Happy Birthday to Grammy

Grammy turned 55 this week and got some good help blowing out the candles on my yummy birthday cake!

Cousins

This week we had a big celebrate because Olivia received her Master's Degree.  Since the graduation was in Duluth and would be a long day, Anna willingly took the troops for the day.

Throughout the ceremony I received videos and photos of the cousins that were just too cute not to share.  Love that the boys live in the same town and that they are able to spend so much time together.

When Anna and Olivia were little I used to be entertained by their differing personalities. Now that Otto and Huxon are learning to play together I am seeing similarities.  It's quite fun for this Grammy to watch:)

Otto is certainly his mother's child and Huxey is certainly his mother's child.  Our sweet baby Milo is just going with the flow, happy as can be.  I imagine Milo will be the super chill kiddo of our three, but only time will tell.  Just love them all to pieces:)

Making Forts

These cold days are challenging Gram in finding new and exciting things to do with the boys.  We really, really miss being able to spend time outside.  Not only does it tire them out, but they are just so happy when they are outside.

This week I racked my brain for something that would entice them.  We've made forts with blankets downtstairs before and Otto did enjoy them for a few minutes, but I knew I had to step up my game.

I looked in the playroom at that treadmill that has been taking up space waiting for someone to use it, and thought aha!  It made the perfect frame for a cool crawl up fort with xmas lights.  The boys loved it and we could fit all of them plus one adult in the fort comfortably so that was a big win:)

Add some bears and lots of pillows, blankets and some padding for protection and we have a new play place for the winter.

I tried to get a photo of all boys in the fort together looking at me, but of course that didn't happen.  I have better success with videos for Milo, since he is non-stop on the move.  Otto is finally at the age where he will actually pose for me for a picture:)  Huxey, we are still working on those smiles when the phone is in sight.  Giggles and smiles come from action, not from sitting and looking at Gram and her silly phone!

All of my boys💙

Grammy went on vacation in October and forgot to get back into the blog world.  To be honest, with three little munchkins I am finding it more difficult to keep things updated.  There are so many fun moments to document but I rarely have my phone at the ready anymore.   I feel it's better to be present then take a photo or video of what cuteness is happening at the moment.  This is not to say that I am not capturing some pretty darling moments.  Some are being documented, but few and far between with 3 at the ready, moving at a rapid pace.

Big news this month is that our sweet baby Milo is 9 months old!  I have no idea how this happened and it needs to slow down!  Milo is our only baby and I cherish those sweet baby snuggles and his soft, round little head in the nook of my neck.  At Milo's recent checkup we learned that he is 21.5 lb, which is 78th percentile for his wt. and 28.75" which is 67th percentile for his ht.  He is both taller and heavier then Otto was at 9 months.  Milo is babbling constantly and still giving us those beautiful, delicious smiles all the time.  He is the happiest teething baby I have ever been around.

Although Milo is 8 months younger then Hux and 22 months younger then Otto, he is working his darnedest to keep up with those two.

Milo is also copying as much as possible from his big brother Otto.  I am constantly reminded of moments of Anna and Olivia.  Otto is so sweet to his baby brother, it is just the most endearing thing to watch.  

Our Huxon is growing into a toddler.  Huxey is giving us lots of smiles and laughs now.  It's the best:)    He is becoming much more social, walking around restaurants checking out things, following kids around at Book Time and just being a typical curious little boy.  He will also pretend laugh with us and has discovered he is quite funny and gets a lot of attention for it.  Huxey is experimenting with new words.  Today he said, "mitt" for his mitten, "dog," "light," "Lily," and "hello," when he put the play telephone up to his ear.  There are different words each time I take care of Hux.  Sometimes new and sometimes the old words.  Others he says are of course, mom, dad, door, Nor for Norm, ball, wow, woah, and he tries to say "dryer," because he is infatuated with the dryer when it is going.  

