Photo Experiments!

These are probably a little small on here to see everything clearly, but I spent some time experimenting a little bit and thought I would share a few photo collages!  

Avery is not anxious to be moving on her own (after all, she has Xander doing all the moving for both of them right now), but is getting a little less content just sitting on her butt!  So we have increased her belly time and are attempting to assist her in the crawling stage.  She is getting better, but has a real love/hate relationship with being on her belly (as you can see)!

Mostly this came about because I was sorting through a bunch of pictures and was unable to narrow anything down so I thought I would compile the many faces of Xander onto one photo! My favorites are probably the three down the left hand side....I see those on a very regular basis!

New Bikes!

We got new bikes...and yes they are matching (not a lot of color selection as it turns out)!  Giles got a very generous amount of birthday money from family to put towards a new bike, and being the family man that he is, decided to use it to get us both quality bikes to ride together with.  Thanks very much to Mom and Dad Ringer and Uncle Bob and Aunt Erma!!!

My Boys!!!

Giles and Xander spent some father/son bonding time outside by the fire the other evening and so I just had to take a couple of quick pictures to document the event!  Both of them are very content when outside....there's no way either of them would have sat so still for so long if they were inside!

Boys and their bottles!  A rare thing for both of them (I'm actually being serious, just in case anyone was sensing sarcasm....we rarely have beer around and Xander no longer uses a bottle/sippy cup)

The Funny Face...not sure exactly where this came from!

Xander loves his helmut!  

Smoke in the eyes!!!

one-on-one

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to give Avery a bath without Xander!  This is not a big deal, I know, but it struck me how different bath times have become with two kids!  Usually, most of the air time and entertainment is taken up with Xander.  He keeps Avery entertained and keeps my attention with his non-stop talking and motion!  Having Avery on her own made me realize how great she is at entertaining herself, basically only needing me there as someone to smile at when she splashed or grabbed a toy!  I began playing with her and had a great time, but I think my motivation to do something was simply to fill in the silence!  Avery makes plenty of noise, but it doesn't always require a verbal response like Xander's does.  Needless to say, that was one of the most relaxing baths I've given a kid since Xander was much younger!

Hike

Despite a little chill in the air, we went on a little hike in the Pembina Valley Provincial Park! We had a great time....and I must say, Giles was particularly in his element!  It was good to see him out there again!  We definitely want to do more of this and other outdoor adventures with our kids (and potentially some trips without the kids....we'll see)!

Giles and Xander sharing a high five after throwing a couple of sticks into the stream!

Giles took a little self portrait of the two of them!  

This is a classic Xander expression!  Happy with a little mischief mixed in for good measure!  

Hike II

Avery  didn't even last ten minutes on our hike!  She was literally snoring while we went along! This looks terribly uncomfortable, but it seemed to work.  We tried to adjust so there was more supporting her neck, but this is always how it settled!  Didn't seem to affect her, obviously!

It was a little colder than we would have hoped it to be...but we stuck with the plan anyways and just put on a couple more layers!  Thankfully, Giles still had his ski pants in the back of our car so I pulled those over my pants.  I think we now know where Xander gets his fashion sense from...I'll wear anything, even if it doesn't look great on me!

Xander walked for a little bit at the start!  He had just woken up and needed a little work taking more than baby steps, but soon got into the swing of things!  Then once the pack on Giles' back was offered to him, he was ready to take a ride!

Nap Time!!!

Naps have been a little hit and miss with Xander these days!  Sometimes its an easy transition and other times it just ends up being a little quiet time in his room.  Yesterday I didn't even try to do a nap time since he'd had almost a three hour nap the day before and didn't think it would work two days in a row.  Instead I put his favorite movie, 'Cars' on!  Next thing I know he was passed right out!   From this angle you can't see it, but there is a MASSIVE pool of drool on the couch! 

Raking Leaves!!!

We recruited some great help to get our front yard cleaned up a bit!  As soon as one of our big rakes were dropped Xander was there to grab it in exchange for his small one!  We always want to grow up too fast!  Sometimes I wish I could freeze the kids at the stage their at now...but then other days I'd like to fast forward a bit!  I guess it depends on the day!

