Austin Children's Museum

A dear friend Leslie and her son Andy invited us to join them at the Austin's Children's Museum last week. We had never been and were excited to check it out. We loved it!

Kevin really enjoyed running around and checking out all the activities and there were three that really kept him entertained. One area was where there is a little mariachi band area set up. He loved playing the "guitar" and the drums. Across from that was this little pinata fish, the kids would grab balls and fill the pinata, then pull a string and the balls would all fall out. Kevin had so much fun filling it and then pulling the string, and then doing it all over again. But his absolute favorite was the train.

He loved watching the train come in and out of the station, but he really loved listening to the different types of train whistles. He would push the button and try to imitate the sound. They had about 10 different train whistle sounds. It was pretty funny.


Putting a ball in the pinata.






Kevin playing in his own mariachi band. :-)




Watching the train.


This is Kevin's friend Andy who invited us to join him. He loved the trains as much as Kevin did. I really love this photo of him, it seemed to capture the moment perfectly, each kids excitement and amazement as they saw the train up close and personal. The train goes by pretty quickly so the kids have to be fast to catch it, Andy was great at catching it, Kevin wasn't always as quick. :-)


The boys and Leslie playing together at the train table.

Sshhhh! Cars sleeping!

This morning Kevin ran up to me saying "sshhhh! Cars seeping", now seeping means sleeping. But I was really confused and had no idea why he was saying "cars sleeping". So he grabbed my hand and dragged me into the living room. That is when I saw his cars were "sleeping". Too cute!



As I grabbed the camera to capture the sleeping cars, Kevin decided that I needed to take photos of Lightening McQueen. So he was holding up McQueen saying "McQueen, cheese!"

The Zilker tree

Kevin really loves Christmas lights. Anytime we are out he asks to see lights, "more lights, please". So I knew he would love to see the Zilker tree. I think his favorite part though was the bus ride.

This year they are doing a smaller version than past years, and I really liked the layout. But the bus transportation system needs a lot of work. No one really knew where the bus picked up by the downtown parking garages. And we had to wait almost 30 minutes for a bus ride back. But on the way there Kevin had a blast. He sat in his own seat like a big boy. And really liked talking to the homeless man who was sitting right behind us. The man behind us didn't mind either, I think they both enjoyed talking to each other. Although Kevin didn't say much, just "City Bus, Lights!" and at every red light he would say "Ready, Set, Go!" and then would look at me confused when we didn't go. Sometimes he would follow it up with "1,2,3..." or just repeat "Ready, Set, Go!" until we actually went.

When we got there Kevin was all about running around. We stopped and got him some chicken nuggets, Steve a pizza, and two hot apple ciders. And off to check out the lights. Sitting on the bus.

Eating chicken nuggets and checking out the lights.

Finishing off what was left of my now cold apple cider.

Not being a litter bug!

There was a little house set up for the US Post Office and they let kids write letters to Santa. Kevin mainly scribbled on his. But funnily enough when the staff member asked him what he wanted for Christmas he said "Go Go's" meaning the Fresh Beat Band (a tv show on Nickelodeon). He is addicted to them! Every time he has been asked what he wants he always responds with "Go Go's".

We really had a great time and Kevin seemed to enjoy it. We had great weather (a little chilly though) and there weren't a lot of people like there have been in years past. Probably because it was a Tuesday night. I think we will defiantly continue to go in the future.

Christmas program

On Monday, Kevin had his first ever Christmas program at school. The teachers said that the kids would be on stage and sing two christmas songs. I laughed, they seriously thought my son would stand still for TWO songs! Haha. Well the joke was on me. Kevin actually sat still for the two songs, although he popped up as soon as the songs were over. I tried to get some photos, but Kevin was on the opposite side of the stage as I was standing. I should have gotten closer to get better photos, but honestly I couldn't take my eyes off him. He was soo cute. So here are some of the photos. And sorry for the bad quality. He is in the green sweater if you can't find him in the group shots.
Kevin is sitting right in front of the Christmas tree. The first song they "sang" was if you are happy and you know it. So Kevin kept poking his cheeks, like dimples, the entire song. It was pretty cute.

