Huston - June 2013

Huston, as I sat down to write your monthly blog I couldn't help but realize you WILL BE FOUR IN TWO MONTHS!  You are getting so tall and thin and your vocabulary amazes me daily.  You got a pair of size 11 shoes the other day.  You moved to a booster seat.  You mastered the "big slide" at Play Kitsap.  You had real conversations with your Great Grandparents when they visited.  It's all too much for me....but it's also very fun to see this "big boy" you are becoming.

Play Kitsap

Dinner with Great Grandpa Dave

Walking with Great Grandpa Dave

You are a quirky big boy though.  You hate to wear shoes, if we make you then they will be off the minute you get in the car....even for a 5 minute trip.  When we pick you up from Child Watch at the Y or MOPS you have talked them into letting you take them off.  You have hoarder tendencies.  Example:  A TMNT insert with examples of other toys available for purchase are NOT trash, they part of your toy.  And if we throw them away, you will find them.  Unless we sneak them out to the big trash outside when you are sleeping.  And then you will ask me where they went in repeat mode.  You know at a glance how many angry birds or cars or blocks you have and can tell us which one is missing.  I'm thinking Vegas may be in our future when you are of age......

You have reached the age to where you bring me rocks and sticks and weeds as presents.    Me kissing an "owie" in the exact spot it was injured is a instant cure for pain.  You are obsessed with caterpillars, worms and butterflies, but are terrified of "horrible creepy bugs".  You also found out that if you step on a caterpillar "jelly" comes out and gets on your shoe and that is "so gross".  And you hunt monsters.  And go "adventuring".

 

Monster Hunter

Although you are still very much a momma's boy, you go into hyper drive when dad gets home from work.  You attack when we walks through the door and worm our yway into his lap or back or legs every chance you get.  And if he is holding your baby brother all bets are off and you will get between them.

One of your absolute favorite things to do is to dance for an audience.  You want to FaceTime Auntie Katie and Auntie Dawn Dawn daily to show them your new "moves".  Your routine typically consists of a combination of breakdance, ninja, thai chi (your words) with a little stripper in there.  I have no idea where you come up with them but it is definitely unique!

Disney has a new show "Henry Hugglemonster" and you lovvvvvve it.  When you are way too wired up I can put you in front of a show or two to get you to relax.  It is one of the few shows that doesn't wind you up more.  You are still all about your TMNTs, angry birds and Wreck it Ralph.

You have a love/hate relationship with your little brother.  You went a week calling him "that baby".  Mostly you call him "Yolan".  You love to make him laugh and get excited when he crawls or pulls up, but you also love to steal his food and play so rough that you knock him over.

I still get a kick out of your Hustonisms and never know what you are going to say next.

It's never just trash, it's "trash garbage".
"I can't know how" (your cop-out)
"That doesn't sound like a good deal." (when I ask you to do something)
"No catcalls." (when naked)

Dad taught you the phrase "Want some cheese with that whine?"  Your take is "You want some cheeeese with that little wine?"

You love to say grace before (and multiple times during) our meals and will not let us forget.  There is nothing cuter than seeing an almost 4 year old say, "Praise God, Hallelujah!"

You are such an amazing boy and we have so much fun. I think with Nolan being mobile now you
are getting ready to have a new playmate and things are going to start getting crazy around here!

Heart of Glass

My boys surprised me with something on my bucket list for Mother's Day....a Glass Blowing class!  This is something I have wanted to do for quite awhile and I had the best time.  What was even better was that the place was kid friendly and let everyone come along and watch.

Huston helping pick out the style

Huston helping chose colors

My color scheme (the multicolored sprinkles at the bottom were H's addition

Heating up the glass

Shaping

Picked up colors

Shaping

Adding in the design

Blowing

Happy Mother's Day to me!

Best Mother's Day ever

Side

Side

Side

Bottom

It was an amazing experience and a perfect day.  Afterwards since we were in the "big city" (Tacoma) we went and ate at Chipotle, bought me some new shirts and spent some time with my boys.  Doug gets big Daddy points for A) remembering I wanted to do it and setting it all up and B) making the day perfect.

Being a momma is a wonderful thing daily but I sure had a nice day celebrating it!

Nolan - 7 months

Nolan what a joy you are!  You are the happiest baby ever.  Hands down.  The only time you are fussy is if we try to clean your nose, you have been sitting in poop for awhile or you get bored in the car.  And you recover from all of those things very quickly once we take care of them.  When you got your six month shots you cried out and were laughing again by the time the nurse got the band-aid's on.  At that same appointment the doctor asked me if you'd been feeling ok.  She kept listening to your lungs and checking your ears and said, "I can't not treat this, he's got an infection."  We had no clue you were sick, you had not been fussy at all.  So, you got your first antibiotics for ten days.  This of course didn't help with the whole poop situation, but you handled it all like a champ.

