Have you ever heard a noise, and know exactly what it is but at the same time hope to god that you are wrong??
This morning Lou left for work and I was helping the boys in the guest bedroom put together some Geotrax. Lexi was playing nicely in the bonus room and all I had to do was lean backwards and peek through the doorway to see her. All of a sudden I heard horrible thumping sounds and just knew what it was. I jumped up and as I was running into the bonus room saw that the baby gate was open and that Lexi was no where to be seen. Unfortunately I was right - the noise that I heard was my sweet baby girl falling down the hardwood floor stairs to the landing. Luckily, she only fell down (that sounds so wrong to even write that) 5 stairs to the landing below. She of course, started crying. After checking her over and calming her down, I concluded that she was fine - probably scared herself to bits (as well as took 10 years off my life!), but I was unable to find any bumps, bruises, cuts, marks, etc. anywhere on her body (thank goodness). Obviously I hadn't realized that the gate was NOT locked (it was closed, but not locked) and I have since sworn to keep that sucker locked even if I am not in the room!
This afternoon was spent at Lou's work yearly summer picnic (Actuarial department only) at a public park in the town over from us. We skipped (I say "we" loosely - I believe that Luis went without me or the kids) the last 2 years so it was nice to go see some of the people I am friendly with. They had a bounce house, snow cones, a clown and a pinata for the kids. The boys took turns batting at the pinata and were thrilled to get some of the candy that eventually rained down on all the kids. But they spent most of the time in the bounce house (surprise surprise). I took Lexi for a nice leisurely walk so that she could catch some shut eye and not become the crankiest kid on the block.
It was a fun afternoon, topped off with the kids favorite treat - McDonald's. Which was a treat for me since it meant that I didn't have to cook dinner :-)
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Sunday, July 5, 2009
An afternoon by the pool
The kids had so much fun swimming at Carol & Marty's yesterday that we decided to set up our own pool in the backyard. Not quite big enough to swim in, it was nonetheless a big hit.
It was a perfect day to hang out at home, relax, stay cool by the pool and play on the playscape. Well, almost perfect:
Friday, July 3, 2009
Poopsie it is
Happy Independence Day!
This afternoon we headed over to the Shafman's to enjoy the nice weather (finally) by swimming in the pool and celebrating Ella's 3rd birthday. The boys were excited to go swimming again and show off "Poopsie". Who/what is Poopsie you ask?
Well, as I mentioned yesterday, the boys picked out an inflatable great white shark. Apparently, the shark has been named Poopsie. Yes, I know it is a very fitting name for a vicious great white shark and that it might be too scary for small children, but Poopsie it is.
The kids all had a BLAST playing in the pool and by the end of the day, Nicolas was brave enough to float around with only the vest on, without any pool floats, etc. Lexi LOVES swimming and Nicolas has asked multiple times if he can go back to swim lessons, so I think I'll try to sign him up in the Fall for those.
After swimming and dinner, we all sang Happy Birthday to Ella and the boys got busy playing with one of her new toys, a puzzle (surprise surprise). Then we headed home to bed - long before the fireworks started as we were all exhausted from a fun day of swimming and hanging out with friends.
Penguins and boats
Since we didn't have to work today, we decided to bring the kids to Mystic Aquarium. We went once before with my parents, brother and sister-in-law to celebrate my parent's 60th birthdays. Nicolas was not even 1 1/2 so he doesn't remember going at all. It is a good aquarium and luckily small enough that we didn't need strollers for the boys. First stop was naturally the bathroom and while Luis took Nicolas to pee, Jackson, Lexi and I watched some guys playing with the remote-controlled boats. Apparently these boats had a very lasting impression on Jackson since at the end of the day he said that was his favorite part of the visit!
The boys had a great time looking at all the different animals. According to Nicolas, the best part of the aquarium was the penguins (they were pretty cute). And both boys seemed to be less than impressed with the Sea Lion show which I thought was pretty cool.
The boys had a great time looking at all the different animals. According to Nicolas, the best part of the aquarium was the penguins (they were pretty cute). And both boys seemed to be less than impressed with the Sea Lion show which I thought was pretty cool.
No trip would be complete without the lap through the store and we let the boys pick out one item each. I was hoping they would stick with the "pinchers" that they picked up just outside the doorway (animal head on a stick and when you press on the lever, the mouth opens and shuts), but once inside they were bombarded with all kinds of really cool things. Nicolas settled on an inflatable water-squirting great white shark to bring to the pool tomorrow and Jackson decided on a floor puzzle (do we really need another one???)
