New chairs!

I finally took the time to sit down & order the boys’ their very own Anywhere chairs from Pottery Barn Kids. (I’m only three months behind; actually I’ve been wanting to order these for the boys since their 1st birthday.) They had received money from Grandpa “B” for Christmas which we decided to use toward the purchase of these chairs.

The chairs arrived unassembled but were fairly easy to put together. They are the perfect size – the boys fit in them great now & still have plenty of room to grow.

The boys LOVE them! They each know which chair is theirs and will yell at their brother if he tries to sit in the wrong one. Their favorite thing to do is read books in them (although climbing & standing up in them comes in at a very close second!). They also think it’s so funny if mommy or daddy tries to sit in one of them; Wyatt actually asks us to sit down in the chair only to speed over & sit his little butt in the chair first and then laughs hysterically at us – too funny.

Colton trying out his new chair.

Wyatt trying out his new chair.

Wyatt ready to read & saying "Chhhheeeessse!"

Colton & mommy

Colton reading in his new chair.

Baking with Mommy

I.love.baking! I don’t get to do it quite as often as I did before the boys were born but it is something that I really enjoy and would love to share with my boys.

Last Wednesday Colton stayed home sick from daycare and spent the day with me. After a nice long nap and a late lunch, his spirits picked back up and I have been craving home-made chocolate chip cookies forever – project!

I gave Colton his own bowl with some chocolate chip chunks in it & a spoon. He had a hay-day stirring & mixing in his little bowl right alongside mommy mixing up cookies in the big bowl.

Mommy's little helper!

Stirring up a storm!

Saturday night fish fry fun

A couple weekends ago we took the boys to Cory’s uncle’s annual fish fry. It was a beautiful night out & we enjoyed the evening outdoors.

Wyatt diggin'

Colton diggin'

Filling up the bucket.

Just playing!

Wyatt
(changed into PJs & ready to go home)

Colton
(changed into PJs & driving daddy's "big truck"!)

Our weekend

We had a jam-packed weekend that kept us busy, enjoying the outdoors & spending time together as a family.

Friday night, we took pizzas over to Cory’s cousin’s house as a “Thank you!” since they had done all the driving on our recent Florida trip. The kids (& adults) enjoyed beautiful weather to play outside both before & after dinner. We also walked down to another friends’ house after dinner to see their new place – they just recently moved into the neighborhood.

Saturday was spent out at my parents’ house. Cory was helping my dad & a cousin’s husband cut down some trees in preparation for my dad building a shed to hold all his “toys” this spring. The boys played outside all morning and then took a nice nap after lunch. That night we headed out to an annual fish fry Cory’s uncle puts on. We spent the entire evening outside on the patio with the boys having a blast playing in the sand of the volleyball court. The boys also LOVED the “treat” of having French fries (we don’t normally eat a lot of them at home unless they are made out of sweet potatoes). Colton was sneaky & even got Grandma “B” to keep taking him back in to get “more!”.

Sunday was more of a family day – running errands, having lunch out & cleaning up around the house. It was another beautiful evening, so we took a long walk & stopped at the local playground so the boys could get in some playtime. We also grilled out dinner (brats, sweet potatoes & corn) for the first time this year – yummy!

Last night we took the boys for a 4-wheeler ride behind the house & stopped at the smaller playground that is out there. There isn’t a lot for little kids at that playground but Wyatt was loving the “big” slide! Colton wasn’t too into the playground…he just wanted MORE 4-wheeler rides!

We are trying to take advantage of this nice weather each & every night while it’s here!

(I know this post is way late in the week...it's almost next weekend!  I wanted to post this with some pictures but I have not had time to get them uploaded to my computer - Colton has been sick since Tuesday & that's throwing our whole week off.)

The beautiful weather continues…

I’m back to wearing my Florida-trip wear today…a tee, capris & flip flops – LOVE it!! Our nice forecast continues with temps in the 70s for the entire weekend & into next week. We’re going to be spending as much time as possible outside this weekend, soaking it all in.

