Author: Jodi

Playing Croquet…

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We busted out the croquet set this weekend. I have to admit…I was nervous about what it might look like with both Jonas and Xander wielding croquet mallets. But they actually did really well with it. (Xander didn’t quite get the fact that your turn is just one hit…even if you don’t make it all the way through the wick AND Jonas was trying to weasel in better ball positions with a quick kick or pick up of the ball every now and then BUT hey…they’re 3 and 4 and 1/2). I love to play…it’s amazing how I was instantly taken back to playing croquet as a child with my Grandpa and my Daddy, both the most measured and gentle of teachers. So, I was so happy when PaPa stopped by this morning and hung out for a little while and was able to give Jonas a few croquet pointers.

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Seventeen Months…

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At seventeen months, Roman is: having a language explosion (he pretty much echoes everything we say); delving into two word combos like “more book”, “brown bear”, “Pooh bear”, “good girl”, “uh-oh off”, and “high five”; adding a few more words like “plate”, “spoon”, “airplane”, and “hold”; becoming a tiny bit neater of an eater; eating like a big boy with a plate and a fork and a spoon (he’s still in his high chair with his tray because he houdinis his way out of booster seats); revving up the toddler attitude with whining and fits (they’re pretty cute on him, although I know they won’t be for long); bouncing back and forth between one and two naps (he’s so super flexible and easy to put to sleep); and being our resident Houdini (he spins his way out of grocery carts and booster seats) and mover/shaker (he is ALL over the place…climbing on chairs and tables, pushing chairs around so he can check out what’s going on in the kitchen and flip light switches on and off…holy cow…I’m going to have to baby proof up to the ceiling with this one).

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Xan-Man…

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Xander is starting to share a little more and throw crying fits a little less (hopefully this is the beginning of a new phase). He read his first word, “love”, on his favorite “All You Need Is Love” Beatles shirt several days ago. And he’s getting geared up for preschool with his new backpack (he liked Thomas the Train) and his new rest mat cover (he picked out a really great fabric for me to make him one with white shooting stars on a red background…I loved that he gravitated towards a non-kid/non-charactery fabric…so cool). He’s also riding his tricycle like a BOSS (he got away from me the other day on it, pedaling steady as she goes up two big hills…and I was running like a crazy woman to keep up with him).
Here’s one of his most recent breakfast table statements to Jonas, as he was contemplating jumping out of his chair:
“If you jump on your head, you’ll die and die and die until you’re all the way to God. That’s silly.”

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Zoo Buddies…

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We went to the zoo this morning with our sweet friends, The Dos. We’ve been trying to squeeze in as much playtime with them as possible before they move to Memphis in a few short weeks. Xander and Claire were born just a few days apart, and Samantha and Roman were born just a few months apart. Here are a few pictures of the cuteness…

All You Need Is Love and a Bug Catcher…

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Xander read his first word this morning…”love”!!! He held up one of his favorite shirts (a Beatles shirt that says “All You Need Is Love”) and said, “Look, Mommy, it says love!” How exciting…go, Xan-Man!!!
He also scored a super cool bug catcher with a giant magnifying glass lid at a yard sale for $1. So, we went on a nature scavenger hunt in our front yard, in our garden, and on our neighborhood trail and found lots of neat things to look at up close…leaves, rocks, sticks, a lizard, ladybugs, a butterfly, flowers, a beetle, and even a granddaddy long legs.

At the Park…

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The boys and I were a little stir crazy this morning, so we loaded up and went to the park. They are just all over the place, and it was great to get outside on such a beautiful morning (I can already feel hints of the fall weather coming…yay!!!) and let them burn off some of that little boy energy.

Playdough Time…

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The boys and I skipped a homemade playdough playdate with our moms’ group to go peach picking this morning, so we decided to make our own earlier this week. Here’s the recipe…we used Kool-Aid for the coloring and it turned out great (it even smells good).
Roman climbed up in the chair this afternoon and had a blast playing with it at the kitchen table. Here he is pushing in the molds, loving on his playdough animal creation, and rolling out the rolling pin. So precious!

Tin Foil River…

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While Roman was napping this morning, Tom helped me try out a fun idea for Jonas and Xander…a Tin Foil River. (It’s so easy to do…just roll out tin foil, fold it in half lengthwise, bend up both sides to create a border, and set the garden hose at the top and let it run.) It was fun to see which things floated and which didn’t…we tried flowers, sticks, mulch, a ping pong ball, a bottle cap, cherry tomatoes and strawberries from the garden, etc.

Splash Pad…

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We took the boys to the splash pad this afternoon, and we all had a blast. The water was cold, but it felt so good on such a hot day.
Roman was the first to run through the water…a lady stopped and asked me if he was the youngest of the three and marveled at his fearlessness for being so little. Jonas let loose after I went with him to ask another child if he could take a turn shooting one of the water guns. Xander, in keeping with the phase he’s going through this summer, decided to watch from the bench for a while before finally getting in (interestingly enough Jonas did the exact same thing when he was his age). He’s such a water dog at home, so it made my heart happy to see him finally getting out there and running around with his brothers in the water.

