KiddoBlogging » Family

He loves his trains!

Erin — Wed, 26 May 2010 15:16:24 +0000

One way or another, I suspect this boy will be an engineer.

Have a great Wednesday!

Top Ten Kiddo Thoughts and Sayings

Erin — Wed, 26 May 2010 04:38:38 +0000

1. I went in earlier to find out why Timothy was not yet asleep, and we talked about the trees next door, and grass, and flowers, and the moon, and trucks…and all the things little boys want to talk about while putting off sleep. Finally he asked “Daddy home?” and I had to tell him that Daddy was working [in the other room on his thesis] right now. He nodded knowingly and said “Best dressed.” I’m not sure why he thought about that particular Thomas story, but he was positive that it was related.

2. Nathaniel loves his stuffed puppy dog which looks like our Molly, and he calls it “pudgy doc.” Now is that not just the cutest mispronunciation?

3. After I get the kids up in the morning, they run around the house like crazy yelling “beffess!” which of course means breakfast. They also love to put their milk sippy cups in their dump trucks and race them around the house, stopping occasionally for a drink. Mornings around here are wild!

4. Nathaniel is not doing full-time potty training yet (mommy does not have any way to work one-on-one with him right now), but when we have casually worked with him on it he is pretty excited…even if he doesn’t really get the concept. In one incident, he sat on the toilet, put his feet up on the seat, looked at his boy parts and shook his fists in the air, yelling “GO POTTY!!!” I stepped out of the bathroom shaking with silent laughter. I really want to cherish my boys’ tender feelings, but it’s quite hard not laugh until tears at something like that.

5. Timothy has learned recently how to hug and kiss. It’s just about the sweetest thing ever! I think I may take too much advantage of it…when he wants something, sometimes I make him give me two kisses and one hug for it! He also kisses Nathaniel sometimes, though it is frustrating for him when Nathaniel does not cooperate. He usually just grips Nathaniel’s head to hold it still long enough to find his cheek. Nathaniel just giggles with glee!

6. Timothy is also starting to have real empathy for his little brother. When he sits down to story time and notices that Nathaniel does not have blankets, he stops everything and runs off to find his brother’s blankets. I’ve also seen him find special toys just to make Nathaniel happy if he is crying or upset. I’m so happy that he is learning the joy of being a good helper and friend.

7. Nathaniel loves to talk, but often Timothy talks on and on so much the he doesn’t get a word in. I try to take time with Nathaniel just so he can talk to his little heart’s content. He loves to practice his favorite conversation: “Hi! How are you? I’m fine. Bye!” and sometimes we just go over and over it back and forth. I think he is very pleased that he can hold a conversation and that people can actually understand what he is saying. After Timothy has gone through so much with his speech delay, I am relishing the fact that Nathaniel seems to be progressing pretty normally.

8. Speaking of Timothy’s speech issues, he is really advancing rapidly with his speech now. The boys love talking to each other. Sometimes they only make sense to each other, but they are so happy whether they are actually talking or just making the same fun sounds. They are really building a friendship, and I hope to nurture that as they grow older.

9. Both of the boys enjoy story time. A couple of their favorite books are Sir Abner and his Grape Pickers and The Water that Caught on Fire. We are also starting the Bible story book that comes with the Rod and Staff preschool curriculum, and they seem to enjoy the stories, even if they look at me a bit blankly when I ask them questions at the end. We’ve also enjoyed some library books, especially one called The Bee Tree, which I will have to purchase since Timothy still asks about it weeks after we returned it.

10. These boys are really blessings to me every day. Yes, sometimes Timothy shrieks so loudly in Target that he has to close his own ears, and sometimes…okay, every Sunday…Nathaniel screams in nursery for no reason other than he wants another cracker, or that someone is driving his favorite hippo truck. [Oh, the tragedy.] Really though, when I stop and think of all the wonderful things, like the times Timothy spontaneously obeyed me today, even for things he did not want to do, or when Nathaniel begged me to take pictures of him with my phone then put his eye right in the lens…I am so happy that they are who they are and I really wouldn’t have them any less strong-willed. They will be intelligent and kind young men someday…and I think they will still be a whole lot of fun then too!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to check in with Abbey’s Ten on Tuesday…since she is inspiring me to post, you owe it to her!

Mommy plays "Be Serious!" with Timothy, which involves tickling him under the chin and chiding his appalling lack of seriousness.

Nathaniel sits at Union Station watching Timothy play on the trains.

Five on Friday

Erin — Fri, 21 May 2010 21:36:06 +0000

1. I’m taking the extreme measure of actually posting on my blog to avoid knitting. I really love knitting, but I’m trying something new and difficult (for me), and am avoiding the mistakes that I am about to make. It looks a bit neurotic when I type it out. Hmm.

2. Patrick is nearing completion of his master’s thesis at the University of Utah. To give you a bit of perspective on how monumental this task has been, he has been working on it since before Timothy was born. We are SO VERY READY to see the back end of this thing.

