Devon: January

Plasma car race!

Sometimes Devon just won't eat anything for dinner. He may have had a big lunch or too many snacks or he doesn't like what I cook. So we do what I call "Dinner Derby". We chase each other around the house on our plasma cars and every few "laps" I yell out "Bite!" and he happily takes a bite of food and we continue with the derby. One minute he declares that he's not hungry and "30 Dinner Derby minutes" later he has eaten everything on his plate. It is so much fun.

Devon loves to go to Costco with me. I usually take him when they have samples and he rides around in the cart and eats while I get all the shopping done fuss free. Sometimes I let him walk and he pushes the cart and says hi to EVERYONE that passes by. On our last shopping trip I got him his first hot dog and he ate the entire thing (minus the bun). I think hot dogs are his new favorite food.

Every once in a while I am reminded at what a kid Devon is turning into. He was carrying this "bucket" around for a few days and left it in the kitchen after dinner. After he went to sleep I emptied the contents and this is what was in there:
a fancy plastic cup, a plastic knife, key chain, bear, stop watch, a phone and some beans. Too funny and so random!

Devon loves to drink water from plastic bottles that his Daddy brings home and this large jug was no exception. NOTE the ADORABLE Mr. Potato head backpack that my sister made for him. When he goes out with his Daddy I use it for him to carry diapers, wipes, a toy and a snack. He loves to wear it and tote his own stuff.
(Yes, that's a water jug in one hand and a lighter in the other. Sigh. I can't keep up with this kid).

Joe had the great idea to take Devon to Mt. Lemon over the weekend. We wanted him to see snow before it all melted, but I think the highlight was the impromptu fire that Joe and Devon built.

I put Devon in warm clothes and packed a hoodie, but when we got to the mountain the hoodie was soaked because Audrey's bottle leaked all over it. He was warm enough, but we built the fire to keep him from getting too cold and let's face it .... the kid loves fire. He loves building it, gathering pine needles, and putting it out by throwing snow on top of it. It was exhausting, but a fun family day filled with sweet memories.

Fruit smoothie mustache!

Swinging with Audrey at the park. Such a sweet brother.

If I am putting him down for bed and he is fussing, but hears Audrey crying he tells me to go and check on her. Sometimes he cries and wakes her up, but most of the time he is super sweet. He doesn't show any negative behavior toward her, but will ask me to put her down so I can pick him up. He has definitely gotten more stubborn and some days it feels like the only thing he says to me is,"Um no". He says both words so quickly they sound like one word. Even if I ask him something like,"Did you like that ice cream?" (an obvious "yes" response is expected) and he says,"Um no", I know he's just being .... two ;) He is totally in that phase where he wants to do things for himself. He seems to get distracted between climbing into his car seat and the toys on the floor and he decides that he's not getting in the seat. This is very aggravating because it usually ends with me putting him in the seat, he's crying which makes Audrey cry and I'm wondering why we ever leave the house ;)I'm sure (and I'm hoping) that this will pass soon. He is more will full these days and I am trying to figure out what kind of discipline actually works. I'll let you know when I figure that out ;)

He picked up this stick and kept saying,"Big gun! Pkew, pkew! (that's my gun sound).

I took Devon and Audrey to the zoo today. Devon was upset that he couldn't feed his veggie chips to this "sneaky bird".

Most kids want to sit on this statue. It is a classic photo op at the zoo.

Devon, also wanted to sit on this tiny statue. Such a funny kid.

Devon loves to build pillow forts on our bed with Daddy at the end of the day and wrestle. We can understand everything he says and he says a lot! His vocabulary and sentence structure is impressive for his age. He is very thoughtful and has an amazing memory. He can count to 20, though he skips 15-17 so I don't know if that counts. He loves to watch "shows" like Despicable me, Monsters Inc, Transformers and Shrek. He walks around the house muttering about Prince Charming and saying "Light bulb!". His favorite phrase right now is,"Per gun! (short for piranha) Oh yeah!" and he runs around the house with my hair dryer shooting stuff. I love to take him shopping with me (for those quick, specific item shopping trips) because he holds my clothes, tells me if he likes what I pick out and he spontaneously dances to the music playing on the speakers. He is at such a fun age and we are savoring this special time.

Audrey: 6 months (January)

Isn't she so beautiful?

Audrey got two teeth within a week of each other. Poor little thing! She has had a few days of crankiness, but it has got to be so painful to grow teeth! In spite of these two developments, she loves to coo and "talk" and will laugh right along with you as if she's in on the joke. She is very sweet natured and quick to smile. As my Dad says,"That little girl smiles with her eyes."

She is eating real food twice a day and really seems to enjoy it. She likes peas and prunes, but isn't too thrilled with carrots or bananas. I usually strip her down to her diaper to feed her since it makes such a mess and I can't keep food from getting on her clothes.

We went to the park this week since the weather has been PERFECT. I usually keep Audrey in the pouch or stroller so I can be more hands on with Devon, but I put both of them in the swings at the same time and had a blast. Audrey liked it more than Devon, but she is pretty easy going at this age. Check out those gold glitter shoes. Love it!

