This weekend has been a weekend of a lot of different feelings. Trevor is really growing up fast, and at the same point, I'm really flashing back to my young years and can start remembering the age that he is at now and it is making me feel really old.
Trevor had his first sleepover on Thursday night. The kids didn't have school on Friday, so it was perfect to let him get SUPER excited, get less sleep than he usually does, and enjoy playing with his friend before he went to bed and then again when he woke up in the morning.
From what I understand, he did great. I wasn't worried that he'd miss mom and dad, although I know with most new situations, he tends to have to figure them out before he decides how he feels about them. He and his friend stayed up giggling and pretending to try to go to sleep, which really brings back memories.
The next day, he couldn't stop talking about how much fun he had and how he thinks he has a really great "best" friend. Soon, we'll be returning the favor, and Trevor is already planning it all out.
On a somewhat related note, for our family movie night last night, we watched Ghostbusters. There were a few "too scary" or "inappropriate" scenes, but for having a movie buff like Russ in the house, he was very helpful to fast forward through those parts. Gwen really enjoyed the music and was dancing through any song that was playing during the movie.
In the background of the menu, the theme song is playing. So Trevor wanted to listen to the menu song playing. At that point, Russ went out and found the CD that we have that song on. Flashback to the millions of times I have heard that song playing with Kevin and Brian (and perhaps some other friends) dancing to and acting out being ghostbusters.
Such fun times. I wish I didn't have to feel so old ;-)
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Education on parenting
Since the new year, Gwen's ECFE class has decided to do a book discussion group during our parent time. It works nice for me since Gwen is my second, and I don't seem to have as many questions as I did with Trevor. The book we are reading is called The 10 Basic Principles of Good Parenting. It works really well with the structure of the class. Each week for 10 weeks we cover a chapter. The chapters are maybe 15-20 pages but can be read in about 15-20 minutes. Even if we don't have time to read, our teacher has a cheat sheet going over the main points of the chapter. But this cheat sheet is really nice to give to our husbands, so we can continue to have the discussion with them after class. The book isn't really a new method or new ideas, and that is what it isn't meant to do. It is more to keep important things top of mind.
I feel like since reading this book, it has really clued me in to being a better parent, and curious about the whole science behind parenting. Not so much that I want to change careers or anything, just that I'm much more curious about other people's ideas of parenting and how their parents shaped what they did. I can still remember what it was like to be parented, and what's kind of cool is that since I was the oldest, I also saw my parents parent younger kids and can remember that better than when I was that younger age.
But what I don't have a lot of clue about is how my parents were parented. I know I asked or know a lot about their lives as younger people, but I was never interested in how they were parented. Probably because at the time I wasn't interested, or didn't know much about it anyway. So one of these days, I'm going to have to have a little sit-down with my parents to see what it was like to be a kid having the parents that they did.
For a little taste of the book, a warm fuzzy for me was to read the chapter about how "you cannot spoil your child with love." It makes the distinction that you CAN spoil your child with THINGS, but often these things are used as a replacement for love. Thankfully, I don't believe that we do this as the things that our kids do get are either gifts for a celebration, or something that they have earned as a reward. The chapter is really about how, many years ago there were people that felt like withholding love and affection towards their children helped promote a strong individual. Sort of like the thinking that a boy that shows emotion is a wimp. It is also interesting to note that showing love can take different forms. And in our family it sure does. I like to spend time cuddling, hugging, patting, and in general being close to the kids. Russ (and many others) loves to wrestle and tackle and tickle both of the kids. Neither one is better than the other. It is how we show our love to the kids. And that is why the kids love to get around other family and wrestle and tackle and tickle everyone else. If anyone is willing to play with them in that way, they love, love, love it. It is so interesting to think that later on in life, how this will impact them. We are such a lucky family to have everyone so close.
More on other events later....
I feel like since reading this book, it has really clued me in to being a better parent, and curious about the whole science behind parenting. Not so much that I want to change careers or anything, just that I'm much more curious about other people's ideas of parenting and how their parents shaped what they did. I can still remember what it was like to be parented, and what's kind of cool is that since I was the oldest, I also saw my parents parent younger kids and can remember that better than when I was that younger age.
