The Holiday Season

This is the time of year where it is always more difficult for me to post things.   Mostly because I can't post from the nook and Lucian likes to "help" on the computer.  I am going to do my best to keep up.  I want to thank everyone for sending birthday wishes to Lucian in October.  He will be more stylishly clothed this year.      We definitely are all set in the clothes and shoe realm.  So thank you all again.  Now that the holiday season is coming up I have to try to come up with new gift ideas.  Honestly, I don't think he really needs anything.  If anything, I need to go through his toys and weed out the stuff that he doesn't play with anymore.

I'm hoping to start him in gymnastics class this friday and see how it goes.  The hardest part is going to be getting him into the car since he hates being in the carseat. I'm hoping that he'll like the class and want to go.  Otherwise I'm going to have to bribe him with cartoons or snacks. I'm definitely ready for the holidays to come.  People are always crazy this time of year, especially on the road.

Joe and I have been working opposite days and spending the weekends together.  We are patiently waiting to hear about graduate school.  I'm excited to see where we go next.  Will we return to Bloomington or head up to North Dakota?  I'm kind of intrigued by ND.  Close to Canada and Minneapolis. I think it would be a nice new experience.  And I'm sure there are some beautiful sites, including the stars.  We will keep you all up to date with the news and our decision.  We love you all :)

Smothered with Baby Love

Last night we had a nice adventure to the weekend hayrides in Exeter.  It became increasingly cold as the darkness came and none of us were dressed warm enough. The breeze wasn't helping either.  Thank goodness for body heat! But we were able to enjoy the (family friendly) hayride while it was still light out and not scary.  Lucian was really relaxed on the hayride and just enjoyed his time on it, even with the random chainsaw and horns (the not scary version- I know). Plus we were able to enjoy free cookies, cider, and cocoa. We went to this event last year too (also freezing). So we decided we just HAD to go this year to update the photo on our fridge.  See, every year they set up a photo station and take free fall photos of families, print them out, and supplement the package with advertisements.  I can live with that! So we end up with a new family picture, which I don't have to attempt to tripod and time (yay).  Voila, Family photo success. I'm sure I'll peak at the advertisements too before I recycle them.

While waiting for the hayride to begin, Lucian was just dying to go on the moon bounce. We were like "why not?" It's free and one other kid was there.  So we decided to give it a try and see how he does in that environment.  We couldn't go in with him so it was a solo act. Daddy popped his shoes off and helped him through the opening hole.  He was soooooo excited! He couldn't really bounce because more kids came in and made it unstable, but he was surely having fun.  He walked around, crawled around, sat while others bounced him.  It was cute.  Joe took some short videos on his phone; maybe I can attempt to load one again.  The last one I attempted wouldn't go through, I think it was too long. Oh well.

In the end we had a lovely day.  The best part of my day didn't come until right before bed. Lucian decided he was going to smother me with kisses. He would come over, kiss me and walk off.  10 seconds later he would come back over and give me another big smooch.  He did it over and over again - we were both giggling.  That made the perfect day for me.  He's so full of love and I love him more than he understands.
He even gave me more kisses this morning.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't like this new trend!

Birthday Ideas

Lucian's Birthday is coming up and here are some ideas for gifts:

1. Clothes - size 24 months/2T - Pants, long sleeves, tees
2. Socks - size 6
3. Large paper - poster size, he likes to color
4. A wooden ball - about 2 inch diameter to go with his hockey stick. We'd prefer wood because we'd like to also use it over the summer in the box hockey boxes, which typically use wood balls.  That way he won't steal the ones the other kids are using (which would require it be wood).
5. A Squirt toy/gun - We have a few small ones but he gets frustrated with them because they are crappy.  Maybe a better one that he would be able to operate? Anything related to water is good
6. Remote Control Car - A small one made for younger kids.
7. Phineas and Ferb - Season 1/2
8. Books - We have a lot and he is partially interested. He likes the touch and feel ones. We also make regular visits to the library and read him youth novels.
9. Gymnastics class - I'd like to sign him up for this year. Money towards this is always helpful
10. Gift Certificates - We typically shop online so a visa giftcard would be the best bet.  Target is a popular place for us as well (mostly because its close to the house and he likes to run around it)
11. Cash - Will either go into his piggy bank or towards a class for him to be social

As always I support reuse/rduce/recycle and welcome any hand-me-downs or used items. 

Fall Is Here

Fall is officially here.  Cool breezes, rain, and tons of fresh produce. Does it get any better?  Of course it does! Lucian's Birthday is around the corner, followed by Halloween.  The summer has been fun while it lasted.  We picked fruit, went swimming, and even went to knoebels (outdoor camping and amusement park).  Lucian went on several rides and enjoyed them. He's getting so big and I couldn't be prouder.

