Christmas Highlights

All About Abby @ 20 Months

My baby is 20 months old! 20 months old, how could that be possible? Just yesterday Matt was racing to finish Jackson's big boy room so we would have room for the "new baby". Just yesterday my mom and Mary Ann danced in the hospital waiting room at the news of our new baby girl that was named after them. And wasn't it just yesterday, or maybe last week, when Dennis and Mary Ann brought Jackson to see his new baby sister in the hospital and he didn't want anything to do with me? (Oh, yeah, and then I cried for over an hour.) Didn't we just bring our Abigail Ann home from the hospital? No. No, we didn't. That was a full 20 months ago. You don't truly know the meaning of "time flies" until you have children!

So what is Abby up to at 20 months old?

1. She loves loves loves Santa! She runs around the house pointing at all the santa decorations yelling Santa! Santa! Santa! Of course, when we went to visit Santa, she refused to sit on his lap and cried hysterically when we tried to get her to just sit in front of him for a picture. Loves the idea of him, loves his picture and books, but not the actual guy. So, our Santa picture this year is Matt and I sitting in front of Santa with Jackson and Abby on our laps. (In a surprise turn from last year, Jackson also refused to sit on the big guy's lap!)

2. She is very particular about certain things. For example, tonight she was eating yogurt at dinner and when she spilled it on her shirt, she flipped out. We had to clean it off her shirt immediately. This happened over and over again. She also has a thing about apples on her plate. Don't even think about putting sliced apples on her plate. She will make sure they are removed immediately before she will eat. And it's not just food things...Every time she takes her socks off, she immediately sits down and inspects inbetween her toes, picking out any traces of lint she finds. If she can't quite get a piece, she insists on your help, immediately! She's funny!

3. Abby's elephant and pacifer have become increasingly important recently. We never never leave the house without either one of them. When she wants her pacifier, she will go over to Matt or me and pull at our pockets, assuming that is where her paci is. We are going to attempt to break her of the paci habit over Christmas break. We'll see!

4. She loves the bathroom, and everything about it. She will stand at the sink forever washing her hands, soaking herself and everything around her. She will sit and go through the bandaids, wanting you to put one on her finger, or hand, or foot. Then, just minutes later, insists that you take it off. But bandaids and handwashing have nothing on brushing her teeth. The girl loves to brush her teeth. She will use any toothbrush in the house, or every toothbrush in the house. She loves it. She does very little actually brushing, but sucks the water out of the brush, puts it back under the water and repeats. and repeats.....

5. Recently, Abby has warmed up to people other than Matt and me. On Thanksgiving, she went to both of my brothers and Sara too. She has realized that her Nana and Papa are a ton of fun and even went to spend the day with them a few weeks ago. She will go into the daycare at the Y and let me work out for an entire hour. She doesn't even cry when we leave her with a babysitter . She is still pretty apprehensive when new people come over to our house, but has really warmed up to the people that she sees on a regular basis.

6. She has discovered bookd! She will bring you book after book, sit on your lap looking at the pictures and listening intently one while you read it. Sometimes you might only get through 2 pages before she decides it is time for another one. A tall tall stack of books piles up next to us while she empties the bookshelves. It's pretty darn cute.

7. Weekly speech therapy begins in January, despite Abby's growing vocabulary. Dada, snow, santa, up, off, oatmeal, tree, ball, book, see....she has really been working on new words lately. We had a speech evaluation at the recommendation of her pediatrician, and she qualifies for speech therapy since she is about 30% delayed in speech for a 20 month old. We're not too concerned, but figured that the therapy can't hurt!

She's adorable, hilarious and a ton of fun! I can't imagine what we ever did without her.

Dada!

Today, Abby said Dada! She has been saying Mama for quite some time now, but just hasn't been motivated to repeat the many, many times we have babbled Dada, Dada, Dada....until today. I said, Abby, who's that? while I pointed to Matt. Dada, she replied. Dada. Matt was so happy I thought he was going to cry.

