Stats and More

Gerret is 9 months 2weeks old, has 6 teeth (2 on the bottom, 4 on top), is 28 inches long, weighs 17lbs. 12 oz., wears size 3 diapers. Yesterday, he played, crawled around, walked with the aide of furniture, took two naps, ate lasagna for dinner, went to bed at 8p.m. and woke up at 9 this morning. He is currently in the midst of some serious stranger anxiety. A ride in the car is not his favorite activity, but he does really like food, toy cars, stuffed animals, Grandma, being outside, cats, standing up, taking a bath, and Nolan.

George

Sneak Peek

Two Boys. Two Parents. Two Costumes. Too Much Candy. One Friday Night. October 31, 2008.

Mac O' Fun

We invested in a Mac just so that we could waste time using this sweet feature called Photo Booth.  Just kidding.  But we definitely have wasted a little time taking these super cool photos (and loads more).  And sometimes, when I'm having a blast taking such super cool photos, I feel better about our Mac purchase and think to myself, "Ah yes, this is why we spent so much $".  So here we go with our Gallery O' Fun.  

Alien Child #1

So I have a big mouth

So he has a big skull

Sisters

Seeing Double

Vorld of Varcraft

Patrick and Nolan

The Voice of this blog thing

Just weird

Little Boy

Summer Lovin', Happened so Fast

Sons of Mine

The Pook Times 2

Nine Months Fly By

when you're not pregnant.  

I can't believe that Gerret was born nine months ago.  If it's possible, I think he is the cutest he's ever been.  Especially because he has outgrown the high pitched screaming.   He is, for the most part, down to two naps a day, so he is now a pretty constant part of my days.  I don't mind that so much.  Neither does Nolan.  We all really love Gerret and feel blessed to have him in our family.  He's a fun-loving little kid and he knows how to get what he wants.  He is very eager to learn and is always surprising me with the new things he picks up on.  

He recently caught on to how Nolan plays with matchbox cars.  I heard a little "vvvvv-vvvvv-vvvvv" behind me, similar to the sounds Nolan makes for the cars and turned around to find Gerret sitting there, pushing a car back and forth on the floor, making perfectly adorable car noises.    

Last week we went shopping at Lowes where they help every little boy's dream come true by providing car carts. (By the way, if

 you are interested in trying to maneuver a bus through Lowes, this could also be every parent's dream.)  They were two seaters, complete with two steering wheels, and seat belts.  At first, we just put Nolan in, thinking Gerret was too small, but Gerret kept watching Nolan intently, so I finally gave in and strapped him in.  He knew exactly what to do.  I wish I had had my camera.  He had a big goofy grin on his face as he "steered" his way through Lowes.  When we were done, Patrick and Nolan unloaded while Gerret stayed in so we could go park the cart.  As we drove away, he turned his head to follow Patrick as I pushed him in the opposite direction and when Patrick made eye contact, Gerret got that goofy grin on his face, stretched his hand up above the top of the car, and waved.  I started laughing and clapping and Patrick waved back.  That excited him so much that he waved again and again.   What a smarty pants.

He can crawl, walk along furniture, speak his own special language, do crazy tricks with his tongue, sleep 12 hours at night, drool incredible amounts, elicit a wide variety of responses from his brother, climb, and snuggle.  He currently has four teeth, asymmetrically placed in his mouth.  What a goober.  I just love being his mom (most of the time).  Here's to nine months of the Pook!

He's still winning hearts

This is Nolan. I am aware that the blog has been lacking recent pictures and information about this special little kid, so let me take a while to tell about him.

1. Nolan makes a pretty terrific two year old.

2. He talks all the time and is always surprising me with crazy new phrases and vocabulary -often pretty hilarious ones too.

3. He loves to be outside and especially likes to ride "bikes". He spends a lot of time outside and when he's inside, he asks to "play outside" every few minutes.

4. He keeps you on your toes in the grocery store, whether in or out of the cart. I wasn't paying attention the other day, because I felt a false sense of security with Nolan in the cart, and before I noticed, he had ripped into a package of apples and had a few bites chomped from one. If he's loose in a store, you need to really be on your toes because he likes to load any and everything onto the cart. He doesn't price shop, that's for sure.

