So I started organizing my 13,000 photos this year, and now I have compiled them into one area on my external hard drive. After talking to my sister Courtney, she gave me a really good idea. After every month I am going to print out the few pictures that I like and put them into an album. This will be a new years resolution for me : ).
I'm going to achieve this goal by going to get an album this week, and after I print them I'll put them into the album right away. I think I'll go to Costco. They have some nice big albums. Hopefully I can achive this, since I think it would be nice to have an album for the whole year.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
Christmas Time!
Christmas was a fun one this year! Especially all of the activities we did before the big day. We made Santa's Cookies, which were especially yummy - we had to try them before giving them to Santa of course!!!
Connor and Aaron have been great this year, and it's fun to have a bunch of new toys to play with around the house. It is especially funny watching Connor play with his "army guys" and you're not allowed to fight with them!
We are ready for a new and exciting year. Glad I get to spend the week with the boys with nothing scheduled! No school! Yay!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
YOU BETTER WATCH OUT!
Oh how I love the holiday season, especially when we get to celebrate it with the boys. Connor IS the spirit of Christmas, and it makes me so happy to see the joy it brings to his soul. Funny enough, it rubs off on Aaron, so I am surrounded by joy (most of the time)!
I'm so glad I finally bought a toy manger that the boys can play with, since every year we seem to lose a glass piece by it being dropped and broken. Last year we lost Mary, so I knew it was time to get a new one this year. It's funny though, Connor moved the whole set next to the Christmas tree, and I didn't get it until he showed me this picture on the front of the box:
Here are a few things that we have done to kick of the holidays with the kids.
First we had a little party at our house with a couple of friends, especially to say hi to Connor's & Aaron's friends Layla and Willow visiting from Washington.
Then we hit the street for the Christmas Parade last weekend. Even saw Santa at the top of the Fire Truck!
That evening we hit the theater - a take on Christmas Carol...good thing it was outdoors and short! After we went for a walk down Water Street and took a look at the huge light displays they had set up.
Next, instead of heading to the Polar Express at the Grand Canyon in Arizona this year we decided to just play it low-key and go to the Santa Train in Boulder City. I think next year both boys will be ready for the Polar Express.
This weekend we have a breakfast with Santa planned. Whew!
We have been watching all our favorite Christmas movies - The Grinch, Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph, Frosty... Connor wants to keep decorating the house, especially after watching ELF with Will Ferrel in it. He sure was great at decorating places - you have to admit!
So spread cheer one and all, and don't forget to sing Christmas Carols on Christmas Eve!
SANTA CLAUSE IS COMING TO TOWN!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Girls night out...with a twist!
Last night I had girls night out with a couple friends of mine, one who is visiting from Washington. We decided to go to the strip for dinner at Maggianos at the Fashion Show Mall, and try to get to Stoneys or Gilleys afterwards. It ended up that we had too much catching up to do to go to the bar afterwards, since we spent about 4 hours at dinner chatting away. If any of you know Jackie, Lluvia and I we are all big talkers so you can only imagine getting us all together.
It was so nice to get away and just catch up with girlfriends. We really enjoyed the time we had at dinner, and eventually realized that it was creeping closer to 11, and Jackie had to go to work the next day. So we wandered aimlessly, all while talking, looking for a way down to the parking garage.
We got into an elevator and realized that it didn't go down. A man and woman were in the elevator with us. We laughed it off saying we were trying to get to the parking garage, and that we had gotten into the wrong elevator.
The man stepped out of the elevator with us and said he knew how to get to the garage and he would point it out. We thanked him, but quickly realized that he was drunk, or something was off with him.
Instead of pointing out where to go, he just kept walking with us, and asked if we had any money. At that point we thanked him and said we could manage. We hurried up some stairs to get back into the restaurant, and behind us we saw that he was following us up the stairs. That's when we began to get a little freaked out. We hurried into the restaurant, and Lluvia decided to use the restroom. We looked out the window, and there he was peering in! Then he made his way past the windows and down another staircase.
When Lluvia got back, we decided to use the elevators from the restaurant to get down instead of wandering outside. We went down to the parking level and we were a little nervous, since we knew that "Shady Guy" knew where we were going! We peeked out of the opening elevator doors and the coast was clear, but after taking a few steps out of the elevator I hear Jackie say, "He's HERE! SHADY GUY!"
We shot back into the elevator before it closed, thinking his hand would stop it from closing before we were safely inside. Thankfully we weren't in that movie and the door closed without a problem. We sat in the elevator for a minute, then realized that we should push a level before he opened it's doors. We ended back up in the restaurant. After frantically talking to our husbands on the phone, who didn't completely understand what the big deal was, we decided that we should ask an employee to escort us to our car.
Then we ran into about 10 guys that were going down to the garage. We explained our story about "Shady Guy" and they kept saying - How do you know we're not shady guys? - jokingly. They kindly took us to our car, and were really let down that they didn't get to see "Shady Guy". He was no where to be found!
So our girls night out got a little more exciting towards the end, but luckily it ended good, and we all got home safely!
It was so nice to get away and just catch up with girlfriends. We really enjoyed the time we had at dinner, and eventually realized that it was creeping closer to 11, and Jackie had to go to work the next day. So we wandered aimlessly, all while talking, looking for a way down to the parking garage.
We got into an elevator and realized that it didn't go down. A man and woman were in the elevator with us. We laughed it off saying we were trying to get to the parking garage, and that we had gotten into the wrong elevator.
The man stepped out of the elevator with us and said he knew how to get to the garage and he would point it out. We thanked him, but quickly realized that he was drunk, or something was off with him.
Instead of pointing out where to go, he just kept walking with us, and asked if we had any money. At that point we thanked him and said we could manage. We hurried up some stairs to get back into the restaurant, and behind us we saw that he was following us up the stairs. That's when we began to get a little freaked out. We hurried into the restaurant, and Lluvia decided to use the restroom. We looked out the window, and there he was peering in! Then he made his way past the windows and down another staircase.
When Lluvia got back, we decided to use the elevators from the restaurant to get down instead of wandering outside. We went down to the parking level and we were a little nervous, since we knew that "Shady Guy" knew where we were going! We peeked out of the opening elevator doors and the coast was clear, but after taking a few steps out of the elevator I hear Jackie say, "He's HERE! SHADY GUY!"
We shot back into the elevator before it closed, thinking his hand would stop it from closing before we were safely inside. Thankfully we weren't in that movie and the door closed without a problem. We sat in the elevator for a minute, then realized that we should push a level before he opened it's doors. We ended back up in the restaurant. After frantically talking to our husbands on the phone, who didn't completely understand what the big deal was, we decided that we should ask an employee to escort us to our car.
Then we ran into about 10 guys that were going down to the garage. We explained our story about "Shady Guy" and they kept saying - How do you know we're not shady guys? - jokingly. They kindly took us to our car, and were really let down that they didn't get to see "Shady Guy". He was no where to be found!
So our girls night out got a little more exciting towards the end, but luckily it ended good, and we all got home safely!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Big Boy Underwear!
Potty Training - the dreaded milestone that is a hurtle that every parent has to overcome. It's something that's hard while it's going on, but after it's over seems like it took no time at all.
We are at that starting point with Aaron. He's actually asking to go in the toilet since his big brother is already going to the bathroom. Connor has been very supportive telling Aaron that he should not pee on the ground, but needs to go in the toilet when he feels like he has to go. Connor gets very matter-of-fact when he's trying to teach Aaron something.
Aaron loves wearing undies, and does understand when he gets wet that there's a problem, but it also takes me to be more persistant after every time he drinks to go to the toilet 10 minutes later. He's really doing a good job though, and I'm sure he will be trained soon (after a few more accidents). I'll keep you posted!
