Garden Party

This weekend Fargo Parks put on a garden party at Rheault Farm. Alex was very excited and kept saying he was going to the party garden. Not quite!

It turned out to be really neat. Each kid was given a passport to be stamped at each station. The zoo from Wahpeton was there. They had a tortoise just wandering around for kids to touch, a big python, a ferret and a vulture (not for petting). There was a station to plant flowers seeds for the kids to take home, a plant walk (Alex won a flower pack), bug hunt, smell and feel plants, 3 crafts, the bug man (didn't get to see his table) and face painting. Plus, they provided free snacks. Alex really enjoys smelling flowers, so this was a blast for him. When we are at the grocery store it isn't the candy or cookie aisle we have to drag him away from, but the floral department!

Sunday morning we were greeted by our annual visitors. The mallard ducks are back! They were in the front yard this time. Usually they meander about the back. This is the 3rd year we've had ducks. I guess it's the female returning, but I'm going to check with my buddy, Mike, in fish and wildlife to see if that's correct. I remember that ducks are monogamous for a season, so that's why I think it's the same female. I hope to see them more through the summer!

..that's what we've been up to!

It's been a rocky month or so. Alex is having some issues with being a sibling. I thought this sort of acting out would have happened back 5 months ago. It seems like we've regressed. I think it could be a combination of many things, but he is really struggling to gain independence. I'm more than happy to let him spread his wings, but he gets a little to big for his britches. I try to give him little decisions to make like what to wear, lunch choice, he gets to help with chores and dinner (this might seem nice but it makes these tasks take way longer) and such. Our biggest obstacle has been revenge. He has decided that if he's mad about something like having a time out or not being able to watch tv, for example, then he will pee in the floor. It's by no means an accident....just an "I'll show you!" It's pure craziness! I've tried every solution I can think of. It's slowly getting better, but it's not solved.

Yesterday was another one my worst mom of the year moments. Usually we keep the gates to the fence chained and locked due to them mysteriously opening. We think it's the little neighbor girl. Anyway, we are getting a sprinkler system put in, so we've left the gate unlocked because there are people coming everyday to mark with flags. Well, yesterday afternoon the doorbell was going crazy and the neighbor tells me that the dogs are running around and headed for the main street! I had to think fast. They may be bassets, but I had no idea how long they had been out. So I decided that it would take too long to put Aaron in his seat and Alex in his seat. I chose to put Aaron in the crib and take Alex with me. Also, Alex had no pants on...a totally different story involving chaffing. I barely turned around the block and saw the dogs. I breathed a sigh of relief, got them in the car, and drove back around the block. I wasn't even gone 3 minutes. So I close the gate and unload everyone. I go to open the door to the house...hmm..it's LOCKED! Ok, we've got an extra key...no big deal. Our door knob isn't one I'd suggest on buying. This happens all the time. Well, there's no extra key. Panic is now setting in. So, I go over to the crazy neighbors house with my pant less kiddo and ask to use the phone. I explain that the baby is locked in the house. They start chattering whatever language they speak, and I knew it was in astonishment. I wanted to tell them not to judge me since they let their 4-5 year old drive cars and never have put her in a car seat. I finally get a hold of Paul and he tries to tell me that there is a key and what it looks like...blah, blah, blah....as if I know none of this. I hang up on him and go back thinking maybe I totally over looked this stupid key. Nope! I haul Alex back over to the crazy house and use the phone again. Thankfully Paul was smart enough to get his hind end in the car and head home! Of course, we know what really happened to the gate. It wasn't the wind like the neighbors claimed. It was helluva windy day, but it doesn't lift the gate thingy, swing against that strong of wind, and lower the gate thingy back down.

Chocolate & Storms

Two of my favorite things and also words that come to mind when I look at my boy's eyes.

Alex: eyes like chocolate. Not deep like dark chocolate but more like creamy milk chocolate.

Aaron: sometimes bright and blue and other times blue/grey... just like storm clouds rolling in on a summer's eve.

I don't know if either will retain these beautiful colors, but, for now, I'll enjoy each moment of them.

Pictures and potty time

Aaron's pictures are available to view at www.cheriesphotography.com. Click order online and scroll to my name.

