February Phone Pics

February seems so long ago that I can barely remember what we did!  I just scrolled through the month's pics and remembered the biggest event of the month...we had carpet installed on the stairs!  You would have thought we bought a new swing set with how excited the kids were and how often they played on it.  I'll take that as a home improvement win!

On a couple occasions, Katie Wynn actually requested to have their picture taken on the stairs.  I won't say no to that!

After snapping this pic, I asked Katie Wynn if she could put her legs together...

Thomas obeyed too and squeezed his together! :)

They couldn't wait to show Wyatt their new "bunk beds."

When we ordered the carpet for the stairs, we also had a piece cut as a runner for our entry hall.  The hallway is so wide that I have been unable to find a rug wide enough (and long enough) for the space.  I wasn't sure if I'd really like having something there or not so we just got the same neutral, nondescript carpet that we used on the stairs.  The kids enjoyed breaking it in over the month too.  :)

Jumping off the step into the living room!

It passes the crawl test!

Listening to the music from their Valentine's cards.

The new carpet is a great place to play with babies.  :)

February was the month of Looooove, and we definitely celebrated.  We sent a homemade Valentine to Granddaddy...

...and then we received a picture of him with the Valentine and Katie Wynn grinned so, so BIG!!!

She was thrilled, too, when she received a thank-you note from Granddaddy in the mail.  Here she is reading it...upside down.

K-dub wore her Valentine pj's 'round the clock.  We couldn't get them off her.  I couldn't resist taking her picture this day...her pink cheeks matched her pink bow.

We had a family dinner at my parents' house.  I can't really remember why but the kids have on Valentine's clothes so maybe it was for that!?  Katie Wynn may be slightly terrified of both of my brothers, but Thomas let my brother Ben hold him (and Ben's daughter Lilli Greer) for a long time!

The cutest boy in a ball cap I've ever seen.  :)

Katie Wynn loves to trace hands, and Thomas will actually be still enough to let her!

Did I mention that Katie Wynn doesn't need a nap anymore?  That's what she tells us anyway.  And then we usually find her like this.

February marked the first time our big girl got to stay up and watch a movie before bed.  We have officially added Mulan to the list of Disney movies we've seen (which puts our total at...four?).  

We made brownies in February, and licked the spoon clean!

We discovered that Thomas LOVES green beans.  This is his reaction to me telling him that, after five helpings, there were no more green beans left to give him.  

Oh, he also found an oatmeal cream pie in my Mom's pantry and told us he likes those too.  He ate the whole thing himself!

Katie Wynn loves taking a bath at Mimi's and Poppy's because she gets to swing in a towel afterwards.

This is what happened when I handed Katie Wynn the parmesan cheese for her pasta but then walked away from the table.  I told Matt to go ahead and put parmesan on the grocery list.

One night, these two stinkers kept making me smell their stinky feet!

Like every other month, I took their picture in new clothes.  Except these weren't clothes that I had made!  I placed a Hanna Andersson order for swimsuits and spring clothes and needed them to try them on to make sure they fit.  I took their pictures so my Mom could see what they got.  Thomas was the funniest little model!  Katie Wynn told me her bikini top was too small because it didn't reach down to her bottoms.

And finally, Matt and I got to get dressed up for a grown-up night out!  We attended a Wine and Cheese party at the country club and scored some things in the silent auction.  I love having him as my date.  :)

January Phone Pics

I'll be honest here - these are my least favorite posts to write.  Mostly because there are always so many pictures to go through and the topics are just all over the place.  But, I'm of the mindset that if you don't post/print/publish/scrapbook the pictures you take, then what's the point of even taking them?  So I'm gonna give it another go this year with the monthly random phone picture posts.

Let's jump right in with my very favorite picture from the month.  This boy.  How am I ever supposed to take him seriously?!

He has some form of that hairstyle almost every single morning.  The poor fella does some sweating at night and lays all crazy like on his hair so it stands up all over.  I have to drench it with water in the morning to get it calmed down.

And now, the most exciting news from the month: our town got a Walmart Neighborhood Market!  I realize this is nothing worth writing about to you big city folks, but this is HUGE for us.  Yes, we've had a grocery store in our town but...we'll just leave it at the but.  :)  This store opening was so exciting that not only did we throw the kids in the car after dinner on a school night, but we also asked someone to take our picture in the parking lot with the sign behind us.  Small town livin', ya'll!

