Winter Hat

Jonathan had to have this winter hat. Any day that is cold enough to wear it, he wears it all day inside and out!

Lunchtime

Lunchtime a the Stein house:

Everyone gets to eat!

It didn't take long for Clemson to figure out that the best seat in the house at mealtime is at Matthew's feet!

No meal is complete with out a new hairstyle frozen into place by food covered hands!

Tunnel Kisses

Tonight I got my first 'tunnel kisses' from Matthew!

Peek-a-boo!

Excuse the runny nose, I had to post that big smiley face.

So happy!

Storytime with Matthew

She Lost Another One!

That makes 6 teeth so far! As usual, she lost it right before bed time, when I told her either she has to pull it or I will. She actually pulled this one on her own with little effort (and little drama).

Since it's the weekend, Clara went to bed in the boys' room as usual. The tooth fairy left her trail of confetti teeth in Clara's room and then in the boys' room. We assumed she must've been looking for Clara until she found her asleep with her brothers.

Clara left another note for the tooth fairy, asking for her phone number so we could call her.

The tooth fairy really left her phone number for Clara, but we can't figure out how to call it. We can find most of the symbols on the keypad of my cell, but there's no tooth or heart...Clara checked. Clara says we must need a special phone to call her, and plans on asking about that next time she loses a tooth if we don't figure it out before then.

Any suggestions?!

Jonathan's Valentine's Party

Today Matthew and I got to go hang out at Jonathan's school for his Valentine's party.

The usual 'healthy' snacks

Matthew even got a plate (after he kept trying to steal everyone's food!)

YUM!

Eating his cookie, frosting first!

He made a HUGE mess!

I think next time Matthew may need to stay home from party days!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

He's Doing It!!!!

He's finally riding all on his own! ...once you give him a start.

Go Jonathan!!!!

Clara's Valentine's Party

Chris got to go to school today for Clara's Valentine's party. I sent him along with the camera to capture the fun. I think he took a couple pics at the beginning just to satisfy me and then started partying with the kids. I'm sure Mrs. Cope was glad to have him in class today. He said he was spinning the kids around 2 at a time, and his arms are sore now! I bet the kids will be disappointed when I come in to volunteer next week instead of Chris :)

Clara's in the center, next to Nathaniel (the boy in the orange shirt).

Yummy snacks!

Accelerated Reader

Clara's still doing a great job with her reading. Today she came with 5 more ribbons!

So Proud!!!!

She's up to 167.5 points!!!! (and counting)

Way to go Clara!

18 Months

Hard to believe, but Matthew is 18 months already! Weighing in at 22lbs 15oz and 32.5 inches, he's a lightweight, but don't let his size fool you! He's my first kid with a real opinion. Clara has always been happy to go along with whatever you say. Jonathan is usually too far off in his own world to tell you any differently. However, Matthew knows what he wants and has no problem telling you, despite his limited vocabulary! He's only up to a handful of words: dada, mama, dog, here, ear, eat, no, go, uh-oh, and he'll even say 'cheese' when in front of the camera. Likewise, he knows a handful of baby signs (sign language) to get us by: food, drink, more, all done, diaper change, dog...we're currently working on help and thank you. Of course, he can also clap his hands when he feels he's done something worth cheering for, and wave goodbye, just after someone is out of eyesight, so that they never actually get to see him wave.
He is full of personality and fire. Certainly more of a handful than the first two kids, but I wouldn't have it any other way (except maybe when he's getting into everything around the house!) He just finally learned within the last two weeks that it is NOT appropriate to just throw your food on the floor when you've decided you're no longer hungry and wish to leave the table! He gives hugs and kisses when he feels like it, but often if you ask and there's an animal in sight, he'll give your hugs and kisses to that dog or cat instead. As of right now, he still lets me put him in the stroller or cart when going shopping. That won't last much longer, and Lord help me when that day comes! His favorite toys are cars and books. He likes to rough house and climb on things. Make eye contact with him, and he'll babble your ear off as though he's really got a story to tell. He's not too cuddly, so I cherish the moments when he'll sit still with me to read a book. He likes to stay busy, but does well entertaining himself. Thankfully, he likes to sleep just like his siblings, so I get a nice break from the busy guy at nap time. He keeps me on my toes and definitely fills the role of the baby of the family well.

18 months means time to get pictures taken again:

Big smiles! (He's working on getting in his molars and I think his canines, too.)


'Cheese!'

So Sweet!

'Who me?!'

Big Guy!

Jay and Silent Bob

Chris' squadron held a 'Hail and Bail' Saturday. For those not familiar with the term, it's simply a party where the squadron hails, or welcomes any new members and says goodbye to any members who are leaving, or bailing. Often these parties are themed. We've done 'white trash', 'ugly Christmas sweaters', 'the 70's/disco' and even 'old geezers'. This time the theme was a 'Hollywood' party. Chris and I went in search of an inexpensive way to dress up as a famous Hollywood duo, and here's what we came up with:

Jay and Silent Bob

Not everyone knew who we were until we refreshed their minds by mentioning the movies, so you'll have to think back to the 90's with movies like Mall Rats and Clerks. The costumes were inexpensive and perfect for us since Chris can be the louder, more vulgar one of the two of us, and I didn't have to say a word to be in character! Even better than that, I got to grow out my beard!