I started my Valentine’s Day by finding a card from Jim in the egg basket in the fridge. 🙂 Love it. The really funny thing is that I had already planned to leave his card on top of his breakfast plate, which I leave in the fridge every morning. We are quite the pair.

Then JT got the gift of his (short) lifetime, and it was unexpected. I went to Kid to Kid and on our way out, a woman was coming in carrying a wood Thomas the Train box. I said, “Whatcha got there?” with a smile, and JT yelled, “Look! Thomas!” The woman smiled and showed me that, inside the box, she had tons and tons of track, and four buildings, and lots of train characters. She was going to see how much Kid to Kid would give her for the set. Now, in case you aren’t aware, these little Thomas train characters are pricey. They are about $15 each, and she’s showing me a box full of characters. To make a long story short, I offered to beat what the store was offering her, depending on what the store offered of course, and she came back out and gave me a really reasonable price. Sold!

As if JT didn’t play with his trains enough… now he has enough track to cover the family room, and enough characters to keep himself occupied for quite some time. The set is in excellent condition, and the woman had even put the picture of the set from the cardboard box it came in at the bottom of the wood box so we have a model of how everything works. JT just about jumped for joy when he saw Sir Topham Hat and Knapford Station!

We came home for lunch and JT had a surprise for me… a card and a bag of Reeses Minis. He wrote M-O-M on the card all by himself. Jim told me that he spelled it outloud and wrote the Ms on the outsides first and then the O in the middle last – “M… M… O.” I think it is actually pretty good because the Ms are the same shapes and have little humps at the bottom. Inside he signed his name, two letters, one an upside down T and the other a squiggle.

We got the Cole kids a webcam for Valentine’s, and we got to Skype with them after lunch for the first time. It was so much fun! This looks posed, but it’s not. We are really looking forward to seeing them more often, even if it’s online.

And finally, my new sling came from Seven Slings. (They had a special to pay only shipping – use code CUPID at checkout!) I am happy to have something to carry Haley in that fits in the diaper bag and is quick and easy to use. I love my Moby Wrap but it isn’t good in wet parking lots and isn’t very compact. I will use the sling for quick shopping trips and things where Haley doesn’t want to be in her car seat (which is, um, all the time) but I can’t have a stroller. I used it at storytime at the library and it was perfect, because it’s her naptime and she eventually fell asleep, but I was able to have my hands free for checking out books and holding JT’s hand in the parking lot. It is super comfy to wear and I got so many compliments at the library from the other moms! I will be able to use it for awhile because she can also sit up in it, facing the other way.

I took JT and Asher on a puddle walk today. We had so much fun in the rain! The boys had hot cocoa with lunch, and got to play in warm, dry clothes before naps. I have great memories of doing this as a child… as an adult, my mom divulged the secret motive behind this fun rainy day activity: both boys have been napping for almost three hours now. Thanks for the tip, Mom! 🙂

JT noticed that his coat matches Asher’s boots
(and vice versa).
They should have switched!

We walked to the park on our street and the boys
found some plastic squirt guns to shoot at each other. Good stuff.

Mail truck!

Asher – so cute!

Science lesson for the day – a worm.

Dinner at our house on Jim’s work days is usually very low-key. I thought I’d give a little taste of what goes on… especially now that Haley is eating cereal like a champ. I have interspersed the videos with JT’s conversations. Basically, I have become the proverbial never-taste-food-hot parent, but I don’t mind. I take a bite, feed Haley a bite, and look at JT. Over and over and over…

I love this first video because it’s like she forgot what cereal tastes like and then remembers that she likes it.

At the end of that video…

JT: “What’s in this?” (We’re eating homemade turkey soup, yum. He’s holding a potato on his spoon.)

Me: “That’s a potato.”

JT: “Where is the rice?” (Because last time we had soup, I made it with rice.)

Me: “I didn’t put rice in this time. I used potatoes.”

JT: “What’s in potatoes?”

Me: “It’s just potatoes.”

Which bring us to Haley cruising along eating, and JT gives me a nice compliment….

This cracks me up because I make everything we eat. Maybe he hasn’t noticed. In case you didn’t catch it…

JT: “Did you make this?”

Me: “I did make it.”

JT: “Oh…. it’s yummy!”

Me: “Thanks, JT.”

…at which point I decide that he gets a turn on video.

After this, JT finishes his soup and starts on his pears. (We ate the biscuits first at JT’s suggestion because the soup was very hot, and he thought we should eat the hot-from-the-oven biscuits while we were waiting for the soup to cool off. Smart guy.) It’s during the next video that we have this conversation.

JT: “Where are the soft pears?”

Me: “They are out of season.”

JT: “But where is them?”

Me: “Where are they?”

JT: “Yeah.”

Me: “There aren’t any.”

JT: “So these are crunchy pears?”

Me: “Yes.”

JT: “I like the soft pears.”

Me: “Me too.”

When Haley’s done eating she gets to play with her BebePod toy while I finish eating. You can tell she’s in that phase where she is desperate to get anything in her mouth!

During this time, JT notices that our backyard neighbor has their TV on.

JT: “They have their TV on. They must not be eating. We don’t have our TV on because we are eating.” [Pause. He looks at me, holding the video camera.] “Actually, you’re not eating. I’m eating.”

Thanks for reminding me. 🙂

We’ve taken advantage of the breaks in the rain/wind/cold to get outside the last few days. JT and Jim played baseball in the backyard for awhile. JT is actually pretty decent at throwing the ball up and hitting it by himself. It doesn’t go far, but he has a great time!

We also broke out the sandbox again. I’m sorry to say that our lid has not been returned since our last big windstorm, even though I posted signs up in the neighborhood. Sad. But the sand wasn’t too wet thanks to our covered deck.

