Colin's Pumpkin Party

Colin had a Pumpkin Party at school this week. The kids all dressed in their costumes and the parents were invited to watch a parade and listen to them sing a few songs. Colin was so proud to be the Engineer that day and lead the kids into the choir room. He didn't really sing, but he did do some of the motions. I think he had a little bit of stage fright. He was still really cute to watch. After the parade, the kids went back to their room for treats and more fun.

I have a 2 minute video that I hope to add to this post in the near future. I've tried to add it but I think the file is too big. I'm hoping that after shrinking it I will have more success. In the video, the kids are supposed to be trees and they're holding scarves which are their leaves. I took the video with my camera (which has very high resolution, hence the large file) because the camcorder wasn't working. I was bummed at first about the camcorder but I've since realized that our camera takes better video. I just wish I had figured out how to use it earlier in the program. I'll definitely be ready for next time. But for now, here are some pictures, and I'm moving on to finish carving our pumpkins.

Eli is 18 Months

At 18 months, Eli definitely keeps me on my toes, but he is also hilarious. The child gets into things that never would have crossed my mind when Colin was his age and so child-proofing has taken on a whole new meaning in our house. It's now Eli-proofing. One of his skills that works against our Eli-proofing is his ability and desire to climb *everything*. The child has no fear and even when he falls off things, he just picks himself back up to try again. His favorite item to get into right now is the vaseline. I have to use it for some of his diaper changes and used to keep a container at each changing station in our house. Now I have to keep it on high shelves or in medicine cabinets because as soon as he sees it he squeals with glee and tries to figure out how to get to it. I kind of blame his obsession with the gunk on the incident when I found Colin changing his diaper. He had given Eli the vaseline to hold while Colin changed him (I guess mimicking how I give him a toy) and Eli was going to town with the stuff. If fecal matter hadn't been included in the equation, I probably would have snapped a picture....

On to more pleasant thoughts, Eli says a ton of words. I don't even know how many, but his two favorites are "no" (of course) and "why". He is very independent and wants to do everything himself. He's very social despite going through the stranger anxiety stage. I've found that the anxiety only lasts a few moments before his curiosity and fun-loving spirit take over. He loves music and whenever he hears some he starts to dance. The kid has got some seriously cute moves and my favorite dancing memory is when the two of us were shopping at Target one day and came across the dancing Mickey. We listened to that thing for a good 15 minutes and he just kept dancing and dancing. It was one moment when I really wished my phone could record videos.

In general he's a happy camper, but he does throw fits when he doesn't get his way. His best buddy, hands down, is Colin. Although they both exhibit sibling rivalry, those two really have a blast together. Unfortunately blast usually means trouble. But now that I'm wise to the obsession with creams, usually the worst they do is dump out every single toy and book we own. Although sometimes they do end up rearranging the furniture....

At his well-child appointment, the doctor said Eli's doing great. Despite being an incredibly picky eater, he's weighing in at 25 lbs, 3 oz. and is 33 1/2 inches tall. Must be all the cheese and milk he consumes.

 

Eli also has a very sweet side as you may have noticed in some of the pictures. He loves to snuggle his stuffed animals and when he's really tired, he'll actually snuggle with people too.

 We sure love our spirited toddler.

Lazy Post

I need to blog about Eli at 18 months, but since my eyes are dilated from my vision appointment and I'm tired, I'm just going to share some Fall pics instead.

Just one more week...



Little Boo at the Zoo

Today we went to Little Boo at the Toledo Zoo. The weather was gorgeous and the boys had a great time. They were both so excited to dress up in their costumes and they love carrying around their pumpkin buckets. We got there right when they opened so it wasn't super crowded and we didn't have to wait in any long lines. The boys got to go trick-or-treating and Colin got to go in a few bounce houses. After all the activities, we enjoyed (despite the pesky bees) a picnic lunch with some friends before coming home for naps. We love Halloween activities!

Buzz and Woody are ready to go!

Trick-or-treating

Bounce Houses are fun!

  

What could be so interesting?

This guy.

Checking out the Fischer Price toy area. Here Eli was watching a dancing Mickey Mouse.



There were lots of fun games at the Fischer Price area. Colin got really excited and had me wait in  line with him just to change his mind at the last second and decide he didn't want to participate. He got a cool prize anyway. 

The Zoo does a great job decorating for Halloween. Say Cheese!

He's Ba-aack!

Once October hit, I started expecting this guy to creep into my daily life at any time. But one week went by with no showings and then two and I have to admit I thought this practical joke was going to skip a year.

I should have known better.

Within two days, this guy popped up about 6 times and every single time, I screamed.

I mean, really, it wouldn't be Halloween without a few scares...

right?

At least the boys get a kick out of it.

Colin's 1st Visit to the Dentist

Yesterday Colin had his first dentist appointment. We've been talking about it for awhile, but he was still a little anxious on the way there. Once we were in the exam room, I thought we might have to go home and reschedule for a different day because Colin absolutely refused to sit in the chair. But then the dental hygienist suggested that he sit in my lap. It was a genius idea because he was more than happy to sit in my lap and was completely cooperative for the rest of the appointment. Eli on the other hand was a bit of a terror. Every time the hygienist got out a new tool he would start screaming "no, no, no, no, NO!!!!". I think he was being protective which is kind of cute, but not at that volume. Colin had his teeth counted, polished, and flossed and then he got to meet the dentist, who recounted his teeth and double checked for decay. No cavities for my little boy, yay! After he was done, he got to pick out a prize from the treasure chest. When it was time to go, he didn't want to. He wanted to sit in the chair all by himself and continue to watch Diego. He told me that next time he's going to do the whole appointment all by himself. I'm so proud of him!

Pumpkins and a Revelation

Last week the boys and I visited Gust Brothers Pumpkin Farm to pick out some pumpkins, go for a hayride, visit with farm animals, and get some cute Fall pictures. The boys had tons of fun with the first three items on that list, but this Mama got a little crazy when it came to the final one. I took about a bazillion pictures and I was constantly vying for the boys attention, telling them to look at me and smile. I kept trying to get the boys to pose for that "perfect shot", which I thought I never got. Until I came home and my wonderful hubs pointed out that even though there's not a single shot of the two of them both looking at the camera and smiling, I still got a lot of good shots. Sometimes candids really are the best pictures. Not to mention it seems contradictory to spend so much effort documenting the children if it takes away from the enjoyment of our time spent together. I just need to remember that next time we got out so I don't torture the poor boys again. At least Colin told me that he had a great time despite me making him pose for all the pictures.