Good-bye, Eddie...

We said good-bye to our Scout Elf, Eddie, on Christmas Eve. He left us a letter that morning with instructions to open it after bath time.  Both kids got some new Christmas pajamas and books, we took baths, and then came back downstairs to read the letter.  Preston and Callie were both VERY excited to get to touch Eddie and tell him good-bye. Classic stuff.

I have tried unsuccessfully to load the Christmas day video 5 times now. Will keep trying!

Pre-Christmas Fun



Lighting the tree

 Preston went to visit Santa at Westwood City Hall last year, and Callie joined in the fun this year. Well, she really just ran around like a mad woman and screamed a lot. BUT you can't say we didn't try to get her to have fun!  They started things off with the lighting of the Christmas tree and some carols sung by the local high school choir. Then Santa made his BIG entrance (police escort and all), and everyone went inside for some cookies, stories, and lap time with the big man.  Preston was ALL about it, and was actually the very first person to sit on his lap! I missed most of his time with Santa on video. And Callie was off running around (quite possibly sitting in the mayor's chair), so she isn't in much of the video. We did get a few pics with Santa and both kids at the very end of his time there.  Then all of the kids followed him outside to use their bells to help his sled fly. The sled is AWESOME. It shoots fire, plays music, and is every child's dream. Good stuff.



"I swear I've been good!!'

Next up is the video message Santa sent Preston. The little dude doesn't sit still very often, but you can see how mesmerized he is by this. The end of the video is footage of opening presents at my mom's house. Callie figured it out fast and was trying to open my presents by the end of the night. She's a quick learner!

Hope you enjoy your Christmas!

Halloween (just a little late)

Both kids loved Halloween, and Callie now asks for "CAN-Y" about 30 times a day. I always knew she was smart.

 

They both came to my school costume parade and got to hang out for a bit with my class. Candy for breakfast? Why not! After school, I took them to Prairie Village to trick-or-treat at the shops. PERFECT for small children. NOT SO PERFECT for one parent trying to keep both of her children from running off. (Strangers with candy everywhere- a parent's worst nightmare!) We'll definitely do that again next year, but hopefully Daddy can come help. That night we took Callie to a few houses in the neighborhood, and the Peter Parker and I went out to collect as much candy as possible.



Clark Kent found SUPERDOG!!!



 Video footage below. I believe it starts at the Pumpkin Patch we went to in Tulsa with the Stanford clan.  The really dark part of the video was a SUPER scary house down the street. These people are insane, and I can NOT believe Preston was courageous enough to go up on their porch.  For example, they had someone in a mask with a chainsaw in the garage, a recording of people screaming playing, fog machines, tombstones, and two guys on TOP of the house with giant knives and scream masks. Honestly, I was a little scared.  Peter Parker was brave, though. Anything for candy!!

Hope you all got your candy fill! Hard to believe Thanksgiving is this week...

Chatty Callie

It has been a verbal explosion over here recently with our Callie Buttons. She never seems to stop learning new words these days. I would say she has hundreds of words in her vocabulary now, and she has started stringing two and three together.  My favorite is when I ask her to do something and she says, "OKAY, MOMMY." I'm sure that won't last forever.  I also love when she walks into a room and says "WHA YOU DO-ING?"  Despite the tremendous increase in her word power, she still refuses to call Preston by his name. I'm pretty sure she'll always call him Bobby. Truth be told, I'VE started calling him Bobby, too.

The beginning of the video is just a typical evening here. The fun never stops!

Smarty Pants

Preston has been working REALLY hard at his preschool, and he has taken some significant steps lately. He has started doing math (what?!) AND reading (double what??!). We're thrilled that he seems to really enjoy both. I can.not.wait until the day he's reading full books to me! (And the day he can read to Callie. Then I can drink a glass of wine, sit back, and relax. HA!)

The Boy

A long one, but worth it. P went to a Miege football game with Clint last weekend. His dance moves are killer- this kid lacks no confidence.  Then he went bowling for the first time at a classmate's birthday party. Let's just say that hopefully his coordination kicks in soon. Next is a little homework time tonight (he started addition today at school!). And the last portion is him talking about astronauts and what they need. Funny boy.

Just what you want to see...

Some cuteness in general from Callie. She cracks herself up when walking on her tippy toes now, and is talking up a storm.  Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn't.  She still says NO or UH-UH when she means YES, but we're working on it. She has become quite the comedian and loves to make people laugh.  The second part of the video was shot with the intent of showing her talking, NOT taking a number two. But, alas, she had other plans. (She HAS used the potty on numerous occasions, but no consistency. I bet if I had stopped filming and taken her upstairs, she could have taken care of this business on the pot. But then you wouldn't get to see it!)

Bobby

Please ignore the fact that I let Preston eat breakfast in his underwear and focus on Callie's cuteness.

In Honor of the Olympics...

