Back to Work

I've had it pretty easy these past four months. With Vic being out of work, he has been around the house to help out with the kids. In the mornings, we have been taking turns getting up early with the kids and he has been around most days in the mornings and afternoons. I've been taking all three kids out to the park and grocery shopping by myself but usually Vic has been around to help with the kids while I'm preparing dinner.

Last Monday Vic finally went back to work (YEAH!) and I got to do the mom thing all by myself. Overall, things went pretty smoothly. I only had a few manic mommy meltdown moments when Gina and Andrew were bouncing off the walls and Dylan was needing attention.

Today, I am back at work too. It was a little strange dropping all three off at daycare. Both Gina and Andrew were a little shy in their rooms since the kids were still eating lunch. In the infant room, there were several babies crying when I first went in but things were quiet when I left. I remembered all the papers to fill out and where to put all of Dylan's extra clothes, etc. Dylan was a little distracted when I tried to feed him but eventually he seemed satisfied. He looked happy being around all the other babies when I left.

These pictures of the kids are from last weekend. Andrew is reading his favorite book Cat in the Hat to Dylan and Gina is still dressed in her dance clothes from Ballet/Tap class.

Spring

Spring is finally here! In our backyard, the wisteria and the lilac bushes are in bloom. The wisteria always reminds me of my grandmother; she loved seeing the wisteria in bloom. The lilac reminds me of our wedding; my bouquet was a mix of white roses and purple lilac.


Here is a picture of Dylan with his frog. Gina has her lamb and Andrew has his duck, is this Dylan's special friend? We shall see...


Last weekend we visited my dad for a short time. Gina and Andrew had fun playing is the backyard among the tulips and other flowers.

The Joy of Mud

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day and so I decided to water the plants in the backyard. Once the kids heard the water running in the back, they were very excited at the prospect of playing in the water in the backyard. Rather than have them go crazy in the house, I decided to let them go crazy in the backyard. Since the backyard is only dirt, it didn't take long for both kids to be covered in mud. They ran the water in one area and created a small lake. (Unfortunately my camera stopped working, so I didn't get any pictures). Andrew had fun riding the tricycle through the lake.

Once they got cleaned up I did get a cute picture of all three wearing their new clothes that I had bought that day.

Making Dessert

Both Gina and Andrew love to make dessert, almost as much as they like to eat it. On Friday, Gina really wanted to make dessert on her own. She told me she was going to mix flour, sugar, orange juice, eggs and vanilla to make dessert for me and Vic. As much as I'd like to encourage her creativity, I'm not quite ready to let her have free rein in the kitchen. I remember mixing various concoctions in the kitchen when I was 7 or 8; most were inedible but it was fun.

Instead, I convinced Gina to make orange sherbert with my help. It has sugar and orange juice and it is fairly easy to make. She did most of the work with just a little direction from me. She loved juicing all the oranges and then was fascinated by the ice cream machine at the end.

One problem with making anything with Gina is that Andrew wants to help too. Fortunately, we found a box of orange jello in the cabinet so Andrew was quite happy to wait while Gina made her dessert so that he could then make jello. He thoroughly enjoyed stirring the water and ice into the jello. Another chef in the making.

It is always difficult to get the kids to pick up after themselves. However, cleaning is another matter. Gina loves to clean, whether it is washing dishes, wiping counters, or vacuuming. We certainly need to harness this enthusiasm more often.

And here is a cute picture of Gina and Dylan (who didn't get to make dessert).

Gina's Dress up

I finally got around to uploading the picture of Gina dressed up in my big shirt and shoes. Gina loves to dress up in anything she can find, preferably my clothes. Dad's boots are also a favorite. Pictures from preschool are often of her dressed up as a princess and when Denise comes over to babysit, the first thing Gina does is suggest that they play dressup.