Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Family Fun


Well this post is sure to be random, but I'll try to summarize what we've been up to the last few months.  We did finish our basement - maybe a post later with before and afters.  But we love it!  Its nice to hang out down there, and the kids and I both have lots of space to play (or sew). 


Orrin is going through a sunglasses phase, therefore we keep losing them.  He didn't seem to mind putting on his sisters pink sparkly glasses until his could be replaced.  :)


Orrin loves to be outside.  He frequently plays on the deck or driveway while I'm in the kitchen getting dinner ready.

One day, Orrin found Joanna's brush and was gently brushing her hair so I walked away for a minute.  I heard the faucet running, but it didn't really register until I heard him telling her that he was fixing her hair.  I went in to find her a soggy mess (these pictures were a few min later).  While taking her pictures, I heard the faucet running again and he was "fixing" his own hair.  :)




We switched car seats a month or so ago, because I got sick of lifting the bucket seat into the van and killing my back.  So Joanna is in Orrin's old convertible seat - which she loves because she sits higher and can see out the window.  And Orrin got a new seat that will convert to a booster someday.  The box of course was the best part.


Orrin also got a new lawn mower.  We felt so bad last summer that he would take whatever he could find to push as his "mower" to follow Scott around when he mowed.  So this year, we surprised him with something to push.  He loves it!  He'll follow Scott around, but he also will "mow" anytime I let him play outside.  Its funny because he imitates Scott so well.  He'll pretend to put on his earmuffs, then fiddle with the controls, then pretend to squeeze the bar, then walk in circles around the lawn.  Over and over again. 




We had our small group over, and somehow the four 2/3 year olds were unsupervised for a few minutes (everyone thought they were with someone else).  We found them in Orrin's room feeding the fish.  :)


Took some fun pictures of the kids at the park near our house. 

Orrin in front of the huge beech tree there.


Orrin helping Scott put new dirt in our garden.  He was pretty excited about this.  I'm really hoping that he still enjoys all this work when he's actually big enough to really help. 



This was my mother's day gift.  Scott let Orrin pick out a couple of things all by himself.  Bet you can't guess which ones they are...  :)


Playing outside the other day - he mowed the lawn, swept the garage and driveway, fixed the motor on his truck... nothing left to do but shovel the snow.

Ok, I guess that was mostly about Orrin.  Currently, our favorite Orrinism is "draining your injury".  We tell him he is draining our energy when he is throwing a fit about something - and if we run out of energy, we won't be able to (insert whatever thing he wants to do at that moment, usually reading a story before bed).  It works quite well, so well that at random times he'll remind us that he's not draining our "injury". 

8 Months

This little girl is just so joyful and fun.  In the last month, she has figured out how to quickly roll across the room and get pretty much anywhere she wants to.  We have to watch what we put on the coffee table because that is currently a favorite spot and she loves to pull anything that might be hanging off the side.  Lately she is trying to pull her legs under her, and gets very frustrated that she can't make herself go forward yet.  She is still eating great, although she doesn't like green veggies.  I'm getting better about hiding those things.  Nighttime is getting better, too.  Last week 2 or 3 nights in a row she did not wake to eat.  Then we had a crazy weekend so the last few she has been up.  Her third tooth popped through in the last couple of days also (on the bottom right).  She still squeals a lot, and says "mama" and "dada".  She seems to use those words appropriately, but I'm not really sure if she's still just making sounds, or actually using words.  "Mama" is only said when she is complaining and wants me to pick her up.  "Dada" is more of a happy word.  I guess that's just a view into what's to come!  :)  Orrin is still her favorite person, although she loves to torment him.  He hates it when she pulls on the tablecloth and moves his plate.  So she'll grab a handful, look at him, smile, and give it a big yank.  Its pretty hilarious.  We weighed her the other day and she is around 20 pounds now.  Wearing 18 month clothes.  Scott and I marvel at how different she and Orrin are.  She seems to be taking after me with a love for animals.  She just adores Spot, and likes to see other pets or animals at the zoo.  Orrin couldn't care less (his favorite thing at the zoo is the tractor)!  She is so mellow, more sensitive and quicker to cry about something, but will calm instantly by being picked up or soothed.  She goes to bed without a fight (she'll practically climb out of my arms into her crib), eats without a fight (unless its green), and she sits contentedly for a long time as long as there is something for her to watch (people, dog, etc).  They're both amazing kids, just very different.  It will be fun to see what her personality is like as she gets older.
edit: I forgot to add that she is playing peek a boo now.  Last week she started lifting up the tray liner in her high chair over her face, then giggling.  Then on the way home from Chicago, she was using her blanket and laughing like crazy when I'd play along.