Quotable Kids

Here are some of the funny things the kids have said lately:

Aiden: 'I'm going to give Rory a giant bite of my ice cream"
Me: "Thank you for sharing with him"
Aiden: "I just want him to get a cold headache so he stops asking for it"


Aiden: "Today I asked my teacher what it means when a girl writes your initials on her knee in red sharpie marker, because that happened to me"
Me: "What did your teacher say?"
Aiden: "She just starting laughing and couldn't stop! Let me tell you I was NOT expecting that. I still don't know what it means!"

Me: "Rory, stop asking for more chicken when you have some on your plate"
Aiden: "I feel like he's just very concerned about protein"





Rory: "Fye Ahm! Fye ahm! FYE AHM!"

*Poor Rory normally speaks very clearly but sometimes struggles with his r's and l's, especially if he's upset. You can imagine then how panicked he was getting while trying to tell us that the fire alarm was beeping only to realize that no one understood him. It just needed a new battery but he was understandably freaking out.





Me: "Rory what do you want for a snack?"
Audrey: "Banana"
Me: "Rory, what do you want?"
Audrey: "Want this! Want banana. Want treat!"

*Girl knows how to use her words. We never have to guess what she wants, ever, for better or worse.

Weekend Recap: Field Day!

Friday was Field Day at Aiden's school which is always tons of fun. I had the chance to help out again this year which mostly meant chatting with friends, hanging out in the shade and occasionally supervising a simple tire rolling game. This was a big improvement over last year when I was stationed on the sidewalk, in the sun, and tasked with helping the kids pop water balloons with their bare feet. I really don't mind getting dirty and helping the kids but drying everyone's feet and retying their shoes a zillion times was less than enjoyable so I was very happy with the shady station this year.

On Saturday we spent the morning outside with the kids and that afternoon Aiden had the chance to go swimming, so we took the babies out for hot dogs and french fries at our favorite outdoor spot. We used to do this all the time but this was the first time we'd taken Audrey and Rory. They are excellent diet aids (whether you're dieting or not) because you can take about three bites before they're bored and ready to move on. We don't eat food like that very often so we thought they'd be thrilled but nope, not even hot dogs can make a meal last more than thirteen minutes.


Sunday we went to the playground at the elementary school and Aiden showed us all the games he plays at recess and where he and his classmates planted flowers. We are all beyond ready for the break but I think he's really going to miss it all summer. He spent the afternoon swimming for the second day in a row.

And now it's Tuesday and we are on day two (and hopefully the last day) of Aiden being sick. I don't know if it was a cold or just too much activity all weekend but he was exhausted yesterday and came home early from school. He finally seems well enough since he's going bonkers inside so I think tomorrow it'll be back to the grind. Only five days left!

A Box of Nuts

Finally figured out the time lapse feature on my
phone. Of course I only managed to capture the boys playing with America's #1 toy and going completely bonkers. So I set it to music, as one does, and instead of a shaky home movie I can call it art. Behold.

3 Things: Science and Oboes

 

The warm weather is back, and feeling slightly reminiscent of Charleston with this ridiculous humidity. The kids beg to go out and play and then rush back in before five minutes has passed because it's so gross outside. We've been spending a lot of time in the library instead, and I'm sure the librarian is just thrilled we're there so much. Anyway, here are some things we've been watching and reading this week:

Reading:    

 

 The Elements by Theodore Gray.  A fellow mom recommended this to me because her son also eats, sleeps and breathes science and it did not disappoint. This book covers the known elements, breaks down how the periodic table works, and has photographs of almost every element which is AMAZING. The text is very witty and not at all dry, so Aiden loves it and even I find it to be really interesting.

Watching: 

Bill Nye is on Netflix!!!! Yes, that deserved four exclamation points. We let Aiden watch it this weekend and, to no one's surprise, he loooved it. A match made in heaven. Or a science lab. Last night he informed me that the earth doesn't move in a circle but in an ellipse, and travels faster as it moves past the sun. On Monday Rory started shoving the table at breakfast and Aiden said "That feels like the tectonic plates rubbing against each other!" Thank you Bill Nye. Science rules.  

