Tuesday, November 27, 2012
The One About the Cowboy Rock Star
Asher is still in his cowboy phase, but now he is also a rock star. He is constantly listening to my IPOD, singing the songs as loud as he can. His favorite songs are: Me and My Gang and Springsteen. I bought him some over the head headphones, b/c the ear buds kept falling out. Of course, he still insists on wearing his cowboy hat at all times...yes, even with the headphones.
The One About Buddy the Elf
On the morning after Thanksgiving, the boys woke up to find a book and movie all about the Elf on the Shelf. They hunted all through the house and found our very own elf who will live with us until Christmas Eve. After they found the elf, they had to choose a name. Asher needed no time to think. "Let's name him Nutcracker!" Gavin wanted to name him Buddy, and fortunately Asher decided that was okay too. So meet Buddy the Elf!
I don't think it has improved behavior at all, but the boys have so much fun hunting for him every morning. They are up bright and early...by 6:00 a.m. ready to look for him. I look forward to the days when they are teenagers and sleep in till noon. :)
There was a lot of fighting that first day, so Buddy left them a little reminder.
I don't think it has improved behavior at all, but the boys have so much fun hunting for him every morning. They are up bright and early...by 6:00 a.m. ready to look for him. I look forward to the days when they are teenagers and sleep in till noon. :)
The One About Noah and Thanksgiving
Another cute Asher story. This year for Thanksgiving, we went to my aunt and uncle's house. We haven't been there in a few years, so it was fun to get together with everyone. Aunt Ann always has her family and our family there for the holiday, so it's a big group of people. I was telling Asher the names of some of the kids who were going to be there. I told him there might be a boy named Noah. Asher's eyes got really big, and he said, "God told Noah to build the ark." He thought it was THE Noah we have been reading about. :) So cute. I had to explain to him that it was a different Noah. I am glad he is remembering our Bible stories though.
I am working on Christmas cards right now. Since they were all dressed up for Thanksgiving, we attempted to get a cute picture of them together. I shot 65 pictures, and had 2 that were okay. How do photographers get 3 kids to all look at the camera at the same time and smile? I have no idea! So the Christmas card isn't perfect, but it is what it is. Here are a couple that we didn't use.
And a couple pictures of Callum, my happy little boy!
I am working on Christmas cards right now. Since they were all dressed up for Thanksgiving, we attempted to get a cute picture of them together. I shot 65 pictures, and had 2 that were okay. How do photographers get 3 kids to all look at the camera at the same time and smile? I have no idea! So the Christmas card isn't perfect, but it is what it is. Here are a couple that we didn't use.
And a couple pictures of Callum, my happy little boy!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The One About Gavin's 6th Birthday
It's time for my annual birthday post, saying goodbye to age 5 and hello to age 6.
"Five stretched out out like taffy, turning into a skinny, knobby-kneed creature. He was affectionate but found the world far more interesting than his mother. That is how it should be, but knowing that didn't make the transition any easier.
Five was in Kindergarten, so he knew about many things. Things like "helping," which he defined as "telling us what to do." He knew that "manners" meant "always saying, 'May I?'" ("Henry, do you want milk with your dinner?" "No, Mommy, it's 'Henry, may I ask you if you want milk with your dinner...?'") Five knew that you should never leave an intact acorn lying on the ground. "Whole acorns are lucky," he'd tell us, then whisper a wish to the acorn and tuck it in his pocket.
Five was so certain. Every time he issued a declaration, I felt a pang: When would self-doubt kick in? Even as I exulted in his confidence, I worried. When would the world knock him down?"
--Letting Go of Henry, Little by Little
--by Alice Bradley
I see Gavin growing up before my eyes. He has changed a lot since starting Kindergarten. At volleyball games, he used to sit by me and never leave my side. This year he would go run and play with his friends, and I wouldn't see him again until the game was over. I went to school to eat lunch with him the other day, and he left me in the dust. I expected him to grab my hand and lead me through line..nope. I followed him like a puppy dog as he went along his normal routine and chatted with his friends. When school started, I remember him telling me that he didn't want anyone to know when his birthday was and no way was he taking treats to school. One of the paras said he has been reminding everyone about his birthday for the last week. I see maturity in how he communicates and rationalizes. I am constantly amazed at everything he is learning in school. He is doing simple addition in his head, reading sight words, and decoding words by sounds. He is such a great helper with Callum. He is just growing up, plain and simple. I love to just sit and talk to him.
Here are some pictures from his family birthday party.
Because he is now in school, I told him he could also have a friend birthday party this year. He decided he wanted to go bowling, so I told him he could choose 3 friends to invite. He invited his friends Alec, Michael, and Parker. Michael and Parker were both at daycare with him since he was little. School dismissed early, so we brought the boys out to play at our house for awhile and then went to O'Neill to do some bowling and play some arcade games.
Gavin was a great little bowler. He has been bowling only a handful of times, but does so well. He even got a strike!
After bowling, we went out for pizza and then came back. It was actually a pretty fun party, even for me. The boys had a great time.
