Love to Travel

Everyone knows how much Brent and I love to travel. Well, it appears that the kids have inherited that too (quite excited) - all summer they have been packing their bags and taking trips. It started when our wonderful friends and neighbors, the Bries', moved back to Iowa. The kids really missed their friends, Cooper and Ali, and they decided to pack up to see them. They then proceeded to take every article of clothing out of their dressers and pack them into their rolling back packs (normally used to pack toys for trips). They place their stuff next to the front door and inform me that they need to be taken to the airport, as they are traveling alone. When asked what they'll do when they get there, they say they'll take a taxi, stay in a hotel, and visit with Cooper and Ali. I have to say, I was pretty impressed at this point (and thankful that they don't know about rental cars yet). There was quite a lot of drama when I told them we couldn't really go to Iowa right now and tried to explain that plane tickets are a lot of money.

They must have thought about it in their sleep though - after that, they (still packed, I might add) decided they were going to Russia to ride the longest train in the world. Thinking that technology might help me, Will and I pulled up the site for the Trans-Siberian railroad and looked at the cost. We also created plane tickets. Despite understanding money (they have to use their own to buy toys, ect - it's really cut down on the whining in stores), Will could not understand why we couldn't leave for the Russian train the next day and went to bed in tears (poor boy).

Russia via Iowa was his next suggestion - until we went to the Cars 2 movie. Then, the plan changed to Japan to ride the bullet train (he knows the name, but I can't spell it - Shincanzen). I didn't even bother with web-sites this time. Luckily, I didn't have too - they packed up and pretended (thank goodness!).

They packed up early for Dollywood; they packed up early for MI - the kids love to travel and definately have plans to see the world. We're very excited about this and are thinking of actually getting their passports. In keeping with Cars 2 (and if exchange rates improve a ton), we may try a long family weekend in London sometime. But, we're pretty booked until summer so we'll keep you posted.

Will's Rollercoaster

The kids have been pretty creative recently. Will, of course, loves to make different train track designs. He's now expanded into rollercoasters - he got to go on his first rollercoaster ride last summer and had a blast! This little video shows what Will designed for me during rest time this week - I'm still really impressed with how he made the curved part manage to stay together while hanging in mid-air; it's not even touching the ground. Enjoy!

Kiddie Stories

Will and Sofia have been enjoying a cartoon on HBO called "I Spy." Two odd looking characters try to find hidden objects. While looking, they tell jokes. Will and Fi attempt to repeat them - but they can't remember the punch lines and end up making up something. Will, however, finally got a joke right (and I don't think this one was from the show) - "When is a bicycle not a bicycle? When it turns into a driveway!" Yes! His first real joke! :) It cracked us up and we can't wait to hear more.

Brent and I were talking in bed one night before going to sleep. Now, our new bedroom furniture is up a ways from the ground, and when you're buried in the blankets, you can't see anything below you. It was totally quiet until a little voice goes, "Hello Mumma!" We both jumped and about hit the ceiling (and silently thought it was a good thing we were just talking). Fi completely surprised us and she thought it was the funniest thing ever.

One night, Tara kindly invited us over for dinner - Andy and Brent were both out of town and we thought it would be fun to hang out. Like most of my friend's children, her kids both are very good eaters. She was very nice and asked if mine would eat homemade mac and cheese. I thought Will would -- I was wrong . . . even without the breadcrumbs, Will didn't want it. Tara and Cooper kept trying to tempt him by telling Will that this was Cooper's favorite. Will didn't seem to care, although he did try a small bite (this is a major event). When we were walking home, Will asked me if we could have Cooper over to our house so we could make Will's favorite mac and cheese (the kind from the box). He still asks, and I still laugh about it.

Will's Dream Car

Will's a total car nut, so it completely surprised me the other day when he told me, "Mommy, I want a white mini-van." I replied, "We have a silver van." He then told me, "No - when I can drive, when I'm 16, I want a white mini-van." He then says, "No, I changed my mind." I'm thinking, I sure hope so; and he says, "I want a blue one." I burst out laughing! Now, whenever we go past one, Will reminds me, "Mommy, when I'm 16, I want a blue mini-van." I plan to remind him of this fact 12 years from now . . .

