Easter is on it's way!

Here are our Easter pictures!  They turned out great.  The blanket in the background of the picture below was made for Kirk (years before he was born!) by my Grandma Sullivan.  I wanted to use it in some of his pictures since it had bunnies on it.  In the picture above, he is holding onto his stuffed Peter Rabbit (who will be in his Easter basket again this year).  Thanks so much, Kristi B. for doing such an amazing job once again!

Easter picture preview!

We had pictures taken by Kristi Brouse on Sunday, April 3.  Kirk was happy, smiling, and ready to pose throughout the whole session.  These are a few of the pictures that she posted as a "sneak peek" of our session.  We should get all of the finished pictures sometime this week.  I can't wait to see them all!

Kirk was showing off his jumping skills during this shot.  He loves bubbles, and Jeremy was blowing them in his face.  He loves the very first bubble, and the 100th bubble just as much.  He is trying really hard to blow them by himself these days.  He is so funny!

What a difference a year makes!  This is Kirk's picture with the Easter Bunny from last year.  We've already tried this year, and there is no way he is sitting next to that "rabbit!"  It's amazing how much he and Bella have both grown.  It may be a few years before we get another picture like this!

20 months old....WHAT???

It is so hard to believe my baby boy is 20 months old!  Where has the time gone?  Geez.  He is so smart.  He regularly speaks in full sentences, knows the colors red, blue, and yellow (as well as the sign language), knows the shape circle (we're working on the others...) and can take off and put on his own shoes.  He can also take off his pants and shirt.  He can finish 8-10 piece puzzles.  He loves day care and apparently today he played with earth worms and loved them!   Eeeew!  He isn't afraid of anything, and loves everything.  The picture above is an action shot of him climbing, and his friend Riley's bottom half.  They are playing at the Chick-fil-a play area.  Neither of them would be still long enough for me to get a decent picture.  Kirk loves playing there, and we are so thankful that we have Angel, Riley and Brady to play with!

Kirk was VERY concerned about Brady.  He kept saying, "Baby's cryin' " and "Baby eats he's bottle!"  It was hilarious.  Brady is so laid back, he only cried a little when he was hungry and tolerated Kirk in his face just fine.  Look how serious Kirk looks in this picture!  He kept asking me, "Baby go night night?"  I kept telling him he would at nap time.  Haha!

This picture makes me laugh so much, because Kirk started a few weeks ago putting everything on his head and saying "A hat?"  and laughing hysterically!  He ate his cheese pizza for dinner, and then put his paper plate on his head and said, "Look Mama, a hat!" 

We went to Sesame Street Live on Tuesday, April 5.  Kirk was a little unsure of himself when the lights first went out, but as soon as the music started, he was enthralled.  He wasn't too concerned with which characters were on the stage, he wanted to know where everyone was that wasn't there.  He would ask, "Where's Elmo?"  "Where's Big Bird?"  I asked him where he thought they were, and he would reply, "work" or "school" (and use sign language).  He is so funny!  He would say "There he is!" when the characters would come onto the stage!

Cousin Bella was there, too.

Riley was there, too.  Notice Riley's Oscar the Grouch shirt.  She picked it out herself!

Cousin Holden was there, too!

Kirk enjoyed the show while relaxing on Daddy's lap. 

Apparently Bella wasn't too thrilled with this song.  She put her fingers in her ears!



Kirk absolutely LOVES playing outside.  In this picture, he is playing in his water table that he got from Meme and Poppy for Christmas.  He loves it!  It squirts water, plays music, and has boats to go around and around.  Kirk later added some of Daddy's golf balls (he has one in his hand).  He carries them around and says "Golf ball!  Golf ball!"  He uses them for everything and actually does a pretty good job hitting them with Jeremy's clubs.  He loves to help me water plants, and can actually carry the watering can when it is pretty full.  He likes to look for bugs and he would love for Astro to actually chase after the balls he throws.  He throws balls and says "Astro, Astro, get it!!"  and Astro just sits there.   He will chase after treats, but that's about it. 

I can't wait to spend this summer with my little boy.  We've got so much learning to do together!

Busy Boy

Kirk has been a busy boy lately.  In this picture, he is eating strawberries and cool whip for the first time.  Needless to say, he liked it.  He just smeared it in with the spaghetti sauce all over his face from dinner!

We went to the Character Breakfast at the Civic Center on Saturday, March 12.  Gramma Debi (who is apparently on every phone we have in the house now, because he answers them by saying "HI DEBI!!) went with us.  Kirk liked the characters from a distance and just a little bit up close.  This was his reaction to Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird.  He kept staring at Elmo, and laughing!

He liked Mickey "Mouse" and Minnie.  He said their names and gave them a high five.

