Clothes or PJs?

Dana gave Griffin this cute Patagonia outfit last Christmas. He wore it in January and February and I love it because its the same color as his eyes. For some reason, now that he's older, it all of a sudden looks like pjs (versus clothes). Mike assured me that its daylight worthy, so Griffin donned the outfit last week. We had some neighborhood families over for dinner on Friday night and BOTH remarked separately, "oh, how cute, Griff is ready for bed!" I laughed out loud-- then kicked myself for taking fashion advice from my husband.

Good Eats

I joined Miles for lunch today. The kids are so cute - and as soon as they see a classmate's parent they start begging to join you (kids can invite one friend to eat with them and their parent). The kids literally wave, smile, and say, "can I please eat with you, Miles' mommy?" Its really cute. Miles picked his friend, Alec, and we had ourselves a silly time. Alec told me that he has 100 dogs, 100 cats, 100 birds, and 100 bears as pets. Quite silly indeed!



Afterwards, Mike, Griffin, and I had a feast at the Roasting Company -- a local spot known for their awesome 'home cooking'. Griffin loved it -- and by the end of the meal, he skipped the utensils and went straight for the food. Mike was proud -- and I foresee many father/son lunches at this hot spot!

Its the Little Things

....especially when those little things are purchased at Dunkin' Donuts. Noah and I have been loving our T/Th hang-out time and a pit-stop for donut holes and coffee this morning was an awesome treat.


Noah was so excited to dig in; but, ever-so-thoughtful, he let his 'guy' take the first bite.


Shovin' it in to make room for the next one. Gotta do what 'cha gotta do!


Can't you just taste it?! YUMMERS, indeed!

Miles's Half Birthday!

Over the past week, Miles has been obsessed about his half-birthday. We indulged him tonight and celebrated the event by dining out with two neighborhood families (...I had to draw the line at his request for party hats and favors!).



Notice the "1/2 finger", which gives a shout-out to his new status as a 5 1/2 year old. As you can tell from the picture, he's passionate about it!




There must have been too many chocolate chips in their after-dinner cookie, as the boys were zany before bed. I swear, they weren't jumping off of the top bunk...they just jumped 'up' when they launched off of the ladder. All part of the celebration, I guess!

Our 16-Month-Old Cutie Pie!

Griffin could not be cuter (its awesome how God wires us to think our kids are the absolute cutest, isn't it?). When Miles and Noah were 16 months, I was wrestling with morning sickness and extreme fatique -- so I am truly enjoying it to the fullest this time. At sixteen months, Griffin babbles a ton, seems to understand a lot and has a few choice words:

• Bah! (anytime he sees a ball)
• Moh! (for more and for milk)
• Da! (anytime he sees Mike)
• Mama (every once in awhile)
• Cheese (said it the first time today as he posed for this picture!)
• Choo-choo
  

He throws his passy into his crib as we reach in to take him out...he continues to eat everything (he's our first boy to even try ketchup, bbq sauce, spaghetti sauce)...he loves to run loops around the house with Bodie...he's devoted to a little tigger lovie (too cute!)...he's obsessed with balls... he loves to be outside...he hunts for his shoes (and ours) first thing in the morning so that we can go outside to play...he's a great walker and on the verge of all out running...he loves to play in Bodie's water dish...he loves to grab whatever he can find in the pantry (last week he ate a candy cane from last year with the wrapper still on it)...he periodically waves and blows kisses (which is somehow extra cute because it is so sporadic)...he loves to color (and eat crayons)...he smiles every time we break out the camera...he can point to his nose...he has a mouthful of teeth and the cutest dimple on his cheek...and so much more!

We love you, Griffin!

Gearing Up for Halloween

Schools were closed today (teacher workday) so we decided to decorate for Halloween. The boys loved it and truly delighted in everything we pulled out of the storage bin. I can't count the number of times I heard Miles yell, "whoa! that's awesome!"


Miles & Noah spent the rest of the day dressing up in different costumes (a favorite pastime).



At one point the boys decided to pretend that they were camping. They got their sleeping bags, pillows and some roasting skewers. I told them to tell me when they were set up and I'd come in with two marshmallow to 'pretend cook'. They were taking a little longer than I thought to set up, so I checked on them. I found them nestled in, pounding down marshmallows....sneaky little guys!


