Not Exactly the Jonas Brothers

Such a Big Boy!

I don't know if it's Ryan's new haircut or what, but all of a sudden he seems like such a big boy to me. It's almost as if my baby has disappeared over the last couple of weeks and I didn't even notice it.

Ryan took his first steps about a month ago while I was in New York. Every day he toddles around a little more, but over the last few days, three different people have exclaimed "He's walking!" Part of me thinks, "Well, yeah. He's been doing that," but it hit me last night that he's walking more than he's crawling now. When did THAT happen??

Ryan has also been drinking from a sippy cup lately. We're giving him a mix of about 95% water and 5% juice, but he loves it. It's just kind of strange to give him a "real" cup instead of a bottle during the day. And when we do give him a bottle, he doesn't want any help with it. He holds it all by himself. Oh! And he's started to point to whatever he wants - especially food!

I think the thing that's really bringing home how big my boy is getting is the fact that his babbles are starting to make sense. He's been saying "Mama" and "Da!" for awhile, but lately Duane and I are pretty sure we're hearing other words. The other day Ryan saw a picture of a chicken and I'm almost positive he said "Bawk bawk!" I've thought I heard him say "more," "yes," and our favorite, "hot dog." Duane and I both heard what sounded like "hot dog" - although we think it was what Mickey Mouse says on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and not referring to the food. Although with Ryan, you never can tell. When did he stop being a little baby?

Play Ball

We went to a minor league baseball game with the H. family last night. They had tickets for a suite, so we sat through half the game in style. It was only half the game because that's all the longer Colin and Wesley could stand it. We had hot dogs, cotton candy, funnel cake fries (even Wesley liked those) and peanuts. I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story because I have come down with a summer cold and feel pretty medicated (which means slightly loopy and not very creative)

Dive In!

I was either a brave mommy or a really good mommy today, depends how you look at it. I took both boys to the pool by myself! Amazing isn't it? Even more amazing is that it went very well. It's like all the stars were aligned for a good pool day.

We went to the "regular" pool, not the water park because I felt pretty sure I could handle the boys there. The water was the warmest it's been on our visits (80 degrees) and we even found some lounge chairs in the shade. SCORE!

I picked up some cheap pool toys at Target this week, so we played with those and Wesley even shared with some other boys and girls at the pool. Wesley spent most of his time being a cat. He's bring me the fish shaped pool toys and I throw them so he could fetch them. Before I knew it, we had about 5 other kids wanting to be cats and fetch "kitty treats" out of the water. I'm not sure if it was because our game was so awesome, or because I was the only parent actually playing in the water. Doesn't matter though, Wesley did really well with all the other kids.

Ryan actually stayed in the water today. He walked and walked around the edge and played with a little alien pool toy we bough. He didn't even cry the couple of times he kind of dunked himself. He'd just stand up and do it again!

I took some special snacks to the pool with us, but I think I'm getting a taste of what it's going to be like to have two teenage boys down the road. They haven't stopped eating since we got home! They ate their snacks at the pool and since we got home Wesley has had a piece of cheese, some peanut butter on crackers, some cheese flavored crackers, some juice and I think he's about to ask me for something else. Ryan ate some cheese, a TON of yogurt puffs and is trying to mooch some cheese crackers from his brother. I fear the grocery bill in 12 years!

We're Still Here

Sorry I've been pretty quiet this week. It's been a crazy and exhausting week! Most of my time has been spent on Facebook campaigning to save Ohio libraries. I won't go into all the details here, but if you live in Ohio you need to be aware of what's going on (http://www.saveohiolibraries.com/)

That being said, I have a couple of days off work, so I ought to have time to blog now. I really love how this summer is working out. I've had to take quite a bit of time off work, but it's really fun to hang out with the boys.

Take today for example. Ryan woke up at 6:30. That's his usual time, but I really wish he'd learn to sleep in a little. No real problem though. Wesley and I spent part of the morning baking cookies to take to Grandma H. We also gave some to the guys who were putting new siding on our house. I have to say, Wesley is turning into quite a good baker.

We spent most of the day at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s house. It was so nice to have a visit of just us. I could really tell that Grandma and Grandpa have missed the kids. They were ALL over them!

So How Worried Should I Be About This?

