Thomas Turned Two

Exactly 12 days ago, my baby turned two years old.  And, twelve days later, I'm still trying to figure out how this has happened.  When did he grow up?!  He's supposed to stay my tiny baby forever...

His birthday started like a lot of days do at our house...pictures in clothes that Mama made!  For his birthday, he was rocking a special dump truck shirt.  :)

He has learned how to "cheeeese" for my camera!

This face - I could just eat it right up.  I kiss those chubby cheeks all day long!

I couldn't leave big sister out of the photoshoot.  She was upset that she didn't have a dump truck shirt too.  (I fixed that before party time.  Phew!)  And, she insisted that I get in a picture with the birthday boy.  She actually got a decent picture of us!

Because the grandparents weren't going to be available for a celebratory dinner until the next day, we postponed the celebration.  So, aside from wearing his dump truck shirt and taking a homemade cookie cake to school, it was just another regular ol' day to Thomas.  

The timing worked out perfectly because not only did both sets of his grandparents come over the following evening, but it was also when his dirt pile arrived!  Yes, we bought him a pile of dirt for his birthday.  And some dump trucks, of course.  He and his sister were glad to try out the dirt before dinner.  

He looks so grown up to me in the pictures below.  I think it's because of how his hair is swept over and because the dirt on his face makes him look like he has some scruff.  

This girl likes to play in the dirt too!  An accidental handful of dirt in the mouth started to cause a meltdown but then became hilarious to this silly girl.  (Phew!  Crisis averted.)

Just as entertaining as the dirt pile was the bowl of water we set out for them to rinse their hands and feet in.  

It took a little bit of convincing (and a good wipe-down!) before they would come in for dinner.  I have a feeling this might be the theme of the summer as long as this dirt pile sticks around.  We ate a meal of all of Thomas's favorite things - pork chops, macaroni and cheese, green beans, and salad (well, tomatoes for him).  

I was worried about how the gift opening was going to go over with Big Sister but luckily for her, Thomas let her open most of his gifts.  He (they) opened up new dump trucks, lots of cool truck books, blocks, a slip n slide, and a new ride on toy.  

He also got a new fishing set (post coming soon about this) and a teepee to play in.  

We ended the evening by finally singing Happy Birthday and blowing out candles.  He wasn't sure about it at first but then got excited about getting to eat that cupcake!

It was a really good day for our little boy.  A pile of dirt, new toys, cupcakes, and BOTH sets of grandparents at the same time all had him squealing for joy.  He definitely went to bed happy as a two-year-old.

I plan to write another post next all about this little guy and his funny personality!

April Phone Pics

On the last day of May, let's talk about April!  How have I let a whole month go by without blogging?  That's what happens when you're living abundantly, I guess.  No time for sitting at a computer!

April brought warmer weather so we spent an afternoon at the playground.  This adventure taught me two things - one, that Katie Wynn is scared of heights.  She absolutely hates walking across the bridge you can see through (pictured below) and keeps a death grip on the rail. 

And two - that my adventurous little boy from last summer is suddenly timid about going down slides.  I think he'll warm up to them as the summer goes on, but on this particular day, he would not go down them!

And, as long as there are NO other kids on the playground, my shy little girl will slide all day long now!

Monkey see, monkey do.

We spent some time on Mimi and Poppy's playset too.  You can tell from all of these pictures that Thomas spent most of April in his sister's old rain boots.  He has his own but prefers these, thank goodness they were unisex!  (And no, he didn't not go down the slide below willingly, I had to pull him down.)

During the month, Matt, Wyatt, and I - along with our Sunday School class - cooked and served a meal to around 160 homeless men at the Memphis Union Mission.  I hesitate to say it was a fun night since we were serving those in less than ideal circumstances, but we really did have an enjoyable evening with our friends and working to help others.

In April I got to spend a day of one on one time with each of my kiddos.  For Katie Wynn, our date started at the dentist's office.  This was her second visit and we talked it up ALL week long before her Friday morning appointment.  She was going to be SO good and then, as a treat for good behavior, we were going to get our nails done!  She was perfect that morning - did such a good job scrubbing her teeth - and was even somewhat smiley in the waiting room.

