On to 2011...

Well we only have a little bit to cover….just snow days, museums, multiple Christmases, a trip to Ohio AND Bailey’s 1st Birthday, a.k.a New Year’s Day. So I’m slacking a little bit on updating but in my defense it’s been a tad busy and efforts to complete tasks are typically interrupted by needing to feed someone, change someone, defuse fits or referee fights.

We had three family Christmases and it really is a lot of fun with the kids this age. Brett’s still not sure about the whole Santa story. He was quite confused Christmas Day when Santa was not coming through the front door for us to fix his sleigh as he did in a Handy Manny show. That, added to confusing new baby cousin Eli with baby Jesus, he was just excited to get presents and to of course help Bailey open hers.

Since Grace and Colin’s moms are both teachers, we all had a holiday break. They both came back looking bigger and more mature. Grace is trying to climb things everywhere and is starting to talk a ton. She’s quite versatile, which is nice, as she plays football and trucks with Brett and then dolls and kitchen with Bailey. Grace and Bailey are still the little mamas with Colin, they are insistent about rocking him when he is in his carseat, finding his socks when he throws them and holding his bottle. The girls are great about going upstairs to nap; they waddle to the stairs, crawl up, give hugs, say 'night night' and go to their rooms. It’s really cute and actually so much easier than when I was trying to carry them both at the same time! Colin is starting to make his move! Just in the last week, he’s been scooting across the floor when he wants something, but he seems more interested in going straight to walking then working too hard at crawling. Can you imagine 4 little people going in different directions? It’s about to get crazy!

The phrase ‘No thank you’ is highly used in our house…as we are trying to teach Brett to be polite when responding to people. It also has been a useful substitution in my attempt to not yell NO as I’m enticed to frequently throughout the day …as in ‘No thank you, I would not like for you hit your sister.’ ‘No thank you, I don’t think you should hammer the windows’. ‘No thank you Bailey, your screaming is actually piercing my eardrums.’ Brett has picked up on it and can be heard saying ‘No thank you daddy, I don’t want to share my food.’

Bailey is talking up a storm. I am so fortunate to be able to stay home with them and I catch new words everyday. Some of her new ones include; mamaw, papa, banana, sssssit down, book and our favorite luv ew. She loves being upside down and if you are not paying attention, she will say bye bye and throw herself back when you are holding her.

A little Ohio Grandparent Love:
Brett and I were talking about how he was going to ride a train the next day with Daddy. He said he was going to see Grandma and Papa. I told him that they live a little further away and we would have to plan a visit soon. He said, ‘Oh no, they live too far away! I miss them so much!’ Bailey recently has shown a lot of interest in a little photo album that we made for Brett when he was a baby. Bailey keeps going back and forth through the pages and then points, saying ‘Mamaw and Papa’.

Other Brett/Bailey quotes and short stories:
Daddy and Brett leave to go pick up some food. Bailey cries at the door, brings me her shoes and points out the window.

Bailey is just shy of reaching the books off the shelf. She’ll look to you to get something and adamantly repeats ‘book book book’ until you pick the one she wants.

Bailey thinks any words that start with ‘s’ or ‘z’ are funny.

Rob and I were fortunate and blessed to have an adults only night out while in Ohio. When we came back, Brett said “you weren’t home, went bye bye….I was SO worried!”

Brett told us he wasn’t playing with his trains because they were back at their station taking a nap.

Bailey is the becoming the little family comedian! She is constantly doing something and then dying laughing.

Asked Brett about 6 times to help clean up the toys before naptime. After the 7th time, he exclaimed in annoyance, ‘OK, stop asking me!’ I was thinking (as a mother), if you would just do it the first time…

Bailey loves to tease, especially Daddy. He will ask for a kiss, she will come over puckering up, saying mmmmm and just before she gets to him she will turn around and run away chuckling.

Brett is such a boy; he is currently saying ‘booger’ and then laughing hysterically.

Brett screeches loudly out of no where. Rob says ‘WHAT was that?’. Brett said “not ME!’

Bailey LOVES getting Brett up from his nap. If I tell her we have to go get Brett she laughs and says Brett Brett all the way upstairs.

Brett was walking around saying B-R-E-T-T. Rob said ‘Whoa who’s such a smart boy?’ Brett yelled, ‘I is!’ So a little to work on…

Getting out of the car, Brett says, ‘I love my sister, Yay Bailey!’…immediately following he said, ‘I’m going to hammer in the windows’. What?!

Bailey snuggles now on command. It’s awesome.

Brett sees chex mix on the counter and he asked for some. I told him he would have to wait until dinner time. He said, ‘but it would make me HAPPY!’

You can almost always cheer up Bailey with singing Itsy Bitsy Spider.

Driving in the car, Brett loves to look for the moon. The other night he said ‘Look the moon! It’s circle Mommy. I’m Buzzlightyear and Daddy is my Woody’.