be careful what you wish for.

We wait and we wait for Logan to get more words, and we hope this will ease his frustration. Yesterday, in addition to shaking his head 'no' at every question or suggestion, he started saying 'no' as well. "Let's get out of the bath!" "No." "Time for some milk!". "No." "Do you want to put your PJ's on?". "No." "Do you want to brush your teeth?" "No.". "Do you want to stop saying 'no'?" "No." "Can you say yes?" "No".

I have not taken any photos since Easter. Bad mommy. So, here is a photo taken Christmas 2006 for our holiday card, just to tie the grandparents over until I get the camera out this week sometime!

Dr. Laura Pasternak, M.D. 1954 - 2008

Late yesterday, we learned one of our pediatricians passed away. Her name was Dr. Laura Pasternak and she was an amazing woman and doctor. She battled breast cancer on and off for the past 13 years. But despite her sometimes failing health, it didn't stop her from opening a very personal pediatric practice dedicated to treating children in a most nurturing and sometimes even unconventional manner. She believed in homeopathic approaches, and didn't always rush to medicate like so many doctors do nowadays. She and the other doctors shared a vision for treating each child personally and thoroughly. The practice is called "Whole Child Pediatrics" and I can't think of a more respresentative name for their approach. The first time I met her, I remember feeling a bit intimidated as she was 6'3". But I soon felt her warm heart and knew we had brought our baby to someone who would care for him as if he were her own child.

When Dylan was an infant around 9 months old, he began having numerous ear infections that led us to her office over and over again. During a particularly bad infection and while we were at her office being seen, she took time to call the most reputable pediatric ENT in our area to have him see Dylan the next day. Had we called on our own to get that same appointment, it would have taken months as specialist pediatric doctors are in such high demand. Dylan was seen the next day, and two days later we were at the outpatient center for him to receive ear tubes. The ENT surgeon told us after seeing the infection in Dylan's left ear, it was so horrible that it was beginning to affect his mastoid bone, which can ultimately result in permanent hearing loss and a host of other lifelong problems. They were able to put the tubes in and relieve his pain, and we believe this very well could have saved his hearing. Had we been made to wait a long time to see the ENT or have the procedure for Dylan, who knows how much worse the infection could have become or what could have happened to Dylan's hearing. Not to mention how much longer he would have been in horrible pain with infection after infection. The tubes are now out, but they did their job perfectly and we're so thankful for the care he received.

A few weeks after the procedure, I wrote Dr. Pasternak a letter thanking her for taking the time to make that call to the ENT for us. She didn't have to do that, and many doctors wouldn't have. She was just an amazing doctor in that way. I'm so glad we had that opportunity to thank her and let her know her efforts did not go unappreciated.

Her cancer went into remission until three years ago, and then she was told she had six months to live. She did everything she could to outlive those statistics and help prepare her medical practice and her family (including her three teenage children) for her departure.

I attended her service today and heard stories about her amazing life. I wish I could list her many accomplishments here, I could write all day. What a life! In 1972, she was one of the top 25 swimmers in the world, missing the 1972 Munich Olympic team by 1/10th of a second. She has traveled and lived all over the world to give medical care to underpriveledged children, and worked on movements to help end apartheid and free Nelson Mandela. She even helped work her way through school by working as a laborer for a steel mill!

I heard her husband talk about his love for her, I heard her children speak in awe of her perserverance. I heard her fellow physicians' admiration for her, and I realize how many lives she touched and inspired. The church was full of patients like me, whose children she has helped and lives she has changed.

We will miss you Dr. Pasternak. May you rest in peace.

so you want me to learn some sign language?

D: "I have an idea! Lets make a mommy sandwich. You can be the ham, Logan is the cheese and I'll be the boogers" (laughs hysterically).

And there are boogers aplenty at our house right now. Logan is cutting his two year molars and he's one big crying, whining snotty boy who won't eat or sleep. I'd post a photo but its not pretty.

