When Daddy's away....the kids still play!

 Ben has been out in Wyoming this week shooting at prairie dogs.  Yes, prairie dogs.  I was going to post a picture here of a prairie dog, but they were just too cute.  Ben likes to say they are rodents and carry diseases and destroy ranches...so I'll skip the picture and think of them as giant rats.
Anyway, while Ben has been using rodents for target practice we have been enjoying a bit of summer.  This is a long time for Ben to be away so we escaped to the south...Massachusetts that is.  
It was a great week with my parents and made Ben being gone a little less lonely.

Monday we went to the beach...and it was a perfect beach day.

My dad took this picture of Tobi...and this is just how I feel about the beach!

Tuesday we went to Parlee farms to pick strawberries...but by the time we got there they had closed the fields for the day.  So instead we visited the animals, got some ice cream and bought some already picked strawberries.  (Truth be told that was probably better than chasing a tired toddler through the fields anyway.)

Thursday we made a trip to the state forest behind my parents home and discovered this great splash park.

Gardening, taking walks, coloring, reading books, playing Polly Pockets, eating outside, painting, doing puzzles...these are just a few of the things we've been doing over the past few days.

Tobi fell asleep in her car seat less than 2 minutes after we left...and we all may sleep well into next week!  We missed Ben so much...so glad he is coming home a day early (RIP little prairie dogs).  Thanks so much to Grandma & Grandpa for helping the week go by so quickly!

4 months of Axel Baby

 Hey!  This guy is four months old now.

 

He is one social guy.  A little flirt...he'll smile, coo and laugh at most people.  We spend a lot of our days trying to get the baby belly giggle out of him.  I think Tobi might be the best at it.  He really seems to think she is pretty great (blissfully unaware that he has had more near accidental injuries at her hands than I can even count.) 

Now that he's gained some serious head and neck control there are all kinds of new things to try out.  He loves to "play" with the baby toys while laying on his stomach.  Unlike his sister at this age he LOVES to be on his belly.  I think he might be quick to learn to crawl.  He is really eager to move and he does, but mostly in a circle.  He is rolling over like crazy.  He hardly will stay on his back...which makes changing diapers a challenge.  The exersaucer made its way down from the attic and so far it seems like a hit as long as he is not too tired.
We also got the Bumbo seat (or as Tobi calls it the "Bumbaloo chair") out.  He really likes sitting up like a big shot!

 

 But his favorite things to play with are still his hands. 

 

His 4 month well baby check up was today and he's looking good.  Long and lean the doctor said -16 lbs 4 oz (50%) & 26 1/2 inches (90%).  He might be lean but he's got plenty of chub in all the right places.  Definitely squeezable, kissable and almost edible! 

Axel meets the Ocean

 Today we were running barefoot at the beach.

 This is Axel's first time to touch ocean water. 

 He was relatively indifferent...even though the water was quite chilly.

This girl is no stranger to the ocean.  I think she was about 2 weeks old the first time we took her to the beach.  She was born in July so she didn't have much of a choice. 

Even so, she didn't think she wanted to go to the ocean today (she thought we were going to the lake beach) until she got there and remembered what it was....then she never wanted to leave.

I kind of felt the same way...

 but eventually even beach days must end and we had to say "peace out" to the beach....

I'd say it was a very good day...

Snippets of Life with Tobi

For about a month now Tobi has taken to calling me Shauna most of the time.  "Can I have some more milk, Shauna?", "Shauna, where are my blue socks?", "My baby brother is crying, Shauna.  You need to feed him, Shauna."  I have mostly chosen not to make a big deal about it, but gently remind her that she should call me "Mommy"...even thought everyone else calls me Shauna.  I can see why she's confused.  But yesterday she took it to a new level when she gave me a nickname.  "Do you know where baby Kayla is, Shaun?"  I guess the whole two syllable thing got a little cumbersome for her.

The other day I had left the TV on when I went up to get Tobi from her nap.  It was on a DVR'd epsiode of Oprah that I really wasn't paying much attention to and forgot was even playing.  I went to the kitchen and Tobi went to play in the TV room.  She came into the kitchen and asked if she could watch a kid movie.  I asked which one she wanted to watch and she chose Franklin.  When I said "sure" she ran back into the TV room and said "Oprah, I'm gonna watch Franklin now."  Uhhh...I didn't even know she knew who Oprah was... she is usually taking a nap if and when I have it on.  I guess I need to be more careful about what I leave playing...this one is way too observant to let ANYTHING get by her.

While reading "Make Way for Ducklings" with my Dad, he mentioned to her that maybe he would take her to ride the swan boats this summer.  We ended up in Boston a couple weekends ago and I reminded her about reading about the swan boats.  She remembered and she's mentioned it a few times since then.  The other day Ben pointed out a Canadian goose to her that was swimming on a little pond.  Tobi's eyes lit up as she said "Oh, I think Grandpa's gonna ride me the goose."  (It's even better if you know her little voice!)  Goose...swan.  Ride me...take me to ride.  Birds...boats.  You know it's all pretty close to the right idea!

She may be a little smarty pants but all the baby attention may be getting to her:

If you can't make it out, this is her sitting in Axel's carseat...and loving it!

5-11-11

Look who's 3 months old today.

 He's a pretty happy guy these days.  We get a lot of smiles and squeals..when he's awake.

He's getting longer and meatier (in the best sense possible) and less like a newborn everyday!

 He loves to kick his legs up in the air and get a little exercise.

 But other times he prefers to be still...

 It's getting harder to fit him in the basket...

I think he found a comfy spot here.

 A chance to kick back and relax.

 But now it's time to get back to telling us all how he really feels about things.

 Here's a little glimpse of this guy these days:

Smiles and Giggles

We did some growing up 'round here

Yesterday marked two months since Axel was born.  He had his 2 month checkup today and everything looks good.  He is 24.5 inches and 12lbs 2 ozs.  He has some baby chub now.  I love that he is totally into people and faces...and he has started smiling and cooing a lot.  He is sleeping pretty well...which means so am I.  It's not the 7 or 8 hours I've grown accustomed to...but he gives me a couple solid stretches of sleep a night, so I'm thankful.

 Check out these "guns"! 

In other news, Tobi moved into her big girl bed this week. She was excited until she saw us taking down her crib (this girl loves her crib!), but I think she has made the adjustment now.  She recently had started moaning in the mornings so someone would get her out of the crib...which is one of the main reason why we decided we couldn't put off the jump to a bed any longer.  But wouldn't you know it...she wakes up and moans in her bed until someone comes in and then she asks if she can get up.  Oh Tobi... this would be a great problem to have if it wasn't for the moaning!

 

Finally we had some warm days recently and in a week of growing up we decided to add big girl swings to our list of accomplishments!

 

Here they are...a little older and a little wiser!