Train Garden at Kenilworth

After getting shoes for the boys (since Jackson is walking more than crawling) at the Towson Bootery, we walked over to check out the trains.   The boys were slightly interested although as you can see from Jackson, watching the other kids was more exciting.  I'm sure that we will have to go multiple times next year so we will take this as a success.

Connor needed help standing up but was happy when he found the penguins.

4-0

If read as a score, it would represent a pitcher's shutout or a defense's dominance in soccer or football. However, this post is not about a game score. On Thanksgiving day, Michael felt a little something on Jackson's gums. If you were keeping count and obviously the title of this post can give you a good hint, Jackson is on to his 4th tooth to Connor's zero. While we were with Michael's mother for the holiday, the subject of teeth came up and his mother advised us that the Stanley children are VERY slow in getting teeth. Connor's aunt didn't get her first tooth until well after her first birthday.

Here is a cute pic of Jackson showing off his teeth and Connor (looking super cute as always while hanging out in his highchair getting ready to eat). Regardless of the number of teeth, Connor still eats more than Jackson and is so happy during meal times.

 

 

Playing cars with their cousins

This Wheelies ramp is a perfect accessory to the larger one that the boys will be getting for their birthday. We brought it with us for our Thanksgiving trip to Culpepper, VA. The boys were lucky enough to have the expertise of their older cousins, Chase and Drew, to play with their cars and ramp. Chase and Drew have had a lot of car experience and Jackson learned to "send the cars down" after being given tons of encouragement.

Forget about blue suede shoes -- Jackson and Connor have green suede

Since Jackson is walking more than crawling and in anticipation of Connor walking soon, we headed out to the Towson Bootery to pick up some walking shoes. We opted for the See Kai Runs.  Connor didn't want to keep the shoes on and it was a struggle to fit them but we survived the first of many shoe shopping trips.

Connor was still unhappy with the shoes once we got home.  This is his "if you won't take them off, i will try" face. 

Jackson grabbed Connor's ear to distract him for the picture but he was still upset over the wearing of shoes. 

Two very good reasons to give THANKS

On our first Thanksgiving as a family of four, we traveled almost 3 hours to Culpepper, VA to visit with Michael's mother and his brothers, Bill and Jim. The boys slept for a good portion but woke up when we stopped for gas. Once they were awake, they started a staring session with one another that lasted the remainder of the trip. It was so amazing to watch from the driver's seat that I kept on looking at my mirror and Michael asked me several times to pull over so he could drive. The boys generally do not acknowledge each other so this was an absolute treat.

Dinner was good and the boys slept well in their pack and play but we quickly learned the difficulties of staying somewhere that wasn't child-proofed. Everything in their reach/grasp needed to be moved and Connor had an unpleasant meet and greet with a table. We found him crying and his nose was bleeding :( We had a great time visiting with everyone but quickly realized how hard it is to contain our very active and inquisitive boys outside of their and our comfort areas.

Jackson loves to read his "ooks"

 

Both boys love being read too and Jackson has taken a recent interest in picking out his own book and flipping through the pages with much excitement. Michael and I repeatedly told him that he was reading a book and he started saying in a very low voice -- "ook." He repeated it several times so after da da da da and some other babbling, we would have to say that "ook" is officially his 2nd word.

Pizza Party at our house

We decided that it was FINALLY time to share pizza with the boys. As you can see, it was well-received. It was from our favorite pizza place, Pasta Mista, which is a amazing and made by actual Italians. Their Delvecchio grandparents who helped contribute to their 1/2 Italian decent would be so proud!! As my side of the family would say -- Magia Mangia and looking forward to many more pizza parties.

 

 

Haircut Time?!?

The boys hair has gotten so long in such a short period of time.  While Connor was spending so much time on his back, he had patchy hair.  Now that he is moving more and more, it is filling in.  It definitely confirms the reason for all of the tums that were needed during the pregnancy. 
 
We have actually debated getting Jackson a hair cut. It isn't a mullet and it is not a rat tail but it is LONG!

Connor's curls are adorable and Michael makes sure to brush his hair so that they are on full display.

Valley View Farm visit

We had planned to go to Wegmans but Connor skipped his afternoon nap and we were afraid of a further melt down beyond what had already occurred at Andy Nelson.

So, we decided to stop off at Valley View Farms and check out the trees. The boys fit perfectly into these make shift carts that had baskets on top. Oh so cute!

And, they loved what they saw and were still smiling afterwards.

No need to retire the activity mat - we have a gymast at our house

Michael and I were seriously considering that it was time to put the activity mat away to make more room. Until, that is, we recognized Jackson's newest passion -- gymnastics. Jackson gets such pleasure out of playing with the mat and he is so creative with all of his movements that we've decided to keep it out. One of our favorite moves was when he went flying backwards and was agile enough to land on his butt and got right back up as if he had planned the entire thing.

 

Busy Ball Popper fun

The boys were lucky enough to inherit the Busy Ball Popper from their pal, Mary Elizabeth. Apparently, Mary Elizabeth doesn't really care for all of the noise. 

Jackson and Connor had spotted it at a friend's house on one of their play dates and thought that it was amazing and so does everyone else in the almost a year age bracket.  We have to constantly monitor to make sure that we do not loose any of the 5 balls that accompanied the set.  Connor has been super helpful in tracking down the balls (sees separate post) and besides turning it on,  Jackson has started to help put the balls back through to start the fun all over again.

 First, you press this button:

Then, you "can" stand on top and wait for the balls to rush out and if we are "lucky," the balls will go flying out of the top and everybody around will scramble to find them!!

Amazingly, they are able to share, which is a good thing in our house.  Sharing would be Jackson letting Connor retrieve the balls that he is quick enough to get too!! It's a start and hopefully will encourage him to get moving.

Connor and the Ball Popper

Connor doesn't really get a chance to play with the ball popper as older brother likes to be in control.

But, when it comes time to retrieving the balls that have popped out, he's your guy. Along, with the throwing of the balls. He might not be fast but he's strong.

Jackson will be patient with him when it is time to restart the ball popper but it only lasts so long....

Connor is crawling

We guess that he is just tired of watching his brother maneuver around.  Today, he started moving and the object of his affection were his rings and Little People

We just kept moving the rings and the Little People and he just went after it. 

Super proud of his efforts to get to his Little People. 

And, we start the process all over again.