First Time in the Haircut Chair

Saturday, October 6, 2012 will forever live in infamy in this mommy's heart.  To me, that was the first day my sweet little baby boy officially "looked" like a big boy.  We had been trying to work in time to take him to get his first haircut for several weeks, but our weekends had just been packed with activities.  Saturday, we were still very busy, but we worked it in between soccer game, lunch, naps while Daddy did a Smokey Bear presentation at the park, shopping for Fall and Christmas clothes, and attending our neighborhood's Oktoberfest celebration.  With Evan, we had taken him at 15 months to snip off the little mullet he had grown.  Looking back at the pictures, I don't think Evan's hair really needed that much cutting because he didn't have as much hair as Brody does.  Their hair grew so different.  Evan's hair stayed short on top and grew longer at the back so it was passed the collar of his shirts and curled up around his ears.  His first haircut was a simple affair of just snipping off the back.  We got just enough for his baby book.  We have always kept Evan's hair cut pretty short because it is now very thick on top, and if the top gets too long, he has a habit of twisting and pulling it and leaving it with a bad cowlick.  With Brody, he hasn't developed any hair pulling tricks, and his hair has grown more on top and is considerably thicker than Evan's.  Brody's hair is also more fine like mine but does lay down reasonably well.  His main areas that needed attention were his bangs which were touching his eyebrows, around his ears, and shaping up the back which had grown back unevenly because of a bald spot he had as an infant.  For Evan's first haircut, we took him down to Eddie's Aunt's small town shop where Eddie had also had his first haircut as a child.  Daddy held Evan on his lap for that first snip, and he did very well.  For Brody's first snip and since he was older, we decided to take him to a fun kids' shop here in town.  We have several to choose from but some of them close very early on Saturdays (our only free day to take him).  We took him to a cute place called "Pigtails and Crewcuts" where they have cute little truck and car seats for the kids to sit in and "drive" while their hair is being cut.  This worked like a charm for our little man who loves all things with wheels.  He was driving that fire truck the whole time with big smiles on his face.

The "first haircut" package was $5.00 extra, but I thought this little keepsake card with a picture and his snipit of hair inside was just the thing for his baby book.

Brody got to drive the fire truck during his haircut.   Mommy was showing the stylist how much to trim off.  You can see how much his hair had grown in the back and around his ears here.  

He was our shaggy little puppy before his cut!  And yes,  he does look like his mama in this one!

Brody does not mind a bit letting a pretty lady play with his hair while he drives.

The first snip for the book!

He says mommy needs one of those spray bottles  to use at home.  She usually just wets his hair down with her hands. 

Looking cool with his hair slicked back.

All smiles. 

Love that pointing finger.  He points at stuff all the time now, but we shamefully don't always know what he is trying to show us.  

The finished product.  He went from baby to big boy in just a few minutes!

Sweet kisses for Mommy because she was feeling sad.

Proud Daddy with his littlest big man.

The take-home keepsake.  His lock of hair did look pretty dark, but his hair looks so blond now with the darker ends trimmed off. 

And for comparison's sake:

Evan's Collage - Before picture with arrow pointing to his mullet, During picture with thumb in mouth, lock of reddish colored hair, and the page in his baby book.

Brody's Collage - Before picture looking like a shaggy dog, During picture, lock of hair and keepsake page for baby book, and nicely trimmed after picture. 

Fun at the Gym

We had a ball last Saturday celebrating our little neighbor friend's birthday at a local My Gym.  I have never joined any of these facilities because of being a working mom with little time to utilize them.  We usually rely on parks, the backyard, or sporting events for our exercise.  Evan and Brody's first experience at My Gym was earlier this year at another friend's birthday party.  Our little neighbor, Levi, turned 3 so we enjoyed celebrating with him.  Levi is just the sweetest and most loving little boy you will ever meet.  He will give anyone a hug that will just warm you right to your toes.  He is especially fond of Brody, and every time he and his mom or dad go for a walk in the neighborhood, he begs to come see Baby Brody.  The sad part of this post is that Levi's family is moving to Colorado -- a much anticipated move they have been wanting to make for a while.  His parents are very outdoorsy people and love canoeing and hiking.  Levi's mom's job requires her to travel often to the west coast, but she is hoping she'll be able to set up a more stable work environment at her new office in Colorado.  We will miss them so much...good neighbors are worth their weight in gold!

