We're Back!

Finally. The boys and I moved back into the house one week ago today. We had been living in Crofton, MD with our neighbor's parents for the past two and a half months. I could spend the rest of the year (literally) going over all of the details and drama of our home renovation, but since it's Christmas- I'll spare you and save it for another day. There's lots to tell. But for now, I just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! Here is a video of Rex singing one of his favorite Christmas carols. (FYI- the brown thing on Rex's head is a balloon hat of Rudolph that he got from a clown at Ledo's Pizza the other day.) I'll try to post the other songs later. Merry Christmas!!!!

Destruction

Sorry, no new pics right now. We've been busy getting the house ready for our renovation. The crew is expected to arrive at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow to begin taking the roof off. We'll keep you posted as we can, and I'll try to get some pictures up sometime soon!

How Many Is That?

That's the question Rex asked me a few weeks ago when it was my birthday. He asked "how many" I was. I told him I was thirty. He looked at his fingers quizzically and asked me, "How many is that?" I told him it was all of his fingers, all of my fingers, and all of his toes. He thought I was kidding! He just said, "Silly mommy, that's too many!" Ha! Honestly, aging doesn't bother me. It's better than the alternative. But I have to admit- I was a little taken aback at the makeup counter in Nordstrom recently when the make-up technician told me she was adding a free sample of eye wrinkle cream into my bag for me to try. Wrinkle cream!?! Are you kidding me!?! I'm not sure which upset me more- the fact that she thinks I need wrinkle cream, or the fact that no amount of wrinkle cream is going to help me. At least, not while I still have two small boys at home. Each wrinkle, I'm certain, is a direct result of either a sleepless night, or some heart-stopping moment that one of my boys has graced me with. Like Rex going head-over-heels down the steps. Twice. Or Sean climbing up onto his bouncy chair backwards and bouncing up and down like a kangaroo. On the hardwood floors. And now that Sean is walking EVERYWHERE, well, I shudder to think what the make-up lady will offer me next time! (Botox?) It doesn't matter, no amount of wrinkles could make me give up these faces:

And here are some photos from the surprise party my hubby threw for me for my 30th!:

Strolling Around

Here's a video of the newest walker in the family. Sean has been toddling around here and there, but last night, just before bedtime, he was walking all over his bedroom! He sort of looks like his daddy after one too many pitchers of beer! He also plays the role of pesky little brother very well, as you can see. I think Rex liked Sean better when he just laid around all day. But he's going to love having a playmate when Sean gets older! I imagine the two of them could find plenty of trouble to get into together.

Here are some photos from last night, also.

Goodbye Summer

I know that technically there are still about two weeks of summer left, but as far as I'm concerned, summer ends with Labor Day. School has started, the pool is closed, and its getting dark earlier and earlier. The only good thing about this time of year is football. How 'bout those Mountaineers!?! And Go Steelers! There is something about the cool, crisp air of early September that smells like football. I love it. Okay, enough rambling. I don't have any new pictures to share, so I thought I would share this video of Sean I took a few weeks ago. He really is having a good time- despite the lack of expression on his face. He is so serious sometimes! As for his crying marathon at school on his first day, it seems that he is over it. I learned to NOT hand him over to someone (this immediately results in tears). Instead, I just put him down on the floor to play, kiss his head and leave. He does much better this way, and is actually having a lot of fun. Rex is still enjoying his new classroom. He's a bit baffled that we go to school five days a week now (we only did three days over the summer), but he's having lots of fun as well. That's it for now. I'll try to get some new photos up sometime this week!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of the new school year at preschool. Rex started in his new classroom, and Sean had his first day in his new class as well. Until this point, Sean hung out in the office with me. It was a little weird walking down the hall today without him on my hip. It was kind of sad. But I think he will really enjoy being with other kids. He is the youngest in his class, and he cried all morning long (luckily I only work from 9-1), but I am hopeful that this will turn out to be a very good thing for him. He is so attached to me- it is good for him to learn to trust other people as well. But it breaks my heart to see him so sad. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. Rex had a good first day, although he misses his old teachers. I think he will like his new teacher once he gets to know her (she is new to the school), but it takes him a while to warm up to new people. He is in a room with 19 other three year olds. That's 19 kids to play with- but also 19 kids he has to share and take turns with. Should be interesting. His new teacher is from Peru, so I am hoping she will teach him lots of Spanish. I've tried- but all I have accomplished is Rex's new ability to make up words. I try to incorporate Spanish into our everyday routine. ("We call this milk, but in Spanish it is called leche.") Now Rex thinks he can just string a few different syllables together and he has a new word for something. In reality- he is speaking pure jibberish. Today he asked me if I wanted some jobberflocky. Yesterday, he told me his schnagerplaster was broken. He is quite proud of himself. I have no idea what the hell he is talking about. It is very frustrating at times, but at other times I just have to sniggle. I mean laugh.

