At Home with the Holmes

Epic.

2011-12-09T19:23:00.000-05:00

One of these things is not like the other...

Look what we found in our coop!

My faith is restored.

Jane is Three: Cue the Happy Dance

2011-12-08T20:49:00.000-05:00

Jane's first question on the morn of her birthday, "Am I three?" When I said yes she did a rendition of the Hokey Pokey as she yelled, "I'm three, I'm three, I'm finally three!" If she could skip right to 16, she would. In honor of her Golden Birthday, here are some facts about Jane:

She is the stereotypical precocious child.

She listens and learns from everything I say and often repeats the most embarrassing bits at the most inconvenient moments.

She would subside on condiments if I let her and has been known to eat butter, ketchup, cream cheese and drink those little containers of half-n-half straight up.

She is extremely "girly" and loves all things pink, purple, sparkly and princess.

She started ballet in September and still loves to put on her tutu and leotard every week.

Her hair still makes me laugh sometimes.

When she was born she had delicious, drippy cheeks.

Truly edible.

And beautiful blue eyes.

She loves to accessorize.

And she loves to make others laugh.

She is extremely physically affectionate. She wants to hug, kiss, snuggle and be as close as physically possible to other human beings.

She prefers to sleep on her brother's floor rather than in her own bed.

She couldn't wait to turn three.

She has a wild imagination and I will often overhear her playing out scenes with whatever lucky creature is nearby.

Did I mention she likes to accessorize?

She loves all animals and wants to touch/hold/pet/hug them as much as she can. Just so you know, our chickens are not fond of being held.

She's been planning her "Princess Birthday" for months. I finally jumped on board a couple weeks before her birthday and made these lovely Rapunzel braids for Jane and her friends.

Then everyone ate a delicious pink princess cake with pink ice cream and pink lemonade.

We love you Jane. You make our lives sparky, pink and hilarious. We're so glad you're part of our family.

Shredded Kids

2011-10-26T16:12:00.000-04:00

They make it look so easy:

Tunnel to Towers Race and NYC Shenanigans

2011-10-26T08:29:00.001-04:00

Right after the Run for Mercy, I packed my bags and boarded a train with seven good friends for a relaxing few days of child-free fun in lovely New York City. The train was the perfect way to get there. It is about a 7 hour ride, which gave us plenty of time to talk. At first we were doing that kind of frantic talking that Moms do because they know they will be interrupted at any moment by a child needing something. Then we remembered, No Kids!

Four of us awoke bright and early Sunday morning and boarded the ferry to the starting line.

When I uploaded the pictures to my computer it loaded the ones from the camera Scott had at home with the camera I had in NYC in the order they were taken. So, while I was making my way to the starting line, Scott was engineering the bike ride to church. When I got home, he told be they rode bikes to church and it took me a minute to realize, "...but, how?" Leave it to Scott.

Back to NYC, this race is run by firefighters in full gear. It's really cool.

And Army regiments run in it in formation.

I loved this firefighter dad carrying his little man.

The race goes through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel (which feels so long and can feel a bit claustrophobic if you remember the tunnel is under water...). As you come out of the tunnel there are West Point cadets, each holding a banner for a firefighter or police officer killed on 9/11.

There were also several school groups singing patriotic songs. The whole thing was an awesome experience.

Finished!

After the race was over it was time for the fun to begin. We started with Billy Elliot on Broadway followed by a late-night dinner.

Breakfast the next morning was glorious if not a tad expensive. $9 for my OJ. It was fresh squeezed, but still.

Is it a girls' trip without pedicures?

No, it's not.

Back at the farm, the kids were being entertained by a tree being taken down in the backyard. I think Scott even made them some popcorn.

The next day some of the girls took the early flight but some of us stayed until later. We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral
.

Apparently, while I was being born, John Paul II was in NYC at St. Patrick's.

30 Rock, baby!

And then it was time to head home and kiss my husband's feet for letting me get away for a few days. Same place next year ladies?

Run for Mercy 2011

2011-10-25T14:54:00.000-04:00

In May of this year Scott and I decided that we would run the 5K sponsored by our church. We trained for 4 months and were really excited on the day of the race. It was the first 5K for both of us.

The race also includes a "fun run" for the kids. Adam had been training using "Kinect Sports" and was very excited.

The racers ready.

Paige hung out with the kids and Grandma while Scott and I ran.

Me with a group of friends who also ran the race.

There's Scott!

Scott crossing the finish line at 24:30. Not too shabby for his first 5K.

I have a picture of me crossing the finish line, but I choose not to post it. Mostly because you can see my time and I like to perpetuate the illusion that I am some sort of athlete.

After the 5K the kids started their fun run. Adam is in the blue shirt literally elbowing his way to the front.

I think the course was 1/4 mile. Adam and Jane both ran the entire way. Adam even fell and scraped his knee pretty badly, but he hopped up and kept going.

It was literally a dream come true for Adam to cross an actual finish line. They had medals at the end for the kids.

I just want to squeeze her sometimes.

Coming up, the race I ran the following day in NYC...

What We Did in September

2011-10-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

Ever since Jane got this dress she said she wanted to ride "the painted horses" at the museum while wearing it.

Dream come true.

Adam started his final year of preschool. He's just so big.

Jane started her first dance class. Jane and tutus are like pancakes and syrup, they just belong together. And are usually a tad sticky.

Paige is finally old enough to enjoy the finer points of the museum.

Up next: The Run for Mercy and a Girls-Only-No-Kids-Allowed trip to NYC. Stay tuned.

Camping Trip 2 of 2: Stony Brook

2011-10-18T08:35:00.000-04:00

We picked a good campsite this time. We were right next to the bathroom, a stream and a bridge. The kids were in heaven.

Oh, and there was a grate. Who needs Disney World?

We got smart this time and brought the stroller to contain the mover.

Setting up camp.

The kids were fascinated by the fire. Aren't all kids?

Blueberry pancakes people! Over a fire. You are supposed to be so in awe of my skills that you don't notice my white socks being worn with my Tevas.

We spent the rest of the day hiking. It was very beautiful. Jane was very happy to have her very own backpack to cruise in.

So was Paige. Believe me, she's happy.

A chair-shaped rock!

After our hikes the kids enjoyed a little water-sliding.

Paige and I sat on the side, looking cool.

Camping Trip 1 of 2: Ithaca

2011-10-18T08:18:00.000-04:00

It took us a while to get there and most of our children fell asleep. Two out of three ain't bad.

We stopped at Buttermilk Falls for a quick hike before setting up our campsite. One of our children literally jumped right in.

The other? Not so much.

This place is gorgeous.

By the time we headed to our campsite everyone was hungry. And tired.

What to do with a crawling infant while camping? Improvise.

All set up. Scott, Adam and Jane on the left. Paige and me on the right.

I'll leave it to you to imagine how smoothly the night went with a 4, 2 and 11 month-old. Luckily everyone fell asleep on the way home.

Summary of Summer: Part 2

2011-10-17T21:44:00.001-04:00

Scott had his 20-year high school reunion. These are his friends, otherwise known as his "AP Physics Study Group". They had a special table in the library. Enough said.

Future AP Physics Study Group. Scott will show you guys where to find your table.

Something epic happened this summer. Scott got a new wallet. That is scotch tape people. Scotch tape.

When the kids go to bed at night I clean up the toys. Occasionally I find little vignettes and I wonder what scenario was being played out from her imagination.

The summer wouldn't be complete without wrestling. Paige was a semi-voluntary participant.

We went to Scott's annual employee party at an amusement park. I don't like amusement parks. Call it trauma from my hometown, but I always feel a little nauseous, even if I don't ride the rides. And don't get me started on the kiddie pools. Okay, I'll start. Five floating bandaids people! Five.

I make him hold my hand. He meets the height requirement, but I'm still afraid.

We participated in a fruit and vegetable CSA this summer. It was wonderful.

Adam, Jane and their friend figured out how to play a game without Paige's "participation".

We fed the ducks.

They slept. I am so thankful that happens. Every. Single. Night.

Summary of Summer: Part 1

2011-10-17T20:43:00.001-04:00

We took the kids to a rope swing.

Scott demonstrated safe and responsible behavior.

We participated in swim lessons at a friend's pool. Paige and her playmate were well contained by this marvel:

Jane and her friend waiting for their turn in the pool.

Paige just asking to be squeezed.

We even broke out the paints a couple of times. I hate the paints. They're messy. Which, I believe, is why the kids love them.

We went on many hikes. One of them even had a waterfall.

The boys enjoyed prancing at the top of the waterfall while the mothers grimaced and sucked air through their teeth.

And. And. And. There was a zipline. If you know Scott, you knew it was coming.

You're thinking, "She wouldn't!"

I would and I did.

Summer Vacay to Utah:Part 6 (and Final!!)

2011-10-03T20:13:00.000-04:00

In the final days of our trip we took a drive up to Squaw Peak. The view of the valley was awesome.

Scott is always on the look out for unique playgrounds and saw this one on the way to a friend's house in Spanish Fork.

I am not sure what to say about this picture but felt it was necessary to include it for posterity.

On our last night we did something we can't do in NY, set off fireworks in my brother's driveway. Here is Adam standing next to a completely reasonably sized package of fireworks.

Jane found some of the fireworks to be a little too much.

Jane and her cousin Jace.

After 12 fun-filled days in Utah we flew home. I wish the flight home was as uneventful as the flight out. Unfortunately there was vomit. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

The end.

