My Little Chatterbox

An no it's not Erin (well Erin is a chatterbox, but this is about Jeffrey). Jeffrey has become more vocal with every passing day. He's always had that babble where I was sure he was trying to tell me something, but I couldn't understand a word of it. Actually that was one of the cutest things about him. He would start this long conversation full of pauses, inflection, different consonants and vowels -- just none of it real words. Well those real words are becoming more and more frequent now. I'd say he's picking up a new word almost every day right now. Much of it is still associated with a specific action or situation -- for example his newest word is "backpack" (something only Dora lovers probably comprehend). Whenever he sees Dora and specifically "Backpack" he sings the backpack song clear enough that Tom and I know what he's saying. He even will say it when Erin's wearing her little backpack around the house. Some of his other words right now are:


All Done (mostly associated with eating)
Night Night
Down (he hears that one a LOT - "Jeffrey get Down", "Jeffrey Sit Down", "Jeffrey come Down the stairs")
Kitty
Doggie
Daddy
Uh-Oh
Thank You (when you hand him something)
Toot Toot (when he's pushing a car around)
Juice
Yummy
Blast Off (picked up from watching Rocket with his sister)
and
Backpack


It's just amazing to sit back and realize I'm starting to understand some of that babble. Maybe being able to communicate a little better will help his temper when he doesn't get what he wants. Even just a little would be nice.

Finding Nemo (and a few dolphins and seahorses along the way)

Yesterday we all went to Baltimore and spent the day with the fishies. We had a lot of fun looking in all of the tanks and finding all of the colorful and bright fishes. One note though, for you all to keep in mind - the National Aquarium in Baltimore does not allow strollers. There is a stroller check and they will also provide you with a handy backpack carrier. Let me note, this is not a high end carrier and does not keep the full (if any) weight of a wiggling 23 pound Jeffrey off your shoulders. Neither does it provide earplugs for the unfortunate soul to carry Jeffrey while he screamed "DAAAHHHHN" (down) for what felt like hours on end. Just keep all that in mind :)

We arrived at the aquarium early enough to beat much of the daily crowd. Got inside, checked the stroller and diaper bag and picked up the pack for Jeffrey. Got him situated and moved upstairs to look at the ray tank. Erin was fascinated with the ray tank for approximately 10.3 seconds until a larger ray swam near the top and startled her. That was the end of the ray tank for her. Jeffrey was rather amused by it and pointed out all the rays he saw. We also found a tortoise and few sharks in the ray tank. Since our Dolphin Show was at 11:30 we decided to pass the time looking around the exhibits on the first floor before heading up into the main exhibit area. Erin enjoyed looking at the seahorses and also at a "jungle" of big tubes filled with water and bubbles that she could hide among.

We walked across to the dolphin area and the kids pointed out every seagull and duck in the harbor. Since we were still early for the dolphin show we thought Erin would like the exploratory area (the touch tank). WRONG. The first thing she saw was a horseshoe crab and that was the end of that. We tried showing her a few other things but she just screamed in terror. Note - don't show Erin the horseshoe crabs first. We continued to wander around, Erin with her Uncle Jonathan, Noni, Oma and I taking turns wrestling with Jeffrey who at this point had found himself freedom from the backpack.

One they started letting people in for the show we found some seats in the last row of the "splash zone" on the far side of the area. Jeffrey wiggled and wiggled, but I finally got him calm. Erin sat with Uncle Jonathan and used up most of an entire roll of film from her camera taking pictures of the dolphins (or possibly of the back of the head of the man who was sitting in front of her - we'll see soon). Erin LOVED the dolphin show and there was enough music and action to keep Jeff's interest as well. We managed to escape getting splashed much (Erin got a little wet on the leg) and left the dolphin show energized, ready to eat lunch and tackle the rest of the aquarium.

20 minutes, 4 orders of chicken fingers, 1 hot dog and $40 later we were done with lunch (next time I'll remember to pack PB&J). We headed over to the main exhibit building and moved upstairs to the tanks. Jeffrey - again restrained to the backpack - gave in to the fight for a while and enjoyed the scenery. The first level of exhibits had primarily fresh water and local fish so Erin flew through that rather quickly. The next level had all the tropical fish. And this is where Erin got really excited. She ran up to the tank screaming - Nemo Nemo Nemo. And sure enough, there was a clown fish swimming in an anemone right at the front of the tank. We stood and watched that tank for quite a while. Until Jeffrey again declared his dislike for the backpack and I gave in to having to carry him for the rest of the afternoon. On that floor we also found Dory and a couple of Nemo's other friends.