He wasn't too sure about it, but he tolerated standing close to Elmo with Daddy.

Clinging for his life, he allowed one picture to be taken with Cookie Monster!

Kirk loved his new Elmo shirt and shoes.

Kirk loves anything with a steering wheel!  He is driving a tractor at the Home and Garden Show in this picture!

Kirk said "rabbit" very well when we held and pet a little bunny. 

Someday, I'll tell him about my pet rabbit Honey Bunny that used to live in his room!

Kirk pet the goat "easy."  We've been working really hard on using a gentle touch!

He couldn't catch a pig to pet it "easy."  I climbed in later and pet one for him.  They sure are noisy little animals!

He giggled and pet the little chicks with one finger.  He tried to hold one, it didn't go so well.  I hadn't heard a little chick sqwak before.  I rescued him quick!

Jeremy likes to take Kirk to the park.  They went to the park today after his nap while I did some shopping at the mall.  Kirk likes to swing and says "WHEE!" the whole time! 

just hanging out

Then climbing in...Jeremy said he took this picture right before he fell head first into the hole!

He's all smiles when he's hanging out with his Daddy!  He sure does love to be outside!

The Walkers had a very busy Saturday.  I was glad to see that Kirk somewhat enjoyed seeing some of his (and my) favorite characters.  His Mama is a big Disney and Sesame Street fan, and I'm helping him along the way.  I also want him to respect and love animals, and I will take every chance we can get to be around them.  He absolutely loves playing outside, and as long as Daddy is around to do the stuff that makes me sick (swinging and spinning) and I have a little bug spray, we are good to go.  He is singing and dancing more than ever now and knows all the moves (and some words) to the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It."  We've got LOTS more songs to learn!   I'm getting so anxious for the summer months to get here so I can spend more time enjoying the simple things with my Kirky! 

Kirk is eighteen months old!

It is hard to believe my baby boy is 18 months old!  Where has the time gone?  He is such a big boy these days.  Gone are the days of spooning food into his mouth, he does that all by himself now.  He is getting really good at using a spoon and a fork.  We have moved out of the highchair to a booster seat at the table, which he seems to enjoy.  We also just tried out our new umbrella stroller, and he seemed to be okay with that, too.  We hear "I get it!" and "I did/do it!" a lot at our house.  I am so proud of his independence, but sometimes I wish he'd accept just a little help from his Mama and Daddy!  He is a strong, brave little boy though, and he is determined to to it all by himself.  The picture above was taken on February 13.  Kirk and Bella spent some time together with Jeremy while Erin and I went shopping.  Jeremy said they played well together, and Kirk was excited to show Bella how to "SLIDE!!"

Kirk is giving Bella a hug.  She looks thrilled, huh?

Although we made a pact to not buy any more toys until Kirk's birthday, Jeremy came home from a trip to Wal-Mart with a gigantic basketball hoop.  Kirk does LOVE basketball and likes to shoot hoops at day care.  It is a little too big for him, so Jeremy pulled it over to the slide so he can climb up and shoot.  Amazingly, it didn't take Kirk long to figure out how to climb up the slide holding the balls under his chin!  He shoots them and then slides down and gathers them back up, climbs back up, and shoots again.  It hasn't gotten old and he still claps for himself every time.  We have even taught him to pump his fist and cheer "Whoot!  Whoot!"  He is hilarious!  I love to hear him say "baskee-ball!"

So I used to get a sly little grin when I said "cheese" for the camera, and this is what I get now--crazy, scrunched up faces and uncontrollable giggling.  It's okay, though.  I think I laugh harder than he does!

"Play is a child's work." ~Jean Piaget

I titled this blog post with a quote from one of my favorite early childhood theorists, Jean Piaget. Piaget was really the first of many who opened the eyes of educational professionals long ago to the power and importance of the play of young children. Since I have spent the last ten years of my life "playing" with children each day, I of course always saw the value in playing with purpose and connecting with young children.  I watched them grow and learn for nine months out of the year and saw them mature and learn new things.  I always valued play and chose the materials that I used in my classrooms wisely.  No classroom experience prepared me for the amazing "play" experiences that I have had with my little boy.

Kirk is ALMOST 18 months old now.  He can play, play, play!  He has moved swiftly through several types of play and amazes me with the things he now "pretends" to do.  He sometimes prefers to play alone, and moves his toys away from me so he can do whatever he wants with them.  He puts on a scarf, throws a bag over his shoulder, waves and says "bye-bye" to Jeremy and I and reaches for the door handle.  He likes to fill things and empty them.  He hides things and then looks for them.  He likes to play chase, stack toys, and climb on everything.  The power of play is amazing.  We can play with an expensive toy, or an empty yogurt container.  It's all "play," and it's all important.  I love playing with my little boy, and I hope he always loves playing with me!

