The Daily Munchie

2012-02-16T11:12:00.002-06:00

This is what happens when I turn my back on them for a few minutes.

Building and bonding

2012-02-10T10:01:00.005-06:00

Rockam turns one!

2012-02-08T14:02:00.002-06:00

I love Rock's wide eyes as he tries to figure out why everyone is staring at him and singing.

Once the lights were back on and nobody was restraining his arms (we didn't want him to grab the candle), Rockam knew exactly what to do with the cupcake in front of him.

Hmm. Frosting's good.

Let me just take a bite.

What, don't you have your own?

'Cause I'm not sharing it!

But, I might be wearing it!

Rockam's first trip to Adventure Science Center

2012-02-08T13:10:00.000-06:00

The birthday boy, hamming it up for the camera at Puckett's on Church St.

The last time Rockam came to the Nashville Adventure Science Center
he was still in my tummy. He enjoyed being able to see the exhibits.

In particular, he really got into playing this enormous electric acoustic guitar. He figured out that by touching the strings, he could make music.

The space wing of the museum is fun too.

Stephen played with all his favorite exhibits, like this robotic hand.

And the ambulance.

Joe and I took both boys to the tippy top of the tower.

With a zillion other kids swarming up and down this series of ascending tight squeezes, it wasn't easy to get there, but they enjoyed the view.

Afterwards, we ran into Mike, Katie and Anna Linek... another Chicago-Ohio couple that we met at church.

Warm January day

2012-01-31T15:29:00.005-06:00

It's oddly warm this winter... 64 degrees today. So we played in the back yard.

Stephen wanted Rockam to join him in his car.

Rockam wanted to join Stephen on the trampoline.

"Hey, don't stop now! Keep bouncing me, Brother!"

"Can you bounce me instead?"

Freelance frenzy

2012-01-31T07:18:00.000-06:00

I've been doing a lot of freelance writing. Most of it is boring-smoring SEO (search engine optimized) stuff... but then I snagged what I felt was an interesting and worthwhile article. However, the client wanted the words "auto insurance" near the top of the article. I complied, putting it in my first activity-- drive down memory lane. The client rejected the article and asked me to put the words "car insurance" AND "auto insurance" in the FIRST paragraph. That's when I decided that it just wasn't worth it for a lousy 13 bucks. So, I'm keeping the rights to my list of fun grandparent-grandchild activities and publishing it for free. I hope you enjoy it! :)

***
10 Activities for Grandparents and Grandkids
Many people say that the reward for raising children is grandchildren. While it's true that most grandchildren naturally develop a special bond with their grandparents, it never hurts to cultivate that relationship with some special activities. Spending quality time with your grandchildren is a rewarding experience that will produce memories that both you and they will cherish your whole lives.

Special moments with grandchildren can take place anywhere: at home, in the car or at the beach. What matters is that you devote your energy and attention to them during the time. Here are ten great ways to have fun, memorable times with your grandkids.

1. Trip Down Memory Lane
Share your memories of childhood and what life was like when you were their age with a car tour.
If you live near your hometown, pack the children in the car and drive them past your childhood home. Visit a favorite childhood park or talk about what stores were like when you were little. Your grandchildren will love to hear your tales and to try to imagine your childhood as you drive them past your old haunts.

2. Picnic in the Park
Nothing beats a simple picnic. Your grandchildren will enjoy choosing and preparing their favorite foods and packing them into a big basket. Find a shady spot beneath a big tree, and spread out a big blanket. Or, if the weather isn’t cooperating, most children will find a living room picnic to be just as much of a treat.

3. Dress Up in Grandma's closet
You always knew there was a reason you didn’t get rid of those bell bottoms or garish mini dress. As grandparents, you’ve got the advantage of a treasure trove right in your closet, attic or basement. Most little children love to dress up, and outfits from another era will make this favorite childhood past time even more fun. Try staging a fun fashion show or photo shoot of you and your little ones wearing old style outfits.

4. Animal Adventures
A trip to an animal park with grandma and grandpa will always be a special treat. Zoos, aquariums and nature reserves are all ideal places to bring younger grandchildren because their walkways are usually designed to accommodate strollers and exhibits feature age-appropriate information or hands-on activities. A low-budget option for animal lovers is to simply spend an hour at a pet shop, where children can watch a wall of aquarium creatures or chat with parrots.

5. Make a Memory Book
Most children love to look at photographs from before they were born. Pull out those albums or shoeboxes of old snapshots and let your grandchildren try to guess the identity of that handsome young man or pretty young woman. Make photocopies of your favorite shots and let your grandkids paste them into a scrapbook or album that they can take home. Help very young children to write the names, years and captions beneath the photos. They will be thankful for the keepsake long after you’re gone.

6. Digging Up Daddy's Old Toys
Another way to share something special with your grandchildren is to pull out some old toys. They will love to hear that Daddy used to wear a well-worn baseball mitt or that Mommy used to play with an electric train set. Engage in some make believe or put on a puppet show. Shoot some hoops or play catch with them so they can have a taste of their parents’ childhood. Keep a bin of vintage toys on hand for whenever your grandchildren come to visit, and they will always seek them out.

