LunesVille

This one decided to wear her biking gear around the house the other day. She was so excited about it that she refused to take it off, even when we went to the grocery store (the elbow pads are still on underneath the coat)! She walked around the grocery store in full kit and was the recipient of many looks and giggles. One evil little girl even scoffed at her. Not because she was wearing the helmet and knee pads but because she was wearing Dora!! Apparently, in her world Dora the Explorer is sooooo not cool anymore...
But wearing a helmet and knee pads in a grocery store is???

The Birthday Boy

I think that having one child who is very demanding, and loud, and dramatic, especially for a first child, has made me appreciate what an amazing little boy Jack is. I keep waiting for the "terrible two's" to start but really, nothing about Jack thus far has been too terrible. Apart from him being exceptionally mischievous, and having anger management issues when he wants something he can't have, he has been a real joy to be around!

Jack is very easy going. From the moment he wakes up he is just full of smiles. He never cries for no reason and he doesn't whine (yet). He is happy 95% of the time. He is very sweet and extremely tolerant of his older sister who is constantly trying to take things from him.

Jack is mad about all things with wheels, especially cars. You could stick him in a room with 1,000 different types of toys and after carefully inspecting each and every one he will most likely end up with a car or a train in his hands, which he will be content to play with for hours.

He is also fascinated by liquid. If there is any type of liquid within his sight line chances are that he will find it, spill it, splash around in it, and then try and drink up whatever is left. If he is outside and there is even the smallest puddle, he will find it and he'll usually end up sitting in it. He is a big fan of splashing around in our neighbor's birdbath. Also, he takes no prisoners when it comes to sippy cups...

Jack loves books. He loves to sit on my lap and read a story each night before bed. I let him choose his book and I don't even mind that it is almost April and I am still reading Twas the Night Before Christmas, because the way he says "Santa" is just that cute.

Jack is very observant. I often catch him watching things and then trying to imitate them. He could definitely be categorized as the "silent but dangerous" type. He also likes to inspect things to see how they work. Sometimes, watching the way he handles things I could almost imagine him being a surgeon, but then other times he's like a bull in a china shop... He is very good at knocking things over and dumping things out, and taking batteries out of things!

I love the way that Jack gets excited when he sees me, he gives me a giant smile and yells "Mommy!" (finally). I love how when I pick him up he'll give me a little pat on the back. I also love how sometimes if I'm standing at the sink washing dishes he will come up behind me and hug my legs, when I turn to look at him he will give me a huge sneaky smile and then run away.

I think it's funny that Jack hates Playdough. When he sees me getting the Playdough out for Annabelle he shakes his head and says "nooooo". He refers to Playdough as "ucky" and refuses to touch it but will happily sit at the table and play with the different cookie cutter shapes that came with it.

Over the past few month Jack's vocabulary has increased at an incredible rate and he has suddenly started speaking in sentences. He can count to about 10 (give or take a few numbers), knows most colors and shapes, and even knows his ABC's (in his own particular order)!

Jack is still a very, very, very messy eater and it scares me that he no longer wants to sit in his little booster chair. I can still get him in there on occasion but it's getting tricky, he wants to be like his big sister and sit in a big chair. He is growing up way too fast...

Happy Birthday baby boy!!!

Two Years Ago Today...

Happy Birthday Jack Henry!!!

I'm playing around with YouTube and stuck this up quickly. I'll try and put a better video together soon.

Cheeky Monkey-ness

Last night trying to get Annabelle into the house...

"Come on Annabelle, it's time to go in."
"No, no, no, Mommy. You can go in with Jackie and I'll stay here with my friends."

While putting the kids to bed...

"Ok Jack, let's go. Say goodnight to Annabelle."
"Night Monkey."

Some Big Shoes To Fill

Hanging out in Daddy's tennis shoes

Small (and cute) But Very Dangerous

Jack is a complete menace. We went to the Children's Discovery Museum yesterday and he absolutely tore it to shreds!

The Museum is an old Victorian house that has been converted into a super toddler haven of fun. Each room in the house sort of has a theme; on the bottom floor there was a train room, a ball room, a water room, and a drawing room with a big chalk board. Most of the kids there seemed to be able to keep all the props from the different rooms where they belonged. Not Jack...