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We had our county early intervention services come back out this week and reevaluate Logan for speech delay. And again they told us he is right on the border of being delayed enough (by their standards) in order to qualify. They very reluctantly agreed to qualify him, because I think the lady knew if she didn't, Andrew was going to hunt her down and slash her tires. They'll come back on April 9th and we'll come up with a monthly schedule of speech therapy for him. We are seeing slight progress each week (of course we didn't tell them this) and he is signing 'please' and 'thank you' consistently.

Of course with the mood this teething has put him in, I wouldn't be surprised if he figures out how to give us the finger real soon.

wild kingdom

2 a.m. last night, Bella started barking her head off at the back door. I sat straight up in bed, looked at Andrew and said "raccoon!". We had a raccoon friend visit several times two winters ago. He would frequent our screen porch through the dog door, looking to snack on the cat food we keep out there for our two outdoor cats. I even got several photos of him waddling in and out of the patio, searching for kibble. We called animal control one day when he was on the porch and would not leave. They told us it was really our problem and to just give him time and he'd leave. And they get paid to do what exactly?

Anyway.

2:01 a.m. last night. Andrew flies down the stairs in his underwear, and finds a weapon. A golf club. And if any of you have witnessed my husbands golf game, you'll agree a club in his hand could be fatal. He goes onto the screen porch and finds not a raccoon, but a possum. A snarling nasty old possum, looking for an all you can eat buffet of Purina Cat Chow. He pokes at it with the club. It growls and backs up into a corner. The dog is inside going wild. He finally got it to leave. I don't know what probably scared it more - the psychotic frothing dog, or Andrew's 6 foot frame wearing his skivvies flailing a golf club in the air.

i get by with a little help from my friends.

When Dylan was born, I knew our lives were going to change. I just didn't know how, or how much. But I knew I needed to meet some women who were heading into this unchartered mommy territory at the same time I was. We could share breastfeeding horror stories, and sob together in our collective hormonal exhaustion, marvel over poopy diapers and first teeth, and socialize with each other knowing full and well the fun would have to cease by 8 pm bedtimes. So, through our hospital, I learned there was a new mom support group, and I started going when Dylan was two weeks old. There was a moderator and each week we'd sit on the floor for an hour and discuss homemade baby food, baby massage, and acid reflux. On average, there were probably around 20 women per week. And through the weeks and months, there became a core group of us that just totally clicked. We started seeing each other outside of 'group' - First, we all ventured to The Olive Garden every Wednesday for lunch carrying our trillion baby bucket car seats and wondering if our adorable dears would sleep long enough for us to chomp down our salads and breadsticks. Then it turned into Bunco, playdates, parties... then girls nights out, family parties, birthday parties... We set up an online email group and thousands of emails have been exchanged about everything from illnesses to trips, from books to recipes, from parenting philosophies to pop culture. No topic has been off limits. Some of the women work, some of us stay home. Some have moved to different cities. Some I see all the time. The husbands have become friends too. These friends have become a sort of extended family for us.

Almost all of us have had another child somewhere along the line, and those children are going to grow up knowing each other just like our older children do. Most of the older children will be starting kindergarten in the fall, and I'm sure we'll all share the joys and tears together. Through the years there will be so many milestones to share.

These women make me laugh. They inspire me with all sorts of ideas. Every single person in our group brings so much to the table. When someone is going through a hard time, everyone else is there to pick that person up and help them through.

Today, quite a few of us were able to get together and let our kids play. And even through the chaos that just happens naturally when kids run amok, there is just such a sense of "we're all in this parenting thing together". There is no judgement among us. This parenting job can be so hard, and many times these women have rescued my sanity over and over.

These aren't friends that knew me before I was married, or attended our wedding, or roomed with me in college, or went to my high school. But these last five years of my life have brought so many profound changes, and I'm so thankful to have had these 'new mom' friends to enjoy the ride and become such a presence in my life, and in the life of my family.

Hopping down the bunny trail...

We had a nice Easter with two egg hunts - one at our house and one at Grandma Lynn's and Grandpa Robby's. We got to spend time with Uncle Chris and Aunt Jessica, and cousins Josh and Maya, and family friends Leo, Betty and David. Its going to take the kids until next Easter to eat all this candy. This is the first year Dylan has had to share the booty of candy with Logan, and it wasn't easy, but he did it. I have a plan to slowly throw some of it away little by little everyday...

once the forces of the universe, soon to be egg salad

Just a sampling...

of conversations from the last 24 hours...

