Soccer!

Hayden started playing soccer with the local YMCA a couple of weeks ago.  So far is loving it and doing really well.  He has had two games so far, although his first was in the cold, windy rain so not many photo ops there.  At his game this past Saturday I was able to get some videos, including one of the goal he scored!  There is also one of Avery thrown in.  She was really getting into watching the game, but every time I tried to get a video of her bouncing and squealing at the action she went after the camera.  Still, it shows off a new face she is making and her improving crawling skills.  

BTW- Hayden is on the gold team, one of the smallest on the field and the only one without long socks to cover his shin guards (oops!)  We also buzzed his hair recently (double oops).  Hope you can find him!  

Pure Joy

Just try not to laugh...

Monkey See, Monkey Do

Hayden is ALL about Matt these days.  He wants do go everywhere Matt goes, do the same things, and order the same meals in restaurants.  Any time I ask him what he would like he asks "what is Dad having?"  He even started using Listerene at times because he saw Matt using it.  And then he runs to me and says "smell my teeth!" As Hayden puts it, they are "best buds."  So when he sees Matt shaving every morning, naturally he wants to get in on the action!

Matt took the blade out of a razor and let him have it.  He gave him a step-by-step tutorial.  Hayden was focusing very intently, which made it even more adorable.  

He kept sneaking peeks at Matt to make sure he was still doing it right:

He couldn't really see himself in the mirror, so periodically he would push up on the counter to check his progress:

Another time of day that is all about Daddy is bedtime.  I cannot say that I mind that since it gives me time to get Avery to bed and finish cleaning up from the day.  And it has become a special time for the two of them together, with their little nightly rituals.  Hayden (being a typical four year-old) likes rituals and will get stuck on a book or silly game for periods of time.  Lately they had been reading "Rumble in the Jungle" at bedtime, a book Matt mailed to Hayden from Cuba a couple of summers ago.  After several nights of this, I stepped in for bedtime to let Matt get some school work done.  I was surprised at what I heard when I started the story!  I grabbed the camera to capture it on film, however he got a little camera shy the second time around and needed some help.  You may have to turn your volume up for this one!  

On the Move

Avery has been shaking things up lately!  She recently started riding in style in grocery carts while we are shopping, as well as using high chairs at restaurants.  She loves sitting up like a big girl and the new found freedom from her infant carrier.  Last weekend we went to Mimi's Cafe for breakfast and she grabbed a menu right off the table and could not contain her excitement.  It was super cute. 

She has also started waving recently.  She is not very consistent about it but it is super cute (have a said that recently?) when she does it.  Here she is happy to be shopping with Mommy at IKEA.  Who isn't happy there?  (You can also see her two little bottom teeth).

A few weeks ago I was putting laundry away and well, I tossed Avery in the basket to cary her from one room to the other.  She thought it was great fun and I had to stop for a picture.  Her happy smile can add cheer to the most mundane chores.

And the biggest development of all: she is officially on the move!

She finally made forward progress for the first time over the weekend:

Any surprise food was finally the motivating factor?  I believe it was a McDonald's sausage egg and cheese biscuit for her older brother.  The first couple of days were still a little shaky but she was really on the move today.  I would have taken a newer video but I was too busy prying the ceramic vase out of her chubby fingers.  

Another fun aspect of her getting older is the growing interaction between her and Hayden.  He has been waiting for this day for a long time, asking me "Mom, why is Avery not playing with me yet?"  I am sure as years go by I will instead hear "Mom, Avery won't get out of my room!" but for now I am cherishing the pure joy they have when they are together.

Speaking of the big brother...he seems to be changing just as fast sometimes.  So fast that if I wasn't having so much fun soaking it in and laughing at the crazy things he says, I just might miss it.  He is learning new things all the time.  He can write his own name now and he is learning to sounds out basic words.  He is learning to tell time and just starting to learn about the calendar and days of the week.  Still, there is no shortage of ACTIVE play for this boy.  He is always on the go!  Last week he got to try roller skating for the first time:

He fell down a few times at first but he kept getting back up and trying again.  This is a huge improvement for him since he is usually inclined to becoming frustrated and angry very easily.  He is learning that practice pays off and he could tell that he was getting better as time went on and I could see he had a sense of accomplishment about it.  I was so proud of him.  It's funny how the big changes can sneak up on you in the little, every day moments.

On Easter Sunday someone brought chicks to church for the kids to hold:

Hayden has been a huge helper lately.  He loves helping me in the kitchen, is great about clearing his place and has even started bringing the garbage can back to the house on pick up day.  He even helped me dust the house today.  He loves helping, and almost always does so without being asked.  

As I write, my little man is at his first baseball game with Matt.  Just a little minor league team here in Dayton.  So handsome and grown-up looking, don't you think?

I will have to remember these things next time he says "you're bossy, mommy!" or "I don't want to..."  I am learning that there is joy waiting to be found in every moment.  Life is certainly not perfect, but it is always filled with Love, and for that I am so thankful. 

Weeeeeeeeeeee!

The following is a rather ridiculous number of pictures of a baby on a swing.  A very cute baby, at that.

Miss Avery turned nine months old on Thursday.  She now weighs in at 18 pounds and ten ounces.  She cut her first tooth over Easter weekend and the second is right behind it.  She is trying so hard to crawl, but so far she can only go backwards.  She can get places pretty quickly just by scooting and rolling around.  She is starting to pull up on furniture but can only get as high as her knees.  She talks a lot these days, mostly "dada" sounds.  She still has no interest at all in baby food.  (As my dad says, the girl has taste).  She is a solid sleeper- she naps twice a day for about 1.5 hours each time and about 11.5 hours at night.  She still thinks Hayden is hilarious.  She is very ticklish and will even hold her foot out for us to tickle again after we have stopped.  She likes it when Hayden blows raspberries on her tummy.  She LOVES bath time.  She still likes her pacifier but usually only when she goes to sleep. Let's hope we can keep it that way!

