--since we got back from all our travels this summer, we spent some time getting back into a routine. then we were settling into a new school routine, since aidan goes to school five mornings a week now.
--he loves school. they have music class, spanish class, computer time, and every wednesday they all wear a certain color. they learn a letter, number, and shape each week, and every thursday is show-and-tell with the letter of the week. he has new friends this year, because he and only a few others switched from three afternoons a week to five mornings. within the second week, he told me sophia was his girlfriend and he has to hold her hand. actually sophia told me aidan was her boyfriend. when i asked him about her he said she was his new girlfriend, but jarah, ella, and asha are still his favorite. (he didn’t say favorites…he said favorite. guess it’s an all-inclusive kind of thing!)
--last week we went on a field trip to hunt club farms. we rode on the hayride, the kids played in the massive mountain of hay, and each brought home a pumpkin. it was pretty fun. the weather was absolutely perfect. the next day was the second birthday party we’ve gone to for a classmate. (no longer just birthday parties for mommy’s friends’ kids…) it’s funny to see aidan with his classmates. they act all goofy, and have a blast. plus, he’s half a head taller than all of them!
--sierra’s more than two handfuls these days. when she’s not climbing on something, jumping off of something, or dancing in circles, then she’s taking off her clothes. in addition to enjoying being naked, she must be the one to dress herself in the morning. not just picking out her clothes…and she’ll get all dressed and then change them again…but she has to put them on herself. granted, she doesn’t do that quite right, but it’s a learning process. i let her pick out what she wears for the most part, and just have to ignore the fact that she’s wearing stripes on her shirt, flowers on her pants, and carebears on her socks. she’s still adorable, and it makes her feel good.
--she’s talking up a storm these days too. she tells me exactly what she’s thinking, and it’s rare that i don’t understand. potty training is going pretty well. she wanted to start eight months ago or something, but i wasn’t ready. i let her do it when she wanted to, but i didn’t push it at all until we got back from our long long drives this summer. didn’t want to hear “mommy, i ready to potty” every half hour on a 17hour drive!
--kids make things to send to daddy all the time. it could be a picture drawn on a restaurant placemat, something colored at school, or a craft we do together. we painted new jersey shore sea shells and mailed them. we also made frames to send…though i might be ruining a surprise for dad, since i’m not sure they’ve arrived at the ship yet. they get to talk to him every so often, and sierra usually just sings when it’s her turn. and every day they have a “kiss” from dad: a hershey kiss from daddy’s jar that they get to enjoy every day...sometimes a few a day. :)
--halloween was fun. we carved pumpkins with our neighbors kelley and roger. aidan wanted to supervise. he didn't want to get his hands dirty, but had no problem telling us what to carve...he was quite specific with roger's bat dimensions! :) ours was a spider...but of course i forgot to take a picture of them before they started to rot and fall in on themselves. oh well...next year. trick-or-treating was cool. sierra was minnie mouse and aidan was spiderman. they picked out their costumes themselves and were really excited about it. aidan did great...wasn't scared of anything. though sierra was a bit scared at times. i ended up carrying her for most of our mile-long trek around the block. still they got loads of candy...and we got several comments on their cuteness, but also on their manners. both said thank you to everyone! good babies!!
Monday, October 26, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
northern exposure -- aug 2009
--our trip north was excellent. it was lots of driving, but totally worth it. we started in manasquan, nj, with billy’s mom and stepdad (grammy and poppy). at some point in our week stay there, we had all of their kids there (minus, billy): uncle ryan, uncle greg, aunt alison, uncle jim, aunt leah, and cousins riley and griffin.
--we spent most of our days outside at the beach, or in the back area playing in the sand. there were neighbors, in addition to all the family, to play with too. aidan and sierra loved the beach, though aidan did better with the water than she did. for whatever reason, those waves there could get really big…and the tide changes were more extreme than i’ve ever noticed on the coast. still it was great fun.
--we stayed in the same house that the family used to rent when the kids (as in the aunts and uncles) were small. apparently it hasn’t been updated since…which added to the flavor and nostalgia. it was strange not having billy around, but it wasn’t weird without billy there…if that makes sense. we fit right in, so it was great.
--we went to dinner one night, another night went to pt. pleasant for dinner and to walk the boardwalk with rides and games. we also met aidan’s godfather, steve, and his wife sharon there. it was good to see them, as it had been a while. and one rainy day we went to a farm to feed the animals and out to lunch. one night, leah and i walked six miles up and down the path talking nonstop…eventually had to go in because it was bedtime!
--we left manasquan after a week and headed to long island to see my dad (pawpaw) and joy, and emily. had another great visit there. we went for long walks, on boat rides, fishing off of the boat, and aidan even jumped off the boat into the canal. we went to fire island one night for dinner, and jones beach another day for a relaxing afternoon.
--after long island, we travelled to glen rock, nj, to be with billy’s dad and stepmom (grandma and grandpa) and devlin. we swam a lot in their pool, went to the museum of natural history in manhattan, to the land of make-believe, and a park/zoo. aidan and sierra found some playmates down the street. they played at grandma/grandpa’s pool and even down at their house. they had a son aidan’s age, a daughter sierra’s age, and an older daughter. they had a good time with them.
--devlin and i went to new york one night for dinner and a show. we went to see “rock of ages,” a musical about the making it in the music industry in the 80’s. we laughed and sang the whole way through. dinner was fun (before and after the show), and we got to have some fun conversations.
--after nearly three weeks on the road, with only six days home between down south and up north, we made it home. kids are awesome travelers…couldn’t ask for better. since then we’ve gotten back into a regular routine and aidan has started school. he loves it, of course.
--sorry this is super late, and a little skimpy on the details…
--we spent most of our days outside at the beach, or in the back area playing in the sand. there were neighbors, in addition to all the family, to play with too. aidan and sierra loved the beach, though aidan did better with the water than she did. for whatever reason, those waves there could get really big…and the tide changes were more extreme than i’ve ever noticed on the coast. still it was great fun.
--we stayed in the same house that the family used to rent when the kids (as in the aunts and uncles) were small. apparently it hasn’t been updated since…which added to the flavor and nostalgia. it was strange not having billy around, but it wasn’t weird without billy there…if that makes sense. we fit right in, so it was great.
--we went to dinner one night, another night went to pt. pleasant for dinner and to walk the boardwalk with rides and games. we also met aidan’s godfather, steve, and his wife sharon there. it was good to see them, as it had been a while. and one rainy day we went to a farm to feed the animals and out to lunch. one night, leah and i walked six miles up and down the path talking nonstop…eventually had to go in because it was bedtime!
--we left manasquan after a week and headed to long island to see my dad (pawpaw) and joy, and emily. had another great visit there. we went for long walks, on boat rides, fishing off of the boat, and aidan even jumped off the boat into the canal. we went to fire island one night for dinner, and jones beach another day for a relaxing afternoon.
--after long island, we travelled to glen rock, nj, to be with billy’s dad and stepmom (grandma and grandpa) and devlin. we swam a lot in their pool, went to the museum of natural history in manhattan, to the land of make-believe, and a park/zoo. aidan and sierra found some playmates down the street. they played at grandma/grandpa’s pool and even down at their house. they had a son aidan’s age, a daughter sierra’s age, and an older daughter. they had a good time with them.
--devlin and i went to new york one night for dinner and a show. we went to see “rock of ages,” a musical about the making it in the music industry in the 80’s. we laughed and sang the whole way through. dinner was fun (before and after the show), and we got to have some fun conversations.
--after nearly three weeks on the road, with only six days home between down south and up north, we made it home. kids are awesome travelers…couldn’t ask for better. since then we’ve gotten back into a regular routine and aidan has started school. he loves it, of course.
--sorry this is super late, and a little skimpy on the details…
Sunday, August 2, 2009
my kids are rockstars!
--kiddos and i just got back from our trip south. we drove 12 hours from va beach to athens, al, on the 19th. we stayed there with my aunt carroll and uncle larry at their house on the tennessee river. the first day we were pretty spent, at least i was. aidan and sierra were so happy to be out of the car, they ran around for a long time after dinner before i had to drag them to bed.
--the next day we went out on the boat on the river. aidan hadn’t been on a boat since he was 18months old…at least not a “personal” watercraft. he’d been on the touring boats out of the inlet in virginia. he loved going “big fast,” which i took as “really fast.” sierra wasn’t too sure at first of the speed, but ended up loving it so much i was holding on the back of her lifejacket as she leaned over to see the water go by. aidan liked looking at the “wave path” (the wake) that the boat was leaving behind us. :)
--we spent another night there, and the next morning we went to the nasa space center in huntsville. since aidan (still) says he will be an astronaut when he grows up, i thought it’d be a great place to take him. they both really liked it. so did carroll and i too…i hadn’t been there since i was about twelve or something. we toured the outside part with all the rockets, missiles, helicopters, etc. sierra climbed on everything that had a “do not climb” sign on it. i guess i shouldn’t be surprised by that, considering i found her this morning sitting inside her top (four drawer) dresser drawer putting all of her ponytail-holders on her fingers as rings…and no other drawers were open. how does that happen?? she must have pulled it out, done a pull up, and climbed right in. and she’s fast. i pretty much came in there right after i heard movement in their room. crazy girl...guess she's enjoying being back in her room?
--after the outside section, which also had a replica of the moon surface, we went inside. aidan and i did a simulation ride of a rover on the surface of mars. we looked at the different exhibits, many of which the kids didn’t care about…unless there were buttons and switches. they got to play in a replica of the space station, and each got to try their hand a landing the shuttle. after that we went to a 3D imax film “fly me to the moon,” about three flies that pack their suits and get in the helmets of the astronauts that first landed on the moon. pretty cute. it was the first film sierra sat through for the most part. she even let me hold her glasses on her head and she jumped nearly every time something came near her and tried to reach the flies. cute.
--after our film, we had lunch in the café and then took off on our five hour drive down to mobile. got there at dinner time and spent time with my mom and stepdad. we spent most of the rest of the week in mobile hanging out with them, my aunt connie, and going to lucedale to visit my grandparents.
--in lucedale we played inside and out, the kids loved the swing set and the dogs. sierra liked telling the dog “no, dog!” although one of the dogs got that from all of us. deedaddy and aidan played baseball, and they all looked at the cows when they came trekking through the first pasture.
--saturday, we packed up and went to dauphin island…the southern-most part of alabama. there’s a fort on the island (ft gains), with a sister fort (ft morgan) in gulf shores, that guard the entrance to mobile bay from the gulf of mexico. the whole “damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” thing was at the battle of mobile bay. anyhow, we had a house on the bay side, and three condos on the gulf side…yes, my family is huge, although we still were missing many of them.
--aidan spent most of his days swimming in the pool or beach at the condos, and fishing (he tried to catch a fish for two days) and playing/wrestling with my cousins at the house. he was younger by at least five years, sometimes more, but he held his own,…minus two busted lips. i was glad that it didn’t seem that they were just accommodating him, but actually wanting to play with him and have him around. one naptime during the week scott and matthew showed up at the condo wanting aidan to come out and play. that was cute.
--sierra spent her days getting in and out of the water at the pool or beach, running around the house on the deck, trying to climb upstairs to the big kids, or playing with my cousins’ boy. that was cute. jackson is seven days older than sierra. after they got over their original shyness, they were following each other around and even competing for deedaddy-lap-space…which as a former competitor myself, is know to be valuable real estate! :)
--i spent the time chasing children, but mostly letting other people chase children while i hung out with my family, helped cook, got sunburned, read three books, and swam occasionally. one morning i went fishing with deedaddy and four of my cousins. we didn’t catch as many white trout as the group the day before, but we held our own. they were yummy the next night for sure!!