Our 4-day trip to Florida was just the break I needed. It gave us a little “adult-only” time that included time laying out by the pool doing absolutely nothing! I have to admit though that I spent more time stressing about the trip – how much I would miss the boys & how they would do without us – in the weeks leading up to the trip. All the worrying ended up being for nothing because everything went so smoothly with the boys.

We flew out late Tuesday night and had to deal with a 2-hour delay on our flight (which ended up causing us difficulties trying to re-book our rental car without paying a fortune because it put us into the Orlando airport after our original car rental company closed). (On a side note, our friends flight that was supposed to leave 2 hours before ours ended up leaving at the same time as our – so we didn’t nearly have it as bad as it could have been.) After arriving in Orlando, we had another 1 ½ hour drive to our destination, so needless to say, it was a LONG day by the time we arrived! (On another side note, our delayed flight was definitely a predictor to how our entire trip would go – we seemed to have bad/late service everywhere we went – slow waitresses, slow food delivery, long lines & busy stores – but we did not let any of that spoil the trip.)

Wednesday was pretty windy by the ocean, so we ended up hanging out at the house by the pool all day, relaxing & soaking up the sun. We had an excellent dinner out that night – I had a delicious macadamia nut crusted Mahi Mahi that I could every day. Thursday was beach day and even though we were plagued by a few clouds & sprinkles, it wasn’t enough to ruin the day. Some of the group attended the wedding rehearsal & rehearsal dinner that night, so us & Cory’s cousin & wife (who were not in the wedding) enjoyed a little area touring and a yummy Mexican meal out. Cory & I also sipped on a delicious Mango margarita at a really cool ocean-side restaurant/bar before heading home for the night.

Friday, a couple of the girls & I went to a local craft show (which was more of a fine arts show – disappointing!) and out to lunch. Friday late-afternoon was our friends’ wedding, which ended up getting rained on (but not more than just an annoying hard sprinkle), outdoors at a local park. We went to the reception & dance that night and had a fun time acting crazy in the “photo booth” they had set up for all their guests. Saturday was another beach day – only the weather was absolutely perfect that day. We went to a different beach than we had on Thursday to change up the scenery a bit. We also did a little shopping (including grabbing some cute touristy shirts to bring home for the boys) and grabbed ice cream along the oceanside. Dinner on our last night in Florida ended up being at a local Italian place that had really yummy garlic bread knots.

On Sunday, I was so excited to get home & see my baby boys! Our flight was due in at noon & we surprisingly arrive ½ hour ahead of schedule! The boys were so happy to see us & get back home again but they have definitely missed Grandma & Papa this week.

It was a wonderful break but great to get back home again.

The beautiful home we stayed in!

Cloudy Thursday at the beach.

The view from my beach towel on Thursday.

Cory & I
(on the beach)

Our group - enjoying our beach time.

Cory & I
(at the park, right after the wedding)

Cory & I
(at the wedding reception)

Sunny Saturday at the beach!
(perfect beach day)

Rockin’ Lunch Out!

The Sunday before we went to Florida we had some errands to run, so we made a day of it & took the boys out to lunch. They had a blast & were so well behaved (why can’t they act like that at home too??)! The restaurant had good music playing kind of loud and Colton couldn’t stop moving the entire time we were there! I swear – he danced while he colored waiting for the meal, he danced while he ate and he danced on the way to the bathroom for diaper changes after lunch. Wyatt would follow suit & jam out every once in a while too – also funny to watch. It was one of those times you just wished you had you video camera along. The waitresses loved it & the boys were taking in all the smiles they could get – little flirts! Such a fun day! Its times like that where I can’t imagine not having these two kiddos.

Colton taking a break from dancin' to color.

Wyatt - so serious about his coloring!

A Taste of Summer in March!

I was so excited that I was able to keep my flip flops out from our Florida trip last week! We are having a long stretch of much.above.average temps this week – topping out at 75 degrees today – with no end in sight.

The boys are having a blast spending time outside after coming home from daycare (& not wanting to come in when it’s time to eat dinner). You can bet that we are going to get out for a walk or run each and every day until this weather goes away – gotta make the most of it while it’s around!