"I will name him George, and I will hug him and pet him and squeeze him..."

Happy Father's Day

Some people may think of Father's Day as a "Hallmark Holiday," but I think those folks must be jaded. I love Father's Day because it's a day for me to show the three best dads in the world how incredibly special they are. The only thing I don't like about Father's Day is trying to communicate how much my dad, my step-dad, and the father of my boys all mean to me. I've decided to do a "top 5" list of special dad memories for each one - the things I think about first when I think of these wonderful men.

My dad - AKA: Daddy-o, Grandpa P.

1. Halloween while growing up. In my mind, Halloween will forever be linked to my dad. Even though I know he and my mom took turns taking us door to door, when I think of trick-or-treating I can only think of him standing at the end of the sidewalk waiting for us to return with our treats. I think of him digging around in the bags of candy - supposedly to check and see what we got, but really putting rocks from the "goblins" in there. I think of him trying to get my brother and I to give him all of our peanut butter cups. I think of going to the school he was principal at and helping with the annual haunted house. And of course, I think of that one Halloween he scared the socks off us by putting on the scariest mask and the world, lighting a candelabra and knocking on the windows from the outside!
2. Our Fridays. When I was in college and grad school there seemed to be a lot of Fridays that I didn't have classes or didn't have to work. My dad was retired by then and we spent almost every Friday together. It's not that we did anything out of the ordinary - most of the time we ran errands, grabbed some lunch and then watched tv together - but we spent the day together. We talked and laughed and listened to music. We'd go to Hallmark and laugh at the cards until tears ran down our faces. We'd go to Target and be joking around so much that the cashier would say, "I wish my dad and I laughed like that!" (do you remember that, Dad?) It was just "our time" and I loved it!
3. Pool nights. When my brother and I were kids, we spent a lot of summer days at the pool with our mom. But every now and then we'd go to the pool as a family in the evening. I love to think of my dad swimming around and playing with us in the water. I only have vague memories of this, because it didn't happen all the time, but it was the BEST when it did.
4. Christmas cookies. For years my dad and I would have a special Christmas cookie day. Sometimes it was just the two of us, sometimes we were joined by other people - my grandma, my step-mom, my nephew - but no matter how many people were there, we had a great time. Dad and I would carefully plan out what to make and who would buy what. We'd play Christmas music and spend lots of time sampling the goods. The cookies would be stored in the Florida room (where we had easy access to them) and it was a wonderful day.
5. Absolute, unconditional love. Of course, the number one thing I think about when I think of my dad is total and unconditional love. I have never for one moment of my life doubted that my father loves me. Even when I messed up, he was able to forgive me and never held it over my head. I don't think I ever heard, "I told you so," just wonderful words like, "I love you," "I'm proud of you," and "Nice job, Punky." When I think of all the ballet recitals, piano recitals, cheerleading events, choir concerts and more that he sat through without a word of complaint, I feel an overwhelming rush of love. I always KNEW he'd be in the audience - there was never any question - and I always wanted to do my best for him. Even now, at 35 years old, there is nothing better than hearing him say he is proud of me and to feel his arms around me in a big hug.

Then we have my step-dad - AKA Tom, Ralph, Grandpa H.

1. One of my first memories of Tom is when he and my mom started to date. The whole thing felt really really weird and I had no idea what to call him. He told me I could call him Tom, Mr. H. or Ralph - but if I called him Ralph, he got to call me Fred. Those particular nicknames have stuck for twenty some years now, but what a gift he gave to a confused teenager at the time. It really put me at ease.
2. Camping in Algonquin. This was one of the most miserable camping trips I have ever taken in my entire life! It was freezing cold, it was raining, I was severely carsick. Plus, I was kind of snot during the trip and I'm pretty sure I made everyone else as miserable as I was. Tom never once gave me a hard time during the trip. He did everything in his power to turn it into something wonderful and that's how we think of it now.
3. Stuffing and sloppy joes. I think one of the hardest things about a blended family is figuring out which traditions from each family make it into the new one. Food is no small part of that. Tom makes the most AMAZING stuffing - it is my absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving and he always makes extra for me. Same with sloppy joes. I hated the way Tom made sloppy joes when he and my mom first got together - not because they were bad, but because they were different. But now, they are my favorite!
4. Stealing bites of the holiday ham/turkey. Another holiday tradition Tom and I have has to do with the meal. No matter what we are having, I tend to hover around the counter while Tom carves/slices it. I always steal little pieces and he always swats at my hand. It's just what we do and I think we'd be disappointed if it happened any other way.
5. What I think about most when I think about Tom though is the way he shows me he loves me. Tom has NEVER tried to replace my dad. He always let my mom set the rules when we were growing up, never asked us to call him dad and was pretty content to stay in the background when an occasion arose where my dad should have first billing. But he was there and never complained. He has supported me in everything I have tried and I love him for it.

