More of a Big Kid than a Baby

Looks like Mr. Tadpole has won favor in the sight of his older sister...

For the most part he is up for whatever play episode Abz and Superkid are immersed. I came home Saturday to find a house full of cats! CATS! (I HATE CATS!) They were all on all fours crawling around meowing and purring. (ICK!) My heart was softened when Superkid reassured me that they were the type of cats that don't make me sneeze (and cough, itch and wheeze). Besides, who could resist these little kitties? 


Oh... and if you hadn't heard, Tadpole is something of a wheel enthusiast. He lays for hours on the floor each day with his face level to the floor watching the wheels of his cars roll back and forth back and forth. He also likes to point out wheels wherever he sees them (by blowing raspberries to make a car sound), and of course will not be satisfied until I get as excited to see a wheel as he is. He has found wheels in such places as the racks at TJ max, the vacuum, shopping carts, and every single bike, scooter, motorcycle and car on the road.

He is growing up so fast that before I know it he'll be stealing my shoes...

But for now, I am just going to enjoy every single time that he chooses my lap to crash.

Sure nice to be us...

Sometimes I wonder if you have to suffer through a L-O-N-G New England winter to love it this much...

Happy Mother's Day to ME and to Mr. Mom too!

My former boss has called me out of retirement to cover for a colleague who is on maternity leave. So this year I shared my big Mother's day celebration with Pops who has stepped up to the bat twice a week to be Mr. Mom . The kids LOVE it... even though I am sure they spend long expanses of time pining at the door for me... 

Oh! Here I am now... walking home from the train...

All week long the little Toads ask, "Mom, is Daddy going to stay home with us tomorrow?" And of course if I say yes there is a peel of cheering through the house. He cooks, he cleans, he does home repair projects, and he teaches the kids to read and do math, and of course he is SUPER fun to play Legos, unicorns and cars with. He is simply the best. He loves staying home with the kiddos... Although, when Sunday night rolls around and after a weekend of household neglect, we kick our way through the mountain of laundry and heaps of dishes as we head off to bed he likes to comment, "I'm glad I am not Monday Morning Mom".

Serving Size

I remember in high school, when I first discovered Ben and Jerry's ice cream, I was horrified to find that the serving size on that itsy bitsy container was 4! We ALL know that little container is obviously meant to be consumed by one person. Otherwise it wouldn't easily fit into my hungry little mitt. I consumed many a container solo until Pops and I got married and I resigned myself to half a pint. 

I knew Superkid would be a huge fan of Ben and Jerry's Double fudge brownie in utero. In fact, I am sure it was after polishing off a pint that Superkid tied his umbilical cord into a knot. That kid was doing some major acrobatics. I am pretty sure B and J's was technically his "first food", slipped to him by his father. It wasn't long before he was a major consumer of my pint.

At some point after Abz came along and there were 4 spoons diving into that bitsy container, I sat back (undoubtedly sucking back a huge chunk of brownie) and marveled that those two chubby guys on the label REALLY would share a pint of ice cream with 3 other people.

Guess what folks, with Tadpole on the scene we are going to have to upgrade to a 2nd pint. This kid comes by his love for fine ice cream honestly!

Super Messy Girl

One thing about our Abizella is that she LOVES a good mess. Always has. Little did we know until recently that a good mess wasn't just her passion in life, but also her secret identity. She revealed herself to the world last month as (in her own words) "Super Messy Girl!". Besides her incomprehensible ability to make a good mess, she also has super-human tolerance to the cold. Trust me, this pic was taken in MARCH in Massachusetts. You know what I mean if you've been to these parts. 

Looking back, being the crack reporter I am, I should have been able to put the pieces together. Here she is in February playing barefoot in the barely thawed out mud in the garden box.

The Big Boy Bed Chapter 2

Don't let that satisfied grin fool you...

The truth of the matter is now that Tadpole can freely remove himself from his mini bed and relocate to our deluxe, stretch-himself-out-and-kick-kick-kick-his-way-to-comfort bed... 

...he has clearly staked his claim.

Trouble is, neither of us knows when or how he gets there. We just consider the last one to realize (and thus spend the rest of the night with his feet in your ribs) the big looser. Here's me happily slumbering ALONE on the couch.
Okay, so maybe we never had control of the situation in the first place. I'm sure you noticed that Tadpole wasn't the only bed hog in the picture. Clearly the kids feel very comfortable here.

Back In Our Element

With the arrival of 80° weather this weekend, we couldn't be held back any longer. Abizella ran straight to the mini tide pools to jump and stomp and roll around...

Superkid, the billy goat, picked up right where he left off last year on his rocks...

And Tadpole stood back and surveyed the scene... pondering whose footsteps he should follow, or if he should break out on his own. He tried a little of the rocks and a little of the puddles. 

Be warned, all future beach companions, the all time favorite activity for all Toads was sand flinging.

I can't imagine why the kids thought that a face full of sand was so funny. 

We can't start the year off with this kind of precedence. Going forward, the standard punishment for all offenders is a swift spanking!