Claire's Birthday

Claire's birthday started pretty early. We got her out of bed, dressed her before she was awake enough to protest or express an opinion about what she was wearing, and then popped her in the car. For much of the first half hour of the ride we kept hearing from the backseat, "It's my birthday. Because I'm 3 now. Because I'm not 2 anymore. It's my birthday. Because I'm 3 now..."

The first part of our trip was fairly quick. We stopped at a Cracker Barrel a little over an hour away to have a birthday breakfast with Nonno, Nonni, Uncle David, and Grandma.

(photo credit: Dad)
Claire checks out some of her presents from Mommy and Daddy
(all stuff to keep her busy in the car)

(photo credit: Dad)
modeling her new Dora hair scarf

(photo credit: Dad)
admiring the Dora truck - thanks Grandma!

(photo credit: Dad)
Thanks everyone! I love birthdays!

Then we got back in the car, drove another couple of hours, and stopped in Williamsburg for lunch where we met up with Uncle Don, Aunt Cindy, and Ryan. After lunch and a brief running around time for the kids, everyone piled back in the cars, and we were off to the beach. The trip was uneventful, and there wasn't really a whole lot of traffic.

After waiting a bit to get the keys to the house we got there, settled in, and sent the boys to the store to get a few essentials (like a birthday cake and candles) and dinner. After dinner it was time for cake!

Mmmm - strawberry! Good choice, Daddy.

Getting help from Ryan to blow out the candles.

Yum!

Ben thinks it's delicious.

We got Claire a scooter which came complete with helmet. Once she opened that she had to wear it to open all the rest of her presents. It's always important to be safe!

Look at me! I'm ready to go.

Claire had a fantastic birthday. She loved being at the beach, and getting to see so much family on her special day. She was a very happy little girl.

Sunrises

Thanks to Ben and his early risings I was lucky (or not?) enough to see the sunrise most mornings. On two days Dad generously got Ben up for me, so I got to sleep in a little, but he took pictures, too so here are a weeks worth of sunrises. Being in a beachfront house has its benefits, and watching the sunrise over the Atlantic is one of them.

Sunday - no sun, only rain

Monday - Not a good sunrise photo, but my first shot of the day

Tuesday

Wednesday (photo credit: Dad)

Thursday (photo credit - Dad)

Friday from beach (photo credit: Dad)

Friday from house

Saturday - our last morning

We are home!

Is there a point where vacations will be restful again? When I will return home and not be exhausted? This feeling may have something to do with Ben's 4:30 AM wake-up this morning. Then he just whined until 5:45 when I finally got him out of the crib. I am tired, and he has been napping for over two hours. Thanks a lot, kid.

We had a fabulous time. Claire is truly a beach girl, and I think that next year she will be clamoring for Brian to take her out into the deep water. She loved every aspect of the beach, and just couldn't get enough of it. She told us on the ride home, when Brian asked if she wanted to go back next year, that she would like to go back to the beach on Friday. Good luck, kid. I am still waiting for the outcry when she realizes that it's back to the real world. The world where Aunt Cindy isn't here everyday, and she has to settle for holding my hand, or sitting beside me, or having me read her stories. What a letdown that is going to be.

Pictures and more details will come once I have time to sort through them properly. (Time? What is that? I know not of what I speak.) Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all, and we were all disappointed to have to leave today.

Yes, I'm a delinquent.

I've been a very bad blogger. I have no good excuses.

Tomorrow is Claire's birthday, so hopefully I'll have a birthday post up. We're headed to the beach tomorrow morning, too, so that should be good fodder for pictures.

In the meantime, a few snippets.

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A conversation with Ben this afternoon:

B: Das bice is dot.

Me: Oh really?

B: Dat. Dat in dat in mb mb.

Me: I see.

B: DAS! Mm dat. Da das. Daaaa daaa daa daa. Daa die, daa daaaaaaa.

Me: Is that your book?

B: Dook. (book) Dada. Dada. Da dis.

