My trick-or-treaters

Caleb (Buzz Lightyear) and his neighborhood buddies.

Avery and Presley (Sunshine Bear and Rainbow Bear) and the rest of the 2 years olds, and Jack.

Definitely the warmest Halloween night I've ever known- it was 78 degrees!

Presley, my little dress-up queen, loved her costume.

I thought Avery would have her costume off after 5 minutes - she surprised us!

What a hit! This costume was worth ALL the ebay hassle!



"View from above" and the "examination of goods."


We couldn't keep up with Buzz Lightyear as he zoomed from house to house with his friends. It was quite comical more than once, when his friend Nathan in the fire truck costume fell down and couldn't get up without help! We decided we better put the girls in the stroller so we wouldn't be to far behind Caleb. It was a pleasant surprise to see them both get into the whole idea of walking up to strangers for candy. Avery would climb back in the stroller and after looking in her bag, she'd exclaim, "candy!" I let them hold their own little bags of M&M's and eat them ALL when we got home. They were so excited, they forgot about the rest of their candy. Only something a two-year-old would do.

Birthday girls!

Two years old! "Bunny ears" and "rock on" - they each preferred showing their two fingers differently. In fact, being "different" has been a running theme lately for them. They have become very distinct, unique little personalities. And believe me, they each have their own two-year-old behaviors that we love and behaviors that we DO NOT LOVE. But, maybe more about that on a future blog.

Presley loved her birthday crown and earrings and has really not taken it off since her birthday. Avery wore her crown for a minute or two and then promptly wanted it "off" and hasn't asked about it since. I also got them some dress-up shoes. Presley wanted to walk around in them and Avery tried to run in them.

Another thing that has been so entertaining the last couple months is to watch them interact with each other. They can carry on a conversation with one another for quite a long time. I can usually catch one or two things they are saying, but most of it is two-year-old jargon that only they can understand. Today Avery ate an afternoon snack without Presley because she woke up earlier from her nap. I got Avery down from her chair after eating and told her to go play. She took off into the other room but then after a few steps she turned around and said "Presley awake?" At two years old they are definitely each other's world. I hope that lasts a while.

We finally made it to the beach!

Every Saturday for the last month I have been checking the forecast for the coast, and every Saturday looked like rain - a good chance of it. Well, I finally made up my mind (for all of us) that even if it looked like rain, we would brave our chances. I really wanted my kids to experience the beach, and we'd been telling Caleb for so long that we would go, I think he stopped believing us a while ago.
So, it did prove to be far from a "perfect weather" day at the beach. It was windy and in the 70's and there was definitely some chattering of teeth. However, it didn't start pouring rain until AFTER we were under a little gazebo thing changing our wet clothes.

Two out of three enjoyed the water. Avery was unsure of it coming at her and covering her toes. Sand activities proved to be okay, but not for long. She spent most her time in the chair or on the towel.

Presley loved the water and hung out with dad and Caleb most of the time.

And Caleb just loved it all - birds, seashells, sand, waves...everything.

Some memorable moments I didn't get to document: dad squirting the sand off of a very naked Caleb (one of the advantages of going to the beach at the end of September on a rainy day - not very many people around!) and eating the picnic lunch I packed at a table in a McDonalds on the way home, because it was pouring rain outside.

Some sunshine in July

And no, I'm not referring to the weather. So far, the month of July for us has been a little out of the ordinary, and a bit challenging. However, amidst the rockiness came grandma, and like this picture illustrates, she made it a lot more sunny around here. We love you grandma and are so glad you came to stay!

Taking turns

"What day is it tomorrow mom?"

I took this picture at Caleb's end-of- the-year gathering for his preschool class. He's standing with his two great teachers, Mrs. Dunston and Mrs. Johnson, his best friend Kate and her little sister Lizzie.

For the last nine months Tuesday and Thursday mornings for Caleb have been filled to the brim with fun activities! His preschool experience has been so positive for him and now as we head into summer, it will be strange to not hear his favorite question "What day is it tomorrow mom?" He has mastered the days of the week, but loses track of where we're at. So the regularity of the Tuesday, Thursday school schedule has helped him out. He has also really enjoyed having a calendar of his "days" at school to look at on the fridge, so he could anticipate the changing themes as the week went by.

Some '08-'09 preschool memories worth making a note of:

Most favorite, frequent, brief and to the point response, when asked what he did that day at preschool - "played".

Aaron vividly recollects the first time he dropped Caleb off and watched him walk right in and on to his classroom by himself. The kind of thing that really makes you wonder how four years can fly by so fast!

He always told us who wasn't there that particular day, and for a while he even got into a habit of praying (or having us pray) for the missing one(s).

Caleb definitely had a favorite friend - Kate is his #1.

Holding his artwork up for Avery and Presley to see and saying "Look girly girlies!"

Getting to know the class mascot, Purple Bear, when he stayed with us over the weekend. Then hearing from Caleb that while at a fellow classmates home, the stuffed animal got caught in a house fire, and had gotten singed on the backside! (Mom and dad had a hard time keeping straight faces).

At the beginning of the year we got a note from his teachers telling us that show-and-tell should correspond with the calendar and what they were going to talk about for the day. So, we always made a point to come up with something clever and fitting. (For example, one day Aaron even brought Jack, our dog in to show the kids because they were talking about the 5 senses - soft fur, barking, etc.) However, it seemed that whenever Caleb told us what the other kids brought for show and tell, it was merely their favorite toy. Our efforts didn't go unnoticed though; at the end of the year Caleb received a reward for "having awesome show-and-tell items and a kind heart." And who cares about the show-and-tell part, when the other part says so much about how your child has been enjoyed by other people!

