Oh man....what a year!

Barrett Wayne Culpin -- Born November 27th, 2014.  Yes, that was Thanksgiving Day!  If I could describe the last six months in one word it would be Rewarding.  Barrett entered the world in a hurry --  Courtney only had to endure about 3 hours of labor -- although this time seemed much more intense than the first.

  Since Barrett's birth, our lives have been much different.  We are back to a routine, much like we were in Teagan's first year or so of existence.  It's funny how that works out; something that is supposed to make your life so chaotic but in reality brings you down to earth.  No more spontaneous trips to the store, they must be carefully planned around nap time and feedings.  No more quick trips anywhere, really, as it typically takes longer to get the kids in and out of the car than it does to travel anywhere.  It's all entirely worth it.  Seeing these two smiling faces on a day-to-day basis is the epitome of life.  In all honesty, they are a daily reminder of how wonderful life really is.

a welcome back and a trip to Wilmington!

Well, it's been a while but I figured I would start this back up following a family vacation. We recently ventured up to Wilmington, Vermont for a foliage excursion and a bit of relaxation. I think it's safe to say that it was the most beautiful trip we have been on in a while. We stayed in a house that was secluded from society and offered plenty of spectacular views.

We went on a few day "hikes." I say hikes in quotations because they were merely just strolls through the woods, but they were definitely worth it. Courtney is very pregnant at this point (due December 5!) so we weren't about to climb Mt. Washington or anything like that. We also went up Mt. Snow on a chair lift foliage ride. It was a blast but going down was very scary! We all had to hold each other a little tighter but well worth the experience and the views. Teagan loved it, and seemed to be much more relaxed than mom and dad.

Well, that's it for now! I will try to keep up with this as we add our new addition to the family! :)

Papa, PeePee!!!!

It's the day after the Superbowl. Normally, that's all I would be able to think about on a day like this. The end of a season, the beginning of an off-season. However, this year is completely different. Last night, during the big game, Teagan was running around the Hodge household like he typically does. For whatever reason, he acts as if he's ingested a few pixie stix at their house. Everything was going as envisioned until he ran up to Papa and said those magical words, "Papa, PeePee!!" It took me a minute to realize what he was saying, but I pieced his babbling together when he ran to the toilet and lifted the toilet seat. I paged Mama and she asked him if he wanted to go peepee on the potty. "Yes!" he assertively proclaimed, so Mama quickly complied to his demands. She sat him on the toilet and within seconds he began to go pee!! February 2nd, 2014 marks a milestone...the very first time Teagan ASKED to go peepee and actually finished the deed! Ta-da!

Long term memory...check!

Lately, Teagan has been very quiet when it comes to waking up in the morning. He typically yells for Mama or Daddy when he wakes up, but he battled croup last week and is still getting his full voice back. This morning, however, was a different story. When I walked into Teagan's room, I was greeted with shouts for Mama. When I informed him Mama went bye byes, he asked for Papa. Again, I had to break the news to Teagan. He didn't seem to mind, however, instead contemplated who he should ask for next. His response? D! D! D! D! For those of you who don't know, he calls his Aunt Danielle "D." Admittedly, D is easier to pronounce. He hasn't seen D since Christmas time so I was a little caught off guard. When I told him D went bye byes as well, he acted as if he were an airplane and made the sounds of what he perceives an airplane would make. This is a clear demonstration of a solid long-term memory because the day D left for Washington, we told him she was taking an airplane. I also took this as a sign that D needs to come home soon. :)

ECHO!

There's literally nothing in this world better than hearing shouts of glee and laughter coming from your child.  While I was tending to the fire, I overheard Teagan yelling my name followed by a giggle.  I yelled back to him, "I'm coming buddy!," as I quickly finished with the wood stove.  As I rounded the corner into the kitchen, I witnessed one of Teagan's cutest activities yet.  He was simply standing on the step leading into our den and yelling my name.  Our den is very large and open so sound tends to echo in there.  Whenever he yelled my name, it echoed back to him.  He found this hilarious and continued to yell until I joined in.  As I shouted, "echo," Teag became more and more excited.  He eventually grabbed onto me and could not stop laughing.  It was almost like he was so thrilled that I understood what he was doing and joined in with him.  This was so much fun that it may become a nightly routine. :)

Emotional Teag

Well, Teag is officially a person.  Of course he's been a person all along but tonight he showed emotions towards a movie!  He's never shown sadness or anger towards anything except being out of food or a show ending.  Tonight, he screamed "ut oh" as a cartoon bird snatched a baby turtle in the animated flick "A Turtle's Tale."  He even let out a loud screech as the bird passed over the screen.  It was a monumental night we will all remember forever.

Ambitious parents and one proud boy!

Teag is 17.5 months old.  Old enough to be potty trained, right?  Well, probably not but we decided to at least introduce the idea to him yesterday.  He didn't exactly welcome the idea with open arms but he entertained us to say the least.  

Teagan sat on the little toilet as if he were sitting on a piping hot throne.  He grimaced with a look of fear until he finally relaxed enough to make it happen.  Suddenly, we heard a soft trickle and began rejoicing for positive reinforcement.  I never thought I'd be so happy to see a pee-filled bowl, but he did it!  His reward?  Pride and a blue bath tub!  

Tonight was round 2 of this venture and it proved to be much less stressful for Teag.  He quickly, and happily, sat on the toilet.  He did give a little cry as if he weren't sure what was happening, but his mood quickly turned to a happy giggle as he peed in the toilet again!  He looked down at the deed and clapped with happiness.  Perhaps 17.5 months isn't too early to begin this life lesson?

