbs in MN! It was our neighbor Jack, they weren’t quite sure what to make of the situation!
November seems to be lacking in pictures but it was fun none the less! Haley’s interest in photography grew substantially, getting good at picking up the “big camera” (making sure to put the strap on!) and shooting. She often turns the camera on it’s side or tells us to move a bit this way or that. It’s not a guaranteed good picture, but I for one am very thankful to have someone in the house who can take pictures of me and Matt together if I want/need. I also tend to think her pictures reflect more about real life from her perspective! She has improved a lot over the last couple months!
We discovered the little “Shopper in training” carts at the grocery (I’m not sure how I’ve been missing them for a year!)
My guess is that due to hosting our first Thanksgiving, pictures weren’t a top priority in November. Even on Thanksgiving day they took a back seat to the food & hosting! A bummer and lesson learned – ask someone else to be in charge of pictures. We had my parents and my sister with family to our place this year. Haley named the Turkey early on, Shalulu, and there was talk of heartache when the time to eat her would come but we had no trouble and Haley was ready to carve it up!
Kids table:
Matt after a nap at the big table with Oma:
The days after Thanksgiving brought a trek through a Christmas tree farm, a hay ride at that farm driven by the grinch, visiting a Christmas Mart in a German town near by (really incomparable to the ones in Austria) and a train ride with Santa.
At the very end of the month, Haley decided it was time to use her allowance (well, more like the money in her piggy bank that came from various places, including Papa’s donation back in May). It was really the first understanding of the value of money and using it wisely. Did she? I guess she is still playing with the toy she picked out so it wasn’t the worst thing she could have gotten. Her ZuZuPuppy is name Palooza and she comes out of the “Haley Bucket” every couple weeks to play with us.
My kids are the best and because I feel like each moment shouldn’t be forgotten I will be a better blogger in the future…they deserve it!
Well, we are making H’s Halloween costume this year, of course I am loving it! I was a bit hesitant to ask her right out what she wanted to be. I thought about giving her a few choices and narrowing it down for her. In all honesty, I just didn’t want to do a Disney Princess. But then we were in the car in early September and I just asked her, held my breath and waited. It didn’t take but a few seconds and she said “A pumpkin princess!” Perfect! I can do that! Still a princess but a unique one! So a plan started to form in my head and away we go. Of course it’s turning out to be more expensive than buying say, a Disney Princess costume….but I think it’s worth it!
We found this wood pumpkin “mask” and I thought it would be perfect as H’s contribution to the costume:
I think we’re going to add some glitter to the mask too. Try to contain your excitement in seeing the finished product!
Haley seems to have quite a knack for thinking of, shall we say, unconventional names. She isn’t totally happy when her toys or dolls have what you might call a “normal” name. For instance, her favorite baby doll was given the name Sally at Christmas when she arrived. Probably 6 weeks into their new life together, H renamed her Vena.
Also at Christmas H got her doll house. She loves it and all the people who live there. For her birthday this summer we got her the “Wedding couple” who could live there and come dressed for a wedding. (Something she is very interested in right now)
Right away the woman was named Tiona. My only thought on where this name came from was that she had recently seen Shrek and maybe Fiona had turned into Tiona in her mind? I think it was also later that day that Tiona was given a last name: Genia. I don’t even have a thought on where that came from. But there she was, the bride: Tiona Genia.
Somehow I was able to name the groom and I picked the name of a good friends son: Kenneth.
Later that night we were all 4 in the car and telling daddy about the new names of her people. H got loud and said “Everyone think of a last name or Kenneth!” So I said “Smith!” and right away she declined that suggestion. I laughed and said “How about Azari?” It struck her fancy and she was so excited! Kenneth Azari and Tiona Genia! The perfect doll house couple!
(Please notice H making the kissing sound with her lips!)
I does make me wonder, what will this girl of mine decide to name my grandchildren someday? That should be exciting!
P.S. Later that week we were at the zoo with auntie Jen & the cousins. H decided that the 2 jaguars were named “Leapo and Leo” and that the Panda was “Amanda the panda” – in actuality it was a stuffed animal at the gift shop, there is no Panda at the MN Zoo.
A church softball game with one child on the playground and my boy throwing a ball and/or rocks around the dugout. A huge victory and a church ice cream social after with root beer floats and blankets on the grass.
My daughter insisting it’s not too hot outside and begging to stay out. Sweating but loving the heat, playing with her princesses on the playground. Asking me to climb up and put them each down the slide and she’ll catch them. Knocking on the patio door to tell me I can have a drink of her water on the steps if I need a drink. Knocking again to ask me “Mama, what do you wish for? I wish I could fly!” then changing her mind to “I wish I could play on a rainbow!” Summer to me today is a girl being 3, with a skinned knee and 2 bug bites on her head!
I realize that waiting until next month would make the most sense, Matthew will be a year and a half (an obvious blog age) but he seems to be changing so much, growing up so fast and I need to get some things “remembered” about him right now:
*he always goes for saltine crackers first when he can get into the pantry for food.
*he’s a boy after my own heart; he has really taken to Mickey Mouse. “Running” back and forth at the Disney store between stuffed animal displays, pointing and yelling at each one.
*he runs, almost. It is more a swift walk but what makes it different from his normal walk is the left arm fully extended and swinging as far as it will go back and forth while the right arm doesn’t move an inch.
*2 things that totally get his attention in a store: sunglasses and hats. He has them at home but won’t wear them for more than a few minutes. He is currently sure that his sunglasses are only to be worn in the car even then, only for dancing to “Baby” by Justin Bieber.
* he said bubble last week, it’s probably his most concise word. Second would be “ahhh done.” – He also added “Opa” to his list on Sunday (My dad was pretty happy about that!)
* although he is not allowed, he LOVES gum, trying to get his paws on it in the van at all costs ~ this is a constant struggle since his sister is a gum-a-holic.
* the gum in the van has lead him to believe that the cars are actual play grounds and he could spend hours sitting/playing in them if I’d let him.
* he loves his green blankie but it doesn’t leave his crib, only once in a blue moon (and for photos!) This blanket was given to H by Justin’s cousin but it didn’t become an offical “blankie” until Matt took to it.
(can you tell he’s saying “cheese” in this one…it sounds like “eeese”)
* prefers water to drink and isn’t a big fan of sweets, at least not compared to his sister. Won’t touch ice cream.
* LOVES to read books and we always sit on the bottom step of the stairs when we read, his top 4 books being:
Good Night Moon
The Foot Book
Oh, The Wonderful Sounds Mr. Brown Can Do (one of my faves too!)
Tractor book
* there are two things he will start whooping and dancing for: his gummy vitamins and an occasional fruit snack.
* he only takes one nap and it’s gotten down to about 2 hours or he won’t go to bed until 9pm.