The World According to Jackson

According to Jackson, when will he attend college?
a. Never
b. When he's old
c. In three days
d. After lunch

When Jackson looks into the toilet after going "potty" and sees a big poop, what does he call it?
a. A snake
b. A limo poop
c. Ginormous
d. Nothing, he just laughs

When my friend Amy offers Jackson a treat of crackers, he responds with:
a. Thanks so much Jett's Mommy!
b. Really, cheese crackers?
c. This isn't a treat, chocolate is a treat!
d. These are my favorite and I'm not sharing with anyone!

Much to my chagrin, which character is Jackson currently immitating?
a. Mater from Cars
b. Boots, the monkey from Dora
c. B.O.B from Monsters vs. Aliens
d. Max from Max and Ruby

Answers:
1. Couple of days ago I told Jackson that I was the boss. He wondered outloud when he gets to be the boss. I told him he could be the boss after he went to college. He replied, "I think I will go to college in three days!"

2. Yea, sorry for the poop reference, but that is what you talk about with two kids under the age of four. The other day he actually called me in the bathroom to check out his extra long poop and exclaimed, "Look Mommy! It's a limo poop!"

3. Amy and Charlie came to babysit for the kiddos tonight while I had class and Matt was at report card pickup day. After dinner, she offered them a treat of crackers. He responded with "This isn't a treat, chocolate is a treat!" He later suggested that he look harder for some chocolate treats in the kitchen.

4. Yea, so any of you who have seen Max and Ruby know that Max speaks in only one word sentences. Car! Milk! Balloon. I hate that show. Jackson has started to talk like that too. He has an impressive vocabulary for a three year old, but is running around immitating this dumb rabbit. We deleted the show from our tivo. So long Max!

Two bunnies and Three Elephants?

The day started off so great.
Eggo waffles, check.
Jackson dressed without a fight, check.
Mom showered, check.
Abby didn't refuse her outfit, check.
Second cup of coffee, check.
Off to school on time, check.
Dropped Jackson off to school, check.
That is where my luck stalled, or rather my car did. Abby and I went out to the car after dropping off Jackson and my car wouldn't start. The battery was dead. But what luck....there is a Midas right across the street! Of course they have a Toyota Sienna battery! Of course the nice man will brave the Irving Park Rd. traffic to install it for me! Great! Of course they have lollipops in the waiting room for Abby. No, Abby, you can't have another one. Oh no! This lollipop incident caused a meltdown that you wouldn't believe. And on the day that we forgot elephant at home, of course. I want you to know that I am not exaggerating when I tell you that Abby cried for 45 minutes. 45 minutes! I tried everything....Do you want raisins Abby? NO! Do you want to watch a movie? NO! Look! It's Elmo! NO! Do you want elephant? YEA! Well, I tried to explain that we had left him at home, but it wasn't worth it. I thought she would calm down, I thought she might fall asleep, I thought I could distract her. NO. We drove down Clybourn on our way to run some errands, when I realized that no, Abby wasn't going to stop crying. She wasn't going to calm down without that elephant. It had been just over 30 minutes when I realized that Land of Nod was just a block away. We are saved! We rushed in...Blue Jellycat elephant please. NO. They were out. Of course. They were however so nice as to call another store to check if they had them. Not even another Land of Nod, but another retailer. How nice are they? No luck. I gave up on running my errands and we headed all the way home to retrieve elephant. I ran to scoop him up off the living room floor where we had forgotten him. Abby was asleep with elephant in her hands in less than one minute. Tomorrow morning we won't leave the house without elephant! I promise!
Abby's elephant, check.

The Golden Arches

Am I a bad mom if Jackson recognizes the McDonald's sign blocks away?

No thanks, I don't need any more candy!

Sometime yesterday afternoon, Matt and I discussed the fact that neither one of us would ever want to miss trick-or-treating. We wouldn't want to stay home and relax while the other took the kids out to beg for candy. We wouldn't want to miss out on the one night a year when the kids rushed to each door anticipating what kind of treat they might get or the big smile on their faces while they searched inside that plastic pumpkin looking at all that sugar! Then, last night I had to miss it all.