All Aboard!!

Today, we went to a Choo choo museum!!  For those who do not speak Teagan's language, that would be a railroad museum.  It's in Danbury, which was about an hour and a half drive, but well worth the trip.

As you can see, Teag was ready for the day from the moment he woke up.  He had his conductor hat on and was grinning from ear to ear when we told him our plans for the day.  Choo Choo!  

When we got there, we had a little bit of a wait before our train ride.  Teagan had plenty of time to venture off and find toys to play with, and play he did.  They had a few tables set up with toy trains for the little ones.  Teag had a tough time settling on a table but when he did the joyous laughter filled the room.  

The bell rang signaling our train had arrived.  We wrestled the toy train from Teagan's fingers, ensuring him that better things were about to happen.  He fought us at first but quickly succumbed to the excitement of going outside again.  We had a train to catch and a story to hear, Teagan's day was about to get very adventurous.

When he saw the train his feelings were of elatement and uncontrollable laughter. Choo choo!  He said it again, as mommy and daddy quickly learned we would hear those words over and over again for the rest of the event.

The train ride entailed a story about a dog and his trips along the train.  It was an excellent story of how a dog can affect the people it encounters.  Teagan listened attentively with sudden lapses of attention when the train'a whistle blew.  He did not particularly care for that sound.

All in all, it was a very satisfying trip.  Teagan laughed, giggled, and took in every moment of the day like a video recorder.  His smiles were contagious and we will surely be spreading them at the museum again!

It's a zoo kinda day!

We went to the Southwick Zoo in Massachusetts today!  It was a blast.  We got to see tons of animals Teagan usually can only read about in his picture books. Giraffes, rhinos, tigers, and monkeys were amongst our favorites.

At one point, Teagan decided he had enough energy to run on his own.  He was so adorable as he sprinted to keep up with mommy and daddy.  The ground was uneven and mostly gravel, so he had to watch his footing as well. 

We also got great news right at the start! Since they had to close early, they gave us a free pass to come back!  We will return by the end of October so Teagan can see his furry friends again!

just a day at the park

We went to Mohegan Park in Norwich to enjoy the day.  Teagan loved all of the playscapes, especially the Firetruck!  He ran from each station to the next.  He even built up the courage to go through the caterpillar tube!  With a little help from daddy and mommy, he went down the twisty slide like a big boy.  The entire time, he filled the air with giggles and screeches of excitement.

  

Picasso?

Teag colored tonight. Mommy and daddy got him a BIG Jake and the Neverland Pirate coloring book.  At first, Teag carefully colored with one crayon before he switched it out with another perfect color.  It didn't take long before he noticed the entire box of crayons so mommy was kind enough to let him grab his own.  He had such a blast doodling away on Captain Hooks ship.  While coloring, mommy took a few pictures to share with family.  But while she was looking away a crayon went missing....hopefully it is found before Teag decides to draw a mural on our freshly painted walls!  After he was done using every crayon in the box, he even helped put all of them back in the box!  What a great little helper!

That's how we do it round here

Today marked another first for Teagan; his first trip to a country fair.  We went to the Hebron Fair where he got to see the animals.  He was particularly fond of the goats but thought they were cows because of their black and white spots.  He danced and giggled around the petting area while throwing food into their pens.

We also got to listen to Florida Georgia Line -- from a distance.  They sounded great but the place was packed so we could not see them.   Teagan seemed to enjoy their music as well.

adorable deliquence

Every once and a while Teag does something he knows he's not supposed to do.  He likes to test us and see how far he can go until we stop him or take whatever it is he's not supposed to have away from him.  Every once and a while, however, his delinquency is downright adorable.  It's so adorable, in fact, we find ourselves struggling to remain serious in scolding him.  The following act of rebellion was one of these occasions in which I couldn't be mad.  I let him win out of the sheer enjoyment I got out of seeing him bask in his minor victory.

In our kitchen, we have a cabinet full of Teagan's food.  It's a lower cabinet and is easily accessible to Teagan.  He knows, however, that this cabinet is off limits and should only be opened by mommy and daddy.  Until recently, he followed this rule with little temptation to test it.

I was tied up on the phone with NetFlix technical support so my attention was divided.  I had to repeatedly go from my computer to our den to test our Netflix account.  When I had spent a few seconds too long in the office, however, Teagan surprised me with a visit.  Around the corner he came, grinning from ear to ear and one hand occupied by a bag of Goldfish.  I asked him what he found but his mouth was too full of the cheddar crackers to respond with anything more than a belly giggle.  I jumped out of my seat, assessed the situation, and realized he was very much enjoying the crackers.  He finished what was in his mouth and stuck his little hand back in the bag.  I resisted the urge to snatch the bag out of his hand and lightly discipline him.  Instead, I enjoyed his presence while he sat, cross-legged next to me and enjoyed his Goldfish.  I finished up with NetFlix technical support just in time for him to finish his snack and hand me back the half-eaten bag.  The little man is lucky he's the most adorable criminal alive.

   

a little help from the little man

Teagan decided it was time to help out around the house.  Memaw came over to watch him while daddy mowed the lawn.  While he was playing in the living room, she decided to take the time to wash the bay window.  Instead of playing, Teag decided to, one by one, remove 5 wipes from their container.  Why 5?  Because they are fun to take out one by one, and because he was about to accomplish a big job!  He gently rested each wipe onto the window sill.  After he deemed this part of the job complete, he began to clean the window sill with each wipe.  This was just another moment when we had no choice but to ask ourselves -- How did we get so lucky?