Another Zoo Trip

On Friday,before Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn had to leave for the airport, we headed up to the zoo. It was a great trip filled with feeding the giraffes, riding the ponies, riding the carousel, and seeing almost all the animals. Tyler got the orangutans to kiss at him again. Carter wouldn't do it because he was "scared of all the people". Since it was in the 70's the zoo was pretty crowded. We also got to see a grizzly bear chewing a branch to pieces while swimming in the water. After the trip we went to a quick lunch before we had to say goodbye. Luckily Nana and Bapa will be back to visit soon and the boys can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn joining us. Justin made a delicious turkey, I made stuffing for the the first time (which everyone seemed to enjoy) and the boys got their first tastes of pumpkin and apple pie. It was a great day of hanging out, running to the grocery store many times, watching football and remembering all that we are thankful for. The boys loved seeing the turkey come out of the oven and nothing could top the pieces of pie they got. I hope everyone else remembers all that we have to be thankful for living in this great country and having such a gracious Lord.

Bapa, Nana, and Aunt Dawn!

On Wednesday afternoon, Nana, Bapa, and Aunt Dawn came to visit. They also brought Griffin and Noah along with them. I woke Tyler and Carter from their naps which was probably a mistake. For the first five minutes or so the boys didn't want to do anything but cuddle with me. Once Aunt Dawn brought out puzzles life was fine again. Carter had a blast playing cars with Noah and Tyler loved learning how to play Go Fish with Griffin. Soon after Uncle Boyd, Aunt Sharalee, and Faith arrive. We all played some more before the Gunnison Pedersons headed up to Denver. Once Justin got home we all went to Red Robin for Bapa's birthday. Once again the boys favorite part was watching them sing happy birthday to Bapa. When we came home we got the turkey ready, put the boys to bed, and then Nana, Aunt Dawn, Justin and I played some fun card games. The boys always love it when Aunt Dawn, Nana, and Bapa visit!

Swimmin' Along

The boys had their last swim class tonight. When we got there their teacher handed them cards to give to me. The cards showed whether they passed the class or not. Neither of the boys passed, and Tyler actually was worse off with some skills than he was this summer. One place Tyler didn't pass was basic safety skills. I am assuming this is because he isn't the best listener in class. I was surprised Carter passed that one, because he is the one always falling in the pool. Neither of the boys will submerge their faces for three seconds and they both need help with front floats and front flutter kicks. Carter has the back float down, unlike Tyler, and Tyler has a back flutter kick down, unlike Carter. At the end of the lesson the teacher walked the boys up to Justin and I. Not something she usually does. She wanted to suggest to us that next time we put them in separate classes. I was thinking that if she had passed Tyler then they would have been. i also hope this isn't a sign of things to come. One of the many benefits of having the boys so close is that they get to be in the same classes and later on, on the same sports team (if they want to be). Oh well. Hopefully next time they take the classes the boys will be better behaved and will finally pass, in separate classes. However with budget cuts its unclear when our rec center will have classes again. More than anything we are happy the boys love going to the lessons and Tyler especially loves the water. He is to the point where he runs and jumps in getting his whole head wet. Quite the improvement from a few months ago.

Cute Sayings

Just some more cute things my cute kids have been doing.

