February Photo Bomb

February was...cold. That's all there was too it. Besides the highlights of Collyns being born and Valentine's Day, there wasn't much going on, which might explain why some of these pics happened:

Ryan loves looking at his photo books and showing Cohen when he was a baby.

Cohen in a basket

Ryan in a box

Cohen making sure Ryan stays in a box

Making "dirt and worms" dessert with Grandma

Ryan ate 1 worm and no pudding/oreos. I think he couldn't get past the "dirt" label.

What? You never wake up with hair like this?

The band that keeps Mommy's yoga mat rolled up is a perfect ninja headband.

Patiently waiting for baseball season.

Cardboard Projects

Ryan and I looked through my Pinterest Board of "Kid Stuff" and he picked out this project:

Label 15 Hot Wheels with a number taped to the top and then make corresponding parking spots. We had an old lid to a file box that worked perfectly and I just used a carpet knife to cut a flap in one side so he could drive them in. Interest lasted longer than I expected on this one!

A few days later, two jumbo boxes of diapers I'd ordered from Target arrived in a box that was just begging to become a fort. Ryan asked me to cut out a door and windows and then he and I decorated it with crayons and markers.

One side turned into an ocean and he liked adding seaweed and coral and dictating the kinds of fish he wanted drawn.

Of course, he wanted to take a picture too.

After a week or so (and a sturdy roof made from a large Amazon box), the fort now lives in Ryan's room where it is full of all his stuffed animals. He's still convinced he will sleep in in someday.

Cohen and Nika

Now that Cohen can reach further onto the couch and enjoys crawling around/sitting on it, Nika is no longer safe from his grabby-hands. I think he fancies them best friends but I'm guessing Nika does not agree. Here's a few recent shots of our goofball and his BFF.

"I want to hold your hand."  "Don't.Touch.Me."

I do not always wear socks, but when I do, it's usually only one.

I think I'm big stuff up on the couch!

Doggie death-stare

I am silly!

"We're going to be best friends. I know it."  "Sadly, you are mistaken, young one."

Well, now, that escalated quickly.

Here comes Collyns!

We were so excited for my younger sister and her husband on the birth of their second daughter, Collyns Makiah. When I told Ryan her name he said, "Collins Makiah? That's a pretty good name. That's the one I was thinkin' of!"

Abbie and "Squeaky Mouse"

I took Ryan to meet his new cousin at the hospital while Cohen, who's had a cold, went to football workout with Adam. Ryan thought Collyns was pretty little but really cool.

Collyns' "going home" picture

Welcome to the family, sweetie! We love you!

UPDATE: We visited Collyns and her family a little later in the week so Adam and Cohen could meet her!

Valentine's Day

My blue-eyed boy

 Ryan was excited about "Valem-time's" Day and had fun picking out super-hero treats for his preschool and daycare friends. The boys also received books from grandparents and had a great day! Adam and I decided to go out on Saturday night instead and after a 1 hour and 40 minute wait for a table at Archie's Waeside, we had a delicious steak dinner. It beats our last 2 year's tradition of Chinese takeout!

Straight out of the 60's.

Preschool project

Cohen: 1 Year, 2 Months

 Cohen's walking has improved a lot over the past month and he's now cruising along at top speed. Sometimes his body is moving faster than his little legs, resulting in face-first dive to the floor, but he's mastered quite a bit. Another movement he's mastered is getting down from a chair, step, or big plastic storage tub. He's figured out how to turn around and slide down, reaching with his toes. He loves climbing on top of boxes, especially a storage tub of toys, and we've even caught him standing up on top of it. He also likes playing basketball, zooming cars around, and looking at lift-the-flap books.

Cohen's been fighting a cold for over a week now, so he's been a little crabby and clingy. We hope he starts feeling better soon! He does not like going to nursery at church and much prefers to run around in the narthex while we sit at the tables.

With his cold, he's been a little pickier when it comes to eating, but we discovered his love for strawberry yogurt (he's quite the spoon master) and spinach-bacon quiche (also one of Ryan's favorites).

