The Redlus Family

Holiday Card

2012-01-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Hanukkah

2011-12-28T19:45:00.000-08:00

Homemade "Kaden-safe" gelt

He likes it :-)

Coop displaying the menorah he made in school

A fave gift from Nana and Papa

Lights

Happy Hanukkah 2011

It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Winter

2011-12-21T19:03:00.000-08:00

Picking out our tree

Decorating

Mop 'n Glo glitter ornaments (gotta love Pinterest)

Salt dough ornaments, pre-paint

Making snowflakes using coffee filters and liquid watercolors

Kaden liked using the eyedropper.

Coop preferred a paintbrush.

So pretty when the light comes in the window.

Josh's Birthday

2011-12-14T19:18:00.000-08:00

Josh turned the big 3-7 on December 4th. The morning of his birthday, the boys and I gave him some gifts, including both homemade and store-bought goodies. He is a "connoisseur" of small-batch Bourbon these days, so I got him a bottle of Bakers Bourbon to enjoy. And, since starting his new job at Red Hat, he's been working long hours without many breaks during the day. I put together a collection of healthy snacks like Cliff Bars, almonds, and freeze-dried apple slices (ok, and some chocolates and jelly beans too, just for fun), that he can keep at his desk so that on the long days he doesn't have to go hungry. I also got him a travel mug that looks like a Nikon telephoto lens (and it even zooms!).

Several days prior to Josh's birthday, I sat down with the boys and asked them a series of questions about their Dad, and I framed their answers and that was their gift to him. Funny to see the differences between a 5-year old's answers and an almost-three year old's! The boys also made Josh some cards and pictures.

Later that day we drove out to Chapel Hill (along with my parents) to visit with our friends, the Ragostas, who moved to the area not long ago. We had a great dinner and a little celebration for Josh there. I hope he had a Happy Birthday!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-09T12:32:00.001-08:00

This year the Thanksgiving holiday kicked off with a feast at Cooper's school. My parents accompanied me for a lunchtime performance and meal. Coop got up on stage with his class and didn't sing, and then he sat down with us and didn't eat, but it was cute anyway! He made a little necklace of colored pasta and a placemat that we used at our family's Thanksgiving dinner. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera and didn't get any photos (I know, bad Mama moment).

Later that week I volunteered to help out at the Thanksgiving Feast at Kaden's school. Throughout the morning there were centers set up with crafts and the two Kindergarten classes rotated through the centers. I was assigned to the center where the kids made rainmakers using toilet paper rolls, rice, and felt. The morning was going swimmingly until Kaden walked over to me from another center with big eyes and a hand on his nose. Apparently, in the excitement of making a dream catcher he decided to put a bead up his nose to see what would happen. First time ever. He wasn't able to blow the bead out himself so we had to make a quick exit to the school nurse, who advised us to go to the nearby urgent care. We did so and the P.A. who saw us was awesome. She got the bead out in no time with big (scary) tweezers. Needless to say, Kaden learned his lesson. We then headed back to the school and joined in on the meal (fruit, mini muffins and goldfish--how traditional). Yeesh.

Our big Thanksgiving dinner was actually an intimate affair--even smaller than usual because my brother had to stay up in NYC to work (sniff). My mom prepared a wonderful meal at her house consisting of turkey, corn pudding, cranberry sauce, broccoli stuffing puffs, sweet potato casserole, carrots, and warm rolls. I made baked macaroni and cheese for Josh as this was one of his family's traditional foods at Thanksgiving, and I also baked a carrot cake to celebrate my mom's birthday, which is on November 26th. My mom was actually born on Thanksgiving, and I told her in her card that it is so appropriate because she is heaven-sent in so many ways and I am SO grateful for her as a mother and as a friend.

Nota Bene: the wrong balance of baking soda in carrot cake will turn carrots green so be careful! OMG, just pulled high school Latin out of my A**. :-)

We had a very nice meal (well, to be more accurate, the adults had a nice meal; the boys ate mostly ice cream and cake). We all missed Noah a lot that day, but we will get to see him at the end of December so I am jazzed about that! Unfortunately, I neglected to get photos of the pretty table all set for dinner but I did get a few family shots. Happy Thanksgiving!

Kaden's headdress read, "Strong Cheetah"

Kaden's class (he is smack dab in the center)

Our thankful tree (yes, it's totally wonky and crooked!)

My mom's birthday cake

The family on Thanksgiving

The boys with their Nana and Papa

Food Allergy Walk 2011

2011-11-30T19:12:00.001-08:00

The third annual Food Allergy Walk took place in Cary, NC on November 5th. The four of us walked with my parents (bummed I don't have a photo with my Dad in it), and we lucked out with another day of absolutely gorgeous weather. This year the site changed and we walked around a lake just down the road from where the boys were born and near to where Josh worked in a previous job. While there, I recognized some faces from previous years and was happy to see Kaden's allergist, who had a table in the vendor section with literature on asthma/allergy. A huge THANK YOU to all my friends and family who supported us through donations to FAAN. It is such an important cause to us and your support is so appreciated!

Mom insisted I take this photo of her with a (much younger) Fire Fighter. Gotta love her!

Halloween 2011

2011-11-30T17:55:00.001-08:00

Just before Halloween, the four of us took a walk around our neighborhood one evening looking at the decorations on houses. We did the same thing before Christmas last year and the boys LOVED it both times, so I am thinking we will make this our family tradition from now on. They had such fun comparing the houses decorated primarily in Fall/Harvest themes with the houses that went all out with the gore, ghosts, and goblins!

This year Kaden was Captain Rex from Star Wars and Cooper wore a Lightning McQueen costume. Cooper has never minded wearing costumes, but this is the first time in five years that Kaden was willing and excited to wear a real costume rather than jammies that can double as a costume. We gathered with our group of friends to go trick-or-treating, as has been our tradition for the past several years. Unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate and we ended up trick-or-treating in the rain. While the parents grumbled as we walked in the cold rain holding umbrellas, the kids didn't seem to even notice the rain and happily ran up to doors to get candy. Both boys were holding umbrellas and Coop came close to taking out one of my girlfriends and a couple of other kids as he came down off of people's porches. All in all, it was a fun evening, even if it was cut short by the inclement weather. The boys are already talking about what they want to be for next Halloween!

The Chaperone

2011-11-09T18:25:00.000-08:00

Just before Halloween, I chaperoned Kaden's first Kindergarten trip to the pumpkin patch. I was quite excited to be going, but I don't think I really knew what I was in for! Kaden took the school bus with his class and I met them at the farm. All the parent volunteers were assigned a group of kids for whom they would be responsible for the duration of our time on the farm. I had Kaden and two of his friends (both boys). I started off in control--made them hold hands as we walked around the farm and everything. Then they somehow convinced me to do the corn maze. Despite the number of times I yelled at them, "WALKING FEET!", they kept running ahead and trying to veer off the path into the corn. I lost sight of them a couple of times and then one of the little boys (who was super cute) pretended that we were lost and started melodramatically yelling, "Oh no! We're lost! We're gonna die in here!" And, to add insult to injury, it was really warm so I sweating as I chased them down and they were whining about how they were "sooo thirsty." Yeesh, little boys are really something! Kaden was happy that I was there, though, and it was fun to see the interactions of all the kids in his class. I will think twice before volunteering next time, but I know I will probably end up going on every one of his class trips!

Fall Arts and Crafts

2011-10-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

I think that Fall is most certainly my favorite season in North Carolina. The weather is gorgeous for a decent stretch of time, the pear trees lining the main road through our neighborhood turn the most beautiful shades of orange and red, and everywhere you look mums and pansies are in full bloom. I love it! We have been pretty busy this season with various Fall arts and crafts. The boys enjoy being creative (Coop LOVES to paint, especially), and for me it is a welcome break from playing with cars and Legos every day! Here are some photos of our recent projects.

I made a yarn covered wreath with felt flowers for our front door.

Kaden and Cooper made pumpkin puzzles using popsicle sticks

Had to throw in a little LEGO action--Kaden helped Coop make this structure

Decorating pumpkins

I had seen the gold address pumpkin in a magazine and loved it so I made one for us (and the little folk-arty black one next to it).

Coop and I took a walk one day and he collected leaves. We pressed them and put them on the window with some contact paper. They are really pretty when the sunlight comes through in the afternoon.

The boys made a Halloween bunting

Painting in the "studio"

Coop and I did some rubbings (yarn, keys, paperclip, and a quarter). I need to find pre-peeled crayons if we do this again!

What my sweet Coop collected for me on a walk with his Nana today :-)

Process of a Project

2011-09-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Home

2011-09-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

First Work

2011-09-06T19:59:00.000-07:00

Kaden wrote his first story this past month. We had been reading books in the Captain Underpants series over the summer, and he decided he wanted to add his own spin. He dictated while I put pen to paper. This is the outcome of our collaboration. :-D

******************************************************************

Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Evil Rolling Pins

By Kaden Jack Redlus

August 2011

It was a good day in Captain Underpants’ world. The cookers were using their rolling pins to make a nice, yummy pizza. Then the rolling pins turned evil and then they started rolling people’s feet. The rolling pins let their whole army out. It is very big. The army started chasing everybody in the whole world. Then Harold snapped his fingers and Mr. Krupp turned into Captain Underpants. Then the rolling pins started to go get Captain Underpants. Captain Underpants was too fast and made them too tired, but then they let their army out, and more and more and more. Then Captain Underpants started shooting stinky underwear at them because he found some that didn’t get washed. Captain Underpants started throwing pizza. The rolling pins started to make some nice really hot pizza and the topping was really slimy stuff. They started to get more of the army out and make more slimy pizza stuff and put it on pizza dough that was not cooked at all. The rolling pins all went away and everything was normal. And the rolling pins turned back into good rolling pins and they didn’t have any mouths or ears or anything.

The End

Friday Fotos

2011-09-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to leave for school

Making silly faces in the carpool line

Coop getting settled on his first day of school

Dessert!

Kaden turns Five

2011-08-29T18:30:00.001-07:00

Kaden turned the big five on August 23rd. To mark the occasion, Coop and I brought Oreos to his classroom, where his classmates sang Happy Birthday and had a small celebration for him. In the evening we had a small family party at home that included eating rice krispy treats (his request) and opening a few gifts.

A few days later we had his bigger birthday party at a local gym (same place that Coop had his 2nd birthday-also at K's request). I have never seen Kaden dive headfirst into anything as fast as he ran into that gym! Not surprising considering he has been talking about his birthday since the end of Coop's last party (literally). The kids seemed to have a great time running, sliding, swinging, diving, and jumping. What's not to love? It was a huge open room filled with tons of equipment and no limits! We had pizza and cake and then returned home to open a few more gifts and call it a night.

One of my personal favorite parts of Kaden's whole birthday week was when, a day or two before his actual birthday, I took the boys out to a local ice cream shop and Kaden got his first ice cream cone ever (we had only bought pints of Haagen Dazs from the grocery store up to that point due to his allergy). We went at a slow time and I spoke with the lady working there, who told me they had a newly made batch of vanilla she could scoop with a clean spoon. Well, if I said Kaden was in heaven eating that ice cream it would be an understatement. The significance of the moment was clear when he turned to me and said in the most sincere voice possible, "Mama, this is the most special birthday treat ever. " The best part was that I hadn't tied the outing to his birthday at all. He just turned it into one of his presents so I went with it. :-)

As with past birthdays, right around the time of his birth (11:04pm) on the 23rd I went into his room and planted a kiss on his head. I remembered back to that day five years ago and all of the amazing anticipation in the air. I remembered the moment of hearing him cry for the first time and being so completely overcome with emotion and awe that it was MY baby crying. For me, it hadn't been just 9 1/2 months of waiting. It had been my whole life. To this day, that is the single most amazing feeling I have ever had. I tell him that story once in a while and it makes him smile. Then he runs off to play with his LEGOs. As it should be :-) I love you, my beautiful five-year old boy.

Birthday boy ready for school
Gifts
School celebration
Happily opening gifts
Yes!
Testing out his new bike!
My Tarzan Boy
Kaden's very homemade Star Wars LEGO cake

Goofing around while waiting for cake

Kaden and his friend, Matthew

Blowing out candles....a team effort.... :-)

Cooper enjoying the festivities

LEGO candles...they actually stacked together!

Friday Fotos

2011-08-19T17:05:00.000-07:00

Several blogger moms whom I follow have a tradition of posting photos on one particular day of the week without (much) description or accompanying narrative. I am going to attempt to do this as a way to post some additional photos I like that don't necessarily need a whole lot of explanation, and also as a way to quickly update the blog for relatives when I am tired or running short on time! I will also be enlarging the size of the photos in the blog for easier viewing. S0, while I have a brief description here today, from now on my Friday posts will be more or less just Friday Fotos and I will save my ramblings for a different day!

Coop's painting (I see a woman facing a man who is wearing a top hat...what do you see?!)

Crazy hair day at Kindergarten

(ironically, his hair used to be crazier on its own when it was long)

Purple day (to go along with the reading of various Harold and the Purple Crayon stories. I had to dye a shirt the night before and the only white shirts he had are from the allergy walks. As you can see, he was not thrilled to be wearing a"girly" color).

K goes to K!