A fun day, indeed!

Kindergarten Fun!

Kindergarten is in full swing! Last week, everyone's pets were invited to the classroom, so Griffin and I swung by with Bodie. It was hard to tell who loved it more -- Miles or Bodie.



We also had our first playdate with one of Miles' new friends. Alec and his brother met us for some fun at the park. The boys had a blast running around together -- and Alec taught Miles how to launch out of a swing. The first time Miles tried it he didn't go very far. He said, "mom, how come Alec isn't afraid when he jumps high?" I said, "well, he's probably practiced it a lot." Miles said, "oh, right!" and then ran off to do it another dozen times. Gotta love the positive influences of friends!

Miles Lost His 2nd Tooth!

Picture Day for Noah!

No smocked outfits or peter pan collars....not even a button-down or golf shirt. I let Noah decide how he'd like to be represented in his 3-year-old preschool picture and he picked one of his favorite t-shirts. When I dropped him off, I told his teacher that he could decide whether or not he wears the hood up for the picture. (I'm actually kind of hoping for it!)

The Early Bird Gets the Sword

Everything starts earlier these days...Miles wakes up at 6:30, is off to school before 7am, has lunch at 10:40am, etc. So tonight, at his request, we had dinner at 4:25pm!


Check out the tables behind Griff -- EMPTY!



Just before we left, the pirate arrived and hooked the kids up with some balloon swords. As we left the restaurant, Miles was so excited that he was shouting out all of the pirate phrases that he knows..."ahoy, matey!", "ah....walk the plank!", "shiver me timbers!". Then, he paused and had a weird look on his face as if something had just clicked in his brain and he yelled "Hello! Welcome to Great Clips!" (......maybe he has some secret pirate handbook?)

A Day of Portraits

The boys loved art class again today. They ran in, hunkered down and weren't phased when Griffin and I left to hang out in the adjacent gym.



Check out Noah, practically laying on the table!



This week's project was "portraits" --- first Miles' rendition, then Noah's (Noah's inspiration may have had a hunchback?). They ferociously colored until the instructor kicked us out and are already talking about next week -- watercolors!

Two Trees, 10 Plants and Flowers Galore

Over the past 2 Saturdays, Mike has been a planting machine!


We tagged along for the buying trip at the nursery.




Griffin discovered a puddle...and by the time we left he was sans pants. It was such a nice day, he didn't seem to care...and with legs that cute, we didn't either.

Spot Sound Challenge

Reading is the big emphasis at school right now and Miles' teacher uses different challenges to get the kids excited about learning. On Friday Miles was so excited to show off his first medal He earned it for successfully completing the "Spot Sound Challenge" (showing proficiency in identifying letters and letter sounds...just the basics this early in the year). He could not stop looking at it!

****

Earlier this week, Mike and I attended an open house at Miles' school. It was amazing to be in his classroom -- to see his table and chair, his seat on the rug, his artwork, the "centers" where he spends time, etc.. Miles' teacher told us a couple of cute stories about him -- and we can tell that she's come to understand his personality quickly. The entire experience made us even more excited about Miles' kindergarten year.

I signed up to volunteer in Miles' class each week and we are now officially able to join our kids for lunch at school. Look out, Miles: here I come!

A+ Art Class

Miles and Noah had their first art class this week. It was amazing. They settled in immediately and were engaged the entire time. Miles was truly in-his-element and in turn was extremely talkative with the instructor and was very supportive and nurturing of Noah. The teacher allowed Griffin and I to hang out in the back of the room and I loved being able to witness everything.



Their first lesson was on drawing portraits.


Noah was disappointed that he was the only one in class that couldn't write his own name (the other kids are 4 & 5). His actual comment the next day was, "mom, I don't like it that everyone writes my name with a lowercase h. I like capital h's." Then, he spent the next 30 minutes practicing writing his name, so that in the future, he can write it however he pleases. He's not there yet...but he's determined!

Boards & Bubbles = Garage Fun!

Yo, yo, yo! Are you sure its bathtime?