The rest of the exhibits were relatively un-interesting to Erin - although I found the octopus quite cool and could watch the coral reef tank for hours. We made a quick trip up to the Amazon Rainforest exhibit (and no, there were no monkeys to be seen). Erin found a few brightly colored birds to snap photos of and liked the mist coming down from the ceiling. Jeffrey wiggled.

We started the descent down through the Atlantic reef tank and subsequently the shark tank. Erin will tell you she loved the sharks, but really I think she was terrified by them. She certainly didn't want to slow down to look at them. At this point Jeffrey had been sitting on my left hip/arm for about 45 minutes and I was starting to go numb so I moved a little more quickly downstairs, turned in the backpack and got the stroller and diaper bag. Changed a very wet Jeffrey and met up with the rest of the troops.

As we walked out of the aquarium we all heaved a big sigh - it was really a lot of fun but every single one of us was completely and totally exhausted. It's going to be a while before we return to the Aquarium I think.

A Day At The Beach

The kids had their first day at a "real" beach over the weekend. They both had a blast and the weather was perfect for a beach day. We were in New Jersey for Tom's Grandpa's 90th birthday party. We headed over to the beach both Friday evening and morning/early afternoon Saturday. The kids had been to the beach before, but never been allowed to play in the water, it was just a "look at the beach" trip really.

When we got there on Friday they both immediately wanted to get into bathing suits so they could go swim. Erin and Grandma W. headed down to the shore quickest while Jeffrey, Tom and I trailed behind somewhat. Apparently Erin ran straight into the waves, and subsequently got knocked over. Well that was the end of that for her. She stayed down in the surf for another few minutes but only if she was sitting on someone's shoulders. She and Tom ran around in the waves, but it was only OK as long as Erin was in no danger of getting wet at all.



Jeffrey also got knocked over by the first wave that hit him. He was a little unsure of the water for the next few minutes but before too long was out in the ocean with Tom and his Great-Uncle Pat. He loved being in the water, which was quite warm for NJ water. He'd splash and giggle every time a wave would come nearby.

While Jeffrey decided the ocean was great, Erin wanted to walk along the beach. We followed some seagulls, and found a little playground for her to climb around in. It appears that Erin is much more of a "beach" girl than an "ocean" babe. She got out a shovel and pail, found a water source that didn't require going near the ocean and build sand castles with Grandma. Although she hasn't really mastered the sand castle technique she likes filling up the buckets with, well the best word for it is mud, and dumping it out.

Uncle Pat and Aunt Linda's beach club also has a swimming pool that we visited. Erin took quite a long time to decide it was OK to play in the "kitty kat" pool (the kiddy pool). Her trauma at the surf made her very wary of any water. A little girl in the pool encouraged her to come in and play and after about 15 minutes Erin was splashing in the kiddy pool.

Jeffrey also adored being in the pool. This is the same child who was terrified of swimming lessons, and screamed before we even got into the water. By the middle of Saturday afternoon he was trying to wiggle away when being held in the pool and would "swim" between people holding him. He even decided it would be fun to run off the edge of the deck into the pool. Look out mommy I'm coming after you. So the kids have clearly reversed roles. Erin, who loved the water so much as a baby is now quite afraid of it and Jeffrey can't get enough of it.

So we had a great time at the shore, playing in the sand and swimming and splashing. Thanks very much, Uncle Pat and Aunt Linda for letting us come to the beach and having such a fun day!!!

A Year of Blogging...

"Erin decided to it's OK that Jeffrey Stays"

...and so much has gone on. It's amazing to think how much both the kids have grown and changed over just one year. Especially Jeffrey. Yeah, last year I understood that he would be walking and getting into things. And I suppose I knew that Erin would be holding full fledged conversations with us and singing us songs, but it just seems so amazing to me.


In the past year:

~Erin has gone through the complete potty training process and is now able to just all by herself.

~Jeffrey has gone from lying on the floor with his paci to climbing onto the table or pulling every DVD off the shelves.

~Erin was on stage in her first play.

~Jeffrey is saying words such as "All Done," "Down," "Daddy," and most recently "Kitty" (which means look out Kleo I'm coming after you.)