Life with two has definitely been an adjustment.  And for those of you who know Matt and I well you know it can take us a while to adjust to things at times.  But mostly it has been so much fun.  I am really looking forward to this summer when we can really start getting out and exploring and doing fun things as a family.  Life is good!   

A Hodgepodge

This post is really going to have a random slection of photos, but I figured it was about time I got something up!  For starters, here is Miss Avery about two weeks ago, right at eight months:

She has still been a fabulous baby.  She seems to be close to getting some teeth on the bottom, but has only been a little fussy here and there.  

Spring has hit Ohio very early and we have been practically living outside.  There is a park very near our house that has a paved path around the pond and a nice play ground.  Avery enjoyed her bottle one evening while the whole family was out for a walk:

I have gotten back into doing yoga twice a week, along with running about three times a week.  Hayden thinks its fun to do yoga with me so I got out his nap mat from his preschool last year.  One morning a couple of weeks ago, he did almost the entire 40 minute video with me in his Woody PJ's:  

He likes to narrate by telling me what the instructor said to do next or by saying things like "I am doing great" or look at me, mom!"  He does make it very entertaining :)

Avery LOVES her jumperoo these days and spends a lot of time in it.  Here is one of the big smiles that are not very hard to get from her:  

Of course, when I made my last blog post, Matt was still in Montgomery finishing up SOS.  He finally completed the eight week course on March 2 and made it home on March 3.  Needless to say, having him home has been heavenly, and we are loving being back together as a family again.  I know it was excruciating for him to be away from his family, and no fun staying in a dorm away from home, but I am so proud of him getting through the course.  His flight placed 11th in the whole school out of almost 60 flights.  What can I say?  I am married to a rock star: 

Have a ever mentioned that I love Mondays?  Mandatory blues.  You can say what you want about the dreaded day that ends the weekend; I'll take a case of the Monday blues any day of the week.  Oh, and the mustache you see in the picture?  Yyyeah...he doesn't have that anymore :).

At Hayden's preschool they made a bulletin board outside the classroom with the title "I am special because..." had all the kids draw a self-portrait, and wrote each child's response below the corresponding picture.  Here is Hayden's: 

My cup overflows.

(And if you didn't already guess, I made him a "dirt" cake with oreos for his birthday in November.)

I also have to add that my second favorite addition to the board after Hayden's said "I am a secret agent."  Four year olds are so funny.

Here is my girl enjoying some sunshine just last week: 

Hayden loves riding his bike and we have been doing it every day since winter finally retreated.  This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago when it was still cool out.  We have been in shorts and flip-flops for a little over a week now.

That's all for now!

Here, There and Everywhere

As I mentioned in a previous post Matt left at the beginning of January for SOS in Montgomery, AL.  We (meaning Hayden and I, mostly) had our challenges adjusting the first few weeks, but mostly I have felt so blessed and thankful to have two such sweet kids to keep me company while my Love is gone.  They adore each other, and I think they are both hams when it comes to pictures: 

I wish the quality of this picture was better, but I had to include it anyway!

While the little man has his sweet moments, he has his drama-filled moments as well.  He has had a difficult time adjusting to all of the changes in a short period of time (new baby, moving, daddy being gone) and I have struggled to balance being sensitive to his feelings while still trying to maintain firm discipline.  We are both learning together, but there are still days that leave me wondering "Is THIS what other four-year old boys are like too???"    

Avery is still her sweet and happy and quiet self.  For as many times a day as I hear "is he ALWAYS this active?" or "wow, he is really fast!" I hear people say, "wow, she is so quiet, I have never heard her cry."  It is true that her fussy moments are few and far between and while things may change as we enter the toddler years or beyond, for now we are counting our blessings.  

At the end of January the kids and I finally made it out to Montgomery to visit Matt.  What a breath of fresh air to all be together again.  While our accommodations left much to be desired (think small motel room with two adults and two kids, one of which is in a pack n play by the fridge) we fought to keep the mounting frustrations at bay while we soaked up all the fun moments we were able to spend together.  There was not much to do there, so our days were simple, but fun.  Matt and Hayden enjoyed hitting range balls: 

Avery was happy to be along for the ride:

There was a particular breakfast and lunch spot in town called The Egg and I.  We ate there four times.  Yummy.

The Montgomery Zoo is a nice little zoo.  We went once as a family and twice I took the kids while Matt was working.  Hayden enjoyed the train ride:

There was one park on base that we frequented, although we never saw any other kids there.  Hayden kept asking "mommy, why are there no friends here?"  Poor little guys missed having kids to play with.  We definitely enjoyed the warmer temperatures while we were there!

We came up with some creative things to do when we were stuck in the room, including make homemade play doh in the "kitchen".  

                          

We were away from home for three weeks but our last weekend we spent in Atlanta before the kids and I flew back to Ohio.  We did the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, both great attractions.  We also stayed at the Ritz Carlton downtown which was a nice treat, and a nice changed from our previous lodging!  Here are Matt and the kids at breakfast Saturday morning:

Whale shark at the aquarium.  This guy was 24 feet long!

Matt has many more pictures on his phone so maybe those will make the blog sometime soon.  He comes home in eleven days and we can hardly wait!