We're gonna score tonight

Since the thermometer barely topped twenty degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, we went looking for something to keep the kids busy and entertained. Our area was due to get hit with a few inches of snow, so we decided to play it safe and remain local. Joe and I were anxious to get out of the house, and while the Bowling Alley isn't the most sanitary of facilities, the cold pitcher of beer and over boiled hot dogs sounded like a good idea.

This is the first time our kids have been to the Bowling Alley, so I share with you this first picture. Let's just call this...The Observation.

I wasn't too sure how it was going to go, but we grabbed four pairs of shoes and went for it. Oh...my...gawd....the shoes. Here is our littlest trying them on for size.

Conor took to it like fish to water. Besides the fact he was trying to carry a ball that weighed a quarter of what he did, he's a natural. Check out my "Babe" calling his shots.

At 22 months, he did better than his Mama, and I took bowling in College! I wasn't great then either, but received training none the less. Will you check out his strike on frame 5? For real?

The kids had a blast, each attempting the new challenge their own way.

Grab your shoes Mom Mom and Pop Pop, Kate wants to bowl when she gets to Texas.

Celebrating toilets

Jump to your feet, throw your arms straight above your head, stomp your feet, begin turning in circles, and start chanting...cele-brate, cele-brate in your fastest, most Soprano of a voice...

This was the sound and scene in the kids bathroom tonight.

You see, we have a few routines around here. I'm a planner like that. Our nightly bathing ritual for the kids begins with them stripping down to their bare bums, laundry thrown in the baskets, a quick visit to the loon, and finally a dip in the tub. Conor is at the age where he does everything (and I mean everything) his sister does. She puts on a costume, he puts on a costume. She wants a drink, he wants a drink. She puts on panties, he....you get the idea. So, we got to the third step of our bathing routine (the toilet) tonight, and as he has done so many times before, our little Con Man sat on the trainer toilet in front of the throne of his sister and attempted the almighty. Since this scene was not unusual, my attention was averted to the temperature of the tub water when I heard..."Mommy! Look at Conor!"

Yowser! He was peeing in (and out) of the little toilet. My little man.

I quickly assisted the little guy, and returned the wide grin he was so proudly offering me. While it wasn't much, it sent all three of us to our feet, arms in the air, stomping to the beat of cele-brate, cele-brate, cele-brate! I have never seen him more proud.

Now, I am no fool. This was a total fluke. Still, I am going to celebrate...and maybe cry.

A Toddlers Tale

Here we go! We loaded up this weekend and headed down the Eastern shore to visit GrandMom and Pop. They, like many of their friends, were gearing up to migrate South for February, and we wanted to see them before they left.

Dad says the off season is one of the best times to go to the beach because nobody is there. So, we decided to venture out and make the most of our time and the empty little beach town.

We started by visiting the wild ponies on Assateague Island! So cool!

This one looks like my sister...always posing for a picture.
Dad says there are 150 ponies on the island, but we only saw a handful that day. Despite Kate's repeated calls to them, they didn't seem to want to play. Mom says they were huddled together as a family in the brush, trying to keep warm. I guess ponies need to nap too.
Next, we headed over to the boardwalk arcade. Mom said they had the best rides, and she was right! Dad and I scored a bunch of tickets in "Knock Down", while my sister chose to ride "Dino" the Dinosaur. Dad and I got so many tickets, we turned them in for a little car for me and a Princess wand for my sister. It was so much fun! On our way to grab Thrashers fries, we passed by Ripleys and saw this....

Awesome! I love sharks!

When we were leaving, the wind was so rough, Mom caught this picture of the Coast Guard Boat almost tipping over! The waves were huge!

When we got home, we put our jammies on and laughed about all the fun we had.

Then, we loaded up the car and headed back home to PA. Mom says when she was a kid, she used to go on road trips with Uncle Brad, just like me and my sister do. She said Uncle Brad used to sleep on the floor board and play "Slug Bug" the whole time. I still can't figure out how they saw bugs at night?

Gotta go...Finding Nemo is on!

Surviving one Doctor at a time

A year ago, I made an appointment for Kate's first dental appointment. However, as the year progressed, we were faced with many unexpected medical appointments, tests, and hospital visits which led me to prioritize who we were supporting in the medical field. Since learning our family dentist charged $50 for a missed appointment (tis true), he was the first to get the boot.

We have seen many Doctors, each offering their own experience. Here are a few as the kids know them:

"The Kid Doctor". He fixed (stiched) Katie's head when she met the coffee table falling backwards off the couch almost two years ago. They always let her play with the stethoscope when visiting, and shower her with stickers and pictures to color when she leaves. Oh, and the fish in the waiting room are a hit too.

"The Ear Doctor". When Conor came home from his surgery, Kate asked, "Did Conor get new ears?" For a small fee, you can have some too. Heh.

"Dr Jesse". When Kate broke her arm last summer, Dr Jesse was the young intern in the ER that reset, cast, and made her arm feel better. He even took a few extra minutes to remove the bandaid from the bend in her arm and place it in the same place on top of her cast. It was one of the first things she noticed when she woke from the anesthesia.

"The Bone Doctor". While she was a champ in the ER, it was the trip to the Orthopaedic to remove the cast that literally left a scar an inch long on her left arm. She still shows it to whomever will listen. He is not a fan favorite.

So, alas, it was time to introduce her to the "The Teeth Doctor". Is he going to fix my teeth?" asked Kate. "No," I said. "Doctors don't always fix things. Sometimes, they just help to keep us well. The Teeth Doctor is going to count and polish your teeth!" "Just like a Princess?" she asked. "Just like a Princess," I replied (whatever that means).

