Grey: Four Years

Dear Grey:

"I love you, you get to read me books tonight"is a phrase we get to hear often as you come up to us to snuggle or wrap your arm around our leg. I am very glad you still love to cuddle between the laps you run everyday!

You are a very loving, very passionate little boy! Your enthusiasm for EVERYTHING is so infectious, no one around you is safe. Your class has started bringing in items to share and Little Lorie always has you go first for two reasons. One, you usually have the best clues so are a great model for the other kids and two, you are so excited that you can't stop giggling until it is your turn! Little Lorie and you definitely have a special connection. She gets your sense of humor and loves your passion. She told me the other day that no matter what your class is doing, you are in the thick of it, up to your elbows in it, whether its cooking, painting, climbing, coloring, learning your letters, making volcanoes, or even cleaning up. I am glad your high energy so far is being channeled into a positive outlet :)

We signed you up for tee-ball this season and I made the mistake of telling you before practices even started. Daddy and you went to get gloves, a ball, and a bat and you want to play baseball ALL. THE. TIME now. Even when you are in the house, you beg and beg for me to let you have your glove and ball just so you can toss your ball into your glove from the other hand (you tried to convince me this is technically not throwing the ball in the house). You were in your element for the first game. You take after your dad by wanting to be right where the action is-even if it means having to run clear across the field to get to the ball and take out a teammate or two. Or, you were so busy coaching the other team when you played first base, making sure they knew to run to second base that you weren't watching for the ball coming to you :)

You love love love love love love clothes. You really love to be dressed up and get frustrated when I tell you that wearing a bow tie and suspenders or a white button up shirt with a tie is not the most appropriate for preschool. What a goofball! You have a different outfit for different activities. I am not sure if it is a good thing you have known how to dress yourself for awhile now...one, you can get ready without help in the morning which is a great time saver but it also means you will change 2-3 times on a typical day! Next thing I need to teach you to do is laundry :) I think you will have that figured out soon. You were "helping" me fold and put away laundry before school one day. When we were in the car on the way there, you were begging me to let you help again because it was SOOO much fun. Seriously, I really don't think you are my child somedays!

You still ADORE your little sister. The would "adore" doesn't even capture the true sentiment. You are always making sure she is being treated fair, you always want to teach her how to do things, you comfort her when she is upset, and you always make sure to include her in what you are doing. When she is sick, you will offer to take my place cuddling her on the couch and reading to her so I can get dinner cooked. It melts my heart to see the pure love you have for her. You offer to teach her how to do EVERYTHING. It is pretty entertaining watching you try to teach her how to play Hungry Hippo or ride a bike. You sometimes try to teach her things YOU don't even know how to do!

Even though you are the sweetest boy ever, you do have your teasing side. You still love to tease people like your daddy and know just how to set some people off. Ripley and Zoe end up being your favorite targets. You will do something just to get them into a tizzy just so you can watch. One of your favorite pass times when you get bored now is to literally take Zoe out. You two will be playing in the living room and you will full body tackle her to the ground or sometimes its a little less obvious, a sly foot that goes in her pathway, a gentle nudge to send her flying. She is a tough cookie and just rolls with it but just wait. Payback is not that far away!

You started speech therapy this year. Your vocabulary is fine but you talk nonstop and we are working on your articulation because even I can't understand you sometime when you really get going. Luckily, you are pretty laid back and don't get frustrated when everyone looks at you with a puzzled look. You are pretty good and figuring out another way around to get people to understand, either by gestures or just different words. I can see some definite improvement and I am so proud at how hard you work!

Now onto those twenty questions again that we started last year....

1. Favorite color? Black
2. Favorite toy? remote control truck from Grammie for my birthday
3. Favorite fruit? Blackberries
4. Favorite tv show? Toy Story 3
5. Favorite thing to eat for lunch? grilled ham & cheese (but mommy would say PBJ)
6. Favorite outfit? batman shirt; dress up clothes with a tie or a bowtie
7. Favorite game? the one daddy taught me yesterday (Chutes & Ladders)
8. Favorite snack? Licorice (this is Grey's favorite word to say when he is being silly)
9. Favorite animal? bear
10. Favorite song? Hush Little Baby
11. Favorite book? The BIG Curious George Book
12. Who is your best friend? Andrew....and Ripley
13. Favorite cereal? Uh, what's cereal? Blueberry oatmeal?
14. Favorite thing to do outside? yardwork with Grammie, digging at my house or cutting down things with daddy
15. Favorite drink? lemonade and keifer
16. Favorite holiday? Christmas
17. What do you like to take to bed with you? Batman, Ringo the Iguana, & "daddy" the tiger
18. Favorite thing for breakfast? oatmeal and yogurt

