After showing no interest for the past 14 months, Gabriella decided to start walking this weekend. She gets distracted halfway through, but you get the idea.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Chase turns 2
Chase's second birthday was last Wednesday, February 2nd. It's hard to believe he's 2 already! In lieu of a party this year, we took him to a power show with lots of construction equipment and tractors. Unfortunately, he woke up early that morning and was cranky the whole time. I tried to get some pictures, but it was like photographing a wounded tiger.
Graham enjoyed sitting on the equipment, and Gabriella was fine once she got a huge tootsie roll to gnaw on.
We had a small party for him on his birthday. He was lucky to get a party that day--the power had been off since 9:30pm the night before, and we woke up to a freezing cold house. We spent that morning at the neighbor's house while Will ran back and forth trying to keep the basement from flooding and the pipes from freezing. It made the fact that the snowman cake was so ugly seem pretty insignificant. We were just happy not to be using the birthday candles as a source of heat.
Friday the 4th marked the second anniversary of when Chase came to live with us. We love having him as part of our family, and there is nothing in the world like the sound of his laugh.
Graham enjoyed sitting on the equipment, and Gabriella was fine once she got a huge tootsie roll to gnaw on.
We had a small party for him on his birthday. He was lucky to get a party that day--the power had been off since 9:30pm the night before, and we woke up to a freezing cold house. We spent that morning at the neighbor's house while Will ran back and forth trying to keep the basement from flooding and the pipes from freezing. It made the fact that the snowman cake was so ugly seem pretty insignificant. We were just happy not to be using the birthday candles as a source of heat.
Friday the 4th marked the second anniversary of when Chase came to live with us. We love having him as part of our family, and there is nothing in the world like the sound of his laugh.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Changing Backgrounds
I need to know how to change the background of all these pictures from our dishwasher to a beautiful green meadow.
Friday, January 28, 2011
An Entertaining Angel
Graham cracked us up yesterday. Here are a few examples.
--------
Will: I think I'd better work on the shower tonight.
Valerie: I need to clean up the dishes.
Graham: Mommy and Graham clean up the dishes. Daddy, Chase, and Gawellwa work on shower.
Will: You're pretty bossy. What are you going to do when people don't listen to you?
Graham: I'm going to HIT them.
--------
Later, I was doing dishes and I reminded Graham to go potty. I heard him walk through the kitchen, open the garage door, look out and say "Oops. That's not it.", then continue on to the bathroom.
--------
Then we had a dance party. From the looks of it (and his encouraging words to his sister), I think he's going to be an aerobics instructor.
--------
Will: I think I'd better work on the shower tonight.
Valerie: I need to clean up the dishes.
Graham: Mommy and Graham clean up the dishes. Daddy, Chase, and Gawellwa work on shower.
Will: You're pretty bossy. What are you going to do when people don't listen to you?
Graham: I'm going to HIT them.
--------
Later, I was doing dishes and I reminded Graham to go potty. I heard him walk through the kitchen, open the garage door, look out and say "Oops. That's not it.", then continue on to the bathroom.
--------
Then we had a dance party. From the looks of it (and his encouraging words to his sister), I think he's going to be an aerobics instructor.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Updates and Downs
Following a spurt of incredible productivity after Christmas, we are settling into what is known as The Lull Before Birthday Season. The kids are changing so fast--not so much in how they look, but in what they do and say. Here's an update on the last couple of weeks (or more, if you haven't seen them for a long time).
Chase had surgery on Friday the 7th. I took him to the children's hospital at 5:30am, and he was such a trouper. He ran all over the surgery unit in the little yellow hospital gown and white booties, giggling and playing and talking to the nurses (one of them declared him the day's social director). When they wheeled him away for the operation, his caption could have read "bring it on!". After surgery, his caption could have read, "I despise you people", but he is still one tough little guy. He seems to have recovered pretty well.
He is still a study in entropy. If I clean a room, I can turn around for 27 seconds and Chase will tear out 27 toys. He loves to torment his brother by tearing Graham's buildings and play scenes apart. Graham has aptly named him "Tornado Chase" (incidentally, he also refers to him as "Dirt Pile", but we don't know why). Chase LOVES to read and today for the first time, Graham read him a book after lunch.
Graham is becoming more independent and more vocal. He has learned to do the robot during our dance parties, and when he gets dizzy, he says the ground is jumping. The other day, he complimented my hair by saying it looks like a dinosaur. He looked at the sun glinting off the snow and declared that there were Christmas lights on it. His potty training is going well, but we have learned to expect the occasional accident. He loves to paint and play board games and do puzzles and talk on the phone and build with blocks. However, ever since he got the movie Cars for Christmas, his favorite thing to do is play tractor tipping.
Gabriella is... Coy. Determined. Demanding. Carefree. Sneaky. Priceless. The other day Will and I were in the kitchen when we heard the sound of someone beating on the keyboard. We walked into the dining room to see Gabriella gleefully pounding away with a grin on her face. Will pointed to her and said very forcefully, "No!". She slowly grinned, pointed at him, and said, "Yeth." She scoffs at discipline with the air of a teenager, and I break into a sweat when I think of the next 17 years. She is not walking on her own yet and shows no real desire to start, so we do not push it. She has a new-found love of books, and she'll "read" on her own for half an hour or more. Usually upside-down, but who am I to judge?
Today for the first time she stayed in the church nursery for the entire service. She loves to dance using one of her two patented dance moves (no videos yet, unfortunately). And she loves to EAT. For being so small, that girl can Hoover more food than her brothers combined, some days. She also loves to destroy Graham's toys, which prompts him to scream "Gabrizilla!" at her.