We are at that starting point with Aaron. He's actually asking to go in the toilet since his big brother is already going to the bathroom. Connor has been very supportive telling Aaron that he should not pee on the ground, but needs to go in the toilet when he feels like he has to go. Connor gets very matter-of-fact when he's trying to teach Aaron something.
Aaron loves wearing undies, and does understand when he gets wet that there's a problem, but it also takes me to be more persistant after every time he drinks to go to the toilet 10 minutes later. He's really doing a good job though, and I'm sure he will be trained soon (after a few more accidents). I'll keep you posted!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon
I set out on a mission a few short months ago, and I'm happy to say that I lived through the 1/2 Marathon! I remember when my friend Jackie asked me to run in it with her. She kind of tricked me into it - building my confidence up saying it really was an attainable goal - but I've always wanted to run the race down the strip, so it was a good goal for me.
I mentioned it to my Mom and asked if she wanted to walk it, and my Dad jumped on the opportunity to join in. He's always loved to run, so this was something he would be good at.
In those six months I ran another 5K, and 10K to prepare, but nothing would come close to the run on December 5th.
The race day approached, and my Dad got injured. He was afraid he couldn't race with me, but he said he'd still come out and support me. I didn't realize how bad his injury was, but somehow he slowly started training again, and he wasn't sure if he could do it on race day. A few days before the race my Dad came into town and he just kept grimacing when he saw the strip.
"Ugh," he would sigh, "This is so stupid, can't believe we're doing this! What a horrible view!" Inside I was feeling the same way. (We would have to run from the Mandalay bay to Freemont Street - the old strip - and back. So basically the entire strip and back.)
Race day finally arrived, and nerves were getting to us all. It didn't help that we were in Corral 30, which didn't start until 45 minutes after the race began! We waited in anticipation and our feet began to ache from standing so long. When we finally approached the starting gate, we were really pumped clapping to The Blues Brothers on a stage set above us.
We saw the countdown "5...4...3...2...1 - GO!" That was so exciting. There's something about running a race with over 30,000 people in it! Ok - well - it was crammed. Within a minute I found myself being pulled between Jackie trying to break through the crowd, and my Dad, who wanted to pace himself. I told Jackie we would run the race together. So I tried to keep up, and soon I lost my Dad behind me. I knew that he didn't want to be pressured because of his injury, so I just figured it was for the best. My Dad wouldn't want to push his way through the crowd anyway.
The first 5K flew by! I saw my family cheering for me as we approached the MGM bridge. They were holding a bright yellow banner that said, "KEEP GOING!" We started out at a 10 and 1/2 minute mile pace! So we were doing well. We decided not to stop at the first and second drink stations, and after our 10K we finally took our first break. I tried my first GU (tasted like vanilla icing), and drank a Gatorade-like yellow drink.
We were back off in seconds. Right around mile 7, when we realized the turnaround was a 2 mile block, pain started to set in. My joints - knees and ankles - began to ache. We stopped again at the 9 mile station and GU'd and Gatoraded. We were off again. Right around the 10 mile mark I began to hit a wall. Ugh...how long would this take!!!??? We stopped at the next drink station again. I told Jackie it would be our last stop.
Jackie always pushed herself at the end, and I didn't want to hold her back, so I really started pushing it. Jackie re-assured me that the last mile we would be so excited that we would feel much better about finishing and gain some energy back. Once we hit that last tenth of a mile I was really hurting. I turned to Jackie, and she promptly said "I LIED!"
We actually ended up doing the last 5K at a faster pace, since I really pushed it for Jackie's sake.
Overall we got a time of 2 hours 25 minutes and 44 seconds. I was really proud to finish that race, and feel like I accomplished my goal.
My dad finished in 2 hours and 44 minutes, with no injury problems.
I was sore until today, but the pain was worth it in the end. I did it.
As I drove my Dad back to the airport to fly home, he took one last look at the strip, and said, "Wow, isn't that's a beautiful view!"
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Sickness Strikes!
As a mom, I can usually immunize myself with brainpower to not get sick when everyone else is. I guess that brainpower wore off this week since I ended up getting sick on Wednesday. I was down for the count. I ran 10 miles the day before, but even that was not going to save me from this demise. Even when you are sick, if you are a stay at home Mom you can't have a day off. So entertaining two little ones when I was sick was a challenge. I think we ended up making it a movie day (besides the time when I dragged the ladder upstairs so Connor could see a fire-extinguisher up-close and personal).
Connor's been insisting that we make a "claw" - as seen in Toy Story 3. I'm pretty creative when my mind is working, and Connor is pretty accepting of anything I come up with, as long as I'm trying to do what he asks, but this project has been put on hold until I feel 100%.
This morning I feel ok, and I should since I have a 10K. I woke up at 4am, and here I go!
Connor's been insisting that we make a "claw" - as seen in Toy Story 3. I'm pretty creative when my mind is working, and Connor is pretty accepting of anything I come up with, as long as I'm trying to do what he asks, but this project has been put on hold until I feel 100%.
This morning I feel ok, and I should since I have a 10K. I woke up at 4am, and here I go!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Run, run RUN!
So I have been running now since April, and I am feeling pretty good about it. I've had my friend Jackie since the beginning - who started me on this running rampage - and we have committed ourselves to running two times a week. Recently my cousin Stephanie started running with me on Friday Mornings, so I am very excited that I'm committed to 3 long runs a week (meaning at least 5 miles). I try to go out on my own, but it's always nice to have someone - especially to keep you going.
Today Jackie and I set out on our run, and of course the first mile or so was really hard. The second loop we made, I tripped mid sentence over some netting that was supposed to keep the streets clean hitting my hands and my knees. I sucked it up and we kept going. Jackie had done a 37 mile bike ride earlier that day, so she was trying to get to the end of our run.
We did it though, and ran(almost) all 9 miles that we wanted to. Next week I have a 10K, and then two weeks is my 1/2 marathon. Hopefully I can complete that, and I think that will make me the most happy. Doing something that I didn't think was possible only 5 short months ago.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Ups and Downs
Last week Aaron had some breakdowns in public that were a little hard for me to handle. Sometimes I have to remind myself when things start to wear on me that my kids are kids, and they are very good kids at that! Things I love about the ages:
Aaron at 2 -
Everything is exciting
Soaking up everything
WORD explosion
Loves to play
Loves to laugh
Connor at 4 -
Loves Mommy
Thinks Daddy is great!
Is very considerate to others
Thinks about how things effect others
Wants to do well
Likes to work on projects
Understands expectaions
Very giving
Aaron at 2 -
Everything is exciting
Soaking up everything
WORD explosion
Loves to play
Loves to laugh
Connor at 4 -
Loves Mommy
Thinks Daddy is great!
Is very considerate to others
Thinks about how things effect others
Wants to do well
Likes to work on projects
Understands expectaions
Very giving
Thursday, November 4, 2010
A new Life
Welcome Thomas Dean!
Taking a break from the life of my own kids, I am now a new Aunt to baby Thomas! My sister had her baby a week ago, and she is already an amazing Mom! Thomas is beautiful, and I can't wait to be a big part of his life (I'm going to be his Godmother!!!). Love you Thomas!
Taking a break from the life of my own kids, I am now a new Aunt to baby Thomas! My sister had her baby a week ago, and she is already an amazing Mom! Thomas is beautiful, and I can't wait to be a big part of his life (I'm going to be his Godmother!!!). Love you Thomas!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Quite a day...
All I have to say is this is how the day felt to me:
Love you boys, but hopefully tomorrow will be better!
Love you boys, but hopefully tomorrow will be better!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
365 Challenge
So I decided starting today I would take the 365 Challenge. Inspired by my cousin Sabrina, I want to take a picture a day of my kids. You can follow her journey at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesabrina/sets/72157624625686967/with/4935320894/
I'm going to post my pictures on my Shutterfly website, which will probably be the hardest part of the challenge. I might not post them everyday, but I will take them everyday!
