Two Kids and a Dog

Underwear

2012-01-29T19:46:00.003-06:00

I'm not talking about potty training, I'm talking about a recent song that Austen learned at school from one of his friends who shall remain nameless (although I'm happy to report it's not one of the kids he usually hangs out with). Anyway, last week he came home singing this song:

Trick or Treat
smell my feet
If you don't, I won't care
I'll pull down your underwear!

Turns out the benefits of having a big brother is that he will teach you songs like this so Peyton has learned all the verses and happily sings it with Austen. Oh and she likes to put his underwear on her head. The pair in the photo is clean thankfully.

Snow! Finally!

2012-01-22T22:00:00.005-06:00

I didn't realize how much we missed the snow this winter until it finally snowed a good bit on Friday. Never mind that the onslaught of this white stuff canceled my flight home from DC on Friday but it was still good to see....just wish it had come on a different day!

So on Saturday, Peyton had her first sledding experience. She was a little unsure at first but once she saw Austen do it, she decided she liked it and you could hear her laughing all the way down the hill. She especially liked sledding with her big brother and going down face first.

Austen enjoyed sledding and wanted to hog all the sleds. He even decided to take a particularly steep slope into a bunch of snow. Now, I told him not to go face first but he insisted and got a face full of snow which made him immediately start crying. All I could do was laugh as I helped brush the snow out of his jacket and off his face and tell him, "I told you not to go face first!" I think it will make him a little tougher anyway when he gets around to skiing. There will be many face plants as he learns so he had better get used to it!

Austen Turns 5

2012-01-15T23:34:00.006-06:00

I always told my mom that it's sort of like her birthday too when my brothers and I have our birthdays since she was the one giving birth to us. I feel like that with Austen and Peyton too. Those days were such huge, life-changing events for us that celebrating him turning five takes me back to the night before when we went to the hospital and those snapshots of memories I have in my mind from that day. I can't believe that was five years ago.

Austen turned five this week and celebrated the whole week long. First, we took him to dinner at the Rainforest Cafe with Papa. This was his request - actually he said I want to go to the restaurant with the frogs. We drive by it at least once a week when Tom drives me to work and he remembers that we went there for his birthday last year. Anyway, he loved the elephants and even petted them. He liked the gorillas too but wouldn't pet them according to Papa. Maybe it was because Papa faked the gorilla biting off his finger! Peyton on the other hand clung to me for dear life the entire meal. She did not like the elephants! The good part of this was I actually had an enjoyable meal without having to keep her from wanting to roam the restaurant.

Wednesday, Austen's actual birthday kicked off with muffins at school where they celebrated by singing happy birthday complete with five hip, hip hoorays! That evening, Austen got to go to his first Chicago Bulls basketball game with his dad and Uncle Bob and Aunt Maria.

Just when you are thinking his birthday has to be over, he had to enjoy his birthday party with his friends on Saturday. They made stuffed animals, people or whatever they wanted. Austen requested a cookie cake as he tells me he doesn't like regular cake especially the frosting!

I think he had a good birthday week and I for one am glad all the celebrating is done and I have nothing to plan for the next 10 months of the year!

Who is This Kid?

2012-01-08T20:21:00.006-06:00

I'm talking about Peyton. She definitely has entered the terrible twos and is giving us a run for our money. The past two weeks she has been especially challenging and what worked for Austen does not work for her. It just goes to show you how different two kids can be.

First, the potty training. Austen potty trained at 25 months in three days and just got it. Peyton had all the signs that Austen did not that showed she was ready like wanting to sit on the potty and being able to talk. She clearly understands the concept but it took her a lot longer and it is still a work in progress. More like two weeks before she went dry for a whole day. But she has gotten better which is good.

Second is the bed. We got her a big girl bed during the time we were potty training her. Now I didn't do this with Austen. I waited about two months after he was potty trained but Peyton had been waking up pretty consistently throughout the night since Oct. so I figured we were already not getting a full night sleep what is one more thing to add to it. Austen wasn't that great in the transition to the bed thing. He wanted us to be in his room or right outside his door and Peyton is the same way. Wants the light on, a drink of water, has to go to the bathroom, etc. I am slowly remembering that Austen did much of the same. But I'm older now and probably wiser and a little less tolerant of this going on for 45 minutes. We're still trying to test what the perfect solution to her resistance to bedtime is and hopefully it's not just letting her grow out of it!

Third is that she's a tough girl. She likes to rough house with her brother already. Just today she got sent to timeout for hitting him and then biting him! She can certainly make him cry. And when you try to punish her for it she gives you a laugh and thinks it's all funny. Putting lemon juice in her mouth like we did with Austen doesn't revoke any reaction from her in fact when we threaten her with it, she asks for it. I think we might need to switch our strategy on that one!

Fourth, she's into everything. She's taking stools and chairs and climbing up on them to reach items. Think the top of her dresser in her bedroom to reach the Kleenex that she wants to tear up or the kitchen counter to get the remote to turn on the music. I'm almost afraid to leave her in her room by herself because I don't know what she's going to do now! I think I need to invest in one of those video monitors because this is what I came down to when she was supposed to be taking a nap! (Hint: her drawers and bed are usually not this messy!)

It gets easier right?! I know it does but right now she's giving us a run for our money.

Here's Two Peyton!

2012-01-01T21:32:00.008-06:00

On Friday, Peyton turned two. And since this year we didn't jet set off to somewhere after the holidays, we decided to have a day of fun things to do on her special day.

We started the morning off by going to breakfast (really the cleaning ladies were coming and we had to get out of the house and breakfast was the perfect excuse). We then headed to the theater where we saw a late morning children's play based on the book "Give a Cat a Cupcake" - one of her favorites. I wasn't sure how Peyton would do considering the play was 45 minutes long and she was potty training (more on that in a future post). But she did great. She sat through the whole performance (and didn't wet her pants!).

From there we headed home for lunch, a nap and then headed out again to do last minute errands in preparation for her birthday party with friends and family the next day. We capped off her birthday with dinner out and cupcakes at home.

Her party was a great success. I didn't see Peyton most of the time (which wasn't very helpful in the potty training department) but she had a lot of fun with her friends and family at a children's play space that had a family room for the adults to hang out in while the kids were playing.

She got lots of presents from all her great friends and family and I'm thinking that we need a much larger house just to fit all the presents from her birthday and Christmas! All in all, she enjoyed her birthday - definitely knew it was her day. And only today did we break it to her after she started singing happy birthday to herself that her birthday is now over and Austen's is next. She looked disappointed at first but changed her tune to happy birthday Austen!

Xmas 2011

2011-12-27T11:13:00.006-06:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We did. A very busy one but a good one at that. I am now happy to be hibernating at home after two very busy days seeing both sides of the family.

This was the first year we attempted to take Peyton to church. I think Austen made it through the whole Xmas mass when we brought him when he was her age. Peyton made it through three quarters of church. She wasn't understanding why she couldn't just talk in her normal voice or shout in church. When she was shouting it was usually something like her full name (which she just learned) - "Peyton Amanda Szurgot!" Or it was "Papa!" Who was sitting in the row in front of us. Austen was mesmerized by the stations of the cross on the wall and couldn't believe anyone would make someone carry a heavy cross or beat them or where a crown of thorns. He's going to love CCD!

Xmas morning the kids were excited to open their presents. Austen woke up first about 7:20 a.m. And he didn't run to the tree. He only ran to our room to get the remote for the TV (which we confiscate and he has to ask for on weekends so we make sure he doesn't wake up at 5 a.m. to watch cartoons). When we reminded him that Santa came he was pretty excited to see all the presents and note that Santa ate all of his cookies and drank all of the milk he left him.

Since Peyton had a late night the night before, we let her sleep and Austen open his presents. He got pretty excited to open his remote controlled car but the best line he probably had all day was when he opened a shirt he got from Grandma Lou and Papa and proclaimed " this is for work!" (It was a dress shirt.) Here is Austen opening some of his gifts.

Peyton enjoyed opening her presents too. She tore wrapping paper piece by piece and her funny moment came when she opened her first present and Austen asked her "what is it?" And she proclaimed "a box!" Of course she hadn't opened the box to see the real presents!

Christmas wrapped up nicely with Austen doing karaoke to Xmas carols at Grandma Szurgots house. He even convinced his dad who never sings to do a solo.

I'd say we have a lot to be thankful for this Xmas.

Austen's Holiday Concert

2011-12-19T22:45:00.007-06:00

This year both Tom and I made it to Austen's holiday concert. Last year, Tom wasn't able to go and I think he regretted it the entire year. This is exactly the kind of thing that makes you love being a parent. Seeing your kid work so hard for some type of command performance and being fortunate enough to see them perform it. It was priceless last year and it ranked right up there this year as one of my favorite Austen moments.

Austen sang various songs with his class including Jingle Bell Rock and Feliz Navidad. Check out our little performer....
this one is him singing Jingle Bell Rock which was his favorite (even though I had to remind him to smile halfway through so you'll see him paste one on his cute little face). He made us be quiet whenever it came on the radio at home and in the car so he could sing.

This next clip I absolutely love because it's not of him singing at all but tickling the girls standing next to him. The mom of the girl standing next to him approached me after the show saying did you see Lydia and Austen up there?! I said, I sure did and got it all on tape. See for yourself what happened.

This next one is just as funny. Here is Austen singing Feliz Navidad and you can tell he's really enjoying himself until the end when he forgets to put his hand over his heart as he was singing "I want to wish you a Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart!" Well now the girl standing behind him notices he wasn't executing the right move and decides to assist him. Check out the dirty look he gives her!

Austen may have had a star performance but the rock star that afternoon was Tom. Some parents were taking their children out to lunch and then home after the performance but I had my work holiday party to attend and Tom was supposed to go back to work. Clearly upset, Austen waited silently in line to return to his classroom. How could we send him back to school after seeing him like that? So Tom made the decision to take the rest of the day off. They lunched at "Old McDonalds" aka McDonald's and spent the afternoon together.

It was an afternoon to remember and a reminder that no work is as important as making your child feel they are an important part of your life.

Visiting Santa

2011-12-11T21:19:00.008-06:00

So age two must have been the year that Austen didn't like Santa either. It seems strange that it was only three years ago but I can't remember if he did or didn't unless I look back at the pictures and note that somehow he didn't have one with Santa when he was two. Well, Peyton is almost two and she wanted nothing to do with sitting on Santa's lap. She took candy from him, she talks about him and she'll observe him from afar but sit on that jolly, old man's lap...never!

So Austen is the one who told Santa what he wanted for Xmas.

Both kids are getting ready and are enjoying all the holiday things to do like decorating the tree and watering it! Getting socking presents from Santa each week and singing and listening to holiday music. They are really experiencing the spirit of this time of year and we are enjoying watching them revel in it from ice skating (that's another post for a different day) to seeing the Macy's Xmas windows to sipping hot chocolate and checking out the neighborhood's holiday lights. It's our most favorite time of the year as a family.

Austen Learns to Tie His Shoes

2011-12-04T21:09:00.006-06:00

When I was a little girl, my grandma taught me how to tie my shoes. It was summer and I was living in New Jersey so I was probably almost five. My grandma had come to visit and I remember that everyone was paying attention to my fairly new little brother and no one would help me tie my shoes! I remember going to my room and being so mad. I had these blue Winnie the Pooh sneakers but I couldn't wear them because they were tie shoes (and it was the 70s and velcro wasn't in yet). My grandma came up soon thereafter and sat with me until I learned how to tie my own shoes.

My grandma is no longer with us today and I can't remember how she taught me to tie my own shoes but I enjoyed acknowledging her and the important role she played in my life as I taught Austen how to tie his shoes recently.

Remembering that I was almost five when I learned how to tie my own shoes, I suggested that we buy Austen a pair so he could practice. (He usually wears velcro to school since they want kids to be able to put on their own shoes.) So we did and he has been wearing them on the weekends and practicing so he can wear them to school.

He finally mastered the tying. Next up - the double knot - then I will let him wear them to school!

Adler Turns 7!

2011-11-27T19:16:00.005-06:00

Wishing my Addie girl a very happy 7th birthday! We spent a lot of quality time together this weekend. We took a lot of long walks around various Chicago neighborhoods; visited the pet store to buy her some birthday toys and treats; and then today, on her actual birthday, we took her with us to cut down our Xmas tree. (Aside from being at the beach, I think this is one of Adler's favorite trips with us.)

Adler enjoyed the horses pulling our hayride out to find the trees. Then once we were deep in the forest, we unleashed Adler who ran and ran and ran. The only thing that could have made the day better for her was snow! She enjoyed getting lost in the thick brush of trees and then us calling her name and coming running to find us. She did have a little injury as she must have hurt her paw during one of her many runs - probably stepped on something - but that didn't deter her. She still enjoyed her tasty treats at our tree cutting tailgate.

Happy birthday Adler - you're the best. Hope your foot feels better:)

One Thing I Won't Do When We Move to the Burbs...

2011-11-20T20:40:00.007-06:00

is take my kids downtown to the holiday lights parade. You know the one on the famed Michigan Avenue where they invite all the Disney characters to help turn on the holiday lights in the city. There's a ton of people, traffic sucks and it's usually freezing cold. So I figure I had better get it all in now before we move so we hopped the bus for year three of viewing the lights from the balcony attached to my office. The kids enjoyed riding "mommy's bus" and traveling the short three miles didn't take too long. We picked up some food on the short walk between the bus stop and my office once we disembarked and then brought it up to my office to eat before the parade began.

This year was a little different view for us since Burberry, the building actually in front of mine on Michigan Avenue, decided it was building a new store up to the 7th floor so part of my balcony was blocked in but the kids made the most of it and still had a corner to squeeze into to view the parade. Peyton was mesmerized by the parade going by and her and Austen kept jockeying for the best view in the small space. Best balloons were Rudolph and Kermit the frog promoting the new Muppets movie this year. Austen saw that one coming a mile away and kept telling Tom, "there's a frog!"