~"The Drama Queen," also known as Erin, has arrived full force in the household.

~"The Drama King," is quickly taking lessons from his big sister.

~...and so much more.


What's going to happen next year is all up to our wildest dreams.


"And Now Also Decided That He Makes a Decent Pillow"

Fun with Grandma

We all had a really great time with Grandma on her visit last week. We kept soooo busy getting out almost every day. We went to the park, the mall, the library, the children's museum, the grocery store, to visit come friends, out to dinner and all over the place. We also stayed in and played all kids of games. Erin and grandma played "guys" in her room, practiced riding her trike in the living room, cooked in the kitchen, played bouncy ball, made up a crazy hat game, and countless rounds of the Dora Memory game. Jeffrey helped out in the little kitchen, made lots of messes, played ball, made more messes, built towers and ran around like a silly monkey.

Tom and I enjoyed playing cards and chatting, cooking and going out with grandma too. We even took advantage of the free babysitting to see not 1 but 2 movies in the week (Pirates of the Caribbean and The Devil Wears Prada). That's more movies than we've seen in an entire year since Jeff's been born.

We are glad grandma could come down and spend the week with us. Here are some pictures of our week full of fun.

Museum Time


Trike Time


Dinner Time


Dress-up Time

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone!!! Only mommy and daddy (and their friends) can make a one-day holiday last a week, but they did it :)

Last Saturday we spent the day with Uncle John and Aunt Margaret at their annual "Don't Swear in Front of the Baby" 4th of July Party. There was mounds of food, drink, lots of kids to play with and even a basement to hold a soccer game in - who could ask for more. Erin got the chance to make some new friends, mommy and daddy got some time with adults and Jeffrey discovered it was OK to nap if he wasn't at home.

On Tuesday we got together with more friends. Jason and Crystal (Uncle Jeff and Aunt Robyn's friends from Baltimore) just moved into the area. The local community holds a small-town parade on every 4th. So we all got together to watch the fire trucks, horses, beauty queens, girl scouts, tractors and antique cars parade through town. Erin, Juls and Kasia were truly excited when they learned that the marchers/drivers throw candy into the crowd. The kids spent most of the time running around picking up candy off the street. Crystal and I spent their time strongly cautioning the girls to NOT run into the street after the candy. The parade was about 15 minutes long and everyone headed over to the house for a cookout.


Now it was un the mid-90s on the 4th and mommy had gotten all kinds of outside toys to play with. Erin and Juls wanted to play outside and did for a while, but the mommies decided it was smarter and easier to keep the younger ones inside (as well as the excuse that they needed to stay inside with them). Tom and Jason stood and sweated around the smoker while Erin and Juls built sand sculptures and blew bubbles. Then everyone moved inside for a rousing game of Candy Land. The girls also all discovered Erin's room and all the fun than can be had throwing all the toys on the ground.

Mid-afternoon, 2 smoked chickens, 4 smoked potatoes and 4 exhausted children later Crystal and Jason headed home and Erin moved downstairs for the next showing of Wizard of Oz. Everyone stayed cool and sleepy until about 9:00. Then we decided to walk over to the lake for the annual fireworks. Word has it that much of our homeowner's fees goes right to the annual fireworks display over the lake (although our road is in desperate need of some repairs). So we headed over to the beach with the kids - glow sticks in hand. Jeffrey ran around until it got dark enough that he was tripping every second step. Erin snuggled with Tom but when the fireworks started she got all excited. She clapped and oohed and ahhhed at all of them. Fireworks continue to be a big hit with Erin. Jeffrey, on the other hand, buried his head in my chest and whimpered the whole time. I tried to get him to look at them, but it was not to be - Jeffrey is not such a big fan of the fireworks.

So the rest of the week was spend recuperating from Tuesday. Grandma W. got here on Thursday and Saturday was the big Crab and Clam fest at Mr. Bakers. So we piled everything into the car (one would have thought we were packing for a weeks vacation in Europe by the amount of stuff that went into the car) and headed into town. The first thing Erin saw was the splashing pool (not deep enough for swimming). I convinced her that she didn't need to swim yet and we blew some bubbles and colored for a while. Erin got her first glimpse of live crabs and is now apparently scarred for life, even screaming at the sight of cooked crabs. She did eat some of the meat from Aunt Margaret though. Jeffrey found a new friend and ate his weight in watermelon. That boy LOVES watermelon.

