Yes I do, Mama

The cutest Nathanism going right now is his new answer when I ask him a question. "Would you like some milk, Nathan?" "Yes I do, Mama." O.M.G. Can he get cuter? He even says it to Leo, but we are trying to guide him towards saying "Daddy" appropriately as well.

He is getting very independent these days. Faster than I ever imagined. Nathan has been able to open the fridge for a while (last year he had lots of practice with the freezer side when he was obsessed with ice pops) but now he opens the fridge and reaches for anything he pleases. Leo caught him climbing inside the fridge towards the top, to the milk. I don't know what he would have done if he actually got to the milk. I'm sure it was have involved lots of bad words and sticky floors. Other than the fridge though, he helps himself to "snacks" in the pantry. He has reached in to get the bag of goldfish crackers, run over to the Tupperware cabinet for a bowl, then poured himself some fishies into it. All on his own. He spoons yogurt and cottage cheese (a couple favorites) into his mouth reasonably neatly and even navigates around couscous rather well, considering it can be  a rather messy food for a toddler.

He is getting to be a big boy in other arenas too. We went out last night and had our neighbor Kate come watch Nathan for the evening. When we came home, she said he went to bed around 9:10p (they must have worn him out!) and he wanted to sleep in his new blue bedroom. He slept there the whole night! It was his first time. We were very proud. Although I didn't sleep well because I was worried he would wake up confused since he hadn't slept there before. He let out a yelp in the morning but I found him sitting in one of his little chairs waiting to be collected. At nap today I tried to put him in there again to get him used to this transition (to see if it would actually stick) and he would only settle in his regular old room. Which was fine but  I found him sitting in the glider in there sleeping. What a cutie, sitting in that big old chair cuddled with his monkey. The kid cracks me up everyday.

He does have some other not so fun tendencies though. In line with his two year old ways, he often thinks the world revolves around him and what he says goes. Yeah, goes out the window if you ask me. He uses "no" quite regularly and makes sure you heard him. When he wants something he asks incessantly and when doesn't want to do or go where you want it's a little piece of hell. We went to Lowe's the other day and he was a maniac. I swear we were so close to leaving him there to run the aisles and find a new family to take him home. Yet, he can get cute as quickly as he can get ugly. I have been trying to master this balance and am forced to practice it nightly when it's time for bed. He kicks and screams until I distract him with a few rounds of "ABC" or itsy bitsy spider. (He says the alphabet like this, btw: "W, X, T, U, V, W, X, T, U, V .. ..")

His newest obsession, the movie Cars. I was never a fan personally but I guess it really is the quintessential boy movie. He is crazy over it and wants to watch it all day long. ("Watchin' Cars!" he says.) It was on the other day and I ran to record it on TiVo last week on the off chance he might enjoy it. Let's just say, Woody and Buzz get a little jealous but I'm sure they will always be his special pals regardless. In fact, right now he is running between the bedroom where the TiVo is and the living room where Leo is watching the Simpsons (Yes, he loves that too. I know - not the most kid friendly but these things happen). "Nathan do you want to watch TV with me?" "Yes I do, Mama."

Shennanigans

So our first toddler birthday party went off quite well. You have never seen two hours fly by so fast! The kids were happy, the parents were happy, and most importantly, the birthday boy was happy. Although he does sometimes get overwhelmed by lots of people, Nathan does like to play with other kids. And he certainly likes to open gifts.That went by in a flash of gift bags and tissue paper. The result = 3 Mr. Potato Heads, Jesse, another Woody, backpack, Buzz bowling game, PJ's, clothes, and a toy story blanket among other things. Since Toy Story was the theme of the day, there was lots of that around. The first few days, Nathan was all about bringing every character he had into bed with him. Thankfully that fad faded quickly. It's just about Nathan and his monkey now, and an occasional Elmo.

Last weekend we went to Annapolis for cousin Jill's wedding. What a blast! Unfortunately, Nathan caught some nasty little bug that made him miserable a few days after his birthday party (it's bound to happen with 12 other baby/ toddler noses around) and his sickness lasted into the weekend. But there was no stopping us from attending this party so off we went.

