Alex the Superhero Shopper

Alex has been Jim's shopping buddy recently.  Every weekend when Jim does the grocery shopping for the week, Alex is always the first one to ask to tag along with him.  Apparently he likes the social aspect of it, he loves to say hi to everyone, ask them "what your name is?", and taste the food samples they have at Wegman's on the weekends.  A few weekends ago, we were having a lazy Saturday morning - still lounging in our pjs, when Jim asked "who wants to go to Wegman's with me?"  Of course, Alex did!  So we told him he needed to hurry up and go get ready.  A minute later, he ran into the living room shouting, "I'm ready!" with his sneakers on, right over his footed pjs.  Hysterical!  And yes, I did get him dressed before going, but not before I got these pictures of him.

This is a conversation I overheard recently:

Abby:  I want to be a teacher when I grow up!

Chris:  I want to be a paleontologist!

Alex:  I want to be IRONMAN when I grow up!

Sweet Abby

Abby: When I'm a mom, can I still call you Mommy?

Me: You sure can...

((Smile)) This girl makes my heart melt!

Alex "Big Boy" Plousis

Well it's been a week with out the flower, (that's how Alex says pacifier)!

We've been halfheartedly trying to get rid of the flower for a while now. I would try to hide it from him, but he would throw fits that I wasn't in the mood to deal with, so I would cave in and give it back to him! :) But over the past few weeks, Alex would randomly hand me his pacifier and say "I'm a big boy, I don't need this", so I would take it away until he asked for it again, usually at bedtime.

So last Sunday I decided to hide the remaining 'flowers' for good. I was prepared for a fight, but it went a lot smoother than I expected! He only asked for it a few times at bedtime, "I want my flower!" Jim and I would just tell him that he doesn't need it anymore because he's a big boy. And - to my surprise - without any fighting or tears he would just lay down and go to bed! Yea Alex!

On Saturday, we were in the car driving to Jim's parent's house (in a torrential downpour!) Trying to keep the kids entertained, we were discussing their names. Jim asked Alex what his middle name was. Alex's response..."BIG BOY!"

Gotta love it!

Classic Conversations

This conversation took place in the car as we were waiting to drop Abby & Chris off at preschool this week:

Christopher: Mommy, you have a hole in your head!

Me: I do?! Where?

Christopher: Here. (pointing to a zit I have in the middle of my forehead). :)

Me: Oh - that's not a hole, that's a boo-boo.

Abby: I hope it's not there for Muffins with Mom next week.

Me: Yeah, me too.



Today Jim worked from home, but had a conference call he had to make this afternoon. So rather than try to talk over the kids, he decided to go out to the car to make the call...

Abby: Where's Daddy going?

Me: He has to make a phone call for work so he went for a drive.

Abby: Why'd he go for a drive?

Me: Because he needs peace & quiet & silence.

Abby: What's silence?

Enough said.

Chocolate Milk

My kids LOVE chocolate milk. Who doesn't, right?

A few weeks ago, I was in the car with the kids, when we pulled up next to a cement mixer.

Me: Chris, look out your window at the cement mixer.

Chris looks out his window.

Me: Do you see how it's spinning, that means it's mixing...

Chris (so excited): Mixing Chocolate Milk??!!

Poor kid was so disappointed to find out that it was just cement in there, not chocolate milk. I can only imagine what was going through his mind thinking that it was all filled with chocolate milk! Yum...

When I'm a Mommy...

Abby has been fascinated lately with growing up & being a Mommy & who she will marry, or as she puts it, who will be her "daddy".

Right now she wants to marry Christopher or her cousin Evan and wants to have a baby girl named "Aunt Donna" and a baby boy named "Christopher".

Tonight as I was tucking her into bed she asked me, "When I'm a Mommy, I'll want to talk to you...but I don't know your phone number!"

After assuring her that I would give her my phone number, she finally went to bed.

Lighter Notes

Chris-isms:

While on vacation in San Diego a few weeks ago, Chris kept saying he wanted to go back to the SHOW-AND-TELL and ride the ALLIGATOR. We finally figured out that he wanted to go back to the HOTEL and ride the ELEVATOR.

"Mommy, I like you better than a dog."
Gee thanks, Chris. That means alot coming from you, you're deathly afraid of dogs and run & cry every time you see one! :)

Abby-isms:

Abby came home from school after her halloween party last week with a treat bag full of halloween things. She pulled out a little finger puppet of Frankenstein and kept calling him "Franklin Steinmetz" (My sister Amy's married name is Steinmetz) So apparently Amy has another little monster in her brood. :)

As we were leaving Nathan's 2nd birthday party last night, Evan accidentally let go of his balloon and was upset about it. So the WHOLE way home Ab was trying to figure out a way to get it back:

"Mommy, can we leave the window open in case we see Evan's balloon so that we can grab it?"

"I don't think that will work, Ab. It floated way up high in the sky."

"Then maybe we can build a rocket ship and go up to the moon to get it."

"That's a great idea, Ab."

