Christmas is OVER!

I like Christmas just as much as the next guy, but by the end of it, I am so ready for it to be over. Christmas night Tim and I put the tree away and all of the decorations. I love getting my house back and not worrying about the kids getting into stuff. Anyway, Christmas was great. Anderson got things he really liked and Minnie seems to enjoy the fake keys Santa brought her! A couple days after Christmas, Anderson came in after he woke up and said, "Andy open presents?" So we had to explain that it's not happening for a long time!

The highlight of his gifts was his new basketball hoop and new basketball. He has slept with it, taken it to the bathroom with him, and everywhere else. We have set it up inside on the stair rail and he's getting pretty good. I think he gets it from mom...no offense Tim!

Sorry for the blurry picture. Santa also brought Minnie and Andy those little pop-up tents that have a tunnel coming out of it. I don't know who loves it more, but they are in and out of that thing all day.

Here's the loot. Thank goodness they are still small enough to be happy with very little:) Tim and I counted our trip to Disneyland as Christmas for us. We already want to go again before Andy turns 3 so he will be free. We are trying to figure something out...we'll see how it works.

This little girl is starting to walk! She consisitently takes 3 or 4 steps and sometimes more. She's been doing this for a while but seems to be getting better. I'm sure she will be all over the freaking place soon. Crazy. She is going to be one of Febuary 5th. I promise this was the fastest year ever.

Disneyland

We just got back from Disneyland and it went so fast it feels like it didn't even happen! This was our first time bringing the kids and Tim's parents came with us to help out. They took them back for naps which helped and then Tim and I could do the big rides during nap time. It was really nice. It wasn't that crowded and we waited 15 minutes at the most. Most of the time we walked right on everything!

Of course we had to go see Minnie and Mickey mouse! We got pictures with both and Anderson gave them hugs. He was a little shy but not afraid or anything.

Anderson loved to ride the "horsey" (the carousel) and kept asking for it. There is one in California Adventure too so he rode it a bunch.

This was in the hotel room before we went the first day. It took a while for Anderson to get used to everything but once he warmed up to it all, he was good.

The only big ride he could do was the Matterhorn, which he really liked. He was really only afraid of the Haunted Mansion which he kept saying "all done all done, go outside" but he was fine once we got going. All in all it was fun and way too fast! I want to go back already.

Merry Christmas!

I sort of dropped the ball on the whole Christmas Card thing this year. I thought it would be funny to send a more "realistic" family picture, but consider this your very own card (via the blog of course).

Merry Christmas from The Vanderwalkers

Bah Humbug

I just put our tree up yesterday and I'm already done. You would think this would block any baby. Nope, when I hear the jingle sound I know somehow she has gotten through and is sitting so sweetly right in front of the tree. And, I don't know how many little green ornament hangy things are missing in action, because they pulled the "Christmas Ball" off, and I've stared at the tree and can't seem to find one. We learned really early that ornaments don't bounce on the tile like regular balls. They just shatter...I think I'm just going to get a Christmas tree that can be put on a high shelf some where for the next 10 years.

A week from tomorrow we are headed to DISNEYLAND for 3 days! Tim (more than me) and I love Disneyland. It will be the first time we bring the kids. My mom and sisters gave me the idea to make a shirt for Minnie to wear, so we did! Thanks Karyn for the transfer paper...I owe you a sheet! I did add some cute flower things later to girl it up a bit, but I think it turned out cute. She STILL won't take a bottle. I try multiple times a day and nothing. I quit cold turkey for a couple days and still nothing. The problem is I am getting really bad migraines and cannot take ANYTHING while I'm still nursing. I've decided I can brave the migraines if I have to, but what about when she turns 1?! I'm for sure done after that. Any suggestions are still appreciated!

No crazy Anderson stories thank goodness! The other day he did start coughing randomly and said to me, " Andy drink gas?" Oh boy. He fell asleep like this one day in the car on the way home from playing at Kaci's. They aren't getting another baby brother or sister until this one goes to school...it's for everyone's own good!

Help Please!!

Any suggestions for getting a 9 month old to take a bottle?? PLEASE PLEASE make any suggestions!