2011-08-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

This past Thursday Kaden took a step out of the world of innocence in which he has dwelled for the past 4 3/4 years to enter the BBWK (Big Bad World of Kindergarten). Melodramatic? Maybe. But that's at least partly how I feel. Don't get me wrong. I am very excited for him and full of hope that this year will be very positive. It's just a big transition for us since his preschool was so small that everyone pretty much knew everyone else and it was like a big family. Probably the thing that makes me most nervous about the whole thing is Kaden's allergy. I just want to make sure I do everything possible to ensure that he is safe at school each day. I have already spoken with his teacher and have a meeting scheduled with the school nurse for Tuesday. I think that Kaden also now has to start taking on a bigger role in communicating with people about his allergy (taking the initiative to tell people that he is allergic to peanuts, asking if food is safe for him rather than healthy for him). From Kaden's perspective, allergy aside, I think he is excited about school albeit somewhat nervous. Thursday was a staggered entry day, in which Kaden went in for a full day with just a small group of other Kindergarteners so that the teachers could do some assessments and not overwhelm the kids. Josh and I walked him to his room and when it was time to say goodbye, he did give me a lingering hug but then ran off to the block center pretty happily.

The following day we went back for just an hour for the parents to complete some paperwork and for the kids to once again see their teachers and some classmates before the first official week of school. The class has a pet chinchilla named Chico, and all the kids huddled around Chico's crate squealing and giggling...poor Chico, I wish him luck! For me, it's too soon to really gauge Kaden's teacher's personality, and while anyone would be hard pressed to compare with Ms. Alana, I do hope that Kaden grows to really like his Kindergarten teacher. I can only remember really disliking one teacher growing up, and that is because she was just looney and would slam down yard sticks in front of kids who were talking or not doing what was expected. For a little old Jewish lady, she was a lot like a nun. Anyhow, my point is that even if this teacher didn't have the most magnetic personality or bedside manner, hopefully Kaden would still learn and thrive, make new friends, and have a lot of fun. And hopefully she's great so that my point is moo (you know, it's like a cow's opinion...it just doesn't matter...it's MOO :-)

My boy on his first day of school

Trip to New York 2011

2011-08-03T18:00:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday we returned from our annual trek up North. In years past we stayed for a week to a week and a half, but for some reason, this year I decided that we would stretch our visit to 2 weeks to ensure I/we did not feel rushed or miss out on some good family/friend visiting time. Nice in theory but a bit more difficult in execution, partly because of the unexpected temps that reached into the upper 90s the entire first week we were there (and partly because of my tendency to stress easily and then totally freak-out on everyone around me--fun!). Josh was up there with us for the first week and together we were able to find some fun indoor activities to keep the boys occupied and happy. One day Josh took Kaden into Manhattan to Toys R Us, the LEGO store, and lunch, and on a couple of other days we all visited the NY Transit Museum and the Brooklyn Children's Museum together. After Josh returned to North Carolina for work, my parents helped me out tremendously with the boys.

A personal aside: Mom and Dad, thank you SO much for allowing two wild boys and a somewhat emotionally unstable daughter to take over your home for such a long time! I know it wasn't easy and I love you!

During the week sans Josh, one day my mom and I took the boys to an indoor playground in Williamsburg. It was basically one large room with a 2-story climbing structure and rock wall. In the time we were there, we heard several languages being spoken (Hebrew, Italian, Russian) and saw kids from so many different backgrounds playing together. Such a cool Melting Pot! Another day we took the boys to see Winnie the Pooh in the theater, and we did manage to get to the playground a couple of times despite the heat. We went early and the playground had sprinklers, both of which helped a lot.

As nice as it is to do fun things with the kids, one of my other personal favorite parts of going up to NY is seeing friends and family. I got to see my bro and take a stroll with him one night, which was really nice and relaxing. I am on a mission to convince him to move down here since I miss him so much. Not having much success yet but I am strong-willed! We also all got to see our cousin Molly, who just turned 1 at the end of June. The last time I saw her was when she was 3 weeks old so I was ACHING to get my hands on her. She is beautiful, adorable, fun! We also got to have a nice long visit with her parents, my Cousins Rachel and Hylan, and my aunt and uncle as well. Coop had fun playing chase with Molly and it was the cutest thing to watch. Made me sad that we don't live closer because they could play together all the time, but I guess I shouldn't dwell on that (mission two: get Rach, Hylan, Molly, Mona and Steve to move down here!).

Another special part of the trip for me was reconnecting with my childhood friend, Jessica. She "found me" on Facebook last year after I'd searched for her for a while (different last name made it hard!). She and her husband actually made a trip down to Raleigh to check out the area and visit us last year which was quite wild and surreal after so many years. This time around we met for brunch in Brooklyn and got to chat and catch up. It was great to see her.

Kaden and I also got to see my other childhood friend, Danielle, and her husband, Edgar, and daughter, Madeline, when they invited us over one night for dinner. We had a great time and Kaden was in heaven as Madeline is Star Wars crazy and had more paraphernalia than he does! He watched his first Star Wars movie that night (not the one he and Josh are slated to watch together, though, so it was okay!). We also got a chance to visit with our friends, Jana and Anthony, and their son, Ethan out on Long Island.

All in all, it was a good trip and I definitely did not feel rushed. Nevertheless, next time I think we will shorten the trip back down to a week for everyone's sake and my sanity! I apologize that this post is a bit lengthy and photo-heavy, but I had a hard time choosing and cutting down!

Kaden and Ethan on Long Island

Eliza and Jana

Kaden in an old ticket booth at the Transit Museum

Fare: One Kaden, please

Kaden playing LEGOS with family friends, Anne and Marc

Riding a Vespa at the B'klyn Children's Museum

Meeting a Bearded Dragon

Coop and Kaden using basic shapes to make animals

The boys

Early morning sandbox play

I see you!

Coop kissing Molly's pulkies!

Molly Rose

Dad, Rachel, and Hylan

Kaden at a playground on Long Island

The Boys

Cousins

New Camera!

2011-07-13T17:21:00.001-07:00

I am now the proud owner of my very own Digital SLR! Josh bought me one since I have been complaining of the limitations of my point and shoot and oh so envious of his camera for a while now. Despite my three years of photography classes during junior high, I really need to relearn my stuff (ISO and Apertures, etc. etc.) I have been playing around with it a bit and love it...so happy to have it... :-)

Dinner with the Sitter

2011-07-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

The other night Josh and I went out for our anniversary and my friend, Celeste, watched the boys for us. When we got home later that night, we were chatting and Celeste said to me, "Um, Eliza? How much does Kaden usually eat for dinner?" She looked worried and I wasn't quite sure what she was going to tell me. Turns out, she had lost count of the number of stuffed shells he'd eaten after his 3rd or 4th helping. She said she cut him off at that point even though he said he was still hungry. She thought he may have eaten 6 or 7 shells (in addition to a yogurt drink) and apologized in case he got sick during the night. Cooper, on the other hand, she had to ply with blueberries, and she was lucky to get one shell into him. We laughed about it. In the morning, Coop woke up starving as usual but still wouldn't eat a normal breakfast. Kaden woke up just fine. I texted Celeste to tell her no harm, no foul about Kaden. Her response, "Oh Phew. Good luck feeding him as a teenager." Yep, that about sums up life with our boys these days :-D

Decision Made...

2011-06-29T21:23:00.000-07:00

In the past couple of weeks, we decided after much deliberation (on my part) where to send Kaden for elementary school. I know that among my group of friends, we have approached this decision in different ways, some of us agonizing over it a bit more than others. It is in my nature to want to talk things over a lot (much to Josh's chagrin), but that's just me and I feel that in general I have made some pretty good decisions (or at least ones I can peacefully live with knowing I weighed all options as best and thoroughly as I could). In the end, I am content with the decision and feel that it is the best option given all of the factors that we had to consider (testing results, stability of administration and staff, distance from home, bell schedule, availabilty of foreign language in curriculum). Ultimately, I think much depends on the teacher, and there is never a guarantee about that. In my 5 years of elementary, only two teachers really stood out as remarkably special people to me. The rest were fine and I managed through well because I had supportive, involved parents and an inner drive to do well in school. I was told by Kaden's preschool teacher, Alana, that I would need to stay on top of things because he tends to be quiet and cooperative in class and could, therefore, fall through the cracks if left to his own defenses. I hope that if I, too, am involved and interested in his schooling, he will do fine as well. More than fine is what I really hope for but you get the idea! I have more inclination to make myself a presence because of his allergy, so I have a feeling the teachers will know me well. At least for now we can start to get him excited about where he is going and what he can look forward to. We already have the First Day of Kindergarten book ready to go (Love books for helping with transitions! Just a great jumping off point for discussions), and I plan to take him to the school's playground to play in the coming week. My goal is to get him to the point where on the first day of school he is so excited he runs in to the building without looking back (while I sit in the car and bawl my eyes out). :-)

The Graduate

2011-06-12T16:52:00.001-07:00

I have much to post from the past couple of months, but I will begin with the most recent excitement in our lives--Kaden's graduation from preschool. It's hard to for me to sum up what this past year has been like. He has grown so much, physically, emotionally, and socially, and I attribute it in large part to his wonderful, firm but loving teacher, Alana. She was exactly what he needed this year--someone to push him to test his limits and do the things that intimidate him, someone to make him try things just once, someone to boost his confidence and show him all the special talents he has. This was especially important as he was the youngest in his class and likely always will be. Over the course of this year he learned to write his full name and his numbers 1-20 (though he once made me dictate the numbers up to 90 while he wrote them-that was fun) , recite his address and my phone number, read the beginner BOB books, build amazing structures with his LEGOS, try new foods at least once, make great new friends, and finally be able to sit cooperatively in a restaurant! His graduation from preschool is a celebration of all of these things, but at the same time it marks the end of a very special, innocent time in his life and for this reason it is bittersweet to me. He said to me today while he was in his bath, "Mama, I am a little sad that school is over", and I completely understand what he means. That being said, he is excited about going to camp this summer and has talked about Kindergarten in a more positive light recently (versus 3 months ago, when his response was "I am NOT going to Kindergarten" anytime it was brought up).

The graduation ceremony was so sweet. The two 4-year old classes walked down in a procession with homemade caps on their heads to the song What a Wonderful World. The kids sang a couple of songs, the teachers gave little speeches, and then the kids each were called up one by one to get their diplomas. I was fully prepared to be bawling and had my tissues in hand, but I was able to hold it together pretty well (mostly because we had a seat right up front and I didn't want Kaden to be either upset or wholly embarrassed by his mess of a mama). I actually had a harder time that morning when I dropped him off at school for the last official day. I watched him walk away from me, and when he was midway down the hall he stopped and turned around for a sec and smiled at me and I just about lost it thinking that it was his last day there. My only comfort has been knowing I will be back in just a couple of months with Cooper and that Kaden will still be able to visit. I think that brings him comfort too. Here are some photos from the day...

Walking in during the procession

Getting his diploma

His cap, signed by all of his classmates

Boys being silly

Me and my boy

Graduation cupcakes

Ms. Alana and Kaden

Beach Day 2011

2011-05-30T18:16:00.000-07:00

We did our annual day trip to the beach Memorial Day weekend. It was hot but beautiful and we had a wonderful time! I am still in awe over how at-home Kaden appears to be on the beach-he loves the ocean and spent practically the entire time we were there in the water. At one point he and Josh were sitting in the water waiting for the waves to come and he was in heaven. Cooper liked it too, though he got a bit more battered by the waves than Kaden--luckily, he's tough and just kept getting back up and going in for more. I joked with Josh that we should give Kaden swimming lessons at the beach rather than at a pool. We have plans to go to the beach on Long Island next month when we go up to NY since I HAVE to get Kaden back to the beach this summer. Here are some photos...

Touch a Truck

2011-04-19T20:28:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we took a trip out to Chapel Hill for a local Touch a Truck event, where there were a number of vehicles for the kids to see, touch, and sit in. I thought the vehicles on display would be fairly limited so was surprised to find a huge mall parking lot full of almost every kind of vehicle I could imagine. There was an army tank, a cement mixer, a city bus, police cars, a big rig, a flat bed tow truck, a dump truck, a limousine, ambulances, a fire truck, two helicopters, and a shiny red Ferrari. The boys had a blast exploring all the vehicles. One of the coolest parts was when we were walking back to the helicopter section and they stopped us maybe 150-200 feet away because one of the helicopters had to leave (we are assuming to head back to the hospital as it was an emergency transport copter). We got to see the take-off and experience the full wind-in-the-face sensation. I think Kaden's favorite vehicle of the day was the limo. Cooper really wanted to sit in the Ferrari, but by the time we got over to it the owner had locked it up and Coop was NOT happy (as evidenced by photo below). All in all, it was a fun day and I definitely think we will do it again next year.

Reading is Fundamental

2011-04-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

When Kaden was little, I took him a couple of times per month to the library for the infant storytimes. He always liked it but never loved it and would only really bear it because it was in a big room where he could move around a lot. Well, the last time I took him to one of these storytimes (and to the library period) was when he was probably around 15 months old. On this occasion, rather than listen to the story and songs being performed, he ran away from me and attempted to pull down the window blinds in the room. Since that time, we have chosen to get our fill of books by going to the bookstore instead on a weekly basis. I have felt guilty for years that NO. 1, we have not been supporting our local libraries and the wonderful programs they offer, and NO. 2, that we have spent so much $$ on books when we could have been checking them out and teaching Kaden some important concepts and lessons early on. So, I started planting a seed with Kaden over the past month about going to the library to get his own card so that he could check out books on topics of interest to him. One day he asked me if we could go together so he could check out some Lego books, so that following Sunday we took a little outing together. He wanted to complete the application himself and hand it to the library assistant. He wrote his name on his card and very excitedly checked out 4 Lego books that day. He keeps his card in the toy cash register in his room (cute!) and is excited to go return the books and check out more. And I am THRILLED to have introduced him to something that I grew up loving (better late than never).