Kiddie Stories

Just some fun kid stories that I have to write down before I forget.

First, the kids and I were sitting around the table having dinner one night (Brent was out of town) and all of a sudden Will says, "I want a baby." I think, "WHAT?!?!" But, I ask, "Why?" He simple says, "Because there should be two boys." I tried really, really hard not to bust out laughing and managed to say, "Well, just because you have a baby doesn't mean that you get a boy. What if we get another girl?" He thought about that and then said, "How about another puppy?" I immediately bust out laughing and tell him that our family is great just the way it is, pets included.

The kids were playing in the basement - alone - the other morning. I went down to see them and saw that one of the ceiling tiles was half falling down. I asked Will what happened. He said, "Sofia threw a ball up there. Is she in trouble?" I said, "No - you just have to tell Mommy so I can fix it," to which he responded, "Well, I did it. Sorry Mommy." What a smart little 4 year old - make sure you're not in trouble before you admit to something. :)

Today, the kids were playing musical potty (my turn, your turn) in an effort to delay rest time (Fi's done napping - so sad - and I'm trying to get her used to the idea of resting in your room). While we're getting everyone organized, Will says, "When I grow up, I want to be a dad." My heart just melted. And then Sofia said, "I want to be mommy." So sweet and a dream I hope they keep. :)

Crib Escape

Sofia has learned how to get out of her crib - all thanks to big brother, Will. You can see from this video that he's really proud and excited about that fact.

She surprised us one morning by actually walking into our room saying, "Hi Mommy. Hi Daddy. I wake up!" She was really excited about her escape - I just started worrying about what she would do at nap time. Luckily, she doesn't escape unless someone comes to get her (thank goodness!).

After I saw how she got out of the crib, we decided to put the bar down (so it's not such a long fall, just in case). Even with the bar down, she doesn't get out unless we get her. So, we think this may be the end of the crib. The current owners of our new house are leaving their kids twin beds and we plan to just put Sofia into that when we get into the new house. I'm not sure if we'll have to put a gate in her room or not (we did with Will in MI because he would wake up, get out of bed, and come upstairs to get us when he wasn't quite so good at the stairs) but we'll find out soon enough. She's getting so big!

Will's Rap Songs

In January, Brent took Will to his first movie-theater movie - "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel." We thought he would like it since he absolutely cracked up during the first one on cable, and we didn't think it would have anything too scary for him. I worried a little about the noise (he still gets extremely upset by loud noises) since even I think movie theaters can be loud. Turns out, I didn't have anything at all to be worried about - he LOVED it!

Brent said he played with the chairs to start, but once Brent told him he couldn't play, he sat still. Instead of popcorn, we armed him with a snack pack of M&M's (still a favorite candy). He watched the whole thing and only got upset when it was all done. He even cried when they came in the door and asked if he could go back tomorrow. We tried to explain that movies are special and that we can't go all the time; but we told him we'll go again sometime. Now, anytime we drive past that theater, he tells you that's where he saw the Chipmunk movie and asks if we can go again.

Now, he runs around the house singing the Chipmunk Xmas song (you know the one - it always reminds me of Xmas in PA because Grandma Sophie and Grandpap used to play that on their record player) - I'll get it on video soon and post it. He's also heard the Ludacris song from the Squeakquel on the radio and attempts to sing along with it. The actual lyrics are "How low can you go, how low can you go;" Will's interpretation is this," Hello, pinkie toe! HELLO! Pinkie Toe!" And, he does a cute little dance, pointing to his toes. It's a riot!

In addition to Luda, Will has discovered some other rap/dance gems thanks to my Wii "Just Dance" game. He never joins me in the dance part (I've tried) but he makes me dance while he sings "Who Let the Dogs Out" and "(I Like to) Move It, Move It." The past week or so, he's been breaking out into these songs without the Wii game on.

