Hi all! Just a quick entry as I seem to have a few videos and pictures to share. Grandpa Ray, Grandma Sandy, Jennifer and Mikayla came over on Sunday afternoon to celebrate Oliver's birthday so of course there was more fun and presents!! As you will see the Stomp Rocket created lots of fun for adults and kids alike :) And I must say that Grandma Colleen's gift of Hot Wheels Tub Racers has made bath time great again - no more mummy or daddy getting in with Oliver - yay!!
Emily is getting stronger and stronger and has actually been able to sit up on her own a few times. We tried putting her in the highchair at dinner time the other day. She was fine sitting there but still wasn't very impressed - she is always crabby at that time anyway!!! She has started the high pitched squealing which I believe Oliver did around 8 months - I remember because of a certain plane trip to the US we took at that time!!
Now it is time to make the most of the weather before it all starts going downhill and getting chilly!!
Oliver playing with his new parking garage - he loves it way more than his facial expression shows! Play time in the nest The artist at work on his new chalkboard Emily chilling at a play date She should have been napping...... This is the look we get most mornings when we get Emily up!! She is, however, laying the wrong way round - her legs should be where her head is. Sitting up In the highchair for the first time Sitting up part 2 Mikayla reading Oliver's new Cars book Setting up the Stomp Rocket!
Wow, our little man turned 3 today. Soon he'll be a toddler no more - woohoo!!! Ha, just kidding. Each age comes with its challenges I'm sure. Anyway, we've had a fantastic day. The weather wasn't great this morning so we headed to the Eagle's Nest indoor playground with Matt and Mikayla. The kids ran around like crazy things. Then we headed to Applebee's for lunch - the staff there sang a very loud and interesting birthday song to Oliver! Then it was home for nap time and the weather cheered up this afternoon so we got the swimming pool out and then had a BBQ. Of course there was plenty of present opening and playing in amongst all of that so we are now taking a well earned rest!!
On Wednesday Oliver had his birthday party here at home. 14 of his friends came over to celebrate which was lots of fun. And on Sunday we are having a family afternoon so the birthday celebrations are being spread out over many days - lucky kid!
And if this wasn't enough, Oliver is moving rooms at school at the beginning of September. He will officially be a preschooler and no longer a toddler. Eeek!!!
Well, I'm not going to ramble too much tonight. I just wanted to get some pics posted for you all to see.
Awwww, how he's grown :) Emily checking out a yoghurt pot Emily at the park earlier this week Oliver preparing a meal Cars birthday cake :) Vincent and Oliver had great fun racing cars on the train table Emily checking out her toys Oliver's new tractor from Bryce was popular (Bryce, Oliver and Koen) Iris and Sullivan Birthday party fun! (Rowen, Bryce, Iris and Emily) Oliver and Daddy sharing a birthday breakfast Oliver and Mikayla at Applebees Too bad Oliver isn't looking at the camera :) Reading a new book with Daddy Yummy - wooden sandwich!!
The last week or so has been scorching!! Actual temperatures in the mid 90's but up into the triple figures with the humidity. I have never been so grateful for air conditioning!! But still, we have tried to get out and about as much as possible - to places with water or a/c.
One outdoor playdate we went on was to the sculpture garden in Minneapolis. All the kids had a wonderful time running around the gardens and exploring the sculptures. Across the road there is the Walker Art Centre where they have a cupboard full of toys that you can borrow. So the kids (and some of the adults!) had lots of fun with that. They were serving food there too so we managed to get lunch all done and dusted before going home. All in all a really fantastic time!
Oliver's visits from the special education team are all done now. We got his report in the post yesterday stating that he is pretty much bang on average for his age in all areas of development so that is fantastic news. He never stops talking so that's a good sign right??!!
Emily is doing well although I have started putting gripe water in her milk as I am concerned she may have a bit of reflux coming back (if it ever went away). She has been spending a lot of awake time upset, she has been sick a lot and spends a great deal of time arching her back - so much so that she can move herself from one end of the cot to the other. Anyway, she has been taking it for 3 days now and I think there has been some improvement but I'm going to have to give it longer before I know for sure. She still seems very eager to sit up and move around but she's not quite there yet so she gets very frustrated :)
Yesterday we went out and bought a new swimming pool for Oliver. Well, for both the kids really but Emily won't really enjoy it until next year! Oliver had great fun in it yesterday afternoon although he was scared of the pump we have to blow it up. He stayed well away while I was doing that :)
This week we will be celebrating Oliver's 3rd birthday. He is having a party on Wednesday morning (pretty much a glorified playdate!) and Jon has the day off on his actual birthday (Friday) so we'll figure out something to do then. Just think, 3 years ago today I was still working :))
Tummy time (she's not the biggest fan) Laughing at Mummy playing peekaboo It looks like Oliver posed for this one but he didn't - he was just trying to make his way down the sculpture! Is there anything in this cone??!! I can hold the bottle all by myself - I'm nearly 5 months old you know!! Check out my belly!!! My attempt at propping the little lady up - it wasn't long until she slipped over! Oliver trying out the new pool :)
Emily had her 4 month check last week and she now weighs 15lbs 14.5oz and is 25 inches long. I think she is on the 90th percentile for weight and 75th for length. I was actually surprised she didn't weigh more as I am really struggling to carry her in the car seat now :) She got three more vaccinations which she didn't like much but the crying was short lived. Well, I say that....she continues to be quite upset a lot of the time so if it is teething I wish we'd see an actual tooth pop through some time soon ;)
Oliver continues to drive me nuts one minute then do the cutest thing the next. As you will see from a couple of the videos he is really into his pretend play at the moment. This morning he made breakfast for his teddy bears (and a cup of coffee for me) and then I caught him washing the dishes afterwards which is where I started recording. He also loves to help with the cooking so we made some brownies one day last week. Check him out in his apron and hat!! He is getting on pretty well with his bike now. He is getting to grips with the pedalling but of course he wants to do it "all by himself" all the time which isn't possible. We take the bike to the playground nearby but we have to go down a steep hill to get there and we can't exactly let him go down there without holding on!!!
