Monday, December 7, 2009

Ready for the Holidays?

A few weeks ago we got the boys picture taken for Christmas as we usually send out a photo with our cards. Here is the final result:

I thought the pictures turned out pretty good. They wouldn't sit together and both look at the camera at the same time so we had to settle for pictures of them separately! There were some nice ones of the two of them playing but each picture had the back of one of their heads!

We are preparing for Christmas in our house. Our tree is up and some presents have been purchased. We will celebrate Christmas with my family this weekend as we won't be traveling on Christmas day. Hopefully, I will post pictures of our visit once we return next week!

I know I have been absent from blogging. I have been preoccupied with spending time with my boys and working. Also, yesterday my computer crashed. Now I have limited access to a computer until I can get a new one.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

It's Starting Early This Year

There has been a lot of discussion in this house about Christmas. Pretty much as soon as Halloween was over, Thing 1 began talking about Santa Claus and Christmas lights. About a week ago, both boys decided it was time to start wearing their Santa hats. Now, I'm all for Christmas; however, I would prefer to wait until Thanksgiving is over!

So, the other day I asked Thing 1 what he wanted for Christmas.

Thing 1: "an umbrella and a flashlight"

Me: "Do you want anything else?"

Thing 1: "What does Santa have?"

Apparently, Mr. Claus needs to start sending out a catalog!

Sunday, November 1, 2009

"I got a rock."

Yesterday, after dinner, we headed out into the big, wide world in our best costumes to do some much needed trick-or-treating. Thing 1 had this trick-or-treating thing down. He wasted no time and ran from one house to the next. Thing 2, however, was pushed from house to house in his stroller and enjoyed being given candy for looking cute in a skeleton costume. After this endeavor, I do have one piece of advice for all who hand out halloween candy. *gets on soap box* Please offer candy to all children, no matter how small. I know my youngest child can not really eat candy, but he did see his older brother get candy at each house and feels he is entitled to anything older brother gets. If you must, just give the older child one piece of candy and the younger child one piece of candy. This will please the younger one greatly and we really do not need more that one or two pieces of candy per house anyway. For those of you who did not give candy to my youngest, once we left your house he got very angry and I am sure he cursed you in his own language. Thank you for listening. *Takes a bow and gets off soap box.*

Now to the real reason you came by this blog: Pictures!
We hope everyone had a safe and happy halloween!!!

Saturday, October 31, 2009

Pumpkin Patch

The Mr. took Thing 1 to the Pumpkin Patch with his class a couple weeks ago. The Mr. and I split up the field trips. I go to the zoo in the spring and he goes to the Pumpkin Patch in the fall. I asked him to take pictures of this event as I have never been. They seemed to enjoy themselves and Thing 1 spent the majority of his time with his girlfriend.
Where to? Better check the map!
To the petting zoo! Let's feed some goats!
There were many little houses and other equipment to play on that was modeled after different fairy tales.
Now, down the slide!
Next, the hayride to the pumpkin patch!
Here's the pumpkin Thing 1 wanted to choose:
Luckily, The Mr. made him choose a different pumpkin. Here's the one we ended up with:
Thing 1 and his girl at the Pumpkin Patch!

Monday, October 19, 2009

New Jobs

At daycare, the children are given jobs for the day. Thing 1 often comes home discussing what job he had or one of his friends had. The typical jobs are line leader, door holder, teacher's helper, or light person. Yesterday, during our travels, Thing 1 was handing out jobs to all of us.

Thing 1: "I'll be the line leader, Thing 2 can be the lights person, Daddy can be the car washer, and Mommy, you can be the housecleaner."

I feel I got the raw end of the deal during this handout of responsibilities. Luckily, Thing 1 said that we switch jobs every so often. Hopefully I won't be the housecleaner for long and I can get a job like door holder or TV watcher!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

A Morning in the Park

This morning we decided to take the boys to the park. They were both rather rambunctious running around the living room and destroying things. Because of this, we thought we should take them outside to burn off some energy.
I forget sometimes how brave my youngest is but then I remember once I allow him to play at the playground. He has no fear and will just try walking right off of the equipment or try to climb things that he just isn't tall enough to climb. Once he's a few inches taller, I will really be in trouble. If I can't find him, I'm sure he'll be in a tree somewhere!

Saturday, September 19, 2009

Back to School Night

This week we attended Back To School night at Thing 1's daycare/preschool. He will be starting kindergarten next fall, so I thought we better get used to attending these things. I picked the boys up a little early so we could get home, eat dinner, and then go back to the daycare. The center had some of the staff available to watch the kids while the parents sat in little chairs listening to the teachers discuss the curriculum that our children will be following for the next year. Anyway, on our way out of the house, Thing 1 got very upset. He kept saying that he couldn't go to school because he hadn't slept yet. He also made a point of saying, "But I don't have my lunch!" No matter how many times we explained to him that he wasn't going back for a full day, only for about an hour, and that he already had lunch that day, he would not listen. Poor guy, was so confused!

Back To School night was interesting. We really like Thing 1's new teacher. She is very friendly and patient with the kids. It makes Thing 1 more comfortable in class and more willing to try new things. He's a child that is very concerned about doing things correctly and won't even try something if he is afraid that he will do it wrong. Not sure where he got such a perfectionist attitude? :)

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Took the dog out and...

Came inside to find this...

No, we don't keep our children in a cage. I took MJ outside to pee and when I came back in I found both boys sitting in her cage, playing!

Friday, September 4, 2009

Excuses, Excuses

I've been absent from blogging. I was very bad at blogging in August with only 2 posts. That's terrible. I can't say it is because nothing occurred in this household and that our lives have been so boring that all of you would have fallen asleep. It's been my own procrastination and preoccupation with other things.

After our vacation to visit family in August, The Mr. was gone for a week on business. This happens on occasion, as you already know. However, this time he left on a Sunday afternoon and returned on a Friday evening. This left me extremely busy and exhausted by the time the week was over. Then, the weekend of his return, I began feeling ill. I went to work on Monday, only to leave at noon. My hope was that I would rest all afternoon and be at 100% by Tuesday morning. I was, unfortunately, mistaken. I felt awful. I attempted to get an appointment with my doctor to be told that they had no appointments that day or the next day. I would have to go to an urgent care clinic. Wednesday morning I made an appointment with the urgent care clinic. The doctor there told me that I had a stomach virus. I am out of work until Monday. I could have gone back today but I figured, why go back on a Friday? So, I had the doctor write the note for Monday.

So there you have it. My excuses for not blogging much in the month of August - or at least not for the past 2 weeks.

My future plans include: attending the Renaissance Faire and taking a Sign Language class. I start class on Thursday and purchased my book today. The class is 100% paid by my employer as we have a Deaf Program where we work and it would be helpful in my position if I could communicate with the staff and clients of that program without the use of an interpreter. (Interpreters are expensive, if you didn't know.) Posts on these events, as well as any cute or odd things my boys do, should follow.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Vacation in Pictures

We returned home at 3am on Wednesday from visiting family. Here are some pictures from our trip to Boston.

Our first stop on Saturday: New England Aquarium.

"Mom, the fish was THIS big!"

Thing 2 enjoyed watching the fish, sharks, and turtles swim by.

Thing 1 was able to touch a starfish.

We found that Thing 1 wasn't even half the size of a sand tiger shark.

Our next stop was the fountain. It was incredibly hot and humid making the cold water feel good!

Thing 2 being held by his uncle as he was just sprayed in the face with water and needed some comforting.

Our final stop for the day: Quincy Market. We needed to eat some good food before taking the T back to the grandparents'.

That steak & cheese sub was very tasty!

We couldn't forget to eat some nice bacon wrapped scallops! (And I did eat some New England Clam Chowder; however it was gone way before I could take a picture of it!)