We went to soccer yesterday morning like we do every Saturday morning. Then, afterward we headed to a neighborhood Halloween festival to fill the morning hours before naptime. We had lunch with Nana & Papa so they could check out the kiddos in their costumes and give them some of their own Halloween treats. Then, we headed home for naps. All seemed to be going to our carefully planned Halloween schedule.

But then Abby woke up from her nap...screaming and crying. While Jackson and Matt rushed around getting ready to go, I attempted to calm Abby. She screamed, she cried and she even squirmed away from me when I attempted to soothe her. Nearly 30 minutes later, she was still crying, and it was time to go...trick or treating awaited. Jackson and Matt headed out to meet up with the Whipples, while I sat on the couch trying to calm Abby in vain. Go ahead, I told Matt....when she calms down, we will meet you there.

Abby continued to cry. I tried everything I could think of. Milk? no. Juice? no. Standing up and rocking her? no. Sitting down? no. Lying down? no. Candy? ( I was desperate!) no. Rubbing her back? no. I sat on the couch and I began to cry. Now we were both crying. After about an hour of this, she finally fell asleep lying on top of me. I didn't move...for 2 hours! Luckily, the remote control was nearby. I went through our library and caught up on the shows we tape but usually never watch. Matt called to check in and I whispered into the phone, "She's sleeping...have fun!"

Then, suddenly, Abby woke up. She looked at me, hair amess, face emplanted with marks from lying against my sweater and giggled. She just looked at me and giggled. She was fine. No more screaming and crying. No more tears. Just giggles. We missed trick-or-treating, but she was fine. We ate dinner and had some Halloween treats while we waited for the boys to return from their trick or treating adventure.

Jackson walked in full of Halloween energy and with a plastic pumpkin full of treats. How was trick or treating, I asked? Great! He replied. Then Matt filled me in on what I had missed. Jackson and Sofia had a great time. Jackson promised to share his candy with sister. House after house, Jackson and Sofia collected their treats and travelled from block to block with the other kids. With a pumpkin full of snickers, lollipops and pretzels, Jackson turned to Matt and told him, I don't need any more candy! Yet, Sofia wasn't ready to throw in the towel. They had to hit up those last couple of houses. When Jackson went up to the last door, he informed the homeowner, "No thanks, I don't need any more candy!" Seriously? Yes....he actually refused the candy. The confused homeowner left for a minute and returned with a plastic stencil to give him instead. He happily took it and trick-or-treating was over.

Sure, Why Not?

We had a day today. I don't know if it was a good day, or if it was necessarily a bad day, but it was a day. We got out the door with relatively little resistance. Oh, except that I had to pick Abby up off the kitchen floor kicking and screaming because she wanted to eat veggie straws. It was 8:30am. We had just finished breakfast. She ate a good breakfast...scrambled eggs, half a pumpkin muffin, half a bagel with cream cheese (she actually ate the bagel too...not just the cream cheese. Although I did have to reload the bagel with a second helping of cream cheese. Still, she ate the bagel.) and some milk. She ate a good breakfast and I just didn't think we needed to be eating veggie straws at 8:30am, just minutes after finishing the above mentioned breakfast. Anyway, we got out of the house...that was a step in the right direction. We dropped Jackson off at school and he managed to write him name in less than 10 minutes while Abby destroyed the little boy's paper who sits next to Jackson, but wasn't there yet. (sorry Jason) It can take Jackson up to 15 minutes to write his name every morning at school. He dawdles, he daydreams, he checks out what the other kids are doing...oh, a K Mommy, sure why not? I can write a K.....and on and on.

Jackson is dropped off and we head to the Y for a workout and Abby's first swim class! How exciting. Except that Abby hates going to the Y. Today, we walked in the door and she started clinging to me and crying immediately. The daycare there is great. They have toys, there are other kids playing, they have tunnels to climb in and they even have cartoons on the tv. But no, Abby cries. Most days I am lucky to work out for 15 minutes before they call me (Attention Irving Park Y Guests: Will Jennifer Olson please report to the amazing kids room?). Sure, why not? I don't need to work out. It isn't like I don't still have 10 pounds to lose from when Abby was born. (She's 18 months old!) Well, today, despite Abby's immediate reaction to the Y, I got 30 good minutes in! Yea! Nice Work Abigail! Then we headed off to the pool.

