DaVinci Science Center Egg Drop

The Monday after Easter Daddy took off of work and we spent a family day at the DaVinci Science Center.

Stomp Rockets are a Hit!

Later in the day, Cole got to try out his new stomp rockets. He spent several hours outside with Daddy playing with them. Daddy even moved a cinder block out in the yard so Cole could stand on it and jump on the stomp rocket gadget sending the rockets high up into the air.

Easter Morning 2012

The kids ran down the stairs on Easter Morning to see what the Easter Bunny had left for them. Cole was impressed with the huge bag of Pirate Booty and Gwen was thrilled to see a pack of new underwear. Reid explored his basket and decided that easter grass was just as delicious at the yummy mum mums that he got in it!

Easter Egg Hunt

Cole and Gwen were VERY into the egg hunt this year. Melanie had hidden 24 eggs total and both kids ran around the backyard searching for them. They squealed with excitement each time they found an egg and were thrilled to check out the prizes that they go at the end. We only managed to find 23 eggs that day but word has it that Mike discovered the missing egg the next day while doing yard work!

Easter at Melanie's Home

The Saturday before Easter we went to Mel's house to celebrate. Beforehand Gwen and Cole were very interested in who was going to be attending the event. They even made little chick and bunny place cards for everyone. It was the first time that Aunt Linda Whitmeyer met little Reid and let's just say that i'm a little surprised that she didn't put up more of a fight to take him home to VA ;) We had a fun afternoon/evening and a delicious meal. More pics of the easter egg hung to come...

Bikes and Bunny

A few days before Eater we gave Cole and Gwen their big kid balance bikes. Actually Andy gave them their helmets first and they were super excited to wear them outside. Then when we got to the garage they saw their new bikes. Gwen took to hers right away and started scooting down the sidewalk. In true Cole fashion he was not all that thrilled (I know, I know...he IS smiling in the pic!) After riding for a few minutes, Cole decided that he would rather sit on his big wheel and push with his feet. We're hoping he'll gain a little more enthusiasm for his big boy bike soon.

Below is a pic of the kids in their easter masks that they got at the Club Mom Easter Party. Notice how Gwen wanted to include her special bunny in the pic? This is the last pic we have of bunny with one ear (I don't think you can even see it). A few days later I found bunny's ear in the bounce house. Gwen didn't notice that it was missing until she was lying down to go to bed that night. She did not freak out but she did call me upstairs to tell me. Unfortunately, it looks like bunny's head is the next thing to go. i hope little Bunny can hang in there because she sure is one loved little bunny!

Reidster is an Explorer

Our little man has been enjoying being able to move around and explore recently. He does everything possible to get around (rolling one direction, crawling backwards, hopping onto all fours and rocking) except he has yet to figure out how to crawl forward. He is very strong and does all kinds of yoga positions like the downward facing dog. This past week he started getting into a sitting position from his belly. He leans to his side and pushes himself up. He is very interested in textures. I don't remember Gwen and Cole being interested in textures like he is. When Reid is nursing he constantly feels the chair we are in and he always wants to run his fingers across anything he can reach. This past Tuesday (4/17) in the middle of the night i noticed that his breathing wasn't right. I took him to the ER and it turned out that he had pneumonia. My friend, Christina Willardson's hubby was his doctor and he had good care. In the end we made the decision to bring him home and continue breathing treatments and follow up visits with the pedi and the allergist. It looks like he may have inherited my asthma in addition to my allergies :(

Easter Bounty

Remember how I mentioned that Cole and Gwen were thrilled when they got goldfish, teddy grahams and Cheerios in their MMLV eggs? Well... they have been eating these special treats (or "junk" as they say) ever since. In fact, Daddy is the coolest because he puts their junk buckets upstairs for them to enjoy when they wake up in the morning. Check out these happy kids

