He Understands!

He may not be all that verbal.  He may only say a few different sounds, but it is becoming very evident that this boy understands a lot and he is really soaking it all in! When we say it is time to go take a bath, he is walking towards the stairs and is ready to peel his clothes off!  The other night the kids were in the "big tub" and he was trying to roll onto his back.  He was trying to float like he has seen his sister do in her swim lessons.  This went on for quite some time and I say to Elizabeth, "what is he going to do next, start blowing bubbles?!" Grant leaned over, put his face in the water and started blowing bubbles!  There was a dog on TV the other day and he pointed at the TV and said "daaa" (his version of dog).  He was wearing a shirt the other day that had a dog on it and I pointed to him and said, "Grant you have a dog on your shirt."  He went into the bathroom and climbed up on the step stool and looked into the mirror so he could see it and pointed at the dog on his shirt.  I know this does not make my kid a rocket scientist, but I was thrilled.  It is so much fun to watch him grow and learn new things.  I can literally see the light bulb coming on and the dots starting to be connected!  Our pediatrician said that by his next check-up (January) he should be saying 10-20 words or he would be referring us to Child Care Connections - a service we were just discharged from this spring.  Grant has always been a bit behind in reaching his milestones.  I know these are just guidelines and that he will get there, but I also know that these guidelines are used to make sure that there aren't underlying developmental issues.  We just need to work really hard on adding 10 words to his vocabulary!! Grant you can do it!

In other news...Grant does not like to eat with his hands.  The day he took his first steps he also needed a fork at dinner.  It has pretty much been that way ever since.  Now he isn't that good at stabbing his food, but he likes to try! If you try to help him you better hope you put the right food on his fork for him because if it isn't the kind he wants he flings it around until it flies off!  He will also shake his head no if you try to put the fork in his mouth for him.  You are just supposed to put the food on the fork for him and then he will put it in his mouth.  Like any toddler, when he is done, he is done, or food starts being thrown!  He is also quite the climber.  The ottoman in the family room is his favorite thing to climb up on and he uses a lot of upper body strength to pull himself up!  So far he has stayed in his crib and hasn't tried any climbing stunts there!  Oh, it is so much watching you grow up!

Stuffed Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are good, a real classic, basic cookie right?  Although Brandon and I differ on which recipe is our favorite.  My favorite chocolate chip cookie has a box of instant pudding in it...well that was until I discovered you can put an oreo inside of a chocolate chip cookie!!  Who knew?! Thank you Pinterest once again. 

Nap time was a bit of a mess today.  Elizabeth really needed to take one but fought me tooth and nail.  Grant was asleep for 30 minutes when FedEx rang the door bell.  Our regular guy knows to just drop the boxes off, but with the holidays there are new/extra people on the route.  So what's a mom to do with two kids who are not sleeping at 2:00 pm....Make Cookies!! We actually haven't done this for quite some time.  Grant has just figured out how to climb in and out of the learning tower (a stand in the kitchen that puts the kids at counter height).  Luckily, there is room for them both.  I decided Grant could watch from the tower this time.  I told Elizabeth that this was Grant's first time helping us make cookies and she would have to tell him the rules.  She looked at him and said, "buddy you can't put your hands in there and you can't push these buttons!" You got it girl! 

Elizabeth helped wrap the dough around the oreos and did a really good job.  She was begging me to try the dough and as a dough eater myself it is hard for me to tell her no.  The thought of having to explain to a doctor why my daughter has salmonella is the only thing that makes me say "NO!" But come on what is few little bites.  So she had two very small nibbles, that were mostly chocolate chips and I told her that was it...no more dough.  A few minutes later is working on rolling another one and I see her squat down in the tower and put something in her mouth.  Yep, she was sneaking dough. OMG she really is my daughter, because I had been doing the same thing when she wasn't looking. Although I didn't squat, I am just really fast ;) I told her she was done helping and that she had to get down.  She asked why and I told her that I saw her eating dough and her response was, "but mom I didn't want you to see me!" 

The cookies turned out great and I can honestly say that I couldn't eat a whole one by myself, I had to share with Elizabeth! Grant got raisins.  Sorry buddy, but your turn will come! 

Trimming the Tree 2011

Saturday night, Thanksgiving weekend, we put up our Christmas tree.  Elizabeth was very excited to decorate it.  The plan was to put up the ornaments after Grant went to bed.  However, he caught a second wind so he helped too!  Having him awake helped us decide on the placement of the more fragile, precious ornaments in our collection.  Most of them ended up 3/4 of the way up the tree!