Lessons

2011-03-30T20:07:00.000-07:00

In the chaos of everyday life, I often don't take the time to STOP and practice my active listening skills, which is both unfortunate and ironic for a trained counselor. Today I got a much needed wake-up call from Kaden, who is so sweet and good-hearted that it makes me want to cry just thinking about it. This afternoon the boys and I were home, I in the kitchen making rice krispy treats and the boys in the living room playing. At some point I heard a thud and then Cooper crying. I walked toward the living room where I saw Kaden running away from Cooper. Did I stop to ask Kaden what had happened? No. Did I make the assumption that Kaden did something he shouldn't have, resulting in Cooper being hurt? Yes. Did I proceed to yell at Kaden about bad choices and demand he apologize? Yes. Kaden started crying and tried to tell me that he pulled Cooper down from the piece of furniture on which the TV sits and Cooper accidentally got hurt. I interrupted Kaden to lecture about it not being an accident if you do something like pull or kick or hit or bite. Kaden's shoulders slumped and through his tears he stated, "Mama, you never LISTEN to me." That stopped me in my tracks. Talk about a knife in the heart. I told him that I wanted to listen and asked him to sit with me and tell me what had happened. He said that Cooper had climbed up on the furniture, which they both know is not ok, and Kaden was trying to help Cooper down before I saw so Cooper wouldn't get in trouble, but Cooper fell by accident. Now, granted, this could all be BS, but he said it with such sincerity that I believed him (maybe because I want to believe that they will one day become a little team). I apologized to him for not listening and promised that I would try to listen better from now on and not assume. And he said ok. Sometimes all it takes is an innocent 4 1/2 year old to bring to light your own bad choices.

School Pictures

2011-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Each year a photography company comes into the boys' preschool and takes individual and class photos. I've never ordered any individual pictures in the past because Kaden always either refused to smile or looked like he had just rolled out of bed thanks to uncontrollable hair. This year the photography company offered to do sibling photos so I decided to have the boys' photos taken together to see what would happen. I was pretty happy with the outcome and here is my favorite shot of the boys.

Consternation is my name, confusion is my game

2011-03-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

The latest topic of conversation at our home (a.k.a. reason to pull my hair out) is which elementary school Kaden will go to in the Fall. Back when I was 4/5 years old, it seemed like a fairly easy process. There was a neighborhood school that was considered to be the best, and all my friends were going there, and that's where I went. End of story. Perhaps it seemed simpler to me than to my parents, but what we are going through right now seems downright ridiculous. We have a base school which follows a traditional school calendar. Then we have a base option for a year-round school, but we must apply to this school and be accepted. Then, there are the various magnet school options, which require the same application as the year-round option and are supposedly assigned via lottery. When applying to a magnet school, you aren't applying directly to the school but to the specialized program offered at that school (i.e. Museums, International Baccalaureate, Academically Gifted, etc.). Some programs have only one school in the county (i.e. Museums) while other programs have multiple schools (Academically Gifted). The lottery for the magnets is apparently weighted, where the computer will draw names of children from certain areas of the county before others. Um, isn't a lottery, by definition, random? How is this random? Then there are the charter schools, which are separate and apart from Wake County schools and which are also determined by lottery, so there is no guarantee of acceptance to any of them. All of these choices have left me feeling overwhelmed and frustrated at such a complicated system laced in secrecy. Sure, we could skip over all of this and just let Kaden go to his base school, at which he is already registered. However, the school is in a depressed area and lacks stability in its administration. Two thumbs down! So, we must now make decisions. Maybe it's because he is my first child, or maybe it's just the way I'd approach this with any child, but I am putting a lot of weight on this choice because it will be Kaden's first exposure to formalized school and I want it to be positive for him. It's also because he is the kid he is that I want a certain environment for him. And I want his love of learning to continue and blossom. In one short month, all of this will be resolved (hopefully), but for right now, all I have to say is AHHHHHH!!!!!

Props

2011-02-22T20:54:00.001-08:00

As you have probably noticed, I decided to redesign the blog a bit after coming across a very cool photo editing website called Picnik.com. I have only just started to explore it but am already super excited to play around with it some more. The photo that I chose for my blog header was actually taken by Josh and I am in love with it. I matted and framed it and have it hanging in our kitchen. Josh has had an interest in photography for a while now and in the past couple of years has really committed more to learning the craft and teaching himself. I personally think he has a strong eye and is very talented at being able to figure out what might make for an interesting image, composing it well, and processing it in a way that brings it to life. Not to mention that he takes some awesome photos of the boys that I would love to plaster all over the house! The fact that he is completely self-taught is amazing to me since it requires a level of discipline that I don't think I possess. If you are interested in checking out his "portfolio", here is a link to his site. Enjoy!

Coop's Second Haircut

2011-02-22T20:44:00.000-08:00

It was definitely time...Josh had started drawing similarities between Coop and James Traficant. Plus, tomorrow is picture day at school so I figured I might as well do it before the photos. Coop is an amazing little haircutee (?)...he sat patiently and completely still the whole time except for the occasional glance up at the mirror to make sneaky/squinty eyes at himself (which made me and the hairdresser get on a good giggle). Love that kid...

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-16T07:59:00.001-08:00

This Valentine's Day was very nice. Kaden and I made and decorated shortbread cookies for his class, and he patiently sat and wrote out 12 Valentine cards for each of his classmates and one for his teacher. I decided to make Josh a cookie recipe he'd been asking about for a while--Oatmeal Toffee White Chocolate cookies. They were pretty yummy...how could those ingredients not be?!

And Josh gave me a gift card to my favorite spa. It was really nice that he recognized that the one thing I really, really crave is some down time (a.k.a. alone time!). That time is hard to come by with two little ones and work, so I really appreciate the gesture on his part. Will it be a massage? A pedi? Some kind of facial? Or maybe all of them?! Who knows? The possibilities are endless and so much fun to think about! One of the other highlights of the day was when Kaden came home with a flower he made at school on which he wrote who he loves and what he loves about them. So sweet!

January/February Update

2011-02-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Three of us are currently battling whatever yuckiness is floating around out there, and I am hoping that we all recover quickly and put sicknesses behind us for the Spring season.

January was exciting as Cooper started preschool two mornings a week! I was a little concerned that he was entering an already-established class, but it actually worked to his benefit because there was no first-day-of-school drama where all the kids are crying and the poor teachers have to juggle so many upset children. He seems to have adjusted quickly and likes being there and playing with his new friends. Monday was the first day that he didn't try to follow me out wimpering--he dove right into playing, which was great to see.

February has been nice in that it has given us a glimpse of the warmer weather to come, and we have actually made it to playground in the afternoons after a VERY long winter of being mostly indoors. We have also made trips to Marbles Kids Museum and the Museum of Life and Science. The upcoming months have some fun things planned. Josh and I are taking Kaden to his first hockey game at the beginning of March, and in April Josh is taking both boys to a Monster Truck show. In May we will be seeing the Imagination Movers live on tour (I think I am more excited about that than the boys will be :-)

Here's to a beautiful Spring--can't wait for sandals and no jackets!!!

Coop's first day of school

Cooper's 2nd Birthday

2011-01-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

We had two parties for Cooper this year, a small family celebration at home on his actual birthday and then a big party at a local gymnastics place a few days later that he shared with his friends, Tyler and Claire.

Our friend, Courtnay, whom Josh and I met before the boys were born, started a cake decorating business last year and she was kind enough to make Coop's birthday cake for the family. The cake was a blue Mini Cooper car driving along a road--it was adorable and we all loved it! It was also pretty tasty. Kaden asked for seconds and thirds and fourths.

At the big party, the kids got to jump on trampolines, swing and and hang from bars, run obstacle courses, bounce in inflatables, and go down huge slides. We had the whole place to ourselves so there was plenty of room to play, and the kids seemed to have a fantastic time. Cooper did not hesitate to get right in on the action and spent most of the time running after Kaden and Kaden's friend, Matthew, wanting to do exactly what the big boys were doing. When it came time to sing Happy Birthday to the three babies, Cooper beamed ear to ear and started trying to blow out the candles before the song was done. Tyler's mom, Celeste, made the fabulous cake for the kids, including hand designing figurines for each baby out of sugar paste. Coop's was Lightning McQueen! Cooper enjoyed a few bites of cake and then was content. Kaden, on the other hand, INHALED his piece of cake as well as the sugar cookie that Claire's mom, Kellie, made for the kids. Then he was super high on sugar for the next 30 minutes and was totally obnoxious. :-) Then we went home!

Cooper got a new garage for his birthday that he has been playing with every day with Kaden and I also ordered a second shopping cart, since the boys love to take turns racing around the house with the one they have. We figured it would be cute for them each to have one and then they could play dueling carts (really, we are gluttons for punishment because it is SO loud when they play like this). Unfortunately, the cart arrived missing a wheel so I had to call Little Tikes this week to get a replacement wheel sent to me (yeesh).

Here are some photos of the birthday boy and the birthday festivities.

Coop's cake by our friend, Courtnay

Jumpin' Fool

Our Future Olympian

Blowing out their candles

Cake on the face!

Tyler, Claire, and Coop

Coop's First Haircut

2010-12-19T18:15:00.001-08:00

Kaden REALLY needed a haircut a couple of weeks ago, so I decided to go ahead and get Coop's hair trimmed up at the same time. Cooper did so great for his first time "in the chair"! He sat very patiently and still (I didn't know he could be so still while awake), and I think he was pretty tickled that Kaden was getting his hair cut in the next chair over. Both boys got their lollipops afterwards and, best of all, they now have (somewhat) controllable hair!

Fall Arts and Crafts

2010-12-15T18:11:00.001-08:00

Marble painting spiderwebs!

Kaden's pumpkin masterpiece

"Goofy Turkey"--Thanksgiving treat jar

The fave activity of late
(So easy! White paper and some crayons)

Kaden had some fun with Hanukkah stamps from Nana and Papa--I asked him what it was and he said, "a constellation." :-)

Pooped

2010-11-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

This is what happens by 9am when you decide to wake up at 5am...

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T16:42:00.000-07:00

As most of our family and friends know by this point, historically, Kaden has not wanted to wear "costumey costumes", preferring instead the pajamas-that-kind-of-maybe-could-slightly-resemble-costumes variety. Josh had the great idea earlier this fall to dress the boys as Thing 1 and Thing 2 from The Cat in the Hat, as the costumes would not require masks, hoods, or accoutrements of any kind but would still be pretty cute. To make the costumes,I bought the boys matching red long-sleeved tees and pants, cut out large circles from white felt, attached self-adhesive black letters to the white felt, and then used stitch witchery to attach the circles to the shirts. A little blue hair spray and voila, costumes were done! I was somewhat apprehensive about how Kaden would handle the blue hairspray as he had been saying he did NOT want it for the 3 weeks prior to Halloween. However, once in the costume on Halloween, he ASKED for the hairspray and then ASKED for some more! Kaden was genuinely excited and Cooper fell right into step with the other kids trick or treating. He marched up to door after door and got lots of candy, though I don't think he really understood why he was getting candy (nor did he care much about eating any of it). All I can say is, between Cooper not caring about the candy and Kaden not being able to safely eat most of it, I gorged myself and was not a happy mama over that next week. Maybe I'll learn my lesson for next year...eh, who am I kidding?!

Food Allergy Walk 2010

2010-10-23T14:54:00.001-07:00

Today our family participated for the second year in the Walk for Food Allergy sponsored by FAAN. I was a little late this year in getting the word out about the walk and in soliciting donations, but we still raised a noteworthy $400.00! Thank you so much to our family and friends who were generous enough to make a donation on Kaden's behalf! We are very grateful for your support :-)

Though the morning started out a bit chilly, we had absolutely beautiful weather for the walk. The four of us did the two-mile trail in what to me was impressive time considering walks with the boys around the block usually take a good hour! I think the momentum of the group spurred Kaden on (as well as the promise of a bagel brunch/lunch afterwards). I think Kaden is old enough this year to finally really "get" what food allergy is about, and seeing all of the other kids with allergies this morning hopefully helped him to realize that he certainly is not alone. I also think it helps that there is another little boy in his class this year with a nut allergy. When we got home from the walk, Kaden asked me some interesting questions, including why not all people have food allergies. It encouraged a nice little discussion, one of many I hope to have with him in the future.

I am already looking forward to next year's walk and plan to do a lot more promoting of it early on.

Kaden and Josh taking a detour :-)

Our family along the walk

Listening to opening remarks

The boys playing at a nearby park after the walk

Pumpkin Picking 2010

2010-10-23T14:43:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Hill Ridge Farms with friends for our annual pumpkin picking extravaganza. Thankfully, this year the weather was perfect (unlike last year, when it was a very unseasonably 40 degrees and SNOWING!). The kids had a blast in the Playland, which includes a maze, hay jump, 80-foot slide, sandbox, tee pee, and Fort to run through. The Hayride out to the pumpkin patch was maybe the most enthusiastic hayride the kids have taken together. They were so excited and actually posed together for pictures (nearly impossible in the past). Once out in the patch, everyone got to choose a pumpkin to take home, and ours are now sitting happily on our front porch amongst the mums. Here are a couple of photos from the day.