So all the cold weather and snow days had us feeling cooped up.  We played at home; we played at the mall; we played at Chick-fil-a (with Angel and Riley); and we decided to try to go play at Billy Bob's!  Kirk was too little for most of the stuff, but he liked sitting in this firetruck and turning the steering wheel.  He had no fear of climbing on or in anything, which makes me fear the future!  Yikes!

There was a highly visible sign that said "No Children Under 3" on the carousel.  Jeremy plopped him on a horse anyway, and of course he yelled "Go!  Go!"  How in the world did he know that everything has a "go" button?

He did ride the little ferris wheel and he said "Whee!" every time it went around.  We actually had to come back and ride it again!

He has gotten much better about sitting (not climbing, standing, or jumping) in his chair.  In this picture, he is holding his Elmo doll while watching "Elmo's World" on dvd.  He is quite the tv junkie these days and would watch it forever if I'd let him.  He loves Elmo and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  He talks to the tv, laughs at funny things, and waves at the characters.  He has learned a few things, like counting to 10 and a few more animal sounds.  I swear, his ability to tune me out while his favorite shows are on is definitely a skill he got from his dad!

If you're reading this blog, I hope that you have children around you that you can play with.  I am reminded everyday that the theories I learned and taught from for years are true.  Nothing is more important than engaging in play with young children.  Just put your "to do" list in the back of your mind and spend time completely focused on children and their imaginative thoughts and actions.  It truly is the most priceless experience. 
So....go have some fun, and JUST PLAY!!

"Play is often talked about as if it is a relief from serious learning.  But for children, play is serious learning.  Play is really the work of childhood."  ~Fred Rogers  (my favorite)



Holly Jolly Christmas

The Walkers had a wonderful Christmas!  We want to thank all of our family and friends for all they have done for us!

Kirk is opening his gift from Auntie Megan in this picture.  He was a bit slow...we all got bored waiting for him to tear off a substantial sized piece of paper.  We had to help him out a little, and then he got excited!

After untwisting and turning all the pieces, Kirk loved playing with his Little People barn.  He loves the "doodle-do" (rooster) and for some reason, always slams the goat in the silo and says, "bye-bye!."  Who knows?  I thought he liked goats! 

Bella, Auntie Erin, and Kirk admiring our tree on Christmas Eve

We got LOTS of gifts on Christmas Eve at MeMe and Poppy's!  Kirk loves his Thomas tricycle and can now say "All Aboard!"

Kirk seemed to like the Nerf guns that we got for Tanner best of all.

Poppy showed him how to shoot them in the air.  Great!

Kirk yelled "DUCKY!" when he came downstairs Christmas morning.  He grabbed Donald Duck off his slide, and then realized that the slide was there!  He immediatley said "SLIDE!" and started trying to pull himself up.

 This is his first attempt at climbing up the slide.  It didn't take long to get the hang of it, but the first time was hilarious.  He was grunting and trying to pull himself up with his teeth!  After he figured out the hand/foot coordination, he was fine and can now get up there in about 1/2 a second!



Kirk got his beloved Barney from Aunt Debbie at Gramma's house. 

 He hugs and kisses Barney when he sings.

Kirk loves his race track from Gramma Debi.  He likes to send all of his cars down the track, along with the farm animals, puzzle pieces, musical instruments, etc.  He loves to put them at the top and say "1,2,3, GO!"

This was my attempt at trying to take a picture of Kirk and Astro together for his "family photos" for his new school (day care).  Neither one of them would have any part of  it, and in this picture, Kirk is pushing on Astro's hindquarters yelling "GO!"  Poor Astro!

Kirk loves his new slide.  He slides with Mickey, Donald, books, cars, animals, instruments, etc.  Now he says "Wee!" when he slides down.  I think he learned that at school!

     Kirk had a great first week at day care!  He likes his new teachers and all of his new friends.  He made a hat, painted, sang songs, played in the "romper room," and danced.  He and his friends made a handprint American flag today.  His teachers say he has eaten well and he has taken 2 1/2 hour nap on his cot all week!  We are so proud of him!  He is such a big boy and growing up so fast.  He has picked up a few new words this week and started putting 2-3 words together, like "Hi Daddy!"  "Go at-side, bye-bye!"  and "Mama car."  He has started pretending more, especially with kitchen items ( his favorite area of his classroom) and pretends to stir with a spoon and says "Yummy!" and pretends to eat from the spoon.  He is starting to push cars in paths on the floor and makes sounds like "vroom, vroom" while he is pushing them.  He even pushed two cars together and said "boom!"   His fine motor skills amaze me!  He is able to pick up a raisin with his thumb and index finger and he is already holding a crayon with a three finger grasp.  He is learning things so quickly and surprises us each day!