Roberts Family Blog

Well today was day 4 of summer camp pre-school for Hayden.  I left off in my previous post after a very easy and fun first day of camp.  Unfortunately, things haven't been quite so peaceful since then.  I know it's quite normal to have some separation anxiety, but I am such a softie when it comes to my seemingly vulnerable little Hayden!

The second day of pre-school preparation started off fairly well.  There were some whisperings of not wanting to go to school, but we managed to have a happy ride to the church, and an uneventful walk into the classroom.  However, his poor little friend Jack was sad to see his mom go that day, and I think once Hayden saw him upset, his little face just crumpled and he became equally upset.  I've always heard that the best thing to do is make the goodbye as quick as possible, while reassuring them that you'll be back to pick them up, so I made a hasty exit, with tears in my eyes.  I got to the parking lot and felt just awful leaving him there in tears, so I popped back in just to have a listen in the hallway, and I heard no crying.  So I peeked in the door, and both Jack and Hayden were happily playing, so I was able to leave with a clear conscience.  And of course when I picked him up he was all smiles and full of stories about his fun day.

The following Tuesday was more dramatic.  Hayden cried his way through breakfast, and then put himself back to bed in the morning in an attempt to not have to go to school.  The only thing that got him out the door without a major battle was the fact that Chick Hicks, Lightening McQueen, and The King were going to be in his backpack, keeping him company at school. He had a breakdown in the classroom again, but he was already calmed down and doing an art project with his teacher by the time I walked away.  And once again, when I picked him up he had a huge smile and hug for me, a genuine "thank you and goodbye" for his teachers, and once we got in the car he told me, "Mommy thank you for leaving me at pre-school", and I even got a, "Mommy I Love my pre-school".  So I knew that all was well.  

Which brings me to today.  No tears this morning at our house - hooray!  He was excited to get dressed and put his backpack on.  The whole car ride to school he was animated and singing along to his favorite tunes.  That is until we pulled into the parking lot!  The waterworks started immediately.  But what was SO sad, was that he kept furiously wiping the tears away, and telling me, "Mommy, I don't want my face to look like this!".  I think he was ashamed that he was crying, and he didn't want his teachers to see him like that.  It literally broke my heart.  I explained to him that it's ok to cry sometimes, and that this is a new experience for all of us, but I assured him that he would be safe and I would be back to pick him up before he knew it!  Then he kept repeating to himself, "It's going to be fun inside, it's going to fun inside".  Oh my gosh.  It took all my willpower to get him into school.  And also all of my creativity.  The poor child was clinging to my legs and sobbing, "I don't want my face to look like this!".  So I asked him to race me to the door (I game we often play), so off he went, all the while sobbing!  What a sight we must have made - me running with Pierce bopping along on my hip, and my almost three old running with a backpack far too large and heavy for him on his back, all the while sobbing.  Anyway, he took a few deep breaths at the door to try to get his crying under control, and walked to his classroom.  Again he started sobbing when he saw his teacher, but to her credit, she came out immediately and took him under her arm and whispered something to him that must have been reassuring.  He just looked up at me with a quivering lip and asked, "Mommy you'll be back soon?", and I told him yes of course, and then the teacher took him into the classroom and immediately got him involved in a craft.  I watched him and he really had gotten himself under control and I was SO proud of him.

I think with Hayden, it's like ripping a band-aid off.  The anticipation of saying good-bye to me, and parting ways, is really traumatic, but once the good-bye is done, he recovers really quickly, and is able to enjoy himself.  The teacher assured me today that he has a wonderful time at school and there are never any tears after the initial drop-off.  And in his own words, he loves his pre-school.  It's heart-breaking, but I'm so incredibly proud of him that he is facing his fears, and going through with it.  I know it's for the best.

My mother-in-law was really sweet to order me a book about separation anxiety in kids, so I'm really looking forward to reading that and getting some perspective on this, and advice on how to handle it in the most healthy way.  My sweet little boy....growing up.  And plenty of growing pains for both of us along the way!

With no less enthusiasm than the first or second time that I set out to write a post like this, I am proud to introduce our third little baby!  We took a pregnancy test on June 17th that confirmed what I had suspected; that we were pregnant once again.  Although we hadn't been trying, and there was a little bit of nervousness and shock that accompanied the news, we have now definitely adjusted and moved into the excitement phase.  We feel incredibly blessed that we are able to bring another baby into this world, to join our happy little (well I guess we may now qualify as big) family.

