Halloween 2011

In case I've neglected to share Lincoln's love of Charlie Brown (especially It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) over the last couple of months, I have done a grave disservice to describing life at the Kuhlman home. It's seriously overtaking our lives, this Charlie Brown madness. Lincoln LOVES everything about the cartoon. He can repeat Sally's entire tirade to Linus when she realizes she's missed all the fun by sitting in the pumpkin patch with him. He can detail what everyone gets in their sacks when they trick or treat. He can hum every note of Schroeder's (and Snoopy's) piano break. He describes Snoopy's World War I Flying Ace adventures with gusto! He especially loves to point out when anyone says the bad word "stupid" and tell me that they're going to their room for a time out. Clearly I've seen the movie a time or two myself . . . Anyway, what better costume for Halloween than Charlie Brown himself. All we had to purchase was a little black fabric for the zig zag and a pair of yellow socks, and viola! Charlie Brown Kuhlman! I pondered for a long time about Beau's involvement in this charade. Should he be subjected to a Peanuts character too? Kevin was sure Snoopy would be the right way to go, but I didn't want him to be Lincoln's pet dog!!! Minnie kindly pointed out that Snoopy is actually the coolest "star" of the Peanuts gang while Charlie Brown gets all the headlines, and I was sold. My online prowess failed me this time, as I ordered a 6-9 month Snoopy costume but received one big enough for a 2 year old! (The tag is legit, but I'm doubtful!) Lincoln was so excited to finally "be" Charlie Brown tonight! Beau wasn't as excited since he was in a giantly big stuffed snow suit, but he tried to be game!

The excitement was taking over! It's almost time to go!!!! Beau's love (tolerance) of the Snoopy suit is fading fast . . .
Hooray! It's time for trick or treating! We practiced what to say: Trick or Treat, Thank You, Happy Halloween. Beau didn't quite make it out in the Snoopy costume. Luckily we had a Superman backup! It was much cooler and way more comfy!

Lincoln had informed us weeks ago that trick or treaters got "cookies, candy and money" (per the Peanuts gang). Trick or treating at Aunt Marte's took care of all three! She hooked us up with a sprinkle cookie, candy and a bag of money!!! Lincoln enjoyed trick or treating in our neighborhood as well, even though he forgot what to say at the first house. Ms Sally opened the door, and Lincoln held out his bag and said "I want candy please!" We got it straight by the next house! By the way, we totally have a brown paper bag because that's what Charlie Brown carried! It was a wonderful Halloween night. I love that Lincoln totally got in on all the excitement and had fun. Beau just liked being in the middle of it all. (Plus: Lincoln only ate one candy tonight! Yay!)

Sunday Afternoon Fun

Our Sunday began with church and a little playground time with the Brosnahan's. As he does each Sunday, Lincoln informed me that the slide on the church playground was not broken. I'm soooo sorry I told him it was broken one day - probably 6 months ago!!! He'll never forget that!!! After lunch we all gathered in the playroom for some family fun. Lincoln always wants Daddy on the floor with him. They take turns laying on big stuffed doggies, cover themselves with blankets, and pretend to sleep - until Lincoln squeals with laughter! He's obsessed with this game right now. He always asks to be covered up nicely though, saying "Please cover me up, Daddy." To make the game even more fun, he asks "Please make me dark, Daddy." Kevin loves this one - it means put the blanket over his head (so it's dark to Lincoln!). There was a lot of tickling, giggling, and laughing from the two of them. There may have been a few injuries too, as Lincoln is not delicate. He crashes into anyone and anything with reckless abandon. Daddy had to brace himself when Linc came charging!

Beau enjoyed being in the action without having to get injured! He likes to watch the silliness from a safe distance - smart kid! He discovered one of Lincoln's old trucks that sings and lights up, and he was in heaven!
Somehow he knew that he should push the truck and then crawl after it. I swear it's "boys instinct" to know how to play with trucks. Anyway, he would crawl after it every time!

Lincoln practiced his forward roll a lot. We tried to make a rule that he could only roll on the blanket, but he had a few misfires! He would take off rolling and crash into a chair, block, or (worse) Beau. Everyone survived and there will be lots more rolling! The picture doesn't demonstrate, but his forward rolls are very good. He hardly ever falls to the side, and usually completes the roll like a true gymnast! Rio 2016 Olympics?????

Since Lincoln was being still for .1 seconds, Beau dashed over to check him out closely. Don't worry, that didn't last long.

