Sunset Serenade and Farm Time

Ohhh we’ve had a fun-filled week. On Wednesday we went to Centennial Park for the Sunset Serenade – a free concert every Wednesday evening through the summer. The Grandsons Jr. were playing this past week – they are a kids band that plays a nice mix of Americana music. The girls loved it. They were dancing around.

Grace and Frances = Junior Park Rangers!

We decided to pack up at about 7:50 p.m. We trekked back to the car. It was hot and humid, and the kids were hot and tired (and MiMo was hungry). We always start the car before loading the kids in, just to get the AC going. I turn the key and nothing – just the typical clicking that accompanies a dead battery. Crap! Well, while it was terribly inconvenient for the kids, we were fortunate that it happened on concert night. There were several park rangers around. Richard ventured off to get some help. He came back with jumper cables that the rangers loaned him (state policy won’t let them jump us). And due to so many people being around for the concert, we had no problem finding someone to give us a jump. So a ½ hour later we were on the road. We didn’t want to turn the car off, so Richard dropped the girls and I off at the house and continued to the auto parts store with Moses. He arrived there 15 minutes before they were set to close. They had a long line of customers and told Richard it was too late to change the battery. He pleaded with them, and I guess his charming personality prevailed (or maybe MiMo gets some credit here)… and they obliged him. Richard arrived home, parked the car, got Moses out and the torrential rain downpour started. Poor dude. All in all though, we did luck out. Thank God it didn't happen on our way back from NY!!!!! We felt that we had dodged a bullet there.

Saturday afternoon, my cousin Joe, his wife Carrie, and their kids, Ben and Juliet, met myself and the girls at the local petting farm. It was hotter than all heck! And the humidity was insane. The girls, of course, enjoyed traversing the farm, yet again! Ben enjoyed all the animals too. I think the animals had had enough of heat and kids for the day (we were there closer to closing time). As a result, Grace got full on head-butted in the stomach by the cow – she had a big ol' cow slimy nose print on her shirt and skirt. And the donkey was hee-hawing up a storm which scared poor Juliet. Ben, Grace and Frances each went for a ride on Spice, the pony. Then Joe and I took the big kids on a nice hayride where we looked for the faces in the trees. Carrie stayed behind to give Juliet some much needed nourishment. The time went by really quick. We didn't have time to see the story book houses or go through the pine tree maze. But we can save that for another visit by the cousins!

Ben and Gracie (photo courtesy of Carrie)

After the farm we went back to our house for some pizza, drinks and air conditioning!!! Richard had stayed home with Moses while we were at the farm so Mo could catch some zzzzs. Ben enjoyed checking out the deer that were grazing behind our house. Moses woke up as we were finishing our dinner. We then headed out in the heat and humidity to a little park and pond near us to get some photos. Carrie had graciously offered to take some photos of the kids, and us, since we've never ever attempted such a feat. The kids were a bit less than cooperative, but Carrie put up with us all very well! However, I think the mosquitoes enjoyed our adventure the most!

Another milestone for Moses on Saturday… I had been reading a picture book with him in the morning. It had a picture of a baby. I said, “baby.” And Moses repeated it! Frances and Grace heard it too and we all looked at MiMo. Richard didn't really believe me and I couldn't get Moses to do it again. But then when Mo saw Juliet he said, “Baby.” Ha! The first time he said it, he said it really low and creepy. Poor Juliet. But then he commenced saying it in a bit more normal and several times at that. At least this time everyone heard it! He’s been saying it ever since. His little voice is sooo cute.

As far as the girls. I’m still finding I have to say the weirdest things, “Don’t lick your brother’s eyeball!” And “Your brother is not a horse [or chair or carpet or…]” These girls are killing me, and their little brother. Haha. Also, I find they are picking up on Richard and my snarkiness towards them. We’ll often say, “Okay! Okay! Ree-ow (like a cat)” when they just keep picking and picking at us. Welps, now the girls do it to us! I try not to laugh. But man, it’s funny.

And Francie is full on potty trained! We started a week ago Saturday. She had 3 pee pee accidents the first day. A poopy accident on Sunday and a poopy accident on Monday. BUT she had no more accidents the rest of the week! I think she transitioned faster because she had been “practicing” more on the toilet thanks to Grace using the potty all the time. So yay for us!!!

Looking forward to the girls turning, get this - THREE years old - on Thursday!

11 Months Old, Ajanja's Birthday, and New Pool

What a busy week. We came back from New Berlin on Monday (see previous post for our trip details). That was the same day Moses turned 11 months old! Wow, I can’t believe he’ll be a year old next month. Even crazier, that his sisters will be 3 years old 10 days from now. Crazy!

On July 4^th, we both had the day off from work for the Independence Day holiday. It was also the day of Ajanja’s birthday party – he turned 1 year old on the 3rd. Really, time is flying by. Last year Tiana was a new mom and I was large and in charge with Moses still cooking away in my belly. I still can’t believe it… it feels like it was yesterday.

In the morning the girls helped me to make some allergy-free cupcakes and frosting. I figured I should bring something for them in case they got sad that they couldn’t partake in the cake eating. We made the trek down to DC after Moses woke up from his nap.

We arrived a bit sooner than most guests. That worked out fine for us because the kids were able to settle in a bit before being thrust into a throng of people. There were lots of kids for them to play with. And they had a lot of fun in Uncle Freddy’s kiddie pool. Moses LOVED the water. Ajanja wasn’t enjoying it at first, but eventually warmed up. Oh we had fun seeing some faces that we hadn’t seen since last year around this time. And some more familiar faces. And everyone in between. We even met another couple with twins about a year younger than the girls.

I didn’t get a lot of pictures because I was too busy with the kiddos but I snapped a few.

 

Ajanja, Grace, Francie, Moses enjoying the pool

We met another set of twins (a year younger than our girls - fraternal boy/girl twins)

The birthday boy and his cake!

Moses enjoyed the other kids, not so much the adults.

On Friday I worked late. The nanny called to tell me Frances woke up from her nap, complained that her belly hurt and began puking. Oh man. When I got home they were eating dinner. Francie looked rather paled. Richard told me he had tried to give her hotdog but she refused. I told him it was better to stick with something blander anyway, and I gave her applesauce and jello instead. She kept it down. I began my mommy detective search for the culprit in her misery. I didn’t know if it was a viral thing, an allergy thing, or what? Well I remembered the nanny told me they had hotdog for lunch. So I asked Richard where the package was, pulled it out of the trash, and saw one of the main ingredients: soy protein. Doh. Richard had bought them thinking they were "turkey" hotdog, nothing else. He felt horrible. Soy really is in everything. Just reaffirmed that we have to read every package. Anyway, that’s why I buy a lot of organic, because they use less chemicals, antibiotics and fillers. It may be more expensive, but the alternative is illness. So yea, she still hasn’t outgrown that soy allergy yet! Poor Francie and poor daddy. She felt better later, and by Saturday, was back to normal.

