Just Some Pics

The monkies on the couch watching morning cartoons. Charlie loves to have Anna sit with him and "watch" cartoons, Anna loves to eat the channel changer.

Here Anna managed to change the channel with her tongue...notice Charlie's disdain.



Charlie's latest "thing" is to tackle...he learned this watching football with Daddy. Guess who is most often the subject of his practice...

Charlie's preschool had Hybernation Day and he got to wear his pj's to school and take a stuffed animal. I let him pick from an enormous pile of stuffed animals and he chose George with matching pj's. How cute is that?

I love this outfit of Anna's...it is so fun having a girl to dress!!

Charlie horsing around with Daddy. I can remember riding on my Daddy's back like this when I was a little girl. I love how having kids brings back so many childhood memories.

Monday we went to visit Charlie and Anna's great-grandmother Joycie in her new place. It was really nice and Charlie had a great time running the halls. Anna loves to "talk" and smile with Joycie.

Potty Stories

I honestly can't even believe I am writing these words, but... we are officially potty training (note I did not write trained). Last week after changing what can only be described as an adult dirty diaper, I decided it was time. After an amount of bribing that would make any early childhood developmentalist cringe, and a marathon of potty -sitting (an hour and a half to be exact) we broke the tee-tee-in-the-potty barrier! We then threw a "potty party" complete with a cake (light blue, of course) and presents for the big boy of the hour. After a week of pull-ups and pottying here and there, we decided to take it to the next level this weekend and try out the big boy underwear. With only one accident in 24 hours, I am one proud mama!! Though we have a long way to go to being "potty trained", I can finally see the light at the end of the Pampers tunnel...hurray!


Anna showing the Big Brother than when it comes to sitting on the potty, there's nothing to it!



Anna helping Mommy bake Charlie's potty party cake while he played at Mamun's.

For the sake of Charlie's dignity, I didn't post any potty pics of him...I'll have to save those glorious images only in my mind!

Snow Day!

Tuesday morning Charlie woke up to a dusting of powdery, white snow! I was exhausted from waking up every hour throughout the night to check the accumulation because I had really talked it up to him the entire day before. Thank the Lord the weatherman delivered! Charlie had a blast romping through the neighborhood and riding in the communal cul-de-sac vehicles with all his buddies. He definitely lasted the longest of any of the kids and kept begging to go back out long after everyone else had called it a day!

Charlie spent the first 15 minutes in the tiny area just outside of our garage because he was so excited about leaving his footprints in the snow that he couldn't even make it to the front yard!

Charlie and the neighborhood gang running wild.

Our house in its first real snow!

Cruising in the snow (Charlie always makes the ladies drive!).

And this isn't even all of the vehicles!

Finally!!

To say that my Charlie is a creature of habit is a gross understatement. This child breathes predictability and routine. In some ways I covet this trait (perhaps because he got it from me?), but in others, such as when it comes to diapers and cribs, I find it challenging at best. Although the diaper thing got old, umm...say, a year ago?, I had no problem with the fact that my over-three-year-old flat out refused to join his pre-school peers in sleeping in a "big boy bed". After all, I never had to fuss with a not-yet-verbal toddler who couldn't understand why scaling the rails of the crib in the middle of the night was a bad idea. Thought never even crossed his mind. But when I crept into his room one night last week to watch him sleeping (something I used to love to do every night before we added another kid to the mix and I began to sprint to my bed at the first thought of sleep), I was shocked at what I found. Within that beautiful, pristine white, sleigh crib with blue and white gingham bumpers and matching sheet, I found that my little blue bundle of baby had become a full-grown, lean and lanky kid. WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN? Not only did it look strange, but it also looked just plain uncomfortable. That's when I decided we had to make "the move". So, a little stickers, ice cream, and a Ramone car from the beloved movie Cars bribery later, I have one big-boy-bed sleeping man. Hurray!! He is so proud of himself and tells everyone we pass the great news. I am proud of my big boy, too. Now if we could just do something about those diapers...

