Boo-Hoo

We've been getting a lot of this lately:

As it turns out, I could live life quite fully without the whining.

The Whine has definitely put us squarely in the "3s are worse than 2s" camp. Oh, the whining.

The admittedly funny part of life with B is that when, in frustration, you say, "What is your DEAL?" he will reply, "Welllll, my deal is that.....I don't want to leave the pool. I don't want to go to sleep. I don't want to eat 10 peanuts." And then you kinda want to laugh at the complete-sentenced-Mr. Verbal.

Or sometimes I just whine along with him, which makes me think of that classic retort: "Do you want some cheese with that whine?"

And then I want cheese.

And wine.

Meta.

Or narcissistic. Not sure which one! ;-)

Bonded by Dump Trucks

You may remember this shirt that B wore on the first day of preschool last fall. He's recently gotten into naming his shirts and the "dump truck shirt" is one that he likes to talk about. It became critically important to him of late that his daddy also have a dump truck shirt. Um, okay.

Oh wait! I LOVE making T-shirts!!!

Behold the shirt that arrived in the mail last week for the BG:

What is cooler than that??!!

On the Rocks

NO! Not the BG's famous margaritas! Let's try again.

By the Rocks:

If this above scape looks familiar, you're either a local park denizen or a loyal blog reader who remembers this wonderful adventure with Big Daddy two summers ago (You'll need to scroll down to the bottom of that post once you open the link.)

It took us this long to venture back--and we missed Big D!--but we managed to have a good time anyway!

The kiddies:

The "grown-ups":

The javelin-thrower-in-training:

And two very happy girls!!

Saucy

The little miss, who will be 5 months old tomorrow, finally has a new place to hang besides that big blue chair:

Notice anything interesting about these 3 photos?

I think a certain older brother was really sleepy!! (See him in the little mirror?)

And......I really hope this means she'll be willing to eat anything! :-)


In other developmental news, she squeals, plays with her feet, and apparently rolls from back to front since we've found her on her stomach in the crib multiple times. She also has a death grip so watch out if you have hair. Or skin.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

To the Obelisk!!

B's daddy is far more generous with pre-bed reading time than I am. Not gonna lie. We now own 2 A-Z books about major American cities (one being that large metropolis in the Empire State and the other being the patriotic city in our own backyard) and, while I might go for reading, say, 1/3 of the letters on a given night, the BG reads the entire book. And then probably some others, too.

Needless to say, the little guy can tell you a LOT about those two cities. When it finally came time for an adventure into the nearby one, he had two requests: "the obelisk" and "the precious stones." (Actually, he also really wants to see "the Hall of Apes" but that's for another trip to the Zoo.)

I am happy to report that the B-man has now seen......

But there were lots of other fun adventures along the way. I'm pretty sure the highlight of the morning was the subway ride:

Little sister was properly dumbfounded by her first public transit experience:

It's really hard to get a self-portrait shot of the fam, especially when someone is much taller:

Oh hey, at least there's part of my face. No proof of the other kid in the Ergo carrier, though:

Fine, let's just take yet ANOTHER pic of the boys, this time in front of the Capitol, "where the senators are":

We kept our expectations very low and had a perfectly enjoyable time. Train ride, bottle/diaper change/snack time on a National Mall park bench, 30 minute breeze through the Natural History Museum to see those "precious stones" along with insects and dinosaur bones, and then a spin on the carousel that was conveniently parked right by the museums:

(Yes, he picked the ONE horse absolutely devoid of color.)

And then back on the train, and back out to our parked car....which happened to be at a station not too far from Jason's Deli so of course we had to get lunch there.

We are big proponents of not trying to do too much with little kids and look forward to another morning adventure sometime before the summer is over!

PS: Happy 10th anniversary to Karen & Warren B!! And very happy birthday wishes to the BG's sister, Sarah, as well!

"Crafty"

Definitely requires the use of quotation marks because I am far, far away from being crafty (at least in the artsy sense!)

Sometimes, though, I develop these really strong ideas about a project I want to do and then it's full-steam ahead. Most of the time, I look back and think, "Wow, that was way more complicated than it needed to be" but that's the Emily way. Just gotta go with it.

Since B had the same teachers for the camp sessions that he had for the school year, I wanted to give them a little note on the final day. We'd chipped in for the official class gift but I just wanted to do something a little more personal. So, for some reason, I decided that meant making a sign, taking a picture of the tyke holding it, printing it out, and pasting it into one of B's personalized note cards.

