March Madness

Last weekend Dad went to Atlanta to see Bubbe and basketball, so it was just Mom and us kids. We didn't have much planned and the spring weather was gorgeous, so we mostly hung around our place and took it easy. We jumped in our new bounce house almost every day, dug holes in our yard, baked an apple crisp (my idea, which I've been trying to get Mom to help me make for the past two weeks) and Mom spent more time in our garden.

Saturday I had soccer class and my friend from school, Vishnu, came along. When I tuned out, he pulled me back in, and we buddied up a lot. It was nice having a familiar face in my class, and his parents helped Mom out with Hazel and Turner while I played.

Hazel used the potty while we were at the park and some of it got on her clothes. She has been so great about using the bathroom, Mom hadn't bothered to pack extra clothes for her in case of an accident, and the only thing she had in the car were Turner's diapers and reusable cloth shopping bags. So Mom McGyvered a skirt for her. Vishnu's Mom said if Mom hadn't told her, she'd have thought it was a colorful, beautiful skirt. We thought it was pretty funny and Dad was impressed with Mom's improvisational skills.

Turner has had a pretty busy week. He's been pointing at things with his cute little fingers a lot. When we were at the hardware store the other day, he spied wind spinners across the room and pointed at them.

When Dad was away we talked with him over Skype, which was nice because we could see him since it was a video call. When Turner saw him, he got really excited and waved for the first time.

Monday afternoon was pretty exciting because Dad came home! He brought Mom some beautiful flowers and brought us all some healthy, yummy treats from Trader Joe's. We all agree, the best thing he brought home was himself. We're glad to have him home. 

Otherwise, Monday was not such a fun day for Turner. He had to go to the doctor for his one-year checkup. The doctor said he is doing just great. He had a lot of ear infections over the winter, but she said that usually tapers off once babies turn one, plus we're almost out of cold season, which will make ear infections less likely. So hopefully he's in the clear.

Dr. Jones also said Turner is pretty big. He's only seven pounds lighter than Hazel. Dr. Jones said Turner will probably surpass Hazel's size! Here are his stats:

Turner is 29.25 inches tall (45th percentile), 20 lbs (20th percentile), and has a head size of 45.5cm (20th percentile).

You can see Turner's Growth chart here, or click the chart on the right side of the blog.

Powered by cake

Today is Turner's birthday!

To mark the momentous occasion, we invited a few friends over Sunday. We wanted to have the party at our house, so we kept it small, and it was a nice way to celebrate.

We put out our new bounce house, which was a blast! We also set up picnic tables and lots of nice food. Best of all, we had two kinds of cake! We had cookie cake and a banana cake Mom made especially for Turner. He never had cake before and he absolutely loved it!

Toward the end of the party, Turner started crawling around like crazy. He climbed up on a stair-height ledge in our toy room, then tried to climb to the top of a bean bag that has his name printed on it. He also pulled himself up, standing on his legs while hanging on to something for the first time. It was all pretty exciting, and we're all waiting for him to just wake up one day and start walking around now!

Today Mom and I made another banana cake and we all went to the park in the afternoon. We ate the cake after dinner while opening presents, then after our bath, fought over all the fun presents! While we were playing upstairs, he tried pulling himself up on his feet again. He almost made it!

Happy birthday to our little guy!

For photos of our shin-dig and Turner's big day, click here.

More Hazel and Mitch-isms

One day at lunch, Mitch showed us a new way to eat a hot dog.

Hazel and I said and did a lot of funny things to keep Mom and Dad laughing over the past week. We thought we should share some of them.

Hazel is doing a great job using the potty. She's pretty much completely potty trained. The other day she told Mom she had to go to the bathroom when we were in the car. Mom asked if she needed to pull over right away or if Hazel could hold it. Hazel responded, "I don't WANT to HOLD it! I don't want to hold it in my hands!"

That night Hazel and I were in the tub and Mom washed Hazel's hair. When the shampoo was in her hair, it looked kind of matted, and I yelled, "Hazel has janitor hair!!!" and cracked up laughing. Mom emailed my teacher (who said she laughed so hard tears came out of her eyes) to ask about it, and my teacher confirmed that yes, the janitor has dreadlocks.

One day at dinner, Hazel informed us, out of the blue, "Everyone in this family has bones."

When we were at the farm with Ella last week, the chickens were clucking really loud. Hazel said to Ella, "Why are the chickens laughing at me?"

One day Mom looked in the toy room where Hazel and I were playing and noticed we were holding giant balls in our hands. Hazel told her we were building a snowman.

Our snowman

Turner had a funny moment too. One night he had mixed veggies with dinner. At the end, Mom noticed all that was left were carrots and corn. He had picked out all the green beans and peas and stopped eating! Dad put another pea on his tray and he ate it and stopped eating again.