For the past month we have been relying on the fact that two pregnancy tests were positive, and that my feelings of nausea and fatigue were climbing steadily, to convince us that we were indeed expecting.  Today those suspicions were undeniably confirmed during an ultrasound with our midwife.  We got to see our little baby bean wiggling all around, with a strong heartbeat in the 150s.  I'm telling you, you would think that the novelty of the experience would wear out by the third time, but it absolutely does not.  Today was every bit as powerful as our first ultrasound with our firstborn.  No matter how you look at it, having a baby growing in you is miraculous and really emotional.

One of the absolute neatest things about this pregnancy, is that Hayden is really aware of what is going on, and is beyond excited to have another baby on the way.  Ever since I told him I was pregnant, he's been convinced that he is going to have a "baby sister", and nothing I can tell him will convince him otherwise.  I just don't want him to get too attached to the idea of a baby girl, when this is most likely another baby boy!  But either way, I love that he can go through this experience with awareness this time, and I'm looking forward to being able to bring him to one of our ultrasounds further down the line.  As it was today, after I showed him our ultrasound photos of what looks somewhat like a tiny blob (if I'm being honest), he insisted on holding on to it, showing it to everyone he came in contact with (daddy, Piercey, grammy, poppy, Lightening McQueen, etc), and he kept telling me, "mommy I love my picture of my baby sister".  He even asked me to tape it to the wall in his room.  How amazingly sweet is that?  And he told me when the baby comes that he "will hold her and snuggle her and watch a show with her".  These are his own words!  I love that little boy.

And I cannot believe that my baby Pierce will be a big brother!  He's turning into such a fun-loving, adorable little boy, and I know he's going to be a wonderful big brother.  He'll no longer be my baby though....which is a hard thought to adjust to.  Oh well, I'll just have to spoil him and make the most of the next 7 1/2 months!

And by the way, the official due date is February 21st, 2011 - which happens to be my 31st birthday!  This baby will be in good company, with two cousins due earlier in the winter!  Altogether he/she will be the 8th cousin aged 3 and under on Nathan's side of the family!

Today was Hayden's first day at preschool!  Some friends of mine had signed their boys up for a summer camp at a local church / preschool, and asked if Hayden might want to tag along.  As much as grammy does in terms of excellent teaching and just keeping him well entertained while I work, I still felt like he would benefit from the general concept of attending school.  I feel like he needs to learn to take direction and follow the rules of other adults (besides family), and learn to take turns, stand in line, share, and clean up after himself, etc.  So I signed him up for summer camp and we began preparations.

The other day I took him to Walmart and he picked out a Lightening McQueen thermos, and little insulated lunch box.  Then I surprised him with a full size big boy Cars backpack to pack all the little things inside.  When I showed it to him this morning, his little eyes just lit up and he was THRILLED!  He insisted on bringing the backpack up onto the kitchen table while he ate breakfast, and we chatted away about what he could expect for the day.  Once his daddy came out to say good morning, he told him, "Daddy, today I go to school!".  My heart was just swelling with the emotion of sending my firstborn off to school....how can he be this old?!

Like all good mothers, I had forgotten to stock the fridge with suitable preschool lunch items, so I decided to leave a little bit early and take him to the grocery store where he could pick out his own favorite foods.  Once again, he insisted on carrying the backpack into the store, even though I swear it weighed almost as much as he did!  He picked out red grapes, strawberry fruit snacks, and a lunchable!  As we were checking out he proceeded to tell the check-out lady, "Today I'm going to preschool!".  Obviously he wanted to share it with the world haha.

As we began the home stretch to preschool, I started getting nervous, wondering how he would actually react to me leaving him in this new, strange place.  He got a bit quiet, and my anxiety grew.  Well it turns out that my mommy fears were totally unfounded.  He bounded into the church with his backpack on, sought out his classroom, found his buddy Jack, and immediately began playing with all the cool toys they had.  He wouldn't even come give me a hug!  Instead I got a cursory wave, and a quick "goodbye mommy", and he was back to playing.  So I left, feeling very strange about leaving my little boy in this new place, but knowing he was happy and in good hands.

