rees genre

A few months ago we had Rowan sleep in Davin's room in order to make room for guests and Rowan never left. With a baby on the way, we decided that it was good timing for the boys to share a room and we purchased a bunk bed. Davin was still sleeping in a toddler bed, so it was definitely time for an upgrade. The boys love their new bed and it has been the source of much adventure and imaginings. For Davin, it is a boat and he is constantly fighting alligators, crocodiles, and sharks, with the threat of running into light houses and sinking. Davin is almost always in imagination mode, playing out a ninja adventure or thinking of a crazy invention for the backyard (per the inspiration of Phineas and Ferb ). When Davin isn't imagining, he is developing the tower encyclopedia in his brain. Davin loves towers: cell phone towers, cell phone towers that look like trees, radio towers, transmission towers, microwave towers, water towers, etc. He can spot one on the horizon m...

The Sunday morning routine is usually this: Rowan comes into bed and we cuddle for a few minutes. As we start to wake up, tickling often happens, some giggles, and then this comment: "Mom, let's go make rectangle pancakes." In our house, pancakes are classified by their shape. A circle pancake is the classic flapjack where batter is cooked on a griddle. A sphere pancake is an ebelskiver, a lovely Danish delight where batter is cooked in a special cast iron pan with cups, creating a spherically shaped ball of cooked dough that is lovingly dipped in anything from syrup to Chris's favorite: cookie butter. A rectangle pancake was classically known in my house growing up as a "German pancake" but they are also known as "dutch babies." An eggy batter is poured into a hot pan filled with melted butter and baked in the oven until it puffs to a golden brown.  The pan that I cook this pancake in is a rectangle shape, hence the "rectangle pancake" n...

... little late to be posting about this as we have known for weeks what our baby's gender will be, but I wanted to officially document it in the annuals of our family history. We are having a girl and we couldn't be more excited! So far she is growing beautifully and we can't wait to meet her! The boys are really excited about their new sister. Rowan loves babies! Everywhere we go, he seeks out little ones. He loves to say hi and comment on how "cute" they are. He thinks diapers are hilarious (we'll see how he feels about them later)! I told Davin that the baby can hear us and now he loves to talk to her all the time. He tells her "good morning" and "good night" and will often report about what we are doing. Both boys love cuddling next to my tummy, hoping to feel the baby kick. I know that having a baby will be a big adjustment but I'm also excited to share this experience with my boys. 

Summer is official now that we have our pool set up in the backyard. The boys love it!!! Of course a good Popsicle makes the whole event perfect! Rowan's "I'm going to splash you Mom!" face. A little brotherly revenge

Ready to go! Rowan is our guide.  I'll follow him!  Fine, leave the pregnant lady in the dust! At least Rowan let me catch up to him... ...for a little while. :) I hate slamming Chris with a "honey do list" on Saturdays because it means he spends his only day off doing projects around the house. Last Saturday, the lawn was already mowed and the house wasn't falling off the foundation, so we decided it was a good day to play with Dad. We started with a bike/scooter/walk on the Four Mile Creek trail in south Charlotte. It is a lovely paved trail perfect for new riders with ample space and beautiful views. The weather was moist but pleasant and we had a great time! The boys are loving their scooters and Davin is really improving in his bike riding. Hopefully Rowan will follow, especially now that we finally found a good helmet for his noggin. His ear gear made it tricky to find something that would keep his head safe without disrupting his he...