One of the funniest (to me anyway) things Huxey does is throw a tantrum every time his Mom takes him home from Grammy's house.  He arches his back, kicks his legs and screams.  This is funny because his Mommy did this every time I took her from Grandma LaVonne's house and I feel like this  full circle is a little bit of justice in the scheme of parenthood;)

Otto is 2 1/2 going on 5.  His vocabulary is so fun!  Otty sings the ABC's and also can identify most of the letters as the first letter of someone's name.  A is for Anna, B is for Grammy (Brenda), C is for cat, D is for Daddy and Declan, E is for Emily, F is for Fiona, G is for Grandma and Grandpa, H is for Huxey and Halloween, L is for Luke, M is for Mom and Milo and N is for Nanna.  This continues throughout the alphabet.  He loves learning, singing finger plays and going to story time at the library and  putting the felt board pieces on the board that go with the story.  This boy is going to love preschool next year.  Otto is counting to 14 then comes, 19, 19, 19.  I am loving this stage of course from all the years of teaching preschool.  We both enjoy projects with shapes, colors, letters, numbers and experimenting with science stuff.  So much fun!

Grammys going to try to do better in the blog world next month, but in the meantime, here are some photos that should have been posted in the past few months because they are just too cute!

Huxey Fall

Sometimes you have the video going at just the right time.  Sorry Huxey, but this was just too funny not to post;)

Sleepovers Round 2

Strangely, I'm finding myself alone in a quiet house for the first time in weeks.  Huxey was picked up at 10:30 this morning and I now have the rest of the day to myself.  It feels strange...

Grammy Daycare has been going full force since mid August and hasn't slowed down.  Last Thursday-Saturday we had a another sleepover with Milo and Otto while their parents had a mini vacation in Boston.

We all had a good time and the boys did great.  Here are a few photos of the sleepover, and one of Huxey from this morning.

Thankfully the boys are very familiar with us/our home/routine.  Although, we are not used to Milo's nighttime routine of getting up every 3 hours at night to eat, so that was a little new for us;)   Grandpa took the night shift and Grammy took the late feeding and early morning feeding. His momma was very receptive to my suggestion to try oatmeal to get him to sleep longer.  We are all hoping this will fill his belly and allow his momma get some much needed and deserved sleep.  He is a very big boy, now wearing size 12-18 month pants and shirts at his young age of 7 months.  There is a reason we call him Boom Boom!

Otto has started to show some interest in the bouncy horse we have.  For the longest time he wanted nothing to do with it.  Now he is carrying on Grandma's tradition of bouncing on the rocking horse from her early days.  I haven't seen it bounce across the room yet, but my bets on Huxey or Milo to get it there!  This and several other outdoor toys are now in the basement.  We have play areas on all 3 floors (of course) with the largest and most large motor toys in the basement.  We tend to go up and down quite a bit during the day.  Between the squatting, lifting and stairs, I feel confident that the boys are keeping me younger rather then making me older, lol.

Otto also got a new Grand Rapids Hockey sweatshirt so that Milo could inherit his old one.  He looks so old here.  Every week watching the development of these 3 boys is fascinating.  They are so close together that as soon as one moves on from one stage, there is someone right behind going into that stage.  We got Huxey out of the scary, wobbly stage (although, he loves climbing now) just in time for Milo to start.  Otto has not been much of a climber at out house so we have that going for us, but watching Milo now, I can see him and Hux are going to have a great time climbing together very soon.

Milo is mostly standing and climbing now.  Crawling is so old news and he only does it to get to the next object to stand up against.  He is even letting go and just using his belly for balance on the couch, ottoman, etc.  He is also beginning to take steps when we hold his hands, although there isn't a balance to it, he sure loves cruising along.  My guess is Milo will be walking before Christmas.

And completely random, here's Huxey washing dishes.  He is actually playing in the soap and water to get the blue dye off of his hands from finger painting, but he doesn't know that;)

This weekend I have a sleepover with Huxey Friday-Sunday.  Let the merriment continue!

September

We have had a busy month at Grammy Daycare.  Our crew is "on the move" as Otto says.  Milo is crawling and pulling himself up on things now (preferably the solid granite fireplace ledge (argh).  He also has a shiny new tooth and a second one popping through.

Huxey is climbing and yelling and eating, eating, eating and busy, busy, busy and loves to take everything away from Milo (fortunately he doesn't mind if things are taken away).  It's full circle here with these cousins.