But what I don't have a lot of clue about is how my parents were parented. I know I asked or know a lot about their lives as younger people, but I was never interested in how they were parented. Probably because at the time I wasn't interested, or didn't know much about it anyway. So one of these days, I'm going to have to have a little sit-down with my parents to see what it was like to be a kid having the parents that they did.
For a little taste of the book, a warm fuzzy for me was to read the chapter about how "you cannot spoil your child with love." It makes the distinction that you CAN spoil your child with THINGS, but often these things are used as a replacement for love. Thankfully, I don't believe that we do this as the things that our kids do get are either gifts for a celebration, or something that they have earned as a reward. The chapter is really about how, many years ago there were people that felt like withholding love and affection towards their children helped promote a strong individual. Sort of like the thinking that a boy that shows emotion is a wimp. It is also interesting to note that showing love can take different forms. And in our family it sure does. I like to spend time cuddling, hugging, patting, and in general being close to the kids. Russ (and many others) loves to wrestle and tackle and tickle both of the kids. Neither one is better than the other. It is how we show our love to the kids. And that is why the kids love to get around other family and wrestle and tackle and tickle everyone else. If anyone is willing to play with them in that way, they love, love, love it. It is so interesting to think that later on in life, how this will impact them. We are such a lucky family to have everyone so close.
More on other events later....
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
How do you explain this one?
So Trevor has been getting very interested in sports and rules and people and rationale behind things. On Saturday, we had the opportunity to go to a Gopher Basketball game. This was right after he had his Basketball practice/game so it was fun to know a little about the game, coming from his own (where he can make his shots very consistently now, by the way). Scoring was the source of a lot of questions, as are fouls.
Of course, the Twins are always a source of good information for Trevor. He got a Twin's calendar for Christmas, and he is looking forward to the season starting. He knows JJ Hardy is going to be playing for the Twins, and that the Twins traded Carlos Gomez in that deal.
He also remembers watching White Sox games in which Jim Thome came out late in the game as a designated hitter to try to get a big hit against the Twins. Trevor heard Russ call him a Twins killer, which immediately caught Trevor's attention. And now we have today's news. It causes Trevor great confusion, and I don't really know how to explain it very well. I guess no longer can he be considered a Twins killer? But he wasn't traded for anyone, so I guess that's good. Oh well...at least this brings interesting stories to look at during this off-season.
Of course, the Twins are always a source of good information for Trevor. He got a Twin's calendar for Christmas, and he is looking forward to the season starting. He knows JJ Hardy is going to be playing for the Twins, and that the Twins traded Carlos Gomez in that deal.
He also remembers watching White Sox games in which Jim Thome came out late in the game as a designated hitter to try to get a big hit against the Twins. Trevor heard Russ call him a Twins killer, which immediately caught Trevor's attention. And now we have today's news. It causes Trevor great confusion, and I don't really know how to explain it very well. I guess no longer can he be considered a Twins killer? But he wasn't traded for anyone, so I guess that's good. Oh well...at least this brings interesting stories to look at during this off-season.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
The story of the nukie
So of course I can't believe me with my ideas of what a kid should have in terms of help with teething and comfort, etc. has made this whole nuk thing WAY bigger than it ever needed to be.
When it came to Trevor, it seemed simple. He took to them before he was 2 months, if I remember correctly. I took them away shortly after 18 months, at which time he was pretty much done teething so the doctor gave me the go-ahead to stop using it. Around that same time, I was at the mall when I saw two kids probably 4 or 5 years old with pacifiers in their mouths. I could not believe it. At that point, I decided that it was going to be a decision that as soon as I thought the kids wouldn't remember, yet wouldn't be scarred, I would be taking away pacifiers so not to be able to end up as what I saw.
I will always remember Trevor's reaction and what I did in order to try to calm him down. I gave him a countdown, and started with his nap so that if he didn't take his nap well, he'd be tired enough to do the evening sleep. I remember him being pretty upset, even though I had replaced the pacifier with his favorite toy, his cars. I did take maybe 2 days for him to even ask about it ever again.