Let the Challenge begin!!
Follow the challenge here:
http://365reyburn.shutterfly.com/
Email me for the password.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesabrina/sets/72157624625686967/with/4935320894/
I'm going to post my pictures on my Shutterfly website, which will probably be the hardest part of the challenge. I might not post them everyday, but I will take them everyday!
Let the Challenge begin!!
Follow the challenge here:
http://365reyburn.shutterfly.com/
Email me for the password.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Regression Strikes again!
The day Aaron was born:
The day Connor was born:
I remember when I first brought my children home, and there were the sleepless nights, and constant worry. Things change so quickly, and before you know it your babies are growing up - and then it happens - REGRESSION!
For example: As soon as you think you've figured your baby's sleep pattern out, and you think they are such a good sleeper, they start teething and wake up every two hours. This is pretty much a re-occuring theme throughout childhood, or at least for my kids.
Aaron is the culprit of regression at this point. He has been a great sleeper ever since he was born, pretty much because he had to be (The second child always doesn't get as much immediate attention). The first couple nights in his big boy bed he decided to wander downstairs. The funny thing about Aaron is that he is so quiet (not his normal self - so he DOES no how to be quiet!!!). He could be playing downstairs for a good 20 minutes and you will just happen upon him, or he will poke his head into the room. He's too cute though when he does it, and its pretty startling.
So we started closing his door after saying goodnight, and kept the baby monitor on in his room, and that worked out great! No complaints, not even really too much wandering in the room. He now sleeps in his bed wonderfully! In the morning we often find him reading books cuddled up with his blankets in bed!!! How sweet!!
Until yesterday. I did everything as usual - his same routine - Bath, Brush Teeth, Book, Singing... After all this I shut the door he screams and throws his body against the door with all his might. He decided that he wants me to stay next to him until he falls asleep. How can I ignore that? (PLUS - I don't know if this has to do with us watching the movie Elmo in Grouchland. Elmo's blanket got taken away from him, and this is probably Aaron's worst nightmare).
I've tried using the Nanny 911 techniques, but the only thing that really works for him is leaving him in his room alone. Otherwise, I could calmly and quietly walk him back to his bed for hours and nothing will change. Maybe days of consistency he would finally give in...I dunno.
Anyway, I will just have to rely on Daddy putting him to bed because I guess I'm too much of a pushover - and Aaron must know it. When I have the chance to baby my kids I do. I finally gave up today though and left his door open while I folded laundry outside his room. At least I got something done! Then he FINALLY fell asleep - at 9pm.
This too will pass (I keep telling myself), until the next issue resurfaces!
The day Connor was born:
I remember when I first brought my children home, and there were the sleepless nights, and constant worry. Things change so quickly, and before you know it your babies are growing up - and then it happens - REGRESSION!
For example: As soon as you think you've figured your baby's sleep pattern out, and you think they are such a good sleeper, they start teething and wake up every two hours. This is pretty much a re-occuring theme throughout childhood, or at least for my kids.
Aaron is the culprit of regression at this point. He has been a great sleeper ever since he was born, pretty much because he had to be (The second child always doesn't get as much immediate attention). The first couple nights in his big boy bed he decided to wander downstairs. The funny thing about Aaron is that he is so quiet (not his normal self - so he DOES no how to be quiet!!!). He could be playing downstairs for a good 20 minutes and you will just happen upon him, or he will poke his head into the room. He's too cute though when he does it, and its pretty startling.
So we started closing his door after saying goodnight, and kept the baby monitor on in his room, and that worked out great! No complaints, not even really too much wandering in the room. He now sleeps in his bed wonderfully! In the morning we often find him reading books cuddled up with his blankets in bed!!! How sweet!!
Until yesterday. I did everything as usual - his same routine - Bath, Brush Teeth, Book, Singing... After all this I shut the door he screams and throws his body against the door with all his might. He decided that he wants me to stay next to him until he falls asleep. How can I ignore that? (PLUS - I don't know if this has to do with us watching the movie Elmo in Grouchland. Elmo's blanket got taken away from him, and this is probably Aaron's worst nightmare).
I've tried using the Nanny 911 techniques, but the only thing that really works for him is leaving him in his room alone. Otherwise, I could calmly and quietly walk him back to his bed for hours and nothing will change. Maybe days of consistency he would finally give in...I dunno.
Anyway, I will just have to rely on Daddy putting him to bed because I guess I'm too much of a pushover - and Aaron must know it. When I have the chance to baby my kids I do. I finally gave up today though and left his door open while I folded laundry outside his room. At least I got something done! Then he FINALLY fell asleep - at 9pm.
This too will pass (I keep telling myself), until the next issue resurfaces!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Sleepover!!!
The boys have been requesting sleepovers, so every so often I've been letting Connor sleep in Aaron's room. I have the best memories of my sisters and I sleeping in the same room, and I always imagined that my own children should have that same experience.
I love that I have the monitor still hooked up to Aaron's room so I can hear them talking and playing around. Little do they know - I put them to bed a half an hour early so it doesn't bother me that they're goofing off.
Literally it takes one time of me asking Connor to be the big brother and make sure Aaron goes to sleep. After that the only thing you can hear from them is Connor telling Aaron to lay down, they need to get some rest for the next day.
Connor has been VERY helpful with Aaron in general lately. I asked him to bring him to his room to put him down for his nap, and he literally escorted me out the door when I got there and said he could do it himself. And he sure did!
How time flies. My boys are growing up!!!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Dragon and Soccer
Since Connor has had his cough, he has ended up missing a game (it looks wrong when your kid is running down the field coughing on everyone). He still has his cough, although it's not as bad as it was a week ago so we have continued the games. He seems to be getting it a little more...he's trying to kick the ball more, and actually achieving that. He loves to play goalie, and defender - although it seems like he thinks that he doesn't have to do anything when he plays those positions.
If you look at the picture closely though, that is usually what Connor is doing...not really going after the ball looking the wrong way. I try not to get frustrated over it and focus on that he's 4 and having fun.
Before his last game though, his Grandma competed in Dragon Boat Races out at Lake Las Vegas, so we went to watch those first before the game.
Here are some pictures from the races:
Friday, October 15, 2010
Dear Aaron
(I decided to jump on the bandwagon writing to my little one to help mommy out!) I love your energy and how you are full of life. I also love how you enjoy being a big boy, and do things for yourself. I like how you are so orderly, take off your shoes and put them away in the right spot, keep doors closed, and clean up your messes.
But PLEASE can you stop driving Mom crazy with your adventurous ways! Never lose your sense of adventure, but please lets not be so risky. After the large bump on your head you got two days ago against the block wall by flying off the slide, and the flipping off the swing yesterday and getting a face full of sand, I don't know how much more I can take of this!
Love, Mommy
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Spookie Stuff
Oh how I love the holidays...A little too much sometimes! I started doing some crafts with Connor for Halloween probably at the beginning of September. So every morning we wake up and it's always the same question,
"Can we do Spookie stuff today Mom? Please, please PLEASE????"
So of course I have to come up with some project and now my house is FULL of kids artwork...Very spookie artwork!
Growing up decorating for Halloween was always one of my favorite things to do. We always tried to make our front yard the scariest!!! I loved it. It's no wonder Connor does too!
I'm sure it will be any day now we will be singing Christmas carols, and getting ready to decorate with the winter stuff...but first we will be putting up TURKEYS!!!
I'll take some more pictures of the crafts around the house, but here are a few of them being "scared":
Monday, October 11, 2010
Cough, cough, COUGH
So as most of you know both of my boys have had Croup in the past. We started out learning about the sickness with a very scary episode from Aaron. We heard him coughing in his room while putting Connor to bed, and when we went in there, he almost couldn't breathe. He began to turn red and blue, so Brian quickly called 911, and I brought him outside to try and get him to calm down. As some mothers might agree - a change of scenery can sometimes calm a fussy baby. Sure enough - Aaron calmed down and was able to breathe again.
When the paramedics arrived, they were so relieved to see Aaron calmed down (they are always scared when called out for an infant problem). One ambulence ride and hospital visit later, I was taught all about Croup, and have since experienced it more than I have ever wanted to.
Cold, humid air is a great way to open up the lungs and that is why bringing Aaron outside could have saved his life (or at least brain cells) that night. Two other suggestions are opening the freezer, and turning on the shower and letting it steam up the bathroom.
Aaron has since had Croup one more mild time. It's a lot worse in infants, since it blocks their airway. Once they're older it's just a very barky annoying cough (I'm sure more annoying for the child than me!)
Connor has had Croup 3 (or maybe 4) times this year. Last Friday I brought him in after coughing all day without a break. I thought he was either going to make himself throw up, or pop the blood vessles in his eyes. I just had brought him to the doctor the day before, and he said it was a cold. I always think I am an over-reactive mom since I can only remember a couple times where I didn't have to bring my kids to the doctor when they were sick. I'm ALWAYS going to the doctor.
Once again Croup revisited my family. Now she said it might have to do with Allergies and Asthma. Hopefully we will get through this, and hopefully it won't hinder Connor too much. At least we are trying something new to stop the COUGH COUGH COUGHING in our house!
When the paramedics arrived, they were so relieved to see Aaron calmed down (they are always scared when called out for an infant problem). One ambulence ride and hospital visit later, I was taught all about Croup, and have since experienced it more than I have ever wanted to.
Cold, humid air is a great way to open up the lungs and that is why bringing Aaron outside could have saved his life (or at least brain cells) that night. Two other suggestions are opening the freezer, and turning on the shower and letting it steam up the bathroom.
Aaron has since had Croup one more mild time. It's a lot worse in infants, since it blocks their airway. Once they're older it's just a very barky annoying cough (I'm sure more annoying for the child than me!)
Connor has had Croup 3 (or maybe 4) times this year. Last Friday I brought him in after coughing all day without a break. I thought he was either going to make himself throw up, or pop the blood vessles in his eyes. I just had brought him to the doctor the day before, and he said it was a cold. I always think I am an over-reactive mom since I can only remember a couple times where I didn't have to bring my kids to the doctor when they were sick. I'm ALWAYS going to the doctor.
Once again Croup revisited my family. Now she said it might have to do with Allergies and Asthma. Hopefully we will get through this, and hopefully it won't hinder Connor too much. At least we are trying something new to stop the COUGH COUGH COUGHING in our house!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Dinosaur Bones!
Last time we went to the cabin I always told Connor we were discovering DINOSAUR bones on our hiking adventures. The older kids didn't believe me, but look what they found on our hike!!!!
Monday, October 4, 2010
Accomplishing a Hobby
Thanks to the support of my wonderful Husband, I have been able to keep myself busy with a few "hobbies" that I do on my own.
Running has been somewhat of a challenge for me to keep up, but I'm trying to do it. My dad, friend and I are going to be running the Rock n Roll Marathon in December so in order to get ready for that I've been trying to build up some tolerance for running. I am going to be doing another 5K this weekend and a 10K in November to get ready. Sometimes I only have time to run 1 mile each day. I try to get one long run in a week, and at this point that is 6 miles. Hopefully I'll be able to get up to 10 before the big day comes. One thing I've noticed now, is that when I'm not running up a particularly steep hill, it's nice to enjoy moving. I really have never gotten to the point where it just feels good to run (at a reasonable pace anyway), and that makes me happy.
Thanks to my wonderful sister, she has hired me several times to make montage videos for her work trips, and whenever her boss wants one. I enjoy doing these for my kids birthdays every year, but it's really nice to get paid for a hobby. I get the chance to try new things with the videos and "hone" my skills.
My nice camera I've had for 5 years has finally kicked the bucket. It will cost me $150 to get it fixed, but I decided that I would really like to invest in a Digital SLR camera and really get more serious about my photography. Since having kids I have learned a lot about lighting, positioning, and really about storytelling with photos. I want to start taking some nice pictures, but it is going to take some$$. Thankfully my sister has me doing 5 videos this month, so that might fund this hobby!!
So sometimes my life isn't all about the kids, but in the end if I have hobbies this will teach them to have hobbies themselves!
Running has been somewhat of a challenge for me to keep up, but I'm trying to do it. My dad, friend and I are going to be running the Rock n Roll Marathon in December so in order to get ready for that I've been trying to build up some tolerance for running. I am going to be doing another 5K this weekend and a 10K in November to get ready. Sometimes I only have time to run 1 mile each day. I try to get one long run in a week, and at this point that is 6 miles. Hopefully I'll be able to get up to 10 before the big day comes. One thing I've noticed now, is that when I'm not running up a particularly steep hill, it's nice to enjoy moving. I really have never gotten to the point where it just feels good to run (at a reasonable pace anyway), and that makes me happy.
Thanks to my wonderful sister, she has hired me several times to make montage videos for her work trips, and whenever her boss wants one. I enjoy doing these for my kids birthdays every year, but it's really nice to get paid for a hobby. I get the chance to try new things with the videos and "hone" my skills.
My nice camera I've had for 5 years has finally kicked the bucket. It will cost me $150 to get it fixed, but I decided that I would really like to invest in a Digital SLR camera and really get more serious about my photography. Since having kids I have learned a lot about lighting, positioning, and really about storytelling with photos. I want to start taking some nice pictures, but it is going to take some$$. Thankfully my sister has me doing 5 videos this month, so that might fund this hobby!!
So sometimes my life isn't all about the kids, but in the end if I have hobbies this will teach them to have hobbies themselves!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Fun Connor Moments
Connor has been developing leaps and bounds lately, changing from my little toddler into a little boy. His imagination is starting to get a bit out of control though, which can be a good and bad thing.
Good thing:
Today we pitched some tents in the backyard and were playing around in them. We went on a ship from Las Vegas to China dodging sharks and aliens along the way. Oh how I missed the days of imaginary adventures!
Bad thing:
I put Connor in the Corner the other day for hurting Aaron. He barely hit his toe against the wall, and he cried like it had been broken. He continued the charade by hopping on it to try and round up some sympathy (I knew it wasn't truly hurt since he was actually hopping on the foot that was supposed to be hurt).
Either way it's exciting to see that he is starting to become a kid, but also sad that I'm losing my little baby.
Connor and I began his reading book this week. We are on lesson 4 of 100, and he loves it. It's the same program my Mom taught me to read with. Hopefully I will be reporting great successes in a couple months, but so far so good. He requests doing it every night, and it only takes about 10-15 minutes. Hopefully my little guy will be reading soon!
School has been great fun for Connor(even though he doesn't want to go until we step through the front doors). The teachers say he is very thorough, and I can see that he is learning a lot by being with the same children and teachers in a classroom setting.
I love my son, and I'm so happy that he is growing up so well. He's really a joy to be around, and I hope it always is this way.
Good thing:
Today we pitched some tents in the backyard and were playing around in them. We went on a ship from Las Vegas to China dodging sharks and aliens along the way. Oh how I missed the days of imaginary adventures!
Bad thing:
I put Connor in the Corner the other day for hurting Aaron. He barely hit his toe against the wall, and he cried like it had been broken. He continued the charade by hopping on it to try and round up some sympathy (I knew it wasn't truly hurt since he was actually hopping on the foot that was supposed to be hurt).
Either way it's exciting to see that he is starting to become a kid, but also sad that I'm losing my little baby.
