Busy Beau

Beau has been keeping us entertained with his super fun personality.  He has so much going on in that little toddler body, and he is the smartest little brother ever.  He's a complete parrot . . . no matter what Lincoln says, Beau is quick to repeat.  We've made some progress on his terrible two stage, and I love that.  He still has a few fits here and there, but they are much shorter and less dramatic.  We made cupcakes after dinner for a fun treat.  Beau doesn't even pick up the cupcake - he just leans over and puts his face in the icing!  I got a cute "cheese" with such a messy face.

One of Beau's most favorite things to do right now is closing doors to play peek-a-boo.  Unfortunately, he also likes to turn the lock and gets himself locked in his and Linc's rooms often.  I hear his shouts of "trapped" and have to rescue him often.  He mostly loves if I stand outside the door so he can surprise me each time he opens the door.  Luckily, I'm rewarded with a super cute smile! 

Everyone we meet - from people in the grocery store to strangers in an elevator at the mall to new parents at school - ask how old Beau is after hearing him converse with me.  Not one person believes that he's not over two years old!  His communication skills are outrageous, mostly because he's Lincoln's little parrot (as mentioned above).  I love that I can really talk to him and get real responses.  Beau gets smarter and sweeter and sassier by the day!  I never know what sweet nursery rhyme or song he'll be singing me . . . or worse, what smartie response he'll give me (mad at you, Mommy) next!  

Lincoln the Artist

Lincoln is developing into quite the little artist, and he LOVES to draw pictures for us every day.  He's got a large stash of paper, crayons, markers and colored pencils to create his fun pictures.  Linc mostly draws a stick figure on a page then writes the name of the person he drew.  He can spell Lincoln, Beau, Dad and Mom with no assistance.  Sometimes I have to remind him how to spell Nana and Pop Pop and Ally, and he gets hung up on Minnie and Bubbles because they have a lot of letters in their names!  The girls get lots of hair in their pictures, and usually Daddy gets a really tall stick figure.  In just the last day or two, he's been drawing us as giant circle (alien-looking) people with no stick middle and big circle eyes.  Perhaps he is experimenting with more of an abstract style of art???  I'm thinking his whatever he creates is pretty awesome, and I love that his mind is thinking outside of the normal.  He's always so proud of his artwork and wants to tell us about each picture.  

After he creates his masterpieces, Linc wants us to hang them in their respective rooms.  So his bedroom is covered in "Lincoln drawings", Beau's bedroom is covered in "Beau pictures", etc.  Linc proudly posed by my closet door with some of the Mom and Dad pages.   

After Linc's rest time today (and while Beau was still snoozing away), he came outside to help me with a few painting projects.  We painted a giant frame, a few small letters and a large wooden cutout monogram.  He was so excited to help with each step, and I think we'll have some fun decor to display once I put it all together.  Now we just need an expert to help us hang it up!  (This one seems really heavy!) 

Remember the super cute pictures of Lincoln's new bed and room re-do, but we didn't have the appropriate kit to attach the footboard???  Well, Pops did some digging this week and located the exact pieces to make his big boy bed complete.  We prepared for a six week wait, but it was delivered in less than six days!!!  Linc, Beau, Nana and Pops were a great team and got the bed up to standards in no time.  He's loving his big bed even more!  We decided to get a body pillow to lay against the wall, and perhaps this will be a barrier for the books that keep finding their way under the bed via the tiny space between the mattress and wall.  Linc was looking too cute before I read his bedtime story!   

We didn't have a lot going on this weekend, and that was perfect.  We just played around at home and shopped a little, the boys went to visit the kitties at Nana and Pops house, we hit up a few yummy restaurants, and we all enjoyed sleeping in a bit extra.  Daddy is a little under the weather, but it seems to be a head cold rather than the flu.  Thank God for that!  It's almost time for Monday, so the clothes are laid out, the lunches are packed, and the alarm is set.  Thanks weekend . . . it was fun!

Two Little Swimmers!

We began a new swimming lesson session this week, and Lincoln was super happy to be moved up to the Advanced Beginners class.  He's been through Waterbabies, Super Waterbabies, Extreme Waterbabies, AquaTots, and Advanced AquaTots, all with so much progress and fun!  (Well, the initial Waterbabies was not so fun, but it's been all good since then!)  Because of his skill level, he got to skip Beginners and go straight to Advanced Beginners.  He really enjoyed working on a few new skills and loved pushing off the wall.  Happy little fishy!

