Another day

The boys usually can't wait for Daddy to get home after work and will follow him around the house as soon as he arrives! Kevin is so good with the kids and they absolutely adore him...it really is a team effort at our house.
The boys love to sit at their project table...Mason is figuring out what to do with the crayons (thanks to Brandon's guidance) and Brandon loves using the foam stickers, glitter glue, and other crafts to create artwork.
Loving our reading time, thanks for all the great books you've sent us Aunt Gail!!!

Brandon loves to pretend he is reading the books by himself. (I have even seen Mason laying on the floor and turning the pages of books). Hopefully we will have early readers!

Thanksgiving 2011

It was my turn to work Thanksgiving this year so I missed a nice breakfast with the boys at home but they made up for it by coming to see me for our first of two turkey dinners today!!! As we had no other invitations for this turkey-day, my friend and co-worker, Deannea, offered to have us over for dinner.
We were excited to have dinner with Deannea and her family but I was a little anxious as her children are teenagers and her house has long since lost the need to be toddler-proofed and Brandon is quite (oh, lets see how I should put it)...independent-minded these days, so I was fearful it would turn into a battle of the wills! Brandon (and Mason) did great and I think we may be invited to return in the furture. Thanks for a great dinner Deannea.

We accepted a last minute invitation to spend Friday with Uncle Robert/Aunt Cheri (and cousins) in Phoenix. Brandon and Mason had a blast exploring the backyard, checking out the horses, and playing with Jess's old toys. The highlight of the day for the boys had to be riding the tractor with daddy...their smiles couldn't have been bigger!

The weekend was supposed to be relaxing, just spending time with the kids and decorating for Christmas however Dad encouraged us to replace our kitchen sink (which was a freebee from my Dad)! Let's just say it was not as easy or inexpensive as one would think. It took three trips to Home Depot, a new disposal and faucet, and a lot of frustration (digging through the trash looking for missing parts). So our free sink only cost us ~$250! So much for the free sink! But, I will admit, it does look nice.

Thanksgiving part 2

We braved another round of photos at JCPenny this morning. Mason is not fond of picture taking but we got a few good pictures for our holiday card! I couldn't resist dressing them alike this year. Then it was off the GG-Dudley's house in Green Valley for lunch with the Grandma's. The boys spent a fair amount of the day outside, exploring the grassy area, the fountain, and of course watering the plants. Mason did so well this weekend walking in his hand-me-down shoes.

Let the celebrating begin!

Today we celebrated our first Thanksgiving feast with the Kweiser family. I always bring my camera, intent to take pictures to remember the day by, but always seem to forget to take any. This year I'll blame it on chasing two kids under three around my Aunt's house (not an all together kid-proofed house). As always, it was good to see everybody and it makes me wonder why we only get together over the holidays (when life seems even more stressful than usual)??? Maybe in the year to come that will be my goal, organize a spring Kweiser get together...we'll see.

Lazy weekend with the kiddos

Ever since moving to our new house the weekends have been filled with projects, chores, and family of course! So, this weekend we decided was all about our family of four, just wanting to spend time together and relaxing (as much as you can with two kids under 3 years old). It rained ALL day Sunday, which of course, inspired me to cook, Kevin to autotune the TV to all things sports, and the kids to be indoor bound.
We love to splash around in the bathtub.
Mason loves to play on Brandon's bed and Brandon is getting better about sharing his space!
This is my attempt at trying to prepare Brandon for our holiday photo next weekend, usually he closes his eyes and makes a goofy smile when the camera is out.
We love our outside picnic table!
A big thanks to Aunt Rachel for stopping by this weekend and letting Brandon go for a ride. This brings back memories of my young adulthood, where days were spent at the ranch in Happy Valley and "tending" to our horses at my Mom's house. Most of my memories of our horses include shoving stalls and looking for "run-a-away" horses at 2am. Ah, good times!

Kevin and Brandon spent a couple hours digging holes for our future citrus trees!

Trying times

The terrible two's have struck with a vengeance and there doesn't appear to be an end in sight! I wish I could have caught today's tantrum on video...it was pretty funny!
I have decided it's irony really, as parents we have worked so hard to encourage our children to be independent but as they want to express their autonomy we demand control back. So we "pick our battles", "gives choices", and try to remember that in our son's world, the little details and routines matter the most.
Parenting, I have decided, takes more energy and endurance than anything else I have ever done!

