Saturday, March 27, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be like...
Calvin has really been into wearing Ami's purse lately.
Should I get him a European shoulder bag?
Should I get him a European shoulder bag?
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
As the vacuum turns
I haven't posted in a while. We've been really busy. Nothing major, just being a family.
Husband studying for his math final. Amidala studying her vacuum ad.
Pages and pages of vacuum art. Why can't she be this obsessed with using the potty?
She also likes to draw faces. This one is grandma. I think the large eyes are supposed to be glasses.
I put away clean laundry, Calvin eats a crayon.
Husband studying for his math final. Amidala studying her vacuum ad.
Pages and pages of vacuum art. Why can't she be this obsessed with using the potty?
She also likes to draw faces. This one is grandma. I think the large eyes are supposed to be glasses.
I put away clean laundry, Calvin eats a crayon.
This one's for you, Ems.
I heard my niece Emmalee only likes to view my blog to see pictures of Ami. Here's an extra dose for her.
Ami loves to close her eys when she swings.
Can you believe this park is at the end of my block!
Spoiled kids.
This is Ami in Colorado last June. Too cute not to include. It reminds me of photos of husband as a young child.
Ami loves to close her eys when she swings.
Can you believe this park is at the end of my block!
Spoiled kids.
This is Ami in Colorado last June. Too cute not to include. It reminds me of photos of husband as a young child.
Monday, March 8, 2010
We are such novice parents
The last time husband and I went to the beach was in early Sept. '08 with our darling 10 month old Amidala. Here I am pregnant with my son thinking, "Geesh, going to the coast is not relaxing anymore when you take your baby." We had foolishly brought along two chairs, though one of us was always up to chase Ami. I remember taking turns with husband to eat lunch and deciding we probably weren't going to do this again anytime soon.
So last summer we never went to the coast or camping or any other major outdoor activity. We did go to the Denver zoo last June and all that did was remind me my chidren are still too young and it was a lot more stress than it was worth. Now husband was just itching to go to the beach so when a perfect, sunny, 65 degree Saturday was in the forecast, I said ok and started my obessive planning. We would go to Long Beach (not as crowded as Seaside) where there was a boardwalk and hundreds of yards of dry sand. The kids probably wouldn't even notice the ocean until we walked them down there. And only one chair this time, I had learned from my previous experience. About 5 min. to our destination, husband suggested we go to Ilwaco where there was a beach he remembered at a campground from when he was a kid. Now my first impulse was to deny him and demand we stick to my carefully laid out, exactly right beach trip with two kids plan. But I deeply love and appreciate my husband, and marriage is all about compromise, so I agreed to his request without any fuss. We pulled into the parking lot and Ami was just bursting with excitment (I had been talking up the beach for two days). We walked with all our stuff down a little path to the beach and discovered it was very small, surround by rocks and driftwood and absolutely no dry sand. Lots of tidepools and the ocean was no more than 75 feet from us. For a brief moment we contemplated going back to the car and driving the 10 minutes to sure-thing Long Beach but the kids were so eager to get down and play I thought, "How bad can this be?"
They treated those tide pools like a bath and were soaked in the first 15 minutes. Calvin was much more comfortable naked.
They both constantly ran toward the ocean while we, their panicked parents, constantly ran to be by their side and save them from being swept out to sea. We tried in vain to get them to eat bites of lunch while we chased them, but they were content to eat sand and drink salt water. After about an hour, exhausted, we gave up. I convinced Ami we were going to another beach and dragged Calvin crying to the car. I got them to eat a little lunch in the car while husband went back and brought up the rest of our stuff. No, we never used the chair.
We stopped at the McDonalds in Long Beach with a playplace to reflect on our situation and decide what to do next. Going to play in the sand wasn't too desirable now that I'd just gotten them into dry clothes and knew the game of chase-a-child that would inevitably ensue. So we put them in their respective backpacks, held hands and ate icecream on the boardwalk.
So yeah, we spent more time driving then actually at the coast but the kids still had a total blast. Ami is still asking to go back. And amidst all that intial stress, husband and I didn't growl at each other once. Now we know for next time: it's pointless to pack a chair.
I love you, husband.
So last summer we never went to the coast or camping or any other major outdoor activity. We did go to the Denver zoo last June and all that did was remind me my chidren are still too young and it was a lot more stress than it was worth. Now husband was just itching to go to the beach so when a perfect, sunny, 65 degree Saturday was in the forecast, I said ok and started my obessive planning. We would go to Long Beach (not as crowded as Seaside) where there was a boardwalk and hundreds of yards of dry sand. The kids probably wouldn't even notice the ocean until we walked them down there. And only one chair this time, I had learned from my previous experience. About 5 min. to our destination, husband suggested we go to Ilwaco where there was a beach he remembered at a campground from when he was a kid. Now my first impulse was to deny him and demand we stick to my carefully laid out, exactly right beach trip with two kids plan. But I deeply love and appreciate my husband, and marriage is all about compromise, so I agreed to his request without any fuss. We pulled into the parking lot and Ami was just bursting with excitment (I had been talking up the beach for two days). We walked with all our stuff down a little path to the beach and discovered it was very small, surround by rocks and driftwood and absolutely no dry sand. Lots of tidepools and the ocean was no more than 75 feet from us. For a brief moment we contemplated going back to the car and driving the 10 minutes to sure-thing Long Beach but the kids were so eager to get down and play I thought, "How bad can this be?"
They treated those tide pools like a bath and were soaked in the first 15 minutes. Calvin was much more comfortable naked.
They both constantly ran toward the ocean while we, their panicked parents, constantly ran to be by their side and save them from being swept out to sea. We tried in vain to get them to eat bites of lunch while we chased them, but they were content to eat sand and drink salt water. After about an hour, exhausted, we gave up. I convinced Ami we were going to another beach and dragged Calvin crying to the car. I got them to eat a little lunch in the car while husband went back and brought up the rest of our stuff. No, we never used the chair.
We stopped at the McDonalds in Long Beach with a playplace to reflect on our situation and decide what to do next. Going to play in the sand wasn't too desirable now that I'd just gotten them into dry clothes and knew the game of chase-a-child that would inevitably ensue. So we put them in their respective backpacks, held hands and ate icecream on the boardwalk.
So yeah, we spent more time driving then actually at the coast but the kids still had a total blast. Ami is still asking to go back. And amidst all that intial stress, husband and I didn't growl at each other once. Now we know for next time: it's pointless to pack a chair.
I love you, husband.
Friday, March 5, 2010
It's ok, it's a vacuum
Ami is fascinated by vacuums. We came across a vacuum infomercial one Sunday morning and she was captivated for 30 minutes. She constantly looks in the cleaning closet for my Dyson so I have to keep it in the living room. I vacuum the house every Monday but she wishes it were daily. She treasures the glossy store ads featuring the sucking machines. Everyday she asks to go bye-bye and see the vacuums (at Fred Meyer). I rented The Brave Little Toaster (featuring Kirby) for her and she watched it twice a day for a week. But here's the odd part: Ami is terrified of them. When I use it at home, she stands on the table or hides behind chairs. Even when they're turned off, she won't go near them. She begs to see them at the grocery store but then hides in the cart and keeps telling herself, "it's ok, it's a vacuum."
Calvin has no fear and chases me around the house while I vacuum, getting tangled in the cord. He touches the store models while his sister panics. Yes, she has her own toy vacuum that was donated to me by Amber after she heard of my daughter's odd obsession. It took Ami almost a week to play with it. She puts it away in the cleaning closet, next to my Dyson saying, "bye-bye vacuums" before quickly shutting the door.
And of course, Ami really likes Legos. She has recently moved on from Mega-Blocs to Duplos. I got the table for her off Craig's List for five bucks. I bought her a 33 piece starter pack but that doesn't go very far. Used Duplo blocks don't appear much on CL locally and I hate buying brand new toys, seems like such a waste. Does any of my family have old Duplo blocks your kids have outgrown? I could provide them a great home.
Calvin likes 'em, too. When Ami lets him play.
Calvin has no fear and chases me around the house while I vacuum, getting tangled in the cord. He touches the store models while his sister panics. Yes, she has her own toy vacuum that was donated to me by Amber after she heard of my daughter's odd obsession. It took Ami almost a week to play with it. She puts it away in the cleaning closet, next to my Dyson saying, "bye-bye vacuums" before quickly shutting the door.
And of course, Ami really likes Legos. She has recently moved on from Mega-Blocs to Duplos. I got the table for her off Craig's List for five bucks. I bought her a 33 piece starter pack but that doesn't go very far. Used Duplo blocks don't appear much on CL locally and I hate buying brand new toys, seems like such a waste. Does any of my family have old Duplo blocks your kids have outgrown? I could provide them a great home.
Calvin likes 'em, too. When Ami lets him play.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Husband's Birthday
Yesterday was husband's 31st birthday. I made the mistake of telling this little girl in the morning, so all day she was singing the birthday song and asking if dad was home yet so she could eat birthday cake (well, it was brownies).
