Willfull and Stubborn...

I am now beginning to see the differences in my two children. Up until this point I've been able to get away with the idea that what works for one...most definitely works for the other. I have been proven wrong and now I have to come up with more than one way of doing things. Seriously, it's hard enough for me to come up with one!! I'm having to rethink my entire parenting repertoire.

We have been taking swim lessons every morning for the last two weeks. This week has been especially difficult. Ava has decided not to even get in the pool. What? My kids are like fish! They LOVE to swim. Last week she was the star pupil of her class but now my daughter is acting as though the water is her personal poison. I know now that I have pushed her too hard. You see, I really wanted her to be confident enough to swim without floaties or a noodle by the end of the session (it worked famously for Ethan when he was three) so I bribed her with a new toy, candy, or whatever she wanted if she would attempt to swim solo. Now, mind you, she has done this before to earn the reward of some chocolaty M&M's so I know she is capable. I'm not asking for the impossible here! But, the fear has overtaken this small one and yesterday she would not get in the pool because the "sun was in her eyes." Today she wouldn't get in because she was unable to decide on which color noodle to use. The bribes failed, the threats failed, nothing is working and now I've completely turned her off from all water usage. She is happy to accept whatever fate she is dealt in order to avoid swimming. It's unbelievable! Honestly, the thing that worries me the most is how I'm going to deal with her when school becomes an issue. I'm quietly thanking my lucky stars that she has 2 years of pre-school before we begin that adventure. What happens when she refuses to go to school? To do her homework? What arsenal do I have to make her do my bidding? Why do I feel the need to make her do my bidding??? All I know is that I am truly in for it! Any ideas on how to maintain (or achieve) patience, a semblance of order, and still get things done with a willful and stubborn child?

Our First (child-free) Weekend Away!

First, many thanks go out to Matt and Michele for getting hitched and giving us this wonderful excuse to get away for a weekend! And then many thanks go out to my lovely sister who willingly gave up her sanity (and sleep) for a weekend to watch my 3 kiddos.

Friday afternoon we were off to downtown LA to a quick wedding rehearsal at the chapel followed by dinner at Dodger Stadium, and yes...they did serve Dodger dogs (along with a bunch of other really good eats that were a bit upscale to the normal grandstand fare). There wasn't a game that night so we had the place to ourselves. Todd managed to get out onto right field and wandered around a bit before management ran him off...something about liability issues should he break his ankle whilst strolling through the park? It was a bit of a thrill for him, though short lived.

The crowd moved the party to the Grand Wilshire Hotel bar where we lounged around in the VIP room until the wee hours of the night...they literally had to kick us out so they could go home.

The next day was showtime and since Todd was the best man, he had to be ready for action around 11am. So after a quick breakfast at Denny's, he got ready with Matt in our room while I hung out with the bride and the matron of honor in the bridal suite. It was fun to be there for all the photography and preparations. I think I just really enjoyed all the fun of a wedding without all the stress of being in it or making sure it went off ok. The wedding party headed out for the pre-nuptial photo shoot at Disney Hall. This place has some interesting architecture that made for some fun shots.

Matt and Michele were married in Silverlake at 4pm. It was a short and sweet ceremony. Everything went beautifully well and they looked so happy together. Immediately following the ceremony the party headed over to Marvimon House. This was a pretty swanky, hip joint that looked fabulous all decked out for the reception. We ate some AMAZING food, enjoyed the bride and groom's traditional firsts (dance, cake, etc.) and Todd gave the best man speech followed by a toast to their happiness. We ended the night dancing to some tunes on Matt & Michele's ipod which I got to DJ (or should I say "IJ"?) Honestly, I think I just love controlling what everyone listens to so naturally, I took control here as well. A good time was had by all and Todd and I slept rather well that night. The next morning we ended our weekend with the bride and groom and some friends over breakfast at Denny's (yes, again! What can I say - it IS the place for breakfast!).

Really, a beautiful, fun, tasty, relaxing (well, a little) and altogether enjoyable weekend. This week, it's been back to real life and work as we know it. So, who wants to get married next?

Happy Birthday Andrew!

My little peanut is one! I can't believe it!

YESTERDAY was Andrew's 1st birthday. Yes, this should have posted yesterday...but seeing as we had the family over today to celebrate, well, it just had to be today.
In the usual format, the following are a few milestones Andrew has reached this month:
He claps his hands and waves "bye-bye".
He will give you "5" or at least put his hand up for you to slap.
His favorite face is a squinty-eyed scowl which he loves to give to just about
everyone...followed of course, by a great big smile.
He had 7 teeth, 4 on the top and 3 on the bottom, which he LOVES to brush.
LOVES the phone and talking on it.
He has finally decided that walking really is the way to go and spends the majority of his time
on his feet. I really do love their first steps - they are so dang cute!
Loves to climb...on anything.
Oh, and he loves dogs...I'm glad other people have them because I doubt he's going to see one
around here anytime soon!

I'm going to go out on a limb and say I think that (other than the obligatory "mama" & "dada" he typically screams at me) his first word would have to be "hello." Now, this is not said very clearly and maybe only I can tell....but I think I'm going to call it right now and let it go down in history from this point forward. Andrew's first word is...."hello." At least he's friendly, right?