Summer Vacay to Utah: Part 5

2011-10-02T15:36:00.002-04:00

We also decided to hike the "Y" while we were in Utah. For those of you not familiar with Utah, on the mountain behind BYU campus there is a giant "Y" painted in white. BYU is nicknamed "The Y". Here is a terrible side-shot of the Y.

Some things about hiking to the Y; there is no shade. So if you're hiking in July like we were you will be hot and may possibly die on the trail.

Also, the trail is steep. It's a mountain. There are switchbacks, but it is still an intense climb, especially when carrying a 25lb infant or a toddler on your shoulders.

Hey! We found some shade. Kind of.

We finally made it to the top and the kids had fun cavorting on the Y with their cousins.

We headed down, which was much more pleasant than the ascent.

Scott in his role of Super Dad. I really did feel faint on the way down, so Scott carried both girls. Adam climbed the whole way up and down himself. He's a hiking champ!

Potpourri

2011-09-30T14:41:00.000-04:00

*I found this as a draft from earlier this year. Enjoy.

Here's what we've been doing this month.

1. Making gigantic messes inside because Spring is being stubborn.

2. Participating in swim lessons at the YMCA. Adam got to do a class with his bud Isaac.

3. Went on many Easter egg hunts and enjoyed the treats.

The end.

Summer Vacay to Utah: Part 4 (Hiking to Timp Caves)

2011-09-30T14:28:00.001-04:00

Our second hike was to the Timpanogos Caves. This is one of those beautiful hikes that, for some reason, we never did all the time we lived in Utah. We hiked with my sister, Melody, and her family. That worked out to 4 adults and 6 kids 4 and under and a high mountain with no guard rail. Lots of, "get away from the edge!!" moments.

The tunnels were a highlight for the kids.

Jane made it this far (3/4 of the way up) all on her own. If you've done this hike, you're impressed, if you haven't, you should be.

Then this happened.

Ready for our tour. Now I know that it was at this moment that Jane was filling her diaper. Made for a rather fragrant tour through the narrow, humid caves.

We had the best tour guide. She paid a lot of attention to the kids.

That's Paige's drool on my sweater. In case you were wondering.

True to form...

Summer Vacay to Utah: Part 3

2011-09-30T14:17:00.001-04:00

On a particularly hot day we tried out the Orem Community Pool, which was like a mini-waterpark. Paige is not a huge fan of the water.

She did, however, enjoy chilling by the pool with Jane and me.

Go ahead, try to resist the urge to squeeze her, just try.

Adam went down this slide approximately 4,934 times.

Summer Vacay to Utah: Part 2

2011-09-30T14:10:00.000-04:00

After the reunion we tried to see as much of beautiful Utah as we could. We started with a hike on the Alpine Loop. It was lovely.

Delicious, cool, spring water along the trail. Perfection.

Can you see Paige in this picture? She's in the backpack; probably sleeping. Bum.

Hey she's awake! My bad.

Adam LOVED the hikes. I should mention that he hiked every single one unassisted. He did ask for a lift a couple of times, but being the oldest of three means there is no one left to carry you. He was a champ!

Summer Vacay to Utah: Part 1

2011-09-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

So, we went to Utah at the end of July and now it's September. I am a bit behind on my blogging. Sorry.

We flew out late and it went something like this:

Pretty awesome. Even better is that, when we landed, they rolled their little suitcases all the way to the rental car and we drove to my brother's house and then they went right back to sleep. Best case scenario when traveling with three children 4 and under.

We visited the aquarium in Sandy and a good time was had by all with the possible exception of the octopus that Scott took a flash picture of after missing the announcement that it basically blinds the octopus. Whoops.

Paige's exertions were so extensive that she had no choice but to collapse into a deep slumber (a recurring theme throughout the trip).

Another recurring theme was Scott and me stuffing our faces with delicious Mexican food at every opportunity. We found a Mexican grocery store near my brother's house that had the most delicious food. One little treasure were the popsicles. Paige and I shared this coconut beauty.

The whole reason for this trip was to attend a family reunion in southern Utah. There were a lot of fun things to do. My dad was handing out rides on his scooter and Jane was first in line.

My Dad built an awesome playground for the kids. From scratch. He's a bit handy. He needs to live closer.

We went to an Iron Man competition while we were in southern Utah. It was fun to watch, but the kids had more fun at the playground.

There were a lot of babies at the reunion, so there was some doubling up in the cribs. This is Paige and her cousin Noelle.

Some of my siblings put together a kickball game. I'm not one to be left out.

Paige didn't seem to mind.

I took the girls to bed but Scott and Adam stayed back with the boys to roast marshmallows.

I love this picture that Scott snapped of my Dad and Jane at church.

After the reunion we headed to Orem to stay with my brother for the rest of our trip. There was a huge rocking horse. Jane was happy. To be continued...

How to Feel Better About Your Mothering Skills

2011-09-10T13:41:00.000-04:00

Here are some highlights to watch for:

00:00:00 - Completely clueless
00:00:50 - See coin in crib
00:00:58 - Recover senses
00:01:02 - Pick up coin and realize there is also a little bit of vomit on and around coin
00:01:05 - Turn off camera and start shaking and sweating while I hold my baby

There. Now do you feel better about your mothering? At least YOU didn't let your baby swallow a dime, put her to bed (with her bottle! Crime!), and not hear her while she (obviously) gagged and threw up in the night. You're welcome.

Paige is 1! One!

2011-09-10T13:26:00.000-04:00

There was S'more Cake, born of our recent discovery that Paige loves roasted marshmallows.

There was pizza (and a slightly tacky "1" crown, Target sucks me in every time).

There as the obligatory feeding frenzy resulting in one very messy girl (I actually found cake in her belly button at bedtime).

And there were presents and lots of "help" from her siblings and cousins in opening said presents.

But, mostly there was a little girl. She joined our family a year ago and is a constant source of joy to all of us.

At the ripe old age of one she:

(finally) Sleeps through the night
Stands unassisted
Says mama, dada, baba (bottle), hi, no and up
Belly laughs at her siblings antics
Waves at EVERYONE
Dances when you sing to her
Puts anything smaller than a golf ball in her mouth (horrifying post to come)
Climbs the stairs

We adore this sweet baby and are so happy she joined our family!

Holy Slacking Batman!

2011-08-22T10:40:00.006-04:00

Has it really been over two months since I last blogged? I wish I could say I was doing something important, but, alas, were simply enjoying our summer. I have many posts to come, but I thought I'd keep you entertained with a little performance from Jane. We had been listening to Cake in the car.

Incidentally, Jane is very interested in the a song on the same album involving Chicken McNuggets and can't figure out why we never let them get to the chorus before we skip to the next song...

Lilac Parade

2011-06-11T16:44:00.000-04:00

Since moving to Rochester 10 years ago I have been looking for a good parade. Rochester does a lot of things well, which is why we live here. Parades are not one of those things. The biggest problem is that most of the high schools around here have orchestras, not marching bands. The marching bands make the parade. I did my time in the high school marching band and want to be able to appreciate it as a spectator (granted, I was last chair clarinet and only pretended to play when we marched in parades. What? Shocked? Don't be, my band teacher loathed me. The feeling was mutual.).

Anyway, a friend recommended the opening parade for the Lilac Festival. So off we went. It did not disappoint. The flowers were lovely.

While we waited for the parade to start the kids and Scott stumbled across a little spot where a large tree created a kind of fort.

The tree was really cool. Old and big with gnarly branches.

Perfect for riding. We'll be visiting this tree again on our next visit to Highland Park.

It started to sprinkle a bit but the weather held for the parade. Poor Adam is wearing a hand-me-down raincoat from a friend. I am pretty sure it's a girls coat. I guess it's a good thing he's not yet at a point in his life to care about such things.

Jane loved all of it. Her favorite were the "princesses", also known as "Miss (fill in the blank with any number of pageant titles) ". I'm not sure how to feel about her early fascination with beauty. I about threw up in my mouth when "Miss Barbie Rochester" came by waving out the sunroof of an SUV which I am pretty sure was being driven by her mother. Just what every mother wants for her daughter, to be a sexist, unintelligent and unrealistic stereotype of womanhood. Nice. Moving on.

All in all the parade was awesome. Marching bands abound as well as floats and those guys in the tall hats that drive the go-carts in fun configurations. Love those guys.

Jane, forever my rule tester, loved walking down the middle of the road without holding anyone's hand. This picture is actually a perfect metaphor for her personality.

Verdict? Go to the Lilac Parade. It's the best I've see so far, except for the Wo-Zha-Wa Parade in my hometown, it was awesome, but that may be a bit far. And don't ask me what Wo-Zha-Wa means. I have no idea.

Cinco de Mayo

2011-06-11T15:32:00.000-04:00

Except it fell on a Thursday and we celebrated on Saturday, so the actual title of this post should be, "Siete de Mayo".

I made lovely centerpieces from mason jars and tissue paper. Very festive, no?

Lots of people came and brought their favorite Mexican dishes to share (FYI, the best kind of party is when other people do the work).

It was a bit chilly, but manageable.

I made tamales, and apparently, they were quite good.

There was a zipline, much to the delight of the children.

And also a pinata that went a long ay in keeping the little people happy.

Jane found a good use for the broken pinata.

The end.

It's Not Easy Being Green

2011-06-11T15:14:00.000-04:00

Actually, it's easier than I expected. We made some changes this spring that we thought we'd share with you. We purchased this little beauty on CraigsList:

Is it a play house? A cage for my children? I wish. I think the neighbors might complain. We also bought these supplies:

Then we went and picked up "the ladies". Meet Blueberry and Clementine.

