Sunday, January 23, 2011

Snow days at home




We got one snow day so far at work plus one early dismissal! It is such a great surprise just to all stay at home one day during the week and hang out inside all together. Avery loves to bake (they bake a lot at his preschool), so we decided to make cupcakes:





Cute outfit, cute shoes:


Caleb LOVES looking at himself in the mirror:


Our beautiful Caleb loves his baths:




Avery looks like a teenager to us when he wears a big boy St. Louis Rams sweatsuit!

We sure do love having a play room to contain the messes in! Avery likes to play with trains, Mr. Potato Head, puzzles, his guitar, and to read stories.





Monday, January 10, 2011

Jan. 2011



Avery has been refusing to wear any sort of jacket/coat/sweatshirt/sweater. But when we got lots of snow and I told him we could go sledding, he put one on. And he LOVED sledding!



Avery likes to show Caleb the proper way to do tummy time:



On our way down to the garage one morning to go to church, Avery decided that HE needed to ride in the stroller -- not Caleb!


Caleb and Mom on her first day back at work after being on maternity leave and his first day of daycare:

Caleb is a lucky duck!

We held onto this onesie that Avery wore, because we just thought it was so cute. And it is very soft! Of course, this fit Avery when he was 1 month old, and it fits Caleb now that he is 2 1/2 months old. Looking back, I am also struck by how chubby Avery's cheeks were compared to Caleb's. Also, I remember how much Avery adored being swaddled, but Caleb doesn't like it so we never swaddle him!





Saturday, January 1, 2011

Saint Louis activities, Christmas 2010

Avery loved playing with the two dogs, Arlo and Lucy, and snuggling with Melanie. He liked to let the dogs outside so that he could give them their bone treats when they came back in. He was doing this so frequently, that the dogs started refusing the treats -- they were too full!


Gogo feeding baby Caleb:

Caleb with Grandpa and Mom:


We tried to bake cut out sugar cookies and decorate them, like we used to do when we were kids. I even had my Mom's old cookie cutters and rolling pin. The cookies are challenging to make -- it takes a lot of patience to roll out the dough evenly, and a lot of flour so that it doesn't stick. We brought some cookies over to Carolyn's cousin's house, thinking that Avery and Colin would decorate them. I think they each decorated one cookie. Avery at least had fun making a mess and "helping" me bake them:

Decorating one single cookie at Victoria's house:


We went to three different museums: the Science Center, the Magic House, and the City Museum. We had fun, although we also missed all the fun summery things there are to do in STL, so I think we'll try to make a trip there sometime soon when there is warmer weather!
At the Science Center, all Avery wanted to do was stare at the ceiling to look at the huge maze of balls. Seriously, he stared up for at least an hour, and would have stayed longer, but we had tickets for the toddler room.
Where's Avery among the group of boys, all mesmerized by the balls rolling around in the contraptions on the ceiling? Hint: he was the youngest, but not the shortest!



Playing blocks at the City Museum:

he loved the sponge room -- by far the safest area in the museum!


Ready for 2011!


We are SO ready for a new year and a new start! After all of Carolyn's complications after Caleb's birth, the loss of Rebecca's mother, the stress of moving, and other life challenges, we are ready to breathe again and jump into a new year holding hands!
We had lots of fun in Saint Louis and took full advantage of our in-laws willingness to watch Avery and Caleb (and even get up with them at night so that we could sleep!), and we enjoyed seeing all of Carolyn's family and relatives. Avery loved opening presents on Christmas morning. He was most excited about an alphabet train, a guitar (well, that's what his moms are most excited about), and fun Marquette gear from Aunt Melanie.

Caleb also got some fun Marquette stuff, like this cute hat:


Xmas morning:




Caleb's milestone: he started laughing while we were in Saint Louis! Making a baby laugh is one of the greatest joys in life! And unlike Avery's first laughs, Caleb's are actually recognizable as laughs!