We had such a fun time playing together. Did I mention that this little play session occurred after lunch (12:45) until nap time (1:30)? We can pack a lot of fun in a short time!

On The Move!

Beau is officially a crawler! I recall that Lincoln began crawling a bit shy of 8 months, so Beau is a little ahead of that. Lincoln's first crawls were technically correct though, and Beau's first crawls are hilarious! He usually uses one hand and the opposite elbow, barely gets his belly off the ground (if he attempts to at all), and scoots his knees behind him in a kind of drag fashion. It's a mess, but it gets him where he wants to go. Lincoln gets excited about it and lays in the floor with me saying, "Come here, Beau. Crawl to Lincoln." He's not so excited about it when Beau crawls over to one of his toys and begin to chew it. Mobility brings both good and bad, I guess. We're all proud of you, Beau!!

The Importance of Rain Boots

It's not hard to see from the many pictures of Lincoln in his rain boots, that these are a very important part of his life! On one of the few occasions that Linc wasn't wearing the boots, I put them on Beau for a laugh! (Luckily Lincoln thought it was funny!) Beau sure has big shoes to fill! He looks up to his big brother in every way. When I need a minute to finish dinner, I assign Lincoln the task of making Beau happy. If Beau is upset, I instruct Lincoln to show him one of his toys or sing to him. While Lincoln is singing, marching, jumping or running around the playroom, Beau is watching his every move with adoration. Lincoln is so proud when he gets Beau to stop crying. He says, "I make Beau no sad anymore, Mommy!" (Occasionally, Linc is the source of Beau's crying. I come in the room to a bawling Beau and ask what's happened. Linc responds, "I give Beau a squeeze hug and it make him sad.") I always praise him for his efforts because I want him to know what a good big brother he has to be! Beau is pretty amazing on his own, but I know the influence of his big brother is priceless! Beau has lots of hand-me-downs that he can make his own, but the sharing of Linc's precious rain boots was very important. Brotherhood is one strong bond!

I Get You, You No Get Me

This sweet innocent face wouldn't ever do anything bad, right?

This sweet innocent face wouldn't ever overreact about anything, right?
These little monsters were playing "I get you" just fine . . . until it was Beau's turn to "get Lincoln". Linc was squirming away and whining about Beau "getting" him. Duh - that's the game! I love to catch Beau on camera in these moments.

It's like Beau already knows he's "getting" his older brother. I know there are millions of these moments coming, and they won't all be resolved with a silly tickle. I also know these moments of family bonding are what make our lives wild and fun. Keep up the "getting" Kuhlman boys!

Go Rangers!

Like the rest of Dallas, we're obsessed with the Rangers and the World Series! Lincoln and Beau regularly sport their Rangers attire for games, but Nana got them new shirts for this super important final series. None of us are especially fond of Kinsler, but Lincoln loves the name. "Go Kins-e-law" he yells! So I dressed them up after school and sat them down to cheer. It doesn't look like much Rangers-watching was going on. Lincoln confiscated one of Beau's baby toys, and they were examining it together. (As if Linc could procure some new toy secret from it that Beau would love!)

OK, that's more like it! I can't get Linc to look at the camera because now he wants to watch the game. Yorby (Yorbit Torrealba) is also a favorite of his . . . again only because of the fun name. Too bad he was already fast asleep by the time Yorby got to pinch hit! (It wasn't all that great of an at bat. Maybe I should have kept Linc up late. Hmmm . . . if Wash would let me in on his game plan, I could manage bedtime like he manages the line-up!)
I hope their display of brotherly love brought the team a little luck tonight. Our family is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team!

Apparently Lincoln and Beau are only good luck while watching on tv, as opposed to being in attendance at the Ballpark. (See Game 1 of ALDS post!) Kev and I are going without them to Game 4 of the World Series. Perhaps we'll get a repeat of our last year's World Series game attendance, and we're the good luck charm. Go Rangers and Go Lincoln and Beau!

Swimming Like a Fish

After many tears (Lincoln) and much patience (Mommy), I can officially report that Lincoln loves swim class! At the end of each lesson, he pumps his fist in the air and shouts, "Best Class Ever"! I love it! The summer session was murderous with screaming and crying. He just didn't like it at all and was terrified of everything. I was determined that once he "got it" all would be fine, so I enrolled us for the (LONG) fall session. (We're booked until mid-January.) Every Monday we worked on getting less upset in the pool. About a month ago, I told Lincoln in the car on the way to the lesson that his teacher had called me earlier in the day. Here's the conversation:

Me: Linc, Ms. Karen called me today.