That's right we have chickens. Laying hens to be precise. And, yes, it's legal (always the first question). My guess is that your opinion about this will fall into one of two categories. First, "You're nuts!" Or, second, "Awesome, tell me more!" We've had these ladies for a while now so I can tell you that they don't stink, even when cleaning the coop (which is not difficult). They are very well behaved and my kids love them, sometimes more than chickens care to be loved.

When the coop was delivered Scott said we could take bets on how long it would take Jane to climb inside. The answer? Not too long:

This was before the chickens occupied the coop and she hasn't been back in since, but it is one of those perfect examples where Scott is always right (I assured him she wouldn't fit and couldn't get the door open).

If you are a Facebook friend then you may already be aware of our other addition:

They are up and running. We figured they take care of about 1/2 of our electrical needs. Not too shabby.

There you go. We're officially the weirdos on our street. Not that we needed much help in that department.

Sound Bites

2011-05-02T15:32:00.001-04:00

Grandma was sitting in the play room with the kids when this little gem occurred:

Jane: I'm a tiger!
Grandma: Ooo, Adam, Jane is a tiger! What kind of animal are you?
Adam: I'm a human, actually.

Back when my hair was longer I would wear it curly most of the time. One day I straitened it and Jane said, "Mama, you combed your hair! You look so pwetty!"

Paige:

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

2011-04-14T14:37:00.001-04:00

I've been talking about it for about six months and today I finally did it. I made the appointment, dropped my kids off at a friend's house, and took my tablet PC with a picture of Victoria Beckham to the hairdresser. Here are the before pictures (pictures and babysitting courtesy of my friend Kelly):

And after:

I have to say, I'm still hyperventilating a bit. It's sooo short, but I really do like it. Jane told me that my hair "looked like grandma's now". Not sure how to take that.

Trip to Michigan Candids

2011-04-14T10:14:00.001-04:00

While some of our Michigan adventures were a little more epic, we had lots of time to just visit and relax. My Mom organized a family dinner at her house on of the nights. My brother and his girlfriend, sister, grandmother and uncle and his partner all came. There was an island theme and the food was A-mazing.

The night of the dinner my Uncle Joel and his partner, Michael, gave my kids Easter baskets.

To say that the kids were happy is an understatement. They loved the treats and toys. I loved the thoughtfulness of it all. It was wonderful.

Jane is my snuggler. Her top request any day is to be "rocked like a baby". Well, she found a good snuggle buddy in Grandma Kim.

We went to my uncle's salon and Jane and I both got a trim.
This is a picture of my Grandma Sammie (Paige's Great-Grandma) holding Paige while Jane and I were being beautified.

There was lots of time to just sit around. Paige learned to turn the pages of a book.

I love this picture of Adam and Paige. He loves Paige and I just happened upon them like this.

We were also able to get a four-generation picture for Paige. We got one for Jane last year. I love that my girls will have these.

It was such a wonderful and relaxing trip. I am already mentally planning our next...

Lake Michigan

2011-04-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Living in Rochester means Lake Ontario is just a few minutes away. And yet, I have never been to the lake. Why? Because it is brown, and ugly. Why is our Great Lake so yucky and Lake Michigan so freaking beautiful?? We are going to have to make a trip to visit my Mom in the summer time so we can actually go swimming in this beauty! During our trip this time we had to be satisfied with walking along the docks and beach and admiring the vistas.

Adam really wanted to skip stones on the water. Unfortunately it was still frozen solid.

Both Scott and I were constantly terrified that one of the kids would go over the edge and through the ice.

After walking along the beach we stopped at this playground. It was freezing outside, but the kids didn't mind.

I put Paige in the carrier and bundled her up to keep her warm. She was belly laughing while I was swinging with her.

Winter time at Lake Michigan was fun despite the frigid temperatures. Summer time at Lake Michigan sounds pretty good, no?

Indoor Waterparks

2011-04-13T22:53:00.000-04:00

I grew up in the birthplace of the indoor waterpark. I think they are awesome. Let me just say, however, that there are a few developments that I could do without. The buckets of water strategically positioned over stairways and walkways and manned by 11-year-olds? Those can go. Luckily it only took one "don't- you-dare-or-death-will-ensue" look from me and the kids didn't dare dump that bucket on me or my 2-year-old (seriously, they are a way to bully people without actually breaking any rules. I. Hate. Them.). Moving on.

We visited an indoor waterpark while in Michigan and within 30 minutes of arriving Adam announced that he'd like to live there. I forgot to bring our waterproof camera, so my pictures are limited. Here is a general view of the place and of a few people who should steer clear of string bikinis (I actually think this includes most of the population).

Since I didn't have my waterproof camera all I got were a few pictures of Jane eating her lunch.

I think her demeanor does an adequate job of expressing the general review of the place...

...awesome!

Culver's...

2011-04-13T22:36:00.002-04:00

...sweet, sweet Culver's. Do you live in the Midwest? Do you have a Culver's? Yes? I hate you. For the uninitiated, Culver's is the home of the Butter Burger and the best custard out there (sorry Rochester, Abbot's just doesn't cut it). Anytime we are close to a Culver's I have to eat there. Repeatedly.

Because I am a good mother and abide the principles of Super Baby Food* (which tells us that it would be best to never introduce our children to chocolate, HA!), I fed my 7-month old chocolate custard.

Yup, definitely my daughter.

*This is actually an AWESOME book if you're making your own baby food. The author is just a bit...orthodox.

Traverse City Children's Museum

2011-04-13T22:26:00.000-04:00

The last time we went to visit my Mom was about a year and a half ago. Adam was 2 1/2 years old. Despite his youth and the long time in between visits, he still remembered "the red museum". The Traverse City Children's Museum is red on the outside and Adam has been talking about it for over a year. It's small. It is basically one large room sectioned off for the separate exhibits. The champion of the exhibits is the modular water table. It has a current going through it. You can move the walls to manipulate the current.

Jane was soaked from head to toe and I had to use the hand dryer in the bathroom (twice!) to make her clothes wearable again.

Adam loved playing with the walls and then sending boats down the river to see what changed. He really is our little science nerd.

I wonder here he gets that from...

"Where are We Going?"

2011-04-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

"Grandma's House!" Don't know Dora? Then I guess you can't appreciate that Jane recited this phrase repeatedly during our 9 hour drive (13 hours total travel time). Lucky for us there was a children's museum in Ontario, just about halfway. We have a membership at our local museum and this one was reciprocal. Free = Awesome.

It was no Strong Museum, but it met my kids' needs just fine. There were dinosaur costumes,

and rockets,

and a space exhibit,

and a snowmobile (only in Canada, right?)

and a slide. Thank goodness there was a slide.

We left our house in Rochester at 8am and arrived at my Mom's around 9pm. Let the festivities begin!

4. Four!

2011-04-11T09:50:00.000-04:00

Let me just do that annoying-disbelieving-mother-thing and say that my baby is four. Four is one year from five which is kindergarten! I am not ready. I am NOT ready.

Okay, now that I have that off my chest. We celebrated Adam's 4th birthday in March. There were balloons,

and a tower of cookies (for the kid who doesn't like cake or frosting, weird I know),

and presents ripped open with glee,

and, finally, a trip to Jump Club. He had to choose 4 friends. It wasn't easy for me to let him make this decision on his own since his friends are the children of my friends.

He was one happy boy. Here is what he's been doing:
-Wearing his glasses willingly and consistently
-Patching his eye only 2 hours a day (down from 6) because he is now 20/30 instead of 20/50 (yay!)
-Wearing underpants to bed at night with no accidents
-Keeping us all safe and in line by reminding us regularly of the rules in any given situation
-Buckling his own seat belt (can I get a hallelujah?)
-Turning into a nerd (and I honestly and truly could not be happier about this) with his request for magnifying glasses for his birthday.

We love our boy and the ways he makes us laugh daily.

6 Months

2011-04-11T09:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, so she's actually 7 months now. But this picture was taken when she was six months! Are you so proud of me for doing her six month cake? I have missed all of her others. Anyway, our baby turned half a year in March.

Here's what she's doing:
-Weighing in at over 20lbs
-Eating solids (finally)
-Sleeping 8-12 hours at a stretch (finally)
-Sitting up
-Spitting up (still)
-Not rolling over (anyone else's children completely skip this milestone?)
-Laughing (those awesome belly laughs)
-Babbling (lots of "dada", no "mama", video will be forthcoming)
-Traveling internationally (That's right, we drove through Canada on our way to visit my Mom in MI, jealous?)
-Coming into her own sweet little personality
-Making us all fall in love with her a little bit more everyday.

What Exactly is Going to Happen?

2011-04-05T15:25:00.000-04:00

I'm going to throw a hypothetical out here and see what you wise and wonderful people have to say about it. What exactly is the big deal with leaving your kids in the car? Let me start by saying, that I know some stupid parents have actually killed their kids by leaving them unattended on a too-hot day. But, that kind of irresponsibility aside, what's the big deal?

If my children are buckled in their carseats, the weather is temperate and my car is off with the doors locked, what catastrophe is going to befall them while I run into the bank or the post office? Are they going to get kidnapped? Is someone going to break my windows, unbuckle my kids, and run off with them in the five minutes I'm gone? All without raising any eyebrows? If that's the case, I guess I should keep them away from the windows at home as well. Are they going to spontaneously combust? Go blind? Lose a limb?

I just fail to see the harm. A friend of mine from high school wrote this in her status on Facebook:

"So we went out to eat for lunch and when we were walking out there was a car next to us that was on and a baby inside, no parents in site (sic). I stood there and watched and the mother came over check on the baby and went back to sit down to eat....without the baby. My husband went to talk to him knowing the guy was Military and told him he wasn't leaving until they left or got the baby out of the car. Then the manager called the cops. WHO DOES THAT??????"

