Happy St. Patrick's Day

Hope everyone had a wonderful St. Patrick's Day. And Happy Birthday to Daddy!

How do you get a child up in the morning?

We try & try, but I can't seem to get the kids to bed any earlier than 8pm. There's just not enough time in the evening after I get home from work to get them in bed any earlier. Bubs still gets a nap at school, so he's harder to get to bed because he's really "tired" yet. Then again, we've been so busy lately that he hasn't been a problem. K goes to bed, no problem! She's tired from a full day of school & softball practice, or CCD, or girl scouts. Unfortunately she's like me & wants to try and do everything!

It's the mornings that are a problem. I will turn each of the kids lights on and ask them to get up. Bubs is usually hungry so he gets up, gets dressed and eats. K on the other hand will lay in bed until I start to get upset (15 min or so later). I hate to think that my 6 1/2 year old needs an alarm clock set, but I decide to try something. I thought I would set an alarm that she would have to get out of bed to turn off. I would kindly wake her up as normal, but when the alarm went off it was time to get out of bed. Easy enough right?

The first day - she was mad because she said she wanted to wake up to the alarm. (Now, honestly, who really wants to do that? - she'll learn!) So the next day, I set it earlier so she could wake up to it. I came to check on her 10 min after it should have gone off and she's still in bed with lights out. I ask her if the alarm went off. "Yes." Well then why aren't you out of bed. "I didn't know it was time to get up." Oh come on - what was the alarm for? I just don't know what to do. Every morning is another adventure to get out the door for school.

Interviewing my kids

I found this from a friend on facebook. Her children's responses were priceless. Thought it would be fun to do the same.

Ask your child(ren) to answer the questions and type their answers in.

K (6 1/2 ) Bubs (4 1/2)

1. What is something mom always says to you?
K "Good Night"
Bubs "thank you for being good"

2. What makes mom happy?
K "When I snuggle with her"
Bubs "a smile, being good."

3. What makes mom sad?
K "when i don't listen"
Bubs "when i be bad"

4. How does your mom make you laugh?
K "you tickle me"
Bubs "a smile"

5. What was your mom like as a child?
K "huh?, I don't get it... you only had one brother?"
Bubs "a baby"

6. How old is your mom?
K "32"
Bubs "2 and 3 1/2"

7. How tall is your mom?
K - thought really hard & long, "30 inches?"
Bubs "up to the moon"

8. What is her favorite thing to do?
K "do stuff on the computer, oh, I have another, do science projects with me."
Bubs "clean the house"

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?
K "do the laundry & do stuff on the computer"
Bubs "you clean & I play toys"

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?
K - "rich!"
Bubs "play sports or call on the phone"

11. What is your mom really good at?
K "Writing on the computer, helping me learn my homework"
Bubs "driving to school"

12. What is your mom not very good at?
K "Putting my socks on"
Bubs "being mad"

13. What does your mom do for her job?
K "Work in an office."
Bubs "do stuff, coloring"

14. What is your mom's favorite food?
K "Chocolate."
Bubs "hot sauce"

15. What makes you proud of your mom?
k "because your sweet."
Bubs "being good"

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?
K "Baby mouse in Tom & Jerry"
Bubs - " i don't know"

17. What do you and your mom do together?
K "Read"
Bubs "go to school in the morning"

18. How are you and your mom the same?
K - "We are both girls and we both cut our hair at the same time and cut it short together."
Bubs "we like cleaning up"

19. How are you and your mom different?
K - "You are older than me & we don't wear the same clothes everyday."
Bubs "I'm a boy & your a girl"

20. How do you know your mom loves you?
K "Because you be nice to me and you care for me."
Bubs "so I give you a kiss on the cheek"

21. What does your mom like most about your dad?
K - "He's funny, he's fat"
Bubs "kissing daddy"

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?
K - "Hooters"
Bubs - "Legoland, Disneyland"

Snow Weekend!