D: (watching old school cartoons like Quick Draw McGraw and Pink Panther on Boomerang) "Mommy, why don't their cars have seatbelts?"

M: "Well, back then it wasn't against the law to not wear your seatbelt. They didn't have car seats either."

D: "Mommy, did you you used to watch this cartoon when you were a little boy?"

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D: "When I get big enough, I want to get a space suit and a space ship."

M: "Okay, sounds great."

D: "Me and Daddy can go to outer space and fight the aliens in Mars. Is Daddy big enough to go to outer space? Is he fourteen yet?"

M: "Oh, mommies don't go to outer space?"

D: "Well, I guess you can come. Does Grandpa Joe know how to fly to outer space?"

M: "No, Grandpa Joe knows how to fly airplanes. You have to go to astronaut school if you want to learn how to fly space ships."

D: "Where do we buy a space ship?"

M: "I'm not sure, we'll have to look it up on the internet."

D: "That's okay. Daddy can build one. He can get a motor and a gas tank."

D: "And we'll have to get a dog space suit for Bella."

the mailman brought a smile today

There's nothing like a giant box of Easter fun to brighten up this rainy day!


Thanks Grandma Celia and Grandpa George for all the books, candy, toys and these beautiful Easter cookies.

all quacked up

Logan just did this to our family room five minutes ago. I need a margarita. In an IV. Can someone help a sister out?

Today at Costco while trying to wrestle the kids and groceries into the car, I exclaimed "Oy Vey!" and Dylan asked me why I was speaking Spanish.

Also, twice in the past two days, Dylan has misbehaved and blamed it on Tom. Tom is Dylan's imaginary friend who came to live with us when Dylan was three. Tom has a flock of ducks (29 of them to be exact), and they all go everywhere we go. If Tom keeps doing bad things, he and his feathered friends are going to get evicted very soon.

PS - We're pretty sure Logan just said "Obama".

getting ready for the real thing

Andrew took the kids to an egg hunt while I was away this past weekend. As you can see, they got some practicing in for this coming weekends' festivities. I hope the Easter Bunny stops by our house. Also, I hope he is wearing his parka, its not supposed to be warm. I'm still confused as to why Easter is so early this year?

On Sunday, we went to one of our very favorite parks to burn some energy.

CNN seemed a little gay today.

Andrew again... Since 9/11, I frequently check CNN many times a day, almost obsessively. Today’s Headline list had a slightly gay bent. And I mean that with no disrespect as I vehemently express that I am 10% gay. So with the tools I had at my disposal, I rearranged one of the headlines.



Can you spot the fake headline? It’s funny that with most of the real headers you could easily transition each story together with the segue “in a related story…”

OK so maybe its 15% now.

So you think you had a bad day?

When I get older losing my hair,
Many years from now.
Will you still be sending me a valentine
Birthday greetings bottle of wine.

No...but you will be sending her $50M.

Speaking of single men...

This weekend I played "single dad" to the boys as Michelle went out to play with her girl friend for the weekend. I took the boys to IHOP for pancake dinner.

When did IHOP become so depressing. Is it just an early Saturday Evening thing? There were maybe 5 parties in the place. Two of them older gentlemen, eating alone widower I thought. Three others looked like me, a guy with his kids eating pancakes for dinner. But I had the only wedding ring visible. The music was awful. Gloria Estefan’s “How did I lose you now” or something of that sort was followed by a constant string of depressing ballads of love lost. Had I found the secret burial place of the single dad?
One of the guys asked how old my kids were in an attempt at male bonding. He stated we were in the same boat, wrangling pre-schoolers by ourselves. I didn’t want to dispatch him further in despair by acknowledging the fact that I was in the “Just visiting” corner of his monopoly board of life.

The pancakes were awesome, and for $13 I got a decent sized and modestly tasty steak with serviceable fried shrimp, hash browns and Italian wedding soup. Logan enjoyed his pancakes and learned what Tabasco is.

