GOODBYE!!

I can finally say goodbye to buying 2 sets of diapers!! PHEW!!!!!  That was 13 months in the making, but Grant is 100% truly and completely potty trained!!! I honestly thought the day would never come!! After looking back through his baby book, the very first time Grant peed on the potty was November 2009! Seriously, not 2010- 2009!!!! We thought we got him completely trained a few months ago, but Levi left to go out to sea and he totally regressed!! Maybe I should bite my tongue on this, because Levi heads out to sea again tomorrow. I sure hope there is no regression again!! But I really don't see that happening! A few days ago, he finally started pooping in the potty.  I don't even have to remind him to go at all anymore and he stays dry during naps. I think this time, its for the books!!

Congratulations Grant!! You're saving Mommy and Daddy $50/month!! 

My Grant

My Dear Sweet Grant,

You, my little buddy, are a big 3 year old boy now!! You definitely have a specific personality all your own!! You can be so pleasant at times and so unpleasant other times! I joke that we're going to have to replace the floors in your "timeout spot" because you're wearing a hole in it, but I also say that you are the sweetest boy ever!! It all depends on the moment!!

Recently, you've been experimenting with using slang or random phrases! It cracks me up every time I hear a new expression and I always wonder how you learn these things! The other day, you said, "Everything's under control." You also told me, "Just don't worry about it, Mom." And, "All systems- a-o-k!" I think most of those sayings came from a Backyardigans episode! But I like when you use them in daily conversation!

Here are some other funny things you've said lately:

• Whenever someone walks into a room where you are, or you walk into a room where I am you say, "Oh, Hi Mom." Like you didn't expect to see me there or something!
• If I ask you a question, like- "Do you want to go to the store with me?" you always answer, "Probably yes" or "Probably no" -depending on my question.
• Every morning when Daddy goes to work, you stand there and say in a sad voice, "I'm going to miss my dad." Then you gave a little fake sniffle.
• Whenever you and I play an imaginary game together, such as fireman, restaurant, doctor, etc- you always refer to me as "Fireman Mom" or "Customer Mom" or "Doctor Mom."
• You still don't really like your brother getting into your personal space and if you happen to notice Wyatt coming your direction, you wave your hand in front of him and say, "Shoo Wyatt. Shoo!"
• Whenever you refer to another person, they are usually "your best friend." You'll say, "I'm playing with the best friend Wyatt." Or "When's my best friend Dad coming home?" Or you'll meet a kid at the park and play with him for 5 minutes and you'll say, "He's my best friend."

You're a crack up almost all the time! Unless you're talking back! I used to be known to talk back to my parents all the time, or so they say. I just remember it as trying to defend myself, but whatever!! You find yourself in timeout quite a bit for using a bad tone when talking to me or your dad. But other times, you're the sweetest little guy, filled with lots of hugs and snuggles! You love to pretend to be Little Foot from The Land Before Time. You'll crawl up to me and snuggle into me like Little Foot did to his mother. Oh yeah, you also call me "Mother" ALOT!  But it sounds more like "mo-fo" which really makes me laugh!! But I cherish anytime I can get you to sit on my lap and snuggle, even if just for a few minutes.

You've been so into playing with your aircraft carrier and all the accessories you got for your birthday. You've watched the DVD that came with it ALL THE TIME, even if the only part you like is 5 minutes long. You keep wanting it to play on repeat!! You also love playing with your sea creatures, doctor set (you always have to be the patient), and anything that belongs to Wyatt- for some reason, you just can't stay away from the baby toys!

You've been wearing underwear all day for about 2 weeks now. Yesterday, though, was the first time you pooped in the potty! I'd been telling you for a few days that if you could go on the potty, we'd go get another airplane to go with your aircraft carrier toy. So as soon as the potty was flushed yesterday, we were in the car to Target to get your plane and you were soooo proud of yourself!! We were too!

You've become this little boy lately and I just can't believe my baby is getting so old!! You're so much fun and I love watching you learn and grow everyday!

Love you bubba!

Springtime Fun

 It was a beautiful Florida spring day yesterday and I thought we'd spend the afternoon playing in the water table in the front yard! Grant insisted on wearing his swim clothes and since he was wearing his swim clothes, Wyatt had to wear his too!! Grant really liked the fact that they had matching shirts! 

We got outside, and I filled up the water table, as well as this big tub because Grant and Wyatt aren't the best of sharers at the moment, and by that- I mean Grant. Poor Wyatt- all he wants to do is play beside his big brother and watch but Grant just doesn't like Wyatt anywhere near his play space! I'm hoping this will pass eventually! I'm surprised I even caught the picture above because this tub was intended just for Grant to play with his sea creatures! I guess he had a kind moment!

 I was so proud of Wyatt for walking outside- even in the grass and down the sidewalk and driveway! He's pretty much walking 90% of the day now! He just can't stand up without pulling up on something first, so once he's mastered that, he'll be a 100% walker!!

