Warm Water

Me: Atticus, do you want to try to go potty before we get in the bath.

Atticus: Nope. I no need to go.

Me: Ok, you're sure?

Atticus: blank stare

Me: Ok babe, test the bath water before we get it.

Atticus: He leans over and puts his hand in warm water and promptly begins to pee all over the floor.

It was like being back in college... pranking the intoxicated boys!

Sleep. I need sleep.

So my dear baby girl decided to wake up last night just after midnight. The only way she would refrain from screaming bloody murder was when I was holding her while standing up. This went on for about an hour and a half. I finally laid down with her in our bed and passed out praying that she would stop tossing and turning and just fall asleep. It apparently worked until 5:40 am when she promptly woke again wanting to play. Oy vey. After much shushing she fell back asleep around 6:30 when Atticus woke up.

Needless to say, I'm pooped today.

I Should Be Napping

Figures. The one day I choose NOT to lay down when the kids go down for the afternoon nap - they are both still comfortably snoozing several hours later. Sigh. That will teach me. Never give up on the opportunity to nap - it might actually work out in your favor!

Memorial Day 2011

I just may faint. Today it's sunny at 90 degrees with a light breeze. For that, I'd like to thank the men and women of the armed forces who are looking down today on everyone and sending love to the friends and families gathered at BBQs around the country!

We've had a great day thus far... (after the rocky night with Wren waking TWICE - I'm kind of over the whole "teething" thing). A little before 8 am, Atticus and I went downstairs to bake cinnamon rolls while Wren and Greg were still asleep. Atti helped me grease the pan and into the oven went the rolls. We changed diaper and got into clothes with no fuss and I asked him to play quietly with his cars while I came upstairs to check on Wren. Found her awake and quietly babbling - no screaming! Atti then proceeded to amaze me by sharing toys and being incredibly patient with Wren while we waited for the oven to ding. Then... everyone sat down and shared fruit, yogurt, milk and cinnamon rolls. Amazing, eh?

The sun was shining so I grabbed some sunscreen and a hat for Atti and the two of us went to the driveway to practice riding the bicycle. We said hi to our neighbors and they invited Atticus over for a dip in their pool. Atticus was quite excited. He changed into his new swimsuit and rashguard top and we went next door. He wanted to "swim like a fishy" (complete with hand motions for demonstration). He made it in to the second step, but that was as brave as he got. However.. he had a grand ole time sitting on the edge with his feet in the water, throwing the balls into the pool, carrying around the pool "noodle" from one end to the other... It was incredibly kind of our neighbors to allow him to play! Oh, and they fed him too because even though we'd just finished breakfast - he still needed some more crackers, cheese and Twizzlers!

When it was time to come back to our house for lunch and nap, we found that Greg had put together Atticus's birthday present from Bubbe and Pops -- the new Radio Flyer Tricycle! We had to pry him off to get him to eat lunch! Needless to say, I'm not sure what we'll be doing after nap - the park to feed the ducks, riding the tricycle, or going next door to the pool!

Ok, I'm off to do something productive around the house. Not sure what - but the list is long and I need to start somewhere!

Underpants - Take One

Total Fail. Atticus and I have been talking all week about how on Saturday, he was going to be a BIG boy and wear his underpants and go potty on the big boy potty. About 7:45 am we took off jammies and put on our first pair of underpants and shorts. Within an hour, we'd gone through 4 sets of underpants and 4 pair of shorts. Mind you -- he hadn't yet eaten or had anything to drink?!?

I don't think he got it. We'll wait and try again in a couple weeks.

What I Smell?

That has to be one of the highlights from our trip to Southern California. Every time we turned the corner at the San Diego Zoo -- Atticus would look up at Greg or I and say, "What I smell?". I'd love to say I have great photos from the zoo to share with you all -- but the fact is that we were charging the camera before we left for the trip and Greg packed the camera. That sounds great thus far, except he didn't pack it where I normally keep it - so when I reached for it at the zoo, he just gave me a blank stare and said it was back at Rob's house. Ugh. We did snap a few photos with the cell phone - but they haven't been uploaded yet.

