New-Bunk-Beds -

The boys received a wooden train each from their great Grandma in Colorado--here is Nathan playing with his. The next picture is Thomas with his grandpa sledding in a new tube today. The next three pictures are Thomas drawing. This creation was all his own. He first drew a house-like structure with a pointy roof and told us it was Mommy's house. Then he added a front door, chimney and a tree in the yard---all in the right spots. I was very impressed that a child so young could make a drawing that actually resembled what he was telling us. I wish you could see better the drawing. The last picture shows the boys on the top of their new bunkbeds. The same day that it was assembled, they figured out how to climb up at least two other ways beside the ladder to the top bunk. I'm not sure if I have monkeys or kids! The shirt up was their idea.

A cute story from a couple of weeks ago that I forgot to post...
the boys were on the counter playing with a couple of little curious George stamps. Nathan dropped the smallest of the stamps and I couldn't find it on the floor. He asked to get down and immediately got a flashlight, laid down on his belly on the kitchen floor and peered around the edge of the floor with his flashlight. He did find it, it had bounced into a little crevice between two of the base cabinets. I was so impressed he thought to get a light and then found it.

Thomas is helping fill up the wood bag. Second picture is Thomas next to the tower his Dad built.

Thomas has decided that his Dad is the best. This has been going on for a few weeks now. I think it started on Saturdays working on the 4-wheeler. He spent the day following his Dad around and helping wherever he could. Since then, it's been very difficult in the mornings for Matt to break away to get to work. As soon as Thomas wakes up, he makes a bee-line downstairs to snuggle (one of Thomas' favorite words). When I come down, I get a smile, but he won't get down to give me a hug. Which I am totally fine with for 2 reasons.....he has me all day long and I remember feeling the same with my Dad. At night, he keeps his Dad engaged, whether it's reading or playing with the train. Nathan still sticks by my side, helping in the kitchen or just snuggling with me. It's great that we have 2 adorable boys,nobody is lonely!

Nathan is starting to say Thomas and Dabus is going by the wayside. So sad!

Pictures from the train museum in Medina, NY at Thanksgiving time. That's little Nathan, the conductor.

A few tidbits on the boys.

They are getting their colors now. They are right more times than they are wrong. Nathan is a little quicker to call out the right color. They find it easier to hand me the red bucket then to tell me that this bucket is red. One thing that may have helped is that we bought a huge pack of markers that they often use.

We were driving out of the driveway and I didn't put on my seatbelt because I was going to get out at the mailbox. Nathan started to holler from the back "seat belt, seat belt". Cool that he noticed and funny that he spoke up to remind me.

When they come in with their boots on, I remind them (sometimes repeatedly) to stand on the mat to take them off. So, I was hauling wood in and walked over to the fireplace with my boots on and I heard "mat, mat!!" They are watching!

Thomas was eating toast the other morning and he told me it was "hard as a rock".

Thomas watches where we drive. He correctly pointed out to me Derby's where we get our apples and cider. He pointed out our post office where I had mentioned earlier that we needed to stop at. He's 2 and a half and he knows Berlin better than I think I knew Albany at 10! He is on the ball.

Thanksgiving Pictures

The little boy in the third picture sitting with Thomas and Nathan is their cousin Noah. We were all at the Strong Museum of Play. In the fourth picture, Nathan is frantically putting balls down a chute. This really appealed to his "neat" side. There was also a miniature grocery store at the museum where the kids gathered groceries and checked them out. Nathan is happily sitting on his Aunt Kelly's lap at a diner after the museum. Thomas was out cold on my lap. It was really awful to have to sit and snuggle him. The last picture of Thomas in the motorized "Bigfoot" was a great find by his Grandma! What a hit. He drove it around the yard with a grin plastered on his face. We were all impressed with his ability to steer it--his first chance to drive something by himself. Nathan had a tougher time because he was just short enough that his foot kept slipping of the gas pedal. He did okay steering it too.

Pictures from November.

The other morning, walking down the stairs, soon after Thomas woke up, he told me "I slept well, mommy!". I always ask them how they slept when they wake up and Thomas beat me to it. The boys slept in our room at their grandparents. One morning before we all woke up, Thomas stood up and said repeatedly, "Mommy, time to wake up!". I woke, motioned to him to come into bed, which he did. He immediately went back to sleep next to me. I love it when they use our expressions.

These pictures are all but ancient! They are from the first weekend in November, out in Albany for my Dad's 65th birthday. In the first picture at a 11th birthday celebration for John, check out the cute kid with the red hood up! It's Nathan and he looks adorable! The next picture, Thomas is showing you his big kid mittens. He's making quite the expression. The next two pictures are of Nathan....Nathan starts his photography career. The boys help their grandpa open his presents and blow out the candles. The last picture shows Thomas' new way of getting down!

Halloween

Unfortunately, I'm way behind putting pictures up. These are all from Halloween. I used the same costumes from last year and astoundingly they still fit. Thomas really wanted to be a chicken again and Nathan wouldn't wear the new one I bought for him. The week before Halloween, the town next to us had a trick or treat walk. Nathan wouldn't wear any costume for that but for some funny reason I heard people saying "look, there is the chicken and the egg!" Whatever! Matt had to work that night, so I took them alone. I wondered how it would go, but they were so stunned by all the sights, that they just happily sat in their stroller. Sunday night before Halloween, we carved 2 pumpkin faces with Lindsay and Norman. Halloween day, Conner came down with his mother for a visit. Conner is only 6 months older, but he towers over the boys! Halloween night, Nathan quickly put on his Halloween costume when I told him he had to to get candy. If you can see, the pooh costume has a puffy belly which he told me that he had a baby in there. We've seen my sister lately who has a decent size baby belly and of course they saw Sara several times this summer. We went down to the old town hall Halloween night. It was a little loud and not quite for the age group we have, so the boys trick or treated at the houses clustered in the center of the town. It was a nice evening and we're still eating candy!