Little Levi is ready to party.

Brody tries out the trampoline.

So strong pushing this big roll with one hand.

Levi wants to play ball with Brody.

Either Brody stole his ball or Levi was trying to give him a hug.  It's a toss up.

Jumping fun with Mommy.

Sharing the tire swing.

Brody held on by himself like a champ.

Little sweetie

And cutie too

Silly boy

Brody did not listen to instructions to sit down. 

Evan was one of the oldest kids there so he had to chalk it up and set a good example on this one.  He didn't want to do it the last time he was here. 

Go, Levi, go!

Daddy tries to show Brody how to do it too.

Evan enjoys being a "big brother" to Levi.

Of course, Brody had to get right in the middle of storytime. 

Sweet face

Cute yummy cupcakes.

Apparently, Evan and Levi were thirsty.

Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Making his wish.

Evan helping him blow out his candles.

Yep, little man enjoyed some cupcake.  He liked the cake better than the icing.  And yes, this is his first juice box.  Mommy wasn't too happy about that although he has had sips before when he sneaks big brother's drink.   I knew it was going to happen one day.  *Sigh*

He had a death grip on that little carton and would not let it go.  Love those boys!

A little cake face.  Of course, his lap and the floor were covered with cake crumbs!

Friday's Letters Returns

I know I haven't written my Friday's Letters in a while, but I just felt like writing a few today.

Dear Fall:  We are so ready to enjoy you.  The cooler weather has been nice, and we are ready to go to the pumpkin patch, do a corn maze, and jump into some leaves!

Dear Old Friend who will remain nameless:  I have immensely enjoyed catching up with you via Facebook messenger and reliving our good ol' times together.  I had a heavy heart about the way our relationship ended, and you have really set my mind and heart at ease that you don't hold any hard feelings against me.  Our time together still lives on in my memories as a very precious time.

Dear Mecklenburg County Clerk's Office:  Thank you so much for the yummy eastern NC style barbecue for lunch today.  It really makes this eastern NC girl happy to enjoy some yummy chopped pork barbecue with lots of vinegar based sauce smothered on it.

Dear Brody:  I was so proud of how you walked into your class this morning and went right up to another older boy and started playing with him and exploring the pumpkins and gourds at the sensory exploration area.  I am very sorry that your teacher made you leave early because of your little runny nose.  Seriously, doesn't she know that all kids have runny noses this time of year and that you have already missed several days for it.  I know you were probably disappointed to have to leave.  Oh and I hope we can get your hair cut today because I'm not sure you like looking like a shaggy dog although I think you looked very cute in your little overalls today.

Dear Evan:  I know mommy has been a little disappointed this week because you have been falling asleep before she gets home, but she just enjoys her special time holding you at night and seeing your sweet, beautiful face greeting her at the door when she gets home.  I know that school is really tiring you out, and I really think you need to take a little nap in the afternoon after you get home from school, okay?

Dear Husband:  You have been especially wonderful this week, and I have enjoyed our extra "bonding" time together.  Ha!

Dear Bob and Sheri:  I always learn so much from listening to your morning radio show on my way to work. You two are hilarious and compliment each other well.  Thanks for the laughs and the tips!

A little disappointed

Wednesday night is my early night to get home to my kids.  I only have one two hour class that last until 8:00 so I am usually home by 8:30.  My sweet boys are usually still awake at that time and are waiting for some mommy cuddling time.  I also enjoy getting to have reading time with Evan.  When I arrived home tonight, I was met at the door by this sweet little smiling face saying "ma":

I didn't actually get a picture tonight, but he was wearing pajamas so you get the picture.  