Brent wanted him to get into drums and punk rock, but maybe he'll be a rap/dance star instead. :)

Kiddie Stories

Over the past 3 months, we've had some great kiddies stories. Unfortunately, I've forgotten some of them because it's been too long. In any case, I thought I'd tell you about the ones I do remember.

First off, Will has decided that he likes to hide in Brent's shirt - we're not sure why. In any case, when Brent comes home from work and changes, Will immediately asks him to put this shirt on (it's the only one we're willing to stretch out so far) so he can hide in there. I actually have a picture of Will all the way under the shirt, but you can't tell he's in there - it just makes Brent look about 18 months pregnant (and, he's lost over 20 pounds since Jan, so that's just not fair at all). :)

Next, like a true little boy, Will (on his own here, so we can't blame Brent or Chris) discovered that it's fun to put his underwear on his head and run around the house naked. He does this either after using the potty or before changing into jammies for the night. He just laughs and laughs, and asks for us to chase him.

Sofia hasn't been left out either. Last week, we had a playdate with a woman, Kristy, and her 2 kids, Jacob (who is 2 1/2) and Hannah (who is 8 months). Kristy needed to help Jacob with something so I offered to hold Hannah for a minute. Fi got so upset! She came up to me, held onto my legs and yelled, "Hold me, hold me! My mommy! My mommy!" She had quite the little jealous rant (and made me feel so special!) So, even if we were thinking about it (we're not, so don't worry there) Fi would not be excited about mommy with a baby.

If I can think of any more good ones, I'll write them down as fast as I can. Until then, I hope these make you laugh.

Kiddie Stories

The kids have been pretty funny lately and I thought I should share.

They have started to take the changing pad off the table and putting it on the floor. Then, they both pretend to go to sleep. Will started it and now they both fight for a turn. Sofia says "ni-ni" with a smile and pulls the blanket over her. It's so cute!

The other night I was putting Will to sleep. As I was getting up to leave, he asks me, "Mommy, do you want to hear a great joke?" I, of course, say yes. He says, "There was a train and two cars." I ask him, "What's the joke?" He says, "The train is pulling the cars," and starts laughing. I had to laugh with him.

Sofia has started saying "mine" - oh no! She looks at you (or Will) and starts saying "my, my" and bouncing her knees (cuz that will help get the point across). She does this a lot when you're talking on the phone - she loves to hold the phone and say "hi."

School and Soccer Updates

I was hoping to have a picture for this one, but it's just not in the cards tonight. Sorry.

First - the school update. Will is loving school and is doing really well. He always gets a smiley face report card at the end of the day. And, Tuesday, one of his teachers called as a courtesy to let me know that he's always smiling and laughing, and chatting and playing well with the other kids. She said he's a delight and we love having him in our class. As a parent, that's just so exciting to hear - we're so darn proud of him - who wouldn't be? :) Today, in the car-pool pick-up line, the other teacher put him in our car and told me "Today was all smiles." He's done some crafts lately too - a real first for him since I could never really get him to sit still long enough to color, ect. Tuesday he used finger paint and made a W - he complained to me later that there weren't any brushes. I guess he's taking after Jerry and wants to be neat. He's always excited about the train table and cars at school and today talked about playing in the gym with Coach Good (that's really the guys name). I'm so excited he loves school.

We finally had a sunny day today, after much gloom, and I decided to surprise Will when we picked him up with a picnic at the zoo. The kids really liked it and it was nice to hit the zoo at a different time of day. There were fewer people (thanks to early naps) and the animals were doing different things too. The lemurs were running around and playing (Madagascar, the movie, anyone?) and we saw the baby orangutan, Baby Bob, climb up the ropes and swing around while his parents napped. It was awesome and the kids really liked it too! From there, we went to the playground and hung out for a little while. It was just nice to be out again (even if it was super muggy).