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And another funny Claire-ism - she says astronaut instead of restaurant. "We go to an astronaut now?"

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so much cute, so little time

I got the new keyboard for my laptop today, and what a relief - all of the problems are fixed. Thank goodness.

I've been making mental lists of things I want to blog about, and I just haven't had the time and energy to yet, but this happened last night, and it was so adorable, I can't resist.

At the dinner table Brian and I were talking about our good friends who will have their first baby this summer. I told him that the baby's name was probably going to be J___. We went on to talk about other things.

About 45 minutes later as I was changing Ben's diaper and getting him ready for bed, Claire was walking around talking, but I couldn't figure out what exactly she was talking about. I asked her, and she said she was telling a story about a little boy (we've been big into making up stories lately). I asked her what the little boy's name was, and she said "uhhhh {long dramatic pause} J___!" Big smile, because she was pleased with herself. I asked if she wanted to meet a baby named J___ and she said yes, so I told her that in a few months she could because Uncle Mike and Aunt Jen were going to have a baby J___ this summer. So then she told me, "I will teach him how to play, and how to read books, and then I will take him downstairs and we will watch a Dora movie."

One of the things I love most about being a mom are these bright spots that are a part of every single one of my days.

mixed messages

Claire is cracking me up right now. She is up in her room for "rest time", and the dog must be laying just on the other side of her door. I can hear her talking to him on the monitor.

"Lucky, stay here. Good dog. Good dog, Lucky. What a nice doggie." (all said in the sweetest possible tone of voice)
"Go downstairs! Go see Mommy! Go. NOW! Go Mommy!" (nearly yelling, in a very stern tone)
"Good dog, Lucky. What a good dog. Stay here, Lucky." (again, all sweetness and light)

The poor dog.

Meet my daughter, Little Peggy Ann McKay

Do you remember that Shel Silverstein poem, Sick?

"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay,
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash, and purple bumps.

That was my daughter this morning. Today started too early, she was up at 6:30 again, which is 45 minutes to an hour earlier than normal. In the kitchen getting her milk I lightly tapped her on the head, and she started crying, "I need booboo guy!" Then climbing into her booster seat she was crying again because her foot hurt. She took one bite of her Nutrigrain bar, and told me that her tummy hurt because she ate too fast.

Poor child.

Do you think it had anything to do with this display at dinner on Sunday?




That girl really enjoyed her brownie sundae. (She also liked the rhubarb pie.)

Mother's Day is coming - the goose is getting fat

please put a penny in the old man's hat!

Oh wait, wrong holiday.

Anyway, for those *coughBriancough* who may be looking for something special for someone special for Mother's Day, look no further:


Cool Mom Picks has done most of the work for you, and put together some great things for all of the different types of moms in your life. And by posting this I get entered into a drawing for a really cool prize. Mission accomplished!


Or. What mom wouldn't love this. It is just gorgeous. And simple. And gorgeous. Did I mention gorgeous?

But really, I don't need anything fancy. What I really want is a card from my husband, and a card from my kids, and to not have to plan, cook, serve, or clean up dinner on Mother's Day. Wouldn't that be nice?

Of course Claire (thanks to Dora) has said that she wants to make a chocolate cake for Mother's Day. Brian told her he doesn't bake. We'll see what happens.

Flowers

I've been having some fun playing with the macro feature on the camera as I watch the garden grow. Here are a few examples.

Water drops caught in the leaves of the smoke bush.

The really pretty tulips Mom and Dad ordered for us in Holland last spring.

Lilac buds

And for those who are only here to get a daily dose of cuteness...

This is how Claire dressed when she got up from her nap the other day -
frog boots, party dress, and she was ready to...sweep the lawn?

A few more remembered

More Claireisms:
bicy = spicy
Whose time is it?/What thomas is it? = What time is it?

things I don't want to forget

You always think that you will remember every precious and adorable thing that your child does. The truth is, six months later there have been so many new adorable things, that the old ones are easily forgotten. So here is some of the stuff right now that I don't want to forget.

