Merry Christmas!

(to the tune of Jingle Bells) Oh what fun it was to watch the boys today!

When discussing Santa this morning Ralph asks "is he real?" Hmmn, already questioning the validity of Santa? Ralph did great at waiting for Henry to wake up before approaching the gifts and stockings.

I think the boys would have been satisfied if they had only gotten a stocking and no gifts. It was a little funny to watch them play with their stocking gifts, not thinking about what was still ahead, just enjoying the little things.

Henry was great at opening gifts as first thing this morning but as the day wore on his enthusiasm wore off a little.

Henry was wired by the time we got to Grandma & Grandpa's. For some reason he ran back and forth and then some circles while we were trying to get him to open gifts - he was acting as if he was on a sugar high or as if he had been sitting for quite a while and had some energy to expel but neither were true.

The boys got to nap a little later than usual at Grandma & Grandpa's after opening gifts. I escaped Henry's room and thought he'd be asleep soon after I left but he was still a little high strung and started singing "Happy Birthday" and "Jingle Bells". It took quite a while, along with a visit from Grandpa before falling asleep. He tried to get Grandpa to play "peak a boo" with him but finally gave in when Grandpa faked him out. Ralph played his own procrastination game with Mike but gave him before Henry did.

The boys had great fun playing with their gifts and I'm glad we have another day to be home tomorrow!

Christmas Traditions Continued!

The race was close but we managed to complete our other holiday tradition before Christmas! We tried to make the boys handprint ornaments earlier this week but got a kit we had not tried before and was not that successful. Going back to what we know we had a much better experience tonight. After we set the official ornaments aside the boys had fun rolling out the 'dough' and pressing their hands down - Ralph would use his other hand to assist pressing down his hand then he helped Henry press his hand down so it would get a better impression. So fun to watch them.















Hopefully our newest tradition will expand over the years but Ralph helped make chocolate covered pretzels this year. I got things rolling but handed over the task to Michael and he and Ralph did their best at dipping pretzels.

Candyhouse Chaos!

Just before Thanksgiving I entered a "guess how many jellybeans in the jar" contest at the Lincoln Children's Museum. The two guesses that were the closest would receive a chance to participate in the candyhouse workshop and decorate not just one candyhouse but two! I debated about letting the boys each do their own but knew it would be more fun if they shared a candyhouse and we invited one of Ralph's friends who used to go to our daycare. Leighton & Ralph had not seen each other since Halloween and I was glad to see they were super excited to see each other.

It took some time to find the candyhouse workshop area but when we finally did we were in awe of the setup. The houses were sitting on a table waiting for us along with the frosting and utensils to frost the houses with. Our house almost started to look a little tye-died as some little hands were not to fussy on which colors to mix together. Then we ventured to the candy station and filled the tray with so many options (vanilla wafers, marshmallows, suckers, gum drops, cereal, licorice). Ralph and Henry went to town half-haphazardly placing candy on the house with no pattern in mind. It was just fun watching them to their thing. This is Ralph's 4th year of making a candyhouse and Henry's 2nd - but the first time at the Museum.

The boys have not been to the Children's Museum since Henry was super small so it really was a new experience for them. They had fun and we are looking forward to returning.

Henry: Crossing items off the 2-year check list!

Yesterday Henry had his 2-year pictures done at Penneys. We lucked out both in Henry's willingness to participate and in the photographer. Henry was very cooperative in every pose he was placed in. The photographer, who we've had before, was great working with him. Whew!

Today Henry had his 2-year well child check up. He weighed in at a meek 23.2 pounds (11%) and measured 34" (33%). The only larger than average measurement was of his head - 19.5" (50-75%). We aren't surprised by any of these measurements but, of course, wish he was a little taller. He did great with the finger prick needed to do a lead test but did cry during the shot for Hep A. All of the other checks were fine. I told doc the story of the pebble coming out during a nasal rinse - first time he's heard of that happening, though I can't imagine there's a high percentage of parents that would even attempt a nasal rinse on a toddler so that is not that surprising.

