Summer!

Summer has finally arrived! Max is off from school June through August so it has certainly thrown our routine for a loop. All of those errands that I'd wait on until I just had Mya with me? No such luck. That group of preschoolers that would wear Max out? Nope, gone as well.

I'm convinced that we're not going to waste this summer. I made up a calendar filled with events and ideas for activities. No, we won't get around to all of them but even if we check just a fraction of them off the list, it will make for great memories! Strawberry picking, county fairs, bring 'em on!

Max started soccer class this week at our local park. I am always hesitant to sign Max up for classes. He's just not a structured kid. He wants to explore and do stuff on his own and cares very little about impressing some stranger giving orders to a room full of kids he doesn't know. (Thankfully he has a much better attitude about his own preschool teachers and classroom.) Although he spent the first 5 minutes of class sitting on a picnic bench by himself, he did join in the soccer class and did an awesome job of learning new skills. I was nearly teary eyed when he ran the obstacle course on his own. He's growing up!

Today I took Mya to Preschool Rides Morning at our local amusement park. I wasn't sure what to expect from her. When I took Max for the first time, he was about 4 months younger than she is now. He was an animal, rode every ride, even the ones by himself. Mya was much more hesitant today. She decided the carousel (sitting next to me) and the slide were super but there was no way she was riding anything else. We had to get off 3 rides after she burst into tears. Including the train which is about as putt-putt as it gets. I'm convinced to get her to ride that one by the end of the summer though.

I'll admit I can relate far more to Mya's timidness than I can Max's "who-are-you-and-why-should-i-care" attitude. I was super shy as a child. That said, I do want to push Mya a bit to explore and have fun. I'd also like Max to learn to like classes better because there is so much fun to be had!

Either way, I'm looking forward to a super fun summer this year. The kids are getting older and it's getting easier for me to take them places on my own. I can't wait for the adventures ahead. Let's go, kids!

Smaller Than I Remember!

I was thinking the other day of the bedroom I shared with my sister until I was in 5th grade. I can remember it welll, the knotty pine paneling, the fabulous shag carpet, our bunk beds, etc. However I was wishing I had some good photos of the room because it's never quite exactly as you remember it. So here you go, Max and Mya. Here were your bedrooms in 2011.

Max's room (with Mya!)

Miss Mya's room as well!

Spring 2011

Maybe I should just start titling my posts in quarters since I don't seem to get to them otherwise. What can I say, being a stay-at-home mom is like having ADHD. You get so few breaks and when you do, your mine goes into hyperdrive with the millions of things that need to get done. It's as though you can't focus and make a decision because it's all so overwhelming to your poor little brain! ;-) Not to mention you feel like any activity you do choose should be something requiring minimal focus since you could get torn away from it at a moments notice.

So here we go....my smattering of thoughts as I keep this as up to date as I can.

-Max has finally stopped (mostly) his night waking and is back to sleeping through the night without needing a 1:00 a.m. tuck-in.

-Mya is back to sleeping on the hardwood floor just inside her doorway. Her pad sits right next to her and she has a beautiful low-lying twin bed but refuses them. In hindsight, I wish I would have bought one of those crib tents but I was nervous about the recall they had undergone.

-We're getting close to the end of Max's school year which is hard to believe. He's on the 3 year preschool plan so plenty more to go. I'm hoping to find some fun activities for Max and Mya to share in during their summer off.

-I've been a stay-at-home mom for 9 months now. Hard to believe. It has gone by fast yet feels like the most natural thing in the world. I can't tell you how much it means that I get to be there and share in their worlds as much as I do. Yes, even the tantrum filled ones. When I feel like losing it, I remind myself of how much I'm going to miss them when they're gone and how much I'll wish I had enjoyed that precious time with them. They'll be gone too fast I know.

-Alex and I got a way for a night for the first time in 2 and a half years. Yikes! We went to Salishan, south of Lincoln City, for a night and it was awesome. We know we need to do it more.