Today, out of the blue, I told Mom, "Our house is big enough for a dolphin, but not a whale."

Hazel had a candy Peep before her nap today. While she was laying there, she started to have an accident, but called to Mom to finish in the potty. When she was in the bathroom, she said, "I don't want to eat any more sugar. It makes me have accidents in my pull-ups."

As promised, here are our spring break photos.

Spring break is in the air

This week I had off for spring break, and we had a really great time!

Mom had a work deadline Wednesday, so Monday morning Hazel went to school, Turner napped and I worked on my puzzles while Mom wrote some articles. That afternoon, we made up for our downtime and celebrated some perfect weather by going to the Arboretum. After a treat at Amy's Ice Cream, the best ice cream in town, we took a hike. My teacher told Mom about a trail leading to a duck pond, so we headed out there. The path was a little uneven and steep so we had to ditch Turner's stroller at the top of the trail (Mom carried him the rest of the way; he didn't crawl down).  When we got to the bottom, it was nice. There was a big pond with ducks and turtles, a walkway around the pond, grassy areas and picnic tables. There were also lots of big sticks, which Hazel and I always like. We decided we'll be back!

Weeks ago, forgetting all about my upcoming spring break, Mom had made plans for Hazel and Turner to go to daycare this Tuesday so she could work. Last weekend she realized I'd be home that day, and she asked me if I wanted to stay with her and play quietly so she could work or if I'd like to go to daycare too. I really wanted to stay home, so she let me. She was very impressed with how well I played while she did her work, and how much she was able to accomplish with me in tow. We still had a nice day together. We blew bubbles together, had a nice lunch, and I hung out in her office with my puzzles and books. I also played with Hazel's Play-Doh cakemaking set from Valentine's Day. I was excited to not have to share with anybody for a change! Mom liked the extra one-on-one time with me.

By the time I woke up Wednesday, Mom had finished all her work, Dad left on a business trip, and it was time for FUN! Wednesday morning we went to Boggy Creek Farm. It was fun and our neighbor Ella came along. We liked seeing the plants that were growing, I liked talking about the chard and kale we got (I like greens in my smoothies), and the chickens were fun to watch. Most of all though, we liked playing in the dirt. I found the front of a dump truck with a rope tied to it and pretended it was a hose. Mom thought the Frankentruck was creepy but it was the most popular toy in the dirt pile. I was wearing my Red Sox shirt and a guy with a Red Sox hat came up and talked to us. He told Mom, "You gotta start 'em young." Later in the day, Mom asked Hazel what her favorite part of the farm was and she said, "That Ella was there." We all hope Ella will come on more field trips with us.

Turner is teething again

After some quiet time, that afternoon we headed back downtown for dinner. We went to a place called Maoz for dinner. Mom got a huge salad with falafel that we all shared. She gave Turner hummus, garbanzo beans and beets. When she first gave him the beets, his entire being lit up and he opened his mouth wide for more. Turner loves beets!  After dinner, we went to Rita's for Italian ice and frozen custard. We got two -- one for Wednesday and one for Thursday -- and took them home.Unfortunately, I was not behaving very well Wednesday afternoon and finally Mom said enough. I wasn't allowed to have any of the Rita's Wednesday night. I learned my lesson though. Thursday I was angelic and had a whole bunch of it after dinner that night.

Thursday morning we headed out to get new shoes. Our old ones didn't fit anymore and we needed new ones for summer. I got some blue sandals, and Hazel got some pink ones.  We like them a lot.  We headed home for lunch and a short nap, then went to a doctor's appointment for Hazel. More on that later, but Mom was proud of us all because we behaved so nicely all day long.

Turner had a big achievement Thursday. When we woke up that morning, Mom and Hazel tried to teach him how to clap. He wouldn't do it. Then about 8 hours later, when Mom was talking to the nurse at the doctor's office, he started clapping like crazy. Mom could hardly believe her eyes and Hazel was excited to have taught him something so important.

Friday we prepared for Dad's homecoming. Mom and I wanted to plant a garden so we went to the nursery. We never went to Countryside Nursery before, and when we got there, we were excited because it was so big and fabulous. I liked looking at the plants and helping Mom carry things.

After that, we picked Hazel up and went to my favorite place, the Apple store. When we told Hazel we were going there, we had to explain to her that it's a computer place because she thought we were going to get apples to eat. When we got home, we started working on our garden and were happy to see Dad when he walked in the door!

Dad brought us some goodies from his trip.  He brought cookies shaped like airplanes, and also some yummy dried fruit from Trader Joe's, which we don't have in Austin.  He also got Mom some treats from there.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! In honor of our Irish heritage, we made corned beef and wore green shirts!

Check back tomorrow for photos of our spring break week!

Havin' a laugh

Thursday and Friday after breakfast, Hazel put on costumes made up of things she found in our hat drawer, then walked up to Mom and yelled, "Look Mommy!" Today, I got in on the action, with some pretty funny results.

