One More For The Road

Alas, I should try to get caught up on some of the other things I have been putting off. Its been busy in our house. When we went on our road trip during Rico's leave, we stayed with our good friends in Colorado Springs for a few days. Once a week, their family meets for a family devotion time. Since we've been home, we've adopted this idea and we've been trying to have a Sunday night devotional time. We've also had to add a family "planning meeting" to that time so we can keep up with everyone's schedule. (Really it just SOUNDS like we're organized). This week was going to be a busy one so in some ways, I guess chickenpox, while not my favorite way to spend a week off of work, has been a blessing in disguise. The kiddos are getting a little stir crazy but yesterday Grandma GG came by and rescued Peanut for awhile so she got some good playtime. Today...well, its 10:00 already and I haven't even changed her out of her pajamas. I should probably take care of that at some point. Hope to be more on top of updating now that the plague has allowed me to catch up on some other stuff!

Clones

Does he look like his Daddy or what!

Green Pea Gotee

Brother clearly loves food. He's filled out the way his sister did just before she started walking only he's not even really interested in crawling yet! I just thought this was a funny picture of his michelin man rolls and his green pea gotee.

Buddies

Peanut has fallen gracefully into the role of big sister and loves her little buddy. She tries to include him in everything she does (which usually involves playing with something he could choke on).

What I love about the age my kids are at right now is their laughter. They are so sweet together. And there is nobody - NOBODY - in this world that can make Brother laugh the way Peanut does. Here's a quick little movie (terrible quality I know) of a moment in their lives together...

Chickenpox and A Whole Lot of Blogging Going On

Its been awhile...
Do you ever have those moments when life just seems to get a little out of control and you look around your house and think "I really need to just take a week off to catch up?" I've pretty much had that feeling since we got back from our trip. The funny thing is I was praying about a week ago that God would help me find time in my schedule to catch up on things around here before the holidays. And looking back, I've really got to believe that God has a sense of humor. See, about 3 days ago, I got chickenpox. You read that right. And yes, it sucks, thanks for asking.
Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday I was feeling a little ill. I don't know how to explain it, just achy and tired and maybe a little feverish. On Monday night, I noticed a little spot on my chest and thought I had a bug bite (itchy little bugger). And by Tuesday morning, all hell broke loose all over my body. No, I will not be posting pictures but I can only describe it as the plague of boils. They are everywhere. In my mouth, my throat, in my ears, on the pads of my fingers (yes, typing this sucks, thanks for asking). Forget the itching I've heard all about too because the suckers hurt like there's no tomorrow.
On the bright side, I am quaranteened to the house for the next week until I scab over (I'm sure that will be pretty) which gives me some much needed time to catch up on things. Like blogging. So prepare yourselves, the posts are on their way....
Oh, and since I'm sure you are more worried about the Peanut and Brother, well, she was vaccinated and Rico already had chickenpox as a child so we are safe there. So far, no signs on Brother, but I am sure its just a matter of time. Thankfully, the doctor said that at his age, it probably won't bother him too much and he should recover fairly quickly. I'm just praying the pads of my fingers heal before he breaks out....

HAPPY HALLOWEEN !!!

We've got a full day of festivities planned. Hope to get the blog updated again in the next few days!

Road Trip

I really have to admit before I go on any further with this post that I never thought this would work. When Rico brought the idea to me, I thought it was some sick joke he had. I mean, who in their right mind wants to take a road trip with a four year old and an infant???? But against my better judgement, I let him talk me into it. It was my hope that we would make it all the way to Oklahoma but time (& money) did not allow that for this trip. We'll be going that way in June though so I'll be looking forward to that. In the meantime, this trip went much better than expected.

The first stop on our trip was in Phoenix, AZ where we met up with Rick's uncle, aunt and two of his cousins. It was such a nice visit with them and the first time I have spent a real extended period of time with any of them. Their home is a very peaceful place and we enjoyed spending the first few days of our trip relaxing. Rico's youngest cousin had a few days off of school and he took some time out to take us around the city and spoil Peanut a little. What fun. She especially loved the rope swing in the back yard...

Ring My Bell

I just came across this photo of Peanut at her gymnastics class. Rico got this shot while she was climbing the rope. It was her first time climbing and she made it all the way up to the top where she rang the bell. She was so proud. Turns out, Peanut loves gymnastics. Right now she's doing that plus dance, soccer and preschool and of all the things she is involved in, gymnastics is turning out to be her favorite! I never would have guessed it given all the klutz genes she got from her mom, but so far, so good!

