I have to steal a post from my cousin, Erin, and share the most amazing blog I have found in a while. Be careful, you can get sucked in and spend hours going through the history of posts!
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Monday, September 8, 2008
School Daze
It is time for school to start. My babies! My babies are starting school tomorrow. It is only part-time preschool and they won't really start school for a few years but this is the first step and it is going to snowball from here.
I'm so excited for them. I think they are going to love their program. They are joining a nice little local preschool three days a week. Taryn and I took Aidan and Amanda to their school a couple of weeks ago to meet the teacher and tour the school. It was love at first sight. I hope I'm not disappointed.
We had an appointment with the school director and the class teacher at 10. The school was so cute. When we walked in to the building we walked into a main entry area with a large side room of 4 and 5 year olds (I'd guess). We walked straight through the kitchen area to a large classroom for the 3 year olds. There was a group of probably a half-dozen kids sitting in tiny chairs facing an assistant teacher who was going through the time, date and weather. It was adorable. After learning that it was Friday, August 29th, 2008, one of the kids went running to the window to update the class on the weather. He informed the class that it was a sunny day. I couldn't help but smile. Aidan and Amanda were invited to sit with the class while I spoke with the teacher, Ms. Jane. Amanda immediately ran and grabbed a seat in the row. Aidan was a bit more hesitant and stayed in the back for a moment (which was exactly what I predicted). Aunt Taryn helped him put a seat at the end of the row so he could sit near the group. One of the other little boys got so excited and started moving his chair. The assistant teacher asked him where he was going and the little boy stated quite clearly that he wanted to go sit by "him" and pointed at Aidan. He moved his chair and sat next to his new friend. The new friendship did not have an opportunity to grow because it was time for the class to go outside for playtime. The group lined up and headed outside.
After the group was gone, we received a bit of a tour of the room. There was an area for the lunch boxes, nap cots and daily supplies from home. Aidan wanted to take another little boy's lunch box. I explained that it was for someone else and we'd have to get him one. He was so excited at the thought of getting his own lunchbox. The teacher then introduced the class pet, marshmallow, the bunny. The kids were a bit intimidated by this giant fluffball in a cage but they did seem to like to look at him. While Ms. Jane and I were discussing details, the kids were able to play with a giant sand/water table that was full of uncooked elbow macaroni. They had a bunch of different scoops and tools to play with. They thought it was super cool! It is hard to do the school justice with the brief discription but it was definitely everything I imagined.
After finishing the classroom tour and program overview, we toured the rest of the school. They have a great outside area with different toys and play areas for the different age groups. They have a nice hill on the side of the building that the teacher said was great for sleighriding. The kids loved the playground and all of the new toys. They absolutely did not want to leave. Fortunately we were able to tell them that they could come back to play with the toys very soon!
The program is great. It has enough structure for a 3 year old to learn a daily routine but is relaxed enough to avoid putting too much pressure on them. They have scheduled potty time which will be helpful for Amanda to remind her to take a bathroom break before it is too late (which is typical when fun is a higher priority than potty time). The potty breaks will also help Aidan with his potty training. While Amanda has been virtually accident free for weeks now, Aidan doesn't seem to care about being wet. I've been keeping him in underpants all the time except bedtime (unless we leave the house). The scenario is typically the same. He'll wet his pants and cry, I'll recognize the situation and run to the potty with him. He'll sit down to try and finish going on the potty while he cheers up a bit. He finishes on the potty with an enthusiastic "I tried" and "now I get new dry underpants?" I haven't been able to convince him to stay dry and I hope that the constant accidents will lead to a self awareness of the need to pee. At school, I hope that being asked to try at 9, 12 and 3 will help him. I don't know if they insist that the kids try or how they "train" them. The school director told me that the do work with the kids on potty training and they change all of the diapered kids after each potty break or as needed. We'll see how that goes. They have snacktime in the morning and afternoon which is provided and I have to send them with lunch each day. They have an after lunch naptime and the structure is similar to their daily schedule at home.
I am absolutely thrilled that they are starting this program. I've been saying for a long time now that I really want Aidan and Amanda to meet other kids. I also want them to have a structured routine that includes education. Being home with my mom has been great for them. They have spent an amazing amount of time outside playing. Now I'd like for them to have a balance between play and advanced learning. I strongly believe that infants, toddlers and preschoolers are constantly learning but that doesn't mean that it has to be formal. They learn from everything including television, playing outside, riding bikes, playing ball, doing puzzles, ect and now they'll get added lessons. They have crafts, learn to use scissors, learn to read and recognize the alphabet and basic words, identify the seasons, and all of the other things that may have been introduced but never formally instructed. Other parents may disagree with my beliefs but that is the wonderful thing about life, I can raise my kids the way I think is best. Now they'll have a nice blend of the love of being home and the structure of school.
Of course all of this added benefit does not come free. School is going to cost us a bit. We've been lucky thus far since my mother has been staying with them since we moved. Before that we sacrificed income by having one parent home at all times. Jon was a great stay-at-home dad and it saved us a ton of money on infant/toddler daycare. Now that they're getting older they need more than just a loving babysitter.
I just hope we can balance everything now. We're going to embark on a new adventure. An adventure of getting the entire family up and out of the house each morning. I've been trying to get up earlier and do more for the kids before heading to work. I had enjoyed getting ready without worrying about a morning routine for the kids. My mom would come up around the same time the kids woke up and she'd take care of everything for us. It was wonderful. Now, I'll have to go through feeding, dressing, potty routine, loading the car and out the door every morning which is new to me! Jon and I had a conversation about the process but I have a feeling there will be a few frazzled nerves and late starts before we get a good routine going. Hopefully before it takes too long we'll be in a house of our own and things will be a bit easier. That is a vent that deserves its own post. In due time... Priorities call, I must get work done.
I'm so excited for them. I think they are going to love their program. They are joining a nice little local preschool three days a week. Taryn and I took Aidan and Amanda to their school a couple of weeks ago to meet the teacher and tour the school. It was love at first sight. I hope I'm not disappointed.
We had an appointment with the school director and the class teacher at 10. The school was so cute. When we walked in to the building we walked into a main entry area with a large side room of 4 and 5 year olds (I'd guess). We walked straight through the kitchen area to a large classroom for the 3 year olds. There was a group of probably a half-dozen kids sitting in tiny chairs facing an assistant teacher who was going through the time, date and weather. It was adorable. After learning that it was Friday, August 29th, 2008, one of the kids went running to the window to update the class on the weather. He informed the class that it was a sunny day. I couldn't help but smile. Aidan and Amanda were invited to sit with the class while I spoke with the teacher, Ms. Jane. Amanda immediately ran and grabbed a seat in the row. Aidan was a bit more hesitant and stayed in the back for a moment (which was exactly what I predicted). Aunt Taryn helped him put a seat at the end of the row so he could sit near the group. One of the other little boys got so excited and started moving his chair. The assistant teacher asked him where he was going and the little boy stated quite clearly that he wanted to go sit by "him" and pointed at Aidan. He moved his chair and sat next to his new friend. The new friendship did not have an opportunity to grow because it was time for the class to go outside for playtime. The group lined up and headed outside.
After the group was gone, we received a bit of a tour of the room. There was an area for the lunch boxes, nap cots and daily supplies from home. Aidan wanted to take another little boy's lunch box. I explained that it was for someone else and we'd have to get him one. He was so excited at the thought of getting his own lunchbox. The teacher then introduced the class pet, marshmallow, the bunny. The kids were a bit intimidated by this giant fluffball in a cage but they did seem to like to look at him. While Ms. Jane and I were discussing details, the kids were able to play with a giant sand/water table that was full of uncooked elbow macaroni. They had a bunch of different scoops and tools to play with. They thought it was super cool! It is hard to do the school justice with the brief discription but it was definitely everything I imagined.
After finishing the classroom tour and program overview, we toured the rest of the school. They have a great outside area with different toys and play areas for the different age groups. They have a nice hill on the side of the building that the teacher said was great for sleighriding. The kids loved the playground and all of the new toys. They absolutely did not want to leave. Fortunately we were able to tell them that they could come back to play with the toys very soon!
The program is great. It has enough structure for a 3 year old to learn a daily routine but is relaxed enough to avoid putting too much pressure on them. They have scheduled potty time which will be helpful for Amanda to remind her to take a bathroom break before it is too late (which is typical when fun is a higher priority than potty time). The potty breaks will also help Aidan with his potty training. While Amanda has been virtually accident free for weeks now, Aidan doesn't seem to care about being wet. I've been keeping him in underpants all the time except bedtime (unless we leave the house). The scenario is typically the same. He'll wet his pants and cry, I'll recognize the situation and run to the potty with him. He'll sit down to try and finish going on the potty while he cheers up a bit. He finishes on the potty with an enthusiastic "I tried" and "now I get new dry underpants?" I haven't been able to convince him to stay dry and I hope that the constant accidents will lead to a self awareness of the need to pee. At school, I hope that being asked to try at 9, 12 and 3 will help him. I don't know if they insist that the kids try or how they "train" them. The school director told me that the do work with the kids on potty training and they change all of the diapered kids after each potty break or as needed. We'll see how that goes. They have snacktime in the morning and afternoon which is provided and I have to send them with lunch each day. They have an after lunch naptime and the structure is similar to their daily schedule at home.
