Did Owen need stitches?

Good times today...Russ & I took Owen to the doctor this morning to see if he needed stitches in his chin. He had pushed the bathroom step stool, which has two steps, up to one of the light switches in the hallway. Only problem was the lower step was pushed up against the wall. I was in the kitchen when I heard the bang and then the horrible crying. I found him face down on the floor crying. I picked him up and immediately put his head on my shoulder. He was crying the "I'm really hurt" cry and hugging me as tight as he could. When I was able to pull away, I expected to see the cut lip, not the bleeding gash under his chin. We cleaned it and called the doctor. An hour later we were in the office, the cut had already sealed up pretty good, and we were instructed to keep it clean and to try to get a band aid on it. Owen narrowly escaped the stitches. Lucky boy! Russ managed to sneak a band aid with Neosporin on Owen's chin while he was napping today. When he woke up he didn't even know it was there.

The Bier's Christmas Party

We gathered with our friends at the Biers' house for the annual holiday party last night. This year the kids did a lot of craft projects (making paper chains, jingle bell necklaces and ornaments, and decorating cookies) and Santa dropped by for a visit. The kids always love that Santa comes bearing gifts and candy canes. He gets us all to sing Christmas carols too. It's a good time. It's even better seeing all our friends. Everyone gets so busy, we don't see each other often enough. (To slow down the slide show, mouse over the photos. Three buttons will appear to go back, stop or go forward in the sequence.)

Chocolate Owen

For a boy who doesn't much like chocolate, he sure did get it everywhere!

Why is it so quiet?

Because Owen and Dylan were busy pulling out every stuffed animal out of the trundle bed drawer and piled them in D's bed. They were in heaven when they were done.

Fun Run at Caleb Greenwood

Brandon's school had a fun run today for the kids and a 5k for the adults, as well as the annual pancake breakfast. Brandon did the fun run all by himself. He looked to cute! It was just a run around the block, but they got to run in the street. I think that was Brandon's favorite part...no I take that back. The medal he received for finishing the race was his favorite. We skipped the pancake breakfast, since the boys were full up to their eyeballs with waffles from earlier that morning.

Photos: Caleb Fun Run

The Start

Almost finished!

Brandon sporting
that new medal

Photos: Davis Ranch in Sloughhouse

Time to get our Christmas tree

For the last few years we have driven up to Apple Hill to get our Christmas tree. We have always gone midweek so we could have the tree farm practically to ourselves. But now that Brandon is in kindergarten, we realized that we can really only go on weekends. We go to a really popular tree farm, so a weekend trip was out. There was no way we were going to sit in traffic just trying to get into the parking lot. On top of that, they cut the tree for you, so waiting for someone to be free would have been a long wait, too. We were aggravated just thinking about it!

Instead we stayed more local and went to Davis Ranch out in Sloughhouse. Russ and I missed the mountain air and hike to find a tree, but the kids didn't know the difference. We found our tree in about 5 minutes. That was just crazy fast. Brandon and Owen thought Daddy cutting down the tree was pretty cool. Not D...he wanted to cut the tree down with Daddy. After the tree was loaded up in the back of the truck, we let the boys run around a bit. They were just giddy running through all the trees.

We decorated the tree tonight, and I can't believe I don't have a single photo of us decorating! My super mom status is slipping! Anyway, Owen just couldn't get over the fact that we had a tree INSIDE our house and it was covered in toys and pretty lights!

Christmas program

Brandon sang in a Christmas program with all the kindergarten classes tonight. It was so cute. My mom told me, "Now you know how I felt when you and your brother were this age." Brandon did so great. He was really into it and singing every song. If I have time, I'll try to upload some of the video that Russ shot tonight. They sang Jingle Bells with actual jingle bells, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer with tiny red clown noses, Santa Claus Rock, 8 Little Reindeer and a couple of others I can't remember. My photos came out really dark since I wasn't close enough to the stage, so I did my best to fix them in Photoshop.

"How do babies get in tummies?"

The other day Brandon asked Russ, "Daddy, how do babies get inside tummies?" We were all in the kitchen, so I waited a little bit to see what Russ would say. All he could do was repeat the question. When I realized that Russ didn't have an answer, I answered for him. I told Brandon that babies grow inside tummies. He was satisfied with the answer and moved on to something else. Man! That question came out of left field! I think we were a little freaked out!

Thanksgiving

Yesterday, the boys had a wonderful Thanksgiving. They had spent the night at their Lola's house, so they woke up there yesterday morning. I arrived around 7:30 a.m. for breakfast. Why so early? The Run to Feed the Hungry starts and ends by our house. If I'm not out of the neighborhood by 7:30, I'm stuck until 11:30. In the end I was glad that I was there to spend the morning with my kids, my mom, and aunt & uncle. My brother showed up with his wife and daughter about 9, so I stayed longer than I had planned just so the kids could keep playing. They were having such a great time.

We drove down to Moraga that afternoon to spend the rest of the day with Russ's brother Scott, his wife Kristin, and her family. Her nephew, Ian, was there this year. Brandon and Ian ended up palling around all night. Those boys were having the best time. My boys get really wound up in the evenings, and that night was no exception. I found it funny, but since no one else is used to all that energy, I'm guessing no one else did. I take that back...Ian found it funny.

Just before dinner, Owen had another major nose bleed. I was freaking out again, because he was losing so much blood. I was so thankful for Kristin's sister-in-law, Pam, though. She brought me a cold compress wrapped in a towel to put behind Owen's neck. That calmed him right down. That's about when my stomach started churning. I had to leave him with Diane and run upstairs. All the blood had made me nauseous. I felt horrible just leaving Owen on the floor with my mother-in-law, but I knew if I didn't, I'd get sick all over him. When I came back downstairs, Owen was so mad at me for leaving that he didn't want me to touch him. Nothing worse than your child in pain not wanting you anywhere near him. He finally came around when I asked him if he was hungry. That snapped him out of it. He was ready for some turkey dinner. The rest of his evening was spent as if nothing had happened. He ran around having the time of his life causing trouble with the rest of the boys.

Russell's surprise

Today was Russ's 40th birthday. He'd been saying for months that he didn't want to do anything for his birthday. He'd actually been making his case for no party for quite some time. After all that, he told me yesterday that we should have asked our friends to meet us for drinks after dinner. He was looking pretty bummed that all we'd planned was dinner at Ruth Chris. Little did he know that I had already planned a surprise. . .

So, there we are eating dinner and talking about all sorts of things. One of the topics of conversation was about me not knowing him well enough to plan something even though he's been saying for months that he doesn't want me to do anything. After 14 years together, I should have known better. I got the drift that I should have invited our friends for drinks. I pretty much made my convincing case as to why I didn't plan anything, and in the end agreed that it would have been a good idea to do the drinks. But I had to remind him that Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and that all of our friends wouldn't have been able to make it if we did something anyway. He agreed and we moved on to another topic.