And finally, Duane, my amazing husband and a fabulous dad to the boys. I'm going to focus my 5 moments on his interactions with the kids and not about us as a couple.

1. When the boys were each born, Duane never left my side at the hospital. He got up in the middle of the night and changed diapers, he helped when I had trouble with breast feeding, he fetched the boys to and from the nursery. Seeing a tiny baby in Duane's big strong arms, I knew that my little guys would always be protected and safe. Duane doesn't cry, but the births of our sons certainly brought out a whole new range of emotions.
2. Covered in yuck. Wesley has always had a sensitive tummy and more than once Duane has found himself on the receiving end of some projectile vomiting. He never complains about it. His first instinct is always about the sick child and making them feel better before he worries about himself.
3. Bedtime. Duane has completely taken over the bedtime routine in our house. He gives the baths, tucks the boys in and reads the stories. I am so happy that Wesley and Ryan each get a little special one on one time with their dad every day!
4. Sucking it up for the boys. Duane doesn't love going to the pool - but he does it as a special thing for the boys. Whether it's a show on tv, or getting a certain pizza topping because it's the only one Wesley will eat without complaint, or missing the sermon most Sundays while he takes the kids to church school, Duane puts the boys happiness first.
5. Playtime. I LOVE to watch Duane play with the boys. They rough house and wrestle, they play Candyland and match game. He tosses them in the air and spins them around. And I know I look at him with total love and adoration that he brings such happiness to our kids.

Splash!

We spoiled ourselves by going to the waterpark that is part of the pool system we belong to. WOW!!! It's going to be awfully hard to go anyplace else now.

Quality Family Time

Wesley and Ryan spent part of last night playing "Baby Truck" Mommy likes this game a lot more since Ryan becomes steadier on his feet each day.

Duane was home with the boys today and must have done something to wear them out. They rarely both sleep at the same time.

The rest of the pictures are pool and playground highlights from tonight.

The Ry-baby

I feel like the blog has been all about Wesley lately, so here are a few Ryan highlights.

Ryan can take anywhere from 2 to 4 steps at a time before falling onto his tushie, but for pure speed he prefers to crawl. And he is REALLY fast!

This little boy is a seriously big chow hound. He'll pretty much eat anything that doesn't eat him first. He is a true carnivore though. He loves ground beef, chicken, ribs, you name it!

We try not to let him watch too much TV, but he really likes Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. As soon as he hears Mickey's voice, his whole face lights up. Here's a picture of him totally absorbed in his favorite show.

Ryan gets into EVERYTHING! He is always opening and closing door and drawers. He picks stuff up off the floor and pops it into his mouth. He climbs. All things that Wesley never really did.

Ryan also loves trucks. We have a little stash of Wesley's trucks (that he has never really played with too much) that Ryan gets into on a daily basis.

He's also a little ball player. It is not uncommon for him to get a ball out of the toy box and either roll it back and forth with you, or chase it around like a cat.

He absolutely adores Wesley and wants to do what his big brother is doing at all times.

Ryan is just starting to discover books. Wesley was a big reader even before he was sitting up by himself. Not the case with Ryan, but he's getting there.

Ryan and I love to crawl around the dining room table and chase each other. It's gotten to the point where all I have to do is growl his name "Rrrrrrryan!" and he comes racing to the table to play.

Enjoying a Sick Day

Is it wrong to enjoy a day you have to take off because your child is sick? Well, if it's wrong, I'm not sure I want to be right.

Wesley came down with a yucky fever last night. He went back and forth from hot to cold, wouldn't eat and all he wanted to do was sleep. The two of us were camped out in the big red bed by 8:00 while Daddy spent the evening with Ryan downstairs. Wesley is so cuddly when he doesn't feel well so I was happy to curl up on the bed with him.