The way home was probably the least fun experience of the night. What usually is a 20-minute bus ride at most turned into a 50-minute one. After about 15 minutes, Peyton was giving us the sign language for "all done" and kept telling us too that she was through with this bus! So were we but we could hardly get off! Perhaps the funniest moment came as Austen, who was trying to entertain himself on the long ride home announced, "hey there's a lemonade!" What he really meant to say was "hey, there's a limousine!"

Pee Pee Boo

2011-11-13T12:21:00.000-06:00

Peyton is growing up so fast that I wanted to share her latest antics that we love. We must've been playing peekaboo with her a few weeks back and she loved that we were the ones saying peekaboo to her. Well, last week she decided that it was her turn to try peekaboo. As she was finishing up her dinner with Tom sitting next to her she turned to him and started to hide her eyes then she quickly took her hands away from her eyes and said "pee pee boo!" She repeated this a few times and luckily Tom was able to capture it on his phone. This is just one of those priceless moments that make us as parents smile. Hope it makes your day too.

Trick or Treat

2011-11-06T19:35:00.006-06:00

Trick or treating was a success this year based on the pounds of candy in Austen's trick or treat bag. Tom said my dad and he alternated holding Austen's bag because it was so heavy and was slowing him down from keeping up with the big kids and even more candy! On the other hand, I was told Peyton was a rock star (since I was out of town for work) and went up to each door saying trick or treat and thank you. She carried her treat bag on her arm like it was a purse and loved being shepherded through her first real trick or treat experience by her big cousin Mia. However, not wanting to slow Mia down too much Tom wanted Peyton to skip a few houses to catch up with the big kids but she was having none of it. She would not let him skip a house just to catch up. She must have known at age 22 months that she was missing out on some good candy if she bypassed these houses.

Anyway, my cowboy and my cupcake had a great time and will be eating away at their loot for at least the next six months!

Peyton's First Shiner

2011-10-30T11:51:00.000-05:00

Peyton's first black eye was compliments of her big brother. On Tuesday, they shut down school early because the secret service shut down the street the school is located on due to the impending arrival of Michelle Obama. So I picked up the kids early and thought we'd have a fun afternoon at the Nature Museum. The kids loved the butterfly exhibit and all the "stuffed animals" like the polar bear, owl, bunny in the fox's mouth and the lynx. However, their favorite part was this room that had a slide in it.

Austen kept telling Peyton get on my back! What he really meant was get behind me and wrap your legs around me and we'll go down together. I told him to just go down himself and quit bothering his sister. She was going to go down the way she wanted to go down. But he somehow got her to wrap her legs around him and off they went...sliding to the bottom, where they landed on their butts on the soft mat and smacked heads - the back of Austen's head to Peyton's eye.

But Peyton is a tough cookie. She cried for maybe 30 seconds and got right back up and went down the slide (although not with her brother).

Here is my little trooper right after and then the next day.

Pumpkin Farms

2011-10-23T20:00:00.009-05:00

The last two weekends we have taken advantage of the warm weather and headed off to two different pumpkin farms. The first pumpkin farm is one that Tom and I have been going to for years even before Austen was born. Austen and Peyton got to run around the farm, go on a scary hayride (Austen was more scared than Peyton but not scared enough to miss it). Austen rode a pony. Peyton said she didn't want to go. They ate kettle corn, picked out pumpkins and played on the slides at the farm. Here's a summary in pictures of our day at Goebbert's.

This past weekend, we joined friends and headed to Stade's Farm and Market. It was a different experience than Goebbert's. Austen and Peyton went on this one ride that I remember Austen loving as a little kid and Peyton loved it too....so much that she went on it twice! Peyton also made her first appearance in a bouncy house. At first, she wasn't so sure but soon she got into jumping around with her brother and friends. We took a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where you could pick your own pumpkins - we came home with two more. Austen rode some dirt bike and a pony and this time Peyton ventured to ride a pony too. We ended the day by taking the kids to "Old MacDonald's" as Austen calls it (aka McDonald's). Here's a summary in pictures of our day at Stade's.

Adler's Daddy

2011-10-15T14:10:00.005-05:00

So I am on this Yahoo Groups list for owners of Bernese Mountain Dogs. People post questions, information about the breed and useful tips. I receive maybe two or three emails a day and I enjoy glancing over the many topics and educating myself even more about our beloved breed.

This past week a name posted in one of the subject line's happens to catch my eye. It was Tallpine's Typhoon Bedmark (call name -Ty). The name rings a bell because it's Adler's dad. I click on the link only to learn that her dad died on Tuesday. He was 11 1/2 (almost 12). That's actually good news for Bernese Mountain Dogs whose life expectancy is 7-9 years. I feel hopeful that Adler will have a longer life expectancy than most Berners. That was short-lived though as I was searching for more information on Adler's mom Brighteye's Shooting Star (call name - Hayley). She lived only 7 1/2 years. Adler turns 7 next month.

I can't believe my Brighteye's Devil in the White City (call name - Adler) is in the golden years of her life already. Forever still wouldn't be long enough to have her.

U Pick It

2011-10-09T22:44:00.007-05:00

So to get in the Fall spirit this weekend we decided to take a drive to one of our favorite states (Michigan) and pick some apples. The almost 80 degree weather didn't help get us in the Fall mood but the changing leaves, already brilliant in their red, yellow and orange hues, made the drive scenic.

Austen quickly got into apple picking mode. We had to slow him down or we would have gone home with a whole bushel. Peyton wasn't so good at getting the hang of pulling them off the tree, however, she did like throwing them in the wagon. We just had to watch that she wasn't picking up the ones off the ground and having us buy those!

During apple picking, Peyton took time out to rest in the wagon and Austen took a bathroom break. Hope no one eats any of the apples off the ground!

Next we went to get some apple donuts and cider. Austen devoured two and his chocolate milk. Peyton was much slower at first licking her donut and then deciding she liked it, devoured it - only to realize she put too much in her mouth and spit out a good majority of it.

Next up was the cow ride (basically a little train that looks like a cow pulled by a tractor). Peyton wanted to ride it by herself and was so happy and squealing with delight before the tractor took off. After, all we could hear was her crying. We had to intercept the ride to get her back. Next ride, she was more than happy to sit with me on the ride and telling me,"More! More!"

Next up, the pumpkin farm!

My Little Soccer Players

2011-10-02T19:27:00.005-05:00

This Fall, Austen and Peyton are enrolled in soccer. We decided it was time to get Peyton involved in an extracurricular activity since we had been doing a weekend activity such as music, gym class, basketball, baseball or soccer since he was 4 months old. We waited until Peyton was almost 21 months but I guess that's what happens with the second - you don't get them involved as early. I think with the first, the activity is more for the parents than for the kid!

Anyway, Austen and Peyton play at the same time on indoor fields that back up to each other. Austen plays in a 4/5 class/league so they work on drills for about 20 minutes and scrimmage for about 25 minutes. He loves to run and chase the ball and has scored a number of goals. Lucky they haven't been own goals since he routinely kicks the ball to the nearest goal. We have to work on which goal is his!

Peyton's soccer is a little soccer, bubbles, parachutes and games of red light, green light. At first she wasn't so sure but now she seems to really enjoy it. She especially likes sitting in the middle of the parachute as the parents grasp the ends and run around in a circle. I remember that there was no way that Austen was going to sit on that parachute - he always had to be on the outside.

Anyway, I'm glad they are playing soccer. Austen seems way more into it now than he was when he was 3. But it's still too early to tell if either of them will be a soccer player.

Check out Peyton in her uniform (Austen was being grumpy!)

The Cup and Other Things Montessori

2011-09-25T20:56:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I was talking to another parent who just left Austen and Peyton's Montessori school because they had to move. Her daughter was in Peyton's class and she was sharing with me how when her daughter entered her new (non-Montessori) school they asked her if she was using a sippy cup because she hadn't brought one. They probably didn't realize that in Montessori, you don't ever utter the words sippy cup. They learn to drink from little cups around the age of 1 and start to perfect it close to 18 months. Peyton is doing great with the cup! So yes, at home, she would use some sippy cups because while she was perfecting her technique, I didn't want it all over my floor all the time. But now at almost 21 months, I think it's time to start phasing out the sippy cup.

Montessori also pushes the potty training from a young age. I think Peyton's ready. It's just am I ready? It was relatively painless with Austen because he was great at holding it and didn't ask to see every bathroom every time we went out. Peyton will tell me now, "Pee Pee!" and I will take her to the bathroom and she will sit there and 5 seconds letter proclaim "All done!" although she didn't do anything. So we are gearing up for that soon. Austen was potty trained at 25 months. Maybe Peyton will break one of Austen's records.

One thing that I also like that Montessori does at this age is teach practical life skills. Peyton is pretty good at using utensils when eating. She also tries to put on her coat and backpack herself. And, just today, I witnessed her put her shoes on her feet twice!

She has also finally started saying her name. So next time you see her, you can ask her and she'll tell you!

No Nap=Advanced Lessons

2011-09-18T21:09:00.004-05:00

We knew our days were numbered with Austen taking a nap probably since Spring. Since that time we've either battled with Austen to take a nap or to actually go to bed. When he did nap, he was having a rough time going to bed and it would take him 1-2 hours before he actually fell asleep depending on the night.

I broached this with his teacher at school and she told me he was having no trouble napping at school. Suspect in my opinion but that's a whole different story. Lucky for us, she left the school and when the new year started Austen had a new teacher. I took the opportunity to ask her if Austen could stop napping altogether. Now when a parent asks this I understand that it is a serious consideration especially when they are close to age 5. This is because those who don't nap around age 5 actually participate in advanced lessons during this time. Austen was so excited to participate. Well, the first day he lied and told me he napped because he wanted to stay up late but his teacher emailed me that evening so I knew he was participating.

Anyway, since day two, Austen just seems like a sponge soaking up the advanced lessons and has proudly declared his two new best friends in his class, ones he does advanced lessons with. He also proudly shares with us the work that he has done in advanced lessons that day. A lot of it is practicing numbers and penmanship to ready them for kindergarten/first grade.

I'm excited about that. But I'm even more excited now that he's asleep within five minutes of me putting him to bed!

The End of Summer

2011-09-11T20:02:00.010-05:00

I can't believe another summer is gone. So last weekend we said goodbye to the summer when Austen was 4 1/2 and Peyton 1 1/2 and we did it in style. We took the long weekend and some added days to return to Harbor Country in southwest Michigan to enjoy frolicking in Lake Michigan, eating ice cream and building sand castles. Here's a snapshot of our final summer vacation from 2011:

Austen and Peyton at Oinks for ice cream

Yum, I can eat ice cream cones pretty well now and I better have one if Austen is having one!

Happy and eating S'Mores. Peyton enjoyed her first S'More experience even though she wasn't allowed to roast a marshmallow.

On an almost fall-like day, Austen enjoyed flying a kite. His first time doing so. He enjoyed it!

Hard at work building with Dad!

Stealing Mom's seat and her Us Magazine!

Michigan is always a good time. Hopefully one day we'll have a house of our own up there. That's the plan anyway!

Sweet Tooth

2011-09-04T20:49:00.002-05:00

Peyton has the biggest sweet tooth. I'm sure my family would say that she takes after me, however, they might be unaware that my husband loves sweets even more than I do. Peyton definitely takes after him.

Never mind eating her dinner, she wants dessert even if she doesn't eat all of her vegetables! Try reasoning with an almost 20 month old. Do you want dessert? Yes, she'll shake her head. Then eat your green beans! No, she shakes her head. And this child certainly thinks she's entitled to dessert without eating her dinner too. Good luck to her on that one.

Here's a night where she actually did eat her dinner and shows her sweet eating prowess just like her dad!

A Trip to the ER

2011-08-29T20:07:00.000-05:00

So a few weeks ago, we had to make a midnight run to the emergency room....for dogs. At about 9:30 pm, Adler was attempting to throw up but couldn't. She was clearly uncomfortable when she laid down and she was drooling excessively.

Like all good moms, I did some preliminary research on the internet and watched her closely for a few hours. My research told me that when a dog is nauseous it drools excessively. But I was also concerned about bloat. The Bernese Mountain Dog is particularly susceptible to bloat and it can be fatal in a matter of hours. I did not want to go to sleep to wake up to find Adler in dire straits so I put on my flip flops and drove my dog to the emergency vet.

Two hours and more than $300 later, they tell me she is fine. She did not have bloat but she did have excessive amounts of gas in her stomach (note all those tiny bubbles in her x-ray). That's fine, I'll pay more than $300 and be sleep deprived so I didn't have to go to work the next day worrying about my dog. She's worth it to me.

The Biter

2011-08-21T07:58:00.002-05:00

So I thought that I would get one child at least that didn't have issues with biting. Peyton went through a minor biting stage a few months ago in her infant classroom at school. But one day she bit me twice at home within a matter of two minutes so I had to give her a shot of the good old lemon juice (the remedy that stopped Austen from biting) and that ended things for awhile.

But, Friday the biter was back. She bit seven kids in her new toddler classroom at school. Six in a matter of 15 minutes! So yes, I had seven reports in her backpack when I picked her up and a warning that the teacher was going to be calling me. Now to be fair, not all of them were her fault in my biased opinion. One kid stuck his finger in her mouth so what did he expect? Can anyone say personal space? The other took her work from her. Yes, biting is not the answer but you can bet that kid won't take her work again!

I know it's her way of communicating right now but I also know that she knows it's wrong. We read a book given to Austen on biting this weekend over and over. And we practiced kisses instead of biting. Maybe it will pay off. If not, there's always the lemon juice.

More From Austen...

2011-08-14T21:40:00.005-05:00

This week Austen has been full of all sorts of funny things to say. Here's a smattering of them...

Austen: What's that? (referring to a noise he heard upstairs)

Me: Our new neighbor moving some furniture.

Austen: Peter? (the old neighbor)

Me: No, Peter moved to a new house.

Austen: Does he have a big backyard now?

Me: (trying not to laugh) Yeah, probably bigger than when he lived here.

Can you tell Austen wants a big backyard?

Me: Austen, move your foot. (as I am trying to close the closet door in his room)

Austen: (nothing)

Me: Austen, I said move your foot.

Austen: (nothing)

Me: (I close door on Austen's foot but gently)

Austen: Mommy! You just closed the door on my foot and hurt my toes!

