Monday, January 31, 2011

Catching Up ~ Reunion of Friends

A few days ago, the kids and I visited a nice, fenced-in park in Bryan, and we played for an hour with my friend, Shannon, and her son! He is such a doll, and the boys did what boys do best! (Played with rocks!) Wendy made a friend there, and they pretended to be princesses in castles (the play structures). I'm glad I have a friend who I can just up and go and meet somewhere to kill an hour. So nice.This futon was up against the wall for about a day, and it slouched down, and before I knew it, Wendy and Linc were all cozy, just parking beside me and my kitchen work for a bit. Cute.
I am delighted when I see them play side by side. What? Who says boys can't play with doll houses?
Fun days around the house built up to a rare and special treat indeed. We went to Waco to celebrate my old college friend, Mary's, daughter's birthday! Mary, Nicole, Julie and I were very close while in school. We lived together, played together. My years in school were blessed because I had prayed for friends such as these. After graduation, Mary moved to Maryland, and then I moved to Oregon, and then Julie moved to North Carolina. At last, we have all moved back to Texas! This reunion was such a warm and fuzzy time for me. My heart swelled with joy, and I was tickled to see that Mary's older girl and my baby girl are already kindred spirits!
Aunt Nicole surprised the girls with these treats! They played with them all afternoon, covering their princess gloves with the stickers to make them "fancier."
Nicole was brilliant to think of getting them something new and fun to enjoy and bond over right off the bat!
The men...
Getting to know Izzie...
After delish sandwiches and salads, we started the par-tay, however Eliza was somewhat upset, as 2-year-olds often are, but her mommy was able to smooth over the upset just in time for her to blow her candle out! Yay!
Beautiful family ~
Everybody now, "Aaaaawwwww."
My little man, gosh, I love him so!
Wendy was her usual enthusiastic self! She climbed into a gift bag and hollered, "Come open me up, Eliza!"
Sleepy afternoon.
Oh, the joy!
I love the late day sun for pic-taking. And check out those cute toddler heads...
For old time's sake, we all went to The Olive Garden for dinner.
The girls enjoyed waiting for our table as they goofed off --they are both extroverted and lively. So chatty, too.
All of us ~
And last night....spent some time outside.
Mr. Blue-Eyes---I love his changing looks! Always looking fractionally different to me!

Monday, January 24, 2011

First Day of Gymnastics ~

Today was the first day of Wendy's first-ever extra curricular activity, gymnastics! There are 5 little girls, 4-5, and Wendy loved every moment of it. Lincoln was a fussy dude and wanted to be with the girls, so we had to go upstairs to watch!
Stretching...
Trampoline!

She smiled big...and the whole time, so I know it's perfect for her!
Two sweet friends...
This morning, I slid this pic I drew under her door so that she could color it before we left.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Two Tots in One Spot ~

Yesterday I took the kids to Chick-Fil-A, and they enjoyed exploring the tunnel slide. If I may, I would like to tell y'all readers just how different boys are from girls, or perhaps how different one child can be from his or her sibling. Duh, right? But wait! It's true! Wendy, at Linc's age, would sit in my lap and allow me to read board books to her. She focused on them. She listened hard and then concentrated on repeating the sounds I made. She was verbal. Linc, when I put him in my lap to read to him, forcefully slams his book shut, or swats it out of his way and struggles to be freed so he can crawl over to something that he'd rather study on his own. He is visual. He studies objects and tries to manipulate them---tries to draw, tries to put things together.
Wendy wasn't too cautious, but more so than Linc is. At the mall, he crawled up the steps (a first) and slid down the slide without hesitation, sliding all the way down ON HIS FACE!!!!!!!!! I was terrified! He was laughing! He crawled back up again! I tried to climb up the tube slide to help guide him down. I couldn't get high enough in it, and as soon as his slippery sweat panted bottom took that corner, he spun around onto his head--BONK!---I gasped. He laughed! The next time I reluctantly carried him up the structure and attempted to slide down with him in my lap. He kicked and screamed. Not his idea of fun. Crazy boy.
He IS trying to say some words. It's touch and go. Sometimes everything is ba ba or "eye." Yesterday, he crawled over to me with a ball in his hand, offered it up to me and asked, "BaaA?" Everything is high-pitched and has an inflection at the end of the single-syllable word. He points to his eye and says "eye," but then points to the light above and asks, "IeeE?" He says, "ga" for car, and "baby," he says pretty well. Months ago, I got him to say "tull-tull" for turtle, but he hasn't said it since.

He enjoys Sister's shows as much as his own Baby Einstein videos.
At times, he doesn't even know that he is just begging to be hugged and kissed...
Like when he innocently strikes this kind of pose...

Like Wendy at his age, I love going in to him when his nap has ended, and he's standing there and grinning ecstatically!
I watched an old video of Wendy as a toddler, and oh my goodness, how I MISS her as a baby! She was 1 plus some months and she'd holler at me from the backseat, "Ba ba. black. sheep. aGAIN!" I'd rewind the song. She paused between words and articulated them so well at such a freakishly young age. Yesterday an older gentleman at Chick-Fil-A complimented her vocabulary. She uses words like "recognize" and others that surprise me. She picks them up from teachers, wherever. She is verbal---highly verbal. Linc, not so much, but again...."him is a boy, and boys develop differenty." I embrace their differences with awe and wonder!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Dr. H and Linc

My mom whipped out her camera during Linc's 1-year well child appointment, and I am so happy with this picture! Lincoln is not afraid of men, and she thinks it's because he's so fond of his daddy. We showed it to James, who thinks this picture is somewhat Norman Rockwell-ish. I think so, too. What I love is that they are joyfully engaging one another, and Linc's expression is so precious. As you may have read in the post below, Lincoln's check-up went well. He is a big boy in the 95% for ht. and head, and 70% for wt. Dr. said he's expecting him to grow to 6'2" or so "and his head is big so he'll likely be an Aggie." Ha ha ha.