We left for home around 2:00 and all 3 kids fell asleep almost immediately - and even slept through the crazy downpour that we hit on the way home. The shark got his first swim in the bathtub with the boys before bed.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Good Job
Luis was out of the house early this morning to go golfing with Marty, Jimmy and Mike. They were supposed to go on Father's Day, but the weather was so crappy that it was rescheduled to today (with a later tee time as well). Jackson was not happy that Daddy was leaving just as he was getting out of bed, so I had to pry him off Luis with many tears shed. Luckily, the crying only lasted about 5 minutes and we were able to get on with our day. After breakfast, Jackson informed me he wanted to sit on the potty and proceeded to poop. Hooray! That is a great start to the day as far as I am concerned.
After putting Lexi down for her morning nap, I got the boys dressed and we headed outside to make special chalk drawings for Daddy to see when he got home. They requested a BIG sun, so I drew a big blue sun (which is about the extent of my artistic capabilities - a circle). Since Nicolas was throwing a rock around on the driveway, I made him a hopscotch game to at least aim the rock at. Then Jackson decided that he needed me to draw him a big dinosaur. A T-Rex, of course. As I previously mentioned, I am a horrible artist, but I got to work anyway. As I was making my best attempt to draw said T-Rex, Nicolas came over and said "I can tell this is going to be a good dinosaur. You are doing a very good job Mommy". I almost fell over laughing because it was something that I would say to one of the boys and it sounded so funny to hear them say it to me. Especially since the drawing was pretty pitiful. But, apparently they don't mind the fact that I can draw for squat (or carry a tune to save my life either) since they were thrilled with the final product (and I think they enjoy my singing as well - at least for now).
Once Lexi woke up from her nap we all walked over to the farm stand and bought some strawberries, raspberries, squash, green beans, shucking peas and cherries. (Have I mentioned how awesome it is to live across the street from a farm???)
After some fun in the sandbox and playscape we headed inside for some lunch and an early nap. Nicolas even offered to lay down for a nap because he wanted to be well rested for the cookout we had planned for later in the day. Unfortunately, that didn't work out too well (as I suspected it wouldn't). Jackson is not used to having Nicolas take naps with him, so he kept talking, singing and in general fooling around. So, after getting Lexi down in her crib, I brought Nicolas into "Nana's bed" in the guest room so he could lay down and told Jackson to quiet down and take a nap. Which, luckily he did. Nicolas wandered down into the kitchen about 5 minutes later and informed me that he was done with his nap. We played War (what else??) while I ate my lunch and then I started getting stuff packed up for the party.
Once Luis got home, I jumped in the shower and finished packing and nursed Lexi while he showered and we were ready to head out. The boys almost immediately wanted to go into the pool, so I changed them into their swimsuits and Luis took them into the [COLD] pool. They had a blast - and I was so nicely surprised that they had so much fun since in the past Nicolas usually starts shivering and whining to get out. Although he was shivering (it really was cold in the pool), he did not want to get out and had a lot of fun using the borrowed swim vest to play. Jackson didn't last quite as long, and when he came out, Luis took Lexi in. I think she had the most fun out of all of them. She was all smiles as she splashed Daddy and kicked her feet. And when Luis was so cold he wanted to get out, she was unhappy and wanted to stay in!!
We dried everyone off and the boys went off to play in the bounce house and on the swingset and sandbox. Lexi and I sat on the blanket and visited with Carol and Madison until it was time to eat. After dinner, the boys started playing "chase" with some of the other kids. Ella (Carol and Marty's 2 1/2 year old) came running over crying saying that a boy made her cry. I think said boy was Jackson because he was chasing her and growling (just like we do at our house every day). Poor Ella didn't know what to think of that. I guess that might be the difference between boys and girls??
The boys started asking to get back in the pool, but it was finally time to head home. I nursed Lexi upstairs and we packed up the car and headed out. Lexi fell asleep almost immediately, but the boys waited to fall asleep until we were 1 minute from home. The key, as my mom is always telling me, is to tire them out during the day so they will sleep well at night!
