Christmas Cards

Southern wanted to help me with Christmas cards this year. We tried a couple of times for him to help stick on the stamps or return address labels, but they came out a little too crooked. So then I thought why not have Southern work on his own Christmas cards? He was so excited. 

 

 

He told me who he wanted to give them to; I would tell him which letters to write to spell out their names, and he would write them. (The above envelope says Grammy - he decided to underline the m instead of writing two m's)

He was doing pretty good! The only letter he didn't really get was the u. He kept making it look like a t. (He also has the e to the left of the h here.) Oh well, I think it's really great for someone who is only 3! And the main part was that he felt so accomplished and happy about his cards.

Santa replies!

Santa has replied to the boys' letters! We got their two letters from Santa in the mail yesterday. Southern was SO excited when I read his to him. Remington was just excited that Southern and I were excited!

Here's what they said:


Dear Remington,
Mrs. Claus is helping me answer letters tonight.
She found your letter a pure delight.
We checked the list and found your name,
You're listed under "NICE" so we're happy your letter came.
When you take the time to send me a letter,
It makes choosing your presents so much better.
I'm proud of how hard you have tried this year,
To listen, play nice and be of good cheer.
So if you continue to be really kind,
Christmas morning you shall find,
Stacked up under your Christmas tree,
Presents from Mrs. Claus and me.
Love,
Santa
P.S. You've been so very good this year, Remington. I will do my best to get what you asked for.


Dear Southern,
I loved the letter you sent to me,
Listing the things you want under your tree.
You've been so good and very kind,
I'll do my best to see how many I can find.
Here at the North Pole,
Everyone's busy with just one goal.
The elves are stacking presents so high,
Mrs. Claus teases them about learning to fly.
The reindeer are busy practicing too,
Short take-offs and soft landings nothing else will do.
I have been checking my list twice,
To make sure your name is not under "Naughty", it's under "NICE".
Continue to be really good and kind,
And on Christmas Day, under your tree, presents you will find.
Love,
Santa
P.S. Good choice on the Lightning McQueen bike, they're fast.

Mail to the North Pole

We just sent some mail to the North Pole!

I wrote 2 letters to Santa (with Southern's help). The first said:


Dear Santa,
I would like a Gordon train and a big Mater and my Lightning McQueen bike. Thank you very much.
Love,
Southern Wyatt


The second one said:


Dear Santa,
I would like a James train, a chair just like my big brother's, and some stickers. Thank you very much.
Love,
Remington Wyatt


Then we stuck them both in an enveople addressed to Santa Claus at the North Pole and drove on over to the Post Office.

We can't wait see what Santa writes back!

Remington: 18 Months Old

When did my baby get this old?

 



Remington, you are such a happy boy. You are very loved, and you know it. You enjoy giving hugs and kisses. You are constantly smiling and love to play with big brother. You love to talk on the phone. You like to point things out and can say Mommy and Daddy really well - mostly when you are sad.

Other words you say: apple, more, water, milk, uh-oh, ball, bar, hi, bye

Height: 33.25 inches
Weight: 26 lbs, 4 oz
Sizes: 6-7 shoes, 2t-3t pajamas, 2t shirts, 18-24 mo bottoms, 4 diapers

Right now you are very into Thomas the train. You get excited to see him on the TV, on your clothes, in books, and as toys. You love going to the library and will sit quietly (in Mommy's lap) throughout the entire Storytime, and you don't hesitate to pull yourself onto a chair to sit and play on a computer. You like to color, slide in the backyard, chase and tumble with your brother, pet Dracky, and wear your cowboy hat. You say, "yee haw yee haw yee haw" over and over. You also say that anytime you play with a horse (or a giraffe).

Thanksgiving Weekend is Over

Well our long break for Thanksgiving has come to a close. The boys and I will miss Dustin tomorrow while he is at work. It felt short, but it was fun.