After eating so much we could barely move, I make the mistake of saying that I'd like to go to the bar for a little drink before we headed home. Russ suggested buying a bottle on the way home and renting a movie while we were at it. I insist that I just want the one drink, and that gets his radar up. Looking back I should have just walked into the bar without a word. We walk in to to see three of his closest friends having drinks and appetizers. It was perfect. Tomorrow is a day to celebrate family and all that we are thankful for, and here we were spending the hours before with friends we consider family. I am thankful that we have friends that love us enough to leave their families for the evening so show Russ they care. Russ had a wonderful evening just as I had hoped.

Good times at the doctor

Today was Dylan's 3 year check up. It's always an adventure when I have to take the 3 boys to the doctor's office by myself. They were a whirlwind of activity for the 45 minutes we were there. Owen was the biggest menace. He must have opened and closed the exam room door 50 times. He mostly opened the door just so he could slam it shut again. After I figured out that I had to stand with my foot against the door, he moved on to trying to pull the vertical blinds down. Then I pulled out books for him to read. Those were all over the floor before I knew it. He somehow figured out that he could climb onto the exam table if he stood on the doctor's stool. The child was on fire. Brandon sat quietly reading. (His moment comes later.) Dylan turned out to be very cooperative with the nurses and doctor. Unfortunately, he had some pent up energy too, so he's climbing everywhere while we are alone, and dances down the hallway in just a pull up to get weighed and measured. The exam goes well. He gets to draw with crayons on a pull out table top at this appointment. That was a bonus. While I'm putting D's shirt back on him, I don't notice that Brandon is coloring...on the pull out table top. He thinks he's drawing on paper because the table top is white. So there I am scrubbing the crayon off, trying to corral Owen, and dreading the shot that is coming for Dylan. Needless to say, the shot did not go well. There were books and dixie cups everywhere and I can't find everything I came with. Turns out I left my umbrella in the lobby...did I mention it was raining outside?

FYI: Photo Update

I finally got some of my photos uploaded and made into slide shows. They start with Dylan's birthday, so if you want to see them all, you have to go back to October 26 and make your way forward. Life has been so busy, I've been just horrible about staying on top of most things. The blog has probably been neglected the most. I'll try to be better, but the holidays are here....

Last day of soccer

Today was the "big" soccer tournament with all 5 River Park teams. They all played four 20 minute games. Brandon ended his first soccer season with a bang! He scored that goal he talked about all season...wrong goal, but a goal, no the less! He was so happy until the coach reminded him that we wanted to score in the other goal. We told him that it didn't matter which goal he kicked it in. It was still a goal and we were proud of him that he scored it. He was beaming at those words. In the last game of the tournament, Brandon dribbled the ball up the field. None of us could believe it. It was amazing!

After the game we went to pizza for team party. Brandon was on top of the world about receiving a trophy. He also spent the entire party at the table with all of his teammates. This surprised us because he spent most of the season not really interacting with any of them. It was great to see him so happy and really feeling like part of the team.

Another horrible mommy moment

Today one of my worst moments as a mother came. After I left Brandon at school, I decided that Owen and I would pop over to Mervyns to pick up some pants for Brandon. That boy is growing like crazy! Anyway, once we get there I'm letting Owen walk around with me, since I'm starting to carry clothes around the store. The first thing he does is bolt around the corner and hides behind some hanging coats. "Ha ha, funny funny, Mommy!" is the look I get from him. After I told him that was a no-no, he was really good about staying in my line of sight...like running down the walkway to the other end of the store. He only stopped when he found a rack full of chocolates and treats! The unfortunate thing was that I saw an aisle of kids bedding while chasing my renegade baby. I thought new character sheets and comforters would be nice Christmas presents for Brandon & Dylan. While I'm trying to find the right characters and sizes, Owen is pulling package after package of sheets out onto the floor. While I'm putting them back, he seizes one of the comforters I pulled out for the boys and takes off running. He turns the corner and runs up the next aisle with the comforter in tow. Just as I turn the corner to see him, down he goes, face first onto the hard floor. When I picked him up there was blood everywhere. This was no "I bumped my nose and it started to bleed" accident. We are talking gushing, not stopping accident. I swore he broke his nose. I had the biggest wad of kleenex in my purse, and it was soaked in no time. The fact that Owen was screaming crying and in hysterics didn't help with the blood flow either. He was just making it worse. I'm silently freaking out, trying to think of what I should do...I'm frantically making phone calls. Why??? Talking to someone on the phone is not going to help! I then grab the first person to walk by and ask them to get someone to help me. Funny thing was, all Owen needed was an unfamiliar face to distract him. He calmed down as the store clerk and this gentleman talked to me. Owen layed on the floor just long enough for the blood to stop. I honestly didn't think it would! So there we are, finally walking out of the store covered in blood. It was an experience I won't soon forget.

Tahoe getaway

Russ & I went to Tahoe this last weekend...just the two of us. It was a much needed getaway. We're both stressed out and needed some time just to focus on each other. We decided to stay at one of the casinos. We were lucky enough to have a room facing the lake on the top floor of the Mont Bleu. Sadly, the view was about the nicest part of our stay. We were able to enjoy a few dinners and some gaming before we were reminded by our neighbors why we rent houses instead of staying in hotels. I had to call security at 3 a.m. after listening to their party for an hour. It was security's second trip to the room next door, so all but the registered guest were kicked out. Ahhh, sleep.

We did make it out of the casino to walk around some nature trails. We were lucky enough to catch the end of the salmon spawning season. It didn't take long for me to wish the kids were with us. They would have loved all the different paths. They would have felt like they were in a Dora cartoon, I'm sure! They would have been even more excited seeing all the beautiful red fish. While we were out walking on the trails, we had heard a couple of people talking about black bear that came down eat around 5 p.m. every evening. Luckily we were there at 2 in the afternoon, otherwise I probably would have panicked. Yes, I'm a wuss. I'm not in any rush to see a bear in the wild. I don't care how far away it is!

Our last night there if finally started to rain. By morning it was snowing...barely. I spent the morning watching the snow drift by our window as I read a book. It was nice, peaceful morning. The perfect morning before heading back to reality.

Preschool's Halloween parade

(Check back later. I have to get photos from my mom. She and Diane took Dylan and Owen to preschool's trick-or-treat parade while Russ & I were at Silverbend with Brandon.)

Photos: Pumpkin Patches

Silverbend with kindergarten

Brandon got his wish today. He got to ride on a school bus. We met him out at Silverbend pumpkin farm this morning. He was thrilled to find out that he was going on a train ride when we got there. He had a second wish come true: a ride in a caboose. It started to rain a bit while we were out there, but that didn't bother the him. He was muddy and smiling from ear to ear as he boarded the bus with his perfect pumpkin.

