ICE CREAM

Last Saturday, Nana and I took the kids to Happy Hollow Zoo for an ice cream social fundraiser. I had forgotten how bad the parking can be there so I ended up dropping the kids off with Nana and then spent another 20 minutes looking for a parking space. The kids were fine in my absence, eating their first of many ice cream cones and Gina got to ride the merry go round.

The ice cream was definitely the highlight of the trip for the kids. I think they had at least four each. We toured the zoo and saw a presentation on some of the animals. Gina and Andrew were quite impressed by the boa and the alligator.

Dylan had fun hanging out in the stroller.

Graduation Day

Friday evening was Gina's graduation ceremony for Preschool III at Whistle Stop. She had been looking forward to it all week, especially since she would be able to wear her new dress.

The photo above shows 10 kids (one other boy refused to be up with the other kids and stayed with his mom) and six of them, including Gina have been at the center since they were infants.

The kids walked into the garden and then sang four songs with the music teacher. It was very cute. Then the director Laeh handed each kid their certificate, with a hand shake.

One of the moms gave a little speech about how much she has appreciated the care that her kids have received at the Whistle Stop over the years. She is another 3 kid mom and Philip is her youngest (She also has an 11yr old girl and another boy in the middle, and she is 50 years old!). She also had some of the girls hand out flowers to the teachers. Gina got to give flowers to Lynne, her favorite teacher.

Afterwards, it was time to have food and cake. Andrew filled up on watermelon, his favorite food, and then had fun making bubbles.

Every so often, Gina mentions that she is going to miss all her preschool friends. They are all going to different schools next year, from Palo Alto to San Jose. Hopefully, she will enjoy the two months that she has left there before the start of kindergarten.

Friday was also the day that the class list for Gina's new school was posted. It turns out that I know the moms of three kids in her class.

Dylan at 7 months

Dylan is now 7 months old. He started solid food slowly, but now eats everything I have given him so far. He is now sitting up pretty well on his own, though he still has a tendency to fall backwards.

He loves sitting up and playing with toys, or just watching big brother and sister play. He is still a very mellow, easy going baby. When he cries, it is because he is hungry or tired, though it isn't always easy to put him down for a nap.

Often in the morning we are off doing something with the big kids so he gets short naps in the car on the way to the park or swim classes, not the 1 to 2 hr that he really needs. But he does sleep well at daycare in the afternoon. He is starting to occasionally sleep though the night, none too soon for me. Sleep is one thing I miss with having a baby, but it won't be that long before he is no longer a baby.

Show Time

On Sunday night Gina finally had her big show for dance class. She was so excited about wearing makeup and wearing a tutu in the show. She had a dress rehersal Sunday morning and then the big show in the evening.

I had planned on taking Andrew to the show as well and he said he wanted to go. Gina had been showing him parts of the dances. But once Denise showed up to take care of Dylan, all Andrew wanted to do was stay and play with Denise.

The show was very cute. The girls looked so tiny up there on stage. When Gina's group came on stage for their Broadway Baby number, all the girls were looking very intently at their teacher giving signs of the different steps they were supposed to do.

In between each Tiny Tots number they had dance numbers by the junior and senior performing groups. They were very good and fun to watch. One of the girls had started out as a Tiny Tot at age 4 and had been dancing with the studio for 14 years.

After the show we collected Gina from the dressing room looking a little shell-shocked. She got flowers from her preschool teacher who had also come which she loved but wouldn't let us take any pictures of her. Once home and after a little pizza she was back to her old self, dancing around the house and smiling.

Future Scrapper?

Gina got a scrapbook kit from Uncle Steve for her birthday. She has been diligently decorating the cover and one page with stickers and drawings but today I finally got some photos that she could use, various photos from her birthday. She spent the morning carefully cutting the photos, gluing them on the page and then adding stickers. I tried to subtly offer suggestions which she mostly ignored. She definitely had her own idea of what she wanted and was very proud of the results. She already raids my scrapbook supplies for her art projects; I guess I'll just have to buy more.

Rancho Hike

Today I decided to take the kids on a hike at Rancho, the hike I used to do twice a week with the kids in the stroller. Now it is two kids in the stroller and one kid walking. Gina was game to walk up the hill but started getting tired half way up. So Andrew took a turn walking up the hill while Gina rode in the stroller. At the top of the hill the kids pointed out an old tree that looked like a dragon.