-I can't wait for the arrival of summer so that the kids and I can get outside and enjoy new adventures. We went to the Tulip Festival today and had lots of fun. Part of my desire to be a stay at home mom was to give them the opportunity to get out and explore the world in a way they wouldn't if they were at daycare all the time. Especially as they're getting older and easier to corrall, it's fun to take them places, try new things, see new sights and meet new people.

-We're headed to Sunriver for a 4 day weekend with my dad, his wife and my sister's family. Should be a great time!

-My baby girl turns 2 a week from Saturday! Hard to believe yet I am so enjoying getting to know her more as she expressing herself through words. She's such a sweet, fun girl.

Okay, enough of a brain dump for now. Nothing terribly exciting going on but it's a good life!

Day in the Life Update

The other day I was digging through my linens and came across a sheet of paper that had fallen into the drawer from above. It ended up being a schedule of Max's day that I had written up when Max was 6 months old or so. I believe my dad had agreed to watch him for a day while my mom was out of town. Anyway, it made me tear up to have that memory in my hands of what life was like when he was little. Quite a souvenir. That reminded me that I love recording our day in the life because it changes so much from post to post. I think the last one that I did was when I was still working and Max and Mya were in daycare. So, her goes, a day in the life....

6:30-7 Mya wakes up. If I don't hear her shuffling about in her bedroom, directly above ours, she's soon enough squawking, "Mommy, Mommy." until I arrive at her door. She has picked up her green blanket and her baby and is calmly sitting on her bed waiting for me. Her immediate request is "downstairs". I carry her down to our bed and turn on tv. Barney is a recent favorite. If I'm foolish enough to crawl into bed she'll turn to me and demand, "bah-bo". Ugh. Up the stairs to fill a sippy cup with milk. Back downstairs to crawl in bed with her. She chugs her first bah-bo then demands a refill. Apparently sleeping makes her parched.

7-7:30 Max wakes up. I hear the pitter patter of little feet, the screech of his door opening, running feet, then "Mommy!" at the top of the stairs. Party's over, Mya. I carry her upstairs where we take Max back to his room to use the bathroom and change into his clothes I put out the night before. Then it's off to the bedroom to make breakfast together. Max still loves a waffle with peanut butter and jelly, folded in half like a taco. Mya is pickier and we vary what we offer her. The kids sit at the dining room table and finish off their food.

7:45 We all head downstairs and watch a bit of tv before it's time to leave for school. TV goes off at 8:15 so he has some downtime before we leave. It doesn't go well if we turn off the tv right when we leave.

8:40 Time to head to the kitchen to get ready to go. The kids are both plopped on the counter, shoes, socks and coats manage to get on with the help of Mom. Don't forget to grab Max's lunch bag and his show and tell backpack.

8:50 What does the weather look like? If it's clear we walk to school. If it's raining we drive. Sad I know that I drive 2.5 blocks but I've given up on walking in the rain with a 1 and 3 year old. Besides, many times Mya and I head directly from school to run errands, drive to class, etc.

9:00 The school doors open up and we hustle inside. Mya strips off her coat and starts down the stairs without a backward glance. Yes, that was Mya, not Max. Max requests help with his coat and likes me to hold his hand down the stairs. We put his lunch bag in one bin and his show and tell backpack in another bin. Then we walk over to the wall, he finds his name on the floor (this month is Mother Goose month so it's on a Humpty Dumpty cut-out). Max picks out a push pin and directs me to pin it as far up on the wall as I can.

9:05 I find Mya playing in a corner of the room, pick her up only to hear her screech and arch to get back down. Sorry, Mya, you can't stay yet. Max follows us over the stairs where he gives me a kiss then a giant shove up the stairs. This routine is from our daycare days. I think it helps him to feel in control and add a bit of silliness. As I go up the stairs with Mya, he stands at the bottom, bouncing, waving and blowing kisses. I blow them back, tell him goodbye and to have a good day!

9:10 Mya and I head out. Tuesdays we head to the community center. This month she's taking a music class. She has also taken an art class, a tumbling class, etc. She loves them and does well with the other kids. Wednesdays we may just head back to the community center because it's preschool swim day. For less that $5 (she's free) we can hang out in the pool with other kids and parents. Not bad. Other days we have a Starbucks date or run errands which are so much easier with one child versus two.

