January 2014 Miscellany

Love this photo. I wish we'd had better lighting so it was clearer, but I'll take what I can get.

He loves his back flips. He didn't wear pants for most of the month.

Spiderman was spotted on the playground!

The boys always mention Grandpa Cheesman when we eat samoas. Yum!

Sledding!

We inherited some sleds this winter, and it didn't take long to have the opportunity to use them. There is a nice park really close to us with a big, not-to-steep hill, so that's where our sledding adventures happen. One time when we went, someone had built up a snow ramp that we couldn't see because everything is just white and it blended in. Mason flew into the air the first run down, but didn't seem to mind. He didn't fall off or anything and kept a smile on his face. He didn't aim for the ramp after that, either, so I don't know if it freaked him out or not. We didn't make a big deal out of it.
Donovan was nervous at first and wanted to ride with Justin, but it only took about two runs for him to want to go by himself. He screams with delight the whole way down. I LOVE watching our kids sled! Of course, there is little Weston who is of course not fond of the snow, as it is cold and eventually wet, so many of my sledding adventures are spent in the car, watching the kids from a distance. 

And here is some video footage from several days of play:

Winter Adventures 2014

Since the whole country seems to be in deep freeze, we don't get to go outside much if Dad is not around. So, I've been trying to entertain these two adorably energetic youngins in our home. Here are some of the things we've done (in addition to watching TV and playing the leappad and ipad. Don't think I actually find enough things for them to do all day without letting them have screen time.):

We love our board games. Here is Don't Spill the Beans!

Painting

Painting themselves (not in the plan, but whatever)

Sometimes it's almost warm and we can go to the playground.

Mason is learning how to read, but he has many of our books memorized, so he "reads" them to Donovan.

Airplanes. I'm glad they don't leave Weston out.

More painting

Hide and Seek (love this so much!)

Rice Crispies!

And all their many toys.

And we need exercise, don't we? This is a favorite workout:

Can't wait for Spring.

Potty Training Big D

With the new year came a new challenge for Donovan. It's time for him to cross over into big-boyhood. I did pretty much the same things with Donovan that I did with Mason. I committed at least three days (more like a week) to doing nothing but following around a little half-dressed boy with carpet cleaner and candy. We set up the headquarters right in front of the TV, with the kiddie potty right in the middle of blankets and towels on the ground. Nearby is a huge stack of clean shorts, pants, and undies. We do a few loads of laundry a day, and we clean the nearby bathroom as if it has been used as a toilet almost every day. (Because every square inch has been used as a toilet at some point that day). We try to keep him in those headquarters for as much of his waking day as possible to contain the chaos. We have picnics, we watch HOURS of television and read books. To celebrate success, he gets a piece of candy (smarty or pez or something small) and we dance the potty conga. Donovan was surprisingly not as interested in the celebration, he just felt good being successful. Works for me! Mason was the one to remind us of the treat, because I also gave him a celebration snack.
After about three days, he was pretty good at reading the cues, and after a week, he was mostly using the real toilet. There are still accidents here and there, and we are working on him being completely independent with certain aspects, but I feel good about this training experience. This go-round was waaaay easier than boy #1.
And a few embarassing photos just for fun.

Headquarters

Supplies

The cutest little tush I ever saw.

Weston is Four Months Old!

I love this age in babies. I can play games with Weston (in which he participates instead of staring at me with a "who is this crazy lady?" look on his face). I get to start sharing solid food with him, and he can play in his Johnny Jump-up.

Playtime!!!

This was the day he actually hit 4 months. D was about to do a back flip off the couch nearby.

Applesauce! What is this stuff?!

I'll just lick it. And lick it. Lick Lick Lick Lick

Here is a video of his first eating experience:

He always sits in his high chair like this, with his left leg propped up. There is another tray we could put on to prevent this, but we haven't reached that stage yet.

That tongue.

Enjoying the sunshine!

And some Johnny Jumpup action.