Boys

I now remember why we had to buy every imaginable child proofing item when Garrett was a baby.  Then I think back at how most of those items seemed completely unnecessary when Avery was a baby.  I mean, do you really need a toilet lid lock?  We are being reminded that yes, you do, when you are raising boys.

At 10 months old, Emmett clears my nightstand of every item each morning, usually in one quick swipe.  He knocks all of the shampoo bottles in the bathtub each time he passes by the bathroom.  He sticks his hands in the toilet, eats paper and rocks like crazy, and would rather knock all of the books off his nightstand than snuggle at bedtime.  He also shuts his fingers in drawers and the lazy susan almost daily.  He has a very specific cry when his fingers are stuck so I know what has happened before I even see him.  He almost fell down the first flight of stairs off our deck 3 days ago, but thanks to Garrett for yelling at me, I grabbed him just as his hands slipped off the first step.  Whew!

Sometimes I think I may never fully understand the male brain.

Here are a few more of Emmett's accomplishments lately:
-signing "more"
-waving (he waves toward himself!)
-lots of new dance moves!
-holding his own bottle at daycare
-eating table food, although he has doesn't have a single tooth!

This first year is going way too fast!

Let's Get Away!!

Greg and I are in the process of planning a belated 10-year anniversary trip for just the two of us.  We want a warm tropical vacation on a sandy beach so we are looking at various Caribbean islands.  We're having a tough time deciding where to travel and what type of vacation we want (large all-inclusive resort vs small quaint resort, exploring the island vs just hanging out on the beach while someone serves us drinks!).  Last night I asked Greg, for about the 15th time, where he would like to go.  His reponse,"I don't care where we go.  I just want to get AWAY!"  Spoken like a true parent of 3 young children!

What's Garrett Doing?

Around our house this is a common question.  Every time I ask Avery a question, she first needs to know what Garrett is doing before she responds.  For example, today I asked her if she wanted hot chocolate with breakfast.  She said, "Is Gawett having hot chocolate?" (she doesn't say her 'r' sound yet!).  When I said he was, she said, "Okay.  I want hot chocolate."  Garrett probably doesn't think this is as charming as I do.

A Peek into our Week

We had a wonderful spring break!  Here's a peek into our week....

We celebrated Avery's birthday with many visitors.  Grandpa came to stay with us and we enjoyed some yummy burgers at Red Robin.  The wait staff brought Avery dessert and sang her Happy Birthday.  She thought this was a great idea at first and then when she realized all the attention was on her, she slowly sank down in her seat and disappeared.  We had to make her sit back up as they sang! 

Aunt Annie, Uncle Mike, and cousins Finn and Bode came to visit.  We had a lot of fun but as always, the visit seemed too short.  Avery celebrated with some daycare friends at our house on Saturday.  Grandma and Grandpa Stohs came to visit on Sunday and brought the great-grandmas along for a BBQ at our house.  That's a lot of cake and cupcakes in one week!!  Some of Avery's favorite gifts include Pucchi Pets (stuffed dogs in a cute handbag), Kidz Bop 21,  Zoobles, a pillow pet, and some cute fuzzy horses.

We had amazing weather over spring break.  The weather hit 80 degrees several days so we enjoyed a lot of outside time and even broke out the water guns!  Emmett enjoyed some sunshine and played on a blanket in the grass many times.  Turns out he does not like sitting in the grass.  He holds his arms out and cries!  The blanket was perfect for him.  Emmett also hit a new milestone and started pulling up on Saturday!  He has been pushing his legs straight while on hands/knees for awhile so it was only a matter of time before he figured it out.  He's pretty strong so he can stand for long periods of time already!  He is crawling just a bit, using his right knee and left foot, but he's still faster at army crawling so that's his primary mode for getting around right now!  We joke that Emmett will be walking before he gets any teeth!  That silly boy doesn't have a single tooth yet.  He just hit the 8-month mark on Avery's birthday.

Garrett impressed all of our visitors with his ability to solve equations.  I'm amazed at what kindergarteners learn these days.  He can solve problems such as 5+2, 4+4, 8+1, even solving most of them in his head.  Then he likes to gives others equations to solve.  His equations go something like this, "What's 100+100+100+100+100+100?"  That reminds me, at parent-teacher conferences 2 weeks ago, the students had to rate themselves in each study area.  Garrett gave himself an okay face (versus happy or sad face) for math.  When his teacher questioned him about the reason, he said, "Counting makes me throat dry.  But I really like doing equations!"  Garrett gets really bored doing work that is redundant to him.  That probably explains the dry throat!

Garrett's favorite stuffed animal went MIA last night.  I searched around and told him I'd have to tuck him into bed and keep looking.  Avery chimed in, "It might be behind the pillow on the couch, but I didn't do anything.  It wasn't me.  Look under the pillows on that side, Dad."  Hmmm.  Sounds fishy.

Happy Birthday Avery!

Avery,
I can't believe my little girl is now a 4 year old!  I remember holding you in the hospital and thinking our family was perfect with a little boy and now a little girl.  You were so sweet and full of life from the very moment we met you.  Today we joked that you were born screaming and as you ran excitedly through the house screaming, you still are (screaming, that is).  You bring so much joy to us every day with your happiness, your genuine caring spirit, and your constant giggles.  Your giggles bring smiles to everyone's faces, including strangers that we encounter on our daily adventures.  I loved watching you play with your new toys today (Zoobles, a digital kid's camera, and Pucci pets).  You have an amazing imagination and are very creative.  We thank God every night for the wonderful gift that you are!  Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

I CAN RUN AGAIN!

After a 7 month (on-going) struggle with plantar fasciitis and a heel spur, I finally got the okay to start running a little again.  Thank goodness.  I was thinking I might go insane if I can't relieve my stress by running.  But first things first...I need a good pair of shoes.  No more Asics on sale for $40 or less at Kohls when I get a 15% of coupon in the mail.  I will be visiting the running shoe store in town that makes recommendations for shoes that fit your specific type of foot (over-pronator in my case).  I go shopping on Friday and will hopefully log some miles without too much pain this weekend.  Casey will be so excited!

We'll see how it goes.  I'm trying not to be too optimistic.  The podiatrist suggested deep tissue massage and icing.  I had been doing massage and icing but she suggested using a golf ball and rolling it very firmly under my foot.  After 2 nights of doing that, my pain level has increased so once again, I'm not sure what to do.  I start physical therapy at the end of March so hopefully I'll get some relief from that.

Healthy Cereal is a Joke

I bought Kix cereal the other day (plain yellow balls of cereal) - I had just heard on the radio it's one of the top healthiest cereals for kids and it has no food dyes (unlike Trix and Fruit Loops which my kids love).  When I showed Garrett & Avery the box they both looked skeptical.  I said "This cereal is supposed to make you smarter and it's good for you."  Avery says, "Are you kidding me???"

So far so good though....Avery has eaten it for 2 days in a row.