A few of my favorite pictures from this year's Tulip Time...Josh going after the one different flower...
Could we be arrested for letting him manhandle Holland's precious commodity?
Tulip Time 2008
A few of my favorite pictures from this year's Tulip Time...Josh going after the one different flower...
Could we be arrested for letting him manhandle Holland's precious commodity?
The Terrible Two's
Thursday, May 1
Josh excelled at being two today. His day started at 6:30 am. Chad and I woke up to the animated refrains of the "ABC" song being played over and over again through the monitor in Will and Josh's room. This meant that 1) Josh was awake, 2) Josh had crawled out of his crib to get a toy, and 3) Josh was doing his best to make sure the rest of the household was awake. We then heard him crash through his door and make for the stairs to our room, dragging his guitar up every step (thump, clunk, whack), singing, and chattering all the way past the (no-longer-sleeping) baby just outside our door. "I brought my sing-sing (Josh's term for guitar), Mommy! Wanna hear a song?" Sigh....time to get up.
The first order of business on Josh's plan for the day was milk and Goldfish crackers. He is definitely in the "do it myself" stage, but unfortunately his fine-motor skills haven't caught up with his sense of independence. Hence, we ended up with half a cup of milk sloshed on the counter while he tried to screw on his own sippy-lid and a two-pound box of crackers poured into a 6 oz cup on the floor.
Jack had his four-month doctor's appointment this morning, so we didn't have a lot of extra time to begin with, and thanks to Josh, our schedule was about to get even more rushed. Somehow the child managed to lock the bathroom door from the outside. Of course, Will picked that moment to urgently need to use the bathroom. So there I sat in my bathrobe with a baby in one arm, a two-year-old sitting in my lap smiling gleefully (offering to help me with his plastic saw), and a four-year-old hopping around crying because he needed to pee, while I tried to unlock the door with a screwdriver. Will gave up and used the training potty before I'd gotten very far, and wouldn't you know, he had to do more than just pee. The training potty saved the day for Will, but was not going to help me shower, so I kept at it until I got the door open. The last time Josh pulled this trick he locked himself in the room. That might have been a good thing for us today...I could have just left him safe and sound in the bathroom.
Finally we were ready to head to the doctor's office. As I attempted to shove myself, the baby in the carseat, the diaper bag, and my purse through the back door while propping open the screen door, I saw Josh head to the outdoor water faucet as if in slow motion. "Jooooooosh!!! Nooooooo!!!" I hollered as he said, "It's okay, Mommy, I just going to water the flowers." As he soaked his only clean jeans, his socks, and his shoes with the frigid water.
At the doctor's office he was into everything. I was desperately trying to keep Jack quiet and listen to Dr. Stid while Josh kept slamming the exam room door open and closed and running and up and down the office hallway. Dr. Stid had to ask him twice not to climb on his stool for fear he would roll over someone's finger or fling himself into a wall while wildly spinning around.
I could hardly wait for nap time. However, you can lock a two-year-old in his crib but you can't make him sleep. I wilted on the couch praying he'd doze off while listening to him jump around and sing his heart out. I swear he's the energizer bunny.
How many hours til bedtime?
February 2008
Here's looking at you, babe!
My favorite picture of Jack!
Our biggest Red Wing fan!
Every once in a while on Saturday mornings Chad and Will take off on a "secret mission." They usually go to the car wash where Will gets to pick out a bottle of juice or Gatorade, then they go to Andicott Flowers to pick out a bouquet for me. Will picked out this arrangement of tulips and daffodils ALL BY HIMSELF! For those of you unfamiliar with Andicott, at this flower shop you pick out and pay for flowers individually. It's much cheaper since you don't have to pay for the arranging. I was so impressed that he chose flowers and colors that looked so good together!
Our own little Island of Sodor! The boys love Thomas!
January 2008
Baby Jack
Chad spent an evening playing with our new camera and trying out different settings. And of course we found the perfect subject for his shots!
Sledding
Chad took a couple of weeks off after Jack's birth which was so helpful! He took care of the big boys and me so I could take care of Jack. Every afternoon he took Will outside to burn some energy. We had huge snowpiles in our front yard made by the snowplows which were perfect for some low-key sledding. Will had a blast!
Happy Birthday!
November 2, 2007...Josh turns 2!In honor of Josh's golden birthday, we bought him the Golden Anniversary Edition of Thomas the Train. So, of course, we had a Thomas the Train party, complete with a train cake, which I made and decorated. (This was my first and last attempt at cake decorating. It took hours, looked ridiculous, and tasted awful. I forgot that dying your own frosting always results in pastel colors. Poor Josh got a girly train cake!)
Grandma H. knit Josh this Wallaby sweater. Isn't it cute?!
November 14, 2007...Will turns 4!
When did my baby grow up?! Will also got a Thomas the Train set for his birthday (can you imagine the battles if they didn't have their own trains?), but Will chose a Tonka Truck Construction theme for his party. He specifically wanted "dirt" frosting on the cake (notice this one is store bought...easier, cuter, tastier, and even cheaper!!), and green jello for dinner. Nothing else...just green jello. I added Stromboli to the menu just to be crazy.
The Best Christmas Present Ever!
We welcome with love...JACK ELLIOT LANGELAND
December 24, 2007
1:10 pm
8 pounds 3 ounces
21 inches
Josh gets to know his baby brother...
He was pretty interested in all those little parts. Josh got quite a kick out of sticking his fingers in Jack's mouth and eyes. When Chad brought him up to see me I could hear Josh in the hallway saying, "Where's my new baby?" He marched right into the room, bypassed my hug, and went straight to Jack. I think he was staking his claim early!
Will, Aunt Laura, and Baby Jack
Maybe it's because he's already a big brother, but honestly Will was more interested in my rice crispie bars than he was in Jack. New baby? Been there, done that. We did manage to hold him captive for one brotherly picture.
Sunday evening we had our own family Christmas party. After peeling the boys off the ceiling, picking up all the wrapping paper, and finding new storage places for all the presents, the last thing I had energy for was packing for the hospital. Every day for the past week I'd been saying I really had to get around to it, but hadn't. It's the busiest time of the year, after all! We also really had to get around to picking a name...but you know, we had three weeks to go! Plenty of time! Hah! At 3:45 am my water broke and suddenly I found time to pack my overnight bag! Chad's mom rushed over to watch Will and Josh, and Chad and I headed to the hospital, paging through the baby name book on the way.
My favorite part of the admission process was getting interviewed by the male emergency room triage nurse. I told him my water had just broken and the doctor had said to go directly to the birth center. He asked if I "felt like anything was coming out." I was like, "Um, yeah..." (I had just told him my water broke. That usually involves something "coming out.") He meant the baby. He turned a little white and was about ready to prepare me for delivery right there in the hospital lobby. Fortunately we got that little misunderstanding clarified and Jack entered the world in the usual way...in a private room with the doctor present!
It was definitely a unique way to spend Christmas. I missed all the holiday food, family time, and watching the boys open their presents, but I got the best Christmas present of all! After his first bath, the nurses delivered Jack back to me wrapped up in a big, red Christmas stocking. It was too cute. Jack and I had some nice quiet time on Christmas Day to get to know eachother. I cherished it because I knew our life was going to be a whirlwind all too soon!
We took Jack home on December 26. It never ceases to amaze me that the doctors and nurses think we're capable of caring for a fragile little newborn. Even though it was the third time, I had a lot of the first-time anxiety! Chad came to pick us up, but forgot to bring the car seat up to my room. It took THREE trips back to the parking lot before he finally remembered it! I don't think I was the only one finding it difficult to get into the baby routine! But just a few hours later we were settled in at home and finding our way around a baby just fine. Not that those first few days were easy...but we weren't quite as inept as I thought. Somehow Will and Josh survived my parenting, and, God willing, Jack will too!
A Fall Walk
A couple of weeks ago we invited ourselves over to Grandpa and Wendy's house for a fall walk in the woods. I was hoping the boys would find some leaves that we don't have in our neighborhood, which they did, but we also found one of Grandpa and Wendy's four-legged neighbors! This pony wandered over the morning of our visit and Grandpa tied him up so the boys could meet her before taking her back to her barn. Will and Josh were thrilled to get up close to a real horse! But then we had just as much fun exploring in the woods...collecting leaves and pine cones, skipping stones in the pond, stomping on puff balls, and whacking trees with sticks (they are boys, remember!). :)
Thanks Wendy for the beautiful pictures!
Tuesinks Farm October 31
Our playgroup, Little Hands Big Ideas, took our first field trip of the year to Tuesinks Pony Farm in Holland. Will, unfortunately, woke up with a fever and the flu, so he missed out! I felt so bad for him, but at the same time it was nice to give Josh some undivided attention. He LOVED the farm!
Here he is on Lucky the pony...what fun for an almost two-year-old!
After the pony rides we went on a hay ride around the farm. I didn't think we could top Lucky, but this came close!
We ended the trip by petting animals in the barn, then feeding the goats and sheep. Josh was a little timid when they started nibbling his fingers, but still went back several times for more feed. He was worried about the little pieces that dropped but let them go when he heard the ducks would come to clean up!
Annual Apple Picking at Cranes
We made three trips to Crane's this year...Chad took the boys by himself once, then we all went with my family, and I took the boys with Chad's mom and sister a few weeks later. Needless to say, we have plenty of apples! It just wouldn't be fall without our Crane's tradition...especially when we stop for dinner at the Pie Pantry after picking. They have the best chili! And we can't leave without getting a few cider donuts for the next day!
Laura, Will, Eric, Cat, and Josh
A rare family picture!
Will got a little lift from Aunt Cara...there weren't too many apples left by our third visit so we had to search a little higher!
Summer Vacation
We just returned from our annual summer getaway to Horseshoe Lake. We feel so lucky that Chad's parents let us use their cottage every year for our vacation! This year my parents were able to come up for part of our first weekend. We love showing them where we spend so much of our summer and they enjoy spending some time with the boys. Most of the week was gorgeous...sunny and warm...so we did lots of swimming and boating, and caught more than our fair share of toads, turtles, and even a few fish. On the few overcast days, we ventured out on some field trips...one to a local orchard/petting zoo called Anderson Farms, and another to John Ball Zoo.
My little monkey will go to great lengths for a bite of watermelon!
Josh was thrilled with the chickens at Anderson Farms.
The boys and I taking a rest at Anderson Farms.
Back at Horseshoe Lake. Josh lived in a diaper and his lifejacket the whole week.
Will loved the water trampoline. He wouldn't jump off it, but he sat on it for hours!
Fishing with Grandpa H.
Will learned to put his lifejacket on all by himself...can you tell? He wasn't very happy with me for laughing at him and he really didn't want this documented on film, but I did it anyway.
That UFO behind Josh's head is a sprinkler water rocket that my dad bought for the boys. They were entertained with it for hours! It hooks up to hose and has a power switch so they can control how much water the rocket gets and therefore how high it shoots up. In the launching process everyone in a 20-foot radius gets soaked!
We always practice safe swimming!
Josh wasn't too thrilled with Will's extra precautions.
Back at Anderson Farms...Will would have been happy feeding this goat for the whole day if we'd let him!
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