Me Lee and Mr.C

What they're drawing

2012-01-27T13:56:00.008-05:00

Colby's newfound fascination is drawing tanks. His daddy taught him last weekend, and since then, every single picture coming home from school is of tanks. And not just tanks sitting there....tanks in the heat of battle. As you can see here, there is much going on and bullets are flying everywhere. It's a warzone, people.

Much of his inspiration comes from playing with his daddy, and one of their favorite things to do is play Nerf gun War. In this house, that doesn't mean you just shoot your gun. No, you have to dress up in camo, load the bullets into your vest, and most importantly, put on your protective eye glasses.

I didn't get pictures of the actual battle, but Miller was dressed up as a doctor and tended to the wounded when they were shot.

Miller drew this the other day, and it's the very first person I've ever seen her draw. I just love how three year olds do not draw the body and put the arms and legs coming off of the head.

Miller continues to be confused about whether she's into boy things or girl things. Her instinct is all girl, but she sure does worship her big brother and all that he does. She's a pink-loving-doll-holding-super-hero-wearing mystery.

This super-hero-wearing-mystery is a rule follower most of the time, and abides by the rule that potty words belong in the bathroom. But, as soon as that little tush hits the toilet seat, look out! She's got the mouth of a sailor and often shouts out "POO POO PEE PEE DIAPER BUTT CRACK!" And what's a mom to say....she is in the bathroom.

Miller's song

2012-01-20T19:23:00.001-05:00

I heard Miller singing a song today while she was in the bathroom. It went like this:

"My mommy....she would never leave without me. She would never leave without me. She would never leave without me."

Now that's a song of a little girl who feels very very secure.

Notes from the sick house

2012-01-17T12:31:00.006-05:00

So I'm making an effort to update more often....unfortunately, I don't have anything fun to write about.

We've certainly started 2012 off the same way we ended it. Sick.
Colby missed the first week of school with pink eye and strep.
I just started my antibiotic for strep yesterday. Just got over pink eye.

Poor little Miller had what we thought was a virus, but after a fever or 103 (with Motrin) we rushed her to the doctor and it's a severe ear infection. Here she is after her appointment (blurry phone picture), 8:30 PM, high fever, waiting patiently for her daddy to bring her a Dairy Queen ice cream cone (which she did not eat).

Later that night, when we took her temperature, it was 104. Highest I've ever seen on her and again, that was an hour after she had taken Motrin. We set the alarm for an hour later and checked her temperature every 30 minutes or so until it started to come down. Thankfully, an hour later it came down and we all went to sleep.

This morning things were much better. Her fever is down, and her personality is coming back.

How many more weeks till Spring?

25 Rules for moms with sons

2012-01-16T12:21:00.002-05:00

I read this on the internet the other day and thought it was worth repeating. And reading. And putting in to practice. I gotta work on #18 because this boy has a serious case of the "Why's".

25 Rules for Moms with Sons

1. Teach him the words for how he feels.
Your son will scream out of frustration and hide out of embarrassment. He'll cry from fear and bite out of excitement. Let his body move by the emotion, but also explain to him what the emotion is and the appropriate response to that emotion for future reference. Point out other people who are feeling the same thing and compare how they are showing that emotion. Talk him through your emotions so that someday when he is grown, he will know the difference between angry and embarrassed; between disappointment and grief.

2. Be a cheerleader for his life
There is no doubt that you are the loudest person in the stands at his t-ball games. There is no doubt that he will tell you to "stop, mom" when you sing along to his garage band's lyrics. There is no doubt that he will get red-faced when you show his prom date his pictures from boy scouts. There is no doubt that he is not telling his prom date about your blog where you've been bragging about his life from his first time on the potty to the citizenship award he won in ninth grade. He will tell you to stop. He will say he's embarrassed. But he will know that there is at least one person that is always rooting for him.

3. Teach him how to do laundry
..and load the dishwasher, and iron a shirt. He may not always choose to do it. He may not ever have to do it. But someday his wife will thank you.

4. Read to him and read with him.
Emilie Buchwald said, "Children become readers on the laps of their parents." Offer your son the opportunity to learn new things, believe in pretend places, and imagine bigger possibilities through books. Let him see you reading...reading the paper, reading novels, reading magazine articles. Help him understand that writing words down is a way to be present forever. Writers are the transcribers of history and memories. They keep a record of how we lived at that time; what we thought was interesting; how we spoke to each other; what was important. And Readers help preserve and pass along those memories.

5. Encourage him to dance.
Dance, rhythm, and music are cultural universals. No matter where you go, no matter who you meet - they have some form of the three. It doesn't have to be good. Just encourage your son that when he feels it, it's perfectly fine to go ahead and bust a move.

6. Make sure he has examples of good men who are powerful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity.
The examples of men with big muscles and a uniform (like Batman and LaMarr Woodley) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he also knows about men who kick a$s because of their brains (Albert Einstein), and their pen (Mark Twain), and their words (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), and their determination (Team Hoyt), and their ideas (The Wright Brothers), and their integrity (Officer Frank Shankwitz), and fearlessness (Neil Armstrong), and their ability to keep their mouths closed when everyone else is screaming (Jackie Robinson).

7. Make sure he has examples of women who are beautiful because of their brains, their determination, and their integrity
The examples of traditionally beautiful women (like Daphne Blake, Princess Jasmine, and Britney Spears) will surround your son from birth. But make sure he knows about women who are beautiful from the inside out because of their brains (Madame Marie Curie), and their pen (Harper Lee), and their words (Eleanor Roosevelt), and their determination (Anne Sullivan), and their ideas (Oprah Winfrey), and their integrity (Miep Gies), and fearlessness (Ameila Earhart), and their ability to open their mouths and take a stand when everyone else is silent (Aung San Suu Kyi).

8. Be an example of a beautiful woman with brains, determination, and integrity.
You already are all of those things. If you ever fear that you are somehow incapable of doing anything - remember this: If you have done any of the following: a) grew life b) impossibly and inconceivably got it out of your body c) taken care of a newborn d) made a pain go away with a kiss e) taught someone to read f) taught a toddler to eat with a utensil g) cleaned up diarrhea without gagging h) loved a child enough to be willing to give your life for them (regardless if they are your own) or i) found a way to be strong when that child is suffering...you are a superhero. do not doubt yourself for one second. Seriously.

9. Teach him to have manners
because its nice. and it will make the world a little better of a place.

10. Give him something to believe in
Because someday he will be afraid, or nervous, or heartbroken, or lost, or just need you, and you won't be able to be there. Give him something to turn to when it feels like he is alone, so that he knows that he will never be alone; never, never, never.

11. Teach him that there are times when you need to be gentle
like with babies, and flowers, and animals, and other people's feelings.

12. Let him ruin his clothes
Resolve to be cool about dirty and ruined clothes. You'll be fighting a losing battle if you get upset every time he ruins another piece of clothing. Don't waste your energy being angry about something inevitable. Boys tend to learn by destroying, jumping, spilling, falling, and making impossible messes. Dirty, ruined clothes are just par for the course.

13. Learn how to throw a football
or how to use a hockey stick, or read music, or draw panda bears (or in my case alpacas), or the names of different train engines, or learn to speak Elvish, or recognize the difference between Gryffindor and Slytherin, or the lyrics to his favorite song. Be in his life, not as an observer but as an active participant.

14. Go outside with him
turn off the television, unplug the video games, put your cellphone on the charger, even put your camera away. Just go outside and follow him around. Watch his face, explore his world, and let him ask questions. It's like magic.

15. Let him lose
Losing sucks. Everybody isn't always a winner. Even if you want to say, "You're a winner because you tried," don't. He doesn't feel like a winner, he feels sad and crappy and disappointed. And that's a good thing, because sometimes life also sucks, no matter how hard (as moms) we try to make it not suck for our kids. This practice will do him good later when he loses again (and again, and again, and again, and again.....) Instead make sure he understands that - sometimes you win - sometimes you lose. But that doesn't mean you ever give up.

16. Give him opportunities to help others
There is a big difference in giving someone the opportunity to help and forcing someone to help. Giving the opportunity lights a flame in the heart and once the help is done the flame shines brighter and asks for more opportunities. Be an example of helping others in your own actions and the way your family helps each other and helps others together.

17. Remind him that practice makes perfect.
This doesn't just apply to performance-based activities (like sports and music) but also applies to everything in life. You become a better writer by writing. You become a better listener by listening. You become better speaker by speaking. Show your son this when he is just young enough to understand (that means from birth, folks - they are making sense of the world as soon as they arrive), practice trick-or-treating at your own front door before the real thing. Practice how you will walk through airport security before a trip. Practice how you order your own food from the fast food cashier. Practice, practice, practice.

18. Answer him when he asks, "Why?"
Answer him, or search for the answer together. Show him the places to look for the answers (like his dad, or grandparents, or his aunts/uncles, or his books, or valid internet searches). Pose the question to him so he can begin thinking about answers himself. Someday, when he needs to ask questions he's too embarrassed to ask you - he'll know where to go to find the right answers.

19. Always carry band-aids and wipes on you.
especially the wipes.

20. Let his dad teach him how to do things
...without interrupting about how to do it the 'right way.' If you let his dad show and teach and discover with your son while he is growing up, some day down the road (after a short period of your son believing his dad knows nothing), he will come to the realization that his dad knows everything. You will always be his mother, but in his grown-up man heart and mind, his dad will know the answers. And this will be how, when your son is too busy with life to call and chat with his mom, you will stay connected to what is happening in his life. Because he will call his dad for answers, and his dad will secretly come and ask you.

21. Give him something to release his energy
drums, a pen, a punching bag, wide open space, water, a dog. Give him something to go crazy with - or he will use your stuff. and then you'll be sorry.

22. Build him forts
Forts have the ability to make everyday normal stuff into magic. Throw the couch cushions, a couple blankets, and some clothespins and you can transform your living room into the cave of wonders. For the rest of his life, he'll be grateful to know that everyday normal stuff has the potential to be magical.

23. Take him to new places
Because it will make his brain and his heart open up wider, and the ideas and questions and memories will rush in.

24. Kiss him
Any mother of sons will tell you that little boys are so loving and sweet. They can be harsh and wild and destructive during most of the day. But there are these moments when they are so kind and sensitive and tender. So much so that it can cause you to look around at the inward, reserved grown men in your life and think, 'what happens in between that made you lose that?' Let's try to stop the cycle by kissing them when they're loving and kissing them even more when they're wild. Kissing them when they're 2 months and kissing them when they're 16 years old. You're the mom - you can go ahead and kiss him no matter how big he gets - and make sure he knows it. p.s. (this one is just as important for dad's too).

25. Be home base
You are home to him. When he learns to walk, he will wobble a few feet away from you and then come back, then wobble away a little farther and then come back. When he tries something new, he will look for your proud smile. When he learns to read, he will repeat the same book to you twenty times in a row, because you're the only one who will listen that many times. When he plays his sport, he will search for your face in the stands. When he is sick, he will call you. When he really messes up, he will call you. When he is grown and strong and tough and big and he feels like crying, he will come to you; because a man can cry in front of his mother without feeling self-conscious. Even when he grows up and has a new woman in his life and gets a new home, you are still his mother; home base, the ever constant, like the sun. Know that in your heart and everything else will fall into place.

A funny

2012-01-10T11:24:00.002-05:00

A few days ago, Miller was in the pantry perusing the shelves for a snack. I was in the mudroom putting things away, and apparently Georgia had pushed her way into the pantry with Miller. (Georgia can be SO obnoxious)

I overheard Miller say to her "Get out of here you stinky old man!"

I have been laughing about that for days. I'm not sure if she thinks Georgia is a boy or if she was just being funny. She always surprises me with what comes out of her mouth.

Last post of 2011

2011-12-31T13:27:00.025-05:00

Actually, truth be told, it's January 1, 2012. But, I WILL get this posted one day late and I am determined to do better in the new year. This has been one crazy year....building the house, moving, dealing with the never ending house punch list, the landscaping fiasco (never imagined that would be the hardest part of home building), kids starting a new school, then transitioning to another new school, meeting new friends.....all while trying to figure out our whereabouts here. Oh, and raging case of plantar fasciitis that has kept me from the one true form of stress relief I enjoy- running. It has certainly been a challenging year, but it's also been a good one full of positive changes. We hope to be here a long time, so it's nice to feel like we can really settle in. (In the 6 years Lee and I have been married, this is the 4th city we've lived in....although calling this a city is a stretch!)

Colby and Miller are having more good moments than bad together....that's something! This was from a photo session in November.

I just love this picture of Colby. Can't you just see the twinkle of mischief in his eyes?

We even got a good one of all the cousins (no small feat)

Santa came to the local coffee shop, and shockingly, Miller was ok with it.

We were in town celebrating Pop's 70th birthday and had a nice visit with Peepie Miller.

A rare picture of me and Lee dressed up

and an even rarer picture of me and Nan. (I'm wearing heels....I'm only a couple inches taller)

Our house got all jazzed up for Christmas...

and the elf Kix made his arrival and left a letter from Santa.

The kids enjoyed Lego advent calendars this year.

Nana and Granddaddy came for Christmas, and a good time was had by all.

The kids (and someone else) loved decorating cookies with Nana.

Christmas Eve

SO EXCITED!!!

Colby and Miller waiting anxiously at the top of the stairs Christmas morning.

WAIT...did anyone notice that Colby has on different pajama bottoms? Well, funny story about that. At 3AM, Colby came wide eyed and bushy tailed into our room and said loudly "Is it time to get up yet?!?" Lee walked him back to his room, and noted that he was naked on the bottom half- no pull up or pajama pants, which is very odd. So Lee gave him new pants, got him back in the bed and tucked him in. As he was saying good night, Colby said "I hope Santa brings me a Nerf gun." Lee thought that was odd, or maybe just a coincidence....until Colby said "and a Tie fighter that shoots missles". GAME OVER. Busted. Lee knew at that point that Colby had already been downstairs, which explains why he had no pants on. When asked why he did that, Colby said that he "heard a noise". Well, normally when he hears a noise, he screams for us in his room....he does not take his pants off and go downstairs to check it out. So, we know that this was all fabricated....he just could not wait until the morning.

When Lee got back into our room, he told me what happened, and I was devastated. After all, what parents look forward to most on Christmas morning is seeing the faces of excitement and surprise on our children. It's truly magical. And, well, we knew it would not be the same the second time around. We went downstairs to see what Colby had done, and all of his toys had been fondled and moved. (Santa had arranged it JUST SO) We suspect he may have been down there a good 10 minutes just admiring and touching all of his new toys. As we talked about how sad it was, I told Lee that maybe one day, we'd think this was funny. As it turns out, when we told the story the next day, everyone thought it was funny. In fact, Pop said he did that every year. (no surprise there) All I know is that next year, this place will be booby trapped with fishing lines full of jingle bells and there will be no sneaky peeky!

Back to the pictures....

This was Miller's "princess tent"

Miller's loot

Colby's very Star Wars Christmas

Miller spent the day in her new Spiderman costume (until she peed in it).