This is Team Ringer at its best!  Before we know it, they really will be the ones raking the leaves and I'm sure it won't be as much fun at that point!

Xander got particularly excited about the piles of leaves we raked so that he could make them all fly into the air!  I gotta say, I would prefer that too if I didn't have to rake them all back again.

Avery, as always, enjoyed the show!  She sat there and gave us a running commentary of events while thoroughly enjoying everything Xander did!  

Sun is Shining!

While a tarp was needed to keep the blanket dry, we could in fact sit out on our yard again!  It feels so good not to have to put full snowsuits on anymore!  We ate snacks outside and played and read!  Very relaxing for all of us!

Xander decided on his outfit for our morning out!  Thomas pajama bottoms, rubber boots, scarf, with a toque and hat!  I love his style!

Nothing like organized play!  Xander has taken what little obsessive compulsive behaviors Giles and I possess for his very own!  This line up was originally moved from the place they were lined up at the end of yesterdays playtime outside (also organized by Xander)!  He does this with his trains upstairs and all the cups and rubber ducks on the side of the bath!  

A breath of fresh air!!!

Here are a few more photos from some time spent in our own yard!  Very refreshing to be out again!

Xander found his little lawn chair and pulled it out to sit on...for about 30 seconds!  This used to be Uncle Justin's lawn chair.  We have Giles' old one as well, but it got a little more trashed, which makes perfect sense if you know the two brothers at all!

Avery DOES NOT like anything on her head!  She will sometimes forget that a hat or hood has been placed there for a couple minutes, but then she quickly pulls it off again.

"Mom, I'm getting a little tired!  Lets wrap this up now!"

Our little yoga child!  Loving the feel of the wet dirt!

Happy Birthday Uncle Justin!

We were out in Toronto for a few days and celebrated Uncle Justin's birthday!  Xander had a such a great time hanging out with his Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle!  We were all happy to be there....however only Xander is still singing happy birthday to his Uncle!

I have nothing to say!  Yes, we have a nose picker on our hands...no, he doesn't eat it.  There's always a bright side, right?!?

jelly belly's

Jelly belly's are the special treats that Grandma Carol (Ringer) always has for Xander!  This time, we went to the post office and Xander was able to get his very own package which I think we're still eating!   This was  a very exciting day!

Potty Training

While this may look promising in the potty training department, it is not what it seems!  We went through an evening where he liked sitting on his little toilet and would read a book there, but waited to pee till the diaper was back on....or there was a patch of floor he thought needed a little watering!  We're not really pushing it yet, I guess the day is coming when we will have to hit the training grounds, but I'm not looking forward to that day!

Uncle Bubbles!!!

Uncle Bubbles came for a visit one Saturday and we had a great time!  However, right as he was leaving I realized I hadn't taken any pictures of our great time to share on the blog!  So, although the kids were asleep we snuck into Xander's room and got this shot (somehow he slept through the huge flash that went off)!  We couldn't even get all three of us into Avery's room before she started stirring, so we ran out of there like a bunch of scared rabbits.  Oh, the power our little girl has, if only she knew how she runs this household sometimes!

Visiting Dad at Work

Avery and Jessy hanging out at MCI...probably being entertained by the craziness of Xander running around the cafeteria as fast as possible!

This was literally the only way we managed to slow Xander down long enough to explain that it was time to go!  Chances are good after all this running that he fell asleep on the ten minute drive to Altona!

Giles looked a little crazy in the picture above this one...I think its the newly shaved head!  But I just wanted to go on record to say that he was actually having a good time and that the hair is now growing in quite nicely!

Loving the Phone!!!

Xander has recently discovered that holding the phone by himself is WAY more fun and especially loves talking to his cousin Eli!

This is a particularly serious conversation about the pizza pops we were preparing and making arrangements for the next play date and all the dump trucks and hockey sticks that would be needed!

If Xander is talking than Avery is happy and entertained!  Also she's in her high chair which means she's probably snacking which is one of her favorite things to do!