Gas Breath

Yesterday, Anderson took terrible twos to a whole new level. It all started at my sister's house where him and Leah were playing outside. I check on him pretty often because I know what he is capable of. I went to check and noticed the patio was wet, then I noticed the 2 gas cans were tipped over. So we checked and sure enough it was gas spilled everywhere, and Anderson had gas on his breath. So we ran inside and rinsed his mouth out. He was coughing but not out of control. We called Posion Control (who might as well have their own file folder for us) and they said if he continues to cough a ton, and if it is a deep cough, then I need to take him to the emergency room. They said if 1 drop of the gas gets into his lungs, it can be pretty serious. Then, they said to take his wet clothes off and wash his skin because it can burn your skin. They called back in an hour and luckily he hadn't been coughing much and he was acting/drinking/eating normal so we didn't have to go in.



After that incident, we went to my other sister's house. Usually I check on Andy quite a bit because he has ran away and gotten into everything from lotion all over the bed to towels and shirts in the toilets. I kept thinking, I'll just leave him playing, I'm sure he is fine. So I finally go downstairs to check on him and he has stripped down and peed on the carpet. After we got him dressed, he snuck outside in the garage. He was maybe in there a minute or two before I got him. When I found him, he had the windex bottle in his mouth and his hand on the trigger! Then he got on my sister's Eliptical machine and came out with a cut across the bottom of his foot. Then, as I was getting ready to load in the kids, Anderson had beat me outside, turned the hose on and was completely soaked. Just another typical day in the Vanderwalker house. THANK GOODNESS Minnie is a bit more tame.

Halloween is Long Gone

We had our first "real" Halloween this weekend. By "real" I mean Anderson actually knew what was going on, actually went trick or treating without freaking out after 1 house, and actually came home with a bowl full of candy which we are making our self sick with. Minnie was good old Minnie Mouse of course. I made her dress with a pattern I had and figured she could wear it to church also. The ears are felt I sewed together and glued to the bow. Then I attached it to an aligator clip. Not bad for $5.

Anderson was a train engineer. Right after I had Minnie, Tim and his dad took Anderson to the train park where Tim's dad got him this hat. We got some overalls at Savers for $3 and had a bandana laying around. He looked perfect!

Minnie was really good. We went trick or treating with my nieces and nephews in my sister's neighborhood. By the end, we had Anderson in my sister's double stroller with my niece and strolled right up to the doors, where him and Leah would grab their pumpkin and head to the door.

No my dad was not a pirate! A month or two ago his retina detached from his eye, so his had to have surgery and is recovering. He is slowly getting some sight back, but not being able to see out of that eye was making him have headaches so they taped his lens.

These are the Coombs cousins! They are so good with Andy and Minnie and my kids love to play with them! Anderson is in heaven when they are playing together.

Tim's brother and his wife sent Anderson and Minnie some CUTE Halloween outfits that it is finally somewhat cold enough to wear. They are so cute.

OK, I know it's going to sound dumb but, I am so excited that I finally figured something out yesterday! I usually buy all my clothes at Target, and usually only at the 75% off clearance rack. Sometimes I am ridiculous enough to watch things and wait for it to go to the 30%, then 50%, then 75% off rack (Maybe it's because I go to Target almost everyday). Sometimes, I'm not going to lie, I'll buy an XL girls shirt that's on clearance. So, I found a pair of jeans yesterday for $7.50 and I tried 3 on. Every pair (like always) were so long. I've had this problem my whole life. When you have to find pants to fit the "Coombs rearend" they usually are longer and bigger at the waist. So yesterday, I figured out how to hem my jeans, and keep the hem they already have too! I was so fired up! I used to either keep them long and eventually the bottoms and back tear because they get dragged on the floor. If I did hem them, it was screaming "look at me--I'm home sewn". Now, you can't even tell! I know this is ridiculous to be excited about but this is the best thing that's happend to me all week (It's kinda been a rough one:) So, anyone needing jean-hemming assistance, let me know!! I'll be happy to lend my services!

