Sharing

Joe got a new toy today! Well, they each got a new toy but they shared Joe's during tummytime :)

I knew Amelia would like Joe's new toy so when I put him on his blanket to play with it I made sure I explained to her that it was his toy and that she could play with it with him - she couldn't just take it and claim it as her own. That is what she has done with all of his hand-me-down toys. To be fair, they were hers at one point.

I encouraged her to lay next to him and eventually she did!

She showed him the colors and told him, in her own words, what the animals on each key were. She even appeared to enjoy her time with him...

Next, the unexpected happened. She shared her Dora and Boots toys with him! In fact, she went through the trouble of removing all of his toys from the tray to line up her cake toppers.

I do believe we have made some progress! In fact, this evening, after dinner, the three of us sat on the couch for thirty minutes reading books. We did a couple of seek and find books and read a couple of stories from her Disney bedtime story collection.

Once her shower is finished it's time to get ready for bed. We have a big day tomorrow but more on that later this week :)

We-Haw's Birthday

**We-Haw is what Amelia calls my sister. It started out as Ah-Hee, then it went to He-Haw and now it is We-Haw. No one is sure why.

Friday was my sister's 25th birthday! She came over to visit the kids and I. We went on a walk and ended up at the park :) Amelia could have stayed there all night swinging!

Joey had his first taste of playground fun in a tunnel!

We stayed at the park longer than we thought so we ordered pizzas for dinner. We seem to end up doing that almost every time Kim visits us...

Saturday afternoon we had lunch with my parents and Kim to celebrate her birthday as a family. We went to her favorite, the Mongolian BBQ in Stillwater. Joe sat in a high chair for the first time!

After our late lunch we went to a park in Bayport that we used to go to as kids (Jason did too!) Amelia is getting braver and braver at the park. This was the second day in a row that she climbed a rope ladder, alone!

Joe had his first taste of swinging. He thought it was great!

After the park we went back to my parent's house for cake and ice cream.

After cake Amelia and my dad fed the animals outside and then went to the school playground down the road. They were gone until dark. In fact, they were gone so long that we went out looking for them, fearing that something had happened! Everything was fine though. They were taking their time walking home and looking at the stars.

Sunday afternoon we went over to Jason's sister's house for a grill out with their grandma and a couple of their friends. Everything was so good! Liz puts out a good spread every time we are invited for dinner. We had to get our shopping done for the week on our way home so we didn't stay too late but we had a good time visiting!

All in all we had a busy weekend! It went by way too fast.

Shopping and Baths

Last night the kids and I went shopping with my mom and sister at Kohl's. Amelia like to ride in their carts because she can stand or sit down in the basket part. Joe can ride up front.

It would almost be perfect - if Joe would chill out and sit in the seat without crying for someone to pick him up! We had to take turns carrying his big ol' self around the store. It just made looking at anything much more challenging.

(can you believe he is only 5 months old? He is huge!)

After Kohl's we went to Arby's with Nana for a late dinner. At the end I had the camera out and Amelia was in the mood for a picture. She actually asked me to take a picture - a first! It turned out great - bonus!

Tonight, about the only thing that we accomplished was baths. Amelia gave Joe his bath. I was instructed to leave the room. I, of course, stayed but kept a little distance and essentially let her give him his bath.

With a watering can.

I think he was happy with his bath from his sister!

Amelia made her bath last over an hour. She just kept playing and playing and before you knew it it had been an hour. That is when we drained the tub and she got her shower. Yes, she takes both a bath and a shower each night. She requests the shower to rinse off all the bubbles. Her shower is usually around ten minutes - tonight it was fifteen.

Basically, baths took up most of our evening but that is ok. My goal before bed is to clear off the kitchen table. Again. It is a magnet for junk and papers and stuff.

St. Patty's 2012

We had a very low key St Patty's Day.

When I got home from work we took our time doing things around the house. Once our town's parade was over we went on a walk to the grocery store to get a couple of things to round out our dinner (corned beef sandwiches, coleslaw, top the tater and chips and mexican cokes.)

The walk to and from the grocery store sure did Amelia in! This was her at just after six 'clock!

We got her up to eat and take a bath and then it was back to bed. She had some trouble falling back asleep, of course. If I hadn't known any better I would have thought it was just another Saturday...oh wait, for us it was ;)

Hewp Ko

Amelia loves to "hewp Ko" (aka "help Joe") lately. Little brother has gotten a touch too large for his swings and they won't "swing" him any longer....usually. You can sometimes get them going if you turn them up all the way and give the guy a push. Then, sometimes, the swing can "swing" him for awhile. I guess that's what you get when you have a nearly twenty pound four month old!

Amelia has taken it upon herself to be Joe's swinging helper. She is a bit rough at times and I am working on that with her. However, it is just so rewarding to see her finally enjoying her role as "big sister."

The camera memory filled up right when Joey was really getting going laughing but you get the picture! He loves when his sister pays attention to him!