Happy Easter Everyone!

Kids are Healthy

So today, in order to escape from the pediatricians practice that I feel is kind of assembly line-ish, we saw a different doctor recommended by a couple of friends. Ironically, this doctor is tentatively merging with the assembly line practice, but I am hopeful that he will keep his small practice style. I tried to get information from him, but he had little to give.
What is important though is that the kids are healthy. This was just their annual well check visit, and so after a few routine probes they were pronounced healthy. James has a little fluid behind his eardrum, usually as a result of a cold or allergy, and it usually takes care of itself. If not, James will tell us, and we can get it taken care of right away.
The only other information I have to give is that they are right in the middle of the scale, both kids, on height and weight both, right around the 50th percentile. Ava weighs 46 pounds and is 45 inches tall, and James weighs 32 pounds and is 38 inches tall.
Of course we are grateful for these healthy chickens, and grateful for a great new doctor as well!

My New Favorite Blog

After Jen's, of course; see for yourself. Imbibe in teh cutefest.
http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/

James Class Birthday Celebration

Monday, March 7th. The beginning of the school week. The evening before I was up late preparing cupcakes. They were from the box, but James requested orange icing, and as the only icing I had in the house (premixed anyway) was pink, I put a bit of effort into making the pink turn orange. My friend L had lent me her mini cupcake pan, so instead of one big cupcake, the kids would each get two small ones. Much closer to their size. And another pan of regular sized ones came out of the batch too. So we're clear on the set up- up late Sunday, making mini cupcakes and creating orange frosting from pink. Which is more difficult than it sounds. Come Monday, I have James' library books together in his bookbag, along with some other papers in his school bag, and his "Star Student of the Week" decorated posterboard showing some things about our magnificent star boy. We take Ava to school, and as I had spaced the whole plates/napkins/cups scenario, we stopped at the grocery on our way home to get our things and head back for his day at school. We get everything together, and head (almost unsuccessfully as now he wants to stay home) out the door. It takes us several minutes to make the long trek from the house to the garage (what, 30 feet?) and now I am getting stressed as our dear boy is refusing to move into the garage. I place the cupcakes on top of the car, throw the bag of dinnerware and my purse into the car, and go get him and place his sweet limp body into his carseat. (Going limp is his latest form of protest.) I get him buckled in, look at my watch and climb into the car. I get him to calm down, and we agree that we are going to school now and we are going to have a great time. I get out of the garage, turn out of the alley and on to Curdes. Waiting for traffic on Anthony, I finally get an opportunity to turn right. Mere seconds after I get onto Anthony, I hear a terrible sound. I am scared to pieces. I look into my rearview mirror terrified of what I might see there. Do you know what it is? Go back into the story if you don't. I didn't put the cupcakes into the car-the tupperwear is bouncing down the road and there is orange covering the pavement. I immediately burst into tears- maybe from relief I didn't kill anyone/thing, but maybe because all my toiling is now splattered onto Anthony Blvd. I whipped around the block to collect the tupperwear, and threw it into the back of the wagon. I calmed myself down before telling James that we would be having a DIFFERENT snack at school today- did he want donuts or cupcakes? He called cupcakes, so after dropping him off I ran over to Meijer to pick some up. There was no orange frosting, but there was ONE package of a dozen smaller cupcakes (green for St. Patrick's Day so fun!) on the shelf which I grabbed quickly, paid for, and headed back to school. James was none the wiser. We had a great day at school, I got to see what a good job he does, and what a good listener he is. It was a full, busy day that included the first time in the year they got to go outside and play at their playground. He had a blast, and the cupcakes were for me a memory. There wasn't even any orange frosting on Anthony Blvd by the time we picked up Ava and got home!

James Third Birthday

We celebrated twice for James, once at home, and once at school where he was the "Star Student of the Week". We had a lovely cake at home which we shared with our dear friends and newest neighbors. We had presents later, all of which were a hit. Mostly it was Matchbox stuff, but he was so into it, he didn't mind a little lack of variety. Some new clothes were obtained, including his new favorites, a dinosaur tshirt and some Hulk pajamas. And some new rain boots for splashing in spring puddles. Here's the one who is constantly reminding me he is a "Big Boy!", our little three year old.

Ava's Sixth (!!!) Birthday!

We celebrated the sixth anniversary of Miss Ava Pauline's birth on Tuesday evening with presents and cupcakes topped with lavender frosting. She could hardly wait to open all her presents! Her favorites came from Arizona, especially the Barbie and the Diamond Castle dvd which premiered last night when she had her friend Kara come and spend the night. We cannot believe how amazing a little person she is (really, we can, but...) and we could not be more proud of her. She immediately asked to wear her bathing suit and cover up, and although we told her no, she was very patient and opened the rest of her gifts. PJ even noted that this is the first year she is reading her own cards! We got her her first chapter book, about a girl her age. Its a series, and the main charachter I believe is in first grade. We will get that book from the library over the summer, but in the meantime I think Ava likes reading about this little girl. It was a very successful birthday with hula hoops and clothes and a singing Care Bear and entertainment and swimgear. And a good time was had by all.

