WAHOOWA

Go Hoos Go!

Play Time

Kate, my little entertainer... She sings, dances, hops and reenacts what she does at pre-school. Lately, we are her students and she is our teacher. We have music time, and then she collects all of our instruments... "Bring your instruments back to me, back to me. Bring your instruments back to me, back to me." We have parades around the house, and she is the leader. She loves to splat paint.... thought you might enjoy her work. But, no matter what she does, Stephen finds her hysterical. She has also finally caught on to the fact that she can make him laugh! When he cried, she used to only sing "Twinkle, twinkle little star." But, now she plays peek-a-boo, makes funny noises, or shakes her head... he laughs and laughs.

Stephen became ever so tactile over night. He is grabbing at his toys in front of him and today he reached for and knocked over my water glass. When Kate hugged him, he wrapped his arms around her neck. However, the funniest thing is that he tries SO hard to suck his thumb when he sees Kate sucking hers. As if to say, how do you do that!

A LOL for the day... Kate is pretty good about letting me brush her hair and maybe a bow. The challenge is getting her to hold still. Yesterday, after I had asked her to hold still multiple times she says, "But Momma, when you brush my hair, it moves me!" All I could do was laugh....

Kate wanted to wear her watch, which by the way is Hello Kitty and purchased at Target. The reason I mention that is because, as I was putting it on her, she says, "I got this at Barneys." I died laughing..... I guess that is her short version for Barnes and Noble. When she asked why I was laughing, I told her she would understand when she was older. Yes, my three year old thinks she wears a watch purchased from Barneys of New York...

Kate and Madeline-ISMS

Kids say the funniest things. I must say my biggest surprise of parenthood was just how darn entertaining they truly are! So, I dedicate this latest post to my daughter and my eldest niece, whom I am entertained by everyday. These are some of the latest "isms" and some of my favorite. Enjoy the laughs...

1.) Kate and I have been working on Nursery Rhymes... The Kate version - "Blah, blah black sheep, have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the master, one for the dame and one for the little boy who lives down the drain.

2.) First I would like to start by saying Madeline is wonderful with her manners. However, lately she had been forgetting to use those magical words so, Josie asked Madeline where her please and thank yous went. Madeline replied, "I left them at Bamma's house." At some point I shared this funny story with Kate and she replied, "Well, I will just have to go to Bamma's house and get them for her."

3.) Kate and Madeline are also greatly entertained by their Little Einstein dolls and you never know which one will be the one of choice to play with. But the reenactment of choice is always putting somebody to sleep.....


4.) We are in the process of making Christmas cookies at Mom and Dad's house. Kate and Madeline are very busy putting Baby Jesus to sleep. (Yes, I did say the Baby Jesus.) Kate gets VERY upset with Claire and when we ask her what is wrong, she declares, "Claire keeps waking up Baby Jesus!" (LOL!)

5.) My Dad has always replaced words for things we knew the right answers for.... for example, my favorite as a child was Lettuce Heads. (That is what he used to call my Cabbage Patch Dolls.) So, we grew up with stories about Silverlocks (aka Goldilocks) and so on.... So, in keeping with this tradition with his Grandchildren, he called Snow White, Snow Blue. Kate and Madeline really believe they are two different princesses.... So, we had to have two different dress up costumes - Snow White and Snow Blue.

6.) Josie and I both ask Kate and Madeline to look at us when we are speaking to them. (This is an attempt to make sure they are actually listening to us.) As we were listening to the girls talk to each other th other day at the Apothecary, Madeline said, "Katie Kate, look at me when I am talking to you!" (My Mom had both hands over her face to hide the laughter.)

7.) Last but not least.... When Kate was little she could not say music, but she could say "Zugits." (That is her word for music and I don't want it to ever changed because that means she is growing up too fast.) In some of the Chick-Fil-A play areas the music consists of animal sounds. Kate did NOT like this and refused to play in the locations that had this, hense the location near Josie and Michael. Madeline mimicing Kate would even say to Josie at times, "I not like zugits." Josie would reply, "You don't even know what zugits are!" The last time we were at their Chick-Fil-A, I thought she might be old enough to be over this and I am proud to say I was right, with Madeline's help. As the time came to enter into the play area, Kate's eyes got really big and she said, "Oh no, the zugits!" Madeline grabbed her tightly by the arm and pulled her along and said, "Come on Katie Kate!" and led her right into the play area. (She was not going to take no for an answer.) We have not had a problem since.

So, there are some of the latest and greatest... I hope you enjoyed the laughs. And I am glad that I have written them down, so I won't forget them!

Peas Please

Tonight I decided to introduce Stephen to one of my favorite vegetables, peas. He has been eating sweet potatoes every night for the past couple weeks, let's mix things up a little with a green vegetable right? Well, let's just say they were not his favorite. I am not sure what prompted me to video this moment, but I am so glad that I did, that I thought I would share. If you are able, listen to the audio too - it only adds to the whole experience. In the meantime, we are going to stick with sweet potatoes.

Apples, Sweet Potatoes, Pears.... oh my!

Over the past few weeks, Stephen has entered into the world of solids. As you can see, he is pretty darn happy about it too! So far, I believe his favorite food to be pears. He opens his mouth and makes all whole bunch of happy sounds and faces. However, when he is done - that is it! No more! We can go from happy to mad in less than a second.

Kate (of course) has become involved in this daily activity. She now stirrs the added oatmeal into the fruit or vegetable. She has also attempted to feed Stephen.... Yes, we did get this on video and you can hear David and myself laughing in the background. Stephen may one day get us back for allowing his sister shove a spoon into his mouth with all the grace that a three year old contains. As you can imagine, he opens his mouth and she shoves the spoon in quick! And yet, he still he adores her...