No children were hurt in the creation of this post. This is my first post on this blog.

the best part about going away is coming home

I spent the past 24 hours on a little getaway to visit a girlfriend. And it was so nice to get away for those hours and not think about what the kids needed, and what we'd all eat, and who needed a nap. So good to have uniterrupted conversations, and eat at a restaurant and not have to rush through, or pick a hundred pieces of food off the floor. So nice to watch a movie from beginning to end without listening for cries on the baby monitor.

It was all so nice. Quiet. Relaxing. But today, my car could not drive fast enough to get back to these boys.

embarassing moment #724

We're at music class this past Monday at the library, everyone is quietly sitting and waiting for a song to begin. Dylan randomly looks back at me and asks "Mommy, why are your teeth yellow?". Nice!

Guess its time to invest in some Crest White Strips. Anyone have any experience with which of those products work best?

PS - I got my child a dog toy today at Wegman's. Yes, I did. Logan is obsessed with balls, and he became fixated on this plush dog toy soccer ball when I was loading dog food into the cart. It was keeping him occupied and let me finish my shopping. I tried to put it back but it was too late, he had claimed it. He slept with it at nap today. A dog toy. Yep. That's some good parenting right there! Dylan went thru a phase when he was two where he slept with (unlit) candles and chapstick, so I guess a dog toy isn't all that bad.

go sell crazy somewhere else. we're all stocked up.

Phone call to health insurance company today:

"Yes, I'm calling to find out if our child is covered for certain services for developmental delays."

Pause. "Well, was your child in an accident?"

"No. No accident. He is just showing some delays in certain areas and we're trying to get him some help."

"Well, therapy for developmental delays are not covered in your plan."

"So what you're telling me is, if our child fell out of a window, hit his head and was unable to speak, we'd be covered. It our child was popping pills, bulemic or wanted to get some Viagra, we'd be covered. But developmental delays clearly don't fall under the parameters of such serious conditions."

Silence.

"I'm sorry, I don't write the plans. I would encourage you to contact your state resources and see if they might offer you some services."

"Oh, believe me. We are going down that path already. Call me crazy. I just thought that perhaps our health insurance might cover some services that would be helpful to our child's development."

Is it me or is this just crazy? Perhaps if more developmental therapies were covered and were more available to more children, there wouldn't be so many children struggling later in school and in life.

a long but happy day

Logan's appointment at Kennedy Krieger was very helpful today. There are no easy answers or fixes, but its comforting to know this behavior is normal for his age, and especially for a child lacking in verbal language. There's such a huge gap between how much he understands (everything!) and what he can actually say (a total of three words to date). So he's frustrated. And has a very strong will on top of it all. So we are taking a step by step approach and starting with a new discipline tactic to curb the aggressive behaviors. We will take him back to KK in ten days (March 24) for another appointment to see how its working, and what other tactics we might want to try out. We're pretty much implementing a 'behavioral modification plan' and we feel good about it. I could go on for three pages, but I'll leave it at that for now and keep you posted as things develop. We can do this.

Since we were in Baltimore already, we took advantage and visited the awesome Maryland Science Center. We had a blast, and I think you'll see from these photos, so did the boys! I love going to these types of places during the week vs. the weekends - deserted, staff is friendlier, and your child gets long turns at all their favorite exhibits.

One of the museum staff asked Dylan if he wants to be a scientist when he grows up. Dylan thought hard about it and replied "No, I just want to do what my Dad does." "What's that", the guy asked. "Go to work, make money and dive". NO idea where he got that from.

Logan at the water table

Dylan mans the submarine (learning how to dive, perhaps?

smokin' baby

the scientist at work

its not so easy the second time around....

I haven't gone into the whole story here yet because there is so much to say and I don't know where to start. Logan has been demonstrating extreme frustration, tantrums and strong will, as well as a speech delay, for months. Honestly, since he was an infant, he's just been very hard to keep happy, he's never been easy going, and he has just cried a lot. More than what seems normal to us. He's so very different than Dylan ever was. The extremeness of Logan's behavior just grows worse and worse and has set off some red flags for us. As a result, we met with our wonderful pediatrician months ago and asked for her input on how much his frustration and tantrums may be related to his lack of verbal communication. And how much of it might be other behavioral issues. Some of this is clearly normal for his age, but some of it just seems excessive. We've done a lot of reading. And we have a much anticipated appointment tomorrow in Baltimore at Kennedy Krieger Institute, Dept of Behavior and Psychology. We've already been up there once in February and had a complete pediatric evaluation with another department. I will go into all of that another time. I just brought it up because I'm sure we'll learn more tomorrow at his appointment and I'll want to talk about it.

We go to Logan's playgroup on Tuesday mornings every week. I think its really important to have Logan in a consistent playgroup since he's not in daycare. It teaches him how to interact socially with other kids his age. The kids are usually pretty nice to each other, minus a few minor things now and then. But today, Logan was so aggressive towards the other children. Up until today, almost all of his hitting and pushing has been directed at me or Andrew, or Dylan. But today at playgroup, he was beating up on all the kids. Pushing them down, hitting them in the face.... I must have put him in time out five times in 1 1/2 hours. And he'd cry while in time out facing the wall in the corner, and then come out of time out and do it all over again. The time outs so far aren't teaching him that certain behavior is not acceptable. He's just too young to make that connection. And its so frustrating for me. I know I have to keep putting him in time out, and making him 'apologize' to the child he hit when he comes out. And someday he will 'get it'. But for now, its like banging my head against the wall. Dylan was never a hitter, biter or pusher. He had to learn to share. But he was never aggressive like this. I can't take Logan out of playgroup. We can't just stay home and keep him away from other kids until this passes. He has to learn he can't behave this way. Fortunately the other moms at playgroup are very nice and understanding and supportive. But if this continues week after week, I'm sure they are going to tire of their child being beaten up by my child.

I have never felt so challenged as a parent as I do right now.

rock stars

What a whirlwind day! And no pictures to show for it. I took the camera to Brynn's birthday party, only to discover when I got there that I had left the battery at home. Oh well. Anyway, we had a great time jumping on all the moonbounces. Thanks, Brynn (and Kristin, Erwin and Kate)! Brynn and Dylan have been friends since they were just weeks old. And now they are turning FIVE. When did they all get to be such big kids? Dylan's birthday is April 14th. Every birthday is so bittersweet. Its so exciting watching your children grow and discover what they can do. I often wonder how much of their childhoods my kids will remember, and which specific memories they themselves will recall when they are grown. I hope they'll remember lots of love and laughter.


Dylan saw the movie Underdog over the weekend, and there is a scene where Underdog sees a beautiful girl dog, and the song "Lady" by Styx comes on. So Dylan's been running around singing "Lady, when I'm with you I'm smiling....". He has always loved music, and his ability to remember song lyrics is pretty amazing. Since I can remember, he has been able to hear a song and pick out which individual instruments he can hear. He has pretty eclectic tastes too (thanks to Andrew) and some favorite bands include The Cult, White Stripes and Rush. I wonder if his love for music will continue through the years and what his first real concert will be? And if he'll call us at 2 a.m with some story about how bad traffic is, and he'll be home as soon as he can, but its all a lie to cover up the fact that his irresponsible drunk friend is puking on the side of the road... Ummmm, sorry, that was me! (Sorry, mom!!). Oh Dylan, you will not be able to get away with anything because I DID IT ALL! I'll be watching you!


Logan has discovered recently The Wiggles, and apparently he shares a similar passion for getting his groove on. He will bend over forwards and bounce his little butt up and down, or just start spinning in mad circles. Today at music class, he loved playing the instruments and interacting with the teacher. He is so social! Neither of our kids seem to be wallflowers, that's for sure.

the five hour vacation

Today Andrew said he'd take the boys to do some 'boy stuff' (also known as 'go watch some go-cart racing and then hit the Best Buy'), giving me a few hours to myself. I was in desperate need of a mommy break.

I chose to use it running errands that would otherwise be out of the question if I had the kids with me. Boy, you forget what its like to be alone in stores...no having to stop and look at the toy section, no pleas for candy, no rifling thru the diaper bag for an emergency fruit leather, no clock ticking to get you home before nap time. Pure bliss. That's when you know your life has changed - a trip alone to the Target and Borders qualifies as bliss. I finished up getting stuff for the kids' Easter baskets, taking my sweet time, and even treated myself to lunch at Pei Wei while luxuriosly reading my new (parenting) book.

I was excited to find this Easter Egg decorating kit that will come in handy in a couple of weeks.

For Logan's Easter basket, I got some great new lift the flap books by his favorite Karen Katz, including "No Hitting!" and "I Can Share". And I got Dylan the next level of Brain Quest cards for kindergarten age 5-6. He knows all of the answers to the 4-5 year old preschool ones we have already. He loves to do them before bedtime. He calls them his 'business cards'.

Stay tuned. Tomorrow will be a full day. Music class at the library, preschool and Brynn's birthday party!

not as young as we used to be

Jumping Jack Sports was a hit last night. Although its a little embarassing to admit how winded I was just from jumping on moonbounces and an inflatable pony! I didn't do that great on the 'Dance Dance Revolution' either. Fortunately, it appears Dylan is much more athletically inclined. He whipped our butts on the pony race too.

only on his terms

Logan has been hitting. He hits when he is told no, when a toy won't work, when he doesn't like what you give him for dinner. Or he pushes. Sometimes he hits and pushes. We've been doing time outs for months. I know its a phase; it will pass. Sometimes after he hits, he feels badly, and will come over to give you a kiss. He'll lean over and put his lips together and make the 'mmmmmm' sound. And that is his way of making up. But if you ask him for a kiss, and he is busy doing something, he will turn his cheek ever so slightly so it is near your mouth as if to say "I will now allow you the great priviledge of kissing my juicy, sacred baby cheek. Now go away."

Decisions, decisions.

We have this crazy board game called Zobmondo, and its all about asking questions to choose between two horrible or uncomfortable or disgusting situations. We keep all of our games in the playroom, and sometimes when I'm down there with the kids, I'll pull out the box of Zobmondo game cards just to amuse myself. Here are some of the more tame (I am keeping this blog rated PG) sample questions to ponder:


Would you rather...


....Always speak in rhyme - OR - never hear every third word spoken to you?


.....Be in a small pond with one alligator - OR - three dozen piranha?


....Have a panic attack while 75 feet up in a tree you've just climbed -OR- while swimming 100 yards out in the ocean?


.....Always be itchy -OR- always feel as if you have to pee?


.....Ride a roller coaster while hungover -OR- bungee jump during a bout of diarrhea?



Tough choices, I know! Think carefully.


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Tomorrow night, we are taking the kids here.


It just opened near us, and its a great concept - a place for families to be active and have fun together. They have a rock wall and an interactive 'fitness arcade' with lots of games to play, plus kick boxing, moonbounce obstacle course, and basketball. I'll try to get some good photos of the kids while we are there.

The best part about making brownies.

Wegman's, will you marry me?

I love you Wegman's. Let me count the ways. If it weren't for Wegman's, grocery shopping would be so much more painful in a number of ways. I love that they have such a nice kids club that Dylan loves and begs to go to. The ladies in there are so nice and remember his name each time. That leaves me only with Logan to navigate the store. We have our routine - produce, dairy, non-perishables and meats and deli, with a last stop by the bakery to visit the breadman for a delicious sample. I love that I can buy organic blueberries for the same price as non-organic. And let me tell you, my kids can eat some blueberries. By the pint. And I let them, because I'm hoping it will make up for the fact that neither of them will touch vegetables. At the checkout counter, I couldn't help but notice what the lady behind me was buying. At least 80 cans of cat food, and four boxes of panty liners. That's it. Now that's a party waiting to happen!

On the ten minute drive home, Dylan managed to cover a number of subjects... first, he asked me why the sky was so bright blue today and who is in charge of that anyway? And also where do Santa's reindeer live? I wish I could live at the North Pole, he yearned. And also, I wish we could go to a farm today. You know, the one with all the ghost stalls, mommy.

