Mom of Boys

Well, it’s Tuesday and we are still trying to relax from the weekend.  Jayden went home this weekend.  Crystal met us about half way at my dads house.  He had his big birthday celebration which was a lot of fun!  We camped out on his property and had a great time!  Everyone was there, even Rachele.  I paid for her ticket coming down because I knew that the one thing dad really wanted was for everyone to be there with him.  It was a nice weekend for it too!  The weather was nice… not too hot and not too cold.  Of course the traffic was horrible!  It took us 3 and a half hours to get from my house to his house, and it’s normally a 2 hour drive.  I guess we managed the ride alright…  But I can’t wait to get a new van!  One with working AC!!! 

Anyways, we got down there and the kids were all playing with each other… I think there were 7 kids under 4 and they were all having fun… getting dirty!  Crystal got stuck in traffic also, so we were there a while before she showed up.  Jayden was so happy to see her!  She cried and hugged her…  I almost cried myself!  It was short lived though, because she wanted to get down to go play again.  She did come to tell her mommy that she loved her every 10-15 minutes…. and when she did she almost always called her Robyn first.  It was too funny!  Before they left to go home, they joined us for dinner and fun.  Crystal rode with the kids on the tire swing which they both loved!  I wouldn’t dare let them ride alone, because it swings out over this steep hill and you could probably go as high up as maybe 15 feet out there with branches and tree stumps under you. 

After dinner and of course after s’mores, we walked Crystal and Jayden up to the car.  Jayden was excited to get home to see her new room, and told us she was going to stay awake for the drive home, but I knew she would pass out before even getting to 95.  She had a long day.  The kids hugged each other and after Jayden got into her seat, Caleb went over and said, “I Love You Jayden!”  It was so sweet… 

So…  Caleb and I began to walk back down to the party…  The trail down was covered in little frogs that hopped out of our way as we approached.  Caleb got to hold one too!  I didn’t think he would do it, but he wasn’t scared at all!

 We got back down to the rest of the crowd and my dad opened gifts.  Rachele and I got her a really funny card that made everyone laugh.  It really fit him too, which was what made it funny!

After the gifts, I tried taking some group pictures of some people.  I got Rachele, Gayl, Dad, and Johnathan together for 1 picture which ended up being several, because someone said soemthing about the pose, and my dad just started workin it!  LOL!  It was so funny and everyone was bustin out laughing!  Just take a look and see….

Hehe… Such a goof!  49 years young!  It was a great weekend!  When I woke up Sunday, I had to pack up and head home early so that we could try and beat the beach traffic.  I didn’t want to have another 3 hour ride home again.  We stopped by my moms house on the way and stayed until a MUCH needed storm passed over.  Got to see my niece Daina, who is 6 months old!  She’s such a little girl… still in 0-3 month clothes. 

From moms we dropped Rachele off, picked up Marcus to visit the new Ashburn Target and to eat out at some overpriced, not so good mexican grill and then got home and got to bed!  I was so tired by the end of the night!  I was lazy all day yesterday… Just hung out with my boys and did some laundry.  Today is pretty much the same…  It’s only been 2 days since Hayden has gone home and we’ve fallen back into our regular schedule.  Caleb has even started asking us to sleep with him for a little bit at night again.  When Jayden was here, he didn’t asked us one time!  And… Alec is back to his regular nap schedule too.  It was just too hard to do when Jayden was here…  Too much going on for him to lay down and nap!  **sigh**  Back to normal!

My little water Bug! Swimming under the water here…

Caleb with the birthday boy

Caleb and Jayden went swimming in the BIG pool. These pictures were taken in 4-5 ft deep waters. They were swimming around all over the pool all by themselves. Jayden did GREAT and didn’t cry at all when I let go of her. She laughed! Caleb of course was paddleing out and telling Jayden to swim with him, which… once she realized she wasn’t going to go under, was happy to follow!

And… look who is upfront… Helping unwrap the gifts!

So, we went to a birthday part today that was at the community pool.  The kids had a BLAST!  THese guys will be swimming on their own by the end of the summer. 

Caleb was all over as usual and even went under water a few times, which was awesome!  Jayden had a different vest on thsi time around and she did 10 times better with this one!  She was swimming all over the place on her own.  I even had to tell them both that they couldn’t go down the slide, because they were not big enough and then were both upset!  LOL!  Alec was also loving the water… plashing and kicking and just loving every second of it! 

