Thought I'd update after going a record 3 months without an update. I really do have good intentions. My plan was to update when we got back from Pennsylvania, but as most of you who read this know, I found out that I'm pregnant then. I spent most of that weekend crying, trying to absorb the news. Then, I got sick. Nausea & vomiting have plagued me since. So, that's my excuse. I'm a buffoon and I'll do better next time.
Pennsylvania was awesome. Both kids did great in the car. I don't even think Sean asked "how much longer?" on the way there. We had a minor setback when we found out the pool at the Knights Inn was closed for the season, but we quickly found a city pool close by and avoided the heartbreak. I think Sean went to that pool almost every day we were in Greensburg. We went to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum and both kids had a blast playing on/with the exhibits. We finished our time there with Dora Live. Again, it was an hour show & both kids did great! We always enjoy visiting family while we're there. I wish we didn't live so far from them. Once a year visits are never enough. After 3 days in Greensburg, we headed to Jones Mill & the Living Treasures Animal Park. It was rainy, but that didn't stop us. Evie LOVED feeding the animals. We were shocked at how much she was able to do & how much she enjoyed this vacation. We went to Idlewild Park the next day & Evie got to ride on a lot of rides (thanks to her big brother :). She rode a few "baby" rides that he never would've got on if it weren't for his sister. We finished our trip at Kalahari. Sean is a fish. That boy has no fear when it comes to water. He can even jump off the diving board at the St. Clair Shores pool. So, Kalahari was a little disappointing because he had to wear a life jacket the whole time. Ohio state law. But, he was fearless in other ways. Going down big waterslides, doing the lazy river by himself. He's such a big boy. Speaking of big boy, Sean started Kindergarten on 09/06. He looks so handsome in his uniform and so far, other than 1 bad day, he's stayed on green. We're hoping his one day on red was the first & the last. Other than that, Kindergarten has been a wonderful experience. When he got home his first day, he said, "That was awesome!". He loves his teachers & has friends in the class. Hope the rest of the year goes as smooth as the last 2 months have. On 09/11, we were able to surprise Sean for his birthday. Again, this was a tough task because he planned the party & even hired Grandma as his assistant to tell everyone when to yell surprise & to help him forget about his party so that he could be surprised. The morning of his party, I told him I had to leave to go to a party (not a lie! :) and that while I was gone, he should go to the Warren Community Center with Daddy & Evie to make sure that's still where he wanted to have his party. He agreed. I left about an hour & a half before them to pick up the cake, set-up the room & get everyone back in the party room before Sean arrived. He was SOOOO surprised. He told us he really thought his party was going to be in a couple days. And, after his party, he said, "I have 3 words to describe that party...awesome, awesome & awesome!". :) Mission accomplished! 09/12/11 - Happy 5th Birthday to Sean!!! He went to school & brought Mario Bros. fruit snacks to share with his friends. After school, he hung out with Grandpa Jim until Connor got out of school. Then, he went to Jungle Java with Aunt Susie, Ms. Abby, Evie, Connor & Ella. I met them there & took Sean & Evie to Daddy. It was a fun day. :) 09/16/11 Daddy went up north, so we planned a fun weekend to keep us busy so we wouldn't cry too hard for him. ;) We went to Plaster Playhouse with Aunt Annette, Connor & Ella. Sean painted a plaster Mario & Evie painted a ceramic plate. Afterwards we got dinner & had a sleepover at our house. The boys slept all night a tent on the living room floor. 09/17/11 Happy Birthday Grandpa Jim! Today we hung out with Grandma, went to dinner & then Toys R Us. We finished with popcorn, Tangled & a sleepover with Grandma. Sean was so happy. He really doesn't like falling asleep in his own bed. It's caused many "fights" because every night he asks to fall asleep with us or on the couch. He's allowed to come get us if he wakes up, but the rule is he has to fall asleep in his bed. So, falling asleep with Grandma on the couch was probably his favorite part of the night. 09/18/11 Daddy came home!! Yay!! It was also the first day of bowling. Sean gets to bowl with Aiden, Liam & now Connor. He bowled a 96 his first week!! 09/20/11 We had a bacon party at our house to celebrate Sean & Grandpa Jim's birthdays. 09/25/11 Sean had his 1st flag football game of the season. He was on the Bills this season. We still don't think this is his "thing", but he wanted to play. He just had his last game on 11/06/11 & was super excited to get a medal for the season. We're proud that he went to each game with a good attitude and participated. :) Not gonna lie, October is a bit of a blurr. I know Sean got to sing on stage for Christian Education Sunday on 10/09. His favorite song went like this, "And if our God is for us, then who can ever STOMP us...". Cracks me up. But, it's true, just as true as STOP us. ;) 10/22 was Chilifest at Maranatha. Sean & Paige made the sign for "Paige's Monster Chili" and I cooked the chili. Paige took 1st place!! 10/25 we celebrated Uncle Scott & Grandma Sue with a pizza party at our house. 10/29 Happy Birthday Grandma Sue! We carved pumpkins today. Sean needed long, yellow rubber gloves & no shirt to touch the pumpkin guts. Evie really had no part in the carving, but she wanted to look like Sean too. Daddy & I did a great job on the following the Two Boos & Bat Cat patterns and our pumpkins turned out great. Sean had a playdate at our house with Spencer this night too. They were both very nice to Evie & let her play with them. If they didn't, she was sure to run out & "tell" on them. She'd come flying out of the room & say "Sean!" or "SHHHHHHH". I'd say, "What did Sean say?". She'd reply, "no no!". Then Sean would yell from the bedroom, "I didn't say that!!". They're awesome together. :)10/31 Aunt Susie brought the kids out to my work & we headed to Uncle Mike & Aunt Nicole's for Trick-or-Treating. Sean was Mario this year & Evie was a pink cat. The weather was almost perfect (a little chilly) for Halloween. Grandma, Puppa, Jackson, Mikey, me, Daddy, Sean & Evie started trick-or-treating. Sean wanted to go fast. He's a pro at this now & the little ones slowed him down. He was still very polite, saying "trick-or-treat", "Happy Halloween" & "thank you" at most houses he went to. Evie was absolutely amazing. I've never witnessed a better 17 month old trick-or-treater in my life!! She had us all amazed. She had a sucker in one hand and her Elmo bucket in another. She'd go up to each house & say "treat" & put her Elmo basket out. She'd come running back down to us to show us what she got. It was awesome. Both kids blew us away. It was a really nice Halloween. 11/05 I was gone most of the day working on a fundraiser for Sean's school. Daddy & I went to the event at night & Sean & Evie went to Grandma & Puppa's. Grandma Sean & Evie came back to our house, took a bath & sang songs until they fell asleep. :) 11/06 Today was Sean's last flag football game & he was super excited to get his medal. We had dinner with Grandma & Puppa to celebrate my birthday & to spend time with Grandma before her El Salvador trip. For my birthday, Sean, Evie & Daddy made me lots of cards & got me presents and then put them in a box & hid them. I had to follow clues to find them. I'm so blessed! :) 11/07 after work, I picked up the kids & we met Daddy at Chili's for dinner. I had a great birthday & I still get to celebrate. Daddy & I are going on a date this weekend!! Woo-hoo! :)11/11 Sean invited Puppa to his school for a special Veteran's Day chapel service. Puppa served as a Marine from 1975-1978. They both had a great time honoring & remembering veterans from all branches of the military. 11/12 We went to Cranbrook & Jesse took some family pictures. It was about 50 degrees & sunny, which is nice for a mid-November day, so we took our pictures outside. Afterwards, Daddy & Sean went to the zoo. The kids finished the night at the bowling alley with Grandpa Jim watching Uncle Scott bowl.
Sean is (as always) an amazing little boy. We need to work on whining & listening the first time, but who doesn't at 5?? He loves Evie. He's very tolerant & good to her. He tries to hug her a lot, because he's a cuddler, but she's not. So, she dodges his attempts most of the time. But, he continues to try! I can't wait to see him be a big brother again. He really wants a brother, named Aiden. We'll work on the name... :) He knows EVERY word to Love Potion #9 and some of my favorite moments are spent dancing together & singing together as a family in the kitchen. Sean also knows through Daniel for his Old Testament books and through Henry Harrison for his presidents. He's doing great in school. We got his first report card on Friday. He got mostly ones - the best you can get. A couple 2s - which means "making good progress" and then (1) 4 which is needs improvement when it comes to tying his own shoes. I went to parent teacher conferences on 10/16. Mrs. Scott said he's a joy to have in class. He can be trusted with a lot of kids (not all kids) but a lot at one time. Of course there are some who he distracts & those who distract him. But again he's 5. Overall we've heard that he's a smart boy & a joy to have in class. He loves playing with his friends & staying busy. He's not a big fan of down time. ;)I think this is the first Christmas since he was a baby that he's not collecting anything, so we don't have a long Christmas list for him. Works for me!!
Evie Loretta... The strongest willed 17 month old I know!! She's learned the word "no" and uses it frequently, but doesn't seem to acknowledge it when others say it to her. We're trying to figure out how to discipline her. She's very smart & knows exactly what she's doing, but spankings & time-outs don't seem fitting or effective for her age. She's not easy to get to sleep & we seem to dread the bedtime routine every night. Since vacation she's been quite the daddy's girl. Some days, if Daddy's home, she won't let him do ANYTHING without her. Evie loves music just like her brother. She needs a spoon to sing into & dance around the kitchen when we play music on the ipod. She tries to sing along & usually finishes sentences that end with "me" or words that rhyme with it. She's talking a lot & saying (or trying to say) most words, except Sean. That still comes out "SHHHHHHSSSS". She loves chicken nuggets (or chicken fries) & has a morning routine that includes (2) 3oz yogurt smoothies. We always make sure we have those in stock, because it's the first thing she asks for when she wakes up. She loves sleeping on the couch next to her daddy.
We are so excited about the upcoming holidays. Both kids are at super fun ages (as we learned on Halloween) & I can't wait to watch them over the next couple months!! :)
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Summertime and the livin' is easy...
I looked back through my blogs & I was much better at this in the beginning. Once a week??? I really had good intentions. Time just goes by way too fast. We've had a great summer. Lots of swimming, splash zones, zoo, friends, family and HEAT!!! Just what summer's supposed to be.
