5 more days until we're TWO!!!

6 months

Tommy says "dada" - 6 months

Tommy...can you say mama? 6 months

7 months

8 months

8 months

9 months

Countdown to TWO! 6 more days....

Three weeks

One Month

Two months

Three months

Four months

Four months

A crowd favorite...Cole giggling in the dark!

Five months

Six months

One more week until we turn TWO!!

How on earth did this happen? My baby boys are turning TWO!!! This week...in honor of their birthday...I'll be posting some pictures from the past two years. Starting from the beginning...

October 5, 2007

Welcome to the world Kaitlyn "Katie" Grace!!

Here are some pictures of our new cousin Katie!!

With two big brothers and her cousins Cole and Tommy, there is no doubt she'll know how to pitch a curve ball at an early age. She is so beautiful...perfect little features.

Bring on the pink!!!!

How'd they do that?

My heart is still beating...maybe this is going to be a constant thing? My living in FEAR of what these two can do?

They woke up from their nap and were sipping milk while watching PBS. Ahhh...a blissful scene. I went into the kitchen to start dinner. I asked Tommy a question and got no response, so walked in the family room. They were not there. The door to the garage was OPEN. I must have left it ajar? Crazy! I ushered them back inside telling them that we do NOT go into the garage, etc., etc. I locked the door tightly...flipped the deadbolt...and went back into the kitchen.

Flash forward 3 minutes. I go back into the family room...and there it is...the OPEN door to the garage! Not only did they turn the handle on their own, but they flipped the deadbolt too! Here come the "two's" everyone...hold on to your hats!!!

Mischief

It would be very difficult to list ALL of the things these boys do in a day... as there are just too many! I can't imagine how their little bodies keep up with their minds and vice versa. Let's talk about today for example.

* Tommy pulled off all of his clothes including his diaper and peed on the couch. We repeated this performance (minus peeing on the couch) three times. (Notice missing cushions in sweet photo at left.)

* Cole found the baby powder and walked all over the kitchen and living room sprinkling a little trail for me to follow while I was downstairs retrieving laundry.

* Both boys brush their teeth while I shower...I keep them locked in there with me for obvious reasons. Somehow, Tommy was able to reach the cup AND the faucet and was dumping solo cups FULL of water on the floor. It wasn't until Cole said, "oh no!" because his socks were wet...that I peeked around the shower curtain and realized what was happening. It took THREE full size towels to mop up all the water.

* My sweet boy Cole found Kevin's highlighter and colored my silk decorative bed pillow.

* Both boys climbed into the fridge, found the olives...and were eating them....while standing there...IN THE FRIDGE!!

* Cole tore the video monitor off the wall (found the hidden cord) and was trying to figure out how it worked. I of course went running up the stairs once I realized my screen was blank.

Mind you...we were out of the house at a play date from 9am until 11:30. This all went down between the hours of 7-9 and 11:30-1. Throw in breakfast and lunch and you'll realize just how these two know how to make the most of every moment.

While there is plenty of mischief making with these two, they also throw in plenty of sweet moments. Like the random kiss I got from Tommy as we read a book this morning. These boys KNOW how to work their mommy!!!

The Birthday Invite

It's no surprise that my two best mateys are having a pirate themed b-day party this year. :) I just finished their invite and loved it so much I had to share. Forgive me for the black out boxes...I have no idea who else might be reading this blog so prefer to keep that info private.

I can't believe my babies are getting so big!!!

Big boy beds...

We are going on night three of our "big boy beds" and I have to say...it hasn't been so bad! These two are are like a walking comedy show. When they got their first glimpse of the beds Tommy yelled, "Yaaayyy!" and climbed on in. No crying...no confusion...just pure elation at having the new found freedom. We bought them the "lifetime" cribs that don't have sides that drop...instead you just take off the front and - voila! Toddler bed. They will also convert to full size bed frames when the time comes.

