McCumberLand

Sesame Street Live!

2012-02-09T23:23:00.001-06:00

Tonight we loaded up the kids, picked up my Mom and made the long drive into Houston. The drive was especially long due to a traffic accident (or two) and certainly made us appreciate the fact that we don't have to make that commute everyday! But after the long ride and Duncan's repetition of "Duncan want something" we made it to Reliant Arena and Sesame Street Live.

At first Duncan wasn't quite sure what to think, but after a few songs, he warmed up and had a good time. He was especially excited to see Oscar the Grouch and waved at him screaming, "Hi Ocsar!"

We were a little late to the show but got into our seats just as the cast started singing the ABCs, which is by far Allie's favorite song (she constantly says "A B" and then will make a noise for a letter when you pause singing if her brother doesn't take over). She stood in our laps and danced and danced and clapped and pointed.

During the intermission, we headed to the play area for a few pictures. Here is a family shot with Oscar in his trash can.

And the kids hanging out in big bird's nest (and if you're concerned about Allie standing on the step stool - don't be, as I'm right behind the kids).

The kids hung out at Hooper's Store and at the steps of 123 Sesame Street.

Duncan's favorite spot was the hopscotch. Keith showed him how to do it (and I didn't get a picture???) and then we couldn't get him off of it! He did let a little girl have a turn, be he was right behind her going again!

This picture is a little blurry but I love how excited he was! He put every ounce of energy into each jump and I loved watching that!

We brought our own Elmo which was significantly less expensive than the ones for sale and somehow we missed the vendor walking around selling Elmo balloons... Both kids fell asleep on the way home and Duncan was still smiling about it when I laid down with him and talked about his day before he went to sleep in his bed. We lucked out and tickets were about half price since it was opening night and since it was a school night, it wasn't very crowded at all!

Keith and I were laughing because we saw live music two nights in a row. On Wednesday my Mom came over and watched the kids so we could go to a singer/songwriter concert in Tomball and then we all went to Sesame Street Live on Thursday. Two VERY different experiences but both were a lot of fun.

Waving To Dad

2012-02-08T15:11:00.002-06:00

I've posted pictures of the kids looking out the window, but this morning Keith took a picture from his truck. We always wave bye to him when he leaves for work and the kids watch for him to come home in the afternoons.

Allie immediately stands on my leg and waves with both hands while Duncan stands on the step stool and yells, "Bye Daaaaad!"

Allie Walks a Few Steps

2012-02-05T21:01:00.000-06:00

Allie is content to crawl and climb but has started taking steps occasionally. Crawling is great for developing hand eye coordination and since my kids need all the help they can get (they are MY kids!), I am glad that they crawl for so long. But tonight Allie took more than one step several times - enough that I actually got a video of a few steps.

Much like her brother, she LOVES puppy dogs and she was walking to the puppy dog on the side of the school bus! And when Duncan is paying attention to her and sees her take a step, he claps and screams, "Yay, Allie!" for her.

This N That

2012-02-05T20:18:00.001-06:00

On Thursday Duncan woke up with a runny nose and not feeling great, so we stayed home and took it easy. And of course, he finally decided to share something with his sister, as Allie's nose started running this morning. Duncan's nose has gotten better, so hopefully it is just a short cold.

We got out the Cars and Disney Princesses tents and the kids had a good time.

Allie gets SO messy at meals! But she looks great in mac n cheese!

HootAmpa gave the kids stuffed lap puppy dogs at Christmas. One of them is the same color as their lab named Lady, so Duncan calls it "Little Lady" (he calls the yellow one "Allie's Little Lady" even though it is completely the wrong color). He asked for a purple leash yesterday so he could take her on a walk. Lady has a purple leash and it amazes me how observant Duncan is!

Keith was trying to get some work done yesterday but the kids found him in the office - and by kids I mean Riley too!

I snapped a picture of Allie in her New England Patriots onesie watching the Super Bowl tonight. It is actually Duncan's from my Boston roommate and we were surprised it fit her - it is 6/9 months!

We have a quiet week planned, with a chance to get over these colds which the kids have kindly shared with me!

Today's Theme - Climbing!

2012-01-31T14:42:00.001-06:00

Allie has always been a climber, but today she has climbed more than usual and climbed into Duncan's bed by herself for the first time (and second and third times too!).

She climbed on the toy bin ledge...

And into one of the toy boxes too! I have put her in there before but today she threw a leg over and climbed right on in.

When she got in Duncan's bed, both kids had a lot of fun playing in the blanket fort.

Peek A Boo! Can't you just see the excitement on her face?

After all that climbing, she was pretty tired at nap time today!

Milkshake For Two

2012-01-30T14:01:00.000-06:00

When Keith's milkshake arrived after lunch Sunday, Duncan was quick to claim the second straw!

Dinner With Friends

2012-01-29T21:40:00.001-06:00

When I first moved back to Texas in 2002, a group of us would go to dinner most Thursday nights. Most of us are married and have kids and we have lost a few people and gained a few, but one thing is constant - we always enjoy ourselves. With life and everyone's crazy schedules, our weekly dinner has turned into a once or twice annual dinner, and tonight we hosted at our house.

We did not expect to get the kids to all sit down very long or even look at the camera and we were all surprised that they did so well! Hopefully we won't wait so long to get together again!

The Houston Zoo

2012-01-28T22:01:00.000-06:00

Keith and I have been talking about taking the kids to the zoo, and with the beautiful weather this weekend and nothing planned for Saturday, we made the 45 minute drive into Houston and had a blast! Neither Keith nor I can remember the last time we went to a zoo and it was so fun to experience it with the kids.

We told Duncan that we were going to the zoo, but he had no idea what to expect. We told him there would be elephants and tigers and a giraffe, to which he responded, "Duncan hold giraffe." We told him that the giraffes are too big and he can't hold them. He thought about that for a second and then declared, "Duncan just ride tiger." Oh boy.

We headed straight for the elephants and saw this huge one. The kids got to see a few other elephants, including one getting a bath, a baby elephant and also one eating hay with his truck - Duncan giggled at that!

There were a lot of animals that I couldn't name, but they sure were neat to see.

This is a kudu that I thought was just beautiful. Duncan liked the fact that he has a goatee.

It is hard to see the tiger laying on the ground in this picture, but we got to see him walking around before he laid down.

Duncan sat and watched the monkeys for a while - there are a lot of monkeys at our zoo.

After a long trek through the African Jungle, we finally go to the giraffes (who share space with the ostriches).

Duncan wasn't the only one mesmerized by the giraffes! Allie kept pointing at them.

We happened to be at the giraffe area right when they offered a chance to feed them, so of course we had to do it! It was really neat, after you bought a ticket, then you waiting in line for three romaine lettuce leaves and then you got to go to the platform and feed them. They only let one family on the platform at a time, so it was really nice! The giraffes knew just what to do and two of them waited patiently for us.

One of the zoo workers took pictures for us and all three pictures look exactly like this one. Duncan was SO excited to feed the giraffe and is still talking about it. He was disappointed that we didn't bring any ranch dressing for the giraffe (that is how Duncan eats his lettuce).

We made our way to the petting zoo and the goats were hanging out. Duncan and Allie checked a few out. After petting this one, Duncan saw that the goat has a goatee and thought it was funny that he could pet the goat's goatee.

We thought this goat was pretty silly for laying in the hay, but pretty smart if he is hungry!

We had a really good time at the zoo and since we went ahead and got a one year membership, I know we will go see the animals again soon!

More Go High

2012-01-26T22:01:00.000-06:00

Duncan loves to be tossed in the air. He always requests, "More go high!"

Tuesday evening he made his request as usual and when Keith suggested they set down Patch the puppy dog, Duncan requested "Patch go high too."

So up they went!

Poor Keith - it took several times before I got a good picture.

Duncan is too heavy for me to toss, but when I tell him that he says, "Mommy need to try." So I make a big production about how heavy he is and we usually end up falling down very dramatically, which he doesn't seem to mind.

Allie's New Trick - Thanks to Duncan!

2012-01-26T21:53:00.001-06:00

The other day I captured this gem on video...

YouTube Video

Such a good big brother. I hope he teaches her a few more important things too!

After Nap Time

2012-01-25T16:01:00.000-06:00

If Allison is still asleep when Duncan wakes up from his nap, he asks to go to MommyDad's room. He quickly finds the remote and turns the television on. Then he hands it to me and says, "Mommy turn on Elmo, peese." I have the DVR set to record Sesame Street every day and save four of them. Then he takes the remote back and climbs in "Daddy's chair." He will watch Sesame Street for about five minutes before climbing down and helping me with whatever I'm working on - folding laundry, updating the blog, words with friends, coloring, etc.

I snapped this picture yesterday afternoon, as Allie took a good long nap. Duncan helped me e-mail it to Keith and I had to laugh and include his response: "Looking manly with his fierce dog and princess blanket." For the record, that is Allie's blanket...

Somebody Got Caught...

2012-01-25T15:28:00.001-06:00

...Hiding in a corner checking out her brother's Lightning McQueen car!

Kairos Time

2012-01-24T22:01:00.000-06:00

I read an article the other day that I liked. It has been passed around on FaceBook and emails and I want to include it on the blog so I have it in the blog book for the future, so I have included the full article after my newest favorite picture. A short synopsis is that there are two times (1) Chronos time which is regular time and (2) Kairos time which are the moments when time stands still and I just soak that up.

Being a stay at home mom is completely different that what I imagined. There are days that the kids are tired and cranky, and today is one of those days. But even amid all of the fussiness, including much synchronized fussing (when I pet Riley over the gate and thank him for not whining too), I snapped this picture.

Complete Kairos time. And that makes everything more than worth it.

---------------------------

Don't Carpe Diem

Gennon Melton

Jan 24, 2012 04:42 PM EST

Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy every second, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: "Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast."

At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feathers stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn't find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you."

That's not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

There was a famous writer who, when asked if he loved writing, replied, "No. but I love having written." What I wanted to say to this sweet woman was, "Are you sure? Are you sure you don't mean you love having parented?"

I love having written. And I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

Every time I write a post like this, I get emails suggesting that I'm being negative. I have received this particular message four or five times -- G, if you can't handle the three you have, why do you want a fourth?

That one always stings, and I don't think it's quite fair. Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it's hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she's not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn't add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it's so hard means she IS doing it right...in her own way...and she happens to be honest.

Craig is a software salesman. It's a hard job in this economy. And he comes home each day and talks a little bit about how hard it is. And I don't ever feel the need to suggest that he's not doing it right, or that he's negative for noticing that it's hard, or that maybe he shouldn't even consider taking on more responsibility. And I doubt anybody comes by his office to make sure he's ENJOYING HIMSELF. I doubt his boss peeks in his office and says: "This career stuff...it goes by so fast...ARE YOU ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT IN THERE, CRAIG???? CARPE DIEM, CRAIG!"

My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's helluva hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime." And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out."

Anyway. Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn't work for me. I can't even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question.

Here's what does work for me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I'm doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is. I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can't hear her because all I can think is -- This is the first time I've really seen Tish all day, and my God -- she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I'm stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I'm haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I'm transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles and piles of healthy food I'll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world's mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don't remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.

Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.

Good enough for me.

This N That

2012-01-24T15:46:00.000-06:00

Here is your weekly photo overload of my two favorite kids!