But Emily-- why didn't you just give them the sign?

Well, that would just be too easy!




Actually, the real reason I didn't consider it is that me making a thank-you sign from B doesn't genuinely include him in any way-- and, contrary to what he always said was his favorite part of school, he does NOT do crafts. So by taking a picture of him holding the sign, he becomes an authentic part of the action. See-- I know what I'm talking about after all!

Such authenticity is the same reason I have trashed 97% of the "artwork" that came home this year. Call me a cynic, but I'll wait until it's stuff that I know he actually did on his own.

Yes, I'm one of those non-sentimental mothers! ;-)

Hello, Summer!

Summer is finally here, which obviously means it's BUBBLE-BEARD time!

Yesterday was the BG's first official day of break. He was mighty excited to turn off his 5 AM alarm. He still will be gone most weekdays from 8 AM- noon for summer football workouts, but that's a pretty major improvement over the 6 AM-7 PM routine that is more common!

Determined to take advantage of having him around to share in the kiddo-minding action, I visited the eye doctor yesterday afternoon. I am so pleased to announce that I am NOT blind! Hooray!! I'm always worried that my one "bad" eye is going to send me straight to the eyeglasses display but the ole peepers are still doing pretty well. Actually, this doctor told me she thinks it's my other eye that will eventually get me since it's farsighted while the "bad" one is nearsighted. Apparently it's not very common to have one of each. Who's surprised that I'm weird?
(crickets)

My appointment was in the direction of our one drive-thru Starbucks (in case you're wondering, THIS is a downside to living in one of the original 13 colonies-- not much land for development, so the drive-thru exists only because it was once a bank), so I treated myself to my standard order of a "grande iced nonfat 2-pump chai" that is, of course, the same price as the whole carton of Tazo chai concentrate. Don't worry-- I know this. But it's an occasional treat and lemme tell you how weird it was not to have a chai-grubbing 3-year old suck 75% of it down without me realizing. I drove on from there to the mall (gotta luxuriate in the free afternoon!) and I was startled to see how much drink I still had left when I arrived.

Ever the bargain shopper, I was hitting the mall to use a 30% off coupon that Loft had sent me in an apparent attempt to lure me back after my pregnancy hiatus. Since I have managed to get some weight off of late and am about to embark on a Texan adventure, I figured some new clothes wouldn't be a bad idea. When I arrived, I discovered that anything already reduced was an additional 30% off and I couldn't combine my coupon offer with that one. So, if you're still with me, that should mean that any article of clothing I purchased would be 30% off the current ticketed price, either because of the coupon if it were full-price, or because of the additional reductions if it were on sale.

So I ended up finding 4 fun items and gave the cashier the coupon. I'm not really sure where she learned about percentages, but the rung-up total of $142 became $74. A sweater, shirt, skirt, and pants for $74? Um, YES. I like her math.

On the way home, I managed to hit the grocery store, the bank, and the "upscale" kids consignment store, where I might or might not have picked up two adorable Gymboree rompers for a steal, and then came home to find the good people at Gymboree were continuing to spread the happiness by shipping me what could be my best online deal ever. Seriously: B swimsuit, C swimsuit, long-sleeved onesie, two C tops, a dress, two pairs of socks, and a bib for $39 shipped. FEEL THE BARGAINS!!

So basically what I'm saying is.....I LOVE SUMMER!! :-)

(Thankfully, I also came home to a notice of a directly-deposited paycheck! HA!)

Kids These Days

(I've been hearing comments recently that he's started looking more BG-like, which I'm pretty sure means less Moore-like. Thoughts?)

(For someone with basically no eyebrows, she still manages to be quite expressive with them!)

Actually, a certain uncle just made the observation that the older tyke is missing those arcs of hair as well.
Hmmm.... Wee Kentobeans: We Sleep; We Smile; We Have No Eyebrows.

I think I'm gonna make a T-shirt.

Roll Call

What's been added to my phone "camera roll" of late? Well, let's see....

Here's what I found when I picked up B from "Camping Camp" last Friday-- apparently they all got bandanas for their nature hike:

This week has been "Cooking Camp"-- check out the list waiting for us on Monday. (Yes, we might be regulars at a certain quasi-Mexican establishment!):

Wednesday, FAC and I took B to one of the community pools. No flotation devices are allowed other than the life vests that they provide, and we've somehow ended up with a little guy who wants to go out deeper than he is tall. This was our first attempt with goggles but they were a no-go in terms of him actually wanting to go under water:

The official greeter upon returning home from the pool:

And here is the first CSA-centric meal of the summer! I used the garlic scapes to make a pesto and then tossed it with farm-fresh broccoli (which was exactly the same color as the pesto), grilled chicken (thanks, Master Griller BG), and Weggies "Super Pasta." YUM!

