Tonight Jack wanted to have a "fire camp" and so we did. We made a tiny, tiny dent in our enormous pile of sticks at the fire pit, roasted 3 marshmallows, and had a wonderful time. It was kind of a revelation, that we don't have to wait for people to come over, and for the kids to go to bed, to have a fire. Thanks to this awesome kid, this little blue-eyed ray of optimism and inspiration living in our house, we've opened up a whole new world of summer recreation for our little family.
I like having a kid.
Things certainly get more interesting once they hit this age, that's for sure. Jack has recently made the discovery that he can get out of bed during his nap time. What's more, he can leave his room. Today, about an hour after putting him down for a nap, Nat came upstairs to his office to find the little man sitting quietly at his desk. He politely informed Daddy that he had a surprise for him. Nat found 4 antacid tablets taken out of a roll, lined up carefully with several post-it notes. It's pretty hard to get upset with that...
Miss Ivy Jane is just over a week away from turning one. I don't know how this year has gone so fast. She's becoming quite the live wire, that one. Some new habits of hers:
* nonstop babbling... something to the order of "bulabuladulabulabula...." Repeat ad infinitum, with increasing volume.
* She's getting into books these days. She points at pictures and words (randomly, not on command or anything!) and seems to really enjoy them... but also really enjoys closing the book again. Usually 2 or 3 times per page.
* She continues to love the dog and daddy ... I think those two may have eclipsed Jack as her favorite things in the universe, for this week. A few times today she pointed and said "di" at the dog. Then this evening while we were reading a lift-a-flap animal book she lifted the flap for the border collie and said "dog" clear as day and all nonchalant like she's been saying it forever. She's pretty inconsistent with the talking attempts, though. It's hard to know when to call something a "first word..."
* I think she isn't in a hurry to walk just yet. She'll cruise on furniture and she's a whiz at pulling up and getting back down to pick things up, but she doesn't like to take steps forward. Why bother when she can crawl like lightning? And CLIMB. Oh does she love to climb. Serious addiction to the stairs.
* She loves to put things in and take things out. She knows all about how doors and lids work and tries valiantly to open and close them, twisting her little hands... we're not safe for much longer! She can nest her Measure Up cups and fill and dump containers of water. Her favorite toys continue to be small, inappropriate objects, though! We had our first "penny in the mouth" incident the other day...
*
Friday, April 29, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Easter Morning
A tad late (again...) but I wanted to capture a little bit of Easter morning 2011 before it slips away into the busyness of everyday life.
A whirlwind of a morning; Nat woke up early to begin preparations for a Special Day breakfast. We'd set out the Easter baskets with care the night before...
... and they were greeted with enthusiasm by both children in the morning. Jack is our choco-holic, for sure. The chocolate bunny was the winner of the basket, and the only thing he's been going back for, since. Ivy, as you can see, liked her hard boiled egg. In the shell.
Then, off to church! I am in love with this dress on Ivy...
And I can't get enough of this boy in blue oxfords.
Following a lovely lunch back at our place, we had a lazy lovely afternoon. Egg hunting and playing with kiddos, a game of Scrabble while they napped...
The house is a mess... but it was a wonderful holiday!
A whirlwind of a morning; Nat woke up early to begin preparations for a Special Day breakfast. We'd set out the Easter baskets with care the night before...
... and they were greeted with enthusiasm by both children in the morning. Jack is our choco-holic, for sure. The chocolate bunny was the winner of the basket, and the only thing he's been going back for, since. Ivy, as you can see, liked her hard boiled egg. In the shell.
Then, off to church! I am in love with this dress on Ivy...
And I can't get enough of this boy in blue oxfords.
Following a lovely lunch back at our place, we had a lazy lovely afternoon. Egg hunting and playing with kiddos, a game of Scrabble while they napped...
The house is a mess... but it was a wonderful holiday!
Monday, April 25, 2011
49 and 50 weeks
A bit behind...
Its a good thing we're almost to a year, because these photo shoots aren't getting any easier...
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| From April 2011 |
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| From April 2011 |
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| From April 2011 |
Its a good thing we're almost to a year, because these photo shoots aren't getting any easier...
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| From April 2011 |
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| From April 2011 |
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Happy Easter!
What a wonderful weekend.
Yesterday was the day of the much anticipated Egg HUnt at the Botanical Gardens and after a brilliant overnight thunderstorm we were given the gift of an unexpectedly sunny, 75 degree day.
We made the most of it.
Melinda, Will, and their girls joined us for the insanity of the Egg Hunt. So many cute toddlers! So many cute outfits! So crowded! Even with the madness I could have stayed in the magic of the children's garden just soaking it all up, all day...
We followed the morning's excitement with a wonderful brunch at M & W's and then a birthday party for one of Jack's friends. We were all out from 10am til 5pm and we brought home two tired, well-sunned children...
