Swing Set

Now that we have a house with a yard, we can get a swing set!! We thought it would make a great gift for Henry's 2nd birthday! W were right! It was delivered yesterday by a one-man crew. It took the poor guy 8 hours to put the thing together - - I felt terrible, he got it done, all by himself! Henry had to go outside multiple times to check the status - - once complete, we layered on the winter gear and played until the sun went down. He hasn't been able to get enough of it since! Hope this lasts for a few years!

Randoms

I haven't been the best at carrying my real camera with me - luckily and unfortunately I have the cell phone with a camera. It just takes terrible pictures. None-the-less, here's a few pictures from the last couple of week's that were too cute to not post. Henry got a new toy - the box that our new bathroom sink came in. We decorated it - and continue to decorate it - and loves it. It's like his little hide away.

Two weeks ago we got the tease of all teases - - it was 75 degrees on a Friday. The most perfect day EVER. We forgot how good the warmth felt and were sure we enjoyed every second of it and enjoyed a picnic outside. Luckily we did, because it's freezing again.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Loves the shower/bath combo.

Stamp king! Note the new "tattoos" all over his arms!

Seriously? We're starting this already!?

Aquarium

A few weeks ago we took Henry on his first trip to the Camden Aquarium. He LOVED it! We went earlier in the morning, so it wasn't too crowded and Henry got to lead the way - he ran from room to room, excited at what was waiting for him next. We had to steer him back to each room because he missed so much stuff. Overall - the trip was a great success - we can't wait to go again!

Dad and Henry eaten by the shark!Petting sharks

Loved the jelly fish - even petted a non-poisinous one!

Sea urchins

Yard Work

We've been enjoying the sunny and "warm" weather the last couple weekends - the low 50's is like a heatwave, especially if the sun is shining. This past weekend we spent all day doing yard work, as a family. Our main goal was to till the yard, lay some new grass seed and build our first garden. Do I know how to garden, you ask!??? Not a clue, but we are going to try it - I have to be able to grow something! We bought a good variety of seeds - tomatoes, squash, watermelon, peppers, lettuce, cucumbers, carrots, herbs, sunflowers and other "easy" flowers. We sowed a few seed indoors - to see if we can get anything started that will transfer outdoors after the first frost. Henry thought that was so fun - so I think he should get a real kick of our seeing the veggies and flowers start to grow and them be able to pick them!

Snow snow and more snow

This winter will go on record as one of the worst - I still don't think I have completely thawed out and am beyond ready for warm weather to arrive. To sum it up - it snowed, significant amounts, on a weekly basis for a majority of the winter. At first, it was pretty and kind of fun - that "aw, we're snowed in feeling". But week after week after week, it got old and cold, fast. Even Henry was tired of it after a while. We couldn't escape it and we surely hope Mr. Winter goes easy on us next season.

Trying our hardest to embrace the cold stuff, we made it a point to go out during/after each snow fall. Henry usually didn't last too long and was annoyed most of the time because he couldn't walk through the snow - it practically went over his head.


And if we couldn't bare the thought of getting all bundled up and going outside to brave the cold - we brought the snow inside. Henry thought that was the coolest!

Florida (and St. Louis) in February

In early February, Henry and I headed to Florida. Prior to our arrival, we made a quick stop in St. Louis for a weekend for Aunt Julie's baby shower - her little boy is due April 23, almost 2 years to the day that Henry was born!


While in St. Louis we saw all our family and friends. At Sean and Nikki's Super Bowl party, Henry said, "Maaammaa" for the very first time! He was only saying "Daddy" and if you asked him to say "Mommy" he would say, "Daddy". I was thrilled - it melted my heart and still does, every time I hear it!


We were so ready to get to Florida, to escape the winter weather that blanketed the rest of the country! But, of course, it was cold in Florida too, just in time for our arrival. It was in the 80's the week before we got there and the day we left, it was 75 and climbing. I could have cried (I actually did!).


To add insult to injury, Henry caught a terrible cold and got his first ear infection - in both ears - a double whammy. I was in Tampa for a couple days for work, so missed getting to take him to urgent care to have him poked and prodded. Luckily, for Henry and me, his grandparents took graet care of him and I knew he was in good hands.


Brian met us in Florida, also in hopes of escaping the cold, for a long weekend. While we didn't get to sweat it out - we had a great time being together and enjoying our mini vacation. Henry's two favorite activities on this trip were:

1) picking oranges from pop and mi-maws orange tree. then taking them home and drinking fresh squeezed orange juice

2) happy hour. while we drank our martinis - Henry insisted on his own martini glass (plastic) with water and an olive. He played for hours - he woke up asking to play with his martini glass.

Henry's orange collecting bucket
Pop helping Henry get the oranges

Out on pop's dock...nerve wrecking with water on both sides. This is also the dock pop taught Henry how to spit over. I was thrilled - now he spits all the time, dock or no dock.

Big Boy Bed

On Henry's 21st month birthday he crawled out of his crib - all the way out. I blame Tumbles - since he manages to climb everything there without fear. He brought these skills home - at first I wasn't too concerned. Until he feel out of the crib and landed with a "boom"! That's when I called in the special forces and had his crib converted into a toddler bed.

The weeks following were hell. Henry's new found independence of being able to get in and out of bed as he pleased put a big strain on mom and dad - espcially after going on such a long, wonderful stretch of bragging about how great of a sleeper our kid is!

We eventually got the night time sleep down after a few nights, but the naps were a disaster. We tried it all - back rubbing, the "silent to sleep" method, where you keep putting them back in their bed without making eye contact or saying anything - after spending hours and hours of this, in a single sitting (Brian, me or the sitter), we had to take matters into our own hands. We turned his knob around and locked him in his room.

Call us bad parents, but it works. It's worked wonders ever since. Henry has to stay in his room for an hour at nap time - if he wants to sleep in his bed, on the floor, in a chair, that's fine. If he just wants to play, alone, in his room, that's fine too. We all need a break. Don't call social services.

Tumbles

We changed up Henry's weekly activity this winter and signed up for Tumbles, instead of music. I knew he would like it, but under estimated just how much he would like it. The first class, he ran around tippy toes for a solid hour squealing like a girl - it was hysterical. I insisted Brian come to the next class, to witness this level of happiness, first hand.

Henry runs from activity to activity, doing each for about 3 seconds until something else catches his eye. He could care less about the other kids - nothing gets in his way. The one thing he hates about the class is "circle time" - this is when the teacher calls all the kids and parents to the mat to stretch, sing a few songs, etc. Henry doesn't want anything to do with - he just wants to play in the gym!