The Wetzels

Lazy Days

2012-02-15T20:40:00.000-06:00

These mild winter days have been pretty uneventful around here. We do have the big news of no more diapers during the day for Grant!!! That is pretty exciting. He's only had a couple of accidents, and he's even sleeping his three hour nap in underwear. We are very proud (and happy!). We have only gone potty in public once since he quit diapers, but it went well. I think he'll build up a lot of self confidence over the next several weeks and by the time the weather warms up and we're out and about more, he'll be a pro!

Side notes: the weenie grabbing has declined sharply ... and he is a big fan of underwear now.

In other news ...

Jack learned how to ride Golden Boy

Grant obsessed over Pillow Fort

Grant worked on his photography skills

Jack tried on Dada's glasses

Grant had a turn

Jack wanted them back ... teething makes him grumpy

Jack got another turn!


The boys played with pom poms

Jack posed for a cute picture

... and a silly face

... and a smile!!!

An Interview with a 2 Year Old

2012-02-02T17:35:00.000-06:00

Bon Appetit

2012-02-01T15:52:00.000-06:00

This and That

2012-01-31T21:16:00.000-06:00

Our good friends Jen and Rob came to visit the other weekend - we had a blast hanging out, playing with the boys, and even broke in our new firepit (complete with smores!).

Grant had a fun playdate with one of his buddies from school ...

The boys spent some time together watching Sesame Street (zombie boys) while I cooked dinner

And Grant learned how to play hide and seek ... sort of. Here he is, hiding in a pretty good spot. Dada and Jack can't seem to find him.

Potty Training?!?

2012-01-30T21:02:00.001-06:00

Over the past few months we have dabbled in potty training, but nothing has really been successful to date. This weekend, we decided to do a naked weekend ... and we seem to be on to something! We always heard that if we waited until he was ready it would come easily ... we're on our way!

Grant does not want to wear underwear, so he was either "nakey" or "just pants" (aka commando). He did a great job of holding it, getting to the potty on time, undressing and dressing himself, putting the seat up and down, and being so proud of himself.

He went to school today with no diaper on, and his teachers reported that he did great - two times to the potty and no accidents! This makes three days of complete success ... next step is to go for pull ups or just no diaper at nap and then progress to night.

Amazing! I really didn't think we'd be here for another 6 months, so I'm super excited and proud of him.

The only downside ... without a diaper, he seems to have better access to, well, himself. His new obsession seems to be weenie grabbing. In this house full of boys, I have to draw the line at constant weenie grabbing. He is now learning that some things need to be done in your "alone time".

Grantics

2012-01-27T14:33:00.000-06:00

Grant loves to see himself on a video, especially if he can watch it on the camcorder nanoseconds after it was recorded. Our camcorder makes a little "chime" when I hit the button to stop recording, and it has a Pavlovian effect on Grant's brain which makes him stop dead in his tracks and run towards me inquiring, "I see it?".

One night, during dinner, he was having a hard time (after being awoken from a very long, late nap) and I had put him on the couch in the living room to cool down from his tantrum. He had rolled off the couch onto the floor to continue to kick and cry, and he happened to be just in the line of sight of Jack at the dinner table.

Grant started sobbing/yelling at Jack to "not look at me, Jack! no!!!". Jack found it hilarious and realized that if he pounded his little hands on the table, the reaction from his brother was even more furious and loud. A pattern emerged ... POUND ... "no, Jack!!!" ... POUND ... "no, Jack!!!" ... POUND ... (furious sobbing and kicking) ... POUND ... more "no"s just for the sake of saying it ...

It was so hilarious to Matt and I that I pulled out the camcorder and tried to capture the moment of brotherly love. After recording enough to make me smile, I hit "stop".

"chime" ... complete silence ... "I see it!?!?!?!?!"

Grant was at my side, all smiles, ready to see his latest performance.

Jack's Words

2012-01-26T10:15:00.000-06:00

Jack is learning more words all the time ...

Here is his current vocab:

Truck (tuhk)
Uh Oh
Elmo (bah-boh)
Big Bird (bih buhd)
Grant (gatt)
Jack
Bump
Baby (bah boh)
Wow (ooh-wauw)
Boom
Poo Poo
Mama
Dada
Rub (wub)
Gloria (goya)
Yum
Oval (obal)
Plus (puhs)
Block (bok)
Dog Go
Moon (moom)
Hippo (bippo)
Ball (baw)
Neigh (horse noise)
Ooh Ooh (monkey)
Ruff (dog)
Trumpet (like an elephant)

It's really fun to hear his cute little voice :)

Same Old, Same Old

2012-01-19T21:49:00.002-06:00

Things are pretty quiet here on the home front. The boys are still silly, Matt and I are still working great hours and spending lots of time with them, and we're excited about the warmer weather that we're in store for this weekend.

Grant's language skills have been growing exponentially lately. It makes for some pretty funny things coming out of his mouth ...

"Edward (train) is gonna crash down this mountain into all those train tracks and get train track juice all over him"

"I not like that kind (referring to my homemade pizzas) ... I want pizza man come"

"Thank you mama for the cookie!" (turns out he will do almost anything for one oreo cookie)

"What's his/her name?" (he is obsessed with people's names right now -- if you even mention that you're doing something or going somewhere where there might be another human being, he wants to know the name of that person)

He also loves to sing (he must know fifty songs by heart) and has taken to singing his words to me. Imagine this to the tune of Baa Baa Black Sheep ... "mama mama i want snack now".

Grant started Little Gym classes a couple of weeks ago -- he goes on Saturdays with Matt. I think he is warming up to them (and hopefully I'll actually get a photo at some point!).

Jack is still in major imitator mode. Anything that Grant does, Jack will mimic immediately.

Grant put a sticker on his forehead, so I did it, too!

He is trying harder and harder to talk everyday as well. I think he can say big bird, mama, grant, jack, squeak, wow, bump, and maybe a few other words at this point. Sadly, he seems to be cutting four molars at once, so he is often pretty sad and frustrates easily over the past week or so.

Building towers from our pantry supplies

No pictures of Grant this week ... I'll have to work on that!

Where did my baby go?

2012-01-12T16:49:00.000-06:00

Where did this little boy come from?

When Grant is away

2012-01-11T16:47:00.000-06:00

Jack gets to play at the table and with the cool magnets all by himself

He has years to practice

2012-01-10T16:38:00.000-06:00

Hanging out with Jack

2012-01-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

Help!

2012-01-08T16:28:00.000-06:00

I crawled in here and I can't get out

Christmas!

2012-01-07T16:24:00.002-06:00

I am finally getting around to putting up our Christmas post ... 2012 has been a busy year already!

We had a wonderful family Christmas at our house on Saturday morning (the kids had no idea that we were celebrating a day early). We put out cookies for Santa the night before and sprinkled some reindeer food on our front lawn as further temptation. Grant is still too young to really get the entire Santa, reindeer, gifts thing, but he knew how to open presents (his and Jack's and ours) and he was in the spirit the whole week.

On (actual) Christmas day, we headed down to Houston to mom's house. We visited for the afternoon and then put the kids down (Grant, Jack and Evelyn) and had an adults only gift exchange -- it was slow and peaceful!

Three cousins in a tub!

The next morning, the three cousins got to open their gifts. It ended up being a nice way to spread out the process and everyone got to enjoy it a bit more. Grant and Jack got so many fun things ... a new "job" chart for Grant, a huge tiger for Jack (just like Grant's huge polar bear), new cups, bowls and silverware, books, games, homemade bibs and even a surprise ball for Grant.

Trying on Evelyn's cute hat

This is heavy!

