Walking In The Snow and Ice

This winter has been quite cold.  We have had plenty of snow, but the wind has been blustery and has kept us from enjoying the outdoors as much as we would have liked to.  We have gone outside and taken a few walks around the neighborhood as the weather has allowed.

These pictures were on February 16th.  We pulled Carder in a sled for a while, but then he decided he wanted to walk.  He walked for about half of the walk - which was quite a few blocks!  He had a great time walking through the snow with us!

 

 

There have also been other times that the weather was warm enough to take a nice walk, but the ground wasn't cooperating!  Some warmer weather followed by freezing weather led to the sidewalks and alleys being sheets of ice.  We gave it our best shot, though!  We ended up deciding that it was too icy to go far.  But we had to take pictures because Carder was wearing the snowsuit my In Laws got for him last winter that was way too big at the beginning of this winter...

So Many Words!!!

This week, I got one of my weekly updates from Baby Center.  This one was focused on verbal development.  Of course, "normal" is a wide range but I couldn't help comparing Carder to the normal average they stated.

Apparently, at this age, it is normal or average to have 12-15 words that can be said clearly.

I knew that Carder said more than that, so immediately I felt a sense of pride.  However, I hadn't taken the time lately to actually count the words he could clearly say.

After attempting to count them verbally, I lost track of how many words I had gotten to.  I decided that writing them down probably a better idea...

I am positive that my list wasn't all inclusive because I found making many mental notes of words I had forgotten to include.  I also included some animal sounds that he makes (as those are actually words too) to identify certain animals.

The last number on my written list was 130.  I am one proud Mommy. 

Apparently all of that constant chattering I do has paid off!

I Am Now Officially a "Soccer Mom"...

Because I now drive a minivan.

I have been driving a Subaru Outback since 2009 and I have absolutely LOVED it.  But with the Car Seat taking up half of the back seat and having family live out of town, there were times that I really wished for a 3rd row of seats.  Every time we get together with family, everyone inevitably tries to climb into one car and this leaves the back seat very crowded and without properly restrained passengers.

As things typically go in our household, Derek got the bug for car shopping (he is a habitual car trader) and he had been looking at cars for at least 2 months.  I know this not because he told me but because I saw the open tabs on the iPad after he used it.  I knew a possible vehicle trade was in our future.

Derek suggested that we get a larger SUV with a 3rd row - I could see him picturing us driving along in this sporty vehicle.  I vetoed that idea because our families are getting older and I thought we should get a 3rd row that was "useable" and I suggested a minivan.  After initially turning his nose up at the idea, he did some test drives and admitted that the 3rd row in most SUVs was really not easily accessible or comfortable unless you were a 13 year old.

He found a great deal on a used minivan that had very low mileage.  It was a little older than I would have included in my original search but it is in great shape.  And now that we actually own a minivan, Derek is really digging our new ride.  It is super convenient and very comfy for trips.  Our next trip down to Georgia will be a much more enjoyable for all of us.  Interest rates were phenomenal and we are financing very little (and it will be even less when we sell Derek's car because he is going to be keeping the 2009 Outback).

Here is Carder on our first long trip in the car - he is testing out the DVD player and I think he approves...

 

His first trip in the minivan was not as successful as the one pictured above.  Carder doesn't love change but typically does OK when I give him plenty of warning.  I hadn't really thought much about it until we tried to take the test drive, but Carder has never ridden in ANY CAR other than my Outback.  Being put into this strange car was a very freaky experience for him and he was NOT happy.  This was further complicated by the fact that I had decided to turn his car seat to forward facing when I installed it in the minivan and he had never ridden any way other than rear facing.  The first 2 rides were an interesting mix of wiggling to avoid being in his car seat and tears and screaming.

 

He is now happily riding forward facing and LOVING being able to see out of the windows.  We have great discussions about the things he can now see out the window (a woman running, a dog, an airplane, the trashcans in the alley...).  He is also very facinated by the door with the electric opener.  We call it the "Magic Door" and it opens by pushing the "Magic Button"...I think it may very well be his favorite part of the minivan.

 

Of course, getting a new vehicle and changing him around to forward facing prompted me to also push for having a car seat in both cars.  We upgraded his main car seat to a Toddler Booster that will convert and grow with him until he no longer needs a car seat.  He seems to really like this new seat quite a bit.  I love the new seat and the cupholder that goes with it!

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day!  We hope that everyone has a wonderful day filled with love...and maybe some chocolates and wine as well.

 

 

I took these pictures last week so that I would have plenty of time to get them printed and in the mail to our families. *  We attached them to a Homemade card where Carder and I made hearts out of his footprints in red paint ** - They turned out pretty cute and I hope they all make their way into our loved ones mailboxes by today. 

 

 

*  From the final pictures, you would have never guessed that the first 20 shots were horrible.  After bribery with fruit snacks and some pretty serious monkey noise making, we finally got some really a couple of really good shots!  The big smile is the one that we sent out.

** That was an interesting activity to do by yourself.  Although we finger paint, he was totally freaked out about having me paint the red paint on his feet.  My original plan for having everyone get an original (8 of them) was quickly scrapped when I realized just how hard it was going to be...