Brownie Pudding and Hallway Races

Tyler announced yesterday at breakfast and before daddy left, that he would like quesadillas for dinner. Unfortunately, for him, I had no tortillas and was planning something else for dinner. All day long, he kept telling me that he wanted quesadillas and eventually started explaining that "you have a bad idea mommy. I have a great idea...let's have quesadillas for dinner." Now, this could have quickly gotten old, but when your three year old says it, it is cute. Eventually, I explained that since I was cooking I got to choose what we ate.

This pacified Tyler for about an hour before he approached me and asked me if he could cook the quesadillas (too cute, isn't it?!?!). I told him that we couldn't because I didn't have what we needed. And then he asked if he could make "bessert" (Tyler knows that dessert is with a "d" and purposefully adds a "b" to it. Drives me crazy at times because he knows how it really is pronounced and even when I try to correct him he tells me he likes it with a "b" better.

Anyways....so with the idea of dessert sounding good to me, both boys and I inventoried the kitchen and decided that we needed something chocolately. Tyler LOVED the idea of brownie pudding and became determined that he was going to do it all by himself. It was a struggle for me to get the ingredients out as he did not want me even doing that....but fortunately, he couldn't read much of the recipe and eventually gave in. And I give him a lot of credit, because he got on his apron and got out his baking supplies and sure enough made it all by himself (the only thing I did was turn on the oven and handle that part).

Needless to say, he was SOOOOO proud of himself and we all were very thankful for some yummy chocolate after dinner.




Saying "cheese" but refused to look at me as he was so busy stirring.

A quick look when we got to the next stuff to mix up. :)

I must give him credit too for being so determined on tasting the batter when we were done mixing. I had told him no but he kept explaining that he needed it. ;) I finally gave in and let him taste some and his face told me immediately something was wrong. And so after I tasted it, I realized that I never add him put in the sugar!!! It was just cocoa and flour mainly!! Thank goodness we figured it out as that would have been a bad surprise!! (And note he was SOOO proud of himself for discovering our mistake...that he likes to say we made together even though I tried to take the blame...so sweet).

I have to add too, that I am amazed by daddy when it comes to dessert's. Tyler was so excited to show off his creation and daddy was very excited to help Tyler eat it. And while we were eating it (Kevin also loved it too...but I am sure that you knew that) daddy asked me if we added anything different. I said no, and he said something about it tasting wheaty. I couldn't believe it!. I didn't think that he would notice but yes we used wheat flour. That is all I tend to have anymore and sure enough he figured it out! I wasn't trying to trick him or anything, but was just hoping it wouldn't change the flavor or anything since there was so much cocoa and sugar....but sure enough he did. Very impressive dear!

And while Tyler was baking, Kevin watched. He was NOT content playing on the floor as he wanted to see what was going on. So we sat him in his highchair and he actually had fun watching and talking. But by the end he was tired. Hence the thumb AND the ear pull.

I didn't think that Kevin would make it to dinner he seemed so tired, so we decided to call Grandma and Grandpa Thimmesch to tell them about the brownie pudding. Tyler was excited to get to talk to them and tell them about his baking.

And listening to the phone call livened Kevin up and slowly the thumb came out of the mouth and the ear pulling stopped.

And slowly he started working on a smile for me.

There it is! My happy boy was back!

A quick picture of Tyler's May basket he made in class. It is filled with "candy" (i.e. Tootsie Rolls) and he is so excited about the chocolate candy inside...granted he has only eaten one since he came home with it. And he was nice enough to share it with me without me asking....which I think was his way of being able to eat a piece since he had just helped himself. ;)

Anyways, so while the pudding was baking, we did Kevin's favorite thing....walking. We went into the hallway to get away from the warm oven and to let Kevin practice on carpet (he is MUCH better on the hardwood and so this was more of a challenge for him...but soon enough he was off and walking so well!). He had fun walking up and down the hallway and eventually Tyler and him started having hallway races....with Tyler running up and down the hall and yelling at Kevin to catch him. It worked great for Kevin because he was so excited when he would get to Tyler and the boys would just giggle before Tyler would run to the other end.

These pictures are in black and white because the lighting was weird and so the colors were all weird. So sorry for that...but you can see the fun that they had yesterday!

