Boots and Bullets--1000

Tonight Alex and Amelia both came out of the laundry room with boots in their hands.  I obliged them, hoping it may bring us some relief from this ridiculous heat we've been having.  It didn't help, but they enjoyed running around the house.  Alex practiced his football stance and Amelia practiced being the little diva that she is!!

We were pretty bummed that it was raining, so we didn't make it to the Bullets first home game tonight.  Seems like we missed another blowout. . . the Bullets beat the North Mac Panthers 50-0 and had a running clock the entire second half!!  Glad we didn't stand out in the rain for that!  We're off to a heck of a start!

**This officially marks my 1000th blog post.  Sure hope my kids appreciate all these memories I'm keeping for them!!  I know I'm glad I've done it.

15 Month Check-Up

Today Amelia had her 15 month check up.  Alex insisted on going with us, so I decided to let him come and we just made a day out of it.  Amelia did fine at her visit, but she wasn't too happy about having to get 3 different shots in her legs.  She is growing and developing right on track!!  She is still wearing size 3 diapers and can wear 12 and 18 month clothes.  Some shoes she has are 4 and some are 5.  She's quiet independent and is really doing a lot of talking.  She's also working on getting 3 molars, the other one came threw last week or so.

Stats:
Height- 30 1/4" (38%)
Weight-24lbs 9oz (88th)
Head Circumference-47cm (83%)

After the check-up we ran a few errands.  Then we picked up lunch at Monty's and took it to school to eat with Dad and Dude.  Alex was so excited to see so many Bullets players in their football jerseys.  He kept telling them, "Let's win this game!"  It was so cute to see him look up at the players with his big blue eyes.  He was star struck!!

After lunch we came home and took a 2 hour nap.  I think that's a great way to spend a day off with the kids. It's so much better than taking a day off with a sick kid!   So blessed to have healthy kids outside of the occasional ear infection and cold.  (Knock on wood--it's been a while.)

Bottle it Up

There are so many little moments that I just want to bottle up and remember forever.  I always think I'm going to write random posts about the little things that happen and it just never happens.  So anyway, here's a few things that warm my heart these days.

Alex loves to get the silverware out for everyone at dinner.  He also decided every night where everyone will sit.  We used to have the same seats, but Alex likes to mix things up.   He also really doesn't like it when Amelia's high chair is not right next to the table.  He likes to include her in this, but not everything!  And for some reason milk always tastes better out of Daddy's glass.

Alex is a good helper when it comes to unloading the dishwasher.  He knows he's responsible for putting the pots and pans away and he does a great job, when he chooses to help.

Amelia is also becoming a little helper.  She loves to throw her dirty diapers in the trash.  Sometimes you can barely get her changed before she's trying to get up and throw it away.

While cooking dinner Amelia likes to be attached to me at all costs.  As soon as I pick her up, she points to whatever is all the stove and says "num num num".  The girl likes to eat!!  She also must be attached to me in the morning right about the time I'm ready to put on my make-up.  She's clockwork.

Amelia would give the biggest and brightest smile when she wakes up in the morning and then will immediately dive in for a big snuggle session.

Alex is growing strong enough that he can open the door at daycare and hold it for us.  Amelia has decided that she doesn't want to be carried into daycare, but must walk with her brother.

Amelia has started calling her beloved blanket "baby" just like Alex calls his beloved bear "baby".  This could get really confusing!

I take a detour every morning just so that Alex can see what's happening in the construction progress on first the County Market and now the strip mall next to it.  He's been thinking they are almost done for quite a while, but they really are getting close!

Alex likes to play football (surprise).  Luckily I just get to be the coach and lay on the couch and blow the whistle.  Adam has to get off the sideline and actually play! He also likes to be the coach and say whethere it's a defense or offense day.  And of course, Alex likes to give "knucks" to all the players after the game.

Someday Alex WILL poop on the potty and not his pants.  I do need to remember this now!!!

I love how Alex gets so excited when I come home from the grocery store and he goes through the bags and is so happy that I bought yogurt, grapes, and corn on the cob!

Amelia said "dude" for the first time today.  This is a word used rather frequently in our house.  This morning we were talking to Dude (Aaron) on the phone and Alex has on his dude shirt today.

Depending on the day Alex like to proclaim that either Mommy or Daddy is his best friend, but mostly Daddy.  That also usually decides who is going to lay with him until he falls asleep each night.

Amelia loves to put on her shoes.  She knows when she has on a new pair of shoes and loves to show them off.  She's going to be excited when I bust out her new tennis shoes when they come next week!!

Amelia loves to look at book and gets so excited if you offer to read one to her. Her new favorite book is Moo, Ba, LaLaLa.  There is a line where they say "No, no" and she immediately starts saying it as soon as you pick up the book.  We pretty much read this one every night before bed.