Everything went downhill when they called her name to go back.  I'm recounting this story not to embarrass her but for my own memory.  She crawled up my chest and started crying immediately.  I could not peel her off me so I sat on the chair with her.  Without going into all the horrible details, let me just say there was lots of screaming, two tightly sealed lips, me and four helpers holding her down, lots of sweating from me, and sticky fluoride all over both of us.  I was mortified at her behavior.

But - and this is the part I really want to remember - she was so upset when we left because I told her she'd have to go back to school instead of getting her nails done since she did not behave well.  She had been looking forward to getting polish on her nails for SO long and just couldn't stand the thought of not getting them done.  I told her the only way we could still go would be if she apologized to the dentist for the way she acted.  Her first question was if she could do it over the phone, to which I replied no.  But she said she would do it.  I drove her back to the dentist office and we told the receptionist - who was terrified when she saw us come back in! - we'd like to see the dentist again and we sat and waited.  When the dentist came out, Katie Wynn did such a a good job!  She audibly said she was sorry for the way she acted during her appointment - this is HUGE for her (not so much the apology as the speaking-loud-enough-for-a-stranger-to-hear part).  I was a proud and happy Mama and so...we got our nails done!  We also went out for pizza afterwards and when she woke up from her nap, she got to drink "coffee like Poppy" (juice in a coffee cup).  

My day date with Thomas was less dramatic.  I took him to get a haircut - small drama over the cape but once we ditched that, he was golden - and then we had lunch (he paid!) (but with my credit card!) and went shopping at Old Navy.  He was such a perfect angel and sweet shopper that I didn't even notice when I left my purse in the dressing room.  Thank goodness the employee that found it turned it in with nothing missing! 

Like his Daddy, he can only shop for so long before being worn out!

My parents got new neighbors!  A mama fox found shelter under the porch of a house down the street and had her babies there.  It's pretty odd since they live in the middle of town.  How did the fox get there?  We became obsessed about "going the long way" to Mimi's house so we could look to see if the babies were out.  We got to see them on several occasions!

We had a big Mint Tulip trunk show during April and have been busy working on orders ever since.  My sweeties wanted to pose with one of my signs after the party.  Who am I to say no??

I had to teach Katie Wynn about the "front tuck" when her t-shirt was longer than her shorts!

Two things about Katie Wynn that are so grown up to me - she is starting to color more in the lines now and she and her Daddy read their first "chapter book" together.  I don't know that it really had chapters, but it took them several nights to read it all!

We went to our friend Henry's birthday party and Thomas thought the big balloons were hilarious!

After the party, we went out for tacos and chips and dip.

To wrap this up, here are some of my favorite pictures of the kids together during the month.

Snuggling together after a shower.

Riding shotgun in shades (don't worry, we just went around the corner!).

Wearing new shoes!

Selfie at lunch after church.

Hanging out with the best big sister after bath!

Watching tv with Daddy.

Swinging with Mimi.

I'll leave you with these two pictures.  This is what I found in my entry hall one day when I rounded the corner.  She does love being a good helper.  :)  Now I just need to teach her that the last step is throwing the old diaper away instead of just slinging it across the floor!

March Phone Pics

You would think after the train trip posts and Easter pictures and golf coursing and puddle jumping, there wouldn't be much left to show for March.  But you'd be wrong.

March showed up with the flu, and it targeted my sweet baby boy.  Doesn't that sad face just break your heart?  He couldn't even stay awake long enough to get to the doctor.

After just one round of medicine, he was back to being his silly self again!  We had a good day together at home and I loved the extra one-on-one time.

My girl and I got some quality time together too, at a tea party fundraiser.  We didn't win any of our items at the silent auction, but we had fun dressing up and doing crafts.

Here is last year's tea party picture (on the left) compared to this year's.  Katie Wynn is still just as shy as can be!

Later that same day, our buddy Gus and his mama, Sarah, came to visit and we took a trip to the zoo.  The weather was perfect for it and the kids loved being outside!

I am stocking up on photos of these two for their wedding slideshow. :)

Thomas knows how to enjoy a day outside!  This boy just kicked back and relaxed while I pulled him to all the animal exhibits.  It wasn't until close to time to leave that Katie Wynn and Gus started pulling the wagon for me.  Why didn't I think of that sooner??  Sarah and I were able to stroll and chat and enjoy the day.

