First Smiles

Tadpole brightened my week by flashing me some gummy grins. The first came on Monday. I know he has been working on it for a few days, I could see it in his eyes. After filling his belly he looked at me and gave me a big grateful grin. I was flattered, but not wholly convinced that it was a purposeful smile until he flashed me 2 more. He has continued to pepper the week with smiles; even Pops has gotten some grins. I haven't been able to get one on film yet.

But I was grinning at the performance of this cute outfit he wore today. It is now my fav. I felt a warm puddle on my leg today during Sunday school. I was bummed because #1 he was wearing this fabulous outfit and #2 I didn't pack a back up outfit. I got to the Mother's room to discover a miracle, His outfit was spared... the pee had just run down his leg onto me! While I didn't particularly like having pee on my skirt, I was happy not to have dress him in one of the back up dresses that either S.K. or M.J. packed for their little princesses (they were both in the mother's room with well packed diaper bags). Thanks for offering your back-ups ladies! ... and thanks for the chat too!

Superkid Quotes of the Week

After hugging and kissing Superkid after he was released from a timeout, Superkid hugged and kissed me too and said, "Thanks Mama, ...and as he was walking away... I'm not even going to wipe your kiss off."

I was looking for my wallet to make an internet purchase. Superkid offered his wallet saying, "Here Mama, use my wallet. It has more money than yours."

Endless Summer... (I Hope!)

With 90°+ weather on Wednesday there was no way these Toads could be kept from the beach! Andie packed up Boo and met us to swing by "The Sev" to pick up some Pepsi and some Slurpees for the beach. This could very well be our last Hot (but not last) day at the beach, so we were going to do it right! Now if you have ever have gone to 7-11 with 2 toddlers and a new born you must be nuts or addicted to caffeine. I have not. I probably would be addicted to Coke Slurpees if I could convince my self that hauling 3 kids out of their car seats, into "The Sev", up to the sticky fountain (where Abz and Superkid immediately would start pawing at the cups, lids and straws), to the register (where all of those yummy candies are lined up at kid eye level), back into the car (AND car seats!) with 3 sticky wet Slurpees was worth it. And maybe I just want a Coke Slurpee because I can't have it...or won't put the effort to it. But with Andie there to stand between our cars in the parking lot with her watchful eye, the kids could remain tethered to their seats while I dashed into "The Sev" and get 4 Slurpees and a Pepsi for the beach. And even though I came out sticky, at least I wasn't left to pull a howling newborn from his seat while trying to reason with the toddler set why they should remain strapped in.

So off we went like a herd of turtles. When we got to the beach I was trying to unload kids and gear from the van while balancing my cell phone on my shoulder and give directions to a friend. That is when Superkid informed me his pants were wet. I naturally assumed they were soaked with urine (I later figured out after trying to sniff out a puddle that they were wet from his Slurpee) and freaked out because I knew he would freak out about being wet and make us all miserable. Somehow I got us all to the sidewalk without being hit by a car to realize I had locked my keys in the car! After a few desperate moments we realized Andie had AAA and we resumed our carefree day on the beach. But the true tragedy was I LOCKED MY SLURPEE IN THE VAN!!!!

But after a summer of sitting on the beach catching the fabulous aroma of the beachside seafood restaurant and wondering if they serve take-out, we salvaged the day by ordering some fish and chips!


We were also VERY happy to squeeze in a trip to the beach with P.J. (S.K.'s little baby girl!). When they got to the beach, Abz jumped up and down with joy and when she saw S.K. carrying a baby she said, "Yeah! (Tadpole)!" then she looked back at me remembering that we came with Tadpole and I was actually holding him. She confusidly said, "Two (Tadpoles)?". She is not used to A. K. being a big sister too!



We had a great day! I am SOOOO happy about how the day turned out, and I did end up getting a Slurpee. The next day I loaded Superkid and Abizella into to doublewide stroller and strapped Tadpole onto my chest and walked the half mile down to 7-11. When the kids started their usual poking and jabbing of eachother I threatened my usual, "Don't make me turn this stroller around!" All the time thinking, "Seriously!!!! Don't make me turn this stroller around, I NEED this Slurpee!" And I must have NEEDED it to push and carry 100 lbs. of kids 1 mile roundtrip for a Slurpee, but it WAS worth it!!!!

THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME!