Watching Oma light the candles on the wooden tree

Hanging out with Uncle Steve

Grant trying out his new camera in Ev's new wagon

The PIK family came over to eat a yummy meal and visit for a while after the kids "Christmas". It was great to see everyone -- Matt and I need to make a trip to Austin soon!

On Tuesday, Dad and Linda came up to Emily's house with their sleigh full of presents and we had a nice day of gifts and then watching the kids play. The boys had a blast with their new toys - a Thomas pillow pet and matching game and some new movies!

The whole week of "Christmas" was great, and I'm with Grant ... "I want more Christmas, now!!!"

Cowboys Stadium

2011-12-27T15:37:00.000-06:00

Matt got some tickets for a tour of Cowboys Stadium through the Dallas Gator Club, and we got a sitter and headed out to Arlington. The place is truly amazing - everything is quite the engineering wonder. And it well should be for almost $1.2 billion!!!

In front of the 175 foot television

Jerry's Personal Phone to the Coach on the Sideline

Hanging out on the field

Checking out the cheerleader locker room

The highlight of our tour might have been witnessing the 1,000,000th visitor arrive to a fanfare of drum line, Cowboys cheerleaders and then a personal tour of the stadium by Jerry himself. We got bumped from our normal route by Jerry, so we got a behind the scenes tour of his personal game "perch" as a consolation.

Jerry coming in behind us

Gingergread houses

2011-12-24T15:54:00.000-06:00

Matt's office hosted a family gingerbread decorating night. They provided dinner, a HUGE buffet of candy and ready to decorate houses.

Grant got started with some decorating, but then decided that it was his job to lick icing. Each time I would ask him to help or pick out a new candy piece to put on the house, he would just say, "I'm eating icing now." He sure did look cute, though!

2 Days Until Christmas!

2011-12-23T12:46:00.000-06:00

Our tree all decorated and ready for Christmas morning!

Our house is fairly festive this year ... we have a nice tree, stockings, and a couple of wreaths and "candles" in the windows. I even made it up the ladder and put Christmas lights on the roofline of the bottom floor!!! We have enjoyed going for a few after dinner drives to go see the Christmas lights all around the city.

Grant still has no idea what Christmas is really all about, but he is enthusiastically keeping track of the countdown. He will proudly display the correct number of fingers and count them for you on request. I know after three days of presents that are coming up, he will be asking for "more Christmas" for weeks!!!

Silly brothers reading with Dada

Stockings hung in the chimney with care - who needs a mantle?!

Sadly, Grant was somewhat down and out most of last week and this week with a rough cold with an ear infection and tonisilitis, but he seems to be rallying just in time for the big day.

Watching Thomas

Watching Elmo

After three days of antibiotics!!!

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-22T12:46:00.001-06:00

Grant's school had a fun little holiday "Breakfast with Santa" where all the kids got to run around, eat, color, and get their photo taken with Santa.

Jack loved the activities, but wasn't so keen on the photo.

Grant posed with the cheesiest smile on record!

Pillow Mountain

2011-12-16T14:49:00.000-06:00

What a Party!

2011-12-15T20:51:00.000-06:00

Posing with Mama before heading out

We went to a pretty amazing family Christmas party at Matt's work headquarters. The boys had a great time - Jack got to wander around to his heart's content, and Grant got to eat candy and lots of "treats". Grant has been asking for "more party" ever since.

The theme was sort of scotty dog, plaid, candy shop which included:
- a quartet of wandering carolers
- a wandering minstrel (with tights and a robin hood hat)
- three bagpipers serenading the valet line
- a Celtic quartet (flute, guitar, accordion, something i can't remember ...) serenading us as we arrived
- an elevated stage with Santa awaiting his photo (he gave a stuffed scotty dog to each child from the often refilled sack at his side) - you got your photo within ten seconds of having it taken

- elves in full regalia
- men in head to toe white tuxedos and top hats
- huge hand decorated "to go" cookies
- make your own ice cream sandwich stations
- a wandering sugar plum fairy giving out sweets
- wandering gingerbread men
- a full popcorn and peppermint bark station
- a full complement of matching plastic plates, cups and napkins with a scotty dog on them and holiday wishes
- a slow rock band playing holiday music near the dessert room
- a whole wall white dove themed niches (like 60 of them ... with a blue and white plaid motif) along the walk to the dessert room
- a sweet shop station with bags and stickers and 10 or more types of loose candy and treats (think really huge glass open top jars full of pretty things - candied pecans, chex mix, chocolates, wasabe peas)
- a huge glass jar of chocolates in the center of each table in the dining room
- huge nutcracker decals on the glass doors
- giant fully decorated trees around every corner with fake snow sprinkled on and around them (no spray on stuff here!)
- a piano with a musician playing christmas music and printed books of the lyrics for all to take
- a huge fake mantle (40 feet long?) with hooks and stockings for everyone to take

Jack soaking it all in

- a rockabilly band playing oldies and holiday music in the dining room
- yummy dinner prepared in house - enormous shrimp, mini chicken pot pies, asian pork sliders
- a full children friendly set up of food - chicken tenders, pigs in a blanket, tater tots, etc.
tons of soda, juice boxes, bottled water, hot cocoa stations (shaved chocolate, marshmallows), hot cider stations (cinnamon sticks, flavorings)
- an amazing dessert room with crazy cookies, fudge balls, petit fours (made into presents, little snowmen, etc.)

- a miniature village with a train track

- a huge sled set up to collect toys for the toy drive
- plaid cushions and pillows all around to tie in with the theme
- a christmas and magic show in the small auditorium
- wandering balloon artists handing out balloon candy canes, reindeer, hats, swords, etc.
- face painting and weave-a-feather-in-your-hair stations

But the highlight of the evening might have been working in Dada's office!

We had a blast!!! I can't wait till next year :)

Winter is here

2011-12-14T14:03:00.000-06:00

Time for Christmas-y bibs (thanks, Oma!)...

and silly slippers ...

Turtle Food

2011-12-13T13:57:00.000-06:00

Grant loves to play with Play Doh ... he has a little cutter that he makes turtles with and then Dada taught him how to make turtle food. His favorite thing to do is to use the knife!!!

Little Character

2011-12-12T23:15:00.000-06:00

Jack is really quite the character lately. He definitely wants things his way and he wants to do everything himself. He is a bit ornery lately as well ... maybe new teeth coming in, maybe his ongoing tummy challenges, or just growing up.

Yet through all of it, he still manages to get comments from almost everyone we meet on what a happy boy he is ... he seems to have never met a stranger, he is quick to smile with his big dimples, and who wouldn't love his alfalfa sprout?!?

My little stinky!

Brotherly love

He will eat like a champion ... but only if he can feed himself

Silly Thanksgiving

2011-12-11T23:09:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving at the Werthers this year, and we had such a wonderful relaxing time that I completely forgot to take photos of the group (family, friends) and the amazing spread (ham, turkey - roasted and fried, fantastic gravy, all the sides).

I did happen to take photos of my three guys playing with some silly glasses before we headed home.

Viva Mexico!

2011-12-11T14:06:00.001-06:00

Emily and I took our long awaited cruise last weekend ... it was so nice! It was sort of like a flashback to our college days together. We pretty much just hung out the whole time - eating, sleeping, reading, playing games, and eating some more.

The weather was fantastic, we saw flying fish and even a couple of dolphins from the boat, and we met some nice new people on the boat.

Cozumel was pretty, but we didn't do the beach thing. Matt had done some research into the excursions and suggested a cooking class for us - it was really fun! We made a yummy chorizo and potato appetizer, a foil pouch fish main course and a rice pudding with cookie dessert. We decorated our plates and everything!