And as soon as Jingle Bells was over Kevin was up on his feet ready to go. I was so impressed that he sat for as long as he did. I think it was a record!

Silly boy!

Kevin and I like to go on walks each morning. The other morning I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he ran over and climbed into his stroller. But instead of climbing in the seat he climbed into the storage compartment under the stroller. I thought it was funny and snapped a few shots. He didn't think I was funny when I refused to go on a walk with him in the storage compartment. :-)

Kevin's 2 year checkup.

Kevin had his 2 year check up today. Developmentally he is right on track. He is weighing about 32 1/2 pounds (90th percentile), his head circumference is in the 73rd percentile (but we already knew he was one smart cookie). :-) And for his height he is 35 1/2 inches. I have also heard that if you take the height of a 2 year old and double it, that is will be their adult height. So if that holds true Kevin will be 5 feet 11 inches.

And to just play around I looked up my measurements when I was a kid. My Mom has always said that my Doctor said I would be lucky if I hit 5 feet tall, (I'm 5' 1 for the record) :-). Well at 2 1/2 years old I was 30 inches tall and weighed 20 pounds. From age 2 to 3 I didn't grow one inch! I didn't get to Kevin's height or weight until I was 4 years old. And at age 4 I was wearing a size 8 shoe, Kevin already wears a 9. So it looks like he isn't going to get my short genes! Yea!

A very happy birthday!

Today Kevin officially turned two. It was exactly 2 years ago right now that I first saw Kevin. He was born at 9:55 pm and I first saw him at 10pm. He was so tiny, and pink.

And now he is running around like a little crazy man!

To celebrate his birthday I began the day by walking in his room singing Happy Birthday. I must have been pretty funny, because he just laughed at me. For breakfast Steve made blueberry pancakes, Kevin's favorite. We took him to play at Hoppin Hippo, his new favorite place. He had a great time. In the afternoon we let him watch his favorite tv show, The Fresh Beat Band (he calls them Go Go). And Steve burned him a CD of the Fresh Beat songs, so the rest of the evening he kept saying Go Go, more Go Go Please.

It is amazing how much he has grown in the last two years. I really can't believe two years have gone by. The future is going to be awesome!

A Thanksgiving Day funny.

Today has been pretty busy, and I will post pictures later (left my camera at my Mom's house). But today we had a pretty funny moment. As most of you know we are University of Texas football fans and Steve graduated from UT. And my mom went to two Texas A&M system schools. So she considers herself an Aggie.

While at dinner we were all laughing at Kevin repeating what everyone was saying. So my mom looks at Kevin and says "Kevin say Gig 'em". Instead of saying it, he smiled and stuck up his middle finger at her. We all bust out laughing.

Now please don't get the wrong idea, to my knowledge Kevin has never seen anyone flip the bird. And it certainly isn't something we do. But the timing was too funny! And it just reinforces that Kevin will be a little longhorn. :-)

MINE!

Kevin has hit a new phase, and while doing research, I came across this. It fits Kevin perfectly!

If I like it, it's mine.

If it's yours, it's mine.

If it's in my hand, it's mine.

If it's in your hand, it's mine.

If it looks like it could be mine, it's mine.

If I've EVER come in contact with it, it's mine.

If I can touch it, smell it, see it, taste it, hear it or think about it, it's mine.

If it's mine, it must NEVER appear to be yours in any way.

It it's mine, it's mine FOREVER.

Ahh the joys of toddlerhood. :-)

Kevin's Birthday party.

Kevin will officially turn two this Friday, but since it falls on Thanksgiving weekend we celebrated it this weekend. Kevin had a great party! The theme was Elmo/Sesame street since he is a huge Elmo fan. Despite the wet cold weather everyone came out and helped us celebrate. The kids didn't seem to mind the weather and had a blast playing in the backyard.

