Side by side comparison

Here's a fun side comparison of our kiddos, each at 15 months. 

15 months

Wowzas, this little man is growing up.

He's 15 months already.

FIFTEEN!

Where oh where did that time go...

He has blessed our family in so many ways. And we love him to pieces.

Just this morning, the girls were fighting over who got to put on his jacket and hat to walk out the door. He is loved that much. And now that Sidney has figured out how to pick him up (yes, she carries him around even though he's at least half her size), she loves having her "baby" to coddle. And she pouts that she can't hold him like we could when he was a wee baby.....I have those same feelings Sidney and I know Regan feels the same.

At 15 months he is busy. And so much more mobile, the boy is into everything.

That is not an exaggeration.

Ryan has been noted more than once to grumble loudly at the mess created by this lovely 15 month old. And I am quick to announce that he has been declared our "bull in a china shop". My goodness can this kid make a disaster in 2 seconds flat! He will plow through neatly arranged Barbie set-ups, school papers and kitchen cabinets and literally tear them apart without a care in the world. 

But we wouldn't change our life for a second. His quick smile, deep giggle and emerging vocalization is enough to make your heart melt and forget all about the mess. 

Here's a little snapshot of what he does at 15 months: 
* Sleeps terribly, after being hit in November with a respiratory virus, his sleep pattern went downhill and has never really gotten better. He goes to sleep in our bedroom (in his own bed), but will wake a few hours into his slumber with a mega fuss and insist on being held, or moved into our bed. Judge as you may, but we do what works for us and at that point in the night, sleep is our priority. 
* Eats like a champ. Mostly fruit but also appreciates whatever else we will hand him. But when he's done, he's done. And everything left on his tray will be thrown with his left hand across his body and land on whoever is sitting to the right of him (sorry Sidney, this happens to be where you pick to sit at our dinner table). She recently pushed her own plate of food away declaring to be done after Lincoln launched a noodle at her and it landed on her plate...yea, she was finished :) 
* Speaking of throwing, he's a South Paw by every definition. 

* Loves being outside. It's winter, and often cold. But that hasn't stopped him, he loves being outside. I know, I know, I'm the parent and could just bring him inside. But I have to agree with him that being outside (even in the cold) is much preferred over being inside. Fresh air does us so  much good. So each day when we get home, I'm prepared to stand around outside for a while as he walks around, waves at the busses and begs to go in his red car or sled. 

* Still likes to splash in the tub. When the water turns cold, he pulls the plug but stays in until the water is gone. Silly boy will just sit and grin at me.

* Can sign "more", "water", "all done" and "please"....oh boy does that "please" really get to my heart. 

* Can say "mom", "dad" and "hot". Just tonight he told me "moo" when we were reading about cows. 

* Loves to dance, or rather be held while I dance. Many nights over the last week, I have danced him to sleep. And it's our favorite time of the day. He walks over to the music and I know the drill. I will with him in my arms for hours, and he lets me. We sway back and forth and I'm certain the neighbors think I'm crazy dancing all evening with this sweet boy. Our home can feel like a fish bowl sometimes.
* Still wears size 3 Pampers and has gone up to most all size 18 month clothing.

* This week, he got yet another ear infection. Other ear as the one 3 weeks ago. Only a matter of time before we go for ear tube surgery take 2.
* He weighs 24 lbs 12 oz (which is up just one ounce from his one year appointment) putting him in the 77%tile.
* Height is 32" putting him in the 78%tile

He's our favorite one year old around and we couldn't love him any more if we tried. 

But we will try anyway. 

Winter Wonderland: Dance Recital 2015

Sweet Sidney met two of her bestest friends when she was just a wee baby: Natalie and Madalyn. These two have topped her list for the last 6 years and continue to influence her choices in activities. So when their moms said that they would again be signing up for dance classes this school year, Sidney was quick to jump on that bandwagon. Keep in mind, this is our dear middle child who tried dance for a year and wanted nothing to do with the whole practice part of class, only the performance. But when she learned that she would be in class with her besties, she was all over it. 

And so, we signed her up and she's been in heaven every week when she is reunited with two of her most favorite girls in the world. These 3 have since split up into attending 3 different elementary schools (due to geographic location of our homes), so it truly is a reunion each week. Last weekend, the dance studio held it's annual Winter Wonderland show with the K-1 bunch doing a dance to "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas".

 

Oh boy were they ever cute! The show is the same year after year, so we've seen Regan do the same dance for 2 years, and now it was Sidney's turn to shine up on stage. And to say she loved it is an understatement! We are so proud of our little hippo! 

Click HERE to watch her video. She starts out in the back and can be hard to see (I took this during dress rehearsal), but moves to the front part way through the song. 

Way to go Sidney! You did great!!

Ice castles

Two years ago, the girls and I ventured to the Ice Castles and were in complete awe with how cool the place was. Ice crystals hanging/dripping to create a massive castle. 