Linc: Ms. Karen call you? What she say?

Me: Ms. Karen said they have a new rule in the pool. She said that kids can't cry in the pool anymore.

Linc: Ms. Karen say no cry in the pool anymore, Mommy?

Me: Yes, baby. She said none of the kids can cry in the pool anymore.

Linc: No, Mommy. No cry in the pool anymore.

Viola! He hasn't shed a tear since! Why didn't I think of this months ago? Sometimes it takes Mommies awhile to think of the right thing to say I guess. Little Fishy Linc is the best swimmer ever and loves each exercise. He's swimming underwater for 7 seconds and emerges with a smile on his face every time! The sub teacher last week asked if we would consider moving him up to the next class. Hold on lady - you weren't here for the torture. He's just now liking it! Linc often tries to get me to stop at the Wendy's in the parking lot for ice cream (Frosty). Occasionally I do it, but he then he informs me that he doesn't like ice cream and that I should eat it. Tonight he insisted that he needed it and that he would eat it. Apparently his charm worked, and I dutifully ordered a small Frosty. Guess what? He loved it!

He took each bite very carefully and tried not to make a mess. It was a fun treat after a great swim!
My Mommy-brain must have really been out of whack tonight because after we pulled away from Wendy's, Linc decided he needed to eat it on the way home. No way, right? Soft ice cream in the car in the dark with a 2 1/2 year old spells disaster! Mysteriously, I found myself handing him the cup and spoon. He was in heaven and didn't make (much of) a mess.

If I only have to spend $1.07 on a few Mondays to reward my little fishy, I'm happy with that. What a big and brave boy he's becoming. And sure enough, tonight he happily yelled, "Best Class Ever" as we pulled away!

Beau is 7 months old!

Beau is 7 months old! He's the sweetest, smiliest, happiest, most not-laid-back 2nd child ever, and I love it! I always heard the 2nd child was totally laid back, but I wouldn't describe Beau that way. He is completely happy when you're doing what he wants to do - like being held (by Mommy) or standing at the ottoman/toy bin. Here's what Beau's up to at the ripe old age of 7 months:

weight - 19 lbs - same as last month. He's hefty, but not really fat. I think he just looks solid! I'm sure every offensive lineman says the same thing about himself, right? There aren't many baby foods that Beau doesn't like. Applesauce seems to not agree with him, but everything else is a go. He eats at 8, 11:30, 3, and 6 - baby food, cereal and 6 oz breast milk. I also pump him full of milk at 8:45 for a good night's sleep. We've introduced Puffs this month, and he LOVES them! I can't get them on the tray fast enough. He mastered picking them up and shoving his whole fist in his mouth quickly! As soon as he gets a few teeth, our menu will expand greatly!

sleep - 9 pm through 7:30 am - Beau is a good sleeper, and I'm so thankful his body gets a good long time at night to recuperate for the next day. Most nights are very peaceful, but he'll get in a bad routine of waking up and screaming for 10 minutes or so right at 10 pm. I sit and watch the monitor anxiously until he falls back asleep. I don't know why I'm so worried - what's he going to do in that lonely crib? Naps have never been my specialty, so I try to go with what he wants to do. If he sleeps late, no morning nap but 2 hrs in the afternoon. If he's up early, 30 min in the morning and 45 in afternoon. I can't ask for much more than that, or he'll revolt!

playing - Beau is such a fun player! He loves to stand up and "walk" around the ottoman/toy bin. He doesn't require complete assistance, but he'll topple over if you let go for long! If he sees something he wants far away, you better be prepared to help him go after it. He just takes off! Luckily Lincoln is ok with sharing sometimes, and Beau doesn't get put out too much. I usually convince Lincoln to trade a toy for what he's wanting of Beau's. No one seems to mind! Beau is into chewing things, books (chewing and slapping them), light up toys, and throwing (he throws everything!).

Happy 7 Months to Beau! It seems like such a short time, but so much has changed since the day he was born. I forgot how rapid the changes are in the first year. Beau really is the sweetest, smiliest, happiest, most awesome little guy ever!

