Gymnastics

Aidan started gymnastics three weeks ago.  She is only going one hour per week because I did not want to "waste" money.  After the first week and watching her little smile stay pasted on her face for the entire hour, I'm confident in the decision to sign her up.  Clearly it's not a waste of time.

She is no Shawn Johnson or Dominique Dawes in the making, to be sure.  She's not wiry like she probably needs to be to actually take to the sport.  But that is not why I enrolled her.  I just wanted her to be active and start to be aware of what her body can do.

She has a fantastic group of teachers (plaid pants) who make everything seem really cool and exciting.  And they have a theme they follow every week, like the barnyard or the beach.  They also gave the participants charts and start stickers, and every week they get to put stickers on the skills they learned that week.

So, it's only been three weeks, but so far, she wakes up early on Wednesday and puts on her footless tights and leotard right away.  Her lesson isn't until 10:15, so she is dressed up this way for a while.  When we get into the car, she encourages me to go faster:  "...or we're gonna be late, Mom, and I can't be late for gymnastics!"  We arrive, she places her shoes and jacket in her cubby, and the smile appears on the face and stays for an hour.  What mom could have a problem with that? 

Friday night movie night

Tonight we started a new family tradition. Terry and I decided that any Friday night that we don't have other obligations, we will have a family movie night. We decided that because The Wizard of Oz was on tonight.

I've been wanting to watch it with Aidan but have been a little hesitant because of a few things...is she old enough? Will she be scared of the witch? (answer: yes)

I can still recall watching this movie once a year on television (before Blockbuster and DVRs). As a child, there were a few things that scared me: those ridiculous flying monkeys, the red sand in the hourglass that seemed to be almost running out on every shot, and the green, martian-like head of the wizard in the palace. At each step, I remember thinking that she was sure lucky she had her dog and some friends with her. I don't remember ever fearing any of those things once the movie ended...

We ended up watching it in our unfinished basement because I got everyone DQ, and we didn't want them to eat it on our leather furniture. So we went down to the playroom area, brought a lamp and turned off the other lights, and the four of us snuggled up on the old couch with lots of blankets.

They both were mesmerized from the beginning, even during the black and white part, but as soon as it switched to color, they were hooked. Taylor called the munchkins "little babies" and the good witch a princess. Aidan seemed to be a little disturbed that Dorothy actually killed the wicked witch of the East, even if she was a witch, and she kept asking me a hundred questions about that for a while.

As expected, each appearance of the wicked witch of the West caused hidden eyes and "that's scary" remarks from both kids, who seemed to be easily calmed by Terry's words of, "It's just pretend," and "that witch is silly!" We'll see if there are any lingering effects, but so far so good. Taylor kept asking where the scarecrow was any time he wasn't on the screen~easily his favorite.

We shared a classic with the kids and it worked. We are out of town next Friday, but in two weeks...Wall E. Can't wait!

My helper

Terry and I have started shopping for groceries differently in the last month, and without going into the boring details, the goal is that we wouldn't have to go to the store all the time for things we're missing or whatever. It has been helpful, but doesn't always work. Like yesterday. I was making a dessert to take to some friends' house and realized I had no powdered sugar, a necessary ingredient for this particular dessert.

I sure didn't want to go to the store. I had already run around that morning, it was almost naptime for the kids, and Terry was working. It occured to me that I actually know most of my neighbors and their names and could do the old-fashioned ask-to-borrow thing. But I also was in that unfortunate position where I hadn't yet taken a shower and didn't really want to see anyone...or rather, didn't want anyone to see me.

I remembered that I have a four-year-old whose life mission right now is to be a helper. So...I wrote a quick note on a piece of paper in case she got confused and sent her to the neighbors she knows best across the street. It took her three years to walk the sidewalk around the cul-de-sac and get over there, and I watched her stop, look for the two pumpkins I had pointed out to make sure she was at the right house, and then she walked up and rang the doorbell about 5 times. They weren't home. I think she would have stayed there waiting, but I yelled across that she could come back. I then had her try the house directly to the left of us, where her friend Ben lives. They were also gone.