 

Sean and I watched the entire series of Grace and Frankie on Netflix. After watching the pilot I wasn't really interested but we watched the second episode and it was much better. It's about two women who learn that their husbands, who are business partners, have fallen in love and are leaving their forty year marriages for each other.  It has an amazing cast: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterstone.  It's a surprisingly funny and very honest look at how these two women navigate being single in their seventies and how the two men handle coming out as gay men. Heavy subject matter done brilliantly.

 

Listening: 

I've been listening to a lot of classical music this week. I tend to have it on in the background when I'm driving or making dinner since it's the only music that Rory likes. After months of listening to it on and off I still know very little about it or the composers but I'm feeling like I need to read about it now. 

Here's a lovely oboe concerto for you:

Look at that sassy oboe playing. Reminds me of Ron Burgundy and his jazz flute. Go get it Oboe Man.

Cute Chicks Here

I'm just wondering how many people will be disappointed by that title.


Aiden's first grade class has been taking care of a brood of chicks. They hatched over the weekend, except for one who came partway out of his shell and fell asleep for a day or so (that chick is Sean's spirit animal). By Monday they were all fully out in the world.

It has been so adorable to hear Aiden talk about all the important things they do to take care of the chicks: "They're not in an incubator, they're in a brooder now Mom! You must be careful not to move the table and scare them! They all run over to me when I visit them! They must think I'm they're dad!"

Guys, it's just SO CUTE. He told us all about having to clean and feed them and about helping the poor chick who trips and gets it's beak stuck in the wire floor all the time (that chick is my spirit animal). He has such a strong paternal instinct that he even gets annoyed with his classmates who don't take raising chicks seriously enough.

"We have to be careful because they are so small! They rely on us for their food and someone needs to be here even on the weekend! You can't take a weekend off because they are living creatures!"

It's like he's wise beyond his years. I love seeing this caring, sweet side of him.  He told me even got to name three of them.

"They're called Darth Vader, Car and Strawberry"

Yeah...he's definitely seven.

Poor Car over there on the left. We've all had those days.