Yesterday morning Allie decided that a fruit hat was proper table attire. I was sleeping in thanks to my fabulous husband, so he took a picture for me.

Our Allie is a climber and I am pretty sure she would have been standing on the kitchen if I hadn't intercepted. Note to self - keep the stuffed animal traps away from the kitchen.

Duncan enjoys wearing capes. Especially blanket capes!

Does anyone know what happened to Duncan's chocolate fish crackers? He set them on the floor and a few minutes later they were gone...

I think it is time for a hair cut!

You can bet that if Duncan is doing it, then Allie thinks she can do it too.

And sometimes she does it first and big brother follows her!

Duncan has been asking to get in Allie's crib lately... I think he might need a few more blankets!

Duncan has been testing out his animals in the play kitchen high chair and Little Lady seems to work out the best! And according to Duncan, she loves these treats!

And she loves eskimo kisses!

Don't worry, Patch gets plenty of Puffs at the table when he is good.

Allie still fits in the wagon. It is funny to see this picture compared to 10 months ago.

And she was pretty upset when it was Duncan's turn to see if he still fits!

Our Very Own WeatherPup

2012-01-24T15:10:00.001-06:00

Who needs a weatherman when we have our very own weatherpup?

Anytime rain is in the forecast, we know because Riley hides!

A few hours after I took this picture, I found him hiding behind my clothes hanging in the closet...

Saturday Outing

2012-01-23T06:01:00.000-06:00

On Saturday, we had plans to meet KarlAmy for lunch near The Woodlands mall. We went a few hours early and enjoyed a morning boat ride around the Waterway. It was about a 45 minute ride and with the weather warm with a cool breeze and overcast, it was perfect! The kids enjoyed watching the action before hand and they even snacked on a free cupcake from Barnes and Noble (thanks to their free Barnes & Noble kids club membership!).

Once on the boat, the captain opened all of the windows and the kids got a view of the water. This was their first boat ride and they sure enjoyed it!

Keith told Duncan we were going on a boat ride the night before and he was very excited - especially when we were actually on the boat!

There were ducks in the water and Allie was captivated! We saw some birds and lots of people walking around the "lake."

The boat picked up a couple of riders by a hotel and they were kind enough to take a picture for us. They were in town for a wedding and got a kick out of the kids' excitement.

After the boat ride and much to Keith's dismay, we went into the mall. But knowing that Keith wasn't interested in shopping, we headed straight to the carousel and bought some tokens. Duncan picked out the pig to ride on and Allie settled for a horse right next to her big brother.

We were told that we would each need a token, but then when we got on, the same person told us that Keith and I didn't need tokens since we were just holding the kids. That worked out for the kids - they got to ride again!! With a little help from her dad, Allie picked the lion to ride on and Duncan got the horse next to her.

Duncan was disappointed when we didn't ride again - apparently he had already spotted a frog to ride on.

But he was excited to see KarlAmy for lunch! I was taking the stroller back to the car when we were seated so when I got to the table, I was surprised to find myself not sitting next to a kid, but it was kind of nice!

We didn't being any toys to entertain Allie, but she found her own and played peek-a-boo with me from across the table!

After a frozen yogurt stop, we were sad to say goodbye to KarlAmy and look forward to seeing them again soon!

Ring Around The Rosies

2012-01-20T12:55:00.001-06:00

Duncan got dizzy dizzy dizzy this morning asking me to say it more more more. Can you tell what his favorite part is?

YouTube Video

And at the end after he falls he cracks me up when he says, "and get a bump!" after we all fall down...

My Turn!

2012-01-19T23:01:00.000-06:00

While Keith and Duncan were in the workout room this evening, Allie climbed over the stuffed animals and relaxed between Duncan's bed and the wall in his room. Usually Duncan will hide back there and I guess Allie wanted to see it for herself!

The Woodlands Children's Museum

2012-01-19T20:54:00.000-06:00

This morning my Mom and I took the kids to a small children's museum about 20 minutes away. We have never been and the kids enjoyed it. They have lots of different sections and the kids played in most of them while we were there.

They had a big little house and the kids put their kitchen skills to use!

There was a firetruck and fire station area. Duncan enjoyed pushing the button inside the firetruck and then jumping up to see the lights on top flash.

They had a few steps and a fire pole to slide down, but Duncan only wanted to go up and down the big steps. He fell down our steps to the attic a few months ago, so he made sure to hold onto the rail.

There was an area for grocery shopping with lots of plastic food to choose from.

There was an ATM, though no money was dispensed. But there were lots of buttons to push!

Allie enjoyed the 3 and Under area, especially at the ballerina bar and the mirrors.

Duncan caught a few magnetic fish and managed to stay pretty dry.

They had a big dirt pile, though it was shredded black rubber instead of dirt. Duncan knew just what to do!

Though instead of sitting on the dirt, he decided to sit in the dump truck and dig in the dirt for a few minutes.

But by far, his most favorite place to play was the half truck! They had removed the bed and created a safe environment where he could "drive just like Daddy" and he sure did!! He turned that steering wheel around and around and around and around and pushed the buttons for lights, etc. I was surprised he ever got out!

More Pictures, Of Course!

2012-01-19T15:01:00.000-06:00

Allie gets so excited when she gets a hold of something of her brother's! Including his deactivated (but wireless) iPhone from Uncle Karl.

Both kids love bath time. Allie gets SO upset when it isn't her night to take a bath. She tries to climb up our leg and throw a knee over fully clothed. She was excited because I was bathing the kids solo Tuesday night when Keith had to work late and she got to stay in the tub longer than usual.

It is awesome to see our kids play together. They both love to play peek-a-boo and spent a good deal of time playing it after their bath Tuesday.

Last night all three of them hid from me - but they weren't too hard to find!

Allie isn't quite sure about the whole toothbrush thing and prefers to just chew on the bristles.

Big brother likes to take the lid off the toothpaste and put it back on before brushing his teeth.

Duncan's Doggies!

2012-01-18T20:53:00.000-06:00

Today Duncan lined up a few of his stuffed puppy dogs and when they would sit up, he gave them a treat (which was really just a one of our plastic shapes). He entertained himself while Allie and I watched.

I thought it was so sweet, until after his nap when I caught him "warming up puppy dogs" in a pot on the cook top of Allie's kitchen...

Maybe we shouldn't eat hog dogs anymore?

Just A Few (Dozen) Pictures

2012-01-18T18:39:00.001-06:00

I wrote this post yesterday, but somehow the app on my iPad couldn't connect to post it and I was distracted and didn't save it when Allie woke up from her nap, so I will try this again (and include a few pictures from today).

I can certainly tell that I got my small camera back! They weren't able to fix it, but Best Buy replaced it thanks to the protection plan I bought. I paid for a two year protection plan and in the first year, the camera was replaced, fixed and then replaced again (all at no cost!), and I still have the protection until 12/30 of this year...

This is Keith's greeting after getting home from work last Friday. We usually meet him in the garage after the garage door is closed but he snuck in and surprised us. Allie is funny because she doesn't want me when he gets home - she wants her Daddy!!

The kids both like to play in the truck, but aren't too sure about sharing it.

Keith took this picture Saturday morning. He and Duncan both thought Allie was funny with a fruit bar goatee.

Have I mentioned how happy Allie is with her Daddy?

A rare photo - one with ME in it!

Allie loves saltine crackers and prefers to eat them vertically...

Monday morning Duncan was tired and actually laid still for a few seconds.

Allie loves playing with her kitchen,

Though she usually pulls out the sink! The efficiency engineer in me loves to see her decide to take out the sink so she can just shove all the utensils, plates, shapes, etc down the sinkhole instead of having to open the oven door to put everything in there!

Duncan took inventory of all his electronics. Allie can't quite reach them on his desk. Yet...

I though it was funny that Duncan decided that the snake needed shoes. He walked that stuffed snake around for a while!

Allie loves chocolate pudding - can you tell?

When Keith goes to TaeKwonDo practice, he doesn't get home until the kids are in bed, so I got to do bath time solo. I used to have Allie in her exersaucer in the bathroom but now I just keep the door closed so she's trapped in the bathroom with us. On Monday night, Allie was such a big helper that she stole the washcloth!

I gave Allie a fork to get her used to it. It didn't get much use but she had a Vulcan death grip on it the entire meal!

Duncan hasn't worn a bib in a couple of years, but all of a sudden he had to have one - coincidentally when his sister was wearing one...

Allie climbed on her favorite perch again this morning. She's ready for neighborhood watch!

Duncan piled a bunch of blankets in the rocker and sat up "very very high, so no Allie get Duncan"... So she settled for grabbing his car shoes!

Poor, Poor Allie!

2012-01-18T15:15:00.001-06:00

Allie isn't really talking and likes to point at what she wants to communicate with us. The other afternoon, Duncan had a snack and left a bite on the window sill. She saw it when I was holding her and decided that she wanted to eat the rest of his Slim Jim. When I told her, "No," she was not happy.

I got a few pictures.

She was not amused that I was taking pictures while she was having a fit.

It was a pretty good little tantrum and continued after I set her on the floor.

And she was so upset, apparently her spine melted and she ended up laying on the floor.

It lasted a good two or three minutes until she realized that I wasn't giving in and gave up. But she was worn out!

Duncan thought the whole thing was pretty funny!

Silly Allie doesn't know that her Mom was The Queen of tantrums and she's going to have to do A LOT better than that!

Lazy Day

2012-01-12T20:17:00.000-06:00

We are still recuperating from a busy few weeks and spent all day at home today. It was a nice, relaxing day and Allie figured out that she can see out the window if she steps up on the stool...

She is always looking for action outside. Unfortunately we live on a boring street and on the backside of the circle, so there isn't a lot of excitement. There were a few cars and dog walkers today and Allie was so funny standing on her tip toes to see everything.

While on her tip toes, she discovered that her brother left a goldfish cracker and she helped herself!

She was so quiet and I found her reading the book my Mom sewed for Duncan a couple of years ago.

I can't get over how grown up she is!

Keith got home early and did some yard work - which entertained the kids. We joked that the neighbors might call the police because he had on black pants and a black sweatshirt and actually had the hood on since it is pretty cold.

The kids were mesmerized playing "find Dad" as he trimmed the hedges in front of their rooms, mowed the side yard and swept pine needles off the roof. They were cracking me up!

It was strange to not take Allie's weekly picture today - it is still hard to believe that she is 1!

Big Girl

2012-01-11T22:01:00.000-06:00

Our Allison never really ate baby food but once we let her feed herself, she has become a good eater. On her first birthday we ditched the bottle and started her on whole milk. It is an understatement to say that she was not happy about that! But today she finally gave in and started drinking more than a sip or two of milk!

She tried ravioli last night and it was a hit! Can you tell?

And if all else fails, if she sees Duncan eat it or if he shares a bite with her, she will eat it!

It's amazing what a good example her brother is!

This N That

2012-01-11T20:15:00.001-06:00

After the craziness of the last couple of weeks (months?), we have had a very relaxing low key week.

Monday Duncan and Allie were entertained by the garbage truck for a while, as our neighbor across the street set out about two dozen bags full of yard debris.

Ampa & Hoot got Allie a toy box bookshelf like Duncan's and the kids tested it out...

I keep the kids' water cups within their reach, though sometimes Allie likes to hold both if them. And if given a choice, she always chooses her brother's cup...