On 06/24 Daddy & Seany went to see Cars 2. Sean said he liked it better than the first one because there were more characters. And of course, all of the characters are available for purchase!! Just what we need, something else to collect. Speaking of things to collect, Sean's latest are plush pigs & birds from Angry Birds. I guess it's a game you play on an iphone. It's the craze right now. ;) On 06/28 we enjoyed an evening with the Boccaccios. They were here visiting from Africa. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse & then came home & visited for awhile. It was so nice to spend time with them & have them spend time with Sean & Evie. Jason & I were a big part of their kids lives when they were Sean & Evie's ages. Time really does go by too fast. Sean was SO excited about fireworks this year. He couldn't wait to go shopping for them. Unfortunately, his whining (which we struggle with sometimes) lost him the priviledge of shopping for fireworks on 06/29. It was pitiful and so hard for me as a parent, but I had to stick to my guns. He cried himself to sleep in Aunt Mary's bed while we were waiting for a fridge to be delivered. I told him if he had a better attitude the next day, he'd be able to go buy some. Thankfully, he changed his attitude & was able to go to the fireworks store the next day. Grandma & Puppa gave him money too, so while Evie & I stayed at their house for dinner, Sean & Daddy went shopping. He got strobe lights, fountains, pops, sparklers and smoke balls. We did fireworks every night over 4th of July weekend. Grandpa Jim bought Sean a multi-pack and Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry got him some pops too. Evie wasn't too crazy about the fountains or smokeballs, but she loved the pops. She'd throw them & say "pop"! On 07/05, we celebrated Puppa's birthday because he'd be up north on his actual birthday. Josh & Sarah came over for dinner too. Evie loved sitting in Puppa's lap while every one sang and she kept picking up his spoon to feed her more frosting from the cupcakes. 07/08 we picked Seany & Paige up from Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's and met cousin Nicole, cousin Amanda & the kids at the zoo. It was really hot, so we didn't see many animals, but the kids loved the dinosaur exhibit. Sean was our tour guide & Evie just rode in the wagon waiving at the dinosaurs & saying "rawr". We finished the night with dinner at Red Lobster with Grandma. We got a meal that came with dessert & Evie loved finishing off our brownie sundae. At one point she had a spoon in each hand. She doesn't growl as much when she eats anymore, but she says "mmmm" while she eats if she really likes something. On 07/09 we went to breakfast with Aunt Susie & Grandma. Later that afternoon we went to Ethan's 4th birthday party. Evie loved fishing for duckies in the baby pool. After the party, we met Aunt Mary, Uncle Scott & Grandma for dinner. Evie kept saying "got". She thought it was funny when Mary would say "no, say Aunt Mary", so she just kept pointing to Scott & saying "got". We finished the evening swimming with Grandma. On 07/10 we went to church & then met Daddy at home. We missed him SO much!! But, Sean protected me & kept me from being sad while he was gone. He's a good boy. On 07/13 we attempted to go to the zoo with Kiara & Grandpa Jim, but it was full!! I guess after weeks of 85-100 degree weather, everyone wanted to do something outside on a 75 degree day! So, we improvised & went to Great Lake Crossing instead. When we got in, there was a claw machine with Angry Bird pigs just outside of Rainforest Cafe. I won a pig (a pig that would normally cost us $20) for $1.50. That was the highlight of everyone's day (well, mine & Seany's at least ;). On 07/15, Daddy went into work late & we went to Bob Evan's for breakfast. I love days off like that. I wish Daddy never had to work! 07/16 was Grandpa Larry's family reunion. We enjoyed showing off the kids. Evie & Sean loved playing on the stairs in the santuary at Maranatha. Later that night we picked Paiger up, went swimming & then got an ice cream. It was a full day!! 07/17 We went to church & then to Liam's 6th birthday party. When we got home, Grandma & Puppa came over for dinner. We blasted "If you're happy & you know it" (Evie's favorite right now) and danced in the kitchen. She's great at the clapping, stomping & woo-hooing. :) 07/18 was Evie's ear tube surgery. Grandpa Jim came over at 7:00 to stay with Sean, while me, Daddy, Grandma & Evie went to the surgery center. Evie did amazing. I was so worried that she'd ask for something to eat or drink, but she just played with her baby & us in the waiting room. She even played & remained calm when we went in the back. She cried when the nurses had to take her from us. I cried too. :( Coming out of the sedation was hard for her too. She cried for a solid hour, hour and a half. It was hard for everyone involved. Even Sean's heart broke for his sister. He wanted to make her happy, but he couldn't. After a bubba & a nap, Evie was good as new. We're looking forward to a much happier & healthier fall & winter!! On 07/20 we went over to Mrs. Jenny's house to swim. It was 99 degrees outside and it got even hotter the next day. This was a tough week to be outside! 07/22 we met Grandpa Jim, Aiden, Liam, Aunt Val, Alex & Nathan at the Warren splash pad. The fountains there stop & start again, so Evie got quite a few faces full of water! She didn't seem to mind though, cause she just kept going back for more! 07/23 we went to breakfast & then shopping with Grandma. Evie is a shopper!! Good thing she doesn't have her own credit card and that most places have carts to confine her!! We went to Borders Express because they're closing & Sean found a talking Angry Bird pig there. Woo-hoo!! This was the day he hired Grandma to be his assistant for his birthday party too. He's planning himself a surprise party at Warren Community Center. Grandma's job is to buy him presents, tell everyone when to yell surprise and most importantly, she's suppose to make him forget, so that he can be surprised. :) Good luck Grandma!! After shopping with Granmda, we went to Staples with Aunt Annette, Connor & Ella to finish shopping for school supplies. Can't believe my BABY is starting Kindergarten soon. He gets mad at me when I whine about it. He tells me that he has to grow up. That my mom probably whined when I started growing up, but I grew up anyway. It's just how it is. Leave it to Sean to put me in my place! Later that day we went to memberfest at the zoo with the Wilsons. The Dinosaur exhibit & train rides were free and most of the animals were out. Probably my best Detroit Zoo experience yet. 07/26 we celebrated Paiger's 11th birthday. Everyone came to our house for dinner. Poor Andy had to go to the vet for stitches, so she wasn't up for partying. Sean broke Daddy's heart later that night because he was devastated when he tried to wake Andy up & couldn't. Daddy explained that she was just tired from her stitches & she was fine. He took him outside with Andy, to show him she was ok. Sean was scared that she'd die like his last dog. Poor baby still misses his Dani girl. :( 07/27 Sean went to the splash zone with Grandpa Jim, Aiden & Liam while me & Evie came home to hang out with Kiara, Rory & Mrs. Amanda. After Evie's nap, we went to the Mach's. Sean was so excited to hang out with Chase. They were able to link up their DS' and play Mario Bros together. :) 07/29 I took Evie to the doctors because she was waking up a lot at night. I wanted to make sure her ears weren't the problem, especially since she just had the tubes put in 11 days before. Ears were perfect, but gums were swollen. Ready to cut 4 molers...yipes! That night we dropped the kids off at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's & Daddy & I went on a dinner date. We picked Evie up & Sean stayed the night there with Paiger. 07/30 Evie & I met Grandma & Aunt Mary at Cracker Barrel. She found necklaces, bracelets, a purse & a princess wand. She definitely looked like a girly girl. Doesn't get that from her mother!! ;) That afternoon Evie & I went to a birthday party while Daddy & Sean went to the Tigers game. Sean was convinced that he was going to catch a baseball. Daddy tried to prepare him by telling him that the odds were not in his favor. They went to the game early for batting practice in hopes to increase their odds. Sure enough a ball hit a couple chairs down from Sean while Daddy was chasing after another ball. Sean picked it up...that simple. He was so excited about that ball. When he told me the story he made it clear that he got it himself and that it was a special ball, not one that could be purchased in a store. This ball was hit by a real live baseball player. Grandpa Jim got him a display case & it's sitting on his dresser. Pretty awesome. On 07/31 after church Daddy & I went to a Tigers game while Sean & Evie hung out with Grandma & then Grandma & Puppa. Sean doesn't say he's jealous of Evie, but as she's interacting with HIS people more & more, it becomes clear that he struggles. When he's with Puppa at Puppa's house, they "read" a special book together. Grandma told me he did great most of the time, but when it was time to read his book with Puppa & Evie jumped in his lap, Sean started to draw the line!! I'm sure it's difficult to be the center of everyone's world & then have to deal with some one else stealing your spotlight. We try to make sure that Sean has special times/situations with his people to soften the blow. He's always had a special relationship with Grandma. They just GET each other. So, it's not shocking that she has the job of & is fulfilling her responsibilites as his personal assistant. She even does stuff that's not included in her job description, like hold doors open for him. Like he's royalty or something!! A few times throughout the week Sean spends time away from the house, with Grandpa Jim. They go to Chuck E. Cheese, the library, the splash zone, etc. Most Wednesdays his friends Aiden & Liam get to go with them. He spends the night at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's without Evie once-twice a month. Daddy & I take turns going to events with him, without Evie. I'm sure one day he'll understand the effort we put into making him feel as special as he is, but to a 4 year old, right now, the shared attention with Evie is just plain tough sometimes! Today, 08/02 Sean got a countdown to his birthday present from Grandma. A white Angry Bird. He's only missing the yellow & black ones now. Grandpa Jim took him to his library summer reading program party. There was a magician there and Sean got a book, video, coloring book & magic wand! Tonight, Puppa came over for dinner & he brought Sean a slinky and Evie a board book. They all read the book together & then tried to get the slinky to go down the stairs. At dinner, Puppa got Sean to try lettuce & cucumbers (a food he used to like, but stopped at some point). We can usually get Sean to "try" foods, but they don't always end up going down. He made it though & even said he liked them!! I'm not sure where to insert this, so here will have to do. Sean & Evie are living it up on their "Susie" days this summer. They spend lots of time outside, at splash zones or beaches. They even went garage saling. What lives they have!
Evie has transitioned from baby to toddler this month. Everyone who sees her says they can't believe how much she's grown & how "old" she looks. Her communication skills are amazing. She understands everything & can usually get you to understand what she wants or needs. Her hand/eye coordination is insane. She was in a moving wagon at the zoo and she took a capri sun straw out & put it back in. That's tough for most people!! She chews her tongue. It's usually positioned where her vampire teeth will be on the left side. She doesn't like it when Daddy & I hug. She pushes us a part & whines. Probably because I'm her favorite person & she doesn't want to share. ;) If she wants to go outside (and she loves it outside), she gets your shoes & hers. The other day, she had her shoes on & a purse hanging from her wrist. She went to the front door & tried to turn the door knob. Evie still adores Seany. He can make her laugh like no one else. They both do a great dance routine to Beauty & the Beast's "Be Our Guest". Sean tries to dance like the candle stick & Evie spins around! She's still memorized by "Mommy & Me" and "Curious George". Her favorite morning foods are goldfish crackers and yogurt smoothies. Although we can't understand her, I'm convinced she knows how to read. ;) She turns the pages & babbles through each one. She's all of a sudden an independent eater or at least she tries to be. She wants your help getting the food on the utensil, but she has to put the food in her mouth.
We're all excited about our upcoming Pennsylvania trip. I can't wait for a week away with my favorite people!