It seems like a lot of work to get oganized for swim class, get dressed for swim class and get dressed again after for those 30 minutes in the pool....but it is important right? She needs to know how to swim. (Never mind that Jack has never had a lesson!) So we get all organized. I forgot the lock for the locker. We get in our suits. Really, I have to put on a swimsuit, did I mention those 10 extra pounds? We took a shower. (that was Abby's favorite part!) We headed out to the pool. It looked like it was going to be cold. Abby was already suspicious and clingy. We listened with the other 2 moms and kids to the rules of the pool and then 1-2-3 got in. I was right, it was cold. Abby hated just about every minute. She was excited for a minute about the rubber duckie, but then went back to hating it. Out of the pool for another shower, Abby's 2nd favorite part. I also forgot soap and shampoo. ( I still smell like chlorine) Then on to the interesting task of getting both Abby and I out of our suits into dry clothes and ready in a locker room. (That reminds me, we have to wash that elephant!...it spent a lot of time on the locker room floor!) Did I mention that it seems to be a lot of work for 30 minutes of swimming, which Abby hated? 1 swim class down, 6 to go. Maybe we will sign up for arts and crafts next session.

We pick up Jackson at school and head home. No issues in the car, probably because I had granola bars on hand. When we got home however, the dog had gotten into the kitchen garbage. What? you say, the Olsons don't have a dog! That's right we don't. And we won't ever have one. We are however currently dog sitting for Max, our neighbor's dog. He is a nice dog, but quirky for sure. He has been terrified to leave our living room all week because he is afraid of our hard wood floors. Well, he must have gotten over that today while we were out, when I left the garbage out. I usually put it back under the sink, but not today, not the day that Max decided to venture out into the rest of the house. So, there is garbage everywhere. Fun. Did I mention that we will never have a dog?

Lunch goes something like this...I'm not hungry. I don't want grilled cheese. I'm not hungry. But you asked for grilled cheese. I don't like tomato soup. I need ketchup. I'm not hungry. Just eat your grilled cheese. No, I wanted my ketchup in a cup. No Jackson, don't take Abby's ketchup you are making her cry. I'm not hungry. Eat your grilled cheese please. Abby, please don't eat your ketchup with your spoon. Can I go watch a show? Sure, why not.

Nap/Quiet Time goes something like this.....After Abby's first swim class, she was more than happy to take a nice afternoon nap. Not Jackson. Not, "is my quiet time over yet Mommy" Jackson. No, it isn't. No it still isn't. No, not yet. Sure, why not...come on downstairs. I give up.
Me: Jackson how was your quiet time? What did you play?
Jackson: I colored all over my walls. It was fun!
Me: Are you serious?
Jackson: Just a little serious.
So Jackson was made to go upstairs and clean his walls.
Jackson: Mommy, this is more fun than coloring on the walls! (Really?)
Me: No more crayons in your bedroom Jackson. No more crayons in your bedroom.

When Matt came home from work I escaped to the library to get some school work done, so I guess I should get back to that! Tomorrow is another day...maybe it will be a good one.

A Healthy Dose of Self Esteem

Jackson: Where are Nana and Papa going?
Me: They are going to follow us in their car.
Jackson: Why are they going to follow us in their car?
Me: Because they are going to come watch you play soccer.
Jackson: Why are they going to come watch me play soccer?
Me: Because they love you.
Jackson: Why? Why do they love me?
Me: What do you think? Why do Nana and Papa love you?
Jackson: Because I am really cute and funny! :)

Trick or Treat!

Ok, I know that there is still one week until Halloween! But why should Halloween be limited to only one day? I say it shouldn't! Which is why we celebrated with Jack and Abby's friends at our house a week early. There were costumes, cupcakes and candy, who could ask for anything more? Oh, yea, and beautiful weather so everyone could be outside. We had spiders, bubblebees, ducks, firemen, a policeman, a bear, a monkey, a dragon....you get the idea.

