Pinterested?

Cousin Jessica 'invited' me to a wesbite called Pinterest. I've seen so many people commenting on it that I thought I must truly check it out. I heard that it's addicting, though, and it really can be. That lazy Sunday I spent a good part of the day checking out new recipes, looking at pictures of people's idea of fashion and home beauty, and most of all getting ideas for kiddo crafts and activities. FUN! I  have to limit my own time on there.

One idea I saw was taking bottles of food coloring and painting the snow outside. Even though it had warmed up significantly since the snow the day before, I decided to give it a try with the boys. And while they may not be "Van Gogh" they had a blast creating their own art. This one is a keeper for the next snow fall.

Even Ryan enjoyed our time outside (again, it was warm even though there was still snow on the ground). This is one idea that piqued my interest, even though I didn't repin it. :) :) :) I would recommend it to other mamas and kiddos. Good times at the Good household!

The Schnookapants

Joshua comes up with some really silly names for things. We've been doing a "Chunk-em-pants Dance" at our house that cracks me up! Somehow, our little Ryan has become a Schnookapants in the midst of it (notice that Joshua loves the word "pants" and uses it often). I love my little Schnookapants!

I took Ryan to the doctor's on Monday because he had run out of his reflux medication, and they insisted on weighing him before refilling it. (Annoying since I have a scale here! Cha-ching for them, I guess.) He now OFFICIALLY weighs 18 lbs 8 oz. We got his medication refilled, and the doctor also noted that he has FOUR teeth coming in at once up top. I can see the whites of all of them, but they're not through yet. WOW! Poor little guy!

Ryan is very close to being able to stand and get into things. He gets up on his knees already and assumes the crawling position when sitting, moving in and out of it to go back to sitting. I remember working on these things with Joshua in his physical therapy, so it's amazing to watch and recognize each stage! With that, Daddy lowered the pack-n-play from what it was in the above pictures. No need to let my little Schnookie hurt himself! This is such a great stage! I'm loving every moment! :) :) :)

Sleepy Sunday

Our boys keep fighting with us to take naps in the afternoon and even to go to bed. While Joshua may be old enough to go with just quiet time, Caleb is still pretty young yet to skip his nap entirely. Not to mention that I think most little boys should be in bed by 8 and they seldom see sleep at that time. Just like in their "Sleepyhead" book, they ask for one more book, one more snuggle, one more comfy cozy cuddle! One more drink and kiss good night, one more story told just right!

Sunday, January 22, we had a REALLY lazy day. Shawn got some things around the house accomplished, but I couldn't seem to get the lead out. I think we need a day like that once in awhile where you do absolutely nothing. We told the boys that they could have a little video before bed since we haven't watched much TV in general lately. I said to Shawn as we were discussing some things upstairs "The boys are too quiet for my liking. I'd better go check on them." We walked downstairs to this scene - they had both passed out!!! They were SO exhausted! I try so hard to get them on a good schedule and good routine, but sometimes when they fight it they get so tired that they simply can't keep their eyes open.

Is there anything sweeter than seeing a sleeping boy? I love these little faces. :) :) :)

And as the book ends "Tomorrow's play is just ahead, close your eyes and rest your head, it's time to sleep my sleepyhead."

Cat's Out of the Bag...Or Thinking Outside the Box?

We just heard the official word from Manheim Township that they are NOT going to offer full-day kindergarten this year. I'm thrilled! While Joshua may be ready to be gone a full day, I'm not! Plus, there are many days that he still ends up napping in the afternoons during his quiet reading time. This year should be a good transition into school, going every single day but only half days. While some parents are not excited that this was the final decision this year, I'm ecstatic! I keep praying that Joshua will do well, make friends, enjoy school and learn lots. I'm so nervous to send him off into the big, dark world. Please pray that God would keep Him safe and in His arms!

We had a delivery the other night when the boys got their "tangled" hair out of (the packing paper). They also used this box a variety of ways. The first night, they climbed in and hid. Then they'd pop out of the box to surprise us. Before I realized what they were doing, I really wondered where Joshua was as I was cleaning up dinner. Haaa!!!

Then, Friday night we used it as our indoor goal to play with our mini soccer ball. Joshua put on his whistle and played "coach." Boxes can be a ton of fun!