On 06/24 Daddy & Seany went to see Cars 2. Sean said he liked it better than the first one because there were more characters. And of course, all of the characters are available for purchase!! Just what we need, something else to collect. Speaking of things to collect, Sean's latest are plush pigs & birds from Angry Birds. I guess it's a game you play on an iphone. It's the craze right now. ;) On 06/28 we enjoyed an evening with the Boccaccios. They were here visiting from Africa. We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse & then came home & visited for awhile. It was so nice to spend time with them & have them spend time with Sean & Evie. Jason & I were a big part of their kids lives when they were Sean & Evie's ages. Time really does go by too fast. Sean was SO excited about fireworks this year. He couldn't wait to go shopping for them. Unfortunately, his whining (which we struggle with sometimes) lost him the priviledge of shopping for fireworks on 06/29. It was pitiful and so hard for me as a parent, but I had to stick to my guns. He cried himself to sleep in Aunt Mary's bed while we were waiting for a fridge to be delivered. I told him if he had a better attitude the next day, he'd be able to go buy some. Thankfully, he changed his attitude & was able to go to the fireworks store the next day. Grandma & Puppa gave him money too, so while Evie & I stayed at their house for dinner, Sean & Daddy went shopping. He got strobe lights, fountains, pops, sparklers and smoke balls. We did fireworks every night over 4th of July weekend. Grandpa Jim bought Sean a multi-pack and Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry got him some pops too. Evie wasn't too crazy about the fountains or smokeballs, but she loved the pops. She'd throw them & say "pop"! On 07/05, we celebrated Puppa's birthday because he'd be up north on his actual birthday. Josh & Sarah came over for dinner too. Evie loved sitting in Puppa's lap while every one sang and she kept picking up his spoon to feed her more frosting from the cupcakes. 07/08 we picked Seany & Paige up from Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's and met cousin Nicole, cousin Amanda & the kids at the zoo. It was really hot, so we didn't see many animals, but the kids loved the dinosaur exhibit. Sean was our tour guide & Evie just rode in the wagon waiving at the dinosaurs & saying "rawr". We finished the night with dinner at Red Lobster with Grandma. We got a meal that came with dessert & Evie loved finishing off our brownie sundae. At one point she had a spoon in each hand. She doesn't growl as much when she eats anymore, but she says "mmmm" while she eats if she really likes something. On 07/09 we went to breakfast with Aunt Susie & Grandma. Later that afternoon we went to Ethan's 4th birthday party. Evie loved fishing for duckies in the baby pool. After the party, we met Aunt Mary, Uncle Scott & Grandma for dinner. Evie kept saying "got". She thought it was funny when Mary would say "no, say Aunt Mary", so she just kept pointing to Scott & saying "got". We finished the evening swimming with Grandma. On 07/10 we went to church & then met Daddy at home. We missed him SO much!! But, Sean protected me & kept me from being sad while he was gone. He's a good boy. On 07/13 we attempted to go to the zoo with Kiara & Grandpa Jim, but it was full!! I guess after weeks of 85-100 degree weather, everyone wanted to do something outside on a 75 degree day! So, we improvised & went to Great Lake Crossing instead. When we got in, there was a claw machine with Angry Bird pigs just outside of Rainforest Cafe. I won a pig (a pig that would normally cost us $20) for $1.50. That was the highlight of everyone's day (well, mine & Seany's at least ;). On 07/15, Daddy went into work late & we went to Bob Evan's for breakfast. I love days off like that. I wish Daddy never had to work! 07/16 was Grandpa Larry's family reunion. We enjoyed showing off the kids. Evie & Sean loved playing on the stairs in the santuary at Maranatha. Later that night we picked Paiger up, went swimming & then got an ice cream. It was a full day!! 07/17 We went to church & then to Liam's 6th birthday party. When we got home, Grandma & Puppa came over for dinner. We blasted "If you're happy & you know it" (Evie's favorite right now) and danced in the kitchen. She's great at the clapping, stomping & woo-hooing. :) 07/18 was Evie's ear tube surgery. Grandpa Jim came over at 7:00 to stay with Sean, while me, Daddy, Grandma & Evie went to the surgery center. Evie did amazing. I was so worried that she'd ask for something to eat or drink, but she just played with her baby & us in the waiting room. She even played & remained calm when we went in the back. She cried when the nurses had to take her from us. I cried too. :( Coming out of the sedation was hard for her too. She cried for a solid hour, hour and a half. It was hard for everyone involved. Even Sean's heart broke for his sister. He wanted to make her happy, but he couldn't. After a bubba & a nap, Evie was good as new. We're looking forward to a much happier & healthier fall & winter!! On 07/20 we went over to Mrs. Jenny's house to swim. It was 99 degrees outside and it got even hotter the next day. This was a tough week to be outside! 07/22 we met Grandpa Jim, Aiden, Liam, Aunt Val, Alex & Nathan at the Warren splash pad. The fountains there stop & start again, so Evie got quite a few faces full of water! She didn't seem to mind though, cause she just kept going back for more! 07/23 we went to breakfast & then shopping with Grandma. Evie is a shopper!! Good thing she doesn't have her own credit card and that most places have carts to confine her!! We went to Borders Express because they're closing & Sean found a talking Angry Bird pig there. Woo-hoo!! This was the day he hired Grandma to be his assistant for his birthday party too. He's planning himself a surprise party at Warren Community Center. Grandma's job is to buy him presents, tell everyone when to yell surprise and most importantly, she's suppose to make him forget, so that he can be surprised. :) Good luck Grandma!! After shopping with Granmda, we went to Staples with Aunt Annette, Connor & Ella to finish shopping for school supplies. Can't believe my BABY is starting Kindergarten soon. He gets mad at me when I whine about it. He tells me that he has to grow up. That my mom probably whined when I started growing up, but I grew up anyway. It's just how it is. Leave it to Sean to put me in my place! Later that day we went to memberfest at the zoo with the Wilsons. The Dinosaur exhibit & train rides were free and most of the animals were out. Probably my best Detroit Zoo experience yet. 07/26 we celebrated Paiger's 11th birthday. Everyone came to our house for dinner. Poor Andy had to go to the vet for stitches, so she wasn't up for partying. Sean broke Daddy's heart later that night because he was devastated when he tried to wake Andy up & couldn't. Daddy explained that she was just tired from her stitches & she was fine. He took him outside with Andy, to show him she was ok. Sean was scared that she'd die like his last dog. Poor baby still misses his Dani girl. :( 07/27 Sean went to the splash zone with Grandpa Jim, Aiden & Liam while me & Evie came home to hang out with Kiara, Rory & Mrs. Amanda. After Evie's nap, we went to the Mach's. Sean was so excited to hang out with Chase. They were able to link up their DS' and play Mario Bros together. :) 07/29 I took Evie to the doctors because she was waking up a lot at night. I wanted to make sure her ears weren't the problem, especially since she just had the tubes put in 11 days before. Ears were perfect, but gums were swollen. Ready to cut 4 molers...yipes! That night we dropped the kids off at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's & Daddy & I went on a dinner date. We picked Evie up & Sean stayed the night there with Paiger. 07/30 Evie & I met Grandma & Aunt Mary at Cracker Barrel. She found necklaces, bracelets, a purse & a princess wand. She definitely looked like a girly girl. Doesn't get that from her mother!! ;) That afternoon Evie & I went to a birthday party while Daddy & Sean went to the Tigers game. Sean was convinced that he was going to catch a baseball. Daddy tried to prepare him by telling him that the odds were not in his favor. They went to the game early for batting practice in hopes to increase their odds. Sure enough a ball hit a couple chairs down from Sean while Daddy was chasing after another ball. Sean picked it up...that simple. He was so excited about that ball. When he told me the story he made it clear that he got it himself and that it was a special ball, not one that could be purchased in a store. This ball was hit by a real live baseball player. Grandpa Jim got him a display case & it's sitting on his dresser. Pretty awesome. On 07/31 after church Daddy & I went to a Tigers game while Sean & Evie hung out with Grandma & then Grandma & Puppa. Sean doesn't say he's jealous of Evie, but as she's interacting with HIS people more & more, it becomes clear that he struggles. When he's with Puppa at Puppa's house, they "read" a special book together. Grandma told me he did great most of the time, but when it was time to read his book with Puppa & Evie jumped in his lap, Sean started to draw the line!! I'm sure it's difficult to be the center of everyone's world & then have to deal with some one else stealing your spotlight. We try to make sure that Sean has special times/situations with his people to soften the blow. He's always had a special relationship with Grandma. They just GET each other. So, it's not shocking that she has the job of & is fulfilling her responsibilites as his personal assistant. She even does stuff that's not included in her job description, like hold doors open for him. Like he's royalty or something!! A few times throughout the week Sean spends time away from the house, with Grandpa Jim. They go to Chuck E. Cheese, the library, the splash zone, etc. Most Wednesdays his friends Aiden & Liam get to go with them. He spends the night at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's without Evie once-twice a month. Daddy & I take turns going to events with him, without Evie. I'm sure one day he'll understand the effort we put into making him feel as special as he is, but to a 4 year old, right now, the shared attention with Evie is just plain tough sometimes! Today, 08/02 Sean got a countdown to his birthday present from Grandma. A white Angry Bird. He's only missing the yellow & black ones now. Grandpa Jim took him to his library summer reading program party. There was a magician there and Sean got a book, video, coloring book & magic wand! Tonight, Puppa came over for dinner & he brought Sean a slinky and Evie a board book. They all read the book together & then tried to get the slinky to go down the stairs. At dinner, Puppa got Sean to try lettuce & cucumbers (a food he used to like, but stopped at some point). We can usually get Sean to "try" foods, but they don't always end up going down. He made it though & even said he liked them!! I'm not sure where to insert this, so here will have to do. Sean & Evie are living it up on their "Susie" days this summer. They spend lots of time outside, at splash zones or beaches. They even went garage saling. What lives they have!
Evie has transitioned from baby to toddler this month. Everyone who sees her says they can't believe how much she's grown & how "old" she looks. Her communication skills are amazing. She understands everything & can usually get you to understand what she wants or needs. Her hand/eye coordination is insane. She was in a moving wagon at the zoo and she took a capri sun straw out & put it back in. That's tough for most people!! She chews her tongue. It's usually positioned where her vampire teeth will be on the left side. She doesn't like it when Daddy & I hug. She pushes us a part & whines. Probably because I'm her favorite person & she doesn't want to share. ;) If she wants to go outside (and she loves it outside), she gets your shoes & hers. The other day, she had her shoes on & a purse hanging from her wrist. She went to the front door & tried to turn the door knob. Evie still adores Seany. He can make her laugh like no one else. They both do a great dance routine to Beauty & the Beast's "Be Our Guest". Sean tries to dance like the candle stick & Evie spins around! She's still memorized by "Mommy & Me" and "Curious George". Her favorite morning foods are goldfish crackers and yogurt smoothies. Although we can't understand her, I'm convinced she knows how to read. ;) She turns the pages & babbles through each one. She's all of a sudden an independent eater or at least she tries to be. She wants your help getting the food on the utensil, but she has to put the food in her mouth.
We're all excited about our upcoming Pennsylvania trip. I can't wait for a week away with my favorite people!
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Terrible 'Ones'?
No surprise, but Evie is a very strong-willed toddler. She knows what she wants and doesn't want & she has no problem communicating. She just turned one, so I can't imagine what the terrible twos will be like!!
On 05/19, the night before Sean's preschool graduation, Sean was jumping on his bed & decided to do a free fall. He cracked the bridge of his nose on the end of his car bed. Thank God the car bed is plastic & he hit where he did because a little lower & he would've knocked some teeth out. Daddy took him to the ER where Uncle Mike works & he got some x-rays done. He thought that was the coolest thing. He said, "The next time I break my nose, take a picture of that!". Seeing his skull was pretty awesome. He didn't break his nose and hopefully there won't be a next time. Sean's preschool graduation ceremony was awesome. As soon as he got on stage, he put his hands down his pants. We thought for sure he was going to be "that kid" through the whole performance again. But he pulled it together quickly & did a great job. We were so proud!! Grandma, Aunt Susie, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Larry & Grandpa Jim were there. Sean was showered with graduation gifts too. He thought it was great (of course ;). On 05/23 Daddy & Sean went to Sean's end of the year bowling party with his class. Sean got a double in the 10th frame of the last game to score a 93! 05/26 we celebrated Evie's 1st birthday. We went to Daddy's work to visit and then to Grandma's work to pick her up. We met Daddy at Rainforest Cafe. Evie loved all the animals. Forget about eating, she wanted to walk around the whole time. After that, we went & climbed on the foam food in the food court. We finished the night with pizza & cake at our house with Grandma, Puppa, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry. Evie LOVED her first cupcake! Her whole head was dyed pink! 05/27 we loaded the car & headed up north to see Aunt Mary & Uncle Scott. The kids were AMAZING the whole car ride. Evie's favorite part? Having her car seat turned around!! While I'm putting her in the car, she directs me to turn the dvd player on!! Her favorite video is Mommy & Me. It never gets old!! We stopped at Call of The Wild in Gaylord. My nan used to take me there when I was little. It was so cool for me to go there with my family. Sean was fascinated & a little freaked out by the bear displays, but we had to keep going back to look at them. Sean kept talking about the 5 mile bridge, but when we got to it, he was asleep. I tried to wake him up, but he wasn't having it. Good thing he got to see it on the way home. Mr. Terry from Daddy's work gave us ferry tickets, so on 05/28 we went to Mackinaw Island. Lots of horses, souvenier shops & fudge!! There was a little toy store where Evie found a stuffed Curious George that she LOVED! George went everywhere with her from then on. He was $10, so we almost didn't buy him. But, you can't put a price on love. ;) We stayed at the Days Inn and our room was the closest to the pool. Everything was perfect. On our way home on 05/29, we stopped at Daddy's favorite restaurant near Houghton Lake. He always talks about their ham when he goes up north, so we finally got to try it. On Memorial Day it was HOT. We went swimming & Sean tried the water slide. He did great! He tried it with a lifeguard catching him at the bottom and without. He's so brave!! We went to Grandma & Puppa's for dinner and then finished the night back at the pool. Sean hurt his toe jumping in the shallow end & we haven't been back since because of the weather. We'll see how he does next time. Hopefully the injury didn't scar him! On 05/31 Evie went for her 1 year well visit. She was 24 1/2 lbs and 31 in. In the 97th percentile for both. Her head is still 100th!! :) She's growing beautifully. She was NOT happy to be at the doctor's office. Dr. Berry told me she's very smart. She's aware of her surroundings & she knows the doctor's office is not a place she wants to be. He didn't need to tell me how smart she is, we already know that. But I guess it never hurts to hear it from a "professional". :) She had to get 3 shots...boo hoo. :( On 06/04 Daddy & Evie took Sean to his Kindergarten testing. We just got the results on this & it's recommended that we send Sean to Kindergarten. A little vague... The only area it said he needs to work on is "skipping". After Sean's testing we went to Fort Fraser for Evie's party. It was almost the hottest day of the year so far. That was miserable, but everything else turned out great. We were surrounded by friends & family. I always feel so fortunate to have so many people who love me, Jason & our kids. :) Evie came home & enjoyed opening all of her gifts. Our living room was full of toys & clothes...what's new? ;)06/07 Sean went to the library with Mrs. Lori & Kiara. It was the kick-off to a summer reading program that Sean's enrolled in. He has to read or be read to 20 minutes every day. If he does, he gets prizes and entries into a drawing for a grand prize. He also gets to go every Tuesday for a special story time. He reminds me each day that we have to read books! 06/10 was Evie's ENT appt. Dr. Fishman said that due to her chronic ear infections and the fact that there was still fluid in her ears, she was a good canidate for tubes. Her surgery is scheduled for 07/18. I know she needs them & I know they'll bring relief & I know it's a simple procedure...it still makes me sad. :( 06/11 Daddy was gone all day. It was a guy's golf & card day. So, we got up & went to Bob Evan's with Grandma. Evie's favorite new thing there? Home fries!! No more panny cakers. Grandma & I couldn't get them in front of her fast enough. After breakfast we went to Connor & Ella's house. The mommies cooked & the kids played. They did great. Sean played in dirt & Evie played tea party. Just like it should be right? ;) We attempted to go to Sears & dinner with Grandma that night. We survived, but I don't think we'll be making any mall trips on long days with no afternoon naps anymore. 06/12 Sean & Daddy hung out & went to football. Evie & I went to Caden's 1st birthday party at the Warren Community Center. She loved the water and her favorite part was when I picked her up & slid her down the slide. Great for her, not so great for my back. We met Daddy & Sean over the Mach's after for Mr. Tim's surprise 40th birthday party. I had to stop at Meijer on the way to get Evie some long pants. It was 97 on 06/08, 67 on 06/09 and 57 on 06/12. Michigan weather. But, it was dry & the sun came out at times, so it was good. 06/17 we went to the library with Grandpa Jim to make crafts & cards for Father's Day. Evie loves to walk around pulling all the books/videos off the shelves. Good thing there's a kid's section or we might've gotten kicked out! 06/18 Evie & I met Aunt Mary & Grandma for breakfast while Daddy stayed home & cleaned. Ahhh, the joy that brought me!! ;) Grandma ran a couple errands with us and then we went & picked Seany up from Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's. He had spent the night there with Paiger the night before. We came home, got ready & then went to see the Boccaccios. They're home for 6 weeks. It was an open house, so we didn't get to talk a lot, but we get to see them again next week!! We had lunch with Grandpa Jim before going home to take a nap. While Daddy (he deserved a nap after all the cleaning :) & Evie napped, I laid on the couch & watched Sean play Wii. He kept thanking me for watching him. We finished the night at Uncle Marty's & Aunt Val's for Alex's 6th birthday party. Evie got so dirty playing in the mud, but it was the most fun she had all day. 06/19 - Father's Day!! Sean tricked Daddy by hiding his presents in the dresser & drawing Daddy a map to find them. He also told Daddy not to go through his drawers, just so he wouldn't mess them up. A little trickery on his part. :) We went to church & then Daddy & Sean went golfing. We went to Sean's last football game after that. He had his biggest crowd yet. Grandpa Jim, Grandma, Puppa, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Larry, Uncle Scott, Paiger, Mr. Dan, Liam & Aiden. Daddy was able to be the assistant coach. The Vikings got their first win of the season!!! Go Vikings! Sean was so excited. He got pizza & a trophy afterwards too. I asked if he was going to put his trophy in his special drawer with his bowling plaque. He said, "Umm, nooooo. This trophy is way too special to go in a dirty drawer. It's going on my dresser!". We finished the night with an awesome steak dinner at Grandma & Puppa's. We had a great Father's Day!!
