A new art...

The kids are working on mastering a new art.  The art of manipulation/procrastination.

Since 2 year molars starting, Hayden has been a bedtime/naptime struggle to get down.  Whether or not its caused by the molars, or sleeping habbits related to molars, or just a coincidence in timing, we've had a rough go of it getting him to conceide & crawl into bed.  We try to make sure he has everything he, um, "needs" before going to bed.  Blanket.  Lovie.  Pillow.  Car.  Mommy kiss.  Daddy kiss.  Daddy tuck in.  But then it turns into "baby night night."  So we grab a baby doll, get it tucked in with him.  Then its "more tractor night night"... off to grab a tractor.  "Elmo night-night"....off to... you get the picture.  And lately a lot, we end up with a tantrum & occasionally a boy falling asleep on the floor by their bedroom door.  But we're sticking to our guns & things are starting to get a little bit better.  Still some "too early for this mama"  mornings though.

And Livi at bedtime & at daycare drop off:  "More kiss."  "Mommy more kiss."  "More kiss"  "More kiss." 

Ok so it's SOOO incredibly sweet.  How can you not give in?  But Liv, thats 8 kisses now, I love you too but mommy has to go to work at some point today.  {This however will be different with Jeff's new schedule this semseter.  He will be the drop off AND the pick up parent!}

Speaking of daycare.  The kids had not been there in 2 weeks with Jeff being off over the holidays.  So before heading back, we were talking with the kids about going back to school.  And after all this time, Livi still continues to talk about Jack.  His name is mentioned the minute we say school!  However it sounds like this little diva of ours is already getting herself into some boy drama.  When I drop the kids off in the morning, there is always just one other little boy in the toddler room.  His name is Mason.  As Logan & Hayden came around the corner he asked "Where's Olivia?"  Apparently Mr. Mason has been asking the teachers every day if Olivia is coming today.  So... Mason likes Livi.  Livi likes Jack.  Isn't this stuff supposed to not happen for another 10 years at least??!!

After the holidays I discovered the kids' baskets {cubbies}at daycare had been moved.  But I guess that means they got bumped up an "age bracket" within the toddler room.  They are no longer the youngest toddler group!  How the littlest things seem like these big ole' milestones is shocking isn't it?  They have been bringing home more artwork since the transition!

Just keep swimming...

Spent some time at the Y this weekend.... swimming!! 

Took them a little while to get in & they weren't so fond of the deep end.  But they played really well for about an hour & had a blast. 

 Hayden was the bravest fish.  He is Mr. Go Getter lately.  Here he is splashing his daddy using a shovel.

I had gotten them some water shoes at the end of the summer clearance prices.  Which I think helped a lot at the Y.  The zero entry, smooth, painted concrete is kind of slick there.  Shoes were very helpful.

 We had to coax him out when Logan & Livi were ready to go.

 Tired girl ready to go....

 ....so tired she fell asleep waiting for lunch to cook!  That swimming stuff is hard work!

On a side note... the boys' buzzes are growing on me.  Might look better if anyone would cooperate for a picture!

This boy has eaten & eaten & eaten this week.  I swear he'll weigh 35lbs by Friday at this rate!!

Molar #3

Well Hayden is drooling like a 12 month old.  And his poor butt is sore, sore, sore.  All to be explained by 2 year molar #3 popping through his bottom right gums.  I can't believe he has popped 3 of them through so quick.  Only that top left one yet to go!

"I want...."

I've been doing some bathroom organizing.  Which lead to a little kids' closet organizing.  And a little toy room organizing.  Bumping "storage equipment" from room to room.

I was working in the toy room & Hayden was talking about something.  Pouring Fruit Loops from one cup to another {He's obsessed with pouring right now!} & talking. He kept talking & talking... and finally I realized he was talking to me.  So I stopped & asked what he wanted.  I was sitting by the toy kitchen & all the toy cups, bowls, plates, etc.  And he looked at me & said his first REAL sentence.  Like beyond putting a few words together to make a "sentence," a REAL sentence.

"I want more cup please!"

I guess he needed to pour between 3 cups & as I was sitting right by them, he figured I could certainly hand him one.  Plus I can't say I have ever heard him say "I want" before, thats awesome!  AND without being prompted, he inclued a please!  Way to go Hayden!! 

Go!

So this year, this 2012, I have a few goals.

1.  Cut our grocery budget WAY WAY down.  Any pros out there want to toss me some tips?  I don't think any stores in Omaha double coupons :(

2.  Organize the HECK out of this house! 

And I think project #1 will be our bathroom.  I've been pinning the heck out of things on Pinterest for inspiration.  Anyone have awesome bathroom organization & storage tips??  Once we finally get our Christmas decor down, maybe I'll get started.  We'll see how long this takes me! 