We are really enjoying our kids. At some points last year, we felt like we were barely hanging on, but now they are really fun. We're looking forward to 2011.
Chase had surgery on Friday the 7th. I took him to the children's hospital at 5:30am, and he was such a trouper. He ran all over the surgery unit in the little yellow hospital gown and white booties, giggling and playing and talking to the nurses (one of them declared him the day's social director). When they wheeled him away for the operation, his caption could have read "bring it on!". After surgery, his caption could have read, "I despise you people", but he is still one tough little guy. He seems to have recovered pretty well.
He is still a study in entropy. If I clean a room, I can turn around for 27 seconds and Chase will tear out 27 toys. He loves to torment his brother by tearing Graham's buildings and play scenes apart. Graham has aptly named him "Tornado Chase" (incidentally, he also refers to him as "Dirt Pile", but we don't know why). Chase LOVES to read and today for the first time, Graham read him a book after lunch.
Graham is becoming more independent and more vocal. He has learned to do the robot during our dance parties, and when he gets dizzy, he says the ground is jumping. The other day, he complimented my hair by saying it looks like a dinosaur. He looked at the sun glinting off the snow and declared that there were Christmas lights on it. His potty training is going well, but we have learned to expect the occasional accident. He loves to paint and play board games and do puzzles and talk on the phone and build with blocks. However, ever since he got the movie Cars for Christmas, his favorite thing to do is play tractor tipping.
Gabriella is... Coy. Determined. Demanding. Carefree. Sneaky. Priceless. The other day Will and I were in the kitchen when we heard the sound of someone beating on the keyboard. We walked into the dining room to see Gabriella gleefully pounding away with a grin on her face. Will pointed to her and said very forcefully, "No!". She slowly grinned, pointed at him, and said, "Yeth." She scoffs at discipline with the air of a teenager, and I break into a sweat when I think of the next 17 years. She is not walking on her own yet and shows no real desire to start, so we do not push it. She has a new-found love of books, and she'll "read" on her own for half an hour or more. Usually upside-down, but who am I to judge?
Today for the first time she stayed in the church nursery for the entire service. She loves to dance using one of her two patented dance moves (no videos yet, unfortunately). And she loves to EAT. For being so small, that girl can Hoover more food than her brothers combined, some days. She also loves to destroy Graham's toys, which prompts him to scream "Gabrizilla!" at her.
We are really enjoying our kids. At some points last year, we felt like we were barely hanging on, but now they are really fun. We're looking forward to 2011.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Christmas Beyond Killarney
We had a wonderful December, with lots of opportunities to spend time with friends and family. For anyone who wants a full recap, read on! For anyone who wants pictures, skim ahead! For anyone who wants to change a diaper, come on over!
Will's aunt Carolyn and cousin Jenna came over for a few days while Carolyn had some training. Jenna stayed with us and gamely watched the kids for us during a couple of appointments. She got some training in the meantime: Intro to Kids & Christmas Trees 101, How to Make a Train Track out of Too Few Pieces 209, Controlling Children in Public Places 302, and a very specialized class, The Science of Graham and Sprinkles 500. That one even surprised his mother. Here are the results from the final exam:
The kids loved their cousin and we had a great time. Thanks, Jenna and Carolyn!
We went to Beckley Christmas this year and had a good time as always. Mike & Julie were great hosts and were even prepared with a bunch of toys for our kids. Of course, if everyone would have been willing to let them play with their smartphones, we wouldn't have needed toys at all. Way to go, Luke!
Graham showed off his nurturing skills by smothering a lamb, and Chase barely stood still all night.
Back at Will's parents' house, we had our own Christmas celebration. Gabriella was shocked by her gifts.
The boys decorated cookies afterward. Chase kept sampling the icing, so he stopped after one cookie.
The boys got a digger from Grandma and Grandpap, and Graham took advantage of the snow.
Grammie and Grandpa came over for Christmas morning, which brought its own surprises:
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the full goatee that Gabriella grew after naptime:
Yes, we celebrated the birth of Jesus with gusto and are looking forward to a few quiet months before spring. We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season as well!
Will's aunt Carolyn and cousin Jenna came over for a few days while Carolyn had some training. Jenna stayed with us and gamely watched the kids for us during a couple of appointments. She got some training in the meantime: Intro to Kids & Christmas Trees 101, How to Make a Train Track out of Too Few Pieces 209, Controlling Children in Public Places 302, and a very specialized class, The Science of Graham and Sprinkles 500. That one even surprised his mother. Here are the results from the final exam:
The kids loved their cousin and we had a great time. Thanks, Jenna and Carolyn!
We went to Beckley Christmas this year and had a good time as always. Mike & Julie were great hosts and were even prepared with a bunch of toys for our kids. Of course, if everyone would have been willing to let them play with their smartphones, we wouldn't have needed toys at all. Way to go, Luke!
Graham showed off his nurturing skills by smothering a lamb, and Chase barely stood still all night.
Back at Will's parents' house, we had our own Christmas celebration. Gabriella was shocked by her gifts.
The boys decorated cookies afterward. Chase kept sampling the icing, so he stopped after one cookie.
The boys got a digger from Grandma and Grandpap, and Graham took advantage of the snow.
Grammie and Grandpa came over for Christmas morning, which brought its own surprises:
Perhaps the biggest surprise was the full goatee that Gabriella grew after naptime:
Yes, we celebrated the birth of Jesus with gusto and are looking forward to a few quiet months before spring. We hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas season as well!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)