Dad, You Can't Get Me!

Dad looks pretty serious... good thing he can't see Kieran's face! ;)

Mommy Is Fired: Meet The New Bloggers!

lkjsdfjsdkl333 223 (Dear Readers),

23409328lseilk afdksja --- dskflsdkas (Mommy is fired. We are taking over the blogging reigns).

32948732lsdlisdslsls d kdkddkkkkkkksddffd (Have a nice day!)
fffffffffffdddddddddds (Finleypotamus and Kierbear)

Fine Print: The preceding was a post by the boys with translation included.

A Monday Conundrum

Can someone help me with a conundrum? I am not sure which "kid" had more fun at the park yesterday. Can you help me out here?

Here are the case files:

So, what do ya think? Who will it be? As for me, I just can't decide.

The Vintage Train and The Magic Chair

When Daddy was a little boy in the 1900s (in the early 70s), he won a train set. He thought it had been given away years ago. Imagine his surprise (and our utter delight) when Grandmommy found it at our our great-grandparents' house this weekend. Daddy fiddled with it until he got it working perfectly and then when we woke up this morning, it was like Christmas morning. We couldn't hold in our happiness.

See the little chair that Kieran is sitting on? That chair belonged to our daddy's daddy when he was a little kid. Mommy now calls it the "magic chair" because Kieran will sit still in it for long periods of time. Kieran NEVER sits still. Magic indeed!

Here's a video of the fun:



We think Daddy enjoys playing with this set too! He sure was happy when he saw his old train set along with some of his other childhood toys. We hope he will share with us. :)

Grandmommy also brought the old packaging to Daddy’s Fisher Price Little People plane. They don’t have what was in it (bummer), but Mommy was excited about the packaging. She wants to decorate our playroom in vintage toy photos and this will look cool when she’s done… or so Mommy says. We trust her!

Daddy also has a well loved Winnie the Pooh from his childhood and a cool Mrs. Beasley doll. We aren't allowed to play with those right now, but they are really cool. It's neat to see the toys Daddy liked as a child. Do you have a fun post about a toy from childhood? We'd love to read it. Just leave the link below. If you don't have a post, just tell us the story in the comments if you'd like.

Handsome Men on Valentine's Day

Our Visit With Family and My Little Boys

I wonder if this is how each of my boys will remember their childhood?

I always remember mine in black and white.
This photo was taken at my sister's house.

Recently, we enjoyed a nice weekend spent visiting my parents, sister, her husband and friends. The boys had a fun time and were totally spoiled by their family and friends and loved experiencing different scenery.

My oldest son (he’ll be three in late April) really loves the farm my sister lives on. He wanted to spend the entire day outside today. It has been raining a lot over the last few days and he had cabin fever. He kept leading me around, showing me different things. He would eventually end up at the big area where the dogs were outside playing. He would stand at the fence for the longest time, just watching the dogs. I had to stand there too. If I walked away to the nearby carport to sit down, he would turn around quickly and walk the 30 or so steps (actually he almost ran) to get me. Once he fetched me, he would take me back and put me in my place. It’s funny because he struggles so much with his walking, but if he REALLY wants something, he can do really well. I think he over thinks it sometimes (as we all do in life).

He would also take his little Thomas and Percy trains that he hauls everywhere and line them up at the fence, facing the dogs so they could “watch” his furry friends as well. Once, I picked his dear trains up to put them away and he got frustrated and put them back, carefully arranging them, facing towards the fence.

At one point, I tried to take a nap while my family was awake to watch the boys, but my sweet son awoke from his nap and I was awakened with the ear piece of my eyeglasses poking me in the eye. He was trying to put my glasses on me while I slept. Once he got them on, he grabbed my finger and took me right back where I belonged… outside (and fully awake). At least he was thoughtful enough to get my glasses for me so I could fully enjoy the scenery. My youngest son was content watching football with daddy and rearranging his aunt’s house.

I sure will miss these days when they're all grown up.

A Toddler's Imagination and His Love For Trains

I know Finley loves trains. His Thomas the Tank never leaves his side (and if it does, I am summoned to immediately fetch it with pleas of, "Tuss, Tuss, Tuss!"). He sits in his chair, in his bed, on the floor, in his car seat and wherever else he is, running his trains over his limbs and head. He spends much time at his beloved train table (you might remember this post, this one that started his love for trains and this one of him admiring the trains). A huge smile pastes itself on his little face when he sees his Thomas book. When I go get him from nap or in the morning, he frantically searches for his Thomas and Percy before he'll leave his room. He and trains (also known as the aforementioned "Tuss" or "Choochoos") are BFFs.

So, I shouldn't have been surprised when Andrew found this in the living room yesterday evening...

It's a remote, it' s a book, it's a car, it's a binky.... these are my first thoughts when seeing these items strewn around on the floor. Leave it to a toddler's imagination to turn them into exactly what HE wants them to be.

"Nooooo, it's a TRAIN, Mom! Isn't it obvious?" Well, now it is!

