Gwen!

Have I mentioned how much Gwen makes us laugh? It is so funny to be living with someone who is mastering the English language. Gwen told me the "we were going to the grocery store" I asked her what she needed she replied "chocolate". Seriously, a girl after my own heart! The conversations have really started now with Gwen, she actually makes sense and she is so sweet. Gwen talks non-stop and I am not sure that she will every stop, unless of course someone she does not know comes near. Gwen is still doing well Nate and often surprises us with how sweet and helpful she is. But, here is Gwen when I put her in the overalls she said pockets and put her hands in the top part.

You see she also uses that front area for storage of her phones, yes I said phones, you can't see the other phone that was on the floor. She does stuff like that all the time.
We started swim classes yesterday. I don't know how it is going to go yet. The class isn't the same without the teacher that I love. This teacher was younger and didn't have the fluid feel of the other class. I don't know how Gwen will respond, but I guess she is going to have to get used to having different types of teachers. We dropped Nate off with a friend's husband and he seemed to get along just fine, from all reports.
Gwen has started eating more foods, I don't know if it is a fluke, and it is not like she is eating everything and anything, but we are making progress and I am happy with that.

Babysitting

I have now ventured into the realm of babysitting. Ok, so I don't really have cards made or giving out offers, but I have made myself available to a couple people if they need it. So, Nate and I sat and watched as the girls played.
Ok, so we didn't really sit and watch, but I did want to include him, so anyhoo on with the girls. Gwen and her friend are pretty tight, by toddler standards, I would guess. They love to chase each other and scream, so I think that means they like each other. Gwen seems to be taking the leader in this relationship from what I can tell, now that she is speaking she is getting quite bossy, we are working on that! Her friend is a couple months older than her.

Her friend also has a little sister, who sadly doesn't get much play time with her sister and Gwen, but she doesn't seem to care, mostly cause she is 1, I suspect and I am not sure she knows she should. Plus, she really knows how to defend herself if they get to rowdy (not that they did, but I have seen her in action before and I know that she can!)
Dear Lord, do you know how many books I had to read, well, I didn't count, but it was a lot!
I missed the shot of Gwen and her friend laying down, so cute!

When my friend came back, she was enticed to read some books also!
What was interesting was I had blockaded us all into the living room and wanted to see how long it would be before the girls noticed that they could crawl under the table. Seriously, the youngest figured it out and only about 5 minutes before my friend came back...2 hours into the etrapment! I don't know if that means they were just having so much fun they didn't care or they just aren't problem solvers! Gwen did try to move the exersaucer but after she saw the sister try to go over there they tried to go over her table. It was nice, because I figured the blockade would only last a little while, it worked out much better than I had hoped! And, we are all none the worse for wear!

Nate's Baptism

This weekend we finally had Nathan Baptism! I know I am a slacker Mom, I have already taken him on trips and all. Here are some of my favorite from the ceremony. Thanks to Claudia & Jamie/Tim for taking the pictures! Some things you should know from the Baptism. Jess is awesome for driving up here with "Angieja", not that Jess complained about driving up here with her daughter, but I am just saying it was a 7hr drive and thanks! Also, Gwen and Nate both missed naps for this ceremony, so Gwen was punchy to be sure. Every time the priest came up to Nate, he just stared at him, like this!
Gwen and her friend! I love that she has Gwen by the neck!
"Angieja" as Gwen says it and Gwen. Gwen pretty much wouldn't leave Angela's side. And Angela seemed to enjoy hanging out with Gwen.
Look at how Nate is looking at Jess, so sweet!
The priest was so convinced that he had the greatest trick, jingling keys so the kids would look at the camera. Apparently it works well for Eric also!

I put this picture in only to freak people out, look at his head!
Just hanging out, waiting.

My sweet little man! Despite the dress, I think he still looks like a boy!
One should also note that our priest seems to be deathly afraid of tripping or someone falling and I did see him trip on the steps up the altar. He brought that up a lot!

After the ceremony some of us went to the park where we had snacks and cake and the men chased the kids! What a nice time for us ladies to chat and not have to chase the girls for once! I don't know that is the best picture of Nate, but really it is what he does, but Eric looks real nice! And look at that yummy cake! It must be good, it is all gone.