More on Pets

The dog was really sick last week. So sick I actually made a vet appt. which is rare. He wouldn't eat, was lethargic and had...well lets just say other problems that I probably don't need to discuss here but which would be akin to what happens when you drink the water in Mexico. Enough said.
Anyway, it turns out that he probably has an infection in his intestinal tract and he is actually much better now but I was so worried I actually had a conversation with Peanut about what might happen if he didn't get better. It went something like this:

Me: Peanut, your puppy is real sick

Peanut: I know, Mom. Do you think he will die?

Me: Well, I hope not. Would you be real sad if that happened?

Peanut: Yeah.

Me: Yeah, I would be too.

Peanut: Hey! Maybe when the dog dies, we can name the cat Rosie...

IHOP

Its hard for me to believe that Rico has already had a full week off of work. I'm enjoying his being home and the kids are eating it up. He and Brother have gotten some really good quality time together and its so cute to see how my little man's eyes light up when Daddy walks in.

Peanut loves being with her Daddy every day too. Since his normal work schedule is a little unusual (ie. it sucks...) she usually lives for her weekends with him. On a typical morning she will wake up and ask me what day it is. And, since we haven't quite figured out the calendar, the follow up question is always "What does that mean?" On Saturday, the answer to that question is usually "Daddy stays home with his girls today" or "Daddy-Peanut day". Those are her favorites. I love to answer that question on Saturdays. And I guess while he is on Family Leave, its a little like every day is Saturday.

This morning Peanut woke up and the first thing she asked was if her Daddy would take her to IHOP for breakfast. Its sort of their "place". And how could he resist? I think that could be the third time he has taken her there since he's been off of work. I haven't asked if she is eating that giant chocolate happy face "pancake" thing every time he takes her there. I'm maybe just a little worried about what the answer might be.

Brother got his hairs cut!

Here are a few pictures from our visit to Uncle Rani today...who knew he was a blonde underneath all the reddish-brown hair?

Halloween Costumes

Me: What do you think you want to be for Halloween this year?

Peanut: I think Ariel. Because she's really pretty.

Me: That sounds like a good idea.

Peanut: Yeah, and I think that brother should be the lobster guy who's her friend and that Daddy should be, like, the King guy.

Me: What about me?

Peanut: Maybe....hmmm... do you want to be the mean ugly witch?

The happiest baby ever!

So it occurred to me that brother is not getting a lot of airtime here. But, he is still doing great. He's five months old now, and as Peanut will tell you, he's "going to be a lot of fun soon". I, of course, think he's fun already. He is probably the happiest, easiest kid on earth. He's just starting to sit up on his own and has started eating some cereal, which he loves. That's my little butterball! I would like to point out that I am well aware of the fact that his hair is a little out of control. We're scheduling a visit for his first haircut soon (hopefully for Friday)!

Pre K!!

Peanut started preschool Monday - I'm sorry, I mean pre K (she is very specific about this)

She's in the froggy class with Miss Cindy and her favorite teacher of all time, Miss Christine, is now a teacher's aide in her new class so she was very excited.

Since Rico is on FMLA right now, he got to be there with me when we dropped her off and picked her up which I really think made her day. When we got there to pick her up, her teachers told us what a helper she was (and all I could think of was "I wish she would be a "helper" when it was time to clean her room). Then they gave her a sticker for being good along with a water balloon!!! Who gives out water balloons to a 4 year old???? Of course, the first place it went was into her mouth and I was freaking out about her choking on it until I finally just had to take it away. Maybe someone needs to give those pre-K teachers a lesson on choking hazards????

OTHER than the balloon incident, it was a great day. We took her to get ice cream after school (what better way to teach your child to reward themself than with food right?) where she told us all about her new school friends. If only this excitement about school would last her whole life!

Thoughts on Pets

Peanut: Dad, can we get a cat?
R: No honey, we already have a dog and there's no room for another animal.
Peanut: What about after the dog dies, then can we get a cat?
R: When the dog dies???? Won't you be sad?
Peanut: Not really.
R: Well I'll be sad. I love the dog, he's my buddy.
Peanut: Don't worry Dad, you'll like the cat!

Mi Fish Iz Ded Pleas Flush It Dawn the Tolit

My fish is dead, please flush it down the toilet....

A note from my 4 year old the day her last goldfish kicked the bucket...

Spit Happens

Yeah, that's right, spit. And not the sweet little spit up from the baby brother either.

You know, there was a time not too long ago that I looked at my little one and thought, "She is just so sweet. What an angel." and things of that sort. Truthfully, I probably gave myself a pat on the back at the time...I mean, MY daughter had never had a biting problem like some of the kids in preschool, she didn't talk back often, and almost always listened to what I said.

Then came yesterday. I've heard it said that every parent has at least one moment in the life of their child when they feel like the worst parent in the world. I guess I just didn't expect mine to come so early in my child's life....

So yeah, let me start by saying that Peanut has had a lot going on lately. As summer is coming to a close, school and new activities are starting and now she has a new baby brother plus B is staying with us...and I do believe that is a lot for a little girl to take in, compounded by the fact that she got very little sleep the night before...so I see where this may have come from. That said, I am not going to make excuses for the scene she created when she SPIT in a little boy's face yesterday.

You heard me right. My angel - my princess, my little sweetheart....spit in someone's face at soccer practice last night.

When we got to practice, Paris was a little wound up. I sent her on the field and watched as she paid more attention to the little girl in front of her than to the coach. She goofed around despite my shouts of "listen!" and "play the game!". I just had this feeling that things were not going in a good direction. Then came the water break where she and the other girl chased each other around. But worse, then IT happened. I watched as she tried to get the attention of an older, much larger boy. When he didn't give it to her, she spit. I don't think she did it out of anger or necessarily intended to harm him, but nevertheless, she spit. In his face. You can imagine how I reacted. Or maybe you can't actually because I wasn't quite sure myself how to react. The worst part? She was offended because the boy hit her after she spit on him. Yeah, you read that correctly. The little boy socked her in the stomach (can you blame him really?) and then she proceeded to throw a HUGE tantrum. So there I am with a field full of shocked parents watching me try to manage this kid while her little brother screamed "feed me" cries from the stroller. Needless to say, that was the end of soccer practice for her.

And I can assure you, that will be the LAST time she spits. It was however the first time she got grounded. Clearly the timeout/spanking thing wasn't going to teach her anything in this situation. So, Rico and I decided it was time for an alternative. And after talking to her about it, we decided to take away tv, computer & playing with her friends for 2 days. (its a little like I'm grounded too) :) As Rico is explaining to her that she is going to lose these priviledges, she got very sad and started to cry. She finally looked at him and said "Do I even get to eat breakfast?" to which he replied "Yes honey........this time".

Sea Monkeys

Right...so apparently I am the only 30-something who remembers having Sea Monkeys when I was young. But for whatever reason, I do. Apparently I had a good time watching them when I was little....I know, I know.... Anyway, when I found a starter pack on sale, I decided it would be something fun to do with Peanut. Mind you, the package clearly states that Sea Monkeys are an appropriate activity for ages six and up. I, of course, decided to completely ignore this suggestion. My mistake.

When I arrived home from the store, I told my little one about the Sea Monkeys and how fun they would be. Of course, I did this before reading the directions which state that the water has to be purified for 24 hours before you can even try to hatch your eggs. And then I spent the next 16 hours answering the question "When will my Sea Monkeys hatch?" probably every ten minutes. Why only 16? Because at that point I could no longer muster up another answer and decided that, purified or not, we were hatching some brine shrimp. Of course, this didn't work. After another run through on the instructions, I realized it could take up to seven days for the eggs to actually hatch after you put them in the water. So, another 24 hours of "When will my Sea Monkeys hatch?" At this point, I'm seriously contemplating a trip to the pet store and dropping some small sea creature in "hatching area". Then, this morning - yay! Right. Except the damn things are the size of a pinpoint and almost as translucent as the water. So my 4-year old who apparently trusts me as far as she can throw me doesn't believe me when I tell her they are hatched. So I spent a good thirty minutes trying to get her to see something that I'm not even sure her little eyes can focus on. Followed by thirty minutes late for work. Awesome. But at least I think she MAY have caught glimpse of something. So now the question changes from "When will my Sea Monkeys hatch?" to "When can I feed my Sea Monkeys?". According to the instructions, that's not for another five days. Super.
Sea Monkeys. Ages 6 and up.