I have decided that there should be something called the Parent Olympics. Some of the events could be as follows:

1. Trim Time- Trim fingernails and toenails of small children- fastest time with no bleeding wins.
2. Bath Battles- Bathe two small children at the same time- fastest time, cleanest booties, and no bleeding wins.
3. Distance Driving- Arrive safely at your destination. Smallest amount of tears (from parents and children both) and no bleeding wins.
4. Diaper Duty- Cleanest bum in the fastest time wins- keeping baby's hands out of the poop is a bonus point.
5.  Meal Mania- Get kids to consume at least one piece of fruit or veggie AND try to have more food end up in their bellies than on the floor. Bonus points for parents who actually get to take a few bites of their own food while it's at least lukewarm.
6. Pool Party- Only one parent may participate in this event. Take both kids to the pool by yourself. No drowning wins. Bleeding and/or barfing are ok.
7. Restaurant Rowdiness- Take kids to a restaurant to eat. Making it through the meal without being asked to leave wins.
8. Too Much TV- Leave your TV off for an entire day. Survival wins.
9. Photo Op- Get a good photo of both kids at once. No photoshop allowed. Happiest photo wins.
10. Hairy Mess- Cut your child's hair yourself. Decent look and no bleeding wins.
11. Bedtime Battles- Convince both children to nap AND go to bed at the same time. Least number of go-back-ins (aka- I NEED A DRINK! I NEED TO GO POTTY! THE FAN IS POINTING THE WRONG WAY! I NEED MY AIRPLANE! I NEED ANOTHER HUG! I'M HOT! I'M COLD! TURN OFF THE SUN! I WANT ONE MORE BOOK!) and quickest time to fall asleep wins. Longevity of sleep gets bonus points.

Anyone want to participate in these games?? We are lucky enough to live it every day! And love (almost) every second.

Here is Callie's idea for an Olympic event for 16-month-olds. And a little talking at the end. Don't mind the mess- that could be another event. Keeping the house clean. HA!

Enjoy!

WHERE did summer go???

Hard to believe I go back to work next week. (sob) My grand plans to write many blog posts documenting our adventures didn't seem to pan out very well.  I swear we did lots of fun stuff this summer...pool time, spray park, dino exhibit at Crown Center, lots of park trips, fireworks, and melting in the 100+ degree weather.  I just didn't post about any of it! Maybe next year...

For now, here's some cuteness from Callie to tide you over. Instead of saying "NO" it always sounds more like "NOW", which makes me giggle. And what's cuter than a baby in a diaper chasing you while giggling?? Not much.

Curtains

Who knew they could be so fun?

Side note- kids had their check-ups a few weeks ago. Healthy and happy! Stats as follows:

Preston-4 years

Weight- 39 lbs- 80%ile

Height- 42 in- 90%ile

BMI- 35%ile

Callie- 15 months

Weight- 22 lbs- 45%ile

Height- 32 in- 85%ile

Head Circumference- 18.25in- 60%ile

Knoxville Trip June 2012

Road Trip!!! Boy was it a long one, but totally worth it to get to see family. 



 We left Tuesday morning, headed for St. Louis to see my college roomie, eat lunch, and then drive to Metropolis, Illinois, for a pit stop and some SUPER fun. The kids did well staying in the hotel, mainly because I INSISTED on getting two adjoining rooms. Won't ever do it any other way. Nice to be able to put them down and not have to go to bed at 8:00.  (And enjoy a beer. Or two.)

 Obviously, we HAD to go see the giant Superman statue in the town square. I do believe this is what Preston's Heaven looks like. He loved every second there.

 This seems about right, doesn't it???

 Super kids!

Look! Up in the sky! It's Superman's crotch! 

 Stopped at DQ for dinner. Does he look happy or what??

 This meal was one of my favorite parts of the trip- just a nice dinner together as a family.

 We left Metropolis Wednesday morning to head to Knoxville. I had commented about how you can tell how clean a hotel is by the color of your kids' feet after walking on the carpet. Needless to say, the place we stayed was FILTHY. So imagine my horror when I looked into the backseat and saw this.

 I can promise you that they didn't look like this for much of the trip, but it was nice while it lasted!

 We made it! Went to the pool for some fun before the rest of the crew arrived.

 Everyone else came on Thursday, and the cousins had a great time together.

 Awwwwwwwwwww

 Callie's first time swinging all by herself! She may or may not have landed on her head a few times, but hopefully she'll get the hang of it soon.

 Water table = the greatest invention EVER. Sara brought hers, and I bought one the second we got home. A great entertainer for kids!! (And Mommy can sit down. Yes, SIT DOWN!)

 Some beautiful trees I saw on my walks there.

 Friday night we went to Mary Nell's parents' lake house for some swimming, tubing, and dinner. Callie wanted to go have a snack and watch everyone through the windows.

 Who has two thumbs and is pumped for their first tube ride?

 Swinging with Mimi.

 Saturday night their neighborhood had a pool party/potluck dinner. The kids had a great time! (Minus Callie, who was a mess and had to go home less than 10 minutes in.)

 They even had someone making balloon animals- Preston is holding Marjorie's hand because she was scared of him...sweet.

 A sword! (Yes, it IS a sword. Nothing else.)

 The best pic I got of all the cousins. Pretty typical that my kids are the only ones not cooperating!

It was wonderful to be able to see everyone, and we really appreciate The Pruitts letting us invade their home. They were wonderful hosts, and a fabulous time was had by all.

Unfortunately, I did a terrible job getting video footage, but here is the small bit I managed to take.

 We left Sunday and decided to drive all the way home. Over 14 hours in the car isn't exactly a picnic, but we stopped in St. Louis again for a little breather. Thanks, Andrea, for letting us stretch our legs, eat, and destroy your house!

Yes, I'm tired, too. (Out of the 28 hours total we spent in the car, the two of them slept for maybe a combined 4 hours. I do believe we deserve a medal!)