Mean things Kids Say

Everytime I say something to Reilly that he does not want to hear I get the "YOU ARE MEAN" speech. Tonight I told him he couldn't have dessert because he said he didn't feel well, so I offered him a banana. His response: "You are NOT my best friend."

I think I'm beginning to learn that I need to get a thick skin. Kids are going to say things that they don't mean or realize how much they are hurting someone else's feelings. It brings back "fond" memories of when I said things to my parents that were similar in tone... ugh. I don't like this trait of a four-year old.

I just need to sleep one more day

and then it's four more days until Christmas.

Kate's new things...

So she can communicate quite well between her words and her signs. She's actually quite bossy. And if you say no, she comes back with "Why?" She's learning all too quickly.

Kate loves hats - she wants to take them off and put them on all the time. Kate loves shoes and wants to take them off and put them all the time. Kate loves showing everyone her belly. (funny how that is a toddler thing, not too many women would do that now)Kate loves antagonizing Reilly. She has figured out how to push his buttons already.

Tonight, after she had been in bed for about 45 minutes she began to cry and then should my name. I went in to check on her and she had thrown the blankets and the stuffed animal out of her bed and she was stuck in her sleeper (pajamas). She had figured out how to undo the snap and unzip down to her belly. Somehow she had her arms pinned behind her and her sleeper half on and half off. No wonder she was crying. Poor thing.

Everything she does just makes Shad and I smile. She is really a funny little girl and the more her personality develops the more traits we see in her... can't wait till she's a teenager. Ha Ha.

Question of the Day

Is Elmo a boy or girl?

I followed that question with a series of questions including, well, how would we know? His solution was to go online to pbskids.org on elmo's world.

I never wonder why I went to the seminar at the Waldorf school on the effects of media on children under 10. He doesn't even watch tv that much - yet he absorbed that tidbit!!!!

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

So it happened yesterday, Reilly was having lunch. He had two beverages going - the last sip of my juice, which he always requests, and a small water bottle with gatorade and water. He asked me if he could pour the juices together, I said no. (in the past when he has taken on this science experiment of mixing liquids, I am always mopping the floor OR he doesn't drink either of them he just plays and he doesn't eat his lunch either) So, this time it was an emphatic "no". I then went upstairs to get some stuff together because we were heading out shortly to go shopping.

When I came down, I noticed that my one remaining sip had reproduced into a half bottle while I was upstairs. The following two minutes went like this:

"Reilly, did you pour the bottles together?"
"No"
"How did this get half full, are you sure you didn't do it"
"No"
"Reilly, are you lying to me"
"No, I didn't do it"
"Are you sure"
"I didn't do it"
Well, I knew there were NO other option, Kate was asleep and Nandi and Shad were out running. I looked around the room and aside from the randomly dispersed Santa and friends, there was no on else in the house.
"Reilly, I think that you might be lying, why don't you go sit on the step and think about it"
Minutes pass...
"Reilly, do you want to tell me what might have happened"
"No"
More minutes pass...
"Reilly, are you ready to talk about it now?"
"Yes"
We return to the intact scene of the crime.
"Mom, it was magic, one bottle did pour to the other bottle and it was magic. Really, it was."
I felt I should encourage his imagination here... even just for my benefit of hearing a creative story.
"Really?? How did that happen"
"Well, there was this witch, not a bad witch but a good one, and she did it"
"What did she look like"
"I don't know she was invisible"
"How did she do it?"
"I don't know I was invisible"
"What else happened?"
"That was all, she just mixed the juices and then she was invisible"
Hmmmmmmmm, I do believe his story is a bit suspect, but clever nonetheless.
Later when Nicole was in the car, I said "Reilly, tell Nicole what happened today with the juice"

His reply "Mom, maybe I did it."

The choir began to sing.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....

Glue and Glitter

At school today I used glue and then I used glitter in my project. I'm really good at glue and glitter, did you know that?

The new man of the house!

Reilly has been the new man of the house since Daddy is away. I asked him if he wanted to grab me a soda from the garage - his response was: "I think I can want to." I asked him if he would check to see if the dog had food and water, he left me and came back later and said "can you help me lift Nandi's water?" He had put the bowl in the bathroom sink and filled it. He offered to call and order the pizza. He offered to go to the store to buy waffles and chips. :-) - my influence, not Shad's. AND he has figured out that some of our cuisine is not to be shared with Dad.

Reilly and I even tried to dig out the septic tank today with Grandpa Nannies supervision. (we didn't find the tank though)

Exercising with Children

Literally...see for yourself!

Strep hits home

Reilly has been miserable for a few days now. He was diagnosed with strep throat which apparently is "going around". He is also totally congested and doesn't know what to do with the pressure in his head - Shad thought of steaming up the bathroom, adding a humidifier, radio and some blankets might do the trick. It sure did!

Kate is Screaming Downstairs...

Shad: Reilly, what happened to Kate?
Reilly: I put her on the naughty step because I had to.

Poor Kate - she has two Dad's already.

My Cheetah Girl

She's got it all over Disney's Cheetah Girls - don't you think?

What to do...

Reilly: Mom, when my guts get full, I take my finger and clean them out.
Mom: Show me what you mean.
Reilly takes his finger and wipes above his teeth and next to his cheek.
Mom: Those are gums, not guts.
Reilly: I thought I couldn't have gum till I'm ten.

No More Rhyming, I Mean It...

Anybody Want a Peanut?
Our version of a rhyme-

Hey Mrs Dunn
I'm all Done
Reilly's version of a rhyme-

When we tried to get him to respond by saying "No more rhyming, I mean it (again)- His reply was "Anybody want a peanut butter pretzel?"

We don't think he grasps the concept yet.

Stair Luge

If you ever wondered why I am Mother of the Year - now you'll know.

Increasing Vocabulary

We have noticed over the course of the week that Kate's vocabulary has increased significantly, just today she said door, rain, light, and water. She does a faux whistle for the dog that is so cute.

Leave Me

Reilly and Shad hung out and did yard work while Kate and I went shopping (good chick thing to do) - this is a sampling of their yard work .

Why do I think

that when I hide the Halloween candy from myself I won't just go and find it when I want it?

Boo!

I am an owner of a very scary spider and a happy buff Power Ranger. It was a perfect night to go out and walk the neighborhood, it was about 65 out - there were so many kids and parents out as well. Although, not too many people to greet the kids and admire their costumes, but a lot of unmanned bowls to take treats from. Reilly never did understand the "Just One".

Snap ... Crackle ... I Suck

How the heck can one screw up Rice Krispie treats, who knew that was even possible? I had no idea it could be done, but I did.

I made two batches for Reilly's Halloween Party tomorrow and they are both awful!!! One dish is like... well... the best parallel I can draw is ... rocks. Yes rocks, not as in boulders or pet rocks but as in the kind you might use to accent your landscaping. The kind that are brittle enough to split when impacted by a blunt force trauma (I think I picked that one up from CSI). Anyway, my blunt force trauma was a knife. When the krispies were met by the stainless steel they just cracked and fell to the side. I could blame the marshmallow, because clearly it was not doing it's job. Perhaps buying the store brand was my issue there, I really should have gone for the Campfire ones. Needless to say, I could just take the dish and dump all those standalone krispies back into the box - someone could unknowing of the Krispies history - have a nice bowl of cereal. It might seem stale, but it could pass if they added milk.

Moving on to attempt #2. I spent the next 17 minutes making cookies for Kate's class and thinking about my crappy Krispies... As I reflected on my production of those treats I came to the conclusion that I should use less Krispies and the same amount of marshmallows and butter. I used 5 1/2 cups of Krispies versus 6. Spreading these little guys out in the dish was a bit more challenging given this ingredient change, but I prevailed. (in spreading but not in the final product) After letting them sit for a while I attempted to make my 24 squares (which was guaranteed on the box). I think I got to seven squares and called it a night. The knife is still stuck between row 2 and row 3, I've had it. I would bring the cookies in but Reilly's school is peanut free. I guess I'll just bring the rocks and make krispie balls out of the other dish - then again, I could just make some popcorn (microwave of course) and send that. Better yet, I'll someone elses party donation, like juice, and I'll swap names. I should have brought juice.

