Friday, May 30, 2008
The Story of Stuff
If you haven't already seen this and have 20 minutes to spare, please click here. It's worth it, I promise!
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Quickie
My short week has almost come to an end already, as the 3:30pm quittin' time approaches. Work has been crazy and we've been visiting with the Makua in the evening. Life is good, albeit hectic, so this post is nothing more than just a "hello".
And a quick Keiki update. Today, at 20 weeks, they are the size of bananas. I remember when Tyler was a banana... It gave me the funniest picture in my head. I am quite fond of bananas, much more so than turnips or even tomatoes (unless they were home grown in my garden!). And that is a decent size baby, I'd say!
Anyway, we had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. The babies are both growing perfectly ~ Baby A is a tiny bit smaller than Baby B and also a tad on the shy side. It was hard for the technician to get a good face shot as A was much more content curling up into a ball. They showed off for their parents, waving and flexing lil arms and Tyler got to see, too, as he's out of school now and wanted to come to the appointment. Both babies look very healthy and there are no signs of abnormalities. Hooray!
Tonight, we're off with the Makua and Ria's family to the Mexican version of Chuck E Cheese... and will watch the Lost finale together. I can not believe the season is already over! I'll try not to cry.
Have a great weekend, folks!
And a quick Keiki update. Today, at 20 weeks, they are the size of bananas. I remember when Tyler was a banana... It gave me the funniest picture in my head. I am quite fond of bananas, much more so than turnips or even tomatoes (unless they were home grown in my garden!). And that is a decent size baby, I'd say!
Anyway, we had our 20 week ultrasound yesterday. The babies are both growing perfectly ~ Baby A is a tiny bit smaller than Baby B and also a tad on the shy side. It was hard for the technician to get a good face shot as A was much more content curling up into a ball. They showed off for their parents, waving and flexing lil arms and Tyler got to see, too, as he's out of school now and wanted to come to the appointment. Both babies look very healthy and there are no signs of abnormalities. Hooray!
Tonight, we're off with the Makua and Ria's family to the Mexican version of Chuck E Cheese... and will watch the Lost finale together. I can not believe the season is already over! I'll try not to cry.
Have a great weekend, folks!
Monday, May 26, 2008
Alamosa
We are back from our exciting weekend trip to Alamosa, CO. Our mini~vacation was lots of fun. We started with a scenic drive through the Rocky Mountains on a highway we hadn't previously traveled. I'm glad we went that way as it allowed us some beautiful views in places we wouldn't otherwise had found. Like this one in Buena Vista:
Our first stop was a working Gator Farm. We saw all kinds of critters ~ mostly reptiles. And even an arachnid (Rosie, the tarantula. Why does everyone name their tarantulas Rosie?). We saw tortoises, alligators, various lizards and snakes, fish and even some ostrich's. Here is Tyler holding an alligator (!):
We were able to buy pellets of alligator food and feed the gators:
Some of them were really big!
We also saw some baby gators and some turtles:
After we'd had our fill of reptiles, we headed to dinner at a local brewery. We've never eaten at a brewery we didn't like. Shawn likes to sample beers from all over the country and the food is usually delicious. We weren't disappointed!
The next morning, we rose bright and early and headed straight to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It was a cool morning and a bit on the windy side, but it was so beautiful and the boys were excited to see mountains of sand!
Here are the boys posing for us when we first arrived:
We didn't bring any sand toys or sleds like some folks did but we did find it entertaining to bury our children in the sand:
Have races down the hills:
And just look at the awesome views:
By the time we left, we had sand in our eyes, noses, ears and mouths. Every pocket in the boys' shorts was full of sand (I even found some in the dryer after I washed our clothes!). We didn't hike to the top of any of the big dunes, but plan on returning when the boys are bigger, I don't have two babies in my tummy, and Shawn and I are in decent enough shape that we won't make fools of ourselves. :)
After a quick snack, we headed to a 1/2 mile hike (up hill!) to Zapata Falls. We didn't actually make it to the falls themselves, as the trail was very rocky and it seemed too risky for me and the boys. Another one to do when we return in a few years.
The boys did get a rock skipping lesson:
And we found a sweet stranger to take our family shot:
This is what we saw as we headed back to the hotel to dump sand out of our orifices:
That evening, after a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican buffet (yummy!), we headed to a hot springs pool to relax and unwind. I didn't get any photos here, for obvious reasons, but it was so great to soak in 87 degree water while the boys played.
