Go Bananas

For a long time, if Joe was eating something, say a cracker for example, and it broke, he would refuse to finish it. He has sort of gotten over it, but the other day he was eating a banana and, it broke. So, I tried to fix it with some peanut butter.

I thought my idea had worked, and that he would actually finish the banana, but...

it didn't work. He just ate up to the peanut butter and wouldn't finish it.

So I tried a different approach on another day when he wouldn't finish his banana. We sliced them and put kitty cat faces on them. It worked!

I just didn't realize that I would be doing this now, every time he eats a banana :)

New Friends

Joe has two new friends. They do so many things with him. And he always wants Mom and Dad to play with them too.

Watching Toy Story 3 with Buzz and Woody

Almost every night when I make dinner this is what happens:

Joe: "Mom, play Woody. Mom play Woody."

Me: "sorry honey not now, I'm making dinner"

Joe: "Daddy, Daddy, play Buzz, play Buzz Daddy

at this point, usually Zach plays with Joe while I make dinner, but if he can't, then the cycle continues

Joe: "Mom, play Woody. Mom play Woody."

Me: "sorry honey not now, I'm making dinner"

Joe: "Daddy, Daddy, play Buzz, play Buzz Daddy

Zach: "Sorry Joe, I can't right now"

Joe: "Mom, play Woody. Mom play Woody."

Once There Was a Snowman

Last year, Joe didn't really enjoy the snow. That's probably because it was freezing in Omaha last winter. While we were at my parents a big storm brought in a whole bunch of snow. You can see how much on the table outside. So Joe and I played in the snow on the deck, and Dallas joined us.

Babica provided the carrot nose and some prunes for eyes and buttons, but Joe found the doggie water bowl by himself and decided it would make a good hat.

Joe, all geared up. I know he doesn't look like he was having fun, but he was.

My Baby

Joe woke up from his nap today rather groggy. I don't think his nap was quite long enough. He was cranky, even when I asked him if he wanted a popsicle he whined "no" (I know, it's the middle of winter, but this kid loves popsicles, and asks for them all the time, even when we have just been out in the cold). So, I asked him if he wanted to rock with me, and he did. I scooped him up, he wrapped his arms around me, and we cuddled in the rocking chair. As I felt how small he was in my arms I was happy; happy that, although he is growing like crazy, and looks and acts more like a kid every day, he is still my baby.

(Joe playing with some of our Christmas decorations)

Independent

Sometimes exercising your independence can be a little uncomfortable.

Too Quiet

In my short couple of years being a mom I feel like I have learned a lot. One of the things I have learned is that quiet is not always a good thing, and sometimes can mean the exact opposite.

The other day Joe was a little on the grouchy side. I sent him downstairs to play while I was in the kitchen. I can hear him pretty well from our kitchen. I was so impressed with how well he was playing, especially because he hadn't been very easy to please that day, and then I realized that it was too quiet. So I came downstair to find this:

and Joe with a green sharpie in hand. There was also sharpie on our wall and Joe was in the process of coloring one of his trucks.

So I googled how to remove permanent marker from furniture and was happy to see people had already experimented with various methods of removal (what did people do before google?). So I tried overwriting on the sharpie with a dry erase marker. It worked! It may have also removed a little of the finish, but I was happy with the minimal damage it left.

Downtown Omaha

While Will was here we took a little trip to downtown Omaha. There is a little park with two slides, a pond with ducks and some metal artwork.

Can you tell I love when Joe holds hands with his uncles?

I was feeling a little nervous Joe was going to fall in, but I had nothing to worry about.

Isn't he so handsome?

He has become quite the goofball.

He is pretty funny and apparently he knows it.

As demonstrated by his prayer he said before bed with Zach listening.

"Heavly Faher...

thankufer foo..

umm...

[a bunch of words we mostly don't understand]

umm thankufur...

joejoe funny...

Amen."

