Our Weekend with Bear

Lincoln is Star of the Week in his Preschool class, and that means that the class mascot gets to come spend the weekend with us.  Bearriffic came home with us on Friday evening, and we had lots of fun.  Not only did we include Bear in all of our weekend activities, we also had to document the fun to add to the class scrapbook. 

Apparently I'm not too computer savvy because I can't get the pics to rotate . . . oh, well!  We'll just have to turn our heads sideways to read about what all Bear got to do with us.  Lincoln was most excited to look at the scrapbook that comes with Bear.  He loved to see his school friends in picutres with Bear.  What a fun preschool project!  I hope we get to spend another weekend with Bear before this year is over.

Outside Time

What wonderful warm (but pleasant) weather we've been having!  We've logged a few miles in the double stroller each evening, and the boys are happy with their snacks while Mommy gets a serious workout pushing almost 100 pounds of kids/stroller!  I know the 100 degree evenings are coming soon, so we're enjoying this activity while we can!  Last night we had an up close encounter with a squirrel, and tonight a rabbit came right up to us!  They both love to watch the doggies and bicyclers on the trail by our house. 

 We played in the backyard tonight after our stroller session.  Beau is loving the little slide, and he also likes the little swing.  But mostly he loves to stomp around the backyard and throw the toys and rocks around.  (Not Mommy's favorite thing!)

 Lincoln was a swinging/sliding/climbing monster tonight!  He only got in on Beau's activities when he was worried that Beau was going to steal his favorite rocks.  Yeah . . . he has favorite rocks . . . further classified as indoor rocks, outdoor rocks, and even a pet rock.  Rocks are no joke around here!

It was such a fun evening.  I think the outside time does everyone good.  There is so much less fussing and fighting once we come back in, and that's always a good thing. 

Side note:  Lincoln's class is studying the letter B this week.  He's come home telling me a million B words.  Today they celebrated the letter B by eating banana splits!  I wish I went to that preschool!  He was so proud to tell me about his banana, ice cream, chocolate sauce and sprinkles for snack!  He also gave me an entire dictionary of B words as I was pushing the stroller tonight.  We never quit learning!

Baseball Fever

Lincoln was in complete baseball mode after practice this weekend.  We found a t-ball game being played at our neighborhood elementary school, so of course we had to go!  Linc loved watching the big boys play ball!  After observing a wild throw, Lincoln yelled out a critique of the little boy's throw  - "That was a bad throw, Mommy!"  I shushed him and hoped the little boys parents weren't anywhere near us! 

 It was really fun to watch a baseball game up close.  Lincoln was pretty amazed and had lots of fun.  Beau and I sat in the bleachers and cheered for every hit, throw and run.  We also sang The Itsy Bitsy Spider a million times and charmed the other moms around us. 

After the game, Lincoln got to run the bases and was in heaven!  We also discovered that a local radio celebrity (wait, is that an oxymoron?) was one of the dad coaches and and a guy I work with at Komen was one of the other dad coaches.  Small world!!!  I think we will be making many more trips to our little ballpark until the season is done.  If only there was a potty . . . Linc said he needed to go, and one of the dads suggested a tree!!!  We better make sure to use the potty before we go!

Bath Buddies

Bathtime is quite the ritual for Lincoln and Beau, and it has always been completely separate.  I began asking Lincoln a couple of months ago if he wanted Beau to join him in him bath. I always got a resounding NO!  I layed off for a few weeks, and Linc asked me on Friday night if Beau could get in and play . . . sure!  It's quite a chore to entertain Beau, who is in the bathroom with us during Linc's bath.  He mostly unrolls the toilet paper, digs in the trash can, and pulls everything out from under the sink.  Bring on the double bath!

After a few moments of confusion from Beau, they got busy having fun! 

 They splashed a ton, squirted each other with water, argued over the best bath toys and had a great time!  It is much easier to bathe them together, even though I come out a little drenched from all of the splashing. 

I love that they are becoming more and more attached.  They really play well together (until it comes to sharing and toy-stealing), and they love to make each other laugh.  Happy bathtime for everyone!

More Brother Pics

I don't think I'll ever get over the idea of a perfect "brother" picture. My subjects are equally determined to make this quest interesting! One of them is usually not looking or paying attention . . .

Initially Beau was all excited and ready, but Lincoln was not interested. Lincoln felt the urge to give Beau a big hug, which was fun for about 3 seconds! I'm glad I was firing away with the camera and caught a happy look from Beau. He does not particularly enjoy being squeezed so hard. How about a couple of sweet smiles?!?! This was probably picture 30 within 2 minutes.

I don't know what happened to get this reaction, but I do love the happy faces.

Nothing is better than seeing them happy together.

