A glimpse into our lives...

The Years Are Short

I recently saw a quote in the Reader's Digest that said, "When raising young kids, remember: The days are long, but the years are short." It is ringing very loudly with me the past week. Lorelei started preschool last week and I had one of those sad and startling moments where I wondered how we got to this point. How did 4.5 years pass by so quickly? How can she be a big girl who is already stepping out from my warm protective nest?

So she had her first day of preschool and drop off went pretty smoothly. I have been trying really hard not to talk about doing anything at home while she is gone to school. I remember being at Kindergarten and thinking I was missing out on something fun at home. So my focus has been on talking about all the fun to be had at school.

I think her and I did about a million kisses and hugs before I walked out and left her in the classroom the first day. I was doing just fine until Allan stood in the door and said, "C'mon ore-i (Lorelei)." And to that I had to tell him Lorelei was staying at school and we were going home. His response was, "Why?" and he had the saddest look on his face. I made it to the car before shedding some tears…

(I am teary-eyed just writing this post, really I thought I was ready for her to leave.)

Good news is she is loving school. We had to develop a good-bye routine for this week. A kiss, a hug, and a high-five, then she goes to the drawing area to draw a picture to surprise us with when she gets home.

At pick-up time she is full of stories of all the things they did. On Tuesday she got to be line leader for the whole time. They also got a bunny in the classroom that they were able to pet and let hop around the room. She already asked me if she could take her camera to get some pictures.

I am sure I will have more school stories for you as the year passes. And probably pictures taken by Lorelei of the classroom :)

Happy Golden Birthday!

Isn't that what they call it when the age you turn is the same as your day of birth? We never celebrated that when I was a kid, but I thought it should be a big deal when Allan turned 3 on the 3rd. Of course when Charlie turns 21 on the 21st someday I am not sure what we will do…

We started the morning by singing with the music box and eating cake for breakfast. The highlight was when we brought the cake over to the table, Allan had the most surprised look on his face. He had asked for a dinosaur cake, but I don't think he expected it to be like the one I made. He was truly excited about it. After breakfast cake we packed up to head out for our birthday outing. Steve was home and had helped me pack a picnic lunch the night before. We ate it at the zoo soon after we got there and then headed to  Dinosauria. Lorelei was worried about if there was a T. Rex, so she stayed close to me through the entire exhibit. Allan was ordering us to keep moving so he could see all the dinosaurs quickly. When did he learn to add such a stern tone to his voice? Toward the end we saw a 'eratops' (how Allan says it) and he was hurt and bleeding. That left a big impression on Allan who would tell everyone about the hurt Triceratops if they asked about Dinosauria. Lorelei concluded that the T. Rex must be nearby and had hurt the Triceratops. She was right, around the next bend was a life-size T. Rex with bloody teeth. Glad I wasn't around in the time of dinosaurs!

We walked around some more parts of the zoo, but in no way made it through even half of the other exhibits. The Detroit Zoo is for kids who are older and don't need naps and for parents that have a ton of patience when the onset of crabbiness starts. We headed home in a thankfully peaceful silence as all the kids snoozed in their seats.

 After dinner we had Allan blow out the candles, isn't that one of the best parts of the day? It is for my kids, we often do it multiple times, I mean the big day only comes once a year, right? And then on to the big moment, opening presents.

 Lorelei was so excited for Allan's birthday, she made him multiple presents. She worked really  hard at drawing him dinosaurs and cutting them out to be the right shape. (You can see them on the floor in front of Allan) Allan spotted her drawing them one day and she tried to trick him and tell him they were for her cousin Ethan. Allan was  really mad and was crying about wanting Lorelei to  make him a dinosaur. Of course he didn't know  they were all really for him. After all the drawing she wrapped them in paper and taped them shut with stickers and added other fun stickers inside. Before we left for the zoo that morning she also gave him a Madagascar t-shirt to wear. It makes me happy to  see that they love each other so much!

 Next on to the Mom and Dad presents. He got Animal Legos, Madagascar DVD, a Bumblebee Transformer t-shirt and a dry erase animal book. The new toys kept the two of them busy for days!

I have enjoyed watching Allan grow so much in the past year. It is unbelievable how many changes one year can bring.

Allan here is the top ten things you love at 3 years old:

1. Dinosaurs

2. Collecting sticks, stones, and pinecones.

3. Making forts in your bedroom with Lorelei.

4. The new show on PBS called Dinosaur Train.

5. Planning and inviting everyone on our trip to Disney World. (You ask me about it almost every day for the past 4 months.)

6. Being a big boy and giving up your pacifier (bubby) and being potty-trained. (Maybe I like those more than you...)

7. Talking about wild animals we have spotted in the yard or on the road. You often tell people things like, "We saw a raccoon on the road. It was dead." (Picture Allan's sad face complementing the sentence.)

8. Making up nonsense words and phrases that rhyme with what I just told you to do. It actually sounds like you said something back, I just couldn't tell what it was, "Mom I was just trickin'  you."

9. Wandering in the yard and being outside.

10. Giving kisses and hugs to Charlie and Lorelei.

I Love Him

Lorelei: "Mom I love him so much I don't want him to get any bigger."

Mom: "We all grow up sometime hunny."

Lorelei: "I decided I am going to marry him because I love him so much."

So far today

A little head peaks into my bedroom door and says, "Mom, come out here we have a surprise."
I walk out of the bedroom, Charlie is still asleep on the bed.
"Surprise!", two little faces beam at me as they pop out from behind the chair.
Lorelei cranks the little music box and Allan starts to sing, "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you..."
"We love you Mommy, we will be good today for your birthday," says Lorelei.
"It's already a good day," I say as I hug them both.

