Up to no good...

I know that when I hear Walker making a half-whining/half-fussing noise that his sister has put him up to something. This time, I found him in the dryer. Before I could get him out, Lainey promptly climbed in there with him and announced, "Look, Mom! We can both fit in the dryer!"

Beach Day

Both kids, ready for the beach with their life jackets and pink Dora sunglasses.

just lounging in their "beach chairs"

Library Time

A scenario from this morning:

Lainey and Walker were what the librarian deemed as "having fun" (translate that to "being totally crazy") at the library this morning. After asking Lainey not to forcefully push the rocking chair back and forth, I told her that if she wanted to continue to be near the rocking chairs she had to use them correctly. So she puts her little bottom in the chair and starts forcefully rocking herself back and forth and talking loudly (and of course now Walker is trying to do it too because of his big-sister-copy-cat syndrome). This causes me to look at her and say in my best listen-to-me-now voice, "Lainey. Please don't forget where you are." (As in, remember that you are in the library. So act responsibly and shush.) She responded with, "Ok. I won't... But Mom, I'm just right here." (As in, duh, Mom..I won't forget where I am.)

And...I give up. :)

Each trip to the library (and there have been many) results in me wanting to pull my hair out and my kids acting like they've been raised by a family of apes. This time was no exception!

Walker is 23 months old!

Our cute, sweet, strong-willed, fit-throwing, clothes-stripping, stubborn, adoring-sister, truck-loving boy is 23 months old. And my oh my, can he be a challenge! We either have good days or really bad days. He fights us on almost everything that one might consider a necessary part of one's day...you know, putting on clothes, getting a new diaper, putting on shoes, brushing teeth/hair, putting on socks, keeping clothes on, putting on a seatbelt...you know. All the stuff that you have to do. Walker doesn't want anything to do with ANY of it. However, I will say that he can be a complete grouch one second and then melt your heart the next...maybe it's just boys. But as easily as he can make you want to scream, he can make you want to squeeze him and love on him and never let him go. So...here we go. Walker's 23-month-post!

As a 23-month old, Walker...

• arbitrarily points at things in books. When I ask, “Where’s the ______, Walker?” He’ll just throw that finger down on the page like he knows exactly where it is. He doesn’t spend time looking, just jabs his finger down whether he actually knows or not!
• tries to repeat every word we say. “Hahsey” is a personal favorite for “horsey.” I also like hearing him ask for "sah sah" (fruit snacks) and "caca" (chocolate). :)
• sings actively by just “yelling” along with the music.
• still likes to be rocked..and he likes to smile and play with your face. He pushes and pulls on your cheeks, your nose, your eyes. He thinks it's funny.
• shows everyone his “boo boo" upon meeting them. It's like his own personal ice breaker when meeting new people (or, well, anybody). And, it's the same boo boo each time...it's healing now, thankfully, but it was from when he was sick at Christmas.
• crosses his arms and turns away from you if he doesn’t want to do something. And grunts. Body language!
• colored a wall panel with black marker at his aunt and uncle's house. He also wrote with Chapstick on the wall. 
• seems to become attached to small things. Like magnets, Chapstick, etc.
• does not like the bright sun coming in the windows. He covers his eyes and groans. 
• hates clothing. Particularly shirts.
• has started putting two-word phrases together, like "Hi, Mama" and "Hi, Sissy" and "Hi, Dada."
• LOVES my iPhone. In fact, when I tell him "no" he throws an epic fit. For about 30 minutes! 
• LOVES Team Umi Zoomi. He's less likely to watch a Barbie movie these days...he'll point at the TV and cry. :)
• likes to wear his sister's heart sunglasses.
• goes along with whatever Lainey's doing...if she's playing kitchen, then he's playing kitchen. If she is engaged in some sort of pretend play, then he's doing his best to go along with it.
• is very aware of (extremely) wet diapers – he'll say “poo poo" and then he'll get a diaper and lay down so we can change it. Sometimes he's aware of very poopy diapers. And if that's the case, then he wants to throw the whole diaper in the potty or goes to the potty to put toilet paper in there to flush it. :)
• spins the tablecloth to get what he wants on the table.
• can get in a couple of child-proofed cabinets.
• wants to drink out of a big-boy cup.
• loves Elmo.
• would love to wear Lainey's tap shoes. And ballet shoes. He's really content in anything she puts him in.
• loves to play with Lainey. If she yells something - like "Daddy!" - then Walker will also yell "Dada!", but in doing so he'll kinda put his hand over his mouth so you really can't hear what he's saying. It's a muffled yell that sort of sounds like his sister's. I think he's trying to cup his hand around his mouth so that his voice will project. Obviously, the opposite happens! :) 
• still has the cutest feet. I LOVE it when his pants are too long and I can only see his little tiny cute toes sticking out from under the hem. Just too cute. 

