Little Engine[s] that Could

April 25 2012

It was one of the coolest, sweetest, most memorable moments I've ever had. 

Hayden and Ryder like to play together, but sometimes Hayden gets really rough.  He doesn't always know how to show affection toward Ryder, and a lot of the time ends up hurting Ryder. When I tell him to keep his hands to himself, or touch Ryder nicely, he says "But I love him."  So we really work on showing Hayden ways to use his soft, gentle hands, and to play as nicely as he can with Ryder.

They never have really interacted by touching. Minus hitting of course =]  So this morning, when they started playing toghether, like REALLY playing together, it was amazing.  Grant and I literally stopped what we were doing and stood there smiling and watching them. Then I grabbed my camera :)  

(These aren't my best photos, as there was so much movement. But, to me, they are some of the best ones I've ever taken. I love these boys.)

Hayden and Ryder both get horsey rides around the house on daddy's back. This is what Hayden was trying to do, but Ryder would get too heavy for Hayden to be up on his hands and knees, so he would lay down on his stomach and slither around the house like a snake :)   

Ryder took lots of tumbles!

 

Hayden is waiting patiently for Ryder to recover from a fall :) This happened about three times. Ryder would fall, start to cry a little bit, need a little hug, and then would be ready to go at it again.

"I'm Ready!" -Ryder

After all of the horsey rides, the kind of went their seperate ways for a while. Until we foudn them on the kitchen floor pretending to go night-night together.


After all of the brotherly love, Grant had a doctors appointment. He decided to take Ryder, since Hayden was going to be heading to school shortly after, it would give me some time to myself. (I know right, how awesome is that!)  Hayden opened his bedroom window as Grant and Ryder were leaving, to shout out goodbye. He started saying "Nooo, my brother! I want my brother here, with me!" He kept saying this, along with "Ryder, please stay here!"  It was so sad, but SO sweet!  Until Hayden went to school, he was talking about his brother coming home, and missing him. 

I've always known Hayden really loves his brother, but today, he REALLY showed me. It was such a blessing.

 

The story behind Brobee

Grant took the boys shopping for my birthday.  It was a Friday, and I was at the Kelly Clarkson concert.  I figured the boys would come home with a toy, because I've came to the realization that Grant likes the toy section just as much as the boys do :)

So Hayden got a stuffed Brobee off of Yo Gabba Gabba, that is probably about 2 feet tall. Yo Gabba Gabba was Ryders very first favorite show, and it got to the point that Hayden didn't really like to watch it anymore.  But Hayden really liked Brobee anyways. 

Ryder got a Spiderman beanbag sitting chair.  After he gets up from a nap, he likes to sit down and have his water cup, a snack, and a show.  This helps him wake up, which usually takes about 20 minutes or so. Then he's ready to rock & roll :)

When they got home from the store, Ryder got ahold of Brobee and plopped right on top of him to lay down and go night night with him.   Ryder is a very sweet, gentle, caring, and cuddly boy.  He was immediately attached to Brobee.   Grant had a talk with Hayden, and Hayden decided that he would let his brother keep Brobee. How sweet is that!

So far, Ryder likes to sleep with his winnie the pooh baby blanket, which was mine when I was a baby & growing up. And now Brobee :) 

Ryder was pretending to give Brobee snacks :)

Sunshine

The sun has been great!  Being able to have the boys outside without them getting muddy, is awesome.  Plus, it gives me a chance to sit outside, enjoy the weather, drink some ice cold water, and put my feet up. Oh, and the obvious... it gives me a chance to take pictures while they are distracted!  All of this fun,  while I watch the boys play together.  They get along a lot better outside too, which is so fun to see.

Hayden has a little device, that when you speak in to it, it records you, and then says what you say back in a funny voice.  He gets quite the kick out of it.

Ryder playing at the front porch, with cars, or trucks of course :) One of his favorites.

Chalk, cars, play-doh... some of their all time favs.