When I got wind that the Ice Castles were returning to Minnesota this winter, I was quick to find a day that worked to visit again. 

This time, we brought Ryan (and Lincoln too!) along with us. They loved them just as much as we did. The lines were long to get in (even with pre-purchased tickets), but once we got inside, we roamed around, checking out the "maze", the waterfall and even the slide!   

We purposely went on a Friday, right about the dinner hour, in hopes we would miss the massive crowds. Apparently it became so packed the following night that people waited over an hour for just a parking spot! Yikes. 

We were prepared with snowpants and boots (it's an ice castle, so obviously slippery ground). The girls were loving all of the lights and fun places to pose. Lincoln couldn't get enough of the place. There was entertainment too: some person tossing fire around which created a lot of "oohhs and aaahhs". 

By far, we all liked the tunnel slide the best. It was short and not exactly built for an adult, but that didn't stop these parents from joining in on the fun. Regan volunteered to bring Lincoln down on her lap (which was a great idea given the small size of the tunnel). 

I may not be a huge fan of winter, but we are doing what we can to enjoy this season and get out in the elements! 

South Padre Island

I mentioned in the last post that the kids and I were blessed with a spur of the moment trip to South Padre Island, sadly, we had to leave daddy behind as he was working on some big stuff at work and just couldn't pull himself away. Thankfully, he was very supportive of sending us on our way, especially knowing that my parents would be waiting on the receiving end to shower us with love. 

Before going, we knew that we weren't going to have glorious sit-on-the-beach kind of weather. Winter in Texas is strange. It can go from 40 to 70 overnight. So we packed for a chilly weekend, but knowing we were leaving subzero temperatures helped us cope with one "chilly" day. Clearly the kids didn't mind wearing sweatshirts on the beach. We were all happy to have left our winter gear at home. 

I love the sandy beachy fingers :) 

And while we waited for the rain to pass, the girls baked cookies with Papa while Lincoln napped. I think it's safe to say they were pretty happy about this experience, of which, eating their creations happened to be their most favorite :) 

I should mention, it was raining, and not snowing. And so after they baked cookies, they took the opportunity to run around outside in the rain. They were drenched, and squealing with excitement to be playing outside. These poor kids hadn't been outside to play in nearly 2 weeks! It's just been too cold in Minnesota. 

It's no secret that my parents love to golf, and that is part of their reasoning for heading south each winter. So when they leave our state, they grab all of the scattered golf balls they have found throughout the year. My dad washes them....in a washing machine nonetheless (I can't imagine that sound!), and this 5 gallon bucket is filled with balls. 

Well, Lincoln quickly found all of the balls and picked up two. 

He dropped them on the tile floor and giggled as they bounced around. 

He went back for two more and did the same thing. 

Two by two he started emptying the bucket. 

Until it was to a point where he could pick it up, and suddenly....

dump! 

The noise, you can only imagine! 

And there were balls everywhere. 

We spent time exploring the island and came across these incredible sand castles. I mean really, they are truly works of art! And we spotted them all around the island, sometimes thinking it was a real sculpture made of clay when in fact it turned out to be a sand castle! 

Regan learned a little chopstick and came back to that keyboard whenever we had a free moment in the condo. She enjoyed her 'lessons' with Papa and I'm realizing that she takes direction from others better than she does her own parents.

Our absolute favorite place to be was the beach. We would ask the girls "what should we do?" and give them a couple of suggestions but they always went back to "go to the beach!". 

My parents have a pass that allows them to drive on the beach. We were nearly whisked into the gulf at one point. It was quite the scary experience if you ask me! I much prefered to walk the beach. 

Regan enjoyed teaching Lincoln a little about the ocean. At one point, he bent down to touch the tide, lost his footing and ended up face planting in the sand. No worries, he didn't cry, but looked at me wondering 'what in the world just happened?!' with sand covering him head to toe! 

It certainly wasn't warm enough to swim, and I think some of the old retired folks thought the girls were crazy for wading in the cold water, but they clearly didn't mind one bit. 

They would run into the water, scream as the waves would come close, and then race back up to dry land. 

Over and over and over again. 

All the while, this sweet baby walked and walked on the hard sand. By the end of each walk, his hair was a little sweaty and his curls emerged with all the humidity in the sea water. 

Lincoln did amazingly well throughout the entire trip. Obviously I didn't have a pack n play or crib for him to sleep in, so we had to wing it during nap and he never fussed about sleeping in the car as we explored or crashing next to me for a snooze on the bed. He soaked up all of the attention from grandma and papa and loved loved loved exploring their digs and walking around outside. 

One of the first things that the girls noticed was that we were no longer amongst pine trees, but palm trees! They loved the look of them and we could instantly tell we were ocean side by the smell of the salt water. No lie, as we emerged from the plane, both girls said "it smells like salt!". And it does. 

