Old MacDonald had a farm . . .

I had the opportunity to go with Ryan and his class on their final field trip of the year which happened to be to a local farm - talk about fun! It was so great to see how Ryan interacted with his classmates and teachers, and the other parents for that matter. He was really into everything about the farm . . . the mud, the animals, the tractors, you name it, he loved it. This was a real hands-on experience and Ryan made the most of it. The visit started with a trip to see some piglets. The kids not only got to see the little pigs, they also got to hold them (if they could catch them). Ryan was not shy about wanting to hold a pig so he went to work and caught himself the biggest little piglet there was - he was so proud of his accomplishment. After the pigs, we visited some lambs and baby ducks. Ryan again made sure to hold and touch everything he could. After that, we went into a chicken coop and the kids got to hunt for some eggs - amazingly there were eggs everywhere (almost like they were intentionally put there - hmm. . . ) so everyone was able to find one or two. With the small animals behind us,we headed into the cow barn to see how cows were milked and to see where they lived. About half the kids (including Ryan) started gagging and plugging their noses so the teachers skipped over the talk about milking and got right down to the fun stuff - seeing the big cows. It still stunk, but the kids somehow forgot about it when they had the chance to actually see and pet the cows - so easily distracted. During our trip to the barn, we managed to see some of the cows "taking care of business." At one point while we were walking down the middle of the barn, tails started to lift and poo and pee was going everywhere. It was pretty funny to see how the kids reacted. The three I had with me tightened their grips on my hands and huddled around my legs and did not move until I assured them it was safe. Once we got going again, it was a dead sprint to get out of the barn - I can't say I disagreed with them. After that we headed down a gravel road to see some baby cows. The kids not only got to see and pet the baby cows, they also got to give them bottles - another very exciting experience. After seeing all the animals, the kids had to run across a field and were then treated to some ice cream cones. To wrap up the day the class took some pictures in front of a big tractor and sang their version of "Old MacDonald" - it was very cute. By the time we got home Ryan was ready to be a farmer - gone were the days of wanting to be a firefighter or Spider-Man. I guess that means he had a good time!

Ryan's dream comes true

It turns out dream really do come true, and I'm the person to make that happen - at least for Ryan. So the other day when I gave Ryan his "Buzz Light Year" bathrobe (which I purchased at one of the garage sales this past weekend) he just looked at me and said, "that's my dream." I said, "what is your dream?" He points at the robe and says, "that, what is it called again?" I say "bathrobe", he says, "yeah, that bathrobe is my dream Mom." He loved every single detail about the robe - the color (even though he had previously asked for a green robe), the fact that "Buzz Light Year" was on it (even though he really isn't big on Buzz right now), and how soft it was - it is so easy to make him happy. I'm hoping Lauren will be just as easy. Anyway, he wanted to wear the bathrobe all the time . . . while eating, while playing, and even to bed. He also liked to show it to anyone he possibly could so the other day when the neighbors stopped over for a quick visit, he wanted to put it on immediately. So I told him to go and grab it form his room and bring it out so I could help him. He said no and insisted that I go back to his room with him and put it on there - fine, whatever will make him happy and get the robe on. So there we are in his room and he says he wants to take off his jammies (which he had on at the time) and wear his robe like I wear mine. Oh crap, he means wearing his bathrobe, and only his bathrobe - no jammies underneath; which I do every time I get out of the shower. Time for a quick talk about private parts. I tell Ryan that he can only wear his robe (while naked underneath) when he is at home with just Trav, myself, and Lauren. And that whenever he is around other people and wants to wear the robe, he must have clothes on underneath because nobody else should see his privates - understood, he nods, great, let's go show off that robe (fully clothed of course)!

They love it!