We have this tub outside that we keep all of the smaller outside toys in so they don't pile up in our 4x4 yard. (okay that is kind of an exageration, it's a little bit bigger, but still!)

Oh! Ryder found some chalk!

Headed out back to sit at the table.  We had some capri suns to sip on.


Hayden always seems to keep Ryder entertained.


Time for some sprinkler fun. This was Haydens reaction to how cold the water was.  I think he thought it was going to be warmer :)   He got used to it though!



We've really been enjoying the nice weather!

The Shinedown Tree

The famous Shinedown Tree. Where do I start?

It all began when Hayden was around 1 or so.  I had a mixed CD in my CD player, and the song Simple Man by Shinedown came on.  Hayden loved it and wanted to hear it anytime we were in the car.  Then as he got a little older, it came to the point where he wanted to listen to it in the house. Clearly, we didn't let him listen to it anytime he wanted because it started to get  a wee bit overplayed around here.  There would be times when he might forget about it for a while, and other times when he'd hear it on Pandora, and things would click right back in to where they were before :) The Shinedown Song!

Eventually he watched the music video on Youtube, as he'd watched us watch a video here or there of a song that we liked.  I'm not sure if Hayden really understood that Shinedown was a band, who sang songs.  When we would go to Seattle, Hayden would talk about finding Shinedown's house and going to see it. (Not sure where he got the idea that they were in Seattle). 

It wasn't long after we moved in to our apartment last June, that Hayden discovered a tree, way up on the top of a hill, that he decided was "THE Shinedown Tree."  I capitalize The because Hayden also finds other Shinedown trees that are "just little shinedown trees." Not the real one though.

Take a look :)

This first one was on a very overcast day. I had my camera out, and Hayden was peeking out his bedroom window at the Shinedown Tree. 

The Shinedown Tree with a little more sunshine :)  We were out in the yard playing. 


Hayden looking up from the front porch at the Shinedown Tree.  He really enjoys looking at it. Anywhere we go in Cashmere, he notices how it changes in shape, and looks a little bit different. 


He really enjoys his Shinedown Tree!!! Love this kiddo.

 

Boys having fun!

Ryder loves playing with Haydens trains. Hayden has about 14 or so of the trains from the Thomas collection. They even have their own bag, where they get put away every night, or else we would step on a train every few feet.  (And they hurt!)  Hayden is very territorial of his trains, so when Hayden sneaks away to do something else, Ryder gets to put his full attention on the trains & the trailers :)

Ryder thought it was hilarious that he stacked two on top of each other and drove them around on the table. He was cracking up saying "Ma-ma, wook, wa"  (Mama, look, watch.) Precious!


Ryders owie on his head is FINALLY healing up! We are very excited about this.

Another one of Ryders favorite toys. He picked this out of Haydens Special Box. Sometimes when Hayden gets a sticker or a prize, Ryder also gets one, and he chose this tractor. It was $1.00 at Walmart, and it's one of his prized posessions!

 

Hayden got to transplant his plant that he's been growing for a couple weeks. He was real excited to use the shovel in the dirt, and water the plant in its new pot! (Ryder helped too!)

 






We had a great day =]

This post won't be too exciting, no pictures, and not much talk of the boys. Just me, documenting some pregnancy life =]

I'm almost 26 weeks already, and I can't believe the time has gone by so fast. 14 weeks to go until my due date, June 30th. June or July baby? We will see! My guess is June, but only because I went barely under 40 weeks with Hayden, and 38 weeks with Ryder.  But that doesn't always mean everything!

This pregancy has been a little more difficult than Hayden and Ryder were. More morning sickness, super early braxton hicks, way more pain in my legs & back, and a ton more fatigue, yet way more nighttime insomnia. I think being a stay at home mom, keeping the kids entertained and somewhat in line, while trying to maintain a somewhat clean house (minus toys, clothes, and snacks scattered amongst the floors at times) has a few minor downfalls, but nothing that can't be managed.  I wouldn't change being with my kids every day, for anything.  If I lay low in the mornings, and try to sit down and not do to much, I can be much more productive in the afternoon and evening, versus being busy all morning, cleaning, organizing, de-cluttering, etc., and then not being able to walk at night. 