I am absolutely thrilled that they are starting this program. I've been saying for a long time now that I really want Aidan and Amanda to meet other kids. I also want them to have a structured routine that includes education. Being home with my mom has been great for them. They have spent an amazing amount of time outside playing. Now I'd like for them to have a balance between play and advanced learning. I strongly believe that infants, toddlers and preschoolers are constantly learning but that doesn't mean that it has to be formal. They learn from everything including television, playing outside, riding bikes, playing ball, doing puzzles, ect and now they'll get added lessons. They have crafts, learn to use scissors, learn to read and recognize the alphabet and basic words, identify the seasons, and all of the other things that may have been introduced but never formally instructed. Other parents may disagree with my beliefs but that is the wonderful thing about life, I can raise my kids the way I think is best. Now they'll have a nice blend of the love of being home and the structure of school.
Of course all of this added benefit does not come free. School is going to cost us a bit. We've been lucky thus far since my mother has been staying with them since we moved. Before that we sacrificed income by having one parent home at all times. Jon was a great stay-at-home dad and it saved us a ton of money on infant/toddler daycare. Now that they're getting older they need more than just a loving babysitter.
I just hope we can balance everything now. We're going to embark on a new adventure. An adventure of getting the entire family up and out of the house each morning. I've been trying to get up earlier and do more for the kids before heading to work. I had enjoyed getting ready without worrying about a morning routine for the kids. My mom would come up around the same time the kids woke up and she'd take care of everything for us. It was wonderful. Now, I'll have to go through feeding, dressing, potty routine, loading the car and out the door every morning which is new to me! Jon and I had a conversation about the process but I have a feeling there will be a few frazzled nerves and late starts before we get a good routine going. Hopefully before it takes too long we'll be in a house of our own and things will be a bit easier. That is a vent that deserves its own post. In due time... Priorities call, I must get work done.
Monday, August 18, 2008
summer parties, birthdays and anniversaries, oh my!
In the battle of The Robertsons vs. summer, summer has definitely won. I can't keep up. Every weekend has been insane. Before I go in to details, I'll try to update about my dad. In typical fashion he has been difficult. He was transferred from Mt. Sinai to a local rehab facility almost two weeks ago. I went to visit him a few times when he first arrived. The first visit was very depressing. He was very moody and down in the dumps. He didn't say much and he was just miserable. The next day Jon and I decided to take the kids to visit him. They haven't seen "grumpa" in a while and had been asking about him pretty regularly. Fortunately this visit was much more positive. He was very happy to see the kids and the kids were happy to see him. They seemed a little overwhelmed by the situation and they didn't like the strange facility. We only stayed for a few minutes because Aidan started to get cranky but it was a nice visit. Due to the insanity in my life, those were my only visits to the rehab. The updates that I've received from everyone else who has visited have been mixed. He has had a few opportunities to leave for a few hours here and there. Some of the trips have been more positive than others. Without going into horrible details about my father, I will just say that he can be quite cranky when friends/family disagree with his desires. Last Friday, against everyones wishes except his own, he was released from the rehab. No one can predict how this will evolve. Will he do his therapy? Will he listen to the doctors? No one knows. I can guess. He called me on Saturday. He sounded wonderful. He was home and happy. He said that he was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I'm going to try and visit this week. We'll see what happens.
OK, back to my inability to keep up. Aaagh!!! Life was so much easier when it was boring. We had few friends, no family and small children that didn't run in two different directions. Colorado was very different. I always missed my family and I was always jealous that I couldn't attend all the exciting events. OK, the decision seemed easy. We can sell our house, get great jobs and have tons of family around. Damn, we can't sell the house. No one wants to buy it. The market is eating us alive. We can hold on but for how long? We are definitely wearing out our welcome and I'm ready to have some space of my own again. We are fortunate and should be appreciative that we have a place to stay and we can afford to pay our mortgage. Try as hard as we can to put it out of our day to day consciousness, it is nearly impossible to avoid getting emotionally bogged down. I need to move my emotions away from the uncontrollable problems to things within our control. I can't do anything about the house. We've discussed our options and the only one that seems feasible is waiting. So, we wait...
Hectic weekends were part of the excitement and allure of moving back to NY. We wanted to be involved with our family and friends. I forgot what it was like to be constantly on the go. I guess we never knew what it would be like with a family and two careers. This is all new to us. July kicked off with the birthday weekend and fourth of July. OK, we can bounce back from an insane weekend. The kids were out of sync for a while but we did a pretty good job at predicting that and anticipating the difficulties.
The following weekend was my cousin Siobhan's wedding. It was a wonderful event. Saturday morning started with a family service at temple followed by a brunch at Siobhan's parents house. After heading home to put the kids down for a nap, we were off again. Saturday evening was an informal rehearsal dinner at the bowling alley. I love bowling so I was pretty excited to join the festivities. We did not expect to be invited to the bowling party so it was a last minute addition to our weekend. I'm glad we were asked to join the group. There were a lot of people that I hadn't seen in years. While visiting and chatting, we bowled. Aidan and Amanda joined us and they were able to bowl with their cousins, some of whom they hadn't seen in a very long time. They thought that bowling was the best thing ever! We could hardly rip them away when the night was ending and we had to get them home to bed. We didn't get them out the door until almost 10pm!!! They rambled the entire way home about how much they loved bowling. They can't wait to go again. We finally wrestled them into bed cranky and over-tired. While at the bowling alley Taryn and I asked Siobhan if she needed any help with anything for the wedding the following morning. She asked us if we would be willing to come early and hand out programs. We happily accepted. We all woke up early, hit the diner for a quick breakfast and then ran home to get showered and dressed to get to Innisfree Garden where the ceremony was being held. It was a bit of a drive so we had to make sure to get on the road early. To make a long story a bit shorter, the wedding was gorgeous! A reception followed at The Vassar College Alumni House. Another beautiful location. I wish we would have had a better chance to enjoy the party but that is nearly impossible with two small children running in circles. By the end of that evening, I was so exhausted. I don't know how we survived!
The following weekend was my mother's 60th birthday! We had a really nice boat ride, dinner on the riverfront in Newburgh and a ride up the river to see some fireworks at the riverfront in Poughkeepsie. Another late night for all involved. Aidan and Amanda must think that life is just one amazing ride. They love riding on Papa Oscar's boat and they both got to drive the boat (while sitting on Papa Oscar's lap, of course!) Amanda didn't even want to go down below to lay down. Aidan crashed out for a while in the cabin but Amanda didn't want anything to do with resting. She wanted to be the captain the entire way home!
Whew, did you think that was the end of it?? Nope, not even close. We're heading in for the heavy hitting weekends. The next weekend, which was July 26-27 (if you had any chance of keeping it straight) was Jon's company summer party. It was held at the Mohonk Mountain House. Lake Mohonk has got to be one of the most beautiful locations. People come from all around to visit this area. The lodge costs at least $300 a night just to stay there! Fortunately for us it was all courtesy of Jon's company. The picnic started at 8am and was planned for the entire day. It was a gorgeous morning so we loaded the kids into the Jeep, no doors or windows, for a beautiful drive in the country. We arrived early and immediately headed for a hike to the tower which overlooks the entire area. The kids were amazing and only started to complain about 50 yards from the top. The hike was rated as moderate so I was impressed with all of us! We enjoyed the views and took a nice stroll back down stopping to play briefly and sit in some of the amazing gazebos that overlook the lake. We planned many activities for the day but first we needed to join Jon's co-workers for a nice picnic lunch. The lunch was delicious and I got to put a few faces with the names I'd heard on many occasions. As lunch was wrapping up, the skies got dark and a intense storm started to roll in. We all ran for the lodge. They have a beautiful wrap around porch that overlooks the lake so we all sat on the handcrafted wood rockers and watched the storm. It was an amazing storm but if you recall from the beginning of this story, we drove the jeep WITHOUT DOORS AND WINDOWS. After about two hours of pouring rain we decided that we should just call it a day and head home. The Jeep was soaked but it didn't ruin the fun we had already had! A damp ride home followed by warm baths completed another busy weekend.
I was going to stop there but I'll just keep going. Apologies to anyone who has kept up with me thus far. You might want to take a break, stretch your legs and catch up again later if you'd like :)
We've hit August.... Not so fast. July 31, a day that my parents would probably like to forget :) The day that I was born. Mom, Oscar, Taryn, Jon, Aidan, Amanda and I went to Loughrans, a great Irish restaurant and had an amazing meal. It was just the start to the birthday/anniversary celebration. In order to help Jon remember both my birthday and our anniversary, we decided to get married two days after my birthday. August 2, 2003, five years ago, Jon and I exchanged vows with our friends and family on a beautiful mountain top, Lookout Mountain, in Golden, Colorado. I can't believe that it has been 5 years. That is a different post all together. Also, 8 days after our anniversary Jon celebrates his birthday. We thought it would be much easier this way.