First reactions form everyone . . . they love the bed! They being Ryan, Lauren, and even Trav - yeah! Turns out Trav doesn't care if I spend money on legit things - go figure. Anyway, the bed was a complete surprise for them so when they walked in the door I was super excited. When the time came to actually see the room, the kids ran for the bed and Trav just smiled. I think we spent the next hour or so playing on the new bed(s). Ryan immediately brought his red pillow in from his room and called the trundle bed as "his bed" while the top bed could be Lauren's. Judging from the pictures below, I think Trav called the top bed and could care less who got the bottom.Here is Lauren playing on her bed before bath time - she loves it! And here she is sound asleep - apparently she likes having the extra room - lots of space to stretch out and relax.And speaking of sleeping, the actual act of getting Lauren to sleep was way easier than I had anticipated. We did her usual routine, bath, books, a little rocking, then I laid her on her bed. I laid next to her for a minute or so and could tell she wasn't going to be going to sleep anytime soon with me right there so I got up, gave her a kiss, said goodnight, and walked out of her room; just like I did when she was in the crib. She gave out one of her little fake cries and that was it - no screaming, no getting up and pounding on the door, just silence. Figuring she was good, I went into the kitchen to finish cleaning up then went back to my room to watch some tv. I could hear Lauren "talking" in her room (which she does pretty much every night), but nothing else so I assumed she was still on the bed. After a couple of minutes the talking disappeared so I decided to take a peek - there she was sound asleep with Ruby (her rabbit) and her two blankets - that was way too easy!

I hope I didn't just jinx myself by writing about how easy it was - I guess we'll have to wait and see what tomorrow brings.

I love garage sales!

So this weekend Trav took the kids up to the lake while I hung out at home to prepare myself for the biggest garage sale in Shakopee - OMG, I can hardly wait! Having experienced this particular garage sale in the past, Ash knows all about the great deals and super finds a person can get so she wanted in. With Ash on board, we also invited Mom to take part in the fun - garage sale shopping in St. Pete just isn't the same so she agreed to give it a try as well. So there we were, just the three of us sitting together around 4:30pm on a quiet Friday night - what to do? Well, we ended up going out for some appetizers and drinks, headed back home and thought about having a bonfire until we realized how windy it was so we went in and played cards instead. We carried on with cards and good conversation into the wee hours of the night. When we could no longer stay up, all of us (Mom, Ash, Kelty (the dog), and myself) crawled into my bed and settled in to watch "Bride Wars". Mom lasted about two minutes before she was out cold, I was soon to follow, and then Ash and Kelty. Sometime later (not sure how long), I woke up super uncomfortable and had to kick out Ash and Kelty (the bed is only a queen so it was a tight fit). With two down, I was able to spread out a little and get some sleep. The morning came way too early for all of us, and soon we realized that our fun from last night was making for a miserable morning. After getting some food in our stomachs and loading up on water, we hit the road at 9:15am (not as early as I would have liked in order to be one of the "firsts" at the sales) in search of some good deals. It seemed like the "Garage Sale Gods" were watching out for me that day. I found great deals at various sales . . . pink cowgirl boots for Lauren (shouldn't everyone little girl have a pair of these), 2 snowsuits (one a 3T and one a 4T) for Lauren - total cost $8 for both, a pretty much brand new winter coat for Ryan ($5), some dress shirts (Ryan), cute outfits (Lauren), a few toys, some slippers, and even a Buzz Light Year bathrobe (it just so happens Ryan has been asking for a bathrobe lately - apparently he is jealous that I wear one everyday and wants his own) all for just under $40 - talk about crazy!! With all of these purchases already in the car, we made our way to another section of houses and that is when I found it . . . the best garage sale purchase I have ever made - a beautiful, just like new twin trundle bed with two mattresses - asking price, $350, purchase price, $275!!! This description doesn't do the bed justice so I'll just post these pictures and let you see for yourself.