Overall, it was definitely a successful road trip. The boys didn't fight... Shawn and I were able to sneak in some good conversation while they played video games (restricted to an hour of each 4 hour trip there and back)... the weather was perfect... we didn't get any speeding tickets (though I did have a lil scare this morning!)... we ate super delicious food... and saw some beautiful Colorado vistas.
Hope your long weekend was fantastic, too!
Our first stop was a working Gator Farm. We saw all kinds of critters ~ mostly reptiles. And even an arachnid (Rosie, the tarantula. Why does everyone name their tarantulas Rosie?). We saw tortoises, alligators, various lizards and snakes, fish and even some ostrich's. Here is Tyler holding an alligator (!):
We were able to buy pellets of alligator food and feed the gators:
Some of them were really big!
We also saw some baby gators and some turtles:
After we'd had our fill of reptiles, we headed to dinner at a local brewery. We've never eaten at a brewery we didn't like. Shawn likes to sample beers from all over the country and the food is usually delicious. We weren't disappointed!
The next morning, we rose bright and early and headed straight to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It was a cool morning and a bit on the windy side, but it was so beautiful and the boys were excited to see mountains of sand!
Here are the boys posing for us when we first arrived:
We didn't bring any sand toys or sleds like some folks did but we did find it entertaining to bury our children in the sand:
Have races down the hills:
And just look at the awesome views:
By the time we left, we had sand in our eyes, noses, ears and mouths. Every pocket in the boys' shorts was full of sand (I even found some in the dryer after I washed our clothes!). We didn't hike to the top of any of the big dunes, but plan on returning when the boys are bigger, I don't have two babies in my tummy, and Shawn and I are in decent enough shape that we won't make fools of ourselves. :)After a quick snack, we headed to a 1/2 mile hike (up hill!) to Zapata Falls. We didn't actually make it to the falls themselves, as the trail was very rocky and it seemed too risky for me and the boys. Another one to do when we return in a few years.
The boys did get a rock skipping lesson:
And we found a sweet stranger to take our family shot:
This is what we saw as we headed back to the hotel to dump sand out of our orifices:
That evening, after a late lunch/early dinner at a Mexican buffet (yummy!), we headed to a hot springs pool to relax and unwind. I didn't get any photos here, for obvious reasons, but it was so great to soak in 87 degree water while the boys played.Overall, it was definitely a successful road trip. The boys didn't fight... Shawn and I were able to sneak in some good conversation while they played video games (restricted to an hour of each 4 hour trip there and back)... the weather was perfect... we didn't get any speeding tickets (though I did have a lil scare this morning!)... we ate super delicious food... and saw some beautiful Colorado vistas.
Hope your long weekend was fantastic, too!
Friday, May 23, 2008
Near Death Experience
This is Aphrodite. She's a Russian Blue mix that we bought from a pet store as a kitten. We paid over $200 for her. She's about three years old and the softest cat I've ever petted.
But I needed some stability in my life where cats are concerned. Just once, I wanted to keep one until it died. Aphrodite and Persephone, the current feline occupants of our home, have been with us the longest.
Overall, they are good cats. They pee only in the litter box... they are friendly (well, Persie is a lil on the shy side)... they are somewhat playful... they like to snuggle...
They do have a flaw or two, however. I got them both spayed as soon as I could but never de~clawed them. I'd had too many cats change for the worst after being mutilated and I thought if we bought enough scratching posts, we'd be Ok. Unfortunately, I was wrong. They scratch at the carpet on the floor next to a closed door that they'd prefer to be open, destroying the carpet and requiring Shawn to find creative ways to patch it. They climb screens, leaving small holes that become large holes, once lil boy fingers find their way in them.
While Persie's quirks are mildly annoying at most, Aphrodite really hits a nerve with Shawn. It might be safe to say he hates her. One of her most annoying habits is trying to get outside at any opportunity she can find. She just doesn't believe me when I tell her she is an inside cat and the threat of coyotes eating her is real. She always comes back and I don't worry about her getting knocked up, but she does have a tendency to climb the screens of neighbors' doors and windows or just walk into their houses uninvited. I like to think of her as being friendly but I don't think the neighbors find it very endearing.
Shawn's been wanting us to find new homes for the cats for awhile now. I've resisted because I know after a few months living a cat~free lifestyle, I'll miss the company of these sweet creatures and a new kitten will find its way into our home. Especially in my current state of pregnancy.
I've tried to find ways of compromising... leaving our bedroom door open so the cats don't scratch up the carpet when they want in... asking the boys to be really careful exiting the house, so as to not let the cats outside... Sadly, he's still not loving having them here. And nothing seems to help.
Case in point ~ the attempted murder I mentionedan hour ago earlier.