Dylan's been inviting random people to his birthday party in April. Strange kids at the park, people we see at the store, basically whoever will listen to him for two seconds gets invited. At this rate we'd have to rent out RFK stadium to fit all the people he has invited. His party isn't until April 12th, and I showed him on the calendar how far away that is. But every single day he asks if TODAY is the day. And I say, not yet. And so he continues to invite more guests.

Zero

Today over lunch, Dylan got to thinking...

Dylan: "Mommy, how did I grow in your belly?"

Me (ugh): "Well....ummmmm......errrr.... You started off as a cell"

Dylan: "A cell? What does that mean?"

Me: "Well, cells are very tiny and they are how all life begins" (what the heck am I going to say if he asks what kind of cell?)

Dylan: thinking, thinking, thinking... "So then I grew into zero?"

Me: "Zero?"

Dylan: "Yea, zero. I was zero when I was born right?"

Me: "Yes, you were zero years old!" (whew, this isn't going to lead to any huge talks that I'm not ready to have yet!)

Dylan: "See! I told you I was zero!".

A Spring Tease...

We're all so tired of winter we're climbing the walls. So imagine our delight today with a 60 degree day, this early in March. I'm sure its not here to stay, but it gave us a glimpse of days in the backyard instead of staring at these four walls.

There was some brotherly love...

And lots of smiles.

These boots were made for walking...

We are a family of Croc lovers. It didn't start out that way. Andrew made so much fun of me when I got my first pair. But now he sports the man clogs proudly. They are great shoes for parents and kids alike - puke, blood, and poop proof, and available in a brilliant array of hues. Or, in our case, just brown and green.

told you so....

So this morning, after Logan's haircut (he sat in the chair all by himself for the first time during a haircut and was so intently focused on his lollipop she could have been plucking his eyebrows and he would not have cared), we decided to enjoy the balmy 49 degree weather. Headed to a really cool playground that is part of an elementary school and off limits to us during the school week. Everything is made from recycled parts, everything was donated, hand constructed, etc. We hadn't been there since last summer, before Logan was walking. So it was a whole new world for Logan to explore, and that boy loves to slide! Its amazing how he can climb and slide down the big boy stuff already, at 19 months. Such a 'big boy complex' he has. Anyway, Andrew was swinging Dylan on a tire swing. Faster and faster, spinning and spinning, higher and higher.. "Dylan, I think its time to get off, you're going to be sick...." "No, I'm fine, I'm fine, higher...higher! Faster! Higher than the sun!". Spinning, spinning, faster faster.... "Daddy, its time to get off" ... "Are you going to throw up?".. "Yes!" Runs to the fence....... blerchhhhhh. Sorry cool playground. He didn't listen.

Technical Difficulties

2008 has been a 'character building' year for our family so far. A few trips to the hospital, a couple jaunts to the auto repair shop, some broken electronics. But really, in the grand scheme of things, we can't complain.

It all began the week after Christmas when our laptop computer died. We've had a loaner laptop ever since, while shopping for our next one. During this time, I've totally slacked on taking photos of the kids. Boooooo to me. So now maybe, with this blog, I'll have even more inspiration to capture their sweet little faces during normal everyday life. Because there is nothing ever ordinary about life with a four and a one year old.

In fact, there is something extraordinary about every day. No matter if we are mesmerized watching a water table...

Or simply hoping that the forces are with us at home.

Its about time...

...I joined the masses in trying to find a way to document our life as a family. I've thought about it for so long, but felt like I'd always have to go back and start at the beginning of our story. And of course that felt completely overwhelming. But if you are reading this, you are probably a friend or family member that already knows our story. So I'm starting as of right now, this very moment and moving forward. Let's admit it - between filling sippy cups, changing diapers, preschool drop off and picking up messes, its just very hard to find time to scrapbook and capture the lives and everyday goings ons of our children. I hope to post photos, share stories, and use this place as something we can share with our families, and something we can share with the boys as they grow older. I'm sure I'll find with this blog, as with a lot of things in life, the hardest part is just getting it started...