Where Do Babies Come From?

Mom:  Hey Cole, do you want to feel your baby brother kick?

Cole:  Yeah, my baby is kicking too!  You can feel him.

Mom:  Oh wow!

Cole:  I'm going to share my dinosaurs with baby brother.  Look, I share him these dinosaurs. 

Mom:  You're going to be a great big brother.  I'm so proud of you.

Cole:  Yeah.  When's baby brother coming over?  How is he going to get out of there? (lifts Mommy's shirt)

Mom:  Uh... Um...  Well, do you see this line?  This is where Baby Cole came out.  Baby brother comes out here too.

Cole:  Oh.  You're smart.  I have a line too.  See?

So, THAT conversation is covered!  No sweat thanks to c-sections ;)

Today, I am going around the house telling Mom which things I'll share with baby brother.  So far he gets my dinosaurs, my icons and my balls.  No deal on my guys though!!

Spare Us This Change!

There has been quite a lot of upheaval at our house these past few weeks.  It all began when a lady in a large van showed up one day and took all the chairs and table out of the dining room.  I was very upset.  Boots was very upset AND Bella was very upset.  They lost their primo spot in the front window and I was just not cool with the huge change. 

Mayhem and confusion soon followed as the kitties tried to find new places to get their 18+ hours of sleep.  Bella attempted to take over Mommy's chair each and every time she got up.  That didn't go well.  Boots... well Boots found out just how large his tush has grown over the last few months when he tried squeezing into my chair.  Sorry man, no deal!

Then Daddy got to work putting together a whole new room for us.  The kitties got an awesome new bench and I got a room with a couch and all my toys to play in!  Daddy even got to put his computer and desk in the old dining room so he can be a part of the action.

Um....  there may still be a little confusion as to who gets to sit where.  This is Boot's gentle way of reminding Bella who gets the big kitty bed.

I've been having quite a few meltdowns this week so I was really happy when the brown truck brought my new Halloween costume and Daddy caved and let me have it early.  I raced right out to show my girls and then I brought KK home to show her my new Play Room.  We had a blast and she was really impressed with all my spidey moves.  Here we are playing with my snakes.  Notice the big snake that snuck in front of the camera?!  Boots!!!

Here's a better shot of my KK and I.  Can you believe she was nice enough to stay late, help me brush my teeth, get me in my pjs and tuck me in with a Superhero goodnight story?!  What a great end to a rough day!

Mom says there are a few more smallish changes coming and one BIG change too.  I'm not all that big on change so far.  Boots, Bella and I all say "Spare us please!" 

All in Perspective

Still working on creation and all things God made at preschool.  If you can't read my teacher's writing, it says "Spiderman" and Spiderman trapped Sandman.  Then it says "Sandman" in the bottom left hand corner.

Obviously, my horizons are being broadened by leaps and bounds...

Okay, maybe not :)

Hello Out There!

Pssst... it's me - Baby Vandy. Or "little homer," "little george," "little man," or any of the other nicknames those voices out there use to refer to me. I thought I'd take this chance, while that really loud and funny voice they call Cole is away, to say hi and tell you a little bit about myself. I am definitely the quietest one in this group. That voice they call "Dad" is pretty quiet in comparison to the other three, and I don't hear a peep outta the one they call "Bella." The rest of them, whew!

I am just as rowdy as the rest of this crew though. I make my preferences known at every opportunity. The one they call "Mom" seems to be responsible for the weird tastes that come my way. I give her a good kick and sometimes a shove or two to let her know when I'm hungry or when I do not approve of her dining choices. Gotta keep that one in line! I also let her know when I am unhappy about her change in position at night. Why should MY slumber be disturbed just because SHE isn't entirely comfortable?! What's that all about?!

Anyway, I've realized that I'll have to grow pretty big and strong if I want to keep up with the loudest and rowdiest voice out there - Cole. Well the voice they call "Boots" is pretty loud and REALLY heavy, but I'm not sure he's all there because he just makes funny howling sounds. Who I will need to put in check is that guy Cole. I need to make sure he's on my team right away. It shouldn't be hard though. Can you believe that guy has already been out shopping for superhero gear and just the right blankie for me? If anyone knows about those two topics, it's my big brother! Sounds like he's a decent dude...

Life is great for now here in my comfy little cocoon. From the sounds of things, the voices called Mom and Dad are working on making their home just right for me. I think I'll get along just fine with this crazy bunch and you know, I'm starting to look forward to meeting them!

Well, it's time for me to do some stretching. Gotta keep this area limber so it's ready for future expansions.

Ciao!

Baby Vandy

Rhinestone Cowboy

Normally Dad is a stickler about clutter in his garage, but lately he's been bringing more and more stuff into it?! I don't mind, because as Mom goes through it, she finds treasures for me!

Like this ensemble I put together today. It's comprised of Mom's old college beads, Dad's cowboy boots from the 80's when he was a kid, Didi's old leather vest from who knows what era and Mom's sun hat (which I cleverly turned inside out before cramming on my head). I call it the Rhinestone Cowboy look!

Soccer Fans!

This weekend I got to go see Sydney play soccer. She has boys and girls on her Red team. I was having a great time until Mom started crying...again... Here I am sitting in the grass pretending not to know her...again...

