One Good Picture of MANY!

We were all together for once in a very rare occasion, so I took advantage of the photo op. We took many others with other combinations of people, but this was the only one that came out "good". It's really hard when you have this many people to get them all looking in one direction, with their eyes open and have the look of general happiness. Ah, should have tried the self-timer, for some reason that always works.

Enjoying the Snow

The boys have had a cold for quite some time now (The joys of a first time preschooler in the house). We took them to the doctor in the morning on Saturday (so convenient they are open on Saturdays with the doctors we love). Nobody had an infection of any kind so I got the doctors permission to take them out, even though they appear pretty sick. She said it wasn't a problem. So when we got home we did a quick "sledding" adventure down the driveway, propelled by mommy and daddy. We got our workout for the day and the boys had fun while enjoying some fresh air. Hopefully they will feel better soon on a day when it snows so we can go out for an official trip.










The creek on the side of our house does not usually have running water through it in the winter. It has just rained so much this winter.

Music Together

We are currently enrolled in our fifth semester of Music Together and love it more each semester. I first found out about Music Together through Washtenaw County's First Steps program. I knew it must be good since that was the only class they had to hold a lottery for. I went to a demo class through a privately owned company, with Robin Robinson (I don't think this is her real name) and loved it. It was cheaper to go through First Steps and we were already participating in that program, so I enrolled and won. When we got to the class I was disappointed, it was nothing like the one Robin did (well same songs, but that was about it).

So, the next semester and I paid the extra money for Robin's class. Currently, just Luke and I go on Fridays while Alex is at school. Alex got bored of it last year. But Luke LOVES it. It's a great program. The class typically runs 10-12 weeks and it's based around a musical collection of 25 songs (bells, bongos, fiddle, etc.) The hello song and good bye song always remain the same though and so does the layout of the class. It starts with the hello song and incorporates playing percussion instruments, free dancing, dancing with the rhythm of the songs, rolling balls to rhythm, scarves, etc. I really like the songs, in that they are simple and fun. I feel like they are really great to build understanding of language and rhythm. You can use them with any age. The class is followed by a "lullaby song" (always 2-3 as part of the collection) and then the goodbye song. At the end the kids can strum her guitar which is super exciting for the kids. The kids get 2 copies of the CD to keep at home and the car to learn the songs so they are familiar with them and help to increase participation for the kids and parents. Learning the songs so well, helps build singing into everyday. Many of them can be used to sing while you are doing something the child does like (Eating my broccoli and I don't care, eating my broccoli and I don't care, I'm going to play today, song to jimmy cracked corn). Actually many of the songs are familiar songs, but the lyrics are changed to make more sense to kids. I find learning these song especially useful because I can build into my therapy sessions at work too:)

Below are pictures from Robin's website. I have never seen parents taking pictures during the class, so I feel strange being the first... She may have a rule against it?

Luke: 21 Months

Spur of the moment photo shoot. Kris was out with Alex and I had a couple of minutes before Luke's nap time. Yep, he's this cute right before nap time. Sometimes the lack of energy makes for an easier time staying in one place.

Where is Alex?

Long Awaited Snow

This is the first big snow that we got this year and Alex was excited to go outside after he got home from school. Usually he comes home and eats lunch and then watches an hour of TV while I get Luke to bed and get a few things done. Since he refuses naps or quiet times I feel like he needs a little down time. Not today, he wanted to go outside as soon as I got Luke to bed. So, out we went for an hour and half.

Legos with Daddy

Other Pictures From Our Multiple Christmas Celebrations

We had a busy couple of days for Christmas. This year I decided to have Santa come the morning of Christmas Eve, so we could enjoy the time with well rested children that have not seen presents for awhile. (Last year, Santa came the day after Christmas and it didn't work out so well.) We had the Phibbs over for Christmas Eve dinner, Christmas morning with the Ericsons and Christmas dinner with the Porters. It took nearly three days of considerable extra sleep before the boys were back to themselves after the two days of excitement. They must of been good boys because the got a lot of new toys, I'm not sure what they don't have at this point. The list included lot of Leapfrog toys, marble race, a lot of books, replacement playdough and more playdough toys, at least five trucks and buses, a few musical light/button toys, a remote control truck and track, a Cars remote control car and track, FP wheelie raceway, DVDs, drawing game for Wii, voice recorder/play back for favorite stories (like Leapfrog Tag), animal potato heads, doctor kit/dress up clothes, snap circuit jr, magna doodle, a few puzzles, Michigan sweatshirts and aqua doodle. I probably still left things out. It's been nice to have so many things to keep them entertained.


Here they are Christmas morning, totally worn out.






everyone helps to put together the track for the remote control truck


this Leapfrog car is one of the favorites, it was given to Luke, but I think Alex likes it more, it pretends to break down and it tells you what to do to fix it and then praises you for doing it correctly to fix it and works for a bit before it breaks down again




Luke got a truck and Alex a "digger" from Grandpa Phibbs, they will be great in the sandbox




Michigan sweatshirts from Grandpa Phibbs

Santa Came!

This year Santa came on Christmas Eve morning. We were going to be pretty busy on Christmas with visiting family and I knew the kids wouldn't know the difference. Last year we did it the day after Christmas, but then they were over tired and really no longer into opening presents. They were beyond that by the 26th. I have more pictures of Luke because he was up before Alex. Once Alex was up, I was looking for breakfast. I had their pajamas set out to wear, but for some reason I put them on a day early, guess I was overly excited or lost track of the days, who knows.

Christmas Cookie Making with Grandma Porter

Grandma Porter invited us over yesterday to make traditional cookies that she use to make with her mother. We even used the same type of cookie cutters and decorated the same as she did. Luke was a good helper this year. He really enjoyed it and kept trying to sneak the dough into his mouth. Alex is just a pro now.