Out the Window

I looked out the window tonight before I took Delia up to bed, and this is what I saw:


Could they be any cuter???? John Grayson has embraced being a big boy and loves helping around the house. His "job" is to feed Dusty every night, and we think that Dusty (and his waist line) are benefiting from JGray's added responsibilities. Tonight JGray told John that he wanted to help him mow. I had no idea that he'd really help him. Our little boy is growing up so fast!!

15 Months Old

It's hard to believe that another month has passed and that Delia is really a toddler. She brings such joy and laughter into the house. She continues to remind us that she is a carefree and fearless little girl. The best word to describe Delia right now is BUSY! Delia is always on the move, whether it's running, climbing, kicking a ball or chasing after John Grayson and Dusty.

At 15 months, Delia:

• Weighs 23lb 10oz (70th percentile) and is 32in long (88th percentile). She's come down a curve in weight, which makes sense since she runs around so much, and she jumped up a curve in height! I have no idea where these huge kids come from----I'm still holding out hope that Delia will slow down and join her Mommy on the lower end of the growth chart, but we may end up with two tall kids!
  
• Has started climbing. She can get onto the couch by herself now, but luckily she is able to turn around and climb back down safely. She also likes to climb onto the bottom step of the bathroom step stool, let go with her hands and try to jump. Thank goodness she seems to have good coordination thus far.
• Got another tooth at the beginning of April and is definitely working on getting her top teeth. It's about time! The pediatrician also said that it looks like she is cutting her first molars too. Ugh, why does teething have to be so difficult?!
• Loves to play outside. She loves to swing and climb into the tree house with John Grayson. If you turn your back on her (for even a second), then she's half way up the stairs. I really hope we can make it through the spring and summer without a trip to the ER!
• Enjoys playing with the soccer ball and can even dribble it across the backyard! Who knows, we may have a future soccer star on our hands.
• Loves books. If we don't know where she is, then chances are that Delia is sitting on the floor in front of the book shelf, reading. She loves to look at the pictures and "tell" us about them.
  
• Talks, a lot. We don't understand everything she says, but it's obvious that Delia has lots to say. She will repeat simple words back to you and loves to make silly sounds. She is also learning her body parts (she knows tummy, teeth, mouth and foot) and is fascinated with books that have pictures of animals or people in them.
  
• Has started trying to use a pen/pencil! I don't remember John Grayson being interested in writing until much later, but Delia loves to carry crayons around the house. So far we've been able to avoid scribbles on the walls, although it may be time to start locking up the art supplies. She gets a small notebook (usually "borrowed" from JGray) and lays on her tummy in the floor to "write". I haven't been able to capture it on film yet; hopefully soon!
• Is trying to jump. Usually it appears during the nightly dance party, but Delia really wants to get both feet off the floor.
  
• Has started putting her head on the floor in a type of pre-somersault/yoga pose. I think going to John Grayson's gymnastics classes has worn off on her because Delia seems determined to be an acrobat like her big brother. She is definitely going to be ready for gymnastics class in a few years!
  

Here are some pictures of Delia at 15 months:

Delia loves her new flip flops!

Playing at the park

Running Away with the Circus

A couple weeks back we took the opportunity to visit the Greatest Show on Earth as it came through town. The circus pre-show started at 10:30(am) so naturally we had to fill up with a big breakfast beforehand.

For any of you who live hear in the greater Richmond area, we found what John Grayson called the 'Greatest Breakfast in the World' at Perly's on Grace Street. I do have to admit that I have not tasted a better biscuit in the Richmond area and our son has not stopped talking about it for 3 weeks. After walking a few blocks over the Coliseum, we arrived and were first in line to get into the building. We ended up being down on the floor with the performers for a full hour before the show. John Grayson had a hat thrown on his head from across the room by a clown (it was a clean looking clown so I'm not too worried about his sharing hats...).


To my surprise, the clowns continued to show and affinity for our family by calling me out into the middle to be part of a clown ring toss game. I have to say I was a rather good target.