7. Muddy Puddles
One of the reasons grandchildren love their grandparents is that they often allow them to bend or even flat out break Mom and Dad’s rules for cleanliness, demeanor and diet. If it’s a warm but rainy day, break out the rubber boots or bare feet and get splashing!

8. Sweet Surprises
So many fond memories revolve around food. Enjoy baking cookies or a special dessert with your grandchildren. Make the time extra special by teaching them an old family recipe or your top secret methods so they can carry on a tradition when they’re old enough to cook. Or, if you’d rather not mess up your own kitchen, load the grandkids in the car and visit an ice cream or candy factory tour. The kids will learn something new and most likely get to try some yummy samples at the end.

9. Backyard or Bedroom Campout
Even if you’re not an avid outdoors enthusiast, you can enjoy the simple pleasure of sleeping in a tent. Your grandchildren will love setting up the tent with you and snuggling up in their sleeping bags. Bring out some flashlights and goodies and tell spooky stories or jokes until they fall asleep. If sleeping under the stars is not your thing, a blanket tent suspended from the dining room furniture can be just as exciting for most children.

10. Plant a Family Tree
If you love to garden, take your grandchildren to a local nursery and pick out a fruit tree or a perennial to plant in a special spot in the back yard. You can plant a tree to mark a special anniversary or birthday. Add a ring of mulch around the base of the tree and decorate the edge with pavers that you’ve painted or engraved with the names of family members. Take pictures of yourself with your grandchildren each year to keep a record of how you’ve all grown. The tree and the keepsake pictures will remain as a loving memorial for years to come.

There’s no limit to the kinds of activities you can enjoy with your grandchildren. Whether you choose to stay at home or venture out, the memories you make and the relationships you build with them will have enduring value.

Bath buddies

2012-01-23T13:26:00.002-06:00

Here you go, Rockam...

2012-01-15T21:31:00.001-06:00

Before I explain how Rockam's high chair ended up in our bedroom (with Rockam in it), let me back up a bit. I had given Rockam some munchies in his high chair and then got distracted with something in my office. A couple of minutes later, I thought: "Rockam sure is quiet, I better go check on him." I get up out of my chair and turn for the door only to be face to face with my youngest son... who has been rolled into the office by his ever-inventive older brother.

A new hobby was born. Stephen decided to give Rockam a tour of the house, and Rockam decided that it was perfectly acceptable to crunch on veggie puffs while being scooched, jerked and turned from room to room, even if it meant occasionally bumping into furniture.

And when the real food ran out, Stephen provided his little bro with a plastic picnic.

I think you can see why Rockam already adores his big brother Steve.

Snow Day

2012-01-15T21:05:00.000-06:00

We had a snow day on Friday, so Stephen finally got to use his new snow boots to explore the front yard.

Stephen was bundled up, and with special equipment in hand for his winter expedition.

Surveying the area.

Testing out the spot.

Enlisting some help from the natives.

Collecting samples.

Back home, poor Rockam was feeling a little left out. He had to content himself with playing with Stephen's shoes and waiting for him by the door.

And what will I be eating for my next course?

2012-01-15T20:42:00.001-06:00

I recently discovered that Rockam likes Mac N Cheese and broccoli :-)

Morning exercise

2012-01-05T07:52:00.002-06:00

Rockam has joined his brother in the ritual of pulling all the books off the shelf. Also, he's learned to smile when I pull out the camera.

Physics and peek-a-boo

2012-01-01T16:28:00.000-06:00

Fun with Shapes

2012-01-01T14:03:00.002-06:00

Christmas, day two

2012-01-01T13:58:00.001-06:00

Stephen was so excited to see my cousin, Kiana Tilsch, again. The three little ones played together nicely.

Also, Joe and my hearts were made glad when we saw Stephen going out of his way to make Kiana feel welcome, offering her trains from his beloved Thomas set.

After a couple of hours, the cousins were quite comfortable with each other.

We don't get up to Chicago very often, but it's such a treat to spend time with our family!

Christmas in Chicago

2012-01-01T13:49:00.005-06:00

We enjoyed Christmas weekend at home with my parents.
For once, we got some nice shots of the four of us as a family.

There was lots of bonding going on. Here Rockam is all comfy-cozy with his Gramps on the couch. Not long after this photo was taken, Rockam fell asleep on my dad.

Stephen flops on Grammy and Gramps.

If big brother can do it, so can Rockam!

Rockam also got to know his mom's cousin Jon... who happens to be very good with little kids.

The Wong cousins with the Parrinos.

I made a flurry of curly scarves this year for presents.

Brothers in matching pjs.

It's the simple things in life that make us happy.

And, boy, did we eat well! That's spinach salad, korean bbq wings, puerto rican pasteles (like tamales, but with green banana instead of corn masa.) This plate is actually from the day after Christmas.

