Reid - 6/25/2015

Reid arrived before lunch and ate baked chicken, bite of dinner roll, ate half of hash browns, and ate cherries, plus two servings of grapes.  (There wasn't enough cherries for everyone to have a second serving, but he was happy to finish off the grapes from breakfast! Ha!)

Lesley, you and I were talking about summer weather, shorts, and skinned knees on the sidewalk.  I'll bet you hadn't been gone five minutes when Reid fell and skinned a knee.  (Not real bad.)  He wiped it off, never said a word, and took off pushing the dump truck again.  However, it was bleeding so I put on a bandaid and that changed his attitude.  I guess he thought that was very serious and he sat on the bench wounded for a long time.  But I took the picture below when he eventually recovered!  :)

I took this picture when Reid was escaping with his stuffed animal so Baby Sophie couldn't get it!  Ha ha!  He's been listening really well to me and I've been telling him to grab his toy and run when the babies try to get it.  (Instead of swatting at them or pushing them.)  He totally gets it and this picture is a good example.  He was sitting up there and looked back at Sophie and said, "don't get it!" (He does have a white bear in his lap that is not visible in the picture.)

Reid - 6/23/2015

Reid ate two servings of breakfast: waffles and pears.  For lunch he ate three servings of tuna and crackers, ate sweet potatoes, and mandarin oranges.  Cooper saw me putting Almond milk in Reid's cup and asked, "What kind of milk does Reid have?"  And then Cooper said, "I drink cow's milk."

Yesterday afternoon Reid was chanting (over and over), "Let's go Jayhawks, let's go!"  Ha!  (He was wearing his Jayhawks T-shirt.)

Cooper had LOTS of the food toys piled in the sink and then a piano on top and that was surrounded by phones.  I was telling him he needed to share some with Elliott and Reid too.  Later he told me, "I'm sharing Reid's stuff."  Ha!  (Meaning he was sharing with Reid, but the literal meaning was more accurate!!)

These "ice cream" flavors you see in the picture are the big hits so far in this toy exchange.  There are eight different colors (thank goodness they're labeled on the inside for us color challenged people - ha!) so we were matching colors and flavors.  Reid liked the blueberry of course, but he liked stacking all of them together.  He did have them all on top of individual cones and then was guarding them from Sophie.

Reid did do some running, kicking the balls, and playing on the climbers during outside time too.  I took this picture of the boys watching the garbage workers.  It's been a long time since their work schedule has coincided with our outdoor time.

Reid - 6/22/2015

Just a short Blog for Reid today - He made it to Little Treasures about 10:45.  For lunch he ate three servings of roast beef sandwich, no tomato soup ("I don't like that."), and ate lettuce salad with honey mustard dressing.

He was glad to be back at Daycare -judging by his behavior!  :)  He went right in and started playing while I visited with the rest of the Templeton males!  We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange yesterday after we got home from vacation so there was that additional "newness" as well!

Reid, Sophie, and Elliott are the only ones here today.  Cooper and Layla should be joining us tomorrow.  Reid was so sweet to the two babies and he kissed Sophie on the end of her nose and she loved it!  Then Elliott was bringing him books to read after we'd just got through reading several of them.  Reid was tossing everyone that we'd read and he was saying to Elliott, "We read that one," next book, "We read that one!"  Elliott, of course, thought it was all hilarious.

At lunch time Elliott was getting fussy and I told him to go find his "froggy binky."  Reid jumped right in to help; "I find it!"  And he went and found it.  He loves to be a helper!

Reid - 6/12/2015

Reid ate oatmeal, but no canned prunes for breakfast.  (So far, he won't taste them.)  For lunch he had bites of hash brown casserole, ate biscuit, and mandarin oranges.

Reid totally went along with my silliness and was being a Ham for the camera.  This was at breakfast (actually after breakfast) and I told him this was his bowl of oatmeal.  He was more than happy to go back and sit down and pose for the picture!  Ha!  (And that's a serving spoon that's in his hand!!)

