Firefighter Scott

Yesterday was Scott's birthday party. It was so much fun! He loves firetrucks and wanted a "firetruck party". As I began to research this a month ago, I realized we had two options. One was to go to our neighboring county, Clarke County, and have a party at FireStation #1 in downtown Athens. The other was to have one of our own trucks (we have a volunteer fire department) come to the house. We chose the second option and it was a great success. Here are some pictures from the day:

Here is a picture of all the kids at the party. From left we have McCance (with his mom, Alisa), Andrew, Buckley Grace, Rachel, Scott, Bradford, Callie and JT. We sent invitations to seven families and five came. Sounds like a good number...Scott turned four, so he had five friends. But, when you add siblings, parents, grandparents, and godparents, it was quite a crowd. We loved hosting so many at our house. My philosophy is you clean and prepare for the same amount of time for 5 or 50, so the more the merrier.


There were many highlights of the morning, but one of the most special was spraying water from the hose. All of the kids got a chance to try it out. Here is Scott, with several looking on. Rachel and Callie also had fun on the other end of the water nozzle, splashing in the puddles.

Here is Scott trying on the heavy pants and steel toed boots. The firefighters brought hats for all the kids to wear.
These next two pictures were taken at the very end. After about 25 minutes all of the other kids had had enough and were already in the backyard playing in the sandbox, with sidewalk chalk and swinging. Scott was still in the cab of the truck asking questions and trying on equipment. He had a great time. It was quite fitting that the birthday boy was the one who was most excited. Here he is with the oxygen mask and below he is posing with the firefighters.

Jesus is Alive!

Jesus is Alive is the phrase that we have been repeating all week in our house. I'll ask Scott, "What does Easter mean?" He will reply, "Jesus is Alive!" Occasionally, Andrew will throw in a "Hooray!" and lift his hands in the air. He will pretty much say hooray any time he gets the opportunity, and this is a great time to do so.

We spent Easter morning at church and then headed to Geoffrey and Jill's for a delicious lunch, along with neighbor friends of theirs. Here are some pictures from our day:

This picture was taken at 2AM, when I awoke with a start, wondering if the Easter Bunny had arrived. By the time I took the picture, we were all set. I knew the boys would beat me up in the morning and I would take advantage of Nana and Pop being at the house to get some extra sleep. The only problem with my plan was that I forgot to tell Nana and Pop that the baskets were out. "Stealth" (i.e. Andrew) found them and was quitely enjoying a caramel egg before my parents realized what he was doing. He is so different than Scott, who would have announced to everyone that the baskets were there.

All dressed up on Easter morning. Scott convinced Derrick to wear a tie and I decided to wear a dress. Andrew also insisted on wearing a tie, after seeing all the other men and boys in one. About three minutes before we left, he came to the front of the house with one of Derrick's Christmas ties on. It was the kind that plays music and he kept stepping on the tie and making it sing. Derrick found a bolo for him to wear, which was a much better option.

At Geoffrey and Jills, here is Derrick enjoying some time with Reese.

Mom, Dad, Geoffrey and Jill working hard in the kitchen.

The babies slept so well through the meal. Here you can see that Charlie is waking up a bit, but Reese is still fast asleep.

Here are the kids patiently waiting for pictures to be taken before heading off to find eggs. I couldn't believe they stood still long enough to get the pictures.

More Egg Hunts

As you will remember from several posts ago, we attended our first egg hunt of the season earlier this month at the park near my parent's house. Well, this weekend we had three more opportunities to hunt egges. Scott is definintely an expert on egg hunting. Andrew, however, still is in the "find an egg, open it, eat the candy, then set off and search for another egg" mode. It is so funny to watch him "hunt." It certainly didn't take him long to figure out that they held candy.

The first hunt we went to was a last-minute addition. I read about it in the paper. Called "Athens Egg Drop," the big highlight was that a helicopter came in and dropped the eggs onto the field just before the kids were released to pick them up. Since we are into just about anything that moves via a motor and diesel fuel, I thought it would be great fun to take the boys and see this. Derrick opted to stay home and work on my retaining wall that we are building next to our driveway. (My wall, because I designed and "commissioned" it...not because I've done any work on it.)