On our anniversary my company was having a summer picnic. It was held at Lake Compounce amusement park in Connecticut. We could have blown it off but we knew the kids would have fun. How can you pass up free tickets to the amusement park? We drove out to CT and the kids had a great time. We got there early and they had a blast on all of the kids rides. They had only been on a couple of rides before so this was a new experience. They thought it was amazing! After a few hours on the rides, we walked to the picnic pavilion for the lunch. As we approached the picnic area, the skies opened up. What is it with us and rain during our picnics?!? Oh well, we stayed positive and sat in the pavilion while the rain poured down. We enjoyed our lunch for a bit longer than we anticipated and then when it finally cleared up after a couple of hours, we went for more rides. Finally it was time to call it a day since we had more plans for the afternoon/evening. We headed back to NY and went to Meekers house for a party they had to celebrate the recent NY Giants superbowl victory. August 2nd just happened to be 6 months since the superbowl and since many of us weren't able to enjoy the game together we all made plans to watch the playoffs and superbowl together on a big screen on the deck. It was also Bob Meeker's birthday so even more reason to celebrate. We always have a reason to party! We enjoyed a nice evening but after multiple attempts to put the kids to bed at Meekers we gave up and went home. We were exhausted anyway. I needed to get up early since I had a baby shower for my friend Heather on Sunday and I offered to make a few snacks for the party.
The following weekend, August 9-10, was one that we had been anticipating for most of the summer. My mother gave Jon, Taryn and I tickets to Monty Python's Spamalot on Broadway for our birthdays (Taryn's birthday is Aug 24, she is two weeks younger than Jon). Mom offered to watch Aidan and Amanda for the day and we were off! We got up super early to catch a train to NYC. We decided to play tourists for the day. We started with a double decker bus tour of Manhattan. All the years I've lived in NY and visited the city, I've never done most of the touristy things. I've been to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building but it has been quite a while. We stopped at Battery Park and contemplated taking a ride to the Statue. The line was so long we gave up quickly. We walked through ground zero and over to Wall Street and then grabbed the bus to go up to the rest of lower Manhattan. We had a nice lunch in Times Square and then walked uptown to FAO Schwarz. After playing in the toy store for a while :) we headed across the street and took a carriage ride through the park. I've always wanted to do that. After the ride we went to one of my favorite spots, Jekyll and Hyde's Club. This is a restaurant I've been to many times but it is always fun. If you haven't been there and ever have an opportunity check it out. It is at Avenue of the America's (6th Avenue) and Central Park South. It is a bit pricey but fun nonetheless! Once we finished dinner and enjoying the club we needed to head back to Times Square for our show. Spamalot was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was so unbelievably funny! We had such a great time. My cheeks were hurting for laughing and smiling! We caught a 11:15 train home and by the end of the night I was so happy to get my shoes off and plop in my bed. Sunday was Jon's birthday. We had planned a boat ride to celebrate but the weather turned nasty in the afternoon and we had laundry and grocery shopping to do. We did have a great bbq to finish out a wonderful weekend!!!
You'd think it would end there... Nope, we're gluttons for punishment. This past weekend we decided to take the kids to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania! Jon and I left work early on Friday and Taryn came over to join us. We took the 2.5 hour drive down to PA and had a hotel booked a few miles away from the park. We had a room with two beds. Taryn, Aidan and Amanda in one bed and Jon and I in the other. Taryn nearly got kicked out of bed by Aidan. Apparently he is a very wild sleeper. I guess I could have suspected that! She had to sleep at the foot of the bed so that he wouldn't push her out. We got up Saturday morning and did the water park part of the park all day. They absolutely loved it. Initially Aidan was not a fan and wanted to watch from the stroller. He has had a fear of the pool this summer for some reason and we haven't pushed the issue. He is content so we don't worry. Finally he started to warm up to the idea and before long they were all jumping around! We were so exhausted after the park and dinner that instead of our planned game of cards, we all fell asleep while trying to put Aidan and Amanda to bed. They didn't nap at all on Saturday so you'd think they would actually be tired. Nope, they wanted to jump on the bed. I didn't even realize that we had all fallen asleep until we were awoken by Aidan crying at around 1am. I suspect that his stomach was upset from eating everything in sight at dinner. He wanted his mommy so he climbed over in bed with me and Jon. Aidan and I fell asleep rather quickly (I think!) I woke up a few hours later realizing that Aidan was pushing me out of bed. I glanced around quickly and noticed that Jon was gone. He had already been pushed to the floor. He was sleeping wrapped in a comforter at the foot of the bed. I wrestled Aidan to the other side of the bed so we could get some sleep! Sunday greeted us with another gorgeous day, not too hot or humid and lots of sun. This time we were going to avoid the water rides and head for the other attractions. First stop was the roller coaster. I am not a fan of roller coasters. I guess that is not the truth. I hate roller coasters. Taryn also hates roller coasters. Aidan and Amanda saw the coaster from the moment we arrived on Saturday and couldn't stop talking about it. We promised them it would be the first ride. Fortunately it was not a monster coaster like you see at Six Flags. It was pretty big in my terrified opinion. Jon loves coasters so he reminded us that we shouldn't scare the kids. I knew Aidan would freak out at the last minute but I had faith that Amanda would be a trooper! She doesn't frighten easily. I decided to sit with Aidan so he could have his mommy if need be. Taryn sat with Amanda and Jon sat behind us all. We actually had a good time. Taryn, Aidan and I freaked a bit but we all survived. They had a video booth at the end and we saw our expressions. Our faces told the whole story! We went on many rides, climbed the rope net, went to the "Elmo's World" show, watched the parade and did all the other things that Sesame Street obsessed preschoolers would want to do. By around 3pm we had a bit of amusement park rage and decided it was time to hit the road. None too soon because the kids started to enter meltdown mode and within 5 minutes of being in the car they both passed out!
All-in-all it has been a good summer. We've had our ups and downs. I'll try to be better about updating since things should calm down now. We actually don't have any plans next weekend. Sunday is Taryn's birthday and hopefully we'll do something nice to celebrate but that is it. I'm sure we won't be sitting around the house for most of the weekend. We'll probably go visit dad at some point.
Before I end this ridiculously long post, I have to share some wonderful news!!! Amanda is potty trained!!!! She made it through the entire trip without a single accident. She even woke up with a dry pullup (we use pullups at night just in case!) There have been a few times when I was concerned but she has been great. She even had to wait a few times when there wasn't a potty. Yesterday at Sesame Place, we were in a very long line to get in to the park and when we were about 3 groups from the entrance, she had to go. We were able to make it in to the park (with her crossing her legs and bouncing back and forth) and get to the potty in time! She is amazing. Aidan, on the other hand, has no interest. He won't even try anymore. He doesn't want to get dry pants. He doesn't even care if he is dry. We'll have to figure this one out!
Other than that, work is going well for both of us. We've been busy but that is good. No news on the house either. We are thinking about lowering the price again so we can get rid of it but our realtor seems to think we should hold on for a bit longer. They think we're positioned really well so we'll give it a few weeks.
I'll try to get some pictures from our many adventures on here soon.
OK, back to my inability to keep up. Aaagh!!! Life was so much easier when it was boring. We had few friends, no family and small children that didn't run in two different directions. Colorado was very different. I always missed my family and I was always jealous that I couldn't attend all the exciting events. OK, the decision seemed easy. We can sell our house, get great jobs and have tons of family around. Damn, we can't sell the house. No one wants to buy it. The market is eating us alive. We can hold on but for how long? We are definitely wearing out our welcome and I'm ready to have some space of my own again. We are fortunate and should be appreciative that we have a place to stay and we can afford to pay our mortgage. Try as hard as we can to put it out of our day to day consciousness, it is nearly impossible to avoid getting emotionally bogged down. I need to move my emotions away from the uncontrollable problems to things within our control. I can't do anything about the house. We've discussed our options and the only one that seems feasible is waiting. So, we wait...
Hectic weekends were part of the excitement and allure of moving back to NY. We wanted to be involved with our family and friends. I forgot what it was like to be constantly on the go. I guess we never knew what it would be like with a family and two careers. This is all new to us. July kicked off with the birthday weekend and fourth of July. OK, we can bounce back from an insane weekend. The kids were out of sync for a while but we did a pretty good job at predicting that and anticipating the difficulties.
