Monday, September 22, 2008

The Many Trick of Mr. S

Now that the baby is 5 months old, he has officially decided to start doing more than just be a slug. Granted, he was a very cute, smiley, wiggly slug, but still a slug. Here are a few of the things our little guy likes to do.

1. Sit up: He can sit pretty well by himself as long as he doesn't forget he's sitting and straighten out his legs. That resulting crash to the ground when this happens is not fun, so mommy tries to stay close. (I have a video of both G-man and Kiwi crashing to the floor because I was not close enough to catch them while taking the video. I'll have to try and get a good crashing video of Mr. S for the sake of tradition).

2. Roll over: It took him a full five months to do it on his own, but now when placed on tummy he will skillfully and quickly roll onto his back. I think he decided it was easier than screaming until mommy turned him over. Although he will scream if forced to repeat this trick more than two or three times. He probably could roll onto his tummy, but I don't think he will anytime soon.

3. Eat Solids: He's only had cereal three times, and is still getting the hang of it. Most of it ends up on his bib, and I think the spoon is more fun than the food, but at least it give him something to do during dinnertime.

4. Bite: I don't know if this kid is teething, but if he can get something close to his mouth, it will go in. His favorite things to gnaw on are his hands/feet, mom or dads fingers, and paper, or at least it would be if mom and dad would let him. That kid has strong jaws, and when he chomps down on a finger, it hurts.

5. Drool: When Mr. S chomps down on your fingers, expect slime along with the pain. He has been drenching his shirts as of late and I may have to start packing some bibs. (oh the horror!)

6. Bounce: Thanks to G. Nancy Mr. S has a place to expend some of his pent up energy. He loves this beast of a play center, especially the little sun that he can grab and chomp down on as hard as he wants.

This kid has a lot of energy right now. He's always moving, always talking, always drooling. I love this stage when he's full of personality but not really moving yet. I dread the challenge of baby proofing my house in a few months. Curse you Legos!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Announcing the Newest Evans


We are proud to announce the latest edition to our growing collection. It is the first appliance that didn't have a pre-designated spot. It is our new upright freezer! Now we can get the quantity of frozen food that we have always wanted! Bread! Meat! More Meat!

Craigslist comes through again.

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Mommy's a Meanie




I can't help but see some resemblance here. Perhaps a cross between Captain Picard and a Romulan? Sometimes I can't help but laugh when he cries.



Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Kiwi Photojournalista Part III: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

How do two children take 170 pictures in one day? Take pictures of every single page of a picture book, take 25 pictures of your baby brother, take 5 videos that were meant to be pictures, and take a picture of every single corner of your playroom and bedroom. And in all the accidental pictures of nothing at all, and you've got one full camera.






Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Kiwi Photojournalista Part II: Our Saturday in Pictures

Park, bike riding, playing with Seth, playing in the playroom, taking 50 pictures of one book, eating dinner, putting together the bunkbeds, going to bed.








Saturday, September 6, 2008

Kiwi, Photo Journalista


They say that you have to take 100 pictures to get a really good one. So Kiwi is trying to get to that level. When we bought a new camera a few months ago, the kids were allowed to use the old one. So today, Kiwi wanted to take pictures. And is she ever. We went to the park, and rode bicycles, and now we have pictures of the handle bars, backs of heads, sidewalks, playground equipment, and bodies without heads. She seems to be getting the hang of it, as the pictures are getting better and better.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Four Months and Counting

I've decided that I'm sick of trying to remember how old my kids were when they started doing different things. Its something that is nice to remember from kid to kid, but I never wrote it down for the first two. So, I thought I'd write it down for Mr. S. Then when we have our fourth kid I will be able to really compare them instead of just guessing. I try to start labeling my kids from a young age. I can just hear myself saying "well Mr. S was sitting up by 5 months, why can't you?"






Anywho, for those who don't care for the developmental rundown, you can stop reading. I've found Mr. S to be a very happy kid, at least when there isn't a camera pointed at him. He's very quick to smile, and is really starting to belly laugh now. He still hates his tummy, and won't roll over. He prefers to sit and stand. As you can see I don't discourage this behavior with the amount of time he spends in the Bumbo instead of on the floor. He is at a stage where he wants to see everything, so I spend a lot of time carrying him around the house. He has found his tose, and loves to put them in his mouth. A month ago he loved to stick his hands in the bath water and suck the water off his fingers. Now he sticks his feet in and sucks the water off his toes. He's also found that if he raises his legs up high and drops them into the water it makes quite a splash (and gets mommy/daddy wet).



He's growing fast and is surprisingly tall. At his last appointment he was 15 pounds, 12 ounces. That seems big to me, for a 4 month old. But, his weight was only in the 50th percentile. His height (can't remember what it was) was in the 75th percentile. Now, those measurement aren't very accurate for those wiggily babies, but he is growing out of his clothes already. It'll be interesting to see if one of our kids can beat the short gene curse. He has one tall grandpa, so it is possible.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Oh Boy! I 've Got Joy!


I am doing Joy School with Kiwi this year. I was in joy school as a kid and wanted to give it a try with mine. Its a lot of work though. Each mom in the group takes turns teaching the kids from the provided curriculum. Its only 2.5 hours, but there are a ton of fun things in each lesson. Its hard to pick which things to do. Today I only had two kids (one was mine) so I decided to do the feet painting activity. Of course, the girls couldn't stop with their feet. I'm not sure if Kiwi was trying to replicate gloves, but it definitely matches her dress. Unfortunately, with paint covering her hands it started getting on her face as she brushed the hair off her forehead. Also, if you look closely you can see a little blue in her nostril. I wonder why?

Labor Day Activities

It was a good day off. We got more digging done in the back yard in preparation for getting a garden going; we got to spend time as a family at the park; and ate out.

All the digging is either killing me or making me stronger. Since I am still alive, I must be getting some huge muscles, because I am sore, sore, sore. My back and shoulders are tired, and my hands are no better. But, we are getting the bermuda (?) grass out of the side of the yard where the garden will be and the fruit trees are.

We made time for a family outing to the park to get G-man to learn to balance on his own on his bike. He has been resistant to getting the training wheels off, even though he can mostly balance without leaning on them. So we took them off, and went to the park to try balancing on the bike while riding on the soft grass. Turns out he has no problem balancing on the bike, and he is so proud to be able to do it on his own. He can even catch himself when he over-balances.

Eating out was fun, the kids were good, even Mr. S was OK with it. We used a gift card that we have had for awhile. After the late lunch early dinner, by the end of the meal, we were all a little grumpy with the long day. We all had plenty to eat, but habits are hard to break, and an hour after we get home, Kiwi asks when are we eating dinner. And when we tell her we aren't, good ol' crocodile tears roll down the cheeks. Some fast redirection later, all is forgotten about being "hungry", and back to normal.

I can't wait to get back to work tomorrow. Too bad it is also a school day.