Thing 1 sharing Grandma's smoothie.
This is how the boys spent the car ride back to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
And this was just day 1 of our vacation. We enjoyed spending time with family that we hadn't seen in awhile. We miss all of you and can't wait to see you again!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

The First Time Out

Yesterday, Thing 1 and Thing 2 were being bad. They kept getting into things they weren't supposed to and throwing toys around. Well, we had put Thing 1 in time out for these things and thought it was about time that Thing 2 start time out as well. (He can be the instigator at times.) Thing 2 was hitting the dog's cage with a toy (the dog was in the cage, by the way). The Mr. told him repeatedly to stop; however Thing 2 just looked at him and, very defiantly, began banging on the dog's cage again. So The Mr. sat Thing 2 in the corner. Thing 2 had a very confused look on his face. He sat there for a few seconds and then just got up. The Mr. sat him back down in the corner. This is when Thing 2 realized he was in trouble. He then began crying! The Mr. and I had difficulty containing our giggles as he just looked so cute sitting there all sad because he was in time out.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Sprinkler Fun

We purchased a sprinkler a few weeks ago and since it has been so warm recently, we decided to set it up. Here are some pictures of the boys cooling off in the sprinkler on a hot day.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

15 month stats

Thing 2 had his 15 month check up yesterday. He cried as soon as the doctor arrived and didn't stop until we were pulling out of the parking lot. He did get a clean bill of health, though! He weighs 21 pounds 14 ounces and is 30 inches tall. He's in the 34th percentile for his weight and 36th percentile for his height. For his height versus his weight, he is in the 56th percentile. He is small at this age compared to Thing 1. Thing 1 was always in the 90th percentile for everything. No wonder we can't use a lot of the same clothes over again!

Our only concern at the appointment was that Thing 2 doesn't say many words. Or at least many words that we can understand. He talks a lot but we have difficulty figuring out what he is trying to say. Thing 1 will speak for him and say "he's hungry" or "he's sleepy." The majority of the time Thing 1 is correct. The doctor, however, was not concerned at all. He stated that this happens often with 2nd or 3rd children. We need to work with Thing 2 by telling him the name of the objects that we are giving him and trying to get him to repeat them. We also need to try to keep Thing 1 for talking for his little brother! Thing 2 does say 'thank you,' 'tickle,' 'dada,' 'mama,' and either 'down' or 'dog' (not sure which as he says it to the dog in the morning when she jumps up). A lot of times we can only understand what he is saying when it is in context. For example, when he gives us a kiss, we say 'thank you' and he will also say 'thank you.' But if he is babbling on and says 'thank you,' I would have no idea!

Anyway, the past 15 months have gone by fast. He has 8 teeth now and is walking around like a pro. He "runs" down the hall at daycare when we go to pick him up as he wants us to chase him. He finds this hilarious! Thing 2 loves his big brother and wants to do everything he does. Yesterday he was coloring on a piece of paper sitting next to Thing 1, who was also coloring. He did pretty well holding the crayon and trying to make lines on the paper. It will be interesting to see what else he learns over the next few months!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

I have gone to the darkside!

Yep, you heard it folks. This household has gone to the darkside. We now Wii! We went shopping this weekend to actually purchase a laptop, however they didn't have what we were looking for. So, we purchased a Wii instead. You know, how they are so similar!?

Anyway, we had talked about getting one for awhile. I just could justify spending that amount of money, especially since I really wanted it for the yoga and would also need to purchase the Wii fit. Well, there was a sale going on if we purchased a package and even though the particular packages they had put together weren't exactly what we wanted, the sales people worked with us to give us the same discount on the items we wanted to purchase.

So last night we set up the system after the kids were asleep and began fiddling with it. This morning we had Thing 1 enjoying the Wii as well. He didn't do too bad on golf and also made it difficult for The Mr. to box with him as he kept dancing around the room! Thing 2 enjoyed watching us make fools of ourselves. So everyone had fun! I checked out the Wii fit today and found that I have skipped the "unbalanced" phase and went straight to amateur! I was pretty proud of myself. The Mr., however, is unbalanced. Oh well, we can't all be amateurs!

