TS3 on Ice

As a special treat, we took Andrew to see Toy Story 3 on Ice this evening. I remember going to a few of the shows as a kid and always enjoyed them, so when we learned this year's show was TOY STORY, we couldn't pass it up.

Andrew was definitely excited about it and has been counting down the days. Waking this morning and realizing the show was this evening had him talking about it all day. When mom got here to stay with Noah, I took Andrew in to change his shirt, since he had just finished dinner. Once he was changed and had his shoes on, he went right to the back door, ready to leave and had to be reminded he also needed his coat and hat.

We picked Eric up at work and went to the show. There was a railing in front of our row of seats and Andrew stood at it, anxiously awaiting the start. He got a light-up Buzz spinner toy, which made the dark arena not so scary. And then his whole face lit up as things got underway.

As each character came out, Andrew excitedly shouted the name and laughed. I had as much fun watching his excitement as I did watching the show. Thankfully, Disney understands kids and included an intermission that was long enough for Eric to take Andrew to the bathroom and for mento go stand in line for cotton candy when they returned. I made it back just before the second act started and Andrew happily ate his treat while watching.

When the toys got to Sunnyside and Lotso came out, Andrew cheered so loud, the lady sitting in front of us was so startled she jumped out of her seat. She just laughed at Andrew's excitement.

Before we knew it, the finale was over and the lights back on. Andrew asked if he could go potty and then come back so "the movie" could start again. When we told him no, this time it was over, he started bawling. Poor guy! He didn't want it to end! It was past his bedtime, long before it ended, so he finally settled down and fell asleep on the way home.

What a fun evening for all 4 of us! Noah got some one-on-one time with Mamaw, not to mention all the favorite toys to himself. Andrew got some needed one-on-one with Mommy and Daddy. And Mommy and Daddy got to see the pure joy on their child's face as he watched his favorite characters come to life and loved being able to do that for him.

A win-win for all....

Mama's Lap

I know at some point, they'll be too big physically to fit. And, maybe even before that point, they'll decide they are "too big." I also know that they are both young enough they might not remember moments like this-- of both of them cuddled up together on Mama's lap, watching a movie.

But, I love times like this. These are the moments I treasure and will never forget.

Storytime

Reading a story before getting tucked into bed... a nightly ritual shared with Daddy. And yes, it must be Daddy. Mommy stories don't work at bedtime.

Chef Andrew

We were at church this morning, as usual, then home for lunch. The boys played for a bit (Andrew still isn't eating well after being sick last Thursday), then we headed to mom's for the Colts game and family dinner. Dave, Kayla and Memphis were there too and the boys always have a good time playing together.

Andrew was excited to help Mamaw in the kitchen and even more excited he got to wear a special "chef's" apron to do so!

And, while my new year's goal is a photo a day (Project 365 for those wanting to search it online-- I've just modified my version to make it work for me), I just couldn't resist including this one as well, of Noah sitting on Mimi's lap while the two of them colored together. I think she was tracing his hands to make handprints.

Rub-a-dub-dub!

2 boys in a tub. We enjoyed a quiet day at home. The big problem with staying up to ring-in the new year is that Noah went to bed as usual... And, therefore, had his usual 5:30 waking to nurse and doze and nurse and doze until 8. Which means Mommy didn't get much sleep after 5:30 and is very sleepy!

The Christmas tree came down today. Between it, the new trampoline and the various new toys, I wanted the living room back! So things are back in the attic for another year. The nativity is still out, since Andrew asked if we could keep something, and it generally stays through Epiphany anyhow.

After things were put away, I colored my hair (cut it yesterday), put Noah down for a nap, then enjoyed playing the Wii with Andrew and Eric. Andrew has fallen in love with golf and had been asking all morning to play some. He understands the basic concept of hitting the ball and getting it in the hole-- but beyond that his skills are lacking. He really enjoys playing though, and we keep encouraging his efforts and offering tips to improve his technique. He birdied one hole today-- mostly luck-- but when he puts in the effort he's not bad!

Dinner, baths and off to bed. A very great way to spend new year's day!

Softball Time!

Softball season has officially begun!  Actually, it started 2 weeks ago.  But, the first game was rained out.  And last week's game we didn't go to because we already had made plans for Father's Day.  So, today was the first game for Eric.

Noah enjoying a snack in his chair.  I love this thing and it's already gotten plenty of use!

