TheThiers

Yet another wonderful event to cram into this holiday season is Chance’s first birthday. I cannot believe tomorrow will mark a year for this little one! Today, we got his first haircut. Actually, we all got haircuts~ Charlie first, so Chance wouldn’t be scared, then Chance, then Mommy! I love Cool Cuts for Kids because they set the boys in little firetrucks for seats, turn on a movie, and cut hair while the boys are busy. SOOO smart. And it’s always hard for me to get a haircut without a babysitter, so it’s so nice to be able to have them play there while I get mine cut as well! So I have 2 handsome boys today.

He wasn’t even a bit nervous, although the beautician had to get him to stop combing his hair long enough for her to cut it!

The haircut was only one of half a dozen errands we ran today, and I’m so proud of the boys for enduring the drudgery. We had lots of things to do, especially getting things ready for Chance’s birthday party tomorrow. We’re having just a little gathering in Austin with the family and a few friends. I’ve decided that after this year, we’ll go ahead and have cake at home with him on his birthday, but start having real parties in the summer. So his next real party will be when he’s two and a half. Chuck thinks it’s a little wierd, but I think it’s not fair on him or anyone else, to be so close to Christmas. He’ll get everything he wants for Christmas anyway, and we’ll all be broke, and once he’s older, many of his friends will be traveling. So, summer it is! I think June 29th sounds much better than December 29th.

Oh and one Chance story… This past Saturday morning, when Chance woke up oh so early (as usual), Chuck got up with him. That’s one perk for me, since he’s weaned now. Anyhow, I had been trying to teach him to clap his hands, so I was delighted when he came into the bedroom to wake me up, clapping! So, he can clap now! Everytime I say “Yay” about something he starts clapping. He also claps to music, and when he is really excited about something…especially food or drink! Imagine that!

Things have been sooo hectic lately. I counted last week, and we had been out of town for 19 of the last 32 days. We leave again tomorrow for the party in Austin, then head to SE Texas to see family until Monday. And next weekend we’ll be back in Austin for a wedding. Sometimes I get to where I feel like life is so monotonous at home, but then things get busy like this, and I just long for some monotony! Heh. This weekend we did just stay home…we spent bonding time together, like making pigs in a blanket! Charlie got a real kick out of that.

I’m sorry if you’re a family member or friend and I haven’t called lately. We’ve just been enjoying our time at home. Sunday (Christmas Eve) we went to the 3 pm service at church, and we were hesitant to go because it was Charlie’s naptime, but it worked out great, because Charlie slept in our arms in big church (Bible class wasn’t being held for Charlie’s age), so it was sweet. Then we headed out to Driftwood to the big Villareal (my paternal side of the family) Christmas Eve party, which was a blast as usual. Then we returned home, along with Nana and Big Daddy. Santa visited that night, bringing the boys a big plastic playhouse (see previous post). Santa was pretty cold in the strong winds on the porch at midnight assembling that thing, though! Boys, your Santa sure loves you!

So, as usual, now when we’re home, I’m cleaning house, doing laundry, and packing for the next trip. I realized today with all the errands that it’s really much easier to clean house than run errands with 2 toddlers!

The boys went right down for naps as soon as we got home, so now I get a moment to myself (to blog). And, it’s over…Chance just woke up. Happy New Year…and Happy Birthday, Chance!

I again feel the need to record some of the things that happen over and over, yet I’m not organized enough to put in their baby books….

Mommy sayings:

“No, sir, do not put that in your mouth.”

“Do you need to go to the bathroom (for time out)?”

“Thank you, Big Helper.”

“Do not do that your brother; that hurts him.”

“Aww, you’re ok.”

“I’ma gonna getch you!”

“No, sir, you do not hurt yourself, do you understand? I need a ‘Yes Ma’am.’”

Charlie sayings:

“‘Morning, Mommy. Sun came up in my room!”

“You do it. Charlie not good at it.”

“Hold you, Mommy, hold you.” (Hold me, is more like it…)

“Chance wants to go to McDonalds.”

“Daddy come home, I show him my BIG motorcycle. It goes like this: Vroom, Vroom!”

“C’mon Mommy, I have show you somepin!”

“I not baby, I Charlie, Big/Strong Boy!”

“I not name Spanky, I name Charlie.”

“I make a pooty!! Puuueeey!”

“We eat diapers? (giggles at himself) We eat shoes? (more giggles)”

“Watch this, Mommy!”

“Charlie not ‘Buddy,’ just Charlie.”

“I not Dada, Chance. Dada not here. I Brother!”

“I just looking at it!” (when he’s about to touch or eat the forbidden…)

“Mommy, it Charlie’s turn play computer. I wanna play Bob Builder game.”

“I love you, too.” (Even if he’s the first one to say it, “too” is always included.)

Chance’s Sayings:

“Abababa”

“Nanannan”

“Mamamama”

“Da da!”

“zu zu za za”

“mmmm” when he sees food. He also makes kissing noises…

He can also scrunch up his nose and make piggy noises.