Connor and I began his reading book this week. We are on lesson 4 of 100, and he loves it. It's the same program my Mom taught me to read with. Hopefully I will be reporting great successes in a couple months, but so far so good. He requests doing it every night, and it only takes about 10-15 minutes. Hopefully my little guy will be reading soon!
School has been great fun for Connor(even though he doesn't want to go until we step through the front doors). The teachers say he is very thorough, and I can see that he is learning a lot by being with the same children and teachers in a classroom setting.
I love my son, and I'm so happy that he is growing up so well. He's really a joy to be around, and I hope it always is this way.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Date Night!
Thanks to my Mom and Dad last weekend Brian and I got to go down to Tucson for a wedding, just him and I. Aaron and Connor had a blast with their Grandparents, and Aunt Shar and Uncle Thomas (Sorry for getting you sick Thomas). Connor began the weekend pretty rocky. We thought the weekend might be spoiled since Connor started to cough and got a runny nose. He was acting normal, and no fever. My Mom insisted that it would be ok to still leave him, so we waited until the afternoon to go down.
The wedding was beautiful, and it was nice to relax with Brian with no kids around. It's funny how each day runs into the next when you have kids. There are really no breaks except for after they go to sleep! But no going out, or doing anything without them. It gets even harder when you have two to find babysitters.
We came back and since being at home Connor has gotten much better. I'm thinking it might have been allergies. We have a couple months before another road trip, so it will be good to stay home for a while. I'm starting a reading program with Connor every day so it will be good to see what progress we make in that time.
The wedding was beautiful, and it was nice to relax with Brian with no kids around. It's funny how each day runs into the next when you have kids. There are really no breaks except for after they go to sleep! But no going out, or doing anything without them. It gets even harder when you have two to find babysitters.
We came back and since being at home Connor has gotten much better. I'm thinking it might have been allergies. We have a couple months before another road trip, so it will be good to stay home for a while. I'm starting a reading program with Connor every day so it will be good to see what progress we make in that time.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
It finally happened...
We were driving to school this morning, and Aaron was being his normal loud self. Connor was upset about going to school - of course he always makes a complete turnaround when we walk in the door - but at this specific point in time he was not happy. He wanted to stay home and ride his bike outside. It's a particularly beautiful morning in the high 70's here, so that sounded pretty tempting to me as well, but we have responsibilities and this morning it was making it to class on time.
So, as I mentioned earlier, Aaron was being LOUD. Screaming a little even, and Connor didn't have the patience for it. The last thing I remember was that Connor was looking out the window then I heard it...the thing that all parents dread...
Connor turned to Aaron and shouted, "SHUT UP Aaron!!"
My sweet, polite, and perfect 4 year old said his first (drumroll please) BAD WORDS : (. True, I would like to yell these words at both of my kids at times - especially when the screaming has lasted all day long and I just want some PEACE - but I have always tried to set a good example thinking that it would rub off on my kids. My tone sometimes turns into a yell, but I have never lost it and told either of my kids to shut up. Where have I gone wrong?
Now I know this might not even be considered bad words, and maybe I'm over-reacting, but I began to rack my brain of where he could have learned this from. After explaining that there are better ways to get Aaron to be quiet I started asking him where he heard those words from. He had just watched Madagascar this morning, so I am assuming that this must be it. Although, I think that they might say it once in Toy Story...
That movie is rated G ...
I guess SHUT UP is not really BAD words, and it could have been much worse. I think mainly it was the rudeness, that I have never seen come out of him that shocked me the most.
I remember in my own life experiencing this exact situation with both of my parents, and thought back to how they handled the situation with me. I once learned some "bad words" in a movie called "Beverly Hills Troop" when I was a kid (I LOVED that movie). My dad was talking badly about someone while I was in the room.
After a pause in the conversation I just blurted out, "Yeah - screw him!!"
Not even knowing what I was talking about. My Dad always had a good way of keeping calm when something surprised him, and he knew that I didn't really mean it. He explained to me how this was not something you say, even to someone you might not like. It's very harsh, and rude to say that.
My Mom, on the other hand, had a different technique when dealing with those little "surprises". I remember when I was young LOVING Goonies. I would watch it all the time. My friend across the street was a little devious, and she had convinced me that they put up their middle fingers in it. (Note: I have since watched that movie a gazillon times and I have never seen a flip off in it). She told me that this must be like a secret "handshake" and we would flip each other the bird every time we saw each other (ok - I was REALLY gullible as a kid - I think she had a bet with her older brother to see if I would actually go along with it). Anyway, I decided to show my Mom our secret "handshake" one day, but I decided the best time was in church. Oh yes - I flipped my mom off in church! She was HORRIFIED. She scared me out of doing it ever again.
She didn't really explain the situation like my dad did, at least when I was little. When someone called me a lesbian for holding my best friends hand in 5th grade, I remember my dad sitting me down in Denny's for a heart-to-heart chat about what being gay was. When I mis-pronounced the word Prix my mom shocked the pronunciation out of me, but I guess explaining why would have been a little difficult with a little one. I probably would have done the same thing.
After being shocked and telling Connor not to say that to his brother like my Mom did with us, I then took the same approach as my Dad did with me. I calmed down and explained that he is a polite person, and that is not a nice way of asking someone to be quiet. We practiced different polite ways of saying "Be Quiet" to Aaron.
I'm sure we will run across it again, and this is the first of many "surprises" in store for me. Normally I am very impressed with both my boys character already. Even Aaron is very polite saying Please and Thank you at 2. I couldn't be a prouder parent of my polite little boys!
So, as I mentioned earlier, Aaron was being LOUD. Screaming a little even, and Connor didn't have the patience for it. The last thing I remember was that Connor was looking out the window then I heard it...the thing that all parents dread...
Connor turned to Aaron and shouted, "SHUT UP Aaron!!"
My sweet, polite, and perfect 4 year old said his first (drumroll please) BAD WORDS : (. True, I would like to yell these words at both of my kids at times - especially when the screaming has lasted all day long and I just want some PEACE - but I have always tried to set a good example thinking that it would rub off on my kids. My tone sometimes turns into a yell, but I have never lost it and told either of my kids to shut up. Where have I gone wrong?
Now I know this might not even be considered bad words, and maybe I'm over-reacting, but I began to rack my brain of where he could have learned this from. After explaining that there are better ways to get Aaron to be quiet I started asking him where he heard those words from. He had just watched Madagascar this morning, so I am assuming that this must be it. Although, I think that they might say it once in Toy Story...
That movie is rated G ...
I guess SHUT UP is not really BAD words, and it could have been much worse. I think mainly it was the rudeness, that I have never seen come out of him that shocked me the most.
I remember in my own life experiencing this exact situation with both of my parents, and thought back to how they handled the situation with me. I once learned some "bad words" in a movie called "Beverly Hills Troop" when I was a kid (I LOVED that movie). My dad was talking badly about someone while I was in the room.
After a pause in the conversation I just blurted out, "Yeah - screw him!!"
Not even knowing what I was talking about. My Dad always had a good way of keeping calm when something surprised him, and he knew that I didn't really mean it. He explained to me how this was not something you say, even to someone you might not like. It's very harsh, and rude to say that.
My Mom, on the other hand, had a different technique when dealing with those little "surprises". I remember when I was young LOVING Goonies. I would watch it all the time. My friend across the street was a little devious, and she had convinced me that they put up their middle fingers in it. (Note: I have since watched that movie a gazillon times and I have never seen a flip off in it). She told me that this must be like a secret "handshake" and we would flip each other the bird every time we saw each other (ok - I was REALLY gullible as a kid - I think she had a bet with her older brother to see if I would actually go along with it). Anyway, I decided to show my Mom our secret "handshake" one day, but I decided the best time was in church. Oh yes - I flipped my mom off in church! She was HORRIFIED. She scared me out of doing it ever again.