"Five stretched out out like taffy, turning into a skinny, knobby-kneed creature. He was affectionate but found the world far more interesting than his mother. That is how it should be, but knowing that didn't make the transition any easier.
Five was in Kindergarten, so he knew about many things. Things like "helping," which he defined as "telling us what to do." He knew that "manners" meant "always saying, 'May I?'" ("Henry, do you want milk with your dinner?" "No, Mommy, it's 'Henry, may I ask you if you want milk with your dinner...?'") Five knew that you should never leave an intact acorn lying on the ground. "Whole acorns are lucky," he'd tell us, then whisper a wish to the acorn and tuck it in his pocket.
Five was so certain. Every time he issued a declaration, I felt a pang: When would self-doubt kick in? Even as I exulted in his confidence, I worried. When would the world knock him down?"
--Letting Go of Henry, Little by Little
--by Alice Bradley
I see Gavin growing up before my eyes. He has changed a lot since starting Kindergarten. At volleyball games, he used to sit by me and never leave my side. This year he would go run and play with his friends, and I wouldn't see him again until the game was over. I went to school to eat lunch with him the other day, and he left me in the dust. I expected him to grab my hand and lead me through line..nope. I followed him like a puppy dog as he went along his normal routine and chatted with his friends. When school started, I remember him telling me that he didn't want anyone to know when his birthday was and no way was he taking treats to school. One of the paras said he has been reminding everyone about his birthday for the last week. I see maturity in how he communicates and rationalizes. I am constantly amazed at everything he is learning in school. He is doing simple addition in his head, reading sight words, and decoding words by sounds. He is such a great helper with Callum. He is just growing up, plain and simple. I love to just sit and talk to him.
Here are some pictures from his family birthday party.
Because he is now in school, I told him he could also have a friend birthday party this year. He decided he wanted to go bowling, so I told him he could choose 3 friends to invite. He invited his friends Alec, Michael, and Parker. Michael and Parker were both at daycare with him since he was little. School dismissed early, so we brought the boys out to play at our house for awhile and then went to O'Neill to do some bowling and play some arcade games.
Gavin was a great little bowler. He has been bowling only a handful of times, but does so well. He even got a strike!
After bowling, we went out for pizza and then came back. It was actually a pretty fun party, even for me. The boys had a great time.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
The One About the Funny Quotes
One of the main reasons that I wanted to start this blog was to document and remember all the funny things that my boys say as they are growing up. You all know Asher...there is no possible way I can write down EVERY funny thing he says because it's pretty much constant. He is just hilarious. There have been a few things said lately by both he and Gavin that were pretty cute.
This morning we were downstairs choosing what toys to bring upstairs. I let him bring some of his toys upstairs so we can play on the big rug. That keeps Callum and me from spending the day in the basement. So he said he would carry up his Ninja castle and I could carry the basket of Ninjas. I was following him up the stairs and it was obvious he was having trouble managing the castle. I heard him say to himself, "Girls are supposed to carry castles. What was I thinking?"
Asher was at daycare on Tuesday, so afterschool Gavin, Callum, and I headed to town to pick him up. Gavin insisted that we take the dirt road to town so he could show me the trees where he saw a deer standing the other day. He did, and about 2 miles up the road, I hit one. It wasn't that bad. It only damaged the front bumper just under the passenger headlight. We stopped, and Gavin jumped out with me to look at the damage. Then we got back in and headed to town. As soon as we started driving again, I heard him say, "That was so awesome!!!" Not exactly what was going through my head.
Lisa, our daycare provider, called me on Saturday to tell me something funny that happened at her house last week. I guess another boy took one of Asher's cars from him, and he just lost it. He started screaming bloody murder and his face turned all read. (Thankfully, he didn't hit him...just screamed) Lisa made him go sit down on the step until he had calmed down and then they talked about what he should have said instead of screaming. They finished the conversation and she turned to walk away when she heard him say, "We aren't going to tell my Mom, are we?"
During election coverage the other night, I had the TV on and was explaining to the boys what voting was, who was running for president, etc. They were really getting into it. Asher decided he was going for Obama and Gavin chose Romney. After Gavin announced he wanted Romney to win, Asher says very seriously, "Romney is just a big bully." I questioned why he felt that way, and he said it was because Romney was beating Obama so bad (this was very early on in the night obviously.)
The time change, although a blessing on Sunday morning when we had that extra hour before the baptism, has not been fun. Asher, our vampire boy who has never needed much sleep, has always gotten up at 6:00 a.m. Now guess what time he comes in to wake us up! For some reason, Tuesday night was a night from hell. Callum, who usually sleeps till at least 3:00-4:00 a.m. was up at midnight, 3:00 a.m., and maybe 5:00 or 6:00. Not an easy night with just that, but now add in Gavin waking up two different times and then Asher waking up once and then at his normal 5:00 a.m. Gavin must have had a nightmare, because he just refused to close his eyes again. He was scared of something, but wouldn't say. Ernie and I tried to alternate times up, but I still don't even know if either of us got a single straight hour of sleep. Thank goodness it was just one night. However, we can still count on Asher though for that 5:00 wake-up call every single morning.
