OBX 2009

Yes, we went to the beach a month ago. It has taken me this long to sort through all of the pictures that I took. We had a great, relaxing week that went by way too fast. The weather was great...but we actually didn't spend much time at the beach, because Calder was absolutely terrified of the ocean. Like, he couldn't even see it without having a meltdown. Oh well...maybe next year! Fortunately, there's a pool at the house that we stay at, so we spent a lot of time there! Anyway, here are the highlights, in no particular order, since I don't have the patience tonight to deal with the annoying way blogger uploads them... Blowing bubbles on the deck.
Sweet feet!

"Surfing"

Mommy and her girl

Posing with the grandparents.

Happy Family!

Sleepy swimmer...

Calder joins Daddy in his favorite place!

Flying his kite at the sand dunes
Racing up the dunes
Lovin' the shades!
The one and only beach picture of Calder.

More Calder-isms

Here's a sampling of some of my favorite things that Calder has said lately:

"Mommy, can I sleep with my banky pig?" (piggy bank)

"Where's my black packbag?" (backpack)

"Oink McDonald had a farm, eieio"

Calder: "Is it 1 o'clock?"
Mommy: "No."
Calder: "What clock is it?"

Calder: "Can I have some juice?"
Mommy: "Drink your milk first, it helps you grow!"
Calder: "But if I grow, I'll bump my head!"

Calder (singing the Veggie Tales theme): "If you like to talk to tomatoes. If a squash can make you smile." He pauses and thinks for a while, then says "Mommy, what's a 'squash can'? What does 'squash can' mean?"

Calder: "What are you going to be for Halloween?"
Mommy: "I think I'll be a mommy."
Calder: "But we don't have a mommy costume."
Mommy: "Yes we do, I'm wearing it."
Calder: "That's not a mommy costume - that's a Steeler's shirt. You're silly, mommy."

Swimming!

Swimming! from courtney on Vimeo.

During our North Carolina vacation this summer, Calder spent every day in the pool and really progressed in his swimming abilities!

Are you ready for some football?

8 Months Old

Time continues to fly, and Tessa is now 8 months old! She's not yet crawling, but she can scoot and roll herself to where she wants to go. She loves to inspect her hands while opening and closing her fingers. She's very nosy, and when she's laying on her back, she lifts her head up in a little ab crunch move so she can see what's going on around her. And, she loves to stand up -- for a while I thought she might just skip crawling altogether!

Her favorite toys are the ring stacker and the leapfrog learning table. She likes to pull herself up onto the learning table like this:

She's always trying to get her hands on books or paper...

...with the intent of putting it right into her mouth, of course. She's still not a fan of food -- well, at least not baby food. She's even starting to reject the old fruity standbys. I'm thinking we might just forget about the baby food and stick with the soft table foods that she seems to like better: chunks of peaches and pear, broccoli, cheerios/puffs and black beans! Oh, her first tooth appeared today, and she's really not happy about it.

Calder at Age 3

Here's Calder -- all ready for school on his 3rd birthday. I'm really amazed at how much he has grown over the last year, and even in the last 6 months. Aside from physically growing out of the 'baby' look, he's gone from toddler to little boy in a million other ways. At age 3, Calder is smart, happy, curious, loving, sweet, creative, imaginitive, silly, inquisitive, stubborn, and so much more.

He is definitely into all things "boy". Fire trucks, race cars, rocketships, construction vehicles, etc. He spends countless hours racing around the house putting out 'fires', but he also still loves his puzzles and books as well as learning how to spell! And he does have a softer side. Here he is "feeding" his baby! I was so surprised when he started doing this. I'd always heard stories of other kids imitating nursing moms, but I've nursed Tessa for 8 months and he just started doing it! Now he likes to sit in his little chair and say "I'm feeding my baby, and Mommy is feeding her baby!" He feeds his baby "milk from his tummy" and will even sprinkle milk from his sippy cup onto his belly before feeding the baby. :)The kid likes to plan ahead. Instead of constantly asking "why?" like so many other kids his age, his favorite question is "And then?" He has to know what we are doing from the moment he gets up until it's time for bed. If I tell him one thing that we will be doing, he will keep asking "And then?" over and over and over until he's satisfied with the level of detail I've provided for the day. His second favorite question is "What's his/her name?" He asks this about nearly everyone we encounter: store clerks, librarians, nurses, etc. And if there is even the smallest picture of a character in a book -- it absolutely must have a name. We end up making up a lot of names. (This is particularly funny/cute, because as a little girl, I was also obsessed with names!)

I was surprised to find out that fears really started setting in right as he turned 3. He is suddenly terrified of things that he used to love/like or things that he never seemed to notice before. Tops on the list are HAIRCUTS (total nightmare!), monsters, bugs, taking a shower, and the ocean. Oh, the ocean. He absolutely loved it age 1 and age 2. Here's how he felt about it this year:
Calder is an amazing big brother. We honestly could not have asked for him to treat Tessa any better than he does. He watches out for her, soothes her when she cries, and even shares (some of) his toys with her. He loves when Tessa joins us in his bed to read books, and he always asks if she can sleep with him. They can make each other laugh hysterically just by looking at each other. I'll never get tired of watching them together. We are truly blessed to have this very special boy in our lives. Though I sometimes feel nostalgic for the days when I held him as a baby in my arms, I can't wait to watch him continue to learn and grow into his own little person. Calder Lucas, I am so lucky to be your mommy!

Cousins!

After Calder's party, we actually got a few decent shots of all 4 cousins together!

Sound The Alarm! Calder is 3!

Last month we hosted a fireman-themed birthday party for Calder. I think this was really the first year that he totally understood what it meant that it was his birthday. We celebrated with lots of his friends and he loved every minute of it!! I'll never forget the look on his face as everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. He was grinning from ear to ear and was thrilled to be the center of attention!