New Look for Anders

I took Anders to get a hair cut this morning--although it doesn't look like he has much hair, he really does. It's just very fine & very, very blonde.

He wasn't really interested in sitting in the chair this time, so I let him sit on my lap. Then he wasn't interested in having the cape on, so we used a towel. Then he just wasn't interested in sitting still so he got to have his first lollipop! It was a MESS! The amount of drool that came out of his mouth in the 10 minutes we sat there was incredible!

In the end, he is one handsome dude and we have now introduced the "faux-hawk". Kind of like a mohawk, but much more tame.

And, it is the Rockies home opener today at 2:10pm, so there has been much talk of baseball around our house!

Celebrating Easter

Much like celebrating Christmas, celebrating Easter is so much more fun with little kids! Although we know that these holidays hold a great meaning for us as Christians, I do think it's OK to have a little fun with the "commercialized" parts of the holidays, too!

On Sunday, Anders got to participate in his first ever annual Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma J's house. The "treats" inside were pieces of Cliff Bar, which he loves, so he was a bit motivated to keep "looking" for the eggs...

(I love this super cute, super preppy button down shirt my mom gave him!)

It was great fun--I think next year he'll be the perfect age for it--and he'll have a little brother to show how it works, too!

On Monday, I had to work and Joel stayed home with Anders. It was the all-day opening of baseball season (Sunday night was the official opening, for all of you technical people out there), so Joel and his friend, Jason, spent the day together with Anders and Jason's daughter, Abbey. When the mom's got home from work, we had dinner together and then made these cute hats my mom sent us...Anders wore his around for  quite a while, but Abbey was not so thrilled!

And just for the record:
1. Anders took a big spill last week (while I was gone) on the pavement and skinned his nose. It is healing up just nicely.

2. Yes, Anders' shirt really does say "I got my mommy's good looks and my daddy's gas". It is kind of a joke t-shirt from our friends Jason & Krista. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. It's funny now, but I cry for Anders' future wife. I know how it will smell.

Doggone Cute

I love my dog. I really do. Yes, I have to force myself to say that outloud just to remind me that it's really true.



I do love her. How could you not love this adorable dog?

But there are days where I'd like to give her to another family.

Like when she gets into the dirty diapers when we're gone (only #1--we take all #2's straight outside) or when she eats a bag of chips because she's mad I've gone somwhere without her. Or when she whines and whines and whines and whines and whines in the car when I do take her with us.

She has a habit of getting up in my face every time I sit on the floor.

She licks and licks and licks and licks.

She loves to chew her nails for about 20 minutes, right when I'm falling asleep at night. (Seriously, you laid around for about 8 hours today and this is the only time you could fit it in your schedule to gnaw on those nails?!)

She just seems to get right in the way during diaper changing time, playing with puzzles, reading books, tying my shoes, am playing on the floor with Anders, or when we're trying to take a nice Easter picture.............


But she also loves to curl up in the sun and lay there for hours.

And she is the best ball fetcher I have ever seen.

She loves the water and is so cute playing in it.

And most of all, she tolerates Anders. His "hugs", his tugs, his smacks, his desire to be close to her while she watches out the front glass door, and when he is screaming at the top of his longs.

She runs to the top of the stairs instead of going outside in the morning so she can be the first one into his room to get him up.

And sometimes, just sometimes, she curls up right next to us as we read books on the floor.

So in the end, I will give up my own sanity so my boys can have a dog to love. And I love her, too.



Most of the time.

Are You Surprised?

Would you be surprised if I told you that Anders is very verbal? With two parents that are teachers and a mother who likes to talk, I am not surprised at all.

Here are a few of the words we hear throughout the day...

Names (Identified by sight or picture)
Momma (of course :))
Dad
Anders
Haiku
Grandma
'ma (for Oma)
'pa (for Opa)
Aimee
Re-re (for Avery)
Faif (for Faith)
Betsy
Doreen
Jason
Abbey
Monique
Ryan
Ali
(funny side note--this morning as we went to Grandma J's church for Easter--which is where I go to Bible Study with the three names above--Anders asked as we were walking in "Monique?" "Ali?" "Ryan?" He knew all of those people should have been there with us, but was confused why they weren't) Cute, cute

And I'm sure I missed a few more...

Animals/Sounds (Identified by sight or in books) followed by the sound he makes with it
Zebra
Giraffe
Bear
Penguin
Monkey (oooohhh-ooohh)
Walrus
Sea Lion
Turtle
Duck (quack)
Oink
Neigh
Moo
Dog (woof)
Snap! (crocodile) This one is more like SSSSNNNNAAAP!
Snake (sssssss)
Cat
Ribbit
Sniff-sniff with his nose (rabbit)
Fish

Food--this one is an important category for him!
Fruit Bar
Yogart
Milk
Drink
Cup
Nana (Banana)
Grapes
Apple
Mess (as in, don't make one)
Plate
Bowl
More
Cookie

Random Words...
Book
Shelf
Toy
Truck (beep-beep)
Up
Work (as in, dad's at work and not here to play right now)
Egg (you would think this would go under the "food" category, but you would be wrong. He doesn't eat them, he just likes the Easter Eggs)
Sock
Pants
Shoes
Boot
Brush
Baby
Pen
Button
Thank You
Please
B-ball (for basketball)
Football
Bye-bye
Hi-ya (as in Hi!)
Happy
Ball
Yellow (everything is yellow these days, but we are working on it)
Eyes
Nose
Mouth
Head
Back
Phone (as in, he talks on anything that resembles a phone--remote controls, glasses cases, long blocks, and an occasional toy cell phone...mostly to Joel's friend Jason or Jason's daughter, Abbey--she is 10 months)
Chair
Fall (as in, don't fall off of that chair, couch, bench, etc...)
Off
On
Church
Jesus
Out! & Safe! (what an umpire says....we are ready for baseball to start today!)

I know I have missed quite a few...he is now working on putting sentences together. His first 2-word sentence a few weeks ago was "more cookie!". Anders also knows probably 22 out of 26 letters (capitals) and is working on numbers...I'm afraid we have opened the floodgates to learning and we can't stop him!

Oh, and how could I forget his favorite word of all? NO!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter from our famiy to yours!

Taking pictures with a 19 month old, a dog and a camera on a timer 

is much, much harder than it looks. 

The empty chair is to remind me next year 

we'll throw in another toddler, just for fun!