Say What?!

Thursday we enjoyed a spectacular Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa Anderson and some others. The food was great and Ervin enjoyed his first real Thanksgiving (last year he just sat on the floor and watched us eat). He ate pretty much everything that was served and played with a lot of toys.

For some reason Friday and Saturday he decided to end his vow of silence and has dramatically expanded his vocabulary. He and Lizzy have been saying 'Ewwww' to eachother for the last week. Friday he said Grandma and Grandpa a couple times and Saturday he followed that up with 'Balloon,' 'Tree,' 'Another Tree,' and several other things we weren't able to figure out. Most impresive is how good he says Balloon. It won't be long now and he'll be speaking in full sentences.

Ervin is growing

Wow! Every day Ervin gets bigger and bigger, and he learns new things, and he is just a blast!

Daddy got Lizzy's old hippo toy out of the attic for Ervin to explore. It serves two purposes; you can sit and ride the hippo, or you can push the hippo from behind, while the hippo gobbles up coordinating blocks. So far Ervin doesn't want to sit, but he pushes from behind, not while walking, but scooting along his knees. Still very adorable. However, when I tried to take pictures, the kids got all excited and mauled me! :) So here's what I have and use your imagination of Ervin in action. ;)

Also, Ervin has started helping out in the kitchen. He loves hanging out in there when mommy is doing dishes or getting food ready. So when he followed me in there the other day, I decided to put him to work. I was mixing a juice up for dinner and gave him his own spatula to help me stir. So he would stir for a rotation, then he decided to try his concoction, to see if it was ready I guess. It was a little bland at first, but as he kept stirring and tasting, it became better and better. Sunday, he helped daddy make a drink so I got a picture in. He was excited to help out again with something he was already skilled and familiar with.

Haircuts and Flu shots... What a day!

Yesterday was a very busy day for the kids! First, mommy took them to many stores. Then we went to the doctor for flu shots. Lizzy was so brave. All she said was "Ow" when she felt the prick, and got her Nemo Band-Aid. No tears. No tantrums. Very brave example. Poor Ervin had a rougher time of it however. Lizzy went first and Ervin thought maybe just Lizzy was going to be pricked. Then he realized he was next. Many sad/upset tears were shed. Ervin got a Bruce the shark (from Nemo) sticker, but was still crying. Mommy said "Okay, Ervin; we're all done and we can go to Grandma's house" and the crying stopped. So we got him a Dum Dum and even more happiness was exhibited. :)

Then we went to Grandma's house and had a blast! Ervin loved getting the rocks out of Grandma's fountain. We took Grandma to Target and looked at all the fun Christmas decorations. Then we went to Arctic Circle, ate yummy lunch, and played on their playground.

After that, we went home so everyone could have a good, long nap, to mommy's delight! Daddy came home and we headed for haircuts for the kids. Of course Lizzy was the perfect child and role model for how to sit still and behave. Ervin had quite the upsetting experience. Daddy sat with him and they both had capes to keep most of the hair off. Ervin even got a sucker, but unfortunately, he wouldn't even lick it until after his trying ordeal was over. The woman cutting his hair did a great job, especially with all the moving, wiggling, and crying that Ervin did. Hopefully, he will get better the more haircuts he gets.

Then, Uncle David came over for our weekly Office party. The kids were bouncing off the walls with excitement! They couldn't have been more excited if Santa had come to our house. They stood by the window and watched diligently for signs of David's card. Everyone ate dinner (and dessert) really well. Mommy made a "Picnic Loaf" which is a loaf of bread with chicken, broccoli, onion, and chesses baked inside. For dessert we had peaches 'n' cream cheese cake which was wonderful. All in all a very busy but fun day. Thanks!

Hello? Grandma?

Ervin's new "game" is talking on his "telephone". He and Lizzy talk to each other and to grandma, daddy, mommy, whoever, on their remote "phones".

Every day Ervin's vocabulary increases! He is becoming quite communicative! He is also learning to use utensils at the dinner table, as well as the value of a napkin. Unfortunately, when we try to take pictures of these skills he immediately stops and becomes camera shy.

This morning we made a wonderful discovery. Ervin has a NEW TOOTH! This brings the total to 5. Hooray for Ervin!

Happy Halloween!

We had a great Halloween this year. The festivities started on Thursday when Uncle David and Daddy helped Lizzy and Ervin decorate their pumpkins. We found these cute Mr. Potato Head brand pumpkin decorating kits at Target for the kids to use this year. They are relatively easy to put in and it is DEFINITELY less mess/less time/more fun than carving for the kids.

Now to costumes. Grandma made Lizzy a beautiful Cinderella dress, and Ervin was a dinosaur race car driver. Mommy was Team Owner and Daddy was Crew Chief. Zak made a great race car to decorate our wagon for Ervin to ride in during trick-or-treating. Uncle David helped again by finding the graphics needed to decorate the car with sponsors. Zak got many complements.

For trick-or-treating this year we participated in the Springville City Safe Halloween up and down main street. It was packed with people and a lot of fun. It was fun to see all the different costumes on all ages.