Duncan started blowing bubbles on Monday. No bubble gum necessary!

I thought this was so funny Tuesday morning when they were playing so well together with Allie's kitchen.

Some of our friends got Duncan a scale car for Christmas - and not just any car but a '68 Camaro! They said it was for Duncan but Keith likes it too...

We had to return a few things to Home Depot this morning and the kids enjoyed the two seater. I had to take a picture to send to Keith while he was working!

Our Meteorologist

2012-01-10T21:27:00.001-06:00

Who needs a weatherman when we have Riley? He absolutely hates stormy weather and as we received 4.75 inches of rain yesterday, he was not happy! He hid in our closet until the kids woke up and then ran into Duncan's closet...

Garbage Day!

2012-01-09T13:20:00.001-06:00

Duncan enjoyed showing the garbage truck to Allison this afternoon. She loves to look out the window and was pretty upset when they were done and left!

Allie's Birthday Festivities - Sunday

2012-01-08T21:54:00.001-06:00

Sunday morning, Keith's parents came over for lunch and to see the birthday girl.

My Mom came over for a little while and Duncan thought it was funny that they made a Duncan sandwich...

Allie didn't mind sitting with Pa and even danced with him a little bit!

Duncan and Allie were so worn out that both kids took naps while GiPa were here. Allie slept through lunch and woke up in time for Duncan to take an early nap.

Duncan is already asking when GiPa, HootAmpa, Great Granny & Booger are coming back to Duncan's house! We had a great time and miss everyone already!!

Allie's Birthday Festivities - Saturday

2012-01-07T22:01:00.000-06:00

Saturday morning started off quiet, but the day got busier because we had a family birthday party for Allie!

Grandma brought some balloons for the birthday girl and also brought an elephant balloon that walks with a leash, which Duncan loves!

Liam joined Duncan in the bounce house...

...Until lunch was ready!

Allie enjoyed some hamburger and actually wore her hat for a picture.

She was mesmerized by the balloons and loved pulling on them.

She was not sure what to think about everyone singing and the candle...

It took a few seconds for her to figure out the cupcake,

but once she figured it out,

she knew EXACTLY what to do with it!

Duncan thought it was funny that Allie had a frosting goatee.

She definitely needed a bath after that cupcake!

Allie's Birthday Festivities - Friday

2012-01-06T22:01:00.000-06:00

Anyone who knows me, knows I like to extend my birthday festivities for as long as I can, so of course I was more than happy to have a weekend full of fun to celebrate our Allison's First Birthday!

She woke up before her brother on her birthday and she got her present from us. It is a "grow with me" kitchen and it is perfect for her! When she is a little taller, we can raise it up and there is a second level of refrigerator, etc.

We turned her car seat forward facing because the law is one year old and twenty pounds, and she wasn't quite sure what to think! She even got to watch Elmo without craning her neck. She had her one year check up and weighed in at 25 pounds and was 30 inches long! She got three shots, which she was not happy about and the biggest change of all is that she is now drinking whole milk and we don't give it to her in a bottle - she is having a hard time adjusting to whole milk!

After her doctor appointment, we stopped by the grocery store and ran into my Mom! Duncan was so surprised, even though we have run into her there before. After that we went home and the kids played so well together - they were cracking me up.

I took the ottoman out of the room a few days ago and Allie can't climb into the chair without it, so she was excited when I helped her into the chair.

Even with her molars coming in, she was being silly for the camera!

After nap time, the weekend invasion began! Ampa, Hoot, Great Granny and Booger arrived! We enjoyed the weather and had a nice start to a great weekend!

Ampa blew bubbles and Duncan thought it was fun to pop them.

Allie enjoyed watching everyone and taking it all in!

Happy First Birthday, Allison!

2012-01-06T00:01:00.000-06:00

There were a few times when I almost gave up on trying to take Allie's picture each week, but this video makes me glad that I did. It is so neat to see how much she changed every week and hard to believe that our little sweat pea is ONE!

52 Weeks Old

2012-01-05T15:08:00.001-06:00

Today is bittersweet. It is the last time I will take Allie's weekly picture, as tomorrow our baby girl turns ONE!

She is not a fan of having to lay down in her crib, so I know she will not miss our weekly photo shoot!

She has been eating a whole lot of food lately and this week I gave her a snack cup with goldfish in it for the first time. She has chewed on Duncan's snack cup before but she was ecstatic to have snacks in it without Mom taking it away! She quickly learned how to grab the snacks but doesn't always remember how to get her hand out of the cup and eventually just crawls with her hand still in it...

Yesterday she was entertaining Duncan and me by laying on the floor and picking up her feet only to kick them down! She did it for about 10 minutes and thought it was funny when her brother laid down next to her and did it too!

She has her one year appointment tomorrow morning and we also start her on whole milk in the morning, though I think the biggest change is going to be that today is the last day she will get a bottle...

We are looking forward to the invasion of family this weekend to celebrate the first 52 weeks with our Allison!

Duncan Sings the ABC's

2012-01-03T18:39:00.001-06:00

He was more than happy to sing for the camera, especially when I promised to put it on the iPad for him to watch!

YouTube Video

Not bad for almost 2 1/2!

New Year's Day

2012-01-01T22:01:00.000-06:00

Bella and Duncan were so inseparable at breakfast that they decided to share a chair...

Duncan wanted to hang out with Uncle Steve and watch some football, so he ran and got his Car blanket and ran back in the living room. He hung out with Uncle Steve a lot, especially when Uncle Steve had his phone out. I tried to get Duncan to update Steve's FaceBook status, but it didn't happen. We'll work on it for next time.

At one point, Steve went and got gasoline, Keith and Duncan took a report to his boss down the street and Liz was trying to get the babies to go down for a nap, so I had Bella and Allie. They were so sweet together - Bella was trying to teach Allie to say "Bella" but all Allie wanted to do was lick Bella's hand, which Bella thought was hilarious.

Duncan and Bella managed to share our iPad for a few minutes, but then we had to step in and referee...

After lunch when the big kids were playing outside, Liz and I tried to get a picture of the triplets in their birthday outfits (not birthday suits!). It didn't ever pan out the way we wanted it to... But we laughed a lot and the girls had fun.

Technically we got several shots of all three girls, though they weren't posing for the camera!

See - all three girls!

While we were playing photo shoot, Bella and Duncan were playing with the Bouncy House that Santa brought (but didn't get to put out until now because of the weather). It didn't take too long to set up.

And the kids definitely enjoyed it!

Duncan had to rest between jumps a few times. And yes, that it a remote laying next to him...

Allie chilled in the stroller and watched all of the action.

And trust me - there was some serious jumping action to watch!

Lauren and Maddy enjoyed sharing a baby swing!

After jumping, the big kids got a wagon ride!

The Berg's left after dinner and bath time with the hopes that everyone (except Steve!) would sleep the whole ride home... Duncan and Allison didn't put up much of a fight when we put them down! What an exciting start to a new year!!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-06:00

We ended 2011 in great company - we were invaded by the Bergs! We told Duncan that morning that his Bella was coming after nap time and he excitedly told us that Uncle Steve, Aunt Lizzy and the babies were coming too to his house! He was fired up about it all day and even though we put him down early to try to get some sort of nap out of him, he was just too excited and never fell asleep. So after two hours of playing in his bed (Shhh! He still doesn't know he can get down!), I woke him up when the Bergs drove up.

I took a lot of pictures in the two day visit, and you know that means I took a whole lot when I say it was a lot! It took me some time to go through the pictures and I narrowed it down as much as I could... But there are still a lot of pictures on this post :)

I had to post this one -it is right after the Bergs invaded us and Duncan was on cloud nine that Bella was in HIS house, playing with HIS toys! I have never seen him share so well.

The big kids enjoyed playing with the Little People toys and the babies enjoyed chewing on them.

Here are Steve & Lizzy's twin girls (Madelyn on the left and Lauren on the right). Maddy has been walking for a month or so but Lauren is still crawling like Allison.

The triplets loved climbing in the brown chair. I told Liz that her girls are bad influences because Allie never climbed up it until she saw the twins do it...

I like this picture because you can see Allie and Lauren talking to each other - don't worry, Maddy got in on the gossip too!

This was our attempt to get a picture of all five kids together. I think we need a picture of the four adults behind the camera being crazy to get the attention of all of the kids!!

Duncan, Bella and Uncle Steve

The kids all made their way to Liz when she started handing out snacks!

Maddy was so funny - she loved putting on Duncan's cape! She would bring it to me and patiently wait for me to put it on her before walking off.

We had a designated kid's table!

In celebration of their upcoming first birthday, the babies got pieces of cookie cake with icing on it. They all knew exactly what to do with it!

I had been cutting up Allie's food, but after seeing her eat the cookie, I don't think I need to anymore!

Lauren was interested in my camera until Liz showed her what she had in her hand.

Maddy looks good in icing!

We let the big kids stay up after we got the babies down and they managed to entertain each other.

We let them open their presents and they helped each other play.

After presents, we went outside and lit some sparklers.

Once he learned how to hold them, Duncan was all about the sparklers!

But Bella wanted absolutely nothing to do with them...

I'm not sure what Keith and Duncan were writing?

Duncan and Bella posed in their New Year hats for me before they had to go to bed.

I snapped this picture before 11 pm... Lizzy hadn't gotten much sleep, since she worked the night before, but I'm not sure what Bella's excuse was??

Strong Willed

2011-12-30T21:40:00.000-06:00

Our Allie knows what she wants and is not afraid to let us know... The other day the kids and I went to Target (or as Duncan calls it "The Red Circle Store"). It is one of my favorite places to go because they have two seaters, it is close to the house and they usually have good stuff that I didn't know we needed. Duncan always pretends to push the cart from his seat and can reach the handle with the straps buckled over his shoulders. His little sister has the mindset that she can do anything her big brother does, so she immediately pulls her arms out of the straps to reach the cart. She is quick to throw a fit if I put the straps back on, which I always do... I can usually distract her and we move on but today she was cracking me up.

She also throws a quick fit when her Dad comes home if I take her from him to change her diaper or just because it is hard to hold both kids at the same time as he is walking in the door. She is generally really good natured, but has become quick to let us know when she doesn't get her way!

51 Weeks Old

2011-12-29T15:01:00.000-06:00

It blows my mind that next week our Allison will celebrate her first birthday. There have been a few long nights but for the most part, this year has flown by!

And just for my Granny, I put her shoes on for the picture! See Gran - she has shoes!!

Allie was riding the rocking horse they got from Grandma and Duncan asked if he could ride with her. Never one to pass up a photo opportunity with both kids in it, I helped him climb on!

McCumber Mayhem

2011-12-28T20:59:00.004-06:00

The kids have been up to their usual craziness this week and I have the pictures to prove it.

Duncan asked again to hold Allison. I usually allow it - well supervised of course! He also asks to pick her up, but I don't let him do that... Allie wasn't as excited to be held this time as he was to hold her.

And this picture makes me laugh - he was giving her a big squeeze with all his might!

Whenever Riley comes to the gate, Allie is quick to crawl over and give him some attention - especially when she catches sight of his shiny tag.

I snuck in during nap time the other day and snapped this picture - he is growing up so quickly!

