Please Soak Your Butt

A few weeks ago, we hit a major bath-time snag. Austin developed a huge fear of the bathtub -- literally overnight! Our son, who once loved his bath, wouldn't even sit in the tub. I started to wonder if he'd ever be clean after two or three nights of scream-until-you're-red-in-the-face terror. I headed to Target for bath colors and crossed my fingers we could at least get him to stand in the tub without screaming.

After a lot of coaxing and random drawings on the bathtub wall, we finally got him to get in without a fight. He wouldn't sit but he was in!The next roadblock was washing his hair. We soon realized that we'd have to get creative if we were going to get his hair washed without water-boarding him. The first night he was hanging on the side of the tub, with his head hanging out, so washing his hair was totally out of the question. By the end of the week we learned we could make him reach for the stars (see the star??) so that he'd put his head far enough back to allow me to rinse his hair!I'm happy to report that this phase went as quickly as it came. I never knew I'd worry about things like this. All the way to work I'd brainstorm ideas about making the bathtub less scary. I was even emailing friends for advice. I should have know that this too would pass. Thank goodness, because the boy almost needs two baths a day in the summer!

Wordless Wednesday: Midnight Snack

21 Months Old

Austin, at 21-months-old...

12 Months - 13 Months - 14 Months - 15 Months - 16 Months
- 17 Months - 18 Months - 19 Months - 20 Months

...you've started to refer to things as "nice" or "cute."

...you say "meehere" when you want someone to come to you.

...you realized you can walk backwards -- and are SO proud of the fact!...you love to march, march, march!

...you pinch your hands together and say "pinch pinch" when we ask you what a crab does.

...you've learned interesting words like poop, pee-pee and booger. You've also started saying "gross" and "yuck" to compliment those fine words.

...you love to go to the "mail-bocks" -- and for some strange reason, you think the arms of the couch are mailboxes!

...you've started eating dinner while sitting in a booster seat. We've found we can keep you there a whole 30 seconds longer than your highchair. We take what we can get.
...you will sit on the potty chair fully clothed and pretend to go to the bathroom.

...you love to blow bubbles!

...you love anything and everything with "but-tuns!"

...you've learned that a boo-boo will get you sympathy and ask us if we want to "see" the "bo-bos" you got in the "rocks" -- some of them three weeks ago!...you've learned a few new names: Florance, Sissy, Win, Lo-Lo, Joe, John-John

...you love glasses -- reading and sun!

...you learned how to say the word "garage" when we started working on our garage sale. Now you always ask if Dad is in the garage when he's not here.

....you started calling all the tractors and wagons "Pa's toys."
...you're continuing to amaze us each day! We can't believe you'll be two in just three months, but at the same time we don't know what we did without you!

Love you!
Mama and Dad

The Bunny Finally Visits Prairie

The Easter Bunny finally came to visit us at home on Easter Sunday afternoon. Of course by this time, Austin wanted nothing to do with eggs...The 85-piece play food set was definitely a hit. Mama is going to have to talk to the Easter Bunny. Apparently he had no idea what a pain picking up 85 pieces of food would be like every single night.

Easter with The Kiefers

We headed to Sparta for brunch on Easter morning. Austin was greeted with tons of eggs left by the Easter bunny. Dad was excited to find some "real" Easter eggs -- it isn't Easter until you've had a hard boiled egg and salt! As I mentioned before, Austin is too busy to actually sit in a high chair these days. We eventually sat his plate on the porch and let him come in and out as he pleased. He really thought he was something! We're not sure who ate more...him or the cats!
After yummy egg casserole and monkey bread, we shared Easter gifts and headed outside for a somewhat unsuccessful photo shoot.
We were definitely blessed with beautiful weather over the Easter weekend!