Colby spent the day playing with his new planes and action figures.

Georgia spent the day trying to bury this in the yard.

Lee was less than thrilled with the cherry Amish tray tables I had made for him, but he put on a good act.

Nana and Granddaddy enjoyed some fun gifts from everyone.

The men of the house are ready to bake with matching Star Wars aprons.

I was there, too! (but this is the only picture)

and wouldn't you know....just in time for 2012....PIG TAILS!!!!

Happy New Year!!

A keepsake

2011-12-12T18:32:00.001-05:00

Once in a while, I snap a picture that is truly one to treasure. This is one of those. The Miller girls- ages 96 and 3.

Hanging on...

2011-11-27T19:51:00.023-05:00

by a thread.

It's obvious when life gets busy because the blog takes a hit. I feel like that's all I've been saying lately, and it's true...I have hardly posted at all this Fall. It's three days past Thanksgiving, and I haven't even blogged about Halloween! I think it's just going to be this way until Miller is in school five days a week next year. What I've realized is that this is the busiest I have ever been, and it's not going to change any time soon, so I'm going to try and let go of the guilt, and catch up on the blog when I can.

Truth be told, in addition to just being busy, we have been slammed with illnesses. First, Colby and Miller had the usual Fall colds and fevers. Then, Lee got a two week case of Pneumonia. Then, Colby got strep. Then, both Colby and Miller came down with a terrible case of hand, foot, and mouth. Now, Lee and I have the worst case of strep I have ever seen...Lee is on day four and still can hardly eat, even though he's on antibiotics. He completely missed Thanksgiving, and I got sick two days later. As I sit here typing, my actual hair follicles are aching....how is that even possible?

Despite all of this, the kids are doing great.

Let me back up a little and talk about Halloween.

I had a sweet little elmo and a Storm trooper....

who took his costume very seriously.

The kids had a Halloween parade at school....

And somehow, Lee and I ended up in the same picture. Can you believe it?

On Halloween night, the Switch Witch came, and the kids were thrilled. Colby received a light up Light Saber and a Star Wars action figure, and Miller got some new books and a tea kettle.

Colby has finally perfected the monkey bars, and he is very proud.

Miller is finally riding her bike (with training wheels) and she is crazy fast and coordinated on her scooter.

They both experimented with a little roller skating, but they went back to the bikes and scooters after a few spills.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Nan and Pop's house. Peepie Milller, Chip, Jen and the boys were all there. Colby and Miller were in heaven playing with them. Colby discovered their rope swing for the first time and he could not get enough. He's a strong little fella.

Jennifer and I had our bi-annual Miller mix-up. Every time we all get together, she and I have some kind of hilarious conversation where one of us is talking about big Miller, and the other one is talking about little Miller. This conversation involved the bathroom, and I mentioned how I was a little concerned that (big) Miller had been in the bathroom for a long time. So Jen looks as me and says "Well go check on her!" and I said something about how I didn't want to do that. I said a few more things about why I didn't want to, and she looked at me kind of crazy and said "Well she's probably just pooping or something!"....and I kind of looked at her thinking "yeah, and I still don't want to go in there!" After a few more minutes, Jen, in disbelief that I wouldn't check on my daughter, went to the bathroom to see what was going on just as (big) Miller was coming out.

Oh, we laughed and laughed about it for two days. It might not translate as hilarious on this blog, but I'm still laughing about it.

Back to Colby and Miller- they are both super excited for Christmas and ask daily if it's tomorrow. Colby wants every Star Wars toy known to man, and Miller wants a princess tent. Honestly, we could give her a pack of gummy bears and she'd be thrilled.

We are hoping to feel better soon and get into the Christmas spirit. Despite the ailments, we are so thankful for our crazy life and wouldn't want it any other way.

Picture day

2011-11-06T09:09:00.010-05:00

Colby gave his best camera smile....

and worked it for the camera.

Miller, on the other hand, could not be coaxed into a smile.

She refused to cooperate.

Are we done yet???

Fall Sports and fun

2011-10-10T18:00:00.014-04:00

Miller is loving ballet, and surprisingly, she likes looking like a girl.

She is learning to point and flex...

and follow her friends in a choo choo train. (by the way, Miller is the youngest and the tallest in the group)

Miller's favorite part of the class is the freestyle dancing with the ribbon wand. Here she is frolicking with her friend Penelope.

Colby is doing amazingly well at soccer this year. It's the first time he isn't trying to shoot the coach with his invisible Buzz Lightyear laser gun or rally his friends to do something other than play soccer.

He's actually playing!

And scoring goals! (5 at the last game)

He loves to run, and never tires, so this is perfect for him.

His buddy Davis is on his team, which makes him very happy.

His first official sports picture

and his first official team photo.

Miller is also enjoying soccer...

and much of that is because Charlie is on her team.

Her favorite part is "eggs in a basket", where all the kids run towards all of the balls, and then kick a random ball into the goal.

There she goes!

Although this isn't exactly a sport, we enjoyed a day at the Foxfield races with friends from the neighborhood.

Miller and Charlie were thrilled with the food table...

although the highlight for Miller was a pony ride.

Meanwhile, Colby and Davis snuck away and hid with a bag of Doritos.

I can't really get mad...it means he's just not used to having food like this, and that's a good thing.

BUSTED.

A visit from the binky fairy

2011-09-21T15:03:00.017-04:00

We've been talking to Miller about the binky fairy since before her third birthday, and she finally decided last week that she was ready for the binky fairy to come. She actually said at bed time "The binky fairy is coming tonight!" and I was totally caught off guard. This had little to do with her wanting to give up her binky, and everything to do with the fact that the binky fairy would bring colored marshamellows and pink cake. Miller's choice, of course.

We promptly went downstairs and decorated an envelope for the binkies...

and stuffed them inside.

Miller was very excited...

and carefully placed the envelope by the door. (meanwhile, Lee was running to the grocery store to pick up the goodies)

She went to bed ok, just a hint of crying, and then she woke up at 2AM just bubbling with excitement. I went into her room and laid down with her, and for four hours, she chatted. Every time I would close my eyes, and pretend to sleep, I'd peek and see her eyes wide open. I said "Miller, why don't you close your eyes and go to sleep?" and she said "Because I want to see the binky fairy!" At one point, I was almost asleep, and she whispered excitedly "You're my best friend, mommy!". Something tells me I need to write that down to re-read in about 10 years.

Miller finally fell asleep at 6 AM, and at 7:30, we had to wake her up for school.
She was not in a good mood.

In fact, she got up, looked around, and did a face plant.

But then her daddy reminded her that the binky fairy came, and she started to perk up.

The binky fairy did not disappoint....

it was Miller's dream come true.

and just like that, her bad mood turned to good.

She examined her loot very closely. Her card says "Congratulations! You are a big girl now. Love, the binky fairy."

Happy girl

Things have been going ok since then. For the first two nights afterwards, she woke up in the middle of the night crying, and I would lay with her. Now she's sleeping through the night, but she's crying at bedtime. It's an adjustment and hopefully thing will get easier for her.

While we are talking about Miller, I want to mention a new thing that she is doing. She walks around the house like a homeless person, carrying all her prized possessions in her stroller. (Here you can see her keyboard, a baby bottle, her pink dog, a bracelet, and her lunch bag full of plastic animals....the baby is on the bottom rack)

I must carry it up and down the stairs for her at least 10 times a day. She takes it everywhere.

And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere.

Summer turns to Fall...

2011-09-19T09:57:00.030-04:00

Let's see...where did I last leave off? Oh yeah, our trip to the lake. After our trip to see Nana and Granddaddy, Lee got a very bad cold, which turned into pneumonia. That lasted for 3 weeks, so we've been out of sorts around here. Not to mention my case of plantar fasciitis that has me basically not doing anything.....ok, that's not a good excuse for not updating the blog. But it's REALLY annoying.

Let me back up a little and post something I forgot to mention before we went on vacation. The dentist. It was Colby's second and Miller's first trip to the dentist. This is no ordinary dentist....there are movies on the ceiling. Toys. Themed blankets. Sunglasses. Flavored everything. It was like a trip to Disney World up in there.

Colby picked a Spiderman show...

and Miller couldn't take her eyes off of Dora to smile for the camera.

On the way to Nana and Granddaddy's house, we stopped at the Great Wolf Lodge for one night. It's an indoor water park for kids, and Colby and Miller had an absolute blast. Colby was a little hesitant at first, but by the end of the day he rode every slide there except for one that he was not tall enough for. I was proud of him for doing things that looked a little scary, like the slide that you go down head first. Miller mostly stayed in the kiddie area....except for that one attempt on the big water slide where she was tossed around in circles and bumped her head. Yeah, that didn't go over so well. Lee was mad at me the rest of the day for letting her do it. She was a trooper though, and got off and went right back to the kiddie area without any real tears.

The kids had their own little "camp" in our hotel room...

and they were up for quite a while whispering and giggling. Colby fell asleep first, and we could here Miller whispering "Colby! Colby!" for the next 10 minutes.

Finally, we made it to Nana and Granddaddy's. As usual, the kids had a wonderful time doing all their favorite lake activities.

Which include, but are not limited to:

Boat rides....

Driving the boat....

I'm sneaking in a self portrait here....photos of me are hard to come by.

Tubing (this is Colby)...

and this is Miller.

Jet skiing

Playing with daddy's toys from when he was a kid (this might have been the highlight for Colby)

and really, just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful scenery at the lake.

I don't have a picture for cupcake eating, but there was a whole lot of that going on, too. (I'd like to say I'm talking about the kids, but I'm actually talking about myself.)

Upon our return, Lee's cold really came on full force.

Thankfully, Dr. Miller and her medical kit were always close by.

The beginning of Fall means the start of sports and activities. Colby is taking Kung Fu, soccer and swimming. Miller is taking Ballet, Soccer and swimming.

I was one who used to scoff at Kung Fu or martial arts in the past. What is Kung Fu, you ask? Well, I still don't technically know what it is, but at the classes Colby is taking, the instructor takes the kids on imaginary adventures and they run their butts off. It's a whole lot of playing and running and a little big of Kung Fu. Which is just perfect.

This is the best shot I could get....Colby is the blur in the blue shirt.

Miller has started ballet, and she is really liking so far. The class is 3 and 4 year olds, and Miller is the youngest and tallest in the class. No surprise there. It's just adorable.....they stretch, point and flex, make choo choo trains, and jump over alligators. I hope to take some pictures of the class soon.

By the way, my three-year-old ballerina girl is letting me put a "pony tail" in her hair on most days. This is big progress.

Now, if she would just let me pick out her clothes and accessories, I'd be so happy. As of today, she will not let me pick out her clothes and it's a daily struggle. She has so many adorable outfits, especially for Fall, so I'm trying to figure out how to get control over this. Until then, she will combine her bunny shirts with her ghost barrettes. And I will still think she's completely adorable.

Lastly, with Fall comes new plantings and flowers. I'm very proud of my first really plantings....let's see if I can keep them alive.

Soon I will be posting an update on Miller.....the binky fairy is coming tonight. The binkies were put in an envelope, and she went to bed without one. She has already been up crying once. I am thinking that if it gets bad in the middle of the night, we will cave.....who knows. She is expecting great things at her door tomorrow. (her request was colored mini marshmallows and pink cake) The big question is....will we make it through the night?

First day of school!

2011-08-22T12:01:00.004-04:00

After a wonderful vacation in South Carolina (which I will blog about soon), Colby and Miller came home and promptly started their first day of preschool in the "lower" building. Colby is in the pre-k class, and Miller is in the 3 year old room.

A few days ago, I decided to trim off a whisp of Miller's hair in the back, which was resembling a rat tail....it was her first "trim", if you can even call it that. I got a little too ambitious in the bathtub and tried to even things up on the side, and ended up cutting off what few curls she had. Everything looks so much longer when it's wet! Now my poor little princess is being mistaken for a boy. :(
So, I have been telling her for the past week that when she starts her new school, the rule is she needs to wear a bow in her hair. It worked! Well, it worked today....we'll see how the rest of the week goes!
As for Colby, he has something called Fifths disease, which is a virus that causes a rash. So that explains the red face.

The obligatory CAMERA SMILES! shot...

and how they really look.

The things they say

2011-08-11T20:34:00.002-04:00

Colby, mad at me for putting him in a time out:

"Fine! Then I'm going to say bad things about you to my brain, and you're not going to know!....long pause......Are you?"

Priceless.

Visit

2011-08-02T10:07:00.012-04:00

After we celebrated the birthdays, the kids and I loaded in the car and headed back to our old neighborhood to visit friends.

Our first stop was to our babysitter Adela's house. We haven't seen her since the move, and it was so great to catch up with her again. I have missed her just as much as the kids have....she was the one who made the building of our new house possible. She spent many days (and even a night) here while Lee worked and I was 2 hours away in house meetings. The hardest part of our move, at least for me, was saying goodbye to Adela.

When we got to her house, she served us an elaborate spread of Peruvian food. The kids had some non- Peruvian ice cream, which they were quite happy about.

Later that day, we took Colby to see Cars 2 with his friends Sophie and Megan....

During the movie, Colby was a little restless, so I told him we'd go walk around the lobby for a little bit. He stood up, turned around and looked up at the projection area and yelled "CAN YOU PAUSE THIS?"

While we were at the movie, Adela babysat Miller, and then it was time for one last picture and goodbye hugs. Hopefully we will see Adela again soon.

That evening, Colby had a sleepover with his buddy Megan, and MIller slept downstairs with me. (putting her feet in my face all night- remind me not to do that again any time soon)

The next day, Colby met up with his friend Lucas at the playground....

and oh, how we have missed this wonderful playground! It's a dumping ground for old toys, and all the kids have a blast there.

After a quick lunch, we headed home. And amazingly, it's actually starting to feel like home.

Birthdays!

2011-07-31T18:35:00.021-04:00

How do I have a 3 and 5 year old? It's just so hard to believe! The birthdays came at lightening speed this year, and we did our best to celebrate the occasions and make them special.

At 5 years of age, Colby is energetic, curious, fun loving, sweet, funny, outgoing, smart, and mischievous. He loves to have a good time and is often the last to leave a party (hope this doesn't come back to bite me one day). He's tall and lean, but he has a big appetite and will try just about anything. After a bumpy road getting there, he is a loving big brother and loves to have fun with his sister (whew!) He loves to swim and is almost ready for the swim team, but he's not quite old enough. This Fall, he'll be playing soccer, taking swim lessons, and maybe playing tennis (not sure yet). He would probably do fine in Kindergarten this year, but with a July birthday, we feel confident that giving him one more year of preschool is the best thing for him.

Colby is a true Super Hero fanatic, and this was one of his big gifts this year. New Batman sheets and a Bat light for his bedroom.

His party was at a local bounce place, and it was a Green Lantern theme.

Me and my favorite boy.

Miller was thrilled that her best friend Charlie was able to tag along with his older brother to the party.

Colby and his friends...and boy, are they 5.

This is the face of a very happy birthday boy.

