Colin's Christmas Program

The 3 year old, 4 year old, and Kindergarten Sunday school classes had a Christmas program. It was pretty much adorable.

Going in, I expected Colin to not participate, and to possibly cry or refuse to stand up in front. We were pleasantly surprised when I did as he was told :) He didn't sing, but I'm okay with that!

And then the kids played Silent Night on handbells, which was too freaking cute. He did a good job of ringing his orange bell when he was signaled to ring it. In between his turn, he looks around to watch everyone else ring their bells. Watch the video. That mouth stretching thing must be a nervous tick or something. He does that sometimes.

Off into the sunset

Thanks to the balance bike we got Colin for his birthday in April, learning how to ride a bike with no training wheels was a breeze! My parents had a bike at their house that the neighbor boy had given them. We were there last weekend, so I asked Colin if he wanted to give it a try. He hopped on, and I held on to the seat, but I could feel that he was balancing on his own, so I did what every good parent does: I let go. And away he went, yelling at me to hold on to him! I told him he was going too fast for me to keep up and he was doing just fine. Over the next few attempts, he gained confidence enough so that he knew he didn't need me to help. We took the bike home and Kevin showed him how to start, and they practiced turning in the church parking lot by our house. Easy as that.

And now we can be seen cruising around the neighborhood (and sometimes farther!) on our bikes, with Ben in the Burley, and it's so much fun :). Kevin and Colin even went on a ride yesterday that was almost 2 miles.

Summer Fun Part 1: Bowling

Despite the lack of posts, we've been having some fun this summer! Our air conditioning was on the fritz for a week and a half during one of the hottest parts of the summer this far. One way to beat the heat was taking Colin bowling! The website kidsbowlfree.com has coupons that kids can use to bowl 2 free games every day of the summer. You know I'm all over anything free! So, we strapped on a pair of cute little bowling shoes on Colin and let him have at the pins. It's hard to take pictures of the front of him when there's an alley in the way, so this is what you get:

And a video. Loved hearing "Yeah!" after he knocked pins down :)

 

Note to other parents of young children: 2 games of bowling is perfect if it's just them doing the bowling. If you want to take turns, stick to 1 game.

After bowling, we ate dinner at the bowling alley, where the condiment bottles always turn into cars, trains, and other varying vehicles.

Ben's too little to bowl, but he had fun tagging along!

Interview with Colin

My mom and Leah offered up some questions to ask Colin a few months ago. Here are his answers.

ABCDEFG???

Yesterday at daycare Colin learned this rendition of the Alphabet Song from one of the little girls there, except she sang it with the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star words. He does his best singing in the bathtub, so here you go.



Endearing? Incredibly.

(For some reason, the last words got cut off. I'm sure you don't need my translation to figure it out).

I still don't know if he knows his ABCs though. He's not serious long enough for me to find out.

Wouldn't it be fun if I recorded an "Ask Colin Anything" video? Where I ask him YOUR questions and record his answers? I think it would be. Ask him a question by writing a comment!

Halloween

A little late, but that's okay :) These aren't the best pictures, but you get the idea.
Colin was a puppy for Halloween. Here he is on the step saying cheese.
His first door. We were at the next door neighbor's house. He rang the doorbell and ran. Kid's already a pro at ding dong ditch. We made him stay and after he found out he got candy, he didn't run away at the other doors. ;) He went to just a handful of houses of neighbors he knows, and then later went to his Grandma and Grandpa's house.Here's what our front step looked like on Halloween. The mum is courtesy of my mum. Pumpkins courtesy of Kevin's mum. And, of course, Colin's super cute carving all lit up.
And a video of Colin in his costume. This is after he was done trick or treating in the neighborhood and just before he went to Grandma's house.

A Memorial Weekend Wish

for good weather:


Hats off to veterans and those serving in the military. Our family appreciates all you've done and sacrificed for our freedom.

Painting Pottery

Colin and I met up with my mom, her friends Jen and Noelle, and Noelle's daughter Hailey today. We went to Kiln Kreations to paint pottery. I used Colin's hand prints to make a plate he can use every year on his birthday. My mom used his hand print to make an abstract work of art on a plate.After getting his hands painted and eating his Teddy Grahams, Colin got pretty bored waiting for us to finish painting. My mom found a square tile for him to paint, which he thought was the coolest.

*Finished projects will be photographed and posted after I pick them up in a week or so.

Then we went to Applebee's (or as Colin says, Boppobee's) for lunch. When we got home, Colin and I took a nap on the couch together for an hour which is always a treat.

Thanks for a fun day, Mom!

Videos!!!

Here is a clip of Colin reading Yummy YUCKY by Leslie Patricielli about things that are yummy (eggs) and things that are yucky (earwax). We have another book she wrote called No NO Yes YES, which is why Colin says "no" a lot. I captioned it for you so you know what he's saying.