“Roar!” for engine noises, to scare Mommy, and how he says, “Whazzup!?”
He loves talking on the phone, and really thinks we should understand his gibberish. He’s getting to where you can tell his tone of voice changes as he talks.

He also loves anything with buttons: The tv remote, computer, phone, camera, etc. He is very adament about being able to press those buttons, even if it’s being used at the time.

Funny stories:

A couple of weeks ago Charlie had a stomach bug and was vomiting a lot. Fortunately, he had good aim, most of the time, and really amazed me at how he could make it to a bowl (sorry if that’s too much info). He didn’t do as well about restricting his diet though. I told him he couldn’t have anything to eat, and he did well for about 12 hours, but then he was busted later when his oatmeal cookie made its second appearance.

Tonight he told me, as he crawled into my lap, that he was going to make pooty (fart) on me. I kept moving him, but finally he was near tears as he asked if he could just do it, so I let him sit in my lap, and couldn’t hold back the laugh as he grunted and grunted, but couldn’t successfully let out a poot. Life with boys is definitely not frilly!

Chuck and I often play the “You’re my Charlie” game, where we compete over whose he is… Tonight Charlie said “I’m Daddy’s Charlie.” So I said, “Oh yeah, well that’s my Daddy.” He quickly responded, “No it’s my Chuck!” I guess he understood I was saying Daddy because that’s what Chuck is to him, so he translated it back to me…

Chance got a little ride on “Mater” tow truck for Christmas, and has amazed me with how he’s figured out how to sit on it. I really thought he’d just push it around for awhile. Now he sits on it (straddles it really), but instead of going forward he goes backwards. He gets bored with it once he backs himself into something.

Charlie got a remote control truck, which he can only drive forward and backwards. He hasn’t figured out how to turn it yet. Anyhow, he loves hooking it up to the Mater tow truck and having Chance push it around backwards.

Charlie got a camera squirt gun in his stocking. If you look closely, you can see the stream of water.

Santa brought the boys a big playhouse for Christmas, complete with a built in gas station, soccer goal, and basketball hoop (I want a house like that!!). Charlie calls it his basketball house.

I think I have neglected to write enough about the boys. I love the holidays, but I hate the hectic schedules, especially now that I have these boys!

Chance hit another milestone this week: he finally figured out how to drink from a sippy cup. This is a great relief, as we’d been trying to get him to figure it out for the last few months. I’d resorted to letting him have a bottle with handles, which dripped everywhere. It’s amazing how different kids excel at different things. Charlie knew how to suck through a straw at 6 months old, and figured out a sippy cup soon after, the first time we handed it to him. Maybe it’s because he loved to nurse that he could figure it all that out. Speaking of nursing, now that Chance is fully weaned, we get more cuddle time instead, which has been sweet. And he didn’t seem to mind being weaned at all, which is a stark contrast to Charlie as well. Charlie would actually slap me when I told him he couldn’t nurse anymore! He was so mad! And I weaned Charlie to having a sippy cup of chocolate milk instead, whereas Chance doesn’t like milk and doesn’t need anything to go to sleep… His personality is just amazing to me. It takes a lot to make him mad, and he doesn’t really throw fits yet (Charlie had that down by 6 months old!).

He’s a little more shy than Charlie (Charlie thought all strangers were people who wanted to be entertained by him), and definitely more affectionate. More content to sit in your lap and love on you. This is one way he and Charlie are complements. Charlie likes to entertain and be in the spotlight, while Chance likes to observe. And while he’s not as active as Charlie was, he definitely gets into things. Just this morning, Charlie’s little couch was against our sofa, so he climbed up Charlie’s, onto the sofa! He’s beginning to figure out how to get down, too…but not enough that I could leave him on the sofa yet! He LOVES to climb the stairs, and is getting to where he remembers things… Like if I pull him off the stairs and bring him in another room and show him a toy, he gets right back up and goes back to the stairs! He’s really into exploring the toilet right now too!

He also loves to imitate sounds. He makes the roaring sound for animals and engines. Recently my dad blew a whistle, and then Chance tried to make a whistle sound. He also loves to sing, dance, and as of today: clap! He is a bigtime drummer, as well!

Most of all, he loves his big brother. It is soo much fun to watch them play together. They chase each other around the house a lot, and almost wrestle. Anytime Charlie’s around, Chance is happy, especially in the car. When I was driving back from Austin without Charlie recently, I noticed how much of a harder time Chance has when Charlie isn’t around to entertain him. I think he just missed him too.

Charlie is also at a great stage right now. He is becoming even more self sufficient. He can pull his socks on by himself, wash his hands in the bathroom alone, turn light switches on and off without help, etc. He’s also beginning to move from a sippy cup to big cup. Last night, after he showed me how good he was at drinking from a “big boy” cup, he proceeded to scoop his green beans and mashed potatoes and put them in it. Then he said, “Watch me, Mommy, drink my green beans.” All boy, I tell you…

He has gotten to the point that I can leave him unattended and take a nap without worrying. That’s huge for me. The only thing he might do is roll up all the small rugs in the house and group them together!?! Don’t know why, but that’s what he’s really been into lately. Odd, I know.

