more skating and naps

It's been below freezing here for over a week so we've been Skating on the swamp/pond next to our house. I meant to write the other day that Nathan's skating coach said "he's still working it out in his head how to work both feet on ice" and she mentioned that his left foot is lagging....he doesn't have the courage yet to pick that one up. Matt shoveled some of the pond but where there is snow, Nathan actually did lift his feet in the 1, 2 pattern. We have skated a few times now outside and it's fun as long as the boys are well rested and fed before starting!

This afternoon, I went in to check the boys after I put them down for their nap. Thomas' crib was empty and I couldn't find him in his room! The last picture shows where he crashed.

The boys are SO much fun right now! As if we haven't been having fun all along. They are trying to talk and will happily repeat everything. I'm so thankful to have them.

New Video!

Thomas can officially skate, and Nate isn't far behind!

baths and parrots

The boys have taken to "swimming" during their bath which sometimes even means putting their face in the water! They still really enjoy bathtime. Nathan's skin is a little more sensitive so during these winter months we have to curb the time spent in the water. I noticed yesterday his facial cheeks looked a little like they had hives after he got out.

Last night at dinner, Matt was feeding Thomas and I was feeding Nathan. I looked over and saw that Matt and Thomas were almost done and mentioned that I guess they were going to beat us. Matt looked at us and said "loser!". Thomas immediately clearly said "loser!". We laughed so hard which in turn made the boys start giggling! We have two little parrots....something we must remember.

Nathan is sporting a new Sabre's hat. It's a little snug but he likes it because it's a blue cap just like his Grandpa Howe's. We finally got a whole inch of snow, so I took them out sledding on the driveway. Nathan cried at first, but he thought it was okay after a few runs. Thomas seemed to enjoy the sledding. You can see they were doing a little shoveling too. The last picture shows the boys in the desk. Nathan is standing on the window sill and Thomas is on the arm of the chair.



Favorite words:
No
uh-oh
hi
hello
Doodle
baaaa (as in what does the sheep say?)
Actually, most of their animal sounds are pretty clear. We practice those in the car.

They started their second session of ice skating. They only cried when they left me but then cleared up for the rest of the 45 minutes. Both boys remembered their skills from last year. Thomas is very motivated and will skate by himself. Nathan is still hestitant to pick up his feet, but will just glide by letting his feet slowly go apart. I think their favorite part is still the dum dum lollipop afterwards.

The boys play often with their match box cars. Nathan particularly is good at making the noises to accompany the moving car.

They love the story about the 5 little monkeys jumping on the bed. They wag their fingers saying "no more, no more".

Trampoline and Outlets

The boys received a mini-trampoline for Christmas and we have it blown up in our dining room right now. Check out their hair! They like it best when their Daddy flops it around so that it feels like an earthquake.

The boys and I went down to the outlets last Friday. We met our friend Sara and her daughter Isabelle. Check out Thomas, who is holding her hand, he looks smitten with her in all the pictures. She is saying "cheeeeeeeeese" in the second to last picture.

Walkerton, Ontario vacation (rev 1)

Here are a few pictures from our days in Ontario. The boys were given Maple Leaf Sabres hats and gloves from their Aunt. We had to get pictures as according to Thomas and Nathan's father, it was the first and last time they were going to wear them!



We went ice skating one afternoon. The Walkerton rink had PVC stands for the beginner skaters to push around so we tried them. The boys were a little short for them and didn't have enough weight to push them, but with the help of an adult, they worked out fine. I attached a picture of Thomas walking outside of the rink with his skates on. As you can see, he walks well with his skates on which is an accomplishment in itself.



On the four wheelers, Matt has Nathan and Rob has Thomas. As cold as it was, we could hardly get the boys off the machines when it was time to go in. Had there been any snow, we might of been able to take them on the snowmobiles but alas, not this year.

More from Rochester

Here are a few pictures from our days at Thomas and Nathan's grandparents in Rochester. The first picture shows the boys checking out the lights on the tree. Thomas is checking out his new vacuum cleaner while Nathan is playing with a wire frame with beads. The last two pictures show Nathan rocking on a toy train while Thomas was up on the couch patting his new cousin on the head.

Lately Nathan has taken to kissing the fish style. He sucks in his cheeks and gives a big smack. Thomas on the other hand is getting a little stingy with his kisses. He is better at giving them if you tell him to go kiss so and so, but if you ask for one, chances are, you won't get it. It's very cute to see the boys giving each other a kiss.

Updates!

New Years Update!

Dec. 26 we went to the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester New York. The boys loved it! We have every intention to frequent it as often as we are in western NY. We met my brother, Tim and his wife Kelly there (they live just around the corner from the museum). Matt's parents also came bringing Nate and Tommy's cousin Noah. The first picture shows the boys playing shadow volleyball. They thought it was hilarious. The next picture is Tim and Thomas on Sesame Street TV. There were a few different station for digging in the "sand". The museum also has a kid-size grocery store with carts just their size. See Nathan riding the conveyer belt? That was his uncle's idea! The final picture shows a small train we rode with the boys including Grandpa. Video will follow! We also checked out their butterfly conservatory. Nathan actually held a butterfly on his fingers. After a few hours of playing, we had lunch at the museum with Tim and Kelly.

We had Christmas at Matt's parents in Rochester. The boys still were learning about unwrapping but towards the end they seemed to get the hang of it. I must admit, there was one specific empty box that seemed to enthrall them! It was just big enough for them to climb in. Isn't that the way? Nathan also had a heyday throwing out the wrapping paper. He loves to throw out garbage. Is he neat or does he just like having a job to do?

Wednesday, Dec. 27 we drove up to my sister's house in Ontario. We were about 2 miles from the border and realized we didn't have the children's birth certificates! I had their blue cross/blue shield health cards which we had to show the Canadian border. What a thing to forget! The big highlight in Canada once again was the four wheelers! We wrapped them up warmly and off they went for a ride. We also went public skating one afternoon with the boys. Having not skated for at least 2 years and also trying to carry a kid turned out to be a challenge! I didn't fall but I did hang onto the side when I first got on.

Having traveled for 10 days using pack-n-plays which Thomas was able to climb in and out of gave him the courage he needed to climb out of his crib when we first got home! We thought he used the rocking chair right next to his bed but turns out he uses the end to balance himself as he throws his legs over the side and then he slowly lets himself down. He didn't even crash! I'm glad he stayed in his crib as long as he did! Nathan still can't get in and out of his pack-n-play or crib. He needs just a little more height and a bit more upper body strength.

No new words lately. They were sucking on ice cubes a few days back and Thomas kept saying hot, hot! I guess we better work on the word "cold".

We are enjoying being outside this week! mid 50s and sunny! Nice for January.