He sure does make us laugh.

Uncle Will Comes to Visit

We were so lucky to have my brother come see us for a few days. Joe hasn't seen him since Christmas, but warmed up to him really quickly.

Thanks Uncle Will for coming to see us! We had so much fun!

Staycation - Picnics, Popsicles, and Pals

Joe had so much fun playing with his cousins and aunts and uncles while we were in Utah. He was re-introduced to ice cream, which he just calls "eem," and was asking for popsicles every morning when he first woke up (although we never gave them to him until later in the day, no worries.) My parents have a side by side fridge/freezer, so he did try to help himself on several occasions.

Part of the "staycation" included dining out for most meals. We went to a mexican restaurant, Pastorero. It was tasty. If you want some yummy, authentic tacos, you should check it out. After we ate there Zach decided to treat Joe to a paleta. Joe loved it. As evidenced by the drippings all over his shirt, legs, hands, and face.

Technically, the front yard picnic wasn't a part of the staycation. But, it was a lot of fun. We hung out with some of my family on what was the day before when we thought we were leaving, but then we couldn't resist staying just one more day.

Isn't she the cutest little munchkin?

Grandma Jean and Grandpa Ivan

I don't think Joe would ever get sick of being on Grandpa's shoulders.

And I'm pretty sure my dad loves is just as much and the grandkids.

Bonding with the Tidwell cousins. Sarah is just five months older than Joe, and Lily is just one week older than Will. So fun!

We're Back

For most of Zach's summer break (which was a month long) we went to Utah. We had family reunions and had a lot of fun (pics to come). But my boys are happy to be home too.

I love them.

Time is flyin'

Oh my! Are we already half-way through June? We've been a little busy potty training Joe. He's actually doing pretty well, but it's time consuming. And right now it's not exactly convenient, but I think I will be glad we did it when it's all over.

Here's the little man himself in his train shirt he got for going poop in the potty the first time. And he helped himself to both the olives and the can opener and was trying to open them.

And I can't believe Will is already over 4 months old. Where is the time going? He is such a good baby. I don't get the camera out as much as a should because Joe just want to play with it. That's the explanation for the quality of the last one. :)

Resourceful

I got Joe some yogurt the other day and then ran downstairs to do something. When I came back up this is what he was doing.

Yes, that is a sock he is using as a spoon. I'm not sure what he did with the spoon I gave him. But it's okay, because he found something else that worked just as well.

And I'm not sure where he got the idea... I wish I could say the sock was fresh out of the dryer, but I'm pretty sure it came right off his foot.

What a goofball.

Coolest Kid on the Block

Joe sure drives me nuts sometimes, but I sure love him. He also makes me smile, laugh, and reminds me what's important.

Just chillin' in the kitchen, eating pretzels.

uh-oh. Wearing mommy's shoes.

Look at that Downward Dog. *both these yoga moves were performed totally unprompted

How many two year olds do you know who do yoga?

He loves the hammock

Brotherly Love

Joe really loves to be as close to baby Will as possible. Wherever I set Will down, the next second Joe is sitting right by him. It's pretty adorable.

Oh...and he likes to pick his nose these days. Clearly.

Self Portraits

Joe loves the camera

I can't seem to keep it out of his reach

His favorite subject is himself

Maybe someday he'll be a great photographer

For now, I'll just get a good laugh from these :)

Little Troublemaker

Joe managed to get the canister off the vacuum and dump its entire contents on the floor.

But how get I get upset at this little troublemaker who happens to be my little helper?

Bathtime

I really think every age up to this point has been a lot of fun. Each for different reasons, but let me tell you, Joe is a blast right now. Even on his grumpy/tantrum days (which lucky for us are few) he always has me laughing or smiling at some point in the day. How can you not be happy with this kid around?

Showing off his cute, crooked smile.

Joe has always liked taking a bath, but the other night he was loving it!

I am so lucky to be this kids mom.