And, I do have to take notice that Kieran's binky is bringing up the end of this train as the caboose. Maybe Finley is hauling it off to the dump?

Who knows, but you gotta love kids!

Memories of Christmas Past: Christmas Wish Books

My sons are still a bit young to really ask for particular toys for Christmas, but that doesn’t stop them from giving us clues as to what they’d like.

We just watch them in their day to day lives. My oldest son was in his playroom playing with his beloved train table when my husband caught this scene on camera. He found the yearbook that came with his Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway set and was “reading” it carefully, softly touching one train after another. He’d stop and smile then turn the page. It actually brought tears to my eyes. He doesn’t really speak very much and has a hard time communicating. His Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) specialist has us working on communicating through pictures. He sat there for about an hour just admiring all of the beautiful trains. Guess what he’s getting for Christmas?

Growing up in a very small town, we didn’t have big box stores or huge toy stores. We also didn’t have the internet or cell phones or any high tech way of finding out about the big toys of the year (I was born in the 70s). What we did have, and I miss, are the big Christmas wish books and catalogs.

These catalogs were HUGE and many times doubled as impromptu booster chairs for toddlers at Christmas dinner. Do you remember them? My sisters and I would fight over these humongous catalogs filled with everything we could ever want or need as they arrived in the mail. We’d painstakingly pour over them, folding over pages, circling our favorite toys with markers and crayons and ripping pages out to post on the refrigerator door. We’d make a list and check it twice and keep adding to it right up until Santa landed on the roof.

Of course, we didn’t realize that our mother was Santa’s helper and we needed to get our orders in early. In those days, especially way out in the country where we lived, there was no expedited shipping. My mother would order our toys and then go to the local catalog pickup location and get our goodies. The employees would call when our presents were in and I remember that, a lot of the time, toys would be back-ordered. That would send my mom scrambling to the local Bill’s Dollar Store to find a suitable replacement.

One of my most memorable toys from childhood was a Michael Jackson Record Player that I received in the early 80s. It was the big toy in one of the Christmas catalogs that year and I really wanted one. I remember it clearly… I loved that it was portable. I played both sides of my Michael Jackson record over and over (yes I only had one). My sister also received this record player that year, because the company sent two.

What is your most memorable toy from childhood? Do you remember those huge wish books?

Most importantly though, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful new year from my family to yours!

Are you done with your shopping yet? :)

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

We interrupt this tasty lunch to say (well Kierbear isn't going to interrupt his eating for anything, but he was still willing to help out... we know you understand):

Dancing With My Kierbear

I see you smiling... I know you can't help it. :)

Need A Smile? Sure You Do!

Having a case of the Mondays? Watching the clock for 5 p.m. (only an hour to go if you're on central time)?

Never fear... Finley's here (to brighten your day)! We think he is going to be the conductor of a grand symphony one day. It could happen. Either way, gotta love him. He shows his pure joy, enthusiasm and happiness in a way that warms my heart.

Potamus's New AFOs

I've mentioned before that my 2 1/2 year old wears orthotics on his feet. He was wearing SMOs (stands for SupraMalleolar Orthosis), but needed more support. Yesterday, his ECI PT came out with his new Orthotist and they had his new AFOs (stands for Ankle-Foot Orthosis) with them. He was allowed to choose the design of his new orthotics. They have trucks and cars and are blue with red lining and blue straps. He wanted our blog readers to see him stylin' and profilin'. Cute isn't he?

 

Dear Makers of Finley The Fire Engine

To the makers of Finley the Fire Engine and/or CBeebies,

Do you see these two sweet, angelic brothers resting side by side ever so sweetly watching your show? They are 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and this is the first time this has ever happened. Usually they would be fighting each other, but they are so happy to watch this show that they will even allow me to snap a photo of this rare event.

So, my plea is this... please air your show in the USA, where we live! My oldest son's name is Finley and I just happened across a DVD last year that is about worn out. It isn't on any US channels and the DVDs and toys aren't to found here. My son LOVES the show and gets sooo happy to hear his name. I want to find him some merchandise too, so please hear my plea!

I love the positive themed messages about sibling rivalry, teamwork and learning to share. The accents are cute, too! We think it's "tire-ific" and if this DVD breaks I am in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Thank you for your time!

P.S. Kieran wants to know when they will be making a show about him. Daddy thinks it should be called Kieran the DestructoBot, but Mommy knows this is not at all a fitting title of a DVD about her sweet boy. ;)

Mama Tuck, Mama Tuck

I had to share this... It made my day!

Earlier today, I was preparing Finley something to eat for lunch while he was in the playroom with the door open. The playroom is attached to the kitchen (altered dining room). He was in there happily playing with his trains. I was pouring his milk when I heard something that sounded like "tuck". I thought he was saying truck because he was playing with the trains, cars and trucks. A few seconds later he says, "Mama tuck, Mama tuck". He didn't sound upset and it didn't sound urgent, but since he is speech delayed, I always go immediately when he calls me and makes an effort to communicate. I walked in there and about fell out laughing. Not only was he indeed "tuck", (aka stuck) but he took the time to pose for a quick photo. Instead of walking around to the other side to play with his lined up trains, he crawled over.