One FULL day

Last Friday morning we were in the car by 8:10 (hard to do) and off to the zoo. The hour and a half drive flew by for Caleb, who enjoyed the dvd player in the car for the first time since we bought the van. (Yes, we kept it a secret for a year and a half!) Toy Story and eating breakfast kept the girls busy for a while, but at about and hour and 10 minutes they had had enough. I know, pretty sad - we really are not a car trip kind of family quite yet.

It was a pretty humid day and mom and dad got a workout pushing the strollers (double jogger and umbrella) around, plus the hotdogs were the worst. However, things like seeing the girls faces light up when they recognized the elephants and getting to see Caleb experience the gorilla right on the other side of the glass made EVERYTHING worth it.

Yes, by this point we were tired and ready to climb into an air-conditioned car (especially when it entailed getting to hold onto blanky's and binks).

What do you do when it hits 90 degrees in May?

This:

a new thing

Since the middle of March I've been preoccupied with a new thing. Something I've never really done before, with the exception of my tomato and watermelon plants that got a little out of control last summer. No sprawling vines and squishy tomatoes this year though, thanks to the "square foot" gardening method. The creation of the garden boxes is more Aaron's doing than mine (although the nagging to get them done was of course my thing.) I've planted spinach and lettuce, carrots and broccoli, sugar snap peas, beans, cucumbers, basil, tomatoes, peppers, and marigolds (supposedly keep the tomatoes and peppers healthy). I've had to uproot my broccoli because it got too hot too quick and my spinach and lettuce don't like the heat either, but we've already had a few salads with the greens and everything else seems to be doing well. It's sooooo fun to walk outside and go down the steps of my deck every day and see the constant change happening!

Easter '09

Unsupervised

The other day I came downstairs after a few minutes of leaving these two "unsupervised" and I found this. They had pulled the entire bottom part of the dishwater out onto the floor and were having a great time. As you can see, Avery was very concerned about getting it put back together again and Presley was very proud of herself. She even attempted to explain things when I asked her what they were doing.

A realization

As I was getting everyone out of the car to go into the grocery store, a woman walked past me and made a comment about how I must have my hands full with "three kids". I just smiled, like I try to do every time someone notices us and says something. Yes, most of the time I do have my hands full, and I often wonder how my mother did anything with five kids, or better yet, how anyone does anything with more than three. But I've had a few opportunities lately where I've "seen the light" as to how it's done.

On our way out of the library the other day I decided not to fight with putting my girls back in the stroller. (I usually let them out toward the end of our visit to ease the screaming.) I told Caleb to take Presley's hand and I took Avery's and we all walked up to the front together. I remember looking over my shoulder at the sight of the two of them following me - wow, imagine that! I have also noticed lately that at least two of them and sometimes all three will find something creative and fun to do together at home. Sometimes it turns destructive or someone gets hurt, but for the most part it's actual "playing together" time that I don't even have to supervise. So I can get a quick chore done, check my email, finish the dishes, etc. And just last night, dad was absent for bedtime, so I suggested Caleb sit on the chair and "read" to the girls while I finish some last minute things. They all sat there for a good 5 minutes, very content and quiet!

My realization consists of the fact that older siblings can assist and even substitute for the parent. I think I've always known this in the back of my head, but until it's you having the experience, it doesn't really matter what you think you know. And the really good news is that Caleb's not even 4 1/2 years old - look how much time he has to get better at it! I recognize I am fortunate to have a 4 year old son who is cooperative and sweet most of the time and two girls who like to be manageable half of the time, so that helps.

My mom always says we were good kids growing up. I guess that's why she had five!

Recent favorites of my growing girls

The calm (and smile) before the high-pitch scream. Sharing things is becoming a real challenge for them. They both love to voice their discontent with one another by screaming at the top of their lungs when something is not going their way. We now have two stools side by side in this bathroom.

Avery is becoming quite the dare-devil, adventurous girl. She loves being outside and trying anything new. The other day at the park she following Caleb down a hill and scraped herself up pretty good.

Hooray for the binki clip that Avery has finally decided is "pretty" and will wear to bed! She's sporting Caleb's safety goggles.

The joy of self-feeding with a bowl and spoon! Presley loves it, mom doesn't.

The highs and lows of March

At the beginning of the month we said goodbye to my sister Megan, who came to stay for a week (and one extra day due to the crazy snowstorm!) all the way from Italy. In Megan's words: "My decision to come visit Renae and the kids was one of those last minute, are-you-sure kind of decisions but it was so good for me. We enjoyed ourselves not really doing much other than being a mom and an aunt, but that in itself explains it all. Book reading, shoe strapping, snack feeding, nose wiping, song singing, french toast making, diaper changing, laundry folding."

We adore aunt Megan!

We've definitely experienced some ups and downs this month with the weather. March began as a white wonderland and was quickly replaced by 70 degree weather!

Aaron and Caleb enjoyed the snow for a long time that first day. Yes, Aaron had the day off because no one goes anywhere when it looks like this.

Caleb got left behind a few times when Aaron was running him around the yard on the sled.

Only a few days later Caleb and I took some pictures of ourselves out in the sunshine. (Caleb is getting pretty good with the camera!) The purple bear is Caleb's preschool mascot that spent a few days with us. We were trying to be creative with "Happy" bear so we could provide some fun pictures and an account of his experience with us. Oh, and we were also flying the kite that Caleb had made at school (a grocery bag and streamers).