Claire-isms - When Claire says ______, she means ________
mo-most = almost
o'night = tonight, or alternatively, good night
yogret = yogurt
prers = prayers

At 15 months Ben....
...loves to dance and clap his hands.
...smears food on his head when he is done eating.
...likes to give open-mouthed slobbery kisses.. Even to the dog's nose.
...gives amazing hugs.
...could not be easier to put to bed due to his Pavlovian reaction to his lullaby CD.

Overheard lately around the house:
Yesterday morning Claire decided she would take off Ben's pajamas in our bathroom while Brian and I were getting dressed. "Come here, honey. Good boy. That's right, little man."

Yesterday afternoon Claire was "sharing" her goldfish crackers with Ben. "One for me, one for you, and one for me. One for me, one for you, more for me." I think Ben was getting the raw end of the deal.

I'm sure there's more that I just can't think of this early in the morning.

something lighthearted

Sometimes it is like living with parrots. Being a mom that is.

Claire is at an age where she repeats nearly everything we say, right down to our intonation. I will hear her talk to the dog, and she rarely uses her own words, instead she mimics the exact phrases that Brian or I use.

Awww, Lucky. Lucky-luck. What a good dog. What a cute doggy. Good dog, Lucky.

She will follow us around, and just say everything that we say.

Yesterday she brought over a book and asked, "Who gave this to me?" When I told her I didn't know she said, "maybe Brian." My mom (who I was on the phone with) laughed and asked who Brian was. Claire repeated, "maybe Brian gave this to me." When I asked her who Brian was she said, "Daddy!" I had no idea that she knew his first name. Particularly because we use a lot of pet names, and do not often call each other by our first names.

Now Ben has started the game of repeating things that he hears (to the best of his ability). He is only really good at making a D sound, so this morning when Claire was getting dressed, and we were saying "k k khakis" Ben chimed in with "d d daeeee". On our way to pick Claire up from school I would roar at him, and he would roar back from the backseat. Tonight as Brian got him dressed for bed and recited some of the words from Pajama Time Ben piped up, "da-aaa tiii". Lately he even seems to be trying to say thank you ("da ooo").

So be careful what you say - you may not want to hear it repeated.

speechless

All day I've been trying to formulate something to say about what happened at VT yesterday. No matter how much I watch or read about it, though, I can't seem to find any appropriate words to say.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of those who lost their lives. Particularly to their mothers. I think when you become a mom you suddenly see the world through a different set of eyes. I can not begin to imagine the agony they are going through right now.

Maybe soon I can think of something more meaningful to say. Right now, all I have are tears and prayers. That will just have to be enough.

We love you, Brandon. I really wish we could be there to support you right now.

Just when you thought it couldn't get any cuter

Yesterday I took the kids to Picture People to get pictures of them in their Easter outfits. At first things weren't going very well, and I was worried we would walk out without any good pictures. Then the photographer called in back-up. Another employee who sat next to the kids on the floor, gave them high-fives, blew bubbles, and then made them disappear, and truly brought out their personalities in these pictures. I am so happy with how they came out. Particularly the one of Claire, because the photographer managed to click the shutter at just the right instant to capture that adorable pose.

I mean, I know I am biased, but aren't these kids adorable? C'mon, you can be honest!

What happens when you have too much Easter candy

Ben was left to his own devices for a little bit too long while eating dinner Sunday night. Here is the aftermath:

More from Easter

My husband has been after me to post this picture from Easter. (I think I'm not supposed to tell you that he thinks he looks good in it, so I won't - what's in parentheses doesn't count.) He likes the view of the Easter egg hunt in the background. My mom and Jim helping Ben find eggs, and Ben looking up at Jim to listen to what he's saying.

words you might never expect to hear in the household of a toddler

C: May I have more broccoli, please?
B: Not until you eat more of your pasta.

My daughter, the vegetable lover. Who would have thought?