Saturday, inspired by Uncle Freddy’s kiddie pool, Richard decided we’d upgrade from our plastic Dora pool to something a bit bigger. The kids all enjoyed this new addition!

The girls enjoying their new pool, with daddy.

Moses is a water baby, for sure!

We invited Senora Esther, her granddaughter Claudia, Aunt Signe and Ms. Sharon over for BBQ on Saturday afternoon. The girls had fun running around with Claudia. Moses tried to fend off all the extra love from the 3 girls… he failed.

Playing with Claudia.

Saturday also marked Francie’s first full day sans diaper. I had told her all week that she was going to wear big girl underpants all day starting on the weekend. She, like Grace, had been going since February, sans diaper at night. With only a rare accident (unfortunately one of those was the night before we left grandma’s – sorry grandma!). She refused to go without diaper during the day. She was going super long stretches without peeing in her diaper though. So I knew she was ready. We just have to get her over the mental hurdle. She had 3 pee pee accidents on Saturday. No pee pee accidents yesterday, but 1 poopy accident. I know she’ll get it, Grace did. It took Grace a week with accidents off and on and then an extra week for mommy to feel 100% confident. And now I don’t even have to remind Grace, she just goes when she needs to. It’s so liberating. So once Francie gets it (hopefully soon), we’ll be better off – and financially, we’ll save a lot on diapers! Wish us luck!

And we discovered this morning that Moses has two new teeth on the top. So 6 teeth total so far. Much less than his sisters had at this age. Slow and steady wins the race though, right?

Fun in New Berlin

Frances, Isaak, Savannah, Grace and Moses (l to r)

Well in looking at our vacation days for the rest of the year we realized we had a few days to use. Given my co-workers’ vacation schedules I was looking at a limited time frame with which to use those days, so we made a last minute plan for a quick vacay up in New Berlin.

I was stressing about the travelling, especially with 3 kids under 3 years old. And after discovering on our last trip north that the twins suffer from motion sickness – our stuck-in-car distractions were limited (even with the aid of Dramamine). We planned on leaving at 4 a.m. on Thursday so that the kids would sleep a good 3 hours of the trip. BUT we both thought the other had set our alarm and alas, we hadn’t, so we didn’t leave until 6:30 a.m. when the kids were wide awake. Fortunately though, the kids actually traveled really well. We made 3 stops so the girls could use the potty and so all the kids could eat. The girls started whining the last 20 minutes of our trip. It took us 7 ½ hours to get to grandma and grandpa’s house. So only 20 minutes of whining was quite a victory.

Oh we had so much fun in New Berlin.

We played in the sprinkler, a lot...

Grace in pink and Francie in zebra print

Moses trying to drink the water

We helped grandma plant some flowers...

Francie in pink and Gracie in white water the plants

We ran on Ms. Pardee’s old yard...

Frances in blue and Grace in pink - so much space to run!

We played with bubbles and chalk. We played with my old Barbies. And we played on the porch with Uncle Tommy’s old Matchbox cars.

In fact, we spent A LOT of time outside.

Outside at grandma & grandpa's house

It rained the whole time we were there, so it amazing that we did spend so much time outside. We went by NAPA twice to look at the swollen Unadilla River. There was a lot of flooding in the area with the constant rain. Grandma and I kept a death grip on the girls as they wanted to get as close to the edge of the water as possible. It was raging!

We spent a lot of time with Uncle Tommy, Aunt Amber, and Isaak and Savannah. We even met their dog, Rollie, he was very sweet with the girls. And I was able to see Tom and Amber’s new kitchen. Wow, what a difference! They even found a letter in the wall that was written by one of my grade school acquaintances when he lived there. Makes me think about the little time capsules Tom, Alex and I used to put together and bury in the yard. Maybe someone will find them one day (if only we had Mr. Hine’s metal detector on hand!).

Isaak, Aunt Amber, Moses, Uncle Tommy and Savannah

Grandpa got the fire pit going one day and the girls had their first s’mores (sans chocolate thanks to the soy allergy).

Gracie at all of hers, "I like!"

Francie didn't like hers, but had fun making it.

We also made a trek up to the town park to play. Unlike our local parks, crawling with a sea of kids, we had the whole place to ourselves. The climbed on everything and jumped off the swings. Grandma Chris (Aloi) even stopped by to say hello.

Gracie, Grandma and Francie (l to r)

Moses enjoyed his time in New Berlin as well. He liked the wagon grandma filled with water. And he liked the sprinkler too – he spent a lot of time trying to drink the water. Savannah loved “baby” a lot. She even played pat-a-cake with MiMo.

Savannah plays pat-a-cake with MiMo

Grandma and MiMo

Aunt Karol, Eddie and Shannon came by on Sunday. All the girls were interested in Aunt Shannon’s pregnant belly. And wondering when the baby was gonna come out (October, btw!). Grandpa did a nice BBQ for everyone. The bigger kids played in the rain. It was fun to see the kids interacting more. Soon Moses will be more and more in the mix too.

Aunt Karol, Gracie and Uncle Tommy

The only issue we had with Moses (besides stranger-danger) was that his schedule changed. All of a sudden he was waking up at 5:30 a.m. every day. Since we’ve been home he’s back to his 7 a.m. schedule (whew!). We think the pack-n-play was too hard for him. Ah well.

Mo and his daddy

Our ride back wasn’t too bad either. We left at 6:30 a.m. – again. Frances was whining/crying from the get go. She didn’t want to go home. We stopped after one hour driving. With her crying, the car ride felt like FOREVER, but we actually made it home in 6 ½ hours - quicker than the drive up.

The girls miss grandma and grandpa, their cousins, and having a nice big yard to play in.  We hope to head back up to NB in November for my friend Becky’s wedding. Moses will most likely be well into walking by then. Crazy how time flies and these kiddos change!