Weekend Recap: We Survived Mother's Day

This weekend was jam packed with fun and excitement. Too much excitement. After what seemed like the longest week in the history of weeks, we were all ready to let loose. On Saturday we took all three kids for a long trek around the neighborhood to give Aiden a chance to get out on his bike. We spent the rest of the day relaxing (as much as one can with three kids) and ended up putting the littlest ones to bed early. My friend Kelyn came to stay with them and get Aiden in bed so that we could attend our neighbor's 40th birthday party. I was able to wear high heels, dangly earrings and enjoy two whole glasses of wine so that constitutes a smashing success.
Sunday was, of course, Mother's Day. All week Aiden has been fretting about getting the perfect gift for me which was adorable and so sweet.  Sean made me breakfast that morning and Aiden showed me the little gemstone tree he picked out for me and I read all 487 cards he drew. Very lovely.
I decided that Aiden and I should have some special mother-son bonding time. I spend so much of the day chasing the little ones that it can feel like he only gets a sliver of my attention some days. I decided to take him out for a hike on a local trail. This trail is meant to be more of a glorified walk in the woods than any kind of difficult trek. Despite it being 85 degrees and humid I insisted we wear pants because we have a huge deer tick population in the area and Lyme disease is something I'd prefer to avoid. I even used the real, chemical filled bug spray instead of the crunchy, essential oil stuff I usually put on the kids.
We started our hike and I noticed there were people everywhere, the trail was filled with moms, dads, toddlers and grandmas. It was nice to see everyone out and despite the amount of people it was still very calm and quiet. I did notice that we were the only people in pants. Apparently no one else cares about deer ticks like I do. We followed the trail up through the woods and along a stream and it was gorgeous and peaceful and I just knew Aiden and I were going to have a really special afternoon together, hopefully one we'd remember for awhile.
We had gone through what seemed like the entire trail loop (and a solid forty minutes of brisk hiking up and down slopes) when we came to a sign that pointed to the left AND right with the sign to the parking lot pointing off into nowhere. What the heck kind of Alice In Wonderland crap were they pulling? We headed left and kept going. By now no one else was around. All the babies and grandmas and guys with puppies were gone. Just us. It was sweltering and Aiden was convinced we were lost (we weren't lost, we were right on the trail, I just had no idea how to get OFF the trail). We were both sweating so profusely by then that our pants had become plastered to our legs so firmly it was almost hard to bend our knees.
 We were dripping with sweat, he was panicked, I was grumpy and for some inexplicable reason the farther down the trail we went, the faster we went so we were practically running through the forest sniping at each other when Aiden tripped and fell. He sat up and out from a pile of leaves slithered a snake. Boom, Aiden was up and booking it down the trail screaming bloody murder. I ran off after him trying to assure him it wasn't poisonous (it was all of about 10 inches long) and I when I caught up to him he was crying. Turns out he was over the fright from the snake and instead had a gnat in his eye. Then it started to thunder but OF COURSE.
We stood there panting, dripping with sweat, he was crying and convinced we were lost, about to be poisoned by snakes and devoured by flies.  Up the trail strolls my dentist and his family, all looking fresh as daisies. I stood there nearly drowning in my own sweat, trying to assure him Aiden was totally fine and it was just a fly, all while gasping for breath. Turns out we were on the right track and headed towards the parking lot.
We ran the rest of the way back to the car, despite part of it being up an incredibly steep slope. Needless to say, I don't think he'll ever forget this Mother's Day. We survived and he slept like a rock last night.
Despite my misguided attempts at bonding, it was a great day, and I was so happy to be surrounded by my amazing family. I am so lucky to have these kids, and I swear to never take them hiking again. 

The Books That Made A Reader

This week Aiden had to sit through various tests at school, some on math and some on reading. I knew he would have no problem on the math test but I was a little worried about the reading one. Up until this point, Aiden has been a reluctant reader. The joy and sheer love of reading that came naturally to me as a kid has not come as naturally to him. We have always read to him, and we've always encouraged him to read to himself but up until now it's been a challenge for him to tackle new books. That inherent challenge is what prevented him from seeing reading as a pleasure as opposed to seeing it as an assignment that required work.

He came home from school and I tentatively asked how it all went. He smiled and assured me it was fine, he felt like he knew it all and wasn't at all nervous. That was good to hear. His teacher sent home the sheet saying he had finished the required lists of words each first grader is expected to know. That was even better to hear. The best, however, was when we got to the library yesterday and instead of zooming towards the picture books and handing me a stack to read, he said "I'm going to go find some books to read by myself". It was like fireworks going off. Houston, we have a reader!

I don't know exactly what tipped him over the edge from reluctantly cracking open the nightly assigned reading to actually looking forward to finding his own special books to read,  but I do know we've put in a lot of work this year. He spent each evening trying his hardest and we did our best to find interesting books that were at his level. We finally found a few different choices of books that seemed to keep him engaged. These are the ones I'm buying extra copies of to give to Rory:

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

The first books he was really able to read himself were Dr. Seuss. These are a classic for a reason and something about ridiculous tongue twisters just clicks with kids. I won't lie, I think that letting him seeing Sean and I trip over some of the rhymes ourselves showed him that it's okay to make mistakes.

Frog and Toad 

 I actually hated these books as a kid, but Aiden really enjoys him. The dynamic between the two characters is really sweet and I find I like them much more now as an adult. The story where Toad loses his list is pretty much me in a nutshell. And who can't relate to this one:

 

Pete the Cat

I had no idea who Pete the Cat was until Aiden's teacher dressed up as Pete for Halloween. We found an easy reader series about him for Aiden's birthday. Turns out that Pete is a cool cat. He 's very laid back and manages his way out of all sorts of jams like having everyone tell you what to wear or everyone asking you to draw them pictures (basically, seven year old problems). Aiden loved his oddball friends and relatives and found them extremely funny.  