Finally I let Erin get in the pool, where she stayed for the next 3 hours. One thing though, being in the pool apparently made Erin realize she had not eaten well for the last 3 months because she consumed 3 hot dogs, 2 servings of beans, a large amount of watermelon and her weight in chips. When she was the last person still in the pool, shaking and shivering because the sun had gone down we (Aunt Margaret and I) convinced her that it would be OK to get into dry clothes and get more to eat.

Jeffrey was possessed by sleepiness and actually sat on the blanket quietly coloring and playing with a set of keys for an extended period. Just about darkness the sparklers came out. Erin wasn't sure at first, but became more and more excited about them. She ran around the back years with 3 or 4 sparklers (1 at a time) waving them in front of anyone who would take her picture. Again, Jeffrey was terrified. Once the sparklers were used up it was time for the fireworks show. Erin again oohed and ahhed and Jeffrey gave into the sleepiness and snoozed through the whole thing. After packing up and getting everyone in the car both kids were asleep within 5 minutes of leaving Mr. Bakers.

So...it's been a busy week but we had lots of fun.

I Have a Brain - I Left it Upstairs

So Erin is obsessed with the Wizard of Oz at the moment. She found the DVD in the closet and has been asking to watch it frequently. She sings the songs and even dances along with the Munchkins. Yesterday she sat on the coffee table and didn't move throughout the whole movie.

So tonight she was watching it again. When it got to the end, where the Wizard is handing out the Brain/Heart/Courage Erin looked up from the couch and yelled:

"I have a brain!!! I left it upstairs!!!!"

She then ran up the stairs the re-emerged with a rolled paper tube. It was the copy of the service from Jay and Heather's wedding so it was just an 8 1/2 x 11 piece of parchment-looking paper rolled into a tube. She had been playing with it earlier in the evening.

She ran back downstairs and said:

"See mommy, See my Brain?"

It took me a second to put it all together, but then I realized that the Wizard gives the Scarecrow a diploma - a piece of parchment paper rolled into a tube - as a symbol of his brain. Erin missed the symbolism and went right for the concrete idea that the piece of paper was a brain.

It was one of the cutest things I have seen her do in a long time. Truly priceless.

Kisses

Last week Jeffrey discovered how to give kisses. He's always been a great mimic. He tries to copy words and actions he sees and some he picks up on very quickly. He was smacking his mouth after a meal and I said something like "Are you giving kisses?" and gave him a big smile. So for the rest of the week I'd say something like "Kisses Jeffrey" and make a kissing noise. He'd look back at me and start making his kissy noises. A few days ago I said "Kisses Jeffrey" and left out making the kissing sound and he erupted into the longest bout of kisses I've seen. It must have been because of the look on my face when he did it. He was so proud of himself.

He's always seemed a little slower than Erin on picking up on verbal cues. He has his very own language full of inflection and pauses etc... but there are very very few discernible words. He clearly says "daddy" but not always when looking at Tom, and mama is a "once in a blue moon" occasion. I do the typical thing - I name everything he's holding etc... but he seems slower to pick up on it.

Jeffrey is clearly more physically oriented than Erin ever was. It seems he is picking up faster on naming actions rather than items. When he's done eating, rather than make a fuss he simply throws all the food onto the floor and starts rocking back and forth in his booster. So I started looking at him in the eye and asking him to say "All Done." For the first week or so I'd get some kind of response, and that was good enough. As long as it sounded vaguely like "All Done" he could get down. Well this morning I looked at him and said, "What do you say?" and he quickly responded "All done." That's a huge step forward for him.

So although when we go to Dr. Quillian in a month I may not be able to admit he says "Mommy," "Daddy," "Ball," "Cup" like many kids his age we might be able to say that he says "All Done" and "Uh Oh". Who knows?

Just another reminder that Jeffrey and Erin are so different sometimes I wonder if they really are related at all.

Summertime Fun

We've been trying to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible this summer. Erin loves to play out in her sand/water table and climb on the slide. Jeffrey is just figuring out how to climb the steps for the slide. Erin also loves to play what she calls "soccer game" - merely kicking a ball back and forth. On our hilly yard that can turn into quite a workout. Bubbles are still a hit. Erin can go through an entire container of bubbles in one morning - about 50% of which ends up on the ground. We haven't gotten down to the lake yet, but that's in the books for this week once it stops raining. I think Jeffrey will just have a blast and I know Erin will.