Early Spring

We have decided that spring has sprung earlier this year than it did last. Never mind that we have snow in the forecast for this evening, and a roaring fire in the fireplace (at James' request, wha??) right now. As March is still happening, I would say that we have gotten a bunch of yard work done and a bunch of outside playtime done already this year, which is an improvement over 2008. One thing we have learned this year is that the boy spends most of his indoor time YEARNING to be outside. When it is cloudy and 50 and windy, he will get in my face, point out the window, and declare, "But MOM, it's NICE outside!" when I balk at going anywhere besides my comfy chair.
With the retention pond (soon to be rain garden) posing such a big temptation (I watch them out the kitchen window throwing dirt globs into the big hole) I don't like them out there by themselves, but they have been good kids and learned that if they don't stay away from the hole they are coming inside and mom means BUSINESS. Anyway, long story short, we have enjoyed quite a few lovely days playing outside. Fred loves this too, as the kids will occasionally find a stick for him to chew. We've been keeping an eye out for Mama Cardinal who built a nest in the tall bushy thing up against the back of the house (outside our room). We were afraid she would abandon it once we got out there but PJ said he peeked into the nest the other day and saw a red tail feather- she was in there with her eggs. Needless to say we are keeping an eye out for her, staying the heck away and making sure others do too, and watching for Daddy Cardinal who sometimes keeps watch from the pear tree nearby. Ahh, nature.

Super Big Responsible Girl

In an effort to teach Ava about responsibility, we got her a "Chore Chart". It's a magnetized board with different tasks, and for each day of the week that you complete the task you get a marker, and if you complete the task all week, there's kind of a "good job" type magnet that goes at the end. We don't use that one, but we do use the chart to help her learn about chores and allowance. For each day she completes all her chores, she gets a certain amount of money. We make sure the chores are things she either does anyway (gets dressed, brushes teeth) or things that we want to become habit (feed the kitty, make her bed). There are a few others, but nothing that makes her day difficult to complete. And for the first time EVER last week, she completed EVERY task EACH day out of the week for our first time ever complete chore chart! We were so proud of her, and made sure that she was proud of herself and recognized her accomplishment. I think later this year we may add another chore, once she is on track with a complete board more often. She is growing up much too fast!

Daily Awesomeness

Childrens tales with awesome music AND a Volkswagen? Doesn't get any better.
Will blog VERY soon, (I promise!) with photos and everything!


Slagsmålsklubben - Sponsored by destiny from Tomas Nilsson on Vimeo.

Angela is a Total Slacker

At least in the blogging dept. I do have a few things to catch up with-James' birthday, his school party and funny story re: orange frosting, and a bit of general cuteness. Things are plugging along here- weather has been unseasonably nice around here so we've been out more than usual, at least that's what I am going to use as my excuse for not blogging. In the meantime, here's something to put a smile on your puss. Pause the muzak, for this has it's own appropriate soundtrack.

St. Peter's Father Daughter Dance

There was a special occasion last Saturday, and Ava and Daddy dressed to impress. The annual Father Daughter Dance was looked forward to by our girl for what seemed like forever. We were happy to find a dress at Kohl's (especially happy as I had seemed to look everywhere else) and even some accessories. Daddy was instructed to wear his tuxedo, and when it was determined he didn't own one, a jacket and tie was agreed upon as acceptable attire. They had a good time, and they even danced a little bit. Hawaiian Punch was spilled upon the dress as well as chocolate, but thank goodness for OxyClean. I really heart OxyClean!

We Have A Winner!

After a lengthy conversation with a friend over coffee yesterday, and another lengthy phone conversation with another friend the day before, I found myself realizing what PJ had known and tried to tell me: The school that I really thought would be best for Ava was not. It was best for ChildX, one who is average, maybe a little above average academically, but socially and psychologically like all others. Ava, dear friends, is not like all others. The girl is a beautiful butterfly, and if I made that choice it would be like keeping her in a net. She could fly just a little, but not very much, and not to her fullest capabilities. Not to see her fullest potential. So we have decided. The arts school is a match. It is a magnet school, so really making this choice is only the first step. The next step is to turn in the application and pray she gets in. I know in my heart of hearts she will thrive there. It won't always be great, and there will be some issues along the way, but that is realistic. In any school there will be issues. We both feel that this school will help Ava to grow into the person she is feeling good about who she is, and she will learn more and learn better because of it. As I type this I feel so happy. Yesterday when I realized it I felt relief. But now, it's so much beyond that. It's excitement at feeling good about the road we are about to travel with our special special girl. One I hope she finds as enriching and wonderful as possible. One friend who has spent some time with Ava suggested we take her to check it out. She noted how intuitive Ava is, and that she would be able to see what was going on and get a feel for it, and let us know how she feels about it. As one of the options is to turn in the application at any school, I am going to call tomorrow morning and see what day we can come down to turn it in and she can look around.
The applications are due this coming Friday. If they receive more applications than spots available, the rest go into the lottery. A waiting list. Please hope we are in. I am not a patient woman.