Birthday party, pictures, check up . . .I think that completes the 2-year check list! I am amazed at how much it seems Henry has changed in a week. There are no more babies in the house! I write that with some sadness and excitement. I look back on the last two years and wonder how we did it. How did we survive the long stretches of sleep deprivation? With the exception of the sleep challenges Henry was a great daytime baby and played well independently. He's got a great smile, is mostly a good natured boy who feeds off others feedback and responses, and has a contagious laugh. I am sad our days of cuddles at bedtime and rocking are numbered though I know there's plenty more to come at the rate we are going. I am sad his days in a crib are numbered. I am not sure I am ready for him to have the freedom that comes with a big bed. I am sad he will outgrow some of his current mannerisms and they will be a distant memory. I am excited as I watch him become more independent in trying to do things and begin to learn colors, letters, and numbers, as well as labeling items.

Henry: Celebrating 2 years!

If the next 364 days are anything like tonight, we will have a great year! NOT! It's as if he's heard of the "terrible two" cliche and plans on living up to the name. I'm hoping the last few days finally took a toll on him and he was just overly tired but wow, he was sure sensitive.

Henry had one new tooth break through in the last month, the bottom right cuspid. His got one opening left. Unfortunately he is continuing to use his teeth for evil (ie. biting friends, marking territory, and as a form of communication). He had been biting a few times at week at 'school' but today he broke a new record, unfortunately, and had to have a talk with the director.

Potty training started just over a week ago. I was going to wait until Henry moved up to the next room at daycare when he turned two but it turns out he won't move up for awhile so I asked his teachers to start sitting him on the potty the Monday after Thanksgiving. He wasn't happy about sitting on the potty the first time but by Wednesday he had one successful trip to the potty and two successful trips on Thursday. Before the official start of potty training he had gone potty in the little potty a few times over the last couple of weeks.

"More potty" remains one of his stalling tactics at bedtime, along with "tissue?", "rockey", and reciting names - "Ralphie?", "Daddy?", and the names of many friends at 'school'. After each name I usually say "night-night" hoping to get the idea across that it is time to go night night. His newest stalling tactic involves asking for and inspecting shirts that have balls on them (baseball & football).

Life is an adventure with Henry. The evening of Thanksgiving I thought Henry sounded a little stuffy so we decided to give him a nasal rinse. It's a messy job but necessary sometimes. After squirting water up one nostril we heard a clink when something hit the sink - Mike and I looked at each other since nothing coming from the nose should make that sound. Yes, a little pebble from the playground at daycare fell out of his nose. We think it had been in his nose for 5 days as he did wake up with a little bloody nose the Saturday before.

While Henry's sleeping has greatly improved, he wanted to relive his younger days last Friday night and was up off and on from about 10:40 pm - 2:12 am. We still aren't sure why this little regression but on Saturday morning, Mike was looking in Henry's ear and made a comment "Is that a rock in your ear?" I have not peaked myself but would not be surprised. If you ask Henry if his ear is okay now he says "rock" as he points to his ear.

Henry's language skills are flourishing. He does a super job repeating words, even multiple syllables. Sentences Henry self-initiates are getting a little easier to understand and are usually 1-2 words. It's so nice to finally see some progress in this area.

Henry is starting to make some new facial expressions when he eats - so funny to see him open his mouth wide and raise his eyebrows when putting food in his mouth.

I have noticed Henry already subconsciously picks at his fingers/fingernails/cuticles.

Henry has mastered "flip it" with his winter coat - a trick we learned when Ralph was in the toddler 2 room. Henry is so excited when he actually has enough "umph" to get it over his head.

I think he has had some experience with ice packs at daycare. If he gets an owie at home and is crying I'll ask him if he needs ice, he says "ice" and walks over to to the freezer and tries to open the door. Once given an ice pack he holds it up to the spot that has an owie and sometimes he holds the body part out for a kiss.

Photo taken this morning, while in a hurry and not that cooperative. I was trying to get him to smile by saying "no mommy no mommy". It almost worked. Notice the morning bedhead and puffy eyes. He seems to be going through a hair phase . .if he does not have bed head he has hat head or just plain static hair. He may need product for his 2-year photos next week.

Henry: An Elmo Birthday Party!