When we go to visit Oma-Noni (still one entity in Erin's mind) we play outside a lot. They've got room for the little splashing pool and a sprinkler in the back yard. The Nemo sprinkler is a HUGE hit with both the kids. Erin was a little nervous about it at first. Other than running through the fountain in downtown Silver Spring she had never played in a sprinkler before. Jeffrey, on the other hand, walked right up to it and tried to pick Nemo up while it's spinning around squirting water everywhere. After about 2 minutes Erin decided it was ok and looked like fun. Now, Erin likes to try to catch the droplets of water.



They also spend a lot of time on the swing and slide at Oma-Noni's house when we are there. Erin likes it best when Uncle Jonathan pushes her (last time mommy pushed her, she did a forward flip off the swing and landed on her face. Mommy's not allowed to push her any more) but she is also beginning to learn how to pump her legs to make herself go. She can sit and swing for the longest time now. Jeffrey likes the bench swing and climbs onto it while trying to figure out how to make it go on his own. He's much more fearless than Erin ever was and is certainly focused. There is very little that can disrupt his attention from a goal except physically removing him from a situation and creating a new one. Simply just picking him up and moving him away doesn't work unless I give him a new project to work on.



So that's a glimpse at some of the fun we've been having this summer. Once we get to the beach I'll put up some pictures of that.

A Selection of Firsts Through Pictures

So life is not all cloudy days full on "NOs" although it certainly can feel that way. In the past month or so we've had several firsts for put the kids. So here are some of the firsts captured on film (well actually on disk).

First Carousel Ride


First Play - Erin in Costume Ready for "Her Part"


First Time On Top of the Table


First Time Hiking Without Pants


First Watermelon



First Mutual Snuggle



First (Well Second) Time Jumping in a "Moon Bounce"

Entering The Land of "NO!"

And I'm not sure we're going to survive. In all 3 years this seems to be one of the most difficult stages I've come across. Looking back I'm thinking harder than the poopy panties days or the days when Jeffrey had night and day mixed up. Each night I go to bed praying that tomorrow when we get up the word will not exist any more. I know, I know it's just a stage, every parent has to go through it, she'll grow out of it -- I've heard it all. That doesn't make it any easier in the day-to-day life though.

So clearly Erin has decided that her favorite word is NO! She uses it constantly.

"Erin, let's head to the potty before we go to the park"
"NO!"

or

"Erin get in the car please."
"NO!"

Any request is met with the same answer whether it's something she really does want to do or not. If I ask if she wants to go to the library her first response is "NO" followed by a pause and then "Oh OK". So my response at first was to ignore her when she said it -- that didn't really work. Next I tried sitting her down each time she said it and letting her know saying "NO" like that was not OK. She'd give me a hug, say "I'm sorry mommy." I'd say well let's go get some lunch - her immediate response "NO!" So now I find myself doing the absolute worst thing and shouting back at her -- I know I know way wrong thing to do, but we're reaching the end of the rope here.

I think that the primary reason she is always saying NO is that I'm ALWAYS having to shout "NO" at Jeffrey. The little monkey is constantly on top of something he shouldn't be, or putting something in his mouth, or throwing all the CDs on the floor or smashing bananas into the table, etc... So Erin's even started yelling at him to stop. Again I realize this is all my fault I should create an environment where I don't have to shout at him, but... I just don't have the energy.

I'm going to try to go back to the ignoring the "NO!" response from Erin in hopes that she'll realize it's not going to get the attention she wants any more. I'm tired of fighting with her over everything. I feel like I've become the Wicked Witch of the West or something.

I'm sorry this seems to have turned into a rant, but that's where my frustrations are today. We still certainly have moments of serenity and cuteness here - like when Erin sings "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" while sitting on the potty, or when Jeffrey climbs onto his riding toys and zooms around the house babbling like a monkey (still no words here not even mama or dada). But if I seem exhausted and frustrated and beat down it's mostly because right now I just am.

My Last Saving Grace...

...has disappeared. One of the things that really helped keep me sane with Jeffrey was that he was completely not interested in stairs or climbing. Erin was a little monkey getting up and down the stairs and climbing onto furniture before she could walk. Not Jeffrey, he just isn't (now wasn't) as interested in it.

