Too Funny!

So, earlier when I was working in the office...Garrett asked if he could 'pretty please' type on the computer? I said sure - I mean, how can you say NO to 'pretty please'?!? I pulled up Word for him, made the font a bit bigger and let him type to his hearts content. A few minutes later...this is what I turned around to find.

Fee fie foe fum

from Garrett the giant little man

This kid just makes me laugh!

Friday Favorite

Okay...this week's fave is a bit random, but for those of you who live here in TX (or anywhere else in the world that is blessed with fire ants or mosquitoes or anything else that bites) you will find this extremely useful too!

The Benedryl Itch Stick. It is GREAT! Get one to keep in your purse or swim bag or whatever...it is an absolute blessing when your out with the kiddos and they happen to find the ant hill. Just dab this little stick on the bite, and you're good to go.

I'm sure there are other methods of soothing those nasty bites...but when on the go, I have found it so extremely useful to have this little pen in my diaper bag! Plus, I can guarantee that you'll be the 'oh-so-prepared mom' at the park when you whip this out for another frantic mom who is consoling their teary/itchy little one!

Toybox...what???

Why do I even buy toys? It's always the non-toys that prove to be the most entertaining! Best $1 I ever spent though...both boys have been occupied for months with these pipe-cleaners! Notice the color selection is getting a bit sparse. Garrett created an anthill - complete with an entire colony of ants! Thus the black pieces are severely lacking! Luckily, Ethan doesn't mind!

The goods

What do you get when you take this...

plus a few spare hours in your day and add in a little 'ninja' help???

You get this...18 jars to be exact!

Pop-Pop-Pop!

Ethan is starting to say words now...not 'mama' or even 'dada' as you always picture your baby's first word to be. But instead, he has mastered the word 'dog' and he walks around with a little yippy bark that he repeats over and over. He also (kinda) says 'bear' and he definitely says 'book' (what more important word to a 1 year old is there...he lives for his story time!). But I have to say, his favorite word right now is 'pop' thanks to some the dear friends who introduced our kids to the 'Popcorn Song'. It is this funny song that after a brief intro, is just the word 'pop' over and over and over and over! So, after listening to this great song about 400 times, it's no wonder that the babies are singing along too. So, here's Garrett singing a quick version and then both the boys going crazy with the 'pop's!

I was going to edit the video...but I love Ethan's new 'jumping tricks' at the end of it...so sorry so long!!! Enjoy!

Fun Times!

On Friday, some friends and I took our kids to the Children's Museum. The kids had a blast and it was so much fun to watch Ethan get so excited to try all the new things that he saw his big brother doing! He was so beyond happy to be free of his stroller and spent the morning toddling after Garrett! Of course, being the 'crowd loving' people that we are...went on the day that there were sooo many kids (even older kids who I would think would be bored stiff at a place like that!)...so mental not to self - don't go to these places on a Friday! I'm sure that is prime field-trip day for everyone!

Also on this trip...I found the toddler room...can you hear the angels singing?!? This place was amazing! My friends had told me about it...but I was not prepared for how perfect it was for the little ones! It was so fun to watch Ethan in there, and though I didn't expect it, I learned a TON about his development! It was the most interesting afternoon ever! We all know that for some unknown reason, my kids don't crawl...so watching him in this room designed for crawlers and early walkers, I began to notice things about him that I never would have otherwise! Like the fact, that he wanted so badly to get into this play area that held tons of balls and this one stuffed frog (that is what E really wanted!) but this area had a padded 'curb' around it for kids to easily crawl over. My poor boy would walk up to it, lift up one foot, and finding it just a bit to high to step on or over, he'd reach down and try to lift his foot higher and make it in. Never once did it occur to his cute little brain to attempt it on all fours. Nope, we just don't do things like that in our family, I guess! So it was fun to try and help him figure out a way to get in there. And his other favorite (besides the stuffed tiger he insisted on carrying around and sucking on - ewwww!) was a little pathway. He spent most of his time on this, tackling the shallow stairs, the wavy floor, the inclines and all the obstacles that were in his way. Again it was so fun to watch and see him learning so rapidly! He made such progress towards specific tasks that he was attempting that it was amazing to sit back and watch!

Anyway...here's some pics. Sorry for the rambling above...I'm sure my child's brain activity doesn't make for an exciting post for most people! :)

We always have to stop at this old van and the kids go on a trip...today they were driving to China! Yeah, good luck on that trip guys!

The shopping trip. Some big kids even came up to 'Cash Register J' and asked if he'd ring them up, but nope, he told them they'd have to get to the back of the line. And 'Customer Garrett' was all about them getting behind him. Way to go, our normally non-assertive kiddos! :)

Ethan wanting in on the shopping trip...but how confusing for him...."Yep, E, that's a banana...no - not in your mouth! Uh huh, an apple...no, not in your mouth" Poor guy just wanted all his normal snacks and that's what I was labeling them as...but me being the mean mom that I am, didn't want him sucking on all that fake food!

Ethan contemplating his descent down those stairs!

Does it get any cuter than that??? My little fisherman (who isn't so little anymore!)

Best Buddies! And yes, they both had drawn 'beards', so the face paint went all the way down their chins and necks this time!

Ethan's walkway! The highlight of the trip!

A ball that bounces and is contained in a small confined space so that it can't roll away? Does it get any better than that for a little guy!?!?

Blueberry Picking

This weekend we decided that it was time once again for our yearly blueberry picking trip! I have desperately been missing my blueberries from the freezer anytime we want them, so we made the trek up to Moorhead Farms in Conroe on Friday evening and picked until dark! And I have to say...we've picked blueberries for a couple of years now, and every time, I've rushed to get there as early in the morning as possible so as to beat the heat. Not once had I ever considered going at night! But let me tell you, this is the way to go! It was the perfect evening...still a bit warm, but at least we got to enjoy a lovely breeze almost the entire time, and the sun was behind the trees surrounding the farm, so that was an added bonus all in itself! :) But the biggest bonus is that Dad gets to come with...so the whole trip is much more fun...and productive!!!

We had a great time, and even bumped into some of our favorite people from Kingwood where we lived the first year we moved down here! So it was fun to pick alongside them and visit for a few minutes. I love running into friends in places that you least expect it!

The berries were a bit scarce (mental note to go a week earlier next year)! But we got a pretty good amount picked in the time that we were there! Garrett had a blast introducing Ethan to the delicious berries - leaving them for his little brother to snack on as we picked!

And notice Ethan's cute little toes...yes, in my rush to grab bug spray, sunscreen (which we didn't even need), water bottles for everyone, snacks for the boys, and all the other things required for leaving one's house for any amount of time...I forgot Ethan's shoes! Great Mom, huh!?!? The wrong thing to forget when you have a little one who would have loved exploring the bushes and sticks, dirt and everything else! Poor little guy...he spent the evening strapped to his stroller or in a backpack carrier on Steve's back! Hmmm...maybe it should be poor Steve instead, having to carry around an extra load! But thanks hon, I really had a great time scaling those bushes and reaching the berries that were just a bit too high!!!