Easter

We had a really nice Easter with a lot of family. The kids had a blast. As usual, my sister-in-law, Cindy, went above and beyond providing 51 eggs for the three kids for an Easter egg hunt. Claire can't stop talking about how she looked for Easter eggs. And found Easter eggs! And there was candy inside them! And toys! Cool!

Ryan and Claire both find some eggs.

There's one for Ben!

Claire checks out her loot.

And I have to take the opportunity to brag on my mom. She made Ben's adorable overalls, and what Claire, all week long, called her "bootiful Easter dress!"

Here's Ben with Grandpa (Brian's step-father)

This picture doesn't show the ruffle at the bottom of Claire's dress, but it's the best I have right now.

And this picture is because Dad complains I never post pictures of myself.

All in all, it was a good day. I hope that your Easter was as filled with fun and family as ours was.

musings

It's strange that I spend hours and hours of the day with my children, and then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, I see them do something, and it strikes me - they're growing up. This morning it was the way that Ben cooperated when I was dressing him, rather than just being spaghetti-armed. The other day it was watching Claire and realizing that when she doesn't pay attention she can go up and down stairs without having to hold the railing.

I have the feeling that I am still going to be having these realizations when they are 10, 18, 30...I will always marvel, and wonder where my babies went.

SPF - Holy

This week's SPF theme was holy.



I can still remember a trip out to San Jose. It was just dad, Jen, and I. Dad was out on business, and Jen and I stayed with Nonna. She always took us on a shopping trip and bought us a new outfit. On one trip she also bought us each our first rosary. Although I am no longer a practicing Catholic, I know exactly where to find my rosary, and in times of stress it can be a great comfort to me. Sometimes (before kids) I used to keep it in a box on my nightstand so that I could pull it out when I was having trouble sleeping. It's not fancy, by any means, but it will always be very special to me.

four little ducks? quack?

Look at me, I'm a posting fool today!

Today on three different occasions I heard Claire singing variations of this song. Every time she sings it she focuses on different lines, or words, and leaves others out altogether. Sometimes she remembers them in but substitutes "hmmhmmmhmmhmm" for the actual words. See for yourself. Name that tune - Claire style!



Sadly, I kind of sound the same way when I try to sing along to a song on the radio.

cherry blossoms

I've been negligent here. I blame it on the head cold I've been fighting for over a week.

Today we got up early-ish, and headed into DC to admire the cherry blossoms. We neglected to research first, and found that since today was the Cherry Blossom 10 miler and 5K that a variety of roads were closed off, and it was more crowded even at that early hour than we expected. However we persevered, and were able to spend a nice hour walking around, looking at the trees and monuments.


This is actually the cherry tree in our backyard. Ben and I took some photos this morning while we waited for everyone else to wake up.

The Washington Monument

Brian and Claire in front of the Jefferson Memorial

Brian, Lucky, and Claire

A funny Lucky story: Lucky liked to bark fiercely at every dog who passed us (and there were a lot of other dogs there). One small dog (a Maltese or something like that) actually wandered over to investigate Lucky who was still barking fiercely. As soon as the small, fluffy dog started to get close and show interest Lucky tried to hide behind us, much to the amusement of everyone in the vicinity. Poor little beagle, afraid of the fluffy doggy. What a chicken. Eventually they licked noses, and then we each went our own way.

Ben (please try to overlook the runny nose and the bruise on his forehead - I would really love this photo if I were talented enouch to photoshop that runner out of it)

The Invisible Screen

Most of us know (or are) someone who at one point or another has walked through a screen door because they didn't realize it was closed.

I might have the only son who fell through a door because he thought the screen was there, but it wasn't.

Last night Brian and the dog went out on the deck, and Brian neglected to close the screen behind him. Ben wandered over to the doorway, and leaned forward with his hands up so he could lean on the screen and look outside. However, there was no screen, so he fell right on his cute little face through the doorway and onto the deck. Poor little man. Fortunately he only cried for a few minutes, and then was back to his normally cheerful self.