This weekend we also...
Dyed Easter eggs
(as you can see, the kids really enjoyed themselves...)
..., hunted them and shared them today with Gram and Auntie Bec, a perfect Easter despite the rain.
Pictures of today, coming soon! Please forgive me as we had about 300 of them to sort through from yesterday alone. Like I said, it's been a wonderful weekend.
Yesterday was the day of the much anticipated Egg HUnt at the Botanical Gardens and after a brilliant overnight thunderstorm we were given the gift of an unexpectedly sunny, 75 degree day.
We made the most of it.
Melinda, Will, and their girls joined us for the insanity of the Egg Hunt. So many cute toddlers! So many cute outfits! So crowded! Even with the madness I could have stayed in the magic of the children's garden just soaking it all up, all day...
We followed the morning's excitement with a wonderful brunch at M & W's and then a birthday party for one of Jack's friends. We were all out from 10am til 5pm and we brought home two tired, well-sunned children...
This weekend we also...
Dyed Easter eggs
(as you can see, the kids really enjoyed themselves...)
..., hunted them and shared them today with Gram and Auntie Bec, a perfect Easter despite the rain.
Pictures of today, coming soon! Please forgive me as we had about 300 of them to sort through from yesterday alone. Like I said, it's been a wonderful weekend.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Sunshine
The sun came out today after a long week of rain. More sun than usual in our yard as we just had a giant tree taken down in our yard, the giant tree that was next to the garage and constantly dangling dead limbs over the sandbox. It apparently blocked a lot of light, even in a leafless state. This afternoon our kitchen was ablaze with the sun and it was wonderful.
As I gave Ivy her bath this evening I looked outside to see Nat and Jack playing at the tree house. Climbing up to the tree fort. Raking leaves. Jack, swinging gleefully as his Daddy pushed him higher, higher. Spring green leaves emerging in the treetops, alligator Crocs on 3 year old feet kicking into the air, several robust robins wandering the yard. Delicious.
Lest you think our lives are nothing more than wine and roses (or sunshine and robins as the case may be), this blissful moment was followed shortly by a stuffy nosed baby screaming in my ears as I tried to suction her nose so she could nurse.
Life is all about equilibrium.
Here are those random videos promised earlier this week. Enjoy.
As I gave Ivy her bath this evening I looked outside to see Nat and Jack playing at the tree house. Climbing up to the tree fort. Raking leaves. Jack, swinging gleefully as his Daddy pushed him higher, higher. Spring green leaves emerging in the treetops, alligator Crocs on 3 year old feet kicking into the air, several robust robins wandering the yard. Delicious.
Lest you think our lives are nothing more than wine and roses (or sunshine and robins as the case may be), this blissful moment was followed shortly by a stuffy nosed baby screaming in my ears as I tried to suction her nose so she could nurse.
Life is all about equilibrium.
Here are those random videos promised earlier this week. Enjoy.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Just life...
Happy Weekend! Photo randomness for you this evening...
Ivy would like to to show you her bottom teeth.
hmmmm....
Jack, enjoying toast after his bath. And being stunningly handsome while he does it. It's the combed hair.
Jack and Cor, hanging out on the CWRU campus.
What a ham.
Videos coming soon...
Ivy would like to to show you her bottom teeth.
hmmmm....
Jack, enjoying toast after his bath. And being stunningly handsome while he does it. It's the combed hair.
Jack and Cor, hanging out on the CWRU campus.
What a ham.
Videos coming soon...
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Greening
When spring is ready to arrive, it doesn't hesitate. In the past 3 days our front yard daffodils have bloomed, forsythia has burst forth all over the neighborhood, red buds have appeared on trees, and the grass has greened, seemingly instantaneously. I admire the tenacity of grass, hanging on all winter, lying dormant, patient, ready all the while to spring back to life with a verdant fervor.
This evening we walked to the grocery store. This made me so happy. Not that the grocery store is all that exciting of a destination, in the grand scheme of things (though you'd be surprised at how exciting a 3 year old can make it!). But the fact that we walked there, a gentle stroll through our sun-filled neighborhood, stroller laden with bags on the way home-- this is a sea change. I have missed evening walks, the simplicity of going somewhere yet staying close to home. The kids were so excited to go outside. Ivy bounced and squealed as I put her jacket on, and sat in the stroller just gazing and smiling and clapping at the world... Jack rode along, alternately commenting on the grass or the flowers or the birds, and turning around to pat his sister on the head, saying "sweet baby..."
Moments like this...oh!
Thank you, spring.
A quick Ivy update, as the girl is changing as fast as the seasons:
She now has 5 teeth. Number 6 is just visible under the gums. The next two teeth out from the middle, on the top. We have to give her credit for handling the teething process with such remarkable aplomb, keeping her happy demeanor during the day and only subjecting us to relatively slight sleep disturbances.
