Happy 89th grandpa

Today we celebrated my grandpa's 89th birthday and snuck a little birthday wishes in for LIttle Guy as well.  I love family parties, they are always a great time and as people keep having babies, it's even more fun for my little guys to have run around and play with the children.  It's really neat to see our family come full circle- I remember being one of the kids running around the backyard and now my two boys are doing the same thing.  Making memories, that's what it's all about!

Summertime treats

These hot days call for a cold treat...or in our case, many cold treats!  I have been buying the kiddie sized popsicles only to realize that my boys wanted to eat 3 or 4 of them so I decided to bite the bullet and buy the big ones...I justified it because they're beet, carrot, sweet potato, strawberry popsicle, so that has to make them healthy, right?!!??!!  I love to watch them hang out together in the backyard, they're becoming closer and closer friends every day!

Orientation Day

We had preschool orientation today and I am not going to lie...I could barely keep myself from sobbing just standing on the playground.  I've pretty much surrendered to the fact that I will be a total sloppy mess next Tuesday, and I am okay with it.  My sweet Little Guy is going to school- I know it's just two days a week and only 2 hours a day, but still, I can't believe how fast the time is going.  I am going to be my strongest self come Tuesday, but I can't make any promises!

Namaste

I have been trying to get into a yoga class for months now and today, IT FINALLY HAPPENED! And it was EVERYTHING I had hoped it would be!!!! Alyssa joined me for an hour of stretching, breathing, sweating, and "me" time. I know they say you can give more when you take time to fill yourself up, and while that's easier said than done, today was a solid reminder that a yoga break makes EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE better :)

Cleaning Up and Tahoe Bound

We had a parent work day at preschool before we headed up to Squaw Valley to celebrate Gabe's cousin getting married.  The work day was successful, although unfun as I washed 200 buckets in the sink...for 2 hours...I guess someone has to do it, I just wasn't excited it was me...We headed up to Squaw to meet both Gigi and Papa and Grandma and Papa.  Little Guy always gets such a kick out of having two papas together- he loves to count them :)  My parents came up to watch the boys so we could enjoy the evening and that is exactly what we did.  My dad thought about taking Little Guy swimming but when we saw that cocktail hour was happening on the pool deck, we QUICKLY requested that they stay as far away from the pool as possible!  It was a fun, even if VERY quick, trip to such a beautiful place, followed up by Daddy's favorite day of the year, Fantasy Football Draft Day.  I guess that means we should relish all the Monday night, Thursday Night, and Sunday time with have with Daddy, the countdown is on to kick off!

Swim Lessons

We have been doing ISR now for two weeks, and I am COMPLETELY blown away with how much our boys have learned!  Little Guy is legitimately swimming, moving his arms, kicking his feet, and rolling over to breath.  He jumps in off the side and wants to swim all day, every day.  He was hesitant the first week and then something happened on his birthday and he decided that swimming was the best thing ever.  He loves Miss Angela and beams with pride when he says we're proud of him.  I am such a believer in this program and tell anyone who will listen all about it. Way to go boys, Mommy and Daddy are so proud of the little fish you are becoming!!!

Remy and Sweetie Pie

Little Guy has recently taken up imaginative play- he loves to pretend monsters wake him up and lately he like to pretend that we are both rats (we watched a rat cartoon recently) and his name is Remy and I am Sweetie Pie.  He says "Good Night Sweetie Pie" when I tuck him in and I reply with a "Good Night Remy"...he giggles and thinks it's the funniest thing.  Oh Little Guy, I mean Remy, you crack me up!

Guess who's THREE?!?!?

Where, I mean really WHERE have the last three years gone????  I stare in complete awe EVERYDAY and I think how has Little Guy grown so fast?  How does he know to inquire when I say "Ow!" and tell me to "Listen" when he hears the street sweeper three courts over?  When did he become his own little person????  While I contemplate these questions on an hourly basis, he is busy being his awesome silly self.  Today this little boy, our first baby we ever loved, turned three.  And let me just say, he knows all about birthdays this year.  He woke up to presents and balloons galore- he looked at the balloons and said, "Balloons...I love them!".  We spent the morning swimming and hitting up the Nut Tree before birthday lunch and naps.  Naps were a pipe dream today, Little Guy was too excited for his Dusty birthday!!!  Little Guy, you really are a crazy compassionate, inquisitive dude and there is not one moment I don't thanks my lucky stars that I was picked to be your Mommy.  You make this world a happier place and we love you more than you'll ever know!!!  I can't wait to see what this year has in store for you!

From the belly, to baby, to big boy!  And wow, doesn't that top photo look just like Mr. Wyatt Bear!?!?

The first day, the first few weeks, the first birthday, and the second birthday

The birthday boy wanted to ride the horses

And your favorite, riding the bunny!

The best birthday selfie we could get!