There were tons of comments like, "You saved that baby's life!" and "I hope they go to jail!" Not one person stuck up for the parents and said, "The baby was probably sleeping and, if the car was locked, no harm done."

So, educate me friends. Apart from the media hype about babies dying in cars, what is the big deal? Why can't I, as an intelligent and responsible parent (don't question this, just go with it), evaluate a situation and say, "My children are safe." Why is it anyone else's business? Why do people stake out other people's cars and call the cops?

I welcome your comments. I think. I'm actually a little afraid.

Who is the "Big" Sister?

2011-03-03T19:59:00.000-05:00

I know, trick question.

Tricky Little Monsters

2011-03-03T19:51:00.001-05:00

Adam and Jane share a room. However, every night Adam goes to sleep in our bed and we move him to his own bed after he falls asleep. Why? Because if we don't the kids play their own version of WWF Smackdown into the wee hours despite repeated parental interventions. So, when we went to our bed to move Adam, we were a little confused...

So, we separate them so they can fall asleep and they show us up with this little maneuver. Well played, well played.

Candy!

2011-03-03T19:42:00.001-05:00

"As a kid, the only thing I really cared about was candy. Candy is the only reason you want to live when you’re a kid. Ages zero through ten, candy is your life, there’s nothing else. Family, friends, school…they’re only obstacles in the way of getting more candy. And you have your favorite candies that you love. Kids actually believe that they can distinguish between 21 different versions of pure sugar."

Jerry knows.

Free Money

2011-03-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

I had a professor in graduate school who insisted that there was no such thing as a free lunch. Well Dr. Whitehead, I can buy a whole lot of free lunches with this money! I am sure he would argue that I still had to use some of my time or some hogwash, but let's face it, this was FREE MONEY! If you don't remember how we came to possess this lovely check, you can read about it here.

"XBOX!" "Kinect!"

2011-03-03T18:53:00.001-05:00

These are the words I hear right before Scott and the kids get their morning dose of River Rapids or some other interactive game. For those of you, like me, who hadn't heard of Kinect, let me give you the simple description. It's an accessory for the XBOX. It is like playing the Wii, but you don't have to hold anything. It just senses your movements. It's pretty cool. The kids beg Scott to play for a few minutes every morning before work. Every time you play, it snaps a few pictures. I thought these two were particularly entertaining.

Come play with us some time. It's actually quite a workout.

Daddy's Girl?

2011-01-23T18:59:00.000-05:00

We have a Daddy's Boy (Adam) and a Momma's Girl (Jane). Is this Paige indicating her choice?

Maybe, but I think I still have time to win her over. I paint toes. And have good smelling lotions that I will let you use. And I love a good snuggle.

Just sayin', Paige, don't give up on me yet...

Sink Bath

2011-01-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

I was giving Paige a bath in the kitchen sink. Jane thought it looked like fun and wanted one too. I indulged her.

I mean, look at her. Could you say "no" to that face?

Then things got a little out of hand...

I promise I sanitized my sink after this.

More Soundbites

2011-01-14T12:47:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I have to document this stuff somewhere, it's just too funny.

Adam: Can I watch a show for quiet time?
Me: Sure let's see what's on PBSkids.
Adam: Dot org.
Me: What?
Adam: That's PBS's last name; dot org.
Me: Good to know.

Me: Okay Jane, climb in your bed for your nap.
Jane: (throws a Lego person under her bed)
Me: Let's not put stuff under the bed (fishing it out).
Jane: No Mama! I like to sleep with a man under my bed!
Me: Hmmm...

Paige and her Cuz

2010-12-26T14:31:00.002-05:00

We headed to Scott's sister's house in Buffalo Christmas afternoon. Scott's sister has a baby that is a couple of months older than Paige. We let them visit for a while under the play gym. It was all going well until...

Paige got a little taste.

And then some more...

Paige! No!

Luckily, Hannah is a forgiving spirit...

Because I'm an Awesome Mom...

2010-12-25T14:22:00.001-05:00

I was very prepared for Christmas.

My kids got the presents they asked for and a couple that I just knew they'd like.

But! In all my preparation I forgot to make sure the camera had enough memory to accomodate some serious Christmas morning picture taking.

It didn't. I got about 10 pictures before it told me the memory card was full. Awesome.

Yo Mama So Ugly...

2010-12-20T13:55:00.002-05:00

Our friends held an "Ugly Christmas Sweater" party. After a fiasco wherein I purchased a truly hideous sweater via Ebay and had it sent to my brother's old house in Utah by accident, I found this lovely number at WalMart. Somehow I knew WalMart would come through for me.

The idea was to pose as cheesily as possible. My spell check is telling me that "cheesily" is not a word. Apparently the spell check hasn't seen these pictures.

I also just happened to have these lovely green velvet pants laying around. I tried to convince a friend at the party that they weren't so bad and might actually look okay with a black top. She wasn't convinced. I'm not really either. I don't know why I bought them. I'm impulsive. If it helps you to not think less of me, I never wore them anywhere but this party. Didn't help? Oh well, I never liked you anyway.

As we were finishing up our photo session, another couple was coming down to start theirs. Scott and Kurt* decided to take a few together. As I reached the top of the stairs I heard Kurt say, "Why do I always have to be the girl?"

*Did you think I changed his name to protect his reputation? I didn't. I just wanted to note that Kurt won the prize for the ugliest outfit.

Stokoe Farm

2010-12-18T13:44:00.003-05:00

Adam's preschool class went on a field trip to a Christmas tree farm. It is a bit out of the way and there are some nice hilly roads. My poor citified children, they thought it was "just like Disney World".

Stokoe Farm is awesome. If you wear just the right snow pants you can really get going down this slide. Adam was wearing the right snow pants. Jane wasn't. Sorry Jane.

Here is my family sans Paige, who was smart enough to stay home and nap with Grandma.

Pay no attention to that double-chinned woman in the red coat. She kept following us around and sneaking into our pictures. Plus, I heard she's finally losing that baby weight.

Sound Bites

2010-12-12T09:27:00.001-05:00

It's that time again.

Jane was at the museum playing with a little castle. As she dropped little people down the trap door to the dungeon she would say "Ayudame!". Dora, it's like preschool on TV. Right? Right....

We have been trying to teach Adam not to pee on the seat, or at the very least to tell us if he does so we can help him clean it up. This morning Scott said, "Adam, somebody peed on the toilet seat." Adams reply? "Probably Mama." Sure Adam, sure.

And here are a couple of videos. You probably won't be that interested in them unless you're grandma or have an exceptional affection for my kids:

Paige (she's got things to say too!)

2!

2010-12-05T13:36:00.001-05:00

Our sweet baby girl is becoming less and less of a baby. She turned two on December 3rd. We started the celebration on the 2nd. She donned her birthday shirt and we headed to IHOP for her free breakfast.

While she enjoyed the pancakes, the ice cream sundae for breakfast was probably the highlight.

After IHOP, we headed over to Jump Club. We love Jump Club.

The next day was Jane's actual birthday. My sister and her family joined us for our little celebration.

Adam wanted to get Jane some slippers in the hopes that she would stop wearing his. I wish I could say it worked. Sorry Adam.

My sister got Jane a real Dora backpack, Map was even tucked into the side pocket. She sleeps with it at night like a stuffed animal.

Jane requested a pink frog cake, so that's what she got. Adam's already thinking about what kind of cake he wants for his birthday and it's a bit complicated. I may need to start outsourcing.

I can't believe she's already two, but there's no way she's a baby anymore. She speaks in full sentences (sometimes paragraphs), loves to sing and is getting a tad opinionated about her wardrobe. Luckily she still loves to snuggle. She also still tells me that she "loves me so much" and I look "so pwetty"! She's super-mischievous but she's also so darn cute you can't even be mad at her. Even when she walks out of the bathroom with her face covered in expensive black eyeliner.

Paige

2010-11-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

With a mischievous big sister and a silly big brother, she has some healthy competition for camera time.

But, I occasionally sit down and just take pictures of her while trying to make her laugh. Sometimes unsuccessfully.

This is the only picture from her blessing day. Taken by me, in the lobby of our church. I think I've mentioned before that there are certain injustices she will have to endure by virtue of being our third. A lack of pictures may be one of them.

But! But. Paige, are you listening? My younger siblings got away with murder. You should see the prom dress my little sister got out of the house in! What I am saying is that you may be able to use your wiles as our last baby to get away with more. It is one of the advantages of being the youngest. There aren't many, but there you go.

Bowling

2010-11-30T10:45:00.001-05:00

In November we went bowling with some friends.

To say the kids had fun is an understatement.

Random Cuteness

2010-11-29T14:50:00.001-05:00

I am one of those people who thinks my kids are really cute and that other people want to partake in their cuteness. Annoying, I know. Deal.

We got this towel at a garage sale when Adam as a baby. He never liked to use it, but Jane would live in it if we let her.

Seriously, where did she come from and how did I get so lucky?

The love of all of Paige's accessories continues. Only now they are banned from anything they might break since the death of our swing. I can't positively tie them to the death of the swing, but I have my suspicions.

Mmmm, pumpkin muffins. She liked the batter more than the muffins.

I love the outfits she comes up with. She loves to put things in her hair...and ham it up for the camera, in case you hadn't noticed.

Lollipop Farm

2010-11-28T15:37:00.000-05:00

We went on a field trip with Adam's preschool group to the local Humane Society; it's called Lollipop Farm. There are no actual lollipops there. Jane was initially quite disappointed by this but got over it when she saw all of the cute animals.

