NIght-time readings

Before bed, we always read a book or three.  Usually, we grab the board books for Jude, who still is a bit rough with the printed words.  He also likes books with flaps to lift or places to touch different textures. 

Anyways, Jude favorite book...the book he carries over to be read, or clings to when I put him down in his crib...is "Tickle, Tickle" by Helen Oxenbury.

The book only has four pages with a single sentence each...but it ends with a bang.  Yep...it ends with "Tickle, tickle, under there."  This means everyone gets tickled under their chins, which leads to tons of giggles.

Jude is so awesome with this that he now starts to tickle himself when we get to the last page!

Tamlin has just started being patient to hear longer books with less photos.  We have tried a chapter book or two, but often Tam's attention span doesn't hold past a few nights.  We've been reading about "The Littles" and general collections of fairy tales.  Tam still favors books that deal with cars, trucks, trains, or dinosaurs.  Really, he isn't that picky...he even grabs my old Little Golden Books to be read (even if they are about little sisters or dolls and are 30 years out of date).  I think it is sweet.

I know I love this little time I have with my boys all participating in one of my favorite pastimes.  Sometimes the world goes all soft and wonderful while I'm holding a snuggly little boy who's my son, kissing the top of his head, while he turns the pages while reading his book. 

Wordless Wednesday - Aunt Shelly Visits

Great to have my sister visit for the weekend. The boys were thrilled...

especially waking her up early in the morning by jumping on her bed.

Dinosaur Train...

 Besides cars and trucks and airplanes and trains...Tamlin is also into dinosaurs....especially when it is dinosaurs AND trains!

Hence, a favorite TV show in our house is Dinosaur Train on PBS.  The main characters are a t-rex youngin that was raised by a family of pteranodons, including his siblings Shiny, Tiny, and Dot. (I think).  They ride a train frequently that time travels through the major dinosaur eras.  It really is a very factual type of show with lots of hypothesis testing.

Anyways...I think I've convinced Tam that the family could be dinosaurs for Halloween.  These will be quick sews of head gear and tails with whatever we have in the right color for the bodies.

•  Tam is going to be Buddy, the T-rex, and I totally scored a orange hoodie sweatshirt at the sale this weekend.  

• Brian is going to be the dinosaur conductor with a hat, red vest, and cap, and pocket watch.  

• Jude is going as Tiny, the pteranodon, and he's basic costume is a green striped jammie.  

• I'm the pteranodon mom...so Jude and I will need wings made from this tutorial from Dana Made It: http://www.danamadeit.com/2011/10/halloween-costumes-2011-into-the-dark-knight.html

The tails are from a tutorial from Running with Scissors :http://projectsbyjess.blogspot.com/2011/03/dinosaur-tails.html

And then I stumbled onto this from the PBS homepage : http://www.pbs.org/parents/dinosaurtrain/costume/
Jim Henson's workshop actually posted a tutorial and pattern for making the Buddy costume!  I may use this for the basis for the heads fro the rest of us and maybe dinosaur hand/ feet for Tam.  We'll see how crafty I get and how much green and orange felt I can buy :-)

In theory...I'll be able to convince Tamlin that he should have a dinosaur themed  birthday party and we'll be able to share our dinosaur tails with the guests.  We'll see...he already wants cars...again!

Jude sounds

Jude is trying to communicate with us and he is becoming a good little mimic of sounds (especially issued by his brother).

He'll say...
"Mamamamama" for me
"Daddy, dadadadad" for Brian
"Bye" and "Hi" accompanied by a wave
 "Moo" or "Ah-moo"  for cow sounds
lip-smacking sounds for when he is hungry
"Mmmmm" while eating good food
"Vrooooommmm" for car, truck, and helicopter sounds
"Roar" for dinosaurs, dragons, and lions, but he says it really softly which is really cute
"Go-gog-go" for Go, go, go, which we often say to the boys when we want them to get moving
"Wow"...he just started saying this in the past few days.  Jude says it low and softly, like he's awestruck by something.

We still get raspberries and giggles, but only occasionally will he sign milk.  We've been trying to get him to sign more, help, and please...of which, he only sometimes signs more.

Finally more teeth

Jude finally has teeth number 3 and 4 poking through his gums.  These are his two top middle teeth. No wonder he loved gnawing on the apples last weekend at the festival.  However, he is a horrible teether.  He runs a bit of a fever, doesn't really want to eat much, wants lots of cuddles, and cries and cries and cries.  Thankfully, we had baby pain medicine on hand to help him out.

I haven't got him to give me a big grin for a photo quite yet...

And I'm selling stuff...

The stuff has been dropped off...
I'm officially selling stuff at the local mom sale happening this week.  Keeping the fingers crossed that lots get bought by other moms so I don't have too much coming back home.  And if stuff does come home again, I've got another sale in Feb and then in May to hit.

I just couldn't let go of a couple of things that my little boys loved, like the jumperoo and the toy piano.  I'll just stash those for possible future use by relatives or friends. 

But I am delighted at the possible storage space opening up by getting rid of these things!

(I really have a limit for crap build-up in our basement/ closets.  I think it all stems from the fear that I will turn into a hoarder and Brian will let me 'cause he loves me.)

On the flip side, can't wait to SHOP at the mom sale this weekend.  At one of the two sales, I get to shop early on Wednesday.  At the other sale, I generously volunteered my sister and I to help with set up at 6AM so we can shop before the crowd on Saturday.  I hope she isn't too much of a grumpy morning person, especially when sales are involved.  :-)