Easter Weekend

Marita and Newel came for a three day visit. We did a lot in a short amount of time and it was great. Thanks for coming!

If only Blake could watch this from our house. He would be entertained all day.

Not praying. Just waiting for his easter basket.

She knew what she wanted out of that basket.

Slightly scary Blake.

Amy Ruth

Amy won the prize for being the first from my family to come visit me in Michigan! She brought her youngest daughter Jill, and we all spent 5 days together. She thought it was cool when it snowed here. I was just grumpy. Snow in mid April? I knew we were going to have fun while she was here... but it was even better. Amy is a cool girl. I wish I could live close to my family.

+Playing in the snow
+Ice cream at Dairy Queen
+Museum
+Attempting to make Samoas
+Games every night
+Dancing with the Wii
+Shopping at our pathetic mall
+Lots of naps
+Target
+BBQ
+Chicago

More pictures to come.

Blake. 3 Months until 3 Years

Blake has been giving compliments lately. He told me he liked my "cute toes" one day. Another day I was cooking in the kitchen and he was sitting on the stool. He said "Mom, I like your shirt and pants, mom." (They were not new, and not even cute for that matter.) He died easter eggs last week and when examining his egg he said "I love these beautiful stripes."

He went through a rhyming phase. All the rhymes he would make up started with the letter "h." All day he would say "Mom, watch this. Motorcycle, hotorcycle. Yogurt, hogurt." He would do this for every object he saw around him. Then he went through names. "Katie, Hatie. Eric, Heric."

Blake loves coming to my activities on Wednesday nights for Young Women. I take him sometimes when Eric stays late at work. Last week he wanted to come but I didn't know if Eric was going to be home in time and I didn't want to get Blake's hope up. Blake kept asking and telling me that he wanted to come and I kept telling him "I know you want to come." He became annoyed with my response and said "Why you not saying the words when I say I want to come to the activity." Or in other words--just answer my question mom.

Blake gets very shy in social situations. He doesn't love large groups or unfamiliar people and he will stay very close to me. In retrospect, I think this is why separating for nursery was so difficult. His nursery leader told me she was concerned because Blake won't sing or participate during singing time. I was told he just sits there and stares with his eyebrows furrowed. And I don't think he talks at all there either. I take him to lots of activities at librarys and play groups and try to help him participate in music time or interacting with others. I think he is getting better and recently will participate more as long as I am right there doing whatever it is with him and giving him lots of positive reinforcement. It is funny to see him loud and crazy one minute and so shy and quiet the next.

He also is afraid of a lot of things. He won't really go down slides. Until Janie does it like its no big deal and then he will follow along on his tummy. He wouldn't paint his face at the museum until recently so I consider that progress. He loves playing hide and go seek but gets startled when finding someone and doesn't like that. He will not go in the basement alone but maybe that one is scary?

14 Months

Janie's personality continues to come out. She likes to get her way, and when she doesn't she lets out a good wail and stomps her feet back and forth. It always makes me laugh. She is persistent as she continually climbs the kitchen chairs and table after I pull her away. Today I put all the chairs down on their sides and problem solved. She doesn't like to share my lap with Blake and will try to push him off. When kids are touching things she wants she will push their hand off of the toy. She love books and is constantly bringing them to me to read, but she can't sit still long enough to finish them. She knows lots of animal sounds. My favorite is her impression of a gorilla. Yesterday she blew on the space heater because it was hot. She has energy and spunk which is so fun yet so exhausting!

Janie is alway getting into the cupboards. Her favorite item that she carries around is the vanilla. I have locks on some cupbards but don't know how to keep her out of all of them. I find spices all throughout my house.

She has curls! I was so surprised that my baby would have curly hair and I love it. Her hair is especially curly after a bath, and straightens after sleeping on it.

Chuck E. Cheese's

I love this place. I loved it when I was a kid and I love it now. Blake had fun using the tokens, playing the games, and getting the tickets. Janie loved climbing and going down the slide. Both kids were scared of big Chuck E. and I wish I got a picture of Janie's horrified face when he approached her.

I remember my mom taking us here when I was little. She would sit at the table and my sisters and I would run off to play games and would come back to the table to get more coins. It was strange having these flashbacks because now I was the one sitting at the table and Blake was running to me for more tokens.