I love that my kids can think outside the box and create new uses for plain old items. :)

He's a Player

Ryan started doing three new activities this week. On Tuesday night, he and Daddy played the clapping game together. While he's been clapping for me when he's excited or playing or wants to, he rarely does it "on command." But, for his Daddy, he clapped immediately when being asked to. Great job, Schnookie!

Then on Wednesday morning, he showed Mamaw how he can play "SO BIG!" She asked him how big he was and his little hands went into the air on cue, over and over again. He really is getting SO BIG!

And this morning, while taking a breather from nursing, he pulled the sheet over his face. I said "Where's Ryan?" and he pulled it off immediately with a big grin. I said "PEEK-A-BOO!" and he laughed. So, he did it again, and when asked "Where's Ryan?" he pulled it off immediately again still smiling while I cried "Peek-a-boo." We played it for awhile this morning. Love it!

These pictures are of my little chunky monkey playing in his monkey jumping toy, borrowed from Suzanne borrowed from Mandy. :) Shawn set it up last Sunday, and he enjoys playing in it.

Tangled!

Joshua came into the room last night and said "I'm Tangled!" If you don't recognize the movie, it's about Repunsel letting down her hair. He was pretending to be 'Tangled' and Caleb said he'd be "Mommy dearest." Haaa!!!

I seriously couldn't stop giggling at their silliness!

My boys have a wild imagination, and this paper was used for packing a box of stuff that came from Amazon (I'm thinking maybe diapers & diaper genie refills combined?). They took it and immediately started to have fun!

Who needs a wig? Simply let down your hair!

The Peanut Butter Prayer

The Peanut Butter Prayer

  from 100 Prayers God Loves to Hear by Stephen Elkins

Lord, many wonders

Your hands have made;

The sun to shine brightly,

Trees to give shade.

But the wonder of wonders

Made like no other

Is jelly spread thick

On good peanut butter!

Today, I asked Caleb if he'd like to help me make his peanut butter & jelly sandwich for lunch. He gave me an enthusiastic yes. And while he needed help still, I love that he's daring and likes to try new activities.

This prayer is from a book Ryan was given for Christmas. When I read it to him the other night, I couldn't resist adding it to the blog. We go through more peanut butter in this house in a month than most people probably eat all year!

Baby Ryan's First Big Boy Bath

Saturday, January 21, after we gave the older boys their bath, I decided that Ryan is officially old enough to skip the baby tub in our big bath tub and simply put him on the mat in the tub. (Looking at these pictures, I think it's time for a new mat!). He LOVED it! He absolutely enjoys every minute of bath time, unlike his oldest brother.

It was next to impossible to get a picture of him because he was splashing around and having a great time!

I only put a couple inches of water in there, and I gave him one toy. He loved the little boat and chewed on it and batted it around in the water.

His favorite toy, though, was the silver drain circle that he kept trying to grab at. Silly little Schnook! It made me giggle. He enjoys the water and he enjoys the splashing. Once I put the camera down, I washed him with the Johnson & Johnson wash (my first boy to not be allergic to its scent!), rinsed him off, and scooped him in his hooded towel. Then I put the wonderful smelling baby lotion on him (just thinking of the smell makes me smile) and put him in warm PJs with a onesie and socks underneath. Then I combed his little peach fuzz on top of his head. He enjoyed bath time! Great job not falling over or thrashing about, my big little man! :) :) :)

First Snow of 2012

On Saturday, January 21, we woke up to snow on the ground. The boys were SO excited! Joshua has been begging to do a snowball battle since before Christmas. Here was his chance! I loved this picture below of the two of them so excited to play outside.

Shawn got a head start on us going out so he could shovel our driveway and a path out the back. Our dear neighbor Paul had already snowblowed our sidewalks. We are so blessed to live next to them!

I dug out all the snow pants, boots, etc. and helped pile up the layers on the boys. For having snowed, it was actually pretty warm outside, believe it or not. It was the perfect weather for playing!!!

I asked Shawn to help build a snowman, but it wasn't great packing snow. It was very fluffy and powdery. So, we skipped it. I came out along to get pictures of our creations before heading back into Ryan, who was napping sweetly in his crib. I laid down and made the first snow angel.