We also had guacamole, hummus, lasagna and broccoli salad. And, though I didn't photograph it, we ate our Swedish feast on Christmas Eve, complete with limpa, pickled herring, Swedish meatballs, lingonberries, potato sausage, smoked salmon, and pickled cucumber salad.

Stephen loves his Grammy and Gramps!

My kids are famous!

2011-12-29T15:52:00.002-06:00

Stephen and Rockam are featured in a big canvas portrait at our local YMCA :)

Don't crash into there, Rockam!

2011-12-21T20:33:00.000-06:00

Though I spend a good portion of my day trying to prevent Rockam from annoying Steve or Steve from harming Rockam, they do sometimes strike on an activity they can enjoy together. This one was Daddy's idea. The last two pictures are an example of Stephen's creativity.

Rockam under the desk

2011-12-14T11:02:00.000-06:00

Well, Mom, this was the best I could do at recreating the scene from this May 2009 post.

Rockam is bigger and older at this point than Stephen was.

"Let's have a picnic, Mommy!"

2011-12-14T10:03:00.001-06:00

Stephen is saying: "Here, Mommy. I made two plates. This plate is yours. Do you wanna eat it, Mommy? I made you some vegetables. Do you wanna use this pink spoon? And should I use the blue spoon? I'm going to have some dessert."

Crazyhead

2011-12-12T19:29:00.002-06:00

Rockam has this funny move he likes to do when he's feeling active:

Peek-A-Boo cutie

2011-12-05T11:10:00.001-06:00

Rockam has been learning a lot of new tricks lately.

I noticed that he was trying to initiate peek-a-boo with me. He would slowly squat down then pop up with a big happy face. He did it about 20 times in a row before it dawned on me that I should record his antics. By then he was a little burnt out on the game, but I still caught a few of his peek-a-boo moves.

And yes, Rockam got a buzz cut from his dad.

Chef Steve

2011-11-30T12:15:00.001-06:00

Stephen said he wanted me to make him a "cook's hat," so this is what we made. He was very pleased with his new toque. "I'm gonna cook something dessert," he said and got my Gourmet cookie cookbook off the shelf.

Requests reveal personality

2011-11-30T09:53:00.001-06:00

The three things that Stephen requested in quick succession while buried in the cushions of our couch:

"I want some more water." (He drinks like a camel)
"I want Mama to put her glasses down." (He only likes my face a certain way: with glasses and my hair pulled back)
"I wanna drive a spaceship." (He spends most of his day living in a vivid imaginary world)

Home sweet toys

2011-11-29T11:01:00.001-06:00

Stephen was very excited to play with his own stuff again after we got back to Hoptown. Here he is in his own personal creation, "The Drum Room." I like that Tigger is sitting under the fish xylophone.

Penguinos

2011-11-29T11:00:00.001-06:00

14 Around the Table

2011-11-29T08:06:00.001-06:00

We fit 14 people around the table at our Thanksgiving dinner at Joe's parents' house.

You'll note that the plate isn't quite traditional. There's Chinese dumplings, Nicaraguan floutas, and garlicky salad, in addition to the green beans, roast sweet potatoes, stuffing and turkey.

After our big meal, I went on a brisk walk with my sister-in-law Cris and my cousin-in-law Amy.

Took me a moment to figure out the self-timer, but I eventually got it right!

Then, back to the house to make an exciting dessert with puff pastry, fig butter, pistachios, dark chocolate and French Brie.

Rockam would've like to have tried more foods if I had let him, but as it was he ate an entire sweet potato, most of a dinner roll, crackers, baby food and cheese cubes (more than what his big brother ate).

The finished Brie-fig-nut-cocoa-puffs and Grandma G's cookies.

A happy little muncher.

"I'm a MONKEY!" (and Snoopy at the same time, courtesey of Uncle Jack and Tia Cris.)

The day after Thanksgiving we had some nice down time hanging out with the fam.

Funny Faces

2011-11-23T05:37:00.001-06:00

Yes, I did bury my brother in five blankets

2011-11-23T05:32:00.001-06:00

What's the big deal? He likes it!

My little sunshines

2011-11-14T10:03:00.001-06:00

Rockam turns 9 months, becomes hat model

2011-11-07T09:44:00.002-06:00

Modeling my cuddle bear hat. He looks like one of the Lost Boys from Peter Pan.

Modeling my hive hat, which is at least a size too small on him.

Little naughty bear messing with my pattern printouts.

Bee on his bonnet.

Stegasaurus Steve!

Some of my projects for the One Stop Holiday Shop.

Rockam's on the move. Notice him creeping in to see what all the commotion is about?

Rockam is finally getting his bottom two front teeth and he's learned to scoot where ever he wants to go. He can also pull up on things and do minimal cruising. Watch out, Parrino house!

Fall

2011-11-07T08:33:00.000-06:00

Pretty nice, huh?

