Stats

Stats of my 3 yr old girl, post Dr. visit...

HEIGHT: 39" - 90th percentile

WEIGHT: 35# - 90th percentile

EYES: Like a hawk

EARS: Sharp as a tack

NOSE: Still there with boogies

MOUTH: Overactive but the batteries are guaranteed for life

SASSINESS: Stuck in Overdrive

OVERALL REPORT: My 3yr old is average or above in mental and physical capabilities. Her future involves politics or law. She will scare the pants off most men. She will then, in turn, wear said pants. She will always have a secret admiration for Princess'.

OK, so most of that came from yours truly and not the Dr. So in light of that and stealing a page from my AGD sister Michele, here are a few things about Emma at 3...

*Favorite Foods: Pretzels (as she eats one)

*Favorite Princess: Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty)

*Favorite thing to do: PLAY!

*Things she loves: Mommy, Daddy, Ryan, Emma

*Things she doesn't love: rain, pollen

*Favorite Song: The Cat Song

*Favorite Color: Pink & Purple

*Favorite Show/Movie: Cinderella

*What she wants to be when she grows up: A Mommy

*Can't live without: her rag (security thingy), juicey, Aurora

*Biggest Accomplishments: wearing panties to bed at night (we are fully trained!), riding her new 'big girl' bike, going to dance class and her upcoming recital.

BMX Bandit

Today Ryan made it through another of many firsts... his first 'big boy' bike - a 2 wheel BMX type of ride, sans training wheels. You may recall how I mentioned that he learned to ride while we were away in Cancun. I have to brag... my boy does have some sort of knack for things sports-related (would his Daddy have it any other way?). He loves t-ball - and bats lefty - he's getting into lacrosse and isn't half bad with no training, and can ride his 2 wheeler with ease. Daddy took him to the bike store after breakfast and their usual Saturday morning man errands, and he picked out a sweet blue Diamondback. He rode up and down the sidewalk for hours today, with friends and alone. I wouldn't doubt that he asks to sleep with the bike tonight. It is his favorite thing and he is proud of it and of himself. Check him out...

Tic Tac? Tick Tock?

Nope, just a TICK. On my daughters arm while she was going potty at 7:20AM. Funny as I don't recall seeing it there when she woke at 6:30, tho to my defense I was pretty bleary-eyed. And I know for sure it wasn't there last night since we had a mini fashion show with our purchases from the mall just before bed. She cried out in her sleep three times that night (only once requiring some Mama TLC) and I wonder... was it crawling across her body and sticking it's greedy little head below her pudgy skin during one of those times?

So there she was, on the potty when I tried to brush it off her arm. Upon taking a closer look and realizing that pesky "crumb" had legs, I left her sitting on the throne and ran for the tweezers.

Side note... ever notice how much they look like spiders? Anyone recall my intense fear of spiders, especially a look-a-like that might be burrowed below my daughters skin? Shiver.

Moving on, I tried to gently pull it and freaked a little more when doing so caused her skin to lift. I deserted her once again and ran for the computer and my best buddy Google. Surely he would know what to do. Back in action, I followed the first set of instructions I found and grasped the suckers body close to the skin and gently pulled upwards. Apparently that pressure would cause him to release in 3-4 minutes. That's a LONG time and thankfully it didn't take more than a mere 30-45 seconds. A good alcohol swab and head search later, and she was back on the couch with her juicey watching Cinderella II.

So how did your weekend start?

(My) Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Since my kids are always making me laugh (or cringe) with their verbal thoughts and comments, I thought I'd start to keep track and post as the page filled up. You will notice there are more quotes from the Princess. That is because 1. she never shuts up and 2. Ryan is too cool to talk to me for very long. Here's Part I...

When I get married I want to have a baby in my belly! - Emma in the Dr's office (MY Dr!)