She can feed herself a piece of toast or a banana, by taking bites off the end. She also, we discovered tonight, really likes deli turkey.
Yesterday she stood by herself a few times. Kind of accidental-- she let go of what she was holding, and just... stood. Only for a few seconds, and she still prefers to use hands-and-knees for any serious locomotion, so I think we are safe from walking for a bit longer.
She can go down the stairs now, as well as up, and (when she's in the mood) can follow our verbal directions to go up, or come down. I still like to stay behind her when she's climbing, but her proficiency is increasing every day. As is her love for stairs. Or anything else she can climb. Lucky us.
She is babbling more and more and can say a recognizable approximation of Jack, Dada, Dog, and this ("dis"), a word which is usually accompanied by an enthusiastic point. She also signs for "all done" and sometimes waves at us.
Most momentous? She knows how to play with hot wheels on the Color-Shifter track, placing the cars in the trough and running them back and forth. You can see she is quickly picking up on the most important skills...:)
This evening we walked to the grocery store. This made me so happy. Not that the grocery store is all that exciting of a destination, in the grand scheme of things (though you'd be surprised at how exciting a 3 year old can make it!). But the fact that we walked there, a gentle stroll through our sun-filled neighborhood, stroller laden with bags on the way home-- this is a sea change. I have missed evening walks, the simplicity of going somewhere yet staying close to home. The kids were so excited to go outside. Ivy bounced and squealed as I put her jacket on, and sat in the stroller just gazing and smiling and clapping at the world... Jack rode along, alternately commenting on the grass or the flowers or the birds, and turning around to pat his sister on the head, saying "sweet baby..."
Moments like this...oh!
Thank you, spring.
A quick Ivy update, as the girl is changing as fast as the seasons:
She now has 5 teeth. Number 6 is just visible under the gums. The next two teeth out from the middle, on the top. We have to give her credit for handling the teething process with such remarkable aplomb, keeping her happy demeanor during the day and only subjecting us to relatively slight sleep disturbances.
She can feed herself a piece of toast or a banana, by taking bites off the end. She also, we discovered tonight, really likes deli turkey.
Yesterday she stood by herself a few times. Kind of accidental-- she let go of what she was holding, and just... stood. Only for a few seconds, and she still prefers to use hands-and-knees for any serious locomotion, so I think we are safe from walking for a bit longer.
She can go down the stairs now, as well as up, and (when she's in the mood) can follow our verbal directions to go up, or come down. I still like to stay behind her when she's climbing, but her proficiency is increasing every day. As is her love for stairs. Or anything else she can climb. Lucky us.
She is babbling more and more and can say a recognizable approximation of Jack, Dada, Dog, and this ("dis"), a word which is usually accompanied by an enthusiastic point. She also signs for "all done" and sometimes waves at us.
Most momentous? She knows how to play with hot wheels on the Color-Shifter track, placing the cars in the trough and running them back and forth. You can see she is quickly picking up on the most important skills...:)
Monday, April 11, 2011
48 weeks
Weeks continue to fly... Sorry for the infrequent posting. The advent of Spring may have added some much -needed sunshine and warmth to our lives but it certainly has not added any hours to the day. In fact, it's subtracted some, at least some of those hours I might have spent blogging. This weekend, they were spent instead at the park, sitting on the back step, wandering in the yard, and generally enjoying a most glorious Sunday of 80 degree weather and relaxation. It was the sort of spring day that gives one hope for the future, despite all of the insanity going on in the world. The kids were loving it too, all pink of nose and cheek by the end of the day. Corydon was a flat, happy dog asleep on the floor all day following our walk to Starbucks and the park in the morning. Its good to have a happy, flat dog around the house...
With no further ado, here is girlie at 48 weeks....
And one of Jackie, apparently doing some soft-shoe around our dining room. :)
With no further ado, here is girlie at 48 weeks....
And one of Jackie, apparently doing some soft-shoe around our dining room. :)
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
47 weeks
I felt bad that Ive didn't get a proper 47 week update written, what with me being a bit lazy upon our return from travel. Better late than never, here's a proper post.
I think the girl has made one of those developmental leaps we hear so much about, this past week. It would be nice to be able to explain her poor nighttime sleep habits on the fact that she's so darn busy developing new skills. It's got to be that, or perhaps the constant snotty nose that she may have til June. Or, it could always be teeth...
In the past week, Ivy has started:
*Intentionally, communicatively pointing. As in, "I want that thing over there that I am pointing at, and I will whine, cry and pout if you do not take me closer to it."
*Putting things in. As in, putting a yellow Hot Wheels into the Trader Joe's coffee can and then reaching in, taking it out, holding it up.... aaaaand.... putting it back in. Over and over for about 5 minutes.