About 4:30am today I'd been up to pee (for about the 3rd time that night). The cats heard me awake and decided to come in for a visit. Aphrodite noticed the window open and thought she'd hop up and check it out. She wasn't happy on the window sill, but instead needed to look at what was at the top of the window frame. So up she started to climb, between the blinds and the window.
Shawn was aggravated at being woken up to the sound of claws destroying yet another screen, before he was ready to get up. But being too tired to actually get out of bed andthrow the cat out of our bedroom place her gently outside our door... thought it might be more fun for Aphrodite to have a fall from our 2nd story bedroom window. He threw an extra pillow at the blinds, which pushed the cat and the screen through the cool night air to the concrete patio below. By the time I made it downstairs to see if my baby was injured, she was long gone ~ after all, she was free to roam and explore... a constant goal of hers.
A couple hours later, she returned. She doesn't seem to have any broken bones, nor has she been deterred from trying to escape her warm, (mostly) loving home. I don't know how many lives she used last night, but I am more determined than ever to keep her through the rest of them. I'm sure Shawn will find another way to rush through those lives... but my girl is a fighter!
Luckily, Shawn doesn't use such extremes when punishing our human children. ;) But now that they know what he's capable of, I have a feeling they'll be more careful to mind their P's and Q's!
Today, she almost died. Truth be told, my husband attempted to murder her.
Shawn and I have been together over 11 years now. Right after we met, I had just moved into my first apartment and for the first time in my life was not living with parents who didn't like cats, or in a dorm. I bought my first kitten ~ Tigris. Between Tigris and Persephone, our Siamese mix who climbs ladders and flushes the toilet, we've probably had about 10 cats.
For various reasons they all ended up at homes other than ours. Either they peed on things or were anti~social. They didn't fit into our family or we were moving and couldn't take pets where we were going. The excuses were plentiful and at the time it always seemed like the right thing to do.But I needed some stability in my life where cats are concerned. Just once, I wanted to keep one until it died. Aphrodite and Persephone, the current feline occupants of our home, have been with us the longest.
Overall, they are good cats. They pee only in the litter box... they are friendly (well, Persie is a lil on the shy side)... they are somewhat playful... they like to snuggle...
They do have a flaw or two, however. I got them both spayed as soon as I could but never de~clawed them. I'd had too many cats change for the worst after being mutilated and I thought if we bought enough scratching posts, we'd be Ok. Unfortunately, I was wrong. They scratch at the carpet on the floor next to a closed door that they'd prefer to be open, destroying the carpet and requiring Shawn to find creative ways to patch it. They climb screens, leaving small holes that become large holes, once lil boy fingers find their way in them.
While Persie's quirks are mildly annoying at most, Aphrodite really hits a nerve with Shawn. It might be safe to say he hates her. One of her most annoying habits is trying to get outside at any opportunity she can find. She just doesn't believe me when I tell her she is an inside cat and the threat of coyotes eating her is real. She always comes back and I don't worry about her getting knocked up, but she does have a tendency to climb the screens of neighbors' doors and windows or just walk into their houses uninvited. I like to think of her as being friendly but I don't think the neighbors find it very endearing.
Shawn's been wanting us to find new homes for the cats for awhile now. I've resisted because I know after a few months living a cat~free lifestyle, I'll miss the company of these sweet creatures and a new kitten will find its way into our home. Especially in my current state of pregnancy.
I've tried to find ways of compromising... leaving our bedroom door open so the cats don't scratch up the carpet when they want in... asking the boys to be really careful exiting the house, so as to not let the cats outside... Sadly, he's still not loving having them here. And nothing seems to help.
Case in point ~ the attempted murder I mentioned
About 4:30am today I'd been up to pee (for about the 3rd time that night). The cats heard me awake and decided to come in for a visit. Aphrodite noticed the window open and thought she'd hop up and check it out. She wasn't happy on the window sill, but instead needed to look at what was at the top of the window frame. So up she started to climb, between the blinds and the window.
Shawn was aggravated at being woken up to the sound of claws destroying yet another screen, before he was ready to get up. But being too tired to actually get out of bed and
A couple hours later, she returned. She doesn't seem to have any broken bones, nor has she been deterred from trying to escape her warm, (mostly) loving home. I don't know how many lives she used last night, but I am more determined than ever to keep her through the rest of them. I'm sure Shawn will find another way to rush through those lives... but my girl is a fighter!