With Gwen...she didn't even take a pacifier until after a year. Granted I think some of it has to do with the fact that she was so much of a later teether. But what I didn't think of at the time was that she never used the pacifiers as a method for comfort. Come time for her to get rid of them (2 days ago now....) she didn't care at all. It became routine, but there were so many times when she didn't need them to get to sleep that saying that they were "all gone" didn't phase her at all. I did replace them with her recent favorite...fairies. But no crying, no whining...just a simple question mostly when we went upstairs for bed.
If it weren't for my own thoughts of kids needing a pacifier or something....ah well. Hopefully this doesn't add to any of her issues later on in life. I am glad to have this part of our lives behind us. On to new parts....Maybe she's just an easy going person...I guess only time will tell.
When it came to Trevor, it seemed simple. He took to them before he was 2 months, if I remember correctly. I took them away shortly after 18 months, at which time he was pretty much done teething so the doctor gave me the go-ahead to stop using it. Around that same time, I was at the mall when I saw two kids probably 4 or 5 years old with pacifiers in their mouths. I could not believe it. At that point, I decided that it was going to be a decision that as soon as I thought the kids wouldn't remember, yet wouldn't be scarred, I would be taking away pacifiers so not to be able to end up as what I saw.
I will always remember Trevor's reaction and what I did in order to try to calm him down. I gave him a countdown, and started with his nap so that if he didn't take his nap well, he'd be tired enough to do the evening sleep. I remember him being pretty upset, even though I had replaced the pacifier with his favorite toy, his cars. I did take maybe 2 days for him to even ask about it ever again.
With Gwen...she didn't even take a pacifier until after a year. Granted I think some of it has to do with the fact that she was so much of a later teether. But what I didn't think of at the time was that she never used the pacifiers as a method for comfort. Come time for her to get rid of them (2 days ago now....) she didn't care at all. It became routine, but there were so many times when she didn't need them to get to sleep that saying that they were "all gone" didn't phase her at all. I did replace them with her recent favorite...fairies. But no crying, no whining...just a simple question mostly when we went upstairs for bed.
If it weren't for my own thoughts of kids needing a pacifier or something....ah well. Hopefully this doesn't add to any of her issues later on in life. I am glad to have this part of our lives behind us. On to new parts....Maybe she's just an easy going person...I guess only time will tell.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The trip to Boston
Before it all becomes a blur, I'm going to record as much as I can remember about our wonderful trip. As far as the kids go, it was nice to be able to get just about everything we could packed into the 3 full days in Boston.
As a mother of two relatively young kids, I was a bit nervous about the plane trips. Trevor, I wasn't really worried about because he was really into his Nintendo DS. Gwen, I wasn't sure if I had enough for her to be kept busy. I had gotten some pocket-sized fairies and princesses as a surprise for her. Boy was that a score. The plane ride was during her naptime with a stop in Chicago. It was hard for her to keep quiet because she was tired but couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. She doesn't like headphones, like Trevor, and can watch the portable DVD player without sound, but it doesn't comfort her, when she wants to run around.
Both to and from the airport we were so blessed to have Tracy bring our luggage to and from the airport so we didn't have to lug it around on the T. Speaking of which....Gwen wasn't a big fan like Trevor has been in years past. She wasn't afraid, or even cared about it. I think she saw it as a time where she was going to be restricted from running around.
Thursday and Friday, Tracy had games that we were able to watch. Pictures are up on Facebook, and mine will be too. Gwen got a puck, and Trevor got a broken stick from the game. They loved slapping the girls high fives as they went on to the ice. They loved seeing themselves on the jumbo-tron. And of course, they loved running around the place.
The hotel we stayed at was very nice. It had a small pool that the kids got to swim in at least once a day. Trevor was able to perfect his somersaults under water, and floating on his back. Gwen was able to get the hang of floaties. Thank goodness the air temperature in the pool area was close to 80 degrees. The water temp was probably low 70's, so Gwen's lips turned blue after a half hour or so. Trevor was moving so much that he kept warm and probably could have been swimming for many hours. The pool depth was only 3 1/2 feet so he never had to tread water.
