Braden: 3 years + 5 months

  

At 3 years and 5 months old, Braden is not only growing taller and taller (he now shuts off/on all the lights), but he is sharper than a whip. A recent example is, the other day I said "find the monkey in this picture" and he said "no Mom, that is actually a Baboon" so he loves correcting me. We also had a discussion the other day on if another animal in his favorite book was a Beaver or a Platypus. I won that conversation by explaining the difference between the two animals, but as of lately I have to admit that most of the time he catches something that I miss and he is correct. He does not miss a beat! Braden is very detailed and so literal, just like his Dad. :)  He is also more motivated than ever to try things on his own. He gets dressed by himself (most days) and also wants to help cook or do anything that I am doing by saying "I can do it Mom."

Braden loves to play "I spy". We read the same book twice a day where we look for certain objects and have to give eachother hints on what to look for. He just can't get enough of that game. His new love is games on the Ipod or Iphone, which of course is good and bad. Some help him learn, and some are just time suckers so we are careful on how much time he spends on those. He went to his first birthday party at Chuck E Cheese and had a blast. He told me he was going to play "fifty-five four" games there. In the past couple months, Braden has seemed to skyrocket in the maturity category. I often feel like I am with a five or six year old when I think about the conversations we have or the things we do. Scary! He still has a steel trap of a memory. He loves preschool, playing outside, running, playing ball, jumping at Skyzone and exploring new things. We spend more time doing activity books and coloring now which is a lot of fun.

Recently Braden had a little accident. He slipped on our hardwood floors while chasing Liam and smashed his mouth on the floor. One of his front teeth was pushed way back and we had to get it put back. After some TLC, some pain relief and some rest-- he was better in a couple of days. He is still cautious eating with that tooth. He is a good little patient, and listens to everything that I ask him to do and asks a lot of questions about why he can't chew down on it until it heals.

Braden continues to amaze us each and every day with his wit, knowledge, humor and coordination of doing most any activity.

February Pinterest Picks

Here are my top Pinterest picks from last month (can you tell I was into appetizers this month?):

1. Baked Southwest Egg Rolls:

In a bowl mix: black beans, corn, cilantro (tiny bit finely chopped), 2 tbs sr. cream, 1 tsp of taco seasoning. Shredded chicken optional. Take spoonful of mixture and put on corner of the egg roll paper. Add a sprinkle of coleslaw salad mix (plain), roll up with sides tucked in, dab with water to close the roll. Spray or coat with olive oil. Bake for 10-12 mins at 375. I flip the rolls after 5-6 mins. Serve with Salsa.


2. Mozzarella Sticks:
Use egg roll wrapper (just like above). Wrap a string cheese inside of it. Coat with olive oil or egg whites. Bake for 10-15 minutes, flipping over after half-way done.  Serve with pizza or pasta sauce.


3. Carpet Stain Remover

1. Scrape up the liquid (I had already done this weeks ago).

2. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on stain to let absorb for 10 minutes and then vacuum.

3. Mix one tablespoon clear dish washing liquid and one tablespoon white vinegar with two cups of warm water.
4. Using a white cloth (I strongly believe in microfiber washcloths), sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution and blot until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Sponge off with cold water and blot dry.




**These pictures were pulled from Pinterest, so it isn't actually my carpet. But the few stains that I tried this one did actually come out or really lighten up so you barely notice them!

Braden: 3 years + 4 months

Woah, by typing this entry I realize that Mr. Braden is getting closer to 3.5 years old. Seems crazy to me as just yesterday we were in our towhome celebrating his first birthday on the patio with some cake smashing!

Braden at the age of 3.4 is not only a big brother and a pre-schooler, but he is also a patient, kind, caring, fun, excited, active, adventurous, inquisitive and imaginative child. In the winter months, we spend more time indoors obviously, so Braden has really been into coloring and building different things with his Lego's like boats and dinosaurs. The past month or so was a little rough for Braden. He had a single-ear infection along with a terrible cold, which went right into a double-ear infection with a bad cough, congestion and a few days of a fever. He was not himself for a few weeks. It was hard for me to see him with mood swings and crying in pain some days. I am happy to report that he is back to normal and is active and happy as before!

At school, Braden continues to enjoy the art projects, games and reading time. The teacher says he is the kid that always asks for one more book, which he also does at home so that is no big surprise. We spend time each day looking at books and playing "I spy" where he will tell me to find something that he sees in the book and I have to find it and we take turns back-and-forth.

