Happy First Birthday to Jude

We celebrated Jude's Birthday over a couple of days due to crazy schedules in our house. Here's some notes on the birthday cupcake.
Tamlin helped me make the cupcakes...which means he helped dump the ingredients into the mixer and helped to count as we poured the batter.  To be fun, I made butter cream frosting and tinted it red, yellow, and blue.  This made the psychedelic swirls on the top of the cupcakes. Tamlin finished them with sprinkles and love.

We waited until after naps to each celebrate and consume the delightful confections.  Tamlin and Brian serenaded Jude with the Birthday Song.

As soon as Jude saw the cupcake, he knew instinctively that it was going to be delicious. 
Oh, yeah...his eyes lit up with pleasure when he took that first sugary bite.

The candle equally fascinated Jude; he really didn't want to let it go and kept it clutched in his fingers all the while he was inhaling the cake.  

Jude even considered eating the candle at one point.  

He did manage to gum it a little.

Happy Birthday, Judo!

Brian even tried to eat a bit of Tam's cupcake...but he wasn't sharing.

Tam-isms

Tamlin is now 3.5 years old and everyday is a new adventure with him.  I love that he is becoming his own little man with his own thoughts, ideas, and opinions.  Here are a few of his most common sayings of late:

"I no can tell" - Typical answer when he can't remember what the answer to your question is

"Dom" - When he can't be bothered to distinguish between momma and daddy

Jude-o, he's my brother" - Informing others about Jude

"You beautiful, mom" - Flattery will get you everywhere, kid :-)

"I love you too" - Awww

"You play with me?" - I common query to anyone

"I just doing my tricks" - In response to asking what are you doing...often in the middle of doing something that is not allowed.

"I help 'cause I'm a good helper" - He really is and is *usually* willing to help with chores around the house.

"I think Jude-o just needs some love" - Told to us, when he hears Jude crying

"Five more times" - Five it the new favorite number...before leaving the playground, he must go down the slide this many more times.

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - Hot-wheels...

 I missed scoring some hot-wheels gear at a few yard sales last weekend because I got to the sales too late on Friday (10am = too late).  I was majorly disappointed, especially knowing how much all my boys love cars.

But too my delight, my favorite 2nd had shop had a huge bag of just race-track for $8...and it was 50% of toys day.  Score!

After a good washing and bleach bath, Brian and I built some tracks for the kiddos while they napped.

Both boys were excited to play!

We raced them...

We jumped them...

 

We crashed them...  

 

 Eventually, Jude tired of the track and amused himself with his own car garage :-)

Jude cracks me up

 Jude doesn't drool...but everything goes in his mouth. 

No that he can crawl too, he has taken to carrying things in his mouth too.

Like a cat with a kitten...

When I first saw this I nearly fell on the floor laughing at him.


This is a lego-dudplu dude that he is sucking on here.


But I've also seen him with other blocks and small stuffed animals.


Silly boy :-)

Love the warmer sunnier weather!

We are so grateful to have nice sunny weather after so much rain lately.  Tam was beginning to drive us all crazy by being coped up indoors so much.  He tends to run laps between the kitchen, dining room, family room when he gets squirrelly...however, this maneuver is hampered since we started putting up baby-gates to confine Jude.  (Tam hasn't figured out how to climb over them yet.) 

Last evening we headed outdoors after naps and before dinner.  It was a great chance to dig out our outdoor toys and get them functioning again.


Yep...bubble blower works...just need to get some glycerol for new bubble solution.  This beast of machine even does bubbles within bubbles!  Tam found a stick to help extend his reach to pop them as they emerged into the wind.

Flowers and dirt...yep still there and looking awesome. Jude made sure of this.  Now that he is mobile, I can't put him down somewhere and expect him to stay put.  This means he is off exploring the yard like a mini-Indian Jones :-)

Sticks? . . . Yep still plenty of these that have dropped from our trees, especially due to the recent storms.  Jude was in charge of finding sticks and tasting them for nutrient content.  He was very dedicated to his job.

And then we found the roller-skates.  These are old-school, Fisher-price, Velcro-over-your-shoes, have-brakes-so-you-can't-go-backward skates.  Tam found them in the shed and insisted on giving them a go.  "I think I'm big enough now, mom," he enthusiastically cried out.  I have to admit that he is better at them this summer than last fall.  He only toppled over once...but hasn't quite mastered the gliding aspect of the skates yet.



And then there's the little swing :-)  Such a hit!  We've had this up for about a month now and Jude still absolutely loves it.  He emits such squeals of utter delight while he feels the wind rush through his hair.

Even better is that Tam loves to push Jude in the swing.  "Mom, I think Jude wants to go in the swing," Tam will state at random times.  So, we strap the little one in and Tam gives him a big push.

Now Tam isn't the perfect big brother by any means...

He is just as likely to spin Jude around on the swing as to push him in a somewhat straight line.  But, Jude still likes it, even if it makes me nauseous to watch.

What fun in the sun :-)

 The End!

Baby Signs

Jude just started signing for milk! This is a motion where the fingers open and close...like you are milking a cow.

And this isn't random... he does actually want a cup of milk when he does this.

Yeah!  We have communication other than just crying!

Next one to master is either food or more.

Tamlin still signs please when he really wants something :-)

A Moment...

Currently, we have been eating dinner all together as a family when possible.  To do this and to accompany various work schedules and sleep schedules, we now eat about 4:30pm.  Many nights, Brian makes the meal, we eat, and then he has to skedaddle off to work.  This leaves me with the clean up and bed time rituals.

Between 5ish and 6ish, is my time with both boys, post food consumption and pre-sleep.   However, this is also my time to straighten the kitchen (at least, even if I can't get to cleaning any other room in the house).   Plus, now that Jude is mobile, he is NOT content to stay in his highchair unless food is available to him.  So what do we do?

By golly, I became Little Mrs. Betty Jo Homemaker.  I slap on an apron and get 'er done.   I now enlist Tam to pick all crumbs off the floor, mostly because he was the one to drop them there.   Once the floor is cleaned, Jude is plunked down at my feet. (Not before because Jude is secretly a hoover-vacuum and will eat anything that vaguely looks food-like off the floor).  Once demoted to the floor, I drop Jude some random kitchen gadget (whisk, cup, spatula, whatever) and start in on the dishes that need hand-wahsing.  Tamlin pulls up a hair next to me at the sink and proceeds to "help" by playing in the water and washing his cars.  I am then treated to a running commentary of what we are doing from Tam, and random squeals of delight from the peanut gallery on the floor.  Once dishes are done, Tam loses interest in helping and starts zooming around the kitchen with cars.  I tackle wiping down of counters.  Jude, by this time, has often ended up playing with his animal magnets on the fridge, and thinks Tam's antics are hilarious.  Jude's laugh is contagious, and often we all end up laughing at each other.

It is at these moments, I feel like a total mother...

And I think I enjoy it...

Sometimes it is even  ab ti like a Disney movie and we all break out in random song while we work...usually Beatles or nursery rhymes.