We made cupcakes!

2/22/08 - I mixed the ingredients, and the boys filled the cupcakes with the batter. They had to be coaxed into filling more than just one paper. We had many empty wrappers and 2 overflowing cupcakes. We watched the cupckaes bake and then decorated them.
I asked them what they wanted on the cupcakes and they simultaneously shouted "Marshmallows and sprinkles" and then started chanting it! Cupcakes and marshmallows???? I had to talk them into icing.
Cleaning up at the sink was an ear-piercing experience.
I can't remember what they asked for, but I had to tell them "No" for some reason, and here are their reactions. They are both very angry - stark contrast from the previous picture.
Alex is so mad that he has to leave.

Chik-Fil-A is almost as fun as Chuck E Cheese

2/16/08 The boys have a blast a Chik-Fil-A . . . And it is much less expensive than Chuck E Cheese . . . And they give you free coffee until 10:30 am.
They can't climb very high on this contraption, yet, but they keep trying.
They also love the tree house and the mirrors.
2/13/08 I finished a little bunny for some one's new baby, but Alex grabbed it and wouldn't stop kissing it! I had to start on something completely different for the baby.
He really loves this bunny.

A snowy day

2/12/2008. Alex is getting ready to go play in the snow! There were supposed to be 5-7 inches, but we only got about 3 before it switched to freezing rain and then eventually rain.
Nicholas insisted on swinging. We struggled to get him out of the swing when he was done - not because he didn't want to come - his snow suit and boots were stuck! Luckily, we were eventually able to wiggle him out.

Alex was having a hard time seeing - we had to fix his hat. Nicholas loves to crunch the snow.

It was also fun to come inside and get warm. Alex decided to join Nick on the love seat. He's only 2 1/2 and already knows what a delight it is to snuggle up with a good book. That book is about "colors".
He looks sleepy.

Nick just likes to snuggle with his "lellow blank-a."

Back at Chuck E. Cheese's

2/3/2008 - Nicholas likes to ride on the "Tick Tock" or "Elevator"
Alex is driving and looking at himself at the same time.
Nicholas is playing with the water cannons.
Climbing and crawling around are so much fun!
A true first! They have never been willing to sit and eat anything at Chuck E Cheese!

Mommy's Birthday

1/29/2008 Where's Nicholas?
SURPRISE!

Nick thinks the candles are cool. Alex showing restraint (barely)
Cassie really liked the cheesecake.

1/25/2008 After Christmas, Alex started pretending to be Santa. He had a blue and white hat that was crocheted for him when he was a baby. He wears the hat, or alternatively stuffs it full of small toys. He then very precisely positions his stuffed horse (whose name is usually Scarlet except when Alex is Santa, then the horse is called Rudolph) and other horse toys in front of the sofa or a line of chairs. He then shouts "Ho, Ho, Ho, MER-RY Christmas," and gets off and on his couch sleigh delivering toys or repositioning his reindeer. I knitted him a santa hat to wear so he can use his other hat as his sack.

1/24/2008 Playing with Nana and Pop-pop
Nana and Pop-pop got into the play house.

1/20/2008 Painting is fun and very messy

Low tech toys rule, too!

1/10/08 Even though we love the cool toys we got for Christmas, it is still awfully fun to play with a laundry basket. . .
. . . and a cat
Here's a little sweater I knitted.
Here's Nick trying to wear it.
Hanging out with one of daddy's presents - a portable dvd player. Somehow I doubt that David will ever get to watch his own movies on this.

Christmas Morning

We all had a lot of fun on Christmas morning. The boys got so many new toys that they just didn't know what to do with themselves. Even a month later, Alex would wake up in the morning and say that he wanted to go play with the new toys Santa brought him.

Alex opening his "Great Bigger Fire Truck"

Nick playing with his huge train.

"Playing" with the train of course means knocking the cars off the tracks or putting things on or next to the track so that the train will run over them or knock them over.

This is the great big Thomas and Clarabell train tent that Nana and Pop-pop got them. It was a great morning, and they got tired and overstimulated very quickly. It was nice to have some quiet time in the early afternoon when they literally fell asleep playing with toys.

They are already talking about next Christmas - they want a great bigger fire truck and huge train (again).

December Fun

12/22/07 - At Grandpa's house in Wilmington. Alex just loves his cousin, Rebeca.

Nicholas trying to hide from Rot, the dog (short for Rotten - although he is a very sweet puppy!)

Nick being licked by Rot.

12/10/07 Alex is a punk rocker!

Nicholas is a punk rocker!

6 inches of snow on Dec 5th

12/5/07 As soon as I picked up the boys from daycare, they were begging to go outside and play in the snow. Now, every time they see the pictures, they run to the door to go play outside in the snow - even when it is 60 degrees out. It wasn't good packing snow, and the boys wanted to make a snowman, so they settled for pushing snow into the tree branches.
Nick LOVED being pulled around the yard by Mommy and Daddy.
Alex got confused when trying to make a snow angel and ended up throwing a ton of snow on his face!
Mommy wasn't paying attention when she was trying to clean off the slide, and she ended up covering Nicholas's face and head in snow. She felt very bad! She nearly turned Nicholas into a snowman!
Nicholas at the picnic table.