Henry celebrated his birthday a few days early this morning with an Elmo themed birthday party. We combined two of his loves, Elmo & trains, on his birthday cake by having Elmo drive a train.

The guest list included Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Larry, and Uncle Rick! Yes, Henry finally got the chance to meet Uncle Rick!

Henry was not too hesitant to open his gifts and had some narration to go with the opening of the gifts. I did try to get him to open gifts on his own but he was content to sit on my lap as he tore into the gifts. He wanted to take many of the gifts out of the box right away but luckily he can still be easily distracted and he nearly finished opening gifts before running to a toy Ralph had been playing with. After a little prodding we got him back to the task at hand.

Ralph did a great job of sharing Henry's new toys. We gave the uncles the task of opening and taking some toys out of their boxes . . and Ralph would play with them while Henry opened more gifts. When Henry was done opening gifts Ralph brought over the remote control fire truck and told Henry "here you go" without any coaxing - I was pleasantly surprised. Sure, there have been a few arguments as the day has gone on.

Henry thoroughly enjoyed the chocolate cake and frosting. He cleaned his plate and asked for more!

Fingerprints Thanksgiving Program

Fingerprints, the daycare the boys go to, had a Thanksgiving Program tonight. It will be a little odd to not have a Christmas program though it will be nice to not be so busy next month. All of the children were on stage together which shortened up the program but also didn't give me a chance to watch the kids in other rooms we know as my eyes were fixed on the boys the whole time . . and luckily they were right by each other.

Henry did great in his 1st program. He did not do much singing or perform many actions but he stayed on stage with a little smile on his face. We were almost directly in front of him. Knowing he saw us and didn't not start crying or trying to run towards us is a big in itself!

Ralph also did well though maybe not as energetic as some of his friends. He had been practicing this song for the past week and kept putting other words in place of the actual words thinking he was being funny.

Henry: Celebrating 23 months!

Henry is enjoying an ice cream cone after getting a haircut this afternoon. I didn't plan on getting a cone this large but couldn't find what I planned on getting. He did really well for his 2nd haircut and 1st time sitting by himself . .too bad the haircut does not illustrate how well he sat. Front looks the best since I hardly let her touch it!

Also taking advantage of one of the last nice days of the year, taking a ride on the barrel train! He can hardly get enough of it!

Has started a few 2-word sentences including "no mommy" and "ralphie night night?" The only 3-word sentence that easily flows out of his mouth is "no mommy no" and a few copy cat phrases "where'd he go" and "I don't know". The 'funniest' Henry-ism that has recently developed is calling GrandPA, GrandMA . . .grandma is still called grandma. If he is coaxed enough he'll usually say 'Grandpa' but his first attempt usually comes out 'Grandma'.

He does not have much interest in telling anyone he is wet or poopy during the day but has already learned to use it as a stalling technique in going to bed. He has also told me "wet . . .diaper" in the middle of the night during one of his insommia nights. Another stalling technique in going to bed is to ask for a tissue . . many, many times. He may ask to "rocky, rocky" (rocking chair) again after lights out.

He will assist in pulling up the front of his pants, does not much care to wear his winter coat nor his winter hat (stocking hat), likes to pull his socks off (or try to), and WILL NOT wear 1-piece zip-up footed jammies - I've tried twice now and he pulls at them until I change him back to 2 piece jammies which could be part of the reason he is waking up since he is not as warm as he could be. Most pullover shirts need to be stretched beyond 'normal' to fit over his head that seems larger than average. He is wearing size 18 mo pants, 24 mo shirts that are still a little big, and size 5 toddler shoes.

Henry goes up the stairs by holding on to the side of the wall or crawling. Never quite liked going down the stairs backwards feet first while on his tummy. Likes to scoot down on his bottom and try to walk down the stairs. He likes to flip light switches up and down but is not tall enough to reach them by himself yet. He also likes to close doors shut.

Last weekend he was diagnosed with an ear infection in one ear, inflamed but not infected ear in the other ear, and possibly the start of pneumonia. Since the treatment is the same for all we avoided the xray for the official pneumonia diagnosis and are hoping the antibiotic does its job. After a few rounds on the antibiotic his sleeping greatly improved . . .for a few days. I'm pretty sure I left him alone wide awake for 2-3 nights and he didn't make a peep when I left. In the last few nights he's regressed back to his old ways at bedtime and the need to have someone lay on his floor at somepoint throughout the night.