We've had some excitement at our house. Alex is well on his way to being potty trained. I had no intentions of working with him on this because he did not exhibit the "signs" of being ready. While at my parents he started asking to go on the potty. He's continued ever since. We are going on little over a week of only night time diapers. I had gotten Pull-Ups but abandoned that idea and decided to go cold turkey. The first day of doing so was a bit of a struggle but after a couple of times of having wet pants he cooperated. He need some help with pooping, so last night I got him a poop book. He had me read it several times this morning and tonight he felt comfortable enough to go on the potty! He's even told me he needed pee in public ( I put him in a Pull -Up then just in case). I'm so excited about this milestone!

smiles, belly laughs, b-days and beer!

That's just some of what we have been up to in 2010!

Today is my last day of being toddler free. Alex took his first vacation away from us starting on Friday afternoon. It's been kind of strange not having him around. It's been quiet and almost boring. I'm glad though that he can be away from us and not get upset about it. Of course, what could be better than hanging out with grandparents!?

Paul held his annual stout party this past Saturday which was the reason Alex wasn't around. He would have LOVED the people, but I figured bedtime and trying to get things ready while he was around might be a problem. The party mostly consisted of fellow brewers. Thankfully there were a few women.

Paul "celebrated" his 31st b-day on the 8th. It was very uneventful. My present didn't turn out and the dessert he picked wasn't made because I didn't have all the ingredients. He had to shovel when he got home, so Alex and I had to eat without him. His request for his birthday meal was, in his words, "a big, nasty omelet." I kind of felt bad for him, but he didn't seem to really care. I did finally make his peanut butter bars this week.

Aaron has turned in to quite a little Buddha baby. We've been surprised by him. We figured we were doomed after Alex being such an easy baby. Some how we managed an even better tempered baby! I have no idea how that worked. I'm a little leery because Alex was a very good baby, but he is a very stubborn and on the go toddler. I think we pay in toddler hood. I'm hoping this trend doesn't continue or else our excellent baby will be even more work than Alex as a toddler. YIKES! :)

Aaron has found his voice and has been giving us huge belly laughs. He is so smiley....except for yesterday during his first photo session. He was too focused on what was going on. He did manage to make a huge poopy diaper about 10 minutes in. UGH...I used every wipe I had and hoped he was finally done. He isn't a napper. He's more of 30 minutes of napping here and there. I'm not quite used to that. Thankfully the lack of napping doesn't make him fussy. It will be interesting to see if he is an anti napper as he gets older.

When Aaron's pictures are up, I will put the link to them on here.

End of a decade

I entered the new decade and millennium in an ambulance ride along. It was very uneventful night in emergency services! Although that night was low key, the years to follow have been anything but. I thought I'd list my most memorable events over the last ten years. They are joyful, terrifying and heartbreaking. ( Not in chronological order)

1) Our marriage in 2002
2)Our honeymoon to England
3) Sept. 11
4)The death of baby Hope Toomey
5) Surviving a pulmonary embolism
6) Diagnosis of Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome
7) 3 miscarriages
8) The birth of Alex and Aaron
9)My crazy/scary pregnancy with Alex
10) Diagnosis of Cyclic Neutropenia
11)The ends and beginnings of many friendships
12) Our many vacations
13) The flood of 2009
14)The adoption and loss of several pets
15) Our first house

Tonight we aren't doing anything special to ring in the new year. I think we will watch a movie or play chess. We are having a fun kid friendly meal of pigs in a blanket and mac and cheese. Alex isn't a fan of mac and cheese, so I'll be making an adult version. I suspect the pigs in a blanket should be a big hit.

So, goodbye to a decade and 2009. May goodness and humanity find some way to prevail in this ever crazy and changing world!

'tis the season

I got a nice surprise on Thursday....Paul doesn't go back to work until after the first of the year!!! I knew he had the week after Christmas off, but I didn't realize he had this week off, too. It's kind of been a tradition that he takes off all the Fridays in Dec (this used to be a bigger deal when he didn't normally get off at 12 on Fridays) and the week after Christmas. It's always a lot of fun. Sometimes we rent movies or work on house projects. This year possibilities are endless. I could read my magazines that have piled up since Oct. 28th, crochet, embroider, organize my recipes...the list goes on and on.

We kicked off the "vacation" by taking Alex to McDonald's for lunch on Friday. This might not seem like much to most people but that was only the 2nd Happy Meal he has ever had. Plus we let him play in the playland * and the world collectively cringes*....I know...we are askin' for sick child.

Speaking of sickness, Alex never misses an opportunity to work his mojo on the ladies. Paul took him to get his H1N1 shot on Thursday night. I guess he really hammed it up. He didn't cry but announced, "I did it!" and continued to wave at the people and tell them he did it. :)

Here are some pics that I promised: