Monday, August 31, 2009

Say Cheese!



Seth is loving his Fisher Price Kid Tough camera. It doesn't take the clearest pictures, but it is so easy to use and he feels like such a big boy when he can do it all by himself.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Thursday Thirteen







1 - Zoo - One of our favorite places to visit.

2 - Zodiac - I'm not sure how much faith I put into it, but it's fun to read my horoscope.

3 - Zantac - It was Seth's first prescription.

4 - Zoom - I love it when Seth says, "Let's zoom the (toy) car."

5 - Zucchini - One of my favorite veggies.

6 - Zucchini Bread - My sister called bikini bread when she was little.

7 - Zap - I would really love to get one of these 100% electric cars.

8 - Zabagloine - This light custard over berries is a great dessert.

9 - Zebra Finches -When mark raised birds we used to have about 20 of them. I liked the finches because they were small and quiet!

10 - Zonked Out - After a very busy day Seth sometimes crashes in the car seat.

11 - Zinc Oxide - It doesn't feel very good going on, but it completely blocks the sun.

12 - Zen - I don't know if I will ever know what it feels like!

13 - Z End - I can't believe I'm to the end of the alphabet!

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Ebay Item of the Week


Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Doll-
Mint Tulip with Marsh Mallard
Paid - $.25
Sold For - $26.00

(I loved Strawberry Shortcake dolls as a child. This one was in amazing condition and even still had it's scent. One sniff of Mint Tulip's hair made me feel like a six-year-old again. It was purchased in a thrift shop that sells all items for a $1.09 a pound. When I see the things that I loved as a child, I realize why some people are willing to pay so much for these old toys. The sense of nostalgia and the tiny piece of childhood magic they re-kindle is priceless.)

Monday, August 24, 2009

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberly

Seth loves reading this fun Caldecott Medalist. Each page reveals a different part of the monster's face in brilliant layered die cuts. When the entire face is revealed, we shout "You don't scare me! Go away, big green monster. And don't come back until I say so," as each page rescinds another facial feature until the monster is completely gone. This book is fun, colorful and a great way to conquer bedtime fears.

Handmade Sea Creature Decorations

Seth had a great time making homemade decorations for his party. I freehand cut out some sea creature shapes on card stock. Seth painted them with watercolors and tempra paints. When they dried he glued on googly eyes. We had three different painting sessions and I think we had around 50 creatures. We taped them to the wall around the pool and they made super cute, economical party decorations. I'm sure we will be doing this again!



Sunday, August 23, 2009

Happy Birthday Seth

Today, we had a fun and relaxing day. We spent the day just hanging out, enjoying all of Seth's great new gifts, taking a nature walk and playing at the park. It was nice to have such a laid back day after the busy day we had yesterday!




We took a walk in a stream.



We went to a Chinese restaurant.
Seth insisted on wearing his boots but they ended up coming off!He loves all of his new gifts!








Mark likes the blocks just as much as Seth does!


Happy Birthday Bookie Bear! We Love You!

Three!


Today my sweet, sweet boy turned three! I cannot believe how quickly the past three years have flown by. He is growing and learning more and more each day. He loves to say his ABC's, can recognize about half of the letters and is learning the sounds that the letters make. He will say, "M says Muh, Muh, Monkey." He can count to thirty - usually. Sometimes he skips four and switches seven and eleven. He can also count to ten in Spanish. His vocabulary and speech amaze me sometimes. He remembers - and repeats - everything he hears. He is always asking questions and sometimes I don't know all of the answers.

He loves his family so much and enjoys seeing friends and relatives often. He often asks to go to Grandma and Papa's house, to visit Papa Roper, to go see Mimi, to take a trip to Pittsburgh, etc... He also loves animals - especially his pets. He says "Pup-Pup is my favorite dog," and asks "Can Buddy sleep in my bed?" He also says "Hush Buddy" when he squawks. He lights up around Carlee and Miles and loves it when they play with him. He often refers to each of his first cousins as "my best cousin" or "my best friend". His Daddy is his hero and together they have so much fun! He is, at heart, a Mama's boy - and I love it!

He has had a time with potty training but it is really clicking now. He gets a temporary tattoo each time he uses the potty. The other day he had eleven! He is so proud and beams each time he is successful.

He loves to swim and now runs and jumps off of the diving board. He gets a kick of playing "hiding and go seek" but he usually hides in the same place - under a blanket. He eats most foods - even his veggies - and will try anything. Tonight he tried and liked squid. Some of his favorites are pasta, all fruits, broccoli, hot dogs, oatmeal, shrimp and of course ice cream. He is very active and loves climbing anything. He can jump from a surface about two feet off of the ground and land on his feet. He also loves to be outside, even on the hottest of days.

He says he wants to be a "monstah" or a "baseball team" when he grows up. He loves doing crafts and painting. Some of his favorite toys include trains, building blocks, puzzles, Little People, sports equipment, dress up clothes (hats, boots, etc..), play food and instruments. He also likes to "watch a program" although I try not to overindulge. He loves Diego, Little Bear, Curious George, Caillou and Scooby Doo.

We have joined a playgroup and he loves interacting with other kids. He is still trying to figure it all out though. He loves going to parks, museums, the zoo, to visit friends and to play dates.

We read every day and he thoroughly enjoys it. Some of his favorite books are Go Dog Go, anything about monkeys, Millie Moo, No David, Brown Bear Brown Bear, all Dr. Seuss and encyclopedia style books. He also loves listening to music. Lunch Money, a children's group from Columbia, is his favorite and when we get in the car he asks to hear "the libary song". We are having so much fun and I cannot wait to see what the next year brings.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Seth's 3rd Birthday Pool Party Extravaganza

Today was perfect! We had a great time with friends and family at Seth's birthday party. We went swimming, played, ate, went swimming, had cake and ice cream....did I mention swimming? Seth's amazing birthday cake was so beautiful that we didn't want to eat it, but we were glad we did. It was delicious and you could actually taste the love it was made with. Seth got so many great gifts including real cowboy boots, a huge Tonka truck, water toys, a bike, art supplies, a keyboard and lots more. He is so lucky to have such generous people in his life! We got him a globe. I have such great memories of playing with my parents globe growing up. I hope he will have the same! My favorite part of the day was when we sang "Happy Birthday". The combination of candles and that tune always make Seth light up, but he had an extra glow today as he sang right along "Happy Birthday To Me...."