Chloe and Clive hit the lanes

Thanks to a friend's awesomely fun birthday party today, Chloe and Clive experienced bowling for the first time ever!

Both the kiddos enjoyed it but Chloe more-so since she's older. Once she got the hang of it, she happily bounced out by herself (she insisted on doing it herself) and threw the ball. Loudly. And her tongue came out with the exertion necessary for each throw.

I think we've found a fun family activity for the cold winter months! :)

It's an absolutely gorgeous day here in northeast Ohio. After supper we're hitting a favorite park to enjoy the remaining lovely mild weather of fall.

How did you spend your Saturday?

Grandma is here!

My mom arrived last night for a weekend visit. And we fully enjoyed her today!

We spent the morning walking around our favorite places in Hudson. We nabbed some cute clothes for the kiddos (just wait until you see Clive's dapper Easter get-up), ate yummy cupcakes, and had a memorable time at the local bookstore.

It was in the book shop that Clive encountered a golden retriever for the first time ever. And boy was he in love with that dog! Clive got SO excited about that friendly dog! He even let the dog lick his face and he followed the dog all around the book shop. Don't worry, Clive got a vvvvvvvvvvery thorough bath this evening to cleanse him from the doggie germs.

My mom and I played scrabble this afternoon (what a game - she beat me by a mere 2 points) and then we watched a movie and folded laundry. Tomorrow we head to the zoo for a family + gramma trip.

A lovely weekend to you all!

Clive's first haircut

This week we bid farewell to Clive's curls.

I had mixed emotions about Clive's first haircut. At times his curls were incredibly darling and picturesque. But Clive is genetically predisposed to have wavy hair, not curly. Lately his locks have grown beyond the cute curly level and have progressed into scraggly mullet-ness. And have you seen a 13 month old eat? It's beyond messy. Add overgrown hair to the mix and Clive is a disgusting (but still smiling and lovable) sight at meal time.

And so, it was decided. After a few failed attempts with a scissors, Matt opted for the electric clippers. Just like most toddlers, Clive does NOT enjoy appliances that make loud buzzing noises. Blenders, coffee-bean grinders, and automatically flushing toilets are tear-inducing enemies (though strangely he's ok with my hair dryer).

Clive cried and screamed throughout the haircut ordeal. But he soon forgot his woes when he sat at the dinner table and we all praised his new do.

Sigh. He looks way better with his hair trimmed and Matt did a fabulous job. But, I'm afraid my baby has become a little boy. Where does the time fly to?

I don't remember feeling this melancholy for Chloe's first hair cut. Maybe it's a boy-mama thing. Or maybe it's that I was too lazy to cut Chloe's hair until she was 2 1/2 .

Though the process wasn't too pleasant, I love the fact that we can cut Clive's hair at home with a clippers. When he gets older I'd like to buzz his hair short; talk about easy to manage! How many of you cut your kids' hair at home?

HE DID IT!

My baby boy finally slept through the night last night!!!!!!!! Halle-lu-jah, halle-lu-jah!

I was at my wit's end last night because though he was exhausted, he'd not slept well all day. And he was crabby because of his lack of sleep. What is with babies? I mean, when I'm tired I just go to sleep. Easy as that. No crying or whining about it. Just close your eyes and sleep.

After his last feeding he finally konked out at 11:30 p.m. And he slept right through until 4:45 a.m. Ahhhhhh. Five consecutive glorious hours of sleep for mommy.

Let's hope last night wasn't a fluke. I'm trying really hard to get this boy on a schedule. Seems much harder this time around. Anyone else find that with a second child?

So, officially I'll put down 8 weeks for the sleeping through the night milestone in the baby book. When did your kiddos sleep through the night?

Gotcha!

I finally tried (and succeeded!) to capture Clive's grin. Woo-hoo! He's such a good-natured baby. Thank you, Jesus.

He still doesn't smile regularly or often but this little milestone reminds me that he's growing up and getting ever nearer a blessed feeding/sleeping schedule. Ah.

In my exhausted delusion I envision that life will be utopic when I can better predict his eating and dozing habits. Just another reminder that I'm not in control of the affairs of life.

I've already come to grips with the cold hard truth that this boy's life will be significantly less photographed than Chloe's. :)

When did your tykes first smile?