Fort Fisher Beach Trip

2010-10-23T13:38:00.000-07:00

I was very determined to get the kids to the beach at least once this season before the weather turned cold. Cooper had never before seen the ocean and I was really interested in his reaction. So, a couple of weeks ago Josh took a Friday off of work and we drove out to the shore with the boys. We decided to go to a stretch of beach by Fort Fisher as we knew it would not be busy. We had such a nice time! There were some other beachgoers but it was not at all crowded and the weather was beautiful! There wasn't a cloud in the sky, the temperature was right around 75, and there was a calm ocean breeze. Had I not known differently, I would have thought Cooper had been to the beach a hundred times before! He walked onto the sand and straight into the water like he owned the place. It was very consistent with Cooper's personality and pretty cute if I may say so myself. Even Kaden went straight into the water with no hesitation or prompting and splashed around (NOT very Kaden-like!). We built sandcastles, collected shells, played frisbee, and got very wet! I brought changes of clothes for the boys but not so much for myself ;-) We stayed on the beach for a few hours and then went out for a nice dinner before heading home. Even though it was a fairly quick trip, it was just the right amount of time for the boys and left us wanting to go back again. Next summer I think we will rent a beach house for a week so we can get the full shore experience! We took lots of photos and here is a small selection.

Pump, Pump the Jam

2010-10-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

OK, so I am WAY behind on updating the blog and for that I apologize. I had started this post about Kaden's 4th birthday back in August and am JUST NOW getting around to publishing it. Shame on me. I really have no good excuse other than that on the nights I am not working, I have been vegitating on the sofa and catching up on DVR'd TV shows! Normally I would backdate the post so that it falls in correct sequence, but then no one would know it was actually on the blog so I am posting it as new.

This year we veered away from our normal way of celebrating birthdays (i.e. at home) and had Kaden's birthday party at a local inflatables place called Pump it Up. His friend, Alexis, was born the day before so her mom, Keri, and I decided to have a joint party. The party began in one jump room, rotated to a second jump room after 40 minutes, and ended up in the party room for pizza and cupcakes. In the second room we chose to have the lights lowered and a disco ball turning, and we gave out glow bracelets to all the kids. They loved it! Kaden, Alexis, and their friends didn't stop moving, sliding, and bouncing. Even Cooper had a great time. I think Josh and I went down the big slide with him two dozen times! For favors we gave the kids tin lunchboxes (princesses for the girls, cars for the boys) filled with goodies. After the party we came back home and Kaden opened his gifts before passing out for the night.

We also had a small family celebration at home on Kaden's actual birthday, and my mom was kind enough to make a super cute cake. On the night of the 23rd (of August :-), I snuck into Kaden's room and gave him a kiss at the moment he was born (and then I just sat for a minute and watched him sleep, not quite believing how this could be the same little baby I held in my arms four years prior).

He is almost as tall as me. How time flies... Happy Birthday, my sweet boy...I love you!

Glue Batik and Fun with Shaving Cream

2010-09-08T19:28:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Kaden and I spent an afternoon making glue batik art. I had read about it at That Artist Woman and thought it would be fun to try, especially since I have always been a fan of batik and grew up wearing this clothing (and still dress my kids in it). I thought Kaden did a great job and plan to frame and hang the fabric in the playroom.

That same week we also did some shaving cream art in our driveway. I sprayed a bunch of shaving cream on an old mirror, added some food coloring, and gave the boys paint brushes. They loved the fact that they could make a mess without fear of ruining anything because it could all be washed away in the end. And hosing everything down was definitely their favorite part :-)

Hand in Hand

2010-08-31T18:26:00.001-07:00

On a walk early this morning, Kaden spontaneously took Cooper's hand...melted my heart...

New York 2010

2010-08-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we made our annual trek up North to visit my family in New York. We only stayed for a week so it was a fairly jam-packed trip. Yet, somehow, it still seemed relaxing to me. The most exciting part of the trip was getting to meet our new baby cousin, Molly Rose, who was born at the end of July to my cousin Rachel and her husband, Hylan. Following on the heels of my two boys, it was very special to welcome a little girl into the family. We visited Rachel, Hylan, and Molly at their apartment in the city and then took a nice walk to a local playground with them, my parents, and my aunt and uncle.

The following day, Josh and I took the boys into Manhattan to visit the Toys 'R Us store in Times Square and the Lego Store in Rockefeller Center. I have to say, Toys 'R Us was pretty awesome and, had I been alone, I could have done some serious damage there. We all took a ride on the Ferris Wheel inside the store and then bought Kaden his first Transformers. Then we spent most of lunch trying to figure out how to transform it. The Lego store, in my opinion, was disappointing. For a flagship store, it was pretty small and no different from the Lego store in our local mall. But, Kaden thought it was cool and I guess that was really the point. And yes, he walked out with a new Lego set (of course).

Josh and I had been planning since before we even arrived in NY to take Kaden to the Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaurs for the first time. However, when the day came to actually go, Kaden was adamant about not going, to the point where he was in tears. At first I was confused, but then I realized that he was frightened. He still doesn't quite understand that dinosaurs aren't real despite numerous discussions about what "extinct" means, and he asked me a couple of times whether the dinosaurs at the museum moved. So, rather than pursue our agenda and traumatize the kid, we opted to take him to the Brooklyn Children's Museum instead. He seemed to have a really good time there and I hope he enjoyed having us to himself for a bit while Coop was with my parents.

One of the highlights of the trip for me personally occurred on the last night we were in town. My mom and I saw The Swell Season perform in Prospect Park, just minutes from my parents' house. Josh stayed home with the boys, so I had the whole evening to just sit back, relax, people-watch, and take in the great music. It was a perfect New York summer night, and it made me somewhat nostalgic for those nighttime walks down the avenue that we used to frequently take. The other highlight of my trip was having breakfast with my brother, something that has become a bit of a tradition for us. I miss him a lot and wish we lived closer. He's a pretty cool guy for being a stinky younger brother :-)

Unfortunately, I didn't take as many photos as I should have during the trip, but I hope you enjoy the small collection that follows...

Building a Mini Figure at the Lego store

Mama and Kaden as a Chinese Dragon at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Holding his new fire vehicle set from the museum gift shop

The boys playing outside my elementary school

One of my fave photos from the trip, taken by Kaden--Main Street in Newark, DE

Molly Rose

Blogger Award Thank You...

2010-08-05T19:46:00.000-07:00

Yet another VERY belated post, and one for which I am particularly apologetic. My friend, Jen, at Daily Life with Alison and Chloe, passed on this award to me way back in May and I am just now getting around to thanking her for such a nice gesture! I enjoy writing so this blog does give me a measure of personal satisfaction, but it is also nice to know that there are some others out there who care enough to keep up with my ramblings! So, here are the rules of the award:

1. Thank the person who gave you the award
2. Share 7 things about yourself
3. Pass along the award to 10 bloggers you have discovered who you think are fantastic
4. Contact the bloggers you've picked to let them know about the award.

So, here are 7 things about me:

1. I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and am so grateful for my upbringing in such a diverse environment

2. I am mom to two boys, Kaden and Cooper, who keep me happy, laughing, crying, exhausted, and immensely appreciative every day

3. I worked as a hospice counselor before my boys were born and now work part-time as a hotline crisis counselor for an Employee Assistance Program

4. I'm not intuitively or inherently creative, so I have to strive hard to think more outside of the box and intentionally expose my kids to various creative experiences.

5. Favorite music of late: The Swell Season. Just saw them live for the third time and can't help but feel good when listening to them.

6. I like to cook but I LOVE to bake...my personal favorite: Almond Cream Cheese Pound Cake. Yum!

7. Planning my 4th tat right now: two antique keys on a ribbon (one with a C and one with a K) to represent my boys and the fact that they hold the keys to my heart (cliche, perhaps, but so true).

OK, and now to pass on the award. While I visit a lot of blogs, I don't follow that many, so I don't quite have 10 to list (yet). The Crafty Crow has a long list of blogs, and I do hope to visit all of them over time. Here are the blogs I enjoy reading on a regular basis, in addition to Jen's, of course!

--Celeste @ The Harding Family
--Kellie @ The Bates Family
--Amy @ The Pancake Accords
--Anna @ Chez Halverson
--Jean @ The Artful Parent
--Cassi @ The Crafty Crow
--Gail @ That Artist Woman
--Susan @ The Baby Brady Chronicles

Cooper at 18 months

2010-08-02T18:20:00.000-07:00

So, I apologize for being a little behind on my blogging, but life has been busy lately and I am lucky if I can fit in a shower or meal let alone some dedicated writing time :-) To begin the updates, my little bud turned 18 months on July 12th and is growing up faster than I care to admit. He had his doctor's visit on the 19th and weighed in at 26 1/2 lbs. and measured 33 1/3 inches long. What all this means is that our shorty is not so short anymore (at least not for the moment!). Funnily enough, he was actually 1/4 inch taller than Kaden was at the same age! They just have such different body types you would never guess it. Kaden has always been lean and lanky while Coop is more like a wall. He's my little quarterback, though I stand by my statement that he will not be allowed to play football :-)

Coop is doing great overall but currently is getting 3 molars (the first one already popped through a few weeks back). Can I say, "H-E-L-L?" His gums look like something out of a horror flick and intermittently he gets so fussy that nothing will pacify him (for hours). It's sad and frustrating and all I can say is thank goodness for Motrin. Luckily, in the moments when he is not in too much pain he is about the most sweet, adorable, funny guy I could hope to be around (if I may say so myself). He loves to make funny faces at me, including doing squinty things with his eyes to see if I'll laugh, and he's all about dramatically sighing lately. He has resumed giving kisses (he had stopped for a while), including to himself when he gets a boo boo. He's also super into physical comedy and will throw himself around the room and then announce, "I'm okay." He is talking up a storm, including discernible words and phrases as well as a whole lot of babble. One of his current faves is , "Dada, where are you?" when we are waiting for Josh to get home at night. Another is "Where'd it go?" complete with hand gestures and shoulders raised (could be in reference to just about anything). He's also getting pretty good with his fine motor skills--he uses a fork and spoon really well now, can open and close his booster seat buckle to get himself in and out, and is awesome at putting together his Duplo Legos. And he still loves to copy anything and everything Kaden does--this can be dangerous but is also kinda sweet. Mostly, he just likes to be goofy and have fun, which is really refreshing and something for which I am grateful.

I Just Love These Boys...

2010-07-18T19:31:00.001-07:00

A Sun Day

2010-07-01T18:19:00.000-07:00

Kaden learned about the concept of abstract art from an episode of Caillou a few months back and ever since then, anytime we discuss anything about art, he mentions that episode. So, about a week ago I asked him if he would like to do some painting in the backyard one afternoon and he has not left me alone about it! So, a few mornings ago when he was in camp I dragged Cooper to an art supply store and bought a couple of 11x14 canvases and one slightly smaller one. This afternoon I finally indulged Kaden and the three of us went outside in the backyard, lay down a sheet, and went to work. At first I had the intention of doing splatter painting (ala Jackson Pollock), but Kaden wanted to just experiment with color (and Coop was so darn excited to be allowed to make a mess he didn't care). The nice thing about doing painting outside is that it lends itself to easy clean-up--we filled up the pool afterward and the boys rinsed off their paint-spattered hands in there! The canvases are now inside and we are going to try to find a home for them, probably in the playroom. Kaden named his painting "Skyscraper City" as an ode to New York, where we will be going next week. As Kaden put it (in his inimitable way of talking), it was a "Sun Day"! I agree :-)

Art Schmart

2010-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

I have consistently tried over the last couple of years to introduce art to Kaden. I am by no means an artist so I definitely have never expected perfection from Kaden. Rather, my goal has always been to instill in Kaden (and now Cooper too) an appreciation for the process of creating. I really do believe that art is more about the act of doing than the outcome. Sadly, Kaden has never been very fond of sitting down and making art. He really was never interested in doing crafts either. However, this year things seemed to have changed when he discovered and fell in love with Legos. He will spend hours playing with his Legos and creating the most interesting, clever, and creative designs all from his wide open imagination. I think these little colorful bricks have started his creative juices flowing because simultaneously he has developed an interest in writing, drawing, painting, and performing (picture boy in undies on an overturned laundry basket with a harmonica yelling, "1, 2,3 Hit It!" and then playing his little heart out). Last week was the second week that Kaden was out of school for the summer and we spent a lot of time making art of various kinds...handprint art, swirl paint art, chalkboard and window drawing/writing, crayon drawing, and rocket ship making! Cooper totally loves to do whatever Kaden is doing so he joined in the fun. We are headed up to NY next week but I have other projects in mind for when we return and am super excited at the thought that Kaden might actually be into it too! :-)

Swirl Painting!

Kaden and Coop's "Rocket Ship"--notice the
red glow emanating from the door (see below for more info :-)

The boys looking out the rocket's window pre-modification

I taped red cellophane over the window so that
when the boys look out of it their world is "rose-tinted"--totally cheesy but I love it!

Welcome Summer

2010-06-23T08:28:00.000-07:00

A busy morning activity...Handprint Suns

Fort Redlus

Using flower pots to make rain

Watering the grass and Mama's flowers

"I have sand in unmentionable places right now."

Say My Name, Say My Name....

2010-06-12T18:57:00.001-07:00

Cooper amazes me every day with his tenacity, fearlessness, and sweetness. He is all mush and cuddles in a bruiser's body :-) Lately he and Kaden are starting to bond more and it is so awesome to see, especially since it is Kaden that initiates a lot of the play. In the past couple of days, Kaden has been working with Cooper on saying our names and Cooper will pretty much only respond to Kaden now (except to say his own name--go figure!).