The zoo was awesome. Atticus says his favorite animals were the giraffes. Incidentally, those were his favorite at the Philly Zoo too! There was a baby giraffe that was only two months old that was out with his/her mama... Atticus liked that! We also saw some Giant Panda cubs, tons of elephants, camels, bears, lions, zebras, wallabys, turtles, etc etc. We didn't make it to the "polar" exhibit to see polar bears and penguins. And we missed the rhinos, hippos and tigers... but we had a FULL day of animals! The kids had a fantastic time.

Life is Short

One very brave little boy lost his fight with cancer today. My heart is breaking for the family and I've never met them... I know his story is repeated daily around the world. This, in addition to the devastation from recent tornados, etc etc. Life is short. Yes, my children drive me nuts - but I'm going to try to be present in the moment and love them through it all... I wish I had more than my condolences to offer the Small family. I had a tree planted for Andrew last week - it was all I could think to do... I hope that somehow the family will know that there's a living memory of their precious little boy somewhere out there.

Rain Rain Go AWAY

Seriously. If it could refrain from raining on the weekends, I'd be most grateful. My son REALLY needs to get outside and run, slide, feed the ducks, feed the fish, kick the soccer ball, ride the tricycle...

Otherwise he's a total grump and not that much fun to be around.

Are you listening universe?

Thanks!

Jenny Wren

Just the other day, one of Wren's teacher's asked me where we came up with the name Wren. She was recalling a book she read when she was young called Jenny Wren. (The quick search reveals that it's a character's name in a Charles Dickens novel -- but I don't see the book, Jenny Wren.)

On a whim, I googled Jenny Wren tonight and discovered that Jenny Wren is the title of a Paul McCartney song! Apparently, it's also a doll...

The things you discover late at night!

Sweet!

Not sure why I feel the need to share -- but I just checked out the San Diego Zoo's website and kids 3 and under are free. Woo hoo. We're going to make it just under the wire. :-)

Atticus is already talking about all the different animals he's going to see. And a quick check of the weather reveals a perfect prediction for 70 and sunshine this coming week. Gotta love it.

Bad Mommy.

Oy vey. My baby is turning one next week and the poor thing isn't going to have nary a present nor anything to celebrate the event. She will wear her fancy sash and crown on the airplane to San Diego -- but that's about as far as I've gotten with the party planning.

Sigh. That's the tough part about only being someplace for a few months...

My kids are going to grow up thinking I just didn't bother to throw them a party when they turned one. Maybe they're right. But it's not because I don't want to, but I just don't know enough folks here to make it worthwhile! I don't know what I'll do for Atticus...he has a few friends at school, but we still won't have anything as elaborate as last summer -- even though that was a total blast!! I need to ponder...

It's Not That Bad

It's been a rough few weeks for a lot of people I know. Life threatening injuries, life threatening medical diagnosis, job loss, the loss of a parent and/or grandparent...

So, all things told - my life is pretty good. I'm bloody exhausted, but at this moment in time - the kids are happy and healthy and everyone else is hanging in there. That's more than a lot of folks have on their plates for today.

I just want to say - thanks. Thanks to all my friends and family for helping me stay sane and navigate this nutty life. :) And a special thanks to Colt McCoy for sending a video message to Andrew Small. Andrew's story has been tugging at me for the past few weeks, and I had reached out a while ago to several people I knew trying to find a connection to Colt. I'm glad that someone was able to come through and talk to Colt and that Colt took the time to put together a really sweet video message to send to Andrew. It really makes me smile knowing there are some good folks out there...

I Can Only Please One Person

I can only please one person a day. Apparently, today is not your day. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Thanks.
Jen

Happy Mother's Day

We had a great weekend. Saturday morning, the weather was beautiful and the whole family participated in The American Cancer Society's Breast Cancer Walk with MacKenzie and her family and friends. We could not have asked for a more perfect day for a walk! That afternoon, Greg and Atticus went exploring and found a new park - pretty close to the house. They had a ball and Atticus couldn't wait to go back.