Andrew was more interested in playing with his tee ball set than he was in watching the game.  He's much better at it this year and got some pretty good hits in!

After lots of hitting, he thought he should practice his throwing, too.

After his snack, Noah decided he needed out of the chair to play, too.  At first, he thought the bat was best for chewing on.

Then, as with most everything, he thought he needed to be like big brother.  Ball on the tee....

... and hit it with the bat.  He gets the concept, just not sure how to actually do it.  I'm sure it doesn't help that the bat is nearly as tall as he is.

And while Noah was playing, Andrew decided he needed to have a snack.  He insisted on sitting in the high chair, with the tray.  Thankfully, he's still within the weight limits.

I know we won the game... but honestly couldn't give too many details on what happened. It's hard to pay attention to the action while trying to keep track of the boys!

Fish Fry

June wouldn't be complete without the annual fish fry!  Neither of the boys has missed a year, yet!  Andrew was so excited to go... he talked about it all morning long and couldn't wait for Eric to get home from work so we could head out.

Andrew actually ate a few bites of fish... with lots of encouragement.  He was most excited about the glass of lemonade he got to have, like such a big boy.

And, Noah?  No worries about his appetite.  He finished his fish fillet, part of Andrew's fish, the chicken nuggets we packed in case Andrew didn't want fish (he didn't want the nuggets either), and about half of the container of peaches I packed for him.

The best part of the fish fry?  At least, if you're a kid?  Getting to play on the playground after eating!

New this year... Andrew is finally big enough he tried the spiral ladder.  Daddy was standing very close by, to help if needed.

One of Noah's favorite things was just running around the climber.  I lost track of how many "laps" he did.

On the slide.  Noah's other favorite... with some help from Daddy.  And Andrew's, too.

Lots of fun, as always!!

Happy Father's Day!!!

We got up and went church, as usual, this morning.  Since it was so early, the boys waited to give Eric his gift after we got home.  Andrew was so excited about it, he handed Eric the gift bag and excitedly announced "It's a new flashlight for camping!" before Eric barely had the bag in his hands.  Hope he wasn't wanting to be surprised!

We were only home for a bit.  Long enough to change clothes and pack up our swim gear.  Then we headed over to Uncle Dave & Kayla's (and Memphis) house for an afternoon with my family.  The boys ran around and played.  Dave grilled kabobs.  We ate tons.  Noah discovered baked beans and thought they were the best part of the meal.  And then we headed out back for a swim in the pool.

We bought life jackets for the boys to have when we go to MI. Besides the fact we camp on a small piece of land in between 2 lakes, we've been known to get out on the water in boats, so we wanted the jackets for safety reasons. Noah's was purchased for a steal on clearance at the end of last summer. Andrew's was purchased on sale early this year.

I wanted both boys to have a few opportunities to wear them in the water before we go camping. I want them to be comfortable in them, and to know the vests will keep them afloat, and to hopefully not completely panic should something happen while we're on the water... so the swimming pool was a great place to hopefully accomplish all of that.

Noah hated his. But, he also hadn't had a nap all day... and tends to hate most everything when he's tired. Rubbing the eyes when crying and overtired and getting sunscreen in them didn't help much, either. He did finally relax a bit and seemed to enjoy it, and I think he'll enjoy it more when he's well rested.

Andrew was hesitant at first. He liked being in the water, but didn't want us to let go of him. Noah got too fussy, so I took him in for a nap. But, from what I'm told, by the end of their time in the pool, Andrew was doing great. Eric wasn't even holding him and Andrew was "swimming" around and quite comfortable with it all. Mission accomplished there.

Fun swimming:

Family photo in the water:

We had a good time.  Noah napped for a while after I took him in and got him in dry clothes.  We thought for sure he'd fall asleep on the drive home.  Instead, he stayed awake and "sang" and Andrew fell asleep a few miles from home.  A light dinner, quick bath and both boys were in bed and asleep quickly.

Party in the Park

This week our church hosted the "Party in the Park"-- our vacation Bible school this year.  3 nights of food, crafts, stories, music & games.  The parking lot hosted a large tent for eating & entertainment.  The grassy field of the park across the street hosted several smaller tents where the many other activities took place.  There was something for everyone, from 6 weeks to 106 years.  One goal of our church has been to be more involved in the immediate neighborhood... and this was one attempt at doing so. VBS was open to anyone who registered-- and the cost was FREE!  We met many new friends and each night had a bigger turn out than the night before.