Cousin “H”’s 10th Birthday Celebration

The Saturday before we headed off to Florida – we were able to celebrate our niece’s 10th birthday. We headed over to the party after the boys naps. The boys had a blast playing with the birthday girls’ balloons & she was nice enough to share with them. After a yummy dinner, it was time for ice cream cake – my favorite part! Who can pass up the combination of ice cream & chocolate?? Not me! The boys were unsure at first but ended up LOVING their first taste of this yummy treat.

The 3 cousins

Birthday girl!

Colton enjoying his yummy treat!

Wyatt enjoying his yummy treat!

Mommy & Daddy’s First Trip Away

I’ve been absent from the blogging world for the past week because Cory & I were relaxing in sunny Florida!

We were invited down to attend a friends’ wedding and decided, with 4 other couple friends, to make an adults-only extended weekend vacation out of it. I was very nervous about the trip & how much I would miss my boys – especially since I haven’t been away from them for more than overnight since they were born – but everything turned out better than I could have ever hoped.

We flew out late-Tuesday night & flew back yesterday morning. The boys stayed with my parents while we were away. We kept them in daycare Wednesday-Friday to keep them in their “normal” routine – they both, but especially Colton, thrive on routine/schedule. We (the boys & I) have stayed overnight at Grandpa & Grandma’s quite a few times when Cory has been out of town, so they were comfortable with that as well.

That was one.of.the.hardest.things I’ve ever done – leave my boys, knowing that I wouldn’t see them for a couple of days. I missed them every day we were away.

We called & checked in on them each day and were even able to Skype with them twice. Grandpa & Grandma both reported that they were doing great – both at their house and at daycare – which made me feel immensely better. They waved at us on Skype, but didn’t quite understand the concept of what was going on – seeing them was good for me though. They had a blast with Grandpa & Grandma – playing with all different toys, having my sister, brother-in-law & nephews over for dinner one night & even taking a trip to the local children’s museum with my sister & nephews.  They even got some much LOVED outdoor play time with the fire truck & bike yesterday, as the temps around here have been much above average this past week!

The weather in Florida was beautiful. It was in the high 70s-low 80s every day. It did rain here & there – but that is typical Florida weather. It rained Friday afternoon during the wedding ceremony we attended but we stuck it out in the rain anyway. We had rented a gorgeous 5-bedroom home that was amazing & so much fun for our group of friends. The area we visited was not a big “touristy” area but did draw a lot of “snow birds”. We spent our time relaxing at the beach/ocean and hanging out at the house on the patio by the pool. Our trip was bugged by delayed flights & slow service everywhere – but we tried to not let that ruin our fun.

It was a great trip that was relaxing & refreshing to me as a mommy. I enjoyed the time away, but couldn’t wait to get my boys back in my arms again yesterday! They were both equally excited to see us – but didn’t seem fazed by our long separation. (Even though we were only gone 4 days – the boys seemed so much bigger to me when I first saw them.)

Pictures to come!

20 Months Old

The boys will turn 20 months old tomorrow – which means we’re creeping close to the 2-year-mark way.too.fast!!

March, to me, always means that spring is right around the corner. It’s the transition time between the long, cold winter & warmer temps. (Although, of course, this year hasn’t been that bad.) I’m starting to look forward to celebrating Easter, taking the boys to the local lamb farm & scoring big at the upcoming multiples consignment sale!

I know parents say this at lots of different ages – but the boys are at such a fun age right now – I’m loving it! They love to try to copy everything you do, try to say new words every day and play & laugh together (which also means fighting too!). Colton has even been attempting & mastering some more complicated words – yesterday it was “applesauce” and he said it soooo clear!

Sleep has still been pretty good. They are sleeping around 11-12 hours each night. They fall asleep somewhere around 7:00 PM. (Our bedtime routine is: bath (on bath night), lotion & jammies, blanket & book.) Lately though, Colton has been waking up a little early around 5:30-5:50 AM. He doesn’t wake up upset though – he is almost always content and usually just talks to himself in his crib until around 6 AM when I go into to get them. Normal wake-up time during the week is 6:05 AM to get us to daycare & work on-time. Wyatt has been waking up early some days & other days he sleeps until I get into their room.