Doctor, Doctor

After our 2 year well check, Dr. Harrison wanted us to take Liv & Logan to see a specialist in relation to the umbillical hernias they had as babies because he felt the defects were still open.  He figured they wouldn't recommend fixing them & I assumed that would be the case too.  But we still figured we'd get our piece of mind, so we went to see Dr. Raynor last week.

He says: 
*Livi's defect is completely closed.  She just has a pretty big outie of skin left.

*Logan still has a defect there, infact you can see it bulge a little when he crys.  However it is less than 1cm in size & he doesn't feel a loop of bowel could even fit out any more.  He says defects that are smaller than 1cm at this point, 90% of them close on their own by age 5.  So he wouldn't recommend doing anything until then. 

Score & score!

Thinking about them growing & changing & looking at the pictures at the end of the boys' new buzz cuts blog made me think about how much they have grown in the past year.  So I wanted to look back.  Whats funny is they all gained basically 6.5 pounds & each grew 4.5-4.75 inches from 1 to 2.  But just look at their percentiles increasing as they continue to "catch up" from preemie-hood. 

Hayden:
 1 year:  Weight: 22lbs 14 oz (51%), Height: 29.5 in (39%), Head: 19.3 in (98%)
2 years:  Weight: 29 lbs 6 oz (67%) , Height: 34.25 in (48%), Head: 20.25 in (98%)
Olivia: 
 1 year: Weight: 19 lbs 6 oz (21%), Height: 29 in (46%), Head: 17.8 in (57%)
2 years: Weight: 25 lbs 15.5 oz (41%), Height: 33.75 in (50%), Head: 19 in (64%)

Logan
 1 year:  Weight: 19 lbs 8 oz (7%), Height: 29 in (24%), Head: 18.2 in (41%)
2 years:  Weight: 25 lbs 12.5 oz (22%), Height: 33.5 in (28%), Head: 19.5 in (67%)

We also got a letter back from the TIPS developmental follow-up program.  Basically said that from the information we submitted, they are on track developmentally.  And we'll hear from them again in a year.

BUZZZZ!!!!

So its been about 7 weeks since the boys' last hair cut & it was coming time that we needed to go again.  Jeff & I were having the conversation today about cutting back on spending this year (do all couples discuss that every January??)  And we said we'll have to get a good clippers so we can buzz the boys' hair this summer.  Jeff has one, but its old & not very nice.  (Like you have to keep it plugged in or the battery will die old.)

BUT... we got a wild idea to give it a whirl today with his old one.  Why not?  We've got no where to go & its just little boys' hair...it will grow back fast!  Get them all ready for, er, winter?

So we each grabbed a drink & went to work....

Gave them suckers like they do at Family Fun Cutz. Hayden actually sat awesome! Logan I don't have pictures of, because he sat on my lap.

 

 Livi wanted hers cut too.  To try to help them not be scared, we told them the clippers was like a blow dryer, because it makes a similar noise & they are all about Livi's toy blow dryer since Christmas.  So she said all evening "Cut a Ya-ya hair, like a blow-dryer!"

 Her little mullet is out of control too.  If it wasn't so curly I would have to cut it.  And if that cowlick wasn't so major, I'd give her some real bangs.  On the sides its finally to the bottom of her ears when its straight.  But look how long it really is in back!!!!  Oh my gosh!

 But then it does this... Carole Brady style...

 And ends up like this!

I hope it stays that way as she gets older!!

Back to the boys.  So its a LOT shorter than I had envisioned.  A lot.  And because its so short now & so blond it looks so thin!  We have to figure out how to make it longer on top & in the front if we are actually going to keep doing this.  But it wasn't a total failure, we saved $40 & they are pretty cute despite!

Hayden

 At dinner with our new traintrack table centerpiece.

Logan

He had a fever over the weekend, nothing major.  And today his face, chest, belly & back are completly covered in a rash.  But he acts 100% fine.  I don't know if you can see it in the picture, but in person he looks pretty rough.  Who knows with kids?  Who knows?

A few little rocky spots there on the back left.  But in Jeff's defense, he did not sit very still.  You don't see them in person like you do in this picture.  But if thats the worst of it for our 1st go, not all that bad, right? 

We are also practicing drinking from big boy/big girl cups.  Santa brought us these in our stockings.

They do well with the actual DRINKING part.  Its the putting them down nice.  Not putting food in them.  Or copying your sibling when an oops happens thing that keeps us primarily with sippies still.

 2 buzzed boys, a mullet girl & a brown haired mommy reading on the couch before bed.  See they all 3 still kinda-sorta fit on my "lap" to read to them!

They have grown just a little bit since last fall!! 

{But now the boys' hair looks about the same!  Ha!}