Emily and I were thinking that we should make this "just us" escape an annual thing!

Some Toys Have all the Fun

2011-12-10T23:05:00.001-06:00

We gave Grant a big plastic dump truck on the day Jack was born as a "big brother" gift. It remains one of his all time favorite toys -- probably played with more than anything else we own combined. Here's a then (the day Jack arrived) and now comparison ...

Videos

2011-12-05T16:07:00.001-06:00

I haven't put too much live action footage up lately. Here's a peek at our entertainment on cold days and dark nights...

Playing chase with Jack:

Making the boys do their latest tricks for the camera:

Grantics

2011-11-30T13:06:00.001-06:00

Grant was carefully studying my face as I was cheering on his tooth brushing one night. He reached up his hand and asked if he could touch my forehead while asking, "What is that, Mama?".

I looked in the mirror and saw he was curious about my rows of forehead furrows, but before I could figure out how to explain them to him, he declared, "Those are snakes!!! .... can I touch them?".

An early Thanksgiving

2011-11-29T08:28:00.000-06:00

Mom, Sus, Emily and Evelyn came up to spend the weekend and celebrate an early Thanksgiving and Mom's birthday. Matt cooked a gourmet feast - brined and roasted turkey, sourdough stuffing with sweet potatoes and apple, brussel sprouts with bacon and blue cheese, green bean casserole and amazing giblet gravy. It was fantastic! He even made strawberry ice cream for dessert ... yum!!!

We had fun hanging out while the three cousins played. With each visit, they seem to enjoy each other's company more and more. Evelyn had fun rough housing with the boys and Grant was great about sharing and playing nicely with the littler ones.

I love living so close to family, and I'm so happy we've been able to see each other so often.

Now, Emily and I are counting down the days till our cruise (just the two of us!!!) ... 2 days to go!

Jack has a word

2011-11-29T07:54:00.001-06:00

Jack now has a vocabulary of one real word - "ball" ... I am so proud :). He will also, on command, say "Mama", "Dada", "Grant", "Oops!" and "Boom". Although, they come out like "ma ma ma", "da da da", "geh", "oohm" and "buhm", respectively. He is so proud of his words!

His little voice is so different than Grant's, and it's been so fun to see how they are really two completely different people with completely unique personalities. As much as Jack likes to imitate everything Grant does, he still does it in his own Jack way. He is serious about his mimicry and usually has a very focused look on his face as he walks around touching the same things Grant is touching, playing with a similar toy to his brother or following him in and out of rooms or up the stairs.

Jack is almost 15 months now - it happened fast! It is funny to see the different milestones achieved at different times between the two brothers. Grant still hadn't taken his first step by this time, and Jack is practically running, will step up from the playroom to the laundry room without holding onto anything, can climb up the slide at the playground, and can do a somersault.

He only has eight teeth (his eighth came through last week), but he will outeat Grant any day of the week. He is compact and sturdy, still lacking any excessive baby fat (no chubby cheeks here). He is quick to smile and flash his dimples at almost anyone. He is easy going and happy almost all of the time (my most common comment from strangers is, "is he always that happy?"). His other often commented upon feature - his hair - is sticking up higher and higher these days due to the lack of humidity.

Jack is also a very affectionate guy - he loves to give kisses and hugs and will snuggle at will or on command :). I love that he still lays his head down on my shoulder and tucks his little arms under him when he's tired or sad ... just like he did when he was a tiny little guy.

Jack, you can't grow up so fast - what will I do without my sweet baby?!?!?

A man of many talents

2011-11-23T19:16:00.000-06:00

Grant is a very talented guy. He has a large repertoire of songs, he can take off his own clothes, he can start the dishwasher, and he can draw our family!

I am the largest circle, and Grant is the one with the really long arms. The circles are heads, the two small circles are eyes, and the lines are feet, legs and arms.

Oh, and he can also put shell macaroni on all of his fingers ...

This one is just right ...

2011-11-22T19:14:00.000-06:00

For my (not so) baby bear, Grant!!!

Jack Attack

2011-11-21T19:08:00.001-06:00

Prunes are delicious

Playing his favorite game at the table ... "So tired ..."

"Awake!!!"

Grant Can Sing (sort of)

2011-11-15T15:20:00.001-06:00

Grant knows the words to so many songs ... Eentsy Weentsy Spider, B-I-N-G-O, Ten Little Fingers, etc. He will sing loudly and passionately to himself in bed, when he's playing and along with our Wee Sing music in the car. He loves to sing! And Jack loves to watch ...

Proving that volume and effort can outweigh being on tune or knowing the exact words ... my little singer!

Grant can Read! (Sort of)

2011-11-10T20:20:00.001-06:00

Grant has an amazing memory ... he remembers people who gave him gifts months ago, he remembers all of his relatives names, and he remembers words to books!

Here he is "reading" one of his favorite books ... "Blue Hat, Green Hat"

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-11-01T17:36:00.002-05:00

We had a fun Halloween weekend ...

Sunday we carved pumpkins at Kay and Steve's house along with cousins Kelly, Eric, Lauren and John and friends Tracy and Zoe. Actually, I carved pumpkins while Grant wandered in and out eating cookies and strawberries and looking for kitty cats and Jack wandered around trying to help. Matt supervised and all the cousins had a great time!

I think our pumpkins turned out pretty great!

Halloween itself was pretty low key. We got the boys dressed up and went outside to wait "until the children came out". Grant was very, very patient, and they passed the time emptying our candy bucket into their pumpkins.

When it was finally dusk, we set out to trick or treat at three houses on our street where we knew folks. Grant got a kick out of getting treats, but was too shy to say anything! Jack just watched from the wagon.

Grant really had a better time once we got back to our house where he got to "share" treats with all of the children who came to our house. He put candy in all of the bags and even told them "Happy Halloween"! Too cute ...

My three engineers enjoying the amazing Halloween weather:

Some silly outtakes for a treat!

Look out, Picasso!

2011-10-30T21:27:00.001-05:00

The State Fair

2011-10-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

We headed out to the State Fair of Texas last weekend, and had amazing weather and a great time. Grant loved the animals (we saw horses, goats, puppies, kittens, baby ducks, baby chickens and rabbits) and the crowd was fascinating to both of them. We didn't eat any fried butter or chicken fried bacon (seriously!), but we did enjoy some hot dogs and a snow cone.

Grant loved climbing in all the cars at the auto show portion and Jack enjoyed his stroller nap. We'll be back for more next year, Big Tex!

We all scream for Ice Cream!

2011-10-20T14:39:00.000-05:00

If the boys finish all their dinner (which doesn't happen all that often), they get some dessert. Jack loves ice cream, loves to try to feed himself, and hates when it is all gone. He had just finished his noodles and sauce ... hence the filthy face!

Saying "ooh." Eagerly awaiting the first bite.

Intense ice cream concentration

More?!?

Silly Dada ... just give it to me!

Working on self feeding

It's all gone! Super sad baby

Hello?

2011-10-18T14:39:00.000-05:00

Jack loves carrying around the phone and pushing the buttons and pretending to talk.

Until you take it away to answer a call ...

(this is his tantrum pose)

Sunny Florida

2011-10-17T20:32:00.000-05:00

We got to spend a fantastic 8 days in beautiful Florida when we traveled to celebrate Matt's Grandma's 85th birthday! Julie and Jon were in town, and Maddy was, too! It was a great week of family, friends, football and fun!


Saying Hi to Nana and Grandma

The whole family! Celebrating Grandma Jo's 85th Birthday with a huge crowd of her friends

Enjoying the cake at Grandma's celebration

Mini baby shower for Julie and Jon

Practicing his unsteady walking at his first trip to the beach

Grant posing with his shovelful of sand

Wait for me!

