Together... at last!

After months of longing for the day when Carver and Springer really played together (not just in the same room, but united in the same mission)...it's finally come! About a month ago I noticed that they were beginning to find common interests (Athough in all honesty common interest was never a problem on Springer's end of things. Anything her brother does she is happy to follow!). More and more I realize that large chunks of time go by with them playing with one another. Often Carver sits and has a tea party with her, they read together, play at the train table, draw, sing, dance, and then the best of all their favorite game of chase. They run around and around the main part of the house (which always includes the kitchen and without fail takes place as I prepare dinner) chasing, sqealing and laughing uncontrollably. Carver, of course, laps her several times, but they both end up in the same spot-equally delighted. This evening after dinner Springer decided to bring her baby in on the fun. She pushed the baby in the stroller and Carver would block her. Included is a little video of their fun...you can be thankful that they were no where near as loud as is typical!

 

Jesus and the Elves?

At bedtime this evening Carver asked me to read him Psalm 100. They have been learning those verses at church and he enjoys saying it as I read. Well, Psalm 100 turned into Psalm 101 and then stories from Matthew, Mark and Luke. He is a born staller and really how can you tell a kid that you refuse to read any more Bible stories! Anyway, as I read to him 'the disciples' continued to be mentioned. I tried to think of a creative way for a 4 year old to understand just who these men were and their importance to Jesus. I began with something like 'they were very important helpers.' Without missing a beat Carver replied, "Right! Just like the elves!" I guess so! Does anyone else want to tackle the apostles?!

Snow Day!

Apparently I was the only one in the city who didn't believe the forcast for snow because when we woke up to a snow covered lawn this morning I was completely unprepared-and diaperless! G headed out to bring back provisions and I bundled up the kids for some outside fun (which I discovered takes much longer than you'd ever think!). They loved it! Carver built a small snow man with his daddy and Springer and Lucy enjoyed playing with snow balls. Lucy loved trying to catch the snowballs in her mouth and Springer, who refused her gloves, reluctantly agreed to come in and warm up. They both enjoyed the sled rides down the front yard and we all enjoyed warm milk and hot chocolate when we came indoors. They are calling for ice this afternoon so we may be inside for a while longer.

 

No More Baths!

At least that was Carver's declaration last night. He's showered alone all week long but finally last night decided to move on upstairs and shower in his bathroom for the first time. He was thrilled! Giorgio and I have long wondered when our family of 4 would make better use of our 3 bathrooms-we always end up using ours. Until now...Carver says that 'baths are for babies.' I am sure that once the new wears off he'll start missing the bubble bath play time he enjoys with Springer. Oh, and for those of you who may wonder-we do help him bathe, shampoo-and rinse!

 

Nice Hair!

As I recorded Carver's thankful moment (see below), Springer worked some applesauce into her hair. Thankfully she removed her pretty bow before administering the hair tonic!
She says it all the rage with girls in the know!

 

So much....

Gratitude is definitely one of the top two or three character traits that I most want my children to embody. To help instill that I try to remember to ask prompting questions throughout the day to encourage gratitude. Well as much as I long for their hearts to be full of gratitude and thankfulness there is a limit to what I can do to make that happen. Forcing someone to be thankful really isn't thankfulness at all, is it? So...you can imagine the smile that came to my face and heart as Carver began singing during his dinner tonight. It was completely unprompted and I grabbed the camera quickly in order to capture this 'thankful moment.' I hope this prompts each of us to take a moment to be thankful-and most importantly remember who it is that we thank.

A day of fairytales

Today Carver's preschool class took a field trip to our wonderful children's library and play center. The theme was fairytales-there were puppets, a Jack in the Beanstalk slide, dress up areas, a trolley...then story time. Carver had a ball from the moment we left (two of his favorite friends rode in our car which was a very big deal to him!) to the time we left. On the way home I asked him what his favorite part of the day had been. His reply? "Being with you, Mama." My feelings exactly!
Carver, Dylan and Seymore Goodstuff
Carver in his kimono
The Kings of the castle!
My little Prince

Tea for Three

A year ago Springer received a tea set from my dear friend, Courtney. As the mother of two girls she promised me that within a year's time Springer would love it. Well the day has come... I found them having their very own tea party. Springer sat down next to Lulu (the large, pink lamb) and began 'feeding' her. Carver sweetly joined in the play and helped her set up her cups and plates. She must have played in that same spot for close to 20 minutes. She seemed like such a big girl! Thank you Courtney for the great set;
she's having a ball organizing her daily teas!

Anything you can do...

Not one to be out done, Springer decided she could tackle "the hill" with the best of them! And she did-fearlessly.

Beautiful Day

A rather disheveled Springer tries giving Lucy a little love!

Can this really be January?!