Adam was excited to see his pal Eli and the kids were happy to run free.

So, there was this goat. A very friendly goat. All of the other goats stayed in the barn, as good goats should. Not this guy. I think he was trying to get adopted. He picked the wrong crowd.

I didn't know whether to be concerned. Are goats ever dangerous. Was he going to eat my baby?

Because, seriously, he seemed a little too interested in the babies.

He followed us to the gate where we had to leave him behind. The kids were not at all scared of him. I was rather surprised by this. Jane's only concern in this picture is that he might try to steal her rock. This girl and her rocks. Another story for another time.

Here I am just showing off our rockin' new stroller. A place for the baby and a place for the other baby to sit. I have even been known to squeeze both Adam and Jane on that little platform.

*Also let's try to remember that I had a baby two months ago. So, if it looks like my coat may burst, well that's why. It has absolutely nothing to do with powdered sugar donuts. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

Accessories

2010-11-27T15:50:00.001-05:00

I don't even know what to say about this picture. The eye patch. The glasses. The hat. The pacifier (being sucked on by a thumb sucker). They're my kids. They're quirky, but I sure do love them.

Oh, and I just noticed the wet spot on Adam's pants. Awesome.

Sleeping Beauty

2010-11-21T09:54:00.004-05:00

Every so often there are those pictures that you think you should save to blackmail you're child someday.

You know, like when he is sixteen and cool.

That's when you break out the pictures...

...of him with chocolate all over his face, dead asleep and wearing a Cinderella dress.

Nah, why wait 'til he's sixteen?

Halloween?

2010-11-21T09:15:00.003-05:00

I realize it's almost Thanksgiving, but here it is.

We have a good friend whose children are a little older than ours and has a cache of Halloween costumes. We went "shopping" for our costumes at her house and the kids couldn't have been happier. For the actual trick-or-treating they were monsters. This worked out well because it was freezing cold and these costumes were furry and warm.

I took Jane trick-or-treating at the museum. Jane + elephant costume = cutestthingever.

At the museum, posing with her posse.

And the icing on Adam's proverbial cake was this costume:

He couldn't have been happier than when people said, "Hey, look, it's Buzz Lightyear!

And then he ran into his BFF, Woody, at the museum. And that look on his face my friends? Pure joy.

Potty Songs

2010-11-20T16:27:00.001-05:00

What will I do hen she is a surly teenager? She's so darn cute and I love her so much.

The Difference a Year Makes

2010-11-15T16:59:00.006-05:00

A year ago she had a wee bit of hair and it wasn't curly.

Now her curls must be tamed every morning.

A year ago she wasn't quite walking.

Now she's graduated to more acrobatic accomplishments.

A year ago she ate by shoving handfuls of food into her mouth.

Now, well, some things never change.

One thing that will certainly never change is the fact that we love this girl. She is the spice of our lives and she will be two next month. Sniff, sniff.

Check-Up

2010-11-15T15:38:00.001-05:00

Let's just say she passed this portion with flying colors, okay?

They have been measuring Jane like this since she was a newborn. It was a little comical and a little sad to see how big she looked on the table this time.

Bath Time Conversation

2010-11-09T19:31:00.002-05:00

Scott was giving the kids a bath while I fed Paige. I handed Paige over to Grandma after she was done eating and went to see if Scott needed help. When I got to the bathroom he was already draining the water, but I noticed the kids' hair was dry.

Me: You didn't wash their hair?
Scott: No, did I need to?
Me: I guess not, as long as you washed the rest of them.
Scott: Well, not with soap.
Me: So you didn't actually bathe them...
Scott: Well, at least they're not sticky anymore...

It seems as though our differing standards of cleanliness extend beyond the housework.

New Toys

2010-10-03T21:38:00.001-04:00

While the kids love Paige, they may just love all of her accessories a little bit more. Every time we get out a new piece of equipment they have to try it out for themselves. Never mind the fact that they used all of these things when they were babies. It's like Christmas!

The baby bath:

The swing ("sharing" with her doll):

Adam getting a little push from Jane:

Jane has taken to trying to put on Paige's clothes:

The Boppy is just as comfortable for Jane to rest in at 21 months as it was when she was a newborn:

Then there was this little altercation over the baby bath:

Photo Session

2010-09-30T08:33:00.003-04:00

My friend Joanna came over a couple of days after we got home to take some pictures for us. Can you believe she actually thanks me for letting her do this. She is awesome. I have the coolest friends.

Here is a picture of a picture (look how tiny she is!):

And the results (some of my favorites):

She even got a few of the older kids and some of the whole family:

If you have the pleasure of knowing Jane personally, can you think of a picture that would better define her personality?

First Day Home

2010-09-30T03:28:00.005-04:00

Paige and I took a little nap as soon as we got home from the hospital. Grandma Kim and Grandpa John had taken Adam and Jane to the museum, so I wanted to take advantage of a few last minutes of peace.

The kids were excited for us to be home and that "Baby Paige" (Jane's official name for her) was here to stay.

I was happy to be home as well. I really missed Adam and Jane.

Grandma Kim and Grandpa John were happy to get a little time with Paige before heading back to Michigan (they were so much help!).

The kids each enjoyed helping feed Paige a bottle of pumped milk.

Paige Jacqueline

2010-09-10T18:44:00.008-04:00

Our Dr. called at about 10am on Thursday morning to let us know they had a room for me and we could come in. I have lots of pictures of me pregnant with Adam, a few with Jane, and just this one (taken in the hospital room) of Paige. I am sure this is just the beginning of a long line of injustices she will face as our third (and perhaps final?) child.

They broke my water at around 11:30am and we walked for about 2 hours without much progress. At about 2pm we started some Pitocin to get some steady contractions. It took about two hours, but I started to have strong enough contractions that I needed to breathe through them. It was then that I asked to be checked to see if I could get an epidural. The Dr. said I was only about 4-5cm so I said I definitely wanted an epidural since I thought that it was still going to be a while before she came and I was ready for some relief. Unfortunately, it was a busy day in labor and delivery and it took the anesthesiologist 45 minutes to come. At that point the contractions were coming very close together and I was in quite a bit of pain. I was checked again and I was 8cm. There was a brief discussion between the anesthesiologist and the Dr. and it was determined that there just wasn't any time for an epidural. I was only half paying attention to these proceedings seeing as I was occupied with intense pain, when the anesthesiologist said, "Congratulations, it looks like you're about to have a baby. It was nice to meet you. Good bye!"

"Nooooooooooo!"

I turned to Scott and assertively informed him that I did not want to have this baby without an epidural. Luckily, I didn't have much time to object because in two minutes and three pushes baby Paige was on my chest wailing like a banshee. If she looks a bit beat up below it's because of her Indy 500 race down my birth canal. She literally scraped her head on my spine.

I made sure to inform her immediately that she needs to be a bit more obedient in the future. I had plans, and they included an epidural!

It wasn't long before Paige was introduced to friends and family. Jane was very excited to see her and immediately sang her "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" (being sure to give her a good jab in the eyes at the appropriate point in the song).

Grandma Dorothy:

Grandma Kim and Grandpa John:

Aunt Emily (or Aunt Mookie, as she is more affectionately called):

Adam could not get enough time holding her. Whenever someone else was holding her he wanted to know when his turn was. My favorite comment from him was, "She has teeny tiny everything!"

Grandma Kim and Adam:

Jane is very interested in Paige.

Mom of three:

I don't know how we got here, but it's going to be an interesting ride!

Janie

2010-09-08T13:38:00.003-04:00

Jane has really blossomed the last few months. She talks a blue streak and has a vibrant personality. I try not to compare my kids but I have to mention how different they are, even at this young age, in their preferences and skills. Jane is quite girly (despite certain worm-kissing incidents). She already loves to pretend play and does this without any direction from me. Here are some pictures of her from our most recent museum visit:

She is obsessed with these two. She spends about 10 minutes outside the Berenstein Bears exhibit just kissing/talking to her friends. She loves to stand just like she is below. I think she likes to pretend she's part of their family. I'll try not to be hurt. I mean, they do live "down a sunny dirt road" and all....

We rarely visit the Sesame Street part of the museum and Jane was thrilled to discover the taxi. She was even more excited to find her good friend Elmo in the backseat:

It has been so fun watching her explore the world and develop into her unique little self. I am getting a little teary-eyed as I realize she is going to be replaced as the "baby" of our family tomorrow. I just hope I can continue to keep up with her and not hold her back as she develops into a strong and independent girl. I love you baby girl!!

An Eventful Day

2010-09-08T05:25:00.004-04:00

Yesterday was Adam's first day of preschool. I went to pick him up a little early so I could catch some pictures of his first day. I think it's safe to say he had a great time...

After that it was off to his annual appointment at the ophthalmologist. You may remember what happened last year. You'll be happy to know that this year he didn't freak out when she used the pirate patch. He did, however, fail his vision test. It seems as though the eye without the cataract is compensating for the bad eye and the bad eye is weakening as a result. So, Adam gets to wear glasses!

Hopefully the glasses will just be a temporary thing until he has retrained his bad eye. If anyone has experience with toddlers and glasses, please share. He is supposed to wear them all day everyday. If this doesn't work the Dr. wants to patch his good eye to force him to use the bad one. So, we will be diligent about the wearing of the glasses (that and the $300 price tag are sufficient motivation for me).

So, be on the look out for a very studious looking Adam next week. I'm a little excited about his new look...

