I'm 30...Let's Celebrate!

My love, who planned an amazing birthday dinner with all of our friends...

The face of a pregnant girl who's just been served a brownie sundae...

John coming over from the "boys' table" to help serenade me...

A perfect way to finish a perfect night...

I'm the big 3-0!!

Yesterday I told Jack that it would be my birthday when we woke up today. He asked if there were any presents for me, so I asked him if he'd gotten me one. "Well," he said, thought for awhile, and then continued with "I have some trucks you and I could play with together!" Oh my sweet boy - so thoughtful!

The first moment of my birthday came at 1:36am; I woke to a little voice from upstairs. "Mommmmmmy! Mommmmmmy! My bed is wet!" I ran upstairs and Jack had already taken himself to the potty and changed his pj pants. So...the two of us walked back downstairs and cuddled into bed. No - I was not excited to be woken up in the middle of the night, but I gladly accept some snuggling time with my little man. Waking up to his sweet face always makes my morning.

We went out to breakfast (after the cleaning ladies made the house spotless) and I stuffed myself (literally) with stuffed french toast. YUMMY!

Off to Dinosaur Train, naps, and then...my FedEx package arrived! I had been awaiting for it all day, thinking it was my new Chanel boots, but to my surprise...when the box arrived it could fit in my hand. What was inside you ask?? A complete surprise...mom-of-the-year award goes to Mimi, who remembered my love for Laura's monogrammed necklace and ordered me one in rose gold. Completely beautiful, completely shocking, completely perfect!! I immediately made a beeline for my closet to change into a different shirt that would showcase it! Mimi and Papa arrived minutes later, so it couldn't have been planned more perfectly. We went to the club for a cocktail (Jack learned the meaning of the word, and then told us he'd like to have a cocktail too), then out to dinner at Ilios Noche, followed by Carvel for dessert. So good!!

AND - just to top it off, my boots arrived at the front door! Chanel boots and a gorgeous new necklace all in one day? MUST be my birthday!!

All in all - a great birthday, spent with family and a few surprises along the way. Looking forward to tomorrow night...John has planned a big b'day dinner with all of our friends at 131 Main, so it should be tons of fun!!

Riding in Pinehurst

We headed up to Pinehurst for the day to the Granitos horse property, because the thought of getting near horses and exposing our kids to them thrilled me. But when Jack said he wanted to ride...my excitement went through the roof! I was so surprised how gung-ho and brave he was! And to watch his face as "Two Step" started to move was the sweetest moment I've experienced in awhile.

I of course walked right along with him making sure he didn't fall, so the only picture I got was this one. I guess I'll have to burn that sweet smile into my memory.

Capturing a picture of Kingsley was tricky too, since she stayed on all of one second. Just the opposite of her brother (to my surprise)...she was COMPLETELY terrified of the horses.

Who knew...

...that a little plastic pool could provide such fun and excitement on a sunny Sunday?

Had I known earlier buying one would treat me to a shot like this of my precious boy, I would have bought one ages ago!! Oh that face!

And this one too!

And capturing Kingsley's favorite hand gesture of "no"? Well that's just...priceless!

Kristin's About to have Baby #3!

A new nephew is about to enter the world - in about 2 weeks - so this morning I hosted a little baby shower honoring Kristin. It was a great way just to take a moment and recognize that a brand new baby boy is about to be here! In total there were nine of us, including the guest of honor.

Four of whom are pregnant.

Can't wait to meet the little guy, and watch him grow alongside our baby girl who is due 4 weeks after him!!

Little fish

This summer has been AMAZING for Jack's swimming. He's gone from the kid who need 6 weeks of swimming lessons to get his head under the water, to the one who only wants to be in the big pool using goggles.

Daddy's home!!!

Daddy coming through the door after a day at work never seems to get less exciting...for any of us! Every time the kids hear that door open, they RUN to it yelling "Daddy!!!!!", thrilled to get their daily dose of hugs and kisses.

The aftermath of chocolate pretzels

What are you taking a picture of mommy?
The calm before the sugar rush storm...

Love that she hammed it up for the camera, having lno idea what I was taking a picture of. AND, love that her hair stayed perfectly coeffed while her face looked like this...

A Magical Birthday Party: Mason turns 3!

This morning we went to Jack's friend Mason's 3rd birthday party. (Mason and Jack have been friends since they were babies, and are headed to Rainbow Station Preschool together this fall.) The party had a magic theme, fit with a magician (aka The Great Pop Pop), and magic hats and wands for all. It didn't take Jack long to learn the magic word Abracadabra from Mason. The two of them, along with some of the other kids, went around the backyard flicking their wands chanting Abracadabra!