--after a week on vacation with the smith family, which i haven’t been able to attend in six years, the kids and i packed ourselves into the stuffed car and drove 950 miles home. it took 16hours to get back, but my kids are troopers. i got the occasional “are we almost there?” from aidan, and we had to stop every couple hours, but never a complaint out of the back seat. sierra cried for about 10minutes at around 9pm that night when she woke up and couldn't understand why she was still strapped in her chair in the car. we had been traveling since 7am (eastern time). so, in all fairness, i guess i understood her frustration!
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Dropping off Daddy
--the kids and i spent a good family day with billy before we took him to the ship. we all got to go onboard and see where daddy will work and live while delpoyed. aidan and sierra enjoyed all the hatches and ladders, twists and turns, helmets, hoses, and lights.
--we helped billy take the last bit of stuff to his stateroom, and got a tour of the spaces he uses day in and day out, and the view off of the deck. then we had our sad good-bye and left daddy to "defeat the bad guys."
--his ship email is: suppo@ddg75.navy.mil; and he can receive mail/packages at:
LT BILLY HUNT
SUPPLY DEPT
USS DONALD COOK, DDG-75
FPO, AE 09566-1294
--will keep everyone posted on any happenings.
--we helped billy take the last bit of stuff to his stateroom, and got a tour of the spaces he uses day in and day out, and the view off of the deck. then we had our sad good-bye and left daddy to "defeat the bad guys."
--his ship email is: suppo@ddg75.navy.mil; and he can receive mail/packages at:
LT BILLY HUNT
SUPPLY DEPT
USS DONALD COOK, DDG-75
FPO, AE 09566-1294
--will keep everyone posted on any happenings.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
June 09
--short and sweet: with june came LOTS of company. we had a good visit with grandma and grandpa, grammy and poppy, and paw-paw and joy with emily and jordan.
--we had sierra’s 2nd birthday three times, and she opened LOTS of presents, and sang “happy birthday” to herself for over a month…in fact, she’s still singing it these days. “haaa birrrday ah rarah, haaa birrday ah me!” she also got her ears pierced. i always swore i wouldn’t make a baby get her ears pierced, she at least had to ask for it. she has really been into my earrings lately, and said “for me?” so i took her. she did great. she got scared when i had to hold her still…that’s reminiscent of getting shots, which she fights with all her might. she cried at first, but as soon as i got to let go of holding her head, she was fine. she didn’t like me cleaning them at first, but she put up with it. and she looks precious. she called them her “pretties” for a while, and now calls them “earwings.”
--she can say anything she wants these days, and lately all i write down are long and/or interesting phrases she comes up with. some include:
* “dee end. i get a-no one” = the end. i’ll get another one. (book)
* “i see a airpane!” = i saw an airplane!
* (did you have fun outside?) “no. ew, ew. i see a bug. it bite da finger. yuck!”
* “one two free” / “fie sit” / “a nigh ten” = her counting…not in order, but those sequences are right
--aidan is a water boy these days. and he swims now. we went to the pool with asha and yogi early in the month, and he decided he could swim. he jumped off the side and swam!! he swims underwater, but has to stop and rest, so as long as he can reach the bottom he’s good. (next we’ll work on treading water.) after that, at the beach, he barely comes out of the water at all. he goes out to waist/chest deep and rides the waves in or jumps over them. granted, he gets swept away and has to continuously come trotting back to be in front of me so i can watch him…but he’s having a ball, and he just gets better.
--billy joined his ship (uss donald cook) and has officially taken over as the suppo. they were super busy with inspections and are now prepping for a july deployment. i think he’s excited and nervous all at the same time…though he’ll do great, and he seems to thrive at sea with the always-involved-environment, that suits him.
--we had sierra’s 2nd birthday three times, and she opened LOTS of presents, and sang “happy birthday” to herself for over a month…in fact, she’s still singing it these days. “haaa birrrday ah rarah, haaa birrday ah me!” she also got her ears pierced. i always swore i wouldn’t make a baby get her ears pierced, she at least had to ask for it. she has really been into my earrings lately, and said “for me?” so i took her. she did great. she got scared when i had to hold her still…that’s reminiscent of getting shots, which she fights with all her might. she cried at first, but as soon as i got to let go of holding her head, she was fine. she didn’t like me cleaning them at first, but she put up with it. and she looks precious. she called them her “pretties” for a while, and now calls them “earwings.”
--she can say anything she wants these days, and lately all i write down are long and/or interesting phrases she comes up with. some include:
* “dee end. i get a-no one” = the end. i’ll get another one. (book)
* “i see a airpane!” = i saw an airplane!
* (did you have fun outside?) “no. ew, ew. i see a bug. it bite da finger. yuck!”
* “one two free” / “fie sit” / “a nigh ten” = her counting…not in order, but those sequences are right
--aidan is a water boy these days. and he swims now. we went to the pool with asha and yogi early in the month, and he decided he could swim. he jumped off the side and swam!! he swims underwater, but has to stop and rest, so as long as he can reach the bottom he’s good. (next we’ll work on treading water.) after that, at the beach, he barely comes out of the water at all. he goes out to waist/chest deep and rides the waves in or jumps over them. granted, he gets swept away and has to continuously come trotting back to be in front of me so i can watch him…but he’s having a ball, and he just gets better.
--billy joined his ship (uss donald cook) and has officially taken over as the suppo. they were super busy with inspections and are now prepping for a july deployment. i think he’s excited and nervous all at the same time…though he’ll do great, and he seems to thrive at sea with the always-involved-environment, that suits him.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
May 2009
--may was busy, but not. billy was gone pretty much the entire month, until memorial weekend. we did, however, drive down to athens, ga, to see him for a long weekend. it was cool to be back in athens, which is where we got married, and wander the town. it is very walkable, and we love the main drag of shops and restaurants. it was great to see billy, though the kids didn’t understand why we couldn’t go back (another 9hours) to see him the next day after we got back!
--i read a book called outliers, about successful people. it was very interesting, but what i took from it concerned the way americans learn math, versus aisan cultures. because of the counting system used, the typical american four-year-old can only count to 15, while the japanese/chinese/etc four-year-old can count to 40. that basically means that by age four we americans are already behind in math…and it just compounds throughout the rest of the school years. didn’t really like that, so the next day i asked aidan to count as high as he could. he got to 15. who wants to be “average” anyway? so during our long morning walk, we memorized one through 20, using our weird counting verbiage. the next day we went to 30. he did great once he figured out the pattern…and the day after that, he went to 40. so, (after six months of pre-school, where aidan maintained his average-ness,) in three days, we had aidan all caught up with the asian four-year-olds! ;)
--more aidan progress: he used to have trouble singing along with something (tv/radio/me). the words he knew, he’d say at his pace, no matter how far behind the real melody he got. now, he hums the words he misses along with the song, and sings the parts he can with it. it’s pretty funny to listen to…but at least he’s keeping up!
--sierra’s vocabulary is incredible. she talks all the time, and it’s pretty clear what she’s saying most of the time. it’s rare that i have absolutely no idea what she’s saying. her latest sentences include:
* “ha fun, day-dee, otay?” = have fun, aidan, okay? (when we’d take him to school)
* “where day-dee dough?” = where’d aidan go?
* “i go aaaa-go ni-night!!!” = i’m going night-night in my diego (dora) sheets!!!
* “hurry, hurry, ess dough!” = hurry, hurry , let’s go!
* “ahh-mow home, mama!” = almost home, mama! (as soon as we’re on our street)
* “one, free, one, free” = 1, 3, 1, 3 (her counting practice)
--for the past few months, she has been potty-training herself. i’m not pushing it, and i’d actually prefer that she wait, but i’m not deterring it either. i just know in a month or so, we’re going to be doing lots of driving…road trips south and north…and i’m not sure i want to hear “i potty, mommy,” and stop all the time to avoid an accident. so, i’m keeping her in diapers, but taking her when she wants to go. she rarely lets me change her pants without first letting her sit on the potty. she always goes before her bath, and she tells me when she’s already gone, sometimes even before she goes. i’m just letting her do it if she wants to, but there’s no pressure to get out of diapers…i’ll start “training” her after august.
--when billy came home, we had friends (rob and justin) come down again for the long weekend. we went to a pool party, where aidan swam around the pool in a life jacket (cause after a day at the beach, nobody wanted to get in with him), and even jumped off the diving board. we thought he might get scared, cry or something, but he jumped off before anyone was ready with the camera! he obviously did it over and over after that.
--that same weekend, we had our own memorial weekend party. invited nearly everyone we know…cause, yeah, we go all out! started at 2pm and went until nearly 2am…cause, yeah, we go all out!! not everyone came of course, but those that did, i’m pretty sure they had a good time. and as we went nearly 12hours, not everyone was there the whole time or all at once…so it worked out. it was lots of food, friends, and fun.
--the next weekend, as “hotel hunt” had officially opened for the season, more friends (mike and leslie) came down. we had another great weekend at the beach, mini-golfing, a concert on the beach, and with another mini-gathering of our regulars! more food, friends, and fun!!
--i read a book called outliers, about successful people. it was very interesting, but what i took from it concerned the way americans learn math, versus aisan cultures. because of the counting system used, the typical american four-year-old can only count to 15, while the japanese/chinese/etc four-year-old can count to 40. that basically means that by age four we americans are already behind in math…and it just compounds throughout the rest of the school years. didn’t really like that, so the next day i asked aidan to count as high as he could. he got to 15. who wants to be “average” anyway? so during our long morning walk, we memorized one through 20, using our weird counting verbiage. the next day we went to 30. he did great once he figured out the pattern…and the day after that, he went to 40. so, (after six months of pre-school, where aidan maintained his average-ness,) in three days, we had aidan all caught up with the asian four-year-olds! ;)
--more aidan progress: he used to have trouble singing along with something (tv/radio/me). the words he knew, he’d say at his pace, no matter how far behind the real melody he got. now, he hums the words he misses along with the song, and sings the parts he can with it. it’s pretty funny to listen to…but at least he’s keeping up!
--sierra’s vocabulary is incredible. she talks all the time, and it’s pretty clear what she’s saying most of the time. it’s rare that i have absolutely no idea what she’s saying. her latest sentences include:
* “ha fun, day-dee, otay?” = have fun, aidan, okay? (when we’d take him to school)
* “where day-dee dough?” = where’d aidan go?
* “i go aaaa-go ni-night!!!” = i’m going night-night in my diego (dora) sheets!!!
* “hurry, hurry, ess dough!” = hurry, hurry , let’s go!
* “ahh-mow home, mama!” = almost home, mama! (as soon as we’re on our street)
* “one, free, one, free” = 1, 3, 1, 3 (her counting practice)
--for the past few months, she has been potty-training herself. i’m not pushing it, and i’d actually prefer that she wait, but i’m not deterring it either. i just know in a month or so, we’re going to be doing lots of driving…road trips south and north…and i’m not sure i want to hear “i potty, mommy,” and stop all the time to avoid an accident. so, i’m keeping her in diapers, but taking her when she wants to go. she rarely lets me change her pants without first letting her sit on the potty. she always goes before her bath, and she tells me when she’s already gone, sometimes even before she goes. i’m just letting her do it if she wants to, but there’s no pressure to get out of diapers…i’ll start “training” her after august.