I took this picture of Allie during nap time too - I'm not sure how she was comfortable but she was sound asleep. I woke her up when I moved her but after a few seconds she was sleeping again, but not in the pretzel position.

Duncan loves his car shoes that Grandma got him for Christmas, especially with our concrete floors when the temperature is cold.

A rare photo - with me in it! I was being attacked by my two favorite babies!

One of my friends in the neighborhood brought by some clothes yesterday that her son outgrew. Duncan discovered this hat in the bag and wore it all afternoon and evening - even after his bath when he had his pajamas on.

This morning I had the green bins blocking the music table when Allie decided that she wanted to play with the table. She crawled over, climbed in and played the music for a while.

Duncan wanted to get in the green bin too, but he is a little big, so he settled for just sitting on it.

When Allie was done, she figured out a quick dismount!

Santa brought the kids this green bag (and a pink one too). It has several zippered areas and we keep their stuffed animals in there. It is a great way to tame our growing stuffed animal population and they have fun zipping and unzipping them to put more things in or pull stuff out.

Allie's bangs are getting long and hang over her eyes. I'm not about to cut her curly hair and she pulls bows out pretty quickly. Today I put it up in the "palm tree" hair style and not only did she not mess with it, but her hair stayed out of her eyes. And she looked pretty darn cute!

She is growing up too quickly!

I think it is funny that Allie will go from that sweet, angelic face to blowing raspberries at me in a split second.

We are certainly very blessed!

Little Dragon

2011-12-26T19:00:00.001-06:00

Keith and Duncan often hang out in the workout room and ever since Duncan could stand, Keith has walked him through the first TaeKwonDo pattern. A couple of times I have caught Duncan doing his version (basically punching and counting) when he thought no one was watching. Tonight I snuck a video.

He was excited to wear his uniform, especially the belt.

I'm not sure why the video is somewhat blurry, but it is pretty cute.

YouTube Video

Don't worry, Allie will learn the pattern soon enough. She has been standing for 15-20 seconds at a time...

The Day After Christmas

2011-12-26T14:17:00.001-06:00

I love watching these two play together!

They have played so well today, especially considering the fact that there are so many new toys for them to play with and usually they want what the other one has!!

Christmas

2011-12-25T21:45:00.000-06:00

This year, Christmas has been magical! It has been so fun to see it through the eyes of a child... We started off decorating cookies after lunch on Friday. Duncan wasn't quite sure what to do, but soon got the hang of it. He grabbed both icing bags and went to town!

But his favorite part was the sprinkles! I gave him three little bowls of red, green and white sprinkles and before long he had them well mixed and ready to dump on the cookies. He was very disappointed when we ran out of cookies and asked, "Mommy make some more?" but he was easily distracted when I let him pick out a cookie to taste - he even talked me into letting him eat a second one!

On Christmas Eve, we headed over the river and through the woods for the five minutes drive to Grandma's house. She got a playhouse and picnic table for them in her backyard (under the roof because of the rainy weather). They were very excited didn't want to go in and warm up!

Duncan quickly discovered the phone and made sure that it met all of his standards. I guess it did because the phone went to church with us that night...

Allie really enjoyed it and all of the play food Grandma had for them.

After a wonderful lunch and visit, we headed home so Duncan and Allie could get a nap in before we headed to church for Christmas Eve Mass. When he woke up from his nap, poor Duncan asked me, "Santa come?" and I told him that we still had one more night-night. I guess we need to include naps in our night-night countdowns.

Before we left for church, Duncan colored a plate for Santa's cookies.

As we were driving to church, "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" came on the radio. When he realized what song it was, he grinned at me and whispered, "Santa singing!" Technically it was Gene Autry but we didn't tell him! After church, we headed home for a quick supper and Duncan was excited to put on his Santa pajamas. We went in the living room for a few pictures of the kids under the Christmas tree. Riley initially wanted to be in the picture, but then wandered off.

I was pretty surprised that both kids sat long enough for a picture, especially with their antlers on!

Riley was not nearly as excited to wear the antlers...

After the quick photo session, Keith read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and we put the kids to bed.

Duncan informed me that Santa only gets one cookie and he picked out a blue iced tree with sprinkles for him. He also tossed out two carrots by the front door for Rudolph - and by tossed, I mean threw overhanded!

Santa came!!!!

Duncan slept later than usual - he tends to do that when we need to get up early. My Mom was excited to get him when he woke up and he was super excited to see everything that Santa brought!

He was quick to play with things though seemed a bit overwhelmed and actually told me to open a few of his presents - maybe because I was quicker? After he would tear off a piece of wrapping paper, he would stop and hand the paper to me or my Mom...

Duncan and Allie both got the three stage trikes from Hoot and Ampa and they both immediately rode around on them. In fact, Allie sat in hers for the first part of present opening.

Presents!!

Allie was a big fan of tearing the paper, but not such a big fan of letting go of the paper...

I got a quick shot of them in their super hero capes.

Duncan ended up with a black remote from Grandma...

...And a blue remote from Santa! Allie's white remote isn't pictured but is similar to the blue one. They are both actually remotes for kids and you can program five channels for them to click on.

Duncan pushed his trike around the kitchen and living room while his shadow crawled behind him.

Everyone enjoyed the morning -

- including Riley who got a can of spray cheese, which he enjoys immensely!

Grandma pushed the kiddos around for a good workout!

During lunch Allie managed a few bites before taking a power nap. She was all smiles when she woke up and ate everything on her tray.

The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys! We have plenty to keep up busy for a very long time!

It has been a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T23:06:00.003-06:00

We have two very excited kids - one that (somewhat) understands Christmas and one that does anything her big brother does! We are enjoying Christmas so much this year and I have a lot of pictures and blogging to do - and it's only Christmas Eve! But for now we are tired after helping Santa and I have a feeling we will have an early morning tomorrow...

So for tonight we will leave you with a picture of the two cutest kiddos ever who were much happier with their antlers than Riley was... And yes, Pa, they are eight pointers!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

My Brother's Wedding

2011-12-23T07:01:00.000-06:00

When we were in Kingsville, I got to see the professional pictures from Clay & Taelyr's wedding.

Clay posed with Liam and Duncan before the wedding. It took some wrangling to get them to be still.

Allie was all smiles for the photographer.

The bride and groom didn't see each other before they got married, and I thought this was a neat picture that they took before the ceremony.

Here is an action shot of the boys carrying the sign down the aisle.

Allie and her Aunt Taelye

Clay & Taelyr with all of the kids in the wedding.

And here is the groom's family

50 Weeks Old

2011-12-22T14:01:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that we only have two more pictures before our Allison is a year old!

She is understanding things and it so much fun to watch her. She completely thinks that she can do anything that her big brother can...

I took this shot of Duncan the other morning. He loves his striped pajamas and always asks for them... He was hungry that morning - he ate 2 1/2 cinnamon rolls!

Earlier in the week, he drug Allie's teddy bear that Keith's Mom made to the glider and climbed up with it!

That same evening he decided to carry a few stuffed animals... In his pajamas!

Santa, Santa, Santa!

2011-12-21T15:01:00.000-06:00

And you thought we were done with Santa!!

Our church had donuts with Santa and they not only took pictures but burned them onto a CD for us.

It was nice to get a picture of the whole family with Santa.

The kids actually both looked at the camera for the picture!

A few days later, one of the moms from our playgroup hosted a Christmas party. Duncan enjoyed playing with the kids and I enjoyed adult conversation.

The kids were so excited with Santa stopped by! Well, most of the kids were - there were a few kids that were terrified. Duncan ran to the door and let him in...

He was quick to talk to Santa and even remembered to tell him what Allie wants for Christmas.

Allie wasn't quite sure what to think of Santa.

Here are all the kids that we could convince to go near the Saint Nick!

The kids watched Santa leave - I wonder how long Duncan will think Santa drives a big diesel truck?

Christmas in Runge

2011-12-21T07:01:00.000-06:00

We left Coleman Christmas and headed to Runge to see Gi & Pa. It was about a two hour drive and the kids were glad that it was a short drive! That evening they got to open their presents from Gi Pa and they sure didn't mind!

Allie sat on the couch and played with her new shape sorter.

Duncan loves his drill set and said, "Just like Dads!"

Sunday morning I was packing up Duncan's toddler air bed and they put their toys in the main part while I had the mattress out. I thought it was pretty funny (and a great way to keep all of their toys together!).

A lot of Keith's Mom's side of the family came up for lunch and it was nice to catch up with everyone that was there. Keith had some help fixing some settings on his Dad's trck radio.

Allie was Pa's girl most of the day.

Duncan and his cousin Aaron. He loves his Aaron and is still talking about him.

Pa with his three favorite (and only) grandkids.

Duncan was glad to eat some chips and queso with Uncle Leonard.

Keith and his brother, Leo

Allison tried to last as long as she could, but didn't quite make it through lunch. Pa held her for a while and then Keith took her and sat on the couch - she was a good excuse to watch football!

Riley loves to go to Runge. None of the kids were scared of him and with all of the good smells everywhere, he got to run loose quite a bit. Until I had to pull him out from under the barbed wire fence...

Keith pitched for most of the kids...

And they had their own cheering section!

Duncan pulled out the chairs for him and Grace, Keith's cousin's daughter.

Every year, Keith's Uncle Charlie and Aunt Mildred take pictures of each family and all of the sibings. Mildred is in the hospital, so they didn't get to come this year so we took the pictures for them!

Here are all of the siblings that were there. Delores and Mildred were not there.

Billy, Bonnie, Russell & Riley

Pat & Betty

Kyle, Mike, and Gladys

Loraine & Norbert

Missy & Dwayne

Janet & Jimmy

Jennifer, Malcolm, Jordan, Kiera & Aiden

Chuck & Bernice

Scott, Julie, Lucas & Grace

Me, Keith, Duncan & Allison with Keith's parents, Frank & Evelyn, and Keith's brother Leo with his son Aaron

It got chilly, so Allie got a blanket when she was outside.

Duncan stacked chairs and I sat him on his throne and then after a picture, he had to get down...

Allie fell asleep before we were out of the driveway and didn't wake up until we pulled into our neighborhood 3 1/2 hours later. Duncan was awake but after about 30 minutes and halfway through a cookie Gi gave him, he started falling asleep. I kept waking him up to make him finish chewing what was in his mouth and he would fall asleep mid chew. It was pretty funny and after he swallowed what was in his mouth he slept 2 1/2 hours.

It was a wonderful weekend and we enjoyed seeing so many family members!

Pajama Playtime

2011-12-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

It was supposed to rain all morning so I planned to stay home and catch up on laundry today. I left the kids in their pajamas until lunch and Duncan was tickled that he got to wear his stripes longer than usual.

Yesterday we got a pckage from Keith's Aunt Clarita. She send an Elmo shape toy and a beautiful quilt for Allie. Both kids played with them all morning. And by played, I mean tried to take it from each other!

Since my small camera is getting fixed, I have been using my good DSLR, which is much bigger. Sometimes they don't even notice that I'm taking pictures, but today they noticed the camera and both wanted it!

Duncan found a spot where he could pay with his new car toy that he coud reach but was too high for Allie to reach... He has played with it a lot, especially when I showed him that he aready had five other cars that go with it.

Allie didn't know I was watching her climb on the upside down music table. A few minutes earlier she had been sitting on it completely off the floor, but moved by the times I got to the camera.

They played hard today!

