"Baby"

Nothing in this world can make me as happy or make me laugh as much as Big Boy and Sissy. No amount of stress can withstand their little grinning faces.

I have been stressed lately. Lots of things going on, none of which I want to get into on a blog post, but by evening time I have lost a lot, if not all, of my cheeriness for the day. And with hubby at work last night and a 10 day vacation looming in the next few days, I was forced to run errands last night with Wild Thing 1 and 2. Were they any wilder last night than any other? No. Did they do anything particularly bad? No. But I wasn't in the mood for it.

Car ride to Dillons- "Mama. Mama. Mama. Mama." Yes?!?!?!?!?!?! "aljekjtkghauytioengkal" (or whatever language Big Boy speaks) On, and on, and on he went. "Just be quiet and stop talking to me!" Yep, the words came out of my mouth.

Wal-mart- Noticed how Toy Story has invaded every aisle and nearly every product made right now? Well my two year old is obsessed with it and he happens to have a very loud voice and my head last night was just not having the noise. And EVERY aisle we walked down "TOY STORY. TOY STORY. TOY STORY BREAD. TOY STORY CEREAL. TOY STORY POTTY. TOY STORY BACKPACK. TOY STORY..."

Without elaborating on some of the words I used last night, it was a little rough. Although, one large root beer float later, I started to feel very guilty. I tried to relax a while and Big Boy came in to keep me company. He had props, and I grabbed my camera.
SUPERMAN!


Leaping off of the couch...and I didn't even care!






Sissy wanted to be included so I snapped all 3 of us. I loved this pic immediately because my handsome little superhero from above looks like such a BABYface.



Sissy had not napped, so she headed to bed. It was now about 9:00 and I was ready to relax with some NJ Housewives. I turned to Big Boy and said "It's time for bed buddy!" To which he replied "No bed. I unna cuddle my mommy." No other words were needed. He laid down with me and- I'm not kidding you- watched almost an hour of television laying in my arms, barely moving.



I woke up this morning and my first thought was not about what all is going on right now but rather of my BABY. Within minutes of waking up he already had me reaching for my camera. He is 32 months old and wearing a 12 month onesie, a conductor's hat, and carrying around his posse.


My BABY will be 3 soon. He is a fast talker with lots to say but is pretty slow in the speech development department. He takes huge breathes every couple of words so it breaks his sentences up. Some he says often...
"I like it...dot dogs. Cancakes. Copcicles."
"Mama, I no Big Boy. I Buzz. To finity and yond!" (I often have to call him by another name, he loves to pretend he is any Toy Story character or super hero)
"Mama, I love you. I no in trouble. I sorry."
"Mama, Sissy did it. Step on poley." (meaning-he did it, stepping on defenseless bugs)
"Mama, cuddle me."
"Mama, get it!" (always in the car while I'm driving)
"Mama, kiss. Hug. Squeeze."
"Mama, I want it...doo doo head" (Doo Doo Head is what he calls Mr. Potato Head from Toy Story- he doesn't have one and is dying for one)
Notice how every sentence starts with Mama?

All seemingly easy phrases, but it's taken him a little time to master the way he puts words together. And it is a trait in him that I really appreciate because it reminds me every day how little he is, no matter how big boy he acts, and how interesting he is to listen to connect with. My darling BABY.



And Sissy...xoxo
'

And after proofreading this post I realize in some of your sick minds you may be thinking that I am trying to give a clue or allude to more babies. Well, you are WRONG! :) The only BABIES in my life are the kiddos pictured above! ;)

Backyard Updates and Improvements

Awhile back I posted this
about the craziness that became replacing our sewer line and destroying our backyard. To be honest, we've really avoided our backyard lately. The machines tore up the ground so much that it is just a bunch of dirt. Fun and fine- as long as it hasn't rained recently. We have to let the mound of dirt settle before we can replant our entire lawn, probably in the fall. The pile has been creeping down, though, so that has been encouraging.

Last week Pat came across an amazing deal from a friend to get a new in the box 14 foot trampoline for about 70% off what it sells for in store. We decided, despite the devastation/jungle that was our backyard, it would be too much fun and the deal was too good to pass up. So we bought this "6 and older" monstrosity and Pat put it right up.