Gotta love that boy! Happy Friday!

Like (Squeaky) Music To My Ears

I remember before I had my boys that I’d see parents with their kids and think, “Why on earth would they do that?” I think a lot of us are guilty of this, right?

I would see a mom with a toddler screaming in a grocery cart and think, “Why can’t she calm him down?” Oh, how naïve I was! Having kids sure does slap you with reality and make you understand things. If I observe that same scene now (sometimes involving me and my party of two), I nod with total understanding and empathy.

Before kids, I couldn’t fathom why a parent would put noisy shoes on their child. I would see children running through malls with squeaky shoes on and cover my ears. I never understood why the moms and dads would sit there with a big smile, watching their little one, oblivious to the offending noise.

You know what?

I now get it! I TOTALLY get it! Every child is different. Every family is different. I have a 2 ½ year old son with developmental delays. He walks, but struggles with it daily. Lately, he has been walking on his own more and more and he’s so proud. I get tears of joy in my eyes just thinking about it. He takes unassisted steps with a huge smile on his face and a look in his eyes that says, “Are you proud of me?”. Awhile back, I was given a pair of squeaky shoes for him. Let me tell you, that squeak squeak squeak as he walks little by little, step by step is beautiful music to this proud mother’s ears. He loves hearing the squeak and that helps him want to walk more and more.

So, the next time you see someone doing something you don’t understand, try putting yourself in their shoes (squeaky or not) for just a minute.

I wrote this post for the Naptime Blog. You can read all of my posts and posts from other bloggers here. There are lots of personal posts there from me. I will be featuring more of those at a later time to help you get to know me better.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

From the little country bumpkins in the pumpkin patch... Finleypotamus and Kierbear!

Bouncing Baby Kierie (Video)

Hrm, anyone need a baby mattress review done? lol

Have a happy Thursday... just one more day til Friday! Now that's something to bounce about.

This week at I ♥ Faces their photo challenge theme is "completely candid". I snapped this photo during our vacation earlier this month in Florida. It was taken at this cool 50s hamburger joint called Hartell's Village Diner. This is my 28 month old (at the time) son enjoying fresh french fries and coloring. He is also daydreaming about all of the fun things he was doing that day. I just recently discovered Photoshop actions and so I had to play a bit with the photo to give it a true retro feel. I used actions from The Pioneer Woman on this one, but I am also a bit fan of CoffeeShop Actions.

I ♥ Faces is a photography blog sharing faces from around the world and they have a weekly photo challenge with a different theme each week. The winner (and top ten) has their photo displayed on the I ♥ Faces blog.

Just click on the I ♥ Faces button above to head on over to their site and enter on Monday and Tuesday.

On Our Way Home From Vacation

We are on our way home from a week long vacation. As I sit in the passenger seat, going through digital photos taken during our travels, watching the raindrops splatter on the windshield and listen to the boys giggle at their DVD in the backseat, I am so thankful for what I have. Although, I wasn't online Friday, Sept. 11, I did say many prayers for those that lost loved ones, were inured or affected directly that day eight years ago.

We had a wonderful time on vacation and I had the most fun soaking in scenes like this one I captured of my boys Friday at the beach at Sandestin in Florida. We are so very blessed.

I will be back into the swing of things this coming week. I will have some fun reviews and giveaways so keep an eye out for that (something to pamper mom).

Have a beautiful Sunday wherever you are.

Vacation Here We Come, But First, Your Tips?

We are getting ready to go on vacation and I am looking forward to it, but I am afraid I am going to sleep the entire way there. Packing for two toddlers is exhausting. I am wondering how many important items I will forget. I usually either forget my own toothbrush or my own shampoo. I figure as long as I remember food, diapers and sippy cups for the boys, everything will fall into place.

Wait, I better not forget entertainment. See, I almost forgot something. Momnesia is real! :)

We are easy to please mom. No worries! ;)

My boys have never been in a car for this long at a time as toddlers. We will be breaking up the trip a bit. We will drive to our first destination and stay a couple of days (about five hours from here) then head on to our final destination in Destin, Florida (another five hours or so I believe). I will for sure pack the DVD players and their favorite DVDs, but I am looking for tips to entertain a 28 month old and a 16 month old in the car. Lately, they get upset each time I stop at a stoplight.

Just bring me a toy with wheels and I'll be good to go!

Due to this much needed vacation, I'll be scarce next week so I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day.

Now before I go, please help me out! For those that have traveled with little ones this small, what is your advice? How should I keep them entertained? Are there any tricks that will keep them happy for long periods of time? They love to explore so I don't blame them for not wanting to be strapped in that long. All in all, I just want to make the ride as fun as possible for them.