Rex's Waterski Video

I hope this works! (This may take a long time to download- I'm not sure!) This video cracks me up! Rex had recently been on a boat ride where he was watching his Uncle Paul waterski. I guess it left an impression, because Rex then decided to "waterski" (i.e. run from side to side as if a boat is pulling him) on his slip and slide. I did not get his first attempt on video (during which time he fell down and announced- "Mommy- I was waterskiing and I fell down just like Uncle Paul did!"). But his second attempt was pretty good as well. What a ham!

Something's Got To Give

Okay, so we have been home from vacation for a few weeks now. Rex still complains every day about having "no friends to play with". Sean just isn't quite playmate material yet, so I am still the number one (and only) choice when it comes to finding someone to play with at home. It has been especially hard this week since preschool is closed for summer maintenance and we have the whole week off (and thus no friends to play with at school, either). I feel bad for the kid, but to give you an idea of what I have been through, just today alone I was a pretend truck driver, a race car driver, a police officer, a construction worker, a doctor, and a sick patient. And that was all before lunch. After lunch, I convinced Rex to play with his shadow. That amused him for almost twenty minutes, and then his shadow wouldn't share with him, so that was the end of that. Then I became a helicopter pilot. I love playing with children- I truly do- that's why I love working in preschool, and I generally spend a lot of time playing with the kids each day anyway, but Rex used to be able to amuse himself for an hour or so each day during which time (if Sean is napping) I could do some dishes, or start some laundry, or (gasp) check some email. He has completely lost the ability to do that. And to top things off- he's been really grumpy lately, so he's not even a fun playmate most of the time! I'm never taking him on vacation with other children again! (N0- not really- I'm just being melodramatic- he had so much fun!). But Aunt Mindi just might be getting a 3'6", 35 lb package from UPS soon. Did I mention that Daddy has been busy obsessing, I mean working on, the plans for the addition we're adding to our house in a few weeks? (Honestly- better him than me!) That means that in addition to playtime, I still have to cook dinner, feed two children, bathe two children, read stories to two children, and put two children to bed. Luckily, the neighbor girls are spending the afternoon here tomorrow, so I get a day off from playtime. (I'm free!! I'm free!!) And I have a date with the Robert Andrews Day Spa on Saturday for a mani, pedi, and massage. I CAN'T WAIT!

Sean, on the other hand, has been wonderful lately. He had surgery on Monday to have tubes put in his ears. He is recovering very well. It's such a quick procedure. His appointment was for 7:10 am, and I had him back home by 8:3o am. The doctor said they removed a lot of fluid from his ears, so he should be able to hear better now. (I didn't say he would listen, just that he can hear). He is also starting to toddle around a little bit. He took his first steps at the beach, and practices around the house sometimes, but still prefers crawling for a faster mode of transportation. As you can see in the picture, he has lots of fun rocking on the little bike Aunt Deb and Uncle Harry got him for his birthday! He really gets that thing rocking!! His new favorite pastime is splashing in the miniature swimming pool we have in the kitchen (also known as the dog's water bowl). I have to keep putting it out of reach (poor Kaleigh gets neglected again), and he still goes after it! I love the look of "What?" on his face. He's something. All of his hard work just wears him out. They're all angels when they're sleeping, aren't they?