We had a great past weekend with lots of family right outside of Tahoe. We did our annual snow trip where we drove until we got to the snow and then stayed Saturday night in a hotel in Folsom (where we also go swimming!). Unfortunately this year we had to drive much farther, practically to Tahoe. My cousins, Aunt & Uncle went up an hour or so ahead of us and found a sno-park (Adventure Mountain) with lots of snow. It was exhausting going up the big hill, but I think we all had a blast. Once again the weather held out for us. Not too cold. A little sunshine & lots of SNOW.

See the photo of Bubs at the beginning of the weekend.

Tired!

This is him at the end! Sunday night.

Missed her brother!

It didn't take me much to wake K up this morning. All I had to do was turn on her light & go into her brother's room to wake him. Once she heard me talking to someone else, she realized that Bubs was home & she jumped out of bed! She got down beside his bed and rubbed his back for him to wake up. She said the cutest things. I wished I could have captured the moments on film, but I'm sure it would have been all over by the time I returned. "Bubs I missed you so much. I am so happy to have you home." In the car on the way to school she reminded him that she "missed him more than ANYTHING." Very sweet.

Amazing what a week away does to a 4 year old. He actually looks bigger to me!

Bubs coming home!

I can't wait until my little boy comes home. Its been weird having 1 child for the past week. It has definitely been a lot quieter around the house. Tonight is the night. I told K that I was excited for tonight, because Bubs would be home. She said she's excited too, for another reason...Grandma said she bought her a doll, with a purse! Just what she asked for. She can't wait, she loves her dolls! The week went buy without any tears of missing daddy or brother! We survived. I wonder how hard it will be to get Bubs back into the swing of things at home...

Vacation

I should just sum it up that last Wednesday, Bubs & Daddy went to Hawaii. Yes, a hard and difficult decision to stay home. Keep K in school & not take her out. It wasn't really an option though for all of us to go.

Pat was scheduled for vacation last week and coincidentally his parents were headed to Hawaii for their semi-annual trip. K has been twice (although already too young too remember) but bubs has never been. 2 weeks ago the plan came about. They changed flights and added Pat & Bubs to their itinerary. We really couldn't impose our entire family of 4 on their vacation. That involved changing/adding hotel rooms & bigger rental cars. Last Wed - off they went without us. And here we stayed in the now rainy California!

I promised K the world. Whatever she wanted to do! The week with just one other responsibility was also a vacation for me. I forget how much easier it is to get one child up & out of the house for school. We definitely bonded. I even let K sleep in bed with me - like we were sharing a hotel bed. She thought that was great. Wednesday night we finished all our homework so Thursday we could go to dinner at her choice - McDonalds, come home put on PJ's and cuddle on the couch watching the Disney channel. Friday we did more of that after an evening of playing games at Chuck E Cheese. Saturday we went to Aunt Bean's farm in Stockton and got a tour of all the animals. She absolutely loved collecting the chicken eggs, washing them, & putting them in their cartons. She was the center my attention all weekend! Sunday she picked out "Bedtime Stories" at the movie theater and so we saw that, went to the library to get more books, and came home to paint a music box. I'm exhausted! I think all this has now caught up with us & we are tired.

Daddy came home last night. Now the kicker - Bubs is still in Hawaii. Grandma & Grandpa have him until they return on Wed. What a vacation! I miss my little guy. Hope he enjoys his trip - and remembers it! The rest of February is busy as well. Hope I get in some more time to write!

Congratulations to the NJ Shull Family!!!

Baby #2 is on the way!! My brother called me last night to share the news. We are so happy for them. K just couldn't believe it - she screamed with excitement. Due date is August 31st. Can't wait to see them down in Southern California next month! Best wishes go out to the Shull Family!

