a good ol' photo Friday

from 6/25 a painting of Mommy done by Carl!
drawn by Gretchen today 7/31. It is her eating vegetables. You can see, they wrote her full name. Right now, she is really into using her full name. But, she also wrote her own name at the bottom - which apparently impressed the teacher quite a bit. Old news for us here at home!

popcorn for snack while watching the Imagination Movers
playing the V-smile video game from Aunt Annie

Hope you have a good weekend! We hope to, too!

PS... I couldn't stand it anymore... I made a batch of those homemade blueberry muffins from the picture below. Wish you were here to share them with me!

Father's Day frames

The kids decorated these at school for Lew!

Carl's morning at the beach

Fridays at Noah's Ark are Water Play Days where the classes have sprinklers and fun water play during their outside playground time. Since Fridays are Gretchen's days, Carl and I have been "crashing" the fun for a few weeks now. But, today, we decided to let Gretchen have her own time at school and Carl & Mommy drove out to the beach. Turns out, I am pretty organized about my beach timing. On Tuesday, Gretchen & I went and our time stamped parking slip said 9:31.... today, Carl & I bought our slip timed 9:31. Being there that early helps get a good parking spot and also means the beach isn't crowded at all. Plus, as we drove past the Arboretum's time/temp clock at 9:15 it was only 90*! Perfect weather to go to the beach!

If you recall, Gretchen loved the beach! Well, her twin brother isn't much different. Honestly, I cannot believe he didn't get the hiccups at all while we were there with all that laughing! He loved the waves crashing on his legs and belly! Every time he'd get splashed and rocked a bit, he'd giggle and say "Be careful!" He loved running along in the shallow surf! He loved plopping down in the sand and grabbing handfuls of it and then allowing the waves to wash it away! And then, we waded out a little bit deeper and he loved riding up and down as the waves passed us! At one point, he did sit down a little too far in and a wave actually picked him up and moved him about 4 feet more inland! That, he didn't like too much. Then, he proclaimed he was ready to "go to my car seat".

He did cry at one point because I said "maybe we can bring Daddy with us someday" and then he cried because he wanted Lew with us right then. I reminded him that tomorrow is Saturday and on Saturdays we go swimming with Daddy in the pool. He cheered and was happy again. He calls the pool "My Swimming." But, for his first visit to "My Ocean" with Mommy, he did great... and I'm sure he will want to go back again!

PS - He took a 2 hour 45 minute nap today!

duets

I'm sure anyone with more than one child in a car seat or seat belt hears lots of singing from their backseat. But, I think the fun twin twist to this must be that when the kiddos are the same age - they love the same songs so they heartedly sing along together!

This morning, it was "Wheels on The Bus"!

wordless Wednesday

just a Tuesday

Since I have more readers now, I guess I'll just give a quick book report of what we did today.

Tuesday is a Carl Day at school, so as soon as we dropped him off this morning, Gretchen & I headed out to the beach. We tried a different one today and the sand was much much nicer. It was super soft and flat. The one beach we go down to with the free parking has a bigger slope when the tide goes in and out, so you are kind of on an angle. This one today was easy for us to walk on. Plus, I knew it was low tide, so we had nice shallow feet-walking water. Next week, we're going to pump more money into the parking meter and stay longer! (And one of these weekend days, we'll get to the beach with all 4 of us so I can bring my camera. I am not leaving it on the towel now, so no pictures of our fun.)

Then she and I ate 2 Happy Meals, of course, before picking up Carl. We got very cute pug dogs that they both liked! The teacher said he did very well today at school and even came out and asked her for a blue sit-upon for Circle Time. Again, I roll my eyes at this because he asks for tons of stuff at home and when he does one little thing like that at school, they think he is doing so well! Tomorrow, Ashlie is coming to the house to hopefully see him do a bunch more stuff than he does at school. We're trying to get him to open up more before he moves up to the 3's Classroom in early September. Ashlie thinks the classroom is too loud and wild and he doesn't want to bother trying to compete with that and I tend to agree. I spend a decent amount of time in there between drop-offs and days I "crash" things like water play and other stuff where I get to see the kids in action.

