Here are two of many moments where the kids blow me away.

Quinn

Ring Around the Rosy – I have played this game twice with the kids…that is it.  We played it with some other kids under the Zilker Tree during the holidays and maybe a week later when we met some friends at the Central Market playground.  That is it – maybe sang the song 4 times at each ocurrence.  The other day I am giving Quinn a bath.  She turns to me and says, “hand” (meaning she wants my hand).  I give her one hand and she asks for the other.  Once she has both my hands, thsi huge smile appears on her face and she sings, “ashes, ashes, we all down!”

Quinn, I want you to know that you are a major sponge.  One experience with something and you have it down.  The other night at First Night, she and i were in line for food and I was fumbling to see if I had stowed a paci for her.  In my frsutration at not finding one, I said, “dammit.”   And that was all she wrote,.  Whenever Quinn gets flustered, a crystal clear, “dammit” is sure to follow!  She is such a keen observer like her father.  She takes in every detail.

Tyler 

Tyler’s moment is one of observing and problem solving.  For whatever reason, he was at the sink trying to open Quinn’s sippy cup.  Maybe he had taken it upon himself to refill it?  Anyway, he was having trouble getting the lid off.  Here is the part that got me.  He pushed his stool over to my miscellaneous utensil drawer and pulls out the far opener!!  What?  I never use that thing?  Heads back over to the sink and tries to use it to help him get that pesky lid off.  All I could think was “Well played, Tyler!  Well played!”

Speaking of Tyler, he got the most awesome somemade stilts from his GranDaddy Wiley and he LOVES them.  Here is a video of him doing his thing on this stilts:

These are moments from November that I have been wanting to share.  There were taken on a November Adventure to the Austin Nature Center.  This video cracks me up because the kids were just eating their snack and both kicking their legs.  It struck me as funny – like a nervous tick they shared or something.

Oh and funny story.  So the Austin Nature Center has this very cool deal where kids can take there natural treasures into the trade counter.  They chat with a staff member about there treasure and the staff member takes the time to educate them about what they brought in.  Tyler had some acorns, so the staffperson pulled out a bos of several tree seed and asked if he could find one just like it.  She was showing his a picture of the tree his acorn came from.  It was really neat.  Tyler earned points for each treasure and for chatting about them.  Then he spent his points.  She asked if he liked “rocks, shells, bones or fossils”  Well, post-Halloween he was all about bones and so we came home with a rib bone (“just like mine, mama” as he holds it across his ribs) and a limb bone.

Feeling all Hip Nature Mama we head over to say “hi” the the hawks and owls.  I spy a bug and call Tyler over.  He picks up the bug and the bug falls out of his hands and we repeat this a few times.  Then Tyler screams in pain and continues to cry – the bug stung him or something.  Now I feel like an idiot – maybe I should be sure the bug is safe.  We go back to the person at the trade counter trying to figure out what the bug was.  Tyler was intent on knowing..and so was I.

It looked like a stink bug, but they are harmless plant eaters.  Well, after coming home and going to a website the staffer suggested, I figured out that we have found a predatory stink bug.  Apparently, there are a few stink bugs that are carnivores.  And when handled roughly, they will give a painful, but harmless bite…it was more a poke I think looking at the things nose-part.  It made for an interesting morning at any rate.

The trade counter was really cool though – I do love the Austin Nature Center.  Such a treasure.

Here is the video..

A fun video of a recent walk. I don’t know what game Tyler was playing, but you will see him directing Quinn by him like a traffic cop! Then watch in the second video as Quinn follows the same path as her brother and then get a lilttle miffed why her vehicle acts differently!

** Note: These videos are a bit long and because I host them, your computer will have to download them, so you will need to twidle your thumbs for a minute! Patience, grasshopper!

It was a simple arts and crafts project.  We don’t do them often and I am trying to get in the groove to try one once a week.  Well this was a huge hit!  Quinn absolutely loves these things.  She will put the drum over her neck herself or just drag the two of them all over the house.  I  must give credit to Tyler who instructed me to put a strap on them.  Good idea Tyler!!

Dragging My Drums!

A VIDEO of us playing our drums!

The light came on yesterday.  She took a few strolls in between Chris and I and was super psyched to find out that she could move those legs on her own.  And of course, once her body and mind were all in sync on the walking thing she is trying it out all over the place.  So fun to see her have a thought and then think “maybe I will just walk over there!”   And she is 15 months tomorrow, so on the exact same trajectory as her brother was with regard to the walking thing.  Here is a video of her a day or two before she walked.  You can see her standing and just about to take those steps!

(Your computer will have to download the video and that may take a minute.  Eventually thought, your video viewing software should kick in and you will see the vid)

We have a 14 month old daughter who is almost walking, has gotten her first two teeth and has a fairly impressive vocabulary..”water” being her favorite new word meaning she wants her sippy cup.  She is also assertive, determined and stubborn as all get outs (she is her Daddy’s girl through and through).   Usually she is in a great mood when she fights sleep and Chris and I enjoy the one-on-one playtime with her.  She understands quite a bit, but when I asked her if she wanted to go to bed last night, and she shook her head, “no”, I was taken aback.  I was lucky enough to catch this on video..it is too funny.  Click on the picture to watch.

This is what we are dealing with folks.  Notice how tired she is as she sways around the train table.  She was asleep about 10 minutes after this video was taken (about 9:30pm).

That is what Tyler told me one day when we were driving down the street and he saw someone mowing there lawn.  “Someday I want to do that,”  And I told him that someday he will and I bet he will do a great job at it.  He loves to mow the lawn.  I am sure his Daddy sometimes wishes that Tyler’s mower worked a little better because as much as Tyler mows the lawn during the week, Daddy would never have to worry about it!

Today we were on a walk and now that Quinn is equipped with her push walker, Tyler feels odd if he doesn’t have somethign to ride or push as well.  Today it was the lawnmower.  Here is some video of Tyler “mowing”.