Otto is 2 1/2 going on 5 with his vocabulary.  He is telling us stories about scary things and made up things and real things all of the time.  These stories are the best!  There are dinos in the forest and trains in the crib and scary owls in his bedroom. He is also saying the funniest things like, "Dad close the door before the mosquitos escape" and "Grandpa, be a man."  He also looks up at me and says, "I love you Grammy" and melts my heart.  I catch  myself everyday thinking, I need to write this stuff down.

Of course with our 3 boys there is going to be some conflicts and challenges, but for the most part we have cruised along pretty easily. We have had a few incidents of pushing when Hux gets too close to Otto's trains, but Grammy has figured out a solution.  I bought Huxey a very cool train that Otto does not have.  Magically, Otto now gives Huxey trains so he can play with the new, super, cool Connor train that choo choos and whistles when it goes around the track.  We ask Otto whose train Connors is to remind him and he always replies, "he's Huxeys".  I'm sure this method won't work every time but for now I'm counting this as a big Grammy win:)

We are starting to
get in a routine here at Grammy Daycare.  Mondays we go to Book Time at the library and Fridays we go to the Children's museum.   I have a schedule on the fridge and we come pretty close to following it.  The key things are to plan somewhere to go a few days a week to break up the week and also to make sure to have snack by 10 and lunch by noon.  I also pray for nice days to go outside because we all know how loooonnnng those winter days can be and they are nipping at our heels. Naps are still a work in progress, although we have Milo going down about 9:30 every morning for an hour or two, Yay Milo! (Thanks Momma for getting up with Milo at 5:30 every morning so he is tired by 9:30 and ready for a nap).  Every day is an adventure and I always get to laugh and feel joy. Nothing better then that!

Otto loves the sandbox and his trains.

Hux loves to eat, play the recorder and piano and explore.

Milo loves to climb, bounce and be outside.

Milo is 6 months and Year 3 has begun!

Our sweet Milo is already 6 months old!  He is such a happy, happy baby and so full of loveable smiles and squeals.  He's also a big boy.  Milo was 18 lb. 12 oz (73%) and 26.75" long (53%) at his 6 month checkup.  He is very close to what his brother was at this age, although Otto was a little taller and a little leaner at this age.

Milo is now rocking on his hands and knees and can work his way forward with a little effort.  It won't be long and he will be crawling everywhere...because he is very motivated!  He is also eating food now, so he's pretty thrilled with that.  Like all of our boys, he loves to be outside and go for walks.  Grandpa takes him on long journeys in the mornings if Grammy and Otto run errands.  Milo loves the pup, Lily at Grammy's house and so far Lily is reciprocating the love.

Milo also loves to talk and is giggling all the time, which is my absolute favorite:) And he is wonderfully ticklish.

Grammy Daycare Year 3 is in full swing and we've been busy!  In one more week Huxey also joins Grammy Daycare, then things will get really interesting.  

Our Huxey is now a walker/jogger.  He took it slow learning to walk, but once he decided to take off now there's no looking back.   Cousin Otto is thrilled because evidently once you can walk you are no longer a baby.  Otto has declared Huxon a boy, and is thrilled to have him to run around and play with.  The first time Otto saw Hux walk he smiled, walked over, put his arm around Hux, hugged him and said, "good job Huxey."  Melt my heart.

One of the new things we have added to the playroom is a little electric piano.  Hux LOVES music.  He plays the tamborine everyday, and now the piano is his new favorite toy.  Otto also got to try a violin at Central School one day when we were exploring Tall Timber Days together.  We often have a band upstairs at Grammy's with Huxey on piano, otto and Gram on Tamborine and  Recorder and sometimes there's very loud drums added.  The recording studios haven't called us yet for a deal, but I'm sure it'll be soon.

Otto has really started to enjoy imaginary play and dress up which is so much fun!  Grandpa even gets in on the act.  I love those little imaginations.  Grammy has been a doggy, bear and a bunny in the past week, and let me tell you, there's some good exercise involved in this kind of play for an old 54 year old Gram.  The boys have also been playing kitchen a lot, making us delicious food and doing their best to "share" the dishes and food. 