Father's Day 2013

Father's Day weekend we went to visit Uncle Paul, Aunt Eveck and Babu at their apartment. Richard hadn't met his little nephew, Zekiah, yet and of course the kids hadn't met him either, so it was a long overdue trip. Richard had flashbacks to when the girls were little. And of course the girls thought Zekiah was just the cutest little thing. Moses on the other hand just wanted to claw at his eyes. Not maliciously, he just doesn't know any better. He likes playing with the open-close'm eyes on the girls' baby dolls and since Zekiah looked a lot like a baby doll, Moses was just trying to play with him.

Ogwang and Zekiah

 Both girls went potty at Babu's house. Frances likes going on the potty when Grace gets attention for it. So hopefully she'll do it more and more! Needless to say, the visit ended and the girls didn't really want to go home and keep asking when we'll go back to Babu's house.

Three generations! Babu, daddy, Uncle Paul
Grace, Frances, Moses and Zekiah

We didn't do much else the rest of the weekend. Oh and Richard and I were able to sleep in till 8 a.m. on Sunday! Wow! Hahaha. Seriously Moses always wakes up at 7 a.m. on the dot, but because he went to bed a little late the night before he woke up a little bit later.

The week went by fairly status quo. The girls had a dentist appointment on Friday and did great! No cavities and apparently we're doing a better job at keeping their teeth clean since they didn't have to scrape this time around. They like the suction tube that you spit in. And the treasure chest they get a toy from. And of course, Dr. Judd and all the other people in the office! They told me this weekend they have to go to the dentist again. Funny girls.

This weekend we made our weekly trek to the farm. The girls now insist on a pony ride every time - they're hooked! And doing much better. The first time, over Memorial Day, they enjoyed it, but were so serious because they were concentrating so hard. Now they are more relaxed: smiling, looking around, and waving. Here are some short videos, Grace is the first one and Frances is the second one.

Uncle Paul, Aunt Eveck, baby Zekiah, Uncle Raw-knee and Aunt Angie came to visit on Saturday. Moses was much better at not trying to claw out his cousin's eyes this time. He sat on his haunches and looked at him for awhile. It was cute. And you wouldn't believe how Zekiah has fluffed out his cheeks in just one week! He'll be chunking up in no time! Richard BBQ'd and we all ate really good! Aunt Eveck graciously offered to do the girls' hair (which will save me some time/headache when we're up north). Oh we had fun.

Daddy and baby, how sweet!

Proud Uncle Raw-knee and Zekiah!

Sunday was rainy. In the morning I took the girls to run some errands. We made a swing by Once Upon A Child (a second hand store for kids stuff). Grace walks in and says, "ooooo mommy, mucho stinky!" It had that used goods store smell (like clothes you pull out of the attic). I just laughed and was glad no one heard her! I had been there before looking for a more gender neutral stroller for Moses but didn't find one I liked. So we made the trek again, and I scored a nice Jeep stroller (no, not the recalled one!). The girls had fun playing with the toys while I browsed around – gosh, I guess I'm one of "those" parents that just lets their kids run around while I do something else. Really, they weren't destroying anything and it was a small store, so I knew I wasn't going to lose them – but I still kept them within eye and ear shot.

Later in the day we made a quick trip to Bass Pro Shops. Grace had to use the restroom but she and Francie are deathly afraid of the "loud flush!" I had to drag them into the bathroom. It probably looked insane. But Grace went and we survived. As I was washing their hands a lady came up and asked if they were twins. This same lady saw me trying to drag them into the bathroom. I said they were. She told me her daughter is having twins in September and asked if having twins was hard… I'm guessing what she witnessed earlier gave her pause. Hahaha. I told her it definitely is harder but there are some pluses too. Oh I wish her daughter luck! Haha. The girls spent the rest of our visit at the store hanging out by the big fish tank. And screaming in fear with the other kids every time the huge one-eyed catfish floated by. Frances kept saying he was gonna eat her beads (hair beads) and when she'd turn in fear she'd say "On no! He's gonna eat my butt too!" She knew it was a lose-lose situation here. Haha.

We dropped Moses and daddy back home so MiMo could take his nap. And the girls and I went to Toys R Us to get some window shades for the van. The girls had fun playing and looking at all the toys. So far (cross fingers) that don't give me much trouble at the stores regarding toys. I just tell them we have to leave the toys with their friends/family so they don't get sad and they just comply. I don't know how long that trick will last though?

So the girls will be 3 in less than a month. Friends had told me that if I thought the "terrible 2s" were bad, just wait for 3. I'm believing it. The closer we get to 3 the crazier the tantrums are getting. It's quite insane. I'm sure we overreact and exacerbate some of them. BUT this is one of the issues with twins (maybe just identical, not sure). One will have a tantrum in the morning, then the other will have one in the afternoon. And vice versa the next day. So it really feels like you are not getting a break – like it's just one LONG tantrum. So our tempers our shorter as a result (hey, we're not perfect). This is part of the reason why Moses' first year seems so much easier than the girls' first year – besides the fact that yes, he's only ONE baby. But the typical things that are stressful about babies: colic, teething, etc. have been easier with him. When he has a good day, it's a good day. With the girls it was like tag team screaming. On the plus side, the girls have a constant playmate which is a good distraction when I'm playing with Moses or trying to get some chores done. And if I'm helping someone in the bathroom I can tell the other one to keep Moses occupied and they always help out. However, having young twins is trying… so when I encounter the naïve stranger who says, "Oh! I wish I had twins." I just smile, nod and secretly wonder when they're going to get a psych eval. Hehehe. It's when I meet other parents of twins that I get, "Oh you have twins too…" and a sympathetic smile and a gentle comforting hand on my shoulder. And the ones with older twins always say, "It gets easier, I promise!" – without prompting, I might add.

So the latest Wacha Saying?:
I've been trying to teach the girls their full names as well as Richard's and mine.
Mommy: "What's your name?"
Grace: "Grace… umm"
Mommy: "Apio…"
Grace: "Apio WACHA!"
Mommy: "Okay, what's mommy's name?"
Grace: "Ummmm… Mommy Wacha!"
I gotta give her props for using logic there.

My friend April stopped by for a quick hello.
Frances and Grace run out to the kitchen with their fists up.
Frances & Grace to April: "You want a knuckle sandwich?"
We all get a good chuckle (daddy was the guilty coach).
Frances: "Mommy, what's in a knuckle sandwich?"
April and mommy: "Knuckles!"

Knuckle sandwich!