Christmas in Kingsville

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-06:00

We headed down to Kingsville later than expected Thursday thanks to a flat tire. Luckily we discovered it before we got on the road, or the drive could have been lots of fun! We drove through a Whataburger and grabbed some dinner. I'm not sure what caused this expression, but it is pretty funny.

Duncan and Allison do great in the car for the first three hours and then are just pain miserable. Duncan hadn't napped all day, so that put him in rare form. We ended up turning off the DVD player and putting in a Max Stalling CD and all of a sudden he was happy and fell asleep... And woke up at Hoot & Ampa's house! He was pretty groggy but didn't mind getting to open a present, especially since they were stuffed puppy dogs for him and Allie!

Allie burned some energy by crawling around and pulling up on the bar stool...

...which she pushed all the way to Keith...

...and then happily sat on the chair with Dad!

Hoot and Allie enjoyed some bonding time.

And she gave Ampa so wet, drooly, open mouth kisses.

Duncan enjoyed laying on Lady with Ampa.

We took the toddler air bed with us to see how Duncan would do. He did great! We took his pack and pay just in case, but we never even unpacked it. He slept better and said he liked it.

He also liked seeing Uncle Clay and Aunt Taelyr.

Riley loved laying by the storm door and Duncan loved laying with Riley!

Saturday afternoon we had Coleman Christmas and enjoyed visiting with everyone. Here is my Granny with her Allie and Duncan.

Duncan was looking forward to seeing Liam and the two of them spun the coffee table around and around and around and around...

Riley was in his kennel most of the time because he gets wound up too easily and a couple of the kids are scared of dogs. He did get lots of attention though!

My Dad with Duncan and Booger

Somehow Booger ended up eating at the kid's table!

We distributed our family calendars and Duncan enjoyed flipping through the pages and pointing out people he recognized.

And of course we took a family picture! It was rainy outside so we had to rearrange some furniture but we managed to get everyone in the shot!

Before everyone arrived I dropped my camera and the lens jammed sideways and would wiggle like a loose tooth. Luckily it still took pictures, though I couldn't zoom. The kids and I dropped it off at Best Buy to be repaired. We bought it 12/30/2010 and this is the third time I have had to take it in from being dropped - I sure am glad we bought the two year protection plan!

Allie Loves to Dance!

2011-12-18T22:40:00.001-06:00

We got home this evening from a fabulous whirlwind weekend overflowing with family. I have so many pictures to post, I almost don't know where to start and I think I'll go to sleep instead and figure it out between loads of laundry tomorrow!

But I can't help but post a short video of Allie dancing - she seemed to enjoy that she and Santa have the same dance moves...

YouTube Video

49 Weeks Old

2011-12-15T21:01:00.000-06:00

It is hard to believe that we only have three more pictures to take!

It doesn't seem like it has been that long since we were blessed with our Allison.

And here is a picture of how Allie wears her bananas... A few bites made it into her mouth!

McCumber Miscellaneous

2011-12-12T21:22:00.001-06:00

Here are several pictures that I have been saving to post. Last week we got my laptop up and running, thanks to new hard drive! Hopefully my blogging will get back to normal soon, with more timely posts...

Riley appears to think that any blanket on the floor is his, including the tree skirt...

Last week my Mom, the kids and I browsed at Hobby Lobby. Duncan had his first lollipop and still talks about it!

On Friday Duncan got his scraggly hair cut. He didn't cry and looks so much better!

It amazes me how fast Allison is growing! I will need to send out birthday party invitations soon (though I should probably send out our Christmas letter first)...

One day last week, Keith got home just as the kids woke up from their naps. They were so excited to see him and both wanted him to hold them, forget Mom!

Duncan's first issue of High Five came in on Friday. My Granny got him a subscription and he already loves it!

Allie wanted to read too. So we gave her a book in the hopes she would let Duncan enjoy his magazine!

Duncan hitched a ride - he was playing drums while Keith walked him around.

He helped Keith work out. Notice Allie spotting from the back!

Duncan always wants, "Dad hide!" and always looks here for Keith. If he isn't already buried in stuffed animals, then Duncan s quick to pile them up.

This afternoon I baked cookies for our neighbors and Duncan was kind enough to taste test them for me...

Dance Party!

2011-12-11T16:21:00.001-06:00

We all know that Duncan is a dancing machine, but Allie is also a big fan of shaking her booty!

YouTube Video

It is the wrong angle, but if you watch Allie at the beginning, she lets go of her jumper to clap and stands for a few seconds... She will now clap, dance, and blow raspberries when we ask her to and uses furniture, toys, anything she can to walk herself along things.

48 Weeks Old

2011-12-09T16:35:00.001-06:00

Yesterday our Allie turned 48 weeks old. It is hard to believe we only have 4 more weekly pictures to take!

She actually left the bow in her hair for a couple of pictures before trying to eat it...

After helping me take Allie's weekly picture, Duncan asked to hold Allie. He's never asked before and so I sat him against the wall and put his sister in his lap. They both thought it was pretty funny. I couldn't pick just one picture to post, so you'll just have to humor me and suffer through all of them!

Duncan held Allie really tight, which was funny. She sits up just fine, but I guess it's not the same as holding her...

The two of them are pretty tight!

After a few minutes of being sweet, somehow they both fell over and the wrestling began.

As you can see, Duncan isn't always the instigator!

11 Months Old

2011-12-06T12:28:00.001-06:00

It is hard to believe that our Allison is 11 months old today! Other than a few sleepless nights (er, months!) the time has absolutely flown by.

Duncan's favorite part of her Aggie ensemble were the ribbons at her shoulders... His eyes lit up, he grabbed one, gave it a tug, and said, "Let's go, Allie Oopty!"

Needless to say, even though Allie was laughing, he had to let go of the ribbon after this picture.

He wanted to wear her bow for about two seconds and then was more interested in the mechanics of the clip. You can see his lumpy head from yesterday's battle with the door jam...

He Fought The Wall...

2011-12-05T14:46:00.001-06:00

...And the wall won! Okay, maybe it wasn't the wall, it was the door jam and technically no one won!

After he fell, I got out the boo-boo buddies (ice packs) and once he wanted to play with them then I always know that he is feeling better. He was immediately running around and playing, so nothing to worry about and he thinks it is funny when I check on his "lumpy head!"

Santa!!!

2011-12-04T22:11:00.001-06:00

Tonight was the annual Story Time with Santa for our neighborhood. The volunteers do a great job and tonight was no different. Duncan and I have been talking about Santa all week and he quickly told me that he was going to ask Santa for a remote, specifically a blue remote. He also informed me that Allie wanted a remote too - a white one. Luckily Santa should be able to meet those requests. However, I do not believe that Riley will get the camouflage remote that Duncan told me today that Riley wants...

There was face painting though Duncan opted for some hand painting. Unfortunately after a couple Christmas tree branches, he decided he no longer wanted it on his hand. But I was surprised he got as far as he did!

Santa arrived on a fire truck, which was VERY exciting!

All of the kids were excited and even Allie couldn't take her eyes off Santa.

Santa and Mrs. Claus read "'The Night Before Christmas" to all of the kids and sang Jingle Bells. Once again Duncan surprised me by sitting with the other kids on the floor. Allie sat with him for a little while.

Duncan saw Grandma with the camera and wanted to help push the buttons.

Grandma got some Allie loving while we waited to talk to Santa.

Duncan was quick to sit with Santa and Allie was content just to stare at him. Duncan got right down to business telling Santa his name and that he wanted a remote...

47 Weeks Old & This Week In Review

2011-12-03T22:50:00.001-06:00

Our Allie turned 47 weeks old on Thursday.

I probably took 30 pictures to get these two... It is hard to get her to lay down in her crib!

This week was pretty laid back, and we are down to one computer while my laptop and our home computer are being fixed, which is why my blog isn't updated as often as usual!

Allie is quite daring and I caught her standing up on Duncan's stool the other night. She thought it was funnier than I did!

Duncan is always a big helper - he helps put away groceries, dishes and even dries the table for me after I wipe it down.

He helps Allie hold her bottle too!

Allie rarely slows down, unless there is something to lay her head on - stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, and even her brothers lap. Usually it is only for a few seconds and rarely long enough for me to snap a picture.

When I change the sheets on Duncan's bed, the kids think it is funny to lay on the dirty sheets. Riley likes to do that too!

This week I put the comforter on Duncan's bed. He thinks it is funny to sleep with the "big blanket".

Allie is a big fan of books, mostly to chew on, though on occasion she will listen to me read. This is one of her favorite books and it is perfect because it is waterproof (thanks to my Granny) who gave it to us.

Allie spends a lot if time pushing Duncan's car or her baby stroller back and forth across the room. Duncan thought it was funny to catch a ride!

This afternoon while Allie was sleeping, I snapped this picture of Keith watching football and Duncan playing puzzles on the iPad.

Thanksgiving and Christmas Decorating

2011-11-28T22:12:00.001-06:00

We had a quiet, enjoyable Thanksgiving. My Mom came over and so did Karl and Amy. Allie thought it was fun to use Karl to stand up.

Duncan was excited that Karl and Amy brought their puppy dogs and the poor pups didn't relax until the kids went to bed! They were safely sitting with my Mom for a little while, but you could see them actually relax once they weren't being pursued by the kids!

On Saturday, Keith pulled down the Christmas decorations. Duncan's favorite part of the decorations was dinging The Remote. We have a remote that controls three plug and he thinks it is his job to turn the trees and village on and off. And on. And off. And then on again.

Allie isn't quite sure what to think of the tree and the lights. She crawls to it and reaches tentatively for the ornaments. But we are guessing that it won't take long for her to pull the tree down.

Last night I was going through Duncan's old clothes that Allie can wear. There was a pair of red fleece pajamas that Duncan was adamant that he wanted to put on. I was surprised that we could zip them - they are size 12 month! Of course they aren't supposed to be 3/4 length sleeves and the zipper is so tight that it became a V-neck and he wasn't able to stand up straight...

46 Weeks Old

2011-11-26T13:58:00.001-06:00

Our Allie hit the 46 week mark this past Thursday and continues to amaze us.

She is starting to comprehend what we are saying and will clap and blow raspberries when we ask her to.

She has stood for a few seconds a couple of times. She is funny though, when we put her in the walker she just kind of hangs out. But when she is out of the walker, she likes to push it... As you can see in this video:

YouTube Video

An Afternoon Stroll

2011-11-23T04:50:00.001-06:00

Tuesday afternoon, after the kids both woke up way too early from their nap, we went for a nice long stroller ride. Because of the summer heat, we haven't taken advantage of the nice 2 1/2 mile circle that we live on. It was a great break and both kids were in much better moods when we got home.

Duncan gets to pick which side he wants to sit on and has lately chosen Allie's side for whatever reason. He is enjoying being the sole decision maker - for now...

Allie wanted to see everything that was going on. I tried to take this picture several times but she would see my phone and forget the loud noise that she was looking for. She loved when there was a gust of wind, standing up on the footrest (fully belted into the stroller still though) and clap. Duncan loved seeing all the puppy dogs, and thought it was great when they weren't fenced in and would run at us, barking. None of them got close enough for concern, but it amazes me that their owners just leave them loose when they act so aggressive. Maybe next time I should take Riley with us!

