How is it Fall Already?

When did it become September? Yes, I know, the first day of Fall is September 22nd, but it will be here before you know it! The leaves have already started to change color out here.

I will say for St. Louis, we have had a pretty good summer. Nothing too crazy hot, and now we've had a string of very lovely days. Somehow we just kept playing outside and it turned into September. WHAM.

We've had a few Firsts in the past few months.

Logan turned 1 June 30th. WOW. Totally snuck up on us... Snuck up on us so much that we had his 1st birthday party the second week of July. We made it early in the morning, had water toys and bikes out on the driveway, had lunch catered, and everyone was home in time for nap. It was awesome.

We explained to Grant that he was officially the big brother of a one-year-old now. Grant thought the party was great. He got to zoom around, mostly unnoticed, eat snacks and lunch all morning, had cupcakes, and then napped with the rest of us after everyone left. It was a good day.

Walking

In early August, Logan started walking...that makes him about 14 months or so.
Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADAG-szUOiw

Just for fun, Grant was about 16 months when he was walking, but he didn't have a big brother to chase... or one to run from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTRuqd-DjG8


Preschool

August 16 Grant started Preschool, Monday-Friday 8:00 -11:15.
For all my west coast friends thinking that is early, the schools out here are mostly August through May, instead of September through June like we all grew up with.

Here he is two years ago when he first started Toddler class.

He started Toddler school going only Th/F 8:00 - 11:15, then another year of Toddler switching to 3 days a week, M/T/W. Now we are a full 5 days and Grant absolutely loves it. He had a hard time at first realizing that after two years with the same teacher, he was going to be in a new classroom with new teachers. Once we told him he was going to be a "big time preschooler with big time teachers", it finally sunk in and for weeks before school started he would go around the house saying, "I'm going to be a pee-schooler!"

At first, 5 days seemed like a lot, but as all parents know, the minutes of the day sometimes tick by, but the days and weeks fly by and before you know it, it is Friday morning again and you're wondering what happened to your to-do list for the week.

Yes, in the picture for Preschool he has two different shoes on. He picks out his own clothes in the morning and puts on his own socks and shoes. Some days he picks out different shoes on purpose. I figure it is exponentially harder to pick out the right shoe of one pair and the left shoe of the other pair and put them on together, so I let him have it. Besides, he has shoes on and he is at school on time dressed with breakfast, teeth brushed and hair combed. That is the limit to my importance hierarchy at 8:00 in the morning.

On that same day, Logan realized he now gets 2 hours alone with Mom while Grant is at school.

Play Ball!

To top it off, on Sunday we took Grant to his first baseball game!

Grant's first baseball game is going to be hard to top. Right away upon entering the gates, he was given a free puppy stuffed animal (Build a Bear giveaway day). We didn't tell him and he was so excited that a man just handed him a stuffed puppy.  Hope he doesn't think that happens every game. Just like the 800 or so moms before me, I shouted, "You get a bear!" and the guy handing them out said through his smile, "It's a puppy."  Um... right, a puppy. Yay you got a puppy!

We walked around the stadium, showing Grant the field from different angles, and he immediately found Fredbird (the mascot). We have a book of baseball mascots in it but I didn't know he would be so excited. When we got to our section, Grant and I went to our seats while Kyle got some food. While we were waiting, we got to sing America, the Beautiful and the National Anthem. Grant sings the National Anthem every Monday at school (more on this later), so he knew the drill. He stood up straight, and although he didn't sing, he also didn't act like a 3 yr old either. He waited until the song was over to sit down and then ask me what was taking Dad so long. 

Kyle came back with a hot dog for mom, and french fries and nachos for all to share. Grant said he loved the french fries, liked the chips - but only the ones without the cheese, and then said the water was cold. He said no thanks to the hot dog which I thought was great because I got to eat the whole thing. We sat in section 349, which turned out to be perfect. We knew we wouldn't stay the whole game, but we were still behind home plate (3 sections up) and could see the field. We were close enough to keep Grant's attention but not worry too much about ticket prices if we had to leave early. Plus we were in the shade for a 1:15 game. Definitely trying to get that spot again. 

The Cardinals scored 1 run in the first inning, and in the 3rd, Molina hit a 3-run homerun so Grant got to see fireworks. By the end of the 3rd inning, Grant was all pooped out and ready for a change of scenery. We walked around a bit, checked out the team store, and after one look at our tired boy, decided it was time to hit the road. He was asleep in the car by the time we hit the freeway. 

Best decision of the day was leaving Logan home with a babysitter, and he of course, slept the whole time we were gone. 

