5.29.2007

New Car, Mail, Sand and Toothbrushing

We traded in our 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee for a 2006 Jeep Commander (seats 7). The boys loved playing in the back the afternoon we brought it home! 4.15.07

One of the boys' favorite activities is to create art/letters, seal them in an envelope, and mail them off to their numberous grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, godparents, friends, etc. In the pics below, they are creating Easter cards for Marley and Taylor:

When Collin was O's age and younger, he put everything in his mouth. But he didn't really eat any of it ... just "tasted" it. Owen, on the other hand, is often caught eating rocks, dirt, chalk and crayons ~ but for the most part, only those items! 4.15.07
The sandbox is a fantastic invention:
I have a confession. I am a stickler for handwashing, for routine baths, for daily music and storytime, etc ... but I have yet to incorporate teeth brushing into our daily routine. So, at random moments, we pass out the brushes:

Kickin' It ~ Father and Son

Cheers! (That's chocolate milk in Collin's glass ... !)
But I do have a story: Kevin and I were having a beer after work last Thursday (5.24.07), and Collin came and sat in my lap.

Collin: "I'm bigger now, Mommy. I can have a beer
now."

Me: "When you're bigger than your Daddy, we'll talk."

Kevin: "What, like, when he's in sixth grade?!"

Learning to Grill

Good Times

Owen at 15 Months

4.15.07 - 15 Months
Owen's learning new words and names everyday. His first name for someone other than family was "Na-Na" for Natalie, our neighbor, which he first said in the picture below. The boys love to converse with Natalie through the windows and across the cul-de-sac!

Lake Padden Park 3.20.07
Owen has his brother's same need to climb! Just last week the levels of supervision were kicked up a notch (again) when he learned to climp up the ladder of the bunk bed ~ the same week Collin quit using the ladder! (See "Spiderman" Entry below)
4.2.07

It fits! 4.8.07

I think I hear my bed calling me ... 4.15.07

First Corn on the Cob (He finally has teeth!) 4.17.07
*As of today, 5.29.07, he still has only 4 teeth ~ 2 on top, 2 on bottom.

Lake Padden Park 4.17.07
Eating a Rock ~ Spit that Out!!
Owen is a total clown! He will walk into a room, look around to see if anyone is looking, and start a jig or do a stunt or put on some other show just to get you laughing! I can totally see him winning "Class Clown" one day! Goof-ball! It is a rare treat!! 4.15.07

Point Defiance Zoo 3.17.07


Puke and Rally (LOL)

As most of you know, when Collin is ill, his sentitive stomach almost always rebels against him. Last month, Collin was ill, had just literally drank a cup of milk, and was requesting more. Kevin must have said something to the effect of, "Buddy, do you really have anymore room?" trying to stall Collin and avoid a pukefest. Well, the pukefest occurred notwithstanding, and when it was over, Collin looked up from his then liquid-filled bowl and said, "I have more room now. Milk, please." : )

Spiderman

This "Tomato House" is a recent addition to Blossom's covered playyard. In early April, Collin told me he wanted to show me a "trick" when I picked him up. So, we went outside, and he proceeded to shimmy up the side of this smooth tomato! It took quite a bit of effort (and grunting), and he was so proud, sitting on top of the stalk! "Look at me!! I climbed on the Tomato House!" I asked his teacher later if it was ok for the kids to be climbing on the outside of the tomato, and she said that Collin is the only one who can even come close so they hadn't even contemplated a safety rule!
The next day or so, Collin wanted to show me another trick (which I have on video but no photo) ~ he is the first and only transition preschool student to ever slide down the playground firepole! Apparently he was watching the big kids one day and called to his teacher. She turned and said, "One minute, and I'll help you down." Confident he had her attention, he reached out from the platform as far as he could (the pole is almost as far away from the platform as his body ~ totally further than his reach!) and practically jumped onto the pole, properly wrapping his self around it. Of course, he had no idea that he should grip tightly to slow his descent, and he "fell" down the pole rather than "slid" down it. But he was beaming from ear to ear, even after he landed and fell flat on his back!! He repeated the routine several times, showing Kevin and I his feat at pick-up and drop-off for the next several days. Now, he is very good at it and trying valiently to climb up the pole!
Collin's teachers and classmates are starting to call him "Spiderman" ~ he climbs on anything and everything! Walking along the street, he will randomly stop to climb on top of a firehydrant or someone's rockery. He has bunk beds in his room and almost refuses to climb conventionly up the ladder but chooses instead to pull himself up and jam his foot/knee into the top bunk rail like a rock-climber would a mountain side/crevice to scale to the top. It is hilarious (and sometimes scary!).
A side consequence of all this is that he's become a very able jumper, jumping a long jump over three feet, jumping from heights almost four feet, jumping down the stairs, two and a time. Did I mention "sometimes scary"?!