Annual Birthday Bash

This weekend we hosted yes another birthday bash. As promised when I met Leo, this is an annual event not to be missed. He sure is lucky he found a girl who likes to entertain. The two of us do a pretty good job of it.

To start the week, we had Grandpa Truck and Babci here for a visit. They arrived with an abundance - no, an overabundance - of NY bread. Bagels, rolls, pretzels, rye bread, challah and my request of 3 lbs of rugula, all from Rockland Bakery. Well, I didn't request 3 lbs of the pastry but I'm not complaining about having a few left still. Yum! We didn't do too much other than hang around and play. Despite his recent knee surgery, Truck did ok keeping up with Nathan. There was lots of time swinging, playing ball and being silly inside too. It was nice for me to get out and do some things without a little boy hanging around me. Going to the store has gotten harder since Nathan demands to walk instead of ride in shopping carts which always leads to touching, pushing, dumping, knocking and playing with everything at his eye level. Yes, it's much easier to do it without him. So I took advantage of the extra hands at home to go out and do stuff.

Party day started with an early visit from Nonni and Poppi who couldn't stay for the evening festivities. But it was nicer to just spend time with them first. Gigi and Grandpa Ed came too so Nathan and Logan (who came with Nonni and Poppi) were spoiled by all the attention for a while. We hung out outside while Leo took care of a live football draft in the living room. I don't have much to say about that - a bunch of football freaks sitting around quietly concentrating on their lists and picks. We shared pizzas and then relaxed in the lull between football and party time.

By 6pm the party was in full swing. Family, friends, neighbors and acquaintances old and new - we had a full house. Probably around 40 people in and out, including lots of kiddies running around making messes and keeping each other busy. I kept it simple this year and got sandwiches and chicken fingers from Harris Teeter, as well as a cookie birthday cake. Unfortunately, Leo was so busy being a good host (and playing games I'm sure) that he only got a half a finger and no cake. :( I will make it up to him with his favorite dinner tonight I think!

It was also our friend Heather's birthday, her 30th, so we made sure to include her in the festivities as well. Kaitie made a pinata filled with all sorts of goodies that the kids loved knocking down. I think Leo eventually busted it open. Eleni bought a giant container of cream puffs from BJ's which was even better than the cookie cake I think. Everyone brought food to share and it was pretty much all gone by the end. We were all stuffed!

The crowd cleared out by 11p or so (early for us!) and I flopped into bed a half hour later. We were hoping Nathan would follow our lead and sleep in the next day. We did let him stay up until about 10:30p. He was such a good boy running in and out and playing with all the big kids. (Our friends are amazing btw, all of them keeping an eye out and hanging out with him. We even have a handful of offers to come watch him!) He was still going strong only minutes before i called for bedtime, he was just rubbing his eyes as he ran around. He went down easy. But he didn't find it necessary to catch up on sleep the next morning. At 7a I set him up in front on Mickey with some milk and he was happy as can be. Thank you Walt Disney - I love you!

Sunday was low key. Truck left to go to Kerri's for a few days and we took our time coming to life. I had to clean up from the party and do laundry. I definitely earned the two hour nap that I enjoyed later on. It was heavenly. Even Nathan slept for two hours.

Today is Leo's birthday and, as mentioned, I have a birthday dinner to create. The heat here is not nearly as bad as it had been so I'm sure we'll get out into the fresh air too. I'll have to post pictures of my other project - the bedroom. It will be complete soon so stay tuned.

Good Stuff

I am happy to report some good stuff going on around here. For starters, we had a great Saturday. I was off to a baby shower and Nathan and Daddy had a fun day out together. They went to Monkey Joe's to jump around in the inflatables there. I have been several times and I wanted Leo to experience it himself. Sounds like it was a little harder for a 6' 2" guy to climb around in those things, chasing a 2 year old, than little old me. But I think they had a good time. They had a McD's lunch and I came home to find them in Nathan's new room (more on that in a minute) reading Goodnight Moon (Nathan's new favorite book of the moment). He went down peacefully for the 3rd time in a row . . . .

. . . Which means he's sleeping in his toddler bed now! Yesterday he said "I don't want to sleep in this bed." I asked which bed he would prefer, thinking I would get "big bed" as the answer (meaning ours) but he surprised me with "little bed" in his new room. So he napped in his "little bed" for nap and bedtime and again today for nap. I'm hoping it's just something that happens and stays. It seems too good to be true to ask for such an easy transition . . . but maybe he will make up for it and have a terrible time potty training. Who knows!

The rest of today was fun too. We listened to silly Disney songs and danced in the pouring rain that finally fell from the sky. Hurray! We are looking at degrees in the upper 80's tomorrow which will feel like wonderful arctic weather after all this awful endless heat. I can't wait!