Since we have now gone to the darkside with the Wii, does anyone have any suggestions on good games for a 4 year old? I would also like suggestions on good puzzle games as I enjoy puzzles. The Mr. already has his eye on a few games and has purchased his first one so I think he will be fine.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

All Wet

When I picked the boys up from daycare today, I gave them their straw cups filled with water as it was really hot out today. Thing 2 did what he always does with his water - drank some of it then started playing by sipping the water through the straw and then letting it dribble down his chin. He finds this hilarious. Thing 1 drank some of his water, then dumped a good amount into the cup holders in his car seat. He then began flicking the water at me while I was trying to drive! Thing 2 laughed each time the water hit the back of my head. I made many attempts to get Thing 1 to stop hitting me with water. Nothing I said would get him to stop. I then contacted The Mr. to let him know of my drive home. The Mr. also found it funny.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Funny Quotes

Here are a couple quotes from Thing 1 from the past few days.

The Mr., "You are really rambunctious today."
Thing 1, "I'm not randy bush!"
***************************************************************************************
We were at the store today and saw a poster of the characters from Ice Age.
Thing 1, "Why is Diego here?"
Me, "I don't know."
Thing 1, all excited, "I think it's because this store is special! This store is special, Mommy!"

Saturday, June 13, 2009

First Haircut

Today we took Thing 2 to get his first haircut.  He was getting a lot of baby curls in the back and it was getting long.  I knew it was time for him to get a haircut when people were starting to ask "Is that a little girl or a little boy?"  

Anyway, Thing 2 was not very happy about the whole haircut experience.  He cried from the minute he got into the fire engine shaped chair until the haircut was over and we put him on the floor to play with the train set.

Here are some pictures of the progress:



And here is the final result!

Very handsome, if I may say so myself!

Friday, June 5, 2009

32 and 10

To The Mr.,
  Here I sit thinking of you as today is your 32nd birthday and our 10 year anniversary.  It's hard to believe that we have been married for 10 years and together for 15!  I love you very much and thank you for all that you do.  If it weren't for you, I would probably starve and go crazy.  I recall you getting up at 6 one morning to grill pork chops so the boys and I would have food to eat while you were away!  You are a wonderful husband and father.  We have had many ups and downs these past 15 years but have gotten through everything together.  I hope you enjoy your day.  Happy birthday and Happy anniversary. 

Love,
The Mrs.


Monday, June 1, 2009

And We're Back!

We arrived back at our house early this afternoon from the wedding that 3 out of 4 of us were in!  We had a great time and the bride and groom looked wonderful!  Here are some pictures from our trip as I am sure all you want to see is Thing 1 in his tux!

Of course, Thing 2 was there even though he wasn't actually in the wedding.  Here is a picture of him relaxing in the hotel.

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

We're Off!

Tomorrow we leave for a long weekend trip.  We are going to see some friends that we haven't seen in awhile and share in their wedding experience.  The Mr. will be doing a reading at the wedding, I will be a bridesmaid, and Thing 1 is going to be the ring bearer.  I am looking forward to seeing my 4-year old in a tux and top hat!  I will be sure to post pictures when we get back!  I hope everyone has had a great week so far and has a wonderful weekend!

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Gardening

On Thing 1's birthday, about a month ago, we planted a few pumpkin seeds in a dixie cup.  About a week later it had sprouted and was ready to be placed in the ground.  Here are a few pictures of Thing 1 helping The Mr. plant the pumpkin in the ground.
And this is what the pumpkin looked like yesterday...

Monday, May 18, 2009

Just Pictures

I have been neglecting my blog, lately. I apologize. I have been busy with work and with the kids as The Mr. was gone last week. Also, 3 out of the 4 of us are in a wedding in just under 2 weeks so we have been getting ourselves prepared for that. Anyway, here are some pictures to keep you checking this blog.