Happy 1st Birthday, Garrett!!

Happy Birthday, Garrett!

For Garrett's birthday we had to celebrate the night before because Russ was out of town (Florida) for an orthodontic conference on his actual birthday (not that Garrett knew the difference or even understood what was going on!). We blew up balloons and let he craw after them, try to lay on them and watch in amazement as they floated around the room. We opened presents, which he didn't really get, but what he did understood were the cool new toys that he could play with after they were out of that silly wrapping. We had some friends, the Johnsons, over for cake and ice cream. Garrett wasn't really into his cake -- he put his fingers in it and them smashed his sippy cup of milk into it (which ended up on the floor and all over the carpet!). But, all in all it was a great birthday.

Here are some fun things about Garrett: He loves to suck on wash clothes in the tub; the only word he can say is, "Quack", and especially loves to say it when he is in his duck towel after his bath; he can take steps (giant steps where he picks his feet up quite high) while holding onto my fingers; he loves books and gets so excited when I open them; he loves fruit - especially pears, strawberries and grapes; he loves to do 'Patty Cake' and as soon as I start singing he starts rolling and throwing it in the oven (the shortened version, I guess!); he has five teeth (one on top, four on bottom) and one on top about to break through; he loves to chase balls around the room (especially tennis balls that have a little bounce); he is a tease and loves to do silly things to make Cole laugh (like banging his head against the high chair at lunch); he gives slobbery kisses that are wet, yet precious; he is so much fun and a delight to have in our home. We love you, Garrett!

New toys -- sweet!


Why don't those silly balloons stay in one place?


Presents -- what am I supposed to do with these silly things?


Unwrapping and looking for what is inside... Cole was a big helper!


Birthday cake -- don't touch it, it might be good! What a handsome little guy!!

Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! Saturday morning the boys woke up to a bunch of hearts that lead from their bedroom to the kitchen table where their valentines were waiting for them. Each boy (Russ included) had a small valentine as a place mat for breakfast and little gift. Cole got a pair of sunglasses (that he has been asking for) and a pez (his favorite treat right now). Garrett got a Tonka garbage truck. Russ got a bunch of treats. Grandpa and Grandma Guymon sent a zebra and tiger cup full of animals, a small beach ball, and lady bugs that do tricks for the boys and a platter that says, "Home - where you are always loved" for Russell and I. Grandpa and Grandma Jacobson sent the traditional valentine with money for each of the boys and money for Russ and I, along with an "UnValentine" book. All of the valentines were on the table and the boys were thrilled to open them. Russ made pink waffles and even made a heart waffle for me!

After Garrett went down for his morning nap, Cole and Russ went to play in the snow and even made a small snowman (the snow here isn't great packing snow, so they did great with what they had to work with). Cole was decked out in all of his snowgear (thanks, Aunt Teresa!), complete with sunglasses. When Garrett woke from his nap he watched them play from the glass door, with his nose pressed against it. It was just a little too cold for him to go out. While the boys played outside and before Garrett woke from his nap, I was able to play with my new digital scrapbooking program (thanks again, Karen!!). I think I am addicted to digital -- there is no mess, I can do it while the boys are around (and don't have to worry about who has grabbed the scissors off of the table), and the pages turn out far better than I could have made them look. Plus, you can manipulate the pictures and get exactly what you want. It's fantastic! Too bad that I printed two years worth of pictures before we moved that I will have to do the "old way"! I love traditional scrapbooking, so it will be fun to do both!

All in all, it was a great day for Cupid at our house!

Friday Party Night

Last weekend Russell had a scout camp out, so I decided that if he was going to party, then the boys and I were going to party too. Not that Russ was really partying -- he was stuck with five twelve-year olds that were harder to get to obey than our two year old. The scouts were more interested in the laffy taffy jokes than the dutch oven dinner (BBQ ribs, potatoes, cobbler and ice cream) and weren't even able to start the fire (large logs and paper on top of the logs is not a good formula for a successful fire). They camped on a night when it was about -10 degrees and were just in an enclosed pavilion with a wood burning stove. But it was freezing -- a cup of water was left out and froze solid by morning. I was happy to be home in a warm house, enjoying a fun evening with the boys.

After dinner we popped popcorn, got a little bowl of treats (M&Ms, sour worms and Mike & Ikes, covered the floor with pillows and blankets and sat down to enjoy a movie. I'm sure you can guess what movie we watched -- Thomas the Train! Not exactly my idea of high quality entertainment, but Cole was thrilled. Garrett even sampled his first Mike & Ike and became a fan. I had to force it in his mouth the first time, but once he sampled the goodness, he kept coming back for more.

I decided that every Friday night we are going to try to have a "Friday Night Party Night", just to change things up a little bit. We have the same routine every night and it was fun to do something out of the ordinary. The boys were still bathed and in bed by their bed time, so I think it was a successful night for all of us! Here's to many more...

Cole couldn't even wait for the movie to begin before he started into the popcorn!


Treats -- my favorite part!


Self portrait -- we look like a rowdy group, huh!