Kid Tested, Mom Approved

I saw an article in my latest issue of Parents magazine where a pancake pen was used to create adorable "X O X O" pancakes for Valentine's Day.  While I was at the mall last week, I picked one up at Williams Sonoma for $10 and we gave it a whirl this morning.  It is a cold, snowy, day and we needed a little pick-me-up.

Love it!  A must get item.  I filled the tube with Bisquick mix following the pancake recipe on the box, and the consistency was perfect.   The only thing to keep in mind (as Tom learned) is your shapes are limited in size to what your spatula can flip.

It's a fire truck, people.

Unexpected

Today, an unexpected, extraordinary box arrived with the mailman.  It was addressed to Patrick, Tommy and Kaya.  The return address was Uncle Mike, University of Notre Dame.

Guess what was inside?

Guess who loved them?  Tommy named his Beary, and Patrick named his Buddies.  Kaya just tried to eat hers. 

Here's a little message to Uncle Mike from the gang...

Hitting the Slopes

I had wanted Patrick to start skiing last year, but my timid 3 1/2 year wanted to try nothing of the sort.  Tom grew up skiing, but I never tried until high school, with disastrous results.  I can't believe I didn't injure myself or anyone else on the slopes.  My experience made me certain that my kids would learn on the earlier side, when it would be easier to pick up the technique.  This year we were ready though, and he seemed excited to try, although a bit concerned at the same time.  Day one was frigid and windy, and after only one hour, my little skier wanted to return. 



Heading out for his very first time on the bunny slope.

At the end of day- they rode the ski lift back up to the condo.

 As soon as P was in the door, Tommy was begging to try too, so Tom threw P's skis and boots on him and took him behind the condo for a mini lesson.  Here they are about to head up the ski trail...

 Tommy didn't make it very far up the trail in the ski boots, so Tom ended up having to carry Tommy and their skis up each time.  Better him than me.

 Tom putting on Tommy's skis-

 and away they went! Tommy liked it, and I suspect we will start him skiing next winter at 3 1/2.  That means Tom will have two beginners to contend with next year. 

Day two proved to be warmer, and the sun peeked out.  Patrick was out almost two hours.  Tom said he figured out how to turn and only fell once (the ski leash helps with turning and braking, but it doesn't keep them from falling).  Patrick wanted to go on the bunny slope over and over again.  Success! He had a blast, although Tom was exhausted at the end.
Unfortunately, because it was too cold to take Kaya out, I have no photos or video of P on the bunny slope, only of him returning to the condo on the trail from the lift.

Getting ready to head down to the lodge for dinner  last night.  Kaya's sweater was a hand-me-down from her godfather's girls. I accidently left my white balance setting on sun, so my lighting was all out of whack.  Oops.

Just this week Kaya started practicing her crawling stance.  Kaya's Baba started walking at 8 months, so we will just have to wait and see if this little one is anxious to keep up with her brothers.

Dashing Through the Snow

We got hit with the cold freeze that affected most of the country, but just before the below zero temperatures arrived, we were able to fit in one sledding day out back.  When we bought the house, we had commented that our backyard was perfect for sledding or learning to ski, and we were right!  The hill is actually a little fast for P and Tommy to go down by themselves, but luckily Uncle Mike stopped over to give Tom a hand. 

We finished out the afternoon with some hot chocolate with marshmallows.  P prefers to spoon out his marshmallows so he can enjoy them all at once.  Sadly, this was one of our last chances to see Uncle Mike since he left for college on Saturday.  The boys (and us) miss him already.

The Day I Felt Really, Really, Old

Just before Thanksgiving, I went to the mall with Tommy and Kaya to get my 9-year-old niece an Abercrombie gift card.  Seems she is obsessed with their clothes, and because I so desperately want to be a cool aunt,  I had to get her the card.  Some observations:

1.  The store is not designed for 30-something woman pushing a double stroller.
2.  It was louder than any bar or club I have been to in the past 5 years.
3.  It smelled like my 4 year-old dumbed every perfume I owned inside my car.
4.  The guy at the register, while cute, must have only been in the 5th or 6th grade.

I left as quickly as I could.

I felt OLD. But I was the cool aunt (I think).

Dear Santa,

This year, the boys dictated their Christmas lists to me, and I carefully recorded their wishes in a letter that we sent off to Santa via the Macy's North Pole mailbox. 

Here they are:

P is obsessed with Legos.  His quiet time each afternoon consists of spending quality time with his millions of Lego pieces in his bedroom.  He built his very own Lego version of Santa's sleigh a few weeks before Christmas:

It makes my heart feel good to see him at creative play and so happy doing it, but Tom (poor Tom) is recruited into building every single night until all his new Christmas sets are completed.  Santa brought the Lego Fire Station, and he got another three sets from family, so there is quite a lot of building to do. 

Tommy made out with a bunch of new Thomas the Train cars and track.  The two brothers have been building some pretty complex track systems, sometimes for two hours at a time. 

Did Santa forget Kaya?  Of course not.  She got her very first Cabbage Patch Kid doll.  She seems a bit skeptical about the new threat to her crown in this photo.

My dad stayed with us again this Christmas Eve and the kids woke up to see the new sleds he picked out for them alongside Santa's presents.  Tommy wasted no time in filling up his sled with his gifts and dragging it around the house.

By the time the kids were tucked in on Christmas night, I found this tired dad sound asleep in the middle of the playroom floor-

Happy New Year!

December 17th, Tom called home from work.  He never calls "just to chat" during the workday, so I was curious what he wanted.  "Florida?" he asked?  Huh?  Spontaneously pack up the kids two days after Christmas for a few days of sun at the beach?  Umm, okay.  We figured that this trip would be either really, really great, or a disaster. 

Day One: Travel

All the kids did fantastic! Our two flights to Palm Beach were on time, and the kids (even Tommy) were on their best behavior.  We didn't land until about 9:00pm, so after we picked up our rental and Tom installed the three car seats, it was straight to the condo then off to bed.  The next day we woke to cloudy skies but 80 degree temps!  We headed to the beach with entirely too many beach toys (my fault) and the boys happily dug in the sand.  The downside?  A LOT of wind.  Luckily we had a mini beach tent that we were able to get up despite the high winds, and Kaya spent her first beach day sheltered in there. 


Hanging out at the rental car lobby while Tom installed the kid's seats.  The Leap Pad saved us many times.  Oh, and at almost 10 pm, Kaya was still awake in her stroller.

P could have hung out at the airport all day just looking out the window. 

 

Day Two: The Beach!

Kaya had two bathing suits.  Of course.

Kaya's first dip in the Atlantic.

Day Three:  Palm Beach Zoo

Two thumbs up! I wasn't expecting much, but this small zoo was awesome.  It didn't feel at all like a zoo.  Lots of palm tree and small exhibits made it feel like we were exploring inside a tropical resort rather than a zoo.  The boys watched a show about birds that put the animals within a few feet of where we were sitting.  Patrick's favorite exhibit was the white alligator, and Tommy just wanted ice cream.

The view from the snack/eating area at the zoo

 

Day Four: Beach!

The overcast skies never left during our trip, but the winds died down after the first beach day and we were able to spend four hours at the beach on our last full day.  Patrick dug a hole so deep he hit water at the bottom, and Tommy made roads with his construction trucks.  Kaya never fell asleep for more than 45 minutes, but she was content to just look around.

The boys were quite uncooperative with getting their picture taken, but we scrounged up this family shot on our last day:

The biggest achievement of Day 4 was Patrick's big catch.  After repeated fishing failures in Erie, Patrick FINALLY caught more than seaweed.  Here he is with his first fish.  He was so excited that I wish I had his very initial reaction on video.  Tom told me later that P kept saying, "We did it , dad!" "We caught a fish! "No more seaweed!"  He also told everyone and anyone who chatted him up at the airport about his accomplishment. 

Day 5: Travel Home

We squeezed in a quick morning walk around the marina where we were staying before heading to the airport.  Kids were so good again on the flights home, and we walked through the door about 6:00 p.m.  The boys were exhausted, but that didn't keep them from waking up at 6:15 this morning.



 Happy New Year!