Ten minutes from the house on our way to MD, Nathan said "monkey". I knew instantly that in the rush to hit the road, monkey was left behind. Although Leo was very against making the round trip back, the mother in me couldn't help but go back home to get him. (Seriously, my heart hurt when I heard my sick little boy looking for his best buddy) It was added minutes to the trip but it saved us a couple days of whining, at least whining about monkey. Nathan's mood in general was pretty sour since he really didn't feel good. his fever continued and he was docile compared to his usual energetic nature. He snapped out of it a few days later but the weekend was rough for him.

Thankfully, Pop Pop and Jo Jo came down to Annapolis as well to help with the kids. They took Lily and Nathan and marched the streets of Annapolis over and over all day Saturday. Despite the sickness, they all had a great time. We couldn't have done it without them!

As for the wedding. It was so great for everyone to have time to hang out. Mom and Ed, Greg and Danielle, Tim and Jen were already in town when we got there. (You know, since the monkey adventure slowed us a bit). We had dinner in downtown Annapolis where Aunt Carol and Cousin Kathy from AZ joined us. Afterwards, we went back to our hotel to enjoy a much beloved game of the Kepler Kids - Kings. I used to think we would never have anymore fun when we had kids. We still do and the kids are right there alongside us watching their parents/ aunts/ uncles carry on like kids themselves. I hope we can continue the shenanigans for years to come. It's just too fun.

Saturday, we Kepler Kids borrowed Dad's van to take a short trip to a local brewery. It was Leo's idea and a good one for something different. It was timed perfectly with the wedding commencing at 3pm. We had just enough time for morning silliness. (TJ falling off the bench in the rear of the van is and will be a highlight. Dude, that was hilarious.)

The wedding was beautiful. I really couldn't believe one of my younger cousins was up there in that big white dress getting hitched. (I'm old) When the crowd cheered at the end of the ceremony we all knew it was going to be a really fun night. Jill and Greg's Marine friends sent them off by drawing their swords (so cool) and the fun times were on their way.

The wedding was at a Westin which was absolutely amazing. Contemporary and chic. Loved it! The food was simple, the drinks were flowing and eventually, the music was bumping too. We had to coax the DJ to kick it up a notch but once he did we were all 'jumpin around' on the dance floor. It was a familiar Garrison scene. When we returned to the hotel after the after party, we found the TV on, lights out and Joanne and Nathan snuggled in bed. What a sight. He did well (with some Benedryl) and it seems both kids and grandparents had  as much fun as we did.

Sunday morning was a little rough but the brunch hosted by Aunt Mary and Uncle Lee was a nice way to end the weekend. We said our goodbyes and got on the road by noon. It felt like the party was still going on though - Dad and Joanne would be joining us later that night down in Raleigh. Yay for visitors!

The time together in NC was really nice, as it always is. We really just hung around and enjoyed the 83 degrees on Monday (and the strange 58 degrees on Tuesday). They bought us some beautiful roses for our anniversary to put in the backyard (which the deer promptly ate the night after I put them in the ground. But that's another story. I'm too mad to talk about it). Then they were off to Florida to see Aunt Ruth and Nanni. Nathan is still asking for Pop Pop and Jo Jo.

Carol and Kathy came down to NC too for some other family visiting and Thursday Logan was here to play for a few hours. Nathan loved playing with his cousin since it had been so long and even asked the next day "Logan go?"

We are happy for a bit of a slow down now. And now that we are home back in our natural habitat, with a healthy kid again, we are odserving in all the changes that are taking place with our two-year-old. He is putting words together at lighting speed and comes up with a new way to make us laugh everyday.Stay tuned for the Trend version of "Kids Say the Darnedest Things." I'm sure he will come up with many a doozy to make us giggle. Right now we are enjoying the way he enthusiastically says "I Love You!"

Birthday Wishes & Free Ice Cream

How can it be that two years have gone by?! Our baby is a becoming a little man. What an amazing miracle to watch grow before me every day! To show off his two-year-oldness he tried to diaper his monkey and sit him on the potty this morning. Oh what an interesting year it will be.

We are looking forward to celebrating his birthday this weekend with some family and friends. We actually have quite a crowd coming, which includes LOTS of little kids. Yikes. I'm hoping we will have enough fun, food, space and toys to keep everyone happy. Better get more beer for the adults. . .