They liked seeing all the animals at the farm but past the farm they were both very tired and each wanted to ride in the stroller so they were switching every five minutes or so. It took awhile but eventually we made it back to the parking lot.

Later in the evening the kids wanted to go outside and make bubbles. If you look real close at Gina you can also see that her bangs are missing. While I was changing Dylan and Vic was occupied, Gina found some baby fingernail scissors and decided that she really didn't need to have bangs anymore. I walked into the room to see a small pile of hair on the floor. Thank goodness she didn't try to give Andrew a haircut.

Dance Mom

I didn't think I would become an activities chauffeur with a preschooler, changing my schedule to get kids to practice, etc. But I did sign Gina up for dance class with full knowledge that there would be a show at the end of the year, complete with extra practices and photo day; at the time it seemed so far way. So yesterday I left work an hour early to pick up the kids and take Gina to dance practice. Of course I cut the time too close, especially with freeway traffic so we were a full fifteen minutes late. I then forgot that practice ended at 6:30pm and not 6:15pm so we were hanging around the lobby for half an hour (since it ran late) with a very antsy almost 3yr old and baby. Dylan was great, smiling at everyone who came by, but just as Gina finished he had had enough and started crying. So we get to repeat this two more times.

Eat with the Seasons CSA
I love the idea of buying directly from farmers and supporting local farms. A few years ago, I tried Mariquita Farms CSA (Community Sponsored Agriculture). Every week I picked up a box of fresh produce, mostly vegetables and then tried to find the best ways to use them. There wasn't any choice in what we got in the box, so a lot of fennel and kale went to waste. At one point we got some very potent onions which I really liked in the potato salad that I made, but Vic still complains about that dish to this day and mentions "those smelly onions" every time I bring up Mariquita Farms. The one bright point was the strawberries, bright red, juicy and full of flavor. I almost considered signing up again just for the strawberries, but didn't.

Currently I am getting fruit from another CSA, Frog Hollow Farms. This CSA is all fruit, and all year round. In the winter we enjoyed apples, pears, kiwi, avocado and citrus and now with spring, we are getting cherries, apriums (a cross between apricot and plum) and peaches. The kids eat a lot of fruit from the box as we are bringing it home which is great, though it is some times difficult to get them to eat it once we are home. But we are working on that.

While I love all the fruit from Frog Hollow, I also would like to get vegetables in the same way. So now we are trying a new CSA, Eat with the Seasons. One good point of this CSA is that each week I get to choose six items from a list of what is available. So this week we got broccoli, carrots, chard, potatoes, blueberries and strawberries, all things that we eat on a regular basis. The carrots smelled wonderful in the bag, very sweet. Gina snacked on one right when we got home. Most of the blueberries didn't make it home, the kids ate them up as we drove home. The one disappointment was the strawberries, they are organic but not as ripe as I would have expected. So next week we will get two containers of blueberries and I will have to track down my favorite strawberry vendor at the Saratoga farmers market on Saturday.

BBQ fun

On Sunday we went to a local park for a barbeque with friends. Originally, it was supposed to be just us and the Creech family, but then Judy mentioned that she had wanted to do a bigger get together but didn't want to do it alone. I am always game for large gatherings of friends and family so we decided on a joint party. We each invited friends and family, I took care of the location and invites, and Judy took care of the shopping spree at Costco.

It was a beautiful day at the park. The kids had fun playing on the play structures and exploring. Gina went off with Gabriel and his dad for a walk through the "forest". Alice got to spend some more quality time with Dylan.

The guys spent awhile figuring out how to start the BBQ. The one thing we forgot to bring was matches, but luckily someone at the park had a lighter so no one had to make the trek up the hill. As always with potluck type parties, we had a ton of food, especially yummy desserts.

This is a picture of Andrew quite pleased with himself for finding his new hat. The hat had arrived by mail on Thursday and for awhile on Sunday it looked as if it might already be lost. But at some point he ended up with his hat again. Hopefully he will hold on to it for the summer.

Saturday Fun

Saturday Auntie Alice flew up for the weekend to visit. We decided to take the kids to Los Gatos for the afternoon so that the kids could run around in the fountains. Usually Andrew ignores the fountains and instead, pushes his stroller around the grassy area. This time, with no stroller to push, he followed Gina into the fountains and had a great time getting soaked. Gina was excited to try out her new bathing suit.

