Monday, January 23, 2012

Hess Dairy

When we were in Fielding, we got to visit the Hess Dairy and take the boys for the first time. The weather was AWFUL, so we didn't get to stay too long or see too much. But, the boys loved watching the cows get milked. Tate wore his "farmer hat" that used to be Grandpa Hess' and we had a grand old time!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Saying Goodbye to Great Grandma Hess

Nathan's grandma passed away last week and we attended her funeral in Fielding yesterday. We were really excited to see everyone, even if it wasn't under the happiest of circumstances. Nathan's grandparents have left quite the legacy. They have about 278 direct descendents, with 11 children, 53 grandchildren, several great and even great great grandchildren. It was also great to see Nathan's parents who made the trip as well. The weather was our least favorite part of the day, but we made it there and back safely. It was well worth the trip!

Field Trip to the Bean Museum

Last week, Tate's preschool class went to the Bean Museum. Tate had fun playing around with this friend, Connor, and doing the animal scavenger hunt. The highlight of the trip was the reptile demonstration. A girl from the museum taught them about reptiles and then brought some for them to see and touch. Tate got especially excited when he saw the bearded dragon. He couldn't contain his excitment and spased all over the poor thing (it's a Hess thing...). I heard the teachers talking about it later, "Did you see Tate's face when he grabbed that iguana?" Good times.

Friday, January 13, 2012

Corey is 18 Months Old!

Corey is now 18 months old (as of Jan 1). What can I say about Corey at 18 mo? He is CRAZY! He is into everything and I cannot keep up with him. He is not the type of baby (hopefully it is a phase???) that can just chill. He has to be doing something, getting into something, eating something, destroying something or beating something or someone up. While I am cleaning up something he has done, he is onto something else and destroying something else or beating up Tate. Poor Tate. He currently has a black eye with cuts from Corey hitting him with a sword. He also had one of his fingernails fall off from Corey shutting his hand in the door. We are always trying to protect Tate from Corey (and Tate is 4!).Corey is a bit of a paradox. He is big, rough and insane. BUT, then he can be the sweetest baby who loves to snuggle and give kisses. Anytime Nathan or I have been gone from him, he runs up to us and gives us the biggest hug with lots of pats. He really is a sweetheart, which makes me believe he is not naughty to the core. :)He doesn't talk too much, although I am pretty sure he thinks he is talking. He says mama, dada, grandma, ball, bye bye, night night, baba. The rest is mostly grunts. He does pretty much call everything a ball or a baba. Hopefully he will learn some more words soon so we can understand what he wants. Now, he just grabs our hands and pulls us around places pointing to things and grunting. I know he has funny things to say, so I can't wait to hear what that is. For now, he always has a look on his face like he has in inside joke with himself.He still loves balls and dogs, as well as food. He will eat almost anything and anytime. I think he is starting to grow up more instead of out. He has his 18 mo checkup on Mon, so we will get his stats then. He is still a big boy and most people think he is over two (until they hear him try to talk). He was supposed to start nursery last week (which is what the pics of him in the red sweater vest), but he was too out of control in sacrament meeting and we had to take him home. Guess we will try again next week! Overall, he is a crazy, silly, funny baby that I am so in love with, I can't stand it!These last pictures are horrible quality (from my phone inside), but they show about 20 min with Corey. He climbed in the dryer, then ran through the house with a roll of toilet paper, then while I was cleaning that up, he got in the fridge and had a can of whipped cream. Then, once we caught him with the whipped cream, he threw it and might have broken Nathan's toe. Naughty.

Our Special Boy


Tate has REALLY gotten into dressing up lately. He usually has to be in some sort of costume, and he especially likes to dress it up when we go out. The other day (well after Christmas) we needed to run some errands. Tate found out and had to get himself all ready to go. This is what he wore (and you can't really see the slinky belt too well in this photo). I put a coat on him to at least make him look less crazy but he said, "Now Mom, I can wear this outside, but I need to take it off when we get in the stores so people can see my outfit." Oh, dear. He stuck with this ensemble all day and I thought he looked so funny asleep in the car still looking fabulous. :)This is a photo of him and two of his friends (one is his "gwerlfriend"). :)

New Year, New Goals

We sure have a lot to work on in 2012. So, Tate and I sat down and talked about goals and came up with a few that he wants to work on. We laminated them, and he gets a point every time he meets one of his goals. It is slow going, but seems to help. We have some bad habits we need to break!

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve last night. My mom volunteered to have both boys come to her house for a party and sleepover. They made paper houses, pizzas, decorated a New Year's tree and had a party with confetti and noise makers. They loved it! AND, Nathan and I got to have an evening to ourselves. We had a wild night filled with Jimmy Johns, ice cream, 9 episodes of 24, and Phase 10 Twist. It was crazy! Then, we got some sleep! Yeah!! Thanks, mom! It was great!