Houdini baby

I went into the boys room to check on them tonight, take all the books out of their beds and tuck them in again. When I got to Owen's crib, I couldn't stop laughing. I told Russ he had to check out Owen. Russ laughed, too and called him the Houdini baby. Owen had unsnapped and unzipped his blanket footed jammies and then took them off. They lay in a heap next to his little diapered body. We were in disbelief that he was able to take his jammies off all by himself.

Photos: Dylan's 3rd Birthday events

Dylan's 3rd birthday goes on and on and on...

Dylan had four days of birthday fun. We took the boys to Funderland on Thursday, Dylan's actual birthday, after Brandon got out of school. Talk about the perfect time to go. They had the whole place to themselves almost the entire time we were there. They went on ride after ride after ride, never getting bored. How is that possible??? Owen even got to go on a couple. He's got a thing for trains, so he really enjoyed the train ride. (Actually I think he enjoyed watching the train more than riding it.) He even got to ride the little cars that you "drive". Look of shock on his face when the car started to move was hilarious! He was looking around like he was thinking, "Who's driving this thing???" Brandon and Dylan couldn't get enough of the rides. They must have gone on the cars and planes 5 or 6 times. They were not happy with us when we said it was time to go. We ended up deciding a pizza dinner would be perfect for Deets, and that calmed everyone down. The rest of the day was yummy pizza, and then presents and cupcakes at home. I'd say Dylan had a wonderful birthday.

Friday we took Dylan and Owen to Impossible Acres Pumpkin Patch since Brandon was going to Silverbend with his class on Halloween. We didn't want them to miss out on the pumpkin patch this year, so we made a special trip just for them. The place was packed with school kids, but we were still able have some fun. We just moved whenever anything got crowded. There were pumpkins to choose, a hay stack with a tunnel to climb, the hay maze to wander in, and animals to see/pet. The boys had the best time.

Later that night was Brandon's school's Fall Festival. Brandon and Dylan had a blast "fishing" for prizes, bouncing ping pong balls into a witches cauldron, netting for rubber ducks, throwing bean bags...the games were never ending. Every prize they won was a little trinket that they just adored because they won it. They played until they saw the snow cones and cotton candy. You could just see in their eyes they were having the best night ever.

Saturday we had dinner at my mom's house. My brother and his family were there too, so the boys got to spend the evening playing with their cousin. It's practically anything goes at my mom's house, so needless to say it was another great evening for the boys. They ran and played and went crazy until it was time to go home. At least with all the craziness comes good, hard sleeping.

Sunday morning was the BIG day: birthday party at The Bounce Spot. I don't have to tell you how excited Dylan was. All he cared about was that their friend, Gracie, from preschool and Brandon were there to play with. He wanted to spend his day playing with his two best friends. It was non-stop play until he decided he was hungry "right now." He was so focused on pizza, that he refused to sit for his group photo with his friends. We all left the bounce area a little early because Dylan was starving. It's his birthday, so he can call the shots. We ended up with a group photo at one of the tables just before cake time. Speaking of cake, he loved his. It was a Toy Story cake...sort of. They couldn't provide me with an actual Toy Story cake, so I ordered a generic "happy birthday" cake and added my own Toy Story cake toppers. Dylan LOVED it. He was so excited that he had to point out who everyone was on his cake. Present time was pretty cute, too. He kept saying, "Oo, oo, oo!" going an octave higher with each "oo." Of course, his favorites were the Toy Story presents, but he also loved the big bouncy ball. We had to take it out right there on the spot. As fun as it all was and as happy as Deets was, Russ and I were so happy when it was all done. We are TIRED!

Go, dog. Go!

We took Brandon and Dylan to see Go, dog. Go! at the B Street Theatre today. We were a little nervous that Deets might get fidgety and bored. Oh, were we wrong! He barely blinked and laughed through most of the show. He just loved it. Brandon really enjoyed the show, too. Whenever I glanced at him he was watching with his mouth open or smiling. On the ride home, we asked them what their favorite part was. They couldn't decide. They named all sorts of things they saw.


The production was really enjoyable. I found myself laughing a lot, which really surprised me! I didn't expect it to be as funny as it was. The physical humor and facial expressions of a few actors had me laughing a lot. Russ and I were so glad that we were able to do something new and fun with the boys.

Video: Froggie Owey

Owen is just figuring out that animals make sounds. After bath, Owen is usually the first one to come out to get dressed. He comes running out for big hugs. It's so sweet. While Owen is getting his diaper and jammies on, the older boys come running out wearing hooded animal towels and making the sound for whatever animal they are wearing. Now Owen thinks every animal roars. He has started running out of the bathroom roaring. The best part is he only roars when he's wearing the towel. If he takes his towel off and I ask him, "What does the froggie say?" he just looks at me. If I put the towel on his head and ask him again he roars. It's hilarious.

He's so cute when he roars, that I had to get it on video when I had a free moment. (After bath is just crazy time.)

Brandon's checks out a garbage truck

I know. . .you're probably thinking "What the. . ."

We were out in the front yard today scrambling to get the tree branches Russ cut down into the street. (We saw the truck and tractor at the far end of the street.) The driver of the garbage truck was very nice and chatted with us while we piled what was left on the lawn into his truck. He asked about the former owner of our house, and 10 minutes later he was out of his truck drinking the soda we offered him and talking about his family. Before he left he asked Brandon if he wanted to climb into the truck and honk the horn. Brandon shyly took him up on his offer and yanked on the horn cable. He thought that was pretty cool.

Mommy moment

After Brandon, Owen & I dropped Deets off at preschool, we stopped at Starbucks. I just wanted a cup of decaf coffee, nothing special. I also grabbed a blueberry muffin for the boys to share. I should have known that things were not going to go well when I heard a whine, "I don't want a muffin. I want pumpkin loaf." (Before I go on with my story, let me just say that when I want to add cream to my coffee, I have to put Owen down. When that happens, he make a bee line for the door and can actually open it and leave the building.) So I grab my coffee and hand the bag of food to Brandon. I want to add cream to the coffee, so I put Owen down and try to pin him with my legs so he doesn't take off. No success. Luckily he ignores the door. Not so lucky, he's grabbing the food bag and he and his brother are locked in a tug-o-war over the food yelling and crying and screaming at the top of their lungs. I just had to ignore them just so I could finish with the cream and put the top back on my coffee. I then pick up the baby, take the food away from Brandon, grab my coffee, apologize to those nearest me and walk out the door. By the time the kids are in the car, I've forgotten the coffee is on the roof of the car and very nearly drove away. I saved the coffee (thank goodness, because I didn't want to have to go in and get another one) and had to endure the fighting in the car. Did I mention, they didn't have any decaf brewed? I settled for regular coffee, because I didn't want the kids to go crazy waiting.

