Bike Rodeo

Monday there was a bike rodeo in town that taught the kids some basic bike safety. Gerrit was all set to go until we got to the school, then he was shy. This is so typical of him - he loves the idea of stuff but takes a while to warm up to actually doing it! He was the youngest one but one of the more skilled riders too. Paul helped out as part of his responsibility for his cycling club he is a part of (hence the jacket). He tried to get Gerrit to ride his bike at his station:

Paul had to pull him along as he did the 'weave'.

Finally, when Paul said he'd ride his bike through each station, Gerrit agreed to ride his bike too:

Tuesday night what did Gerrit do at home in the driveway?

Yep, make his own bike rodeo station!

Stake Out

Gerrit gave Luke his birthday present early - a new gun (which Gerrit liked more than Luke and I learned my lesson - don't take Gerrit with to pick out a gift for someone ELSE). When Luke asked if they could make a fort and use the sticks outside, I said sure not realizing what 'sticks' he was referring to!

The patiently waited for Anne to come by and see Luke's birthday gift! Unfortunately, Anne took the car so the boys couldn't surprise her when she walked by!

Typical Afternoon

When we come home from Julie's the boys love to play outside. Usually it is basketball or bike riding, but now that they have a sand box, that is thrown in the mix and keeps them busy. Emmit tries real hard to shoot at the big hoop even when it is lowered and can't quite get the ball - yes, a whiffle ball this time, in the hoop. I direct him to the little hoop and he seems to be happy as that seems attainable!

It is fun watching them play (and together at times too) to see what they come up with next.

Helping Hands

Adam and Gerrit were busy last week moving Hostas and planting Cedum. Dahlen's gave us the little wheel barrel which has come in handy. Gerrit loves to help out and does a pretty good job too. He needs to work on where he dumps the soil. (He does not call it dirt - its soil - can you tell his father has taught him this???) Emmit tried to help out by trying to lift the big wheel barrel and learned real fast he couldn't. Gerrit showed him how to move the little one and Emmit liked being able to 'help' too. We are happy with the switch and now I'm excited to finish things up with planting the flowers and adding some color around the yard!

Happy Mother's Day

I had a lovely mother's day this year. I know understand why when I asked my mom when I was little why there was not a 'kids' day' like there is 'mother's day' and her response was: 'it's kids' day, every day!' :)

I wouldn't change being a mother and love my 2 boys more than they will ever know. Gerrit showed me the card that was from Emmit and him and the decided to open it himself. Once he looked at it he handed it to me to see - how thoughtful of him!

We had a nice brunch at church after the service, I was able to get laundry put away that had been piling up (without a kid in toe -- which was the key here), and even a nap. I let Adam ride w/ Dave to Red Wing so we could pick him up and enjoy dinner out! How nice of me!

The boys surprised me with a new camera bag - one I've been seeing out there on the web and had been eying for some time - a Jo Tote! So now my camera bag looks more like a purse and it has extra space for purse like things so I have 1 less bag to take with me!

I took the picture of the tulips to show Opa how beautiful they look! I was hoping they would open up in time for Easter, but of course with the spring we were having, I was lucky they opened up at all! They survived a few frosts as well as snow and they look great! (Opa planted them for me one fall.)

 

So far, the boys have not messed with them either. I see Emmit eyeing them but, he has learned the word 'no'! 

Opa - thanks for making the yard look beautiful!

The Softer Side

This is what I was in my bed the other night:

 

I couldn't resist getting a photo. I loved how he had his animals and doll sitting just so w/ the pillow and how his lego car was on his chest!

I had to get a close up of Gerrit's doll showing how he had put his blanket on him and tucked him in (ya, the doll's eyes are a bit scary, so look fast).

 I guess Gerrit does have a soft side to him - it may be towards his doll and animals and not his brother, but at least I know it is there!
It's a matter of channeling it in the right direction...

A Lesson in Statitstics

Gerrit's stats from his well visit were normal. He is now 3 feet, 5 in tall and weighs a whopping 37 pounds. Basically he is average in weight and a bit tall for his age. So far so good.

Emmit's stats proved that the last well visit's stats are 'outliers'. I laughed when Adam called them that, only because I remember teaching outliers, and now I have a real life example! Too bad I'm not teaching math these days. We are thankful that Emmit's 12 month stats are outliers and he seems more on track. He is now:

30.7" tall 

and 

23 lbs 5 oz.

He continues to show steady progress in his growth and even though he has 2 outliers for weight and head circumference he is back on track. In comparison, Gerrit at this age (granted Emmit's well visit was slightly later than normal because we waited to have both boys checked at the same time):

 

By looking at these photos, it is obvious Gerrit was a chunky baby and had darker/thicker hair. (I have not given Emmit a 'hair cut' yet and whereas Gerrit had plenty by this age.) However, their stats are similar (even though Emmit had a month extra to catch up) - Gerrit was:

31.8" tall

and

23 lbs, 3 oz

Even though Gerrit was a bigger baby than Emmit, Emmit has fire inside! He is starting to defend himself which will teach Gerrit that he can't push/shove/kick without there being paybacks. Emmit definitely knows what he wants and will do a good job of communicating this even if he doesn't have the vocab. His grunts, screams, and pointing takes him far!