Home Sweet Home

All told, the trip away this weekend was a success. It went so well, I'm thinking about going back again after Thanksgiving. First night went as expected. Got little sleep. N freaked about sleeping in a new place. Day/night two went better than expected. Twins napped and slept well. Everyone had a wonderful Halloween.

The twins went to the beach for the first time yesterday. R love, love, loved it. It's scary. The kid has no fear. N liked it as long as you didn't put her feet in the water. She liked a bit of distance from the water and playing in the sand and with her sand shadow.













































Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the time change?

Someone in the house we were visiting said FUCK the other day. I was hoping Max hadn't heard it. Ah, no such luck. It was repeated back today. Lovely.

Max and I shared a bed flanked with pack in plays on either side.

As glad as I am that we went and as good a time as we had. I"m glad to be sleeping in my own bed tonight with each kid properly tucked into their own beds and bedrooms.

Randoms

Max had teacher in-service one day last week. I had to work, but took some time to run him to McD's for a special lunch, do a puzzle with him, let him play in my office for a bit when I didn't have meetings. When I asked him what he enjoyed most about the day...."playing with my brother and sister".

Life is more than 2 or 3 times busy and stressful, especially in this economy, but I never ever regret having the twins/more kids. I knew to my core that Max and I both needed more. That is confirmed all the time in big and small ways.

"Beep Beep" is R's favorite and clearest word. He is an imp that one. Oh my, rules and boundaries...physical or verbal...are clearly just there to be tested in his mind.

R can mimic almost any word you say to him although he isn't really talking too much and many of his words aren't all that clear unless you know him and the context.

R oozes charm to go with his defiance. He will pitch a fit at the slightest if he thinks it will help him get his way, but equally or more often he will smile and flirt to do so. He has started saying "momma" and when I turn to look at him and make eye contact, make kisses with his mouth. Oh, my...(not to label or anything)...but, this one is trouble.

N is very observant. She sees the stuff that gets R attention or just plain looks fun and copies. Thinks like pitching a fit because her milk isn't there soon enough, pitching her water off the highchair tray for grins...you know...all the things you wouldn't want copied.

N isn't yet walking solo, but she is darn darn close. She's just missing some balance. She'sactually frustrated and wants you to walk with her all around the house so she doesn't have to crawl. She is able to walk a push toy all around the pool in the back (with some help adjusting the toy around the corners since she really only has straight) which is like a race track around here and that her brothers do with free abandonment. She was so proud. Her grin and squeal when she is proud is just amazing.

N isn't yet talking, but her sign language is amazing. She makes noises and is very verbal, just no real words. The therapist say that language is tied to walking, which I didn't know and had never heard, and that it is rare that a child will start talking before they walk. I'm really not worried cause she may be delayed, but when she gets there...she perfects fast.

We got inoculated with the N1H1 on Saturday. LA County was having "clinics" so we went on what was supposed to be on the way back to the pumpkin patch. We never made it to the pumpkin patch. The line was incredible and it took 2.5 hours total. This could have been worse in so many ways. My cousin was in town so she dropped us off to get in line then went to park. Since there was another adult and a 12 year old helper and the "clinic" was at a large park with a big gym...we could take the kids off to play and trade off. Glad it's done. Not looking forward to having to do another round next month for the booster, but my cousin says she'll come back again.

It's really nice having my cousin within such a short drive.

Because I knew about the county vacination clinic I was able to pass it on to a few other people who needed it, which made me happy.

I taught Max a new potty word....defecate...deification. He was thrilled. He says he is going to share it will all this preschool potty word loving friends. I figured I may as well increase the caliber of the words since stopping them altogether just isn't in the cards. Although he tries to be funny, is getting the fact that in public and when there is company are not appropriate.

The picture is from the church/elementary school carnival. Max loved it. R tolerated it (because he had to be in the stroller instead of running wild). N hated it. Pretty much par for the course.