--when billy came home, we had friends (rob and justin) come down again for the long weekend. we went to a pool party, where aidan swam around the pool in a life jacket (cause after a day at the beach, nobody wanted to get in with him), and even jumped off the diving board. we thought he might get scared, cry or something, but he jumped off before anyone was ready with the camera! he obviously did it over and over after that.
--that same weekend, we had our own memorial weekend party. invited nearly everyone we know…cause, yeah, we go all out! started at 2pm and went until nearly 2am…cause, yeah, we go all out!! not everyone came of course, but those that did, i’m pretty sure they had a good time. and as we went nearly 12hours, not everyone was there the whole time or all at once…so it worked out. it was lots of food, friends, and fun.
--the next weekend, as “hotel hunt” had officially opened for the season, more friends (mike and leslie) came down. we had another great weekend at the beach, mini-golfing, a concert on the beach, and with another mini-gathering of our regulars! more food, friends, and fun!!
Friday, May 8, 2009
April 2009
--april’s showers bring may flowers, right?? well, we definitely had some showers, but we just sort of skipped the nice weather and went straight to 90degree temps. granted, that’s cooled down a bit (along with some more rain), but i don’t remember actually having spring. even without the weather, we went ahead with easter and spring school performances. we also drove down to athens, georgia, to see billy. he is down there for five weeks before reporting to his new ship in june. we had a good time touring around athens again…lots of fun shops and restaurants. (and billy is doing well in his class…as expected!)
--aidan’s class had an easter party. they had an easter egg hunt and then bunny-inspired snacks. siblings were invited, and sierra enjoyed being totally overstimulated by the classroom…and of course the cookies. after snack-time, there was a little time left before school let out, so the kids came back to the classroom and sang all the songs they’ve learned this year. aidan really likes going to school…he talks about the things he does, counts and knows his colors in spanish, sings songs (ALL THE TIME), and asks if today is a school day.
--his class also put on a show for all the whole school and parents. it was a prayer service, and the three-year-old class did the singing. it was really cute. some of the kids got really into it…mostly the girls, and some of them were really out of it. one girl was running up and down the stairs of the chapel, and one boy was hitting himself in the head. i got it all on film too, it’s great! after the first song ended, sierra screamed, “YAY!!” all the parents thought that was funny.
--the easter bunny left some goodies for the kiddies, and an indoor egg hunt. both of them were having a ball finding eggs. and they just looked adorable in their easter outfits…got some great pics!
--here are a few of the fun things aidan talks about these days. the second one, we were driving home from athens (a 9hour drive), and he spouted off this crazy story…what an imaginiation! i grabbed my pad and tried to write what i remembered down, then asked him to tell it to me again. he did and (it was exactly the same and) i filled in the gaps in what i wrote down.
* “why does my teacher love me?” (she loves all children.) “but she doesn’t know everybody’s name!”
* “sometimes sun booms into my land at the right spot in the fence, and a door comes in my backyard that takes me to a land with wolves, a unicorn, and trolls, talking sheeps, and tiny indians on my nose. i have a pet komodo dragon that helps me hide from the trolls and i ride on the unicorn. he runs because he doesn’t have wings. the trolls are faster than me, are really bigger than me, but i can defeat them. they won’t be dead, i just push them back under the bridge, but they will come back. all the animals and the tiny indians watch me defeat the trolls.” crazy, huh?
--sierra’s still all over the place. she’s constantly getting on top of a table, climbing stairs, opening doors, climbing out of bed, throwing things in the sink, taking things out of the garbage, picking flowers, singing songs and dancing, calling everything purple, and sitting (or standing) on the arm of the couch.
--latest verbal accomplishments include:
* “um ear, day-dee, ess dough” = come here, aidan, let’s go!
* “i shoe on, mama, ah white” = i want shoes on, mama, alright?
* “ree” = green
* “boo” = blue
* “pup-pul” = purple
* “horry, day-dee” = sorry, aidan
* “rarah” = sierra
* “shoe on, mama, pea” = please put my shoe on, mama
* “i go run” = (what she says as she runs in circles trying to make herself dizzy)
* “ha-huh” = ah-huh (as in ‘yes’)
* “hep me” = help me
* "wah-chow" / "buum" / "pah-chew" = her fighting noises ('buum' = boom)
* “ahh don duice peas, mama” = my juice is all gone, can i have more please, mama :)
--aidan’s class had an easter party. they had an easter egg hunt and then bunny-inspired snacks. siblings were invited, and sierra enjoyed being totally overstimulated by the classroom…and of course the cookies. after snack-time, there was a little time left before school let out, so the kids came back to the classroom and sang all the songs they’ve learned this year. aidan really likes going to school…he talks about the things he does, counts and knows his colors in spanish, sings songs (ALL THE TIME), and asks if today is a school day.
--his class also put on a show for all the whole school and parents. it was a prayer service, and the three-year-old class did the singing. it was really cute. some of the kids got really into it…mostly the girls, and some of them were really out of it. one girl was running up and down the stairs of the chapel, and one boy was hitting himself in the head. i got it all on film too, it’s great! after the first song ended, sierra screamed, “YAY!!” all the parents thought that was funny.
--the easter bunny left some goodies for the kiddies, and an indoor egg hunt. both of them were having a ball finding eggs. and they just looked adorable in their easter outfits…got some great pics!
--here are a few of the fun things aidan talks about these days. the second one, we were driving home from athens (a 9hour drive), and he spouted off this crazy story…what an imaginiation! i grabbed my pad and tried to write what i remembered down, then asked him to tell it to me again. he did and (it was exactly the same and) i filled in the gaps in what i wrote down.
* “why does my teacher love me?” (she loves all children.) “but she doesn’t know everybody’s name!”
* “sometimes sun booms into my land at the right spot in the fence, and a door comes in my backyard that takes me to a land with wolves, a unicorn, and trolls, talking sheeps, and tiny indians on my nose. i have a pet komodo dragon that helps me hide from the trolls and i ride on the unicorn. he runs because he doesn’t have wings. the trolls are faster than me, are really bigger than me, but i can defeat them. they won’t be dead, i just push them back under the bridge, but they will come back. all the animals and the tiny indians watch me defeat the trolls.” crazy, huh?
--sierra’s still all over the place. she’s constantly getting on top of a table, climbing stairs, opening doors, climbing out of bed, throwing things in the sink, taking things out of the garbage, picking flowers, singing songs and dancing, calling everything purple, and sitting (or standing) on the arm of the couch.
--latest verbal accomplishments include:
* “um ear, day-dee, ess dough” = come here, aidan, let’s go!
* “i shoe on, mama, ah white” = i want shoes on, mama, alright?
* “ree” = green
* “boo” = blue
* “pup-pul” = purple
* “horry, day-dee” = sorry, aidan
* “rarah” = sierra
* “shoe on, mama, pea” = please put my shoe on, mama
* “i go run” = (what she says as she runs in circles trying to make herself dizzy)
* “ha-huh” = ah-huh (as in ‘yes’)
* “hep me” = help me
* "wah-chow" / "buum" / "pah-chew" = her fighting noises ('buum' = boom)
* “ahh don duice peas, mama” = my juice is all gone, can i have more please, mama :)
Monday, April 6, 2009
March 2009
--march was pretty full. we had grandma and grandpa visit, then went north and visited grandma and grandpa, and grammy and poppy. billy had his major supply inspection and after passing with flying colors (again), was farewell’d from his shore command (acu2), and is now prepping for his ship tour (uss cook). while we were in yankee-town, i went on a yoga retreat for a few days, and billy and the kids went to the museum of natural history and spent time with grandparents.
--grandma and grandpa enjoyed taking aidan to school and picking him up while they were in town. aidan LOVES school…he asks nearly every day if it’s a school day. he brings home projects he does in school and even sometimes brings home instructions for us to do a project together. (help with homework starts pretty early!) to celebrate dr. seuss’s birthday, we picked out a favorite book and designed a book cover for them to display in the front hall of school. aidan chose the tooth book, and his idea for the cover was “a clown doing juggling balls.” not sure where that came from, but that’s what we made, and aidan said his teacher liked when he talked about his cover.
--aidan has been talking about his dreams lately. he’ll come out of nowhere with these conversations, too, so it’s kinda random, but they’re interesting. “i had dreams about animals and mans. i turned into a butterfly. a man maked me turn.” / “why do i have dreams? (god tells you a story while you sleep.) what does that mean?” / “there were animals and spiders in my room. (did you like your dreams?) yes ma’am, i saw a hippo.”
--billy aced his smc (supply management certification: major supply inspection). each command has one every two years, so since he was at this command for three years, he actually had to go through two of them. last time, he got a 95.5%. his score was the highest on the waterfront that year, and also the highest acu2 had in recorded history. this year he got the same score. he’s somewhat worried about his new ship, which only passed theirs at an 81%, because it means he’ll probably have his work cut out for him, in addition to learning and being in charge of more aspects of the supply department at a command that will be underway at times. i tell him that’s why they selected him to go to that ship…who else could get it done, and have them in “ship-shape”?? :)
--the yoga retreat was interesting. it was at sivananda ahsram in woodbourne, ny, in the catskills mountains. (http://www.sivananda.org/ranch/index.html) it was still a little barren since spring hadn’t really sprung by then, but the views were still awesome. i was supposed to go with leah (billy’s sister) but she had to fly to seattle that week for work, so i had to go by myself. still it was nice. i LOVED the yoga part…we did two hours in the morning and two in the evening. part of it was breathing exercises. and it wasn’t sweaty yoga…more relaxing. and i gained some major flexibility while i was there and even got into poses and headstands i didn’t know i could do…so that was really cool. the food there was good, but it was mostly vegan, though they did have a few “just” vegetarian dishes. now i could never be a vegan, but the veggie meals were creative and surprisingly filling. (we only ate twice a day.) we also meditated and chanted twice a day, once at 6am and once at 8pm. their meditation was something i wasn’t used to. i meditate, and have tried the “real” meditating, but could never get into it. but when i read meditation made easy, i realized i had been meditating for years. i don’t follow the strict protocol of “cross-legged position, eyes closed, no movement, focus on OM, and empty the mind.” i’m all about zoning out with my cup of tea and think or not think. so anyway, this was different…and hard to get into, cause you feel like if you scratch your leg you’re going to disturb someone else. and have you ever noticed how loud swallowing sounds when you’re in a silent room full of other people, or that the urge to move is directly related to the amount of movement you’re supposed to be doing? plus, i’d inevitably get the loud stomach rumble going on. still, it was interesting, a lesson in “control,” and i did get better at it. i was eventually able to sit completely still for thirty minutes (in the dark without falling asleep), though i couldn’t OM that long. the chanting…that was a completely different thing. it wasn’t monotone, which i was grateful for. it was more like singing…singing in a strange language though (sanskrit). the part i didn’t like was that it was a bit too hindu for my taste. invoking deities and the shrine to krishna…not really my thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna). plus, the most experience i had in saying those kinds of words came from karate kid, when daniel picks up the floor sanders (“sand da floor”) and bangs them together singing “hare krishna, hare krishna.” the hindu part was about the only aspect of the ashram life i didn’t really like. i even liked the karma yoga…selfless work to “help” out. we had kitchen duty after meals, and i spent hours in the garden with paul, the old guy who’s been there for years and years. overall, it was a cool place, and i enjoyed my time there, and met some cool people. i’d like to do another yoga reatreat one day, though i doubt it’ll be at an ashram…maybe more like an intense yoga spa or something. ;)
--sierra…what to say. besides the vocab advances which will come below, here’s what i wrote down this month about her. we’re definitely in the anal stage…she’s all about the potty. wants to sit, tries to go, has gone a few times, and she even tries when she’s not on the potty…to not-fun results. she de-robes when she’s in the bed, stripping down to nothing and then proceeds to pee and/or poop on her pillow. needless to say, they (and the mattress) are waterproofed and sheets are washed much more often than i’d like to! she tells me when her diaper is dirty and tries to take it off herself, so i really have to pay attention to what she’s saying.