The following weekend was my cousin Siobhan's wedding. It was a wonderful event. Saturday morning started with a family service at temple followed by a brunch at Siobhan's parents house. After heading home to put the kids down for a nap, we were off again. Saturday evening was an informal rehearsal dinner at the bowling alley. I love bowling so I was pretty excited to join the festivities. We did not expect to be invited to the bowling party so it was a last minute addition to our weekend. I'm glad we were asked to join the group. There were a lot of people that I hadn't seen in years. While visiting and chatting, we bowled. Aidan and Amanda joined us and they were able to bowl with their cousins, some of whom they hadn't seen in a very long time. They thought that bowling was the best thing ever! We could hardly rip them away when the night was ending and we had to get them home to bed. We didn't get them out the door until almost 10pm!!! They rambled the entire way home about how much they loved bowling. They can't wait to go again. We finally wrestled them into bed cranky and over-tired. While at the bowling alley Taryn and I asked Siobhan if she needed any help with anything for the wedding the following morning. She asked us if we would be willing to come early and hand out programs. We happily accepted. We all woke up early, hit the diner for a quick breakfast and then ran home to get showered and dressed to get to Innisfree Garden where the ceremony was being held. It was a bit of a drive so we had to make sure to get on the road early. To make a long story a bit shorter, the wedding was gorgeous! A reception followed at The Vassar College Alumni House. Another beautiful location. I wish we would have had a better chance to enjoy the party but that is nearly impossible with two small children running in circles. By the end of that evening, I was so exhausted. I don't know how we survived!
The following weekend was my mother's 60th birthday! We had a really nice boat ride, dinner on the riverfront in Newburgh and a ride up the river to see some fireworks at the riverfront in Poughkeepsie. Another late night for all involved. Aidan and Amanda must think that life is just one amazing ride. They love riding on Papa Oscar's boat and they both got to drive the boat (while sitting on Papa Oscar's lap, of course!) Amanda didn't even want to go down below to lay down. Aidan crashed out for a while in the cabin but Amanda didn't want anything to do with resting. She wanted to be the captain the entire way home!
Whew, did you think that was the end of it?? Nope, not even close. We're heading in for the heavy hitting weekends. The next weekend, which was July 26-27 (if you had any chance of keeping it straight) was Jon's company summer party. It was held at the Mohonk Mountain House. Lake Mohonk has got to be one of the most beautiful locations. People come from all around to visit this area. The lodge costs at least $300 a night just to stay there! Fortunately for us it was all courtesy of Jon's company. The picnic started at 8am and was planned for the entire day. It was a gorgeous morning so we loaded the kids into the Jeep, no doors or windows, for a beautiful drive in the country. We arrived early and immediately headed for a hike to the tower which overlooks the entire area. The kids were amazing and only started to complain about 50 yards from the top. The hike was rated as moderate so I was impressed with all of us! We enjoyed the views and took a nice stroll back down stopping to play briefly and sit in some of the amazing gazebos that overlook the lake. We planned many activities for the day but first we needed to join Jon's co-workers for a nice picnic lunch. The lunch was delicious and I got to put a few faces with the names I'd heard on many occasions. As lunch was wrapping up, the skies got dark and a intense storm started to roll in. We all ran for the lodge. They have a beautiful wrap around porch that overlooks the lake so we all sat on the handcrafted wood rockers and watched the storm. It was an amazing storm but if you recall from the beginning of this story, we drove the jeep WITHOUT DOORS AND WINDOWS. After about two hours of pouring rain we decided that we should just call it a day and head home. The Jeep was soaked but it didn't ruin the fun we had already had! A damp ride home followed by warm baths completed another busy weekend.
I was going to stop there but I'll just keep going. Apologies to anyone who has kept up with me thus far. You might want to take a break, stretch your legs and catch up again later if you'd like :)
We've hit August.... Not so fast. July 31, a day that my parents would probably like to forget :) The day that I was born. Mom, Oscar, Taryn, Jon, Aidan, Amanda and I went to Loughrans, a great Irish restaurant and had an amazing meal. It was just the start to the birthday/anniversary celebration. In order to help Jon remember both my birthday and our anniversary, we decided to get married two days after my birthday. August 2, 2003, five years ago, Jon and I exchanged vows with our friends and family on a beautiful mountain top, Lookout Mountain, in Golden, Colorado. I can't believe that it has been 5 years. That is a different post all together. Also, 8 days after our anniversary Jon celebrates his birthday. We thought it would be much easier this way.
On our anniversary my company was having a summer picnic. It was held at Lake Compounce amusement park in Connecticut. We could have blown it off but we knew the kids would have fun. How can you pass up free tickets to the amusement park? We drove out to CT and the kids had a great time. We got there early and they had a blast on all of the kids rides. They had only been on a couple of rides before so this was a new experience. They thought it was amazing! After a few hours on the rides, we walked to the picnic pavilion for the lunch. As we approached the picnic area, the skies opened up. What is it with us and rain during our picnics?!? Oh well, we stayed positive and sat in the pavilion while the rain poured down. We enjoyed our lunch for a bit longer than we anticipated and then when it finally cleared up after a couple of hours, we went for more rides. Finally it was time to call it a day since we had more plans for the afternoon/evening. We headed back to NY and went to Meekers house for a party they had to celebrate the recent NY Giants superbowl victory. August 2nd just happened to be 6 months since the superbowl and since many of us weren't able to enjoy the game together we all made plans to watch the playoffs and superbowl together on a big screen on the deck. It was also Bob Meeker's birthday so even more reason to celebrate. We always have a reason to party! We enjoyed a nice evening but after multiple attempts to put the kids to bed at Meekers we gave up and went home. We were exhausted anyway. I needed to get up early since I had a baby shower for my friend Heather on Sunday and I offered to make a few snacks for the party.
The following weekend, August 9-10, was one that we had been anticipating for most of the summer. My mother gave Jon, Taryn and I tickets to Monty Python's Spamalot on Broadway for our birthdays (Taryn's birthday is Aug 24, she is two weeks younger than Jon). Mom offered to watch Aidan and Amanda for the day and we were off! We got up super early to catch a train to NYC. We decided to play tourists for the day. We started with a double decker bus tour of Manhattan. All the years I've lived in NY and visited the city, I've never done most of the touristy things. I've been to the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building but it has been quite a while. We stopped at Battery Park and contemplated taking a ride to the Statue. The line was so long we gave up quickly. We walked through ground zero and over to Wall Street and then grabbed the bus to go up to the rest of lower Manhattan. We had a nice lunch in Times Square and then walked uptown to FAO Schwarz. After playing in the toy store for a while :) we headed across the street and took a carriage ride through the park. I've always wanted to do that. After the ride we went to one of my favorite spots, Jekyll and Hyde's Club. This is a restaurant I've been to many times but it is always fun. If you haven't been there and ever have an opportunity check it out. It is at Avenue of the America's (6th Avenue) and Central Park South. It is a bit pricey but fun nonetheless! Once we finished dinner and enjoying the club we needed to head back to Times Square for our show. Spamalot was one of the best shows I've ever seen. It was so unbelievably funny! We had such a great time. My cheeks were hurting for laughing and smiling! We caught a 11:15 train home and by the end of the night I was so happy to get my shoes off and plop in my bed. Sunday was Jon's birthday. We had planned a boat ride to celebrate but the weather turned nasty in the afternoon and we had laundry and grocery shopping to do. We did have a great bbq to finish out a wonderful weekend!!!
You'd think it would end there... Nope, we're gluttons for punishment. This past weekend we decided to take the kids to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania! Jon and I left work early on Friday and Taryn came over to join us. We took the 2.5 hour drive down to PA and had a hotel booked a few miles away from the park. We had a room with two beds. Taryn, Aidan and Amanda in one bed and Jon and I in the other. Taryn nearly got kicked out of bed by Aidan. Apparently he is a very wild sleeper. I guess I could have suspected that! She had to sleep at the foot of the bed so that he wouldn't push her out. We got up Saturday morning and did the water park part of the park all day. They absolutely loved it. Initially Aidan was not a fan and wanted to watch from the stroller. He has had a fear of the pool this summer for some reason and we haven't pushed the issue. He is content so we don't worry. Finally he started to warm up to the idea and before long they were all jumping around! We were so exhausted after the park and dinner that instead of our planned game of cards, we all fell asleep while trying to put Aidan and Amanda to bed. They didn't nap at all on Saturday so you'd think they would actually be tired. Nope, they wanted to jump on the bed. I didn't even realize that we had all fallen asleep until we were awoken by Aidan crying at around 1am. I suspect that his stomach was upset from eating everything in sight at dinner. He wanted his mommy so he climbed over in bed with me and Jon. Aidan and I fell asleep rather quickly (I think!) I woke up a few hours later realizing that Aidan was pushing me out of bed. I glanced around quickly and noticed that Jon was gone. He had already been pushed to the floor. He was sleeping wrapped in a comforter at the foot of the bed. I wrestled Aidan to the other side of the bed so we could get some sleep! Sunday greeted us with another gorgeous day, not too hot or humid and lots of sun. This time we were going to avoid the water rides and head for the other attractions. First stop was the roller coaster. I am not a fan of roller coasters. I guess that is not the truth. I hate roller coasters. Taryn also hates roller coasters. Aidan and Amanda saw the coaster from the moment we arrived on Saturday and couldn't stop talking about it. We promised them it would be the first ride. Fortunately it was not a monster coaster like you see at Six Flags. It was pretty big in my terrified opinion. Jon loves coasters so he reminded us that we shouldn't scare the kids. I knew Aidan would freak out at the last minute but I had faith that Amanda would be a trooper! She doesn't frighten easily. I decided to sit with Aidan so he could have his mommy if need be. Taryn sat with Amanda and Jon sat behind us all. We actually had a good time. Taryn, Aidan and I freaked a bit but we all survived. They had a video booth at the end and we saw our expressions. Our faces told the whole story! We went on many rides, climbed the rope net, went to the "Elmo's World" show, watched the parade and did all the other things that Sesame Street obsessed preschoolers would want to do. By around 3pm we had a bit of amusement park rage and decided it was time to hit the road. None too soon because the kids started to enter meltdown mode and within 5 minutes of being in the car they both passed out!
