Easter May 14, 2012

I realize it’s very late, but as I mentioned, we’ve had some trouble getting photos from the camera to the computer. For Easter, I took the boys to the Falls Church Community Egg Hunt. I forgot to get them baskets, so I dug out a couple of purses that are awesome, but too small for my wallet, phone, keys, and diaper now. Seamus immediately lay claim to the pink one.

Finding Eggs

At first, I was standing next to a blocked off area with lots of candy, but then a woman noticed and said that the area for little kids was in another space. Actually I was pleased, because there wasn’t so much candy there, and Seamus and Gilbert showed very little interest in picking up anything other than the plastic eggs. They had so much fun. When they figured out there was stuff in those eggs–even more exciting! Their favorites were the bunny tattoos. They stayed looking that their loot so long a Falls Church photographer came over to take pictures of them. I didn’t remember to check that issue of the paper to see if there were any published.

Then it was on to the Easter bunny. After all the trouble between Gilbert and Santa, I didn’t have high hopes, and I was right not to. Gil wanted none of it, but he did like standing on the stage. I could hardly pull him off.

Easter in Falls Church!

I’ve also got Boston pics, so look for a post on that later. The best thing about Boston that’s stuck is that Seamus is now very confident in the water. He got swim floaties from us for his birthday, and yesterday he walked out into the lake with them on. He lifted his feet and kicked and swam his arms. It was so exciting for us! Gilbert liked filling the buckets with water and dumping them out.

A Trip to the Farm and Springfest May 8, 2012

I took the boys to Oxon Hill Farm on Good Friday hoping for a wagon ride. I’m pretty sure I blogged about the boys running up and down the hill and some other kid knocking Gilbert down. We didn’t have a wagon ride, but we did see a big turkey. One thing that was funny–telling the story about the kid melting down when the wagon ride disappointment hit, my friend Liz said, “It’s not like you can just go find another wagon ride on a Friday morning.” I thought that was hilarious because we so often think, we can just get a new one, or a different one.

Anyway, some photos:

We pause for a snack.

The boys attempt headstands and somersaults.

Later that week, I took them to a skate park, inadvertently. We were exploring new parks near us, gearing up for summer and looking for parks that have water features for when the weather gets hotter. The boys were very interested in a rock and in the flowers.

Look at my dandelion!

Then, in late April, I took them to Springfest at Marymount. Like Homecoming, they had a blast. They wanted to jump on the inflatables, but they were too scary for the boys. Instead they played with noisemakers and a slip ‘n’ slide. The students loved them.

MU reuses Mardi Gras favors at Springfest.

The Slip ‘n’ Slide

In a very un-Gilbert like moment, he was nervous to go through it.

Gilbert did eventually go through the sprinkler, but he fell down and was limping afterward. It wasn’t an injury, but he was limping because only one side of his clothes were wet and they were dragging him down. The boys met Bernie, the mascot, but they thought he was Clifford the big red dog, because that’s the only person they’ve ever seen in costume before. They were pretty terrified of Bernie at first, but warmed up and gave him some high-fives.

I love taking the boys places while they’re little and cute.

We hooked the sprinkler up and home. It’s been fun, but it’s been raining so much here that we haven’t had much use for it yet.

We Went to the Beach…in November (and Gilbert had no Shoes) November 22, 2011

It still was super fun. Seamus was really into finding shells, and this time, unlike last time, Gilbert tried to run straight into the water.

Lots of Sand!

We also went to the Cape May Zoo.

No Shoes!

Gilbert has a knack for taking off his shoes–everywhere. We have to be really careful when taking him for a walk in the stroller to make sure we have all the shoes on the way home. At a restaurant this weekend, we almost lost his really cute (warm, necessary) slippers, but Pop Pop saw them. People kept running up to us saying, “he’s only wearing one slipper!” I think the temperature had people thinking we were abusing the kid, but anyone with children knows…sometimes they just won’t wear shoes. On the zoo boardwalk above, we let him run all around in his socks. You can see how pleased he was.

Willful Gilbert. That’s him. Eating out? Only if Gilbert wants to sit in the high chair. Normally, we can just make him at home, but out and about? People want to enjoy their dinner.

Shenandoah and the Solo November 6, 2011

We’ve had a bunch of stuff going on that I’ve been wanting to write about but I forget to do it all….