Gretchen went down for nap in about 10 minutes. After struggling with Carl for one hour, I left him in there still awake. 10 minutes later, he was being so noisy he was going to wake up Gretchen, so I got him up and informed him of his consequences.... No Nap, No TV. And - I held to it all night! He cried every time he asked for a show and I reminded him.

Grammie called and Gretchen talked her ear off after dinner. Carl told his one knock-knock joke and sang her the Good Morning song (Hello, How are You?). Then, bath (currently happening now without me...woo hoo!) and next will be 2 stories and then lights out! I am looking forward to watching the Food Network's Best Thing I Ever Ate at 9:30!

Nothing exciting, nothing witty... just a Tuesday.

wanna see my Mother's Day flowers?

The kids each gave me a plant and I put them out on the front lawn. This is huge because I do not garden in any way, shape or form. But, these marigolds (and the purple flowers - don't even know what they are called) are doing fine out there!

They love helping me water them, too! Carl will even dump his sippy cup of outside drinking water for them!

Gretchen calls this vase "coffee cup vase" because the same artist that made all our mugs and pie plates and kitchen utensil holder made the teeny vase, too. Dean White is the potter. We would buy one item from him every year at Letchworth State Park Columbus Day outdoor craft fair! NY outdoor craft fair in autumn.... perfect way to spend a Saturday! Of course, with a cup of hot apple cider and a Red Osier beef on weck sandwich!

Somehow, I turned this into a Letchworth State Park post. Here's a shot I took (back in my film days) of the Middle Falls one year at the Oct craft fair. And then, a shot of one of my mugs from Dean White with some muffins I wish I had right now. (Turns out, that photo was taken exactly one year ago 7.28.08)

you deserve a break today

Maybe I should use the current logo of "I'm lovin' it!", since the other one sort of shows my age via ad campaign era. Oh well. Anyway..... we are eating soooo many Happy Meals around here right now! Yes, we are addicted to Teeny Beanie Babies! 2009 is the 30th anniversary of the Happy Meal, and so in that honor, McDonalds currently has 30 different teeny beanies as Happy Meal toys. Of course, anyone reading this probably has kids - so this is surely not new information for you.

Lew actually discovered the toys through our freecycle. Someone was asking for the toys for her kids. That tipped us off... and we have been eating HMs ever since! Carl and Gretchen both love tiny stuffed animals - so these little toys are right up our alley. So far, Carl's very favorite is his penguin and Gretchen's is her frog. Although, a close second is the Grimace, which she knew full well was the one Daddy wanted most of all. She knew if we got one, it was going to be Daddy's. Yeah, right... by the time we hit the parking lot, she was hugging the bag and saying, "Well, how about I share this with Daddy?" The lone guinea pig we have so far is Mommy's!

So, couple our love of hamburgers with both of our pack-rat collecting natures and this is trouble for us. Luckily, you can swap out the french fries (which Gretchen won't eat anyway) for a bag of fresh apple slices. They come with a tiny dipping thing of caramel, but honestly, she doesn't eat that either. (and Lew has been eating them for lunch - the kids did not consume all of those in the picture!) So, a plain hamburger, milk and apples. Not really so terrible that it will get my Mother of the Year application disqualified. Actually, that got sent in late - I was too busy baking homemade tarts for the children and completely forgot the deadline!

she wishes she was older

So she can:
1. tie her shoes. She makes us help her go over and over it. She knows the process, but the loop gives her trouble at first. Won't be long. (and since her mother hates velcro on kids' shoes, she will have lots of laces to practice with... and before you say anything, I had 13 years experience with a whole classful of shoes... trust me, I have opinions on the matter!)

2. whistle. She does this adorable and annoying at the same time high pitched blowing/singing thing. She does actually whistle in the split second between changing notes, but she doesn't realize it and can't duplicate it once she starts to really think about doing it.

3. snap. They do this in one of the good morning songs at school so she is really interested in being able to do it. I think this might be the goal she has the most chance of success with in the near future.

4. reading & spelling. (came back to add this) How could I forget? We spend so much of our days spelling things for her. She can sound out simple words if she concentrates. Carl can, too, you know. He may even be ahead of her on this skill!

Another thing she sort of wants to be older about is her feet. I told her the other night how cute her little toes are and it made her sad. She said, "I really wish I had bigger feet." I told her that her feet were the perfect size for her shoes and her bicycle pedals and her scooter and for her to walk on.