How stinking cute is that?!? Immediately after making the deal, I had a moment of, "oh my god, what did I just do?" I just bought a bed which Lauren probably isn't really ready for yet, and I didn't even ask Trav for his input - oops. Then I did some rational thinking . . . Ryan moved into his first bed at 17 months old, Lauren is 17 months right now and the trundle would make the perfect first bed for Lauren - it is low to the ground so if she does fall, it won't be very far. Plus, if (or should I say when), we have to start laying with Lauren (like we did with Ryan when he moved into his first bed) we'll have the actual bed to lay on which is way better than the floor (which again is what we did with Ryan). And finally, the bed will last Lauren forever - it is a well built bed, very sturdy, and perfect for her future sleepovers with friends - how exciting! So here I sit all by myself having looked at her new bedroom probably four thousand times. I'm so excited for everyone to get home so they can see (and hopefully not freak out - Trav) Lauren's new room. I'm also excited to see how Lauren will do without her crib (just in case the bed doesn't work just yet, I have the playpen ready as backup). I have no doubt Ryan will love it - hopefully not too much that he doesn't like his own bed. But, if that ends up happening, he can sleep on the top bed while Lauren sleeps on the trundle - how perfect is that. And just to make sure Ryan doesn't feel like I totally forgot about him, I switched out his old mattress with the new one I bought which is way too nice for any little kid - it is a pillow top Sealy mattress with the pillow top on both sides - talk about comfy. I laid down on that thing and would have no problem sleeping on it. I put Ryan's old mattress in the trundle, and the other new mattress on the twin bed itself. It is sad when the two mattresses I bought at a garage sale are both way nicer than the one we actually bought at a store (let's just say the house we purchased this from was kind of a small castle and very nice so they probably had a little extra money to spend on some nice mattresses for their kid). And just to make the deal a little better, the lady who sold me the bed also let me take a free set of twin bedding - super nice lady.

Wow, do you think I'm a little excited? I'm pretty sure I hardly took a breathe while writing this. It is 8:15am now, Trav and the kids probably won't be back until later this afternoon so that means I should probably find something to do now so I stop walking into Lauren's room and staring - I know, I'm a nerd - no need to tell me.

If anyone would like to join in on the greatest garage sale event of all time next year (especially if you have kids), just let me know. It is always the first weekend in May and if you walk away empty handed I would be very surprised.

Enough already - going to find something to keep me busy . . .

Our big boy

Ryan just keeps growing, and he is sure to let everyone know. The past several weeks, Ryan has been asking why Lindsay (his friend) has a big kid car seat and he has a little one. My only answer for him has been, "because I said so." The real reason behind it is because I'm probably a super overprotective mom and want to keep Ryan as safe as possible. But, after talking with some of the other preschool moms, I did some research, measuring (to see how much Ryan weighs and how tall he is), and made some phone calls. It turns out Ryan should be in a big kid car seat - he is over the forty pound weight limit for his current seat, and is well above the height requirement. And, it is actually not safe for him to be using the 5 point harness anymore - the people at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are very knowledgeable if you should ever need to call them. Anyway, after everything - the talking, the measuring, and the phone calls, I decided it was time to make a trip to Target and pick out a new seat for our new big boy. So Ryan and I hit the road and were on a mission to find the perfect seat. After having Ryan test out three different models, he settled on a "nice, cushy seat" which was just perfect. We got it home and immediately pulled it out of the box and put it together. The kids decided they liked the box better than the actual seat - at least it kept them busy while we put the seat together.

Today we made our maiden voyage with the new seat - as you can see, Ryan was thrilled.

He loves that he is using a "real seat belt" and can almost get it locked in all by himself. I can't wait for that day, it will make packing them up a whole lot easier. After the whole car seat situation, Ryan has taken every opportunity to put out instances where he can do things by himself - after all, he is a big boy now. Today when he decided he wanted to borrow a movie from the neighbors, he said he could go pick it up all by himself instead of going with me. So there I stood in the garage and watched him make his way across the patch of grass that separates the house (I had to stand back just far enough in the garage so he couldn't see me watching him). Once I saw him coming back out of the door, I hustled back into the house and sat on the couch waiting for him to come in. Sure enough, I hear his little footsteps climbing up the steps, then the garage door shutting (such a responsible little kid), and there he is happy as can be with his new movie in hand. He was so proud of the fact that he went all by himself and couldn't wait to tell me about his little adventure (it should have taken about two seconds to tell, but somehow Ryan managed to make it take about 5 minutes) - just another step towards his independence.

