What happened to the week?

Ok this post is one I started 5 days ago:

Rob was out of town this week so it seemed a bit more difficult to get to the computer. While he is only here a few hours that the boys are awake, those are very important hours :-)

It snowed here this week. Below are pictures of the craziness. I did let the kids out for a bit. Anthony loves the snow...must be an Alaska baby.

The big news of the week is that Anthony is potty trained. I know we will have set backs and it won't always be fabulous. For instance...how will be make the 1.5 hour drive to the airport. But over all, it is good. He is super proud of himself. Also, little boy underpants are just so cute.

I let the boys water color yesterday. Gabe seemed to think it was make-up.

Small Victories

In potty training, you must take the whatever victories you can. Yesterday morning was awful...we only made it to the potty only once without peeing first. The afternoon was better, but only because I was more diligent. This morning is looking up. He went once on his own. Hoorah!

Happy Easter

Here are a couple of pictures of the kids 'hunting' eggs.

Gabe liked the Easter Basket. I put a new book and a toy fishing game in there along with a couple of loose candies.

Anthony figured out quick that opening the eggs revealed all sorts of treasures (M&M's his favorite)

Ok, so Gabe really didn't get the hunt thing. He just liked finding stuff to pick up.

Now we finally have the hang of it!

We had a nice quiet Easter. I hid some eggs for the boys...ok, mostly just laid them on a the ground. Then we had bunny pancakes and went to church. Rob spent he afternoon laying down new soil and seed to try and bring our lawn up to snuff (another reminant of the old owners). I painted cabinets. Now at least all of the bottom cabinets have doors to keep out little hands :-) The best Easter gift was that we wnet out for dinner and I didn't have to cook OR do dishes. Rob also totally took care of the boys during dinner so I could actually eat my meal.

Oh well, I must go now. Anthony is potty training and we are 1 for 3 this morning. At least the 1 time we got to the potty in time was for a poop. Take the victories that you can.

What to feed the kids?!?

Tonight we had crab and shrimp for dinner. The kids almost out ate mom and dad. Keep in mind they won't really touch a PB&J sandwich. It was great to watch them just devour a really healthy meal complete with a ton of fresh green beans.

Our farmer's market opens in a couple of weeks...can't wait. Lots of fresh local produce :-)

Best Day Ever

At least if you are a 2 year old it was. Today I had a doctor's appt on Ft Lewis. So Rob met me there to watch the kids and have a little break. On the way home, Anthony saw: helicopters, STRYKER vehicles, a fire engine, cows, sheep, and horses. That was in addition to riding the escalator 10 times with dad and getting to go in the elevator. For him, it just doesn't get much better.

i am sure we will talk about this for days on end!

Coloring Eggs

Today anthony and I colored Easter Eggs. If you are thinking of doing this with small kids, I would recommend waiting until they are 30 before trying this. But he had a great time. Yes, he is naked...didn't want to ruin any clothes.

A friend from Alaska made knit both of the boys blankets when they were born. Then had to knit some spares. But theboys love them. Neither can sleep without an Um Blanket (for Oma Kathy). The latest is that we huddle in our blankets on the couch. So this is a pic of them huddled in their Um Blankets. As a note, no other blanket will do for huddling. Guess it is always wonderful to be wrapped in love no matter what your age.

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a spring party yesterday with the MOMS Club. The kids had a great time. Nothing like watching toddlers hunt for eggs. Gabe found a little chocolate covered pretzel and just went to town.

In other news, I have finished a few more cabinets. They look great. I will post pics of that as things get a little more finished. The downside to big projects is that it is easy to leave the mundane day-to-day chores undone. Last night Rob and I were up until 1130 cleaning up the kitchen and living room. I am so glad he helped, it would have taken me a week by myself.

Crazy toddler fears

So, Anthony used to love the bath and now he is petrified of it. Apparently Rob started lettng the water out when Gabe was still in the tub and Anthony flipped out. Prior to this moment, Anthony showed no propensity to being afraid of the drain. In fact, he pulls the plug usually when he gets out. Now, every day after dinner he states, "No bath tonight for Anthony. No bath for Gabe." This too shall pass I guess. Surely he will not leave for college still afraid of the bath drain.