K's turn

Yesterday morning was a tough one at our house. I had taken some time off the day before for the Muffins with Mom/Inauguration & then left early for Bubs preschool teacher conference. I was trying to make up some time by getting into work early. A change in our morning schedule just seems to put us all on edge. K usually loves to lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes until I finally yell at her from the kitchen to get up & get dressed. When you try to get going early, everything inevitably seems to take twice as long! It didn't help when the cord on our front blinds snapped in half while I was opening them. Great, now they don't close & I have to work on getting that part replaced. We finally made it out of the house, just not as early as I had hoped. On the way to K's school I even felt the need to apologize for be short with her. What a Wednesday morning it was!

K understood that it was a rough morning. And last night before bed, K said she was going to have a surprise from me the next morning (today). That was random, I wondered what she had in mind...

Daddy is usually up and out of the house at 2am. This morning as he was leaving our room ( I was half asleep in bed) we heard a thud. Both of us paused and I said, "please go find out what that was!" He went into K's room and I heard, "K----, what are you doing naked?" Then I heard her respond. "I was going to surprise mommy by getting all ready before she asked this morning." How sweet! I got up to tell her that was very nice of her, but she has to wait until morning. Daddy & I helped her put all her clothes on & then we put her back to bed. She slept right until I woke her up. The beauty of it all is that she was very chipper & ready to go. Even sat down for a bigger breakfast! I have to remember to have them put out their clothes ever night. It makes the morning go so much smoother.

(Mental note: remind both kids that they do not need to get out of bed before 6:30 in the morning.)

The 44th Presidential Inauguration

This morning the kids & mommy got to sleep in a little bit. K’s school had a special event held by the schools parent club – Muffins for Mom. I took Bubs with me because I want him to get more familiar with the school he’ll be attending next year. I took advantage of being at K’s school and took her to class. I let Bubs look into the classroom and then one thing led to another. I ended up being at the school from 7:50-9:30. A little more than I had planned, but well worth it.

Of course, once we were in the classroom, Ms. Brown was trying to set up the classroom’s smartboard. All classrooms were going to show live internet feed of the Presidential Inauguration. Ms. Brown made a comment to all her students to remember where they were on this day. This was a day that they could talk about years from now. The swearing in of the 44th president of the United States - Barack Obama. I thought it would be special for me to be with them. Bubs might not remember this, but K will remember her brother & I with her.

There was a last minute change though & they ended up showing the coverage in their multipurpose room. Within minutes, the entire school was seated and quietly watching the event. Bubs went & sat next to his sister and her class for at least 30 minutes. I sat in the back with a few other parents & teachers. Nearing the end of his speech though, Bubs & I had to head out. We finished listening to it in the car as I took Bubs to his school. What a busy morning it was. I look forward to talking to K more about her day after school.

Difference between boys & girls

This past weekend I saw the daredevil in my son and the careful, cautiousness in my daughter. I took them both for a bike ride around the block. As I walked around the block with them, I watched one end up in tears and the other fall several times & get back up again. No, it was not the same child! Surprisingly, Bubs was the one that fell after trying to keep up with the 5 year old boy from across the street. Our neighbor no longer has training wheels and is very comfortable on a bike. Bubs wants to be just like him.

And then there is 6 year old K. Not sure if she'll ever get off the training wheels. Everytime the driveways cause a dip in the sidewalk, she gets nervous that she'll tip over. She just doesn't go fast enough to get momentum to ride smoothly. At one point her bike did tip but I was right there to catch her. That "frightening" moment caused her to get upset and shed some tears. I keep thinking that more rides & practice on the bike will help eliminate her fears, but she's been on that bike for 2 years now!

Bubs wanted to go around the block a second time. I practically have to run to keep up with him. (I see him as my new exercise partner!) But, first we had to let K back in the house. One time around was plenty for her, she was done riding bikes.

I have a feeling that Bubs will be off the training wheels before K!

Where does the time go?

Oh my goodness. Its been almost 2 months. The holidays have come and gone and tomorrow is 2009! Happy 31st Birthday to my brother - the New Years baby!!