*More consistently saying Jack and Dada. Her two favorite people in the universe. She makes no attempt to hide that fact. The girl has a serious thing for her daddy. You should see her nuzzle in and bury her face in his chest and then then peek out with her little "cat who ate the canary" grin. Saying clear as day, "Yeah. He's mine, this guy."
*Using a sippy cup, competently. She gets crazy - excited about water.
*Cruising around furniture with confidence, as a means to get to an objective.
As in, when she tries to get into the silverware container in the open dishwasher, and I push it in to get it away from her, and she cruises around the corner to get to a spot where she can, once again, reach the handle of the knife she has her eye on.
(She continues to have a simply magnetic attraction to anything dangerous. She can hear the oven door open and races her littly tushy into the kitchen so fast when it does...)
Other things she loves, our girl on the brink of 11 months:
The back door -- she will stand there for hours, patting the glass and looking out.
Bathtime. She likes to stand holding on to the tub while I get her undressed and has learned to help by lifting her feet out of her pant legs, all eager to get in.
Cheese, macaroni and cheese, bananas, strawberries, and Target Brand puffs. And she likes to feed herself all of it...
Her hair has all of a sudden gotten longer and developed a bit of curl and I am pretty pleased about that. The new length and curl don't really ameliorate her general rat's-nest appearance, not yet. But I hold out hope.
I think the girl has made one of those developmental leaps we hear so much about, this past week. It would be nice to be able to explain her poor nighttime sleep habits on the fact that she's so darn busy developing new skills. It's got to be that, or perhaps the constant snotty nose that she may have til June. Or, it could always be teeth...
In the past week, Ivy has started:
*Intentionally, communicatively pointing. As in, "I want that thing over there that I am pointing at, and I will whine, cry and pout if you do not take me closer to it."
*Putting things in. As in, putting a yellow Hot Wheels into the Trader Joe's coffee can and then reaching in, taking it out, holding it up.... aaaaand.... putting it back in. Over and over for about 5 minutes.
*More consistently saying Jack and Dada. Her two favorite people in the universe. She makes no attempt to hide that fact. The girl has a serious thing for her daddy. You should see her nuzzle in and bury her face in his chest and then then peek out with her little "cat who ate the canary" grin. Saying clear as day, "Yeah. He's mine, this guy."
*Using a sippy cup, competently. She gets crazy - excited about water.
*Cruising around furniture with confidence, as a means to get to an objective.
As in, when she tries to get into the silverware container in the open dishwasher, and I push it in to get it away from her, and she cruises around the corner to get to a spot where she can, once again, reach the handle of the knife she has her eye on.
(She continues to have a simply magnetic attraction to anything dangerous. She can hear the oven door open and races her littly tushy into the kitchen so fast when it does...)
Other things she loves, our girl on the brink of 11 months:
The back door -- she will stand there for hours, patting the glass and looking out.
Bathtime. She likes to stand holding on to the tub while I get her undressed and has learned to help by lifting her feet out of her pant legs, all eager to get in.
Cheese, macaroni and cheese, bananas, strawberries, and Target Brand puffs. And she likes to feed herself all of it...
Her hair has all of a sudden gotten longer and developed a bit of curl and I am pretty pleased about that. The new length and curl don't really ameliorate her general rat's-nest appearance, not yet. But I hold out hope.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
There and back again
We've arrived home and snuggled back into our nest after a quick trip to upstate NY, using some of this decadent break-week time to give the kiddos time with family. We headed out Thursday and Lulu took a personal day Friday to spend with us before we took off again this morning. A 3-day weekend, really, but well worth the drive time.
Here are some highlights in pictures and video... words to follow when I have a bit more time and energy. (turns out trying going back to work and then filing our taxes after putting the kids to bed-- wears me right out!)
A slide show of recent pictures. Ivy's 47 week shots are in here too!
Jack the bug hunter in action... (Remind me to tell you all about Jack's adventures with Carver, as he named the beetles. Each one. Named Carver. God, I love him.)
Here's Jack at the end of 2 hours of playing at the Science Center with his Lulu while Nat, Ive and I shopped at Mama Goose and went for coffee (it was a great day in Ithaca for all involved...
Here are some highlights in pictures and video... words to follow when I have a bit more time and energy. (turns out trying going back to work and then filing our taxes after putting the kids to bed-- wears me right out!)
A slide show of recent pictures. Ivy's 47 week shots are in here too!
Jack the bug hunter in action... (Remind me to tell you all about Jack's adventures with Carver, as he named the beetles. Each one. Named Carver. God, I love him.)
Here's Jack at the end of 2 hours of playing at the Science Center with his Lulu while Nat, Ive and I shopped at Mama Goose and went for coffee (it was a great day in Ithaca for all involved...
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