Kevin really had a lot of fun. He wasn't too sure about us singing him Happy Birthday though. At Andy's party last weekend he really seemed to enjoy it. So I was really surprised when he began crying when we sang the "Happy Birthday dear Kevin" part. I think it was a combo of everyone looking at him and singing at the same time. But right after we were done singing, he was all good and ready to eat cake. :-)

Kevin did an amazing job at opening his presents. I really expected him to open one and go off to play with it, or for other kids to help him open them. But instead he opened them all himself. And he didn't really stop to play, but instead he was really excited to open them all himself.

His friends and our families were so very kind and Kevin got a TON of new toys. He is crazy about his puzzles, new train, and the little people barn. The play-doh and the doodle pad are also huge hits. Especially the play-doh, although he doesn't really like it when we tell him he isn't supposed to eat the play-doh. :-)

Here are a few photos, when I am able to I will post a video of us singing him Happy Birthday.

And I want to sincerely thank everyone for coming out and helping us celebrate. We are so very glad you could join us!


One of the women from my Mom's group did this cute presentation with pears and writing the food name on a piece of paper and sticking it to the pears. I loved the idea and it got me thinking about making little Elmos. I think they turned out pretty well.

All the kids loved chowing down. I think the fruit platter was the biggest hit.

My mom got a good workout at the party. Kevin loves being pushed around in his little car so my Mom was awesome and oblighed. I think they both had a blast.

Kevin checking out all the food. But what he really wanted was one of the Elmo apples. He was really wanted to eat Elmo's nose. :-)

My amazing nephew Daniel loved the cookie monster headband.


Jonathan was the eldest of all the kids, but he had a blast playing with all the little kids. But even he had to escape. So he stuck his head in the activity cube. Such a sweet, silly boy.


Kevin's birthday cake.

Getting ready to light his candle.

Opening presents!

All the presents have been opened and Kevin was ready to PLAY!

2 year photos

Last week Steve and I took Kevin to Portrait Innovations for his birthday photos. We had a great time! They did an amazing job and for the most part Kevin was on his best behavior. They took over 100 photos and there is now way I can post them all here. So here is a slide show of the photos they took.

Andy's birthday party.

When I began my Mom's group a year and a half ago I met a dear friend, Leslie. It turns out that Leslie and I graduated from Carroll H.S. together. Her close friend Jenny and I wrote for the school newspaper, and my dear friend Charlie and her were on swim team together. We thought it was a neat coincidence to meet each other, for what may be the first time (we aren't sure if we met in HS or not). But found it very interesting that her son Andy, and Kevin shared the same due date (11/15/2007). Andy was born a day early, while Kevin was 12 days late.

Well this weekend we were invited to Andy's birthday party and to help him celebrate turning two. Kevin had a blast at his party. Leslie had planned a little bug hunt for the kids. I didn't think Kevin would actually participate (the draw of the playground was really strong!) but to my surprise he did. And he found 27 of the plastic bugs. Even when we came home he wanted to play with the little bugs, he likes to count them and put them in his little bug jar. He can only count to 10, so when he gets to 11 he just starts back at 1.

Leslie and her husband David also made the cutest cupcake cake made in the shape of a caterpillar. It was so cute, I wish I would have gotten a photo of their handiwork. Kevin loved eating the cupcake, well actually he really loved the frosting. :-)

Andy's party was held at one of the local parks and playground. Kevin loved riding on the roundabout. At first he sat in the middle and just held on, but slowly he would get closer to the edge. He loved it so much he actually managed to climb on it while it was still moving. He did have one minor incident on it though. Some girls began to spin it and he wasn't holding on, so he just flipped off it. He landed face first and did a minor cry, until he realized it was spinning without him. And then he wanted them to stop so he could get on. He is such a resilient little guy.

We had a lot of fun!


Kevin taking a spin on the roundabout.