Grant and Matt way out in the water waving to me

Jack enjoying the sand

"Going on a bear hunt" with Nana's class when we visited her at school

Jack got in some good snuggle time with Uncle Eric

Jack cracked us all up when he would "sleep scratch" at Eric's beard

Big beautiful eyes run in the family!

Watching the boys rediscover all of Nana's toys

Posing with my little Gator

Family photo ... Grant refused to be separated from his apple stroller

Trying to get a photo with Nana

We headed down to Gainesville for the Florida / Alabama game ... tailgating with Eric, Mark, Katie, Randy, Erin, Grey and MaeLee

Hanging out with Mama at the Castle Park

Climbing with Dada at the Castle Park

Playing outside in the rain!

Crawling around in the rain!

Walking around Uncle Eric's neighborhood

The start of something big

2011-10-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

When we bought our current house, we knew that the backyard needed a lot of work. It was not level, missing most of the grass, surrounded by overgrown bushes, and without a lick of shade. The only "living" area was a cracked 1960s rock patio nestled in between the garage and the house. Oh, and there was a constant smell of gas.

So ... we trimmed the bushes ... Had the gas line replaced ...

Had a pergola installed ...

Ripped out the old patio ...

And had a new concrete patio put in ...

(yes, that's a huge cement mixer parked in our lawn)

Now, it's onto landscaping! And then, the big reveal!!!

Little Walking Machine

2011-10-15T21:43:00.000-05:00

Jack has turned a corner in his life ... he now prefers to walk. He can even walk up and down steps while holding onto the wall -- something that Grant didn't manage until almost 2! He's also realized that he can climb up and down off of almost anything and does it all the time.

Jack is Learning

2011-10-12T13:04:00.000-05:00

My little Jack is no longer a baby. Sigh. Sniffle. How did it happen???

He is walking everywhere - he still can't stand up from the floor, but as soon as he bumps down, he's crawling over to the nearest object to get back on his feet and head off again.

He is trying to bounce and throw his ball, he knows some of his body parts, he is signing for "more", he has some games he likes to play (especially peek a boo), he is into "reading" books, and absolutely loves "Baby Faces" right now - he wants to read it about 4 or 5 times before bed (his other current favorite is Carrot Seed). He is obsessed with opening and shutting doors, drawers, trash cans, etc. He is trying to feed himself with a spoon or fork (and sometimes succeeding!!). He is wearing shoes most of the time we are out and about.

He has never met a stranger, and will always seek to make eye contact and engage any new person he meets. He has a ready smile and will wrinkle his nose or flash his dimples if someone acknowledges him back. He is more impatient about being held now (he used to lay right down against me and snuggle) and wants to be down and moving.

He is loving our family swim classes that we have started, and he is still just a sweet, easy guy!

I love my toddler Jack. I miss my baby Jack sometimes, but the fun is just beginning!

Grantics

2011-10-11T12:57:00.002-05:00

Grant is really talking so well lately, and he says some of the funniest things ... here's a few of my favorites from him over the past week or so ...

"Mine do it!!!"
"I wants drink ice cream milk" (meaning the melted ice cream in his bowl)
"Penny bank"
"Thanks you!"
"I wake upped him"
"I loves you, buddy Dada"

And the silliest one lately is when he is trying not to get in trouble for just having done somthing like knocking down his brother ...

"That's funny?!?"

He and Matt are also into a complicated wrestling / playing routine at night before bath now. They go upstairs and get out the poker chips to play with. They wrestle on the floor. They pillow fight. And now they are into "lick fighting" where they will try to lick the other person and then avoid getting it wiped back onto them. Jack tries to participate or just observes or tries to sneak off and throw poker chips or anything else he can carry into the toilet or into his diaper champ.

My crazy boys!!!

Big Helper

2011-10-04T21:33:00.000-05:00

It is done!

2011-10-03T21:31:00.000-05:00

Grant is 2 1/2!!!

2011-09-24T21:56:00.000-05:00

Grant turned the big 2.5 today - he is really becoming his own person with a distinct sense of humor and personality. His language skills have exploded lately - he is really into using the correct pronouns for everything ("he is coming now), he likes to use the past tense ("I did"), loves to sing songs (he knows the words to so many of them!!!), and will finish sentences for me in most of his favorite books.

He likes to play with Jack, and is usually very patient and sweet with him. He likes to make sure that he takes care of all the "big brother" things - he keeps the child proof door locks in place, keeps the baby gates shut, alerts me if Jack heads towards the stairs, and generally tells on his brother when it looks like he's venturing off of the straight and narrow.

He is very into observing other people and children, but isn't shy. He takes a bit to warm up to new people or those he hasn't seen in a while, but once he does, he will engage them and get so excited about sharing his toys or his time with them. He is not super snuggly, but will ask to be held for a lullaby at nap now (because I do it with Jack). He loves to "talk" at bed time - we go over his day and all the fun and new things we did. He will willingly help do chores or tasks when asked. He is pretty good about not whining, and is very good at saying "please", "thank you", and "you're welcome". His patience is growing (usually), and he will even calm himself down in a mini-tantrum sometimes and tell me that he is now "waiting and watching" for when I am ready to give him what he was screaming for.

He still sleeps with Wubbanub and his fish paci and he sucks on his finger when he's in bed. He can't dress himself yet, but he's getting a bit better about taking off his own clothes at bath. He is brushing and flossing (when we remember) on his own and he is great about picking up after himself (he is quite the creature of habit ... clothes go in the hamper, chairs get pushed in, diapers go in the trash, etc.).

He is a little bit afraid of loud noises, and he will cover his ears when something worries him or seems like it might be scary. Unfortunately, toilets flushing seem to fall in the loud noises category, so we have taken a big step backwards in the potty training arena. He actually sat on the potty a couple days ago for the first time in months. It's almost time for a naked weekend!!!

He started preschool at a neighborhood church a few weeks ago, and has really been loving it. His teachers are great, and he comes home every day talking about music class or reading books or playing with play doh or his new friends.

He will crack me up every now and then with something he does out of the blue. The other day he wanted to stay up reading books in his chair instead of laying down for nap, and I came in to find him asleep in his chair with crazy bed hair three hours later.

He is helping Dada and I build a new playset for the back yard ... he loves to be right there in the mix and is great at giving you just the tools you need! He also loves to climb up and down the ladder.

He is our little boy now, for sure. Our baby days are well behind us.

I love you, Grant!!! I am so happy to have you in my life. You make me smile and laugh every day.

To the Zoo!

2011-09-23T22:02:00.000-05:00

Dad and Linda came for a visit this past weekend, and we got the chance to go to the Fort Worth Zoo! We had a great visit with them, and got to enjoy a bit of cooler (although much more humid than usual!) weather ...

Grant loved the animals, and he said that his favorites were the fish (there was a baby black tipped reef shark that he was fascinated by) and the penguins (we got to see one up close and personal in an animal encounter with the zoo staff). He remembered almost all the animals we saw that day when we talked over our trip that night before bed.

So much fun!!

Missing Virginia

2011-09-22T21:39:00.000-05:00

Every now and then I do get homesick for our friends in Virginia. We are so busy in our new life (it is always easier to be the ones moving on rather than the ones left behind ...), but some days I think so much about the wonderful people in Fairfax. I am missing you guys! Kim and Beverly ... we hope you're doing great! The boys are really loving your little table - Jack can get up in the chair now.

Nicole and Riley - we miss playing with you guys on those days when we were all crazy to get out of the house! Megan and Nolan - Grant tells me that all his friends at school are named Nolan (even though none of them are!) ... and all the rest of our playgroup friends - I miss you guys!