Best buddies at the farm

2011-10-22T22:43:00.003-05:00

Emily Couchman had her 6th birthday party today at Christian Way Farm. Stephen and Evan wore several adults out as they zipped from the pig to the hay castle to the tractor train to the corn maze to the pumpkin patch and to the combine. Brenden shot this wonderful photo of the two buddies in their element.

So happy it hurts!

2011-10-22T22:21:00.000-05:00

Doesn't get any better than this.

Cheese and Entertainment

2011-10-22T22:09:00.001-05:00

Rockam has recently expanded his mealtime repetoire to include small cubes of cheese, banana and bread. Makes for a rather monochromatic mix of munchies, but he doesn't seem to mind.

I took more than one video of this. Some of the other ones show him having more success at actually getting the cheese in his mouth, but he had this huge green boogie dripping out of his nose the whole time. I thought this video was a little more appetizing! Plus, we get the bonus of Stephen's strange antics in the background.

Kangaroo Zoo

2011-10-18T11:53:00.001-05:00

Stephen makes friends with a very chilled out red kangaroo at Kentucky Down Under, an Aussie-themed wildlife park that Steve calls the "Kangaroo Zoo."

Rockam also got in on the petting action.

Notice that this mama has an extra leg sticking out of her pouch.

Some interesting facts about kangaroos-- they can choose when to have their joeys, even suspending an embryo for two years if conditions make it a bad time to have a baby!

Our guide also said that there was a kind of wallabee that can drink salt water without adverse effects. He said that parts of Australia can have 7 to 10-year droughts! This photo is still the red kangaroo from the first photo.

While Stephen was petting him, the kangaroo kept rolling back and forth, sometimes giving Steve a bit of a spook! (But that didn't stop him from petting.)

A lady commented, "He's watching the kangaroo, but we're all watching your son--he's so cute!"

We also watched a sheepherding demonstration and learned that sheep products are in marshmallows, Jell-O, chapstick and other gelatin-containing items.

After milking "Sugar" the cow, Stephen said, "I have to wash my hands cuz I touched the pink thing!"

After several handwashes and a couple trips to the potty, we let Stephen run off some energy on a nice grassy hill.

We took a break there too.

Then, on to another demonstration with digereedoos and a baby roo in a bag.

The staff member said that she carries this joey everywhere-- grocery store, movies, etc., because she's getting him acclimated to humans and our noises. This is how they were able to tame the other kangaroos in the walkalong. Wild kangaroos, according to our guide, are quite dangerous because they can box and kick or even kill you with a quick middle-toenail in the stomach move.

We also saw some interesting birds, such as the laughing kookaburra... the photo is still on my camera though. Another park visitor who apparently knows a lot about birds was able to trill her tongue and get him to laugh... it was a hysterical, human-like laugh! Too bad we didn't have the flip cam on us to capture it.

The air was perfect, the drive was just under two hours and the park was a great way to spend Joe's last day of fall break.

brothers in the bed again

2011-10-12T13:55:00.001-05:00

I can do whatever he can do

2011-09-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Stephen decided to visit with Rockam this morning.

After the two of them jumped around in the bed for a while, they took a little breather. Actually, Stephen was doing the jumping, and I was bouncing Rockam so he'd feel like he was part of the action. Rockam isn't able to pull up on his own, but he can stand if I prop him.

Boys' first bon fire

2011-09-27T11:56:00.001-05:00

Last Friday night we brought the boys with us to our small group meeting at the Weatherfords. Here Melody cuddles with her favorite baby.

Danny and Melody made an awesome bon fire and picnic spread for us.

We roasted weenies and giant marshmallows. It was already dark by that point, and I didn't want to get my camera sticky... otherwise I would've taken a picture of them.

After a while, Stephen, Rockam, Kayleigh and Bryleigh all wanted to come inside. There was hay stuck in Steve's socks, so he shed them.

I'd bet he'd like a hug.

2011-09-24T15:37:00.000-05:00

Nature Fest 2011

2011-09-18T21:34:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we took the boys to Nature Fest at Jeffer's Bend. We met up with the Couchmans. Stephen and Evan both like looking at the butterflies.

Rockam joined in too.

One Monarch was willing to hang around and be observed up close.

After petting some miniature ponies and hugging an alpaca (joe's got a pic of that on his phone), the kids wanted to paint pumpkins. Stephen said, "I'm painting the OCEAN!" His pumkin turned out looking like a globe.

Stephen also liked this bunny and little chicken. He was all about touching all the animals.

Next, we took a walk into the woods.

Where the kids made peanut butter-pinecone ~~bird~~ squirrel feeders.

Dr. Selbe said that the squirrels would bite the yarn and steal the pinecone.
He was right. All that remains on our tree is a bit of frayed yarn.

And, as the perfect ending to the day, they even got a little canoe ride.
Stephen went with Brenden and Emily.