Beau has attended all of Linc's swim lessons for almost a year, and he's really been yearning to get in the pool for some action.  We started Beau in the Waterbabies class after Linc's lesson, and Beau was super excited!  I had no idea how Beau would take to the water and was worried that he would have the early intrepidation that Lincoln had when he first started.  However, Beau embraced each activity with eager joy, and he had the best time!  After a few moments in the pool, I got the vibe that this was going to be way different from the less-than-happy way Lincoln started out swimming.  I mouthed to Nana through the window to get my phone out of the bag and take a few pictures.  She mouthed back that she didn't know how to work my iPhone, so I responded that she should just hand it to Lincoln.  Sure enough, he entered my password and snapped tons of great pictures.  Beau was happy to wave at Nana and Lincoln, and he liked when Mommy tossed him in the air during the opening songs.  He also loved the motorboat, of course! 

Beau was most excited when we rotated to the gym.  He climbed up fearlessly and jumped into my arms with glee!  After several different stations, Ms. Kerin (our most favorite swim teacher ever) asked if I was ok with letting Beau go under for a second.  He seemed to be comfortable in the pool, so we did a few 1 second dips.  He was totally fine with it, and we all high-fived afterwards!  Luckily Beau got a few more chances to jump to Mommy after our lesson was complete. 

I don't think I can put into words how excited I am that Beau's swim lesson was so easy.  (Lincoln's first 4 months on swim lessons were so incredibly terrible, so I was totally prepared for lots of screaming!)  I'm so glad he had fun, and even Lincoln told Beau several times how proud he was of his little brother.  I think Beau was pretty proud of himself too!  He finally got to participate after watching Linc for so many months, and it seems like it was everything Beau thought it would be!  We called Bubbles on the way home, just as we do after every one of Linc's swim lessons.  This time Beau also got to tell Bubbles that he "swam like a fish"!  Thanks to Lincoln for knowing how to get into Mommy's iPhone, and thanks to Beau for a fun lesson in the pool.  Perhaps wearing a bathing suit in January will not be so bad after all . . . 

Bath Tub Fun

The end of the evening is one of the funniest and most playful times for Lincoln and Beau.  They love to have fun in the tub!  They have rubber duckies, cars, cups, letters, numbers, and measuring spoons to play with.  I'm always reminding them that this is their time to wind down, but they have too much fun!  I asked for a sweet "cheese" for the first picture. 

Beau went back to playing with his cups shortly after.  Lincoln was happy to make some silly faces for me.  He's such a little ham! 

After Linc made his silly pouty face, he busted into giggles.  Beau was working on some serious letter fun, so he wasn't interested in Lincoln's antics. 

The boys got together for a few silly faces.  It's always super fun to stick out your tongue, right?  At least they were sticking out their tongues at each other in fun, instead of in the middle of a fight.  Love that! 

They love to have fun together, and bathtime is so special to them.  I really do tell them several times to calm down and stop the silliness.  We got straight from bath to bedtime stories, and I don't want them so hyped up when we're getting ready for bed.  I guess I should just be so thankful that they love each other so much.  Case in point . . . thankfully Beau went right to sleep, but Linc sang in his bed for over two hours after I tucked him in.  At least he was happily singing in his bed instead of crying!

Official Big Boy Bed!

Time for another super big boy step . . . Lincoln is getting a real big boy bed!!!!  We headed to Costco to pick up a Sealy Posturpedic set, and the boys were so happy to see Nana and Pops there and to sit on the cart with the mattress!  We had a little hiccup when the mattress and box springs didn't fit in my SUV, but Daddy ran to borrow Eric's truck to bring home the goods.  Thanks E!

After our afternoon nap, we began Linc's room re-do!  Our Pottery Barn bedding had arrived in the mail, and we washed our new sheets earlier in the day.  The boys were so happy to help with every step.  First up, assembling the bed frame.  

Of course, we ran into an issue!  We bought a Lifetime Crib before Linc was born, so it would be his crib, then toddler bed, then bid boy bed (headboard and footboard).  Apparently there was a bed frame that we should have purchased at the time.  As Nana and I discussed this afternoon, I'm sure we didn't buy it because we couldn't even imagine that soon-to-be-born baby Lincoln would need a bed frame in the near future!  The standard bed frame we got today was a half inch off from connecting to the headboard.  Bummer!   

Nana and Pops headed over to help assess the situation.  They had recently attached a headboard to a new bed frame, so surely they could fix this too!  The boys wanted to watch for them to arrive, but they couldn't see over the hedge.  They grabbed their stools to give them a height boost! 