Braden is phasing out his naps these days, unless it's just a stage for now. At first I was a little bummed since Liam needs to take a nap anyway, so it's not like we can stay out and play during that time. But now that I have seen how well he sleeps on the "no nap" days I am OK with it. He will sleep 12 hours, which includes a little more quiet time for Mom at night and more time to sleep in for Mom too :) We call it "quiet time" now, so he still goes up to his room and reads books or plays with his blocks quietly until I come get him (usually 60 or 90 minutes later). On the really active mornings, he may fall asleep on his own but that only happens once or twice a week now. Braden sure is growing up fast too! Next year he will attend 2 days of preschool. He will be in preschool one more year after that though due to his fall birthday. It seems so far away, but yet I know that day will be here before I know it.

Braden is mama's little helper, always helping me when I need an extra hand. He is thoughtful by sharing snacks with friends or bring Liam his favorite toy. Yes, he also fights over toys with his brother. But overall, Braden is pretty patient, a good listener and willing to help. I am so thankful for him! With the boys being so young and physically demanding, it's a bit easier that I have Braden as my right hand. With my teaching schedule, on top of keeping the kids fed and house cleaned and laundry and groceries done (just to name a few), I am physically exhausted at the end of each day. With Braden around, it's a little less exhausting as he is learning to do more things on his own and he is so kind to help me out when I need it. He also makes me laugh with his silliness sometimes. I love way he gets so excited to do things like throw the football in the house with me or go on one of our adventures. Braden is turning into a little man and I hope and pray he stays sweet and kind. :)

Liam: 17 months

 

Before haircut!

 

During haircut!

 

Liam's 17 month milestone has come and passed! It seems as though this month he has taken a big leap in his development. Liam is saying a lot more words lately. Newly added to his vocabulary is: stuck, Bray (for Braden), puppy, teddy, hot, up, hi, bye, mine (this one I love! not), bath, Jate (for neighbor Jake), and dip (which he uses for Ketchup, ranch, hummus). We also still have his famous words of ball, Mommy, Daddy, no, apple, and bubble. He loves to look at books now and make animal sounds. He and Braden spend a lot of time running around the house, racing each other and chasing each other. It's a ton of fun to watch. They giggle, and of course they fight over toys but we are trying to learn to share and take turns. As all parents know, that is a constant battle!

Per the picture above, Liam got his first haircut at 17 months! I figured he would wiggle the entire time or maybe cry, but the little guy just sat as still as can be and did not move an inch. He was so proud when he was done and got to pick out a sucker just like big brother. Oh what fun it was to watch his big brown eyes stare intently as he got his first "real" haircut.

Liam understands soooo much now. I ask him questions and he will tell me yes or no. He will go wherever I tell him to go- upstairs, downstairs, to the kitchen for a meal, and upstairs for bedtime. He is a funny little man. His deep belly laugh makes us smile ear-to-ear. Liam is a thrill-seeker, he loves anything that involves bouncing, jumping or being tossed up in the air. He continues to do everything that big brother does such as coloring, jumping on the bed, throwing footballs and running. We have gone to the Children's Museum a few times this winter and it's super fun to watch Liam run around and play. Our other favorite place to go in the winter is Skyzone, and although he doesn't do a ton of jumping alone, he runs around and tries to catch me on the trampolines and loves when I bounce him high while we hold hands.

Liam is a smiley, sweet boy with a ton of spunk. He is still consistent in his moods- either so happy or gets very mad at the drop of a hat. He expresses his anger with tears, laying on the floor, yelling "no" or sometimes swatting me. Something I am working on is explaining to him that we can express our anger in other ways, but yeah, I'm sure that will be a work in progress for a long time. :) It's so fun to watch Liam grow and grow and get to be able to do more things. He gets excited too when he learns a new trick or gets to do big boy stuff. He likes to carry his little puppy and teddy everywhere he goes. The other week, he threw his puppy in a pond inside Central Park. That was funny, but it ende well as a worker got him back for us.

He goes down to bed soooooo good- he loves his sleep (like Mom). He just lays down and smiles when you put him in his crib. I remember last year when I asked myself if he would ever sleep! He takes a 2 to 2.5 hour nap, and then also sleeps from about 7:45/8 to about 7am. Liam is our big eater, always hungry and always signing for "more". He is my low-blood sugar guy. He can't go 3 hours without eating so I have learned to carry snacks with me at all times! Again, simular to Mom as I carry snacks for myself too, ha! He is a fast guy, running the opposite way as I want him to sometimes as he giggles and thinks it's a game. Liam loves to dance, play ball (still) and do anything outside!

I still can't believe how fast this guy is growing! Liam keeps us on our toes, he is a quick learner by following Braden on everything and is such a joy to be around!
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