Strawberry Picking

2010-05-26T16:57:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we attended a birthday party for Kaden's friend, Avery. The party took place at a local farm that grows strawberries this time of year. Avery's mom brought personalized buckets for all the kids and the boys had a great time walking up and down the rows of strawberry bushes hunting for the ripest berries to put in their buckets. Cooper did steal a few tastes along the way (who could blame him?). I had this grand plan of bringing the berries home and making strawberry muffins, strawberry pancakes, and strawberry shortcake. The boys, however, were content to just eat the berries as snacks and within 3 days all of the berries were gone! Here are some photos of the berry frenzy.

Haircut

2010-04-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Easter in Photos

2010-04-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of "The Easter Bunny" (Nana and Papa)

Spring Update

2010-04-05T17:20:00.000-07:00

Time keeps flying by and I am doing everything I can to keep up! Life has been interesting lately with two very active boys. I didn't think it was possible for a child to have more energy than Kaden...that is, until Cooper came along. Well, let me rephrase that. It's not so much that Cooper has more energy. It's more that he has no fear. Examples, you say? He likes to stand up and balance on the arm of the couch (yes, the ARM). He likes to throw all the couch pillows on the floor and dive off the couch onto them. He likes to take Kaden's chair, slide it over to the wall, and stand on it to turn on and off the light. And, he loves park slides...the bigger, the better. He is definitely less hesitant than Kaden was at the same age, and for this I'm actually grateful because he will need cojones to survive his big brother!

Coop is almost 15 months old now. I LOVE this age. He is all cute and mush without any of the angst that comes with...a 3 year old :-) Some of his favorite things are his lovey, Cheerios, Kaden's cars, and (as noted above) standing on things. He is a super snuggler and I have to admit to letting him fall asleep on me some nights because it it just so sweet to look down at his little sleeping face right near mine. He says "more", "up", "light", and "down" consistently and we have heard, "Kaden", "Mama", and "Dada" on occasion. Kaden had about 60 words at this age, and Coop definitely doesn't have that repertoire yet, but he is slowly catching up.

Kaden is a good big brother and every day it seems he is more open to the idea of playing with Cooper as a friend. Tonight he tried to get Cooper to work with him on finding a solution to getting a bee out of the house. That being said, Kaden continues to "playfully" stick out a foot to trip Coop as he comes by or lay on top of him because "Cooper likes it!". OK, I can definitely say that Cooper does NOT like it. Well, I guess they wouldn't be true brothers if there wasn't some torture going on.

Kaden has been enjoying preschool this Spring, and I had the privilege of attending his class' Passover Seder recently. It was super cute to see him interacting with his preschool buddies and listening to the Rabbi tell the story of Passover, complete with a trip outside to dip their fingers in "wine" (a.k.a. water) while reading off the plagues! In addition, he is participating in his first soccer class on Saturday mornings with his pal, Matthew. To say that he likes the class may be an overstatement, but he has progressed from us having to be out there on the field with him the whole time to us only having to be out there half the time. He still insists on sitting OUTSIDE the circle at the beginning of class when the kids go around saying their names. He also intermittently refuses to do an activity, preferring to stand with his arms crossed looking very sullen. While my tendency is to get really annoyed and want to drag him into the activity in a "You WILL do this or ELSE" kind of mode, I stop myself because this is just Kaden and I love him for all his quirks. I try to gently push instead. And, as Matthew's dad kindly put it, "He's not a conformist." Well, that's a good way of looking at it!

Here are some recent pix of the boys...

Soccer class (sorry for the poor quality)

Feeding the ducks at Lake Lynn

Making pizza at home!

Proud of his masterpiece!
(too bad Mama bought pasta sauce instead of
pizza sauce and it tasted like crud!)

Coop attempting to feed himself soup
(and you can't even see what the floor looks like!)

Two seconds later he was eating the chalk

My boy

A Little Visitor

2010-02-28T16:38:00.000-08:00

We had some excitement in the Redlus Home recently when a bird flew into the house one afternoon. Unbeknownst to me, it was sitting on the door wreath when I opened the door to go get the mail. Before I could shut the door, the little critter saw its opportunity and flew in and up. It landed on the sill of the big picture window we have at the top of our 2-story foyer and decided it was a good place to stay. I was home with the boys and it was mid afternoon, so Josh wasn't due home from work for several more hours. Now, I don't like bugs in my home, let alone whole birds, and there was no way I was going to start chasing it around with a broom trying to get it out. So, I did what anyone in my position would do--freaked out. I called Josh and demanded he come home right away, and his response was basically to laugh at me and say, "It's just a BIRD." I called my mom, which was probably not the best idea because she just fed my ridiculous overreaction. The whole time this was going on, Kaden was ECSTATIC about having a bird in the house. He was calling "Here birdie, birdie" and trying to get it to come down and play with him. At one point, he went into the kitchen and requested a piece of bread with which to entice the bird down. Nice idea in theory but the plan didn't work. So, after running around like a lunatic for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what I was going to do, I started to realize that if my 3-year old son could enjoy the experience, then maybe I could too (or at least not totally ruin it for him). So, I decided to change my approach to the situation and asked Kaden what he wanted to name our little visitor. He thought about it for a moment, looked around the room, saw a box of cereal sitting on the kitchen table, and declared, "Cheerio!". And so the bird was named. For the next few hours, I kinda ignored the bird as it alternated between sitting, flapping, and crapping on the windowsill. Finally, Josh came home and within 10 minutes he'd gotten the bird into our bedroom and then out the window (no, I'm not kidding). Kaden understood that Cheerio came just for a short visit and had to go back outside to be with his family. We still talk about Cheerio and the day he came to visit...and sometimes, when we are walking outside, we think we catch a glimpse of him flying among the trees. :-)

Cars, etc.

2010-02-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Today we took Kaden (and Cooper) to the North Carolina International Auto Show at the State Fairgrounds. And how appropriate to do this activity on Valentine's Day, as cars are Kaden's first true love! We visited the classic cars building first, figuring that Kaden would be psyched about all of the hot rods. However, when we read to him the huge sign at the front of the showroom that said, "Look, don't touch", he quickly lost interest and started begging to go see the cars he could sit inside. We took a quick spin around so Josh could admire the classics and then headed toward the other buildings with the current car models. Kaden had a blast running around the floors looking at all types of cars, from pick-ups to to an actual dump truck to a real race car outfitted with a roll cage and everything! And, in keeping with his personality, he beeped a horn and got everyone to turn around and look at him (and us). I had my own fun sitting in every $60,000+ car I could find. Definitely a tradition we will continue in years to come!

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2010-02-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

I always say I'm going to write down some of the cute things I hear Kaden say, but then I always forget to or am just too tired, and I know down the road I will regret not taking the time to do it. So, I am making a commitment to find a few minutes here and there to record in this blog some of my favorite Kadenisms.

1. "I sarted." Funny by itself, but made even more humorous by the fact that it was first stated proudly at Thanksgiving dinner, 2008 (for those of you who don't know, Kaden's one last remaining speech substitution is that he says his "f's" like "s's" :-) OK, maybe this is only cute to me.

2. "Mama, can you please get me some juice? It's the least you can do."

3. "Blow this off for me." His way of saying, "Can you please cool off my food?"

4. "Mama, do you ever dream in chocolate?"

5. When looking for a particular toy that he can't find: "It'll turn up."

6. "I have a fever and the flute." Kaden's complaint during a recent game of doctor's office

7. "Yes Sir, Maam!" His affirmative response to a request--can't quite get the concept that Maam can exist without Sir in front of it :-)

8. "acause"--his way of saying "because"

Birthday Brunch

2010-01-26T18:55:00.000-08:00

I had been wanting to host a brunch for quite a while, and with Coop's birthday coming up, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to do so! So, a couple of Sunday mornings ago we had a small gathering at our home to eat, drink (coffee, tea, and juice only!), and celebrate my little man's 1st. It was a very nice morning, and Cooper and Kaden both had a blast playing with their friends. Cooper enjoyed the Happy Birthday song and dug into his cupcake as wholeheartedly as he had dug into his brownie on his actual birthday (much less messy this time)! It was really nice spending time with family and friends for such a happy occasion. I'm not usually such a big fan of hosting, to be honest, as I always end up missing things (as in this story, told to me later by my friend, Keri: during the party, while I was busy in the kitchen, Kaden went potty and emerged from the bathroom into our room full of guests buck naked from the waist down, at which time I think Josh hurried him back inside to re-clothe him). There was also the incident recounted to me by my friend, Celeste, of Cooper getting his little finger stuck in his toy vacuum cleaner and a couple of my friends standing around laughing at him (you know who you are!!!) until Celeste realized his grunts were not happy ones and rescued him. Gotta love it! There were some family members from New York and Delaware who were unable to make it down to the party and we missed them a lot and hope to see them very soon! Here are some photos from Coop's brunch..
.

A lesson in the art of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."
I am many things...a good teacher is not one of them!

Cooper Turns One!

2010-01-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

My little buddy turned one yesterday, and I set my alarm on my cell phone to sound at the exact time of his birth so that I could sing to him. When I finished singing, he just looked at me and giggled.

Today I took him to his one-year doctor visit and he is doing wonderfully! He weighed in at almost 23 lbs. and is 30 1/2 inches tall (50th percentile across the board). He may catch up to Kaden after all! He got his MMR vaccination and we are saving the other normally scheduled ones for his 15-month visit so as to spread them out a bit.

He is now officially walking, waving, stacking blocks, putting things in and taking things out of boxes, blowing kisses (yay!), and giving kisses (the great open-mouthed kind where he just comes at you and lands wherever he may--today it was my nose :-) He is super sweet and affectionate and loves to cuddle and hug. He is also very, very loud, as any of you who have spent any time with us can attest to! He just likes to vocalize a lot and make his presence known. He is eating primarily table food and has just started drinking whole milk. He is also face forward in his car seat now!

Yesterday evening we had a little family celebration for him at our house with the 4 of us and my parents. I made brownies and put a candle in a little piece for Cooper. We weren't sure what he was going to do with it since Kaden had no interest in his cake at his first birthday. However, consistent with his personality Cooper dove right into that brownie and made a bloody mess! He seriously was so dirty that the only option was to give him a bath afterwards. This weekend we are having a small brunch for him at our home to round out the birthday festivities.

Happy Birthday, Cooper! :-)

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T07:59:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for this very belated posting--things have been hectic here lately, but as I said in the very first post I ever did for this blog: better late than never!

A week or so before Christmas, we attended our friends' annual Christmas party, which is always fun and where "Santa" (a.k.a. our friend Neil in a costume) always makes an appearance. Last year, Kaden got so upset when Santa showed up that we needed to take him outside for some fresh air and he refused to go back in until Santa left. This year, he was wary and wouldn't get so close as to take a picture with Santa, but he was willing to take the gift that Santa had for him and even thanked Santa for it. That's progress in my book. We stuck Cooper on Santa's lap and he provided the tears for the evening (see photo below). We spent Christmas Eve and Day at home again this year, and it was very peaceful, calm, and mellow (just the way I like things these days). On Christmas Eve, Kaden and I baked and decorated cookies for Santa and left the cookies and a tall glass of milk on the mantel. Then Josh and I exchanged gifts once the kids were in bed. In the morning, we all got up together and went downstairs to open the boys' gifts under the tree. Kaden did the pretty typical 3-year old thing of opening a gift, expressing excitement and surprise, and then throwing it aside to open the next gift in hopes that it would be even bigger and better than the previous one. He got the Legoville Fire Station (probably the fave gift), a couple of board games, a clock to help him learn how to tell time, and some diecast cars. Cooper got a pound-a-ball toy, a Busy Zoo activity center, and some age-approriate cars that Kaden picked out for him. Then I tried to have a Christmas morning breakfast, something I am hoping will become one of our traditions over the years. Sadly, no one but me was very hungry at 8:30am, so not much food was eaten. We'll try again next year!

The next day we left for Delaware to visit Josh's family since we hadn't seen everyone up there in a while. We stayed with Josh's sister at her new house, where she had the biggest Christmas tree I've ever seen in a normal home. I think my mother-in-law said it was 12 feet, but it seemed bigger to me! Kaden and Cooper both had a ball playing with their cousins, and Kaden really loved my sister-in-law's two kittens. He spent a good portion of the time we were at her house following them around calling, "Come here, kitty kitty kitty." We got to see Josh's brother and his family as well, and I got my fill of Wawa coffee (almost). We came home for New Year's, which was also spent quietly at home as a family. Happy New Year's, everyone!

Kaden accepting his gift from Santa at the Hardings' (no tears!)

Coop meeting Santa for the first time ;-)

Coop getting in on the sandbox action at the museum

Kaden hanging out with his big buddy

Blueberry muffins for Christmas morning

(couldn't believe how fast these went!)

Kaden's cookies for Santa

Our tree

My best gift!

Kaden playing with his Lego Fire Station

(he's my other best gift :-)

There are some things money can't buy...

2009-12-23T17:17:00.001-08:00

Trip to the grocery store with a 3-year old and an 11-month old:

One impossible-to-maneuver car-shaped grocery cart for boys to ride in: Free
One Turkey and Cheddar Lunchables for 3-year old to eat while browsing the aisles: $2.99
One Chocolate Milk for 3-year old to drink on the way home from the store: $1.99
One 3-year old asking me as we arrived home, "Mama, do you ever dream in chocolate?": Priceless.

Chrismukah begins...

2009-12-17T19:23:00.001-08:00

A few days after Thanksgiving, we ushered in the holiday season at the Brier Creek tree lighting (a local shopping center). They were giving out free antlers for the kids and free coffee for the parents (sweet!), and Santa was scheduled to arrive via sleigh. As expected, when Santa did make his appearance Kaden wanted no part of him. He much preferred to watch from Josh's shoulders (see photo below)!