Our New Ride

2011-09-21T21:35:00.000-05:00

I succumbed to the relentless pressure of my husband (he was the champion of the minivan cause) and I am now the proud new owner of this:

Of course, it is totally awesome, and I am loving the automatic opening and closing doors and hatches, the rear view camera, the flip down TV in the back and the fact that someone other than our two children can ride with us now. I am so definitely a mom now.

And Jack gets to ride in his awesome new car seat - and facing forward! He loves it - can't you tell?

Jack's 1 Year Update

2011-09-20T21:20:00.000-05:00

Jack has his 1 year appointment and he's doing great!

He weighed in at 21 pounds, 2 ounces and is hanging in there at 29 inches tall (25th to 50th).

(this is his super happy face when I come to get him up from nap)

Yay, Jack!

Little Gym Class

2011-09-19T21:21:00.000-05:00

Jack and I are taking our first mommy / baby class at our local Little Gym. The people who work there are so over the top kid-crazy that you can't help but feel comfortable sitting on the floor with total strangers and belting out the crazy "Little Gym" songs, crawling around shaking bells, and coaching your one year old through complex gymnastics moves. It's so fun! I brought my camera in today to show Matt what we're up to ... it was the little camera, and the pics are a bit blurry, but you get the idea.

Birthday Cake

2011-09-09T15:17:00.000-05:00

Celebrating with Family - Jack's First Birthday

2011-09-08T15:13:00.000-05:00

My little Jack turned 1 year old today. I am happy and sad about this day -- in some ways I want to keep him as a baby forever. He is just so cuddly and sweet and happy, and even though I know he has to turn into a toddler, I'm not ready yet! It doesn't help that I weaned him a few weeks ago and I may or may not be slightly hormonal. It also doesn't help that his brother can be the most textbook 2 year old sometimes and Jack looks like an absolute angel in contrast. Sigh.

We had a fun filled family weekend to commemorate his milestone birthday. Matt's Mom flew in, and Mom, Sus, Emily and Evelyn drove in from Houston. It was a houseful of women, for sure! Matt did great, and he had the start of college football season to help balance out the estrogen.

I loved having our house teeming with family - we managed to get everyone mostly set up with their own sleeping spaces, and we used our bigger house to its full advantage. We mostly hung out around the house, with an outing to the local park and a couple of shopping jaunts while the boys napped.

The three cousins played happily together (although I did get a glimpse of how it will be when Grant, as the oldest, will be lording himself over his younger minions).

We had a yummy barbeque chicken lunch (courtesy of Chef Dada who even brined the chicken) and Jack did an admiral job of getting super messy for 1st birthday cake photos. Thanks, Aunt Emily, for the smurf-tacular blue cake -- it did show up really well in the pictures! And in his hair ... and on his skin ... and in his diaper ...

Jack received some fun gifts for the big 1.0 ... cute new clothes, some books of his very own, a new car seat so he can face forward (although he might miss facing Grant -- they crack each other up in the back seat by shaking their heads back and forth at each other as hard as they can), two big new trucks, handmade hooded bath towels, a check for his savings, a ball popper toy that I had coveted for Grant when he was 1 (to be fair, Grant might love it just as much as Jack), and his very own "JACK" stool hand made by his Great Grandpa Wetzel.

One of the most exciting parts of the whole weekend was Jack taking his first steps! Way to go, Jack!!! He is so excited whenever he gets up and going. He bursts into a huge smile, and if he gets going really fast, he quickens his breathing and pants in excitement. Silly boy.

My little Jack -- I can't believe you're already 1 year old. I love you so much, and I will always cherish your happiest of dimpled baby smiles, the way you lay down on my chest with your little hands tucked under your tummy when you're tired, your sweet hair sticking straight up everywhere, your good nature through any situation (even two hospital stays!), and how you have a place in your heart just for your Mama.

Enjoying the train table

Cousins!

More cousins!

Fun at the park ...

Nana and Jack

Jack's Birthday Lunch

Everyone helps at present time

What is it?

First time on Golden Boy

Thanks, Grandaddy!

Sharing?

My little daredevil ... bouncing away

Two boys!

Snuggling with Nana

A Sample

2011-09-08T08:09:00.002-05:00

Of our fun family weekend .... more to come!

Our Dallas Digs

2011-09-06T12:44:00.006-05:00

We have finally gotten most of the house into suitable shape for a mini tour ... I did happen to leave out the master bedroom, but you can imagine it ... bed unmade, clothes scattered about, etc.

The entry

Living room

Living room

Dining room

Kitchen

Study

Sun room
Play room

Upstairs landing

Jack's room

Grant's room

Boy's bathroom

Guest room
Guest bath

We are working on our backyard plans -a patio and maybe a pergola for shade ... more to come!

It is hot!

2011-08-26T15:18:00.004-05:00

We've been in Dallas for almost a month now! I can't believe that we have been over 100 degrees almost every day that we have lived here ... but aside from the blistering heat, we are enjoying the city and getting used to our new routine. I started working in my new office last week, and it went well. The boys are enjoying our nanny, Gloria (and her daughter, Amber, who often comes too), and Grant starts preschool next week!

We are taking the plunge and getting a minivan this weekend. We are also getting ready to have our first houseguests over Labor Day weekend -- we'll be busy bees! Jack is turning 1 in two weeks (holy moly!), and Grant is just a typical almost 2 1/2 year old still -- volatile, sweet, crazy, talking up a storm, throwing the occasional screaming tantrum, sharing with his brother one minute and then stepping on him the next.

Jack is cutting tooth #5 and is standing up more and more on his own lately. He'll "walk" when you hold one of his hands ... he will probably be up and about in the next month or so! Watch out world! He is also an eating machine lately, so I'm sure he's growing a lot right now. I don't even think he chews his food - he just uses two hands to shovel it in his mouth as fast as possible.

We have a great, shaded park just down the street from our house where we try to go play in the mornings (although it is usually in the 90s already by the time we leave and Mommy gets very hot pushing the double stroller home).

Grant will go down the slide by himself now - quite the accomplishment for my cautious guy

Before bed lately, we all head up to the landing on the second story and play and giggle. Grant is usually borderline hysterical before he goes to bed, and Jack is tired and ready to pass out ...

Jack loves to ram his head into things (such as the wall here)

And Grant loves to imitate Jack

Our latest "fun" thing to do is play with poker chips (or "pokahs" as Grant calls them)

Still working on getting the house photo ready - coming soon!

Bye!

Yay for Jack!

2011-08-15T20:36:00.000-05:00

We've been working on teaching Jack how to sign for "more", and he seems to have learned how to clap as a side effect ... yay for Jack!

Farewell to Virginia

2011-08-14T21:47:00.004-05:00

We bid a fond farewell to Virginia at the end of July. Our wonderful next door neighbors, Kim and Beverly, hosted a great going away party for us with friends and neighbors. We are so lucky to have made such wonderful new friends and to have had the opportunity to grow friendships with past friends who were also living in Virginia with us at the time. I will miss everyone so much, and I hope our paths cross again soon ...

Don't they look so innocent??

Pool!

2011-08-13T22:10:00.000-05:00

As one of our last fun outings before we packed up in Virginia, we headed to “the club” with Beverly to enjoy their amazing pool!

Beverly treated us to a yummy lunch and a wonderful morning.

Grant and Jack had a good time playing in the kiddie pool, and especially loved the beach entry part of the big pool with the fountains. Grant ran in and out and Jack was his fearless self and set off at a crawl to get as deep as he could before Mama could reel him back in. He loved to sit and play with the fountain sprays!