All-in-all it has been a good summer. We've had our ups and downs. I'll try to be better about updating since things should calm down now. We actually don't have any plans next weekend. Sunday is Taryn's birthday and hopefully we'll do something nice to celebrate but that is it. I'm sure we won't be sitting around the house for most of the weekend. We'll probably go visit dad at some point.
Before I end this ridiculously long post, I have to share some wonderful news!!! Amanda is potty trained!!!! She made it through the entire trip without a single accident. She even woke up with a dry pullup (we use pullups at night just in case!) There have been a few times when I was concerned but she has been great. She even had to wait a few times when there wasn't a potty. Yesterday at Sesame Place, we were in a very long line to get in to the park and when we were about 3 groups from the entrance, she had to go. We were able to make it in to the park (with her crossing her legs and bouncing back and forth) and get to the potty in time! She is amazing. Aidan, on the other hand, has no interest. He won't even try anymore. He doesn't want to get dry pants. He doesn't even care if he is dry. We'll have to figure this one out!
Other than that, work is going well for both of us. We've been busy but that is good. No news on the house either. We are thinking about lowering the price again so we can get rid of it but our realtor seems to think we should hold on for a bit longer. They think we're positioned really well so we'll give it a few weeks.
I'll try to get some pictures from our many adventures on here soon.
Monday, July 28, 2008
I wish there was a better reason to post
The phone rang at 6:30 on Friday morning. I wish it didn't. I wish there was no reason for the phone to ring. It was my friend Kelly Meeker. She had bad news. My dad was being brought to the hospital. It was the word that no one wants to hear. Stroke. Yup, my dad had a stroke. No one knows when it started. Since there was very little background on the stroke, the hospital didn't have many options. There are very brief windows of opportunity. I called my boss to give him a "heads-up" and immediately headed to the local hospital. After a few hours of very tense waiting, the local hospital sent him down to Mt. Sinai hospital in NYC. They thought that Mt. Sinai would be better able to treat the condition. Unfortunatley no one could figure out where the clot occurred. Mt. Sinai wasn't able to do anything either. They checked him in and told us that they would watch him closely. He's still there and probably will be for a while.
Taryn and I drove down to NYC on Friday afternoon. Taryn had a class last week that was finishing up on Friday. She had no choice. She had to go. I went out to my office and grabbed my computer, checked a few messages, and headed home. I got home around the same time that Taryn finished class. We hit the road and got to the hospital around 4pm.
Dad looked so small and frail in the hospital bed. He was sleeping when we arrived. That wasn't unexpected. He had slept most of the morning when I was at St. Luke's (the local hospital). He woke up after one of the many rounds of nursing visits. It appears that he has mostly left side weakness. He isn't really slurring his words but he is talking very slowly. He has little use of his left hand right now and I'm not sure how his leg is doing. He is also having trouble swallowing. I also don't know how longterm these issues are going to be. The doctor told us that the main issue will be perception. I'm not sure what that means but they said that the "left side of his world will be non-existent." They said that he'll need a eye check once he is out of the hospital to see what really happened. My dad has worn glasses most of his life. It was very strange to see him in the hospital without them.
Personally, I don't know if I have really accepted that this has happened. I have been thinking about dad constantly but I feel like I haven't given myself an opportunity to be sad. I wanted to be strong for my family. I have to remember that my kids need me.
I'm really at a loss for words. I thought that writing about how I was feeling would help me but all I feel is lost. I'm sorry. I'll try to update about all of the other insane things that have been going on around here in the past few weeks. All I can say is that I'm exhausted. Physically and emotionally exhausted.... If anyone is reading this, please have a good thought about my dad. It would mean a lot to me!
Taryn and I drove down to NYC on Friday afternoon. Taryn had a class last week that was finishing up on Friday. She had no choice. She had to go. I went out to my office and grabbed my computer, checked a few messages, and headed home. I got home around the same time that Taryn finished class. We hit the road and got to the hospital around 4pm.
Dad looked so small and frail in the hospital bed. He was sleeping when we arrived. That wasn't unexpected. He had slept most of the morning when I was at St. Luke's (the local hospital). He woke up after one of the many rounds of nursing visits. It appears that he has mostly left side weakness. He isn't really slurring his words but he is talking very slowly. He has little use of his left hand right now and I'm not sure how his leg is doing. He is also having trouble swallowing. I also don't know how longterm these issues are going to be. The doctor told us that the main issue will be perception. I'm not sure what that means but they said that the "left side of his world will be non-existent." They said that he'll need a eye check once he is out of the hospital to see what really happened. My dad has worn glasses most of his life. It was very strange to see him in the hospital without them.
Personally, I don't know if I have really accepted that this has happened. I have been thinking about dad constantly but I feel like I haven't given myself an opportunity to be sad. I wanted to be strong for my family. I have to remember that my kids need me.
I'm really at a loss for words. I thought that writing about how I was feeling would help me but all I feel is lost. I'm sorry. I'll try to update about all of the other insane things that have been going on around here in the past few weeks. All I can say is that I'm exhausted. Physically and emotionally exhausted.... If anyone is reading this, please have a good thought about my dad. It would mean a lot to me!
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Bye-Bye Ba-Ba
We now have 3 year olds! I'll explain the title in a bit. First, the weekend!
Fourth of July is a really nice way to kick off your birthday weekend. Unfortunately, Friday was anything but relaxing. Since the weekend was going to contain multiple birthday parties, it was time to prepare. Mom, Oscar, Taryn, Jon and I all came together to get ready for the party at our house. We were more productive than any of us had ever expected. Jon and Oscar worked their butts off outside. The yard looked so wonderful! They mowed, cleaned up the weeds, built up the support on the deck and did so much to make the yard look great! While they were outside, we were inside. You never realize how much cleaning is needed until you start looking with that critical eye before a party. We put ourselves into it and the place looked great. Take a few breaks to go to Sam's Club and the grocery store and we were as ready as we could get. We decided to celebrate the 4th after all the work and bought a beautiful London Broil to throw on the grill. After all the hard work it was wonderful to sit down with a great dinner and some drinks to celebrate. OK, enough sitting down, we needed to get back on our feet and head out to see fireworks!
Aidan and Amanda have never seen fireworks. Until now they were just too little to venture out at 9pm. This year we thought they would enjoy the show and it was a wonderful way to kick off the birthday weekend. We headed to Beacon to enjoy the fireworks with the Meeker and Simmonds families. We parked our car at Simmonds' house and walked over to the park. It was a fun walk with about 20 people winding through the back streets to the field. The show was a bit slow to start but once it got going it was beautiful! Aidan did not like the noise. I had a feeling he would be upset by it. He is one of those kids that complains if the music is too loud. Once the show started he buried his head in my chest and slowly started peeking as the pretty colors grabbed his interest. He spent the entire time with his hands and my hands covering his ears but he loved the show. Amanda covered her ears for a few minutes but she decided it wasn't too bad and she had a great time! After the show was over we walked back and hung out for a while. An old family friend stopped by and it brought back so many memories. By 11pm we realized how late it was and we decided to end the day and get the kids home. The fun had just begun!
Saturday was the party in Beacon. We were up bright and early to get pulled together. I made baked ziti and we got the kids bathed and dressed. We had hoped to head out by around 10 and in typical fashion, we headed out closer to 12. After some confusion with picking up a keg for the party, we got to Mike and Julie's house and started the festivities. The guests were not expected until 3 but there was a lot to do in the meantime. The kids played for a while and we finally convinced them to take a nap at around 1:30 so that they would be ready for their party. They napped at my dad's house (who, by the way, is doing wonderfully after his bypass surgery! He came home last Tuesday and we're having trouble getting him to rest!). The guests started to arrive and everyone wanted to know where Aidan and Amanda were. We had some trouble getting them up from their nap but once they remembered that it was party day, they were ready to go! We all had a wonderful time talking, laughing, playing games and enjoying a beautiful day. There was a constant threat of a storm but it held off. We got a few sprinkles right around the time we decided to open presents but that was it. We tried on a few occasions to put the kids to bed but they refused! We finally convinced them to lay on the couch and watch a show. We visited with the remaining guests for a few hours. My cousin Mary ran home and grabbed her guitar and we had a great singalong. No Murphy party is ever complete without a few Irish tunes. At this point we had the kids out until 11pm again and we needed to get home since Sunday was another party.