The 'terrible twos' have started a little early. His tantrums are really kind of cute as he dramatically lays on his tummy in protest to whatever he does not like. He does like to tell me "no" while hitting me . . and sometimes kicking while he is being changed. He has also gotten into the bad habit of biting to defend himself. Sometimes it could be called a 'love bite' as he routinely bits my should when I pick him up to give him a hug. He seems to be good at saying "sorry" when directed - must have had some practice at 'school'.

Halloween Happenings!

Happy Halloween! What a week its been!

Our Halloween festivities started last Wednesday with "Trunk or Treat" at the church where the boys go to daycare. Ralph got to spend time with an friend who used to go to Fingerprints. This is one of the few photos of all 4 kids together.

On Thursday, the boys and I went to Morrill Hall for their "Fright Night". It was the first year Morrill Hall had a Halloween event and they had roughly 3,500 attend!

On Friday, we went to a "Trunk or Treat" at St. Johns Church. Of the "trunk or treats" we went to this one seemed to be the most organized and have the most involved participants.

On saturday morning we carved pumpkins. It took the boys awhile to warm up to the idea of putting their hands in the pumpkins but soon they joined in the fun.

Sunday brought the "Trunk or Treat" at St. Marks, Grandma & Grandpa's church.

Today the boys had Halloween parties at daycare. They got to wear jammies to school then put their costumes on and trick or treated to the offices at the church. Grandma & Grandpa picked them up early to Treat or Treat at HyVee. We then ventured out to one stop before heading back home and making a few stops at the neighboring homes. Loved watching Ralph when we visited the neighbors. At 3 stops, after receiving candy, he'd ask the homeowner "what is your name." Ralph has always been interested in people's names. Unfortunately the dog-phobia continues and he wasn't that interested in visiting houses he thought a dog resided. Need to work on that issue!

Whew! I don't think we intended to celebrate Halloween as much as we did but it was all different and fun in its own way.

Henry: Celebrating 22 months!

Henry will receive a gift for turning 22-months in the next few days. The time has arrived to turn his seat around to forward facing. Can't believe we have held out this long but he has been fighting it a little more in the last few weeks. I think he'll enjoy seeing the world from a different view.

Three teeth have (barely) broke through in the last month (technically in the last week) - the top lateral incisor on both the left and right side and the lower left canine.

Henry had a follow-up asthma/allergy appointment in mid-September. Everything checked out fine and we left with the recommendation to continue as we were doing last spring. The doctor didn't have a problem with us doing the breathing treatment in the morning. He believes Henry has asthma triggered by colds so its important to continue with the daily breathing treatments in hopes of maintaining the level he is at. The ultimate goal is to have a good winter. I'm not that versed in asthma attacks but since that appointment we've done a few extra breathing treatments to stop a coughing attack that woke him up one night and to help when he seemed to be breathing a little heavy.

We have a TV addict on our hands. Henry knows he gets to watch Thomas the Train or some other animated show during breathing treatments. Some mornings he is a little cranky if the tv does not go on right away. Sometimes he tries to fiddle with the remote during other times of the day to watch TV. The boys are allowed to watch TV during breathing treatments and very rarely for any other reason.

We also have a choo-choo addict on our hands. He is very into trains and Thomas. At suppertime he brings two trains to the table then returns to the train table to get one or two more. I didn't understand this the first time he did it and put him in time out for not eating. After the time out, on the way back to the supper table, he made a detour to the train table to pick up a train and proceeded to eat while playing with the trains. He has also sat on the Little People barn and said "choo-choo" to indicate he was pretending he was on a train.

Anytime I leave his room before he is asleep usually results in Henry standing up in his crib and screaming. If its at night Mike usually goes in a few minutes later, talks to Henry, leaves after a few minutes and Henry remains quiet. At naptime on the weekends, I may let Henry cry-it-out since I know he is tired and it does not take long for him to fall asleep. The cry-it-out method backfired on me last Sunday. After I got Ralph settled in to bed I decided to check on Henry who was still screaming. As luck would have it, this time he was not crying wolf but had gotten his arm stuck in the decorative design at the end of the crib. I tried to glide his arm down a little thinking maybe I could get it out but couldn't figure out how to twist it right. It didn't occur to me to butter his arm so it would be slippery. I called Grandpa and asked him to come over . . .and bring a saw. Grandpa came over to save the day! Luckily he was able to slide and twist Henry arm out without making a big mess sawing up the crib!

Henry's sleep habits have FINALLY gotten better over the last few months. He wakes up in the middle of the night every now and then - sometimes he just needs his blankie readjusted, sometimes he needs someone to lay on his floor for a bit but with any luck the 2-3 hours of insommia have passed. After 21 months, I give - if he'll sleep with someone on his floor, I will sleep on his floor. I know its a bad habit to get into but I don't like the alternative either (not sleeping). Henry is quite funny in the morning. When I go into his room to greet him in the morning, he stands up and starts pointing and naming everything we need to take with us downstairs . . blankie, blankie, Elmo, water. Yes, we have our hands full.

Henry pulled out a simple puzzle tonight that matches vehicle fronts and backs. He had fun putting the pieces in a spot - though not many of the front were matched with the correct back.

It almost seems Henry can count to five. Since his speech is not the clearest I'm not entirely sure if I'm hearing correctly but if I say one, it sounds like he says two, and so on. Its fun to make these discoveries about what he has learned at 'school'. He is also working on his colors.

Henry's love for reading continues. He has now joined Mike & Ralph during the bedtime routine - he'd rather flip through books than say prayers. Following prayers Mike reads books - when Mike finishes a sentence and Henry will repeat the last word when encouraged.

Ralph: Celebrating 3 1/2 years!

Ralph celebrated 3 1/2 years last week which deserves an entry!
Notable quotes in the last few weeks -

"I just want two people to lay on my floor" . . . We still have not broken the bad habit of someone laying on Ralph's floor at bedtime. During the best of nights someone only has to sit/lay on his floor for 3 minutes . .during the worst of nights he'll use nearly every trick in the book to procrastinate going to bed including getting up to go to the bathroom multiple times and coming downstairs to ask someone to come back upstairs.

"I"m going to help you be a good mommy (or daddy)" . . .this new phrase just started in the last few weeks. I try to remind him if he is a good Ralph it is easier for me to be a good mommy.

"I'm never going to get tired of loving you" . . . taken from a book he read at 'school'. It is very sweet to hear him say it.

"When I grow up I'm going to buy a motorcycle. It's going to be green. It'll be a Harley Davidson and I won't tell mommy" . . . he loves seeing motorcycles on the road or sitting in a driveway. The other night we were walking back from Walgreens and he saw a cyclist getting ready to leave a driveway and he starts waving. The guy was nice enough to wave back. I just play along with his fantasy as I have plenty of years to change his mind.

"Have a good day all day everyday" . . .this quote is most often heard at night. Ralph uses it as a form of goodbye as someone tries to leave his room at night.

"The light is green" . . . .as I'm sitting as a red light. Some days Ralph likes to contradict nearly everything I say or do.

"I just want to do what I want when I want" . . . . there is no denying Ralph is very much a 3-year-old. He has figured out he is not always the boss but would like to be. He has absolutely no concept of time - I should be taking lessons from him on enjoying life. Some days he wants to be independent (ie. buckle himself in - see previous sentence of having no concept of time, it takes a while and of course, I finish the job) but other days he wants someone to dress him which saves a a lot of time. He likes to go outside and ride his trike, work on puzzles, flashcards/memory games, and practice letters. He is very inquisitive about how things work.

"That is baby" . .he'll sometimes comment when referring to Henry. Some days I believe Ralph thinks Henry was born to provide him constant entertainment and friendship. While he just wants someone to lay with him at night, he just wants someone to play with him during the day. Sometimes they feed off of each other with their energy. It is fun to watch them play (and cause trouble) together. Their latest 'thing' is to scream when we go through tunnels (ie. under bridges and overpasses) just like riding the train at the zoo. Always pleasant to hear screaming from the back seat.

Even during some of our arguments or when he is throwing a fit on his own I just look at him and think to myself "I can not believe he is mine." There is hardly anything he can do or say that can surprise me though he does catch me off guard sometimes with his insight. What an amazing miracle it is to watch him grow and develop.

Vala's Pumpkin Patch

Thanks to a Groupon this past week the boys and I, along with Grandma & Grandpa ventured to Vala's Pumpkin Patch this morning. We arrived as soon as the gate opened and parked in the 2nd row - if you've ever glanced at Vala's from the interstate near Gretna you now how packed they get! We spent about 3.5 hours there and could have spent more time but Henry was more than ready for a nap.

This was our first visit so it was a bit overwhelming. Ralph was not too interesting in going into the "not-so-spooky" house or anything that was too unknown. He did enjoy the graveyard (mini) golf.

Henry is a little more willing to try new things. He may have tightened his gripe a few times but never insisted we leave an area.

Both boys more than enjoyed the peddle trikes, ducky derby, corn box, the family country crusin' cars (a four seater pedal car - boys sat in front and enjoyed the ride; adults sat in back and did all the work), and feeding the bunnies (mostly because the feed went in a tube and there was no direct contact).

Would we go again next year? Yes, but only if there was a special deal. I still can't imagine paying full price.

A Trip to Iowa . . yes, Iowa!

After our trip to Kansas City in June we started thinking about where our next trip might take us. The trip to Kansas City was just a bit too long for Henry to be in the car so we thought about what might be a little closer and came up with Des Moines. I'm not sure I ever thought I'd actually pick Des Moines as a destination but this trip was all about the kids and it really was a great trip!

Heeding the advice of a few folks we departed on Friday evening, near bedtime, with the hope of the boys sleeping on the way there . . .and continuing to sleep upon arrival. Both boys eventually fell asleep . . .at different times . . and woke up when we arrived due to all the commotion of checking into the hotel, etc.

We ventured out to Boone, Iowa on Saturday morning to take part in a "A Day Out with Thomas" event. We took a 20-25 minute ride on a train that had a Thomas engine front. There were other activities that were part of the event including a tent that housed various Thomas tracks and trains, arts & crafts, and an area to get a tattoo. There was a chance to get a photo with Sir Topham Hatt but there was no way Henry would even consider that . . luckily we found that out before we even started to stand in line (Henry just caught a glimpse of Sir Topham Hatt as I was taking this photo - note expression). When we returned to Des Moines we visited the Science Center of Iowa. There were quite a few areas the boys could enjoy. We completed the day with supper at Chick-Fil-A and swimming back at the hotel. We played a few rounds of Ring Around the Rosy in the pool and finally figured out Henry's been saying "Ring Around the Rosy" for quite a while though when it comes out of Henry's mouth it sounds more like "ringy ringy" and we really had no idea what he was referring to . . .until now.

Sunday's weather wasn't the most cooperative but the misting rain didn't keep us from the Blank Park Zoo. Size-wise I'd say the zoo is a little bigger than the Lincoln Zoo but the exhibits were more spread out and some really got into theming. The Australian exhibit was similar to the Australian Outback - all of the animals in the exhibit were free to roam around the entire exhibit. The sidewalk we walked on ran right through the exhibit meaning one of the many wallabys could rush by us without notice. Luckily the emu kept to himself. The tiger exhibit had a safari theme complete with a front of an old Landcruiser situated up against the plexiglass of the tiger's indoor area. While Mike & Ralph were in the Landcruiser one of the tiger's came in and walked right next to the Landcruiser.

We spent Sunday evening at the Incredible Pizza Company. It's a buffet restaurant and entertainment complex in one. I don't think Ralph could have asked for a better evening - he got to play two rounds of golf AND ride in a go-kart with Mike. He also got to play some video games and ride on some 'kiddie rides'. Henry enjoyed the little carousel best. He also 'drove' a car around a track and played on a indoor play structure.