On Sat we went to a friend's 1st B-Day party. Here are some pics of the kids playing.

Hold the gravy

Gabe ate mashed potatoes for the first time last night. What a hoot! Unlike soup, they were just thick enough for him to eat with both the spoon and his fingers. Needless to say, he went straight to the bath afterwards. The outfit he is wearing has a little tag that says, "Hello. My name is Mr Popular." Anthony now walks around calling Gabe "Misser Po pee ar."

Today it is raining...I know, big shock in the Pacific Northwest. So, we went to the mall and played at the indoor playground with some friends. They had so much fun, plus we ate out which means french fries. Normally this is Anthony's favorite food, but he informed me today that he likes grapes better.

Playing just because

On Tues and Thurs, Gabriel has baby gym. Mostly just organized play while the moms get to chat. We do a few songs and games then the kids just get to play with toys they don't have at home. I like it because the class has a lot of people I wouldn't necessarily meet elsewhere. Usually, Anthony does not go with us since he has graduated from that grade level. However, as a special treat he went with us today.

Gabe was like a whole new kid with his brother there. Normally, Gabe likes the songs but just sits with me. With Anthony there he was singing and dancing and laughing. He was so much more adventurous and playful. Anthony was great with the other little kids. He took them toys and helped them up and down the slide. I was so proud of the people they are becoming.

Size 6

Yeah. I am back to my prepregnancy size. Hoorah!!!

Twice in One Day

So, here are some pics of the boys.

Gabe makes me think of the song, "Anything you can do I can do better." He is in such a hurry to grow up and be just like his big brother. A friend once said that having them so close kept her from mourning the passing of a stage with the oldest. I think having them so close actually makes it worse. Gabe has no desire to do all the baby things I did with Anthony. While he is still a total cuddle-bug, he is also a daredevil chasing his brother off every cliff.

We have a little hill in our back yard. Well, little for me as it is about 3 steps...but it must seem like a mountain to the kids. Anthony will get half way up and then scream that he just can't do it. Gabe on the other hand just plows ahead, even if it means getting on his hands and knees to crawl up.

I think it will be interesting to watch them grow with such different personalities in the same house.

As many of you know we are in the midst of redoing our kitchen. We have learned so many new skills...I am extremely thankful for this, or trying to be. here are some pics of the kitchen still in construction phase. Hopefully we will be out of this phase in a few weeks.

I learned that repainting cabinets always takes 5x longer than you plan. I learned in order to spray paint hinges, you must first scrub them for ever with steel wool. I learned that 2.5 year olds don't do well with painting cabinets, but they love to try. And that 1 year olds do an even worse job, but seem to love trying even more.

Good bye to naps

I think Anthony has decided to give up his afternoon nap on a regular basis. Right now he is upstairs singing to him self. I have had the joy of listening to wonderful renditions of "ABC's," "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Mary Had a Little Lamb," and "Six Little Ducks." All were belted out at the top of his lungs. But on the up side, he does stay in his room till I go get him. I must always remember to be thankful for the small blessings.

Recently Anthony changed from 2 full days of childcare to 2 half days. The schedule is really throwing us all out of whack. I am hoping to get us all on schedule by the end of the week so everyone is happy again.

Sorry no new pics today, but will try to get them out tomorrow.

Adjusting to no Grandma

The week after my mom leaves is always a bit hard. Having a second pair of hands all day is really nice. Not that Rob isn't helpful, it's just that well...he's a guy, so his help is a little different.

Right now we are in the throws of remodelling the kitchen. We are about halfway through the cabinet painting. The countertops are laid, but I think we are going to have to rip up one piece because it keeps bubbling up.

The boys are doing great. Anthony and Gabe still spend at least an hour a day gardening. However as I get more plants planted, they become less helpful. :-)

Getting the hang of this

Ok, so it took me a little longer to get the hang of this than I expected. I had both some user and technical errors.

Anyways, my folks left on Tues after spending some time with the boys. We were blessed with pretty good weather and the kids got to spend a lot of time outside. Rob and my dad also put in a new kitchen counter for us. What did I do? I got some much needed sleep and relaxation.

Here are some pics of the boys.

First Step

Hi everyone! So this is my first attempt at blogging. I am hoping that this will allow everyone to keep up with the escapades of the two boys.