The kids have been really playing well together the last few weeks. I suppose something has clicked and either Brayden has gotten more patient or Layna has gotten more able in general, but no matter the reason, they have loved playing with each other. On Monday mornings (when I'm holding down the fort with the kids at home) they have a lot of time to play. They started off playing Connect 4, then it was on to Zoominoes (animal dominoes), and then they rolled around on the floor giving each other hugs and saying, "Ah Brayden, I love you so much." and, "Ah Layna, I love you so much." Yes, I'm serious. Almost makes you want to gag. ;)
After that love-fest, Brayden invited Layna up onto the sofa to read a book. I finally pulled out my phone to capture the reading and thought you'd like to see it. Some things to notice in the video: Layna's shoes (her favorite "house shoes"), Brayden's uber-sweet sincerity, and Layna's seeming disregard to the story while doing her own thing like pretending to talk on the phone (using her own cell - one of our old ones) and snacking loudly. They're a riot!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Some fun
We've been pretty busy recently, so I don't have any events to share with you, but I do have these two fun pictures.
Layna has been queen of her own style universe recently. She always wants to select her own outfits, from head to toe, and this one was too good not to share. The side ponytail comes compliments of her Day School teacher ...a true finishing touch to an otherwise stunning ensemble.
This picture is less fun than it is sweet. In the last month, Brayden has truly begun to use his imagination when he plays. Animals have come to life, toys have been placed in exotic locations, and all have taken on lives and personalities of their own. His Hess trucks are no exception. In fact, this one made it all the way to his bed. Too cute.
Layna has been queen of her own style universe recently. She always wants to select her own outfits, from head to toe, and this one was too good not to share. The side ponytail comes compliments of her Day School teacher ...a true finishing touch to an otherwise stunning ensemble.
This picture is less fun than it is sweet. In the last month, Brayden has truly begun to use his imagination when he plays. Animals have come to life, toys have been placed in exotic locations, and all have taken on lives and personalities of their own. His Hess trucks are no exception. In fact, this one made it all the way to his bed. Too cute.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Some independence
I've been very encouraged in the last few weeks because Brayden has begun coloring and writing independently. His fine motor skills have been slow to develop, so this new interest and budding skill is very exciting! He's been coloring dozens of pictures for family and friends, as well as working through an activity book (that's especially great because he can read the directions for the activities on his own!).
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Cupcake Skills
Yes, Nicole has some cupcake skills. Here is a picture of the cupcakes she (and Brayden) made for his school class to celebrate the 4th of July.
Why this is so funny is because we have recently been turned onto a hilarious video about a couple supa-fly parents who drive a "swagger wagon." It's a Toyota marketing campaign that's turned viral and I didn't want you to miss it. A half-dozen friends forwarded it to me within a week, and a few of them specifically referenced the cupcake line in the video, as well as how I'd "totally be that dad at the tea party." Watch it -- it's great!
The great irony of this post today is that one of the automatic sliding doors on our swagger wagon has petered out... I'll be taking it to the dealer this morning to try to get our swagger back!
I just watched it again -- this is such a riot.
Why this is so funny is because we have recently been turned onto a hilarious video about a couple supa-fly parents who drive a "swagger wagon." It's a Toyota marketing campaign that's turned viral and I didn't want you to miss it. A half-dozen friends forwarded it to me within a week, and a few of them specifically referenced the cupcake line in the video, as well as how I'd "totally be that dad at the tea party." Watch it -- it's great!
The great irony of this post today is that one of the automatic sliding doors on our swagger wagon has petered out... I'll be taking it to the dealer this morning to try to get our swagger back!
I just watched it again -- this is such a riot.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Blueberry Patch
Remember Father's Day? Yes, it was a few weeks ago, but I wanted to show you pictures of our Father's Day outing. Brayden had the wonderful idea of going to pick blueberries, which was perfect given the season. We simply had to postpone the pick for a week (other things scheduled). The day finally came when we hiked out east of the city to find a local blueberry patch. This was one of the most fun things we've done in a long time -- few things are better than picking (and eating!) fresh berries off the bush. Here are some of my favorite shots.
Before we jumped in the car, I took a few pictures of the berries by themselves. They were really beautiful!
Before we jumped in the car, I took a few pictures of the berries by themselves. They were really beautiful!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
More fun on the 4th
We had a lot more fun last weekend, and now I've finally gotten the pictures off the camera! On Sunday, we went to Trussville's super 4th of July party, put on by the city and a local church, that is very family friendly. They provide numerous inflatables and other rides, as well as food and a live band, all leading up to a great fireworks show. It's a wonderful event, especially for young families like us!
On Monday, we had a seriously exciting adventure -- the kids' very first movie theater experience!! We went to see Toy Story 3, and I can promise you that it was really (really) good. I was duly impressed, and the kids loved it, too. I highly recommend it!
On Monday, we had a seriously exciting adventure -- the kids' very first movie theater experience!! We went to see Toy Story 3, and I can promise you that it was really (really) good. I was duly impressed, and the kids loved it, too. I highly recommend it!
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
A "Super" Party
Two of Brayden's friends had a joint 4th birthday party were the theme was super heroes! He was so excited to wear his Superman pajamas (including a cape!) to the party. Layna wasn't quite as into the theme, but she had the most excellent time, too, because of the food... strawberries, Chick-fil-A, hotdogs, cake, and cotton candy! One of the moms at the party took these great pictures of the kids. I especially love the ones of Layna (thanks, Carey!).