In the last month you have had so many changes....changes I'm not ready for.  You went from scooting to army crawl to up on all fours crawl in a matter of days and are now fully mobile.  You got two more teeth, totaling three and more are bulging.  You are eating anything and everything we give you (applesauce, baby yogurt, rice cereal, peaches, sweet potatoes, watermelon, mum-mums, puffs, graham crackers and little bites of anything else we'll let you taste).  You slap your hands up and down.  And you are finding your voice by babbling and squealing.  You say something pretty close to da-da and I swear you say thank you when I hand you something.  Probably not, but it sure sounds like it.

You got to go to your first A's baseball game when they came to Seattle to play the Mariners.  This is a huge first in our family and you did Daddy proud.  You decked out in your A's gear and squealed and had a blast.  The ball girls were even flirting with you.

Now that you can move around, you are playing with lots of toys but your favorites right now are your red block, Huston's foam swords, a musical mariachi and a bath hungry caterpillar that makes a great teething toy.

One of my favorite things is watching you and your brother in the backseat.  You strain so hard to see what he's doing.  And when he looks at you smile this adorable smile and you two will laugh.  If you get bored back there he will sing to you or and you a toy and that's all it takes.  You love your big brother and are always aware where he is.

Did I mention your adorable smile?  Everyone does.  And you do this little half smirk smile that gives me a hint of the type of boy you are going to grow into.  Your hair is growing in and you are getting long and lean.  People are saying you look like my side of the family and your Papa Lowery.  And my oh my, are you ticklish!  I do it often because it causes the most incredible laugh.

Daddy, Huston and I love you so much and this past 7 months has flown by.  I can't even express how much you have completed our family and can't wait to see what the next month brings!

Huston - May 2013

 

Island Lake Park

Huston, another month has passed and you are still changing so much I have to keep a list going so I won't forget things to include in your blog.  The picture above is from one of our recent trips to the park....you are park obsessed.  Luckily we have quite a few amazing ones in the area to visit.  This one is Island Lake Park and we were able to walk around the lake and you found a love for skipping rocks, inchworms and contemplating what the fish are doing.

Our typical day begins with you getting up, asking for a waffle and while I cook it you go in your room and pick out your own outfit and get dressed.  I give you your vitamin and you tell me how strong it is going to make you.  You then immediately want to know the agenda....."What's something fun planned today?"  I either tell you MOPS, community center or free day and then you list off everything you would like to do and who you would like to see.  I think you might be getting a little spoiled with all the fun things we get to do on a daily.  But I love that you don't want to just stay in and watch TV, so we go for it.  If we don't have a set plan, it is usually the park or exploring some of our new attractions.  And you always want a flower cookie from Panera.

Silverdale Waterfront Park with Fairyn

Digging for treasure

Always an action shot to take

Castle Park

Castle Park

Wildcat Lake

Defiance Zoo and Aquarium

Sharks with Mason

Feeding birds

Slides at zoo



Tigers

Unfortunately your love for baths has gone in the option direction of your love for being outside.  We now have to talk you into taking them and Daddy had to get creative....now he finds animals hiding in your hair that he has to get out.  You think this is hysterical and he can usually get you washed.  If I'm the one doing it you just play the control freak..."It's a teeny bit too hot, I like it just warm."  "It's a little too much water."  "Don't get soap in my eyes, just my boogers."

You have found the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I hoped we'd skip this step, but no luck.  It is cute hearing you say their names though.  You also like Rescuebots, Imagination Movers and Doc McStuffins.  You are also starting to show more and more interest in non animated shows.  Some of your favorites are How It's Made, The Voice, Big Bang Theory and you like to watch baseball and antique car auctions with Daddy.  You even suggested we get a '67 Chevy Impala to drive to Nama's house.  Dream big kid, dream big.

Getting packages in the mail is the best thing ever to you.  Every day you ask if we are expecting one and if one actually comes, you get more tickled with the box than what is inside.  You do like to be fair though and every now and then will say it's about time Nolan gets a package.  You are really proud of your big brother role and you try to take care of him and will give us commands if you think he's upset, "Give him a toy, give him boobie, sing him song".  You thing he is pretty funny and he things you are pretty funny so we have lots of gigglefests over nothing at all.  I love it.