Today Hazel and I read a book about planets and the solar system with Daddy. He asked me what planet we live on and I said, "Texas." He explained that while Texas may seem like another planet, our planet is Earth and Texas is our state. Then I asked what planet Grandma and Grandpa live on.

It's really been raining the past few days, and we've been spending a lot of time inside. One of the things I've been concentrating on is putting together jigsaw puzzles.

Bubbe brought me a 24-piece puzzle. At first I thought it was kind of tough, but yesterday it clicked and I figured out how to put it together myself.

I was really excited about it so today Mom got me another one. I immediately figured that one out and moved on to a 48-piece puzzle she also brought home. I put about half of that together without any help, but it was just before bedtime and I was pretty tired. More rain is in the forecast, so I am sure I will have plenty of time to master it tomorrow.

Welcome Bubbe!

To start the month of March off right, we had a special visitor - Bubbe! 

Hazel and I have been super excited about having Bubbe visit - we've been talking about it for weeks.  We picked her up from the airport Thursday, and were delighted to see some fun puzzles and lots of other new toys and clothes she brought us.

Thursday night, we went to Threadgill's for dinner.  It was yummy.  I had carrots.  Bubbe was impressed with how well Hazel and I used the potty everywhere we went, even when we were out.  It has been a long time since my last accident, but neither of us had any accidents the whole time Bubbe was here!

Dad took Friday off so we could all play together.  Friday morning, we made Bubbie a delicious smoothie. Bubbe didn't think a spinach smoothie would be good, but she really liked it. 

After breakfast, Bubbe walked me to school.  Dad said I could just tell her where to take me, but I had a trick up my sleeve.  Usually, Mom and I wait at the front of the school for my teacher to take me to class.  But on Friday, Bubbe took me to the front of the school and instead of waiting for the teacher, I went down the hall to class all by myself.  My teachers were surprised when I showed up!

The weather was nice all day Friday, so Friday afternoon, we all went to the park. Then we went to EZ's for dinner and all had milkshakes.



Saturday, Mom took a photography class, so Dad and Bubbe took care of Hazel, Turner and me. We had a really fun day. We started off with a trip to the grocery store. Hazel and I showed Bubbe the fun car carts, and also how we use our grocery store Buddy Bucks  Bubbe thought it reminded her of S&H Green Stamps she used to see at the store many years ago.

After that, we went to a soccer class.  Hazel had her class first.  There were lots of kids and Hazel could kick the ball really hard. She liked it, but had trouble paying attention for the whole class. In the meantime, I played on a playscape at the park with Bubbe and Turner. 

When Hazel's class was over, I went down to the soccer field for my soccer class.  I had a blast. There were only three kids in the class, so it was almost like a private lesson. I dribbled the ball really well, and kicked the ball into the goal. We also did other fun drills, like Simon Says, chased a hula hoop, chased Dad, and trapped the soccer ball.  Dad was pretty impressed by how much I liked the class.  We were all pretty tired after our soccer classes, so we went home and everyone got some rest.

When Mom came home, it was time for dinner.  We had a special fundraiser dinner at my school, catered by P. Terry's.  It was a 1950s theme, and Mom and Dad were sure impressed with how well it was organized.  The food was delicious, and I liked going to school at night.  We had a good time and liked being able to walk home afterwards.  It was a fun day, but I think Bubbe was pretty tired by the time we went to bed.

Sunday morning we went to Mozart's. I was happy to see the boats and ducks. Mom asked me what I thought of the ducks and I said, "They're too beautiful."

After a nice breakfast of bagels (which we shared with some ducks) and a blueberry muffin, Dad drove Bubbe to the airport.  We were sad to see her leave, but are looking forward to her next visit soon.

We spent the afternoon at the park with our new kite. It was a beautiful day and a good way to wrap up our weekend.

Hazel's continuing to impress us with her newfound potty skills. She went by the side of the road when there weren't any potties around while we were out this morning and when she had to go when we were at the park, was able to hold it long enough to make it home in time to go.

You can see pictures of Bubbe's visit here.

Hazel's using the potty!

Hazel decided now is the time to start potty training! We got a library book about it and she is really making a good effort, making more and more progress every day. Not only is she peeing and pooping in the potty at home, she is doing it at school and when we are out and about! Hazel wanted Thomas the Train undies, so that is what we got for her, in addition to some other less interesting underwear. We are all very excited and proud of her. She is still wearing pull-ups when we go out, but at home she is wearing underwear most of the time.

February, continued!

Turner on the loose

Last week was a pretty big week. For one thing, one of our favorite places, Terra Burger, closed down. They had a great playscape and splash pad we were going to use this summer, and Mom said they had the best milkshakes in the world. We often went there when people came to visit. We’re sad to see them go.