Andrew was finally old enough to participate in more than just the childcare this year, so we signed up.  Noah went to care. Andrew went to his class.  I taught 3's.  And Eric helped teach in 4's..... so we were all active & busy!  Noah has always thrown a fit and been inconsolable when I've tried to leave him in childcare on Sunday mornings... but he did great this week!  He fussed a little when I first left, and the first night got upset again when he saw Eric out in the hall.  But by tonight, he only cried for a minute when I dropped him off and did great the rest of the evening.  Hooray!

The first night, a strong thunderstorm moved through, so activities were moved indoors.  We got home to discover our power was out, so the boys & I went and stayed at my mom's for the night.  Of course, Eric called to say the power was back on... when we were about a mile from mom's... but Andrew was so excited to be sleeping at Mamaw's we decided to go ahead and stay.

The second night, the weather was perfect!  Sunny, warm, low humidity and a nice breeze!  The 3's & 4's did the largest portion of their activities inside each evening.  We took them in after dinner, let them have a potty break (port-a-potties were outside for the others, but they aren't so great for little ones!).  Then we heard the story for the evening, did a craft project, sang some songs, and finally headed back outside for games.  Trying to keep track of a group of 3-year-olds in a big, open field where several other children & adults were milling around, was not an easy task, so we were happy to have the security of 4 walls each evening for many of the things!

Tonight was the final night and the hottest of the 3.  I think by the 8PM ending time, all of the teachers were glad to say it was over for the year.  We had lots of fun, but it was an exhausting 3 days!  At the end of the evening, all of the children gathered in the field.  We sat with the little ones and watched/listened as the older kids sang some of the songs they had learned during the week.  It looked like they really enjoyed it!  I'm reasonably certain the event will be declared a success and will make it on the calendar again in the future.

Before the Party this evening, we went early to buy some stuff at the Farmer's Market.  Andrew was quite excited to discover they were also doing pony rides for the Juneteenth celebration!  He couldn't get to the pony's fast enough, and was quite happy when Eric agreed to take him for a ride, while I waited in line to buy some berries & zucchini.

Since Eric & I were both teaching, getting pictures during the Party was tough.  We did get a couple this evening of Andrew sitting on my lap during music time.  He was generally quite eager to participate in the singing... especially when we sang "Jesus Loves Me," since it was one of his favorites in choir this year.

A picture of the African Noise Makers the kids made for crafts.  (Andrew wouldn't pose with it)  Last night they painted the sticks (Andrew's is blue, in case you can't tell in the pic) and tonight they decorated them and added the bells & washers & things for the noise.  They make a neat sound when you shake them!

Happy 40th Daddy!

Eric turned 40 today, so we did lots to celebrate.  Actually, we started the celebration last night with his favorite dinner and chocolate cake.  Andrew helped with the sprinkles.

The celebration today, began with meeting Daddy for lunch.  We picked up sandwiches at Subway and then went up to eat lunch and look out the windows.  Always Andrew's favorite since he can see so much from up so high.  It takes him a while to finish eating because he's so distracted with it all.  Noah, on the other hand, was much more interested in eating.  Then he decided it was fun to look out the windows.

After making the rounds to say hi to some of Daddy's friends, we went back to his desk so Andrew could have a special snack Daddy had saved for him (donut holes).  He ate his snack and then decided he needed to "work"--- which meant playing with the hole punch.

And a visit to the office wouldn't be complete without a photo by the elevators. I'm not sure why, but Andrew refused to let Eric stand directly next to him or to even touch him.

When Eric got home later in the day, he got to open his card & present.  The card had all the alphabet on it, with a special word for each letter.  I'm pretty sure Andrew picked it out because he thought it made a good "song book" for singing his ABC's.  Eric hadn't even finished reading it and Andrew was asking if he could have it to play with.

A new beach towel for our camping trip.  Now he has one for showers and one for the beach.

After present time, we went to Steak-n-Shake with Grandma & Grandpa.  Then, back to their house for cake and ice cream.  And, of course, lots of time to play.  Definitely a fun day for all!

Joyful Noise

The preschool choir at church, Joyful Noise, had their debut performance today and did a FANTASTIC JOB!!! They had their first rehearsal the last Sunday of January and at that time, I'm pretty sure no one expected that in just a few months they would be standing in front of the church, singing for all to hear, and doing it so well.