After the pool we went back to their house for cake, ice cream and a piniata.  The kids played and we socialized…  Marcus finally got to meet DJ!  Heidi and I have been trying to get these two men together forever now.  When we were trying to leave, Heidi said, “We’ve been saying for a long time that we need to get them together, we need to get them together…. now we need to get them apart!”  LOL!  They stood there and chatted for a long while before we actually said goodbye! 

Anyways, we had a great time and I got a ton of pictures that I need to make copys of for Heidi and DJ.  I’ll post a few here…  The kids aren’t in bed yet, but I know they are tired.  Maybe it will be another late morning tomorrow! 

Slept pretty well last night.  We sll slept in till 9ish…  Well… Marcus is still sleeping.

Anyways, I took the kids to Walmart last night.  I had one of the carts with the big blue seat in the front.  The kids actually did really well.  We were there to get birthday gifts for the party we are going to this afternoon.  Jayden got DJ a Thomas the Train Lunch Box and an engine… And Caleb got him 2 Spiderman Figurines.  Alec is getting Desiree 2 books. 

Other then the party… we have nothing going on today.  It’s a pool party, so I’m sure that once we are finished, we will all be tired!  Early bedtime maybe??  Time to read my new HP Book!!!  Yay!

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I am totally wiped out!  We had a busy day yesterday and I am ready for a nap.  It’s 4:30 now and I doubt I will make it the whole night.  I still have to cook dinner and go to Walmart.  Yesterday… we went to the playground with Heidi, DJ and their two kids Little DJ and Desiree.  It was an awesome park and the kids had a blast!  We’ll have to keep that park in mind… it had all sorts of neat things!  Jayden, Caleb and DJ played while the two babies were fighting over french fries and chicken nuggets!  :)  I don’t know how long we were there, but the kids were asking to go home after we were done. 

On the way home we stopped by the borders in Sterling.  I just wanted to see what kinds of events they were having for the Book release party.  We were planning on going to the Hallow Ball Party at the Borders in Springfield with Tereasa and Jason, but I was struggleing on deciding if I should take the kids.  I tought Caleb could probably handle it ad Alec would fall asleep… Just wasn’t sure about Jadyden.  Well… I decided to take them and I think I should have probably not!  LOL!  It wasn’t so bad.  Marcus came too and he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of waiting for my book.  I had number 409, so when they started lining up at midnight, that’s how many people were in front of us.  The kids both got face paintings, but not ont heir face… LOL!  Jayden got hedwig and Caleb got a cat on the back of their hand.  The rest of the activites were not age appropriate, so we tucked into a corner and they were casting spells at each other, which some people thought were cute… Some kid came over that was considerably older and started telling us that they were doing it wrong!  Umm… Ok, thanks, they are 3!!!!  The fact that they do it at all is impressive to me! 

The countdown at midnight sounded like new years in time square. By then, the place was so packed and the line to the bathroom was to the back of the store.  The kids fell asleep shortly after that on the floor… I got my book arounf 1:45 and then we packed up the van and headed to a McDonalds, where we waited in line long enough for Marcus to read the first chapter and for me to read at least half of it.  We got to the window and asked for 2 cheeseburgers and she said they were out.  (This is a 24 hour mcdonalds…)  Marcus was pretty upset.  He got a big mac and some fries and I just got the fries…  They were really hot, but stale.  Almost like they dipped the old fries into the hot greese to make them seem fresh.  Blah!  We drove home and I carried everyone to bed.  I think I fell asleep around 3:30. 

Good news was that Caleb slept in till almsot 10:00!  Jayden would have slept longer, but Caleb woke her up.  We got breakfast and got dressed… (with swim suits under clothes)  Headed to my moms to pick up a check for their part in vacation money and to pick up Gizmo. ~ He’s a cat that my mom helped find a home for… After 3 months they decided they didn’t want him.  He was beating up on the cat that they already had… Anyways, while we were there, I ran back to my car for something…  I was walking back and I felt a BIRD swipe the back of my NECK!!!  EWWWW!!!!!!  Gave me goosebumps!  I ran for it back to the house!  Every year a bird makes her nest in the buch right next to my moms door and attacks people as they go in and out.  When we were leaving, I opened the door and looked out… mama bird was gone and the two baby birds were pirched on some branches close to the nest… I looked from the door and then dashed to my car!  Ha ha!

