Building Blocks

Evelyn has been building things with blocks for about the past month or so.  We actually forgot to get out the Mega Bloks for her (we just use Duplo for the big kids right now, and those are too tricky for her).  Here she is building an invention of her very own, with no help from anyone else.  So fun!

And notice how beautiful her hair was that day. 

Blizzard 2014

A week or so ago, we got a very light dusting of snow.  The kids were disappointed that it wasn't enough to play in.  But last night was no disappointment.  We got a good couple inches of snow, which is just enough to have a little fun in without having to worry about the roads being too dangerous (because we don't have the equipment here to handle a heavy snowfall).

As soon as the kids woke up, they wanted to go outside.  We convinced them that it was worth at least eating breakfast first, and Mommy really wanted her coffee to warm up a bit.

We started out to our cul-de-sac, which was filled with snow.  Evelyn got cold quickly, because we don't have the proper attire to keep her warm, but Miles and Vivienne loved it.  They asked Jason to make snowballs over and over and over.  He would throw them high up in the air and they would come crashing down.

After a while of this, we headed inside to warm up a bit.  Stephanie, Chloe and Josh sent over some "snow cream" that they had made.  Jason and Vivienne shared most of this.

Then we headed out to Bond Park for some sledding with our neighbors and friends.  Apparently we weren't the only people with this idea.  There were probably 200-300 people there sledding today.  It was really fun to see the community having fun together, kids and adults alike.

Miles enjoyed the sledding the most.  Vivienne was too gun-shy after a "snow in the face" incident on her first run.  Miles could have stayed out there all day if it weren't so cold.

Our neighbors, Stephanie, Chloe and Josh, let us borrow their sleds for the fun.  

Back in the car, we had red noses and cheeks and some tired kiddos.

We dropped Jason off at home so that he could get some work done, and then we headed to Grandma's house (undeniably the kids' favorite place in the world).  We had lunch and hot cocoa and headed outside for more fun in her snowy yard.

We're hoping the snow sticks around for another day or two so that we can build some snowmen and have some more wintry fun.

Walking and Poop

Well, there have been quite a few hurdles passed over the past week or so in the Fox household.  First, about a week or so ago, Miles decided to finally poop in the potty.  I cannot express how enormously thankful I am that he is finally willing to poop in the potty instead of his pants.  He has been great with peeing in the potty, but there was just something about that poop.  He couldn't get past it (no pun intended).  But something clicked, and we have seen more poop in the potty than in his pants. 

Thank you, son.  Thank you.  Really... thank you.

I know it may sound silly, but this had been a huge issue.  I think it was affecting my relationship with him, because I would get so frustrated and impatient with him when he would have accidents in his pants (and even though I'm very familiar with washing cloth diapers, something about poop in underwear is much less bearable).  I'm glad we're finally getting past this or at least that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

In other news, Evelyn has finally decided to use walking as a mode of transportation!  About a week ago, we took her to a pediatric physical therapist.  They said that she didn't have any obvious physical issues and that she just needed more encouragement to get moving.  They recommended that we start her on weekly physical therapy sessions to get her moving on her feet.  So we scheduled the first appointment for next week.

Last night, something clicked and she just decided to walk instead of crawl.  She walked for almost 45 minutes straight... falling and then standing right back up and continuing to walk.  Today, she walked about 90% of the time (versus about 5% of the time through most of the day yesterday).  I have to say that this is just a huge relief to me.  I'm hoping that perhaps we won't have to do physical therapy (because having another weekly commitment for your 18-month-old when you have two 3-year-olds is not easy).  I'm just glad that she will be able to walk across the mud and mulch and snow (because it is snowing here and they will be playing in it tomorrow!) instead of crawling in it.

So yay for walking and poop.  I never knew I could be so excited about such seemingly simple things.

Jumpin'

One of the kids' favorite things for me to do at the park is to take photos of them jumping.  Here are some favorites of Miles a couple weeks back.

Petite Picasso

In early December, we went to Marbles for some fun on a winter day.  We go to Marbles almost every week now, often meeting friends and sometimes just exploring on our own.  This particular day, they had an artist working with the kids.  Vivienne couldn't get her smock on fast enough!

Vivienne is always thrilled when a paint brush is involved.  Miles eventually also stopped by to put on a smock...

... but it only lasted about 2 minutes and he was off to the race car ramp.  Vivienne kept painting with the artists for about an hour until I had to pull her away (because our parking meter was running out).  She certainly has an artist's touch.

(It's a flamingo, by the way.  She told me.  Don't even pretend you can't see it clearly.)

Big Girl Bike

Someone thinks she's ready for her own big girl bike.

Christmas 2013

Well, if I don't post about Christmas now, I just might miss it altogether.  So here goes!

Christmas this past year was wonderful.  Miles and Vivienne were old enough to be excited about our traditions (like our advent activity calendar and the Elf on the Shelf) and Santa Claus.  They were also very excited about their presents.  And they showed some recognition that this day is actually about celebrating Jesus' birthday, which is a step in the right direction.

There were so many activities in December leading up to Christmas - birthday parties and Christmas parties and cookies and decorating gingerbread houses and a huge assortment of Christmas crafts and goodies.  This year, more than ever, we could really participate in these things fully.  Miles and Vivienne are at such a fun age, and it's so great to experience holidays with them each year as they grow.

This year, our van donned a proper pair of reindeer antlers and a Rudolph nose.  Believe it or not, Jason took the kids to something like 4 stores trying to find these one particular Daddy Day (a Saturday when I was off doing my own thing).  It's hard to see in this photo, but the van was very merry all December (until I rolled down a window so the kids could hear a train and we lost an antler... then it was only half-merry, which maybe is actually kind of sad).

On Christmas Eve, we went to church with Grandma and Grandad.  After that we came home for dinner at our house (made by Grandma - thanks for the delicious dinner and leftovers!).  Then we did baths and bedtime (and put cookies out for Santa) with the kids and headed back to church to help clean up after the Christmas services.  When we got home, we put out all the unwrapped gifts and hit the sack.

In the morning, Grandma and Grandad sneaked into the house before the kids woke up.  As soon as Miles and Vivienne saw "7:00" on their clock, they came running out of their room.  They were very excited to see all the gifts, and quickly dove into the fun.  The big gifts this year were a bike for each of them (with training wheels).  We all bundled up so that the kids could give their bikes a spin.  Miles took to it quite quickly and rides very well already, pedaling all over our cul-de-sac and steering very well.  Vivienne is more hesitant.  They have both taken many, many spills and Miles seems to rebound from them more quickly than his sister.

Mid-morning, we were joined by our dear friends, Brad and Melissa, and Melissa's mother, Linda.  They served breakfast at the Durham Rescue Mission and then came to our house for brunch.  It was great fun to spend time with them and enjoy good food and coffee and great conversation. 

Miles also got another stomp rocket.  This apparently is the most entertaining toy in the world.  He will literally launch these rockets for hours on end if we don't stop him.

And Vivienne is still very eager to put on her apron and chef hat and help me in the kitchen.

We love having Jason home from Christmas Eve through New Year's.  He gets the entire week off without having to take extra vacation, which is wonderful.  We pack those days with trips to the Life + Science Museum in Durham and Marbles and Pullen Park.  It's a great chance to show Daddy all of our most fun spots.

Riding the train at Pullen Park

Christmas was a wonderful time to reflect on all that we are grateful for.  We are so blessed.  2013 has been quite a year! Bring on 2014!

My Tiny Dancers

Whale

"It's a whale... with two teeth."

By Vivienne Fox