Birthdays are so much more fun to celebrate when you have your own cute kids to help.
Husband had math class tonight so Calvin was asleep by this time.
His gift was a blanket lined Carhartt jacket for work. He also received the good news in class that he scored 105% on his latest math test.
My blogging SIL Lauralee always does gushing birthday posts for her family so here is my top 10 things I love about my huband:
10. He has a wonderful family. I am so blessed to have them as my in-laws.
9. He mows the lawn, washes the cars and cleans the garage without me ever having to ask.
8. He cannot tell a lie. I've seen him try, it's hilarious.
7. He doesn't just love our kids, but all his nieces and nephews as well. He wants more kids. I said yes, in about 3 or 4 years.
6. He helps Ami set the table and always clears the dishes after dinner. Little things like that mean the world to me.
5. He always kisses all of us goodbye every morning and says I love you, even if I'm grumpy or the kids are stinky.
4. He is kind, patient, easy going, funny, adventurous and always willing to lend a hand. His personality compliments mine.
3. He is a great father. He genuinely enjoys playing with his kids and takes good care of them. He has easily gotten up more in the middle of the ngiht with our son, but I'm pretty sure I lead the count in changing poopy diapers.
2. He is a wonderful husband, very supportive of his wife and works hard to provide for our family. He has seen me at my worst and stayed.
1. He chose me as his life partner and gave me our two beautiful, healthy children. He made me a wife and momma and I'm lovin' it.
I love you, whata.
Birthdays are so much more fun to celebrate when you have your own cute kids to help.
Husband had math class tonight so Calvin was asleep by this time.
His gift was a blanket lined Carhartt jacket for work. He also received the good news in class that he scored 105% on his latest math test.
My blogging SIL Lauralee always does gushing birthday posts for her family so here is my top 10 things I love about my huband:
10. He has a wonderful family. I am so blessed to have them as my in-laws.
9. He mows the lawn, washes the cars and cleans the garage without me ever having to ask.
8. He cannot tell a lie. I've seen him try, it's hilarious.
7. He doesn't just love our kids, but all his nieces and nephews as well. He wants more kids. I said yes, in about 3 or 4 years.
6. He helps Ami set the table and always clears the dishes after dinner. Little things like that mean the world to me.
5. He always kisses all of us goodbye every morning and says I love you, even if I'm grumpy or the kids are stinky.
4. He is kind, patient, easy going, funny, adventurous and always willing to lend a hand. His personality compliments mine.
3. He is a great father. He genuinely enjoys playing with his kids and takes good care of them. He has easily gotten up more in the middle of the ngiht with our son, but I'm pretty sure I lead the count in changing poopy diapers.
2. He is a wonderful husband, very supportive of his wife and works hard to provide for our family. He has seen me at my worst and stayed.
1. He chose me as his life partner and gave me our two beautiful, healthy children. He made me a wife and momma and I'm lovin' it.
I love you, whata.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
You are part of the rebel alliance and a spy
Today is husband's birthday but this gift arrived for me. I think my sister Kasmira sent it. She had said my X-mas gift was back ordered so I assume it's from her.
It comes with a removable hood and cape!!! Yes, true Star Wars fans, that is silver chain cape strap; just like the one on the real Vader!!!
Next Halloween, I'll be wearing this (fully accessorized) proudly with my little Ami dressed as Amidala. Probably for the next 10 Halloweens. Thanks, Buddy!!! Best Christmas gift ever.
It comes with a removable hood and cape!!! Yes, true Star Wars fans, that is silver chain cape strap; just like the one on the real Vader!!!
Next Halloween, I'll be wearing this (fully accessorized) proudly with my little Ami dressed as Amidala. Probably for the next 10 Halloweens. Thanks, Buddy!!! Best Christmas gift ever.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Beans, beans, the musical fruit
We introduced Calvin to the beans this weekend. He's been watching Ami from a babygate for weeks and husband felt sorry for him. It takes careful supervision to ensure Calvin doesn't eat the beans, and despite our best efforts, a bean was discovered in his diaper the next day.
Yes, I pick up beans every evening (Ami helps) and experience a low level of constant anxiety when Calvin's present; but it's an activity they can do together in which Ami realizes two is more fun than one.
Yes, I pick up beans every evening (Ami helps) and experience a low level of constant anxiety when Calvin's present; but it's an activity they can do together in which Ami realizes two is more fun than one.
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