Fun in the Crib

One of Parker's favorite things to do right now is have me put Eden in his crib so they can play together. After his nap today, he said "Eden in" so I decided to let them play for a few minutes in the crib while I got his snack ready. As I was in the kitchen, I heard tons of laughter coming from both of them. I walked in and this is what I saw:

I know it is probably not the best parenting idea to let Parker get in the habit of jumping in his bed. We don't allow it on my bed or on the couches, but they were both having so much fun, it was hard to make them stop.

After I stopped recording the fun, I went to put the camera back up and get Parker's snack. When I came back in the room, Parker said "Bye Mommy". Apparently I was no longer invited to join in the fun! It has been so much fun to watch them interact and play together lately. I know the sibling love will not last forever so I am going to sit back and enjoy it while it lasts!

Meet the Teacher

We had Parker's Meet the Teacher for Thursday School today and I would sum it up with one word: DISASTEROUS!!!

We decided in the spring to try and find a preschool program for Parker to start attending this fall. I was not ready for him to go two days a week and finally found a one day program at one of the local churches.

I have been so excited about going and meeting his teacher today, but was a little worried when I found out that Meet the Teacher was during his naptime. For those of you who know Parker well, you know that he thrives on a schedule and does not have the most flexible personality. We rarely make plans during the hours of 1-3pm, because we know we will pay for it later in the day if he does not rest. He becomes grumpy, whiny, and throws a tantrum at the smallest thing that might upset him.

We arrived at the church and discovered that there would be a parent informational meeting prior to meeting the teachers. The preschoolers were supposed to sit in the pews with their parents during the meeting. I knew immediately that this was not a good start to the afternoon! Just as I had thought, Parker had a very hard time sitting still for 45 minutes, so Cory and I took turns taking him out into the foyer to walk around.

After the meeting, we finally got to go see his classroom and meet his teacher, Ms. Marcy. All of the other kids in his class quietly walked in the room and sat down in their chairs. Not Parker. I think he thought we were going to leave him, and he started throwing a huge crying fit. He became clingy and was so loud. All of the other parents were looking at us and all I wanted to do was get out of there as fast as possible.

I asked Ms. Marcy a few questions and then we very quickly made our exit! So much for first impressions!!

I am very anxious to see how Parker's first day of preschool will go on Thursday. Hopefully, the rest of the school year will go smoother than today and his teacher will see what a sweet spirit he really has.

No Clock in Parker's Room

When Parker was born, I hung a clock in his nursery so I would know what time it was while I was feeding him in the wee hours of the night. "Clock" was one of the first objects he learned to point to. He would see a picture of a clock in a book and point to the clock in his room.

When we moved to our new house, I decided not to put the clock up in his new room. I didn't think he would notice, but boy was I wrong! Now, EVERY time we see a clock in a book, he points to the wall and says "No clock in Parker's room". He even said it when we saw a clock at Wal-Mart a few days ago! Notice in the picture that he is pointing to the picture of the clock that always reminds him that there is "no clock in Parker's room"!

Exhausted!

I have officially survived my first week back at school! One down, thirty five to go! (But who's counting!) Other than being without air conditioning 3 out of the 5 days, the week went pretty smooth. I started testing some of the kids that I will be working with this year, and the only thing I have to say is that my job is definitely secure. We have already found several really sweet kids that have some BIG gaps in their reading development and will definitely need some small group instruction.

I am extremely exhausted after this week (thus the no new posts) and have not enjoyed the alarm going off at 5:45 every morning. I have been in bed by 10:00 every night and I am really looking forward to sleeping in until 7 in the morning. (Isn't it sad that I consider 7 o'clock as sleeping in!) Hopefully Eden will cooperate and not get up at 6:30, which often happens on the weekend.

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Parker has always loved to "help" around the house so Cory and I decided last week to assign him his first chore: feeding Rocky. He has done a great job checking Rocky's bowl and letting us know when it is empty. He loves to scoop out the food and put it in the bowl. He is also very careful not to spill any food on the floor. I love to see how excited he gets when it's time to do his chore and I know that it won't be long before that excitement vanishes. But for now, I will sit back and enjoy the innocence of a two year old helper!

Discoveries

The kids and I have made several new discoveries today and we would like to take a minute to share them with you!

Eden discovered toilet paper!



Parker discovered that helping mommy vacuum is fun!

Parker also discovered that if you move the toys up on the bed where Eden can't reach them, you don't have to share!

And finally, mommy discovered that folding laundry with a 9 month old helper takes three times as long as doing it by herself!

We hope you are having a great weekend full of new discoveries too!!!

Nine Months Old

UPDATE: We went for Eden's 9 month checkup this afternoon and Dr. Morrow said she is doing great! She weighed in at 19 lbs 6 oz (50th percentile) and was 28 3/4 inches long (90th percentile). Dr. Morrow said that the eating issue might instead be a control issue and to keep working at it. Hopefully things will improve soon!

