So many fun times

This last week has been entertaining to say the least. Of course I have to include my usual "how much Kayda loves her little brother" picture.

Kayda has been especially fun to watch this week. Here are a few of the things she has been doing. She decided that her dolls' baby stroller was really meant for her.

She also made an executive decision that the spoons belong lined up on the counter, NOT in the drawer.
And of course we took her swimming she is SUCH a water baby. I'm hiding behind her so nobody has to see me in a swimsuit :).

When I talk about one of my babies I simply MUST talk about both. Our sweet, cheerful little Dillon. He talks up a storm whenever anyone talks to him and he would smile non-stop if he never got hungry or tired. He is such a little joy.

I also had to share this picture of him sleeping while I was attempting to burp him.

YAY a swing set!!!

Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day! We hit 80 degrees! In the morning Brian and I decided that we were finally going to go and get a swing set for Kayda, she had NOTHING to play with in the backyard, with the exception of a ball and some cheapy toys I picked up for Dillon's party. Brian and I got down to Toys R Us, bought the swing set and then it occurred to us that we had no way to bring it home so Grandma and Grandpa G came down and got it and then stayed at our house and watched Dillon and Kayda while Mommy and Daddy put together the swing set. It actually didn't take long, Kayda was in the middle of all the action the whole time and everytime something new went up she wanted to be in it. She LOVED being on the swing so Grandpa pushed her while we finished putting the rest together.

The next thing she conquered was the slide. She climbs up the ladder BY HERSELF and slides down. Well after she had done that few times she decided that she would try to climb up the otherway. She comes down that way, why not go up right?

We got a swing that reclines a little bit so that Dillon can also enjoy the swing set.  It's not much use for any older kids, it's got two babyswings on it, no normal swings. Dillon wasn't quite as excited as Kayda. He just sat there and looked around. After yesterday I can't WAIT until this summer when the weather is actually nice enough to be outside. We were outside almost all day. Kayda was exhausted after all the excitement so it was nice for Brian and I because she slept well!

Both babies got to sleep in just their diapers, Kayda loved it, because it was too warm in our house for them to be able to fall asleep. We took this picture this morning, Kayda just wanted to be near Dillon so she climbed up and sat next to him.

On a totally different note, on Friday Kayda brought her barn over to the couch for me to play with her. She was opening the doors and I'd stick my hand through.  She thought it was hilarious so I got a little clip of it. Hopefully it will work!

Spring Break

This break has been great. I'm getting to experience being a full-time stay at home mom, for a limited time of course, and I love it. We have been having a GREAT time! Granted, little to nothing was getting done. I've discovered that Dillon only really likes the swing for very short periods of time, unless he's asleep in it.  He also only likes the bouncy seat for very short periods of time.  He isn't quite strong enough to play in the exersaucer without me being close by. Well I finally thought "the high chair reclines, hmmmm" and tada! He loves to sit in the highchair. He sat there and watched me do dishes, put groceries away and cook dinner today. His eyes never leave me, he just wants to be able to see what I am doing. He even sat at the table with Kayda and I while I fed her lunch (that's where we were when I took the picture). Unfortunately, the high chair is still Kayda's preferred seating for food and other mischevious things. She wasn't very happy that he was occupying it so we may be getting him his own highchair. I haven't really decided yet, she might just have to learn to like a booster seat. Kayda, smart little Kayda, was helping me reorganize the pantry when she got a little sidetracked. She discovered she could open the stovetop container and that she enjoyed the taste of the dried bread crumbs inside. The coat she's wearing, by the way, is actually Dillon's 3 to 6 month coat but it happens to be made of her favorite material and she has officailly added it to the list of things that she is "borrowing" from Dillon. Also on this list are his two blankets (the same extra soft cuddly material) his teddy bear and a few of his toys.

They're SO much fun!

Well, today is a first I am putting a picture of one of the parents on here. I absolutely love this picture.  Dillon adores his daddy! I know the picture will show up kind of small but Dillon has the biggest grin on his face. He was having so much fun talking to his daddy.

There has been all kinds of things going on the last couple of days. One BIG thing is that Dillon is starting to hold on to toys. He's not entirely sure what he's doing yet but he was having a good time with the pooh bear rattle. He was trying to eat it for a while. It's amazing to me how quickly they can figure stuff out.