Yes, I said, de-cluttering. My all time favorite part of pregnancy.  Nesting =]  I'm not anyone who belongs on Clean House (A "de-clutter" your home TV show) but I do love to go through every closet, every box, every shelf, every cupboard, every ANYTHING, and get rid of things we don't need or want anymore.    For me, nesting can almost become dangerous!  I crave clean spaces, and organization, that sometimes I think I just get rid of things because I don't know where to put them.  Oh well... I did the same thing with my pregnancy with Hayden & Ryder, and  I haven't ever missed anything, or wondered where something went, so I must not be too bad! 

Still a lot more to do before our new little guy arrives, but I am feeling like it is going to feel more like one month rather than three. Time goes by so fast-Another thing that is different with this pregnancy.  When I was pregnant with Hayden, it seemed like the longest 9 months ever.  With Ryder, it went by a little faster, but not to much. But this pregnancy? Holy smokin' rockets!  (One of Haydens famous phrases)  It has already gone by so fast, and I know that the next three months are going to fly by!!

We can't wait to meet him. And even more, I can't wait for Hayden and Ryder to see their new baby brother <3

The kid at heart =]

I'm not talking about Hayden or Ryder. I'm talking about Grant. There is nothing better than being a kid at heart, even if sometimes it involves leaving small messes around the house.  The fun "kid" things always make up for that though.

I brought the kids up to my moms house this morning for Grandma Heidi Tuesday, and then had an appointment. By the time I got home, Grant had headed off for work.  On the counter was this.

"Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad"
~ Anne Geddes

A quote I hold close to my heart, for many reasons.  It's the little things like this, that show how great of a dad he is, and that even if the kids aren't there, they are still on his mind.  Even to think of something creative! :)
The times in the store when we go shopping, and Grant suggests the toy department before the kids do.
Or when he picks out a toy, and says that Hayden wants it, but I can tell that Hayden is only somewhat interested :)
The days when Grant insists on taking the boys to the bakery to get them a donut, or Rustys for ice cream, even though I know he's the one really craving the maple bar & the milkshake!
I have always heard that you have to find your inner-child-self to really have a great time. Especially in parenting!

The sweet & cute little things like that, make up for the other things, like this...


Explanation:  Grant loves Peanut M&M's, they are one of his favorite candys. He likes the whole peanut, but he thinks they cover them with too thick of chocolate. So he bites the M&M in half, and eats the whole peanut with half of the chocolate, and sets the remaining chocolate chunks on the table.  He usually does not dispose of these for some reason :)  I know it's not because he wants to save the chocolate for later, because they would sit there for days if they didn't get cleaned up! 

Either way, I like to focus on the positives, and try to laugh at the negatives. (as long as they aren't TOO huge of a deal! ha-ha)  

"Sure am lovin' you!"

A little fun today; 3.12.12

We decided to do some baking today when Hayden got home from school.  Hayden wanted to do cinnamon rolls, and I knew Grant would love some blueberry muffins.
Before we could start, we had to walk out to get Hayden off of the bus.  Ryder always loves to get his rainboots on all by himself, and lately he's been finding his backpack, so he can match brother when he gets home.


So sweet!

Can't forget snack time when Hayden gets home.  Both boys chose oranges. I decided to get all of my "cuties" (the small oranges) out of the fridge, and put them in a vase on the counter.  Since we never eat ALL of them before they go bad, I figured I'd put some out because I thought they were a cool decoration.  When the boys saw them, that's what they wanted. I guess my idea wasn't too bad of one! I love when they choose healthy snacks!


We started with blueberry muffins, one of Grants fav's & Haydens too. And now Ryder too!! 