Seven Months Old Today!

It is hard for me to believe that my baby girl is seven months old. The memories of her birth and bringing her home to meet her big brother are already beginning to blur in my mind. As I was uploading these photos to put on the blog, I took a moment to look back at some of the first photos we took of her and was taken aback by the fact that I already don't remember what it was like to hold that eight-pound pink bundle in my arms. Time sure flies when you're having this much fun...

Belly Laughs

I would describe Anna as a very contented baby. She has her fussy moments, and her times of grins and giggles, but for the most part, she hovers somewhere in the middle. She takes everything in stride and rarely gets too worked up over anything, good or bad. If you spoke to her in the grocery store, she would likely present you with a quick gummy grin before returning to gnawing on my key chain and throws Will and I a courtesy giggle every now and again when we tickle her chin.
But the genuine, full-on, no holds barred, belly laughs? Sorry boys, but she saves those for her one-and-only...

I Love Shopping?

This morning I loaded up the three kids (I look after a friend's daughter, Jordan, during the week) and carted them all to Trader Joe's for our weekly groceries. In order to survive the trip through the store without inflicting serious injury on anyone or anything in our path, I strap Anna to my chest with the Baby Bjorn and put the two three-year-olds in the cart and bury them under the groceries as we go.

I fondly recall strolling through the grocery store when Charlie was a baby and people would smile and stop me to tell me how beautiful he was, ask his age, coo at him, tell me how lucky I was to have such a precious baby, etc. I think I actually looked forward to going to the grocery store for that very reason. Boy, have times changed. These days people look at me with sheer and utter pity and scurry down the aisle, (leaving much needed items behind, I'm sure), simply to escape the threat of being smacked in the head with a falling box of cereal freshly ripped from the shelf or having a run-away canned good rip their feet out from under them, a baby put drooly fingers in their hair, or me inadvertently scrape the first three layers of skin off the back of their heels with my cart as I am desperately reading labels in search of a fruit juice without high fructose corn syrup.

All that being said, today was a new low as we added "making everyone in the store want to vomit profusely" to our list of offenses. We were in the fruit section when Charlie spotted the blueberries and inevitably started to beg, as they are his favorite fruit. Grateful he was begging and whining for something other than iced donuts, I quickly complied and placed the carton of blueberries into the cart, somewhere between Jordan's pitifully squished thighs. That's when Charlie announced to everyone within (and out) of earshot in his loudest and proudest shout, "Mommy, blueberries make you poop!". It wasn't so much the claim that I found humiliating (I mean, they do have a lot of fiber) as his use of the word you rather than me. We cleared out the fruit section. Don't think I'll be heading back to Trader Joe's any time soon...

You Know What They Say About the Apple and the Tree...

So, my wonderfully, amazingly spectacular husband has but one tiny flaw...his size 15 feet. And it isn't so much the feet that are the problem, but the impossible-to-break habit he has acquired of leaving his size 15 shoes/snow skis scattered ever-so-conspicuously about the house. I would be lying if I said it wasn't a regular occurrence to find me shouting choice words (that I pray my three-year-old will not practice at school or church) as I ungracefully fight not to land face-first on the hardwoods after inevitably tripping over one of the strategically placed shoes. That said, you can imagine my mix of emotions as I happened upon the cutest and most disturbing picture. Charlie had just gotten some new "winter crocs" (of which I was a HUGE fan since he doesn't need help putting them on or taking them off) and had been cruising about the house in them all morning. He had become rather diligent about putting his shoes in the enormous shoe basket I placed downstairs in hopes that Will would catch on that I want him to place his shoes inside the basket when he isn't wearing them. So when I found Charlie's new crocs carefully lined up next to his Daddy's matching pair in the middle of the kitchen floor, I had to both laugh and sigh. Men...