What else happened this month?  Katie Wynn's love for puzzles continued.  This set at my Mom's house is really cool.   It has lots of different professionals - chef, scuba diver, soldier, ballerina, fireman, wizard, doctor, etc - and each one is split into three pieces - feet, body, and head.  She is getting really good at matching them all up!

We took the kids skating one cold afternoon to get out of the house.  It was a big flop.  Katie Wynn wouldn't even put her skates on and Thomas...well, you can tell from the picture what he thought about it.  We may have a couple more years before we're all doing laps around the rink.  Matt and I had fun though!

Thomas kept a cold for most of the month and finally, on a Monday following a fevery weekend, I took him to the doctor to find out that he had bronchitis and possibly some pneumonia.  Oops.  Mom fail.  While I hated that he didn't feel well, I did enjoy the extra snuggles that I so rarely get these days.

One of Thomas's favorite toys is my curling iron.  Or my hair dryer.  Really anything from my bathroom drawer full of "gadgets."  I don't know why we bother buying him toys.

Katie Wynn is still building pillow houses for nap time and this month, I discovered that she's been tracing the letters of her name at school.  I was so impressed that she could do that (I had no idea she could!) that I  made her do it for us while out to dinner one night.

We went to our first birthday party at the Little Gym and while the kids shied away from the other party goers and party activities, they did have fun on the gym equipment.

Do you guys remember those little capsules you dissolve in water and they turn into sponge shapes?  When my brothers and I were little, we had a babysitter that always brought them with her (at least that's how I remember it, she probably only brought them once!) and it easily made her our favorite sitter.  I found them at Fred's and bought a pack for nostalgia's sake.  The kids liked watching them form in the warm water, even if it was hard not to reach in and touch them.

Thomas took a shower.  This is not unusual but I have to post these pics of him in the shower by himself, looking like he's up to no good!

We returned to the Children's Museum for some Saturday morning fun.

I realize the picture on the right isn't very good since Katie Wynn walked into the frame, but look at Thomas's face while he's driving!

Daddy had help driving up the driveway.

Suckers after church...

Then their Daddy and I plucked them from their hands and snapped a pic before they realized they were gone!

We were gifted some beautiful weather on a Sunday afternoon so we hit up Mimi and Poppy's play set.  Bonus: they still had lots of leaves for playing in!

This is one my favorites from the month too.  "Mama, I'm weading my Bible to Thomas!"

Matt traveled some this month so we spent a couple nights at my parents' house.  Katie Wynn absolutely LOVED that I let her and Thomas sleep together.  

Oh!  Matt and I worked in a date night.  That was fun.  We went to Ruth's Chris and had delicious steaks and crab cakes and lobster mac and cheese.  Here's a picture of Matt with his dessert.  No pic of me with mine (creme brulee!) but here's one of 17 of the exact same picture of me that Katie Wynn took with my phone.

And finally, just like every other month, I took lots of pictures of them in their Mint Tulip clothes.  I can get away with this since it's work related, right?

I'll end here with the Valentine's Day clothes since that's a good lead-in to next month's phone pics.  I'm so lucky to call these two little squirts mine.  There are days when having two toddlers is tough and incredibly trying, but they also bring their Daddy and me so much joy and keep us laughing all the time.  I love them big!

December Phone Pics

Well, with all the Christmas photos taken out, all that's left for December Phone Pics is mostly pictures of my kids in Christmas clothes or new clothes they received for Christmas.  :)

Like these precious ones of Thomas in his JOY reindeer shirt.  He is so stinkin' cute sometimes!

Just click over on the right of that carousel of pictures for more to slide in.  I love that Lolli's kiss was perfectly time with the click of my camera.  :)

Now you know I took a picture of them pretty much every time they had on Christmas clothes, so here are a handful of my favorite ones.  Most of these were taken in the morning before school.

December was the month Katie Wynn started making pillow "houses" to sleep in for nap time.  As I type this, she's on her bed in another pillow house.  Naps take a little longer these day since we have to set everything up.  This one pictured is not very elaborate, but sometimes they are!

For Thomas, December was the month he started experimenting with makeup.  MY makeup.  Little stinker; it's nearly impossible for me to get ready when he's around because he steals all of my stuff.  Look how proud he is of himself for his eye shadow application!  

When he wasn't in my makeup, he was applying powdered donut "lipstick." 

He cleans up pretty well, though, even when he's drooling.

This year was our first time to attend our town's Christmas parade.  It was a really fun night, although the horn from one of the big trucks scared Thomas to death!

We also went with several friends to Snowy Nights at the Botanic Gardens for the first time ever.  Can you see the snow behind Matt and Katie Wynn?

It was really cold that night so we didn't last very long!

Our friends Sarah and Gus came over that night and Katie Wynn got to have her first friend sleepover!  But first, we had some hot chocolate with whipped topping - a first for Katie Wynn and she wasn't so sure about it.

We were excited to finally use the trundle under Katie Wynn's big girl bed.  As I pulled it out to get it ready for Gus, KW decided she would be sleeping on it too.  Doesn't this picture of them look like it should be on some marriage self help book titled something like Marital Sleep: What The Stuffed Animal You're Hugging Says About Your Relationship??

I had the covers of her bed pulled down too, fully expecting to have to put her up in it if they didn't settle down.  But, they both fell right to sleep!  When I checked on them later she had her arm draped over him.  Too sweet not to snap a picture!

With it being too cold to play outside after school, we had to get creative to keep them entertained until bedtime.  We did everything from running errands, riding around looking at Christmas lights, and trying to watch movies.  One night, we had a picnic in our living room!

I showed you in the October phone pics that one of Thomas's favorite hang out spots is in Lolli's kennel.  In December, Sister joined him in there.  She crawled in ahead of him one morning and asked if I'd close the door.  Then she said, and I quote, "Mama, can we stay in here for a little while?"  Yes ma'am, you can!  Stay as long as you'd like!  They can't call the child welfare office on us if they asked to be caged, right?

So we went about our day while they played in their new house and then let them out when they were ready...and whole minute and a half later...

We got to open presents from Matt's parents on the morning of Christmas Eve since they had brought them to our house earlier in the month.  It was nice to spread all the gifts out some so the kids could really see what they got from them.

Thomas got a new car!

Katie Wynn got a new easel with lots of paint, chalk, and marker supplies!

Thomas also got some new building blocks.  This cool wagon that they came in can pick them up when rolled over them.  I'm all about a toy that picks up after itself!

They both got new coats.  And also rainboots, though I don't have a picture of Thomas in his yet.

I think this picture was taken on Christmas night...Katie Wynn enjoys Thomas's new car too.  I love their teamwork.  

Katie Wynn got a new table top high chair from one of her buddies so Bitty Baby now has a permanent seat at the kids' table in our kitchen.

She also got some new finger paints so we've gotten to get creative several times.  The picture on the right is of the Christmas trees we painted together.  We went step by step...can you tell which one is mine and which one is hers?

We set up Katie Wynn's new washer and dryer set outside our laundry room so she can do laundry while I do.  Somehow most of my clean clothes end up going over to her set and, eventually, scattered all over the floor, so I'm not sure that her set is really helping keep clothes clean yet.

If you've been to our house before, you know we have a large set of stairs in our kitchen.  We've had a baby gate on them since Katie Wynn started crawling and at the time of installation, I was pretty sad about the eye sore but knew it was necessary.  It didn't take long before the gate just became another part of our house and I didn't even notice it anymore.  A few months ago, the kids figured out that they could get around the gate by squeezing through the last set of stair spindles that was just slightly wider than the others.  Took us by surprise the first time we saw them on the other side of the gate but it didn't take long for us to catch them in the action of getting back there.  The problem was that then they couldn't get out.  We'd open the gate to let them out but then they'd crawl right back through and get stuck again!  It was kinda like being at the zoo when they were behind bars...

Below, they were stalling for nap time so they squeezed through the spindles and said they were laying in their "beds" and that they were going to nap there.  And by "they" I mean Katie Wynn because she's the boss and tells Thomas what to do.

So that was a long story to tell you that when we took the gate down to haul the Christmas tree and decorations back up to the attic, we didn't put it back up.  What's the point when they could get past it?

The stairs are now their favorite place to play.  Matt put down some green tape on the fourth step and they know they're not supposed to go past it (though we have to remind them almost daily).  In the picture below, they've got all of the food from their pantry displayed in their "store."  The stairs have also been a dance stage and just today they were a bus that we all had to ride on (Daddy was the bus driver).  

Here are just a few last pictures of each of the kids to wrap things up.  My girl is getting to be way too grown up!

And Thomas...sleeping soundly like my sweet baby, wearing new clothes, and then dressed like he's headed off to college!

And here's the silly boy wearing his rosary beads and "hiding" in the pantry.

December was a fun but incredibly busy month.  I enjoyed celebrating the holidays with the kids and getting to see their faces light up, but if I'm being honest, I was really glad to return to a our regularly scheduled programming!  

November Phone Pics

I almost had a perfect record of getting each month's phone pics posted in the following month, but leave it to the last month of the year to mess that up!  The sad thing is is that I've had the November pictures uploaded and ready to go for a while now, I just couldn't find any time to write the post.

Let's start with this string of photos of my blonde-haired boy.  Nothing special about them except that he was so proud of himself for climbing up on the bleachers (we were in our church gym) and just gave me the biggest grins!  (You can click over on the right for more pictures to scroll through.)

You know you live in a small town when you get ridiculously excited about a new Ace Hardware opening up.  This is HUGE for us!  Man, projects will be so much easier without a 30 minute drive (minimum) to get supplies.  Of course we had to go check out the new place after dinner one night.  You know how they say that as parents you have to pick your battles?  Well, Katie Wynn wanted to wear a strainer as a hat to go to the store.  I decided it wasn't worth battling over, but I did tell her if she took it with her I would not carry it for her.  Well, I didn't have to because she kept it on her head the whole dang time.

Speaking of head wear, she also made an Indian headdress at school that had to be worn a lot.

Let's see, what other random things did we do?  Katie Wynn and I snuck out after dinner to watch my nephew Jett's last football game of the season.  She had her pj's on underneath her coat and rain boots and thought it was hilarious.

She and her brother got to throw pennies into a fountain while I did some quick shopping.

If you say, "Thomas, where's your belly?" you'll get this:

We actually had a couple brief moments this month where both kids sat still on the couch and watched tv.  Photo worthy for sure since it doesn't happen often! 

Thomas looked dapper in his bow ties and way too grown up in his big boy clothes.

We had such mild weather during November that my mom's hydrangea bush had gorgeous blooms on it!  I really couldn't believe it when I saw them.

We created a "sleep train" as Katie Wynn called it one night.  I had all three of my favorite people laying in my lap!  The picture on the right is how I found her in her bed later that night.  I can't believe she didn't slide right out!  And she slept right through me taking her picture and putting her back up on the bed and under the covers.

Turns out I didn't take any pictures on Thanksgiving except for this one of Matt and the work table he built in our garage!  Actually, I think that was the day before Thanksgiving.  He built it completely by himself and had it finished before 11am! 

The day after Thanksgiving, Katie Wynn and I went on a fun little road trip to visit my friend Sarah and her son, Gus.  We let the kids help decorate a small tree for Christmas.  These of Katie Wynn are two of my favorites from this Christmas.

So proud of their work!

While there, we also made and decorated Christmas cookies.  Sprinkles were everywhere!

And Katie Wynn and I had brought some Christmas window clings with us so she and Gus decorated the windows.

When we got home from our quick trip, Matt and I put up all of our Christmas decorations.  We added a train under our tree this year for the kids.  I was equal parts excited to see them watch it for the first time and nervous for whether or not they would try to tear it up.  They were awesome about just sitting and watching and not trying to touch it too much.  Thomas, especially.  Turning on the train was a great way to get him to sit still and wind down!

When the kids went to bed I got busy wrapping books.  We continued our tradition of having a new Christmas book to open every night after bath.  It's actually good motivation to get the kids to act right during dinner and bath!

I couldn't hold off any longer so on the last day of November, I broke out the first set of matching Christmas outfits.  Couldn't ask for cuter models!

To wrap up this post, I'll leave you with this little tip:  If you're working out in Poppy's wood shop and have an injury that requires an ice pack, you'll just have to use whatever's cold and available.

October Phone Pics

Shoot, y'all.  I was gonna get this post done the first week of November.  And now it's almost Thanksgiving!  Geez.  Let's get to it --

October was huge for Katie Wynn...so many big girl things happened!  Like, for starters, we said goodbye to her crib!

And then immediately said hello to her new big girl bed!  I'll eventually do a post on some updates to her room.  Her first nap in her new bed required a hood.  :)  We had an easy transition and she sleeps great in the twin size daybed with no rails!  She rolled right off a few times the first week but that's not a problem anymore.  

Also during October, Katie Wynn had her first ever dentist appointment.  Bless her heart, I think she and I feel the same way about the doctor.  There are no action shots because it took so many of us to hold her down for the dentist to look in her mouth!  (Don't let those smiling pictures below fool you - that's when it was over and she was getting to pick out a prize.)  The dentist said we're doing a good job and we are thankful for that!

The same day as her dental appointment, she also got her hair cut off!  Seeing some of these pictures kinda makes me miss her long hair, but she rocks a bob better than anyone I know.  (I am a little jealous of her hair.)

Probably the BIGGEST big girl change is that Katie Wynn now wears panties every day!  We are so proud of her for taking this big step.  She and her brother also got new house shoes...can't just leave him out.  :)

October meant I could officially start dressing my babies in fall clothes, like these pumpkin shirts below.  There is so much about the picture on the left that I love - the hand-holding, the unprompted hand on hip and leg pop, the wind blowing her hair.  Sometimes they are just too, too precious.

Other times they refuse to smile for a picture with me!

October always means the annual guys trip for my family.  My dad and his two brothers started it several years ago and it has grown to include the next generation of boys - my brothers, husband, cousins.  This year was the first time that everyone was able to make it so they had a full group of ten.  They spend the weekend golfing, fishing, cooking, playing cards, and whatever else boys do!  I know they have a blast because they all talk about it the other 11 months of the year.

While Daddy and Poppy were away for the weekend, Mom helped me keep the babies entertained.  Saturday we took them to a fall festival and to buy pumpkins.  After a full morning of riding in the wagon, seeing displays, eating a funnel cake, picking pumpkins, etc, when asked what her favorite part was, Katie Wynn told me "the rocks!" As in, the pea gravel that she and Thomas played in while I shopped.  Why do I bother taking them places when they're perfectly happy with rocks?!

While Katie Wynn sniffed the metal yard art flowers, I snagged this cute rustic cart as a little happy for myself!  It's on our front porch and I'm excited to keep it filled with seasonal plants.  That mum bloomed the prettiest white flowers and has looked so good sitting in it!

Later that same day, we were invited over to Levi's house to play in his dirt pile.  Thomas had been fussing all afternoon but as soon as I plopped him on top of the mound, he was happy as a clam.  We may have to acquire a dirt pile for our own backyard this summer!  Can you tell from the picture on the right which kid may have eaten some dirt?  

Thank goodness for running water and bath tubs!  We were able to scrub all that dirt off so that they cleaned up nicely for church the next morning. 

During the month of October, Thomas had two favorite activities.  1 - Playing in Lolli's kennel.

2 - Cross-dressing.  At least on his feet.  Both of my kids love to wear my shoes around the house!

I took the kids to the playground one afternoon and for the first time ever, they didn't want my help climbing up the steps or going down the slides.  I was simultaneously so proud of them both for being brave and independent and so heartbroken that I wasn't needed.  How are they growing up this fast??

They both even went down the tall twisty slide on their own!  Just a couple months ago, Katie Wynn didn't even want to go down this while sitting in my lap.  

Everyone at our house loves spaghetti night.  I know so many moms have the messy spaghetti pictures of their kids but this is about as messy as I can let them get.  I can't help it - I prefer to just feed them myself to keep from having to clean up a gigantic mess afterwards.  I did let Thomas do a few bites on his own and he loved it.  He and Sister have matching bellies full of s'ketti.  

Matt and I took the kids out to the golf course one Saturday evening to scope out picture locations.  We had full family pictures scheduled there for the next day and we wanted to practice with our kids so they would cooperate.  (Spoiler alert: it didn't work.)  The course was empty since it was later in the day and the kids absolutely loved being able to run around and play on the putting green.  

Daddy and his littlest two.

Too tight, Sis!  Too tight!D

I adore how he's sitting in this picture - those little pointed toes!

I love this one too.  :)

One night when the big kids were over and we were all hanging out in Katie Wynn's room, I pulled out a surprise...matching monogrammed pullovers for everyone!  Ha!  Surprisingly, they were very well received by the big kids.  I think they kinda liked matching their little brother and sister.  :)

Family pile up on the bed!  Thanks, selfie stick.  

Finally, here are the last few randoms from my phone.  A good nap on the couch for my boys and story time on the bed with Daddy.  

On the left - the kids have figured out how to pull their chairs up to the fridge to help themselves to whatever is in the fridge.  Might have to purchase a lock for the doors...

On the right - after a quick ruffle removal, Katie Wynn's old hedgehog pants are now perfect for Thomas!  He looks cute in them.  :)

Guess who got a card in the mail from Granddaddy?!  Katie Wynn received a thank you note for a picture she had colored for him, and she was so excited to have something to open up and read.  I put it in her keepsake box so we'll always have it.  

That's a wrap on October!  Maybe I should go ahead and start on November now...