Growing up fast

 

Riley and Ryan are growing up so fast right before our eyes. They are saying more and more words each day and definitely communicating with or without words with no problem. They are sharing well (most of the time) and listen to us fairly well. They are learning "no" and "no touch" and follow instructions from us. Riley LOVES taking care of her brother. There is never a minute that Ryan doesn't have his cup because Riley makes sure he has it at all times. They are a joy to be around and I love watching them develop a true friendship.

 

They are loving the chairs that Gramma brought them and have been mesmerized by the new "hand me down" dvd's from the Fenzls. They love watching the new shows and we love the momentary break it gives us to have a somewhat silent house. We were able to have 2 date nights this week! Gramma came and watched them on Tuesday night for us to have a night out alone and then Grandaddy came and spent the night last night so we could go out with 4 other couple friends from our neighborhood. Both nights were great and we LOVED being able to spend some quality adult time together. It's just a glimpse of our week long vacation and I'm already so excited I can hardly stand it. This time next weekend we will be on our ship sitting down to our first dinner! YAY!!!! I'm really hoping that I will be feeling better and be 100% well by then.

We went to Zack's 1st birthday party yesterday and Riley and Ryan loved exploring their house and playing with some new toys, but I think the highlight for them was drinking the juice boxes. It's amazing how excited they get over such a simple task. The love love love drinking from straws. They get so excited that I wish we could let them do it all the time, but it definitely requires our undivided attention so they don't squirt it everywhere, so it's not so practical just yet. We'll still let it be a nice treat! When we got home from the party Grandaddy came over and gave the their first Easter bunnies! They hugged on them and loved playing with them and Grandaddy. He put them to bed with no problem and I think all 3 of them were asleep way before we got home. :)


 

It's been another cold and rainy weekend so we spent a fair amount of time inside just playing in the house. They have discovered these ottomans in the family room and love climbing up and down on them as well as sitting on them like big kids. I know one of them will do a nose dive off of them, but hopefully they will get the hang of it before any major catastrophes! While they were playing in the house, I spent 2 1/2 hours working on their closet. I took out the heavy winter clothes and put in all of their spring clothes. It was a major task, but I'm so happy to have it behind me. Also - I'm reminded of just how blessed we are to have friends that are so generous to give us their hand me downs. I think Riley has about 20 spring and summer dresses in her closet and most of them are beautiful hand me downs! They are both going to be well dressed this season!

Today they went to the grocery store with dad and then we went to get Ryan a trim. They are having their pictures taken in Washington on Saturday. Gramma, Grandaddy and Aunt Heather will be taking them, so we wanted him to look his best. Then we went to the mall for a quick return, but had to stop by the food court for some ice cream at Johnny Rockets. I thought they would really like it, but they cared more about the spoons than the actual ice cream. Next time we'll know just to give them spoons. It's cheaper and a lot less messy!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090324SchoolDays#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090328ZackSBirthdayParty#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090328EasterBunniesFromGrandaddy#

Video Debut!

This is the video for “The Baby Grands” that Riley and Ryan participated in. You will see a lot of our friends - especially, Katharyn and Paul, but R&R are in here – Riley several times and them together almost at the end holding a sign that says “movement”. Fun stuff!

PS - you will probably figure this out, but you will need to pause the music playlist for the site on the left column so you don't hear my music at the same time as the music video...

Here's the link - just in case http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBjwlWfZqYo

Ryan, the biter...

I went in to pick up the kiddos this afternoon and saw a piece of paper folded in half taped to Ryan's cubby. I thought to myself - that can't be good...and I was right. Ryan has a bit of an issue with biting these days. This is now the third time he has bitten another child (one of which was his sister) in his class. I can't imagine this tender hearted teddy bear of a sweet little boy biting other kids, but he's "that kid". No one wants their child to be the biter in a class, but he seems to be the one that has won the title over the last few weeks. Riley has also bitten once, but with Ryan I'm hoping three times is the charm. They tell me there is nothing we can do other than talk to him about not biting because this is just a phase (hopefully) and that this is just how he is expressing himself right now...especially since he's teething. I'm hoping not to receive this note ever again, but I have a feeling I will see it once or twice more. I'm betting we'll get this at some point with the check mark on the other line where someone has retaliated and we'll know what it feels like to be bitten rather than being the biter. I don't think it feels good to be on either side of this issue. We'll just keep on reading the book "teeth are not for biting" and keep our fingers crossed that this "phase" passes sooner than later!

In all of the drama of the biting, I almost forgot to mention that Ryan and Riley each "said" a new word today! When I said to the kids "are you ready to go home"? Ryan replied back to me and said "HOME"! Out of nowhere - just like that - he said this new word...like he's been saying it for days. I was amazed. Then when I was buckling Riley into her seat she was tugging at the straps and I asked her "are you going to help me strap you in"?, she responded with the sign for "help"! I've been trying to get her to use the sign rather than whining when she needs help with something and she totally got it! She used it in a totally different context than we've been teaching her, but she definitely knew what she was doing! Way to go kiddos!