It's been an interesting week, but everyday has gotten easier. I LOVE having the video monitor as Kevin and I are able to witness some pretty funny moments during the transition. They climb in and out of each others beds...run around the room...and play with each others teddy bears. They have gotten into the changing table and thrown diapers all over the room. Eaten through a tube of Vaseline...and found a box of alcohol wipes that they decided to use as confetti. This made us quickly learn a whole NEW level of baby proofing. :)

Quick summary of the transition so far:

* Day one - TWO hours of them playing and talking before they crashed.

* Day two - Nap time took them an hour and twenty minutes to settle in/Night - Only took an hour before they crashed

* Day three - Naps? We don't need naps!!! (ugh)/Night - About an hour of playing and talking then they crashed.

* Day Four - Only TWENTY minutes before they settled in. Hooray!

Here are some pictures of the converted cribs. The bed rails are fantastic. They have cup holders and even little night lights! The boys love them.

Climbing in on night one.

Happy boys -- free at last!

Cole sleeping...I didn't want to get too close. SO afraid to wake him.

Oh what a night!!

Yesterday was a LONG day. It started with fevers and doctor's visits...and ended with Kevin and I installing a baby gate on the boys bedroom door.

Let me start at the beginning. The boys and I got home from the doctor's in time for naps and we were all pretty wiped. I put my sweet innocent little boys in their cribs and came downstairs. After about 20 minutes of giggling...it started to get really silly up there so I decided to check it out. Tommy was IN Cole's crib!!!! He learned how to climb over!!! I put him back...and he did it again. Then Cole went into Tommy's crib. They were SO pleased with themselves... and mommy was horrified.

I finally decided to let them nap together and went to grab the baby monitor in my bedroom. All of a sudden I heard a *thud* followed by little footsteps. Tommy stood in my door and said, "Hi Mommy!" Ahhhh!!!!!!!!

In this video, you'll see them climbing into each other's crib. They are saying "help me" to each other...and clamoring over who goes first. (Note: If you hear Tommy say "T" it's because that is what he calls himself. Tommy=T)

The floor is now covered with cushions and their beds are separated. We're making the move to toddler beds. The time has come.

Weir River Farm

This morning I took the kids to Weir River Farm in Hingham for story time. It is such a beautiful setting atop a pretty hill. The farm has all sorts of animals for the kids to visit...horses, chickens, goats, sheep, pigs...even a llama! After exploring the farm, everyone makes their way to the picnic area to listen to stories about animals. It was so much fun and the boys loved every minute. I can't wait to go back!

If you look down the hill in this photo...all the way to the right...you'll see the group of people there for story time. I left a little early to make the climb back up as I knew it would be tough. Pushing two 30 pound kids in a stroller with all their gear wasn't easy! I was huffing and puffing at the top. :) The scenery was beautiful though...

The boys checking out the goats...

Peeping Tom

The horses were amazing. So friendly letting the kids pet their noses.

Cole had a *way* with the horses. It's like he was communicating with them. I have about 5 photos like this...

This picture of Tommy cracks me up. It looks like game day and he is in a huddle with the chickens. Tommy loves the chickens...although he still calls them ducks.

This "duck" was very noisy...

Tommy is very happy! You will hear him say "quack" here. As I mentioned previously - to these kids - all chickens are ducks.

Sunny September

The weather has been GORGEOUS here in Boston, which has meant lots of time spent outdoors. I took the boys to the local park the other day where they have all these cool ride-on toys that people just leave for the kids to use. Cole fell in love with this truck...who wouldn't? It is awesome!

Dress Rehearsal

The boys geared up for winter by trying on some new duds. Here they are with their new flannel pants and snow hats. They didn't want to put on their shirts, but I don't blame them...it was hot! So cute. :)

Just a cute video...

Movie Night

Every weekend we have "movie night" with the boys just before bedtime. They jump up on the couch with blankets and milk and we all watch the movie together. For the past month, it's been the same movie..."Ratatouille". The boys love it! It's referred to as "mouse movie" around here. :) This picture was taken tonight as the boys were watching. How lucky am I?