Dylan is extra cute sometimes

Diane was watching the boys for me the other day, and Brandon was trying to do a word puzzle. Brandon was trying to spell a "d" word, but couldn't find the letter "d".

Diane asked Brandon, "Where's the 'd'?" and D responded, "I right here."

Then Diane rephrased the question, "Brandon, where's the letter 'd'?" and D again responded, "I right here!"

Owen loves corn

Owen's new sleep routine

We have managed to get Owen to fall asleep in his own crib at night! Major victory! He's still taking a bottle before bed. Recently, instead of falling asleep when he's done eating, he's been just rolling off our bed to go play. So, my solution was to put him in his crib with his bottle at the boys' bedtime. He took the bottle, but I could tell he was not happy seeing me walk out of the room. As soon as he was done eating, he through his bottle on the floor and started crying. Well, his brothers were not about to put up with that noise, so they started playing with him. Owen quickly stopped crying and all we heard was running and laughing in the boys' room. We let them play because we wanted Owen to realize that sleeping with his brothers in their room could be fun. Worked like a charm! He's been doing the same thing every night now. The playing and craziness has subsided, because Owen is asleep within 10 minutes of getting his bottle. Now if he could only sleep through the night every night, we'd really be in business. We're guessing another month, and he'll be there.

A favorite game

The DVD version of Hullabaloo (a game by Cranium) has got to be the boys' favorite game. Even Owen gets into it. He can't really play the game, but he runs around standing on the colored shapes on the floor with a gigantic smile on his face. Today was extra cute. Every time Dylan won, Brandon clapped for him. Every time Brandon won, Dylan ran up to Brandon, hugged him, kissed him and then ran back to start a new game.

Brandon's first soccer game

Yesterday was Brandon's first soccer game. The game was at 10AM and it was already roasting hot! At the beginning, he tried his best to play the game. He even dribbled the ball a little bit before the ball was taken away by another player. It didn't take long for Brandon to be miserable in the heat. He was half-heartedly trying to get the ball and started daydreaming a bit. In the last quarter, Brandon played goalie. He came alive in that position. No one scored against him. He was fearless picking up the ball and throwing it back out onto the field. Brandon said it was his favorite part of the game. We were all so proud of him, and best of all, he was proud of himself.

Dylan's first day without Brandon

This morning Russ & I decided that Dylan should be dropped off at preschool alone, meaning that I wasn't going to bring Owen or Brandon along for the ride. As soon as Dylan and I drive away from the house, Deets tells me that Brandon is his best friend. My eyes welled up, and I hadn't even left my own street!!! Dylan wants to go over the speed bumps on the way to school. We call it the "bumpety bump" way. So we're going over the bumpety bumps and D says he wants to say all the bumpety bumps. I tell him that's fine. He usually has to take turns with Brandon. I think he realizes that something just isn't quite right with the morning. We get to school and D asks over and over and over where Brandon is. I keep telling him that Brandon is going to his new school, that Brandon stayed home, that Brandon is at home getting ready for school. I swear he kept asking the question thinking he was eventually going to hear the answer he was hoping for. Once he's walking up to the door he breaks down crying saying, "I need Brandon." He's crying in preschool and won't stop. I'm barely holding it together, and I just about lost it when a teacher gave me a hug. I just wanted to grab Deets in my arms and cry with him. Instead, I forced him to go through our regular morning routine. We put his lunchbox and backpack away. Then we got out a mat and picked a "job." Today it was stacking wooden beads on a stick. When it was time for me to leave, I told Deets to meet me at the goodbye window for hugs and kisses. We said our goodbye tear free, and Dylan didn't even wait around for me to get in the car. He was off and running back to the toys. Thank goodness!

It was an extra special treat to have the whole family come to pick him up at the end of the day. Dylan was excited to have Mommy and Daddy watch him ride one of the bikes. Owen was excited to play on the little slides. And Brandon had fun playing with all his old friends that he had to leave behind.

Brandon's 1st Day of Kindergarten

Russ and I took Brandon to school today for his first day of kindergarten, while my mom stayed home with the baby. When we got to school, we walked him over to the kindergarten playground to play until school started. He didn't really play with anyone in particular. He was just enjoying his new surroundings. We saw one of the girls from Brandon's soccer team there with her parents. We were relieved that Brandon would know at least one person in class. Turns out he played with Emma at recess today. That was good to hear, since Brandon tends to keep to himself in new situations. We walked him into the classroom when it was time for class, took some pictures, gave him hugs and kisses and a wave goodbye. He looked so comfortable with his surroundings and ready to start his day. I was so proud of him. The shocker? I didn't cry leaving him there. I was pretty confident he was going to have a good first day. Turns out he did. He was so excited to show us what he'd done that day. He did a lot of coloring and cutting and pasting. He also told us he went on the "baby potty" at school. When I asked him what that meant, he said they had small toilets just the right size for him. He was pretty happy about that.

Photos: Brandon's 1st Day of Kindergarten

I'm freakin' out over here!!!!!!!!!!!

Brandon's first day of kindergarten.
Dylan 's first day preschool without Brandon.

I think I'll cry more leaving Dylan at preschool all alone, than I will when I leave Brandon at kindergarten. Hell, who am I kidding??? I'm going to cry twice tomorrow.

Kindergarten orientation

Last night was kindergarten orientation. We found out that Brandon's new teacher is Mrs. Wong. We were told by another parent that she is a really good teacher. I guess that makes up for the fact that he's in the afternoon class. We were disappointed to hear that the kids won't have a lunch break, though. With afternoon class being 10:40 - 2:00, that seems really ridiculous. Luckily my boys are used to eating lunch at 11, so making them eat even earlier shouldn't be a big deal. It just would have been nice for Brandon to have lunch at a reasonable lunch hour.

State Fair photos

State Fair

We took the boys to the State Fair on Friday. Brandon & Dylan had the best time. Of course, their favorites were the rides and the games. We made sure we saw the livestock and the county exhibits, as well. Dylan even went on a pony ride. Brandon said, "No thank you," when we asked if he wanted to go with Dylan. He loves to look at animals, but forget about touching them. Those two enjoyed everything we did at the fair. Can you believe Dylan even shared a basket of fried artichoke hearts with me? He was upset when I had eaten the last one. Unfortunately, Owen spent most of the trip in his stroller. He was hot, tired and not feeling well. His mouth was making him miserable, and the heat made it too uncomfortable for him to nap much. We bought him a fruit smoothie at lunch time to ease the pain in his mouth. That mellowed him out for a little while. It was a good few hours, and they are looking forward to going again next year.

Owen sleeps through the night!