And, she has finally figured out how to open the safety door handle cover. She has been able to do it for about 2 weeks now, but wouldn't. Then, Friday, she let the two of them out after nap and pretty much, that was the beginning of the end. Saturday morning, they showed up at the side of the bed at 6:45. Today, Sunday, we got lucky... it wasn't until 7:20! I tried to tell her (as I always do) not to get up if her clock has a 6 on it. So, today, she informs me, "I saw seven three three." The clock in their room is about 10 minutes fast, so yup... it was about 7:23 am. Funny thing is, on school days, they can sleep until 8:00.

If I was going to hire a babysitter (which we have never done) I don't think I care to go out on a Friday or Saturday night. I want to hire someone to come in early on Sat or Sun morning and be there to entertain them when they wake up and let me sleep in!!

mah-na-mah-na

geese and poop

Unrelated title subjects.

duh-da-dahhhhh........... this morning Carl pooped in the potty!!!!! Don't you wish you were three years old so people would get excited about your hygiene habits??? We ended up being late for school due to all the excitement and rewards. He earned a Cars movie sticker for his chart, but since I had already mentioned marshmallows - when I asked him if he would like a sticker for his shirt, too, he quickly replied, "I want marshmallows". Then - at school, he remained dry all day long! (OK, I confess that kind of alarms me... dry from 8:30am to 1:00 pm? Not enough to drink, in my opinion) The teachers said they took him in with the other boys twice during the day. Once, he asked to stand once he requested to sit. His therapist also took him in to try to pee another time. Perhaps he will not be heading off to college with a case of Huggies.

On our drive home, Gretchen and I spotted some geese by the pond across the street from our pond. So, we grabbed bread and camera and headed back to find them. She did really well - calling them over "Come here geese! I have bread for you!" and even found time to nibble a bit herself. One bold goose did try to grab a piece out of her hand, but she jumped before he got close enough.

After giving away 90% of our bread, we went down to the water's edge and tossed teeny bits into the pond. We should have left ourselves a bit more for this part. The turtles were loving it! And, fish, too! We didn't get to really see the fish, but they were breaking the water when they grabbed it. They aren't as graceful as the turtles are in snacking on bread crumbs. We'll have to go back and feed them more in a day or two.

I figure these must be retired geese. Otherwise, shouldn't they have all flown back towards Canada? Apparently, these have retired and stay south all summer.

wordless Wednesday

there is more ocean!

Well, today, Gretchen & I dropped Carl off at school and headed home for a quick snack. The agenda for the morning was to consist of sidewalk chalk, bubbles and tricycles in the front yard. After snack, we headed out and drew a hopscotch game. Then, we heard some people walking by say they were going to run over to the beach for a little while. I said to Gretchen, "We oughta go to the beach, too." And she was ready to drop everything and go..... so we did! (Keep in mind, this is the first time Gretchen has physically been in the ocean since we moved here in March 2007!)

Within a half hour we had changed into bathing suits, slathered ourselves with sunscreen, grabbed towels, pails and shovels, driven to the beach and pumped some quarters into the parking meter. Not bad for spontaneous, eh?

OK, I fully expected her to take one step and announce she was ready to go. But, we did get to pick a spot and lay down our blanket. So far, so good! We headed down to the water's edge and the waves lapped at her toes. And then she announced she was done.

I was able to convince her that we could fill our pail and play with water and sand on our blanket. That went very well and soon she was ready to try the waves again. So, we walked along the water's edge as they ran over our feet. She was now laughing and letting them splash on her legs even! As we walked, she got braver and braver. Her bathing suit shorts were even wet! She liked how the water ran back to quickly, too. I told her the waves crash on us, but we remain standing as they leave and I even threw in how that was a metaphor for real life and it's problems. I don't think she heard me, though. Or didn't care. Problems? What problems? Her life was going just about perfectly right at that moment!