Obsessed with poop as of late – we see a lot of it at the farm.
Frances: "Mommy, look, the horsey pooped little balls out his butt."
And so began an intensely serious 5 minute lesson from twins on how everything poops.
"Donkey poops from butt, pig poops from butt, MiMo poops from butt, mommy poops from butt, daddy poops from butt, cow poops from butt, Nana poops from butt, Grace poops from butt, Francie poops from butt…" and so on and so forth.

And this is a common word now between both girls: "Mawww-dee" – I'm spelling it phonetically. It's really a combination of "Mommy" and "Daddy." And it's said A LOT. I think it's especially funny because Maudie (nickname for Maude) was my maternal grandmother's name, so I think of her every time they say it.

Francie being fierce!

Uncle Frankie, Cousin Juliet, and Mastering the Potty

It’s been a busy week! Last Friday we all trekked to Uncle Freddy and Great’s house to see my cousin, Frankie, before he left to head back home. It was also our first time meeting our baby cousin, Juliet. The girls loved meeting baby Juliet. And I enjoyed snuggling with her myself (taking in that newborn smell!). Moses was a little jealous when Richard held her OR maybe he was just upset he couldn’t climb up and poke her in the eyes like he does to his sisters’ baby dolls. Haha. Moses has definite stranger danger, but I must say, not anywhere near as bad as the girls used to. He was content playing on the floor with his sisters, and cousins Ben and Ajanja. And my how Ajanja has changed since April. He looks like so much older now… and everyone thought Moses had changed a lot too. This year is just going by way too fast!

Aunt Carrie and baby Juliet (2 months old)

Moses, Grace, Frances, Ajanja, and Ben

Frances, Grace, Uncle Frankie, Aunt Carrie and Ben, enjoying pizza!

On Sunday, I took the girls to the farm. And later, the whole fam went to the park. A nice full day of fun and exercise outside.

Moses, daddy, Francie and Gracie enjoying the park

My big boys!

Grace is doing so great with her potty training. She has had NO accidents so far this week. So it looks like we’re good to go. And on the plus side: Frances, who had been our initial potty tamer and reverted back to diapers, is back on the potty again. She went twice yesterday and again this morning. I haven’t pressured her. Just letting her take her time. Trying not to make her feel bad that Grace has mastered it – therefore, I’m not trying to “over”-shower Grace with praise, and being extra supportive to Francie. I just hope she’ll be mastering it soon like Grace has. Oh to save on diapers!!!

Moses is doing great. Cruising like a champ. He says “qak qak” for duck; he roars like a lion (even doing a clawing motion); he says “ribi” for frog; he says “oo oo” for monkey; and still does his elephant impression. He calls for “mama” all the time – I feel so special! He loves playing peek-a-boo in the girls’ Dora tunnel. And he loves wheels, all wheels – the kid can’t get enough of them. He just melts my heart, he’s so sweet.

10 Months Old!

Last Saturday, Moses turned 10 months old. Wow, time flies. On Friday night, since we were still dealing with stifling heat in the house, we decided to trek out to the mall – to enjoy a little AC. We got Moses his first shoes as an early b-day present. Size 6! What a fat foot!

Saturday was sooo freakin’ hot. So while we were suffering in the heat, we noticed the half bath toilet was leaking. We figured it was the wax ring (given all the heat, especially on the main floor, it seemed the most likely culprit). Being broke we decided to tackle the problem ourselves – which is much harder when you have 3 kiddos under foot and yucky toilet water everywhere. And it’s 90+ degrees in a teeny tiny little bathroom that one person can barely turn around in. We moved the floor fan to just outside the bathroom to help cool us down. Of course the girls wanted to watch. We noticed it was getting hotter… probably took me 30 minutes to realize the girls had turned the fan off! I asked why they did that and they said “Too loud, mommy.” Darn kids! Anywho we got it all “fixed” and I did all my disinfecting of the floor and surrounding surfaces.

Later in afternoon/evening we swung over to our friends’ house – they graciously offered to host us in their AC. We had a nice visit. The girls had a lot of fun. In fact all week they’ve been asking to go back to Colton’s house.

When we got back from our play date, I decided to check on the toilet and low and behold… more water. Darn rookie plumbers that we are! We took the water out of the toilet to prevent further leaking and tasked ourselves with fixing it after all the kids went to bed. The second time around went much smoother and quicker. And so far no leaks. But we didn’t get to bed until 1 a.m.-ish in the morning. Ah wells.

Sunday wasn’t as hot. Only in the 80s. I took the girls to the store to get a sprinkler. They had a lot of fun playing in it, and watching worms try to swim to safety in the little river we created on the sidewalk.

As far as the AC is concerned. Monday came with no word. So Richard called in the morning. They told him the part would come in on Tuesday (hmm, Thursday, they said Friday, then Saturday, then Monday). Then they called back later and said they would fix it on Wednesday? I was pissed at this point. I left a nastygram on their Facebook page. It wasn’t long after that, that they scheduled the fix back to Tuesday afternoon. Just in time for the temperatures to drop anyway. Doh. So a new tech came on Tuesday and fixed it within 2 hours. We only had to pay $131 total (the part the other guy broke was valued at $1200). So the new tech said we “lucked out” in that we basically had a brand new indoor unit for “free.” Hmmm, not without a fight, headaches, and my kids sweltering in heat for several days…

Just glad it’s finally fixed for when summer really kicks in to overdrive.

In the meantime. Moses finally has his top two teeth! He’s cruising on the furniture and pulling up on everything. He’s walking stronger now, but still has jelly-legs every once and a while. He gets frustrated when he wants something and can’t have it. He likes playing with both of his sisters. He laughs and smiles at them more than anybody else! He wants to be where they are all the time.

We haven’t really been pushing potty training. The girls decided on their own several months ago to go sans diaper during the night. We rarely have accidents. But during the day was different – always diapers. Occasionally they’d just randomly pick a day to go pee-pee on toilet. But nothing steady. Well Saturday, Grace decided she wanted underpants and hasn't worn diapers since. That doesn't mean we haven’t had accidents! Poopy and pee-pee. But she’s getting better. Wednesday evening we were at the park and she went in a public restroom – big girl! She only had one accident yesterday, so here’s crossing fingers she masters it soon. I’m hoping Frances will follow suit quickly once she sees Grace doing it all the time.

Memorial Day Weekend and AC Woes

Well, we had a busy and fun weekend. Grandma and Grandpa Parry came to visit for the long weekend. We spent a lot of time at the petting farm. Much to the delight of the girls. They even had their first pony rides! And even though the pictures show some serious faces, they really did love being on the ponies. The weather was actually rather chilly. Fortunate, since our AC is on the fritz. Moses fared well with his grandparents. Much better than the girls used to at his age.

