Dinosaurs and baby legs. . .what?

Ewan is obsessed with dinosaurs. And, by obsessed, I mean he plays with them constantly and knows the names of each of his dinosaurs (ie, pachycephalosaurus, allosaurus, brachiosaurus, triceratops, t-rex, metriacanthasaurus, velociraptor, apatosaurus. . .). Seriously. He also loves to run around roaring at the top his lungs after which he tells me he is a t-rex. Yikes.

I love baby legs. There is something incredibly endearing about my sweet little baby in legwarmers. Yes. I said legwarmers. On my son. Honestly, don't knock it until you try it- he stays warm, can move around easily and diaper changes are a breeze (meaning, I have one less piece of clothing to worry about taking on/off as he flips and twists whilst covered in poo). They are also great for days out in the frigid weather (which are limited as I tend to become a hermit in the winter months). Of course, Denny wasn't too thrilled. I believe his exact words were, "Why is my son dressed like a girl?" To which I replied, but they are blue!!! And sooo cute!! He wasn't impressed. Anywho, I love them and will continue to dress my little guy in them despite the strange looks I receive from family and friends.

Christmas Outfits. . . in January

Since our entire family was sick over Christmas and New Year's, the boys did not get to wear their Christmas outfits until we were well into January. . .but I insisted. . .and then I really pushed by taking pictures. Needless to say, Ewan was not too thrilled about it for some reason (being two and a half can be so hard sometimes)- but at least I captured the memory.

Ewan is saying, "But I don't waaaaaannnt too" (imagine a very long drawn out whine that literally makes me want to pull my hair out!)Liam-"come on big bro, smile!!!" Ewan is is just not having it!

Christmas!

Christmas was one to remember in our household. . .both the boys and Denny had the stomach flu- yuck! Thankfully, the boys were on the upswing by Christmas, but Denny was truly down for the count, which was a real bummer for him. We took lots of pics (thanks to my new digital camera- thanks darling!!) and truly did enjoy ourselves. We even had a pseudo-white Christmas as we celebrated with Denny's parents on New Year's Eve Day and it snowed!!! Although, we had to cancel all the festivities we were going to and we missed seeing all of our family, it was really nice to spend Christmas at home, just the four of us. Ewan loved leaving cookies and milk for Santa and a carrot for the reindeer- he was quite impressed when they were all gone on Christmas morning! Liam started crawling all over 2 days after Christmas which was really fun- I think all the new toys motivated him!!

Gingerbread

We decorated a gingerbread house this year and Ewan really had a blast. . . well, after I finally relaxed and stopped nagging him to stop eating all the candy- I mean, really, what kind of mother expects her 2 year old to prefer decorating the gingerbread house with candy to actually eating the candy!!! Sheesh!! Anyway, we started this tradition last year with a gingerbread tree- I am amazed at the changes that take place in one year!!

Gingerbread tree 2008

Gingerbread House 2009- um, he is "smiling"

Remember me???

Well, December has proven to be a very busy month in our home. Let's see, lots to update, Liam got his first tooth, is sitting up unsupported (still put the boppy behind him as he occasionally falls back), started transitioning from sitting to tummy and back, and even started crawling!!!! Liam is also eating primarily finger foods-already (we're talking meatloaf, bread, green beans, peas, cheerios, pancakes!!) and takes 2-3 naps a day. He basically sleeps through the night, although, recently he has been waking around 4:30-5 am for a feeding and then goes right back to sleep until 7:30-8 am. He loves our playdates with his cousins, Blake and Mia Claire- he just adores little Mia Claire and is fascinated by all the playing Blake and Ewan do!! He also loves to nap in either Mia Claire's or Blake's crib!! He simply adores his big brother and only Ewan can get Liam to laugh uncontrollably- it is soooo cute!!

Ewan, Denny and I were all sick with a nasty cold in the beginning of December and then Liam, Ewan and Denny all had the stomach flu over Christmas!!! Let's just say it was an unforgettable Christmas!!

