Hello, all~ I hope this finds you all doing well! We have been super busy with adjusting to life as a foursome, dealing with various and smallish frusterating scenarios that add up to be a big headache and a really good opportunity to trust God, look to Him for provision, and a reminder to count our blessings - as they are many. I won't go into details about the frusterations, but i will share about the blessings. Going through our photos since the last post brought a smile to my face today and i was so hard pressed to pick out some to put here that i ended up just including alot and if you get bored, you can just stop reading. how about that? ;) Some of these won't be in chronological order, but oh well. you'll figure it out.
Our little man and Daddy were out riding his bike yesterday. He is getting pretty good at going on his own. He has to stretch a little bit to reach the peddles, but he puts forth a valiant effort.
Here, Daddy is giving our Anya a bath. Boy, does she love her bathtimes! It is one of the quickest ways to get her in a happy mood if she is irritated at the world ~ though those times are few and far between. She is such a happy and laid back kid! we are so blessed. every time you look at her she smiles at you.
our two precious goofballs. Alexei and Anya are already super tight. they smile every time the other one is around. Alexei is constantly wanting to kiss and touch her and she is usually up for it. She is already laughing at his antic.
We have discovered the wonders of playdough. Alexei usually doesn't sit still for 2 seconds together, but if playdough is on the agenda, he will sit for an hour and a half playing with it - usually this entails you sitting there and creating whatever he requests. the usual fair is a rocket, a car, airplane, semi truck, a dog, a bowl for the dog to drink from... and then there is the occasional demand, err, request for something totally abstract that really makes mommy stop and think for a minute, such as the island of madagascar. he literally wanted the shape of the island. hmm. sometimes it is an action verb and that really gets the creative juices flowing. I bet my skills at the game cranium have improved dramatically. oh the minds of two year olds, especially mine. ;)
Grandpa and alexei creating a race track. "Grandpa is fun" - alexei.
I love Nick so much. I don't know many dads that would initiate a water war where the kid gets the elephant trunk from the slipping slide (thanks aunt kristin) and the daddy gets a bucket for a helmet and a pool for a shield. daddy doesn't get a weapon. i don't know who had more fun - judge for yourself.
one of our weekly visits with great-grandma kathleen. every time alexei walks in the door he asks for "grandma cookies" - he knows she has some waiting for him everytime. i think her house is one of his favorite places. it was one of mine growing up too. and it's the same vanilla wafers. :)
alexei with two of his favorite buddies from playgroup and church: jonathan on the left and logan on the right. they are all within a few months of each other and boy, can they get each other going. when logan's mom picked him up from church nursery a couple of weeks ago, she said logan and alexei were side by side on two rocking horses rocking as hard as they could with one arm flailing in the air and both gleefully screaming "woohooo!! woohoo!!" i think they should be on a lacrosse or hockey team together when they get older.
aunt kristin loving on miss anya. i love anya's little sundress - it's one of the two outfits i have ever bought for her. the day that i found out she was a girl.
Dell had a "take your kid to work day" and alexei had a blast! i think he thinks daddy gets to go to a fascinating and fun place every day. they had computer games and icecream. can't be that.
hanging out at central market enjoying 30's music. alexei is a good dance partner. his little feelings get hurt when he gets refused by older women (5 year old girls). it makes me sad as his mommy.
we are trying to put the idea in alexei's head that pooping on the potty is alot of fun and worth stopping what you are doing to go. i don't think he is at the point of agreeing with us yet. maybe before he is 12. oh well.
she seriously does smile at you every time you talk to her. too cute.
yes, that is a smiley face sticker on anya's forehead. do all second born children just get used to that? i have a feeling she is going to have to. it doesn't seem to bother her too much.
the wonders of playing in the rain. it is funny to me that when nick and i first got married, he didn't get that i wanted to go out and play in the rain with him. now he is the one who is out splashing in puddles for hours on end.
for some reason, when i ask alexei to smile for the camera, he interprets that as, cock your head to one side and give a goofy grin.
we just got back from our annual family vacation to port aransas. we had such a blast together. we really needed that time away as a foursome and then really enjoyed grandma and grandpa and mr. phil and mrs. barb joining us for the second weekend. God was so sweet to give us that time together.
the weather was really nice for the most part. on the two rainy days we went to the USS Lexington and to the Texas State Aquarium - both of which fascinated alexei.
alexei was a little ticked off that they wouldn't let him fly a plane off the deck. he finally settled for a flight simulator.
alexei should know all about this equivalent of time out. we need a brig at our house.
there is a picture at my parent's house of me on this same anchor in front of the USS Lexington with my family and some friends when i was just a couple of years older than alexei is now. time sure does fly.
life for a two year old is so easy.
flying a kite together. alexei is tired after a long day of playing at the beach. those moments are so rare and so sweet when he actually cuddles up against you and wants to be held. gosh, i love that kid.
alexei was fascinated by the dolphins.
and the stingrays. one little one kept swimming to him to be touched. don't worry it was at the aquarium and there weren't any stingers - we are not that nuts. well, actually... ;)
this is the first time anya ever reached for and held a toy. this is right before she turned 4 months. and she also rolled over for the first time on the trip. super exciting!
enjoying lunch and conversation on our porch overlooking the beach. alexei was napping.
alexei got so tan from playing in the sun, it was really funny when we took off his diaper at one point - his little white butt almost blinds you. ;)
grandma and anya hanging out at the beach.
it cracks me up that alexei always holds the bat backwards. unique, but then again, that is just alexei for you.
Far-Mor (Bobby) came to visit a couple of weeks ago. we really enjoyed hanging out with her for a couple of days.
the first expedition in our double jogging stroller. it was so sweet when alexei voluntarily put his arm around anya, i had to take a picture. i hope he is always a little protective of her.
a couple of days ago mommy was about to go nuts. i think God put this idea of making vegetable soup in my mind, b/c it went from a very frusterating afternoon to one of my favorite pretend memories with him. we got his play food out and talked about the difference btwn vegetables and fruits and then we fixed a vegetable soup and fruit salad for grandma to enjoy when she came to visit. after we made the pretend food, alexei helped me cook his first dish - cornbread. he took his role of holding the bowl while i dumped ingredients in and then stirring it up very seriously.
who needs expensive toys? card board boxes are all you need to make wobots (robots), tanks and tunnels. what more could a kid need?
