I know these posts are blog-world worthy, but I just had to jot all these fun summer times down so I can come back and read them later!
Every day I get so tickled that I actually got to stay home this summer. I don't know what the future holds, but I'm so thankful Jason worked it out for me to do this.
Our Mondays always begin with the roar and slam of the commercial size lawn mowers at our neighbor's house across the street. At 7am in the morning. That's fine for me because I get up at 5am, but not so great when Seth usually gets up at 8. Oh, well. Sometimes Seth sleeps through it, sometimes he doesn't. I've been tempted to go across the street and ask if they'll do our yard for free since they've woken my sleeping child. :)
After breakfast, blanket time and playroom time, we took a field trip to the store to pick up some baking supplies to make cupcakes for my Grandpa and Grandma. We stopped at one of our favorite playgrounds in MG where there were a ton of kids playing. It was so interesting to watch how Seth interacted with the boys and girls, who are at least 2-3 years older than him. There were a few instances from a few boys that did not like when Seth tried to play with them. My heart squeezed at my son's attempt to play with them and then getting pushed away. I saw an image of my son a few years older going through the tribulations of playground play.
After naptime, we went to Jason's softball game. What a gorgeous night. Seth got his fix of fresh air and running. And so did I! He had to touch each bat lined up against the fence. We counted and named the color of each bat. I just let him run down the path, to which I ran right after him. Seth constantly moves and so do I when we're at things like this. You need to keep an eye on the little ones so they don't run out onto the field. Seth is learning how to obey and listen - toddler steps!
On Wednesday, we hit the ground running and were out the door by 8:30am. After picking up some Melissa & Doug puzzles via a CraigsList posting, we brought coconut cupcakes to Great Grandpa and Grandma. They absolutely LOVE seeing Seth. Seth always gives them hugs when we get there and when we leave. He sat on the chair next to Great Grandpa while GG explained how he needed to sit still for a little bit because if he doesn't, he's going to loose all the energy he needs for later on. It was SO precious. Seth just kind of looked up at him with this awe of authority. Great Grandma took us to see the aquarium fish - actually, Seth spied them first with a huge squeal. He ran up to the aquarium and squealed and said his fish word, "Fee!". It's been good to see Great Grandpa and Grandma. It's important that Seth spend time with them. Hopefully he'll remember them later on when he's older.
After that, we had a little Mommy and Seth date at Caribou Coffee. Oh my word! We had such fun and it was so pleasant. I brought snacks for both us and sat in the back near the little kids table and chalkboard. Seth sat on all the chairs and played with the chalkboard. We found an awesome park on the way home. While it had two little play areas - one for the toddlers and one for the bigger kids, Seth gravitated towards the big kid play set. Seth had to climb all the way to the top, while I was one foot behind him the whole way. The slides were a little steeper, but he got a kick of the slides and squealed as he went down. There were a few where I had Seth sit on my lap on the way down.
Wednesday was a fun day for us. I took Seth to downtown St. Paul to have lunch with his daddy in the "big city". We talked about the big city all the way across town. I got totally lost downtown when we were trying to find the place to meet Jason. It was funny because we were in the car at a street corner and Seth saw Jason standing at the same corner and just squealed, "Pa!". He is so observant. We had a great lunch at an outside cafe. Seth got a special treat of a PB&J sandwich and french fries. Lucky him. :) Jason is really lucky to work at such a cool place like downtown!
On Thursday, after a very trying blanket time, we ran errands to pick up new library books, get some toddler supplies and on a whim, went to the towne green for a kids program. Seth did really well sitting in my lap during the program (for the most part) and squealed with excitement over the red-tailed hawk he got to see at the program.
We had Jamie, Paul and their new baby girl over for dinner last night. They're in town from CO and we HAD to see them! Seth was enthralled with the baby, but he got SO jealous when I was holding the baby. He also tried all sorts of tac tics to draw attention to himself when he realized the baby was getting more attention. Uh, oh! But he was a hoot and really loved Jamie and Paul. He ran up and gave them hugs.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Week Re-cap
Try saying "week re-cap" three times in a row and it begins to sound like "reek re-cap", "reek re-crap" and "week wee-cap". I don't know what my week re-caps are going to come out like, but it will sure give me a way to remember these busy summer days!