---proud mama again (even when they bite)

Riley

This was a photo that was taken of Riley July 17, 2008. She was just 9 months old, but I love how her eyes show up in this shot. I think it was taken by one of her teachers at school. I found this website that has the tools to do all kinds of enhancements to your photos and just whipped this up. I thought it turned out so well that I'd share it on the blog. I love this saying and hope to incorporate it into each of their big girl/big boy rooms. Don't her eyes tell a story?

---proud mama

Sunday Best

We had a jam packed Spring weekend. We started off Friday with a trip to the park for about an hour and a half of play time. The kiddos had a blast going down the slide and playing with the neighbors. They sure did sleep well after a long day at school and all of that time at the park. I have been sick all week, so I was very thankful to finally be feeling better. I'm sure Kevin was glad to have me back to the land of the living too. We ran a few errands on Saturday that included a trip to the Cobb Farmers Market. It was our first visit to this Farmers Market, but it definitely will not be our last. It was set up very much like a grocery store, but had lots of great stuff at great prices. The kiddos loved seeing all the different items. Then we went to Play2Grow. They have just a few classes left, so we are trying to enjoy each and every minute of our classes. They are now the "seniors" in the class so they love showing all the younger children how to do everything. They and a few other kids "own" the class. It's a lot of fun to see them where the "big kids" were when we started. They took a good nap after a lunch trip to our favorite Mexican restaurant. Kevin worked hard staining our deck. We had it sprayed last time, but it only lasted 3 years, so he is hand painting it this time hoping we won't be doing it again anytime soon. It's been a lot of work, but he pressure washed, sanded and stained for many hours....still not done, but hopefully this project will be completed after next weekend. We met Gramma and Grandaddy for lunch at The Colonnade for lunch today. It's an Atlanta landmark that none of us had ever been to before. We had fried chicken (1 lunch serving was 2 breasts and 2 wings with 2 sides and bread) and all the fixin's. It was absolutely phenomenal! We will definitely be going back. The kids enjoyed spending time with their Grandparents and were fairly well behaved. I was able to run some errands during their nap time getting ready for our cruise. We are under the 2 week mark! This time 2 weeks from now, we'll be sailing away! I am SO looking forward to this trip. I know Riley & Ryan will have fun with Gramma, Grandaddy and Aunt Heather for the week! There will be great stories to tell by everyone, I'm sure. We snapped a few photos before church this morning. Riley was running from the camera, but I snagged a few good shots. Have a great week!

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090322SundayDress#

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Web Album Added: http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090317StPatrickSDay#

Weekend Getaway to Washington

We had a nice relaxing weekend away to Washington, GA to visit the house Gramma grew up in. It was a cold and rainy weekend so relaxing was all we had on the schedule! We had a nice drive down and got great biscuits on the way. We arrived around lunch time and got settled into our seats soon after we arrived. Riley & Ryan walked into the house like they had been let free! They loved the open space to run around as well as playing with their new toys. Gramma was able to get the old record player going so we danced around to some old 45 records. They loved it! We listened to a lot of music since the only tv was a small one in Gramma's room. They danced and danced. After a nap and some more afternoon playing, we needed to get out, so we went out to the store (what else do you do on a Saturday night in a small town?) and then back home for dinner and bath. The hot water didn't cooperate so bath consisted of getting in the tub and getting wet and then getting back out, but we went through the motions. They slept hard until Riley woke up with a fever. She was wide awake, but Gramma and I think she was almost hallucinating (not really). She was cracking us up as she kept pointing to the tv and wiping her hands on her face. She finally settled down and they woke up this morning at 6:30 sharp (almost fever free)! We played around a bit more this morning. Ryan loved watching the dvd's on the little portable dvd player. After we all got dressed and got the house tidied up we headed home, but not after a trip to the Home Cafe for lunch. I had some fantastic fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and green beans! Home cooking at it's best!

We stopped by for a visit with Grandaddy before heading home. He had some new toys we had picked out on our trip to Ikea, so the kiddos were well pleased to have something new to play with (esp since they have so few toys). They loved playing on the big couch with all the pillows. We were even able to keep them pre-occupied enough not to keep going back to the stairs. The plan was for R&R to take their naps in the car on the way home from Washington, but the only one that slept well was me! Ryan slept for about 30 minutes and Riley only fell asleep just before we got to our house. oh well... we have some very tired kiddos tonight that are fighting sleep as we speak. They are more than ready for night night, but are so tired they are fighting hard. I give it about 3 more minutes...

Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090314TripToWashingtonGA#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090315VisitAtGrandaddyS#

Boo Boo Bulletin #???

I know I will never be able to keep up with how many times Riley falls and hits her head, but she fell again today at school. She has a big shiner on her forehead that I anticipate turning all shades of purple, green and yellow.