Puffard the Big Red Dog

2011-09-18T15:06:00.000-05:00

Stephen got a special surprise in the mail from Aunt Alice,
Uncle John and Cousin Maria this past week!

He knows his name is "Clifford," but because it sounds too much like "clippers," the sound of which Stephen is terrified, he's renamed him "Puffard." Only my son.

"I wuv you, Puffard!"

Cincinatti Trip

2011-09-12T21:59:00.000-05:00

Last Friday evening, we drove through the night to Cincinatti for a quick day-cation with the Parrinos to celebrate "Papa's" 60th birthday.

There were some great views in Newport, Kentucky, where the Aquarium is located.

Though not as big as Chicago's Shed Aquarium or Chattanooga's Tennessee Aquarium, the Cincinatti Aquarium was just right for us, taking about two hours to complete. They were also quite kid friendly.

A ginormous puffer fish. He was like an overgrown football with fins and an unusual flowing tail. I wanted to take him home with me, under my arm.

Rockam enjoyed the views of several aquarium tunnels from the double stroller. Uncle Jack and Tia Cris were also with us for the weekend. They relieved me of Stroller Duty almost the entire time... cuz they're awesome :)

Stephen got nose-to-nose with a little puffer. I can't decide who is cuter.

Rockam managed to get some time out of the stroller too.

Ever since an aggressive Lorakeet gnawed on the webbing between my thumb and forefinger when I was trying to feed it at the Cleveland Zoo, I haven't been so fond of the colorful and cachophonious birds. But that didn't stop Papa from trying his hand at feeding them from a cup. No, I didn't ask all the strangers in the photo to smile. They all did it on their own.

He tried three times. Each time, the Lorakeet quickly snatched the cup out of his hand.

Until another Lorakeet came along and snatched the cup from him.

After the aquarium, we walked over to a seafood restaurant and had some awesome calamari (along with other food). Stephen LOVES calamari and requests it every time we go to a restaurant. Every restaurant. Sometimes it's tough to explain to a 3-year-old why Waffle House doesn't serve fried squid.

After enjoying Newport's quirky Levee district, we headed back to the hotel where Stephen went swimming with Papa and Uncle Jack. Once appetites were restored, we sang "Happy Birthday," slapped on our Spidee masks and feasted on cheese, fruit, pretzel rods, nuts and an enormous cheese cake. A pretty normal birthday celebration.

Spider women can shoot imaginary webs too.

Oddly enough, I think the one who looks most like a spider (Little Mr. StickyFingers) isn't wearing a mask.

Conversations with a 3-year-old

2011-09-09T15:43:00.002-05:00

Me, singing: "I'll become even more undignified than this!"
STEVE: "NO! Don't sing this. You're not undignified, you're MOMMA!"
Me: "But I thought you liked that song, Stephen."
STEVE: "You're not Dave Crowder, You're a mama."
Me: "Fair enough."

Brotherly love

2011-09-09T15:33:00.000-05:00

Stephen has really been fond of cuddling with his baby brother lately. Yesterday I let Rockam fall back to sleep on our bed after his early nursing and Stephen eventually found him, woke him up, covered him in all the age-appropriate toys he could find and then stuck his face right up in Rockam's and said "Hiiii, Wittle BABY! Hiiiiii! Awwwww, THAT's NICE!" Rockam was laughing.

Double duty hamper

2011-09-09T15:29:00.002-05:00

So it turns out that in a pinch, the laundry hamper is a great place to plop your kid.

Cabbage?! You call this a toy?

Stephen's third birthday party

2011-09-05T13:19:00.003-05:00

I caught my shirt on fire trying to light Steve's three candles, but he still got to blow them out.

We did a "David Crowder" themed party for Stephen this year. Stephen knows the lyrics for a lot of his worship songs and likes to sing them to himself. while looking in my full-length mirror.

Rockam watched and played along with the other little rockers.

As the birthday boy, Stephen got to play Mike's electric guitar... with some assistance.

Inflatable guitars served as both party decor and favors :)

Get down, Emily C.!

Amphibians

2011-08-20T16:08:00.000-05:00

Joe's gift to Stephen this year was a little newt from PetSmart. Here's an elated Steve looking into a tank at the store. Ironically, he was most interested in the 13-cent feeder goldfish... but we thought an amphibian would be more fun.

Here's "George," as Stephen named him, in a tempory holding tank.(The first two we bough leaked.)

I let Stephen hold George briefly on the way home.

We only meant to house one amphibian, but a funny thing happened on the way home from a visit to our friends, Jacki and Mike. Grey Tree frogs are common in these parts... and we saw a number of them along the walk way to our friends' house as we left late one night. On the way home, the boys drifted off to sleep, but all of a sudden I heard Rockam shuffling in his car seat as if he was startled. The swishing noises eventually subsided and all was quiet until we got home.