At 3 years of age, Miller is a joy to be around. She is hilarious, smart, shy around new people, strong, independent, and a little bit sassy. She loves playing with her toy kitchen and baking cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. She swims like a fish, going under water for long lengths of time, and she loves to ride her scooter. She'll be taking ballet and swim lessons this Fall. She has known all of her letters and numbers since she was 2 years old.

In the days leading up to Miller's birthday, she often flashed her unique number 3 sign when talking about her big day to come.

One of Miller's favorite gifts this year was one that Colby gave her- a cupcake baking set.

I didn't even ask him to do this.

Miller helped her daddy get ready for the big party.

And of course, her one and only Charlie was there. The cuteness is too much. (don't be fooled by the height difference- he's an older man)

We kept the group small- just Charlie and his brother Jonathan came over.

Me and my sweet birthday girl.

She needed a little help blowing out the candles this year, and I was happy to oblige.

UPDATE: How did I forget to add that we decided to potty train Miller on her birthday? We've always told her "When you turn 3, no more diapers", so she was expecting it. She did fabulous! No issues at all peeing or pooping on the potty, and it helped that she earned a piece of candy each time she went. She loved wearing her Dora "pantalettes", which she calls because of the "Princess and the Potty" book that she and her daddy like to read. She is now in "pantalettes" full time, and although she's had a few accidents, we are well on our way to a diaper free house! (at least during the day time)

Height and weight

2011-07-29T16:12:00.002-04:00

So much to catch up on, but no time! I am headed to our old neighborhood with the kids this weekend to visit old friends. We've celebrated 2 birthdays, and I have many pictures to post.

Until I find the time, here's the statistics from their check-ups.

At 5 years old, Colby is 49 pounds and 45 inches tall, which puts him in the 90th percentile for both.

At 3 years old, Miller is 42 pounds and 40 1/4 inches tall, which puts her greater than the 95th percentile. Basically, she is off the chart.

No surprises there!

Life in pictures

2011-07-07T20:47:00.016-04:00

Wow, I can't seem to keep up with the blog. No naps here, lots of pool time, and then I realize 3 weeks have gone by.
Here's a very brief summary, in pictures.

WOW. I cannot believe this boy will turn 5 in just 2 days. How do I have a 5 year old?

He truly thinks that the neighbors think that Batman lives here.

Colby had his first sleepover. His friend Megan came to visit, and they had a blast together. Here they are winding down with a movie....

and then attempting to sleep. Which didn't happen until Colby moved up to his own bed.

Colby and Miller got to ride in a train for the local 4th of July Parade....

and it was right in front of George Allen on horseback. They had a blast throwing candy and waving to friends.

We headed to the mountains for 4th of July weekend. Nan, Pop, Chip and Jen, Cooper, Zach, Braden, Uncle Alfred, Aunt Anne, and Aunt Lynn and Ralph were all there.

It was all a little too much for Miller at first.

She sat like this for about 2 hours. Of course, I loved it, since she is normally too busy to snuggle.

Everyone hung out on the porch...

The boys rode down to the fireworks in the back of the pickup truck. Does that make us hillbillies?

Miller is beginning to give let go of the fake camera smile....love this one of me and my girl!

She really loosened up....here she is with Uncle Alfred, heading to the concert and fireworks.

Colby stopped to pose for a picture with Braden, but he was off running around the rest of the night.

Miller was in rare form....having a great time.

Dancing the night away.

Lee ran to the car with Miller before the fireworks began because she doesn't like loud noises. Colby and I sat and watched together. He loved it.

Afterwards, Colby and I went down to the stage and listened from the side before heading to bed.

The next day, we headed to the pool.

Colby in action.

Miller has become a little fish...

She loves to swim under water, do "rocket hands", and freestyle.

Lastly, we had a huge surprise put in the yard this week....

Ta-dah!

The kids are loving it.

Thanks goodness for the rubber mulch; we've already gotten our money's worth on that.

My next posts will be all about the birthday boy and girl. Time is going too fast......make it stop!!!

2 little fish

2011-06-29T20:22:00.007-04:00

We had day 7 of Miller's "8 day blitz" at her swim school, and WOW. I am absolutely amazed at what I am seeing. Miller went from a little girl who did not want her face wet, to a girl who is swan diving off the side of the pool and swimming under water. If I weren't seeing it with my own eyes, I wouldn't believe it.

After lessons today, we were invited to swim at the house next door to us. Miller and Colby swam for 2 hours straight, and Miller practiced all of her new skills. She loved swimming to me from the steps and jumping off the side of the pool.

We did have a little....or big...scare at one point. My back was turned to Miller and I was talking to Colby, and I walked towards the other end of the pool. I did not know that while I was walking away, Miller had jumped off the stairs and was trying to swim towards me. When I finally turned around, she was floating in the middle of the pool trying to get to me. I'm not sure how long she had been there, but seeing as how she was in the middle of the pool, she had been swimming for a while. I picked her up as fast as I could, and she sputtered, coughed, and then cried hysterically. She cried for a few minutes and wanted to be held, but then she was ready to get back in. I am trying to teach her to make sure mom or dad is "ready" before she jumps in. I think we need to have a code word or something.

Colby is taking the lessons as well, and he's working on perfecting his freestyle and breathing. He's a great swimmer and loves the water. It's hard to believe that just two summers ago, he was scared of the water and didn't want to get off the steps. Wow, what a difference 2 years makes.

This is going to be one crazy summer at the pool. It used to be manageable, but now with Miller's newfound love of the deeper water and lack of fear, it's going to be full time lifeguard duty for me.

As I was putting Colby to bed tonight, I said "Can you believe Miller is jumping off the side and swimming?" and he said with a big smile on his face "It is SO cool. I can't believe how proud I am." That sentence makes me prouder than just about anything.

More Summer...

2011-06-17T09:07:00.010-04:00

We had a wonderful visit with Nana and Grandaddy. We did a lot of sitting on the porch, a lot of swimming, and a lot of relaxing. We all enjoyed the new rocking chairs and porch swing.

Please come again soon, Nana and Granddaddy!

Colby had his first swim lesson here, and it went pretty well. It's definitely not as good as the old swim school, but then again, I don't think anything will measure up to that. However, it's obvious that the hours of traveling to and from the old lessons paid off....Colby swam a full length of the pool backstroke! I almost fell off of my chair- I had no idea he could do that. Our old lessons were in a short pool, so he really did not get to challenge himself with distance. If he can also swim a length freestyle, he can qualify for a year round swim team in the Fall. They usually don't take kids under 6, but they do occasionally. I guess the real question is if Colby wants to do it....this is where parenting can get tricky because I'm not sure when to push and when to let him make the decision. (however, if I had not pushed at all, he's still be afraid of the water!)

Miller will begin her Morgan Swim school class on Monday. This basically means they will teach her to swim in 8 days....I hear there might be tears, but that it's very effective. I will post an update on that soon.

I just received Colby and Miller's class picture in the mail. We miss our old school, and I think I miss it as much as Colby does. He had a year of ups and downs, but it ended on a positive note.

Miller's class photo was taken on our moving day, and the movers took away the box that had her picture outfit inside. The only thing left to wear was a yellow sweatshirt and jeans. I was so sad that morning when I realized she might look like a boy. And, well, she does look a little androgynous. Oh well! (Whoever took this photo needs to find another day job....I mean, seriously)

Summer!!!

2011-06-05T07:59:00.018-04:00

Finding time to update the blog is becoming very difficult. I usually need a good chunk of time, but with school over and camp not yet starting, that just does not exist. I've decided to just post some pictures and not worry about how I'm writing or my lack of creativity....I just need to lay out the facts. So here it goes.

I forgot my camera over Memorial day at the mountains, so everything was taken with my phone. It was the first time it almost felt like a vacation with the kids, and a big thanks to Nan for all the cooking and cleaning she did for us. I didn't get pictures of Homer and Emily or Pop, but they were there, too!

On the first night, we took the kids on a hayride....

And we stopped to roast marshmellows....

And make s'mores.

This boy loves his s'mores!

The next day, we headed for the pool. This is the Summer for terrible photos- Miller has mastered the fake squinty smile, and Colby loves to give a tough guy pose.

Miller loved swinging with Nan. (this happens to be the only photo where she isn't "smiling")

We watched fireworks over the mountains at sunset. Not a bad ending to the day.

In other news, Miller picked out some Dora underwear, which she proudly wore for about 30 minutes until she peed in them. Then it was back in her diaper. We are so scared to force the potty training. A quick look back in the blog reminds me of that!

The kids will begin summer camp at their new school in a week- hurray! We went to visit and met their teachers, and they seem to love it. (Please, Miller, do not say "cheese"....)

I am thrilled with Colby's teacher for next year; I think making him repeat a year of preschool is the right decision. They teach reading and math at this preschool, so he will be challenged. The delima I'm facing is what I will do with Miller when she is turning 5. Do I put her in early and only have them one grade apart? That seems strange. But, she already knows all of her letters and can count up to 25, so something tells me she'll be ready. I know I don't need to worry yet, but it seems like giving kids an extra year can be a really good thing. From what I'm hearing, no one ever regrets giving them an extra year, but lots of people regret sending them young.

Colby is really starting to feel comfortable and make some friends here. In the car the other day, he said to me "I like it here, mom." I almost cried. He has had such a hard time, and it's so wonderful to see him having fun and playing with friends. Our neighborhood has so much going on, and that helps. Every Friday, there is a gathering on the main common area where adults bring food/beverages, and the kids run around like crazy.

Last night, they had a family camp out on the common area. There were about 30 tents set up, and this was ours.

We decided that Lee and Colby would camp, and Miller and I would sleep at the house. Miller hung in there until about 8:30, so we walked home to head for bed. This is the photo I snapped on the way back.

Colby wore his headlamp, so I could see his little light running around from our master bedroom window. He had a blast, and I do not understand how he keeps going and going. He spent 4 hours in the pool during the day at a birthday party, and he ran around last night until 10 PM when he finally crashed, and he was back up at 6AM.

Meanwhile, Miller had another bad dream, and I had to comfort her and tell her that Colby was not, in fact, trying to steal her chocolate cake. Miller has very vivid dreams, and at least once a week, she will SCREAM at the top of her lungs. We always sprint into her room, thinking she has fallen out of bed. When we get in there, she is still asleep and tells us something that has to do with food and her brother. First it was "Colby took my pizza!" and then a few nights later "Colby took my ginger snap!" and then last night "Colby took my chocolate cake!" The poor girl was cursed with a devilish sweet tooth and a brother who taunts her. Of course she's going to combine the two in her dreams for the ultimate nightmare.

That's about all the happenings for now. Nana and Granddaddy are coming to visit this week- we can't wait!!

Memorial weekend

2011-05-30T21:35:00.005-04:00

We just got back from a very fun Memorial day weekend at the mountain house with Nan, Pop, Homer and Emily. We swam, went on a hayride, made s'mores, saw fireworks, and did a lot of sitting on the porch. I forgot my camera, but I did take some phone pictures, so I will post some soon.

Today was our first day at the pool here in our neighborhood. Colby met up with his friend Noah, and they terrorized each other (and a few innocent bystanders) with toy water shooters. Colby is doing really well with his swimming, and if he can work on taking a breath during freestyle, I think he'll be ready for the swim team next year.

Miller had a scary moment at the pool today. She was playing in the water with Lee nearby, and she grabbed onto the divider rope to go under it. Somehow, her legs came out from under her, and she was trapped under the water beneath the rope. I suppose she could have let go, but she doesn't know how to swim, so that just wasn't her instinct. She also could have put her feet on the ground, but somehow that wasn't instinct, either. Lee saw her pretty quickly, and her head was under the water and she was struggling. When she came up, she was hysterical, and she wanted to be wrapped in a towel and held for a while.

Tonight at dinner, she was telling me about what happened. She said "I grabbed onto the rope and I went under the water like this:" and then she proceeded to try and show me what happened. And then she said "I was in trouble."

That seemed like such a profound statement to me. She knew, even at not even 3 years old, that her life was in danger. Then she said "I'm not going to do that again." Not much gets by this girl!

Two wheels!

2011-05-08T10:57:00.011-04:00

At age 4 and 10 months, Colby has now mastered riding his bike without training wheels. He's been riding a bike with training wheels since age 2 1/2, and I've been trying to teach him to ride it without training wheels since he turned four. If only I had known how easy it was to teach him, he would have learned a long time ago.

First, we removed the training wheels and pedals from his very first (and tiny) bike. We lowered the seat all the way down and told him to push off with his feet. We told him to learn to balance on this so that he could glide across the driveway without putting his feet down. It took a few minutes of trying, but he caught on very quickly.

After 2 days on his "balance bike", we ripped off the training wheels off his bigger bike and off he went.

Miller is now practicing on her own balance bike. I predict she'll be riding a two wheel bike at age 3.

Colby also got his first 2 wheeled scooter, which he uses to scare the bejesus out of me by traveling at lightening speed.

Miller has taken over the 3 wheeled scooter.

We took a trip last weekend to visit Chip, Jen, Cooper, Zach and Braden- it's nice to only be about an hour away.

Colby and Braden take their nerf wars very seriously.

After a fun day of playing, we got Colby and Miller dressed for bed and had one last picture.

It was a great time for all, and we're going to try and make it a regular thing. Colby and Miller have so much fun with their cousins!!

A picture is worth a thousand words...

2011-04-27T22:00:00.006-04:00

but unfortunately, I didn't have the heart (or the time) to take one.

The first missed photo-op was today on the playground. I was talking to other moms, and all of a sudden, it dawned on me that I didn't see Miller. I stopped and looked, and I didn't see her. I walked around the other side of the play structure, and there was my baby girl....her little hands gripping two high bars for dear life as her body dangled from the top of the play structure. She didn't muster a sound, as I'm sure all her energy went into holding on. I'm not sure how she got in that position, but if she had let go, she would have fallen a few feet. Not enough to get seriously hurt, but far enough to feel like she was really really high in a two year old's mind. I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose, but she sure as heck wasn't going to let herself fall, either. I sprinted to her and rescued her, and she broke down in tears. I have no idea how long she had been hanging, but we were both so thankful I found her just in time. (if it hadn't been so scary for her, it would have been a great picture)

Second missed photo-op:

We've (or maybe I've) been bragging about Miller's wonderful transition to the big girl bed. "She doesn't get out", "She stays in bed", "she's so trustworthy" etc. etc.

Usually, before we go to bed, one of us will go in there to check on her. Often, her head is at the bottom of the bed, her feet are towards the pillow, and there's a book buried somewhere. So we flip here around, tuck her in, and get her bears and binkie within reaching distance.

Tonight, as we were watching TV, we decided to check on her early because she was coughing and whining a little bit. When I went in there, I could not believe my eyes. There were books scattered all over her floor. And Miller, poor sweet coughing Miller, was sprawled out face down on the hardwood floor snoozing away with books all around her.

This could be the beginning of the end. She got out of bed AFTER we tucked her in. And she didn't tell us. And she was quiet as a mouse. T.R.O.U.B.L.E.

