Warm Weather Adventures

We've been outside a lot lately here, and the boys are thoroughly enjoying it.

Timothy finally got to fly his kites. When we finally got them up in the air, his face was priceless. Of course, when they crashed, he was pretty amused too.He's also dragged out his wagon every chance he gets. We've taken several wagon rides, to the delight of both boys.Andrew's crawling all over the place now, and I'm busy keeping him out of where he shouldn't be. I'm not too worried about the grass he's been eating, but I draw the line at the dirt from the flower beds. =) Of course, most of the time, he's only interested in crawling over to whatever he can pull up on. He's got the strength to stand, he just needs to work on the balance, but even that seems to be improving. Between being able to move, and being outside a lot more, our fussy little man has become so much happier. (Which is nice all around)

Isn't that the cutest smile?

Spring? Finally?

So, finally, after 90-plus days of the weather not getting above freezing, endless cabin fever, and John discovering how much he loves long johns, the weather has finally broken, and the snow is melting. It's actually almost all gone except for some of the big plow piles... And our backyard where the sun never hits. But even that too is leaving, if slowly. =) I've been trying to blog for a month now, and I just haven't been able to bring myself to. I've been too afraid that I'll let myself go off on a rant about never ending winter, or the frozen wastelands. But now that spring is in the air, if not technically here yet, I find my spirits returning. Even the thought of mud-covered toddlers don't faze me. I have a washing machine now! =) (Although, I should probably invest in some puddle boots for him.) The boys are growing in leaps and bounds. Timothy is still constantly amazing us. Lately though, it's been with his memory. Gone are the days when we can hide something and he'll forget. Sometimes it works, but not always. We also can't put things off. He'll remember and ask again. For example: He saw a picture of some children flying kites, and got very excited. John told him that we could fly kites in the spring, but that it was time for bed now. That was not the right thing to say. For the next two mornings, his first question upon waking was "We fly kites today?" We were finally able to make him understand that the kids in the picture were flying kites on grass, with flowers. Not on snow. He seemed to understand that, and I thought no more about it until a few days later, after a couple of sunny (but still cold) days. On the way to the car, he found the one spot on the hill where the snow had melted, and proclaimed: "Look Mommy! The snow go away. We can fly kites now!" He was very sad when I explained that ALL the snow had to go away, and we needed to not be wearing winter coats. Well, that time has now arrived, and he's asking again. He's very determined about this. If it's sunny on Saturday, we may have to go get a kite. Mud or not, we have a little boy who REALLY wants to fly a kite. =)

Andrew is sitting up on his own, and scooting when he's really motivated. He's slowly learning to crawl, but he's much more interested in walking. If he's near something that he can pull up on, he will. We've ended up with a few bumped heads, but that hasn't deterred him in the slightest. He's also all about food. He eats 12 or more oz of solid/pureed food each day, plus whatever cheerios, rice cakes, homemade pretzels and bread crusts that I will give him. We've tried un-pureed veggies with varying success. He really likes broccoli. My kids constantly surprise and please me with their love for vegetables... =) Both the boys are developing their verbal (and vocal) abilities. Andrew's progressed to "ba-ba-ba-ba," and "da-da-da-da." He even looked at John the other day when he came home and said "Da-da!" very clearly. Sadly, I seem to be "da-da-da" too, but that will come. For now, it's great to see him get so excited about being able to form consonants. =)

Oh, and he's become quite a ham for the camera too... =)
Timothy's vocabulary has really taken off too. It was subtle, and probably not all that remarkable, but to us it has been. He's never been much for more words than absolutely necessary, and now, whole sentences and paragraphs are pouring from his mouth. John was sick a few weeks ago, and missed church. When we got home, John asked Timothy what he did. Timothy replied: "I did puzzles, and sang songs, and colored pictures. I got a snack, and blew bubbles." Normally we have to ask him leading questions to get anything out of him, so this was pretty impressive. =) It's really helped with his frustration levels too. Communication has become much easier. =)

His imagination has really taken off too. Some of his ideas come from his favorite TV shows, like "Vacuum Monkey" from Curious George. He loves to vacuum the stairs, but won't do it without his "cape".



He's also discovered "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" from Veggies Tales, and made us all (himself, Andrew, and I) wear pirate hats and say "Arrgh" a lot. =) Other times, I'm not exactly sure where things come from, but he sure has fun. His favorite game lately is cooking. He'll bring me "fried chicken," "apple pies," "granola bars," and whatever food catches his fancy that day.

Well, that's about all from here. Here's some more pictures to enjoy. And if we manage to fly kites this weekend, I'll tell you all about it. =)