So, my mom and I set off for a bigger adventure than we bargained for. There were 2,000 people allowed in and at least 1,000 more that were turned away. Our kids did enjoy the moon walk and getting their faces painted and, of course, the helicopter was the highlight. The egg hunt was so crowded that we only picked up a few eggs. That was OK, since that wasn't the reason we came. Below are some pictures:






After short naps, we set off again on Saturday to hunt for more eggs. This time, our destination was the hunt sponsored by our church. The whole family went, including Nana and Pop. This was much more enjoyable, since it was smaller and we knew almost everyone there. Scott really enjoyed riding the horse. We also gave Andrew the opportunity to ride with Derrick and got one picture before he burst into tears. As you can see, the horse was quite tall - 2,500 pounds. I particularly loved the huge dog who seemed to be best friends with the horse.

This is a great picture of Andrew, hunting the way he loves to hunt. You can see that his mouth is full of some yummy candy and he is picking up his second egg to see what is inside. Below is Scott working hard to fill his entire bucket.

Our third egg hunt of the weekend was after enjoying a delicious Easter lunch at Uncle Geoffrey and Aunt Jill's house. Geoffrey "hid" the eggs outside and the kids had a ball finding them. There were plenty to go around. I think Scott added $1.50 to his piggy bank after this hunt! It was definitely the most profitable. :) I'll post pictures of that with my Easter morning pictures.

stories and pictures

Today we had one of those delightful days that really wasn't planned. We took our lunches to bible study this morning because I kept the nursery and was expecting to stay late. But, they didn't need me and the boys were disappointed that we were not going to have a picnic at the church. So, I loaded them in the car and drove to "Duck Park" (for those of you who are local, that's Memorial Park). It was a bit breezy, but warm in the sun. We ate our sandwiches and played on the equipment. It is amazing how active Scott has become. He is suddenly able to climb, flip, walk on the balance beam, swing and do all those other things that boys do that make mothers nervous.

After playing for a bit, we went on a walk through our little zoo that is in that park. They rescue animals and care for them. We saw several hawks and owls, a bear, sea otters, wild turkey, an alligator, and a bald eagle. I love the bald eagle - what a majestic animal. Derrick and I saw several in the wild, soaring through the air, when we went to Washington State this summer. It was one highlight of our trip.

Below are the last of the pictures that I promised several Blogs ago. The boys are modeling the costumes that their Aunt Stephanie made them for their birthdays! They love them - so cute.
Here is Scott in his "Cat in the Hat". And below is Andrew wearing his bat/vampire costume.





Yesterday was also another fun day around here. My mom is in town keeping the twins this week, but she had the "afternoon off" yesterday, as their regular babysitter came for a few hours. So we picked her up and enjoyed spending the afternoon with her. I asked her to bring some sewing so she could check out the weird shaking in my sewing machine. While she was working, Scott was really interested, so she told him to find some scrap fabric. Together, they made a parachute. Scott loved to try to "sew" with a needle and thread. We did not let him work the machine yet, though. Here they are working on the strings. And below is a picture of them testing it from a higher location. Farley was really interested to see what was coming from the ceiling. At the bottom is a picture of Andrew also getting into the action. While Scott was perfecting his throw and release, Andrew began to throw his blanket up like a parachute. They were both having such a good time.





We are so fortunate to have two Grandmothers who love to do craft activities with the boys. Now, if there was only some way to get one of them to move closer... :)

Easter #1

Last weekend, we went to Atlanta to an Easter Egg Hunt in my parent's neighborhood. The kids wore their Easter outfits and had a great time hunting for eggs. Here they are waiting for the hunting to start. When we went shopping this year, Scott insisted on having a tie to wear. I told him that Daddy was probably not going to wear a tie to church on Easter and he said, "But, Pop will, right?" Of course, Pop always wears a tie to church. We'll see if Pop can find a Carolina Blue tie to match Scott's.


Below are pictures of the boys picking through their baskets. Scott picked up a little "watch" that is really just a wrist game. He was really excited about it.