Back in November it started. First it was the trip to Las Vegas to visit my parents for a week. The 4 of us drove down there on Friday 11/20. My brother, his wife & daughter also flew out from NJ to visit. We had all of us together the Saturday before Thanksgiving. Unfortunately P had to fly home Sunday so he could get back to work. Stores need their chips delivered for Thanksgiving! The kids & I stayed f0r a week. We saw Santa, visited with friends and just relaxed. And then Grandma drove back with us to Northern CA. She stayed for a couple of days & flew back home.

The following weekend we did our annual trip with P & his sister's family & their parents to the Vacaville outlets. We went up there on Saturday 12/6 & all10 of us in a Marriott Residence Inn suite. It was fun & we finished most of our Xmas shopping!

The next 2 weeks must have just flown by because then Xmas was here before we knew it.

We spent the 20th in El Dorado Hills with my cousins, Aunt & Uncle and their families. The kids really seemed to enjoy playing with the other kids. That was a great dinner & day of relaxing. Thank you to all the Byards!

My parents drove in from Vegas on Tuesday the 23rd. K had a couple of practices for the Children's Tableau at our church. Originally she was asked to be an angel. There were at least 6-8 of them. But, they needed a drummer person and she volunteered. I think she wanted a part that set her apart from all the others. Sure enough, that's what she did at the Christmas Eve Mass. She was the last child to come down the church aisle "bearing the gift of music...pa rum pum pum pum." She had the biggest smile as she walked slowly to the beat of the music & her drum. The moment was just magical!

Christmas just seems to get better & better each year. The kids are at such a great age. They seemed to love every one of their gifts. And were excited for others to open their gifts. Some of my favorite phrases: "This is what I've wanted my whole life!" oh, really, all 4 years of it? "I asked Santa for this & he got exactly what I wanted." - Polly Pocket slides with water! Sorry, K, I don't think the water is in the box. I must say, she was a little disappointed that she didn't get as many gifts as Bubs. But I had to tell her, some of her gifts cost more money! Like her new Nintendo DS Lite. I'm not sure what Santa was thinking this year. She didn't even ask for one. Why start her so young? He wasn't thinking. Some of her friends had one & she was slightly interested. Now she's hooked! She got 5 new games & has been evenly rotating all of them. There is one about taking care of a baby. Its quite a crack up, but I must say she's learning all about how much babies just eat, poop, pee, & sleep!

I think one of the kids favorite presents were the gifts from my parents. Just like my mom did when my brother & I were young, I asked her to do a treasure hunt for the kids. She sent them 9 different places. Under the chair by her desk, in the coat closet, no, not there, where does Oscar the Grouch hide? In the trash can out back. On the way to the trash through the garage (since it was raining outside) we placed the 2 big gifts.

Bubs got a 2 wheeler bike with training wheels. He finally got to ride it the day after Xmas. H took off on it and went "really really fast." I literally have to run next to him to keep up. I'll have to take him with me on my walks! I think he may be off those training wheels before K. She's way more cautious!

K got her first American Girl doll with clothing! She's been dressing it daily & wanting to take it everywhere she goes. One night she went to bed, she said "its amazing how quickly these kids grow up." Really, I'm saying the same thing myself! I can't believe she's only 6 1/2.

The kids loved the treasure hunt. I even found papers Xmas night that K had worked on to put together her own treasure hunt for her cousin. We'll have to do that again, she really enjoyed it.

