Family Affair

Trimming green beans is a job for LOTS of people, apparently. The little guy was in charge of picking out two to four beans and putting them on the cutting board. I'd trim and cut them, and then the baby would put them in the blue bowl.

I never liked green beans, but now I blanch them and then sauté them in butter, salt, and pepper. They are soooooooooooo good that way (and turn such a pretty shade of green). Yummy!

Puppet Show

The little guy wanted me to film the puppet show he put on tonight. I think the baby kind of stole the show.

She's singing the "One More Thing" song from Daniel Tiger.

Healthy!

The little guy was fever-free all day! We even took a chance and checked his temperature at bedtime-- it was totally normal. We can send him back to school tomorrow with a clear conscience. I tried to get a sweet picture of the kids and Eric on the couch right before bedtime, but the little dude didn't want to participate and the baby likes to get in your face and talk. Here's the best I could do:

Sick Kiddo

The poor little guy spiked a fever Friday morning, and it STILL hasn't come down. Boo. He watched a ton of television this weekend because he doesn't have any energy or appetite. The baby tried to watch with him, but as soon as she got close, he'd holler about how she needs to back up before getting his sick germs! It was equal amounts hilarious, endearing, and obnoxious.

In other news, my grandpa passed away this weekend. Here's my favorite picture of him and the baby (her halloween pjs celebrated his halloween birthday!):

And here he is meeting the little guy for the first time:

Mayhem!

This is the scene in front of our dishwasher right now:

Mayhem! Fire! Tripping hazard! (Also, wow-- scrubbing my cabinet fronts has been added to my weekend to-do list.)

Snuggles

The baby asks to watch an episode of Daniel Tiger every night. It's so sweet-- "Can I please Daniel Tigert?" she says, sliding her hand into mine. She's successful about half the time. Usually the little dude will come watch and I get to cuddle with them both!

Good Daddy

I joined a running group this spring, which means that Eric is basically on his own with the kids on Tuesday nights. I think they're in good hands:

Picnic!

We had an indoor picnic last night-- meaning that we watched Robin Hood (the Disney version) while eating tacos on a blanket on the living room floor. It was fun!

I think we'll have to do this more often.

Sunny Days

We went for a walk on a trail around a local lake today (it was almost 60 degrees and it was SUNNY!!). The little guy worked on riding his bike. Here are the kids taking their bikes to the car:

Here's the little guy getting started with his daddy:

And here's me, taking my turn destroying my back by jogging hunched over (please know that the little guy has a helmet on underneath his hood):

I wish there was a "how to teach your kid to ride a bike" class that we could take-- I have no idea what I'm doing. He's getting better, though, and I think if we get a few more sunny weekend days under our belts he'll really go!

Fun Family Time

A couple weeks ago Emily's uncle and his family stopped by on their way to take their youngest back to a nearby college after visiting the other side of their family. It's always great to have visitors in our quaint little house and to talk about all the exciting things that are going on in the lives of those we care about. The college "boy" was around 10 when I started dating Emily and wasn't seemingly much bigger than my little guy back then. My how the time has flown. He was a good sport when Goose broke out Chutes and Ladders and then proceeded to pull out the victory from... oh, I don't know... 20 spaces back thanks to some "creative" counting. (Those ladders can do wonders when you are way behind and who says you have to go in order!)

The tiny tot got in on the action too with a snuggle on the couch and a book with her great uncle and cousin.

It was a wonderful, but too short, visit. It's nice to have been part of Emily's family for so long that they feel like my family too. I hope she feels the same way.

Someone has grown up

Well... my little man is officially registered for Kindergarten starting this fall. Today was the first day of registration in our county and (surprise, surprise) Emily was probably the first parent at our neighborhood school. He sure has changed a lot since he was little, obviously, but I don't think we realize just how much fun they are until the reach a milestone like this. All I can say is that I love that boy so much! I never knew my heart could be so full.

Then this one showed up and, well, my chest has exploded!

Little Artists

The baby got a bunch of finger paints for Christmas from one of her aunts, so the kids both got to do some painting last week. The little guy is starting to actually paint things (e.g., a house, a car, etc.). The baby just asks for whatever colors her brother is using and says "I made art!"

It's pretty cute!

That's Show Biz!

My precious angel was sick Sunday as you may have read so I kept her home yesterday to keep her from spreading the plague to her little 2 year old germ factories. I kept the boy home too because I didn't feel like driving all the way out to their daycare for observation just in case he was infected as well. We did a lot of playing and, considering that we didn't turn on a Daniel Tiger until after 3, I think we had a successful sick day.

We generally have a very musical home with lots of singing about all kinds of stuff - going to the potty, all their nicknames, basically anything we are doing. Lately though we've been (still) singing Christmas songs. When Emily and I came downstairs yesterday we were treated to a full spread of (plastic) food set up for us on the coffee table.

Too bad for Emily that she had to go to work. I got breakfast and a show!

Presenting "Sing We Now of Christmas" featuring Stinker Pants and Baby Girl!

I love the accompaniment from the girl with no pants, leopard print shirt, and pink cowboy boots. Luckily we didn't have to go anywhere or see anybody.

How Bizarre

Here is how the little guy has been sitting on the couch lately.

Where in the world did he come up with this?

Superhero Saturday

Because how else would you dress on a cold Saturday?

Warm Memories

Because it didn't get above 30 degrees today (in NC! Ugh.), here's a picture from Christmas day in warm and sunny Florida:

My dad and I walked with the kids to this drainage pond to burn off a little energy before dinner. It was so nice out that day. Mmmmmm.

Yikes!

I think I'm glad the little guy will be walking to school next year-- look at what he made with Legos after breakfast today! It's a wreck on the interstate. A plane hit a car and the police and a tow truck are on the scene.

There are even traffic cones!

Kind of cool, kind of scary.

Books with Gramps

The kids read a ton of books while we visited my family. Here's a cute shot of them reading (and watching tv) with Gramps. The baby likes to stick her face in your face to ask questions about whatever it is that you're reading. She's pretty silly.

Show-Off

The little guy built this pretty amazing airplane and followed the Lego instructions by himself! Eric posed him in front of the baby and me, and look at her! (Also, look at the cool plane!)

Franklin

The kids have been reading the book Franklin is Lost about every 10 minutes for the past few days. How sweet?

It's pretty gripping-- Franklin almost has to spend the night in the woods alone. Yikes! (Spoiler alert: Luckily, he's found.)

Yuck!

We were told to switch the baby to floride toothpaste now that she can spit. We gave her the little guy's toothpaste and she hated it, so I bought a different flavor for her to try. She hates this one, too. She's willing to brush her teeth (and let us brush them), but she makes terrible faces the entire time.

It's sad and hilarious.

Helper Elves?

The little  guy had a blast helping his sister open her presents at Christmas.

She had a blast commandeering everyone else's gifts! (That's *my* scarf!)