In Deep Thought

We have often joked that Harper should be Uncle Tyler's baby. She loves to be bounced and patted and basically requires us to keep her moving at all times. Tyler is one of those people who constantly moves. He is always shaking/bouncing his legs (to the point that the entire dinner table shakes at family dinners). Harper couldn't take her eyes off of her uncle as he held her. She was in deep thought. It was as if Harper found her perfect match this weekend...

she even cracked a smile for him!!!

Snacks

This isn't the best picture, but I took it to remind myself that I wanted to blog about Baron's strange appetite. He is hugging his favorite snack which is known as "surprise." About 5 months ago (right after Harper's arrival) I was trying to bribe Baron and turned to a "surprise" snack. The cupboards were fairly empty, but I had to keep my promise so I opened my baking supply cupboard and spotted candied ginger. I figured one piece would cure him and distract him from whatever he was doing. Boy was I wrong! Baron LOVES to eat candied ginger. We have to buy it in bulk. He still calls it "surprise." In addition to candied ginger, he also eats an insane amount of garlic (whole cloves of garlic once at Grandma Weber's house). Crazy kid!

Work Clothes

I stepped out of the shower this morning and heard the boys outside. This was the view out of my bathroom window:
BUSTED - Baron saw me. He then proceeded to tell me he was wearing his "work clothes." Nothing makes Baron more excited than being with his daddy "working." Nate told me it is more like snack time for Baron because he helps himself to things in our our pantry in the garage while Nate works!

Apple Cup

I would like to say that the kids were sitting on the couch and cheering for the cougars, but they were actually sitting there watching the dog get his toenails clipped. Unfortunately we don't get the channel that the game was on so we were listening on the radio. GO COUGS!

Zoo Lights

We bundled up the kids tonight and took them to Zoo lights. Nate had Harper in the Bjorn and I had Baron in the single stroller (which used to feel big, but now that I haul the double BOB Stroller around the single feels tiny!). I'm not sure why we even bothered with a stroller at all. Baron is getting so good at holding hands while walking and he has enough energy to go a fair distance. Although Baron enjoyed all the lights, I think the highlight of the evening was seeing the elephants close up and without a crowd. Baron LOVES elephants. We watched the baby elephant and mommy elephant eat and hang out. We also watched the dad roam around their outside habitat. Baron would have watched them all night until he heard a band playing. Then we were on a mission to find the music!

We found the music. It was a high school band playing Christmas songs and they did a fantastic job. We also found this train to take a couple of pictures in front of. Too bad we didn't ask someone to take a picture of all four of us.

Once we were home, we had a warm dinner and laughed about the fact that I wanted the kids in their cute holiday outfits. No one saw what they were wearing under all the coats, hats and mittens! So we took a couple of pictures in front of the tree.

Zoo Lights will probably continue to be part of our holiday traditions for many years to come.

Baby Wearing

I think one of the best parts about Baron becoming a big brother is that he has found his "paternal instinct."

Laid Back

This is how Harper sits in her Bumbo. She throws one arm back and kind of leans. She watches every step her brother takes and if he is napping she will watch Gus. She also prefers this chair when she has business to take care of (in other words her brother isn't the only one who confuses this chair for a potty).
I can't help but laugh everytime I post a picture of her. She really does smile - I promise!

I love her cheeks!

Objects of Obsession

Baron was weened from his final night time bottle about 2 months age. I was surprised at how easy it was. Just as fast as my "yeah us!" confidence built up, it was quickly diminished when Baron started missing the beloved "ba-ba." He decided to replace it (on his own). He now has a new obsession or should I say obsessions which include:

• The Cat in the Hat stuffed animal referred to as "Hat"
• A stuffed animal dog
• His blanket (known around here as "Ga-key")
• A small blanket for "Hat" (aka Hat's Ga-key)
• His "Pa-see-see"

The other day I went in to get him out of the crib after nap and he was holding everything. He doesn't want these objects to leave his sight. Perhaps out of fear that they will disapear like the bottle. He must know that my next plan is to banish the "Pa-see-see."

Oh Boy!

No, he isn't jealous of his sister at all!

Happy Thanksgiving

We spent Thanksgiving in Quincy this year. It was a great day filled with family and food and fun. How can it not be fun with 4 little ones running the schedule?!! I will say that big events and holidays are not picture perfect....my toddler does not always want to sit still and eat and my baby still needs me, but only when it is convenient for her (aka - as soon as mommy settles down her brother and then sits to have dinner herself). I am letting go of expectations and just going with the flow until they are older. Here are a few pictures from the holiday.

Baron and Clinton helping Grandma make mashed potatoes. The boys were given awesome safety stands so they can help in the kitchen. We use our daily!


This silly little boy decided to show us how he can still use the excersaucer!
It impressed his cousins and they joined in the yelling, bouncing and shaking!
Then Baron gave it a try. He is a little too tall for this. My main concern is that no one helped him get into it. I wonder how many times this will happen in our home? The good news is that he can't get out on his own :)

The next morning, Harper decided to give it a try. She was less than impressed. Apparently the boys are easily amused.
Baron helped feed Caleb his breakfast. I am not sure which one of them is having more fun (or maybe Grandma is having the most fun). This is another moment where I see a glimpse into my near future.
Caleb did not seem to mind who was feeding him. He just wanted to eat!
Later in the day we went out to play in the snow. It was cold and the snow was dry so we weren't able to make a snowman. Baron lasted about 10 minutes and then he was ready to go back inside. While Baron, Nathan and I were outside in the snow, Harper was inside wrapping her Grandpa around her finger!

Family Day

Nathan had the day off today so we took advantage of it. Baron loves to go to the pool, but with 2 little ones I can't do it without him or a childless friend. The boys had a blast in the water while Harper and I watched and snapped a few pictures.

15 (and a half) Weeks

Oh Miss Harper - won't you please smile for the camera? You are growing so quickly. Today you moved into 6 month size clothing (this is partially due to the cloth diapers we use). You are starting to drool so I also pulled out the bibs. If it were up to you, you would not wear bibs or clothes! You love to be naked and squirm around on your changing pad or play mats. In fact, if you are gumpy we just pull off your clothes and it seems to solve all problems! Your brother loves to yell "NAKED!" Despite what the pictures show, you love to smile and talk. However, you are a very serious baby. You turn your head to watch your brother run around. I can tell you are taking notes. We joke that you have a list of all the things your brother has done to you and eventually you will get even. My favorite thing to say to you is "did you put that on your list, Harper?" It usually makes you smile - a guilty little smile like you know exactly what I mean.
You are a great sleeper. We moved you into your crib in your room on the Friday before Halloween (Oct. 29th) and you have been there ever since. I was sad to move you out of our room, but you have been sleeping through the night for awhile so it was time.
While Grandma was here on Halloween, she was pretty sure she made you giggle for the first time. I think she did, but I am not calling it a first until I hear it for sure!!

November...really?!

The weather today felt like late September. It was warm and dry so after nap we headed directly outside to the back yard. Harper napped and played in her swing outside while Baron played in the mud. I mowed the lawn and Nate cleaned up leaves. It felt so good to be outside in the fresh air! As the sun went down, it became a cool, crisp fall evening - my favorite!

Emotions

Life is not perfect or easy with two young children. This afternoon proved to be exceptionally difficult. I was doing the best I could, but for some reason they were just feeding off each other and the crying continued...so I did what any mom (who was near tears herself) would do...snapped a picture of it to show them when they are older!

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween. On Friday, Nate and I took the kids alone to the Oregon City business trick-or-treat downtown. It was completely overwhelming for Baron. Baron had been practicing Trick-or-Treating for about a week and was prepared for that part of it, but he was not prepared for all the weird people walking around in costumes (neither were his parents!). We figure it was a good way to get Baron "warmed up."
On Sunday (the actual date of Halloween) we went to a nearby city for their festival which is designed for young children and it was much more fun! The Trick-or-Treating was "self-serve" and only has about 15 places to get candy. There was also a puppet show, fire truck and police car for other options of entertainment. It was perfect and we enjoyed every minute of it!
Here is Baron getting ready in the parking lot. The wide hips on his Elephant costume did not fit in his carseat (actually it just wasn't safe, but we told him they didn't fit).

He was stunned at first - buckets full of candy and his parents were telling him it was okay to reach in and grab some!

It didn't take long for him to get the hang of it. I was surprised that Baron (and most other children) were only taking 1 piece per bucket. Baron was also picking candy that I let him eat (like Smarties) even though there were much better selections in the bucket.

Once he had visited all the buckets he wanted to go back, but we told him he already had enough candy. He started to examine it...

and then decided to sit about 5 feet away from the Trick-or-Treating to start eating it. This picture cracked me up because he was really unsure about the toothbrush that made it into his bucket!

Looking for approval...

Our little Elephant and Pumpkin!

The Family.

The kids with Grandma and Grandpa.

Watching the puppet show with Grandpa. This was Baron's favorite part of the day. When it was over, he was sad! He kept saying "more please, more please, MORE PLEASE!" Finally we had to explain that the puppets had to go home and take naps.

Waiting in line for his sticker from the fireman. He didn't want to climb in the fire truck.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for celebrating with us (2nd year in a row) and holding Baron during the entire puppet show!

The Magic of Velcro

Both sets of grandparents gave Baron toys for his play kitchen for Halloween. I found it interesting that both sets of toys had velcro on them. One of them is an adorable cookie baking set. The cookies use velcro to stick to the cookie sheet and the frosting uses velro to stick to the cookies. The other toy set is a bunch of veggies and fruit that are cut in half. The velcro holds them together and it came with a knife and cutting board. Baron has been making alot of salads and fruit salads for me lately! The best part of all this velcro? It keeps all the pieces together when I clean up! My mind is spinning...what else can I put velcro on?

This was too sweet to leave out. Harper would much rather sleep in arms during the day than a crib. She doesn't want to miss anything - especially when we have company!

Halloween Cookies - A Flip Book

I decided to post all of the pictures from our cookie making night. The expressions on Baron's face tell the entire story. Enjoy!