Another handy thing Ryan discovered is that even if Cohen's crying, if you say "SHEESH!" really loud, he will start laughing. He laughs the most when Ryan says it. He also will smile if Ryan pretends to fall down or get hurt (or hit himself in the head). Whatever works, right?

Winter Randoms

I haven't been adding much to the blog, but our days seem a little ordinary lately. Here are a few random things we've been up to:

• I attending the Trendigital conference in Sioux Falls and learned a lot...#1 being that Sioux Falls parking downtown is not for rookies...especially those who don't carry any change. Many of the public "lots" are actual lots filled with individual parking meters. I ended up finding a lot 6 blocks from the meeting that took a $5 and couldn't feel my legs by the time I arrived (it was sub-zero plus wind chill)
• Adam and Ryan went to signing day and are excited to welcome the new Raider football players. They've also played in the RSC a few afternoons where Ryan likes trying to play raquetball and run around the track.
• We've attended a few basketball games to watch the Dutch and Uncle Wade's Rockets. Ryan is usually most interested in what color Skittles they have and how long it will take to wear us down before he can plan on a phone.
• I attended my 2nd City council meeting and 4th time meeting with neighbors or the city about the proposed street behind our house. We're hoping to work for a compromise on this situation but still don't have it resolved. You might not want to ask me my thoughts on this project unless you want to hear all 11 reasons why it's a bad idea.
• We celebrated my grandma's 85th birthday with cake and homemade ice cream one afternoon. 

• We also got together for a wedding shower for my cousin who is heading to Germany soon where her husband is stationed. She's heading to the same town where my college roommate lives. Small world!

Dutchman plate (just take the
whole taco pizza box if there is 1 slice left). Less messy that way!

• My grandpa, who is 93, spent several days in the hospital so we visited him a few nights.
• We went to a Super Bowl party at one of my co-worker's houses and the boys had a great time playing with the other kids, even if the game was boring this year.
• It's been cold and we haven't had much snow, but finally got some the second weekend in February. Ryan helped scoop and later went sledding on the Alton hill with Adam where he is learning to bail before hitting trees or creekbeds. (Successfully so far). Even with wind chill warnings, we have to get him outside sometimes!

Scooping 101: Patterns are pretty.

Ryan: 4 Years, 4 Months

Here are some of Ryan's highlights of the months:

• Playing with Cohen (aka wrestling, scaring, or tackling). He loves his brother a lot but needs some reminders about being gentle.
• Although it's been cold, there were a few warmer days where Ryan played with chalk and in the sandbox. Unfortunately, most of the snowy days have been bitterly cold, so he's been stuck inside too much.
• Sunday Ford (Sioux County Nature Conservationist) brought a real falcon to preschool. I'm sure Ryan related all the "birds of prey" facts he knows, including the entire Wild Kratts story involving Zach-bots.
• Ryan likes playing with marbles, legos, trains, and building forts. Here is the fort of pillows he made on his bed one day (picture snapped during his nap) and a picture of the fort we built after watching Treehouse Masters and realizing that our trees will never be big enough for a treehouse until he's grown up. He actually took a Sunday afternoon nap inside this fort.

• We've been memorizing one Bible verse per week this year (each verse corresponds to a letter in the alphabet and I printed out the cards and put them in a photo album we keep on our table). Ryan does a great job memorizing and also has memorized the Lord's Prayer, although I'm not sure it's KJV to say "Holla be thy name" and we usually pray to "help us to trespass against those who tresprass against us."
• Although he still forgets about the number 13 when counting, we've noticed Ryan is catching on to basic adding/subtracting concepts on his own.
• There are 5 apple slices so if I take three, you and daddy each get one.
• You said I have to take 4 bites and I already took one, so one down, three to go.
• If you have two and I have two, together we have 4.
• Ryan struggles to write letters or his name and has little interest in learning, but we haven't been pushing it much.
• We ordered the Financial Peace Jr. set including the books and Ryan has loved the books so far. I'd say they do a good job introducing concepts of saving, giving, spending, debt, work, and integrity on a 4-year-old's level because at the end, he's been able to explain the story and the main teaching concepts to us. He listened to the audio "Battle of the Chores" every night for a week! We're still working out exactly how we're going to use the commission chart but would like to start teaching money principles early!