Fred-n-Sara

The first week of school is almost over.  Fred and I have done all the appropriate preparation and had our first days with students, so we can check that off our fall list of things to do.  We’ve celebrated Cal’s birthday and a few other family and friends’ too, and now I’m looking ahead to Septembers events.  There’s more birthdays and events planned, like a fantasy football draft that can’t be missed (Fred’s of course), more birthdays, and of course Labor Day.  Here at our house, one of the most important September happenings is Oliver’s first birthday.  I can’t believe he’s going to be a year old already! It feels like yesterday that I was barely handling  the summer heat and getting ready to have him.  The year has gone by so fast.

Our ever watching, inquisitive, stubborn, and sensitive little guy is turning a year old!  I haven’t really posted much about his amazing personality or the milestones he’s mastered over the last year, but it’s been amazing to watch him grow and learn all the things that he has.

Oliver is so different from Calvin.  He’s more calm and quiet.  Not as busy but just as active, if that makes any sense.  He watches everything, God only knows what  he’s thinking when he watches Calvin be his crazy self, running through the house.  Oliver is a happy guy, as long as he’s getting what he wants and is pretty quiet unless he wants something.  And believe me, everyone in the neighborhood knows if Oliver wants something.  We may not be able to determine just what it is yet, but everyone knows he wants something!  But better communication is coming, he’s learning to use a few signs (more, drink, all done) and soon enough he’ll be using words rather than shrieks and screams.  And then he’ll be walking too.  For now though, he’s still my sweet, inquisitive baby.  And his birthday is coming up.

So, if you are wondering what to get this sweet little guy, I have a few suggestions:

• 12 month fall/winter clothes (all the 12 month hand me downs from Cal are summer things, so Oliver has very little to wear this fall)
• books.  Oliver loves to look at bright pictures as well as taste them.  Some of my personal favorite baby book authors are Sandra Boynton, Richard Scarry, and Karen Katz.
• simple toys, nothing noise producing or with flashing lights, we have plenty of those in our house. He does not have many simple things like shape sorters, nesting cups or stacking cups.  These are things he would like, and they don’t need batteries!

Those are just my suggestions, if you are thinking of getting him something for his birthday next month.  But, by all means, don’t think you need to get him anything, he’ll be just as happy to see smiling faces celebrating with him.

Over the weekend we had Cal’s birthday party at our house.  Just a small celebration with family and a friends.  I didn’t get a lot of pictures because I was busy making sure the food (a hot dog bar, loaded with options like coney sauce, onions, relish, sauerkraut, and cheese) and my boys and the guests were not melting in the 90 degree heat!

But just the same, here are a few pictures!

Granddad made Oliver cry when he dipped Oliver’s toes in the ice bucket with all the pop.

We have such wonderful family and friends to share our celebrations with!

Here’s to many more happy birthdays for Calvin and celebrations with our family!

I know this picture is really blurry, but I have to share it… This is how I found Cal sleeping when I went to wake him up from his (late) nap after the party:

It’s hard to believe that our first born is turning 2 today!  Our little monkey, Mommy’s little monster, Captain Destructo, Crazy Cal, and yet, still, our sweet little boy is only turning two, but I can barely remember life without him now.  He makes us smile, laugh, and even sometimes say a bad word under our breath, but always, at the end of the day, he’s our sweet little boy.  Where has the last year gone?  Let’s take a look:

12 months: King of the toys!

13 months: Welcoming his new baby brother (the sticker on his back says “Big Brother”)

14 months: Little Monkey at Boo at the Zoo

15 months: Baking Christmas Cookies

16 months: Sorting Shapes

17months: The Big Snow (it’s cold!)

18 months: Homemade Play-dough

19 months: Spaghetti-O’s

20 months: First Black Eye (from falling into the leg of the rocking chair)

21 months: Playing at Grandma and Grandpop’s

22 months: Teaching Oliver to Ride

23 months: Splash Park Fun

This post was really hard to do.  There’s lots of pictures that I could have shared, but I really wanted to keep it simple.  I’ve done a pretty bad job of sharing my favorite pictures with you on this site, but if you want to see more (and some are very cute!), go to our photo page!