After we got the muffins in the oven, we started on another one of Haydens favorites. Cinnamon Rolls.   We get the cinnamon rolls that come in the tube, that you just open and plop down in a pan. Well, I felt like getting creative this time. Instead, we peeled them apart, and put the strips of Cinnamon roll down in the bread pan. We layered and stacked, until we ran out of dough. Tossed them in the oven, and wa-la!  I mixed just a little bit of maple syrup in with the frosting that comes with the rolls, to give it a little twist!

The boys love these. Peel them apart, zap them in the microwave for a few seconds, and they are great!

Command Center: New & Improved.

I decided to change up Haydens "Command Center". He wasn't that in to it, and I really need something that works for HIM. Especially before June comes. June = new baby boy!   I wanted to make things more fun for him, so he can really get in to doing things independently, being on his best behavior,  taking care of his personal messes, & helping out around the house.  

It all starts with these 3 Charts.  The green chart, on the left, is something we do daily, that we do not give out a reward for. These are things that people do every day, regularly, that Hayden does not like to do, or struggles very hard with. Basic Hygiene.
The red & the blue charts are our "Reward Charts". If he gets 5 stickers in one row, that means that he gets to pick a prize out of "Haydens Special Box."

Left: Everyday I...   Brush teeth, comb hair, bath or shower, wash hands & face

Middle: Good Behavior...   Soft hands, talk nice, good manners, & great listening.

Right: Helping...   Put dishes away, pick up clothes, sweep floor, & put toys away.

Part of the Command Center is having our action for discipline visible. Not only so we can see it as a reminder, but so Hayden can see the three simple steps for "taking a break."

We can't completely leave Ryder out of all of the fun.  Haydens Command Center is set up high enough for Ryder to keep his hands off of it. (Unless he gets his step stool of course!)  Instead, Ryder gets to color on his own personal whiteboard, which is placed under all of the charts.  Luckily we have dry erase crayons that he uses.  They come off the walls quite nicely!

The first sticker Hayden earned on his Reward Chart was for Good Manners!  I love when he says please AND thank-you, without any prompting!

I discovered this awesome 3 in 1 little tote, that is stackable. It's kind of hard to explain, and was even harder to figure out. I couldn't figure out why it only came with 1 lid, when there were 3 tubs.
It ended up working GREAT for what we needed it for!

This is the top section of the tote. The Reward Box! Lots of goodies in here.

Middle section of the tote has Haydens Reward stickers placed inside of it. Every time he gets a sticker he gets to pick which ever one he wants!

And the bottom section, which is the most important section! The Learning Station! Flashcards, English/Spanish cards, dry erase traceable letters notebook, calculator, etc.

Last but not least, Hayden wanted a place to hang up his art in his bedroom. He brings a ton of things home from school, and sometimes he likes to display them.  Today, we did some water-color painting outside so we hung that up too :)

Margarita glasses & chocolate pudding

We never use our Margarita glasses, in fact, I think this was the first time! Tonight I decided to make chocolate pudding with whipped cream for dessert. I wanted us 4 to have matching cups, but the ones I would normally use were all dirty. So I fished these out of the cupboard, and they worked great!

 

The boys loved it. Hayden has never really enjoyed pudding, I think because of the texture. He loves chocolate cake, so I decided to try chocolate tonight, instead of Vanilla (which is my favorite!).  I topped it with whipped cream, and even though he had two helpings of whipped cream on top, he still managed to spoon out a few spoonfulls of chocolate pudding, and said with a big smile, "I like it."

He was having a hard time getting the whipped cream off of his lips! :)

He insisted on taking a bite while he was smiling, for the camera. He had a hard time having the spoon in his mouth while smiling!



Ryder wasn't sure what to think when he got his dessert. We sit at a bar, so he is already a little short, but nothing too bad when it is a flat plate in front of him. But this was a pretty tall glass, that he had to really reach up to to get his spoon in to. He discovered he liked what was in the glass, and devoured most of it =]