Mom, you wearing your boobies today? - Emma

Mom, the sun's in my eyes, can you turn it off? - Ryan in the car one day


Emma had to go pee pee so I helped her. I pulled her pants down, put her on the potty and wiped her pen!s. - Ryan


I love your haircut Mommy. You look just like Ryan!!! - Emma

God is dead. - Ryan
God is NOT dead Ryan! God is beautiful. - Emma


Girls don't like fur (body hair)! - Emma

Mom, you puttin' in your eyetacts (contacts)? - Emma

I love your diamond (ring) mommy!
Thanks Emma. When you get big and get married, your husband will buy you a diamond.
I have a husband!
Oh really, who is he?
DADDY!

My Girl wants to Party All the Time, Party all the Time...

With the end of the weekend came the end of the celebrations, whew! On Sunday we had family over to help Emma celebrate her Rite of Passage, you know, turning 3. Apparently it's a big one folks! Thanks to everyone who came to share the excitement with her - I'm sure you weren't disappointed with her enthusiasm! We missed Uncle Mike, Aunt Loretta and cousin Dave this year - tough time of year to be sick. Emma loved ALL of her presents, 95% of them being pink and/or Princess related. It looked like someone vomited a bottle of Pepto in our living room! We also celebrated cousin Tyler's 1st Birthday - hard to believe he will be one soon! And thanks to daddy for the yummy Margaritas... they were the peoples party favorite!

Her 1st Big Girl Bike - she is in love with it!

Cousin Natalie chillin' in the tree swing

It's not pink but it is a Princess... I have a feeling we won't be leaving the house out of costume for a while!

Tyler opening his gifts

I half expected a Princess to jump right out of that bag!

Tyler loving his basketball game!

Emma, aka Sleeping Beauty, aka Hannah Montana... rockin' out!

Presenting the 3rd cake that I did not make...

Tyler wasn't sure what to make of it all... he's thinking we're all crazy and he isn't that far off!

She is sure not to make the same mistake twice (see cake/candles picture in post below). Notice the distance here and in the next picture, as well as my arm holding her back.

The Princess, the Pirate and the Party

The Party Train continued this weekend starting off with the friends party at a local farmhouse. The theme was Princess' and Pirates, with a little splash of music thrown in for flair! Really, it was a music party and since everyone had to dress up, we added our own theme to suit both genders. None of the boys wanted to wear tiaras or tights. Party Poopers!

The kids had a great time singing songs and using the many instruments and props. After they scarfed down some vittles, they played a party game and got to stop by the treasure chest to pick their loot. Our #1 Party Princess, aka Sleeping Beauty, enjoyed the festivities and a great day was had by all! Thanks to all the Pirates and Princess' for celebrating with us, ARGH!


The Princess and the Queen!

The Princess and the Pirate!

Some group shots of circle time

Everyone loves a parachute!

Sleeping Beauty cake #2.... I did not make it.

The Littlest Pirate

The 'I'm too cool for this party' turned scary Pirate! We like to call him Scar!

A near miss with what would have been a serious burn. Apparently she got a little too close while blowing out the candles. Like scary close.

Tales from the Darkside

We've all heard of the dreaded Terrible Two's. I wish they'd just call a spade a spade and get it right... two is just an appetizer, a teaser if you will, of what your child will become when s/he enters the realm of the Terrible (Horrible, No Good, Very Bad) Three's! I remember it with Ryan, but I obviously needed this refresher course from Emma. That which does not kill her us...

It started a few weeks before her actual 3rd birthday... the crankiness, the crying, the incessant whining. The bossiness... oh, the bossiness! Prior to this new phase in her life, my Princess would only rear her ugly head in the privacy of our home, and not anywhere the general public might get a glimpse of her, lest they see her evil ways. But three has liberated her. Now we throw tantrums here, there and everywhere. We shout at our Mama. We tell her no... loudly. We hit. I think I even saw her head spin and she vomited pea green soup once. Just once. Last night I waited for DYFS to come a knockin' as I thought for sure my (new) neighbors had heard her screams. All of this caused by, ahem, bedtime. My patience is growing thinner than my hair follicles. Surely there must be a parenting book out there somewhere that addresses this hell, topic.

There are 362 days until she turns 4. Just under one thousand until Kindergarten. But who's counting?

