I was sitting on the couch today when Nolan came over with a sticker sheet and decided I would make a good poster board. After he was done, he told me how “stickery” I looked. This took place mid-afternoon. And yes, I kept the stickers on until Jake came home and could take a picture. What a mom, huh? Here I am with Lincoln checking out Nolan’s handiwork.
I asked Nolan to help me put a few boxes of mac-n-cheese in our pantry and apparently he felt the need to take everything else off of the lower shelf in order to do so. Then he immediately saw the building potential of the said other items and proceeded to build one of his now famous, “high, tall, towers.” If this kid doesn’t end up being some sort of engineer, I don’t know what he’ll be.
Later in the evening, I was surprised by the boys’ imaginary pet guinea pigs. Jake took these pictures of us “petting” them. Too funny!
I bought sugar cones last month with the intention of doing an edible craft with the boys, but we never got around to it. Now that it’s almost February, we’ve been using the cones the way they were intended. Lincoln enjoys eating the cones from tip to top, while Nolan insists on correcting his brother as he does so. It’s usually a pretty comical exchange. Lincoln just eggs on his older brother by munching on the “wrong” end with even more tenacity. Tonight I set the camera timer and I snuck in the picture with my boys and our ice cream treats.
My mom likes to give the kids clementines as a treat. (Lincoln LOVES them!) When we left my parents’ house today she gave each boy a clementine to hold during the trip home. As I was driving, I thought I could smell citrus. It wasn’t until I was unloading groceries from the back of the suburban and Nolan said to me “Lincoln is eating his orange!” that I knew my suspicion was correct. The kid took the peel off of the top 1/3 of the orange and dug in. By the time I got to him, he was almost done with the entire thing. He was so proud of himself. I was pretty impressed, too. Once we got inside, he felt the need to repeat his achievement with another clementine. I really should buy stock in fruit. My kids love to eat it!
Nolan & Lincoln have been on a cooking kick lately. I pulled out the play food from the closet and they immediately dumped out the entire bin. With aprons on, they began cooking up all sorts of tasty things for me to try. It was pretty cute. Nolan would bring me something and then Lincoln would do the same. Lincoln couldn’t resist trying out the foam corn on the cob.
Lincoln has started putting 3 words together to express what he wants. Our fine-tuned parental ears have been able to make out the following desires (or demands :))
“I wan cu!” (I want cup) and “I wan ba.” (I want ball) are two phrases we hear throughout the day. He will add in a “peez” (please) complete with sign language if we ask him, “What do you say?” It’s pretty cute.
Today’s phrase while driving in the suburban was, “I wan Jee jee!” Which when played through the Lincoln translator, means, “I want Jesus.” Further translation is required to know what the hidden meaning actually is. We have a CD of kids’ praise music in the truck and when Nolan wants to listen to it, he asks for “Jesus music.” Today, I guess it was Lincoln’s turn to ask DJ mom to select CD 4 from the set.
Nolan and I gave our new slippers a trial run this afternoon.
After bathtime tonight, Lincoln came into his room wearing his towel. Standing several feet away from me, he stayed very still, like he was in a trance. Before I knew it, there was a small puddle next to him on the floor. He looked at me and said, “I wen pee pee.” (And no, I didn’t forget the “t” on “went.” He just can’t quite say ths whole word yet.) All I could do was smile. The little guy has actually started expressing interest in potty training, but I think he’s just facinated with the toilet at this point. However, I am encouraged by his excitement…and hopeful!
The temps rose into the mid 20’s today, so we took advantage of the balmy weather and sun and headed out back to do a little shoveling & playing. The snow was perfect – light & fluffy and easy for the kids to maneuver through with their snow gear & boots on. Nolan helped me clear off the patio and Lincoln assisted with brushing off the wood bins on the deck. They were both my little helpers this afternoon. Nolan asked me to get thee sled out of the shed and he was nice enough to pull his little brother around the yard. It was pretty funny to watch! There were several times I thought Lincoln was going to tumble out, but he hung on! Once Nolan was tired from pulling, I had Nolan jump in the sled and I took them around the yard. We drove Maverick nuts as we made a figure eight path.
I bribed the kids this afternoon. I told them we could finish decorating the gingerbread house we assembled this morning IF they took naps. For Nolan, he not only had to take a nap, but not get out of bed (at all.) It worked! Both of them crashed for a good chunk of the afternoon, which really isn’t surprising since we spent about 45 minutes or so out in the cold right before they went to sleep. I loaded the gingerbread with frosting and let the kids add the candies. Lincoln actually ate more than he added to the house – at least the gumdrops he was eating were miniature 🙂 Nolan really got into the project. It was a good way for him to have fun while practicing his counting.
The kids both got haircuts yesterday. Nolan’s was long overdue. I think his last one was mid-October, right before my mom has shoulder surgery. I took the scissors into my own hands and snipped Lincoln’s hair in about 4 places before calling it good. Nolan’s took a bit longer because it is so thick and curly, but he sat so well for me. My past attempts at cutting his hair have not gone well. Maybe the practice he’s had sitting still for my mom has rubbed off.
Tonight, as an incentive to finish dinner, I told the boys we’d drive around and look at Christmas lights. Their eyes lit up and they gobbled up the food on their plates. I loaded them into the suburban and off we went. Every year, there is one house that is the fan favorite by a landslide. We even have to drive by it during the day because Nolan and Lincoln both like looking at the display. Lights on or off, it’s apparently exciting either way.
We went to mass this morning for a holy day of obligation – it was 1 adult vs. 2 boys. The end result teetered close to disaster, but I somehow maintained my sanity. I don’t care to repeat the solo event any time soon. Man to man defense is definitely the way to go when it comes to church.
The 1st decent snowstorm of the season hit us today. We will have to check out the end result tomorrow – if it is anywhere near warm enough. Speaking of warm, here’s hoping I can find Nolan’s boots in time for me to take him to preschool tomorrow…oh the things I think about late at night.
I’m currently working on the 2010 family calendars for both sets of grandparents. Good times. As a result, I’m still not getting to bed before midnight. Guess who will be needing caffeine in the morning?