11:20 Head over to the preschool to pick up Max. We wait outside the door and chat with the other parents and siblings. Mya loves to chase Josie, one of the other siblings. Finally Mrs. Jolene opens the door, gives a smile and starts calling out kid names down the stairs. Mrs. Karen releases them up the stairs and they come out in a stream of cute little kiddos with big grins. Max is always smiling and has a big hug for me. We talk about his day and head back to the house.

11:45 Time for lunch. The kids head to the table while I put together a quick lunch. Max doesn't eat much since he has a snack at school. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, macaroni and cheese and hot dogs are obvious choices.

12:15 Max usually finishes first. I take him downstairs and settle him with a movie in our room for his "quiet time". (Don't get me started on him not taking a nap. He gave those up in the Fall.) I go back upstairs, clean up Mya, fix her up a sippy cup of milk and we head to her bedroom to lay in her bed and read books. It's Snuggle Puppy, Tumble Bumble, Time for Bed and the Goodnight Moon finale. Mya lays quietly next to me until the quiet old lady says hush. Then she bolts out of bed and rushes for the door. She gives me a kiss at the door and likes to close the door behind me. She might play around for 15 minutes but is usually asleep within 10. 75% of the time she sleeps in her bed. The other 25% she sleeps on her rug. Odd.

2-2:30 Mya wakes. Max has tired of his movie by this time and is usually hanging out with me in the family room. When she wakes if the tv is on it goes off. I stick my iPhone in the docking station, we turn Pandora to the Raffi station and run around the first floor dancing, playing Spiderman tag and making forts in the living room. Max is infamous for bring armfuls of books to the finished fort and dumping them on our heads. He's not aiming for our heads, he just blindly dumps them under the sheet cover. My favorite moments are the 3 of us cuddling in the fort, reading a book.

3:30 By this point I'm staring out the window wishing the weather was nicer so that we could walk to the park or just play outside. Ugh. No luck. We keep playing inside and wait until Daddy arrives around 5:00. The kids seem to have a great time and don't ask about the tv. Yay!

5:00 Daddy arrives home. The kids screech with glee and run to the front window to see him getting out of his truck. Max races through the house to unlock the back door for Alex. Daddy come in, gets settled and I start dinner. We eat at the table then head downstairs. Or, if it's nice enough, we might take a walk to the gelato shop. Max can play a game or 2 on the laptop if he has had a good day.

6:30 I head upstairs to put clothes out for tomorrow, turn down the covers, turn on the kids' space heaters and pack Max's snack for tomorrow.

7-7:30 We wrestle the kids into pajamas, brush their teeth and Mya hands out the fluoride multi-vitamins. "Medicine, medicine" she chants as I open the bottle. She receives 2 purple tablets, crams one in her mouth then runs off to find Max and hand him his.

7:30-8 I put Mya to bed following the same routine as bedtime. Alex reads to Max and indulges his many requests for Alex to "tell me a story about Spiderman/Scooby Doo".

8-10:00 Alex and I have a bit of quiet time to catch up with each other.

10:00 The day is done. Off to bed!

Mya's Fun New Bed Routine

Sweet, sweet Mya is still giving us a run for our money with her bedtime routine. She jumps out of her crib in a single bound so that option was ruled out weeks ago. We ruled out a tent crib and she quickly refused the crib converted to a toddler bed and the twin mattress on the floor next to it. Most of the time she spent halfway on one or the other, then moved to sleeping on her rug, then moved to the most pathetic of all....sleeping on the hardwood floor in her doorway.

We quickly took pity on her and placed her pack and play mattress in the doorway although the toddler bed and twin mattress remain as options for her. Now at bedtime she and I lay on the twin mattress, read 3 books, then turn on the music soother in her toddler bed and Mommy says goodnight. Mya erupts into tears for a few minutes, collects her Baby and blanket from the twin mattress, then scuttles over to the pad in the doorway where she settles down and falls asleep. Whatchagonnado?

As I type this I'm looking at the video monitor. The camera has now been turned to face the doorway. There in the doorway I see my little girl curled up on a 2" thick mattress pad, cuddling her Baby and blanket. She's happily babbling away about "nye, nye" this and "nye, nye" that. Hey, if it makes her happy and she's safe, I've learned to roll with it. Sweet Dreams, Mya Lynne!

Good News...I Think

Mya, Mya, Mya. She's giving us a run for our money this week. During our stay in Bandon she learned to jump out of her pack n play. I was frustrated but knew that once we arrived home all would be well again because the rails on a crib are higher. Well, that may be but Mya was still able to catapult herself out of the crib in 0.86 seconds flat. Oh no!

We first took the approach of walking in the room, putting her back and walking straight out. We did this a dozen times in a row with no success. We then placed her mattress on the floor and when she finally did get to sleep it was a pathetic sight. She managed to get her upper body on the mattress but her lower half was sprawled on the rug below.

Certainly she doesn't put herself right so sleep either. She usually prances around for 30-45 minutes, playing with her baby, rocking herself in her chair, climbing on her trunk to wave out the window, etc. Eventually she crashes to the ground and falls asleep. She has taken a few naps on her rug but is gaining accuracy with making it on to her mattress on the floor.

Mya's crib was made in 2001 and we assumed it didn't convert to a toddler bed. To make matters worse, it has drop sides. These types of cribs have been involved in a massive recall so we weren't sure what we could do with it. Our happy news of the day however is that we CAN and did convert her crib to a toddler bed. The structure of the drawer below adds enough rigidity once the rail is removed. The other good news is that the manufacturer drilled holes into the sides so that you could insert the screws provided to make the rails stationary. This means we can sell the crib once Mya is finished with it. Hooray. After the drama of the past few days, it was nice to catch a break.

In Max news, he has been ill. We received a call on Friday from school that he had been sitting in a chair for the past 30 minutes, not participating in playtime. We picked him up and he had developed a fever within a few hours. Apparently there was a stomach virus going around his school. He never had any GI issues (please add to my list of items to be thankful for) and kicked his fever within 48 hours.

Max's fever leaving is also a blessing because it means he can attend the Sample Family Extravaganza. This was/is always the highlight of the holiday season for me. My Grandma Barb and Grandpa Earl gave birth to 4 lovely children who in turn married and have birth to 14 lovely grandchildren who in turn married and gave birth to...where are we at here....17 great-grandchildren and counting. It's a big chaotic mess of the most wonderful family members you could hope for. Shelby is bravely hosting this year. After all, there are only so many houses that will hold a family our size. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone this afternoon. Bring on the madness!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve to one and all! I'm super excited to celebrate Christmas this year since Alex and I are introducing some new traditions for the kids. Christmas Eve is important to Alex's family who celebrated in the German tradition of opening their gifts on Christmas Eve. The kids will open a few of their mom and dad gifts this evening. We'll also open a new book, 'The Night Before Christmas' to read with the kids. I bought cocoa with mini marshmallows for them to drink for the fireside reading. Can you tell I have a whole vision going in my head? Yet I'm also savvy enough to realize it may not go that way. These are toddler we're talking about.

Christmas Day we'll open Santa's gifts. I don't think I'll ever forget telling Max about Santa. We were in the living room a few weeks back and I was stuffing some gifts under the tree. I pointed out the fireplace and was sharing how Santa comes down the chimney with his sack and puts gifts under the tree. Max saw nothing wrong about a strange, jolly man entering our house and wondered if Santa would come to his room to wake him up and say hello. For the record, that wouldn't be my first request of a stranger entering our house. Anyhow, he asked lots of questions and was excited to share this grand news with his daddy when he got home.

Max was excited to visit the man himself at the mall a few weeks back. I prepped him by telling him that he would sit on Santa's lap and that he would be asked if he was good or bad and what he would like for Christmas. Max's response to the latter? "A gun. A big gun!" Sigh. Now part of me wanted to squash that request and tell him not to ask for a big gun but it is Christmas after all. Hey, I've seen Ralphie in A Christmas Story enough times to know better. So indeed he did ask Santa for a big gun. In the past week he has upped his request to an arrow gun. Great, his arsenal is expanding.

