Getting bigger

Yesterday was a very busy day... First, playgroup in the morning, of course. Not too much excitement there, except an older boy came, which was great for Liam. It seems as though, literally, since his birthday, he has felt a bit "old" for playgroup. He's just not as interested as he used to be. As much as he plays with the girls his age (there are only two that are close), he loves it when a boy his age comes. All of a sudden he is ready for preschool. Maybe after going away for a month, his interest will be renewed.

I was going out for wings with some girl friends last night, so my plans for the afternoon included showering, drying my new jeans....that sort of thing. And then Liam mentioned some things that sounded suspiciously like the start of a UTI. So, while there was time, and before it got serious, he and I went of to the hospital. We actually had a good time there. He had a wonderful imagination game going that we were on a boat. There was fishing, rowing, throwing the anchor over. He even went "swimming," which was great because he puffed out his cheeks and pretended to be holding his breath. At one point the anchor got stuck on some rocks, so I suggested he swim down and get it loose. He looked at me and said, "But Mom, there are puffer fish in the water, and you have to be careful because they will PUFF up, and then spikes will shoot out and get you!" I wouldn't have dabbled my feet in the water if I had known! Perhaps the best time I've ever had an emergency room. The result of our trip? Undetermined as of now. They'll let us know if the lab results are positive in about 48 hours. He hasn't had any pain or "tickling" today, so maybe it was a false alarm. Oh, but when we first got in to the ER, the nurse asked if I thought I could get him to "pee in a cup." Little did she know, that is his favourite part of any doctor visit. I have, in the past, had them let him pee in a cup, even though it wasn't necessary. Unfortunately he had just gone before we left the house, as I didn't think we would get in that fast. So we sat down and had the snack I'd brought while he drank his juicy water. Five sips of drink for each cracker, that sort of thing. At one point he had five sips, but they didn't seem very big, so I said five more and he said "But that'll be ten!" My boy can add!

Then it was off to wings. Sans shower or new jeans. And no real makeup. But the important thing was the going out. These people have all seen me at playgroup on tired mornings.... I wouldn't want to shock them too much!

We think that Logan's 2-year molars might be moving around and causing him some discomfort. Not much fun for him.

He has learned to really "kiss." Before, putting his mouth on your cheek and doing a kissy noise were two separate things. Now he has put them together, and if you can convince him to give you one, it's very sweet. He is also starting to do things by himself, which is great that he isn't always needing someone else with him to play. Liam had a playdate over on Tuesday, and Logan did a great job of being a little brother and bugging them for the first bit, but then he was very happy to sit at the table with us Moms and color in his colouring book. He has enjoyed playing moonsand on his own for a while, too. It is still sweet to watch the two boys play together, whether it's blocks and trucks, or "cooking" up a storm.

That's all that is new for now. Off to pay attention to our favourite blog subjects!

Coolest thing I've ever borrowed

I friend lent me her amauti. Now, it's not a real amauti in the sense that they are usually coat-type lengths (from what I've seen). But this one will be great for Disney World. So far, Liam has been my only volunteer. Which is unfortunate, in a way, as he is also the heavier one! And this one's camo, so Craig can be cool while carrying a child on his back!

Boys, boys, boys

Two cool dudes.

After the birthday party

We got to take home four balloons from the birthday party on Sunday. Because other parents were sensible enough to say "No," I suppose. I, however, felt the distraction might be useful. And it was, but now they are kind of annoying. Here is Logan with the balloons. And after he fell asleep with the sucker from the goody bag still in his hand.

Pretty as a picture

The most amazing landscape drawing I've ever seen

Liam drew this picture yesterday. And I cried. Up until now, he's mostly drawn scribbles and letters and "messages" and told me what they were, mostly making it up as he went along, I think. This was the first time I've looked at a drawing and immediately recognized it as "something."

To me, the sun was obvious. Then he explained the mountain, and the roads (three, across) with tunnels (two, vertical). My first thought when I saw the roads? A true Saskatchewan boy!

Today he drew another picture.... Maybe I'll put it up here too. It's harder than I thought to photograph this art! The picture today led me to another thought.... That the artwork it about to become more prolific, and harder for me to toss.

A quiet day at playgroup

Yesterday was unusually quiet at playgroup. I think the final count was 6 adults and 9 children. This meant the adults "had" to help with the leftover snack. Such a shame. The kids spent a lot of time running around and bugging each other. It seems like they want our attention or something, instead of letting us sit around, eat snacks, drink tea/coffee, and chat. What's up with that?!!  Also, Logan's lack of napping for about 3 days was catching up, because he kept just laying down in strange places. On another tangent, we have a lot of pictures of Liam upside down. I have no idea what this is an indication of. Creativity? Lack of blood to the head? It can really go either way. The last picture is, of course, them pretending to sleep. These pictures are fleeting in nature!

Cinnamon Buns

Yesterday we made cinnamon buns. It was an activity the three of us could do so they wouldn't drive me crazy. And we were close there, for a bit. I gave the boys each their own glob of dough to roll out, brush with butter, and add sugar and cinnamon, then roll up. Liam made his into a nice little ball, ready to smush and roll out. Logan made a nice ball, too. Then he ate it. After a couple of minutes (until I was done kneading the dough and more able to supervise closely) I gave him a bit more. This bunch made it to the final product. In the end, they both made two little rolls and we put them in individual cupcake thingies. Then they ate them for dessert after supper. A successful way to kill a couple of hours. Especially since we used the rising time to clean up their room and get supper ready. Don't the pictures of them eating their creations speak volumes about their different personalities? Liam, very carefully taking a bite. Logan charging right in.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day

We celebrated with heart-shaped chocolate chip pancakes and pink smoothies.