SPF

This is my first time playing SPF. For more information, you can go to Random and Odd, she's been running this for several years.

Today's theme was two, so here are my two cuties last night before bed.

Don't you just wish they made cozy footie pajamas like that for grownups? I sure do.

Welcome Spring!

Though fall is definitely my favorite season, spring certainly has its charm.

Introducing Lucky

In a temporary fit of insanity, I thought it was a good idea to look at PetFinder the other day. I found two young beagles in our area, that needed a good home, so I showed them to Brian. Long story short, Saturday we headed to PetSmart, hoping to meet two beagles. One had been adopted the night before. We came home with Lucky.

What we know about him? Not very much. He appears to be housetrained (yippee!) and between 1 and 2 years old. He is very gentle with the kids, and his favorite thing to do is sleep.





Claire is totally in love.

Ben is thrilled that there is a bowl of water on the floor of the kitchen all day every day.

Ivy's reaction is yet to be determined.

sleeeeeeeeeeeeepy

My husband, the one who gets to leave the house for 9 hours everyday, decided that it would be a good idea to take the doorknob guard off of Claire's bedroom door so that when she wanted to she could open her door herself, and let herself out. Needless to say, she didn't nap for five consecutive days. She spent time in our bed, in our closet, in "Nonno and Nonni's bed", emptying the drawers of my desk, playing with soap and light bulbs in the linen closet, having tea parties with all of her friends in the hallway. Anything but napping.

Brian kept saying, "you just have to be consistent, and she'll learn that she has to stay in her room." But he wasn't here to go back up the stairs after five minutes, and then 3 minutes after that, and then 2 minutes after that...ad nauseum. So eventually, every day I would think to myself, "what harm can she get into? and she's not waking Ben up, so..." And then I would find her playing with light bulbs. Or crumpling photographs. Ugh.

And then this morning. At 5:30. She crawled into our bed. And wiggled. And squirmed. And talked. And wiggled some more. And then at 6:04 Ben woke up, and Claire "helped" me get him to settle back down. So I put her in her bed, and told her it was still night-time. Four minutes later she was back in our room. And shortly thereafter she was up on my side of the bed, reading books, and staring at me while I closed my eyes and pretended to be asleep. And there was a lot more wiggling, squirming, and talking. And at 6:22 Ben woke up again and really meant it, and by that time I knew I was not going to get anymore sleep. So our day started early. And my kids were a lot on the whiny side.

Naptime was late so they could enjoy a brief visit with Grandma. And after the fifth time putting her back in her room, I gave up. I put the doo-hickey back on the doorknob. And she cried, and wailed, and gnashed her teeth. She probably would have rent her clothes, if she knew what that meant. And within about 3 1/2 minutes she was fast asleep. Granted, she slept on the floor just in front of the door, but she slept. And oh, it was glorious.

actually...

I tell Claire all the time that she is a very smart girl. It may have gone to her head a bit. She seems to think that she is smarter than - well - everyone.

She has a little electronic game that she got as a gift. It shows a mommy animal, and asks her to push the button of the appropriate baby animal. Lately as she plays with it, I can hear her talking back to it:

game: can you help the mommy horse find her baby?
Claire presses the wrong button.
game: Can you find the colt?
Claire: Actually, it's a horse!
game: Old McDonald Had a Farm E-I-E-I-O. Great! You helped the mommy horse, find her baby colt!
Claire: Actually, it's a horse!

If only there was a font option that would adequately illustrate the completely condescending tone of her voice when she says the word "actually".

And another example, from Saturday at lunch. She had a grilled cheese that was served with a fruit salad. I gave her some canteloupe, and the following conversation ensued:

Claire: I no like watermelon.
me: This is canteloupe.
Claire: Actually, it's watermelon. (duh, Mom, don't you know anything?!?)

I can hardly wait until she's a teenager.