He's been a bit better so far today. He is still running a fever, but it's lower than last night and we have had the golden Tylenol moments. You know, the period of time after you give the medicine when the fever is under control and he's in a really good mood. We've read books and played Candyland and watched TV. Possibly the best part of it all is that Wesley hasn't been yelling at Ryan today. I know it's because he doesn't feel well, but it almost seems like a fair trade to me.

Ryan and I have had some quality time when Wesley naps. The littlest guy have read books, and crawled around the table chasing each other and played with cars. We've done a fair amount of wrestling and banging on toys with paint brushes too. Like I said, I'm kind of enjoying the sick day - but I hope Wesley feels better soon!

Not Me Monday

Following the lead of My Charming Kids, it's another "Not Me Monday"

I would never have adopted the official Mom stance at the pool - sitting on the side and just dipping your feet in the water. And when I did get in the water, there's no way I did the Mom Swim where you don't get your hair wet. Nope, not me.

I did not practically weep with gratitude when my amazing sister-in-law stepped in to us out of our babysitting crisis this summer. That would have been over emotional.

And there is no way I spent the afternoon worrying that said sister-in-law would change her mind after Wesley and his cousin fought all morning!

I know that I would never ever feel guilty for at least part of every day for not taking care of my mom - even if she has my step-dad home and my aunt staying with her. It would be silly for me to feel that way, right?

I couldn't have been jealous that Duane "got" to stay home with the kids on a rainy day when I had to go to work. That would have been silly - especially since I get to spend plenty of time home with them this summer.

There's no way I would have compared my youngest son to a stubborn squirrel I watching in my mom's backyard. And there's REALLY no way that I said, "I bet that little guy is giving his mommy squirrel grey hair!"

I don't secretly love it when Ryan cries as I leave him for the day. Nope. Not me.

Good Kind of Exhausted

I am totally and completely beat right now - and today has been worth every single bit of exhaustion that I'm feeling. It's been one of those days that I want to lock up in my memory and revisit whenever I'm feeling a little down. It was that good!

It started off with me feeling particularly domestic and actually fixing a family breakfast for us - something that's usually reserved for the holidays. I made chocolate chip pancakes with fresh fruit and chocolate syrup. OK, maybe it wasn't exactly health food, but it was delicious and all four of us enjoyed it.

After breakfast we headed up to the suburb where I work to hit the farmer's market. We walked around all the vendors and made a few choice purchases: a beautiful fresh tomato, some green onions for Grandma H., a basil plant for our porch, a cookie for Wesley, a hanging basket for Grandma H. and the most delicious white colby cheese I have ever eaten. Even Wesley loves this cheese. In fact, when I gave him a sample he scarfed it down and begged for another. We saw some of my co-workers and our pastor and all kinds of friendly furry animals. If we lived close enough, I'd go there every single weekend.

We spent a couple hours with Grandma and Grandpa H. too. We haven't really had a good long visit since her surgery and this fit the bill perfectly. Wesley was pretty good about not climbing on Grandma too much, but he certainly didn't want to let her out of his sight. I'm pretty sure he's been going through withdraw.

When we left Grandma and Grandpa H.'s, we headed to my nephew Aaron's graduation party. I can't believe he has graduated high school! Aaron was born when I was in high school, so it feels a little surreal that he's so grown up. We had a fabulous time at the party. I know Grandma P. and Aunt Paula worked their poor little tails off getting ready for the bash and it showed. Everything was perfect - the food, the company, the weather - everything!

Wesley's favorite thing to do at Uncle Stacey and Aunt Paula's is to head to the Man Cave. There are only two rules in the Man Cave - no tooting and no belching! I can't begin to describe this place other than a true guy paradise. Huge TV, a bar, leather couches, darts, a popcorn machine, a pool table and (Wesley's favorite) a slot machine - complete with plenty of quarters to pop in it. I'm pretty sure Wesley would be content to live there and he certainly makes himself completely at home. I just hope that Uncle Stacey has a Super Bowl party sometime soon so I can enjoy the Man Cave without guilt!

