Playdate at Gymnastic Joes

Yesterday had a playgroup meeting at Gymnastic Joes.  To say that we had fun would be an UNDERSTATEMENT!!!  One thing that I love about this blog is that I can go back and compare the pictures from yesterday to the ones from the 1st time we went in September.  I knew that Elaina would have changed a lot, but I was surprised at Josiah.  I could not believe how much he had grown.  Click here to see the pictures from September.  The main difference in this time and last is that Josiah didn't care if I was close to him or not. 

He ran and jumped on the trampolines, kicked the balls all over the place, and jumped into the foam block pit.  He got mad when I tried to slow him down to get a picture.  That is why all the pictures of him are from a distance.

I wish I could have gotten a picture of how he would jump into the foam pit.  He would run down the trampoline and stop.  Then he would jump so that his bottom hit the edge of the trampoline (it was one of those that you practice tumbling on so no springs on end)  and bounce down to the padded step, land on it with his bottom and then bounce into the pit.  I bet next time he will just run and jump right in without even slowing down.

Since Josiah didn't want to slow down for a picture I knew there was no way to get a family shot, so I took several of Elaina.  I did ask him to sit by Sissy for a picture and he yelled no as he ran past, but I would have rather him ran and had fun than sat by us  the whole time.

Elaina had fun, but all she wanted to do was stand up holding on to one of the wedges.  She thought she was so big that she could do that.  Notice the bow in her hair.  Josiah picked it out.  He was messing with stuff in her room so I asked him if Sissy needed a bow to distract him.  He said that he would get it and pulled that pink head band off her bow board (it was the only one that he could reach, but it matched).  Then I pointed at three different bows (2 pink bows and a white flower) and asked which one she needed to wear.  He looked at them and said no the green (his favorite color) one.  I asked are you sure and he said yes the green one, so Elaina wore the green bow.  It actually matched one of the buttons her dress, but she would have wore it even if it didn't.  The funny thing about this is that this was one of the few times she left her bow on all morning, normally she will pull it off in the truck.

Towards the end Josiah ran up to me and said "I need a snack,Momma."  He was all red faced from playing so hard.  I had remembered to pack him a cup of water so I gave it to him and he got a really big drink and ran off to play some more.  He must have been really tired from playing so much, because when it was time to stop playing and get a snack he did not fuss at all.  He went and sat at the table with out he having to tell him.

I am so proud of how my little boy is growing up, but it is happening way to fast.  Oh yeah, I almost forgot!  I had him dressed in his green Rudolph shirt and while I was getting dressed he came running up to me with a shirt half on his head.  He was saying that he wanted to wear his Razorback shirt, so I helped him put in on over his green shirt.

A look into our life

Who knew that Tooties Rolls could be so messy

Or that he would want to play peek a boo while covered in tooties roll

Played so hard with Tyler that he fell asleep in Sarabeth's bed

Elaina and Amanda playing dolls

Elaina play too hard.  She fell asleep on the floor.  This NEVER happens when tired this little girl wants her bed.

Josiah had to help clean the carpet

Happy Birthday Jesus Party and a Christmas Parade

A few weeks ago we went to a Happy Birthday Jesus party with Miss Patty Cake.  I thought that it was a local thing that was just some one dressed up doing a performance, but apparently it is a "real" character.  It was really fun and Josiah had a good time dancing to the music and singing.  During the story time all the kids got a little restless, but we made it through.  This was one of the times that I was really glad that Josiah is a little clingy in new places, because a lot of the other kids were trying to get on the stage during the story, but Josiah was staying right around our table. 

Eating breakfast at the Happy Birthday Jesus party.

Josiah kept asking where's the cake.

Elaina had fun too!!!

Dancing to the music

We also were able to go to the Christmas Parade in one of the nearby towns.  Ours was the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we had just gotten back into town about an hour before it started and it was rainy so we decided to past on it this year.  It was really cold that night, but we had a good time.  We were kind of bad parents because we forgot Josiah's heavy coat at home, but he had enough layers on that I don't think that he missed it much.  We meet a really nice man that worked for the Benton County Sheriffs office and he invited us to sit in the jeep with him and his wife (she is a teacher).  They were parked right on the side of the road so Josiah had the perfect view of the parade.  I can't remember their names but we were so thankful they let us sit in there vehicle.  I didn't take a lot of pictures because it is really hard to take pictures and hold a baby.