--she’s also a dipper lately. in addition to the normal dipping of fries in ketchup, she dips green beans in salad dressing and even dips salmon in ketchup. i would be grossed out a bit, but whatever helps her eat her non-favorite foods i’m all for!
--latest sayings:
* “ah-da man” = spiderman
* “ess dough” = let’s go
* “yay eat!” = yay eat!
* “ha dirday” = happy birthday
* “bom-pah” = grandpa
* “ram-mah” = grandma
* “yay eat nack” = yay eat snack
* “hey dopp!” = hey stop!
* “dough dabba dabby” = yo gabba gabba (still the only show she’ll sit and watch…though she’ll sit longer for whatever’s on if there is a big bowl of popcorn in her lap!)
* “i faw, mommy” = i fall, mommy
* “yuck” = yuck
* “hi, baby…nummy (slurp)” = hi, baby (feeds with bottle)
* “shear, eat” = please share what you’re eating
* “teak-ah” = tickle
* “ear tum” = hear i come (hide and seek)
* “mear, day-dee/dog” = come here, aidan/dog
* “dip” = dip
* “yook, day-dee” = look, aidan
* “i sit” = i’m sitting
* sings songs (constantly) and on command…she sings all songs to the “twinkle twinkle” tune. most words are the same every time she sings it, though she may start with “row row” (for “row row your boat”), and throw in “haaa dirday” (for “happy birthday to you”) and you can even tell when she’s saying “star” and “how i.”
--grandma and grandpa enjoyed taking aidan to school and picking him up while they were in town. aidan LOVES school…he asks nearly every day if it’s a school day. he brings home projects he does in school and even sometimes brings home instructions for us to do a project together. (help with homework starts pretty early!) to celebrate dr. seuss’s birthday, we picked out a favorite book and designed a book cover for them to display in the front hall of school. aidan chose the tooth book, and his idea for the cover was “a clown doing juggling balls.” not sure where that came from, but that’s what we made, and aidan said his teacher liked when he talked about his cover.
--aidan has been talking about his dreams lately. he’ll come out of nowhere with these conversations, too, so it’s kinda random, but they’re interesting. “i had dreams about animals and mans. i turned into a butterfly. a man maked me turn.” / “why do i have dreams? (god tells you a story while you sleep.) what does that mean?” / “there were animals and spiders in my room. (did you like your dreams?) yes ma’am, i saw a hippo.”
--billy aced his smc (supply management certification: major supply inspection). each command has one every two years, so since he was at this command for three years, he actually had to go through two of them. last time, he got a 95.5%. his score was the highest on the waterfront that year, and also the highest acu2 had in recorded history. this year he got the same score. he’s somewhat worried about his new ship, which only passed theirs at an 81%, because it means he’ll probably have his work cut out for him, in addition to learning and being in charge of more aspects of the supply department at a command that will be underway at times. i tell him that’s why they selected him to go to that ship…who else could get it done, and have them in “ship-shape”?? :)
--the yoga retreat was interesting. it was at sivananda ahsram in woodbourne, ny, in the catskills mountains. (http://www.sivananda.org/ranch/index.html) it was still a little barren since spring hadn’t really sprung by then, but the views were still awesome. i was supposed to go with leah (billy’s sister) but she had to fly to seattle that week for work, so i had to go by myself. still it was nice. i LOVED the yoga part…we did two hours in the morning and two in the evening. part of it was breathing exercises. and it wasn’t sweaty yoga…more relaxing. and i gained some major flexibility while i was there and even got into poses and headstands i didn’t know i could do…so that was really cool. the food there was good, but it was mostly vegan, though they did have a few “just” vegetarian dishes. now i could never be a vegan, but the veggie meals were creative and surprisingly filling. (we only ate twice a day.) we also meditated and chanted twice a day, once at 6am and once at 8pm. their meditation was something i wasn’t used to. i meditate, and have tried the “real” meditating, but could never get into it. but when i read meditation made easy, i realized i had been meditating for years. i don’t follow the strict protocol of “cross-legged position, eyes closed, no movement, focus on OM, and empty the mind.” i’m all about zoning out with my cup of tea and think or not think. so anyway, this was different…and hard to get into, cause you feel like if you scratch your leg you’re going to disturb someone else. and have you ever noticed how loud swallowing sounds when you’re in a silent room full of other people, or that the urge to move is directly related to the amount of movement you’re supposed to be doing? plus, i’d inevitably get the loud stomach rumble going on. still, it was interesting, a lesson in “control,” and i did get better at it. i was eventually able to sit completely still for thirty minutes (in the dark without falling asleep), though i couldn’t OM that long. the chanting…that was a completely different thing. it wasn’t monotone, which i was grateful for. it was more like singing…singing in a strange language though (sanskrit). the part i didn’t like was that it was a bit too hindu for my taste. invoking deities and the shrine to krishna…not really my thing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna). plus, the most experience i had in saying those kinds of words came from karate kid, when daniel picks up the floor sanders (“sand da floor”) and bangs them together singing “hare krishna, hare krishna.” the hindu part was about the only aspect of the ashram life i didn’t really like. i even liked the karma yoga…selfless work to “help” out. we had kitchen duty after meals, and i spent hours in the garden with paul, the old guy who’s been there for years and years. overall, it was a cool place, and i enjoyed my time there, and met some cool people. i’d like to do another yoga reatreat one day, though i doubt it’ll be at an ashram…maybe more like an intense yoga spa or something. ;)
--sierra…what to say. besides the vocab advances which will come below, here’s what i wrote down this month about her. we’re definitely in the anal stage…she’s all about the potty. wants to sit, tries to go, has gone a few times, and she even tries when she’s not on the potty…to not-fun results. she de-robes when she’s in the bed, stripping down to nothing and then proceeds to pee and/or poop on her pillow. needless to say, they (and the mattress) are waterproofed and sheets are washed much more often than i’d like to! she tells me when her diaper is dirty and tries to take it off herself, so i really have to pay attention to what she’s saying.
--she’s also a dipper lately. in addition to the normal dipping of fries in ketchup, she dips green beans in salad dressing and even dips salmon in ketchup. i would be grossed out a bit, but whatever helps her eat her non-favorite foods i’m all for!
--latest sayings:
* “ah-da man” = spiderman
* “ess dough” = let’s go
* “yay eat!” = yay eat!
* “ha dirday” = happy birthday
* “bom-pah” = grandpa
* “ram-mah” = grandma
* “yay eat nack” = yay eat snack
* “hey dopp!” = hey stop!
* “dough dabba dabby” = yo gabba gabba (still the only show she’ll sit and watch…though she’ll sit longer for whatever’s on if there is a big bowl of popcorn in her lap!)
* “i faw, mommy” = i fall, mommy
* “yuck” = yuck
* “hi, baby…nummy (slurp)” = hi, baby (feeds with bottle)
* “shear, eat” = please share what you’re eating
* “teak-ah” = tickle
* “ear tum” = hear i come (hide and seek)
* “mear, day-dee/dog” = come here, aidan/dog
* “dip” = dip
* “yook, day-dee” = look, aidan
* “i sit” = i’m sitting
* sings songs (constantly) and on command…she sings all songs to the “twinkle twinkle” tune. most words are the same every time she sings it, though she may start with “row row” (for “row row your boat”), and throw in “haaa dirday” (for “happy birthday to you”) and you can even tell when she’s saying “star” and “how i.”
Thursday, March 12, 2009
February 2009
--in february, we actually had several days where it was warm enough to play outside…the kiddies loved their new outside toys we were able to pull out. we also had some friends visit and went visiting ourselves.
--great peoples shannon and jesse with kids jarah, isaac, and baby#3 were in town for a few days, stopping over for jesse’s schooling, on the way to moving to california. we had a few fun days with them, including playing at home, the mall, and at chuck-e-cheese for birthdays. (we met sandra with ella and gabriel at the mall for lunch, time in the playroom, and a ride on the carousel.) it was cute to see the kids together again…they were always such good friends. and really, if i believed in arranged marriages, we could be family one day! :)
--i took the kids with me to my sister’s house in blacksburg (va tech) for a weekend to visit emily, my mom, and my aunt joan. we had a good time catching up and playing and watching movies and eating yummy food.
--by the end of the month, i had sierra back in a crib…the toddler bed didn’t last long! every morning if i didn’t get into their room in time, or at naptime if she didn’t go to sleep right away, she’d destroy the room. she’d take every single baby wipe out of the package and “clean” the floor with it, after dumping all the diapers out. she’d unload all the books off of the bookshelves. she’d empty out every single piece of clothing from their chests. so, instead of dealing with that daily (or even twice daily), i put the rails back up on her bed. i guess she forgot she knew how to climb out, cause she hasn’t tried to get out again.
--sierra likes to keep aidan company during time-out. she runs over and sits by him while he’s in trouble. (she’s been spending some time of her own in time-out…she gets in trouble when she does something on purpose that she knows she’s not supposed to…usually right after being told to stop.) she also likes to “read” these days. she obviously loves to be read to, but she likes to read by herself too. she doesn’t just look at pictures, which she does do while she names what she sees, but she likes to sit and tell the story in sierra-language. it’s really cute.
--speaking of sierra-language:
* “i’m ow” = time out
* “bye-bye, dada” = bye-bye, dada
* “no day-doo, mommeee” = no thank you, mommy
* “wa-wa” = water
* “ett-toe” = echo
* “dough dabba!” = yo gabba gabba (the ONLY show she will sit through)
--aidan is a chatter-box and a half these days. he talks about anything and everything…and he sometimes gets so excited that he can’t get what’s going on in his head out of his mouth, that he usually has to start over a few times. his memory is impressive however (when he WANTS to remember, that is). he’s learned the real names of several dinosaurs…he’s progressed from land before time names like “long neck” to knowing the difference between a brachiosaurus and seismosaurus.
--and he talks about space daily…he’s going to be an astronaut when he grows up. he has stopped saying “when i grow up” and now says “when i’m an astronaut.” he asked me the other day, “are asteroids from the mysterious beyond in outer space? (i guess.) and will people run if they boom to earth? (i assume so.) i will not run fast enough, you will have to hold me, right?” how funny is that!
--he comes home from school with even more to say. several things, we’ve talked about before at home, but it seems he either remembers (or pays attention to) it more coming from a teacher, or he enjoys whatever situations he’s learning in that he really learns it. the hardest topics to answer questions about are the religious ones. for one thing, i’m not totally sure how it’s being explained to him, but i try to get the idea simplified down enough that i hope i’m helping and not confusing him. some things he’s said/asked are:
* “jesus died on the cross, and at easter he will be alive again.”
* “why did jesus die on a cross?”
* “sharing, is serving jesus.”
--sierra likes to keep aidan company during time-out. she runs over and sits by him while he’s in trouble. (she’s been spending some time of her own in time-out…she gets in trouble when she does something on purpose that she knows she’s not supposed to…usually right after being told to stop.) she also likes to “read” these days. she obviously loves to be read to, but she likes to read by herself too. she doesn’t just look at pictures, which she does do while she names what she sees, but she likes to sit and tell the story in sierra-language. it’s really cute.
