Ice Cream

While the kids enjoyed the pink pig, the ice cream we got at Chick-Fil-A afterwards was really just as big a hit!

Ella started saying "please" for more as soon as the spoon left her mouth!

Bo was absolutely silent as his ice cream disappeared. Silence truly is golden sometimes!

The Pink Pig

We took the kids to ride the pink pig and they had so much fun! The really neat thing is that my mom said she remembered riding the pig as a child, so that made it extra special. Bo had a little bit of trouble being patient while we were in the line, but it all paid off once he actually got on the ride!

Ella was waving to me, but she didn't seem to excited about it!

I think grammy and daddy enjoyed the ride almost as much as the kids!

Gingerbread Houses

Bo got to work on two gingerbread houses while we were with family, and he really enjoyed all the candy! I think he ate as much as he put on the house!

Aunt Natalie was so patient and helpful with making windows and a door.

Bo was way more interested in keeping his eyes on the candy than he was in smiling for the camera, and this was after he'd pretty much had his fill!

Gingerbread house take two! Bo was very meticulous about where each piece of candy went...one his mouth, one on the roof.

As soon as mom got distracted with the camera, Bo took advantage of the situation and starting eating the gumdrops as quickly as possible. Why don't vegetables taste as good as candy?

Cabin in the Woods

I'm getting pictures organized here. These are just a few shots of the amazing weekend we spent in the mountains with Jason's family. Did I mention there were seventeen of us? It was great to relax and have some time with all of his siblings and all five of the grandbabies.

This was the view from the cabin. It was truly spectacular!

Bo enjoyed entertaining Ella and his cousin Eli. They really did have a blast playing together.

Okay...all the grandkids in one shot. They aren't happy or even looking at the camera, but at least they are all there! It's just hard to believe that the next time we see the family there will be another tiny addition. Six grandkids at three and under!

Ella really enjoyed rocking in the rocking chair. She looks so tiny in it; well, she actually is really tiny, but she could really get that thing going!

Home Once Again

Whew! I am almost too exhausted and overwhelmed to even know what to write on the blog today. We got back home a little after 8 last night, and we are all pretty tired. The kids are happily in their beds...not napping yet, but in their beds nonetheless! I just finished downloading the over 250 pictures I managed to take in two weeks. I'm not sure how that's even possible, but I filled up both of our memory cards.

I have so many fun pictures and stories to post, but I think I'm just too exhausted to even attempt something creative right now. Once the babies settle down, I'm going to join them for a quick nap.

We are glad to be home, and thankful to be back safely. I think both the kids are still a little bit overloaded. They've just been wandering from toy to toy since we got back. Bo keeps asking where things are...he's having a hard time keeping all the cities and houses and cars straight!
More to come...

Thankful to Me

We've been talking quite a bit about Thanksgiving and trying to understand what the day is all about.

Me: Bo, can you say "Happy Thanksgiving" and I'm thankful for you.
Bo: Happy Thanksgiving. I'm thankful to me.

Ah...to be a two year old!

Pianos and Horses

I have not been able to download any recent photos from this visit, but I found a few shots on my parent's computer of our last trip. In many ways it's been a "repeat" with certain toys and activities grabbing the kid's attention once again!

We had a great weekend in the mountains with Jason's entire family...SEVENTEEN of us in one house. It's just amazing! That number includes FIVE grandbabies all under the age of 3. Let's just say there were kids everywhere. Bo had an absolute blast playing with his cousins and he's been asking where they are ever since. I just hate it that we live too far for these kids to play together all the time. Maybe one day...

This red horse was my mom's growing up. It stayed at my great granny's house and my mom and her cousins used to ride when they would visit. Both of the kids love it. Ella is especially proud of the fact that she can ride on it by herself. Bo is now able to get the bottom supports off the ground which is amazing because he was still figuring out the logistics six months ago when this shot was taken!

We also make lots of beautiful music on the piano. Both of them really enjoy it!

I feel like Ella almost looks like a different kid now than she did in these pics. She still had so much baby fat and she was nursing and crawling. Now she's walking everywhere and saying new words every day!

I'm going to attempt to get some of my more recent pictures on here at some point, but I'm not the most computer savvy. I'm hoping it doesn't have to wait until we get home because I have SO many cute shots!