Cooper and Reid built this sidewalk and then ran and ran and ran on it.  They were circling around the igloo and they both were sweating profusely before they were done!!  Elliott, on the other hand, had his own agenda!  He insisted on going the opposite direction and wasn't about to do any different!  But at least he wasn't crying when he'd get bumped - over and over!!

Thank you to everyone for being so willing to allow me to go on vacation!  I love taking care of your children and this is a chance for me to recharge my batteries.  We're going to Portland for Missy's graduation and then we have a cabin rented in the Olympic Peninsula in Brinnon, Washington.  We'll be relaxing, reading, sight-seeing, and I'll be doing some hiking!!

We had fun outside chasing bubbles.  The wind was blowing just enough to send the bubbles all over the yard.  However, Reid and Cooper were getting very excited and a major crash seemed inevitable! At least there was no blood when it did happen!!  They also kicked the balls around the yard and Reid played on the geo-climber.  (He wanted me to watch him hanging upside-down.)  Then he kind of slid off at a weird angle and hit himself in the crotch.  He said, "I landed on my pena!!"  :)  (At least that's what it sounded like he said!)

Reid - 6/11/2015

Reid ate whole wheat bun and three servings of cantaloupe for breakfast.  For lunch he ate three servings of turkey slices, ate whole wheat roll, bites of green beans (even though that's not his favorite), and two servings of mangoes.

Here's a picture of Elliott with Reid's blanket.  Reid was joining Cooper in playing with the large blocks and he just turned around and handed Elliott his blanket.  It was like he was saying; "Here, hold this for me."  Totally shocked me.  Elliott looked at the blanket and then at Reid.  It's gotta be a trap?!?  Ha!  But Elliott strolled off playing with it and I thought that was so cute.

Cooper is finding out that tall friends are handy at times for things beside companionship!!  Ha! In the picture you can see Reid is standing on the hardwood floor and he has this tower stacked pretty high.  He couldn't quite reach this last one, so Cooper handed him another block and said, "Here, try this one!"  :)

The boys played with some sidewalk chalk outside and Elliott tried for a few minutes, but he primarily wanted to eat it or just play in the chalk container sack.  When I took the picture below, Cooper wasn't impressed with where Elliott was standing.  He said, "He's standing on my chalk thing!!"  Reid was VERY engaged with the chalk for probably 15 minutes or more!  The boys also played with the balls, climbers, bikes, and wagons.  Reid saw Elliott pulling a wagon and he jumped in for a free ride; which looked quite hilarious!  Elliott tried to pull him, but finally wandered off and Cooper started pulling the wagon and giving Reid a ride.

Reid - 6/10/2015

It's a short Blog day as Reid was hanging out with Daddy most of the morning.  He ate two big servings of ham, two servings of crackers, ate bean & bacon soup, and two servings of strawberries for lunch.  I saved him the left over mixed berries from breakfast and he ate those too.  He was happy and thrilled that I'd saved the berries for him.  "I saved these for you Reid!"  He said, "FOR MEEEEEE!?!"  Ha ha!

I was being silly with him after lunch today and I took this picture of him laughing.  He has such a great smile and laugh!  I love having Reid in Little Treasures!

I think I've mentioned this to Lesley, but Reid does lots of kicking the ball (and he's very good at it) and always with his left foot.  I've never seen him kick with his right foot.

He was on the climber and going down the slide and somehow ended up with one leg down the slide and doing some serious splits!  You could tell it was uncomfortable, but it looked really funny and I started laughing.  He made it to the bottom and said, "Want me do that again?!?"  Ha ha ha!

Reid - 6/9/2015

Reid ate whole wheat bagel and three servings of apricots for breakfast.  For lunch he ate chicken, elbow noodles, two servings of peas, and three servings of applesauce.

