Logan's always been interested in telling me where to drive but lately he's also been telling me HOW to drive. Usually he tells me to drive with both hands. :)
This morning he noticed we were driving much faster than everyone else (we were in the carpool lane during rush hour). He commented how everyone else was driving so slow. It was right at our exit so I had to merge into the traffic and slow down myself. At that, he told me to drive faster but I explained I couldn't because there were a lot of cars in front of me and we didn't want to crash. His response:
Daddy will spank us if we crash.
Daddy will spank us?
No, Daddy will spank YOU if we crash!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Catching up on pics
I made the last of my long stress-free and work-free holiday weekend by catching up on a number of pics I have been wanting to post. Visit the links below for the complete albums - Enjoy!! :)
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| Tom's BBQ Team Roping Show (10/16/10) |
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| Family summer vacation: Hawaii! (8/19/10) |
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| Family summer vacation: Hawaii! (8/19/10) |
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| LA trip for Sarah and Stella's birthday parties (8/13/10) |
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Oh what fun it is to ride...
Yesterday I got this silly idea in my head to purchase last minute tickets to ride the Holiday Train of Lights through Niles Canyon today. I had heard about the event through the parents email alias at my work, and heard it was great fun for the kids but to act quick because it sells out super fast.
Luckily, they actually had a number of seats left for today's ride! I think partly because it just began (it starts the day after Thanksgiving) and partly because I chose the earlier (twilight) time. I'm actually glad we went on the earlier train - even though it wasn't dark enough to really feel the impact of all the pretty lights, they were still fun for Logan and honestly, the train ride was much more scenic for all of us since we could actually see the valley throughout the ride!
Also, since there weren't too many people on our train, we had plenty of room to spread out and Logan got his own seat (I didn't actually buy him a ticket, so technically he was supposed to be in one of our laps. mwahahahahaa!). It also meant we got a cozy indoor car instead of one of the outdoor cars, which was good since it was RAINING and COLD!!! Whew!
Logan absolutely LOVED it. And the rest of us had a great time too! (My parents and brothers all joined us).
Logan was pretty much glued to the window the entire time - he wasn't even interested in Santa who came by for a quick snapshot. :) He enjoyed walking back and forth between cars but wasn't as crazy about going to the outside car (I think it was too cold, wet and "fast" for him being that close to the outdoors and tracks).
On our way back home, Logan commented to me, "This is the biggest train I've ever seen!" It was pretty cute.
After the train ride, we all had dinner at a local Burmese restaurant (supporting our local business on Small Business Saturday!) and thankfully, both boys did fairly well, considering how tired they were and how late it already was.
All in all, a great rainy holiday Saturday with the family! :) For more pictures from the day, visit here.
Luckily, they actually had a number of seats left for today's ride! I think partly because it just began (it starts the day after Thanksgiving) and partly because I chose the earlier (twilight) time. I'm actually glad we went on the earlier train - even though it wasn't dark enough to really feel the impact of all the pretty lights, they were still fun for Logan and honestly, the train ride was much more scenic for all of us since we could actually see the valley throughout the ride!
Also, since there weren't too many people on our train, we had plenty of room to spread out and Logan got his own seat (I didn't actually buy him a ticket, so technically he was supposed to be in one of our laps. mwahahahahaa!). It also meant we got a cozy indoor car instead of one of the outdoor cars, which was good since it was RAINING and COLD!!! Whew!
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| Brrrr!!! |
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| Enjoying his own big boy seat |
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| Hey this is a family site Kai! |
Logan absolutely LOVED it. And the rest of us had a great time too! (My parents and brothers all joined us).
Logan was pretty much glued to the window the entire time - he wasn't even interested in Santa who came by for a quick snapshot. :) He enjoyed walking back and forth between cars but wasn't as crazy about going to the outside car (I think it was too cold, wet and "fast" for him being that close to the outdoors and tracks).
On our way back home, Logan commented to me, "This is the biggest train I've ever seen!" It was pretty cute.
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| If only you knew how hard a family pic is to get these days... |
All in all, a great rainy holiday Saturday with the family! :) For more pictures from the day, visit here.
Holiday Train of Lights
When's Christmas?
With all the holiday decorations I've been working on, Logan's taken a keen interest in Christmas (strangely, he also keeps asking to see the snow/go to the mountains, which we haven't brought up yet, so I think they must also be talking about all things Wintery at school).
In any case, I thought it would be fun to do one of those advent calendars that my mom had for us one (or two or three?) years when I was small. I found some really gorgeous, non-kiddy ones as I was searching, but the ones I liked were too pricey for me to justify.