Just one more month till Walker turns 2! We love you so, Doody Doo. Happy 23 months!

Shaving Cream Paint

I think these pictures explain themselves! Ha!

Fan Dance and Funnies

I'm not sure where she gets this stuff?

And, as I periodically do...I am going to record some of the ridiculous things that Lainey says/has said. I know, I know, a very "mom" thing to do. But, I periodically do this, so that one day we can look back and smile!

• “You’re the best mommy that I ever seen/had.” / “You’re the greatest mommy that I ever seen/had.” / “You’re the best mommy on the whole wide world.”
• “Am I the best that you’ve ever never seen before?”
• "I'm a genius!" (She'll say this when she does something noteworthy, like discover that string cheese dipped in mustard and ketchup tastes good.) "I'm another genius!" (She'll follow up with this statement after discovering something equally exciting, like pretzels dipped in mustard and ketchup tastes yummy, too.)
• “I can’t throw it (the piece of trash) in there (the trash can) because I’m a little scared.”
• “I put on the bug Chapstick to keep the bees away.” (Dad's Burt’s Bee’s Chapstick)
• Things can be “so disgusting.”
• "Twelvedy sevendy." (She sometimes gets confused when identifying big numbers. "Twelvedy sevendy" is 27, I think.)
• Me: "I hear a lawnmower outside." Lainey: "No, I think that's just Daddy's toothbrush."
• Uses words like interesting, and attention, boring, intentions, and actually. And rarely are they used in the correct context.
• "I did that for a reason." (Again, she has no idea what this means. She just hears me say it!)
• “She cracks me up.” (Lainey said this while talking about Yiyia.)
• “What is that little pumpkin doing?” (A "pumpkin" is a "baby.")
• “I can’t handle it.” (When faced with a seemingly difficult task.)
• "I'm gymnast of the day!" (Lainey was awarded "Gymnast of the Month" for the month of January! However, she kept saying that she was the "gymnast of the day" or "gymnast of the week.")
• Ever the optimist... “Oh, Mom! This is a GREAT parking space!” (Even though we are more than three-quarters of the way out from the building.)
• She gets SO excited about small things. Like a charm falling off of her bracelet – because now it can be a necklace with other charms! 
• “He’s getting so big!” / “He’s getting bigger!” (Walker is getting bigger and more fun to play with!)
• “Walker is chapping on the walls!” (Walker was putting Chapstick on the walls.)
• Lainey loves reading books. She starts with the title, and makes up words to go with each picture. And she has some fascinating made-up names for the characters (and her dollies, and pictures of dollies, just anyone who she thinks needs a name...none of the names make sense...almost as if she's using a foreign language).
• "Her coat has a boner on top of it!" (Lainey was referring to her teacher's coat...it is a puffy coat with a hood and fake fur around the hood - in other words, she was trying to think of the word "bonnet" but could only come out with the word "boner.")
• "I was just gonna sneak on you." (Meaning she wanted to surprise me.)
• “My tummy just wants__________.” (Usually, it wants fruit snacks.)
• “Here, Walker. Talk to Yiyia. She’s your best friend!”
• “Walker! Bud and Yiyia are coming over! They love you.”
• “You are hurting my feelings!” / "I'm not going to be nice EVER again!" / "I am not being very nice! Arrgh!" (Stomp, stomp, stomp and storm away and shut herself in her room.)
• “For the love of Pizza!” ("For the love of Pete" - something I think I say a lot.)