I think you might have a little bit of an engineer's brain.  You will get toys out and try to figure out things to do with them.  The other day I walked into the living room and you had the string of the yo-yo tied to the knob on the entertainment center and pulled across the room to the ottoman and had blocks and other toys hanging in the string.  You love to build with blocks and play your angry bird games too.

You get very frustrated when you can't figure something out and will throw and yell at it.  If you don't want to do something or you can't figure it out you whine, "I can't no how."  But then if I keep making you try you will look at me with such pride "I did it all by myself!"  You drive us a little nuts with just screaming this high pitch sound out of the blue and throwing stuff in the air to watch it fall.  If you do get in trouble, you will go in your room and talk to yourself in a fake crying voice, "Daddy won't let me throw my bird.....Momma spanked my bottom.....I'm sitting in my room.....etc, etc, etc."  I promise I don't laugh at all.  Maybe a little.  You also really want to tease and your little comebacks are so awkward.  I don't laugh at those either.  Promise :)

Daddy is teaching you so many fun things.  This is great bonding for you two...much embarrassment to me when you blurt them out in public.  Some regulars are: "Get in the kitchen woman, make me a sandwich!"  "Shhhh, men are talking."  "Watch it you brute."  "Silence, you monkey."  "What the heck?"  "Ohhhhh gosh."

Even though you can drive us nuts, you will do something cute 10 minutes later.  We are really proud of you and the little man you are becoming.  xoxox

Nolan - 6 months

Nolan, we met you six months ago...time has flown by.  You have had lots of firsts this month...first food, first tooth, first knot on your head thanks to your brother (accident), first modeling experience and your first semi-crawl.

You always seem to be starving and grabbing at our food, so we decided to feed you rice cereal.  You loved it.  Since then you have chewed on a bagel, animal cracker, carrot, soft pretzel and a Red Robin french fry. 

first food - rice cereal

Along with your first food came your first tooth!  It's just barely poking out but it is there and I'm sure more are to follow because you are chewing and blowing raspberries on everything in sight.  You are also sitting up unsupported, scooting and rolling to get where you want and are up on all fours like you are about to crawl.  Your little bald head is finally filling in to and you are getting lots of hair.  You love to grab our faces and get a fist full of skin and have quite the grip (ouch) and you are throwing your arms up and down like a mad man trying to grab things.

Everyone comments on what a happy baby your are.  You will pretty much smile on demand and only get upset if left alone too long or you get too hungry.  Daddy thinks you are going to be his ladies man because anywhere we go both the mommas and the baby girls go nuts over you.

You want to play at the playground and parks with the other kids so bad.  You squeal at the kids as they run by and have the biggest smile on your face watching brother laugh.  You are sitting up enough now that we can let you get in the middle of it if we are in a "soft" place...but you still face plant every now and again.

You also love to be thrown in the air and love love love to dance.  We had our first dance party in the living room and you and Huston danced your little bottoms off.

Your laid back nature makes it easy for us to get out and about and you just soak it all in.  I know Huston can't wait until you are mobile, he wants to play with you so much but can't quite pick you up (did I mention you are 19 lbs already?)....but I think you'll be all over the place any day now!

This first half of your first year has flown by way to quickly and although I wonder where my itty bitty baby I brought home from the hospital is I have to say that I love watching you learn and grow.  Daddy, Huston and I love you so much and have so much fun with you.

modeling diaper cover

playing with grass at park

sitting up at cookout

Good grief.....

I will never forget. 18 years ago while driving to school I was annoyed because Rick and Brad from my favorite radio station, the KATT went to static.  I drove the rest of the way in silence and once I got to UCO and everyone was watching the news coverage I discovered why.  For the first time I realized that there was true evil in this world.  Growing up you hear about things, but if you are lucky you never really feel their impact.  Things like this did not happen in Oklahoma. 

Everyone deals with grief differently, but I completely separate myself from it.  I don't watch the coverage or trials or follow the stories.  I basically pretend that it's not happening.  I drove by the OKC bombing site daily on my route to work.  I saw the stuffed animals and mementos attached the the fence around it.  I saw it slowly transform into the beautiful memorial that it is today.  But I have never gone to the memorial myself, just driven or walked by.

Since then there have been so many tragedies...school shootings, 9/11, bombs, natural disasters.  I hear that they happen.  My heart hurts for those affected.  But I still stay unattached.  While in NYC, I went down to Ground Zero and only felt numb.