The breakfast that they had at the hotel was just what the kids and I needed. I am a big breakfast person, and with Gwen being free and Trevor half price, it was a nice variety for the picky eater.
Saturday, we were able to take the T out to visit my cousin Meghan, Sean, and their new baby Paddy. They have such a cute house! And a cute family, complete with their dog Glory. Which of course the kids enjoyed. We got to see Paddy for a little while before he had to take a nap.
We had to check out of the hotel at noon on Sunday, but our plane didn't leave until 5:40. We got a ride to the airport, and had a late lunch at Legal Seafood while watching the Vikings game. Lucky enough, right next door they had a playplace for the kids. We stayed there until it was close to the time to head to the plane. Unfortunately, the President was making a trip to Boston due to a Senate election. It caused big delays and we almost missed our connecting flight. Fortunately, they held the plane for all of the people needing that flight.
Again, lucky enough, Gwen took a nap the entire first part of the trip. She had been so wiped out from the swimming, and trying to get some sleep, and running around....being uncomfortable was not even on her radar. Sleep was what she needed. Even on the short trip from Milwaukee home, she was occupied with just her fairies.
Trevor didn't have school on Monday, so it was nice to have the day to not be rushed back into our routine. But the kids still talk about the trip...and Gwen even knows which shirts mean seeing Tracy....we all have them. Boston College...I hope they do well! Thanks Tracy for the fun times!
As a mother of two relatively young kids, I was a bit nervous about the plane trips. Trevor, I wasn't really worried about because he was really into his Nintendo DS. Gwen, I wasn't sure if I had enough for her to be kept busy. I had gotten some pocket-sized fairies and princesses as a surprise for her. Boy was that a score. The plane ride was during her naptime with a stop in Chicago. It was hard for her to keep quiet because she was tired but couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. She doesn't like headphones, like Trevor, and can watch the portable DVD player without sound, but it doesn't comfort her, when she wants to run around.
Both to and from the airport we were so blessed to have Tracy bring our luggage to and from the airport so we didn't have to lug it around on the T. Speaking of which....Gwen wasn't a big fan like Trevor has been in years past. She wasn't afraid, or even cared about it. I think she saw it as a time where she was going to be restricted from running around.
Thursday and Friday, Tracy had games that we were able to watch. Pictures are up on Facebook, and mine will be too. Gwen got a puck, and Trevor got a broken stick from the game. They loved slapping the girls high fives as they went on to the ice. They loved seeing themselves on the jumbo-tron. And of course, they loved running around the place.
The hotel we stayed at was very nice. It had a small pool that the kids got to swim in at least once a day. Trevor was able to perfect his somersaults under water, and floating on his back. Gwen was able to get the hang of floaties. Thank goodness the air temperature in the pool area was close to 80 degrees. The water temp was probably low 70's, so Gwen's lips turned blue after a half hour or so. Trevor was moving so much that he kept warm and probably could have been swimming for many hours. The pool depth was only 3 1/2 feet so he never had to tread water.
The breakfast that they had at the hotel was just what the kids and I needed. I am a big breakfast person, and with Gwen being free and Trevor half price, it was a nice variety for the picky eater.
Saturday, we were able to take the T out to visit my cousin Meghan, Sean, and their new baby Paddy. They have such a cute house! And a cute family, complete with their dog Glory. Which of course the kids enjoyed. We got to see Paddy for a little while before he had to take a nap.
We had to check out of the hotel at noon on Sunday, but our plane didn't leave until 5:40. We got a ride to the airport, and had a late lunch at Legal Seafood while watching the Vikings game. Lucky enough, right next door they had a playplace for the kids. We stayed there until it was close to the time to head to the plane. Unfortunately, the President was making a trip to Boston due to a Senate election. It caused big delays and we almost missed our connecting flight. Fortunately, they held the plane for all of the people needing that flight.
Again, lucky enough, Gwen took a nap the entire first part of the trip. She had been so wiped out from the swimming, and trying to get some sleep, and running around....being uncomfortable was not even on her radar. Sleep was what she needed. Even on the short trip from Milwaukee home, she was occupied with just her fairies.
