Friday, October 31, 2008

Hey, Hey, It's Halloween

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It was a long day, so this is going to be a short post. Patrick loved every minute of it, he declared today "the best day ever". Molly caught on to trick or treating very quickly and enjoyed it. We got fewer trick or treaters this year, and have lots of leftover candy as a result. The bubble fogger machine I hunted down online was a hit. Both kids stayed up too late. Daylight savings ends this weekend. Mama is so, so tired and convinced the kids will not take the opportunity to "sleep in an hour". Gah.

Happy Halloween!

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Cooking InThe Kitchen

Look at the two little hams I had in my kitchen this afternoon. The aprons were a gift last year from Danielle, aren't they adorable?

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Sunday, October 26, 2008

Little Pumpkin

I can't believe October is almost over! Halloween is just around the corner and we've been busy getting ready. On Saturday we took the lids to the pumpkin patch (not the first trip, but this time we actually bought pumpkins). I felt bad dressing them in long-sleeved shirts just so I could take pictures. It was about 80 degrees!

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Today Patrick and I met a friend at Great America for their "Nick or Treat" Halloween party. I think Patrick has been spoiled by Disney characters, he was not so impressed with Blue and Sponge Bob, even though they were handing out candy. Patrick didn't wear his costume because it is long and black (hmm, any guesses as to what he is going as?), but he and Jo Ann still had fun.

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And on the home front, our bathroom remodel has turned out to be a lot more involved than initially planned (isn't that always the case?). It turned out our we had a leaking toilet, which attracted termites in the floor joists. So the joists had to be removed and replaced. And then there was a bunch more with plumbing vents and non-standard walls. In any case, we're gaining a few inches in the room and putting in a much needed medicine cabinet. I took a few pictures but the room is so small it is hard to take photos that show anything!

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We have another busy week, and on Friday Patrick's preschool will have their annual Halloween Sing. I cannot wait, it is too adorable to see them all in costumes.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Autumn Leaves

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I've been a delinquent blogger again. Somehow my kids seem to be kicking my ass on a daily basis. I was talking to a friend recently about how 18-24 months seemed like such a difficult time with Patrick. I had forgotten about it until Molly got there. It amazes how similar she is to Patrick at that age. Every trip in the car is a struggle because she arches her back until I pin her down (screaming and crying) together into her car seat. In Molly's eyes, strollers are for wimps, she repeats the arched back and screams when I try to put her in it. She prefers to walk everywhere which turns every walk into a long and wandering one. Patrick seems to be going through a growth spurt, he is eating everything in sight and sleeping really well, sometimes until 9am (if only Molly would too!). He's still loving school and making new friends. Current obsessions include Batman, Legos and Disneyworld. He's at a really fun age now, he's just fun to hang out with.

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On the house front, we've started our much antipated bathroom remodel. We let Patrick loose in the bathroom with some Sharpies the day before it was torn out. His only intruction was to leave the window alone. He thought it was the most hilarious thin in the world, and promised us that he knows he can never do that again. Like most little boys, Patrick is a fan of anything contruction related. He loves watching our contractor at work, and says he wants to "be a builder with Jo when I grow up". Earlier this week they shared a snack together on the front porch. Patrick was in heaven.

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When the bathroom was torn out there was a lot of water damage, which we were expecting. What we weren't expecting were the subterranean termites that had eaten their way through some of the joists. So the project became a little more complicated. And since all that wood had to come out we decided to move the wall back a little bit, which necessitated replumbing everything. You know how it goes. Can't wait until it is done!

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And in the "New Of The Wierd" category, I have ths to report. Molly has been taking amazing long naps while all of the contruction is going on. This is the child who usually wakes up from her nap if the doorbell or phone rings. But somehow she manages to sleep through power saws and sledgehammers. Right outside her room. Go figure.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Baby Mine

My two babies, couldn't you just eat them up?

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Thursday, September 18, 2008

So Long Mickey Mouse

We're back from Disneyworld! Patrick had an absolute and complete blast, he soaked up every single little detail and loved it all. It makes me want to take them back when Molly is 4 because it seems like such a perfect age for the Disney experience. Plus, at 40+ inches Patrick could most most everything. Patrick's favorites included Thunder Mountain Railroad, the monorail, the Kilimanjaro Safaris, Star Tours, and meeting the princesses (hubba hubba, he has stars in his eyes). Molly's favorites included running around after Patrick, the model trains at Epcot, the monorail, and frozen strawberry fruit bars. It was a wonderful time to go, the lines were pretty much non-existent everywhere we went. We missed the hurricanes, but did get a taste of Florida's rain which was really quite spectacular (I am thankful it doesn't rain like that here!). We all had fun but it was go, go, go all week and when we got home on Saturday night we were exhausted.

