Wednesday, April 27, 2011

OOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

It's all fun and games...




Until someone gets their hair pulled out!







Happy Easter! We’ve had a crazy fun month of random nice spring days mixed with cold, stormy days…ironically much like how I would explain living and dealing with a 15 month old and an almost 3 year old!! Their excitement and joy for life is overwhelmingly adorable and their fight for independence and tempers can be just as intense:)

Both of our friends have had spring breaks so it’s been really interesting to see the different dynamics as the group has had some changes over the last couple of weeks. I’ve had a couple days with just Bailey and Grace…wow did they talk my ear off without Brett here! Such girls already!

We made the trip to Ohio for Easter to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Wood. Brett had been looking forward to it for weeks! Everyday he would ask, tomorrow we go to Ohio? I ventured the drive solo with the kids as Rob flew in after work the next day. I had a little anxiety the night before wondering if I had bit off more than I could chew. 7 hours…driving…with 2 kids in the back needing lots of attention…. So we played a game; I set a timer on my phone for 10, 20 or 30 min. If they were ‘good’ when they heard the beep then they got a surprise ‘goodie-bag’. (Ha! Get it? Goodie bag for being good?) In the bag they may find a toy, a book, a coloring book or snacks. Some things were new for them, or it may have been something from home. I couldn’t believe how well they did with it! It really made time pass quickly and kept them entertained. Brett kept asking when his next surprise would be! They only slept for an hour in the car and were up until almost 1 am once we got there, Brett said it was because they were so excited!

Other Brett and Bailey stories:
Grandma Nancy made a cd of songs that she used to play for her little boys. Brett is a HUGE fan of this cd and sings along to each song. One is ‘My little sunshine’, which I used to sing to Brett. When it comes on, he tells me ‘I’m your only sunshine mommy’. Another favorite seems to be ‘Animal crackers in my soup’

One day, I found myself saying ‘Brett, we don’t cut our sisters’. Brett was trying to saw Bailey with one of his Handy Manny tools.

Bailey still LOVES to wake up Brett from naptime. She'll call his name all the way upstairs and now climbs into his bed, sits beside him and rubs his back until he gets up.

Brett has taken an interest in dinosaurs. His favorite is the T-Rex.

Was changing their clothes and Brett announces, ‘Bailey’s belly is a circle, mine is a square!’

Brett plays with his trucks everyday….and everyday he makes the loud, high pitched siren for the firetruck. I asked him if he could make the siren softer….he said, ‘Mommy, it’s SUPPOSED to be loud’

We had a couple weeks of running noses and not feeling well. After a nap, they were both sitting on their Toy Story couch; Brett put his arm around Bailey and played with her hair.

Brett told Bailey during snacktime, ‘Bailey, finish the one in your mouth, THEN I will give you this one’

Bailey loves shutting the dishwasher. I saw her recently ‘hip-checking’ her play kitchen (as mommy does) and saying ‘beep’ to shut her pretend dishwasher.

Brett was holding the crackers during snack...he got to the last one. I saw him hesitate for a second and then he gave the last one to Bailey.

When saying goodnight to Brett, he keeps adding lines to our exchange…now it’s up to
Mommy – ‘Night night Brett, have a good rest’
Brett – ‘night night’
Mommy – ‘I love you’
Brett – ‘I love you too’
(I’m walking down the stairs now….)
Brett – ‘See you later’
Mommy – ‘ok, see you later’
Brett – ‘don’t be sad about me’
Mommy – ‘ok, don’t be sad about me either’
Brett – ‘I love you’ (yes, again)
Mommy – ‘I love you too’ (I’m down stairs)
Brett – ‘ok Bye’
Mommy – ‘bye’

Colin coughed, Brett said ‘Oh COLIN, be careful’

Brett refused to admit he was tired, but did ask if he and Mommy could just lay on the couch and snuggle for a while.

‘We’re going to OHIO, I’m soooo excited!’

Brett opened the back door and put Buzz Lightyear outside. I asked what he was doing. Brett explained he didn’t want to forget to take him to Ohio.

‘Yay! It’s fun!’ In reference to the 6+ hour car ride. I thought that was good.