In my opinion, the hardest thing about being a mom is feeding the kids. I hate it. It wouldn't be bad if they ate what you fixed, didn't chew it up then spit it out and stomp on it while it was on the ground (Thanks Andy--and it was a peanut butter sandwhich), and ate more nutritous food than treats. Latley I have been totally dredding lunch and dinner. If it's not bananas, Minnie doesn't want it. If it is not cancakes (pancakes) or waffles, Andy doesn't want it. Not to mention the fact that Minnie decided when she turned 7 months that she didn't want to take a bottle anymore, which she was doing fine up until then. Lately I have had it with meal time.

No this isn't from Anderson not cooperating during meal time, but I may be running out of options soon. Just Kidding. Tim and I went to North Carolina to surprise his oldest brother for his 4oth Birthday. Tim was just going to go, then I decided after him that I wanted to come too. We couldn't really afford to pay for Andy, so my sister watched him for a few days and this happend at her house conveniently when she wasn't looking and didn't see what happend (just kidding again).

See what I mean. You would think this was maybe during the first week of introducing baby food, but no, this was a couple days ago. Minnie is 8 months old now. She is lucky she is cute.

Thank goodness Tim gives me a break every once in a while and will take over the feeding duties. Too bad he can't produce milk, if you know what I mean. At this point, I may be willing to have him try!

Firsts

Anderson has been a self-made vegetarian since birth. He hates meat and won't even eat a chicken nugget (not for me at least). So we've started to "bribe" him with things just so he will at least take a few bites, in hopes that once he actually tastes it, he will like it. So, our standby bribes are, if you take 3 bites you can take a bath (works every time!), if you take a bite dad will get the trains out, and on this day he got his first hand stirred milkshake. My Grandma Minnie always made hand stirred milkshakes, so we are high maintenance around here when it comes to those. He loved his first milkshake.
Anderson also got his first tie for church, or as Tim calls it, his first "peepie wiper" (it's a bit long but the selection at the thrift store isn't that promising). I have been looking forever and can't find one that fits him, so oh well. He is focused on another intense episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. He now sings along with the songs and can do the roll call by himself.

Minnie turned 7 months the other day and has just gotten her first tooth, and can now pull herself up. The other day I was hanging Andy's shirts up and had some hangers on his mini couch in his room. Minnie pulled her self up and cruised right on over to get the hangers. Her head barely clears the big couch down stairs which she has just started pulling herself up on.

She's pretty funny and a good baby. Her hair kills me.

Projects

I tried to put Minnie's hair in a pony tail the other day...it was so cute while it lasted! I've been in the mood for projects so we decided to get them done while we still want to.

When you walk in from the garage at my house, you walk into the laundry room. The back wall has nothing on it, and I've seen a version of this before. I've seen molding (kinda like a chair rail) butted up against itself to make a rail. Then you put hooks on it and kids names above them so each person has their own hook. Since this is where you walk in, you can hang your stuff and have it ready when you leave. So this is the beginning. These are doors from an old armoir we had (which has finally bit the dust and all of it's parts have been reused). Tim cut them down to fit. Now I have to finish spackling the holes and gaps and then paint it. Then I'll use some old door knobs that we are replacing, paint them, and screw them on for hooks. So this project will basically cost me whatever the paint to spray the knobs costs.I would use something I already have but I'm all out! Later I'll put the finished product...hopefully it looks good and works.

Finally I feel like our room is done, because it's always the last one we get to. I love these things above the bed! They are my new favorite thing. We got the idea from one of my mom's Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine. Basically you use an outdoor rubber mat as a stencil. My mom gave us some left over wood, we stained it, put the mat over it, and spray painted the blue. The mat was $6 at Ross, the stain was $4, spray paint $3 and the wood was free! The best part is you can do whatever color you want to match the room.

When we lived in Glendale we covered our headboard with some brown silk my mom gave us (If any of you know good old Renee, she is quite the bargain shopper--and my sisters and I always come home with something new). We just had it sitting on the floor, so we finally stuck a few boards underneath it to raise it up. The curtains were $2 a yard fabric at Home Fabrics (way cheaper than Joann's, even with the coupon). We have a bay window so I needed 10 yards of fabric! I was too lazy to line them so I made smaller panels of a left over white sheet that was tearing and put them on a tension rod that is hidden by the blind valence. It does the job and makes it as dark as possible in there, not that we could sleep past 6 am even if we wanted to. I've got a few more projects I want to try. Let's hope the motivation stays a little bit so I can finish them. Thank goodness for Tim who will help me too!