The next day we went to pick out our Christmas tree. Kaden had decided he wanted to go to this one particular place we pass on the way to to his preschool, and he was insistent that we go there and only there. We chose a nice tree and then came home to put it up and decorate it. Kaden did pretty well helping us put up the unbreakables for a while, until he got bored and decided to leave. That's when the twirling accident occurred. Apparently, while Josh and I continued to decorate, Kaden had wandered into the living room, put a blanket over his head, and started spinning. Long story short, he fell, his nose met the side table, and there was a little blood, but luckily he was totally fine and there was nothing more than a small cut under his nose. A note here--Cooper was in his exersaucer (lest you wonder how negligent we actually were that day!).

The past week we have been celebrating Hanukkah with the boys. Each night after dinner we say the prayer, light the menorah, and let the boys open small gifts (that Nana and Papa generously provided this year--thank you!). Kaden almost knows the prayer by heart, and we are working earnestly with him on it since this is the age when he will absorb it most readily. I love hearing him say the words I recited growing up, even if he doesn't totally understand what they mean yet. At Kaden's request, we have an electric menorah in the window right next to our Christmas tree (with the Buddha in the next room!) and we light that each night as well. Happy Hanukkah to those of you that celebrate!

Coop at the Brier Creek Tree Lighting

Kaden hamming it up in Brier Creek

Kaden's reaction to Santa's arrival--can you say, "death grip"?

Josh's 35th Birthday

In front of our tree (photo by Kaden)

Kaden insisted on putting the star up before the other decorations...

Celebrations

2009-12-17T17:24:00.000-08:00

At the end of November, our family got together to celebrate both Thanksgiving and my mom's birthday, which happened to fall on the same day. My mom spent the two days before her birthday cooking up a storm and we had a wonderful meal on Thanksgiving (as always when she cooks). I made her a birthday cake and we all ate ourselves silly! Even Cooper partook of the meal, enjoying some sweet potato casserole!

A week later we celebrated Josh's 35th birthday with a nice dinner and celebration at home. Kaden helped me bake and decorate a cake and, again, we ate ourselves silly. Sensing a pattern here?! As a gift, I got Josh a nice camera bag he'd been eyeing and (not so) subtly hinting at for a while. He's been dedicating more and more time to his photography lately, and I think he takes some really awesome photos. That's one thing I can say for him--when he sets his mind to something, he teaches himself and then does it really, really well. He seemed to like his bag, and I really hope he had a happy birthday!

Here are some photos from the past month...

Kaden's Thanksgiving cookies

Cranberry Jelly

The chef hard at work

Begging to get into the kitchen with his eyes...he's persuasive too

Me and Noah

November came and went...but where?

2009-11-30T18:15:00.000-08:00

It seems like the past month has gone by in a flash, and I really can't believe that it's holiday time already. The past month has been full of family activities, milestones, and lots of food! Cooper is now 11 months old and busier than ever. His first tooth pushed through several weeks ago after many sleepless nights and another one is on the way. He has also started to take a few steps here and there. Whereas he used to immediately sit down and crawl when we called him, now he tries to walk most times (unless he's really tired or being really lazy). His current food repertoire includes oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, blueberries, cheese, eggs, pear, strawberries, peaches, apple, sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, peas, corn, broccoli, beans, chicken, banana bread, and pumpkin bread. He seems to really, really enjoy his food (the only time he genuinely cries now is when he's hungry). That being said, when I try to feed him a new food that he doesn't like (or a food I've given him before that he doesn't want), he will arch his back, scream, and swat at the spoon and my hand until I retreat, which is usually only after food has flown all over the tray, the floor, possibly me, and definitely him. If it's finger food he doesn't want, he usually will spread it around on the tray and then throw it onto the floor. The boy is many things, but subtle is not one of them.

Kaden is now 3 1/4 years old and is doing great as well. He's been enjoying preschool this year and is actually proving to be a pretty sociable little kid (still slow-to-warm-up, but once he's there he will talk your ear off!). He had his first dentist appointment a couple of weeks ago and did GREAT! He immediately took to the hygienist and told her our entire life story (seriously, he was still talking while she was cleaning his teeth). The funniest part of the entire experience was when the dentist looked at Kaden's x-ray to see what was going on with his adult teeth and uttered, "Whoa...those are some...manly...teeth". I asked her what she meant and she said they are basically huge, which she thinks indicates he's gonna be a big guy and will just need to grow into them. Kaden is also doing really well with Cooper and is a very sweet big brother for the most part. Whenever we leave the house Kaden makes sure to bring a toy for Cooper, and he actually asks to bring out our play tunnel every evening so they can crawl through it together. Cute!

Reasonable place for a baby to hang out, huh?

Kaden and classmates

Crazy Hair Day at preschool (guess we cut his hair too soon!)

First "Salon" Haircut

2009-11-27T13:07:00.000-08:00

Walk for Food Allergy 2009

2009-11-07T17:24:00.000-08:00

On November 7th, my mom, some good friends, and I participated in Raleigh's First Annual Walk for Food Allergy in honor of Kaden. The walk was sponsored by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, the organization I joined shortly after finding out about Kaden's peanut allergy. I had set a goal of raising $250 in donations for the walk and I am so happy to report that Team Kaden raised $740! Now the bar has been set high for next year! I opted not to bring Kaden to the walk this year since I wasn't sure what to expect time-wise and he is somewhat unpredictable these days. I also wanted to go out for a relaxing brunch afterwards and, frankly, even good days with Kaden aren't relaxing at this stage! Cooper was there, though, and he and his buddy Tyler represented the kid entity for us. It ended up being an absolutely beautiful morning and the perfect weather for a walk. There were various vendors offering information, snacks, and other free items related to Food Allery and it was a nice turnout for the area's first walk. I am so, so grateful to my friends who came out to support me and who sent in donations on Kaden's behalf. I and my family are truly very lucky to have such caring people in our lives! I plan to bring Kaden next year when he will hopefully understand a little better what the walk is about and why we are taking part. I'm also happy to report that my mom and I did get to have that relaxing brunch afterwards and it was great :)

Team Kaden

Coop enjoying brunch too

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-02T17:31:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was Halloween, and Kaden "dressed up" as a skeleton while Cooper was a bee. I use quotations because Kaden essentially wore jammies that happened to have bones on them, just as last year he wore jammies that happened to have an S on the front and a cape off the back. It seems he is anti-costume, among a million other things these days! Still, despite all his protestations, he had a great time trick or treating with his friend, Macy, and proudly declared, "I got more candy!" after each house he visited. Luckily, he seemed satisfied with the collecting aspect of Halloween alone since later that evening, once he was in bed, the candy disappeared and he has not asked about it since (sad but true). Cooper and Macy's baby brother, Tyler, seemed to enjoy their first Halloween as well.

Buzzy and Mr. Bones

Macy getting her whiskers painted on by her mom

Tyler and Macy

The Bee Makes a Pact with the Devil

Kaden enjoying some smarties

Pumpkin Picking 2009

2009-10-19T18:45:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we took the boys to Hill Ridge Farms for our annual pumpkin picking adventure. We met up with friends there and spent most of the morning ambling through the play area, eventually taking a hayride out to the pumpkin patch where Kaden got to choose 3 pumpkins to bring home. The past two years we've done this we've had beautiful fall weather--last year we didn't wear jackets and the year before that the kids were in short-sleeved tees. This year it was an unseasonable 42 degrees with wind. The kids had a great time but I was a popsicle by the end and my hands were thawing out for a good couple of hours afterward. I'm glad we were able to go, though, since I think it's a really nice tradition. The only part I found a little weird was when we were out in the pumpkin patch and a forklift drove in to drop off a new batch of pumpkins. I mean, I knew the farm wasn't the kind where you cut your own off the vine, but come on...that's so not charming or romantic! In any case, tonight Kaden and I cleaned out one of the baby pumpkins he picked and used a drill to make holes in it so that when it's lit from within it looks like lots of glowing stars. I'd like to carve one of the bigger pumpkins as well, but if things go the way I expect them to, I'll just be painting a bat or a black cat on one instead! Happy Pre-Halloween!

Someone was not happy about wearing a hat...

Kaden: Hmm..I wonder what would happen if

I accidentally "dropped" this pumpkin on Cooper.

Charleston, SC

2009-10-19T11:44:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Josh, Cooper, and I went away for a long weekend to Charleston, South Carolina. I have always wanted to visit the city and Josh and I thought it would be fun to go for our 15th "anniversary" (of being a couple, not of marriage!). My parents were kind enough to agree to watch Kaden for us so that we could really relax and escape a bit. My friend, Jen, used to live there so before we left from Raleigh she gave us some great suggestions for things to see and do while in Charleston. We arrived mid-afternoon on a Friday and left early afternoon on a Sunday, so it was a quick trip but so nice! I loved it there and wished we could have stayed for a few more days. We walked all over the downtown area, visited the open air flea market, had great meals at Hominy Grill, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and Wild Wing Cafe (our choices were somewhat limited by having the little guy with us, though I was impressed with the food all around), went to the Farmer's Market, had cupcakes at Cupcake, took in the charming homes and cobblestone streets, and just enjoyed being leisurely. It was also really nice to be able to give some undivided attention to Cooper, as he is usually having to compete for attention. Something that I found particularly interesting while in Charleston was the sheer number of businesses supporting Breast Cancer Awareness. I thought it was pretty cool that multiple storeowners in the downtown area used window paint to write, "Save the Tatas" all over their storefronts! Since the trip was quick, there were some things on my agenda that we didn't get a chance to do, like visit a plantation, take a carriage tour of the city, and do a nighttime ghost tour. In some ways, I am glad we didn't get a chance to do everything because it's an excuse to go back! Here are a few snapshots (of a few hundred that Josh took) from the trip...

Charleston street at night

A bike in a store window--
Josh just happened to capture the reflection of the coffee
cup he was holding in the bike seat

Sampling preserves at the Farmer's Market

Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping, Slipping...

2009-10-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

I was reminded recently by several people who shall remain anonymous that it had been a while since I'd last posted anything to the blog. I honestly didn't realize that so much time had gone by. So, I guess some updates are in order.

Cooper turned 9 months old this week, which is just hard to comprehend since it feels like he was just born (in some ways!). Over the past month or so, we switched Kaden to a booster seat and Cooper to a convertible car seat, so the infant seat is officially a thing of the past. Cooper has been cruising around for a while and can stand for a brief moment without holding onto anything, until he realizes he's not holding on and then quickly drops to his tush. Until a few days ago, he was mostly just grunting and screeching, but in the past two days he has had an explosion of consonant sounds and definite attempts to "talk". He has also started waving, nodding, and shaking his head "no". He is overall a very happy baby but lets his dissatisfaction be known much more so than Kaden ever did at the same age. He cries, and not just a "wah wah" kind of cry, but an "I'm being slowly tortured" cry that makes us essentially want to pull our hair out! Fortunately, it's usually just that's he's hungry and once we get food in him he's content again. I started a baby tumbling class with him last week and I am really looking forward to having this time with him and to seeing him interact with other babies/toddlers.

Kaden is doing well, too, though he is most definitely a three-year old. And what they say is true--two is nothing compared to three! He is exerting his independence all over the place and is quite moody--I liken it to a Jekyll and Hyde situation. He can be the sweetest, loving, helpful little boy, and then, as if a switch is thrown, he's wild, stubborn, and just a tad defiant. I think I'm finally figuring out how to effectively and lovingly manage it, though (thank goodness). I'm glad to say that he is getting better with Cooper. He actually tries to engage him somewhat now, and I can tell he enjoys when Cooper smiles at something he does. Still, he does not like when Cooper gets within even 5 feet of any of his toys and will create barricades with couch cushions so that Cooper stays within his own domain. Ahhh...the joys of brotherhood!

Here are some recent pix of the boys:

Cooper Eating

Kaden's Morning Out at Umstead

2009-10-15T19:25:00.001-07:00

In an effort to give Kaden some much-deserved time with Mom and Dad sans Cooper, we took him on a hike a couple of Sundays ago through Umstead Park while my parents watched the baby. Kaden really likes nature walks and collecting leaves, rocks, acorns, etc., so we thought he'd enjoy this outing. The park has campgrounds, a lake, and various trails throughout, and Josh scoped out a short trail that led us right to the lake. Kaden had a great time looking for spider webs and bugs with his magnifying glass and collecting rocks and pinecones. Unfortunately, when Kaden went to fill his bucket with water at the lake we all slightly misjudged where the ground ended and the lake started so his foot got a tad bit wet--oops! He didn't seem to mind too terribly much, though. I hope we can do more of these outings since I think we all benefited from being in the great outdoors. Plus, I think it was nice for my parents to have some bonding time with Cooper. Here are some pix!

Naptime :)

Happy Birthday, Kaden!

2009-08-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

On August 23rd, Kaden turned 3 years old and we had a small party for him at a local paint-your-own-pottery studio. The whole idea came about when I had taken Kaden into the store one day to buy a gift certificate for one of his little girl friends. He saw a shelf with monster trucks and trains and it's all he talked about for the next week. So, Josh and I figured it'd be different and fun for the kids and would provide a built-in favor. Well, as the party approached I began to have trepidation. After all, it would be 6 kinetic 3-year olds in a room full of BREAKABLE ceramics. "What the hell was I thinking" occurred to me frequently. However, I am happy to say that the kids did GREAT at the party. They all painted for at least a little bit before the parents took over, and they actually seemed to somewhat enjoy themselves. They ate pizza for dinner and for dessert indulged in cupcakes made by Josh. I picked up the glazed pieces this weekend and they look adorable! I can't wait for the kids to see them!