Lil Kickers

Some random recent stories

Here are a few highlights of the past few weeks. I have been so busy with school and life that I haven't been keeping up with the blog. Sorry...hopefully this post will get you up to date!



The other day when I picked up Jackson from school, he was at his cubby putting on his coat and getting ready to go. When he saw me, he ran over and said, "Mommy, I missed you!" while he threw his arms around me and gave me a big warm hug! :) Next, he turned to Abby and said, "Oh Abby, I missed you too!" (Seriously, he really did!) and he proceeded to give her a big hug too. How cute.



In the last couple of weeks Jackson has been waking up in the middle of the night crying, sometimes several times a night. Sometimes, he won't tell us why he is upset. Other times he blames it on bad dreams, feeling sick or cold. Whatever the reason, it is upsetting because 1. he is crying 2. I am awake in the middle of the night. 3. He insists that Matt or I crawl into bed with him to make whatever it is wrong better, and I prefer our bed! So, the other night Matt was in Jackson's room for the 4th time and they talked about Jackson being afraid of the dark. Matt suggested a new nightlight and Jackson was very excited about the idea. Everyone was happy and went to bed. The next day I went out and got a new Lightning McQueen nightlight for Jackson, hoping it would make a difference. It goes on automatically in the night, but if you put your finger over the sensor, you can make it light up. So, of course, Jackson and Abby were playing with it when I brought it home. On....Off....On....Off....On.....Off.....On......Off......and so we have Abby's new word: OFF! :)



Abby woke up from naptime first the other day. I snuck upstairs so not to wake up Jackson and grabbed Abby from her crib. I had to convince her to not go into Jackson's room, and we crept down the stairs as quietly as we could. We were sitting on the living room floor hanging out when I asked Abby, "Would you like a snack?". She very carefully set down her elephant, took the paci out of her mouth and placed both in a pile with her blanket on the floor. "yea!" she responded, as she ran into the kitchen. She looked so adorable running into the kitchen after the snack she was so excited about. When we got into the kitchen, I unwrapped and handed to Abby a piece of string cheese. She immediately started crying and went running out of the kitchen. Apparently, string cheese wasn't the snack she was hoping for. We settled on some graham crackers and milk.



Jackson excused himself from dinner the other night to go potty. He got up, went in and just as he sat down, he starting singing, "I have a really nice Mommy! I have a really nice Mommy!"......pause........"I have a really nice Daddy too! I have a really nice Daddy too!" Nice little potty song!

Jackson's First Day of Preschool!

I just came home from dropping off Jackson at his first day of preschool. He looked adorable. He did great. He didn't freak out when it was time for me to leave. He sat nicely while Ms. Suzi read him a book. He sang songs along with Ms. Mary. And he held on oh so tight to the trains he found in his classroom the entire time. What a cutie!

Jackson doesn't smile for pictures anymore. Instead, he makes funny faces!

Singing "Heads Shoulders Knees & Toes" with trains in hand. He announced to Ms. Mary, " I'm going to do it with just one hand because I am holding these trains!" She replied, ever so accomodating, "Let's all try to do it with one hand like Jackson!" I think we are going to like her!

The Last Days of Summer

We did our best to make the best of the last days of summer this weekend, even getting a last dip in Nana and Papa's pool! Millennium Park, backyard BBQs and a backyard movie all made for a fun-filled weekend. Jackson starts pre-school tomorrow, but hopefully summer will hang on for a little while longer!

Hanging out at Nana and Papa's...
Taking Daddy for a ride!

Some Family Pyramids....watch out Meggan!

Daddy Races! Go Daddy Go!

Looking Cute at Wiggleworms at Millennium Park!

Hanging out with Gracie at the Bean!

Look! There's two of me!

Hanging with Kieran...in town from Washington DC.

Piano Lessons

The Giantest Good Mommy Ever

Today, Jackson spent about an hour arguing with me, resisting every little thing that I asked, kicking at me in protest, screaming and crying, being snotty and being in general a little shit. Then, after I sat him down for a snack of apples and pretzel sticks he told me that I am "The Giantest Good Mommy Ever!" That almost made up for the hour that preceded the cute comment!

Rain Rain Go Away!

Notice the mud on the kids in these first two pictures...

We took Jackson and Abby camping this weekend, along with Matt's brother Mike and his two daughters, Anna & Ella. It was Abby's first camping trip. It was fun but, there were a few obstacles to overcome. Here is a recap of day 1.....

12:30: Arrive at campsite.

12:32: It begins to rain.

12:35: Matt works on setting up tents while I entertain the kids, which consists of running around and falling down into the wet grass/mud. They are filthy already.

12:50: It starts to pour while Matt is working on setting up Mike's tent. I put the kids under the rain shelter and run to help Matt. Abby screams. Matt and I worked as fast as we can to get the rain fly over Mike's tent. Abby screams. We are getting soaking wet. Abby screams. I run over and pick up Abby. She stops screaming.

1:00 We get in the car and drive around the park in the rain. We stop at the beach to check it out and go for a little walk.

1:12: It starts to pour. We run back to the car.

1:28: We try to put Jackson and Abby down for a nap in the tent (What else do you do in the rain when you are camping?). Just then Mike arrives with the girls. Jackson's nap is cancelled, but Abby and I lie down to snooze.

2:33: I awake to find that our tent has turned into a series of puddles, two of which are on top of my bed. Camping in the rain is so much fun. It is still pouring out, Abby is still asleep, so I lie in bed watching the rain drip drip drip drip down onto our air mattress while daddy longleg spiders seek haven underneath our rain fly. At least it is helping someone keep dry!

3:42: It is still raining, but Abby and I emerge from the tent. The kids are all hovered around a mini DVD player watching Stuart Little. Jackson is covered in mud and soaking wet, but happy as can be. I guess a little (or a lot) of rain doesn't have to spoil camping fun afterall.

4:00: Jackson very excitedly asks Mike, "Uncle Mike, do you want to fall in the mud?" Mike responds with a polite no thanks, but Jackson isn't convinced. "See Uncle Mike, Just like this!" As he falls back into a pile of mud. What fun!

5:00: We make hotdogs and steaks for dinner. We throw in some potato chips and grapes to balance out the meal. The kids eat nothing. Matt eats his steak with his hands. Isn't there a Panera nearby?

5:30: We take Jackson to the showers to clean up (see 4:00 above!)

6:00: Still raining, we decide it is time to escape the rain. Holiday Inn? No such luck. We head to Volcano Falls arcade.

7:00: The kids blow through our lot of quarters in no time, but we emerge with 141 tickets. Oh Boy...what kind of prizes (and by prizes I mean junk!) can we get?... 2 airplanes, 1 tootsie pop, 1 rubber whale and red plastic lips. What fun!

7:30: Back at the campsite, the rain has subsided. We attempt to avoid the large mudpit that is directly between our picnic table and fire pit while Matt works on building a fire.

8:00: It's s'mores time!

8:30: Abby is in her pack n play, while Jackson and I are snuggled in the air mattress. He asks me what every single noise outside is as he squeezes my hand and moves closer and closer to me, terrified of the falling acorns and chirping crickets. I stare at Abby making adorable cooing sounds through the mesh side of her "bed" while Jackson breathes his sweet marshmallow breath on my neck and squeezes my hand. Pretty soon, Jackson is out like a light, Abby is sound asleep and I am a happy camper after all!

1,2,3,4,5 Years Old

What do you get when you bring a 1 year old, a 2 year old, a 3 year old, a 4 year old and a 5 year old on vacation for an entire week? A great family vacation! Add in a beautiful lake, 2 silly uncles, a fun grandma, s'mores and learning to swim and you have yourself a wonderful week up north.