Visiting with the Easter Bunny this year wasn't such a great hit with Andrew. So, below is a picture from last year when he was much happier. Look how much they have changed in just a year.

2008-
2007-


We also attended the hunt in 2005. The bunny that year was hot pink and I know I have a picture of it in my album, but it must not have been off of my camera because I don't have it in my files. So, here is a picture of the family during the hunt. Of course, this was pre-Andrew.

Promised Pictures...

Please forgive me for getting behind on posting pictures. I never seemed to have my camera in the right spot this week. Here are some pictures from the past several weeks.

Below is Scott admiring his new sleeping cap. I love the way it sticks up when he puts it on. It is almost all I can do not to laugh every time he wears it.





These are two pictures taken this afternoon. As you can see, Spring has arrived in Athens (at least for now). The boys had a great time this afternoon mucking in the creek. They were all there, including Farley. And, everyone got baths in the evening.





And, here is my most favorite picture of all. I think there is nothing cuter than a clean kid wrapped up in a hooded towel. This is Andrew's towel, given as a baby gift from my friend Laura. When she gave it to us, he was 7 pounds and his whole body fit into the hood part. Now, it fits great and he loves putting it on after baths. I just think he is so cute when he is all wrapped up.

Hats and Costumes!

When I wrote the blog yesterday, I forgot one of the most important parts of our afternoon routine - getting the mail! As soon as the boys get up, we all trek up the driveway and cross the street to the mailbox (a great opportunity to learn to look both ways, although there is almost never a car coming.)

Yesterday, there was a package that arrived from Derrick's sister Stephanie! We love packages and cards, and this time of year have received many. It was all I could do to convince Scott to wait until after dinner to open the present. There was no hope of waiting a full 16 days for his actual birthday!

She gave the boys costumes that she made and they love them. Here is a picture of Scott wearing the Cat in the Hat hat.

And Andrew received a vampire/bat costume, which Scott loves to wear as well. He loves capes and anything that has a cape is a hit in his book.

And, finally, here is the promised picture of the new nightcap. One thing is for certain, his head will never be cold (unless we are at the table eating. We strictly enforce the "no hats at the table" rule).

A new nightcap!

I spent yesterday morning sewing the promised new nightcap for Scott. It turned out really well. Here is a picture of Scott admiring it in the mirror after it was finished. He really likes the fact that it is pointy at the top, just like a real stocking cap! He has worn it to nap and bed yesterday and today. I'm wondering when he is going to get too hot and not want to wear it. This is our child who refuses to sleep in winter jammies or under covers because he claims he is too hot overnight. I made this new cap out of a cotton fabric, so it will breathe better than the fleece.

I'll download the picture later this evening. I'm on the laptop right now and my "naptime freetime" is almost over. We have all of our photos stored on the desktop.

Our afternoon routine will begin in a few minutes. The boys wake up and, generally, get some sort of "special treat" - their only real sugar all day. Then, we either watch a movie or go outside. It depends on the weather and how much time dinner will take. Tonight we are having black bean nachos, so it will cook itself once the beans are on the stove. The best part of the day is when Daddy gets home!! For the past few days, it has been warm enough that he has taken the boys "mucking" in our creek. It is great fun to watch them marching up and down in their waterproof boots. The best part for them is when they get to go through the tunnel that goes under the street. I'll try to get a picture of it next time they go mucking together.

weekend change of plans

As you can see, I'm busy updating my blog today...not attending a birthday party in Macon. That's because the birthday boy is sick with the flu. It is hitting this area hard and we are trying to stay as far away as possible. Scott was disappointed that he would not see the "volcano" erupt and explore the insides of dinosaur eggs, but was consoled when I told him the party was rescheduled for April.

So, we have had a surprise free weekend day! Sometimes it is wonderful to have a day at home and we cherish those days. This morning there were some snow flurries and it is still cold. I'm looking forward to spending the evening in front of a warm fire. Here is a picture of Derrick and the boys having "quality time" this morning watching Bob the Builder. It's not a great shot of Andrew - he couldn't decide whether to watch the movie or watch the camera.

a costume revived

Some of you readers may remember Scott's first Halloween. We dressed him up as a "baby burrito" because while he was in utero, that was our nickname for him. He was our "Baby Burrito" because he "had all the good things wrapped up inside." Here is a picture of that wonderful costume (made by yours truely.)






