Learning To Tie Laces

Build a Tee Pee, Come inside

Close it tight so we can hide,
Over the mountain, And around we go

Here's my arrow, And here's my bow!

Joe found this cute song to help him with the steps.  I was amazed at how quickly Joey got it all by himself.  He is so excited to get new shoes with laces instead of velcro.  

Adventures In Dentistry

This was Joey's first dentist appointment.  Our appointment was at 8:30, so we basically got up, got dressed, and left.  Andrew seemed a bit hot that morning and wasn't quite acting himself, but hadn't been up long enough for me to have a handle on how bad he really felt.  As soon as we got checked into the office I realized something was wrong.  More on that in a moment.

Joey was brave and followed all of their directions.

Here's Joey standing still for an x-ray.  No small feat for him!

Here is Andrew going downhill.  (I know, really sweet of me to take this picture.)  He started to cry while we were watching Joey.  Not a good sign, but maybe we can make this quick and get him home.  Joshua was asleep in his carrier (thank God) and Andrew was cuddling on my lap.  Then...stop reading here if you aren't up for a yucky story.....he threw up all over himself, me and the floor of the dentist's office.  Not just once, but repeatedly.  I am not talking small or clear here either.  Oh, my!

I was mortified.  I tried my best to get him cleaned up enough to get him out without dripping all over.  I tried to clean up the dentist's floor.  Did I mention it was carpeted?  Within moments the staff had stopped Joey's appointment and rescheduled him for a later date.   

What?  You guys want us to leave?  I don't understand!

Here we are back at home assuming the sick position.  Blanket covering the couch and bucket on the floor.   He was sick all day and a bit into the next.  Sorry, kid.

The next week Joey went back and finished his appointment.  I missed pictures because they just scheduled his at the same time as mine.  I was still embarrassed and I didn't really want to go back, but the appointment was already scheduled and they were actually really great about it.  Sorry Dr. Neiman and the staff at Coastal Carolina Dentistry.  I really had no idea he was sick.

Next it was Andrew's turn for his first dentist appointment.  His was a basic, get to know you exam.  No x-rays or cleaning.  

Suction

Feeling the polisher

He did let the dentist take a look.  He was much braver on Daddy's lap.

All done!

Someone, Please Play With Me

Andrew is napping...boo!  

Daddy is working...boo!  

Mommy is busy too!  

Someone, please play with me!

Okay, Keela.  You have been hired by the Rescue Heroes.

Sports Candy

Joey has been obsessed with eating "sports candy" ever since he saw it on a TV show and now Andrew is loving it too. They decided to take a break from playing outside to enjoy some.



They really are just yummy apples, but calling them sports candy makes them taste even better.



Of course, they are still My Beal Boys and couldn't just sit on a bench eating their apples....


...they had to put the bench on top of the patio couch.

Andrew Entertaining Joshua

Notice how much Joshua likes it

Finding His Thumb

Joshua really wants to suck his thumb.  Too bad for him that he really isn't good at finding his mouth or keeping his thumb in it.  This is one of his first successful attempts.

The big boys wanted to be included in the pictures.  It is a rare treat to have three willing subjects.

Checking Out Daddy

Daddy's Home!

For a little boy who loves his Daddy a week is way too long to be away.  Andrew woke up from his nap just as Joe got home from an overseas trip.  By the way, those are raindrops not tears.

Can't you see the love and excitement in his eyes?!

Pledge

I didn't even realize that they say the pledge every day in preschool. We passed a flag the other day and he just started reciting it. It is sad that they have taken the pledge out of most schools. I want my boys to love our country and be proud of their Daddy's role in protecting it.

Listen at the end. He finishes it every time by saying "you may be seated". It took me a couple of times to figure out what he was saying.

Funny Faces

Our sweet boy is learning to smile and laugh. It is so cute! Here are a few of his faces I got tonight.

Whoa!!! I buzzed my lips at him and he just didn't know what to think.

Alright, back to smiles.

A bit more serious, but still cute.

Now it's time for full on laughter.

Andrew wanted no part in posing for pictures, but Joey jumped all over it. "Cheese!"

Sad but Cute

I know he looks so sad, but I couldn't resist taking his picture.

Tourists

We only have a couple more months here in Charleston, so we are trying to sneak in tourist activities in our free time. We decided to take the boys on a private carriage tour downtown. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and this was the perfect way to spend it.

We had our guide take two pictures of all of us sitting in the carriage, but they are not on my camera. I am guessing he isn't too good with technology if he didn't actually take a picture. You will have to just imagine it....we were sitting in a beautiful white carriage, we all leaned together, put on our best smiles and said "cheese". That is, all of us besides Joshua who was screaming his head off. I am sure our guide was excited to see us. Thankfully Joshua fell asleep quickly and we had a nice peaceful ride. Wait! What am I thinking?! We had Joey and Andrew with us, so peaceful is not how I would describe it. Fun, yes. Peaceful, no.

We went out to lunch and they let you write on the wall. That is right up our alley!

GER, Oh My!

This is the face of Gastroesophageal Reflux and it isn't pretty. It hurts my sweet baby and makes me hurt for him. He spent nearly four weeks either crying, nursing, or fitfully sleeping. His cry had such an intense pain-filled sound to it. Poor kid!

We started him on medication, the clouds are beginning to part and Joshua is finally seeing some relief. We are even beginning to see his smile and get to know his sweet personality.

Occasionally he even has restful sleep.

It looks like it is only getting better from here.

Testing Out the Baby Toys

Storytime

Here is Joey reading Joshua a book. He is so sweet to that baby.

Flowers

My sweet boy loves to pick me flowers. He sure knows how to melt my heart.

Easter Eggs

We must color...

We must sticker...

We must write our names...

We must pose with our colored eggs and baskets...

All just to get to the good stuff, CANDY!

Can you tell that nearly every egg he colored was pink?

Jellybeans from a chicken's bottom...Yum!

Now on to the hunt

It's funny how quickly our hunts go now that they are older. They are just too good for that Easter Bunny.