The baby girl version of the kid in A Christmas Story.

Elaina thinks we are crazy!

Waiting on the parade

Family pic wasn't going to happen.  Josiah was taking everything in.

 

Christmas tree

We put up our Christmas tree a few weeks ago and once again I am way behind in the blogging. I think I will let pictures tell the story.

Josiah was measuring himself with the tree

Making ornaments with glitter pens

He figured out if he held the pen above the stocking and squeezed he would get lots of glitter.

Decorating the tree in Josiah's room

Hanging all the sports ornaments

He found the soccer goal and was setting it up (notice the soccer ball in his hand)

Trying to kick the soccer ball into the goal.

Putting the star on top

He really liked this area to put ornaments

Elaina supervising from the Jumperoo

Decorating the big tree

Helping Mommy decorate

Again Elaina is supervising.  Gotta love those bright blue eyes.

1st Snow at the new house

Tuesday we woke up to a light dusting of snow.  I know that it was not much for here, but just moving up here from South Arkansas seeing snow in December is rare.  I took a few pictures before Josiah got up. 

When Josiah woke up, I let him go through his normal routine.  He pushes the button to turn on the Christmas tree lights, tells me to pull in the star.  After that we go over to the fire place for me to plug in the garland and then the wreath  (and I better do it in that order or he will go crazy).  Finally he looks around to find Jeff (Elf on the Shelf) and then we are good to start the day or go watch cartoons in daddy's bed.  After we found Jeff, I told him that I had a surprise for him.  He got all excited and I picked him up and opened the front door.  As we looked out I asked him what it was and he said I don't know momma.  I told him that it was snow and asked if he wanted to play in it.  He said yes so I told him that we had to get shoes on.  I put his shoes on and we went in the backyard.  I heard Elaina starting to wake up so I didn't want to stay out long.

Of course has he was walking out to see the snow he slipped down.  He also kept telling that the snow covered his stuff.  He was talking about all his toys that were under the patio.  He was really concerned about his jeep and football helmet.

He thought that it was funny that the snow was sticking to his shoes.  He ran a quick lap around the yard and then came back to me and said that he needed a jacket.  So went in without a fuss (so my plan of no coat worked) and he ate breakfast while I got Elaina up.  After breakfast he got dressed and we went back out for a few more minutes before we went to preschool.

He was still worried out his stuff.  He tried to dump all the snow out off his football helmet and when that didn't work he handed it to me & told me to go wash it.  When I told him we had to go get ready for school he took off running for the gate and said ok.  I guess he wasn't worried about Elaina since it was snowing.  I did take her out and let her look at the snow, but didn't get any pictures of her.  I didn't really want to set her down in the snow just to get a picture.  I'll do that next time.

This morning after our morning Christmas light routine he told me that he had to go check something.  I asked him what he needed to check and he said that he needed to check if the snow came back.  I went and raised his blinds so he could check the yard and told him that the snow didn't came back today, but that I bet it would come back again someday soon.  He said ok momma.

8 Months Old

Where did the time go?  Our baby girl turned 8 months old Saturday!!!!!