Monday was supposed to have a get-together with my Made to Crave book club girls and their kiddos. Seth had developed a little cold the day before, so on the safe side, we decided not to go. We picked up and dropped off Joyce at the car place and then went home for the rest of the day. This was the first day of huge thunderstorms. Seth was tired from his cold and he slept right through the huge thunder boomers!
So....I started this post with the intention of posting a recap of each day, but as you can see, I never finished and it's kind of comical just to leave it that way.:)
Weekend Re-cap
This past weekend was...well...kind of uneventful, in light of my Grandpa's homegoing to the Lord. It was good that it was uneventful. There was a lot of family time and I was fortunate enough to have a family photo shoot out in the country.
It was Kyle's birthday on Friday, so the whole family (sans Jayson & Jen) took Kyle out to dinner at the new IHOP in town. We had a good time, just enjoying each other's company and having lots of laughter. We also arranged for Kyle to get serenaded by the IHOP crew. He was amused. I think Kyle would say that his best birthday gift was that Seth finally warmed up to Uncle Kyle.
When we got to IHOP and saw the fam waiting for us, Seth reached first to Jenni and then reached out to Kyle. This was huge! Seth has been a little shy with him for the longest time, but I think now that he's a little older and loves to be teased, he found a good comrad in Kyle. Seth found himself to be so funny and entertained us the whole dinner with giggles, exclamations and a comic show. He is going to be already a ham!
We followed up the dinner with dessert at home and then an enthusiastic game of Apples to Apples.
I had a family photoshoot for a dear friend's sister in Long Lake. The most beautiful drive took me out to the country and even though I got lost (by about 8 miles), this dear family was so energetic, fun, sweet and so photogenic. The rest of the day had some relaxing and then a big bonfire at night! It was Seth's second bonfire, but his first to really pull up a chair and sit in front of the bonfire. He loved it!
On Sunday we visited a local church that we're testing out. We had some good experiences in the service and are still prayerfully considering if this is the church that God wants us to be at. After naps, I did a little grocery shopping. I went to small group and Jason stayed home with Seth since he wasn't feeling well.
It was a really good weekend!!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Hot tomales
It's 9pm on Sunday night and the windows are all fogged up because it's SO hot outside right now (even at 9 at night) and it's cool inside. Just enjoying a long stretch of HOT and HUMID weather. I'm talking 95 degree F, 80% humidity!
After raining so much on Friday and kind of being stuck inside, Joyce had dinner with us. We played around with Seth in the living room and then it was time for bed. Seth's favorite time of the day. Kind of - not really. Once we get Seth in his sleep bag, he starts to chill out and sleepiness kicks in.
It's funny how much Seth avoids the inevitable cycle with what happens after he is asked to put his toys away. He knows what's going to happen next. "Let's go to the bathroom and brush our teeth". He runs in circles. After 2 tries, it turns into the option of whether or not he gets to walk to the bathroom on his own or Mommy picks him up and carries him there.
Seth was tired from all the activity and he fell asleep quickly. We watched the movie The Adjustment Bureau and then called it a night.
Saturday was super fun too. We packed up the stroller, lots of water, sunscreen and headed to our town's fair. Have I gushed how much I love our town? It has this old, main street feel to it with a big pond and amphitheater at the center. We walked up and down main street looking at the artisans of the art fair. Seth was digging the colorful balloons. He was in HEAVEN! Then, we walked around the lake to the food fair and ate lunch. Seth LOVED bopping his head and dancing to the live blues music at the food fair.
Later that night, we headed over to my parents' home for a barbeque and to visit with my grandparents, plus my other relatives that came up to visit. It was so fun to be around my family. Seth loved being the center of attention and really hammed it up for everyone, showing how we play ring around the rosie.
