The finished product...

Snowflake,

Cyclops Angel

Tree and Candy Cane

Mitten and Stocking

making ornaments

I will first admit that these photos were STAGED because the boys helped me for all of about 30 seconds before they got bored with it. They did like playing with the cookie cutters, though. Anyway, these ornaments are made from cinnamon and applesauce. They take about 200 years to dry out (in the oven at 200 degrees) but they smell super nice.

a marshmallow roast...

We got a fire going and roasted some marshmallows. Haha! The fire was made by my mom and the marshmallows are cottonballs on pipe cleaners. The boys had fun even though they didn't get to really eat their yummy marshmallows.

It's too hot! Blow on it!

It's not going to burn because it's not a reeeeeal marshmallow...or fire!

things I made today...

pico de gallo...from scratch using Brenda's recipe. I left out the cilantro because Bob doesn't like it but I can definitely tell the difference. I might add just a leeeetle bit. Also, next time I won't use a WHOLE pepper for a small batch like this. TOO HOT! Oliver and Wyatt won't eat it.

applesauce again. I used up the last few apples to make this batch. We'll have to go to the market again next week to get more. The boys helped a little and they LOVE this stuff so it won't last long.

chili. I used real beans instead of canned (thanks, Allan) and it seems to be pretty good. I only tasted a tiny bite and that was before I added the onions. It LOOKS good, though, doesn't it? It smells wonderful. We'll have some when we come in from playing in the leaves - we'll be cold and it'll be warm. Perfection!

Oliver drew

Oliver, Jasper and Wyatt...in that order

pajamie boys!

raking leaves...

I get so busy that I forget to post...

Where to start? It's been almost a month since I posted. I don't know where the time goes sometimes.

After making applesauce and kale chips we moved on to bigger things. We made peanut butter brownies and then, with the same recipe, banana brownies. They both turned out DELICIOUS! I've been cooking a little more lately, too. Fajitas last night, chili, pasta with veggie sauce, all kinds of yummy healthy things. The boys still like to help and I let them as much as possible.

It's getting colder so I've been making a curtain for Oliver's little window. It's a 5'5" X 2'3" window that's right next to his bed. In the spirit of the "tree house bed" I am making it look like a tree. I spent four days cutting out leaves from 5 different fabrics and then drawing lines on them. Last night I glued the leaves together for the top of the tree. Today I cut out the trunk and roots. It's going to look SOOOO COOL.

Oliver has been doing reading practice and math practice. He's also learning days of the week and how to read a calendar. Every morning we look and find the day and then he counts the days in the month (to reinforce the numbers 1-30). More and more often he's reading things in stores, books, magazines, and on TV. I'm always amazed when he sounds out a new word but I guess I shouldn't be surprised anymore. He's so stinkin' smart! He's still a really good helper and will do almost anything he's asked. He also does some things without being asked, like feed Jasper or take his dirty dishes to the sink when he's done eating. Oh, and the sleeping in his own bed! YAAAAAAAAAAAAY! He will sometimes lay in his bed with a flashlight and read books for 10 minutes or so before he turns the light off and goes to sleep...by himself! He's also going through a mean phase. I hope it's a phase anyway, he gets frustrated or angry and he yells mean things and/or hits. It broke my heart the other day when Wyatt came to me crying and said that Oliver doesn't like him. I think he's starting to realize now that his mean words make other people sad but it's a process. :-(

Wyatt has been learning letter recognition for W, O, M, A, B, C and D and counting numbers 1-5. Not just reciting the numbers like he's been doing but actually counting objects. He's really taken an interest in drawing lately and carries his little notebook and crayon everywhere. His favorite color is yellow and he'll mention it whenever he sees something yellow. He also knows the favorite colors of Oliver, Bob and me - and he'll be happy to recite those, too. He's a really good helper most of the time. He'll clear his dirty dishes to the sink, he dresses himself, he loves putting his shoes on. He's also fully potty trained!! He goes by himself, he even wakes up dry! I am hoping this is permanent this time and I won't have to buy any more training pants for him. Wyatt is such a happy little guy but when he gets upset he gets really upset. He'll throw himself on the floor and scream like a little banshee. I've learned to ignore it - if I do he stops faster. Afterward he's apologetic and snugly. In fact, he's snugly a lot more now than when he was smaller.

Bob's been working away at school. He's almost done with this semester and then one more semester! Too bad it's the hardest one. He has to take the "final" class next semester; the one where he writes one paper and then presents it to the entire history department. Luckily he'll have plenty of time to research while he's on the road with his new job. Once the two new guys start Bob will become area tech supervisor. That will mean that most of the time he'll work from home but occasionally he'll be out of town for a day or two. At least he won't have to crawl around on people's dirty floors as much anymore.