First Two Egg Hunts

In the past week the kids have participated in the Club Mom and MMLV Easter Egg hunts. The Club Mom one was held outside on a chilly morning. Gwen and Cole were part of the big kid crowd. They ran to gather eggs and enjoyed putting on the bunny sacks for the hopping contest. When the contest started they both started fussing and promptly removed the sacks. At least i got a pic first :) The MMLV egg hunt was indoors and the twins were in the younger group. They were super excited about their cheerios and goldfish findings (as were Mommy and Daddy becasue the past few times they have had sugar they have been bouncing off the walls!). Reid helped himself to his own egg out of Cole's easter basket. He was VERY into gumming it and did not give it up willingly.

To Nap or Not Nap..that is the question

For the most part the big kids are done with naps. Gwen generally catches a short snooze one or two days a week and Cole does so once every 1.5-2 weeks. On days when the kids do not nap, they fall asleep within minutes of going to bed around 8:00 pm. Sometimes we kiss one goodnight and by the time we tuck in the other the first one is fast asleep. On days when someone does nap, he/she is not near ready for bed at 8:00 pm but we tell him/her to read and have quiet time. Gwen usually does this on her boppy pillow in the hallway and Cole in his doorway. One night I went upstairs at 10:30 pm to go to bed and Cole was still up reading books in his doorway! Another night Andy went upstairs once the kids got quiet and this is what he found...

Cole's Special Time

I was super happy to catch this sweet moment between Cole and his grandparents. The three of them sat outside for at least 15 minutes chatting about life. From the window I could see that Cole listened intently as Nana and Pap Pap gave him advice and he enjoyed answering their questions during this two on one time.

Lunch with Daddy and MOD

On Thursday, 3/29/12, the kids and I went to Daddy's work to eat lunch and help sign people up to support the upcoming March of Dimes event. Gwen was excited to wear a dress. Clearly I don't give her enough opportunities to do so but I always think about how cold i get in the winter when I wear one and shy away. Both kids enjoyed walking through Daddy's office saying "hi" to everyone and choosing their lunch at the dining hall. Cole wanted a hot dog and Gwen requested grilled cheese. We ate and socialized and the time flew by. Reid was content in his carseat and being held until the end (see pic of Andy rocking the baby in sidelying position). The other Air Products ambassador family has a set of 18 month old twins and let's just say they were on the move. In fact, i don't think they sat still for more than 2 seconds. I certainly do not miss those days when the twins managed to run in opposite directions!

Check out the pic of Cole and Gwen with the MOD board. I can't believe how far they have come!

A Few Stories

1. One of the first times Andy watched all three kids he walked down to school to pick the big kids up while pushing Reid in the stroller. Apparently on the way home Cole had a temper tantrum and Andy decided to carry Cole while pushing the stroller (Gwen hangs on the stroller for dear life and won't even let go when i beg her to go play!). When Andy was dealing with all of this a random neighbor stopped him and said: "Don't worry. This is just a phase and you are a good dad. You are a good dad". Andy was not offended at all but I can't help but think that the same lady would never have stopped to say that to me. I'm thinking she probably would have been thinking: "Get your three kids under control" if it were me and the kids.

2. I know Moms have Mommy Guilt over everything but I really struggled a few weeks back when I did not know that the baby monitor was not working one night. I slept from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am and did not hear Reid crying to be fed or soothed. Obviously he survived the night but I feel so badly knowing that he must have woken up at least 3 times looking for me and I wasn't there. The only plus was that I got more sleep then i had in 6 months.

3. I may have written about this story already but I don't want to miss it if i have not. A few months back Andy took Gwen and Cole to the Science Center. He had to go to the bathroom and had the kids go in the stall with him. He did not realize that they had mastered the skill of opening the stall lock and they promptly opened it and started running around the mens room. Andy couldn't do anything besides yell: "Come back. you're going to get hurt!" at which point he heard a thump and Cole started crying. The next thing he knew, Cole was crawling towards him under the stall. Andy didn't tell me this story that night but swears up and down that both kids had baths. Uggh. the thought of all of the germs in the mens room is enough to make me ill!

