Colvin Eats

Colvin ate solids for the first time this week. Spinach was the first
food of choice.

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Making Cookies for Santa

Ryan was a little excited to make cookies for Santa as you can see by his impatience to push the cookie cutter down before Sharis has place it in the correct position (and Sharis giggling through it all).

Rumors are that Santa is arriving sometime today in our house. I can't wait to see how he responds to the first Christmas he really understands.

Stay tuned ...

Colvin and Stairs

Don't worry, this isn't a post about how Colvin was hurt on our stairs.  Quite the contrary.  She climbed our entire staircase last night (with me right behind as a safety net).  She is getting to be such a big girl.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

We have been reading this story to Ryan for a couple of weeks now getting ready for Christmas.   I had no idea if it was all sinking in for him.

I have also been explaining to him what happens when Santa comes.  I told him tell-tale signs that Santa has come is that there will be gifts under the tree and the stockings will be full of gifts.  I also told him we need to set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer.

Well, the other day, I went to get him up in the morning.  The first thing he wanted me to explain to him (like he had been mulling it over all night) was the fact that there was no mention of cookies or carrots in the book.

I guess it WAS sinking in all those times I was reading to him.

More Christmas #1 Photos from My Dad's Camera

IMG_6415
Originally uploaded by Cooley-man

The wake of Ryan's destruction that was opening gifts.

More Christmas #1 Photos from My Dad's Camera

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Originally uploaded by Cooley-man

Christmas #1

We have 5 Christmas's this year.  Ryan loved opening presents for #1.  Little doe he know all the gifts he will be able to open.

Christmas #1 was last Wednesday because my brother will be out of town for the real Christmas.

The Grandparents didn't have ANY fun ...




Ryan opened all the gifts. His own ...


His sister's ...



His Uncle's ...


His Grandfather's ...

Day 5

We just made it through day five of successful underpants wearing. Ryan has been doing great potty training and we've made it out a couple times with the real thing too (at first I was afraid and put a pull-up on him when we would leave...I'll tell you though, that boy can hold it like no toddler I ever thought could!). He'd been pushing back so I just was willing to wait, but when my parents were here for Thanksgiving my mom got him to poo on the potty full time. Thanks mom! That was much appreciated as I was REALLY beginning to grow averse to the smell in the diaper!!

When I watched her push back with him successfully, I was no longer as fearful that I would "scare" him in the other direction with potty training...so I went with it. He's been really great.

Little Houdini

When you have 2 kids you can't exactly keep an eye on both of them ALL THE TIME. That said, I had Colvin in the bumbo with the tray on and a toy on top of that to occupy her. I stepped out of the room for a minute and when I came back she was about a foot away from it and crawling around. Seriously!? How did you get out of there? AND not get hurt??

Don't Tell Ryan...

I found someone else who LOVES elephant...Colvin. What keeps her occupied while he's on the potty and he doesn't know won't hurt him.

Raking Leaves

I was excited to be able to do some yard work when we bought the new house. However, the transition from urban condo life in Chicago to semi-urban single family home life in Minneapolis has been a little rougher than I expected.

Raking leaves from the 5 massive trees in our yard has been a big challenge.  But we were able to get the whole family out in the yard one gorgeous November afternoon.

And, of course, we took the obligatory children in leaves pile pictures (we already made 2 quick posts with pictures from the day, but here are some more pics.) ...


Such a big help...






Ryan piling leaves on his sister ...


... But she survived ...

Halloween

We went over to our friends Mike and Megan's house for carving pumpkins the night before Halloween.

We picked out pumpkin patterns online ...


I carved 2 pumpkins in about the same time that Mike carved 4 (this is their oldest child - Emmie - who is about a year older than Ryan - but they get along very well) ...


The kids helped a bit but they are a little too young to enjoy carving pumpkins yet ...


They mostly played (this is their youngest Jackson who is between Colvin and Ryan as far as age) ...


While the Mom's yapped ...


And Colvin LOVED their exersaucer - which they (kindly) ended up loaning us since they don't have much of a need for it any more ...


Here are the finished products (ours are the 2 on the left) with Emmie, Ryan and Jackson...






Then on Halloween, we went back over to their house for trick or treating and some chili. If you haven't already seen the video of the kids' costumes, Ryan is a sushi chef and Colvin is a piece of sushi ...

Going to School

Ryan is not in school yet but Sharis has been teaching him a few things in their spare time.  What is on the curriculum?  Sorting, matching, lacing, alphabet, numbers, and some other things Sharis could tell you about.

Visiting My Grandparents

Last week, we went over to my grandparents' house to pay them a little visit with the kids. Nonny bought some of those animal sponge capsules that dissolve in hot water so they spent the morning dissolving those ...








And my Mom came over to spend a little time with the kids as well ...

Chilly Evening at the Park

We headed to the park one night after the kids' naps one evening. It was a little chilly but it was a nice little park right on Lake Calhoun.



Colvin watches her big brother run around the park ...