Me: I asked you twice to move your foot and you didn't. Your toes are fine.

Austen: No, you tried to cut them off with the door!

Me: I'll go get the scissors and cut them off if you really think I was trying to cut them off!

Austen: And, I'll go get the policeman!

Me: (Laughing) Okay, you win!

Good that he knows it's not okay for mommies to cut off their kids' toes with scissors!

Me: Looking at pictures of my friend Lisa's wedding and pointing to a photo of me and Lisa) Austen, who is that?

Austen: Lisa.

Me: And...?

Austen: I don't know.

Me: You don't know?

Austen: No.

Me: You don't know your own mommy?!

Austen: (Looking at me funny). You?!

Guess I looked either really bad or really good that my own kid didn't recognize me in a photo! Maybe it was the sunglasses?!!

Having a Big Brother Means...

2011-08-07T13:49:00.005-05:00

You will be teased relentlessly. I was having flashbacks of my childhood one evening as Peyton sat nicely using a makeshift bottle and spoon to feed her baby doll. Something i'm sure she's seen teachers at school do with the infants. Austen wanting to be involved or takeover everything Peyton does these days, grabbed her baby and started using his jump rope to torture the doll. Peyton didn't seem to mind that so much as when Austen decided to give the baby doll to Adler who ran down the hallway with it.

Adler, hearing Peyton's cries, released the doll from her mouth but it was Austen who decided he was going to go get it and play keep away from his sister with it.

"It's only just begun Peyton!" I yelled to her as I witnessed this entire show.

But He's A Daddy!

2011-07-31T19:43:00.000-05:00

So the other day I am picking up my kids from school and driving home. On the way there is a railroad crossing and often times the gates are down and the trains are going in and out of the city. Peyton especially enjoys this as one of her early words was choo choo! Anyway, this day we get stopped by the train and we are waiting for it to pass. I notice it's getting closer and then i notice this guy on the other side of the tracks starting to run across them to beat the train. This could be bad I thought. The train is close and this guy could get run over right before my kids' eyes. So I turned it into a lesson.

"Austen," I said, "Never, ever, run across the tracks when those gates are down." Of course I was thinking how many times as a kid I would hear the gates go down and my friends and I would run to the tracks as fast as we could to put a penny on them so the train would flatten it.

It seemed like Austen was listening to me so I followed up with, "If the train hits that guy, he'll never see his mommy or daddy again!" To which Austen replied, "Mommy, but he is a daddy!" Meaning he is old enough to be the daddy. So I changed tactics. Okay, that guy is never going to see his little boy again if he gets hit. Silence in the backseat. I think he got it. I only hope he doesn't learn how trains can flatten pennies when he's older.

Peace, Love and Lobstah

2011-07-27T00:34:00.009-05:00

No that's not a typo - that's how you say (maybe not spell) lobster in New England where we just spent five great days. The trip started off a little shaky with a canceled flight and an automatic rebooking through Dallas. Good news was I hadn't left my house yet and the kids were still sleeping. I let them sleep a little longer, worked the phone with American Airlines and was able to get us a morning flight into Hartford, Connecticut - a relatively easy drive into the Boston area. There was no way I was doing a connection and one that took me southwest before I could go northeast! I wouldn't do that without kids, there was no way I was doing it with them!

Flight out was pretty routine. We bought Peyton a seat this time but she still didn't fall asleep. Met up with my cousins for dinner and then Friday it was off to my aunt and uncle's place in Maine. We swam in the lake and Austen got to drive a boat!

Saturday we headed to the beach where I bought Austen his very own boogie board (thanks papa for taking it home for us in you car).

Sunday we hit downtown Lexington for a little shopping and walking.

Then we headed to my favorite ice cream store that I always have to go to when I'm in town - Friendly's.

Monday we headed home and reminisced about the great food, great times and of course our great family who were happy to have us even if it meant more work for them!

New Words

2011-07-18T23:11:00.001-05:00

Peyton has been talking up a storm. I don't remember Austen being this verbal at this age. I mean what other 18 month old says ambulance? Since we live in the city, we hear a lot of sirens and sure enough Peyton hears them too and says ambulance! And, it's pretty clear.

Today, I said the word yellow and she repeated it perfectly after I said it. She might not be able to point out the color but she sure mastered saying that color when Austen just started saying it correctly 6 months ago!

Other new words is her switching from mama and dada..she now calls us mommy and daddy. She's pretty good at saying Adler too and calls her brother "Austey."

She still won't say her own name though so we are working on that since she loves to say all the other kids' names in her class. Speaking of school, here are a few photos of Peyton in action at Montessori.

Peyton peeling an orange at her seat.

Getting into a rythym.

Showing some love.

What is a !@#?

2011-07-10T23:08:00.001-05:00

So about a week ago we are driving in the car and me being the typical front seat driver that I am was telling Tom (who was driving) that he should have gone a different way to get us to our destination a lot quicker.

Tom being rather annoyed at me for once again trying to tell him how to drive was being rather obstinate in not following my directions. So I did what every wife does and told him to quit being a pain in the ass!

To that, my four and a half year old pipes up in the back seat and says "Daddy, you are a pain in the ass!" And then..."Mom, what's a pain in the ass?"

Tom and I immediately dissolved into quiet, uncontrollable laughter that we didn't want Austen to see. We were laughing so hard that both of us had tears streaming down our faces in the front seat!

Leave it to kids to diffuse any parents' arguments with the funny things they say and repeat.

It's America's Birthday!

2011-07-04T13:07:00.005-05:00

Today we woke up to celebrate America's birthday. How else do you explain the 4th of July to your 4 year old? I told him everyone is having a party to celebrate America's birthday and a lot of places are having special parades.

We started off the morning by walking around our neighborhood and then driving to a parade in a suburb we wish we could afford to live in! Let's just say sitting on the curb with these beautiful houses lining the streets with shady trees was a little piece of Americana. Starting off the parade were a ton of fire trucks and ambulances. Peyton said ambulance too...what other 18 month old can say ambulance? She's very verbal that kid! The kids enjoyed the show even though the trucks were loud and when they honked their horn, I thought they were going to burst into tears but they brought themselves back from the edge.

Austen liked the "girls flipping" - they had girls tumbling and doing backflips. Peyton was mesmerized by it all and even started dancing when she heard some music playing. I never was one for parades but I definitely enjoy seeing my kids react to them. Just for that I'll go every year until they are big enough to tell me, "Parades are boring mom!"

Summer in the City

2011-06-26T20:44:00.007-05:00

We have been trying to enjoy more of our time in the city this summer. We know our years are numbered in the city since Austen starts kindergarten next year so as hard as it is sometimes I have to remind myself of all the good things that I will miss when we move to the suburbs. Here are the ones that I will miss about having kids in the city:

1. My kids having friends of all races, religions and backgrounds. Chicago is definitely a melting pot and my kids get to benefit from that as they learn all about each other at school.

2. Watching Austen play t-ball with the backdrop of the city to the south and Lake Michigan to the east. There's no way we're getting that view anywhere else.

3. Walking everywhere. Today we got together with some friends that Austen and Peyton go to school with. We hit the local park and then walked to a neighborhood bar for lunch. On the way, we stopped at the local fire station for an impromptu tour.

4. Taking school field trips on the el to Millennium Park. It's cool to have this world renowned park in your backyard.

5. Short rides to any museum, ballpark or event like the circus or some show on ice.

I will miss all these things but what I will miss most about living in the city are those nights when we get a babysitter and try out another neighborhood gem for dinner or meet our friends out at a local watering hole. And, for a few hours we get to relive our 20s or reminisce about them....there's nothing better, especially when it's summer in the city.

Austen's First Bike

2011-06-18T21:26:00.004-05:00

For Austen's 4th birthday, my parents bought him his first bike. Since his birthday is in January, he didn't really get much of a chance to try it out for a few months save the short rides in our family room trying to get used to the pedals. So when summer arrived, we figured it was time to get out the bike and see if he could really ride it.

We go on lots of walks together as a family thanks to Adler so Austen had a lot of opportunities to try out his bike. So as summer approached we figured it was time. He struggled at first getting the hang of the pedals and I wasn't sure he was going to make it around our traditional mile and a half loop that we do for Adler's walk. But he kept trying and the more he tried, the better he got at pedaling. Yes, one of his pedals fell off (I don't know what he does to them because he also lost a pedal on his Big Wheel) but that didn't really deter him from wanting to ride his bike.

He really did great once he got going. He still needs some work on braking as you can see in the video but I can hardly believe that my first born can ride his own bike and in the city nonetheless. That's a lot more of a challenge with busy streets and alleys than suburban riding! Check out my little Lance Armstrong.

Family Time

2011-06-12T21:25:00.005-05:00

On the weekends it's all about us. During the week it's a race to pick up the kids from school, get home, play, eat, bath and then bed. So when the weekend arrives we enjoy taking at least one walk a day sometimes two to our local coffee shops (Austen knows the names of both of them and has to get a coffee cup that looks like his dad's but is really only water).

Most of the time we even run errands together as a family or we are doing something else together. This weekend, yes, we ran errands but we took the kids to a tailgate and baseball game to watch the Milwaukee Brewers play with some friends. Austen enjoyed the other kids and playing "cornhole" with them. Peyton enjoyed picking up the bags from the "cornhole" game, even ones that weren't ours and running around trying to find a new family who would adopt her (she certainly wasn't shy about approaching other people!) Once inside, we watched five innings (Peyton too! Although she was a little squirmy) before taking a break to check out the many play areas for kids. Austen got to race Corey Hart (essentially the 50 yard dash against a piece of wood that moves next to you) and took a picture in the outfield!

We probably arrived back in our seats during the 7th inning and watched the Brewers sweep the Cardinals 4-3. I couldn't believe Peyton made it 9 innings but she did. And, I can't believe as much as she hates to be contained, she essentially sat and watched a baseball game. She did great and Tom and I can check that challenge off our list!

Can't wait until more family time next weekend...maybe at the beach!

Adler and Austen

2011-06-05T19:56:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I like to tease my kids, especially Austen now that he's at an age where you can have an actual conversation with him. So last week, I picked him and Peyton up at school per usual. When we got home I unbuckled Austen from his car seat first and then I went around to get Peyton out of the car. Normally, after Austen I would open the back hatch of the car and let Adler out. But that day I didn't have Adler because it was too hot to leave her in the car while I ran inside to get them. Austen hadn't noticed that she wasn't with us that day too absorbed in telling me about his day and his after school snack.

So now that Austen was out of the car and Peyton was out, I hit the button to close the garage door. Immediately Austen was in a panic telling me that I forgot Adler and she was still in the car. I decided to play along. Oh she's in timeout I told him. She has to stay in the garage until her six minutes (her age x 1 minute) are up and I will come back down for her, I lied. "No!' he yelled. "She doesn't know how to open the door!" he cried growing more frantic with each passing second. I was debating how long I should keep the charade up since I could see he was truly concerned about her but I wanted to test him with one last thing before I told him that Adler was safely in our house in the air conditioning.

"Will you give me your new soccer watch (which he had been wearing around the house religiously since he got it a few days before) if i let Adler out of the car?" "Yes!" he pleaded with me, "I'll give you my watch."

Wow, I though to myself clearly impressed that this little boy loved his dog so much that he was willing to give us his current favorite toy to make sure she was safe and not left behind. So I put Austen out of his misery telling him I was kidding and Adler was upstairs waiting to see him. I don't think I've seen him race up the stairs so fast to see if she was really there or if I was kidding him again.

Mama's Girl

2011-05-30T20:03:00.003-05:00

So Peyton has entered the stage where she doesn't really take too kindly to other people. At school, she prefers a few teachers. At home, she may say hi to you if you come to visit, ignore her for the first 30 minutes and you're lucky. Most of the time she doesn't like anyone paying too much attention to her though. She prefers me most of the time but if any other member of our family (Tom and Austen) leave the house or so much as walk on a different side of the street, she let's us know she doesn't like it. What do they call this separation anxiety? I hope it passes quickly because as cute as it is that she prefers me it certainly is going to get old fairly quickly.

As of today she's 17 months so she's almost entering the time when Austen was at his worst (18 - 21 months) and we didn't bring him to a restaurant for three months after he slipped through the outside eating area fence and almost ran into the street. I feel like we are wiser parents than we were then but I'm sure she will challenge us in different ways. Already she so wants to communicate with us. She understands directions remarkably well. You can tell her to go recycle something and she heads toward the back door or to put her play food in the blue basket and she does so. And, she repeats words rather well. She likes to say animal, dog, Adler, ball and her newest...football.

She still loves to read her books and will sit down and go page by page through them. She has just started showing an interest in dolls too. She likes to carry around her babies, put them in the stroller and push them around. And, she really loves to play with Adler. She's excited to see her first thing in the morning and often goes over and gives her a kiss or brings her a toy. I think she's going to be my animal lover but for now she's a mama's girl.

Dolphins, Jellyfish and Crabs...Oh My!

2011-05-22T19:54:00.007-05:00

We just returned from a week long vacation on Folly Island in South Carolina. Last year, I read about this beach town on Yahoo as one of the best beaches and thought we'd try it out. It didn't disappoint. This sleepy beach town had the perfect surf, beach and the chain stores hadn't infiltrated it yet (i.e. Starbucks).

We drove the 15 plus hours so we could even take Adler on vacation. We left in the afternoon on a Friday and broke up the drive into two days. Let's just say, Adler was great. I often said to Tom, I'll take three of her any day! Here's a little snapshot of our trek out there.

We rented a house on the beach and the views were amazing. There's nothing like waking up every morning and seeing the ocean. In fact, there's nothing like seeing it from all parts of your house even the shower!

In the morning we saw dolphins swimming. We also saw pelicans, crabs and Austen learned about jellyfish. There was also sand dollars lining the beach and many seashells to be picked up. Austen learned to boogie board (brought back some memories for me) and Peyton learned how to build sand castles.

The way home was easier than the way there. The kids were great. We lunched at a rest area in the Smoky Mountains. Austen made friends with another boy picnicking there with his family. And, Peyton liked the dad and decided she was going to go sit in his lap!