I was so excited to pick him up and hear what he had to say about the whole experience.  Nathan, Pierce and I all went to get him, and he ran to the door of his classroom when he saw us and gave us all a big hug.  He was very concerned that we get his backpack, and once we got in the car, he opened his empty lunchbox, and he exclaimed, "Oh no my lunch is gone, we left it at preschool!".  I tried to explain that he ATE his lunch at preschool lol.  It didn't just disappear.  Then he told us that he played with toys, and ate lunch, and played outside.  His friend Keegan (who is in a different class) apparently got to play on the BIG playground, and he was none to thrilled to have played on the little one haha.  He said they didn't do art, but they did color, and we had proof in the form of a little colored page that he had in his backpack.  He was also proud to tell me that the teachers had to change everyone's diapers, but that he had gone on the potty.  Very grown-up!

So it seems like his first day was a great success!  It's a two day a week program, so I hope Thursday goes just as well.  What a major milestone for my little boy!

Hayden Hayden Hayden....that's all I can say right now.  This boy is on his game!!  I can't wait to share all of the funny, smart, imaginative, (dare I say sweetly manipulative?) things he's told me lately.

Now this has to be my favorite.  Sometimes, I make up tiny little white lies about what certain signs say about rules when we are out and about.  For instance, I'll tell him, "Hayden do you see that sign, it says 'no screaming' or 'no running', etc", even if it says no such thing!  It has always worked to reinforce whatever rules I set myself.  Well lately, he has decided to make up imaginary sayings on signs.  Yesterday, we were playing at the splashpad at our local outdoor mall, and I told Hayden that he couldn't run.  So he came up to me with a perfectly straight face, pointed to a non-existent sign, and told me, "mommy, see that sign, it says 'you have to run fast', those are the rules"!  I almost died on the spot.  Then today, as I was putting him down for his nap, he pointed to the ceiling and told me, "mommy, see that sign, it says 'no sleeping now'", and he actually pointed to each imaginary word individually, like I would have lol.  It was SO funny!!  I love that he knows he is making a joke, but he also must know how much it impresses me that he has such a sense of humor, and quick little mind, and that potentially he will get what he wants that way!

Today, we took the boys to a quiet pool in our neighborhood for a few hours to play, and after swimming around and being wild in his swim vest for awhile, Hayden swam over to the steps, and beckoned for me to come over too.  Then he told me quietly, "mommy, let's take off my swim vest and just talk about stuff".  So off his vest went, and I asked him what he wanted to talk about; his answer - airplanes.  So we talked all about airplanes and hung out on the pool steps like good buddies.  LOVE HIM!

Earlier today, we had a mommy/big boy morning, and went to get our hair cut together.  They were ready for me first, so he hopped up into the barber chair next to me and just chattered away.  His jibber jabbering was interrupted frequently with the phrase, "wow mommy, your hair is so pretty", as my stylist would clip pieces up here and there.  I loved the sincerity with which he said it!  Then when he was up, I was still busy with my own cut, so he took a seat a few chairs down, and I could see his lips moving as he chatted away with his barber lady.  Every once in awhile he would sneak a peak at me in the mirror and give me his shy smile to let me know he was having fun.  Once he was done, his barber lady (what do you call a barber lady by the way?) came over to me and complimented me on what a good little boy he was, then went on to ask me if he was going to a Thomas birthday party this afternoon for Jack (yes he is), was he having a space shuttle birthday party later this year (yes he is), and does he have a BIG brother named Piercey who is 1 (well...technically he's the little bro, but the rest was true!).  He told her his whole life story during a 10 minute haircut   I just love that this little two year old person is capable of sitting in a barber chair and conducting his own conversation with an adult, without any prompting from me, or even the confidence of having me nearby.  He is so grown-up, and could be any smarter or sweeter (says the proud mommy!).

So recently I decided I would like to start sewing a little bit (I'm so not crafty or homemakey)!  I have a bunch of friends and family who are having babies this fall and winter, and I wanted to be able to gift them with something handmade, just for fun.  I know all the handmade things I have received for my boys are very prized, and I love that someone took the time to lovingly make them.  So, after a very chaotic trip to the fabric store with two cranky boys, I got them settled in front of "Yo Gabba Gabba", and my mom set to teaching me the basics of sewing.  By the end of the night, I had managed to make two little blankets (I call them lovies), with a soft minky brown fabric on one side, and a silly green monkey pattern on the other.  I had intended to send one off to a new nephew in Colorado, and give the other to Pierce, since he loves soft things so much.  Well....Hayden had other plans!  Once he saw the blanket, he thanked me PROFUSELY for making him a new blanky!  Well....I don't know how I feel about my almost three old carrying a blanket around with him everyone, so I managed to convince him that big boys only use them in their beds, so he went and very precisely smoothed the blanket out on his pillow, and laid his head on it for bed.  It was too darling.  Now he needs his "monkey blanky" for all naps and bedtimes, and he constantly tells me, "mommy thank you so much for my beautiful monkey blanket".  He is nothing if not appreciative!

