First Pool Swim of the Season

Six years ago, I purchased an Intex "pool in a box" kit from Wal*Mart.  It was a 48 inch deep pool shaped in a big 18 foot circle.  The air inflated ring around the top would pull the walls up when water was added, leaving us with a big blue bowl in the backyard.  It cost us almost as much to get a delivery of pool water from a truck as the actual pool kit itself.  Fast forward, and the pool is still holding water.  We have had to replace the pump, the ladder, the vacuum hose and the skimmer over the years, but I still can't complain.

Tonight was our first family swim of the season.  I did a hasty vacuum and then we all piled in for some relief from the 90 degree weather.  Garrett is very confident in his puddle jumper pool float.  He was able to swim around for several minutes independently with us just hanging close to make sure his face stays above water.  Very impressive for a 21 month old.  Gabriel chose to sit on top of the large sea turtle float and paddle around instead of getting into the water.  We definitely love our Puddle Jumper Life Jackets.  We have the green crab and the blue turtle.  The boys seem so proud when they can swim around on their own.  And all the kicking and splashing tires them right out!  The boys went to bed without much protest tonight after swimming.  And Garrett even peed on the potty!

Garrett and Gabriel love their Puddle Jumper

Gabriel was excited by the new covering of snow from the past two days of stormy weather. He talked about sledding on the way to school and wanted to know if we could go sliding on a "stay home day." We haven't had a chance to play as a family in the yard since our last big snow event on Halloween weekend. Considering the freezing rain and sleet predicted for overnight and tomorrow, I suspect we will have no snow left this weekend. So when we got home from work/school tonight, we made a quick dinner of leftovers, and then went outside for some night sledding before the rain comes. Michael dragged his work light from the basement and lighted the little slope on the far side of the yard. Gabriel used the new Christmas sled from Nana and Papa, and Garrett used the purple hand-me-down purple sled from cousin Maya. Both boys enjoyed cruising down the slope. Garrett had no hesitation getting into a sled with Daddy and Gabriel, or by himself. He would shriek delightedly going down the hill. The cold air and the walking up the hill worked wonders at bedtime. Both boys never made a peep after we put them in their beds.

The Boys are Roommates

I pulled Gabriel's old Christmas jammies out of a storage bin and passed them down to Garrett tonight. Glad they will get another round of wear.

The boys have now both been sleeping in the same room for more than a week. They are going to bed at the same time, and most nights they are quickly settling down and falling asleep. Gabriel tends to awake and cry out in the late evening and Garrett usually stirs in the early morning, and would go back to sleep if we snuggled him. But the last two nights, they both even slept until wake up time with no stirring through the night. It only took 14 and a half months to get to this point.

Garrett's Greeting Turns Sad

One of the highlights of my work day is when I go to pick up the boys from their day care center. I usually gather up Garrett first, and I get a huge greeting from him. When Garrett first sees me, he gives a big smile, makes a guttural laugh, and comes charging me with his arms stretched out. He hugs me and grabs at the hair at the back of my neck with his little hands in a loving gesture. Over the past few pick ups, this lovely greeting then turns immediately to a "throw himself on the floor and cry and out" demonstration. I wonder exactly what he is saying. "I love you, Mom!" Quickly followed by him trying to tell me how hard it is to switch from two naps to one a day, or how exhausted he is from toddling all day. His sadness is usually short lived and I assume has more to do with Garrett exerting some of his own independent feelings.

Finished Knitting project!!!

I am sad to say I started these socks in April 2009.  I just don't get to knit much now that I have beautiful children.  These brown bamboo socks are now finished and way too small for the original recipient, Gabriel.   But they fit Garrett just right.

Candy Corn Inspired Cupcake

Feeling Halloween festive today and whipped up these cupcakes.

Gabriel's First Dental Cleaning

Gabriel has visited the pediatric dentist a few times now, but this morning was his first attempt at an actual tooth cleaning.  Gabriel brought his listening ears and did great.   His teeth are all sparkling clean!  A little decay on a top right molar that we need to watch.  And his knocked in front tooth is still trying to decend.  It's crooked but not discolored, so I am keeping my fingers crossed.  Gabriel picked a new pink toothbrush, got some kid toothpaste and he chose a red dragonfly for a prize.  The hygienist said that Gabriel should receive a special reward envelope in the mail for giving up his paci last March.

Swapping Footwear

Inspired by the upcoming clothing swap at the boys' daycare and the change of season, I went through all of the boys shoes and the storage bag of shoes not in circulation.  I pulled out things that no longer fit to store them away, handed some of Gabriel's shoes down to Garrett, and made a list of essential footwear items we need to get for Gabriel.  Gabriel hated these slippers in the photo when he was young enough to wear them.  Now that they have been passed down to Garrett,  he wants his own pair of "bear feet."  At one point he thought he might like dinosaur feet. He keeps cramming his feet in them hoping his feet will fit.

