Summer Time!

FINALLY there was some worthy weather here in Kalamazoo and we took full advantage of it the other day. We packed a lunch and headed to the park where we spent the majority of our day. We had a great time and the boys both took very long naps that afternoon after getting rid of all that energy they have!

Yearly check-up stats

I took both boys to the doctor yesterday for their yearly check-ups. I have kids who HATE the doctor and scream bloody murder if they come anywhere near them, so I was not looking forward to this trip. Ethan surprised me and was a champ! He let the doctor check him out without shedding a tear, except for when the nurse poked him, that did not go so well, but for the most part, he did great and I was so proud of him! Here are his stats:

Height: 3 ft 4.25 in (97th percentile)

Weight: 36.5 pounds (97th percentile)

Caleb on the other hand screamed the entire time! In fact the doctor could not finish the examination because he was fighting it so much! You can probably guess how the shots went - it took three of us to pin him down! At least I know that Ethan was just like this and he grew out of it, so I am crossing my fingers that Caleb does too! Here are his stats:

Height : 2 ft 9 in (97th percentile)

Weight: 23 pounds (49 percentile)

Head circumference: 49.5 cm (97th percentile)

They are both growing well!

A "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" Party!

The boys had a joint birthday party on Saturday (a plus when you have their birthdays 5 days apart) and had a great time! Thanks to all the family who came out to help celebrate! Caleb had fun opening up this gift and standing on it too! Caleb loved playing with the paper most of the time! Mom and dad got Ethan a shiny red bike for his birthday! It was Aunt Keri's birthday too!

Grandpa Jastifer made the coolest pedal plane for Ethan with his bare hands- it was awesome!

Caleb was so careful when he ate his cupcake:)

The Boys

For some reason I can't seem to get a picture of the boys together! Ethan would rather take pictures than be in them and Caleb will not sit still for pictures, so here are a few that I have smiling or not!

Believe it or not, these are seriously the only pictures I have of the boys at this age right now - pathetic, I know!

A "new" haircut

Jim has been wanting to buzz Ethan's hair like his for awhile now, but I am hesitant. Well the other night Ethan wanted to help buzz Jim's hair. Ethan thought it would be fun to buzz his too - it happened so fast, there was no stopping it. So, Jim got his wish!Here is the new look!

HAPPY 3rd BIRTHDAY ETHAN!

We now have a three year old in the house!! We are so proud of our little guy and the boy he is becoming. We have had such a blast raising him and love having him as part of our family. He has brought so much joy and happiness and we know that this is just the beginning. We have many things to look forward to and several memories to make. Here are a few of the things that I want to remember about Ethan at this age: Ethan then.... Ethan now!

1. He wakes up at 6-6:30am almost every morning!

2. He loves to watch My Friends Tigger and Pooh.

3. He loves playing with water - Jim and I say that he is addicted to it.

4. He will eat ketchup on just about anything.

5. He loves when mommy puts him to bed.

6. He LOVES wrestling with his daddy.

7. He has a love/hate relationship with his brother just like any sibling would (mostly love!)

8. He adores his grandparents.

9. His favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus."

10. He loves putting froth on my cappachino every morning.

11. He loves when people drink pop - he always tries to snag a sip :)

12. He gives kisses and says "I love you" all the time.

13. He loves to vacuum and take pictures.

14. His favorite saying is, "Ethan do it all by himself."

15. His favorite foods are cottage cheese, yogurt, grilled cheese, mac and cheese, peaches, pears, strawberries, and PB & J sandwiches.

16. He likes talking on the phone.

17. He is very proud of himself when he toots.

18. He loves blowing bubbles.

19. He loves going to church and singing.

20. He is a great napper (still 2-3 hours everyday!)

We love you Ethan - happy birthday buddy!!

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY CALEB!

Our sweet Caleb turns one today! He has been such a joy and a great addition to the family. We are lucky to have him in our lives. He is really starting to develop a personality and is cruising all over the place - I see walking in the near future! Here are some things that I want to remember about Caleb: May 2009

May 2010

1. He loves his big brother "Ba-Ba" and wants to do everything that he does.

2. He loves to be tickled.

3. His favorite toy is anything that he can grab and throw!

4. He is very sensitive.

5. He HATES diaper changes!

6. He loves to play with water.

7. He loves to clap and say "yay"

8. His favorite word is "uh-oh".

9. He has the biggest smiles for his daddy!

10. He kicks his legs when he gets really excited!

11. His favorite foods include cheese, strawberries, saltine crackers, popsicles, pretzels,yogurt, and apples.

12. He has to have his pacifier and blanket when he goes to sleep.

13. He loves to eat dirt and sand.

14. He likes when people read books to him.

15. He likes when mommy sings to him. (usually Twinkle- Twinkle Little Star and Amazing Grace).

16. He looks like a vampire with his two pointer teeth and no front teeth yet.

17. Is does not like to cuddle except for right after he wakes up.

18. He laughs the hardest when his brother cries in time-out.

19. He does not like strangers at all!

20. He loves to catch bubbles!

We are very proud of little guy and we love him very much - happy birthday Caleb!!!