HAPPY FRIDAY! (And happy end-of-school for the BG!!!)

It's That Time of Year Again!

CSA time!

I'm excited to see what this season brings! The farm (3 miles from our house!!) is in its 3rd year and seems to be expanding each year. Pretty good haul for so early in the season, right?!

As If You Were Here

Since many of you do not have the opportunity to visit with the B-man, I thought I'd provide a little snippet of his interactions. Poor video quality and random conversational topic aside, it's kinda fun to "converse" with him:



And, in case you're wondering, the "space shuttle," "launch pad," and "blue thing" in question is an off-brand Stomp Rocket he received as a birthday party favor. If you have any connection to little kids and are looking for some entertainment, this is a great bet!

Now we move on to his performance of a classic "Mama likes to make up songs to familiar tunes" ditty that we had just created the day before:



Clearly, the recipient was mesmerized:

Well, maybe until the performer took it up a few octaves and got up-close-and-personal!

Same Time, Same Towel.

And same big-mouthed mother. Just a different baby.

Seriously, it's almost creepy that I, completely without knowing, took a matching picture almost 3 years to the day later.

Here's the original.

And here's the updated version:

Yes, I'm frightened by that stray piece of hair, too. I got my hair cut the other day-- have I ever mentioned that I'm a stylist's dream because the answer I always give to the question, "What are we doing today?" is "What do you think would look good?" Anyway, she asked me if I wanted to do some shorter pieces around my face and I said, "Well, nothing too crazy."

Apparently we have different definitions of "crazy."

:-)

Saturday Morning by the Lake

Each Other

I didn't intend for today's post to be pictures of the sibs yet again, but then an impromptu photo shoot arose and that's just the way it goes sometimes.

I trust you don't mind too much.



I feel like I've heard a lot of news from others this week-- some really good and some really bad. I look at these pictures and am reminded that, whatever the circumstance, the love of another is both a comfort and a joy.

Hope you all have a weekend full of love.

Now It's HIS Turn...

...not to be able to stop staring at her!

I think I'll keep 'em!

But I'm sure ready for her to get old enough to sit up on her own so I can stop boring you with pics in that big blue chair! :-)

What's Shaking Around Here

In order of age...

Wee C:
She's mellow as ever. I worried a lot before she was born about how difficult it would be to manage a nap schedule when we'd be on the go doing things with/for her big brother. Thankfully, the chaos has shown no signs of affecting her nighttime sleep (which, let's be honest, is the most critical for family happiness), so I'm choosing not to stress about that any more. Whew!

She did her first "science" experiment at "college" yesterday. It was in the Speech & Hearing lab (shout-out to all my Baylor speech path peeps)! Apparently it's well-known that babies start to recognize their own names at 4 months of age. This study is examining the effect of background noise on name recognition. Or something. I had to wear headphones the entire time (the Spanish guitar music almost put me to sleep) so that I wouldn't bias her movements/reactions in any way, but apparently they were playing recordings of someone saying her name and also someone saying her "foil" name which turned out to be Jeanette. Science is fun.

Little B:
For some reason, the preschool (which is at our church) only scheduled the school year through Memorial Day even though the public schools go several weeks into June. Next year, they'll be aligned but for this year, they decided to run themed "mini-sessions" each of the first 3 weeks in June. B is attending MWF this week and next, and right now is experiencing "A-Camping We Will Go." When I picked him up on Monday, there was a chart outside the door that showed which kids have slept in a tent and which ones haven't. Um, I think we need to explain to him that the "tent" we made with a comforter over his crib bed was not actually a camping tent! Ha!

He continues to be an incredibly affectionate and compassionate big brother. He has taken to having conversations with his sister, complete with voiced responses for her. A recent example:

"Camilley, would you like to go see Daddy's game with us?"
(In a much higher voice): "Yes, Brooksie, Yes!"

Age 3 has certainly brought with it more challenges re: boundary-testing and lack-of-listening than we've experienced before, but I know we're still pretty lucky that his "bad" is really rather humorous. (Shhh-- don't tell him that.)