Non-Fiction

Aiden loves nonfiction. He would much rather  have us read him a description of how combustion engines work than a story about a magical creature. I don't think he's the only kid out there who has five jillion questions about the world and enjoys science. So why is it so hard to find easy to read books about nonfiction topics? We ended up stumbling across a whole series at the library (go libraries!). It's the Scholastic "Rookie" books, and there's a set on geography and animals that we've found so far. These seem to have made the most difference, since it's obviously going to be easier to get a kid to read when the subject matter is something they're actually interested in.

Knowing that Aiden has turned that corner and become a full fledged reader is so exciting. I can't wait to spend the summer finding more books to share with him. These are the books that we will look back  on and say "Remember when you learned to read? Can you believe there was a time when you couldn't do that?" For me, that book was Little Bear, and for him it's Pete, Frog and Toad and a whole world of science. 

 

Uh, nice try Buddy.

Quoatable Kids

Here are some of the gems that have come out of the kids mouths recently:

Aiden (Age 7)

Aiden: I went out to recess and I sat down on the "buddy bench" which is where you go when you're waiting for your friends, but I realized it was the time out bench! I told the teacher I didn't mean to go there and she just said "no one does".

Aiden: What are you reading?

Me: It's an article on Brazil, they're having an outbreak of a disease called Dengue Fever so they're spraying to kill the mosquitoes that carry it

Aiden: It doesn't seem safe for kids and people to spray that stuff. What about bats? They need bat houses in the city, bats eat like a zillion mosquitoes

Me: They have a water shortage so people keep water in open containers and the mosquitoes grow in there.

Aiden: They need to give out better containers with a lid and spout or something. And don't I always tell you and dad not to waste water? I'm gonna keep working on this. 

He's probably going to save the world some day.

 

Audrey (15 Months)

"Shoes"

Sean and I aren't quite certain that she's actually saying "shoes" but it sounds just like it. She says it all the time. Anytime she's playing or crawling around she's saying "shoes" over and over. She's like a mini Carrie Bradshaw.  

Rory (2)

Rory is obsessed with the book Freight Train by Donald Crews. It's the perfect length and has bright illustrations that fit perfectly with Rory's very tiny attention span. He has finally memorized it and will flip through the book "reading" it.

Weekend Recap: All the Friends!

A while ago we'd planned to have a few of Sean's college friends come stay for the weekend. Of course I totally forgot who exactly was coming and which weekend it was and went ahead and let Aiden have three play dates last Wednesday through Friday. This means there were anywhere from four to nine kids running around here. In addition to that, both Rory and Audrey have been in a fierce competition for who can cling to me the longest for the past two weeks. I actually went grocery shopping and pushed a cart while holding both of them (that's about 50 pounds of kid). I was very proud of my core and shoulder strength and also kind of dying inside because why must you both make me carry you! All of this to say that we headed into a very busy weekend with giant piles of laundry and a mostly empty fridge and a basement that, while usually pretty tidy, was totally torn apart.

And then all of our friends arrived to sleep in our basement that was in disarray, and eat food that didn't actually exist because whoops that was this weekend? Also, two out of our three showers were broken (one was my fault for putting off calling the plumber but the other was a stroke of bad luck) so one shower for 10 people is always exciting.  As someone who is normally very type A and on top of these things, my head was spinning and I was not feeling like a very good hostess.

Taking all of that into account, how did the weekend go? Wonderfully. Sean's friend Owen planned out all manner of activities and took everyone out to dinner so I could get a reprieve from cooking. They brought wine and chocolate (always, always greatly appreciated). They also spent plenty of time talking to the kids.