In Callum news, he really is getting into vocal play. Every once in awhile, you hear these high pitch squeals coming from him. He is also really interacting and "talking" back when you talk to him.
This morning we were downstairs choosing what toys to bring upstairs. I let him bring some of his toys upstairs so we can play on the big rug. That keeps Callum and me from spending the day in the basement. So he said he would carry up his Ninja castle and I could carry the basket of Ninjas. I was following him up the stairs and it was obvious he was having trouble managing the castle. I heard him say to himself, "Girls are supposed to carry castles. What was I thinking?"
Asher was at daycare on Tuesday, so afterschool Gavin, Callum, and I headed to town to pick him up. Gavin insisted that we take the dirt road to town so he could show me the trees where he saw a deer standing the other day. He did, and about 2 miles up the road, I hit one. It wasn't that bad. It only damaged the front bumper just under the passenger headlight. We stopped, and Gavin jumped out with me to look at the damage. Then we got back in and headed to town. As soon as we started driving again, I heard him say, "That was so awesome!!!" Not exactly what was going through my head.
Lisa, our daycare provider, called me on Saturday to tell me something funny that happened at her house last week. I guess another boy took one of Asher's cars from him, and he just lost it. He started screaming bloody murder and his face turned all read. (Thankfully, he didn't hit him...just screamed) Lisa made him go sit down on the step until he had calmed down and then they talked about what he should have said instead of screaming. They finished the conversation and she turned to walk away when she heard him say, "We aren't going to tell my Mom, are we?"
During election coverage the other night, I had the TV on and was explaining to the boys what voting was, who was running for president, etc. They were really getting into it. Asher decided he was going for Obama and Gavin chose Romney. After Gavin announced he wanted Romney to win, Asher says very seriously, "Romney is just a big bully." I questioned why he felt that way, and he said it was because Romney was beating Obama so bad (this was very early on in the night obviously.)
The time change, although a blessing on Sunday morning when we had that extra hour before the baptism, has not been fun. Asher, our vampire boy who has never needed much sleep, has always gotten up at 6:00 a.m. Now guess what time he comes in to wake us up! For some reason, Tuesday night was a night from hell. Callum, who usually sleeps till at least 3:00-4:00 a.m. was up at midnight, 3:00 a.m., and maybe 5:00 or 6:00. Not an easy night with just that, but now add in Gavin waking up two different times and then Asher waking up once and then at his normal 5:00 a.m. Gavin must have had a nightmare, because he just refused to close his eyes again. He was scared of something, but wouldn't say. Ernie and I tried to alternate times up, but I still don't even know if either of us got a single straight hour of sleep. Thank goodness it was just one night. However, we can still count on Asher though for that 5:00 wake-up call every single morning.
In Callum news, he really is getting into vocal play. Every once in awhile, you hear these high pitch squeals coming from him. He is also really interacting and "talking" back when you talk to him.
Monday, November 5, 2012
The One About Callum's Baptism
We had Callum's baptism on Sunday, November 4th. We got the boys dressed before mass and tried to take some pictures.
The Baptism was very nice, other than Asher roaming the church and interrupting. After sitting in mass for an hour, he just could not sit any longer. That, and he just doesn't have an "inside voice" so everything he said just echoed through the church. On the way home we talked to him about how rude it was, and he did apologize to Father Kramper as soon as he walked into our house. So I do give him credit for that. :) Then he sat by Father during lunch and talked his ear off.
Anyway, here are some pictures from the Baptism:
We had a nice lunch at the house afterwards. Callum slept through his entire party.
I thought this was a cute picture from the afternoon. Gavin is really getting into music, and has been hijacking my IPOD. Sometimes he and Asher are cuddled together at the counter, each one with an ear bud in their ear. His favorite songs right now are: Springsteen by Eric Church, Cruise by Florida Georgia Line, Paradise City by Guns N Roses, and to my horror Sexy and I Know It by LMFAO.
The One About Halloween 2012
Picking out Halloween costumes is always a big deal. I have kept all of Gavin's costumes, so we already have Ninja Turtle and Knight that would both fit Asher this year. Of course, I tried to talk him into wearing one of those. He didn't like that idea. So we started looking online. First, Gavin decided to be a red Power Ranger. Asher wanted to be a werewolf, until he heard the Power Ranger idea. Then he wanted to be a Power Ranger too. Gavin was not going to accept that, so we teamed up and did our best to talk Asher back into the werewolf. He finally agreed. So we ordered costumes. When they came, Asher took one look at the werewolf mask and changed his mind. No way was he going to wear that heavy mask, so he announced that he was going to be a Ninja Turtle. When Gavin got home from school that day, he thought the werewolf mask was really scary and changed his mind to werewolf. Finally, we had a werewolf and Ninja Turtle. The Power Ranger costume will hopefully work for next year. :)
The boys had a great time trick-or-treating. Gavin had a big Halloween party at school that day. That evening we went into town for the Trunk or Treat, and then spent a few hours walking around town. It was a beautiful night.
The boys had a great time trick-or-treating. Gavin had a big Halloween party at school that day. That evening we went into town for the Trunk or Treat, and then spent a few hours walking around town. It was a beautiful night.
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