This picture pretty much explains how much Reid likes to be "guided" in his play!  Ha!  Mia was bossing the boys around, being the "Mom" she said, and was wanting them to take a nap.  Cooper was cooperating and he's under the pillow on the couch in case you missed it!  :)  Mia is saying to Reid, "Close your eyes Sweetie; take a nap!"  He was a little miffed anyhow because he couldn't find his blanket (it was hidden under some blocks) and Mia was getting frustrated because he didn't want to "nap!"  She quickly changed from the "Sweetie" tone!  Ha ha!

When we were outside this morning I GENTLY bounced a soft ball off Elliott's head.  Elliott loves that kind of play and he was chuckling and we were having fun.  Bad Decision!!  I didn't realize Reid was watching and I had started to take some notes for these Blogs when all of a sudden I'm hit in the head with a yellow (not so soft) ball and pretty hard!!  Ha ha ha!  "Gary shouldn't have done that Reid; we can't throw balls at people!!"  Especially from point-blank range with high velocity!!

This is a picture of the Toddler version of Hide-and-seek.  Reid is well hidden under the climber and is waiting for Mia to find him.  :)

Baby Layla had just woke up and was hungry and I was busy for a few minutes in the middle of lunch.  So I put the music thing (whatever it's called!) over the top of her and I liked how everyone was so interested in it!

Reid - 6/8/2015

Reid ate bran cereal and two servings of cranberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate four servings of pizza, ate corn, and three servings of tropical fruit for breakfast.  I love how well Reid is adopting my routines at Little Treasures.  For example I do not let them get up from a meal table with food still in their mouth.  Reid shows me his mouth on the way to wash his hands without me even asking him.  And even today on Monday!  :)  Good job Reid!

Cooper and Reid saw the neighbor mowing his lawn.  "There's Big Willy!"  The kids also watched some birds at the bird-feeder.  Cooper was telling Reid about everything that is at "My Farm."  Cooper calls his Grandpa's Farm, "My Farm."  (A typical ego-centric 2 year old.  Very Cute.  Cute at age 2 - not cute at age 22!  Ha!!)

I took this picture of Reid holding very still so Sophie wouldn't fall down.  She had grabbed him from behind and Reid said, "My butt!"  Ha ha!  However, he listened very well and didn't move until she turned loose of him.

Reid and Cooper were both glad to see Layla today.  And Mia is spending the day at Little Treasures too.  She's in the process of switching Pre-Schools and I'm helping with the transition.

After breakfast Reid and Cooper were both saying, "Watch me Mia, watch me Mia!"  It was primarily jumping onto the mattress, but some running and rolling antics as well.  :)

Reid - 6/5/2015

Reid ate half of his malt-o-meal cereal and ate raisins for breakfast.  For lunch he ate ground beef, three servings of elbow noodles, mixed fruit (large serving), and three servings of apple pieces.  I've mentioned before, but today's lunch was a classic example of how different meal times are now with Reid here; basically no talking, just all business!  They were shoveling their food in and Cooper said, "That meat is good; it sure is yummy!"  :)

We read lots of stories, did some sign language (Reid is showing lots of interest in sign language), reviewed the shapes, and colored at Art Time.  The boys were swinging their blankets around and Reid started trying to swat Cooper with his blanket.  Cooper told him; "Good job!"  Uhhhh, no, let's not encourage him!!  :)  We've been singing a song that spells the kid's names.  Reid was singing it this morning; "eid, eid, eid."  Pretty cute.

I took the next two pictures of the boys outside this morning.  Cooper was trying all different kinds of antics on the teeter-totter and Reid finally got tired of saying, "No Cooper, no!"  And just decided to join him in the fun!

So this picture is pretty typical "boy play."  Always pushing the envelope a little bit, or a lot!  Cooper started jumping from one teeter-totter to the next one and he was nailing his landing!  Reid didn't quite nail the landing, but at least he didn't damage my toys!!  Ha!  (That was a joke.)

Reid - 6/4/2015

Reid ate raisin english muffin and three servings of blueberries for breakfast.  For lunch he ate chicken, two servings of crackers, bite of sweet potatoes, and a large serving of canned cherries.

This first note is from yesterday afternoon.  Cooper and Reid spotted Tate walking home from school and they were all excited.  I was in the lunch room cleaning up after snack and they ran out and watched Tate through the storm door window.  Cooper was VERY concerned that Tate was walking right by without stopping!  He said, "Why is Tate headed home!?!  He needs Reid!!"  :)

Reid told me he had to poop this morning and I think we made it just in time!  He sat down and basically had an ...... well, let's call it an explosion!  Ha!  I called his underwear "panties" and he let me know that they are called "underwear, not panties!"  Then right before nap time I was in the kitchen putting lunch stuff away and he had a pooping accident at the gate.

Cooper has been very concerned lately because the bird feeder has not had any feed in it and he's been frequently reminding me!!  I finally remembered to buy some, so this morning Cooper, Reid, and I went outside and filled up the feeder.  Now we wait for the birds to arrive!!  But at least Cooper is satisfied!!

Reid kept holding this spoon up to me and asking, "What this guy?!?"  Ha!

Reid - 6/3/2015

Reid arrived shortly before lunch, but I'm going to do a short Blog anyhow!  For lunch he ate a bite of baked beans, ate dinner roll, peas, and three servings of pineapple.

I've already told TJ and Lesley about what Reid said about Sophie's "2" prominent teeth, but I want to put it in the Blog as well.    She was grinning big at him and he said, "That guy do have teeth!!"  The way he said it - it sounded like he'd been discussing Sophie's lack of teeth!!  :)

I took this picture because Reid is not real impressed with the "crab" that is in this toy exchange.  It kind of freaked him out yesterday and again this morning.  He calls it a "spider."    He said, "I don't like that thing there!!"

Cooper and Reid built a sidewalk to the igloo and then stacked it 4-high!  Geez!  They were quite proud of it and they also knew it wasn't the sturdiest thing so they were crawling across it very slowly and gingerly!  And I had to document it with a picture!!

Reid - 6/2/2015

Reid arrived at 9:30 so he only had lunch here this morning.  He ate chicken & cheese quesadilla, maybe a taste of carrots, and ate mandarin oranges.

We did a toy, book, and puzzle exchange this past weekend and Reid immediately played with the frogs.  :)  Just an FYI thing - we rarely do Art on Toy Exchange Monday as the kids are usually very engaged in their play -  and that's a good thing!!  :)

After LOTS of playing with the frogs Reid moved on to the toasters you see in the picture below.  He was sticking pancakes in it and they sail out pretty good when you push the button!  You can see them (2) flying in the air in front of Reid's face.   :)

Cooper was quizzing Reid on some shapes!  Ha!  So I took this picture so you could see what shapes were involved in the quiz.  These trucks have 5 different shapes and you can see the circle and heart on the side facing the camera, then there is a star on top, and square and triangle on the other side.  There is a button on each shape that tells you what it is.  (Layla had just arrived from her Doctor appointment and that's what the boys are looking at!)  Cooper was saying, "What is this shape?"  Pointing to another one; "What is this shape?"

Reid has been dry all morning and went potty just before laying down for a nap.  He is doing so well at it.  When Cooper was trying to pee this morning Reid was chanting, "Go Cooper go, go Cooper go....."  He wasn't successful, but the chanting didn't seem to bother him either!  :)

Shortly after Reid arrived I saw Elliott was walking around with his binky in his mouth.  Hey, where'd that come from?  I distinctly remembered hanging it on his hook in the lunch room.  Reid said, "Me got Elliott's binky!"  Then later it was the same thing with Baby Layla's binky.  Her's was on the changing table and Reid readily confessed to it as well!  Ha!  He LOVES to help the Babies, but I told him he needs to wait for me to ask him!