Finally, I told her to go to the house to the right of us, and she said, "What are their names, Mom?" I went blank but quickly remembered that I have a list of everyone in the cul-de-sac on my computer, so I found it and told her, "if a man answers, say, 'Hi, Mark!' If a woman answers, say, 'Hi, Beth!'"

She slowly made her way over with that I'm-so-helpful smile on her face, my measuring cup tucked under her arm and the note in the other hand, singing, of course, and disappeared behind the trees. (it's hard to explain, but we can't see the front porch of this neighbor from ours). I knew that they were home because it took her longer, and soon she came out from behind the trees with a very full cup of powdered sugar, smile on her face, singing. As soon as she saw me, she yelled, "I got the flour, Mom!" It was powdered sugar, but whatever.

I asked her who answered the door and if she said, "Hi, Mark!"

"No," she said. "I said to him, 'Hi, I'm Aidan, and I live next door to you. Can we borrow some flour?' and I gave him the note. He had a big smile and was happy to see me."

I made a big deal about how much she really helped me out, and the rest of the day, she kept saying, "Do you need any more big favors, Mom? You just let me know."

Chopsticks!

My birthday was last Tuesday, but as we all know, the older you get, the less the actual day of your birthday matters. We were so busy Tuesday...Terry worked all day without even a dinner break, Aidan had preschool, I taught two classes at the gym and did vocal practice with two different teams that night. So...we knew that we'd celebrate on a different day.

Sunday night we finally went to dinner at a Japanese steakhouse here in town. That is one of my favorite "special" meals, but 1) there's only one here that is just okay, and 2) those kinds of restaurants are expensive!

Aidan has been to Nakato in Springfield quite a few times, and the last we went, she was scared of the fire. After that, she was fine. The same thing happened Sunday night. I think she sort of remembered once we sat down, and she started looking around the other tables at the chefs and what they were doing. Taylor thought it was so cool and kept saying, "I want that guy to come right here." But Aidan, she wasn't so sure.

As soon as our chef came, she turned around and put her eyes in her hands and would not turn back around until after the big flame at the beginning of the presentation. After that, she was our chef's biggest fan, ooohing and aaahing at every single thing he did. Loudly. And they both loved the food. So did Terry and I! It was much better than the other time I went to this restaurant.

My biggest surprise was that they both managed to actually get food in their mouths by chopsticks! We showed them how before the food came but just thought they'd never get it to work, but they did. I had to share the pictures.

We ended the night by coming home and having brownies in lieu of cake. It was a fun night!

Halloween 08 + pink eye

Well, it wasn't a super happy morning when we woke up Friday. Taylor had come down with a horrible eye infection the night before, both of his eyes swelling almost shut and, well, oozing (sorry, I know that's so gross).

That Thursday night, both kids kept crying throughout the night because they'd wake up and realize they couldn't open their eyes.

Friday morning, Aidan's was worse than Taylor's. I know that it's "just Halloween..." but I was in bed that morning waiting for her to wake up, just thinking about it from her perspective. It's only one day a year, and she was going to have to miss her preschool party, the party at the gym, and who knew about trick or treating?


Terry actually told her because I was with Taylor when she woke up. When they came out of the room, she seemed fine, and so I asked him what he came up with to say. "We're going to DQ after she goes to the doctor." Oh. Good idea.

We could not get into the doctor until 3:00 that afternoon, and we had to wait for a really long time. I guess most doctors have Halloween off. :)


At that point, Taylor's eyes looked almost normal, but Aidan was just awful. We got a prescription, our family flu shots, and were on our way. The doctor told us trick or treating would be okay because it's not an airborne illness, only touch.

The kids just had a blast that night! Terry and I were talking about how last year on Halloween, Taylor had just started walking on his own. In fact, we kept trying to carry him last year so we could go faster than 1 house every hour, but he wanted to walk because it was his new thing. This year, he and Aidan were practically running from house to house.

We went to Dairy Queen after and then passed candy out at our house. Not much was ever said about those missed parties in the morning!

Fall!

My kids both slept past 8 a.m. this morning. I wish I could just relax and let that happen, but I'm the kind of person who wakes up and thinks, why aren't they awake yet? Are they okay? And then I stare at the ceiling, waiting for Aidan to come in or Taylor to start calling for me.

Once they were awake and we were all lying in the big bed together, I thought, This is fantastic. Tomorrow I'll sleep even later if this becomes a habit.

But it's fall. This is my favorite season by far, and we've had lots of fun, but it also means daylight savings is coming. Oh, no. That means that in eight days, it will be as bright as it was at 8 a.m., but at 7 a.m.! Does that mean my kids will sometimes sleep past the hour of 7 on a good day? Yes. Yes it does.

We deal with this problem every year. I always try to outsmart the time change, but it's hopeless. My kids will wake between 6 and 7 for a few weeks until the days become even shorter. Hopefully, once the sun comes up later, we'll return to normal. About 7:30 on those days we don't "have" to get up. But I still love fall. :)

Our home

This morning Taylor told me he wanted to go to our "other house." I guess he was referring to our apartment? My theory because he didn't have a real room there and there was merely a curtain dividing his crib from our living room, he now feels far away when he is in his room.

In any case, we are loving it! It may be our favorite house we've ever lived in. The pictures are kind of out of order on here, but basically, the top two are the backyard views with Taylor's room in the middle, then the master BR, Aidan's room, and the dining room, the bottom row is the living room, kitchenette area,
and full kitchen. These two are a view of the family room from the hallway upstairs and from the family room itself.

The neighborhood itself is so pretty right now! It has tons of mature trees, and of course they are yellow and red and orange now. Another couple of days and I think they'll be all gone, but each time we drive in or out of the subdivision right now, Aidan and Taylor start pointing out the different colors of trees. I love fall.

Terry and I are comfortable here and feel so blessed.

Pumpkin Patch

We had a Friday night family date night at a popular Fall Harvest pumpkin patch about thirty miles away. We never did buy a pumpkin, but we had lots of fun!

Taylor's Transition

Thought I should share a bit about Taylor since the last few posts were about Aidan.

He misses her when she's at preschool. Unlike Aidan, he's never had to play alone while she's asleep or anything similar. When she's gone, it's weird for him.

I kind of like it. He's clingy, in a good way. Today he asked me to watch cartoons with him and pulled a big blanket over both of us in the oversized chair. He came upstairs with me when I was getting ready and got me a towel for my shower, all on his own. He'll ask 25 times, "Where's Lee Lee?" (that's what he calls her). Then, he answers himself: "She's at 'pee school.'"

These are also the times I notice his growth spurts in different areas. Last week, he got a notepad and pencil and climbed up to the island while I was cleaning the kitchen. He put the pencil to the notepad, looked up at me, and said, "What do you need? Bread? You need eggs?" He started to make a 'list.' I had no idea he even knew what a list was.

The best part of these days is when we go pick up Aidan. Our pickup time happens to be halfway through naptime (I know; it's ridiculous), so we tiptoe in and wake her, then gather all of her things, trying not to talk. Taylor does an awesome job of being quiet around all the sleeping 4 year olds, but my favorite is that every single time Aidan groggily stands up, Taylor gives her a huge hug and whispers (loudly), "Hi, Lee Lee! It's me, Taylor! Hi!" Then they share her leftovers in her lunchbox on the way home. Sure, they'll be fighting over some toy a couple of hours later, but they are glad to see each other for a little while. :-)

Sarcasm

I overslept this morning. It was about 8:05 and I needed to get the kids up and dressed, feed them breakfast, and pack Aidan's lunch in about 15 minutes or less in order to get Aidan to preschool on time. No shower for me as I just threw on some clothes and grabbed a scrunchie to throw in my hair.

I was putting a ponytail in Aidan's hair when she looked at me and said, "Your hair doesn't look berry good."

"Oh, thanks!" I said with sarcasm.

"No, Mommy. I said it doesn't look good."

Laughing inside, I said again, "Oh, thanks!"


She took my face into her hands and said in a serious tone, "Mommy, I said that it does NOT look good. So don't say thanks."

I guess now we know that four years old is too young for sarcasm. Maybe I'll try again tomorrow.