Pretty . . . not so much

So Ash was at our place the other day and was "helping" me give the kids baths. Lauren was up first so Ash was handling her while I was trying to deal with Ryan. It seemed like it was taking a while for Lauren's bath to get going and now I know why . . .It seems Ash thought it was time to give Lauren her first ponytail. All I can say is ISH! This little girl does not look good with a ponytail. In fact, she kind of looks like a dirtball - all she would need is a dirty little mustache and she would like some of the grease balls I've seen walking around. After getting a good laugh at Lauren's expense, Auntie tried to switch things up a bit by moving from the traditional pony-tail to the top of the head Pebble's (from the Flintstones) look. As you can see, Lauren loved every minute of it.
Good help me when the day comes that Lauren's hair actually needs to be done so it looks decent. I imagine there will be some hand swatting, screaming, and lots of not fun - I can hardly wait.

Unusual bruising

We had another rather uneventful weekend. Trav was away at the lake helping his dad do some grout work so the kids and I were left to fend for ourselves. Saturday started as usual, wake up, watch some toons, eat, and then head out to play. It was a bit colder than it has been the past few days, but still warm enough to play so that's what we did. The kids were having mental breakdowns about fifteen minutes into our outdoor fun so I told them both, "one more crying fit, and we go inside." Although Lauren gave me her "I don't know what you are talking about" look, she stopped her crying and pulled herself together. Ryan also took my warning seriously and put an end to his tears - thank god. After that, we managed to get in a good hour or so of outdoor fun and then headed back in to get ready for lunch. The kids were playing in the hallway while I was making some mac'n'cheese. Everything is going good - the kids are laughing, the noodles are cooking, and then I hear a smack on the wall followed by screams from Lauren. By the time I poke my head around the corner, I see Ryan in an all out sprint running towards the kitchen table saying, "Oh no, Mom is going to be mad, gotta go . . . gotta go." I let him go, pick up Lauren and asses the damage. She is rubbing/grabbing her left ear so I assume that is what hit the wall. After a little more crying, she calms down and is back to her normal self and I don't see or feel any injuries so I put her down and head out to get Ryan. He is still hiding under the table and when he sees me he says, "Sorry Mom, it was an accident, accidents happen." I ask him if he pushed Lauren into the wall and he says, "no" but I still have my doubts on that - why apologize if you didn't do anything wrong. At that point it doesn't really matter as Lauren is better and Ryan is giving her hugs and kisses (another sure sign of guilt) anyway. After the drama, we eat lunch and get ready for naps. It is at this point that I notice Lauren's ear is red and seems to have a black line across it. Upon closer examination, I see that the dark line across her ear is a bruise, and the ear is red and swollen - something I have never seen before. It also seems that the ear is sensitive because every time I try to get close and take a look Lauren pushes me hand away and turns her head. Not sure what to think - could her hearing be affected by this?, will her ear continue to swell?, I give her some Ibuprofen (to help with the swelling and pain) and lay her down. At this point I figure I have two options - call my Mom (my usual response) and ask what she thinks, or pull out the computer and look it up on the Internet. I opt for option 2 assuming Mom might not have any experience with bruised and swollen ears and read anything I can find. Turns out getting a bruised ear is more common than I would have thought, and it isn't a big issue unless the bruising was caused by something piercing the ear (which was not the case here). Feeling confident in my findings and have checked on Lauren periodically just to make sure she was okay, I was satisfied that everything was fine. The bruise is still there today as you can sort of see in the pictures and still looks find of odd but there is no serious damage so I'll just put this injury in the back of my mind in case another mother comes across a similar situation in the future.