And that is when the 2 lifeguards drove up on their four wheelers and put up the 'No Swimming' flag and signs warning of rip currents. But, we weren't going in, we were just letting the water crash on our legs - I asked the lifeguard and he said we were okay. He did have to force several people out of the water, though. One was a girl who looked to be about 10 or 12 all alone out in the water up to her chest. She would jump up and then go under as each wave rolled over her. You know, only about 2 weeks ago, we lost a man on the beach when he had to jump in and save his 13 year old daughter from a rip current. He saved his child, and it cost him his life. I can't believe the lifeguard had to speak to the mother of this young girl about calling her back in after he put up the rip current signs! No one thinks it could happen to them, I guess. The lifeguards weren't even clearing the beaches fully, it was just one area. Most people moved their blankets and went up the beach to play more.

But, Gretchen was having a ball in the waves. She even got brave enough to sit down (after backing up a touch - good problem solving) and she would pull handfuls of sand over her thighs to allow the waves to clean them off again. Even in all this playing and jumping and splashing and sitting - her hair never got wet. She was squealing with delight and laughing and even yelling "Again! Again! There is more ocean!" At one point, she did turn to me and say "baby beluga is a whale in the ocean." So, that was my science lesson for the day!

We were lucky we didn't get a ticket because our meter had expired before we got back to the car. The meter dude even showed up while I was packing up - so I was safe by only a couple of minutes. We drove through McDonald's for a couple Happy Meals (the Teeny Beanie Babies are causing us to eat waaayyyyyy too many happy Meals right now) and headed home for lunch. We had just the right amount of time to eat and go get our boy. So, it was a pretty successful and very fun morning!! And... nap lasted 2 full hours! So, a successful afternoon, too!!

"That's All Folks!"

Today was a baby book, milestone, red letter, ticker tape parade kind of day around here. For the first time in their three years seven months on this earth, Carl & Gretchen watched their first Looney Tunes cartoon today! Wile E. Coyote, of course!

Carl wasn't as into it as Gretchen was and of course, Gretchen wasn't as into as Lew was. No one is. Carl mostly kept asking, "Watch kitties singing meow song, please?" because his favorite clip is an old Meow Mix commercial. Gretchen sat and watched and laughed right alongside Lew as the poor coyote genius released bees, got smooshed by a boulder, hit by a semi ... and I even heard him trying to explain to her what an anvil is!

wisdom of a 3 year old

Tonight at dinner, Gretchen spilled her milk and informed us, in a very matter of fact voice: "Some days it happens, some days it doesn't."

new haircuts

Last night, I took the kids to the Puppy Palace for haircuts. Lew was supposed to meet us there, but we were so early that Carl's haircut was completely done and Gretchen was already getting her nails done after hers, too. But, hey, Daddy paid! Perfect timing, I guess!

OK, I do not take them to a dog groomers for haircuts. Just happens that the salon owner also owns a puppy business and the businesses are separated by only a glass wall. So, we got to watch 2 puppies playing together while getting our haircuts! On occasion, I have taken them in that side and they were even allowed to play along with the puppies. But, on Friday, there were already 3 adults over there and I figured the kids would be too rowdy for the audience.

Carl has been asking all weekend to "Go to Puppy Palace now?" I can't get him to understand that he'll be bald if we keep getting his haircut. Although I love bald babies (understatement) I love my kids' hair, too! I kind of like Carl's hair longer, but for summer, we decided to cut it yet again.

photo Friday

...just summer fun in our own backyard.

We do go out and about quite a bit, but that doesn't mean we aren't having fun just hanging out at home, too!

sauce for the gander

One of my favorite sayings is "Being fair does not mean treating everyone equally. It means giving each one what they need." Gretchen prefers something along more the lines of "an eye for an eye", "what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander" or "a trip to the playground alone with Mommy for a trip to the playground alone with Mommy".

But, no matter what got us there, we had a lot of fun! We headed for home when lots of bigger kids showed up and were running all over the smaller ones. Plus, Gretchen was pretty sweaty and ready for another drink after an hour of climbing and sliding!

One girl, maybe 7, tried to orgnaize all the little girls into a game of Duck, Duck, Goose. She invited Gretchen so I made sure she knew how to play. I overheard another mom giving her 3 yr old a run down on it, too! Even with 2 kids, it isn't a game that you can play at home, you know? But, once she got the 6-8 kids sitting in a circle and started "duck, duck, goosing" every kid she tapped and said "goose!" immediately responded, "I do not want to be the goose!" and the game petered out pretty quickly. I thought it was a riot!