Sean-isms: "Don't be sad, I have to grow up. I will always love you. Even when I get married, I will get in my car & come to your house to visit you." ~ "Is that bacon? It doesn't look like bacon. But, if you say so, I trust you." ~ "I can't figure out why Kiara hasn't came out to call me over yet. You guys go ahead & go inside. I'm just gonna wait on the porch." ~ "I didn't open my door because there are bugs on it & you know I'm allergic to bugs." ~ "If you don't want to win, that's fine, keep dying." (to Daddy while playing Super Mario on the Wii)
Evie is brilliant. She follows directions very well. She understands everything & it's only a matter of time before she'll be able to say everything. She's done "more" in sign language for awhile, but never please. Grandma always makes her say please in sign language & now she does it!! She does thank you too. She says "hello?" when she hears my phone ring. She says "ball", "more", "mumma", "dadda", "puppa", "juice", "shoes" and "cheese" (although the last 3 sound very similar ;). She says "mumma" the most. Not just because she loves me, but because she thinks it has a thousand meanings! ;) She still adores her brother & smiles & laughs when he enters the room. She loves climbing over Andy. Andy's great with both kids...just takes the abuse. Evie does peek-a-boo & blows kisses. If I open the fridge, she makes her way past me & goes for the yogurt smoothies. She pulls them out & says, "juice". She's becoming a pickier eater...great. Just what I need...another picky eater! If she puts or you put something in her mouth she doesn't like, she spits it out. Sometimes she won't even try it. She loves green beans, most fruit, chicken nuggets, cheese, goldfish crackers and yogurt melts.
We have to keep the bathroom door shut because she loves opening the cupboards & pulling everything out. Now that the weather's better, her ears haven't been bothering her as much. She's sleeping a lot better, staying most nights in her crib. She takes a morning & afternoon nap. If she misses either, WATCH OUT!! She definitely needs her rest!
On 05/19, the night before Sean's preschool graduation, Sean was jumping on his bed & decided to do a free fall. He cracked the bridge of his nose on the end of his car bed. Thank God the car bed is plastic & he hit where he did because a little lower & he would've knocked some teeth out. Daddy took him to the ER where Uncle Mike works & he got some x-rays done. He thought that was the coolest thing. He said, "The next time I break my nose, take a picture of that!". Seeing his skull was pretty awesome. He didn't break his nose and hopefully there won't be a next time. Sean's preschool graduation ceremony was awesome. As soon as he got on stage, he put his hands down his pants. We thought for sure he was going to be "that kid" through the whole performance again. But he pulled it together quickly & did a great job. We were so proud!! Grandma, Aunt Susie, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Larry & Grandpa Jim were there. Sean was showered with graduation gifts too. He thought it was great (of course ;). On 05/23 Daddy & Sean went to Sean's end of the year bowling party with his class. Sean got a double in the 10th frame of the last game to score a 93! 05/26 we celebrated Evie's 1st birthday. We went to Daddy's work to visit and then to Grandma's work to pick her up. We met Daddy at Rainforest Cafe. Evie loved all the animals. Forget about eating, she wanted to walk around the whole time. After that, we went & climbed on the foam food in the food court. We finished the night with pizza & cake at our house with Grandma, Puppa, Grandpa Jim, Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry. Evie LOVED her first cupcake! Her whole head was dyed pink! 05/27 we loaded the car & headed up north to see Aunt Mary & Uncle Scott. The kids were AMAZING the whole car ride. Evie's favorite part? Having her car seat turned around!! While I'm putting her in the car, she directs me to turn the dvd player on!! Her favorite video is Mommy & Me. It never gets old!! We stopped at Call of The Wild in Gaylord. My nan used to take me there when I was little. It was so cool for me to go there with my family. Sean was fascinated & a little freaked out by the bear displays, but we had to keep going back to look at them. Sean kept talking about the 5 mile bridge, but when we got to it, he was asleep. I tried to wake him up, but he wasn't having it. Good thing he got to see it on the way home. Mr. Terry from Daddy's work gave us ferry tickets, so on 05/28 we went to Mackinaw Island. Lots of horses, souvenier shops & fudge!! There was a little toy store where Evie found a stuffed Curious George that she LOVED! George went everywhere with her from then on. He was $10, so we almost didn't buy him. But, you can't put a price on love. ;) We stayed at the Days Inn and our room was the closest to the pool. Everything was perfect. On our way home on 05/29, we stopped at Daddy's favorite restaurant near Houghton Lake. He always talks about their ham when he goes up north, so we finally got to try it. On Memorial Day it was HOT. We went swimming & Sean tried the water slide. He did great! He tried it with a lifeguard catching him at the bottom and without. He's so brave!! We went to Grandma & Puppa's for dinner and then finished the night back at the pool. Sean hurt his toe jumping in the shallow end & we haven't been back since because of the weather. We'll see how he does next time. Hopefully the injury didn't scar him! On 05/31 Evie went for her 1 year well visit. She was 24 1/2 lbs and 31 in. In the 97th percentile for both. Her head is still 100th!! :) She's growing beautifully. She was NOT happy to be at the doctor's office. Dr. Berry told me she's very smart. She's aware of her surroundings & she knows the doctor's office is not a place she wants to be. He didn't need to tell me how smart she is, we already know that. But I guess it never hurts to hear it from a "professional". :) She had to get 3 shots...boo hoo. :( On 06/04 Daddy & Evie took Sean to his Kindergarten testing. We just got the results on this & it's recommended that we send Sean to Kindergarten. A little vague... The only area it said he needs to work on is "skipping". After Sean's testing we went to Fort Fraser for Evie's party. It was almost the hottest day of the year so far. That was miserable, but everything else turned out great. We were surrounded by friends & family. I always feel so fortunate to have so many people who love me, Jason & our kids. :) Evie came home & enjoyed opening all of her gifts. Our living room was full of toys & clothes...what's new? ;)06/07 Sean went to the library with Mrs. Lori & Kiara. It was the kick-off to a summer reading program that Sean's enrolled in. He has to read or be read to 20 minutes every day. If he does, he gets prizes and entries into a drawing for a grand prize. He also gets to go every Tuesday for a special story time. He reminds me each day that we have to read books! 06/10 was Evie's ENT appt. Dr. Fishman said that due to her chronic ear infections and the fact that there was still fluid in her ears, she was a good canidate for tubes. Her surgery is scheduled for 07/18. I know she needs them & I know they'll bring relief & I know it's a simple procedure...it still makes me sad. :( 06/11 Daddy was gone all day. It was a guy's golf & card day. So, we got up & went to Bob Evan's with Grandma. Evie's favorite new thing there? Home fries!! No more panny cakers. Grandma & I couldn't get them in front of her fast enough. After breakfast we went to Connor & Ella's house. The mommies cooked & the kids played. They did great. Sean played in dirt & Evie played tea party. Just like it should be right? ;) We attempted to go to Sears & dinner with Grandma that night. We survived, but I don't think we'll be making any mall trips on long days with no afternoon naps anymore. 06/12 Sean & Daddy hung out & went to football. Evie & I went to Caden's 1st birthday party at the Warren Community Center. She loved the water and her favorite part was when I picked her up & slid her down the slide. Great for her, not so great for my back. We met Daddy & Sean over the Mach's after for Mr. Tim's surprise 40th birthday party. I had to stop at Meijer on the way to get Evie some long pants. It was 97 on 06/08, 67 on 06/09 and 57 on 06/12. Michigan weather. But, it was dry & the sun came out at times, so it was good. 06/17 we went to the library with Grandpa Jim to make crafts & cards for Father's Day. Evie loves to walk around pulling all the books/videos off the shelves. Good thing there's a kid's section or we might've gotten kicked out! 06/18 Evie & I met Aunt Mary & Grandma for breakfast while Daddy stayed home & cleaned. Ahhh, the joy that brought me!! ;) Grandma ran a couple errands with us and then we went & picked Seany up from Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's. He had spent the night there with Paiger the night before. We came home, got ready & then went to see the Boccaccios. They're home for 6 weeks. It was an open house, so we didn't get to talk a lot, but we get to see them again next week!! We had lunch with Grandpa Jim before going home to take a nap. While Daddy (he deserved a nap after all the cleaning :) & Evie napped, I laid on the couch & watched Sean play Wii. He kept thanking me for watching him. We finished the night at Uncle Marty's & Aunt Val's for Alex's 6th birthday party. Evie got so dirty playing in the mud, but it was the most fun she had all day. 06/19 - Father's Day!! Sean tricked Daddy by hiding his presents in the dresser & drawing Daddy a map to find them. He also told Daddy not to go through his drawers, just so he wouldn't mess them up. A little trickery on his part. :) We went to church & then Daddy & Sean went golfing. We went to Sean's last football game after that. He had his biggest crowd yet. Grandpa Jim, Grandma, Puppa, Grandma Sue, Grandpa Larry, Uncle Scott, Paiger, Mr. Dan, Liam & Aiden. Daddy was able to be the assistant coach. The Vikings got their first win of the season!!! Go Vikings! Sean was so excited. He got pizza & a trophy afterwards too. I asked if he was going to put his trophy in his special drawer with his bowling plaque. He said, "Umm, nooooo. This trophy is way too special to go in a dirty drawer. It's going on my dresser!". We finished the night with an awesome steak dinner at Grandma & Puppa's. We had a great Father's Day!!