I handed Grant his "1st Christmas" baby shoe ornament to place on the tree.  He promptly sat down and tried to put it on his foot!  I hung it on the tree for him and he went over took it down and again tried to put it on his foot. 

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus

Elizabeth took great pride in pointing out "her" ornaments.  Daddy had just lifted her up to put the last ornament on the tree and she says, "Where is baby Jesus?" We have a baby Jesus set, complete with Mary and Joseph, but they are Old World ornaments and we weren't planning on putting them up.  But when your three year old asks for baby Jesus (after all He is the reason for the season, right?!), what's a dad to do?  So Brandon found baby Jesus and as we were getting the hanger put on it Elizabeth looks up at me and says, "But where is his mommy and daddy? There is supposed to be a mommy and daddy too!"  I looked at Brandon and said, "you'd better find Mary and Joseph!" He is looking at me, like where did she get this from.  Well, we have the Fisher Price nativity set and when I got that out for her earlier in the week I gave her the run down on who was who and being the sponge that she is, she remembered that Jesus had a mommy and daddy. 

The colorful fiber optic angel

The tree is complete with all our favorites, including a very tacky fiber optic, color changing angel that the kids love!

Thanksgiving 2011

I am sorry to say that I did not get a Thanksgiving picture.  However, Mimi made Elizabeth some awesome turkey bows that I will have to post a picture of! 

This is the first year that we didn't have a Thanksgiving meal with my family.  My brother and sister-in-law were home earlier in the week and we spent time with them then.  We were able to dedicate the entire day to the Pauli/Schoch Thanksgiving and it was a wonderful day.  The food was delicious (although mom, I missed your cranberry salad!) and I even had seconds!  Grant wasn't a big Thanksgiving food fan, but I think his appetite may be a bit off due to teething and a cold.  It is always fun to watch all of the great-grandkids play and I really look forward to that at Christmas!  It will be a crazy house!!

Most of all I am so thankful for all of our blessings this year.  We have so much to be grateful for that I couldn't begin to name all of them.  I just know that I have been blessed with a beautiful, healthy family and I could never thank God enough for that. 

Bedtime Math

Grant and I were laying with Elizabeth in her bed and she starts talking about spiders.  I ask her how many legs a spider has and after much discussion and counting we decide on 8.  Then I ask her how many legs are in her bed and after more discussion and counting we decide on 6.  Then I ask, "So who has more legs, a spider or the people in your bed?"  Her reply, "Jack has more legs!"  Guess we will keep working on it! 

The Barbie Tree

This picture is a little dark, but it is Elizabeth's Barbie tree in her bedroom.  I had this skinny little tree in my first apartment.  I was ready to start decorating, but couldn't bring the big tree up by myself and Elizabeth really wanted to put out ornaments, so I got the idea to let her have her own tree.  Then I wasn't sure what we were going to put on it, but I thought a theme would be fun.  I was envisioning a trip to Hobby Lobby, but then I remembered the holiday Barbie ornaments that we have.  Now here is the story and I am sure I will be corrected if I am wrong, but I believe my sister-in-law has the other half of the Barbie ornaments.  When Amber and Brandon moved out they divided up some of their childhood treasures.  One of the items being some Christmas ornaments.  They took turns choosing and to be a bratty little brother, Brandon picked the Barbie ornaments just to tick off his sister.  Kind of a crappy move on his part.  However, when I sent her the picture today explaining that her niece had the coolest Barbie tree because of her daddy, she said it made her smile.  I tied her large ballet Barbie to the top (from Aunt Sara).  I had to explain to Elizabeth that these are special collector Barbies and they are not to be played with.  We put them all up at the top where little brother can't reach.  Decorating the big tree this year will be challenging!

Gift-o's from India

Daddy returned from his travels to India with gifts for the girls.  The picture does not do Elizabeth's justice.  The detail work and the fabric are really beautiful. Elizabeth was so excited about her new "pink dress."  She even declared, "Mommy you can't wash it, the sparkles will come off!"

 

Back to Reality

Good thing Brandon has long arms to take pictures of us together!