We started off the break with a trip to the doctor's office. Remington had his 18-month well visit (more on that later). We spent the rest of the day at home cleaning house, baking for Thanksgiving, and just relaxing. Then Thursday was a whirl-wind. We saw A LOT of family - and that's a good thing ;)

Our first stop in Yoakum was Great Granny Ehlers' house for the Brandl Thanksgiving. We got to see a lot of extended family, and Southern and Remington got to play with their cousin Weston. They hadn't seen him since last Thanksgiving, and he has really grown (he is now 2 1/2). We also spent time watching some old home movies with the group. The movies were from the 60's, 70's, and a few from the 80's. We didn't have time to see them all, but we watched some one-minute clips, and it was fun to see everyone's reactions. Then it was time for the prayer (which Dustin said) and time to eat. For us, it was time to hit the next stop, so we loaded up a couple tupperware plates and hit the road.

Our next stop was The Country Place for the Wyatt Thanksgiving. We were just in time to eat with them, and Dustin's aunt Andy had brought some toys from her son's childhood. The boys loved playing with all of the little animals, people, houses, etc. We spent time visiting, and Dustin spent time riding around on the Mule with his dad. Then it was naptime (well, beyond naptime really).

So we headed out to my dad's house. Remington needed some time to sleep, and he won't nap anywhere but his crib or the car. We didn't even make it a mile before he was out. Southern fell asleep not long after that. We parked the kids under a shade tree, rolled the windows down, and Dustin fished. (He caught 16 Bass in about 35-40 minutes.)

Then it was time for another meal. We drove over to Grandma and Grandpa's house for more turkey and dressing. (Grandma's dressing is the best!) We ate, hung out, the kids played, Dustin helped Grandma look at something on the Internet, Grandma read to the boys, and then it was time to go.

Our last stop of the evening was the nursing home. We happened to drop in on Hon and Granny while they had other visitors - my Aunt Debi and Uncle Daniel - which was a nice surprise. The kids kept us entertained, and we ended up staying there for about an hour. I was super sleepy (Hon had even started to nod off sitting in his wheel chair) but the boys were still going strong. Southern had a blast "exercising" on the foot rehabilitation exercise bike (you know, the kind where it's just the pedels and you use your own chair). Remington was having fun climbing onto Hon's bed and then getting back down.

And then it was time for our journey home - or so I thought. Dustin decided then to spring it on me that we needed to stop by The River Place on our way home. "Just for a minute." Uh huh. So we drove to Gonzales and made our way onto Hammon Loop. When we were driving in, we noticed that the porch light on Wayne and Cain's house was on, and there was an extra truck in the driveway (Coltin's). And then we saw Wayne walking outside. So we stopped to chat. By this time, it was probably 10-10:30pm. The boys were still running around having fun. I was drooping. After hanging out at their house for an half an hour or so, I decided to go ahead and get the boys' pajamas out of the car. We bathed and dressed them for bed. (Smart idea!) Then we said our good-nights to Wayne, Cain, and Mikayla. We waited in the car for Dustin out by his campsite while he got what he needed, and then we were once again on the highway headed for home.

BUT by then we were all hungry again. So we stopped at Buc-ee's for a potty break and to get some Chex Mix (for the boys), Doritos (for Dustin), and cheesy popcorn (for me). Finally, we were headed home. Both boys soon were asleep. When we made it to the house, Dustin and I carried them up to bed and tucked them it. Then we unloaded the car. Then I decided to head off to Kohl's!! I guess that popcorn gave me energy. While Dustin went off to bed (this was around 1am), I backed the car out of the driveway and drove off. I usually never do any Black Friday shopping, but I had two $10 coupons from Kohl's, and it was only a mile from my house - plus I was already awake! Soooo I went. And I'm so glad I did.

When I got there, it was crowded. Not unbearable, but crowded. The lines for the checkout were probably 40-50 people deep. I heard someone leaving say that they had waited over an hour in line. Yikes! I didn't think I was up to that, but I kept walking. I glanced over at the checkout line near the other door, and it looked about the same. Then I noticed three checkers behind the jewelry counter - and NO line. I walked up to them and asked if I could check out here. They said yes so long as I only got jewelry. Well, that wasn't a problem with me! I took my time browsing and came up with a total bill of $9 for a necklace and two pairs of earrings after the discounts and my two $10 off coupons. Not too shabby. And I was back home before 2am!

 



Friday was spent going by storage to get all of the Christmas decorations and putting up lights outside. On Saturday, Dustin went hunting at The River Place while the boys and I decorated the inside of our house and put up our tree. Today was spent taking family pictures in Gruene. I can't wait to see how they turned out!