Well, three and a half years later, the costume (just the cap) has been revived. Scott discovered it in his closet the other day and announced that it was his "sleeping cap." I'm not sure what book he has been reading recently that featured sleeping caps - maybe the Night Before Christmas a few months ago? Well, he squeezed it on his head and has worn it every time he has slept since Wednesday! Here is a picture of him taken on Friday.




Needless to say, it is quite small for his head. He has requested that I make a new cap that fits him. We have selected the fabric from my stack and I plan to make it later this evening. I'll post a picture of it when I'm through.

New Names for everyone

Scott has decided that the names we use daily just aren't good enough. Each day he gives us new names. He thinks it is so funny to name us after common nouns. For instance, today at lunch, I was "Bubble", he was "Napkin", Andrew was "Cup" and Daddy (who wasn't even there) was "Bread." I even think that Farley had a new name, but he never responded to it - somewhat of a disappointment for Scott.

So, while we were eating, we had to refer to each other with the new names. Instead of asking Scott if he wanted something else to eat, I asked "Napkin, what else do you want to eat?" At one point I was reprimanded when I asked "Napkin, whose face are you going to wipe today?" The response was "No, my name is Napkin...I'm not a napkin, I'm a boy!"

Andrew's Birthday Pictures

I've downloaded the photos from the party and here are a few of the best. The first is one of the two boys trying on hats just before the party started. As you can see, last week was a week of haircuts. We all got one. Derrick and Scott used the clippers and we took Andrew to a friend who does a wonderful job. She fed him M&Ms while cutting his hair. Of course, Scott was really eager to get the back of his neck trimmed, just to get some of those yummy candies.



Here we are as a family blowing out the candle. With so much hot air, it certainly did not take long to put it out! My mom and I made the cake - a train. It was fun to make it. The other great thing about having a train party on the 2nd birthday is that "two" rhymes with "choo-choo". It makes the invitation a breeze!

Here is a close-up of the birthday boy enjoying his cake and ice cream.

We ended the party in our back yard. At one point, Kristian had all four swings occupied and was pushing kids from one end to the other.

Finally, here is a picture of Scott sporting Andrew's big birthday gift from the family. At this point, Scott loves it more than Andrew. I think Andrew is scared of it, although he loves wearing hats. He is starting to warm up to the idea of a full costume. Yesterday, he asked to wear the bandanna. Scott, on the other hand, loves to put on the full costume and "call" other trains with the walkie-talkie. His imagination grows bigger each day.

Birthday #1

We had a great celebration of Andrew's 2nd birthday yesterday. I haven't downloaded the photos yet, but will try to get that done tomorrow.

Our family tradition is to have family for the second birthday. My theory is that the child really doesn't start getting "into" birthday celebrations until #3. So that is what we did - however, just family turned out to be 8 adults and 7 kids (well, the twins are just 8 weeks old, so they didn't do much playing). My cousin, her husband and their two children drove over from Atlanta, which was great fun because it had been a while since we had all been together.

I think the party was so overwhelming for little Andrew, with so much excitement, that he didn't take any notice of his gifts. It was only today that he began to play with them. His favorite, by far, was a little "Percy" train that Nana picked up at the last minute to stick in with her other gift. He loves trains, especially Thomas and his friends.

In the great tradition of Walton birthdays, we will continue to celebrate throughout the week. His real birthday is Thursday, and I think we are all going to Daddy's school for the PTO meeting. After all, if we don't go, Derrick won't see Andrew at all on his birthday. We will sit in the back and not be able to hear anything because the gym echoes so loudly and the people at the microphones don't know how to speak into them. Then, we'll gather around the stage to watch the 5th grade perform dances that they have learned in PE. That's why all the parents come -- to see their children perform. It is a great ploy to boost PTO attendance. I'm sure that in the not too distant future, we will be the parents in the front row with the video camera. Until then, we'll enjoy the back row.