Preschool buddies

One of the perks of preschool is getting to know other families with children the same age. I've come to know two other moms that have kids in Evan's class. We're now part of a weekly kid swap rotation. On Fridays, all 3 kids go to a designated house from 9am-12. In the process, the kids have become good friends. In particular, Evan's BFF (maybe first girlfriend? he does say she's his princess) is a cute little curly-haired blonde named Tess. Added bonus is that Tess lives just around the corner from us. Here's a pic from one of their recent playdates. The sweet little brunette on the left is Quinn.

Latest sighting of Bigfoot in Peachtree City

Peachtree City's latest claim to fame: Bigfoot. We were lucky enough to catch him on camera:

I couldn't help but gasp at my growing son's large feet today when, in the mail, we received his SIZE 12, EXTRA WIDE shoes.

Circus day

Yesterday at Evan's school was "circus day." They had a special performance and did activities related to circus themes. The kids were also invited to come to school in silly, mismatched clothes. Evan thought this idea was really funny. He went to school in style!

Kids are strange, but entertaining

What is Grant doing here? Feeding himself Goldfish crackers ("fi-cackers") while wearing a potholder. I missed the shot where he tries to feed Bullit a cracker with his potholder. He's also wearing a giant sticker on one hand (from a visit to the dr.). He insists that all stickers must be worn on his hand, no matter how big.

Postscript

And since Grant was not mentioned in the last two posts, but still much loved, I thought I'd share a pic and some anecdotes. Grant keeps us on our toes these days. He speaks amazingly well for a 21 month old child (thanks in part to Evan, I'm sure). He can be just so darn cute one minute, and in the next minute, well, not so cute. He's sweet and loving, shares lots of hugs and cuddles, but also a bit whiny and clingy at times too. He's a great screamer... you'd think we have a little girl with some of notes Grant hits. He also holds his own a lot better with Evan, which includes hitting back and screaming (see above). He's still quite a picky eater. While he might wolf down 3 full-sized pancakes for breakfast, he'll eat nothing but a bite or two at dinner. He's also acquired Evan's genuine and unabashed friendliness toward strangers. He waves and says "Hi!" to everyone he meets. Some things you might hear him saying around the house these days: "Hi Daddy; Hi Iyeh; Hi Buwit; Twuck; Mo choos peez (more juice please); Fi cacker (fish crackers); Yewow (yellow). Some of the things you'll see him doing are: anything and everything that Evan does.

More homemade wrapping paper

You may remember back around the Christmas season, we did this. Now that Valentine's day is coming up, I thought we'd do this:

Wii family fun on a rainy day

Nearly every weekend this winter, we've found ourselves saying, "What are we going to do with the kids today?" If you know anything about children, you know they have LOTS of energy. Energy that needs to be burned or else they get into lots of trouble. Today, we decided to try out our new Wii to pass the time. This is not just your average video game console, it's a workout! This morning, Evan ran, hula-hooped, biked, played tennis, baseball, bowling and golf... all without leaving the house! He had the most fun on the cycling game, which takes a good amount of coordination. He had to walk in place (pedaling) while "steering" the bike with the controller. He played that game alone for 30 minutes straight, and according to the Wii, burned 110 calories!

Struggling with balance

No pictures to share at the moment. Just a note to say that currently, I am working to find the balance between correcting behavior and relaxing the reins. Parenting is a fine balance. And once you think you have it finely balanced, the scales tip to one side, you fall and the game starts all over again.

Pictures - because that's really why you come here

Ahh, the La-Z-Boy chair. It has definitely seen it's better days in terms of style, but it's perfect for a snuggle with the boys on a cold Saturday morning.

And when Dad leaves to refill his coffee, the boys are happy to sit together (briefly) and watch a little Disney Channel. This picture also shows that both boys now have a "lovie." Evan is holding onto his cherished (and so-so-grubby) Nigh-Night Bear and Grant now has "Bear," which he asks for at night time and during naps.

Nothing much to say here, just a cute shot of Grant.

Into the age of sass and backtalk

Evan's tone these days is a-changin'... and not for the better, I might add! Lately, we have heard such things as:

"Ok, ok, okaaay!" In response to being told to do something.

and

"We'll get along -- don't even worry about it!" In response to being told to play nicely with Grant.

Wow. Three and-a-half. So many, many years ahead.

Blood brothers

Yes, oh yes. This beautiful black eye (which is looking worse every day-- I forget, but should know by now, that black eyes get worse before they get better) was at the hands of a certain older brother. Not with fists, mind you, but a toy. And it was no accident. Note: the other eye shows what is left a fall from the week prior and is not associated with the aforementioned incident.

Look familiar?

Not a great quality picture, but does it remind you of something? As in, does it look a little bit like the blog's header--fast forward about a year? Times have changed, yes, but some things remain the same.

Christmas: Act III

And the 3rd, final big Christmas to-do... from Papaw Taylor & Grandma. (PS--we also spent a full day with Nana (my mom), Colin, Aunt Rachel and Uncle Nathan, opening gifts, eating great food, watching Christmas movies, etc, for which we have NOT ONE picture. You'll just have to imagine that it was a great time.)

One sock off

Every day for the past two months, at least, Evan wakes up from his nap with one sock on and one sock off. And it's on the same foot -- the right. When I first started asking him why he takes one sock off, Evan didn't have much of an [intelligible] response. Now, he says, "Because this one (the left foot) is cold, and this one (the right) is not."

Ask a stupid question...

Sweet surrender

For the last month or so, Evan has been giving me his last bite. I don't mean his last bite of broccoli or mac-n-cheese. He gives me the last bite of a highly coveted sweet snack-- Teddy Grahams, M&Ms and the like. And he won't accept me giving it back to him; he insists that I eat it. It's such a sweet little token of affection. And since I'm doomed to forget most details of my kids' life (hereditary trait, what can you do?), I had to record it on the blog.

Christmas: Act II

Here are a few of the pictures from our Christmas adventure in Virginia. Unfortunately I failed to take even one picture while we were there, so I'm at the mercy of other family members' photos. Thankfully we have lots of skilled photogs in the family!

Sister-in-Law Heather's parents had special pjs made for all of the cousins.

 

If we all look a little sleepy here, it's because we were!

Grandma Soon & baby Connor (doesn't she take great photos?).

Baby Sebastian getting his thumb and mommy fix.

Don't believe this innocent look.

Special time with Papa.

I just love, love this photo of Evan. If it weren't for my ever-guiding hand that snuck its way into the frame, it would be just perfect. A reminder that sometimes I need to just relax.

The Terreri family cousins, in order by age -- Evan, Grant, Sebastian and Connor. Can you spot which one does NOT look like a Terreri?