No, we did not put our son in a collared shirt for a baseball game - he did that. We have a Cardinals jersey for him to wear, but he told me since the players look so fancy in their uniforms when we watch them on TV, he wanted to be fancy too. Since Kyle wears a suit to work every day, we say Dad dresses fancy, and Grant wants to be just like Dad. Most days Grant will pick out a collared shirt for school so he can be fancy like Dad. Today he wanted to be fancy like the players, so there you go.

I love Busch Stadium. I feel like it is a cathedral for baseball. I always get so excited walking in through the gates and seeing the field. Today was exceptionally fun to see Grant light up and see all the people, the players and the field itself. I must admit I had tears in my eyes to see how excited he was to see everything. He walked around the way a kid should - eyes wide open, a little tense but mostly excited, trying to listen and see everything all at once. I think I loved it more than he did.

The amount of people alone was enough to intimidate Grant at first, but after holding hands with Mom and Dad and walking around for a bit, he settled in like a great baseball fan. Once he learned it was okay to yell and cheer and clap and be loud, then he was all in. We've watched baseball on TV before and talked about the Cardinals and going to a game, and he always asks who the guys in the black shirts are:
"Buddy, those are the umpires. They make sure everyone follows the rules."

Mom likes the Cardinals, Dad likes the Cubs, and Grant has informed us that his favorite team is the Umpires. Go figure.

So for this guy's first game, he got a stuffed animal, french fries, chips, screaming, clapping, singing, cheering, a home run, and fireworks. I don't know how we do better the next time we go.

The Boys

It is funny how Grant and Logan are different. People ask us all the time if they are similar or different... and the answer is, of course, YES. It's funny when you have your first child, because you wonder what the two of you look like in one other human. Then if you have a second child, you wonder, how could it be different? As I have observed in many families, one child leans towards the father while the other leans towards the mother. Nature is kind in that way, giving both parents a bit of a high-five. People say all the time that Grant is a mini-Kyle, while Logan seems to have gotten the Siemens side of the eyes and facial structure. If nothing else, Grant has Kyle's teeth and Logan has my teeth (sorry dude, braces are in your future).

As for personalities, the boys change by the day. It is so hard to say how much is nature vs. nurture, and if they were each an only child would they have this same personality? I will remember Grant when he was an only child, but most likely he will only remember his life with Logan in it, and Logan will only remember his life with Grant in it. Hopefully, if this fairytale goes as it is supposed to, they will remember their entire lives with each other in it, even long after their mom and dad are gone.

But who knows what their personalities would be like if they were only children? Or if Logan came first? Or if Logan came when Grant was 5 years old instead of 2 1/2? The only one who can truly answer that is the guy with the white hair who watches all the TVs at the end of the Matrix movies.

Grant's personality tends to lean more towards following rules, although he is 3 1/2 going on 18 so of course he has his moments. His job is to have moments. It's called being a child and growing. Logan's personality, albeit he is only 14 months, tends to be more of "let's blow this up and see what happens" mode.

I feel like if we were on a hike in the Amazon, and we came up to a crossing where the bridge was out, Grant would stop us all, tell us the bridge was out, and then point to the sign that says "Bridge out." Meanwhile Logan would just go flying by us as fast as he could run yelling "I bet you I can jump it!" I feel like Logan has yet to learn the laws of Physics...mostly Gravity.  But who knows what tomorrow will bring. They may change personalities yet again. That's the fun part.

They are brothers. They are best friends one minute and mortal enemies the next. Grant loves Logan and Logan loves Grant and wants to do what Grant does. Sometimes Grant loves to boss Logan around a bit too much and sometimes Logan loves to bother Grant a bit too much, but that's how it goes... And then as a parent you hope and wish that they can find it in their hearts to be friends forever.

It is very interesting just from a human development perspective to see how Grant grew up and learned skills compared to Logan. Grant sat around and stared at my face all day. Not really, but you get the idea. We stayed home for nap times, we made sure he didn't fall down and covered all the sharp edges. With Logan, he never gets a proper morning nap because we have to be in the car taking Grant to and from school, and he has a brother to chase. I think having someone to chase is the best thing that could happen to you. Logan is not afraid to jump on Grant's bikes and do what Grant does. The minute he could walk Logan was chasing Grant around the house, and Grant was not only encouraging him to do it but to do it faster. From the moment Logan has learned any new skill, he has 3 people to ask him "Great, but can you do this?" And then he does!