In other news that is even more exciting than rain dances and bed times is the new addition to the family. You probably already know that we are indeed expecting baby #2! I think (I hope) we have told everyone we need to tell ourselves but by way of facebook and general word of mouth, the proverbial cat is out of the bag. We weren't sure how long "to wait" but seeing as I'm starting to look a little different (love those maternity shorts!) and I'm feeling very pregnant these days, I figured it was ok to share. We had two ultrasounds already and everything is looking just fine. In a month and a half or so we will find out the sex and then I can either sit back and enjoy the boy toys that surround me . . . or get busy and transform Nathan's "old" room into a little girls' retreat.

I still owe a little update from our NY trip as well as some pictures. I'll work on that this weekend. Leo and I have also been working on an "around the house" list. There isn't much immediate stuff that needs to be done, but with a baby on the way, there is a new deadline that proves to be helpful when there are things you would like to see done. 'Cuz when there's two running around here, there won't be much painting, fixing or rearranging going on for a while.

Mouth of a Sailor

Nathan looks much older now since he got a close shave the other day. Not his face. His head. I was doing ok with the home haircuts but when I tried to shape and trim it just a tad bit more, Nathan decided he was beyond done with this little project and would no longer participate. The result was a ridiculous looking mess. The only answer was to buzz it. Going to the #2 setting, I tearfully cut the long blonde locks on the top of his head until I couldn't see through my tears. Leo took over saying "it's only hair, it's fine." And it was. Now I see his cute little face even better and his noggin is so perfectly round and fuzzy now I think I fell in love with him all over again.

Until he started talking like a sailor.

The other day he dropped a book he was carrying and I heard him mutter "oh crap." Yeah, oh crap is right. He said with perfect timing and volume as if he's been saying it all his life. He's been watching mommy very closely. Daddy too. We are both guilty of potty mouth and have curbed it when we can. But the little every day things slip through. Apparently we also say,"What the hell?" often. When Leo made a loud noise putting glass in the recycling bin, Nathan responded with this inappropriate question. We still smirk and have to leave the room when he says shit, I mean stuff, like this. It's hilarious to hear his little voice remark in such a grown up way. But then I imagine him saying this in front of our friends, in public, at school, etc and I want to hide. Well, he's still young enough most people would still laugh at this. But still, we can't encourage it. I see a three year old saying, "WTF Mom?! Where the HELL is my dinner?!" This reminds me of a joke . . . let's hope we don't live up to this one.

The Train

A mother was working in the kitchen and listening to her son playing with his new electric trains in the living room. She heard the train stop and her son said, "All you sons of bitches who want to get off, get the hell off now because this is the last stop. All of you sons of bitches who are getting on, get your asses on the train now, because we're leaving." The mother went into the living room and told her son, "We don't use that kind of language in this house. Now go to your room for two hours. When you calm down, you may play with your trains as long as you use proper language." Two hours later, the mother was still working in the kitchen when her son came out of his room and resumed playing with his trains. The train stopped and the mother heard, "All passengers who are disembarking the train, please remember to take your belongings. We thank you for riding with us today and hope your trip was a pleasant one. For those just boarding, we ask that you stow your hand luggage under the seat and we hope you enjoy your trip. For those of you who are pissed off about the two hour delay, please see the bitch in the kitchen!"

Moody Two Year Old

Like the new pic? There are more where that came from but you have to wait. I'm busy. In the meantime, enjoy this video.



BTW, this picture shows exactly what you get from Nathan these days. He's cute as can be but he's got this stubborn, moody two-year-old attitude that comes with faces, voices and commands. He's a trip.

Beach Days

It's been a while but there's so many reasons why . . . how much time do you have? Right this minute, I have time all to myself as I sit here at my Dad's house in VC. Nathan is sleeping like a rock and I have a few minutes before this long day knocks me out too. We are visiting for a long weekend and enjoying every minute so far. I'm trying to make up for lost time too, revisiting the last month or so.

Late June we went to Carolina Beach with the fam for a weeks' vacation. We got a nice 3 BR house near the beach, and very close to an ice cream place too! Greg, Danielle and Lily came to Raleigh first to see our house, went to Myrtle with friends, then joined me, Leo, Nathan, Mom and Ed at the beach. Overall, there isn't a ton to tell which is the way a beach week should go. Mornings on the beach, afternoon naps, evening dinners (some in, some out) and later evening festivities if time allowed. Nathan fell in love with the ocean and everything about it. He loved the sand knocking him down and dunking him under. If I haven't said it before, I'm saying it now: The kid is a thrill seeker and I'm in trouble. He loved the sand and just being outside. His naps were long and peaceful every day on that living room couch. It takes a lot to wear him down but the beach did it!

I must say it was quite different from other vacations pre-kids. We had the extra grandparent hands to help us along, but having kids with you is just different. We love to sit around and play games but they didn't start until well after 9 and then we were all so tired from being parents all day that 11 was the cut off for bedtime. It's a bit of a let down. Not in a totally bad way - we love our kids! But it's just different when priorities change so much. Kids do that to you.