Now Piercey is another story.  God forbid I try to replace his giraffe print lovie!!!  How could I even THINK of it!  He just takes that monkey blanket and THROWS it across the living room, or out of his crib lol.  No way, it doesn't come close to the softness or perfection of that well loved and worn giraffe print lovie, thank you very much.  Gotta love this boy - he knows what he wants!  So it looks like this one will be going to cousin Luke haha, and Hayden will be keeping the other!  Here he is checking out, before deciding it is NOT up to par

Hayden always wants to take his cars to bed lately (Lightening, Chick Hicks and The King), and he will sometimes wake up crying because he can't find one of his cars (which has perhaps fallen behind the bed and takes WAY too much effort to retrieve at 5 am).  So my mom suggested I make them a car sleeping bag.  So I used my scrap fabric to put something together yesterday morning, and last night was our first time using it.  I left Hayden in his bedroom with his cars all spread out in his bed, to play before he fell asleep for the night, per usual.  When Nathan and I went to check on him before we went to bed, he was sound asleep (with his head resting on his perfectly placed monkey blanky), and all of his cars were snug in their sleeping bag, which was cradled under his arm.  Adorable.  In fact he is napping right now with his entourage in their sleeping bag

Now on to Pierce Jeffrey, my little monster!  I say that perfectly lovingly.  I really do love this little boy SO much, I think BECAUSE of his difficult personality, rather than in spite of it.  He is so much fun, but boy oh boy he is going to give us Trouble.  He is happy much more often than not lately, and just has so much fun in life.  He runs around this house like he owns the place, constantly talking gibberish at the top of his lungs with his deep, firm little voice.   He'll often stop and just say "HI" really loudly, or call for "DADDEEEE", even if Nathan is not here.  I think he just likes saying that word haha.  He's incredibly playful, and I feel like he already knows how to tease and play games like a pro.  He's still very into his hats, and whenever he needs a break, he'll head into his bedroom, grab his giraffe lovie and his paci, and come seek out his froggie, where he'll lay his head down and relax.  And suddenly he wants to cuddle with all of us in addition to his froggie!  He'll often reach up his arms to me on the couch, and once I pick him up, he'll cuddle right in and lay his head on my chest, or just hang out in my lap peacefully.  He's becoming more and more affectionate, which of course any mother would LOVE.  He's just super funny, super busy, and a joy to be around!  He makes me laugh constantly  

Both boys are loving the summer, and all the swimming that goes with it.  We've been frequenting all the area public pools (and believe me they have some deluxe ones here in Texas), our friend's pools, and our neighborhood pools, in addition of course to almost daily dips in my parent's pool.  Hayden is becoming a complete little fish.  He can jump in off the side of my parents pool, swim by himself to the ledge and get out, all without any flotation devices.  It's a HUGE relief to know that he can do this!  Typically, because I'm so busy with Pierce, I keep Hayden in his floaty vest, but more and more often he wants to swim without it, and is gaining confidence in his skills every day.  Pierce, of course, doesn't want me to hold him or help him AT ALL in the pool - Mr. Independent.  They don't really make any floaty devices for kids his age, except the boats, which he tolerates for no longer than 5 minutes before pitching a bit.  So typically he'll splash around on the shallow ledge in my parents pool, or on one of the various steps along the edges.  But his favorite thing is the beach entry pool in my neighborhood, where he can walk in and out all on his own, and splash around in the shallows, so we tend to do that as often as we can.  He's so darn cute with his blond hair and little tan, and his big belly sticking out.  LOVE HIM!

Of course no summer evening would be complete without an ice cream cone (this was Pierce's first!)

Thanks for reading if you got this far   Happy Summer everyone!

I know i just posted a day or two ago, but I want to write down all of PJ's new words before I forget them.  He is 14 months old, and has blossomed into quite the little communicator!  Here is his current vocabulary, along with his pronounciations:

Ball

Hi

Bye (not bye bye, he just yells BYE with purpose)

Daddy (Da-deeee)

Mommy

Pool

Outside (shide)

Slide

Juice

Bottle (Ba-boo)

Mine (guess who taught him that??)
Car

There (Dere, which he shouts while pointing at something)

Bear

I know there are more...I'll have to update the list as I remember them.

I also wanted to quick jot down some of Hayden's funniest moments and phrases lately.

