Fall Milestones 2013

Update time! Easton 5, Griffin 2.5, Cooper 6 months

Easton

Easton started Kindergarten this year and is doing well. He went with slight reservation but was brave from the start. He has not shed any tears about going or being there and says he knows many friends there already. We were happy that he had a uniform that we didn't need to worry/fight about what he was going to wear every day (because he hates change), but even going from vest to no vest is high anxiety. Glad that's the only decision we need to make in the morning. Sandwiches every day too so that he knows what to expect and knows that he can eat it without getting messy. Our sweet boy! We are so proud of how brave he is. Now we are working on his ability to be proactive in friendships and be the one to make others comfortable. Easton has been more and more helpful around the house, and there has been a tiny bit less fighting between him and Griffin as Easton has burned a bit more energy at school.

Griffin

I have been enjoying having time alone with Griffin since Easton has been in school. He is very different when his brother is not around being loud and bugging him (as brothers do). He is very sweet and behaves quite well for a two year old when he has my full attention - something that is very new for him. So many times I have felt excited about him and been reminded of the fun things Easton and I got to do together when it was just him. Griffin loves wrestling, tickling, jumping, riding his trike, playing at the park, colouring with markers, playing baseball, soccer, hockey, basketball and making us laugh.

A few cute things Griff is saying these days:
Calls the Kitchen the Chicken
"Jump big high be sup-man fuay (fly) sky"
"Fun Conner's house - sleep my guy go Conner's house?" (nap time and then to Connor's house)
Still calls Easton "Deena" most of the time although he can clearly say Easton
Loves "Roni cheese"
"Me too"

Cooper

Cooper is six months old now. Sitting on his own for almost a month already, rolling over back to tummy but not back again yet. Getting on hands and knees and rocking, making cute noises and laughing loud (especially in the swing or laughing at his brothers be crazy). He is such an unexpected blessing and we are feeling more and more grateful for him every day.

New baby, lost tooth - family is growing and growing up

Cooper Ronald Olfert finally arrived on March 31 - after much debate about induction or not on day 10. It is standards and encouraged, so I agreed to it at the Abbotsford hospital. Nice delivering close to home this time as opposed to Langley, but sad not to have Dr. Hansen deliver. He arrived at 9:24 pm, 7.11 lbs and 21.5 inches.

Cooper is 6 weeks old now and doing well. The boys have adjusted fairly well and love him to bits. They are both surprisingly good to him! :-)  Griffin had the harder time as he is the one now being "replaced". He became very needy for me to hold him and carry him and wanted to ride in the stroller after 6 months of not riding in it! He is doing better now though. Things feel crazy and chaotic with all the noise, energy, fighting and crying, but all in all it is as good as it could be.

Easton lost his first tooth on Sunday, May 12! He already knows about the tooth fairy since it wasn't worth it for Rocky and I when he was so scared about her. He still received a tooth fairy gift and never said a word about it being us.

I also had a special mothers day tea at Easton's pre-school. I was a faucet with all the sweet things they did and words they said and videos they shared.

And our little Griffy is talking lots (although still a bit hard to understand at times) and as cute as ever. Friendly to strangers, kind to friends, good to Cooper - and can still be a little terror to Mom, Dad and Easton!

It's been a while

Well it's been about a year since I have written anything on this blog! How lazy! I have many videos of the kids, Easton singing and dancing at pre-school, cute photos, etc. I guess facebook has taken over and a lot of laziness. I need to record some things here before I really forget Griffin's entire second year!

It's the eve of Griff's 2nd birthday. Not much planned other than cake and supper with Remples since we are still waiting for baby # 3 to arrive. 8 days overdue right now and these boys might share the same birthday. Sorry guys, I tried my best, but it's not up to me! We are anticipating the arrival of this little one and the plan is to be induced on Sunday if he doesn't come. Not the way I planned to spend Easter Sunday, but so be it. There is a lot I have had to work through and let go of in waiting for baby this time around. Definitely didn't expect to be late on my THIRD!

Here's a little update on Griffin:
He is still our daring, spunky, stubborn one! Lots of energy and lots of determination. He rides his trike using his feet since he can't reach the peddles yet, but he goes fast. He is not scared of much - very opposite to his cautious brother. Griff still doesn't go much more than 10 minutes without crying or a tantrum which is very draining every day. He gets made if you try to help him with anything, is sensitive to a little shove from his brother, wakes up grumpy every nap, and always knows exactly what he wants and will tantrum to get it. Again, very new experiences. All the same, he is adorable and lovely and we are so happy to have him a part of our family. He loves to be silly with made up words, potty talk (already!) and occasionally funny faces. He is very sweet and friendly to strangers and people fall head over heels for him. He loves sports and asks for hockey, soccer, vau bau and bau bau all the time. His favourite person in the world is his cousin Connor! He is just 29 lbs and about the 50th percentile for kids his age.  Some of the phrases or words you can hear from him these days:
- Aw Deena (calls Easton Deena)
- Bike, helmet, no road
- Mommy watch this.... watching?
- Board, voom voom, car
- Daddy home
- Daddy vau bau (Daddy's at volleyball)
- Boat, shark, scared
- Ducks, scared
- Mommy plane, haircut (he's going on a plane to get his hair cut)
- No! No way, go away