So…  We are home now… Gonna fill up the pool and then throw some burgers on the grill…  Let the kids run around outside so that maybe I can lay them down early tonight!  Please please please…  Ha ha!

Yesterday was so long and tiring… and it wasn’t much different then any normal day either…  I was just drained by the end of the day.  First thing in the morning we rushed around to get breakfast, get dressed and get ourselves in the car!  There’s a brand new theater in Brambleton which is just up the street here… and they started their Summer Movie Camp.  We went since it’s FREE and we got to see Over the Hedge.  I brought my own popcorn, which the kids fought over and I brought fruit snacks, but I forgot to bring drinks!!!  Whoops!  Alec slept through most of the movie and the kids were ready for lunch when we got home.  We got back a little after 12:00, so I just put some little frozen pizzas in the toaster oven for them. 

After lunch the kids made a cake.  The only thing I did was make sure the measurments were right and I seperated the egg whites for them too.  They poured everything in and mixed it up.  They helped pour the batter into the pan and then I put the pan in the oven.  Turned out pretty good!  Alec played with some water and a bowl and spoon.  GOt it all over the place, but he had fun doing it!

We had nap/quiet time and then we played some game where the kids thought they had rubies and I was a treasure theif.  Basically…  They ran around hiding some of Alec’s toys and I tried to take them while tickleing and playing dead. Alec’s diaper changes are getting harder and harder.  As soon as that diaper leaves his butt… he’s rolling over and dashing away.  Today is the first time he got away from me!  So… I let him cawl around in the nude for a while and you know I couldn’t resist snapping the pictures!  Ha ha!  Later they watched another movie while I started dinner.  I tried keeping the TV off since we saw a movie in the morning, but… they were all wired and when I tried laying them down for nap/quiet time, they wouldn’t go to sleep.  I knew they were tired… So, they layed down for another movie. 

I guess it was a draining day because they were not the best behaved.  Caleb wasn’t sharing and kept taunting Jayden with toys he had but would not let her play with and Jayden did a lot of hitting and kicking and they both did a lot of crying.  Jayden was crying for mommy and so Caleb cryed for daddy, which he never does.  Monkey see; monkey do….  When I put them down to bed, Jayden cried for momy again and I told her that it wouldn’t be much longer, that she only had to wait a little longer before she could see ehr new room.  I asked her if she was excited and she shook her had yes but was still pouting.  So, I tickled her and said she didn’t look excited.  That got her laughing.  Since it was late and I knew she was really tired, I told her we would call mommy in the morning.  She does just fine when I say “we’ll call mommy….”  They fell asleep fast again!  It was a long day for them too I guess…

****Before reading this post, scroll down and hit PLAY to hear Princess Jayden’s music while you read about what we did today!**** 

So, last night was a good night.  We built a train track and then I let the kids stay up a little past bedtime to watch “Flushed” which was a great movie!  The kids were sitting together and I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of Caleb with his hand around Jayden.  I think she said she was scared and she kept putting her head on his shoulder.  It was cute!

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Today seemed busy, but it really wasn’t too bad.  We got up and went through our morning routine.  Then we went to the park for about an hour with Cindy and her daughter Katy.  Then we went back to their house for lunch.  We had grilled cheese and fresh blueberries, YUM!!!  Then the kids had some yogurt and a piece of chocolate.  They were HUNGRY!  We came home and attempted naps, but Alec is the only one who fell asleep.  I let Jayden and Caleb have some quiet time and they watched Narnia.  Marcus got home and I let the kids take turns on the computer.  Jayden did pretty well, but she had more fun watching Caleb cruise around on the net, so she let him take her turn when it was time for them to switch.  He’s pretty good with that mouse now.  We usually have an hour of computer time each week, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s enough to where Caleb knows how to get to his home page, and print a page, and ‘x’ out of a window.  When they were done on the computer they colored some more in their coloring books.  Jayden loves ehr princess sticker book!  I bet she will have used it all up by the time she leaves here.  I’ve already had to tape it up and make it a book again!  LOL!

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Anyways, we had salmon for dinner (the kids had fish sticks…) and then I set up the play forts for the kids with the tunnels and all.  They played tickle monster with Marcus for a bit and then we did bath time.  After everyone was just about read for bed, we did some more shapes and listened to some music.  I made a playlist for Caleb and Alec a few months ago and I’m always adding to it and switching the tracks around so that they don’t get bored with it.  When we played the songs yesterday, Jayden kept asking for a princess song.  Well, I didn’t have any, so last night I stayed up and made one for her.  We listened to her playlist tonight and I thinks she really liked it. 