Trevor didn't have school on Monday, so it was nice to have the day to not be rushed back into our routine. But the kids still talk about the trip...and Gwen even knows which shirts mean seeing Tracy....we all have them. Boston College...I hope they do well! Thanks Tracy for the fun times!
Monday, January 18, 2010
Is it summer yet?
Well, we are back from our wonderful trip to Boston, and I will post more on that later. I have a long list of things to-do today, and I do need to get taking care of a few of them first. Namely homework stuff. I was surprisingly able to take care of my homework while the kids were napping, so that was nice.
Before I left, I was hoping to get up to date on what Trevor has been up to in the wide world of sports. I must say that when it comes to swimming, that is the thing he seems to make the biggest strides with. He graduated two weeks ago into the school-aged swimming program. He is in class with 3 other boys, but it is interesting to see where the other 3 kids are at with their swimming in comparison to Trevor. Trevor is great, and loves to swim and float on his back. But if he is trying to swim on his stomach, his feet are directly under his head, and he doesn't go anywhere. Both the swimming instructor and I were really worried when he would just take off swimming and look like at any moment he would go under. But after one week, he was able to tread water for over a minute. He just takes forever to get back to the wall of the pool. They are really working on form, and especially breathing to the side. I was worried after the first week that he was not up to the skill level of the class, but I think it will work out fine.
Hockey is going very well as well, however I think everyone would be happier if it were less time and more games/scrimmages. He has loved scrimmaging the high school team, and hasn't had to be outside for any of his practices yet. I can't believe that it goes from October to March. That is so long for a kid.
Basketball is another sport he is doing, for now. He loves playing with his friend Sam, and he can shoot and make a good percent of his shots. It is nice that they again, have scrimmages every week of the program. So he's getting to understand a little more about the game, and now that he's strong enough, he enjoys being able to make his shots.
We have a ways to go before baseball starts, but I think getting past Christmas and the start of winter just brings questions about when baseball is going to start. Although he doesn't hear about baseball as much anymore, when he does, he practices his baseball on his "rectangle TV" for the rest of the day.
With the turn of the new calendar, gets all the rest of the year in his mind. He's already asking when his 1st grade school starts, and looking at the different months when other things start.
So that's Trevor's update. More on Boston soon!
Before I left, I was hoping to get up to date on what Trevor has been up to in the wide world of sports. I must say that when it comes to swimming, that is the thing he seems to make the biggest strides with. He graduated two weeks ago into the school-aged swimming program. He is in class with 3 other boys, but it is interesting to see where the other 3 kids are at with their swimming in comparison to Trevor. Trevor is great, and loves to swim and float on his back. But if he is trying to swim on his stomach, his feet are directly under his head, and he doesn't go anywhere. Both the swimming instructor and I were really worried when he would just take off swimming and look like at any moment he would go under. But after one week, he was able to tread water for over a minute. He just takes forever to get back to the wall of the pool. They are really working on form, and especially breathing to the side. I was worried after the first week that he was not up to the skill level of the class, but I think it will work out fine.
Hockey is going very well as well, however I think everyone would be happier if it were less time and more games/scrimmages. He has loved scrimmaging the high school team, and hasn't had to be outside for any of his practices yet. I can't believe that it goes from October to March. That is so long for a kid.
Basketball is another sport he is doing, for now. He loves playing with his friend Sam, and he can shoot and make a good percent of his shots. It is nice that they again, have scrimmages every week of the program. So he's getting to understand a little more about the game, and now that he's strong enough, he enjoys being able to make his shots.
We have a ways to go before baseball starts, but I think getting past Christmas and the start of winter just brings questions about when baseball is going to start. Although he doesn't hear about baseball as much anymore, when he does, he practices his baseball on his "rectangle TV" for the rest of the day.
With the turn of the new calendar, gets all the rest of the year in his mind. He's already asking when his 1st grade school starts, and looking at the different months when other things start.
So that's Trevor's update. More on Boston soon!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
The little girl
I feel like I can still remember way back when Trevor was Gwen's age, and thinking that he didn't really do a lot. I still have another year to go before I get to blogging when Gwen will have been the same age as Trevor. I was pregnant with Gwen, so that would make Trevor over three years old.