2010-09-07T08:00:00.002-04:00

I have found, with both of my children, that having them say "good-bye" to places or objects makes the transition easier and I rarely have to drag them kicking and screaming away from something. I don't know what it is about the act of saying "good-bye" to something that makes it easier for my kids to walk away, but there it is. Jane has stepped this up a notch and now kisses things good-bye; like the water fountain at the children's museum.

Well, we were at a Labor Day picnic yesterday and Jane found a worm. Jane has absolutely no qualms about picking up little creatures and studying them. Scott had a fun time encouraging her to show her worm to Mommy (I, for the record, DO have qualms about touching slimy creatures). Anyway, it was time to go. Do you see where I am going with this?

I told Jane it was time to say good-bye to her worm.

So she obediently put him on the ground and said, "Bye-bye worm!"

And before I knew what was happening she was on all fours, face to the ground, kissing the worm.

Oh, Jane.

The Butterfly Garden

2010-09-02T20:47:00.002-04:00

We have a yearly membership to our local children's museum. That place is my haven in the winter time when it is too cold to do anything else. Today it was my haven because it was too hot to do anything else (Adam swam the last 4 days and his eyes were so bloodshot I decided it was time for a break from that activity). Anyway, inside the museum is a butterfly garden which is basically like a fairy wonderland. Beautiful butterflies flutter around you and little pygmy quail scurry across the path; my kids love it. We go a lot, but here are some pictures from today's visit.

Adam loves to look at the cocoons and see the moths and butterflies that are hatching.

They are featuring a butterfly called the "blue morph", they are beautiful and they are everywhere.

Apart from the butterflies and quail there are also turtles, fish and these little tortoises. These little guys were awfully friendly and actually scared me with how they were climbing up the wall toward Jane. Jane, of course, thought it was awesome.

The museum saved the day (and my sanity) again.

Gardener

2010-09-02T17:46:00.005-04:00

We have some lovely flower boxes located outside our bedroom window. Adam has been diligent about keeping them watered.

He likes to vary his delivery method. He has a watering can but found this bottle and wanted to use it instead. If you recognize it, please don't think less of me; I washed it, I promise.

I know this looks a little unsafe, but our porch roof is only about 2 feet down. So, if he falls, he's not going far.

If you're a regular reader of this blog you're probably getting a pretty good perspective on the varying designs of Adam's underwear. I'm sorry, it's a battle I don't fight unless we're leaving the house.

Toesies

2010-08-31T09:50:00.002-04:00

I got a pedicure on Saturday and Jane has been obsessed with my toes ever since. I obliged her yesterday and gave her a little pedicure of her own. She stared at her toes and giggled for several minutes.

Grandma Kim and Aunt Stephanie

2010-08-30T15:23:00.007-04:00

My Mom and sister came into town a couple of weeks ago for a few days. We did lots of fun things, unfortunately I forgot my camera for several of those activities. Nevertheless, I'll give you what I've got. There was much sidewalk chalk drawing and bubble blowing.

One day we went to Powder Mills Park, which is a fish hatchery. The kids loved feeding the fish. Here are Adam and Stephanie.

Jane loved it when the fish would jump up to get the food and splash her a bit.

Jane and Grandma Kim, Jane was breaking the rules and feeding the waterfowl (ducks). She's never had much use for rules.

After the fish we made a pit stop at Corbett's Glen, which has some gorgeous waterfalls. We had some family pictures taken there a couple of years ago. Here are Grandma and Adam.

When Jane sees something new she likes to experience it with all of her senses. So she felt a strong need to throw herself into the water. Luckily she obliged me by letting me take off her shoes first.

Grandma pretty much made Adam's day by ferrying him up to the falls.

That look on his face? Bliss.

He loved being able to touch the waterfall.

Jane is not one to be left out.

This pretty much fulfills the fantasy she has as she stands at the bathroom sink for endless amounts of time letting the water run over her hands.

Thanks to my Mom and sister for a great visit. We are looking forward to seeing my Mom again when this baby decides to make her appearance. Can we make that soon baby, please?

Daddy's a "Sucker"

2010-08-30T14:20:00.002-04:00

You may remember a previous post regarding a certain cotton candy purchase. The picture below should come as no surprise to those of you who know Scott's weakness when it comes to spoiling his children:

To illustrate this, here is a transcript from a conversation we had the other day:

Scott: I know it's silly but Adam really wants (fill in the blank with anything Adam wants).
April: (being facetious) "Just Say No."
Scott: But why would I when I could say "yes"?

And that, my friends is why I am the "mean Mom". I don't exaggerate, Adam informed me of this the other day on the way to church. Being extremely pregnant and hormonal; it made me cry.

Even though I think Scott is a bit too indulgent, he is without exaggeration the best father I have ever seen. He is not only fun but thoughtful. He's read just as many (if not more) parenting books as I have. The kids jump up and down when he gets home and the first thing he does is lie on the floor to be mauled by them. The pictures below are from a couple of weeks ago. He let me sleep in one rainy morning while he took the kids for walk in the rain.

Jane was ogled by every passerby in her strawberry raincoat. Scott assured me when I looked at the pictures later that she was wearing clothes under that coat (just a onsie, but at least it was something)!

No doubt about it; these two love their Daddy. That's okay, my friend Deborah assures me that being a "mean mom" will make them respect me as they get older. Here's hopin'.

What He Does for Fun

2010-08-30T13:41:00.002-04:00

Adam loves the vacuum. Jane hates it, which may have something to do with why Adam likes it. If I want to occupy him for 45 minutes or so, I just turn him loose in the kitchen. He prefers to use the hose attachment since he can then be sure to get every single crumb. He's very thorough. Seriously, I don't even have to re-do it after he's done. As with everything Adam does; clothing is optional.

Oh, and he likes to mop too. But I do have to re-do that. There is a certain amount of elbow grease involved in getting the food, that my kids so lovingly grind into the floor, to come up.

Bubbles. He can finally blow bubbles himself. He sat in this chair for almost an hour one day. All I had to do was occasionally comment on the size or proliferation of the bubbles. Oh, and I did have to change his clothes afterward due to all the dripping. But for an hour of independent entertainment? Totally worth it.

Adam likes to be entertained or to play with someone. Don't be fooled by the above story of him playing independently for an hour; that's rare. So, it's always nice to have a friend come over. It's a little counter-intuitive to think that adding a child to the mix makes life easier; but it does. Jack came to play the other day and they had a marvelous time. I love how it looks like they're having some sort of serious conversation here...

I promise this next one was completely unstaged. I looked up, saw it and dug around frantically for my camera before I missed it.

Stay tuned for more updates on our summer. Out.

So...

2010-08-30T09:22:00.003-04:00

We finally got a new camera (which should please my friend Kelly, who has graciously loaned us her point and shoot for the last 2 months). So, I have lots of pictures to upload, including some from my Mom's visit a couple of weeks ago. I'm on it people. I'm nesting, and for some reason catching up on blogging is something I find biologically necessary before giving birth. While my pictures are uploading, here are some fun sound bites from the mouths of my babes.

Adam:
We were at Bill Gray's (a local burger joint) and Adam was eating his favorite food; french fries with ketchup. He happened to have a good view of the kitchen and could see the cook. It was then that he informed us that that was what he wanted to be when he grew up. A fry cook. Isn't that every parent's worst nightmare?

Jane:
Both kids were watching Dora (you heard me!). They are really good at talking to Dora when she asks questions. Here is the transcript from one such interaction:

Dora: "Who do we ask for help when we don't know which way to go?"
Both Kids: "Map!"
Dora: "I think you need to say it louder."
Adam: "Map!" (louder)
Jane: "It louder!"

Hey, you asked for it Dora.

One more interesting (disgusting?) Jane tidbit. We were at Tom Wahl's (another burger joint; I'm 9 months pregnant, okay?!) because they are selling $.99 rootbeer floats this month. I was sipping and enjoying my float while Scott went to pick up the rest of our food. All of the sudden Jane was saying, "Look me, Mama!" and I could see something green between her front teeth. And then I could smell it, and then I almost gagged as I scooped it out of her mouth. I would like to thank the super-classy person who put their chewed gum under our table. My daughter had minty fresh breath all afternoon. Yuck!

One Of These Things Is Not Like the Other

2010-07-28T08:25:00.004-04:00

So, when Adam got back from swim lessons the other day, his grandma had some friends over to play Bridge. After asking me numerous questions about the game, he asked if he could go watch their game. I told him it was fine as long as it was okay with Grandma. Grandma said it was fine, so he dragged a chair in and watched...

..with perfect posture...for 40 minutes. Somewhere, the gods of Bridge are smiling.

Sum-Sum-Summertime...

2010-07-26T21:15:00.004-04:00

We've been spending a lot of time by the pool. And by "the" pool, I mean any pool we can find. Here are the kids at my friend Kelly's in-law's pool.

Now, don't those pictures just define summer?

Summer Accomplishments

2010-07-05T09:32:00.009-04:00

Adam loves the water. He has been taking swimming lessons this summer and has been practicing swimming without his life vest. He has also taken up diving, which thrills his father and terrifies his mother. The next to videos are short. Enjoy.

Jane has also taken a liking to the pool...and Doritos. This is also a short video, the payout at the end is totally worth it.

Summer

2010-07-02T09:41:00.004-04:00

So, I lost my camera a while back. We have since purchased an underwater camera and borrowed an old point-and-shoot from a friend, but for a while I had to rely on my friends to e-mail me the pictures they took of my kids. Luckily I have very accommodating friends. I didn't take a single one of these pictures.

Adam took soccer lessons for the first time this summer and absolutely loved it. The coach, Tessa, was a girl from church who was home from BYU for the summer. Adam loves her and thinks she is all things soccer. Scott was showing Adam clips of the World Cup on YouTube and Adam said, "Where's Tessa?"