When we finally brought Rockam inside he was out cold in his car seat. On top of his fuzzy little head sat the tiny tree frog pictured above. Stephen named him "Agg-Ack Agg-Ack" after the sound that he things frogs make. We kept him for a few days... but I was finding it difficult to capture and feed him sufficient numbers of bugs. One morning Agg-Ack was sitting on my knife block, and I decided he needed to be returned to the wild! Cute little fella though!

Celebrating Stephen's birthday

2011-08-20T10:26:00.000-05:00

My parents visited the weekend before Stephen turned three. Here's a rare photo where everyone is smiling and looking nice... at Fuji Rama in Clarksville. We grabbed a yummy lunch at this quiet sushi bar before heading to PetSmart to get Stephen a little Eastern newt for his birthday present from mommy and daddy.

Rockam is 6 months

2011-08-11T11:49:00.000-05:00

I should have posted this five days ago... but life is busy.
Rock is now 16 lbs and 10 oz., 25 1/2 inches long and at 50th percentile for height and weight. Yay, Rockam!

Here's a little video I just took of him sitting up in his crib.

Rock's new skills

2011-08-04T12:10:00.000-05:00

I already posted some of these sitting pictures on facebook, but I liked the worried expressions on some of the shots in this series. Rockam is about to turn 6 months. He's learned to eat solids, roll from his back to his stomach, and sit up for 10 - 15 minutes at a time in the last week. Today, he rode in the front part of the Dollar Tree shopping cart (with my purse for a little extra support).

Nice soft landing.

Family Self-Portrait

2011-07-31T16:43:00.001-05:00

Buddies

2011-07-30T14:12:00.000-05:00

With Rockam growing stronger and being able to hold himself upright more easily, Stephen now sees his little brother as a potential playmate. Today he was trying to teach Rock to build a tower with blocks. Then Joe managed to get them on Stephen's dump truck together.

Little readers

2011-07-30T13:59:00.000-05:00

A few shots from our Chicago trip at libraries and in laps :-)

Deep thoughts... by Stephen

2011-07-28T16:42:00.000-05:00

Stephen: Can God turn you into a CHICKEN, Daddy?
Joe: He can, but He doesn't want to do that. Then you'd eat me for dinner!
Stephen: You don't want to be a chicken. I don't want to be a CHICKEN. And Rockam doesn't want to be a chicken either.
Emily: Stephen, can God turn you into a chicken?
Stephen: Yeah.
Emily: Does He want to?
Stephen: No! He doesn't want to do THAT!

I will not eat it in a swing...

2011-07-22T15:28:00.001-05:00

...I will not eat it if you sing!

You expect me to do what?

Not impressed.

Interestingly, Stephen went beserk over rice cereal when we gave it to him.

Suburban splashing

2011-07-22T15:19:00.000-05:00

Splash fountain parks have become all the rage in the last couple of years. The Chicago suburbs have several; we took Stephen to two of them. My good friend, Sharon Speck, met me with her four kids at a park in Streamwood. Stephen enjoyed his own private sink for much of the time.

Sharon's daughter, Lola, is her "mini-me."

Sharon's other children definitely favor her as well.

He's got a bit of a sag problem.

There's a splash fountain with an element of suspense near the Schaumburg Library, where my mom works. Stephen enjoyed stomping on one of the geysers.

Ravinia

2011-07-22T15:04:00.000-05:00

We've always got to get a little dose of culture when visiting my folks. It was actually a little chilly the night we went to Ravinia to hear Lang Lang perform Chopin and Liszt. Stephen wanted to know where the guitars were,

We enjoyed a picnic spread under the trees on the lawn.

Rockam found a polonaise mingled with the whirring cicadas to be the perfect napping nusic.

Rockam laughs

2011-07-14T21:36:00.000-05:00

Steve's first sail

2011-07-12T18:27:00.000-05:00

Candid portraits

2011-07-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

I love these two photos... Stephen playing in a nylon tube and Rockam in my arms at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

Metromunchies

2011-07-10T22:14:00.000-05:00

I always love going to the Rocky River MetroParks. Rockam got to share in his mama's joy of watching the birds and bees, pretending to be a furry woodland creature, and catching the attention of some bluegills that thought his fingers and toes looked like plump pink worms.

Again, I wanted to post more photos, but for some reason I'm having trouble getting them to upload to blogger.

Rockam's first trip to Cleveland

2011-07-10T21:51:00.001-05:00

So, I'm extremely behind in posting photos and text from all our summer travels... and blogger isn't cooperating with all the photos I've tried to add to this post. At least it let me upload this cute shot of Rockam sitting on his great grandma G's lap, and looking mighty content! Rockam and his great-gram share a Feb. 6 birthday, but they're 80 years apart!

Rockam chills with his Tia Cris. (For some reason my photo of Steve with Tio Jack didn't upload)

All this socializing made him a little sleepy. Notice that he fell asleep with his arm through the ring of a dangling toy... kind of like he's handcuffed to his play mat!

More photos to follow if I can get blogger/my internet connection to cooperate.