When I played softball in high school and travel ball, no one told us we were good, but no one told us we weren't good either. We tried hard and we won a lot of games. Honestly, how do you determine how much of that is from what you think vs. what your skills are? I feel like Logan and Grant are the same way. We've never told Logan that he was younger, and he is clearly not aware, because he thinks he can do anything and everything, and he has Grant right there next to him challenging him to try. I see gray hair in my future.

Above is Logan on Grant's favorite red trike and below he's doing his best "Easy Rider" impression. His feet don't reach the pedals on either bike, but he has no idea and doesn't care.

I was wondering what Logan would think and do when Grant was at school every morning. Granted, 3 hours at school does not mean we get 3 hours at home alone. Every parent who as a kid at school knows that time goes by twice as fast for the parent at home while the child is at school. We may have 2 hours to play three times a week - I do get a sitter for Logan twice a week so I can go to boot camp. Kyle says I'm a nicer person after I go to boot camp. The first day we dropped Grant off at school, we came home and played in the basement. Here Logan is playing with the coveted and much protected train table, and he realized he could do what he wanted and Grant wasn't around. To say he was excited would be an understatement.

School

Back to Grant's school - Grant's school has Toddler (18 months) up to 6th grade.
It is a Montessori school and not a public school. Every Monday morning, they have a Morning Gathering, that all parents are invited to. It is a quick meeting of all students in the gym right after school starts. The meeting/assembly is run by the 6th graders and not faculty, and is used to celebrate birthdays for that month, go over special topics or field trips that a class just went on - like when we had the eclipse and they did a whole meeting explaining how the eclipse works - or the recent 4th grade field trip or anything else that one grade wants to share with the whole school. This is the first year Grant has gone to these as the Toddlers do not go - it would be like herding cats. Now that he is a Preschooler, he goes. Since Logan and I are already at school dropping Grant off, and parents are invited, Logan and I have been staying on Mondays just to see what the meetings are about.

I love that they start off with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the National Anthem. In the first Monday meeting when I say everyone stand up I realized (oh crap!) we have to practice the Pledge of Allegiance at home!

The reason we originally picked this school for Grant - we were looking for a school where Grant could go when he was about 2 years old just to learn social skills, be with other people, follow directions from other adults (not Mom), and really, to stare at someone else's face besides Mom's face for a while. I remember in CA that they had "more for 2's" school and things like that, but out here it was hard to find a school that started before 24 months that wasn't religious based or more of a glorified daycare. Then a friend of Kyle's recommended we check this school out and I fell in love. Even on the tour, I wanted to stay forever. I love this place. I love it more and more every time I go to a parent's meeting or meet a teacher I haven't met before. They do start children as young as 18 months, and since Grant was born in December that would put him in starting in summer school at 18 months, so we waited for the Fall session and started him at 20 months. Logan is a totally different story. He has a brother to chase and has grown leaps and bounds and is a different person because he has a big brother. He will hit the 18 month mark in December and start the Toddler class - just 2 days a week - in January with the same teacher Grant had.

Proof that we no longer have babies, but two grown boys. Grant can brush his own teeth and make macaroni and cheese. I figure that qualifies him for college at this point. I love our front door. It has become a hang out. I open it every morning and the boys look out over the court to see what's new. I leave the door open but the storm door shut all day and the dogs love to curl up and sleep in the sunshine and keep an eye on the street all day long.

Mr. Grant. 3 1/2 going on 18. I've heard it said that you only get 18 years with your children to raise and teach them, after that you just try to point them in a direction, give advice and support when asked and hope for the best. I don't think it's 18. I think it's more like 3 or 4. He is so clever and so insightful and sees things that I don't see, and just today he drew me shapes he knew -  in crayon - in the new carpet in the basement. 

Also at 3 1/2 we don't nap very much. Yes, we are tired often, but that afternoon nap eludes us. Every now and then, when we are so tired, he will lay down, and in the middle of all the commotion, he will rest. As a parent it is so hard not to curl up right next to him and hold him forever, but you can't. You have to let them rest.

Finally, just in case you forgot what Toby and Ollie looked like, here you go. These two make us crazy. They make each other crazy. Ollie is definitely Grant's buddy and will snuggle up to him any chance he gets. If I can't find Ollie when we go to bed it is because he is upstairs on Grant's bed. Toby however, is not a kid-friendly dog. He may make himself scarce when the boys are playing, but at the end of the night, when I sit down and maybe need a hug, he is always right there next to me - like magic.

Until next time, keep exploring! Love and hugs from our family to yours.

M, K, G, L, T & O

BAM! Just Like That, We Are 18 Months Old.

I say WE are 18 months old, because well...first of all, our little guy is 18 months old, but our family is 18 months old too. AND if you can do math and read the previous blog, it has been 6 looong months since we last blogged. Apologies. We've been busy.