Over the weekend, we took a walk around the block. Max and N rode. R walked. He couldn't believe his good fortune. He was happy, happy kid. He made for the street twice. Not sure how much he really understand sometimes, but think more than I realize. Each time, I told him NO and that if he went to the street he would be put in the stroller for the rest of the walk. Although uncharacteristic of him, he didn't push it. He was not about to give up some of this new found freedom.

We are traveling for the first time next weekend as a family to go my cousins way for Halloween. I'm both looking forward to it and exhausted just thinking about it.

It is going to be a busy week capped off by our first trip instead of a quiet weekend at home. Yikes!

What have I done?

Santa is getting the twins this play kitchen, a shopping cart, and various food and pantry items. The kitchen and cart need assembly. Where, how, and when I am going to do this assembly and where I shall store said assembled items is a mystery. Box of un-assembled kitchen arrived today. Box had big picture of product inside. Max was home due to teacher in service. Thank goodness I saw it before he did and hid it in the garage for now. He IS smart enough that if he sees it now or before the big day around here and then it comes from Santa he will question it. He's only 4 and loves, loves, loves him some Christmas. He likes Halloween because it means Christmas is closer. He likes Thanksgiving because you get to see family, Christmas is even closer and we put up our tree and decorations around then. A few weeks ago when we were outside, he looked at the chimney and asked about Santa's ability to get down it and reminded me that we need to move the gate and toys from in front of the fireplace before Christmas. Tonight, he wanted to read The Night Before Christmas and played with his Christmas Tree Train that his Nanna got him last year that never got put away because come on...it has two of his favorite things. A Christmas Tree. A Train. Other than throwing in a full conversation or song or nothing but "potty words", it doesn't get any better in the eyes of my eldest. Anyway, not quite sure how I am going to pull this off. The pressure is on.

Santa does not yet know what she is going to get Max. She has a few ideas.

Annoying

My nanny annoys me. Some days more than others. Today is a more day. Definitely a more day.

I'm sure I annoy her too.

As tempting as it is to find someone new, I trust her with the kids. They are attached. Plus, someone else would just annoy me as well. In different things ways probably.

I do count the time until the twins are in preschool and I don't need someone.

I wish I was independently wealthy and didn't need to work. I dreamed about being independently wealthy on not needing to work last night.

Scary

Had a big scare today and not of the Halloween variety even though it did happen at the Pumpkin Patch/Fall Harvest Festival and a (relatively local) farm. Let me start by saying everyone is physically fine, but Max and I will have some emotional scars for awhile. Even with 2 sets of helping hands in my cousin and her 13 year old daughter, we lost Max. He was there one second and gone the next. My cousin had the presence of mind to find a worker and they handled the whole situation very well. T, my cousin, says that the one worker got another worker who radioed the front and back and got the word out fast. My recollection is a bit hazy as I was loosing the battle of remaining calm. We were in a play area waiting for my cousin to get a drink and I bent down to get the camera and he was gone. He says he didn't see us and thought we had left him so he went back to where we had just been listening to the music. Then, he got scared and went and told someone his name and that he couldn't find his mom. They in turn got a worker and were headed back with him to we were as they got the word. We were both in tears and shared lots of hugs and kisses for awhile. He was lost probably at least 5 minutes, but no more than 10. If felt like an entire lifetime. There are few times in my life I have been that shaken and I know that was the scariest time in his life.

Milestones and Due Diligence

We hit a pretty big milestone over the weekend. I took all three kids, solo, out to dinner. It went suprisingly well. Granted, the restaurant was only McD's, but Max was quick to point out how well it went, that he had been a very good listener, and wanted to ensure that we could do it again. For good measure, he made sure to let me know the next day how much he enjoyed his dinner the night before. We've had some really low key PJ weekends the last few weeks. Max literally didn't get out of his PJ's, even for the dinner out walk/event. The extra good news about this that it means he and his bed were dry. We go through phases about that, but overall staying dry at night is happening more and more often. Anyway, with everyone just feeling tired and a bit sickly, we just chilled out. My mom didn't even come on Saturday like she normally would since she was feeling sick with a nasty cold/cough. It was nice to just hang out and bond as a family with nothing that really had to get done and no where we really had to go. This weekend, my cousin will be making the drive so we will have company and we are equally looking forward to that.