3. We measured our boys’ heights on the wall yesterday, and at not quite 3 1/2 years old, Timothy is 41 1/2 inches tall. Nathaniel is just a hair over three feet tall. They certainly eat as if devouring their last meals, and it’s easy to see where it is all going.

4. I bought a spiffy new wireless headset recently, which is just fabulous for talking on Skype with my dear sister. I pretend to get things done, but sometimes I just lay on my bed and relax while we talk. It’s quite nice to not be tied to the computer when we chat, because we tend to have extremely long conversations! We talk during her mornings so I often get to talk to my niece and nephew (my youngest niece isn’t quite Skype ready yet). Sadly, my boys are nearly always in bed when we talk, so she doesn’t have the pleasure of hearing them scream and destroy things. On second thought, maybe this is on purpose. I promise to have them civilized before I send them to college, but anything sooner seems like a stretch right now.

5. This is supposed to actually be full of inspirations, as is Abbey’s post, but sadly I am not compliant. Maybe after this thesis thing is over…we’ll see. Oh, and Patrick, if you are reading this? Rowsdower. And I win the whole internet for that one. (The game is to sneak Rowsdower into your normal conversation, e.g. “After you leave work can you stop at Harmon’s and pick up some ROWSDOWER?” It’s great fun! Play at home!)

Thankfulness

Erin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:13:08 +0000

As I start working on our Thanksgiving menu, I can’t help but think about all the reasons I am thankful this year, and at this moment. Here is just a sampling of what crossed my mind today:

I have two terrific toddlers.
We are working toward paying off our debts, and we hope we’re only about a year (or less!) away from making that happen (mortgage excepted).
I can have a tiff with my husband over the phone while he is out of town, yet resolve it before bedtime.
Our family has been rather healthy this year.
I’ve been working hard toward a personal goal, and so far have made significant progress toward that goal’s completion.
I am continually humbled by and grateful for God’s free gift of salvation though I can never deserve it.
My marriage has become stronger over nearly seven years now. I am so richly blessed. I know that it’s not my naturally sweet disposition that has kept us going!
Skinny Cow. Yum.
We have great family and friends and a terrific church family!

Thinking inside the box

Erin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:39:51 +0000

We bought a fabulous new vacuum about a week ago, and of course the boys have been enjoying the box in which it arrived. I think I should get lots of large items for myself this Christmas, then let the boys just play in the boxes it all comes in. Oh, come on, they would love it!

The boys grin for Mommy.

: Timothy leans over to Nathaniel and says, “Boo!” Everyone giggles.

Oh, how they giggle!

I just love these super-sweet boys! Toddlerhood is a blast.

Slow Cooker Recipes

Erin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 19:17:06 +0000

I made it my goal to cook all our meals at home while we had Patrick’s parents in town, and I think we succeeded pretty well. Here are a couple of recipes that got high marks from the in-laws.

BBQ Pork for Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 (14 ounce) can beef broth
3 pounds boneless pork ribs
1 (18 ounce) bottle barbeque sauce

Directions

Pour can of beef broth into slow cooker, and add boneless pork ribs. Cook on High heat for 4 hours (I cooked it on low all day instead), or until meat shreds easily. Remove meat, and shred with two forks. It will seem that it’s not working right away, but it will.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Transfer the shredded pork to a Dutch oven or iron skillet, and stir in barbeque sauce.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until heated through.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
1 onion, finely diced
2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces

Directions

Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center.

Abuelita and Abuelo’s visit

Erin — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 23:06:27 +0000

Here are just a few pics from Mark and Rusti’s visit.

Nathaniel hit it off with Abuelo right away!

Timothy enjoys time with his Abuelita.

Abuelita tickles Timothy!

Molly’s preferred mode of transportation

Erin — Sun, 03 May 2009 03:34:53 +0000

Now that’s a lazy dog.

Red Butte Gardens

Erin — Fri, 01 May 2009 03:44:50 +0000

Spring. FINALLY. Patrick took the day off, and we and the boys traveled down to Salt Lake City and took in the Red Butte Gardens. The boys loved it!

Timothy brought his own stick from home, by the way.

The day could not have been more gorgeous!!

All afterburner and no rudder = perfect picture of a two-year-old.

He cast his stick upon the waters, then we all headed home.

Trip to the park!

Erin — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:36:36 +0000

Finally, a Saturday morning was warm enough for a trip to the park! We all had a lot of fun.

The boys had fun swinging! Timothy was a little concerned at first, but he quickly got the hang of it.

After the swings came the slide…but Mommy was holding Nathaniel and couldn’t get pictures. Next time, we will!

Timothy ran through the grass!

Nathaniel was in no mood for grass. He just wanted his Dadoo.

All is well now.

Timothy really liked it when the Sheriff’s deputy sped by with lights and siren!

After a fun morning, it was time to go. Which was good, because it started to rain shortly after! We’ll be back to the park soon.