One of Liam's favourite TV-watching positions

The somersault-across-the-couch-while-watching-TV move

Practicing for Florida and the Caribbean

They wore the hats to the store - mean ol Mom made them leave them in the car while we went in. The sunglasses didn't break until about 24 hours later. A miracle.

Craig arrived safely in Ottawa. Unfortunately his luggage did not. Not quite sure now this can happen in an airport this size. We are hoping his suitcase isn't in Pang.

The kids and I went to a birthday party this afternoon after dropping Craig off at the airport. Had lots of fun - the kids got to run, run, run. Yummy cake, balloons... how can you go wrong?!

A jumble of stuff

So I was sitting here, looking back at the last couple of posts, thinking, "Yes, the whole new bedtime routine is working out well." Then I heard the pitter patter of little feet behind me. There was Liam, holding Teddy and Tyrone, telling me that he saw "the most interesting things outside. There were cars, and...." Hopefully he's off to sleep now. I closed the blinds, so that should help. Very sweet and cute!

We are still working on the details of our vacation. Car rentals, mostly. Which company has the best rate and the best Aeroplan points? The most convenient drop-off? How many days makes the most sense?

Craig is going south to Ottawa for a conference this week. Me and the munchkins.... I always get this feeling in the pit of my stomach that I will need a whole bunch of extra activities. The downside of more stuff is that then we're all just tired. So we will play it by ear to see if we need some playdates and such.

I think I'll try signing the boys up for gymnastics when we get back from our trip. Liam does somersaults on the couch while watching TV, just out of the blue. They both run and spin and fall down whenever there is too much pent up energy. I was going to take them tomorrow, but (of course!) it is cancelled this week and next week, therefore not much point until we get back.

Reading individually to the boys at night has meant that they have refined their favourite books. Logan's most requested book is now "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" (actually it was Liam's favourite at this age, too). The best part is when we get to the (orange) goldfish and I ask Logan what colour it is and he says, "Emo's (Liam's) goldfish." I only hope that he doesn't grow up thinking that orange is called Emo because of his brother's obsession with the colour! 

Now, off to do some homework!

Aha, they gave us passports!

It's official. We can travel. The government has sent us our passports!

That's good, because all the big parts of our vacation are already booked!

For those who don't know, we are going to Disney World for a week, then on a Caribbean cruise for a week, then back to Ottawa for a couple of days of shopping.

We are very excited! Once airplanes and connections and car rentals and things like that are involved, it seems like a "real" vacation!

Bedtime adjustment

For the past five nights or so, I have been doing a new bedtime routine. Things were getting a bit out of hand with the talking, the book reading, the getting out of bed. Clearly, Logan desperately needed to be in bed, sleeping, but Liam just wasn't tired yet. If Liam did go to sleep when Logan did, he would be up super, unbearably (for me) early.

I made him a deal. If he was quiet, I would put Logan to bed first, then he could stay up for a bit. Not knowing how Logan would handle this, I put them in the bath first, so I could get them both in their PJs without arousing suspicions. Then I brushed Logan's teeth while Liam went downstairs and played with his moonsand. Logan got to pick a story, and we got to read it "properly" for him - which means counting things, looking at colours, etc. It's the first time he has sat still for a long time. Usually he comes and goes during story time. Then I tucked him in, sang him his song, and said good night. I had to go right back in once to reassure him, then he was out.

Downstairs, Liam was quietly playing. I made him a snack, then we watched a show, then read a story. Which could be a bit longer, because I didn't have to keep telling Logan to sit! Then up to brush teeth and into bed. Once again, tuck in, sing song, good night, out like a light.

As a result, Liam isn't asleep until just before 9 now. But really, there were some nights that they would keep each other awake until 10. And I haven't had to do any threatening or counting or anything like that. Which makes me much happier, too.

We will see if this carries on so well. Liam knows his staying-up privileges can be revoked at any time, so a reminder may be required at some point. But for now, it is much quieter and less stressful at bedtime. Oh, and Liam is waking up at the same time as the rest of us now.

"Staying up" for the first time

It has been a while since I've posted - I'm surprised, it hasn't even been two weeks; it feels like longer.

The boys are fully recovered from the yucky flu that went through here. Liam's party was postponed - I just need to figure out a date when myself, Craig and two moms are free at the same time.

We've been busy lately planning our first trip out. The nuts and bolts of our trip are a week in Disney World, followed by a Caribbean cruise.  It should be lovely!

Last night we had some company over, so I denied Logan his afternoon nap and put the boys to bed early. I knew it wasn't fair to Liam, and I certainly didn't want him to fall asleep at 7:30, because who know what time he would have woken up this morning! So I promised him that if he could lay in bed quietly until Logan was asleep, he could read a book. When they're not quite tired, they like to take a couple of books to bed, and generally they are good about reading quietly, then going to sleep. Once Logan was asleep, I went in to tell Liam what a good boy he had been, and to get him a book. Then I realized the error in my wording, as he hopped out of bed and picked out a book that we normally read out loud, not one of his usual in-bed books. Then he headed out the door. So I shrugged, finished getting ready, while he watched and chatted, then we went downstairs and read the book before company came. He was being very good, and we allowed him to stay up with company for a bit, with the understanding that he had to go to bed without fussing when it was time. And he was true to his word. He charmed our visitors, I think; he was very friendly and (you won't believe this) talkative and told them all sorts of interesting things.... And they were very kind understanding people.... Then, about half an hour later I tucked him into bed and he went to sleep without a fuss. He did very well, and might actually be allowed to do it again sometime - we shall see!

Now it is past my bedtime.... I just wanted to do a quick update so you all knew we were fine and hadn't forgotten about you! And I've recharged the battery in the camera, so maybe next time there will be some pictures.