Beau is 13 Months Old

Beau's thirteenth month has flown by faster than any other month! He moved up to the Toddler Room at school, busted out two molars, and learned so many new things. He's a sure-footed walker, though he gave us a scare with a limp after an insect bite aggravated his foot. All is well, and he's back to practically running around everywhere! Beau is a great eater and sleeper (fingers crossed forever on that one!), and loves to play. His vocabulary is still pretty much Momma, Dada, Bye-Bye, Uh-Oh and sometimes Nana! He follows directions and knows how to find Lincoln, a book, his cup, and several other toys. He is gaining more understanding each day, and he is making lots of different sounds. My sweet boy will point to something and "say" what he wants, but we just don't understand him yet. Before long, he'll be chattering away! After a yucky experience of getting two molars in a week, he's back to his normal sweet, cuddly self. He's still pretty willful and demanding . . . do they grow out of that?!?!

We've all been singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" a lot lately, both at home and at school. He's really into this song and finally participates in the hand gestures. He laughs every single time we sing it! Here is Beau doing The itsy bitsy spider climbs up the water spout . . . "
He sings on the move, so here is where he had moved to for "down came the rain and washed the spider out."

I couldn't keep up for the last two verses. He's a mover! I'm so glad we're done with Molar 1 and Molar 2, but I know we have four more regular teeth and Molar 3 and Molar 4 in our future . . . oh, the pain! Even with teething troubles, Beau is such a sweetie. He has strong opinions, but is also so loving. He and Lincoln have a strong bond, and I often turn to Lincoln to calm Beau down when he's upset. A song our two from Linc usually gets Beau back to his right state. Just this morning when Beau was upset about getting in his car seat, Linc said, "Beau, I love you, but you need to calm down!" I don't think anyone could sum it up better!!!!

Togetherness

I have been very understanding of the difficulty of getting a cute picture of Lincoln and Beau together recently . . . or for the last year, to be more specific! I think they can both be pretty cooperative now, but that apparently does not apply when they are together! Beau was playing in Mommy's chair, and Linc wanted to join him. I ran for the camera, knowing this was my best chance at no one being able to run away.

Lincoln was into being silly, and Beau couldn't help but look at him like he was crazy! I hear ya, Beau!

More silly from Lincoln, and a "wait, we're not ready" from Beau!
I handed out a few Elmo playing cards to bring some calm, but that backfired! There were a few fights over who had which card, and perhaps even a few screams! Linc tried to fight through it, but Beau was dead set on getting that card.

I totally gave up the pleading for them to look at the camera and smile, Linc traded with Beau to give Beau the card he desperately wanted, and both were content.

Not the picture I was going for, but I'm happy with a picture of my sweet boys playing together. They really do love each other, but sometimes it's so hard. When one wants to hug and snuggle, the other throws a fit . . . and vice versa. A little brother bonding time goes a long way, and I'm glad I caught them in action!

What's up today with Linc and Beau?

Lincoln's preschool held Parent/Teacher Conferences this week, and I was so anxious to hear all about his time at school. His teachers are so sweet and so creative and come up with so many fun activities for them each day. Linc is always talking about the class pet (fish), making fun foods (green eggs and ham, waffles, guacamole), learning silly songs, and the new words he learns about the letter of the week. He totally loves Preschool! I wasn't disappointed in our meeting . . . his teachers said he amazes them every day with his smarts! He can identify all 26 letters and many words for each letter, counts to thirty, follows directions well, loves to learn new songs, and knows all the days of the week, plus many more super awesome things! I was so proud that he has wow-ed them! The one comment the teachers had for me was that Lincoln doesn't eat lunch at all. I know he's a little picky, but they were sure that no amount of their begging could make him eat a bite. He even sneaks his plate to the trash so they don't notice that he hasn't eaten anything. They recommended that I bring him a lunch so he doesn't go hungry. I almost cried when I packed his first lunch . . . Seriously, how is he old enough for a lunch sack?!?! I made him a little ham and cheese sandwich, a bag of triscuits and a banana. He was so excited that he got to carry the insulated bag he decorated during Dr. Suess week. Miss Shaye said he ate every bite!!!! So glad my (not so little) baby is loving Preschool! After a yummy dinner and a bit of playtime tonight, I asked Kev if he thought Beau was walking funny. He's gotten so much more sure-footed, but it seemed like he was off balance. We checked him out and discovered a giant red lump on his foot, so off to the emergency clinic we went. I had terrible visions of a broken foot from some terrible thing crashing on him, but our doctor assured us that it was just a swollen insect bite. What a relief!!! I gave him iburofen and benadryl, and other than a small limp he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.