Dallas Update

2011-08-12T22:24:00.000-05:00

Since we finally have internet, I'm ready to get back on the blogging horse!

We are officially Dallasites now (I think that’s what we’re called). The city is nice, the weather is hellacious, and our house is coming together. We have already been taking advantage of our great central location and been to a dozen or more home and furniture stores. We’ve braved the record heat (it’s been 110+ up here, seriously!!!) and are well on our way to getting our house set up. Matt and I have a history of setting time records for getting our houses put together – this one will be no different.

In short – we flew from Fairfax to Dallas two Thursdays ago, and closed on our house that afternoon. We stayed at a hotel that night, and Matt headed to work on Friday to overlap with his predecessor. The boys and I met the painter and Gloria, our wonderful new nanny, at the house in the morning. The painter got started and Gloria and I headed back to the hotel to get checked out and get Jack a nap. She left us a couple hours later and the boys and I killed time until Matt was ready to leave work.

We then headed down to Houston for my birthday weekend, and spent Saturday at Emily’s house with their family and Mom, Sus and Charlie.

Sunday we met Dad, Linda, Uncle Jim, Bonnie and Antwan out for lunch and then headed straight back to Dallas.

We stayed at the Werthers Sunday night and then met the movers at 8 am at our house! They unloaded all our stuff that night and we got enough set up that day to be able to stay at the house. Tuesday, the unpackers showed up and took everything out of the boxes, hauled away all the packing material and left us with our chaotic house.

Luckily, Gloria took the boys for us and they were away during most of the craziness. Wednesday was a full day of work for Matt and I as we put things away, set up furniture and contemplated new purchases. We bought a fabulous new buffet for our dining room (the Ikea bookshelves we’d been using as China cabinets since the Clinton Drive days didn’t make the move). The rug I ordered for that room hasn't shown up yet, but it is already looking so nice and grown up. Matt and I have already decided that this might be our favorite house so far! We can’t believe that it is our fourth house together. It’s Grant’s third house, and he’s not even 2 ½ years old! I will post pictures once it is past the complete chaos phase ...

Emily was our first official houseguest – she and Evelyn arrived Sunday to keep us company while Matt was out of town for a week. So fun!!!

Evelyn enjoyed exploring in our new playroom! She is so close to walking, it's crazy!!!

Comin' Round the Mountain?

2011-08-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

Grant has this really goofy way of asking for certain things, especially for us to sing "Comin' Round the Mountain" to him at night. His voice gets really high and he draws out the words really long and gets this goofy look on his face ...

Thomas Crazy

2011-08-11T21:15:00.000-05:00

Grant is a bit obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine. He got a pop up Thomas from Maria and Matt taught him how to drive it around the house (with one of us as engineer, of course) ...

Grant is Growing Up Fast

2011-08-10T22:01:00.003-05:00

Grant is really growing up so fast. He is turning into his own little person with his own ideas. Matt and my influence over his every thought and action is waning. He is smart, kind, funny, curious, emotional, silly, energetic, sensitive to others, and full of love for his family.

Although … Grant is now saying “mine” and “no” all the time – they might be his two favorite words. His language skills are growing exponentially. He talks almost nonstop sometimes, but he is really speaking much more clearly and in complete sentences with appropriate tenses, possessives, plurals and everything! He will say things like “Grant needs more milk, please. Mama get it out of refrigerator for Grant?”

He has said some funny things as he’s learning … “my do mine”, “seat belt” instead of belt, “popcorn” instead of corn, “old macdonald’s” instead of McDonalds. When I was sad about leaving Virginia and I was crying a little bit while holding him, he said that “Mama sad” and then he said “mama need nice green leaf” and picked an imaginary one out of midair and gave it to me to eat (he learned this from reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar – when the caterpillar’s tummy hurts, he eats a nice green leaf and feels ok again). When I ate it, he said “Mama feel better now”. Such a sweetie pie!

He is in some ways such a text book two year old, but is still polite and loving and can share really well when he puts his mind to it. I love you, Grant!

(the first time he ever got out of bed during nap time ... he ended up sleeping on the floor behind the door!)

Jack is 11 Months Old!

2011-08-10T21:26:00.006-05:00

Quick update on my little Jackie!

(he was so exhausted one night that he fell asleep while sitting up and just flopped over face first!)

He has slept through the night (like 12 hours!!!) six of the past seven nights after eating a big “real” dinner with us. He loves to eat! He will cram food in his mouth as quickly as he possibly can, and seems to eat an amazingly huge appetite for such a little guy. Maybe he has a hollow leg ...

He is standing up on his own a little bit more and is generally very adventurous and brave. He climbs the stairs faster than I can walk up them. He will climb up into Grant’s bed and then tumble face first out of it and roll head over heels. He’ll just shake it off and then go for it again! He loves to bang and pound and gets the cutest look of focus and enjoyment on his face while he’s doing it.

His hair was getting really long before I got it cut, but it still stuck up a lot right where his two cowlicks come together. I can’t believe he’ll turned 11 months old on Monday! Wow. He has learned how to give kisses now – he will lean towards your mouth with his little mouth all the way open and give you a nice kiss. He is also into giving high fives – he gets his big, squinty eyed, scrunch nosed smile when he does it as well.

He can drink out of a sippy cup and he can do "arms up" now as well ... he is really happy all the time, and everyone comments on what a sweet boy he is. I love you, Jack!

Jack Gets a Haircut!

2011-08-10T21:07:00.002-05:00

Jack got his first haircut today ... goodbye to "mullet man", "The Incredible Hulk", "sideburns", "the Japanese teenager", "70s guy" and "guy with the really long sideburns" ... hello cutie pie!!!

Before ...

After ...

It's a good change!

Our Midwest Trip

2011-08-09T23:00:00.001-05:00

The week before we moved to Dallas, we headed out to the Midwest for some great family visiting and my friend, Beth’s, wedding. We headed to Iowa first (after an eventful cancelled flight, later flight that was delayed, and a rental car fiasco). We finally arrived at Grandma and Grandpa Wetzel’s farm at 3:15 am!

We had a fantastic and relaxing time visiting with them, and Grant had an absolute blast. Jim and Linda even came to see us while we were in Bayard!

Some of Grant's favorite things at the farm were seeing the cows, feeding the cats, riding the ATV, drinking out of a “hot coffee” cup just like Grandpa’s, eating mulberries straight off the tree, playing with all the toys, getting to play with one of Grandpa’s model tractors, sleeping in his first big bed (he did great!), sliding down the cellar door, and walking through the corn in Grandma’s garden. Grant had a couple other firsts on the trip as well – saying “mine” and saying “no, please” (instead of no, thank you). Jack loved playing with a set of plastic matching eggs, but mostly loved all the attention and the fact that Grandma would crawl around on the floor with him all day!

After saying goodbye to the farm, we headed to Aunt Bonnie’s house for the day where we had a fantastic visit with Bonnie, Lisa and Nick and Nic. Grant got to make worms in dirt (he was fascinated!) and we had a great time playing with all the puzzles and the cat!

From Bonnie’s, we headed to Wisconsin where Jen and Tom were nice enough to let us stay at their house for the weekend of the wedding. We loved their new home and getting to visit with Michael and Mia – such sweeties. Luckily for us, we got a chance to meet Laura and Paul’s brand new baby while we were there and sneak in a (very!) quick visit with Maurice as well.

Beth’s wedding was good fun – it was so great to see her and get to catch up a bit with her family. She is my oldest friend – we met when we were four – and I wouldn’t have missed her big day. Jen and Tom were kind enough to take Grant and Jack with them over to Erin and Ben’s house for Tyler’s birthday party – Matt and I got to dance and relax a bit at the wedding!