This long-distance request and dedication goes out to my dear friend Kristin who is a sucker for bubble wrap:

I wouldn't be a true Minnesconsinite if I didn't write about the Blizzard of 2010.

From early morning to late afternoon Saturday, we had a total of 15 inches of snow dumped on us. These pictures were taken when Kevin was blowing snow for the second time that day.
Our weekend plans were canceled (my parents were going to come up overnight) and instead, we were snowed in. Being snowed in is great fun with a 1 1/2 year old (did anyone ever come up with a saracasm font yet? I'd like to use it). We all wore our comfy clothes all day long, and Colin and I took a nice nap. We did manage to get the little man outside for about 15 minutes.
Here are some other pictures from days and weeks past.
BFFs. Can you tell by Rocket's expression?:
Decorating the tree:His "say cheese" face:
These are the newest words and phrases often heard around the house:
"Beer" (bear)
"Wha doin?" (What are you doing?)
"Boddet" (Rocket)
"Ah mama" (Come on, Mama)
"Bed oo" (Bless you)
"Ay doo" (Thank you)
"bun" (fun, run, & pen)
"bus" (Bugs--a game he plays on Kevin's iPad)
"Beep" (sweep)
"Brrrr" (It's cold)
"Ba bowa" (snow blower)
"edgie" (veggies)
"om" (ham)
"Nanny" (Sandy)
"Die" (outside)
"Didder" (Tigger)
"Mo-ah" (more--the way Bostonians say it)--see video below
"Boooow!" (whoa!)--see video below


I also heard "Da doo-doo ba day-er!" (There's a choo-choo back there!) when he saw it in the back of the Explorer. I promptly got it out of the car and into hiding that night. It's his Christmas present, and although he was with us when we bought it, I didn't want him taking an interest in it yet!

18 month pro pics

Here are a few more shots Leah took of us back in September.Snazzy, right? I do love them a whole lot. Thanks Leah :)

By special request from Sarah, here's a clip of some of Colin's words. This was taken a few weeks ago.

Also, one of him rockin' out to Busy Ball Popper tunes amidst a sea of plastic, wood, and classic FisherPrice toys. My favorite part is his little butt bee-bopping.

Happy Half Birthday!

Dear Colin,

You just celebrated your golden monthday. You're 18 months old and born on the 18th! We celebrated extra special by having some great food.
Chicken Veggie Tortellini (one of our favorite e-mealz recipes):
and, of course, cupcakes and ice cream.

Then we took your monthday picture. You actually were kind of hamming it up for the camera this time! Here you are in your undies, which you wear every night for a little while before taking a bath.
You are such a goofy little boy. You're always saying something and you're always moving. You want to be in the midst of all the action; whether it's watching Mommy or Daddy cook (and eating your way through the preparation of supper), or ripping apart the office.

You have started to show an interest in potty training again. Last week, you went potty 4 days in a row before bath time. Over the weekend, you went potty once before and once after your naps. You're still very inconsistent with it, but we're happy you're starting to want to try again.

Your favorite things are still trucks (dig digs), lawnmowers, food, and being outside. You get so excited about trucks you see. You can spot a lawnmower--riding, push, toy--from a mile away. Sandy says there's no food she makes that you don't like. She says you always finish your food, and we believe her. You're eating your veggies so well now too! We had broccoli tonight and you chowed right down. And we're not so sure what we're going to do with you when it's 30 below with 3 feet of snow. Mommy and Daddy won't be going outside when it's that cold out.

You now have 10 teeth.

You can point to your nose, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, fingers, toes, feet, back, belly, belly button, head, and hair.

Your newest word is "off." You are very good at telling us when you want something off (hat, mittens, shoes, coat, a light...).

The only time you use your nukie right now is in the middle of the night and you wake up asking for it. By that time, Daddy and I are so tired that we just give in. I have bad news for you though. We have devised a plan, using the Bye-Bye Binky method. According to the plan, you will start to hate your nukie and make your own decision about getting rid of it. The plan involves poking holes in it, and then cutting off the tip. I'm sorry we're doing this to you, but you're old enough not to need it anymore, even at night time.

I can't believe it has already been a year and a half already. You mean the world to me, and I am so lucky to be your Mommy. I can't imagine my life without you anymore.
Love,
Mama

Since I got so many comments about the picture where Colin is walking Rocket, here is a bonus clip of Rocket walking Colin this past weekend.

In case you're wondering, Colin did pull Rocket around that light pole at the end. He's a tough little guy.

In Memory of Memorial Day, and other goodness

You know, since it has been almost an entire week.

