day 3/4...the best laid plans

So the nature walk was ruined in part by the rain and in part by a little almost four month old who has a viral infection in his eye...I rushed around to take Joshua to sick hours (I sadly, try and avoid the pediatrician and make my own diagnosis 99% of the time, but with eyes, I don't mess around)...so we returned home with no medicine (how I love the virus) and then proceeded to not nap...at all...which busted all my planning time for great activities, unfortunately.

So day 3=no special activity...planned but failed.

Day 4: determined to make sure this happened, I let Robert help me with his favorite new activity...cooking. He helped make all three meals today, breakfast (pancakes), lunch (PB and J) and dinner for a friend (spinach quiche and salad)...he's becoming quite the sous chef and even though the photos below are from another night when we made applesauce together, you can tell how much he loves helping in the kitchen...and how crazy his mother is for actually letting him near/helping at the stove...he's gotta learn that things are hot somehow:)

day five: handprint banner for gameday.

obstacles and a little monkey

So the obstacle course was a big hit and it only took a few minute to both set up and break down...reminding me again that I should be more diligent about doing these types of things for him...

here's a replay:

on your marks...
(he chose the bumbo as his "starting point")

next up, throw yourself on some cushions...
then run to the living room and crawl through the clothes drying rack, then over the stools:
crawl under the coffee table:

walk the length of the bench like a balance beam:
and finally crawl under the dining room table:
finish by avoiding your brother and throwing yourself on the couch:
yes, i used Joshua as part of the course, but look, he was so happy to be included:)

day three: nature walk for colors of the rainbow...purple should be interesting...

and even though it's late, we did do a bit of trick or treating around here...here's my curious george and man with the yellow hat:

day two, plus a little UVA photo shoot

OK, so the fact that no one responded to my challenge means that either a. I am kidding myself at the task ahead and each of you are smarter than me, b. no one actually read it (which is ok, i don't read too often either:) or c. you already do this type of thing with your children all the time and therefore are questioning my parenting that I have to set such goals for myself...my insecurities pick c.

Regardless, first day went of lovely and I give myself extra credit for including four other children in our activity for the day. I did Robert's painting during our weekly co-op since it was my turn to take the other four children who enjoyed painting very much..until they realized it was more fun to cover their hands and arms in the paint..at that point we quickly ended said painting time and moved onto dinner (a more stressful task that only involved monitoring and making sure they didn't kill each other while the grilled cheese cooked).

Anyway, I digress...here's Robert's rendition of the model (taken with my iphone so his true genius is partially blurred)
not quite a carbon copy, but close:)

next up, creating an obstacle course for him to run through in our home...this should be interesting and test my type A nature to the max...

as an aside, here's a quick photo from last weeks football photo shoot...my kids are so darn cute, and Robert's looking older everyday, especially compared to my little Joshua:


This last one is of the two of them with their cousins, Adelyn and Braden...yes, we are UVA to the max and we're ok with that.

30 day challenge

Ok, so I read blogs...a lot...and they are always doing month long series on different things, mostly having to do with decorating or cooking or both...and each time I read one I think to myself, those people clearly don't have small children taking up all their waking moments, and if they do, I envy them and should probably walk away slowly...

that said, I'm instituting my own 30 day challenge, my toddler activity challenge. You see, my Robert has been wonderful with the transition to two, wonderful until recently when he's been giving Robert and I a run for our money. In an effort to combat this sudden change, I'm going to commit to making/doing one activity with him everyday for the month of november. Why am I telling you, my approximately 10 readers? Because a girl needs accountability in her life and this is how I'm going to get it:) My hope is that the activity will allow me to stretch my crafting muscles and give my toddler some much needed one on one time...there won't always be pictures, but there will always be an explanation or a link to where I stole the activity from.

Before you feel bad for Joshua, please remember he gets one-on-one mommy time all the time, approximately seven times at day to be exact:)

If you're reading this and have a toddler and want to participate, please please do, I'd love to have you:)

Activity #1 Q-tip fall painting...
Here's my "inspiration" photo...oh how I love pinterest...

originally created here

but I found it through Perfectly Imperfect

let's see how closely my Robert's resembles this one:)

this is my life

Let me just say that I love my son very much, but in the spirit of honesty, this is how my life is going right now:

Mommy: Robert, please don't throw the pumpkin, we're bringing it home to display on the table, it's your special pumpkin.

Robert: wait for it, 1,2,3....

3 months..really?

our littlest man is getting big before our eyes...he is different from his big brother in so many ways...including his size! He's in the 80th percentile for weight and height, putting him at 14 pounds and 24 inches long. Robert wasn't this big until he was about five months old. This has been a huge adjustment for Robert and I, especially when it comes to clothing! I've been scrambling to find clothes that fit and are also the right season...that meant ripping into our three to six month clothes a couple of weeks ago and pleading with my sister-in-law Emily to borrow some warm weather clothes that she had purchased for her son Braden (you're a lifesaver, btw)

Joshua is also more like his dad in terms of personality, content to go with the flow and change up his schedule when necessary...his older brother, like his mama, didn't do so well with changes and I'm so thankful that Joshua has inherited his daddy's freer and more relaxed spirit, the grace that my Joshua gives me is so appreciated.

here's the little chunky man, popping out (almost) of his UVA law onesie:

so many things to like

I love this photo:

It's not awesome, no one is smiling, but it's my three doing family story time in Robert's big boy bed (i'll get the room pics up eventually)...and neither is actually looking at the book:)

we're pushing right along through the beginning of fall, and Joshua is growing and growing and sleeping at night and not sleeping during the day:) Usually we're busy enough that it's ok, but it's only a good day for mom when both nap at the same time...

besides, who could resist this guy:)