Once we got back home, she helped me do some laundry - and I found myself explaining a life lesson to her..... multiple Huggy Bears. Darn it - I didn't think they suspected I had the extras and sure enough, I was right. She gasped, "Mommy - there are 2 Huggy Bears!" immediately followed by "I want them both tonight in bed!" I tried to casually explain one stays clean and in the laundry room and you can have one in your room. I think Carl won't believe her even if she tries to tell him she has 2. (He has 5! Shhhh!!!!)

Carl & Mommy

OK, I realize these are fightin' words in many circles, but I'm going to utter them anyway. One kid is easy! Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll revise them immediately. One kid is much much much easier than two.

You know the kids go to school separately, so each morning I have only one with me from 9-1. We have so much fun just doing things one-on-one. Last week, I went with each child to the Children's Museum and to the local play place for kids under age 5. Carl's day even included a free hour of swimming at the city pool if you showed your play place receipt for the day! So, 4 mornings last week I trekked (truk?) downtown with someone, but it was fun! And yes, I was in public for the second time this season in only a swimsuit.

Since I usually seem to have Gretchen stories, I'll share my morning out with Carl here today. First, we headed to Barnes & Noble to buy a gift card for Claire's birthday (Happy 10th tomorrow, Claire!). They open at 9 and we got there about 5 after. As soon as we walked through the door, Carl turned to me and said, "I want trains." We haven't been there in so long, but if there is a train table around, Carl will remember it! No one can turn down Carl. We headed back to the kids' area. We played trains and sang "Down By The Station" and "I've Been Working on the Railroad" and just had fun. Then, he wandered off, but quickly spotted a Dr Suess display. So, we got to read Green Eggs and Ham... and then he was back to the trains! We finally left there and quickly stopped into Michael's to pick up some cross stitch cloth. Now, if the train memory wasn't impressive enough - we walked into Michael's and he said, "I want Little White Woof." That is the name of his (brown) stuffed dog with magnets in his feet that we bought there months ago!

So, he was starting to get a touch fussy when we got back in the car, but I didn't say where we were headed. When we approached the turn, he said, "I go to the playground." Yes, it was that corner. I asked him if he would like to go to the playground with just Mommy and he thought it over, "Uhmmm... yes!" (I am trying to eliminate that "uhmmm" that he currently does becasue it sounds uneducated.) I even brought sneakers instead of having him wear his Birkenstocks. I know he runs like crazy, and sandals just aren't going to cut it for him! He had a ball playing and chasing the bigger kids and just climbing every ladder and high slide they have. Then, and I am not making this up, he said, "Rock and roll to the car?" I had him confirm his decision to go several times and yes, he wanted to go to the car. So, I told him I had a cup of water for him and he able sprinted to the car. I know the other mothers were jealous that my kid was not kicking and screaming as I removed him from the playground!

The fun didn't end there. We did our shopping at Walmart which isn't super exciting for adults, but for a kid who likes riding in the back of the cart and seeing the lobsters, it's a fun time! A quick drive-thru trip got us a couple chicken sandwiches and a hamburger and we headed home. I even let him watch his current favorite show during lunch (usually a no-no) Imagination Movers, Bad Hair Day episode. When that was over, it was time to go get Gretchen.

Now, I know that today wasn't highly educational, but Carl and I had a ball. Don't get me wrong, for those of you who don't know the fun of having two kids the same age - twin playtime is a lot of fun, too, but one-on-one playtime is a blast, too!

left handed?

We keep wondering about Gretchen's hand preference. She used to draw with both, but always switch the chalk or crayon to her left hand for her more detailed work. When she writes letters now, it is most likely in her left hand. And today, I watched her paint with a small brush in her left hand. But, she does sometimes create things with her right hand. She sucks her left thumb, too. So, when does the hand preference really show clearly? Is she old enough for me to make a prediction yet? Or is she still discovering her own abilities on this?

Wikipedia claims 7% of the population is left handed, but that it is more common in fraternal and identical twins on this page. It also says statistically, more left handed people are born to older mothers. Did I tell you someone in Walmart recently asked me if Gretchen was my grandchild????? But, that is getting off topic here.

