This is going to be quite a long entry as it's been a couple of weeks and Daddy is out of town so we need to share lots of pics of the kidlets and keep him up to date on what we've been up to.
This past week we were fortunate to have a visit from Nana and Grandpa Pryor. It had been just over 2 months since their last visit so they were excited to see how everyone was doing and also see all of the new things they've been up to. Lucky for me, they decided to stay for the whole week which coincided well with my first week back to work. I was very grateful for all of the extra help.
It has been a very exciting couple of weeks as Jaxon has finally begun to say a few "words". Along with Mom (which he has said for a long time), he's added: dada, nana, hi, baba and he makes noises when he drives his little cars or trucks (sounds kind of like "errrrrrrr" - it's very adorable!)
Emerson continues to be a chatter box. Here's a list of her "words": mama, dada, hi, nana, baby (this one is clear as a bell), baba (for bottle), ca (for cracker), water (I'm trusting my mom on this one - still waiting to hear it clearly again) and bye. I also think she says ma on its own for Makenna - I need to investigate this a bit more. I think there are a few more but can't remember at the moment.
While Nana and Grandpa were here Jaxon sure globbed on to Grandpa - the boy would hardly leave his side and for the first time wanted more to do with Grandpa than with Mommy. It was a nice break to not have such a clingy boy. I think he must really be missing his Daddy because he was very happy to have a man (Grandpa) in the house. It was nice for my dad, too, as it is usually Emerson who takes all of Grandpa's attention.
The Friday before heading back to work we took advantage of our Zoo membership and went for a walk. It was quite a cool morning - the wind was chilly - so we didn't stay for long. Makenna was happy to see all of her favourites - the lions, giraffes, tigers, rhino and zebras. No yak today, though - too far to walk on a cold morning!
Jaxon has had an aversion to finger foods up until recently. This week he found his love for Ocean Park lasagna! He couldn't get enough of the stuff! The boy also loves fries - maybe that will help fatten up Mr. 10th percentile! Emerson has been showing an interest in our food for quite a while now. It started with eating chow mien off of her dad's plate and now you name it, she'll eat it.
This week has proven to be a challenge with Emerson and her bib. As soon as I put it on she pulls as hard as she can with two hands to rip it from her neck, and then proceeds to play peekaboo with it. Thank goodness that girl is a cutie because it drives me crazy!
One night after we had finished bath time, Makenna was standing on the counter waiting to get dressed. After I put her underwear on she kept pulling on them trying to hike them higher and higher. She was pulling on them front and back. I finally asked her what she was doing and her reply was, "I want panties like Nana T. - they have to cover my belly button." Needless to say my mom and I broke out in tears of laughter (sorry Nana T.).
While Nana and Grandpa Pryor were in town Jaxon and Emerson opened up their ride on toys - they were supposed to get them for Christmas but we decided to save them for their birthday as they would be able to enjoy them more at this age. They both can easily get off and Jaxon loves pushing his down the hall.
On Sunday, March 8th we helped AJ celebrate his 3rd birthday at Captain Kids. Nana and Grandpa Pryor were in town so we got to leave the babies at home and Makenna and I had the afternoon together. After cake and snacks upstairs, the kids spent a couple of hours running around, climbing, sliding and playing. Everyone had a great time.
Here is Makenna with her big girl friends that she met at Captain Kids.
Here's Makenna going down the Lava Slide at Captain Kids with her big girl friends. You're supposed to be 5 and older to go down it but, Makenna continues to ignore the signs (and so does her mom - that's one battle not worth fighting!)
Here are Jack, AJ, Grace and Makenna at AJ's 3rd birthday party. Cake and full strength juice...what more could a toddler ask for?
Some of my favourite pics of the kids are when they are passed out sleeping in the van. This usually occurs in the morning when I try to time morning nap with my daily Starbucks run. Makenna, of course, does not sleep in the van but, you can see the remnants of her 'kids half sweet chocolate milk with whip and sprinkles.' (Could the kid be any more like her mom in the high maintenance department!)
Jaxon has finally begun to achieve some developmental milestones over the last couple of weeks - ones that I've been waiting months for! He's begun to play peekaboo - covering his eyes with the back of his hands waiting for you to ask, "Where's Jaxon?" He thinks this is big fun. He has also begun to clap - but only when he wants to - so I've only seen this a few times.