At 8 months

• weights 25 lbs
• length
• wears a size 3 diaper although we moved you into a size 4 yesterday (Monday) when I had to open a new box.
• wears 12 month clothes; you can wear a few of you nine moths.  I don't think we are going to make it through the winter in the 12 months.  Anything that we buy now is a size 18 months
• you have fine blond hair and it is about an inch long but you still look bald b/c it is do fine
• you have 7 teeth 3 of the top ones and 1 bottom one have come in this past month.  You got your right top lateral one came in Nov 5 and then you middle 2 came in Nov 21 and 22.
• your 7th tooth was a surprise to us.  It came in 12/6 and I did not know you were getting it.  I discovered it when someone at preschool asked about your teeth.  I was opening you mouth to show them and noticed the new one.  When I told you daddy he called you a trooper b/c the majority of your teeth have came in with out us even knowing that you were teething.
• you where sick on you 8 month birthday.  We had to take you to a walk-in clinic (1st sick visit) that was open on Saturdays.  You yellow gunk draining out of your eyes and we decided to take advantage of some of the services offered up here and get it treated before it got bad.  We also found out that you had the beginning stages of an ear infection so it was just a matter of time before you became one sick baby.  Thankfully we caught it before you got really sick and started feeling really bad.  You haven't acted like you feel bad, just been sleeping a lot.  Also we got the eye infection under control before it spread to anyone else.
• You have moved past rolling to army crawling.  You are super fast and love to crawl all over the place.  If we sit you down on your hands and knees you will rock back and forth but soon drop down to your belly to army crawl and give us a look that says this is to much work.
• You showed us you could sit up on my birthday (Nov 20).  I was starting to get a little concerned because you were not sitting up yet.  I had tried to sit you up several times and you would always fall over almost immediately.  Several of the time you fell hard and like you had no control.  Well grandma and papaw were up here and they were watching you while we ran a few errands.  Grandma sit you up and you sat there and played for several minutes and then eased do to the floor and crawled after a toy.  Now you sit up for me all the time.
• You are eating all kinds of food now.  Mainly sweet potatoes, green beans, carrots, and green peas, and all kinds of fruit and of course you rice cereal and oatmeal.  We also have given you juice in a sippy (bc you want take a bottle) and you played with it more than drinking it.  I have actually made you veggies.  I was shocked at how easy it was.
• You LOVE Josiah.  You have even started to try to "play" with him.  The other day you kept crawling over to him just to make him scream.  At first I didn't know what you were doing, but as I watched I realized you were going over to touch him to make him fuss.  I figured out that I noticed you were kicking your legs, waving you arms, and laughing ever time he ran away screaming that you touched him.
• You are a really happy baby.  Like I said earlier we rarely know when you are teething because you are just always happy, smiling, and laughing.  Saturday when you were sick you were still smiling.  You have also started making this squealing sound that you like to do when you are really happy.

• You have decided that if you don't want to sit down then you will lock you legs to stand up.  You are very stable when you stand up; your legs are strong you just need a finger to hold on to for balance.  You even convinced your daddy to let you walk across the room holding his fingers.  You will stand as long as we let you.  I don't think your legs will ever get tired.

A visit to the fire station

A few weeks ago the preschool group went to visit to fire station.  Josiah was unsure of everything at first but when it was time to go he was giving them all high fives and telling them see you later.  He did not really like the fireman that was wearing all the fire gear, especially when he put his mask on and started breathing through it.  I think that he would have climbed up onto my head if I would have let him. 





Josiah did not like this part at all 

After they showed the fireman in his gear we got to go see the ambulance and fire trucks.  The fireman did a great job getting the kids to open up and participate.  They kept working with them until the kids would talk to them. 

I think that Elaina is the only kids listening; all the others are checking out the trucks.

The fire man got a good laugh when
Josiah called this a toy ax (from his little a book)

After seeing the ax he started to open up.  He got excited when he got to hold one of the nozzles for the hose.  I had to tell him it was ok to hold it.  They also let the kids hold one of the hoses that was rolled up. 

Heaby (heavy) Momma!!

After Josiah the other kids wanted to hold it too.

Josiah was really excited to hold the hose until he saw the bird fly by.  I wish I had
gotten the fireman's face in the picture, he was trying hard not to laugh

Next the kids got to sit in the fire truck.  Josiah didn't really want to at first, so all the other kids got to sit in it.  As we were about to move on to the next thing he wanted to, so the fireman told him to climb on up.  He was acting all scared so they told him that I could sit in it with him.  I sat him up in the truck and handed the camera to one of the other moms, and I as I started to climb into the truck I heard "No, Momma, No."  He had decided that he didn't want me up there with him.

Future fireman?

Josiah ABSOLUTE favorite thing was getting to shoot water (spray the fire hose).  He jumped up there first when they asked if anyone wanted to spray the hose.  He didn't look at me to see if it was ok or wait to see what the others did; he just ran up to the guy that asked.  He actually grabbed the lever and started spraying the water before the guy checked the setting and of course the other fireman had set it so it would blow back on the one holding the hose.

Getting ready to knock the cone down with the water

Hey you set this up to get us wet.  Josiah got them back though,
he tried to spray them after he knocked down the cone.

This is how it is suppose to work.

We really had a good time at the fire station and would like to thank all the fireman who took the time to show us around.

Oh and we can't forget about Elaina.  She had fun in her stroller playing with her toys, but she knew how to get attention.  Anytime that someone would talk to her she would just kick her feet and laugh, so they would keep talking to her.



Elaina playing with her toys



Some one is talking to me, time to be super cute.