Ocean City 2007

No we have not dropped off the face of the earth, we have simply been on vacation. We spent a wonderful week in O.C., MD soaking up the sun and splashing in the waves. I would have loved to have posted these pictures days ago, but after having live-in playmates for an entire week, Rex has forgotten how to entertain himself, so I have become his new favorite play-date. And Sean loved always having someone to hold him, read to him, and just plain dote all over him. He has now become permanently attached to my side, and sobs hysterically if I dare move out of sight. I have also been unpacking- and anyone who saw how completely side-to-side and top-to-bottom jam packed my Expedition was (I never thought an Expedition would be too small) can imagine what unpacking it is like. It's been three days, and I'm still not done. (If I'm not done unpacking, I'm technically still on vacation, right?) But I somehow managed to carve a few minutes of time out to post these pictures and tell everyone about our week. It was fantastic. We were part of a group of 30 people (21 adults, 9 children) of family and extended family. We stayed in two connected townhouses on 90th st. right on the beach. Each morning began by feeding Sean his milk on the deck outside while listening to the waves crash and watching for dolphins. What a great way to start the day. We spent a lot of time on the beach, of course, but we also made time for a Girl's Lunch out at Macky's, a Couple's Night out at Seacrets (while the grandparents babysat-thanks!), a boat ride on the Sea Rocket, a trip to the Rehoboth Boardwalk (home of FunLand- great for kids), and lots of happy hours on the deck. We had a great time. But as it goes, all good things must end, and it was time to come back home. It was so nice to see and spend time with everyone. We miss you all! And every time I find sand in some obscure place, (like my make-up bag) I will think of you!

Anna's Visit

Little Anna Kiser came to visit this past weekend. (Her Mommy and Daddy came too, but as we all know, once you become a parent, it's not about you anymore-it's only about the children.) Anna's Mommy, Emily, was one of my roommates in college, and she and her husband, Kevin, live in Erie, PA. We had a nice visit as we braved the heat and humidity and strolled around downtown Annapolis. Anna is such a cutie pie. She is almost six months old and is so happy and so pleasant. I'm so glad we got to meet her!

Slip and Slide

Yes, they still make them, and they are still as much fun as you remember. I pulled out the slip and slide the other day while I was babysitting Delaney and Kelly from next door, and the kids had so much fun! Sean was napping the first day we got it out, but we brought it out again today, and he had the time of his life sitting there getting wet (with his clothes on and all!). I swear he his part fish. And I have GOT to figure out how to post a video so you can see Rex's imitation of Uncle Paul waterskiing. It's adorable. I know it can be done- please someone tell me how!

Sean's Party

Sorry I am so late posting these- it's been a hectic week. But anyway...here are some photos from last weekend when we had a little cookout to celebrate Sean's 1st Birthday! We had a gorgeous day and lots of friends and family to help us celebrate. I love this picture of Mindi and Morgan. I can't believe she is 3 years old now! Such a big girl! The Parsons family joined us for an afternoon of fun, and Trevor had fun holding the birthday boy in his lap. Here's Aunt Mindi again, with two handsome boys this time. You can see that Rex decided to use the front of his shirt like a napkin- he's such a boy! Sean had lots of fun- especially with the balloons after everyone went home!

Happy First Birthday Sean!

Yes, it's true. We blinked, and our little baby turned one year old. I know people say time flies when you have kids, but I never knew just how true that was. I could swear I just brought Sean home from the hospital a few weeks ago. But here we are, one year later, one year older, one year wiser. I thought you might enjoy pictures from the cupcake celebration we had at dinner tonight. Rex and I baked sprinkle cupcakes for Sean. I think Rex was much more excited about his cupcake than Sean was, but I think Sean made a bigger mess!