19. What do you want for dinner on your birthday? sushi and steak

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? lifeguard, construction worker, fireman, and motorcycle policeman

Later on your birthday, you asked me if the next day could be your five birthday. I told you it would take me a WHOLE YEAR to get used to the idea of you being 4 and I couldn't even think about you being 5. When did you get so big???!!!!

Love you,
Momma

Zoe: Two Years

 

Dearest Zozo:
Where does the time go? It is passing us by way too fast as you are blooming into a very silly, very funny, very strong willed, loving, cuddly little girl. You are definitely living up to officially being "2" now. These are are some phrases we hear quite often around our house:

"No want it!!!"

"Mommy, don't want it; Daddy, want it!!" (meaning you want nothing to do with me & want dad or vice versa)


"vie,vie" (Dutch song)

"I luf ooo, momma"

"NOOOOO, My BUTTON!!"(anytime you think someone might get your belly button)

You are so very independent. You don't ask for help but figure out a way to get what you want. For example we have straws on the counter. You want one. Instead of pointing and asking, you pull open drawers to climb up until you reach them.

I didn't even know you knew how to count until the other day in the bath. You started counting bath toys to yourself and got to 14.  FOURTEEN! I knew you could do one-two-three but that was it. It is amazing how much you soak up. Now you practice counting anything and everything that we pass in the car. So cute.

You have used the potty a few times now but you will not do it unless you are the one deciding you need to go. If I ask you to sit on it, you will...for 2 seconds and then tell me "don't have to." But if you are diaperless, more often than not, you will go sit on it and go on your own. 

The caution is starting to catch up with you, my fearless little girl. THANK GOD! You used to climb anything and everything (and for the most part you still do) but I have noticed at the playgrounds you get a little fearful of heights when the climbing structure has the "holes" where you can see underneath. You will actually stop and climb back down! I never thought I would see that day!

You are an accessory girl for sure. You love to wear hats, sunglasses, shoes (especially boots), necklaces, bracelets, costumes, you love to have your purse and phone.

You love to sing. We listen to the Laurie Berkner Band almost everyday on the way home from Grammie's house. Your little voice is so sweet and I am impressed at how well you know that words! Better than I do :)

Of course you still adore your brother but you can definitely hold your own with him! You get knocked down, pushed around but you don't go down easily. Most of the time, you act like nothing even happened and just keep going. If he upsets you, you let everyone know though!

You are FUNNY. On purpose too :) You love to ham it up. You are getting more comfortable around people. You used to avoid anyone you didn't know but now you wave at everyone at the store. One time, you tried to smack a woman's bottom as she walked by us in the aisle, while saying. "GOT YOUR BOOTY!!" Maybe we don't always set the best example!!

It has been so much fun watching you this last year grow into your personality. I am looking forward to watching you grow but I would appreciate it if you would stay little for just a while longer.


Love,
Momma

Here is the best I could get with your giraffe :)

Husbands, Wives, & Babies According to Grey

Grey is at such a fun age right now and has us cracking up on a daily basis. He has always been a sweetheart and very loving. Awhile back, we started talking about at what age you can do things. Like kindergarten, drive a car, move out, go to college, etc. His latest obsession is when he can get married and when he can have babies. Here are a few of the conversations we have had over the last couple weeks:

Grey: "Mommy, I want a real drill like daddy and Grandpa have"
Me: "Well, when you are a little older you can probably borrow daddy's drill to practice but you probably won't have your own until you are 18."
Grey: " Oh, so when I can have babies I can have a drill?? Because I am going to have babies when I am 18"
Me: "Ummmm, I hope not! I think you will probably go to college then."
Grey: " Oh, that's right. I am going on an airplane and sleeping in a bunk bed when I get to college!! Yippee!"

About a week later....

Grey: "Mommy, when can I have a husband?"
Me: "Are you going to marry a boy or girl? and why exactly are you asking?"

Grey: Silly, mom, I am going to marry a girl. And I want to know when my babies can come out of her tummy."
Me: "Ok, then you will be the husband and the girl will be called your wife. Maybe when you are older than 25????"

