Who made the cut???

Almost every night we follow a very specific bed-time routine with Anderson.  It goes something like this...bath, brush teeth, lotion, pj's, pick out two books, read books, sing "daddy's song" (Smile by Uncle Kracker), get into bed, and talk about what we are going to do tomorrow, then comes the fun part...I usually say something like "daddy and mommy are going to bed".  Anderson, then, proceeds to ask about other people that are also going "ni-ni" and I have to say "yes, so-in-so is also going ni-ni".  He's been doing this since October!  He always starts by asking whether or not my cousin, Bobby, is going ni-ni (he's met Bobby twice but apparently he left quite an impression on Anderson because he is now Bobby's biggest little fan) and always follows Bobby with asking if my brother, TC, is going ni-ni (who he also doesn't get to see that often but loves a whole bunch)...after that it's anyone's guess.  Here's who was on the list a couple of nights ago.  If you didn't make the cut, don't worry I'm sure you'll be on the list tomorrow night or the next.

PS...singing is great for your child's development.  I build songs into almost every routine with Anderson.  It helps to increase predictability, it's good for language devleopment, and it's fun!  Here are a couple of songs I sing during our night time routine.  If you need the tune call and ask me...I'm not going to sing them and post them on here, so don't even ask!  Enjoy!!

Bath:
We're gonna wash, wash, wash your hair;
Wash, wash, wash, your hair;
Wash, wash, wash your hair;
And now your hair is clean.

Brush Teeth:
When you wake up in the morning and you don't know what to do...
Brush your teeth...ch, ch, ch, ch, ch.
When you wake up in the night, in the middle of the night...
Brush your teeth...ch, ch, ch, ch, ch.

Lotion:
Rubbing in the lotion, lotion, lotion;
It's a magic potion, potion, potion;
We're rubbing in the lotion, lotion, lotion;
Its a magic potion, potion, potion.

Birthday Boy

Anderson turned 2 on February 9th!!!  We had a party for him at Little Gym.  It was great and super easy!  They handled everything from sending out invitations to serving the pizza and cake to cleaning up the craziness.  The party was 90 minutes...30 minutes of group activities led by Anderson's Little Gym teacher, Ashley, 30 minutes to eat pizza and cake and open presents, and then, a final 30 minutes in the gym with Ashley.  Anderson and all of the kiddos had a lot of fun!  Thanks to Anderson's friends and family that came to his party!!  We love you!

Big Birthday Boy and Friends

Pizza and cake...YUM!



Getting ready to dive into the cake...



Playing with the parachute...

"Cheese!!"

Enjoying ice cream on his birthday!

Sun and Sand

Here are some of our favorite photos from Maui!  We stayed at a beautiful new resort called Honua Kai.  We had a one bedroom condo with a great lanai, full kitchen, washer/dryer, and huge bathroom.  It was awesome and we totally recommend this resort to others...especially families.  It was not crowded and the customer service was great.  We were so lucky to overlap a few days in Maui with my mom and Mark.  They watched Anderson for us a couple of times and we got to see the property they've been going to for the past few years.  One night that they watched Anderson, we went to Five Palms for dinner.  We got there around 5:30...just in time for their sunset special.  The food was great and the view was even better.  We also went on a hike and explored a couple different beaches but mostly we just chilled on the beach or by the pool.  Perfect!! 

Dinner at Five Palms

Aloha!!  Leis from Grandma Shorty.

Great little beach we found up the road from our resort...there was a playground and an organic market across the street.

View at Five Palms

Kaanapali Beach

Sunset in Kihei

Mmmmmm...smells good!

Anderson loved kicking the soccer ball around the beach and into the water.

Mr. Happy

Dad and Anderson on Kaanapali Beach

It was going to be "just a small party"...

...but I just ordered a Lightning McQueen cake that will feed up to 40 people!  What kind of birthday monster am I creating!?!?  Ka-CHOW!!

Go DAWGS!

I'm working on a post with pictures and videos from Maui.  We had a great time and took LOTS of pictures so it's taking me awhile to sift through. 

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this video of Anderson.  March is a VERY, VERY important month in our house.  Not only is it Brad's birthday but more importantly its March Madness!!  So we're gearing up for it.  I have the sports jingle for March Madness (yes...you know the one) stuck in my head year round...not because I, too, love March Madness but because Brad wakes every morning as we head into the madness humming this tune with a gitty smile on this face.  He's like a kid in a candy store!!  Anderson is beginning to love college basketball and specifically the Huskies, as Brad does...however, he seemed a little distracted here.  Go DAWGS (even though they lost to Oregon State last night)!

Seriously...he's genius...I know!