Luckily, Shawn doesn't use such extremes when punishing our human children. ;) But now that they know what he's capable of, I have a feeling they'll be more careful to mind their P's and Q's!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Halfway Point
Today marks 19 weeks. I'll be delivering at 38 weeks if everything goes as planned, so this would be the halfway point! I thought to celebrate, I'd show you a picture just days before I got pregnant...
And 4.5 months later... this is how my belly has grown. It wasn't too flat to begin with, but nothing like the monstrosity you see before you now. :)
I feel like I appear to be 9 months pregnant already... it should be an interesting to see how large a stomach can get without actually busting at the seams.
The babies are the size of "large heirloom tomatoes" (as opposed to beefcake tomatoes?) according to babycenter ~ weighing in at 8 1/2 oz and approximately 6" long. They are starting to get hair and are developing their sensory organs right now.
I'm finding myself engaged in more and more conversations about surrogacy now that I'm so obviously pregnant. When I tell people I'm not due until October and their eyes about bug out of their heads, I quickly explain that there are two inside me. People get really excited about twins and when the conversation turns to the fact that they are not my babies, questions start as curiosity gets piqued. I don't mind the questions and have had a positive response from folks that do talk about it with me. Most people have never met a surrogate and just want to learn all about it.
I'm signing off for a few days. We have another trip planned, while I am still mobile. Just a short drive away are the Great Sand Dunes. We've never taken the boys and I haven't been in 15 years. It looks like there is quite a bit of entertainment available in the vicinity so I think it's going to be a fun filled weekend. Immediately after which, the Makua arrive!
Hope you have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!
And 4.5 months later... this is how my belly has grown. It wasn't too flat to begin with, but nothing like the monstrosity you see before you now. :)
I feel like I appear to be 9 months pregnant already... it should be an interesting to see how large a stomach can get without actually busting at the seams.The babies are the size of "large heirloom tomatoes" (as opposed to beefcake tomatoes?) according to babycenter ~ weighing in at 8 1/2 oz and approximately 6" long. They are starting to get hair and are developing their sensory organs right now.
I'm finding myself engaged in more and more conversations about surrogacy now that I'm so obviously pregnant. When I tell people I'm not due until October and their eyes about bug out of their heads, I quickly explain that there are two inside me. People get really excited about twins and when the conversation turns to the fact that they are not my babies, questions start as curiosity gets piqued. I don't mind the questions and have had a positive response from folks that do talk about it with me. Most people have never met a surrogate and just want to learn all about it.
I'm signing off for a few days. We have another trip planned, while I am still mobile. Just a short drive away are the Great Sand Dunes. We've never taken the boys and I haven't been in 15 years. It looks like there is quite a bit of entertainment available in the vicinity so I think it's going to be a fun filled weekend. Immediately after which, the Makua arrive!
Hope you have a safe and fun Memorial Day weekend!
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Not a PreK'er, not yet a Kindergartener
Gavin "graduated" from Pre~K last night. I'm not sure what this means as he's still going to the same school and in the same class and our reduced Kindergarten tuition doesn't kick in until August. But he was very proud of himself and his school did a cute presentation complete with a slide show of the fun times they had this year. Afterwards, a cookies and apple juice celebration. Here are a few photos (they didn't turn out very good because of the lighting)...
Pre~K class of 2008.
Receiving his "diploma".
Celebrating with a graduation cookie...
Shawn and I got up early and weren't available for Gavin to snuggle with (part of his morning routine). Luckily Tyler was there for him!
Tyler a couple weeks ago, before getting his hair cut...
Eyebrows! Who knew?
Monday, May 19, 2008
Weekend Adventures
Our weekend started off with a bang early on Friday morning when I got a call from one of my most favorite mama's telling me her water broke, she was having regular contractions and was ready for me to fulfill the promise to take care of her girls while she had the baby she's been carrying. If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you've no doubt heard me talk about Ria. She's my partner in crime when I need one for anything from a mom's night out to company on a kid adventure. She, like me, is a surrogate mom. I've been begging her to go into labor on a weekend so that it'll be easier for me to watch her daughters for her and like a good friend, she did just what I wanted!
I'm sure she'll be sharing her birth story in her own words but I'll just say that it was long, not what she'd planned but resulted in a healthy 7 lb 13 oz baby boy and two very happy daddies. He's just beautiful and she is too ~ she's feeling pretty good and glad to not be pregnant anymore.
My boys love hanging out with her girls and I wish I'd had my camera when Tyler got off the bus Friday to the surprise of them meeting him there. I don't know that I've ever seen such a bigger grin. They played and played all weekend.... we went to the park, had beautiful warm evening weather to play in the back yard, played board games and even ventured out of the house for a movie and lunch. Gavin still had birthday money to spend and the girls and I went to visit their mommy in the hospital to bring her flowers and meet the baby. He is so, so sweet and so cute. I love holding new babies. :) He's already smiley and full of expression. It was great to be able to see another new family start.
