Sprinkler

It's still spring and we have already hit a week straight of 90 degree weather. It is of course the week my kids wanted to spend all their time outside and I decided to do lots of yard work.... So we hauled out the sprinkler and spent lots of time trying not to get a sun burn.

Sibling Love

My kids are starting to discover that they can (and will) be partners in crime. Audrey is getting older and therefore able to figure out basic games Ryan plays with her, and she thinks of him as a combination of playmate and parent- when she is upset and neither my husband or I are available she goes to him for a hug/snuggle. It's super cute. Today after bath they picked out some matching jammies they were super cute hugging, snuggling, and playing together. It's afternoons like these that make it all worth it (even with Audrey NOT taking a nap this afternoon).

Polka Dots at the Pool

Don took off a few days from work this week because his parents were in town. This morning before his parents came over from their hotel we decided to go to the pool with Audrey. She is a total convert- she went from hating it the first time we went (a few weeks ago) to loving it today! It probably helped that it was 95 degrees out this time and the water felt really good. She has a lot of polka dots going on in these pictures!

Grandparents Visit

This weekend (until today) we had some super fun guests, Ryan and Audrey's grandparents, all the way from Massachusetts! The kids loved all the extra attention and we loved seeing them (and they babysat one night so we even got a date out of it!)

Ryan convinced them to play baseball with him (even on the 95+ degree day)

Ryan helped them remove a stump in our front yard (they also helped install a fan, fix the garage door, install bathroom hardware)

Playing in the house the grandparents got them

We can't wait until they come to visit again! Hopefully we will make it out their way as soon as Audrey gets a little bit better at traveling.

Rainy Day

This afternoon was rainy and dark so we first went out to watch the rain (ie get SUPER soaked) then we came in and changed into sweatpants and we are now watching movies. I think my kids are finally getting the hang of this whole relaxed rainy days thing. As soon as they are old enough for (and like) Hot Chocolate and Popcorn we will be all set.

Love to Read

I read that children will do as you do not as a you say, and I certainly agree. I have also read that if you want your children to be avid readers that they need to see you reading for pleasure, that they will get more from that then even you reading to them (though reading to them is also really good for them). Last night I was reading, Ryan went to go get a book, got himself up in the chair with me and we had a little quiet reading time. I have a feeling I will have kids that like to read as much as I do!

First Step!

Audrey took her first step today! It was amazing because 1) I had my camera out and I was taking pictures 2) Don and I were both watching her. She of course was all dressed up for the event- all the way down to the jewelry.

She stood up in the middle of the floor (which she has been doing a lot lately) and then decided that she wanted to give me the camera case she was holding so she stepped towards me to give it to me! I told Don yesterday that it would be any day... he didn't believe me, but Audrey wanted to prove her mom right.

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Since it was Ryan's birthday we let him pick what he wanted to do today. Don took off work so we had the whole day as a whole family.Ryan started out with some chocolate chip pancakes while watching Monsters Inc (a birthday present from a good friend).

Then we headed to the Children's Museum.

Ryan and I rode on the train... he was very excited....

...
Until is started to go pretty fast. Luckily after the initial shock he enjoyed himself.

Then of course there was digging in the dirt for dinosaurs and pirate treasure.
While dad and Audrey supervised.

And some sailing of boats.
Finished off by checking out the super cool butterflies.

His 3rd Birthday seems to have been a success! I can't wait to see what this year will bring. I hope it will be as interesting as this last year has been.

Weeds

The fun part about having a not so great lawn are the flowers! We have tried on our own to get grass to grow, but after at least 2 failed attempts our goal now is just to have some sort of greenness so when it's mowed it looks somewhat like grass. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the weeds.. uh I mean flowers.

The Difference 3 Years Make

Ryan's Birthday Party!

Ryan had a joint birthday party today with one of his best friends. The boys were born only 2 days apart so it's fun to celebrate together. Our goal was to have the party at a park but after setting everything up the downpour began and we were forced to pack up and move everything inside. It was crazy like all small children's parties are but still lots of fun. I think both boys and all of their friends had a really great time and all the parent are ready for a nap. I have decided joint parties are the way to go... only half the work falls on your shoulders so you can have 2x the fun. Next time though we will probably rent out a place so 1) there is more room and 2) someone else cleans up!

Audrey eating dad's pizza

Birthday Boys and their cupcakes

Party Planners Extraordinaire (and our little helpers)!

Questions

When you have a three year old (as of Monday) you get asked lots of questions, some of which are easy to answer and some not so much. Some easy to answer: "What are pancakes for?" "When is my birthday?" Harder ones include: "What is blue for?" and "What is Chicago for?" I expect the coming year will bring LOTS more questions- hopefully I will be able to come up with some answers.

The Sun is Shining

So after a few weeks of.... funk..... my black cloud feels like it's starting to dissipate and the sun is shining again. So in honor of positive fun times to come here are some pictures of Audrey showing of her new sun hat.

Harder then Expected

So when I had Ryan the toughness of parenting was pretty much on par with my expectations. I had been a preschool teacher, I knew what it was like to be around kids, sure it was different but I had assumed it would be harder to have my own kids. I had good days and bad days, but such is to be expected.

When I had Audrey everything changed. It is harder then any expectation I could have ever had. Right now I have one child teething (ie super clingy, whiny and needy- and up at 5:45) and one child that is fighting potty training like it is his full time job- and he is acting everyone of his three years of age (won't go to bed until close to 9pm). At the end of the day I am shocked that I survived the day. Yesterday my day ended with me locking myself in the closet with my computer eating Mac and Cheese and drinking a beer. I was in the closet because it is the one room where I can't hear whining. My saving graces were 1) I have a walk in closet, 2) My computer had wireless internet (thus great for online shopping 3) Last but certainly not least I have a husband who brought me the mac and cheese and beer (and it was the fancy kind of mac and cheese).

People keep telling me that this too shall pass. While I have trouble believing it, it is that hope that gets me through the day (That and my husband is wonderful). Tomorrow is a new day, the teeth could pop through, my son could decide that it is easier to go potty then peeing in his pants, Audrey might decide to sleep later, Ryan could decide he needs to go to bed earlier.... I hold out hope that something will change, until then I will keep getting up and doing it again.