Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night!

Happy Friday!

Weekend!

Last week, we took a trip to the Ear Nose and Throat doctor to get a second opinion on Connor's tounge.

We will be going to have it clipped in the early part of March.

He'll be able to lick an ice cream cone... and be able to stick his tounge out further then his bottom lip!  Horray!

Then, on Thursday the fever came, along with a runny nose and cough.  I left for a women's retreat and came home to a loving husband who had managed to hold down the fort, but with a two-year-old with an ear infection. :(  Poor guy!

SO, this week has been a bit of a crazy one with Connor needing some extra TLC and our evening schedule being in full swing (music classes have started again).

Connor has recovered and only has a little bit of a runny nose now and it's the weekend!  Yay!

We're going to try some potty training this weekend and see how it goes...

Due to wanting to keep that a private thing - this is the only picture we will show of the potty training events. 

Connor got some big boy underwear for his birthday and I let him try a pair on. :)

Where's Connor?

The camo from Uncle Paul and Aunt Sandy is finally the right size (Connor is just a squirt) and he loves wearing it.  He likes to wear both the pants and the jacket, with the hood up.  We also have a camo ball cap that he puts on with this and then we pretend we can't see him - he thinks it's hysterical.  Bill is much better at keeping a straight face while asking "Where did Connor go?" while standing right in front of him... I tend to just start laughing when Connor starts laughing.

can't you just hear him laughing?

We enjoyed a weekend in Pittsburgh celebrating Erin's baby-on-the-way and Mom H's birthday.  Monday was the start of the FINAL GRAD CLASS for both of us, and next week will start the beginning of a new semester for music class... so we're gearing up for the second half of the school year and adding more things back into our schedule after having a nice break in January.  Hopfully I'll keep up with a weekly blog post... :)



Two!

And just like that...

He's TWO.

January 2012 - one year old!

February 2012 - first haircut

March 2012 - sweet boy :)

April 2012 - loves his Kirby car

May 2012 - train ride

June 2012 - just like dad

July 2012 - visiting family

August 2012 - finally likes stickers!

September 2012 - loves to 'drive' the car... and push all the buttons!

October 2012 - going to the park is a favorite thing to do

November 2012 - this boy LOVES pancakes!

December 2012 - playing trains - does it get much better?

January 2013 - snug as a bug in a rug!

We love you Connor - you are such a sweet cheerful little man who loves his family, being outside, and anything with fire trucks and trains.  We pray that you will always be this loving and full of fun, and that God will do great things in your life!   We can't wait to see what this year brings for you!
Love you - Mama and Dad

hhmmmm.....

The children must have been misbehaving on the bus.

I just crack up when I find things like this at our house - I mean, don't you just wonder what he was thinking??

Big Boy Bed

New Year's Eve

Connor has successfully slept in his big boy bed for two weeks.

His first night in it was New Year's Eve, and he took about an hour to fall asleep...

maybe because it was the excitement... or the lack of pacifier (!!!!) but eventually he drifted off.

I think his favorite part of the bedtime routine now is reading.  I think he loves that we can sit on his bed with him to read the stories.

Since it's a twin sized bed, he looks like he'll never be big enough to fill it up - but I know it will go by fast!

Christmas part 2 :)

So because of the threat of snow/ice/end of the world travel conditions,

we packed up and headed west on Christmas night.  We ate turnpike food for dinner and had a very uneventful drive (minus the night owl in the backseat...).

We had Hoffman Christmas in the morning of the 26th, before having a delicious lunch.

Show us what you got!

Bill opening his pen set made from wood from the front tree that had to be cut down several years ago. :)

Uncle Bill and three of five nieces sitting by the "fire".

After a good nap for Connor, we headed down Rt. 8 to celebrate with the extended Barton family.  Connor had fun playing with the kids and opening his present from Jacob.  Bill had fun telling Uncle Andrew all about the wild times he's had teaching labs, and I got to catch up with everyone too. :)

We stayed with Mawna and Pap.  Mawna is a sucker sweetheart to her grandchildren.  She would do anything for them.  Including letting them eat cookies for breakfast.

With a special mug.  Of coffee.