All in all, it was a great week. And it makes me recall all the beach time I put in on the Atlantic. I am happy my kids will experience a piece of that even though they're from the Midwest.

Double Rainbow

2011-05-15T21:14:00.003-05:00

Austen saw his first rainbow on Saturday. Actually it was a double rainbow. He has been learning a lot about rainbows lately. Mainly how to draw them and which colors come first but he's pretty good at knowing the order. So it was pretty good timing when we happened to see a rainbow. Getting Austen to look in the sky and try to find the faint rainbow was a little challenging at first but once he spotted it he held onto it and followed it as it became a full rainbow and became brighter and brighter. The best part was that a second full rainbow appeared on the outside of the original rainbow. It was definitely a once or a twice in a lifetime moment. And it was great to share it with Austen although I'm not sure he'll remember it!

My Mother's Day

2011-05-10T20:11:00.003-05:00

Mother's Day started early for me. Peyton's class had an outing at the park for all the moms and they gave each mom a mold with the hand print of her child. Then Sunday came and the sun was shining giving us a day's reprieve from the normal downpours we've been having lately. That was perhaps the best gift of all because we started the morning with a long walk outside with Adler.

Of course this was after Peyton decided to bite her brother. Yup, he was minding his own business with his arm on a chair waiting patiently for me to finish adjusting his pants. Peyton was there too and determined her brother was blocking her from getting on the chair so without so much as a warning she opened her mouth and sunk her teeth into his arm. Now I am no stranger to biting toddlers. Austen was a horrible biter so for some reason I thought I'd be spared another biter. Not so. I have gotten three notes from school in just two days that she has bit her friends too. I feel the lemon juice coming on! That was the only way I got Austen to stop biting.

Anyway, my two kids and dog surprised me with a new iPod Nano since my mini was so terribly out of date (compliments of my husband). I didn't even recognize it since it's so small but I am looking forward to using it on my treadmill which has the plug in for an iPod.

We rounded out the day by heading to the burbs to honor more moms and enjoy the sunny day.

Happy 4th Mother's Day to me.

Just as Boring as I Remember It

2011-05-01T20:43:00.005-05:00

When I was about 12, we had a day off from school. My dad decided he was going to take the day off too and spend some time with my brothers and me. So he piled us into the car and didn't tell us where we were going. We knew even at that age and having recently moved to Illinois, that we were going downtown so we were giddy thinking that our dad was taking us to the Cubs game. That dream ended when my dad got lost and had to ask a cop where the Museum of Science and Industry was located.

My brothers and I were so not thrilled so when my dad exited the car, we locked ourselves in (this was before the days of car remotes). Twenty plus years later, I still remember that day and how bored I was. Science isn't my thing although I have to say that I have been back to the Museum of Science and Industry at least two or three times since then and wouldn't write home about any of those times either so I don't know why I reluctantly agreed to attend when Tom wanted to bring Austen and Peyton there. But, I did.

Austen enjoyed the model train railroad and Peyton liked looking at all the people. And, I liked zipping through all of it in less than two hours.

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T20:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! Austen and Peyton have been preparing for the Easter bunny for the last few weeks. Tom made them this giant Easter bunny (that almost made it to Easter before it broke) that they loved. We'd ask Peyton where the Easter bunny was and she would look at it and point.

Austen has been using his old plastic Easter eggs to make a hunt for us or himself as a special treat before he went to bed. He'd ask us "let's play Easter!"

This past week we also made Easter bunny cookies and dyed some Easter eggs. Even Peyton helped drop the eggs into the water (and one onto the floor - good thing they were hard boiled!).

Austen and Peyton loved their Easter baskets from the Easter bunny; waving at the Easter bunny on our street (trying to drum up some business for the ham store); and participating in the scavenger hunt that Tom put on for them not to mention the candy hunt they got to participate in on Soldier Field (where the Chicago Bears play).

Peyton's BFFs

2011-04-17T14:13:00.006-05:00

These days Peyton's best friends (BFFs)are her big brother and her dog. She loves to tease both of them and tell them when they are annoying her but she also insists on hanging out with them too.

She just started to say Adler. (You'll hear her say it if you listen closely in the second video with Austen.) She continues to feed Adler all the food that she doesn't like from her plate. And, while she's a decent eater, she still turns up her nose at a lot of things like fruits and vegetables. Although these days she does love carrots and applesauce and yogurt. Other favorites are mac and cheese, hot dogs and chicken nuggets!

Peyton has started to sit in a booster chair next to her big brother to eat. Austen's a great eater of vegetables and fruit so we hope that some of that wears off on her. When she's done eating, she hands us her bowl or her plate. Sometimes she still has food on it and she won't eat anymore for us. So Austen steps in and feeds her. She loves this and so does he (makes him feel like a big helper). I wonder if I loved my big brother this much when I was little?!

Hey Mom

2011-04-10T11:04:00.000-05:00

So at what age does your child stop calling you mommy and start calling you mom? I didn't think it ended at age four. But now for the past several weeks, Austen has been alternately calling me mom instead of mommy.

I might think that he's singled me out for this big kid moniker but he has been doing the same with Tom, calling him dad sometimes but still referring to him as daddy other times.

I thought we had a few more years til we made this transition. Well, at least he's still not shy about giving me kisses and hugs. I know that's coming down the pike too so I am getting more than my share in now before he denies me.

A Family

2011-04-03T13:37:00.000-05:00

Austen has really been into the family thing lately. When we are all together, he comments that our family is here. When Adler is missing from the moment, he tells us so. He also has really been into eating together as a family. As he's gotten older, I think it's important that we start incorporating some family dinners into our schedules. We usually eat together on weekends but at least one of those nights it's at a restaurant.

So during the week, here and there, we've started incorporating sit down meals at our house where we actually eat at our kitchen table, not at the peninsula counter. He really enjoys this...us all eating together. I think we all do too. Makes me want to get home an hour earlier and cook...well an hour earlier anyway!

Peyton's Practicing

2011-03-27T19:46:00.003-05:00

At almost 15 months, Peyton still refuses to walk full time by herself. She went from crawling to taking a few steps at 12 1/2 months to now walking on her knees. Seems like that would hurt and take longer, but she doesn't seem to mind. I'm beginning to wonder if she's going to be 18 months and still practicing her walk.

Speaking of practice, Peyton has also been practicing drinking from a cup. At school they don't believe in using sippy cups and they break them from the bottle at one year. So Peyton went directly from sippy cup to regular cup. She's getting better at it but practice makes perfect! Here's a shot of her showing off her skills...

Austen Writes His Name

2011-03-21T13:58:00.003-05:00

Austen has really been working hard at school on his numbers and letters. He comes home every day with a new work that showcases his practice on writing/knowing his numbers and letters. We've learned he knows letters really well too if they are in his sister's or his best friend Gavin's name...which is kind of funny.

So yesterday, Tom and I were getting him to sign my mom's birthday card. He wanted to practice on a piece of paper first, so I whipped one out and let him sit down in his room to practice. He did it so effortlessly and perfect that I was amazed. Now I have seen him write his name before but he was having a little trouble with the u and the s as of last week. I can tell he's been practicing at school every day because now it looks perfect!

Also, funny story...I told him I wanted him to write his sister's name on the card and that I would help him but just then Peyton woke up from her nap so I went downstairs to get her and Tom was in the bathroom shaving. When I came back up, Austen had written Peyton perfectly too! I thought Tom had helped him but when I asked him, he told me that he thought I had helped Austen. Although neither of us helped him it made sense because Austen knows how to spell Peyton's name, I just wasn't sure he knew how to write all the letters in her name. But he did!

Here's Austen showing off his writing skills...

We're Ready for Summer

2011-03-14T16:11:00.006-05:00

So two weekends ago we pretended it was summer and slipped into our bathing suits to enjoy some pool time. No we didn't venture to Mexico again. Not sure we could have withstood a three-hour plus flight again this soon! But, this time we were smart enough to get a suite and we even had a full kitchen too which made this trip a lot more enjoyable than our recent beach vacation.

Austen enjoyed all the big water slides and enjoyed swimming in the pool with his life jacket (all the kids under 42 inches had to wear one). This life jacket gave him the freedom to jump into the pool and show us his kicking, paddling and floating skills that he's been working on in swim lessons.

Peyton liked the water too but was a little unsure of the three-story water slide that I took her on with her brother. We were in a raft so we were completely safe and the life guards recommended it for the little ones but her eyes were so big as we were going down that I was just hoping she didn't freak out. She didn't but she wanted to get out of that raft as soon as we hit the bottom!

We also enjoyed an afternoon of games and Austen played his first round of miniature golf - one of my favorite childhood family activities. Peyton rode the carousel and I challenged Austen to a game of air hockey. He beat me...with Tom's help!

I'll Have What He's Having

2011-03-07T21:40:00.003-06:00

I finally understand the big deal about making sure you get two of everything. Even though my kids are three years apart, Peyton definitely now takes notice of what Austen is eating. If he has something she wants it. And, she won't let me off the hook until I give it to her too. Of course this usually happens with food. So if Austen is eating something in the car, then I better make sure that Peyton has something as well and it had better be the same thing. So no eating anything too small that she can't have.

Her recent favorites that Austen has introduced her to are Rice Krispy Treats, Pop Tarts and cookies. Food that Austen can't eat in front of her because she can't have include fruit snacks (choking hazard) and candy (not going to start that this early).

Now if I can only get her to eat all her vegetables like Austen, we'd be in good shape!

Peyton's Telling Us Something

2011-02-27T19:32:00.004-06:00

At nearly 14 months, Peyton's communication skills are getting much better. She's learning sign language at school and using a closed fist (and sometimes an open and closed fist as you can see in the video) to ask for milk. Lately, she's also been making her way to the refrigerator when she wants something to drink.

She can say "night, night" and she is becoming skilled at letting Austen know when he's made her mad by taking away a toy that she has been using. She also has started to protect those toys. If she sees him coming for the grab, she'll guard it like a basketball player would, tucking it low to her side and hovering over it.

Peyton's going to be tough...there's no doubt about it. She has a brother who likes to love on her a little too roughly but she takes it all in stride and actually relishes the attention she gets from him no matter how rough. Her daddy, says that's the way he likes his girls....ones who can dress up and be girlie but then run with the boys too -- and even show them up sometimes!

Munchkins Make Me Feel Better

2011-02-20T16:13:00.002-06:00

So my normally healthy four-year old has had a rough four weeks. He has been sent home from school on three separate occasions with fevers and has been home during each of those episodes for two and three days at a time.

Tom and I have gotten to spend a lot of quality time with Austen (well in between trying to keep our day jobs), and we certainly relish that but it's getting a little tiresome to be constantly battling a raging fever. Luckily, the most recent go round with the fever was a less than 12-hour show but he still couldn't go to school the next day as they have a rule you must be fever-free for 24 hours before returning.

At any rate, Austen, now the picture of perfect health, looks at me after Tom takes Peyton to school that morning and says..."Munchkins make me feel better!" As in mom, you need to go to the Dunkin Donuts across the street and buy me some munchkins to eat since I am at home with you today!

Needless to say I didn't. But we did walk to Starbucks later and I bought him a hot chocolate!

The Big Snow

2011-02-13T19:59:00.006-06:00

So about a week and a half ago, Chicago received one of its biggest snowfalls. We had 22 inches in the city. Since I have lived in Illinois, this was by far the biggest snow day. Work and school let out early and most were closed for a good day or two, some three. The amount of snow that fell within an hour was unbelievable but what was even more of a once in a lifetime experience was the wind. It was brutal - whipping and whirling that snow around. The "thundersnow" was also something I may never see/hear again in my lifetime. It was like a thunderstorm with snow with booming thunder and lightning. It was incredible.

After being stuck inside all day we decided to take a short walk around the block. We let Austen and Adler play in a nearby park. Both of them loving the deep snow and the chance to make angels - one a little boy, another his dog. It was a Norman Rockwell kind of photo moment.

Peyton Likes

2011-02-05T20:18:00.000-06:00

People often ask me what Peyton is up to lately. In the first two years of life there are so many important milestones being reached that as soon as she meets one milestone she is off trying to reach the next - from smiling to sitting up to crawling and first words and first step.

So first things first...walking. She has taken a few tentative steps on her own and delights in being able to do this but she has decided not to tire herself out too much taking more than a few steps at a time. And sometimes if she doesn't feel like walking, she won't no matter how much you prod her.

Talking...like most babies, she understands more than she is able to communicate. She recognizes her name, likes looking at pictures of herself and quickly identifies daddy, Austen and Adler with a turn of the head. She will sometime say hi, bye, dada, and is working on mama and Adler (which now sounds like aaaahh-er!).

She has a growing interest in Adler. She delights in seeing her and feeding her food! Of course this is all the things Peyton doesn't want to eat off of her plate. Adler is her new best friend, parked out under her high chair. Although Adler needs to be careful because Peyton is also known to whip her sippy cup off her tray onto the floor and Adler has gotten hit with it a few times. I guess she feels a few lumps are worth some extra morsels of food! Peyton also has learned Adler's commands and tells her down by pointing at the floor.

Eating...Peyton likes to feed herself. She loves waffles and pancakes and Rice Krispy Treats. Really anything her brother is eating, she better also have! She likes meat and some vegetables. Her absolute favorite is mac and cheese. She really shovels that in by the fistfuls. Of course she loves cookies too. When you say do you want a cookie, her eyes shift to the cookie jar.

At 13 months, she is a much better sleeper overall than Austen was and by far easier to put down as she rarely fusses when it's time for bed. I can't wait to see her progress during the next few months. I'm sure she'll keep us on our toes!

Full Disclosure

2011-01-30T17:58:00.006-06:00

I have often heard from family and even friends how well behaved my kids are for the most part in public. Often I respond by telling them that they are not perfect little angels as they sometimes appear. They are kids and they have their temper tantrums and frustrate me just like any other children. I have been lucky for the most part though because rarely does this bad behavior occur in public. I would like to say that that is because of my great parenting (along with my husband)! Maybe it is and maybe it isn’t but for the first time in the four years since Austen was born we were dealing with our first truly challenging situation.

On Sunday, I texted my mom, “How many times did I or my brothers embarrass you in public?”