Snap, Crackle, Pop.... I do suck. I must leave the kitchen and stay at this computer. It better suits me.

"Mom... she looks like a bull"

Gee Reilly, why would you say that?

We took this photo during the 50 in 50 in 50 - I'm sure it was his reference point! :-)

Corn Mazes

In light of the season we took Reilly and Kate on their first trip through a corn maze. My friend Chris from college was in town so we dragged him as well. Oddly (or not so oddly at all) it was our first corn maze as well. We all got our flashlights and headed to the maze... we let Reilly lead the way. He's pretty excited he found his way out - and if you ask him that was his favorite part.

It's A Stand Up Job

Reilly: Dad will you come play with me?
Shad: Yes, let me go the bathroom first, then I will.
Reilly: sprinting down the hall I have to go first!
Shad: Okay.
Reilly: Dad, do you have to go pee or poop? Is it pee?
Shad: Yes.
Reilly: Okay, come on over, we can go together. Since we both have to pee, it's a stand up job.
Shad: Ahhhh, ok.

50 in 50 in 50

We all took a vacation day today to head up to Stowe Vermont. Reilly was so excited he said yesterday morning "Since we're going to a hotel today, I don't need to go to school". Although his rational was weak, he was very cute in his tactics. We headed to Stowe to support Shad on the Stowe Marathon course. He ran as part of a fundraising effort headed by Dean Karnazes - Karno Kids - "No Child Left Inside". It's his charter to get America healthy and living a healthy lifestyle. We rallied Sarah (our niece) to join us on this endeavor. She was great to have along and even ran 1.5 miles with Shad. You can read more about the program at: Endurance 50

I also put together some photos to make a video, if you want to see, it's on YouTube Run Shad and Sarah Run .

Under the carpet

Reilly goes to a preschool that looks like, or actually probably used to be, a split level home. The 3 year olds are downstairs on the front side of the house, the 4 year olds are upstairs and the 5 year olds are downstairs on the back side of the house. When Reilly has friends that are not in his area he says they "are under the carpet" aka downstairs.

Unnnn...

Ooooo.... Feee... FIVE! Yaaaaayyyyyy...

The phonetics (sort of) of Kate's counting from one to five.

Four....

Four is a great year - the start of school (preschool) with structure, maturity in a big boy way (physically and emotionally), the desire to dress in a particular way, clothes needing to feel a certain way, showering instead of bathing, riding a bike everywhere, understanding how to play Mom vs Dad game, understanding that part of the meal called "dessert", yet still the whining and having tantrums enough that remind you four is still so young.

I think the past six months have been so significant in Reilly's growth. He no longer looks like a toddler or even a preschooler he looks like a boy. A big boy. It's sad in a way to understand that the things they need you for are wants and not so much needs. No diapers, or feedings, or carrying or pushing in a toy. They want you to play airport, and firetrucks and buy them toys and get them their favorites foods. The needs are so much more subtle - not less important, actually maybe more important - reinforcement, encouragement, direction, a friend, a power ranger and someone to hand a washcloth when you get soap in your eyes, someone to make your lunch (with direction of course), someone to drop you at school and help hang your coat on the hook. It's just different... so different.

Now Class...

Today we are going to learn about Pumpkins. Who can tell me what a Pumpkin looks like? Ahhh, Reilly, I see you have your hands up...

Just Once...

Here is Kate trying to go down the slide on her stomach - she only did it once! :-)

Question of the Day

How do you speak English in Spanish?

Multimedia Children

Okay... so now I've posted my children on YouTube... (prior to it being part of Google!) check them out...

• Making a Movie


• Jump High

Fun fun stuff - and makes it easy to share with the fam. :-)

Too much Laundry

We went out to dinner for our anniversary and Nicole and her Mom watched Kate and Reilly while we were out. Prior to leaving we gave Kate a quick bath - and put her in a t-shirt and sweatpants. I neglected to tell "Gramma Salvas" where her pj's were and this morning I noticed she was still in the t-shirt and sweatpants. Hmmmm, I thought she could just wear this today, it looks clean enough. (Since we were running late, as we do most mornings, the idea was even more appealing to me.) My justification came when I realized the pants that went with the shirt were clean, so she would only be wearing half of the outfit she slept in.

Gosh, she's already turning into her mother!

7 Years

Well, today is the anniversary of our wedding day. It's my Mom and Dads, my Dad's Mom and Dad, Amber and Chris's, Jen and Dave's, Kim and Careys, the day after Ali and Chris's and I'm sure lots of other people - but likely ones I don't know. It's been the best 7 years of my life. A dog, 5 addresses, 2 children, 5 nieces and nephews, thousands of airline miles, a coastal relocation, weight gain, weight loss, hair gain and hair loss (that doesn't need explanation), two mortgages, no more car payments, very small raises, three cameras, kayaks, bikes, lots of soccer, sunshine, races, hiking, and so much fun. Shadrach is the BEST friend ever and I am so excited that we are sharing our lives with one another. I can't wait for the next 7 years and the 7 after that and the 7 after that and so on and so on. Smooches and ilyilyily to you.

Tan Leisure Suit

Yup... this is it. A little bit like Uncle Eddie's, but Kate's is corduroy and his was polyester.

Lots of Air

Kate fluffs... says "scuse me". Reilly fluffs says "Excuse Me." Kate fluffs again, Reilly says "We are full of a lot of air today."

Do we get to...

eat at home for breakfast today?

This is why I'm Mother of the Year. Our mornings, after discussing wardrobes for 30 minutes inevitably make us dine in the car!

Why Rocks?

While doing laundry today I discovered, after hearing "tink tink tink" and emptying my washing machine tub, that Reilly had acquired two full pockets of rocks. I have no idea when they became part of his day, perhaps it was on his apple picking field trip, but clearly they had been with him most of the day. I can't imagine that was very comfortable. Hmmmm... whatever.

Van Gogh or Van No

Reilly, Kate and Nicole did this painting together, isn't it the coolest?

Project Runway

You know... it's all about fashion. Reilly's quest to be a Power Ranger and dress in single colors and my occasional insertion to have his attire be something that I coordinated and picked out. We have resorted to choosing our clothes the night before just to be more efficient in the morning since this is NOT a simple process. Well, this morning when I finally got Reilly to get out of bed he fixated on his SpiderMan socks - the socks that he got for his birthday last month which he has not yet worn. So.. he's upstairs weeping b/c there are tags attached. He later requests that I remove the tag. No problem I say, bring them down when you're ready. About 15 minutes later he shows up NAKED with the socks in his hands. Who the heck knows what he was doing all this time but this has eliminated the possibility for a sit down breakfast. It's another meal in the car...

Over the next 20 minutes we finally got dressed and got our shoes on. As usual we were 5 minutes late for school and he arrived with breakfast in his hands. On the way I asked "Reilly what can I do to make mornings more fun or make them better for everyone?" His reply, "Oh Mom.... I just don't know."

Ribbit - HELP - Ribbit - HELP

As you can see, if you look closely, there is a mad dash to get away from my children. Way to hold Kate back Reilly! :-) Surely if we lived in Calaveras County and Mark was there, this would have had a much more involved meaning!

Mom, I just hurt

the wrist of my foot. (aka ankle)

Lil Pele

Reilly had his first official soccer practice for the U6 soccer league. This instructional league is for 3-6 year old kids, they are all on one team and they rotate thru stations for a 90 minutes. About half of the stations are little 4v4 games. Reilly loved his "New England Revolution" uniform and loved that he could be thirsty every 47 seconds. Here is a photo of him on his first day, note the pinney being upside down and where he is in relation to the game/ball.

Kamikaze!

Yup, that would be Kate. Within 48 hours of the fingertip removal, Kate found a way to fall down an entire flight of stairs, zip her forehead in a sweatshirt, and jump out of her crib. Oh, I'm learning, she is NOT conservative like her big brother. Oh man, we are going to have some interesting days ahead.