Not only did Owen sleep through the night Wednesday, but he did it again Thursday night as well! I was in complete shock that he gave us a repeat performance. Friday we weren't so lucky, and neither was he. The poor thing woke up at his regular 1:30 a.m. with a full diaper and a 102 degree temperature. He's teething right now, too, so I think that's what may be causing the fever. He has two molars forcing their way through and he's just a miserable baby.

Owen has a favorite show. . .

. . .and he can tell you what it is too: "Einstein." He loves the Little Einsteins cartoon. He was sitting with a Little Einsteins sticker book a couple of days ago, and I could have sworn he said, "Einstein." Then yesterday Diane told me that she had heard Owen say it, too. He said it again today when we were picking out a video for him to watch. He grabbed Baby Van Gogh, pointed to the logo and said, "Einstein."

Owen sleeps through the night!

Owen is almost 15 months old and he has finally made it through the night! I'm not holding my breath for a repeat performance tonight, but it's good to know that he's getting closer to letting me get some rest finally.

Kindergarden is coming

We received our letter from Brandon's new school yesterday. We were disappointed to see he was put in an afternoon kindergarden class. I called this morning to see if switching to the morning session was possible, since the afternoon session ends right in the middle of Owen & Dylan's nap time. I was told they were over-enrolled and that switching was impossible unless they added a fourth class. Looking to be a really rough year for me and my little ones!

I've been so irritated today, that I'm wanting to enroll him somewhere else at the last minute. It's probably not even possible, but I'll be making some calls tomorrow. I'm probably overreacting, but it doesn't hurt to look at other options, right?

One less carseat!

Brandon has finally gotten so tall that he doesn't fit in his carseat any longer. He loves his booster seat. It has cup holders that fold out from it, and he loves to put his toys in them. It's pretty darned cute.

Brandon's first soccer practice

Brandon was so excited about his first soccer practice. He met his team for the first time on Thursday. Brandon tried so hard to do everything just perfect. That's Russ's son for you! He did really great. He was disappointed that he wasn't the best one out there, so he feels a little lukewarm about the sport now. We told him that it was his very first day, and he was learning all new stuff about soccer. We told him that it takes practice to become a really good soccer player, and we could help him do that. I only hope that he enjoys playing on a team. Keeping my fingers crossed...

July catch-up

Ya, ya, ya. . .I know, I've been really bad about our blog. July was an extremely busy month. My last blog entry was started weeks ago, and I finally finished it today. (I didn't bother to change the blog date though.) I was really crunched for time at the newspaper. I think we had two weeks to put the August issues together. My head was spinning by the time we were done. The nice thing, though, is we had two weeks off until the September work started rolling in. I took the kids swimming at the office on the one free day we had together. They loved it, and keep asking when we're going back. I showed Brandon how to use the swim noodle, so he's dying to spend the day using it again.

We had Brandon's birthday party at The Bounce Spot on his actual birthday. He LOVED it! He was just glowing, because it was his birthday and he was the center of attention. He played really hard in all the bounce houses with his friends, especially the ones from preschool. He loved his Wall-E cake and his mountain of presents. He said it was the best day ever. What more could we ask for?




We left the next day for a trip to the ocean. The boys were giddy with excitement. They were so giddy, we were ready to pull our hair out. They were bouncing off the walls, running up and down the stairs, playing with the two recliner chairs, running around all the decking that surrounded the house, yelling, screaming, fighting, laughing. . .and that was all within the first 30 minutes of being there! It continued the next morning, so we loaded everyone up for a long car ride into Felton to visit the Big Trees State Park and Roaring Camp Railroad. Dyan and Owen fell asleep and missed most of the Big Trees. It was wonderful to be in the forest and show Brandon how beautiful it all was. He thought so many things were just so cool.

We spent a couple of days at the beach. Owen hated all the sand at first. In fact, he spent the first hour at the beach sitting on Russ's boogie board. If the sand touched his feet he completely freaked out. You would think his feet were being severed from his body. Thank goodness he finally got used to the sand. The boys spent the days building sandcastles, searching for sea shells and playing in the water. They especially loved taking a hot outside showers with Daddy when we got back to the house.

We also spent some time at the Boardwalk riding some of the rides and playing games in the arcade. We also visited the wharf so the kids could look at the seals. Of course, they loved all that too. Dylan was completely upset with us when we told him it was time to leave.

The trip was just long enough to get away for some fun with the kids, but short enough to feel like we had just gotten there. The kids sure did keep us on our toes, though. We came home needing a vacation from our kids, and luckily our moms stepped up and took them all. We had a pretty quiet weekend to rest and recoup from our family vacation.

Santa Cruz Photos

"No make it"

We go through this ritual at every lunch and dinner time. It usually goes like this:

Deets: "I hungry, Mommy."
Mommy: "What would you like to eat, honey?"
Deets: "Cream cheese sandwich and no make it. No make it, Mommy."
Mommy: "Ok"
Deets: "No make it. Just want to eat it."
Mommy: "Well, I have to put the sandwich together."
Deets: "Ok, but no make it."
Mommy: "Ok."

Dylan thinks "making it" means I have to cook it, so he will have to wait 10 to 20 minutes to eat. When D is hungry, he's hungry right now. I'm really in trouble if he wants waffles or meatballs or anything that requires cooking. I usually hand him the frozen food when he insists on eating "right now." That cures the "no make it" argument for the moment, but next meal time it starts all over again. It can be annoying, but at the same time it's so darned cute, I'm not annoyed for long.

Busy holiday weekend

I swear we did more this weekend than we do in a normal week! The boys were finally over their Hand Foot and Mouth. They looked to be well on the 4th, but we still kept other kids at a distance. After all Brandon and Owen still had the fading blisters on the 3rd.

Our neighbors across the street hosted the annual 4th of July party, so we were able to join in without possibly infecting their kids. We just set up our chairs on our lawn and watched the fireworks extravaganza from our side of the street. The boys loved the fireworks as long as they weren't loud. Since so many neighbors bring fireworks, the night goes on for hours. After 30 minutes, our boys were running around the yard and wanting to ride their bikes. Russ and his mom, Diane, eventually walked them up to the levy to watch the big fireworks going off across the river. They loved that! Brandon said it was the best day EVER!

We spent Saturday at Diane's house. She has an inflatable water slide, and the boys got to try it out. BIG HIT! They were fighting over who's turn it was. Even Owen got in on some of the action. He liked sliding, but preferred splashing around in the pool end. It was a day of play, napping and dinner at Grandma's house. Another great day!