He definitely has a great imagination. A couple of days ago, he went around his grandparents’ house with his Aunt Mitsi and his water gun, hunting the lions and tigers. Usually there are only bears in our house. He sometimes goes ahead of me into each room of our house so he can protect me, and he shoots all the bears. He also takes his tools around and “fixes” everything. I often hear him in his room playing, making his toys talk to each other.

He can make deals now. Yesterday we shook on a deal that if he could not be cranky or disobedient, I wouldn’t make him take a nap. Later that evening, when Chuck was home with him, he told Chuck he was going to go lay down in his room. Chuck asked if he was going to sleep, he said “No, just lay down.” Of course he was passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow…

He likes to play with Chance. They really play well together overall, although once Chance realizes that Charlie takes all his toys, there may be problems… If Charlie hurts Chance he always gives him a kiss and tells him he’s sorry. There have only been a couple of times that Charlie’s ever intentionally hurt Chance, which has been a pleasant surprise to me. I know the days are coming when they may not get along so well, but for now I’m loving it!

He has quite a sense of humor. This morning as I walked out of the bedroom, Charlie said, “Hey Mommy.” Then Chuck said, “Hey bebe.” So Charlie imitates Daddy’s voice and said, “Hey Bebe!” I think his laughing at himself afterwards is what makes it the funniest!!

Did I mention he can count to 11 and is working on his ABCs? He’s just growing up way too fast, in my opinion!

Oh, and just after Thanksgiving, he began praying on his own! I guess from seeing everyone pray before meals, he decided he could do it. The first time we were eating at home afterwards, he prayed out loud, then asked Daddy to pray. Then he told me “I can’t pray big like Daddy.” It was so cute. We encouraged him that he did a great job, even if he couldn’t say as much as Daddy…

I had been told once that the first year of having 2 boys 2 years apart was hard, but once I got past that, it would get so much easier, and I really think that it is true. Of course, Chance sleeping through the night is helping a lot! But now everyday I wake up excited that I get to play with the boys all day. Chuck and I talk often of all the things we want to do in the near future. I’m excited about teaching them, taking them places to learn and experience, and just playing with them. They are truly our greatest asset, I treasure them more than anything else this life could offer. How could I ask for more?!

Last year, I was 2 weeks away from having Chance, and we stood in line for over an hour to see Santa. This was no easy feat with an almost 2 year old who loves to run! We met Santa a couple of times as he walked by and Charlie gave him high fives, yet as was Charlie’s turn to sit on Santa’s lap, he freaked. But then Santa gave him M&M’s (that old saint knows what makes Charlie tick!), and allowed Mommy (and almost full term Chance) sit on his lap with him…and we managed to get this picture:

That poor old saint had 3 people on one knee. I hope he recovered in time to drive his sleigh around the world…

Anyhow, this year, Charlie had no problem getting on his lap, and telling him about the “Big Little Car” he wanted for Christmas. Chance, however, was just not sure. We did get this quick shot just before Chance lost it:

I also caught this pic on my camera, after Chance’s exit…

And afterwards, we did a little photo shoot in the mall:

Also, more Niagara Pictures… Chuck put together a couple of panoramics…

The Canadian Horseshoe Falls

The American Falls

There’s a constant rainbow or two when the sun’s out, because there’s always a mist coming from the Falls. Kinda neat that God reminds us that He won’t destroy us with water again, as we look at this extremely powerful sight!

And, you know me, always the daredevil, right in front of the “danger” sign. But I’d like to remind certain people (Chuck) that Chuck did it first!

A couple of fun facts: Only one person has gone over the Canadian Falls (without any equipment) and survived. A 7 year old boy was in a boating accident, and went over, and was recovered (he did have a life jacket on) at the bottom, with no injuries! His 17 year old sister was rescued just before going over. Also, the first person to go over on purpose was a widow and a school teacher (is that really enough to give you a death wish?! haha!). She and her cat got in a barrel, and survived the trip with only minor scrapes and bruises. The next person who survived went in a steel barrel and was in recovery for 26 weeks with lots of broken bones. I told Chuck that if I was in an indestructable container and knew I wouldn’t get injured, I’d do it

Anyhow, many people have died, not only falling down the falls, but trying to raft the white waters before and after. The pictures really don’t capture how incredibly huge these falls are. And to think, Man has slowed the falls to only 40 miles per hour! I don’t know what it was before, but through dams and things, we’ve slowed it down to keep it from eroding too much. It was eroding 10 feet a year, now it’s only 1 foot every 10 years!

Enough water still flows over the falls a minute to fill a million bathtubs. There’s just no way to truly explain, you have to see it for yourself. God’s creation is absolutely awe-inspiring!