Now - soccer update. We were late today, as Brent was wrapping up some stuff (see next blog for details), but that's OK. Will just missed the warm-up and he really doesn't do much of that anyway. I was pretty worried how he would do, since I had to wake him up from a nap and that puts him in a terrible, whiney, awful child mood. But, armed with a milkshake bribe, he readily joined in the rest of the kids for running. After running, they worked on stopping the ball again today in little groups. Then, they broke off into two groups to kick the ball into the net with small kicks again. It's so funny for kids to watch the "small kicks" idea - they mostly just want to kick the ball as hard as they can and get it in the net. Will had several tries and did a good job. He was rewarded on the way home with a milkshake. :)

After our busy day, both kids tuckered out early tonight, which is good - we all have a very early morning tomorrow to get Mommy on an airplane.

Sofia Stories

We've been hearing an awful lot about Will lately, so I thought I'd mention what Fi's been doing. First off, she's now 16 months old and here are her latest stats (as of her 15 month check-up):
Weight: 25 lbs 13.5 oz (81%)
Height: 32 3/4 inches (98%)
So, she's still a really tall girl. She's more or less in 18 month clothes now. (Don't worry family - I'll keep you updated on her sizes as Xmas gets closer; I'm thinking she'll be in 24 months by then though.)

Her vocabulary just keeps growing. She can say the following: Mama, Dada, Hi, Yeah, Ni-nite, Up, and Go
And, she knows the following animal noises/sounds:
Baa (her favorite - you ask her what a sheep says and she practically screams it), Bock-bock (her other favorite - anytime she sees a chicken in a book, on tv, or a stuffed one she gets all excited and laughs while she makes the noise), Moo, Woof, and Oink. She also says tick-tock when she sees a clock. She also understands so much (let's go Fi's room, let's go, come here, no (not her favorite), and so many others) - it's wonderful! We're really having a lot of fun.


She's finally started defending herself from Will too. At first, she was biting (about 3 months ago) but we got her to stop that. So, now, when he takes something or tackles her, she hits him on the head. We think it's pretty funny (although we tell her no) because most of the time it's deserved. Will's finally getting the idea and doesn't take things quite so often now.

One recent story to share -- we got her a little plastic horse the other day at the store (because Will was getting a present for being a good boy at school). It's like a little model for a farm. She put it on the ground so it was standing and then backed up over it like she was going to ride it. As she got closer to it, it fell over. She did it like 3 times and it was super funny.

She also like to take all the throw pillows off the couch and then back up to sit on them. She'll sit there and laugh, or she'll stand and dance, or she'll lay on it and hug the pillow. It's pretty funny - she gets such a kick out of it that she laughs the whole time.

She's becoming a dancing queen too. When Will was little, he would move his left arm back and forth as he danced (I never got it on video - he'd always stop when he saw the camera and I wasn't sneaky enough). Sofia bends her knees and bops up and down, then she does circles, and then she stomps her feet. I love it! When I pick her up to dance with her, she laughs; when I tell her it's Will's turn, she clamps her little legs around my waist so I can't put her down. We have a great time.

That's all for now - I'll jot down more stories as they happen and let you know.

Kiddie Updates

First, Will has started to "read" us books. He started with Freight Train and has now moved onto The Little Engine That Could. It's so cute how he reads and turns the pages at the right time. And, with the little engine, he uses little voices. I love it and it just makes me so happy!
He's also doing a lot more imaginary play - he makes up "stories" and voices for his trucks and trains and acts them out. I'm sure you'll see it the next time you see him - he's doing it all the time now.

We're doing very well with our potty training too - he actually told me in Wal-Mart (sorry, Steven!) that he needed to pee. Of course, we were at the front of the store and the bathroom was in the back; but we went fast and he did a great job. Then, he was in the bathroom with Brent the other night. He was sitting on his little seat trying to poop. He kept readjusting himself and he got a little erect. Because of that, his penis wouldn't fit in the potty anymore. He then wisely told Brent, "My penis is way too big!" It was too funny, and something I'm sure he'll appreciate me documenting. :)

I Read It

Sunday night was a first - Will read me a book. He chose Freight Train (see picture - thanks Amazon!) and read the whole book for me, twice. I'm so proud and excited - I could burst. Now, I realize that he's memorized it (I don't honestly think he's reading) but out of all the books that we've repeatedly read, this is the one remembered enough to read/repeat. He continues to read the book each night to whom ever puts him to bed and each time makes me so happy! So, anyone visiting will get the honor of having Will read you a bed-time story - that should be worth the trip, right? :)