I always worry that three children running around will be off putting to people who don't spend a lot of time with kids but this weekend just proved why these guys (and ladies) are such good friends. Nobody minds when a child crawls into their lap to sit or hands them a pencil and paper and asks to draw with them. There was even a morning where everyone sat around eat cinnamon rolls and talking about viscosity and refraction with Aiden after he asked how a certain toy containing colored liquids worked. It's also kind of hilarious to see how much Aiden takes after Sean because what other kid would sit there and be happy to talk about density and buoyancy? Science all the time.

There was mini golfing and cave exploring for everyone and late night cards and wine for the grown ups. My best friend also happened to be in town so I was able to catch up with some of my friends. We can't wait for everyone to come back this summer and I pinky promise I will have more available showers and a full barbeque planned.

 

  

 The award for squintiest group picture goes to: Us!

 


 

Nurture and Nature: Gardening with Kids

I was never big on gardening in the past. I know a lot of people who really enjoy discussing various species of plants, the frost and rain forecast and what new plant to put in the garden, but that was never me. I didn't know much about planting (and still don't) but a few years ago Aiden asked to start a vegetable garden so we went ahead and bought some seeds. We dug up a section of an existing flowerbed (that was sorely ignored) and put in some beans, carrots and cucumbers. To my surprise we ended the summer with a garden full of vegetables, despite my haphazard care, and it was something we decided to do each year after. My own attention on the garden waxed and waned as I went through two pregnancies and cared for babies but Aiden still enjoyed it each year and my husband, Sean, soon developed an interest in keeping the garden going.

This interest grew exponentially this past winter when my husband made the decision to purchase some fruit trees to replace other trees we had taken down. It sounded wonderful to me, especially the part where he decided it would be a project for he and Aiden. 

Sean, Aiden and a friend spent last weekend digging holes, mixing compost and soil, planting and back filling, and now there are four new trees around here. Sean and Aiden have already been looking up natural fertilizers, how to protect the tiny trunks and different methods for pruning the growing branches.

  

What went from a plan to grow trees for fruit is starting to seem like a much larger lesson. Gardening is great to teach kids about caring for the earth, eating healthy, whole foods and spending time in nature, but the one word that is resonating as I watch my husband and son water and check each tree is nurture.  

Our society provides plenty of opportunities to teach girls how to nurture: we have baby dolls and kitchen sets galore and happily teach them to be little mommies. What about the boys? We have a kitchen set and baby dolls and while all three kids have played with them, his interest in those things has pretty much disappeared as he's gotten older. How do you keep helping boys to nurture, care and protect? Gardening has become the perfect example and a way to keep that discussion going.

 

He's outside sweating, dragging a heavy shovel and sinking into the soft, deep soil. It seems like your stereotypical "man's work". But he and Sean are also tenderly examining buds, figuring out where to make cuts that won't hurt but instead help it flourish. They're looking for a way to wrap guards around the base of each plant to keep them safe from hungry animals and errant lawn toys. Soon Aiden will see that after all the heavy digging and the careful pruning and watering we will have strong trees that give sweet apples in years to come. Aiden sees his daddy, a big strong man he thinks can do almost anything, showing him how to be gentle, how to carefully help something small and defenseless grow.

Out there in the garden, with dirty, callused hands and sore muscles, he's learning that anytime you put in hard work, gentleness and care, whether it be with a child, a partner or even a little sprig of a tree, something beautiful can grow. 

3 Things: What We're Watching/ Reading/ Listening To

Today has been one of those days where I wanted a do-over by about 9am.  Normally I am well aware of how trying toddlers can be, and I have reasonable expectations about  their behavior and how much I can realistically get done but no, not today.  So much whining, and clinging and just generally being contrary little humans all while I tried to pack way too much into the morning. I love them to bits but I am quite glad they are both sleeping soundly right now.

So instead of focusing on that, here's what we've been enjoying in our downtime:

Watching: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries. I put this show onto our list (or queue, or whatever they call it now) but we never got around to watching until recently. We picked it on a whim and it was best decision. I love everything about it from the fact that she's a strong, independent female lead to the gorgeous costumes to the fact that it's funny and clever and thrilling in one package. Highly recommend.

Reading:  We're just finishing up Inferno by Dan Brown.  We always wait for the illustrated edition because we're not cultured enough to recall all the locations and works of art he mentions off the top of our heads (and we've never heard of half of them either....so there's that too). It's typical Dan Brown: death/art/high speed chase etc. It's good, but not my favorite, and there are some annoying side characters that just distract from the plot. Also, it's about the potential for a deadly pandemic which is one of my biggest fears. Pandemics and bio-terrorism = nightmares for days.

We are reading The Book of Basic Machines: The U.S. Navy Training Manual to Aiden.  He just finished a unit on simple machines in school and loved it (son of a mechanical engineer so no surprise there). This book covers basic physics and mechanics and has lots of examples of real machines. I realize it seems bizarre to be reading a Navy training manual on physics to a seven year old but he loves it and it's surprisingly easy to understand.

Listening: "Lifted Up (1985)" by Passion Pit. Sean has been playing/humming/singing/tapping this song for two weeks now. It's really catchy, happy and downright hopeful, not to mention it reminds me of my brother who was born in 1985. I agree with the chorus, it was a good year. Although, wow, this video has a seizure warning on it and it's definitely a little flashy.




Tonight I think I'll forget about making that healthy chicken dish and we can do pizza instead.  Maybe we'll have a Passion Pit dance party in the kitchen, even toddlers love to dance.

A Day in The Life

I know you're probably not curious how a typical day around here looks, but don't worry, I'm going to go ahead and tell you anyway. Okay, it's really just for me to record how crazy our days are right now and to remember in the future exactly how we managed to do it all. 

The Cast:
Sean: the dad
June: the mom
Aiden: 7
Rory: 2.5
Audrey: 14 months 
Bo:the dog

6:15 am:  My alarm goes off. Today will be a good day. Today I will be my best self.

6:30 am: I'm still laying in bed reading emails, checking Instagram and the New York Times app. Audrey starts fussing and I gently nudge Sean awake with my foot and he goes in to comfort her and lay her back down. Okay...today I will be at least a good version of myself. A halfway decent version.

6:40 am: I wash  my face, put on sunscreen and gather up Aiden's toothbrush and comb. I head downstairs (quietly, for the love of Pete the babies are sleeping) and make Aiden's breakfast and pack his lunch before dragging him out of bed (quietly though. Do not wake up those babies OR ELSE).

6:50-7:20 am: Imagine me saying "Please get dressed," "Please finish your breakfast", "Please put your coat on" about 5,000 times. Finally he's made it onto the bus. Whew. I take four sips of hot coffee and never get the chance to finish because-

7:30 am: Apparently Audrey never quite made it back to sleep earlier and now she is VERY PEEVED. So much for all my shushing and tiptoeing. I put on makeup and attempt to straighten my hair a little too quickly and burn my ear. Dammit. I bet that never happens to Beyonce.

7:40 am: Chaos Ensues: Sean jumps up to help me, Rory is up and mostly dressed, Audrey is up, Rory is slamming doors just...because, Audrey can't decide who should get her dressed and is very vocal about her indecision, Bo is permanently underfoot.

This picture is the very essence of Rory

8am: Rory wants cheerios, eggs, bananas, yogurt, grapes, crackers, cheese, applesauce and m&m's for breakfast. Audrey wants none of these. Sean speed drinks his coffee and gets out the door.

9am: Everyone is done with breakfast and more or less cleaned up. Time to run to the bank and Target.

9:10: Chaos Ensues, Part 2: Coats are on. Coats are off. Shoes are on. One shoe is on. One shoe is now in the washing machine. My purse is now upside down, goodbye forever pens and lipgloss, enjoy your new life under the washer. COATS ARE ON GO GO GO. Audrey doesn't need shoes anyway.