After a new set of wood screws, Pop Pop confirmed that we were ready to go!  We're still working on how to attach the footboard, but that can come later!  Linc was just super excited his bed was ready!  Daddy had a few helpers while carrying the box springs and mattress to Lincoln's room.  They were totally crazy with excitement! 

Lincoln was so ready to try out his new bed.  He's been talking about for a couple of weeks, and I think it lived up to his expectations!  Beau watched close by! 

We moved the armoire to where to rocking chair was, and moved the dresser to where to armoire was.  We also created a little reading area with the chairs and book basket.  (I'm still working on moving the wall decor.) 

The boys loved playing in Linc's new bed.  Lincoln was definitely claiming "my new bed", "my new pillow", "my new quilt", and "my new ..." a lot this evening.  Beau was really excited to be involved and get to play in the new bed, but . . .  

. . . perhaps he got a little tired of Lincoln's "my new" phrases.  He started arguing with Lincoln that it was Beau's new bed, etc.  By the time we were ready for bed, it was all hugs and kisses.  Beau will get his own big boy bed one day, but for now he's learning how to play nicely in Linc's big boy bed.  As we cleaned out Lincoln's room this afternoon, I was hit with a memory of the day we moved in to our home.  I was due to have Lincoln in just a few weeks, and I distinctly remember when we set up his nursery.  Nursery no more - it's all big boy room!  I'm so happy that he's welcoming this change with so much excitement!  He eagerly climbed in bed with 4 stuffed animals, two pillows, 10 books and a flashlight.  At least he won't be lonely in that big bed, I guess.  What a big boy!!!

Sweetness Captured by Surprise

Daddy was surprised when he found Lincoln and Beau being super cute and brotherly on the couch tonight and had to snap a few pictures.  What a sweet time they had being together . . . it only lasted for a minute or two, but it was great!

Beau is 22 months!

I think Beau is 22 months old, and I know he's due for an update on the blog!  Things have been so busy and crazy for the last few months, and I don't think I've taken a few moments to just write about our busy little guy.  Beau has made the transition to baby-toddler to boy-toddler really quickly!  The boys stayed home with me for two full weeks during the Christmas and New Year break, and Beau picked up all kinds of new things.  He really developed quickly having Linc as his main playmate.  His vocabulary and communication skills skyrocketed, as if he wasn't already smart enough!  Bubbles says that he's too smart for his age, and he's right!  (Bubbles said the same thing about Lincoln, and he was right about that too.)  Beau loves to pretend with food and cooking.  He is always bringing me food and wanting to have picnics with play food.  He is always ready to warn me not to eat his favorite things though!  He'll be running off to get more play food, but stop to give me a serious order not to eat his three donuts!  (Just to note, he doesn't even like real donuts, but the play ones are super yummy!)  What a silly guy!

Beau is such a good eater, and he's proudly weighing in at 30 lbs.  There are very few foods that he doesn't like - I can only think of meatloaf, blueberries and eggs.  He's mostly excited about breakfast, lunch, dinner and all snacks!  His favorite foods right now are bananas, waffles, macaroni & cheese, rolls, cauliflower, apple slices, pretzels, and pizza.  Each time someone asks Beau what he had for breakfast/lunch/dinner, he happily responds "PIZZA"!  Yeah, we eat pizza once a week, but he loves it so much that he talks about every day.  

Beau is mostly a happy, silly, and fun kiddo . . . but the Terrible Twos have appeared in the last 7 days.  Seriously, it's totally terrible!  I know (from experience) that it will pass, even in a relatively short time.  I understand that his little mind is telling him that he can protest anything and everything, but we need to work through this quickly and understand that Mommy's rules aren't to be protested!  It's 30 degrees out, you have to wear socks, shoes and a jacket.  (He screamed at me that it was just chilly out, so he could just wear crocs and a sweatshirt!)  Poor Beau throws massive fits about the smallest things, but I know he can't really help it right now.  I'm trying to take away some of the triggers to avoid some meltdowns.  Apparently, he never throws fits at school, but Ms. Jennifer witnessed one when I picked him up this afternoon.  She told him that was no way to treat Mommy, and to do exactly what Mommy said.  He frowned and went back to his seat quietly.  Three times tonight he was on the cusp of a fit, but I reminded him of what Ms. Jennifer said.  He buttoned up each time and mumbled "mind my Mommy".  Thanks Ms. Jennifer!!!  I might shower her with a million gifts if she can keep this up!  