Lotta blood - lotta blood

Have you ever wondered why I have the self-appointed title of Mother of the Year? Have you ever questioned my status? Let me reassure you - today was a day that I earned the title and any self-respecting mother who has been there, would agree.

We began our morning at 6:40am, I brought Kate into my room and gave her some milk. Reilly, I knew wouldn't be far behind - he WOULD be behind, but not that far. At 7:00 he arrived. We got dressed and went downstairs to have some breakfast, while they began eating, I began packing lunches. During those few minutes I thought to myself, they are going to be gone all day, I should sit with them and visit. So, I did. For a second. And, in that second, I looked at Kate and saw her long nails, which also looked dirty. I thought "ha, I could cut them while she eats - she wouldn't be able to get away from me, since she is in a highchair". I went and got the clippers, clipped nail #1, no problem. I went for nail #2 and it was a bit tougher, I repositioned and started to clamp down. At that very moment, I knew what I had done, and Kate whailed to let me know. I had cut off the tip of her finger. She screamed, blood started oozing and Reilly's eyes filled. I started to apologize to Kate and took her out of her highchair. The blood just kept coming. I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her finger to try to slow the blood. It wasn't working. I held it ther for a couple minutes - up in the air. She wasn't crying anymore but was mad I had control of her arm. After about 15 minutes, and applying about 6 bandaids that did little more than nothing, I called the md. They recommended I take her to the ER to get a stitch. I felt so badly, I didn't want to put her through that. I asked if they could just look at it first. They agreed.

Reilly insisted on joining us at the md and he was a big help. I carried Kate and a towel, he carried keys and my purse. :-) Upon investigating the doctor was fairly certain he could contain the bleeding. And, in about 10 minutes, he did. He then wrapped Kate's little finger with a non stick pad, gauze, ointment, and tape. Her poor little hand looked so sad, and I felt so bad knowing that I caused this whole thing.

Tonight Reilly and I were sitting on the farmers porch, I looked at his nails and half jokingly said "ooooh, we need to cut your nails, look how long they are." He replied "no way Mom, I don't want you to cut my nails, they are fine."

Kate on the other hand was no worse for the wear and it didn't effect her ability to play. Tonight she had a bath and she again was not phased. I suppose again, I was the most upset about the situation.

The First Day of the First Grade...

That's a Veggie Tales Song - When Billy Joe McGuffery was a blah blah blah blah blah - something like that. Anyway, they aren't really in first grade, but here is a cute photo of their first day of "school".

I found the lyrics if you're interested.

Should I be the one crying?

Today was the first day of school for both Reilly and Kate. After 14 months with Nicole as a best buddy, it was time for them to socialize with children their own age. One would think this would be a very difficult thing for them to endure, but instead I was the one who had the most trouble with it. Reilly began preschool full time at an early learning center that we reserved months and months ago for him. He is going from 8:30-5 everyday with the exception of Friday. Kate, who has never been exposed to such a program will be in Toddler 1 at her daycare (different program than Reilly).

We got up this morning, had breakfast, got dressed and made our way out the door at 8:25 - he needed to be there for 8:30. When we arrived there were so many little kids with their parents taking pictures and being dropped off for the first day. Reilly looked out the window and said "Look at all my new friends". With that remark I understood that this was the right environment and the right time for him.

Then there is Kate... she went in, on my hip when I dropped Reilly off. When I was helping to get him situated with his new cubby and his lunch bag and his book bag, I had to put her down. I retrieved her on my way out - much to her dismay. She wanted to stay. After a short car ride we were at her new destination. I arrived, once again, in chaos - a different kind of chaos. One little guy had gotten bitten by another child - we were not greeted by any of the staff - aside from one person. Kate was not welcomed with open arms - she just clenched my shoulder with her little hands. It felt bad, really bad. I'm familiar with this center and saw that pretty much everyone on staff was tending to the injury, but I found it inexcusable that no one was there to welcome us aside from a stare. I put Kate's stuff on the counter and put her on the floor and she just stared at me, unsure of the whole situation - but not nearly as unsure as I was feeling. I'm thankful that Nicole is working there part time otherwise, I'm not sure I could have left her there. I put her on a toy and left shortly thereafter. She seemed okay with that.

Fast forward to 5pm, Shad and I picked them both up, Kate first and then Reilly. Kate was outside on the playground when we arrived - there were 3 staff out there talking amongst themselves and a handful of children playing. Kate was enjoying all the toys. I went up behind her and said softly "hi" and she turned with sand all over her dress and face and smiled. I extended my arms for the hug that I needed, she smiled and took off. Obviously she didn't need it too. Reilly was next, he was happy and excited to tell us he wanted a Power Ranger backpack like a new friend had. He is quite good at making requests. All and all, I think I was the only one that was worse for wear.... they both seemed to find their new environments better than I.

War of the Roses

How is it that a 4 year old can outwit a 37 year old. Either I'm "not bright" or he is very clever. I prefer to think of it as the latter - since everyone says he's exactly like me. Now that I think of it, perhaps that's the problem, we're too much alike.

We went from a discussion to an argument to an all out brawl with yelling. Yes, I know, I was yelling a 4-year old. But let me reassure you ALL my buttons were pushed in a way they had not been in so many years. Oh man, I think I'm in for a looooonnnnnngggg haul.

Shad and Kate were ref'ing, that didn't help matters.

I love you to...

the moon and the weeds and the sun and back

Thanks Reilly!

Growing Up So Fast...

My little princess.... (thanks for capturing Greg!)

"Mom?

When will Kate get to use toothpaste like me?"

He just thinks so much!

Last Weekend with Nicole...

This past weekend was the kids last weekend with Nicole as our Nanny. It's sad for our family - perhaps we are all due for a change. It was the one weekend Nicole worked and we went with Ali and Chris (aka Sam) up North. On Friday we stayed with my brother and his family and did a triathlon on Saturday morning. Later that day we headed up to North Conway and stayed in a great hotel at the base of Cathedral Ledge. On Sunday, Ali, Chris, Shad and I got up and rode in the Mount Washington Century Ride - it was tough to rally for because it was raining so hard.

Nicole hung out with the kiddos while we did this and we joined up in the late afternoon to hang out again. It was so great to have her with us and have the kids be a part of this weekend. I think the whole household will be going thru withdrawals when Nicole is no longer part of our daily regimen. I know that Kate will miss her morning snuggles and Reilly will miss his best playmate.

It is with bittersweet feelings the kids will be going to school full time and daycare. As with every situation there is some good and some not so good.

We will miss her.

What's in your shoes?

While playing at "Jack's Place" the other day with Kate, Brenna and Connor Reilly got some of the wood chips from the ground in his sandals. He then went to the bathroom with Shad, while in there he said "Dad, I have to empty all the chipmunks out of my shoes."

My Penis has to go potty...

Which was stated at 7:30pm while swimming in a pond with a life vest on - the restroom was clearly 10 minutes away from that situation. Thankfully he made it.

Turning FOUR!

Reilly turned 4 this past weekend. He has grown so much over the last year and believes that he is now a red Power Ranger. I stopped fighting the whole Power Ranger thing - I am not a fan. The advice I got from my sister in law was "Give in and it will pass much quicker". So rather than deprive Reilly.... I caved. Reilly has Power Ranger underwear, pajamas, shirts, socks, lunch box, action figures, coloring book and I'm sure more.

Let's hope my SIL was right. :-)

New Words and Noises - See if you know what they are

Dank ewe
NO
Rei - yee
NO
Na knee
NO
Cole
NO
MooMoo
NO
Baaa
NO
Mahmee
NO
Hi
NO
Hola
NO
scews me
NO
wuf wuff
NO
Dadee
NO
ba bye
NO
bay bee
NO

Mom, what are those DENTS in your face?

Ah, thanks Reilly, those would be wrinkles, thanks for pointing them out.

Mom, I have a new name for Kate -

Pussy.

We had just read Puss in Boots for our bedtime story. His rational "the King's best friend was his pussycat, so his was Kate." She could be his pussy.