9:20: I have pulled up too far away from the bank window and am hanging out the driver's side of my SUV looking both intelligent and classy. Short arms are no joke. I am sorry bank teller lady, just crumple up the receipt and throw it at me please.

9:30: We're at Target. Audrey is looking like a sweet little doll riding in the cart. Rory wants to ride in the back. No he wants to walk. No he wants me to carry him. No Rory, YOU WALK. I power shop, forgetting items left and right, while Rory sort of drags himself along while holding my arm. Note to self: find a chiropractor.

9:50: Rory is looking like a sweet doll standing angelically next to me as I checkout. Audrey  looks like a gremlin as she tells the local population how very done with shopping she is. Don't worry Audrey, everyone within 50 feet now feels very done with shopping.

10-11am: They play while I unload the groceries, dust and pay some bills online. Rory insists on changing his shirt because he found one with a submarine. Then he changes back because this one also has a scratchy tag. I join in and play. Play = everyone try and sit on mom/make mom carry you. So fun. Much exercise. Am hoping this is all somehow educational, try repeating colors with Rory and doing our alphabet, he just stares at me. Okay.

 

 

11: Both Audrey and Rory are done and want lunch. Right. Now. Still have not mastered the ability to magically make food appear so I run around the kitchen preparing fruit, cheese, sandwiches and milk while they take turns whining. So much cooperation and teamwork when it comes to harassing their mother.

  

12: Nap time. The angels descend from heaven sounding trumpets and singing praise as I put Audrey and then Rory down for a nap. I eat some leftover salad (salad = something containing a lot of dressing and strips of tortilla and at least four pieces of kale) and drink some green tea with lemon. Green tea is good for you and I'm hoping it will magically make me calm, collected, healthy,  focused, bulletproof and all knowing. I read on the internet tat it can do these things.

 

Nap time!

12:30-2:30: I should exercise. No, never going to happen today, but my gosh that was funny. Self, you and your jokes. I finish cleaning up the kitchen, dust and clean the bathroom and spend a half hour reading various blogs before I remember that a) Aiden will be home any minute. b) I was supposed to make a vet appointment and call the pediatrician. Magic green tea isn't working at all.

2:30-3:30: Greet my biggest as he gets off the bus. School was totally whatever and he doesn't remember anything he did all day. He obviously needs some green tea too. We chat about recess, he snacks on his leftover grapes from lunch and he does his spelling and Spanish homework (does homework = much cajoling, gentle encouraging, heavy sighing and high-fiving from me as he works through it). During this time I'm about 88% certain Rory is up, but he's happy upstairs in bed so I leave him for now.

 

3:30-4:30: Everyone is awake and I have greatly overestimated my own abilities and decided to take the kids to the park before dinner. Audrey wants to somehow be both in and out of the stroller, in my arms and on the play equipment all at the same time. Trying to explain physics to her. Have totally lost track of the two boys, oh wait, there they are. Good gosh they are amazing when they play together.

  

Dude bros at the park

5pm: We are back home and Sean is too. I am regretting the park already as everyone is very wound up and dinner is running late. Have seriously got to learn to make food magically appear. Eat ziti and salad at lightening speed so that I can get Aiden to Spanish class. Suffer major heartburn, everything tastes like Italian sausage and regret.

 Confused face. Why so many pictures, wife? No paparazzi please.

5:20: Out the door and dropping Aiden at Spanish class while Sean stays home with the babies (he probably manages to clean most of the kitchen, wrestle with the kids and play them a sonata on the piano during this time because he is a superhero. Not even joking about the piano part. Dude is handsome and accomplished). I enjoy the Spanish teacher's lovely living room and make awkward conversation with fellow parent.

6:30: On our way home from Spanish. Aiden tells me about Papa (daddy) versus papa (potato) and he cracks himself up calling Sean a potato in Spanish. I love this kid so much.