Tips from the Toddler Trenches

So we're still working on the potty-training thing. Claire is doing great, really. Though everytime I say that aloud we have a small setback. Here is one of the most important things that I learned:

1. When you go to buy your toddler underwear, buy as many as you could possibly ever need at the same time, and make sure that they all look alike. Because if you don't? You probably won't ever be able to find the same ones again.

Let's review. I bought Claire some Dora underwear, hoping it would get her excited about the possibility of wearing "big-girl" underwear. It didn't. I bought 9 pairs, thinking that would be plenty. When she finally started wearing underwear she liked the Dora ones, so score one for mom. Then I realized that I needed to keep two extra pairs at school, and one in the diaper bag, so we needed more. I went back to Target, but lo, they did not have the same Dora underwear. They had ones with a new design. I thought, "cool, variety." Claire thought, "cool, I can make Mommy's life more difficult." And thus began the many mornings of, "not these Dora ones, want the Dora ice cream ones," and other similar comments. Joy.

And then we started having trouble with not pooping on the potty. Which meant more accidents, which meant we were going through more underwear every day. So I decided we needed another package of underwear. I went to my usual Target, and they had no Dora underwear. I momentarily contemplated buying some Curious George ones, since Claire currently loves George, but I thought better of it.

Then I made another mistake. Today Claire was at Target with me. We'd just picked out her new bathing suit (Dora). Then I decided to check this particular store for Dora underwear. And Claire saw all the variety that there was in the world of big-girl underwear. They had Dora ones, but in another even newer design. Did she want the new Dora ones? No. She wanted George. Fortunately, she'd picked up a pair of size 4T which are too big for her. So I could honestly tell her that the George ones wouldn't fit, but that we would get them when she was bigger. We did buy a package of Dora ones, which made her quite upset. The whole way to the registers she told me that she felt "bigger" now. Then in the car on the way home, she discovered she had Dora underwear. Which matched her Dora bathing suit! And her Dora shoes! And her Dora book! And her Dora placemat! "It matches!" And life was good.

For the moment.

the will to wean?

I never thought that I would be nursing past Ben's one year birthday. With Claire it wasn't a choice that I made, she weaned herself at about 11 months. Ben didn't. We did start giving him whole milk a few weeks before his birthday, since he was nursing less, and seemed thirsty. And I don't nurse him a lot anymore - probably a maximum of twice a day, and usually only once.

But when I'm holding him, and he's sleepily holding my finger so that my palm cups his cheek, or when he stares up at me until I pay attention and look down and then he gives me a big grin, or when he reaches up and pats me on the cheek. How can I just stop and give up those moments? Or better yet, why should I stop? Sometimes whole days (or two) go by with no nursing. And then the next day it just feels right. So we are. At least for the moment, while his teething is causing him some pain, and he needs/wants the extra comfort. I'm ok with that. And when he decides to stop? I'll probably be ok with that, too. But for now? I'll enjoy the cuddles while they come.

post nap fashion

This is how Claire emerged from her room after her "nap" yesterday. And I use the term nap very, very loosely.


Some notes. The "gloves" on her hands? Those are what most of us would call socks. She wears the overalls everyday for naps to prevent her from playing in her diaper. She obviously decided yesterday that one diaper was just not enough protection. She was quite proud of her ensemble, as you can tell from the totally fake "cheeeeeeeez" smile.

the mystery lime

After dropping Claire off at school today Ben and I headed to the grocery store. I jotted a quick list of meals in the car before we went in, and put asterisks next to what needed to be purchased. We went in and got our shopping done fairly quickly without buying too many things that weren't on the list. Headed outside and took Ben to the car, then drove to the curb to pick up the groceries. When I got home and was unloading the groceries I was startled to see a lime in one of the bags. It was loose, not in one of the plastic produce bags. And I hadn't bought any limes. At first I thought that maybe Ben grabbed one, and dropped it into the cart, but then I would have noticed it when I had to put it on the belt, right? I even checked my receipt. No lime. I have absolutely no idea where this lime came from. And I can't stop thinking about it, and trying to come up with a reasonable explanation.