Join Dusty, Chug, and Dottie...

Little Guy has been all about the Planes birthday party....so I bit the bullet and did a characters themed party, but I think we did it just right, not too cheesy!  Naps were out of the question, this birthday boy was TOO excited to sleep.  This is the first year he's understood the concept of a party, and he couldn't wait to get his started.  We had a pinata, kiddie sized dinners, yummy salad and sandwiches for the adults, swimming, Planes on TV, and plenty to play with.  It was the smallest birthday party we've had to date, and I think it was just perfect for our three year old love! Here are some shots from the fun day!

The annual birthday stats board

Our one and only family picture from the big day

Pirate treats from the pinata...at this point he's already lost his shorts...

Buddies since they were crawling babies, Little Guy and Landon

The birthday boy and his proud mama

Two of our buddies Emmeline and Caden- two of the oldest at the party and the only kiddos to use the photo backdrop!

Love my sister

Every party needs a pooper

Our Thank You note picture

Little Guy and his best buddy Jack Jack

Swimming- not sure what happened, but between one week of swim and turning 3, this dude thinks he's the next Olympian!  He loved the water today and jumped in with no hand holding!

How you end the best birthday yet...snuggled in your bed with your new plane and race car!

Step Right Up

Auntie and Uncle Mark treated Mr. Wyatt Bear to front row tickets for his first birthday and today we got to cash in!  Both boys were so excited to go to the circus, although I am not sure that either one of them really understood what it was going to be.  Nonetheless, we headed out to Oakland and made it inside just after the first act.  We walked and walked and walked ALL THE WAY down to the VERY bottom of the stands and had the most amazing up close encounter with all the circus performers.  We weren't sure how Mr. Wyatt Bear would do with the idea of sitting for 2 hours, but it ended up being so perfect, he NEVER took his eyes off the show.  Daddy treated the boys to light up toys, popcorn, and sno-cones (healthy dinner here we come!), what a perfect way to celebrate Mr. Wyatt Bear turning one and Little Guy's last night as a two year old!

I Miss you Already

I tucked in my sweet Little Guy for the last time as a two year old and he just had to go and melt my already fragile and emotional mama heart...He looks at me and says, "I miss you already...I miss you already when I am sleeping".  Yeah, I was already choking back tears at the thought of him another year older, this sweet comment sent me over the edge- I cried all the way to the grocery store.  Here's to another amazing year of motherhood and what's sure to be a fabulously high flying birthday party tomorrow.

Toe Issues

Last night I casually emailed my doctor about some toe issues I had been self treating at home for some time and had decided may need actual professional help, but I wasn't expecting to hear from her for a few days since I knew she was out of the office.  Well, wasn't I surprised when I got a call this afternoon from the on call doctor requesting I come in NOW...I asked if I should be more concerned and they said they were concerned enough to not want to wait on the whole weekend.  So I bid adieu to my parents (thank goodness they were here to sit with the boys), passed up a hot salmon dinner, and trekked to the hospital.  After a lengthy discussion, we decided on a surgical procedure (doc's words, not mine!).   I asked how bad the numbing was and he told me some people opt to never do it again....I told him I had given birth twice, once unmedicated... he said I should be just fine and chuckled a little when I started my labor breathing.  I was numbed up and ten minutes later he was digging deep in big toe...I am told to start the pain meds now before the numbing wears off...heaven help me, it may be a rough night!

Alaska

Our Daddy has been in Alaska for five days and so off the grid we haven't heard from him at all.  He arrived in Anchorage tonight and we finally got some photos and a phone call!  He'll be home tomorrow morning and we're meeting him at the airport!

Yummy dinner!!!  30 pounds of salmon coming right up!

This is what happens when Daddy comes to swimming lessons after being gone all week- he's bombarded with snuggles and Mr. Wyatt Bear falling fast asleep in his arms before we can even get him in dry clothes!  A little couch snuggling later in the day, everyone is so happy Daddy is home!

 

Art Beast

Since the boys are in Alaska, Grandma Patty decided to treat us to a fun day out.  We couldn't go far with swim lessons and such, but we ventured to Sacramento and tried out the ArtBeast.  It was so much fun- it's an old house that has been converted into an imagination wonderland for kiddos 0-6 years old.  You rarely find things geared for kids as young as Mr. Wyatt Bear, so it was just perfect.  We got messy and tired, had a burger next door, and headed home just in times for the streets to open (we had our road paved) and the boys to take a late afternoon nap.  We love fun midweek adventures, thanks Grandma Patty.