• Boys she talks about: Tate (she wants to go to his house every day and she loves him), Gage, John(ny), Keegan (he is our neighbor), Connor (he wants to come over to play with her princess castle)
• “I’m so glad that God put that in the bathroom." (It was a vanilla-smelling air freshener. If she doesn't know who is responsible for something, then she always says that God did it.)
• Lots of things are “snuggly.”
• “But I just wanted pink teeth!” (Her reason for coloring her teeth with Chapstick.)
• “Talking back is very boring.” (?)
• “Don’t see me.” (When she doesn’t want to be talked to or looked at.)
• The movie is called Belle and the Beast, not Beauty and the Beast.
• "Diaper change means you have to switch partners and dance with them."
• “Wake up me. Throw up it to me.”
• “softie roughie” (when describing something sort of soft and sort of rough ) / “softie hurtie" (when describing something that is kinda soft but also hurts - like when I'm brushing her hair  / "pinky reddy" and "pinkish purplish" and "orangey brownish" (when describing the colors of something)
• "I'm up to something."
• “Mommy, watch this!” (the most over-used phrase of December 2011)
• When she cries, Walker walks over to her and gives her a big hug. Cutest thing. (That is, when he doesn’t start crying himself.)
• “Go down that aisle!” (“Aisle” means “street” - she most often said this when we were out looking at Christmas lights.)
• “We did crafts and arts.” 
• And “I got it at Norstrom Racket.”
• “Shovel, step! Shovel, step!” (Shuffle, step! Shuffle, step!)
• “Do what I do, Mommy! Passé, tandu, leap, twirl, jump, shovel, step, passé, tandu.”
• “I used to be a tiny Polly Pocket shoe.” (how Lainey describes herself when she was in my tummy)
• I buckled my whole self in! Did you ever see me so good?”
• “That’s okay, Mommy. I forgive you.” (or “That was my fault. Do you forgive me?” or “That was your fault. But I forgive you.”)
• “My arm scratches.” (Her arm itches.)
• The bag fell over and fell on its legs!” (the bottom of the bag is the “legs”)
• “My foots don’t fit in his shoes.” / “Both foots hurt.”
• “Why didn’t you (move when that car moved) or (get me my milk?)?” or “Mommy! You didn’t see ____________!” (Usually it’s something completely unimportant  - a commercial on TV or something she sees out the window of the car - yet apparently, it’s very important to her that I see everything that she does.)
• Lainey: “I like the way John looks.” Me: "What do you like best about him?" Lainey: “His face.”
• “I don’t wanna break into a million pieces.” (what could happen if she falls)
• “Bud is the nicest boy.” (He brought us dinner one night.)
• “I might fall asleep for one minute.”
• "I just took a tiny nap." (Meaning, she did not take a nap. At all.)
• “I’m not ever going to play with you never ever again.” (She uses lots of double negatives.)
• “Mommy, I love you all the time in the day.” 
• “I love you all the week.”
• “Mommy, I just went a little wee wee in my pants. But I love you THIS much.” (She extends her arms out really wide to show me.)
• “When I was with Bud and Yiyia and Ella (in JULY) I was riding a horse and I went a little wee wee in my pants.” (at the Fort Worth stockyards)
• “I saw that first! But you’re still the best mommy.”
• Lainey's very into saying “I’m bigger than her/him.” (Confusing "bigger" with "older." Age is just a number with this kid.)
• Lainey: “My legs are getting so long.” Me: “I know. You are just growing up so fast.” Lainey: “But I’m just 3-1/2. My legs are 3-1/2. My nose is 3-1/2.”
• “I always have to go potty when I have accidents.”
• “I am amazing.”