This weekend at dinner one night..
Grey: "I don't think Zoe will make a good wife."
(Zippy and I look at her and at each other trying not to bust up laughing. She is covered head to toe in food and is in one of her "moods" so we think maybe that is what he means??)
Me(still trying to stifle that laugh): "Why do you say that?"
Grey: "Because I know her and I don't know my wife yet."

And then yesterday, he was being super sweet and helping me around the house.
Me: "Grey, you are such a big helper!! I think you need to live with me FOREVER and never move out."
Grey: "You can come to college with me mommy on the airplane, and so can Zoe and Daddy. You can all help me find my wife."
Me: "Do you think you need help finding a wife?"
Grey: "Probably. I haven't found one yet. Daddy found you at college so he must be good at finding wives."

Junior Pee-Wee A's: First Practice

Grey had his first tball practice today and of course loved it! It was definitely a motley crew and I look forward to watching the As develop into players this year. Most of them took about 4 or 5 tries before hitting the ball of the tee, no one can catch, but they all LOVED it :)

Team Introductions

 Zoe & Kimmy sneaking off to the park

Practicing catching

 Waiting for his turn up to bat

 batter, batter, swing!!

Zoe is FABULOUS!

Zoe cracks me up lately! She is really getting into her accessories and the louder the better :) I am not sure if Zippy will want us shopping together much more ;)

Grey's New Bed

Grey was struggling with getting up in the middle of the night to get us to lay with him. He was scared of the dark, wanted water, was scared of noises outside or in the house, etc, etc etc. Finally, something had to happen and we decided to give a sticker chart a try. I didn't really think it would motivate him to stay in bed but I was willing to try anything. Basically, he needed to get 20 stickers and when he filled up the chart, he could have a new big boy bed. Every night that he stayed in his bed, he got one sticker. I assumed it would take a couple months. BUT...it took 21 days. Little stinker!!

We were considering getting a bunk bed so when Zoe gets a little bigger, they could share a room. Unfortunately, the layout of their rooms plus the ceiling fan wouldn't fit a bunk bed so we got him a loft bed and he is in LOVE.

The kids love reading books in the "fort"

Grey's PB&J

I was getting ready to make lunch for the kids...and of course they requested PB&J. Grey asked if he could make his own and with trepidation, I decided to let him help. To my surprise, he could do it without any help! I was a proud momma and a little sad-this was a major step to being self sufficient. Luckily my mom put it in perspective when I called her to tell him how much is he growing up and didn't need me anymore. She asked if he could wipe his own butt yet....well, I guess he does still need me after all!!

Pockets

Zoe has discovered pockets. I went to pick her up the other day from Grammie and Grandpa's house and she had her hands in her pockets. She kept saying "pockets" and "grandpa" over and over again. A minute later, Grandpa walked out with his hands in his pockets! She was mimicking him! So cute :) Since then, she has to have an outfit with pockets. Either her coat or sweatshirt or pants...which is hard because most jeans don't fit her, they fall off her little booty!

She gets creative when she has an outfit without pockets. 

 She loves this sweater with pockets. Makes me laugh every time she wears it!

Academy of Sciences

Michelle and Andrew invited us to join the Macway's to explore the Academy of Sciences over the holiday break. Since daddy had to work, we decided Zoe would have much more fun spending some one on one quality time with Grammie (she really is the best!!) The butterflies, aquarium, penguins and touch pool are all so much fun.  The boys had so much fun exploring the museum and running around. 

Pretending to be fish!

It was the first time I had ever been and the first time that I had taken Grey to anything like this. He thought the exhibits were cool but was very interested in the map. He would pause for a second or two to check out the birds, fish, bugs, or whatever we were looking at but was soon looking back at his map, telling me we had to follow it to the next thing! He must be a son of two geography majors. A boy after our own hearts!

A few of our favorite things...

Each year, the holidays get better and better! The kids really get into the spirit and it is so much fun to see it all through their eyes. These are just a few of our favorite things this season:

1. Friends:

2. Family (we miss our Missouri family and wish they were closer!):

3. Silliness:

4. Christmas Lights (Zoe screams "Tismas Lighs" at each house we drive by!):

5. Frosting!:

6. Santa:

Zoe was not a big fan of Santa!

7. Siblings (this is personally one of my favorites!):