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Happy Halloween!

 


Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. We sure did. Just wish we got an extra day off in there somewhere … lord knows we could have used it!

 

The kids went as Pebbles and Bam Bam (hopefully you can tell that from the photo). We got their costumes on Etsy and Ben’s club came from one of the Halloween super stores. It squeaks. Too cute.

For once Colorado weather (notorious for doing all kinds of nasty things on Halloween) cooperated with us and it was very pleasant out. Tabby had tights and a white t’shirt under her costume and we put a t’shirt on Ben as well, but nothing in the way of winter coats was needed. Awesome.

We did not get any pumpkins carved, but Matt made a spider whose eyes lit up when you got close to it and if you were really close it shot silly string at you. But we didn’t use it at our house since we went over to a friend’s house to trick-or-treat.

Now I’m looking forward to a nice quiet week of recuperation until Matt’s mom arrives on Thursday. Never a dull moment, I tell ya.

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A Good Week

The week is drawing to a close and I have to say, it’s been a nice one, despite the fact that beloved Daddy has been on a business trip. When Matt’s gone, it is undoubtedly more work for me, but I make up for it by being a bit lazy. I usually have most of our meals all ready to go or cook very simple things like tortilla pizzas or (tonight’s selection) grilled cheese and tomato soup.

I also give myself permission to take it a bit easy. I’m not nearly as maniacal about projects and to-do lists. My main goal is to not let the house get too out of hand. And I stick pretty close to home. Tuesday night we had baths and watched Wallace and Grommit. Last night we went to the park, where Ben was ecstatic to find he could do the slide ALL ON HIS OWN. And since I have to get them up earlier than normal, I put them to bed early. Tonight … who knows? But it is especially fun to get some alone time with my little people.

We miss Matt a lot, but it is nice for a little while to get them all to myself. They are pretty amazing and it’s nice to take things slow and soak up some of their sweetness while they’re at these exact ages. I’m a pretty big fan of these two little people.

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Tabby at 3.5

Almost three weeks ago when we were in California, Tabby crossed over into 3.5 territory. Since then she has been vociferously been 3.5, telling EVERYONE, proudly, “I’m fwee and a haff!!”

A few cute little speech mannerisms linger, but more and more are gone. Grammar and vocab wise, there is not much she doesn’t seem to know and she pulls out words and phrases practically every day that leave Matt and I scratching our heads wondering where she gets this stuff. While at IKEA in CA, she informed Matt, when he wanted to move on that she had not yet “experienced” all the kitchens and that she needed to “learn about these mattresses.” ?!?!? Also when expressing her wish to meet Tinkerbell at Disneyland she told Kelly, “She’s a famous faerie.”

Her behavior is mostly very nice, but she has days where our patience is severely tested. She suddenly loses any memory of manners or even reasoning and we have to take away books and put her in time out. But on most days she is polite and helpful. She likes to help out with chores around the house, particularly setting the table. She loves to select the perfect cloth napkin for every member of the family “except Ben because he’s just a baby and he throws them” and put around silverware. She is getting quite adept at folding small towels and washcloths as well.

In addition to her household chores skills, she’s making great strides with her artwork. I can really recognize what she’s drawing now be it people or houses and it’s awesome to see how happy she can be for such a long time with just some paper and crayons. She’s also getting more and more of her letters down.

We’ve been impressed as well by her new physical skills. She is getting very good at kicking a ball around as she runs and climbing everywhere and riding her bicycle, though the small hills in our neighborhood freak her out. Her biggest liability is her somewhat timid nature. But of course I love the timid nature when it comes to crossing streets.

Miss Tabby is truly a delight to have in our family and I feel so lucky each and every day to be the recipient of her hugs and kisses and get to hear all of her cheery chatter.

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Camping!

 


My dad is outdoorsman extraordinaire and loves to spend any and all available weekends in the great outdoors. He fishes, camps, hunts, hikes, and sleeps under the stars. Being a wonderful grandfather, he’s been talking about taking Tabby (as well as Ben) camping with him for a while now. This weekend, we finally made it happen.

 

Dad left town on Friday and went to the Williams Fork River area to find a campsite and get things set up. He called with directions and Saturday morning, we dropped Ben off with my mom and drove up to meet Papa. He had a great little campsite setup near a river with everything we could want close at hand.

We spent the rest of the day hanging around the campsite, collecting firewood and then exploring and trying to find some fish (no such luck!). Luckily, Dad was prepared and had a salmon in the cooler which we cooked, with corn still in its husks over the campfire. We ate ravenously and finished it up with s’mores. Continue reading “Camping!”

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Big Gulp of Mommy Guilt

Neither of my kids is much for separation anxiety. I took Tabby to her sitter's for the first time when she was around 2 months old and she was there full time from about 3 months on. They have both stayed overnight with my parents, starting around 6 months. We have had moments here and there. Tabby would occasionally take a notion when we dropped her off at her sitter's house in the morning and cry when we tried to leave, but she was always over it as soon as we left. And one time, she didn't want to stay overnight at Grammy and Papa's. I think this was just before Ben was born. There was a similar incident when she stayed with them for a few days right after she was born.

I've never seen any of this from Ben and it's been a long time for Tabby (over a year?). For the most part, we are unceremoniously shoved out the door with subtle or not so subtle hints. “Bye Mommy and Daddy” or “You need to go now so we can play!”

And then there was this morning. I was getting out of the shower (running late) when Tabby walked into the bathroom and greeted me good morning. As I dried off and got dressed, we chatted. I gave her hugs and kisses and she seemed in a pretty good mood (even if she was up a bit too early). Then she asked me if I was going to take her to her sitter's house.