 We took a quick break for a graham cracker snack picnic! I loved that both boys sat at the table until their snack was gone. I wasn't sure if Wyatt would sit there, but he totally loved it!! Grant just enjoyed the graham cracker and not so much the company!

These two pictures just crack me up!

The fun ended abruptly when there was a black snake about 4 feet away from the water table. Luckily, there will be many more beautiful days like this to come!

Splish Splash

 My mom bought this water table for the boys last time she came to visit. It has been a HUGE hit, especially for Wyatt!! He loves splashing as hard as he can. His reaction is hilarious- water splashes into his face, he gasps for air, and then lets out a HUGE laugh and smile!! I'm really anxious to see him in a pool this summer!

Birthday Bash

I can't believe I now have a 3 year old AND a 1 year old!! Wow, what a week!!

We had a very low key day on their actual birthday. We had the boys' well-checkups and presents and brownies after dinner! Grant got his Air Craft Carrier and Wyatt got a ball tunnel, plus a whole bunch of other goodies! 

The big celebration came on Saturday! Having two birthday parties in one is a lot of work!! But it was a lot of fun! Grant wanted a Shark Birthday, and I did the traditional "1st Birthday" for Wyatt. In tradition, I made each boy a special cake, which both turned out great!

We celebrated at home with some of our good friends from the squadron- The Noble's, The Free's, The Melville's, and The Sutherland's. There were 14 kids ages 6 and under, so it was definitely a full house!! All the kids had a great time and played very well with each other!

 Wyatt's celebration table!

 Grant's Shark celebration table!

 The birthday cakes!!

 Some of the "older" kiddos enjoying a picnic on the patio!

 The younger kiddos enjoying each other's company!! Aren't they all so cute?!  Wyatt is the oldest, and the other babies are anywhere from 4-6 weeks younger than him! 

 Wyatt LOVED everyone singing to him!! He was such a ham!! He tried reaching for the cake and candle, so I definitely had to keep my distance!

 Grant wanted NO candles on his cake because "they are too dangerous and scary." But we all sang to him anyway and he did enjoy that. Well, I think he did- he didn't do anything but sit there.

 Wyatt's been eating ONLY table food for about 4.5 months now, so giving him a piece of cake wasn't really that exciting to me, sadly. He's made a mess with far less, so I knew he was going to be a disaster, but it was still fun to watch. He played with the frosting for a few seconds, then he went to town cramming the piece in his mouth.

 I actually had to squeeze his nose at one point to get the frosting out of it!

And about 2 minutes later, he was finished. He was so tired that when he was done eating, he kept rubbing his eyes, and wound up painting his face with frosting! I got him all cleaned up and he slept through the rest of the party!

It was a great day and I know everyone had a great time! We are very lucky to be able to celebrate with good friends when our family couldn't be present!

And now, its time I rest...luckily I have one whole year to recover before I have to do it all again!!! This sharing birthday thing might not be so bad after all!

1 and 3 Year Stats

Here are the yearly stats from the boys' doctor appointments:

WYATT

Weight- 19lbs. 13oz (5-10th percentile)

Length- 29.5in (25-50th percentile)

Head- 18.5in (50th percentile)

I'm so surprised Wyatt hasn't jumped off the charts in weight since the kid eats EVERYTHING!!! But I guess he never sits still, so he's burning calories like a maniac!

GRANT

Weight- 30.5lbs (25-50th percentile)

Length- 37in (25-50th percentile)

I'm so not surprised that Grant isn't up there in weight- he still lives off air! But I definitely thought he was taller than that! 

They both did great at their appointments, even though they were running WAY behind, as usual. Wyatt was so brave during his shots. He just snuggled his lovey, let out a few cries, and was finished crying by the time his toes left the table!

I sure am lucky to be blessed with two healthy, smart, beautiful boys!!

Double Fisting

This is pretty much how you eat anything- double fisted!! You, Wyatt, are such a chowhound!! Your recent favorite snacks are bananas, but you- under no circumstances- want it cut up! You just want the whole thing fresh out of the peel! And you eat it all, down to the very last tip! We still can't even get your brother to do that!! Maybe you can start giving him some good eating pointers- even if double fisting is sometimes frowned upon! But I like your style!

Birthday Boys

Well my little birthday boys, tomorrow you will be a whole year older and I just can't believe it! I can't wait to celebrate with you and watch as the birthday excitement unfolds! I wasn't sure if I would like you sharing a birthday, but I think it makes it that much more special that you get to experience everything together!! 

I love you both so so much!!

XOXO

Volcanologist

Yep, you read that right- Grant is pretending to be a volcanologist. He has been fascinated with "hotcanoes," as he calls them, ever since watching an episode of the Wonder Pets about two years ago where they have to save a baby crane from a volcano. And also, from a Little Einsteins episode where they have to rescue a monkey stuck in a tree before the Mauna Loa volcano erupts. Anyway- he found this book at a bookstore that was entirely over his head, but he loves looking at the pictures. One of the pictures is of a volcanologist doing something on a volcano where he's wearing a shiny silver suit and using some kind of stick. And that's exactly what Grant is doing here. The game continued as he'd put the stick in Wyatt's busy-ball popper and he'd say, "It's so hot! It's going to erupt!" and at that moment, he'd push the button on the ball popper and all the boys would shoot out!! Pretty cute, if you ask me!! 