Birthday Bash

Emma had a Mommy & Me Birthday today. We ran lots of errands, had lunch at the local pizza parlor and she got to play the rest of the day, especially since (her exact words) "I not take nappies. Nappies are for babies. I am a big girl now!"

Grandmom and Uncle Eric came for dinner and daddy cooked the family favorite - chicken cutlets, white rice & green beans. We had cake and ice cream and Andrew came over to share in the festivities. Em got great gifts - a ton of Princess stuff, a Rescue Pet and a fun cooking and shopping activity set - thank you all!

Her (first of many) Sleeping Beauty Princess Cake (not made by me)

Don't ask - the highchair is purely for Mommy's sanity. Yes, I know she is 3.

Ry and Andrew, takin a break from the cake. The icing was an inch thick. Talk about sugar shock!

Emmy and her Princesses... they are almost as tall as she is!

The Sleeping Beauty dress that she just.had.to.have!

Now this is how Royalty sleeps! Again, I know she is 3. The crib is purely for me. I'm selfish that way.

We also want to give a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to Kim! She was thrilled when she found out Em was born on her birthday and happy she gets to share it with someone other than millions of tax payers! We hope her day was just as fun - minus the princess overload. Your card is in the mail... funny story about that one. I am not sure what it says or what I wrote... it was last years card that I found buried in my diaper bag! Bad, messy friend!

Look at Me...

... today I am THREE!!!

Back in the US of A

We are back from our trip and had a great time!!! The hotel was fantastic, the water was amazing and I spent about 75% of my time by the pool. With no kids!!! The sun is intense but with the heavy winds, you didn't notice as much until it was too late. When we left yesterday there was barely a wind and it was HOT! We met some great people and just enjoyed hanging out. Byron golfed, we swam with the dolphins, bartered in the markets and hung around at our leisure!

The kids did great without us - thank you Aunt Janet, Uncle Adam, Grandmom, Pop and Uncle Eric! Ryan surprised us with learning to ride a 2 wheel bike while we were gone (thank you Glenn!) and had fun playing with AJ! Emma told us she was cranky and naughty and cried at Ryan's tball game... clearly just another day for her!

We are refreshed and tan and happy to be back home! I think the kids are happy too - they are still hugging us!
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THINGS I LEARNED IN MEXICO...

1. The sun is hot. You will burn just sitting under an umbrella. In 4 days I used more sunscreen than I use on my kids in a summer and we go to the pool daily. Sunburn on your armpits hurts. A lot.

2. I am not a strong swimmer (this I knew). Playing in the ocean with 10 ft. waves is more than I can handle, no matter how much I run on the treadmill.

3. In the US, I am a Ma'am. In Mexico, I am a Lady. Hey Lady, come to my store! Hey Lady, you want braids? Hey Lady, no pictures!

4. Just because the restaurant says Johnny Rockets does not make it the same. You are in an airport. In another country. They can call it beef but it doesn't always taste like beef. Bring on the stomach cramps!

5. Ativan is nice. It makes me a better flyer. Sorry JetRock, you just lost a good paying customer.

6. A lost wallet is never a good thing... especially in Mexico.
6a. All calls from Mexico cost a small fortune per minute. There is no such thing as a 'toll free'
call from Mexico even to major credit card companies. They are considered collect at a rate
of 'you owe us your first born' per minute.

7. Sometime after crossing the border mid-air, my cell phone customer service switched over to Spanish. See #6a above.

8. The water is the most amazing color of blue I have ever seen and I have yet to understand that phenomenon.

9. It doesn't matter what country you are in, a party is a party, a bar is a bar and a club is a club. They are all the same and they are all a good time!

10. Everyone in town is happy to exchange your US currency for pesos. NO ONE wants to exchange it back.

11. Dolphins are amazing! They are gentle and their skin is smooth and they are really, really cute... and strong!

12. I like a good opportunity to barter. It may be time to go car shopping!

13. A massage is a massage is a massage, no matter what soil you are on. A chocolate massage is indeed sweet and relaxing!

14. Weather.com is wrong. The forecast called for rain the entire trip. All we saw was sun and huge fluffy white clouds whipping by in the wind. Maybe they do better reporting inland.