Sometime during dinner Tuesday night Pops said, "You should take the night off. Why don't you go to Cold Stone all by yourself? (I'm thinking... "Sounds intriguing, but naaa"). Pops continued, "Better yet, give S.K. a call and go pick her up. You girls deserve a night out without kids." At first I thought, "Naaa, I don't want to bug S.K. she is still convalescing, I'll just hang out with the family." Then I thought, "WHY NOT!" And the more I thought about it I realized that we have been friends for over 6 years and never once just had a girls night out! What a waste! We have always had either the kids or the boys with us. So I got on the horn and called her out. What a woman, one and a half weeks after having a baby she agreed. We tanked the babies’ tummies up and headed for the mall. We were giddy as we crossed the threshold of the mall. So many possibilities and no obligatory trips to the pet store or the lollipop stand for the kids. We got all tingly as the plethora of possibilities washed over us liberated women. S.K. had a naughty smile as she smirked happily, "I feel like I am cheating on the kids!" The sad thing is, I probably would have never called her except she is moving to Texas in a few weeks so I thought we might as well live it up while we could. Shame on us! Seriously! So in the spirit of living it up, we bought Dark Chocolate Raspberry drinks from Ghirardelli. S.K. has been talking about them for years on countless trips to the mall, but we had never indulged. We weren't exactly wild and crazy gals... we actually shopped for kid clothes. But neither of us was in the mood to shop for ourselves in our post-partum states. So next time, and THERE WILL BE A NEXT TIME, we are going to be more self-indulgent. Although... if you have EVER had one of those chocolate drinks from Ghirardelli you are wondering how more self-indulgent you can be! ... Well! Stay Tuned!

Siblinghood

I think it is common to have some concern about how a brother or sister is going to effect older siblings. But 'lil Tadpole has been well received, at least in infancy (we'll see how popular he is once he can reach out and grab toys to slobber on). Superkid is very concerned about Tadpole's comfort. He is constantly aranging cozy places for Tadploe to sit... like the laundry basket lined with his favorite pillow. In the picture below, Superkid has set Tadpole up his little couch, inside a "sleeping bag" (pillow case), holding a silky.

Abizella, on the other hand, is more concerned with Tadpole's entertainment. She likes to get out her, "Tickle Spider" and tickle him (viewed as torture by Tadpole). She loves to talk to him in a way that only a 2 year old Big Sister can talk to her baby brother. It is clear that she is his superior and he is her cute little play thing.



Tadpole is a popular little guy. The kiddos LOVE it when he is awake and out to play. The vote around here is to keep him.

A Little Lovin' From the Oven

Abizella and I made Pop's a Sunday night treat. Abz is shown above doing a little quality patrol. I picked up this recipe from a friend that I worked with at Myriad. She brought these brownies into share one day. I melted when I tasted them and asked her which brand they were. She looked at me quizically. I said, "I always make Dunkin Hines, but I am ready to change brands!" This time she looked at me like I was a fool and told me she made them from scratch. I played it cool but I am ashamed to say that I had no idea that while I considered my cookies to be some of the best on the planet, that brownies (or cakes) could easily be made from scratch... and that someone I knew actually did it. That opened a whole wolrd of possibilites for me. But I have to be honest, in the end I am a Dunkin Hines mix girl.

Monica's Killer Brownies

Melt 1 cup chocolate chips with 1/2 cup of butter (90 sec. in microwave)
Add:
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
nuts

Bake for30 minutes in 8x8 pan.

Summer Dress Review

The VERY BEST Time of Year!

No I am not talking about Christmas. Not that I have anything against Christmas, but in my opinion SUMMER is a dream land. In fact my favorite day outside of the summer months is the Winter Solstice because it means every day gets lighter and summer is on the way. I have a theory that one's favorite time of year corresponds to their birthday, which at least holds true for me. But seriously, how can you compete with camping, swimming, going to the beach, kicking through the tide, watching the sun set (after dinner, not after lunch...seriously it gets dark here early in the winter)?

And then there are the favorite summer past times of my youth, boating, water skiing, hiking, motorcycling, basking on a red rock in the desert on a REALLY HOT day and oh ya... not going to school! I am passionate about summer. I think that is why I hold a grudge against Autumn. My sisters Mindurs and Cincha (October Birthdays) hate it when I say it, but it is the, "Death of Summer". I have recently come to find some redeeming graces for this time of year. Firstly, Superkid was born in October. Secondly, as much as I hate to admit it, Autumn in New England truly is spectacular. The best weather of the year is in Autumn. There is apple picking and when there is apple picking there is apple crisp! ...and I guess Halloween is fun. But that is only 3 good things. Summer's fun FAR outweighs Fall's.

As Summer is officially over today, I am tearfully posting some of my favorite summer pics. Although I am nowhere near ready to make a clean break with summer. As long as the weather holds you can find these toads kicking through the tide.





Nightly Walks...