--speaking of sierra-language:
* “i’m ow” = time out
* “bye-bye, dada” = bye-bye, dada
* “no day-doo, mommeee” = no thank you, mommy
* “wa-wa” = water
* “ett-toe” = echo
* “dough dabba!” = yo gabba gabba (the ONLY show she will sit through)
--aidan is a chatter-box and a half these days. he talks about anything and everything…and he sometimes gets so excited that he can’t get what’s going on in his head out of his mouth, that he usually has to start over a few times. his memory is impressive however (when he WANTS to remember, that is). he’s learned the real names of several dinosaurs…he’s progressed from land before time names like “long neck” to knowing the difference between a brachiosaurus and seismosaurus.
--and he talks about space daily…he’s going to be an astronaut when he grows up. he has stopped saying “when i grow up” and now says “when i’m an astronaut.” he asked me the other day, “are asteroids from the mysterious beyond in outer space? (i guess.) and will people run if they boom to earth? (i assume so.) i will not run fast enough, you will have to hold me, right?” how funny is that!
--he comes home from school with even more to say. several things, we’ve talked about before at home, but it seems he either remembers (or pays attention to) it more coming from a teacher, or he enjoys whatever situations he’s learning in that he really learns it. the hardest topics to answer questions about are the religious ones. for one thing, i’m not totally sure how it’s being explained to him, but i try to get the idea simplified down enough that i hope i’m helping and not confusing him. some things he’s said/asked are:
* “jesus died on the cross, and at easter he will be alive again.”
* “why did jesus die on a cross?”
* “sharing, is serving jesus.”
* “if god came to my house, i would give him a hug.”
Thursday, February 5, 2009
January 2009
--we had a good beginning to the year…had more good times and good company, even a party or two. 
--threw billy a surprise party for his 30th birthday. a week before his birthday, my brother and his wife (nicholas and stephanie) came to see us. he and i planned their visit as a cover for billy’s party…that way billy couldn’t plan anything else for that week. i invited all of billy’s friends and family from up north, and planned a whale-watching trip for us. granted, our group on the boat ended up being somewhat small and we didn’t see any whales (they see more in february and march), but it was still lots of fun and billy was totally blind-sided. he wasn’t looking forward to the whale trip too much, and i really didn’t expect him to be, but i told him it was already arranged and that nick was looking forward to it. so we bundle up and get on the boat. billy walks in the inside deck and sits down looking around. nick and steph and i are looking around waiting for him to notice somebody familiar. at that point, only his friend alaina and her boyfriend eric were on the boat (from our group at least). at least two minutes go by, and he looked over and went, “oh my god. what??? you come to virginia beach and don’t even call me?!?!” after we gave hugs and did the introductions, his sisters came up behind him. he was so shocked, i really thought he wanted to cry. it was really funny. after a couple hours of cold seascapes and views of va beach, we went back to our house. steph and i had set up a little in preparation for surprise-phase-two. billy’s mom and stepdad were at our house while we were on the boat, setting up the house and cooking. by the time we get there, the house is decorated, they’re hiding in the bathroom, and our local friends were starting to show up. so again, billy was totally surprised…three times…and the party was a hit. he can’t understand how everybody kept it from him, though he was getting annoyed that nobody wanted to commit to coming to see him for his birthday, or anytime around that time. i had everyone say they’d come later in the spring or couldn’t make it until february or something…and he was actually getting upset. of course, later on he can see how it made sense…and other things too, made more sense in hindsight. like why did i make a million and a half cookies when just two people were coming to visit? or why was i making bags and bags of salad…i mean, sure stephanie is a vegetarian, but really, that was a lot of salad? or why was i so adamant about him not staying up so late the night before a whale-watching trip??? good job, everybody…thanks for helping me make a special day for billy! :) 
--aidan is now four years old. we had a small celebration for him here at home, with cake and gifts and games. when his little friend jarah comes in february, we’re going to go back to chuck-e-cheese. her birthday is about two weeks after aidan’s and we’ve spent the last two birthdays at chuck-e-cheese with her family. aidan thinks that’s where birthdays happen…when he started thinking about having a birthday a few months ago and then going to school, whenever he mentioned either one he’d say, “when i get four on january fourth, at chuck-e-cheese’s, i will go to school.” every single time! 
--and he did go to school the day after his birthday…he jumped into the spring semester at holy spirit catholic pre-school, in the three-year-old class. he was so excited to go, and to wear his backpack. when we were waiting outside there was a little boy named aden…he heard someone talk to him and said, “i am aidan too…how do you like my backpack…it’s camouflage.” then they talked about riley’s spiderman backpack. when the teacher opened the door, he ran in without saying ‘goodbye.’ never looked back, i thought, ‘so that’s that’ and took sierra home for nap time. (he goes three days a week in the afternoons.) he came back talking a mile a minute. he’s made some little friends and brings home a work of art nearly every day. they even had a pajama and pizza party to celebrate the letter ‘p.’
--besides coming home with colds and/or pink eye, aidan has also started calling people names. they’re not bad names, just names…most of the time they don’t make any sense. i don’t know if it’s from school or if it’s just his age. either way, it’s annoying.
--at aidan’s doctor checkup, he’s now 45” tall and 46pounds…still about 95% in both.
--whenever we go to the grocery store, aidan strikes up a conversation with the friendly lady who checks us out. 99% of the time it’s the same lady, and she usually gives him a quarter for a “prize” from the machines by the doors. and because he talks about the same thing every time, she remembers what he wants to be when he grows up…but i also hear her talking to other people and she seems to have regulars that she remembers. anyhow, he says this nearly every time: “i wanna be an astronaut when i grow up. i will have a rocket and go into outer space to defeat the aliens. i will see asteroids. the sun is the biggest star.” (no, it’s the closest.) “the sun is the closest star.”
--i love his conversations lately. one day he was talking about being a grow-up…how he’s “going to be bigger than my dad when i’m a frow-nup. jarah doesn’t know that word.” ha! total stream of consciousness! because last time we saw jarah, like six months ago, they were talking in bed and talking about, well, the same thing actually. jarah couldn’t understand aidan’s pronunciation of grown-up…and he remembered that! another example i wrote down: “mommy, what happened to the dinosaurs to make them into dinosaur bones? was it an asteroid? (maybe) it was lava. lava is from volcanoes a long long time ago. (we still have volcanoes.) but lava is like hot water that makes the dinosaurs into bones.”
--i always thought i had a wonderfully sweet little boy, who obeys and tries to please. i know i still do, but really…four is worse than three, which was worse than the “terrible” twos. at least for us. his deliberate lying and defiance is so much worse than the toddler battle of wills. cause toddlers are little, they have obeying for different reasons. one is they can’t contain that real and true NEED to move around and explore…like sierra’s doing lately. another reason is a legitimate communication barrier…either they don’t understand or they can’t explain. so it’s not really their fault…to me, it’s not willful disobedience. but with aidan i feel like it’s a constant deliberate battle, with major meltdowns, name-calling (granted they don’t make sense, and usually aren’t even real words, but the meaning is clear), arguing, and whining. i’m sure it’s normal and age-appropriate and he’ll grow out of it…but for now it’s so unbelievably frustrating. he flat out lies to my face about things i watch him do or not do…about all kinds of things; whether he washed his hands, whether he pushed sierra down, whatever. and if he thinks he got away with it because i didn’t actually see him, because all i heard was a whack and then a scream, but can tell what happened, he says “but you didn’t see me.” like that makes it okay, or that he didn’t really do it if i didn’t really see it. we’re constantly explaining rules these days, he spends a lot of time in his bed, and he has started taking naps again…until he can act like a big boy, he doesn’t get big-boy-privileges.
--in addition to aidan and billy’s birthdays…we also celebrated our five year anniversary and a trip to the emergency room. sierra had her thumb in the crack of the screen door when billy closed it. she did scream and cry, but billy thought he must have broken her thumb, so we trek it over to the ER for xrays. turns out it wasn’t broken, just the skin, though it looked pretty squished…and i’m sure it hurt cause she wouldn’t use it or let us touch it for a long time. anyhow, we got a cool xray to put in her baby book…and now each of my kids have made the trip, so we’re two for two!
--in addition to her being everywhere in her need for mobility and putting fingers where they shouldn’t be, she also started consistently climbing (read, falling) out of her crib. she’d toddle into my room in the early morning (if she got her room door open), which scared me…cause she’s still not great going down stairs, and she’s never on the floor alone upstairs without being contained in a bedroom, so we didn’t have a gate up. so, instead of having her fall and break a bone, i took the side of the crib down converting it into a toddler bed and installed a gate at the top of the stairs. there are days when i have to put her in bed several times for her nap, but for the most part, she’s good at going to bed…just like aidan was. he used to sit in bed after he woke up until i came to get him or told him to get up…for months he did that. not sierra though…she’s banging on the door every morning if she can’t get it open! :)
--she likes to do things she’s not supposed to, but she waits for you to watch her do it…i don’t know, maybe she likes that thrill. either way, she goes right up to whatever she’s not supposed to touch, puts her hand out, and waits for you to see her do it. as soon as you look, she’ll go ahead and reach with this look like, “what are you going to do now?” it’s either that, or she stops before doing it and tells herself, “ahh-uh-uh-uh-uhhhh” or “no no no.”
--she has started mothering her babydolls. she got a stroller for christmas, and also a crib/highchair and bottle. she covers her babies with blankets (which she calls “nigh-nights”), usually smothering them, rocks and feeds them, and takes them for rides. she’s a cute little mommy.
--latest vocabulary accomplishments are:
* “air a-dee??” = where’s aidan? (asks every day after dropping him off at school)
* “pitty” = pretty
* “air-pay” = airplane (whenever she sees or hears one)
* “hay-uh” = hair
* “shaw” = shark
* “saw” = soar (dinosaur)
* “aye-dough” = diego
* “yeah” = yeah / yes
* “yay!” = yay!
* “yeah pea” = yes, please
* “opp-orn” = popcorn
* “nigh-night” = night night / blanket
* “yow-yow” = meow / cat
* “shoe” = fish (progression from “if” to “ish,” and now it’s “shoe”??)