After some swimming, snacks and pizza...it was time for The Great Pop Pop to put on his show. All the kids gathered around and watched each of the tricks intently. To watch their adorable little faces filled with interest and amazement was unforgettable.


Kingsley of course loved the cupcakes and bubbles...

Kingsley's Room...getting closer to completion!

Kingsley's big girl room has been my obsession for the last month or two, and it's finally starting to come together. After 3 different color choices for the wall I'm loving the mossy green we chose, the wallpaper is exactly what I wanted, the painted/wallpapered bookshelves look great, and the decorations are finding a place as well. Each part of the room that gets completed (the pendant lamp was the latest) makes me love it even more - it's happy and warm, has plenty of places to play, and still feels calm and comforting. I find myself in there often with the kids - having tea parties at the little table (where Kingsley loves to sit her baby dolls and teddy bears), reading books on the chairs, or just laying on the floor looking up at the butterflies.



Things that still need work:

- The walls behind the chair and the crib need some sprucing up. I'm waiting for the crib to arrive before I do either of these walls, so I know exactly where the chairs will go, and how high/big the crib is.

- The play table and chairs, and the rug underneath - I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the chairs because they're a little difficult for the kids to get in and out of, the rug underneath should probably be a different color, and I'd like to paint some flowers on the table itself.
- Knobs on the dresser need to be changed out for some type of flower.
- I want to add a few more personal things to the room, most importantly an oil painting of Kingsley's favorite teddy - Yaya.

Great helpers!

After we woke up this morning, John decided Jack needed some "figurines" (after we had already had our fair share of dinosaur roars by 9am), so we headed to Toys R Us. As soon as we walked in, we were greeted by a wall of Buzz Lightyears...perfect! Jack got to pick out one, and then we walked through the rest of the store picking up one more toy for him (a truck and trailer), one toy for him and Kingsley to share (Mr. Potato Head), and two for Kingsley (a cleaning set w/ 2 mops and a broom, and a doll stroller). As soon as we got home, we opened Kingsley's toys....and they were a TOTAL hit...for BOTH kids, especially the broom and mops. Ahhh - if only I could be so enthusiastic about cleaning!

30 Weeks

Holy cow...10 more weeks to go!!

Another great beach weekend!

I can't resist taking beach pictures!! Here are some from yet another great beach weekend...

How much pretend is too much??

Jack has been HUGE into pretend lately - choosing to be either a crane or a "mean-hungry-meat-eating-dinosaur" (usually a T-Rex or Allosaraus). I'll be honest...neither are my favorite activity. Though I love to watch his imagination at work, both of these choices come with their price. As a dinosaur, he makes a terrible looking "mean face" and runs around the house yelling (though he calls it roaring). As a crane, he aimlessly walks through the house lifting things up and placing them in other locations (like moving all his matchbox cars from their bin to the couch where I'm sitting). Nonetheless - he loves playing pretend, and I love when he's happy.

So...when is there too much pretend?? This morning Jack wanted milk. He asked for it - without saying 'please'. We reminded him without a 'please' there would be no milk, to which he responded: I'm a T-Rex, the bully of the jungle, and bullies of the jungle don't say please. He held out for at least 5 minutes, maybe even 10, getting more and more frustrated that we were asking a T-Rex to say please. "T-Rexes don't say please!" he would shout (and whine). We finally convinced him that it's great to pretend, but even when you're pretending to be something, our rules need to be followed. He gave in and said please, though I'm not so sure we won't have to cross this bridge again.

Brotherly Love

Jack has really taken to Kingsley lately. It's been really fun to watch them really interact and play with each other!! I think Jack loves that Kingsley will do virtually anything he asks (with the occasional "no!"), but he also really likes having a constant playmate. And Kingsley, of course, loves following him around and learning how to play. A couple of months ago it seemed that she was constantly bothering him, and now I catch these amazing moments between them (almost daily) where they're playing incredibly well just the two of them. Today I caught them pretending that Jack's bed was a boat on which they were sailing (and the Thomas toothbrush in his hand provided the music):

Once I was spotted, I soon became a shark from which they needed to hide:

God I LOVE those happy, excited faces!!!

Moving rooms and making room

Over the last couple of weeks, John and I have been busy moving the kids around to make room for baby #3. We moved Jack to the guest room, which hardly seemed to affect him; he's excited to have his own bathroom, and was glad to give up his old room for "baby Lynden" (although we later told him it would actually be Kingsley moving in there). John painted the entire room (and Jack loved helping) and moved all the furniture in one day, and I hung everything up. I think it turned out even cuter than the original one!

