SNOWFLAKES IN MARCH!

What a crazy week it has been...only in Oklahoma in the spring can you have a blizzard warning at one end of the state and a tornado watch at the other all at the same time! Luckily we didn't get as much snow as some parts of the state...I think the most was 22 inches...I think our part got 1/2 inch and no tornado's! However as usual Dalton didn't really care what the temperature was outside or what was falling from the sky he was ready to go play! I talked daddy into bundling up and going outside with him for about 10 minutes on Saturday morning...that was enough for daddy anyway! And Dalton had his first hot a.k.a kind of warm chocolate...it was yummy:) He wanted more "hot choca"!

Mommy's little guy all bundled up and mommy's lovely hydrangeas covered up with blankets in the background in hopes that they wouldn't freeze! I got lucky...today when it was in the low 60's I uncovered them and they look fantastic:)
Would someone please tell this kid that there is snow on the slide...he just played like it was 80 degrees outside!

MOVING DAY!

Well the packing crew came yesterday and the moving crew came today! Our neighbors sold their house and are now officially looking for a new home in Minnesota. We are going to miss them...their oldest boy Carter is 3 (just 13 months older than Dalton) and their youngest Graham is 7 months old...the perfect next door neighbor play mates for Dalton and the mom's have fun together too! We even watched Carter for a short time when his Mommy when into labor this past summer with his little brother...until one of his Grandma's could get here to pick him up! We have shared maternity clothes, child rearing stories, great places to take curious little boys and lots of great toys Carter doesn't play with anymore or stuff they didn't want to move...thanks for everything!

And that Carter is the sweetest boy and I have enjoyed watching him grow up these past 3 years...he has the best personality, he has been SO PATIENT with Dalton and has tried SO HARD to be his friend even when Dalton was cranky and didn't want to share his or Carter's toys! Not to mention what a cute little guy he is TOO and all of the cute stuff he says. We will miss getting to see Graham and Carter grow up but hope that they will come back and visit us when they come back to town to visit relatives! And of course mommy will miss all of the neighborhood gossip and everyday mommy conversations with their mom too! We wish them the best of luck on their new adventure and look forward to keeping up with them through their blog! Dalton and Carter this past Halloween trick or treating...not the best picture of the boys but it's the only one I have and Carter's mom sent this one to me! Isn't his costume so CUTE...his mommy made it:) She is a great mom and those boys including her husband are lucky to have her!

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY...FAMILY PHOTO SHOOT

About 2 years ago my brother, sister and me got our families together to try and take some family pics for my parents wedding anniversary! We met at Hafer Park on a Sunday morning after church set up our digital cameras on a stand and snapped away! Dalton wasn't the most photogenic kiddo at this age and it didn't help that he was spitting up EVERYWHERE during the photo shoot...we tried everything but according to his pediatrician some kids just spit up A LOT and that is what Dalton did:( However at least he could sit still long enough to get his picture taken...as if he had a choice at the ripe old age of 3 months! Just thought I'd share a couple of the pics that for obvious reasons didn't make the final cut...it's not the easiest job in the world to get 3 kids looking good all at the same time! But we tried, tried and tried again:) Dalton (3 months) and his cousins Emily (3 years) and Madison (8 years)!
More of Dalton & the cousins!

One more picture!

Daddy, Mommy and Dalton...I can hardly remember him being that tiny!

A FEW MORE TIDBITS ABOUT THE MISSOURI TRIP

I forgot to mention a few things in the earlier post like...why did Daddy not travel with us to Missouri! Well, initially Daddy needed to stay home to work even though it was spring break and he is a college professor but he started not feeling well on Thursday and then it got really bad by Saturday morning! When my parents picked us up they talked him into going to the doctor...and it's a good thing he did! I get a text message from him about 2 hours into our 10 hour drive letting me know that he has the FLU...UGH! Luckily Dalton and I have never shown any signs of the flu! Mommy and the 2-year old have no time for the flu and we are glad that Daddy is on the mend! But we did talk to Daddy everyday while we were gone to make sure he was okay and he was SO SWEET and left cards for us with Grandma for everyday of the trip reminding us how much he loves us and to have a GREAT time while we were there! Dalton really liked getting the "mail"!

Another really fun discovery Dalton made other than the stair climbing was bar soap! To the average person not a big deal...to a toddler who loves to wash his hands in the BIG SINK and has only had soap from a pump until NOW...it's a BIG DEAL! He called it the "slippey a.k.a slippery soap" and laughed his BIG BELLY laugh every time that it slipped from his grubby little fingers! We now have both kinds of soap in our bathroom for Dalton's washing pleasure...it is just as funny for him today as it was the first day he tried it!