Sunday morning we surprised the boys with a trip to "Duck Park" (McKinley Park). They were in heaven. They played hard on the play structures, sat just long enough to eat a snack, and then it was off to feed the ducks. Dylan was hilarious throwing whole pieces of bread. Owen was trying really hard to copy his brothers. His bread landed at Daddy's feet instead of in the water. It was so cute. We got really lucky: no pushy geese. Before we left, they boys wanted to get some swing time in. The only reason we left the park was because it was so hot! Sooooo hotttttttt!!!!! We decided to pack a lunch and take the boys swimming. Brandon practiced swimming with Daddy and then put on his water wings. He thought those things were the best. All he wanted to do was swim back and forth across the pool. Dylan spent the day jumping into the pool with Daddy. That's all he likes to do. Owen was running so fast in the kiddie pool he kept falling and going under water. I'd pick him up and off he was running again. It was crazy! We were at the pool so long that the baby ended up napping there, and continued to nap once we got him home and put to bed. That NEVER happens.

I was actually looking forward to going into the office for some "quiet" time to myself today. That didn't quite work out, though. I ran a few errands and came home to Russ needing me to drive him to the doctor. His back was spasming so bad could barely walk. Luckily the doctor was able to see him and treat his back in his office. After I got Russ home, I spent the rest of the afternoon picking up work at my office, at the pharmacy, at the grocery store and finally home to make dinner for the family. Then I still had to work. I'm exhausted now, but can't sleep! I think I've been going and going and going for so long that my body just isn't ready to rest yet. I really wish it would!

Deets starts potty training

Today is the big day for Dylan! We came in from swimming this morning, and instead of putting on a new diaper, I asked him if he wanted to wear his big boy underwear like Brandon. Without hesitation, he said yes. That was not the answer I expected. . .he usually says, "No way."

We popped on a pair of Nemo underpants, and I moved his potty chair to the tile entryway so he doesn't have to run so far to reach it. We've been through three pairs of underwear so far, but at least he goes to sit on the potty when he's done. The idea is there, he just needs to get the order down.

Hand Foot and Mouth

What a horrible disease! Owen has it now. Poor kid has the blisters on his tongue and on his butt clear down to the bottom of his feet. Luckily the only blisters that are bothering him are the ones in his mouth. He can't get well fast enough, though. Because the kids are so contagious, we will be spending the 4th of July holiday at home in our little bubble. At least they can watch the fireworks Russ bought out in front of our house without fear of passing the germs on to anyone else!

Swimming lessons complete

The boys just loved learning how to swim these last two weeks. Brandon didn't want to miss his last lesson with Kate, so he jumped into the pool even though he wasn't feeling so good. We didn't realize how sick he really was until we saw him shivering in the water. Very weird since the pool is heated. We pulled him from his lesson immediately, and wrapped him in his towel. Poor kid! Turns out he has Hand, Foot and Mouth just like Dylan did a earlier in the week. Dylan finished off his lessons with his usual jumping in the pool and assisted "swimming" under water. Kate was able to get him to kick his legs, but he refused to use his arms if she asked him to. He did do a little arm movement Friday, so that was a good sign that Dylan is understanding what he's supposed to do.

Swimming lesson

Brandon and Dylan started swimming lessons on Monday. Brandon just loves it. He's been reading a book about swimming lessons for the last couple of weeks, so when we got there Monday he was ready to try all the things he read about. He was most excited about getting toys from the bottom of the pool (he did that yesterday). His first lesson was just getting used to the water and learning to trust his instructor. He went under water a few times, too. He was most proud of that. At quiet time that day, I tried to give Brandon his swimming lessons book in his stack of quiet time books. Brandon was convinced he already knew how to swim and no longer needed that book anymore. I thought that was pretty darned cute.

Dylan was the polar opposite. Brandon walked right into the water to learn to swim. Dylan I carried kicking and screaming to the waters edge. I tried sitting next to him with our feet in the pool while Kate, our instructor, talked to him. He didn't want to listen, all he wanted was to be in my arms. Kate eventually carried him into the water, where he continued to scream and cry for half the lesson. Russ and I had to leave the pool and watch from a window, so Dylan couldn't see us. That helped, I think. Once he was done being scared with Kate, she was able to get him to relax and even go under water. The next day Deets couldn't wait to change into his swim diaper and shorts. He was jumping into the water his second day.

Video: Brandon's Gymnastics Dance

Brandon does gymnastics once a week at preschool. He's been doing it for about 2 years now, and this was the first time we'd seen it. Ms. Jennifer organized a gymnastics presentation for us all at the last parent meeting. It was so adorable! Only 4 kids showed up so it only took about 15 minutes. Each child did two bar exercises and a beam routine, followed by this dance. Brandon was awesome!

Preschool Graduation

Brandon "graduated" from preschool tonight. (The academic year is over.) They had a 10 minute ceremony where they performed a song for us and received their certificates. I loved Brandon in his little cap and gown! As far as the kids were concerned, the real fun was in the bounce house and when the ballon twist guy showed up. The icing on the cake: both Grandma and Lola were there to join in the fun.

Preschool field trip to the park

All the "graduating" kids got to go on a field trip to the park today. They were all so excited when we got there. They played Red Rover, one of my favorite games when I was little. Brandon is such a gentle boy. He didn't want to hurt anyone, so he didn't run when his name was called. He let himself get caught, too. It was so cute!

Owen's 1st Birthday

Owen had his first birthday party at his lola's (grandma) house today. We kept his first party small, so he could enjoy himself and not be overwhelmed by so many unfamiliar faces. Owen had a wonderful time playing with his balloons, eating cake and playing with his new toys.

Owen's 1st haircut

Our baby had his first haircut this morning! He did so well. He sat in the chair like such a little man and let the hairdresser cut his hair. The only time he had an issue was when she whipped out those electric clippers. He wanted to look at them, so he kept moving his head to see them. She tried to distract Owen with toys as she hid the clippers behind her back. Owen wasn't falling for her silly tricks. He was dying to figure out where the clippers were hiding. Now all of his long curls are gone (sniff). No more big bushy baby hair (sniff, sniff). Owen looks like a handsome little man now. He's growing way too fast! He's probably our last baby, so all of his milestones are hitting me really hard.

Crash n' burn

Gosh that little Deeters of ours is accident prone! The boy literally has no fear. On Sunday I caught him perched on top off his skinny bed rail, both legs through the lower rungs of the bunk bed ladder and holding on to the upper portion of the ladder with his hands. So, of course, like any concerned parent, I made him get down and took the bed rail away so he wouldn't kill himself when I'm not looking.

Bed time came. The bed rail was replaced with a thick blanket on the floor, because I was pretty sure Deets would fall out of bed. Sure enough, I'm 3 steps out their door and I hear a thud, then crying. He some how managed to fall and land on the small protruding foot portion of the bed. That much is obvious when I look at his boo-boo: a gigantic goose egg with a dent in the center the exact size of the foot on the corner of his bed. No wonder he couldn't stop crying! He was growing another limb out of his forehead! After 30 minutes of ice and comfort, he was ready to go back to bed.