Is there a citrus fairy living in our car? If so, some grapefruit would be nice!

More Claire funnies

I don't remember if I posted last fall about Claire's use of the word "many". (And right now I'm just too lazy to look it up.) One day we were walking through a parking lot, and she spotted some gravel. So she pointed out the "Rocks. Many rocks!" I was very impressed that she knew the word many, and had used it appropriately. Until a few days later when she was counting my eyes, and told me I had, "one, two...many eyes." Still needs some work.

Last night it was the word "probably". We got into the car after dinner, and it was dark because it was 8:30. She said it was "probably bedtime". Yep. We agreed. She decided everyone in the car was tired, and we would all go to bed when we got home, "Ben go to bed. Claire go to bed. Mommy go to bed. Daddy go to bed." During the ride home she kept repeating that it was "Probably nighttime. It's probably bedtime." Then we pulled into the driveway, and into the garage. At which point she told us, "It's probably my house." Umm, I certainly hope so. Next on the list of words to teach her? Definitely.

just a helpful tip

When you're having fun wrestling on the floor with your kids, you just might want to check to make sure there isn't a random fork hiding down there.

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In other news, Claire is learning the art of watercolors, and I'm listening to her narrate to herself over at the table:
"dip dip dip"
"swirl swirl around"
"that looks better"
"brown brown brown"
"dip dip dip"
"swirl swirl"
"a little brown, I got to get a little brown, got to get a little brown"
"that looks done"
"I got to get other colors. I like breen, some breen. I like breen"

Happy Birthday to me

Sorry for the hiatus, Brian and I were away for the weekend, and are still getting back into the swing of things. We got a new car today, so that has kept us busy, also.

Claire is very well-trained smart. On Sunday, when we were celebrating my birthday with my family, after Claire woke up from her nap I sent her in to talk to Brian. She was supposed to tell Brian what to buy Mommy for her birthday.

Claire: You need buy Mommy diamond birthday cake.
Me (from the doorway): He's not listening Claire, say it again louder!
Claire: You need buy Mommy birthday cake.
Brian: ok, that's taken care of
Me: what else, Claire, what else
Claire: diamond! Buy Mommy diamond!

Too bad he didn't pay attention. :)

What is love - part two

Love is listening to Claire count. "one, two, three, fourfivesixseben, eight, nine, ten, eleben, twelbe, tirteen, seben, eight, nine, ten, eleben, twelbe, tirteen, seben..."

Love is watching the delight in Ben's eyes as he carefully takes a few steps across the floor, then stops in front of his daddy and gives himself a round of applause.

Love is watching my kids tumble over each other and dissolve in laughter.

Love is seeing how much Claire delights in going to school everyday.

Love is how Ben laughs whenever he hears any laughter anywhere.

Love is Claire spontaneously breaking into a game of hide-and-go-seek. "Seben, eight, nine, ten! I'm going to find you!"

Love is trying not to laugh when they misbehave, but are being so darn cute when they do it.

Love is a million different things, every second of the day when I am with my kids.

Love is being a mother.

visual evidence

Yes, he is really walking.



Are you happy now, Pete? :)

My Valentines

Last year I posted photos of my two little ones on Valentine's Day, so I took pictures this year as well. Please forgive the fact that they're out of focus - one had no flash, and Ben just moves too darn fast these days for the camera to catch up to him. I still think that they're adorable.

we have liftoff!

Just a few moments ago I was setting up the diaper changing stuff on the floor, while Ben was hanging out by the sofa. I turned to him and opened my arms. And he took two steps. Right to me. Ben's first official steps - right into Mama's waiting arms.

What is Love?

Shamelessly stolen from Julie.