Georgia Soil

I can hardly believe that we're actually visiting with family and friends. Bo has had more fun playing with cousins and being entertained by grandparents, aunts, and uncles. It's just non-stop fun! I need to take more pictures, but we got some great ones the other night that I'll try to get on here before too long.

We're off to the mountains to hang out with Jason's family for the weekend!

We're off!

We are off to see family! We leave today, which probably begs the questions, why am I blogging with a million other things to do? I wanted to leave a couple of parting shots on the blog. I will try to post during our trip, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to post any pictures until I get back.

Bo is LOVING Bob the Builder these days. He mostly knows him through a set of books that we have, and the books are his new favorite toy!

I know this isn't the best shot of Ella ever, but I just feel like she looks so confident in her walk. It seems like only days ago that she had to have her hands up to keep her balance and now here she is just strolling along! She is so grown up; it makes me ready for another itty bitty in the house! Only a few more months!

Little Defender

We went to the pediatrician yesterday. It was a routine visit [with no planned shots], but the kids each needed a flu shot, so yuck! We had a really tender moment at the beginning of the appointment. Bo is such a wonderful protector over his little sister!

Ella screams the moment she's placed on the exam table. She hates it! Yesterday, I was busy filling out paperwork, so the nurse undressed her before taking her out to the scale. Ella was not happy about being undressed by a stranger, and she was screaming. Bo came over to me and began crying himself:
"Mommy, the lady is making Ella naked. Mommy, Ella is sad. Make her stop. I think she's hurting Ella. Oh, no, she's getting a shot."

I had to stop and explain what was going on to Bo because he was so concerned. He finally calmed down and had a great time until it was flu shot time:
"I can't like the shot. I can't like the shot!"

Here are Ella's latest stats:
Weight-19 pounds [3rd percentile]
Height-31 inches [75th percentile]
Head-46.2 cm [50th percentile]
Jason jokes that she's like a super model...tall and skinny with great hair!

Progress?

We are well into the adventures of potty training around here! Honestly, this is the thing that terrifies me about having a third at this point: another one to potty train. Bo is doing well, and he's got it pretty much figured out. With the exception of a rare accident he's going on the potty or asking to go on the potty all the time. He's an underwear wearing fool!

He cannot, however, seem to overcome his fear of pooping in the potty. [Sorry, that's the nicest way I could think of to put it!] There's just some mental block keeping him from putting it all together.

Today, we had a breakthrough, well, sort of. I put Bo down for his nap [in a pull-up.]. He keeps the pullup dry 95% of the time, but for that extra 5%...let's just say it saves me a little bit of laundry! Shortly after putting him down, I heard the toilet flush. This was not a good sign considering we had JUST gone in the potty. I head back to his room...no Bo. I check the bathroom...no Bo. And just then he comes running out of my room, naked. As he rounds the corner back to his bed, I notice a bit of unfinished business hanging on to his naked cheeks.

Uh, oh. There's poop and no pull-up. I try to keep it together.

He and I head to the bathroom and I get him cleaned up and then ask the dreaded question.
"Bo, where's your pull-up."
"I flushed the poo-poo mommy."

Now, there's no pull-up in the potty, so I ask again. Bo goes running off and as I follow him down the hallway he comes running out of my room with the pull-up. And yes, it was empty and wet. He had obviously dropped the pull-up in the potty to get the poop out, flushed the poop and put the pull-up in mommy and daddy's trash can. Where else would it go?

He got back in the bed and promptly fell asleep, but I'm now worried I'm going to find some renegade piece of poop on the floor...somewhere...anywhere.

I should be proud, right? He finally understands that the poop goes in the potty. Now if he could just figure out how to get it there the first time...

Top Five

Despite the fact that we watch 30 minutes of "Barefoot Contessa" each day and an occasional "Rachael Ray," here are the top five signs that maybe we watch too much Food Network Television:

Reason 5: Ella now carries around some sort of cup and utensil from her plastic kitchen all the time. She is constantly stirring and having Bo and I "taste" whatever it is she's got in her little cup. I love the creativity, but sometimes having a saliva covered plastic fork jammed into my mouth is not what I'm hoping for! I tried to capture this stirring on film, but she dropped the cup and fork right as I took the shot...you still get the idea!