Mountain Dew Cupcakes

Mountain Dew cupcakes with lemon frosting and a Mountain Dew reduction for Gabriel's teacher assistant's birthday tomorrow.   These should NOT be shared with the children at the day care.  I am not responsible for caffeine overload.

Breakwater Beach Cape Cod

#36 Watches Shaun of the Sheep

#36 came out of the bedroom as a special to watch Shaun of the Sheep with us in the living room before bedtime.

Salt Marsh

The boys overlooking a saltmarsh close to coast guard beach cape cod

Happy Grandparents Day to Nana and Papa

We LOVE Lowe's!

More specifically, we LOVE the "blue carts" and lawnmowers at Lowe's.  The boys can share a cart successfully right now.  Gabriel likes to hug and kiss Garrett down the aisles.   I realize this won't last, but it's adorable right now.

Garrett is 11 Months Old Now

Garrett turned 11 months old today. I am saddened that his first birthday is coming around the corner so quickly. And once he turns one, I think technically I need to start calling him my toddler. It just doesn't seem possible that this handsome and chipper little guy has already been with us nearly a year.

Garrett can stand for several moments at a time now all on his own, not holding on to anything to stabilize himself. He seems to be enjoying his new skill since it frees up both of his hands to grab things. Garrett has been enjoying standing by the fridge and playing with the Leap Frog magnetic toys we have stuck on it. And he certainly loves his crawling mobility since he can get to what he wants fast. At school, Garrett is a fan of the climbing structure in his class room where he goes up the stairs and slides down the ramp, and just hangs out holding on to the railings.

There are now two bottom teeth in Garrett's mouth and three teeth poked through on the top- and I am quite certain I can feel a sixth trying to pop through. Garrett has gotten his teeth sooner than his big brother did, and I have concluded that this is why Garrett seems to be mouthier. Anything is game to go in Garrett's mouth. Garrett also dove right into table food much faster, seeming to enjoy the chunks and real table food taste.

Garrett has been saying "up" for a while now, which was Gabriel's first word too. We have also heard Garrett regularly use Elleigh's name, and he calls me Mama. Garrett and I have a set of tones that we share when we are happy and content, and Garrett seems to initiate them at appropriate mood times.

The boys are having longer and longer spurts where they play together with the same toys, and it is clear they are going to be good friends. Gabriel relishes his role as big brother and he is very nurturing towards Garrett.

At this point, there are still flecks of blue in Garrett's eyes so I am wondering if he is going to have hazel eyes in the end. His hair is so soft at this point since it is starting to thicken up and grow, but he's still not ready for a first hair cut.

Appleview Orchard

We found a little gem right up the road from our house tonight. We went to Appleview Orchard for ice cream. We decided to go there last minute rather than the super popular ice cream place down in Chichester. We were close to bedtime and wanted to make a quick trip. What we found at Appleview Orchard was good ice cream and FUN! There is a wrap around deck that faces the sunset, loaded with rocking chairs and benches for leisurely sitting around and eating ice cream. The barn's kitty came to visit us while we ate. After finishing up our cones, we then visited the free attractions. They had a toddler sized bouncy house set up, but Gabriel did not want to try it. Gabriel enjoyed looking at the farm equipment and tractors, and climbing and sliding on the playground structure. They had a little play house and Garrett had fun in the sandbox. Before we left, we thanked the bunnies and the goats for having us over for ice cream and said "night, night" to them. We will certainly be making ourselves regulars this summer and fall. Our quick trip for ice cream didn't turn out to be quite so quick.

Garret,s First Swing Ride

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Gabriel's Ponies

Occasionally when I pick Gabriel up from The Learning Center, he will be sporting a stylish hair do. The teachers tell me that often when they do the girls' hair, Gabriel will ask for pony tails too. I don't mind if I'm not trying to go anywhere special on the way home. Daddy makes them masculine by calling them horns.

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Happy Valentine's Day!!!

We had a good Valentine's Day! I gave the boys their Valentine's Day gifts yesterday. The little guys got conversational heart candies and each got a new video. Garrett got an I Love Airplanes video and Gabriel got a John Deere construction vehicle video. Oh, and each got a copy of an Elmo Valentine's Day board book. I made cut out heart shaped sugar cookies on Sunday afternoon and then put cookie icing on them last night. It was nice to do something creative. I sent a plate to Garrett's school and a container to Gabriel's, and then saved the cutest ones to eat at home. The boys enjoyed opening their cards from their grandparents. Gabriel brought home a heart made out of paper plates with little valentines inside from his schoolmates. And today I got a dozen red roses delivered at work.

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Happy Valentine's Day

I made cut out sugar cookies yesterday and then decorated them with cookie icing and sprinkles. I like to use the cookie icing because it seems to be sturdier for transport. Not to mention it's a lot easier to make decorative details with cookie icing verses traditional frosting.

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