New Pictures

And some pictures of Hayden. Here he is at the fair.

Some New Pictures

Since Marisa is gone, I thought I would just put up a few pictures so everybody could see what has been going on. Here's some new pics of Elliot at the playground.

Second Hair Cut...At Last!

Most of you probably remember the heart breaking photo of Hayden in April from his first hair cut...well, it is no wonder, then, that Shane and I have procrastinated in getting his hair cut again. But, alas, we could not ignore it any longer...so, Shane took Hayden to Redding today to get it cut. It turned out to not be so horrific - thanks to a couple of strategically placed trucks (in Hayden's white knuckled hands) and having Hayden sit on Shane's lap while Shane had his hair cut first.
The day did not end badly...Shane and Hayden went to the book store to get Hayden some new books and then enjoyed a lovely lunch out together.

Inter-Mountain Fair

We went to the Inter-Mountain Fair yesterday. We got our fill of sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, rabbits, trucks, rides and, of course, the junky fair food...like corn dogs!!
While Elliot kicked back and relaxed in the stroller, Hayden and I were escorted around the fair by Miss Kaila and Miss Kathy. We got to see lots of our friends that live in the Fall River / McArthur / Burney area and a great time was had by all.

Elliot in all his glory:


Petting one of the sheep:


Petting one of the competition rabbits. The rabbits were Hayden's favorite of all the animals - we'll have to talk to the Easter Bunny next year to see if Hayden can get one of his own:


Feeding the steers:


Of course, the absolute highlight of the day for Hayden were the big trucks. Here he is climbing aboard the mighty dump truck:


Great view from up there:


Not wanting to get down:


One cool dude and his girls, Miss Kaila and Miss Kathy:


Shane wanted to ride the train; of course, he had to take Hayden on there too - you know, to make it look like it was really the two-year old that wanted to ride it(!):


Helping cool down the pigs by spraying some water on them:

Back Garden

I have to dedicate a whole post to the back garden. Shane has really worked hard in our back garden and has made it one of the best 'rooms' in the house to hang out in. I cannot, and will not, take any credit for the back garden as it has all be Shane's vision and creation. For those of you that know what the back garden looked like before, the difference is amazing. For those of you that do not know what it looked like before, there are no words to describe the transformation.

Here is a visual 'tour' of the garden (taken from the back door) in all it's glory:

The patio and vegetable garden - the vegetable garden has been a huge success...just ask Hayden:


The other end of the vegetable garden, the beautiful baby tree, the wood shed and the kids with their wonderful Miss Kaila:


The shed/mother-in-law cabin/escape hatch with the beautiful flowers, organized tools and clock (made by our good friends Daryl and Gayla):


The 'back 40' (!) - Hayden and Boone love having all this space to run:


Sand pit, water table, canoe (Not shown: around the corner of the house are fruit trees being trained to grow along the house):


The new outdoor kitchen (I should really have tidied it up before I took the picture - oopsy, sorry Shane) - the kitchen has been a great addition to this summer. We have used the BBQ and kitchen to cook most of our meals outside, the fridge keeps Shane's beers cold and the sink has the multi purpose of cleaning dishes as well as kids on those really hot nights. Good job on this Shane!:


Hayden standing next to the vegetable garden. The really tall one is our pole beans...they have been delicious. Hayden will eat them straight off the plant! Another one of Hayden's favourites?...The small tomatoes! Every night we get asked "matoes?" And, Hayden runs to the tomato bush, climbs over the little fence and just crams as many into his mouth as he can. I don't think Shane and I have had eaten more than a dozen tomatoes between the two of us! Another big hit has been the lemon cucumbers. We will pick one or two every evening and Hayden will eat them too. I love watching Hayden eat all these healthy vegetables:


Harvesting the 'matoes':


Eating the evidence:


Of course, now that I have dedicated all this space to the back garden, I will have to do the same with the front. I'll take pictures soon of the grape plants and the roses.

Elliot's New Chair

Just like they did with Hayden, Shane's parents have bought Elliot his own chair to sit at the table on. We used it tonight when we ate dinner outside as a family. Elliot laughed and giggled the whole time through dinner - it was so funny.

