Halloween pics

2013_09_10_11, a set on Flickr.

Here are our Halloween pics (which didn't turn out very well) along with other pics from the last few months. There are a few pics that were taken during the Tekonsha garage sale on Labor Day weekend.

Rainy day trip to Jungle Java

Today was a yucky weather day so we ended up at Jungle Java for a while.  Mark ventured up and into the toddler play gym all by himself for the first time, which is exciting stuff (for us parents anyway).  Arthur has been going up and into the big kid play gym for a long time and you'll see him come down the slide and get mad at daddy for not hiding at the bottom.  In other news, Mark has tested negative to several of the big hitter allergens (milk, grass, mold, etc.) which is very good news and suggests that allergies are not causing his eczema.  We're hopeful he will simply grow out of it.  And Arthur had his first sleep over last night - at Sammy's house.  We sure missed him last night at our house.  He's becoming such a big boy.  And Jessie continues to whine a lot when she doesn't get her way. 

The dog days of summer, August 2013

Well, it's been a great couple of weeks.  Grammi Bonnie & Grampi John have been visiting and Grampi Clayton & Grammi Carolyn & Aunt Jane came to visit so Cathy and I have had lots of date nights lately.  It has been really nice and we really appreciate everyone coming to visit and babysitting so that we could go out and play grown up a few times.  Here's a couple of vids we have taken recently.  The first shows us on the 18th playing in the backyard with a water-fun-thingy brought to us by Barb Northrup - thanks Barb!  The thing was quite the hassle to set up and I had to hold it while the kids played, but it was all worth it given the fun the kids had and the laughs we adults had.

This second vid shows us on Saturday the 24th.  We had just departed the UM Natural History Museum (where Arthur got the dinosaur you'll see him holding) and came upon the UM band drummers giving a little shown on the diag.  Mark felt a dope groove come on and got down with his bad self.  Some spectators were more entertained by Mark than the drummers, I think.  Enjoy.

We got a new slip-n-slide over Independence Day weekend

We got a new water slide and had lots of fun with it in our backyard and in Grami & Grampi Sherwood's backyard the next day.  It took Arthur some time to figure out how to slide on his belly rather than his knees, but once he figured it out he couldn't be stopped.  Mark and Jessie were less interested in it, but Jessie found it to be a good way to wash her hands (she's very delicate).  Enjoy...

Father's Day weekend

We had a great Father's Day weekend by visiting Lillie Park, walking in the woods and playing at the playground.  We also visited Tekonsha where Mark learned how to clean floors and then, apparently, forgot everything he had learned given that he hasn't ever done it again.  Oh well....

Arthur & Mark play in the Cozy Coupe

Here's a short video of Arthur and Mark playing in the driveway on Sunday.  Nothing much happens, but it's fun to see Mark wanting to play like a little boy rather than a baby, and to see them playing together.  Jessie was inside doing girl things with Mommy so she doesn't even make an appearance here.  Enjoy...

April & May 2013 photos

2013_04_05, a set on Flickr.

We have uploaded our photos from April and May of this year. Most of the photos are from our recent Memorial Day visit to Abe's and Abby's in Chicago. You will see several pics of Arthur and his 2nd cousin Sam, and one pic that shows Sam's sister Lucy. There are some other random pics that we have taken or have received from family and friends. Enjoy.

Sunday afternoon in the backyard

Here's a quick video of last Sunday in the backyard.  It was really hot and Arthur wanted to run in the sprinkler.  So I got some annuals to plant while he cooled off and Mark even joined in...a little.  Jessie was more interested in the flowers than the sprinkler and her screaming big brother.  Enjoy...

Bonnie & John visit and a trip to the park

Bonnie & John came to visit a couple of weeks ago now and they got to see how far along Mark & Jessie are since they last saw them.  Both Mark & Jessie are walking well now, they rarely crawl, and they both prefer to eat table food and feed themselves (which is nice).  They're still a handful (or two), but things are getting marginally easier.  Sleeping is still a major problem but hopefully that will improve with a little more time.  And Arthur is learning to write his letters and numbers - sometimes we can even tell what letter or number he has written.  Until next time....

Mark is walking and we go to FestiFools for the 1st time

Big news - Mark is walking.  This first video shows Mark taking some of his first steps.  He just suddenly started walking...and doing it quite well.  He has improved a lot since this vid was taken (with the crappy camera on my phone, so it is quite blurry).  Jessie still does not see much point to walking.  She still "walks" on her knees most of the time, although she has started standing more frequently.


This next video was taken today, Sunday the 7th.  It shows Mark & Jessie playing with the train set shortly after breakfast while Arthur plays Skylanders Giants on the Xbox.  Later in the day, we all went downtown to FestiFools (which neither of us has ever been to).  FestiFools is a small festival to celebrate spring and April Fools of course.  We assumed very few people would attend (since we've never gone before...so it must be lame, right?).  Anyway, it was really crowded but we had a great time and Arthur really liked the puppets and music.  Enjoy.

Early 2013 photos

2013_01_02_03, a set on Flickr.

We have added some photos to our Flickr site. They're pretty random and span the last couple of months. Apparently we have not been taking enough photos so far this year.

Early March 2013 random video clips

This video shows some random happenings over the past week or so - a Saturday afternoon visit to the Butler home, a trip to Xtreme Bounce Zone to celebrate the birthdays of a couple of Arthur's classmates, a Sunday visit to Tekonsha, and back home where Jessie is continuing to work on her walking abilities.  We hope you enjoy it.  Until next time....

Sunday in Tekonsha for Grammi & Bev birthdays

We were in Tekonsha yesterday to celebrate both Grammi Carolyn's and Aunt Bev's birthdays.  The video you see here is long, so be prepared.  What you will see is a typical Sunday visit to Tekonsha - lots of people, talk, noise, chaos....at least from Arthur, Mark and Jessie.  By the way, Mark & Jessie are now a couple of weeks past their original due date of February 4.  Neither of them is walking, but they seem close.  And neither of them is sleeping through the night yet.  Yikes!  Cathy is getting more and more tired.  Find our full blog at toddsherwood.blogspot.com.  Until next time...