Sunday was low-key - church in the morning, nap in the afternoon and a little swimming in the evening.
After raining so much on Friday and kind of being stuck inside, Joyce had dinner with us. We played around with Seth in the living room and then it was time for bed. Seth's favorite time of the day. Kind of - not really. Once we get Seth in his sleep bag, he starts to chill out and sleepiness kicks in.
It's funny how much Seth avoids the inevitable cycle with what happens after he is asked to put his toys away. He knows what's going to happen next. "Let's go to the bathroom and brush our teeth". He runs in circles. After 2 tries, it turns into the option of whether or not he gets to walk to the bathroom on his own or Mommy picks him up and carries him there.
Seth was tired from all the activity and he fell asleep quickly. We watched the movie The Adjustment Bureau and then called it a night.
Saturday was super fun too. We packed up the stroller, lots of water, sunscreen and headed to our town's fair. Have I gushed how much I love our town? It has this old, main street feel to it with a big pond and amphitheater at the center. We walked up and down main street looking at the artisans of the art fair. Seth was digging the colorful balloons. He was in HEAVEN! Then, we walked around the lake to the food fair and ate lunch. Seth LOVED bopping his head and dancing to the live blues music at the food fair.
Later that night, we headed over to my parents' home for a barbeque and to visit with my grandparents, plus my other relatives that came up to visit. It was so fun to be around my family. Seth loved being the center of attention and really hammed it up for everyone, showing how we play ring around the rosie.
Sunday was low-key - church in the morning, nap in the afternoon and a little swimming in the evening.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Weekend Re-cap
We had a good, low-key summer weekend. We lived it large and went out to Perkins on Friday night, with chuckles of amusement over how our dinners at fancy restaurants have shifted to kid-friendly restaurants. We wouldn't trade this time in our life for anything!
Saturday was great. Lazy morning with some good bluegrass music playing in the background. Leftover Perkins pancakes and breakfast potatoes.
Seth and I went grocery shopping on Saturday afternoon. Seth was a ham to the other customers. He's back to doing his attention-getting happy high-pitched scream. I learned by watching Seth happy-scream at various customers that he does this to get someone's attention as a way to say 'hi'. So now I say to Seth, "Little voice. Use your words and say 'hi!'".
When Seth went down for a nap, I was lucky enough to redeem my Mother's Day gift and go to the salon for a full-body massage. Woo-hoo!!! It was a fabulous hour and a half. Thank you to my wonderful husband and son!
When I got home, the boys were outside in the back playing in Seth's little pool. Seth loves playing in the pool.
We had a typical Sunday morning with ABF. Seth looked adorable in his madras shorts and white shirt. He is doing so much better with going to the nursery now. Seth walked all the way to the nursery while holding my hand and when we walked into the nursery, he reached out to put over the counter so he could go play. My baby's separation anxiety was short-lived.
We ended the weekend with playing in the pool in the backyard. Seth loves playing in the water. Oh, and he loves drinking the water in the pool. He stands and bends his face to the water and tries to get a drink before I'm after him for doing it.
Seth got over his fear of bubble baths, as you can see below. A month ago we were at Seth's friend, L's, home and we plopped the boys in a bath full of bubbles after they got super dirty while playing outside in the mud. Seth screamed and screamed because he'd never had a bubble bath. So, we've been gradually helping him get used to bubbles. Now, he begs for bubbles in his bath!
When Seth turned 18 months, I felt like he was old enough to watch a show. Now, I let Seth watch a "show", like Sesame Street or Curious George on the dvd player while I'm making lunch. Give me the bad mommy award this week for letting him kick his heels up on the table! :)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
18-months
Seth, you are 18 months old...a year and a half! You are such a fun, sweet boy. I love the summer that we are having together.
Your stats:
Clothes size - 18-24 months
Shoe size - 6
Weight - 25lb 4oz (45-50%)
Head - 18 3/4" (50%)
Height - 33 1/2" (75-80%); if you continue on this percentage, you will be taller than your Daddy!