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving. I know I am really blessed - and so thankful for my family!

Happy Thanksgiving

Southern's Special People

Southern made a book this past Monday during his religion class. The topic of the day was Thanksgiving and how much God has given us. The kids were asked to talk about what all they were thankful for in their lives. Southern's list started off with racecars and his Mario game. After prompting from the teachers, it evolved to include macaws, Dracky, his house, different family members, and Thor.

After they were all finished talking about their lists, they were told about their project. It was to make a book titled "My Special People". In it, the kids were to draw pictures of the people that are special in their lives. I think there are so many special people in Southern's life, that his book could have gone on forever! But he only had a few pages, and this is what he drew:

 

 That's Southern on the cover of his book.

 

The next person he wanted to draw was D-dad. I wasn't surprised because my dad's tractor had broken down that day, and he paid us an unexpected visit. We had just eaten supper with him right before class started. I wrote "D-dad" at the bottom of the page, but then Southern decided that he would draw Joyce first. (Notice her glasses and earrings). Then D-dad was drawn to her left. Southern said he gave him a pirate hat.

 

Next up were Grammy and Josh. Isn't Grammy's hair so pretty? It is encircling her head.

 

There's Dustin and me on the left. I had Southern just add me to the page with Daddy on it since we were running out of room. Remington's on the right page.

 

And that was it! Except Southern wanted Dracky in it too. So he drew him on the back. (Southern also asked if he could include Batman, but I explained to Southern that Batman was not technically part of our family.)

A brown wall and some pillows

What have I been up to lately? Well, a brown wall and some pillows have been taking up most of my free time (you know, my time spent before/after/between washing dishes, loading/unloading the dishwasher, washing/drying/folding/putting away clothes, cooking, changing diapers, dressing kids, playing with kids, reading to kids, running errands, etc).

 

Mainly, I have been sewing. And no, I don't have a sewing machine. I have been sewing things by hand. (Yeah. It takes awhile.) But I'm [usually] quite pleased with the results.

 

 

A fabric block with a C for Claire. It has a few little jingle bells inside :)

 

 

A couple of stuffed dinosaurs. The top one is Claire's, and the bottom one is Southern's (he picked out the fabric). Remington's didn't make it into this picture because his came out too scrawny :/ I'm going to make him a new one.

 

And, of course, some Robin shoes.

 

Southern has been begging for Robin shoes since we bought this costume for $3 at Target after Halloween. (I bought another in black for Remington. Since Southern's is red and Remington's is black, they think they are Batman and Robin.) They love them and wear them around the house often.

 

 

Therefore Robin needs Robin shoes. Southern kept asking please can we get some Robin shoes, please, please, please. And I would answer by trying to explain that I don't think there is anywhere to buy them. I don't think anyone makes them. But he kept insisting (because of course, someone makes them. We see Robin wearing them all the time when he and Batman are on Scooby Doo.)

 

 

And then I thought, hey I have some leftover green felt. I'll make them! So I did.

 

 

 Southern kept reminding me to make sure they have points in the back. And they do! Southern loves them. He slept with these in the bed beside him the first night after I made them. Aww...

 

Right now I'm working on throw pillows. I wanted some new throw pillows for our couch and love seat downstairs because I painted the wall behind the couch brown! Another accent wall in our house. I love it.

 

(By the way, Southern has decided he wants his room painted brown and pink with stripes. I'm sure that would go over very well with Daddy.)

 

The living room is not completely finished yet because a couple of pictures need to be hung, I still have 5 more pillows to sew, and the coffee table needs to be moved back into place. My goal is to have it all done by Thanksgiving, and that should be doable.

 

In the mean time, here's a sneak peek.

 

 

And look, our new throw pillows are beautiful and useful! Apparently Hubby has decided it's naptime ;)

 

 

Halloween 2012

I hope you all had a happy Halloween yesterday. The boys and I had fun! This year, Southern really got what Halloween was and was able to participate in everything. And, this was the first year that Remington could walk up to the houses to trick or treat... dragging his little treat bag behind him. He wasn't able to say "trick or treat" but did get the hang of holding out his bag for treats and would wave and say bye while leaving.

 

We started off our day with a trip to the library. They were having their usual storytime, but they asked the kids to come in costumes for a parade afterward.

