Last day of school

This past week was the kids' last week of school. And, like all schools, the last week of school was full of parties, picnics and presents. Unfortunately, they missed some of it because Sadie came down with croup and Linus had a bad cold, but they were well enough by the end of the week to join in the last few days of fun.

Even though I had some reservations about their preschool at the beginning, I am so, so glad that they were in the class. I absolutely love their teachers.

They were so patient and good with the kids and it was great to see not only Sadie and Linus, but all of the kids, come out of their shell as the year went on. (And after observing them with some of the more challenging kids in class, I have learned some different discipline techniques as well as how to have more patience with my own kids - win, win!)

At the beginning, Sadie and Linus kept mostly to themselves or played alone, and they only wanted to read stories or play cars. (Which frustrated me to no end because we might as well have just stayed at home). But eventually they started trying different activities and sought out other kids to play with.

They both developed a love for art, all art, and would spend most of their time drawing, painting, gluing or cutting something. We routinely brought home stacks of artwork to proudly display on the fridge or in their rooms.

They also developed a love for building. Even though we have blocks at home that they will play with occasionally, at school they became very good at reconstructing tall buildings "like where daddy works". Then they would find cars and little people to drive to the building and park inside. Their creativity exploded at home too where they would have elaborate recreations of the days events which included all of the kids at school, the teachers, and even who and what we saw on the drive home.

Something else that changed a lot is how Sadie and Linus participated during circle time. At first, they would never do anything during circle time, usually just sitting still with a look on their face like "you want me to do what?". But, as time went on, they started participating more and more until they looked forward to circle time and sharing things with the rest of the class.

Well, most of the time...

Just thinking back to the past 7 months, it's amazing to see how much they've grown. Who knew these two little kiddos could turn into big kids in such a short amount of time! I'm a little excited and apprehensive at what the next school year will bring...my little babies are growing up!

Phone etiquette and fashion faux pas

We have a new trick in our house...

Not only do the kids like talking on the phone when someone calls.

Every. Single. Time.

But, they have started answering the phone.

Every. Single. Time.

I used to screen calls because we were getting a lot of solicitors that I had no desire to talk to. But, the kids don't appreciate that fact, and are more than willing to talk to anyone and everyone who makes the effort to call our number.

Wrong number or not.

My mom thinks this is adorable.

I did too until one night when Linus woke up to answer the phone while I was in the shower. By the time I realized Linus was holding the phone, I grabbed it only to find a dial tone. (I still have no idea who it was).

So, a word of warning: if you call, you will be greeted by two kids who are competing to see who can say "Hello" the loudest. And then they will either tell you their life story (Linus) or just breathe really loudly (Sadie).

Something else that has been interesting in our house recently (or not so recently) have been the fashion choices of Sadie and Linus. I decided early on in their young lives that apparel was not a fight I was willing to take on. As long as what they picked out was appropriate for the weather, then that's all I could hope for.

Sadie has always been very particular about what she wears. She has definite ideas about what goes with what and rarely will wear anything that I pick out for her. And if I suggest a pair of pants, then she will insist on wearing the shirt and jacket that she thinks should go with it, even if it clashes horribly.

What's funny is that she never wanted to wear any of the cute outfits or dresses that she has. That is, until we got back from Chapel Hill and staying with Peyton who is Little Miss Princess. Now, I don't think she has gone one day without wearing a dress of some sort or another.

Especially since she discovered a lot of her dresses have big pockets which are big enough to carry several cars around. (You can't expect her to be a complete princess. She does have a brother, you know).

Linus, on the other hand, is very particular about the comfort of clothes. He prefers to wear elastic pants or shorts and doesn't like anything that has those adjustable waist things in them. This is problematic since he has no hips or butt. Seriously. He still wears clothes in the 12-18 month range because everything else falls right off of him.

His absolute favorite pants are these hand-me-downs from our friend Fieldin, size 12 months. They are less like pants and more like pantaloons. We have since compromised that he can only wear them at home but not out in public, so he usually changes into them as soon as we step in the door.

What can I say? Our family is a model of fashion.

Sleep issues...still

When we were on vacation the kids slept better than they had, well, ever. It was fantastic to have them go to bed cooperatively and then fall asleep within a few minutes.

For naps and bedtime.

Something they have never done before.

Or since.

Yes, sleep is still an issue at our house. I thought we had got over the hump, but apparently it was just a tease. Sleep is still as frustrating now as it was before.

When the kids are supposed to be sleeping they are stripping the bed.

And themselves.

While wearing their fancy shoes.

And when it's time to eat dinner, they conveniently fall asleep.

On the couch.

With the dog.

And at night when they should be in their beds, they play and sing until they eventually fall asleep.

On the floor.

In the wrong rooms.

Yep. Sleep is still a problem.

Good thing we're going on vacation again in two weeks.

For the love of sports

I think I've mentioned before how much Linus loves sports.

All things sports.

He is in heaven any time he can hang around boys who are at least 7 years older than him and who are in the middle of some sports game or another. (Sadie will tag along but she's not quite as enthusiastic).

Linus will play basketball on our little hoop in the basement almost every day. He's actually become pretty good and can do lay-ups, ask for a pass from Brian or myself so he can slam-dunk it, or he'll take long range shots off of various toys that have been overturned so he can stand on them. I think his current record is 18 in a row. He especially likes it when he does a swish.

He also asks Brian to play football with him every morning before we head off to school. He loves to catch the ball and then try to duck and swerve so no one can tackle him.

Since the weather has been nice we've even started playing a little soccer outside.

OK, so maybe they aren't scoring any goals yet, but it's so much fun to watch them running around.

Our preschool ends at the end of the month. Because I panicked at the thought of not having anything planned for us during the summer, the kids are now signed up for swimming lessons, a soccer camp and we're waiting to hear if they got into a little sports camp that introduces kids to all of the major sports, including baseball.

Up until recently, we haven't done much with the kids in terms of baseball. But, one day when we were at a neighbor's house, all of the kids were playing t-ball and practicing catching.

Linus thought this was pretty cool.

So, the next thing you know, we're out at Target getting them balls and gloves so they can brush up on their baseball skills.

I think Linus is a little disappointed that he's not as good at it as he is at other sports. Brian tried to reassure him that by the end of the summer he would be catching like a pro, then Brian asked if he wanted to play catch.

Linus' response?

No, I'll just wait until the end of the summer.

He's one smart little cookie.

Road trip, part 4

We planned our vacation so that my entire family would be in Virginia to spend Easter together. This was mostly because we really wanted to spend the holidays with my family, but partly because Brian and I are horrible parents when it comes to planning for the kids. Case in point: we have yet to buy the kids decent presents for Christmas or for their birthdays - one year I wrapped up boxes of diapers. My rationale is that it's all about the act of unwrapping rather than the actual gift itself, right? I know, I know...I am the world's worst gift giver, and that's if I remember the occasion in the first place.

Last year Brian's brother and his family were visiting us for Easter so we were motivated to do things like color eggs, and the Easter bunny remembered to visit us which was nice for all of the kids. Yeah for Uncle Pat and Aunt Tracy!

This year, the Easter bunny (who just so happens to consist of 5 different people, none of whom are Brian or myself) did a spectacular job of hiding candy and leaving Easter baskets filled with goodies.

The kids especially loved the books left for them which they read over and over again.

Maybe the Easter bunny was so nice because Sadie and Linus did such a great job of coloring eggs for him/her/them.

(And no, Sadie did not scratch her nose. Thank goodness. That Grandpa is such a trouble-maker.)

After Easter, Aaron drove back home, my parents and Ryan went back to work, and the rest of us drove down to Chapel Hill for a much anticipated trip. It had been 7 or 8 years since the last time we had seen many of our friends, and most of them now had kids who we had never met. It's hard to believe that all of these crazy people are now responsible parents...I'm sure many people feel the same way about us.

We first stayed with my friend Kelly who just happens to live in one of the coolest houses ever - huge wooded lot with a creek and trails in the back yard.

Oh, and they just happen to have a tire swing.


And ice cream of course.

(That's Kelly's little girl, Peyton, with Sadie and Linus. She is so cute - such a girly girl. Poor Kelly is about as un-girly as me so she's at a loss as to how Peyton turned out the way she is. It's a whole different world having two kids who prefer to play cars and wrestle than dress up in prince/princess outfits and have tea.)

We also spent a couple of days with our close friend Mimi who also happens to live in one of the coolest houses ever - with woods and a creek too. (And unfortunately I only have one picture of her with her girls - sorry Mimi, but it's all I have...)

(Here's a better one of June):

Mimi came to San Diego to see the kids when Linus had just come home from the hospital but Sadie hadn't been released yet. I had never met her two girls, Lucy and June, and they are so unbelievably cute. I can't believe that we hadn't seen each other in so long.

Needless to say, I was ecstatic to see her and the rest of her family. Linus was ecstatic to meet "my" Mimi and to show her "his" Mimi. (He still gets a kick out of this). And both Sadie and Linus were ecstatic to meet the clan of animals.
Both the dogs,


and the cats.

I was also able to see some of my friends from grad school who haven't changed a bit...except for having kids, of course.

I wish we could have spent more time down there, but at least we were able to see quite a few people before we made the 16 hour drive home...in one day...yes, we're crazy.

What a great trip! Same time next year??

***Thanks again Kelly and Mimi for letting us stay with you. It was so great to finally spend time with you both after so long, and we're planning on making this an annual event so we don't go another 7 years before we see each other again! Oh, and I promise to be a better planner since I neglected to tell anyone that Brian was going to be with me on vacation. Oops.***