Colin started off the weekend by devouring strawberries. We give them to him whole now, because he likes to take a bite (or shove chunks in his mouth). At the end of this video, he kind of claps, which is his sign for "more."

He also tried using a spoon to eat his yogurt. It was a big mess, but with a little guidance he's sloooowly getting better at using a spoon.
We went to my parents' house on Sunday for a family picnic where Colin was entertained by a cooler...
...and a wagon ride. He did GREAT in the wagon. He held on to the sides and sat very nicely. He probably took at least 10 laps around the yard throughout the day.

Colin's vocabulary is quickly expanding! His newest words are:
Mama
up
help (this one's still iffy. If he's struggling with something, I say, "Say help." and he says, "ahp". But it sounds a lot like "up," but it's always that same sound. so...)
please (by signing "more"--he has meshed the two together. maybe this summer I'll try teaching him the real sign for please)
Grandma (I haven't heard it, but Kevin's dad did, and my mom and aunt did too)
bump (another one witnessed by my mom, not me. When we go for stroller rides and go over a bump, I say, "bump," and he doesn't say it back)

On the milk front, we are currently mixing 4 oz of frozen breast milk with 12 or 16 oz of whole milk. It's to the point where it's mostly whole milk, and it seems pointless to even be putting breast milk in at all. So I've decided that I'm going to finish out the weekend with mixing in the 4 oz., and on Monday we'll just give him whole milk. After I'm done writing this, I'm going to research milk donation since I have about 100-150 oz left in the freezer, and I want someone to use it if we're not going to. It would be a crime to dump it. Oh how I wish it could keep for years so we can use it for baby #2.

On the school front, happy summer to me! There was so much on my mind today that I forgot to send the kids' report cards home with them! HELLO! I felt really, really stupid, but the secretary who is so nice assured me it was no big deal. I got them all addressed to be sent in the mail tomorrow. Call me Dingleberry. I have to work a half day tomorrow (which will really be a full day because I'm moving to a different room and I have to pack up). Then I teach summer school for a half day for 6 weeks. Colin's last day of day care is tomorrow. I might cry about it, and I can't even tell you why. Tears of joy? Tears of gratitude? Not sure. Either way, I'm so glad I get to spend more time with him.

Outside fun

FINALLY the nice weather is here! Colin is a total outside boy. From the time we get home until the time he goes to bed, save for supper time, he's out on our driveway or toddling around in the grass.

He pushes his lawn mower.
He sits in the grass.
Today, since it was so warm, I showed him the hose. He loved it.

Look what a little birdie dropped among my Lily of the Valleys and Clematis:

STRAWBERRIES! YES! I am watching these babies. I do not want to miss out on the opportunity to pick them at their prime.

Also, I don't think I shared that we got into the in-home daycare for next fall! After being on a waiting list for almost a year and a half, we're in! Colin's daycare teachers know now, because we had to let them know his summer schedule, and on it we marked that he wouldn't be returning in the fall. Of course it has nothing to do with them, but I still feel like I'm "cheating" on them. I really did like having him around other babies instead of with a mixed age. And they were so accommodating. They use our cloth diapers (which they love), and they put up with my high maintenance requests (no oats, no wheat bread, and we bring our own breast milk/organic cow milk mix every day. After the miscommunication error, I wanted to be in charge of milk). I really am thankful for all of the love and attention they've given him. I just know that this new daycare will be a better fit for him in the long run.

9 more days until summer vacation! Well...then I teach 6 weeks of summer school. I'm just ready for a change in faces.

What C's been up to

Today was the big birthday bash, but I'll write more about that tomorrow. First, I'd like to share a few more happenings in the haus.

We bought Colin a potty chair. Last weekend, he squatted and grunted and I knew he was pooping. When he was finished, I asked him if he needed a new diaper. He walked over to me and pointed towards the hallway to go to his bedroom to change his diaper. So...without any pressure on him whatsoever, we're going to try...on the weekends only...to catch him in the act and see if we can get him to do his 8 a.m. poop on his potty chair. So far, no luck. He's being sneaky about it.
Here he is testing it out (uhhh....backwards. We'll work on that one):
And here he is in his diaper chillin' while mommy's watching his every move like a villain, waiting for that magical moment. The toy he's holding is a remote control. So he's a little man in his skivvies, baseball hat, and remote in hand:

And Colin got out all of the mops and brooms and decided to clean the floors for me.

Little man had a strange hairdo going on. It was all fuzzy in the back, with some long mullet-ish hairs growing down his nape. Constant bedhead. I didn't mind the long front hairs so much, but if you cut the back, the front has to go too. So we got out the clippers. He actually did a great job getting his hair cut!
During:

After:
I'd like to find a clipper attachment that is longer. I feel like he just got his head shaved to join the Army or something. And no, he didn't magically get a few birthmarks. On Thursday night, Colin fell on the sidewalk and scraped up his forehead. He only cried for a minute while I rushed him into the house, covering his head with kisses the whole way. I popped his nuk in his mouth and he was fine after that. But you know I freaked out and immediately thought he for SURE had a concussion.