When her name was called, she skipped back to the room and up into the chair. Clipped on her paper bib with excitement, and listened to the Hygenist explain what her "tools" were for. She was thrilled when she heard "The Explorer" had found twenty teeth in her mouth, and "The Mirror" didn't see any cavities. It was the sound of "The Polisher", however, that caused her to opt out of any further service.

I quickly determined the sound of the toothbrush was too familiar to another spinning sound which had traumatized her, and asked to end the adventure after polishing eight teeth. Call me what you want. I couldn't do it. We thanked "The Teeth Doctor" for his help, accepted the cool, new toothbrush he offered, and bid our good byes. As we left, Kate said, "Mom, I like the Teeth Doctor. Can we come again?"

Whew. We survived another one.

Leftovers please

Tis true. Our kids love, and I mean LOVE, leftover night. Contrary to when I was a kid and leftover night was...well...just that...leftovers. Nuked and re-served. These days with the help of a few too many Parenting magazines, leftovers can become oh so many things.

Tonight, they became...Party Pizza (insert jazz hands)!

I just love how Conor is rolling up his sleeves in this picture! Bring it on!

Okay, so I am sure many have done this. It's simple really. But, because the kids were so darn cute pulling it all together (and it's my blog), I will explain. You start with one item...be it leftovers, food set to expire, mold (you just spoon out that part). Kidding. Heh.

For me, I had some Pillsbury Pizza dough that was set to expire. And if you know my shopping habits, you know me throwing away food is not an option. It doesn't happen. So, I decided we would start there. Next, we added the leftover Pasta sauce from Tuesday night followed by lots and lots of cheese. Proudly quoting her Dad, Kate says, "You can never use too much cheese".

Then, we added leftovers upon leftovers. Brace yourself...here come the toppings...hot dogs, sausage, broccoli, and olives. Yes, we put hot dogs on the pizza. It's a party (insert jazz hands), remember?

As gross as it sounds, it didn't turn out half bad and they ate it with so much pride, high fives were offered all around. Not too shabby for our first try. Now, if I could only figure out what to do with the stir fry.

Blame it on your childhood

When I was a kid, I had a similar bookshelf. It was blue, green, white, and was made of partical board. The top housed the shelfs lined with my favorite friends...Strawberry Shortcake, Care Bears, Monchichi, and Cabbage Patch. The bottom was a toy chest with slanted doors which slid from side to side with the help of your finger and a small cut out hole.

My Mimi was into clowns at the time. So, I had the occasional stuffed clown sitting there, too. I remember watching Poltergeist, and then secretly disposing of all clowns in the room. They still give me the creeps.

So, yesterday, I flashed back to that moment of fear when the following occured...

Kate: (yelling) You're bad! Very, very bad!

Mom: (listening from the other room)

Kate: Get out of here. You're bad, BAD!

Mom: (walking into Kate's room). What is going on, Kate?

Kate: (pointing in the direction of the bear) That bear is bad, Mommy!

Mom: What?

Kate: That bear is BAD! We need to give it to the Boys and Girls.

Mom: Which one?

Kate: That one! That bear is BAD! (Pointing to last year's Valentine bear that was now upside down in the corner of her room)

When I picked it up and turned it around...I raised an eyebrow. She has a point, no?

Just like those clowns I still refuse to let in my house, so too, has the bear been removed.

Creepy...

Whipped recipe of Fun

Ingredients:

1 Patient caregiver

1 Incredibly giddy toddler

1 Scoop of Whipped Cream

1 Camera

Feeds: Unlimited friends

Directions:

1. Clear an easy-to-clean countertop.
2. Push up toddlers sleeves (as shown).
3. Scoop one spoon of whipped cream onto the countertop.
4. Step back and grab camera.
5. Smile and enjoy!

Optional: Finger tasting

Special thanks to the kids' dear Ms. Marci for contributing the whipped cream, pictures, and fun today.

The Best Christmas Gift EVER

Our kids love their Uncle B-Rad. He is one of those Uncles I am sure they will flock to as teenagers because he is a good listener, doesn't tend to live life by the rules, and always finds a way to have a good time.

So, it was no surprise to me this year when our youngest opened his present to find "The Whoopie". Our kids have had more fun with this one timeless toy than any other Santa left under the tree. Even at their young ages of 2 and 3.5, they know exactly what to do. They place the toy on the floor, turn around, and WHOOOOOOOOO.....

Sometimes they fall to the left...sometimes to the right.

Each one taking their turn at multiple dumps as if trying to achieve the best out of three...four..or five attempts. When one is laughing so hard they roll to their side, the other swoops in for a turn continuing the play.

I attempted to record a video of them in action, but could not contain my own laughter behind the camera. In playback, my cackling was too much and too loud. You're welcome.

So, here it is..the BEST Christmas gift ever!

Note: In the future, you are not likely to receive the same reaction to offering these sounds in public.

Thank you dear Uncle B-Rad. For Kate's Birthday, she wants a purple harmonica.

A decade gone...A year remembered

One year ago, I made a New Years resolution to begin logging (or blogging) the little moments with the kids that one day I would be unable to remember. The little moments that happen in life that are so precious, yet hard to remember amongst decades of memories.

So, as the year came to an end, I took a moment to look back on some of my favorite memories from 2009...

The Fun. Spending the time at Hershey and the Blizzard of 2009.

The Tough. Conor's endless medical visits and Katie's broken arm.

The Cherished. Katie's love for band aids and her Nana.

The Sweet. The kids first lessons in Chemistry and disappearance.

The Milestones. Conor's First Birthday and Kate's first day of school.

The kids have grown leaps and bounds over the last twelve months, with Conor learning to walk and Katie writing her first letter to Santa. While I don't know what is in store for the year ahead, I am fairly sure I will have a lot to write about!

Wishing all a joyful and prosperous 2010! Happy New Year!