Smelling the flowers...

Lincoln and Jackson can be a handful.  But last week also had some great high points.  

The boys are learning so much each and every day.  I am amazed at what they pick up even when we aren't trying to teach them!

The boys love to read books, which is great.  However, we find that we are reading the same books over and over again.  So, you have to find new ways to make the books exciting.  So, instead of just saying "Freddie was swimming in the ocean with his friends", it becomes "Freddie the Fish...".  You point out all the pictures in addition to reading the words.  Small things, big impact.
I guess I pointed out the flowers in the books a few times.  Then we started smelling the flowers.  Somehow, it stuck with the boys.  I didn't think much about it until we took the boys outside to water the flowers.  We couldn't believe it when they squatted down to smell the flowers!

What other cute things have they been learning?

Lincoln has kind of learned what "hot" means.  He was impatient waiting for his dinner to cool a few times, and burned his mouth.  When this happens, I usually tell him it is hot, and blow on his food to cool it.  Soon, he would blow on his food, imitating me.  Again, I didn't think much of it until I was getting something out of the oven, and I asked the boys to move away because the oven is hot.  Lincoln started blowing in the direction of the oven!  Way too cute.

The other new development - the boys are infatuated with dogs.  The weather has been so nice, and a lot of people are out walking their dogs.  When we are outside, if a dog is within sight, both of the boys go crazy.  They are jabbering non-stop (we aren't sure what they are saying, but they are clearly repeating it over and over again), pointing at the dogs, and if we would let him, Jackson would probably go and get the dogs.  It almost makes me want to get them a puppy....almost, but not quite.

The whole tooth...

I am happy to report that Lincoln's last molar has arrived!  It peaked through the gum on Saturday.  Wasn't bothering him too much till tonight.  Had a difficult time getting him to sleep (I had to rock him for almost 1/2 hour after we gave him some motrin).  I just hope he sleeps through the night, and this tooth comes in quickly!

Lincoln laughing...

Wednesday night, Brian went to pick Janice up.  Since my neck/shoulder/back was still hurting me, Aaron came over to help me with the boys baths.   He stayed to play for a while.  Watch this video then tell me - does Lincoln like playing with his Uncle Aaron?

the Wave

I think the title and video speak for themselves for this one...

Old McDonald

Santa brought the boys a "farm" truck for Christmas.  It has a pen in the back for animals, and came with a cow and a pig.  The truck has a button on it that you push and it plays things...a cow mooing, a pig oinking, the truck starting up, and of course Old McDonald.
The boys have loved this truck for almost 6 months now, but last weekend, I caught them playing together.  Check it out!

Shortly after I captured this video, I had to take the truck away from them as they were fighting over it!

Tired boys....

In the past week, each of the boys have fallen asleep in some odd places.
First, at lunch last weekend Lincoln did a repeat performance of Christmas dinner....

Then, Jackson awoke early on Sunday, but decided to go back to sleep for a while with Daddy after he drank some milk....

Later that same day, Jackson fell asleep on our walk around the neighborhood...

When we take our walks, Brian usually pulls the wagon with the boys in it, and I follow behind (mostly in case they throw a hat or a sippy cup out).  However, on this night, it was quite entertaining for me.  I watched as both of the boys heads started to hang low, droop, then snap back up.  The wagon is comfortable to ride in, but definitely not made for sleeping.  Somehow, both the boys did fall asleep.  Some neighbors had seen them early during our walk when they were both awake, then crossed our path again when they were both sleeping.  They were laughing!
Lincoln woke up before we got back to the house, but Jackson slept for about half of our 2 mile walk.

Today though, Lincoln took a short nap in the van after we ran some errands, but didn't sleep enough.  After he got his belly full at dinner, his eyes got pretty heavy again.

They are definitely related to their cousin Knox!  He can sleep ANYWHERE!

Setting the record straight...

Last Sunday, I pulled the muscle that connects my neck to my left shoulder, and my shoulder to my back.  It was quite painful, so I went to the doctor on Monday to get it checked out.  $100 and a prescription for a muscle relaxer later, and I was on my way.
It still bothered me most of the week - finally starting to feel better today.  Finally!  It's been a tough week as it was difficult to carry the boys and take care of them.
Just wanted to let everyone know that is why I wasn't supposed to be carrying the boys this week.  There is NO other reason!

No more sadness!