Did I mention that we ate at the Cracker Barrel for lunch both going to Missouri and coming back...seemed like a good idea at the time. Until Dalton discovered the basket of $9.99 cars that he couldn't live without...Grandpa was the sucker on the way to Missouri and Mommy was the sucker on the way back from Missouri. And Dalton is the lucky toddler with a new collection of random overpriced cars! Next time...if there is a next time my suggestion will be to NOT STOP at Cracker Barrel! His Grandma took him out on the big porch to walk around while I finished my lunch and when I got out there he was playing in the mulch with one of the construction trucks we bought him...that boy will find mulch/dirt/water anywhere we go.

Also, every time that we would stop at the rest stops at first he would think it was a park and then he got very enticed by the free newspaper/catalogs dispensers. He kept saying he was "getting the mail"! I guess because you lifted up the door and reached in and got the newspaper/catalog...all I know is it kept him very busy! And we used lots of hand sanitizer when we returned to the van:)

THE MISSOURI ROAD TRIP

Well we survived...we left last Saturday and returned Tuesday from seeing Dalton's Great Grandma in Missouri and lots of other relatives (2 great aunts, 2 great uncles, 4 of my cousins and their kidos) that he had yet to meet! My parents picked Dalton and me up around 7:45am and we arrived at his Great Grandma's around 7:00pm! Yes, that is a 10 hour drive in a Nissan Quest with 4 adults, 1 pre-teen, 1 adolescent and 1 toddler...and we made it! Dalton did FANTASTIC...he only got fidgety a couple of times and other than that he had snacks, watched DVD's, played with toys and took a nap!

My parents stayed at my Grandma's house and we ended up staying at one of my Aunt's houses with my sister and her two girls...we had the whole upstairs to ourselves and Dalton got his own room! He doesn't want anyone in the room with him when he sleeps so...mommy got to have a slumber party with her 10 year old niece Madison! She was also a great help with Dalton during our stay in Missouri...she is at the age where she likes to change diapers, put clothes on him, help him with his bath, etc. it was kind of like having a nanny...we may have to have her over this summer when she's out of school! Dalton was his usual self and super shy when there was more than about 5 or so people in the room which was most of the time! He spent most of his time outside away from the crowd...luckily it was in the 70's during the time we were there...lots of walks and one day we went to the park with his cousins. On one of his walks we saw a tractor with a plow attachment driving down the street and followed it to a neighbor's house where it was plowing up her garden. The guy driving the tractor was super nice and kept waving at Dalton...we stopped and sat on the curve and watched for a while...then he told everyone "saw tractor plow dirt"! There was also a truck on the street that was pretty jacked up and he said "MONSTER TRUCK"! Well I am not sure it would be considered a monster truck but it did sit up higher than your average truck!

Two of my cousins have little boys...one is 2.5 (Parker) and the other is 14 months (Zane)! We met Zane for the first time on this trip and I got one picture of the three of them playing trucks...pictures were hard to come by this trip Dalton was a handful to keep track of by myself...luckily Grandma "B", Pa, Aunt Dawn and the cousins were there to help! Another one of Dalton's favorite activities was going up and down the stairs at my Aunt's house where we stayed...he learned to go down on his bottom...I only hope he doesn't want to try this on the steps at church...he is really fond of those too!

It's always hard to leave Missouri...I always wished that we lived closer to my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins growing up and today too! That is why I am SO HAPPY that we live so close to my family and Dalton gets a chance to grow up seeing his extended family as often as he wants too!

Did I mention the morning that Dalton woke up at 5:15am ready to go...and eventually all the cousins were up by 6:30-6:45am or so! Here they are eating apple jacks, pop tarts and Elmo on DVD in bed trying not to wake up the rest of the house!

One of our many walks...Parker, Madison and Dalton! The sun was glaring so it was hard not to squint...not a great pic but like I said pics were hard to come by!


Zane, Parker and Dalton playing trucks...they shared surprisingly really well!

WAY BACK WEDNESDAY...I am trying to get better at doing this way back wednesday thing!

This "way back wednesday" post is about Dalton's Grandma's! We are getting ready to take Dalton's first road trip to Missouri where my Grandma lives along with several other aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. that Dalton has yet to meet! His only Great Grandma has only seen him once and that was when he was 6 months old. She is terrified of flying but she did it anyway to get here to see him and her other great grand kids. And I have been to chicken to fly or drive (10 hours one way) with Dalton but if Great Grandma can overcome her fears so can I! RIGHT!?!?!? So we are going to just do it and see how it goes...Daddy is staying behind to work but we are traveling with my parents and my sister and her two girls (ages 10 and 5). I will be sure and let you know how that goes upon my return:)In this picture from left to right Grandma "B", Great Grandma "Z" and Grandma "S" and of course 6-month old Dalton Thomas!