Sunday morning, we baked some cinnamon rolls, I opened cards from the kids and from Greg and I also opened a pretty little blue box with some new earrings! They are really pretty little "x" earrings that compliment my round studs perfectly. Then Greg and Atticus headed back to the park while the little lady slept and I was able to take a long leisurely shower -- that itself was a great treat!! After lunch and a nap for the little man (Wren refused to take her afternoon nap after her looooong morning nap) all of us headed BACK to the park so that Atti could show me the pond and the ducks and the fish and the slides and the trees and the ducks and the bridge and the ducks, etc. We brought a few slices of bread and he had a ball feeding the ducks!

What a fantastic day!

Cafe Brazil

I'm hoping this collage prints bigger than it looks on the screen. If not, I'll try doing it as a slide show. Or, you can click on the picture and a larger version will open. :) Essentially -- Nicole, me, Nate, Atticus and Wren were attempting to take a goup photo. I don't think there's one picture of everyone looking at the camera, but it was good fun!

Profession - Plan B

If all else fails, my son can become a Chip and Dales dancer and make a living... when we're getting ready for bath, he's begun this silly routine of taking of his clothes and then throwing them into the laundry basket. The best though is when he gets to the diaper. He unlatches the velcro, grabs the front and rips it off -- as if he's ripping off chaps or velcro pants or something. It's amusing.

Where Did Jack Go?

Atti has said this a few times over the past week or so and last night, I finally figured it out! He's singing Frere Jacques. It's one of the songs from this session's Music Together class - and one I've sung to him in the past. But cute that he's now repeating so many things that he's previously heard... He was also singing a song in Spanish the other day. Perhaps he needs to start on his second language classes sooner rather than later! I was definitely hoping to have him in an international/multi lingual preschool once we got to NYC, but maybe I'll look for some small classes even in NOLA. To be perfectly honest, I think his second language should be Mandarin. I think he'll get the most use out of that in another 20 to 25 years... Greg and I find it nice to know the some German, French and Spanish -- but I think the future is leaning towards China.

Peek-A-Boo

Sometime in the middle of dinner, Wren decided it would be a great time to play peek-a-boo. I'd never actually seen her cover her face until tonight. She would hold her hands over her eyes then move them and look to see if I was watching.

Wow they grow up so fast!

Words.

Wren is now saying kitty. She's been waking up at all hours of the night again (combination of a cold and cutting teeth...) and when I go get her and bring her to our room -- she starts saying, kitty, kitty when she sees Peanut. :) She's got quite the vocabulary going: Daddy, Atti, Hi, Bye, Buh-Bye, Kitty, Cheese, Baby, Bubbe and I've heard Sock and Book I'm pretty sure too!

And other funny from Atticus.. I've been meaning to write this one down for a while: "upple down" for "upside down". So, when he puts his head on the ground before attempting to forward roll - he shouts for Mommy and Daddy to see him upple down. It's cute. Almost as cute as the space puddle.

I also think that Atticus is starting to recall some of his dreams. He's been telling us some stories in the morning that I'm guessing are from his dreams. Nothing really noteworthy - but some of it seems a bit non-sensical at times and at other times he'll say something that seems to be coming from left field!!

Space Puddle

This is seriously one of the funniest things that Atticus says... we've been reading books on airplanes lately in an effort to make the upcoming trip less scary. One of the books has all kinds of machines that take flight: crop dusters, helicopters, planes, and a space shuttle. Every time he gets to the last page, Atticus exclaims - Look, the space puddle!

Starvin Marvin

My daughter just consumed 1.5 slices of turkey lunchmeat, .5 tortilla, several big spoonfuls of sweet corn, a pouch of blueberry/pear/purple carrot and half a jar of chicken & sweet potato bisque!!

Guess she was hungry. :)

~ Jen
Sent from my iPhone