Something new...

Hi everyone! I'm trying something new out. I have a few friends who do this blogging thing, and I love to read theirs. It's basically just a journal, which I have been doing (not as much as I'd like to) on our other website as well. So I think I may just switch over to this only. And I'm figuring out how it all works, so here goes.

These last few weeks have been pretty good. But both our kids got sick. First it was Dane with something going on with his throat that caused him a lot of pain and frustration- because he couldn't really eat. And we all know that Dane loves to eat, so this was hard on him. That lasted about a week, and now I'm happy to report that he's all better. He's the sweetest thing ever too. I can't get over how cuddly he is. He just will walk right up to you and give you a big hug and a big kiss! At random times too- what a great reminder that we should all stop for hug and kiss breaks. He's so sweet. And his little cheeks are sooo soft- I spend a lot of time with him just cheek to cheek and kissing his little cheeks. I love it. And he's such a snuggly boy that he doesn't mind it- which is even better! He says a lot of words now: not all make sense, but I know what he's saying....

balloon- "ma"

swing- "na, na, na, na!!!" he says it when we're near swings and he gets really excited because he really wants to swing! my dad figured that one out because he swings with them a lot at their house

banana- "na na"

Hi- "aye!"- he says this one with excitement :)

bye bye- "bu bu"

night night- "ni ni"

mama- "mama"

snack- "na na na na na!" a lot, really fast- because he's really excited to have a snack and would like one right now! :)

dada- "dada"

papa- "bapa"

Ra Ra (that's Sarah, my sister)- "ra ra"

more- "mo"

uh oh- "uh oh"

water- "wa wa"

outside- "si"

up- "bu"

Dora- "d d d d"- little d sounds- because that's part of the theme song for Dora- and we watch that a lot because it's one of Teda's favorites :)

Diego- "go go"

backpack- "ba ba"

Yogo (a little snack, like fruit snacks)- "go go"

I did it- "di i!"

Bath- "Da"

Dog- "do", and whenever he hears a dog, he says "wuv, wuv"

Bird- whenever he hears a bird, he'll say "t t t" for tweet

No No- "no no", he's good at this one. :) He'll say that when he does something he knows he's not supposed to- he'll just say it before we can. It's pretty cute.

Well, that's all I can think of right now, but he's getting better at communicating every day. And it's so fun to watch him learn. He can do signs too- he signs more, please, milk, thank you (that's a rare one), and eat. He LOVES to talk on the phone- he'll have something that to him is a real conversation- it makes no sense, but he really will answer you when you ask a question. Lots of his words and stuff sound like that- but he knows what he's saying. It's precious really.

He does a lot of whining- I think I remember this with Teda. But I think it may be a little worse with him- he's really sensitive, and when something doesn't go his way- he really throws a little fit, and it's hard to get him to stop. I've tried the whole let it go thing and wait it out, and he'll go on forever! So usually we have to leave the house and go on a walk or something to distract him and remind him that there's nothing to be upset about- it's all good! And that usually works.

Yesterday we were at a playgroup with a lot of moms and their kids. And Dane seems to find the babies that are a little smaller than he is, and go over to them and tackle them. He doesn't want to be mean- he wants to kiss and hug them. So he tackles them, and he just stays there on top of them until I or someone else gets him off... and by then the other baby is crying and Dane is upset because I think he's not sure why the baby is crying. As far as he's concerned, he wanted to love on them- why would that make someone sad? So I have no idea how to teach him to be more gentle, he's not seeming to get it. He's only 16 months though, so I know he'll learn. It is cute- but the babies get to the point where when he comes anywhere near them , they just start to cry before he even touches them. He's just so full of love. I remember Teda went through this too- right around this age too. So I just have to remember that it's a stage, and he has good intentions. He's such a sweet boy. :)

Teda and Dane play pretty well together these days. They love to give each other hugs and kisses. She thinks it's great that she'll ask him for a kiss, and he'll give her one- no matter how many times she asks in a row! That's the best to watch. Now they do fight a little- which I know is normal. It's usually just her getting frustrated with him for something- like he likes to turn the tv off or change the channel when she's watching Diego- and that's not okay with her because she LOVES that show. Or he gets frustrated with her when I'm holding him and she comes up for me to hold her too- he tries to push her away and gets upset.

Now as for Teda- she's pretty hilarious at times. She had the flu last week, and that was hard for her. She threw up all afternoon into the night, then the next day she was just groggy and sleepy- but I'm happy to say that she's better now too! I'm going to have to start writing down the cute things she says and putting them in here because they're worth recording for sure. Here's one thing she said yesterday that was great...
-We're working on selling our Durango so we can buy a minivan, and I was explaining that to Teda yesterday morning as we were driving. And Zach told her he'd show her a van like what we were going to buy. So we pulled up next to one, and he said, like that one right there. Do you like that? And she said, "When they get out, we can buy it!" It's awesome- it's so simple, just wait for them to get out and then buy it, and it's yours!

She is very very into the shows Diego and Dora the Explorer (she calls it Dora Gasplora), and she would watch them all day long if we let her. So a lot of her conversation is about the shows and what happens in them. Diego teaches them all about different animals and they're trying to rescue different ones- and so she talks about the "popsicle bears" (which is actually the spectacled bears). It's cute. She is a little cuddly girl too- I am very blessed to have two little ones that want to be with me and cuddle with me. It's awesome!

Zach had the flu last week too, and he's better now. And lucky me- I never caught it!!! So we're doing good here. Just trying to learn and see all that God has for us. And be open to seeing how He wants us to grow. It's all good- and God is so good!
Sorry for this long post- It's been a while since I've journaled, so I guess I had a lot to write!