* “dop” = stop
--threw billy a surprise party for his 30th birthday. a week before his birthday, my brother and his wife (nicholas and stephanie) came to see us. he and i planned their visit as a cover for billy’s party…that way billy couldn’t plan anything else for that week. i invited all of billy’s friends and family from up north, and planned a whale-watching trip for us. granted, our group on the boat ended up being somewhat small and we didn’t see any whales (they see more in february and march), but it was still lots of fun and billy was totally blind-sided. he wasn’t looking forward to the whale trip too much, and i really didn’t expect him to be, but i told him it was already arranged and that nick was looking forward to it. so we bundle up and get on the boat. billy walks in the inside deck and sits down looking around. nick and steph and i are looking around waiting for him to notice somebody familiar. at that point, only his friend alaina and her boyfriend eric were on the boat (from our group at least). at least two minutes go by, and he looked over and went, “oh my god. what??? you come to virginia beach and don’t even call me?!?!” after we gave hugs and did the introductions, his sisters came up behind him. he was so shocked, i really thought he wanted to cry. it was really funny. after a couple hours of cold seascapes and views of va beach, we went back to our house. steph and i had set up a little in preparation for surprise-phase-two. billy’s mom and stepdad were at our house while we were on the boat, setting up the house and cooking. by the time we get there, the house is decorated, they’re hiding in the bathroom, and our local friends were starting to show up. so again, billy was totally surprised…three times…and the party was a hit. he can’t understand how everybody kept it from him, though he was getting annoyed that nobody wanted to commit to coming to see him for his birthday, or anytime around that time. i had everyone say they’d come later in the spring or couldn’t make it until february or something…and he was actually getting upset. of course, later on he can see how it made sense…and other things too, made more sense in hindsight. like why did i make a million and a half cookies when just two people were coming to visit? or why was i making bags and bags of salad…i mean, sure stephanie is a vegetarian, but really, that was a lot of salad? or why was i so adamant about him not staying up so late the night before a whale-watching trip??? good job, everybody…thanks for helping me make a special day for billy! :) --aidan is now four years old. we had a small celebration for him here at home, with cake and gifts and games. when his little friend jarah comes in february, we’re going to go back to chuck-e-cheese. her birthday is about two weeks after aidan’s and we’ve spent the last two birthdays at chuck-e-cheese with her family. aidan thinks that’s where birthdays happen…when he started thinking about having a birthday a few months ago and then going to school, whenever he mentioned either one he’d say, “when i get four on january fourth, at chuck-e-cheese’s, i will go to school.” every single time! --and he did go to school the day after his birthday…he jumped into the spring semester at holy spirit catholic pre-school, in the three-year-old class. he was so excited to go, and to wear his backpack. when we were waiting outside there was a little boy named aden…he heard someone talk to him and said, “i am aidan too…how do you like my backpack…it’s camouflage.” then they talked about riley’s spiderman backpack. when the teacher opened the door, he ran in without saying ‘goodbye.’ never looked back, i thought, ‘so that’s that’ and took sierra home for nap time. (he goes three days a week in the afternoons.) he came back talking a mile a minute. he’s made some little friends and brings home a work of art nearly every day. they even had a pajama and pizza party to celebrate the letter ‘p.’--besides coming home with colds and/or pink eye, aidan has also started calling people names. they’re not bad names, just names…most of the time they don’t make any sense. i don’t know if it’s from school or if it’s just his age. either way, it’s annoying.
--at aidan’s doctor checkup, he’s now 45” tall and 46pounds…still about 95% in both.
--whenever we go to the grocery store, aidan strikes up a conversation with the friendly lady who checks us out. 99% of the time it’s the same lady, and she usually gives him a quarter for a “prize” from the machines by the doors. and because he talks about the same thing every time, she remembers what he wants to be when he grows up…but i also hear her talking to other people and she seems to have regulars that she remembers. anyhow, he says this nearly every time: “i wanna be an astronaut when i grow up. i will have a rocket and go into outer space to defeat the aliens. i will see asteroids. the sun is the biggest star.” (no, it’s the closest.) “the sun is the closest star.”
--i love his conversations lately. one day he was talking about being a grow-up…how he’s “going to be bigger than my dad when i’m a frow-nup. jarah doesn’t know that word.” ha! total stream of consciousness! because last time we saw jarah, like six months ago, they were talking in bed and talking about, well, the same thing actually. jarah couldn’t understand aidan’s pronunciation of grown-up…and he remembered that! another example i wrote down: “mommy, what happened to the dinosaurs to make them into dinosaur bones? was it an asteroid? (maybe) it was lava. lava is from volcanoes a long long time ago. (we still have volcanoes.) but lava is like hot water that makes the dinosaurs into bones.”--i always thought i had a wonderfully sweet little boy, who obeys and tries to please. i know i still do, but really…four is worse than three, which was worse than the “terrible” twos. at least for us. his deliberate lying and defiance is so much worse than the toddler battle of wills. cause toddlers are little, they have obeying for different reasons. one is they can’t contain that real and true NEED to move around and explore…like sierra’s doing lately. another reason is a legitimate communication barrier…either they don’t understand or they can’t explain. so it’s not really their fault…to me, it’s not willful disobedience. but with aidan i feel like it’s a constant deliberate battle, with major meltdowns, name-calling (granted they don’t make sense, and usually aren’t even real words, but the meaning is clear), arguing, and whining. i’m sure it’s normal and age-appropriate and he’ll grow out of it…but for now it’s so unbelievably frustrating. he flat out lies to my face about things i watch him do or not do…about all kinds of things; whether he washed his hands, whether he pushed sierra down, whatever. and if he thinks he got away with it because i didn’t actually see him, because all i heard was a whack and then a scream, but can tell what happened, he says “but you didn’t see me.” like that makes it okay, or that he didn’t really do it if i didn’t really see it. we’re constantly explaining rules these days, he spends a lot of time in his bed, and he has started taking naps again…until he can act like a big boy, he doesn’t get big-boy-privileges.
--in addition to aidan and billy’s birthdays…we also celebrated our five year anniversary and a trip to the emergency room. sierra had her thumb in the crack of the screen door when billy closed it. she did scream and cry, but billy thought he must have broken her thumb, so we trek it over to the ER for xrays. turns out it wasn’t broken, just the skin, though it looked pretty squished…and i’m sure it hurt cause she wouldn’t use it or let us touch it for a long time. anyhow, we got a cool xray to put in her baby book…and now each of my kids have made the trip, so we’re two for two!
--in addition to her being everywhere in her need for mobility and putting fingers where they shouldn’t be, she also started consistently climbing (read, falling) out of her crib. she’d toddle into my room in the early morning (if she got her room door open), which scared me…cause she’s still not great going down stairs, and she’s never on the floor alone upstairs without being contained in a bedroom, so we didn’t have a gate up. so, instead of having her fall and break a bone, i took the side of the crib down converting it into a toddler bed and installed a gate at the top of the stairs. there are days when i have to put her in bed several times for her nap, but for the most part, she’s good at going to bed…just like aidan was. he used to sit in bed after he woke up until i came to get him or told him to get up…for months he did that. not sierra though…she’s banging on the door every morning if she can’t get it open! :)--she likes to do things she’s not supposed to, but she waits for you to watch her do it…i don’t know, maybe she likes that thrill. either way, she goes right up to whatever she’s not supposed to touch, puts her hand out, and waits for you to see her do it. as soon as you look, she’ll go ahead and reach with this look like, “what are you going to do now?” it’s either that, or she stops before doing it and tells herself, “ahh-uh-uh-uh-uhhhh” or “no no no.”
--she has started mothering her babydolls. she got a stroller for christmas, and also a crib/highchair and bottle. she covers her babies with blankets (which she calls “nigh-nights”), usually smothering them, rocks and feeds them, and takes them for rides. she’s a cute little mommy.--latest vocabulary accomplishments are:
* “air a-dee??” = where’s aidan? (asks every day after dropping him off at school)
* “pitty” = pretty
* “air-pay” = airplane (whenever she sees or hears one)
* “hay-uh” = hair
* “shaw” = shark
* “saw” = soar (dinosaur)
* “aye-dough” = diego
* “yeah” = yeah / yes
* “yay!” = yay!
* “yeah pea” = yes, please
* “opp-orn” = popcorn
* “nigh-night” = night night / blanket
* “yow-yow” = meow / cat
* “shoe” = fish (progression from “if” to “ish,” and now it’s “shoe”??)
* “dop” = stop
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Dec 2008
--lots of goings on this month. lots of packing and driving, and lots of gift-opening…and we had a blast doing it all!
--for several weeks before christmas, aidan was saying, “christmas will never get here.” it actually came early to the hunt house, at least santa did, but aidan had to wait…impatiently. he spent the time helping me decorate, watching christmas shows (dvr rocks!) and singing christmas carols. he learned a few, though he made a few cute mistakes.
--kiddos liked their santa claus…actually all of us did. aidan’s main gifts were “a bike with two wheels, a dinosaur transformer, roller skates, and ‘chutes and ladders’.” (he spouts that out whenever anyone asks him.) sierra's main gifts were a teeter-totter and a baby stroller, and they each got books and a stuffed animal, along with other smaller stuff. billy and i also got beach cruiser bikes from santa, so now we can all ride as a family (with both kids in our bike trailer, or sierra in the kid’s chair and aidan on his new bike.)
--for several weeks before christmas, aidan was saying, “christmas will never get here.” it actually came early to the hunt house, at least santa did, but aidan had to wait…impatiently. he spent the time helping me decorate, watching christmas shows (dvr rocks!) and singing christmas carols. he learned a few, though he made a few cute mistakes.
--kiddos liked their santa claus…actually all of us did. aidan’s main gifts were “a bike with two wheels, a dinosaur transformer, roller skates, and ‘chutes and ladders’.” (he spouts that out whenever anyone asks him.) sierra's main gifts were a teeter-totter and a baby stroller, and they each got books and a stuffed animal, along with other smaller stuff. billy and i also got beach cruiser bikes from santa, so now we can all ride as a family (with both kids in our bike trailer, or sierra in the kid’s chair and aidan on his new bike.)
--we did our santa early since we went to nj/ny for christmas. we knew we’d have enough trouble getting everything from three sets of grandparents and aunts home in our car, without hauling santa stuff around too. man, were we right too…we had to use the roof rack, and we still had stuff packed under the kids feet and in the back so that i couldn’t even see out the back windshield! craziness!!! and now, i’ve spent days unpacking!
--we did have a good time up north with the yankees. it was a whirlwind though, because we were only up there six days and went to see three sets of family members. we spent christmas eve with billy’s dad and family. had a good (italian) dinner with them and fun with gifts, though i forgot my camera…sorry. we spent christmas day with billy’s mom and family. more food more gifts and more fun. it was even a white christmas too! i’ve only seen two of those in my life…one of which was in hattiesburg, mississippi, of all places! we spent saturday with my dad on long island for, again, more food more gifts and more fun. i know this isn’t very descriptive, sorry. it really became such a blur that i missed the specifics, but had a ball in the process. i do know aidan and sierra loved playing with their cousin riley, and all of us (and my sister) enjoyed finally meeting my dad’s fiance’s son andrew and his girlfriend.
--aidan now knows how to write his name. he knows his letters and he’s been spelling it for a while without reading it. however, getting him to draw anything more than a straight line or a circle was a major process. for whatever reason, one day he figured out how to write a few letters. granted, they’re not perfect, but he drew some from memory and some he copied what we wrote, progressing up to writing his name, mine, and billy’s. the day after that, he wrote his name all by himself, without looking at anything. then he wrote billy’s name from memory! he also improved his ‘n’ with the help of my friend shadra. now every time he writes an ‘n,’ he says, “up, down, up.” how cute is that?
--sierra is growing and changing daily. she adds a word a day it seems…or at least trys out a new word every day, whether or not she uses it again the next day. her latest phrases that she does use consistently include:
* “pee-pee” = pee-pee (or) poo-poo
* “jew” = juice
* “opp-ee” = apple
* “A – D – I “ = (“spells” like she hears aidan saying over and over…usually pointing to her cup with her name on it.)
* “mo” = more
* “tuh-tee” = cookie
* “ buht” = book
* “pay” = pray (as she clasps her hands)
* “mew” = moo
* “sow” = cow
* “ba-pa” = backpack (said over and over, like in “dora the explorer”)
* “eh-mo” = elmo
* “pa-pa” = poppy (or) paw-paw
* “ah-me” = grammy
* “bach” = back
* “jew peas” = juice please
* “mo peas” = more please
* “no, mom-meee” = no, mommy
* “doe tay-too” = no, thank you
--she also likes to sit on her potty. she goes in there whenever anyone else goes, or whenever the door is open, so i try to keep it closed because she also likes to unroll the toilet paper. at least she doesn’t shred it like aidan used to! she also goes to sit on her potty when she’s gone in her diaper, but that’s a step in the right direction for potty training, so that’s good. many times she’ll even scream out “pee-pee” as she runs in there.
--sierra like to “help” mommy. she goes to get her shoes when it’s time to leave. she likes to (try to) dress and undress herself. she puts wet clothes (or dirty clothes from the basket on the floor) into the dryer. she also puts dishes in the sink. she reaches as high as she can and drops her cup or any other dish she finds in the sink…of course we must make sure only non-breakable ones are left in her reach…and sometimes she puts in more things than dishes. one day i found a potato in there that she pulled out of the basket.
--and another thing she does is this fake laugh. she bursts out laughing and gets in your face to make you laugh too. or she plays peek-a-boo and cracks herself up…pretty funny.
--we went to the doctor for sierra’s 18month check-up. she’s 22.5 pounds and 33 inches…which is about 25% and 85% respectively. long and lean!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Nov 08
--aidan is already trying to decide what costume he’s going to wear for next halloween. he’s gone through ideas such as “black spiderman,” a moose, and has settled (for now) on a “long neck” dinosaur.
--lately, aidan has been saying over and over, “christmas will never come.” he has become a gimme-whiner. he sees stuff on tv, and either says, “maybe santa claus will bring me _____,” or “we’ll get one one day,” or “i wish i had one of those,” or “that looks pretty cool, mommy.”
--aside from the “i want, i want, i want” things going on, we had a good month that was almost arguement-free. he doesn’t always listen to what i’m saying, and he still trys to get what he wants, but it’s not so much of a struggle. he’s not lying so much either, though he will run away when he knows he did something wrong, like knocking over sierra or spilling something. and when he does argue, he’ll (usually) say, “no, i don’t want to,” gets a look and obeys, and then tells me he’s mad at me. “i’m mad at you, mommy,” is something i hear a lot these days. usually i respond with, “that’s okay, you can be mad at me, but you still have to do what i say.” sometimes he tells me, “that makes me sad,” to which i usually say something like, “i’m sorry you’re sad, but you still have to obey.”
--aidan has a cup with his name on it that he uses for meals. he has learned his letters from books and shows, and likes to spell out his name while at the dinner table. one day in the car, he spit out “A-I-D-A-N.” we had to call all the grandparents and let aidan spell his name for them. he was very proud of himself!
--we all flew down to mobile, alabama, for thanksgiving. the plane rides were not bad at all. the kids were super good, read their books, played with some toys, and talked. but still we’d get looks. it really bothered me, cause it wasn’t like they were crying or anything, they weren’t whining (much) or even loud. i’d like to see them contain two kids as well as we did traveling all day. oh well.
--we had a great time in mobile. lots of visiting and relaxing with family. we went to my grandparents’ house one day before thanksgiving so we could spend as much time with them without the chaos of a huge family gathering. we spent most of the day outside, letting the kids play on the swing or with the cats and dog, while we watched and chatted. we went back there for thanksgiving day, but were just a few of nearly 40 people. we had most of my mom’s side of the family there, including all five great-grandchildren (aidan is the oldest it was about 65-70 degrees, so we spent most of the day outside. there was lots of laughing, playing, swinging (young and old), and eating all day long. aidan said the blessing before we ate (and ate and ate…) he was so cute. he had been getting good at it, so i thought it be fun to let him try. he didn’t miss a beat! he remembered every word, and didn’t get nervous at all! (he didn’t get the un-bashfulness from me!)
--one night billy, emily, and i went out with our cousins. it had been YEARS since we’d all been together. granted, we were still missing some of us, (i’m number 4 of 25 grandkids (6 came when one of their parents married into the family)) but we had a good group there. five cousins and three spouses went out one night. had a few drinks and played some pool, but mostly we just talked and caught up. it was really great!
--aidan helped pops walk the dog (“keeper”) every night. they’d be gone for a while, and he felt very important, especially when he got to be dragged by her all by himself! chuck (my stepdad, aka “pops”) came back one night with this: aidan heard a dog howling somewhere nearby, and said he heard a wolf. chuck said it was probably just a dog, there aren’t any wolves around. aidan said, “well, a wolf is a dog. and so is a fox and a coyote!” chuck said he was impressed 1) that he knew that, and 2) that he came back with it so quickly. that’s my animal-lover!! another night, chuck said aidan just burst out with, “i love you, pops.” he does that sometimes…he can’t contain it, and has to tell you at some random time and place how he feels about you. really sweet.
--something else he said while we were down there was, “it’s not in my mouth, it’s in my nose.” i’m not totally sure what that was in reference to…i want to say a straw, but i can’t really remember. i just jotted the phrase down to make sure i got it right. still, pretty funny…whether it was a straw or his finger…
--while we were down south, we also went to see christmas lights. there’s a place like a botanical gardens nearby, and every year they add more and more lights. we went last year when we were down, and aidan remembered specific themes he wanted to see again. (he has a great memory. he can remember what kind of cookies my mom made 11months ago, yet has trouble remembering to turn off the bathroom light…go figure.) anyhow, they both had a ball. sierra was much more into it this year. she rode in the stroller most of the time, and kept saying, “ooooh!” or she’d say something in sierra-language and point all excited. too fun.
--seirra’s goings-on this month are just vocab updates. (she loved playing with her cousins, with the animals, with her grandparents and great-grandparents and great-aunts and uncles, of course, but i don’t really have any specific stories…sorry.
* “ah-do” = bless you (after a sneeze)
* “nack” = snack
* “ma-ow” = mouth
* “bat” = back
* “ hi-eee” = hi (says it to EVERYONE…walking through the parking lot, in church)
* “ha-wo” = hello (will say it all day on the phone, so long as nobody’s there)
* “pee”= please
* “shoe” = shoe
* “num-num-nummy” = please feed me something yummy
* “now” = no
* “bup” = cup
* “up” = up
* “tee-tah” = tick tock (nursery rhyme she LOVES)
* “seat” = sit
* “ah-sah” = outside
* “ha” = hair
* “eye” = eye
* “my-ee” = mine
--lately, aidan has been saying over and over, “christmas will never come.” he has become a gimme-whiner. he sees stuff on tv, and either says, “maybe santa claus will bring me _____,” or “we’ll get one one day,” or “i wish i had one of those,” or “that looks pretty cool, mommy.”
--aside from the “i want, i want, i want” things going on, we had a good month that was almost arguement-free. he doesn’t always listen to what i’m saying, and he still trys to get what he wants, but it’s not so much of a struggle. he’s not lying so much either, though he will run away when he knows he did something wrong, like knocking over sierra or spilling something. and when he does argue, he’ll (usually) say, “no, i don’t want to,” gets a look and obeys, and then tells me he’s mad at me. “i’m mad at you, mommy,” is something i hear a lot these days. usually i respond with, “that’s okay, you can be mad at me, but you still have to do what i say.” sometimes he tells me, “that makes me sad,” to which i usually say something like, “i’m sorry you’re sad, but you still have to obey.”
--aidan has a cup with his name on it that he uses for meals. he has learned his letters from books and shows, and likes to spell out his name while at the dinner table. one day in the car, he spit out “A-I-D-A-N.” we had to call all the grandparents and let aidan spell his name for them. he was very proud of himself!
--we all flew down to mobile, alabama, for thanksgiving. the plane rides were not bad at all. the kids were super good, read their books, played with some toys, and talked. but still we’d get looks. it really bothered me, cause it wasn’t like they were crying or anything, they weren’t whining (much) or even loud. i’d like to see them contain two kids as well as we did traveling all day. oh well.
--we had a great time in mobile. lots of visiting and relaxing with family. we went to my grandparents’ house one day before thanksgiving so we could spend as much time with them without the chaos of a huge family gathering. we spent most of the day outside, letting the kids play on the swing or with the cats and dog, while we watched and chatted. we went back there for thanksgiving day, but were just a few of nearly 40 people. we had most of my mom’s side of the family there, including all five great-grandchildren (aidan is the oldest it was about 65-70 degrees, so we spent most of the day outside. there was lots of laughing, playing, swinging (young and old), and eating all day long. aidan said the blessing before we ate (and ate and ate…) he was so cute. he had been getting good at it, so i thought it be fun to let him try. he didn’t miss a beat! he remembered every word, and didn’t get nervous at all! (he didn’t get the un-bashfulness from me!)
--one night billy, emily, and i went out with our cousins. it had been YEARS since we’d all been together. granted, we were still missing some of us, (i’m number 4 of 25 grandkids (6 came when one of their parents married into the family)) but we had a good group there. five cousins and three spouses went out one night. had a few drinks and played some pool, but mostly we just talked and caught up. it was really great!
--aidan helped pops walk the dog (“keeper”) every night. they’d be gone for a while, and he felt very important, especially when he got to be dragged by her all by himself! chuck (my stepdad, aka “pops”) came back one night with this: aidan heard a dog howling somewhere nearby, and said he heard a wolf. chuck said it was probably just a dog, there aren’t any wolves around. aidan said, “well, a wolf is a dog. and so is a fox and a coyote!” chuck said he was impressed 1) that he knew that, and 2) that he came back with it so quickly. that’s my animal-lover!! another night, chuck said aidan just burst out with, “i love you, pops.” he does that sometimes…he can’t contain it, and has to tell you at some random time and place how he feels about you. really sweet.
--something else he said while we were down there was, “it’s not in my mouth, it’s in my nose.” i’m not totally sure what that was in reference to…i want to say a straw, but i can’t really remember. i just jotted the phrase down to make sure i got it right. still, pretty funny…whether it was a straw or his finger…
--while we were down south, we also went to see christmas lights. there’s a place like a botanical gardens nearby, and every year they add more and more lights. we went last year when we were down, and aidan remembered specific themes he wanted to see again. (he has a great memory. he can remember what kind of cookies my mom made 11months ago, yet has trouble remembering to turn off the bathroom light…go figure.) anyhow, they both had a ball. sierra was much more into it this year. she rode in the stroller most of the time, and kept saying, “ooooh!” or she’d say something in sierra-language and point all excited. too fun.
--seirra’s goings-on this month are just vocab updates. (she loved playing with her cousins, with the animals, with her grandparents and great-grandparents and great-aunts and uncles, of course, but i don’t really have any specific stories…sorry.
* “ah-do” = bless you (after a sneeze)
* “nack” = snack
* “ma-ow” = mouth
* “bat” = back
* “ hi-eee” = hi (says it to EVERYONE…walking through the parking lot, in church)
* “ha-wo” = hello (will say it all day on the phone, so long as nobody’s there)
* “pee”= please
* “shoe” = shoe
* “num-num-nummy” = please feed me something yummy
* “now” = no
* “bup” = cup
* “up” = up
* “tee-tah” = tick tock (nursery rhyme she LOVES)
* “seat” = sit
* “ah-sah” = outside
* “ha” = hair
* “eye” = eye
* “my-ee” = mine
Saturday, November 15, 2008
October 08
--in october we finally started getting some cooler weather…granted one day we’re wearing layers and the next we’re wearing shorts. i love the crisp cool air of fall, so i’d prefer it to just stay around 60.
--grandma, grandpa, and devlin came to visit the first weekend of october. we went a place called “hunt club farms.” we played in the petting zoo, rode some rides, aidan jumped in the moon-walk, and we went on a hayride. the kids really loved it, and the grandparents loved seeing them having fun. we also went to see “sesame street live.” they were doing shows for military families for free on base. i thought aidan would like it the most, and sierra might be freaked out. aidan did love it, but sierra really got into it. she didn’t know what the creatures on stage were, but she thought they were great! she was dancing and laughing, and couldn’t take her eyes off of them. really fun!
--we had a dentist appointment this month too. it was aidan’s third, and sierra’s first. she screamed her head off when we laid her back in the chair. it was a couple weeks after her visit with the doctor, and the last time she was put in that position she got four shots…so needless to say, she fought us and screamed, thinking she was getting more shots. poor thing.
--grandma, grandpa, and devlin came to visit the first weekend of october. we went a place called “hunt club farms.” we played in the petting zoo, rode some rides, aidan jumped in the moon-walk, and we went on a hayride. the kids really loved it, and the grandparents loved seeing them having fun. we also went to see “sesame street live.” they were doing shows for military families for free on base. i thought aidan would like it the most, and sierra might be freaked out. aidan did love it, but sierra really got into it. she didn’t know what the creatures on stage were, but she thought they were great! she was dancing and laughing, and couldn’t take her eyes off of them. really fun!
--we had a dentist appointment this month too. it was aidan’s third, and sierra’s first. she screamed her head off when we laid her back in the chair. it was a couple weeks after her visit with the doctor, and the last time she was put in that position she got four shots…so needless to say, she fought us and screamed, thinking she was getting more shots. poor thing.
--we had a great time on halloween…except for billy being sick. so i got the kids all done up and we took a trek around the neighborhood. both of the kiddos racked up in the candy department. (i had to take out all the milk duds first thing, cause everyone knows they’re bad for you, right, but just happen to be my favorite…so i had to be the good mommy and consume all the really bad milk duds!) anyhow, sierra was the cutest little mouse EVER! she charmed tons of candy out of our neighbors…she ended up with more candy than aidan, i think. she thought it was tons of fun grabbing candy out of everyone’s bowls. aidan was the too-cool buzz lightyear. we opted for the cheaper suit from target (with the french pronunciation) rather than the disney store, which had real lights and wings, and i think even a helmet. anyhow, instead i made aidan some wings out of cardboard and clothes hangars. he didn’t know the difference, and even thought they were cooler cause mommy made them. he was a proud buzz, and told everyone who he was. last year aidan freaked out anytime someone was wearing a mask. he didn’t do that this year. he’d look carefully to make sure it was really not a monster, and then he was okay. he did get scared one time though. one guy had his head in a big pumpkin and was sitting on the porch swing like a stuffed scarecrow. the bowl of candy was next to him. aidan went up to get his candy and when he reached into the bowl, the guy moved his hand toward aidan. aidan jumped like crazy! even though it scared him, i couldn’t help but laugh. he skipped candy at that house, because he never got a piece when he got scared, and he wouldn’t go back. even days later when we were walking past that house, he was still trying to figure out why that man had scared him. i tried to explain that that’s part of what halloween is…being scary.
--sierra is a total mimic. she tries to say anything she hears, she’s really trying to communicate now. she understands EVERYTHING we say to her, it’s just up to her whether or not she cooperates with our wishes. she’s all over the place. she’s climbing on tabletops, up bookshelves, everywhere. she doesn’t do it just to do it (which is good), she does it to get something up there…which means we have to watch what we leave lying around. she goes after the bowl of halloween candy on the dining room table, daddy’s keys on the kitchen table, mommy’s blinking clock on the entertainment center, it’s always something. she falls constantly, just running around the house, though rarely cries about it. once at volleyball, she wiped out in front of some people. they all jumped and i could hear the intake of breath. i just watched her get up and move on, and they looked at me, like “wow…she’s tough.” i said, “yeah, she gets tackled by her brother at last fifty time a day, so unless she’s going to fall off a table or down the stairs or something, i don’t really worry about it.” she even climbed out of her crib one morning and dropped down to the floor. normally in the mornings, she wakes up and sings, or talks to aidan, or plays with her babies…she rarely cries. so when i hear a big thud and a scream, i of course go running. she’s on her hands and knees screaming at the carpet. i think she was more scared than hurt, because she was fine as soon as i scooped her up.
--she knows lots of her body parts now. she can point out her eyes, nose, ears, hair, toes, hands, belly button, and when someone says “potty,” she either runs to the potty or pulls on her diaper.
--her latest vocabulary additions include:
* a growl or a quack = any animal sound…bark, ribbit, roar, whatever
* “opp” = up
* “daw” = dog
* “hot” = hot
* “hat” = hat
* “nana” = almost any food…used to be banana, but now it’s just FOOD!
* “opp-ee” = apple
* “ah- may” = amen
* “ah-dah” = all done
* “chew” = shoe
* “ehh-rah” = sierra
--aidan is a talker as well. he must tell me EVERY SINGLE thought that enters his head. i hear, “mom-meeeeeee, …..” ALL DAY LONG. he’s either telling me some random thought, telling me what crazy thing sierra is doing, telling me what i’m supposed to say back to him (“say, ‘good job, aidan!’”), or arguing with me. seems i’m constantly defending my decisions with him. i’m working on different approaches to the arguing and fibbing…we’ll see what works. cause he’s really such a good boy! :)
--some of the things aidan says these days are pretty funny. i can tell he hears a phrase somewhere, and tries it out. some of them are used in the complete wrong places, and some are just impolite. some examples:
* “i’m a little nervous” (going to take a bath)
* “actually” and “otherwise” (used in the wrong context)
* “we’ll never make it” (going down to breakfast)
* “penis breath” (heard it on E.T. (which is one of his new favorite movies) and never said it again)
* “we don’t live on earth. earth is in space. you’re funny, mommy!” (i’ve got nothing to say to that one…it’s just cute, cause that is a hard concept to grasp.)
--he’s super excited about starting school next semester. i’ve been doing lots of research on the pre-schools around here, and we just sent in his registration for january . we’ve been telling him that he can start when he’s four, and he tells everyone that he’s “going to school when i’m four...in january.” i wanted to keep him close as long as possible, but he wants to go to school, and i think it’ll be some good exposure for him. we enrolled him in holy spirit catholic pre-school (the three-year-old class) for three half days a week from january through may. then he’ll do five half days in the four-year-old class starting next september…and be ready for (half day) kindergarten the next year.
--they grow up waaaaaayy to fast!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Sept 2008
--we had a few visitors in setpember. grammy and poppy came for several days. their visit overlapped with our friends mike and leslie, who came down for the winefest. we had a great (and hot) time at the winefest again this time. the kids came with us and played well. also, in september, i started my fall volleyball season. i play every monday night in a women’s league. we’re really good, and are in first place again this season.
--aidan is still my good boy, but has switched from my “do whatever mommy says” baby boy to a very argumentative little boy. he argues with me a lot, stops listening, acts like he’s deaf, and if he doesn’t get his way he becomes a rag doll…either that or he kicks and screams. he has also started fibbing a little, exaggerating a lot, and playing dumb when i ask him what happened or what he did. i suppose it’s what’s called “age appropriate,” and it's not all the time, however it’s horribly frustrating. i find myself trying to convince him to obey, and that doesn’t work, and that just makes me even more frustrated. vicious cycle, i suppose…and hopefully just a phase he’ll outgrow shortly. i mean, i can’t realistically believe he’ll never argue or lie or disobey me once he’s outgrown it, but at least maybe he’ll start listening to me a bit more.
--he’s also become a little tattle-tail. “sierra ripped it.” “sierra is going up the stairs.” “sierra is taking off her shirt.” “sierra's hands are in the potty.” “sierra is standing on the table.” granted, those are (mostly) things i need to be aware of. however he also tells me when she pulled his hair, or took his toy, or whatever. it’s kinda funny most of the time...though sometimes it sends me running!
--he’s now telling me these days that he wants a son named aidan. a son AND a brother named aidan. i told him if he has a brother one day, he won’t be named aidan, but one day when he’s grown up he can name his son that. “mommy, when i am a fro-nup, i can? i can’t wait.”
--he told me about one of his dreams. he said that god turned him into a butterfly. i said that sounded nice, but he said, “but i don’t want to be a butterfly. i just want to stay a boy.” how sweet.
--sierra had her 15month checkup. she got several shots, which she absolutely hated. she screamed bloody murder, and tried to get away. the nurse said she’s really strong…which i already knew. her height is 32” (85th percentile) and her weight is 21#15oz (back up to 40th percentile.)
--she helps me get her undressed, and sometimes does it herself. i’ll come in her room in the morning, and she has her shirt and/or pants halfway off, or all the way off. once she even got her diaper off! she has continued getting up on everything. she climbs on tables and she climbs up and slides down the slide. she’s started sniffing…flowers and feet (when prompted). she then says, “ahhh…see-eee!” which means, “aw, stinky!”
--she has her own language these days. a bunch of babbles, that must mean something to her. it’s really cute. i remember aidan going through that, though i think it happened later than 16months. some of her current sayings include:
* “day-do” = thank you
* “day-dee” or “a-dee” = aidan
* “ha-dough” = hello
* “pee-boo” = peek-a-boo
* “boo!” = boo!
* “ahh…see-ee!” = aw, stinky!
* “ya-you” = i love you
* “uh-hhh” = up (with arms held up)
* “eeez!” = cheese (with the squishy-face for the camera)
* “chew” = shoe
--aidan is still my good boy, but has switched from my “do whatever mommy says” baby boy to a very argumentative little boy. he argues with me a lot, stops listening, acts like he’s deaf, and if he doesn’t get his way he becomes a rag doll…either that or he kicks and screams. he has also started fibbing a little, exaggerating a lot, and playing dumb when i ask him what happened or what he did. i suppose it’s what’s called “age appropriate,” and it's not all the time, however it’s horribly frustrating. i find myself trying to convince him to obey, and that doesn’t work, and that just makes me even more frustrated. vicious cycle, i suppose…and hopefully just a phase he’ll outgrow shortly. i mean, i can’t realistically believe he’ll never argue or lie or disobey me once he’s outgrown it, but at least maybe he’ll start listening to me a bit more.
--he’s also become a little tattle-tail. “sierra ripped it.” “sierra is going up the stairs.” “sierra is taking off her shirt.” “sierra's hands are in the potty.” “sierra is standing on the table.” granted, those are (mostly) things i need to be aware of. however he also tells me when she pulled his hair, or took his toy, or whatever. it’s kinda funny most of the time...though sometimes it sends me running!
--he’s now telling me these days that he wants a son named aidan. a son AND a brother named aidan. i told him if he has a brother one day, he won’t be named aidan, but one day when he’s grown up he can name his son that. “mommy, when i am a fro-nup, i can? i can’t wait.”
--he told me about one of his dreams. he said that god turned him into a butterfly. i said that sounded nice, but he said, “but i don’t want to be a butterfly. i just want to stay a boy.” how sweet.
--sierra had her 15month checkup. she got several shots, which she absolutely hated. she screamed bloody murder, and tried to get away. the nurse said she’s really strong…which i already knew. her height is 32” (85th percentile) and her weight is 21#15oz (back up to 40th percentile.)
--she helps me get her undressed, and sometimes does it herself. i’ll come in her room in the morning, and she has her shirt and/or pants halfway off, or all the way off. once she even got her diaper off! she has continued getting up on everything. she climbs on tables and she climbs up and slides down the slide. she’s started sniffing…flowers and feet (when prompted). she then says, “ahhh…see-eee!” which means, “aw, stinky!”
--she has her own language these days. a bunch of babbles, that must mean something to her. it’s really cute. i remember aidan going through that, though i think it happened later than 16months. some of her current sayings include:
* “day-do” = thank you
* “day-dee” or “a-dee” = aidan
* “ha-dough” = hello
* “pee-boo” = peek-a-boo
* “boo!” = boo!
* “ahh…see-ee!” = aw, stinky!
* “ya-you” = i love you
* “uh-hhh” = up (with arms held up)
* “eeez!” = cheese (with the squishy-face for the camera)
* “chew” = shoe
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