We're here and Easter pics

2011-04-24T13:42:00.015-04:00

We're in the new house! Hurray! We've been here for 2 weeks, and we're mostly unpacked (but just not decorated). We had planned a nice move-in weekend where the kids would stay with Nan and Pop while we unloaded, but wouldn't you know, Colby came down with the stomach flu the night we moved out of our house. He hadn't thrown up since he was 2 1/2, so this was some crazy timing. He ended up staying with Lee in Richmond while I dealt with the movers and unpackers. Unfortunately, things got worse before they got better, and he spent a night in the hospital getting an IV and some anti nausea medicine. After 4 days in Richmond, the rest of the family came back to join me at the house.

Other than that, the transition has been pretty smooth and we are loving our new town.

Miller is now sleeping in a big girl bed

Both Miller and Colby are enjoying their new school, and there are lots of kids their age in the neighborhood.

Today is Easter, and the candy really put the kids in the mood for a photo shoot. Nan, Pop, and Peepie Miller also came for brunch and we all had a great time visiting.

Here are some of the Easter photo highlights.

Goodbyes

2011-04-05T20:53:00.002-04:00

Wow, so when you've gone this long without posting, is there even a point in saying "We're moving in 2 days"? Well, we're moving in 2 days. I've been feeling a lot of things: happy, sad, excited, stressed....I guess that's all normal. The packers started today, and they will finish and begin loading the truck tomorrow. It's really happening. I can't believe it. The house wasn't finished as of yesterday, so they are busting their butts trying to get it ready for us.

Colby and Miller are excited about the move, especially because they've been told they will have some new toys at the house. I'm feeling sad for Colby because he has a lot of good friends here, and it makes me very sad to see him to say goodbye to them. His friend and neighbor Megan, who he spends most of his time with these days, wrote him this letter today:

Dear Colby,

I will come over soon. I will miss you. I hope you like your new house. I will miss you. I love you. I'm going to marry you. I want to see you soon.

Love, Megan

Water baby

2011-03-06T15:09:00.009-05:00

Miller has been taking swim classes since she was a baby, and she absolutely loves her "water babies" class, which is for kids under 3.

I took this picture to show off her cute new suit, but unfortunately, she is pushing her brother in this picture. Notice his smirk? He's not afraid. Miller has been VERY feisty lately- she actually goes to "time out" more often than her brother....never thought I'd see that day!

As you can see, she is thrilled about swim lessons!

She starts off by sitting on the side and sliding in with Ms. Amy....

Lee usually gets in with her, and they do a variety of games and fun things. Here she is swimming with barbells....

And her she is floating on her back- she can do it all by herself now, although she gets scared when no one is touching her.

Here she is swimming under the water- she will "swim" under the water from Amy to Lee for 7 seconds. (I have some great video but don't know how to upload it with my new format)

Yes, this is a girl who loves the water!

Snow day

2011-02-19T20:35:00.012-05:00

We've had quite a bit of snow this year. Here are a few photos from the last snow, which was about a month ago.

Miller sported her first snowsuit.

They had a great time playing outside...

Making snow angels...

and more snow angels.

The tricky part was getting back up. Miller made about 50 snow angels on this particular day but never did master getting back up.

The sledding hill was plowed, so I got my exercise running them up and down our street.

Colby caught in a sweet moment, checking to see if his sister is having fun.

Shocking

2011-02-09T15:35:00.010-05:00

It was unusually quiet upstairs....Miller and Colby were watching a show before quiet time. I was downstairs frantically trying to return phone calls about carpet, bathroom accessories, and the closing of our current house. Usually the 30 minutes fly by, but this time it seemed longer. I knew they only watched one show, and couldn't start a new one by themselves, but there was not a peep coming from upstairs. It was completely silent. Neither of them nap anymore...and Colby never sits quietly for very long. What could be going on? I walked upstairs not sure what I would find, and nothing could have been more shocking than this.

Scroll down...

I was so caught off guard, and also thrilled that they were napping, that I didn't know what to do. Do I take a picture and risk waking them? Or do I let them sleep and forgo catching this on camera? Obviously, I took the risk and it did wake Colby. But thankfully, Miller is still up there snoozing and Colby is in his room playing. A few more minutes of bliss!

Puzzle girl

2011-02-06T15:55:00.003-05:00

In just a week, we've moved on from 24 piece puzzles to 48, which Miller does all by herself....and here's the proof. (double click on video to make it bigger and not cut off on the right side)

Where we are...

2011-01-22T07:47:00.012-05:00

I went down to see our house last week, and it's coming along... (there's snow on the roof so it's kind of hard to see the roofline)

It should be done in 2 months- WOW! It's getting very exciting. I did not enjoy the first few months of building (it was torture, actually) but now it's getting fun. ( All I have left to pick out are the towel bars and bathroom accessories.)

Colby and Miller have just hit there half birthdays, so here's a little bit about them right now:

Miller at 2 1/2
-OBSESSED with puzzles and easily completes 24 piece jigsaw puzzles on her own. If given the option, she will do puzzles all day long. (She loves to put one leg up on the table while she works on them.)
-Favorite food is greek yogurt with honey and anything sweet
-very carefully and skillfully climbs out of her crib (and back in)
-knows all of her letters and numbers 1-10
-still attached to her binkie and 2 bears (asks for "binkie bear", which means all 3)
-favorite song is "This Old Man"
-insists on having music playing all night while she is sleeping....and if you forget, she will let you know.
-loves to look at books
-often tries to clean up her own messes after she eats
-can catch a ball and do a forward roll
-favorite toy is her doll and stroller
-loves swim lessons and can go "up and under" for 6 seconds

Colby at 4 1/2
-very into creative play, giving his toys voices, creating action scenes, etc.
-spends an hour in "quiet time" each day where he plays with his favorite toys
-Favorite toys: Imaginext toys (fire station, bat cave and batman toys, toy story 3), army men, planes, fire trucks, etc.
-loves "story time" at night with his dad where they make up a story together.
-favorite foods are salty things
-favorite show is Scooby Doo
-doing very well in school; is having more good days than bad (took us 3 years to get there)
-Favorite friends at school are Jack and Lucas
-only needs a pull up at night- hooray!
-can write his name and knows all of his letters
-Dress up clothes are BIG- he loves to pretend he's a marine....or a pirate...or an astronaut.
-Can swim freestyle and backstroke unassisted
-extremely social and loves to play with friends.
-Sleeps with his ducky and fire dog (from Santa on the fire truck)
-likes creative projects with his dad, such as making a pirate ship out of a diaper box, etc. (mom does not do this)
-Has weekly playdates with the other 4 year olds in our neighborhood: Sophie, Lori, and Megan

Colby, Lori, and Sophie having a picnic

He's a little bit of a ladies' man....

And just for fun, here's Miller giving her classic side eye...

Snack time

2011-01-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I cooped in Miller's class, which is so much fun. I love to see what they are doing, singing, playing, and learning.
At snack time, they all sat down and had 4 Ritz crackers and a small glass of water. After snack, as we were headed outside, I looked back and Miller was under the table on her hands and knees. The teachers told Miller to get up, and then they told me that every day after snack, Miller tries to go under the table and find any crumbs or crackers that were dropped. They said they have to keep a close eye on her. LOL! I find this hysterically funny....the poor girl is the size of a 4 year old with her father's metabolism, and she's being given a tiny snack appropriate for a small 2 year old. She's resourceful, I'll say that!

NO MORE DIAPERS!!!!!!!

2011-01-03T18:53:00.012-05:00

WOOHOOOOOOO!!!! I think it is safe to say that Colby is now 100% pooping in the potty! Praise GOD!!!! There were times we were sure he'd be packing diapers on his honeymoon, but sure enough, it has really happened. (We still have the night time diapers, but that's pretty normal for a 4 year old boy.)

As we've been promising for a year now, Colby got the drum set of his dreams. He is loving it, and he's surprisingly good.

I will say that Lee gets full credit for convincing Colby that the potty is the way to go (no pun intended). He was home a lot more over the Christmas break, and he was able to talk to Colby about it in a way that I obviously was not.

Another highly motivating factor is the "Diaper Stomp", which Lee does each and every time Colby does the deed....I think it's pretty effective. Take a look for yourself.

The year in review

2011-01-01T11:55:00.026-05:00

Wow, where has the year gone? Time has flown by in some ways, but in other ways, it has moved at a snail's pace.

One of the biggest things that happened in 2010 was our decision to buy a lot***. It's hard to believe that in October of this past year, Lee and I made a little trip to Charlottesville to look at neighborhoods, and we ended up totally taking a chance and buying a lot. We had no idea how we'd end up moving there, but we decided that only with great risks do you ever get great rewards. I remember that day so vividly....we were standing on the lot looking out towards the mountains, and I looked at Lee and said "What if we just buy it? Is that totally crazy?" We both just fell in love with the area and decided that, although crazy, it was a risk we wanted to take.

From there, we started planning and designing a house in hopes that he would find a job. Luckily, he found a job pretty quickly, we started to build in July. We put our current house on the market 2 months ago, and a contract was finalized yesterday exactly 3 months before we will be moving (assuming things stay on track...PLEASE let things stay on track!!) We are able to close on this house and rent back until it's time to move, so it has really worked out perfectly- we will be able to move door to door without the stress of selling this house and then moving into a rental. Wow, it's amazing to think that a year ago, we had no idea we'd even be moving!!

Colby and Miller have had a wonderful year, but also a challenging year together. I think there has been a lot of jealousy on Colby's part, but things are getting better, and he's turning into a wonderful and loving brother (most of the time). Our days are not without challenges, but it's nice to see those moments when the kids are playing happily together.

I am really hoping that 2011 will be the year of potty training! Colby pooped on the potty twice yesterday....this is big news. (He and Lee are out buying a drum set as we speak- that was always the prize promised) Let's hope the trend continues. Miller is showing some interest in the potty and has peed on it 3 times, but she's still a little confused and not always interested. She is supposed to be potty trained for her new school in April, so we've got some work to do!

We had family pictures taken in November. These are not good quality because I do not have the digital copy and they cannot be scanned, but I wanted to include them on the blog anyway. Here they are in no particular order:

We had our first snow of the year right before Christmas. The kids loved getting outside, and I don't think Miller remembered the snow from last year.

Colby had a great time running around, falling, and rolling in it.

On Christmas eve, we baked and taste tested cookies for Santa....

and Colby tried to finish the year strong by being extra nice to Miller (in hopes that Santa was watching).

Granddaddy read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" to the kids over our Mac computer.

I swear, this is the last year we will have an artificial tree- I am ready for the real deal! And I'm ready for some real shiny glass balls, which we have avoided since Miller still loves undecorating the tree.

Santa did not disappoint this year.

Colby's loot

Miller's loot

After an incident one day at a friend's house involving a princess dress and heels, we decided that it was time to get Colby some boy dress up clothes. This was his big year!

We had Soldier Colby....

Astronaut Colby (still saluting)...

Pirate Colby....

and fighter pilot Colby.

Miller loved her princess umbrella...

but her most favorite gift was her new Bitty Baby and pram stroller. She has decided to name her baby "Baby".

The 4 person tent was a very exciting surprise for all!

The day after Christmas, we drove down to Richmond. We had a great time with Nan and Pop, Peepie Miller, Uncle Homer and Emily, Chip and Jen, and Cooper, Zach, and Braden. We did a white elephant gift exchange and had fun visiting and hanging out with everyone. Unfortunately, I only took a couple of pictures.

Me, Miller (not wanting her picture taken), and Peepie Miller.

Colby and Miller with their cousins....and a surprise belly shot.

Let's try this again.

For New Year's Eve, we had our good friends Virginia and Jed over with their girls. We only lasted until about 9:30, but it was a lot of fun. The kids put on a "show" for us in the basement. (Miller was already in bed)

Actually, that first picture was photoshopped. If I've been anything on this blog, it honest....so this was the real picture. Haven't you ever had so much fun you just don't want to stop for a necessary break?

We didn't know it had happened until we saw it on film illuminated by the flash of the camera. Like I said, 2011 will be the year of potty training! Happy New Year!

****UPDATE: Granddaddy just pointed out that we bought the lot in October of 2009. Oops- he's right.

New Year's Eve

2010-12-31T17:28:00.002-05:00

It's 5:30 PM on New year's eve and I just received a text that our current house just went officially under contract!!! Yippee!!!! I think that explains why there have been no blog posts....between showing the house, Christmas, traveling after Christmas and meetings out of town for the new house, we've been burning the candle at both ends....and somewhere in the middle, too. I have terrible guilt that I have not blogged about Christmas before the new year has started. That will be my goal for tomorrow. I just wanted to make a quick post to say YAY and Happy New year!!!

The Christmas season....

2010-12-11T13:42:00.024-05:00

Here's a quick summary with some photos of the Christmas season....cause a few photos are all I have time for!

We took Colby and Miller to the annual holiday concert at the local high school...

And they had a blast! There were tons of characters in the production: Bob the Builder, Elmo, Winnie the Pooh, Dora, and even Santa Claus. Last year when we went, Colby stood up front in front of everyone and literally tried to conduct the music the entire time. It was amazing. Naturally, as he has gotten older and more self-aware, he has become much more modest about his public displays of playing and conducting music, so this year he stayed in his isle.

But he was still VERY excited...

and Miller clapped and cheered after every single song.

Our elf "Kicks" has arrived at our house...

and every morning, he puts a treat in the advent calendar. Colby forces his eyes open at 7AM sharp each morning just to see what Kicks has delivered.

It has been FREEZING here, so I bought some mini trampolines for my little monkeys. They are loving them!

Each morning and each night, they spend some time jumping together.

Miller decided as of a few weeks ago that she would no longer be napping. She will scream at the top of her lungs if she is put in her crib for a nap, and she will do it for a very long time. (I have no idea how long because I caved after about 15 minutes) The only way we can get her into the crib in the afternoons is with toys and books, so I put her in there for an hour of "quiet time".

This is what happens when a stubborn little girl refuses to nap....but just can't fight it any longer.

And lastly, Colby and I built our very first gingerbread house together. I was actually quite impressed with myself for getting the house pieces together.....it was harder than I thought it would be! Colby loved it.

The sad part is that I'm the one who has slowly been eating the candy off....sometimes I feel like I'm not fit for motherhood.

A funny

2010-12-06T11:11:00.004-05:00

Miller and I were sitting on the bed yesterday watching the Wiggles together. She took my hand and put my finger up to my nose. Then she put my finger up to my mouth. Then she stared at me and said with a very serious face, "Mamma, you like da boogie?"

Gross, but funny!

So sweet!

2010-12-04T11:23:00.001-05:00

Santa Picture 2010

2010-11-29T21:20:00.005-05:00

First, a review of previous years....

2007

2008

2009

**********************DRUMROLL********************

I guess the good news is that there's no where to go but up after this one.

(In Miller's defense, she was screaming and terrified, and I think the fingers in the nose were a defense mechanism.)