She didn't really explain the situation like my dad did, at least when I was little. When someone called me a lesbian for holding my best friends hand in 5th grade, I remember my dad sitting me down in Denny's for a heart-to-heart chat about what being gay was. When I mis-pronounced the word Prix my mom shocked the pronunciation out of me, but I guess explaining why would have been a little difficult with a little one. I probably would have done the same thing.
After being shocked and telling Connor not to say that to his brother like my Mom did with us, I then took the same approach as my Dad did with me. I calmed down and explained that he is a polite person, and that is not a nice way of asking someone to be quiet. We practiced different polite ways of saying "Be Quiet" to Aaron.
I'm sure we will run across it again, and this is the first of many "surprises" in store for me. Normally I am very impressed with both my boys character already. Even Aaron is very polite saying Please and Thank you at 2. I couldn't be a prouder parent of my polite little boys!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Soccer what?!?
Growing up, I only really tried playing a couple of sports (besides playing them in PE), and those were Softball and Tennis. Long before I had kids I decided that since I hadn't had the opportunity to try a variety of sports, that I would try my best to have my kids at least try every sport, even if it was only for one season. Sometimes I wonder if it's still too early for Connor - he's only 4 now...I've already started him with Piano Lessons, T-ball, and now SOCCER.
Brian and I collectively have VERY little experience playing soccer. In fact, I have zilch experience...never played, and hardly even watched it. Brian just has horrific memories of his soccer team including running...A LOT. So needless to say, we both have no clue about what Connor should be doing on the field besides kicking the ball into the goal.
This makes it a little more difficult to practice at home since we don't really know the rules. I didn't even show up to the first practice with a soccer ball! I still haven't bought a set of shin guards for him, and he is so lucky he hasn't been nailed in the shins.
Last practice was a little frustrating because he picked up on this little "trick", and that is falling. In fact, I think it's the thing he enjoys most about his practice! No matter where he is on the field (he could care less about where the ball is) and he will pretend to trip and fall wherever - even if he is in the line of danger from passing kids cleats, or even the ball. It should be interesting when game time comes around!
Also, he is a little TOO good at not using his hands. When he is goalie he doesn't think he can touch it to block the ball.
I asked Brian during the practice to get Connor to stand up and pay attention to what he was doing, but Brian just looked at me blankly, and said that he was pretty much just as lost as Connor was. Brian was a little annoyed that Connor wasn't more into the game.
So, we will see as the season progresses on whether this is something that Connor is actually interested in, but for now at least he is outside enjoying the fresh air playing a fun - falling - game with his friends!
PS Great Grandpa Louie LOVES watching his games. He came two weeks in a row to watch. He thinks it's pretty hilarious!
Brian and I collectively have VERY little experience playing soccer. In fact, I have zilch experience...never played, and hardly even watched it. Brian just has horrific memories of his soccer team including running...A LOT. So needless to say, we both have no clue about what Connor should be doing on the field besides kicking the ball into the goal.
This makes it a little more difficult to practice at home since we don't really know the rules. I didn't even show up to the first practice with a soccer ball! I still haven't bought a set of shin guards for him, and he is so lucky he hasn't been nailed in the shins.
Last practice was a little frustrating because he picked up on this little "trick", and that is falling. In fact, I think it's the thing he enjoys most about his practice! No matter where he is on the field (he could care less about where the ball is) and he will pretend to trip and fall wherever - even if he is in the line of danger from passing kids cleats, or even the ball. It should be interesting when game time comes around!
Also, he is a little TOO good at not using his hands. When he is goalie he doesn't think he can touch it to block the ball.
I asked Brian during the practice to get Connor to stand up and pay attention to what he was doing, but Brian just looked at me blankly, and said that he was pretty much just as lost as Connor was. Brian was a little annoyed that Connor wasn't more into the game.
So, we will see as the season progresses on whether this is something that Connor is actually interested in, but for now at least he is outside enjoying the fresh air playing a fun - falling - game with his friends!
PS Great Grandpa Louie LOVES watching his games. He came two weeks in a row to watch. He thinks it's pretty hilarious!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Birthday Toys!
Aaron is enjoying the new toys that he received for his birthday, and Connor has been so sweet with Aaron lately. He knows that the new toys are Aaron's and always chooses a toy that Aaron isn't playing with. Here are just a couple of the adventures we have had with the new toys:
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR
Yesterday I was folding laundry upstairs in my room with the door open and the kids were playing with Buzz in the playroom. I kept hearing, "To infinity and beyond!" and SMACK buzz would drop to the floor. About 10 minutes into this game I heard the familiar bump of a small toy hitting the downstairs tile. I knew they had chucked something over the edge so it was time to regulate - mommy style. As I'm approaching the door I hear again, "to infinity AND BEYOND" As I step out from my room I see the $40 toy we had given Aaron yesterday for his birthday about to be pushed over the side of our upstairs landing, which would then plummet towards certain doom. The other strange thing I notice is Connor standing next to Aaron (who was the culprit pushing buzz to his demise), excited to see the "big moment" of when that toy took flight. I couldn't believe Connor actually thought that the toy would make that 20 foot drop onto the tile below. He's a 4 year old, so I guess he can dream that Buzz might fly and not accept the reality of the situation. I screamed "Don't do it Aaron!!!" - thinking in my head that Buzz was NOT going to fly, let alone fall with style (as he did in the movie). Aaron immediately dropped the toy in shock, and flung his body onto the floor in a familiar style of tantrum that he has been throwing lately. Buzz was saved... for now.
Today Aaron had Woody for a change, and Connor had Buzz. They were playing some sort of game with them, and went outside shortly after beginning. I didn't put two and two together right then, but they had taken their BRAND NEW toys outside.
I know if you're a mom, you certainly know that outside is basically a death trap for toys. Electronics end up on the lawn, which ends up getting doused with water during the programmed sprinkler time. Toys with stickers end up getting sun-bleached and torn. Plastic ends up cracking, and ANYTHING ending up in the sandbox is haunted by the little grains that can never be removed.
So while I was washing the dishes I noticed Connor scurrying across the kitchen with Buzz. I also heard him say something about cleaning him off. I thought - oh good - he wasn't out there long, and at least he is responsible about cleaning him. Then I hear water running, which I immediately recognize is coming from the bathroom sink... then I yell, "Don't do that Connor!!!"... Thankfully I caught him in the nick of time. He responds to me by asking his usual, "But why??" I had to explain to Connor that if he put Buzz into water he wouldn't talk anymore. But I thanked him for not wanting Buzz to be dirty. He would be an indoor toy from now on. I helped Connor to pick the grains of sand out from between his buttons using a paper clip, but now Buzz is doomed with the internal rattling of sand that somehow crept into the cracks of his insides. Oh well. He still can talk!
WOODY
Aaron is obsessed with Woody's hat. If he doesn't have it on he looks all over the house yelling "HAT HAT HAT!" It doesn't help that the toy says, "You found my hat! Thank you, Thank you THANK YOU!!!" Aaron loves that, so it's quite the game to keep the cowboy's hat on that doesn't quite want to stay there.
BASKETBALL HOOP
I have kept the small basketball hoop inside for now, and the boys are loving it. Connor chucks the ball directly over his head with no arch at all, but since the hoop is shorter than him right now he gets it in almost every time. He almost sounds amazed when he says, "I LOVE this game, I'm so good at this game". Brian taught Aaron to pass, and his little face scrunches up with concentration when he does it. It almost seems like he'd rather pass the ball than get it in. He enjoys the game.
SOCCER BALL
We got Connor a new soccer ball to use at his practices. Today was his first practice and he liked having his own ball. Grandpa came with us to watch and at one point they were trying to score while the goalie blocked. Connor came up to score and the goalie was looking the other way. Connor kindly waited for him to pay attention, and as soon as he turned to look at Connor he kicked it with all his strength. I couldn't believe what happened. Connor kicked it completely OVER the goal, not even touching the top of it (it's a little kiddie goal - but still surprising). I don't think I've ever heard grandpa laugh so hard. He thought it was hilarious!