Anyway, I feel like I've been neglecting Gwen and her activities and what she is doing these days. She currently has a cold, so we've been trying to keep her home with the upcoming flight to Boston. I'd rather her not have a cold and dealing with the air pressure adjustment in the airplane. She seems to be good to go as of today with just a sniffly nose.
So, what does Gwen do these days? Pretty much anything we let her do. Her usual toys are the fairies from Tinkerbell, the dollhouse, and the kitchen food things. These are also something she would like other people to play with her. When Ellen was over the other day, it is a usual thing for both of them to do with me. I am the order person, and they bring each and every piece of food or plate or whatever to me. I then get buried in stuff before they find something else to do. Sometimes it can evolve into a tea party but mostly, it's just pretending to eat the food.
Playing with the dolls in the dollhouse is very much like acting out what goes on in the house. If people are around that are represented in the dollhouse, you have to be holding on to your doll. Not even really playing with her, just having your doll. But if you are playing with her, the mom doll is usually carrying the Gwen or the Trevor doll and rocking and singing them to sleep. Occasionally jumping around too.
The tinkerbell dolls are the ones that have gotten the most use, and here is the Johnson coming out in her..... She more often than not quotes movie lines with each of the dolls. There is a slight issue with one of the doll's names though. She always called one of the dolls Quincy after the Quincy character from Little Einsteins. One of the other fairys' name is Rosetta. The real Quincy fairy is named Iridessa. Only now is she trying to actually say that name, but she simply can't. It comes out Rosetta, with a hard emphasis on the "ta". I'm sure it will come soon, but for now it's a cute thing that reminds me that for now, she's our baby.
As has been evidenced by a lot of our outings, Gwen also loves to sing. I'm guessing that the singing in church during Christmas Eve mass was what made her think she could sing whenever she felt like it. And what is almost always sung is the songs from the princess display at Target. If you ever go into a Target store, she will ask to see the Princess Buttons. This is the place where you turn a dial to a certain princess, push the button, and the song that corresponds to that princess plays. She has also heard some of these songs on the movies, or on our Disney CD that we play. I think it brightens just about everyones mood whenever Gwen belts out, "A Dream is a Wish, your 'art 'akes" And she'll sing it whenever she sees Cinderella or puts on part of her Cinderella outfit.
She also has been jumping at the opportunity to "go shopping" with me. She knows where we go when we go to the Grocery Store and to Target, so if it isn't one of those two places, I say we are going shopping. This afternoon I had to run out to the mall to pick up an order I had and it was honestly the first time I think I saw Gwen get as ready as she could without my help or asking. I told her I was going to go shopping, and if she wanted to come with me we were going. Next thing I knew, she had beat me to the door, already with her boots on. I wish it were that easy all of the time!
Gwen also does her best to play any board-type game we have. Most of them are meant for Trevor, but as soon as she sees that we are headed to the game closet, she asks to play her favorites. My guess is her favorite is Mouse Trap, which she calls the Mouse Game. Actually, I would call it the Cinderella Game if I renamed it for her. She takes the mice and plays Cinderella with them. One is Jaq, one is Gus, and the man that jumps into the pool is Cinderella. Another one of her favorites is Disney DVD Bingo. With the exception of knowing what it is to have Bingo, she can play with everyone else. It has also helped her learn a lot of the major characters. Some of the other games she knows are: Connect Four, aka Buttons, Chutes and Ladders, aka the Girl game, and would love to do any puzzle that involves characters she recognizes.
So that's what's going on in Gwen's home life for now. Is it summer yet?
Anyway, I feel like I've been neglecting Gwen and her activities and what she is doing these days. She currently has a cold, so we've been trying to keep her home with the upcoming flight to Boston. I'd rather her not have a cold and dealing with the air pressure adjustment in the airplane. She seems to be good to go as of today with just a sniffly nose.
So, what does Gwen do these days? Pretty much anything we let her do. Her usual toys are the fairies from Tinkerbell, the dollhouse, and the kitchen food things. These are also something she would like other people to play with her. When Ellen was over the other day, it is a usual thing for both of them to do with me. I am the order person, and they bring each and every piece of food or plate or whatever to me. I then get buried in stuff before they find something else to do. Sometimes it can evolve into a tea party but mostly, it's just pretending to eat the food.
