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!)

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.

SUPER Party!

We celebrated Preston's fourth birthday in style this weekend. What could be more perfect for him than a superhero training party?? I did a little research online, stole some ideas, tweaked a few, and came up with this. First, I sent out the invitations below about a month ago, complete with Super Hero pictures. (Sorry, I can't get the spacing right on this part.)

Calling All Superheroes!!

Mark this date on your Super Calendars:

June 8th from 6:30-8:00 PM

Preston needs your help! We must unite to defeat the forces of evil! Please meet at headquarters (The Main Shelter at Antioch Park by the playground equipment) to prepare for the invasion. We must defend our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of cake. If you can join us to defeat our enemy — and eat cake — please respond as soon as possible with the following top secret information.

No special equipment will be needed, just wear clothing that is appropriate for outdoor superhero training. Your participation is vital to the success of this mission!

RSVP to SuperMom at marie_hooker@yahoo.com or put the info below in Preston’s cubby.

**Do not feel obligated to bring a gift for Preston, but you can bring a small toy for us to donate to Children’s Mercy Hospital — Superheroes love to do nice things for others!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Yes, you can count on me! ___ Maybe-I'll see if my cape is back from the cleaners ___ No, I have to help others that day! ___

My secret identity:

My superhero name:

Total number of superheroes and superparents coming:

The day of the party, the kids arrived at the park to see these banners, and I had some super music playing on the Ipod to set the mood.  

Clint helped me create these signs for the training stations.

 There were 6 stations they had to complete in order to receive their training completion certificate at the end. The Little Supers received a sticker on their shirt/costume/cape as they completed each task. 1)Fast as Flash-run as fas as Flash does- duh. 2) Web Master- climb across a big web on the playground equipment. 3) Capture the Kryptonite- as the kids were getting their instructions from me, a Bad Guy appeared, dropped some Kryptonite, yelled something about ruining the party, and then disappeared. (I missed this part on the video, but did manage to capture the kids' reaction- priceless.) Kids had to put the Kryptonite into the "Hazardous Waste" container using a teaspoon (you can't touch it with your bare hands!) 4) Magnificent Minds- guess how many pieces of candy are in the jar. The closest guess gets to take the jar home. 5) Leap Buildings in a Single Bound- use teamwork to create a building out of blocks and then take turns jumping over it. 6) Mighty Muscles- lift a VERY heavy weight over your head (pictures from this are going to be our thank you cards).

Super Friends ready for action.

Little Supers awaiting instructions for the training stations.



Too small for training, but still a cute little hero!



Fierce and ready to train.



Mighty Muscles



More Mighty Muscles



Mighty Muscles again.

Leaping buildings in a single bound.

Getting stickers after proving they are as Fast as Flash.

Capturing the Kryptonite.

Training complete! The Little Supers got their certificate (signed by Supernom) and super bubbles...just in case the Bad Guy returned.



Attacking the Bad Guy- he returned just as we were preparing to go eat cake. He said he wanted to steal the cake and spoil all of the birthday fun! Luckily he was ONLY afraid of bubbles. Good thing we had some! 

Best part of the party- Clint came to help haul the Bad Guy to jail, and the kids squeaked, "OFF TO JAIL! OFF TO JAIL!" while following behind them. This is my favorite part in the video. Seriously cute.

Bravo, Little Supers. Bravo.

They deserved this cake after all of that hard work defending it!



What a SUPER day for this little guy!

 

The Little Supers agreed to allow the Bad Guy to come to the party...as long as he didn't try to steal the cake again. Thank you, Jason, for being the perfect Bad Guy! I'm sure the random people at the park were a little leery of the creepy man wearing a costume hiding in the parking lot awaiting his signal to crash the party.

Video footage...we never could have pulled this off without the help of friends and family!

Saturday morning we took the toys to Children's Mercy Hospital. Preston really got a kick out of it. He received a toy there during his stay last summer, so it was only fitting to pay it forward.