Lancaster part I

This last weekend, when Grandmom was here we went to Dutch Wonderland, its the kingdom for kids, if you didn't know! There are 33 rides at DW of which Gwen could ride 27, baby Nate was not as lucky, but as you can see by his pictures, he didn't really care! Gwen was really game for any ride, as long as Eric was with her, one time we tried to put her on a ride by herself and she was fine and then she realized Eric wasn't with her, Grandmom rescued her from that one. Here is the car she drove! The slide! If you have watched Jon & Kate +8 this is were they took their kids and Jon was complaining about this slide and taking each one of the kids down it, Eric had no complaints, but he only had 1 kid! (Nate was sleeping)
Nate and I also avoided this house, the house spins while you sit there!
Gwen and Grandmom in line for the train thing, you will see it in the following pictures.

Nate, waiting to see Gwen pass by, oh and it is first time sitting in the stroller, without the carseat!

The kids could push this thing around a track...
or you could sit back, take in the scenery and let Grandmom push you!
This is the ride she freaked out on...
Sorry about that guy's butt, we don't know him! This plane, she went on with Eric and then asked to go on it again, so I took her also!

Views from the monorail! We had a hard time getting Gwen off the monorail, she loved it so much!


Nate sleeping for the first time in the stroller!
Gwen's 2 favorite things were the train and the monorail, we didn't even do half the stuff that they have at the park. I really wanted to take her on the log plume, but didn't have the patience to wait in that line! She also loved the Turtle ride, it was like a "twirl-a-whirl". She wasn't happy when she was told she couldn't sit on our laps, but we made her and she ended up loving it, screaming (in a good way) when our turtle whirled around! I think it was a successful trip, and I hope that we can do it again one day and hit more rides!

Attention!

We have our first milestone caught on video! Nate has rolled over and I got it on video. Not the first time he did it, but the second! I have no idea when babies are supposed to start rolling over, since I don't read those books anymore, I just know this is when the "fun" begins. I know that there are other milestones that Nate has hit, but the rolling over to me is one the ones I pay most of the attention to. It means I have to start paying more attention to where I put him, now he can roll off things! Now granted he has always gotten himself around when he is laying down. I am not quite sure how I can put him in his crib and even at a month he would be in a completely different spot on his crib, often 180 deg from where I put him! So enjoy Nate rolling over!

Oh and if you'd like to see the pre-rolling stage.

No means no!

You will probably assume I am talking about Gwen or Nate, but I am not! A pesky "helpful" offer from a telemarketer. Yes we are on the do no call list, but that doesn't stop people like the credit cards and mortgage companies that we already have from calling us giving helpful offers, that will help us! Seriously guy, when I say no to the free offer I mean no. I do not want the 30day free trial, because I will forget to call back and cancel and then I will have to be charged and then I will be ticked...no means no! And, if you can believe me I told him that. I guess he should not have called and woken me and Nate up from our naps! I have successfully gotten Nate to start taking some naps in his crib and today for the first time he took like a 2 hr nap, until that mean man called and woke him up! I had heard Nate moving around in his crib and he cried so I went to get him and by then he had fallen back to sleep, so I laid on the bed to read and must have also fallen asleep, it was a nice cat nap until that man called! Guess he should not have crossed a irritated new Mom!
In other less irritating news, Gwen still loves baby Nate and wants to hold him! Here are 2 more pictures of them together. And yes, I know Gwen is not wearing a shirt. Sometimes when it is hot she likes to take a nap without her shirt on and then not put it back on. At 2, I think this is a "battle" I will let her "win". Not that you can tell, she is wearing shorts and she will put a shirt on to go outside!


I hope you all had a nice weekend that wasn't spoiled by watching your team lose a football game!

Nate's new (to him) toy

After realizing that I am not working with Nate like I did with Gwen we pulled out the exersauser and put Nate in it. He was a little wobbly at first, but he seems to like it. He even can even turn himself in it and he has started accidentally move the little balls around. Some of Gwen's best baby pictures were in the exersaucer.





Of course, I thought I would include a couple pictures of Gwen. Her new shirt from Grandma. (my Mom, not Grandmom!)

Channeling his inner Georgeson

So the other day Nate had an accident in his pants so I had to change him. I didn't have any other socks for him, and when I put him in the bouncy seat it reminded me of my Grandfather who always wore red socks and his suits.