We took our time making our way back to Lincoln today. It is great to be back home and I think we are vacationed out for a while. We did stay in two hotels this time over the course of the 3 nights. Our room at the first hotel faced the Capitol building in Des Moines. We did not tour it but the outside is beautiful. The boys loved the hotels again - Ralph kept trying to convince he had to exercise since he knows Mike & I do. Henry did have a slight injury in the 2nd hotel as he ran into some wrought iron decoration on the desk. Henry slept in the pack n play again - possibly for the last time. Ralph split his time with Mike & I, sometimes sleeping in the back room with me, and sometimes sleeping in the front room with Mike.

A-plane, A-plane

We ventured out to the Lincoln Air Show this morning. There was some traffic to get to (VIP) parking spot we had but it was nothing compared to what we saw lined up trying to get to the air show as we were leaving. We arrived around 10 am and walked around looking at the various airplanes on display. We had planned to visit early, before it got to overcrowded but also a good idea in case the noise got to be too much for both boys we could make a quick exit without feeling we missed the ground displays.

The air show started at 11 am. Just prior to the 'air' show a school bus took the runway - it was fitted with an engine from a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom fighter jet as well as shot out 80' flames, sending huge clouds of smoke billowing from the tail pipe. The noise of the engine surprised Henry (and us) a litttle. He got a little upset and started to cry a little. . . .not a great start. Luckily we had brought the boys' ear protection muffs - we just were not prepared for the noise yet. (They had received the muffs as Christmas gifts last year . . .Ralph did not like the noise of the riding mower when Grandpa was mowing and it seemed like an appropriate gift at the time. Little did we know how useful they would be almost a year later.)

We watched a Tora demonstration that was interesting and then saw a F-18 Super Hornet that literally took our breath away. We were close to the runaway and I can not begin to describe how LOUD the sound was. The boys did a great job of keeping the muffs on but I know they are not sound proof. Henry did not cry or get upset but did want to be held - surprisingly he didn't clinch me any tighter during the nosier times. The demonstration started at what should have been naptime and Henry kept trying to put his head on my shoulder but the muffs got in the way. We left shortly after the demonstration - found out the Blue Angels were not performing until 3 pm and knew we never would make it that long.

All in all, a fun, quick morning. I asked Ralph later this afternoon if he could hear anything with the muffs on and he said "yeah, the planes were pretty loud. I needed lots of earmuffs."

Henry: Celebrating 21 months!

Photo taken during a game of "Touch your . . ." (head) He is quite good at covering the basics.

Henry loves to be read to. He does not necessarily care about the words but likes to flip through the pages to find Elmo, Abby, Ocar (Oscar minus the 's'), choo-choo, puppy, brown bear, or whatever item he is searching for. Loves to look at books about cars, trucks, trains, and Sesame Street characters.

New, recognizable words (though not phonetically correct) this month include Uncle Larry and blanket. Again, he is more into phrases than single words - I need (fill-in-the-blank - milk, water, snack, more) is often heard. We got him to say urgs (Huskers) a few times on Saturday. We have heard him start to say Love You.

Henry's notable injuries this month include a couple of falls at daycare. The first involved falling on some loose pebbles at daycare and hitting the back of his head on a pebble that was on the sidewalk creating a nice little bleeder. The 2nd involved falling off the slide inside his room at daycare and hitting a window sill right above his eye. While both injuries could have happened to anyone Henry does not know the meaning of 'fear' yet and likes to stand on pieces of furniture he should not and test his limits.

Unfortunately we started daily breathing treatments and singular about 10 days ago - earlier than we planned but Henry started exhibiting a cough during nap/nighttime along with an obvious cold (or allergy?). Trying to keep the cold from settling in his lungs we decided to be proactive and try to keep ahead of the game. The first night we gave him the breathing treatment he woke up a few hours after going to bed and was up for more than 3 hours. We had not had a night like that for months and not knowing if it was a direct correlation to the breathing treatment but not wanting to find out we have opted to give him the breathing treatment in the morning. The morning breathing treatment is working out good as he is still groggy and, I think, enjoys lounging for a bit with me while watching cartoons. We'll find out in a few weeks at the next asthma/allergy appt if this is permissible.

