Tooth and Science Fair

We took this picture at the beginning of March, when Jake announced that his bottom right tooth was wiggly. 

 This is the after -- when his tooth came out 2 weeks later. Oh! And he got new glasses during that time. His new ones look so good on him.

 Right around the time of the wiggly tooth, Jake's school announced sign-ups for the science fair. Jake immediately wanted to participate. When I asked him what question he wanted to answer, he thought for a moment and then said "why do baby teeth fall out?" So that was the starting point. Luckily, he happened to have a dentist appointment scheduled the following week, so we came up with a list of 3 questions to ask of his dentist in an interview. The result was extremely cute, with his dentist being a great sport and answering the questions.

Then Mike and Jake searched the internet for pictures and further explanations. We picked up our board from school and started to work on drawing the pictures, typing the explanations, and determining what photos we needed. On the right hand side are some photos of Jake's school friends, with a various mixture of missing/baby/adult teeth.

 Day of the Science Fair -- Gramma came to see.

 Then the Science Buddies came along and Jake explained his questions and research. They also asked him some really great questions, such as "do you think everyone's baby teeth fall out?" ("Yes.")

The principal came along and Jake was able to tell her about his research!

 The 4 of us :)

Ryan -- 18 Months

Dear Ryan, 

You are 18 months. That is a year and a half old. I am so amazed and grateful every day that you are here with us and I am your mama. You are ADORABLE.

 And a bit mischievous.

 And also physically active. You can run! You can climb things that mama doesn't want you to climb! You LOVE playgrounds and have recently become pretty skilled at navigating them alone! And as a result of all this, you had many bruises on your face for a few weeks. :(

 You LOVE to rock, and you rock really hard.

 But sometimes, you need a break from all that exploration and action and just want to snuggle, especially in a carrier.

 And speaking of carriers, one day you took your sling and decided to use it for Baby.

 And try to kiss me while I'm taking a picture.

 So sweet!

You have also discovered you LOVE to use markers to draw on your body, any part of it. 

 You spend quite a bit of time reading to yourself each day.

 We still read aloud with you, but sometimes the quiet time is nice.

One of the things that you did quite a bit this month was to use your hair as a napkin. Yes, take messy, sticky hands that have been grabbing your dinner and rub it into your hair. This has resulted in quite a few unplanned baths, but it is looking like this phase may soon be over, thankfully

You are declaring a bit of your personhood more by being demanding, such as when you want to nurse NOW and cannot be dissuaded. Or when you want to be outside. Or pet the cat.

You've only been with us for a year and a half, yet it seems like you've always been part of this family. xox

Spring Break 2012 at BBR

We arrived at Black Butte on Saturday. It was tough getting everything packed up and ready to go, but we were so glad once we arrived. My parents were there the same time as us from Saturday to Monday morning.

It was fun to see the snow when we arrived. The boys had so much fun. They built a snowperson.

My parents got out the snowtube to pull Ryan around, but Ryan refused to get on it at first. So we had Jake get on.

Of course then Ryan decided he wanted to get on :)

Later, after my parents left... more playing outside but less snow.

Super skier! He had 2 lessons at Mt. Bachelor. Fun!

On the playground. It was cold but fun.

10 minutes prior to taking this picture, it was gray and snowing, with the wind blowing the snow sideways. We had *just* arrived after walking from the house. It looked/felt bad so we started heading home. 5 minutes later, the sun came out, so we turned around again and went back to play! 

Fun tube slide!

Even Ryan can go down alone!

"Meditation on the rock."

Hello, handsome.

Cutie.

Beautiful boy!

Now to get down...

One step at a time.

Snowball! (Can you find it?)

A moment in time of a mama.