• "Its a beautiful day outside", is said by Carter a few times everyday. As soon as we step outside he says it (even if its snowing). He also says it when I tell him he needs to wear a coat "but its a beautiful day outside so I don't need to" or when I tell them they can't roll their windows down"but it's a beautiful day outside mom".
• On Sunday morning the boys came into our room as they always do on the weekends. Justin and I hoping to snooze for a few more minutes put some cartoons on. The boys didn't want to watch t.v. so they played Noah's ark instead. Our whole bedroom was the ark (because the ark is big ya know) and the boys sat in laundry baskets for their cages inside the boat. Tyler would go to our bedroom door and say "Look the water is coming we have to shut the door!" and then would close our bedroom door. Carter, being a baby seal, would then say he was "afraid and scared" . Tyler, being a mommy monkey, would then try to comfort Carter. Justin and I were Noah and Noah's wife. Very fun to watch, even if it meant we didn't get any extra sleep.
• Like I said in my last post Tyler is finally coming out of his shell and talking to people more. When we go to restaurants he asks to order for himself and always says please or thank you to the waitress. We were checking out at the grocery store and it was Tyler who was asking the clerk his name (usually something that Carter does) We went to the mall so I could get some Christmas shopping done. As we were leaving the boys saw that Santa was there. The boys waved and shouted hi to Santa. Since there was no line we let them go and talk to him (they didn't sit in his lap or anything because we weren't going to get any pictures done). Tyler went right on up and said hello and told him his name. When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said a car. Carter also said he wanted a car. Santa gave them a coloring book and a paper elf hat and said good night. As we were leaving Carter says I asked Santa for a car, but he didn't give him one, he only gave me this (holding up the book and hat).
• At swim class the other day, which both the boys love, Tyler got in trouble for pulling Carter's hair so he had to go in time out. When Carter gets out of the pool I asked him how swim class was he say "not good". When I ask him why he responds "Tyler pulled my hair, that's why it was not good." The next swim class Carter slipped in the pool a little (he is a little daredevil). When he got out of the pool he tells me "swim class was not good cause I fell". Tyler just comes running up and exclaims "I listened!!" since he didn't have to go to time out that day. He seemed to forget that his teacher had to call him name a few hundred times however.
  

Thanksgiving Feast

Yesterday Tyler had a Thanksgiving feast at school. In the note I got from the teacher all it said was that parents were invited to come join the class and eat with their kids. So I didn't think it would be a very big things. They also asked to sign up for one item to bring. Tyler was very excited to bring in strawberry applesauce. I went up to join his class and saw all the kids either wearing Indian hats or pilgrim hats that they made. I knew right then that I made a mistake not bringing the camcorder.

The class sung two different songs "I am special" and "Thank you Lord". Tyler had been practicing "Thank you Lord" around the house, so that should have clued me in. Oh well. I did have my still camera so I took a few pictures before the batteries died (doesn't he look thrilled!). Tyler did so well during the performance. He sang every word (although quietly) and did all the hand motions. After the singing was done all the kids went and found their seats at the tables and the parents served them turkey slices, cheese sticks, applesauce, mashed potatoes, and juice. For dessert they got pumpkin cookies. Tyler was very excited for the cookies. It was very cute to watch him interact with some of his friends(although he still keeps mostly to himself). He teacher mentioned to me that Tyler was talking about picking up his aunt from the airport (we picked up Aunt Dawn on Sunday and drove her to Buena Vista to meet up with Bapa). So I was happy to hear that he was starting to talk to his teachers more as well.

A quick PT update - he is already improving having 5 degrees better flexibility in his hamstrings. Also the therapist (Dawn) mentioned that he opened up to her today as well. So glad to see him coming out of his shell!

Thankfulness

Justin and I are always trying to show the boys how blessed we are for what we have and the importance of giving to others. I must say we are much better at showing them this during the holiday season. The boys already remember the red kettles from last year. Every time we go by one (which is at least once a day it seems) the boys ask to put money in. We always let them put a few pieces of change in. Christmas music is already on one station in town 24/7. The boys are requesting to listen to Christmas music whenever we are in the car so that station is on quite often. Today the station was holding a turkey drive for Care and Share. After nap time the boys and I went over and bought a turkey for each of them to give. I kept trying to explain why it was important that we do this for others. I think Tyler gets it at least. Throughout the rest of the season we will also do some other things to show what giving means to the boys. I can only hope that these little things we do now will make a bigger impact on them when they are older. And I hope Justin and I will get better at remembering too do this throughout the whole year.

Tidbits

It has been pretty busy around here. With Justin working more for the Gazette, the boys busy with all their activities, I am busy with church work, and then throw in a snow storm and I get behind on the blog. Here are just some tidbits from the past few days.