McDonalds wanted to celebrate Nathan's actual birthday though. We went to get some lunch on the way back from the dr's (nice, huh?) and at the window the woman offered us an ice cream sundae. For Free! I don't know if it was an extra, an all day freebie everyone is entitled to or just a lucky birthday surprise, but the three of us enjoyed the sweet afternoon treat. (We need it on a hot spring day like today. Sorry NY'ers with your 3" of snow. We've got shorts and T's on! And my peonies are growing!)

This afternoon we expect a box from Amazon containing some surprise gifts for the birthday boy. I think he's really going to like what's in store for him!

Vegas in Review

It's been a few weeks now but I promised a Vegas review. So let's go back...

When you go away part of the experience (for me at least) is the weather wherever you are going. The weather in Vegas was pretty much the same there as it was here. That's not bad, it just wasn't different. And it's usually hot there. It was not. I missed out on pool time since we didn't have the sweltering heat that is the norm.

So when we arrived Monday afternoon it didn't feel like we were anywhere different without the sun beating down on us. But when we arrived at The Flamingo and walked in the doors, the scents and sounds wrapped themselves around us and then, finally, it felt we had arrived. I don't know what it is that makes the smell so distinctive (other than the smoke everywhere - ick) but something about it brings back the fond memories of past visits and we were very happy to be there!

The first thing we did after checking in was take a walk down the strip. There were many new buildings to see, namely City Center. We walked past it all to go to a particular favorite restaurant at the Monte Carlo. The end of that long walk did not result in lunch at our fav spot though. The place changed and we had to settle for a random cafe and free margaritas (we waited forever for our meal. We were starving and unhappy. Tequila has a way of making all things better.) I did win $9 here on slots! Later that evening, our friends Dena and Kent arrived and the party began. We went to the "kick off" party for the convention we were there for (Bar Owners Something or Other). We went to a big ball room where passed or devours and free drinks were flowing. That's how the rest of the trip went for the most part. Lots 'o booze!

We enjoyed our favorite haunts on the strip and managed to stay up until 2am or so. I have no idea how this happens but it's really amazing how we were up this late (5am Eastern Time!) with no problem. But sleeping in was not a success for any of us being on East Coast time still and having kids that basically ruin any ability to sleep late ever again. Booo. But we had much to look forward to. We met for breakfast then headed over to the convention center.

As I said, there was a lot of drink. The whole place was vendors with liquor samples, bar ware, glowing items for your bar, and even a beer garden for Leo, who was in heaven. Being the master brewer at home he picked the brains of the other brewers there and had a great time trying everything out. We all managed to swipe some cool glowy things for the kids - ice cubes with blinking lights, light up straws (or light sabers as we knew they would become) and flashing necklaces. We walked, sampled, walked and sampled. The following day was much of the same. We saw a guy who Dena thought was some rocker from the 80's but he turned out to be a different, less famous rocker, than we thought. No matter, we got pictures with him as well as the painted girls who were quite literally only wearing paint. Hey, it's Vegas. What do you expect?!

The cooooolest part happened by complete chance. Walking around at the start of the first day, Leo ran into an old friend from college, Artie. Artie is a co-publisher of a big magazine and his industry brings him to these events all the time. And he has great connections. Which means we suddenly did too. Artie invited us to his suite at the new building of Planet Hollywood, which was sponsored by Bacardi. We didn't even really know what the heck that meant, but it sounded like fun. So later that night, all dressed up and ready for the Vegas evening, we made it over to the 50th floor penthouse. Woooohoooo! This place was pretty cool. A full kitchen, projector TV, amazing bathroom, bedroom, etc. And the VIEW! He had a 270 view of the strip from way up there. It was awesome! We enjoyed cocktails and company for a while before venturing out again. Thanks Artie!

At that point we split up. We ended up playing slots for a while and just enjoying the night, stopping on the way to watch the Bellagio fountains of course. That's my favorite.

Wednesday night, after day two of the convention, we ventured out once more to see the Cosmopolitan. This new casino/ hotel is quite amazing and my new favorite place ever. It was quite gorgeous with it's leather padded walls, crystal beads, and other intricate designs on every inch of the place. The club there was  just as jaw dropping. But being the end of our trip, and knowing a very early morning was ahead of us, we didn't stay long.

