Bridget at 18 Months

This little girl is 18 months old today!  She's a spunky little thing with a mind of her own and we are so glad she's a part of our family.  Here are some things about Bridget at 18 months:

*Height:  33 3/4 inches (95%), Weight:  21 lbs. 13.5 oz. (40%), Head:  49.5 cm. (99%)

*She loves, loves, loves her binkies, blankets, and cougar.  I think I have been writing this since she was six months old, but those three things are just about guaranteed to calm her down.

*She refuses to drink milk from a sippy cup.  Because of this she was taking two bottles a day until Friday when her pediatrician told me I had to stop.  :)  She has had zero milk since then, even though we give it to her in a cup at every meal.

*Despite her lack of milk, she out-eats Marshall at every meal of the day, especially dinner.  Her current favorite foods are:  mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, tater tots, strawberries, grapes, applesauce, gogurt, eggs, pancakes, cereal bars, and some crackers and cereal.

*She has pretty much mastered feeding herself with a spoon.

*When she walks and runs she uses her left arm as a propeller and it is hilarious to watch.  It is either straight and swinging viciously as she moves or it is bent and held across her chest, but still moving with just as much force.  So determined.

*She loves dogs!  Lucky for her, our neighborhood is full of dogs and we see at least one just about every time we are outside.  

*She loves to imitate things we do.  If I put lotion on, she will pretend to do the same.  Anytime someone is brushing their teeth she runs to the bathroom, demands her toothbrush, and stands on Marshall's stool to spit into the sink and rinse off her toothbrush.  

*She has all of her teeth.

*She says:  daddy, mommy, outside, inside, up, please, dog, car, ball, purse, hi, bye-bye.

*We are almost certain that she will be left handed.  She typically picks up food with her left hand and always puts her spoon in her left hand.

*She's been in nursery for three months and loves it.  The last month she has been sad when I leave, but quickly calms down and has fun.

We love you Bridget!

Another example of imitating.  :)

Love this picture.

The other night after dinner I walked into the living room and discovered Bridget just like this.  I guess she knows how to relax after a good meal.

First Day of Preschool

Marshall had his first day of preschool today.  It is at this great little school in a Presbyterian Church.  He just goes two days a week for 2 1/2 hours, a perfect arrangement.  He has not been excited about any of this until this weekend, thank goodness!  On Friday he was able to spend 20 minutes at the school with me seeing his classroom and meeting his teachers.  He was very quiet, but he played with the toys and had fun.  When we were leaving I was going down the stairs first and he said, "Stop!  This is my school; I will lead the way!"  From that point on he has been excited!  He woke up at 5:50 this morning and eagerly ate breakfast, got dressed, and went potty (he hates doing those last two things every morning, so it was noteworthy).

He walked slowly once we pulled up at the school, but he willingly hung up his backpack, walked into his classroom and did exactly what his teacher asked him to do.  He gave me a hug and kiss and we said good-bye.  

When I came to pick him up he was so excited to see me and show me the picture he had drawn.  He reported that he was shy, but that he did talk to one of his teachers and told her it was just his birthday.  :)  He said he will talk to her more next time and tell her about his news shoes.

This is the smile I get when I tell him I want to see his eyes.  :)

First preschool artwork.

Weekend in Michigan

Weeks ago Bridget and I took a weekend trip to Michigan for the annual Toney Family Reunion.  I left Marshall home with Richard so he could have some much needed time with his dad and Bridget and I took off.  I once again survived driving through that dreaded city of Chicago, and as always, the stress it causes me was worth it to spend a relaxing weekend with some of the best people around. 

This trip was especially fun because I got to see my oldest Toney cousins who I have not seen in as long as ten years!  It was great to catch-up, play, and let all of our kids run around together.  

I surely missed Richard and Marshall, but I'm not going to lie, it was great to just take care of one child!  Bridget loved all of the people, new toys, and dogs.  She was in heaven, except at the beach.  :)

First beach experience, no good.  Its too bad because the water was perfect.

Bridget spent her time chasing dogs around the island in the kitchen. 

A typical evening with the Toneys.  Loved every minute of it.

Great Grandpa Toney and Bridget watching the Olympics.

My Uncle Dale was a great sport and let these kids "surprise" him with freshly loaded water guns.