While he was on the floor playing with me and his toys Kayda decided to join him. She laid down next to him and for a while kept giving him kisses. She finally decided to give him a break and watch tv, this is just after she stopped paying attention to him it's almost like he's saying "hey sis come back, I'm over here!".

I am enjoying having them so close, I never would have planned it this way but it has been a ton of fun and they are so sweet. Dillon doesn't just watch her every move anymore, now whenever Kayda is around he smiles and smiles. She is trying to teach him things too. I've been spinning his arms (like in pat-a-cake when you roll it) and saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga chugga choo choo train" and she has decided she wants to do that for him so she'll come over and grab his hands and try to spin them the way I do. Of course she's not just fun to watch with him. She went to a birthday party last saturday and got a balloon. On Sunday most of the hellium was gone but there was just enough to make the balloon float down VERY slowly. She was tossing it above her head and she would just wait for it to come all the way down. She just laughed and laughed and then she would do it again. Kids are just fascinating. I could watch mine forever, course I'd probably get bored watching any one else's but that's the beauty of being a parent, you just can't get enough of your own babies! Fortunately that's also the way grandparents feel about their grandbabies so we always have other people to talk to about them.

The Perfect Philosophy

Those of you who read Kirsten's blog have already seen this. Those of you who don't here it is. Unfortunately for Brian this is the philosophy I have adopted for the sake of our children.

"Babies Don't Keep":
Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing and butter the bread,

Sew on a button and make up a bed.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue

(lullaby, rock-a-bye, Lullaby loo).

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

(pat-a-cake, darling, and peek-peek-a-boo).

The shopping is not done and there's nothing for stew

And out in the yard there is a hullabaloo.

But I'm playing "Kanga" and this is my "Roo."

Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?

(lullaby, rock-a-bye, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,

For children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.

I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Ruth Hulburt Hamilton, 1958

Mischevious little Kayda

Kayda is too smart for our (the parents) good. She is incredibly resourceful. She decided that she was going to use the bouncer seat (behind the chair) to climb onto the chair where she could reach a bag of "boogie wipes". She then preceeded to pull them all out...every last one of them. I didn't catch her until she was already at the point in the picture. She does things like this all the time. She'll use her blocks container as a stool to get something she wants and now that she's getting taller it's getting easier and easier to get to things. She can now EASILY reach things left on the edge of the counter or table. She had one of Grandma G's empty cans just yesterday.

She is developing into quite the character. She works the crowd incredibly well, she waves at people when they drive or walk past us, she smiles at everyone and unfortunately for us, she knows EXACTLY what she wants. She has developed an "I want that so you need to give it to me" routine at the ripe old age of 16 MONTHS... It is WAY to early for that! I managed to catch a picture of it, in this particular scenario she desperately wanted the camera I was using to take her and Dillon's pictures.

On a lighter note, here's Dillon, sweet undemanding laid back little Dillon. We were playing this morning and I FINALLY managed to get another good picture of him smiling. It took me about 30 pictures this time to get one you could actually see. Kayda was a lot like this at this age too so we could have our hands REALLY full a year from now. Especially since he loves his big sister so much, he will just sit and watch her play, he finds it fascinating.

They grow up so fast!

Wow he is getting so big and so strong so fast! Grandma G has been letting him spend a little time in the exersaucer and he loves it! He has decided he likes to sit up and look around so he gets kind of crabby if he's awake and you make him lay back where all he can see is the ceiling. He likes to talk to people now, he makes all kinds of cooing sounds. When he had enough of the toy I pulled him out and big sister automatically wanted in! I raised it up as high as it would go but her legs are still bent up. You can't see it really well in the picture because of the shadow from the couch but that's okay it's still funny.

Kayda has learned a few new tricks. She has decided that if she gives you kisses you will take her to do whatever she wants to do. So now if you pick her up she'll point at what she wants and give you unlimited kisses. She has also decided that she REALLY likes any sauces so if there is ketchup or hot mustard sauce or ranch dressing she'll dip her food in it and then lick off the sauce. Eventually she'll eat her dipper but she uses as much sauce as possible first.