7pm: Chaos Ensues, Part 3: We run around getting out pajamas, finding towels and filling humidifiers. Sean gets the boys bathed while I change and rock Audrey and put her down to sleep. The boys both take a sweet forever to get changed and brush teeth, and then they're wrestling, someone is touching someone else's books, where is Rory? EVERYONE TO YOUR ROOMS.

8: Sean has read Rory 672 books about trains, I smooch Rory goodnight, and his lights are out. Aiden has read me book about snakes, I read him some poems, much smooching and hugging and the lights are out.

8:05: I do the obligatory face plant onto our bed. Sean prefers a sort of side hop onto the bed. We lay there for three whole minutes before I go shower/we clean the rest of the kitchen/make Aiden's lunch for tomorrow/he takes out the garbage.

9m: We watch some Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and discuss how sassy and amazing she is. We like to yell at her when she is in danger, why does she always go towards the creepy, mysterious noises? We obviously need to tone down the crazy.

10pm: We decide we'd better head to bed. This involves me flossing, getting distracted by a magazine, brushing my teeth, looking for my favorite bracelet, taking my coffee mug from this morning back downstairs, watching aYoutube video on gardening with Sean. Very important stuff, obviously worth an hour of my time. Yikes.

11pm: Forgo reading because it's quite late. Really must go to sleep. End up discussing the drought out west, whether Vladimir Putin is genius/insane or both, watch a Youtube video of him singing "Blueberry Hill", reserve judgement on him for now, discuss which Avenger each of our kids would be (Captain America, Thor, Black Widow obvi).  No seriously we need to go to sleep. Just one more kiss.

End

*Sean normally works way longer days than this, so this was a treat to have him leave so late and be home so early. Not typical at all.
*I am exhausted just rereading this. Time for coffee.

Easter and Spring Break

Not only is today Monday, it is the first day back to school for Aiden after a week of spring break. That's not just a Monday but a mega ultra super Monday. A 2+ cups of coffee Monday.
 
I always get a few heart palpitations right before long stretches of school break because: THREE KIDS, and yet this past week was surprisingly relaxing and truly fun (minus a rough start). Aiden was so sweet and helpful all week, it's amazing what sleeping in late and having free time can do for a kid (or an adult!).

On good Friday we did some shopping as all of the kids were in need of some summer clothes (and we got some Fall clothes off the clearance rack, score). Audrey, the only child of mine who refuses to sleep in the car, was amazing and there were no tears which was wonderful.

We did notice that she was starting to come down with a cold and by Saturday and Easter Sunday she was in the throes of a nasty head and chest cold. This seems to be the way it always happens: Thursday they seem a little off, Friday they're just starting to get sick and Saturday it's the plague and the pediatrician is closed. Every. Time.

On Easter the kids found their Easter baskets (filled with organic, no sugar cheese crackers and organic fruit snacks because the Easter bunny didn't want to deal with kids going bonkers) and some sidewalk chalk and bubbles. The Easter bunny was easily thwarted however by a very generous Grandpa, Grandma and Aunt and the kids each had another basket filled with delicious chocolates and treats. Lucky kids.

Aiden was shortchanged on the weather as it rained for the better part of the week (and will be gorgeous, warm and sunny this week. Such if life). We still made it to the library and the science museum and we able to spend some time outside if the brief moments of good weather. Aiden got to see his aunt Addie and the kids were all able to play about 5,000 rounds of hide-and-seek so spring break was a success. I think I've figured out that for this stage in life having a few plans and lot of free time works best.

To wrap it all up, this weekend was beautiful. Accidental sunburn because you haven't spent so much time outside since October beautiful.  Sean was able to get some trees planted, the kids were able to drag every toy out of the garage and leave them all over the lawn and I got some much needed vitamin D and now feel ready to take on the last two months of the school year. A win for all.

Now let me share some very blurry photos of moving children with you: