February 25: Pirates

Thanks for the picture Taryn! We visited Paul, Taryn, Max, and Lucian on Saturday for lunch. This was one of the first times Max and Luci really played together, and I don't mean just side-by-side playing the same thing, but they were interacting with each other, pretending to be pirates. Pirates are commonplace in Max's life, and he taught Luci a thing or two, such as swording, common lingo like "arghh," and how to make a simple cardboard box into a pirate ship.

February 24: Sullivan is 4 months old!

I can't believe my baby is 4 months old already! He is growing like a weed! Here is some of what he's been up to:

• grabbing toys, clothes, hair, table cloths, plates, bowls, anything!
• rolling, rolling, rolling--if put on his back, he immediately flips to his tummy within seconds
• napping like a champ
• wiggling grunting all night long
• smiling and silently giggling (he really wants to giggle, it just doesn't come out with sound)

February 23: still sick...

Enjoy a picture!

February 22: Sick baby

I apologize for the lack of updating/posting daily. Sullivan has had a nasty cough/cold. He's had this bug for 4 weeks (that is 1/4 of his young life)! Enjoy a sleeping baby picture!

February 21: Are you hungry?

Another of the girls' favorite things to do is play with our play food. When we get this box out, we end up with food spread from one corner of the basement to the other and the kids make me cookies, pizza, fruits and vegetables.

February 20: Going for a walk

We took advantage of the warm temperatures and let Sullivan experience his first outdoor stroller ride (only in Minnesota will a parent take their 3 1/2 month old for a walk when it is about 38 degrees in February). We only made it around one block, but it gave the kids some fresh air and me a little bit of a walk, which has been hard to come by since Sullivan was born.

February 19: Zoo

Because we have a pass to the zoo, it is always fun to take advantage and spend a morning there. This time we went with Nana, Laura, and Morgan. The girls loved the tide pool, jumping out of the way when the waves came. They also enjoyed running on the path outside--they didn't do much animal watching, but got some exercise.

February 18: Other cousins

We had girl's weekend this weekend. Aaron was out of town helping his Dad and brother finish his parent's basement, so my Mom, Laura, and Morgan came to spend the weekend with us. On Saturday we had bagels at Panera, headed to the Eden Prairie Mall to burn off some energy, and then went to Mass. We enjoyed a dinner out and then did some art and dancing with the girls. I love time spent with the girls, letting the kids play, and talking to adults.

February 17: Cousins

Morgan is the sweetest big cousin to Sullivan. She talks to him in a sweet baby voice and he just stares at her with smiles. She is constantly trying to help him and wants to hold him all the time. She'll make a great big sister someday!

February 16: Smile!

I have finally managed to capture some smiles on camera from Sullivan. He's the happiest little boy and will smile at anyone who will talk to him, but he's camera shy and looks at the camera with an inquisitive glare.

February 15: Happy Valentine's Day (again)

Wednesday we had our Valentine Party! The girls each had a head band to wear, we decorated Valentine bags, made heart sponge paintings, and passed out Valentine cards and treats. The girls had a blast! Luci especially liked sponge painting and it was made even easier because I put a clothespin on top so the mess was minimal. We've even painted again since.

February 14: Happy Valentine's Day

We celebrated a little bit on Valentine's Day at our house (but saved most of the fun until Feb. 15). I remember, as a child, my mom making us shaped sandwiches for our school lunches on holidays. It was fun to have something different on these special days and I have been trying to continue the tradition here. For birthdays, the birthday child gets a birthday cake shaped sandwich, for Christmas we had gingerbread boy sandwiches, and on Valentine's day we had heart sandwiches.

February 13: Dolls

Recently we got Luci's doll cradle out of her room and brought it downstairs. The girls have been crazy about dolls ever since. They spend their days changing diapers, dressing babies, feeding them bottles, and taking them on imaginary trips.

February 12: Buddies

I asked Luci if she likes having Sullivan as a little brother and she immediately replied "nope." So I asked if she would rather it just be her and she said "yeah, me and a puppy!" However, I'm not convinced, because every morning when she wakes up, the first thing she does is give her brother hugs and plays with him. She loves to show him his toys and she'll just talk to him for the longest time.