 

 

We love going to library, and we especially love going to the library in costume! All the adults that ran into us on our way in were telling the kids how cute they were.

 

 

We had a Halloween themed storytime with a few books and songs. The last song of the morning was Dry Bones, and each kid was able to choose an instrument to play along. Southern picked a tambourine, and Remington got a bell.

 

 

After storytime, the kids lined up for a parade around the library. There were a couple stops where the librarians (who were dressed in costumes as well) passed out candy. They also passed out coloring pages and put stamps on the kids' hands.

 

 

Here's Remington showing off his stamp.

 

 

The parade ended in the Children's Room, so we soon went about our usual stuff. The boys played on the computers and we picked out some books and movies to bring home.

 

 

All that fun got our appetites worked up. We splurged with lunch at Sonic. They were having 50 cent corndogs all day!! It was Remington's first corndog! And I think he really liked it :)

 

Then it was time to head home for naps. Remington went down as usual, and I even got Southern to take a nap! After naptime, the boys were hungry again so it was time for a snack.

 

 

Sorry - the picture is sideways - but you can see what the boys and I whipped up to eat. Spiders! We used whole wheat Ritz crackers, peanut butter, pretzels, and Craisains.

 

 

Yum!

 

 

One proud Momma

We were with a new play group this week. There was one little boy who was named Wyatt. He was 4, and Southern took a liking to him right away. They palled around together most of the time. There were some play tents set up, and one was a Thomas the train. It was shaped like him, and my boys seemed to like that one the most. Southern and Wyatt were inside the "train" playing, peeking out of windows, and chatting about "flat tires" and other things going on with their train. Remington was loving Thomas' face and would run around the tent and go back up to the face, point at it, look at me, and say, "uuh" (meaning look, Mommy, it's Thomas!).

At one point, Remington decided to explore Thomas' smokestack. He was standing near it and leaned in a bit too much. To catch his balance, he reached out to Thomas, not realizing that the tent wouldn't support his weight. He managed to stay upright, but had pushed down near Wyatt's head who was still sitting in the tent. Wyatt immediately said, "Hey, watch out!" I guess he thought that Remington had done that on purpose. Remington didn't notice him and was still exploring happily so I didn't speak up. But I was one proud Momma when I heard Southern's little voice come from inside the tent.

He told Wyatt, "No say hey watch out. He just a baby. He didn't know. He just a baby." Wyatt was quiet for a bit and then said, "Oh. I don't have a baby." Southern responded with, "Well, I do. His name is Remington. He my baby." And, with that, he and Wyatt resumed their games.

What a great big brother!

Getting ready for Halloween

Are you getting ready for Halloween?

 

 

 

 

The Wyatts are!

16 Months Old and 3 1/2 years old

It's hard to remember a time when Remington wasn't running around the house and Southern wasn't saying complete sentences. But it wasn't that long ago. Remington is now 16 months old, and Southern is 3 1/2 years old. And I may be biased, but they are so mature for their age! I have had family, friends, and random strangers comment on how much older they look or act, so I know I'm not the only one who has thought this!

Remington is not only walking, he is running. He likes to hold Mommy's hand and suck his thumb while walking most of the time. But, especially when we are at home, he will let loose - and he won't want anyone holding his hand! He will stick out his elbows, say "ahhhh - ah", and start running (I really think he is imitating Southern racing after saying "on your mark, get seeeet, go"). He is learning how to kick a ball. He will run up to it, and stick out one foot to make it roll. He helps me with chores around the house - he loves to hand me clean dishes from the dishwasher, stick wet clothes into the dryer, put his empty cups or plates in the sink, and throw trash away. He can sit still too. He loves to color (though you have to keep an eye on him or he may try to eat the crayons). He can point out which sticker he wants and then stick it on paper. He loves to talk on the phone. He will hold it up to his ear and say "hi". He makes a similar noise for bye. He now says "uh ooooh" when he drops something or sees something out of place. He can cheese for the camera and will hold still to pose. He loves to ride his rocking horse, knock down Southern's lego towers, throw balls (or anything really - he sometimes takes off his shoes in the car and throws them. Let me tell you, I was quite surprised when a croc hit me on the side of my head while I was driving a couple of weeks ago!), look through books, push around cars, and play with little figures or animals. He will comfort Southern when he is crying - either by going up and hugging him or by handing him a toy. He still won't sit still for diaper changes, doesn't like water getting in his face at bathtime, and has been known to walk up to someone and just push them. But he's super sweet, especially in the mornings. He loves to snuggle and give hugs and kisses. He now say "mmm" when he leans in with his mouth closed and lower lip sticking out to kiss. He loves Dracky and tries to pet him often. Most of the time Dracky stays just out of his reach, but those times when he does get to pet him, he's so proud.