Sean-isms: "Don't be sad, I have to grow up. I will always love you. Even when I get married, I will get in my car & come to your house to visit you." ~ "Is that bacon? It doesn't look like bacon. But, if you say so, I trust you." ~ "I can't figure out why Kiara hasn't came out to call me over yet. You guys go ahead & go inside. I'm just gonna wait on the porch." ~ "I didn't open my door because there are bugs on it & you know I'm allergic to bugs." ~ "If you don't want to win, that's fine, keep dying." (to Daddy while playing Super Mario on the Wii)
Evie is brilliant. She follows directions very well. She understands everything & it's only a matter of time before she'll be able to say everything. She's done "more" in sign language for awhile, but never please. Grandma always makes her say please in sign language & now she does it!! She does thank you too. She says "hello?" when she hears my phone ring. She says "ball", "more", "mumma", "dadda", "puppa", "juice", "shoes" and "cheese" (although the last 3 sound very similar ;). She says "mumma" the most. Not just because she loves me, but because she thinks it has a thousand meanings! ;) She still adores her brother & smiles & laughs when he enters the room. She loves climbing over Andy. Andy's great with both kids...just takes the abuse. Evie does peek-a-boo & blows kisses. If I open the fridge, she makes her way past me & goes for the yogurt smoothies. She pulls them out & says, "juice". She's becoming a pickier eater...great. Just what I need...another picky eater! If she puts or you put something in her mouth she doesn't like, she spits it out. Sometimes she won't even try it. She loves green beans, most fruit, chicken nuggets, cheese, goldfish crackers and yogurt melts.
We have to keep the bathroom door shut because she loves opening the cupboards & pulling everything out. Now that the weather's better, her ears haven't been bothering her as much. She's sleeping a lot better, staying most nights in her crib. She takes a morning & afternoon nap. If she misses either, WATCH OUT!! She definitely needs her rest!
Monday, May 16, 2011
What's next? College?
I'm trying not to get emotional about the fact that Sean graduates from preschool on Friday. I mean, it's just preschool, right? They did Spring (if that's what you call this season we're in ;) pictures at school & there's one of Sean in his graduation cap. It's crazy to think he's going to start Kindergarten in the fall. He's growing up so fast. He's always amazed us with what he knows and does and says, but he just seems so grown up lately. Every time I tell him he's growing up, I say I'm sad and make a face or whine. He says, "Why do you do that every time? You know I have to grow up!". I know, but I don't have to like it. I cherish times when he wants to hug or cuddle or love on me. Like last night. He was laying down, watching tv in his bed. I went in his room to hang up some clothes & he said, "Umm, next time you come in here & you don't have stuff in your hands, can you cuddle me a little bit?". :) Makes my heart smile!!
We had a great Easter. The day before we dyed eggs with Grandpa Jim & Grandma. Evie wasn't allowed to have real eggs because she likes to throw things. All of her plastic eggs ended up on the floor. We went to an Easter egg hunt at Mrs. Kim's house that afternoon. That night, Sean & Evie wrote letters to the Easter Bunny. Sean's said, "Happy Easter Jesus is Alive". :) Easter morning, Sean & I woke up before Daddy & Evie. We tried to be quiet as we read the letter from the Easter Bunny. Then we walked into the living room & heard a hide-and-seek egg, so Sean started looking for it. With the egg was his basket too. Not long after he found the baskets, Evie popped up & monkey crawled to her basket. She loved pulling everything out & looking through her basket with Sean. We went to church & then out to Uncle Mike's house for an Easter egg & basket hunt & dinner with Grandma, Puppa, Aunt Mary, Uncle Mike, Aunt Nicole & the kids. We left there & headed to Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's house. It was a long, fun filled day.
On 04/21, Sean had his first flag football practice. His coach's name is Mr. Mike & his team is the Vikings. Sean's not very aggressive, so we've found that his best positions are center & quarterback. His first game was 05/01. It was cold & drizzly, but Sean did great. He was the quarterback on a play that ended in a touchtown. His next game was on Mother's Day, 05/08. It was sunny & 75 degrees. Perfect football game weather (from the stands at least ;). His next game was supposed to be 05/15, but it was super cold & rainy all day and not enough kids showed up to play a game. He's on a good team with a great group of boys who are nice to each other. Connor's on his team too! Not sure yet if football is their thing, but we just want them to listen to their coaches, be nice to their teammates & have fun. Daddy has been able to be on the field to help the coaches at both games. A true test of Daddy's patience, but he's great with the kids.
My Mother's Day was awesome. I was treated to some of my favorite things, including strawberry & banana crepes. Daddy made me a Vikings t-shirt with an iron on transfer. It was plain, other than the Vikings logo, so Sean decorated it for me. It says, "Sean's Mom" and "Go Go Go Sean" and "I love the Vikings". I love it. :) We had lunch at Olga's & went to Sean's game. Grandma, Puppa, Grandpa Jim, Grandpa Larry & Grandma Sue were all there to cheer on their guy. Evie enjoyed spending time with them in the stands too. Our neighbor & Sean's friend Kiara lost her father on Easter, so she's been spending some extra time with us. We pick her up from the bus stop on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Sean loves having her over. She came with us to the game too.
Sean came home from school with a bruise above his eye last week. I asked him how he got the "shiner". From then on he referred to it as his "shiny". We sent Grandma a picture of his eye & she said it made her sad. He said, "I know it does. It's serious!". Sean & Daddy's new thing is to play Wii. They've been working on Donkey Kong Country Returns and finally beat it yesterday. This was a BIG accomplishment in our house. Sean & Daddy got to go fishing on Saturday. Puppa went with them & caught most of the fish. But, Sean caught the biggest. He came home & said, "I'm little, but I did a big thing. Just like David & Goliath!". LOVE him. He's a precious, smart, compassionate, loving, amazing little boy. But, he's still a little boy. We're working on NOT whining. My least favorite thing to hear is, "How long until we..." and "But that's a long time!!!". I really don't like, "But I never get to..." These are fighting words in my book. Today, Sean got on the yellow light at school. The first time he's had any disciplinary action taken at school. I asked him why he was moved to yellow & he said he didn't make wise choices and he didn't follow the rules. I asked him what rule he broke. His reply was, "You don't get moved to yellow if you just break one rule, you have to break a lot." Didn't do much to help his case. I thought Daddy was going to die from laughter at the dinner table when Sean told him, "Now, you're not gonna want to hear this & I just don't know why I did it, but I started biting." I guess it was fake biting or just making the motion with his mouth, but he was being distracting & not listening to his teachers. Hopefully he redeems himself next time he's there. If not, we may have to take away the wii...
Evie Loretta...where to begin... We thought she was going to get her eye teeth before any others came in. But, 2 weeks ago, I heard her grinding her teeth, which is impossible when you only have 2 on the bottom. So, I felt her gums & her 2 front top teeth had broken through. So, she has 4 teeth now and I'm not sure when the top ones broke through. She's taken 2-3 steps at a time for a couple weeks now, but last Thursday she started taking 4-5 steps at a time. Now, she's officially walking. Yesterday I watched her walk from the couch to the tv and then into the kitchen. Along with her new found mobility comes a new found curiosity. She likes to go on the landing & play with shoes. She likes to open cupboards & pull things out of the garbage. She's even tasted some dog food. Yuck! Her favorite foods are yogurt, bananas, puffs, yougurt melts, toddler cheese puffs, turkey & green beans. I thought she liked peas, but when I put some on her tray tonight, she refused to eat them. I tried to put one in her mouth & she spit it out. She tried to put one in my mouth, I refused & then she threw it at me. She is sassy! She whines. Like real whining, as if she's mimicking the whine Sean does. She's starting to mimick a lot. If you try to take something out of her hands, watch out. She screams & throws up her arms. Sean thinks it great when she gives us the "stink eye". Such attitude at such a young age! We joke that she's German because she yells a lot when she talks & says, "NIGH NIGH!". She always has a lot to "say". She absolutely adores Sean. She claps & waives & smiles & screams as soon as she sees him. Tonight, during her bath, Sean kept crawling in the bathroom like he was Donkey Kong. I've never heard Evie laugh harder. Her ears have really become an issue. She's on infection #7 since January, so we're scheduled to see the ENT in a couple weeks. She loves to sleep & does great in her crib, so you know her ears are really bothering her when she's up a lot through out the night. I can't believe that she'll be 1 next week. I'm switching my work days to spend her birthday with her. We're planning to have lots of fun!!
We had a great Easter. The day before we dyed eggs with Grandpa Jim & Grandma. Evie wasn't allowed to have real eggs because she likes to throw things. All of her plastic eggs ended up on the floor. We went to an Easter egg hunt at Mrs. Kim's house that afternoon. That night, Sean & Evie wrote letters to the Easter Bunny. Sean's said, "Happy Easter Jesus is Alive". :) Easter morning, Sean & I woke up before Daddy & Evie. We tried to be quiet as we read the letter from the Easter Bunny. Then we walked into the living room & heard a hide-and-seek egg, so Sean started looking for it. With the egg was his basket too. Not long after he found the baskets, Evie popped up & monkey crawled to her basket. She loved pulling everything out & looking through her basket with Sean. We went to church & then out to Uncle Mike's house for an Easter egg & basket hunt & dinner with Grandma, Puppa, Aunt Mary, Uncle Mike, Aunt Nicole & the kids. We left there & headed to Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's house. It was a long, fun filled day.
On 04/21, Sean had his first flag football practice. His coach's name is Mr. Mike & his team is the Vikings. Sean's not very aggressive, so we've found that his best positions are center & quarterback. His first game was 05/01. It was cold & drizzly, but Sean did great. He was the quarterback on a play that ended in a touchtown. His next game was on Mother's Day, 05/08. It was sunny & 75 degrees. Perfect football game weather (from the stands at least ;). His next game was supposed to be 05/15, but it was super cold & rainy all day and not enough kids showed up to play a game. He's on a good team with a great group of boys who are nice to each other. Connor's on his team too! Not sure yet if football is their thing, but we just want them to listen to their coaches, be nice to their teammates & have fun. Daddy has been able to be on the field to help the coaches at both games. A true test of Daddy's patience, but he's great with the kids.
My Mother's Day was awesome. I was treated to some of my favorite things, including strawberry & banana crepes. Daddy made me a Vikings t-shirt with an iron on transfer. It was plain, other than the Vikings logo, so Sean decorated it for me. It says, "Sean's Mom" and "Go Go Go Sean" and "I love the Vikings". I love it. :) We had lunch at Olga's & went to Sean's game. Grandma, Puppa, Grandpa Jim, Grandpa Larry & Grandma Sue were all there to cheer on their guy. Evie enjoyed spending time with them in the stands too. Our neighbor & Sean's friend Kiara lost her father on Easter, so she's been spending some extra time with us. We pick her up from the bus stop on Tuesdays & Wednesdays. Sean loves having her over. She came with us to the game too.
Sean came home from school with a bruise above his eye last week. I asked him how he got the "shiner". From then on he referred to it as his "shiny". We sent Grandma a picture of his eye & she said it made her sad. He said, "I know it does. It's serious!". Sean & Daddy's new thing is to play Wii. They've been working on Donkey Kong Country Returns and finally beat it yesterday. This was a BIG accomplishment in our house. Sean & Daddy got to go fishing on Saturday. Puppa went with them & caught most of the fish. But, Sean caught the biggest. He came home & said, "I'm little, but I did a big thing. Just like David & Goliath!". LOVE him. He's a precious, smart, compassionate, loving, amazing little boy. But, he's still a little boy. We're working on NOT whining. My least favorite thing to hear is, "How long until we..." and "But that's a long time!!!". I really don't like, "But I never get to..." These are fighting words in my book. Today, Sean got on the yellow light at school. The first time he's had any disciplinary action taken at school. I asked him why he was moved to yellow & he said he didn't make wise choices and he didn't follow the rules. I asked him what rule he broke. His reply was, "You don't get moved to yellow if you just break one rule, you have to break a lot." Didn't do much to help his case. I thought Daddy was going to die from laughter at the dinner table when Sean told him, "Now, you're not gonna want to hear this & I just don't know why I did it, but I started biting." I guess it was fake biting or just making the motion with his mouth, but he was being distracting & not listening to his teachers. Hopefully he redeems himself next time he's there. If not, we may have to take away the wii...