Playing with the dolls in the dollhouse is very much like acting out what goes on in the house. If people are around that are represented in the dollhouse, you have to be holding on to your doll. Not even really playing with her, just having your doll. But if you are playing with her, the mom doll is usually carrying the Gwen or the Trevor doll and rocking and singing them to sleep. Occasionally jumping around too.
The tinkerbell dolls are the ones that have gotten the most use, and here is the Johnson coming out in her..... She more often than not quotes movie lines with each of the dolls. There is a slight issue with one of the doll's names though. She always called one of the dolls Quincy after the Quincy character from Little Einsteins. One of the other fairys' name is Rosetta. The real Quincy fairy is named Iridessa. Only now is she trying to actually say that name, but she simply can't. It comes out Rosetta, with a hard emphasis on the "ta". I'm sure it will come soon, but for now it's a cute thing that reminds me that for now, she's our baby.
As has been evidenced by a lot of our outings, Gwen also loves to sing. I'm guessing that the singing in church during Christmas Eve mass was what made her think she could sing whenever she felt like it. And what is almost always sung is the songs from the princess display at Target. If you ever go into a Target store, she will ask to see the Princess Buttons. This is the place where you turn a dial to a certain princess, push the button, and the song that corresponds to that princess plays. She has also heard some of these songs on the movies, or on our Disney CD that we play. I think it brightens just about everyones mood whenever Gwen belts out, "A Dream is a Wish, your 'art 'akes" And she'll sing it whenever she sees Cinderella or puts on part of her Cinderella outfit.
She also has been jumping at the opportunity to "go shopping" with me. She knows where we go when we go to the Grocery Store and to Target, so if it isn't one of those two places, I say we are going shopping. This afternoon I had to run out to the mall to pick up an order I had and it was honestly the first time I think I saw Gwen get as ready as she could without my help or asking. I told her I was going to go shopping, and if she wanted to come with me we were going. Next thing I knew, she had beat me to the door, already with her boots on. I wish it were that easy all of the time!
Gwen also does her best to play any board-type game we have. Most of them are meant for Trevor, but as soon as she sees that we are headed to the game closet, she asks to play her favorites. My guess is her favorite is Mouse Trap, which she calls the Mouse Game. Actually, I would call it the Cinderella Game if I renamed it for her. She takes the mice and plays Cinderella with them. One is Jaq, one is Gus, and the man that jumps into the pool is Cinderella. Another one of her favorites is Disney DVD Bingo. With the exception of knowing what it is to have Bingo, she can play with everyone else. It has also helped her learn a lot of the major characters. Some of the other games she knows are: Connect Four, aka Buttons, Chutes and Ladders, aka the Girl game, and would love to do any puzzle that involves characters she recognizes.
So that's what's going on in Gwen's home life for now. Is it summer yet?
Friday, January 8, 2010
Back to school
Both for the kids and for me. We had an extended lesson over the holidays and I was surprised at how little time I had for school stuff. Thankfully, I'm all caught up now, and I need to get ahead for next week so I don't have so much to do when we are out in Boston.
Trevor got a really nice welcome back from his teacher. He still talks about it if you ask him. He talks about how his teacher missed all the kids over the break. He has also had a good week so far. Both at home and at school. We even went back to swimming lessons which had him graduate into the school aged program. Now he has to take lessons during the early evening so Gwen has to come along. Trevor is really challenged, and I think he's going to learn a lot in this program. Gwen has been surprisingly easier to deal with than I thought. I think part of it has to do with the girl vs. boy nature. Trevor would never try to hang around me. He'd want to run around and explore everything. Gwen has explained that she wants to go swimming as well, and at some point maybe it will work out, but for now, she is ok watching with me upstairs. And when Trevor is showering, she stays nearby as well.