That is until last week. Erin showed him how to climb onto the coffee table in the basement. Now he likes to sit there and watch cartoons with Erin. Then he discovered he could do the same thing to get into the recliner in the basement and would sit there and even decided to crash there and take a nap (very cute). Still I could deal with this.

Wednesday afternoon Erin was playing in the basement on the computer and I was working in the kitchen on dinner. Jeffrey was playing in the living room - his usual habit while I make dinner. Tom came home and asked where the kids were. I said,


"Well Erin's downstairs playing Rocket on the computer and Jeffrey's right there in the living room."

"No he's not here"

"What do you mean he's not there? He was just right there"


Then we heard thumping from upstairs. Jeffrey was in his room playing. Happy as could be and so proud that he got up there all by himself. Now he's up the stairs faster than you can blink. Zoom.

The biggest problem now is that I can't put up gates for him because Erin still needs to be able to get up and down the stairs to the potty. So we are working on just getting used to Jeffrey climbing the stairs and having to be aware of where he is at all times.

Sigh, just another wonderful step in the development of our two mobile children household. Wish me luck.

A Big Weekend for All of Us

Both kids had a big weekend in their own way. Erin made her tiny stage debut in Wizard of Oz and Jeffrey spent the weekend with his Nana and Grandpa.

This spring's show was Wizard of Oz. Tom was Uncle Henry and Oz Man 1 while I had a small role as Oz Woman 2. We all decided Erin was a little to young to be a munchkin, but might be cute as an Oz girl. So we dressed her up in a cute green dress, put her hair in pigtails with bright green ribbons and even put some green eye shadow and blush on her. While waiting back stage for her part in the show she'd play with the other kids in the show. It was great to see her interacting so comfortably with the older kids (even when we went out to dinner Friday night, she sat with the kids rather than Tom and I). She had a tiny part in the final scene of the show where she ran down the aisle with me to announce that the "great and powerful" Oz was taking Dorothy back to Kansas. She was completely adorable. She clapped and applauded when everyone else on stage did the same thing and waved goodbye to the Wizard when he flew away in his balloon. She waited each night for her part and would get so excited asking if it was "Erin's turn" yet. She even learned part of one of the songs we sing.

Jeffrey, on the other hand, was not quite so excited about the shows. After several evening of being confined and controlled during dress rehearsals I realized that the best thing for all of us was to see if Nana and Grandpa wanted to play with Jeffrey for the weekend. They were more than happy. So Friday AM I took met Dad and Jonathan half-way to DC and we traded vehicles and they took Jeffrey with them. I was terrified he'd spend the weekend just getting into everything and as miserable as he had been at home. Boy was I wrong. He spent the weekend chasing the puppy, organizing seashells and magazines in the living room, putting slinkies on his head with Uncle Jonathan, taking long naps with grandpa and even shopping with Nana and Great-Oma. So apparently his crankiness was directly related to being in town with us.

Either way it was nice to have a weekend to focus on Erin and spend some special time with her while Jeffrey got his own experience.

My Little Gymnast

We had out last session of gymnastics this morning for another month or so. There is a class over the summer that I think we might sign her up for because she just absolutely loves gymnastics. This class would be a little more structured and with a different coach, but it's worth a try. If she doesn't like it we'll wait until the fall and start back with the same coach again. She adores the coach and loves to try all the things that Coach Kay is working on.


Pull Ups


Toe Touches

Her favorite part of class is swinging on the bar. She uses it to swing, do pull ups and even toe touches. Generally the coach is there with her, but it's more to keep Erin's form. Erin does most all of the strength work all on her own.


Log Rolls

They also have several climbing zones set up across the room and Erin loves to climb around and jump down. Today they also worked on log rolls down a wedge-shaped mat. She giggled and giggled and kept getting in line to do it over and over again.


Climbing Zone

Erin's also grown to LOVE the parachute. The first session of class we attended Erin tried it out and freaked. So for the rest of that session of classes she stayed on the outside of the parachute. Now Erin will run to sit in the middle of it and even gets under it when we poof it above her head. She squeals and laughs so hard when the puff of air gets her face. It's adorable.

So I'm loving the fact that this is something that Erin really seems to enjoy. It's the one thing that gets her up in the morning and to go to bed the night before. I'm sure we're going to find a way to keep with this as long as Erin keeps loving it.

Erin's Little Birthday Party

It's official, Erin is 3 whole years old. She is really getting so big and grown up. She's not my little baby anymore, even though I'll always treat her like she is.

Since Tom had to be on travel for her birthday we decided to go along with him. Luckily he was only an hour or so away so we were able to drive up Wednesday afternoon - after gymnastics and Dr.'s visits.

Thursday morning while Tom was working, Erin, Jeffrey and I headed into the historic part of town where we were staying. We decided it would be fun to take a trolley ride -- although if you ask Erin she'll tell you we rode a rollercoaster. It was a little long for the kids but Erin liked seeing the river and water. Mommy liked the old homes and plantations we drove by. Jeffrey liked - well Jeffrey liked fussing as he had gotten shots the day before and was a little grumpy. Anyway, we all survived the ride and Erin used her little camera to "take a camera" of the trolley after the tour.

After that we found a McD's with a Playplace for lunch. One wouldn't think so, but Erin eats better at the ones with a Playplace because after each trip down the slide I make her stop and eat a chicken McNugget before climbing back up again. By the end of lunch she was stopping at the table for her chicken of her own accord. Jeffrey just liked sitting in the high chair watching al the action.

We stopped on the way back to the hotel to pick up a cake (chocolate with balloons), some lemonade and a balloon at the store. Erin picked the cake and candle - Dora the explorer, out all by herself. We spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the hotel until Tom got back to the room.

Then we had our little party - with Dora the Explorer hats and all. Erin made sure everyone got a hat. Although we didn't have matches for the candle we sung her happy birthday and had her "blow" them out anyway. After that came the presents which didn't take too long to open. 2 games, 2 outfits, 3 books, 1 swimsuit and a Little People Minivan later we headed out to dinner at . . . Friendly's.

Erin was allowed to order whatever she wanted (a hamburger for the first time ever). Then the crew came with a sundae and balloons (Yay more balloons) and sang her Happyn Birthday. She LOVED all the attention. It was great to see her being so grown up choosing what she wated for dinner and sitting in the booth next to Tom while Jeffrey had the high chair.

Back at the hotel I got Jeffrey to sleep and laid him in the Pack & Play (hooray for Pack & Plays). Erin snuggled next to me in the bed and fell fast asleep. I looked over and her and thought about how we were doing the exact same thing - snuggling in bed - 3 years ago. But now she was independent enough that she didn't want my arms around her and certainly couldn't sleep on my chest anymore. A few tears came to my eyes as ai realized how amazingly far we all have come in the last 3 years.

Erin Wynne

E -- Enthusiastic when it comes to gymnastics, Dora the Explorer or going outside.
R -- Rapidly getting too big for mommy to sunggle :(
I -- Itsy Bitsy Spider is her favorite song -- for today.
N -- Needs no more help when going potty.

W -- Wonder and exploration fill her days as she tries to do more and more things on her own.
Y -- Yells loudly when singing her favorite songs, or when baby brother is in her toys.
N -- Numbers - can count to 20, well alsmot.
N -- Never says no to sitting on daddy's lap.
E -- Excited about being 3 years old

Pictures from Jeffrey's First Birthday in New Jersey

Warning Picture Overload

We spent the weekend in New Jersey with Tom's family celebrating both Jeffrey's First birthday and his cousin's wedding. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend. We got to take the kids to a park on Friday and have a little party for Jeff there and then on Saturday everyone went to the beach where both kids got their first real look at the ocean. (Actually Erin's seen the ocean twice before, but once she was only 3 months old and the second time it was night). Anyway I wanted to put up some pictures from the weekend so you could see all the fun we were having. It was great to get together with everyone. I'll put up some pictures of Erin's birthday later this week.

Climbing at the Park


Enjoying Cupcake


Opening Presents


At The Beach


Testing The Waters


This is Cool


Family Time

Jeffrey Anderson

J -- Joyous Love
E -- Energetic Beyond Belief
F -- Full of Life
F -- Funny Little Ham
R -- Running All Over The Place
E -- Eyes a Little Green, A Little Brown That Can Pierce The Toughest Heart
Y -- Year, Has It Really Been A Year?

A -- Absolutely Into Everything
N -- Never Gives Mommy A Dull Moment
D -- Daring and Adventurous
E -- Enjoys All Kinds Of Foods
R -- Ready To Take On His Big Sister Next Time She Knocks Him Down
S -- Smiles That Light Up His Entire Face
O -- Ornery When He Wants To Be
N -- Now Is One Year Old

Happy May Everyone

Can you believe that birthday season is here already? I can't believe that Jeffrey is going to be 1 by the end of the week. It seems like just yesterday he was spitting up on me as we rolled out of the hospital together. He's gotten so big and developed into such an active litte boy, you really won't believe it when you see him. Although he's always been active I guess.