Henry currently has a short attention span for eating. Sometimes we can get him to sit in the chair for a few more minutes by finding something interesting to look at in an ad or book - a few books have been sacrificed with food stains. Sometimes after he thinks he is done eating by himself he'll scoot his plate and milk over in front of me and sit on my lap and eat a little more. Sometimes he'll want down to go play but will come back for bites every so often. He can drink out of straw and a cup but still wears quite a bit when drinking out of a cup. Henry has had one more tooth broke through - upper left canine, I think.

If he wants you to follow him he'll come over, try to grab your hand or wave/motion for you to "come on" with an open palm, bending his fingers in while saying "come on". He will also grab a finger to lead you to where he wants to go.

Fun with Friends

Yesterday we visited the home of some friends from daycare. Leighton is in Ralph's room and Turner is in Henry's room. The boys' had fun visiting their friends outside of daycare and loved the big, fenced-in backyard. Ralph, impressively, ate all of his supper without any prodding while sitting away from the adults and Henry downed a Capri-Sun through a straw like he is a pro. The #1 sign Ralph had a good time - nearly all the way home he cried/whined "Just a few more minutes."

Sneaking a peak inside Memorial Stadium

This morning we ventured down to Memorial Stadium waaaay before the game started. I think its amazing the public is allowed inside Memorial Stadium on game days to watch the band practice. I thought it was a great opportunity for the boys to see the inside as neither one of them will be attending a football game for awhile. It was slightly sprinkling this morning but luckily there was a little window that allowed us to watch the band for bit before it started sprinkling a little more steady making us fair-weather band fans depart the stadium. We also had to get the traditional photo with the Brook Berringer/Tom Osborne bronze and wasn't sure how long the rain was going to stick around.

While inside the stadium Ralph commented about a lot of people coming in. . . you can see from the photos that was quite an understatement. I think he would be overwhelmed if he would see it full of people. Ralph brought his earmuffs (headphones) in case the music was too loud - crazy kid. Henry did dance to the music for a few measures. The band was still warming up while we were there - working on steping, etc. They did start playing more music as we were leaving.

After taking the photo with the bronze we walked to the tailgate spot Mike's cousin has. Ralph was perfectly content to ride in the stroller - Henry had to get out and stretch his legs. The boys had fun at the tailgate playing catch and eating donuts . . .one of the very few places they get donuts. Henry also had fun pretending to drive the RV.

Tailgate hosted by Capital City Christian Church

Capital City Christian Church, the church that houses the daycare the boys go to had a Tailgate party tonight. The boys enjoyed their hotdogs and then we visited with various daycare families. We finally ran into a friend Ralph had been looking for and they hung out the rest of the night - each enjoying a sno-cone and picking up various freebies. The most notable act of the night was Ralph getting inside a bouncy house - the first time he went in one by himself (in June, he and I went in one briefly). I know he would not have gone in by himself had two of his friends not gone in . . . Thanks L & O!

Squeezing in the last days of Summer!

Last Saturday morning we spent some time at the sprayground at Trago Park. The day started out a little chilly but not wanting to miss the opportunity this summer we forged ahead. According to the Parks & Recs website the sprayground was open from 11 am - 7 pm so we thought the water would magically turn on out 11 am. It did not so we just played at the playground until Ralph's friend's dad discovered the magic button. . .then the fun began! I'm sure it would have been more fun had it been warmer but the kids had fun and we'll try again next year.


Last Sunday evening we ventured to our first Saltdogs game of the season, ironically the last home game. As we entered the stadium Ralph wanted to sit close to the field so I'm not sure how happy it was I took them up to the suite NEBCO owns. The boys survived the whole game, I know it helped we were in a suite and there was room to move a little and not be confined in a chair. I've kept the kids sheltered so far, they do not know there is a playarea on the other side of the field, yet. Henry did notice the inflatables as he kept pointing to the puppy on it.

Henry enjoyed watching the choo-choos go by. Homer, the larger-than-life mascot tried to visit the boys. Once Henry saw Homer he started shrieking. Ralph was not totally sure what his brother was shrieking about but did feel the need to join in. Homer finally got the message and left. Ralph surprised me and wholeheartedly ran the bases following the game. I was sure I'd have to go with him but once he got onto the field he started running. I got a little fearful seeing Homer between 3rd base and home but Ralph just ran wide around him. Hopefully we can make it to a game sooner next year!