Blackberry Picking…

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The boys and I drove out to Franklin this morning to go blackberry picking at Boyd Mill Farm. We went last year when Roman was about four months old…so, it was so sweet to see him walking up and down the rows of blackberry bushes, picking and eating anything he could get his little hands on AND to see Xander this year being the one who was more concerned about picking blackberries (“the black ones not the red ones”) than eating them. Jonas probably could’ve stayed there picking forever (don’t you love his head to toe camo?)…me too. We’re already looking forward to going back next year and to making blackberry cobbler this afternoon. I’m so grateful for the u-pick farms in our area that are so kid-friendly and to the farmers who allow children to participate in such a valuable experience!!!

Lily’s Visit…

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When we came back from the lake, we brought Lily, Tom’s niece, to spend the week with us as a mother’s helper. It was the perfect timing for our family and, honestly, really: helped to lift me out of a dark place, softened the dynamic between the boys themselves and between the boys and I, allowed me to keep my head above water with the housework and with the toughest transitions of the day (and even get some organizing done), and graced me with the presence of a sweet and strong girl in the house (we painted nails, brushed and braided hair, sewed a reversible tote bag, and shared some wonderful conversations and prayers together). I only hope when my boys are bigger and away from me that they do Tom and I as proud as she did her parents…I was SUPER impressed and inspired.
We had a busy week that included: going on a long road trip from NC to TN (13 hours!!!), taking a walk around the neighborhood, picking up Petra at Aunt Beans house and playing the drums, going to the pediatrician’s office for well visits, enjoying a visit from and sharing dinner with Maw, going blueberry picking, making blueberry crisp and chocolate ice cream, painting rocks, playing on the backyard water slide with neighborhood friends, touring the fire department with Tom, having a blast at gymnastics, and taking a short road trip (just us girls) to East Tennessee to return Lily to her dear mommy.
For the week in pictures, click on the “Lily’s Visit 2013” page to the right.

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Gymnastics…

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The boys got to go to gymnastics class this week with our moms’ group while Lily was visiting with us. (There is no way I could have or would have done it without her.) Xander, who has been putting the breaks on most new situations lately, started bawling before we even walked in…sigh. Luckily (or unluckily), it’s been happening a lot recently so I’m getting a little quicker at letting go of my frustration…trying to remind myself that he’s just three, that he’s his own person asserting his own likes and dislikes, and that he’s a lot like me when I was a child (which you and I would think would automatically make me the queen of compassion when it comes to parenting him…however, I’m daily reminded of my tendency towards the exact opposite for some reason). Anyway, after all of the other moms and children spread out a little bit, I had a quiet moment to ask him which station he liked the best and wanted to try…he chose the tunnel to crawl through and perked up right away. By the end of the class, he was running around with red cheeks and sweat dripping down his face. HaHa!!! Here they all are having a blast: Jonas swimming in the pit of foam blocks, Xander doing the bear crawl on the low bars, and Roman standing on the cartwheel blocks.

Family Vacation on Lake Gaston…

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(Let me preface this by saying that in no way did I come home from a ten day trip followed by a thirteen hour car ride with four children to write a post about our family vacation…I’m back posting for chronology’s sake…haha!!!)
We spent ten days in a great lake house (thanks to Grandpa and Grandma Seyfried) on Lake Gaston in North Carolina with Grandpa and Grandma Seyfried, the Seyfrieds, the Longs, and the Paccassis. Highlights of our time together included: taking boat rides, going tubing, swimming in the lake, relaxing in the hot tub, fishing, playing pool and four square, having fun with sidewalk chalk and bubbles, doing crafts (tie-dying pillowcases, painting sun catchers, building and decorating little wooden boats, making homemade Gak, etc.), going to mass, participating in the family talent show, watching fireworks, celebrating the 4th of July with Father Anthony (the Ugandan priest from the local Catholic church), roasting s’mores around a campfire, reading, and cooking and eating and cleaning A LOT.

For more pictures, click on the “Family Vacation in NC 2013” page to the right.

Sixteen Months…

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At sixteen months, Roman is: saying “uh oh”, “cool”, “no”, “now”, “fafa” for “waffle”, “hehro” for “hello”, “rara” for “rocket”, and “bow beh” for “brown bear”; becoming fascinated with light switches and fans; loving Little Einstein’s Rocket (the music has captivated him); starting to get really into coloring (he calls it “cuhcuh”); telling me when he has a poopy diaper and sometimes when he’s about to poop (he says “poo”); and continuing to be passionate about books like his brothers (his favorites right now are “Peek-A-Who”, “Look Look”, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”, touch and feel books, and most recently the kind of books that have little raised parts he can check out like “Five Little Monkeys” and “Five Wishing Stars”.