A bunch of future comedians

We all have come up with some funny things to make Mom and Dad laugh lately. 

Hazel and I have been busy using our imaginations. The other day, Mom couldn’t find the chocolate chips in the pantry. I told her the Anderson cats took them. Obviously, she had no idea what I was talking about, and I explained that the Anderson cats go into people’s homes at night and take things. When people can’t find things like chocolate chips, it is because the Anderson cats have taken them. Then Mom found the chocolate chips; they had just fallen behind something else. We still think the Anderson cats are up to no good, we just didn't catch them this time.

Tomorrow morning I am playing hooky from school so we can take a teacher-approved tour of a nearby bakery with our friends. I am so excited to tour the bakery, since baking is one of my favorite things. Tonight I realized I am also excited to miss school. I told Mom and Dad I like school but don’t like speech. Not only is it hard and boring, I said, it is also “a waste of my time.” I have never seen Mom and Dad laugh so hard. They didn’t cover it up very well. I also told them my speech teacher is trying to make me be perfect, and I am trying my hardest.

Hazel has been pretending she is in kindergarten and gymnastics class. She often tells us about her kindergarten and gymnastics friends and attempts great gymnastics feats in her bedroom and the living room. Recently, she told Mom and Dad that her kindergarten teacher gave her butterfly wings so she can fly up and catch birds.

She also, for a while now, has said we are “nakie babe-o” whenever we are naked before we get in the tub or into our pajamas at night. The other day she explained to Mom that “the nakie babe-os are nocturnal.”

Turner’s been singing a lot lately. He hums the tune to “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” and at the doctor’s office the other day, yelled, “EIEIO!” all of a sudden. He has a green bird he likes to carry around. I named him Guacamole because that is the color of his wings. Hazel got really mad and said, “NO! His name is Fred.” Mom said maybe his name is Fred and his nickname is Guacamole. Having recently learned about nicknames, we were happy with that compromise.

Hey you! Turner is two!

As of last Thursday, Turner is two!

The week started off with a bang, when Dad told us to look out front Monday morning. We all looked outside and found a flock of flamingos, along with a happy birthday sign, had landed in our neighbors' front yard. It was pretty exciting. It turns out, Monday was our neighbor's birthday and her friends put them there. We liked it because not only was it our neighbor's birthday and Turner's birthday week, it was Grandpa's birthday too! Happy birthday Grandpa!

On Turner's birthday Thursday, he spent his morning having fun at swim lessons. We waited to celebrate until Dad came home from work and we headed to Rudy's for dinner. When we got home, Turner opened presents, including lots of Llama Llama stuff that he was really excited about, and we celebrated with cookie cake.

Hazel and I were sort of disappointed by one thing on Turner's big day. Maybe our expectations were too high, but we thought he'd be able to talk more (and scream less) once he turned two. I asked Mom why he was still crying instead of asking for things with words, and all day, Hazel kept trying to get him to say "alligator." Guess what -- it didn't happen. So Hazel and I kept asking Mom and Dad why he wasn't talking to us, even though he's two now. 

Friday morning was the opposite of fun, when Turner went to the doctor for his two-year checkup. The doctor said he is in great shape and growing like crazy.  He's 33 1/2 in. tall (25%), weighs 29 lbs, 10 oz (70%), and his head circumference is 49 1/4 cm (75%).

Turner's latest growth chart is on the right side of the blog, or you can see it here.

Turner joined our swim class Friday. Hazel and I were pretty excited; we couldn't stop giggling and messing with Turner the whole time. The instructor was pretty impressed that Turner can already float on his back and willingly jump in while holding his breath by himself.  Turner really likes the water. We are all very happy to have him in our class, especially Mom.

The real fun was Saturday, the day of Turner's birthday party. We had a bunch of friends over to the house for loads of snacks, cake and ice cream. We set up our bounce house, played in our toy room, showed our friends our bedrooms, played outside with sidewalk chalk and blew bubbles. It was a lot of fun.

Sunday was another good day. In the afternoon we went to a playdate with other kids who will start kindergarten with me in the fall. We met lots of other nice parents and kids. Believe it or not, Hazel was acting really shy while we are there! This was the first one, but it will be a weekly playdate, and we're looking forward to getting to know everyone better.

After that, we went to our neighborhood egg hunt. It was a blast. I had my picture taken with a bunny (Turner and Hazel were scared of it), and Hazel had her face painted.

During the egg hunt, Mom took Turner, who didn't get it at all, even if he is two now. He first grabbed an egg, then another, and he wouldn't put them in his basket. The next time Mom looked down, he didn't have any eggs anymore. Then he picked one up and looked at it for a while. Hazel and I fared slightly better; we each got about half a dozen eggs in our basket. But it was very fun.

Click the links for photos of the flamingos and Turner's birthday celebrations.

Woo hoo spring break!

All aboard for the zoo!

Woo hoo for spring break!

Mid-March was spring break and we made the most of it.

Monday we loaded up the car first thing and headed to San Antonio with our friend Ethan. He brought along his mom and little brother, and once we got there, we met up with his grandma, aunt and little cousin, who is two months older than Turner.

Our destination was a little different from usual. This time we headed to the zoo. It was very crowded and we went through it kind of fast, but we liked seeing the zebras, monkeys, okapi and Turner really liked the birds. After we made it through the animals, we had a picnic at a park across the street, followed by a ride on the train. When we first got on the train, all three of us screamed and giggled with joy. It was very fun. The train went all around Brackenridge Park, which is next to the zoo. We all thought it was the best part of the day.

Tuesday was a little more subdued. Turner and Hazel went to school for the day and I hung out with Mom. We ran a few errands and went to a couple of doctor appointments for her, and the highlight of the day was when we met up with Dad for lunch. They said we could go anywhere I wanted and I picked Five Guys. It was nice to be an only child for a little while.

Wednesday and Thursday were low key. We hung around the house and went to our swim lessons, which we love. Hazel and I have come a long way. The exciting thing was Thursday, aka Pi Day, when we had our swim lesson at the same time as Turner’s weekly swim lesson. Mom was in the pool with him and when his class was over, they met up with us in the pool and Mom talked our instructor into trying to integrate Turner into our lesson so she doesn’t have to entertain/restrain him during our twice-a-week lessons. As he’s gotten older, he’s gotten a lot more rambunctious while we’re in the pool, so Mom is happy our teacher is willing to combine our lessons.

Happy Pi Day!

Friday I spent more one-on-one time with Mom when the little guys headed off to school. I really wanted some extra swimming time so we braved the (80 degree) elements and tried swimming in the outdoor pool at the community center. The pool is heated but after about 20 minutes, Mom told me we had to get out because I was shivering and she was afraid I’d turn into a popsicle. Next we set out to find me some shoes. I didn’t like shopping, but we were successful. By lunchtime, when we picked up Turner and Hazel from school, I had a new pair of Crocs and we had new sneakers for Hazel and me.

Saturday was a pretty exciting day because we had visitors. Dad’s friends from Houston and Dallas came to town to go out with Dad and Mom. We had a total of six grownups, five kids and a dog sleep over at our house! Dad and Mom were excited our house could hold that many people, and we were happy to have kids and a dog to play with. One of Turner and Hazel’s teachers babysat us that night, and the next morning, dressed in green for St. Patrick’s Day, we went to Waterloo for brunch and playground time. It was exciting! 

I can’t wait for spring break next year!  For photos of our week, click here.