Holding on and giggling as they kept going faster and faster. With every spin he seemed to slide further and further toward the edge.


A frosting goatee from his cupcake.

Happy Halloween!

For Halloween Kevin went as a University of Texas football player, he was so cute! To complete his uniform he did a face dive a few hours before we went trick or treating. So he has a nice skinned up nose to show how rough and tough he is. I originally put him in the uniform I got him, but he hated the shoulder pads. So to prevent a melt down (and to prevent him tearing his uniform apart) I changed him into his other UT jersey.
Kevin loved this house, the gentleman gave him 10 pieces of candy. He said he would give Kevin as many pieces as he could count. It was funny that at piece 7 the guy went to hand him more and Kevin stared at him in disbelief and at his own hands which were already full from the other pieces. Kevin had no problem giving me the pieces though so he could get more.



He rode in the wagon as we walked around trick or treating. For a split second his put his helmet on, and then if was off again. :-)

23 Months!

My little baby is almost 2. I can't believe how quickly the time flies. The next month is going to be a whirlwind of activity. It is going to be a lot of fun. This past month Kevin's vocabulary has just exploded. He is saying so many new words, some you can't understand, but others that are very clear. To me the funniest words are the ones that sound like cuss words. He usually says one, I stop and stare at him, and ask him to repeat it, hoping I will hear some thing that isn't a cuss word. :-) Right now I have translated what sounds like $hit to sit. Cookie cutter is actually Cookie Monster, out means oatmeal and punkin is pumpkin.

He has also learned to count up to 10. He usually trips up around 8, but sometimes he can get it. He can also identify several colors (red, blue, green, brown, yellow, black, purple and pink) He is also working on shapes, he has circle, and triangle down, but squares and rectangles throw him off.

He is also becoming a huge fan of little songs, he particularly likes the itsy bitsy spider, the wheels on the bus, 5 little monkies, and twinkle twinkle little star. If he is in a really good mood he will even "sing" with you or do the hand motions.

He is also really into Elmo. I think he has a sensor that tells him exactly where an Elmo is in a store. And I had no idea how marketed Elmo is, he really is everywhere! So for Kevin's birthday we are doing an Elmo theme, he is going to be in heaven at his party. :-) He also really likes Dora the Explorer, he has no real interest in Diego, the male version of Dora, only Dora. I think he likes Dora for her silly monkey Boots. He walks around the house saying Boots? Map. Backpack. Dory? (meaning Dora). He is also still a huge fan of the Fresh Beat Band on Nickelodean, but I have had to limit to watching one show a week. If I let him watch more, he gets really upset when we turn off the tv or try to change the channel. He will walk around the house for days saying "Go Go" which is his favorite song they sing.

The next month we are going to be pretty busy but I will do my best to update the blog with our activities and photos of our adventures.

Decorating pumpkins

Pumpkins!

On Monday I took Kevin to the Elgin Christmas Tree farm. Kevin loved looking at the animals, checking out all the pumpkins, and especially the hay ride. We had a blast!

Loving the hayride. I was shocked that Kevin actually sat through most of it. He liked looking at the trees they are growing and at all the tractors through out the property.

They had a bunch of tractors around the property. Kevin loved to play like he was "driving".


Playing hide and seek in the maze.


Kevin found one of the few puddles on the property. He loved jumping in it, then decided to lay face first in it and pretend to swim. :-) Silly boy.


He loved crawling around all the pumpkins.


Posing with all the pumpkins.


"Decorating" his pumpkin.

Picking out his pumpkin.


Checking out one of the tractors, he looked so little next to the tire.


Picking out another pumpkin, after halloween I am going to see about making some pumpkin bread for him.


This is the one!


Hey Mom, look I can pick this one up! (And yes he did, it got 5 inches off the ground before he dropped it, thankfully it missed his feet!)
And he's off!


Kevin loved the horse, he was really sweet and let Kevin pet him.
Kevin's first time seeing a llama.