Eric always accompanied Andrew to rehearsals, since I was finishing my work up, but I always took a few minutes to go peek in on them. Always fun to see... and so typical of that age group (mostly 3 & 4). The girls would be singing away with Mark, the choir director, and the boys would be jumping up & down the risers, running around, wiggling all over and generally paying no attention. We often joked that "choir" was a very loose term with them.

But, they got up there yesterday and sang wonderfully! Andrew was one that never paid attention in rehearsal. Sundays are long and often overwhelming for him. He's up by 6:45, is in childcare for first service, then Sunday school and then childcare for second service. By the time he gets to choir rehearsal at 12:15, he's tired, hungy, over-stimulated, cranky and all of that with his SPD leaves him just not able to focus on singing-- even though he loves music as much as he does.

Thanks to OT and the "brushing" we've been doing, that is changing. At rehearsal last week, he had his best week ever. He still didn't stand and sing with the group... but he sat still and participated a bit from his chair by Eric. For once, he wasn't jumping all over the place.

The performance today was the first time he's ever stood and sang with the group. We knew he was taking everything in at rehearsal, because he walks around singing his choir songs all the time at home. We were SOOO proud of him for finally being able to particpate with the group and doing so well with it. Clearly, the OT is having positive effects already!

Sadly, our video camera wasn't working. Like good parents, we put it on the charger the night before and packed it in the bag this morning. But, for some reason, it didn't charge, so when I got it out to record the performance, it was completely dead. I took some video with my cell phone. Not the greatest, but better than nothing! And I have a few still pictures I need to pull off the camera. Enjoy!

Jesus, I Love You with Jesus Loves Me:


Holy Spirit, Come to Us:
(with soprano soloist)
After they start signing in this one, you'll notice Andrew stops singing and is intensely staring at his fingers. The sign for spirt is to touch thumb, middle & ring fingers together of right hand on the palm of left hand and then raise them up. When they learned the sign last week, Mr. Mark was happy to have any variation of that-- all fingers touching left palm, etc.-- realizing that coordinating the thumb & fingers to do that at 3 years old can be tricky! Andrew was watching Mr. Mark do the sign and when he stares at his fingers, he is studying them and trying to get the coordination down to do the sign as Mr. Mark was doing it.

Day at the Zoo

It's been a full year since we visited the zoo and we missed it!  I think Eric & I were as happy to be back at the zoo today as the boys were.  We were there about 5 hours, including a lunch break, and had a fabulous time!  Our membership has been renewed, so there will be lots more visits in the coming months.

Noah spent much of the day on my back in the carrier.  He loves to ride there and it is SO much easier than dealing with a stroller!

Andrew's Sunday school class made "binoculars" a few weeks ago.  I think it may have been Palm Sunday, when everyone was wanting to see Jesus?  It's been a while, but he loves them and insisted on taking them to the zoo today so he could see the animals better.

One of the breaks Noah was out of the carrier.  He wanted to try the "binoculars" too.

Feeding the giraffes!  Andrew was very excited to feed the baby giraffe and the rest of the day, whenever asked, he said the giraffes were his favorite.

An unhappy moment.  He thought he should get to ride the train standing up.  Mommy thought it was better if he sat on her lap.

9 hands high.  Noah was not cooperative for a photo, but we'll try again next time.

Can't go to the zoo without riding the carousel!  Noah's first ride and he had a blast.  Cried when it was time to get off.  Andrew panicked when Eric stepped away from him to take the photo of both boys together.  Even though the ride wasn't moving, Andrew was not happy about being there by himself and started crying & screaming that he wanted to get off.  I talked to him and calmed him down, and convinced him to stay on for the ride.  He said it was fun, but he was white-knuckled and anxious the entire time it was moving.  You can see the nervousness in the close-up picture of him (taken while moving).

One of the new cheetahs.  BEAUTIFUL!  They weren't officially on exhibit yet-- the path through their exhibit is still closed.  But, part of the temporary fencing fell down (near the elephants, for those familiar with the zoo) and they decided to leave it down and let everyone get an early glimpse.

Fascinated with watching the sharks, but still not willing to touch them.

We caught the sea lion demonstration near the end of our visit.  Noah was mesmerized.  I think it was the quietest he was all day... except for the nap he took in the carrier.

Sleepy boys after a long, fun day!