Happy Happy Joy Joy

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens... those things brought Maria Von Trapp joy, and here's what brings Lucas Shinn joy:

 

Cars

Cars (any shape, size, or form)

Special treats, in this case: froyo

Balls

Going to the park

His sister (or at least that's what Mommy wants to believe)

Being able to put on shoes (that aren't his)

 Last but not least, Mother!

Infinity

If you flip the infinity symbol 90 degrees, you will get the number eight, which is how old my baby girl turned today! Yikes! How did you get so old, baby girl?!

 No longer a baby...

 Kids are sporting Apple gear (to remind them where all their financial support comes from!)

 Daddy thinks both kids look like him...

 What a smile!

Why do Mommy's glasses look cuter on you?!

 My little hoodlum

Daddy's version of taking care of Char

It's becoming more and more apparent than Char's favorite person in the whole wide world is her big bro. She absolutely adores that guy! Unfortunately, Lucas does not really see that and only chooses to play with baby sis when he's in the mood.  

We're really hoping that Char wakes up one day and turns off her crazy stranger anxiety radar. She has gotten a tad bit better with people. I think the secret is that you have to make her smile in order for her to feel more comfortable around you. Makes sense, right? Though still as petite as ever (can still fit into 3-6 month clothing), she's a happy, growing girl. Good thing she has an older brother who always pushes her around (not purposefully), she's become small but mighty! Happy 8 months, Bebe!

Lu's SHINNanigans

Lucas... he's quite the character. I wish I could record everything he says/does... Here are some of his crazies (I love two year olds!).

PRISON BREAK: 

When I went to the bathroom this morning, I looked at my desk and saw Lucas sitting there, going through my camera. "Mommy camera", that's what he said when he gave it back to me. Somehow he was able to open the gate, close to gate, and was smart enough to NOT go into our bedroom to wake us up. That explains why Charlotte was crying more than usual this morning... thank goodness she doesn't know how to break out yet.

BOSSY BOSSY: 

"Bebe, finish your mum mum" (after he finished his lunch)

"Bebe, no cry. I tell Mommy" (during nap time)

"Bebe, shhh! No cry!"

"Bebe play with this one!" (he never shares Lightning McQueen so Char always ends up with Dinoco)

"Good night Bebe, see ya later" (on repeat) - and then he wonders why Char keeps crying... let the poor girl sleep, homeboy!

PUMP PUMP PUMP:

(Dan was the one who actually caught this) While I was taking care of Char, homeboy went and got my pump and starting pumping from his belly button. Yeah, nothing comes out of there buddy...

MOMMY IS MAGIC:

For some reason, homeboy thinks that he can throw whatever he pleases on the floor and that it magically gets cleaned up. (We're working on getting rid of this bad habit.) Your magician is named Mother...

 My precious boy

 

 

Weekend In

Unlike many other weekends where we travel up North to visit family, we got a chance to stay home and just enjoy being home. Given the amount of toys these kids possess, it's no wonder they don't mind staying at home.

 Posing before bedtime

 Climbing all over Daddy

Knock it down, Char!

El naturale cheesy smile

 Pacific Catch salmon bowl

 Little ham

 Obsessed with all things Cars

New playroom!

So Happy!

Nothing brings me more joy than seeing these two happy little people!


Char after waking up from her afternoon nap

 
Shinn kids kicking around before bedtime 

 
Always having a blast together!

 
Yoga moves? Break dancing?!


 New snack (they completely renovated Westgate Mall!)


 There's even a play structure inside!

Instead of taking Char to the library, I wanted to check out another Target to see if they have any more crazy clearance items. I have not stepped foot into Westgate since we moved down South, so this was a nice surprise! Instead of the run down mall I was used to seeing when we used to live in Santa Clara, the insides were renovated! Once again... why is everything nicer AFTER we move?! I hope we move back to this part of town in the near future. Anyway, it looks like Char had fun. So yay Mommy!

27 Months!

Summer is over and homeboy is 27 months old today! The terrible two's have started as "ah-no!" and tantrums come every other day. When there are no tantrums, the boy can be a total ham, and he knows how to work his charm. Since starting school, I haven't had as much time to hang out with Lucas, so now time at home is a bit more precious to me (us). Whenever Lucas is bored, he would say "go home". And he would say it repeatedly till we are actually home! The two biggest occurrences which happened this month (more like this past week) is that the Shinn kids are sharing a room. Lucas's old big boy room has been converted to their play room which they currently LOVE. Our living room has less toys and more space. You can actually see the fireplace now!

 Master of weird faces

 For some reason, he loves slapping his face...

 Finally utilizing the Cars road map I bought when he was 1!

 Hamming it up in the new play room

"Cheeeeesssseeeee"

Shared Room

Since our first family trip in July, I've been contemplating when I should make the move and switch the kids to one room. After nearly three months of debating, I decided to do it last night. Their first night together wasn't that bad... both slept a little later than usual, but they slept. However, it's nap time right now and it's a bit of a challenge... especially for Char, who's not used to hearing her brother playing before he goes to bed.

 Panoramic view

Lucas's side of the room - SW decor is back  up!

Charlotte's side of the room - all things girlie!

 Yup, I decorated while this girl was taking her morning nap

Speaking of naps, the afternoon nap was a bit of a disaster...

 Mr. Ham kept saying "cheese", which woke his sister up

It's nearly 2:30, all is calm... for now...

I spent hours looking up "shared rooms" on Pinterest and collected a whole board filled with ideas. In the end, I just went with my own room design. Now, time to convert Lucas's old room into a playroom. Wish me luck!