One of the sites I was reading, suggested a DIY version, if you were so inclined. I thought, hey! what a nifty fun idea, and how hard could it be, really?
*sigh*
I'll admit it was simple to put together but a (time-consuming) pain in the butt. :) Still, I'm pleased with the results. When Logan saw the two strands hanging up on the wall this morning he asked, "Are we having a party?" I suppose it does look a little party-ish!
Anyhoo, for anyone else that's interested in doing the same... I bought the template at happythought's Etsy shop. I used a heavier paper, as they suggested, by cutting up some of Logan's construction paper (to fit our printer and template's 8.5x11" requirement). Once printed, I cut each little "cone" out and then scored each one, folded and then taped them together. I used some twine that we had available, which was a bit thicker than what the shop suggested but has a more "homey" DIY feel which I like. I added each cone onto the twine one by one (spacing out as best I could so that they were all even) and then hung the two strands up along the dining room wall with some silver push pins. Nothing fancy but I think it'll add a little fun to our countdown to Christmas. :)
I haven't decided what little presents/surprises to put in the pockets just yet. They won't hold much - so I was thinking of some small candies, stickers or tattoos. Any other ideas?
In any case, I thought it would be fun to do one of those advent calendars that my mom had for us one (or two or three?) years when I was small. I found some really gorgeous, non-kiddy ones as I was searching, but the ones I liked were too pricey for me to justify.
One of the sites I was reading, suggested a DIY version, if you were so inclined. I thought, hey! what a nifty fun idea, and how hard could it be, really?
*sigh*
I'll admit it was simple to put together but a (time-consuming) pain in the butt. :) Still, I'm pleased with the results. When Logan saw the two strands hanging up on the wall this morning he asked, "Are we having a party?" I suppose it does look a little party-ish!
Anyhoo, for anyone else that's interested in doing the same... I bought the template at happythought's Etsy shop. I used a heavier paper, as they suggested, by cutting up some of Logan's construction paper (to fit our printer and template's 8.5x11" requirement). Once printed, I cut each little "cone" out and then scored each one, folded and then taped them together. I used some twine that we had available, which was a bit thicker than what the shop suggested but has a more "homey" DIY feel which I like. I added each cone onto the twine one by one (spacing out as best I could so that they were all even) and then hung the two strands up along the dining room wall with some silver push pins. Nothing fancy but I think it'll add a little fun to our countdown to Christmas. :)
I haven't decided what little presents/surprises to put in the pockets just yet. They won't hold much - so I was thinking of some small candies, stickers or tattoos. Any other ideas?
Friday, November 26, 2010
Christmas Garland
Festive!
Now onto Christmas - finished the lights earlier this afternoon, onto the tree next! :)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
One hellish night.
Last night Jon and I had one of the rougher nights in a long time. Callum woke up around 12:30am and wouldn't (or couldn't) go back to sleep... he stayed awake CRYING straight for two hours. It was horrible. Jon and I kept taking turns going in to pat him back to sleep, or rock him, or hold him, or try to get him to take some of his bottle. As we made it through the second hour, it suddenly dawned on me, that he might - JUST MIGHT - have an ear infection. :( The nonstop crying was just not like him, but also, he couldn't get comfortable once we laid him down in his crib. It was clear he was exhausted - he kept falling asleep on our chests, but the minute we laid him back down, he'd wake up crying again. I finally noticed the pattern.
So, out of desperation to get my boy to sleep, and to possibly catch some zzz's myself, I propped myself up in bed, in a sitting position, holding Callum so that he could fall asleep on my chest. He immediately passed out around 3am and I sort of slept, and sort of not slept, until he woke up again at about 5:30am.
BRU. TAL.
I was a zombie most of the morning (as was Jon) - but determined to get in to see our doctor as soon as I could, to confirm my suspicion. Thankfully, they said to come on over right away. Dr. Safir acknowledged my instincts were right, as our poor little baby had a horrible ear infection in his right ear. Sadly, it's the same ear he had an infection in last time around, not more than a month ago. So, we're going to treat this one a bit more aggressively and with a more watchful eye, since it definitely seems like Callum is more susceptible to ear infections than your average Joe.
I waited around the pharmacy while Callum slept in my arms, and then got the anti-biotics in him as soon as they were ready. I also gave him a hit of Ibuprofen when we got to his school, just to help with any swelling and pain he might still have. That seemed to help quite a bit, as he was in pretty good spirits for the day. I'm crossing my fingers that the anti-biotics kick in quickly so that he starts feeling better soon. I hate to think he was in that much pain last night with us as clueless parents not knowing what to do (and letting him cry for TWO WHOLE HOURS before it finally dawned on me what was wrong!).