Reason 4: The other morning I put Ella down for her nap and decided I would let Bo watch the last 30 minutes of "Sesame Street." I turned it on, and we quickly realized that there was some other program on instead. [I don't understand why, but occasionally, PBS bumps "Sesame Street" for some sort of environmental or educational program!] Bo says, "Oh, no, it's not on. Well, how about we just turn on the Food Network, mom?"



Reason 3: At most meals, Bo takes a few bites of his food and then begins narrating ingredients. It usually goes something like this. "Hmmm, there's a teaspoon of pepper, then there's a little teaspoon of baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Delicious!" He's not very good at identifying the correct ingredients, but he loves to list random things that he believes make the dish!



Reason 2: As I was getting ready to saute some vegetables the other night, I poured a bit of olive oil into the pan. I didn't even realize Bo was watching until he commented, "first, just a little O.O." I realized he was talking about E.V.O.O.; this is Rachael Ray's abbreviation for the olive oil she puts in almost everything!



And the number ONE reason:

Who knows? Maybe we have a future chef on our hands?

Got Milk?

Conversations with a two year old!

Today as Bo was finishing his snack [graham crackers and peanut butter] he kept getting up from the table. I told him that the next time he got up, snack time was over:

Me: Bo, do you understand?
Bo: Yes, sir. [everyone around here is a sir!]

Bo gets up from the table and goes running away, so the snack goes away.
Bo: Mom, I need my peanut butter.
Me: No Bo. Snack time is over.
Bo: But mom I need my peanut butter.
Me: I'm sorry Bo, but snack time is over. There is no more peanut butter.
Bo: I just need some peanut butter [breaking down into hysterics].
Me: There is no more peanut butter, and whining doesn't change the situation. You need to calm down and take some deep breaths.
We calm down.

Repeat interaction above.
We sit in time out.
We calm down.

Repeat interaction above.
We calm down.
He goes into the kitchen to look for the peanut butter.

Repeat interaction above.
We calm down, and I manage to get him interested in reading books.

Whew! Two year olds have more persistance than you can imagine!

A Big Airplane

Bo and I have been talking quite a bit about our upcoming holiday travel to see family, and he is so excited. It's fun to see him look forward to seeing family and friends, and I'm amazed at what he remembers about our last visit almost six months ago!

Now, I get to hear this throughout the day:
"Mom, I'm ready to go get on the big airplane now."

Soon, it will be so soon!

When things get quiet...

something is usually being destroyed!

I can do it myself...

BUT only right before bathtime!

Around here, we definitely LOVE yogurt, and messes!

Who wants eggs?

Jason was home today for breakfast, so I actually cooked a big breakfast spread. When I asked who wanted eggs, Jason raised his hand and said, "me". Then I asked each of the kids if they wanted eggs, and this was the scene:

They certainly are amazing little imitators!

Daylight Savings

In case you've forgotten, today is daylight savings! I was so excited about the time change this weekend, and with excitement comes so many expectations, always. It's now 7:18 AM and both my babies are sleeping. They are sleeping!!! Not that unusual except we are ALWAYS up and about by 8:18 and that is what time it is to their little bodies. I insured they were tired when they went to bed last night, but I wasn't expecting this kind of return. I went to bed so excited about the prospect of enjoying a longer night than usual.
Note: My babies are sleeping, but I am NOT. Jason is on call, so I woke up bright and early in a half empty bed at 5:40...yes, 5:40! I made myself stay in the bed until 6:20 and by then I was going crazy. I took the longest shower of my life and enjoyed getting ready...still no babies. Quiet time, breakfast, email...still no babies. Now I'm blogging, and I still haven't heard a peep! I have a million things I could be doing, but I am practically pacing waiting for one of the kids to make a noise so I can have something to do! Not how I envisioned my wonderful extra hour of sleep!
Does that make me crazy?

Just hanging out!

I actually took these pictures a couple of days ago after a playgroup/costume party that I went to with the kids. They both had onesies on under their costumes, so this was the scene after naptime that day. I just thought they were so cute standing next to each other drinking their water. They are interacting in such sweet ways these days. It's so fun to see them be sweet to each other!

Bo was all about drinking his water, but I was able to convince him to actually look at me and stand still. This is really a huge accomplishment!

Ella just amazes me. Her hair and her face and her little legs. I am just amazed that I have a little girl! She's saying more words every day, and she's most recently developed a huge fascination with shoes. I often hear her squealing in the laundry room as she undoes the velcro straps on a pair of shoes!