Out of Hand: May 2015

Two Years of the Engineer

Sunday, May 31, 2015

This little guy began singing "Happy Birthday" a week ago while sitting in my lap. It convinced me to schedule his cake and presents before Sweet Pea comes (due on the Engineer's birthday). We had been debating whether to celebrate his birthday before or after, but we took this as a sign that sooner would be better.

He picked out this sheet cake (with some emphatic suggestions by Big Brother) from Costco:

We had an impromptu brunch spread with the cousins and Ms. Deborah.

The Engineer had the slice of cake with the orange balloon.

Some of his current favorite interests are dinosaurs and Mega Bloks. He opened his presents virtually with PopPop & Grandma.

Sometimes I wonder why we ever spend more than $5 on presents for our kids. He was completely satisfied with these dinosaurs and had little interest in anything else.

He often says things like, "I dinosaur. I eat Mama. Arrrrrr!" He has many words and can put together sentences pretty well, especially when he's excited about something. We like to listen to him talk.

He is also very opinionated about what he wears lately. He really, really likes this orange jacket and his lined, Old Navy blue jeans. When he had a blowout this week, he cried when I would not put his jeans back on him. He will also go to the dirty laundry basket to pull out the clothes he wants to wear.

He certainly has a bigger personality than one year ago. He is still a huge Dada's boy. In fact, he's something of the DH's mini-me: naturally reserved, very smart, and chatty when he's comfortable with you.

These dinosaurs keep appearing in random spaces staring at me; and we've only had them for 5 hours.

He also received a glider with a Spider Man helmet and horn. Now the boys can glide together. I'm sure it will be a great piece of equipment throughout the next year.

He needed a size 3 helmet, of course, because he is one of our kids.

Happy birthday, Sweet Engineer! We love you!!

Thursday, May 28, 2015

Sweet Pea is head down and -1 station (awesome considering the Firstborn sat at -2 when fully dilated)

Heart Rate: 153

Dilation: 2 cm

Effacement: 20%

Braxton Hicks: 0 (didn't have any with the Engineer and was 5 cm when we arrived at hospital)

Rocking the horizontal stripes. Go big or go home!

Ashes & Soot

If I had a dollar for every time the boys had to be stripped down to their diapers and Pull-ups, we could pay off our mortgage this year.

The boys' favorite activities involve digging, feeling, and smearing dirt, mud, and soot. This brings them great joy. Their most genuine laughter comes when they are splashing in a puddle of mud.

Their second favorite activities involve food. So, when they're done rolling in dirt, I have 1.5 seconds to strip them down and wash their hands before dirt smudges cover the walls. I love these crazy boys!:

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

One of Boy 2's favorite things to do is call people on the phone. Once Big Brother realized how much attention this hobby brought his little brother, he decided to hijack and manage the activity.

Filling Dad's Shoes

"Hey, Mom! I'm Dad; and Andre's Dad!"

Monday, May 25, 2015

Someone caught a fish with his bare hands. Or something like that.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

View: Potomac River, Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Old Town Alexandria.

One of the nicest times in our family are the mornings after Dad gets home from a trip. The boys are super-happy. Andre always wakes up early and cheerfully. He gets very excited when he realizes it's a day that his dad is still home. He has me put him down and immediately runs to DH.

I'm convinced he wakes up earlier than big brother so that he can get some undivided attention.

Big Brother can pull himself out of a funk when he realizes Dad is nearby.

We wanted to do something special with the boys this weekend; and I'm not allowed to travel far until baby comes. After scouring Airbnb and Marriott, we found a fantastic deal ($75/night) at the Gaylord National Harbor. This was a breathtaking hotel and a phenomenal deal.

We watched people get their beautifully laid-out breakfasts while we ate bagels and other treats the boys picked out at the grocery store. The view made us feel content just to sit and watch. The boys were fascinated by the hotel structure (elevators, open space, and airplanes flying by).

Isaac kept asking whether we were outside or inside.

Andre has a goofy side lately. He really enjoys a good laugh, but can keep a straight face for a long time. So, he often makes everyone else laugh. We keep learning more about him.

The boys picked out bubbles while we were waiting for Dad's plane to land. They were a huge hit.

The Awakening "sand box" was also a huge hit.

I am so ready to have this baby! Strangers have been so friendly these days. People hold doors open for me all the time. One lady wheeled our mulch cart to the car while leaving Home Depot with the boys a week ago. It was one of those long work days for DH; and I really needed to be productive.

I'm so grateful that the Lord gave us two boys who love the sand. They could play here all day without getting tired or bored. It's really impressive to me.

This is Andre's response to "Look over here!" We are 2 for 2 for non-conformists.

At some point, all of the children decided that the place to be was standing inside the giant's mouth.

There was a Saudi Arabian Career Fair conference going on at the hotel at the same time. We were surrounded by hundreds of women in varying degrees of covered, including many in burqas. So, it felt like we were in another country even though we were 20 minutes from home.

DH tried to give each of the boys a swimming lesson.

They both panicked a little, especially this one:

I wrapped him up into a burrito. We've decided that next year is our year for swimming lessons and pools. I'm not willing to get a pool membership with two toddler boys and a baby. Unless it comes with blood thinners and anti-anxiety medication.

I got a kick out of watching this one "swim" with dad. He reminded me of myself panicking while my grandma spent hours walking around in the water with me.

The good news is I eventually calmed down and learned enough swimming moves to not-drown. Some of my siblings have become good swimmers even. So I have hope for our boys!