Afterward they fight over what kind of cake to make for me, a dinosaur or a tall princess cake. Then one hit and one kicked and they both got timeouts.

So Big!

Look at those soft, chubby cheeks and sweet little lips. Charlie is growing so fast. I don't get to update his accomplishments on the blog as much as I would like, but I am still doing my Project 365 and his 1st year baby scrapbook. He will have plenty of pictures and stories.

He is now 4 months old. He can roll over both ways, clumsily pick up things and get them to his mouth, make screaming/cooing noises to get our attention and grab his toes. Every day I notice a little progression toward a new skill.

Today I used one of the Munchkin fresh food holders and put some watermelon in there, at first he was unsure about it, then he got real mad when I took it away. He figured out how to chomp on it to get more juice out. We haven't actually started him on solids yet, but what can a little watermelon juice hurt?

Monday we had his 4 month appointment. My big boy was 27 inches long, ranking him in the 97th percentile. No wonder his 6 month clothes are getting a bit short. He weighs 14lbs. 14oz. putting him at 50% for weight. He is a long and lean baby, but he does have a couple rolls on his chubby thighs and I think his hands are cute with the baby dimples at the knuckles.

Today as I was trying to get these photos for his baby book I chuckled to myself. Have you ever noticed how babies make bobbley movements all the time? I hate using a flash and try to use the natural light in our living room, but his bobbley movements make it hard to get a really clear photo. The pics are still so cute though. In time those movements will slowly disappear until I have forgotten about them all together. My how quick the time goes…

Cousins

Above: Lorelei 4, James 4.5, Will 3.5, Allan 2.5 and Elise 2

My cousin Laura, her husband Joe and their 3 kids are in MI visiting from San Diego. We were lucky enough to occupy one day of their visit. They came over to our house for a day long play date and it went quite smoothly considering. Steve had to go to work and Charlie had just had his 4 month vaccinations that morning. Charlie wouldn't let me put him down to sleep, so I held him most of the day.

The older kids had a ton of fun playing together. It was one of the first really hot and humid days this summer. We spent most of it outside in the yard or on the porch. The kids built Lego planes and crashed them into each other. Lorelei and Elise played tea party. The most fun was the water fight which ended in every one sopping wet and only in their underwear (um, not the adults). Of course the backyard playground got some use too!

The day came to a close with some hot dogs for the kids and burgers for the adults. We had cupcakes for dessert and the kids all had faces full of colored frosting when they were done. We were sad to see them go and Lorelei is already asking me when they can come back for a visit and a camp out. She wants to give a shout out to Will and call him a "stink butt" back.

Happy Father's Day

To the best Dad and most helpful husband in the world! We love you Daddy, Happy Father's Day!

This year I wasn't on the ball enough to make Steve something with the kids. We did all make him cards though and I designed a notepad with a picture of the kids on Snapfish. He also bought himself a gift. A new video camera that mounts on his helmet to record his motorcycle races from his perspective. Maybe we can post a video clip after his Endurance Race at Grattan on July 11th!

Happy Stinky Skunk Party

Oh, you've never been to one you say? Well you are missing out on a lot of fun!

 While trying to convince Allan that using the toilet is better than using your diaper, I told him we would have a party once the training was complete. So when he finally was using the potty I asked him what kind of party he wanted to have and he answered, "inky unk party". Let me translate - a stinky skunk party.

For some odd reason Allan has a fascination with the fact that we sometimes get skunks in our yard which proceed to dig it all up looking for grubs. Now if you are faint of heart don't read the next part, Steve has been known to shoot a skunk or two to stop the lawn shredding. In the George household we have all witnessed the stinky part of the skunk a few too many times. Allan likes to tell people that, "Dad oots the inky unks", which ends in a confused look from the listeners while they are trying to decipher what it is he is telling them.

 So in light of the obssesion with animals and most recently stinky skunks we celebrated potty training in a black and white fashion. Aunt Amanda bought decorations, made signs and produced a stuffed stinky skunk to kick off the event. We had a festive lunch at Grandma Edith and Papa's house with our Carignan cousins.

(*So in the middle of writing this I had to take Allan to the bathroom for the third time during his nap. As he was sitting on the potty he looked up at me and said, "Mom, why you make those naughty eyes?" Who me? Maybe because you have left your room three times and haven't actually slept yet…)

 Lorelei and Elizabeth glammed it up 80's style with the new dress up clothes from Aunt Amanda and later all the kids enjoyed a swing with Grandma.

Old Friends

What great friends, even when we've been apart for 10 years we just pick up where we left off. It is as if the separate adventures in the middle didn't happen and we've been together all along…

We had such a good weekend (a couple weekends ago already)! Our friend Eric and his girlfriend Ginny came to visit from WI. On Saturday we hung out in the yard and the boys kicked back a few brews. Scott came over to visit too. On Sunday we had a mini-reunion, with Dave and his family, Scott, and Eric and Ginny. The weather was great over-cast and not too hot out. The kids had fun playing and we grilled and had dinner together while recounting old stories from the college years. Good times!

"What they do?"

Allan: "Mom what a bear do?"
Mom: "What do you mean?"
Allan: "Mom, mom, what a bear do?"
Mom: "Bears live in the woods and eat berries and fish."
Allan: "What they do next?"
Mom: "What do you mean?"
Allan: "What they do next?"
Mom: "They take a nap or play."

Allan: "Mom, what zebras do?"...

And so it goes, his new fascination with what every animal he can think of does during its lifetime. This morning we watch videos of dinosaurs on the Discovery Channel website. That answered a lot of his questions about dinosaurs. Now if I can only find videos of hippos, zebras, lions, bears, birds, tigers and the list goes on...