After some rest and relaxation, we are back to the real world with the holidays rapidly approaching!  The laundry is sorted (not all put away) and the cupboards are no longer bare! Brandon and I try to take a trip each year, just the two of us.  It gives us a chance to recharge our batteries and remember what it is like to have adult conversation without being interrupted or having to spell words to talk code! We both read the new Steve Jobs book and I also read the new Grisham book.  We soaked up the sun and just dialed back. The kids enjoyed special time with both sets of grandparents.  Grant's eyes lit up when he saw me walk through the door.  Elizabeth started crying, "I don't want to leave, I want to play with play-doh!" Once she realized we weren't taking her home right away I think she was glad to see us.  We brought her back a snow globe.  And don't judge us, but we didn't get anything for Grant, because we didn't see anything that we thought he would really enjoy.  Plus, he puts everything in his mouth and I don't trust their paint to not have lead in it.  So we brought him back extra hugs and kisses!

Coping

Elizabeth asked me on this very cloudy, rainy, dreary day, "When is it going to sun up?"  Good question! In the back of my mind I wanted to answer, "when daddy comes home!"  I have been sick the last two days and that has just made his time away longer.  I was actually "face-timing" with him when I started vomiting...TMI?  (sorry). Actually besides a dead car battery and having to swap car seats in the rain we have been doing just fine.  Elizabeth loves the video that daddy made for her and was actually talking to the iPad as she watched it saying "hi daddy hi daddy!"  She said she just doesn't know how that video got there!  If you reading our blog daddy - hugs and kisses to you!

Grant's First Time with Play-doh

It seemed liked a good idea.  How easy do you think play-doh comes out of hair? Elizabeth just said "it looks like Grant has a little bow in his hair!" And yes that is ink on his cheek from when I let him draw earlier!  Baths tonight!!

Preparation

We found out a few weeks ago that Brandon would be traveling for a week with work.  Normally, this would not be a big deal, although he hasn't been away on business for this long since the kids were born.  The bummer is that his week of travel backs up to our mommy and daddy get away.  He leaves tomorrow and will return the following Friday and then we leave bright and early Saturday morning. 

We went to get steaks for dinner tonight and on the way home Elizabeth starting crying that she didn't want her daddy to leave.  I feel bad for her.  We have had to try to explain daddy's trip and our trip at the same time and I know she is just a little confused and probably overwhelmed with information. Because she speaks so well I think I in turn overshare details that don't really matter to a 3 year old.  She is trying to break my heart though, she asked Brandon, "if you love me why are you leaving us?" Brandon explained it is because we love you that we are going away!  (so true!)

In order to prepare her for daddy's absence and then both of us I have some ideas.  First I am going to make a video of daddy reading the "Tickle Monster." It is their favorite book to have daddy read.  I am going to have us make videos together for them to watch each day that we are gone.  Elizabeth loves to watch our home movies on the iPad, so I think she will enjoy it.  I am also going to make an envelope for her to open each day. I am not sure what is going in the envelope yet, but I will figure it out!   She completed a picture for daddy to take with him and we have looked at the globe several times.  I am hoping for an opportunity to Skype with him, but don't want to promise that. 

I know she will do fine as long as she is occupied!  Grant is so easy going that I know as long as he is healthy he will be a happy camper!

Halloween 2011 - The Official Day!

After several pre-halloweens, the real day finally arrived!  The weather was a little chilly, but no rain and we were able to layer the costumes so I guess it was ok.  I wore hat and gloves!  We went trick or treating with the neighbors.  Grant rode in the wagon most of the time, but then decided he wanted to get in the game too!  Elizabeth and Lauren did a great job going to the doors (and with some prompting) saying "trick or treat" and "thank you."  Thanks for a great Halloween Mickey and Minnie!  I can't wait to see what next year will bring!

Minnie's ears got sewn back on to the stocking cap

"Daddy, what kind of hat are you wearing?"

Look his hat was on at one time!

OMG Halloween Party

My mom's group (Our Moms' Group) had our annual Halloween party this past Saturday.  I didn't help plan it this year, but my friends that did, did a fantastic job.  They had a really cute spider craft (cup and pipe cleaners) and played Pass the Pumpkin, Ring Toss around pumpkin stems and bean bags into a giant cardboard jack-o-lantern. Very clever all around!  Everyone brings food and we eat, play games and then have trunk or treating (that is trick or treating out in the parking lot!).

Mickey wasn't happy about sitting in the truck I guess!