He was running around like a lunatic from room to room, looking like a mad scientist in that splash apron, tracking water all over the museum and soaking everyone! He was throwing balls and trains and chalk into the water table and filling cups with water and tossing it EVERWHERE. He climbed into the water table twice and managed to get into the employees office at least 4 times. The whole time I was chasing after him trying to stop this (and I also looked like a crazy person)!

By the end of the day Jack was completely drenched and it was lucky for us that my neighbor had brought a change of clothes for her son who wears the same size as Jack because it was freezing outside! After I had changed him Jack threw a complete tantrum because I wouldn't let him back near the water table and I had to drag him out kicking and screaming... I don't think we will be allowed back there any time soon.

I'm So Sparkly!

Annabelle attended two birthday parties this past weekend... The first was a princess themed party on Saturday at which Cinderella and her pal Belle made an appearance. The princesses played a few games with the kiddies and then gave the girls a mini sparkly make over. Annabelle wasn't overly enamored by Cinderella, or Belle, but she was very excited to put on a fancy dress for the party and even more excited to get made up, as she kept exclaiming, "I'm so sparkly!"

After that sparkly was her word for the weekend... After having a bath: "look Mommy I'm sparkly clean!" After brushing her teeth: "look Mommy, my teeth are sparkly!" ...and so on.

The sparkly-ness finally toned down on Sunday when she went to the next party, which was Little Mermaid themed. After that all the talk was about the great blue cake that Lila's Daddy made and how she ate the frosting. Or should I say; how she repeatedly stuck her fork in the cake while they were singing happy birthday and ate the frosting before the cake was actually served?

A Week In Pictures

February 20-Just sat in the puddle

February 21-Laps around the house

February 22-Three, going on 16

February 24-Hot dogs and chips on Cape CodFebruary 25-Trains February 26-Too much padding. Can't. Move.February 26-The ShovellerFebruary 27-Never too sleepy to playFebruary 28-More laps around the house

"Saaaay Mommy"

Jack never says Mommy. Trying to get him to say Mommy has become a little game with us... He can say it, he just chooses not too. Whenever I ask him to say Mommy he smiles and laughs and moves on.

Yesterday I was trying to get him to say, "thank you Mommy" after I had given him a candy cane. Every time I said "saaaay thank you Mommy" he looked at me, said "thank you" and then laughed. I kept stressing, "thank you MOMMY" until finally he looked at me with his sly little smile and said "thank you for the candy cane".

Jack is 23 months old today!

Oh The Weather Outside Is Frightful

This weather is a nightmare. I hate it. I don't usually mind the cold, or the snow, but I can't stand when it snows and then rains and freezes, turning your street into a sheet of ice... Or when the snow plow piles everything up in front of your house making it almost impossible to shovel, because it is now a pile of ice.

It took me over an hour to get my car out of the driveway this morning. I never park in the driveway. I moved my car off of the street yesterday so that the evil snow plow could do it's job and instead of getting a nice clear spot where my car is usually parked, I got a pile of ice. Thanks snowplow guy. As an aside, my neighbor went to go by an ice pick.

I bent one of my windshield wipers this morning whilst trying to chisel the ice from my car. Normally I would take the optimistic approach and think of it as a motivator to go and get new wipers but annoyingly enough, in a rare moment of insanity I had recently made a trip to the Auto Zone and purchased new ones.

Apparently most of the stores in our area have run out of rock salt. I never understand why this happens. You would think that they would get it right by now... Supply and demand people. Every year there is winter in New England, every year it snows, every year people need rock salt. The shelf stockers should have figured this one out by now.

I hate that I can't take the kids outside to play. In the nicer weather going for walks to the park and playing outside is a HUGE part of our day. I would let them play outside in the snow if I weren't afraid that their snot might freeze, oh that and the fact that the snow is actually ice.

*update: Ice picks are hard to come by at the moment. On the upside, my nice elderly neighbors (who helped push my car this morning) have found some sand or something and gritted the driveway and our front walk!

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Valentine's Day was pretty uneventful around here... It was too cold/snowy/rainy to go out so our neighbor and her 2 little boys came over to make cookies with Annabelle and Jack. They brought over chocolate heart shaped lollipops (seen here in the picture) and by the time they left all of the kids were hopped up on sugar and covered in flour and chocolate.

The rest of the day was spent running in circles around the house and making cards for Daddy.

Later on...

Annabelle gives Jack a big Valentine's Day hug

Or was she trying to choke him?

Out Of The Mouth Of Annabelle:

"Mommy, please stop... You can't sing".

*observation made while I was singing along to a CD in the car

Tickle? Me Elmo TMX

OR... Beat Me, Kick Me, Wrestle Me, Throw Me To The Ground And Run Me Over With A Shopping Cart Elmo.

Happy Birthday Annabelle!!!

It seems like just yesterday that we were bringing her home from the hospital. I remember it so clearly... We stopped off at Safeway and I sat in the car and waited with Annabelle while Nick ran in to fill my prescriptions. It was my first time truly alone with our new baby and I was very nervous. I kept touching her lip and putting my finger under her nose to make sure she was breathing. She was so still, so peaceful. I remember taking this picture with my cell phone while I was in the car in that parking lot waiting.

If someone had told me that three years later my quiet, peaceful little daughter would become this loud, rambunctious, mad little creature, I would have told them that they were insane. But alas, they would have been right.

Annabelle is quite mad, and she is very, very silly. She loves to make goofy voices and do imitations, and she has a wild imagination. She also loves to pretend... This week she has been pretending to be "Annabelle Puppy" and has been calling me "Mommy Puppy". When I ask her a question I'll sometimes get a random bark and a nod of the head as a response.

Most times Annabelle is extremely outgoing and makes friends very easily. She has no problem going up to a group of kids at the park and saying hello... Even when they are 16.

She still has her obsession with balls, she could even be considered a collector of sorts. At last count she had over 50 of them... All types, all sizes, I think she now has 4 full sized basketballs and 6 soccer balls.

Annabelle loves to paint and draw. She loves play dough, picture books, musical instruments, singing and dancing. She is particularly fond of "noodle dancing" aka dancing in the nude. Whenever she is getting undressed she asks if she can be a noodle, and do a little noodle dance. (More evidence to support her father's theory that she will someday become a stripper). She loves an audience.

Annabelle is becoming more grown up every day. She can carry on a conversation and is even getting a bit sarcastic. She has been known to throw out the occasional wise comment and eye roll every now and again. She can be very dramatic at times.

She can also be very sweet and caring. If anyone is upset she is usually the first one to inquire as to what is wrong. She usually follows up with a big hug and a pat on the back in an attempt to console them. She likes to tell you to be careful, and to not slip or choke or fall down the stairs, not in a bossy way, but rather a cute and genuinely concerned for your well being sort of way.

She loves her little brother, and although they do get into the occasional "tug of war" over toys, for the most part they get along really well. Whenever she is not with Jack she gets very concerned as to where he is and what he is doing.

Although Annabelle likes to act like a big girl, in many ways she is still such a baby. She loves her crib and doesn't want to move into a big girl bed because she feels the crib is just the right size. She still uses her Binky, which is upside down 90% of the time. She can't go anywhere without her Blanky (same ducky blanket in the infant picture above) and she refuses to use the potty.

I love the fact that she mispronounces certain words: Vanilla is "Balella", Yellow "Yeyyo" Upside "Up-spied". There are a few others that I can't think of right now.

Her Daddy nicknamed her "Mini Madness" 2 years ago and she has very much lived up to the name... And we wouldn't want her any other way!

*Annabelle had her 3 year Dr. appointment on Feb. 7th- she weighs 30lbs and is 38 inches tall. The Dr. preformed a series of different tests to see how well Annabelle knows her letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and a few other random items... She got them all right, and she also passed an eye test.

Quote Of The Day

Annabelle: "Excuse me mommy, I don't think you should change Jack's diaper... It's too dangerous".

Little Artists

Here they are. Picture perfect. Hard at work. Creating a master-piece. Getting along. Sharing. Painting together. Like little angels...

What is not pictured is the fight. The fight over the brown paint. The fight that was such a mess I had to put the camera down to break up. The fight that ended with brown paint (and pink paint, and yellow paint) all over the floor. All over them. All over me. The fight that started it all.

The fight that sent Jack into a painting frenzy, causing him to paint on the floor. On the walls. On the cabinet doors. On his face. On his sister. On me.

The fight that provoked Annabelle to splatter paint, Jackson Pollock style, all over the floor. All over the walls. All over the cabinet doors. All over herself. All over her brother. All over me.

The fight that made me question why on earth I thought the two of them could paint together. In the kitchen that I had just cleaned. On the floor that I had just washed.

I wish I was able to get some pictures of the fight. It was very amusing, but at the time, too much of a hazard for the camera... And for me.

Here is one of the paintings that I was able to salvage.

Not that bad, for two cheeky little monkeys.

Snow Day

Every time it has snowed Annabelle has wishfully said "I think it's going to stick this time"... I suppose it was only a matter of time before she was right. We finally have some snow that stuck around for more than 20 seconds. It's only a light dusting but enough to keep the small puffy people happy! There are a few more pictures in the photo album to the right.

The Art Of Persuasion

Allow me to demonstrate how it's done:First, state what it is you are trying to achieve:

"Cookie" *sob sob* "cooookieeee"
Second, attempt to impress:
Here I start moaning and doing my best Mummy impression,
then throw myself against the cabinet doors... Any wall or hard surface should work just fine. Lastly, show them that you really mean business:

I then gently lay down on the floor and scoot myself across the room, making sure to keep the tears flowing for dramatic effect. Shortly thereafter desired results should follow. And always remember... Never give up.

~Jack

New Orleans

Nick and I went to visit our friend Christian in New Orleans over the weekend. We stayed with Christian and his girlfriend Kim, in the outer edge of the French Quarter... Marigny actually, the place where all of the recent murders have been taking place!

We made it back safe and sound but not without incident: We arrived Thursday afternoon and were picked up at the airport by Christian and Kim, who had just come from the hospital because apparently, the day before we arrived, Kim had fallen down the stairs and broken her foot and now needed surgery! It was a bummer for us because they had planned a bunch of activities for Friday (my birthday), some of which included a massage and a facial, but now Kim was scheduled for surgery that day so Nick and I were on our own.

So Friday we headed into the French Quarter and toured around most of the day. It was all a bit hazy at first as we both were feeling very ill; Nick from a hangover, me from a stomach bug. Towards mid afternoon though we both started to feel better so we did what any good tourist in New Orleans would... We hit the bars. Many of them.

Several hours later we stumbled back to Kim and Christian's where we spent the evening catching up with them and marveling at the fact that we didn't get shot on the way home from the Quarter.

The next day Christian took us over to see the progress on his house, which is in the process of being rebuilt after it was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. It has now been raised up about four feet and is currently gutted on the inside. We crawled under the house and peeked in through the missing floor boards... Everything from roughly four feet and below has been completely torn out, everything above that looks shiny and new. It was obvious that the house had been recently spiffed up before the hurricane.

As we were driving around the city I was amazed to see the amount of damage there was. People all over were living in trailers out in front of their homes while waiting for them to be repaired/rebuilt. Many people had just up and left the city and abandoned their homes... Every other house it seemed had a "for sale" sign posted on it. Other postings on houses included the spray painted "taggings" of the National Guard and CHP, listing the findings of each house after initial search; 2 human, 2 canine etc... pretty eerie. Also pretty scary was the fact that you could see the water level lines on the sides of the freeway, up to 6 feet in some places, and as Kim pointed out, there was even a whole stadium that was completely under water. To see it all in person was very surreal.

Later on Saturday afternoon we headed off to The Dome for the Saints vs Eagles game. Nick, Christian and I walked through the French Quarter, along with thousands of other rowdy fans marching to the stadium, stopping in a few bars along the way. Poor Kim had to be chauffeured to the game and missed out on all of the excitement. Having never been to a NFL game before I had no idea what to expect but was pleasantly surprised to discover that we would be watching from Kim's suite, which was completely stocked with a full bar and enough food to feed half of the stadium. It was a great game... And The Saints won too!

Sunday we set out for home. I was eager to get back to see our little monkeys as they had been sick and vomiting the whole time we were away, so of course our flight was delayed and we arrived 3 hours later than scheduled...

More photos from New Orleans in the photo album. (link in the sidebar)

Sculpture Park

An escapee from the Trojan Pig!