I've been starting to spend my gift cards on things I actually need. Yesterday I bought myself a stainless steel saucepan to replace a heavily used similar pan. The last one we had was anodizes, I believe. I am by no means a professional chef, nor do I try to be. But I do try to make a good portion of our dinners, so when our saucepan started to stick with all the meat we cooked, I knew it was time to get a new one. I also completed Gwen's fairy collection, and Trevor got a replacement water bottle and the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Everyone has been happy to use their new toys. I don't remember ever cooking on stainless steel before, but oh my goodness. How nice are they?
Trevor also came home yesterday to explain that his tooth got much looser than previously. He has still to loose his second tooth. His other tooth has almost fully grown in, and yet the other one sticks in there.
Ah, the other event that happened was that I got my hair cut. I got a whole 5 inches off and it feels much nicer. So now we just have to get organized for the trip! Yay for a break from this cold weather!
Trevor got a really nice welcome back from his teacher. He still talks about it if you ask him. He talks about how his teacher missed all the kids over the break. He has also had a good week so far. Both at home and at school. We even went back to swimming lessons which had him graduate into the school aged program. Now he has to take lessons during the early evening so Gwen has to come along. Trevor is really challenged, and I think he's going to learn a lot in this program. Gwen has been surprisingly easier to deal with than I thought. I think part of it has to do with the girl vs. boy nature. Trevor would never try to hang around me. He'd want to run around and explore everything. Gwen has explained that she wants to go swimming as well, and at some point maybe it will work out, but for now, she is ok watching with me upstairs. And when Trevor is showering, she stays nearby as well.
I've been starting to spend my gift cards on things I actually need. Yesterday I bought myself a stainless steel saucepan to replace a heavily used similar pan. The last one we had was anodizes, I believe. I am by no means a professional chef, nor do I try to be. But I do try to make a good portion of our dinners, so when our saucepan started to stick with all the meat we cooked, I knew it was time to get a new one. I also completed Gwen's fairy collection, and Trevor got a replacement water bottle and the movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. Everyone has been happy to use their new toys. I don't remember ever cooking on stainless steel before, but oh my goodness. How nice are they?
Trevor also came home yesterday to explain that his tooth got much looser than previously. He has still to loose his second tooth. His other tooth has almost fully grown in, and yet the other one sticks in there.
Ah, the other event that happened was that I got my hair cut. I got a whole 5 inches off and it feels much nicer. So now we just have to get organized for the trip! Yay for a break from this cold weather!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Where does the time go?
You blink and there went Trevor's 12 days off of school. That was the first thing he talked about when he was done with school on the 22nd of December. Not one single day did we count down to going back to school. It was so busy. I somehow managed to get back into somewhat of an organized mess so that I can start all over on Monday.
So the New Year has started. We decided to head on over to Hatfield to celebrate the new year. Prior to this New Year's Eve, I think we had done something for New Year's once in the last decade. However, we knew that we probably wouldn't be getting to the lake again until May.
I foresee a lot of changes coming this year for us. I think Trevor really enjoyed breaking out the new calendar for the year and marking all the big events going on for us. He already wanted to put when his first day of 1st Grade will be, however, I decided to hold off on going that far ahead. I'm anxiously looking forward to traveling to Florida in 10 or so weeks. I'm hoping that January will fly by with the help of a trip out to Boston. This weekend the weather was frigid and not fun for me. Basically, if I can get through this cold season, I will be feeling better. But now, without the end in sight, I know I have to search for reasons to look forward to getting through this mess.
Happy New Decade all!
So the New Year has started. We decided to head on over to Hatfield to celebrate the new year. Prior to this New Year's Eve, I think we had done something for New Year's once in the last decade. However, we knew that we probably wouldn't be getting to the lake again until May.
I foresee a lot of changes coming this year for us. I think Trevor really enjoyed breaking out the new calendar for the year and marking all the big events going on for us. He already wanted to put when his first day of 1st Grade will be, however, I decided to hold off on going that far ahead. I'm anxiously looking forward to traveling to Florida in 10 or so weeks. I'm hoping that January will fly by with the help of a trip out to Boston. This weekend the weather was frigid and not fun for me. Basically, if I can get through this cold season, I will be feeling better. But now, without the end in sight, I know I have to search for reasons to look forward to getting through this mess.
Happy New Decade all!
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