Just a quick update...

Yesterday, when I went to pick the boys up from daycare yesterday, they both came running.  I was so relieved.  All my worries went away. They reassured me that they love me, and they don't enjoy being at daycare more than spending time with me.  The boys are just settling into the routine.  They know most mornings we go to daycare, and they play with their friends all day.  Then Mommy and Daddy come and pick them up and they get to go home to eat, play, and sleep!

Brian's mom is having some additional tests done today, so it was just me and the boys for the daycare run again.  Jackson wouldn't let me carry him in, so BOTH of the boys walked from the van into daycare.  They were great - they both held my hand the whole way.  I was a little smarter today and kissed the tops of their heads goodbye before I opened the door to their room.  Both of the boys walked right in - no tears, no hesitation.  Even Miss Autumn commented on what big boys they are!

I think we need to start letting them walk into daycare on their own - holding our hands of course.  It will take a little bit longer to drop them off, but is well worth those extra minutes to know that they are happy there.  Just another sign of how independent they are becoming!

Mellowing out...

A few weeks ago, I shared some of the "big" words that Lincoln has been saying, and noted that Jackson isn't quite as vocal.  Well, that has definitely changed.  We still don't understand most of what he is saying, but he talks and talks and talks!

This morning, he woke up right on schedule at 6:00.  I scooped him out of his crib and took him to our room for a diaper change.  When I was finished, he crawled onto our bed, and played with the extra clean diapers.  He seemed to be trying to tell me something about the diapers.  He would lift one up, put it down, get another one - all the time jabbering non-stop.  It was totally cute.

Along with talking more, we've also noticed some changes in Jackson's disposition.  He is quieter now.  I know, you are thinking how can he be talking more, yet quieter, right?  By quieter, I mean he's learned to use his inside voice.  :-)  Before, it was almost like he was always yelling at us. 

In addition to finding his inside voice, he has also become more loving.  He enjoys giving Lincoln hugs (although sometimes it is more like a wrestling take down move).  Jackson smiles a lot more, and gives Brian and I both hugs and kisses a lot.  Don't get me wrong - he can still get fired up, but he is definitely showing is loving side more.

Growing up...

As a parent, I am so proud when the boys accomplish their milestones - their first tooth, first steps, first words.  I can't wait to tell everyone about "the newest thing" they are doing.  But every now and then, I get a little sad too.

Today was one of those happy, yet sad days.

Brian's mom has an appointment today with her surgeon, so I took the boys to daycare by myself.  I carried Jackson (as he doesn't always like to go in the direction we need to), diapers, Lincoln's medicine, and then held Lincoln's hand as we walked in.  Jackson was getting heavy (especially since I'm not supposed to be lifting or carrying the boys), so I was eager to hand him over to Miss Autumn.  Then, just as I was handing Jackson over, Lincoln let go of my hand and took off into the room.  He didn't even look back to wave goodbye.

Part of me knows that this is a good thing, as we've struggled for the past few weeks with the boys crying when we drop them off at daycare.  I'm glad to see that he likes being there.  However, I am also a little sad.  My "babies" aren't babies any more.  They are growing up and becoming little boys, getting more and more independent each day. 

If only we could bottle these moments in time to reflect on in the future....


Hope everyone is having a great week!

Videos...

The boys love playing with balls.  They've figured out they bounce better on the kitchen floor than on the carpet!

Here is Part 2!

And then, there is the day we got the wagon out...

June special dates

Birthdays:
June 3 - Parker Muehlfeld turns 2
June 9 - Eli Burkholer turns 24
June 13 - Todd Burkholder turns 51
June 18 - Grandma Emmie turns 83
June 21 - Seth O'Connor turns 5
June 23 - Brian turns 41
June 30 - Brody Wyldes turns 2

Anniversaries:
June 2 - Dave and Ruth Wappes celebrate their 38th wedding anniversary
June 4 - Clifford and Shirley Simon celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary;  Steve and Jennifer Ginter celebrate their 17th wedding anniversary
June 8 - Jerry and Lisa Haas celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary
June 11 - Jason and Maria Hart celebrate their 6th wedding anniversary
June 14 - Wes and Jen Maier celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary
June 26 - Derek and Marcy Wyldes celebrate their 7th wedding annivesary

Happy Father's day to everyone on June 19th!