As for the kids together, Nathan enjoys when Lily is around. I don't know if it's vice versa but mostly because Nathan moves so fast he probably scares her. I tried to keep him out of her face but he was very curious and actually very loving. I'm glad they will get to see each other again soon.

We did the regular things: ice cream, mini-golf, local shopping, etc. The mini-golf was nothing amazing to see, but they had a good rain policy. If it rained before your 10th hole, you get a rain check for another day. It happened to be a potentially rainy evening so we took our time and stopped at the 10th and came back the next day to pretty much play again for free. And it was quite a storm that came through. It was a good decision on many levels- including leaving the kiddies home the 2nd time.

We took turns cooking. I like this a lot because I like to cook for others and I really like when others cook for me! If there is ever taco/ fajita night at Greg and Danielle's, get yourself invited. It's delish!

There was a small boardwalk area at CB, if you can call it that, that we visited one night. It had a free bouncy house, Spongebob walking around and some other free kid stuff. There were fantastic doughnuts there.Nathan was very excited to bounce (since he does all the time anyway) and enjoyed the carousel where they had a little carnival set up. We would go around and he would wave at the rest of our posse every time. He was so excited to wave he would wave early to another family altogether. He did not want to leave. I wanted more doughnuts. I guess it was a success if only for an hour or so.

We took a ferry from Fort Fisher to Southport one afternoon for lunch; Nonni and Lolo came to see us at the beach another day. We kept pretty busy and managed to keep it low key too.

The last night we went to Wilmington for dinner. We met up with Stan, Sharon and Logan again for dinner. The wait was looooong, but the food was good. And although the two boys were getting to me (they were being good, but they were being hyper boys and I was reaaalllly hungry) they did pretty well and had a good time together as always. It was nice to walk around the town a bit and discover Italian sodas with Greg and Danielle, a fence of keys (http://www.wwaytv3.com/fence_keys_makes_everyone_artist/03/2010)  and watch Nathan go on a horse-drawn carriage ride with Gigi and Grandpa Ed.

We all enjoyed the week together but were also happy to return to our own beds (the ones there were super squeaky!). We had adventures at home to look forward to and some involved seeing everyone again so it was nice to say "see ya soon!" and mean it. And so here we are. In NY. And the day is catching up with me now .... But soon I will catch you up again. Pictures too I hope.

Talking up a Storm

Nathan has been putting lots of words together for a while now. But the true sentences that have been coming out of his mouth astonish and often entertain me every day. Here are some recent Nathanisms:
I'm ticky-ish (ticklish)
I need a ladder (to get to the M&M's that are his favorite thing ever)
Go for a walk (everyday, all day if he could)
I need ice water (on our nightly walk around the neighborhood)
Do dodo do do dodododo (this is Nathan trying to sing the Thomas song that he loves for me to hum all the time)
Brush your teeth (He gets confused with you/ me, my/ yours, etc. so in the morning when he wants to brush his teeth like mommy does he says "brush your teeth". One morning when I was talking to him first thing in the morning he said, "brush your teeth" which was appropriate and hilarious. I don't know if he knew it.)
I Love you, Mommy (He often says this at night at bedtime but often randomly says it during the day. Wrapping his arms around me while I carried him the other day he looked at me and said it with absolute meaning!)
Next to you (Our bedtime routine involves me laying next to him for a few minutes while he winds down)
Picasso (He put his Potato Head together all silly and said this to me. Either he's watched too much Toy Story or he's a genius. Or both. In the first few scenes of the first movie, Mr. Potato Head arranges his parts all over the place and says "Hey look, I'm Picasso!" Nathan got it. Amazing!)
Car Insurance (This does not sound funny at all but when he suddenly blurts out "car insurance" at the dinner table, it is. It could be a jumble of sounds or too many car insurance commercials with Cars characters in it.)
Piggy says . . . (Then he makes the sound of the piggy, cow, doggie, motorcycle, thunder, school bus, truck - you get the picture.)
Where'd she go? (Tonight he asked where Darth Vader went while we were watching Star Wars and it went to a commercial. We met a little girl at the pool and she went to the other side with her mommy and he asked me where she went.)
The Winner: Dammit. (He copied Daddy at the dinner table who said it when he spilled his drink. Nathan purposefully knocked his own over and repeated after his father. He then did it again hours later with perfect delivery and timing. I'm so going to be the one getting called to the principal's office for cursing!)

The list goes on. I started this weeks ago and it now seems to outdated. It just goes to show how much he is growing and learning every day. It's such a fun stage and despite the sometimes very long days of trying to keep busy, it's my favorite kid stage so far.

The Playground

It's finally done. Yipeee! It took several weeks, one little hour at a time. In the humidity and heat. Ick! But it's done and Nathan is a big fan. Thanks Grandpa Truck and Babci for this very generous gift. And thanks to me for being a work horse and slave driver around here to get it done!