Sofia Stories

Sofia is growing and changing so much - I know I should expect it and all, but I still can't believe it. She's still not talking much (mama, dada, yeah, hi, and sometimes ni-nite) but she is trying her darndest. She makes the funniest noises with her tongue, especially when we're in the car. I'm not sure how to type the sound but it's like "blabh, blabh, blabh" and when she does stop, both her cheeks are covered in slobber. It's super funny! Even Will asks her, "Fi, what are you singing?" When she's tired of making tongue noises, she starts going "yeah, yeah, yeah" over and over again. It's also super funny! I'll try to get a real video of it (with noise) but as she usually does most of it when we're in the car, I'm not sure that will happen.

Even though she doesn't have the words yet, she's expressing herself quite a lot. She'll imperiously point to something she wants and yells, "GA!" As you guess what this might be, she looks at you. When you finally guess correctly, her eyes light up and she starts nodding "yes" emphatically. It's quite an effective communication tool (and it's funny to boot.)

A few posts ago, I mentioned how we were feeding her naked (as she wants to do it herself and it's just easier on me and the laundry). Well, she still wants to do everything herself and now she wants to sit at the table with us to eat, not in her highchair. We try to get her in it and you'd think we were sending her to the electric chair or something - she struggles, pushes, screams, cries . . . And, when we do get her in there, she tries (and sometimes manages) to escape. So, I'm now working on feeding her at the table (well, helping her feed herself really.) At least we're all eating together now.

She's found some new favorite foods - grapes. I love to have grapes with breakfast, especially in the warm weather. She saw me eating one and kept pointing to it. So, I cut one up for her (since every talks about kids choking on whole ones) but she wouldn't eat it. So, I gave her a whole one - she loved it! She'll go to the fridge and point until you open it, and then, when it's opened, she'll point to the bowl of grapes until she gets some. I tried putting a bunch in a bowl for her - bad idea. She put as many as she could in her mouth (her little cheeks were puffed out like a chipmunk!) and then started choking. But, one at a time she can handle. She's also eaten blueberries, white beans, and watermelon (see earlier post) lately and liked them. Thank goodness - I may end up with one good eater yet!

I'm sure I have some more to tell, but those are the ones that come readily to mind at the moment. I'm sure I'll have more soon, as the kids do something funny almost every day.

Little Miss Independent

We have gradually been introducing "real" food to Sofia now that she's up to 8 teeth - I admit, I've probably introduced everything a little slower than I should have, but she's come on like a champ. She's eating all kinds of solid foods now and we are no longer slaves to formula or Gerber mush (all of that stuff just tastes like crap - and yes, I did try it all, once). However, since she's decided she's eating food like her big brother, she REALLY wants to eat it like him. She will no longer eat food unless she gets to hold the spoon/fork and put it in her mouth herself. She turns her head all the way into the highchair back and short of brute force (which she fights - she's so darn strong already), she won't turn her head. So independent! And, unlike Will at this stage, she will not wear a bib at all. After the cleaning nightmare of several spaghetti sauce splattered clothes, she now eats naked. It's kinda cute and I should really take a video of it.

We've been lucky so far - she's a much better and far less pickier eater than Will. Already, she more or less eats whatever Brent and I are having, although her favorites so far are anything with spaghetti sauce, yogurt, and applesauce. It's been pretty fun trying things out - I made tortellini with a butternut squash sauce last night for me (Brent's in Tenn until Thurs) and thought she might like it. Not so much! She willingly took a first bite - and then, the look on her face! It was so funny! She spit the piece out and wouldn't let me try to give her another one. The kids had fishsticks last night instead. :)

Along with eating by herself, she's become a little Houdini. I don't know how she's done it, but shes managed to get fully out of her highchair buckles and stand up while in the highchair. She only does this when she decides she's done, and it's usually just before we wipe her down (which she hates). It's a good clue to when she's done, but worrying none the less.