Tonight before bed, I rocked my baby for the last time. Tomorrow, he'll wake up and be a toddler. A toddler who still likes to be rocked before bed.

365 days ago this very moment, I was going to bed not knowing how my life was about to change within a span of 8 hours.

An Easter Story by Colin

I went to my Great-Grandma's house today. We were a little late because I decided I wanted to take a nap right about the time Mommy and Daddy were ready to leave. So I slept for about a half hour, then they SO RUDELY woke me up.

We got there, and I had a few bites of ham, a few beans, and then I was ready to hunt for eggs. My 3 older second (or is it third?) cousins Mason, Frankie, and Lucas have done it before, but it was my first time.

Oh look! An egg!

Forget the egg! Look at all the woodchips!

Who cares about the eggs? I can't eat the candy inside them anyway. I'm happy hitting these two pieces of wood together.
Grandma and Grandpa F. said the Easter Bunny was at their house this morning. He gave me my own phone and a dump truck with some sand toys. I'll have a lot of fun playing with those this summer!

The Easter Bunny is one busy rabbit, because a few weeks ago when I was visiting Grandma and Grandpa J., he went there too! He gave me my own vacuum (you know how I love to vacuum!). Here I am playing with it. This is a really old video. So long ago, I wasn't even walking then!

Anyway, back to my story. Then Grandpa F. and Daddy showed me around the "farm." I had a lot of fun seeing all the cool stuff. Grandma joined us later. Then Mommy came and said we had to leave because I was tired. So eventually, we got back in the car. I fell asleep within 1 minute of being buckled in. I went right to my crib when I got home. Hopefully nobody will wake me up this time!

Happy Easter everyone!

Walking and baseball

He's getting ready for the big Easter egg hunt tomorrow!

And...enjoying his first Twins game of the 2010 season (it was a spring training game against the Cardinals at the new Target Field). He really did watch it for a while! I guess he wants me to take him to a game :)
Notice the messy DVDs. Our once-alphabetically-organized collection is now Colinified. Do you see how much I care though?

I gots semi-pro shots and videos!

Last weekend, we went to my parents' house to hang out and meet their new Springer pup Tanner. My mom's co-worker came over to take some pictures of Colin and Tanner together. Here are just a few of the awesome shots she took:
(This was my old wagon. My brother and I found many uses for it, and Colin seems to really like it too. He stood up in it almost immediately and shook the handle back and forth.)
Puppy butt :)
When we got home on Sunday, the weather was nice enough to hang outside for a little bit. Colin sat on the sidewalk and watched Daddy use his leaf blower.
On Monday, we had scrumptious lasagna for supper. I kid you not, Colin ate for an hour. He ate all of the lasagna I gave him, an entire graham cracker, and almost a half cup of blueberries.
His appetite is really growing. Tonight after our chiropractor appointments, we went to Culvers for supper and I ordered him his very own scoopie meal and he pretty much ate both chicken tenders and half of the applesauce. Of course, I got his drink and custard, although I did let him have a few little bites of dessert.

Anyway, the lasagna night was quite the learning experience. Colin perfected how to sign "more" in his own little way.


The next night, he perfected how to pretend to use a sippy cup phone.


It is SO nice that he is understanding language and learning how to communicate more efficiently. We actually know what he wants now, and that makes us feel so much more confident as parents.

Milk

Does a mommy and baby good!

Doggie Bday, Just like Daddy, and I Got Skillz

On Saturday, it was Rocket's 3rd Birthday. We celebrated in our usual way. Rocket enjoyed a cup of Frosty Paws ice cream while I tried putting a hat on his head. The hat lasted about a nanosecond, and I decided not to fight it this year.So Colin wore the hat instead.
I came to realize that Colin is much like his father in so many ways. Chapter 1: "Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed" is not a good description of either them after waking up. More chapters to come in future posts.
I found that the lighting in our bedroom has the best light for pictures.
Colin climbed a mountain of pillows while the bed sheets were being changed.
And then he decided to practice his box-throwing, lap-climbing, mama-saying, love-giving, waving skillz.

Evidence of a life deprived of sleep for over 9.5 months. Click to make it larger and get a glimpse of one of his teeth :)
Although we are making slow strides on the sleep thing. Those darned teeth really got all of us into some bad habits. Now that they're here, we can break the habits again and get hopefully get back into a routine. At least until the next teeth or sickness spring up, right?