I'm hoping Lincoln continues to love his bag lunches and that Beau's bite heals quickly. He was super happy tonight in spite of his little ailment. Just to give an update on his teething: his second molar broke through today! I hope we get a molar break . . . those are not fun! Poor little guy! Perhaps he has gotten a little used to the pain, but I can't stand it!

Let's Go Fly A Kite

An unexpected (stranger) friend introduced Lincoln and our family to flying kites at the park a few weeks ago. Linc can talk of nothing else so he's lucky that the Easter Bunny put a kite in his and Beau's basket last Sunday. It's been rainy or not windy for the last few nights, but tonight we busted out the kite and gave it a trial run. As long as he would run through the yard holding the string up, the kite would stay airborne. I was having a bit of difficulty with explaining when to let the string loose. First run . . . no worries! (Beau might be chewing on the soccer goal in the background of this picture, but there's no judging allowed!)

Look at all the air he got on that one! Linc ran all the way from our neighbor's yard to the far side of our yard. He was rewarded with a bit of flying time! He loved it!
Beau was in charge of the bubble machine for most of the evening. He loves to push the buttons and soak in the bubbles! He chase Lincoln and the kite a few times but always went back to the bubbles! (Perhaps I should retire any shirt when his belly peeks out! Just a "note to self" moment!)

We kept on flying the kite for what seemed like hours . . . well, at least until it got dark. Linc is in love with this new activity. I think I'm on board because it's cheap, promotes exercise, and requires no travel.

Bring on the wind! It's time for Kuhlman Kite Flying Season!

Crazy!

Crazy happens often around here. Life with two kids and a full schedule of work, preschool and lessons makes for a lot of crazy times. I guess I don't know it any other way, but I'm always trying to control the crazy. Healthy meals, outside exercise, lots of reading, and plenty of manners lessons make me feel like I have some control over the crazy . . . but it is what it is!!!

Lincoln was doing his best crazy faces tonight during the bath!

Beau's crazy personality is just emerging, and he's getting pretty silly. I'm so glad that his teething pain is subsiding a bit. He loves to high five and clap and even thinks silly faces are too funny. The most crazy thing about Beau these days is his (too long) wild hair! Every day his hair is totally crazy . . . especially when he gets ravioli or some other especially messy lunch on his hands that he can't help but smear all in his hair! Oh, Beau!!!!
Don't worry . . . we're getting hair cuts on Saturday afternoon. I can't take this wild hair much longer! I hope I'm relaxing a bit as a Mom and less anxious about the crazy times. I think I may even be able to laugh and enjoy them!

Easter Festivities

Dying eggs is one of my favorite Easter activities! Beau got in on the action this year. Both boys had fun choosing colors and not so much fun waiting on the dye process. It's hard to be patient!

After a lovely church service, we met Nana and Pops at the Park Cities Hilton for a yummy brunch. Apparently I've really been sheltering my children from some tasty things! Lincoln discovered a mad love for orange juice and french toast. (We immediately went to the grocery store to buy orange juice because he loved it so much!) Beau went crazy with the french toast too! He ate at least 3 slices and charmed all of our neighboring tables!

After brunch, we headed to Nana and Pop's house for an egg hunt. Linc is an expert egg hunter! He loves it! Beau likes the hunt too. He gets distracted with banging the eggs together, but he had lots of fun!

The Easter Bunny (Nana) hid a few monetary surprises in the eggs. Linc picked up on this right away and decided he should shake the eggs to determine if they were "keepers" or not! The ones that were quiet were generously given to Beau . . . he didn't find out until later that the "quiet" ones had dollars in them instead of change!

The Easter Bunny left a few fun things for everyone . . . Beau enjoyed his new book!

The boys were really interested in the alphabet puzzle. What a sweet picture of them together!

Thank you to Nana and Pops for a fun Easter holiday! Yummy food and fun gifts make us all happy!

We didn't make it to church early this year, even though we knew about the impending crowds. (Last year I had to fight with elbows to keep enough space for us on our normal pew!) We ended up on the next to last row in the balcony, but we all enjoyed the service. There was a video shown with Amazing Grace as the soundtrack. Lincoln was so excited and started to sing along . . . then the song stopped in he middle for people to talk . . . that made Lincoln really mad. He yelled out that the song was messed up and got a few laughs from our section. He does love to sing Amazing Grace! More pics to follow!

More Egg Hunting

Since we all love Easter Eggs, we're getting in a lot of hunting time these days. Both boys really love to be outside, and hunting for eggs in the trees and bushes is really fun.