After putting Lexi down for her morning nap, I got the boys dressed and we headed outside to make special chalk drawings for Daddy to see when he got home. They requested a BIG sun, so I drew a big blue sun (which is about the extent of my artistic capabilities - a circle). Since Nicolas was throwing a rock around on the driveway, I made him a hopscotch game to at least aim the rock at. Then Jackson decided that he needed me to draw him a big dinosaur. A T-Rex, of course. As I previously mentioned, I am a horrible artist, but I got to work anyway. As I was making my best attempt to draw said T-Rex, Nicolas came over and said "I can tell this is going to be a good dinosaur. You are doing a very good job Mommy". I almost fell over laughing because it was something that I would say to one of the boys and it sounded so funny to hear them say it to me. Especially since the drawing was pretty pitiful. But, apparently they don't mind the fact that I can draw for squat (or carry a tune to save my life either) since they were thrilled with the final product (and I think they enjoy my singing as well - at least for now).
Once Lexi woke up from her nap we all walked over to the farm stand and bought some strawberries, raspberries, squash, green beans, shucking peas and cherries. (Have I mentioned how awesome it is to live across the street from a farm???)
After some fun in the sandbox and playscape we headed inside for some lunch and an early nap. Nicolas even offered to lay down for a nap because he wanted to be well rested for the cookout we had planned for later in the day. Unfortunately, that didn't work out too well (as I suspected it wouldn't). Jackson is not used to having Nicolas take naps with him, so he kept talking, singing and in general fooling around. So, after getting Lexi down in her crib, I brought Nicolas into "Nana's bed" in the guest room so he could lay down and told Jackson to quiet down and take a nap. Which, luckily he did. Nicolas wandered down into the kitchen about 5 minutes later and informed me that he was done with his nap. We played War (what else??) while I ate my lunch and then I started getting stuff packed up for the party.
Once Luis got home, I jumped in the shower and finished packing and nursed Lexi while he showered and we were ready to head out. The boys almost immediately wanted to go into the pool, so I changed them into their swimsuits and Luis took them into the [COLD] pool. They had a blast - and I was so nicely surprised that they had so much fun since in the past Nicolas usually starts shivering and whining to get out. Although he was shivering (it really was cold in the pool), he did not want to get out and had a lot of fun using the borrowed swim vest to play. Jackson didn't last quite as long, and when he came out, Luis took Lexi in. I think she had the most fun out of all of them. She was all smiles as she splashed Daddy and kicked her feet. And when Luis was so cold he wanted to get out, she was unhappy and wanted to stay in!!
We dried everyone off and the boys went off to play in the bounce house and on the swingset and sandbox. Lexi and I sat on the blanket and visited with Carol and Madison until it was time to eat. After dinner, the boys started playing "chase" with some of the other kids. Ella (Carol and Marty's 2 1/2 year old) came running over crying saying that a boy made her cry. I think said boy was Jackson because he was chasing her and growling (just like we do at our house every day). Poor Ella didn't know what to think of that. I guess that might be the difference between boys and girls??
The boys started asking to get back in the pool, but it was finally time to head home. I nursed Lexi upstairs and we packed up the car and headed out. Lexi fell asleep almost immediately, but the boys waited to fall asleep until we were 1 minute from home. The key, as my mom is always telling me, is to tire them out during the day so they will sleep well at night!
Monday, June 22, 2009
Dreary Dad's Day
The weather this weekend was pretty dreary, but we tried to make the best of it. Saturday morning I got some "me" time and headed to the Lombardi's house to discuss our upcoming vacation plans. I spent a few hours planning everything out with the other moms who are going (5 families in total) then headed home to help get the kids fed and ready for naps.
After watching the weather forecast for Sunday, it was decided to delay the Father's Day golf morning to next weekend since it sounded like it was going to be terrible weather on Sunday morning.
Lexi must have eaten something that did not agree with her because she was very fussy. She woke up about an hour after falling asleep, and I assumed she had a burp. When I picked her up, she did burp, but then did vomit all over me, herself and the floor. Lou came to help me clean it all up, but Lexi was not happy about going back in her crib and I ended up spending most of the night in the rocker/recliner with her. She actually pooped twice in the middle of the night (which she never does) and continued to be very squirmy all night. Clearly something was bothering her. Luckily, she seemed to be back to herself by late Sunday morning.
After wishing Luis a Happy Father's Day, the boys had fun playing outside Sunday morning (in their pajamas) since the weather threatened rain, but never actually delivered. All in all, it was a fairly low-key weekend (luckily since I haven't had much sleep in the past few days).