Sunday morning started about the same as Saturday, party preparations. I made another baked ziti and we needed to start decorating and preparing for our guests. Jon's sister Mary and her son Charley arrived from Virginia around 9:30 (they left at 4:30am!!) and they were a wonderful help in preparing. Taryn arrived a few minutes later and also helped with the preparations. By around 11, I wanted to get the kids bathed and down for a nap so that we wouldn't have the same problem waking up as Saturday's party. Uh Oh, they had other things in mind. They did not want to nap. They were ready for the party. I guess we spent too much time getting them excited for their birthday. We put them down at 11:30. Aidan finally fell asleep around 1 and we took Amanda mom's room to try and get her to fall asleep. We finally had success around 1:30. I knew that would mean that they wouldn't be up by 3. Oh well! The guests started arriving and it was another wonderful day. We had so many friends and family that we hadn't seen in a long time. I had a hard time deciding where to spend my time. I was bouncing from conversation to conversation to try and visit with everyone. Before I knew it, it was 6:00 and people needed to head home. Crap! We hadn't even had cake or opened presents yet. We quickly brought the cakes out and fortunately we had time to enjoy that. The present opening waited until after we said goodbye to many of the guests that needed to travel home. We finished opening presents and were finally able to get the kids to bed at around 10. Another late night! Boy this birthday stuff is tough on those little systems!
They received so many wonderful gifts. These two kids don't have a clue how wonderful their lives are (or maybe they do! They are such happy kids). There are so many people that care about them. It makes us feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. They received a two sided kitchen/grill set from Grandma and Papa Oscar, food and cookware for the kitchen, a basket ball hoop set from Aunt Taryn, dress up costumes, books, waterguns, clothes, play-doh, a monster truck, badminton rackets, a "waterpiller" sprinker, bubble machines and so much more! In addition, Aunt Mary (Jon's sister) brought a bunch of Charley's old toys for them too! We needed to hide about 3/4 of the gifts so that they would not be too overwhelmed.
Yesterday (which was their actual birthday), while I was at work, they started the day with the race cars and trains, then moved to the play-doh, out to the kitchen set, back to the play-doh, out to the sprinkler, back to the books, over to the kitchen and back again! Aunt Taryn was exhausted when I came home from work. I ran around in the sprinkler with the kids and we had a blast. There was so much stimulation that we could see that it was starting to take a toll. We did one last birthday celebration so that we could officially end the birthday madness (and so that I could have an excuse to buy a Carvel ice cream cake). Putting them to bed was a task in itself!
That brings me back to the title of this post... Bye-bye Ba-Ba... Aidan and Amanda have always had pacifiers. When they started to talk, they renamed them "baba." We're not sure where the name comes from. I'm sure it has something to do with their bottles or something like that. They love their Ba-Bas. When they were about 18 months we transitioned to just using them at night and during naptime. Jon and I decided a while ago that we needed to get rid of the Ba-Bas entirely. It was decided that the birthday would be the time. We explained to them that big kids do not use Ba-Bas and we should give them to babies. Since they got lots of big kid presents for their birthday we used that as leverage. When we went to bed last night, they were very willing to give them up. I was shocked. They actually told us that they wanted to give them to baby Michael and baby Chloe. They said that they were big kids and the babies wanted them. I was so proud of my big kids! We sang our songs, tucked them in and closed the door for the night. Whew... We made it... Not so fast! They were not ready for bed. Too much excitement, too much sugar, not enough sleep. They were running on empty but they were bouncing off the walls. The birthday celebration was over but the kids had massive stimulation overload and they did not know how to settle down. We tucked them in numerous times and they kept popping up to play. Finally, at 10pm, Jon and I were going to bed (since we were EXHAUSTED from the weekend) and I noticed that the kids were still giggling! I decided to lay down with them to try and keep them quiet. It took a while but we settled down. I'm not sure how long I was there because I fell asleep in Aidan's bed! I woke up, both kids were asleep, so I headed back to my bed. Ahhh, it was finally over... Nope... Aidan woke up crying at 12:30. I went to calm him and he was so upset. I couldn't tell what was wrong. He begged for juice. I brought him a cup of water. He chugged it! Wow! He was thirsty. He seemed calm, I put him down and went back to bed. I must have only been asleep for a few minutes when I woke up to Aidan crying again. I went back to his room and layed with him again. This is very unusual for Aidan. I tried to calm him, it didn't work. He begged for juice again. It was now 1:30. I got him another cup of water. He chugged it again. This time he fell asleep! I left for work this morning with Amanda playing with grandma and Aidan was still out cold! Poor baby! Birthdays are hard work!
Here are a few pictures from the weekend...
Meekers! Enjoying ourselves for some fireworks.
Julie made 50 cupcakes! They were all devoured. Aidan and Amanda probably had 3 or 4 each!
Aidan and Amanda both received bubble blowers. Everyone enjoyed them!
Princess Amanda allows Daddy to adjust her crown :)
Aidan could not tear himself away from the book. He did not care that there were more presents to open.
Just because they share a birthday doesn't mean they need to share a cake!
This has got to be the coolest kitchen set ever!
Aidan was BBQ'ing while Amanda was heating up leftovers in the microwave!
Amanda enjoying her cupcake at Saturday's party
Aidan really liked his cupcake too!
Presents galore! Julie is on the right next to Liam. Aidan is hiding behind a pile of presents!
Amanda loves to cuddle with Kelly.
Aidan stopped playing hockey long enough to smile for a picture!
Fourth of July is a really nice way to kick off your birthday weekend. Unfortunately, Friday was anything but relaxing. Since the weekend was going to contain multiple birthday parties, it was time to prepare. Mom, Oscar, Taryn, Jon and I all came together to get ready for the party at our house. We were more productive than any of us had ever expected. Jon and Oscar worked their butts off outside. The yard looked so wonderful! They mowed, cleaned up the weeds, built up the support on the deck and did so much to make the yard look great! While they were outside, we were inside. You never realize how much cleaning is needed until you start looking with that critical eye before a party. We put ourselves into it and the place looked great. Take a few breaks to go to Sam's Club and the grocery store and we were as ready as we could get. We decided to celebrate the 4th after all the work and bought a beautiful London Broil to throw on the grill. After all the hard work it was wonderful to sit down with a great dinner and some drinks to celebrate. OK, enough sitting down, we needed to get back on our feet and head out to see fireworks!
Aidan and Amanda have never seen fireworks. Until now they were just too little to venture out at 9pm. This year we thought they would enjoy the show and it was a wonderful way to kick off the birthday weekend. We headed to Beacon to enjoy the fireworks with the Meeker and Simmonds families. We parked our car at Simmonds' house and walked over to the park. It was a fun walk with about 20 people winding through the back streets to the field. The show was a bit slow to start but once it got going it was beautiful! Aidan did not like the noise. I had a feeling he would be upset by it. He is one of those kids that complains if the music is too loud. Once the show started he buried his head in my chest and slowly started peeking as the pretty colors grabbed his interest. He spent the entire time with his hands and my hands covering his ears but he loved the show. Amanda covered her ears for a few minutes but she decided it wasn't too bad and she had a great time! After the show was over we walked back and hung out for a while. An old family friend stopped by and it brought back so many memories. By 11pm we realized how late it was and we decided to end the day and get the kids home. The fun had just begun!
Saturday was the party in Beacon. We were up bright and early to get pulled together. I made baked ziti and we got the kids bathed and dressed. We had hoped to head out by around 10 and in typical fashion, we headed out closer to 12. After some confusion with picking up a keg for the party, we got to Mike and Julie's house and started the festivities. The guests were not expected until 3 but there was a lot to do in the meantime. The kids played for a while and we finally convinced them to take a nap at around 1:30 so that they would be ready for their party. They napped at my dad's house (who, by the way, is doing wonderfully after his bypass surgery! He came home last Tuesday and we're having trouble getting him to rest!). The guests started to arrive and everyone wanted to know where Aidan and Amanda were. We had some trouble getting them up from their nap but once they remembered that it was party day, they were ready to go! We all had a wonderful time talking, laughing, playing games and enjoying a beautiful day. There was a constant threat of a storm but it held off. We got a few sprinkles right around the time we decided to open presents but that was it. We tried on a few occasions to put the kids to bed but they refused! We finally convinced them to lay on the couch and watch a show. We visited with the remaining guests for a few hours. My cousin Mary ran home and grabbed her guitar and we had a great singalong. No Murphy party is ever complete without a few Irish tunes. At this point we had the kids out until 11pm again and we needed to get home since Sunday was another party.