Tessa did an awesome job dealing with two groups of preschoolers who had no soccer experience and, sometimes, no interest in gaining said experience.
The soccer classes were held in my friend, Amy's, backyard, which was perfect because there was plenty for the siblings to do while the kids practiced. Jane loved finding all of the cool cars and defending them with her life (and her not-petite frame). I think my friend, Dave, who took this picture was trying to capture the popsicle juice running down her face and body (speaking of which, I think we owe you about 50 popsicles Amy).

Jane cannot compete, however, with Adam's fine popsicle eating skills (or lack thereof). There is a reason he is shirtless in this picture, I learned my lesson with the first 10 shirts he ruined (I'm quick like that). Unfortunately, the popsicle juice stained his body for several days. What is in that stuff??!!

We went to the Memorial Day parade downtown with the kids. I am slowly coming to the realization that my assumption that I was going to be the cool, fun parent and Scott the "enforcer" is completely backwards. That is cotton candy that Jane is eating. My fiscally responsible (cheap) husband shelled out $3 for that confection. Something he would not have done for anyone except his chubby-cheeked spawn.

Here's the whole family at the parade.

These last couple are just of Jane. I think that, if you look closely, you can actually see the mischief in her eyes. She thrives on challenging us and seeing how far she can push before we push back.

Oh, help.

Taking One Giant Step Back

2010-06-20T21:55:00.002-04:00

A high school friend of mine posted a link to a Redbook article on Facebook about breastfeeding and declared that she would be boycotting the magazine for encouraging women not to breastfeed. I'll let you decide if that is what it really said. I posted the following comment and immediately regretted it. If you've ever had a conversation with a "lactivist", you know why.

April Tripp Holmes

I read the article and it's not about proving a point. It simply gives women permission not to beat themselves up if it doesn't work out. I breastfed both of my kids, but they also got the occasional bottle of formula. I think her point was that we all want the best for our kids and we shouldn't feel bad if the best thing ends up being formula. As someone who has sat sobbing through the pain of a nursing session, sometimes a bottle of formula really is "best" for all involved.

Here is the response of one of her friends (Name withheld to protect the psychotic)

I disagree, April. Feeding children genetically modified ingredients full of corn syrup and certain allergens made by big corporations that discourage breastfeeding by hounding new mothers with their products via hospitals can not be best for all. There are so many better options available. A mother can pump and store excess breastmilk for those times when she needs a break. Also, goat's milk is a healthy option for children, and one can always buy breastmilk from a bank.
Of course, we don't want our children to grow up to have diabetes, obesity, or allergies, do we?
Learning to breastfeed is not easy, that's for certain, but the science proves that despite the challenge, breast really is best!

And that's when I decided that I wouldn't say anything else. But, then my nasty side got the better of me and I said:

April Tripp Holmes

I was formula fed and I am neither obese or diabetic, nor do I have any allergies. I even managed to pull off a Masters degree. But hey, if my mom breastfed me, maybe it would have been a PhD. This is obviously a hot button issue for you. I'll let it go.

And I promise that's what I'll do. But not before I publicly mocked her narrow-minded viewpoint on my blog. Ha!

Wow. Just, wow.

2010-06-03T10:25:00.001-04:00

This puts Adam's juice addiction into perspective. Be sure to scroll all the way down and see the video as well.

Sound Bites

2010-06-03T09:56:00.004-04:00

Everyday phrases at our house:

"Stop playing with your penis."

"Stop biting Jane's head!"

"I need some personal space right now."

"Make better choices."

"Get your hands out of your pants."

"You don't need to tell me every time you have to go to the bathroom."

"No, you can't pee in the bushes."

"You can't go outside without pants on."

"That sound Jane is making should tell you that she doesn't like what you're doing."

"Jane, what on earth are you doing?!"

"Did you bite her?"

"Did you bite him?"

"Why would you do that?"

"Where are your underpants?"

"Put your underpants back on please."

"It's time for 'quiet time'."

"Daddy will be home soon."

It's a glamorous life I lead.

March Anyone?

2010-06-01T21:44:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry. I'm a slacker. Not really, my house is relatively clean and I showered (recently) but I am a blog slacker. Lest you think I died, please know that I have been reading all of your blogs, I just have been a slacker about posting. So, here are some pictures from March. Adam had a birthday in March but, because I fear retribution from him when he is older, I will dedicate a separate post exclusively to that event.

We spent a day at the local zoo. Adam's favorite exhibit is the sea lions. We are going again on Friday with his preschool group and getting a private tour from a friend who works there.

Jane had her 15 month Dr. appointment in March (her 18 month is next week). Our children have never been petite. She weighed in at 27.5 lbs. She, like Adam, follows her own growth curve, roughly one standard deviation above the 95th percentile. Like my technical terms? I took a statistics class once and passed with a solid "B". That, unfortunately, does not mean that I have any recollection of what a "standard deviation" is. It sounds right though, doesn't it?

Scott was singing the music from and Tom and Jerry cartoon one day and decided to look up an episode on YouTube for Adam to watch. He looks a little disturbed, no? It made me realize that there is absolutely no violence in Dora or Little Einsteins. I am not sure whether that is a good thing or a bad thing.

We feed the missionaries from our church once a month. They were trying to get Adam to do some yoga, I think. The guy on the left went home a couple of weeks ago. We'll miss him.

Jane adds spice to our lives everyday. One of her antics is to collect items from where they belong and find new homes for them. This is a picture of one of her hide and seek escapades. Nothing of great importance here, but I am currently missing my camera and haven't ruled her out as a suspect.

I don't even have words for this one. This is just Jane in all her glory (or all her peanut butter).

I picked up this little gem at Goodwill (the toy not the boy, he came from my womb). It's kind of like dodge ball but you have a velcro target on your chest and the balls stick to it. It's a little outside Adam's current skill set, but I have a feeling he'll grow into it.

And, in case you forgot that all of these pictures were from March, here is Jane dressed for church one chilly morning.
Oh, this girl. I need to do a separate post just on her...

Still Still Alive

2010-05-08T11:27:00.002-04:00

Oh friends, I am so bad. I promise I think of blogging often but other things seem to keep getting in the way. For example:

Scott and I were married on this day in 1998 (I'll save you the math; 12 years)
Tomorrow is Mother's Day
Monday Scott turns 37

It's going to be a busy (albeit fun) few days.

In other news we have been discussing baby names. I am not one to keep them secret until the baby is born. We have discussed several names. Adam wants to name her Annie (Anne), which I love but I think his liking the name may have a lot to do with the Little Einsteins cartoon character rather than any fundamental love of the name itself. I am going back and forth between Paige and Claire. Scott is warmer toward Paige; but nothing is final. I shouldn't say nothing, her middle name will definitely be Jacqueline after my paternal grandmother.

While I have been neglecting my blog, I have been accomplishing a lot in the yard. Our yard needed a lot of work (and still does) so it was nice to start some landscaping projects. We also held a Cinco de Mayo party which necessitated the cleaning of my house; and that's no small project.

I have lots to post and I promise I will play catch up soon. I have Adam's 3rd birthday pictures, lots of pictures and stories from our spring outings and a pretty good video of the pinata breaking from the Cinco de Mayo party. And that isn't even close to everything. Just think, one day you'll check my blog (or Google Reader if you're smart) and there will be plenty to read about our (not so) exciting lives!

We are alive...

2010-04-19T20:31:00.002-04:00

The first 16 weeks of this pregnancy were pretty rough. But, I am feeling better and I have energy again, so I will try to get my blog up to date over the next few days. Here are some tidbits about what we've been up to:

1. We found out we're having a baby girl in September.
2. We bought ourselves bikes and have been riding all over. It makes us feel very hip and "green".
3. Adam has been coming up with all sorts of interesting thoughts like, "When Jane grows a penis, I'll teach her to use the potty." Thanks bud, for her sake, I hope that never happens.
4. Jane is officially a "strong-willed child". She keeps us on our toes and intimidates kids twice her age. Any suggestions are welcome.
5. I went to see "Wicked" the other day. I went to the matinee with some friends. Scott took the day off to watch the kids so I could go. He's just that cool.
6. Adam knows his letters and the sounds they make. His first sight word was, "Wegmans", which is our favorite grocery store. We're confident that, "JoAnne's", "Target" and "Panera" are not far behind.

Look for some actual posts with pictures in the coming days. I'm back, at least until I have this baby. Then I will probably disappear again until I regain my sanity and find the time and energy to shower regularly. Because it seems wrong to have time to blog when my hygiene is suffering.

Plinko and Customer Appreciation Day

2010-03-17T16:07:00.002-04:00

So, a few weeks ago, some friends of ours told us that their bank was doing a customer appreciation week. One of the days included an hour of Plinko during which you could win $1, 3, 5, or 10 or $5 and a chance to win a $500 CD. Well, not being patrons of this particular institution, we felt a little silly participating in their customer appreciation activities, but our friends assured us that you didn’t need to bank there, and if you won the CD they would just open an account for you. So to Plinko we went:

Jane clutching her prize money

We played the game, walking away with a total of $12, plus I won the chance to win the CD later that day in the drawing. We went to Five Guys to spend our hard won cash and went about our business…until a letter came in the mail 5 days later announcing that I had won the CD!

I have to say, I felt a little sheepish when I went to claim my prize and I had to admit that I didn’t actually have an account there. They didn’t seem to mind and my money is maturing as I type. The upside is that when customer appreciation week rolls around next year, I will be a card carrying member. And you can bet that I will be playing Plinko!

