Theo is Two!!!

Our #2 grandson turned Two. He didn't get a Birthday when he turned One, so his Mama decided to make it up with a super Second Birthday party. And since we are the Swenson Annex, it was at our home. It ended up at the tail end of our two week visit from our cleaning people and we actually had to tidy up on our own to prepare. Oh well.

We had a house full of people that we love and that love us, does it get any better? Nope!

Theo is fearless and lovable. He gives the best snuggles and kisses.

As soon as he enters our house he runs and leaps in to our arms for a snuggle and a kiss. And to ask for  juice and a cracker (which is his word for snack). Sometimes he leaps before we're ready to grab him and there have been those times that he falls back and smacks his little head. No worries, he jumps up and gets a hug. He has a slight club foot which means he trips and falls, and then he gets right up. I think he will grow up to be resilient, persistent, and not a whiner. The sparkle in his eyes and sweet grin will open many doors and arms.

Theo refers to himself as "me". He's clear that he wants something and is not afraid to take it. Especially if his older brother may have what he wants. He does admire and adore his older brother. If both seats are open, he'll go for his brother's.

He calls his sister "Juju" and that's now her nickname. He will snuggle and kiss his sister. If she happens to be on the floor for some tummy time, both boys are all over her with snuggles and kisses. Theo may push her head down in to the floor until she screams and we rescue her. She doesn't get much tummy time. It isn't safe with the adoration of her two rough and tumble brothers.

Theo is a boy of action and so far has not embraced sitting on a lap and reading a book for anything longer than a few seconds. He is getting better. That may be to humor is G.Ma.

This boy is still a terribly messy eater. He shoves huge amounts of food in to his mouth. It is horribly unsightly and dangerous. We're working on getting him to take smaller bites, chew and swallow, then take another bite. We have a lot more training to do.

Theo is a serious dirt magnet. He can take a bath with a full scrubbing and then within an hour be grungy again. We're not quite sure how he does this, right before our eyes.

We are so in love with this little guy and can't hug him enough.

This Little Guy LOVES Running Water!!!

It's hot, T is having a tough time inside. What to do? I know.....let's take him outside and turn on the faucet!

I gave him a big plastic bowl that he could stand in, arrange for the water to fill it up, lift and dump the water on the plants, put it on his head. There were all sorts of possibilities. I didn't allow him to use the hose though!

And when he was thoroughly soaked, I wrapped him in a towel and we came back inside to put on a dry diaper and toss the wet clothes in the dryer. See how easy that is?

Isn't He Cute?

Here's my youngest grandson. Isn't he cute?

Doesn't he look sweet? And innocent? Well, I should probably tell you that he's sitting in his big brother's seat. Drinking his big brother's juice. He's like any little brother. He wants whatever his big brother has. And that includes the seat and the juice. Still, he is just adorable!

Park Time

You may remember last year when we began having both boys, at the same time. We took them to the park and well, I may have let T take a header off the steps where there may have been blood involved. I am happy to say that we have survived and are thriving at the park. We're learning what T can handle and also, what we can't handle. T is doing much better than we are. While we can still move about, it is tough on the joints. Especially difficult is trying to fit in to the tunnels and crawl. We do that once, learn, and do not repeat.

The slide is always fun, for everyone

Theo set up shop, Ezra was his customer before he went pirate

Theo still loves the speakers and I'm happy he can reach them all by himself

Look at that blond hair! He looks so much like his cousin Charis that it fools iPhoto.

Brothers

Lucky is still a favorite toy. He no longer speaks and his mouth won't move, but he is deeply loved. Two can't quite fit and yet they still try to make it work.

And NEVER let that adorable face of Theo fool you....that little guy can torture his brother

Helping With Dinner

Everyone wants in on the action

And then there's the clean up

Time With Great Grandma

We LOVE Family Night......Family, Fun, and Food!!!

Ezra is showing his imagination. He found an old looking box (well he started by taking down a decoration that looks like an old treasure chest and I had to lead him to this box to get my decoration back!) and made up a game with it. Here he is sharing his story with Great Grandma and brother (that's what he calls T)

I'm Not Proud

We had the boys for the weekend. By Sunday morning, we were running out of tricks so we did what anyone would do.....right? They climb in bed with us and we turn on the TV....don't judge.....

 It's not as bad as it seems....do we get points for PBS? Super Why?

We did feed them and dressed them for church. They were a big hit. Our nursery is full of girls and the teen boy helping out was so grateful to have a couple of boys to play loud and rambunctious games.

Water Baby

If there is water running, or water that T can make run, he's going to find it and get very wet. Great photo J.

Hair Cuts....Theo's First!!

One of our duties as grandparents is to have the boys' hair cut. Do you remember when we found the most wonderful place to have the boys hair cut? Well, we went back and might even be happier this time, if that's possible.

First one up was E, he thinks he should go first because he's the big brother. We think he should go first so he can show T how it's done. It was a little difficult to keep him away from the toys. He whipped his head around to see all the toys, making it very challenging for Erika to cut his hair.