Dylan had fun hanging out in the shade with Alice and Nana. He is now rolling over and likes to show off his new skill.

We also took advantage of having both Alice and Nana visiting by leaving the three kids at home while Vic and I attended a wedding reception for his boss. I got the "Mama, you look beautiful" from Gina (not that I was very dressed up, but I was wearing makeup and a necklace which impressed her).

What was the question?

Gina: What are those horses eating?
Me: Grass.
Gina: No, what are they eating?
Me: Grass?
Gina: NO, WHAT ARE THEY EATING?
Me: I think they are eating grass.
Gina, now getting very frustrated at my stupidity: No, what are they eating, like dinner?
Me: Lunch
Gina: Oh.

Surfs Up

Yesterday I took the kids to the park for lunch. Gina and Andrew found some old cardboard that had been left. They had a great time surfing down the sandy slopes by the slides. Gina has mentioned that she wants a skate board. I'm hoping to hold out as long as possible for that, though I always have pictured her skateboarding wearing a pink skirt. Let's work on riding that bike first.

Dylan got his first tooth on Saturday. The other kids didn't get theirs until 11 months. Each kid is definitely different. Today Dylan tried winter squash and actually ate some. The previous five days he tried cereal and pureed pear but quick drooled it out or pushed it out with his tongue. He ate some in the morning and then in the afternoon at daycare.

We also had a visit from Boppa today and a bookcase delivery. We are being over run by books and hopefully the new bookcase will help solve this problem.

Gina rides her bike

I finally got around to uploading the little bit of video that I took of Gina riding her bike for the first time. Here it is.

Doctor's Appointments

Today both Gina and Dylan had doctor appointments and Andrew tagged along. Andrew didn't want to be left out and volunteered for a checkup and shots. He followed Gina down the hall for the eye exam and repeated everything she said. Gina sat in my lap for her shots/TB test and cried the whole time.

Gina is still a big girl (95th percentile for weight and height). Dylan on the other hand is falling off the chart in the other direction. He is now 14lb 8oz (5th percentile). But now he gets to try solid food. Here is his first attempt at rice cereal. The cereal went into his mouth but I don't think he actually swallowed any of it.

Mothers Day

Today for Mothers Day I had the bright idea that we should all go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It was a beautiful day and the kids liked the idea of going. We saw the otters, and the penguins and the big fish in the outer bay exhibit. Andrew loves turtles and was quite impressed by the large sea turtle. He also got a little battery powered turtle for the tub which he also took to bed with him.

Yesterday Gina spent some time working on making a potholder from a kit that she received for her birthday. She only needed a little help from me. Of course this is the kind of thing I love to do so it was hard not to help her too much.

Today was also the first time that Gina got to try out her new bike. The store had put training wheels on the bike and Gina was happy to keep them on but from watching her at preschool, I knew she could balance on the bike so we took them off.

With a little push, Gina was off riding her bike. Now she just has to learn how to use the brakes. The preschool bikes don't have brakes so she is used to dragging her feet to stop. She had a few spills but got back on each time.

Party Time

Last Sunday was Gina's birthday party with ALL of her friends. Actually a few had other plans and couldn't come, but there were still a lot of kids from her preschool and las madres. We had it at the park to accommodate the large number of kids that she wanted to invite, complete with jumphouse to keep them all busy. I had forgotten that this park also has a water feature so a number of kids also got very wet and sandy as they turned the water into a sand volcano.

It ended up being a very warm day so the candles for the cake were starting to melt and the frosting on the cupcakes was starting to turn into melted butter. It was also a little windy so only one candle ended up staying lit, but it was better than none.

Uncle Steve made an appearance and I got a cute picture of him holding Dylan.

Once we got home, Gina wanted to open all her presents. The one problem with inviting so many kids is that there are so many presents, each with tiny little parts that get strewn about the house. This may be a big problem when Dylan starts to crawl since he loves to put stuff in his mouth. When Gina and Andrew were crawling, we didn't have any of the "not for children under 3 - small parts" stuff. Andrew had a very hard time understanding that the presents were for Gina and not for him.