Christmas dinner went off without a hitch! I tried to relax and not worry as much as I normally do. Everything always seems to come together. I know we've managed to have everyone over for dinner in the past, so I know we can do it again. It just seems easiest to have everyone at our house, if everyone can help out & bring something. We had 16 people total. Our family of 4, my parents and my almost 91 year old grandmother, P's parents, his sisters & oldests family of 4, and my aunt & uncle. Turned out to be 2 tables of 6 and the 4 kids at their own card table. Perfect. I think we could have even squeezed a couple more if we had to. P cooked 2 great tri-tips & my mom prepared the 2 turkey breasts. We finished dinner by 6:30 & could sit back & relax after a busy, but wonderful day. Thanks to everyone who helped make it a memorable evening! We have been so blessed this holiday season. Here's to all of you! Happy New Year! Hope to see or hear from you in 2009!

I did it! I walked 10 miles!

My cousin & I walked in Monterey's Big Sur 10 mile walk in 2hrs 42min! We survived! My cold did not slow me down. We jogged a tad - down the hills & towards the finish line! At mile 3 I was not sure what I had gotten myself into. By mile 10 we talked about doing it again next year. It was a great weekend getaway. No drinking or partying involved. Just a girls weekend away without kids. We had a nice quiet lunch/dinner at Fisherman's Wharf with bowls of clam chowder. We went shopping at the Wharf & Cannery Row. We were in bed by 6:30 watching ABC Family's movie - Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. We read our books during the commercial break! Asleep by 9:30. Of course, that night is when my runny nose hit & I was up at 3 and 4 blowing my nose, tossing & turning. Not sure how I my body would handle the 10 miles. I put that all behind me though once we walked under that starting line. We walked in and out of the rain & the wind. We walked from the Naval post graduate school, through town, the tunnel, Cannery Row, the aquarium & along the coast beyond Lover's Point. We took lots of pictures along the way. Not sure how they turned out while we were walking, but I tried to capture all the wonderful views of Monterey & Pacific Grove. I wanted to remember this challenge. Hopefully my first of more walks/runs. I just want to get in better shape. Faster time & not so sore afterwards! I found a shirt on Saturday at the Expo that said "Will walk for wine" (or beer) & "Will Run for Wine" (or beer). I thought of that during the walk. They gave out tiny glasses of Michelob Ultra at the end & I was ready for one of those! And the free cup of Minestrone was so delicious (although I may have just been really hungry, wet, cold!) By the time we crossed the finish line - it was down pouring. We hurried on out of there walking another 1/2 miles or so, back to the car & headed home. Despite my soreness, it was a nice weekend. And even nicer when I got big hugs from the kids when I came in the door!

The Sports Tunnel

Mommy was asked to fill in on the RHI softball team for their Championship game last Thursday. The team needed to fill a female spot on their co-ed team. Its been years since I played (P & I played on a co-ed league together before the kids were born). I was excited though & a little nervous! It rained all day Thursday and I thought for sure the game would have to be delayed, but they did not want to push out the championship - especially with daylight savings the following weekend. I went out there in the drizzle & daddy insisted on bringing the kids out to cheer me on. We bundled them up in rain jackets & hats. It managed to stop drizzling, but everything was wet. My socks got completely soaked through my shoes. I hit the 3 times I was up, but one was a caught foul ball & the other 2 times I hit infield & the ball was caught. I could tell each hit was a little better than the last - thats what I really needed practice with. I played in Right Field & the ball only really came to me once - a pop fly & I caught it! P said the team on the bench look a little scared, like I might drop it, but I proved myself. Unfortunately we lost the game 10-5 because of a grand slam in the 6th inning by the other team.

Our team went out to shake hands with the other after the game & Bubs yelled, "Mommy, what about the tunnel? Where's the tunnel?" Both of them started chanting "Tunnel, Tunnel..." I had to laugh, because this is what they do after their soccer games. The friends & family all get together to build a tunnel for all the players to run through. They wanted to create a tunnel for me!

Here's the comments from the coach in a email afterward...
L made an awesome catch in RF and her kids provided what could have been the best cheer of the season.

I had a good time & let them know if they need me in the spring, I'd love to play!

Happy Halloween!

