11 March 2010

Yes, we are naughty.
No, he didn't drink the beer.

He doesn't need it after a looooong day for a little guy! Taking Maisie to school at 11:45 and going to pick her up at 2:15 is wreaking havoc on poor Calvin's napping schedule. He would MUCH rather be napping at both of those times! So I try to get him to take a quick morning nap, and then sleep while we are home and Maisie is in school, but today we went to the store instead of coming home. Then when we got home, we ate, went to pick up Maisie, and then the kids went to Kelly's while I went to work. By dinner time, Calvin could barely keep his eyes open! He perks up quite well to take a bath, this kid LOVES the bathtub! The floor is usually a swimming pool by the time he's done splashing around-he puts his face right down into the water to blow bubbles like sister. After his bath we've learned to put the bottle in his mouth WHILE we dress him, or he howls. A quick finish on the bottle, a couple of loves and squeezes, turn on the fishy music in his bed, and he leans in to be put into his crib! G-night little guy!

On a side note-I would love to be reading night night books to the boy, but our nighttime routine is so firm and has to happen so fast due to what time we get home from work and what time he needs to be sleeping, that there isn't TIME to read night night books before he's out! :( By this age, Maisie had been read thousands of night night books!

March 10, 2010

I was trying frantically to get out of the house this morning when I suddenly realized it was VERY quiet from where I thought Calvin was. This is what I found. Naughty little guy is quick! And is apparently fascinated by toilet paper.

March 6, 2010

Also posing, I think. But I cut her legs out of the picture so you can only see the hand on the hip! We were outside at Mom and Dad's enjoying a fabulous spring day....

March 6, 2010
Where DOES she get this posing thing from? Check out her leg!! Too funny!

Maisie and Calvin modeling their Hawaiian outfits from Papa and Gogo.

21 January 2010

Today's posts have been a little abbreviated. We lost our dog tonight, so it's pretty sad around here. She has been a part of our family only since August, but we've grown to love her. A stark reminder that we live on a very busy road.

RIP Iris.

21 January 2010

I wanted to take this shot of Calvin because it reminded me of one I have from when Maisie was about this age, standing at our doors in Gig Harbor. He was putting one of those magnets through the freezer door handle. It would fall through, and he'd sit down and grab it, then stand back up and try again. He's starting to stand on his own--standing up against something and then letting go.


Ah...found the picture. First picture is Maisie, about 11 months old. Calvin is the second picture, 12 months old.

21 January 2010

A little game of copycat. We taught Calvin to raise both arms over his head the other night at dinner. He had it by the end of bathtime. And he practiced for Kelly yesterday-her son asked if Calvin had a question! I guess he was just raising the one arm. :)

18 January 2010

Maisie is learning to be a computer nerd just like Daddy!

17 January 2010

This is a fairly new expression.

17 January 2010

Calvin learns what bubbles are all about!!

14 January 2010

Ahhh....another nightstand capture.

What can you see:

M*A*S*H dvds on loan from Martin's collection or Dad's, not sure who they actually belong to

A new book given to Greg for Christmas from a fellow teacher (who obviously doesn't know Greg very well, he'd never READ a book!)

"The Other Queen" by Phillippa Gregory and Julie and Julia-got that from my sister-in-law's collection she pared down when she moved.

Emu oil in an old film canister for Calvin's heinie.

Phone
Clock radio (Taylor Swift cd in there that Maisie and I listen to when we get ready in the am)
water
cell phone

High School Musical dvd-I think I had to extract it from my computer when I started watching M*A*S*H.

If you look hard, you can see the antenna from Calvin's baby monitor.

That is all.

13 January 2010

Miss Maisie Daisy.

Is there any such thing as a "normal" picture of 4 1/2 year old? She always has to pose or act silly, make a funny face....I guess the pictures are true to life, because she really does always act that way!

