Aug 31, 2009

Piano, Tent, Bear and School
















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What's new? Pianos and princess tents. School and a security bear.

James bought the kids a piano...he thinks they are musically inclined at age 2 and 1. Don't ask. Then he bought Sammy a princess, pink, castle tent because she needs one if Luke has one. I thought the one tent we had that takes up a good portion of the game room was for both of them...apparently there was some miscommunication there.

In real news, Luke started school this week. He isn't sure why he can't ride the bus yet, and I'm not about to tell him he isn't really a big boy yet. When asked at gym last week what his name was (they go around the room and ask all the kids their names and their parents' names) he responded "Big Boy". He goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and loves it. Note his advanced cutting skills in the pic above -- it's still a favorite past time. So far, he's gotten only smiley face stickers...I wonder if they make frowning faces. The down side is that the potty training by observation isn't working. He wears pull-ups at school and even pees in the potty on occasion. At home though he refuses to wear pull-ups, demands diapers, and doesn't hesitate to turn down any offer to potty in the big boy potty. He responds, "No mommy, Big Boy wears diapers."

Besides that Sammy is standing on occasion. Just from sitting down, she'll stand right up for a minute. No forward motion yet though. Walking will come soon enough I am afraid though. "Uh-oh" is still the favorite expression and the dramatic-two-hands-to-the-side-of-her-face "Oh-No" is her trick of choice. Very cute and very feisty. Luke has another thing coming when she gets confident on her feet. Also, she has determined her security object of choice, a pink teddy bear that her dad got her when she was still in the NICU. She loves it...took it everywhere the first day she decided to crown it "the one". Now she sleeps with it too. She has a death grip on it with one hand most of the night. It is all pink (see pic) and super girly, so despite my predictions that we have a tough little tom-girl on our hands, there may be a girly-girl down deep inside somewhere...TBD.

Aug 18, 2009

Pics, Pics, and More Pics



Laughing. She isn't as easy to make laugh as Luke was...you really have to work at it. Tickling does the trick here!

Unfolding the clothes...her favorite past time. You can tell from the look on her face that she knows she is caught red-handed. This is just before she drops and crawls away like a mad woman to avoid being picked up and moved against her will.


With Pops who was just here for a visit week before last. I think he likes her.















Pretty, happy baby. She particularly likes living on the wild side. Throw her around, let her jump from tall structures...she's down for anything risky.

You can't get away with taking pictures for long or she moves in for the grab.

Watching Madagascar with Dad. He likes movies for about 20 minutes and then he starts roaming, but with Madagascar there is a return to the big screen when "Move it, move it" starts.

My mommy wears combat boots, when she can get them away from me.

With Pops and Dad. This was all day PJ day...it was "PJs and Pancakes" at church this Sunday so he got to lounge all day long.




And...he's happy about it. Note the bag he's holding...another kid pleaser, along with boxes, wrapping paper, and anything else that belongs in the trash.













Mr. Fix It who never fixes anything. He has a hat in each toy rotation. This week was construction hat, next week is cowboy hat week.

Nothing major in news. My dad was here a few weeks ago for a quick visit, so we enjoyed that. We have since been doing the usual SeaWorld on the weekends. Luke really doesn't like the water park. He's a little scared of such things, so we basically sit in the foot of water at the edge of the wave pool and watch Sam risk her life trying to escape into the wave pool. They are total opposites right now. It doesn't bother her at all to have her face in the water and to keep going, but Luke just wants to sit with you...no exploring right now. He's more interested in the shows and animals. So we get soaking wet to stay cool before going to a show. It works for everyone.

The funniest thing for the week was Luke's checking of Sam's diaper the other day. I'd just taken her clothes off because they were messy. So in the interim before she got re-dressed she pooped. Luke proceeded to walk over to her, pull the back of her diaper wide so he could look in and pronounce "Shoo-wee, Stinky Pants". I was hoping he'd also take the initiative to change it, but no such luck. The scariest moment of the week was Sam falling down the stairs. I forgot to put the gate up so up she went. I didn't know until she fell back down (like 2 steps). And in typical Sam fashion she cried only because she was mad that I picked her up and put the gate up...not hurt, just mad. She's going to be a handful!