1.  He has a favorite children's book that is about space shuttles.  On the first page, when it shows a big picture of the Enterprise Space Shuttle, he'll tell me, very seriously, "Mommy, that looks like an aircraft, but it's really a spacecraft!"

2.  There is another page in the book that briefly touches on the Challenger disaster, and there is a picture of the big cloud that was created when the space shuttle exploded on take-off.  Of course he doesn't understand what happened, and is way too young for that lesson, but I've simply told him it was an accident, with a sad voice and face.  His response, "Mommy, that was a very sad day in space".  Boy was he right!

3.  His knowledge in general about aviation and space is really really broad!  We'll regularly be driving in the car and he'll tell me, "Mommy look, it's an American Eagle jet airplane (or substitute any of about 6 airlines he can recognize) landing at DFW airport" lol.   Or he'll tell me that "space shuttles need a lot of POWER to lift off", and I'll ask him where the power comes from.  His response, "the TWO solid rocket boosters!".  WOW!  Haha.  He can identify all the parts of the space shuttle.  It's super funny to listen to your almost 3 year old tell you about the "payload bay", the "flight deck", and the "water proof shuttle tiles".  Love him.

4.  Yesterday in the car, he told me he would like a little sister, like (his friend) Jack has.  Then a minute later he amended his request; he would like "a little sister, AND a little brother, 4 total, living in our house!".  Then he went on to tell me, "he would like some squirrels to come live in our house too".  Well....I explained that squirrels like to live outside in the trees, and they wouldn't be happy in our house.  His response, "No mommy, my friend Beaver told me that squirrels like to live in houses" lol.  I had NO idea he had a friend Beaver, but I love his little imagination at work!

5.  I wore a new swimsuit the other day (one I thought looked quite cute by the way), and he took one look at me, and with a disgusted face told me, "mommy I don't LIKE that red and white swimsuit!  Where is your black swimsuit?  I like that one!".

And of course no post would be complete without some pictures of my guys.  This latest set is from a fun evening we had with some friends...including Hayden's great buddy Keegan, and the twins, Trevor and Elliot, who are PJ's age.

Well Piercey J is officially a blanky baby!  It's so odd to me, because I actually TRIED to get Hayden attached to a blanket or a stuffed animal, in my quest to make him more comfortable in his crib/bed, however he just never has been that kind of kid.  So this is just another clear example of how different my two little guys are!

When Pierce was born, our wonderful hospital gifted us with this small "minky" giraffe print blanket (we call it a lovie), and since he was born, he has loved it.  When he was super tiny, I could actually cover him entirely with it like a real blanket, but now it is just something he can hold up to his face and snuggle with.  I absolutely love that it has been with him from DAY 1 of life, and he's so attached.  Once he wakes up in his crib, I usually will fold his little blanket and leave his paci in the crib, and off we go!  But lately, he's been finding his way back into his bedroom and he'll come bounding out with his paci back in, and his lovie in tow!  While he is 14 months, and getting to be all grown up, his little paci and lovie obsession remind me of how much of a baby he still is, and how the little things in life just make his day.

Before and After, with his giraffe lovie

In fact, Pierce loves ANYTHING soft by his face.  He will regularly seek out soft blankets and pillows, and he has a complete obsession with my mom's teddy bear collection that she keeps in the nursery.  Each time we arrive, he heads straight for his room, and one by one, he carries all the teddy bears out to the living room, and hugs them and kisses them!  Also, his froggie that Grandpa Roberts brought from Colorado is a best buddy.  He'll just go and sit in froggie's lap, or will lay his head on froggie's leg while he drinks his bottle.  It's just very sweet and endearing!

He's also my little trouble-maker!  The other day while I was typing on my computer, he got ahold of a paper towel roll, and thought it was HYSTERICAL - so proud of himself.  I'm just loving his new little mischievous side!

I got to have a really special day with Hayden the other day at a fabulous waterpark, thanks to my mom, who kept Pierce for the morning.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to keep up with both of them at the pool!  We met some friends there, and it was just SO much fun.  It was the perfect size for Hayden's age, complete with a small waterslide, and all sorts of neat water and splash features.  The whole pool was about 10 inches deep at most, and had a nice beach entry, so Pierce probably would have done fine.  But it was fun to just get to focus on my big boy, and he was so brave to go down the slide over and over by himself!  We always talk about "echoes" in the tunnel we walk through on our neighborhood walk, so as he was going down the slide each time I could hear him yelling "ECHO" the whole way lol.  So cute.  He had a slight bit of trouble understanding the concept of waiting in line, and he was the KING of trying to negotiate with the lifeguard to go down first.  His friend Colin was cheering him on from the bottom, so Hayden went right up to the front of line, skipping about 10 kids, tapped the lifeguard's leg, and told him, "I have to go now, my friend Colin is waiting for me down there" as he points down to us haha.  Needless to say, I had to go up with him the next few times and try to teach him what it means to "wait your turn".  Hopefully that is something that pre-school will help with, because the concept is NOT coming easily to him!!