Pumpkin Time

Lincoln is in love with everything Halloween - candy, costumes, boo-ing, and pumpkins! Since Minnie, Bubbles and Ally were coming for a visit this weekend, we decided to include them in our Pumpkin Party! First we painted our little pumpkins. I made a Baby Beau pumpkin with big blue eyes. Ally made a "Go Rangers" pumpkins. Lincoln made a purple monster (mess) pumpkin. He loved the art project!

Minnie and Beau watched the action but stayed safely away from the messy paint. Next year, Beau! I'm sure I'll need to find nontoxic, 1 1/2 year old finger paint for pumpkins!
After a nice nap, we dove into carving. Lincoln supervised Bubbles while he carved. Of course he asked lots of questions about EVERYTHING Bubbles was doing. And he was totally grossed out by the "pumpkin guts" in the trash bag!

Bubbles checked with Linc to make sure it was looking right, and he got the go ahead.

We had a fun Pumpkin Party and have lots of pumpkins to display. Lincoln had so much fun, well everyone did I think! Before bedtime tonight, we went outside to put the pumpkins to bed. We took out the little LED flicker light (no messy candles for us!) and they went night-night.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Nana Day

Nana kept the boys today and was kind enough (as she usually is) to send me text pics of what they are up to! Of course breakfast is first, and that is a popular meal. I think I heard Lincoln directing Nana to get him a Pop Tart and a banana as I headed off to work, while Beau was getting amped up for bananas, cereal and milk. Apparently it was yummy! (Sorry I couldn't rotate the picture.)

After breakfast, reading class began. Lincoln set up the chairs for Ernie, Charlie, Elmo and Grover to read along with him. He's reading "The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" for probably the millionth time. It's one of those books that plays sound as you read, and he loves to booty-shake when Halloween party music plays. I heard he gave Nana a lesson in booty-shaking!
Beau was amused with his toys while they big boys were reading. He has lots of fun watching what Lincoln is doing but also enjoys playing "baby" stuff as long as he's near the "Lincoln action".

While on their neighborhood walk, Lincoln decided he needed to check out everyone's pumpkins. He walked up to the porch of all the houses to inspect their display. The verdict = we need more pumpkins at our house! The three we have out front must not be enough! He also informed Nana that we needed flowers too.

I always know when it's a Nana Day that my boys will get lots of love and have lots of fun while I'm at work. Oh, and they're usually exhausted from all the fun! (I bet Nana is too!) Thanks Nana for loving on Linc and Beau and sending me pictures of my sweet kiddos.

Priceless

I don't even think a description is needed for this picture . . . it's priceless!

Band Practice

If I ever think there's nothing to do around here, I'm not thinking! There are lots of fun and free things right around us, and it's great to take the boys to experience new things. The University of Texas Longhorn Band was practicing their halftime show at the high school just a few blocks away, so we headed over to check it out. Lincoln was a little overwhelmed at first, I think because it was so loud. He soon overcame his timidness and wanted to sit closer to get a better look. He and Pops talked about all of the instruments. While we're not exactly Longhorn fans, it was still nice to see the show. Kevin had Linc saying "Boomer Sooner" during the game on Saturday to negate any Longhorn love that might have developed. I threw in a few "Pig Sooie's" for good measure.

Beau and Nana hung back a little, but Beau had a great time taking in all the sights and sounds. As long as I bring along a few toys for him to chew on, we're good to go! He's been in such a happy mood these last few days. I'm sure he loved the music too!

No offense to any of you bandies out there, but Kevin and I aren't really steering Linc or Beau to the French Horn! While he has a lovely singing voice, Linc may be as unmusically-inclined as we are! We spotted some baseball players to the side of the field and headed over to chat them up! That's a little more in our league!! I can't help but mention that Lincoln loved the RHS bathroom. We had to go three times during our hour visit. He didn't even need to go much, but he liked the "outside" (under the stadium seats) bathrooms. Whatever!!!

Take Me Out

In honor of the extended baseball season, I decided to teach Lincoln to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." It's the cutest thing ever!!!!!!!!!