While Wesley was busy getting in touch with his inner cave man, Ryan was busy charming the guests on the patio. The most important guest in Ryan's eyes was not the graduate. Nope. It was the neighbor's sweet cat named Mia. Miss Mia is not the least bit shy and she made sure she was the center of attention for the duration of the party. Forget Aaron! I'm pretty sure this was Mia's shindig. The best part about Mia is that she is so very wonderful with kids. Ryan was quite taken with her and she didn't care how much he tried to pet her.

One more reason to love Uncle Stacey's house is that he understands the importance of having popsicles on hand for the kids that come by the house. Every child that set foot in the yard was given a popsicle to enjoy. And enjoy it Ryan did! His very first popsicle. Lucky kid!

Wesley spent most of the evening playing with the kids from next door. The whole family was so nice and opened their yard, playset and pet rabbit up to other kids at the party. I think Wesley spent at least half of the evening next door having a great time with his new friends. He even climbed into the rabbit pen to visit with the rabbit!

I even got to have a bit of a "rock star" moment at the party. At one point I was running around the yard chasing the kids (the oldest of which was about 6). We had a great time playing "catchem" but I'm a bit out of shape and not getting any younger. After a while I had to sit down at one of the tables and take a break. While I was catching my breath, I heard one of the boys say to Wesley, "Go get your mom and see if she'll play!" I have to tell you, that was the BEST feeling!

Now it's approaching bedtime for the guys. I hope today was as much for them as it was for me.

Read Me a Story

Because I am a children's librarian, I'm sure a lot of you are surprised that I don't write more posts about books. Wesley is a HUGE bookworm and has been since he was only a few months old. As Wesley approaches his fourth birthday (still a couple of months to go) I am constantly amazed by how much he enjoys reading and playing with letters and rhyming sounds.

Today Wesley wanted to take his "word pizzas" to Grandma and Grandpa P.'s. The "word pizzas" are actually simple three card puzzles that spell three letter words. Wesley likes to dump them all out and ask you what kind of pizza he should make. If you say "a car pizza" he'll look for the cards that spell the word "car" and make a picture of it. There's something like 12 or 15 different words in the set and he'll play this game over and over and over.

We listened to "The Cat in the Hat" on audiobook during our drive today too. When the story was over, we spent the rest of the drive coming up with rhyming words. Some of them were real words and some were nonsense, but they all made him laugh.

We just finished reading part of a book of fairy tales. Tonight we read The Gingerbread Boy, Hansel and Gretel, The Little Red Hen, The Three Little Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to share those classic tales with my little boy. I sometimes worry that kids of today will grow up not knowing those tales so it gives me such pleasure to watch Wesley enjoy them. As I am typing this, Wesley is sitting on the couch playing with his alphabet puzzles. He makes words and matches letters and talks about words that start with each letter.

It makes me so proud to watch his love of books and language grow. Books and literature have always been such a big part of my life. I hope they prove to be lifelong friends of my little boy too. I hope he continues to read for fun. I hope he has a drive to learn. I hope he writes to express himself - poetry, songs, stories - something to capture the incredible imagination that he has. I want so much for my little boy, but a love of books and reading is one of the greatest gifts I could give him.

NOT Pregnant

What is it about me that makes people think I am pregnant. Yesterday I weighed myself and discovered I was at my lowest weight in months. I put on a cute dress, went to work and got asked if I was pregnant. Today I got ready for work and Wesley asked me if I had "a Ryan" in my tummy. UGH!!! I guess it's a good thing my Pilates class starts in a couple of weeks.

Pool Party

I took Wesley to our "new pool" yesterday. We decided to get a membership at the community pool in one of the suburbs near us and Wesley and I made a trial run while Duane stayed home with a sleeping Ryan. The suburb we went to has three pools and we just went to one of the basic ones - not the fancy waterpark. It was perfect for me and Wesley!

Since it was rest period Wesley and I picked out some lounge chairs in a shady spot on the grass. I wish I had had my camera with me - Wesley stretched out on the chair and put his hands behind his head like a little movie star! As soon as the whistle blew, we made our way to the water. The sign said the water was 75 degrees, but it felt FREEZING! That didn't slow Wesley down one little bit. He hurried down the steps with the biggest smile on his face. I was much slower getting into the water, but once my teeth stopped chattering, we had fun.