One of the big things I've been pondering lately is whether to send Max to kindergarten next year or keep him a year. I have not yet made a final decision, but am leaning towards putting him in the early 5's class at his preschool instead. Talking with his teachers this week in parent/teacher conference, that would be their recommendation....if I want to send him to the elementary associated with the church we attend (or haven't attended lately) and the preschool. The main reason would be fine motor skills and lack there of. The secondary and maybe of equal importance has to do with general maturity and the desire to do things his way/ability to listen and follow instructions. It's not that he can't listen and follow directions or do a task in question. It is whether he will choose to at any given moment without question or debate. In a preschool setting, it is no issue or problem. With the high demands of kindergarten and the high standards of the elementary school in question, it may be an issue. Part of the teachers comments makes me sad because it has to do with loosing some of his independence and individuality. An example given is that he likes to wear two different shoes. Another factor is that if I do send him, he will be the youngest and a full year younger than at least some, if not the majority, of his peers. If i don't go/stay private, it would be the wrong decision. If I do, I think it will be the right. So, I need to do my due diligence two fold. I need to go visit the school, again, and talk to the principle and get a better feel for a few big questions I have. And, I need to go visit and talk to a few charter schools in the area to compare. Our local elementary school is not an option. The other thing I really need to do is take a long hard look at finances to see if and how I can commit to this. My common thinking is that it could work because what I pay in nanny fee's should be more or equal to what tuition would be for all three kids. Money has been tight. Really tight. And, I'm thinking about cutting Noemi's hours again cause things are just not adding up on the expense vs. income columns. Things just keep up like the fact that I'm now $500 poorer as of yesterday because the master toilet tank just decided to crack open in grand style flooding my bathroom and room. Yes, the new toilet is nice and all, but the other toilet was fine and mostly did his job.

Why am I up in the middle of the night not sleeping? No good reason. The third time this week actually. I'm tired. I'm still coughing and fighting the end of this lingering cold. But, I'm waking up and just can't get back to sleep. Sucks. Once woke up because of a bad/strange dream. The other times, like tonight, no reason to wake up. Maybe a kid cried out once that woke me, but no other sounds. Just silence. All is as it should be, except it is prime sleep time and I'm awake.

Rain Play

We've had rain the last few days. Not sure how much, but a fair amount for here and this time a year. I've gotten disapproving looks from the nanny, but have let the kids go out and play and get wet and dirty after dinner. My mom was here tonight and she made some comment about not believing, especially since we are on the tail ends...still...of colds, that I'd let them out. I reminded her that colds don't come from being cold and wet, they come from germs. Then, she saw the joy and fun they had. Especially after being inside and sterile all day. Although like when it is too hot or smoky from fires, I have brought in the big climbing slides and swing. And, we brought in a push toy. N is getting good at them and think she will join the ranks of solo walking soon. Anyway, I digress. I often wonder at the disapproving looks and criticism. It is not as if they will melt in the rain. It's not really cold, just wet. N just held her hand up and laughed at the rain. The all loved splashing in the water puddles. N had a wild wet ride on the horse. Max and R and I had some nice games of chase. And, they all loved the warm bath, snuggly PJ's, and milk after the outdoor fun. We get rain so rarely around here, I'm glad that they are getting a chance to feel and experience it. Yes, I know not for everyone, but we've enjoyed it here. Fresh air, outside time, even or especially wet (since it is a bit of a novelty) does the body and heart good, in my not so humble opinion.