• Last weekend, my parents visited and Patrick and I had planned to go camping in Shenandoah National Park. Had being the operative word. We got up there and the trees were beautiful. We went on a long hike past some waterfalls and then we got kind of turned around and ended up doing a much longer hike than we had intended to do. By the time we got back to the car, it was snowing. By the time we got to our campsite, it was snowing harder. We didn’t have our air mattresses because we had thought they were in Charlottesville, but I guess they were at home. The campground host came by and told us the weather service had revised the forecast and they were predicting a foot of snow! So we left.
• Our friends Bonny and Scott visited.

With FDR's Dog

We had so much fun with them. First we played some Settlers of Catan. We ate some delicious hummus (which Seamus will eat as long as it’s called dip and not hummus), baba ganoush, and pita. On Friday when they were here, we went to Eastern Market, the Folger Shakespeare Library, the Supreme Court, the FDR memorial, and the new MLK memorial.

• Patrick’s been in Albuquerque the last two days. I’m on my third day of having the boys full time by myself. I was very worried about the time change, but we seem to have weathered it okay so far. We’ve been walking to parks. We went over to Del Ray and walked around and my friend brought her baby over and we went to the park and played with a fire engine. It’s been fun, mostly. Last night for dinner we had guacamole, salsa, chips, cheese, crackers, and grapes. Very well balanced. Aside from that, I hope Patrick’s having fun and accomplishing a lot in ABQ. Seamus, when P told him that he was going to New Mexico, thought about it and said, “I want to go with you.” He really misses NM and his friends.
• Gilbert does a few physical comedy things. He’ll bend dow and put his head on the floor if you tell him to do a headstand. He alternately stomps his feet if you say Dance! And he also says hot, bowl, and spoon.
• Seamus started playing with Liz’s phone the other night. She has some kind of cupcake making app that he loved.

Farm Days* October 11, 2011

The first weekend in October, I tried to take Seamus to Art on the Avenue, a free kids & adults art event, where children can paint pumpkins, stuff scarecrows, and a variety of other fun activities. Unfortunately, it rained a lot and was unseasonably cold. So last week, I discover that Falls Church has a farm day festival in town, and it was full of similar activities. I called my friend and invited her to come craft with us. It wasn’t free, but the boys loved it so much that I think it was work the $20 we spent on various activities.

Seamus get weighed.

To the right, you can see Seamus getting weighed in the old barn. It was a very funny scale. I think he thought it was a swing, but he enjoyed it anyway. He weighs 31 lbs!

We didn’t try Gilbert on the scale, but he had fun anyway, picking up walnuts. He kept saying, “Ball!” and rolling the walnuts everywhere.

Gilbert and the walnuts.

The boys were enjoying themselves immensely, but the days was so beautiful that we were in line for a long time for each activity. (Except the free activities, like getting weighed and picking up walnuts off the ground.) This one woman was very upset with me for letting Gilbert play with the walnuts, and she kept exclaiming that they stain! and should he really be putting that in his mouth?! Oh, people. Let’s not worry so much about other peoples’ children.

Meanwhile, Liz helped Seamus wait for a pony ride. They talked and talked about what kind of pony he was going to ride. He ended up on the white pony.

Seamus rides the pony

He had such a good time and was very proud to have ridden it all by himself. Except now he wants to look at the pictures of riding it, and he keeps pointing out that he doesn’t know the person leading him around the pony circle.

Gil in the house!

Gilbert got bored with all the waiting and scurried over to the playground where he stood around this house saying “Hi!” and “Bye-bye!” to everyone who came near.

And if you’ll indulge two more photos…

Gilbert being cute

Seamus's face-painting

I told Seamus there was going to be face-painting, and he got so excited to have his face painted, that Liz had to do it herself when we got back home. He loved it, but the orange streak on his face is where he attempted to do it all by himself (this all by himself is a theme these days!)

 

* Of course, I recognize the irony in going to “Farm Days” when I grew up on a farm. The hayride that I went on as a kid was one we didn’t have to wait 30 minutes in line for, among other things!