It took four years but I finally got my taste of public embarrassment at the hands of my child. I took Austen to a birthday party last Sunday. Being 4, I looked forward to being pretty hands off and catching up with the other moms while Austen enjoyed the party with his friends. However, five minutes into the party the birthday girl is crying because Austen threw a Leapster game at her head! I was mortified. What shocked me more was that Austen looked concerned but still brushed it off by saying “I said I was sorry!” Of course, I made Austen apologize and sit out for awhile but I had no idea at that moment that I should have taken him home to avoid the later embarrassment he would subject me to.

Take two – guitar singer asking the kids (mostly girls) to jump and dance in small space. I saw Austen and his two “boy” friends start to get crazy and bump into each other and knock each other down. I see where this is going and make Austen come sit by me. He mopes around for the next 30 minutes until pizza and cupcakes are served. I think he is back to normal so he goes downstairs to play with his “boy” friends. Some instinct told me that he can’t be trusted by himself down there so I head down too. His friend is complaining Austen isn’t sharing. I tell him to share, he hides in the corner until he sees his friend jumping on the couch (something he is not allowed to do obviously), but he doesn’t give any thought to this now and joins his friend. All the parents of the girls are now downstairs looking at these crazy monkey boys. I grab him off the couch and tell him we are going home and the fireworks erupt – I put him under my arm and take him kicking and screaming to the car.

I think the parents who knew him were shocked but most of all I was shocked. My kid doesn’t behave like this and especially not in public. Austen spent the entire rest of the afternoon/evening in his room. And, judging by his behavior this week at school and at home, I think that afternoon in his room and the fact that he didn’t get to go watch the Bears game with his dad and his uncles made an impact on him.

I know there will be more instances of public embarrassment in my future but I know there will be even more public moments of pride.

4 and 1

2011-01-23T20:25:00.004-06:00

This week we went to do annual check ups at the doctor. Austen had his four year old check up and Peyton had her one year (I guess hers are more regular at this age). At any rate, I made both of their appointments on the same day despite last year's experience of Austen totally melting down at the doctor's office. I was wondering what the heck I was thinking but I also like a good challenge.

So we drove downtown, parked on the street, got everyone on board the Bugaboo and rolled right over to Northwestern to see the doctor. The first challenge was maneuvering my big stroller into the bathroom and getting a urine sample from Austen. He was completely weirded out by me holding a cup that he could pee into! After some coaxing we finally accomplished that and moved onto the room.

Last year, Austen wouldn't even take off his clothes to get weighed or measured. This year he kept telling me he was going first because he was bigger than Peyton. So he did. He weighed in at 38 pounds and is 3 foot 3 1/2 inches. Peyton is 20 pounds, 8 ounces and 31 inches long.

Austen interacted well with the doctor following all the instructions and then watching his sister do the same. He had no idea that he was getting two shots that day. The doctor left and while we were waiting for the nurse to come back in, Austen started to catch on a little asking what we were waiting for. The nurse came in and she asked that I hold Austen on my lap. So I put Peyton in the stroller and picked Austen up. She had him look away so he didn't even know that he was getting a shot til he felt a prick and looked back. He didn't cry until he saw the second one and even then he didn't cry for that long. Peyton did well with her four shots too...not crying too long after.

They both did a great job at the doctor and are happy and healthy kids.

Peyton is Walking!

2011-01-17T20:06:00.000-06:00

Peyton took a step or two last Wednesday and each day she's taken even more. She's really good at getting up on her own from a seated position and pushing off and standing. Tom and I put her between us and encouraged her to take a few steps. Once she figured she had balance and could stand and then move her feet, she wanted to do it again and again. Freedom! she was probably thinking. She beat Austen...he was 13 1/2 months when he started walking. Of course we noticed too this weekend that the shoes make the difference. She feels more confident walking in her New Balance sneakers than she does in her trendy Uggs...but still pretty exciting stuff!

Happy Birthday to Austen

2011-01-11T23:44:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to my big four year-old!

Austen had a full day of birthday festivities. He woke up happy and excited to start his day and opened his presents first. I'm amazed at how excited he gets to open clothes (which we bought him along with a bike helmet) but he does get excited by clothes!

Then it was off to school. He brought banana bread muffins for his class to celebrate and they all looked at pictures of Austen "through the years" during his special celebration.

Tom and I picked him up early from school and along with Peyton continued his birthday celebration at the Rainforest Cafe. I had not been to one of these restaurants in probably more than 10 years but was impressed with the very life-like animals, waterfalls and juggle atmosphere. Austen and Peyton were mesmerized by the elephants, however, Austen didn't want to get too close! Every 22 minutes they had thunderstorms complete with the sounds and flashing of the lights which fascinated Peyton. Austen told me he did not like the thunder! But he did like the birthday sundae with the candle in it that they brought. All the waiters and waitresses came over to sing happy birthday and Austen was in Heaven. He likes being the center of attention.

After Rainforest Cafe, we jumped back in the car and within five minutes, Austen was sound a sleep. Birthdays sure to do take a lot out of you!

Here are Austen's resolutions for being four:

- I will go to the bathroom and wash my hands by myself (I do at school but at home if my parents help me go to the bathroom I don't have to wash my hands because I don't touch anything!).

- I will get dressed by myself. (I am very capable of doing this but I would rather play and horse around most of the time rather than get dressed!).

- I will quit being "crazy" (He is working on controlling how excited he gets at home and at school!).

One of Many Birthday Parties for Austen

2011-01-09T21:42:00.004-06:00

Austen had his first "friend" birthday party this weekend to celebrate his 4th birthday. He invited 16 of his closest friends and all 16 came. It was a great afternoon with the kids all taking part in a cooking class. First they made chef's hats....

Then they made pizzas...

Then they made their own individual birthday cakes and sang to Austen.

They then made fruit kabobs and fresh squeezed lemonade. After all this work, they finally got to eat!

The party was a success, the place was cute and Austen was fast asleep by 6:30 pm. This week holds more birthday fun for Austen...stay tuned!

Happy Birthday to Peyton!

2011-01-02T17:34:00.009-06:00

I may have been a little delinquent in posting this holiday season but for good reason. Aside from hosting Xmas dinner at our house, we took off to Mexico for a few days after Xmas. We were there when Peyton turned 1 on Dec. 30. Today, back in the U.S., we celebrated her first birthday with friends and family.

It's hard to believe a year has gone by since she came into our world. Right now, she is really starting to show her personality. She wants to be held. She doesn't want to be held. She wants to walk but isn't doing so yet. She wants to talk but instead let's out these high pitch shrieks that has our ears ringing. She likes to raise both her arms when we ask how big is Peyton. She blows kisses and claps her hands. She has recently refused to be fed and proclaims through vigorously shaking her head that she will feed herself which she has begun to do. Bye, bye baby food! She still prefers her beverages from a bottle but likes to also practice drinking from a cup (a Montessori thing - they go right from bottle to cup).

She is getting better about napping but you wouldn't have known it on the plane to Mexico where she refused to sleep for the 3 1/2 hour flight even though she woke up at 4:30 a.m. But still we love her because she's so darn cute and because she's ours.

Here are a few pics of our little Peyton on her actual birthday in Mexico and then at her party stateside!

Opening presents on her bday...

Enjoying the sunshine on her winter birthday from Mexico...

All tired out at the end of her big day...

Enjoying her party with her big brother...

Loving her cake just like Daddy!

I'm Sick

2010-12-23T19:39:00.000-06:00

So about two months ago, Austen woke up in the middle of the night sick. We think he had a case of Noravirus which he promptly gave to Tom and me. At any rate, he got to stay home from school and even though he felt bed, he reveled in laying on the couch and watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Since then he's been telling me at least every other day that he can't go to school and that he's sick in the hopes of staying home and catching a glimpse of Mickey Mouse.

Recently, we were having this conversation on a Monday morning. I told him that if he's so sick, he can stay home with Adler all day. He looked at me and said "No! Adler can't turn on the TV!"

All that whining wasn't so cute but how he thinks through everything now and comes up with these very logical reasons continues to amaze me.

Austen's Holiday Concert

2010-12-19T10:57:00.007-06:00

This year Austen is in the older classroom that puts on a holiday concert. They've been practicing for weeks and Austen has been going around the house singing various Xmas songs and showcasing his choreographed moves. Here is one of his rehearsals at home:

So on Wednesday, I finally got to see Austen sing live. The other parents and I gathered early to ensure we got a great seat to be able to see and tape our kids. Only problem was that last week I had dropped and broke my camera and it was out for repair. Not good timing with the holiday season and upcoming birthdays. My dad was nice enough to lend me his camera but I don't think the Olympus was quite the quality of my Sony so see if you can pick out Austen. Nevertheless, I can't explain how I felt seeing Austen on stage for his first performance. It was surely a mixture of pride and excitement for him. When he got out on stage, he was so excited to see me that he was waving frantically and blowing me kisses. I think for me that was better than the songs he was singing - just the excitement that he got to see me in the middle of the day and he was so happy that I was there. Next came the singing and dancing. He did really well in the beginning but then grew bored about halfway through the hour-long concert. He continued to sing but he wasn't into dancing anymore. Maybe he was too hot. After all, I noticed about halfway through that he wasn't just wearing the black pants I sent him to school in but the black snow pants too! I'm sure he insisted on wearing those!

All I Want for Xmas...

2010-12-11T20:59:00.003-06:00

Austen has been making the rounds to all the Santa Clauses in the area. At the end of November, we took our annual trip to a tree farm to chop down our Xmas tree. At the tree farm was a Santa Claus (see video below). Austen told him that he wanted a new toy. His friend said she wanted a reindeer. Austen said he already has a reindeer outside his window (we have two with lights in the front of our house)!

Next, Austen sat on Santa's lap, joined by his sister Peyton at the mall. This was the first year that I was able to get Austen back on Santa's lap since he was 11 months old. The last two years he wouldn't go anywhere near him. I figure next year, Peyton will probably be the same way so this is the one and only shot of them together for awhile. Austen asked Santa for two race cars. One for him and one for his sister. How thoughtful of him that he's now including his sister since she can't ask for one herself. Or maybe he's just making sure she has one so she doesn't take his. Either way it's been really fun to watch Austen get so excited about Xmas this year. He understands Santa is coming and is so excited to see all the Xmas lights/decorations on the houses.

As for Peyton, all she wanted for Xmas was her two front teeth and they came early. They came in about two weeks ago so now she has a grand total of four teeth. She is growing more confident in standing and moving from piece of furniture to piece of furniture. She's pretty good at using a push cart to walk and is really starting to display her feisty personality. Don't take anything away from her or you'll hear about it and if you have something she wants, she'll find a way to get it including your sandwich, crayons and Austen's favorite toy.

Thanksgiving Grace

2010-12-02T19:48:00.001-06:00

This year we ventured to Long Grove to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Szurgots. It was nice because Austen (and Peyton) got to hang out with their cousins from California - Brooke and Matthew.

Austen and Matthew (age 5) had a great time using Aunt Maria and Uncle Bob's house as their own personal racetrack. More than once, we were yelling at them to slow down and go run around in the basement!

Peyton was a happy girl, crawling all over the place and flashing her usual big smiles. Not walking yet but she sure is a fast crawler. You really had to watch her as she headed up two flights of stairs or tried to take off down to the basement.

Before dinner, we all joined hands to say grace and Grandma was about to start grace when Austen started talking. Tom, not knowing what he was saying, began to shush him so we could start but I noticed that he was saying the grace he says at school. So Austen led us in grace for Thanksgiving. I'm sure that no one understood aside from a few words he was saying, but he was so proud to lead his big family in being thankful this holiday season.

I wish I could find all the words online but here are the few words that I know from his singing/saying grace.

a fork and a spoon, a family, a community
we are brothers and sisters,
we are what we are
we thank you for what we receive
bon appetit
now you may eat

Happy 6th Birthday, Adler!

2010-11-27T20:00:00.004-06:00

Six years ago, our dear Bernese Mountain Dog, Adler, was born. I think that day ranks right up there with the day that our kids were born.

A month before she was born, our breeder was expecting another litter. We thought that one of those pups from that litter would be ours but they only had two girls in that litter and those girls were already spoken for by the breeder and another family. We really wanted a girl, but the breeder said not to worry, one of her other pups was due with another litter a month later.

So on November, 27, 2005, four girls and two boys were born and one of them was our Adler (known then as "Pink" - the one on the right in the above picture). I remember feeling so elated that we finally got our pup after hours of interviews with Berner breeders. These people (us now) really love their dogs and made sure they weren't giving them to just anyone. Despite how Tom and I looked on paper, the biggest challenge we had was getting a breeder to be okay with giving a Berner to someone who lives in the city. We lived on the third floor then and we had to carry Adler for the first six months of her life up and down the steps until she grew too heavy. That was to protect her hips for as long as possible as the breed is prone to hip dysplasia. We also didn't/still don't have a backyard but we spun it as our dog would get walked twice daily and that would be better than letting her out in the yard by herself.

Who knew that on this day six years ago, our lives would change forever. Those who know me well, know how much I love this dog. I lay on the floor regularly with her and make sure she's getting enough attention, especially after the kids are in bed. And, for those who said she wouldn't be as much a part of our lives as before we had kids, I say you were wrong. I actually love her more now when I see her with our kids.

So today we celebrate Adler..today she got some new toys, some new treats and vanilla ice cream with a candle (that Austen blew out). Happy birthday girl! My wish for you today is many, many more happy birthdays!

A Little Bit OCD

2010-11-21T21:49:00.003-06:00

So Friday I came home to find my house in disarray. Friday is our day for our cleaning ladies to come. Usually I come home and my house smells like lemon Pledge and a few things are out of place that I have to rearrange. Not so on Friday. My house still smelled lemony but as I walked in and scanned the place, I noticed that the majority of items on my kitchen counter were out of place. They were all precariously balancing on Peyton's highchair! In addition, our furniture was set up off kilter and needed rearranging. After about 15 minutes spent putting the kitchen/living room back together, I went to pick up the kids.