• Tyler has a new favorite thing to do. Make his own peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. He wants to make one everyday for himself for snack and usually asks Carter if he can make him one too. He does a pretty good job from slicing the bread, to spreading on the jelly and peanut butter, to remembering to use a paper towel. Along the independence lines he is also starting to clean himself during bath time. I can't believe how big he is getting.
• You would think with the new found independence the whining and tantrums would be on the wayside. Unfortunately they seem to be stronger than ever. That combined with Tyler's new attitude and talking back, its been a long few days.
• I don't think I ever mentioned it, but both boys had sinus infections all last week. They also (thankfully) got their H1N1 shots. They waited patiently outside with me for two hours before the cl inc opened. I was very proud of their behavior and others in line commented on well it was as well. Once they opened the clinic and the line started moving Carter started screaming. He kept screaming until the shots were over (he didn't want his shots). Luckily it only took them 30 minutes to get the 150 people in front of us their shots.
  
• Carter's imagination is coming out in full force lately. He is always playing pretend with Tyler. They play animals a lot. Tyler is always the mommy animal and Carter is the baby animal. They also play fire fighters, zoo keepers, and transformers. They have no idea what transformers are, but they play it anyway.
• Along the lines of transformers, today at church they were both building legos. I asked them what they were building and they told me transformers guns. I told them that we don't play guns, especially at church. Tyler informed me that they were nice guns and they don't spray things. I am glad they still don't have an idea what guns are.
  
• I let the boys watch Tarzan the other night. Tyler really liked all the animals in it. Carter seemed to like it, but also got scared in some parts and sad in some parts. One thing that really stood out though was how much Carter paid attention. Tarzan was fighting the cheetah and once he finally killed the cheetah Carter shouts out "He did it!"
  
• Tyler is doing well in school He still has some issues with wrestling during recess time. However his teacher tells me he is doing a lot better with keeping his hands to himself during the time they are in class. Hopefully soon it won't be an issue at all.
  

So there are some tidbits from the last few days. I will try to stay up on the blog better not that the next few weeks should be a little less busy. And even more importantly I am going to try to take more pictures - this blog has been lacking of those lately. We did take the boys pictures at the mall this weekend so the boys picture is from that.

Clean Teeth and PT

Both boys had dentists appointments today. Justin took the day off so we all went to the appointment. While I was filling out paperwork Justin read a book to Carter about what would happen during the visit (Tyler was busying playing). When the boys got called back they went in with no issues. Tyler came out first and asked where Carter was. He told me they weren't in the same room. A few minutes later Carter came out along with the dentist. The boys both did great and neither of them have cavities. Carter also did well enough that he got a fluoride treatment. Both boys were very excited to play with all the treasures they got from the dentist - new toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers, and a toy. The pictures of the boys are them showing off their clean teeth.

From the dentist appointment we headed over to Tyler's first physical therapy (PT) appointment, which is the reason Justin took off. We were there a little early so we had to wait in the waiting room, but the boys behaved pretty well. All four of us went back to the gym. Carter was a little sad that he couldn't participate, but the therapist let them do a few things together. Tyler seemed to enjoy the hour long session, with getting to get on the treadmill as his favorite part. They stretched him some, which he didn't like, but Justin was glad to see this part. In hamstring mobility they want at least an 80 degree mobility and Tyler was only 60. In Tyler's ankle extension they want at least a 20 degree and Tyler only has 10. So we definitely need to work on getting those muscles less tight and more flexible. It was very nice Justin was there and understood all of this. I was also excited we all could go so I could see what his session looks like. From now on Carter and I will probably stay in the waiting room while Tyler goes in alone. We are going to be doing a lot of exercises at home and hopefully we won't have to have therapy for too long of a time. I am glad we are getting this taken care of now however.

Little Sayings

Carter cracks us up with the things that he says. He talks so well, but still mixes things up. For example he all of a sudden has a fear of automatic toilets, or really any public toilet. He doesn't like how loud they are and has to cover his ears. So whenever we go into the bathroom he always ask "is this a slow one" instead of is it a quiet one.

On the way home tonight Tyler wanted his window down. I told him no because it would be too cold. Carter says "yeah and its too dark too". Because darkness is a factor with the window being down.