"How 'bout while I'm at school tomorrow morning you & Chris & Alex can build the rocket ship and test it out and then when I get home we can go to the moon and get Evan's balloon."

"Sure, I'll get right on it..."

"I know...when you talk to Daddy (who is in Hong Kong for work) you can ask him to look out for Evan's balloon, because maybe it floated all the way to China."

"Yeah, maybe...I'll ask Daddy"

So when Jim called this morning - Ab & Chris both asked him to look for Evan's balloon.

And then this afternoon Abby said to me, "Mommy - how come you & Chris didn't build the rocket ship while I was at school?"

"Uhhh...." :)

I DON'T WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!!!

A few weeks ago Jim was taking Abby & Chris to the zoo for the morning while I ran errands with Alex. So being the good mommy that I am - I packed them snacks and juice and diapers and wipes for Chris (yes he's still in diapers - he is a potty school dropout so far.) Since I needed the diaper bag for the day with Alex, I put all of these goodies in Chris's Lightning McQueen backpack and put it on the table ready for them to go. Well when Chris saw his backpack sitting there packed..he started crying and stomping, shouting, "I don't want to go to school, I don't want to go to school!" When we finally convinced him that they were going to the zoo, not to school - he calmed down...but it was quite the spectacle. I am now convinced that we made the right choice not to start him in preschool this fall - we are going to try in January and see how that goes.

It amazes me how different Abby & Chris are - at this age, Abby was potty-trained and EXCITED for school. I remember taking her in that first day and leaving her at school thinking she would cry and cling to me. Nope - just a hug and a kiss and a goodbye mommy and off to school. Judging by the way he reacted at the sight of his backpack, I'm sure with Chris I will have to pry him off my legs!

My Sweet Baby Girl...

Abby has just been full of cuteness lately. Here's what she said the other day when I was buckling her into the car.

"Mommy, I love you so much it makes my heart smile!"

I just can't get enough of this little girl! She makes my heart smile everyday!

Lightning Bugs - Take 2

While we were driving in the car a few weekends ago, Jim and I were pointing out the beautiful crescent moon to the kids.

Abby was wondering how the moon "glowed" like that.

This was her explanation:

"Maybe God catches all the lightning bugs and puts them in the moon and that makes it glow. Then in the morning He lets them all go."

Lightning Bugs

For some reason we have tons of lightning bugs in our backyard every summer. The other day I told Abby & Chris that one night they could stay up late and catch lightning bugs. They were so excited, and kept talking about it all day. This was the conversation we had with Abby in the car:

Abby: Where will we put the lightning bugs?

Me: We can put them in a jar and poke holes in the lid.

Abby: Oh.

5 minutes later...

Abby: How will we catch them?

Me: We can just catch them with our hands.

Abby: Okay.

10 minutes later...

Abby: Maybe if we dress up like lightning bugs then they'll come near us and we can catch them in the jar!

Me: That sounds like a great idea! :)

Catch Up

A lot has gone on since I last blogged so this is going to be a random catch up blog. Jim and I were away for our 7! year anniversary last weekend. We took Alex to Key West and had a great time relaxing! I will blog more about that later...for now I am playing catch up to all the other stuff.

Funny Stuff:
- Abby is infatuated with turning 5 (just like her cousin Evan - who is "all the fingers"). She asks me just about everyday when her birthday is - she doesn't understand that January is a long way off! The other day she asked me, "When I turn 5 and Evan is 5, can we go to outer space?" I love the way her imagination works!

- I was getting dressed the other day in front of my usual audience (Ab, Chris, Alex). Chris pointed to my belly & said "You have a boo boo Mommy." I looked down to where he was pointing and said, no that's a freckle. He shook his head and said, "Yes it is, It's a chocolate boo boo." Too Cute! (How I wish I could grow chocolate. YUMMY!)

Zoo Trip:
We have a membership to the Philadelphia Zoo and love to take the kids when we can. A few weeks ago Jim took the day off and we headed up to the zoo for a fun afternoon. We took them all up in the zoo balloon which is a huge hot air balloon that goes up about 400 feet - so there are great views of the city. Jim and I weren't that into it - it was a windy day - but the kids loved it. Our favorite exhibit is the new Big Cat Falls where the panthers, tigers, & lions all live. That day they were all walking around right up next to the glass. Chris was a little scared but Abby protected him (see the picture below).

Good Friends & Muscles

Congratulations to our friends Shannon & John who just had their 3rd baby - a girl, Rylee Megan!! Yay!!! They have a son, Jack who is 4 months older than Abby, another son Noah who is only 1 month older than Chris, and now Rylee who is 9 months younger than Alex.

Shannon is my good friend that I met at storytime 2 1/2 years ago when we were both pregnant with our 2nd. We kind of gravitated to each other - seeing that we were both stay at home moms, pregnant with a 2 year old. Needless to say we had a lot in common. Now Jack & Abby go to school together, we talk almost everday on the phone, and we get together with the kids at least once a week. Her friendship is such a blessing - sometimes I don't know if I could survive the week without her!! It also helps that the kids play so nicely together and our hubbys get along pretty well too.