I told him that was so nice but I thought we should just stick to Kate.

Open Sesame Street

Reilly felt that this would open the roof of my Mom's mini-van, he thought it was a convertible.

#2

Kate is so different from Reilly and I attribute a lot of that to being #2 vs #1. He is conservative and cautious and so thoughtful. His perception is amazing and at almost 4 he is so aware of other peoples feelings. She is crazy with not a care in the world. If she wants something, she takes it, if she wants to do something she does it and she walks circles around the house just checking things out.

The things that inspire her to have an outburst are: food and well.... food. In that way, she is like her Dad. :-)

Where's Kate?

Ahhh, that would be hiding under the bathroom sink in the cabinet playing with the bath toys.

Oops

Mom, I just fluffed out my mouth.

Lesson of the Day

Do not drive wind-up cars, specifically monster trucks, in Kate's hair.

Thanks Greg.

Farley

I have given Kate a new nickname... Farley - as in Chris. When she dances to music now she raises her shoulders up to her ears, which gives her a couple new chins, and she puts her hands on the area that would have a belt buckle. Once she's in position she rocks to the music in a circular way as I saw Chris do a number of times on SNL - when he was a motivational speaker and lived in a van down by the river.

Bad Words

Reilly: "Mom, is whattheheck a bad word?"
Me: "No, it's okay to say here and there."
Reilly: "Shit is a bad word though."
Me: "Yes, Reilly, shit is a bad word."

Foothill College

As we passed Foothill College today Shad told Reilly, Kate and I he took a couple classes there. Reilly inquired "Did your Dad drive you to your classes Dad?"

Cake?

Reilly and I were talking this morning and I told him that yesterday, while I was playing soccer, a bug flew in my ear. He said "Really, to have some cake?" I replied "Cake? I don't understand." He said "yah, Mom, potato cake".

Ick.

What it's like to be a Power Ranger

As I was taking a shower in the early morning the other day Reilly awoke and came into my bathroom in his Power Ranger pajamas that appear to be 2 sizes too small - or just super trendy since his mid section is exposed. He was frustrated that a pacifier he was using for one of his dolls (that was Kates) was no longer in his bed. I explained that when he was asleep the night before I removed the pacifier and put it on the shelf and when I got out of the shower I would get it for him. Relieved, he agreed and went away. A few minutes later he returned, stood outside the shower and enthusiastically told me that he climbed up on the stool and the shelves and got the pacifier himself. I said, wow, I'm glad that you're okay, I told you I would get it for you when I was done. He then ripped open the shower curtain and said "Mom, I wont' get hurt, I'm a POWER RANGER, see?".

Of course, how did I not know....

Walking around

Kate is walking around - finally. She tentatively steps across the room although she still knows it's much quicker in her world to crawl from one thing to the next.

Todays Question

Why do we have a sister?

Why does that truck

have 2 doors instead of 4? Is it because they don't have kids like us?

Rye-yeeeeeeeeee

Kate is in love with her brother. She constantly calls him by his name, her version of it anyway. It's amazing that after all he does to her - take away her toys, sit on her, lecture her, etc that she is still so INTO him. It's so cool.

Her words right now are:
Rye-yeeeee
Naneeeeee
NO (of course)
Hi
Bye
Wow
Da
Ma (yes in that order)
Kak Kak
Nigh Nigh

Jack's Place

My sister Kate and her husband Mike did such a cool thing this past weekend. They lost their 18mos old son suddenly 4 years ago this month. Over time, as part of the healing, they continue to do positive things for other people and just in general. I think the giving of themselves is true to who they are, and I also think it helps remind them that they were not put on this earth to be punished in some cruel way. I think the path they lead is a path of giving and of sharing, giving an ear, giving an opinion, sharing a story, or a laugh, cry or smile. They meet this path with enthusiasm.

This past weekend was the gift of a playground in the memory of their son, Jack. It's the most amazing playground - not really because of what you see when you cross through the gate but more because of what you don't see. You don't see that 4 women put their heads together with the help of a few outsiders whose job it was to have a playground. You don't see that dozens of friends and family got together on one of the worst days this year to build this amazing place and you don't see the people who showed up with their children in the rain to be part of the dedication. This symbol and this story have reached so far and touched so many - Kate and Mike should be so proud of themselves. From an amazing little boy, to an amazing playground from an amazing family.

Swing High, Slide Fast and Play Hard. It's as simple as that.

Bulemia is not the answer...

Kate is constantly chewing her fingers these days because she is teething. While driving the other night she was chomping away and then Shad and I heard her gag reflex kick in. We were certain there was digorge given the noise, I turned around to find that she was just sitting there - although it was dark, there was no sign of residual. Shad and I continued talking and then it wafted my way - the stench was an overwhelming smell of vomit. I turned on the car light only to find Kate covered in half chewed, somewhat processed Annies pasta shells. I looked at her and she had this huge grin that said "ahhhh, I feel so much better."

Shad and I bargained for the vomit cleaning or the putting kids to bed - I dry heaved for the next 20 minutes as I cleaned the carseat.

5K is a LOT of ppl

We got news that Sun is going to layoff 5000 people by fall. We are a company of about 37,000, so it's roughly 13% of the organization. The CMO who I fall underneath sent a communication that my group would indeed be impacted by this change. It's an uncomfortable time - I could be effected by this change which is quite unsettling to think about. If I am not the one it will likely be a friend of mine. We're praying that it is not me, and that Sun does not have to make any more drastic changes like this. The ripple effect is so significant...

Cherry Tomatoes or Humps

My friend Jen calls her husbands butt his cherry tomatoes. Reilly patted me on the butt yesterday and remarked "Mom, I felt your humps".

The mouths of Babes

can still lead to embarrassment....

Shad went to the grocery store with Reilly last night. A man, about 50, walked out the store and passed them. He was on the larger side and had his shirt tucked in under his round stomach and a baseball hat. Reilly took a look at him and turned to Shad and said "that man looks like he has a baby in his belly".

Ahhhhh, what do you say about that - he wasn't wrong.

Humpass

Reilly got a "humpass" today. Well you and I know it as a compass - but he thinks it's a "humpass". When he was asked if he knew how to use a compass, he replied "yes, you just shake it really hard and it moves."

I don't want to navigate with him, we'll certainly get lost. Then again, he shouldn't want to navigate with me, we would certainly get lost.

Kack Kack

This is the noise Kate makes when she sees a duck.

Delivery Guy in the Hummer

Reilly strapped Kate in the Hummer today and took her on some delivery runs to the neighbors house(s). He had put our supply of dog bones in the back of the car and drove down the driveway. He then left Kate in the car and walked up all the driveways to drop off a bone for their dogs. After the 2nd trip, he learned many of them (their are only 4 in the immediate area) do not have dogs, and some have cats.

He opted to leave bones for the cats and nothing with the folks who have neither. Another day of work is done.

Top Tooth

Kate got it today!

Walking on a thin line...

Kate, now 13 months has ventured into the world of stepping and she is quite proud of herself. Last night she gave herself a base that resembled the "straddle forward roll" that I did in gym and swim at the Y when I was about 7 years old. With that low center of gravity she attempted to drag her foot - to step forward. I think she underestimated her toes or just plain forgot about them - they snagged the carpet and down she went. But, with her Mother's determination (nice plug for me hunh?) she got back up and tried again. It was on the third try she made some forward progress. She took two small steps with her left foot - using her right foot as a pivot. Although she didn't make much gain in floor space she made a lot of mental gain in the confidence department. Once she hit the floor and we all cheered for her she giggled and smiled - if she could have patted herself on the back, I'm sure she would have.

Hey GREG!

Greg, Nicole and Reilly's friend (he's 37), was teaching Reilly how to "jungle". You and I may call it juggling, but Reilly thinks it's jungling. I choose not to correct him b/c I think it's so cute. Anyway, he looked up at Greg (who has a buzz cut and a goatee) and said "Hey, you have something green in your fur."

Greg sifted thru his goatee and pulled some fuzz out. Everything is good now.