She worked her magic, going for a very layered surfer boy look....looking good.

Next, it was T's turn, time to cut the baby mullet and get rid of his gorgeous curls....

Erika gave us his curls in an envelope so I can include it in his album....if I ever get back to working on it and bringing it up to date. He still has some curls and Mama approves...although she was afraid to look at him when she picked the boys up since she though she would cry.

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Looking at these images makes me want to hug and kiss their adorable faces!

Fathers' Day at The Pool

We headed to the pool for swimming and dinner. After only a few visits to the pool, the boys are getting very comfortable in the water. They can stay in there until their lips turn blue.

The place was busy and Jessica visited with one of her friends from middle school. They run in to one another around town and their children know one another. T played with Ryder and was impressed to find they both wear teething beads, although Ryder has an anklet and T wears his around his neck. E and Lily spent their time climbing the tree. Jessica? Well she mostly enjoyed a Mai Tai while the Fathers took the boys in the water.

I got to hold V, she was particularly cute in her swimsuit.

Dinner, Theo Style

Theo has been the messiest eater...EVER. We're happy to report that he is learning to use a fork, sort of.

We Have A Winner

We continue to have Family Night...aren't you proud of us? We're keeping this up and I 'm having a great time.  I'm enjoying searching the internet to find tasty recipes. My rules are something that can feed a group, is tasty, and I can prepare and get on the table while still being able to visit with everyone. I still need to get some work done during the day too.

Most of my searching is done on Pinterest......hello, my name is Edie and I am a Pinaholic. My Food Boards are very full and I've actually prepared many of them. There's a whole lot of crappy websites, and so many people think they explain things well and they don't. The reason Pioneer Woman has so many followers, well, she is fabulous. Decades ago I found new recipes in the Wednesday edition of the local paper. Things change some, but not that much.

I think I've found a new favorite website to checkout, DeepSouthDish.com. With the cold and dark days, I was looking for comfort food and found a winner......Hamburger Steak with Creamy Onion Gravy. This is fabulous! My SIL told me to double the recipe the next time I prepare this.....this will appear on my table again....and again....(So sorry Jessica that there weren't enough leftovers for your next meal).

Here it is while cooking.....please notice the camera trouble continues. I'm wondering if the mirror is not lifting up quickly enough because it seems like the first photo has the blackness and then the other frame taken right after does not....I think I need to find a camera shop.

Here it is on the table....

and here's my youngest grandchild....now I'm just showing off....

and yes, that is an owie on his forehead.....he face plants in the same spot so much that I think he's rubbing his skin down and bleeding....he'll learn.

After dinner we clean up, have dessert, and then bathe the grandchildren. Honestly, I ask you, does it get any better than this? No it does not!!!!  I'm leaving out the parts where Lucky is dragged in and furniture is rearranged, the boys make a huge mess, balls are hurled down the hall, little hands are dragged along the white walls, snuggles are handed out freely, books are read (and tossed and gnawed on), the lights are turned on and off when the switch can be reached, and so many other activities all crammed in to two plus hours.

Crazy Grandparents

Our two grandsons ( 3 yrs & 16 mos) spent an afternoon with us at our home. It's freezing cold outside so we're stuck inside. What to do?

Yep, bring the toy inside. That's the Harley Big Wheel, with flashing lights, horns, music, and various loud noises.

We got the motorcycle for Ezra, well he was the only one way back then. He is sharing it with Theo now. At least he's learning to share with Theo. First E rode it, then T got on it...until E sat on it too and squished T and I rescued T by lifting him up and off of it, and then T was miffed that his brother did this, and then I had to snuggle T and kiss him repeatedly on his ears and neck while saying sweet Grandma things about how marvelous he is.

Then they moved on to have T follow E and push him along. Oh, and please notice the cute sweaters. As E likes to "match" with his baby. He told me they bought them at Target.

And what is going on with my camera? I thought it was my lens, but now I'm pretty sure it's the camera.

Hair....don't like it when it gets in the eyes...a bit too Bieber if you ask me. Oh, you didn't ask me?

The boys haul down the hallway and they may have crashed in to the door once or twice. Which is completely crazy if you knew how much we paid for the solid wood doors that go perfectly in our home. Oh, and then there were the times that the wheel dragged along the wall as they were racing....no worries, we'll have that painted in the Spring. See? We are crazy grandparents. This would NEVER have happened when we were simply parents.

Too Much Travel?

Just in case you're getting bored with our travel to Spain, here's what our loved ones were doing while we were gone....when they weren't sitting around missing us and counting down the days until we returned.....they decided to visit the Aquarium in San Francisco.  They visit places as if they were tourists.  Which is a totally awesome way of taking advantage of living in the area.

Here's my youngest grandson......

This guy is full of joy...really....this little guy has a smile on his face all the time.  His Mama and Papa might say otherwise, but we're pretty sure they'd be wrong.

Here's the rest of the gang.  And yes, my SIL is wearing a man skirt.  You may recall that he has Scottish heritage and LOVES wearing a kilt...a utilikilt....I still say it's a man skirt.