 

Biking to Work October 6, 2011

My goal is to ride my bike to work three days a week. Generally, that means Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. On Tuesdays and Fridays, I go in really early, park in a two hour spot that starts at eight, so I leave at 10, come home, and Patrick goes downtown to drive his pedicab. Even though riding is easier than driving because we’re so close (3 miles), I still have a hard time motivating myself to get on my bike in the morning. What is it about humans that even when something is fun, and we enjoy it when we’re doing it, that we just don’t want to if it seems even a little about work?

All the reasons I love riding my bike to work:

1. Fresh air in my lungs in the morning.
2. Exercise that’s hard to come by with the boys competing for attention.
3. It’s only 20 minutes.
4. Mental break from work and home.
5. I get good ideas on the bike. (I’ve already planned my book, another article, a conference paper, and my sabbatical, as well as some good class planning.)
6. Seeing the miles increase on my bike’s computer. I’m about to hit 3000 (recorded) miles on this bike. That works out to less than $.23 a mile to run my bike–so far. Every mile I ride brings it down.
7. Seeing people out walking their dogs, taking kids to school, driving like maniacs.
8. Keeping an eye out for yard sales, houses for sale, and general neighborhood feeling.

Reasons I don’t like riding to school:

1. The 1/2 mile hill home. It irritates me every single time I ride it. Maybe I should find a new route.
2. Getting my bike out of the shed.
3. Changing clothes at school.
4. I can’t carry a cup of coffee on my bike.

Clearly, laziness is a problem.

Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens August 12, 2011

We got a couple of books when we moved here: 60 Hikes in 60 Miles and Fodor’s DC for Kids. Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens and Lily Ponds was in both books, so for a last hurrah, we decided to head there yesterday with a picnic lunch. It was a long drive to Northeast DC, so again I’m glad I live so close to work.

The gardens were a perfect place for our little family to explore. There were lily ponds to wander among. We spotted some tadpoles:

Tadpoles in the Lily Pond

We took a walk on the boardwalk and saw the egrets:

In the Marsh

Observed the beaver fences:

To keep the beavers from eating the trees.

The best part was our lunch, which we ate on a very peaceful, shady bench looking at the marsh where some Canadian geese were putting on a show–cleaning themselves, preening, swimming, and honking.

It was a great trip up there, and I’d recommend it for folks with little kids that want to be in a place where crowds aren’t going to keep a toddler from exploring. There was almost nobody there (could have been the location…), the grounds were well-maintained, and there was a very strong tranquility to the gardens. We opted for the gardens over the National Arboretum or Rock Creek Park, both of which we thought would be more crowded and overwhelming, and over Teddy Roosevelt Island, which is so close it doesn’t take a much planning to get to. I’m glad we went.

 

Fun things to do when it’s HOT Outside August 8, 2011

We’ve had a busy week (end). We had decided to skip town this week and head to C-ville for some R&R. What, you say? Travelling with toddlers is R&R? It was a nice time, though, and proved some good things. One, they are definitely both toddlers now, albeit at different abilities. Gilbert walks 98% of the time. He’s very pleased with himself. Two, they can and do sleep in the same room, even under circumstances where they aren’t at home. So we got there, ate lunch, went to the beach, and tried for a simultaneous nap, so Patrick and I could ride the tandem around the lake. It’s an 11 mile ride, and it’s quick and fun. Unfortunately, G was too worked up to sleep. But we went anyway, and he had a big time with Nana.

The next morning, Seamus got a trip to the beach with Mom and Dad while Gilbert napped. He walked the whole way there and back by himself; the big boy briefs were a little wet on the way back because he’d been playing jumpy-jumpy on the steps into the water. (These are off the dock.) That afternoon, they did have a simultaneous nap, but we were too tired to do anything. A quick trip out on the lake in beautiful weather ended Friday. Saturday we went to the C-ville farmer’s market and water park. We got soaked, but not from the water park; instead, the largest thunderstorm I’ve been caught in in a while descended on us. Gilbert enjoyed it more than Seamus. Gil has yet to meet something spraying water all over him that he doesn’t like. Seamus likes it if he controls it–ie a hose, a sprinkler, the steps to the pool, etc.