I told her that I wasn't. Daddy would take her as usual and I would head off to work. I expected her to be like she always is, unperturbed by these things. Instead, her little face clouded over and she wailed, “I want YOU to take me to Stephanie's!!” She immediately burst into tears.

I gathered her up and snuggled her and asked her what the matter was. Matt almost always takes her to the sitters. It allows me to get into work early so I can work my 4 10s and have Fridays off with her and Ben. She reiterated her desire that I should take her to Stephanie's. Then she said the killer, “I want you. You are always at work!” Yikes … right through the heart.

Logically I know that if I had taken her to her sitter's, she probably would have rushed in and not even given me a backwards glance. I know that she probably woke up way too early and was overtired and also a bit thrown by the fact that I took her all last week when Matt was out of town. I know that I work for many good, logical and well-thought-out reasons. But man, that is rough to hear.

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Happy Father's Day: Tabby's Take on Daddy

DSC_2537An interview with Tabby, age 3.25 about her daddy:

What's your Daddy's name?
Daddy! Also, according to Tabby, I call him “baby” … which I don't.

What's his favorite thing to do?
Work! At his computer. And in his shop!

What does he like to eat?
Pancakes and bacon … and macaroni and cheese!

What does he drink?
Coke.

What makes him happy?
Me.

Who does he love?
Papa (my dad). And Grammy and you. And Tabby and Ben and Loki (when prompted with “who else?”).

What makes Daddy mad?
When I talk when he's on the phone.

What does he like to watch on TV?
Football!

What does he like to do for fun?
Play games … bad games (Oblivion, presumably, where things blow up).

What do you love about your daddy?
He's nice to me and tucks me in and snuggles me.

We all like that about him and we are all truly truly lucky to have such a nice daddy and husband!

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Tabby on the Rocks

When I saw The Princess Bride on Film on the Rocks schedule, I knew it was time to initiate Tabby into one of Denver’s best summer traditions. Film on the Rocks, for the uninitiated is a summer even series sponsored by The Denver Film Society. They rent out Red Rocks and show second-run or cult classic films. The setting is absolutely magical: a gorgeous amphitheater carved out of amazing red stone, combined with Colorado’s perfect, 0-humidity, 70 degree summer nights.

So we packed up our picnic dinner (complete with movie candy) and headed out to Red Rocks. Tabby was less than enthused about the inevitable traffic jam to get to parking. But once we got there, she was keen to get going. It’s a hike into the amphitheater, but a pretty one and besides, she was carried for about half of it.

We got in and found some seats and got all set up. Tabby was too excited to eat her PBJ and we passed the time until sunset with people watching, potty-going and the coloring supplies I’d brought for her.

She got a little antsy with the sponsor commercials at the start of the movie, but rallied nicely when Bugs Bunny showed up for the traditional pre-movie cartoon they always show at FOTR. She had *gasp* never seen Bugs Bunny. I felt as though I was failing her as a parent. It was The Barber of Seville and she laughed like crazy.

I’d offered to give her a synopsis of the movie beforehand so she would know the general plot, but she refused and watched the movie with RAPT attention. The eels and ROUS kind of scared her (as they did me at that age), but she loved the story and told me all about Buttercup and Wesley yesterday.

It was great for all of us and I wouldn’t hesitate to take her to another FOTR … though probably not Superbad.

Summer is officially here!!!

 

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Tabs at 3.25

Unbelievable that (more than) a quarter year has passed since my little girl turned three. At this age, of course, you don’t see changes as rapidly, but they are there nonetheless. One change I’m annoyed about is her new-found resistance to certain foods. My child who would eat broccoli straight out of the steamer now turns up her nose at foods she’s always loved as well as new ones (that I’m pretty sure she’ll like) without even trying them. It’s a bit irritating, but I am a mean mommy and she can eat as much as she likes of her dinner (and various fruits/veggies we keep around) or “You know when breakfast is.” She sometimes surprises me ant eats a ton of this or that (a whole bowl of guacamole), but you just never know.

She’s also gotten really into her alphabet and has been having a lot of fun identifying letters. She’s always been much more interested in Little Einstein than Sesame Street, but now partially thanks to preschool, letters are fascinating for her. She’s gone through over half of her workbook and we’re contemplating getting her another (and this time photo-copying the pages). Along those lines, she’s also started drawing people that bear some resemblance to actual people. They’re still rather abstract (head, eyes, arms, legs, no torso), of course, but they are very neat. Continue reading “Tabs at 3.25”

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Monday Night at Our House

So our resident BOY had quite a night last night. We were getting his room cleaned up and his laundry put away when he tripped over Matt’s foot and took a little tumble. No crash, no fireworks, just a few tears. There weren’t many sound effects and he wasn’t even terribly loud with his crying. But he came up gushing blood. As it turns out, he had crashed his lip into his tooth and cut it up pretty good. A bottle of ice cold water and some snuggles helped and he got back to his old self pretty quickly. And hurled a book at me. In joy, to be sure.

DSC_0007Tabby had her own fun going on. She got a new workbook this weekend when we went to Barnes and Noble. It’s for teaching uppercase letters. She is really getting interested in letters and what words start with and identifying letters. We were both really amazed how well she did with tracing letters and she really enjoyed it and did over 15 pages. We’ve got some more workbooks, etc. for her to do when she feels like it. We decided it was time now that she can pick out a few words by sight and knows pretty much everything we’re spelling. We won’t be able to get away with that for Ben for nearly as long. She’ll rat us out.

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Easter Pics

Just a bit overdue, here are the kids on Easter.

Aren’t they cute? They had a great time. Tabby elected to wear her b’day dress. I had a little sweater to put over it, but miraculously, we did not need it. Ben tried to eat chocolate with the wrappers still on, but mostly just enjoyed shaking the eggs. He was feverish that whole day and still a pretty happy little guy.