We spent the entire week sitting by the lake, swimming in the lake, fishing from the lake...basically enjoying the lake. The kids searched for rocks (No throwing rocks Logan!), played pirates on the "wobbly deck", chased each other around, built sandcastles and rivers in the sand, played on the floaties, swang on the swings and hammock, jumped on Uncle Justin, watched outdoor movies, made s'mores, went on a scavenger hunt, played games, and had a great time.

The kids woke up crazy early every single morning and Matt and I somehow ended up entertaining them every morning. Where is that Silly Uncle Justin when you need him? One morning at about 7am, Jackson, Logan and Trevor were sitting on the couch staring at something Disney on the TV. Jackson was telling Trevor stories. Not just one story, but a series of stories. Trevor turns to Jackson and tells him, " You talk too much!". He wasn't mean, he wasn't judgemental, just letting him know. I guess Trevor takes after his dad, cause Jeff doesn't really like to talk too much in the morning either.

I thought Jackson might cry when it was time to go home. Luckily, we get to go again next year! Yea family vacation!

Mom, what's that?

Bathtime, about 7:3o this evening....all is well. Jackson is playing with a family of ducks and Abby is, of course, trying to drink the water flowing from the tap. I am attempting to multi-task and am removing my nailpolish while I sit next to the tub. All of a sudden our peaceful bath time is interupted by Jackson, "Mom, what's that?" Abby's first poop in the tub! Jackson did this nearly every single time he took a bath when he was a baby, but tonight was Abby's first. She looked so confused when bath time came to an abrupt end and Jackson just kept asking why she pooped in the tub. Just one more thing to clean up after getting the kids to bed!

I Scream, You Scream...

Kids for Sale or Rent

When Jackson refuses to eat his waffles because they are on the wrong plate...when Abby screams every time Jackson comes near him...when brushing their teeth and hair seems harder than finishing my most recent research paper....when Jackson has a meltdown because I have to go upstairs to brush my teeth...when Abby probably needs a nap, but we have plans so she can't take one and it all happens before 9am, I consider putting my kids up for sale or rent.

Any takers?

Busy Busy Weekend!

What a great long weekend! Matt had Friday off and we have been going going going all weekend! Friday we hit the waterpark with some friends and had a blast. Jackson and Abby were both having a great time when we first got there. It opened at 11, and we were there right at 11 to make the most of the time before the kids crashed. Jackson was just about losing steam when his friend Jett showed up! That's when the real fun began. They ran around like crazy, spalshing, attacking Jett's dad, me and any water fountain that got in their way. Even the "vomit incident" in the pool didn't deter the fun. (For the record, it was not our children that puked. Someone puked in the pool and and the pool was closed for about half an hour. No worries...the boys went for a walk and played in the grass!) When it was time to go, both boys were worn out and bummed that the fun had to end so soon. Abigail had an equally fun time, trying to drink the water every 2 seconds. Seriously...did I mention that someone had just puked in the pool!?! She is truly fearless in the water, running in, splashing around and falling backwards into the pool. She is a little fish!

In case that didn't wear the kids out, we headed down to Millenium Park for some music and a picnic on Friday night with Nana and Papa. What fun! Tons of yummy snacks (especially Nana's brownies!), great company, fantastic scenery and oh, that's right some music in the background. Jackson danced with anyone he could get on their feet while we polished off a bottle of wine. Even the sprinkles that ended our picnic early didn't ruin the fun. We went for a walk over the bridge and played at the playground before heading home. During our walk over the bridge, Abigail insistied that she push Jackson in the stroller and stopped every few feet to jump on the back. Pretty darn cute little girl!

We were up and at 'em early Saturday morning as we headed down to the Dragon Boat races at Ping Tom Park in Chinatown. Jen Eggener and Wrigley saved us a great spot by the river under shade with a view of not only the races, but the trains too! Oh, what fun! We watched the boats race, jumped in the moonwalk, played on the playground, ate Chinese food and took a tour of the neighborhood firehouse all before heading back home on the el. Jackson loved to hear the CTA announcements, especially when they announced the Jackson stop! Abby passed out in her stoller on the el and slept most of the way home and I couldn't blame her one bit.

We were on such a role, that we just continued the fun through Sunday....we headed to Pump It Up! for Christopher's birthday party! Seriously, who knew that place could be so much fun? The kids went crazy running and jumping, and to be honest, Matt and I had a pretty good time too! We followed Jackson through obstacle courses, jumped with Abby on the moonwalk and went down the slides countless times with both kids. Jackson even got to go rock climbing on the wall. The fun was topped off by pizza, cupcakes and a goody bag filled with candy, toys and stickers. What a day!

I am exhausted just writing about all the fun we had this weekend....maybe we can get some rest this week before next weekend comes. Oh, what's that? We are off to the park. Oh, well, maybe we will rest tomorrow!

I need privacy!

Last night we had dinner at Chipotle. Nothing but the best for us! So Jackson announces that he has to go potty and we run down the hallway. He goes potty and we come back to the table. Not two minutes later he announces that he has to poop. I am pretty sure that everyone at Chipotle heard the announcement. Again, we rush down the hallway. This time, Jackson tells me that he needs privacy, but I am reluctant to leave him alone in the Chipotle bathroom. When we are at home, he generally announces that he wants privacy and insists on closing the door and going to the bathroom in peace. At Chipotle, I told him, I would stay with him. So, he then told me that I had to stand in the corner with my eyes closed so he could still have some privacy. Fine. So, I stood in the corner while he went poop and then he asked me to come over and wipe him. So much for privacy!

4th of July in Door County

Each summer we head off to Door County for the 4th of July, and this summer was no different! Matt and I had this great idea that if we travelled at night, the kids would sleep and we would have a nice peaceful drive. It was only a great idea in theory. Jackson started asking "Are we there yet?" after less than an hour in the car. We cut off the movies thinking the kids would go to sleep, but no....they both stayed up long into the drive. Eventually they did fall asleep and we did enjoy the last couple hours of the drive in peace. Perhaps there is no good strategy for travelling 5 hours with 2 kids under the age of 4. Oh well, better luck next time.

We spent our long weekend hanging out with Nana and Papa and with the Newcomes. Jackson and Eli shared a bedroom, meaning there was little sleep but lots of shanangans! Abby warmed up to everyone by the end of the week, even giving Auntie Katie kisses! We hit the beach, went for lots of walks in the woods and made s'mores around the new fire pit. What a great weekend. You can't beat a fun family vacation in Door County. We are already looking forward to next year!

The history of two bunnies and an elephant

Since Abby's jellybeans account expired months ago, I thought it was high time that I start a new blog to keep everyone updated on the adventures of Jackson & Abigail. So, here it is....two bunnies and an elephant. Where did that silly name come from you ask?

In case you don't know, Jackson has two very beloved bunnies. The original bunny was a gift from Anne-Marie at my baby shower when I was pregnant with Jackson. Soon after Jackson was born, he decided that the bunny was his best buddy, despite my attempts at pushing the monkey. (We did use the monkey, not the bunny, for Jackson's weekly and monthly photo shoots during his first year) When Jackson was in daycare, we decided to buy a back-up bunny so he could have one at home and one at daycare. Daycare was squashed when I quit working and Jackson soon realized that he had two bunnies. Oh, the excitement to have two beloved bunnies! So, now both bunnies take naps, go on car rides and travel with us where ever we may go.

When I was pregnant with Abigail, I searched and searched for the perfect stuffed animals, despite the growing pile of them we already had at home. No, I needed to find the perfect stuffed animals for my second child. If Jackson had the monkey and two bunnies, I couldn't let my second child be without some beloved stuffed animals. So, I searched, I consulted friends and colleagues and at last we purchased elephant (and a lion that nobody seems to care too much about). Much to my delight, Abby loved elephant from the very beginning. His long trunk is often full of cream cheese, yogurt or ketchup since he spends many a meal sitting next to Abby in her high chair, and he is very much adored! We have bought a back up in case of emergency, and are being careful to not let her know that there are two elephants. We'll see....

Anyway, welcome to our new blog!