Now that he is bigger and taller he enjoys new things.  He likes to color on his giant paper (and sometimes the wall urgg).  We have hung several examples of his artwork in the hallway upstairs. Coloring on the wall is ok if he is coloring with chalk on the chalkboard wall in the kitchen, which he can now reach due to his stool.  Naturally, he wanders around color on everything with chalk as well.  But, he'll clean it back up if you give him a wipe. My cute little cleaner.  He even helps me vacuum on occasion.  The nook has become a good friend of his.  I downloaded a few games for him and he likes to play them everyday. Though he doesn't form many words, he still talks your ear off and is very smart and specific about everything he does.  I can't wait to see what he gets into this next year.

I'm looking forward to the next month with his birthday and Halloween events.  Hopefully I will be able to upload new pictures immediately after this post (wishful thinking).  I'll post another post with possible gift ideas for Lucian.  Happy 23 months Lucian!

Summer Fun

I've had a really lovely summer so far with my boys. We've stayed in town for the most part. but it's been fun still. We have been trying to make friends and have playdates. I've joined two groups and it has been going pretty well so far. Lucian has always been good around other kids; I'm glad he gets to play with them. We attempted to go camping at a small campground/amusement park about 2 hours away. We decided to try to stay over one night to see how he does with camping. Plus we didn't get to have any other type of vacation and thought it would be a good substitute. We drove up and managed to snag a campsite. We set up the tent and ventured into the park. Lucian was too tired to go on anything at the point, too close to nap time. Plus it was blazing hot out that day (so much for partly cloudy). We decided it would be better to swim in the campground pool to cool off and attempt the park after a nap. Lucian and Daddy had a fun time in the pool (too cold for Mama). There was still no sign of napping other than being tired so we went for dinner instead, where he crawled up on Daddy and fell asleep after all in the a/c. During his nap Mama and Daddy decided to play some arcades. In the midst of the excitement he woke back up. Just in time for the storm! That's right heavy downfall, thunder, and lightening. We had no choice but to wait it out knowing that our campsite was going to be flooded out on our return (no top cover hmmpf). Luckily they gave us a credit to return for a night of camping and fun. We managed to pack everything up, take Lucian on two rides, and save a baby rat (we later found out it was actually a squirrel go figure). All in all I'd say it was a success. We didn't get to camp out, but we still had a good time. We have done a few other things this summer too. We created a pretty good garden in our backyard and at our garden plot by the playground. Since our garden is down there, we get to spend lots of time on the playground playing. Speaking of that Lucian and I need to pick tomatoes! Ok Ok I need to pick them while Lucian tries to steal playground equipment. Besides that, we have spent hours outside, had plenty of swimming time, and have gone to pick fruit. I do have pictures I just need to find a bit of time to get them up online (not much computer time with a toddler I found out). He is having a fit as I write right now. Starving for attention this one is. Yeah right! He's just tired and refusing to take a nap as usual.

Recent Likes

Straws: He has his own bag of straws that he can play with.  He likes to chew on them, stack them in piles, put them in thinks, and, of course, drink from them.

Phineas and Ferb: Still enjoys his favorite show.  And occasionally requests to watch the movie.  He will either bring the remote or movie to us depending on which one he wants to watch. Smart cookie.

Cars:  He is starting to show an interest in matchbox style cars. A new game for him is to roll cars down the cellar door out back.

Dirt: Not only does he like to cover himself with dirt when he gets the chance, but he also likes to dig in it with the hand shovel.  Sometimes he gets the rocks or water involved too.


He's getting so big and has a wonderful personality.  I can't help but love him; even when he is beating up the cat or biting daddy. Fun times.

It's Hot and Humid

Now that the weather has been really warm (too warm really), we have been spending a lot of time outside.  We've already been at the pool and had a nice cookout. Mommy didn't go in - surprise surprise! But Grammy was able to get Lucian to go in for a nice cooling time. He seemed to enjoy it. I just bought him a sprinkler for out back.  I'm excited for it to get here Sat. He has been enjoying the hose and activity table.  I think a sprinkler will definitely set it over the top!

Lately, Lucian has been lucky enough to be able to enjoy ice cream.  We usually don't get it often, but lately we've been indulging.  Lucky for Lucian, indeed. We even ran into the ice cream truck one evening at the playground.  Nothing like some high fructose corn syrup to end the day! I guess he doesn't eat as well as I once dreamed. He's doing well so I can't complain too much.  Plus it wasn't like we had a repeat of the jellybean fiasco. I guess I'll have to tell that story sometime.