She's my girl

Aidan has had just a bit of trouble at preschool, lately, as far as when I drop her off in the morning, or sitting with someone other than her teacher at lunch. She's a little homesick, I think. Her teacher says she'll be plugging along fine, and then all of a sudden, just get that look on her face which is usually followed by telling her teacher, "I miss my Mommy."

Last Thursday, for the very first time, she absolutely sobbed when I took her into her classroom. We walked in, and instead of telling me bye and going over to the painting center like she usually does, she looked up at me with that bottom lip out, and as soon as I asked her what was wrong, she lost it. I tried to remind her that I come back for her every time and that I'd see her right after her nap, but she just wouldn't let go of my leg. One of the teacher's aides finally had to come over and hold her and try to distract her while I walked out, feeling like the worst parent ever. I'm not working, so should I subject her to that "torture"?

Okay, I know that's not a rational thought when I'm thinking about it under normal circumstances. But I worried all morning and was so relieved when I picked her up and she was just fine.

So Tuesday, I was a bit nervous driving over there because I didn't want it to happen again. She was quiet the whole drive, but when I took her in, the saddest thing I saw was her bottom lip quivering, and then she went to make smiley faces.

Last night, we had some girl time while Terry was at practice and Taylor was in bed, and out of the blue, she said to me, "I was really missing you today at school."

"You were?"

"Yes. I started to go tell my teacher that I missed my Mommy, but then I just told myself, 'I get to see her at the end of the day. When I wake up from my nap, there she'll be.'" She smiled at me.

"That is so great, Aidan," I said to her. "I'm so glad you knew to think that way. Mommy's always going to come back for you."

"I know." A small pause, then she looked at me again. "Mommy, what did you tell yourself when you missed me so much today?"

I just love that kid.

I can't find my camera

anywhere...which is pathetic. Especially since we moved in exactly two weeks ago, and anyone who knows anything would want to excuse me for not finding my camera since there are probably still boxes everywhere, right?? Except that there aren't! We are done. Fully moved in. We still have a few odds and ends to buy, but as far as the boxes thing, any box that is going to get opened and unpacked has already been attacked. Can you believe it? Everything has its place. (I still don't know how that happened so quickly except for the help of my parents!)

And I still can't find my camera to take new pics of the house or the kids in the house. They absolutely adore it, but why wouldn't they? We went from a 900 sq foot apartment for all four of us to a house with a front and a back yard, a trampoline, a place to ride bikes, and a basement catchall playroom for the kids.

I've been searching and searching, and meanwhile, the funniest and cutest things are happening around me. Taylor's latest favorite phrase is, "thasahsum." (that's awesome) We ended up finding about seven or so rubber play balls that he's either never seen or was still taking a bottle the last time I had them out, and he just runs from room to room, tossing it up, watching it bounce, and exclaiming in his gravelly, I'm-trying-to-be-a-big-boy voice, "thasahsum."

Aidan has a friend Ben next door who is almost exactly her age and wants to ride bikes every single evening. We live in a cul-de-sac, and we literally have met almost every other person that lives here, and they all have kids five and under! It's perfect. Around dinner time, it's just crazy loud with all of the bikes, big wheels, and push cars swirling around out in the circle. This past Saturday night, there was a cul-de-sac BBQ, and every day since, Taylor keeps asking where his friends are and if we can go to another party.

Aidan is also loving it, though this morning she told me she thought our room should be hers because it's bigger and has a bathroom inside of it. There is a railing upstairs that overlooks the living room, and sometimes after she's "in bed," she'll come out and whisper down to me or Terry. Last night, it was that she needed a bandaid. I told her I'd bring her one when I came to bed, and she said, "Okay, you just take a few more minutes, there, and I'll be waiting for you right up here. Call me if you need me." Needless to say, she fell asleep and forgot about the Bandaid, but we had a laugh.

We love our house, and so do the kids. As soon as I locate that pesky camera...I'll share it with you.

Disneyland trip

Well, the trip we'd been waiting for and planning for came and went in a whirl, but we had so much fun! We got up at 3 a.m. on Wednesday and left for the airport in Denver, and it seemed like weird hours and long days followed us for some time after that, but it was totally worth it.