- Griff has a little lisp and says "th" for "s"

Here's a little update on Easton:
Easton has grown up a lot since he turned 5 in January. He is a bit more willing to try new things, can do more for himself (although he still needs coaxing) and is fighting a bit less than he used to with getting dressed, transitions, etc. He is still funny and comical. He has learned to draw really well and has a great imagination as always. He is our creator, designer, musician, book lover, story teller, questioner. He also struggles with many worries and thinks long and hard about life, God, heaven, danger, good things, bad things, etc. He is quite attached and it takes a lot of talking through to get him to be brave enough to do things on his own/leave mom's side. He stays in Sunday school, loves pre-school and has even gone to the occasional playdate on his own (with much talking through and prep!).
Pre-school has been a wonderful thing for him. His favourite friends are Keegan Strachan and Tyson and most recently Brooklyn since they started taking the same swimming class. He loves circle time, free play the most. He is fantastic at swimming, biking and climbing. Some of the phrases and words you can hear from him these days:
- Questions about God, heaven, life, and everything in between
- Aw common, that was easy peesy lemon squeezy
- Griffin do you want to go to Connor's?
- How long is that (anytime you give him a "time")
- Can I watch a show?
- Can we ride bikes?
- Can you sleep with me a little bit and leave the bathroom light on?

- Easton can't say "th" yet but we are starting to work on it. Other than that his language is fantastic and he is very articulate.

Of course there is so much more to say about them, but you just can't capture a year in one post. I will try to do better this year - starting with introducing baby #3.

Griffin Learning to Walk

This is Griffin walking last week (13 months).

Griffin Turns 1

March 30th was Griffin's first birthday. Our precious little boy's big milestone. We picked up my mom in the morning and spent the day decorating the cake, picking up food and getting ready for the part. We had the party at the CBC gym so we could invite lots of people and the kids could run and play. It was a great time! Griffin didn't dive into the cake like we thought he would, but the kids all had a good laugh as he lightly touched his finger to the cake several times and kept pulling it away. Here are some pictures and videos of our day.

Turn Around and You're 4

Today, Easton turned 4. I can't believe he's so grown up! Having full conversations, asking about life and death and heaven and God, running and jumping further and higher, coming up with funny jokes, taking his own dishes to the sink after dinner, and many more milestones that I can't even begin to record.

He woke up this morning to this:

Then he got to take a good look at his cake, made by mom in honour of the many Seuss books we read, games we played and rides he went on at seuss land this past year:

The to open presents from Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle David, Tante Heidi, Oma & Opa, and Mom & Dad:

Then off to Play Nation for the birthday party. Easton kept correcting us that he was not 4 yet - not until we went to his party :-):

And the kids took home loot bags:

One last thing: Cute encounter last night. Last night I sang him the song my mom would always sing me the night before my birthday. It goes like this:
"Where are you going, my little one, little one?
Where are you going, my baby my sweet?
Turn around and you're 1, turn around and you're 4 (use what ages you want)
Turn around, and you're a young man walking out of the door"

Well, I thought it was sweet and beautiful, but in this moment I did not account for my son's sensitive spirit and tendency to think about things very deeply. He burst out crying and yelling that he doesn't ever want to leave me and why does he have to leave me? I quickly told him he didn't ever have to leave me if he didn't want to and I would be so happy if he stays with me forever! Then he was concerned for the man in the song and why he had to leave, and what I mean by "turn around". I finally settled him and told him I will always be with him and he can live at home his whole adult life, which he happily agreed to.

:-) I will use this one when he is a teenager!

Love my little 4 year old.

Falling Into a Routine - Finally!

Griffin:
It's been a long frustrating time figuring Griffin out - and I think we have finally got a good routine (knock on wood). It has been three nights in a row that he has slept through the night. Three nights is the magic amount of time to set a pattern right?! So now that he is sleeping better at night, he has also started to nap, eat, take a bottle, and play better. Such a happy boy now, and we are relieved! Even the 6:30 wake time now is better than him crying the night away. So pumped!

Easton:
Easton has fallen into a great pattern too. No more battles about quiet time or giving me some space during the day. He naturally plays on his own for a while after breakfast and after lunch. He and Griff play side by side in the living room and I actually have a bit of space when both boys are not at my feet. This is an AMAZING feeling!

Kudos to 2012! Lovin' it!