We went into Sears today to get some pictures taken. The poor woman trying desperately to get a good picture of the 2 of them, but Mr. Active couldn't sit still for 3 seconds. We couldn't even get good shots of him alone. We did get a couple of pictures worth sharing though. And certainly some beautiful ones of Erin.

Erin is blossoming more and more every day. She is such a beautiful little girl, and although she still has the occasional temper tantrum and eating is a continuous battle, I'm amazed at how calm and thoughtfull she can be too.

I will certainly be posting more about birthdays as the days grow nearer, but thought I'd take a moment now to share our pictures from today. Thanks for looking.

The Story of My Morning

As told by Jeffrey Anserson Wallace.

What? Who's out there? It is morning? Why am I still in my overalls and shirt from yesterday? Did mommy get me up and change me and I don't remember or did daddy put me to bed in my play clothes? I'm not even sure my diaper got changed. Oh well, I think I hear someone coming towards the room. Yay, it's mommy.

What's she doing? Oh yeah, she still lets me snuggle with her in the morning. Maybe I'll have a little drink. Thanks mom. All done. Wait I haven't even had breakfast yet, where are we going? It's cold outside mom, you forgot my socks and jacket. Ooohh I'm going to get to ride with daddy. Here comes sister. What's she fussing about? Oops mommy didn't put shoes on her either. Silly mommy. Wait where's mommy going? Oh there she is, daddy's going to give her a ride too. Are we going back home already? I didn't even get to go inside the garage. Let's go back inside now. Bye daddy, see you later.

Ok, now breakfast. Milk in a cup again, what does she really want me to do with this, am I supposed to drink it? Maybe I should spit it out like this. Ooops, mommy didn't like that trick very much. Let's see if she likes it better the second time. Nope. But here come some Cheerios - Yummy. Oooh, she's got cereal too - my favorite. Ok time to get down and play mommy.

Wait what's this - not the exersaucer again. I can't reach the remote from here. Wait time to watch cartoons - OK. What's mommy doing? Ahhh - taking a shower I just saw her peek out of the curtain at me. It is time to play yet mommy? Yay done in the saucer. Play time. Let's go down to the basement.

What's this? Sister must have left it sitting where I could reach it last night. She seems to think it's fun to play with. If I hold the bottle upside down does anything come out? Oooh yeah, that's kind of soapy, I think Erin calls them bubbles. Oh well the're on the floor now. Oops, mommy's not very happy again. Maybe I'll go up and ask for a snuggle. "Pick me up, pick me up". That's nice. Hmmmm where are those sucky fingers, ahhhh much better. Wait where are we going? Not my room, I'm not really tired yet. Well maybe just a short nap...

What was that? I hear my sister. I think she's playing outside. I love playing outisde. If I scream loud enough mommy will come get me. "HEY MOMMY!!!!!!!!!" Here she comes. No I don't want my diaper changed, I want to go outside. No No No. Fine if I lie still can I go outside after that? I'll just play with this little thing between my legs until the new diaper comes. Yay I think we're going to play outside, mommy's putting my sandals on.

Hi sister. Can I play in the sand with you? Thanks for the shovel. I'm going to throw it on the ground, is that ok? Wait what's that? Pthbbbbt. There's something in my mouth and more on my head. It's starting to go down my shirt. Uh oh - mommy's really not happy. She sounds kind of mad. What's she saying, she seems more upset at sister. Mommy wants to know why sister dumped a bucket of sand on my head. Is that what this is, because it's in my diaper too. It's kind of itchy. Wait where are we going? I want to play outside.

No No No, I don't want to take a bath. Mommy says I have to. OK, well I can have fun there too. Let's see how much water I can splash. Wheeeee. Oops, maybe that was too much. All done already, well that wasn't very long.

What's she trying to do, I want to get to my toys now. I don't want a diaper on, I want my toys. If I roll my hips and shoulders all the way over, maybe I can get them. Oooh maybe mommy doesn't want me to do that. She keeps rolling me back over. Grrrr, she's going to make me put a diaper back on. No fun.

What's that? Lunchtime? OK. I'm ready now. I love you mommy.