In The Bouncer

Elliot has finally gained enough control of his big ol' noggin that we can finally put him in the bouncer. He is not as thrilled about it as Hayden had been when we put Hayden in it...but, each to his own. Elliot will enjoy being in the bouncer for five to ten minutes at a time; but, that's about it. His favourite position is still laying on his back and chewing on whatever is closest; toys, fingers or toes. He is starting to appreciate the advantage of sitting upright; however, I think his head is still so heavy, he gets tired with that position too! He has started to roll over. He can go from his back to his belly; but, can't go from his belly to his back, which (let's face it) is really the easier direction! He still hates being on his belly...so rolling has turned out to be quite the dilemma for him as he likes the process of rolling over; but, hates the result!

Big Boy Bed!

So, for the past couple of days, Hayden has been hanging his leg over the side of his crib when he wakes up from sleeping. He has made the decision for Shane and I for when to convert his crib into his toddler bed. It was today! Hayden is in love with it...he is quite proud of the fact that he can get in and out by himself. Our little boy is quite grown up!





Addendum - 9/3/10 - Hayden has done so well in his new, improved bed. Shane and I were skeptical as to how well he would stay in bed...we should have known that our little sleepyhead would never leave it! Even when he is awake, he just lays there and waits for us to come and get him. The other night, he was awake for an hour and a half before he finally fell asleep. He just lay there and said his alphabet and counted to 13 over and over. He's so good.

A Day Of Grace

Today I had the day off and Kaila had to look after Gracie for Vanessa who was covering the office at work. Kaila decided to look after Grace at my house so we could all spend the day together. It actually worked out pretty well. I was a little worried about where we were going to put all three kids to sleep...especially if they chose to sleep at the same time!! - But, it all worked out. Hayden seemed to enjoy having two little ones watching, and admiring, his every move...and Elliot just loved having another pair of eyes to stare into.

Elliot and Gracie hanging out in the pack 'n'play. It was funny to watch them as they actually stole toys right out of each other mouths...but, then they made up and held hands!


Grace playing in Elliot's bouncer:


Elliot in his favourite position, watching the world go by:


And this was the highlight of the whole day!! - Elliot kept putting his thumb in Gracie's mouth and she would suck on it. We were all just so amused by this!

Big Achievements

The last few days have surprised Shane and I with many developments from both the boys. Here are a few of them:

Elliot used to get fussy around the time we were going to eat every night...it didn't matter what time we sat down, he would always fuss. I remembered that Hayden used to sit at the table with us when he was Elliot's age, and he has since grown up to sit well at the table during meal times; so, we decided to do the same with Elliot. He loves it! Now he is a part of meal times, rather than sitting on the outside looking in!



Elliot is still waking up several times a night to eat...and he is eating a lot each time he wakes up. Shane and I are both exhausted from this and have decided that something needs to change. So, we are starting solids. Here is Elliot's first attempt at oatmeal cereal...let's just say, it all disappeared down the hatch and he smiled from ear to ear! Not only is he joining us for dinner, he gets his own! How exciting!! We'll let you know if this makes any difference during the night or not!! (And yes, I do know that I am pulling "that face" while feeding Elliot - you try feeding a baby and not make that face!!)


Hayden is in love with letters and numbers. He can identify several letters as well as count (and recognize) from 1 to 10. He loves digital clocks because the numbers are always changing.
Recently, the Betz family (the boys' most wonderful babysitters) have taught Hayden how to hold two fingers up to show how old he is. I am sorry that the video is the wrong way round...I forgot that it doesn't auto correct - I hope your neck will hold out!!


Here is Hayden showing that not only can he count to 10; but, that he can recognize each of the numbers as well. We are so proud!

Sunday Picnic

Shane and I had a day together with the boys today. To mark this rare occasion (!), we all went for a picnic at Hat Creek followed by a leisurely stroll upstream. It is so pretty around here...so many pretty places to go and things to see. We are very lucky.