Spring is in the Air

One very important fact I did not include in my last post is that Ryan has discovered the word “no”. As Gramma pointed out, it’s a bit early to learn this since he’s only 17 months old – it’s usually something a 2 year old like to use on a regular basis. He tells the dogs “no no no” while shaking his finger at them. I guess he’s seen us do it over and over and over again that he’s learned to say it himself! They have both learned “ugh oh” and it’s hilarious to see them drop something and then with a big smile utter those words! This time in their lives is so much fun for me. I’ve really enjoyed seeing them picking up new words and understanding what I’m saying to them. They try to repeat a lot of the words we say. Shoes. Socks. Book. Dog. Milk. Juice. More. Please. Thank You. Ball. Night Night. They are really picking up on a lot! They are following directions as well. I will ask Riley to pick up the cup and take it to Ryan and she does (but only when she wants to, of course). They understand what I say to them! I tell them to “go to their chairs – it’s time for dinner” and they hurry over to their chairs. It’s so rewarding and much easier than having to do everything for them. They are very proud of themselves too, so there is a lot of clapping and cheering going on in our house.

Since it’s been in the 70’s the last few days, we were able to bring out some of their new spring clothes. They look so cute I just had to snap a few shots. Most of the clothes in these shots were provided via Aunt Heather and Uncle Brad and the pink gingham dress Riley is wearing was won by Gramma at the auction last Fall at Riley & Ryan’s school. I have to admit that dresses are not real practical for how active Riley is, but she sure does look cute!



Kevin was out of town this weekend visiting a friend that is in the Marines and about to ship out to Afghanistan, so I was flying solo with the kiddos. We had a great weekend! We went to visit with some friends that had a baby 4 months ago – we were way overdue for a visit – and then headed to Play2Grow. I had to be on my toes trying to keep up with them. I was exhausted after the 50 minute class, but we had a lot of fun. There were a few others helping me keep an eye on the very active kiddos. While they napped I even snuck in some time in the yard trimming the bushes. The hedges were in great need of a trim and I loved being outside in the nice weather. After nap time, we headed to a new park that we had not been to before. Riley & Ryan loved running around and watching Katharyn & Paul climb all over the place. We had a nice dinner with the Fenzls on Saturday evening – they treated me to a great steak and baked potato dinner! :) A jam-packed fun-filled day…

Sunday morning (after springing forward and losing an hour) we made it to church on time and Gramma and Aunt Dot met us there. We went to lunch afterward and everyone was very well behaved. When they woke up, Daddy got home and then Grandaddy came over with new toys he got them while he was in Moldova. They loved playing with all the new “stuff” and we just love the fact that most everything he brought them makes a nice new sound. Lots of new sounds. We love toys with new sounds. I finally had to turn off the train that just kept going and going and going. Did I mention they all have sounds? J Overall, I thought the weekend would be a lot of work by myself (which it was), but the kiddos are just so much fun right now that the work seems fun! I have loved every stage so far, but I have to say that this is my favorite phase thus far. Although I cannot wait until our vacation in 26 days (who’s counting?), it’s going to be tough to leave them for a whole week. I know they will have a blast with Gramma, Grandaddy and Aunt Heather, as we will on our cruise – but I’m already missing them!

Web Albums Added:

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090305SpringFashion#

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090307Park#

http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090308VisitWithGrandaddy#

Riley's Boo Boo & Snow!

Riley has become very comfortable with her walking and running, but has had a few major splats lately. One of which was a splat on the pavement at school and the pavement won. Miraculously enough, they said there was no blood, but now we have a beautiful scab to show as a memento for the event. She is not bothered by it one bit, but all I can think about was how bad that must have hurt when it happened!



They have some new chairs that Gramma gave them. They've been down at the house in Washington, but Gramma brought them to our house since they will probably get more usage out of them here. They are enjoying sitting in them to watch their shows on tv. Notice the paint brush in Riley's hand? This is one her latest favorite toys. She carries it around with her a lot. It's a paint brush that was in the goody bag from Paul's birthday party in December, but she has now latched onto it. We "brush" our hair, the walls and just about anything we can find.



I was in Birmingham for a baby shower on Saturday for my college friend, Jen. It was a beautiful shower and several of us stayed in Birmingham to catch up with the college girls. It was so much fun to hang out (with no kids) and talk. We went out for a nice dinner on Saturday night (without kids, gold fish, sippy cups, you get the picture) and it was a great time. When we woke up on Sunday, there was snow on the ground and LOTS more coming down, so we hopped on the road hoping to miss the worst of the storm. When we pulled into our driveway at 11:30, the rain in Atlanta turned to snow and we had an afternoon of beautiful fluffy white snow flakes. It was the hardest I've seen it snow here since I was a child. As soon as the snow was over and the ground was nice and covered, it started raining and almost all the snow was gone by the time we went to bed. Gramma came over to wait out the big storm with us and she spent the night. The power went out off an on all night, but we survived! The ground froze, so most of the schools here were closed today, including Open Arms. Riley and Ryan had their first official snow day today! We stayed in our PJ's and even had Happy Meals from McDonald's for lunch! As of now, there is not a drop of snow on the ground and really no ice. It's sunny, but still very very cold. We are heading back to work and school tomorrow, but not before an anniversary dinner (7 years today) for mom and dad tonight! Kevin planned an evening out for us (arranged a babysitter and all), so we are heading out after the kiddos hit the hay! :)



Web Albums Added:
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090228RileySBooBoo#
http://picasaweb.google.com/hutchinson.heidi/20090301Snow#