At this point...

• She is always talking, climbing, jumping, bouncing, dancing, and squealing. 
• She likes to talk like a baby (kinda frustrating) and we have to remind her that she's a big girl and should talk like one. She also likes to ask us how she said certain words as a baby. But that's kinda fun for me - I like remembering that stuff. :)
• She's fascinated with potty talk. Again, we have to remind her not to talk about such things!
• Once she tried to climb on my exercise ball so that she could touch the top of the mantle (bad idea).
• Lainey's teachers describe her joy as "infectious." She is happy, and she makes others happy. I love that about Lainey.
• She pretty much only wears dresses (with some form of leggings). "Twirling dresses" are especially popular with Lainey. I think she's worn a pants/shirt outfit two or three times in the past few months. Crazy girl. :) In the mornings, Lainey will fixate on what her friends Ainsley and Kaitlyn will wear to school that day, particularly if she is in an outfit that she doesn't think is very fancy or quite up to her standards. When did she turn 14? :)
• She tears at her nails and cuticles. Just like her mom and dad. I don't ever need to trim her nails anymore; she does it herself!
• She likes to put her feet on me - usually on my legs - whenever we read stories. Funny. But they are always there.
• She sings and makes up songs all day long. She also sings when she's going potty - even at school!
• She loves to engage Walker in conversations and games. He will do almost ANYTHING for her.
• She is my positive, optimistic, and glass-half-full kid who sees the silver lining in everything.
• She pretends to be asleep.
• She has become attached to “Beary” from Dr. Ty (her dentist). He gave her the bear as a reward for giving up her binky. :)

I love you Lainey Lou! You crack us up!

My Cowkids

You don't wanna meet up with these two in a dark alley. 

They are tough.

Truth Be Told

So, as I posted previously, the kids and I have been stretching our creative brains lately. But, upon reflection..art/science/craft projects with my kids are tough. At this point in time, anyway! A little summary of my thoughts on crafting with my kids:

• The projects make me crazy. As much as I love the idea...the creativity, the excitement, the finished product (if we get there)...oh my gosh. Someone needs to post a sign in my kitchen that says, "It will not turn out the way you have it pictured in your head. Kids are kids. Just because a mother and her six home-schooled children under the age of seven can do this project together, it doesn't mean that you can do this with your own two children. In fact, that's one of the reasons you love sending your kids to school so much. Because at school the teachers do these fun projects with your kids and make them seem very cute and easy and awesome." :)
• I get the opportunity to clean my house more than I really care to.
• The projects take less time to create than the clean-up afterwards.
• The projects are the gifts that keep on giving. I find paint streaks and play-doh remnants for what seems like days afterwards.
• Walker has several meltdowns per project. Because he can't hold the food coloring or the entire container of paint or color on the chair or throw baking soda on the floor or eat the play-doh.
• Reagan often vomits. She ate a clump of baking soda/vinegar/food coloring (a volcano) yesterday and promptly threw up. No wonder.
• After we've finished, and I've cleaned up everything, I'm a little irrational and I throw EVERYTHING into the washing machine...including bows and rubber bands and diapers. Unintentionally. Anyone ever washed a diaper? It's messy on so many levels!
• These projects are really pulling me out of my comfort zone. Anyone who taught with me knows that I never embraced arts and crafts in my classroom. I avoided water coloring and glitter like the plague. 
• During the experience, my kids make me laugh even when I want to cry.
• My kids need LOTS of help and they are not patient. Yes, I know, they are kids. :)
• I love watching my kids enjoy themselves. Well, when Walker's not crying or throwing a fit or screeching at the top of his lungs.
• Projects show me what a complete control-freak that I am.
• Each crafting experience teaches me something.
• Each crafting experience always show me what my kids are capable of. (Or what they are not yet capable of, haha!)
• The finished product (almost always) makes all the mess worth it! 
• All this mess is good for me. And it's good for the kids. 