Popsicles, Ice Cream, and Strawberry Sauce

What do all three have in common????  Well yes, they are all things Little Guy helps himself to from the fridge or freezer WHENEVER he sees fit....be it 7:30 in the morning or right before bathtime, if the mood strikes, Little Guy goes for it.  Recently I discovered him and Mr. Wyatt Bear in the garage, dozens of Otter Pops all over the place with bite holes all over the popsicles...a few days later I discovered him in the playroom with a gallon of ice cream and his hand acting as a spoon...we talked again about not taking things out of the freezer without Mommy....a few days later I found him sucking down the strawberry sauce with the fridge wide open- it wasn't the freezer, but we had to have a talk about taking things out of the kitchen, fridge, or freezer in general without an adult to help him...oh Little Guy, you keep us on our toes and you're teaching your little brother such valuable lessons, NOT!

Summertime colds

I hate summertime colds.  We had a batch of them back in June and decided to make the most of it and potty train...well, we don't have any need to potty train now, so the colds are just annoying.  I have a feeling I'll stay healthy enough to avoid getting sick while the boys are sick and then as soon as they kick it, I'll get it and give it back to them...that's how we roll in this house, since after all, caring is sharing...in the meantime, I'll give my babies extra cuddles and crank up the EO diffusers!

Alaska Bound

Daddy headed to Alaska today and Gigi came up to keep us company...he's going to be gone for six days and I think we'll be missing him pretty bad!  Gigi's here to spend the weekend and Papa's even going to join us tomorrow, so it should be a fun way to keep our minds off missing Daddy.  I decided to kick the mama and kiddo week off with a little TLC time and headed to get my first facial in over a year!  It was a great way to relax and get ready for single motherhood!

Giving Kisses

Our little love Mr. Wyatt Bear is already quite the charmer, and now to add insult to injury, he's learned how to give kisses.  We used to be in trouble when it was just his sweet smile and glistening eyes, now he puckers up and you're done for.  Mr. Wyatt Bear, strangers say it, your family says it, and your mama agrees, your smile's going to get you into AND out of a lot of trouble...we love you sweet bear!

National Night Out

We hosted our first annual National Night Out and it was a complete SUCCESS!!  I've always been envious of Heather's neighborhood and the fun time they put on every August so this year when another neighbor asked me to co-chair the event, I said "Of course!".  Our family passed out flyers last month (people tried to avoid us, we looked like a family sales team) and ended up with over 50 people  mingling and meeting in front of our house.  It's so comforting to finally know who lives around us and to hopefully have made some new friends!  The city sent the fire trucks, police cars, police dogs, police motorcycles, city van, and City Coach by to say hello and we had bounce houses, corn hole, and a trailer BBQ to complete the evening!  Someone said they can't wait until next year....I am hoping we don't have to wait that long for another neighborhood get together!

I have hands and feet

We went to the bounce house today with Lizzy Bug and Little Guy informed me on the way there that Mr. Wyatt Bear was not big and couldn't go in the bounce house.  I agreed that Mr. Wyatt Bear might be too small right now, but he could still play on the floor.  Little Guy agreed and then further informed me, in a very bewildered tone, that he has hands and he has feet and Lizzy Bug has feet and she has hands- he laughed and shook his head at these crazy facts, then pointed at an airplane outside the window...oh how I'd love to be in a toddler's brain for just a few minutes!

Imaginative Play

Little Guy is really into imaginative play lately.  I always try to secretly tape his playtime, but it never fails he stops as soon as I start recording.  He LOVES to have multiple characters that he does voices for and he's quite animated and expressive.  Today in the bathtub, he lined up his Disney characters and then did a little dialogue for each of them.  It went like this:

"I am Buzz, I fly.  I am Woody, I say 'yee haw'.  I am Nemo, I swim fast.  I am Sully, I say 'rooooaaaaarrrrr'.  I am Naughty Guy (the Incredibles dad) and I...."

He couldn't think of what he says, so he did a few karate chops then realized I was watching and sunk under water.  I don't know how kids learn embarrassment since I have never said a word during his imaginative play, but he's become aware of when people are listening to him in his own little world and he shys away.  I am just amazed on a daily basis at his growth and maturity, it blows my mind!

Day Out With Thomas

We spent the night at Gigi and Papa's because Uncle Mike is here from Indiana and we had a fun family party so everyone could visit.  We met Aunt Mary's sweet new dog Jazzy and Little Guy and Brayden had a blast playing together.  We also spent the night because we were slated for an early start the next morning to make way to "Day out with Thomas".  Papa and Gigi came all the way to the Roaring Railroads in the Santa Cruz mountains and together, we spent the day playing trains, riding the open car steam engine, and even having a chance to pose with the very useful engine himself.  It was the most beautiful day on the coast ( I am always a pessimist that it will be overcast and cold on the coast) and we found out the train can take us to the boardwalk if we ever wanted to come back and enjoy the hour long ride to the fun rides.  We ended our day dropping Papa off at the A's game to meet Daddy and some of my uncles, then heading back to Gigi's house to dinner, errands, and bedtime!  What a fun day for all!!