New toys are fun, and thankfully all of them have been very entertaining especially for Aaron. So glad we got him toys that he is really enjoying, and giving me some fun memories in return!
BUZZ LIGHTYEAR
Yesterday I was folding laundry upstairs in my room with the door open and the kids were playing with Buzz in the playroom. I kept hearing, "To infinity and beyond!" and SMACK buzz would drop to the floor. About 10 minutes into this game I heard the familiar bump of a small toy hitting the downstairs tile. I knew they had chucked something over the edge so it was time to regulate - mommy style. As I'm approaching the door I hear again, "to infinity AND BEYOND" As I step out from my room I see the $40 toy we had given Aaron yesterday for his birthday about to be pushed over the side of our upstairs landing, which would then plummet towards certain doom. The other strange thing I notice is Connor standing next to Aaron (who was the culprit pushing buzz to his demise), excited to see the "big moment" of when that toy took flight. I couldn't believe Connor actually thought that the toy would make that 20 foot drop onto the tile below. He's a 4 year old, so I guess he can dream that Buzz might fly and not accept the reality of the situation. I screamed "Don't do it Aaron!!!" - thinking in my head that Buzz was NOT going to fly, let alone fall with style (as he did in the movie). Aaron immediately dropped the toy in shock, and flung his body onto the floor in a familiar style of tantrum that he has been throwing lately. Buzz was saved... for now.
Today Aaron had Woody for a change, and Connor had Buzz. They were playing some sort of game with them, and went outside shortly after beginning. I didn't put two and two together right then, but they had taken their BRAND NEW toys outside.
I know if you're a mom, you certainly know that outside is basically a death trap for toys. Electronics end up on the lawn, which ends up getting doused with water during the programmed sprinkler time. Toys with stickers end up getting sun-bleached and torn. Plastic ends up cracking, and ANYTHING ending up in the sandbox is haunted by the little grains that can never be removed.
So while I was washing the dishes I noticed Connor scurrying across the kitchen with Buzz. I also heard him say something about cleaning him off. I thought - oh good - he wasn't out there long, and at least he is responsible about cleaning him. Then I hear water running, which I immediately recognize is coming from the bathroom sink... then I yell, "Don't do that Connor!!!"... Thankfully I caught him in the nick of time. He responds to me by asking his usual, "But why??" I had to explain to Connor that if he put Buzz into water he wouldn't talk anymore. But I thanked him for not wanting Buzz to be dirty. He would be an indoor toy from now on. I helped Connor to pick the grains of sand out from between his buttons using a paper clip, but now Buzz is doomed with the internal rattling of sand that somehow crept into the cracks of his insides. Oh well. He still can talk!
WOODY
Aaron is obsessed with Woody's hat. If he doesn't have it on he looks all over the house yelling "HAT HAT HAT!" It doesn't help that the toy says, "You found my hat! Thank you, Thank you THANK YOU!!!" Aaron loves that, so it's quite the game to keep the cowboy's hat on that doesn't quite want to stay there.
BASKETBALL HOOP
I have kept the small basketball hoop inside for now, and the boys are loving it. Connor chucks the ball directly over his head with no arch at all, but since the hoop is shorter than him right now he gets it in almost every time. He almost sounds amazed when he says, "I LOVE this game, I'm so good at this game". Brian taught Aaron to pass, and his little face scrunches up with concentration when he does it. It almost seems like he'd rather pass the ball than get it in. He enjoys the game.
SOCCER BALL
We got Connor a new soccer ball to use at his practices. Today was his first practice and he liked having his own ball. Grandpa came with us to watch and at one point they were trying to score while the goalie blocked. Connor came up to score and the goalie was looking the other way. Connor kindly waited for him to pay attention, and as soon as he turned to look at Connor he kicked it with all his strength. I couldn't believe what happened. Connor kicked it completely OVER the goal, not even touching the top of it (it's a little kiddie goal - but still surprising). I don't think I've ever heard grandpa laugh so hard. He thought it was hilarious!
New toys are fun, and thankfully all of them have been very entertaining especially for Aaron. So glad we got him toys that he is really enjoying, and giving me some fun memories in return!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 3, 2010
Growing Up
As Aaron's 2nd Birthday approaches, it makes me think about how different my two boys are. I always say how it's increadible how two kids, both boys, same parents, same upbringing can be so absolutely different. It really makes you appreciate every individual for who they are, because we are each unique in our own way, and I think that I appreciate life and people even more since I spend every waking moment with these two little guys. Let me give you some examples of the spectrum these little guys are on. I know these things can change, and these are absolutely just observations...I know that they can change over time and I know not to pigeon hole them into what I think they will become.
Aaron - 2 years old
Very social - loves to talk to people
Quick learner - can repeat any word you ask him to. Loves to read books, but gets frustrated with puzzles and games. Just wants to get to the point.
Creative with Artwork - Loves to color, paint, or do anything creative.
Pretend play - Loves to play with people and animals and walk them around in his pretend world. Loves to drive cars off the edge of...ANYTHING!
LOUD - doesn't know how to whisper yet - or just doesn't want to.
Risk Taker - Doesn't care what the risks are - he will jump off that 7 foot tall playground or into that pool if that's what he wants to do!
Connor - 4 years old
More Reserved with his communication - Loves to talk to people, but it takes some time to warm up.
Puzzle and Book lover - He can spend hours putting together puzzles, or "reading" books by himself. Loves to curl up with mommy and read a good book.
Organized mind - Loves to line up toys - like cars - and put them away in their proper spot.
Mazes - Although he's not big into coloring or artwork, he loves workbooks, mazes, writing words, and cutting with scissors.
Cautious - He loves making his brother do something first to make sure it's ok. Once Aaron made it halfway up the OUTSIDE of the stairs and Connor was at the bottom cheering him on SCARY!
Amazingly together these two little guys make a good team. Connor has learned so much from Aaron already, and they are such great friends already. It really makes a mom's heart melt seeing her kids play well together. I'm so glad that my kids are different, but one thing that they are the same is the amount of love they give. Connor says "I love you mom" for no reason at all at least 10 times a day, and Aaron gives hugs and kisses to everyone all day long. I'm glad that they have this in common!!!
Aaron - 2 years old
Very social - loves to talk to people
Quick learner - can repeat any word you ask him to. Loves to read books, but gets frustrated with puzzles and games. Just wants to get to the point.
Creative with Artwork - Loves to color, paint, or do anything creative.
Pretend play - Loves to play with people and animals and walk them around in his pretend world. Loves to drive cars off the edge of...ANYTHING!
LOUD - doesn't know how to whisper yet - or just doesn't want to.
Risk Taker - Doesn't care what the risks are - he will jump off that 7 foot tall playground or into that pool if that's what he wants to do!
Connor - 4 years old
More Reserved with his communication - Loves to talk to people, but it takes some time to warm up.
Puzzle and Book lover - He can spend hours putting together puzzles, or "reading" books by himself. Loves to curl up with mommy and read a good book.
Organized mind - Loves to line up toys - like cars - and put them away in their proper spot.
Mazes - Although he's not big into coloring or artwork, he loves workbooks, mazes, writing words, and cutting with scissors.
Cautious - He loves making his brother do something first to make sure it's ok. Once Aaron made it halfway up the OUTSIDE of the stairs and Connor was at the bottom cheering him on SCARY!