Next step was painting Jack's old room/Kingsley's new room. I purchased the wallpaper for the ceiling, which I'm SO excited about! I originally thought yellow walls would compliment the paper really well, but once John got the ENTIRE gallon up on the walls I decided I hated it. Oops! So...onto green:

Next was the wallpaper, which looks UNBELIEVABLE! I wasted no time moving furniture in, some of which will stay and some of which will go:


Mimi bought a beautiful green crib that will arrive in 10-12 weeks. I am now onto bedding, a chandelier and window treatments. After that...look out picture frames, baskets, nicnacs, and any other miscellaneous decoration/accessory!! I'm so excited to move Kingsley into such an amazing new nursery that will easily transition to a big girl room!!

Summer 2010 favorite books & music

Books:
Jack - The Odd Egg; Rollercoaster; Dinosaur Encyclopedia; Maybe a Bear Ate It!; Jump!; Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch

Kingsley - Goodnight Moon; The Wheels on the Bus; I Love You as Much; Monkey & Me' Orange Pear Apple Bear

Me - Swimmy; Rainbow Fish; Mr. Seahorse; Orange Pear Apple Bear; The Odd Egg


Music:
Caspar Babypants

Kingsley at 18 months

You are one fiesty girl! You definitely know what you want, and now that you're really starting to talk...it's more than apparent!! You have started saying the word 'no' (instead of just shaking your head), and we hear it often; your other favorite words are 'mommy' (I can't even count how many times per day you say this one!), 'hot' (ha), 'dog' (doh), 'water' (wawa), 'eat' (ee) and 'cookie' (tootie).

You have learned what most farm animals say, from a sheep (ahhh!) to a cow (mmm) to a duck (ah, ah, ah) to a horse (this is the clearest of all the animals). You also know the sounds of a dog, bee, chick and owl. I think Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You? has really helped you learn, since it still is one of your favorite books. You've also started showing a lot of interest in The Big Red Barn and Goodnight Moon. I read both of them to you as we rock in your chair before nap and bedtime; reading has just recently become a part of our routine and we both love it! Right when I finish a book, you'll look up at me and stop drinking your milk for just long enough to say "mo" (for more).

You idolize your big brother, and definitely epitomize the phrase 'monkey see, monkey do'. You love to follow and copy almost everything he does (and he, of course, loves this too!), although every once in awhile he;ll ask you if you'd like to play something and you'll reply 'no' (which does NOT make him happy). You are also my shadow - constantly saying my name, and rarely leaving my sight; you love for me to hold you, play with you and read to you.

You love talking on the phone, and prefer to use the real one (which drives Daddy totally crazy). You like to press the button to play old messages, and pretend to talk to the recordings. You also love your pretend kitchen, putting your shoes on, going "bye" (you say "bye" ALL the time), swings, and have become incredibly attached to your pink bear, Yaya.

You are becoming quite the big girl, and it's too fun watching you grow!! We love you!!!

Happy 4th of July

Great day! Spent all morning at the beach with the kids and Mimi, who is quickly turning into Jack's #1 (he only wanted Mimi to take him swimming, not me). As Jack ran past me in the water he yelled "Mommy, I'm having SO much fun!" And Kingsley was so bold and daring - loved running into the little waves, and didn't even mind being thrown down by a few. The waves would crash into her little legs and she'd yell "mo" (more).

We headed home, took a good nap, and then got all set in our patriotic gear. Everyone looked great, but Kingsley definitely took the cake! She truly looked like an American doll!! Jack looked at all of us as we were getting ready to leave and asked "Why are we wearing red, white and green?" After being told it's red, white and blue he seemed to get the idea: "we're like an American flag!"

Mimi and Papa's beach club was the perfect place to celebrate the 4th...beautiful beach, great food and an awesome band. The kids loved dancing to the band's music, and eating mac & cheese and banana pudding.

We even convinced Jack to share a few bites of his banana pudding with Kingsley:

As we left the club, Jack went around saying "Happy 4th of July!" We figured he'd really gotten the hang of the holiday, until we got back to the house. As we waited for the fireworks to begin, we lit a sparkler (which I thought he'd be really excited by) and handed it to him. He stood there for a few seconds and then asked "why am I using this?"

He told us "I love fireworks. I'm not scared anymore." But - we rushed back to Tidewater, waited for the display until 10:15 and finally we decided to call it a night - I went to put Kingsley down and Jack followed me in saying "I want to stop waiting for the fireworks". The kids were exhausted, having never seen so late into the night. Nonetheless - a great holiday!!