Grandma and Mo - looking like a such a "big" boy 

 Whenever grandma and grandpa come, it always seems time goes by too quickly. The girls were sad to see them go on Monday morning. To lift the girls' spirits I took them to the store to get a couple kid-sized rakes and trowels. We bought some begonias and the girls helped me plant a couple hanging baskets. Oh they loved it - especially the dirt ;-)

Frances and Grace "Green Thumbs" Wacha

Our continuing issue right now is waiting for the AC to get fixed. Our stroke of luck with the cool weather ran out. It wouldn't be so horrible if the kids weren't stuck in the house sans AC all day, but they are. We brought the fan down from the attic and it helps a bit. And we have the ceiling fans on high in the bedrooms. We're really annoyed at BGEHome. We've had a service contract with them since 2007 - we pay monthly. This is the first time an issue has come up with our unit, usually we just have our run-of-the-mill inspection and all is good. They said $131 for a replacement part and that it was an "easy" fix. Well, the rookie tech they sent over last Friday, spent 5 hours on it only to realize he couldn't do what he needed to do and had further damaged our unit (set off fire alarms in the process!). He said, the new part he had to replace would be "on the company" since it was his fault... and hopefully they'd have it fixed by Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, Wednesday came with no word, so Richard called. They said they had ordered the wrong part and had to stop by to get the serial number again - a 2 minute job. It was 90 degrees on Wednesday. We notified the nanny, kept calling back for status updates, and no one came. Finally, late in the evening, the tech calls and says he'll have to come first thing in the morning on Thursday - yes, for a 2 minute job, while my kids are continuing to suffer. So he comes Thursday morning, gets the number, and places the order. Later in the morning Richard gets a call from BGEHome saying the part will be in on Friday and it will be $1,000!!! Richard asked why they were quoting him the cost since the tech said THEY would cover it. The customer rep gave him the run around so he asked for a manager to contact him. So the manager calls, hemming and hawing about how our unit is "old" and hard to find parts for, and copper is expensive. Well, Richard says, "Not my problem, your tech broke it." I pointed out to Richard that BGEHome installed the unit brand new in 2005, so it's not even 10 years old yet. What a racket. Plus, they broke that extra part! So long story, a bit shorter, they agreed to only charge us our original quote of $131. But not before trying to convince Richard to shell out $6000 for a new unit. I have to force myself to find time to register a formal complaint to the company, the state agency that oversees them, and the Better Business Bureau. In the meantime, they had said they would fix it on Friday and now they say Saturday, but more likely, Monday. What? Sounds like they are trying to "teach us a lesson"?? About what? How douchey they are? Believe me, lesson learned, at least on my end. Anywho, can you tell I'm annoyed?

Anyway the kids are sweating it out yet again, as well as the nanny. And with temps in the 90s through the weekend... yay! Extra cranky kiddos. Trying to convince Richard to clean up the basement so the kids can play down there where it's much cooler. We shall see.

I took Francie to the dermatologist today (Grace tagged along). She has had a bump on the middle of her eyelid for about 5 weeks now. Apparently it's molluscum contagiosum. Kind of like a wart but not as big. It's a virus. She had one before on her foot. The doctor said kids with eczema are more susceptible to these skin viruses since their skin immunity is lower. So she gave us some retinoid cream to put on twice a day to help "wake up" Francie's immune system to fight the virus. Ah well. Hopefully it will go away with-in the month. It is contagious though so I have to keep an eye out for other bumps on her or her siblings. But no worries. It will pass.

On the way back from the doctor this morning.
Wearing dresses that grandma bought them.
(Frances on left, Grace on right)

On the Moses front, his top two front teeth are finally coming in! He's pulling up like a champ and starting to cruise. He seems more agile in general than his sisters were. I have heard him say "ribbit" for frog a few times (no one believes me!). But that's about all that's new on the speech front. He understands "No" and can shake his head no. He loves clapping. And he really loves chasing after and playing with his sisters.

The Elusive Bead and Attack of the Blabberwockies

Well, I was taking Francie's beads out last weekend and I brought up the "bead incident" from the weekend prior. I said, "Doesn't it feel better to have that bead out of your nose?" She said, "Mommy, I had a boo-boo. I had TWO beads in my nose!" And proceeds to stick both fingers up her nose to demonstrate. Oh no. So I figured I'd play it safe and take her in to see the pediatrician. Plus, there is this bump on her eyelid that hasn't gone away in, now, 4-weeks. So we trekked over to the doc's office.

The nurse practitioner looked with that light they use to look in your ears and nose. She said she couldn't see anything, but that she can only see so far, hardly even past that first bump in the nostril. She said we could either wait it out or go to an ear, nose and throat specialist. I decided we'll just wait it out. She said it might have even passed into her poop already. Hahaha. Gross. Anyway, we'll just keep an eye on her and see what, if anything, unfolds.

As for the bump on her eyelid. She said it didn't look like a pimple or a sty - that maybe it's a wart (darn dirty playground haha)? So we're heading to the dermatologist just to see what it truly is and if we need to do anything about it, or just wait it out.

In the mean time, Moses is talking more. He's been saying "Mama" and "Dada" - but just in general, not really towards us. He also likes elephants. I usually do an elephant sound and raise my arms like a trunk. He likes copying. And he's so serious when he does it. Too cute. He doesn't do both at the same time though. He'll either raise his arms or make the noise.

Here are some funnies from the mouths of babes this past week:

Grace to Frances (quite frequently, I might add): "Francie, no! You go right in timeout! Look at the wall! Two minutes!"

Mommy: "What do you guys want for dinner?"
Grace: "Beef, tables, and carrots."
Mommy: "Tables?"
Grace: "Yes, Tables."
[Wracking my brain here...]
Mommy: "Do you mean 'po-ta-toes'?"
Grace: "Yes. Po-tables."

Frances to me: "I don't like you!"
[I give a sad face.]
Frances comes and gives me a big hug.
She's been doing it a lot this past week and it's like a game to her. She smiles the whole time too. Poor mommy... what a sick and twisted web these toddlers weave.

Welcome Baby Zekiah!

Eveck, Paul and baby Zekiah

Me and my new nephew!

Welcome baby boy, Zekiah Otwon Magomu-Wacha! Born yesterday, 5/14 at 9:26 p.m. at 38 weeks old via emergency c-section. 5lbs. 7.5 oz and 19.5 inches long.

Mommy Eveck is doing well - she's one tough cookie! Baby is all happy and healthy. And Daddy Paul is all smiles. I feel so blessed that I was actually able to be there to share in this special day! It was a wonderful experience to be on the "other side" of delivery for once and being able to soak up that baby cuteness right away!

Here are some pics (you don't need a facebook account to view them, just click the link): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151384551575474.1073741827.509305473&type=1&l=b51af96cda

Congrats and welcome to the newest member of the family!

Mother's Day times 3!

Wow! My first Mother's Day weekend as a mom of three!

Saturday was rainy so we hung out inside pretty much all day. At nighttime I've been in the habit of brushing the girls' teeth in front of the big mirror in Moses' room. So I'm brushing Francie's teeth. She's facing me. I say, "Okay, now I have to get your back teeth." She turns her back to me. I say, “What are you doing?” Looking over her shoulder with a big ol’ grin, she says, “So you get my back teeth.” And then she starts giggling. I ask her, “Are you being funny?” She says, “Yes, I funny.” I tell her, “Oh you think you’re sooo smart.” And she just gives me a big cheeseball grin. And then I realize, wow, this is a whole other level of humor we’ve reached… I’m in big trouble! Hahaha. What a silly girl!

Sunday morning Moses did us a favor and slept all the way until 7:30 a.m.! Whew! It was nice to sleep in for once J We didn’t do anything out of the ordinary for Mom’s Day. We go to the farm every weekend. And usually we go on Saturday, but the weather was so bad, I promised them we’d go on Sunday. I normally take the girls by myself and Richard stays home with Moses. But Moses was upset seeing the girls leaving so Richard said we should all go, so we did. One big happy family.

It was sunny but chilly due to the wind. Moses ended up conking out in the stroller. It worked out better this time, than the other time I took them all by myself, because one of us was able to sit with Moses so he could truly sleep, while the other was chasing after the girls. The kids are all still dealing with a nasty head cold. And the girls still aren’t proficient in blowing their noses so of course that means a lot of mucous ends up in the belly. Well, Francie was running around, which triggered coughing, which started the vomiting. At least we were outside. BUT she just stood straight up and puked down herself. I kept telling her “Bend over.” And trying to help her but she was stiff. Poor kid.

In that same instance, we had another revelation…

First, a bit of back story. My sis-in-law came to do the girls’ hair two weekends ago. Just two days later, on Monday, when I got home from work, Frances tells me “Mommy I has a boo-boo in my nose.” I touch it and look at it but don’t notice anything out of the ordinary. So I try (as best as you can with a 2-year old) to ascertain the problem. She says it’s a bead (they wear little beads in their hair). So I look up in her nose and don’t see anything. I pat her on the head and just tell her to go play. So every other day she mentions her nose boo-boo. So I finally get a flashlight and look up in there and don’t see anything. So again, I ignore it. Well, ever since this head cold set in, she’s been complaining more about her nose boo-boo, but I’m thinking she’s really means a stuffy nose boo-boo at this point.

So back to the farm puke story… so in the midst of coughing, puking and a big ol’ sneeze, a whole bunch of nasty comes out her nose, including a blue hair bead!!!!! Poor girl. Richard and I were like “What the hell?!” We felt bad that she had suffered with it in there for so long, but at the same time we were glad she got it out. So I guess this cold and all the mucous were actually good for something (definitely helped lubricate an exit and propel it out – ewww gross!!).

The rest of the day passed with much less excitement (thank goodness). I went grocery shopping and treated myself to a Boston Crème Pie Parfait J. The girls and I called grandma to wish her a happy mom/grandma day. Uncle Raw-knee brought me some flowers and played with the girls.

Richard and I are looking forward to future Mother’s and Father’s Days when we can actually relax! Is that even possible? Please tell us there's hope! hahaha.

On a side note: Moses loves clapping. He even knows the word "clap" and will do it on command. And really loves playing Patty a Cake. He also likes reading and turning pages. And "singing" along to the Twinkle Twinkle Little Star book that grandma and grandpa recorded.

Moses is crawling... bring on the Red Sea!

Well it's official: Moses is crawling... bring on the Red Sea! hehehe. 9 months, 1 week, and 1 day old. Quicker than his sisters, even though he's much bigger.

The girls were cheering him on, "Go MiMo! You can do it! Come on!" -- until he started getting in their stuff and under their feet. Now they are more annoyed with his new skill. So now we have to start being more cautious about heavy toys being stored up high, small toys on the floor, food on the floor, and all the stuff we really haven't had to worry about in awhile (like leaving the basement door or stair gate open). Yay! Oh the fun.

Moses is enjoying his new found freedom. He made several almost successful escapes from the girls' room last night when we were getting them ready for bed. And this morning he traversed the whole main floor of the house. Oh the fun. Now the real work for mommy, daddy and nana has begun! hahaha.

On another note: all the kiddos are sick. Nothing like spending the morning trying to wash buggers out of curly hair. Yuck! I swear they rolled in them all night! Hopefully we get better soon (just in time for mommy and daddy to catch it haha).

Trochanteric Bursitis ... obviously...

So I finally had my appointment with the orthopaedic doctor. His diagnosis: Trochanteric bursitis (http://www.webmd.com/pain-management/tc/trochanteric-bursitis-topic-overview). Which explains why I have pain while sitting, standing, walking, moving around/picking up the kiddos. Just constant, even when sleeping. It’s, as I knew already, a result of my pregnancies. Hormones are released when you are pregnant that loosen the ligaments and tendons to prepare for delivery. After pregnancy, hormones go back to normal and things tighten back up again – in my case they tightened up wrong on the left side of my hip. So my bones are pushing into each other causing the pain. In fact, when laying flat, my left leg appears 1 inch longer than the other, as a result of how the iliotibial ligament reset itself. So every time I walk/stand I’m lopsided and that leg pushes into my hip more as a result. Of course my gluteus and lower back pain are directly related to my body compensating for this hip issue. So anyway he gave me a set of exercises to help loosen the muscles and stretch the ligaments back out.

For pain management I’m stuck with Tylenol for now. I have an appointment coming up with a GI doctor to see if I’m suffering from reflux – so I can’t take any anti-inflammatory drugs till I get the okay. He offered me some muscle relaxers but I really can’t afford to be dopey on a full-time work and mom schedule, I’m already dragging at the end of an average day.