Thanksgiving

2010-11-28T12:04:00.020-05:00

Whew! We just returned from a very fun (and slightly chaotic) visit to Tennessee for Thanksgiving with all of Lee's family: Uncle Ben and Aunt Jenny, Will, Sarah, Tommy, Nana and Granddaddy.

Colby and Miller handled the traveling very well; the highlight for Miller was definitely the "school bus" ride from the parking lot to the terminal.

Colby was still feeling good upon arrival...

While Miller caught a quick cat nap in the car.

For the few days we were there, we spent a lot of time talking and hanging out, while the kids enjoyed exploring new toys and making a mess of the playroom.

Jen and Ben totally outdid themselves on the Thanksgiving meal- there were 2 turkeys (one fried, one baked) and tons of great food.

The kids had their own table for Thanksgiving dinner...

And the adults enjoyed their own quiet table a little bit later.

Attempt at a self-timer photo

The following day, we took the kids to the Children's museum.

The hightlight for Colby was dressing up like a fireman.

Unlike her mother, Miller thoroughly enjoyed grocery shopping. There was a really cute old man working the register and checking her out.... just kidding! He wasn't that cute. Just kidding again! He wasn't really working there. Ok, I really am kidding- Granddaddy is looking as young as ever these days- totally fit and trim!

Silly girl really liked these sunglasses that she found in the car...must be Sarah's...

On the flight home, as we were landing, I told Miller to look out of the window. Everything was dark except for all of the lights, which looked orange. Miller exclaimed excitedly, "Oooohhhh! It's Halloween up in here!" Gotta love the perspective of a 2 year old.

THANK YOU Ben and Jen for your wonderful hospitality!
Nana and Granddaddy, we are looking forward to seeing you again soon!

School Pictures

2010-11-11T15:25:00.009-05:00

Here they are....the much anticipated preschool portraits.

Miller had chapped lips and the beginning of a cold...her dad got her ready and "did" her hair because I was out of town...and she wasn't sure why she was sitting on that chair. All things considered, not too bad.

Colby's turned out great this year! My sweet and very big boy.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-07T10:31:00.013-05:00

Colby and Miller had an absolute blast on Halloween this year. Colby knew the ropes from last year, and Miller caught on very quickly how to walk up to houses and get candy "by self".

Batman and the garden gnome ready to go...

along with a very large Buzz Lightyear.

See...I am following through on my promise to take more family pictures! (this was outside of our friend's house after a cookout)

Off they go!

This is the neighborhood gang....Colby is the only boy (other than Sean), but he makes the most of it. The girls all love him and he plays very well with all of them. From left to right, it's Sophie, Catie, Colby, Sean, Miller, Lori, and Megan. I should note that Miller is 2 years younger than all the bigger kids, and only 2 1/2 months older than Sean!!! That shows you just how big she is for her age.

After about an hour of trick-or-treating, we headed home to examine the loot.

Miller was totally thrilled with all the lollipops in her bag. (it's the only thing she recognized, so it was the only thing she wanted)

Colby enjoyed a little chocolate...

While Miller showed her skills at managing multiple lollipops.

After they each had several pieces of candy, we saved a few in a small plastic bag, and then we put the rest of the candy in large bags outside of their door for the Switch Witch. Don't you know about the Switch Witch?? She comes the night of Halloween and switches candy for toys. The more candy you leave, the bigger and better the toy. Colby wanted to leave ALL of his candy....he is a gambling man. Luckily, the Switch Witch did not disappoint.

Miller received a Mickey Mouse movie for her candy, but she really does not understand the whole concept at this point. Colby is already talking about what the Switch Witch might bring him next year. I guess the only downside of the Switch Witch is that I put all the candy in the garage and slowly ate it myself. Oops. Maybe the Switch Witch needs to come to mom's door, too!

Last minute photo op

2010-10-31T10:03:00.017-04:00

While I was out of town picking out tile for our house, Lee took the kids to a fall festival. They had a blast!

There was a big jumpy thing (that I would have loved)

And a water pump that they had fun with

They rode in some cows...

and took a hayride.

They also saw animals, pig races, and many more things.

When I returned from out of town, I realized there was not much time to squeeze Miller into her Halloween attire. Between being out of town, Miller being sick, and Lee dressing them, her Halloween clothes have not been worn.

Before Lee took Miller to the playground, I insisted she wear this outfit, even if only for an hour.

My sweet little pumpkin girl

(by the way, that is the first pumpkin I have ever carved. I did not find out until after the fact that there are pumpkin carving kits; I did this with a butcher knife and was thrilled I did not cut off a finger. It's still pretty pathetic...but luckily, the neighbors will assume the kids did it)

Today, the morning of Halloween, I forced her into this little number, complete with a sparkly skirt and rhinestone pumpkin faced shirt.

She was not a fan.

Fall fun

2010-10-26T10:13:00.005-04:00

So one of the (many) reasons I feel so guilty (see post below) is that I have not taken the kids to the huge Halloween Festival/carnival this year. (we've been all previous years) We learned the hard way to go on a weekday because weekends are too crowded, but we just haven't had the time to go. Colby is dying to go, so we're going to try to go after Halloween since they stay open for a while.

Meanwhile, we did hit up our local pumpkin farm.

The obligatory "stick your head in a cow" picture

The obligatory "stick your head in a pumpkin" picture

They had a blast playing on this pirate ship***

Miller took a break from the pirate ship to pick out her pumpkin. (Colby opted to play instead)

*** Normally, I would have dressed the kids in their cutest Halloween attire, but it was a weekend and daddy dressed them. Daddy is all about function over form....so that explains it.

I suck....and a little Buzz on ice

2010-10-25T20:19:00.012-04:00

I feel like a horrible mother. I feel like an even worse wife. I feel guilty about not taking enough pictures and keeping up with the blog. I am so spread thin with all this house stuff that I'm really falling behind in every day life. I can't remember the last time I made a really good homemade dinner. In fact, Lee has done more cooking than I have lately, and that includes nights that he works. I have so much guilt. I am not doing anything well. I haven't worked out in weeks- this is the first time in my life I have not made time for working out. I will be the first to admit that I do not handle stress well, and I really don't like it when I don't have any down time in my day. I've even let Colby miss a few of his swim lessons because it takes all afternoon to get there and back- that is so unlike me. I feel especially guilty that Lee has been taking the kids on weekend mornings to do all kinds of fun stuff while I stay home and do house related things or get paperwork in order.

It didn't help that our house went on the market this week. I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make everything PERFECT. There was not one thing on a countertop anywhere....there were fresh flowers....mulling spices on the stove top... music playing through all the speakers. We have someone interested in our house, but if they don't buy it, I'm not going to those lengths anymore.

On top of everyday stresses, I made the VERY dumb decision to switch from a PC to a Mac this week....both computers at the same time. Wow, so don't do that.

Aside from all of that, I tried to forget about it all and we went to see Buzz Lightyear on Ice yesterday. The kids both loved it! Colby did not move a muscle except to buy a Buzz Lightyear laser at intermission. Miller sat very still for the first half, but was a bit fidgety through the second half. Here are a few picks of the highlights:

Off we go! Poor Miller has been battling an awful cold and was not feeling her best.

Colby loves all things military. He has been asking for a parachute for Christmas...I think he's really planning to jump off of something.

Colby's most favorite evil villain

The grand entrance

Colby sat just like this and did not say one word.

Miller sniffled her way through most of it, but had a great time despite the cold.

I am going to try to do better with my updates. Halloween is this weekend...hopefully lots a great pictures to come!

The things they say..

2010-10-20T20:01:00.006-04:00

I just returned from a 2 day trip to check on our house. It's exhausting going back and forth, but thankfully, I am married to the most capable husband in the world. He holds down the fort and I return to a clean house and happy family. I am so thankful and lucky. We also have our wonderful babysitter Adela during the day, and thankfully, she knows them both very well and knows how to keep everyone happy. I picked out every light fixture for our house yesterday during a 10 hour period....whew!

When I got home, Colby was so excited to see me and told me how much he missed me. (so nice when then can express that)

As I was putting him to bed tonight, he said "Momma, I weawwy wanted to be at the "shotel" with you. I wanted to go to the shotel and sleep at the shotel. How did you see in the dark there?" Apparently, he had been asking Lee the same thing last night about how I was seeing in the dark- I think he thought I was wandering around outside. I explained to him (as Lee did) that the hotel had a bed and lights and that I was not sleeping outside.

After a back rub and some talking, I tucked him in and told him I needed to go downstairs and do mom things. He said "But I want you to stay up here and do Colby things". And of course, I had to stay a little bit longer.

Clothing pic of the week

2010-10-05T10:29:00.004-04:00

I just love Fall, and I love Fall and Winter clothes. Maybe I'll do a "pic of the week" post with my favorite outfits of the week. Or maybe it will only be for today, but regardless, I'm having fun with the change of season.

There's only so much you can do with boy clothes, but jeans and flannel shirt is my favorite look.

Are these not the cutest boots you have ever seen? She has worn them twice and I have never received so many comments on anything I've ever worn! This look was completed with a knee length camel trench coat, which I didn't get a picture of.

The real hilarity in this post is that Colby and Miller will look back when they are older and just die laughing at how ridiculous and out of style they look. Don't we all do that when we look at old pictures? But for now, I could just eat them up.

Ready for Fall

2010-10-03T13:18:00.011-04:00

Just a quick update while I pause my online browsing of bathroom tiles....

Things are moving right along and we are all happy that Fall is finally here.

That means, for one thing, matching Halloween PJ's.

Colby and Miller are having more nice moments and fewer struggles, although I still wouldn't say we are in the clear.

One of Colby's projects for school called for a family photo. Much to my shock and horror, we had not taken one of the four of us since last November!!!! It's always of one of us with the kids, but never all of us. I will do better!!!

One afternoon during one of our Friday playdates, I asked one of my friends to snap a quick picture. It actually turned out pretty cute, although it's not great of me because I'm laughing. (probably at myself for telling Colby to say "poo-poo pee-pee" instead of "cheese"...I know my son and what will make him smile) I think it's especially good of Colby and Lee.

And of course, with Fall comes Halloween costumes. Colby has been practicing for the real thing by dressing up as Batman almost daily.

Miller will be a garden gnome, but I have yet to get her to wear the hat. (she doesn't even like it why I try to get her to wear a new outfit or new pair of shoes) I bet once she understands that dressing up gets her candy, she will be all for it.

I'm heading out of town for 2 days for house meetings, but hopefully more Fall pictures we be coming soon.

Airplanes and Witches

2010-09-26T11:49:00.004-04:00

Miller has a mind like a steel trap, and certain things make VERY big impressions on her. Lately, she has been talking daily about two things. The first is her trip to see Nana and Granddaddy....literally, the transportation. She talks about riding on the airplane and the school bus (which is the bus that take you from the parking lot to the airport) several times a day.

The other thing that she talks about daily (since last weekend) is the witches we saw in the Halloween store at the mall. They were life sized automated witches and Miller was TERRIFIED. She grabbed on to me and burst into tears, and we had to leave the store immediately. She has been talking daily about those witches and how they are "pretend" and "not real".

This is not a very exciting video....just a little glimpse of everyday conversation with Miss Miller.

(Oh, and be sure to read the post below this one about leaving your e-mail address before I change my privacy settings!)

Blog changing to invitation only...

2010-09-25T07:36:00.003-04:00

Howdy folks,

Due to some security concerns, I'm soon going to change this blog to be invitation only (by e-mail address) That will be nice because I can post more info about the family, our new house and neighborhood, etc. Right now, I just feel very limited as to what I can say and what pictures I can post, and since this is the only way I'm documenting our lives, I don't want to be restricted.

I know most of the readers of this blog (mainly family), but I know there are also other readers that check in regularly. I am fine with sharing this with you, I just need to know who you are and your e-mail address.

If you are interested in getting an invitation by e-mail, please leave a comment below. I will write down your e-mail and delete the comment ASAP.

Thanks!

First day of school

2010-09-16T10:45:00.011-04:00

Colby and Miller both had a great first day of preschool! It helps that they have FANTASTIC teachers this year. (the two best, in my opinion) However, this was the first year that there were no tears...and I'm including myself in that!

In Miller's classroom, there are 12 kids ranging in age from 2 to almost 3. (Miller is one of the youngest, but there are 2 kids a few weeks younger) The teacher said that in all her years of teaching, she has never had a class this well behaved on the first day- there was not one tear from anyone the entire day (well, all 2 hours). She said every single one of them followed directions and did what they were told- wow! I peeked in before pick up time, and Miller was doing hand motions to a song while sitting in a circle. I couldn't help but laugh because if Colby had been in that class at age 2, there is no way he would have been sitting in a circle or following directions. (My memory of Colby's class at age 2 was of his teacher holding him down to a chair.....it didn't take long for her to get fired)

Colby had a great day as well. I haven't gotten much information out of him and didn't have a chance to talk to the teacher, but he was very happy at both drop off and pick up. He was placed specifically with this teacher because she supposedly loves boys, and loves very active boys. Well, I've got just the student for her!

I did get called into the director's office right after I dropped them off....she said it in a very hushed tone like we needed to discuss something behind closed doors. This was the first morning of school- I could not imagine what could be so important! It turns out she read the form I filled out for Colby's teacher, and she wanted to understand more about Colby's potty training (or lack thereof) habits. I told her about his withholding from last year and how he refuses to go #2 on the potty, and we don't really know what to do about it. She said that hopefully peer pressure will help....I'm not so sure, but we'll see.

All in all, a very successful day and I can't wait to see what they learn this year.

Before I post pictures, here are a few pictures from previous years.

2007- Colby at 1 year old (this was a few days before school...I don't think I took a first day picture that year)

2008- 2 year old class

2009- 3 year old class (Couldn't get him to pose for a picture)

2009- 3 year old class and seeing his friend Wyatt in the hallway

And now this year....my, how things have changed!

Colby was such a big boy posing for his pictures.

Big girl ready for school!

It's tough to get a good sibling photo...

We are SO big!

One last attempt.

Gosh, I have such perfect and well behaved kids!

Pssst....Here's what the photo shoot was REALLY like...

Preschool open house

2010-09-15T12:07:00.011-04:00

Colby and Miller had their preschool open houses, and judging by their experience, they are both going to LOVE school this year!

Miller enjoyed emptying a bucket of puppets...

but she spent the majority of her time doing puzzles (naturally).

She shocked me by picking up a baby doll. Wow! Maybe she's got some girly in there after all.

Colby loved his new classroom and teacher. Here he is with his friend Lori.

The Dynamic Duo is back...Jack is in Colby's class again this year. Colby was doing great listening and sitting still even though Jack tried his hardest to distract him. It's still very apparent that Jack has issues. (Note to self: do not give blog link to Jack's mom)

And just for fun, I'm enjoying the fact that someone in this house is taking my picture....it's nice to see that I really exist! Here are a couple cute ones that Colby shot this morning of me and Miller.

The lake in pictures

2010-09-06T10:27:00.007-04:00

We started off each day by lubing everyone up with sunscreen...

And then headed off onto the boat or jet ski.

This is one of two pictures taken of me the entire trip, and Colby took it!