Man! I love this kid. He is stubborn, feisty, the hardest of my three to control in any situation (especially a simple diaper change!) and loves to yell out all his frustrations. That said, he is so incredibly lovable, sweet, happy, and just overall darling that somehow all the difficulties melt away. I love watching him interact with his brother and sister. They adore him and he thinks the sun rises and sets with them. He loves to sneak into their room after they've gone to bed, climb the bunk bed ladder, pull out the nightlight and giggle until I forcibly remove him. Size is not an issue to him as he will jump right in during the heat of a wrestling match taking them down with his laughter and the paralyzing slobber that oozes from his open mouth. His little personality is really starting to bloom and I'm enjoying every minute of it!
It's been a great first year! Here's to 99 more!

4th of July Week

Utah is really a pretty place....ummmm....we did not take any pictures of the scenery.

Oh well. My photography is really lacking anyway.

We spent the week of the 4th up there enjoying time with family and friends. The weather was warm but hey, it's July. What do you expect? We ate, we swam, we watched fireworks, and most importantly we played. Here are a few snapshots of our week away...

We swam one day at the Legacy Center - really one of the coolest pool activity centers I've been too. Multiple indoor and outdoor pools, a lazy river, a couple of kids slide-and-climb areas and a great big green twisty dark waterslide. We all had a blast and no one wanted to leave. Andrew really did enjoy himself too, contrary to the story this picture tells.The fireworks at Thanksgiving Point were pretty good though I have to admit, our kids had a hard time getting through the show. It doesn't get dark in Utah until 10pm so there was a rarely a night they didn't get to bed before 12am and this night was no exception. If there is one thing I'm good about, it's my kids bedtime routine (mainly to preserve my own sanity)...and that really suffered while on vacation. But, other than lack of sleep difficulties, I really loved being outside late enjoying the cool of the evening.We were able to spend an afternoon with Lori, Joel and their darling kids. They live in this great neighborhood that Todd and I really wouldn't mind moving into. We enjoyed the evening walking down the picturesque streets and around this beautiful lake before topping the night with the lighting of some fireworks at a park right next to a fire station. Somehow I couldn't shake the feeling we were breaking the law. Where I come from, fireworks are most definitely not allowed - everything around us would go up like a box of tinder!

This trip was way too short but we loved being at Grandma & Grandpa's and seeing family that lives way too far away. Thanks for hosting us! We promise to come back again and again! (If you'll have us:))

Hopscotch

We recently returned from a quick family trip that included a stopover in Vegas. We hadn't cruised the "Strip" in quite a few years so we figured the kids might enjoy the lights and the dancing fountains.

Yes, I suppose they liked it ok but I doubt we'll be back anytime soon. I was a bit worn out from the wild game of hopscotch I played all along the sidewalk...all in the futile attempt to keep my pure and sweet 5 year old son from an early loss of innocence. I mean seriously! I've never seen so much porn in my life and now much of that porn has seen the bottom of my big brown flip-flop!

Just like the BIG kids

There is nothing that Andrew likes better than to brush his teeth. Maybe, just maybe, he'll be the one who gets to keep his pearly whites! We could use a few less "silver teeth" around this household!

(ok, they are really only silver fillings but I guess we went too far when we attempted to get Ethan excited, instead of fearful, about his dental work at the age of 4. He now believes 'silver teeth' are the way to go)

"Gummy" Toes

It was the wee hour of 3am and Ava comes stumbling into our bedroom. "Daddy, I have gum on my toes."
"What? Gum on your toes?"
Mom dutifully cleans the toes and begins the search for the remaining sticky remnants wherever they may be. Ava says it's on her blanket...well that would make sense. But no, nothing there. Maybe in her bed? Nope. Not there either.


The next morning:
"Ava, how did you get gum on your toes last night?"
"Well, I ate the gum with my food and it came out my belly button."

"OK, well how did it get on your toes?"
"It flew out my belly button and landed on my toes!"

Of course! Why did I have to ask? It was so obvious. Ok, but seriously. How does gum appear on a child's toes in the middle of the night but show up no where else???
The mystery remains.

Google Reader

I have oh so much to catch up on....but I'm not ready to sit down for that long yet! In the meantime, I wanted to share a tip that might save you some time (it really saves me a bundle!).

It's GOOGLE READER. You might be wondering what happened to my "friends" list. Well, they all reside in my google reader account where they show up in bold whenever each of you updates. It is wonderful! My list was getting way too long and I was spending hours checking each of your blogs. Now I only have to go there when something is new! I know they have this same functionality with the blog list now but I have found it even easier in Google. Anyway - there you have it! If you would like to check it out yourself, just go to the google homepage and in the menu (along the top) there is an option for "more". Here you will find "Reader". Good luck and good reading!

By the way - I realize this may not be as much fun since I too spend time trolling everyone's contacts and finding new/old friends...but I think it might better protect your anonymity for the Internet crazy's out there. I hate always wondering whether or not I should go private...