A good chunk of the Toney Family.  My grandparents, all of my aunts and uncles, and most of my cousins.

Birthday Celebrations

Marshall's actual birthday was on Wednesday.  We kept it pretty low-key, but still had fun.

We opened presents in the morning, had cinnamon rolls for breakfast, played at the park, baby-sat some friends, played lots of Legos, blew out a candle in a cinnamon roll after dinner, and skyped with grandmas.

6:30 am, two minutes after waking up.  :)

My mom gave Marshall this bingo game.  He had never played before so I quickly explained it before we started.  A few minutes into the game I realized he was covering the head of every dinosaur.  I didn't say anything about it, but he continued it throughout the game!  Made me laugh.

I love this picture.

I am pretty sure this is the first time he's ever successfully blown out a candle.  :)

The birthday loot.

Today we had Marshall's first "real" birthday party.  Just kids, no parents (besides us), games, lunch, cake, presents, the works!  

The cougar paw cake!  Marshall loved it.  Can you tell I am not too patient frosting anything that is not a 9x13?  :)

We read "Hello Cosmo!"

Pin the Tail on the Cougar.  :) 

We had a basketball contest.

We did an obstacle course that ended with the kids putting on a jersey, helmet, and throwing a football.  Very fun.

Bridget liked the jersey.  :)

Six little hands opening one present.  :)

Happy birthday Marshall Cougar!  We love you!

This Boy Is Four

Marshall is four years old today and I am left wondering where the time has gone!  I sure am grateful for him and I love him to pieces!  Yes, its true, he causes me multiple frustrations every day, but he also gives me lots of laughs.  We love having him in our family.

Here are some things about Marshall at age four...

*He loves anything that has to do with Transformers or Ghostbusters.  He talks about being one of those things for Halloween about ten times a day.

*Yesterday he ran around the living room for one hour pretending he was a Ghostbuster.  :)

*He enjoys football, soccer, and running.  A couple of weeks ago he insisted on running with me despite my attempts to get him in the stroller.  He ran two miles in 28 minutes.

*He is mostly potty-trained.  :)  He refuses to do #2 in the potty and while he rarely has accidents, really the only time he does #1 is before we are going somewhere, and that still takes some prodding.  So on second thought, maybe we have a ways to go yet.  :)  Just this morning I told him he needed to go potty before went to the park.  He did his usual sulking and crying.  I reminded him that he is now four and four year olds just use the potty and they don't cry about it.  He then informed me that he is an adult and I agreed with him and said that adults don't cry when they have to go potty.  I said, "Do you see Daddy cry when he has to go potty?"  Marshall's response:  "I don't see Daddy cry because he shuts the door."

*His favorite toys are his cars and most recently Legos, which we just got him for his birthday.

*He has become obsessed with the September Friend magazine for some reason.  

*He loves to watch bone videos with Richard on the ipad.  This is typically his preference before bed; he chooses bone videos over books.

*A couple of weeks ago I asked him to draw a picture for Uncle Kevin who is on his mission.  He drew bones including femurs, craniums, and ribs.

We love you Marshall!  

And now, because I am slightly sentimental today, a few pictures.

Richard's Birthday #32!

Richard hit the big 3-2 yesterday!  We sure are glad to have him around, a great husband and a fantastic father.  

We went out to Benihana for a spontaneous birthday lunch on Monday afternoon.  Benihana emailed him a $30 gift card for his birthday (we have only eaten there once the entire time we've been married) and we thought that Monday was a perfect day to use it.  We went for lunch thinking that surely all four of us could keep it around $30 all together and we figured our kids would love watching the chefs cook our food.  Well, when we got there we found out that the $30 only applied to Richard's meal and they just sat us at a regular table.  But, in the end it all worked out, we took the kids over to watch them cook and Richard and I have gotten five meals out of it.  :)

As a nice perk they did give Richard ice cream and took this picture for us.  Marshall looks so happy.  :)

Yesterday we went into the hospital and met Richard for lunch.  It was nice to spend that extra hour together and Marshall thought it was pretty cool to see "Daddy's hospital".

Richard's big birthday gift is a trip out to Utah next weekend to see the BYU Utah game.  Go Cougars!  

Happy birthday Richard/Daddy!  We love you!