So the plus is that the pain can be improved, managed, and even cured! Although he said he reserves the right to assess me with disc problems. Right now, we’re just gonna work on fixing this and see if this is the answer to all that ails me – at least back and leg-wise.

As for the diastasis recti… He concurred with the first OB – NO abdominal workouts: no crunches, no sit-ups, nada. He said that will just make it more pronounced and will cause disc issues. So his advice: yoga! Woohoo! I love yoga. So I’m glad he gave me the all clear. He said yoga is good because it’s a prolonged stretch and strengthening of the core muscles – not the short bursts like crunches, which can cause damage. So there we go! It still won’t ever close without surgery, but if I can have some strength return, that would be nice.

So on to the GI doc in a week… hoping for some more good news.

Mo's 9-month Check-up

That's right, time flies! Richard took Moses to his 9-month checkup today. He’s doing well, aside from the food allergies. But even with those, his eczema is improved immensely and we’re doing well at avoiding the culprit foods.

He only has 2 bottom teeth. The two top teeth should be next to come, but nothing is even brewing yet. His sisters had 4 teeth a piece with more brewing at 9 months.

He has been sitting up by himself the past couple weeks – getting better and better. He gets into the crawling position with his belly off the floor and goes up on his tippy-toes trying to move forward. Sometimes he does, by pure luck though. He tends to get frustrated and just roll his way around to where he wants to go. I think within the week he will be crawling. His sisters started crawling around 10 months, so it will happen eventually... and then the real work for us begins! Hahaha.

Here are his 9-month stats:

Weight: 23 lbs. 4 oz. (on an empty stomach no less! 94^th percentile)

Height: 29.3 inches (86^th percentile)

Head circumference: 47.5 cm (97^th percentile – right on par for our big-headed children hehe)

For comparison, his sisters weighed about that much at a year old! Granted, girls are on different charts than boys, but still… he’s a big dude.

At 9 months old, Frances weighed in at 21 lbs. 3 oz.; was 28.5 inches long; and had a 46cm head.

Grace was 21 lbs. 4 oz.; 28 inches long; and 46 cm head.

At 9 months old, cousin Ben weighed in at 22 lbs. 7 oz. and was 30 inches long.

Savannah??

Time will tell if Moses will continue to be a big boy. His sisters have thinned out considerably. In fact, Grace only weighs about 9 oz. more than she did a year ago! While Frances has gained about 2 pounds. So we shall see. Although I’m content to wait as long as possible because these kids are already growing too fast! Haha.

I forgot to mention that on April 8^th we welcomed a new baby cousin, Juliet, to the family, weighing in at a whooping 11 lbs. 9 oz.! Beating her “big” brother! Something tells me she’ll be off the charts on her well visit check-ups J.

Moses' Allergy Update

I have been poor at updating since Moses was born. I had been breastfeeding him religiously until he started having bloody diarrhea like his sisters used to. I knew it was food allergy. I had been told that most kids don’t present with food allergy when breastfeeding since so little of the food protein actually passes through breast milk. But alas, I guess my kids are hypersensitive to food proteins.

I was put on a strict diet: NO dairy, corn, pork, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, fish, shellfish for a month and a half. His bloody poopies went away but his eczema continued. And it was bad. Head to toe. No letting up. He was still in our room and he would scratch and scratch ALL night long. He couldn’t sleep. And he didn’t nap during the day either.

We saw several doctors over the course of 3 months – the pediatrician, my allergist, and a GI doctor. When he hit 5 months old and my strict diet showed no improvement in his skin, the GI doc told me we had to switch to formula. I was devastated but I wanted to do what was best for him (even though it broke my heart that we wouldn't have our “special” time anymore). He got bloody poopies on the Alimentum so we switched to the prescription hypoallergenic formula, EleCare. It took awhile to transition (breastmilk is sweet, this formula tastes like wet saltines smell, bleh). He was on the formula for a month with NO improvement in his skin. By now my milk had dried up so I couldn't go back to breastfeeding. I was even MORE devastated that I had quit “for no reason.” I realize now I can’t dwell on it, have to move forward, it is what it is.

Anyway, the GI doc ran some other tests to make sure his liver was functioning well, and it was. She told me she wanted me to see the pediatric allergist at Johns Hopkins – Dr. Wood – not only does he focus just on pediatric patients but he’s an expert in food allergies. That was the end of January and his first available appointment wasn't until April 2! Let me tell you between the Johns Hopkins GI doc and the JH pediatric allergist – they've drained our wallets – but you pay for quality care, right? Oh what we do for our kids – I guess it's mother’s guilt for giving them allergies in the first place.

We went to the appointment with Dr. Wood. He was a very nice and informative. Actually, for the first time, even since the girls were diagnosed with their allergies, I feel more knowledgeable about it all. He gave me an awesome regimen for helping Moses eczema – and it has been working like a charm! We have an arsenal of steroid creams and an Rx for Hydroxyzine that we only use when necessary (he said Zyrtec doesn't help with the itchy skin). I mean he still gets itchy but nothing like before! He’s even slept through the night a couple times! Let’s hope it becomes regular at some point J

We also had blood work for his food allergies. First, the good news: he tested NEGATIVE for corn and pork – whew! The bad news, he tested POSITIVE for: dairy, wheat, oats, soy, peas, sesame seeds, peanuts. Seems horrible, but most of these are readily labeled – so much easier than dealing with a corn allergy. I’m just so thankful it’s not corn!!!

We are to strictly avoid the dairy, peanuts and soy for now. The other ones were low-levels so we can wait until later to try them and see if he can handle them – if he has a reaction – then of course we will avoid them. For right now I’m cutting out peas because he was super itchy and rashy a couple weeks ago when we were giving him peas. And in the past week his skin is looking much better, so all of the pea protein has finally flushed out of his system, and he’s looking better.

Right now the nurse said we are to introduce the fruits first, one at a time: apples, bananas, pears, peaches, the typical baby fruits. Then move to yellow/orange veggies, of which he’s already had: squash, carrots and sweet potatoes. Then we can introduce rice cereal, since rice is the least allergenic of the grains. After that we can intro meats. By then he’ll be about a year old and we can reassess his formula/milk situation and see where to go from there.

