A Budding Artist

Nathan and I have been drawing a lot lately as he has a new interest in creativity. He loves to watch Mommy draw and now he's finally trying to copy what he sees! It's so cute. This morning we were drawing Mr. Potato Head, a fairly simple endeavor. It was amazing to see how this little two-year-old interpreted the image and then tried to re-create:

Gavin sat close by and laughed at how easily amused Mommy is.

While Nathan still has his two-three-word moments, he is speaking in clear sentences now. Some of his latest words of wisdom:

• "Nathan needs to do what Mommy says!" ~that's a good one!
• "No, I'm not done; I'm eating pizza right now, Mommy."
• "No ... I'm not a monkey; I'm Kekeen!" (He'll still occasionally call himself Kekeen, his pronunciation for Nathan, although he can easily say his own name - funny!) ~He said that one to John one evening as they were reading a book together.
• "I want that for Christmas Mommy! I want that - yes, I want that please!"

It Happened!

The boys are sick! I'm not surprised - it's been a busy month for Christmas parties, lots of playing with other kids, time spent in the church nursery, etc. It was bound to happen. They both have mild colds; I just hope they stay mild and I hope they clear up by Christmas. These pictures are from the Edina Realty Christmas party we went to a few weeks ago. We have no pictures from any of the other Christmas parties because we were too busy talking to people to take time out for snapshots.
Nathan was afraid of Santa at first, but once he learned that Santa had little treats for all the kids he warmed up to him - somewhat.
Gavin was just happy to be held by anyone ...

This & That

Nathan making a fish-face: Today we went to Music class! It was good for Nathan as he really needs help with following directions and staying on task. We are going to begin several classes beginning January and right now we're evaluating a few different ones to see which ones he likes the best. He enjoyed music class but he had a hard time with transitions between different activities, another reason for joining some new classes. He is around other kids several times per week along with the occasional play date - church, Bible study, the health club, and now Sunday school but I don't think he gets enough structured class time.

The boys went to three Christmas parties this weekend, which means three different times they were playing with other children. Yesterday at the health club I noticed one of the other kids had a cough but his mom said he just has allergies. We're still hoping for a healthy Christmas but we also can't stay inside the house all day.

It's been just another day at the office for John. Hulk Hogan was in the Fox studio so he met him and his daughter today. I thought that was worth noting since John just e-mailed me from work to tell of his celebrety sighting.

Happy Birthday Auntie!

Last week we celebrated Paula's birthday with a day at MOA! We took the little ones to Lego Land, ate lunch at the Rainforest Cafe, went to the Underwater World, and of course made a quick stop at Baby Gap. It was a fun day even though Nathan was a little "off" that day - not enough sleep? A tummy ache? Over-stimulated? One never knows. We planned to visit Santa and to go on some rides but you can only do so much with a 2 year old, a 16-month-old, and a 7-month-old! :-)

Love that smile

and those eyes, and the nose, and the two new teeth, just to name a few.

Why Worry?

"It would be a lot easier to enjoy your life if there weren't so many things trying to kill you every day."

This is the opening statement in one of my recent Time magazines. The article is very fitting - and convicting - for me, sad but true. The article is titled, "Why we worry about the things we shouldn't ... and ignore the things we should."

I'm always worrying and trying not to worry. My sister has seen several cases of Rotavirus in the clinic so these days my mind wanders to the many illnesses that could make their way to my children, infest them and lead us all into a holiday season of cold & flu. But then I think of other children whose worries are far worse or, more aptly, whose realities are far worse than my fears could imagine.

And yet, I dwell on the new thoughts introduced by Time, good ol' Time magazine, which never ceases to amaze me with some sad truth about the world. This time it's this fact: the fall out of bed kills 600 Americans each year!!! That is a scary thought, given that Gavin will, at times, find himself in our bed when he seems inconsolable at night and needs the comfort of having Mom and Dad close by. What if one of us were to get up at night and soon find him ... okay, I'll stop right there because here I go worrying again. P.S. I do know all the many many articles everywhere and countless people who say that co-sleeping is WRONG WRONG WRONG. Judgment hats away please. Anyway, here's hoping none of us are one of the 600 people who fall out of bed and into their death.

So going back to the worrying about illness. Here we are at the Mall of America and Nathan finds himself at Lego Land, the perfect breeding ground for germs of all sizes and shapes! I've heard three days is the magic number for the length of time it takes for a virus to cause symptoms. Today would be day #1. We're hoping for a healthy December but I still can't help but worry ...

Flashback Friday

On this Flashback Friday, I recall last year at this time and how excited Nathan was to visit Santa and then how terrified he was when he actually did visit Santa. We plan to visit Santa this weekend so Nathan can tell him all the many requests he has for Christmas this year. Already, as we walk through the toy aisles at Target he is informing me of the things he would like for "tit-tit from Sata if good boy." So far his list includes a Diego train (Dora's cousin), Diego toys, a robot, a baby rattle (?), dinosaurs, more Legos, and a Dora playhouse (I don't think he'll be getting anything Dora). If he treats Santa this way again, I'm sure Santa will not be so inclined to bring him all he wants for Christmas.

Seven Months Today!

It's All in the Family!

CREATIVITY ... IMAGINATION ...

it's all in the family ...