Oak Island, by day

2011-07-07T12:07:00.001-05:00

Oak Island, by night

2011-06-15T18:12:00.000-05:00

Charlotte

2011-06-15T17:14:00.000-05:00

We spent our first couple of days of vacation in Asheville, N.C., then headed to Charlotte to visit my Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan. They took us for a lovely walk on a trail near their house. The boys enjoyed riding in our new (used) double jogging stroller. In addition to seeing ducks, fish, tadpoles and a yellow bird on whose identity we still haven't come to a consensus, we also took a detour to Trader Joe's and Yoforia --all in walking distance from their townhome. These Tilsches really knew how to pick the ideal place to live!

More bonding

2011-06-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Stephen: "Can YOU get this OFF me???"

Joe: "By, 'this', you mean your brother?"

Rockam: "GGggggggggg"

Two little monkeys squeezed into Rockam's travel bed.

Bonding

2011-06-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

Mom, you're so not cool.

Don't worry, Rockam only watched Shaun the Sheep for the duration of the photoshoot!

New gear

2011-06-05T21:17:00.000-05:00

For our trip, I bought Rockam a playmat with dangly toys.

He's tried it out and likes it.

Rock's playstation

2011-06-05T18:40:00.002-05:00

Sometimes I prop Rockam up with the throw pillows and make a little play table for him with a blanket and some toys. It usually entertains him for a little while...

Until he starts to tilt...

All played out.

Brothers' conversation

2011-06-02T13:35:00.002-05:00

In the next room, Stephen is building with megablocs and Rockam is watching on a blanket on the floor.

Rockam: Ggggg Gooo Gaaaaa Gggggg
Stephen: What are you saying, Wockam?
Rockam: Guuuuh, Gooo, Gggggg
Stephen: Serious-wee, Wockam, WHAT?!?

Rock faces

2011-06-02T11:00:00.000-05:00

Presents!

2011-05-30T08:15:00.000-05:00

Grammy and Gramps visit

2011-05-30T08:10:00.000-05:00

"Can I have a stick to shave?"

2011-05-25T11:27:00.001-05:00

Soap beard.

Stephen looks so much like his daddy in these pictures!

Little River Fun Run

2011-05-23T13:31:00.000-05:00

Joe ran with Stephen in the jogging stroller this Saturday at the Little River Days Fun Run.

Stephen gets pretty chill when he's riding.

All the comforts of life: sippy, bebo.

Posing with sunglasses. Stephen had a runny nose, which explains his funny smile in many of this photos!

Afterward, Joe and Steve rode the Chu-Chu.

My little piglet and I stayed behind to watch the stroller. This is a rather unflattering picture of both of us!

Rockam and Samuel

2011-05-23T13:18:00.000-05:00

Stephen's sleep tantrums

2011-05-23T13:13:00.002-05:00

Around 3 a.m. this morning I was feeding Rockam when I heard Stephen shouting in his sleep: "I jus wanna brush my TEETH! I jus wanna BRUSH...MY...TEEEEETH!" He was also kicking the wall over like crazy.

Around 5:45, Joe said Stephen was yelling "I just wanna put the SHOES away!" over and over again. When he popped out of his room, he made a beeline to the shoe rack... where, befuddlingly enough for him, all the shoes were already put away.

I can only imagine that the dream scenarios that played out in Stephen's subconscious involved either Joe or I telling Stephen he was going to get a spanking for not following orders.

The very hungry Rockam

2011-05-23T13:09:00.001-05:00

Me and the boys

2011-05-16T15:12:00.002-05:00

Joe took this photo Saturday morning. I like it because I've got a son on each leg.

As a sidebar, one of Stephen's recent funny statements:

After a nap last week, Stephen described his dream: "I was in the BATHroom, and ... YOU were yelling, ... and ... I WUV Mommy," then he proceeded to hug me.

Stephen has been getting into trouble by standing on his frog potty to reach the bathroom sinks. He gets them both going and then uses cups and containers from his play kitchen to fill the frog potty up with water. Usually the contents get spilled in multiple rooms before the yelling starts.

"Ima fwaid of da snail"

2011-05-10T15:28:00.001-05:00

My oldest has been a bit of a "fraidy-steve" lately. He wanted to play in the backyard this morning, but he kept coming up with things to be spooked about... like "blue ladybugs" and "the bird with the red head" and this cute little mollusk, who was minding his own business until I spotted him climing up the foundation of the house and called Stephen over to see.

He was only willing to crouch close if I was also squatting. He wanted me to feed the snail some grass and clovers. Incidentally, I found a number of four- and five-leaf clovers in a little clump by the snail.

"We like your bed better, Mom."

2011-05-10T15:17:00.002-05:00

"Oh, hi again!"

Sharing secrets.

Secret fist-bump.

Actually, Steve is telling Rockam "Lemme sweep just a few more minutes," over and over again; an ironic portrayal of many mornings in which Stephen is me and Rockam is Steve.

Rockam is totally in awe of his big bro.

"Gotchyer nose!"