I was ecstatic to see my littlest man and picked him up to cuddle him, but there was someone missing.  Apparently, my biggest baby was exhausted from a long day at school and passed out at 6:30.

I guess kindergarten takes a lot out of a kid. 

1st Library Book

One of the parts of parenthood that I most looked forward to before having children was getting to read to them and hopefully passing on my love of reading to them.  I have always loved lying in bed at night and reading a good book.  It was how I got myself ready to go to sleep every night.  I really love children and young adult books the best and have a whole list (on this blog) of books that I want my children to enjoy one day.  That list is not all-inclusive by any means, and I always find new books to love.  Evan does seem to enjoy me reading to him as long as the book is a theme he particularly enjoys.  He likes funny stories, books about dinosaurs and dragons, books about kids going on adventures, and other boy stuff. I do usually enjoy the books he likes too although I have a whole bunch of old books to pass on to a little girl should I ever have one (I was a Sweet Valley Twin/Babysitter's Club/Nancy Drew/mystery book loving pre-teen).  When we go to the mall, I always love perusing the children's section of the bookstore and can usually find at least one new book (on sale) to add to our collection.  Since Evan started school, he gets to go to the library once a week and is supposed to be pick out a book to check out.  Well, the last couple of weeks, he wasn't bringing me home a book.  I, of course, questioned him on why he brought ME no book to read...why yes, he is supposed to be bringing the book for me because he knows how much I love to read.  Ha!  But he would tell me there was no book on the shelf where he was told he could pick from that he liked.  I told him I didn't care what kind of book he picked, but he better bring me home a book next time.  I was just kidding, but we did have a serious discussion about his needing to pick out a book because it was important that we have something new to read every night.  I also reminded him that we have read lots of books that he wasn't always sure he would like in the beginning and did end up really liking.  His teacher had also sent me home a note to warn me of the problem she was having getting Evan to pick out a book.  Apparently, he had gotten very upset at the library because he couldn't find a book he liked.  He told his teacher that we were already reading a book at home (we have been working through the Narnia series this summer).  That boy is such a sensitive soul, I tell you.  After much encouragement, he promised to bring home a book next time.  Today was library day, and he brought home two books, and he was very excited about them.  He told his daddy, "I found two books at the library, and I actually like them."  Yay for me...and Evan, of course!  We read this one tonight:

It was a very sweet story about a class who each got an egg to incubate and watch hatch into baby chicks.  Every child's egg was the same except Sally's which was big and spotted.  Of course, when her egg cracked open, it revealed a slimy, scaled little creature instead of an adorable, fuzzy little chick.  When she tried to "complain" to her teacher, her silly teacher just said, "Don't be difficult!"  Ha!  I don't think that gives teachers much credit.  As Sally watched her little Argus grow into a great big dragon while all the other children had adorable little chicks to cuddle and hold, she began to feel a little left out.  She felt isolated because her dragon kept trying to eat the chicks and other children and had to be kept separate.  One day, when her Argus disappeared, she realized how much she cared for him and missed him.  She was very happy when Argus was found.  I thought it was a sweet story that showed how we don't often appreciate what we have until it is gone.  I look forward to reading many more children's stories in the coming years.

What I'm Lovin' Monday #14

Man, these Monday lovings really seem to be coming faster every week.  I can't believe this is number 14.  Although it isn't the most pleasant Monday and the weather is dreary and wet, I always have plenty of things to love.  Of course, having some super cute and fun little guys does help a lot with that.

Loving that Fall is in the air!

Loving little boys having fun at My Gym celebrating a special friend's birthday.

Happy Birthday, Levi!

Loving little boys who want to wear Daddy's shoes!

Loving doing the Frankenstein dance.

Loving these turkey heads!

Loving little boys who love walking around Lowe's just like little men.

Loving little boys who love riding the "tractors."

Brody - 17 months

And comparing them to pictures like this:

Evan - 2 years