"I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." - Marilyn Monroe
Since we were in Pa over Easter we had to do some prep and dye Easter Eggs. I took the boys down to my grandmother's house to meet my Aunt Maria and her kids, Katie and Kenny. When we got there the house was full with my Uncle Norm, Aunt Lisa, her daughter Lex, and my Uncle Rich and Aunt Linda. I love getting together with everyone! It's hard being so far away when you have such a big family that's all in the same area. I know we're missing out on some good weekend get togethers and BBQs....all that good stuff. Anyway, we had a great time dyeing eggs and hanging out with my family.
My boys are growing up WAY too fast! It's painful!!! :-( Let's start with Ty....This kid is hilarious. His new favorite thing is hiding his food in his highchair or throwing it on the floor. The other night Tom let him know that's not OK. Ty did not handle this well. It took a minute for him to digest what Tom just said, then the tears and pouting followed. Then it went to the fake cry and he just played it up. My little actor. The last 2 days have been pretty big for Ty. We're totally done with formula and baby foods. Yeah! And all of a sudden he's clapping, waving and playing peek-a-boo. I swear he's repeating everything we say too. He mocks us with sounds and it's scary! Hahahah. We're pretty sure he's saying "Jack" too. I love it! My little baby isn't a baby anymore. He's becoming a toddler and I'm not ready.
As for Jack, he's had a huge 2 weeks. We're potty training. He's doing a million times better than I thought he would. We started this whole thing with conveniently running out of diapers and telling him Pampers didn't make a size big enough to fit him anymore. It started a little rough. He didn't want to wear undies or sit on the potty. Then came the candy bin and the prize box. I filled a little bin with Pez, M&Ms, Swedish Fish and Starbursts. He got to choose 1 piece of candy if he just sat. If he went, he got to pick a prize....(thanks to the $1 section at Target!!!) By the end of day 2 he was starting to get it. I was going about it all wrong though and making it worse at first. I thought it would be better to have him sit until he went...this didn't work for anyone. Then we went to 10 minute intervals. If he didn't go we got up and would try again in a little while. This worked! He really got it and he's been doing amazingly!! Even bigger strides were that we've been out and about a few times now where he hasn't worn a pull up, just undies. We only use pull ups over night. When we went to Kid Fest he actually used the public restroom. That was such a proud moment for us! So potty training is coming along really well and we couldn't be more excited that we won't be purchasing diapers for Jack or formula for Ty ever again! YEAH!!! In another reminder that's Jack's growing up...he had a dentist appointment today. He's been there twice before but this was the first time he actually got to sit in the chair and not on my lap and get his teeth cleaned. When the dental hygienist told me this was the plan, I immediately thought it was going to be a disaster. He did so great! Sat there, let her brush his teeth, floss and use the spit suction thing. Then Dr. Miller came by and he was great for him as well. I learned that Jack isn't that little kid that needs his hand held through every thing anymore. Why would I ever doubt him? My boys have reminded me that I am one lucky mom to have such amazing boys, not to mention an amazing husband too.
Since April is the Month of the Military Child, Fort Ord does this huge Kid Fest for all the kids in the community. It was this past Saturday. It's free for everyone. Last year Tom brought Jack and braved the crowds alone since I was working the event. I'm glad I wasn't working it this year!!! It was insane how much work and hours went into this 3 hour party. This year we got to go as a family and enjoy it. It was a lot of fun. It wasn't as crowded as last year which was WONDERFUL!!! There were pony rides, a petting zoo, 2 bouncy houses (one was an obstacle course), a fire truck and snow cones. There was a bunch of other stuff too but that's where we focused our attention. The best part of my day was that Jack used a public restroom while we were there. (We've been potty training for a week now and doing great....that'll be my next blog) I was very proud of him!!! That's huge! Anyway....the boys had a great time. The weather was beautiful and we all got some sun. Ty loved his snow cone and I think the obstacle course/bouncy house was Jack's highlight. The pony rides probably came in at a close second though. The whole entire time we moseyed around on his pony, Daisy, he yelled..."Get a long little doggie and Yee Haw!" Hahaha!
(Let's pretend I posted this yesterday.....it's been crazy in our house this week Jack's potty training.....enough said.)
Ty's well baby appointment was yesterday morning. It was his 9mo check up. We're a little late considering he'll be 11 mo in a few days. Since we were in PA when he should have had his appointment we're only getting to it now. Ty's measuring in the 60th percentile for height and weight. He's 22 pounds and 30 inches long. His head however was in the 75th percentile. Go figure. hahaha. He's doing really well! He has 2 teeth now on the bottom. He's eating everything and never really seems to be full. We've also stopped with all baby foods and just give him what we're having. He's also on milk now except for a bottle when he wakes up in the morning and a bottle at night, but they're going away when the current canister runs out. He's a really great eater. He LOVES broccoli and cauliflower, chicken and anything that's a fruit. (The produce is one of the few things I love about CA....we're already on our 2nd watermelon) He's cruising everywhere. No walking yet, just the random dare devil lone step every now and then when we catch it. He's a total bull in a china shop. When he crawls or is playing with Jack his just puts his head down and plows into whatever is in his way. It's hilarious, but the kid may seriously need a helmet! :-) I'm starting to see him "play" with Jack more and more which I love seeing. Ty watches Jack's every move, mocks him then just cracks up! He also started clapping on his own. It's funny because it's a soft golf type clap. He must know the US Open is coming up at Pebble Beach. Crazy kid! We're working on our sign language and giving kisses. He's growing so fast and it's really hard for me to grasp that he's almost a year already.
A long time family friend got to meet the boys while we were in PA. I have known Biff since I was little. His family is just one of those groups of people that make you feel like you're part of their family. I have tons of memories from when I younger hanging out with all of them. All of his brothers and sisters are hilarious and always loads of fun to hang out with. Never a dull moment!!! Anyway, Biff stopped by to see my dad a few times and they boys loved him. Mainly because he's a just a big kid. He cracks me up! One night that he stopped by Ty made him his new best friend and salt lick. Ty absolutely loved him. It was so funny, he would grab Biff's head and suck on his forehead. Who knows why but I couldn't stop laughing. Then Ty just chilled out and sat with Biff for almost an hour. This is the child that nearly dislocated both of my shoulders from trying to hold him for 4 hours on the plane. He was calm as could be with Biff. It's been a long time since I've seen Biff and I'm so glad we got to catch up!
A few weeks into our PA visit the weather did start to warm up. It warmed up enough that the boys and I got to have a few picnics. I love picnics. There's just something so fun about packing a lunch and finding a sunny spot, laying out a blanket and sharing a sandwich with your kiddos. :-)
Ty loves anything that involves eating. hahha. He's totally self feeding now and expects to all the time. If we come at him with a spoon he looks at us like we have 2 heads and then grunts something that I'm sure would translate to...."Listen Lady....put down the spoon, I can do it myself". hahaha. He's taking after his brother, Mr. Independent. Of course with self feeding comes more laundry and a lot of messy moments, but I love him!! Happy picnics to all!!
One of our adventures while we were home was to the Crayola Factory in Easton, Pa with my mom. Jack almost didn't make it on this adventure. It will always be the day the kid melted! He had the most horrible hissie fit during breakfast over what color straw he had in his smoothie. The fit went on for almost 45 minutes and ended with both of us crying! Oh boy....it was bad! Anyway....my mom took off from work that day so we were going. We had a late start but we made it. Unfortunately, the Crayola Factory wasn't so much fun. I think if Jack was a year or two older it would have been better. The only thing he really enjoyed was the dinosaur themed activities and the sidewalk chalk area (mainly because there were chalkboard erasers. Hahahah!) The highlight of the Factory was a penny press. Jack LOVES those! I think it's all for the huge gear crank thing. I'm glad we went. I don't think we'll be rushing back anytime soon, but it was fun to see and check off the list. Ty had a blast though. He just goes along with whatever. As long as he's in that baby carrier and able to look out he's right as rain. Of course he's now exceeding the weight limit for that thing and my back. Hahahah!
I'm laying in bed and realized that, yet again, I forgot to blog. How do/did my fellow friend bloggers post something every day for a year straight? I honestly don't think I could do it! My applause to those who do/did.
In past Pennsylvania news.....Ty cut his first tooth. It seemed to take forever to break through. I actually told Tom that it retracted and went back into his jaw. Sure enough it did break through. Ty's first tooth was his bottom front left. He really wasn't too fussy with it either, just took a few really long naps and was picky with some foods. And in current California news....Ty is getting his second tooth. It broke through today. Two teeth for Ty! Very exciting I know. :-)
Jack is your typical boy. He loves anything that's a machine or has wheels. He knows every type of construction, service or emergency vehicle. Cement mixers seem to be his favorite right now. If he sees one while we're driving he tells me to "Catch up to it". It's hilarious. So with his love of machines imagine his amazement when we visit Tom's parents and Tom's dad owns all of these big boy toys. Tom's dad is a contractor and owns his own business. He has a back hoe, a zero turn, a wood chipper, and a dump truck. Jack was a little leery of the loud noises when the machines were on, but while they were "sleeping" they were his new best friends. Thanks Umpa for showing Jack all the cool big boy toys.
(Before anyone gets freaked out....none of these things were turned on while Jack was on them! Safety first!!)
While I was in PA with the boys we finally got word to where we're headed next....Fort Knox, Kentucky. People may cringe when they hear "Kentucky", but we're actually pretty excited about it. We were really hoping to get Ft. Belvoir, Va or Aberdeen PG in Maryland. This would have been nice since they're closer to family. Kentucky is definitely not the worst place we could be going. There was a chance that we'd be staying here in CA or FT. Leavenworth, KS. We're ready to move on and get to our next place. Plus the cost of living in KY compared to CA....much better!!!!
Knox is only 10 1/2 hours away from Pottsville. This means no more flights and crazy travel around the holidays. YEAH!! I can pack up the kids and head home for a long weekend or people can drive to us. It's going to be really nice to not have to fly cross country to see our families. I'm excited that there'll be more trips home to see everyone we've been missing for so long!
Tom went to OBC in Fort Knox after West Point so it's going to be familiar as well. I visited there many times. We have a favorite Mexican restaurant, El Camino. There's a really cool haunted corn maze around Halloween and Fort Knox has the school for Armor guys so we're bound to run into people we know. We also LOVE Louisville! It's about 45 minutes away with tons of things to do including going to baseball games. There's a minor league baseball team there, the Louisville River Bats. Those games are so much fun!!! The boys are going to love it!
Anyway, it's great to know where we're heading next. The move will come in October and we're looking forward to it! Kentucky....here we come! (in 6 months. hahahha)
Ok...so I've already failed at blogging every day. Not the best track record considering I missed my second blog...I'm hanging my head in shame as we speak. To make up for it here's the first of 2 blogs. Darn it!!!
So when we landed in PA at the end of February it was cold! A day or so after we landed there was a huge storm and we had around 10 inches. I was so thankful that we flew in between storms. Jack LOVES the snow! Tom's mom had bought the boys winter jackets since it's never that cold here in CA. Jack couldn't have loved his coat any more....it was a Spider Man jacket that flashed a red light when he moved. Very cool!
When the storm hit we had lots of time to just hang out and play in the snow. It was a little too cold for Ty, so we had our outside moments while he was napping. He'll have his time in the snow soon enough. Believe it or not, snow is one of the things that I miss about PA. They have seasons there. I know that the snow is a huge pain when you have to shovel it and drive in it, but there's just something about fresh snow on the ground and sleigh riding! I'm glad Jack got to experience it. :-)
I'm back to blogging! Please, Please.......hold your applause! Hahahah! The boys and I are home from PA after 6 weeks and are trying to get back into the swing of things!
The reason we were in Pa was mainly for support. While we were home for Christmas my Dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer. His doctor caught it very early. It was operable and with that he got a referral to John's Hopkins in Baltimore. His surgery date was scheduled for early March and with that I packed up the boys and flew home to have the kids do what they do best.....keep people busy and act as a distraction. I think my plan worked even though we totally took over my parent's house. How can you not with 2 crazy kids? Hahaha.
My Dad is doing great and is cancer free! He was a candidate for a robotic DaVinci surgery! Very cool! It was less invasive and he's already back to work. It was a crazy few weeks but things are starting to get back to normal.
It was great being home. We did 12 days in PA over the holidays and it wasn't enough time to get in every visit and dinner with family and friends that we wanted to. We tried to take advantage of the full 6 weeks. The kids adjusted so well to the time change and being away from home and their Dad. We REALLY missed Tom!! A lot of things happened in that 6 weeks at home that I didn't have the time to blog about so that's where I'm pulling my topics from for the next few weeks. My plan is to blog everyday until I run out of stories. (Not sure if I'll ever run out....hahahaha, crazy times!) So buckle up everyone, I'm back and with LOTS of pictures! Hahahah!!!
(I am really way behind on my blogging. I think I have a list with about 30 blog topics with pictures to post on here. I just need the time. We've been going non stop in PA and I only have 1 week left here. Not sure where that time has gone. I'm planning on doing a 30 day-blogging everyday-stint once we get home and get settled so I can catch up and fill everyone in on what's been going on...that is if you care even the slightest little bit. hahahahh! Anyway, here's a quickie post.)
In my parent's basement there is a couch, a recliner, a big over-sized comfy chair and the computer chair where you can have a seat. Out of all these places to park his rear this is where Jack chose to watch a cartoon this morning. Ty sure enjoyed having a footrest. I really wish I could see what goes through their heads all day long! Hahahah!!!