And, I hate to go another night with absolutely no sleep, or rather, sleep next to a man who has gone another night with no sleep. ;-)
So, out of desperation to get my boy to sleep, and to possibly catch some zzz's myself, I propped myself up in bed, in a sitting position, holding Callum so that he could fall asleep on my chest. He immediately passed out around 3am and I sort of slept, and sort of not slept, until he woke up again at about 5:30am.
BRU. TAL.
I was a zombie most of the morning (as was Jon) - but determined to get in to see our doctor as soon as I could, to confirm my suspicion. Thankfully, they said to come on over right away. Dr. Safir acknowledged my instincts were right, as our poor little baby had a horrible ear infection in his right ear. Sadly, it's the same ear he had an infection in last time around, not more than a month ago. So, we're going to treat this one a bit more aggressively and with a more watchful eye, since it definitely seems like Callum is more susceptible to ear infections than your average Joe.
I waited around the pharmacy while Callum slept in my arms, and then got the anti-biotics in him as soon as they were ready. I also gave him a hit of Ibuprofen when we got to his school, just to help with any swelling and pain he might still have. That seemed to help quite a bit, as he was in pretty good spirits for the day. I'm crossing my fingers that the anti-biotics kick in quickly so that he starts feeling better soon. I hate to think he was in that much pain last night with us as clueless parents not knowing what to do (and letting him cry for TWO WHOLE HOURS before it finally dawned on me what was wrong!).
And, I hate to go another night with absolutely no sleep, or rather, sleep next to a man who has gone another night with no sleep. ;-)
Sunday, November 21, 2010
7 months and 35 months old
Whee! I'm behind again. What's new? Can I blame it on my surgery this time? ;-)
Callum is looking more and more like Jonathan every day. I love it - I feel like Logan is a mini-me, and Callum is a mini-Jon. We've got one of each of us! Of course, Logan's looks changed completely (in my opinion) from his baby days to his toddler days - so it'll be interesting to see if Callum continues to look like Jon once he outgrows his baby face, or if he takes on more of my looks too.
Callum's a joy to be with and I'm so in love watching him grow up and continue to develop. Of course, the big news this month is his rocking and scooting. I thought it would take him longer to pick up on the crawling, because he's not good at sitting up on his own for long periods of time, nor can he get himself into a sitting position on his own! And yet, those things don't seem to matter as he's full steam ahead on MOVING. He has always loved to kick his legs and stand - but he's doing it more and more now that he has got the hang of his jumperoo, and now that he knows he can sorta scoot around. He's not great at scooting forward, he hasn't quite got all the mechanics down, but as I posted earlier, he's a pro at scooting backwards (and eventually, getting himself into predicaments underneath furniture!).
He continues to enjoy being the center of attention, but given his new found interest in movin' and shakin', we're actually able to leave him alone for longer periods of time to explore on his own. I have to admit I love that. ;-) Logan has found a new interest in watching over his little brother as well (since I'll often times set Callum down in the same room with Logan so that they can play together). Sadly, he mostly loves to torment Callum with a lot of "claw" hands and roaring.... thankfully, Callum is usually in great spirits and takes all of this in stride.
His dexterity is improving each day as well - he's not only able to grab (and hold on for dear life), but he's moving objects back and forth between his two hands (and into his mouth), showing an improvement in his fine motor skills. He still has trouble picking up smaller objects with his thumb and forefinger, but we've been practicing that as well, with bits of finger foods here and there.
He's also become quite a talker this past month - much more goo-goos, ga-gas, ba-bas, and ughs. He loves to babble, particularly when he's practicing his jumping or crawling. I'm not sure what it is but he just puts his entire being into his exercise!
Perhaps his chattiness comes from his continuing awareness of Logan. Logan talks nonstop, continues to develop a demanding, loving, funny and quirky little personality. I was describing Logan to a coworker of mine just last week and he said "Gee Bree, I'm not really surprised that your son has quite the personality. Look at his mom!" I thought it was a funny, and ironic, comment. Since I think of myself as the boring wall flower in our family household compared to the boys and Jon. ;-)
Logan has constant energy as well - and it wears Jon and I out just trying to keep up. He LOVES school and playtime with his friends, but he's also become more aware of the time he spends at home with Mom and Dad. Or perhaps he's becoming more aware of our time dedicated to Callum and wants some of his own. Whatever the reason, I've noticed he asks for our time more - he wants us to play with him, to read to him, to watch TV with him, to lay down in bed with him. He likes our company and enjoys our time together. How can I resist or deny such requests? I have to say, I eat up every second of playtime, cherishing every minute I have with him.
Most of the play time that he and I do together are these wild crazy "Mr. Dinosaur attacks Mr. Shark" episodes, but I've noticed his imagination kicking up a notch or two as well. He dreams up these funny stories and situations for his animals that we will then enact as we're lying together in bed. Or, he'll talk to me about what is happening with the characters in the book that I haven't started reading yet. It's actually quite nice - because as much as he likes to play with us and his friends, he's also content to play on his own, talking to his trains and cars like they are listening, narrating out the story playing in his head, and their (usually) ultimate demise.
I suppose it goes with having a vivid imagination, but Logan has been waking up more and more each night. He has dreams that make him cry and dreams that make him laugh. Often times Jon or I will crawl into bed with him and spend the rest of the night by his side - it makes for a rough night on us, but he seems to sleep much better with one of us there, and to me, that's most important than anything else right now.
Callum is looking more and more like Jonathan every day. I love it - I feel like Logan is a mini-me, and Callum is a mini-Jon. We've got one of each of us! Of course, Logan's looks changed completely (in my opinion) from his baby days to his toddler days - so it'll be interesting to see if Callum continues to look like Jon once he outgrows his baby face, or if he takes on more of my looks too.
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| Jon and his creepy used car salesman look: mustache and all |
Callum's a joy to be with and I'm so in love watching him grow up and continue to develop. Of course, the big news this month is his rocking and scooting. I thought it would take him longer to pick up on the crawling, because he's not good at sitting up on his own for long periods of time, nor can he get himself into a sitting position on his own! And yet, those things don't seem to matter as he's full steam ahead on MOVING. He has always loved to kick his legs and stand - but he's doing it more and more now that he has got the hang of his jumperoo, and now that he knows he can sorta scoot around. He's not great at scooting forward, he hasn't quite got all the mechanics down, but as I posted earlier, he's a pro at scooting backwards (and eventually, getting himself into predicaments underneath furniture!).
He continues to enjoy being the center of attention, but given his new found interest in movin' and shakin', we're actually able to leave him alone for longer periods of time to explore on his own. I have to admit I love that. ;-) Logan has found a new interest in watching over his little brother as well (since I'll often times set Callum down in the same room with Logan so that they can play together). Sadly, he mostly loves to torment Callum with a lot of "claw" hands and roaring.... thankfully, Callum is usually in great spirits and takes all of this in stride.
His dexterity is improving each day as well - he's not only able to grab (and hold on for dear life), but he's moving objects back and forth between his two hands (and into his mouth), showing an improvement in his fine motor skills. He still has trouble picking up smaller objects with his thumb and forefinger, but we've been practicing that as well, with bits of finger foods here and there.
He's also become quite a talker this past month - much more goo-goos, ga-gas, ba-bas, and ughs. He loves to babble, particularly when he's practicing his jumping or crawling. I'm not sure what it is but he just puts his entire being into his exercise!
Perhaps his chattiness comes from his continuing awareness of Logan. Logan talks nonstop, continues to develop a demanding, loving, funny and quirky little personality. I was describing Logan to a coworker of mine just last week and he said "Gee Bree, I'm not really surprised that your son has quite the personality. Look at his mom!" I thought it was a funny, and ironic, comment. Since I think of myself as the boring wall flower in our family household compared to the boys and Jon. ;-)
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| "I got Callum's nose!" |
Logan has constant energy as well - and it wears Jon and I out just trying to keep up. He LOVES school and playtime with his friends, but he's also become more aware of the time he spends at home with Mom and Dad. Or perhaps he's becoming more aware of our time dedicated to Callum and wants some of his own. Whatever the reason, I've noticed he asks for our time more - he wants us to play with him, to read to him, to watch TV with him, to lay down in bed with him. He likes our company and enjoys our time together. How can I resist or deny such requests? I have to say, I eat up every second of playtime, cherishing every minute I have with him.
Most of the play time that he and I do together are these wild crazy "Mr. Dinosaur attacks Mr. Shark" episodes, but I've noticed his imagination kicking up a notch or two as well. He dreams up these funny stories and situations for his animals that we will then enact as we're lying together in bed. Or, he'll talk to me about what is happening with the characters in the book that I haven't started reading yet. It's actually quite nice - because as much as he likes to play with us and his friends, he's also content to play on his own, talking to his trains and cars like they are listening, narrating out the story playing in his head, and their (usually) ultimate demise.
I suppose it goes with having a vivid imagination, but Logan has been waking up more and more each night. He has dreams that make him cry and dreams that make him laugh. Often times Jon or I will crawl into bed with him and spend the rest of the night by his side - it makes for a rough night on us, but he seems to sleep much better with one of us there, and to me, that's most important than anything else right now.
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