It’s Sooooo Me!

2010-03-17T15:58:00.001-04:00

Last month my cell phone was stolen (from church of all places!). Anyway, the person who stole it was bright enough to change my voice mail message to her own and to use her own name. Needless to say, after having a few people from church listen to the voicemail, we were able to track down my phone. Getting my phone back was like getting a whole new phone…a really crappy one, with a lame background (that cost money to download) and with about $15-20 of used minutes and texts.

I thought about keeping my new background, because it really spoke to my sense of style, but decided it was too confusing. Who exactly do I love 4 ever? Myself? Seems a little conceited.

Gag Me with a Spoon

2010-03-17T15:43:00.001-04:00

I have been especially nauseous with this pregnancy and one of the most gag-inducing tasks I have to perform is making Adam’s oatmeal everyday. He has his own special recipe which includes (but is not limited to) oatmeal made with soymilk, with a banana, raisins, cinnamon and a scoop of peanut butter. This is how it looks before being mixed:

And after:

The look alone is enough to make me gag, but the smell too. Ack. But, Adam always eats it with vigor:

but never with pants…

Three Years Old

2010-03-16T10:06:00.000-04:00

Adam's 3rd birthday was a day full of all the things he loves. He had a frog cake (luckily I was able to talk him out of the deer cake he wanted. Seriously, what 3-year-old wants a deer cake?)

Of course, balloons. Adam picked the colors and loved watching them get blown up.

There were funny birthday cards that sang to him.

And awesome presents that he had been asking for.

Happy 3rd birthday to a sweet boy. We love you so much Adam!

The Little Gym

2010-02-25T15:13:00.002-05:00

Last September, Adam started taking gymnastic classes at a place called “the Little Gym”. While we don’t have Olympic hopes for Adam, the class was a great opportunity for him to do something by himself with kids and adults that he didn’t know. At the end of January he had his final class, called “Show Class”, where he was able to show what he learned.

All of the kids got to make their own entrance while everyone clapped and cheered. The parents were all very good to cheer for every child. Enjoy Adam’s moves, although it reminds me a bit of Stuart from MadTV.

Adam was the only one actually doing what he was supposed to here.They are supposed to be crawling backwards across the bars (that’s him in the yellow shirt).

Here he is waiting for his ribbon.

And this is what Jane did most of the time.

Anyway, the class was fun but a bit pricey. Adam started a different tumbling class through our town this month and seems to be enjoying it. I have to say, however, that going into the 40 year old gym with a few mats on the floor at a broken down elementary school is a little depressing after the glitz of The Little Gym. But, you get what you pay for…

Florida Vacation: Part Three (The Beach)

2010-02-03T16:56:00.002-05:00

We ventured an hour east to Cocoa Beach to enjoy the sun and sand. Scott immediately got to work digging a hole. I know this is a male thing, I do not try to understand.

Adam had some issues with the sand touching him, luckily that didn’t last.

Jane trying out the hole.

I am a sucker for these types of pictures. Jane and her Grandma.

Jane tried (unsuccessfully) to refill Scott’s hole.

Adam and Scott admire its depth.

It was pretty impressive.

This was inevitable, sad and cute all at the same time.

There were those brief moments where all of the cousins played harmoniously together.

As noted above, I am a real sucker for these kinds of pictures…

So, that was our day at the beach. We piled our sandy, exhausted kids into the car, stopped at Dairy Queen for some cool refreshment and headed back to the hotel.

Florida Vacation: Part Two (or “Our Visit to the ‘Happiest Place on Earth’)

2010-02-03T16:33:00.001-05:00

We decided ahead of time that we would go to Disney World, at the most, two days. The kids are so young and it’s so expensive. Well, after our first day at Magic Kingdom we decided one day was enough. We had fun, but it is a long day for little kids (and parents).

I’ll let you decide whether Scott is riding alone or whether Adam just can’t be seen…

There was a huge tree house and Adam had a lot of fun exploring.

Before our trip, whenever Adam would watch a Disney movie, we would tell him that he was going to see that castle at the beginning when we went to Florida. He was pretty stoked to see it.

He really enjoyed the song and dance shows they do at the castle during the day.

I get motion sick pretty easily, so I stayed away from a lot of the rides, but I did go on the go carts with Adam. They were pretty lame.

I am sure there’s more to tell, but Jane illustrates well the way we felt at the end of the day.

Disney World, we’ll see you again some other time, when our children can appreciate you well enough to justify your exorbitant admission price.

Florida Vacation: Part One

2010-02-03T16:16:00.001-05:00

We went to Florida a couple of weeks ago to escape the bitter cold of Rochester. We were so excited to pull out the short-sleeved shirts and sunglasses; Jane especially like the sunglasses.

Anybody who knows me well knows I could eat out for every meal and be a very happy woman. So we enjoyed lots of meals out including breakfast at this little gem:

We also enjoyed that elusive delight called a “free upgrade”. We reserved a full-size sedan-type car and were given this beauty. Very cool.

The resort we stayed at had a heated pool and we did partake.

Up next…Disney World.

Trouble

2010-02-03T15:10:00.001-05:00

Jane finally decided to start “officially” walking the other day. She took her first steps at Thanksgiving but has been playing it cool since then. Unfortunately, her new status as “ambulatory” has given her quite the adventurous spirit and has gotten her into all sorts of trouble lately.

Climbing on things is a new hobby and has really opened up a world of possibilities for her.

In other news, I made a list of activities to do with Adam to avoid my fallback plan called, “Dora”. One of those things was making a fort. Adam hadn’t ever done this before and it had been years since I attempted the feat so I was pretty proud of my structure that consisted of a couple of chairs with a blanket thrown over them. Well, leave it to Scott to one up me. I came downstairs to this structure later that day:

Much cooler.

Notice his use of the tunnel as a point of entry? That was my idea. The rest? I just don’t possess the engineering skills to accomplish such greatness.

Mullet Be Gone!

2010-02-03T15:02:00.001-05:00

I had to admit a while back that Jane’s “curls” really amounted to no more than a wavy mullet. So, on a stormy night, I cut them off. I am quite pleased with the results.

Mmmmm…Chocolate

2010-01-10T18:50:00.001-05:00

We went to drop something off at a friend’s house and were rewarded with fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies.

Jane enjoyed them immensely.

Quiet Time

2010-01-10T18:48:00.001-05:00

Adam stopped napping a few months ago; partly because he no longer desired and partly because we arranged it. It got to the point that, when he would nap, he wouldn’t want to sleep until 10 or 11pm.

Unfortunately “no nap” meant no time for me to relax or get anything done. So, as a New Year resolution I decided that Adam would have “quiet time” every day. An hour in his room where he can play or read books. Unfortunately quiet time = nap time and nap time = late bed time. The solution is having quiet time earlier in the day before he is in danger of falling asleep. Lesson learned.

What we did on our Christmas vacation

2010-01-10T18:41:00.001-05:00

Over the last year or so, several bounce house places have opened in the Rochester area. These are Adam’s idea of heaven. He would play there from open to close (and has come close). The day after Christmas we took Adam and his cousin to “Bounce It Out” for the day.

They had a great time and were sad to leave. These places are amazingly fun for kids, but where you really get your money’s worth is here:

Admission to Bounce it out: $8. A quiet 1 hour drive to Buffalo. Priceless.

There are those moments…

2010-01-10T18:34:00.001-05:00

when you glimpse a piece of yourself in your children.

Watching Jane shovel in the last bits of her Chipotle meal with her bare hands was just such a moment for me.

Oh how I love this girl.

New Years Eve

2010-01-10T18:28:00.002-05:00

I’m obviously a little behind on my posts (as usual). We had a great New Years Eve with good friends and good food. The city of Rochester does fireworks every year at 10pm. Shortly after the party got started almost the entire group piled into cars and headed downtown to see the show. One of our friends works in a downtown law firm and had access to one of their 15th floor conference rooms. It was perfect for viewing the show; and a whole lot warmer than standing outside.

After the fireworks it was back to the house to consume copious amounts of food and play Rock Band into the wee hours of the morning.

These three were having a private party, complete with cheese doodles and IBC Rootbeer.

Thanks everyone for a great party. It was so fun to ring in the new year with our friends!

Christmas 2009

2010-01-01T21:14:00.005-05:00

There is much I could say about Christmas this year. It is the first time in a long time that we have stayed in our own home for Christmas. Because we usually don't stay home for Christmas we haven't put up a Christmas tree in years. It was such a nice change of pace to decorate our home and spend Christmas morning there. It was also the first year we've been able to enjoy the magic of Christmas from parent perspective, and we really enjoyed it. The kids each got one big gift and lots of little stuff. Jane's wooden dollhouse was, by far, the favorite gift. We had it sitting out when the kids came down and they played with it for quite a while before opening other presents.

The highlight of the morning had to be Jolly Old Saint Nick taking a walk down our street.

He got a little further down the street and one of his elves picked him up to take him back to the North Pole.

Later in the day Scott's sister and her family came down from Buffalo. Adam loves his cousin and they had a wonderful time together. Adam's dairy allergy limits what treats he can consume, but popsicles always win; even in the dead of winter.

It was a great day filled with fun family time and delicious food. We hope you Christmas was just as merry!

Christmas Cheer

2009-12-17T19:41:00.004-05:00

We took a bit of this,

and some of these,

and did this.

Adam prefers to work sans pants. He gets that from his Dad.

Jane was excited to get a taste.

I didn't realize until I uploaded the pictures, but Adam is naked from the waist down in the above picture. I wish I could say that never happens. See the previous post for the explanation of his nudity.