And I just like this picture - what a happy smile!

Thanks for reading everyone - have a great weekend!

Ok, I know many of you will wonder why I am teaching my little boy the song, "Raindrops on Roses", and why he loves it so much, but let me give you some background!  About a month ago, there was a big thunderstorm moving through, and Hayden wanted to go outside and watch it.  A boy after my own heart for sure!  I was thrilled to head outside, and we hundled together under the porch and watched it rain and thunder and lightening.  Hayden was a little bit nervous about the whole thing, and it reminded me of the scene in the movie "Sound of Music" (aka one of my favorite movies EVER), and I decided to sing him the "Raindrops on Roses" song that Maria sings to all the children who run into her room scared during a thunderstorm.  I told him it was a special song that we could sing to remind us about all of our favorite things, so we forget being scared or sad.  After the first time through the song, he was hooked!  We had to talk about what each line in the song meant (crisp apple struedel, wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings, brown paper packages tied up with strings.....just to name a few!), and he began to request to sing it every night before bed.

I absolutely love to hear his darling little voice singing this song, and enunciating all the strange and big words, but what makes it even cuter is that he always wants to sing it to Pierce when he is crying or fussy in his car seat.  Hayden will get flustered and tell me, "Mommy, we have to sing the raindrop song for baby Pierce so he will feel better".  And sure enough, Pierce immediately quiets down and smiles while we sing.  I have a feeling this song will always always always remind me of these special times with my two little boys.  Here is a video I taped of Hayden singing

Hello everyone.  Well Memorial Day is behind us, which means it is officially summer!  I always meet the start of summer here in Dallas with a mixture of dread (oh my freaking HOT), and excitement (pools, ice cream, splash parks, birthday parties, vacations!).  Regardless of how I feel about it, it comes once a year, and as usual, we intend to make the most of it!

I apologize in advance for my lack of photos.  My wonderful Canon Rebel SLR finally broke, after 5 years of daily use, and it's going to take more $$ to fix it than it's worth.  We need to find a good deal on a new one, but in the meantime I'm using a $50 point and shoot that is just NOT doing the job properly.  But it is getting us by.....

My parent's pool opened for the season about three weeks ago (well you can actually swim all year round, but it finally got above the 80 degree mark which makes it refreshing instead of take your breath away cold).  At the end of last summer Hayden was a little fish with no fear.  However, it has taken almost those full 3 weeks to get him back to where he is comfortable jumping off the side and going under water.  He still swims with his life vest on, and I don't see any indication that he wants it off, but that is our goal by the end of the summer.  I want him to be able to jump off the side and swim on his own back to the side, or better yet the steps. 

He's very responsible this year about pool safety, and he knows not to go near the pool without his swim vest on, and he is very very cute about running to get it and putting it on himself so he can swim.  In fact, the other day I took the boys to the big pool in our community for a swim.  I was a little nervous since I hadn't taken them both alone before, but it was a major success.  They also have a baby pool that is just about a foot and a half deep, which is fun for Pierce to run around in, and Hayden also liked to practice swimming.  Well, being that it was so shallow, I didn't want Hayden to jump in.  I figured his feet could slip on the bottom, and he could fall back and hit his head on the stone edge.  Over-protective?  Perhaps!  But it's my comfort zone.  Anyway, there were a couple of older kids (3 or 4) that were taking running jumps into this kiddie pool, and their moms were over in the big pool and seemingly unconcerned.  I was a little nervous about Hayden following suit, but it cracked me up when he went over to them and said, "it's dangerous to jump in the shallow pool, my mommy told me so", all the while with a furrowed brow and a stern pointed finger.  I'm sure ALL the kids are going to love him when he goes to pre-school and is the resident bad cop - jeez.  But I love my little man who is so ready to follow the rules LOL.