Stephen also has another fairly new trick. He is sitting up all by himself. Now, you never know how long it will last, but he can do it. This was one of my favorite stages with Kate. It is funny to see their differences. Stephen falls over more from side to side or forward, but Kate used to loose her balance and fall straight back. Her chubby legs would then go right over her head and the expression on her face was priceless. If Stephen falls over, he just cries... not a happy baby. We have shown Kate some of the videos we have of her at this stage. It was hilarious at first, because she thought that was some random baby on the screen - not herself! She finally got the concept and now requests to see videos of herself. I must say I really like watching them
too. They are a constant reminder of how fast it all goes by.

The Daytona 500

David just returned home from The Daytona 500. It sounds like he had a really good time and I am really glad he is home! He was able to gain all access passes through work. He sat right behind the pit wall during one of the races on Friday and he met a ton of people, including Chesterfield County native, Denny Hamlin who drives the 11 FedEx car.

While David was packing, we were trying to explain to Kate where Daddy was going. She was facinated by the ear phones that David wears to listen to his scanner during the race. So, when David asked what she wanted him to get her on his trip, she requested a yellow pair of ear phones. Daddy was successful and she wears them all the time! When David left for work today, she was running around with them on her head with 2 toy NASCARS in hand. (I think this may have been one of David's proudest moments.) I do have to laugh because when she has them on, she can see your mouth moving, but she really can't hear you. So, it is pretty funny to hear her say, "Daddy, I can't hear you. Daddy, I can't hear you." (I guess I should have asked for my very own pair?)

Kate missed David, so I thought it would be helpful to show her where Daddy was by watching the race events on the TV. Somehow after watching Sports Center Saturday morning she thought that David had gone to the race to participate - not watch! (I later figured out, since he had driven his truck down, she thought he took it there to race!) Again, David was so proud that his daughter thought he was a race car driver and I was not to tell her otherwise. Understandably she was even more irritated when she couldn't see her Daddy and Uncle Gene on the TV racing the truck!

Happy Valentine's Day

Can you tell that there is love in my life? Love to all and Happy Valentine's Day - Erin

Little Moments

Sometimes there are moments in the day when I just stop and watch my children and hope that I will never forget the moment. I want to soak it in with all that I have because these are the moments that make it all worthwhile. Today was good because I was blessed with a few of those.

I watched Madeline run through her front yard with all the joy in her heart when she saw her cousin Katie Kate. They met with a huge hug and they held on to each other so tight.... with every squeeze their eyes closed as if they wanted to hold on and never let go. It was precious and my heart melted.

Then I was off to MCV to spend some time with Claire and Josie. Claire was having a really good day. She is handling the weening off the nitrious oxide like a little champ and her spirit is so strong, it is contagious. She responded to everyone who stopped by with waves and number one fingers. She also loved the bear that Kate made for her. The bear plays a recording of Kate's voice when you squeeze its hand. It was amazing to see how Claire responded to hearing her cousin's voice.

My sister and brother-in-law are so strong. I admire their strenth, patience, and preserverance for Claire. They will go to endless lengths to insure that their daughter will continue to thrive. They are all amazing and truely an inspiration of love.

This little light of mine...

Most of you probably don't know, but the name "Claire" means light. I have always loved the name, in part because of the meaning. I remember when Josie and Michael were trying to decide on a name for their baby girl, they wanted to chose a strong name that represented hope and faith. One that would help define her and give her strength, knowing the tough journey that she was about to endure. I think Claire was a prefect choice.

She is a very strong light in our family. She always has a smile on her face and I love the way her head tilts back when she laughs. "This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Her light reminds us that there are miracles in this world and we must keep our faith. Even times like this, her light still shines bright. Among the dopey state that little finger points to let us know that she is still number one, or waving her little hand to say hello when she sees someone she loves. I have faith in many things, and I have faith in Claire.

Claire Bear

This post is in honor of my fiesty niece, Claire. She is a fighter and I joke with my sister that is the reason why she is here. Again, Claire has shown us all just how strong she is and also "who is number one!" Words can not describe how good it was to see her today looking and acting more like herself. Even in her medicated state, she was grabbing at the phone when Josie was talking to their pediatrican because she wanted to talk too! She also wanted to point that finger and let everyone know who was number one. Best of all, I got to hold and love on her... she even let me entertain her with "this little piggy." It is good for her to rest and let her body heal, but it was wonderful to see the Claire that we all know and love.

My daughter, Kate, is understanding more and more of what I say to other people. I called David to let him know that I was going to the hospital to visit Claire. When I got off the phone Kate asked if she could come with me. It is really hard to explain why she can't, but extrememly precious to know just how much Kate loves and adores her.

Thank you to everyone who has sent a note, stopped by, called, or emailed Josie and Michael. They greatly appreciate you love and prayers for their little miracle. I am am so proud to be her Auntie.

A Change in the Weather

The change in the weather has been wonderful. We have been playing outside and taking walks on the paths in the afternoon. Kate loves to play dress up, as you can see. Today she is Snow White, some days she is Cinderella. She can't wear just a dress, she needs all the accessories; shoes, hair bow, or necklace. Josh, our neighbor, pretends to be a knight. All he really needs is his sword. I guess some things will never change, Josh is ready to play within a minute and Kate takes forever to get ready.

My little man

Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. As you can see, the new little man in my life has been keeping me busy. Stephen came down with bronchitis and an ear infection right after Christmas. But as you can see from the pictures, he is feeling much better.

He is such a happy baby and he smiles all the time, well at least to me. It has been fun to watch him, watch Kate. He watches everything she does and he is completely entertained by her laughing, dancing, singing, running... anything! He adores her. I love watching the two of them interact. It will be even more interesting when he is mobile.