Bailey stole a package of mini-muffins and put them in her play stove. I found them later…

Since we were not going to see Grandma Nancy or Papa Terry for Easter, Brett made them some Easter cookies and brought them with him on his last Brett/Grandma day. I got an unusual call that afternoon from Grandma saying that she and Brett were having a little debate over lunch. Apparently Brett thought he was supposed to bring the bag of cookies back home. Grandma said she thought he made them for her to enjoy….he says ‘well maybe you guys take 2, and then I take the rest home’. I guess we need to explain further about giving gifts.

Bailey loves to have Daddy sing her the song from the ‘Snuggle Puppy’ book.

Rob said he needed to put a little baby powder on Brett while changing his diaper. Brett says, ‘Maybe we go get big boy powder, this is for Bailey’

Heard a little toot from Brett at the dinner table…we asked him what that was. He said, ‘That wasn’t a fart! It was a baby dinosaur in my butt!’

April Showers and Ohio Easter

Friday, April 1, 2011

March Stories

As the kids are getting bigger, more active and independent, we are all excited for warmer weather to come our way so we can enjoy some refreshing outside air and more room to run! We’ve had an exciting full month of play cafes, grandparents visit, trips to Shedd Aquarium, Kohl’s museum, park, library and Brookfield Zoo! Brett and I always talk about things that are coming up and now he asks ‘where are we going tomorrow?!’.

Brett and Bailey quotes

‘I have boogers in my ears!’

Brett has been more interested in numbers and letters. He’s frequently asking what’s your number (age) or letter (what letter does your name starts with). In discussing the ages of the family, I quizzed Brett and asked him how old mommy is. Without hesitation, he said 48! I said nope, guess again. He would not be swayed…he is certain that I am 48.

Bailey requests Daddy to sing songs after dinner. If he starts with the wrong song, she will say ‘no, no, no’ until he sings the one she wants.

I was thanking Brett for being patient and keeping Bailey company while I had to get our stuff together. He said ‘No thank YOU Mommy’

Bailey loves playing dolls, having a tea parties and baking cupcakes…and then she entertains herself for 20 minutes throwing a ball.

Brett came downstairs one morning with his Blackhawks jersey and hockey stick ready to play! He asked where Bailey’s hockey stick was…and then said we needed to get her a pink one.

Bailey finally has a little hair on top of her head, enough to give her a single pig-tail. I told Brett, ‘Look Bailey has a pig-tail.’ He said, ‘Bailey, say oink oink!’

Brett was pushing all sorts of buttons one morning. So I stopped for a second and took a breath. He said ‘Are you happy mommy?’ I said, ‘Yes, but I don’t like it when you talk back to me.’ He said ‘Ok, mommy I won’t talk forwards OR backwards to you!’

Bailey pointed to one of Rob’s tattoos and called them blocks.

Brett was following one of the kids for a toy he wanted. I said kind of without thinking, ‘Brett no stalking’. He said, ‘yes, I like stalking’

I got a little worried yesterday when I was changing Brett's diaper, I noticed something on his foot and it looked like it was bleeding. I asked him what happened and if his foot hurt but I couldn't get a straight answer. As I'm trying to look, he's kicking and flailing about. I couldn’t tell if it was a cut and there was a flap of skin hanging off or maybe somehow he stepped on a piece of glass…and then it fell off. It was a strawberry nutrigrain crumb.

Bailey continues to tease her daddy. Now it’s by grabbing his hand and biting his finger. She laughs hysterically when he says ouch!

Brett is being coming quite curious about things...at the zoo, Brett asked how dolphins sleep? Great question, Grandma Nancy and I were not sure. Grandma had to look it up and got back to him.

I vividly remember my dad telling me when I was younger to stop procrastinating when I was supposed to be going to bed. I remember thinking; I have no idea what procrastinating means! Now I feel his pain. Brett all of the sudden has sooo many questions to answer when saying goodnight. One time in particular, I kept trying to nicely cut him off and tell him it was time to go to sleep. I start down the stairs and he yells ‘WAIT MOMMY!’ I was so annoyed because I just put the girls down as well and I couldn’t believe he was yelling. Then he says, ‘I want to say I love you’

March 2011

Wow, has it really been almost 2 years since I’ve updated the Harman blog?! Rob has been not so subtly dropping hints that I have neglected ...