Little Bookworm

This is where I usually find Bowman when he's playing quietly in his room

Walking With Dinosaurs (and other fun things!!)

For weeks, Craig and I have been talking about taking the boys to the State Museum's dinosaur exhibit, "Mesozoic Monsters." And, finally, today we did!! Porter loves dinosaurs, and was overjoyed when I told him we were going to see them up close and personal! He could hardly contain himself and we couldn't get there fast enough. The exhibit was awesome; the dinosaurs were life-sized, they moved around and made all kinds of noises. Porter was a little nervous at first, but quickly warmed up to the cold-blooded creatures.

Porter...sitting in a T-Rex footprint!

Bowman got in on the action too! There was a table of toy dinosaurs for the boys to play with, and Bowman thought they were a ton of fun!!

Hanging out with the T-Rex

Digging for fossils

After we made it through the dinosaurs, we decided to take the boys around to the rest of the exhibits. I haven't been to the State Museum in years (and actually I've only been for sorority and fraternity functions!), and I was amazed by how many neat things there were to see and do.

The Giant White Shark...can you imagine swimming in the ocean with that thing???

Talking with an astronaut!

We hit the KIDS ONLY Discovery Center on the way out. It's a large playroom with a tree house, cabin, chalkboards, giant lego table, etc. The boys played for what seemed like forever. In fact, we had to drag them out of there for lunch. It was a great day, and we'll definitely head back one day soon!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

I guess our snow dances finally paid off. February 12th brought more snow to the Midlands then we've seen in almost 10 years...We got 5 inches at the house, which meant 5 inches of fun, fluffy snow for the boys to play in. We saw the 1st snowflakes around 3:30 pm, and within an hour we were well on our way to an inch. By 4:30, I couldn't hold Porter back anymore, so I bundled the kids up as best I could (it's amazing how many warm items you realize you need when the ground is suddenly covered in snow!) The boys hardly matched, but at least they were warm...and actually, this is probably how they'll dress when I can no longer control what they put on!
Much thanks to Grammy who bought these thick winter jackets...our normal coats just aren't made for keeping the snow out!!

In true boyhood excitement, Porter did the one thing he has always wanted to do...make a snow angel. Of course, it usually works better when there is more snow on the ground. Whatever. He was more than pleased with himself!

Here's what we woke up to Saturday morning:

Let the snowball throwing begin!!!!

(And hey, when you don't have snowboots, cowboy boots are the next best thing, right!?!?!?!?)

Sledding in recycling bins...again, you use what you got!!!

Have you ever seen a happier little boy!!!

Though Craig and I know we won't get snow like this every year, we were thrilled to know our boys got to experience at least once. It was so much fun, and as Porter told me that night when I tucked him in to bed, "Mommy, I had a great day!" Me too, buddy!

Bowman's 15 month well visit

Little man had his 15-month "well" check with Dr. Cabiness today. I use the word "well" loosely, as I knew we would end up going home with meds since Bowman's had a runny nose for about 2 months. I know, I know, bad mommy...maybe it's cause I'm a nurse, but I just don't fret about stuff. Luckily, his ears looked good and his lungs weren't junky, but Dr. C felt like the runny nose had gone on long enough so we hit Walmart on the way home for some yummy Omnicef. Yay. Besides that, everything was good! Bowman's a walky-talky. He says "bye bye," "night night" "momma," "dada," and "uh oh." I'm sure there are other things he's saying...we just haven't been able to completely translate his language :) He loves books, and takes any chance he can get to crawl into our laps for a story...makes going to sleep that much easier. Speaking of sleep, I think he's easier to put down than Porter. Craig and I tell him it's time for "night night" and he walks into his room and grabs a book...no questions asked! It's amazing how much he understands...Bowman can find items I ask for, look for people I talk about, etc. He's still a good eater, though we still work on the "slimy" items...fruit is still a work in progress. But, Bowman has started to be rather f0nd of pears, grapes, and clementines. Guess that's better than nothing!

Here's how he stacked up:

Weight: 24 lbs, 2 oz (47%)

Height: 32 1/2 in (86%)

Head: 24.3 cm (75%)

My tall and skinny little boy!!!!

My Buddy

OK, so Bowman never took a binkie (which I cannot complain about) and has never gotten attached to a blanket. But, he loves his bear...in fact he loves it SO much that this little furry guy has earned the name "Stank Bear." He is stinky!! But, given the fact that Bowman chews on his head, ears, and hands throughout the day, I guess it's understandable. I wash Stank Bear every weekend...and within 24 hours, he's stinky again. Bowman doesn't seem to mind though...he loves his little buddy!! And probably wouldn't have him any other way!