Ewan is just getting to be such a big boy- he is in a "big boy bed" that daddy made for him. he took right to the bed and sleeps great in it. He is also potty trained during the day and we have started working on overnight- and he is doing great!! He loves to boss around his little brother and is not quite sure what to do now that Liam is mobile and getting into all of his favorite toys!! He is trying very hard to share and just adores little Liam- every day he spends "quality" time with Liam, hugging and kissing him and showing him toys (especially the toys that aren't Ewan's favorites!) Ewan loves trains with tracks, trucks, cars and dinosaurs. Oh, and fireman- every day he tells me he is a fireman or that he wants to be a fireman!!! He also loves to sing and can sing the entire first verse of "Away in a Manger". He loves to listen to music "about when Jesus was born" and continues to develop his joy of books. He is beginning to learn how to dress himself, although this is definitely NOT one of his favorite things to do. He has a great time during play dates with Blake and even got to go to tumbling class with Blake- which he LOVED!!! He is still a great sleeper- although he is more frequently playing when he should be sleeping during afternoon nap time- which is making me wonder if this nap may be nearing it's end- I REALLY hope not!!! Ewan also got to decorate a gingerbread house, play in the snow and leave cookies and milk out for Santa!! He was very much into Christmas this year, despite all the illnesses!

Much more to come in the way of posts as we have taken lots of pics during our very busy month!!!

Bye Bye Binks. . .

Ewan has had a pacifier, "binks", since he was 5 weeks old and last week, it was time to say goodbye. We began the process a few months ago, deciding that once all his binkies broke (3 total), it would be time to be all done. We explained to Ewan that once his binks broke (as he would bite holes in them), then it was time to throw it out so the trash man could pick it up and take care of it for him (he has a slight obsession with trash trucks!). So, last week, the last binky broke and Ewan had a very difficult time saying goodbye. It also coincided with him getting sick (of course!), which made it ever more difficult for the little guy to part with his precious binks. As I walked him over to the trash can, he bravely held my hand, opened the lid, placed binks in the can and said "bye bye binks" in the sweetest voice and then looked up at me with his arms outstretched and just began to cry and cry the saddest cry I have ever heard. I truly felt for my sweet boy as I held him tightly, realizing that we were letting go of something that comforted and soothed him since he was a tiny newborn. The next few days were quite difficult for Ewan as he learned to fall asleep without his binks, but, thankfully, with a longer bedtime/naptime routine and lots of extra snuggling he has done a great job making the transition. And, I have to admit, it was kinda hard for me to say goodbye to that stinky binky as well. . .

I just love these boys. . .

I'm so thankful for. . .

May 13, 2009 Liam Dennis July 6, 2007 Ewan Wesley

Apple picking

We ventured out for apple picking near the end of September at a beautiful farm in the middle of nowhere on a gorgeous fall day! Katie, Mia, Blake, Ewan, Liam (I forgot to get pics of the little guy!!) myself and Grammy all gathered together for a fun morning sure to bring with it lots of memories! The boys really enjoyed being outside and thought eating the apples they picked was quite fun!! Ewan learned all about where apples come from and that mommy can make some pretty good foods with apples (applesauce and apple crisp- mmmmmm!!). Katie was so brave as this was her first "outing" with both kids- always an "interesting" experience (I remember my first time out with both!!) and we were sooooo glad to spend time with her again!!!



REACH!!!!Yummy!!



You got it Blake!!Sweet Mia Claire- there is nothing like a newborn!!!!!

THE MOLE- view at your own discretion. . .

WARNING: These are yucky mole pics- view at your own discretion. . .

A few weeks ago we had an unwelcome visitor in our basement and I decided that I needed to get rid of it- Denny was at work, the boys were asleep and I was freaking out after I saw the little guy in a corner of our basement:Yes, there was screaming and running and, yes, the cats slept peacefully through it all and made no attempt to "take care of" the creature. Of course, there was the frantic call to Denny followed by a pic message asking if the little creature was, indeed, a mole, or, gasp, something worse!!! And, yes, my husband thought I was being ridiculous and reminded me that I am the mother of two boys and I better get used to little creatures roaming around the house. Which, of course, just thrilled me to pieces. But, I decided he was correct and that I better jump right and get that little mole out of the house all by myself.

Amazing what you can do with a broken splatter guard and a deep bucket (it had to be deep, I reasoned, so the little mole would be too far away to jump up and attack me. . .). As I gently nudged the little guy toward the bucket (with breaks between each nudge to run and scream), I couldn't get the picture out of my head of all the cute little moles in Ewan's books, so, once safely in the bucket, I took him outside and deposited the little guy in the hedgerow. So, here he (or maybe she?) is- in the bucket prior to being freed from our home, hopefully, never to return again!!!

And just because I think my boys are so cute, here is another sweet pic of them:

Life has been busy and the blog was the first to go!

So things have been busy with 2 to care for these days- I am not sure where all the time has gone and unfortunately, the blog has been neglected! But, I have been taking lots of pics, so I will try to update with lots of posts this week! We've had a month chock full of potty training, mole chasing (yes, i did say mole!!), apple picking, painting, MOPS, Liam loving, animal learning and cotton candy tasting fun that I cannot wait to blog about!! But, first, here are a few pics of the boys that I just love!! More to come later!!

More cuteness

I recently took the boys to the park to enjoy the amazing weather and some time outdoors. Ewan had a blast checking out the ducks and geese and Liam just smiled and smiled as he experienced new sites, sounds and smells. Living a block away from a great park is really nice, especially with a 3 1/2 month old who needs lots of naps- it is so easy to just nurse him and then literally walk over to the park and get home in time for his next nap!!

Some pictures with the family. . . and JACK!!

Here are some more recent pictures of the boys and some of our family, as well as a random pic of my nephew Jack being, well. . .JACK!!! Ewan absolutely adores Jack and gets so excited when he knows he is going to see him. Aunt Jen recently sent a video through her phone of Jack doing a flying flip in a pool (yes, he's FIVE!!!) and Ewan wants to watch it over and over and over and over. . .!! He was cracking up at the pool the other night watching Jack dive and jump! And, of course, Ewan loves all the attention sweet Olivia gives him- she is such a loving cousin!!

Ewan and Liam hangin outSo cute- I just love his chunky little cheeks!

Great pic of Liv, Jack and Liam
Grampy and Liam
JACK (and his daddy)!!!

Pool days

Thanks David, Jen, Liv, Jack, Stephen, Katie and Blake for inviting us to the Qtown pool!!! Ewan is really beginning to develop a love of pools and water as we take him to pools all over town!! He's also been to a little baby pool in our town a couple times and today he just had a blast!! The Qtown pool was a big hit- check out Katie's blog to see how much fun they had the first time there! We're hoping to hit the Qtown pool tonight if the rain holds off- the baby pool is just awesome there and I so love watching my little guy turn his cautious little steps into brave fun loving jumps!!!

At the Qtown pool

At the baby pool in our town (I'm thinking of you, Tara!!)

Brave boy

More pics taken with my cell as that is all I had at this fun moment for Ewan. Ewan tends to be quite the "cautious" little boy, so attempting the steps by himself without any prompting was quite the shocker!! We were in the basement playing (well, I was doing laundry and Ewan was getting into all of daddy's stuff) and I turned around for just a second and the next thing I knew, he had climbed up the steps to the landing and was walking down ALL BY HIMSELF!!!! (with NO railing!!) Ewan was so proud of himself so I had to get some quick pics of his big moment!! Now, he will also use the rail (this makes mommy feel MUCH better!) and wants to go down the last 3 steps of our flight from the 2nd floor ALL BY HIMSELF!! I'm so proud of you, honey- GREAT JOB!!!!!