Random Photos I Haven't Posted

I have a paper due tomorrow, I am behind at work, our house is a mess. So I decided to take a break and upload pictures to the blog and ignore all of it for a moment. Enjoy the random photos!

Easter Family Shot

Obviously I am on the phone too much if he knows exactly what to do with this toy!

Nothing says bliss like a smile like this!

Little man's first Mickey D's on our road trip this past weekend. In our rush to get on the road I forgot to think about healthy options for the toddler who will only eat finger foods. But obviously he liked those fries!

Big sis and her daddy at Mickey D's on our road trip - she is really becoming a daddy's girl.

The reason we were traveling last weekend. Because nothing says breast cancer awareness like a bazillion ducks bearing pink ribbons!

He just took off running . . .

Little man has been practicing walking with focus lately. Usually holding onto one of your hands while using his other hand to tug on his ear or carry a toy. There have been a few cautious steps on his own here and there. And we got to witness those "first steps." But for the most part I would have considered his actions cruising. Not today! Disco got to daycare first and picked little man up before I arrived. Apparently little man was impressing all of the teachers and they were going on and on about how they didn't know he could walk. News to us too! When I arrived, Disco said "watch this" and plopped little man in the middle of the hall. Little man took one look at me, grinned, and then RAN the other way! That stinker! Ok, I know it wasn't really a run but it was speedier than I expected.

At any rate, he never looked back or slowed down the rest of the night. Walking is on!

Table Scraps

Bye bye baby food . . . hello big people food! Little man has made so much progress feeding himself since we got past our thrush attack. Now it means I have to boil everything after use, adding to our daily routine. But at least little man doesn't gag constantly because his mouth and throat are full of fungus!

So far, he LOVES everything you put in front of him. Favorites are natural cheetos and cheese. Rocks at the park are also a favorite snack - so full of nutrients. But there isn't anything he won't eat yet. Today he ate fish, banana, apple, cheese and avocado for dinner. If he can pick it up he will put it in his mouth and it means he stays put during dinner without much complaint.

I know this also means we will be ready for steps towards weaning in a month or so. A process that I dreaded with big sis but ended up being so much less dramatic than I imagined. I don't expect it to be exactly the same with little man. I let big sis guide me through the process based on her tolerance and comfort level at each stage. I am sure little man will do the same. For now, we are just excited that we can sit through an entire meal together as a family. We will enjoy it while it lasts!

Field Trip

Big sis went on her first field trip to the zoo today. Well, I guess technically her class rode on the city bus a month ago and that could be considered her first field trip. But this was her first BIG field trip. Both Disco and I had time to join the group of 3-4 year olds who invaded the zoo this morning. And I have to say - those kiddos were great! I was a little nervous since this was my first chaperon experience. But I was pleasantly surprised with how easy it was to transport and organize 20 children and 15 adults!Big sis loved the bus ride to and from the zoo the best (of course). The giraffe licking the glass was hilarious to her class of 3 year olds. It was nice to finally got a moment to speak with some of the parents and the teacher from big sis' class. And, once we were back to school everyone was EXHAUSTED so Ms. S. told us thanks, scooted the parents along before the kids were too aware, and all the kids hit their mats for a NAP. I was also able to get home for a little bit of mommy time this afternoon. SWEET. All in all we loved field trip day.

Our Easter Celebration

Palm Sunday in their Hawaiian Finest

So I know Easter is all about resurrection and renewal. But I don't think I can handle any more of that this week!

Hopping along to school Friday

The kids enjoyed some egg hunting and Easter antics starting Friday at school which continued at church Saturday and Sunday. They actually had a lot of fun!

And here he sat smiling for the entire egg hunt

But Bondo, bless his mis-guided 66 year old heart, decided to be a little too adventurous on his birthday Saturday. After severely miscalculating his ability to fly solo on a ladder with a chainsaw he landed quite squarely - on his ARM. Thank goodness he was thinking clear enough to throw the chainsaw away from himself as he fell. And that my mom was there to get him to the ER. They spent the rest of Saturday and all of Easter at the hospital.

Gaga and Big sis BEFORE Bondo landed in the ER

On Easter morning we watched the minister who drew us to our church preach her last sermon. It was a very emotional service and a hard decision but for a somewhat joyous reason - she is taking off to be a full time mom of 4 boys. I say somewhat because she is still battling a few health issues which also played a role in her decision. We look forward to a new beginning at the church but we will definitely miss her in the pulpit!

The rest of the day on Easter was actually quite relaxing. Little man took a nap, big sis watched TV, I read a book, and Disco played on the computer. After naptime we spent our time playing phone tag with Gaga and Bondo waiting for word from the doctor. So we played and did a bit of household chores. But everything was EASY and FUN! It was the first afternoon in a long time when we really just enjoyed hanging around the house.

Still behind . . .

Until Disco can get back to the computer I will just make a few quick comments . . . mainly to remind myself later when filling in the baby book and scrapbook journal.

EMPATHY
Big sis showed her first sign of empathy the other day. We have to take a different route home this week because I keep picking the kids up later than usual. This means we hit TRAFFIC. When big sis whined "why this way", I responded that "there are more cars and all the traffic keeps us from turning". Immediately she switch to her sorry voice and said "sorry momma". I was confused and then asked her why she was sorry. And then she said, again in her sorry voice, "because taffic". So sweet!

PIECES
Little man has been obsessed with taking things apart and putting them back together. Although he is much more efficient at the destruction part of that scenario. Yesterday I witnessed him put a ring back on the "stack o rings". I was so impressed!

BABY STEPS
Little man so wants to walk. I was talking to tallgirl about this issue today on the phone since babyP is working on the same moves. And we both oohhed and aahhed about how cute the process is. If left on his own, little man usually gently moves to his knees and crawls from point A to point B. But today he took a few very small calculated baby steps . . . right before he toppled over. His motivation was a tiny piece of food on the floor. Not momma, not dada, not even big sis. He shuffled ever so slightly for FOOD. He knows what he wants. I wouldn't consider this walking quite yet. But it was really nice to see his big attempts . . . for minuscule bits of trash.

Is it May yet?

Disco and I are swamped at work this month. We knew it was coming but you are never quite prepared for the chaos that ensues when life gets out of balance. And our attitudes reflect what you see in the faces of these two . . .

Big sis at 8 months

Little man at 8 months

I saw a comparison of pics on big dutch baby's blog and it reminded me of these pics hanging in our hallway. Tonight, I see more of Disco in big sis and more of me in little man. But I change my mind often. I need to search for some comparison baby pics of mommy and daddy at the same age. Thanks for the inspiration (which I needed since my photoshop guru is currently busy with other income-related projects!).