Remington wears size 6.5 or 7 shoes, 3t or larger pajamas, 24 mo or 2t shirts, 24 mo pants, and size 4 diapers. He weighs around 24 pounds.

And Southern, well, he's a runner too. He loves races, and he and I will often race in the backyard. Southern likes to do laps around the yard for fun. He is helpful when he wants to be. Sometimes he has a hard time cleaning up his toys because he will get distracted with one of them and forget he was supposed to put it away, not play with it. When he colors, he only wants to use red or pink. And then he will just color for a little bit and want me to color the rest. I think he enjoys drawing more. He often draws "an island with water around it". Last week, he drew "planets and Earth". He loves stickers and will put them on his shirt or on paper. He has gotten really good at talking on the phone. He enjoys talking to family and can talk for a good amount of time when prompted with questions. He has his times when he doesn't want to take a picture - and when he doesn't want to, he doesn't smile that well. But he's usually pretty good about it, and he really loves to pose and stick his tongue out for pictures. He often times wants me to take pictures of his things and then will want to look at the picture on the camera's screen. He loves to play Mario Kart on the Wii, play sports (baseball, tennis, basketball, golf, football, and soccer), build "towers" and "castles" with legos, roll cars, and "read" books (he will go page by page, studying them really well). He's really into Superheros right now (especially Batman, Superman, Spiderman, and Iron Man), but he doesn't like the "bad guys" so I have to be careful about the books and movies we get from the library. (I have found that the older cartoon Batman shows from the '70s are great!) He's pretty reasonable about things once you explain them to him. He loves to learn and is always asking why. My family got a kick out of him correcting them at the beach last month. My Grandpa showed him some wall art and said it was a bird. Southern told him, "no, that's a Macaw". And then a little later, my Grandma said something about the little fish on the pillow. Southern told her they were dolphins. He also impressed his religion class teachers this past Monday with answering so many questions right - the topic of the day was God's creations so he was in his element. He knows most of his letters and can count to 13. He can pick out his name when it's written, and he can tell people his full name. He knows the names of towns - where we live, where family members live, etc. He loves maps and seeing where things are. He likes to watch the GPS as we are driving and will tell us to turn right or left when it's time. He can climb up into his seat and buckle up (though I still check it after he's finished because he doesn't always have the chest snap completely closed) by himself.

Southern wears size 11 or 12 shoes, 5t or larger pajamas, 5t or larger shirts, and 4t pants. He weighs around 43 pounds.

They are both growing so fast, and they're just so beautiful. We are really blessed with these two!

Play time

Southern and Remington are getting old enough to be able to play well with each other more and more. But they both still want Mommy down there with them more often than not. Sometimes Mommy is busy with housework or just wants a little downtime to herself. But this Mommy knows just how happy it makes her kids to get on the floor and play with them. In the end, it makes Mommy happy too :)

 

 

 

And it also means Mommy can create some pretty cool lego robots ;)

Kissed You Good Night

Well, this post isn't about our babies this time. It's about Mommy and Daddy, back when we were just Lindsey and Dustin. On an evening in the fall of 1999.

What brings this up is a song that I recently listened to. I grew up always listening to the radio in the car. In fact, I was 16 years old before I even knew that a radio in a car could be turned off! I knew the volume could be turned down, but I never knew they had a power button! But anyway, now that I'm a mom, I sometimes have the radio off so that the boys and I can chat in the car or so they can hear their toys. And sometimes I have it on. When it's on, I love singing along to the music. (Kissed You) Good Night by Gloriana came on the other day. I have heard it many times and know all the words. I was singing along as usual but really listened this time. And with each verse, it was becoming more and more apparent that whoever wrote this song could have been spying on me and Dustin during the fall of 1999!