I used to feel guilty about this.  But now as the occurrences, both caused by nature and led by evil, increase....maybe I am a lucky one.  If I am able to distance myself, maybe I can keep a little joy in my heart and in the lives of my boys.  I hear people say things like "What kind of world have I brought my children into?".  I can't think like that.  They are here and I need to surround them with love and laughter and when they are older, then, they can discover the tragedies.  I know that someday something beyond my control will affect them.  But maybe, if they grew up with all they love I can give they will be better equipped to deal with it themselves.

I can only hope.

Huston - April 2013

Huston, Spring is here!  We are starting to get a regular schedule and you love all of the fun things we are doing.  We have joined two different MOPS groups and regularly do story time, the community center and play dates.  With all of this pretty weather we have been getting out more and are starting to appreciate all of the beautiful scenery we are surrounded by.

We try to get to story time at the library before it starts so you can pick out some books to take home.  You spend a lot of time selecting them and we read them in the library.....but once you get them home you completely ignore them until they are due.  I think we are going to try to only check out one book at a time and see if that makes a difference.  You do like story time, but you are kind of between the toddler and preschool age groups and it depends on the books on how interested you are.  You sit with me and Nolan at first, but will slowly make your way to the circle.  Since you like to be class clown, I think the quiet room intimidates you a bit.  You also learned the heartbreak of outgrowing a friend.  When we first started going your friend Ryver was always there and now that we don't see him as often, you asked me why he doesn't like you anymore.  It has a lot more to do with him not being in the same places as you, but I think in your little heart you took it as he doesn't want to play with you.

There is a park by our house that we love.  It is by the water so it's scenic, it's clean, close to home and has lots of fun playground equipment (on soft flooring).  Nolan and I can sit in the grass and watch you run wild.  The last few times we went you instantly made a friend and played, climbed rocks and rolled down hills.  You also think going barefoot in the grass is the best thing ever.

"Big rock"

Rolling

and Rolling

Picnic

Obsessed with toes in the grass

Made sure we all felt the "tickles"

You still like the YMCA and are becoming a class helper.  They've mentioned several times that you have gotten onto other kids "They don't like that here" and that you like to help out.  Your favorite thing to do there is swim and you drive us completely nuts asking to go.  You've also been asking to go to the beach and Disneyland....I think we might need to start teaching you vacation vs. every day life.

You are becoming more and more independent daily.  You get yourself dressed in the morning and do a pretty good job cleaning up after yourself when asked.  You have a few favorite outfits and I have to convince you when it's time to rotate them and wash them if you feel it necessary to wear the same one multiple days in a row.  You would wear your Cars shirt and shorts daily if allowed.

Your newest thing is your "party".  I'm not sure how this originated, I think it had something to do with a fort we made on a rainy day once, but it has evolved into you throwing all of your pillows, blankets and stuffed animals in a pile, burying yourself underneath and calling it your party.  It makes you very happy, so for now...you can have all the parties you want.  Later as you change your idea of a party, that may change.

I love hearing you play and I hear myself in your toys' conversations.  It keeps me on my toes with what phrases I choose to use around you.  Nothing like hearing you tell your toy to "Quit screwing around" to make me thing twice about my choice of words.  You will also ask me "Is this far enough?" when you are playing outside and go too far.  Or my favorite, when you tell Nolan "That's a good job, buddy."

You love playing with Nolan and you two are so funny.  At five months, he can roll and scoot around a little and he loves being in the middle of things with you.  He will grab your toys, your hair, your shirt....anything to get your attention.  You laugh and giggle with him and love it when we make "him speak" (we use him like a baby ventriloquist dummy sometimes).  You are very concerned that he only plays with soft toys, doesn't eat grass and if he is crying you will tell me to "Give him boobies" or "Sing him a song".  My heart completely melts when I glance over and you are holding his hand. 

I can't write one of these posts without including your funny Hustonisms.  You call me "my lady", if you think we are teasing or tricking you you say "You tricker", instead of cannonball you say "cannonbox", and you wont eat foods with "dirty things" which is anything you don't like. 

The best conversation ever went like this:

Lisa, "Doug, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"

Doug, "Chocolate with chocolate chip frosting."

3 minutes pass

Huston from the backseat, "Did someone just say cake?"

Hilarious.

My heart grows bigger every day for you and your brother and I feel so blessed and fortunate to be able to stay home with you.  I know a day will come when you will be in school, sooner than I am ready, so I am enjoying it while I can.  Watching you learn things and seeing you become the sweet, funny, smart boy you are makes me so proud and I can't wait to see what you will do next.  Love you buddy.