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T07:12:00.002-05:00

I've already been blessed all weekend for the matronly holiday :) First, I got some chocolate, which you can read about here). Next, I got a cute card. Then I got some beautiful flowers.

But enough about me, this post is actually for my two moms, and my boys' "Grammie" and "Nonna". Hopefully their cards arrived yesterday, but if not, here's a little preview of their contents: The artist at work--in his own special way.

Trying out new techniques.

Rock oversaw the creative direction from a nearby chair.

Great art requires some sustenance.

Park play

2011-05-07T16:06:00.002-05:00

Stephen's buddies: Mary McQueen and Evan Couchman.

Chris's mom and sister were in town watching the McQueen girls while their parents and little bro are in Turkey.

It's hard not to want to throw the crumb rubber.

Rockam is 3 months!

2011-05-07T15:56:00.001-05:00

My second born is usually a smiley kid, but for some reason all the shots I took to commemorate three months turned out looking pretty serious... even a bit annoyed. What do you think? He's still a cutie pie though!

Bed buds

2011-05-03T09:25:00.000-05:00

After feeding Rockam this morning, I plopped him on Joe's pillow. Stephen came along and decided to tuck both himself and Rockam in bed. This was the result!

Sitting up, with help

2011-05-03T08:50:00.000-05:00

Post-bath Rockam

2011-04-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

playing with webcam

2011-04-13T12:15:00.000-05:00

Chattanooga Day 2: Aquarium

2011-04-09T10:05:00.000-05:00

Chattanooga trip: day 1

2011-04-07T10:39:00.001-05:00

little man

2011-04-07T09:57:00.000-05:00

At first I thought this was a cool way to keep Stephen on the toilet for the entire duration of his "business"-- until this morning when he dropped a book in the toilet.

Undies

2011-03-29T14:56:00.000-05:00

I've started potty training him in earnest now. I've begun an incentive program involving a cookie or piece of candy for each pee or poop into either his frog potty or the "regular potty" as Stephen calls it. Stephen prefers the latter, which is unfortunate because this morning while I was nursing Rockam I heard Stephen sending out distress signals from the bathroom. He had fallen backward and couldn't get back up. Don't worry, Grammie and Nonna, he wasn't actually in the toilet, but I could see the potential hazards.

So, today we three trekked to one of my least favorite places on earth, Wal-Mart, to buy some undies and a kiddie toilet seat. We bought a Pooh and Tigger potty seat, because it was the only one that wasn't overtly girlie. But the not-so-superstore was sold out of every package of 2-3T boys underwear. I have a bit of a bone to pick with stores in general for never carrying very many boys' clothing compared the the endless racks of pink and purple prints. But the underwear situation was ridiculous. In addition to not having what I needed, I noticed that boys underwear was on average 50 cents to a couple of dollars more expensive than the girlie counterparts. What is up with that?

We headed to Kmart next. Again, the boys briefs were understocked while the girl's stock was plentiful. I managed to find one pack of Thomas the Train undies in his size. It was about 6 bucks for 3 pairs, but I just swallowed hard and bought them so we could stop shopping and start pottying. Steve's main request was that he wanted red undies. I have no idea why, but that was his primary concern.

Here, he's admiring his new duds. I had to fold the elastic over once for a good fit, but I'm pleased with our (overpriced) purchase. And, I'm also pleased with my big boy, who has gone both No. 1 and No. 2 on the "regular potty" and even wiped and flushed himself.

He's napping now, on top of a mattress pad. I fully expect there to be a big puddle by the time he wakes up, but I couldn't convince him to trade Thomas for a diaper.

More smiles

2011-03-26T13:02:00.000-05:00

sweet baby smile

2011-03-21T11:07:00.000-05:00

Bribing Stephen

2011-03-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

Steve doesn't do haircuts without a flailing, screaming, tearful fight... or without bribery.

Pacified

2011-03-21T09:23:00.000-05:00

Playing dress-up

2011-03-16T08:33:00.000-05:00

Until yesterday, Rockam has only worn "munchie-suits," that is, sleepers. I finally got up the nerve to pull some onesies over his head and see how he looked. He looked really cute. Unfortunately, he peed out his diaper shortly after these photos were taken.

Queue up "Kung Fu Fighting":

tummy time

2011-03-16T08:20:00.000-05:00

Another difference between my two boys: tummy time temperment. Stephen hated to be on his belly. Rockam doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he looks downright comfortable in the second photo. He's pretty good at lifting his head and can turn it from right to left.

Sneegiberator in the Refrigerator

2011-03-11T10:37:00.000-06:00

Stephen was talking about Noothgrushes and Nubbards today, so I couldn't help but think of Dr. Seuss when I took these shots this morning.

Don't worry, Stephen doesn't know how to open the fridge by himself. He snuck in there when I opened it to get him the slice of cheese.

Playtime

2011-03-11T10:15:00.002-06:00

These photos give me dejavu ... to see what I mean, check out these photos of Stephen playing with some of the same toys.