Amazingly together these two little guys make a good team. Connor has learned so much from Aaron already, and they are such great friends already. It really makes a mom's heart melt seeing her kids play well together. I'm so glad that my kids are different, but one thing that they are the same is the amount of love they give. Connor says "I love you mom" for no reason at all at least 10 times a day, and Aaron gives hugs and kisses to everyone all day long. I'm glad that they have this in common!!!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Turnaround Trip
We made a trip to Arizona for my sister's baby shower. I decided to get a rooftop carrier, or "car backpack" if you will for several reasons. I had a lot of extra cargo because I was bringing things for the shower, and we were starting out with 6 seats filled, and back with all 7 seats filled.
The main thing I was worried about with the car backpack was that it was going to wack the top of my car the whole way to phoenix, and it would really annoy us, not to mention ruin the top of my car.
We took the trip to Jackie and Mateos house to pick them up and it seemed ok. No noise...now I was worried! How would I know it was up there? Paranoid! Mateo and Connor took the very back seats in the third row, where we set up a TV. They proceeded to decide which characters of Toy Story they would be and acted it out pretty much the entire way there. Jackie was a miracle when it came to Aaron. Every time there was a peep all she would have to do is ask him what was wrong, and she could figure it out, and we were back on our rants of whatever we were talking about. My sister took the front seat, which was good since she got a little sick on the ride both ways.
We only heard the backpack wack a couple of times, and even had Marylou stick her head out of the moonroof to check on it. A small tear formed before the end of the trip, but no bigger than 3 inches, so there was no way anything was sliding out. The only thing it did was sadden me that I just bought the thing and it was already needing to be repaired. Oh well...it made it 600 miles without flying off...I guess it accomplished its goal. I was thinking of writing a review on Amazon about it though.
Overall it was a great trip. Connor spent the entire time at the shower, which was candyland themed. He took ownership of the gumdrop mountains and ate through them as well. Needless to say wired children on the way back were a little harder to manage, but at least it was about an hour quicker.
My grandpa joined us on the way back and we all made it safe and soundly back to Las vegas.
The main thing I was worried about with the car backpack was that it was going to wack the top of my car the whole way to phoenix, and it would really annoy us, not to mention ruin the top of my car.
We took the trip to Jackie and Mateos house to pick them up and it seemed ok. No noise...now I was worried! How would I know it was up there? Paranoid! Mateo and Connor took the very back seats in the third row, where we set up a TV. They proceeded to decide which characters of Toy Story they would be and acted it out pretty much the entire way there. Jackie was a miracle when it came to Aaron. Every time there was a peep all she would have to do is ask him what was wrong, and she could figure it out, and we were back on our rants of whatever we were talking about. My sister took the front seat, which was good since she got a little sick on the ride both ways.
We only heard the backpack wack a couple of times, and even had Marylou stick her head out of the moonroof to check on it. A small tear formed before the end of the trip, but no bigger than 3 inches, so there was no way anything was sliding out. The only thing it did was sadden me that I just bought the thing and it was already needing to be repaired. Oh well...it made it 600 miles without flying off...I guess it accomplished its goal. I was thinking of writing a review on Amazon about it though.
Overall it was a great trip. Connor spent the entire time at the shower, which was candyland themed. He took ownership of the gumdrop mountains and ate through them as well. Needless to say wired children on the way back were a little harder to manage, but at least it was about an hour quicker.
My grandpa joined us on the way back and we all made it safe and soundly back to Las vegas.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Miracles DO happen!
For some reason the last two days have been blissful, at least when it comes to the boys playing together. They seem to be working together a lot, and Aaron seems to be listening to what Connor wants him to do (which I think is the big breakthrough). Either Aaron is getting better at listening, or Connor realized he has his own personal slave at his fingertips! Connor says jump and Aaron asks how high?
One other parenting breakthrough I had, that I think has helped contribute to this blissfulness came about because I was getting tired of raising my voice to the kids. I kept having to yell to get them to quiet down, and I soon realized that it wasn't really working as well as I wanted, it was just making me sad (and I'm sure the boys too).
Since Connor was 2 I've been using the Corner as a "Time Out" to punish him, which has seemed pretty affective. But lately he has been kicking and screaming in it, and never really calming down, even when he knows how long he has to be there. So this was actually pretty draining, and by the end he wasn't really calmed down.
After doing some research on different discipline techniques I decided to try calling the Corner, the "Cool-down-zone", and instead of dragging him there kicking and screaming, I showed him the comfy spot I made him with a lot of pillows and blankets, and told him that this is the "Cool down zone", whenever he needs a break from Aaron or anything that is bothering him he could go to his cool down zone. I made a separate one for Aaron, so that they know their "Cool Down Zones" are for them alone.
So the first time I had to use it, Connor went there with no objections at all. He sat there for 4 minutes, and came out happy and refreshed! He even said he felt bad about what happened earlier! MIRACLE!
Today he put himself in the "Cool down zone" 3 times (I didn't have to do it at all), and it was really good use of it! He was going to go off on Aaron about something, and he said, "Aaron I need to get away from you, I'm going to the Cool down zone!" Breakthrough.
It's really new, so maybe it's just a fluke thing, but I'm really hoping this will help Connor to be able to calm himself down. I know it won't work 100% of the time - but what does?
One other parenting breakthrough I had, that I think has helped contribute to this blissfulness came about because I was getting tired of raising my voice to the kids. I kept having to yell to get them to quiet down, and I soon realized that it wasn't really working as well as I wanted, it was just making me sad (and I'm sure the boys too).
Since Connor was 2 I've been using the Corner as a "Time Out" to punish him, which has seemed pretty affective. But lately he has been kicking and screaming in it, and never really calming down, even when he knows how long he has to be there. So this was actually pretty draining, and by the end he wasn't really calmed down.
After doing some research on different discipline techniques I decided to try calling the Corner, the "Cool-down-zone", and instead of dragging him there kicking and screaming, I showed him the comfy spot I made him with a lot of pillows and blankets, and told him that this is the "Cool down zone", whenever he needs a break from Aaron or anything that is bothering him he could go to his cool down zone. I made a separate one for Aaron, so that they know their "Cool Down Zones" are for them alone.
So the first time I had to use it, Connor went there with no objections at all. He sat there for 4 minutes, and came out happy and refreshed! He even said he felt bad about what happened earlier! MIRACLE!
Today he put himself in the "Cool down zone" 3 times (I didn't have to do it at all), and it was really good use of it! He was going to go off on Aaron about something, and he said, "Aaron I need to get away from you, I'm going to the Cool down zone!" Breakthrough.
It's really new, so maybe it's just a fluke thing, but I'm really hoping this will help Connor to be able to calm himself down. I know it won't work 100% of the time - but what does?
Monday, August 16, 2010
Cabin Fun
This weekend we made our way back up to the cabin. Brian's parents have a cabin up in Utah, and we try to make it up there as often as we can, especially during the summer. It's so wonderful knowing that Vegas is experiencing a heat wave, and we are at the cabin enjoying the 71 degree mountain air.
Aaron loved the drive, especially since it was during the day and he could see down into the ravine as we drove on the winding road up the mountain to Duck Creek. Quickly both boys would yell, "Don't fall Daddy!" as we drove past steep drop offs.
This trip we had invited our friends Holly and Michael, and they came up with their twin girls Jillian and Juliette, who are about 14 months old. This was their very first overnight trip away from home. They were estatic! My boys enjoyed being around the girls, and from their happy faces I think they had a wonderful time too.
One thing Holly and Michael learned, and I am always reminded of when I go to the cabin, is that being away from home is always slightly harder. The only thing on my side is that the boys get a lot of activity during the day, so bedtime is usually pretty easy. Without routine, a boatload of toys, and being excited about a new place, equals a jammed packed day with no rest for parents. I usually don't realize it until the day is ending, the boys are both screaming from being overtired, and I'm ready to scream because of the same reason!
Still, it is worth it when I see that my boys enjoyed their time. When we came home, Connor burst into tears. I asked him what was wrong and he responded by saying,
"I miss my ATVs!"
Fun weekend achieved!