We went to visit Dr. Lisa for Seth's 18-month check-up and she had great things to say about Seth, with no concerns at all. Seth was quite the ham in the check-up room. Happy, interactive and busy. He even pointed out the window at the cars in the parking lot and said, "Car!".
Seth's bank of words is starting to increase. His favorite word is "ball!" whenever he sees a ball or something that looks like a ball. But it always accompanies an exclamation point and wide eyes when he says it. It's the cutest thing how he gets so excited. He has also said "truck" and "rock" when he's seen either of those.
Seth is starting to become an affectionate little boy. When we were at our friends' home the other day, we were leaving and I encouraged Seth to say good-bye to his little friends, K and N. He went up to each child and gave them a hug! I couldn't believe it. He also tends to wrap his arms around my neck when we're sitting in his nursery chair and when I'm changing his diaper. He just squeals.
Seth is not afraid of strangers. He goes to church nursery so easily now. There was a period of 3 months when I'd drop him off at the nursery and he'd just scream at the top of his lungs. He's definitely gotten better the last two times we've taken him there. When we see strangers out and about, he'll do one of two things - study them with his serious look or flirt. It's so cute to see him flirt. He always gets comments on his long eyelashes and blue eyes. Oh, dear. This will be a girl problem for him when he's older!
Seth is so playful. While I was sitting on his bedroom floor folding clothes, he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder so he could have a piggy back ride. He also loves to be chased, thrown up in the air by his daddy and loves to dance to music.
Rocks are Seth's favorite things. When we walk outside, he goes straight to the garden edging and picks up a rock for each hand. Jason laughs when he mows the yard, because he's constantly picking up a pair of rocks scattered around the yard and he knows exactly where they came from.
This next part is really my own notes for what our days are like right now as Seth is an 18-month old. Seth sleeps until 8am-ish, then we wake up and have breakfast. Seth loves my special concoction of toddler oatmeal with applesauce. He also has either pancakes or fruit. Then, we play for a little bit and most days we run out on errands. Either we go on a playdate, grocery shopping or just errands. He's a trooper and a fun little companion.
Then, we always make it home by about 11-11:30am for some playtime outside and then it's lunch. I've started letting Seth watch Sesame Street, so this is his special treat while I'm making lunch. He gets to sit in the highchair and watch 15 minutes of that show. He giggles, laughs and squeals over the show. It's so cute.
After lunch around 1pm, Seth takes a nap that lasts 2-3 hours. He so needs it and typically never fights it. I busy myself with cleaning, organizing and more cleaning and some dinner prep. I try to sit down and relax a little bit during that time.
Nap time ends around 4, so I get Seth up and we play outside for a little bit before I start dinner. While I'm prepping dinner, I let Seth play on the upstairs deck with his picnic table and toys. He loves it. It's nice for me because I can see exactly what Seth is doing, so I'm okay with letting him play there. It has a sturdy gate, so I have a little security know he won't go down the deck stairs. Well, there you have it!
Your stats:
Clothes size - 18-24 months
Shoe size - 6
Weight - 25lb 4oz (45-50%)
Head - 18 3/4" (50%)
Height - 33 1/2" (75-80%); if you continue on this percentage, you will be taller than your Daddy!
We went to visit Dr. Lisa for Seth's 18-month check-up and she had great things to say about Seth, with no concerns at all. Seth was quite the ham in the check-up room. Happy, interactive and busy. He even pointed out the window at the cars in the parking lot and said, "Car!".
Seth's bank of words is starting to increase. His favorite word is "ball!" whenever he sees a ball or something that looks like a ball. But it always accompanies an exclamation point and wide eyes when he says it. It's the cutest thing how he gets so excited. He has also said "truck" and "rock" when he's seen either of those.
Seth is starting to become an affectionate little boy. When we were at our friends' home the other day, we were leaving and I encouraged Seth to say good-bye to his little friends, K and N. He went up to each child and gave them a hug! I couldn't believe it. He also tends to wrap his arms around my neck when we're sitting in his nursery chair and when I'm changing his diaper. He just squeals.