We are going through a MONSTERS phase with Maisie. It's really testing our patience, she asks for accompaniment every time she needs to go down the hall to her room or her bathroom. She has a bottle of monster repellent spray, Greg put up blue LCD Christmas lights in her room (monster repellent lights) and she has a night light. Her sweet preschool teacher has incorporated a lesson into school for us-Jesus always watches over you-"and he would never allow monsters into our homes to harm us" is the specific part that I added. Maisie told me to be quiet, she didn't want to hear it. Sheesh. I read an article online about children and their fear of monsters-Greg and I did just about every wrong thing! So we are learning. But I felt really bad when I realized that Maisie is afraid of monsters in her room and I'm afraid of monsters on the OUTSIDE. Our not-so-friendly neighborhood marauders are back in action on Road 11, and frankly, I spend the better part of the morning with one eyeball glued to my driveway to make sure I don't have to pull a Mama Bear on someone's butt. It's kind of exhausting.

Hopefully this will be a really quick phase for the Maise, and we'll be over monsters soon!

12 January 2010

Dad and I ran over to the condo to finish the picture taking! If you could see around corners, you'd see Calvin in front of the stove leaving his handprints on the freshly scrubbed oven door!

11 January 2010

Back to work. Mom and I are listing Grandma Dena's condo--she moved into the Cambridge assisted living in November, but we just couldn't get her condo emptied out and cleaned as fast as we'd have liked to so this week it's finally on the market. I left the kids in the car to take this photo-had tried to park on the west side, but didn't realize I couldn't get in that way-I actually had to go through the house! Just needed the one picture (in the daylight, no easy feat right now!) for the listing the first day. We had to clear a few more things on the inside to make for better pictures inside.

10 January 2009

More cake smashing!! Greg and I took cake and ice cream to church today for a little more birthday celebrating, and Calvin liked it just as much the second time around! Let's hope he had his fill, because food smashing is just not as acceptable at mealtimes...

I thought Greg was going to miss this party, too, since when we woke up Sunday morning Iris' left eye was puffy and red. Our best guess is that she got too close to Luigi or Biggs, and got swiped. So now she's being medicated. Oh brother, what fun. The vet sent a cone home for her, and although she's being pretty agreeable about not scratching at her eye, I'm dying for the photo op!

January 8, 2010

Calvin is one year old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CALVIN!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since this little guy surprised us a whole month early. It could just as easily be yesterday for how well I remember the day. Days. I was in the hospital for 24 hours before he was born...but that's beside the point.

We are so blessed to have him-he's such a joy. After a long busy day today, he made it through dinner, cake, opening presents, still had a bath and then Papa fed him his bottle, and I took him to his room. I turned off the lights and turned on his music, and then I got a neck hug with both arms until I felt him start to relax a little. Sometimes he leans into the crib and I put him in, put the blanket on him, and he snuggles in. Sometimes I hold him for just a while longer. :) It won't always be like this. But the current "this" is VERY VERY good.

January 6, 2010

Clean babies, fresh from the tub. Maisie caught the end of Alladin before bed-Calvin lasted about 3 minutes.

January 4, 2010

Tastes like chicken!!!

This boy is a wild alligator in the bath tub! He starts squealing the moment he hears the water start running, and he stands at the edge of the tub, so totally excited to get in! Once he's in, he lays on his tummy and just thrashes around, splashing water all around the whole bathroom!

December 31, 2009

Happy New Year! :)

We had dinner and cake at Mom and Dad's--it was YUM! Then we played dominoes until midnight. Maisie lasted until about 11-but wouldn't go to bed, so we put her on the couch, and she was asleep instantly. Such party animals we are.

Calvin's new hat and scarf from his Godparents, Nicole and Michael. He likes it!(for about 1 second) But it is SO cute on him!

December 25, 2009

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

December 24, 2009

We met the Webers (Holsteins, Prchals & Tuttles!) before church so we could visit and the boys could look at each other. Clinton is still too little to play chase with the "big" boys, but Baron and Calvin crawled all around the church and had a blast!

December 24, 2009

Merry Christmas!


Sorry, kids. Goofy faces for you, this time. All the adults look pretty good in this one--getting more rare every year.

December 22, 2009

We finally made sugar cookies for Christmas. We had to make a bunch of stars, too, for Uncle Martin-since they will only arrive in time for New Year's! Apparently Mom and I each sent him a package the same day, we'll see if Quincy or Ephrata has a quicker start!

My Dad went to Costco, and all he brought me was this cool box! Car. Box car. Pretty creative, really.


I'm returning the Christmas gifts tomorrow.