We ended the weekend with AFV and baking cookies for Gavin's pre~K graduation tomorrow and today it's back to the grind. Oh ~ Tyler got a summer hair cut, too. He looks so different ~ I'll show you a picture hopefully tomorrow.
It was a relatively lazy weekend which makes for a tough return to work but it's got to be done. Next weekend is a nice long holiday weekend and the Makua are coming to town soon... so we have some things to look forward to. :)
Hope your weekend was great!
I'm sure she'll be sharing her birth story in her own words but I'll just say that it was long, not what she'd planned but resulted in a healthy 7 lb 13 oz baby boy and two very happy daddies. He's just beautiful and she is too ~ she's feeling pretty good and glad to not be pregnant anymore.
My boys love hanging out with her girls and I wish I'd had my camera when Tyler got off the bus Friday to the surprise of them meeting him there. I don't know that I've ever seen such a bigger grin. They played and played all weekend.... we went to the park, had beautiful warm evening weather to play in the back yard, played board games and even ventured out of the house for a movie and lunch. Gavin still had birthday money to spend and the girls and I went to visit their mommy in the hospital to bring her flowers and meet the baby. He is so, so sweet and so cute. I love holding new babies. :) He's already smiley and full of expression. It was great to be able to see another new family start.
We ended the weekend with AFV and baking cookies for Gavin's pre~K graduation tomorrow and today it's back to the grind. Oh ~ Tyler got a summer hair cut, too. He looks so different ~ I'll show you a picture hopefully tomorrow.
It was a relatively lazy weekend which makes for a tough return to work but it's got to be done. Next weekend is a nice long holiday weekend and the Makua are coming to town soon... so we have some things to look forward to. :)
Hope your weekend was great!
Thursday, May 15, 2008
The Many Faces of Tyler
Tyler frequently exhibits what we (Shawn and I) lovingly refer to as his "teenage angst". Things he used to burst into tears about will now get reactions of pouty lips and "that's not fair!'s". It's kind of comical, when it isn't annoying.
When we visit with Grandma and Grandpa, the boys inevitably get spoiled. It doesn't bother me, even cleaning up afterwards doesn't bother me, because they are experiencing love in a way that I can't express as their mother. An unconditional love (similar to mine, but different still, too), that can only come from a grandparent. They bask in it and they, like me, feel refreshed after spending time with people that love them this much.
This past weekend's visit was (as you could see from the previous post's pictures) a flutter of activity. The entire trip was catered to these six grand babies and things that they would like to do. But each day, Tyler found something that made him unhappy.
It was so entertaining that we started taking pictures of it. And without further ado, I present you with the many pouty faces of Tyler:
I think eventually he'll figure out that it doesn't work... we never give in to whatever it is he's cranky about. But until then, Uncle Brian cheers him up:
I think he's way cuter when he looks like this:
********************************************
Quick pregnancy update ~ today marks 18 weeks and they are the size of bell peppers at 5.5" long! They are both moving and I can feel them on the outside, too, but so far no one else can. The Makua are coming in just a couple weeks and I'm hoping their Keiki will be strong enough that they'll be able to feel... at the rate they're going, I think it'll be a good possibility!
We had an ultrasound this week and everything looks great! I'm feeling good and trying to enjoy the energy I'm able to muster up.
Happy Thursday, folks. :)
When we visit with Grandma and Grandpa, the boys inevitably get spoiled. It doesn't bother me, even cleaning up afterwards doesn't bother me, because they are experiencing love in a way that I can't express as their mother. An unconditional love (similar to mine, but different still, too), that can only come from a grandparent. They bask in it and they, like me, feel refreshed after spending time with people that love them this much.
This past weekend's visit was (as you could see from the previous post's pictures) a flutter of activity. The entire trip was catered to these six grand babies and things that they would like to do. But each day, Tyler found something that made him unhappy.
It was so entertaining that we started taking pictures of it. And without further ado, I present you with the many pouty faces of Tyler:
I think eventually he'll figure out that it doesn't work... we never give in to whatever it is he's cranky about. But until then, Uncle Brian cheers him up:
I think he's way cuter when he looks like this:
********************************************Quick pregnancy update ~ today marks 18 weeks and they are the size of bell peppers at 5.5" long! They are both moving and I can feel them on the outside, too, but so far no one else can. The Makua are coming in just a couple weeks and I'm hoping their Keiki will be strong enough that they'll be able to feel... at the rate they're going, I think it'll be a good possibility!