Daily Dose of McCumbers

2011-11-21T21:28:00.001-06:00

Whenever we go to any store, Duncan asks to go see remotes. We went to Office Max on Friday and of course he asked (as always) and I said we would look for them. I didn't expect to find any but eagle eyes spotted a picture of one on the side of a label maker display. I laughed pretty hard and we went and saw it twice.

This weekend, Duncan helped Keith in the garage. They built a Lowe's kids toolbox. Duncan is a big fan of helping and always helps me when I replace batteries - he is pretty good with a screwdriver, with a little help.

Sunday after church, Duncan was more than happy to help Keith drink his milkshake. We ate at The Red Birdie, known to most people as Red Robin.

Allie enjoyed cheese at dinner last night.

We had tacos and Duncan had a few grapes. The first thing he did was dump out the taco and eat the meat and cheese. Then he put his grapes in his taco shell and ate his grapes taco. It didn't look tasty, but he cleaned his plate!

Allie continues to shop in her brother's room. And keeps trying to climb in his toy box. She will get in there soon enough, but for now she doesn't get too upset when she is stuck!

Duncan likes to watch the movie Cars on all of their blankets, pillows and stuffed animals. He will occasionally watch Elmo, but mostly asks for Cars or the Rat-toon (Raccoon from Over The Hedge).

Hurricane Allie had a good time in her room today! Mommy sure is getting good at picking toys up...

And I'll leave you with a couple of videos from today. I couldn't choose just one to post. The first video is Duncan learning about gravity...

YouTube Video

And the second video is of Duncan on the phone. It is a fake phone, called "Grandma's phone" because it was in the phone pocket of my Mom's purse and I think he thinks it is real... We "talk" on it a lot. He tells me who to talk to - usually Grandma, Hoot, Ampa or even Lady. But yesterday I called him lazybones and now that is the only person he wants to talk to, and he giggles every time we say "lazybones".

YouTube Video

He is very agreeable!

This N That

2011-11-17T20:18:00.001-06:00

I've had pictures flagged to post on the blog and finally have a few minutes to post them.

Here is a shot of Duncan after lunch one day... Notice the mess on his knees, hands, face and any surface within his reach and for future reference, Cheetos, apple sauce and chocolate milk are best combined before bath time (he had a sandwich too but that wasn't as messy). He was happy to pose for me when drinking his chocolate milk out of Daddy's logo cup.

Allie, however, didn't last long for the noon time meal. This happens everyday thar she skips her morning nap. Little sister can't quite make it until 2 pm.

Allie loves to hang out on Duncan's bed.

She usually lays down on the pillow for a couple of seconds, especially when she is tired.

Last week we took the Suburban to the car wash. Duncan calls it the "dirty black car" and was quite upset when it was clean. Not to worry - it was dirty by the time we got home and there's no need for a vehicular name change.

Uh oh, it looks like we need to have that "don't text and drive" talk with Duncan!

Allie already thinks that she can do anything her big brother can do.

Yesterday we stopped and got some canned food for Riley. Duncan loves to help and was more than happy to help put it away in the pantry for me. Three times...

45 Weeks Old

2011-11-17T16:43:00.001-06:00

Today our Allison is 45 weeks old.

We got a cold(ish) front in so she had a chance to wear one of her warm outfits.

On Monday she pushed the musical table and took about five steps with it, and today I got a few seconds on video of her pushing her baby stroller. Don't mind the background noise of Duncan watching his Uncle Hullabaloo video that I posted on the blog yesterday. He enjoys watching our videos on my iPad.

YouTube Video

And I'll leave you with a shot from lunch today. Allie has figured out the straw cup and likes to get the water in her mouth and then spit it out down the front of her shirt... You'll also notice a few bites of grilled cheese on her tray and chin - she loves grilled cheese!

And we can't just have Allie pictures on the blog, so...

Once Allie started pulling up on the little table (and climbing up it), Duncan had to find a better place to play on my iPad, where "No Allie get it."

Uncle Hullabaloo

2011-11-16T18:14:00.001-06:00

Cindy's brother, my Uncle Bob, is a huge University of Texas fan. For as long as I can remember, he has given me a hard time about being an Aggie. This past weekend was no different! However Duncan innocently got in on the fun when I told him Bob's name was Uncle Hullabaloo. Hullabaloo happens to be the first word of the Aggie War Hymn...

When we came home, Duncan was glad to see his stuffed Miss Reveille and we discussed if Uncle Hullabaloo would like to meet Miss Reveille. Of course Duncan thinks he would!

YouTube Video

The New Mr. and Mrs. Coleman

2011-11-15T14:38:00.001-06:00

My baby brother got married over the weekend, so we headed down to Kingsville a few day early to partake in the festivities. Somehow I didn't end up with a lot of pictures, maybe since the kids kept me busy!

Since the wedding fell on my cousin Jeremy's birthday, we celebrated a day early with a family lunch gathering. Jerm was not as enthusiastic about the singing as the rest of us were...

The wedding went off without a hitch (at least in my opinion) - excuse the blurry picture, Duncan helped me take it with my phone.

I stole this picture from Taelyr's Facebook page. We waited forever Friday night for a kid's meal at Dairy Queen so I hope they got better service in the stretch!

Aimee took a family picture for us while we were all dressed up. Duncan and Jeremy's son Liam walked down the aisle carrying a sign that said "Here comes the bride" before Taelyr made her entrance. I didn't get a picture since Aimee and I were wrangling the boys, but when the photographer posts pictures, I will share them.

Duncan's absolute most favorite part of the weekend was dancing at the reception. I had to hold him back when Clay and Taelyr were having their first dance - he didn't understand why no one was dancing with them!

He managed to cut in on Hoot and Ampa. Luckily they didn't mind!

He has been watching the video below over and over since I uploaded it to my iPad. He thinks it is so funny that he and Liam were dancing!

YouTube Video

44 Weeks Old

2011-11-14T22:07:00.001-06:00

Allie is growing up so quickly! She was 44 weeks old last week and such a joy to us. Everyone comments on how happy she always is and what a great disposition she has. And it is true - we are very blessed!

It takes some serious distracting and coordination to get Allison to stay on her back in her crib for these weekly pictures. It is hard to believe that there are only eight more pictures left to take.

And as soon as she hears a door or gate open, she is already escaping! Add the fact that Duncan likes to open the doors and gate and I listen for the sound of her hands and feet slapping on the concrete as soon as I hear Duncan open anything...

Quick Video

2011-11-13T22:00:00.001-06:00

I am WAY behind on the blog and hope to sit down this week and knock a few out. Life has been crazy hectic, as my baby brother got married yesterday so we were in South Texas for an extended but busy weekend. Duncan is on the up side of a cold, which he was kind enough to share with me and Allie and lack of sleep hasn't helped my immune system. But I wanted to share this video with you and assure all of our readers that we are fine before the phone calls started :)

Duncan's second request whenever we show up at Ampa & Hoot's house is to dance and Hoot and Ampa were happy to oblige him!

YouTube Video

And in case you were wondering, his first request at Ampa & Hoot's house is for the phone...

This N That

2011-11-03T21:46:00.001-05:00

Here are a bunch of random pictures that I have been meaning to post... No common theme, but still blog worthy in my opinion..

The other day I took the kids to the grocery store. While I put Allie in her car seat, Duncan usually is in the car finding toys under the seats and sitting in the third row seat. On Monday Allie was fussing for her bottle and I was trying to put the groceries in the car. Duncan was good enough to step in and help out... Allie didn't
look nearly as excited about it as he was...

Allie can't reach the back of the shelf, but there just happened to be a toy in the perfect place for her to step on...

We took Riley over to my Mom's with us last weekend and Duncan thought it was funny to play with him in the backyard at Grandma's!

Our church required us to go through a premarital class before we could get married. We were matched up with a couple and the wife made a blue and white blanket for Duncan. She called over the weekend and on Sunday at church, she brought the blanket that she made for Allie. It is just like Duncan's, but pink instead. Allie loves playing peek-a-boo and this blanket is perfect for it!

Where's Allie?

There she is!

Duncan likes playing my word games on my iPad. Courtney, he is why I score so many points!!

Allie likes to stand under the desk attachment of Duncan's bed. She is almost too tall to stand under it!

Allison is still not a big fan of food, though she does better with small bites of table food. Duncan got a good laugh at her puff goatee!

Another picture of my big helper. After their baths I mentioned to Duncan that I needed to comb Allie's hair. Big brother went and got her comb and started combing it or me when I was putting away their wet towels...

Allie thought it was funny when she stood up and Duncan was sitting on the push car.

Duncan climbs into the exersaucer and probably spends more time in it than his baby sister!

Allie finally let me put her hair up in a Pebble's style. She has lots of hair, but all of the other times I've tried, she has squirmed too much...

That's all for now - after all of my blog posts tonight, I think I'm caught up!

Halloween Part 2

2011-11-03T21:29:00.001-05:00

Halloween was a lot of fun. Duncan is old enough to grasp the concept and the Halloween party the week before helped him know what to expect.

Duncan tried out his trick or treating skills at our neighbor's house with Keith.

Since the houses in our neighborhood are set back so far from the street, we sit outside and hand out candy. The weather was great and my Mom came over to help. We usually get 200+ trick or treaters - trailers of kids and lots of families on golf carts.

Once Duncan realized what was in the cauldron, he moved his chair to be closer and inspected all of the candy.

He made sure that the candy hadn't gone bad before we handed it out... He was funny, expecting to eat a piece of candy after each group of kids came by. That didn't happen!

Our neighbor's kids and their friends were more interested in seeing Riley than getting candy (though they made sure to get candy after running with Riley).

One of Duncan's favorite parts of the night was when our neighbor stopped by and brought his dog. He thought it was funny that Laurie was riding on the golf cart and enjoyed petting her.

Allie spent a lot of the evening sitting in Duncan's chair and just watching all the action. She has her own chair, but we didn't think she would sit in it so we left it in the attic.

Luckily Duncan found a different chair to sit in... Yes, that is the cauldron of candy he is sitting on. A couple of times he actually sank in and got stuck.

I thought the view from the back was pretty funny!

We ran out of candy at 8 and packed everything up. My Mom put Allie in bed about 7:30, as she was having a hard time staying awake.

Duncan ran around and stayed up until 8:30 - he definitely had too much sugar!!

42 & 43 Weeks Old

2011-11-03T20:43:00.001-05:00

Today our Allie is 43 weeks old. This time last week she was 42 weeks old and since I haven't had a chance to post her pictures from last week, you get two weeks of pictures today!

She has so much hair and it is very curly, like mine.

She is growing up too quickly! A third tooth has come through on the top and a fourth tooth is coming in on the bottom. She has handled teething very differently than her big brother!

I laugh that her clothes both weeks are PINK! I am not a girls-girl but I can't resist all things pink for her... And any denim dress I see too!

Look how grown up she is - Allie is trying to write her weekly age on the magma doodle ;)

Chasing Allie

2011-11-02T11:45:00.001-05:00

One of Allie's favorite games is to be chased, and it's usually by the pile of stuffed animals. I took this quick video a few minutes ago and had to share it!

YouTube Video

Aggie Game

2011-10-29T22:30:00.001-05:00

This morning we headed to College Station to watch Texas A&M play Mizzou. Unfortunately the Aggies ran out of time in overtime, but we managed to have a wonderful day. The weather was gorgeous and we really had a great time.