Today since Greg was feeling under the weather, Maisie and Calvin and I took "lunner" out to Papa and Gogo's rental so they could continue to work all day. (Sheesh. These retirees.) After our meal, well, actually, DURING our meal, Calvin decided it was naptime. Papa started putting him to sleep. Gogo finished him off. Then they needed to get back to work, so my baby slept in this box. On a Carhardt jacket, under a towel. Whatever works....

December 20, 2009

Happy Birthday, Gramma 'Raine!

Tonight a little while before bedtime, the kids decided to play a duet for us. Maisie has to sit on her knees atop the piano bench, and she only allows Calvin to play what he can reach from the floor. As you can see, he at LEAST needs a stool.

December 18, 2009

Today was also the Christmas program at the preschool. Maisie had been VERY excited to be Mary, and her friend Chloe was going to be the ANGEL! (and she was gonna FLY--but that's another story. :) So we all trooped into the church, the kids ran around and had a ball, then they all disappeared upstairs to get their costumes on. Came down the aisle ringing their bells, got into their positions. Mrs. Main read the script, Maisie/Mary knocked on the Inn door, was told there was NO ROOM! and so she walked over to the baby bassinette and....covered her face. For the rest of they play. She pulled that blue headscarf over her face and would not look out. I'm not sure where Maisie the shy girl came from! She did uncover a little to sing. They all did a great job, it was such a cute program!!

After the play I asked Mrs. Main if Maisie is shy and/or quiet in school and she said, "No. She is not." :)

January 18, 2009

We started a new tradition today. Maisie decorated a gingerbread house! It is so cute, and Maisie is having a really hard time not eating it. She asks about every 15 minutes. "Just ONE piece, Mommy? Daddy. Can I just eat that ONE piece of gum?"

So Maisie did most all of the decorating. She allowed me to make the path, the fence, and one tree. Gogo and the Grandmas were the advisors, and the keepers of the Calvin. Watching Maisie make a gingerbread house made my OCD hurt. Next year we will BOTH make one. :)

December 15, 2009

Maisie in the snow! We ate breakfast and waited until Calvin fell asleep, then we piled on our warmy clothes and snuck out the back! Maisie actually didn't last very long, because she took off her mittens and then her hands were freezing. So in we came--a little hot chocolate to the rescue, and Maisie was good as new!

December 13, 2009

This is not my favorite stuffed animal. For what are probably obvious reasons...

Maisie left it in this position after playing with it today....This is MY bedroom. Eeek!

November 10, 2009

This was the last day of MOPS-the kids had practiced songs to sing to their Mommies. VERY cute!!

November 12, 2009

A few days late, but Calvin is 10 months old! He wanted to grab the paper and EAT IT! He's a busy guy!!

December 5, 2009

Calvin was parked in his saucer-which thankfully he will still do from time to time! Maisie was running around the loop and shrieking, causing Calvin to shriek. Then Daddy joined in, to see if he could cause any shrieks. The answer is yes. :)

December 6, 2009

While Greg put the lights on the tree, Maisie and I found a Santa hat and a matching stocking, so we took a few moments to dance to the Christmas tunes! (I had NOT had loopy eggnog! Although it might look like it...)

December 6, 2009

Calvin helps Mommy practice carols for church!!

December 12, 2009

I told Calvin "No!" because he was digging in the glass pan cabinet. Apparently he doesn't like to hear that word!

November 1, 2009

Both Calvin and Auntie Elena were worn out this morning! (It should have been Maisie taking a nap at 10 am, since she was up until 11 last night on a sugar high!!)

Thanks to Nicole and Elena for coming over for a quick weekend visit! Maisie was SO excited to get to trick or treat with them!!

October 31, 2009

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Maisie is a fairy! And she LOVED her costume!! Calvin is not as impressed by his dragon costume...

October 30, 2009

Calvin playing on the step at Papa and Gogo's house.

October 29, 2009

Chloe and Maisie at Winky Bear Preschool's Fundraiser. Their teacher and her Mom put on a Party Lite party at the school, the girls had a blast!

October 26, 2009

I'm not really sure THIS is what the exersaucer is for...but that's ok. Whatever keeps him occupied these days...

October 26, 2009

Making Halloween sugar cookies is LOTS of hard work. They turned out YUM. Just ask Greg. Or Papa.