how otto "plays"

anyone else's kids do this?  the laying out....the lining up....
i mean, look at the post it notes, even. 
love our otto boy.

zoom zoom zoom

papa brought home some of his old hot wheels tracks.  talk about fun!

otto builds a zoo

firefighter......

we got a boatload of new dress up clothes for christmas, including a firefighter outfit. here is otto trying it out......

beauty and babies

like i mentioned, otto has really been into all the gifts that greta got for christmas. this works out well when she feels like sharing and they can play together, but often it doesn't end so well. they have both been VERY into a "beauty set" and also some doll accessories (the front carrier is pictured on both kids) from grandma and grandpa hansbauer. otto will ask to "play beauty" and will get the hairdryer or the nailpolish bottles.

playing

i love to watch our kids play. it's not too often yet that they play together. mostly they want to either involve joe or me in their play, or they play alone. either that, or otto trys to "play" with greta by destroying what she has built/lined up/put together. today after naptime, otto and greta played in greta's room for a bit. when i came back upstairs, each of them was totally engrossed in what they were doing. otto has taken an interest in blocks lately. and greta still likes to line all her toys up. she played in her room by herself for quite a while the other afternoon, and practically every piece to every toy was lined up in a line around the room. :)

HELP!

this is what otto is resorting to while his sister is at school. do you like his headbands and sunglasses? something tells me he's missing her. something else tells me he's hoping for a brother.

little people

lined up....waiting for a turn on the merry-go-round.

cash register

greta got this cash register toy for christmas from her grandma and grandpa hansbauer. it's a fun toy...and both kids like it a lot. but it wasn't until recently that we discovered that there is a compartment in the back of the toy that houses the "groceries"....(thanks ella for figuring that out). which makes the toy that much more fun. greta likes to count the groceries (4 apples, 2 cartons of milk, etc) and push the buttons accordingly. otto LOVES to put the little food items in and out of the compartment. he shoves them all in, shuts the little hinged door, and then takes them out and does it all over again. simple pleasures.

breakfast time

otto eating his breakfast

greta eating her breakfast

baby eating her breakfast (greta was careful to insert baby's face into the oatmeal canister)

tea party

we recently got a new tea set....greta got an adorable porcelain one from grandma joan for her 2nd birthday. i spent a lot of energy encouraging both otto and greta to treat it gently....and then i broke the tea pot. yes...mommy broke it.
so we got a new set...an adorable wooden one. i wanted another porcelain one but this one was too cute to pass up. i was worried about otto putting the tiny sugar cubes and miniature spoons and tea bags in his mouth. turns out, greta has been the one who has been putting these tiny things in her mouth. greta loves to play tea party, and otto actually does too. he was busy today putting the items in and out of the teapot. tea anyone?

new toys!

every so often, i take the time to switch our toys around a bit. bring some "new ones" out, put some away, move them from one room to another. it seems to bring new life into them. something on the shelf in greta's room that hadn't been played with in months seems irresistable in the family room. it's like the kids get in a rut every so often. we were having another toy rut recently....luckily otto's birthday fell at just the right time. we've got all sorts of new toys to play with. and the new toys mixed with the "old" toys is even better. thanks everyone!

2 can play

greta is about as sweet and mild mannered as anyone can be. she's pretty easygoing and flexible. but she is also 2 years old. and she also has a little brother who is all of the sudden VERY mobile and VERY interested in anything greta is playing with. needless to say, this is causing some stress for little greta.
but sometimes they play together well, as in the last picture where greta is showing otto her babydoll. they play well when it is on "her terms", like when greta can decide that otto can join. not so much when otto decides to come barreling through a newly built lego building, trashing it and shoving all the pieces into his drooly little mouth.
and sometimes they play separately. otto still loves greta's dollhouse, and greta's latest toy obsession is a 2 dollar alphabet puzzle i bought at big lots.
but no matter how they play or what they play with, they really do make each other smile and laugh like brothers and sisters should. i love watching them together when they don't know we're watching....

lego maniac

"santa" thought legos would be a perfect gift for greta for christmas. "santa's helper" wasn't so sure. last night, i had to apologize to "santa" and agree with him that legos were probably the best gift we could have given. there is nonstop lego building going on in our house, and has been since christmas morning. as i write this, greta is building a train car, narrating the whole adventure as she goes.

cleanup on aisle 5....

otto pretty much loves any toy that is intended for greta, including her shopping cart. he loves to play with it, even when it falls on top of him and traps him underneath. he just keeps on playin'. he likes to inspect the wheels and the cart basket too....

harmonica

growing up, someone on the buckley side of the family was always playing the harmonica. i have faint memories of my great grandpa playing one....maybe one of these kids will pick it up. greta loves to play it, and she's actually not too bad!

dollhouse

otto's favorite toy of late is definitely the dollhouse that greta got for her birthday. here are a few pictures of him "playing" with it. he likes to put the toys in his mouth and move the pieces all around. he's tried a few times to pull up to standing on the dollhouse, but that hasn't ended well.

we heart sophie the giraffe

check out this video of otto and his new teether..."sophie the giraffe". i had read rave reviews about this toy, but didn't really think that a teething toy could be that awesome. i mean, really? otto will gnaw on the carseat strap or his own toes and be completely satisfied. but this toy....it's fantastic. otto loves it, and greta loves it too. it's expensive, but i am truly considering getting another one so that they can stop having to take turns, otto teething it, and then me wiping it down so that greta can pretend play with it. got it at park and vine, for you local folks.

isn't this where i'm supposed to sit?

rocking horse video

here is greta, proving my toy theory wrong.