We had an ultrasound this week and everything looks great! I'm feeling good and trying to enjoy the energy I'm able to muster up.
Happy Thursday, folks. :)
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Our Weekend in Indy
We enjoyed a weekend packed full of activities... Starting from bright and early Friday morning at the track...
... while the girls got mani's, pedi's and mini massages, the boys watched race cars...
... which sounded fun but not nearly as exciting as a trip to the spa!
Shawn got some great shots of the boys... and though it was chilly, they thought seeing the track was pretty awesome!
That night the cousins all watched a movie together... and Shawn and I played some card games with Mom & Dad (who were still slightly jet lagged from their trip across the pond!).
Saturday, my baby turned 5. Five! Five seems SO much bigger than four to me... and look how grown up he is. He picked out his shirt for his special day.
A birthday party at the park wouldn't be complete without shooting a tree (?!)...
... and of course birthday cake.
The next day we headed to the Children's Museum where we did lots of activities such as digging for dinosaur bones...
... build things with large pipes...
... put on a puppet show...
... build more things ~ this time with blocks...
... and watch pennies have races down a hole.
Tyler's favorite part was the room with giant games like Connect Four...
The last day, we snuck in some duckpin bowling in a super cool place that still had original balls, floors and pins.
We even had fun at the airport! The kids had races in a corner and found themselves to be quite entertaining...
Once we got home, there were more presents to open! Gavin's favorite was a new costume (the boys LOVES to wear costumes)...
It will probably be a while before we head back to Indiana, a magical place filled with Grandparents, cousins and fun things to do. I love that the boys had this time to bond with their cousins and as usual, we left thinking we need to find ways to do this more often.
Hope you had a great weekend, too :) And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you hot Mama's out there!
... while the girls got mani's, pedi's and mini massages, the boys watched race cars...
... which sounded fun but not nearly as exciting as a trip to the spa!
Shawn got some great shots of the boys... and though it was chilly, they thought seeing the track was pretty awesome!
That night the cousins all watched a movie together... and Shawn and I played some card games with Mom & Dad (who were still slightly jet lagged from their trip across the pond!).
Saturday, my baby turned 5. Five! Five seems SO much bigger than four to me... and look how grown up he is. He picked out his shirt for his special day.
A birthday party at the park wouldn't be complete without shooting a tree (?!)...
... and of course birthday cake.
The next day we headed to the Children's Museum where we did lots of activities such as digging for dinosaur bones...
... build things with large pipes...
... put on a puppet show...
... build more things ~ this time with blocks...
... and watch pennies have races down a hole.
Tyler's favorite part was the room with giant games like Connect Four...
The last day, we snuck in some duckpin bowling in a super cool place that still had original balls, floors and pins.
We even had fun at the airport! The kids had races in a corner and found themselves to be quite entertaining...
Once we got home, there were more presents to open! Gavin's favorite was a new costume (the boys LOVES to wear costumes)...
It will probably be a while before we head back to Indiana, a magical place filled with Grandparents, cousins and fun things to do. I love that the boys had this time to bond with their cousins and as usual, we left thinking we need to find ways to do this more often.Hope you had a great weekend, too :) And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all you hot Mama's out there!
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
200
This is my 200th post! Crazy!
I'll keep it short and simple... nothing much to report since I just posted a blog last night. But I had to give those that are interested a Keiki update.
Tomorrow we'll be 17 weeks! I'm guessing my C~section will take place at 38 or 39 weeks as I have never had my water break, nor have I gone into labor on my own. So I think our doctor will let them cook for as long as possible. We are not quite half way but getting close!
They are about 5 ounces and this week Babycenter compared them to turnips! I am not sure how I feel about turnips. I am sure they are cute turnips, though! :)
I'm definitely feeling movement from the baby on top ~ baby B. I don't think I've felt baby A yet because all of the lil flutters are up close to my belly button. It is still pretty early but I grow big, strong babies... so I'm not surprised that they are already making their presence known.
It's always really cool for me, feeling babies in my tummy. It makes it all seem real. The expanding belly... the lifestyle modifications... the ultrasounds... feeling them squirming around pulls it all together. It's not often that I'm still enough to be paying attention but driving in the car and sitting at my desk at work are good opportunities for them to say hello.