Wyatt
- loves to say “Bu-bye!” to everyone & says it so clearly!
- loves everything Mickey Mouse! We don’t really have the boys watch TV at our house, but I know they’ve seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a couple times at Grandma’s and when they showed such an interest in it, we bought a couple Mickey Mouse books (which are their favorite) & ended up buying a stuffed Mickey & Goofy.
- is back to eating very well (after a short-lived picky-strike that only lasted a week or two)
- always asks for his stuffed buck before bedtime, and now also asks for either Mickey or Goofy too!
- still has been favored me even more in the past few weeks, especially when we read books at bedtime
- has 8 teeth (I haven’t done a thorough tooth check lately – so this may not be accurate)

Colton
- is a “master” chef! His favorite toy in our playroom has to be the play kitchen by far! He loves mixing up & cooking everything from water, to tomatoes, to pizza, to burgers for us. He also always has us taste-test his creations – always so yummy!!
- loves everything Mickey Mouse! We don’t really have the boys watch TV at our house, but I know they’ve seen Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a couple times at Grandma’s and when they showed such an interest in it, we bought a couple Mickey Mouse books (which are their favorite) & ended up buying a stuffed Mickey & Goofy.
- remains my picky eater, will even cry sometimes if he doesn’t like anything on his plate but if you leave it in front of him, he will probably start to eat some of it eventually – little turkey!
- continues to have new words everyday - will try very hard to copy any word you ask him to
- always brings his stuffed moose to bed with him; and now will sometimes ask for either Mickey or Goofy too!
- has 16 teeth (I haven’t done a thorough tooth check lately – so this may not be accurate, but I believe all his teeth are in)

Family Weekend

It’s weekends like this that makes Monday morning come too quickly!

Friday evening started out by Cory & I each taking one of the boys to run a couple errands. I love doing this & having some one-on-one time with each of my boys. This time – daddy & Colton went to the home improvement store and mommy & Wyatt went to the grocery store. We met back at home just in time for dinner.

This was the first Saturday that Cory didn’t have to work overtime in over a month. We really enjoyed having him at home during those morning hours. After breakfast, we made a quick family trip over to Wal-Mart in the morning and then went to my niece’s 10th birthday party in the afternoon. It was a fun afternoon with Cory’s family – which included yummy food & delicious ice cream cake (pictures of the boys enjoying theirs to come).

Yesterday we ran a couple of quick errands & then had lunch out as a family. The boys loved the background music that was playing at the restaurant, especially Colton, and were dancing almost the entire meal. They were so cute – they made both Cory & I laugh so hard. They had a good time & ate really well.

Pictures coming soon!

Fun in the snow!

We ended up getting 6-8 inches through the course of Tuesday night through yesterday morning. It was the wet, heavy stuff which makes plowing & shoveling it even more fun!

When Cory & the boys got home from work/daycare yesterday, Cory got them all bundled up in their jackets, snow pants, boots, hats & mittens and went outside to enjoy the snow & mild weather. They enjoyed another ride around the yard in their sled. Since the snow was so deep (& really wet from melting all day), Cory only made one trip around the yard for the boys in their sled & then decided a 4-wheeler ride would be more appropriate.

When I got home from work shortly after, they were all three piled on the 4-wheeler, with Bailey following close behind of course, riding around the yard & over visiting the neighbors. The boys hopped off the 4-wheeler, grabbed their shovels and helped me shovel out behind the garage while Cory plowed the drive-way with the 4-wheeler. The boys had a blast helping me, using their shovels of course. They also discovered that fresh snow tasted cold on their lips. Colton started it out by grabbing a handful of snow off of the desk & trying to eat it – his face was priceless when he realized how cold it was – but tried it again. As soon as Wyatt saw him doing this – he decided he needed to get on the action too. But instead of grabbing a handful, he bent over & plopped his face into a pile of snow with his tongue hanging out. I almost died laughing when I watched him first do this. He thought it was so funny & tried it a few more times before I huddled them up to go inside for dinner.

I unfortunately didn’t get any pictures of the fun we had last night – I was too busy wrangling kiddos, helping them up when they slipped & couldn’t get up, shoveling & just enjoy our time together.