We had some incredible luck the first day as we arrived in LA, rented our car, and it was about 9 a.m. We were trying to decide whether to go straight to the park with all of our luggage in the minivan or to try and leave it in a holding room at the hotel. The hotel actually let us check into our two rooms at that time! So we unpacked, changed our clothes, and went to our first day.

I know that the kids, especially Aidan, have been excited to go to Disneyland, but they're young enough that I wasn't positive that they truly understood what it would be like. As soon as we entered the park, all of the characters were out signing autographs, so we stood in line for Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Tigger, and Chip n Dale before they left for a break.

My biggest concern was that Aidan just wanted to see all of the princesses and that maybe we'd have trouble finding them, but they've added a feature at the back of the park that is supposed to look like a palace ampitheatre. Down on stage, they do coronations, princess crafts, and skits. Up at the top of the Ampitheatre, there is a "room" where three princesses wait to sign autographs. It's one on one and quite personal, if quick, but it was the attraction we stood in line for the longest. Of the seven main Disney princesses, Aidan's order of favorites (which can change on any given day) might go like this: Snow White, Ariel, Belle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine, and Mulan. The top four are somewhat interchangeable, so it was just important that one of those be in the "room," but you don't know which ones will be there until you enter. When we finally went around the corner, the very first princess was Cinderella, and Aidan didn't know what to do, I don't think. She had been practicing saying, "May I have your autograph, your Majesty?" but when we got there, she just stood there. The girls that play those princesses are so great, though, with their mannerisms and voices, and she just welcomed "Snow White" over (Aidan had on a Snow White dress). She signed her autograph and took a picture with her. Aidan liked this attraction well enough that we stood in line for it again on our second day.

The kids also loved the parade that evening. If you're like me, you remember the Electric Light Parade, but they've changed it now, and they have elaborate floats that contain the Disney character favorites. That was where Aidan got to see all the princesses at one time. She just knew they were waving and winking at her.

Honestly, before we went, I thought she might be outgrowing the princess phase, but it was so magical for her that I think it's here to stay for a while.

We also went to Huntington Beach, where the kids saw the ocean for the first time. They splashed in the waves, built sandcastles, and Aidan found seashells. The weather was perfect, and then we drove up the Pacific Coast Highway, which, by the way, is incredibly ugly for miles and miles...and we gave up on it before it became pretty.

Overall, the trip was even better than I had imagined, and even Terry said he could see us going there again (this from the person who wanted to just let the grandparents take the kids to Disney while the two of us went to L.A.). We ended our trip by driving up and having lunch in Hollywood before our plane left. We got home super late Saturday night and started packing for our move on Sunday, but that's another entry...

I have too many great pics for one blog post, so I'm adding another bubble photo to the main blog page. Watch for it!

Make no mistake about it...

...Taylor is a big boy, too. Oh, I know it doesn't seem like it in this photo of him sleeping. I make that mistake, too. But, each time I even hint to him that he's my baby, he corrects me.

I have a silly little jingle I've sung to both kids since they were small that is something like, "Aidan," (clap,clap), "Baby girl!" The other day, I turned around in the car and sang it to Taylor (making the appropriate substitutions, of course). He usually laughs, claps with me, and bobs his head to the rythym. Not this time. He said, "Hey! I not a baby! I Taylor." I guess that was the end of that.

We had some friends come into town from Seattle, and they brought their adorable one-year-old girl, Mia. We went to lunch, to the pool, and hung out in our apartment. No matter how many times we told Taylor that her name was Mia,
though, he kept calling her "Baby." "Baby taked a bite of my food!" "Baby's laughing!" "Oh, Baby's crying!" I think he saw her as much smaller than him, but obviously, she wasn't too far behind him.


And then finally, Aidan had her first day of preschool last week, which Taylor handled fine although he kept insisting she was at the doctor. Before we left for school, we took pictures of Aidan with her backpack and lunchbox (posted earlier here). Not to be outdone, Taylor marched over for his photo because, as he said, "I a big boy, too!" He carried his empty backpack in the
car to take her to school, and then he and I came back and played whatever toys he wanted to for a few hours.