Imagination has brought mankind through the dark ages to its present state of civilization. Imagination led Columbus to discover America. Imagination led Franklin to discover electricity. Imagination has given us the steam engine, the telephone, the talking-machine, and the automobile, for these things had to be dreamed of before they became realities. So I believe that dreams--daydreams, you know, with your eyes wide open and your brain machinery whizzing--are likely to lead to the betterment of the world. The imaginative child will become the imaginative man or woman most apt to invent, and therefore to foster, civilization.
L. Frank Baum

I love that quote! See more imagination being put into action HERE! That's Cousin Jim's company Website. Then, there's more imaginative and creative work HERE! That's Cousin Karen's business Website! It's fun to see these family Websites out there in Cyberspace. I hope to join them too one day if imagination will allow.

More Cousin Time

Nathan had fun playing with Cousin Calvin and Spencer (not pictured) while we were visiting Menahga last weekend. We even got to see their happy dog who likes to climb trees (seriously) ...

Nathan's Milestones

Who says two-year-olds have reached all their amazing milestones!? Nathan and Cousin Ella experienced some fun milestones this weekend! They play so well together and Nathan has not only learned to share with Ella but he also plays with Ella. Then, they took a walk together hand in hand around the house. It was cute!

Milestones

Gavin reached some milestones over the weekend. At seven months old he is finally Rolling Over! Also, Gavin recently began touching his toes and taking off his socks! He is a little late in doing these things but there is a LOT of baby between him and reaching these developmental milestones. Seeing as he is an intuitive genius, there is no telling what he has plans for next! :-)

Giving Thanks

Got Milk?

One day, Nathan was adamant about having cereal and milk for breakfast. Eager to please my doe eyed son, who was pleading with me in a way only a toddler knows how, I proceeded to gather all the necessary ingredients … Rice Krispees, a bowl, a spoon, milk … but wait! As I open the refrigerator I find we are out of milk!!! Oh No! This is not going to go over well with my mini king. What to do. Then suddenly I spotted it: Infant Formula! Should I? Why not, he’ll never know the difference. Well, this is what Nater thought of cereal and baby formula.

Nathan with Boppa

Nater is staying with Grandpa & Grandma this week for three nights. It sounds like he is enjoying his time with them, as he always does when he stays with "Boppa & Ba-Blah." And then there's "Old Ba-Blah," as they refer to Grandma Lake. Here is Nathan with Boppa riding the four-wheeler. Don't worry, they go
very SLOW!

Gavin's First Food!

Gavin is finally starting to eat solids; he had no interest in it until we introduced peas. It was so funny watching him learn to eat! He seems to think his tongue needs to come out like a lizard. Then enter Nathan into the kitchen - he was having a hard time with Gavin getting all the attention for the short time that it was. So, here's an evening with the Seversons! (Pay attention to the second frame of the video - Gavin's tongue is hilarious!)

Below is a picture of what eating has been like for Gavin until last night! He liked to blow the food around, giving Mommy, Gavin and anyone else walking by a shower.

Climbing

Gavin's New Friend

Gavin made a new friend, Yoda, at Alley's Halloween party. His friend is much more advanced than Gavin. Here's Yoda giving Gavin a lesson in tummy time. Then, Gavin looking up at him saying, "Can you give me some more direction, please? I can't quite figure this out..."

Vote 2006

Today we voted! The boys have several issues that are important to them in their own immediate worlds. Aside from healthcare and stem cell research, Gavin was concerned about agriculture - and the farming community; who will ensure an adequate milk supply in the coming years? Among Nathan's concerns of education and social security, he was mainly wondering about the possibility of the Minnesota clothing tax and whether or not it would mean a cut in his sizable wardrobe budget ...

24

Twenty-Four ...
24 is the number of hours there are in a day.
It's the number of pacifiers we have in our house.
24 is the name of one of our favorite shows starring Kiefer Sutherland.
It's the age my mom was when she had her first daughter.
24 is also Gavin's WEIGHT, which I learned at his six-month check-up yesterday.




Gavin is a big boy but he is also a tall boy so the doctor says he is proportionate and likely to be a tall, thin athlete someday. He was a bit congested yesterday, which he is occasionally, and the doctor says he has Bronchiolitis. He says many babies have that but they soon grow out of it. Luckily, he's not concerned about asthma or asthmatic bronchitis, which was a concern of John's Dad back in August. Gavin now has a prescription for Albuterol, which we give to him whenever he sounds wheezy. It helps him breathe better by opening his airways.

Catch me if you Can!

When I was a little girl we would occasionally visit Grandpa and Grandma at their farm in Menahga. They would have different animals on the farm - sheep, pigs, cows, chickens, it would vary. One thing we could always count on running around the farm yard were the cats. Every spring, the cat would have kittens and hide them in various places, one being a hole underneath the outdoor sauna building. My sister and I would try every trick to coax the kittens out so we could play with them. It wasn't so hard to coax them out, but what was hard was actually trying to catch them! We would be so very close to them and even touch them but as fast as they were, they would quickly wiggle out of our grasp and run back under the sauna to safety. I remember that feeling - a feeling of EXCITEMENT because I so badly wanted to play with the little kitten and also the feeling of FRUSTRATION because I would come so close but couldn't quite catch that cute little critter. Today, I had that same feeling while trying to catch my little toddler who was darting this way and that, just barely out of arms reach.
How did he get to be so FAST?!

Little Monkey

It's funny what food can do to a toddler. Food can make a toddler go from crabby to happy-happy! This was Nate's first banana - whole banana, that is. Usually, I cut it up for him but he wanted to eat his banana like Mommy. And he even gave "the Look" for me when asked ...