On the other hand, I got a new bed! Last year, I fell out of my old bed one night. Since then, I would only sleep on the floor.

My old bed was half of a bunk bed set, and the other bed was in the garage. It occurred to Mom and Dad that I didn't like my bed, and we could never bunk the beds since I have a ceiling fan in my room, so we sold the beds in November and Mom was on the lookout for a new one ever since. Meanwhile, I slept on my old mattress on the floor.

Hello, garden!

Finally Mom found one and our lawn guy moved it for us. It's a lot bigger than my old bed and my mattress is far more comfy. The best part is I picked out my own comforter. It has the alphabet on it, and I call it my letter bed. I love it and have slept in bed every night since. No more floor for me!

We had a couple of days that were super warm and sunny, and we spent as much time as we could outside. Mom had been wondering when it would be time to plant tomatoes, and the guy on the radio said now is the time, so one of the warm days, they picked up two kinds of peppers, two kinds of tomatoes, and some herbs and planted them in pots. Mom also weeded our yard. We were very happy to be out, and the people at the garden store said we should see some veggies in about 60 days, just in time for Mom and Hazel’s birthdays! Wish us luck!

One of those beautiful mornings, when I was at school, Mom took Hazel and Turner to Mozart's to see ducks and boats. Hazel ate a danish that was bigger than her head. I can't believe I missed it! They had a great time.

Hazel vs. the danish

Last weekend, we had a yard sale. It probably doesn’t sound exciting, but it was very fun. Mom manned the sale while Dad took us out for a while Saturday morning. She thought it would be a drag, but she had a good time talking with our neighbors. We got to know one of our neighbors a lot better and traded her a baby monitor for a wheelbarrow, a huge airplane kite, and a self-watering kit for our herbs, which we will use when we go on vacation later this year. I think we got the good end of the deal. Anyway, we had such a good time, I’ve been playing yard sale almost every day since then.

Hazel, Turner and I pay Mom in laughs and hugs. As it turns out, we pay pretty well.

On Leap Day, we went to the store, where we saw a person with a helper monkey. Everyone in the store was staring at this person, including us. I asked Mom if the monkey came from the lady’s tummy. Mom said no. Then I asked her if she got the monkey from the zoo.

Hazel's costume

At the store, Mom got Hazel some underwear. Mom let her hold them in the car, hoping they’d grow on her. They did. All of a sudden, Hazel and Turner started cracking up, then Hazel said, “Mom, look at me! Look at my costume!” Mom looked in the rear view mirror to find that Hazel was wearing all the underwear on her head – at the same time! Fortunately, a camera is never far from Mom's hands.

To see our February photos, click here.

Goodbye February, Hello March! (part 1)

Valentine's hat

Our February was busy and went by in a flash. 

After a first weekend full of birthday parties, our next highlight was Valentine’s Day. We made heart cookies with Mom the day before and Valentine’s Day morning we kicked off a daylong present opening extravaganza. Mom and Dad and all our grandparents sent us fantastic gifts. Mom said it was like Christmas morning, but all day long.

School was its own celebration. Hazel and I both had big, exciting parties with our classmates. 

A clown visited my class and we made Valentine’s hats. My teacher brought cupcakes. We each decorated a Valentine’s bag, which were then filled with Valentine’s from all our friends. I had such a blast and was so excited to go home and play with my new toys, I flew out of school like a cannonball out of a cannon when Mom picked me up. I crashed into her with a big hug and ran into the house. 

Hazel also had a big party. Her class all ate lunch together, and she also had a Valentine’s bag full of cards and treats from her buddies. She made an awesome Valentine for Dad and Mom with beans and a photo her teacher took of her at school.

Turner, who is babbling a lot more lately, spent the day at school too. His class didn’t have a party but he also made a Valentine for Mom and Dad, with an imprint of  one of his cute little hands and feet.  

We spent the afternoon playing with our new toys, then had a nice dinner at Fuddruckers. I can’t wait for next Valentine’s Day to roll around.

Mitch @ the McKenna

Our next fun February event was Dad’s birthday. We kicked the day off by singing to him. We gave him some nice homemade cards, and helped him with his gifts. He had to go to work, so during the day, we helped Mom make an ice cream cake and helped eat it when Dad came home.  Then, just after we went to bed, our babysitter Claire came over so Dad and Mom could go out. We were supposed to be in bed, but Hazel and I popped out to say hello. We were too excited to see her to sleep.

The next day was a really rainy day and we went to the McKenna Children's Museum in San Marcos. It was a blast! They had a pretend city, a great art room, a grocery store, a hospital and ambulance, and a fish tank with real alligators, turtles and fish. Turner liked crawling around the baby area. After spending the morning there, we headed home and had a nice lunch together at Taco Cabana.

For more on February, check our blog tomorrow!