Have you every REALLY listened to it?



I dropped you off
Just a little after midnight
Sat in my car
Till you turned off your porch light
I should have kissed you
I should have pushed you up against the wall
I should have kissed you
Just like I wasn’t scared at all

I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight

You couldn’t see me
Watching through the window
Wondering what went wrong
Praying that you wouldn’t go
You should have kissed me
You should have pushed me up against the wall
You should have kissed me
I was right on the edge and ready to fall

So I turned off the car
Ran through the yard
Back to your front door
Before I could knock
You turned the lock
And met me on the front porch

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight

I turned off the car
ran through the yard
back to your front door
Half scared to death can’t catch my breath
Aren’t these the moments we live for

And I kissed you
Goodnight
And now that I’ve kissed you
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight
It’s a good night good night baby goodnight



Yeah, so this is basically what happened to Dustin and me - well, except the "pushed you up against the wall" part and it being midnight. I was just 14 after all.

The evening of our first kiss went like this: Dustin, me, and Dustin's friend Michael had been somewhere together. Probably hunting at the river place. I don't remember that part. What I remember is that Michael and Dustin were dropping me off at home. Dustin walked me to the front door. We said good night, probably awkwardly, and then he left. I walked into the house, shut the door, and went through to the garage. My mom had left the garage door open for me, and I was walking out there to pull it closed. When I got into the garage though, I could hear Dustin and Michael talking from the road. I wasn't really paying attention, but my steps faltered when I heard Michael ask him if he kissed me. And then, I have to admit, I stood still, holding my breath, listening for Dustin's response.

D: No, I didn't.
M: Dude, why not?
D: I should have, right?
M: Hell yeah, you should have. Go back up there and do it right.
D: You think so?
M: Just go.

I heard a car door slam. My heart was beating fast. I ran back into the house and to the front door. I opened it as soon as I got there. He was up to the porch. I had my mouth open a bit (in shock, I guess). Dustin leaned in and kissed me on my lips. He whispered, "I love you," and then turned around and ran back to Michael's truck. My mouth stayed hanging open for a bit. Then I too turned around and ran back into the house. I closed the door and took off running to my mom's bedroom. "Mom!! You'll never guess what just happened!!"

http://youtu.be/MYwDLlsaAGk

Cousins

It is so fun watching our kids grow up with other kids in our family. I am an only child and Dustin has one sister with a baby on the way, so our boys don't have any first cousins to play with (yet!). But they (and we) are blessed to have cousins ourselves who have kids (or in Dustin's case, his mom's cousin's kid's kids - say that three times fast!).

It's all girls for the family of cousins who live nearby. We've run into them out in town, and we've been able to make their parties and vice versa. We recently attended the oldest girl's 4th birthday party, and our kids had a blast playing together.

 



We were coming home from Southern's religion class last night, and we were talking about the closing prayer. We were remembering what all Southern prayed for to thank God in class and started adding some more. Out of the blue, Southern added these girls' names to our prayer list. So sweet.

It's all boys on my side of the family! Here are the five great grandsons on our recent family trip to the beach. The older three especially had fun with each other, and Remington will be right there with them next year I'm sure. Give the baby a couple years and he'll be in the mix as well :)

 



But no matter their age, they are COUSINS, and Southern knows cousins = playmates. He gets so excited to hear about upcoming visits with cousins. I get excited to see them interact, and I love how they are growing up with each other.

Religious Education Classes

Southern starts his Religious Education classes this week! I'm so excited. He is as well. He loved attending bible school this past summer and has been asking to go back. Now he will be able to go to "school" once a week from now until Easter. Yay!

The church really encourages parents to be involved, and I'm excited about that too. There are four "family days" throughout the year in which the parents and siblings participate as well, be it in the classroom or at church.

His grade level will be using the "Stories of God" program. The classes are an hour and 15 minutes long, so of course there will be "potty breaks" and "playground breaks" during class. He'll be able to meet some new friends. He's going to love it!

The Big 3-0

My husband is turning 30 this weekend. He says it's no big deal - he still feels young...

 

 

 

Here's to the next 30 years!