I remember when I first realized what I'd felt was Tyler kicking, 7 years ago now (!). It was more of a bittersweet thing because I was so scared of being a mom and all that it entailed. Once I got used to feeling him, an absence of movement for any period of time was enough to make my heart skip a beat. And if I got really nervous because it'd been several hours, I'd drink orange juice, hoping the sugar would wake him up or give him a burst of energy. I even remember calling the doctor once, late in my pregnancy with him, because I was so uneasy with the lack of movement and they had me come in and hooked me up to an ultrasound at the hospital to see if he was Ok. Of course he was, and I felt dumb for freaking out.
I mellowed out a bit more with Gavin and now we're so busy that I don't have time to worry!
So much for short, eh? Have a great weekend, folks!
I'll keep it short and simple... nothing much to report since I just posted a blog last night. But I had to give those that are interested a Keiki update.
Tomorrow we'll be 17 weeks! I'm guessing my C~section will take place at 38 or 39 weeks as I have never had my water break, nor have I gone into labor on my own. So I think our doctor will let them cook for as long as possible. We are not quite half way but getting close!
They are about 5 ounces and this week Babycenter compared them to turnips! I am not sure how I feel about turnips. I am sure they are cute turnips, though! :)
I'm definitely feeling movement from the baby on top ~ baby B. I don't think I've felt baby A yet because all of the lil flutters are up close to my belly button. It is still pretty early but I grow big, strong babies... so I'm not surprised that they are already making their presence known.
It's always really cool for me, feeling babies in my tummy. It makes it all seem real. The expanding belly... the lifestyle modifications... the ultrasounds... feeling them squirming around pulls it all together. It's not often that I'm still enough to be paying attention but driving in the car and sitting at my desk at work are good opportunities for them to say hello.
I remember when I first realized what I'd felt was Tyler kicking, 7 years ago now (!). It was more of a bittersweet thing because I was so scared of being a mom and all that it entailed. Once I got used to feeling him, an absence of movement for any period of time was enough to make my heart skip a beat. And if I got really nervous because it'd been several hours, I'd drink orange juice, hoping the sugar would wake him up or give him a burst of energy. I even remember calling the doctor once, late in my pregnancy with him, because I was so uneasy with the lack of movement and they had me come in and hooked me up to an ultrasound at the hospital to see if he was Ok. Of course he was, and I felt dumb for freaking out.
I mellowed out a bit more with Gavin and now we're so busy that I don't have time to worry!
So much for short, eh? Have a great weekend, folks!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Hiking is fun!
We had a great day trip to Estes Park on Sunday. The weather was cool but comfortable for hiking... We'd been cooped up in the house for the better part of the past couple weeks so the fresh air felt lovely.
As soon as we drove into the park, we saw a group of Elk grazing on the meadow. We'd never before seen so many at the same time! They were furry from a cold winter and oblivious to our gazes.
We headed to a picnic area for lunch. The birds in the area must have been fed by humans or human leftovers, or perhaps starving after a long winter? We were quickly surrounded ~ mostly blue birds but then this lil guy showed up. He was not camera shy at all!
There were probably 10 to 12 of these blue guys at one point. So pretty!
The boys got a kick out of them and their squawking... Here's Tyler watching them.
I couldn't resist this goofy face ~ every time we see this photo, it makes us grin!
After lunch we went on a short hike to the Alluvial Fan ~ a waterfall area that had been flooded back in the 80's. The trees were young and vibrantly colored. The overcast day made for some good lighting for photos of the boys...
One of the things I love most about Colorado is the blueness of the sky. Mostly we didn't get to see it on Sunday but I grabbed this shot during a break in the clouds...
Look what else we saw! Usually we see more chipmunks than anything else. This time, he was the lone one. The boys have been watching their Alvin and the Chipmunks movie a lot lately, so we were wondering if perhaps this was a long lost cousin?
Here's a shot of the water fall...
The boys did some rock climbing, too.
Next we tried a longer hike through the woods. We ended up on a couple different trails because this one had a lot of snow in the path. Gavin didn't wear the best hiking shoes (I need to invest in boots for them) so he kept slipping on the ice. He was starting to get frustrated and after probably the 5th time of falling down said "well, here this goes again!", sighing as he rose from the ground. Not that we should laugh at his pain (he wasn't hurt physically, just tired of falling down) but it gave us quite the tickle.
At one point we turned around and found this view, through the trees...
Here I am with the boys, at the end of the hike. Tyler could have gone for another hour ~ he loves to hike! Gavin has realized that hiking really means walking and has decided that it isn't that fun to just walk around. He'd rather be playing. :)
On the way back down the mountain, Shawn found a tick on the back of his neck. It gave us quite the fright ~ it was the first time I'd seen a tick since hiking in my grandparents' back yard in Indiana. I didn't even know we had ticks here!