Remote Conrote

There are just some words Reilly has yet to figure out. :-)

Don't Laugh at People When They Cry

That was today's lesson from Reilly to me. I won't get any Mother of the Year Awards for doing that!

Brushing Teeth

I told Reilly to take his time and brush his teeth well. He came into my bathroom and said, it took me a long time, so I brushed them well. He sat down and his face looked like this - (picture isn't great b/c I took it with my phone)

Nipple Racism

Kate... oh dear Kate... these discoveries that we now make... it was Easter when I first noticed this prejudice. We were at my parent's for the day and I had only brought a sippy cup and forgotten a bottle. She typically has a bottle before slumbering. Well, my Mom had a brand new Gerber bottle that had been for Reilly. It had the brownish nipple on it, not a silicon one like many of her bottles (which are old Avent ones - with size 1 nipples and she's 13 months old!). Anyway, we filled the bottle with milk and passed it to her. She turned her head away. I picked her up like I used to before she could hold her own bottle and I held the bottle to her lips - again she refused. I dripped a drop of milk on her lips and she rolled her lips to the inside like you do when someone is trying to stick something in your mouth that you want NOTHING to do with. So, she was thirsty.

This racism was reinforced the past weekend when I again forgot a bottle (hence the self-proclaimed title "mother of the year") and only had a sippy cup at my sister Kate's house. Thankfully, since Connor is recently finished with bottles, there was a spare for Kate to try out. This time silicon nipple - almost an identical match to her pacifier. Since she first refused, I laid her in the pack and play with the bottle of milk. I watched her from behind to see how she dealt with it. She was thirsty so she did try. She touched the nipple with her finger, she pushed it against her lips, she licked the tip... and she threw the bottle down and rolled over.

I'm not sure what her issue is, but I did chuckle at it. She woke up and downed her sippy cup of milk. Clearly I undervalued the varying bottles and cups with Reilly. Someone had recommended we do it, we did and never had a problem - which probably made me think it wouldn't have been a problem to begin with. I think I was wrong.

How big???

Reilly came out of the bathroom the other day and walked into our bedroom. He was pantless and pulling the ripcord pretty hard. He looked at Shad, still tugging, and said "Daddy, look, my penis is almost as big as yours!"

Shad looked at him and said "oh, wow."

KATE DID YOU SEE THE SIGN?

Reilly just finished lecturing Kate as she cried a frustrated cry in her highchair. He pointed his finger at her and said "Kate did you see the sign? There is a sign in the driveway that says NO CRYING so you stop crying right now."

She was silent for about 15 seconds and just stared at him. Then she cried - I don't blame her - I didn't see the sign either.

Tooth #3

Kate, at 13 months is getting another tooth. She has this big gummy grin with two little bottom teeth and she LOVES her teeth. She shows them off constantly. Well, now #3 has joined the other two on the bottom. It was a couple rough days as this one poked through, but she is quite pleased with the new addition.

Pitter Patter Pitter Patter Pitter Patter

For some reason Reilly likes to sprint to everything that he does. I know he's up in the morning because I hear him run from his bed to his dresser - which are about 5 feet away from one another. Then I hear the draws slam because he has selected his outfit for the day. Then I hear him run to the bathroom - go to the bathroom - and run to see me.

During the day I hear sprinting across the downstairs - I'm not sure what the rush is, but clearly there is a need for this fitness moving around the house...

Bed Surfing

Kate's courage is getting more and more with each day. She's not walking but she's starting to challenge herself. She's pretty smart - I haven't seen her stand on her own except in the mornings when she does it on my bed. I think she knows if she topples over it will be fine. She stands up tall and just wobbles and then grabs on to me real fast. She's a bed surfer for sure.

Stuffed Socks

While Nicole was helping to pick up Reilly's room today since he was at preschool, we made a startling discovery. Reilly has taken about 8 socks and stuff various things in each of them. Some have trash in them, some have change, some have cars in them, I think one even has a small train.

His mind is going so fast, all the time. Nicole and I opted to leave them in tact for fear of a lecture from this adorable 3 1/2 year old.

Here Comes the Bride - Again

Well the Fashion Show is over, it was actually kind of fun. The Woman's Club seemed to have a great time of it and my Mom was the co-host which was great.
I wore an outfit from EMS which I got to keep and I wore the infamous wedding dress. The wedding dress was the grand finale, and guess who the groom was? SHAD! How fun is that?
Meredith took a couple photos - they are better than the ones we have from our actual ceremony.

MORE....

We are trying to teach Kate how to do a couple signs so she can communicate that way instead of a grunt. She's already one step ahead of me - which makes me quite nervous for those teen years that are approaching quickly. Okay, 12 years or so, but nonetheles after how quickly the first year has gone - puberty is pretty much on the horizon.

At dinner last night, after about four or five replenishing of chicken on her highchair tray and helping her do the "more" sign, she pretty much figured it out. This morning I was giving her bananas and I said "more" and reinforced with my hands - she looked at me, took her pointer finger, pointed down to her tray and then started slamming her finger into the tray. It was as though she was saying "put more food on my tray and do it NOW!"

Perhaps I should conform to her ways, afterall, there wasn't an audible noise associated with it, it was simply a gesture. :-)

Hi and Bye

Ma and Da - Kate's got those sounds down. When she is not teething, even if she is vomiting her little brains out - she's great. Factor in the teeth, and she's not that fun, but she's cute. :-)

Everybody is Nicole

I'm thankful that Reilly and Kate love Nicole. But, I have found it interesting that everyone has become Nicole in Reilly's world with the exception of Kate. He has been calling Meredith Nicole for a couple months now. This association has recently gone to Nandi, which makes sense to me with the Nnnnnnnnnn sound, but then it moved to me and most recently Shad.

Again, I'm glad that he thinks so much of her that he wants everyone to be her... but c'mooooooon. :-)

Blue Napkins

While Reilly sobbed incessantly last night at Papa's house - begging to sleep in the bedroom with me versus his new tent - he picked up a blue linen napkin and said "we need to ask Kasey if we can borrow this". I then asked "why do we need to borrow that?" Hi reply was "because we don't have any blue napkins at home - we should have some - Kasey will let us borrow them."

I think his logic came from sheer exhaustion - but it was funny nonetheless.

Airplane Tribulations

On our flight to CA, Reilly and I flew on a 777 and were in two of the middle seats in the middle row. That's tough with a 3 year old. I thought I was prepared for everything - but... I was wrong. About an hour into a flight Reilly announced "I have to go poop", so we got up and headed to the bathroom. Up to this point, I had never taken Reilly to the bathroom on the plane since he was out of diapers. I brought him in - told him not to touch anything and I put multiple liners on the obviously already been abused bathroom. I sat him on the potty and stood with my legs touching his knees. The bathrooms are so small - we had no choice. He sat there doing his business - he had his hands on the seat and was suspending himself similar to a dupod (same as a tripod but with only two legs). He then said "Dad has me stand", unsure of what that meant, I just kept talking to him, waiting for him to finish up. He continued to sink more and more into the potty - then he said "Mom, help" and he reached out and grabbed the hips of my pants. They were yoga pants so they did not provide him the anchor he was clearly anticpated. With that he fell deeper and deeper into the toilet - I was afraid he was going to have a blue bum with the water that is in those toilets. Right before he hit the inside we managed to get him out - and his business was done shortly thereafter.

Poor guy, stuck in the potty on a 777. That can't be fun.

Unconditional...

It's been crazy lately at work. I feel like even at the end of the day - it's just not done. I often feel better if after everyone is in bed, I logon again and get caught up on anything that might have happened after I left the office. It's become a habit over the past several weeks. The good thing about this pattern is that I feel like I am staying on top as best I can, the bad thing is I see the kids even less. I know the end of this cycle is in sight, so we're all making due. I tuck Reilly in every night - actually it's more like - I pick all the blankets up off the floor, put them back on top of him, put the books on his shelf, put the animals back in his bed, and turn him so his head is once again at the head of the bed - either way, I tuck him in. When I do this, I kiss him on the head and brush his hair to the side and say "I love you with all my heart". The last two nights, he in his sleep, has parted those dry lips while his eyes remained lightly shut, reciprocated my profession and said "I love you too".