Big Shoes to Fill

Grant was outside helping Levi adjust all the sprinklers while I was inside playing with Wyatt. I noticed Grant walking around the yard wearing a pair of Levi's shoes. I glanced out the window, smiled, and kept on playing with Wyatt. Until about 30 minutes later, I look out and he was still wearing the shoes. So at that point, I had to grab my camera. He must have been pretending to be Levi checking all the sprinkler heads because he would walk to a sprinkler, bend down and inspect it, and move on to another one. It was so sweet!! I guess Grant realizes he's got a pretty cool dad with big shoes to fill, so he better start practicing!!

Harpy

It's no secret that Grant has an infatuation with sea creatures. Ever since our first visit to Sea World 10 months ago, he's acquired a HUGE collection of sea creature toys! But, he has a few favorites. On our most recent visit to Sea World in December, he got this little box that he filled with 23 different little sea creatures (and by little I mean 1-2in). Over the span of a few days, a little harp seal, whom he cleverly named "Harpy," stole Grant's heart. This little seal went everywhere with us....until he lost him. We were getting ready for our typical evening walk, which Harpy was a great fan of, but he was no where to be found and Grant went into hysterics. So instead of going for our walk, we went to Michael's to purchase a new "toob" of arctic animals, and that was the night Harpy the 2nd came into our lives. Since then, he's been in the bathtub, the sandbox, lost in the car for 3 days, and even took a spin in the garbage disposal. Harpy the 2nd even made a new friend Seamore, another harp seal that Grant picked out at a toy store. But Harpy still wasn't forgotten and Grant would still tell the tale of how he lost Harpy. Until this weekend, when Grant came up to me and said, "I found Harpy," thinking he meant he found Harpy the 2nd in his bed or something, but I noticed this Harpy didn't have garbage disposal nicks all over him and then I realized- it was THE Harpy!! We did a little welcome home dance and Grant was very excited to introduce Harpy the 2nd and Seamore to Harpy. And then apparently their long-lost father came home and they had this wonderful reunion moment I caught on camera- no, this picture was not staged- this is exactly how Grant placed them.

Seamore, Harpy the 2nd (notice the little gash on his head?), and Harpy

$20

Grant received $20 in the mail from Gigi (my Grandma) for his birthday. He was so excited to go to the toy store and pick something out. It seriously was burning a hole in his pocket the moment he opened the envelope. He's never been like that, so I thought it was kind of funny. So, he's been spending his money wisely the last few days. It's almost like he understood that he couldn't just buy whatever he wanted, because he was very particular. Even toys he's been asking for for a long time he didn't think twice about. I'd recommend something and he'd say, "No Mom, not that. Something different."

 So here is what Grant bought with his $20 (and .87cents)...

Definitely not anything I would've bought for him by myself- well, maybe the planes- but he is enjoying his purchases and I think he was very proud of himself for acting like a "grown-up."  Even today, when leaving Toys R Us with his final purchase of the planes, he told the cashier, "Thank you, and have a nice day!"

Hand-Me-Downs

Most of my boys' clothes have come from my sister's boys' clothes. We have so many pictures of them wearing the same outfits. But this is one outfit we happen to have all 4 boys in pictures of!! I love comparing them.

Mason, April 2006

Luke, April 2008

Grant- September 2008

Wyatt, February 2011

I think Mason and Wyatt could swap out and be either kid. This picture could seriously be me and Levi holding Wyatt, but it's Mason.  Even Luke could pass as Wyatt. But funny enough, Grant doesn't look like any of the other 3. We all think that Mason, Luke, and Wyatt all have the Smreker side (my mom's side) in them and Grant is a Broeckelman all the way through.

What do you think?

Friday Flashback

Bet you didn't expect to see this picture...EVER!! Yep, that's me and the bus that I drove while working at Malena's Mini School is Pensacola, FL. This was definitely not under my job description when I agreed to work there. I signed on to work in the baby room (babies 12-18 months), then got hired on to teach Voluntary Pre-Kindergarten. The VPK teacher I was replacing was the current morning bus driver, so that got tacked on to my list of responsibilities. It was the WORST job I have EVER had!! Not the teaching part, just the 30 minutes of driving that damn bus!! It was old, smelly, loud, and filled with some of the most obnoxious children. Did I mention it served double duty as an illegitimate homeless shelter at nights? Yeah, I laughed at myself everyday knowing that this was part of my job. When we moved from Pensacola to Jacksonville and I got a new driver's license, I told them I wanted the CDL taken off. The lady behind the desk said, "You realize that if you ever want to drive a commercial vehicle again, you'll have take the test all over again." My response: "There won't be an AGAIN!"