It has been quite a year. I remember the anxious feeling we had waiting for Sean to arrive. I was downright scared. Not about the birth- I had done that before- I was scared about the unknown. We knew about Sean's cleft issues from his sonogram, but no one could tell us for sure if there was anything else wrong. We didn't know what to expect. Despite the fact the sonogram had shown a clear cleft palate, he arrived with his soft palate intact which allowed him to feed, and other than his lip, he was a happy, healthy little boy. Our prayers had been answered. We've been through doctor's visits and surgeries, and through it all he has been such a trooper. He's an amazing little fellow, and he has taught us a lot. We've had our share of sleepless nights, but all in all Sean has been a wonderful addition to our family. Happy Birthday, Little Buddy- We love you!

Road Trip

So we survived our first long road trip with two kids. It was touch and go here and there, but we made it. We started out by heading to PA last Monday to spend a few days at Grandma's house. We had a nice time visiting with everyone there, and Sean had his first birthday party at Aunt Deb's house. He looked so cute in his little Elmo hat! Rex had lots of fun when we went for a ride on Uncle Paul's boat- he even got to drive the boat! (I wish I had had my camera for that one!) I think Sean's favorite part was swimming in Aunt Deb and Uncle Harry's pool. He is such a water baby! His arms and legs splash a hundred miles a minute the whole time. He loves the water. On Friday, we packed up and headed west to Indiana for my friend (and sorority sister) Beth's wedding. The boys were very good for the trip, and despite driving through the worst thunderstorm I've ever seen, we made finally it to Fishers, Indiana. Unfortunately, I had printed out the directions to the wrong hotel, so we had a nice tour of the town (and a trip to Target) before settling in at the hotel for the night. My wonderfully thoughtful husband bought me a nice big bottle of Chardonnay to share with my sorority sisters to celebrate the weekend, but as you all know, I never travel lightly, and the bottle rolled off of the overcrowded luggage cart and met an untimely death on the sidewalk below. Michael's sandals (the only pair of non-dress shoes I packed for him) were now full of wine and shards of glass, none of us had eaten dinner (cue the crankiness), Sean was crying, and the glass of wine I was looking forward to to help ease the stress-filled tightness in my shoulders was flowing down the parking lot. We went to bed early that night. The next day started out great- the weather was beautiful, both children slept late, and there was an awesome continental breakfast in the lobby. Life was good. We took the kids for a swim in the pool, and then ordered some lunch from the restaurant next door. As Michael went to pick up our lunch, he walked past the truck and realized our back tire was completely flat. Bummer. The family afternoon nap that had been scheduled (the wedding ceremony was not until 5:30) was replaced with Michael changing the flat tire, and me calling all over Fishers, Indiana to find a tire shop that was not only still open on a Saturday afternoon, but one that could see us sometime before Monday morning and had our tires in stock. Not an easy task. Apparently, our tires are considered "special order" for most places. Who knew? I finally found one place that had exactly two tires in stock, and had a slot open that afternoon. The Heavens smiled on us. Michael made it back to the hotel with just enough time to shower and dress (which means I had spent the rest of the afternoon getting myself AND the children showered, fed, dressed, etc- FUN!), and we made it to the church with time to spare. The ceremony was beautiful (and nice and short!), and Beth looked gorgeous in her gown. The reception was LOTS of fun, and I got to hang out with some sorority sisters that I hardly ever get to see. We danced all night, and I made up for the wine I had missed the night before. Rex was so excited with the Shirley Temple drink the bartender made just for him. Cranberry juice, water (Rex doesn't like soda), and two cherries on a little plastic sword. It was a good time. (Although, we had to confiscate the sword b/c he kept poking at his brother with it.) We headed back to PA on Sunday, spent the night there, and then headed back home on Monday. It was quite a whirlwind of a week, but it was fun. We enjoyed seeing everyone- we miss you all! Now if I could just make a dent in all of the laundry that's piled up...