Boys Will Be Boys

Dylan had a great play date with his cousin Christopher from New York this morning. At just 19 months wrestling is already an instinct. Good thing I don't have twins...

And then there was a little Ring Around the Rosey. More fun when I don't have to participate!

If only they lived closer... Hope to see you again in April!!!

A Baby Sister

... but only for a few hours! Dylan practiced having a little sibling around the house last weekend when we watched his 10 month old friend, Evyn. We were pleasantly surprised how nice he was to her (except when she tried playing with his Mickey Mouse laptop). Dylan showed Evyn how to play with bowls and cups. She tugged on his ear to show him affection.

I love the photo of the two of them sharing a cheerio and banana snack. We love playdates!Dylan cannot wait to grow up. Recently he has enjoyed being his daddy's mini me. The other night I heard him giggling in the hallway hysterically. He was by himself so I figured he was up to no good. I found him around the corner wearing Chad's slippers.

Then, a few days later he found a T-shirt of Chad's and gave it to me to put it on him. Silly boy.

And speaking of boys, I sent the two of them out to play in the snow yesterday. We got a whopping 16.5" last week so there was plenty to go around. At least the ground hog saw his shadow!!!

A 1 1/2 Year Old

Dylan turned 18 months last week and I decided it is time to start calling him 1 1/2. Too much math to count Dylan's age in months and this pregnancy in weeks. He is growing up so fast and has had so many new changes and adventures this past week, both good and bad. First, he quit sleeping through the night. Out of nowhere he is up crying at least twice in the middle of the night. He usually throws a little tantrum before bedtime and his nap as well. And speaking of his nap, it has shortened from 2.5 hours to 1-1.5 hours. Good thing there is a tv in his room because it may be time to start putting on a movie so I have a little more quiet time around here.

Another exciting development is that Mimi got Dylan to go on the potty twice last week. He is definitely not ready for potty training yet but he quickly learned that he was rewarded with M&Ms when he told Mimi he had to poop. We'll see if he does it again tomorrow... At our house, the bathroom is his favorite playroom. He is obsessed with toilettries and the bathtub.

We took Dylan for his first trip over to the John Deere Pavillion yesterday. A must for a QC toddler! He was too busy for photographs but we did our best. We'll definitely go back.

Not much else exciting to report. I'm 12 weeks now with # 2 and feeling fine. Pants are starting to get pretty tight already so that's a little embarassing but one of the joys of second pregnancy. Happy Sunday!

Welcome 2011....

... and all of the joys and challenges you will bring! #1 on the list this year = Dylan's new play mate arrives this summer. I am almost 10 weeks pregnant due early August. It is going to be a tough couple of years (I can't even imagine right now) but someday I think he will think me for it. Anyway, that's the big news here. I somehow got behind on the blog with Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years but it should be a long cold winter so I'll try to do better. Just had to post this quick one for Ann :) HAPPY NEW YEARS FRIENDS!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!!

Friday night marked our first snowstorm of the season! This is usually not something I get excited about, but this year Chad and I couldn't wait to see Dylan's reaction. And as we expected, he loved it. He is an outdoor guy just like his dad. Good thing Chad got boots and snowpants for his birthday because I'm shipping the two boys out to play while I sit inside and enjoy the view :) So here he is, Friday night ready to check it out...

Earning his keep. We are in the middle of celebrating Hanukkah and one of Dylan's gifts was his snow shovel. Just in time!

Saturday afternoon we headed over to my parents for some fun with Daddy and Grandpa Beej.

First snowman, please don't laugh. I had to quick snap the picture before he pulled the arms off.

Getting ready to go down the hill with Daddy...

Action photo. Big smiles!!!!

After a busy day of sledding we took Dylan down to the Christmas walk in the village. It was pretty lame but we got a picture with Santa. Just as I expected his reaction to be (Daddy is just off the photo to the left)

Happy Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is in the books. We survived without eating too much turkey. Actually, Dylan wouldn't even give Thanksgiving dinner a try. He ate broccoli, sausage, blueberries and yogurt at both houses. That is his standard meal these days, and the spicier sausage the better.... Anyway, we spent Thursday night with the Weigle family at my parents house. Dylan took his first shared bath with his cousin Madeline. They ignored each other almost the entire time but it was a success. Neither of them were too photogenic but this one made me laugh.

Friday night we bonded with the Everitts and Dylan's 6 year old cousin Jon. The two are becoming fast friends. I got my first glimpse of what life must be like with two boys as Dylan out of nowhere became extremely interested in wrestling. It was all in good fun and no one got hurt. His new thing is giving hugs so Dylan clung to Jon's leg most of the evening. We can't wait to get these boys back together over Christmas!

And we can't forget what happens around Thanksgiving every year. Chad's birthday! We went out to Azteca with Chad's birthday buddy (and the love of Dylan's life) Reagan Hassel and family. Let's just say it wasn't exactly our best night out considering we had a 6 year old, 16 month old and 8 month old at the table. Good thing Mexican is fast. Next time, adults only :) Here is a picture of Chad with the kiddos below, Evyn, Reagan and Dylan. Happy Birthday Daddy!

15 Months

Ok so its been over a month and blogging isn't exactly my top priority these days. The newness of motherhood must be wearing off because I only took 3 pictures of Dylan in over a month. Oh well. He had his 15 month checkup and weighed in at a whopping 21 lbs 9 oz (less than 10th percentile) and measured 30.5 inches (under 50th percentile). I'm not sure if they are completely accurate as Dylan screamed bloody murder and put up a major fight during the entire appointment. I don't think it helped that the nurse was dressed up as a witch for Halloween. But we survived...

It has been a busy month as they always are. Most of you know I turned 30 last weekend. Minus the unsuccessful court case and a Hawkeye loss it was a great weekend. My college roomate and her husband came into town for the weekend. Friday Chad threw a fun party at Jersey Grille and Saturday we spent up in Iowa City cheering on the Hawks. Also, my older bro Ben came into town. He and Dylan really bonded. Dylan calls him 'Uh Bah' (Uncle Ben) and frequently asks about him when we go to Mimi's house so he will be excited to see him over Thanksgiving.

He looks very sweet and well behaved in the photo but don't let it fool you. Dylan is a piece of work. He is really into climbing, especially on the kitchen table. He also enjoys climbing on chairs and then diving off head first. He has successfully performed two complete sommersaults this past week. Perhaps he will be a gymnast. He amazes us every day with the new babbles coming out of his mouth. In the morning when he gets up he points to the TV and says 'Elmo On'. My other favorite words of his are doorbell and hairdryer. Not in perfect English but he is a great little communicator which is scary.

Thats about it for now. We have a fun filled weekend including a trip to Iowa City for the Michigan State game and last but not least Halloween. I'll try to get a good photo of our little dragon and post it before Thanksgiving :)