After playing in the moon-bounce and eating some dinner, it was time for the piñata! Brayden had been asking to take a crack at it since we walked up, so he was one of the first in line.
After all the 4-yr-olds smacked the piñata around a bit, a 9-yr-old came up and smashed it open... then it was candy pandemonium! Everyone jumped in to gather as much as they could.
After playing in the moon-bounce and eating some dinner, it was time for the piñata! Brayden had been asking to take a crack at it since we walked up, so he was one of the first in line.
After all the 4-yr-olds smacked the piñata around a bit, a 9-yr-old came up and smashed it open... then it was candy pandemonium! Everyone jumped in to gather as much as they could.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Tutu, or not tutu?
Well, this is not technically more of the 4th weekend, but I need to blog these pictures because they're cute. I'll have more from our weekend when I get the pictures off our camera...
If there is one thing my kids love to do, it's dress up. We have dozens (literally many dozens) of costumes in a huge bucket, in addition to an entire hat rack covered with hats and crowns of all sizes. But one piece is on constant rotation: the tutu. The tutu is terribly versatile, as you will see below. Whether we are going shopping...
...or just enjoying dinner!
If there is one thing my kids love to do, it's dress up. We have dozens (literally many dozens) of costumes in a huge bucket, in addition to an entire hat rack covered with hats and crowns of all sizes. But one piece is on constant rotation: the tutu. The tutu is terribly versatile, as you will see below. Whether we are going shopping...
...or just enjoying dinner!
Saturday, July 03, 2010
Celebrating the 4th on the 3rd
We're looking forward to a free 4th of July weekend. Nicole is (kinda) between classes and we both have Monday free! We started today with a trip to the zoo. I hadn't been in quite some time, although Nic took the kids there for Mother's Day (when I was out of town). They had a blast running around, visiting animals, and playing in the fountains. It's been an absolute oven here for the last few weeks with heat-index temps at 100+, but today, it was only in the mid-80s!! We were thrilled to be out on such a beautifully sunny day without melting into puddles. Here are some fantastic pictures from the day.
The kids wanted to play immediately, so we headed straight to climb the animals.
We saw the animals in the African section...
...but visiting the animals didn't last very long. We were soon back to playing -- in the bubbles (video included, although not terribly exciting) and the fountains!
Happy 4th of July! More fun pics of the rest of the weekend coming soon!
The kids wanted to play immediately, so we headed straight to climb the animals.
We saw the animals in the African section...
...but visiting the animals didn't last very long. We were soon back to playing -- in the bubbles (video included, although not terribly exciting) and the fountains!
Happy 4th of July! More fun pics of the rest of the weekend coming soon!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Goofy Goodness
Happy Friday, everyone! It's a glorious day here in the Magic City! I have a great story for you...
First, a little background: Brayden has, as you know, been spelling (and therefore reading) very well for quite some time. What he hasn't been able to do is write. Nicole decided a couple weeks ago that this would be the Summer 'o Writing and that she would coach Brayden into a higher level of small-motor proficiency. After just a week of practicing on large sentence strips, he really got the hang of it. Here's an example of a picture he drew of me, along with a box he labeled for himself:
Now he is empowered to write all the time, including making signs around the house. On Sunday, Brayden woke up excited to make a sign, so Nicole gave him a sheet of paper and crayons. He drew a picture of Nicole in the middle of the page and then wrote "No - This means you" and told her that he wanted to hang it on his bedroom door because it was his room and no one else can come in! How funny is that?! Nicole called me at church and said, "We already have a teenager." I'm sorry to say that I don't have a picture of the sign, but it was hysterical!
So I can't post a funny story about Brayden without one about Layna... A week or so ago, Nicole and I woke up to find Layna's bedroom door open. Since the kids always sleep with their doors closed and she had yet to come into our room, we didn't know what was going on. When we peeked inside the room, this is what we saw:
The only thing we can figure out is that she climbed down in the middle of the night and wasn't able to get back into bed, so she just plopped down on her rug! At least she had George to keep her company. She woke up happy as pie! What a funny girl.
First, a little background: Brayden has, as you know, been spelling (and therefore reading) very well for quite some time. What he hasn't been able to do is write. Nicole decided a couple weeks ago that this would be the Summer 'o Writing and that she would coach Brayden into a higher level of small-motor proficiency. After just a week of practicing on large sentence strips, he really got the hang of it. Here's an example of a picture he drew of me, along with a box he labeled for himself:
Now he is empowered to write all the time, including making signs around the house. On Sunday, Brayden woke up excited to make a sign, so Nicole gave him a sheet of paper and crayons. He drew a picture of Nicole in the middle of the page and then wrote "No - This means you" and told her that he wanted to hang it on his bedroom door because it was his room and no one else can come in! How funny is that?! Nicole called me at church and said, "We already have a teenager." I'm sorry to say that I don't have a picture of the sign, but it was hysterical!
So I can't post a funny story about Brayden without one about Layna... A week or so ago, Nicole and I woke up to find Layna's bedroom door open. Since the kids always sleep with their doors closed and she had yet to come into our room, we didn't know what was going on. When we peeked inside the room, this is what we saw:
The only thing we can figure out is that she climbed down in the middle of the night and wasn't able to get back into bed, so she just plopped down on her rug! At least she had George to keep her company. She woke up happy as pie! What a funny girl.
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