She's working like mad to talk right now too - she's nodding both yes and no, and pointing/gesturing to things. It's very helpful and makes me wish I would have learned the baby sign language. Oh well - maybe for the next one (ha! just kidding!) I can't believe how fast she's learning and understanding - what a big girl!

Some Kiddie Stories

Since I'm way behind in my postings, I wanted to catch-up some fun kid stories before I forget them.

While we were all busy packing, Will discovered he's pretty good with tools. Between my dad and Handy Manny, Will has a profound love of tools - he knows what they're called and what they can do. So, Brent is in the basement packing up records and CD's. Will comes up to him and says, "Daddy, look what my do (he doesn't say mine or I yet - it really comes out like mise)" and he hands Brent the hinge from the side door. Honest, the actual hinge. Luckily, he kept the screws by the door and helped put the hinge back on. We're very proud.

I think I remembered to blog about this big event, but I can't remember - Sofia is walking! She Sunday before her birthday, she walked about 4 steps from me to Brent before we headed to church. We tried to get her to walk some more the rest of the week, but she only wanted to hold our hand. Then, we left her with Grandma and Grandpa Maxwell and she was walking all over the place. Now, she's walking almost all the time and is trying to run. It's great and we're so excited for her!

Some Kiddie Stories

Our kids have been keeping us in stitches lately, so I thought I would share with everyone.

First, we are still in the process of potty training Will (and training us too). We were all at the park the other day, and Will and one of his park friends, Avery, were playing in the sandbox. Well, Avery decided he had to go potty and his dad took him behind a tree (since there are no potties in the park). Will thought that was SUPER cool and wanted to try it on the way home. It was pretty funny, and now every time we go to the park, he talks about peeing on the tree. What a boy thing! :)

Tuesday, I went to get my hair done (such a fun thing for me - I am totally going to miss having Brandon do my hair - I've been with him longer than I've been with Brent!). Since it had been awhile, Brandon decided to straighten it for me (it's a total novelty and I never do it myself). I pulled in the driveway and Will was all excited to see me - until I got out of the car. Then, he told my mom, "That's not my mommy. Who's that?" He kept peeking around the corner at me for about a half hour and talked about it for the rest of the day. Luckily, Fi didn't have an issue with my straight hair.

Wednesday, I headed to the dentist (we are getting all of our appointments out of the way before we move so we don't have to scramble to find dr's down south). Carlene was nice enough to watch the kids for me and told me this story. Fi was looking out the front door and Jim, our mailman, came with the mail. She kept looking at him and banging on the door. He waved to her from the sidewalk and she totally freaked out! She started screaming and crying - he felt so badly! But, I'm sure it was a funny sight too.

This morning, Will came to wake us up (like he normally does) and lately, he's been bringing all of his doggies with him (3 stuffed border collies). This morning, after a minute or two in bed with us, he headed back down stairs to "see sister." And, I hear him talking to her through the moniter (I love listening to them together - it just warms my heart so much and is a great start to my day, no matter how early it is). He tells her, "Don't worry - I just went upstairs with the doggies. Here, you can have them now." When I went in to get them, she had all the doggies in her crib with her - what a good big brother!

The weather's supposed to be good all weekend and we're looking forward to some fun outside. Saturday, we are headed to Adrian to see Grandma Veddy Sue (she's so darn cute - I love her!) and the rest of the Raines crew. It should be a lot of fun and we'll tell you all about it.

Fun Kid Stories

Story #1 - We had "Parenthood" on in the background while getting Will to sleep last night. He saw the scene where Steve Martin's kid wins the baseball game and Martin does a celebration dance. Will jumps off the couch and starts imitating him - it was perfect! It was so funny - he was laughing and "dancing" and we were cracking up.

Story #2 - Sofia's become much more mobile in the past 2/3 weeks and is now going gangbusters in the walker. Will was chasing her up the hall and she was running away, laughing like crazy. Then, she turned around and chased him into the kitchen - still laughing. It was too cute!

I need to write these as they happen, as I had at least 2 more and now I can't remember them. Oh well - I hope you enjoy what we've got for now.