I envision some territorial struggles amongst cousins with toys in the next few months, which will be interesting and reminiscent of Auntie and Mommy when they were little.  I'm sure there will be some entertaining stories to come.  In the meantime we are just enjoying each other and the beautiful weather, having fun and making memories!  Life is Good:)

July = Lots of fun

Summer feels like a blur, now that it's August.  One thing we do really well as a family, is pack in as much as possible in the summer.  That means a lot of adventures, almost everyday since we are all off in the summer.

When June began I had a fridge covered with invites to birthday parties , graduations, weddings, family reunions, neighborhood picnic, etc.  We are now down to just 3 invites left on our fridge.  Wow! It was fun and loads of memories were made.  Along with those parties we also managed to have our 4 of July celebration, another trip to the cities for a Twins game with the boys, a couple trips to Duluth to see GiGi and plenty of days and overnighters spent at the cabin...and who can forget the sleepover with all 3 boys:) 

Here are some of the pics taken along the way this summer...beginning with Grandpa running the Twins Race at Target Field as Wanda the Walleye.  The boys were too young to truly appreciate it, but this photo should give them a chuckle a few years down the road.

It was a scorching evening in the 90s with a zillion percent humidity.  Otto and Hux were perfect, and considering the temp and it was waaaaay past their bedtime, that's impressive.

Grandpa had quite a crew of support from GR and the cities to cheer him on.  I cannot tell you how many times we have heard the story of how two of the characters (I know one was skeeter) cheated right from the start, taking corners and jumping the gun.  That race was serious stuff to Grandpa;)

Gram and Grandpa took Otto to his first play and his first movie this summer.  The play was Shrek, which was a pretty fun thing to do.  Otto wasn't too sure of the costumes when they were up close and personal, but loved the play from a distance.

This summer we made quite a few trips to the Children's museum when it was raining.  Thank heavens we have a great place like this in Grand Rapids.  Both Otto and Huxon love to play there and I'm sure it won't be long and Milo will be running around playing too.

We also had another great July 4th with wonderful weather and a whole lot of cute kiddos!  I so enjoy watching all of the cousins together, big and little.  These are the times that create those relationships that will last a lifetime!

 

We had a lot of great days on the lake in July.  Anna and Luke also bought a pontoon so we cruised 

Pokegama as well as our typical Johnson Lake route.  

Summer was good to us!

Huxey is one!

Happy Birthday Huxon!  Huxey had his first big birthday bash on his real birthday.  Many of his family from Silver Bay came to celebrate along with cousins he doesn't get to see very often.  Hux handled the large crowd very well.  He participated in opening presents and tolerated cousin Otto's help.

Luckily it was a beautiful day so everyone got to mingle inside and out.  Hux also got his first taste of sweets, which I'd say was a big hit, since he devoured almost an entire mini cake without taking a break.  As per usual for Hux, he handled the attention and experience calmly and devoid of a lot of emotion;)  Cool Hand Hux should be his hashtag.

Watching all of the families there was such a good reminder of how lucky this little boy is and how loved he is by so many.

Hux had his one year doctor visit and is now 20 lb 14 oz and 28.5" long, which is 10% for height and 41% for weight for his age group.  He has put on a considerable amount of weight in the past few months since real food has become such a big hit!

Huxey also now has 5 teeth with a 6th one arriving very soon.  He is continuing his pursuit of walking and can actually stand and take a few steps if he forgets about it. The other day Grammy handed him a blinking wand and he stood by himself then took 3 steps to another toy before realizing he wasn't holding on to anyone anymore.

His vocabulary is starting to expand also.  Hux noticed a mobile above Milo's crib and said, "Wow" so clearly that I thought it was Otto.  He is also saying his version of ball.  Huxon is an independent soul who likes to do things when he wants to do them (aka, makings of a toddler).  He loves to touch everything and wants to walk all the time.