When we got home, Austen noticed that his room was not the way that he left it either. Here's his little tirade about how the cleaning ladies rearranged his room. What is even stranger is how they remade his bed. I guess they didn't like the way I made it!

Peyton's First Word

2010-11-13T21:40:00.004-06:00

Peyton has just learned to wave hello and bye bye. I think now it's her favorite thing to do. Along with learning to wave, Peyton now says the word "hi." I didn't think that would be her first word. But then again, I didn't think that "down" would be Austen's first word either!

I guess it makes sense. Today, we were out and about in the city and Peyton was smiling at all the strangers that came into the elevator and waving at them. I was amazed at how social she was being in such a close space considering that she doesn't like a lot of people too close to her all at once.

She has also started to squeal with delight when seeing Adler. Today, she played by herself for about 40 minutes with her toys and cruised around using the furniture as her crutch. She approached Adler and was "talking" to her and then took off up our two little steps (which she can do on her own) and off she went into Austen's room where he was taking a nap. She didn't care. She went right in and used his stool to climb up on his bed! She actually woke him up (okay, so I let her since he had been asleep for awhile).

At almost 11 months, Peyton has a mind of her own already and exhibits signs of independence - good traits to have in a little girl!

Austen's Antics and Peyton Growing Up

2010-11-07T15:46:00.004-06:00

At 10 1/2 months, Peyton is growing up quick. She has been pulling to a stand for at least a month and now she is getting more adventurous by holding on to a chair with one arm while standing. She's attempting to balance on her own and moving from one piece of furniture to another. She has mastered clapping her hands and can do it on demand. She also just learned how to wave. Her personality is definitely coming through more too and if she doesn't like something boy will she let you know it. She's definitely not a quiet kid!

Austen is all boy. He has been getting into mishievous when he's supposed to be asleep. Tom and I found him working at our desk one night - he was drawing with a pen (on paper, thank goodness!) and had taken all the post it notes and put them all over the desk (see picture below). He has also been rough housing with the boys at school and the older boys have taught the younger ones how to pee on each other. I'm so thrilled about that. I guess that comes with having a boy. But for the most part, he's a good kid and is enjoying basketball and swimming as his extracurricular activities this fall. Anything to tire him out!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:52:00.002-05:00

Today, we ventured out to the suburbs for our annual trick or treating fun with Austen and Peyton and their three cousins.

It was a perfect start to the day. We had pizza and cake and celebrated my nephew's birthday and then the kids put on their costumes and headed around the neighborhood. Austen, dressed as a baseball player, took off at lighting speed. You would have thought that he knew all about trying to maximize the number of houses you went to to try to get the most candy. He was literally running from house to house ahead of all the big kids. We had to tell him to slow down! We heard him asking the people handing out candy "Can I have one or five?" What? We have no idea where that came from! He did a great job of trick or treating for his sister, carrying her treat bag around too. Sometimes in his rush to get to the next house, he inadvertently got confused and headed to the back door (he's not used to seeing these bigger homes in the suburbs with corner lots and nice walkways to the backyard!). He came home with two big bags full of candy (his and Peyton's) and there were a lot of tears when we told him it was time to go.

Peyton's first halloween was a momentous one. She dressed up as a ladybug and we thought she would surely pass out in the stroller as we walked around the neighborhood, but she stayed awake the entire two hours or so we were out. Her brother filled her treat bag and I am sure will eat her candy. Just think that next year at this time, she'll be trailing these guys all on her own!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween.

One Tough Cookie

2010-10-28T22:52:00.002-05:00

Peyton is one tough cookie. I pretty much knew this about her from a young age. Mostly because she has an older brother who is always sticking his face in hers and bumping her with his head or squeezing her extra hard. Does she cry? No. She usually squeals with delight at her brother paying her even an ounce of attention.

So I wasn't surprised when we went for her check up recently (still 75th percentile height but she is just below the 50th percentile now in weight) and she didn't even flinch during three out of four of her shots. I have never seen a baby that okay with being stuck with three needles in a row. I was amazed and wondered if she is going to be one of those kids with a high pain threshold.

It looks like it. That will come in handy later in life when giving birth and getting beat up by her brother but it will also be advantageous now when she is learning to walk!

Rock Star

2010-10-17T21:19:00.009-05:00

Yesterday we spent a beautiful fall day in a quaint little town in Michigan called Saugatuck. Tom and I had been there about seven years ago but I didn't remember much about visiting this little town before our trip yesterday.

Not far from our land where we hope to build our future summer home, Saugatuck boasts great Michigan beaches, cute shops and more restaurants than probably Union Pier and South Haven combined (our favorite spots to visit in Mich.). Anyway, we just enjoyed the great weather walking around this cute little town with our kids and our dog.

When we bought Adler we knew that we would take her with us to as many places as we could. People told us that would change when we had kids. It really hasn't. So we all ventured to Saugatuck on Saturday. Tom and me in the front seat of our SUV, our two kids in the middle and Adler in the way back. It was a perfect day for a drive.

Adler, always the great traveler, surprisingly was up the whole two hour trip just looking out the window. Usually she'll look out the window for awhile but then goes down to sleep until we reach our destination. I think she sensed the perfectness of this day too and wanted to soak in everything she could.

We arrived in Saugatuck and unloaded our brood. We walked by the boats (which Austen loved); had Austen and Peyton drive a toy jeep; stopped in a coffee shop for some cider and hot chocolate; picked up a Saugatuck ornament to add to our collection; let Austen eat ice cream (pistachio?! Whose kid is this?); and played in the park.

Throughout the day we were continuously reminded what a rock star Adler was. Never mind our children, our dog, no kidding got about 30 compliments that day. "Is that a Bernese?" some would ask. Others would ask what breed she was and if she was good with children. Still others would ask if they or their kids could pet her. Some asked if she was a puppy (she's a small Berner we would remark). It truly was amazing how many people stopped us or if one of us was waiting outside a store with her how much attention Adler attracted. It was sometimes overwhelming as we tried to cater to our two kids' needs, answer questions and keep Adler from bumping into others on the narrow sidewalk.

But, she definitely enjoyed all the attention, all the free pets and the fresh air. And, we were reminded again, what a striking breed the Bernese Mountain Dog is and why we fell in love with them and then our Adler in the first place.

The View

2010-10-11T22:24:00.004-05:00

Lately, Austen, Peyton and Adler have been enjoying the view from our front window. Adler was the first to enjoy the view. She has been laying there every morning and afternoon watching people go by since we moved here three plus years ago.

Austen was the next one to discover the view. He likes to bring all his cars from his room and play right by the front window too. He uses our carpet by the door and the little grooves in it as his parking lot. He also likes to look at all the cars outside and wait for his visitors there.

Peyton has just discovered the window. I think she likes it not so much for what she can see out of it but the fact that there are bars that she can pull up on like in her crib. She could stand there for awhile just checking things out and feeling like a big, independent girl. She's growing up quick this one. Pretty soon, I bet I'll be telling you she's walking!

Buzz and Woody

2010-10-03T13:15:00.002-05:00

So like most kids (and adults), Austen saw Toy Story 3 when it came out this summer. He has the talking Woody doll and a t-shirt of Buzz and Woody that Grandma bought him and I decided to add to his collection of Buzz and Woody items by getting him the Toy Story 3 underwear.

Well, the other day, was the first day he wore it. I heard him arguing with Tom about the way his underwear should be worn. Apparently Buzz and Woody need to be displayed on the front (not his butt as the manufacturers thought). This way Austen can see them all day when he goes to the bathroom. If it's on his butt, he can't see them. Regardless, Tom made him put his underwear on the right way much to Austen's chagrin.

Well, he showed us. The next day his clothes were laid out for him to get ready for school. He got dressed all by himself and when he came into the kitchen to eat breakfast I wanted to make sure he put his underwear on correctly since I know that sometimes he puts them on inside out. As soon as I pulled up his shirt and went to grab his pants, he pulled away from me. That was my first clue but in the morning rush to get out the door, I thought he just didn't want me to double check his work. I let it go.

So after school, we came home and the first thing Austen does is go to the bathroom and wash his hands. I happened to walk by the bathroom door as he was going and noticed he was still wearing the Toy Story underwear from the day before. My first thought was gross, he didn't change his underwear! But then I stopped and walked into the bathroom and noticed he must have taken off the Toy Story underwear that morning, turned it around and put his pants on. He was going to show us! I was floored. But what really puzzled me was where was the underwear I had laid out for him yesterday? I searched his room. He was smart enough not to leave it out for me to see that morning. I checked the laundry. Nothing there. I checked his garbage. Nothing there. Then I began checking his dresser drawers and found his underwear neatly placed in a lower drawer that he could reach with his shorts and t-shirts.

I had to laugh to myself because this kid really thought this through. I give him credit because he found a way to wear his underwear his way without getting caught before school. Makes me wonder what he'll be like when he's a teenager, ugh!

Brotherly Love

2010-09-27T16:41:00.006-05:00

I know I have mentioned before how much Peyton adores her big brother. She gets excited when she gets to see him at the end of the day at school and she is excited to see him in the morning when he greets her in her crib but I don't think I have mentioned how much Austen loves his sister. Here are just a few instances of him showing his brotherly love:

• Peyton recently went through a brief period where she didn't want to sit in her car seat and face backward. She wanted to see what all the rest of us were looking at so she would cry. This incessant crying wouldn't bother Austen in the least even though it drove Tom and I mad. Austen would just look at his sister and hold her hand if he could (depends which car we had) and say "It's okay, Peyton, your brother's here. I'm not going to leave you." The empathy he had for her was amazing and shows the depth of our sensitive soul.

•Now that Peyton is crawling, Austen, thinks she is more fun. He asks me every day when we get home from school if Peyton can play in his room. After I scour Austen's room for small hazardous parts, I put her down and they play. Sometimes together, sometimes side by side but Austen is always looking out for her. He tells me when he thinks something is too sharp for her or when she is going to bump her head or when she is close to knocking over his humidifier and dumping the water everywhere.

•He tells us too when he hears her crying. One morning our monitor was turned off and Austen kept saying that Peyton was crying. We didn't know the monitor was off so we thought he was making it up until her crying grew louder and we heard her. Now, he doesn't always tell the truth about hearing her because he wants her to be awake when he is.

•Austen also likes to help feed her, entertain her when she is getting changed and push her in her stroller.

So far he is a great big brother and proud to be one too!

An Interview with Austen

2010-09-19T20:54:00.004-05:00

I can't believe that Austen is going to be almost four. I mean I can remember when I was four! Alright so it wasn't exactly yesterday but still I remember age four clearly.

So tune in and find out who is Austen's best friend, his favorite girl friend and why he thinks he's only two.

Peyton's Rough Week

2010-09-12T15:03:00.006-05:00

Last week was a rough week for Peyton. Combine spending 10 days on vacation with your family, new teachers in her classroom and the beginning stages of separation anxiety for our 8-month-old and you're sure to have a problem.

Peyton started out the week crying around our extended family. She clearly wanted her mom and her mom only. Daddy was okay but only sometimes. She went back to school after vacation and there were a lot of changes in her classroom. All new teachers and somehow our 8-month-old knew that these people were strangers. Her old teachers, now in different classrooms, would tell me how excited she would get when she would see them during the day and how she would stop crying. In fact, one day I came to pick her up from school and after I picked her up from her classroom we were on our way to Austen's class upstairs. All of a sudden, Peyton started going crazy, kicking her legs and waving her arms. I realized that Peyton was excited about the lady entering the classroom in front of us. It was her old teacher! I didn't recognize her from behind at first but Peyton sure did.

Anyway, Friday seemed to be a better day for her. She was all smiles when I came to pick her up so hopefully the weekend didn't destroy that progress. She has also been working on crawling. She started on Labor Day and has been getting faster this week. Like Austen was at her age, she's fascinated by Adler's food and water bowls. See her in action...

Pure Michigan

2010-09-06T21:00:00.011-05:00

Michigan probably has one of the best ad campaigns around to entice visitors to explore the shores of Lake Michigan. I hear these commercials daily when I am at work with the radio on and instantly I'm transported to the fun times and memories I've made there with friends and family.

Well, we just got back from one of those times and made many new memories to add to our old ones. We rented a new house this year since it was basically just the four of us (aside from some brief visits from Papa and Grandma Szurgot) and we didn't want to listen to Austen whining to go in the pool each day. The house we rented actually had a clubhouse pool anyway so Austen still got the benefit of swimming in the pool when we wanted a break from the lake without having it be a tease right outside our doors. We had some great days at the beach. The water was clear. There was a great sand bar and there were even waves. You would think you were on the east coast if you didn't know better - one of the many reasons I am fond of this part of Michigan.

Peyton enjoyed playing in the sand and didn't eat too much of it. She floated in the lake and the pool with her floating exersaucer and practiced her crawl (she actually crawled forward today!).

Austen enjoyed playing ball at the beach, building huge sandcastles with his daddy and swimming by himself with his noodle and life jacket in the pool. He ate ice cream almost every day and took long naps in the afternoon because he was so tired from the morning's activities.

Adler enjoyed running on the beach, rolling in the sand and sitting on the front porch listening to the crickets. She went kind of nuts later in the week from all the bugs and Tom and I thought we were going to have to check her into the nutty farm because she was so disturbed by them that she hid in the bathroom and lay wide awake panting all day/night. After a good 48 hours she snapped out of it and was back to normal. Something spooked her. Maybe it was the black squirrel outside our house.

It was a good vacation but like all vacations, we were sad to see it end. Hopefully someday soon, these jaunts up to Michigan will become every weekend or so occurrences when we have our own beach house. Our land is waiting.

Bloody Nose

2010-08-29T22:08:00.005-05:00

Austen is one of those kids who is prone to bloody noses. Not from fistfights or from picking it (at least not that I know of), but from dry air. So we had to invest in a humidifier for his room that looked somewhat stylish since it was going to be on every night. And it seemed to have worked too since the bloody noses stopped almost instantly. Wouldn't you know that the one time we didn't turn it on that the bloody noses returned. This background is just to preface the next story.

Last week, Tom decided he was going to have a V8 so he poured some into a glass to enjoy. Here's what Austen thought about it:

Austen: "Daddy, what's that?"
Daddy: "It's a drink that makes you big and strong."
Austen: "Oh (wrinkling his nose) that looks like a bloody nose!"

He may not look like me but this kid sure acts like me!

Two Teeth and Almost Crawling

2010-08-22T21:14:00.004-05:00

At almost 8 months, Peyton has two bottom teeth and is pretty close to crawling. She's definitely on all fours and rocking back and forth and moving backward. She can also turn herself 360 degrees from her tummy. She's growing up fast and going through lots of stages.

Right now she likes:

- Austen. Still no one can make her smile/laugh like Austen.

- Adler. Her second favorite. She enjoys getting kisses from Adler and grabbing fur.

- Her pink spotted giraffe blanket. It's her favorite blanket to sleep with and we will often find her with it under face like it's her pillow. I've also caught her sucking its ears!

- Playing in her brother's room. Since she's not crawling yet, it's still safe for her to play in his room. Put her on the rug and Austen brings her a ball and his Cookie Monster and Elmo cars and toy bus. And, sometimes, if he's feeling generous he'll even let her play with his Little People bus.

What she doesn't like lately:

- Riding in her car seat! My usually happy kid detests being strapped into her car seat and forced to face backward where she can't see anyone. As soon as I shut the door, I can hear her screaming. Makes for a nice car ride. Hopefully this phase will pass soon!

- The sun in her eyes. I'm sure most babies and kids detest this but she can sure whine when that sun hits her straight in the eyes and there's no way to block her from it in her stroller or the car seat.

- Leaving her. She's in that phase now if she's awake and you walk out of the room for a minute to go get something, she certainly will notice and let you know that she knows you're gone.

Like An Orange

2010-08-15T21:31:00.004-05:00

Austen and Adler are either the best of friends or fight like cats and dogs (Austen's the cat that whines sometimes and says..."no, Adler, I don't wanna play!") I think this video sums up their relationship today where I heard Adler scrambling to try to escape Adler in our hallway. When I asked Austen what he had done, he innocently told me "I squeezed her like an orange!"

Daddy Said...

2010-08-08T20:35:00.002-05:00

Ever since Austen moved upstairs to the older kids' class his vocabulary has expanded by the minute. He's also listening to more things on TV and telling us, "Mommy..he said..." so we really have to be careful what he's watching and we knew it was just a matter of time before we had to be really careful with what we were saying.

The other day, he said to Tom and me "Giddyup, Cowboy!" I laughed and asked him who said that and he said Buzz - meaning Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. He went to see that movie with Tom and his Uncle Bob and he loved it. Everything is about Buzz and Boody (not Woody) and of course the movie Cars - Lightning McQueen and Mater. He listens to what they say and repeats it to us.

So yesterday, I came home from work and Austen and I happened to be playing in his room when he tells me. "There was a lot of traffic." Tom had taken Austen and Peyton to see Grandma and got stuck in a lot of traffic on the way home. "He said 'funk'", Austen tells me matter of factly. I knew Tom wasn't very happy that it had taken him so long to get home so I was pretty sure of what Austen was telling me. But, I wasn't sure I heard him correctly. He repeated it again and while I was glad he really thought his dad said funk it still was too close for comfort.

I told Tom and he couldn't believe it. I think mostly because he thought Austen would learn his first bad word from me, not from him. I'm glad he was wrong.

Our Special Day

2010-08-01T22:01:00.005-05:00

It seems in the summer I have to work more weekends than the rest of the year. Or maybe it just seems that way because the sun is shining and I want to be outside. Either way, it certainly doesn’t make for a fun summer. So on Friday I decided to take a day off and spend it with just Austen.

Our day started off pretty good despite the threatening clouds. We walked Adler, loaded Peyton in the car and off we went to drop her off at “school.” Austen was so excited to tell his own teacher and all his friends that he wasn’t going to school today.

First we went to breakfast and Austen ate a big piece of crunchy French Toast complete with a side of sausage and a chocolate milk.

We then went home to change into our swimsuits since the skies looked like they were going to clear up. We headed to the north side of the city to try out a new water park with some friends. Since the weather wasn’t as perfect and hot as it has been all summer, the park was pretty much empty so we enjoyed having it all to ourselves.

After the park, Austen and I went with our friends to Dairy Queen. Austen enjoyed a stars and stripes popsicle but decided he liked my Blizzard better.

After Dairy Queen, we ventured to the Disney store (he is really into the movie Cars and Toy Story right now) where I let him pick out a car from the movie, “Cars.” He chose “Red” the fire truck.

We trucked on home after that and I realized that I felt more tired than when I go to work! Maybe because it was a Friday! Or maybe it was because Austen didn’t have a nap!

Peyton Gets a Tooth and Other Adventures

2010-07-25T10:43:00.004-05:00

Peyton's first tooth arrived this week. It's one of her bottom front teeth and the wait wasn't so awful. So far she's proven to be a far better teether than Austen.

It's incredible to think how fast they grow in this first year alone. From sitting up to rolling over (last week she started to consistently flip from back to front in her crib - I think she wanted to look at herself in the mirror!) and then crawling to walking. It's amazing how quick a year can go.

As for food, she's moved through all of her vegetables and fruits and is now making her way through her meats. Her first taste of meat (turkey and gravy) was the first time I actually saw her gag and I thought, boy she just might be a vegetarian! But with a second try the next ngiht, mixing the meet with a little veggies and fruit, she gobbled it all up. So she's still a great eater despite still staying in the 50th percentile for weight (her doctor's visit last week had her weighing 16 lbs, 10 oz) and 75th percentile for height (27 inches). So to all those who say she's such a peanut...she's not small...she's average or a little above. She just doesn't happen to be one of the many huge babies you see these days!

What's Up with Austen

2010-07-18T21:43:00.001-05:00

Now that Austen is in a class with kids from 3-6, he’s talking more, he’s becoming more coordinated (playing ball with the bigger kids) and he’s also learning the bad habits too. Here are some things that I can’t believe my sweet 3 ½ year old is now saying/doing:

“I’m not your friend”
He usually says, I’m not your friend mommy, I’m Daddy’s friend or I’m Tyler’s friend or some other name of a kid in his class. My response: you’re right, I’m not your friend. I’m your mother. Then I think, boy I sound like my own mother!

“You’re not invited to my birthday party”
Austen loves birthdays and birthday parties even if they are not his. But I have to laugh when he tells me that I’m not invited to his birthday party when it’s the middle of the summer and his birthday is in January. Little does he know that if I’m not invited then I’m not planning it either!

Spitting
This is one of the actions that he decided to show his Dad and I that he could do when we were out for a walk one day. I think it was met by expressions of shock from both Tom and I and then wonder at where the heck he learned to do that! Then he was told he’d get lemon juice if he spit again!

“Stop looking at me!”
If he feels I’m staring at him too long or he thinks Peyton is and she loves looking at Austen and smiling at him, he’ll offer this retort. I didn’t know this started at this age!

“Stop following me!”
He usually says this when he wants to be left alone. After being with kids all day, all Austen wants to do is play by himself when he gets home from school. If you try to follow him or if Adler does, he usually isn’t happy about it.

“Adler, I don’t want to play!”
It’s great that Austen and Adler can really play together now like a boy and his dog usually would. Adler likes to take a toy and nudge Austen with it begging him to play. But, Austen doesn’t want to play all the time and if he doesn’t he’ll tell her so. But other times, he grabs the toy and sits down on our hard wood floors and let’s Adler take him for a ride!

6 1/2 Months

2010-07-11T21:25:00.005-05:00

I can't believe that Peyton has been with us for more than half the year already. Pretty soon we'll be celebrating her first birthday! There are a lot of milestones to go before we get to that point but a lot that she has hit already.

She started baby food about a month or so ago. Cereal at first and then she moved through the veggies. Now she's on her fruits. So far, she's liked them all and hasn't really shown a preference for one over the other. The only thing that she did show was a voracious appetite. She can pretty much eat a whole container of fruit/veggie with cereal and at least two ounces of formula at one sitting! She's like a little bird who keeps opening her mouth for more!

She's also really started to notice Adler now that she can sit up. She is very tactile and likes to reach and grab for many items including Adler's fur. Adler, ever the great dog, doesn't mind either. She either moves or takes an opportunity to get her licks in on Peyton (literally).

Peyton has also taken to the beach well. She loves the water and playing with sand toys, eating sand and of course napping!

Now that she's six months, they also say the color of her eyes are less likely to change. Well, since she's been born they just keep getting bluer like her Daddy's. Check out little blue eyes!

Next week we go for her check up so we'll see how much she weighs and how much she grew. It's amazing how she's transformed in just over six months. These next six months, she'll be crawling and maybe walking too. Lots to look forward to!

4th of July Festivities

2010-07-05T22:33:00.009-05:00

We kicked off the holiday weekend with a trip to the beach on Saturday. Peyton enjoyed her first frolick in Lake Michigan, kicking her feet and showing lots of smiles. Austen had a great time playing ball with Papa and his Daddy, and seeing his aunt, uncle and cousins.

On the actual 4th of July, we returned to the OL Parade. Not my first choice but turns out not many towns were having parades on Sundays, choosing to hold their parades on Monday instead. Grandma Szurgot took care of Peyton (dressed very fashionably in red, white and blue compliments of Grandma Lou) so she wouldn't have to suffer the 90 degree heat while we took Austen along with his aunt and uncle to the parade. Austen enjoyed himself and didn't even complain about the heat and I had fun watching Austen watch the parade. Was it better than last year's parade? Well, the weather was certainly better but I wouldn't say the parade was improved but rather I wasn't disappointed because I knew what to expect.

We returned to Grandma Szurgot's for some food, family and fun after the parade and Uncle Bob showed Austen how to slip and slide. Turns out Adler didn't think it was too safe to be slipping and sliding.

Monday, we capped off the weekend with a trip to the grocery store (hey, errands need to get done too!) and then to the mall where Peyton and I shopped and Austen, Daddy and Uncle Bob saw Woody, Buzz Lightyear and all their friends in Toy Story 3.

It was a pretty great weekend and my only regret was not taking a picture of Austen and Peyton in their red, white and blue earlier in the day to avoid this picture!

Where Are We Going After?

2010-06-26T20:34:00.003-05:00

Austen has a better social schedule these days then I do. In fact, he is my social schedule. From birthday parties to playdates to sleepovers to t-ball and swimming, I don’t know if I’m coming or going half the time. I’m afraid to even think how crazy it will be when Peyton starts getting involved in these activities.

Anyway, I think we’ve created a monster as Austen always wants to know what the next thing we are going to be doing is! Now, don’t get me wrong, this kid could play in his room by himself for hours with just his cars and sometimes he prefers this but his common refrain is “Mommy, after nap, where are we going? Mommy, after school, where are we going? Mommy, after swimming, where are we going?” He’s a busy little kid who is constantly on the move.

Since Friday, he went on a field trip to the nature museum with his class; Great America on Saturday with his good friends from school; swim lessons on Sunday with more good friends from school; and Uncle Mickey's birthday party Sunday afternoon.

An Interview with Austen About Adler

2010-06-21T23:08:00.005-05:00

When Adler wants to play she doesn't just bother Tom and me. She now knows she can go to Austen and sometimes he'll play with her too. However, she usually does this after Austen's been at school all day and all he wants to do is play by himself in his room with no disruptions. So often, I hear him whining, "No, Adler, I don't wanna play!" I then tell him not to be mean to Adler and if he doesn't want to play with her then we'll give her away to one of his friends who would love to have a dog (of course I'm teasing because I would never give Adler away). This is met by more whining and almost begging me not to give Adler away. I tell him that he doesn't know how lucky he is to have a dog and especially Adler.

In fact, one weekend while at a friend's house who had two dogs, Austen got to experience what it was like to have a small dog and a medium sized dog. Austen liked the medium sized dog but for some reason was afraid of the small dog. We left Austen to draw in their dining room while we mingled with the other guests when all of a sudden I noticed Tom was gone. When he returned, he told me that he had heard Austen on the other side of the house calling for us because the dog was barking at him and following him. Austen couldn't find us in their big suburban house and ended up getting cornered in the laundry room by the small dog who was barking at him. I couldn't stop laughing when Tom told me. Poor Austen. But, when he's mean to Adler, I tell him that Bailey is going to come live with us!

Maybe that made him appreciate Adler all the more. Here's one of those rare moments when he was relishing spending time with his dog:

Are Girls Easier Than Boys?

2010-06-13T00:39:00.003-05:00

That's the question. Or maybe the question should be are second children easier than the first? So far, I would say yes to both. I know it has only been almost six months since we've had a little girl in our lives but I don't remember Austen being this agreeable and easy going his first six months of life. I mean this kid barely ever cries including when her brother bops her in the head with a toy or when I accidentally cut her finger trying to cut her nails! (Just a bandaid needed even though she bled a lot but wouldn't you know she never even made a face!)

She is a super easy kid too to put to bed. Put her in her crib a little bit drowsy and she'll entertain herself until she drops off to sleep. That was so not Austen even though he wasn't a bad sleeper. Go out to eat at a restaurant and she'll smile at you the whole time from her car seat while you're eating your food.

So what has my easy kid been up to lately? See for yourself below.

Adler's Daddy

2010-06-07T20:15:00.007-05:00

Who is Adler's Daddy you might be wondering. Well, it's a big, buff Bernese Mountain Dog named Ty. Her mom's name was Hailey and if you look at pictures of Adler's mom, she looks just like her. Why is this relevant you might be asking...well, every day we drive by the park near our house on the way home from school. There's a lot of dogs in the park. And, while Adler used to be the only Berner in our neighborhood when we got her five years ago, her striking good looks have made about three other families seek out the breed. Therefore, when we go by the park, there is inevitably a Berner running around in the park.

One day, Austen was observing the dogs in the park as we drove by when he suddenly proclaimed, "There's Adler's Daddy! Adler, there's your Daddy!" I had to do a double take to see what he was talking about but upon further inspection of the dogs in the park, I noted that one indeed was a Bernese Mountain Dog. Austen was right. However, I'm not sure how one much younger than Adler could be her Daddy but these other Berners were big beside our Adler so I think that's how Austen deduced that it was her Daddy.