On Sunday, we headed back to Fairfax and the real world of packing and getting ready to move … we sure loved our trip and can’t wait to visit everyone again.

You all have an open invitation to come stay with us any time!

Still Here!

2011-07-22T08:11:00.001-05:00

We are getting ready for the movers to come on Monday, so we're super busy! I am going to post about our fantastic trip to the midwest and the boys first trip to the pool soon!

Catch Up

2011-07-07T14:05:00.007-05:00

We are headed out tomorrow for a nine day trip to Iowa and Wisconsin! We'll visit Grandma and Grandpa Wetzel on the farm, see lots of other Wetzel family and go to my friend, Beth's, wedding! It should be a wonderful week away from the craziness of house selling, moving, etc.

Before we leave - a bit of photo catch up ...

The last day of preschool they had a splash party (which was a while ago), but here is Grant with his teachers Anna and Jennifer. For some reason, Anna really made an impression on him, and he usually referred to school as "Anna".

Playing with his friend Mavis at her water table - so much fun!

On the way to the pool with his buddy, Nolan:

Out to lunch with Beverly (when Oma was in town)

Jack on our househunting trip to Dallas

We were lucky enough to stay with the Werthers while we were in town .. Jack loved hanging out with everyone!

Staying entertained by trying on all the little kid glasses at the Optometrist while Dada was busy getting new lenses (doesn't he look so smart?!)

Hanging out at "the club" with Beverly and Kim

Grant looking like such a big boy in the back seat! Where did my baby go?!?

Sneak Peek

2011-06-30T20:55:00.001-05:00

Our move to Dallas is just a few weeks away! Here's a sneak peek of our new digs ...

Our Fairfax Home

2011-06-30T18:41:00.000-05:00

We are getting ready to say goodbye to our house in Fairfax. I thought I'd put some photos up of it all prettied up for the listing ...

Nana and Grandma Visit, We Host a Barbeque and Other Updates

2011-06-30T14:31:00.005-05:00

Nana and Grandma made the long drive from Florida to deliver some awesome goodies for the boys ... a Lego table and a basketball hoop! So much fun!!! I am really excited to get the table set up in our new house, and we've been having fun shooting hoops on the driveway already. Thank you Nana!

Grant loved visiting with everyone -- Grandma was even nice enough to watch Thomas and Friends with him!

Although the weekend was very crazy with getting the house on the market, having lots of showings, holding the open house, etc., we still managed to have a great visit and enjoy the wonderful weather.

We hosted a barbeque at our house on Saturday evening, and it was great! The kids all had fun playing with the sand table, coloring with chalk and climbing on the playset.

The highlight of the evening was an unexpected visitor to the beer coolers ... a rat snake! He was hanging out stalking chipmunks, I suppose.

I scooped him up (after some decision on whether or not it would be appropriate to hack an innocent snake to pieces in front of 10 small children) and the kids came running. They had no fear and all wanted to touch and pet our new friend. We released him at the back of the yard and resumed the festivities.

It is worth mentioning that I worked in a pet store for a while, my sister had a snake in high school and college, and I am schooled in the identification of venomous snakes. And, obviously, I am not particularly afraid of three foot snakes. Had it been a three inch cockroach, I would have run screaming for the hills.

On Sunday, we escaped the open house and headed to Fairfax Corner for lunch and a bit of splashing in the "fountains". Grant was super cautious, but had a good time touching the outer circle of water sprays and running around like a silly goose.

Some other random photos ... Grant "mowing the lawn" with his bubble mower. A good demonstration of why Matt invested in a riding mower. Can you even see him out there?

Jack working on his standing skills. He has stood without support a couple of times over the past week. He's getting closer to walking every day!

Grant checking out a passing deer

The amazing two tier train track that Matt built for him. Hooray for trains! Hours of fun!!!

The Faces of Stinky

2011-06-29T14:33:00.001-05:00

We call Jack "Stinky" sometimes ... it started months ago and has stuck (sort of like how we call Grant "Munchkie") ...

Stinky has some silly faces when he gets going!

Oma Visit

2011-06-28T14:23:00.002-05:00

Oma came to town one last time to get in a visit with us before we head back to Texas ... We had a great time (and she even helped me get the house "staged" before we put it on the market!).

Grant had his first ever popsicle - he licked the entire thing (no biting it at all)!

We went to "Celebrate Fairfax" which was a local weekend festival. Grant loved the model train exhibit and sitting with Daddy to see some animals being introduced. Jack loved hanging out with Oma!

Grant especially liked riding the train around ... he is still majorly in love with all things train: Thomas, his wooden trains, etc.

Here we go again!

2011-06-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Matt got good news at work ... an opening arose and Matt is being offered a great new position! This means we'll be leaving beautiful Virginia and heading back to Texas in July! Our start date is August 1st, so hopefully we can get everything planned and ready to go to be settled in in Dallas by then!

We just have to .... sell our house, buy a new house, move two kids from here to there, find a new nanny, find a new preschool, buy a new wardrobe and wrap up our current jobs. No big deal!

We might be a bit busy for the next few weeks - expect a lag in blogging! I promise I'll make it up with lots of photos of our new home, etc.

Jack is 9 Months Old!

2011-06-10T19:16:00.005-05:00

Jack turned 9 months old last week -- he is growing up fast!

He had a great checkup on Tuesday ... here's the stats!

Weight 19 pounds (25ht %ile)
Length 29 inches (75th %ile)

Hooray for Jack!

Although he might be cutting some teeth, so sometimes he looks like this.

And luckily for me, he started sleeping through the night! 5 out of the last 6 nights he has slept 8 hours or longer!!! I am ecstatic (and well rested!!!) ...

Grant and Jack are starting to interact a bit more lately as well:

We are having fun!

Snorty, Too!

2011-06-07T20:25:00.001-05:00

Jack has his very own snorty face! It must be genetic ....

And now that he knows it makes me laugh, he does it all the time :).

A busy weekend

2011-06-06T20:28:00.002-05:00

We had a nice weekend - Matt got home late Friday, and the boys were happy to see Dada again!

We headed into DC on the train (for the first time!) and we went to the National Museum of American History. Grant is a bit grumpy with a bad cold, but he was happy to see the big trains and be out of the house.

(he was very intent on his surroundings -- he gets very quiet and serious when he's soaking it all in)

We hung out Sunday - Jack practiced crawling and cruising, and Grant got a summer haircut courtesy of Dada!

He's ready for the hot weather now!!! (sniffle -- I miss my sweet little baby's forelock) Doesn't he look like he's about four years old???

The Trifecta is Complete!

2011-06-05T20:15:00.005-05:00

We officially finished remodeling our third (and final!) bathroom this week - hooray!!!

Here are the before and afters ... we are happy with the results can't wait till Mom comes next week to break it in for us!

The hall view:

Not so lovely in yellow ...

The "gym shower":

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-31T14:38:00.005-05:00

Hi -- We've been busy around here. Work is going well for me, and summer has officially arrived! Jack is half crawling everywhere and is pulling up on everything.

It was Matt's birthday on Monday, and we celebrated Memorial Day and his B-Day at Kim and Beverly's ... Daisy was there, too!

I finally got a photo of Grant with "paci" ... just the plastic ring is left, and he sticks his pointer in it and sucks on his finger!

Lately, Grant is obsessed with Thomas the Tank Engine and demands to watch it every ten minutes. Here are the boys transfixed by Thomas and Friends ...

Jack and Grant have been playing a bit more together lately (although Grant still tends to be pretty rough with him). Grant and "Jack in the Box"

Grant is still around!