It's still so hard for me to believe that Kaden is 3. I was talking with my friends the other day about how we can't remember life before the kids, yet in many ways it feels like just yesterday that they were born. My mom told me recently that in Kaden she sees shades of me as a little girl--in his nonstop movement, his defiant streak, his impishness...I'm not so sure if any of this is a good thing, but I definitely have an appreciation for what my mom went through with me and how much PATIENCE it required. And, I also understand a little better now how she loved me so much in spite of what I put her through, because that is precisely how much I love Kaden. Happy Birthday, little guy.

Kaden on his b-day weekend

Favors...

Macy, Avery, and their moms

Kaden and his partner-in-crime, Matthew

Ryan and his mom

Alexis and her grandma

The parents gettin' in on the action

Cupcakes by Josh...

Blowing out his candle...

Enjoying his cupcake...so much so that he had a second :)

The birthday boy and his dad

Choo Choo!

2009-08-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we joined my friend, Rachael, and her two boys for an hour long ride on the historic New Hope Valley Railway. This was Kaden's first time on a train pulled by a real steam engine and he had such a great time. There was a light rain that day, and while it wasn't much fun walking from the parking lot up the road to the station with a double stroller and paraphernalia, the actual train ride in the rain was kinda nice. The railway offers seasonal tours and is staffed solely by volunteers. It is one of those little hidden gems in North Carolina, and it made me eager to start investigating what other attractions are out there that the boys might enjoy now and in the future.

Catching raindrops

Cooper at 6 -7 months

2009-08-07T19:22:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 6 months old on July 12th, and since we were in NY at the time, his doctor's appointment was put off until we returned. So, at 6 1/2 months he weighed in at 17lbs., 14 oz and was 26 3/4 in. long, which put him right in the 50th percentile across the board. He is now pulling himself to a stand on just about anything he can reach and has started to do a little bit of crawling on his knees (versus the "worm" or army crawling he's been doing). We started giving him yogurt for lunch in addition to the fruit, veggies, and cereal he's been getting for dinner, and he seems to like the yogurt the best so far. He enjoys exploring his surroundings, being tickled, having books read to him, bouncing in his doorway jumper, playing with our shoes, and watching Kaden do just about anything. I am planning on doing a baby tumbling class with him starting next month and am really looking forward to once again having some individual time with him while Kaden is in preschool. It's hard to believe he is almost 7 months old. With Kaden, every milestone seemed so momentous and like it took forever to come. With Cooper, it's gone by in such a flash. I am reminded often that Cooper, too, will soon be bossing me around and telling me, "I don't think so" with attitude when asked any number of questions. I wonder where Kaden gets that from?? Hmmm... :)

New Yawk

2009-08-03T17:26:00.000-07:00

It has been a couple of weeks since we returned from our trip up North, and I think I'm still recovering! Over the course of our two-week visit, we spent lots of time with family, did touristy stuff with the kids, and soaked up the gorgeous weather than has been all too rare in NY this summer. It was really fun to re-experience the things I grew up with through Kaden's eyes. We rode the subway into Manhattan and took a water taxi ride around New York Harbor, where Kaden got to see the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges up close. We also visited the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens with my mom and met friends at Prospect Park for Kaden's first concert (They Might Be Giants). My parents took Kaden on a special outing to the Brooklyn Children's Museum, and several times my dad took Kaden out early in the morning for walks to the park or playground. It reminded me of how my grandfather used to take me on walks when I visited him and how special those times were (we'd walk to a local store and he'd buy me blue nail polish and I thought it was SO cool!). I also got a chance while there to spend some time with my brother, Noah, which I always cherish. I keep trying to convince him to move down here, but so far no luck. A girl can wish, can't she? I also spent some time with my cousin, Rachel, who took a day off of work to come into Brooklyn to visit with me and the boys! Unfortunately, her husband, Hylan, had suffered a hand injury while playing basketball and was wearing a cast when we saw him at my aunt's house. It was bad enough that he was hurt, but then Kaden was totally freaked out by the cast and wouldn't go near him. We all felt badly about it because Hylan was Kaden's buddy during our last few visits. They'll have to make up for lost time at the next visit! Hope you are feeling better, Hylan!

My parents and brother were such gracious hosts and bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable and to help me out with the boys. I know it wasn't easy for them to have us there for so long (a toddler and an infant is like a constant maelstrom). That being said, I think it was a relief for everyone when we came back to NC! We are really looking forward to having my parents come back down in a couple of weeks, since it's really the best of all worlds when they are here. We can spend lots of time together, but at the end of the day, we all have our own spaces to return to!

Here are some pictures from our travels...

Papa and Cooper

Uncle Noah and Cooper

Kaden at They Might Be Giants

Coop and Josh at the concert in the park

Kaden gettin' down

Coop's first ride on a swing. He loved it!

Love this pic because he looks like an angel--
halo over his head and a wing to the right :)

You'd think they'd never seen the tall buildings of Manhattan before!

Nana, Papa, Eliza, and the boys at
South Street Seaport

Kaden taking it all in

Josh havin' some fun

The Brooklyn Bridge

I looked over and this is what I saw, so I grabbed the camera!

Coop with Cousins Rachel and Hylan

Kaden at the Japanese Garden at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Japanese Pond

A waterfall in the Japanese Garden

A Personal Aside

2009-07-09T17:27:00.000-07:00

Please check out my new blog...feel free to comment, ask questions, completely ignore it... :)

Lofty Aspirations

A note for those wondering why my sons are only partly dressed in almost every video we take.

2009-07-08T11:55:00.001-07:00

Because they are boys and like being naked. And I just can't fight every battle. End of story.

Signed,
One tired but happy mother :)

Caught on Camera (right place at the right time videos)...

2009-07-07T18:34:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July

2009-07-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

For the 4th this year, we went to a cook-out at the home of our friends, The Hardings, who live just down the street. We had good food and good conversation, and the kids played for hours in the backyard, running, splashing in the pool and sprinkler, and eating way too many ice pops! Kaden had never had them before and treated himself to two before we could stop him. He was a little hyped up (to say the least). Then, as dark fell, the dads decided to put on their own fireworks display, which the kids liked a lot. It was a late night for Kaden, but we had a great time and we thank the Hardings for hosting! Here are some pictures of the festivities...hope you all had a Happy 4th!

Josh and Cooper takin' it easy

Kaden, Ryan, and Macy eatin' ICEES

Sparklers!

Macy, Avery, Kaden, and Marianna

Macy

Avery and Kaden

Kaden and Mama watching fireworks

Mr. Men

2009-07-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

A few photos of Cooper taken by Josh during some recent baby-daddy bonding time... :)

Cooper is getting bigger (and heavier) every day. He can now sit on his own for a minute or two and is getting good at transitioning from a sitting position to a crawling one. He is particularly fond of chasing down the pack of baby wipes and any and all of Kaden's toys. For this reason, he needs to be watched very closely because everything goes right in his mouth. When Kaden and I are on the carpet reading, Cooper will inevitably try to grab the book and eat it, to which Kaden responds, "No, No, Cooper, No No" in a loving voice (and then proceeds to grab the book roughly out of Cooper's hand). Oh, so many lessons to be taught here. Sigh.

Cooper is also now eating solid foods (rice cereal, sweet potatoes, bananas, peas, and carrots so far). He seems to enjoy eating, which is not a surprise given his family! When I put him in his highchair, he almost reflexively opens his mouth and starts kicking his feet, even if I haven't started preparing the food yet. It's pretty cute. I do have to say that he's a much messier eater than his brother was, but we did start him on solids earlier than Kaden so I'm figuring he'll catch up :)

Kaden is doing pretty well too. He has attended one session of camp so far and will be going again this coming week. We've been keeping busy on the mornings he is out of camp with activities like Marbles Kids Museum, the splash playground/pool, the bookstore, and playdates with friends. In the afternoons, we have been playing in the sprinkler, making fruit smoothies (he LOVES doing this), conducting science experiments in the kitchen, and running obstacle courses throughout our living room. It's hard to keep him entertained because he is just one huge bundle of energy and is constantly talking and constantly in motion. I love him dearly but, my god, he is exhausting. I cannot wait until he and Cooper can play together and keep each other occupied (I'm sure this will also come with a fair share of "rivalry", but ya gotta take the bad with the good).

An Homage

2009-06-29T05:33:00.001-07:00

This one's for you, Dad... :)

Let the Good Times Roll

2009-06-18T18:05:00.001-07:00

After many weeks of anticipation, Cooper started crawling today. He is 5 months and 6 days old, and I am not sure if I should be happy about this development. Of course, I am thrilled that he is doing everything he is supposed to be doing and has enough curiosity to propel himself forward toward new and interesting things. However, I was kind of looking forward to that sweet period of time where he would just sit in one place for a while, looking content and cute, and I wouldn't have to worry about what he was going to bang his head on or which toy of Kaden's he would try to eat. In this house, with our boys, tis not to be. Let the vigilance begin and the furniture padding come out. :)

Cooper Jumping

2009-06-13T21:02:00.001-07:00

Two Mini Coopers

2009-06-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

Cooper on the Road and other happenings

2009-06-11T17:43:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we took a road trip up to Delaware and Maryland to introduce Cooper to Josh's extended family and to attend Josh's grandpa's 75th birthday celebration. It was our first car trip in a while and I prepared by purchasing lots of snacks and drinks, an I Spy Game, and a portable DVD player to keep Kaden occupied and happy for the 6-7 hr. time span (money well spent!). Kaden did great on the ride up and Cooper slept almost the entire time, save for when he was eating. Our first stop was at Josh's dad, Steve's, house, where we visited for a while and were treated to YUMMY strawberry shortcake made by Steve's wife, Donna. Kaden ran circles around their living room and backyard and Cooper enjoyed lots of tummy time. The following day was Josh's grandpa's party, and Cooper got to meet all of his cousins as well as a host of other family members. It was a very full day with lots of new people and he was such a trooper the entire time. I couldn't believe how happy and content he seemed surrounded by so much newness, noise, and activity! Kaden did well too but, being the slow-to-warm-up type, it took him a while to feel comfortable enough to jump in with both feet and start playing with his cousins. However, once he did start playing, there was no stopping him! He had particular fun playing with a drink cooler full of ice (picture kids being dunked and ice cubes flying all over the backyard). Josh's grandpa seemed to enjoy the day and we certainly all ate well! The next day we headed back to Raleigh, and while it was really nice to see everyone up North, it was great to come home to our own stuff and our own beds. The older I get (and the more kids I have), the more I just love to be surrounded by the comforts of home. I am a 100% bona fide homebody and I'm not ashamed to admit it!

One of the main reasons we returned home when we did, aside from the fact that Josh did need to go back to work eventually, was that Kaden's last day of preschool for the year was Tuesday and I definitely didn't want him to miss it. He had a wonderful first experience of school this year and I was kind of sad on Tuesday to know that it was coming to an end. The teachers did a countdown with the class over the last couple of weeks to help prepare them but I'm not sure how much Kaden actually understood. Then again, I tend to underestimate him a lot and he always surprises me. On the last day, he came out of class with a little book that his teacher had made for him with highlights of his year at school, including a picture from his first day, some small art projects, pictures of him doing various activities, and his height and weight at the beginning of school versus at the end. It really showed how much he's grown in the past year, both physically and developmentally. We hoped that school would help him develop confidence and overcome some of his shyness, and while he is still definitely shy in some situations, he has come out of his shell a lot. His teachers said that he transitioned from being a quiet observer to a talkative little fella (um, he doesn't shut up at home!) who frequently could be found rearranging the classroom furniture just to expend some of his energy! I am so glad that he enjoyed his time at school this year. He will be starting camp next week and I hope he enjoys it just as much.

In other news, Cooper turned 5 months old today and I can tell he is going to be as big a bundle of energy as his brother. He didn't beat Kaden's record for crawling (that would have been yesterday!), but he has been on his knees rocking back and forth for the past couple of weeks now and is raring to go. He also has been STARING at me as I eat lately and tried to grab a pretzel out of my hand a few days ago, so we are all set to give him rice cereal tomorrow. Will keep you posted on what transpires!

Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...enjoy!

Silly goofball

K pushing Cooper on one of our walks (WHAT was I thinking??)

Immersed in a movie en route to Delaware

The boys and Grandpa Steve
(minutes after Kaden spilled a glass of water all over himself)

Me and the boys

My little buddy...

Josh and his brother playing ball...
Are pigs flying where you are? :)

Cooper meeting his Great Grandpa

Cuddling with his Aunt Sharon

The Cousins

Back on home turf, cooling off with a smoothie popsicle

Enjoying the view during an evening walk

Team Kaden

2009-05-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

As many of you who have followed this blog know, Kaden was diagnosed last year with a severe peanut allergy. At the time, in my freaked-out state, I reached out for information and support by joining the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network, which is the major organization working to educate the public, raise funds, and conduct research toward finding a cure for food allergies (likely in the eventual form of a vaccine). Every month I receive a newsletter with the latest updates on legislation and research as well as a host of safe, nut-free recipes I can make for Kaden. It's nice to be part of a larger community of people coping with the same challenge.