He’ll have another allergy test at 18 months. She’s mostly worried about his peanut allergy, the other ones he can outgrow eventually, most by 5 years old. Being as we already have twins with SEVERE peanut allergies – we know what we’re dealing with – just wish we didn't have to deal with it. Poor kiddos. And poor mommy and daddy having to watch them at the playground or at the farm and make sure no kids have left peanut butter smears on the slides or toys, etc. Blah. Or last weekend when I was on the playground at the farm with the girls and another mom was eating peanuts and throwing the shells on the ground. We had to high-tail it out of there. I carry the epi-pens with me at all times. Just hoping they all don’t have a reaction at the same time – I don’t want to act out Sophie’s Choice between 3 kids if I’m solo.

And the stats for Moses at his appointment on April 2 at 8 months 1 day old – 22 lbs. 11 oz. (90^th percentile) but I didn't get his length, I forgot!

Easter Weekend

Oh we had a fun weekend with my folks. I was off from work monday and tuesday as well. Woohoo!

Saturday we did a lot of store hopping. I needed to get new sneakers for the girls and my parents wanted to treat them. We went to several different stores but alas, the girls tend to want the same style and it's hard to find 2 in the same size or for them to agree on a pair for that matter. We ended up at Walmart and got them some sparkly leopard print sneakers with lights! oooooohhh we love those shoes. And they are wearing size 9 now! Wow, so crazy how big they are getting.

On Sunday we went to my aunt's house for a mini-family reunion/baby shower for Carrie. Uncle Rawknee had bought some dresses for the girls on Saturday, so the festivities on Sunday were the perfect reason for the girls to parade around in them. It was nice to see everyone again. The girls enjoyed putting their stuffed bunnies under their dresses and pretending to be pregnant like Aunt Carrie. Too cute. I can't believe another baby will be joining the family in less than a week now. Crazy! Uncle Eug and Aunt Jane were able to make a visit and enjoy the craziness of all the little ones we having running around Aunt Sig's house now. Between Ben, the girls, Moses and Ajanja. Kids galore. It was nice to see them, and looking happy and healthy I might add! Yay!! Aside from eagerly snuggling Aunt Tiana, Moses had some serious stranger-danger to just about everyone else, so Richard happily took him downstairs, away from folks (gave daddy a chance to catch up on some NCAA and hockey, so he didn't suffer too bad).

Monday morning Francie wasn't feeling so well. She complained about her belly. I changed her diaper and she had mucous filled, bloody, diarrhea poopy - typical of a food allergy reaction. Given that we had eaten several different things on Sunday, at home and at Aunt Sig's, I wasn't sure of the exact culprit. She felt better later though. I'm assuming it was something soy. Right now, we're thinking it was pancake mix because she felt yucky again on Tuesday and that's the only common denominator between the two days. I read the label but ya know, companies are only required to notify on the ingredients, not if the product was produced on equipment shared with potential allergens. So who knows. Anywho, no more pancakes unless they're from scratch!

With her "belly ouch" gone, we headed out to the petting farm up the road from us. It's the first week they were open. Moses stayed home with daddy. The farm wasn't crowded and it was such a beautiful day. Right now is when all the little babies are being born so we saw a couple babies, but I saw some goat mamas hauling some big ole bellies so I know there will be more babies on the way. Sooooo cute! The girls showed grandpa all around the farm (it was his first time there). Then we went on our first hayride! We went through the whole Enchanted Forest. And we went through the Pine Tree Maze for the first time. All in all, it was a good little field trip.

Yesterday Richard and I took Moses for his first allergy appointment at Johns Hopkins. We had exhausted all the testing the GI doc could do and she preferred that he see an allergist that specializes in children only and, specifically, food allergies. That was back in January and the first appointment available was yesterday. Crazy, right? Anywho, it was a very informative visit. It's nice to finally talk to someone who knows the ins and outs of food allergies and seemed to actually feel my pain. I feel more confident in general going forward. He ordered new blood tests for Moses. Oh of course Moses cried, but got over it pretty quickly. We should know the results in 7-10 days. Anywho, he said that if Moses shows an acute allergy to corn it could explain why his eczema has continued - the main ingredient in EleCare (his super expensive "hypoallergenic" formula) is corn. I told him I relayed my corn concern to the GI doc and she said the formula shouldn't bother him. He said, well it is a heavily processed corn but a small amount of protein can always remain and if he's highly allergic, he will have a reaction. He said corn is a terrible one to have though, so let's hope not! So I'm trying to not get overly concerned before we even know the results.

On the plus side, the doc said most food allergies and eczema are outgrown by 5 years old. He said it's not like turning off a light switch, it's a gradual thing, but that it eventually gets better (except for peanuts - they stick around forever). He said that while there is no magic cure for eczema, they can try to improve comfort to 80%. He said if anyone had to choose between eczema and asthma, asthma would be the lesser of two evils because asthma can be controlled with the various treatments available, where as there is no set cure/treatment for eczema. So now I'm armed with an arsenal of steroid creams and a detailed plan of action. He said, theoretically I can use the same eczema treatment plan on the girls. I feel so empowered. So here goes!

The doc said, as we have been accostomed to hearing between our girls and Moses, that most kids with food allergy suffer from malnutrition or failure to thrive -- but just as our children have been unfortunately blessed with food allergy genes, they have been equally blessed with "hearty" genes and grow reallllllyyyyy well despite the allergies. So that's good.

Moses turned 8 months old on Monday. Yesterday he weighed in at 22 lbs. 11 oz. (it was on a full stomach mind you). I didn't catch his length, but he's definitely longer than the girls were at this age. Big boy. And he's officially wearing 18 month clothes now which are fitting perfect length and width-wise. Insane. The girls were on the same track when they were his age (quite a bit shorter though, used to have to roll up shirt sleeves and pant legs). The girls have definitely thinned out since hitting 2 years old. I'm assuming Moses will do the same, so I'm not overly concerned about obesity issues, but keeping an eye on him just the same.

Us girls - grandma, Francie, Gracie and I - went to Target on Tuesday night to get some hooks to hang some decorations on Moses' bedroom wall (yes, we hope to get him in his OWN room this weekend! Finally!!). We walked by the kids clothes on the way to the back of the store and the girls were fawning over the dresses. Oh I have total girly girls. I guess Sunday just opened up a whole new world of dresses for them. Of course grandma couldn't resist and asked them which ones they wanted. They were so cute and holding the dresses up to each other and saying "ooooooo so pretty!" Funny girls. My mom also bought them some little kid nail polish so they were actually able to paint their toenails AND their fingernails. Oh man, are we colorful.

My parents left yesterday. It's lonely without them. Can't wait for them to visit again! I definitely appreciated the extra help around the house.