Christmas Wishlists

I know - it's just September - but I've already started on the kids' wishlists. I have finished my Christmas shopping for them and Dustin already. I just have a few more things to go, and I'll be finished with everyone actually. I like to do my Christmas shopping throughout the year when we have a little extra money here and there and/or when I find something good on sale.

And just in case you want to start early too, here are some ideas. There is nothing that I can think of that they "need" other than consumables like diapers, wipes, food, etc. So there is nothing on these lists that they cannot live without. Don't feel like you have to shop exclusively from them. It is great if you do, but if nothing else, they will give you an idea of sizes and likes.

Here is the link to Southern's list - http://amzn.com/w/HYOJX1UZZF6V

He has been dying for a camera of his own, so that is one thing on his list that would be important. He only has two towels that are big enough and not the baby size, so that's also something he could use as well as some more pj's (size 6 or larger) and a robe that fits him. And the Columbia fishing shirt would get a lot of use.

Here is the link to Remington's list - http://amzn.com/w/2JUD1VE29NUSC

Of course the matching fishing shirt would be adorable. Remington is very into little figures right now. He loves playing trains with Southern too. Some more forks and insulated cups with straws would be great as well as a couple more waterproof bibs. But again, this list is full of lots of good stuff to give you ideas :)

I can't wait for the holiday season!!

Schlitterbahn

 

The boys enjoyed their first trip to Schlitterbahn yesterday! See the short video clip below:

 

 

We made it a family affair when we ran into cousins Paige, Kate, and Brooke in the parking lot! It was a fun surprise to see them, and we were able to spend most of our time together. We stayed mainly in the toddler play area for the first half of our time there. We ate our packed lunch. Then we did a ride around the "Turbulent River". The younger girls, Remington, Jordan, and I then played in the shallow water on the "beach" while Jordan's mom Cathy took Paige and Southern on a pirate ride. They were able to do it by themselves. She would stand at the entrance and watch them go up the stairs. Then she would run around to the bottom of the slide and be there when they came down. They loved it and would have stayed there all day.

 

Then it was time for the cousins to go home. We stayed another hour or so, riding the river 3 more times. Southern was in a life jacket and was swimming on his own. I was holding onto Remington who was nodding off in his tube. It would have been a perfect nap time if we hadn't gotten sprayed with water so much. It kept waking him up. So we gathered our things, changed into dry clothes, and made our way back home. What fun!

Twins almost 3 decades apart

15 Months Old

We went in for Remington's 15 month doctor's appointment this week. With these two guys, everything's an adventure.

 

 

The appointment went well. Remington was right on target for most things. The only thing he was "behind" on was teeth. He still only has 6. But Dr S said this was an advantage - "more time in the factory putting on more coats" was how he put it. It also means that he will be "late" on adult teeth, and that's what's most important. It's an advantage. Yay!

He checked out well. He weighed 25 lbs 4 oz and was 32.5 inches tall. He has 2 shots and didn't cry for either. The nurse administering them said it was her first in all her years of nursing that a baby didn't cry. She said she's seen them not cry with the first shot, but never with both. Our little brave guy :) He did have some serious thumb sucking right afterwards though.

 

 

 

 

Both boys acted really nicely during the visit. Dr S is a stickler for manners, and he complimented Southern on acting like a gentleman during the visit. And, of course, being in the dinosaur room was a hit!

Little Athletes

I signed Southern up for the Little Athletes Variety program at the local parks and recreation department. Every Monday during the month of August, Southern is learning a new sport. It was basketball first, then t-ball, soccer, and gymnastics. I'm not sure just how much "learning" is going on with toddlers running helter-skelter and coaches saying "good job!" no matter how badly the kid is doing, but it's fun. It's a good activity that gets Southern socializing with other kids his age and exercising.

Below is a short video clips from t-ball day.

Wiggle Worm

Remington has always been troublesome about getting his diaper or clothes changed. And as he has gotten older and more mobile, it has just gotten worse. Right now, when I tell him it's time to change his diaper, he runs away and giggles. I have to put a diaper on my head (he very often tries to resist, but it is just too tempting) so that he will come over to me to get it off. As soon as he is close enough, I catch him and lay him down. Keeping him lying there long enough to actually change him is another matter.

Here is Daddy trying to get Remington into his swimming trunks:

And now time for swim shoes...

What a stinker!