Oliver had a visit from the special education people last week - all part of his hearing exams and general assessment that we are going through. He motored through all the "tests" they gave him and kept busy for an hour and a half. The ladies that came said they hadn't got some of those toys out for ages because the kids generally lose interest more quickly or they've already reached the limit of what they can do. So it's a good sign that he is developing very well although he is very "full on" and still wants attention and interaction all of the time.
This weekend I think we are going to visit a kids carnival in Champlin - not much else planned apart from that. Just a few pics this time - I haven't been as busy with the camera as usual ;)
Silly billy!!! Emily thinks she is much older than she is - she is always trying to sit up and can hold "crunches" like this for at least 10 seconds! She is holding a baby massaging toothbrush which is supposed to feel nice on the gums.
Oliver wearing Daddy's sunglasses on a trip in the car - he spontaneously told us that he was happy on that day :)
Hi everyone!! We've had a fun couple of weeks getting out and about and trying to make the most of the weather. Well, it's mostly been fun. To cut a long story short I've realised that I can't handle taking both kids to the beach single handedly so that isn't happening again but apart from that it's been OK :)) Splash pads and wading pools, yes - beach, no!
Last Saturday morning we headed to Maple Grove Days which is an annual event. They have rides, a petting zoo, food, music and a display of diggers!! We thought Oliver would enjoy that but he wasn't in the best of moods and it was a really hot day so we struggled a little bit but he did go and have a look at the cars and diggers as long as one of us came with him! That night we had some really bad storms come through so the tornado sirens were going off here and we had to get the kids out of bed to go down to the basement (and Scoop of course!). I think we were down there for 20 minutes or so. The wind was really strong and a lot of branches came down in the garden but fortunately nothing worse than that. Thankfully it's not very often that we have to go to the basement and both kids handled it well and went straight back off to sleep. Oliver talks about the sirens every day though!
On the Sunday morning we headed to a friend's house for a family brunch. It was a great time - the kids all played together while the adults talked and shared some wonderful food! That evening we met up with Matt, Jennifer and Mikayla for dinner - the first time we have attempted eating out since the week Emily arrived (that was an awful experience).
Last Monday Oliver went to the audiologist to get his hearing checked out. Thankfully it all went perfectly - there was no fluid in his ears and he could hear every sound they tested with him. Such a relief!
Emily turned 4 months old last week. She is such a chatterbox - she really doesn't stop! She is so funny around other people - she is VERY fussy about strangers talking to her and picking her up. She pretty much cries every time!! Oliver was never like this so it's a bit strange for me. Grandpa Ray and Grandma Sandy babysat for us the other week and put both kids to bed and all I could hear when we were leaving was Emily screaming in the bath :( But she was just fine and went off to bed just fine. She does give us lovely smiles when we go to get her out of bed though :) On Thursday I will take her for her 4 month check so I'll update again with her weight! I've no doubt she has put on a few ounces ;)
This past weekend we bought Oliver a new bike as his main birthday present. It wasn't really the plan as we intended to buy bikes for us and a bike trailer to put the kids in but hey. He really loves it and we're trying to get him out at every opportunity so he can practice the pedalling. I took him out this evening and when he did manage it he was really good. I may have to go and buy knee and elbow pads though as he's a bit of a daredevil and likes going fast down hills. The trouble is that he's too busy looking at his feet so he's steering all over the place and almost crashing!!! Ah well, Daddy already explained to him that when you fall off you need to get right back on again :)
Anyway, here's some more pics of the Mummy and Daddy clones for you to enjoy. Til next time :)
She really is a gift! Oliver and Daddy checking out a bulldozer And a crane This picture just makes my heart bleed. Oliver finally plucked up the courage to have a go on the bouncy castle and when he got on it was so hot it hurt his feet so Daddy lifted him straight off :(( Lesson learned - always carry a pair of socks!! But all was well after a snack in the shade! Oliver helping me make muffins - or just eating the batter!! Trying out Mummy's slippers - a good look! Oliver and his friend Caitlyn enjoying a picnic on the floor! Carrying around his rucksack full of cars This is Oliver giving us all a big smile :) Emily at 4 months Mummy was filing her nails so Oliver had to copy Mikayla and Oliver taking a ride together in Matt's bike trailer - we saw them at Lake Calhoun last week Emily enjoying a new gift - a crinkly "paper" Oliver being baby Emily! Oliver on his brand new bike :)