And...I'm done! I will continue to find projects and fun stuff to do with my kids because they really, truly do love it. And I do, too. I just need to adjust my expectations and lighten up a bit! :)

Pinterest Shminterest

Just kidding. I LOVE me some Pinterest. Many of you know what it is, and I think it's a really incredible resource for me as a parent. In small doses. It can be quite overwhelming! Especially for this OCD-Type-A Mom. :) However, in this house, it's a great way to start the new year. It is a website - an online pin-board, actually - where you can gather so many fabulous, creative ideas to use with your kids, for your kids, in your classroom, for your home...and it even has recipes! It encourages me to get out of my comfort zone and do some very fun, very creative things with my kids while teaching them to be creative little thinkers and problem-solvers. Anyway, back to my post at hand. I tried a project with the kids this afternoon, and boy oh boy, did it get MESSY. 

Here's the proof:

"No pictures, please!"

Afterwards, Lainey proudly proclaimed that she was "disgusting."

Remind anyone of the movie Braveheart? By the time he was through, Walker was a disaster. Paint EVERYWHERE. He bawled at the sight of himself in the mirror. He cried and sobbed the whole way through his bath, trying to wish that paint away! Funny because he wouldn't let me actually scrub him down to get the paint to go away!

 I will be sure to post pictures of the finished product...once it dries. I think all this mess will have been worth it! :)

AND...a few hours later...the finished product!

(Painter's Tape, typing paper, and finger paints - washable, thank goodness!)

Walker's Glasses

This looks like it could be Walker's Senior picture. Well, minus the diaper, the naked self, the balusters, and the heart sunglasses. Mainly just the hand-on-the-knee pose. :)

 He LOVES these glasses that belong to Lainey.

 My favorite thing is when he wears these glasses and climbs into the rocking chair in his room. He rocks back and forth, ready to read books...with those glasses on.

fun with cousins :)

I have no words.

See what I mean? Speechless!

NYE at the Lake

We were fortunate enough to spend New Year's Eve (and part of New Year's Day) at our friends' lake house. We had a wonderful time with the Loredos and the Scurlocks - good friends, good times. A perfect way to ring in the new year. The kids had a blast (they are still tired!) and so did the adults (we are still tired, too!). Here are a few pictures from the weekend...

Goin' on a rock hunt.

I'm sure that Lainey is telling Gage something awfully important.

This picture doesn't even need a caption. You know what he's saying! :)

Walker is talking to me in this picture. He moves his tongue around and makes lots of sounds and "talks."

Lainey and Ainsley were putting sand on top of the rocks because when we made the fire, it was going to turn them into princesses.

Again, making sure that everyone was aware of her plans. 

stinker

And, bye-bye shirt.

Walker is having some serious issues keeping his shirt on these days. 

S'mores!

(Chad, Reid, Drew, Kelley, Ainsley, Gage, Carl)

shirtless marshmallow roasting

Lanterns! Two minutes, an injury, and a near forest fire (kidding) later, we decided that the weather probably wasn't conducive to lantern lighting. :)

A little Toy Story 3...attempting to get the group to settle down before bedtime.

(Ainsley, Reid, Lainey, Drew, Gage)

The sleeping arrangements (minus Walker's pack and play that lasted about 5 seconds in there) - let's just say that Lainey and Reid were the last two to go to sleep...the boys and Ainsley were OUT like lights! I think Lainey finally fell asleep close to 10:30 or so. Walker ended up spending the night in our closet. :)

sweet Reid

This picture is funny for one reason: Walker. He's the only one smiling and saying "cheese" for the camera!

playing the shadow game with Ms. Kelley

Lainey is on the move...

To quote Aunt Amy... "Be home by 10:00!"

Happy New Year!

Thanks, Loredos, for a wonderful experience. Love y'all!!