As you can tell from Duncan's pose, the crowd was really loud - in fact the attendance was the 8th highest ever at Kyle Field.

Duncan was excited to see Miss Reveille at the game and was beyond excited to get a stuffed puppy dog that looks like Miss Reveille. He carried that puppy everywhere!

We met Karl and Amy at the game. Duncan and Allie were glad to see them (we were too!).

Amy and Allie hung out quite a bit.

Karl had his turn with Allie too. I was teasing Amy and Karl that if they have a baby, they'll think it's super easy because they're used to having our two kids with them - one will be a breeze!

Duncan also hung out with Karl. Karl showed him that he could put his hands in his overalls, which he thought was pretty silly.

Duncan always likes to push the buttons on drink lids. He was in luck with the lids on the drinks at the game. And it was better than he expected because the buttons wouldn't stay popped so the fun was never ending!

Maybe I'm a bit biased, but Duncan sure is a cutie!

Allie lasted until the last few minutes of the game! Duncan stayed awake the ENTIRE time - even the long stroller ride after the game.

After the game, we tailgated with some of Karl and Amy's friends. Allie enjoyed crawling around in the grass...

...And Duncan enjoyed watching the television. Though he paid much closer attention to the remote!

Everyone thought it was so funny that Duncan would just stare at the remote. He tried to pick it up at first, but was told not to, so for the rest of the time he just looked at it. And looked at it. He would go do something else (push the stroller, find Karl or Amy or Dad, pat Allie on the head, get some goldfish, drink my water, etc) but would always end up back at that remote.

After dinner with Karl and Amy, both kids fell asleep on the car ride home. Duncan made sure to tuck Miss Reveille in his blanket and tell her "night-night" before crashing out...

2011 Halloween - Part 1

2011-10-26T21:22:00.001-05:00

I love Halloween. And I especially love that my kids are still young enough that I can influence (okay, more like dictate) what their costumes will be. I was a little concerned this morning that Duncan wouldn't want to wear his costume to a Halloween party at a neighbor's house but not only did he wear it, but I had to make him take it off!

This morning we had a back yard photo session. The kids did well and I was glad I didn't let Riley out until I snapped the pictures because he, um, marked the tree that I used. That would've made an interesting picture!!

So without too much suspense... Here is Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf!

It was a difficult task to get them both on the blanket by myself and of course they wouldn't both look at the camera for the same shot. I got a couple good individual shots though.

The Big Bad Wolf hid behind Riley's tree... The costume is so warm, I am hoping that tomorrows cold front sticks around through Monday!

And Little Red Riding Hood was all smiles for me. None of the LIttle Red Riding Hood costumes had great reviews so I ordered the hood on www.etsy.com and she is wearing one of her denim dresses and a pair of shoes that I bought a while back on clearance. And that is Duncan's Easter basket without the liner. Not too bad and she is posed on the quilt my great-grandmother made.

After our photo shoot, the BIg Bad Wolf chased Riley around the backyard for a while. And then we headed to a friends house about 5 minutes away. Duncan laughed as I buckled him in his carseat and said, "Wolf go for a ride!"

The kids played while we waited for everyone to arrive. There were lots of kids and Duncan did really well, especially only knowing one kid!

I laughed at this shot of Duncan on the swing - all wolf!

We strapped the kids in their strollers and wagons and got a few group shots before parading to the end of the cul-de-sac.

I snapped a shot of my favorite kiddos before we left.

And snapped a shot of the parade behind me.

We walked to a house belonging to one of the Mom's at the party. She went in through the garage and the kids were excited to trick or treat. Duncan quickly learned to say, "trick or treat" and get candy.

After making Duncan take off his costume, he devoured a whole slice of pizza (and half of mine). He was excited saying, "Pepperoni like Dad!"

After lunch the kids played and then we left. There were a few games planned but since Allie is trying to get rid of her morning nap, she was exhausted and it was almost nap time for both of them.

Poor Allie didn't even make it for the half a mile drive home!

We had a terrific time today! And I'll leave you with a quick video:

YouTube Video

This N That

2011-10-26T15:33:00.001-05:00

Just a few pictures that I couldn't bring myself NOT to post...

Duncan discovered he could sit on the cart when it is sideways...

...but that it won't stay down when it starts bucking!

Allison only saw her brother go through the tunnel once before conquering it herself. Over and over. Though the two kiddos struggled to get past each other inside the tunnel.

Duncan started putting his electronics in the blue bin. He has discovered Allie likes to taste his electronics but if he puts the blue bin on the glider, then she can't get to them.

She also can't reach the windowsill. Which is almost too small... His expression is my attempt to have something besides his fake smile.

Last night Allie was hanging out in the hallway with Riley.

Silly girl kept trying to put her finger in Riley's nose. Poor Riley!

And this last one cracked me up. Keith gets up with the kids so I can get a little more sleep. After I got up and showered, this was what I discovered in the living room.

41 Weeks Old

2011-10-25T16:39:00.001-05:00

Allie hit 41 weeks old last week. I was a little distracted by everything going on and I forgot to post the pictures.

It is a lot of work to keep her laying down for these weekly shots!

Weekend Update

2011-10-24T21:47:00.001-05:00

Forgive me for not blogging more recently, but the kids both are recovering for colds and I am having laptop issues...

My Dad, Cindy and her mom Ruth came to visit for the weekend. It was an enjoyable but quick visit.

Duncan and Allie were happy to see them! They arrived during afternoon nap time and we didn't tell Duncan that they were coming so it was a great surprise when he woke up!

Duncan enjoyed spending quality time with Lady in her crate. I'm not sure she enjoyed it quite as much...

Allie quickly remembered that Ampa has a necklace that she likes!

Duncan loves puppy dogs, which is good because they brought three with them!

Aunt Taelyr sent an Elmo book for Duncan which is a big hit!!

After everyone left we hung out in Duncan's room - even Riley.

We have a gate to keep Riley out of the kids' rooms but I think that Allie wanted to escape...

It's so neat to watch Duncan and Allie play together. Usually they just want to play with whatever toy the other kid has.

Allie never took a nap this morning, which caught up with her at lunch today... I called her name when she was first falling asleep and she would open her eyes, laugh, and close them again. Duncan thought it was funny that Allie was sleeping in the high chair.

Allie stands up all the time. Today I noticed that she is figuring out how to get down without just falling down. She also tries to stand and let go...

Duncan had a few M&Ms after supper tonight - I'm not sure if he ate or wore more...

Updates

2011-10-18T22:20:00.001-05:00

Sunday after church we went to Jason's Deli for lunch. They have free ice cream and Duncan had his first ice cream cone. He's had ice cream but never his own.

It didn't take long for him to know exactly what to do!

We stopped by Keith's office today to go to lunch with him. I set Allie on the floor of his office and she immediately crawled over to his work bag. I told Keith that she was ready for him to come home - and sure enough she tugged on his bag and tried to pull it over!

We went to an Italian restaurant for lunch today and the waitress brought Duncan some dough to play with. He wasn't sure what to think of it but thought it was pretty funny.

This is one of Allie's latest poses. I am not sure where she picked it up, but it always makes me laugh.

When we dropped Keith off at his office, Allie was crashed out! I had to take a picture because she had a grip on that baby doll! My cousin Heather gave the doll (action figure?) to Duncan when I was pregnant so he'd get used to having a baby. Allie dug it out of his toy box and plays with it all of the time - and by plays, I mean chews!

I love my sleeping babies! I can see some resemblance in this picture to her furry big brother, Riley!

One of Allie's favorite things to do is to shop in her brother's toy box...

She pulls out a toy, tests it out, throws it out and goes for another one... And eventually there is a trail of toys into Duncan's closet... Before I had the camera, she was reaching so far in the toy box that her feet were off the ground!

This morning we ran an errand for Keith and while in the store, Duncan spotted an A&M remote. Normally I don't buy them for him (we count a lot of remotes!) but this one was marked down and actually rang up for $2.

Duncan has been amazing us with his sentences and grammar. He has been using a lot of comparisons and always wants to do things "like Daddy"...

40 Weeks

2011-10-13T21:44:00.001-05:00

Today our Allison is 40 weeks! She is very entertaining and we are enjoying her personality!

She discovered the magna doodle and wanted to make sure it passed her taste test..

Keith gets up with the kids in the mornings so I can get an extra hour of sleep. This morning he snapped a couple of pictures with MY camera :)

Duncan had fruity circles for breakfast and apparently Allie was quite the morning person! She doesn't get that from me!

I snapped this picture of the bedtime story. Duncan had been sitting on the other half of Keith's lap until he spotted the camera...

9 Months Old

2011-10-12T21:36:00.000-05:00

Before we left town Friday, Allie had her 9 month pediatrician check up. She weighed in at 24.2 pounds and was 29 inches long. We got the go ahead to start feeding her table foods and are excited about that since she is not much of a fan of baby food. She hasn't been too interested in much yet but we are slowly introducing new things to her. She now has five teeth and three more working their way in. Hopefully after they bust through she'll start sleeping through the night again!

She wants to stand up all of the time. She pulls up on us, on furniture and on anything that she can.

We gave her mashed potatoes last night. She was happy to chew on the spoon and wear most of the potatoes!

Today I watched in amazement as she crawled to the picnic table, pulled herself up, threw a knee up on the seat and pulled herself to a standing position on the seat. After I snapped this picture, she threw a knee on the blue table top and I had to stop her from climbing even higher.. I am NOT ready for this!

I had to post this last picture - Allie has always been attracted to drawer pulls and door stops... And all things shiny!

Weekend in Runge

2011-10-11T21:01:00.000-05:00

We spent a long weekend at Keith's parents house in Runge. Duncan played with his dry erase crayons for a while. He got more crayon on himself than on the actual dry erase surface, but since they are washable, we didn't mind!

Duncan cracks me up, always sleeping with all the remotes he can find...

Allie hung out with Pa on the front porch quite a while.

Duncan always finds the wheelbarrow and hauls his remotes around...

Duncan went on the "wheeler" with Pa and enjoyed sitting on it by himself.

Pa decided that Katie (which is what he calls Allie since he calls all his grandkids by their middle names) needed to go for a ride on the wheeler with him and Duncan.

Duncan and Riley really enjoy the freedom of all the brush and acreage. Poor Riley sleeps for a few days when we get home!

Riley wasn't very excited when a big thunderstorm blew through and he hung out in front of the door to the room where Duncan slept. We actually got 4 inches of rain!

Allie is SPOILED when we get home and doesn't want to be put down!

A huge gaggle of turkeys nibbled on some grain right outside of the dining room windows!

Duncan thought it was fun to help Keith put a new radio in Pa's truck.

Sunday Duncan went with Keith and Pa on the tractor and they got caught in a downpour - he thought it was SOOOO funny ("Rain fall on head!"). He didn't mind warming up on the couch with a cookie Gi made him!

Whenever we put Allie down, she went straight to Riley's kennel!

Sunday afternoon some of the cows on the property made their way to the pasture next to the house. Neither Riley nor Duncan had seen a cow up close - I think Riley was more excited, though Duncan moo'ed for us several times!

Gi and Duncan pushed Allie in the stroller a little bit. It is a workout pushing it on the grass!

Because of all of the rain, the creek was up several feet. Frank told Keith that it is back down to a trickle now! It was nice to get some much needed rain!