And really, now that I get this finally posted, we are nearly 19 months old...sheesh

January and February

January and February meant snow was still on the ground. We ran outside every chance we got. We became very fast at putting on jackets and shoes and grabbing Toby and heading out for a walk in the sunshine in the wagon.

Toby loves to ride in the wagon with Grant, right up until he sees another dog or person he wants to say hi to. Then he jumps out and saunters over. 

In Jan and Feb we weren't walking too much on our own just yet. We could couch-surf and get around, but I wouldn't say walking just yet.

This table was and still is our favorite place to sit and play with toys. It makes for a good cave and train depot. 

March

March brought us a huge 15-month-old growth spurt. Check out the picture of Grant in the back of the truck. (We loooove Dad's truck!) This picture is from the beginning of March, compared to the picture down the page at the end of March. I think sometimes we put him to bed and when he wakes up he is measurably taller!

Sweet sweet face. Watching our favorite monkey, Curious George.

Chair, milk, and George.  Don't bother me, I'm watching. And yes, yes you see patches on his knees. He wasn't totally walking yet and was still getting around on his hands and knees sometimes. He wore holes through his pants, but since he was so close to walking, I bought patches and patched up his pants as fast as he could wear them out.

I swear he grew a longer neck overnight. 

March also meant it was our 11 year wedding anniversary. We did what any couple would do and packed up the kids (biped and quadruped) and went to the park. 

Look how much taller he is, just at the end of March. Scroll back up to the picture in the beginning of March (I'll wait). Yup, we keep feeding him and he keeps growing. 15 months going on 10 years old. 

April

In April the sun came out, the flowers bloomed, baseball started up again, and all was well with the universe. 

Walking!!!! We started walking!!! Check out this link to see some fantastic walking, and one excited mom. https://youtu.be/FTRuqd-DjG8

Sunday night baseball, Cardinals vs. Cubs

Still loving to play in Dad's truck, and getting bigger by the minute! He has yet to actually ask to drive it, thank goodness. 

April's great weather brought us to the park on many occasions. Our after-park ritual includes everyone in the back of the car for water and snacks, and so mom can pick dirt, plants, bugs and whatever else off us before we climb in the car. I used to pack separate snacks for both the biped and quadruped, but since they share and share alike, now we just have group snacks for everyone. 

May

Along with May came the sun and heat. It still quite comfortable to be outside though. 

Grant quickly learned how to relax by the pool. We are now professionals in how to play with the water table and plastic pool in the driveway.

Uncle Jason came for a visit! We had so much fun hanging out with him.

We have also realized how much fun a shower can be. Mom likes it because it is much faster than a bath, and Grant likes it because you can run around under water and still manage not to get wet. Mostly he likes to close the door and then bang on the walls for a bit.

Big thanks to Kyle for building Grant a sandbox frame! 

I didn't really want a sandbox on the ground, especially between all the rain we get and the animals and bugs that could climb inside. I saw this idea to get a large tote box instead and build a frame for it. Thankfully, Kyle is a building genius and after I showed him a picture of what I was looking for, BAM! he built it. 

We get haircuts with Dad now at the big boy haircut place. Here we are having a snack outside waiting for Dad to arrive for our appointment. 

Warmer weather means lots of backyard fun. Grant took to the idea of bean bags fairly quickly, although his distance could use some work. He settled for carrying them all to the other side and dropping them in the hole.

June

 Grant surprises us every day with what he understands, what he can do, and how he communicates back to us. We were outside playing in June, and I was turning on the hose. I told him to grab the end and fill his water table with the water when it came out. I turn on the hose,turn around, and this is what I see. 18 months going on 10 years. 

Toby wasn't happy with the towel I set out for him, so he waiting for the proper opportunity to steal my chair.

Twice a week we have co-op babysitting at our house so another mom and I can go to boot camp together. We have a babysitter come over and Grant gets to play with his new friend while we work out. The babysitter taught them to put the chairs by the window to sit and watch the birds and animals in the yard. Now Grant does this by himself, and he always takes both chairs over. Sometimes he lets us sit in the empty chair, sometimes not. I wonder who he is saving it for - or who is sitting there already?

Grant loves Dad snuggles.

Grant truly has a love of life and fun. He is happy to entertain himself with toys and books, and loves to color at his table. He loves to be outside and to go the park, but also sit and snuggle for a good book or Curious George cartoon. He is a smiler, a giggler, and is starting to show that he is a funny guy with a great personality. Every day is like meeting an old friend and still learning something new about them.  I love spending every minute with my little guy.