Lovin' the rain

Today is my favorite kind of day, a rainy day at home with the boys. Having grown up in the desert, these days are too few to not enjoy. Brandon voted we stay in our pj's and I voted that we should spend some time cooking this afternoon!
The down side to the rain, is that we have to stay inside. The boys have been busy watching the rain run off the back porch and keep asking when they can go outside!

Mason update:
He is now walking 100% of the time, it almost seems like he is walking just to walk, but I suppose practice makes perfect! He mostly says momma (especially when he gets hurt) and da-da, otherwise it's toddler-babble. His favorite foods are berries, pasta, and cheese. He no longer uses a bottle, which was his choice! His favorite game is peek-a-boo, "rub your belly", and loves his ball pit (mostly loves to put the balls through the holes). He loves to be outside and loves going places (since his seat is now forward facing and he can watch the world go by). He likes patting (ok, hitting) the dogs and is especially fond on poking at their eyes. They are such good sports about it! Mason is finally sleeping through the night, is usually the first one up (at ~5-5:30am), and still needs two naps/day. His personality is now full-force, he hates not getting his way (and by this I mean he has perfected tantrums), and will still let me cuddle him (around bedtime). He gives the best kisses ever...

Brandon update:
His vocabulary is amazing, he understands tons of concepts, and has definitely hit the why-what-which? phase! He is strong-willed, independent, and a ball of energy. He can (sometimes) count to ten, he loves to help me cook and to watch cooking shows, and to be daddy's little helper. He can put his own shoes on, but interestingly does not like to dress/undress himself. He is mostly potty trained (he still refuses to use the potty for #2 but he doesn't have accidents as he will ask for a pull-up. He seems to have an aversion to pooping but not peeing in the potty...hopefully this will pass with time). He is working on his next set of molars and will often ask to brush his own teeth. Brandon's favorite foods, well that really depends on the day, but he will rarely turn down a bowl of pasta with butter/parm cheese.

Snapshots of Mason

A love affair continues. Mason seems just as fascinated by the Swiffer as Brandon used to be.
Don't let this little face fool you, he can be quite mischievous!
Mason is sharing our pillow with Jake, who seems to understand how to properly use pillows!
How many rolls do you see?
Zoning out before bed with daddy...already a lover of sports.

Mason has really become quite fond of Grandpa, especially since he moved to town and has dinner with us on Sunday evenings.

Gram & Ray

(my grandparents and I, U of A graduation, May 2003)
The boys and I decided to visit Gram and Ray (my grandparents) today and since it was such a beautiful day outside, we decided to walk over. We got there just as Ethan and Sarah (cousins of the boys) were getting home, so they had a few playmates to burn some energy with. Sarah adores all "babies" and just can't help but mother (sometimes smother) Mason. Ethan is nine now but still has fun playing with Brandon, too bad they aren't closer in age.
My grandparents are the best, words can barely describe how wonderful and giving they are. Some of the best memories I have are from my days spent with them over the summer, which gave me a chance to have "sisters" for a couple months each year until we were in our teen years. My grandmother would come and get us (Ruth, Kim, and I) from our parents the day school let out and return us the day or two before school resumed. I can only imagine how it was bittersweet for my parents, a few months without me but a few months without me....
Those summers in Phoenix were spent swimming, riding our bikes, laughing, and eating (boy could Grams cook a good meal, stuffed cabbage rolls were one of my favorite). It was where Emily Post was often mentioned and where frequent trips to the ranch left us with a work ethic unrivaled by few. This was also the place that would later contribute to my need to "hoard" food (as Kevin calls it). Have I ever mentioned the stock-pile of food my Grams kept? I am pretty sure the first thing we would do upon arrival to her house was run into the air-conditioned house, throw open the back door and head for the outside freezer, which was usually stocked to the brim with all things delicious (especially my frozen strawberries).
These days my grandparents have a large pantry (actually a secondary pantry, which is dedicated to the great-grand kids)...I am a bit jealous! We couldn't have been there ten minutes today before the snacks were being brought out by the armful. Nobody goes hungry in Grams presence! Looking back, I am pretty sure it was her mission to never let us go hungry, which fortunately left none of us overweight!