P's school Easter party

Much to my chagrin, a stomach bug went through our house. Not only did I catch said stomach bug, I caught it on Monday night/Tuesday morning and was too sick to go to P's school Easter party! (Of course, I'm very aware that Easter is actually about Jesus' resurrection, and not oversized woodland creatures and eggs filled with candy. Since I am so aware of the true reason for the holiday, I was not irrationally disappointed to miss out on the fun of cake, egg hunts, and the like.)
Thankfully, my babysitter took our digital camera and I was able to watch the party in pictures. P (and C) had a great time "lookin' for eggs",


examining their finds,
and indulging in a few lots of Easter treats.
Of the class photos, this is the best one I've got. Actually, I guess that's not too bad for a group of 2 1/2 and three year olds...
Happy Easter!

C's newest party trick

C is growing so quickly! It seems like he's always got a new skill. He has recently started to use his increased vocal ability to garner attention from the masses friends and family. P has been trying to teach him some animal sounds, and this is still the only one he knows the first one he's learned.

four generations

We spent the weekend before Palm Sunday in West Virginia visiting with my Grandmere. We also saw some aunts and cousins.

One of the highlights of the trip for P was "riding" in a wooden train at Tamarack. If he could have, I think he would have "bought it at store" to bring home.

I was really excited to get a new picture of the four generations of our family - Poppa Fred, C, Grandmere, P and I together on Grandmere's couch.

Going to West Virginia is always special for me because I have lots of great memories of going there as a child. I hope my boys will also develop great memories of both their Great Grandmere's house and their grandparents' houses!

Happy birthday, Piper!

for the love of technology

P has recently started talking on the phone when his grandparents call. For some reason, he thinks you're (or at least he's) supposed to whisper when he talks on the phone. We decided that we'd give video chatting a try... this way, P could see the person he was talking to, face to face, so to speak, which we thought might help him realize he should speak up.
A few nights after his first video chat with Poppa Fred, P decided he needed me to call Poppa Fred so he could "tell 'im somefin." I obliged, and P whispered. Poppa Fred suggested we try to video chat instead, and it worked really well. (P certainly didn't see the computer screen, remember that he likes a youtube video of Thomas and Friends running into each other to the tune of "Accidents Happen," and repeatedly ask to "do trains" instead. And, ahem, if he had, I certainly wouldn't be blogging about that. But I digress.)
Anyway, once P realized he could see and hear Poppa Fred, he wanted to "show Daddy." Since Daddy wasn't home, P took a picture of the computer screen with my digital camera, and saved it "for Daddy." I am subsequently posting it here because it's so cute I happen to sometimes fall prey to doting mother syndrome. I hope you enjoy his work!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Yes, I know that Saint Patrick's Day is actually, ahem, tomorrow, but we did some celebrating today. P goes to school on Tuesday and Thursday, and he had been wanting to "make somefin for my frins" for a bit now, so I decided to use the holiday as his opportunity to do that. He loves to play with play dough, so I got some green Sculpey clay to use to make shamrocks.

Flatten the dough, press the cookie cutter, break off the excess clay, and give it to Mommy to bake in the oven "cook," and...

VOILA! A shamrock necklace for P's "frins."

(Note that P's class is ALL boys. Yes, ALL. Miss Tammy handles this with grace. Every. Single. Day. I'm doing well to handle my two. But I digress.) The important points here are
1. We love Miss Tammy and

2. A bunch of preschool aged boys (and Miss Tammy) are now sporting shamrock necklaces.

Meanwhile, C spent most of the morning... WALKING! Yup, our "I could walk, but I'll just crawl since I'm already good at that" second born has taken to walking as his preferred mode of transportation... for the moment, anyway.

The boys rounded out the afternoon swinging,

sliding,

sunning,

and sanding playing in the sand, (sorry, I was on a roll with the s alliteration).

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

C's first haircut

After months of admiring C’s beautiful hair, and enjoying the way the ends were beginning to flip out as they grew longer, I finally acknowledged that it was possible to describe the overall effect as, ahem, a teeny, tiny, very little bit disheveled. So last Saturday, since P was also overdue for a haircut, the boys, their Grandma Hen, and I headed to the barber.
Just before we left, I asked P if he thought it was time for Bebe to get a haircut, and he replied, “No. Bebe’s too big.” (We’ll be working on our opposites soon. Or something.) I thought that was an excellent excuse reason for postponing C’s first haircut. And then we arrived at the barbers’.
There was a bit of a wait. Tommy didn’t give P his first haircut, but since P’s second haircut we’ve been loyal customers. He does a GREAT job, so we always wait for him. We think it’s worth the wait every time. Saturday was no exception. After P’s cut, P announced, “I all done. It’s Bebe’s turn.” What’s a mommy to do? C had a turn.
He did a great job – C sat still throughout the cut (except, of course, for trying to turn so he could see himself in the mirror). Even though I think he looks much older than he did, I have to admit he looks adorable with his new ‘do. I did think it took some getting used to, and I think from the before and after pictures it’s pretty clear that C agrees.

Even more than the haircut, though, I had to get used to P’s comment as I buckled the boys in their car seats for the ride home. “Mommy, we’re bof big boys now!”
Maybe so, but they’re still my babies. And, for the record, it’s been five days since the haircut, and in P’s mind, C’s name is still “Bebe”. Just sayin’.