TOINS, PENS & DIAMONDS

for the longest time, the boys would call any change they received "COINS". which is just the absolute cutest when boomer says it because his Cs come out as Ts. "TOINS." too funny!

then everything turned to pennies, which boomer calls "PENS."

jax has gotten really good at what's what when it comes to money . i haven't officially taught them yet all the proper terms, even though i've had giant paper money bought from the learning store, for like ever. anyway...

a few weeks ago my grandpa pulled out his change wallet. which, by the way, is something grandpa does with all his grandkids. i think he was the first to teach us all our first lesson on money and he has a really great coin wallet that is all twisty like a puzzle. i remember trying to figure out how to open it when i was little. okay... i'm rambling....

so anyway, grandpa pulls out his change wallet and lets boomer pick between a quarter and a dime. boomer chooses the dime.

gpa:"what'd ya pick boomer?"

b:"a pen."

gpa:"a pen? no boomer, that's not a pen! what is that coin you chose?"

b:"it's a PEN, drampa!!!" (getting a bit annoyed)

me to gpa:"we haven't taught him the correct terms, yet. he calls everything coins or pennies."

gpa:"boomer, that one is a dime and this one is a quarter! you want them both?"

b:"YEAH!!!!!"

fast forward a few days. we are on a short trip to the supermarket, so the boys get to walk with me. while i'm busy deciding on what kind of tissues to buy, my boys are hiding in the TP racks, jumping out in front of people's carts, hissing like velocoraptors . i'm more than a little annoyed, so i quick pick out a tissue box, and drag my boys up to the register. they throw fits, of course. what's a trip to the store without a meltdown, right?! so i don't pay them any attention (as decided since the day jax was born.) so we get to the car and i'm lecturing them on why scary dinosaurs giving little old ladies heart attacks is NOT okay, and boomer just can't stop crying. not fit-like, but sad, like his little heart had been broken.

me:"why are you crying, boomer?" (still annoyed, i admit)

b:"i lost my diamond!!"

me:"huh?!"

b:"my diamond!! it's lost!!!" (still SO upset)

me:"boomer, calm down. i have no idea what you're talking about."

he calms down a bit, but still talks about this diamond the whole way home. all the while i'm racking my brain, trying to figure out what the whoozie a diamond is.

we get home, i send the boys to their room to play while i unload the groceries. a few minutes later, boomer runs down the stairs and shows me his dime from grandpa. "look, mama!!! i didn't lose THIS diamond!!!!" so proud of himself.

time to break out the GIANT paper money props!

Secret Agent Boomer

Man I love having boys. Last night, totally out of nowhere, Boomer comes sneaking around the stairs corner and comes up to me and says, "Shhhh, I'm a secret agent, I have a mission." He then spends the next 20 minutes peaking his head around every corner before he goes around, and ducking behind the couch to hide. I have no idea where he learned his tactical skills, but he's already a budding spy. Now he just needs to master his accents.

hair

i totally need to have my hair colored, but that means cutting it.

and it hasn't been this long in a VERY long time!

PROOF!

HOMEMADE BABY LEGWARMERS

so i'm out shopping for clearance pants for my new baby niece lilly, at fred's the other day and see these cuties on super clearance for $1.18!! such a good deal, right?! little did i know there was a giant orange REASON!!

i've been wanting to make some since i first saw them in a store lots of months ago,
so i found a photo tutorial on google and decided to make some out of my
old socks that needed mending.


BEFORE
notice the hole in the toe

AFTER
so very easy!! everyone should make some! these were made out of crew length women's socks. i'm a bit afraid that they'll be too big for baby lilly, and may need to find children's size ones, but we'll see. i made my boys model them for me when i finished and they were crew length on my 5yo and almost knee highs on my 3yo, so i figure they MAY be thigh high for a baby, which will be perfect, so long as they aren't too loose! these could totally be made out of women's thigh highs for a 5+yr old, though!

this is my first doll, made from scraps i had hanging around. i got the idea from martha. SO EASY and QUICK, i made her in just a few hours with kids running around me!! yes, she still needs a face, i know. believe me i'm always reminded by jax. who, by the way, LOVES her! her felt hair is already pilled because of him!

NEW KICKS

we had to stop and shop til we dropped at the outlets on the way home from seattle the other day. we were able to find the boys new shoes since they are both having growth spurts left and right. we were sure to take advantage of the deals and spent only $50 on 3 pairs of shoes. (3 because we bought jax two pair since he'll be out of the size 1s within a few months, i'm sure!)

boomer is in 4T clothes and size 10C shoes (10-children). he chose these oh so cute little slip on "monster" vans for only $20jax is now officially in all big kid sizes, size 6 pants and size1 (the first YOUTH size) shoes.
he chose these cool little black and blue DC shoes. too bad he'll have to wait for the pair he picked until his feet grow a bit, since they didn't have size 2 in the white ones that mama and daddy liked.



unfortunately i think the days of hand-me-down shoes are passed. i don't know how they manage, but they wear out shoes and clothes as fast as they grow out of them. which is DANG FAST!!! i guess boomer really is going to luck out in that department, huh?!

FanFest 2010

Yesterday we spent most the day at Safeco Field for Mariners' FanFest. We had been once before, when Jax was 1, but we figured we'd have a lot more fun now that the boys know what's happening and can do a lot more activities. The whole drive down the boys kept talking about going to watch the Colts play in the Super Bowl, and we had to keep reminding them, the Colts play football and the Mariners are who we are going to see. Luckily, they caught on and we didn't have any daddy-embarrassing moments when we were there. It was a little disheartening when we showed up at 11:30 (started at 11) and the line to get in snakes all the way around the block. It was moving pretty good though, and we were only in it for about 15 minutes. We started off with a Mariner's lunch. Everything we did was a Mariner's something according to Boomer. After the best $25 lunch ever (read sarcastically) we headed to the clubhouse to see where the Mariners eat their lunch and Boomer was upset he couldn't eat with the guys. We didn't take nearly enough pictures, but of course had to get Griffey's locker.

Everything we did had a line, but the boys were very patient because there was lots of fun to be had at the end of the line. We were quite surprised at how well Boomer did hitting the ball. Not with the power that Jaxon has, but pretty consistent.

And of course after you hit the ball you have to run the bases, but it's hard to run with everybody in your way all the time. Good thing the boys are small and not too fast yet.

After legging out the homer they had to rest in the dugout.

Both boys won a prize for completing a kids' checklist of tasks. Jaxon was really hoping to spin the wheel and get the Mariner train, but he was sorely disappointed by "winning" a drawstring backpack. So disappointed that Daddy had to wear the thing. Boomer scored big time with the Griffey backpack, which he will be wearing through his first 9 years of school.

After the Moose was done icing his knee (freak chest bumping accident, he'll be ready for opening day) we got some pictures with him. You'll notice that Jaxon can not be seen within 45 feet of the moose, still stewing over his "winnings". Boomer made a new buddy and talked about him all the way home.

And no trip to the ballpark would be complete without the true baseball anthem and official snack of cotton candy.

We might have to make this an annual trip, and will definitely remember to bring our gloves next time to play some ball in the outfield. We tried to get some video of "take me out to the ballgame" and boys hitting balls, but it won't upload right. Maybe we'll get it up later.


*crystal here: i'd just like to add that i suggested we just put jaxon's drawstring backpack inside boomer's GIANT & EMPTY backpack............what does that tell you?! silly old daddy bear!!!