Thursday morning we went to see Mum-mum R at St. Barnabas and the pictures of that are not on the computer yet (I had a little hiccup with things and some are on and some are not.  story of my life!).  We also had some time with the Sander's on Thursday - good spaghetti dinner and we opened presents with them too! We gave Chloe the most obnoxious sounding vacuum cleaner ever! (sorry Alison and Kevin!!) and she had fun sweeping everything.  :)

And then on Friday - a first for Connor:

SNOW!!!!

sledding didn't go so great, but it was fun otherwise!

love :)

We spent some time at Uncle Paul's on Friday.  Connor got to open this light-up penguin from them and he adores it.  It now sleeps with him, along with the bear they got him for his first Easter.  (2 for 2 there Uncle Paul and Aunt Sandy!  Good job!)

Saturday was Train Open House day at the Hoffman's.  When we arrived, Connor upped the number of kids to 12. (whew!) and he loved every minute of playtime with his family. 

Connor, Selah, and Lindsey under the train board.

Ethan capturing the moment on his new iTouch.

After church on Sunday we headed home.  We had two days to catch up and relax a bit at home before starting the normal routine.  What did we do?  Play!!!

play-dough toy from Jacob - so cool!

Christmas - part one of two :)

after our Christmas Eve service - he was so excited for Santa to come!!

Christmas morning - Bill was the first one up... :)

a little unsure at first about why we were so excited... but he caught on!

Connor's second Christmas was a great one - fire truck, train tracks, clothes, a few books,
a giant floor  puzzle, and a school bus!

Bill gave me a wonderful gift - a song book and all the cd's I don't already own of my favorite singer - Sara Groves.  One of the cd's is autographed!! :) :)  I also got lots of other things... but I won't bore you with the details.

I gave Bill a hiking trip with Tumpline Ministries to Montana.  He'll be going this coming summer.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas to our family and friends!

Hope your day is a good one and we'll see you soon!

toddler Pittsburgh-eze. :)

"Hause"

:)

I also forgot to ask him to say sandwich - which Connor calls a "sam-ich". :)

Trains and Trees

Connor likes to play "T Bo" at our house - no, not football playing... ;) ;)

Train. Board.

Like at Grandma and Pop-pop's.  It's very exciting.

We put a blanket over our piano bench, and it's a Connor sized train board!

Our Christmas tree was a two day event - going and getting the tree, and then decorating it.

Connor seems to like it, but he's been doing a good job not touching it! (So far...)

The night we got the tree

Decorating - he loved it!

getting ready for our Christmas card picture!

bubbles!

Connor figured out how to blow bubbles in the tub last night.

The reason I'm holding the blue bowl is because I was showing him how myself, and then he wanted to keep trying in the bowl too.

He eventually laid down on his belly and started blowing bubbles in the tub too - he thought it was so fun!

Back on Track :)

"doing science" with the nieces and nephews on Thanksgiving

John Gallo - I am so very sorry that I didn't capture your entire face for that picture... 

would have been a keeper for sure.. ;)

Night Night Thomas

Cousin time at Monna and Pap's house

A future candy maker in the making!

Figured out how to bypass the "you are out of storage space" issue from last week.

We're back on track and now you have seen what we did during Thanksgiving.

Look for some new pictures up soon!

:(

out of storage space.

not sure what to do.

we'll see...

Jump!

YAY!  We've moved from galloping to full out jumping! :)

Indian... I mean, Native American.

At Connor's school, they are celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday with a special lunch.  

The 2 year old class made pilgrim hats.

The 1 1/2 year old class made Indian headbands.  Except Connor.

Connor's teacher said that she tried to get him "fitted" for his headband and he wanted nothing to do with it.  He liked the feathers, but he wouldn't let her come near him with the paper strip to put around his head.

So... true to form, I thought I could make him do it. (go ahead... laugh away)

Today we sat after dinner and colored some paper and then I cut out feathers... and a paper strip for a headband.

We went into the bathroom to try it out.  He started screaming like I was going to cut his head off with the strip of paper.

He hated it.  Did not want to wear it.  Even after I showed him how cool I looked wearing one.

Then... I thought of this!

Feathers on his hat!  Now, I realize the irony behind it - it is camo after all - but we're going with it.  He likes it.  And he'll 'blend in' with a headfull of feathers.

oh. my. goodness.  what a crazy boy!