Saturday, March 28, 2009

Daddy's A Sucker!!!







What can I say....TJ is a complete push over when it comes to his first born son Tyler!!! I know he loves all his boys and always wants them to have everything they possibly can, but today's outing was a prime example of a daddy getting "suckered" by their son! We went out today to buy some spring/summer clothes for everyone and that was supposed to be it! But Tyler saw a mini skateboard and his little eyes lit up. He didn't come to me because I had already said "Don't you ask for anything today, we are here to buy clothes and nothing else", so he went to daddy! "Oh daddy, can I get this skateboard so I can ride like Tony Hawk?" And look what happened! I have to laugh and it does make me smile because I know TJ is doing it because he loves him so much!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

The little man at t-ball practice






















Yes, I said it, Tyler has officially started t-ball. TJ has been waiting for this day since before he was even born. I think he got his first bat and ball on his first birthday! And he has been teaching him ever since. I have to say, Tyler is probably one of the biggest hitters on his team, of course I am bias! But he is having so much fun. They stretch out, run the field, play catch, hit and field all in their 1 hour practice. They have practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights and games 1 time per week. We are going to be busy. Ryan and Noah LOVE going to the field. They run all over picking up rocks and sticks and Noah has even learned how to climb the fence! Thanks to Denises oldest son Dax! So here are a few pictures from our big event! Go Groundhogs! Um yeah, that's his teams name, NOT my choice.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

More of the Twins Battle







Twins At Each Others Throat!
















You might think I am a horrible parent for even capturing this on film. But to me it is so funny when they get mad at each other. I was shooting pictures of them fighting over this ride on rocking motorcycle that we got from my mom. And, Ryan has now learned how to take his clothes off. This one's for you Nic!!!

My Poor Baby Tyler


My baby is sick with an ear infection. His cough is better, but I think his cold has settled into his ears now! He has been complaining all day of his ears hurting. So I will be taking all the kids tomorrow to our pediatrician. I hope Tyler gets well soon. Mommy had some fun things planned for him this week since he is on Spring Break.

Great trick to get your toddler to eat their fruits and veggies!!!


Well, I will start by saying, this was TJ's idea and a very brilliant one at that. Most parents know that when your children hit that toddler stage, it is pretty hard to get them to eat what you want. They are past the phase where you spoon feed them all the homemade good baby food filled with veggies and fruits, but not old enough yet to bribe them or force them into eating them. My little ones are very picky eaters these days so it's pretty tough to get them all their nutrients. Anyways, TJ has been juicing for several months and all of a sudden he decides to give them some in a cup and they were so HAPPY. They had little carrot juice mustaches this afternoon and each of them drank at least 8 oz! So we decided if we can't get them to eat it, we will get them to drink it. Their juice today had carrots, celery, cantaloupe, tomatoes and apples. MMMMMM.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Things are NOT as they appear!!! A bit of an XXX POST!


Okay so I couldn't help but post this. I have a sick sense of humor and you all know that. I guess I come by it honestly. After all Cheri is my mother! Anyways, I have found this really yummy homemade pizza dough recipe and have used it several times. Besides being more cost effective, and healthier than buying from a pizza place, it is really fun for the kids to have their own ball of dough to play with. So this afternoon when I was rolling out the dough, Tyler, like usual was at the counter doing the same. After a few minutes of saying "mom look at this" and showing me different things he had made he said "mom look, it's sonic the hedgehog." He was really serious and to him it looked like that, however to me....well just see for yourself! This will be one of those moments I will be telling and laughing about for many years. Gotta love the pure innocence of a child and the sick mind of a mommy! Hope this makes you laugh as much as it did me.

Round Table Bread Sticks


I love to bake and I know I am a total dork for even posting this, but I decided to try to make my own bread sticks. My favorite are the ones from Round Table. I think they turned out really well and they got devoured in seconds at this house!

We Did It!!!







Well, the day has finally come. Two nights ago Ryan and Noah had their last bottles! Of course I had to take pictures of the event. I am happy, but at the same time sad because they are growing up so fast. It hasn't seemed to bother them much other than they aren't drinking as much milk as before. Anyone who knows me knows that I am an "all or nothing" type of girl so this was a cold turkey milestone for them. This is my method for most things that have to do with my kids. Tyler did the "cold turkey" with his bottle and his pacifier or sucky as we call it. So I would imagine it will be the same for the twins. And my philosophy is that it's painless if you wait a little longer than what the pediatricians recommend. I know they were ready for it. Congrats to my babies, you are growing up so fast.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

House Tent Continue











Sick Day at Home
















I remember when I was a little girl my brother and I would be home from school sick and we would build forts to pass the time. Well, Tyler is home sick and will be going back tomorrow because he has WAY too much energy to be at home. Anyways, I was sitting here trying to think of something for the kids to do so I could get a few things done and remembered that my mom had bought Tyler a little tent like house when he turned 1. Luckily I saved everything knowing that he would not be our last. So I went out into the shed and found it nicely put away in a tote. I brought it in and the babies had a hay day. Here are some of the pictures from it. Tyler joined later but of course didn't want his picture taken.