Here's the costume I made for Bubs this year. He's so excited! I showed him how to lift the trunk so he can see where he's going. We are crossing our fingers that the rain waits until tomorrow! K had a parade at her school this morning & luckily we all stayed dry outside. Bubs' parade is later today & we are all going to meet at his preschool for that. Its quite a fun filled day! HOPE EVERYONE HAS A SAFE & HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Happy Thursday!

The way things went this morning makes me so happy! It was a smooth morning. I did have to wake the kids up - but this time I gave them enough time, so they didn't have to jump out the bed & hurry out the door. They got dressed easily (because clothes were picked out last night!). They had time to eat. I remembered vitamins, jackets, hats, everything! Everyone was happy & there were lots of hugs & smiles. I wish every day could go as well as this one. AND I made it to work 1/2 an hour early as planned. Way to Freak Show Family!

Bubs now really likes to sit next to K at the dinner table to do homework with her. I write down letters or numbers down the side of a page & he copies them right next to mine. He does a good job. I think he has my eye for drawing what I see. He can copy well. So well, that last night I gave him numbers to copy. Passed the paper back to him & he got right to work. By the time he said, "I'm finished mom." I looked at him finishing up & the entire page was upside down. He did the whole column of numbers like that! I'll have to pay more attention next time!

Bubs starts Kindergarten next year. I hope he's ready - he's got a few months to get prepared. K sees how much we want Bubs to learn his letters & numbers that she's even started to jump in and help. Wednesday night I came home to find them playing school together. She had a little chalk board & was writing out letters & shapes for him to recognize. Flashback to me & my brother! I remember those days - is that how he got so smart??!!

2nd tooth gone

The tooth finally came out Tuesday afternoon at Religious ed! I was a little bummed, because I never captured a picture of her backward twisting tooth. It made you cringe. She is now missing both her middle front bottom teeth. Too cute!

Tooth fairy forgot our house

Of course, so much was going on, the Tooth Fairy forgot to stop by our house. K was really disappointed & sad. Here's what she left the next day... With 2 Gold $1 coins & one 5o cent piece.

Score: 1-0 Little Brother

I thought we were having the best morning, everyone was up & ready to go this morning & it was 7am. One last trip through the house to grab dirty clothes from the bedrooms and move them to the washing machine. The 2 kids were ready and waiting by the front door at the couch in front of the window. I passed them with an armful of clothes & K started screaming - "Bubs punched me!" I saw that her mouth was bleeding & ran the clothes outside, grabbed a papertowel & ran back to her. She had already lost 1 tooth & the one next to it has been loose. Strangely enough, the tooth was now twisted completely around. It was ready to come out, but the pain to her was unbearable. I tried to pull it, but she barely let me touch it. I couldn't even get it to turn back around so it sat normally in her mouth. It was sticking straight forward and I wasn't sure what to do with her. She told me to take her to the dentist but I told her there's nothing he can do but pull it out. (Luckily we do have an appointment for the kids this Thursday!) That scared her & so she screamed & cried more. I couldn't seem to calm her down. How was she supposed to sit through school like this? The tooth was almost ready to come out - Bubs just seemed to help it along a little sooner than expected.

I managed to find out that Bubs was playing with something on the couch & K was bothering his stuff. So he felt the need to make her stop & hit her in the face. Lovely. He looked upset that he caused her to bleed & said sorry to her "after I asked him to." We'll have to have a talk tonight! Unfortunately, I focused on K all morning.

I gave her water & that soothed her mouth. I also gave her a small snack bag, so if she lost the tooth at school, she had something to put it in. We took Bubs to school first & to give her times to calm down. By the time we got to her school she was better but wouldn't eat anything. I convince her to eat her raisins. Throw them in the back of her mouth to use her back teeth to eat. I also let the teachers know why she may seem upset. Its 3pm now & I haven't heard from school. I guess she's OK now. I wonder if she'll have a tooth for the tooth fairy tonight or not... Poor thing.