Phew! Next year we will be having a small party at home with only a few friends and family. I swear.  

On Top of Spaghetti

A neat freak's worst nightmare for a meal.

Super Boots

Did you know Superman wears rain boots? Me either.

Lots of army crawling and rockin' from Callie lately. She'll be for-real crawling in no time, but I don't think it will make her any faster. She's a quick little squirt! I like the part of this video where she talks to Preston. And the second part with the monitor is from this morning. Thank you, Daylight Savings, for the early morning wake up call. "It's wake up time! It's wake up time! It's wake up time!" He probably said this at least 75 times (no exaggeration) before I finally went up there. I miss the days when we got an extra hour out at the bar as a result of the time change OR an extra hour of sleep! Ahhh, sleep. I miss you.



Halloween 2011

Some nuggets of cuteness in this video...a little long, but worth it. Hope you ate as much candy as I did!  

Sorry for the lack of photos lately. Still haven't bought a new camera, and the phone camera just isn't quite fast enough to get a non-blurry picture of a 3 year old and a 7 month old. Here are a few from the Cider Mill last weekend and playing in the leaves. 

Weekend Fun

The World According To Toddlers

Clint brought a book home tonight that I plan to give to a co-worker who is expecting his first baby soon. I browsed through it was was laughing out loud. The book is called "The World According To Toddlers." It is like the authors were sitting in our house when they wrote it. A few excerpts:

Ten likely causes of a tantrum:

1. You picked out a shirt with buttons.

2. You won't let toddler wear one shamrock sock and nothing else.

3. You put a purple lid on an orange sippy cup.

4. You pushed the garage door opener instead of letting Toddler push it.

5. You put Toddler in car seat.

6. You tried to take Toddler out of car seat.

7. You mentioned the words "car seat".

8. Sibling looked at Toddler's toy.

9. You did not let Toddler buy sixty-one ounce bag of marshmallows.

10. You wouldn't tuck Toddler in for the tenth time.

Potty Training Basics (Tips for Toddlers BY Toddlers)

It is best to remove all clothing before you use the toilet.

Wiping is optional-always.

The ideal times to go to the bathroom are when you and your mom are in a pool, in the car during a traffic jam, when you are about to check out at the grocery store, and when you finally get to the front of a very long line at an amusement park.

You and only you must flush the toilet. EVER.

Beware of public toilets. They will suck you down when you flush.

Note- if you are not ready to poop on the toilet, just poop in your pull-up. Do not announce your intentions to anyone; instead, hide in a corner and crouch behind something, then go to work. If your mom sees you she will just think, "Oh, he is hiding and has a very serious look on his face." SHE WILL NOT GUESS WHAT YOU ARE ACTUALLY DOING.

A Toddler's Ideal Restaurant

Welcome to Toddler Cafe! Let me show you to your table. What? No, no no. There are no chairs here. You simply wander around while you eat. If you'd like to dine naked, that's perfectly fine.

Napkins? I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about.

Our special tonight is fish. Goldfish crackers, to be precise. Personally licked by the chef.

You will find appetizers on the ground.

If you don't like your food, simply open your mouth and let the food fall out on the table.

If you like the look of your neighbor's food, by all means steal it.

May I interest you in juice? Refills are immediate and endless.

Oh, yes: When you are done, let us know by vigorously wiping all the remaining food off your plate and onto the floor. Enjoy your meal!

On opening new toys:

Unless you have a college degree in mechanical engineering, don't expect to open a packaged toy without spilling some blood, testing the bounds of your patience, and exposing your child to some four letter words.

Picture of a dad attempting to open a toy dog while screaming "AAAAAAARGH! F#&*ing puppy! Get the &%* out of this packaging!" as the child smiles, giddy with the excitement of the new toy.

Good stuff. Happy to report that Preston is past SOME of these stages, but not all of them. And I'm SURE Callie will be the perfect toddler. Right?? RIGHT?