Pierce is slowly warming up to the pool, however, as predicted he's not a huge fan of being confined in his little floaty boat, and he'd much rather swim on his own.  Clearly that's not possible at a mere 14 months, and even with a vest on, he still doesn't float properly.  So we are dealing with his diva attitude (can I say that about a boy?), and trying to teach him that the pool is fun, even if you are in someone's arms or on a raft!  Of course whenever he is not in the pool, he is demanding to go in.  His favorite words are "SHIDE" (aka outside) and "POOL", which he yells while pounding on the backdoor LOL.  He is not to be confused with a quiet or demure child!  This little man knows what he wants and is not afraid to let you know!

Of course the pool is far more fun with friends like Annelie!

I will say, however, that ever since our lake house weekend with the Turners, Pierce has had a total attitude adjustment.  While he continues to be stubborn and emotional, he suddenly has become extremely happy and playful (when he is getting what he wants LOL).  He is no longer drooling like a faucet, and he's sleeping much better at night, so all I can conclude is that the 3 molars that recently came in really just caused a lot of pain!  Unfortunately there is still one molar to go, but I hope and pray that our new little giggly, happy Pierce is around for good.  And I have to shamefully admit that I am SO GLAD to know that he really is a total sweetheart, and not the crabby baby that he was for a solid month.

His happiness might also have something to do with his newfound freedom that is gained from his being to walk so easily now - in fact he's bordering on running!  He's very sturdy and just toddles everywhere.  Furthermore, his verbal side has just blossomed lately!  He has so many words:  "Deeee" for any dog, "shide" and "pool" as I mentioned above, "baba" for bottle, "cracka" for cracker, which just makes me laugh so hard.  I don't even know how many other words he has, but he talks non-stop and it's hilarious.  Only about 10% of his words make sense, but he gets an A+ for effort!

Hayden is a little man lately.  I suddenly realized that he is a pre-schooler now, and no longer a toddler!  When did this happen?!?  Currently, he is REALLY into space shuttles and rockets, and he told me wants 3 things for his birthday (as he awkwardly holds up 3 fingers):  a rocket and 2 rocket boosters LOL.  And whenever he sees an image of earth from space, he tells me "look mommy, that's mother Earth where I live!".  I have no idea who told him that it was mother earth, but let me tell, it's CUTE when he says it!  He's very inquisitive and listens to EVERYTHING that anyone says to him, and repeats it back, often a day or two later, or even weeks, when you least expect it.  It's amazing the information that he retains in that little boy brain.  Yesterday he saw a little spider crawling on our ceiling in the kitchen, and he made up this entire story about how he was going to get the spider back into his web - like he was the spider-saving super-hero or something.  This is just total classic Hayden - full of curiousity and imagination.  And all of his little story-telling traits on on display - the wiggly fingers, the forefinger to his temple while he thinks, his furrowed brow, his "I don't know" statement before he blurts out the answer....classic.  And by the way, Evi is our cat!  Watch:

And finally, I'll leave you with some photos of my cuties doing what they do best - playing and having a good time!

At their friend Keegan's house running through the sprinkler:

And I just knew the day would come when he would refuse to be treated like a baby, and want to fit in with the "big boys".  Sure enough - here he is eating (everyone else's) lunch at the big boy table!

Hayden enjoying ice cream at the cute little shop on the square in Denton - with his buddy Greyson.

At the music on the green in Denton!

Hey everyone.  It's Monday, and we are fresh off of a great weekend spent at Cedar Creek Lake with our friends, the Turners.  It's awesome to start your week after getting away and having fun as a family, and sort of re-charging the batteries.

All last year we had heard about the lake house from our friends Eren and Bryan, but with both of us having little babies last summer (they have Brooke, who is Pierce's age), it sounded too daunting!  But this year, when a free weekend came up, we were more than happy to take their invitation to join them.  Bryan's parents own a beautiful plot of land on a peninsula jutting out into the lake, with a huge wooden deck, complete with adirondack chairs and hammocks.  Water surrounds you on three sides, and it's just heavenly to sit and listen to the wind in the big oak trees, and the waves splashing against the dock.  It reminded me so much of growing up in Wisconsin, where life revolves around the lakes, so I felt right at home.  And I was more than happy to introduce the kids to that kind of fun.  It's only an hour south of Dallas, but it really does feel like a world away.