5. He loves his little brother and will stop playing sometimes to kiss Gerret on the head. He likes to share food and drink with the baby. They sit next to each other at the table and Nolan is always leaning over to put some of his own food or cups on the baby's tray.

6. He has a more difficult time sharing his toys though and if he catches the baby with one of his toys, he will take it and scold, "No, no, Baby". With some encouragement, he'll generally give it back or find Gerret a different toy.

7. Sometimes he offers the baby rides on his bike. This means that I have to help the baby to sit behind Nolan on the tricycle and keep him on while Nolan gives the ride. It is cute, but back-breaking work (at least from my perspective). When it's not the baby, it's George. Nolan will set George on the seat and then try to mount it himself, without knocking George off. This is tricky, but he refuses my help, so it usually takes a few tries.

8. I think Nolan got the idea from the way Grandpa gives him rides on the motorcycle. This little treat is, by far, Nolan's favorite thing to do. He gets motorcycle rides around the yard with the help of a grandpa and an aunt. Talk about little kid Heaven.

9. Another joy in Nolan's life right now (and hopefully always) is reading books. When we're near the book shelf in his room, he'll go over to pick out a book and say to me, "Two books Mama". Ha ha. Yeah right. After we read two books, he'll always try again with, "Two books Mama." Just any book will do, but there is one book on the shelf that I'm pretty sure I've read to him three or four times more than any other book and it's this funny book about dogs from my Aunt Pat and Uncle Aaron. It's a very interactive book and his favorite part to interact with is the part that goes, "Bark Dog. Howl Dog. Sniff the Tree. All dogs poop. All dogs pee." At which point he, without fail, goes "pssssss". This makes up a very brief portion of the book and the rest is just as matter of fact, but not so crude. However, I usually crack up when Nolan goes "pssss"(you would too). Patrick taught him to do it.

10. This kid knows how to win my heart. He is just so loveable and does sweet things, like picking me flowers. He has those big brown eyes and a curly smile. I just always want to hug him and kiss him and luckily, he lets me.

Nolan and the Bike

 He's a stunt man. He can make this thing go unbelievably fast. And he learned how to fake wipe out.

Aunt: a tribute

OLIVIA

She lets us play in her room. She gives us lots of hugs and kisses. She is good at sharing. She has lots of pillows. She is cuddly. She rides a bus everyday (and that is soooo cool). She keeps us warm. She lets us crawl all over her. She is a big girl and goes to school. She doesn't complain too much when we do gross things. She is pretty and smiles a lot. She has a cute little sister. She even looks out for George and occasionally give him kisses (which Mom never does). What a thoughtful, kind, and way cool aunt we have found in Olivia Kaye.

Gerret the Standing Kid

Some people feel to complain when they have one of those jobs that requires them to stand for long periods of time. Many of their other problems will somehow hinge on the fact that they spend so much time standing. Some will even buy special shoes for the experience.

I've recently been thinking about said jobs because I spend a lot of time with a kid who would love nothing more than to stand all day long. All of his problems hinge on the fact that his time spent standing is interrupted by naps and snacks. He would prefer standing anywhere, anytime, wearing any type of shoes, or not wearing shoes at all. He will try using anything he can grab to pull himself up. When a method fails, he wails in frustration. He wants to stand on the couch, by the couch, in the tub, by the tub, on my lap, and on Nolan's lap. He likes to stand and walk around. He likes to stand and just look around. It doesn't matter what he needs to stand for or if there is even a reason for standing, he is just happy doing it. And it is so cute and so hilarious. I just love this standing kid! (Just a side note: it is cute and hilarious when he stands in the tub, but it is also dangerous and I strongly discourage it.)

Introducing...

CFCU Credit Union's Employee of the Quarter!
(No, not Gerret, you sillies, Patrick-I just don't have any pictures of him alone)


I'm glad they acknowledge that it's good to have him around at the Credit Union, because I'm always wishing I had him around. He happens to also be the recent recipient of The Best Friend of the Millenium Award, The Coolest Dad Ever Award, Lindsay's Favorite Person Award, and the gold medal in the 2008 T-burg Bocce Ball Tour. As you can see, this is one accomplished boy. I'm so grateful that we crossed paths a while back and decided marriage might be worth a try.