After watching the weather forecast for Sunday, it was decided to delay the Father's Day golf morning to next weekend since it sounded like it was going to be terrible weather on Sunday morning.
Lexi must have eaten something that did not agree with her because she was very fussy. She woke up about an hour after falling asleep, and I assumed she had a burp. When I picked her up, she did burp, but then did vomit all over me, herself and the floor. Lou came to help me clean it all up, but Lexi was not happy about going back in her crib and I ended up spending most of the night in the rocker/recliner with her. She actually pooped twice in the middle of the night (which she never does) and continued to be very squirmy all night. Clearly something was bothering her. Luckily, she seemed to be back to herself by late Sunday morning.
After wishing Luis a Happy Father's Day, the boys had fun playing outside Sunday morning (in their pajamas) since the weather threatened rain, but never actually delivered. All in all, it was a fairly low-key weekend (luckily since I haven't had much sleep in the past few days).
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Pooper Party
Who but a mother or father would clap and dance around the kitchen in sheer joy and happiness because their child pooped or peed on the potty?
Jackson had been doing great for a while on the training potty, but for some reason hasn't used or wanted to even try to use it for weeks, possibly even months. I didn't want to push it and have it backfire, so I've been patiently waiting for the right time to try again. After he got up from his nap, we went downstairs and when I asked him if he wanted to try to go on the potty he said "yes". Not expecting much, I sat him down while I got some clean clothes for Lexi who had successfully pooped out of her diaper all over her outfit. When I came back, he had made one small poop, so I asked him to sit for a few minutes more to see if there was anything else. Sure enough he peed and made a LOT more poop. Who would have thought I'd be so excited about pee and poop????
Nicolas is STILL obsessed with cards, and more specifically war. At the time, I thought it was a great game to teach him. It would help him learn/understand the concept of higher/lower, etc. The child is OBSESSED. All day long all he wants to do is play war. And he'll play by himself, pretending to be someone else. He'll play and pretend that one pile of cards is mine (or Lou's or anyone else within eyesight) and will play.
Yesterday at school it was one of his classmate's birthday and she gave all the kids in the class a big sand pail with a shovel, pack of cards for "Go Spidey", bubbles, chalk and a paddle game. Go Spidey is a take on Go Fish and we've been playing that a bit. We had to go out to the Internet today to figure out the names of the Spiderman allies and villains since neither Luis or I had any clue for most of them. I knew Doc Oc, The Green Goblin and Spiderman. The others I looked up.
Lexi has gotten pretty good at crawling/pushing herself backwards but gets frustrated since she moves farther away from the things she wants instead of toward them. But I am sure that within the next couple of weeks, she'll be crawling around like a pro...sometimes they grow up too fast.
Jackson had been doing great for a while on the training potty, but for some reason hasn't used or wanted to even try to use it for weeks, possibly even months. I didn't want to push it and have it backfire, so I've been patiently waiting for the right time to try again. After he got up from his nap, we went downstairs and when I asked him if he wanted to try to go on the potty he said "yes". Not expecting much, I sat him down while I got some clean clothes for Lexi who had successfully pooped out of her diaper all over her outfit. When I came back, he had made one small poop, so I asked him to sit for a few minutes more to see if there was anything else. Sure enough he peed and made a LOT more poop. Who would have thought I'd be so excited about pee and poop????
Nicolas is STILL obsessed with cards, and more specifically war. At the time, I thought it was a great game to teach him. It would help him learn/understand the concept of higher/lower, etc. The child is OBSESSED. All day long all he wants to do is play war. And he'll play by himself, pretending to be someone else. He'll play and pretend that one pile of cards is mine (or Lou's or anyone else within eyesight) and will play.
Yesterday at school it was one of his classmate's birthday and she gave all the kids in the class a big sand pail with a shovel, pack of cards for "Go Spidey", bubbles, chalk and a paddle game. Go Spidey is a take on Go Fish and we've been playing that a bit. We had to go out to the Internet today to figure out the names of the Spiderman allies and villains since neither Luis or I had any clue for most of them. I knew Doc Oc, The Green Goblin and Spiderman. The others I looked up.
Lexi has gotten pretty good at crawling/pushing herself backwards but gets frustrated since she moves farther away from the things she wants instead of toward them. But I am sure that within the next couple of weeks, she'll be crawling around like a pro...sometimes they grow up too fast.
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