Colby and Miller loved the boat rides...

They took turns driving the boat.

But Miller really preferred kicking back with her sippy cup cocktail and cracker.

They enjoyed new books...

And a trip to the children's museum. Miller especially loved the pretend grocery store.

She made sure to buy a year's supply of ice cream sandwiches...

I hope none of the other children were planning to buy any.

She also bought 2 birthday cakes.

Colby very politely checked her out. He did not even question the ratio of sweets to healthy foods.

Colby's favorite part of the museum was dressing up like a fireman.

But his ALL TIME favorite thing at the lake was the jet ski. He could not get enough!

Even Miller loved it! She would say "Go faster".

But mostly, Colby rode it with daddy and Miller hung out on the boat.

Miller did a lot of swimming, and Colby did a lot of jumping...

Did I mention the jumping?

Thanks Nana and Granddaddy for a wonderful trip! We can't wait to come back!

Where I've been....

2010-08-18T20:15:00.009-04:00

THE HOUSE. The house. The house is consuming my life. We are building a house 2 hours away, and every spare moment of my spare time is spent on the computer doing research about something house related. I can't sleep at night because my mind is constantly going over and over things. (It doesn't help that we are still moving walls and the foundation is already down) It's exhausting.

So, the blog has taken a hit. I think it will continue to take a hit for the next 6 months, but I'm going to try my best to make time for it. (oh, my cooking has taken a hit, too...poor Lee is having to pick up the slack around here)

Other than the house, life has been going on as usual.

Colby is obsessed with taking pictures. He got a camera for his birthday, but he prefers to use mine. He's not too bad...

And no one is safe around here.

I gotta say though, he is creative. The other day he was so excited to show me what he had taken pictures of. "Mom! Come look at these pictures!" Imagine my surprise when I saw 26 artistic shots of his you know what. Which reminds me...I better erase those before someone accidently uploads them to a picture website and I get arrested.

Lee took the kids to the creek and they caught a fish. And brought him home. Colby named him Motorboat. They tried to feed him bread. I'm guessing Lee put leaves in there to make him feel at home. It didn't work and he died the next day. Don't try to make a pet out of a fish from a creek.

Miller and Colby fight half the time and get along the other half. You just never know what kind of hour it's going to be. (and the fighting is always brought on by Colby's teasing...which brings him so much joy) The good moments almost make up for the bad.

Miller has decided she must always wear a hair accessory. She prefers hair bows, but they don't stay in very long. But she loves them.

Whew, a little weight off of my shoulders. For now. We head to SC to visit Nana and Granddaddy a week from today. It should be a nice break for all of us. I'll post an update when we return!

My baby girl is 2!!!!

2010-07-28T20:53:00.011-04:00

I can't believe it, but it's true! My sweet (and feisty) little girl is 2!!!

At her 2 year appointment, Miller weighted 35.8 pounds and was 36 1/2 inches. Both of those are, of course, greater than the 95th percentile. They are estimating her height to be at least 5'11. Wow! I guess the good news is that all the clothing brands make "tall" now, which wasn't the case when I was in high school and college.

We celebrated Miller's birthday in Richmond this past weekend.

Miller's Elmo cake

Me and the grumpy, tired, just up from a nap birthday girl

Peepie Miller looking not a day over 80.

The whole gang at Miller's birthday dinner (minus myself)

Miller vs the candle

She stared at it so long she became cross eyed.

Miller's cousins escorted her in her first pair of heels

She rocked them!

All the cousins watching a movie

The 3 Miller's in our family (my middle name is Miller)

And just for fun, here's how Miller vs the candle really played out. (I cannot believe she has already perfected "the look". I'm in trouble.)

So much to catch up on....

2010-07-25T14:48:00.015-04:00

Whew, I'm so far behind on my blog, I don't even know where to start.

Actually, I do know where I want to start, but I don't know when I'll actually find the time to sit down and do it. One of the things I really want to write about is the first 9 months of Colby's life, which are not in the blog. The first 6 months were pretty tough, and it wouldn't have made for a happy blog. It started with a weekend in the hospital when he was 11 days old, where he had a spinal tap, chest x-ray, and IV antibiotics for a "virus". From there, things were good for about 3 weeks...until one night, out of the blue, he screamed his head off for about 2 hours. Unbeknownst to me, that was the start of his severe milk protein allergy. It was also the start of 3-4 hour long crying jags, lots of pain, difficulty eating, bloody diapers, lots of doctors visits, food journals, poop journals, lots of worrying, and a very restrictive diet for myself (without dairy, soy, nuts, wheat, or eggs). I cannot imagine what it would have been like to blog all of that....it probably would have been therapeutic for me, but man, how depressing and boring would that have been? "Today I ate mayonnaise....Colby screamed for 6 hours....maybe it was the eggs in the mayonnaise?" Thankfully, things got better when he was around 6 months old and we actually took him on a vacation to Mexico, which I'd love to put in the blog. From that point forward, Colby was a very happy (albeit extremely active) baby and it was pretty smooth sailing.

Wow, I just got really sidetracked. Totally wasn't planning to say any of that. What I meant to say was that I'm behind on my blogging and have missed a few very important things this summer. I feel like I need to put a few things on the blog before I move forward with Miller's birthday celebrations.

First, there was the 4th of July. Colby and Miller enjoyed driving their jeep (and our coolers) to the local neighborhood cookout.

They even sort of posed for a picture...

Shortly after that, we had a very fun visit with Nana and Granddaddy. (and we're very excited about visiting them at the lake in a few weeks)

Lastly, Miller has really been perfecting her singing skills. Please enjoy her rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star until I find enough time and energy to blog about my baby girl turning 2!!!!!

The Party

2010-07-17T14:33:00.017-04:00

Today was the day!

Colby's party was at a huge indoor bounce facility.

Me and the birthday boy before the party began.

There were giant slides to climb...

And they were fast!!!

To say Colby had a blast would be an understatement.

Miller was intimidated by the bounces houses, but she found plenty of other fun things.

Colby's friend Jack came, and they were inseparable. They even hugged several times. This is a somber moment (after an hour of jumping) waiting to have their photo taken.

Colby's dream came true....he had a "giant Buzz Lightyear" cake.

And of course, Miller could not take her eyes off of it.

Colby was by Jack's side the entire party and made sure they ate next to each other.

Our wonderful sitter Adela came, and she helped Miller with her cake.

We even attempted a group shot...(several children were too scared to climb up for the photo)

I'd say as far as 4 year old parties go, it was fun for all- most of the adults were sliding and jumping, too. And no alcohol was involved!

The birthday boy

2010-07-15T15:17:00.010-04:00

This is the birthday boy on the morning of his birthday (with a little bit of bed head)

For his birthday dinner, Colby chose to go to his favorite sushi restaurant. He had all of his favorite things- miso soup, steamed gyoza, a shrimp tempura roll, and chicken yakisoba. His favorite waitress (Lindsay) brought him out a special banana tempura and ice cream dessert.

After dinner, we celebrated at home with a cake and more presents. Miller had been singing happy birthday to Colby all day long, but when I asked her to do it for the camera, she was so mesmerized by the cake that she sort of just petered out.

Colby's favorite birthday presents (so far) are his camera, his Toy Story 3 action figures, and his toy helicoper and ambulance. (and I am enjoying the extra quiet time that these toys are giving me....)

Colby's 4 year stats: 42.5 inches tall (90th percentile) and 43 pounds (95th percentile) He has stayed on the same growth curve, and they are predicting that he will be 6 ft 1 or so.

We'll finish off the birthday week with his party on Saturday...I hope they're ok with a mom jumping, too!

Happy Birthday Colby!!!

2010-07-14T06:47:00.002-04:00

Today is Colby's 4th birthday! I am waiting for him to wake up....we have balloons and presents downstairs. He will have cupcakes at camp, a cake and more presents with the family tonight, and a party on at a bounce place on Saturday.

Nana and Granddaddy were here this past week so I'm a bit behind and will post an update with pictures soon!

Babies

2010-07-06T20:31:00.010-04:00

This is, pretty much word for word, tonight's conversation as I lay with Colby before he went to sleep. I already know these were not good answers to give him...I was not prepared!

C: Do you have a baby in your tummy?
Me: No, but I did. I had you and Miller in my tummy.
C: But how do babies get out?
Me: ignoring the question
C: How do they get out?
Me: still ignoring
C: How do they get out? (relentless, this one)
Me: The doctor gets them out.
C: Quiet for about 5 seconds....
Me: Hoping he lets is go....knowing that's really not going to happen.
C: But how? There's no opening.
Me: Ignoring..
C: There's no opening. How do they get out?
Me: (thinking.....) They come out from your bottom.
C: But there's poo poo in there!
Me: Oh, yeah. They come out from your pee pee.
C: But there's pee pee in there!

At this point, we both burst into laughter and that was the end of the conversation. For now. Clearly I need to put some more thought into how I will answer him!

Baby Ballet

2010-07-02T08:52:00.002-04:00

Ready for her first ballet class (with Colby's fighter jet in hand).

Summer time fun

2010-06-27T07:22:00.040-04:00

Both Colby and Miller are LOVING the pool. Miller suggests several times a day that we go to the "swimmi-poo".

Walking up to the pool, they have found some common ground...this picture was totally unprompted.

Swim lessons have paid off- this is a boy who loves the water.

Colby now belly flops into the pool and swims to me about 10 feet! (I have a video I want to post, but the video upload is not working) He hasn't figured out how to come up for a breath, but he does a great job holding it. I am so proud!!! He is continuing with his twice a week lessons this summer, and Miller is starting lessons. That means I will be driving out there 3 different times, but it's so worth it to me so I don't mind at all.

I'm going to rename Miller "Danger Girl". Last week, after an afternoon of swimming, I got both Colby and Miller dressed and ready to go home. Miller was wearing shoes, a dry diaper, and her pool cover-up. As I was packing my things up (it was adult swim), I heard Colby yell "Mom, Look!!". I turned around, and there was Miller in the middle of the pool walking around with her coverup floating around her, just as happy as she could be. I jumped in and grabbed her and realized that I won't ever be able to turn my back, even if it's for 30 seconds.

Fast forward to yesterday. Miller wears a life jacket and arm floaties when we are swimming, and as we were walking across the pool deck, she went straight into the water. I had my back to her for maybe a second, and she either jumped or fell into the pool- I suspect she fell. I was only a few feet ahead of her and did not see it happen, but I did see her go completely under the water and then float face down. Thankfully, there was a woman in the pool right next to her who grabbed her, and then I ran over and picked her up. She was fine...hysterical, but fine. However, less than 2 minutes later, she wanted to get back in.

A couple hours later, she was in her crib for nap time, and we heard her hysterically crying. Lee ran up there and found her on the floor surrounded by all of her stuffed animals. We think that she threw them out and then leaned over to try and pick them up and accidentally fell out. Either way, it seems as if she's pretty fearless.

Miller is still accessorizing, and her newest item of choice is her hair band. She is usually wearing one and calls it her "rainbow" because of the small rainbows on it. (we have 2 other striped ones...I do try to subtly encourage her to wear the one that matches the best) She will not allow anyone to help her and insists on putting it on herself. Just 'cause you don't have hair doesn't mean you can't rock a hair band!

Nan came to visit last weekend to help while Lee was away, and she and Miller enjoyed some swing and hammock time together. Miller has definitely inherited the swinging gene.

Lastly, Nan brought the jeep...and left it. Many fun times and fights are sure to ensue.

First movie

2010-06-21T10:44:00.012-04:00

This weekend, Lee was out in California for a wedding, so I took Colby to see his first movie- Toy Story 3 (in 3D no less!). Colby is almost 4 and he's obsessed with Buzz Lightyear....could there be any better timing?

Had I known the line would be out the door an hour ahead of time, even for people who already had tickets, I probably would not have gone on opening weekend. However, I did because I had no idea. We bought our tickets in the morning and arrived 30 minutes ahead of time, and I thought that was early. WRONG. We were at the very end of the line. I decided to beg my way into the bathroom so Colby could pee before we got in line, and once we got out of the bathroom, the line was letting out so we made our way into the theater. We barely got seats, but somehow, we lucked out and I found 2 seats together at the top row front and center- it was perfect! There were a lot of families with kids who wanted too many seats together and had to leave even though they had tickets.

Once we were seated, I gave Colby his first bag of movie theater popcorn, and that kept him occupied for 30 minute wait until the previews started.

Once the previews started, he put on his 3D glasses (with a little coaxing).

He proceeded to talk very loudly about how everything was coming out at him. There was one preview about space with astronauts, and when it got quiet he yelled "The astronaut is going to touch me!" which caused many giggles in our row. (There were surprisingly few young kids there....maybe they were in the non-3D movie? Or maybe their parents weren't crazy enough to attempt opening weekend?)

Colby sat still through the entire movie, which is defintiely a record. It was a very very long time to sit when you factor in the 30 minute early arrival time and the 30 minutes of previews plus a long movie, but he did amazingly well. On the way out, the first thing he said was "That was AWESOME!"

Definitely a perfect first movie experience. (However, would have been more perfect if dad had been there, too!)

Manners

2010-06-13T09:01:00.004-04:00

We are going through a wonderful phase right now where Colby is working on his manners. He's really trying to use "may" and "please" and "thank you", and he works them into conversation as much as possible. He loves the praise we give him, which is great because there was a time he really didn't give a flip.

I just heard from the family room "Mom, may you please put on another show for me?"

How could I not!

Colby's art

2010-06-09T11:17:00.003-04:00

This is Colby's drawing of me. (This is what all of his people look like right now)
I have "a nose for smelling, ears for listening, eyebrows, and long arms for reaching". I think it kinda looks like me...although I gotta do something about that hair.

Memorial weekend recap

2010-06-06T07:31:00.037-04:00

With Colby out of school and not in camp yet, it's hard to come up for air, much less update the blog.

Last weekend was Memorial day weekend, so we headed to the town carnival with Colby and Miller. Colby loved all the rides, and I even squeezed myself onto most of them.

This was Miller's first ride, and she was a bit skeptical...

But by the end of the day, she was riding by herself!

The ferris wheel actually scared me a bit because it went very high, but mainly because I knew the toothless and tattooed ex-con taking our tickets probably put it together.

The pool also opened that weekend, so both kids enjoyed a very chilly dip.

(Truth be told, we have spent more time at the local country club than our pool because one of my friends is a member. I know her number and she is letting me go as often as we want. It's nicer, it's cleaner, the water is warmer, they have a free towel service and good food...I'm just riding her coat tails.)

Later that weekend, we headed to our neighbor's house for a cookout and some swim time in their pool. Miller wasn't interested in getting in, and she wasn't interested in putting on her cover-up, so she insisted on spending the remainder of the evening wearing only her diaper. At one point, all the adults were eating outside and the kids (including Miller) were all playing hide and seek inside. As we were all sitting there eating and talking, Miller came out of the house and walked over to us...completely naked. I guess she was having so much fun her diaper fell off, and she came outside to let us know that she needed a new one. The image of her walking naked into a large group of adults is still cracking me up.