Cupcakes for Breakfast

When you turn 5, cupcakes for breakfast seem like a pretty good idea. Actually it was Andrew's idea but Gina was certainly agreeable to it. When Gina got up in the morning of her birthday, she immediately got dressed (49er tshirt and too short leggings, but who am I to complain) and was ready to get her birthday started.

We frosted cupcakes for her preschool class and Gina and Andrew had fun putting sprinkles on top.

For dinner we went to Gina's favorite restaurant, Flames. Gina got a big hello from Roberto the manager and after dinner he took the kids to the case to pick out cake. Gina picked out the pinkest cake they had.

On Friday, Gina got her big present, a big girl bike. The only problem was it was too big. In the toy store, the bikes looked so small. But once Gina stood next to it, the bike looked huge. So she got to sit on it once before exchanging it. Of course, when she went with Vic to pick out a new one, she had to have the extremely bright pink Strawberry Shortcake bike (the one I specifically avoided). Why does everything have to have a character on it? Dora, SpongeBob, Disney princesses...

On Saturday, I finally got around to giving Dylan a bottle of formula. I had been procrastinating for weeks but I thought that maybe after seeing all the other babies at daycare drinking from bottles, he might be more willing to try. After playing around with it for a while he finally started to drink! Yeah!! He finished the two ounces in the bottle before starting to complain.

Pictures

I finally got my camera working again so here are some pictures of the kids playing with the stomp rockets and Dylan with his new bunny bear toy. Two rockets have ended up on the roof already, I guess it won't be long until we have to buy more. One of these days I'm going to have to buy a new camera.






Here are some pictures of Dylan during his first month in daycare. I think it was a little bit of an adjustment at first but he likes seeing the other babies, the teachers and bubble time.









Today was a pretty warm day, a good day to play in the sprinklers. Gina and Andrew got completely soaked.

I WANT MY BINKY!

Tragedy struck this morning. Andrew woke up without his binky (which is not unusual) but when I finally tracked in down, there was a big hole in the end of it. No longer good for sucking. Andrew was beside himself. There are other binkys in the house, somewhere, but of course, nowhere to be found this morning. We will probably find the blue or the orange one weeks from now stuck in some odd corner or drawer. Andrew cried for a good hour about his lost binky which was not helped by being hungry but refusing to eat. Vic got him to eat by offering some Goldfish crackers first and then he was willing to try the now very soggy cereal.

At some point he got the idea that stomp rockets would make everything better. Since the kids had received money for Easter from Boppa, a trip to the toy store didn't sound like a bad idea. So after Dylan's nap, off we went to the toy store to get stomp rockets for Andrew and Critter stuff for Gina. It was the easiest trip to the toy store we have made yet. Once their toys were purchased, they were both very willing to leave.

Andrew would have spent all afternoon outside playing with his new toy. One rocket got stuck high in the trees and another got stuck on the roof. I got some good pictures of both kids playing in the yard as well as Dylan with his new bunny bear, but of course my camera stopped working this evening to download the pictures. Maybe tomorrow...

Easter

Easter took up the whole weekend this year. It started Saturday morning with the Big Bunny Fun Run. I've gone to this event for the last six or seven years though recently I have only done the 1.5 mile walk. This year Noemi announced that she was going to run the 5k. With no else to walk with, I decided to do the 5k as well. Having done very little actual running recently, I didn't even attempt to keep up with Noemi and Sonia. But I did run the first mile while pushing the double jogger. Then it was back to walking for the second mile and a combination run/walk for the final third. It felt good to run again though very hard on my joints. My knees were sore for 2 days.

After the run it was off to the next Easter event at Jean and Luke's house. Gina and Andrew were loading up on sugar the whole time we were there. Then it was time for the easter egg hunt. They had a great time looking for eggs. Each basket was filled in short order. The hard part came when we had to leave. Gina dashed ahead to the car while Andrew lagged behind not wanting to leave. I finally had to carry Andrew under one arm and Dylan with the other. Then of course, Gina said she needed to use the bathroom so it was back to the house with all three.

The Easter Bunny arrived Easter morning. Gina made sure to take all the eggs out of her basket the night before so that the Easter Bunny would be sure to leave something in her basket. The kids were also excited that Gabriel and Julian were coming over for brunch. Once again Gina and Gabriel led the way looking for eggs in the yard.

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.