Sunday morning started about the same as Saturday, party preparations. I made another baked ziti and we needed to start decorating and preparing for our guests. Jon's sister Mary and her son Charley arrived from Virginia around 9:30 (they left at 4:30am!!) and they were a wonderful help in preparing. Taryn arrived a few minutes later and also helped with the preparations. By around 11, I wanted to get the kids bathed and down for a nap so that we wouldn't have the same problem waking up as Saturday's party. Uh Oh, they had other things in mind. They did not want to nap. They were ready for the party. I guess we spent too much time getting them excited for their birthday. We put them down at 11:30. Aidan finally fell asleep around 1 and we took Amanda mom's room to try and get her to fall asleep. We finally had success around 1:30. I knew that would mean that they wouldn't be up by 3. Oh well! The guests started arriving and it was another wonderful day. We had so many friends and family that we hadn't seen in a long time. I had a hard time deciding where to spend my time. I was bouncing from conversation to conversation to try and visit with everyone. Before I knew it, it was 6:00 and people needed to head home. Crap! We hadn't even had cake or opened presents yet. We quickly brought the cakes out and fortunately we had time to enjoy that. The present opening waited until after we said goodbye to many of the guests that needed to travel home. We finished opening presents and were finally able to get the kids to bed at around 10. Another late night! Boy this birthday stuff is tough on those little systems!
They received so many wonderful gifts. These two kids don't have a clue how wonderful their lives are (or maybe they do! They are such happy kids). There are so many people that care about them. It makes us feel so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. They received a two sided kitchen/grill set from Grandma and Papa Oscar, food and cookware for the kitchen, a basket ball hoop set from Aunt Taryn, dress up costumes, books, waterguns, clothes, play-doh, a monster truck, badminton rackets, a "waterpiller" sprinker, bubble machines and so much more! In addition, Aunt Mary (Jon's sister) brought a bunch of Charley's old toys for them too! We needed to hide about 3/4 of the gifts so that they would not be too overwhelmed.
Yesterday (which was their actual birthday), while I was at work, they started the day with the race cars and trains, then moved to the play-doh, out to the kitchen set, back to the play-doh, out to the sprinkler, back to the books, over to the kitchen and back again! Aunt Taryn was exhausted when I came home from work. I ran around in the sprinkler with the kids and we had a blast. There was so much stimulation that we could see that it was starting to take a toll. We did one last birthday celebration so that we could officially end the birthday madness (and so that I could have an excuse to buy a Carvel ice cream cake). Putting them to bed was a task in itself!
That brings me back to the title of this post... Bye-bye Ba-Ba... Aidan and Amanda have always had pacifiers. When they started to talk, they renamed them "baba." We're not sure where the name comes from. I'm sure it has something to do with their bottles or something like that. They love their Ba-Bas. When they were about 18 months we transitioned to just using them at night and during naptime. Jon and I decided a while ago that we needed to get rid of the Ba-Bas entirely. It was decided that the birthday would be the time. We explained to them that big kids do not use Ba-Bas and we should give them to babies. Since they got lots of big kid presents for their birthday we used that as leverage. When we went to bed last night, they were very willing to give them up. I was shocked. They actually told us that they wanted to give them to baby Michael and baby Chloe. They said that they were big kids and the babies wanted them. I was so proud of my big kids! We sang our songs, tucked them in and closed the door for the night. Whew... We made it... Not so fast! They were not ready for bed. Too much excitement, too much sugar, not enough sleep. They were running on empty but they were bouncing off the walls. The birthday celebration was over but the kids had massive stimulation overload and they did not know how to settle down. We tucked them in numerous times and they kept popping up to play. Finally, at 10pm, Jon and I were going to bed (since we were EXHAUSTED from the weekend) and I noticed that the kids were still giggling! I decided to lay down with them to try and keep them quiet. It took a while but we settled down. I'm not sure how long I was there because I fell asleep in Aidan's bed! I woke up, both kids were asleep, so I headed back to my bed. Ahhh, it was finally over... Nope... Aidan woke up crying at 12:30. I went to calm him and he was so upset. I couldn't tell what was wrong. He begged for juice. I brought him a cup of water. He chugged it! Wow! He was thirsty. He seemed calm, I put him down and went back to bed. I must have only been asleep for a few minutes when I woke up to Aidan crying again. I went back to his room and layed with him again. This is very unusual for Aidan. I tried to calm him, it didn't work. He begged for juice again. It was now 1:30. I got him another cup of water. He chugged it again. This time he fell asleep! I left for work this morning with Amanda playing with grandma and Aidan was still out cold! Poor baby! Birthdays are hard work!
Here are a few pictures from the weekend...
Meekers! Enjoying ourselves for some fireworks.
Julie made 50 cupcakes! They were all devoured. Aidan and Amanda probably had 3 or 4 each!
Aidan and Amanda both received bubble blowers. Everyone enjoyed them!
Princess Amanda allows Daddy to adjust her crown :)
Aidan could not tear himself away from the book. He did not care that there were more presents to open.
Just because they share a birthday doesn't mean they need to share a cake!
This has got to be the coolest kitchen set ever!
Aidan was BBQ'ing while Amanda was heating up leftovers in the microwave!
Amanda enjoying her cupcake at Saturday's party
Aidan really liked his cupcake too!
Presents galore! Julie is on the right next to Liam. Aidan is hiding behind a pile of presents!
Amanda loves to cuddle with Kelly.
Aidan stopped playing hockey long enough to smile for a picture!
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Ready or not, here they come!
I can't believe that Aidan and Amanda are turning 3 on Monday. Where the heck did the years go? This has gone by so very quickly. I need to remind myself to enjoy every moment. It sounds so cliche but it is true.
Every day I look at Aidan and Amanda and I smile. They have such great personalities. My Aidan... He is a typical little boy in that he loves playing with everything. He loves to play ball or race his trucks around. Sometimes he likes to tackle his little sister and he doesn't seem to realize that she doesn't like it! If I hear "Mommy!!! Aidan hit me!!!" again, I"ll scream. Of course there is no avoiding that statement. Aidan hits. That is just who he is. He gets very excited and it comes out in a physical sense. He is also incredibly cute in his mannerisms. He loves to tilt his head to the side when he says things. It comes out in a very grown up way. He will sigh, tilt his head, put his hands up (as if to say "I don't know) and shrugs. Some of the comments include "I can't like dinner" or "no poops, just toots in my tummy." I wish I could describe it better because it is what makes Aidan a riot! He is my little man. I love him and want to squeeze him everytime he is in my sight. He loves being in the middle of any conversation and he absolutely worships his daddy and Papa Oscar. They were so cute this afternoon. Jon and Oscar were driving the lawnmower off of Oscar's trailer (he had taken it over to his mom's to mow her lawn) and Aidan stood there with his hands on his hips and watched the entire process with such excitement! He loves to make everyone laugh. He tries so hard. He has his dad's looks and sense of humor with my personality. Scary combination!
Amanda, my princess. She is my life size doll. She is the "snuggle-buggle" as we like to call her. She would rather climb up on someone's lap and cuddle than most any other activity. She, also, has an amazing personality. I don't know how we got so lucky! She loves to sit on a lap and have a very intelligent conversation! I haven't met anyone who hasn't been drawn in to Amanda's charms. She will cuddle with whoever is willing and she will talk your ear off. She has a smile that would melt your heart. I'm a little tired of hearing her whine "Aidan hit me" but I guess that is to be expected since Aidan is a bit rough with her at times. My baby Mandas is my little princess. She loves to have her hair put in "pretties" which is our term for any type of hair accessory. She is especially fond of pigtails. She loves when her Aunt Taryn does things with her hair . Just wait until Aunt Taryn decides to try braiding! I am horrible when it comes to hair design. I am not good at that at all! Amanda is not a "girly-girl" in the total sense of the term. She enjoys wearing a dress at times but she does not mind getting dirty. She loves to play with her brother and most of the time there is not apparent playtime gender differences between the two.
They are so excited about their birthday. Amanda keeps telling us that Aidan wants a Cars cake and that she wants a princess cake. This is the first time they have really shown an interest in a commercial character. I wish I could honor their request but it is just a bit too difficult. We're going for simplicity here since I'm the dumbass who decided it would be wonderful to have two huge parties for the kids. Yes, two parties.
Saturday is the party in Beacon with all the family. Liam is also having his birthday celebration so we decided to have a joint party. Liam turned two on Monday. This makes the situation a bit easier but it does have Julie and I trying to make plans without having a clue of how many people will show up. In typical Murphy fashion, Michael is spreading the word of the party and at the very least, the entire neighborhood will be there. I'm definitely looking forward to the day. It is the preparations that have me a bit batty. Julie and I are trying to split the responsibilities but I'm sure we're forgetting stuff. Julie is making 28 cupcakes so that we can spell out "Happy Birthday Liam Aidan Amanda." I have to go shopping tomorrow (yup, on the 4th) to get all the supplies for both of the parties. We're doing the typical BBQ fare with burgers, dogs, and baked ziti. We've discussed some side dishes as well as asking people to bring things. My fear is that we'll have a dozen jello molds and no hors d'oeuvres! LOL! In all seriousness, I think everything will go great, but ya know I have to stress.