The story gets better...Dylan recently started preschool and yesterday was picture day. Unfortunately, his hair wasn't long enough to cover the bump. Even if it was, it wouldn't have done any good since the photos were taken outside in all that terrible wind! Nothing like bringing home your first school pictures with a huge bump and a partial black eye.

"Wire forks"

"Wire forks"
That's is Dylan's word for fireworks. I didn't realize that his word is a dyslexic version of fireworks until I typed it out in this blog. Anyway, Russ & I were discussing the kids' preschool fireworks booth, when Deets tried to repeat what we said. It was pretty darned cute.

Nature's Critters

Brandon's preschool had Nature's Critters visit today. The kids got to learn about several bugs and reptiles (tortoise, lizard, snake, legless lizard, hissing cockroaches, stick bugs, mealworms, African millipede). The kids just loved seeing all the live animals and touching them was pretty cool. Dylan wasn't too sure about some of the animals coming around for touching. He'd just shake his head if he didn't want a turn to touch. Can't say that I blame him. He refused to stick his hand in a box of meal worms. Eww! He didn't mind looking, but touching was out of the question. Brandon, on the other hand, touched everything. He thought the whole presentation was pretty cool.

Anniversary

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. Russ planned an afternoon of lunch at PF Changs and shopping. He said we always go to dinner, so he thought this year we should do something different. It was a fun spending the afternoon with just my husband. He looked up some of the little boutiques in midtown that he thought I might like. That actually made the shopping fun. Russ is so thoughtful and good to me. I am thankful every day that I had the luck to marry such a wonderful man.

Owen feeds himself

I've been trying to teach Owen how to put food in his own mouth. He was having such a hard time with the Cheerios, so I gave him a chunk of graham cracker yesterday. That did the trick. He was able to hold the cracker and nibble the end. Today he figured out how to put the Cheerio in his mouth and get it to stay there, rather than still be in his tight little grip. Just looking at the huge smile on his face told me he was quite pleased with himself.

Sit 'n Spin

The boys have two different sit 'n spins, but they only like one. They usually fight over who gets the "good one". They have discovered a compromise as you can see in the video. My mom is playing with the baby off camera, so it's hard to tell who is saying what in some parts of the video. Enjoy!

Wild creatures pay a visit

Yesterday while we were playing in the backyard, we heard the distinct sound of a woodpecker. Brandon and Dylan stopped dead in their tracks and asked, "What's that?" I told them it was a woodpecker looking for food in one of our trees. So the rest of the day, if Dylan heard the woodpecker, he would yell, "Mommy! A woodpecker!" Today, they were peeking out of their bedroom window and saw the little bird. I just had to snap the picture of them peeking! It was so darned cute.

They had an additional treat today. We found a 12-18 inch lizard scurrying around in the bushes. It was trying to find its way back through the fence and not having any luck finding an opening big enough. So there is this lizard looking a little trapped and my boys just watching him. It was kind of funny watching them eyeball each other.

A fun dessert

Yesterday while the boys were sleeping, I decided to bake some cupcakes as a after dinner surprise. I had bought some white frosting and chocolate sprinkles thinking it would be fun for the boys to decorate their own cakes. I even pulled out the food coloring to make whatever color frosting they wanted. Talk about being a hero! They loved it! They were so proud of their creations, they made sure Russ & I both saw their cakes before they ate them.

Because they had made such a huge mess last night, I made it an extra special treat to eat dessert outside. We pulled out their table and chairs and had a cupcake extravaganza.

It's an Elmo sprinkler day!

I would be getting ready to pull the car out of the garage and I would hear, "When can we do Elmo sprinkler again?" It didn't matter that it was the dead of winter and 10 minutes outside would result in bright red runny noses. All they could think of how fun it was to run through the sprinkler. I can only guess that my boys think the weather suddenly becomes warm and sunny when we pull the Elmo sprinkler off the shelf. Every day I had to tell them we have to wait for summer to come before we could bring Elmo out to play. Well, after such a long, long, LONG wait, Elmo came out to play today. I could just feel their excitement as I lathered them up with sunscreen. They played in the water so long, they just sat in the sun to warm back up. Owen tried out the sprinkler, but then again, he didn't really know what he was getting himself into. Two sprays of water and he was crying and backtracking back to mom. So Owey scored himself a bucket of water and some water toys, and he was happy as a clam.

Russ took advantage of the nice day and washed my car and his truck. The boys even took a break from playing and helped Daddy scrub-a-dubba. Owen didn't really help, but he still had to be in the middle of all the action.

Our new bed

Russ & I finally received our new bed, mattress and side tables yesterday. I say finally because they were supposed to be here two weeks ago. We were disappointed to find one of the slats for our bed was snapped in two and the foot board wasn't exactly right. Thankfully we were still able to put the bed together and use it until the replacement parts come. The boys love it. They were walking around and throwing themselves down on the mattress. They thought it was hilarious. Owen loves the little side tables, because they are just his size. He can't keep his hands off the tv remote and the clock.

The bed is so comfy that last night was the best night sleep in a long time. Even better, now that we have a king size bed, we aren't all cramped and falling off the edges when the boys all crawl into bed with us. I also love that the bed is much lower to the ground. I can sit on the bed and put my shoes on. Simple pleasures! That's me.

Paper Deets

Brandon & I were getting all of his things together to leave preschool, when he pulled out his artwork from his cubby. He said, "Look Mommy! I made Deets!" I turned around, there was this taped together paper with a tiny head, and the paper was cut to show where the arms and legs should be. I told him how great it was. Very creative! He was so proud of himself. When we got out to the car he told me that he wanted to put Paper Deets somewhere safe, so I suggested Paper Deets ride in Deet's car seat. Brandon loved that idea. He couldn't wait to get home and give Dylan his paper replica.

Family Day at the Zoo

Yesterday we decided it was time for the boys to get their hair cut again, so we declared it a Family Day. Haircuts are always followed by lollipops for being so good at the barber, then the zoo or Fairy Tale Town, and finally lunch. We chose the zoo and invited Aunt Carmen and Cousin Hadija to meet us there. The kids had a great time seeing all the animals and playing with Hadija in the play area. (Owen missed most of the zoo, because he fell asleep in his stroller.) We also checked out the new on-site vet clinic. The boys liked seeing the x-rays of one of the animals and the preserved turtles with all their parts labeled. The turtles reminded me of biology class. Kind of gross. Maybe that's why they liked them! After everyone made their way through the reptile house, we all headed over to Gunther's for lunch and ice cream. Their lunch is pretty average, but who really goes there for their sandwiches? We needed to have a healthy lunch, though, if we were going to have ice cream for dessert. My picky eaters (Brandon & Dylan) did great eating their lunches. Even little Owey was chowing down on my turkey sandwich and Dylan's leftover cheese sandwich. We agreed that the baby needs his own sandwich next time. That way I'm not filling my hunger with a two scoop caramel sundae. Who are we kidding...even if I finished my own sandwich, I still would have eaten the sundae. That was pretty much the end of our day, because Dyaln was asleep before we even got out to the car.

