Fun with Cousins!

Last week, Ash, Nay Nay, and Charlotte came to visit us and we had so much fun!  We were pretty much on the go from Sunday to Thursday....and Pearce and I loved every minute!  They got here right as Pearce was waking up from his nap, so he loved that Nay Nay and Charlotte woke him up.  They played for a while and then we went to Mt. Playmore which is a cool new indoor play area.  They had the best time at this place!  Then we went to get a burger and one of my favorite burger places and then of course, we had to go get ice cream :)  Monday, we had to wake up Pearce early so that he could go to his 2.5 year well check.  Nathan and Charlotte went with me which made it fun for Pearce.  He got a great report and then we left to go home and get Ash so we could head to the splash pad.  We went to the Quarry splash pad which is huge with lots of sprayers.  After Pearce's nap, we decided to go swimming since we were already wet from the splash pad.  Pearce and Charlotte loved swimming together and Nathan decided to brave the big slide!  He loved it and did it over and over.  On Tuesday we took the kids to the movie to see Planes, Fire and Rescue.  I totally thought Pearce would love this movie because it was about planes and fire AND because Nathan and Charlotte would be with us.  Well, we got all the kids their snacks and settled in and about 15 minutes later, Pearce was restless and wanted to walk around.  After trying to get him to sit in his seat, I gave up and went to sit with him on the steps.  He watched the  movie off and on, but mostly played on the steps...I think it'll be another year before we brave the movie theater again :)  That night we went to my other favorite burger place and let the kids play on the outdoor playscape.  Then we decided to walk next door and watch people do the indoor skydiving.  Ash casually asked how old you had to be to do it and the guy said 3 and up....when Nathan heard that he went crazy and begged asked if he could please do it.  Ash said yes!  He took a little 30 min class to learn the signs and then it was his turn.  I could not believe he wasn't the least bit scared!  He even got to go up with two instructors and they did twists and turns and took him to the very top!  It was so fun to watch Nay Nay!!  Wednesday, we decided to take the kids to the children's museum, The Thinkery.  They loved all of the hands on activities.  We met my friend, Heather and Cade and Claire there, too.  We decided to let Pearce skip his afternoon nap so we could go to this neat pool I had heard about.  It's called the Veteran's Memorial Pool and it was kid heaven!  Waterslides, fountains, a huge wading pool for toddlers.  We packed a lunch and then headed over.  Nathan was once again Mr. Brave doing a tall water slide and also jumping off a tall platform!  Pearce and Charlotte did the toddler slides and playscape.  I loved this pool because of the large shallow area...Pearce and Charlotte had so much fun swimming together.  Thursday, Ash and Nathan and Charlotte had to go home.  We were so sad to see them go but excited to see them again this week for Nathan's birthday party!  We had such a great time together, as always!!!! 

 

                                           

                           

                            

                                        

                                        

Pearce's Big Boy Bed and Room!

I had been thinking about changing Pearce's bed and room into a big boy bed/room for the past couple of weeks.  Originally I thought we would do it for his 3rd birthday because I thought it would take a while to find cute bedding and it would be kind of expensive, so we would do it for his birthday.  I knew I wanted transportation bedding because his nursery already had several decorations that went with that.  One day last week, I decided to start looking for bedding and right away I found this toddler bedding online at Walmart!  I loved the colors and design and it got great reviews and it was pretty inexpensive...came with a pillow sham, fitted sheet, flat sheet, and the comforter.  Then I started wondering if people normally go from a nursery to a toddler room and then to a big kid room....making a total of 3 room changes and would it be better to just go with a full size bed and bedding.  I asked the question on Facebook and got soooo many responses.  Most people said to skip the toddler bed and just go straight to a big bed.  This totally threw me off because then I realized I would have to get full size bedding which is more expensive, plus have to get the conversion kit to turn his crib into a full size bed which is $100, PLUS, we would have to get a full size mattress.  So, the simple room change was turning into a more expensive, more complicated thing!  Well, after looking at his room it was clear that there was no way a full size bed would fit in there, so that was actually a relief and we just decided to go ahead and go with the original plan.  We decided to not wait until his birthday and just go ahead and do it.  I ordered the bedding and the curtain panel, went to Ikea and got a metal bulletin board, and also got him the cutest transportation rug.  Last Saturday, Chris took off the side of Pearce's crib and then I started re-arranging his room decorations.  I took down a few of Pearce's baby pictures and decorations and some of his baby clothes that I had hanging on one of his shelves.  We arranged all of his airplanes his daddy had gotten him on his bookshelf.  Then Chris took down Pearce's nursery curtains and put up his new curtain.  I made up his bed with the new bedding and for a guard rail, I used a pool noodle!  One of my friends had suggested this and it worked perfectly!  It gives his bed enough of a "bumper" that he doesn't roll off...so far :)  Pearce was so excited when he saw his room and had so much fun getting in and out of his big boy bed!  We told him he had to stay in his bed and call for us when he wakes up in the morning.  It was now time to go night night!  I rocked him and sang to him just like normal...I was a little worried that he might not want to stay in his bed when the time came to put him down, but he went right down and I reminded him to call for us when he wakes up in the morning.  He totally slept through the night with no problems and called for us in the morning!  Chris went to get him and normally Pearce wants to see me right away, but instead he wanted to play with his cars on the transportation rug in his room!  He doesn't wake up any earlier, hasn't fallen out of bed, takes his naps just like normal.  It has been so easy and I just love how is room looks now!!!

                                        

                                                   

 

 

 

 

 

Wally

Pearce loves it whenever I have to go mail something because that means we get to see Wally...the sweetest chocolate lab ever!  Wally goes to work with his owner, Hope at the cutest little mailing store by our house.  I remember when Hope first got him as a puppy and he has just grown to be the calmest dog ever.  He has his own bed and toys and whenever we walk in and see Wally, Pearce says "Oh Wally!"  And he just goes over and starts loving on Wally.  Wally just lays there and lets Pearce pet him, kiss him, lay down next to him!  Sometimes, we don't have anything to mail, but just want to go see Wally and we'll just pop in to get some Wally love.  Every once in a while, I'll give Pearce a doggy treat to take to Wally :)  We went to see Wally today and I finally remembered to bring my phone to take some pics!  I just LOVE that Pearce is such a dog/animal lover.  Whenever we go to Petco to get dog food, Pearce loves looking at the ferrets, birds, fish, mice, hamsters.  It's really fun if we get to see a dog getting groomed.  If we're outside and Pearce sees a squirrel, he gets so excited and loves watching it.  The only problem is that Pearce will go up to any dog and immediately want to pet it.  I've been trying to teach him that you have to ask the owner first if you can pet it because not all dogs like to be pet.  The other day we were at the park and a lady had her dog on a leash and Pearce wanted to pet the dog so I told him we had to go ask the lady.  He walked right up to her and said "I pet your dog?"  It was so cute and I was proud of him for asking the lady :)  Speaking of Petco, when we were there last night, I let Pearce pick out a bag of dog biscuits for Otis and Daisy.  When we got home, he gave them each one and then wanted one for himself.  He BEGGED me so I thought he would totally take one bite and think it was gross....nope....he ate the whole thing.  This morning he had a big fit because I wouldn't let him have another one.  I told him he is not a doggy and only doggies can eat those and he said "NO, I AM a doggy!"  He will now feed Sissy (Daisy) all by himself.  He opens the container, fills a cup with food and pours it into her bowl....and then licks his hand to get any crumbs :)  I've always thought Pearce reminded me of a little puppy!