Random Sampler, volume 1

It seems like when I go through pictures from my memory card, sometimes I have a big group that warrant a blog post all of its own and then sometimes I just have random stuff. Just times when I've grabbed my camera and taken pictures of every day old stuff at our house. And I also write little things down every once in a while too. Just little things I don't want to forget. So as I was going through pictures, I didn't have any that had a post all of their own, so I give you "Random Sampler, volume 1". And I say volume 1, because with the way things work, I know there will be several other volumes of randomness at my house! So here are some of the random things I've written down and taken pictures of in the last week or two.

Seems my kids are not only falling asleep on the stairs, they are falling asleep in other random places as well. Sam couldn't make it through dinner last night (at 7:30, I know--soooo late, right?). And he fell asleep between bites of chicken & potatoes. I know all kids do it--several times even, but I'm always fascinated that they can literally fall asleep eating.
And then a Saturday or two ago, Tyler didn't take a nap because we were kind of on the go all day. Anyhow, we had him all ready for bed and were a few minutes away from brushing teeth and saying prayers and noticed it was awfully quiet. Tyler came walking into the living room, puppy in hand and all, and climbed on the couch with Garrett. He started saying something, with his speech slurred and eyes drooping. We couldn't understand a word of what he said and he was asleep mid-sentence. Yeah, I think you could say he was tired... Missing naps is not a good thing for that boy!
When we were in Idaho in February, Garrett got this train table as a hand-me-down from his boss and had it all set up to surprise Tyler when we got home. It has been a huge hit!! I love it since it means the train track no longer has to be set up in the middle of my living room and Tyler loves being able to have his trains out all the time. A lot of mornings he plays with his trains for a while before he even comes out of his room for the first time. It did take a little creativity in arranging things to make it fit, but it fits better than we thought it would and the best part...it was FREE!
Sam has discovered how great graham crackers are. I love it because it kind of keeps him entertained for a few minutes and I'll let you be the judge of whether he loved them or not...
The boys have been playing with Mega Bloks quite a bit lately. Tyler loves building towers and Sam enjoys eating them. And it's nice for me because they actually kind of "play together". (and Tyler thinks that is absolutely fantastic.)
And yes, they are wearing matching clothes, in case you were wondering. :) They don't have very many that match, but one every now and then. And I thought they were pretty dang cute, if I do say so myself.
This dear toy has been my favorite thing in the whole wide world! Tyler got a Leap Pad for his birthday and now has a Thomas game and a Ratatouille game, along with the Leap Frog game it came with and it has been known to entertain him for HOURS. I'm not joking either. He has asked to watch TV so much less and will sit and play it forever. And I have to say he is really learning things from it. He knows what eggplant is (from the Ratatouille game) and other day he was talking about a clarinet. I ask him where he learned about them and he says "from my puter!". He loves having his own computer. :) (thanks again, Hillary. Really, the best gift ever!)
And it looks like it has begun. It is a fight for the remote at our house already. I am very much surrounded by testosterone here...
And a few random things I've written down lately about Tyler:
*He's been biting his nails lately. It is driving me nuts... I know he got it from me, and I don't want him to be a nail biter, so I'm trying hard to nip it in the bud now.
*He (and I, to be honest) can't get enough of the Crispy Mint M&M's that are out right now. They are green, so that's a sure win, and they are just plain yummy.
*He told me today as we were driving that he wanted to go have lunch at Olive Garden because they have soup, salad, and breadsticks for lunch. He has never been to Olive Garden before... I promise, we really don't watch that much TV!
*We've been on a Curious George reading kick and pick a George story before naps every day. I love Curious George!
*He has been visiting the ENT trying to get things figured out. The dr. still insists he has allergies, but all of the different medicines we have tried in the last 6 months have not worked. Hopefully we can get it figured out sooner than later.
*When he has been close to getting in trouble, he has recently responded with: "Settle down, Becky. I just wanna talk 'bout dis later." So, yes, he did address me by my first name...you try disciplining him after that!

And a few things about Sam that I've written down:

*He woke up yesterday (5/12) with a big surprise--his first tooth! I guess you could say he was a pretty good teether, since I didn't even know he was getting a tooth.

*He went swimming for the first time this week. I really wished I had been able to take pictures, but wrangling two kids in the pool by myself doesn't allow for that to happen. He loved it, though!

*He broke out in hives all over last weekend. The only thing we could trace it back to was a possible Baby Mum Mum rice cracker in the vegetable variety. Sounds crazy, but it was the only new thing he had eaten all week. It was pretty sad looking for 3 days, but didn't seem to bother him much. We called it a rash--Tyler called it a relish.

*He turns 8 months old tomorrow (don't worry--he'll get his own post for that later!)

And there you have it, that's about all the random stuff I can think of right now. :)