The Trifecta of My Daily Happiness

Pet Shop Boys, Lady GaGa (who else could stand in for Dusty???), and Brandon Flowers...Not for everyone, but definitely for me! Enjoy...

School Choice

We toured both magnet schools we are looking at for Ava. Both were wonderful. The first one seems stronger academically, with arts accents. The second one seems stronger artistically (the kids learn through the arts, and there was a Dada installation the kids produced in the school gallery!) but not necessarily as focused on the academics. This, at least, is my impression. My inclination is to have her at the first school, and supplement with outside things like piano, or as a friend suggested maybe a stringed instrument as she would be part of a group. But I see her differences and see her doing well at the arts school too. A student we know who attends this school is incredibly smart and he is not being held back. I am not sure. PJ and I will have to talk about it, it's just a matter of making time. Time is short, too, as he will be leaving for a work trip to Indianapolis for a few days first thing Monday morning, and we will want to turn in the applications before we land right on the deadline of the 27th. Truly, I am just scared I will not make the right decision for Ava. I want to put her in an environment where she can not only succeed but excel. Either way she is likely to, it's just maybe in a different way. She is so special and smart. On the one hand, while I feel that at the first school she will be challenged and there are opportunities to learn in some non traditional ways that left me feeling so good after the tour, I know at the second school she will learn through art and music and dance as well as the traditional ways. Will that keep her attention more? She will still attend art and music and spanish at the first school, and have more outside playtime. But at the arts school she will dance and learn piano (in first grade!) and have opportunities for more classes that expand with each school year as they grow.
The other thing that doesn't help is that when I get it into my mind it should be one way, and I mention it to PJ, he seems to be thinking the other way. I suppose that is a good thing, making sure we are thinking this through clearly, and communicating it to each other, but sometimes I wish it would be both of us saying "OK, school choice #1 should be X, school choice #2 should be Y." But then again, life is not that easy, is it? However it ends up, I would feel grateful if she were accepted at either school. Both are unique and have a lot to offer. Wish us luck.

Big Bill Still Makes my Heart Flutter

“I find it amazing that the Republicans who doubled the debt of the country in eight years and produced no new jobs doing it, gave us an economic record that was totally bereft of any productive result are now criticizing him for spending money,” William Jefferson Clinton
photo courtesy google images

Nature (for reals! no pbs required!)

So PJ is in the kitchen whipping up what promises to be an amazing pizza (will review later) when I hear him somewhere between a growl and a whisper "Honey get over here!" I think he is speaking to Ava so I continue reading the story to James and I hear it again, more urgently; "Honey, grab James and get in here NOW!" So I sweep James up and head into the kitchen, where to our amazement the neighborhood red tail hawk is having dinner in our back yard. We grabbed the camera, hoping against hope to get a picture through the window, and lo and behold among the thirty or so he took PJ got a couple of good shots! So here is our nature. Please note the shovel in the background, this will maybe help with perspective on figuring his size.
EDITED: emailed these to a friend. She thinks it is a Northern Harrier. PJ and I are inclined to agree. She called herself a bird geek. I just call her Smarty.

Not Pictures of my Darling Children but Almost as Good

I can haz failblog?
Plz go chex it oot. Iz super funnee.

Happy Valentines Day from James and his Preschool Classmates

This morning the 2 year preschool playdate class held their annual Valentines Day party. I attended this illustrious event, and was grateful for the opportunity to do so. It was a crazy day full of playing and eating and crafting and singing and stories. There were so many precious little ones there. I was so happy to be able to spend the morning with James and even got a couple of cuddles. It's funny too how the kids respond to other moms there- at first I was the only one. One of the little girls wanted to sit in my lap, while some other kids looked at me with uncertainty. But when the cookies came out it was all good for everyone. The kids all had a great time, and it was a treat for me too to be able to see James in his Monday environment.

The Kids get some Outside Play Time (good bye below zero temps!)

Happy Birthday PJ from Didi and Papa!