I guess I should ask my best friend who is not only a leftie, but also a science teacher if Gretchen is old enough for us to have a hint about her handedness.

garbage

1. disposal - Ours broke about a week ago and today Lew & Brian put in a newer, bigger one! Phew! I have gotten too spoiled. I don't know how people with small kids can function without a garbage disposal!

2. picking - the apple has not fallen far from the tree. My Dad was The King of garbage picking. He even used to ride with a friend who was a garbage collector to help him - and I'm sure grab any goodies he came across. Once, the cops called him at work to inquire about his presence in an upscale neighborhood. Apparently, someone saw him driving slowly through the neighborhood and called the cops on him. He wouldn't think twice of driving though on garbage day looking for bikes or vacuums or anything good. The cops just told him not to go to that neighborhood anymore. They probably had a good laugh after hanging up.

As for me, I have picked up treasures such as : a wooden Melissa & Doug easel, the light wheel to an antique silver Christmas tree, various vacuums, 4 lawn chairs (we love them!), 6 plastic Adirondack lawn chairs (those, we did not love, but we put them up on Freecycle and someone grabbed them up), 2 of those motorized Jeep riding toys for the kids, other kid toys, and most recently... 3 wooden kitchen chairs. I am picking up one per week from the same house in our neighborhood. People are allowed to put out their garbage can and 1 extra item. So, this family must be putting out one chair per week. It's getting fun. I can't wait for next Sunday to see if I score Chair #4!

Last week, we put out a tiny rocking chair (that I bought from a garage sale of a friend's parents for $3) because the shellac was coming off on the kids' hands and there was a rusty nail sticking out. It was gone that night - so I am doing my part as well!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

We had friends come over to help Lew and Lindy both celebrate their 7-11 birthdays!

The Birthday Boys!

throwback Thursday

July 2008

July 2007

July 2006

vampires

OK, so if you know me, you know I have the family disease: hemochromatosis. (If you don't know what that is - read this) So, I am currently on a treatment of once monthly phlebotomies and a doctor's visit every 3 months. My doctor is pretty aggressive and my ferritin is below 50 now like he wants it, but he uses the hemoglobin count for my red light-green light number for phlebotomy. Anything over 12, I do it. Yesterday I was 12.9. I think maybe... just maybe... next month I might get a "get out of vampires free" pass and be below 12! And if my severe exhaustion today is any sign, I am dancing with anemia already. Ugh. Last time this happened, years ago, it was like I hit a brick wall. One day fine, the next day I literally couldn't walk up a flight of stairs.

Anyway, I go to the cancer center for phlebotomies and I like the nurses there. It's a hard place to explain if you haven't been in one before. There is a sign hanging in the nurses station that reads "with hope, all things are possible". You see a mix of ages, but most of the patients are elderly. And they look tired. They lack color in their skin if that is how to explain it. But, most have a sparkle in their eyes that overshadows the greyness of their complexion. Once you make eye contact, they smile big, broad, tired smiles. Most are alone in the chairs, sometimes a spouse is with them. One time I was there at 7:30am and I watched one lady (maybe 50 years old, if that) tell the man I assume was her husband, "I'll be here about 8 hours today. See you this afternoon." Guess that is why all the chairs are recliners. They keep the room temperature at about 42*, I think! 99% of the patients are covered with blankets and the nurses even have a warmer and will bring you a heated blanket if you need it.

Usually, the nurse will approach me and say, "You're here for a phlebotomy?" and I try to answer as loudly and clearly as I can, "Yes, I'm an easy one for you." so the other patients know I am healthy. Before the true eye contact and smiling (and occasional chit chat between me and the patients) I often see people looking at me with pity. I know they are trying to figure out my age. I don't belong there. I'm not saying I am the youngest one I see there, though. If you are there at the very end of the day, you sometimes hear the nurses talking together and reading over obituaries. In talking with them myself, I have learned several of these nurses have been in oncology for 25-30 years.