Seems to be a theme the last few posts, but I sure don't want him to be a big boy, yet. This is our first chance to hang out, just the two of us, while Aidan's at preschool, and I don't want to rush through that. But hey--he can think he's a big boy if he needs to. I am fully aware that he is still my baby boy!

Aidan's first day of preschool

baby girl

Aidan starts preschool tomorrow. She totally needs it; she needs more enrichment than I seem to be able to give her right now, former teacher or not. She needs something this year before starting Kindergarten next year. But I can't believe it. Everyone knows that your children's, well, childhood goes so fast, but I just can't believe it.

I am nervous for her. I've been prepping her on how to ask a girl or girls if she can sit with them to eat lunch. I've been teaching her how to say her name and ask someone else's. We've been talking about how to handle things on her own that usually Mommy helps her with. And tonight, we packed her lunchbox together and talked about how everything in the lunchbox can go in the trash when she's done except the lunchbox itself. I know that kids can be cruel, even at age four, and I just want her to have a good first day so that she will want to go back on Thursday. I'm anxious, nervous, wanting only the best for my firstborn!

She is not nervous. She is, as she says, "so exciting!" She's been asking me for weeks, "Mommy, how many more days and how many more sleeps till preschool?" She tells me exactly what she'll be doing while she's there, which is actually another concern for me. What if she's totally surprised and they do all different things? Will she react okay? Then I ask her if she understands that it's not a one time thing, this preschool. That she'll be going twice a week. "Yes, Mommy, but only until I am five, because then I will be going to Kindergarten, and that happens every day." Oh, okay.

I even worried about her sleep tonight, knowing that she'd be just too excited to go right to sleep and that she'd come out of her bedroom talking about it five or six times. But I put her to bed on time, and I haven't heard a peep.

Maybe she's more ready than I am?

our soon-to-be abode!

Phew! We found a house! After an excruciating, oh, seven or eight days, we didn't think it was possible, but on the seventh day, it was good!

In all seriousness, it felt like we looked forever and had exhausted all possibilities. Keep in mind that we've been perusing the internet and driving through subdivisions for about a year, now, keeping an eye on our price range and watching for just the right place to open up.

Things did not look good for a while. Needless to say, the price range of the market out here is quite different--higher--than Missouri. That took some adjustment, and then we had to let go of our desire for a ranch with a finished basement unless we wanted to raise our price about 200k more, which we didn't. So once we adjusted to both of those things, we were on our way, but anything we liked that fell into our price range was not in the right school district or something similar.

I can be relentless and obsessive, however, when it comes to something like this, and knowing the neighborhoods that we'd like to live in, I was just driving around constantly. It worked. This house was for sale by owner and did not show up on our realtor's listings, so I sent it to him. Thank goodness! We close on September 22nd.

So I stalk the place, driving by about three times a week, wondering at the possibilities and

imagining scenarios. How long will we be there? Who knows, but there's a great chance that both of our kids will leave for their first day of kindergarten from that very house. We have had the bikes in storage for a year, so hopefully they'll both learn how to ride their bikes there. We will go trick-or-treating this very fall in that lovely neighborhood, and for who knows how many more years?

Admittedly, I am personally quite excited to exit this apartment and have elbow room, to get back my stuff that's been in storage, and to feel like we can finally start living in Colorado, now that we've been here a year. But I'm most excited for my kids. Aidan, who remembers everything, forgot that she owns a bike. I guess it's just been that long since she's seen it. They will have a backyard to play in and tire in and about three times as much space to roam around inside than we have had for a year. Aidan can help me water flowers again, and Taylor can pretend to mow the yard with Daddy. When it gets cold, I can actually tell Aidan yes if she wants to go outside and play in the snow.

I'm not sure how much Aidan remembers of our last house in Missouri, but I know Taylor doesn't remember it at all. So I'm not really sure they actually get how cool it will be to have this house, though we keep telling them. For now, I'll just keep imagining the activities that will take place and the possibilities, but in one month, I'll be able to share them.