February 11: Morgan's Birthday Party

On Saturday we headed to St. Cloud to celebrate Morgan's birthday with her. We enjoyed playing, eating cake, and watching Morgan open presents. The girls are best buddies!

February 10: Happy Birthday Morgan!

Happy Birthday Morgan! On February 10, 2009, Morgan entered our family. We are so happy to have Luci's cousin so close in age and not too far in distance either. Morgan spent her first 4 months at our house while Laura took care of both girls during the day and they've been best buddies ever since. Morgan is a sweet, spunky 3 year old and we can't wait to see what each day brings for her!

February 9: School Time

My Mother-in-Law once told me about a study that was done on children from middle class families who didn't go to school until they entered 4th grade. The families didn't homeschool and the children weren't taught formally, but through life experiences. I think about this a lot when our days are super busy and I don't have much time to sit down and do formal "school" work with Luci. I have to remind myself that she'll be fine and is getting so much out of her play time and interaction with other kids. Plus, it challenges me to make everyday play into learning experiences. We've been talking about patterns, and we used our legos to create patterns.

February 8: Playing with my camera

I know NOTHING about our camera. It's just a glorified point and shoot, but it does allow me to change the ISO, aperture, and shutter speed (which really means nothing to me right now). I read a little bit online today and am still in the dark, so I did some playing. Sullivan cooperated for a little bit and I could tell the difference when I adjusted certain numbers, but it would be nice to have a cheat sheet so I can do it quickly in certain situations.

February 7: Forts

Now that I don't have a daycare helper any more, we don't get outside to play in the morning because it's just too cold for a 3 month old. We've been trying to be creative and do something different each day so we don't go stir crazy in the house. Today we built a simple fort out of a card table and blankets.

February 6: Family Game Time

We are at the point where we're able to play more games together--Memory, Yahtzee Jr., Sequence Jr., and Candy Land are some of our favorites. Each time we begin, Luci declares she is going to win and sometimes she's right. Sullivan even tried to get in on the action today!

February 5: Little Fish

On Sunday, Luci, Sullivan, and I got to go to the Chaska Community Center for toddler time swimming. We met my Mom, sister, and niece Morgan for a morning of shedding some layers and fun in the pool. Luci is gaining confidence and will float and kick with her floaties on even if she can't touch the bottom. She did take swimming lessons with me last winter and we hope to do them again this summer. The girls went down the slide over and over and Luci swam with her new goggles most of the time.

February 4: Dora on vacation

No we didn't take a vacation from Dora in this house. I don't think it would be possible with the number of preschool and toddler girls playing here. But my parents did come back from Mexico with this really cool shirt for Luci. She's worn it twice in the last 4 days!

February 3: I forgot

I completely forgot to take a picture today. After the daycare girls went home we ventured to the mall with the 2 kids, looking for some clearance deals but only coming away with a sweater for Aaron, a new hat for Sullivan (whose too-small-hats indicate his head is growing rapidly) and a new backpack diaper bag.

February 2: Got sleep?

From the start, Sullivan was a good sleeper. Typically sleeping for a 7 hour stretch at night and napping all day was great for a newborn! Just recently his naps have decreased in length to a half hour to an hour max and he is restless, squirmy, and seemingly hungry during the night after only 4 hours. I seem to remember the same thing with Luci around 4 months, but I am not sure if it happened. Like most things with babies, I seem to forget the bad parts, remembering the best--and this phase will pass, too.

February 1: Books

Luci has always loved reading stories. She could sit and listen to 10 or more at a time. Now that she has decided napping is not for her...she spends an hour and a half in bed looking at books (most of which she could probably "read" 75% of). Often times I find her reading stories to her brother or the younger girls here for daycare.

January 31: Girly Girls

I have a daycare full of the girliest girls whose favorite activity is playing dress-up. Thanks to my Mom, Luci received a bin full of dress-up clothes for Christmas. They enjoy putting dresses on, taking dresses off, picking different dresses, and dancing around the basement. Sullivan--sorry that you are the only boy here!