Then for today. Today we had another swim lesson and Tyler did GREAT. He is so good at kicking his legs and keeping his face in the water, that he practiced moving his arms. And quickly got upgraded from using a noodle under his arms to using nothing to practice all three. The teacher was very excited for him, and he was too as he kept asking if he could just swim "all by myself". So she let him so long as he agreed to kick and use his arms, and he did GREAT. He was so proud of himself and can't wait to get into the tub tonight to practice more.

After Tyler's lesson we then headed off for Kevin's BIG 15 month doctor's appointment. It is really only "big" because I so vividly remember Tyler's and here is Kevin having his. Man, time flies. Kevin had a good time playing in the waiting room and since he was now standing/walking he could walk around the big toys they had. But when the nurse called his name, he got so shy!

He immediately put his head into my neck and refused to look at her...making getting him undressed hard because anytime I pulled him away he screamed and cried (with tears). :( But we got him measured and weighed and then the doctor walked in, making him return to sheer shyness. I know that he sometimes gets shy but this was the most I have ever seen it in him. The doctor passed him with flying colors and given his recent explosion with language (verbal and signing) and then moving forward with his walking all of the 15 month concerns were not applicable to him. Then it came time for the dreaded shots. Of course, he had FINALLY warmed up when the nurse returned and he was just devastated when he had to get three shots. :(

He is one too to remember and was a sad, cuddly boy the whole way home and through lunch. In fact, he barely ate lunch before he started saying he was "all done" and the moment I pulled the tray up he started crying and trying to get out of his seat. So we snuggled a bit before laying him down for a nap. Hopefully, he will be better post nap and gear up for the weekend. I just feel so badly for him.

Anyways....but on a more fun note, Kevin is growing up and big brother is beyond excited. Tyler even asked the doctor if Kevin was big enough to sleep in his room now. Ha! Kevin is not quite there in our opinion despite Tyler's insistence. Kevin weighed in at 25 lbs, 11 ounces (65th percentile), is 2 feet 6.5 inches tall (31st percentile), and his head is 49 cm (89th percentile).

Kevin practicing walking.

Yesterday, I caught Kevin sitting by the window just looking out with Ellie beside him doing the same. He was just sitting there petting her on her back and both looked to be having a good time. I watched for awhile at how nice he was being, before I realized I should try and get my camera. I tried to be quiet but of course they both looked right at me when I cam back. ;)

Then later in the afternoon, Kevin was a determined boy. We were all in the kitchen and Kevin decided to spend the next hour practicing walking. He would stand up and say "walk" or "more walk" and take a few steps before falling down and starting over. He was SOOOOO determined. And his little knees were just so red by the time he was finished. I managed to get some of this video right before we decided to eat some dinner. He was no longer saying "walk" but was still trying so hard to walk to Tyler (he LOVES Tyler). I kept trying to get him to say it for you because it so cute I think to hear him announce it before he does it, but alas he wouldn't. But I did get two videos of him practicing, so that is good. :)

A few of Tyler's projects from Kid's Club

Here are Tyler's latest projects that he had made at Kid's Club at our local community center. He just loves going to this class. He goes twice a week for an hour and a half and they just sing songs, color, and make a craft. Kevin and I either run quick errands around town, go to the park next door and play, or sometimes both.

Here is Tyler posing with the latest projects that he has made over the last few weeks.

(from left to right) A spider, tree, ornamental wheat grass (that is growing like crazy), a ladybug (whose spots got removed on the way home thanks to Kevin...oh that car ride was interesting with Tyler screaming and crying to get his ladybug back and Kevin was laughing hysterically as he pulled the dots off...thankfully I managed to pull over after three spots were removed and save the ladybug for Tyler), and a bumblebee.

Kevin is 15 Months!

I couldn't believe it when I just realized that Kevin is 15 months old today! Man, has time just flown by! Even though the blog is almost always about the boys, I decided to take some pictures of just Kevin with the thought that he was 15 months old today. No, it doesn't make the quality any better despite my hopes that it would (thank goodness the boys are so cute and offset my slow learning curve with photography) and no it doesn't make him smile in every picture. In fact, I think that he was a little shocked that (a) I took a chair outside and (b) at Tyler's craziness behind me as Tyler attempted to make Kevin giggle.