Colby never stops with the funny comments. He is fixated on the number 5, as he thinks it is the ultimate high number. If I say "Colby, we have to leave the park in 10 minutes" he will say "No! 5 minutes!".
Last night, Lee and I went out to dinner to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary. When we got home, Colby said "I'm so glad you are home! I thought you'd only be gone for one minute but you were gone for 5!"

Colby's teacher told me a funny story from the last week of school. The whole class was sitting for circle time as she was reading a book. There was a brief moment when everyone was quiet, and in that moment, Colby said to the girl across from him: "Mackenzie, you look beautiful today" and Mackenzie said (just as adult-like) "Thank you, Colby". Then they both looked back up at the teacher as if nothing had happened. I've heard Colby say that before to a little girl so I know that's exactly how it happened.

Colby is doing awesome with his swimming. He still tries to run away before class, but once he is in there, he loves it. He's starting to swim on his own now and loves for the instructor to let go of him.

At home, he loves to practice his new skills in our bathtub, going under the water and kicking.

There's nothing to see here...

Miller is still loving her puzzles. She is now doing 25 piece puzzles and loves doing alphabet puzzles. She even knows several letters and loves to point out "M's" where ever we go by saying "EMMMMMMMM....up down up down". Unfortunately, Colby likes to torment her by taking her puzzle pieces and running away with them. We know the fun burglar has struck when Miller screams at the top of her lungs. It's a constant ongoing battle, and he is sent to his room every time he does it, but that's not stopping him.

Nana and Granddaddy are coming for a visit this week and we are very excited! Colby starts a little 3 day camp at the country club with his friend Mason until his "real" camp begins in 2 weeks....I am so ready for summer camp!

Another one....

2010-05-28T07:07:00.004-04:00

Lately, Colby is fascinated with strangers and jail. Here's another convo from last night:

Mom, do strangers go to jail?
Yes, but only bad strangers.
I'm going to hit a bad stranger!
No, you don't want to hit anyone because that's not nice.
What happens if I hit a bad stranger?
You will go to time out.
Mom, you are a stranger.
No, I'm not a stranger, I'm your mom.
You're my mom, but you are somebody else's stranger.

Speechless.

What happens if...

2010-05-26T20:20:00.005-04:00

This is a word-for-word conversation that I had with Colby today. Is this normal? Well, it is in our house....about every 5 minutes normal.

Momma, what happens if you cross the yellow line? (asked while I was driving)
You could get into an accident.
What happens if you cross it but don't get in an accident?
The police officer will give you a ticket.
What if I throw the ticket on the ground?
The police officer will find you.
What happens if I throw it down and then run away?
The police officer will go to your house and find you.
What if I run away to Africa?
The police officer will find you there.
What if I hide behind a bush in Africa?

And so on...and so on...it only ends if I some how distract him with something very interesting.

Later tonight before bed...

Momma, what happens if I get out of bed in the night time?
I know you won't do that because you are a big boy.
But what happens if I do?
Then you'll get a warning.
What if I do abra-cadabra and make the warning go away?

Oy.

Bed Time

2010-05-23T14:02:00.001-04:00

Both Miller and Colby are pretty good sleepers, and they are definitely both creatures of habit.

Colby must have things a certain way before going to bed. There must be a pillow wedged against the wall at his head for him to sleep against. (this is because he was used to having his head rammed up against the crib bumper for so long)

Everything in his room must be in order, and nothing can be out of place, on a table, or on the floor. There MUST be a headlamp, a tissue, and a spare ducky, which he calls "Nan's ducky", on the top ledge of his bed.

The ledge...

Both of his duckies are interchangeable and equally worn, but he thinks that one is the real ducky and one is an imposter. He calls the supposed imposter "Nan's Ducky" because one time at her house, we washed him, and he came home with a very strong detergent odor. Now, before bed, he will take a big whiff of both duckies to determine which one is the real one and which is the imposter. Nan's ducky gets put up on the ledge.

Before I go to sleep, I always check on them to make sure they have their loveys and are warm. How can you not forget the irritations of the day when you see this?

Miller has a special pink bear, called "Bear", which she attached herself to over a year ago.

She chose him as the one despite my efforts to make her attach herself to a very pretty bunny. Once we determined that Bear was her special lovey, we bought a backup. Things were running very smoothly and we were interchanging them, until one day, she somehow got her hands on both bears at the same time. Instead of being upset, she was delighted. However, now she must have 2 bears at bedtime. If she only has one, she will say "Nother one bear". If one gets lost in the night (which is always does) she wakes up in a panic screaming her head off.

One thing that has continued to perplex us is where all the binkies go. We are always buying them, but they always seem to disappear. We were just totally stumped as to what was going on. I could have sworn someone was stealing them. My mom thought Georgia was eating them. (she's a hungry dog, but not that hungry) We always gave her several at bedtime, and we just could not figure out where they were going.

Then, one day, I looked behind the crib....mystery solved.

Always keeping us on our toes!

Update (from previous post)

2010-05-20T07:06:00.009-04:00

This is just so typical. We woke Miller up early from her nap and made the 35 minute drive to the swim school only to find out someone had taken the spot we wanted earlier that day. So it was all for nothing. There was no swim lesson for us at 4:30, and there was no way Colby was getting in the pool even though he was standing there in his swimsuit ready to go. As I was talking to the (slightly rude and unapologetic) front desk people about other classes available, Colby ran around the place like a wild animal and Miller scribbled on all their brochures with one of the 100 pens they had out. I am sure other mothers were giving me dirty looks and wondering why my kids were acting like they just got out of jail. It was not a pleasant experience. At all. If I didn't want this so badly for Colby, I would have given them a piece of my mind and stormed out of there. Instead, I signed him up for a 4:00 Friday class and an 8:00 AM Sunday class.

The good news is that in four weeks, the "Summer session" begins and we will have a choice of better class times. However, there is a catch. All I have to do is show up at 5:30 AM on Monday (35 minutes away) and get in line outside the building to put my name on a list at 6AM. Then I have to show back up at 9AM and wait in a room (with hundreds of other people) as they read names one by one off of this list for your turn to pick a class. Apparently people "camp out" just to be first on this 6am list. I imagine the 9am wait will be a long one unless I show up at 5AM to be first in line for the 6AM sign up.

Again, this is just so typical of living in this area. I'm imagining this will not be a pleasant experience either, especially since I'll have 3 hours to kill (in a small town with nothing to do) in between the 6am sign up and the 9am waiting period.

Despite all of this, I am still very happy and excited to give Colby this opportunity. Lee and some of my friends are starting to think it's a bit crazy, but I am determined to make it work. Hmmm...maybe the willful streak Colby inherited isn't all Lee's fault.

Swim school

2010-05-19T12:57:00.007-04:00

I got up at 5AM the other morning to register Colby for his next session of swim classes. Online registration opens up at that time, and when you live in an area with a bazillion people fighting for very few spots, you better get up early.

We were planning to sign up for a class with his friend Lori, which I thought would really be good for him. He's still making progress in his current class, but he sometimes gets out of the water and doesn't follow directions. I thought having a friend in the class would be a good influence.

Well, I must have registered at 5:05 because we did not get into the class. Somehow, I was beat out by 5 other people, including his friend Lori. I was sooooooo bummed the entire day. I have put so much thought and energy into this whole swimming thing, and I was so disappointed.

Yesterday, I started doing some research, and I discovered that 30-40 minutes away, there is an indoor swim school. All they do is teach swimming, and they have an amazing reputation. People drive from all over to take their kids there.

There are three things about this school that make me think this would be perfect for Colby.

1. The water is above 90 degrees, vs the water at his current program which is 82 degrees. The cold temperature has been a problem for him, so this would be a great solution.

2. They are required to wear goggles. In his current class, they cannot wear goggles. The people at the swim school told me that vision is tied into balance and they learn to swim much faster in goggles. Plus, it helps with the fear going under the water. Seems like a no-brainer. They also wear flippers to help them learn the right way to kick.

3. This is the biggest factor....parents must NOT be in the room. There is an observation deck behind glass, but your child cannot see you. If your child is misbehaving, they deal with it. There are other people around the pool deck to help with these situations. In our current class, Colby is constantly looking at me, sulking, and threatening to get out of the water. This would take me out of the equation so he could focus on the swimming and forget about putting on a show.

I asked the woman on the phone what happens if a child does not follow directions, and she said they basically pick them up and put them back in the water. I asked if anyone had ever been kicked out of class for not following directions, and she said no, not once in thirteen years.

WELL SIGN ME UP!

Availability is very limited, so we don't have much of a choice of when we are going.
We will be making the 40 minute drive twice a week. The first class is today at 4:30, and our next class is at....gulp....8am on Sundays. Am I crazy? Awesome? Awesomely crazy?

I should know the answer to that tonight. I am so excited!

School party

2010-05-13T06:42:00.024-04:00

Colby has a Summer birthday, so his class had a small celebration for the kids that have Summer birthdays. And by celebration, I mean cupcakes. What else?

Colby and his friend Jack (in the orange), Wesley (in the red), and Lori in the background (in the pink)

Colby and his friend Giacomo....shooting something. Now that Jack needs "space", Giacomo is his new favorite bud.

View of the class

Miller joined in on the cupcake action, and she knew exactly what to do. She ate the frosting first, and then polished off the whole thing at lightening speed.

Out of a class of twelve 3 and 4 year olds, Miller was the second to finish her cupcake. She then walked over and started taking pinches off of Wesley's cupcake. I'm just going to blame it on the curse.

Colby and his teacher Miss Marnie

The whole party confused Colby, and he went around telling everyone at school that it was his birthday. Since he was already a bit confused, Lee and I thought it would be a good opportunity to give him an early birthday present. Truth be told, we've been dying to give him his new bike, which we bought him a few months ago and have been hiding in the basement. He's really a bit too big for his other bike, and he fell in love with this one at a bike store a few months ago.

Camera smile!

He is so excited about it and is already following in his daddy's bike obsessed footsteps.

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T14:15:00.058-04:00

Happy mothers day to Nan, Nana, Miller, and all the moms out there!

It's been a great day so far...I had coffee and cards in bed, a workout at the gym while Lee took the kids grocery shopping, and then we all went out to brunch. (When the food arrived to our table, Miller yelled out enthusiastically "OKAY!!" The girl loves to eat) Tonight, Lee's making dinner and we're having fillet mignon on the grill.

Actually, aside from the cards and brunch, that's not too far off from a typical Sunday. Lee usually brings me coffee (and my laptop) in bed, and I usually go to the gym while he grocery shops. Lee actually enjoys grocery shopping (unlike myself), and he prefers to do so with at least one, but usually both, kids in tow. He also usually grills dinner for us on Sunday nights. I married the right guy!

I thought today would be a good day to reflect on the recent events with Miller and Colby. I had Colby's parent-teacher conference two days ago, and it was fantastic to hear that he is doing very well and has made a lot of progress since the beginning of the year. His teacher really understands (and likes) him, and she's very good with boys, so I am so thankful he was in her class this year. He's right on target with everything, including recognizing and spelling his name. She assured me that he does not have any attention concerns, and in fact, it is very hard to distract him from something he has his mind set on.

The main thing he needs to work on is accepting "no" from his peers and giving them personal space. (not shocking information) His teacher said that because of his age, his brain literally does not hear "no" or "stop", and he's just so social (and willful) that he sometimes tires people out. (We have the same issue at home with him accepting and hearing "no" from Miller) He's still buddy-buddy with his friend Jack, but the teacher said that even Jack needs to come up for air and have a break from Colby. Colby doesn't understand that and will come home and tell me that Jack is not his friend anymore, but he doesn't seem too upset about it. So basically, he's just an extrovert who hasn't figured out social norms...pretty normal stuff.

He's also very drawn to the girls in the class, and at the beginning of the year, he did not understand how to engage them in play. Instead, he would walk up to them and take something to get their attention. Or, he would just stand there and stare at them. The teacher was laughing, saying the girls probably thought he was some kind of weirdo...and rightfully so. But now, he will walk up to them and ask if he can play or ask for a turn.

He and Jack are going to be separated next year because his teacher thinks they would drive another teacher crazy, so it will be interesting to see how things go and who his next "best friend" will be. (Hopefully someone who does not hit and bite.) His teacher is also making sure he gets a very good teacher next year, one who has a lot of experience with strong willed boys. She said his placement into the right class is crucial for his success. Thank goodness we have someone looking out for us.

Colby is going into his third week of his "big boy" swim lessons, where mom does not get into the water. (hallelujah!) He is doing very well and we are so proud of him. He doesn't like the cold water very much, and sometimes has a hard time getting in, so we get there early so that we can get used to the water before class. He is now doing everything the teacher asks, and is close to putting his head under the water. I'm going to keep him in swim lessons twice a week all Summer long, and I cannot wait to see how he progresses.

Here he is in his swimming attire....and the new face he makes when he sees a camera.

So it's really best if we capture him in his natural state (even if that means pizza sauce all over his face)

Colby is also very into riding his bike, and he takes it out to ride almost every afternoon. He's been riding a two-wheeled bike with training wheels since he was 2 1/2, so he's getting pretty good. We have a new bigger bike to give him on his birthday, so I can't wait to see how excited he'll be about that.

I know I complain a lot about the issues we've had with Colby, but he's such a good hearted, sweet, outgoing, and funny boy. I am hoping that as he approaches his 4th year, we can work out some of these issues and things will be a bit smoother between him and his sister. (A lot of people would say "he" and his sister there, but that would be gramatically incorrect...a little pet peeve of mine. Thanks mom.)

Miller is really coming into her own, and she's an absolute joy to be around. Her favorite thing to do is go to the playground, and she's obsessed with swinging. I was obsessed with swinging as well (and well past the age where it was cool), so I assume this is something that will stick with her. When we are in the car, she will often say "Go go playground, go swing!". And when she's on the swing, she will yell "Go higher!". She also loves jewelry, both necklaces and bracelets.

Showing off her new bracelets...

However, she not only adorns herself with jewelry...one of her recent quirks is that she loves to put underwear around her head. If you come and visit, be careful where you leave them...she is not picky.

(I'll put a picture here when I catch her in the act again)

She is also really into puzzles, and she does not seem to tire of them. She will work on her puzzles by herself and do them over and over again. (Colby never did anything so stationary) It's really quite amazing to see how different they are.

Working on her puzzles...

Busting out her favorite shapes puzzle...

And just for fun, modeling some new summer fashions.

Miller starts her swim class this week, so we took her to the indoor pool for the first time yesterday. It's been a year since she's seen a pool, so I'm assuming she does not remember. Again, it was such a different experience than what I'm used to because the girl is fearless. She walked straight into the water and headed to the deep end without batting an eye. She jumped off the side to me over and over and would say "more jump!" She did get her head under once, and then said "I don't want it" but was ready to jump again.

Wow, so that was a lot. It's busy here...and chaotic...and not always peaceful...but we know we are so blessed with our two wonderful children. I couldn't ask for more on Mother's day.

One year from now....