I pointed out to JT that he was too big for this little bike now, and told him that Haley would get to ride it this summer. He thought that was so funny. I’m sure he’s envisioning Miss Bean toppling right off, the size she is right now.

I said “Smile, JT!” and this is what I got.

Slider hopes someone will throw her ball.

Back inside, I finally realized that JT could use the cool Magnanimals that Uncle Jeff and Aunt Gena got him for his first Christmas. He’s been playing with them in his room for a long time and he really likes the animals and tractors, but our fridge isn’t magnetic so I’d left them in his room. Then my friend Jen reminded me that the dishwasher is magnetic… so JT gets to play with them in the kitchen now.

Well, well, look who’s trying to sit by herself. 🙂 Haley is starting to manage a one- or two-second tripod sit on her own before she topples over! This is an early Valentine’s Day picture.

More sitting practice…

She has mastered getting large objects into her mouth and spends most of her time doing just that. Her binky is still a little elusive and, although she can take it out and look at it, she has trouble getting it back in exactly right. It is actually pretty funny to watch.

My, my, didn’t I already take this picture? 🙂

I put Haley at the table with JT the other day while he was coloring. She felt pretty cool joining him at the table, and JT thought it was so funny!

She is just starting to understand the point of the exersaucer and she can touch with one flat foot or two tip-toes. She hit the musical button the other day with her elbow and looked around for JT, because he is usually the ones pressing the buttons.

Since Haley was born, JT has not once woken up from her crying in the nighttime. I have wondered if he really does sleep through it or if he just doesn’t complain, because their rooms share a wall and their beds are both against it. When JT fell asleep in the stroller on our walk the other day, I had the opportunity to see firsthand that, yes, he does just sleep right through it. Lucky man. 🙂

We’ve been pretty low-key lately. Let’s see… my boys are pretty smitten with Haley. JT loves to make her laugh. Jim’s favorite activity is co-napping.

Naps with Dad

Looking for big brother

He’s so much fun!

JT continues to love puzzles and books. He is learning his letters, slowly but surely. Here he is assembling Eric Carle alphabet puzzles that he got from Uncle Jeff and Aunt Gena for his birthday.

Another gift from the Coles – a book you can write in.

We are still doing gymnastics once a week. JT’s friend Gracelyn comes, too!

JT built a fort in his room last week and got to take a nap inside it. I couldn’t believe I have a little boy old enough to take a nap in a fort. So much fun.

Grandpa Cole has been working on teaching JT the symbols for the different makes of cars. He is doing a great job pointing out Chevys and Fords everywhere we go. Here the kids are snuggling with Grandma Cole and JT is purusing the car ads, looking for Chevys and Fords.

Yesterday Haley turned five months old. Almost half way to the magic number one! 🙂 Thanks to my tripod and remote, I got this great picture. Haley looks like this a lot of the time. She is so cheery and full of smiles. We sure love our baby girl.

It’s been a busy month for Haley. She just discovered her toes and can’t keep her hands off them. She grabs on with both hands and rolls side to side.

She also starting eating rice cereal just a day before she hit the five month mark. I am not super excited to venture into solids, but I’d like her to be eating well by six months and I’d like her to go to bed just a little earlier than she does now. We were impressed that she knew what to do right away, but she wasn’t impressed that it was a slow process. Apparently her patience does have an end.

And just a couple more random pictures from the week… playing with Dad and wearing the Pooh onesie that is a hand-me-down from her cousins Madi and Ali. So sweet!

We think it is so cool to be two and a half. There are so many new things that a big guy like JT can do. For example:

• Wear underwear instead of diapers during the day
• Put on socks and shoes “all by self”
• Cut bananas into slices
• Spread condiments on bread
• Sort laundry into piles by owner or type
• Use markers and stickers without supervision
• Brush teeth with real toothpaste
• Get ready for bath without help
• Sing Jesus Loves Me
• Say “please” and “thank you” without reminders

And so much more. Hooray for 2.5!

I like to take pictures. The problem is that every time JT gets older, I have to come up with a new strategy for getting a good picture. (Fortunately I’ve already learned what to do for different ages, so it is easy with Haley.)

My two-and-a-half-year-old photo shoot didn’t start off well. JT was hungry and tired (I know, what was I thinking?) but he said he wanted to do his picture NOW instead of later. Brainstorm: Put the camera on a tripod. Give the toddler the remote. Hold him in place and let him press the button as much as he wants. Crop picture later. Voila! 🙂

Have you ever thought about the fact that kids have to learn how to play? Their little brains must get so tired. Recently Haley has made some big steps in learning to play. She can hold onto a toy and shake it, and just this week passed it from hand to hand.

Haley also figured out how to spin the toy on her BebePod chair. This morning at breakfast JT announced, “She’s spinning it!” Last night, Haley had her first try in the exersaucer. She is still a little short for even the shortest setting, but she really enjoyed JT’s tour of what all the toys do. (Thanks, Shucks, for letting us borrow your exersaucer!)

All of that playing is really tough work. Sometimes Haley crashes out in the spot where she’s playing (right about nap time, oddly enough…).

JT knows how to play, and he does it well. I love when he gets up from nap or finishes a meal and he looks at me and says, “I play?” Grandma Keene got him two new boats to play with, and he won’t let them out of his sight. He had the great idea to tie them behind his garage truck (“Garbage truck pull boats like trailer”).

Recently he has been more interested in playing the piano. He gets out music and then composes his own songs. At first when I got out the video camera, he was too shy and wouldn’t play. Then he changed his mind and played a brand new song just for our viewers. It is called “Five Flowers.” (There is a painting of flowers above the piano, and some fake flowers next to the welcome sign in the entry that he points out.)