Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Yummy.

potty-training and patience.

Weekend play time, weekend sick time.

It seems that everyone inside the Swanson house (with the exception of Dirk and Camp) has battled a horrible cold in the past week. I even took a sick day for myself last week - which is totally unheard of these days! Cullen and Simone suffered fevers on and off all weekend along with sniffles and coughs. That meant that we all stayed pretty close to home and the kids spent time playing together. As you can see, Simone likes to be wherever her brother is. Cullen is also working on his potty training skills. He wears "big boy underwear" at all times - unless he is sleeping. He does pretty well. Some days are better than others and sometimes he doesn't quite make it to the potty, but we are not turning back!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Frosting rules.

Cullen Robert Swanson is now 3 years old! We had a wonderful birthday weekend. On Friday, Cullen took treats to his friends at school. He decided popcorn and pudding were the perfect birthday treat combo. His teachers helped to open the pudding and then Cullen delivered each one to his patiently-waiting friends. Saturday was the big birthday bash! Cullen's guest arrived around 4 pm. Included in the bunch were: Mason, Jameson, Maddie, Jack and Stella. Cullen and the gang ran around the house, danced, jumped on the bed, opened gifts and ate pizza. Finally, Cullen's favorite part: birthday cake. He loves the everything about birthday cake: the happy birthday song, the candles, and the frosting. Cullen dug right in - face first. He really does have decent table manners and is great with a fork and spoon. But he was so excited to eat the cake that he just went in head first! The next day, Dirk and I gave him his birthday presents: a bike and a scooter. He loved them! Cullen's birthday comes at a great time of year, just as spring fever hits and it's time for outside play. He will be logging many hours on his new wheels this summer.

At the end of his birthday, I asked him what his favorite part of the weekend was and he replied "frosting."

Simone @ 9 Months.

Simone has hit the nine month mark and with that comes some new milestones:
- Simone is now crawling. Officially crawling. Not just rolling over and lunging. We have had to keep an eye on her as she now makes a bee-line for the dog-food dish (or whatever is inappropriate for a baby to play with/eat). And with crawling comes a few bumps and bruises. It's just a part of the phase.
- Simone's top 2 front teeth have poked through. The new teeth have come in handy with her experimenting palate. She loves to try new foods: avocado, blueberries, strawberries, fried rice, banana bread, pickles, pancakes, sausage and green beans to name a few. If you are willing to share, Simone is willing to try it!
- Dirk and Cullen worked together to lower her crib. Her new mobility had us concerned and we knew she needed a high gate to keep her safe at night.
- Simone has been busy playing with her friends. She recently spent time with Emma Reuter and Stella Vogel. She and Emma made each other laugh. Emma kept laughing and screaming as if Simone was the most hilarious person she had ever met. And Simone seemed quite jealous of Stella's hair. I guess when you have none, it's easy to envy someone else!
- Simone loves shoes. (Watch out Kick, here we come!) She is constantly crawling toward the door to find them. But it's not so sanitary when she puts them in her mouth. We have now taken to putting all shoes away in the closet.
- Simone continues to be a laid-back happy baby. She's an absolute joy to be around! We all adore her - especially her big brother!

Bi-Winning = Fresh Powder and Blue Skies.

Dirk and I were lucky enough to get away for a ski trip to Lake Tahoe. We went with our neighbors and good friends Roxie and Tracy Tobin and Matt and Megan Binsfeld. Thanks again to Mimi, Bob, Grandma Liz and Grandpa Mark for taking such good care of the kiddos (a.k.a spoiling) while we were away. Lake Tahoe was beautiful. We skied Sierra, Kirkwood, Heavenly and Squaw Valley. Whew! We were tired by day four, but had a great time! To quote the great Charlie Sheen, "Bi-winning" was the 18" of powder and blue skies at Kirkwood.