As a child, I was petrified of ticks, thanks to a Babysitter's Club book where one of the main characters contracted Lyme Disease. I never like the feeling of a bug crawling on my bare skin (the reason you won't find me sleeping in the woods any time soon, much to Shawn's disappointment as he'd like us to go camping!) but ticks are just scary to me.
I'm sure we looked quite ridiculous, scrambling around in our lil car trying to find the tick, kill it and dispose of it because they don't really die and I didn't want it to come back alive and give me Lyme Disease while I was driving to work one day!
Our freaking out has probably scarred the boys for life...
As soon as we drove into the park, we saw a group of Elk grazing on the meadow. We'd never before seen so many at the same time! They were furry from a cold winter and oblivious to our gazes.
We headed to a picnic area for lunch. The birds in the area must have been fed by humans or human leftovers, or perhaps starving after a long winter? We were quickly surrounded ~ mostly blue birds but then this lil guy showed up. He was not camera shy at all!
There were probably 10 to 12 of these blue guys at one point. So pretty!
The boys got a kick out of them and their squawking... Here's Tyler watching them.
I couldn't resist this goofy face ~ every time we see this photo, it makes us grin!
After lunch we went on a short hike to the Alluvial Fan ~ a waterfall area that had been flooded back in the 80's. The trees were young and vibrantly colored. The overcast day made for some good lighting for photos of the boys...
One of the things I love most about Colorado is the blueness of the sky. Mostly we didn't get to see it on Sunday but I grabbed this shot during a break in the clouds...
Look what else we saw! Usually we see more chipmunks than anything else. This time, he was the lone one. The boys have been watching their Alvin and the Chipmunks movie a lot lately, so we were wondering if perhaps this was a long lost cousin? 
Here's a shot of the water fall...
The boys did some rock climbing, too. 
Next we tried a longer hike through the woods. We ended up on a couple different trails because this one had a lot of snow in the path. Gavin didn't wear the best hiking shoes (I need to invest in boots for them) so he kept slipping on the ice. He was starting to get frustrated and after probably the 5th time of falling down said "well, here this goes again!", sighing as he rose from the ground. Not that we should laugh at his pain (he wasn't hurt physically, just tired of falling down) but it gave us quite the tickle.
At one point we turned around and found this view, through the trees...
Here I am with the boys, at the end of the hike. Tyler could have gone for another hour ~ he loves to hike! Gavin has realized that hiking really means walking and has decided that it isn't that fun to just walk around. He'd rather be playing. :)
On the way back down the mountain, Shawn found a tick on the back of his neck. It gave us quite the fright ~ it was the first time I'd seen a tick since hiking in my grandparents' back yard in Indiana. I didn't even know we had ticks here!
As a child, I was petrified of ticks, thanks to a Babysitter's Club book where one of the main characters contracted Lyme Disease. I never like the feeling of a bug crawling on my bare skin (the reason you won't find me sleeping in the woods any time soon, much to Shawn's disappointment as he'd like us to go camping!) but ticks are just scary to me.
I'm sure we looked quite ridiculous, scrambling around in our lil car trying to find the tick, kill it and dispose of it because they don't really die and I didn't want it to come back alive and give me Lyme Disease while I was driving to work one day!
Our freaking out has probably scarred the boys for life...
********************************************************
In other news, my parents come home tomorrow!
And Thursday night we are, too. Gavin celebrates his 5th birthday on Saturday and since after June my travel will be restricted, we thought it'd be a great time to take a long weekend and spend time with our family. Neither of the boys has ever had a birthday party with their cousins on my side and they've also never been to the race track in my hometown ~ which Shawn and my dad and brother~in~law plan on introducing them to.
My mom and sister and I have a pedicure scheduled for a Mother's Day treat. And on Saturday a big celebration. Not only does Gavin turn 5, I have two cousins with lil boys that are celebrating birthdays also... so it'll be a big shin dig that isn't at my house for me to clean up the mess.
We can't wait!
And Thursday night we are, too. Gavin celebrates his 5th birthday on Saturday and since after June my travel will be restricted, we thought it'd be a great time to take a long weekend and spend time with our family. Neither of the boys has ever had a birthday party with their cousins on my side and they've also never been to the race track in my hometown ~ which Shawn and my dad and brother~in~law plan on introducing them to.
My mom and sister and I have a pedicure scheduled for a Mother's Day treat. And on Saturday a big celebration. Not only does Gavin turn 5, I have two cousins with lil boys that are celebrating birthdays also... so it'll be a big shin dig that isn't at my house for me to clean up the mess.
We can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
