Play Group!

In this picture: Hadley, Natalie, Andrew, Howie, Nolan, Emma, Anna, Matthew, Sammy

Happy Easter!

The egg hunting continues. Howie is starting to really catch on to the fact that there are little treasures inside the plastic eggs. Yesterday, we had a fantastic egg hunt at Nonnie and Paw Paw's house...

This morning, Howie was looking through his basket. All of the eggs were empty since the all fruit snacks were consumed yesterday during the hunt. He kept opening the empty vessels and saying, "Oh No!" I'm pretty sure that he checked all the eggs at least two times.

Huntin' for Eggs

We go to an Easter Egg Hunt in Madeira.  A Big Thank You to our friends, the Blanks, for putting together this wonderful event. 

Bubbles!

We have enjoyed getting out all the outdoor toys as the weather is starting to get warmer. It seems that the Ohio tundra has hopes of thawing out!

Howie found bubbles to be particularly interesting today. Of course, he spent most of the time with the wand pressed to his lips just like any other toddler would. Nevertheless, the occasional bubble would emerge (due to the soapy build-up around his lips) which delights him enough to keep trying for 10 more minutes.

Pictures

I feel like I haven't posted in awhile. Our lives have been a little busier than normal. Here are some random pictures to mark the passing of time...

New Haircut

Here is Howie at 6:31 pm:
Daddy gets the clippers out. Howie gets his first "Daddy Cut". There is lots of giggling, the clippers must feel funny against his head. After about 3 minutes, Howie announces, "Done!" and starts to squirm in the seat. We have to turn on the TV to watch "Huh's" (sheep) to keep him from bouncing out of his chair.

This is Howie at 6:48 pm:

Nice Job Daddy!
Howie- This is just the beginning of the rest of your life...

www.SweetPeaStyle.com

I started making belts for Howie out of necessity. As soon as he started to walk, his pants were falling down all the time... it was driving me nuts. I could not find a belt for young toddlers, so I made one! As a result, I started making other items and really enjoyed it. My IT husband has launched a little online boutique where I can feature my stuff. (Thanks Honey) For now, it is a great hobby that I truly love.

If you are interested... www.sweetpeastyle.com

Messy Afternoon

Howie and Mommy enjoyed an art day together on a cold, cold January afternoon. Note the shirt- it has been designated as the "art smock".

New Beginnings in 2009

The year of 2009 has started with a band for me (Becky).  It seems that life sort of sped up with the change of the calendar. 

I just launched a little online children's boutique which is getting a lot of traffic.  It's called Sweet Pea Style and the website is: www.sweetpeastyle.com I love making baby clothes and special gifts.  It's been a fun resource for me to unwind.  I feel that sewing is rather therapeutic. 

My job with UC started on January 5 with an orientation for all practicum students.  I will be supervising 8 students throughout the quarter as they do their preschool classroom experience (sort of like student teaching).  I observe them twice throughout the quarter, but it mostly consists of communicating via email as they turn in their assignments to me for feedback.  So far, I am loving it!

I also am completing training for www.academicbenchmarks.com  It's a company that aligns educational materials with state learning standards.  I work from home to manipulate a search engine to find matches for clients.  This too seems like a good fit so far. 

But my most important job continues to be Howie.  We just enrolled in a gymnastics class that meets Wednesday mornings.  We also just purchased a pass to the Children's Museum.  Our play dates continue to be very important and we spend lots of time throwing balls, reading books, and zooming cars.  And of course, we make the occasional time for Shaun the Sheep- have you seen Shaun the Sheep?!  www.shaunthesheep.com  Check him out!

Crib Running

We bought a new video monitor a few months ago which has proven to be both insightful and amusing. Here is a video of what Howie likes to do after he has been put to bed. My son, who is forever burning as many calories as possible, enjoys running around his crib in a game that looks similar to racing. We are watching you Howie!

Uh-Oh Daddy

Some time ago, Rick left some coffee sitting out on the coffee table in the living room. After it had sat for a few hours and cooled, he was shocked when Howie brought him the cup... empty. The beige carpet had a stain that could only be fixed by putting another rug on top of it. Here is Howie examining Daddy's Uh-Oh.

Alaskan Snow

Howie dresses up in Rick's snowsuit from Alaska in the 70's as he catches the first glimpse of snow.