Action shots of the team.

Like KK, Sydney is a star on her team! I sure do like being part of their cheering section!
I couldn't wait to run over and give her a big hug. I didn't even wait for their coach to finish his post game pep talk.
Great Job Sydney!

PS. After the game, I said "Maybe 'morrow I can play soccer?" to Mom. She said maybe next year after gymnastics and swimming are finished. I can't wait! Maybe I can be on Sydney and KK's team!

Our First Field Trip

Today was a big day at our house. It was my first ever field trip. Of course, this means it was Mommy's first ever field trip as a Mommy too. We even brought Baba along since she surprised me by coming to see me do gymnastics and have a sleepover with me last night. What a lucky boy I am!

As usual, Mom made a huge fuss about the trip. We got there early in hopes of scoring some Honeycrisp apples, but they were all sold out so the Momparazzi just took some pictures instead.

Then my friends started arriving. I was so happy to see Jillian!

In a matter of NO time, our teachers got all the pre-school kids rounded up for a story about Apples and how God makes them. I already knew all that because Mrs. Herzog has been teaching us about apples and creation and all things that grow for a few weeks already.

Mrs. Herzog is really smart. She's nice too! She made sure all of us got to see the pictures in the book.

Then it was time to pick apples! I made a beeline for Mrs. Herzog's hand. That's prime property, and she told Mom that she should be very proud of me because I've come a LONG way and am paying attention really well in school now. Thanks for the props Mrs. H!

Jillian and I stuck together. April, Maddie and Mya were there from my class too :) We were only missing one of six. Not a bad turnout.

I found lots of good apples. Mom and Baba were a little disappointed that I kept finding pretty little girls and pretty Moms to give them to instead of filling our bag, but a guy's gotta make his moves when the time is right!

I made sure I gave an apple to my teacher. SCORE me!

Then we went back to the Orchard to say goodbye to everyone.

I was pretty tired from being up and rowdy late with Baba and then waking up at the crack of dawn for my field trip.

But, I managed to rustle up some energy to fight for my turn in this cool board!
Mom says I'm the apple of her eye.

COOOOORNY!

All of my friends went to play at a nearby park after we were done at the Orchard, but due to an ill timed potty break and complete lack of direction, we were unable to join them. Mom and Baba felt pretty bad, so we went to a different park and I got to go 'sploring with Baba. We had a blast! Thanks for coming to visit Baba. Love you!

Vandygriff Men

Today we had a special treat and a great surprise all rolled into one. Papa came down to spend the day with just the boys. We had big plans to do manly things all day long.

Three generations of sheer masculinty and good looks. Can't beat these genes!

Papa and I did a little horsing around before we left.
Giggles ARE manly!

I got to wear Papa's super cool Veteran's hat. I thought I was pretty special.

I think he might agree...
Dad got some time with Papa all to himself. I was a little jealous, but I know how much I like spending time with my dad, so I guess he deserved a little time with his dad too.

Thanks for coming Papa! It sure was great to see you TWICE this week!

My Favorite Part

After the soccer game, Mom and I stopped to pick up some dry pants for me and then drove straight up to Papa and Nana's house. We got to play with Bobey, hang out in the basement with Papa and then sleep over at their house!
In the morning, we went to our annual Vandygriff Family Reunion. I'm not sure who everyone is, but here are some scenes from the day.

I spent most of my time running around. Papa found time to come play with me (of course).

Aunty Stephanie found time to snuggle and hug me :) Not that I had ANY objections!

And my good buddy Uncle Scott; Of COURSE he and I had some man to man time!

At the end of the day, I asked Mom "What was your favorite part?" She said seeing all the family again. Then she asked me and I said "My favorite part was playing with Shayla and Sueann." What a great time we had! Those girls played baseball and basketball with me, they hung out on the playground with me and they took great care of me all day.

Shayla is SO tall and so strong. She helped my slam dunk.

Okay not really, but close!

She sure is a lot of fun.

And pretty too!

Thanks Papa and Nana for an awesome sleepover and thanks to my super family for a fantastic day. Mom and I got back in the car and drove home right after the reunion. I was pretty tired, but it was all worth it.

Mom says the rest of the month will be about the same so I can't wait!

Pink Panthers

After the parade and a quick bite to eat, Mom and I drove through a pretty strong downpour to get to KK's first soccer game. Her team is the Pink Panthers, and she is definitely the STAR! There she is - #6. I cheered really loudly for her.

GOOOOOOO KK!

Spectating was made even better by the super muddy fields and the additional rainfall. I had a blast playing in the mud. That's Dad in the umbrella on my right. I had a great time watching the game with Sydney!

After the rain stopped, Sydney showed Dad and I some moves. She played earlier while we were at the parade so she was all warmed up and everything.

Then Dad showed me a super cool trick. Look at my hulk ball behind his back!

I tried it too... It didn't work as well for me.

I got a little bored with the whole spectating part of the day, so I decided to reenact a scene from Spiderman. I told everyone who walked by that "I'm Sandman."
One of the highlights of the day was when a train went by SUPER fast and SUPER close. Dad held me up really high so I could see it.
Another highlight... spending time at play park with my girl Sydney.

And here I am posing with the two greatest soccer players we know! Thanks for letting me come and cheer girls!