Wesley wanted to do races in the water so we'd "run" back and forth from side to side. They had big foam animals, so Wesley swam on the alligator too. He even jumped from the side of the pool into my arms a bunch of times, which is something he had trouble doing in swim class.

If there was any doubt in my mind that Wesley really liked the pool (and there wasn't) it would have disappeared when he announced, "This is a great pool! I want to do this every day!" Or maybe the song he was singing tipped me off. It went: "There's a party at the pool! So cool! So cool!"

By the way, you know you go to a yuppie pool when there are only a handful of kids in the shallow end and TWO of them are named Harrison.

Just Like Daddy

Wesley and I were riding in the van yesterday, when I heard him say "I have hair just like Daddy." Now, Daddy has not exactly been blessed with thick hair, so I turned to ask Wesley what he meant. I found him stroking the fine hairs on his arm. "See? Like Daddy!"

If You Give a Baby Lasagna

Last Day of "Staycation"

Can you really call it a staycation if you spend a lot of your time running around?

The kids and I tried to make the most of my last day off work for awhile. After I fed the boys their breakfast (which is no small feat these days since Ryan eats a MOUNTAIN of food) we called Aunt Cathy and Kei to see if they wanted to play today.

We went to a park near us so the boys could feed the ducks and the fish. I don't think I've ever seen a sleeve of crackers disappear so fast! And no, Ryan didn't eat them. Kei and Wesley fed them all to the animals. Kei got nipped by a goose, but he was fine. Besides, you know what they say, "No harm, no 'fowl' Sorry. That was too easy of a pun to pass up.

After the boys were a dirty, smelly mess (as a three year old and a five year old are going to be a the park) we took the troops over to the North Market for lunch. Ryan continued to amaze Aunt Cathy with the amount of food he can put away and Wesley ate almost two HUGE pieces of pizza. We topped off lunch with some Jeni's ice cream. Wesley and Kei had strawberry buttermilk, while Ryan and Cathy shared my trio of wildberry lavender, lime cardamom, and backyard mint.

From the market, we headed over to pick up our pool passes. I think Wesley was a little disappointed we didn't go for a swim today, but I like it to be in the 80's before I put on a bathing suit! Since this is a new pool for us, I was relieve to see the baby pool was large, shaded and not too deep. I think I could handle both boys there by myself - which means more pool time this summer.

We also hung out at Grandma and Grandpa H.'s to wait for the microwave repair man. Rumor has it that Grandma may be released today, but she's still battling a lot of nausea, so I'd be surprised. Just in case, Wesley left her a "welcome home" masterpiece on the door to the garage.

Now we're home for the evening, with lasagna in the oven and Dora on the tv. Not a bad way to end the staycation.

Vocabulary Lesson

Setting: a kitchen in central Ohio.
Time: 7:30 AM
The Scene: A thirty something mom, with a baby in her arms, goes to the sink to rinse out a coffee cup.

Mom: sees a large bug in the sink and gasps/shrieks loudly

Wesley: Mommy? What's wrong?

Mom: There was a big bug in the sink and it startled me.

Wesley: What does 'startled' mean?

Mom: It means 'surprised.'

The Scene: in the living room about half an hour later

Wesley: gasps loudly and points to the wall

Mom: What's wrong?

Wesley: There's a pretend worm on the wall and it startled me.

Great Day!

This has turned into a great day. My wonderful, amazing, and all-too-cool sister in law is going to watch the boys two days a week this summer!!!!! Melissa used to watch Wesley and he LOVED going to Aunt Melissa's! I couldn't be happier with the way things worked out.

In addition to that wonderful news, I had a "Super Mom" day. You know, one of those days when everything just seems to click and I don't need to have the 42 inch babysitter on. I made a pie, bathed Wesley, made the beds, put laundry away, got both kids fed meals at a reasonable time, did the dishes, took the boys to COSI and even had a chance for all three of us to take afternoon naps! Definitely a Super Mom day!

The boys had such a great time at COSI. Wesley was very understanding when I told him that since it was just Mommy today, I'd have to stay with Ryan. Wesley played with the two of us the whole time and even brought Ryan toys. He was such a great help to me today. He listened to me and played well and was just so good. I hope tomorrow goes as well.