So, I visited my favorite blog, “Fun & Engaging Activities for Toddlers” (http://engagingtoddleractivities.wordpress.com/), over the weekend and saw the cutest fall activity ideas. Here’s one that Jonas and Xander had a lot of fun working on…
Author: Jodi
Watercolor Cars…
Jonas had a BLAST using watercolors to paint the little wooden cars that Grandma Jackie bought for a fun craft (Xander did too…he was just more interested in trying to put his hands in the little container of water/getting the watercolor palette out of the tray…haha.)
Little Buddy…
Tom took this picture of Xan-Man and I at the park last week…it makes me happy.
Thirty-Five Months…
At thirty-five months, Jonas is: enjoying choosing books from the shelf at the library each week (he surprised the librarian by going to the shelf and finding Dr. Seuss’ “One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish” to match the bookmark he gave him at checkout); flooring us with a crazy amount of pre-reading skills (identifying books by name on and off the bookshelf, reciting entire books from memory, etc.); drawing his first few letters (“I”, “O”, and “T”); loving music class; learning how to share his space, his toys, and his heart with his little brother (a life-long lesson in progress); and showing sensitivity to the Holy Spirit’s leadings by saying the most precious prayers for family and friends who are on his heart each night before bed.
Fifteen Months…
In his fifteenth month, Xander is: doing the sign for “up” (he bounces up and down, smiles, says “mmm”, and points his little finger up in the air when he wants to get up on the couch…one of his favorite places to be); saying “ba” for “ball” and “shoe” for “shoe”; developing a fascination for trying to take off his shoes and socks; becoming more willful (either that or he’s starting to show his willfulness in a different way); enjoying arts and crafts time with Jonas (play-doh, fingerpaint, pom poms, crayons, stickers, etc.); falling in love with dipping (maple syrup, ketchup, and hummus are his dips of choice); presenting with a peanut allergy (ugh…my poor little buddy!!!); attempting to physically pick me up when he wants me to do something/wants to show me something; starting to get a little possessive of things he wants to hold onto; and showing an uncanny ability to match things up (containers and lids, toys and all of their parts, etc.).
Baby Seyfried…
We are delighted to announce that we are expecting the arrival of our third child on (or around) March 12, 2012!!!
Cayman Islands…
My dear husband, so full of surprises, surprised me with a trip to Grand Cayman!!! We had a wonderful, relaxing time and are so grateful and indebted to Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Phil for taking such good care of the boys for us at home while we were away.
Thirty-Four Months…
In his thirty-fourth month, Jonas is: coming up with more one liners every day (one of my recent favorites is “Look, Pooh Bear and Waggles are pretending to be a V”); entering what seems to be a pre three year old phase (fussy, demanding, particular, not easily satisfied, etc.); taking his plate to the sink after meals; dressing and undressing himself like a champ; still skipping out on his afternoon nap more times than not; and having a blast at preschool.
Fourteen Months…
In his fourteenth month, Xander is: having a bit of a language explosion…doing the signs for “ball”, “music”, and “fan” AND saying “w” for “wolfie”, “p” for “pooh”, “b” for “banana” and “blueberry”, “deah” for “yeah”, “s” for “yes”, “dat” for “that”, “dis” for “this”, “bye” for “bye”, and “duh” for “done”; working on giving up the bottle; following one step directions; climbing into and rocking in his rocking chair; giving Petra lots of spontaneous hugs, kisses, and pats; and saying “num” when he tastes something he likes.
Jonas’ First Day of Preschool…
So, here’s my baby…my big boy…on his first day of preschool. We made it through with tears in the beginning and smiles in the end.
Preschool…
Jonas will be starting preschool next week!!! Unbelievable. He met his teachers, saw his classroom, and hung out with his classmates at Get Acquainted Day (an hour visit with Mommy and Daddy) this week. He took to it all surprisingly well (me on the other hand…I was as nervous as I would be on my first day of school).
Garden…
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a simple dream…a vegetable, herb, and flower garden. So, my dear husband is building me a raised bed in the backyard!!! Yay!!! I am VERY excited and the boys are too…they both love tootling around, checking things out, and pitching in to help pull things together. I can’t wait to see how much they’re going to enjoy the finished product.
Play-Doh…
A few days ago I busted out the play-doh for Jonas, and Xander was reaching, pointing, and grunting for it. So, I sat him down in his high chair, and buddy, he went to TOWN!!! He figured out really quickly that he didn’t want to eat it (haha). He loved investigating all of the different play-doh tools and trying to get the play-doh back into the container.
Thirty-Three Months…
At thirty-three months, Jonas is: becoming a picky eater (much to my dismay…hopefully it’s just a phase); continuing to crank out the one liners faster than I can remember them; skipping out on his afternoon nap several times a week (hopefully that’s just a phase too); and cracking Xander up at the table (this is hands down one of my favorite things to watch).
Thirteen Months…
In his thirteenth month, Xander is: saying “cacka” for “cracker”; striking out on the dairy trial (back to the drawing board for another three months); developing a fascination for shape sorting toys, putting things in/taking things out of containers, and matching lids (he goes through the tupperware cabinet, finds the water bottles and sippy cups, and matches them up with the correct lids); closing doors; doing windshield wiper head when he’s really happy; and dancing (bouncing up and down).
Lake Anna…
We had an absolute BLAST on our family vacation to Lake Anna!!! Grandpa Phil and Grandma Jackie graciously rented a big, beautiful lake house for the whole family (the northern Seyfrieds, the Longs, the Paccassis, and the southern Seyfrieds) to share for a week.
Here are some highlights from our wonderful and very memorable trip: Xander riding in a “big boy”, forward facing car seat; visiting with the Jonases in Lynchburg; taking rides on the pontoon boat and in the inner tube; kayaking; running with Phil and Dave on country roads; enjoying delicious family meals; having good conversations; going to King’s Dominion (the boys and I enjoyed staying home that day and getting to spend some quality time with Tree and Gianna); celebrating Kaitlyn, Audrey, and Xander’s July birthdays; having fun with games of Euchre and badminton; reading on the porch; playing with the boys (they loved playing in the sand and water); fishing; watching Jonas and Xander play with their cousins (a delight to the heart); helping the boys do fun artsy/craftsy things (spin art, tie-dye, and ice cream making); experiencing the family variety show; and roasting s’mores.
For more pictures, click on the “Family Vacation: Lake Anna” picture page to the right.
Thirty-Two Months…
At thirty-two months, Jonas is: composing some precious sentences (“Good job doing finger foods, Xander Mander!”; “Is this home sweet home?”; “Does Petra love God?”; “That’s a big American flag, Mommy!”, “Daddy, I always always always love you and I always be with you you know I do love you so much” etc.); starting to stutter a little bit off on and on (the mind ahead of the mouth, me thinks); and actively potty training (go, JoJo!!!).
4th of July…
What a blessing it was to have Darren and Rueben here for the 4th of July, celebrating with family!!! Here are some pictures of our time together…
Uncle Darren and Cousin Rueben’s Visit…
It was SO good to see my brother, Darren, and my nephew, Rueben (now 23 whom I hadn’t seen since he was 10) who flew in from Norway to spend a few weeks visiting with the family. We had fun times…sharing meals, playing frisbee golf, enjoying good conversation, celebrating the 4th of July, and visiting the Grand Ole Opry. We miss Darren, Rueben, Kaia, and Marina so much…maybe we’ll pack up the boys one of these days and head off to Norway for a visit.