Seth is not afraid of strangers. He goes to church nursery so easily now. There was a period of 3 months when I'd drop him off at the nursery and he'd just scream at the top of his lungs. He's definitely gotten better the last two times we've taken him there. When we see strangers out and about, he'll do one of two things - study them with his serious look or flirt. It's so cute to see him flirt. He always gets comments on his long eyelashes and blue eyes. Oh, dear. This will be a girl problem for him when he's older!
Seth is so playful. While I was sitting on his bedroom floor folding clothes, he came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulder so he could have a piggy back ride. He also loves to be chased, thrown up in the air by his daddy and loves to dance to music.
Rocks are Seth's favorite things. When we walk outside, he goes straight to the garden edging and picks up a rock for each hand. Jason laughs when he mows the yard, because he's constantly picking up a pair of rocks scattered around the yard and he knows exactly where they came from.
This next part is really my own notes for what our days are like right now as Seth is an 18-month old. Seth sleeps until 8am-ish, then we wake up and have breakfast. Seth loves my special concoction of toddler oatmeal with applesauce. He also has either pancakes or fruit. Then, we play for a little bit and most days we run out on errands. Either we go on a playdate, grocery shopping or just errands. He's a trooper and a fun little companion.
Then, we always make it home by about 11-11:30am for some playtime outside and then it's lunch. I've started letting Seth watch Sesame Street, so this is his special treat while I'm making lunch. He gets to sit in the highchair and watch 15 minutes of that show. He giggles, laughs and squeals over the show. It's so cute.
After lunch around 1pm, Seth takes a nap that lasts 2-3 hours. He so needs it and typically never fights it. I busy myself with cleaning, organizing and more cleaning and some dinner prep. I try to sit down and relax a little bit during that time.
Nap time ends around 4, so I get Seth up and we play outside for a little bit before I start dinner. While I'm prepping dinner, I let Seth play on the upstairs deck with his picnic table and toys. He loves it. It's nice for me because I can see exactly what Seth is doing, so I'm okay with letting him play there. It has a sturdy gate, so I have a little security know he won't go down the deck stairs. Well, there you have it!
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Sleepy mornings
Quite honestly - these are the days that I was praying for and it is only by God's provision that I am experiencing them. I'm going into my second week of being a stay at home mom with Seth. Someone asked if I missed work.
Nope. Not at all. Sure, I miss my friends at work, but I really do not miss the heart struggle of wanting to be home with my son and taking care of our home. I really feel that I am in my element now that I'm home. I like being able to get the home stuff (like laundry, dinner prep, organization) out of the way so we don't have to do them on the weekend. This past weekend was great because I was able to get my chores (grocery shopping and laundry) done on Friday, so we just did fun family stuff over the weekend.
I've kept up my normal of routine of waking early, going to the gym to work out, showering and eating before Seth gets up. I've also added in the time to read the Bible and read some devotions.
This morning I had a little extra time because my sweet son does not want to get out of his crib and start his day! Seriously - I'm looking at the video monitor and here Seth is, just cuddling with his blanket in his crib. Not a care or desire to start his day. Oh, well. He can have that. :)
Nope. Not at all. Sure, I miss my friends at work, but I really do not miss the heart struggle of wanting to be home with my son and taking care of our home. I really feel that I am in my element now that I'm home. I like being able to get the home stuff (like laundry, dinner prep, organization) out of the way so we don't have to do them on the weekend. This past weekend was great because I was able to get my chores (grocery shopping and laundry) done on Friday, so we just did fun family stuff over the weekend.
I've kept up my normal of routine of waking early, going to the gym to work out, showering and eating before Seth gets up. I've also added in the time to read the Bible and read some devotions.
This morning I had a little extra time because my sweet son does not want to get out of his crib and start his day! Seriously - I'm looking at the video monitor and here Seth is, just cuddling with his blanket in his crib. Not a care or desire to start his day. Oh, well. He can have that. :)
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