During bath time Justin puts Carter's hair into a mohawk, he calls it a dinosaur.

And then a brag from Justin about Tyler. We were out to dinner and the first bar of Ring of Fire comes on (not even words to the song, just the music)- Tyler immediately says "hey that's Johnny Cash!". Well Done.

Three Year Check-Up

Carter has his three year check up. He is doing great and the doctor has no concerns - he is actually ahead in many areas. He did great during the appointment. He was excited to do all the big things like stand on the scale, get his blood pressure checked, and wear a gown (which he wore for 5 minutes before taking it off). His stats are: weight 32.2 lbs and in the 55%. height 36.5 inches and in the 25%, his bmi was 17.1, and his blood pressure was 84/58. Yes he is only .6 lbs less than his big brother. We were a little worried about when to start portion control with Carter, as he is a bigger eater than Tyler and a little less active. The doctor said so far he is just fine and we don't need to worry about it. If his weight starts increasing above his curve then we would set some limits but right now he is just fine.

Both boys feel asleep on the way to the appointment and Tyler was a mess during it, having tantrum after tantrum. He continues to have them now that we are home. I am not sure if its because a lack of sleep - with the time change he is getting less than normal, if he was hungry - he only ate a little lunch, or if he is sick. They both have had a little cough in the mornings and runny noses, but no fevers. The doctor checked his ears again just to make sure and they still looked great. I am hoping that one of these nights soon the boys will be able to go to bed early and have decent naps. Unfortunately tonight they have to go into work with me so hopefully the mood will change for the better.

Funny Things

A couple of funny things Tyler did today. First he tell me "Mom you want to know the funniest thing about a tootsie roll you have ever hear - did (heard)? Tootsie Roll to the rescue! That's pretty funny!"

And then about 5 minutes later he runs upstairs to tell me there was a raisin in his nose. Luckily it didn't take more than a blow of the nose to dislodge it. So much fun to be the mom of boys.

Lies, Lies, Lies

The boys have entered a new phase in their development - lying. I am glad to know that it is just a milestone in their development, but its not a fun one nonetheless. This morning one of them had taken the sheet down from their window that we use to keep the sun out. When I asked them which one of them took it down they both said "not me". I told them they would both be disciplined if I didn't get the truth and evermore they would be disciplined for lying to me. Tyler quickly piped up and said "it was me". I thanked him for telling me the truth and that was the end of it. Tyler has gotten in trouble for lying before so I was happy to see he fessed up to it. I would have rather he told me the first time, but the second time is progress at least.

So we go upstairs to clean their room and I see that all of the hangers that were hanging up are now on the floor. I ask them who did it so they can help me clean it up. Once again they both say "not me". When I ask who did it then they both tell me the other one did it. I was assuming it was Carter, as it is usually him who has been known to climb up and take everything down that is hanging in their closet. Tyler then tells me that he was taking down the sheet and Carter went over, turned on the light, and then climbed up and took them down. As Tyler says "it makes sense". So I am trying to get Carter to tell me, but he keeps telling me it wasn't him. At this point I assume he is just being stubborn. So I ask him one by one. "Who took the shoes down Carter?" Carter responds that he did. I thanked him for telling me the truth. When I ask him who took the hangers down he once again told me it was Tyler. So now I am getting suspicious of Tyler again, knowing Carter isn't that good of a liar. After 30 minutes or so go by without either of them telling me the truth I call Justin to see if he had any insight. He tells me they did it this morning. When he went in their room to check on them Tyler was sitting on the dresser and Carter was hiding behind my wedding dress (another no no). So they were both lying to me, but Tyler's story was way more fabricated. They both got punished for lying. I apologized to Carter for making him help me clean it up (I made him after Tyler told me they story that "made sense"). and off we were for the day. We went to the mall to get haircuts (which they both did great for and the picture is to show off the new hair), but they were not allowed to play because they lied to me (the second part of their punishment). As I was disciplining them I kept telling them that they are getting in trouble for lying, not for making the mess. We have also been watching the Boy Who Cried Wolf movies on the computer. I am hoping they get it soon.