Waving Goodbye

I would be lying if I said I didn't have to choke back a few tears this fog-filled morning as Charlie and I cuddled on the front steps furiously waving goodbye to his aunt, uncle, and cousins as they pulled out of our driveway, suv packed to the brim with strollers, sippy cups, toys, and two precious sleepy-eyed baby boys strapped in their carseats. It was an incredible visit, packed as tightly as that car with memories I will not soon forget. Here is a small fraction of photos from the memorable week...

The Golden Age

Anna is now entering into what I fondly refer to as the "Golden Age" of babyhood, in which gummy, tooth-less grins, delightful squeals, and belly laughs fill her days. At one week shy of seven months, she has mastered the art of sitting alone (without the threat of face-planting every 30 seconds), is opening up to the idea of filling her belly with something other than a bottle or breast, and is absolutely, shamelessly, and desperately in love with her big brother. As a mother, there is nothing more fulfilling than hearing my two children working one another into fits of laughter over nothing particularly funny at all. The mere sight of him sends her legs and arms flailing in uncontrollable excitement. As a realist, I know that there will likely come a day when this unabashed love will be replaced by near-constant bickering as siblings often do, but for now, I will relish in their laughter.

The Sweetest Dreams

Although a self-professed crib junkie, in light of our baby-filled home for the holidays, Charlie slept in a big boy bed for several nights. There was only one small requirement to smooth the transition from his beloved four-walled cage, and that was that Mommy or Daddy stay with him until he fell asleep. Last night, as we cuddled in bed, I began to doze as I waited for him to wind down from his marathon dance and wiggle-fest with his cousin. Just as I drifted off to sleep, I felt a little pair of soft lips brush against my ear as my beautiful baby boy whispered to me with his freshly-brushed Dora toothpaste breath, "Mommy, I just WOVE to sweep with you." Ahhh...blissful heaven. That boy will never know what he does to my heart but I hope some day he knows the same love and joy that only a child can bring to a parent's soul.

Happy New Year Baby!

We had the pleasure of welcoming the new year with our precious nephews, and what a spectacular whirlwind it was. Four beautiful babies, under the age of three, all under one roof. And we loved every second of it!

Charlie and Anna loved romping around with their cousins and Will and I relished in spending several days with our ever-changing nephews. I tried to soak in every moment of watching the four create their childhood memories. We had a blast spending time with Kyle and Caroline and sharing the joys (and many, many challenges!) of parenthood. My only wish is that we lived closer together so we could share these experiences more often.

A First for Everything

So here I sit in my living room amidst the chaos of three rambunctious toddlers, a sea of matchbox cars, freshly unwrapped Christmas gifts, and the remnants of a memorable New Year's Eve scattered about me. And, yes, I have chosen this moment in time to post my very first blog. Quite symbollic of everything in my life these days, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
When I first decided to begin this blog, at the encouragement of my wonderful sister-in-law, Caroline, I wondered how I would ever find time among the daily responsibilities of dishes, laundry, dirty diapers, nursing sessions, pre-school drop-offs, pacifier searching, crumb sweeping, and baby swaddling to possibly collect my thoughts enough place them into coherent sentences, let alone put them on a site for anyone to read. Then, Caroline placed a wonderful thought into my head. The chaos of my every day life is exactly why I should begin this blog. As one day melts into the next and months pass at the speed of light, I came to a gut-wrenching realization...this precious time in my life, when my children are small and relish in my embrace, is temporary. There will come a day, all too soon, when I won't greet the day with two wide-eyed grins looking back at me, or cuddle up to the downy, soapy-scented fuzz atop a freshly bathed head, or dole out healing kisses to scrapped knees and stubbed toes. I am finding the mantra I often repeat to myself after a sleepless night or whine-filled day is all too true, "this, too, shall pass".
And so, here I am, hoping to somehow hit the pause button (or at least slow motion) on this beautiful time in my life. My only hope is that by putting down my thoughts and day-to-day experiences with my two little angels that I will somehow be able to hold onto what I know will, all too soon, become only precious memories.