Christmas Tree 2009

Sunday we went to a place called Clark's Hilltop Nursery in neighboring Floyd County. It's a 600 acre commercial tree farm, but also sells privately. They offer hayrides to customers during the Christmas season. We rode behind the tractor out to one of the sites for Fraser Firs and got to select the one we wanted. It was hard to choose this year because honestly all of his trees were perfect!

Grayson had a good time running around looked at all the trees.

Luke was pretty excited, but didn't understand that we were picking out a tree.

Finally Steve and I settled on one that we thought was just perfect!
Once cut, they have a nice crew to shake, wrap, and load your tree for you. Feliz Navidad!

Thanksgiving in Amherst

This year for Thanksgiving, we broke tradition and had Thanksgiving Dinner at my sister's house in Forest. It actually worked out beautifully (OK, except for Grayson throwing up in the middle of dinner - turns out he does NOT like broccoli) and gave us a chance to go on a nice hike Thanksgiving morning with my Mom. Our uncle found a trail that runs along the Piney River which is perfect for an easy walk/ride with kids.

Like father, like son.

Nana walking with Luke and Grayson riding alonside on the Skuut.

Family picture - apparently throwing sticks in the river is far more interesting than posing with Mom and Dad for a picture.

Fast forward a few hours, and we arrive at my sister's for dinner. The kids got to enjoy a "hayride," behind an ATV instead of a tractor. Hey - you work with whacha got, ya know?
Then my sister had the crazy idea that Mom keep all 5 grandkids at her house while she got up early to get deals on Black Friday. They actually did pretty well and Kim's kids got to see what it was like to wake up early for a change. Cameron slept in, but the girls couldn't wait to get up early to play with my boys!
The bay window has always been a favorite spot to play.

Baby and Big Boy

There are moments when Luke tried so hard to be a Big Boy...like when we found him getting his own sipping cup out of the refrigerator.

And then there are moments when he is still such a Baby. Like almost all of the time. Luke is VERY attached to his Nuk and his Elle. One day we lost Elle at Mom's house and as I was almost leaving the driveway Mom comes out with Elle in a Ziploc bag. I immediately guessed where she found Elle. Turns out Luke thought the toilet was a great place to store Elle. Needless to say, after driving back from Amherst, I did an unexpected load of laundry that night before bed. Bedtime got pushed back a little because we had to wait for the dryer to finish.

Moment of panic.

One day I left a very unhappy 3 year old in his room for naptime. He insisted he wasn't tired, but I put up the gate in his door and walked away - the normal routine since I at least make him have an hour of "quiet time" even when he's not tired. A while later, I notice that it's quiet so I go to check on him. I peek in his room and....nothing. He's not in his bed or on his floor. He's never actually tried to escape the gate, but I had a moment of panic when I thought he must have gotten out of his room and now I had no idea where he was. Then out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a sock mixed in with his stuffed animals that he keeps behind his chair. Upon closer inspection, here's what I found.....

And this is precisely why you never believe a 3 year old who tells you he's not tired.

And then there were three...

A couple of weekends ago, we kept our neighbors' daughter Caitlin while they went to the football game. Though naptime didn't work out as planned (I "slept" with Caitlin and actually witnessed a headstand during "nap."), the rest of the day was so much fun. I'll have to actually admit that keeping 3 wasn't much harder than keeping 2. And in some ways easier. It was almost enough to make me want 3.....almost, but we're not talking horseshoes so almost is a hell of a long way from actually wanting 3! The kids enjoyed playing outside. Caitlin especially enjoyed digging in the sandbox. She just kept double fisting the shovels and filling her bucket, dumping it, then starting over.

The three actually played really well together!

Then Grayson and Caitlin saw an airplane fly overhead and decided to "go catch it." I think the last thing I heard was "Caitlin, let's go catch that airplane." So...off I run around the corner to see where these two are headed. Caitlin's house is across the street and Grayson knows I never let him over there without holding my hand. So when I yell, "Grayson, get back down here." His response is "Don't worry Mommy - we're holding hands." So I had to snap a quick picture prior to scooping them both up and returning them to the sandbox.

Later that night we made cookies which were supposed to be orange and maroon fall leaves. The cookies ended up looking like blobs and I realized I didn't know how to make maroon frosting, but the kids had fun cutting them out anyway!

Rice Krispie Treats

Recently one weekend I went to Mom's when Steve was away. My Mom has always enjoyed spending time in the kitchen (well, I guess she enjoys it). In any case, she doesn't do fast food and has never ordered take out so you can always expect home cooked food when visiting. As such, she also involves the kids in cooking. I remember sitting on the counter helping to cook far I remember things like a meal at McDonalds or anything like that. Grayson and Luke are now enjoying Mom's willingness to let them sit on the counter and help. The treat this weekend : Rice Krispie Treats (which I'll have to admit I had never made for my kids).

Grayson enjoyed cooking.
Luke enjoyed eating.

Pictures by capture.it!

This past weekend my sister took professional pictures of the boys and me. I really scheduled it for Grayson's 3 year portraits, but there were some good ones of Luke, too, so I had to include those! I don't know why the size isn't copying right to the blog, but you can kind of get the idea and if you're interested in seeing more, you can check them out on my sister's website by clicking on Grayson and Luke Rawlings at :
http://kjennings.photobiz.com/cart/events.cfm?displaystart=11

1:00AM to 2:30AM

Steve was away for the night. Luke was out for the count. Which left Grayson and me. After 4 visits into his room between 9 and 1, I informed him that "I'm not coming back in here. You need to go to sleep." After which I put up the gate in his doorway to effectively lock him in his room. The next hour and a half taught me that I'm afraid I have a very persistent, sneaky, and resourceful child on my hands. What I hope it taught Grayson is that Mommy still won!