2011-05-24T15:52:00.000-05:00

I realized that I haven't had any pics of Grant in the past few posts ... he is still here and is doing great :).

He is really talking more and more and more lately - and it is getting to be much clearer and more understandable to the "average person"! Here's a little video of some of his new, clearer (except for the cereal in his mouth) talking:

And here he is playing in some of his outdoor toys - he loves the water!

Grant also cut two new molars in the past couple weeks which explains so many things ....

Look What I Can Do!

2011-05-23T15:47:00.002-05:00

Jack cut one of his big teeth yesterday ... and then he did this!!!

So we lowered the crib down again! He is really close to crawling on his own and he is probably going to be pulling up on his own pretty soon on the furniture! Go, Jack!

Mama Gets a Haircut

2011-05-20T21:43:00.003-05:00

And Jack is cute in his sweet little overalls!

(his euro mohawk is getting taller every day!!!)

Hooray for Matt!

2011-05-18T07:52:00.000-05:00

We had a fantastic weekend (my last before going back to work!). The weather was cool and cloudy, and we had lots of good family time.

Matt built a fantastic sand table for Grant (thanks to Sue's school for the inspiration!):

And Matt and I finally made it out for a real date to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. It has been quite a busy four years ... three houses, two babies and two states! Love you, honey!!!

Jack Attack!

2011-05-17T19:11:00.007-05:00

Jack has been up to quite a bit in the past few days ...

His two top teeth will be sprouting through at any moment, but he is still in a pretty good mood most of the time.

He makes some pretty funny noises and faces while testing out his new teeth with his tongue.

Sometimes new teeth hurt ...

(how hilarious is his frownie face???)

He is almost crawling (probably just another week or so before it clicks) ... he will get up on all fours, lurch to his stomach, get back up on all fours, lurch again, etc.

He is all over the place exploring his world now. His current favorites are under the kitchen chairs, in the shoe pile, and playing with whatever Grant is playing with.

Grant has quickly learned to put things "up high" and to share a new toy with Jack to distract him from stealing his own toy. He has also finally learned to ask me for help when Jack grabs his stuff rather than try to grab it back or whack Jack in frustration (my sweet little two-tles).

Jack is sleeping better lately (he has been going about 7 hours at night between feedings! ... finally!!!), and he is really enjoying eating baby food and any other food that I put in hismouth (rice, cereal, crackers, bread bits, etc.). He loves to put things in his mouth right now!

Jack loves singing ... he happens to think that "She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain" is hilarious. Or maybe it's the delivery ....

Bye!!!

Jack has a playdate

2011-05-13T20:53:00.002-05:00

Now that our wonderful friends, the Vicks, are up here in Fairfax with us, Jack gets to have playdates with Harper!

Happy boys!

Grant-ics

2011-05-11T10:49:00.000-05:00

When I put Grant in time-out, I set the timer and tell him that he has to wait until the beep to get up from his chair. He then puts up a fuss and sits there saying "beep" until his time is up.

We three head to Houston

2011-05-10T08:02:00.011-05:00

Before I headed back to work, I thought I would do one big trip down to Houston to see my family again ... I miss seeing everyone together so much! Looking back, I am so very glad that I went, but the travel part was a bit of an adventure, to say the least!

Grant, Jack and I made it onto the airplane just in time to take our seats and get buckled in before we pulled away from the gate. I brought on one car seat, thinking that if there wasn't an extra seat, I could put Grant in it and Jack in my lap, and if there was an extra seat, Grant could sit in the regular seat and Jack would have the car seat. There was an extra seat, so I strapped Grant in and off we went. Jack slept for just a little bit before he was awake and in my arms, and then the adventures really started!

Grant has become a textbook 2 year old in the past couple weeks, and he was in fine form ... taking everything out of Jack's hands, hitting and yelling in frustration any time I would tell him "no", and having an attention span of about 15 seconds for any of the activities I brought on board for him. He was super fidgety in the big seat and pretty much miserable the whole flight. Jack had a poopy diaper about halfway through, and we all trekked to the lavatory to get him cleaned up. Grant refused to enter the bathroom in fear (I think he thought I wanted him to go potty on the weird toilet), so a nice lady took pity on me and picked him up while I got Jack cleaned up.

Once we were back in our seats (with only an hour and a half to go!), I thought maybe I could get fussy Jack back to sleep if I fed him a bit. As I got him in position, he started screaming bloody murder. I couldn't figure out what was wrong until I looked over at Grant and saw my (former) angel with his little hands clamped around Jack's ankle and Jack's foot clamped in his teeth! I earned my "that crazy lady that was on my plane today" award, when I hollered at Grant, "quit biting your baby brother!!!". Fantastic. Luckily, he barely broke the skin (never thought I would say that), and Jack quieted down pretty quickly. No one slept, however, and when we finally touched down in Houston, I thought I would collapse of relief.

The visit itself was wonderful! We got to see family and lots of friends while we were in town. We also spent lots of time with Emily and Evelyn helping them finish up packing and move to their new house! I am glad I got to be there to share that milestone and lend a hand (even if it involved sitting in their living room singing songs to three little ones to keep them from getting into the packing stuff).

Here's a photo recap of our trip ...

Jack and Evelyn hanging out at Oma's house:

Emily on baby duty:

Jack and Evelyn enjoying a bath (just her second big bath ever!):

Moments later when Evelyn freaked out about something and began screaming at the top of her lungs and scared Jack half to death:

Grant relaxing on Sus' patio:

Seeing Evelyn in her cute little dress I bought her before she was born:

Snorty face makes an appearance:

Jack doing his "fish face" at Emily's (he is practicing lots of new noises lately ...)

Playing in Sus' fountain ... a much requested activity:

Happy kiddos hanging out at Emily and Steve's:

Jack enjoying one of Emily and my toys from when we were little:

Grant playing with climbing bear .. another childhood toy from us:

Running back and forth with Mama ... a favorite activity lately:

Watering Oma's plants ... he is so proud that he can work the sprayer now!

Fun in the kiddie pool that Emily got him:

Enjoying the amazing weather (70s and 80s all week!)

Visiting at Jim and Linda's

Aunt Linda suggested that Grant go outside and splash and play in the sprinklers while they were running ...

(we stood by and watched!)

Silly wet Grant!

Jack hanging out with Granddaddy

Grant's clothes had to go in the dryer

But he still had energy to do some puzzles with Granddad

And he still wanted to run around in circles (but he needed his tennies because the floor was slippery)

Back at Oma's ... Emily B came to visit!

We headed to Emily's new house to "help" move in .. Grant liked to watch the movers

We hung out in the front yard and entertained babies ...

And we headed back out to the Woodlands that night to bring the new homeowners their first dinner at the new place!

I can't wait till my next trip!!!

Sweet Jack!

2011-05-05T15:37:00.012-05:00

I got Jack's photos taken while we were in Houston this week ... I love how they turned out! Here are a few of my favorites:

This one is my favorite of all!

Tiffany did an amazing job again!

Splish Splash!

2011-05-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

After the success of his baths in the big tub at Nana's house, we decided to move Jack in with Grant for the nightly washing up. We got a basket to divide the territory (makes for happier brothers!), and they both did great! It is a two parent job, but it short cuts our nightly routine a bit to not have two separate baths! Soon, they will be playing and splashing together!

Jack's adventures with finger foods

2011-04-30T11:07:00.000-05:00

I gave Jack his first finger food yesterday, and he had a good time figuring out how to get those tiny little puffs from the table to his mouth. Once they got wet, they stuck to his palms, so he spent quite a long time grabbing and chewing on his fingers and searching before he finally got any in his mouth. Once he did, he focused, chewed and was happy!