Here are a few of my favorite pics. I took about 500 pictures, and uploaded about 100 to flickr (including pictures from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party), so please look over there too!

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It's back to the grind here for all of us. Patrick is now in school Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings, and until the end of fall he'll be taking science classes on Thursday mornings. I think I am going to sign my fearless Molly up for gymnastics while Patrick is in school. My plan to get her down to one nap a day seems to be working, which is better for preschool pick-ups but unfortunate for me because I used to nap with her in the mornings sometime while Patrick was at school.

And on the house front, our hall bathroom is getting completely torn out in about 2 weeks. If you have never seen it it is quite possibly the smallest full bathroom ever known to man. It's the last big house project we have left, I'm really excited to finally get it done. Tom and I are going to pick out tile tomorrow, whoo hoo!

Wednesday, September 03, 2008

Missing Persons

I've been a neglectful blogger. I can't even blame it on being super busy because school was out, summer camps were over, and we spend most of our time at home. But oh, how those weeks kicked my behind. I decided to use the break from our regular schedule to work on getting Molly down to one nap. Mission mostly accomplished. It didn't help that Molly was teething yet again, this time getting tooth #13 and 14, her eye teeth. Despite being a calm newborn Molly has proven to be just as willful as her brother, maybe even more so. Patrick was beyond bored being home all day and made sure to tell me as much. At least 10 times a day. That boy has boundless energy, it's really rather amazing. Anyone who spends a few hours with him is sure to comment on how worn out they are. Trust me, I know. In the last few weeks they've started to play together, which warms my heart to watch. Molly no longer seems hell bent on destroying anything Patrick is working on. Yesterday she sat patiently with him while he did a puzzle of the 50 states, she just watched and handed him pieces. Patrick continues to adore Molly and loves teaching her new things. Today he taught her how to jump on the bed. I am thinking he may need to run future lessons by me before hand.

Some quick picks of what we've been up to over the last few weeks...

Molly was cute.

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Patrick went to his first Giants game. That's cousin Danielle in the background.

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It got really hot and the kids played in the "pool".

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We went to Chico for the wedding reception of cousin Gina (they got married on a mountain top in Colorado!).

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Patrick played a LOT with Legos. New obsession!

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And today, preschool started up again! Patrick's in new room this year and will go 3 mornings a week. Notice the ever present Batman cape.

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Coming soon, another big adventure! Wish us luck on the airplane :)

Monday, August 11, 2008

The First Cut IsThe Deepest

For years I've been hearing about trips to the ER and Urgent Care from my mommy friends. Mostly mommy friends who have boys. I considered myself lucky that we hadn't had to make one of those trips. Until today. We had a completely freak accident in the kitchen. Patrick pulled down a Cuisinart bowl off the counter that had the sharp chopping blade in it. And of course the blade flew out of the bowl and across his cheek. My poor baby! Patrick was freaking out, I was freaking out, Molly was freaking out because we were freaking out. I called Tom just as he was going into a meeting to have him come home and I took Patrick to Urgent Care. The cut wasn't deep enough for stitches, but did need some Dermabond glue. He was actually really, really, really lucky. It could have easily been so much worse.

Patrick thinks his face "looks like a zipper!".

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And you may notice Patrick's cape around his neck. He has seriously worn it for the last 3 or 4 weeks straight. He only takes it off for school and to sleep. He is obsessed.

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And I took this picture at the park this afternoon. Molly can now climb the slide and go down by herself. She has no fear. She's just like her brother. We may be in for it!

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Sunday, August 03, 2008

Swiss Cheese

2 years ago cousin Olivia came out to visit from Switzerland. This year she is back with her mom and dad and 2 brothers for a few weeks. So many cousins! I think last time we figured out that Patrick and Olivia are fifth cousins. Pretty cool, huh? They've been busy traipsing all over California and the West and going to all sorts of cool places we've never been (can you believe we've never been to Alcatraz?).

Yesterday my mom and Michael had a BBQ for everyone in the family to come and meet the Swiss cousins. Cousin Catherine (Olivia's mom) is a professional face painter and spent some time painting the kids faces after dinner. Patrick of course wanted nothing to do with it, but check out the cool faces!

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See Patrick's Batman cape in the picture above? He's been wearing that every day for over a week. The role playing has moved beyond firefighters, we now play super heroes. I suspect this is going to be a long phase.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Cut Loose

Yesterday I had 12 inches of hair cut off yesterday. It's now chin length. I don't remember the last time I had hair this short (1986?). I liked having long hair but it was constantly getting caught in car doors, under the straps of my diaper bags, and in Molly's fist as she pulled handfuls out. Plus it took so long to straighten it every day. You can just call me Shorty McHair.