15. Beverages in Mexico are warm, even when cold. Warm beer does not taste good. It requires more lime. Too much lime reaks havoc on your system.
15a. Diet Coke in Mexico is actually called Coke Light. It is NOT the same.

16. Cancun was a great trip! Everyone there was extremely friendly and helpful and I only wish I had more time to experience more of the actual culture and eat at more authentic mexican restaurants!

Loving the Dolphins

What a great day!! We took a boat with 7 other friends from the trip - a booze cruise, if you will, tho we stuck to the non-alcoholic part of the menu. The boat was rocking enough, I didn't need warm beer to make things worse! We had a quick tutorial and were suited with life jackets and into the water we went. Think Jaws, where the water is all caged up. Our Dolphins, Lewis and Nala, were just amazing! We got to pet them and hug them. We kissed them and shook their "hands." The best part was grabbing their fins and they pulled us through the water and my favorite, when we would float on our bellies, arms and legs extended (think Superman). They came from behind and using their noses to our feet, pushed us upright so were were standing but racing across the water - it was incredible! Of course, I would have more to show you had I been allowed to take the $25 water camera I had just purchased (from the store where we checked in for the experience) down to the dock and into the water with me. Sure would have been nice to know that wasn't allowed AS I was buying the thing. Or even before. That must be how they justify charging you an arm and a leg and a few internal organs for pictures and a 10 minute video.

The handshake...

The smootch - true love!

Photographs and Memories

Sadly, we did not get a ton of pictures from our trip to Cancun. I had the camera (thanks Pam!) at the ready but most days were just not right for a photo op for one reason or another. But let's see what we got...

This is the view from our balcony, taken after we arrived. On the left is an even bigger area with 2 restaurants and a bunch of pools. But the dark blue pool below was the pool... it contained the ever-popular pool bar. I'd like a Mojito/Margarita/Frozen Margarita/insert drink here, please. Just charge it to room 518. Oh, and some Nachos and some extra salsa and some....

Byron on Day 1, moments after we got to the pool.

This was our Dolphin Experience day... we waited here for our boat to take us over to another city so we could swim with the dolphins - in the ocean! It was very cool!

I love this picture! A waiter at the Mexican Restaurant we found in town offered to take our picture. I cracked up when he told me to check it and make sure it looked OK. Byron's head is blocking out her cleavage, which would have turned this into an R rated blog.

This could be why I found the above picture so amusing. These were very yummy. Very.

This is what we saw when we passed through airport security (Cancun) and into Duty Free. Nevermind that it looked like Nordstrom in there, but we both found this highly amusing. The woman who yelled at me for taking the picture... not so much.

Fake-n-Bake

I'm starting to think that the money I invested into a few tans so I don't fry like a chicken in a vat of hot oil is really going to pay off. Are you kidding me... it's a shame we aren't flying out NEXT Wednesday.

Tiny Dancers

Yesterday we went to an Italian Dinner with Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop, the Wards, the Puntels, and the Guerras! The kids had a great time running around and dancing, as you see here - even Natalie joined in! There was lots of yummy pasta and desserts. Thanks Mom-Mom & Pop-Pop!

B is for...

... Bra. My (almost) 3 yr old wants a bra. Why, you ask? Somedays the answer is "for my boobies" and otherdays it's "so I can run on the treadmill!" She seems to confuse the purpose of a regular bra with a sports bra. Either way, she wants one. She puts mine on over her clothes and asks me to tie it in the back. Here is another example of why I call her Swiper. So far in packing I have found my jewelry in strange places, my shampoo missing and now this...

And now it's time to go as my kids are upstairs and very quiet. Which would be a good thing if only I hadn't seen them walk by with the glue a few minutes ago.