More fun from July coming soon!

Until our next adventure, keep on smiling, snuggling and smelling the world around you!

Big hugs,

M, K, G & T

Baseball Magic

Birthdays are funny to me.  I always feel like we celebrate the wrong people. So what if it's your birthday? What did you do? When you were born, you basically showed up and did what you were told to do. If not, they came in after you and pulled you out anyway. For that you get cake every year? No. Birthdays should be for the moms. This year, Mom was here for my birthday, and I could not have thought of a more fun way to hang out for the day. We did joke about calling it "Happy Squeeze Day", or "Sorry about that whole pushing out ordeal" day, or other things that really should not be typed for the general public to read, but in the end, I was very happy to be able to give Mom a hug and say thanks. That made my day.

Kyle surprised me with a tour of Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals! Sooo fun. Surprise #2 was that our friends Judith and Kim met us at the stadium because it was Kim's birthday weekend too. Happy faces on a happy day...a cold day, but still happy!

For those of us who grew up in California, it is still weird to me to see snow on a baseball field. Also, we noticed when we toured the stadium from the box seats, there were footsteps in the snow out to the pitcher's mound, but no footsteps walking back. Where did they go?  I'm assuming it was baseball magic and leaving it at that.

We also got to tour the dugouts and sit where the players sit. Very cool. You get a great perspective of what the players can see during a game.
Ahem...yes, I know I only have one glove on. I had to take off a glove to take pictures with the camera and it was too much of a pain to keep putting it back on, so I had one cold hand the whole time.

 

 Here's the whole gang: Mom, Kyle, me, Kim and Judith.

After the tour, the five of us went to for brunch to Rooster's. Crepes, mimosas and Bloody Marys for all! Afterward, we went home for a much needed Official Birthday Nap time.

For dinner, I really didn't want to have to get dressed up and go out just to eat dinner with two of my favorite people. Instead, we stayed in! Kyle and Mom made a lovely dinner of steak, salmon, asparagus and potatoes - and really, a fabulous dinner you can eat at home in comfy clothes with your family beats getting dressed up and eating with strangers. I'll put Kyle's steak up to a restaurant steak any day.  It was a tasty way to close out a fun day.

While Mom was here, she made a few jackets for Toby (who in their head just thought "of course she did")! And when I say "made", I mean sewn from a pattern that was 3 times too big, so she had to cut it down, sew a little, measure him again, sew a little and on and on. If we were lucky, he would sit still for his fitting (not). Mostly, it was me holding him still, while Mom tried to pin fabric on him to see if it fit, and then trying to pull it off again without poking him with the pins.

Here are two coats from "Mama Leona's" winter fashion line.

Here you see Toby wearing the Red Quilted coat, more for a formal outing to the park, such as meeting the Queen.  This coat leaves plenty of room to run, with a velcro chest strap and another velcro tummy wrap to keep his stomach warm. The coat was measured perfectly so when he sits down, it covers him all the way to the ground, but leaves enough room and space to run and play.

Mental note: Tummy wraps are a great idea for keeping his tummy warm, and also a good way to keep his tummy clean. The underside of the coat was covered in mud spots when we got home.

Mental note #2: On next coat, make tummy wrap smaller. Toby does not lift a leg and pee, but just seems to stop running long enough to go potty and then he's back to running again. He wound up peeing all up the front of the jacket. Very inappropriate if you are planning on meeting the Queen.

Here Toby is wearing the more informal, every-day use Fleece Puppy Paw coat. Not so ideal for meeting the Queen, but definitely useful when meeting a few friends at the park for a game of football. Same fantastic velcro chest strap, with a new and improved thinner tummy velcro strap, with special added detail of a collar on the back of his neck. You can see the collar folded down in the picture above. This jacket is also known as the "Sherlock Holmes" coat, which is exactly what Toby looked like when he popped his collar to walk around the park. That's how he rolls.

Yes, he is so nice and comfy warm that I swear he is smiling in this picture.

Not to be outdone at the park, here is Mama Leona herself, wrapped up like a Russian grandmother. Well, it was really cold outside, and we weren't done walking yet. Mom was definitely a trooper while she was here! She never said no to a trip to the park with Toby or out for a walk. She just put on her boots, coat and scarf and out we went on our next adventure.

And in case you didn't get enough of him already, here is Toby, looking extremely cute on our lazy football Sunday. Sometimes I think he owns the place.

Thanks for reading! Until our next adventure, keep on smiling, snuggling, and smelling the world around you.


Big hugs,
Mandi, Kyle and Toby