Another month has flown by and Eden continues to be such a joy! Here are a few of this month's highlights:

Eden is still pulling up on everything and has started cruising on the furniture. She can easily make her way down the couches and fireplace and is getting faster every day! I will be very surprised if we don't have an early walker on our hands! She is also a huge climber, much more than Parker ever was! She climbs all over the furniture, on toys, stools, or whatever else might cross her path. She even climbed the steps in front of our house a few nights ago.
She still loves shoes! I find her sitting and chewing on shoes several times a day! She doesn't have a preference for type of shoe, size, color, or how clean they are. If this love of shoes keeps up, she is going to be costing me some big bucks in the future!

She is starting to interact with Parker and Addison a lot more. Because of her laid back and passive personality, she makes a great playmate . She rarely complains when one of them takes the toy that she has been playing with chewing on and instead will crawl around until she finds something else to play with put in her mouth.
Eden's pincher grasp is getting better every day. She easily picks up puffs and can usually get about 80% of them into her mouth. She is also becoming very interested in the sippy cup. She has figured out how to put it in her mouth but can't tilt it back far enough to make anything come out yet. Her newest trick is to carry it in her mouth while she is crawling.

The only "issue" that Eden has is her eating habits. Meal time is NOT her (or my) favorite time of day. She has a few foods that she will almost always eat, like oatmeal and sweet potatoes. Everything else is hit or miss. Some days she might eat a few bites of whatever I am offering, but most days she fights me the entire time I am feeding her until we both end up with baby food all over us. You never know until you get her in the highchair and offer the first bite what kind of mealtime we are going to have. I often feel like I have to perform a circus act in front of her just to get her to open her mouth. She has even learned how to laugh with her mouth closed because she knows that as soon as she opens it just a little bit, I am going to shove a spoon in it!
I am hoping that by the time she turns 10 months old, we will have made a huge improvement in the way Eden views food!

Don't let this cute face fool you! She's about to throw a huge fit!!

It has been another fun month watching Eden grow and change. She brings so much love to our family and I can't imagine life without her precious smile!

Who knew that such a small word could cause so much trouble in one household?

I have always heard about other 2 year olds whose favorite word was "no".

We now have one of those.

It is pretty much the only answer we get when asking Parker a question these days. (Do you want some milk? Do you want some juice?)

It is also the response we get when we tell him something. (It's time for your bath. Let's go swimming.)

Cory told me last night that he didn't particularly care for this new stage.

I have to say that I totally agree!

But the one thing that I have learned over the past two years is that if we can just be patient and wait it out, this too shall pass!

Until then, I will try to smile and not pull my hair out when, for the millionth time today, I hear that small word coming out of his mouth!!

Easy Parenting 101

Me: Parker, it's time for nap.

Parker: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Me: But Parker, everyone is going to take a nap. Eden is taking a nap. Mommy is taking a nap, Rocky is taking a nap.

Parker: Daddy take a nap.

Me: No, Daddy is at work .

Parker: Einstein ball take a nap.

Me: Yes, even the Little Einstein ball is going to take a nap.

Parker: Ok (and he walked to his room without complaining, ready to take his nap)


If only all parenting could be this easy!!!
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This past weekend I attended a baby shower for one of my college roommates. Ruthie and her husband our expecting their first baby (a girl!) in early October. Several of my other college friends were there too, so it was great to visit and catch up with them. I am so excited for Ruthie and can't wait to meet Baby Kested!!

Two Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

When 2 two year olds are quiet, you know they are up to no good!

This was not the case yesterday.

There was nothing quiet about the mischief Parker and Addison were getting into. They wandered off together and before we knew it, we heard them shouting "Jump! Jump!". As we rounded the corner to my mom's room, this is what we saw. They were having a grand ole time jumping on Granna's bed!

At least they didn't fall off and bump their heads!


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Parker (as I was getting him dressed on Saturday): Shoes, shoes!

Me: No, we don't need to put our shoes on right now.

Parker: Shoes, shoes!

Me: No, we aren't going anywhere. We don't need our shoes on right now.

Parker: Shoes! Go Wal-Mart!


We really need to take Parker out more often!! And somewhere other than Wal-Mart!!

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A huge thanks to Cory's mom who has really helped me out the last two weeks with the kids. These two weeks of inservice are hard because I do not have a set schedule- some days I have to be there in the morning, some in the afternoon, and some all day long. I really appreciate her stepping in to watch the kids and I know they are having a lot of fun playing with their grandma!

Cory's Birthday Dinner

After an extremely busy morning (Cory had to work) and afternoon (I had a baby shower for my college roommate in Dallas), we were finally able to get together as a family and celebrate Cory's birthday. Cory's parents were out of town so it was just my family celebrating this year. We started the evening with dinner at my mom's house. We then opened presents, went swimming, and ate dessert. Cory did not want a traditional birthday cake this year, but requested a 4 layer dessert instead. It was so good...we didn't miss the cake and ice cream one little bit!

Family pic

Parker helping Daddy open his gifts
Parker and Addison swimming with Cory

Eden and Daddy with his "cake"

I realized as I was writing this that out of Cory's 34 birthdays, I have celebrated half of them with him. We started dating when he was 16 so I have been around for numbers 17 through 34. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband. I hope that the upcoming year is filled with great things for both him and our family. Happy Birthday, Cory! I love you!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is Cory's 34th birthday! We are so thankful that you are in our lives and hope you have a wonderful day!

While We Were Gone

Parker and Eden had a great time staying with Granna and Grandaddy while we were gone to San Francisco. Here are just a few of the highlights:

Playing with cousins Addison and Aubrey

Swinging with Aunt MerMer

Eating lots of yummy food and graduating from the highchair to the booster seat

Parker is very into 'monkey see, monkey do' right now.The first night that we were gone, my mom got dinner ready and then called my dad to the table by saying, "Stan, are you ready to eat?" Parker started parroting her and saying, "Stan, ready to eat?" The next morning, he called my dad to breakfast by saying, "Stan, ready to eat?" My mom said he did this every time they ate a meal while we were gone. I love this age!!!

Reading books with GrannaHelping Granna clean the house
Playing with Playdoh

Going to breakfast and Jumping Apes with Grandma and Papa (hopefully I will have some pictures of Parker's special outing soon)

Learning to crawl on the furniture Hanging out in the crib

And finally...learning to sleep in a big boy bed!!! Because Eden needed the crib, Parker had to sleep in the guest room. My mom said he did great and never tried to get out of bed during the night. I was so proud of him. Now if we can just get him to make the transition to a big boy bed at home!!

Thanks again Granna and Grandaddy for keeping them while we were gone! I know they are already looking forward to the next time they get to stay with you (Hint! Hint!)!!

Comments

It has come to my attention that several of you have tried to leave comments on my blog and have not been successful. As a result, I have gone in and tweaked my settings. Hopefully, you will now be able to comment as much as you would like! Please let me know if you are still having trouble and I will go in and tweak again. Happy commenting!

San Francisco- Day 3

We began our last day in San Francisco with another trip to Mama's for breakfast- so yummy!

Then Cory's Aunt Virginia (who lives 30 minutes outside of SF) came and picked us up and took us to see where Cory's cousin works. His cousin runs a company that creates video games for the XBox and Playstation. Cory has always wanted to see where he works and how the games are made, so we decided that this would probably be our only opportunity to do that.

It was great to see Virginia for a little while. She comes to Texas a couple of times a year so we do not get to see her very often. She was a great tour guide and pointed out several interesting things on the way out of SF.

Cory's cousins works on Hamilton Air Force Base in Novato, CA. They converted the old airplane hangers into office buildings and his video game company is based in one of them. It was very interesting to see all of the gaming engineers working on one of the new games that is coming out in October.

After our tour, Virginia drove us around the base and we got to see where she lives. She then drove us and dropped us off in Sausalito, another tourist town in the SF area. We really enjoyed our short visit with Virginia and appreciate the time she took to drive us all over the SF area.

We spent a couple of hours in Sausalito walking through the town, browsing in the shops, and eating outside at a little hole-in-the-wall pizza place.

We then took a ferry back to San Francisco. It was very windy and cold on the ferry but the views of the city were great!

View of the Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco skyline

Alcatraz- "The Rock"- We did not do a tour of Alcatraz this trip because we had both been there on our previous trips, but if you have never been to SF, I would highly recommend going and taking the tour.
After resting at the hotel for a little while, we decided to end our day by taking a cable car down to Union Square. We walked around for about an hour and then rode the cable car back to the piers where we grabbed a hamburger at California's In and Out Burger. Because it was the last day of our trip, we splurged and had one more ice cream sundae at Ghiradelli's! It was a great ending to a great vacation!

Union Square

Cable car

Cory riding the cable car

After almost missing our flight on Saturday morning (and by almost, I mean literally running to the gate and onto the plane!) we made it safely back home. It was great to see Parker and Eden and get back to the daily tasks of being a mommy. I am so thankful to everyone who helped with their care while we were gone. Still to come are posts about the fun things they did while we were gone.

Sad

Today I am feeling sad.

I don't feel sad that often. Frustrated-sometimes. Angry-occasionally. Tired- all the time. But I have so many blessings in my life that it is rare for me to feel sad.

I started back to work today. Summer vacation went way too fast. And although I am only away from my babies for a few hours every morning, I still feel sad that I have to be away from them at all. They grow so fast and I am sad that I am missing even some of the things they do on a daily basis.

I am sad that I had to wake up to an alarm this morning rather than the sound of Eden "talking" in her crib.

I am sad that the toys in my bathroom remained quiet and untouched while I showered and got ready for the day.

I am sad that I had to wake both of my kids up from a deep sleep in order to get them in the car and not be late for work.

I am sad that I didn't get to hear "Up, please" as I put Parker up on the counter and talk with him while I was making his pancakes for breakfast.

I am sad that I didn't get to watch Little Einsteins with Parker while Eden took her morning nap.

I am sad that I didn't get to put the monster puzzle together with Parker for the 7th time in a row.

I am sad that I didn't get to watch Eden cruise down the couch or fireplace on her way to get something that she probably didn't need to have.

I am sad that I didn't get to eat lunch with Parker.

And although I am sad today, I know that things will be fine and that we will all get used to our new back-to-school routine by the end of the week.

I will not be sad anymore and will again turn my focus onto the things I am grateful for.

Like the fact that I have two wonderful kids to miss while I am at work.

And the fact that I still have a job, in an economy where many people are struggling to find work and make ends meet.

And the fact that I love my job and the teachers and students I work with every day.

And the fact that my kids are lucky enough to have their Granna watch them while I am at work.

And the fact that I only have to work part time. That I am home by noon every day, ready to play and enjoy my kids.

It is when I start focusing on all the good things that I really don't feel that sad anymore. I start appreciating all of the times I do get to spend with my kids just a little bit more. I don't take their smiles and laughter for granted. I look forward to even the not-so-fun aspects of motherhood, because I know that the diapers and the tantrums will be gone before I know it.

And although I might feel sad right now, I know that it will not last, and for that I am truly grateful!

San Francisco- Day 2

One might think that two parents of toddlers would choose to sleep in during their vacation, but that wasn't the case on day 2 of our getaway . Due to the time difference, we were bright eyed and bushy tailed at 6:30 (yes, that's 6:30 a.m.). If you think about it, our bodies thought it was 8:30, so I guess we really did sleep in, in a round-a-bout way!

Cory had researched some fun places to eat before we left and found a breakfast place that he wanted to try called Mama's. The online review said to get there early in order to avoid a long line. Since we were up early, we decided to give it a try. It was SO good-probably one of the best breakfasts I have ever had, and that is saying a lot because I am not a huge fan of breakfast.

Cory got a Californian M'omelet (with bacon, monterrey jack cheese and avocados) and I got banana pancakes. I am not a fan of omelets, but it was so good that I ended up eating almost half of Cory's breakfast. We were so impressed that we decided to go back the next morning. That time I got the Californian M'omelet and Cory got chocolate cinnamon french toast with fresh berries. Again- SO good! I can see why this place is so popular. All of the bread was homemade as well as the yummy mixed berry jam that went on it!

Waiting in line at Mama's

My Californian M'omelet (with fried red potatoes and sourdough bread)Cory's french toast

After breakfast, we were so stuffed that it was hard to even walk, but we pushed through it and spent a few hours just walking around a few neighborhoods in SF. I loved all of the communities, parks, houses...what a neat place to live. We ended up down at the piers and looked around at some ships. By then it was lunch time, but we were both still too full to eat a big lunch. We decided that the best thing to do was to go to the Ghirardelli chocolate factory and see what they had to offer!

This is what we ended up eating for lunch...healthy, huh?!? But it was vacation, after all, and we had been walking for several hours, so we didn't feel the least bit guilty for indulging in a warm, brownie caramel sundae.
After "lunch", we headed to Lombard Street- the crookedest street in San Francisco.

This is one of the hills we had to walk up to get there. Our legs were really burning by the time we got to the top, and I am sure we burned enough calories to take care of our unhealthy lunch choice!

At the top of Lombard Street At the bottom of Lombard Street

After some more walking, we ended up at Pier 39. It is a very crowded tourist area in SF, but it had some fun things to do, like watching the sea lions. There are hundreds of them, just laying around and smelling bad. We didn't stay there very long!

At Pier 39

Fruit market on the pier

After more walking and a lot of indecision, we ended up eating dinner at a Mexican restaurant down by the piers. We weren't sure how good Mexican food would be in SF, but we were pleasantly surprised at how yummy it was.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and put our feet up. I don't think I could have walked one more step that day, but really enjoyed everything we got to see in one day. I especially enjoyed just taking our time, walking and talking without anyone there to interrupt us. It is easy for me to forget sometimes how much fun I have with Cory when it is just the two of us. I am so glad we had this opportunity to get away from the daily stresses of kids and work and reconnect with each other. I highly recommend it for anyone with kids, even if it is only for a night or two.