A Beary Fun Party

Today was Jorja's 3rd Birthday Party at Build-A-Bear and Emma was thrilled for a whole host of reasons... seeing Jorja, a party!, BAB and the list goes on. She has asked about it daily since the invitation came in the mail and in true Emma form, she stepped right up and made herself comfortable, starting with hugs for everyone. The party was a blast and it was so cute to see all the kids make their bears and go through the process, especially since I feel like I know them all through the world of Blogger! Emma choose a pink teddy bear, accessorized her with a cute spring dress and named her Ariel. Tho she doesn't miss a beat... in the car after telling me she wanted to go to Jorja's house, she asked why she didn't get to put Ariel's name into the 'puter. She must remember the registration process which takes me forever but is done for you during parties (horray!). After lots of stuffing and fluffing, we went to the food court to sing Happy Birthday and have yummy cupcakes! Nice work, Party Mom and Party Dad!

Happy 3rd Birthday Jorja Kay... thanks for having us, we had so much fun!


Party girl Jorja with cousin Rylee, holding cousin Lana, and Emma.

Party Dad & Little Bro, Travis


A group shot of the Party People

Happy Birthday Jorja!

The One in Which I Take Drugs

A few weeks ago, I went to my gen. pract. about getting something stronger than OTC's for when my headaches reach the Point of No Return. He graciously offered up some great meds, including a little T3 (codeine). He actually wanted to combine the two but I resisted a bit, seeing as I don't know how the codeine will affect me and I am always with the kids when the headaches seem to strike. Coincidence? I think not. But these aren't the drugs I am referring to right now...

While I was there I mentioned that I was taking a trip soon and that I am a very 'anxious' flyer. I believe I used the words 'white knuckler, needs to be passed out or drunk to get on the plane', etc. I asked him if he could prescribe a little something to "help me relax." He looked at me with confusion and asked 'Isn't going to Cancun relaxing enough?' The desperation in my voice must have been convincing (tho how bad did I look... asking for addictive painkillers and anti-anxiety meds...not one of my better days). As he handed me the script for the Ativan, he suggested I take one as a trial before leaving - just to see how it would affect me. Time's a wastin, so I took one tonight. I don't feel much different. Maybe a little slower but I can bet if you told me you were taking me to the airport right now, I'd still jump out of my skin and cry for my Mommy. The last time I flew was the SuperBowl. I was 7 mo. pregnant with Emma, which means no Happy Hour in the airport before boarding. That was over 3 years ago. Stay tuned for updates...

Off Topic

So this has nothing to do with my kids or my family but I figured, what the heck... surely you must be bored with us by now!

I was in Macy's tonight returning a shirt, when I stumbled upon a tunic that I love love love! When I saw it last week, it was not on sale and a size too big - only one there. When I saw it tonight, it was 40% off, plus I have a coupon for 20% so I figured if I was returning, why not at least entertain the thought? As fate would have it, the credit Gods were on my side and this time it was the only one left and a size too small. No biggie - I happily returned and went on my merry way. When I came home I figured I'd try and spot it online. I didn't, tho I did luck out and find potato leek soup and a chocolate fondue trio, both for a mere $50. Still trying to figure out how I searched under the brand Inc and came up with food. In Macys. But I digress... I did stumble upon this and I wonder... is she wearing stilts? Is her body really this ill-proportioned? Or is it just bad imaging?

And since I put forth the time and effort, I'm also wondering what it is this girl is trying to accomplish...

Thanks for humoring me. For those of you yelling at me via the web, telling me that I have way to much to do to be worried about some freakishly skinny/tall model, I know. I just needed a mind-numbing break from reality for a moment. Carry on!

Baseball is a Spring Sport...

At least it used to be. Last Saturday was Opening Day for our league and at 8:30AM as we gathered for the big parade to the field and Opening Ceremony, it was in the 30's WITH wind. It was more than chilly, it was downright freezing! Ryan wore PJ pants under his uniform and on top he had Under Armour, a sweatshirt, his tball shirt and a winter jacket - and he was still freezing! Ry loved the parade - Fire Engines lead the route from the Elementary school to the field - and had his first game immediately following the ceremony. He did a great job and even tho it doesn't count at this level, got someone out while he played 1st Base. Way to go Bud!

To see the difference a year makes, click here.

Brrrr, Ryan and daddy keeping warm out in the field!