Raising Schuurmans: April 2014

His hair was so long we had to slick it down, to the side.

Trying to crawl to Daddy.

I got beat by a 3 year old.

He LOVES black beans.

Finally starting to use a sippy cup.

Holding hands in the back seat as I drove.

Vinegar volcanoes are fun!

Making a letter V with his fingers.

Sweet morning snuggles with this big boy.

He loves his walker (and yes, he literally ripped the top off).

M is for Marcus.

Capital/lower case letter match-ups.

Good dental hygiene is very important.

Marcus is SUCH a good big brother.

On Friday, we got food for the girls at the salon from a place called, "White Duck Taco."

He's getting so big!

Standing between my legs.

Cracking up because he was biting Marcus' toes.

Smiley Titus sometimes turns to Titus the Terror.

Waiting to get his first haircut.

Not too sure about the cape.

He wiggled and squirmed but Tiffany got it done!

New haircut!

My loves

Learning to walk like Marcus did.

"This thing aint big enough for both of us"

All dressed up, ready for church.

Reading Easter books from Ms. Sheila

Brotherly love and adoration.

It might be time to put this table away...

     Here in the Schuurman household, life is beautifully chaotic and that's the new "norm" around here. We love God, each other, and our boys. While we spend lots of time working, our boys are usually right there along side one or both of us. We spend lots of time at church, at salons, in grocery stores, and playing outside. Now that the weather is warming up, it's common for Mark to take the boys to the bottom of the hill while I cook supper. Titus is either happily swinging or laying on a blanket, trying to find some dirt to eat while Mark pitches and Marcus hits. We still eat supper around the table together, most nights, and ice cream sandwiches were a hit this past week.
     Marcus is doing well right now, obeying lots and not talking back as often. He is a happy and FUNNY little guy and he makes us laugh daily. He saves himself from the occasional punishment by cracking us up when we should be mad. He is continuing to grow and get taller each day. He already eats a ton and has gotten into the habit of eating a fourth meal right before bed to hold him over until breakfast. I'm not sure what we'll do when the boys are teens because they eat a TON now.
     Titus is a bruit, plain and simple. He wears 18-24 month clothes, some 2T, and just like his older brother, he could eat 24/7. He is quite mobile, although he's not doing the regular type of crawl. His is more "army crawl" or pulling himself across the floor. I think he just doesn't have the muscle to pick up such mass yet (he weighs between 23-24 pounds...). On Mark's birthday he said Da-Da for the first time and this past Wednesady, April 9th, he said Ma-Ma for the first time. He also had another bottom tooth poke through, making it quite an eventful day! He has crazy hair and needs a hair cut desperately. I had hoped to wait until his first year birthday, but we can't. It is out of control! Luckily for him, he's super cute because he's quite a handful right now. He loves arching his back when pitching a fit, which happen multiple times a day. He doesn't mind riding, but he HATES being initially put into his car seat. Speaking of which, he outgrew the carrier and is now in Marcus' old rear-facing car seat. He looks like such a big boy in it! So for the time between now and when he's steadily walking, he's a lot of physical work because he wants to get down and go, and sometimes he just can't. I can't let him "crawl" at the salon because he'd be covered with hair. The reasons go on and on, where ever we are, but he isn't old enough to understand that yet. Luckily, Marcus is a FABULOUS entertainer and loves "helping" with baby brother.
     Well, there you have it. The latest re-cap of the Schuurman boys. Here are some pictures to go along with the words. Which, let's face it. You're here for the pictures, not the words. :)

Despite owning two salons, Mark insisted on cutting his dad's hair himself.

It's almost a tradition now, to go eat wings with his parents when they're in town. Nice face, Dad.

Titus and Grandpa enjoyed their time together.

As did Marcus and Grandma.

Grandma and Marcus trying out his new bubble wand on the porch.

Mark and his dad throwing a football before they hit the road.

Sweet smiles in their matching jackets from Grandma.

It's nice that the library has a book basket for little ones like Titus.

While at the library, Marcus chose a few books of his own while I looked for ones to help teach him the letter U.

Opening Day! Go Braves!

Titus wouldn't keep his hat on...

While we watched baseball in the basement, Marcus hit golf balls outside.

Titus enjoyed his time on the quilt made by his Grandma B.

Here's some of that crazy hair I was telling you about.

Granddad also made an appearance last week.

Marcus LOVES being read to.

With this nice weather, we've been on the porch and playing outside a lot.

Sweet morning snuggles between brothers.

They really do love each other.

Someone's starting to pull up.

"Who? Me?"

Heading to church - all smiles.

These sweet little feet were propped up on my seat as Mark pulled up last Sunday afternoon.

We drove to check out some property and ended up on the Parkway. It was breathtaking.

These pictures don't do it justice. It was an incredible view.

Our sweet little bruiser.

U is for umbrella!

Marcus found a new love for bowling (and subtraction)!

He also took on a new interest in putting puzzles together like his cousin, Sam.

All finished, and oh so proud!

Marcus helped me make Resurrection Rolls. We started off with a big marshmallow (Jesus) and when the rolls baked, it was gone because Jesus was not in the tomb. He's alive!