But, this post is not supposed to be about the atmosphere of an oncology department. It was intended to be a vent about the lab nurse! For a phlebotomy, my doctor makes them check my "H&H" (hemoglobin and hematacrit) through a blood vial draw. The needles they use for this are tiny ones. (The phlebotomy needles look like a straw!) But, this one nurse can't get blood out of me to save her life. Last month, I ended up with 3 holes in my arms before she went and got another nurse. This time, she tried once - left a bruise under the skin - and went for another nurse. I have not had any trouble with any of the phlebotomy nurses. I have actually come to dread the foolish blood test much more than the whole bag full. And, yes, I have asked why they can't do a finger stick only - and they think I am nuts for asking. I asked this Bloodless Nurse yesterday - even saying to her, "At Red Cross they only do a finger stick." and she claimed Red Cross is only checking for blood type and they don't check iron levels. I know that is not true. They wouldn't take blood from an anemic person. A friend of Lew's gets rejected at the work blood drives because she "fails" this finger stick test. But, the nurse wasn't listening to me. Another strike against her... she's out of it. At least she is only in the lab area and not out on the floor!

Next month, I scheduled my treatment for the week she told me she is on vacation!

signs of a good day at school

1. sand in your hair
2. you are wearing a different outfit than the one you went to school in
3. you have 3 stickers on your shirt when mommy picks you up
4. your teacher has to triple knot your shoes!
5. paint on your body somewhere

three vs eight

This could be the grounds for divorce in some instance, I'm sure. For us, it's kind of a joke and now has become a compromise. We can't even remember who owns the "three" and who owns the "eight".

Three or eight what? C'mon... tell us....

Minutes to cook corn on the cob, of course. Don't you cook most things like your mom does? I normally do, but here, I go for five. (edit to add: I asked my mother if she was the 3 or 8... and she claims she cooks her corn for 6 minutes. The plot thickens.....)

Happy 4th of July!

fireworks

Tonight we took the kids down to Carolina Beach boardwalk for fireworks. They started at 9:00. They shot up one test shot and after that, Gretchen sweetly asked Lew, "Are they coming back?" She was calling them "fire". At first, she thought she was going to a camp fire like we saw at Brian's - she planned on holding her hands up to feel the hot fire.

Even though they were tired, both kids did really well staying in a good mood. Carl was on my lap and Lew was holding Gretchen. Carl never made any effort to cover his ears, Gretchen did. A few times Carl seemed to blink - like they were too bright, but he didn't do it for long. We switched kids at one point and when I looked up at Carl, he was watching them and smiling!

Before the display started, Gretchen had to pee - of course. So, tonight, she had her first experience with a port-o-potty. I never even shut the door, I just helped her and kept saying, "Don't touch anything!" We both survived!

There were a lot of people out there. We left with the crowd after and headed towards the car. There is this homemade doughnut place on the boardwalk and the line of people waiting there was insane by the time we walked by!

We got home at 9:55, had a small snack, glasses of water, brushed their teeth and put them in bed. We didn't hear a peep from their room!

So, 2009 July 4th fireworks were much more successful than 2008 (didn't find a good spot to watch and ended up not getting out of the car) and 2007 (kids cried and we left quickly - actually, we did a test run on the weekly fireworks that they hold down on the beach and since they did so bad, we didn't attempt 7/4 at all). 2006 was up in Corning and they were only 6 months old. We sat by the CMOG and they did fine with them. Seems like so long ago.

4th of July pre-school parade

Today the kids' school had a 4th of July parade. Parents were invited to come and then stay for a picnic lunch with the kids after. Carl & Gretchen's class tie dyed shirts earlier in the week so all the kids would have matching red/white/blue shirts to wear. But, I guess they didn't rinse correctly (I don't know how to make tie dyed shirts, so I don't know what they really did wrong) and the 2 year old class all marched in their matching purple shirts! Oh well, they are very pretty and we will definitely get use out of them! They changed into their shirts upon arriving at school, so here are some shots of the kids on the way into school. (When I pulled this shirt out of the closet to put on Carl, Gretchen took one look at it and proclaimed, "Carl is going to look geeky in that!")Both kids stayed with their class for the 2 laps of the parade. If you remember reading below, Gretchen did not stay with them for the Easter Parade. (read about it here) This time, she did great! And as they circled around the first time, Carl was looking over his shoulder and yelling, "Bye Mommy" to me.It was like 95* out. Once we got to the playground for lunch, they really didn't eat much. I think it was just too hot. Well, that and the fact that they wanted to play with their friends.