Reading Lesson

Ms. Kristi (who works with Pops) gave Lincoln lots of books when he was little, and she's done the same for Beau. Lincoln thinks it's fun to read with Beau, but he is not interested in Beau grabbing his book to slap it, chew it, or throw it. Luckily one of Ms. Kristi's books was a duplicate of one we already had! Each kid gets their own copy of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Lucky boys! Lincoln thinks it's fun to read along and turn his pages while I read to Beau. Lincoln is still a bookworm and gets excited to read, and I hope Beau will be the same. I have returned to my love of reading since Nana got me the Nook back in May. I don't have that much time, but I find ways to get in a few chapters each day. Pumping at work is my favorite time to utilize the Nook. It sits on my lap while I pump, and it just takes a swipe of the finger to turn the page. Beau may be drinking breast milk until he's 18 just so I can have a reading break! (A few of my recent favorites: The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo (trilogy), Unbroken, Sarah's Key, and an oldie-but-goodie The Hunt for Red October.) Thank you to EVERYONE who buys us books to enjoy.

Looking Up

Beau is interested in everything Lincoln is doing these days and totally looks up to him already. He wants to help with the puzzles, chew on Linc's big boy toys, slap the pages of the book that's Linc is reading and so on! Lincoln was working on his laptop, and Beau desperately wanted to help. He scooted all the way over and tried to grab it away from Linc!

Lincoln wasn't having any of that! He and the laptop moved farther away from little brother.
Look at that mischievous little grin on Beau!!!!!

Baseball First

Postseason baseball is here in Texas, and we were of the first to help cheer on the Rangers! (Well, we actually arrived late to the game on Friday afternoon. Kevin dropped us off at the gate and parked miles away, missing the first two innings due to the long walk.) After our morning at the State Fair, we napped a bit then headed for the Ballpark. Linc has been to lots of games in his short little life, but Beau hadn't made his debut yet. Pops joined us to offer an extra set of hands and a huge helping of patience! I don't know if Pops knew what he was getting into!

Beau was really good for the first four innings . . . until I went in search of a hot dog. He doesn't do that well if Mommy's not holding him right now, so he was having some separation anxiety. The noise and crowd didn't seem to bother him, and he made friends with the people around us by being so sweet and smiley.
After Lincoln's experience with a big pretzel at the fair that morning, he decided he needed to compare the Ballpark pretzel. He and Pops walked FOREVER trying to find one, but they were both pleased with the result. There was plenty of talk about strikes, hitting, catching, etc between those two. The ladies around us enjoyed Lincoln cheering on each Ranger batter. "Go Kins-el-aw" (at the top of his lungs) was their favorite!

Daddy finally made it in - what a trek! He and Beau chilled for a few minutes for a pic. Neither of us managed to find a nice grilled hot dog, as they've moved around the booths for playoff games. (WHY????) We settled for a fake chef, whose hat was WAY to big, dolling out roast beef sliders and fries.

We called it quits in the 8th inning due to child(ren) meltdown and Rangers meltdown. Instead of hiking up to the car, we paid a golf cart driver $15 to carry us. Totally. Worth. It. Thanks to Pops for suffering through (and not watching much of) the first playoff game so the boys could go.

State Fair 2011

The busiest time of year is upon us . . . lots of football games, lots of baseball games (hopefully lots more if we continue in the playoffs!), lots of playing outside, and the State Fair of Texas! Before I know it, we'll be cooking a Thanksgiving turkey and wrapping Christmas presents from Santa! Let's just take things one at a time for now. Friday was opening day at the State Fair, so we headed out early to beat the crowds, enjoy some rides and try the newest fried foods before the grease got old. Lincoln decided on a pretzel for his snack and loved it! I tried a bite too, and it was delish. Homemade, salty and buttery - yum. Beau didn't get any fun snacks, but he had tons to check out. His eyes were bugging out the whole time at all the activity. He sat up top in the double stroller and was happy the whole time. He especially liked watching the rides spinning around.
Annual height picture - some rides he was tall enough to go alone, and some required Daddy to go too.

I was not at all sure if he would ride alone, but he picked the motorcycles and hopped on! I nervously (but with fake confidence that he was totally ready to go alone) strapped him on the bike and stood closely. He did great! Perhaps the little boy on the bike behind him who screamed the entire time was enough of a distraction so that Linc didn't get scared. He kept trying to see the crying boy and didn't pay too much attention to his own scaredness.

Daddy and Linc paired up for a few "bigger" rides, like the ones that spin and go up and down. I'm not sure either were thrilled while it was going around, but they both said it was fun later.

Other than Lincoln's pretzel, Daddy had a Fletcher's corn dog and we shared Deep Fried Cheeseburger Balls. I must say those were the yummiest! Beau got stuck with milk, cereal and sweet potatoes, but he must not have cared because he licked the bowl clean! What a fun Fair Day . . . stay tuned for lots more excitement from Friday.