As for me, I still like my job at Sears. I am keeping up with housework a little better. I'm getting plenty of sleep and eating better so I have more energy to keep up with those boys. Nothing else much going on with me.

The making of Kale Chips

Wyatt and Oliver ripped the leaves into bite sized pieces.

We tossed them in olive oil and then placed them on the baking sheet.

then we LIGHTLY salted them...as in..THAT'S ENOUGH, NO MORE, STOP SHAKING THAT!

The last stage...tasting!

Oliver wasn't too sure he liked them. He ate a few but decided they weren't his favorite.

On the other hand, the boy who doesn't eat green veggies (most of the time) ate two bowls of them! He loved them!

Making applesauce Stages One and Two

I peeled the apples and Oliver cut them up. He used a crinkle cutter since he was somewhat unsupervised while he was doing this.

Wyatt rinsed the apple pieces in the sink then we poured them into the pot...

Oliver stirred while Wyatt added cinnamon.

LOTS of cinnamon.

Stages Three and Four of applesauce

The smooshing of the apples. Since we don't have a food processor that's big enough for all the apples we cooked (AND because it's way more fun) we used a potato masher. Both boys got a turn at squishing up the apples.

Then came everyone's favorite part - the tasting! They ate up what I gave them then ate another little bowl! I guess our first attempt was a success!!!

sweet boys reading together

Sharing a book...

reading together...

teaching each other.

Now that Wyatt is two...

I copied this list from a post I did about Oliver when he was two. I guess the link to the checklist doesn't work anymore but here's the list:

Yes! - Walks by him/herself


Yes! - Stands up from middle of floor without help

Yes! - Turns page of a cardboard book

Yes! - Shows a toy, body part, and/or clothing item when asked

Yes! - May say two or more words meaningfully and also uses gestures to communicate

Yes! - Jabbers expressively and imitates words inexactly

Yes! - Likes an audience; imitates ball play and other social games
Yes! - Chews most foods well; may want to feed self with spoon and drink from cup, with many spills

Yes! - Walks up stairs with one hand held, and creeps backwards downstairs (Wyatt walks down stairs like a big person)

Yes! - Likes to climb on, push and pull large objects or toys

Yes! - Stacks three or four objects

Yes! - May say five to ten words (a lot more than that!!)

Yes! - Points to one or more pictures in a book on request (one of his favorite games)

Yes! - Follows a series of directions, e.g., "pick up the book and bring it to me."
Yes! - Points to several body parts on self or doll (ALL of them!)

Yes! - Uses spoon and cup with little spilling

Yes! - Places edibles in mouth

Yes! - Able to run

Yes! - Begin jumping during play

Yes! - Completes simple three piece puzzle

Yes! - Sometimes uses two-word sentence, e.g., "more juice" or "bye-bye mommy." (he uses 4- and 5-word sentences)
Yes! - Imitates simple words immediately
Yes! - Follows directions easily
Yes! - Occasionally plays near but not usually with other children (he plays with other children all the time, especially Oliver. They love playing superheroes and often use teamwork to save the day)

Yes! - Likes to help a parent - imitates household chores

Yes! - Can undress completely, except for fasteners (and quite often does, much to my dismay)

Yes! - Temper tantrums may begin because of strong need for independence (so much worse than Oliver ever did


He can also count to twelve. He usually forgets four.

He says please, thank you and you're welcome. So polite!

He's not shy at all and will talk to anyone. He jumps right into new situations and loves meeting people.
He uses the potty all day long. Most of the time he just goes on his own and doesn't tell me. He's very independent! We're still using training pants at night.
His bedtime routine is bath, brush teeth then climb in bed. He doesn't want/need snuggled like Oliver did at that age (and still prefers). He rolls over and snuggles his dog or kitty and goes right to sleep most times. He does like to have someone nearby, though, so I usually sit on the edge of his bed until he's asleep. He still comes into my bed during the night but later and later so now it's usually between 3 and 5.
He's doing really well with colors, too. He knows red, yellow, blue, orange, green, purple, pink, gray, white, black. He has a bit of trouble with red sometimes, he calls it yellow.
He knows lots of shapes and is getting really good at the shape sorter and puzzles. He knows square, circle, triangle, heart, oval, rectangle, star, and diamond.
 
Wyatt had his 2 year checkup a few weeks ago and he was in the 20% for weight and the 70% for height. He's tall and skinny! He's a finicky eater. Not because he doesn't like food but because if he doesn't feel like eating, or doesn't feel like eating what I made then he just doesn't eat. There are things he'll eat one day but won't touch the next. I don't get him, but I guess he gets enough because he's just full of energy all the time.
 
So that's my little dude. He's an energetic, outgoing, smart and happy little boy!