2010-05-05T08:23:00.005-04:00

Will Colby still be peeing (a little) in his pants 6 times a day?
Will he still scream and fight every time we tell him to go potty?
Will he still scream and fight every time we tell him to wash his hands?
Will he still be going #2 in a diaper?
Will he still wake up with wet pajamas every morning from going so much during the night?
Will he still be tormenting his sister for fun?

If someone would just tell me the answers to these questions are "no", and they very likely could be (I hope), I could sleep a lot easier right now. We might have the only child on the planet who will actually be going to school in diapers. I could deal with that if he would just be nice to his sister!!!

I told the teacher at school that he's been wetting his pants and itching himself a lot, so she recommended we call the pediatrician. They asked us to come in and get him tested for a UTI. Well, he doesn't have one, but he did thoroughly enjoy peeing in a cup.

His teacher said to me "He's extremely willful, and he's intense...I could have told you two years ago you'd have problems with potty training because that's a control issue."

We have a new plan now. The plan is to take ALL the pressure off and completely stop talking about potty training. If he wets his pants, we'll change his underwear....and that's it. No talking, no forcing him to use the potty. We'll see how this goes.

Other than these issues going on, he really is a very sweet boy...just a tad challenging right now!

Richmond trip

2010-04-26T15:23:00.011-04:00

Colby is doing better, but ooooh boy, this kids needs to start using the potty. Unfortunately, the withholding makes that impossible....we just need him to "go", and at this point, we give him a prize if he goes in a diaper! When we are out in public and he has to go, he must have complete privacy. That makes things very difficult...you would not believe the lengths we have gone to to clear out a private space for him. I am so over it.

Anyhoo, here are the pictures from our trip to Richmond!

This was Colby and Miller's belated Christmas present from Nan and Pop, and boy was it a hit!

Why she's trusting him to drive her around I'm not sure.

Colby LOVES hanging out with his cousins. He gets their names confused, and one day he said "I like the one with hair circles. Why he gots hair circles?"

The one with hair circles is a lot of fun.

We met at the park with my friend Mindy and her twins...

Played on the slides...(Miller has a scab on her nose from a face plant)

And threw bread to the ducks.

Meagan came over and helped with meal time...

But mostly, we just hung out with family...

And everyone had a drink or two....you're never too old!

Not again...

2010-04-23T09:07:00.004-04:00

We had a great visit to Richmond last weekend, and Colby had a blast with his cousins, but I haven't posted pictures because Colby has had the flu all week. Or, what I thought was the flu. He's been laying around saying his stomach hurts and not eating.

Unfortunately, Lee and I figured out it's not the flu. No, it's much worse....Colby is withholding again. That explains the stomach pain that comes and goes, the laying around, and the not eating. It took us months of hard work and medication to get over it last time, so this is not good at all.

He's been home from school all week, and right now, he's laying on my bed crying. He said he wants a bandaid on his bottom. He's in pain but afraid to go....and it just gets worse each day.

Hopefully, I'll have some better news to report in a few days. I really hope this does not become the terrible issue it was last time.

**update....after an invasive and unpleasant intervention on my part, Colby was able to go (a little bit) and went to school late. Unfortunately, he missed his 3 year old class photo, which was this morning. I am so sad about that...he loves his class and his teacher this year.

Boy this post was a downer, huh!

Easter in pictures

2010-04-08T15:28:00.016-04:00

We started out the weekend before Easter by dyeing eggs.

Poor Miller watched longingly from below.

The Easter bunny brought lots of necklaces for Miller...

And lots of Toy Story stuff for Colby.

The Toy story stickers and books are a hit.

And yes, he's wearing Christmas pajamas. They fit and they aren't too hot...I'm ok with it, even on Easter.

Overcome with emotion.

There's no such thing as too many necklaces.

Always generous, she's giving one to Colby.

The Easter bunny encourages good dental hygiene. Nothing like mixed messages.

How long does it take to get to the center of a peep?

About .03 seconds.

MUST.HAVE.MORE.PEEPS.

*It should be noted that Colby only liked one thing in his Easter basket- his chocolate rabbit. He would lick the other types of candy and then spit them out. Miller ate every morsel she could get her little hands on and begged for more. The poor girl has a wicked sweet tooth that's going to curse her for life. (and I know exactly where she got it)

Swimming

2010-04-01T14:25:00.008-04:00

Today I took Colby to the indoor pool to practice his swimming skills. One thing we are working on is jumping to me from the side without holding my hands the whole time. He only likes to jump if he's holding my hands first, so we've been practicing at home off the bed. I had high expectations when we got to the pool, but he was still scared to jump without holding my hands.

I wasn't going to give up! I know I cannot force him to do anything, so I suggested we go jump off the side in the baby pool. We started in one foot of water, and he jumped to me without holding my hands. (that is not a soft landing) Slowly....very slowly, we made our way around the edge of the pool, getting deeper and deeper. One hour later, Colby was jumping off the side to me, no hands, in the deep end. He even told me to get further away so he could jump further! Towards the end, I was letting his head go under a little, and he went completely under about 5 times. He's working on holding his breath and not drinking or snorting the water, and he was very proud of himself. I am so happy he is making progress!!

Afterwards, when we got out of the water, we were both freezing from staying in the water so long. Normally, we are warm before we got to the locker room (which they keep at a very cold temperature), so I knew it would be an unpleasant experience. When we walked in, we were both so cold it was torturous. Colby asked me to get him dressed first, and we were both shaking as I was getting his clothes out. In a desperate and worried voice he said "I'm going to be cold forever and ever!" I've been laughing about that all day- I felt the same way and I think Colby was truly worried he would never be warm again.

After we both got dressed and warm, he asked if he could have a "prize" for his accomplishments, so I told him we'd go by McDonalds for a happy meal and a milkshake. He could not contain his excitement, and screamed to everyone in the locker room "I'M GETTING A PRIZE!! I'M GETTING A PRIZE!!!!"

Life with a 3 year old is certainly never dull.

Progress

2010-03-27T16:10:00.009-04:00

Last summer, we had Colby enrolled in music, soccer, and swim lessons. All were pretty much a bust- he ran wild in soccer and music, and he was terrified of swimming after accidentally going under the water. He did enjoy almost two years of music classes before he started misbehaving by turning on and off the light switches, running around, etc. Since last July, he had no activities at all (other than school) until about two months ago.

I'm very proud to report that things are looking up and we are back in activities again. Colby has been doing gymnastics for about two months, and he's been doing great (with the exception of the very first class, when he tested every limit and rule...we almost did not go back). He loves the balance beam and the vault, and especially loves jumping onto the crash mats.

He had his first soccer class this morning with Lee, and he did great! He followed the directions, stretched, dribbled, and kicked. We are also doing a "parent and me" swim class to get him prepared for level one lessons (without a parent) starting in a few weeks. He's doing great in the lessons- he gets into the water without crying now (major progress), blows bubbles, gets most of his face wet, jumps off of the side to me, and does the kicking drills. He still does not put his head under the water, so hopefully that will be the next step. The key for him is to wear goggles because he hates getting his eyes wet (even in the bath tub) so that is really helping him feel comfortable.

I have both Colby and Miller signed up again for music this Spring (Miller is currently going by herself when Colby is in school), so hopefully Colby will follow the trend and behave. So all together, Colby will be doing swim lessons, music, gymnastics, and soccer on the days when he is not in school. Idle hands are the devil's workshop.

Miller is also making amazing progress with her language. She has said her first sentences: "I want it" and "I don't want it". She uses "I don't want it" the most, especially referring to other people she sees, fearing they might pick her up, get too close, or try to change her diaper. (She still cries in protest at almost every diaper change) She also communicates her needs very well. This morning, she came up to me and said "Help". I said "Help with what?" and she said "coat". She was inside with her coat on and she was too hot. Miller's favorite thing to do is jump, and she's been doing it very well since before she was 18 months old. She is definitely very physical and I cannot wait to get her into sports, especially swimming. It's just hard to find the time right now because Colby needs the swim lessons more, so he takes priority at the moment.

With all this progress going on, I guess it's only natural for something to go in the other direction. (TMI warning) Unfortunately, that something is potty training. Colby is going on day 7 of pooping a little in his underwear. Not a real poop, which he still does in a diaper, just a small nugget. I usually discover it by smelling a not so pleasant aroma, or finding the nugget on his bed when I change his clothes. (I warned you) We've even found one in our closet...I don't know how long it was there and I don't want to know. We have no idea why he's doing this because it seems like it's on purpose....it takes a lot of control to do that on a daily basis! Hopefully this is just a phase and he won't go to college with skid marks. He's also peeing in his underwear a little several times a day. Apparently, that's how he knows he needs to use the potty.

On that note, I'm headed to mom's night out in an hour, and we are going to the circus tomorrow with Colby (We're getting a sitter for Miller because I know she wouldn't sit through it). I can't wait!

Easter bunny visit 2010

2010-03-17T21:33:00.029-04:00

Whew, things have been rough around here. Colby is going through a phase...at least I hope it's a phase, and it's not a pleasant one. Instead of asking "what if I don't?"...he just doesn't. Doesn't listen, doesn't wash his hands, doesn't do most of what we ask him to do. It usually comes down to a threat to get him to do anything. In addition, he's been really rough with Miller. (Miller is sporting her first black eye...we didn't see it happen, but we have our suspicions) We have really had to crack down on the punishment, and Colby has been going to time out or up to his room several times a day. It's exhausting.

Part of the problem might be a new friendship Colby has at school. His new "very best friend" is a little boy named Jack. To put it nicely, Jack has issues. Jack is the boy who has bitten Colby twice this year, and was almost kicked out of school. Apparently, they have made up, and now they are inseparable. I love it that Colby has a good friend, but I wish he were a better influence. (We have had one playdate with Jack, and when he was here, he hit Miller in the face because she touched him. I don't think we are going to have more playdates any time soon!) Also, I'm sad to say that Colby doesn't run to me anymore when I pick him up from school. In fact, like the two previous years, he runs away from me. I know this is a sign that he likes school, but it's still embarrassing to be the only mom who has to chase her child to get him to leave. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.

Even though Colby is rough with Miller, she loves him sooo much. She calls him "Buh-bee" and worships he ground he walks on. Whenever she goes down for her nap, she yells out "Bye-bye Buh-bee!" and waves her hand frantically. When we go to pick him up from school, she runs to his door, looks through the window, and yells "See Buh-bee!" Oh wait, first she walks up to the moms standing outside of the classroom and initiates a high five with all of them. She's such a funny little girl.

Colby is still in full Buzz Lightyear mode. We got him a Buzz costume (more like a bodysuit) and some wings, and he likes to fly through the yard. (or house)

Miller has no problem climbing up the play structure by herself and going down the slide.

She is still very into her jewelry. More is more.

Today we got dressed up for our annual visit to the Easter bunny.

Miller was very suspicious as to why Colby was holding her hand, but she went along with it.

He can be sweet when he wants to be. (Miller is still not totally buying it)

One smile, no tears, both looking forward, and holding hands....AMAZING!

Willie Bob 2.0

2010-03-06T16:24:00.031-05:00

It's no secret that Colby desires to be a rock star, so we recently bought him overalls and a hat so that he could look more like his favorite guitarist, Willie Bob from Rocknoceros.

He likes to be in full Willie Bob attire when playing and singing at home.

We took him to a Rocknoceros concert this weekend, and he was so excited to wear his new outfit. He chatted with Willie Bob before the show...

And then it was all business.

Colby did not miss a beat.

Miller missed quite a few, but she made up for it in goldfish and puffs. (not necessarily mine)

After the show, the band let Colby get up on stage. He was in HEAVEN.

Colby took over Willie Bob's guitar, so they switched for a while...

and sang some songs together.

Luckily, we got quite a bit of the concert on video. I have too much footage to post, so here are just a few segments.

Listen carefully to what they are saying in this one. Lee was actually taking this video of Miller (who doesn't know any of these people she's sitting with) and they started talking about Colby. Earlier in the show, they nicknamed him "Willie Bob 2.0" and joked that he was a new and improved upgrade. They joked about it throughout the concert, but this was the only snippet we got on video.

This is what Miller likes to do at concerts. She finds people with food and cozies up to them.

To infinity....

2010-03-04T15:29:00.016-05:00

And beyond!!!!

Colby has recently become obsessed with the movie Toy Story, and more specifically, Buzz Lightyear. This is the first movie he has seen, and he watched it for the first time a few weeks ago. Life has not been the same since.

If there's a loud boom in the house, we know that somewhere, Colby is pretending to be Buzz and jumping off of something. There have been a few times when I thought someone had pulled a dresser over, but it was just Colby jumping off of his bed onto the floor (with his wings out, of course). He also has a Buzz toy/action figure, and he takes it with him everywhere he goes. This weekend he got a Toy Story book, so he likes to watch the movie and follow along in the book, pausing to bring Buzz to life and make him fly and crash down along with the movie.

Colby and Buzz

Colby and Buzz taking a much needed nap on the floor. (the only time this has ever happened)

Sleeping in his big boy bed

Meanwhile, Miller is absorbing everything Colby does. She also loves Buzz, but mainly because she's not allowed to touch him (at least when Colby is home). She truly has an unlimited vocabulary at this point. Every day, I hear new words, and she can repeat any word. When she is carried away for her nap in the afternoon, she will cry and then say "Bye Colby" as she is carried off. She really adores her brother, despite the fact that he still likes to pull her legs and bother her.

Here she is in Colby's room...wearing Colby's necklace...with Colby's book...just trying to be like Colby. And yes, she is always covered in bruises with red knees.

What happens if....

2010-02-24T15:52:00.010-05:00

I don't?

That would be Colby's most favorite question right now. He asks it about 20 times a day..."What happens if I don't wash my hands? What happens if I don't hang my coat up? What happens if I don't be quiet? What happens if I don't drink my milk? What happens if I don't brush my teeth?" (His teacher actually said this is a very good thing...he's weighing his options and thinking about cause and effect...not just following along because he's told.)

I find that sometimes, when I have patience, I take the time to tell him why it's important to do certain things. Such as "It's important to brush your teeth to remove the plaque that can cause cavities". However, on a day when I have a shorter fuse, I may give an answer such as "It's important to brush your teeth because if you don't your teeth will fall out and you'll never eat goldfish again". The second route is actually much more effective.

I did go into a little too much detail when we were discussing the importance of holding hands. For a very long time, Colby would not hold my hand....ever. We had a discussion about strangers and how if he didn't hold my hand in a crowded place, a stranger could take him. One question led to another, and I found myself describing in detail a stranger's house. Colby asked lots of questions: "Is there poo poo inside a stranger's house? Does it smell bad? Is there yucky food? Is there a yucky bed?" Before I knew it, I had created the image of a "yucky house" that I'm sure has been the cause of most of his nightmares. Now, when we drive around, he will say "Is that a yucky house? Is that where a stranger lives?" I've learned that there's a fine line between instilling a little healthy fear in your child and scaring the sh*t out of them.

On another note, here's a little video of Miller taken during the snowstorm.