Each year, in various cities across the country, the organization hosts a walk to raise awareness and funds. I am participating this year and have created "Team Kaden", which right now consists of just me and my mom (Josh would have joined us but he is doing his first full marathon the next day and needs that day to rest). The walk will take place at Bond Park in Cary, NC on November 7th and is just a brief 2 miles but has the potential to do so much good for kids like Kaden. If any local friends would like to join us on the walk, we would love to have a big ol' team (I'm thinking a hearty brunch afterwards!). If you aren't able to walk with us, perhaps you would consider supporting our efforts with a small contribution. I have set a fundraising goal of $250, so any amount you can give (even just $5 or $10) would be greatly appreciated! Here is a link to my personal fundraising page--you can donate here or give me your contribution directly, which I can then send in or bring to the walk. Thanks in advance for your support, and GO TEAM KADEN!!!

CLICK HERE to join or support Team Kaden!

Addendum, 1:45pm: Josh just found out his marathon is the following week, so he's walking too! YAY!

Happy Birthday, Papa!

2009-05-26T15:09:00.001-07:00

Today is my wonderful Dad's birthday. I wish I could have been in NY to celebrate with the family, but it was great to just hear his voice on the phone this morning. Love you, Dad! Hope you have a great year :) The boys send you big birthday kisses!

Down Home Comfort

2009-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

After 4 years...

we finally have some flowers!

Cuatro Meses

2009-05-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 4 months old on Monday! It's hard to believe he is one-third of a year old already. He had his doc appointment and weighed in at 15lbs. 8 oz. He is doing great and is at that really AWESOME stage of being super cute, smiley, and non-mobile :) I am trying to savor it because I know that soon he will be crawling and getting into Kaden's stuff, and I will no longer have even a chance of resting...EVER.

Cooper is a really sweet little guy and I am enjoying getting to know him. Kaden, on the other hand, is none-too-thrilled that Cooper is sticking around. I guess when your whole world gets turned upside down, it's understandable that you'd react. I'm trying to strike a balance between being supportive, attentive, and loving and laying down the law. Hoping it's a phase that passes quickly!

Here are a couple of videos of recent. The first one is of Cooper "yelling"--he's started making these guttural sounds lately when he's happy and it's SO LOUD. I like this video because in the midst of Cooper making his noises, Kaden comes over and you can see Cooper notice him and break out in a big smile, which is what he does every time he sees Kaden. It's really sweet and, of course, Kaden couldn't care less! (Please excuse the poor video quality). The second video is of Kaden and his preschool class singing at the Parents' Tea. There are only four kids in the class and they were all pretty cute and funny--they practiced songs for the big day and when the time came, not one of them would sing! The girls were civilized "up on stage" but Kaden picked his nose and his friend, Matthew, spit on his hands and washed his face with it. BOYS!

They're Baa-ack...

2009-05-07T19:03:00.001-07:00

Weekend Getaway

2009-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend Josh surprised me with an early Mother's Day gift--an overnight trip with the family to Wilmington, NC. The weekend started with a wonderful brunch on Saturday morning at the Flying Biscuit Cafe in Raleigh. They have the yummiest biscuits that they serve with apple cranberry butter (SO good) and a nice, casual atmosphere that reminds me of some of my favorite eateries back in Brooklyn. Then we headed to Wilmington and got to our hotel in the early afternoon. The hotel was right on the Cape Fear River and we were in walking distance to downtown and the River Walk. That evening we strolled through downtown, had dinner, and planned to turn in early since Josh and I were both pretty exhausted. Kaden had other ideas. I guess he was wired from the day and excited to be at a hotel because he had trouble staying in bed. Every 2 minutes we'd hear the shower turn on and he'd run giggling out of the bathroom. And every time Josh would put him back in bed and tell him to go to sleep. This went on for about 15-20 minutes before he finally stayed put. Cooper, on the other hand, fell right asleep at his normal bedtime and only woke once during the night to eat. Thank goodness for small favors! The next morning we had breakfast delivered to our door (I could really get used to this!) and then left for the NC Aquarium. Kaden seemed to like the aquarium better this time than when we went in NY, and even Cooper seemed somewhat interested in the big tanks of fish. We briefly stopped by the beach on the way out and, overall, just enjoyed being together. Thanks, Josh, for a really nice weekend (despite my nighttime freak-out--wink wink :). Here are some pictures from our visit:

"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself..." FDR

2009-04-24T06:55:00.000-07:00

The past couple of weeks have been pretty busy at the Redlus household with visits from out-of-town family as well as some exciting milestones. First, the boys' Grandma Pam came down to see us for a long weekend, and then Josh's sister, Sharon, and our nephew, Ethan, came during Ethan's spring break. It was great to see everyone and spend some time with them minus the craziness of the holidays! During this same time period, Cooper started sleeping through the night and Kaden started potty training! The former was bound to happen at some point, and while I knew intellectually that there was a light at the end of the "sleepless nights" tunnel (a benefit of having done this once before), when it actually came it felt great! I am a BIG fan of sleep, so to be getting some (mostly) uninterrupted shut-eye once again is really nice and makes me feel much more human. Cooper did a stretch last night from 8:45pm to 5:15am, and while my boobs were not so happy, I was! YAY Coop!

On the Kaden front, the potty training came about when his preschool was closed for Passover and we had lots of time--LOTS and LOTS of time--to fill. I figured that it would be as good a time as any to bite the bullet, strip the kid down to his birthday suit, and start the process. My Aunt Mona had gotten Kaden his first 2 packs of big boy undies and they were just sitting there eager to be worn. Needless to say, the anticipation was far worse than the actual training has been since Kaden was pretty ready. He has been doing amazingly well and we have already made successful trips to the playground, bookstore, and preschool without incident. Of course, there have been accidents when he's gotten distracted, but in general he is doing great and is officially diaper-free! A thank you to my friend, Celeste, for the idea of putting the potty in the back of the car for outings. It has made things much easier and Kaden thinks it's pretty cool to pee in the trunk.

In other news, we signed Kaden up for camp this summer, which will be great for him and me! He will be going to three week-long sessions which are spread out across the summer. Each week is theme-focused and meets M-F for a 1/2 day. I am so thankful that this came about because I did not know what I was going to do with him all summer in the NC heat. You can only go to the museum so many times before it starts to get old, and unless you have a pool, the heat can often get so intense that it's hard to be outdoors. I also figured it would keep Kaden connected to preschool and in a routine so that when he goes back in the fall it won't be such a shock.

Here is a random selection of pictures from the past couple of weeks for all of you photophiles (is that a word??) :)

Kaden: "I love my brother." Cooper: "Help!"

Our nephew, Ethan--he finally surpassed me in height this year!

Cooper with his Aunt Sharon

Cooper busy eating his rattle

Little old Jewish man on Passover...

or maybe a Frenchman on Bastille Day?

Kaden reading a "magazine" (Constructive Things catalog)

The boys at the Burt's Bees Earth Day celebration

Noah and Eliza in Downtown Raleigh

Eliza and Josh at Earth Day celebration

Kaden eating his FAVORITE snack--a fruit bar

A dog on a motorcycle (yes, the dog is wearing Aviator sunglasses and a helmet)

Bustin' a Gut

2009-04-14T19:23:00.000-07:00

Cooper and Grandma Pam

Great Weekend!

2009-04-06T10:43:00.000-07:00

This weekend was absolutely beautiful weather-wise and chock-full of activity. On Saturday morning our neighborhood had its annual Easter Egg Hunt and the unveiling of a new park. We took Kaden and Cooper over to the festivities, which also included an appearance by the Easter Bunny. I was not surprised when Kaden refused to pose for a picture with the bunny. The previous day he had made it explicitly clear to me that he had no intention of sitting for a picture (I think his exact words were "I don't like that bunny."). So, Cooper posed instead :) Kaden did take part in the egg hunt, however, and he seemed to enjoy it. It was a perfect morning and so nice to be outside soaking up the sunshine.

Yesterday, we took our first family trip to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro, which is about a 2-hr. drive away. It was again a gorgeous day and we were joined by our friends, the Hardings, who were so smart to bring a wagon that Kaden and Macy rode in throughout the zoo. Kaden had a blast seeing animals he had only ever read about in books, including giraffes, elephants, zebras, gorillas, chimps, and lions. We were there for a good 4 1/2 hours and only got to see the Africa section. We will have to make a return trip soon to see North America! The zoo was not too big, not too small and had lots of great photo opportunities. Josh brought the new camera and took upwards of 200 pictures. By the end of the day, the kids were beat and Kaden fell asleep literally 5 minutes after we got into the car to head home. I fell asleep shortly after! It was great to enjoy the zoo with friends, and I am looking forward to going back again to see the other animals.

In other news, the boys are doing great. Cooper is now laughing out loud and Kaden is finally starting to master his ABCs. He can sing the alphabet song start to finish and can identify many letters (when he's not tired or cranky). Oh, and he can apparently count backwards from 10 to 1, which was news to both me and Josh. Still don't know where he picked that one up. On the flip side, Kaden has been on a food strike of sorts for the past couple of weeks, often refusing dinner and not wanting to eat much at his other meals. For a kid who has been a great eater since birth, it is definitely unusual for him and I think it is partly related to him getting his last set of molars (fingers in the mouth constantly and even drool!) and also partly just his age. It's frustrating for me but I am trying to be patient. I started giving him vitamins and sneak in protein and veggies where I can (thank goodness for soups). I personally don't get the whole "not eating" thing, since I love food and seem to snack all day long! Potty training is the next big adventure. He's totally ready and able. I've just been very relaxed about the whole thing. I ask if he wants to go and if he says yes, he does. If he says no, I don't push the issue. He's started asking to go more and called down from bed tonight to tell me he needed to go pee pee on the potty. We're getting there, just very slooooowly.

Here is a selection of recent pictures of the boys, family, life...

Making cookies...

All his eggs in one basket

Baby chicks and a bunch of toddlers...oy...

Coop and the Bunny

Kaden and Macy at the zoo

Some giraffes...

and a big pachyderm...

The nature observer

Tyler and Cooper hanging out in the African Pavilion

The end of the day...doesn't this pic say it all??

My chubba bubba baby

2009-04-01T12:46:00.000-07:00

Goodbye, Rita Pita

2009-03-26T17:49:00.000-07:00

This week my family lost our beloved dog, Rita. At 12 1/2, she was an old lady. Yet, somehow, she always maintained an element of puppy-ness, even into her golden years, that made it hard to believe she would ever go. She was as sweet, gentle, and loving as any animal could be and always wanted to be where we were, especially my dad. She was beautiful and big--most people saw her 90 lb. frame and thought she was a boy. Perhaps most significantly, she was a real character. As heavy as our hearts are, and as deep a loss as it is, I like to remember her with a smile because she was a FUNNY girl. Here, a brief list of what made Rita RITA over the years:

humping my dad
doing ANYTHING for a cookie
sprinting from one side of the house to the other and jumping on the couch
play growling with Noah
licking Josh's feet
humping my dad
barking incessantly
helping my mom "clean" dishes
raising her hand when asked "Who's a good girl?"
humping my dad
eating garbage
shedding enough hair to knit several sweaters and a scarf
stealing my hair scrunchies
stealing gloves from workmen
humping my dad
not retrieving
not liking water
curling up with her head in our laps (until she was banned from the couch)
giving unconditional and pure love to all of us
oh, and did I mention humping my dad?

For all these reasons and more, we will miss her terribly. She was a blessing to us and there was never a better puppy. We love you, Reetz.

Boys Hanging Out

2009-03-25T18:55:00.001-07:00

Time flies...kind of...

2009-03-14T05:51:00.000-07:00

Cooper turned 2 months old on Thursday. Part of me can't believe it's been 8 weeks already! The other part of me says, "It's ONLY been 8 weeks??" Oh sleep, sweet sleep, where are you? Just kidding--Cooper has been pretty good to us and is starting to sleep a little longer at night. He's smiling and "talking" a lot more and is now able to push himself fully up on his arms while on his tummy to get a good look around. I think he's going to be a yenta like his big brother.

I took him for his 2-month well-baby check-up on the 12th, which unfortunately was also a sick visit of sorts since he has his first minor cold. He weighed in at 11lbs., 12 1/2 oz and measured somewhere between 21 1/2 and 22 inches long. What this essentially means is that he is right on target weight-wise but a little on the short side at this time. The doc said that his current length is not indicative of how tall he will be since he could very well have several growth spurts and catch up. I will hold out hope that since he LOOKS so much like Josh that he also inherited his tall genes rather than my pygmy ones. Coop got his first series of vaccinations, which he took like a total champ, and then spent most of yesterday sleeping.

Kaden continues to be a great big brother--every night he kisses and hugs Cooper goodnight and sometimes when Cooper cries, he goes over to him and asks if he is okay in a voice that is about 2 octaves higher than usual (this cracks me up since he is clearly emulating the way Josh and I talk to the baby in a higher pitched voice). Kaden is such a little person, with a sense of humor, a great comprehension of language, and such a fun personality. I look at Cooper, whose smiles alone are considered milestones right now, and I think what a difference 2 1/2 years makes.

Here is a collection of pictures from the past few weeks, since this is really what people want in these posts anyway!

The brothers

Macy and Kaden playing

Mom and a dozing Cooper

He loves to flail his arms and kick his legs when he's happy

Smiley boy

Josh and Eliza with cousins Rachel and Hylan

Clean baby

Kaden and Dad ready to play in the snow

Cooper hanging on in his sleep

Cooper and Nana

Birth Control

2009-03-01T09:01:00.000-08:00

Kaden and friends playing at Macy's house
(note Cooper's big ol' noggin at the bottom of the video)

Pleasant Cooper

2009-02-27T09:35:00.001-08:00

Amidst the screams of hunger and poopiness, Cooper does have his "quiet-alert" times during the day when he engages us and we can see minute glimpses of his personality starting to come through. Here is one of those times caught on video--I sound like a doofus but I think that just goes with the territory :)