Cute Video

Bowling

Ethan and his playgroup went bowling on Wednesday. I was a little skeptical at first, not sure how this would go but the kids had a blast!!! They had 5 pound balls, bumpers, they were able to wear their own shoes and they had a cute dinosaur where kids could put the ball at the head of it and then push the ball down the tail and onto the lane - so cute! Caleb had fun watching his big brother :) There was one time that Ethan knocked down 9 pins!

All the bowlers!

We have a crawler!!!

I wasn't sure if this day would come. Not that Caleb couldn't, he just wouldn't! He started the crawling process just before I left and while I was gone on vacation (of course!) he really started crawling!! It is so much fun to see him get into things and follow me around the house - he is much happier now that he can get around on his own! My little guy is sure not a baby anymore!

Florida Vacation

Yesterday I got back from Florida and had a great time! I of course missed the family, but enjoyed the time that I was able to spend with my sister and grandma. We did everything- went to dinner, the beach, shopping, manicure and pedicures, went for walks, went to Sanibel Island, and I read an entire book in one day while sitting on my grandma's porch with the warm breeze blowing - it was heaven! I feel totally rejuvenated and could not have asked for a better vacation. Thanks Kelly for an awesome time and for everyone who helped me out with the kids - mostly my wonderful husband and mother-in-law!! I am back to reality and happy to be back with the kids and family. Jim and the boys had a great time together - he loved his "boys weekend"!

My BIG Helper

Ethan has been into helping mommy do everything these days, which I love and find so much fun (well most of the time)! This is a picture to show how much he helps me out :)

"Momma, I will help you put butter on your bread."

Thanks for the help Ethan! (Not sure if you tell but there is about half the tub of butter on the piece of bread).

Daddy Daycare

Tomorrow I leave for Florida to see my grandparents and sister and Jim gets to hang out with his boys all weekend!! He is very excited and they will have a lot of fun. Jim's mom is also coming to help out with the boys, which is a huge help! I have never left the boys for more than a night and I have never left Caleb at all, so I am going to miss them dearly, but they will be in good hands :) I am looking forward to some relaxation and good times with my sister and grandparents!!

I sure am going to miss these two boys (All three I should say!!)

Silly Boys!

Ethan thought that it would be a great idea to take a nap in the laundry basket...it did not last long!

This picture was taken by Ethan and I just love Caleb's expression! (Excuse the morning look.)

This picture was also taken by Ethan (who is totally into taking pictures with our camera - good thing for digital!) and I thought he captured a great "what are you doing?" moment of Caleb.

CHEESE!!

Ethan thought that in order to be a good big brother, he needed to have some battle scars so that Caleb did not need to be the only one. He took a dive right into the corner of his bunk bed and it left a big gash on his forehead. He could have used some stitches, but instead we used liquid bandage glue and that seems to be doing the trick!

Oh yeah...yes he is wearing a helmet while driving his car and no we did not tell him he had to :)

Caleb loves making the biggest messes with the toys. Finding him here with toys surrounding him is a common occurrence!

Helping Mom

The other day Ethan wanted to help me make cookies and it ended up that he did it all pretty much by himself with a little help from mom :)
Good thing that these cookies were for our family only because he took lots of licks between each scoop of dough he put on the cookie sheet!

Happy Easter!

We had a great Easter! Ethan really enjoyed coloring Easter eggs with his friend Ava, looking through his basket that the Easter Bunny left and finding all the hidden eggs in our house filled with candy or stickers. Caleb enjoyed his first Easter too, but really was only interested in the grass at the bottom of his Easter basket:) We had a wonderful church service and brunch at my grandma and grandpa's afterward. Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!

Ethan and his friend Ava coloring Easter eggs :)

Check out the eggs that Ethan colored all by himself!

Ethan helping Caleb with his Easter basket.

Ethan loved opening the eggs in his Easter basket to see what was in them and of course eating whatever it was right away before moving on to the next egg.

Ethan with his great-grandma!

Ethan took this picture all by himself!Ethan and Auntie Leigh-Leigh :)