Happy Birthday Amelia

Amelia turned ONE on Thursday. She is a very special and very loved little girl. We had a big party with our family and friends on Saturday. Amelia wasn't feeling very well, but she still seemed to enjoy herself. On her actual birthday we had our mommy group friends over to celebrate. That is always a lot of fun. Later that evening we celebrated with our little family. Amelia graduated to a boster seat at the table. She seems to really enjoy being part of the family at the table. We ate pizza on princess plates and sang "Happy Birthday" one last time. When it was all said and done we went through 4 cakes, 2 of which were free (thanks for the heads up, Julia). I think she is enjoying being one, especially being able to ride forward facing in the van. We love you so much Little Miss.

We went to the doctor yesterday. Here are her current stats:

height: 30 inches

weight: 22 lbs

tricks: says "ma-ma", "da-da." loves to walk, talk on the phone, dogs, anything with buttons, her big brother.

Two-faced Snowman

Today we built Oliver's first snowman. He thought it was a blast for the first 2 minutes, then it was all up to me. He did get excited about finding all of the pieces for his face. The minute we finished it he said "we knock him down now?" Don't you dare. He's such a happy, cute snowman. Let everyone enjoy him.

I thought we should put a face on the back of the snowman so we could enjoy him from the house. But why is that side of the snowman so sad?

Because Oliver's alternative to knocking him down is to throw snowballs at him.

It was so warm today that the snowman toppled over a few hours later. I had to go out during nap time to fix him before Oliver saw. By that point he was excited for dad to see it when he got home from work.

Good thing they're cute.

They have to sleep eventually...right?  

Amelia LOVES to chew on this drum stick.  The funny thing is so did Oliver when he was her age. I hope it's not filled with lead.  

This is her Ace Ventura hair-do. 

ZZZZZZ...atlast.    

 *Only to be woken up half way through her nap by her squirrelly brother and she refused to go back down.  Oliver also decided he didn't need a nap.  I REALLY needed one. I was one cranky mama today. Okay, I'm going to bed now. 

Say what?

While we were saying our ABC's I asked Oliver "What comes after W?"  He replies, "dot com".  I laughed for a long time.  It's amazing what he's picking up from the world around him.  

You might be right

So for those of you that don't know,  we live across the street from a cemetery, a very busy one at that.  It can be depressing, but it can also pull me out of  a bad day because at least I'm not them. Here is a conversation I had with Oliver as we were sitting at the kitchen table making Valentines shortly after a funeral ended. 

Oliver (very excited):  "Look mom,  a truck and a backhoe" (filling in the grave)

Me: that's really neat Oliver

Oliver: "what are they doing?"

Me: "what do you think they are doing?"

Oliver: "digging a hole"

Me:"for what?"  (I was starting to get concerned about what he knew)

Oliver: "cars!"

Me: "You might be right"

I'm hoping to move out of this house before he fully gets it.  For now, there are a bunch of cars buried across the street, if anyone want to check them out.  

Frosted Mini-Wheats

Ameila loves Frosted Mini-Wheats (Market Pantry generic).  She'll eat half of my bowl every morning.  My only complaint is that she makes a huge mess.  Although, it does make great hair gel.  

Cabin Fever

So I am running out of things to keep the kids busy while I make dinner.  I had an idea to put dish soap in a shallow bin and let them go to town.  What if they get water everywhere? I figured they would then also be washing my kitchen floor for me. Kill two birds with one stone, right?  They did not get ONE DROP on the floor.   I couldn't believe it.  This bin became a very effective and interest keeping car wash.  Why didn't I think if this 2 months ago?

I really though Amelia was going to crawl right in. 

Needless to say, we cannot wait for warmer weather.  

I wish I knew why

This morning we went to a friends house for a play date. The kids played so hard. On the ride home Amelia fell asleep and Oliver and I chatted about what he should have for lunch. I mentioned a turkey sandwich and he exclaimed "that's a great idea, mom." Oliver followed me in the house and while I was laying Amelia in her crib he took off his coat and boots. He normally does that but today he also took the keys out of the lock,  shut and locked the door and use a chair to hang the keys on the key hook.  Then he opened the fridge and took out all of the supplies needed for his turkey and cheese sandwich.  He sat at the table and tried as hard as he could to make his own sandwich.  

He needed my help to spread the miracle whip and separate the cheese slice. Other then that he did it all on his own.  He was so proud. 

He seems to have these moments of clarity ever now and then.  I just wish I knew why.   

Thank you Abby

My best friend Abby and her daughter Gracie gave Oliver a Thomas book last weekend.  Oliver was very excited and appreciative. He said thank you and gave them hugs.   On the way home I mentioned that we should make them a thank you card in the morning.  "That's a great idea mom" he says.  I think I have mentioned that Oliver is not into arts and crafts, so I wasn't expecting much. He spent over an hour putting stickers on a card and writing his name (he makes circle looking letters as he says O..L..V..E..R.  It's adorable).  I had a lot of fun teaching him about addresses, putting the stamp in the corner, and that stamps are different (and more expensive) than stickers.   He then put the letter in our mail box for the mailman to pick up.  I took it out during his nap, because we have the type of mail box that drops into our house so I doubt the mailman would find it.  But if Oliver asks, the mailman picked it up and is delivering it to Gracie.  So while the book was a great gift I really enjoyed the wonderful experience of teaching my son to be thankful.  I think he got it (in a two year old sort of way).