It's difficult to tell just how adorable my oldest grandson is....with all that hair.  We think he's very adorable.....and just can't get enough hugs.

They're Watching!!!!

Grandson #2, aka Baby T, is 13 months old. Keep that in mind.  We just returned from a two week trip and J brought the boys by our house so we could love on them.  Two weeks is forever.  Far too long to go without hugging and kissing on your grandchildren.  They change so much.  When we left, Baby T was hanging on to furniture and taking a step to hang on to another piece of furniture.  When we returned, he's walking all over the place. Able to get in to even more stuff.

We had the remotes on the coffee table (silly us, we usually put them up when the boys are coming over), he reached and picked up one of them, and look what he did...

Try to get beyond the fact that he is so stinkin' adorable....I know that's nearly impossible to do.....because he is so stinkin' adorable....see what he's doing? He's picked up the remote and is holding it to his ear...as if it were a phone!  Now where do you suppose he gets that from?  Here's a hint.......

Photo removed on request (really a demand)

yep, that's his Mama playing on her phone.  Oh, and that's not a roll of fat....that's #3...a GIRL!!!!!! She's not going to like this photo..I'll brace myself for the screaming call (which woke us up from a sound sleep).

Those little babies are watching everything we adults do....especially mom & dad (and G.Ma and G.Pa, etc.).  We all need to become the people we want those little people to become.  And I'm afraid that means putting away the electronics, practicing good manners (living considerately with one another), speaking properly (clean up the language, increase the vocabulary), not multi-tasking, reading our Bible and good books, following the rules (well, most of them) etc., etc.

Late Summer Fun

Our grandchildren dropped by at lunch to play with their toys...when they see the toys, they act like they're new toys.....and I still can't believe Dave allows his garage to be filled with all their toys...good job G.Pa.

We didn't buy them all.....Auntie Donna gets some of the credit.....this is just one of about NINE Tonka Trucks that she donated to their stash.

And please note the totally cool Converse shoes that E is sportin'........

How Did This Happen So Quickly?????

What a difference one year makes.  The big difference for us is that Ezra can barely fit in the Cozy Coupe and Theo has moved in to the driver's seat.....I thought they'd both ride in it and share, but you can see how that's working out....

The bottom right photo was one year ago....just before Theo was born....a bit over one year...amazing.

Baby T is One

This is Baby T after enjoying his birthday cupcake.  There are no photos of him with the cute crown his mama purchased because he was not having that thing anywhere near his head.  So funny...just like his mama....she NEVER liked anything on her head...no cute head bands...no cute hats....no cute hair clips.  Anyway....back to Theo.  We didn't even have a family birthday party.  We tried later but he was having his evening melt down.  You know where he is so tired that he cries and won't let you hold or cuddle him....but he still doesn't want to go to bed?  Not much fun.  I was really hoping to have that First Birthday page in his scrapbook.  This most likely will be a traumatic moment in his childhood when he realizes that he didn't get as much attention as his older brother.  Oh well....he should get use to this....I'm sure we'll make up for it in many other ways.

We are only now getting to know Baby T.  While he was a nursing baby he spent most of his time with his mama.  Now we get time with Baby T and we're figuring things out.  We LOVE this little guy and he finds us useful.

Early on we heard that horrendous screech and we call him a human raptor.  He cleverly figured out this is the most effective way of getting any one's attention...it works....quickly....and every time.  We should ignore it until he stops this habit, but it is more painful than fingernails on a chalk board.

Killer smile...his little smile and grin is captivating.  He has so much joy that it can't be contained in his little body so it comes out on his face.

He's got soul....he grooves to the music...any music....and he has rhythm to go with it.  He rocks, sways, waves his arms in the air.

The little guy is crawling like crazy, pulling himself up, and walking along while holding on to things.

He's quite an explorer too.  He'll head on down the hallway, all alone, to search for something interesting.  One of his favorite places is the left cabinet where we keep diapers, wipes, DVD's and all things grandchildren.  His other favorite thing is to crawl back to our bathroom, pull up next to the tub, and then turn the water on and reach in to the stream of water.  He LOVES running water.

He is a VERY picky eater.  We think it may have to do with texture.  He likes his food smooth.  We know right away when he doesn't like something because he spits it out and/or throws it...far....it's a HUGE mess.

Already he knows how to get his big brother in trouble.....by crying as though he's been hurt...even when his brother hasn't touched him.  How do they know to do that?  He is enjoying his big brother, crawling all over E.Boy, getting in to E.Boy's stuff.  E.Boy tells him he's too little and he can play when he gets big like E.Boy.  We're pretty sure they're going to be friends...and annoy one another too.

We just couldn't possibly love this little guy any more than we already love him.  He is sweet, joyful, and has plenty of grins to melt our hearts.

A Smile to Jump Start Your Day

Just in case your day is lacking in joy, here's my little guy that is so happy snacking on blackberries, hanging with the entire family....

And here's another photo....he might be practicing his signals to a future pitcher, you think?

This is one happy and expressive little guy....hope he can maintain that joy....life is hard.