We arrived on Saturday morning, and while the babies napped, the big boys explored the property, and perfected the art of throwing rocks into the lake LOL.  After lunch, we all hopped in the boat, and Bryan gave us a tour of some of the pretty houses along the shoreline, and took the kids under the highway bridges a few times for some excitement.  Hayden couldn't get enough of it, and kept begging Bryan to go faster!  After the ride he told me that he now likes boats better than airplanes!  I have a boy with a need for speed!  We had a fun-filled afternoon of swimming in the baby pool, running around in the big yard, playing in the hammocks, and just overall enjoying being outside with friends.  We cooked a big hamburger dinner, and all the kids were in bed early after skipping their naps.  We all were able to relax and talk around the fire pit, and eventually, once it got dark, we took a late night swim - SO FUN!! 

I was really impressed with Hayden and Jack this weekend, especially around the lake.  They were such good little listeners, and never wandered far from us.  And sometimes Jack and Hayden are known for not sharing particularly well, but on this trip, I think since it was just the two of them, they were more partners in crime than anything.  Jack would run up to the rock gardens and grab a handful of little rocks, then run back to the dock, give some to Hayden, and they would throw them in together.  Team work I tell ya!  And all day we were hearing, alternately, "Where's Hayden?", "Where's Jack?".  They always wanted to keep tabs on each other, and make sure their buddy was nearby.  Lots of little boy cuteness

The babies were SO GOOD too!  They just hung out in their little ring of toys (see photo below), happily playing and snacking and enjoying being outside I think.  Pierce is notoriously high maintenance, but this entire weekend he was just a joy to be around, and it was so nice to see him having a good time without any major tantrums or frustrations.  He was just calm, happy, and peaceful.  He truly is my little outdoor baby.

It was a wonderful weekend, and we are thankful to the Turners for inviting us, and letting us share in the lakehouse fun!  I'm pretty sure Hayden won't stop talking about it for ages

Ok, I usually don't use my blog as a forum for commenting on anything political or newsy, but something has been in the news lately that I felt I couldn't ignore.  I just have some thoughts, as a parent, that I want to get off my chest!  On GMA the other morning, I saw a segment about a video from a dance competition that has been all over the internet.  It shows a group of young girls - like 8 years old - dancing to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" song.  They are *incredibly* talented, and obviously are very dedicated and hard-working young ladies.  But beyond admiring their dance skills, I was really really angry about the extremely suggestive choreography, and the completely inappropriate costumes.  All it takes is a simple google search to bring up this video, but I don't even want to post it here b/c I think that just adds to the problem.

These little girls, literally, LITTLE girls, were wearing something that would only fit in at a brothel or gentleman's club.  Teeny tiny hot pants and halter tops, covered with black and red lace.  Seriously?!?  They are EIGHT!  They interviewed a couple of the parents on GMA, and all they could say in their defense was that, "this is how everyone dresses at a dance competition", which apparently makes it ok.  That statement is just completely annoying and ignorant.  These girls are talented and hard-working, and it feels almost exploitative for their parents and choreographers to put them on a stage and tell them that it's ok to gyrate and wear next to nothing, because that is where the sport has evolved to, and in order to compete, you must conform.  Ridiculous.

Ironically, Nate and I attended our nephew's cheer competition in Dallas a few months ago, and it was equally disturbing.  I will say, Cameron's cheer squad was adorable and appropriate, and also very talented.  But they were in the minority - most of these teams (with girls as young as 5) wore belly baring uniforms, super short, tight skirts, and gobs of make-up.  As anyone who knows me well knows, I love dance and cheerleading competitions lol.  I think it's such a fun sport, and really good for kids to be involved in, but I honestly was really appalled by what I saw.  How can a parent hold any authority over how their child dresses in everyday life when they are allowing them to perform on a stage in an itty bitty uniform?

The reason this hits home to me so much is that I grew up dancing and cheering my WHOLE youth.  First at a private dance studio, then on my high school dance team, and finally in college musicals.  My weekends were defined by dance competitions and recitals and performances.  Most of my very favorite childhood memories are of dancing, or of the friends I made through dance or cheerleading.  I think it's so important for young girls and teenagers to experience the camraderie of a team, and the discipline of a sport as technical as dance or cheer, not to mention the exercise is great for your health! 

But if THIS is the norm, there is no way I would ever allow my young daughter to participate.  And that is what makes me so angry and sad.  That this is what the sport has come to, and if I want to preserve my (hypothetical) daughter's innocence and youth, that I have to deny her the joy of dance or cheerleading.  To most people this might seem dramatic, and whole issue to be abstract and not that relevant, but honestly it breaks my heart a little that something that I loved so much, has sort of become this thing that makes young girls grow up way too fast.

Ok, off my soapbox and back to dealing with real life - which is two sick boys!  Bye for now.