I have been working with Audrey to get her sitting up on her own and she is doing a great job! She can only sit for 15-20 seconds before she starts to tip over, but she is getting stronger every day.

Audrey is a pretty independent baby and will play on her mat with toys for 15-20 minutes at a time without fussing. This has been a lifesaver so I can get ready in the morning, prepare a meal or play with Devon one-on-one. She does like to be part of the fun when we are playing toys in Devon's room and especially likes toys that play music or "crinkle".

She loves to be rocked to sleep, but really enjoys being in a swing and snuggling with her blanket. She holds the silk ribbon lining with her fingers and holds it to her face while she sucks her thumb. Where could she have inherited THAT from? ;)

This is the first picture I have seen that I look SO much like my Mom. We have the same face, cheek bones, smile, eyes, etc. I don't know how I didn't notice it until now.

Audrey got to meet Granny Great (my Dad's Mom) for the first time and they loved each other! Granny would take Audrey and hold her in a way that would have that little girl asleep within a few minutes. I call it the "Granny grip". I tried it, but she just wiggles. I guess I don't have the touch for the "Granny grip" so I guess she'll just have to come and visit again ;)

Snuggle bug!

Audrey is definitely a Mama's girl. It seems that the moment she realizes that I have left her alone with her Dad she cries and cries ... and cries until I get home. It only makes sense that she wants me because I am with her 98% of the time and she is used to me, but I think it's good for both of them to have that time together even if it's stressful ;) Make no mistake, she is enamored with her Daddy. I will be holding her and he'll walk by and smile at her. She coyly smiles back and buries her head into my neck, only to peek out at him a moment later. He tends to have that effect on the ladies ;)

On this particular day I just could not get it together. I was planning on staying home with the kids instead of going on an outing, but it was what I call a "Murphy Day". Anything that can go wrong .... will. The kids got up earlier than usual so it became a not-going-to-do-my-hair-or-make-and-stay-in-my-pajamas kind of day. I'm allowed one a month .... and I took it ;) We didn't eat breakfast until 9:00 and the breakfast dishes didn't get done until after dinner. (That will also let you know when I got the lunch and dinner dishes done). The kids were sort of cranky, I was sort of cranky, I had mountains of laundry to do, the house was a mess, yadayadayada. Anyway, this was us around 2:00 in the afternoon. Same hair, same expression and both in our pj's.

Audrey loves to watch Devon and is enamored with him. He has continued to surprise me with what a thoughtful brother he is when he brings her a toy, a blanket or papash without me asking him to do it. She is also in love with our big cat, Sampson, and her eyes widen and follow his every move.

Audrey celebrated her first Xmas with us this year and it was such a nice day. She sat in her swing chewing on a toy watching all the paper and lights. It was so nice to have a new baby in the house and it will be even more fun next year when she will be a bit older and able to join in the fun.

I love to breathe in the scent of her skin right after a bath and twirl her hair into little curls. I often "cover her in kisses" and tickle her face by brushing my hair on her cheeks. This gets her so excited she pumps her arms and legs like crazy! She is such a happy, sweet and soft little girl.

The End.

Crib Talk

Last night I was doing the usual bedtime routine with Devon.

PJ's. Blanket. Milk. Brush teeth. Papash (pacifier). Tell stories and sing songs. Hugs and kisses all around. Good night. Sleep tight. You're my favorite little boy in the whole world. I love you.

As I was about to leave Devon's room he said,"Mama, get in here crib." I wasn't sure if I heard him right, but he kept saying it over and over again.

"You want me to get in your crib?"

"Yeah!"

I couldn't climb in there fast enough! His crib is on the lowest setting so the mattress is resting on the wooden frame like a regular bed. I honestly couldn't believe that it could hold me or that I could even fit in there with him, but we snuggled up together and looked at the glowing stars on his ceiling. I told him a story that I made up about a giraffe who flew to the moon then swam down to the bottom of the ocean to have a tea party with an octopus. It's his favorite. It was probably the greatest 10 minutes with my son ... ever. As I was telling him this story we were giving each other kisses, giggling, snuggling and exchanging I love you's. At one point he was stroking my cheek with his finger tips. It was one of those moments that you never want to end and one that you know you will never forget.

Audrey: First tooth

Audrey cut her first tooth on January 2nd. It's a tiny, little bottom tooth and she has become a drooling machine! She has been her usual, pleasant self and hasn't been cranky which has been a relief, but I'm sure that may change as more and more teeth emerge. She's only 5 months old .... I know all kids are different, but that seems too little for teeth. I'm enjoying these last few weeks with my toothless baby and loving that gummy grin!

Devon: December

Devon is such a fun little kid. He says the most hilarious things everyday that Joe and I sit around after he has gone to sleep and trade quotes and laugh and laugh and laugh.

He suddenly decided that he is too big for his high chair and now sits at a regular chair at the table ... without a booster seat. He won't sit in them at restaurants so I decided to skip it and see how he does at home without one and he seems to be doing fine.