The Greatest Invention of all Time

This is the greatest carpet cleaner of all time. It's called Folex, it's about $5, and it does wonders. Last night I was finishing painting my hallway (which has been in the works for like 6 months) and I had a few drops spill of paint on the carpet. The folex took it right off. Then, I had the extention pole screwed into the roller handle, and as I was rolling, the handle broke. So, the roller dropped on the carpet and then bounced. Tim and I ran and grabbed this stuff and started pouring it on. It got full on paint out of my carpet! It has gotten kool-aid (the red kind) out of my couch, and almost anything I've ever tried. They used to sell it at Wal-Mart, but I can't find it there anymore. It is at Lowe's in the cleaning aisle! Get it while you can!

Minnie is a full fledged crawler as you can see. This is in the very corner of our family room, which is usually blocked by a huge ottoman, and some how, she gets there and just chills under the table. She is getting fast and I have to watch her around stairs, and bathrooms, and everything else. She even stood up today by pulling herself up. She fell down pretty quick, but she is moving way to quickly for me. Something that is not moving quick enough is this dang baby food stuff. One of the most frustrating times of being a mom is mealtime!! Oh man. For about 4 weeks now I've been feeding Minnie baby food, and just in the last few days she has finally learned to eat it. But, forget about her opening her mouth. I feel like I do a song and dance, while shaking a toy, just so she'll open her mouth and I can get a spoonful in there.

Sometimes you just gotta take a picture before church because they just look so dang cute.

Anderson loves Minnie and is always wanting to kiss her and hug her and always says, "Hi Minnie! Doing?" (he means what are you doing). He even tries to keep her from going where she shouldn't (because he is really good at doing that).

So for a couple months now Andy has been fully potty trained. The accidents are few are far between! But for some reason, he sometimes does this same thing when he wakes up. He has a rug in his room with different color squares. So he'll get up, take his pants and undies off, and pee in one specific blue square. Usually, he'll come in without pants on and say "Uh Oh" and we go in his room and sure enough, the square is wet. This time, he managed to get his undies back on. Impressive right? This kid gives us a run for our money! I think Heavenly Father knows our challenges because Minnie is the best baby, and Andy is well, let's just say my sister says if she had him first, she would probably not have anymore.

It's official, I am no longer putting bows and clips in Minnie's hair to look cute or distinguish the fact that she is a girl (because apparently when people ask they don't see the bright pink shirt). They are now for taming that mane! I know what you're thinking, oh poor me who has a baby girl with so much hair that you HAVE to put it back. Sorry, it's the truth.

6 Months

Minnie had her 6 month appointment today. She is 14 lbs and 15 ounces and starting to thin out a bit. She is in the 90th percentile for height and everything looks good. I have to take her to the Cardiologist in October for a follow up and if her clogged tear duct doesn't clear up in a couple months we'll have to fix it. It took both of us to hold Minnie down to check her nose and ears because she is so dang WIGGLY! Same thing with the shot. At least she took a good nap later.

Family Pictures

My sister in law Brandi was in town and took our family pictures a few days ago (Thanks Brandi). They turned out so good. It was sooo hot. For those of you who know me well, one of the Coombs curses is sweating. So I had a couple of washcloths strategically placed under my arms so I didn't have sweaty pit shirt in my pictures. Gross right. So we got some good ones and Brandi had to photoshop Andy's forehead (from the iron incident). Of course this morning, the scab fell off and it looks almost as good as new. Two days too late I guess. Minnie has learned how to crawl, sit up, and sit up from laying down this week. Way too soon for me.

Jokes on Me

The jokes on me apparently this week. Joke #1, Minnie is so close to crawling. This can't be good considering my day to day chasing Anderson around to keep him from getting into everything. Which brings me to...
Joke #2. This is what happens when you climb on the counter and put your head on a really hot iron. This was after he fell face forward out of my cart at Target and I caught him in mid-air while holding Minnie (I even got some "nice catch" applause from the Target workers). And before he sat in my sister's cart at the store and dumped a carton of eggs and grabbed one and squeezed it in his hand till it broke. Is it ok to strip a 2 year old down in the middle of Fresh and Easy to change their pants? Just another typical day.