Beau really is the best little 22 month old ever.  I love his silly and strong-willed personality.  I love his eagerness to be involved with every single thing we do.  I love his chubby hugs.  I love that he loves pizza!  I love that he sings me songs in the sweetest, most innocent little voice ever.  I love that he (mostly) adores his big brother.  I love every minute that Beau is being Beau.  I can't believe he will be 2 so soon.  Happy 22 months, Beau!

Our Weekend

Lincoln had been excitedly anticipating Friday morning for a whole week . . . they were having a breakfast party in his class at Preschool!  The kids got to wear their own chef hat and help prepare waffles, quesadillas and fruit salad.  We may have a little chef on our hands!  Lincoln had so much fun!  He was one of the waffle stir-ers!

Linc might have some friendly competition for the title of Kuhlman Family Chef!  Beau is completely obsessed with all things cooking.  If he not cooking at the little Sesame Street kitchen, he's making soup at the fireplace, sandwiches on the couch, and spaghetti in the bed.  Seriously . . . he's cooking everywhere all the time!  Today he made soup for me with a chicken leg, a slice of bread, grapes and peppermint (actually a bell pepper, but he got a little confused).  He loves to tell me the ingredients he's cooking with!  I made chocolate chip cookies after dinner, and my little helper was super involved - well, he was involved with eating a ton of chocolate chips!  At least he kept me company! 

We spent most of Saturday hanging out at home because it was cold and rainy.  Dinner at Mattito's was definitely the highlight for all!  The boys are kind of into holding hands right now.  It's super cute!  They are either holding hands and super close OR pushing and crying at each other.  The highs and lows of being brothers, I guess! 

A visit to Nana and Pops house was on the agenda for Sunday, and the boys loved to see the kitties.  Emmitt was (kind of) gracious and let Beau pet him repeatedly.  Gracie was trying her best to ignore the small yet beastly people interrupting her quiet afternoon.  Of course everyone had so much fun! 

We finished the weekend with a nice nap, a yummy dinner (White Chicken Chili), and a little cuddle time.  I think we are rested and ready to start the new week.  There are a few fun things coming up . . . stay tuned!

Sweet and Silly Singing

Singing is a very common event for Lincoln and Beau (and unfortunately, Mommy too)!  The boys love to learn new songs, sing old ones over and over again, and make up their own silly songs.  Beau is the sweetest little alphabet singer ever, and I was so glad to capture this song.

Lincoln can be a super sweet singer (a peaceful Hark!  The Herald Angel Sings) or a wild maniac singer (I Had a Little Turtle).  See below for evidence of the wild maniac side!

I've probably watched these videos on my phone a hundred times already, Kevin has watched them a ton, as have Nana/Pops and Minnie/Bubbles.  (Probably Ally to, but I haven't questioned her yet!)  I bet we'll all watch them again a million more times!  Oh, and the boys really like to watch themselves too . . . they do not have a lack of self confidence one bit . . . they think they are super!

Hanging with Daddy

The boys love to crash Daddy's office, and he's usually game to take a break from working to hang out for a bit.  Lincoln was practicing his safety scissor skills, and Beau ran in with a snack!  The guys chatted for a while and had a great time on Daddy's couch.

Lincoln is really into "dessert" right now.  I usually let him pick, and he alternates between cupcakes, cookies  and Popsicles.  (I totally let them live it up with dessert . . . they eat veggies and only healthy foods all day long!)  Daddy joined them for a Popsicle treat after dinner.  He was excited to try out their new Jolly Rancher flavored Popsicles . . . all were happy with their treat.   

The boys really love the to hang out with Daddy.  Lincoln is always eager to run an errand to Home Depot or Central Market with Daddy.  Beau is still too into Mommy, but I know he'll be begging to tag along soon. We love Daddy!

New Shoes!

Occasionally, I'm not the most "on top of it" Mom!!  Who could believe that, right?  Lincoln has a pair of school tennis shoes that he wears only to school.  He has church shoes, Crocs and Rain Boots that he wears pretty exclusively outside of school.  As of December 21, Linc was loving his regular school tennis shoes.  I washed them and let them dry after his last day, and he wore only the others for 16 days.  (I'm justifying here, just so you know!)  Apparently his feet have grown like crazy during the break.  He complained on Monday morning that his school tennis shoes were too tight.  I explained that they were kind of tight after they were washed, but they would stretch out during the day.  On Tuesday morning, he gave me the same complaint, so I checked the size.  The tag said 8.  I went and checked his church loafers that I bought a month ago and saw that they are size 10!!!  Whoops, I think this Mommy needed to get to the shoe store pronto!!  I ran over to the Galleria at lunch and picked up a several pairs of shoes for him to try on.  Daddy was surprised by the Air Jordans, but Linc didn't like them.  He picked a pair of Nike Shocks and a pair of Nike Lunarglides . . . both in size 10!!!  It was so fun to try on and model the new shoes.  His first pick was the Nike Shocks.  