It seems that this website is in need of some help. Have you noticed the large empty orange space at the top? How about the lack of comments for the posts? Or how about the lack of substance to the posts being written?

I know that I’m not a full time blogger and that I don’t really have that much to say, but I feel like our little piece of the world wide web could use some work. Maybe pizazz. Some oomph. Something. What do you think?

So here’s what I need from you (the single lone reader or two…):

1. Suggestion for a catchy phrase to add to the blaring orange space at the top (or any other header suggestion; maybe a different format even?)
2. Suggestions for content; what would you like to see here or not see for that matter.
3. Anything else you want to tell Fred and I about the site*

So there you go, please help us revamp our little site here, to make it the best it can be!  Because you know, it’s the end of the summer and now Fred and I will have nothing else to do besides go back to work, celebrate lots of birthdays, including Calvin’s 2nd and Oliver’s 1st and Fred’s 35th (!!!), and take care of 2 small children and 3 pets in the next 2 months other than play with this site.

*Constructive criticism only, please!  You don’t want to be responsible for making me cry, do you?

Even though I hate to acknowledge it,  we’re half way through the summer now.  So let’s take a look at this to-do list I posted earlier with updates in green:

*This list is in no particular order.

• Play for endless hours in the back yard with the boys  **Most days
• Construct outside clothes line (one of those eco-friendly things I love to do)
• Take long walks each day (weather permitting) with the boys to the park, library, and anywhere else we can think of. **Most days
• Paint the deck.
• Finger paint on rainy days with Calvin and Oliver.  **Thankfully we haven’t had too many rainy days yet!
• Revamp flowerbeds (both in front of our house and behind our deck, they are in sad, sad shape!) **The front is getting there, thanks to Fred’s parents who gave us some landscaping rocks.  I’ve got to get some more plants, but I’m trying to do this as cheaply as possible, so I’m waiting for good deals and handouts…
• Encourage Oliver to sleep through the night (in my dreams, right?), crawl, and walk! **I think this is going to take all summer.
• Reorganize/clean out storage space in the kitchen and closets upstairs. **This is started, I’ve got Cal’s room and the hall closet done, as well as some of the kitchen cabinets cleaned out
• Read countless numbers of books to both boys. **Everyday!
• Scour garage sales for gently used toys, both for inside and outside.  **We’ve had some success, but we’re still looking for a basketball hoop and climber (not that we have any flat space in our yard to put it)
• Take the boys swimming. **We’ve gone once, but this is challenging when Fred’s working, Cal is such a little busy body!
• Weed the revamped flowerbeds (I’m really bad at keeping up with this).  **Fred’s been doing more of this than me.
• Visit the zoo with friends and family. **We’ve hit the Akron and Cleveland Zoos once already.  Anyone want to go again?
• Visit local farmers markets for fresh produce and make healthy and tasty meals.  **Springfield has a small market on Fridays and there are a few more I want to get to, to check out still, but the produce I’ve gotten is great!
• Spend lazy summer days in the yard with the boys and nights on the deck with Fred. **Most nights
• Read good books. **Just finished Jodi Picoult’s Handle with Care; amazing and heartbreaking.  Now on to Naptime is the New Happy Hour by Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
• Take naps (when the boys do). **Really, who has time for this?
• Clean the carpets.
• Fill up the kiddie pool and splash with Calvin and Oliver. **We’ve got pictures to post!
• Re-cement the cement block around our house.
• Enjoy the season and hope it never ends!  **We really have been enjoying the season!

Hmm, looks like we have gotten to do most of the fun things, but the actual chores…not so much.  Oh well, we’re busy!  If we get the important stuff done, that’s all that matters.  And by important, I mean enjoying the summer with our boys!