Sunday is the party at my mom's house. This is (in my mind) the real birthday party. This party is just for Aidan and Amanda. Taryn and I have done the planning and we think we have everything covered. Taryn bought some decorations and supplies. We wanted to do a Mickey and Minnie theme but that is proving more difficult than I thought. The stores that I've looked at do not sell Mickey Mouse cake pans. Oh well. I'm sure they'll enjoy their party regardless of the cake. Taryn and I are going to try and make two different cakes and draw Mickey and Minnie on them. In any event, the kids will have cake! This party will be interesting. We're having a mix of people and most of them do not know each other. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and it will be nice if we get a beautiful, relaxing day.
I promise to post pictures after the party! Now, I just need to finalize my shopping lists and make sure we have everything covered.
Every day I look at Aidan and Amanda and I smile. They have such great personalities. My Aidan... He is a typical little boy in that he loves playing with everything. He loves to play ball or race his trucks around. Sometimes he likes to tackle his little sister and he doesn't seem to realize that she doesn't like it! If I hear "Mommy!!! Aidan hit me!!!" again, I"ll scream. Of course there is no avoiding that statement. Aidan hits. That is just who he is. He gets very excited and it comes out in a physical sense. He is also incredibly cute in his mannerisms. He loves to tilt his head to the side when he says things. It comes out in a very grown up way. He will sigh, tilt his head, put his hands up (as if to say "I don't know) and shrugs. Some of the comments include "I can't like dinner" or "no poops, just toots in my tummy." I wish I could describe it better because it is what makes Aidan a riot! He is my little man. I love him and want to squeeze him everytime he is in my sight. He loves being in the middle of any conversation and he absolutely worships his daddy and Papa Oscar. They were so cute this afternoon. Jon and Oscar were driving the lawnmower off of Oscar's trailer (he had taken it over to his mom's to mow her lawn) and Aidan stood there with his hands on his hips and watched the entire process with such excitement! He loves to make everyone laugh. He tries so hard. He has his dad's looks and sense of humor with my personality. Scary combination!
Amanda, my princess. She is my life size doll. She is the "snuggle-buggle" as we like to call her. She would rather climb up on someone's lap and cuddle than most any other activity. She, also, has an amazing personality. I don't know how we got so lucky! She loves to sit on a lap and have a very intelligent conversation! I haven't met anyone who hasn't been drawn in to Amanda's charms. She will cuddle with whoever is willing and she will talk your ear off. She has a smile that would melt your heart. I'm a little tired of hearing her whine "Aidan hit me" but I guess that is to be expected since Aidan is a bit rough with her at times. My baby Mandas is my little princess. She loves to have her hair put in "pretties" which is our term for any type of hair accessory. She is especially fond of pigtails. She loves when her Aunt Taryn does things with her hair . Just wait until Aunt Taryn decides to try braiding! I am horrible when it comes to hair design. I am not good at that at all! Amanda is not a "girly-girl" in the total sense of the term. She enjoys wearing a dress at times but she does not mind getting dirty. She loves to play with her brother and most of the time there is not apparent playtime gender differences between the two.
They are so excited about their birthday. Amanda keeps telling us that Aidan wants a Cars cake and that she wants a princess cake. This is the first time they have really shown an interest in a commercial character. I wish I could honor their request but it is just a bit too difficult. We're going for simplicity here since I'm the dumbass who decided it would be wonderful to have two huge parties for the kids. Yes, two parties.
Saturday is the party in Beacon with all the family. Liam is also having his birthday celebration so we decided to have a joint party. Liam turned two on Monday. This makes the situation a bit easier but it does have Julie and I trying to make plans without having a clue of how many people will show up. In typical Murphy fashion, Michael is spreading the word of the party and at the very least, the entire neighborhood will be there. I'm definitely looking forward to the day. It is the preparations that have me a bit batty. Julie and I are trying to split the responsibilities but I'm sure we're forgetting stuff. Julie is making 28 cupcakes so that we can spell out "Happy Birthday Liam Aidan Amanda." I have to go shopping tomorrow (yup, on the 4th) to get all the supplies for both of the parties. We're doing the typical BBQ fare with burgers, dogs, and baked ziti. We've discussed some side dishes as well as asking people to bring things. My fear is that we'll have a dozen jello molds and no hors d'oeuvres! LOL! In all seriousness, I think everything will go great, but ya know I have to stress.
Sunday is the party at my mom's house. This is (in my mind) the real birthday party. This party is just for Aidan and Amanda. Taryn and I have done the planning and we think we have everything covered. Taryn bought some decorations and supplies. We wanted to do a Mickey and Minnie theme but that is proving more difficult than I thought. The stores that I've looked at do not sell Mickey Mouse cake pans. Oh well. I'm sure they'll enjoy their party regardless of the cake. Taryn and I are going to try and make two different cakes and draw Mickey and Minnie on them. In any event, the kids will have cake! This party will be interesting. We're having a mix of people and most of them do not know each other. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone and it will be nice if we get a beautiful, relaxing day.
I promise to post pictures after the party! Now, I just need to finalize my shopping lists and make sure we have everything covered.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Triple Bypass
OK, just a quick post. Yesterday was the big day. Wednesday went without a hitch and the kids spent the morning with Grandma Linda and Grumpa (my dad picked the name and it is not a misspelling. He loves being grumpy, it's his personality!). They spent most of their time outside with cousin Liam who lives next door. At around 11, Sean walked up and picked the kids up and spent the afternoon with them. They took a great 2.5 hour nap and were happily playing when I arrived after work. Sean runs up to me and said "Aidan had a poopy diaper and I had to change him!" He was so proud of himself. He hasn't had to clean poop yet so I had a bit of concern in the back of my mind the first time Sean watched the kids. He had to bribe Aidan to change his diaper and gave him a cookie. Amanda then wanted a cookie and asked Sean to change her too. Sean was very confident and everyone had a good time. I'm so glad Sean is doing well with the kids. We can now feel great about having a new babysitter! It was good to have Sean in the area especially since there is so much family around. He knows that there are about a million people he can call if there is any problem. I am so proud of him.
We hung out at Meeker's house for a few hours that evening and then my dad walked down to visit. He wanted to take us out to dinner before the surgery. We went to a nice little place in town and had a wonderful dinner. He expressed some nervousness with the surgery which is very unlike my dad. I'm glad that he was sharing his feelings with us. We had a great conversation and when dinner was over, we really needed to get the kids home. It was after 9 and way past bedtime. The kids have been so busy this week that the exhaustion is catching up with them too. We said goodbye and wished dad luck. It was very touching seeing dad interact with Jon and the kids while exchanging I love you's. Linda broke down a bit with concern about the surgery and we reassured her that things would go well.
Surgery time... They got him in about an hour behind schedule but not too bad. The surgery lasted about 6 hours and he came through with flying colors!!! I received a phone call letting me know that he was in recovery and doing well.
Friday morning... I dropped the kids off at Julie's. I am very relieved that I have survived this week. I made it to work and the kids are in good hands. I just got a call that dad is doing very well! He is awake. His nurse last night happened to be Kelly Meeker's step sister. She is keeping an eye on him for us. She said that he was wide awake this morning and his color was very good. They removed the breathing tube and he is resting comfortably!
I plan on going to visit this weekend. I am just so relieved that the big part is done and now it is up to dad to rest and recover. Kelly's step sister said that he will be out of ICU today or tomorrow and should be out of the hospital by the middle of next week as long as everything continues to go well.
There is so much more I could elaborate on since this has really been a crazy couple of days but I'll save you the boredom :)
We hung out at Meeker's house for a few hours that evening and then my dad walked down to visit. He wanted to take us out to dinner before the surgery. We went to a nice little place in town and had a wonderful dinner. He expressed some nervousness with the surgery which is very unlike my dad. I'm glad that he was sharing his feelings with us. We had a great conversation and when dinner was over, we really needed to get the kids home. It was after 9 and way past bedtime. The kids have been so busy this week that the exhaustion is catching up with them too. We said goodbye and wished dad luck. It was very touching seeing dad interact with Jon and the kids while exchanging I love you's. Linda broke down a bit with concern about the surgery and we reassured her that things would go well.
Surgery time... They got him in about an hour behind schedule but not too bad. The surgery lasted about 6 hours and he came through with flying colors!!! I received a phone call letting me know that he was in recovery and doing well.
Friday morning... I dropped the kids off at Julie's. I am very relieved that I have survived this week. I made it to work and the kids are in good hands. I just got a call that dad is doing very well! He is awake. His nurse last night happened to be Kelly Meeker's step sister. She is keeping an eye on him for us. She said that he was wide awake this morning and his color was very good. They removed the breathing tube and he is resting comfortably!
I plan on going to visit this weekend. I am just so relieved that the big part is done and now it is up to dad to rest and recover. Kelly's step sister said that he will be out of ICU today or tomorrow and should be out of the hospital by the middle of next week as long as everything continues to go well.
There is so much more I could elaborate on since this has really been a crazy couple of days but I'll save you the boredom :)
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