It's a great way to end a long day.

Love this shot...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!

On the eve of her birth she leaned against the walker and began to walk. Shad and I almost died! She cruised up and down the living room and kitchen just following the walker and with Reilly in tow. She hit a couple detours - when she tried to walk under the kitchen table - she quickly learned she was too tall.

Her birthday was great - we had a bunch of friends and family over for and early dinner and cake and ice cream. There were 3 Kates at the house today. Baby Kate, Sister Kate, and Diana's daughter.

Kate LOVED her first piece of chocolate cake - she even licked the plate - which I know she learned from Shad!

What do you like about yourself...

I read Snow Bear to Reilly tonight - and then we talked for a few minutes before he went to bed. I asked Reilly to tell me something that he liked about himself. He said he liked his two buses. I said, "I like your two buses too", he let me know he only had one bus and he need another bus because he couldn't fit all the kids in the one he had. I said, oh, okay, can you tell me something that you "like about yourself" not something that you "would like". I could tell this confused him so I said "maybe you like your nose and that's something you really like about yourself"... with this he gave it some thought. After a few seconds he got excited and said, "I REALLY like how tall I weigh". I smiled and said, I really like how tall you weigh too - it's perfect.

He laid down and went to sleep. :-)

M&M or Eminem

While sitting at breakfast this morning with the kids Nicole and I were discussing last nights Without A Trace. We both thought the main character looked like Eminem. Reilly interjected to tell us that Eminem wore white gloves and had white shoes - clearly that would be an M&M vs Eminem. He proceeded to let us know when you eat M&M's they do not have the white gloves on like they do on tv.

Wanting More

I have been trying to teach Kate some basic signs for several months. When Reilly was at Small Adventures day care he learned a few words which it seemed he used and was less fussy because he had a way to communicate. Makes sense, I think - communicating is key- and at this age, it's just grunts.

Today Kate signed "more" when she wanted more food. She is just so proud of herself. She signs "more" and then she claps if she gets what she wants. It's kind of like Pavlov's dog... but different.

Spinning for the VTSO

Yesterday I did a fundraiser for the Vermont Special Olympics. I had been sharing my quest with many of my family and friends - I was amazed at the support I received. It was a 6 hour spinning marathon which was just awesome. My goal was too stay on the bike as long as I could - ideally for the 6 hours. With the exception of a bio break and a water bottle fill - I did not let up. It was great.

In addition to my personal satisfaction, with the support of friends and family (and Sun matching) I raised just over $2100. How cool is that?

With the live music and the great instructors leading the charge - I would highly recommend this to anyone who is up for the challenge.

aaaaaaaawwwwww PICKLES!

Reilly's response to everything that doesn't go according to his plan.

What was it?

A pink Fisher Price Little People minivan with a mom, a baby, and a stroller. He loved it... Reilly a bit more than Shad!

Daddy is 35!

Tomorrow is Shad's birthday - he will be 35. I have been talking to Reilly about what he wants to give Daddy for his birthday. His first idea was a truck with a trailer that came off. I explained that it sounded like something he would want - not really what Daddy would want. He agreed and said that a new flying vehicle would be good, or a train or a boat with a trailer. Again, we talked about what he wanted versus what Daddy would want - and how we should think about things for the person who's birthday it was instead of ourselves. Hmmmmm.... I don't think I'm making any progress.... we'll keep searching.

Whooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaa Boy!

Kate stood tonight! It was only for about 3 seconds but she stood and began to take one step forward. Shad and I giggled because those moments are so cool - then we exchanged a different glance that was more like "Oh man, this is not good!"

Crawling is one thing, but a stumbling toddler is a whole different beast. Kate is so curious we are in for some major exploration at the 3 foot level.

It's so exciting to cross another benchmark and she seemed to know exactly what was going on - and was kind of delighted with herself in a coy way.

Sweet Pea

Got to love these little sleepers - not only does it keep her warm at night - it challenges her ability to move!

Doctor Doctor

Reilly has his Fisher Price doctor kit - one of his favorite toys. Shad and I are typically his surgery patients - but tonight he was doing a check-up on Kate. He put on his stethascope and listened to Kate's heart (which was on the wrong side) he then moved it up to her ear. He listened to her ear for a few seconds and he said "I hear ladybugs in there."

Positive People

After watching tennis for 4 days - we were getting packed to head back east. The weather had been comparable to the weather we had left 3000 miles away. Actually, I think getting caught in the hail storm was worse than what we would have experienced in NH. We spent a couple hours of the last day in La Quinta as we spent hours of the first, watching tennis. This time, Reilly brought his little Andre Agassi tennis racquet which we thought would be cool to have signed if we saw him play again.

There are a few athletes I want Reilly to learn about, Andre Agassi is one of them. I think he is one of the classiest athletes out there - and a great role model. He is one of those athletes that will have helped his sport get to a newer, better place and he does it with passion.

Well, wouldn't you know, Agassi was out hitting the ball on the sunken court. It was raining so he was taking a break, probably trying to see the weather was going to clear. Reilly paced at the edge of the court, dragging his racquet on the ground and continued asking me when the guy on his racquet was going to come to see him.

Eventually he came over b/c it did not appear that the rain was going to subside and it was cold. I don't think he was happy, for whatever reason, and I actually felt badly asking him to sign the racquet. But, he did sign it, and Reilly looked up at him like he was the coolest thing he had ever seen. It was great...

List of things to do in life...

Although this part of my list was created before Shad and the kids - hiking in Joshua Tree.

H3

I bought Reilly some new boxer briefs before we left on our trip: Scooby-DOO and Hummer trucks. The pair that he showed to Jay today was his HUMMER pair. When he began to pull down his pants, he said, "they're HUMMER" and then he turned to Natalie and said "You will really like them a lot".

We all had a laugh about that one - well the adults anyway.

Peeking...

We went to the San Diego Zoo with Megan, the girls, and the four of us. After walking around for quite sometime, we settled in the area of the hippo - there was a brass one for kids to play on and a real one "Jabba" in the tank. We all were playing by the brass hippo on the artificial grass - and some seemingly artificial tree's with people initials carved in them. I was taking photos of all the kids playing on the hippo and in the trees. I asked Reilly to, "go behind that tree and peek through to me" and I said the same to Ayden. Reilly went behind the tree and I was watching his face, he smiled at me and people walked by him on the sidewalk next to the tree. Something, I'm not sure what, struck me and I stood up to talk to him. As I stood, I noticed he had his pants down to his knees and he was beginning to pee. I snapped at him "Reilly, stop.... stop... stop...." I think I horrified him, as he stopped midstream and looked at me as though the the hippo had just come out of the tank. Shad came over and took him to the bathroom.

I looked at the tree, which had a small puddle at the base of it. I could not believe what had just happened, and I could not believe that my words were potentially what had inspired this action.

Bye Bye

Kate has learned to wave. It's SOOOOOOOOO cute. She hasn't learned exactly why or when to wave, so she just does it when anyone makes a hand gesture at her. I said "no" to her and shook my head no when I was telling her not to go near the dvd player. Her response was a big smile, a shake of the head and a wave.

Day with Nannie

My mom watched the kids today because Nicole is away. When I got home Reilly told me about all the things that he ate that we don't typically feed him and he proceeded to tell us how much fun he had with Nannie. The way to rank with this kid is definitely thru treats.

If you could see what I hear...

Reilly has a little video player - it was playing the audio but not the video. He and I tested multiple discs - same thing - black screen but audio was playing. Reilly and I decided it was the batteries - so Reilly went and got the little box of screwdrivers and we started to open the back. Reilly then took the remaining screwdrivers from the box held them against my knee and said "Mommy, I want to screw you."

Climbing Everest

Kate climbed her Everest today. She went up the entire flight of stairs all by herself. I think once she got to the top it might have occurred to her the benefits of being carried. She seemed pretty tuckered.

As you can see from this photo she is working on her climbing and problem solving skills. Hopefully she doesn't continue to get so tangled up.