We found a cute little block with a bunch of palm trees. The girls were busy playing hide and seek in the great outdoors so the rest of us goofed off with taking selfies with my big camera. Clearly Lincoln was less than amused by picture 10. 

My parents couldn't believe the star fish that the girls were finding....I found it a little creepy because although they were washed up on shore, they were still soft and seemingly not fully dead. Sidney, in true Sidney form, flipped hers over and saw that there are open spaces declared "mine are girls".....oh this girl, she is too much! 

We brought them back to the condo to dry out and are anxiously awaiting grandma to ship them (the stench was a little much for me to agree sticking them into our luggage). 

We pulled the kids from school for this trip, and so I felt obligated to do a little teaching, real-life style. During our last sunset, we watched the sun literally vanish in a matter of minutes. It's something I recall seeing during our honeymoon in Hawaii, and the girls found it just as fascinating as I did way back then. They ooed and ahhhed at the color, and found it mesmerizing to watch the sunset into the water. The island is about 4 blocks wide, with the gulf on one side and the bay on the other. This was bay side and the water is much more calm. We had just finished dinner at the restaurant and were on their deck overlooking the bay when a waiter came and fed some fish. So fun for the girls to be a part of all these unique experiences. Life is made up of both academic style and real-life teachings; and we are fortunate to be able to show the kids a little bit about the state of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico. 

There is a lighthouse just across the bay at Port Isabel and of course, we had to climb it. I live by the rule that when we travel, we have to find the highest point and take in the views. 

My mom is not one to climb high (I only once convinced her to join me and it was the Eiffel Tower in Paris so she knew she wasn't getting out of it); instead, she took this opportunity to stay behind with Lincoln who didn't meet the height requirements anyway. 

The rest of us went round and round up 70-some stairs/ladder steps until we reached the top and were able to see the beautiful bay and well into the island. 

At night my mom and the girls discovered a new card came and bonded over learning something new. I never did get in on the game....I think I was still chasing golf balls around trying to pick them up. And then I came across something fuzzy and dried up when I reached my hand under a cabinet which put an end to any golf ball searching I was doing :) It made for some incredible laughs by the girls (and my parents too): EEEKKK!!! 

Thank you so very much for letting us crash your winter retreat mom and dad~we love you~! We had an absolute wonderful time. Although we were sad to leave, we were happy to have been able to come. Next time, get your clubs ready and Ryan will be eagerly joining and seeing yet more of the wonderful sights!

travel on a whim

Each hour of every day, I am inundated with emails upon emails. Things that I have signed up for, and others that I have not. So most of the time, I don't bother to look at emails from airlines with the subject "Discount Airfare". But last Tuesday, something made me click on that email and right there on top it stated a huge sale on airfare to South Padre Island. That destination just happens to be where my parents spend a couple of months each winter.

I jokingly forwarded the message to both Ryan and my mom with a message "wouldn't this be fun?", and let's just say it got the ball rolling. Quickly, I realized that I was already going to have the time off from work (previously scheduled) and so there really wasn't much preventing me from jumping on the opportunity.....except that my lovely other half didn't have the time off from work, nor was he going to be able to secure the time off. And I had about 8 hours to make a decision, or the sale price would be washed away.

I did some thinking, a lot of fretting, and ultimately, we decided that I should pack up the kids and get out of Minnesota for a few days! What in the world was I thinking?....me and 3 kids traveling 1500 miles by ourselves!? Boy was it ever worth the experience. This was the girls reaction when they were informed that in just a few days, we were leaving for Texas:

I think they were kinda excited.

We packed a lot of fun into our long weekend away, but it was relaxing and fun and an experience. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. And I thank my awesome husband for (hesitantly) encouraging us to go; he was very nervous to send me off alone with the 3 kiddos. And thanks to my parents for all the help and love they showered us with during our trip.

I'll write all about our fun trip next...to be continued

New Year Q&A

I found this cute little 'year in review' questionnaire interview type deal for the kiddos. On New Year's Day, I took a short video of each during their Q&A so someday I can look back at their views on life.  They both like to be in front of the camera, so it was pretty easy to get them to cooperate. Here are their answers:

Regan age 8

Sidney age 6

He's got legs

Boy does Lincoln ever have some legs. Chubby legs. With winter upon us, it can be hard to appreciate those chubby things because they are constantly covered with long pants. And so, everyone seems to comment instead on his cubby cheeks. And while he has some nice squishy cheeks, he also has a very nice set of legs. 

Ryan seems to think there is nothing cuter than a baby in a onsie. He's right about that :) We love to let Lincoln cruise around before bedtime in just his onsie so we can all get a little more appreciation of those rolly legs. 

Aren't they nice? 

He seems to know how to pose, standing just perfect so we can see those rolls extend all the way down his legs. Sadly, ahem, good thing, as he continues to get longer and taller, those rolls are becoming smaller and less noticeable. Just a little bit :)