Rock the Boat

Mostly they fight over this bucket (which somehow appeared upstairs and needs to go back down!) but when they're nice, they enjoy playing rock the boat:

Discovery World

Last Friday, while Travis and his Dad went to the dental convention in Chicago, DeAnna and I took the boys to Discovery World. It was pricey, but the boys loved it and I would probably say it's worth doing once.

Checking out the giant scale model of the Great Lakes:

Watching water running through a pipe to this huge holding tank:

Hanging out on some stairs:

The cutest baby around:

Look at that head popping up, Mom!

Trying to catch a fish:

Um, swimming like the fish? He was following
this guy around all over the place like this:

Jellies!

Carson was NOT sure about the aquarium tunnel in the beginning:

DeAnna and the boys waiting to touch a sturgeon;
both boys did touch one:

There was a boat suspended so you could see the hull
from the floor below, and get on from the floor above:

Captain Avery:

Captain Carson:

Bell-Ringer:

Just call me She-Ra:

Carson checks out his funny reflection:

Apparently it's not as funny if you're sitting in the seat:

Avery laid on a bed of nails! They were really sharp too! You lay on a sheet
of plexi-glass, then the worker raises the nails up until you're laying on them.
In this picture they were all the way up, about 2 and a half inches:

Carson wasn't a fan of the hamster wheel:

Static hair is back in fashion:

Just resting in a bubble chair:

So much fun! Thanks for taking us DeAnna!

Alligator Attack

Last weekend Papa and Grandma Hunsaker came to visit. Every year a giant dental convention takes place in Chicago and all along we've been saying Travis' Dad needs to come out for it one year. Well, we're down to the last chance, so it was time.
Too bad we lost half a day with them on Thursday due to them being snowed in in Minneapolis! When they finally arrived, they came bearing souvenirs from Florida and Mexico. They had only just finished a cruise (for some dental CE credits) the Monday before! Can you imagine going from that weather to Wisconsin!?
One of the gifts they brought were squeaky alligators, one for each boy. Carson thought he was hilarious squeaking it with his mouth, but the great part of this picture is that DeAnna captured Avery winding up to get Carson on the rear!
It's hard to believe this visit sits right in the middle between their Christmas visit and when we MOVE in May! In fact, while they were here, we got the moving truck reserved and all the plane tickets coordinated for getting all the parentals out here and then both the Gma's flying back with the boys and me!

Emmett Crawls

Yesterday, at 6 days before he turns 6 months, Emmett had a breakthrough on the crawling front. He's been army crawling for a few weeks, and lately has spent a lot of time on his hands and knees. Yesterday he started being able to crawl a few steps at a time. Here are some clips from last night. Watch out for the dinosaur at the end...

So I had to look back in the pictures to see how he compares to his brothers. Looks like he's ahead of Carson, who was still army crawling at a week before 6 months (tho not for long). Bummer, I was really hoping Emmett would take his time and give my toes a rest, since the other two always had me on them! I can't tell with Avery since I don't have nearly as many pictures of him (crappy camera), so I'll give a different stat on him. Avery had everyone beat at sitting! He was a champion sitter at this point, whereas Carson and Emmett could only sit for a minute or so before toppling.
Seriously, all the moving around he does has me running ragged! Carson doesn't understand the ban on small objects on the floor...

And The Winner Is...

ME!

I WON! I WON!

THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me!!

To see for yourself, visit
http://www.jamiehammondphotography.com/blog/

To see the original post about the contest, go HERE.

A New Smile

Back in October 2007 Travis had braces put on. Obviously it's a lot cheaper to get braces from the dental school then from a standard practice, and with Travis' student discount it was a no-brainer. Besides, who wants to go to a dentist with gnarly teeth? So on Tuesday he had them taken off, but I couldn't post until today since he parents are coming in town tonight and he didn't tell them when they came off.

The upper split-screen shows his smile before and after. Since it doesn't do justice to the fabulously crooked 'before' teeth, I've added the below split-screen. The first shot I took right after he got the braces on.

I would also like to point out that that first shot with the braces was as far as Travis could close his mouth! That was resting!

What a difference!

Yea for a nice smile!

Snow Day!

Last Saturday we had a good little snow storm and the boys got to go out and play while Travis shoveled. I took just a couple pictures outside, but then had to go back in because I knew Emmett would wake up any minute.

Look Mom! Snow!
(You can see where Travis is shoveling, and how
quickly the snow is covering the walk back up!)

The boys took turns on the trike, and each had fun pushing the other.
I love how this shot looks like they're sharing a joke:

Buckets and shovels and tractors aren't just for dirt!

Now I again look forward to the next "jacket weather" type of of post!

Valentine's Party Stories

You can click on the pictures to enlarge.

On the 13th, the boys and I went to a Valentine's party. While there, my friend Ashley told how her daughter Paige decided to make a Valentine's card just for Avery. She told her Mom what to write and where to write it.

Avery's first real dedicated Valentine from a girl! And I think she said that was Paige's first to a boy.

Then Ashley told me another story...

When I was in the hospital having Emmett, Ashley was one of the ones to watch the boys for me. She put the movie Cars on for the kids. Ashley was sitting between Avery and Paige on the couch, until Avery said, "I'll share my blanket with you, Paige."
Ashley: Um, I guess I'll move...
So Avery and Paige are sharing the blanket... Avery keeps looking at Paige... Avery slips his arm around Paige's shoulders... He tells her she's beautiful...
And then leans over and kisses her on the cheek!

Please Help Me Win!

I entered this picture in a blog contest for best everyday photo and I'm a finalist! The winner receives a digital photo frame!

Please help me win!

You can check it out at jamiehammondphotography.com.

All you have to do is send an email to jamie@jamiehammondphotography.com with your vote
(2 - Laurie) in the subject line. (One vote per email address)

Voting ends Saturday February 28th, so get those votes in!

Tell your friends and family! :)
Thank you for your help!

A Really Long Commercial

This morning Avery woke up early and came in our room to wake us. Travis sent him to the living room. (Travis doesn't remember that part happening - his memory starts with the following...) Next thing {I} knew, Avery was running in our room all excited, "You HAVE to come see this! They're showing how to make quesadillas! Come see!" We gave some platitudes and sent him back in to watch something so "cool." Next time he came in we let him climb up with us and tell us about it. He was complaining that it was "a really long commercial."
Oh.
He must be enjoying infomercials.
The one he was watching then was an exercise one, Avery tried to demonstrate what they were doing. Apparently it didn't hold his interest and that's what sent him in with the "long commercial" complaint.
Before the exercise infomercial, Avery got to see "them" mix lots of things in a bullet blender.
"The Magic Bullet?"
"Yeah! They make stuff that's very yummy! Like a chocolate vanilla; that's my favorite kind of chocolate!"
I'm not sure how the quesadilla making fits in on the Magic Bullet but... "You make a big round circle then you make a quesadilla wrap and then you make a big round circle of cheese and then you slice it and that's how you make a quesadilla!"

Is it Beer?

As Travis just realized that NASCAR is usurping Simpson's tomorrow night (all the boys are big fans) I was reminded of a funny moment from a few weeks ago. Bad blogger Mom for not posting this sooner.

So, Travis had stopped at the store on the way home from school for me. He was a naughty boy, as he often is on solo trips to the store, and brought home a box of donuts. He "hid" them on top of the fridge.
At dinner, Travis bribed Avery with a treat if he ate all his dinner.
"What is it!?"
"Something Homer Simpson loves."
"Is it beer?"
Asked with a tone of {what? that's not right!}
Now that was a gut busting moment. Don't you judge. :)

Picture Tag

This is fun - no cheating! I was tagged by Pam.
Here are the official rules:
1. Go to My Documents/Pictures.
2. Go to my 6th file folder.
3. Go to my 6th picture.
4. Blog about it.
5. Tag 6 people to do the same.

So I have to be honest, the rules don't really work with my filing system. So instead I followed each first folder until I had a 6th folder to choose from!

This is Avery, back in 2005, right at 4 months. We were just hanging out in my in-laws' old kitchen with Avery's Uncle Kevin and Aunt Katrina.

I tag: Mindy M., Kristel S., RaQuelle W., Nicki M., Laura M. & Molly H.

Bisphosphonates for $500, please, Alex

Bisphosphonates are a class of drug used to treat osteoporosis and some cancers. Without getting technical, the drug influences the cells that control bone and that creates problems with medical procedures that require change in the bone, like oral surgery / tooth extraction (when a tooth is taken out, like a wisdom tooth, the bone that surrounded the root reforms to get rid of sharp edges.)

There are oral and IV forms of the medication. One type of IV form was only just approved by the ADA in August of 2008 and Travis has a patient who was on that. Because of it's newness, Travis had to do a lot of research to find what little was available on the subject.

To graduate, the dental school requires a research project to be done. Travis did a poster for research day. Two of his friends, Guy and Aaron, didn't have their research covered yet either, so they joined Travis in doing the presentation.

Yesterday was research day and they won first place, with a prize of $500! Great job guys! Travis also told me of a nice compliment to his research. An orthodontist had written a paper on the subject and submitted it to a Brazilian dental journal. It was returned to him with a request for more research to be done. Seeing the poster, the orthodontist basically said "Wow, this fills in the gaps in my research. Where did you find all this?" Good job, honey!

Knives and Ice Cream

Considering some recent posts, does that title leave any question as to who this post is about?

This morning when Travis left he informed me all the boys were still asleep. Later, I woke up and all was silent. I was surprised Avery wasn't up yet. Wait. Never mind, I could hear him out in the living room. I didn't think I could sleep through his thumping run out of his bedroom. Maybe he walked.
So I got up and this is what I found:

His Grandma had bought these two mini ice creams for him the last time she was here. They didn't get eaten at the time, and there they've sat in the freezer since... until this morning.
Apparently, the butter knife next to his bum he used to pry open the first container, but the second container was too tight, so he stabbed it with a steak knife!?

Seriously.

There's a few things wrong here...
1. With his recent history, he's no longer allowed to get ANYTHING in the kitchen without asking first.
2. Also due to recent events, he's no longer allowed to take his stool out of the bathroom, yet I (again) found it on top of a chair in front of the fridge...
3. ...so he could reach a steak knife from the knife block kept up there!
4. And then of course there's no eating on the couch.

First, I ask him "Avery, are you allowed to get things out of the kitchen without asking?"
"Oh, that's right, I forgot."
So prosaic.
Honestly, what am going to do with this kid?

Jacket Weather

This last week we had a day where I think it made it all the way to 58 degrees!
Avery really wanted to play outside, and even though it was muddy from all the melting snow, I thought he could definitely use some outside time.
He even got to take some bubbles out so he could "breathe bubbles" (for some reason that's stuck with him and he forgets it's "blow.")
Since it's been so long since Carson's been out, and Emmett was sleeping, I decided we could go out too. I found a patch of concrete to sit on where the sun could warm my back, and settled in to take some pictures.
I love the crazy driving Avery puts Carson through, of course Carson loves it:
Playing airplane:
And here's a drowning leaf that was my neighbor on my patch of concrete:
I'm so glad we could enjoy some jacket weather.