Evie Loretta...where to begin... We thought she was going to get her eye teeth before any others came in. But, 2 weeks ago, I heard her grinding her teeth, which is impossible when you only have 2 on the bottom. So, I felt her gums & her 2 front top teeth had broken through. So, she has 4 teeth now and I'm not sure when the top ones broke through. She's taken 2-3 steps at a time for a couple weeks now, but last Thursday she started taking 4-5 steps at a time. Now, she's officially walking. Yesterday I watched her walk from the couch to the tv and then into the kitchen. Along with her new found mobility comes a new found curiosity. She likes to go on the landing & play with shoes. She likes to open cupboards & pull things out of the garbage. She's even tasted some dog food. Yuck! Her favorite foods are yogurt, bananas, puffs, yougurt melts, toddler cheese puffs, turkey & green beans. I thought she liked peas, but when I put some on her tray tonight, she refused to eat them. I tried to put one in her mouth & she spit it out. She tried to put one in my mouth, I refused & then she threw it at me. She is sassy! She whines. Like real whining, as if she's mimicking the whine Sean does. She's starting to mimick a lot. If you try to take something out of her hands, watch out. She screams & throws up her arms. Sean thinks it great when she gives us the "stink eye". Such attitude at such a young age! We joke that she's German because she yells a lot when she talks & says, "NIGH NIGH!". She always has a lot to "say". She absolutely adores Sean. She claps & waives & smiles & screams as soon as she sees him. Tonight, during her bath, Sean kept crawling in the bathroom like he was Donkey Kong. I've never heard Evie laugh harder. Her ears have really become an issue. She's on infection #7 since January, so we're scheduled to see the ENT in a couple weeks. She loves to sleep & does great in her crib, so you know her ears are really bothering her when she's up a lot through out the night. I can't believe that she'll be 1 next week. I'm switching my work days to spend her birthday with her. We're planning to have lots of fun!!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
100 Club Babe
On Sunday Sean bowled his first 100+ game. 108 to be exact. On his league, when you bowl a 100+ game, you get a gold star on the "100 Club" board. Sean was so excited. Everyone kept telling him how proud they were & what a great job he did. He got lots of phone calls congratulating him - he was so happy. He told me on the way home from the bowling alley, "You know how you call me babe? Well, now you should call me 100 club babe!". :) March was a busy month. We got Sean's progress report from school. He's doing great. He knows & recognizes all of his letters, he's 1 of 2 kids in his class who can count to 100, he knows his phone number, he recognizes words, he behaves. He needs to work on his address & then catching & skipping. If you can't tell by my last statement, it was a VERY thorough progress report. His teacher said he's a pleasure to have in class. He's a very quiet learner, but always answers when asked a question. Hmmm, wonder how I could bring this "quiet" Sean out at home!! Poor Sean stayed healthy all winter and then got HIT with influenza A on March 4th. He came home from school crying hysterically, but didn't have a specific reason. I went to hug him & felt that he was burning up. We spent that whole weekend home, recovering. He was ready to get out & go by Monday morning! We decided to stop having fish as pets for awhile. In 1 week we went through "phineas" and "ferb". Maybe our kitchen isn't the right environment for fish living. I was worried how Sean would take the news both times, but he handled it well. We determined that we just kept buying "old" ones, so we should take a break for awhile. On 03/11/11 Sean & I went to see Toy Story 3 with Aunt Nicole & Jackson. The show was 2 hours; a long time for a kids show. But, both boys loved it. We came home with Jesse & Bullseye dolls. I'm glad I was able to talk him into these because we already have Woody & Buzz. Aunt Mary & Uncle Scott got married on 03/19/11. Sean was the only person with a special job in the wedding (besides the bride & groom). He took his job as ring bearer VERY seriously. He didn't say much at the rehearsal, but focused on what he was supposed to be doing. The day of the wedding, we were driving & he said to me, "I did a great job at that practice wedding. I don't know how people get married without me!". :) After the wedding, he said, "I did a really good job today. And there were a lot more people there than at that practice wedding." And, every time we pass the chapel they got married at, Sean says, "That's where Aunt Mary got married." And, if there's a wedding there, he says, "I wonder who they got to be their ring bearer?". Like he was offended that they didn't call him. ;) 03/26/11 was Grandma's birthday. Each year, Sean likes to throw her a party with the theme of whatever Disney movie he's into at the time. On 03/27/11, he threw her a Wall-E party. He helped me make cupcakes & a cake, we had Wall-E rings & a Wall-E candle, he got her Wall-E toys and (2) balloons. One orange & one yellow - her favorite colors. :) He wanted it to be a complete surprise, so he told her that she wasn't going to have any presents or decorations or cake at her party. She told him that made her a little sad, but all that mattered was that he'd be there. He just said, "ok!". No mercy!!! On 04/01/11 we went to Cranbrook with Max, Austin & Grandma. Sean really liked hanging out with the older boys. He said happy meal toys are boring, he just wanted nuggets from McDonalds. I'll have to remind him of that the next time he wants a happy meal, when we're not with the bigger boys. ;) We waited at Cranbrook for the observatory to open, hoping we'd get to see the moon through a giant telescope. The man running the area said we wouldn't get to see the moon that night because it was a new moon phase. Sean was so disappointed. He stood at the entry to the telescope & told people as the entered, "You're not going to get to see the moon!". Like, don't even bother going in there! ;) On 04/02/11 Sean had a "Daddy Day". He & Daddy went to Puppa's work where Sean drove a big giant hauler all by himself! Later that day, Sean & Daddy went to the circus. Lucky boy... Grandma Sue is on Spring Break this week, so on Tuesday Sean went to the movies & then spent the night over there with Paiger. Yesterday, they went to Chuck E. Cheese and when they dropped him off, they said, "All the workers know him there." That's because Sean & Grandpa Jim usually go there at least twice a week! Grandpa Jim was telling me that when they were there this week, the guy who repairs the machines walked by their table & Sean called him over to ask why he wasn't wearing his glasses! Yep, they're there a lot! I love listening to Sean tell us the bible stories he learned at church. He also knows the entire pledge of allegiance. He makes us laugh (and yell ;) daily.
EVIE LORETTA!! We say this often. Usually because she's going after something she shouldn't, opening a drawer, harrassing Sean, etc. She's a little pistol!! Strong willed & very smart. Evie wants to do EVERYTHING Sean is doing. Sometimes, he's ok with it, sometimes, not so much. And if he tells her no or takes something away from her, she throws herself to the ground & screams. Really, tantrums already??? She also does this when she doesn't get her way or if we have to put her coat on. She's communicating & interacting more every day. She says, "ut oh" and "oh wow" now too. She also waives her little finger at you (or Andy) to say "no no". As a matter of fact, when you mention Andy's name, she usually starts waiving her finger. I think I say, "no no puppy" a lot, so she associates "no no" with Andy. Andy LOVES Evie. We've been VERY good about not feeding this dog table food, but we can't enforce that law with Evie. So, everything she eats, she shares with the puppy. I love watching Andy with her because she doesn't go after Evie's food. She waits patiently for Evie to give her her share. Yesterday Evie was sitting in her high chair pushing food off the side for Andy & then waiving her little pointer finger in the air. I told her she can't say, "no no puppy" when she's throwing her food. So, she did it again and said, "ut oh". She's too cute. She follows commands like, "give it to Seany" or "point to mumma". Recently she started standing on her own for longer periods of time. She looks like she's thinking about taking a step, but doesn't quite know how to yet. So, when she wants to move, she plops down & does her monkey crawl. She gets around fast that way. But, it looks like the steps will be coming soon. She just started putting the phone to her ear & making noises, as if she's talking on the phone. One day she put the phone to her ear & started yelling. Daddy asked her if that's what Mumma does all day. Ha ha... ;) Poor baby is sick again. She's had a rough few months. We went to the doctor on Monday & she has a double ear infection, probably caused by all the extra fluid produced as she's trying to cut her eye teeth. She's got a really stuffy nose too. She's pitiful. Last night, while Daddy & Seany went to church, we had some precious Mommy/Evie time. We played and every few minutes she'd climb over to me & lay her head on my stomach as if to say, "this is fun, but I really don't feel well". Then, I held her when I went downstairs to get her clothes & it was dark. She grabbed onto my shirt so tight & dug her head into me. It's hard sometimes to have a little shadow, but I try to remind myself that I am going to miss clingy baby. Both kids were doing great with sleeping in their own bed/crib until Evie got sick again. It's hard to let her "cry it out" when you know she's miserable. Nicer weather & more restful nights are on their way though!!
EVIE LORETTA!! We say this often. Usually because she's going after something she shouldn't, opening a drawer, harrassing Sean, etc. She's a little pistol!! Strong willed & very smart. Evie wants to do EVERYTHING Sean is doing. Sometimes, he's ok with it, sometimes, not so much. And if he tells her no or takes something away from her, she throws herself to the ground & screams. Really, tantrums already??? She also does this when she doesn't get her way or if we have to put her coat on. She's communicating & interacting more every day. She says, "ut oh" and "oh wow" now too. She also waives her little finger at you (or Andy) to say "no no". As a matter of fact, when you mention Andy's name, she usually starts waiving her finger. I think I say, "no no puppy" a lot, so she associates "no no" with Andy. Andy LOVES Evie. We've been VERY good about not feeding this dog table food, but we can't enforce that law with Evie. So, everything she eats, she shares with the puppy. I love watching Andy with her because she doesn't go after Evie's food. She waits patiently for Evie to give her her share. Yesterday Evie was sitting in her high chair pushing food off the side for Andy & then waiving her little pointer finger in the air. I told her she can't say, "no no puppy" when she's throwing her food. So, she did it again and said, "ut oh". She's too cute. She follows commands like, "give it to Seany" or "point to mumma". Recently she started standing on her own for longer periods of time. She looks like she's thinking about taking a step, but doesn't quite know how to yet. So, when she wants to move, she plops down & does her monkey crawl. She gets around fast that way. But, it looks like the steps will be coming soon. She just started putting the phone to her ear & making noises, as if she's talking on the phone. One day she put the phone to her ear & started yelling. Daddy asked her if that's what Mumma does all day. Ha ha... ;) Poor baby is sick again. She's had a rough few months. We went to the doctor on Monday & she has a double ear infection, probably caused by all the extra fluid produced as she's trying to cut her eye teeth. She's got a really stuffy nose too. She's pitiful. Last night, while Daddy & Seany went to church, we had some precious Mommy/Evie time. We played and every few minutes she'd climb over to me & lay her head on my stomach as if to say, "this is fun, but I really don't feel well". Then, I held her when I went downstairs to get her clothes & it was dark. She grabbed onto my shirt so tight & dug her head into me. It's hard sometimes to have a little shadow, but I try to remind myself that I am going to miss clingy baby. Both kids were doing great with sleeping in their own bed/crib until Evie got sick again. It's hard to let her "cry it out" when you know she's miserable. Nicer weather & more restful nights are on their way though!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Come on Spring!!
It's almost here & I couldn't be happier. More people have been sicker this cold & flu season than ever before, at least around us. Fortunately Sean has stayed pretty healthy all season. Colds/ear infections & (2) rounds of the stomach flu have passed through our house & he's missed it all. Poor Evie though...she got hit the hardest with everything. On 02/11, Evie & I went to visit my friend Antonietta & her daughter Marianna. Evie was acting fine and then during lunch, she threw up. That was the kick off to one of the hardest weeks we've had as parents. She never threw up again after that day, but she had major stomach issues for a whole week. She didn't sleep at night, she screamed for hours at a time. It was awful. But, thankfully we're all healthy now and I hope it stays that way.
Sean's still doing great at school. All good reports, his bus has never moved off green, he's always greeted with "Sean's here!!" or "Hi Sean!!" when he sees his classmates. He tells me bible stories or sings me songs that he learns at school. His writing and word recognition is incredible for his age. He has a Veggie Tales cd in the car with a song on homophones. It fascinates him, so we've spent a lot of time coming up with other homophones. He says, "We is a homophone! Wii like my game & we like us!". How smart that he put that together. Speaking of Wii, we got one. Sean is so good at it. He's consistently around 150-160 every time he bowls, he usually beats me at tennis and he always wins at boxing. He told Grandpa Jim that he beats him at tennis because he's an old guy and doesn't move so fast. ;) Last weekend Puppa & Grandma came over to watch Sean play Wii & Sean beat Puppa too. Puppa's convinced that he just needs some more practice & then he'll beat Sean. Some people live in denial. ;) One day we were sitting at the table & Sean asked me if I could marry anybody other than daddy. I told him no, just daddy. He looked discouraged, so I asked him why. He said, "I just don't know who I'M going to marry." I tried to reassure him that he had plenty of time before he had to think about that, but he just said he really wanted to know who it would be. Lucky me - I was an option! :) Last Saturday Daddy & Sean went to the dinosaur exhibit at the Detroit Science Center. Sean's really laid it on thick lately by telling Daddy how he wishes every day was a "Daddy Day". Daddy Days are days where Daddy doesn't have to work, so he can just play with Sean all day. :) So, their trip to the science center was nice Daddy/Sean time. They had to wait in line for over an hour just to get it. Sean was a good boy & his favorite part was the electricity exhibit & an exhibit where he lifted 1000 lbs! Yesterday Sean & Grandma texted each other mysterious pictures & they had to guess what each picture was. I swear sometimes I think it would just be easier to get Sean a cell phone! He also texted her, "I knowed I'm the most guy you ever loved". :) Sean has a tough time with "down time". Yesterday we had a little talk about how lucky he is that he gets to do SO much. He needs to enjoy all the stuff he does and when he's home find a way to enjoy it. I also told him that there are lots of kids who don't have a Grandpa who takes them to Chuck E. Cheese all the time or a Grandma who plays with them or Grandparents who buy them prizes and let them have sleep overs. He needs to start appreciating how good he has it. He listened to my rant & then said, "Can we pray right now for all those kids?". He may act like a 4 year old sometimes and he may have bratty moments, but he's genuinely a good kid.
A guy at work asked me how many kids I have because it seems like I'm always talking about Sean. He's just at an age that produces more funny moments or interesting stories. I'm sure once Evie's able to talk, I won't be able to shut up about her. I already think I'm obnoxious because of how much I brag on my kids. They're awesome! Evie's communicating more & more every day. I love watching the way she reacts to things now. She absolutely LOVES Sean. She looks for him, wants to do everything he's doing, smiles at him for no reason, laughs at him, etc. I know she loves me (and Daddy, sometimes ;), but Sean is her favorite person. We went to her 9 month check up on Tuesday. The nurse had to poke her toe to do an iron test. She didn't even flinch at the poke, but the band-aid they used after, really bothered her. She kept picking at it, like "get this off my toe!". ;) She's 21.2 lbs & 29", in the 90th+ percentile for height, weight and of course head circumfrence! I say she looks like Lil from Rugrats. ;) She continues to pull herself up to a stand and is standing more on her own, but only for a couple seconds. She makes noises, expecting you to make the same noise back, then she'll make the noise again. Fun game in her book. She still loves Super Why & Billy Joel. She has ALWAYS loved being outside, so I can't wait for nicer, dryer weather. She just started feeding herself, but makes a big mess because she can't "pinch" food yet, but rather, she gets a fist full & shoves it in her mouth. We have one of the family pictures we had done last October sitting on our end table in the living room. Evie likes to pull herself up on the table and wave to the picture. We say, "Hi Grandma, hi Puppa, hi Aunt Mary, hi Uncle Mike, hi Mumma!". She thinks it's fun. She still growls after each bite of food & makes the snorty face a lot too. Quite a personality developing. We're going next week for her 9 month pictures.
Sean's still doing great at school. All good reports, his bus has never moved off green, he's always greeted with "Sean's here!!" or "Hi Sean!!" when he sees his classmates. He tells me bible stories or sings me songs that he learns at school. His writing and word recognition is incredible for his age. He has a Veggie Tales cd in the car with a song on homophones. It fascinates him, so we've spent a lot of time coming up with other homophones. He says, "We is a homophone! Wii like my game & we like us!". How smart that he put that together. Speaking of Wii, we got one. Sean is so good at it. He's consistently around 150-160 every time he bowls, he usually beats me at tennis and he always wins at boxing. He told Grandpa Jim that he beats him at tennis because he's an old guy and doesn't move so fast. ;) Last weekend Puppa & Grandma came over to watch Sean play Wii & Sean beat Puppa too. Puppa's convinced that he just needs some more practice & then he'll beat Sean. Some people live in denial. ;) One day we were sitting at the table & Sean asked me if I could marry anybody other than daddy. I told him no, just daddy. He looked discouraged, so I asked him why. He said, "I just don't know who I'M going to marry." I tried to reassure him that he had plenty of time before he had to think about that, but he just said he really wanted to know who it would be. Lucky me - I was an option! :) Last Saturday Daddy & Sean went to the dinosaur exhibit at the Detroit Science Center. Sean's really laid it on thick lately by telling Daddy how he wishes every day was a "Daddy Day". Daddy Days are days where Daddy doesn't have to work, so he can just play with Sean all day. :) So, their trip to the science center was nice Daddy/Sean time. They had to wait in line for over an hour just to get it. Sean was a good boy & his favorite part was the electricity exhibit & an exhibit where he lifted 1000 lbs! Yesterday Sean & Grandma texted each other mysterious pictures & they had to guess what each picture was. I swear sometimes I think it would just be easier to get Sean a cell phone! He also texted her, "I knowed I'm the most guy you ever loved". :) Sean has a tough time with "down time". Yesterday we had a little talk about how lucky he is that he gets to do SO much. He needs to enjoy all the stuff he does and when he's home find a way to enjoy it. I also told him that there are lots of kids who don't have a Grandpa who takes them to Chuck E. Cheese all the time or a Grandma who plays with them or Grandparents who buy them prizes and let them have sleep overs. He needs to start appreciating how good he has it. He listened to my rant & then said, "Can we pray right now for all those kids?". He may act like a 4 year old sometimes and he may have bratty moments, but he's genuinely a good kid.
A guy at work asked me how many kids I have because it seems like I'm always talking about Sean. He's just at an age that produces more funny moments or interesting stories. I'm sure once Evie's able to talk, I won't be able to shut up about her. I already think I'm obnoxious because of how much I brag on my kids. They're awesome! Evie's communicating more & more every day. I love watching the way she reacts to things now. She absolutely LOVES Sean. She looks for him, wants to do everything he's doing, smiles at him for no reason, laughs at him, etc. I know she loves me (and Daddy, sometimes ;), but Sean is her favorite person. We went to her 9 month check up on Tuesday. The nurse had to poke her toe to do an iron test. She didn't even flinch at the poke, but the band-aid they used after, really bothered her. She kept picking at it, like "get this off my toe!". ;) She's 21.2 lbs & 29", in the 90th+ percentile for height, weight and of course head circumfrence! I say she looks like Lil from Rugrats. ;) She continues to pull herself up to a stand and is standing more on her own, but only for a couple seconds. She makes noises, expecting you to make the same noise back, then she'll make the noise again. Fun game in her book. She still loves Super Why & Billy Joel. She has ALWAYS loved being outside, so I can't wait for nicer, dryer weather. She just started feeding herself, but makes a big mess because she can't "pinch" food yet, but rather, she gets a fist full & shoves it in her mouth. We have one of the family pictures we had done last October sitting on our end table in the living room. Evie likes to pull herself up on the table and wave to the picture. We say, "Hi Grandma, hi Puppa, hi Aunt Mary, hi Uncle Mike, hi Mumma!". She thinks it's fun. She still growls after each bite of food & makes the snorty face a lot too. Quite a personality developing. We're going next week for her 9 month pictures.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
A bunch of sickies!
Sean & I have managed to stay MOSTLY healthy, but still have stuffy noses & coughs. Thank God for Sean's 2nd set of tubes or I'm sure he'd be on an antibiotic now too. Both Daddy & Evie have ear infections. This is Evie's 2nd in a month... She's a great sick baby, but she doesn't sleep. That's how we know she's infected. This time we didn't wait a week though. After 2 sleepless nights, I took her in & sure enough, double ear infection. I have perfectly good ear tubes - why didn't they inherit mine?!?!
Sean is very smart & some times even a little sassy. I know - it's so hard to believe... He was watching Cars videos on youtube & I told him to only click on ones he knows. A lot of bad people put bad stuff on the computer & make it look fun to little kids. Sad that I have to tell my 4 yr old this, but it's true. He was doing fine at first, but then started clicking on other stuff & I heard a different language. I told him not to click on the other stuff. He replied with, "This is no fun when you're around!". Nice... A teenager trapped in a 4 yr old's body! On Tuesday, he told me not to pack him fruit twists for lunch anymore because Connor said they were for babies. I told him the package said they're for preschoolers. He said, well, Connor's baby sister eats them, so they're for babies. I said, well, I'll show you the package because they're for preschoolers. Then I asked him who he thought was smarter, me or Connor. His reply? - "Well, I guess Aunt Annette if it says preschooler, but she lets Ella eat them". :) Sean's doing great at school. The other day, when I dropped him off, there were 3 boys. They had been fighting, so they were told to clean up their blocks & each go to a seperate area of the room. Sean had to pick where he was going to play, but first, he helped clean up the blocks with the other boys. I was so proud of him. His teachers always have good things to say & his bus is always on green. I guess it's ok if he's lippy with me once in awhile if he's an angel for other people. ;) Sean loves "texting" people, especially Grandma. They have complete conversations through text. I do the typing, Sean tells me what to write. I said we should get him his own phone. Not quite... Yesterday was a snow day. Blizzard 2011, kind of. So, Sean & Daddy met the Machs for some sledding. It was cold & windy, but they had lots of fun. Winter Wonderland is at the school tomorrow. We get to see Sean sing on stage & we get to see some of his special artwork. Ooooooo... Ahhhh... ;)
Evie wants to be rocked to sleep now. And, she loves sleeping on the couch by her daddy. She loves dogs, especially Andy. Good thing the dogs in her life don't mind a little abuse. ;) She's sitting in her high chair now & looks like such a big girl. She can eat most of what we eat. She still growls after each bite. She can "crawl" anywhere fast. She moves her left leg forward & then drags her right. It's different, but super cute. She opens drawers & cupboards and she goes right for cords. Time to super baby proof the house! I have a feeling she'll get into more than Sean did. She can pull herself up to a stand & does ALL the time. Yesterday she even stood without support for about 3 seconds! Trying to get down from a stand isn't super graceful yet, but she's working on it. She LOVES Super Why. It is her favorite thing in the whole world right now. If she's crying or unhappy, it soothes her. She knows what parts are coming next. If she even hears some one say Super Why, she'll look around for a tv. She loves to grab your glasses off your face & she's super quick about it. She loves to play whatever Sean is playing & it's really cute to watch her play cars with him. He doesn't like it when she puts stuff in her mouth cause it gets all slimy. So, she has to work on that. ;)
On 01/26/11, my Grandma, Sean & Evie's Great Gram, passed away. We will miss her very much and enjoyed the frequent visits over the last couple months. She was a good Grandma & we loved her very much. I'm thankful I got to see her with my children and that they got to know her.
Sean is very smart & some times even a little sassy. I know - it's so hard to believe... He was watching Cars videos on youtube & I told him to only click on ones he knows. A lot of bad people put bad stuff on the computer & make it look fun to little kids. Sad that I have to tell my 4 yr old this, but it's true. He was doing fine at first, but then started clicking on other stuff & I heard a different language. I told him not to click on the other stuff. He replied with, "This is no fun when you're around!". Nice... A teenager trapped in a 4 yr old's body! On Tuesday, he told me not to pack him fruit twists for lunch anymore because Connor said they were for babies. I told him the package said they're for preschoolers. He said, well, Connor's baby sister eats them, so they're for babies. I said, well, I'll show you the package because they're for preschoolers. Then I asked him who he thought was smarter, me or Connor. His reply? - "Well, I guess Aunt Annette if it says preschooler, but she lets Ella eat them". :) Sean's doing great at school. The other day, when I dropped him off, there were 3 boys. They had been fighting, so they were told to clean up their blocks & each go to a seperate area of the room. Sean had to pick where he was going to play, but first, he helped clean up the blocks with the other boys. I was so proud of him. His teachers always have good things to say & his bus is always on green. I guess it's ok if he's lippy with me once in awhile if he's an angel for other people. ;) Sean loves "texting" people, especially Grandma. They have complete conversations through text. I do the typing, Sean tells me what to write. I said we should get him his own phone. Not quite... Yesterday was a snow day. Blizzard 2011, kind of. So, Sean & Daddy met the Machs for some sledding. It was cold & windy, but they had lots of fun. Winter Wonderland is at the school tomorrow. We get to see Sean sing on stage & we get to see some of his special artwork. Ooooooo... Ahhhh... ;)
Evie wants to be rocked to sleep now. And, she loves sleeping on the couch by her daddy. She loves dogs, especially Andy. Good thing the dogs in her life don't mind a little abuse. ;) She's sitting in her high chair now & looks like such a big girl. She can eat most of what we eat. She still growls after each bite. She can "crawl" anywhere fast. She moves her left leg forward & then drags her right. It's different, but super cute. She opens drawers & cupboards and she goes right for cords. Time to super baby proof the house! I have a feeling she'll get into more than Sean did. She can pull herself up to a stand & does ALL the time. Yesterday she even stood without support for about 3 seconds! Trying to get down from a stand isn't super graceful yet, but she's working on it. She LOVES Super Why. It is her favorite thing in the whole world right now. If she's crying or unhappy, it soothes her. She knows what parts are coming next. If she even hears some one say Super Why, she'll look around for a tv. She loves to grab your glasses off your face & she's super quick about it. She loves to play whatever Sean is playing & it's really cute to watch her play cars with him. He doesn't like it when she puts stuff in her mouth cause it gets all slimy. So, she has to work on that. ;)
On 01/26/11, my Grandma, Sean & Evie's Great Gram, passed away. We will miss her very much and enjoyed the frequent visits over the last couple months. She was a good Grandma & we loved her very much. I'm thankful I got to see her with my children and that they got to know her.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Winter...nuff said
I'm not a huge fan of January & February...
Christmas was great. We stayed busy celebrating with family & friends. I was suprised at how well both kids did with the busy schedules. The week between Christmas & New Years we slept in until 8:00 or later almost every day! Christmas morning we got up & Sean immediately noticed that Santa had eaten most of his cookies & drank all of his milk. He also noticed that only a bite of a carrot was left. He was so excited that Santa & his reindeer enjoyed the snacks. Sean asked who each present was from. He thanked us after each one from Mommy & Daddy. :) We thought Evie would be "boring" this Christmas at her age, but she LOVED opening presents. And, she got mad if you tried to take the wrapping paper out of her hands. Grandma & Puppa came over Christmas morning to hang out & watch the kids open their gifts. After that we went to Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's to have breakfast with them, Grandpa Jim, Uncle Scott & Paiger. We went home to look through and play with our new stuff for awhile, then we had dinner with Grandpa Jim. It was a relaxing Christmas day. The weeks leading up to & the few days after were the busy times! We loved having Daddy home from work. I had to work on Monday, so Sean & Evie hung out with Daddy all day. Grandpa Jim came to "help" Daddy, but he was a regular "Mr. Mom"! ;) We went bowling on Tuesday and then we went to play at Alex's & Nathan's. Sean attempted to stay the night & made it until Uncle Marty got up for work, but then wanted to come home. He said he wasn't scared or anything, he just missed us. On 12/29, we went swimming at Warren Community Center. The water was too cold for Evie, but Sean was a fish! That night we celebrated Christmas at Aunt Susie's house with Uncle Billee, Vinnie & Sam, Grandma, Puppa & Aunt Mary. On 12/30 Evie & I went to Aunt Mary's & Sean stayed the night at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's. He sleeps in the recliner & Paige sleeps on the couch in the tv room. He does great. Probably because he can wake up & watch tv or eat snacks out of their secret snack drawer. ;) On New Year's Eve, Grandma came over to play with Sean & Evie while Daddy & I went to dinner & a movie. I love spending time as a family, but I love date night with Daddy too. Thanks Grandma! Happy Birthday to Connor on 01/02/11. It was so awesome to hear Sean & Connor talking on the phone. Sean told Connor he couldn't wait to see him at school now that he's "bigger" and Connor told Sean that he wouldn't see him at school anymore cause he was going to be in 1st grade now that he's 5. ;) I was so sad to see 01/03/11 come. It was time to go back to our regular schedule. Evie had a rough week. She was really crabby and not sleeping well. On Saturday, 01/08, we took her to the doctor because her eye was draining. Turns out she had a double ear infection. If only babies could talk!!! She didn't show any of the same signs Sean did when his ears hurt. She's been on antibiotics since then & is doing much better. Slept all night on Monday for the first time in a week! She spoiled us by always being such a good sleeper, so this week put our bodies into shock! On Saturday night, Daddy & I went to dinner & to see Brian Regan, so Grandma came over to play with Sean & dance with Evie. Evie was still not feeling good, so good thing Puppa & Grandpa Jim were there at different times for backup. Grandma learned the power of Billy Joel & the ipod at our house! Scott came home from USCG basic training and Sean was so excited to see him. He picked out an airplane for Scott when he was with Grandma. He told her, "Well, Scott's going to work on airplanes & Aunt Mary's on one right now, so...". The kid is too smart. Scott leaves for St. Ignace today. Sean told him we'll go on vacation & come up there to visit him.
Sean was the Featured Four at school last week. He got to fill out a survey about himself and post it on the door along with pictures of his family. He also got to bring in show & tell on Friday. He brought his new "Stinky" the garbage truck & the kids all loved it. Sean's favorite part of being the Featured Four was bringing home Jeffrey, the class pet, for the weekend. What an awesome idea. The kids in the Fishy Fours class take turns bringing home the class pet (one of three - Jeffrey the Octopus, Iffy the Clownfish or Lena the Whale). They journal about their weekend & the journal stays with the class pet. We got to read what all of Sean's friends did on their weekends with Jeffrey, Iffy or Lena. Jeffrey got to come to small group with us on Friday night & meet Chase. Saturday, we went to breakfast with Grandma & Jeffrey got his own menu, crayons, silverware & drink! Sunday, Jeffrey got to go bowling with Sean. They shot an 89! It made Sean happy to have Jeffrey that weekend, especially at bedtime. :) Sean is an amazingly smart & sweet little boy. Can't leave that out, cause I'm sure I've never written it before. ;) Last Wednesday, while we were at breakfast with Amanda & Liam, I overheard Sean telling Liam that he doesn't have to be afraid of anything because God is bigger than everything. Bigger than godzilla, bigger than spiders, etc. My little counselor. :) He does math problems with ease, he's an amazing speller & writer, he blows my mind with how easy he operates the tv & computer. He remembers everything. I'm amazed by him...
Evie weighs 20 lbs now - big girl. Her weight & height fall into the 12 month + category. She changes every day. She waives & claps (does patty-cake). She plays "shy" baby & turns into me when others try to take her. She's starting to eat more solids and she loves food (suprise - she is my kid). She can climb out of her bumbo seat, which is where we put her to feed her. So, we'll have to bring up the highchair soon! She taps her feet on the table while she's eating. She also growls at you if you don't feed her fast enough! She wants to climb & crawl SO bad & she tries really hard to do it. I'm sure that's coming next. For Christmas, she got her two front teeth (the bottom ones ;). She can get anywhere she wants to go by scooting on her butt. A couple days ago, she was laying on her belly, pushed up to her knees & sat up. We're in trouble!! Evie is strong willed & stubborn. I have a feeling we're in for it with her. And, she's so cute...especially when she makes her "snorting" face...trouble!
Christmas was great. We stayed busy celebrating with family & friends. I was suprised at how well both kids did with the busy schedules. The week between Christmas & New Years we slept in until 8:00 or later almost every day! Christmas morning we got up & Sean immediately noticed that Santa had eaten most of his cookies & drank all of his milk. He also noticed that only a bite of a carrot was left. He was so excited that Santa & his reindeer enjoyed the snacks. Sean asked who each present was from. He thanked us after each one from Mommy & Daddy. :) We thought Evie would be "boring" this Christmas at her age, but she LOVED opening presents. And, she got mad if you tried to take the wrapping paper out of her hands. Grandma & Puppa came over Christmas morning to hang out & watch the kids open their gifts. After that we went to Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's to have breakfast with them, Grandpa Jim, Uncle Scott & Paiger. We went home to look through and play with our new stuff for awhile, then we had dinner with Grandpa Jim. It was a relaxing Christmas day. The weeks leading up to & the few days after were the busy times! We loved having Daddy home from work. I had to work on Monday, so Sean & Evie hung out with Daddy all day. Grandpa Jim came to "help" Daddy, but he was a regular "Mr. Mom"! ;) We went bowling on Tuesday and then we went to play at Alex's & Nathan's. Sean attempted to stay the night & made it until Uncle Marty got up for work, but then wanted to come home. He said he wasn't scared or anything, he just missed us. On 12/29, we went swimming at Warren Community Center. The water was too cold for Evie, but Sean was a fish! That night we celebrated Christmas at Aunt Susie's house with Uncle Billee, Vinnie & Sam, Grandma, Puppa & Aunt Mary. On 12/30 Evie & I went to Aunt Mary's & Sean stayed the night at Grandma Sue & Grandpa Larry's. He sleeps in the recliner & Paige sleeps on the couch in the tv room. He does great. Probably because he can wake up & watch tv or eat snacks out of their secret snack drawer. ;) On New Year's Eve, Grandma came over to play with Sean & Evie while Daddy & I went to dinner & a movie. I love spending time as a family, but I love date night with Daddy too. Thanks Grandma! Happy Birthday to Connor on 01/02/11. It was so awesome to hear Sean & Connor talking on the phone. Sean told Connor he couldn't wait to see him at school now that he's "bigger" and Connor told Sean that he wouldn't see him at school anymore cause he was going to be in 1st grade now that he's 5. ;) I was so sad to see 01/03/11 come. It was time to go back to our regular schedule. Evie had a rough week. She was really crabby and not sleeping well. On Saturday, 01/08, we took her to the doctor because her eye was draining. Turns out she had a double ear infection. If only babies could talk!!! She didn't show any of the same signs Sean did when his ears hurt. She's been on antibiotics since then & is doing much better. Slept all night on Monday for the first time in a week! She spoiled us by always being such a good sleeper, so this week put our bodies into shock! On Saturday night, Daddy & I went to dinner & to see Brian Regan, so Grandma came over to play with Sean & dance with Evie. Evie was still not feeling good, so good thing Puppa & Grandpa Jim were there at different times for backup. Grandma learned the power of Billy Joel & the ipod at our house! Scott came home from USCG basic training and Sean was so excited to see him. He picked out an airplane for Scott when he was with Grandma. He told her, "Well, Scott's going to work on airplanes & Aunt Mary's on one right now, so...". The kid is too smart. Scott leaves for St. Ignace today. Sean told him we'll go on vacation & come up there to visit him.
Sean was the Featured Four at school last week. He got to fill out a survey about himself and post it on the door along with pictures of his family. He also got to bring in show & tell on Friday. He brought his new "Stinky" the garbage truck & the kids all loved it. Sean's favorite part of being the Featured Four was bringing home Jeffrey, the class pet, for the weekend. What an awesome idea. The kids in the Fishy Fours class take turns bringing home the class pet (one of three - Jeffrey the Octopus, Iffy the Clownfish or Lena the Whale). They journal about their weekend & the journal stays with the class pet. We got to read what all of Sean's friends did on their weekends with Jeffrey, Iffy or Lena. Jeffrey got to come to small group with us on Friday night & meet Chase. Saturday, we went to breakfast with Grandma & Jeffrey got his own menu, crayons, silverware & drink! Sunday, Jeffrey got to go bowling with Sean. They shot an 89! It made Sean happy to have Jeffrey that weekend, especially at bedtime. :) Sean is an amazingly smart & sweet little boy. Can't leave that out, cause I'm sure I've never written it before. ;) Last Wednesday, while we were at breakfast with Amanda & Liam, I overheard Sean telling Liam that he doesn't have to be afraid of anything because God is bigger than everything. Bigger than godzilla, bigger than spiders, etc. My little counselor. :) He does math problems with ease, he's an amazing speller & writer, he blows my mind with how easy he operates the tv & computer. He remembers everything. I'm amazed by him...
Evie weighs 20 lbs now - big girl. Her weight & height fall into the 12 month + category. She changes every day. She waives & claps (does patty-cake). She plays "shy" baby & turns into me when others try to take her. She's starting to eat more solids and she loves food (suprise - she is my kid). She can climb out of her bumbo seat, which is where we put her to feed her. So, we'll have to bring up the highchair soon! She taps her feet on the table while she's eating. She also growls at you if you don't feed her fast enough! She wants to climb & crawl SO bad & she tries really hard to do it. I'm sure that's coming next. For Christmas, she got her two front teeth (the bottom ones ;). She can get anywhere she wants to go by scooting on her butt. A couple days ago, she was laying on her belly, pushed up to her knees & sat up. We're in trouble!! Evie is strong willed & stubborn. I have a feeling we're in for it with her. And, she's so cute...especially when she makes her "snorting" face...trouble!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)