The matriarch:
I'm not old enough to be a matriarch.

The ever-so-young mama:
That's better. ;-)

We joined the local sports/health/gym/pool system a few months ago and our membership includes up to 2 hours per day of child care, so I no longer have an excuse for not exercising. I'm sad not to be able to do Jazzercise anymore but the studio where I went for 7 years has no child care and it just didn't make sense with the BG's limited availability and the limited class schedule. So I'm currently checking out the various group fitness class offerings at the local gym and also walking the track, doing cardio machines, etc. (I've even been--gasp--running!) I'm finding it frustrating that my Weight Watchers experience has been much more slow-going this time than it was when I did it a year ago, but I keep reminding myself that I just had a baby. I mean, I was chubs last year when I started but it wasn't still baby-chubs by that point! :-) I'm hoping to get to a happy place before we head to Texas later this summer so that I can enjoy the Lone Star State's culinary riches to the fullest!

I continue to work 5-8 hours per week for my former (well, current) employer and appreciate so much the opportunity to stay in the loop and prop up my online bargain kids clothes shopping habits, as well! After 2 years of mindless cutting-and-pasting work condensing reports for one of our intervention programs, I now find myself doing actual professional tasks! I'm helping develop the research portfolio of successful implementations, which means a lot of research, drafting, editing, and even number-crunching. It's totally legit-- Excel and Word are once again my special friends!

But MAN, is our house messy. There just aren't enough hours in the day. This mama needs her internet time sleep, so cleaning totally falls by the wayside. (Just a warning if you ever come over.)

The Old Guy:
Spring football leagues are up and running so we're back in Pigskin mode. Sports budgets have been one area hit by the fiscal crisis so it'll be interesting to see what impact that has this coming year. Because he's plum crazy, the BG has taken on the Head JV Coach role in addition to his Varsity Defensive Coordinator position, so there's just all kinds of stuff to be done. We're looking forward to having him around more after school ends a week from Friday, although the daily weight room duty, etc, will fill chunks of his days. But at least he's done with grad school and doesn't have that on his plate, as well.

As B would say: "TA-DA!" A Kentobean update just for you-- well, those of you who actually read text! :-)

It's Starting

You didn't think B would share his Raffie(s), did you?

Leave it to FAC to find "Pink Raffie" for the wee one. Stay tuned to see how the relationship grows!

Outdoor Togetherness

The stifling heat and humidity took a nice break starting late last week, and we were able to enjoy some outdoor adventures here and there.

Thursday, I took the kids to pick strawberries which turned out to be a bit more stressful than the bounty yielded, but whatever. The big one might prefer throwing things to listening, but the little one still just can't take her eyes off of her big brother (who really has a lock on those berries!):

Then Saturday morning, we took our inaugural stroll with the Phil & Ted second seat attached. It worked out quite well and we had a good time getting some exercise and spotting all kinds of fauna (geese, heron, turtles, snake) around the lake:

(But you might not believe that we had fun if you saw the BG's "Do you really have to take a picture?" face, so I cropped it right out!)

Tell Me This:

Do you think new baby clothes need to be washed before wear? I've always washed everything of B's first, but am stumbling a bit with girl clothes that tend to be "nicer" material and also have embellishments like bows. I hate to think that everything will get worn-looking before even being worn.

I just got out all the 6-12 month summer outfits and don't know what to do! I'm thinking pajamas still should be washed, for sure. And dark denim. But what of all the other little bits o' cuteness?

No Such Thing as Too Much Togetherness

At least, according to a certain older brother.

Apparently the bath wasn't enough. Now he has a need to get in her crib, too!

That was Tuesday. Here's what I saw on the TV monitor yesterday morning:

He's a quick one, that guy. Pulls the rocking chair over, climbs up, and hops in. Unfortunately for him, it was determined last evening by his parental units that, regardless of how light he is, he is no longer allowed to get in the crib. Perhaps if all he did were lie there (gently), it would be okay, but that's not really his MO. He's more of a mover and a shaker. Literally.

I imagine this morning is going to involve one sad, sad child when he realizes we weren't kidding around about the "NO CRIB" thing. Ah, discipline. It's just not fun for anyone!

Wait, What?

You're saying it's weird to arrange my son's short-sleeved shirts in rainbow order?

Hmmm.

Well, he doesn't seem to mind my weirdness.

:-)

PS: HOW IS IT JUNE ALREADY??????