Riley decided that the bird bath was the perfect height for him to drink water...

Duncan spent most of the ride home deciding what to eat out of the bag of goodies Gi sent with him. He would take a bite of cheese, then eat a grape and then a cookie and then finish off the cheese.

39 Weeks and 9 months old

2011-10-06T15:55:00.000-05:00

Today our Allie is 39 weeks old - and exactly 9 months old. It is hard to believe it and she is so grown up!

It's not even close to cool enough to need long sleeves and pants... But at the rate she is growing, if I don't put her in them now, the shirt may never fit over her head again!

Allie follows Duncan everywhere. Yesterday she crawled into Duncan's room and watched him climb on top of all of the stuffed animals and watch Keith mow the grass.

And when Duncan ran into the other room to see Keith better, she eyed the mountain of stuffed animals and tried her best, which thankfully isn't quite enough yet!

Allie has her 9 month doctor's appointment tomorrow and we will get the okay to start feeding her first stages of table food. We have fed her a few things already - including puffs. She isn't quite sure what to think and they end up stuck to her finger or chin.

Such a happy baby! We sure do love our Allie-Oop!

Lotion

2011-10-05T16:02:00.001-05:00

When Duncan sees us with something, he wants it - no surprise, since he is two. One of the things I let him have is lotion. He sticks his finger out and gets a little lotion. He always puts it in the same place: his belly button! Here is a short video of it with the added bonus of the giggle he says accompanies belly button pushing...

YouTube Video

And he does the giggle when he pushes his own belly button, when he pushes Allie-Oop's belly button, and any other belly button he finds to push... Consider yourself warned!

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures...

2011-10-05T15:27:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pictures from my camera...

In case you didn't know it, Duncan likes remotes. And I use the term "likes" loosely. He is crazy about them. At the moment, he has 15 - including the Elmo remote, which is the only one he will allow Allie to have. He;s funny about it, he can tell you who gave him each one and even tells you that KarlAmy brought the itty-bitty remote back to him after he left it at their house. The other night when he went to bed, I asked him which remote he wanted and his reply was, "All of them!" Before I went to bed, I snuck into his room and moved all of the remotes on his bed but there was one that I figured I would leave...

All Allie wants to do is stand up!

Yesterday Allie snuck into Duncan's room and pulled herself up to see what her brother was doing. Because whatever it is, she wants to do it too! Luckily Duncan thinks it is pretty funny.

Maybe Duncan should be Albert Einstein for Halloween?

When Keith goes to practice, my evenings are hectic. Allie enjoys watching Duncan's bath from the perch of her jumping exerciser.

This last picture cracks me up. Allie wasn't ready for her nap, so I sat her in her crib. She rolled around, pulled up, sat up and finally fell asleep. While she was sitting. As Duncan would say, "Silly Allie-Oop!"

Another Aggie Game Day

2011-10-01T20:56:00.000-05:00

The Aggies played [two quarters] again today and instead of going to Karl & Amy's house, they made the drive up to Magnolia. Duncan was a big help as I made brownies - he was all about the clean up!

Somehow I didn't get any pictures from when Karl & Amy were up. Amy and I spent the first half outside with Duncan. The weather was gorgeous. Apparently we should have stayed outside as the Aggies stopped playing once we started watching...

But on an great note - Allie WILLINGLY ate almost all of her baby food this evening! Usually it takes a lot of effort just to get four or five spoonfuls down her. But tonight she actually opened her mouth and licked her lips. She was actually upset a few times when I used the spoon to wipe the food off her chin and she couldn't reach the spoon to lick. It. Was. Awesome!

She started fighting me when she was almost done with the food, but wanted the spoon, so we let her hold it for a while. You can see how much food she ate in the picture below.

After supper we all went outside for a little while. The kids enjoyed swinging...

And I even managed to put them both in the toddler swing - they thought it was pretty funny!

We have been bathing them together when we are both home. Duncan likes to pour the water on Allie's head but settles for pouring it on her hands and toes. And his own head!

Grocery Shopping

2011-09-30T21:02:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick picture of Duncan's favorite part of grocery shopping - Buddy Bucks!

He was a little weary of the machine the first time we played it, but now is a pro! When we went to HEB last week, the line for the Buddy Bucks machine was longer than any of the checkout lines, so we skipped it. That means that we got to play a twice as much this morning! Allie patiently watches from the cart... For now!

38 Weeks and Peek-a-boo

2011-09-29T20:14:00.001-05:00

Our Allie is 38 weeks old today and growing so quickly! She has struggled last night and today with her teeth, taking shorter naps that usual not as hungry. She did eat some mashed banana in the food net tonight, though she ended up with quite a bit on herself too...

Even though I usually post the picture with her teddy bear second, it is usually the first one that I take as she loves her teddy bear!! In fact, I usually hold it up above my head for the other picture to get one of her grins.

Allie and Duncan play peek-a-boo with each other and it is pretty funny. Duncan likes to hide from her and then I usually have to show her where he is. Once she knows where he is though, she is quick to keep going back to him, which makes Duncan laugh even more!

Another funny thing about it is that when Duncan wants to hide, he hides and then yells out, "Duuuuncan" like I do when I am pretend looking for him.

It is so neat to see them interact. Sometimes they just look at each other and start laughing!

McCumber Mayhem

2011-09-28T21:13:00.001-05:00

I've actually kept the camera close by this week and have a ton of pictures to post... The kids crack me up and I'm sure that I'll leave a few things out that I meant to post, but I'm sure that I'll blog again soon :)

Who needs toys when you have a brother/sister? Duncan and Allison entertain themselves and all I have to do is make sure no one falls too hard! They are constantly making each other laugh and when Allie is fussy, most times Duncan will run over to her, pat her not-so-gently on the head and say, "It's okay Allie-Oop!"

We had our neighborhood playgroup over at our house on Monday and one of the older boys wanted an apple. Of course Duncan wanted one too and though I usually cut them up for him, I handed him a whole one and he ate most of it - including half of the core!

Allie is a fan of standing up. Especially when the music table looks a lot more fun on the far side!

Duncan is a fan of a schedule... At 2 pm he turns the CD player on and I lay down with him for the first song. I usually leave Allie playing on the floor of her room and on Monday afternoon when I was laying down with Duncan, guess who decided to come into Duncan's room?

Since then, Allie has expanded her horizon and often goes into Duncan's room and often finds goodies. Notice that she is standing without holding on the cart! Luckily she leaned on the cart long enough to grab a remote before falling down.

Allie loves her push stroller although she isn't quite sure what to do when it rolls away...

You can't tell from this smiling face that she has three teeth that have just broken through the gums and at least one more that is coming...

She will stand up ANYWHERE that she can. A few minutes after I took this picture, she was leaning to get the polka dot puppy and had her right leg in the air - I wish I had gotten that picture!

Duncan has his stuffed animals stacked up between his bed staircase and the window and likes to lay there. After I took this picture he told me that he wanted to take his nap there.

This morning while Allie was taking her morning nap, Duncan and Riley had some good quality time.

Riley is so very good with the kids, though he does like to lick them a little too much!

Most kids try to get out of the pack-n-play, but this morning Duncan climbed into the one we keep in the living room. He thought it was fun when I put Allie in with him. The two of them played together in it while I cooked lunch.

At lunch today Allie enjoyed some ice in the baby food net. With all of her teeth coming in, she seemed to enjoy the cold. She went through two pieces of ice and had more at dinner. Maybe I should sneak some food in there tomorrow!

Another shot of Allie standing (one handed). I tried to get her to smile, but she was working on her teeth and I had to snap the picture before she fell down - she is distracted easily!

For Christmas and birthdays, I made fleece blankets for kids of several of our friends. To make the blankets, I had to cut corners out of both layers of fleece and I saved the squares I cut out. Last night and this afternoon I finally had some time and I sewed a blanket. When Duncan woke up from his nap he was thrilled at the blanket I made - even the ugly side with the seams! He sat in the rocker and put the blanket on his legs this afternoon and kept it up high so Allie-Oop couldn't get it.

This evening Duncan threw a fit and Keith put the blankets on his as he was laid out on the floor. Duncan laid down and we said night-night to him. He thought it was funny and laid his head down. What temper tantrum?

Aggie Game Day

2011-09-25T22:01:00.000-05:00

Karl and Amy invited us to their house for front row seats to watch the Aggie game. We waited to tell Duncan where we were going until the morning of the game and the entire drive he said "Go KarlAmy house!"... We packed up half the house and headed to Houston. Seriously we had quite a bit of stuff since we were there for nap time and we actually ended up letting them feed us lunch AND dinner.

Duncan quickly found their remotes and didn't mind letting Allie slobber on his remotes...

We took a few remotes and he found a few remotes... And then he lined them up by the window. His favorite seat was the ottoman strategically placed for the dogs to sit and watch the neighborhood activity. Poor puppies didn't get to see much outside while we were there.

We had a wonderful time - the only way it could have been better was if the Aggies hadn't run out of time!

Friday Fun

2011-09-23T21:19:00.002-05:00

Since I'm working on Halloween ideas, we pulled out Duncan's old costumes to see if they fit... Duncan's costume from his first Halloween fits Allie and his costume from last year is tight but still fits him.

Last weekend Uncle Clay helped Duncan "fly" everywhere so now when I ask him to raise his arms to fly he screams "Uncle Clay!"

Allie wasn't sure about the lion costume, but after a few tastes of the tail she crawled around in it for a little while.

She is always happiest when she is only in a diaper, which Duncan calls "naked baby!"

I helped her stand up behind her push stroller today - she thought that was pretty funny!

I helped her up behind Duncan's push car too. Duncan thought it was funny because usually I hold Allie in the seat and he pushes her around.

This afternoon, Allie pulled herself up to stand at the picnic table. It took her a little while and she was pretty proud. I made sure not to clap until after I took a picture and sure enough, once I started clapping she tried to clap too and promptly fell down.

37 Weeks Old

2011-09-22T20:22:00.002-05:00

Our Allie is 37 weeks old today. She has three more teeth coming in all on the top. One broke through over night (and she was so excited about it she woke me up at 1 and 5 am to tell me) and with the amount of droll that a simple teether creates, it seems like the other two are not far behind!

Her poor little knees get so red from crawling on the carpet that my Mom got her some leggings. They seem to help as her knees aren't as red anymore.

Allie thinks I am SO funny!

Look at this grin - it is hard to believe that she is cutting teeth!

Allie looks so grown up in this picture. It is hard to believe that she is 8 1/2 months old already.

She wants ANYTHING that Duncan has - and of course Duncan wants the exact toy that Allie happens to be playing with..

Allie is good at giving open mouth kisses. Sometimes there is lots of drool involved but we welcome all of her kisses!

Who needs a gym with these two kiddos?

Our Allie is such a sweet girl.

Riley went with me to get Duncan up from his nap. Duncan thought it was soooo funny. When Riley laid down, his tail knocked over the popper and Duncan laughed so very hard and then said "Riley knock down popper with tail!" He is speaking great sentences and amazes me at what he remembers and learns.

Riley is SUCH a good doggie - he is very accepting of Duncan's Eskimo kisses.

This afternoon Allie got a chance to explore Riley. Keith was right there making sure they were okay. Riley will get lots of treats and some peanut butter this evening for being so good with the kids.