Olympic Fever

With me being out a lot of this past week Reilly has had his fair share of the Olympic Games. He is getting used to the skiing, the hockey, the curling, etc. While Shad watched women's figure skating with Reilly the other night, Reilly asked Shad "Where is her guy?". Clearly, no one should be alone in his world. :-)

Not so flu-ridden

Shad and I finally went to the md because chills were getting more frequent with temperatures, coughs, aches and more. I have pneumonia and Shad is being treated for the flu and bronchitis. Well... hopefully the antibiotics will have us feeling better soon. I am supposed to be heading to California on Sunday, but it's not looking likely.

Flu-ridden

The whole family has the flu right now and it sucks. Shad, who gets sick so seldomly has a temp of 103 and feels miserable. I stayed home yesterday because Nicole was out sick too, and I'm home again today because I have caught whatever it is they all have. ICK. I rarely get sick - other than a cold a season but this year has been the exception. I have a temp of 101 and a headache and achiness that just won't go away. I suppose the nice thing about being an adult and being sick is you can identify what's bugging you - the kids on the other hand are just miserable. Reilly is hardly eating and Kate is just one big congestion cavity - poor thing.

I opened all the windows and doors and aired out the house today, hopefully it will help.

Nandi

Nandi, our border collie shepherd mix is very much a part of the family. Although the role I think she plays and the role she thinks she plays are likely two different things. I think she's the loyal, tolerant, fun-loving, energetic, always hungry, cheeseburger-eating dog. She, on the other hand, thinks she's Shad's wife. Odd, I know, but, when she lays down in her bed next to ours at night she gives a sigh like "hey lady, it should be you down here, not the one who watches the house all day long and deals with the kids pulling and crawling and smashing trucks into".

When I come home from work, she cordially comes up and head butts me, but I know it's just a courtesy b/c if I don't get in her way she's one step closer to going out with Shad for a walk or a run.

When I said to Shad "I think Nandi thinks she's the wife" he laughed pretty hard, but I could see he considered it - if even just for a second.

Dirty Socks

Kate has a fascination with Reilly's dirty socks. He often takes them off and leaves them wherever he happens to be standing at the time. Kate finds these random socks and thinks they're edible. No matter how dirty and disgusting - right to the mouth! It wouldn't do it for me, but we have found that her only point of stress is food - so I guess that makes sense in some distorted way.

Potty Training Bribes

Reilly has figured out for the most part when his bladder is full - at least during the day. Naps, we've made progress on as well... the next feat to tackle is night time.

For five dry nap time pull-ups Reilly got to pick out a new book. We have agreed to a new set of Lego's for five dry nightime pull-ups. He's on #3 this week and is quite proud of himself. Yesterday as he laid next to me in bed, I said, "Is your pull-up dry?" and he smiled and said "yes" and followed up quickly with "there is one little drop of pee in there but it will dry and it's okay."

I said, "yes, that's okay."

Boppy Buddies

Kate and Reilly lay adjacent to one another in boppy's on my bedroom floor while I took a shower this morning. Kate was drinking a bottle and they were both watching Arthur on tv. Reilly, leaned over, kissed Kate on the forehead and said "I love you Kate, and you're my best friend."

I melted at that one.

Valentines Day

Reilly and Kate had about 10 friends over on Monday for a Valentines Day party thanks to Nicole. She and a bunch of other women (who have left Reilly's former day care for the world of Nanny-hood) got together at our house with all their nanny kids. It's so cool they continue to get together since Reilly has been playing with a couple of the kids since we moved here 3 years ago.

I told Reilly he had to wear red - which he was agreeable to. He came downstairs with his new sweatpants on - black with red stripes down the side- and a maroon shirt. Okay, that's close enough. He is a boy afterall.

Today, since he was having a Valentines Day party at school, I again requested that he wear red. His reply "but I wore red yesterday". I explained that yesterday was a party and today was actually Valentines Day and it was important to wear red. His reply then was "well, can I wear orange instead?" I said, "no, it needs to be red". He agreed and said "Mommy, next time there is a Valentines Day, we can both wear orange."

I thought that sounded like a fine idea.

Snow... Snow... Snow

We skiied with Reilly on Saturday. It was all man-made snow - the sky was blue and the ground was uncovered with the exception of the trails. It was our first day using the harness with Reilly - I think he really liked it. He was all smiles coming down the hill. I had estimated 2-3 runs for him - he did 5-6 before it was time to call it a day. Not bad. We try to leave when he's still happy that way it's always a good experience.

Sunday Shad and I boarded with friends in the exact opposite conditions. It dumped about a foot of snow and there was limited visibility - but it was fun fun fun!

Kate was hanging out with Nic and Babs are Target having chick time.

Understanding of one's strengths

Downstairs Kate cries as she wakes up from her nap. Reilly, Shad and I are hanging out upstairs in our bedroom. We asked Reilly (joking of course) if he could go down and get Kate, his response was: "I'm really strong enough but I need Daddy to reach her and carry her up here."

False Perceptions

Kate is now speaking in complete sentences.... or so she thinks. She carries on for about 30 seconds just making the do do do ma ma ma da da bo bo sounds and then looks me straight in the eye until I respond. I really think she believes we have accomplished something in these interactions.

Either way, it makes me smile. She is so cute!

Steelers 21 - Seahawks 10

We had about 25 people over for the game last night. Some into the game, some not so much so - more into the party than the reason for the party. So... no pools here. However, Shad had a pool at work, he bought us each two boxes in the grid for a total of $20. At the end of the game we realized that Shad had in fact won - $200! A welcome addition to our pocketbook, and a nice supplement to party expenses!

During breakfast this morning Nicole and I were talking, I told her Shad won the pool at work and we were excited about it. Shortly after Reilly said "Mom, did he bring his suit?". I had no idea what he was talking about - again he asked "Did Dad bring his suit to work?" Nicole said I think he's asking because you said that Shad won the pool - he thinks it's a swimming pool...

Zach has come for a visit

Zach has come up over night to hang out with Reilly. There is a 10 year age discrepancy, which doesn't really seem to mind either of them. Although after too much play, when Reilly is getting hungry or tired and hasn't yet figured out how to communicate that - it's obvious there is a decade between them.

We went for a 90 minute hike today. Reilly spent most of the time on Shad's shoulders but Zack patiently tried to inspire Reilly to walk on his own. He did all right and is a pretty good negotiator.

Here is a photo of us (minus Dad).

The Fridge is Empty

Pretty much 10months to the day marks the end of breastfeeding for Kate and me. I am saddened by this more than I thought I would be. Although in some minds my excuses are just that excuses, but working full time, traveling, and living our family's lifestyle definitely posed it's challenges along the way. I felt married to my pump which I affectionately named "Ivan" - sometimes meeting with Ivan 7x/day. Fortunately we had over a months worth of milk stored up - so it we gained some extra time with that. But, now, after trying the fenugreek, support groups, lc support, llli support, the oatmeal, the reglan, and Ivan as much as I could stand I am accepting that is the end of our era. I hate to concede b/c it is far from my goal, but I don't feel another choice.

Kate is a happy baby which is great, she loves any and all food, so she's not picky when it comes to her mealtime. On the outside, she seems no worse for wear. Now, during those times that she and I would bond with bf, we'll just hang out together and visit.

Little Daggers

As I sat there in the bathroom cutting Reilly's nails we talked about his truck book and all the pictures inside. I'm not the best manicurist so I was really trying to focus on the task at hand. The phone rang, it was for me. While I held Reilly's soft little hands and trimmed the nails onhis innocent little fingers and talked on the phone - Reilly gasped with excitement and happily said "good job Mommy, they are not bleeding this time".

I'm not proud.

Going for a Drive

Reilly's taking Kate for a little drive.

Banana Nut Muffins

I often refer to the mound of flesh that rests on the top of my waist band when I sit down as something that has become accepted as "me" in my world. My excuse for this mound is my two children and their birth which all took place in the last 4 years. Obviously my stomach skin would have been more elastic had I had children 10 years ago but I didn't, and it isn't. Either way, as I described this part of me to a girlfriend this past weekend she said "don't you know the name for that?" I did not. She replied with "MuffinTop".