We headed home Saturday evening, because I’d had a snafu with the mattress pad I’d ordered online, and I was expecting it to be sitting on our back porch. It was, and the storm we drove in with didn’t seem to affect it. Blah blah. We took the boys out in the strollers for a walk in the rain, and Gilbert kept grabbing Seamus’s stroller and trying to throw it off the path! But Seamus gets his–I don’t know if it’s that Gil can walk or he’s suffering for lack of attention, or what, but S has taken to knocking Gilbert over as he’s toddling around. Then he announces, “I need a time out. I knock Gilbert over.” So Gil has taken to sitting down when S comes near him in that mood. We think G’s building up to clobber S one of these days.

Anyway, we went for a bike ride yesterday morning, out to Vienna, and we stopped at the old Vienna train station to look around and rest before heading back. It was so ridiculously hot, we only sat for a minute before getting back on the bikes just to get a breeze going! Ugh. But I see how the W & OD trail (called wad) is a good time in the fall and spring. Last night we went to some friends’ in Alexandria, and Ramon made Seamus die laughing–I wish I had a video of it, because it would be the newest youtube sensation of baby laughing. He really couldn’t breathe. And Liz’s dogs did scare him, but I think in about a month, he might warm up to them…

This morning we walked to Metro, went into the Natural History Museum, enjoyed the A/C for 10 minutes, went outside, had a snack, and rode the train home. I changed a diaper in a Metro station. That’s how it goes when you travel with toddlers. With the baby and a toddler, we lowered expectations. Now we lower them again, and call any non-diaster a success.

Still with me? Seamus loves the wingsdreamer station on youtube, mostly because he gets to watch Grandaddy cook. Check it out, if you haven’t already. He requests to view this daily. In the video, I’m pregnant with Seamus, but you can’t really tell.

Anti-DNR Post June 28, 2011

The blog is gasping for air. We will resuscitate.

Whew.

We’ve been in Charlottesville, VA exploring farmer’s markets, grocery stores, walking trails, lake beaches, and other exciting places. The boys are making leaps and bounds of progress, despite the uncertainty in which house we’ll be sleeping in tomorrow night, not to mention all next year.

Gilbert is really trying to walk. He took a first step at P’s dad’s house over the weekend. He’s been standing for a while, but this time, he lifted his foot and moved it forward. He also said “Ba” for ball. He says, “Bye bye” consistently when I hang up a phone or the little frog toy says it. He’s eating a ton, and we’re (finally) back to getting him to (mostly) sleep through the night. With the developmental leaps some some set backs. He has perfected pitching a fit every time he gets near his carseat. As in stiff as a board, screaming, will not bend his knees. He loves the pool, but he really only wants to swim with me. I tried to pass him off to someone and he made the worst Merritt sneer at him when I took him back. He’s willful, that one. Teething trouble hasn’t helped. I count four teeth breaking through right now.

Seamus is using complete sentences, sleeping in a big boy bed, and wearing big boy briefs all the time, except at night and long car rides. He, too, though is going through some unfortunate behavior. Every now and then, I’ll be sitting near him and he’ll look up and yell, “No, Mama. No mama sit.” And he doesn’t want me around. I’m cool with it (as much as can be expected) because I’ve heard it’s a part of developing independence, but we’re working on asking nicely. Other times he’s loving and funny, puckering up for kisses, and looking for people’s bellies to flubber. He did Gilbert’s this morning to general hilarity.

P and I spent the better part of Thursday and Friday looking for houses to rent in Arlington or Falls Church. I’m hoping we hear on this one soon because it’s only 3 miles from Marymount, 3 miles from Patrick’s dad, and there is an adorable little toddler park two blocks away. It’s also walkable (sort of, about a mile) to Orange Line Metro, and it’s right on the bike path. Notice I have said more about the location than the actual house. The house is small, but cute–the best part is no stairs for the boys.

Speaking of bike paths. Check out this website on biking the C & O canal. 330 miles without traffic from Pittsburg to DC! I really really want to go!

Now I have to go write 5,000 words on La Llorona.

A Photo Essay March 30, 2011

In the last month:

Gilbert started solid foods.

The boys played together.

These are Seamus’s”owl pjs” which he will comment, “hoo, hoo.” Gilbert’s pjs are now too small and have been passed on to the next baby boy coming soon. A post for another day: how I feel about giving away baby clothes.

Seamus got a haircut.

We like to say he “did it himself” as Patrick tried to cut and S kept moving his head!

We went for a walk in the woods.

More soon…