Mya is enjoying the holidays as well. She loves the Christmas tree and made quick work of figuring out how to pop the ornaments off of their holders. It's quite something. I can't tell you how many times I've said, "We look with our eyes, not our fingers" to no avail.

I hope you all enjoy a wonderful holiday season. See you in 2011!

Syd Time = Fun Time

Max is on holiday break from preschool this week and next. What to do, what to do? Yesterday we invited Shelby, Sydney and Owen over to make 3-d dough crafts. Any activity involving Sydney is guaranteed to be a hit in this house. The dough was super easy to make and Syd and I had fun making flowers, snakes, hearts, etc. Max stuck around long enough to paint a snake. Mya stuck around long enough to paint stamp a heart. We had a great afternoon as you can see...

How to Cook Turkey According to Max

I picked up a packet of papers from Max's preschool cubby yesterday but didn't pay much attention to them. Maybe it was the distraction of corralling 2 kids into the van. Something like that! Anyhow, I was just going through his stuff and there is a packet included that is titled "How Mom Cooks the Turkey". Each child has a response.

Here is our darling Max's commentary on how I cook the turkey....

"Mom gets a lot of turkeys at the Spiderman store. She gets her turkey money from Target and she is happy when she has money. I love to eat all the turkeys but I don't eat feathers but Dad does. Grandma and Grandpa come for dinner and they bring more turkey and gifts and candy. Mom is happy and laughs and Grandma eats all the hot candy. After dinner Mom loves drinking orange juice."

We Love You Too, Mya!

While Max is off to preschool 3 days a week, I make a conscious effort to spend some special one-on-one time with Mya. We all know that 2nd and later children tend to get the shaft when it comes to that. Fortunately it seems to be working out fairly well for Mya.

We're frequent visitors to the our local science playground. Don't let this fool you if you haven't been. She's not learning physics. Well, maybe, but not intentinally. It's a huge indoor play area with a sand pit, water play area, ball blower, etc. A kid's heaven if frequently a parent's crowded nightmare. Mya runs around like she owns the place.

Mya also loves the community pool preschool swim. They restrict the leisure pool to kids 5 and under with their parents. Mya is insistent that she walk around the pool and screeches if I pick her up. She hasn't grasped the concept of the deep end and will stubbornly keep walking that direction. Today was a big day for the noodle. She picked out the raggediest one out of the pile, wrapped it around her chest and marched around the shallow end with it for 20+ minutes.

I also try to involve her in classes. She's currently participating in an art class and loves it. Last week we stamped with fruit, glued sunflower seeds to sunflowers, painted, etc. The next class she's taking is a toddler tumbling class.

I love that by staying home I'm able to spend this special time with her. I remember being so frustrated looking at the schedules and offerings when I was at work. That's what I'm grateful for this year.....time with my awesome kids!

Here's an unhappy Mya with the sunflower we made in art class. It makes me chuckle just because usually she's so happy-go-lucky and this time she was quite the opposite.

Can you say nap time?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Max's preschool puts on a monthly recital. Max has progressed from sitting in my lap for the September recital to at least sitting with his classmates for October and November. Although, as you will soon see, he isn't exactly an eager participant. ;-)

Sorry the video is cruddy. I had Mya in my lap, crawling on me. When she first saw him come out, she kept standing, pointing and loudly declaring, "MAX!" to the amusement of those around us.

(Max is in the front row, far left. His Indian name was Blue Bat.)

Max's First Field Trip

Max listens closely to the cider demo

Max and I passed a mother/son milestone today with our first field trip. We went to a pumpkin patch in Aurora with his preschool class. Mya stayed with Nana, oblivious to what she was missing out on. That will only last so long.

We arrived at the pumpkin patch by 9:15 and were excited to discover that they're store was selling freshly made pumpkin and apple cider doughnuts. Oh they were beautiful. I can still picture the grease stained bags. Max was also entranced in the gift shop but it was the pumpkin carving knives that caught his eye. I ended up buying him one and he carried it (in it's packaging) during the field trip.

Max was excited to see his friends and their parents arrive. Our first stop on the tour was a demonstration of an apple cider press. Max was thrilled with the machinery. Something about the smashing apples, chopped bits and grinding wheels I suppose. He passed on the tasting table so that we could try out the press himself.

After the press we visited chicks, goats, a llama, calf, pigs and big chickens. Max though they were okay but wasn't overly impressed. He did enjoy running through the hay maze on the way to the giant slide. He beat me to the top and I never did see him go down. I ended up sliding down by myself at the end of the pack. Yay me.

Max certainly is an independent child. He would spy something across the field and would take off without a backward glance for me or his teachers. He made his way to the nut house at one point and piled in there with another class of children. I definitely have to keep an eye on him in crowds.

We finally made it to the field and Max was excited to pick out 2 pumpkins, one for himself and Mya. A hay ride to the parking lot and we were done. I stripped him in the back of the van, changed him into clean clothes and we hit the road. Overall, it was a great success!

Mrs. Jolene high fives Max's pumpkin choice

September Update

Time to play some catch up. It was so much easier to keep up on blogging when I was working. Now that I'm home with the kids it's mommyhood 24/7. When I have a spare moment, blogging isn't first on my list of relaxing ideas. However, I do enjoy looking back on my old blogs and reminiscing so I know I had better get my rear in gear or I'm going to be cursing myself a year from now.

Max is a preshooler now and is doing great! 3 days a week we load up his lunch bag and he, Mya and I make the 2 block walk to his preschool. He adores his teachers, Mrs. Jolene and Mrs. Karen and is getting along well with the other kids. There are about 10 kids in his class and he is one of two boys. This is a nice change from daycare where there were frequently all boy days. Max will even admit that he likes school which he never said about daycare. Happy day!

Potty training was a huge success. I'm still a bit dumbfounded by the whole thing. Knock on wood he hasn't had a single accident at school and I can't recall the last accident at home. Way to go, Max! Now if only I could teach him to sit on public toilets without touching them.

Miss Mya is talking up a storm, picking up new words daily. She adores Max and becomes frustrated, calling his name, if she can't find him. She squeals and pumps her body when we go upstairs to get him out of bed in the morning. Fortunately he's being so much nicer to her lately. The hitting is a thing of the past for the most part. Just this evening she was fussing in the stroller about the treat we took away from her. Max leaned over right in her face and said, "It's all right, Mya, Max is right here." Say it with me....Awwwww!

She has also lost her baby fat belly which I miss. I reach down without thinking about it to rub her tummy and it's no longer there. Mya is always on the move, chasing after Max, digging through the toy box, dancing to Lady Gaga.

I've been loving being a stay-at-home mom. It can be exhausting but I can't think of a better cause than my own kids to be exhausted over! Oh although how about, "Gee, I'm so exhausted from laying next to this pool all day and having to ask somebody to being me food and drinks?" Yeah, I'd like to try out that form of exhaustion sometime!

Surf's Up!

Max's bedding arrived today for his new big boy bed. I'm still working on putting his art work together but it's looking good. My boy is growing up!

Max's 1st Day of Preschool

Story to follow but a few quicks pictures of Max on his first day of preschool. Everything went great!

What Will You Do For A Lollipop?

Max turned 3 last week and starts preschool soon so Alex and I decided that we had better get moving on potty training Max. We've brought up the concept to Max before but he has never shown an interest. Big boys go potty in the toilet? I don't care. Big boys wear underwear? I don't like them. Sigh! We knew this wasn't going to be easy. Or was it? As I've recently discovered, it's amazing what motivates my son.

On Monday we loaded into the van for a trip to the store to pick out treats for Max's potty prize basket. We stocked the cart with super balls, M&Ms, gummy bears and Max's personal favorite...the Dum Dum lollipops. Max started using the potty as soon as we got home and hasn't turned back. What. the. heck?! If I knew all it took was a bag of Dum Dums I would have started this weeks ago.

This kid is a rock star...albeit a pantless one. He's not to fond of the underwear and prefers to walk around the house naked from the waist down. Bear that in mind the next time you sit on our leather couch. ;-) Anyhow, he has done great. He bolts to the bathroom on his own, removes his own clothes (when applicable) and stayed dry through a shopping trip to Target today. I'm aware that some kids don't like to go #2 on the potty but Max has that one down. I'm super proud of him although I know it's often a 2 steps forward, 1 step back process. For now he's doing very well. Great job, Max!!!!

Splash but No Crash!

The Linke family was invited to attend a 1st Thursday party at a friend's shwanky place in the Pearl. Jack and Phyllis are good friends of ours who threw a baby shower for us when we were pregnant with Max so we like to bring the kids by once in a blue moon. They have a townhouse filled with things children should never touch but are incredibly kind and laid back about having the kids over. The term laid back does not apply to Alex and I as Max puts his shoes on the couch and Mya reaches for beautiful sculptures. None the less, we enjoyed our visit to see them.

After our visit to the Heims', we walked a few blocks over to Jamison Square to visit the fountain! We let the kids romp and play in their party attire and they had a great time. Here are a few shots.

Jack and Mya...

Nothing is broken! As a reward we all head off to Jamison Square...


Max and Mya get to work drenching their clothes....

Max climbs the rock wall...

By the end Mya was soaking wet and splashing up a storm. Fun!

She's still pretty when she's wet...

THE END!

Mean Boy

Max has been wrapping up his terrible 2's with a bang. Oh.my.word. For the past 2 weeks he has been a hitting and kicking machine. It's frustrating beyond words to see how defiant he is and how mean to his sister. Today he took a plastic golf club and smacked me in the arm full force, leaving a pink mark that is still there hours later. Today alone he lost tv privileges, had several toys and a popsicle taken away and had to leave Nana's house early.

I'm not sure of the cause. He has gone through a major change in routine with me staying at home with him yet I know that he likes being at home. I'll occasionally ask him about his teachers and friends and ask him if he wants to go visit. The answer is always "No, I stay wish you."

I can tell that part of it is just being a bit emotionally immature and lashing out instead of explaining his frustration or looking for other options. This makes me think that it's a great thing that we plan on holding him back a year in school. (His bday is 2 weeks shy of the cut off)

For now I'll just keep attempting negative consequences for his bad choices. This phase will pass eventually.

Recovery

In the past 48 hours I finally feel like I've rejoined the human race. The past 10 days have been incredibly hectic. I completed my last week of work, said goodbye to the daycare staff, had my wisdom teeth removed, suffered (well, nearly past tense) through dry socket, bought a minivan and am now loving my first week at home as a stay-at-home mom.

Saying goodbye at work was bittersweet to be sure. Over the past 5 years with the team I bought a house, got married and gave birth to 2 children. I was so incredibly lucky to have such a great support system at work during these major life changes. I'll be sad to miss out on seeing these folks on a regular basis. Although, as I hinted at in an earlier post, there have been big changes so there were certain aspects of my new role that I was happy to leave in the dust. Best to go out on top with happy memories of good friends!

The goodbye at WeeCare was rough. I trusted these people with my 2 most precious possessions the past year so it was difficult to say goodbye. Max, Mya and I brought in breakfast treats for the teachers along with individual cards and gifts to say our thanks. We're very grateful to the staff at WeeCare for taking such wonderful care of our kiddos!

I had my wisdom teeth removed and that was fine....until the dry socket pain hit. Awful, awful, awful. I have recovered from 2 c-sections and would happily recover from a 3rd instead of suffer through dry socket pain again. Dry socket happens when the wound doesn't properly clot over and the nerve remains exposed. It HURTS. I had to go in several times to have it packed with clove oil soaked gauze which is fabulous but delays the healing.

Alex and I bought a minivan the day after my surgery. I was in a Vicodin bliss and had no idea of the pain to come. Our road to a minivan was a long one but I will defend myself by saying it was never my plan to be a minivan mom. We're very happy with it so far. Max loves the DVD system and seems to be coming to terms with the fact that he can't have it on every time we get in the van.

The kids and I have been having a great week at home so far. Tomorrow I'm taking Max to Preschooler Day at Oaks Park. Maybe lunch at DQ afterwards? Thursday I'm taking Mya to a music class at the community center. A special thanks to my mom for making both of these adventures possible.

Okay, enough chit chat for now. That brings you up to speed in summary. More details to come...but pictures below for now!

Here we have Sherry and Mya. Sherry is the lead teacher in Mya's room.

This is Mya with her JoAnna. JoAnna is the float between the 2 baby rooms and has been with Mya since she first joined WeeCare at 4 months. JoAnna's nickname for Mya is "Squishy".

This is Karen with Max. Karen is the lead teacher in his room and is an absolute dream. She's the calmest person you ever met and is great with the kids. Max adores here and stuck closely by here side as he transitioned to WeeCare. I'm forever grateful to her!

Last but not least we have the new van. It's a Honda so we're hoping to have it in the family for many years to come. I have 90k on my Accord and it has been a great car. Our current plan is to keep my Accord and sell Alex's truck which gets awful gas mileage and is too big to park many places.

Susan

I mentioned in my previous post all of the great people I get to work with in my current role. None of those people are more dear to me than my friend Susan. She and I have shared a 10’ x 10’ office for more than 5 years. Think about it. How many people would you want to spend 32-40 hours a week with in a space that size? I spend as much time with her as I do my husband and children…at some points more. She's essentially my cell mate.

In a stroke of luck beyond measure we get along beautifully and are great friends. In the time we’ve worked with one another I’ve gone from a girl dating Alex to wife and mother of two. We know EVERYTHING about each other. There is no such thing as a personal call in our office. She knows more about me than my husband does. Poor thing.

Our team recently moved to a new office building which forced the two of us to separate. Although she’s just a cubicle wall away, it has still been a tough transition. I’m not able to confide in her like I used to or offer as much support to her through her difficult days. Of course I only have a few weeks left at work so perhaps it has been a helpful transition for us.

As I make the big leap to a stay-at-home-mom there are certainly many aspects of my job that I will miss…ummmmm, the coffee cart comes to mind….none more so than Susan, however. I am forever grateful for her friendship and support. I am always here for you my friend!

The following is an e-mail conversation between Susan and myself that inspired this blog. This should give you an idea of the comradery between us. I was feeling very proud that I was one of the first 10 people to reply to a hidden message where a lanyard was the prize. (Read top to bottom)
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From: Linke, Stacey Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:29 PM
To: Choi, SusanSubject: Want a Lanyard?

I scored you a pretty lanyard this morning. It’s my attempt to make up to you the fact that I’m leaving. I figure a “lanyard in a fun fashion color for summer” ought to do it. ;-)_____________________________________________
From: Choi, Susan Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:31 PM
To: Linke, StaceySubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

Ohhhhhh pretty lanyard! Waaaiiiit one minute, this sounds vaguely like a bribe. . . .
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From: Linke, Stacey Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:33 PM
To: Choi, SusanSubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

Call it what you like, it’s still going to be a lovely gift. I suspect there are more than 10 of these lanyards in existence but you can still strut down the hall feeling superior to others with your exclusive lanyard.
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From: Choi, Susan Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:34 PM
To: Linke, StaceySubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

You’re so sweet! I’ll take it as a reminder of your brief but wonderful time with me here *sob*
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From: Linke, Stacey Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:38 PM
To: Choi, SusanSubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

Just don’t stroke the lanyard because that would be weird.
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From: Choi, Susan Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 12:47 PM
To: Linke, StaceySubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

Fair enough. I won’t do that. I’ll just sleep with it.
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From: Linke, Stacey Sent: Monday, June 28, 2010 1:12 PM
To: Choi, SusanSubject: RE: Want a Lanyard?

Right….because that’s not weird at all.