It all makes perfect sense to me. I now affectionately call it my banana nut muffin top and I'm happy it has an identity in my life.

The Sky is Awake

Each morning when Reilly hears Dad leaving for work, he get's out of bed and climbs into bed with me. Sometimes he's wide awake (which is problematic for me) and other times he's content just going back to sleep. This particular morning he wanted to visit. I wanted to sleep (imagine that) and he wanted to hang out. He spent about 15 minutes talking to me and continuously replied with "Reilly, it's sleepy time - Mommy still wants to sleep - and look the sky is still sleeping too". Of course he talked long enough that the "Sky waked up". "Look Mom, the Sky is Awake". Daylight was really just beginning to show itself - it was a little after 6am. (I knew we should have gotten a blind for that window!) He then said "then the Sun is going to wake up and the moon - and the Sun is going to want to have breakfast!!!" To humor Reilly and myself I asked what the Sun would eat for breakfast - Reilly thought for about 30 seconds and said "hay, the sun likes hay, and so does the moon and so does the sky."

I don't know about you, but I did not know that.

We were downstairs having waffles shortly thereafter.

Man U Boys

Reilly and Bennett taking one for the team.

Twinkles

Reilly, you're my buddy.

Yah.

Are we going to be buddies forever?

Yah, forever, you're my Twinkle.

I have no idea, but I liked being his Twinkle.

The Runway....

So... my Mom asked me to be in a fashion show for a fundraiser for her Womans Club. I met this request with hesitation from the beginning, and I should have known better. I said, "well, what would I wear?" and she said, "I don't know EMS is a sponsor, Precious Cargo (kids)" and a couple other places. One place she mentioned which I was not familiar with was a Bridal store. She then mentioned that perhaps she would have me wear a Wedding dress. (again, another twinge of hesitation struck me) I said, "Why would you want me in a Wedding dress?" She said "well they asked that we give them women that are not too skinny and not young."

Gee.... thanks Mom. I would love to take part.

Buzz Lightyear - Wet or Dry

How the heck do you train a 3 year old to get up at night to go to the bathroom? I opted for bribery. I told Reilly that if his pull-up was dry in the morning he could get a new puzzle. The morning after the bribe - although I distinctly smelled the strong odor of urine - I asked

Is your pull-up dry?

No, but I was going to put on a new one - then it would be dry - then I can get a puzzle.

Ahhhh, I'm confused. How does this work again? And can I have a child that is THAT clever at 3 years old?

A little pee among friends

Evan, Reilly's friend that is in 5th grade came over for a visit. It was the first time this kind of visit was independent of parents and siblings. They were in the company of Nicole and Kate. Evan and Reilly built train tracks, played cars, played games, visited, wrestled and lastly Evan tickled Reilly. Tickling fights are the worst, remember those. Reilly had a tough time controlling himself too - he pee'd on Evan's leg. Ahhhh... oops. Poor Evan. But then again, boys will be boys and I don't really think either one cared. Reilly was a bit embarrassed that he had an accident and Evan was embarrassed that he had pee on his jeans. But no one was any worse for the wear!

Virtual Mom

My first time away from Kate - I'm in California for work. I was a bit stressed about how our first parting would be. (more on me than her, she might not even know the difference) Anyway, I have called the kids twice, independently of night time conversations with Shad. Both times I have spoken with Reilly - BRIEFLY. This morning it was "hi Mommy", "What are you doing?", "Bye". That's it. He wasn't looking for answers, he was just doing his job as instructed "Mommy is on the phone, she wants to talk to you" - I got diss'd by my 3 year old, that's not right.

Parenting for other children....

What do you do when you are around other parents and your rules for your children are entirely different? I had a dear friend over with her 3 children. One of them spent a fair amount of time jumping on the couch. (I don't think this idea of fun had occurred to Reilly yet) Another one of them took Reilly's cars and drove them along the wall at about 3 1/2 feet up - wheel marks now span the length of the house. My first comment was "oh, we don't do that" and my second was "ooop, please don't do that". Since my messages were not reinforced by their parents I understood it was not a battle that I could really fight without long-term tension.

I guess things getting ruined were just that "things". It wasn't worth causing problems in a friendship - next time we'll just get together at the park.

Arthur Mac and Cheese

Ever make it? Well, I did today. I put it in the Tonka bowl with the Tonka fork on the Sesame placemat. I was hoping that Reilly wouldn't notice the powder did not quite dissolve with the milk - there were a few pieces of pasta CAKED with powder. Reilly sat down, ate a fork full of his pepper covered pasta and turned to me and said "mmmmmmmmmm, Mom this is good!" while he patted his stomach.

I think I should practice my cooking on him - unfortunately his diet consists of pasta, peanut butter and jelly, hot dogs and chicken nuggets. I'm not sure my practice would benefit anyone other than him. :-)

Winter Noses

With this weather, and all the colds and flu's going on, Reilly and Kate's noses are quite chapped and irritated. I bought tissues with lotion in them to avoid the sandpaper on the nose feeling any more than needed. Tonight when I put Reilly to bed, he said his nose hurt and he didn't want to use a tissue. I asked him to get a tissue and a bottle of lotion, and we would help his nose feel better. He brought in Lubiderm and we rubbed a little on the skin in between his nostrils and around the edge of his nose. I thought this would soften his skin and help it feel better, if nothing more than for a few minutes. I read him a book, we prayed, and he went to bed.

About 30 minutes after that, Shad came from upstairs, his face was covered in lotion which had yet to be rubbed in. I said "You might want to rub that in." He then told me that Reilly was up upstairs, he went to check on him and found that Reilly had lotion all over his face and he said to Shad "there is lotion in my bed". Upon further investigation Shad learned that Reilly had taken the lotion bottle to bed and tried to apply it on his own to his face. He was a bit overzealous.

Never leave your 3 year old with a bottle of lotion.

A tooth....

9 mos later, Kate has cut her first tooth. Since she is SO oral, I wonder who and what she is going to bite first. :-)

Have some water with your formula

Kate nurses 1-2x/day. The rest of the time we supplement with formula. I think the formula for formula (lot of "fors" there, hunh?) is pretty straightforward. Well, this morning we dropped the kids at the nursery at the gym for an hour. I had prepared Kate's diaper bag with a bottle of water with four ounces in it, and a tube of formula powder with sharpie marker designating how much powder to use for 4 oz's of water. I had included 8 oz's worth of formula powder and half of the needed water.

An hour later we picked up the kids, Kate was having a bottle. When we got in the car I opened her bag, they had put all 8ozs worth of formula in the bottle with just 4 ozs of water. I'm suprised it even went thru the nipple - I would have thought it would have been almost a solid with that kind of concentration.

I think the formula paste acted as a form of a laxative - it's been a "fruitful" evening.

Where are the diapers?

My sister in law is babysitting 5 week old girls, Maggie and Ginger. She is watching them for a friend for a few hours. Unfortunately her friend, their Mom, dropped them off without leaving the diaper bag. Ooops.

I'm thinking a dishtowel and some duct tape might help.

One of many half truths...

We went to Nannie and Grandpa's house last night. Reilly was wearing his new (Christmas) royal blue Buzz Lightyear sweatsuit. Nannie said to me "That's cute, where did you get that?" I replied "Costco", however, I was immediately corrected by Reilly who said "no Mommy, Santa gave it to me."

Private Time

If Reilly busts into the bathroom, more specifically when I'm in the bathroom and we have company, I kindly ask him to leave because it is my "private time". AND, I don't need to be in that position with company just a few feet away.

Tonight we were heading to the little ski mountain and we were all getting our warm clothes on to go. I told Reilly he needed to put on a pull-up and a sweatshirt. I went in the bedroom where he was changing, and he said, "please get out I need private". I said, "really?, you would like privacy right now" and he said "yes". As I left the room he shut the door behind me and asked Shad to leave as well. He's growing up so fast.