Huxey's favorites are music, food, swimming and his Momma:)  

All 3 Boys

Gram had a busy week during College For Kids.  Since Anna and Liv both work CFK for the week, Grammy got all the boys!  It gets pretty interesting with a 4 month old, 1 year old and 2 year old.  Grandpa helped out a lot which really kept everyone happy.

We spent most of our time outside, either at the lake lot or the cabin.  Both Huxey and Otto love the water:)  We also went to the children's museum which was a fun time.

Huxey loves music.  He can play a wicked tamborine, beat a drum like nobody's business and also loves playing piano at the children's museum.

Otto of course, spent a large part of his time at the museum rearranging the train track so it would work much better!  The museum has a bunch of new things, but the music room and trains continue to be the all time favorite.

My loves 

Classic Huxey look (head of baby mafia)

Silly Brothers

We all survived the week and had a good time.  Huxey loves to play with Otto...until he doesn't.  Very similar to when Anna and Liv were little, so we have to be conscious of letting Hux and Otto also have some alone time with either Gram and Grandpa too.  Milo was easy... just feed him, hold him and rock him to sleep and he's a happy boy.  Milo is also a BIG boy.  He went to his check-up and he was in the 75th percentile for weight and over 90th percent for height.  Will be interesting if he keeps up this pace or slows down in a bit.  So far he's our biggest boy by a long shot at 4 months.

Milo, 3 Months

Our "little" love Milo, is already 3 months old.  Milo loves to coo and smile and kick those chubby thighs.  He's also sitting in the Bumbo, which makes him look so big.  Milo loves being outside.  If he is feeling fussy, you just have to go for a walk outside and he instantly cheers up.  Milo just had his shots and we found out he is 15 lbs. 12 oz.  This is way past his brother, Otto's size at this age.

Milo also loves the water.  We have had some glorious Minnesota weather this past week, and with that comes hanging out at the cabin or lake lot.  Our little Milo or "boom boom" as Grammy calls him, loves to splash in the water.  He loved the water so much that he squealed, he was soo happy. Talking is now one of Milo's newest skills.  He is experimenting with all kinds of fun sounds to entertain us!

Spending time at the beach with these 3 boys is just the best!  

Progress

It's so much fun to watch the fast progression from crawling to walking.  Huxey is moving fast towards the walking finish line.

And for those who thought Huxon was going to be the strong, silent type, turn the volume up:)

We had a wonderful Memorial weekend up at the cabin with Huxey and family.  He was a champ at keeping his life jacket on and loved dancing on the pontoon boat with Gram and playing in the sand at the beach.  Hux also had his first turn at driving the pontoon boat with Grandpa.  It was wonderful to spend time on the lake with sunshine and 70's weather.

Huxey Boo

Huxon is on the move!  Our almost one year old has decided crawling is old news and it's way more fun to walk.  Of course for this to happen we have to have our fingers readily available for walking and running.  Hux is getting great at maneuvering around the furniture and loves, loves, loves his push cart for walking.  

Gram's starting to realize it won't be long and we'll have a runner, walker and crawler in no time at all.  If that doesn't get me in shape, I don't know what will!

Cousin Love

We've had some major cousin love going on these past couple weeks.  Since Mama Anna is done with work, all the boys have been at Grammy's house quite a bit.  Now that all 3 boys are together more then ever, and getting older there has been some conflict with boundaries, sharing, and mucho love (head hugging).

Otto loves to hug the boys.  He's usually very gentle with his hugs and kisses, but there has been a little bit more love then Huxey and sometimes Milo want.  As a result we have Huxey doing the same stiffened growl that his  mommy use to do to Auntie Anna when she shared the love back 25+ years.  We also have Otto saying,"accident" after sharing love when it's not appreciated;)

Of course, whatever Otto has, Milo wants and vice versa.  Never has the grass been more green on the other side. Hux has also learned to be more assertive in his attempts to nab what Otto has.  Now that he's very mobile and has gained another 3 pounds (just in the last month) Ot's needing to learn that two can play his game.

This photo below was at church on Easter after Hux touched Ott's cheek a bit too aggressively.

And so it goes...3 boys; 25 months, 11 months and 3 months.  

Things are going to get interesting, and I'm going to love every minute of it as their Grammy!