Congratulations to Lori Hart and Tyler Lentz for graduating on June 12th.

Busy weekends...

I hate to bore everyone with stories about our errands, so we'll skip all of that.  However, we have had a few fun weekends in the past month that I haven't had time to write about.

Derby
The first Saturday of May is always the Kentucky Derby.  Lyn, RJ, and the kids came down on Wednesday evening to stay with us.  They took the kids to the Aquarium on Thursday, then we met them and mom and dad for dinner Thursday night.  We all enjoyed spending time together.
Brian and I took the day off on Friday, and we were all packed up and on our way to Louisville around 11:00 (not too bad considering we hadn't packed a thing till that morning, and we even ran to the License Bureau to get our plates for the van!).  We encountered a traffic snarl, so we ventured off the highway - and what a pleasant surprise!  We traveled through some beautiful "horse country", and saw parts of Louisville we didn't even know existed.

This year, was our 6th trip to enjoy the Derby with the WHOLE Willinger clan.  One change - we stayed with cousins Johnny and Marilyn next door to Aunt Marsha.  It was perfect.  We had our own bedroom with lots of room for the Pack-N-Plays for the boys.  At night we would "sneak off" to our own private suite - it almost felt like our honeymoon again. 

As always, we had a wonderful weekend.  The Willingers are always so welcoming and friendly, and this year was no exception.  They couldn't believe how much the boys have grown in the past year.  Aunt Laura was so sweet and gave the boys little trucks to play with.

The weather this year was exceptional.  Really couldn't have been any better.

The weekend was a bit of a challenge for Brian and me...we spent most of our time chasing the boys.  They loved exploring the new surroundings, which made it difficult for us to keep them out of cupboards!  We survived, and Marilyn told us that our room will be waiting for us next year, so I guess we are invited back!

Sunday of that weekend was Mother's Day, and it was so nice to get to spend it with my mom.

Memorial weekend
We actually spent a 3 day weekend at home, all by ourselves. It was a very relaxing weekend.
Saturday, we took the boys to the zoo for the first time.  Much like the Derby, it was a bit challenging.  Jackson was not happy being in the stroller, but he didn't want us to hold/carry him either.  He's gotten to be quite independent, and he wanted to walk.  The issue - he didn't want to go in the right direction, and he did NOT want to hold my hand. 
The boys weren't impressed with most of the animals.  I think it was because they couldn't get close to them.  They liked the turtles, and would have crawled into the exhibit with them if we would have let them.  They also liked the penguins, but again, we could get closer to them than some of the other animals. 
After about 2 hours of fighting with the stroller and the boys, they both fell asleep.  Brian and I enjoyed the break, and laughed at how many people commented on how fast asleep the boys were in the stroller.  Since the boys were resting, we went to see the new baby giraffe (6 or 8 weeks old), checked out the rhino, then headed for the car.
The boys had a great nap (about an hour), so we headed to Cracker Barrel for lunch.  Eating out with the boys is interesting.  We usually order things we think they will like, and they don't eat.  This trip was a bit different.  I ordered the chicken tenderloins (6 pieces) and 3 sides - applesauce, baby carrots, and hashbrown casserole.  This also came with 2 biscuits.  I think I had 4 pieces of the chicken, a biscuit, and part of the hashbrown casserole.  Lincoln and Jackson ate all the applesauce and carrots, and Jackson ate my one biscuit and the other 2 pieces of chicken.  Lincoln shared Brian's meal too.  Next time, we may have to order extra sides!
Sunday we worked in the back yard, removing some dirt and a tree stump.  Brian also worked in the flower beds and straighted up the garage.  Jen Boggess stopped by after dinner to visit and catch up.
Monday morning we loaded up the boys and headed to the park.  The boys loved sitting in the wagon for most of our 3 mile walk.  We got them out of the wagon about half way through...Jackson helped Brian by pushing the wagon along the path, and Lincoln walked with me, holding my hand.  The boys loved seeing all the people, and the dogs too!
We spent the rest of the day at the house, just tiding up, and preparing for the week ahead.  The boys didn't cooperate with their naps, so we didn't get as much done as we had hoped, but it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend!

We are home again this coming weekend, then off to Columbus for Aunt Lori's graduation on the 11th.  We also have Father's Day and Relay for Life coming up, so it will be a busy month. 

Hope everyone stays cool, and enjoys summer now that it is finally here!