Its A .......

My Sweet Helper

I was changing Tyler's diaper the other day and it was a very unpleasant smelling diaper. Abraham was in the room and heard me comment on how yucky it was. Wanting to be helpful, he offered to throw it away for me. I told him that it was really gross and since my hands were already dirty, I'd throw it away this time. He left the room and came back a minute later with blue kitchen gloves on his hands. "Mom" he said, "Now I can take care of that diaper for you and my hands won't get dirty!" What a sweetheart. He now "takes care" of all Tyler's diapers for me and loves the chore! At the end of the day I find my bathroom sink full of gloves. I wonder if he knows I just pick them up and put them back under the kitchen sink for him to find the next day? Next up? ... teaching him to actually change the diaper!

My Picky Eater

Tyler has entered a new phase the last month or so (please oh please let it just be a phase) in which he doesn't eat. Anything. Ever. Okay, I take it back, he'll eat raisins and frozen go-gurts, but let's be honest that is only going to take a kid so far. He'll go days without eating more than a few bites of food. It can be quite frustrating and we are worried about the weight he is losing. I've been trying to figure out ways I can sneak healthy foods into things that otherwise seem like treats or snacks. Our first success?? "Green" Smoothies.

1 cup frozen fruit (we used half blueberries, half strawberries)

1 cup fresh spinach
1 yogurt cup, any flavor

1 1/2 cups milk

I also add a spoonful of sugar

(this is enough for the 2 boys and myself)

Abraham and Tyler have both devoured them the last few mornings! (Notice the uneaten waffle next to him)
If Ken is home (he said they taste "earthy" but are okay and still eats them), I'll double the recipe and then use the leftovers to make these handy "popsicles", which the kids also devour, for dessert... insert evil mom laugh here!

Anybody out there know of any other good ways to trick a kid into eating? Especially something that is somewhat healthy?? All suggestions are welcome!

Books and Brothers

I love to read. I really love to read. It is a joy to me to see my children love to be read to. Lately Abraham has learned that he knows how to "read", meaning he's memorized several books word for word. When it comes to bedtime and books are being chosen, he often tells us that he'll "read" that one to Tyler and then they sit and read it together. How cute is that?

Especially sweet considering that the picture below is a more normal way to find these two brothers.

We've been to the Zoo!

Ken was able to take a random day off last week so we packed up last minute and headed to the zoo. It was a little cold when we got there, but it turned out to be a perfect temperature and a perfect day to go! It was very empty and quiet, so we got a good look at a lot of animals.

I think Abe was trying to look happy, he just didn't quite get there. He did love looking at the bees though!In the aviary, Abraham found that if he sat still on this bench then several birds would walk right in front of him. He was fascinated with this up close look at the animals. We spent a lot of time looking at the gorillas. They were so close and were just fascinating. I think Tyler's favorite were the elephants. They walked right in front of us. Tyler just kept pointing to them and grunting at us, in case we didn't notice the massive animal standing there.Everyone has been to the zoo, so I won't bore you with a bunch of animal pictures, but I wanted to post this one. The giraffes, ostriches, and zebras were all just hanging out together. Not only were they very close to us, but they were just mingling among each other. It was really neat. The zoo here is divided into 2 parts and it is a pretty good walk to see everything. By the time we were ready to go home we were all tired. Some more than others, I guess. Although if I'm being honest, if I'd been sitting in a stroller with a water bottle and shade, I'd probably have fallen asleep pretty darn quickly myself.
This is one of the only times I've thought my kids looked alike. I see more resemblance in them in this picture than I've ever seen before. It must be their eyes and personalities that make them so different to me and this picture elimanates both of those.

We had a great day and it was so fun to take a little trip together as a family.