Beau was looking so cute with his egg and basket, but this picture is deceiving. He is having a little bit of a rough time right now. On Monday he started having some teething pain, and his appetite began to decline. Tuesday was going ok until the weather really messed up the afternoon. We had extremely severe storms, hail and 15 tornadoes in the Metroplex. Since the tornadoes were close to the school and the classrooms face outside (lined with windows), they went into lockdown mode. That meant the kids and teachers were safely waiting out the storms in bathrooms, walk-in closets, storage rooms, breakrooms, and any other space that was interior and windowless. It took over 2 hours for the threat to pass, and Beau had just about lost it! His teacher (our favorite, Ms. Jennifer!) was so sympathetic to his emotional state, but all they could do was hold him and wait. Poor baby was so upset that he couldn't keep down a single bite of food or liquid that night. His teething pain was probably just worse after such a trying day, and he was really suffering. He stayed home on Wednesday to recuperate, and he was feeling much better by the evening. He ate better today and was able to keep everything in him. We even got a few hours of giggles tonight! These teeth better hurry up . . . I hate seeing my baby in this much pain!
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, Linc had the best time in his storage closet as they rode out the storm. He was with his teacher, his two (twin) little girlfriends, and two buddies. They played alphabet blocks, learned a silly song about a turtle, made fun of Kingston for eating boogers and had a grand time. He told me it was the best day ever! Linc also told all of his friends about thunder. One of our best discussions ever . . . thunder is a rain drum in the sky that goes boom, boom so we'll know it's raining. His teacher told me that he was comforting one of the girls, patted his leg and said, "Come here Lindsey. It will be ok." He gave her a hug and whispered in her ear to make her laugh. Is that the sweetest thing ever?????

Neighborhood Egg Hunt

Our neighborhood association had the Annual Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday afternoon, and we were so excited! Beau's age group went first, but he was really more interested in the other kids than the eggs. He's found a few eggs at our home Easter Egg Hunts, but this was way more exciting because there were so many people!

Linc and Daddy were more successful at the 3-4 year old hunt. Linc was ready to grab eggs for his basket . . . except that Mommy forgot the basket. I had the double stroller and diaper bag loaded down for a week's stay at the park (water cups/bottles, snacks, sunscreen (3 kinds!), diapers, wipes, hand sanitizer, toilet seat covers, hats, and sunglasses), but I forgot the basket.

Daddy and Linc improvised . . . cargo pockets instead of an Easter basket! I know this is the most ghetto Easter basket ever, but neither of them minded. I was totally thinking the neighbors must think we're so trashy, but I had lots of sunscreen and water to lend them in case of emergency!
To give all the kids a chance to find eggs, there was a dozen egg limit. Linc quickly stuffed Daddy's pockets and headed off the course. I'm picturing this high five in slow mo with a super cool rap song (think the destroying the fax machine scene in Office Space for inspiration) as he makes his exit! We've laughed for hours over this one!

We headed to the shade for a break, and I got a few Beau hugs. He found another girlfriend while we were chillin' - what a lady killer!

Daddy and Linc checked out the eggs and found candy, silly bands and stickers - score!

We played on the playground for a while, and Linc loved to slide with Daddy. It was a really nice Sunday afternoon. We're on a Easter egg high right now, but I love it!

Saturday Fun

One more birthday party was necessary to round out the month of March . . . Lincoln and Clare share the same birth date (March 30), just 3 years apart. Clare was such a great hostess at her 6th party and was so kind to acknowledge that she and Linc shared the same birth date. She thanked us for the fun she (and her sisters and brother) had at Linc's party, and they had lots of fun on the swings together. Lincoln was amazed at how high Clare could swing so she offered to push him for a while. So sweet that they are birthday buddies!

After the backyard fun and lots of Easter egg themed activities and crafts, we all headed out for a giant egg hunt. Linc loves to hunt for eggs, and Casey told me that he hid 280 eggs for the kids to find! Linc was so excited when he found an egg that had chocolate in it! What a fun party!
After a fun party, lunch and a nap, we headed to the park to enjoy the wonderful weather. Daddy was away at a work event for the day, so Nana and Pops joined us. Linc climbed up the rocks and gave his best "muscle" pose!

Beau had lots of fun at the park too. He is so independent and loves to check out all of the playground equipment.

Lincoln loves to slide! There were so many slides to choose from, but the fast one was his favorite!

Mommy did lots of sliding too . . . the twisty slide was next to the fast slide, and Linc wanted to race each time. If only sliding was a workout . . . perhaps the climbing counts?!?!

Nana and Beau had lots of fun in the swing. He took a few turns on the little slide and found a girlfriend too!

Pops and Linc tried out their first kite, and it was a huge success! Linc was so excited even when it crashed a few times. He squealed with glee the whole time! Thank goodness for a light wind!

We had a great Saturday with wonderful weather to enjoy!