4. A few mornings ago Reid got up around 5:30 am and was ready to play. Andy is a sweetheart and always gets up with the kids in the morning since i'm still up 3-5 times during the night. He decided that he wanted more sleep so he put Reid in the bouncey seat in our room with some toys and went back to bed. When Andy's alarm went off, Reid's bouncey seat was tipped over and Reid was crawling and rolling around the room. Thankfully he was safe and Daddy learned his lesson.

Reid is on the move

Our little rocker dude has gone from hanging out on a blanket for tummy time to exploring the world around him. A few weeks back he rolled, turned and scooted backwards on all fours to discover the hardwood floors. When he finally got there he tap tapped them for a good five minutes. Now that is a proud kid! Since then he has gotten very comfortable rolling both directions and rocking on his hands and knees. He has yet to figure out that he can move one hand forward independently of the other but once he does i think he is going to crawl around as fast as the big kids run. Oh and the other night he decided to take it one step further and do push ups which are not a favorite activity.

Cole is 90% Potty Trained.

Yeeehaw! It sure has been a long time coming but I can officially say that Cole is potty trained. He wears underwear full time and has few accidents. It still takes a lot of convincing to get him to go on the potty because he would much rather be exploring, reading or jumping around but he has recently started telling us when he has to go. I am absolutely loving not cleaning up messy underwear and pullups and I'm sure we're saving a fortune just having one kid in diapers :)

Preschoolerisms

I've been trying to write a bunch of things the kids have said down recently. It seems like several times each day they say something that cracks Andy and I up! Here are just a handful:

1. Cole likes to make sure that everyone knows what Mommy and Daddy say. After I explain something he will turn to Gwen (who was in the same room the entire time) and say: "Gwen, Mommy said that we have to get dressed in 10 minutes".

2. Cole keeps a running tally of the many things that Mommy forgets. One day when he realized that I had forgotten to bring the sling to the park he said: "Uh oh, mama, you forgot the sling and remember you forgot the washcloths?" (Yes, Cole, i did forget the washcloths a few days back!)

3. Both kids are very interested in memorizing the names of playgrounds/parks recently. When I tell them that we are going to Ricky Park, they proudly say: "Ricky Park where Mommy's water broke"

4. At school the kids have been learning to recite nursery rhymes. One night at dinner Cole busted out with the entire Hey Diddle Diddle complete with the cutest little chuckle after "the little dog laughed".

5. When i was in DE with Reid I called to say goodnight to the kids. Gwen said: "Mommy, you be good for Reid"

6. When the kids got home from visiting the fish hatchery with Daddy, Jeff, Noah and Emmalyn, I asked them what they did. Gwen's response was: "Mommy, Jeff got duck poop on his knees. Do not worry. He wiped it off." It is funny the things that stand out in their minds.

7. Both kids talk to Reid with the same tone and words as I do. It is so strange to listen to them knowing that they pick these things up from me.

8. Cole uses phrases that Andy and i say on a daily basis. some of his favorites are: "Sure, Mommy, sure" when I ask him if he wants something. He also says things like: "Perfect, Mommy" and when he's frustrated he says "Oh, man!"

It's Bluebell time...

and the weather got cold again! Unfortunately our professional bluebell photo shoot was canceled due to the weather but we did get a few informal pics earlier in the week. My friend, Ryan, took a few additional ones of the kids and I that i will post soon.

Our little one is growing up

The week of March 18, 2012 was a big one for Reid. He went on his first bucket swing ride and LOVED it. He decided that he had outgrown bouncey seats and that he would sit up every time we put him in one. (Here he is sitting in his seat at the back of a train that Gwen and Cole assembled). And I found him rolled over on his tummy rocking back and forth in his crib for the first time!