Monday, March 9, 2009

If it isn't One it's Another

Well after yesterday's fiasco Ryan ended up throwing up all day until about 6pm. It was then as if someone cured him with a magic wand because he was as happy as could be and ate everything in sight. He slept all night long and has been fine ever since. However, Tyler on the other hand is now sick. He woke up at 11:40 and didn't go back to sleep until 4 am. He had a fever and has been coughing non stop today. It has literally been 2 weeks since our last horrible sickness and now we are on to another one. Hopefully it will pass quickly and not spread to anyone else. So I just drugged Tyler up with a cough suppressant, an antihistamine and some children's night time cold dimetapp. So hopefully he will sleep tonight and wake up better. Oh the joys of parenting children in preschool. I just hope that he is better by the time his spring break starts next week.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Just our luck


So, for the past 2 days we have been planning, shopping and packing to take our family to the snow today...Sunday. I bought snow suits for the babies, borrowed a bunch of snow clothes from my good friend Denise for Tyler and myself, drove all over Amador County looking for a sled, packed an ice chest of drinks, fruit, granola bars, pretzels, and various other snacks, packed extra clothes for everyone, extra clothes for afterwards, trash bags for wet clothes, blankets, diaper bags, bags of over sized snow clothes along with other misc. items. We were all so excited but TJ and I were already exhausted from packing for this adventure. We left the house at 9am and drove over by highway 50 to meet Anthony, Nicole and Maddie to caravan up to Sly Park. When we got to our meeting point we were of course early, we all know TJ! Ryan started crying and fussing and just wouldn't stop. After a few minutes TJ pulled him out of the car while we waited for the Staiti family. And as he did that Ryan threw up all over TJ. We thought maybe he had gotten car sick from the windy road, but he continued to throw up every 5-10 minutes. So at this point we knew we were NOT going. We loaded everyone back up including a VERY sad and upset little boy named Tyler. I wanted to cry for him because I have never seen him that upset before. This would have been his first time to the snow. He was so sad and yelled to Ryan "it's all your fault you stupid baby." It was sort of hard not to laugh because of what he said, but then I had to explain that it's not his fault and that we would go to the snow the next chance we could. TJ and I looked at each other and said "we should have known". Every time we have anything planned someone gets sick. We feel like why do we even try to do anything because it always ends up in a disappointment. I just want to scream. I feel really bad and I was really looking forward to a fun family Sunday, but instead all we got was another boring day in the house cleaning up throw up. The only picture I got from today was one of Ryan. Denise gave us some boots for him so we wouldn't have to buy some and he refused to take them off. He wore them all day yesterday. So cute. So I guess we will try this again next weekend....that is if everyone is healthy.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Hanging On

I can't sleep. Insomnia is a bitch. But as I lay in my bed my mind starts racing and reflecting on these past few years. I realized something so strange....I have turned into one of those moms that hangs on to every last ounce of babyness. What I mean by that is that with Tyler I was always finding myself pushing him to get to those first milestones. I couldn't wait to give him his first haircut, I wanted him to talk, walk, crawl and just hurry and grow up. I remember thinking when he was a baby "I can't wait until we can have a conversation while driving in the car" and now, well let's just say there are times I just want to stuff a sock in his mouth or press the mute button! I can't believe in a few short weeks my little boy will be five years old. Where has the time gone?

Which brings me to this uncharted territory I am finding myself in. I am subconsciously hanging on to Ryan and Noah like crazy. I will admit that I have yet to fully take away their bottles. Yes, I said it. I keep finding a reason to validate why they still need them. Who am I kidding, they don't need it. I need it. So this weekend will be it for that. When I see them with a bottle before bed I don't see a toddler needing desperately to get rid of it, I see my little babies. I can't bring myself to cut off their hair because they will look more like little boys rather than my little babies. Besides that, I sort of like their surfer shags! But I also love that when they wake up from a nap they love it when I stroke their hair. It's so precious to just hold them while they lay on my chest. I love the way they still smell after a bath. After Tyler's bath he still smells like a dirty little boy! ha ha. I still feel needed with Ryan and Noah. And now the only time Tyler needs me is when he gets hurt or if he wants something to eat. I love the sound their diaper makes when they run down the hall, you know that swishing sound. I love when they pull up their shirt and look at their tummy like they just found the coolest thing ever, or when they hear music Noah does his signature "one shoulder" dance move and Ryan does his squatting dance move.

I almost feel guilty for speeding through all these wonderful phases in Tyler's life. I feel like I let it all pass me by so quickly that I didn't even get to stop and enjoy it. I look at Tyler and am overwhelmingly happy with how he is growing. He is such a fun, imaginative, hilarious little boy. He wears his heart on his sleeve and tells you like it is. I love it. But at the same time I miss my little baby boy. I know my boys can't stay little forever, but it's like I want to freeze time and never let them get bigger. I know that tomorrow I will wake up and they will be driving cars and not wanting to have anything to do with mommy and daddy. And even those words "mommy" and "daddy" will be a thing of the past. Soon it will be mom or mother. I remember calling my mommy MOTHER, when I was mad or irritated. But I guess I need to realize that growing up is just a part of life and all I can do is try my hardest to enjoy the ride and preserve as many memories as possible.