Candy Land Towell!


Superkid Up to No Good...


Phrogbottoms at Frog Pond


Make Way For The Ducklings...

Grandma Knows Us Best!

Grandma Sandi is not only the most accomplished shopper I know (it is a competitive field with a cousin like Andie), but she truley has a gift for finding items that truely reflect our personalities. Incidentally Grandpa Bob's special gift is not only tolerating Grandma Sandi's shopping, but encouraging it. I actually think he gets more joy out of her finds than anyone! Here are some of our favs from her trip out here this week.

Superkid LOVES his new Spiderman jammies WITH WINGS!!! He has been running around in them shooting webs from his wrists since he got them. And Abizella's eyes fell out when she saw the pile of PURPLE clothes Grandma bought her!


My fav was this box of shoe-socks (that's right, socks that look like shoes!) she found for Tadpole. They came ina cute little box that looks like a locker room.

From his expression, I am not sure if he appreciates them yet... but they are crowd pleasers!!!


It was also Grandma who noted how comfortably Tadpole slept on Grandpa's tummy and suggested making a mold of his stomach to sell. It could be marketed as the revolutionary new baby sleeper.


Thank-you Grandma and Grandpa for all of the FABULOUS gifts!

Introducing The NEWEST Big Sister!!!

A.K. woke up this morning as an only child and went to bed tonight as a proud Big Sister! We got a call from D-Bob this afternoon around1:00 and Pops went and picked up little A.K. Abizella and Superkid were really excited to have A.K. come for a sleep over.
They jumped for joy on our bed....

Read the WHOLE box of books....

Entertained Tadpole during tummy time...

Took a bath and went to bed (or in Abizella's case went to "chair").

I am going to leave you in suspense about the newest George... as it is their good news to tell. But keep your eyes on the "Curious George's" link for the DL.

CONGRATULATIONS Georges! We LOVE you!!!!!..... and by the way, we are keeping A.K. She and Abizella make darling little twins!

Checking Out The New Tadpole

Grandpa Bob and Grandma Sandi are here to check out the newest Toad. So far they approve...at least of the youngest one. The older two have been in hyper-drive over the excitement of having adoring grandparents in town, and may have worn down their grandparents. I think they have played Candy Land and Baseball Memory with Abizella about 100 times. We did take the kiddos to the park to burn some energy off....but I think Grandma and Grandpa did most of the energy burning pushing the kids on the swings.



I for one am VERY happy to have them here! Instead of it being 3 kids on one me. I have some other adults to field the kids!

Tadpole's Baby Blessing

Pops gave our sweet little Tadpole his name and a blessing over Labor Day weekend. It was a fabulous event. Tadpole was perfect for the blessing. Pops said he had his eyes open during the blessing and didn't make a peep. So far he is a content little baby. We wish we could have shared the day with all of our friends and family, but we are greatful to have a sampling of some ofour favorites to enjoy the day with!


The Proud Big Brother and Big Sister

The Happy Family

"Labor" Day or "Labor" Week?

Pops explained to Superkid this morning that it was Labor Day, the day when we celebrate the end of summer by laboring. To which Superkid earnestly responded, "Maybe your son can labor with you today!" Now that is LOVE. Abizella and I looked at each other with a shared expression of, "Shouldn't we go to the beach or something?" But I knew it was unwise to thwart such enthusiasm to remedy a major eyesore in our home. So Pops emptied our living room and sealed it off from the rest of the house and attacked the water damage on the ceiling. What he was hoping would be a quick cheap patch of course has turned into an expensive week-long project. Pops slaved away all day long in the hot dusty sweat hole while the kids and I kicked back on our bed and watched videos. The best part is instead of me nagging to get the project done, Pops keeps apologizing for making such a mess. After sanding down and spackling the ceiling 2 times, it already looks better. Pops is thinking one more coat should do the trick. Fixing the ceiling was Pops’ idea, but I suggested repainting the living room and dining room while everything is ripped up, which is why it has turned into a much bigger, expensive project. He is amazing. He has taken our little run down house and made it into a comfy home in the last couple of years. When we resolve our “technical difficulties” I will post some pics.

Techinical Difficulites

We are experiencing techincal difficulties with posting photos... for an update on this weekend's adventures (Boston Common excursion and Tadpole's Baby Blessing) click on the Shoe Obsessed link on the side bar. ...Actually, I wish that I could afford to hire Andie to write all of my blogs as I enjoy her wit and humor so. But, until we win the lottery we will continue to hang out with her as much as possible and try to sneak in on her blog (and then claim "technical difficulties"). Enjoy! (THANK-YOU ANDIE!!!)