If I remember correctly, that weekend had great weather for both Saturday and Sunday.  After church, Katie Wynn picked out her play clothes and then asked if I could dress Thomas to match her.  Of course I could!

From looking back at my pictures for the month, we spent a lot of time outside playing.

Poppy had some extra help...or extra weight...with his load of dirt.

Thomas enjoyed an oreo and getting to try on his new flip flops.

I took lots of pj pictures during the month of March...probably because the Easter Bunny and I both brought the kids new ones.

Passed out!

Possibly Thomas's longest nap ever!

Sleeping with her mittens on.

Katie Wynn and her bunny family!  All three are named Easter Bunny.  Thomas has a set of three grey ones that are all named Bunny Foo Foo.  

One morning Daddy used the flash of the camera to wake us up.  Sometimes I get all the snuggles.  :)

The Easter Bunny also brought new battery-operated toothbrushes!  We did LOTS of dry brushing in March!

For me, March is always important because it's my birthday month!  This year, we joined some friends of ours for dinner and a night at an Escape Room.  Basically, you are all "locked" in a room (in our case, Sherlock Holmes' office) given a scenario and some clues, and you have one hour to try to figure out how to get out.  We did it with 15 minutes to spare!  Not only did we get to add our team name to the board (the Ides of March), but we had the best time for the week!  Such a fun night.  :)

Chris and I share a birthday on...you guessed it, the Ides of March!

With just six days left in April, I guess another set of monthly phone pics will be coming soon! 

Puddle Jumping

After a few pretty days of sunshine, we had a long few days of rain.  And in our neighborhood, that means ditches full of water!! 

In an effort to get out of the house during the 5 o'clock witching hour, we came home from school/work one day, changed into boots, and went out on a puddle jumping adventure.

Thomas is on a big rain boot kick right now.  He was so excited to put his on he couldn't be bothered with pants.  Hey, one less thing for me to have to wash, amiright?

Katie Wynn had a slight freak out when some water got on her hands and pants.  I had to talk her down and tell her that's what happens when you splash in puddles.

Thomas had no problems going splashing!

Proof that Mommy wore boots and participated too.  (So did Daddy, but he's not pictured.)

The kids waded through the deep ditch water...

...and stomped in the shallow puddles.

Katie Wynn came along to the idea of getting wet and before long, was trying to stomp so hard that the splashes reached her face.  

And then....  well, we knew this was coming, right?  You just haven't experienced childhood until you've squished mud between your toes.

We walked back home with bare feet, wet pants, and a soggy diaper.  Everyone got a good hose-down before going inside!

Baths were required before dinner, but the puddle jumping adventure was worth it!

Golf Coursing

If you've tried to visit the blog over the last few days, you may have noticed that it was down.  There was a bit of panic from me as I thought I had lost everything, but my friend Matt is awesome and was able to get us back up and running.  And everything is still here.  Thank goodness!!!

I was in the middle of this post when things went down.  We have had some really pretty days this month and for one of them, we took the kids out to the golf course.  The objective was to let them run, run, run!  (And then hopefully they would sleep, sleep, sleep!)

The Easter Bunny packed these cute golf cart tees in their baskets and they were so excited to get to wear them to go "golf-coursing."  That phrase was coined by niece, Bren, when she was younger and it has stuck with me and Matt.  :)  The tees are from Honey Bee Tees and I highly recommend you check them out if you like soft, colorful t-shirts with cute, simple drawings.  They have stuff for both kids and adults!

I think Matt thought he might actually get to play a hole or two while we were there, but that's not really possible when little hands keep picking up your ball and help to get it in the hole.

My three favorite people in one photo.

Obviously I have to take a billion photos when they're in matching clothes.  :)

There's a cat that lives at the golf course that is appropriately named Callaway.  Thomas can spot it from a mile away.  He yells "Kih-Cah!" and starts running towards it.  Callaway is nice enough to give them a second to pet her before running off.

There was a night the following week where we didn't have anything for dinner so we went back out to the club to eat.  Katie Wynn insisted that they wear their golf course shirts again.  This is great because I love for them to match.  This is bad because if they wear these every time we go out there, people are going to think they only own one shirt. 

They hung around outside - literally - until our dinner was ready to eat.  

I have a feeling there will be many more of these trips to the golf course this summer.  Let's just hope I can convince them to wear different clothes occasionally!