The trip did go fast. But it was a good one. Having a little boy at home waiting for you changes things. I really wanted to get home and hug him! Also, living the Vegas lifestyle, even for a few days, is tiring! Not to mention horrendous for your health. So I was ready to call it quits and get back to the real world. Had there been some pool time though I may have been convinced to stay a day longer . . .  ; )

Bedtime Woes

The last few days were a struggle in our house for several reasons. One: Stupid Day Light Savings. Why?! We don't need to adjust ourselves for the benefit of light anymore - we use electricity not candles these days. Anyway, it was a long night on Sunday. Nathan went to sleep around 11p - very late for everyone even if it still felt like 10p. He has slept in the past few days (9a - which matches his usual 8a routine) but this doesn't really help when I'm still up late trying to get him to bed. The goal is to get him back to a much more normal bedtime soon so the adults have time sans child in the evenings. (Only to have it screwed up again in 6 months!)

Reason Two: The Bed. I moved the toddler bed into Nathan's room on Sunday. Although he was happy to climb in and out of the crib, the more I thought about it the more worried I got about the potential dangers. So in came the new bed where it will be temporarily until the new room is done (soon!). The first nap time resulted in crying, resisting and eventually sleeping on the floor next to the bed. That night we put him in the bed but we found him in the crib the next morning! Yesterdays nap was short but the night seemed to go better. And today, day 3, he ended up settling IN the bed and staying there for his nap which has lasted more than an hour so far. I would say it's a success. So far. I can't go throwing a party yet - we still have to get back to regular sleepy time around here. But in just a few days Nathan seemed to get it. Oh how I hope potty  training clicks in just as well!

Crib Crawler

I've got much to share about our trip to Las Vegas. In short - it was great! But let me tell you about some changes we've encountered since coming home. When we left, Nathan was still sleeping soundly in his crib at night and we didn't worry too much about him getting out. Although he could if he wanted to, he never attempted when we weren't there. Upon our return though, we learned we have a true 2 year old who would much rather be out of his crib than in it. While we were gone, Nathan stayed with Gigi and Grandpa and he did get out of his pack and play several times. But he had done it before since it's much easier to escape. This time though, I'm told he would get out and either make a game out of it ("Haha, look what I can do!") or just sleep somewhere else. My mom told me he was on the floor one night, next to the pack and play, and on the guest bed, all sprawled out in the middle, another night. She caught him snuggling up in the middle of all the big pillows on the bed making himself comfy like a big boy. I wish we had video of that!

And so we knew we would have some different issues when we were all back at home in our own beds again. We managed to sleep in the morning after we all got back and we were soooooo thankful for the catch up of some shut eye. But we had no idea the reason it was so quiet in Nathan's bedroom for so long was because he was busy entertaining himself. Leo opened the door to find him sitting on his bike, very proud of himself for getting out of his crib and playing in his room all morning! He repeated his shennaningans for nap time too. I caught him in the act - he climbs up on the changer next to the bed and climbs down the other side on top of the diaper trash and down. During the nap time adventure we found him sleeping ON TOP of the changer. As if he could only make it so far after climbing in and out so many times before he finally had to rest. This kid is hilarious.

Tonight we are off to a wedding and Amy and Dan will be here with him for a while. We'll see how he is with other people - will he go to bed just fine? Will he be silly and make a game of it? Will he be sitting on the couch watching TV with them when we get back well after his bedtime?! I just know I have to get a move on with his new bedroom. I planned to paint and make it up nice for his transition into the "big boy bed". I can't believe my little baby boy is almost TWO!

OMG I Love LV

So, we're in Las Vegas right now. It's been a few years and there's so much new stuff to see. Also, being parents and not usually visiting anywhere other than local parks and malls, it's exciting to be out and about. As adults. Without a kid. Leo ran into a college friend here at the convention we are attending (more on that later) and he turns out to have mad connections. We're talking Penthouse Suite at Planet Hollywood with a bar 'sponsored' by Bacardi. What? We enjoyed an amazing view of the strip for a a few hours while sipping free cocktails. We truly felt like rockstars. Until our new friend had to go and make an appearance at a club here. They were hopping into a limo while we walked back up the strip in the cold. Well, we enjoyed a glimpse into 'the life'. Leo got a free bottle of some expensive scotch to take home, the guys got free t-shirts from 'school girls' on the strip and now we're deciding what to do at midnight in Vegas. Oh my how I love Las Vegas!