Dalton and Great Grandma meet for the first time!

Getting to know each other a little better. Dalton is one of 5 great grand kids for Great Grandma...2 girls and 3 boys...SO FAR!

I love that he is smiling at her in this picture...SO SWEET!

PASS IT ON CONSIGNMENT SALE!

Last Friday my wonderful husband worked from home so that I could get to the consignment sale early...not because Dalton's Grandma "B" couldn't or wouldn't watch him but she went shopping too! We both found some great buys for our favorite 2-year old...Dalton Thomas! Here is Dalton at his Grandma's trying to figure out which new toy he wants to play with first...all purchased for under $20 and are in excellent condition! Of course no guarantee about how long they will stay that way now that Dalton has found them!
Just a close up of him from the previous...he's about to make his move!

"YEE HAW"! Dalton is in love with his new blue rocking pony...look no hands!

Checking out my bargain...it's a radio flyer push & pedal for $17...it's in perfect condition, too!

Besides the stuff in the pictures Dalton got one outfit and lots of great board books...what a fun morning...bargain shopping can be addictive! It's a good thing these consignment sales only happen a couple of times per year and I can't get up early enough and don't have the patience for garage sale shopping

ON THE GO!

This week has been pretty busy for Dalton! He spent Monday morning with his Grandma "B" so mommy could take advantage of some great grocery shopping at Crest! He has actually gotten interested in going "shopping" again and apparently played shopping with Grandma while I was gone. When I returned we ate lunch with Grandma and headed home to take a rest!

Tuesday was a BIG DAY for mommy...once again Grandma "B" watched Dalton while mommy enrolled him in Mother's Day Out (MDO)! He won't start until September but I think it will be fantastic for both of us! He has been hinting that he needs some time away...usually when I return to pick him up at Grandma's he says "bye-bye momma" and he doesn't want me to stay in the same room when we are all there together! We will keep our fingers crossed that will be his attitude when we start MDO in the fall! This time we headed home and ate lunch on our own and attempted to take a rest...that didn't happen on this day!

Wednesday Dalton had his first trip to the post office...we mailed Grandma "S" her belated birthday gift...we know she will love it. We made her a photo story book about Dalton's 2nd year of life! After our trip to the post office we made our way to have lunch and play with Grandma "B" and Cousin Emily after she got out of Pre-K. Along the way we did some of Dalton's favorite things...drove over the railroad tracks (no trains today), saw a fire truck, police car and a motorcycle...boy was it his lucky day:) That evening we got to play outside some more because it was so nice...Dalton has been waking up saying "play outside"! This crazy warm weather (I'm not complaining...but you have to admit it is pretty crazy that it is 80 plus degrees today in early March) one day and cold the next has Dalton all confused about when he can go outside and when he can't. We played sand, took a short trip around the block in his red convertible push car, rode on his trike, wrote with sidewalk chalk and played with the neighbor girls...we can't wait until it's officially spring so we can play, play and play some more "outside"!

Thursday we met a friend of mine from my college days and her two kidos at the Oklahoma Science Museum and later went to lunch at McDonald's! Dalton explored more than he did his first time there and loved the tractor the best, we played with the puppets, and even climbed to the top of a VERY TALL slide but decided not to go down! We got to watch the HUGE electric train go round and round and see some bicycles and airplanes...it's kind of a little boys dream in there with all of the mechanical stuff! He still liked the water table but not as much as he enjoyed that GREAT BIG TRACTOR...I tried to get some good pics but the lighting was really bad! And I was trying to enjoy the moment for once and not get so wrapped up in the picture taking of it all!

Who knows what Friday will bring other than Mommy hopefully going to a consignment sale down the street...that is if I can get brave enough to ask Grandma "B" to watch Dalton for the third time this week!

Dalton and Walker playing at the water table...this was Walker's first time and the water table was definitely his favorite!

Dalton driving the tractor...he loved it...he even invited me in for "mommy's turn"!

More time at the wheel...a toddlers work is never done!

Post french fries & ketchup faces...they both enjoyed the ketchup at lunch today...look at those messy faces!

Isn't eating at McDonald's all about getting the toy out of the happy meal...luckily Dalton still eats his lunch too!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY

Last Friday was Daddy's birthday and Dalton presented him with his first hand made gift...a product of our morning at Unpluggits! Daddy looking very excited and Dalton doing what he does best...helping unwrap!

The "masterpiece"!

Celebrating on Sunday night with his in-laws! Dalton has his eye on the dessert...strawberry shortcake with lots of whipped topping!
Happy Birthday Daddy...we love you!