Not wanting to be left out, John Grayson ran out into the middle with me to see if the clown could hit a smaller target. At first the clown avoided the challenge preferring to stay with the larger target.

But after some coaxing (me walking away) the clown finally successfully rung John Grayson. By the way, I'm all for clowns being hip, but I was not a fan of this guys clown outfit. Sure he had the big shoes but he was light on the clown makeup, did nothing with his hair, and was essentially wearing a jogging suit. Clown school must not be what it used to.

The clown affinity for our family spilled over into a demonstration by the world's strongest man. (Note: I doubt the man they had there was the world's strongest man, he may have been the strongest man in the building that day, but this guy was a runt compared the the fellows I see on ESPN Classic) The assistant to the worlds strong man brought John Grayson over to have a tug of war competition.

John Grayson didn't quite grasp the idea of the tug of war so the world's strongest man easily retained his title. We stopped by the concession stand to buy the world's best popcorn (for $8.00 a box it damn well better be the world's best) and headed up to our seats. This year the circus had video screens and that just happened to by our son's favorite part.

This year we nearly made it through the entire circus, with about 10 minutes left John Grayson declared that the circus was over and that we were leaving. There really was no grand finale, and we had been there for 2.5 hours already, so we obliged.

All in all, a very successful trip to the circus and we look forward to bringing Delia along next year!

Visit with Good Friends

Last Wednesday was a very special day because I got to spend it with two of my best friends and their adorable kids. Andrea and her son Grant came to Richmond for a few days to see her family during spring break, and Oli and her daughter Elsa drove down from Charlottesville for the day. John Grayson absolutely loves his "Aunts" and waited very patiently for them to arrive. He passed the time by naming them in the wedding pictures that we keep near the front door. Andrea also brought her niece Kate (5) and Jack (3 1/2) so it was a very full house! The kids had a wonderful time playing together and we even managed to have a dance party before everyone headed home for naps. It was a very special morning that made me eager to organize a beach vacation for all of the "aunts" and their families :-)

All of the kids had lunch together and were very well behaved!

Another one of the (in)famous Schmitt family dance parties

Our attempt at a picture of the little kids together

Delia and Elsa

Easter

Spring has arrived in Virginia and we were able to spend a special Easter outside enjoying the beautiful weather. Unlike last year, we didn't have as many egg hunts on the calendar, but the kids definitely enjoyed dyeing Easter eggs and hunting for them at MaMa and Pop's house.

John Grayson is an egg dyeing pro, so he was able to explain the ins and outs of decorating to Delia. He's learned to spell his first name (my guess is it will be a long time until he can spell Grayson too), and he was very proud that he could tell me the letters to write on his egg. Delia wants to be just like her big brother and loved using the wax crayon to create her own egg masterpiece.

JGray explaining to Daddy how to create the perfect egg

Delia spent a long time creating a special egg

We celebrated Easter Sunday at MaMa and Pop's house. We got the kids ready early and actually made it to 9am mass (which is no small feat with two small children). We learned a bit of parenting wisdom today---giving Peeps to your kids for breakfast is not a good idea, especially when you want them to sit quietly for an hour. We also learned something else---Schmitt kids do not have a post-sugar crash so we did not benefit from the post-Peep sleep. That being said, John Grayson did great during the service. Delia is 1 and we had low expectations because of her big brother. Luckily we now know that she will grow out of her wiggles and we can expect to have two well behaved children in another 2 years. After church we drove straight to MaMa and Pop's house and had an egg hunt. Delia loved running around in her pretty dress and JGray enjoyed showing off his egg hunting skills.

Delia loved running around the yard in her Easter dress

Wearing your basket around your neck frees up both hands for egg hunting

The kids loved driving around in their new Power Wheels Arctic Cat

Our sweet angels

Mommy and Delia

Mommy and John Grayson

Daddy and Delia

Schmitt family, Easter 2010