Check out Adler's real Mommy and Daddy below.

He Makes Her Laugh

2010-05-31T20:20:00.003-05:00

No one can make Peyton laugh like Austen does. It's like they have their own special language and bond already. In fact, Tom often tells me if Peyton is fussy on the morning drive to "school" that Austen will hold her hand the entire way and she stops crying once she knows her brother is there. They face opposite ways in the car and she might not be able to see him too well but she knows he's there when he reaches out his hand to her.

Austen is also a big help with distracting her while we are busy getting something ready - either for dinner or for work. He'll sit next to her while she's in her bouncy seat and he'll talk to her or sing his ABCs for her and she's occupied and eating up her brother's attention. Now don't get me wrong, Peyton is a huge smiler and a pretty happy kid but her smile seems to be magnified and her laugh a little louder when her brother is in the picture.

A Day at the Beach

2010-05-23T15:15:00.006-05:00

Before Chicago reached these 90 degree temperatures, we took a Spring trek to the beach. We piled everyone in the car last Sunday and off we went. The sun was warm, the kids were sleeping in the back and Adler was looking out the window. And, Tom and I got an hour to talk amongst ourselves with little interruption.

We arrived at the beach and Adler was in heaven, rolling in the sand and running up and down the beach. Peyton had a blast feeling the sand between her toes for the first time and I must say, she seemed to enjoy it. Austen was really into throwing rocks in the water. Notice I didn't say skipping stones. He doesn't have the patience to skip stones. He'd rather hurl them into the water with all his might.

We enjoyed the solitude and the sunny skies for about an hour and then we decided to make the trek back to the car. On our way back, Austen declares that he wants to go for ice cream. Tom and I look at each other in disbelief. It was either a coincidence or Austen remembered that last year on our trips home from the beach, we'd stop and get ice cream. Who said two-year-olds don't have long-term memories?!

Sleepovers are Unproductive

2010-05-16T22:18:00.005-05:00

Sleepovers are unproductive. That's what my mom used to say when I was a kid and why for the most part, I never got to sleep over my friends' houses. Well, at least not regularly. Of course she relented if they were birthday party related but your average run of the mill can I sleep over tonight at Roberta's house was usually met with a big fat no. The reason? My mom told me that it was because she didn't want to deal with me tired and all the next day.

So it's no wonder when my almost three and a half year old was invited with five of his friends to sleepover at another friend's house, I did hear my mom's voice in the back of my head, but instead let my "too young for sleepovers" son spend the night with his friends. Now I did think the mom was very brave and maybe a little crazy for inviting them all over to her house but I knew if anyone could do it she could. Of course most of the teachers at school and us moms were abuzz all week wondering if our kids would actually make it through the night or if we'd get that call in the middle of the night to come pick up our kid.

The kids were excited too all week asking if they were going to the sleepover that night. When the day finally arrived, Austen was beside himself with excitement. Tom and I dropped him off and he was none too sad to see us go. Off they went to the park....

Us moms kept up with them most of the evening via text message with reports about how our little ones were doing. Austen listened well at the park but had a bloody nose when he got back. He also was the third one to fall asleep (by 9:30pm).

They all made it through the night and ate waffles for breakfast.

Austen did great and wasn't too whiny today. It just goes to show you that sometimes sleepovers can be productive. Austen got the time to bond with his best buddies at school, especially since they aren't in the same class anymore.

Mother of Two

2010-05-09T23:05:00.002-05:00

This was my first Mother's Day being a mom to two (really a mom to three if you count my girl, Adler!). We started celebrating on Thursday, really, at Austen and Peyton's school. Austen's class had some morning festivities where I got to watch him play with all the "work" that he likes (puzzles are his favorites) and then we got to share a special snack (heart shaped cookies - Austen ate mine!). He also made me a special little present...handprint with a nice little saying on it and a magnet on the back to stick on the fridge. I remember making one for my parents when I was small but the poem still brought a tear to my eye as I read the words and realized that one day Austen would be all grown up. Here it is:

Sometimes you get discouraged
Because I am so small
And always leave my fingerprints
On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing -
I'll be grown some day
And all those tiny handprints
Will surely fade away.

So here's a little handprint
Just so you can recall
Exactly how my fingers looked
When I was very small.

That afternoon it was Peyton's turn to celebrate with me. I got a corsage from her class and got to meet a lot of the other moms and spend time with my happy girl.

Saturday, I went to the spa with my mom, did a little shopping and went out to dinner. What could be a better way to celebrate Mother's Day?!

And, today we spent the day with my mom and mother in law. My kids were good - daddy, helped them make me a special card - and it was a nice, sunny day. Pretty much a perfect day...if only Adler was there. Then our little family would have been complete.

Peyton's Baptism

2010-05-03T21:57:00.005-05:00

Well, my happy girl was baptized this past weekend. She looked like an absolute angel in her christening gown (thanks, mom!), socks, bib and hat! Why do you need all these accessories to the gown? My mom told me they all came together but I thought the hat made her look like something out of Little House on the Prairie so I kept it off. Sorry, Austen, I know I made you wear yours, but with the second you're more willing to break the rules.

Anyway, the day was turning out great. The priest was good - not quick - but good. Or maybe he was quick and I was just counting the minutes until the ceremony was done not because of the height of my new shoes, but because of the three year old attached to my legs. Seriously, Austen was a piece of work at his own baptism and he decided to not let his reputation to act up during baptisms go done in history. He wanted to stand at the altar with Tom and I, which was fine. My mom coaxed him back to the pew with a lollipop, which he crunched for a few minutes before he was back up at the altar again. Next thing I know, he did something he's never done before - he literally wrapped his arms and legs around my ankles and would not let go! Good thing I wasn't holding Peyton because I seriously thought he was going to take me down. Instead of creating a scene, I chose to ignore his antics and hope he got bored with his koala bear hold before he took me down. And, he did but only to circle behind us to the short altar steps where he chose to show the whole congregation that he could jump from step to step. At this point, I had to grab him. Seriously, whose kid was this that was acting so fresh?!

Back to Peyton - she did great when the water/oil were poured on her head. She didn't even cry. I give her extra points too because it turned out she wasn't feeling well. She got a raging cold that night/next morning. She's on the mend now and feeling better but I still give her props for waiting to get sick until after her big day.

(Special thanks to my aunt from Boston who made the trip out to meet Peyton and help her celebrate her big day!)

Happy Girl

2010-04-25T20:17:00.004-05:00

Peyton has a new nickname. It's "happy girl." This kid is pretty much always smiling and just laying back and taking everything in. She rarely fusses and when she does it's really just to tell me that she's hungry or tired.

She's also four months going on four years. She's already using her heels to push herself up off the ground and likes to use her feet to rotate herself around in her crib. One morning I found her with her head where her feet were supposed to be! She also likes to rock up onto her side and I guess at "school" last week, she ended up getting enough momentum to flip herself onto her tummy! What a feat at four months although they said she scared herself and started crying! So I'm not sure she'll do that again for awhile.

She's also starting to grab for objects. She likes her little security blankets and puts them by her face to fall asleep. She's also getting good at grabbing her rings on her playmat and picking up some toys. She is truly just a happy kid which makes me a happy mom.

We Got the Whole World...

2010-04-18T20:52:00.005-05:00

in our hands. At least that's the way we feel these days with two great kids and a pretty near perfect dog.

Austen has moved up to the next class at school so he's with 3-6 year-olds now. He has his own locker on the upstairs floor of the school and is doing great. He definitely likes to roughouse with the older boys but he doesn't like to get in trouble when the teacher pulls them all aside and tells them no more! He also likes to imitate the teacher. One day, Mr. Mike was throwing fruit up in the air and catching it much to the chagrin of the other teacher who knew the kids would be copying his behavior. Sure enough a few days later, Austen was throwing up a piece of fruit and catching it much to Mr. Mike's delight and the other teacher's dismay. Mr. Mike was just impressed with Austen's hand/eye coordination!

Peyton is doing well in school too. She's in Austen's old infant room and has three of his old teachers. They all love Peyton and say she is happy most days and likes to smile up at them, especially when they change her diaper! She has also just started to sleep through the night consistently too so we are very happy about that. She was about six weeks behind Austen in that regard but she seems to be a little more laid back than he was...or maybe we are!

As for Adler, she's adjusted to me going back to work and having her house to herself all day again. She's catching up on her sleep. However, I know she misses Austen and Peyton during the day as she usually steals a stuffed animal off of Austen's bed and picks one of Peyton's out of her bouncy seat to sleep with her on our bed during the day. That's usually where I find them...licked to death!

I Jumped Off a Dragon!

2010-04-11T14:04:00.009-05:00

On Friday, we got a call from Austen's school. When they call, they always identify themselves first but are quick to then say "Austen's okay" or "it's not an emergency, but..." Well, the "but" on Friday was that Austen was at the park/playground with his class and decided to climb on top of a three-foot high dragon and then decided to jump off. Now, I'm sure all the older kids were doing it but now that Austen got moved up, he is one of the younger kids and a three-foot jump is probably a big drop for someone his age/size. Anyway, when he jumped off, he landed wrong on his ankle. Instead of crying in front of the big kids, he hobbled away and continued playing, not wanting them to see he was hurt and probably more so not wanting to miss out on playtime with his new classmates.

One of his teachers did carry him back to school and put an ice pack on it and called us to come pick him up. He was limping around most of Friday but in good spirits. It looked a little swollen but no real bruising. On Saturday, he had a little bit of a limp but he went to soccer and you couldn't tell he was injured. Today, he was running around at the park with no thoughts of his ankle or jumping off another dragon.

Here's a few seconds of what our little big shot has been up to aside from jumping off dragons!

Peyton's First Easter

2010-04-04T21:16:00.010-05:00

Not that she knew it or that she got to enjoy the many Easter egg hunts lined up for Austen or all the Easter baskets she received, but it was Peyton's first official holiday. She looked so cute in her sunflower dress and canary yellow bolero sweater and matching yellow bow!

We started out the day at home. Austen could hardly wait to go through his Easter basket this morning and go on his Easter egg hunt. Of course, he already spied much of his loot when I brought it home from the store. I thought I could get it in the house without him seeing anything but one bag happened to fall over and out popped his chocolate bunny holding a basketball. I had to pry it out of his little hands much to his dismay and tell him that it was for Easter. The next 10 minutes was met with a lot of whining and telling me that he wanted the Easter bunny with the basketball. I heard that a lot over the last two weeks. I think I lucked out though because he didn't know it was chocolate yet. Speaking of chocolate - Austen decided to open all his plastic eggs and eat all the candy before and after breakfast. Good thing we were going to my brother's so he could run off that sugar high in a real backyard! When he was tired, my brother pulled him and his cousin, Luke, in a wagon around the yard.

Peyton got a lot of attention from both sides of the family. Everyone wanted to hold her and she let them:)

Austen and Peyton cleaned up on Easter baskets from both their Grandmas. Aunt Maria and Uncle Bob had an Easter egg hunt all set up for Austen complete with cars that looked like Easter eggs (Austen thought that was cool). And, Papa spoiled them rotten too with cards and presents for their piggy banks.

Phew...I'm tired but it was a fun day to see Austen and Peyton hang out with their grandparents, aunts, uncles and of course their cousins!

Winter Vacation

2010-03-27T19:19:00.005-05:00

While I was on maternity leave (I'm back at work now), we decided to take a little vacation during a break Austen had from "school." So Tom, Austen, Peyton and I traveled about three and a half hours north to the Wisconsin Dells. Now, the Dells boasts one of the largest places for indoor waterparks so we thought it would be a nice break to do some swimming in the winter.

The car ride up was easy. Both Austen and Peyton were great in the car. Austen is great because all he says is "I wanna watch a video" and we don't hear from him much in the backseat. Peyton slept most of the way so that was easy too. Thankfully, the DVD player came with headphones so Tom and I didn't have to listen to the Lion King or Nemo or whatever Austen was watching.

Anyway, we stayed at Great Wildnerness Lodge in one of their two bedroom, two bath condos complete with a family room and kitchen. It was pretty nice given that it was the Dells and these hotels are catering to kids and families. The place we stayed had four indoor waterparks so we had to get out and hit the first one that first evening we arrived. We managed to hit all four by the end of the trip. Austen rode the lazy river, went down a number of waterslides with us and without us and even ventured into the wave pool. We had a good time together and it made us wish summer was here already. Especially Austen - since he's been asking to go to the beach ever since we got back.

It's All About Peyton

2010-03-20T13:57:00.005-05:00

This week our little Peyton will turn 3 months old. I looked at her the other day and could hardly believe how big she is getting. Her cheeks are filling out, she has rolls on her thighs now and she's getting a lot longer too. In fact, at her just over two month doctors appointment she weighed in at 10lbs. 11 oz. and measured 23 inches. She grew a lot in just a month or so. The doctor was amazed, especially at her height growth - about two inches - which puts her close to the 75th percentile in height. She still is about 50 percent for weight.

Peyton is up now more during the day too but is just a happy baby. She smiles all the time and I revel in making her laugh or smile. She's also a pretty decent sleeper as she's starting to get into a routine of napping in her crib in the morning and afternoon. And, just two days ago, she started really sleeping through the night. At about 8 weeks she was sleeping from 9pm - 4 or 5am consistently but the last two nights she's gone from 8pm - 6am/6:45am! Just in time for me to go back to work! What a gift. And, what a little gift she is to our family. I sure am enjoying buying her lots of little presents!

School Buses

2010-03-13T23:03:00.004-06:00

Austen is all about school buses. He got to ride on one on a field trip to the zoo during school this past summer and now he can’t stop talking about them. He points them out wherever we go and he even sleeps with them! (Well, toy versions of them!)

When Peyton was born, one of my friends sent Peyton a gift as well as Austen. Austen’s gift was a toy school bus. He loved it and slept with it that first night. It still remains one of his favorite toys.

He also likes cookies dressed like school buses. Recently, Tom’s firm landed a big job with a school district. Someone sent them Cookies by Design with cookies representing school days. Tom brought home the school bus for Austen. Below is Austen eating his school bus cookie. Not long now before he’s actually riding a school bus!