Video: Dylan at Preschool

Dylan's first day of preschool

Today was the big day for our little Deets! We were far more excited than he was though. We tried to get him excited about staying at preschool with Brandon by asking him all kinds of "fun" questions like, "Don't you want to do circle time and play outside on the slides with Brandon?" Brandon even tried to encourage Dylan to stay by telling him about the Pledge of Allegiance and snack time and jobs and all the fun things they can do outside. Deets still wasn't convinced that Mommy leaving preschool without out him was entirely in his best interest. He loves preschool and all it has to offer, as long as I'm standing right next to him.

We got to preschool earlier than normal, so we had time to do lots of "jobs." When the lights went out to let the kids know it was circle time, Deets put his mat away and told one of the teachers he didn't want to stay. She suggested meeting the boys at the goodbye window. That worked perfectly. No crying or fussing. Just hugs and kisses. It's what worked best for Dylan. Looking back, I shouldn't have stayed as long as I did. I just really wanted to get D's first circle time on video. Russ couldn't be there, so I thought I would get some of Dylan's first day on film so Russ could see. (I did the same thing on Brandon's first day.) Things just don't always work out the way you planned.

Turned out that I was able to get the boys on video when I went to pick them up. They were outside playing, so I filmed them through a window. Russ was happy to see that I was able to bring home some of Dylan's first day. D was a busy little bee on the see-saw, slide, playing rings, catching bugs with bug catchers and chasing bubbles. He had no clue I was there, even when I came outside. Brandon had to clue him in. He was so happy at preschool, he didn't want to come home when it was time to leave. A good sign that he had a great day.

Brandon spells his name

A while back we bought Brandon the Leap Frog Click 'n Learn or something like that. I forget what it's called because Brandon calls it his "Click 'n Stir". Anyway, it's a keyboard/mouse that plugs into the tv to play games. He was playing with a typing setting, so I asked him if he could spell his name. He's been practicing writing his name at preschool, so I ask him every once in a while if he can spell it, too. He usually gets stuck at the A. Today he spelled the whole thing out all by himself. Russ & I kept telling him how proud of him we were. He was pretty proud too, because he spelled it out a couple more times before he went back to playing.

Safetyville USA

Today was a preschool friend's birthday party at Safetyville USA. Brandon and Dylan brought their bikes so they could ride around the mini streets. They LOVED it! All the kids size buildings and roadways and working stop lights were great. The place is a bit run down, but the kids didn't notice.

Brandon has always been a little fearful of falling off his bike, so when we first got there, he was riding really slow and made Russ stay right next to him. By the end of the day, he was riding much faster and more confidently. He even asked if he could go riding around all by himself like all the other kids. He was so excited when we said it was ok. He probably would have ridden around until dark if we let him.

Deets was just adorable on his tricycle. He's not very good with the pedalling thing. He can pedal backwards like a champ, but forwards is another story. He spent the day pushing the bike forward with his feet rather than the pedals. His favorite part of the place were the mini railroad tracks complete with the crossing gates. He and Brandon waited at the tracks for a train to come by. We had to tell them there wasn't a train, just the tracks.

Three hours of "fun" in the sun. Russ & I were exhausted and miserable from the heat. The boys were exhausted too, but they were smiling from ear to ear. They had the best day.

Aliens Love Underpants

We took the boys to the book store last weekend to find some new stories to read at bedtime. One of those books was Aliens Love Underpants. Great story about aliens who love to come to Earth just so they can steal underpants. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and fun to look at. Anyway...Brandon brings books with him to look at for nap time at preschool. Of course, he had to bring one of his new books. The look on his face was priceless when I picked him up from school, and he told me that his new book was read to everybody at circle time. He felt very special that one of his books was shared with all his classmates.

Deets goes potty

After bath tonight, Deets told me that he wanted to sit on the "Bear Potty". I asked him if he needed to go pee-pee, and he said yes. I didn't really believe him, but encouraged him to go sit on the potty chair if he thought he needed to go. Sure enough, he went pee in the potty. So, of course, we made it a super big deal and gave him M&Ms as a reward. We told him that he's growing up to be a big boy just like Brandon. He was so proud and excited. Fingers crossed that his potty training is much easier than Brandon's was. He's starting preschool soon, so I'm hoping he'll want to go potty like all the big kids. Only time will tell.

Brandon, the singer

I asked Brandon what he did at preschool today. He said Music Matt came today. Brandon got to go up on "stage" all by himself and sang BINGO. He said Music Matt helped him a little bit, but he got to pick the song and mostly sang all by himself in front of all his friends at school. I thought he was going to tell me it was scary, but instead he told me that he liked it and that it was fun. He really liked being able to pick the next person who would get to sing for everyone.

A Wiggles afternoon

The boys enjoyed a surprise afternoon with the Wiggles today! They were pretty excited to see all their favorite characters from tv. At first I wasn't sure they were enjoying themselves. They just sat there in our laps with mouths wide open. They laughed and smiled through most of the show. Dylan got a bit antsy towards the end. He's 2 1/2 and the show was an hour and 30 minutes. After the show we asked the boys if they liked their surprise. They both said they did. Dylan actually wanted to see the show all over again. It was a happy afternoon for the four of us. (Owen stayed home with his Lola since we thought the show would be too much for a 10 month old.) The boys said they wanted Owen to go next time. Aren't they sweet?

Easter photos

Easter weekend

The kids had a fun filled Easter weekend. They've been at my mom's house since Thursday, because Russ & I are so sick we can barely move. We've been dropping the baby off during the day so we can get the rest we need. This viral thing could not have come at a worse time! We missed coloring eggs, a big annual egg hunt hosted by one of Russ's friends, the looks on their faces when they woke up to their baskets, and the biggest of all: Owen walking for the first time! 8 steps! He gave us a repeat performance today. He just stood up and walked. He did it like he'd been walking for weeks. I was speechless. Since we'd missed so much, we pulled ourselves out of bed to watch the kids hunt for eggs at mom's house. It was wonderful to see them so happy and having so much fun. We are all so lucky to have family to help us out. It would have been a sad Easter otherwise.

Big boy O

Owen is determined to do everything his brothers can do. He's been watching the brothers ride their trike and Dora car all over the house. Now when he finds either free, he climbs right on. He can't go anywhere, but he sure looks proud of himself once he's perched in the seat. I took this photo of Owen last week.