Anyway - on Monday I was watching Noah for her while she was in the hospital having the baby. Chris & Noah were playing together and this is a conversation I overheard:

Noah: Chris - do you have muscles?
Chris: Yes. (he then proceeds to flex both arms with such fervor that his whole body was shaking), do you?
Noah: Yeah, right here (as he points to his flexed bicep)

It was so funny to see two 2 year-olds comparing their muscles - typical boys!

My Cutie Pies

How do you know when it's time to vacuum?? When your 2 year old lugs his pretend vacuum up from the playroom, says "This a mess!", and tries to clean it up himself. :) Yep - Chris did this last week - so I handed him our real dust buster and let him clean up "this mess!". And now he has a new job.

Yesterday Abby was begging me to paint her fingernails (just like her friend Grace at school) - so I found a nice light pink color to use. And of course Christopher wanted his done because everything Abby does he wants too (ME TOO MOMMY!). I told him no, that only girls paint their fingernails, not boys. He was a little upset by this. So Abby, trying to help him out, said, "maybe if you buy blue nailpolish you can paint his nails blue." It was very funny to see her trying to compromise - pink for girls, blue for boys. I gave her an A for effort, but the answer was still a resounding NO!

Yesterday Abby asked me if I had a baby in my belly...now I know I have a few pounds to loose but I don't think I look pregnant (DO I???) So I said, "NO! Why? Do I look like I do?" She said, "No (THANKFULLY!) I want a baby sister!" This is the first time I have ever heard this request from her!! And No - I'm not pregnant OR entertaining this idea any time soon. I just thought it was very funny to hear her say this.

Here's a couple pictures from last week of my adorable kiddos (if I do say so myself)...They know what a photo nut I am so they pose like this and say "TAKE A PICTURE MOMMY!".

Goings Ons

Busy busy busy. It seems we've been pretty busy lately - and I haven't had time to blog these past few weeks. But along the way, there have been many many moments lately when I've said - I've got to right this down. Here are a few:

- "No one wants to marry me." Stated by Abby as she stood there in her princess dress & heels trying to get one of the boys (Evan, Ryan, Christopher, Nathan, ANYONE) to play wedding with her. Poor girl is WAY too outnumbered!!

- "I want to stay here all night long!" Stated by Christopher when I was trying to get him to leave my friend Shannon's house. We listen to the Cars soundtrack alot - and he loves the song Life is a highway (I wanna ride it all night long). He has started using that phrase a lot - I want to color all night long, I want to play all night long, I want to (fill in the blank) all night long - you get the idea. Pretty funny to hear from a 2 year old.

- "Bounce bounce bounce" acted out & yelled by Christopher & Abby as they tried to get Alex to bounce in his johnny-jump-up. Funny thing is, it worked. He saw them jumping around like maniacs and he wanted to join right in. I'm in trouble once he's mobile!!

Cahrs, Confessions, and Butterflies

"Cahrs"
Before I had kids I swore I wouldn't use TV as a babysitter. I've since wised up and learned that channels like Noggin & Disney can be my best friend. And in times of desparation, the DVD player is my best friend of all.

Since Alex was born, Abby & Chris have watched the movie Cars more times than I'd like to admit! If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. It's a great movie for kids & parents, too. It has a good message, great animation, and no scary monsters or bad language. Kachow! Anyway - Chris has fallen in love with this movie. He asks to watch it in his toddler language (which often sounds like a Boston accent) - "I want Cahrs." He knows all the characters by name, Keen, Mait, & Chick. (aka McQueen, Mater, & Chick Hicks) He will sit in his little rocking chair for most of the movie, only getting up to dance to the songs he loves. Just last week, I bought him a bunch of the movie character die cast cars - he has played with them non-stop for days, even eating and sleeping with Lightning McQueen clutched in his hand - until he mysteriously disappeared. We have torn the house apart looking for the lost car - but to no avail. I will probably end up buying him a new McQueen and then I'll find the lost one the next day. Isn't that how it always works??

Confessions
Abby is our little artist, she definitely inherited the artistic genes from my dad! She loves to paint, draw, and color - she could do this all day if I let her. This morning Abby & Chris were coloring together while I ran up to put Alex down for his nap. I came downstairs, walked into the dining room where they have a little art desk, and Abby says to me. "I didn't do it." Now, I wasn't sure what "it" was, but I knew who the culprit was. "Didn't do what?", I said. She pointed to Chris's back where there was purple marker scribbled all over (he didn't have a shirt on). "Chris just did that to himself", she said. "Abby, how could he do that to himself?", I asked. After a long pause, she dropped her shoulders, looked at me with sad puppy dog eyes, and said, "I confess, I did it." I had to turn away from them so she wouldn't see me laugh. I'm not sure where she learned to "confess" but it was hysterical to hear this coming from her. Thank goodness for washable markers!

Butterflies
I overheard this yesterday:
Abby: I wish I was a butterfly so I could go to Florida!
Jim: What about Chris?
Abby: He can be the Daddy butterfly and I'll be the Mommy butterfly and we'll "Butterfly" to Florida.