Today was the first day we had used it because of the rain and holy crap- I think I lost an entire pant size. We spent the morning at the Y since I'm back on my diet plan. I started last weekend with a goal of losing 12 pounds- and I lost 3 within the first 2 days. (meaning=I eat too much food when I am not being careful) We came home and climbed on and I was dying within a couple of minutes, but that thing is exhilarating! It was a lot of fun. But those suckers generate heat like no body's business, we are going to have to move it more into the shade. After 5 minutes I was panting like crazy and dripping sweat. But we had a great time and I think we are going to enjoy our new addition! I'll have to host a playdate, although it will be every mother's nightmare- dirt everywhere, weeds growing like crazy, blazing sun, and the potential for broken extremities. :)

Schooool's OUT FOR SUMMER!

The end of school countdown began last Friday when Sissy had field day. It was Big Boy's last day of Kid's Day Out, which worked out perfectly. When we arrived in Sis' class that morning the kids discovered their cocoons (or "pacoons" as Sissy calls them) were starting to break open. Amazing- in all the moments for those butterflies to come out they did it in the 10 minutes we were in the room that day! The kids were soooo excited- and the parents were, too. I had never seen anything like it either. The kids got to see the butterflies peel out and then unroll their wings- it was the best science lesson of the year!


Daddy took off work so he got to come and cheer Sis on!


There were so many events- too many to count. There was an awesome obstacle course that included hoop jumping, shooting a basketball, walking a balance beam, kicking a goal, and crawling through a tunnel.










Afterward we enjoyed a picnic and a snow cone. I have to say that it was freezing outside- Pat and I were miserable. But the kids, all in shorts and tees, did not mind a bit! The thing I really liked about the school's field day was that every station was set up very specifically by the kids' PE teacher using a skill they had worked on during the year. The PE teacher is wonderful and they work hard on coordination and basic athletic skills. Then she works with them on the events before field day, too.



Today was the last day and the class celebrated with an Ice Cream Sundae Party!




Big Boy making himself at home at one of the tables...


LOVE


Sissy's teachers are so amazing. They made each child a CD of all of their preschool songs and chapel favorites...


And they put together a beautiful memory book. It is easily an inch thick, they put so much work into it! The cover was some tye dye work the kids had done and they had each child draw their picture and write their name. Sissy added a rainbow after hers...


Here are just a couple of the pages...


(Sis is in the blue dress)





They did several questionnaires with them that were HILARIOUS! Here is one she did about me:


I hated to do it but I kind of had to grill her on this a bit. Chocolate milk? "Well, that's what I like to drink" Pancakes? "Well, that's what Daddy likes to eat!" AMERICAN IDOL???? "That is what Grandma likes to watch". Well, at least she got my hair color right!






The books are so special. Not only were there a TON of pictures in there- on the front and back of pages- but they also really documented her progress throughout the year. They had them do several things- writing their name, the alphabet, drawing people multiple times throughout the year so you can really see the progress. She had wonderful teachers this year!

The kids and I are really ready for summer and swim. We leave next Friday to start our 10 day vacation. After that we are really going to relax this summer and do all the fun things we can. Next year Sis will be in school every day and even Big Boy will be in 3 days a week! Hard to imagine, but for now we are going to enjoy some time free from schedules and spend some quality time together!

Sissy's Dance Recital

Sissy's highly anticipated dance recital finally came around last Saturday. Sissy (and Mommy) were both extremely excited. It was Sissy's day on the stage and Pat and I (as well as several other adoring fans) couldn't wait to see her.

The morning began early- dress rehearsal at 9a.m. Lily and her friend Madison were great sports as they watched numerous other performances and practiced their own.


We had a very small break in between so Sis and I headed over to Gma K's to eat lunch and primp...and boy did we!






We headed back early because I wanted to be on time. Alright, alright. We headed back early so that Madison's mommy and I could be as close as possible to our princess ballerinas.

We took the girls to their dressing room to drop them off...


Took some pictures with our adorable friends...


and stalked the closed auditorium like crazy until we saw our opening. We dashed in and claimed the front row in the very middle, it made me feel very "stage parent" but I couldn't help it. I wanted Sissy to be able to see me when she danced.

The girls were beautiful and wonderful, and the dance was so cute. Here, poor Madison, is being covered up by Sissy who might have been a couple counts behind the rest of them.


One thing I worked and worked with Sis on was her curtsy for the finale. She kept falling over so we practiced hard. Rather than save it for the finale she chose to inject it into the dance instead. Worked for me!


My baby girl


Sissy spent the entire finale waving at us- right there in the front row!


Her adoring fans...









Afterwards we headed out to reward Sis with some ice cream!



It was very special to get to share her first dance recital the same weekend as Mother's Day. I couldn't ask for anything more than to relax with my babies and enjoy our weekend. The next day we invited family over for dinner and watched the video of Sissy's performance. Over and over and over... It was a fun weekend, I couldn't ask for more.