Joshua thought this was cool, so he made one next. LOVE him! :)

Daddy finally agreed to make one as well, and he pulled Caleb back onto him. I loved this picture. My boys are so great!

The boys loved to slide down the slides.

But as you can see from Caleb's hand, a snowball battle soon began!

We had a blast. We told the boys that we weren't to get any snow in faces, please aim for coats. Caleb still accidentally got one from Joshua when he turned around at an inopportune time. But, he was fine, and they laughed and laughed.

Typically, we just throw snowballs against the house, as you can see from the picture below. I love playing outside with the boys! It was a fun morning!

And I'm thankful for my husband who came out with us since he was at home. Sometimes weekend snow is fun!

 I came in before the boys to check on a still-sleeping Ryan. When he woke up, I fed him. :) Then to further our celebrations, we went to Friendly's for the free fribbles they were offering for customer appreciation day. We ran into our neighbors from across the street getting theirs as well! Shawn surprised me by saying that we should stay and eat dinner there with a coupon we had. We've been trying to save money and not eat out, so this was a special treat. :) :) :)

 Later that night, we played "four-player Wii" as the boys always beg us to do. Joshua is Mario, Caleb is Luigi, Daddy's the "yellow guy" (no idea who that is?) and I'm the "blue guy" (again, if they have names, I'm not sure what they are. The kids have fun getting to new levels when we play with them.

Eventually it was time for baths and bed. It had been a fun and fairly relaxing Saturday.

A Dino-tale of a Roaring Breakfast

Every once in awhile I'll see a friend on facebook post a picture of a freehand pancake masterpiece - from trains to all sorts of cool things, I'm impressed by the creativity and artistic ability to make fun pancake shapes. I'm not that artistic to do something freehand, but I thought about the dinosaur cookies we made for Christmas. Could they be used for pancakes, I wondered? I thought maybe the biggest one would work, so I asked Mom if we could borrow them again.

Yesterday morning, I made my batter and then poured it into the shapes, which I had sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. After a few trial and errors, my husband determined the best method for this activity. Simply use your  spatula to flip the entire shape once the batter has bubbled up. After both sides are cooked, remove the entire thing and let it cool a little, removing the shape with a toothpick (since the cookie cutters get HOT!). I found out from Mom later that actual pancake-shape maker-things are sold in stores, with a wooden handle. Now we know!

The boys still thought they were super cute and were excited to eat their dino-breakfast!

Caleb didn't even want any syrup on his. Joshua ate a big one and two little ones, as did his younger brother. We also served bacon with them. Yum!

Shawn & I ate plain ol' round pancakes to save time. I love my husband, but he is NOT a morning person. :) :) :) After we cleaned up breakfast, we went out to play in the snow (which I will post about separately). When the boys came in, do you know what they wanted for lunch? If you answered "dinosaur pancakes" you'd be wrong. They asked for...CEREAL! Because they had missed it for breakfast. Oh well. It was still something fun and different, and they do enjoy pancakes and dinosaurs and all sorts of other fun.

The boys & I read their library books every day this week. One of them is "Dinosailors" by Deb Lund. It is the cutest rhyming book about dinosaurs who take to the boating life:

"Dinosailors choose a course,

Raise anchor using dinoforce.

They haul on lines, hoist dinosails,

And scale the rigging with their tails."

It's cute tale about how they then hit a squall, get sick, and decide to sell the boat and ride a dinosaur train. Adorable!

Joshua has another one that is a "Bat Jamboree" about how the houselights go down (the sun) and the spotlight comes up (the moon) as the bat jamboree takes place on an old outdoor movie theater screen. It's a counting book of rhymes that ends with the bat lady singing. Haaa!!! He enjoys it. The last one was Caleb's called a Barnyard hullabaloo. Joshua is helping me read it, as it rhymes and the pictures help describe what the words are saying. They love that the farmer's sheepdog ends up sleeping in his bed at the end of the story. They laugh and say "But dogs don't belong in beds!" I couldn't agree more! But I know many pet owners who would correct them. :) :) :) Oh, I love reading to my silly boys. And I love Saturday mornings where we get to enjoy big breakfasts as a family. I thought it turned out DINOMITE! :)