But, taking pictures with the thought that he is 15 months, makes me feel better as a mom who is dedicated to sharing most of their childhood with friends and family who don't see them often. Plus, it is an excuse to avoid my to-do list for a little while longer (sorry dear). Anyways, given Kevin's state of shock, we had no smiling pictures while we were outside...but of course once we came back inside he was full of giggles. And so I sat him in a chair once again and got some pictures.

And when we came back inside, he was still a little unsure, but quickly warmed up.

Fireplace Update

Here are some updated pictures of our fireplace. I am incredibly proud of Adam for all that he has done and figured out on his own. As you know, he has done this all by himself and doesn't have a "plan" to go off of for the fireplace. So there has been some trial and error as he learns, but it is turning out so GREAT! This weekend he managed to frame up and put up all of the wood for the fireplace and has now moved on to cutting the trim.

I just can't tell you how impressed I am with all that he does around the house. And he does so well letting Tyler help out (as Tyler thinks that he is so big to get to be helping too and if you ask Tyler, this isn't daddy's project but a daddy and Tyler project) even if Tyler is often in the way or too busy talking (as he always does) while daddy is trying to think about the next step. It is just too cute to watch as daddy thinks of things Tyler can do to help, and then watch Tyler light up to complete his task. Anyways...I could go on and on about what a great husband and daddy Adam is, but you all already know all of this. :) So, here are some pictures of his big project.

Apples and Shoes

I think that I posted before about how Kevin is now saying "apple" and LOVES to see apples in books. We don't give him sliced or chopped apples that are uncooked because he has choked on them in the past and I have been scared to try again. So he gets baked or applesauce and that is it. Well, the other day you can just imagine my surprise when I discovered Kevin with Tyler's whole apple (apparently Tyler didn't want the whole thing and just gave it to Kevin). It turns out though that Kevin LOVES eating an apple this way and does great at eating it (I think that he realizes he needs to chew whatever he gets off of it for some reason). So he went through a WHOLE bag of apples last week on his own he is loving it so much. And this weekend when I was digging through an old blog book (I print the blog in a hardcover book as my weak attempt to keep up on my scrapbooking. . . something that I haven't had time to do lately) I discovered that we had a whole entry on Tyler's love of whole apples and learning to say the word. So, without further ado, here are Kevin's apple pictures. :)

Loving to take a bite.

Smiling for me.

Saying all done.

Sucking his thumb while he waits for me to stop taking pictures.

Okay, if I laugh will you stop mom? ;) His hand is always in his mouth lately and his shirts are constantly soaked as we discovered yesterday that all four molars are poking through now! Poor guy!

Still laughing.

Carlie taking a nap by Kevin's highchair just in case something yummy comes her way.

Ellie watching for squirrels and now rabbits. We have just had tons so far hoping through the yard, rabbits that is, and so the girls are always on high alert lately.

After eating some apples, big brother Tyler came upstairs from helping daddy with the fireplace (pictures to come on that) and we decided to watch a Baby Signing Time. The boys LOVE these videos, and Kevin will even sign "baby" "signing" when we talk about the movie (so cute). Since Kevin had a rocking chair, we moved the big one over so Tyler could sit next to him too. Today, we watched one that focuses on clothing, vehicles, and manners. This is probably Tyler and my favorite out of the two that we have, and Kevin is starting to like it too (we watched the first one for so long that this one is still very new to him).

Kevin signing "shoes".

"Shoes"

Signing "shoes" up in the air. ;)

Another "shoes". But he is just so cute sitting there practicing along with big brother. For months, he would just sit and watch Tyler and it has only been in the last month that he now signs along with the movie too (and hence me taking lots of pictures of it). :)

Getting ready to sign "hat".

So excited!!!

Totally not paying attention to me.

Practicing "shoes" too.

This is Kevin's "more".

Tyler's "say cheese" face. Love it, especially since he wouldn't even look at me.

Signing "hat". He has never liked wear hats, and we have battled for a year since as soon as he learned to get them off, he would. But he recently learned to sign "hat" (note that I am back to updating the boys daily happenings page to update you on the things they do without making whole posts about it and that is where I update Kevin's new words). Anyways...once he learned to sign "hat" he now LOVES wearing hats and won't take them off anymore. I don't get it, but with warmer and sunnier weather coming, I love the change. :)