1:00-1:30 - Repeatedly, "Mommy, Mommy, MOMMMMMMMYYYYYY." Accompanied by incessant, pitiful crying.
1:30-2:00 - Repeatedly, "Mommy - please take down my gate. PLEASE, Mommy."
2:00-2:15 - Repeatedly, "Mommy, I need you. I really need you. Please come here Mommy."
2:15-2:30 - Three times "Help." "Help!" "HELP!"

Now some mothers would have caved at the pitiful "Mommy." But not me - I've had years of practice with that one now. Hardly phases me, even when whiney pitiful voice is utilized. Many Moms would feel guilty about the gate and bargain for some type of gate removal. No bargaining here. Most Moms would probably break into tears with the "I NEED YOU" phrase. And, yes, this one does still kind of break my heart. But I stuck to my guns. I wasn't losing. Finally, I daresay any Mom would jump out of bed when she heard her 3 year old yelling "Help!" frantically in the middle of the night. But, thanks to our video monitor (best investment ever) I just had to glance over to see Grayson sitting up perfectly fine in the middle of his room yelling "help" just to see if he could get Mommy to respond. He gave up after about 3 calls for help and FINALLY went to sleep! So - peace at last - until 5:15 when Luke woke up for the day.

Luke at 15 Months

Reading my friend's blog about her 15 month old (born 1 day after Luke) made me think to post Luke's stats. We had his checkup yesterday where he received - count them - 4 shots! Ugh. But he seems no worse for the wear today. Luke is doing great. He's a happy and healthy baby with, thank God, fairly good sleeping habits. No offense to Grayson, but I'm just not sure what we would have done with 2 with his sleep habits (see blog above). At 15 months, Luke weighs 24 pounds and is 34 inches tall. Average weight. Tall. He does, indeed, have a big head. Still off the charts, but didn't increase at the remarkable rate it did at the last checkup so we have another reprieve for 3 more months. If it grows quickly again then he'll have to have an MRI at 18 months, but there's really no indication that there's anything wrong. I think this kid just has a big head. The doc looked at me and, jokingly, said "this haircut doesn't help." My Mom would appreciate that. His language skills are normal. He says a few words, though I expect I'm one of the few who understands him. He tries to saw cow, moo, tractor, (can you tell we live in SWVA?), mama, dada, papa, cat, and milk. He understands much of what we say. He understands basic commands like "go wash your hands" "don't forget to push up your sleeves" and, of course, "please sit down in your seat." We say that last one a lot. He also willingly walks up to bed when we say "it's time to go to bed" which is a nice treat. He loves his bed and rarely gives us any problem going to sleep at night - sometimes literally leaping out of our arms into his crib. He knows "no, no" and since I apparently shake my finger at him when I say this, he now mimics the same action when he hears the words. Very cute.

Halloween 2009

This year Grayson had an opinion about what he wanted to be for Halloween. Had it been my choice, he was going to be the man with the yellow hat and Luke was going to be Curious George. So much for Mom getting her way. Once Grayson found out Caitlin (his neighbor) was going to be Minnie Mouse, he had his heart set on being Mickey. So - Mickey it was. And Luke just got to be a pumpkin to tag along with the mouse duo. I think both boys actually really liked their costumes - not handmade this year, but still cute. I just resorted to Craigslist for some cheap costumes and, even though Grayson's was size 18months, I think it still did the job for a few hours. We met up with our neighbors to go trick or treating. We went to about 7 or 8 houses on the way to Rich and Jolene's and then called it a night. I think all the kids had fun. Grayson got to choose one treat to eat when we got back to the house - he chose the fruit snacks. Crazy kid. Mommy, of course, helped lighten his load of chocolate. Luke will pretty much eat what I give him, so he did enjoy some Hershey bar before bed.

I actually just carved the pumpkin myself this year. Grayson carved one at school and declared that it was "gooey" and didn't want to touch it. So I didn't force it at home. He also made apple and pumpkin pies at school. His teachers said he loved measuring and stirring, but would not even taste the pies when they were done cooking. Ugh. What am I going to do with him?

Mom sent the boys matching Halloween shirts which they enjoyed wearing together.

I thought we might try a "still life" of a pumpkin one afternoon. Luke had no interest in actually painting.

Grayson enjoyed the paint, but I think the concept of "still life" was lost on him...unless you consider the orange blob his attempt at a pumpkin.

For Luke, cleaning up and being allowed to play in the water at the sink is more fun than the actual art project.Here's Luke sportin' his pumpkin...

And Grayson in his slightly too short Mickey costume...

Mommy with both boys.

At last - Mickey united with his Minnie.

And the obligatory sibling shot on Halloween...

My Little Monkey

If we thought Grayson was a climber, I'm afraid we just hadn't seen toddler climbing skills at their best. Luke is SUCH a little monkey. Really, I'm not just letting Luke run free. I'm always in the same room - but this is what I turn around to see....

Two days later, I'm doing dishes at the sink and in a matter of SECONDS Luke goes from pulling on my leg to THIS...I'm really thinking his next move might actually be to grab the chandelier lights and start swinging.