The next pick was the (just released, according to the girl at Nordstroms) Lunarglides.  I know Bubbles is definitely happy with Linc's selections.  He would happily wear matching shoes if they were available! 

Lincoln proudly showed of his favorite pairs and made sure to tell me that he needed both.  I'm sure it's a good idea to alternate shoes each day, so Linc wins!!!   

Seriously, he didn't want to put them down!!  You would think he never gets anything new, right?!?!  I'm just glad his little toes won't be smushed again.  Sorry, buddy! 

I didn't take any pictures of Beau during our fitting session, but he really got interested in trying on shoes too. I got a few pairs of Linc's size 8 tennis shoes from the closet so he could participate.  I haven't neglected Beau lately, as he's comfortable in his size 7s.  The boys had so much fun with their new shoes, and I only have a few rejects to return.  I'm pretty sure it's easier to try on a bunch of new shoes in the comfort of home rather than in a busy Nordstroms.  

Last Day of Vacation!

Our last official day of Christmas vacation was Friday. The boys and I have been home for over two weeks. We've enjoyed so many hours of fun, lots of visitors from Arkansas, New York and California, tons of shopping, and even a nice number of naps!!

We began our Friday by sleeping late (thanks guys!), then headed out for a few hours if fun. Since Lincoln and Beau (especially Beau) are really in love with pizza right now, we had a Mommy/Sons date at Carmine's. It was so fun! I had them cut the boys giant slice in half, and even that was so big!! Linc did his best to handle the slice. He kept remarking with wide eyes how big it was. Beau was in heaven of course. I helped him out a few times, and he loved picked the pepperoni of the top to eat first! We shopped a bit after lunch then headed to Cool Cuts for a trim. I have been trying to let their hair grow longer for a few months, but I just couldn't stand the scraggly look any more. They had fun and sat still in the big taxi chair for Miss Olivia. The suckers at the end were definitely the best part. Whew! After all that, we headed home for a nap. Of course, we met the usual gang at Mi Cocina for dinner to end the evening. I can't believe this vacation is over, and we have really had such a great time. The boys played so well together; we all did actually!! Back to the school and work routine on Monday. Linc actually said he was excited to play with his friends, and Beau has been asking about Ms. Jennifer. I bet they will be happy to get back to normal ... If only Komen would adopt a nap time policy for 2013!!!

Pictures from Marian

While Nana, Marian and Larry were playing with the boys on Monday, Marian snapped 120 pictures!  She's quite the picture-taker!  (I think she and Larry took 800 pictures back during our wedding weekend in 2005, and that was one long disk to sort through!)  She emailed me a few that were too cute, so I needed to share them.  Lincoln and Beau were caught in a spontaneous hug.  Linc is always grabbing Beau when he has little outbursts of love, but Beau is not always so happy to reciprocate.  Luckily, Beau was in the hugging mood for a moment.

Beau can make many "sweetest faces ever", and his big blue eyes and sassy look came out.  He's very expressive!

After the Christmas decor was all put away, we began the clean-up.  Beau was super excited to help with his new broom and dust pan.  He and Larry worked together, and they did a lot of sweeping.  Larry and Beau seem to be of like mind in the wardrobe department.  (Actually, maybe it's Larry and Mommy since I'm the one who chooses Beau's outfits!)  On this day, they were wearing red tops and black pants.  On Christmas eve, they were wearing matching black sweaters with blue and gray diamonds.  Such good buddies! 

Lincoln was entertaining everyone with his acrobatic skills on the gymnastics mat.  I think this was a crazy forward roll.  We've also been practicing cartwheels and headstands.   

The roller coaster was a big player on Monday afternoon.  Beau is so much braver than he was at first, but he still has to squeeze his eyes shut just as he comes of the end of the coaster.  It's so precious! 

Thanks for the pictures, Marian.  My kids are definitely not strangers to cameras in their faces all the time.  I love to document each sweet and funny thing with a picture and caption.