Alex has been giving Amelia vocabulary lessons, mainly on the drive to daycare.  Today he asked her to say "Big Truck" and "Monster Truck".  Somedays it's simple words like "car" "dog" or "bear".  He can really be such a great big brother!!  It's hard to remember though when he's knocked her down for the 10th time in a single day.  She's tough as nails though.

Amelia also gets excited when Daddy lets her turn the lights on and off.  These are the new words we've been working on.  She signs "please" but also tries to say it, but it comes out more as 'ease' but very nasally.

Alex has a new favorite word, and it's "Ri-DQ-lous."  It's absolutely adorable to hear him say it.  You can't help but smile.

These are random thoughts, but I want to remember them.  Sometimes daily life goes by so fast and we get frustrated with the grind, but I really do try to cherish these moments.

PS  Today would have been my Grandma and Grandpa Meehan's 68th Wedding Anniversary.  Also today is my cousin, Allyson's birthday!  What a special day in the Meehan family!!

Eye Dr. Appointment

Today Alex had an eye doctor appointment since he failed part of his Pre-K eye exam.  Alex wasn't super cooperative with the nurse or the doctor, but based on the limited information they were able to gather it looks like we may be headed towards glasses.  We won't know for sure until he sees a Pediatric Ophthalmologist in October.  I'm not looking forward to thinking about a toddler with glasses, but I know this problem is minimal compared to other ailments that we could be afflicted with.  We'll just keep counting all our blessings!

Hot Air Balloon Festival

Tonight we headed to Riverton to attend mass early, so that we could head over to Lincoln for the Art and Balloon Festival.  Unfortunately it ended up being too windy for the hot air balloons to take off.  We did get to see lots of kites that did some neat tricks, and we did watch the balloons 'glow' as dusk came.  It was pretty neat, but I was so bummed not to see all the balloons take off into the sunset.  Maybe next year.

Since it took place at the Lincoln Airport, Alex was able to take a look around the aviation museum and 'fly' a plane.  He thought he was pretty hot stuff.  Amelia and I hung out on a blanket and she enjoyed running around and watching all the people.  Daddy and I personally enjoyed the opportunity to eat carnival food again, especially our favorite treat a lemon and orange shake-up.  As usual, Amelia loved eating the lemon and Alex tried out the orange!  A fun way to spend time together as a family as summer winds down.

Sweet Dreams

Not long after awaking Amelia was in complete crab mode and Daddy was more than willing to lay down and take a little snooze.  Our little lady is working on getting some molars, and hasn't been feeling the best.

Kicking Off the Season Right

Alex giving players knucks after the game!
Special Thanks to Wendell Holdman for the photo.

Tonight we headed to Niantic to play Sangamon Valley in our first regular season game of the year.  We walked away with a 49-0 win! It was a beautiful night and a great way to start the season.  All I know is it's going to be tough to watch much of any of the games with 2 toddlers to keep an eye on.  I think Liz and I are going to invest in a gate or something to keep the girls in!  Go Bullets!!

Practice Makes Perfect

Amelia has been really trying to use a fork and spoon lately.  She often wants to use one of ours instead of one her size.  She's really starting to get the hang of it.  I thought practicing with watermelon was a good choice.

Spaghetti Smiles

It seems like you always see pictures of little ones eating spaghetti.  It's such a mess, but it sure is good!!! 
Especially when Mommy makes homemade sauce with tomatoes from the garden.

More Fair Fun

After lunch Amelia continued to enjoy the lemons from our shake-ups, and Alex and Thomas got to pretend to be firemen.  They slid down the pole, put out fires with the hoses and even went through a smoke simulator and learned how to get down on the floor and crawl to the window.  Then we saw the butter cow, a race care,while Amelia took a quick little snooze.  We then headed over to check out all the farm equipment and went on a little scavenger hunt of sorts through all the farming village.  After this Uncle Thomas and the gang took a ride on the skyline and we headed over to ride a few carnival rides.  After that we were out of money and exhausted.  It was after 3:00 pm before we made it back to the car all the way on the other side of the fairgrounds.  Amelia insisted on being held and Alex hopped in the stroller and passed out!!  What a great day!!!

State Fair Time

Today we headed out to the State Fair with Uncle Thomas, Aunt Amy, Gabbi, her friend Jaelyn, and Thomas.  We got there about 10 am and headed to Conservation World. Who knew you could spend 2 hours there?  We had two curious little boys that wanted to stop and look at everything.  We saw turtles, fish, dogs and cats at the APL tent, wood carving, more fish, a silly whip show, conservation police, and went on a train ride that you had to use your hands to make it move.  And that was just the beginning of our day.  After that we headed to get some lunch.  We were lucky enough to find a table and set up camp while everyone went here and there to get whatever their hearts desired for lunch. It sprinkled for a few minutes on us, but luckily our table was covered, so we were in good shape.