Dr. Glade on the KOCO News

I couldn't find a way to imbed the video into our blog; but if you click HERE, you can view the video on KOCO's website.

The Games We Play

Climbing: definitely the number one interest right now. I cannot keep my child on the ground. And he LOVES all buttons/switches/power knobs, etc. So the combination of climbing + switch = nirvana.

This is the Victory Dance, performed whenever some particular bit of naughtiness has been successfully completed sans adult intervention. It's a good thing those twinkling eyes are so darn CUTE!


Clothespin Box: Hours of fun to be had here, my friends. He carefully arranges all clothespins along the edge of the box, then dumps them off and does it all over again.


Did I mention that the clothespins only came in a bin of 200?(!) Do you know how long in takes a little boy to line up 200 clothespins along the edge of various boxes and cans? I've never gotten so much done in HIS life!

Straws and Bottle: This is another big hit, and really helped us out on our recent flight(s) to Florida (more on that later); a beverage bottle filled with straws and tongue depressor sticks. He dumps them all out, carefully threads them all back in, one-at-a-time, then screws the lid on (this kid and screw-on/off lids... I could go on and on. He loves them. No bottle is too tricky for his clever, strong little fingers. I have Poison Control on speed dial. Soon, they'll know us both by our first names there. This is not a good thing).

Note the bubble wrap. This is another fabulous game that gives those same clever, strong little fingers some harmless goals. I'm loving it. While the dog may hate the constant cracking of the bubbles (he runs in terror every time), I LOVE that--not only does it keep him totally occupied--but it's a great audio indication of where he is at all times.
And here are a few of the things I've been getting done while my little one is so industriously engaged:
A diaper bag/changing pad set for a friend:

I LOVE the print of the waterproof laminate I found. Anna Marie Horner rules.
Lots of big pockets...
And a quilt for my mom. The pattern is a variation of a traditional Drunkard's Path.
PS: Sandy, you better come pick out your fabric....

Legos

TJ and I like to go to various community play groups. One of my favorites is at a Lutheran church, and they have the best-stocked nursery I've ever seen. I've noticed that everytime we go lately, TJ spends the entire time enthralled by the big Legos. So yesterday we finally went to Target and bought him some Legos of his own.


He played with them all afternoon. I couldn't get him to eat dinner because he wanted to keep playing with his Legos. So we comprimised and I fed him dinner while he held a Lego in each hand. He played with them after dinner.

When it was time for bed, he cried when I took him away from the Legos. And he's played with them all morning. I think this is love.

Family Pictures

I have learned-mostly the hard way- the value of good pictures; and that a photographer whose vision coincides with your own is a rare and wonderful find. I've been wanting to do family pictures for a long time, and finally made the call just before Christmas. It took, honestly, MONTHS and MONTHS* for the weather and schedules of all parties concerned to finally line up (with the weather being the most truculent and disagreeable one involved). We had many a shoot canceled at the last moment due to rain or snow-- always AFTER I had spent all weekend making sure both of my men had fresh haircuts, clean clothes, and buffed shoes. But here, finally, are the gems of our photographers labours, and TJ's frequent haircuts. There are alot of pictures. It's to make up for my lack of posting. If you live in OKC, our photographer is Randy Coleman. Call me for his number, and because I have referral coupons for you!
*When we scheduled the pictures, I bought TJ a new pair of bootcut baby jeans, so he could match his parents. However, by the time the pictures were finally shot, he had nearly grown out of the jeans, and you'll notice they are rather high-water.

Spring Cleaning, and a few April projects

I recently read and article in Real Simple magazine about spring cleaning. One of the tasks it told me I needed to do was to clean my light fixtures: dust the fan blades, empty the flies out of the fixtures, and wash them. It said it was especially important if there were allergy sufferers in the home. Well, there are 3 of them in mine. *sigh* So I spent a morning cleaning the light fixtures. This required the services of a ladder. I climbed down the ladder to rinse my rag out, came back and:
Lest you fail to fully appreciate this picture, I feel it important to inform all readers that he had climbed over five feet high. I could not reach him to take him down without climbing up two rungs myself. Hidden hazards of high ceilings, I guess.
Can ALL 18-month-olds climb ladders in the 60 seconds it takes their mothers to rinse a rag? Or is mine just a shining star when it comes to dangerous physical feats which demonstrate a lack of sense?

And since I never did post pictures of the completed turtle quilt for TJ, here it is:


Easter dresses for my sister's girls:


And a reversible sun hat for TJ (we are headed to the beach in May):

This was fun to make because it was so fast and so easy. I spent less than an hour on it, total. Too many of the projects I've done lately have taken days, if not weeks, so this was a nice, rewarding thing to make. And helps keep us all pumped up for beach fun!!! Let the countdown begin!

I also have a whole slew of skirts in various stages of completion, and a couple of quilts. The skirts I'm excited to finish. Warmer weather always makes me want to wear lots of them. Maybe I'll get around to posting them, and maybe you'll just have to see me wearing one. When you ask me where I got a skirt in such fabulous fabric, I'll just smile slyly. The quilts: I admit it was a trifle aggressive to start more than one at a time (they take FOREVER sometimes). I just never can resist the siren call of beautiful fabric. I'm sure more than one woman out there can relate.

My Best Helper...

... is this guy:

I spent the afternoon in the yard pulling weeds out of the flower beds. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, TJ came along behind me and pulled the flowers. *sigh*
It's a good thing he's cute.

Conversation Overheard

While waiting in line at the fabric store, I couldn't help listening to the two older ladies behind me, both of whom had loads of fabric crammed into their carts:

Lady 1: "My husband is going to have a thing or two to say about this."
Lady 2: "I don't miss mine at all. There are real advantages to not having a husband."
Lady 1: "Oh, stop gloating."