Love is the way my heart melts when I watch him having a tender moment with one of the kids.
Love is watching him play with the kids while he gives them a bath.
Love is the look he gives me when one of the kids does something silly, and no words are necessary for me to know exactly what he is thinking.
Love is when he jumps out of bed early in the morning and pulls on some clothes so that he can get the trash to the curb before the truck reaches our house because neither of us remembered the night before.
Love is when he can sense how tired I am when he gets home from work and he takes over dinner prep and pourse me a glass of wine.
Love is the way I feel when I see him smile just at me from across a crowded room.
Love is the bouquet of purple tulips he picked up on his way (but really not on his way at all) home last night.
Love is knowing that the last ten years are only the beginning.

Feel free to comment and tell me what love is for you.

They're lucky they're cute

I love the way that Ben laughs anytime he hears laughter. Whether it's someone in the family, or a laughtrack on a bad comedy, he will start to chuckle, and then if the laughter continues he just gets happier and happier, until he is just giggling away. It makes me laugh, too, just to hear him.

Claire loves singing. She sings loudly and enthusiastically. And out of key. She would make Simon Cowell flee the room. But boy does she love to sing, or to be sung to. And every note is music to my ears because her enthusiasm is contagious.

And that almost makes up for walking into the family room to find the floor covered in diaper wipes. That they had gleefully pulled out of the box, one at a time. At least they were working together, right?

speechless

Stories like this one just make me feel ill. As a mother - heck, as a human, because this guy shouldn't be classified as one - I am simply horrified.

Mommy Math

a 5:05 wake-up (courtesy of the boy)
+ no school (courtesy of the snow)
+ a work function for Brian tonight
= a very long day ahead of me

Oh yeah, did I mention that Brian will probably take the 4WD car - the one with both car seats in it? So I will effectively be trapped at the house. Thank goodness playgroup is scheduled for this morning, and it's in the neighborhood, so if all else fails I will pile the kids in the stroller, and we will head over there for a little bit of sanity (or at least commiseration).

The latest Claire cuteness

Yesterday while she milled around the kitchen as I was working on dinner:
"Mommy, I worsh in the kitchen. I worsh in the kitchen!"
I had no idea what she was telling me. No. Idea. She was wandering around with an oven mitt on her hand. Then I heard her start talking again.
"A good little monkey, and always very curious."
Ahh, of course. She was being George in the Kitchen. She was creating her own Curious George story - starring Claire as George. Lord help me.

Today as she sat on Ben's beanbag eating her peanut butter crackers and drinking milk:
"No Ben Ebward Pyatt. No thank you."

Even on the napless days, when my patience is pushed past the breaking point, she is absolutely charming. Simply adorable.

And she wears big girl underwear now! Hooray!

What Type of Mother?

According to this quiz, I am a "Giving" Mother.

“A people pleaser from Day One, it took me 30 years to
figure out I could say ‘no.’”

* Quiet and unassuming in her devotion, the ISFP mother is responsive to her children’s needs, offering behind-the-scenes love and support. She is gentle and non-intrusive, flexible and adaptable.
* A “be there” mother, the ISFP takes pleasure in physically caring for her children and doing for them. Her best times might be “doing little things” with each child one-on-one.
* More than anything, the ISFP mother wants her children to know they are loved. And she enjoys being needed in return.
* Dedicated to raising children who are responsible and care for others, she favors a non-directive approach: instilling values by setting a good example. She may be a strong role model for community service.

Interesting.

the power of genetics

From the time Claire was born I have heard from Brian's family nothing except how much alike they are. The way they look, the amazing amount of energy, the comparisons go on and on. I sometimes wondered, when pregnant with Ben, if he would be more like me. A little more laid back, a little lower energy.

Today I emerged from the bathroom after my shower. Claire had been left to her own devices in the master bedroom. She had wandered in and out of the bathroom a few times, but I wasn't quite sure what she was up to. I found her, snuggled up against the side of the bed with an audience of two stuffed animals, her talking trashcan, and a pair of Brian's shoes. She had a pile of four books that she had already read, one open in her hands, and a bag with about 12 more waiting for her to get to them.

Yes, I think there's a little bit of me in there after all.