Well, with 70 degree weather it was a perfect Sunday afternoon outside. Springer spent a little girl time with Lucy (which Lucy tolerated nicely) and then we all took a nice, long walk around our neighborhood. While G and I chatted with neighbors, Springer enjoyed the freedom of a wagon-less walk (picking up rocks, twigs and leaves along the way) and Carver enjoyed some time out on his bike. One thing we've worked on for months is making the trip down our rather steep driveway without constant breaking. Well, today he got it and wanted me to record his accomplishment. As you can see he did great! After many, many trips up and down we headed inside for a little breakfast dinner-a favorite of both of them. Although I certainly can't complain about this warm weather, I would like a little taste of winter before the arrival of spring. We'll see!

Ahh, The power of the camera!

Here's a little look at Springer's lunch time melt down. The first picture was captured before she realized I had the camera. The second one, just a second or two later was taken once she became aware. Pretty quick change of emotions, don't you think?!
My little drama queen...she's just too cute for words.

 

The joy of new shoes....

Carver's preschool starts back up tomorrow and since I already had my Tuesday sitter lined up for Springer I decided to take him on a date. We have been talking about it for a week now and the highlight of this date was the fact that he was getting new shoes (or "N's" as he refers to them because of the "N" on the side). This highlight was followed closely by the fact that we were having lunch at Dean & Deluca (he really is my child, isn't he?!)...grilled cheese sandwiches and the treat of all treats...chocolate milk! Because he rarely gets sugar treats, the mere thought of chocolate milk can put the cutest grin on his face and keep him on good behavior for days!

So, we headed out this morning on our adventure. After a leisurely stroll through Barnes & Noble where he picked out a couple of new books and a Curious George wall calendar we headed over to the New Balance store. These shoes were the only style that didn't lace up so it was a pretty quick decision. I felt awful to discover that his poor little foot has been crammed into a pair of N's that were 2 sizes too small! As soon as he put these on he ran full speed across the store and deemed them 'awesome'! Of course the crocs he wore in quickly went in the box and he wore his new N's out of the store with glee. He ran the sidewalks every where he could and showed off his new shoes to several employees at Dean & Deluca as well.

He definitely feels like these make him run faster and jump higher (don't you remember that feeling?). He's tested them on just about every surface we have in our house and I think he's right! After bath tonight he begged to put back on his 'brand new day clothes'. After telling him that pajamas were in order it dawned on me why he wanted to put them back on-he wants to wear his new shoes! Well, there's always tomorrow, but today will forever hold a special memory of a day out with my little boy.

 

Happy New Year!

May the year ahead hold many smiles, much laughter and true and lasting peace-in the midst of all that life brings to each of us.

 

Christmas Part I: The days following Christmas

On Thursday Micah, Tricia, and Sara James came to celebrate with us, followed shortly by my Dad (Pops) and his wife Carol (Nana). We got to celebrate Christmas morning for the second time in a week which Carver thought was the greatest thing. Thankfully by this Christmas morning he felt back to normal and full of energy. He paused for a few minutes to snuggle with his cousin Sara James and play Memory with Aunt Tricia.
I don't think any one has beaten him yet!

Pops enjoys breakfast with his girls...

and then heads out for a little outside time.

Christmas Part II: Christmas Morning

The four days prior to Christmas brought a yucky virus to Carver. He managed to rally for Christmas morning, but crashed shortly after. I don't believe that he picked up a single toy all day. The poor little fella just felt awful and kept a very high fever for days. Besides the virus (and subsequent ear infections for both he and Springer) we had a wonderful holiday. G's mom joined us for close to a week and G and I enjoyed knowing that we were staying put for the entire Christmas season. It's a first for us and one that we have greatly appreciated.
Springer and Lulu the lamb

Carver and Curious George

Springer models her present from Nona

Christmas evening

 

Christmas Part 3

Two Saturdays before Christmas we headed to Atlanta to celebrate Christmas with my mom's family. Carver and Springer had a ball playing with their cousin Sara James and their second cousins, Madison and Isabella. Granny tries to gather all of her 'greats'-not an easy task!

The Smith, Rotondi, Hunsucker, Carver & Hiatt clan

Carver's big surprise from Granny!

Testing out his new wheels...

 

Christmas Kisses!

As I tried for the perfect Christmas card shot, I happened to get an adorable series of Carver kissing Springer. I think these shots capture their pure delight in one another.
These are sweet days....may they last a long, long time.

 

Still Here!

Sorry to be away so long; we've had, of all things, camera problems. I am sure it's due in some part to some very little fingers messing with it. Anyway, there have been no pictures around here lately. We have been busy, though, with lots of decorating, shopping and parties. Carver has become very excited about presents (both giving and receiving) and just this morning asked if Santa would still be able to come if we didn't get snow (we had been listening to the very warm weather report on the radio and I think he became concerned!). I assured him that Santa could come in spite of any weather conditions and I think that relieved his mind. Springer loves the tree and all the lights. So far we haven't lost any, but there are several that she really has her sights on. She is talking so much these days and is quite full of herself and all that she's able to do on her own. I promise to post more pictures just as soon as our camera issue is solved. Until then, enjoy the season!