His current favorite things to say are:
"Mama/Daddy, sit down right there."
"Take (item) with us."
"Big sword. Kill dragon. Save princess."
"This is my handbag."
"Mama/Daddy tell story. Once upon a time ..."

He is in love with the Incredibles and insists that he is Incrediboy and that he has rocket shoes on. He also watches Shrek and talks about dragons, swords, princess, and Prince Charming. It is totally adorable to see him actively using his imagination and turn random things into swords and guns to kill the dragon.

He is getting better and better at articulating what he wants and will tell me when he's hungry and "irsty" (thirsty). He has also started helping himself to food in the pantry and will suddenly have a sucker or a mouth full of crackers. He loves to eat macaroni and cheese, jello, ice cream, apples and cheese. He also loves soup ... the broth in particular. He picks up the whole bowl and drinks the broth without spilling.

Devon loves to dance and sing and constantly sings with me when we are in the car. He really likes classic rock. He nods his head and raises the roof while singing along even if he doesn't know the words. He does know a surprising amount of lyrics and his current favorite singer is Pink.

Devon is such a tough little kid. Sometimes he wipes out and I think he is going to crumble into tears, but he just gets up and moves on and he's fine. When he does cry I know he must be really hurt. He does the sweetest thing ... if he gets hurt he sort of hides his face as if he doesn't want me to see him hurt until he can "pull it together". He might ask me to kiss it better and magically he's fine. Ahhhh the magic of Mama's kiss!

A few days before Xmas Devon got a super high fever. 104. It would spike, we'd give him Tylenol and it would go back down. 4 hours later it would go right back up. We were so worried we wanted to keep an eye on him through the night so we had our first sleep over in our bed and I LOVED it. I totally get why people let their kids sleep in their bed. I loved waking up with him and giggling, snuggling and just seeing him so cute and sleeping. I wouldn't let him do that on a regular basis, but it was fun that one time. Anyway, his fever suddenly went away after 2 days and he got a rash all over. He had what is called Roseola and apparently lots of kids get it. It's not contagious, but you just have to monitor their temperature and make sure the fever and rash don't occur at the same time.

He loves to play cars, play in his kitchen, build with blocks, play trains and race in his Plasma car. If you haven't seen these cars, Google them and watch the video ... they are AWESOME! I wanted to get Devon a new car for Xmas and when I saw this car I knew he would not only love it, but grow into it as well. I got him a red car and Uncle B (Ben) got him a blue car so I can ride one and Devon can ride one and we race around the house and bump into each other and go as fast as we can! It's a total blast and we do that several times a day.

Uncle Ben also gifted him his super cool REAL stethascope. His little heart started beating faster when he realized that he could actually hear it beating.

This was the first year that Devon really got to experience Xmas and it was so fun as his Mom to share it with him. We let him pick out the tree and let him decorate it all by himself. There were a number of ornaments grouped together at the bottom of the tree, but I think that gave it some charm since it was pretty obvious that Devon placed the ornaments right where he wanted them to go.

Our first Xmas tree completely died 2 weeks before Xmas, but the place that we got it from totally replaced our tree no questions asked. It sounds like a pain to do the whole tree-getting process twice, but with such little kids it was actually fun to decorate and re-decorate.

My parents got him this super cool kitchen and I got him pots and pans and food to go with it. He loves to pretend that he is a "little chef" and prepares gourmet meals. He didn't really enjoy opening toys, but once he saw what was under the paper he wanted to open everything and play with it on the spot. His Dad picked out this set of toys (from the infamous "Swap Meet") and it came with an M-16, walkie talkie, head set, handcuffs, etc. He loves to pretend to shoot us and we love to play along. Aunt Crystal and Uncle Jordan also got him some revolver guns and he shoots us with those complete with little boy sound effects.

Devon loves to help his Dad grill food, work outside and help out in the garage. He will do anything with his Dad and wants to be around him all the time. They love to wrestle, punch, kick and jump on the bed.

Devon does have pretty spectacular tantrums from time to time and he just lays down on his tummy and cries. All I can do is laugh because it is so much emotion coming from such a tiny person over something so (usually) ridiculous. They are getting fewer and fewer and thankfully they only happen at home.

Devon is really good about taking baths, but has a new found love for showers. As soon as he hears the water turn on his head pops up, his eyes get wide and he takes off running to the shower shouting "Shower! Take shower!" all the way there. He has gotten so brave about going under the water, something he used to really hate.

He has reached that age where he wants to do things himself and I thought it would be annoying to have to wait for him to do things that I could do for him in a split second, but it has been really nice to have him gain some independence and start being a big boy. He will get into his car seat, brush his own teeth and undress himself. Sometimes when I go into his room to get him in the morning he is standing there in his crib wearing only a diaper, we have a good laugh and he declares that he's funny.

Devon loves to go to Gamma and Gampa's house and pick oranges to make juice. He even brought his own fancy glass from home to drink from. Cheers!

Joe and I are so in love with this little boy. He is calm, quite, thoughtful, funny, shares his toys, plays well with other kids and loves to spend time with his extended family. He loves to give out hugs and kisses and we can't get enough of them!