So, tonight I told the kids to get in bed while I put Alec down to sleep.  I think I was in Alec’s room 5 minutes and I went into Caleb’s room and said, “Alright guys…”  But they were both already alseep!  I know it was a busy day, even though we didn’t do much.  We’re going to movie camp tomorrow.  They are showing ‘Over the Hedge’ for free at the new theater in Brambleton.  Should be fun! 

Every morning we wake up with the kids in our bed.  Alec joins us really early, soemtime around 4:30 or so.  At that early hour I am too tired to feed him and put him back to bed.  Caleb joins us between 7:00 and 8:30.  Well, today he joined us a little later then 8:30.  I think it was about 8:40.  He had just woken up and Jayden was still in bed.  She joined us 5 minutes later.  This is my view of the bed this morning:

 
Good Morning!

…The cat even joined us! Yes… with everyone on the bed… she jumped up there!

Anyways, we got up to get seme breakfast.  Alec’s 9 month appt was at 10:00, so I needed to get them fed and dressed quickly.  The clock in the kitchen said 9:15 when Jayden dropped her bowl of cereal in her lap!  I ran up to get her clothes and fixed her a pop tart, since she had only taken a couple of bites and cleaned up the mess.  Alec slid out of his high chair and onto the floor, so I grabbed him and put him in front of the toy box.  Got Caleb dressed and looked up at the clock in the living room.  10 TILL?!?!?  I forgot that someone messed with the clock in the kitchen… It was 20 minutes slow!!!  Grabbed Alec and grabbed the stroller, got everyone in the car and drove over tot he office.  Jayden and Caleb sat in the stroller with seat belts on!  I wasn’t about to chance one of them running up and down the halls…  We got in, Alec was weighed, 22 lbs and 1 oz.  He’s 97% for weight!  Doctor pricked his toe to get some blood, but he didn’t need any shots.  Looked him over, all is well…  We go back at 1 year.  So, we go out to pay and Jayden and Caleb get stickers, (Princess and Batman). 

We got home and had some lunch.  Then we did some more shapes.  I got Caleb to calm down enough to stay on the lines, but when it came to coloring in, he was quick about that.  He finished way before Jayden, but I was happy with his work.  Jayden did a pretty good job too! 

We’re staying indoors today.  Doing puzzles and games, which they both love doing.  It’s so hot and humid outside!  I wish we had a pool close by to go to. 

Today was a pretty good day.  We didn’t do anything new really…  We all woke up around 8:00 and had french toast for breakfast ont he balcony.  The kids watched a movie while I cleaned up and then we went outside to play. 

Jayden did ask me a few times how many more days she was sleeping over.  Everytime she asked, she held up her 3 fingers and said, “this many more days?”  I just keep telling her she’s half way there… 

Jayden was princess Jasmine today.  She REALLY wanted to wear her blue dress today, so I let her.  She kept calling for Caleb to “rescue” her.  I built a fort/castle/tent… (whatever they wanted it to be) for them to play in.  At one point I told them that dragons were attacking and she told me that her prince had to save her.  Caleb just looked at her and said, “Just because your a princess, you still need to run from the dragon!”  It was cute!  They took turns getting killed by the dragon.  When Caleb was pretending to be dead, Jayden would kiss his forehead and he would be all better.  When Jayden would pretend, he would give her a magic potion.  I love watching thier imagination at play! 

We had a small struggle with dinner again, but they both finished eating tonight.  Then we went downstairs to watch Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Caleb fell asleep before it was half way done, but Jayden stayed awake until it was almost over.  I think she was asleep just before the graveyard scene.  She enjoys these movies though.  She likes the castle, and she LOVES Hedwig!  I can tell she really loves animals.  We’re going to see the Order of the Pheonix tomorrow at the imax theater.  I’m pretty sure she will do alright with it.  I know that Caleb will Absolutely love it!  I can’t wait to see it myself! 

I’ll update to let you know how the kids like it! 

Day 4 was a pretty good day.  The weather was beautiful, so we spent a lot of time outside.  We sat out in the front and our neighbor came over with her daughter.  Jayden and Katie played nicely together while Caleb tried to fit in!  They both skipped like they were riding ponys and Caleb ran ahead of them screamin, “I win, I win!”  They both drew castles with their sidewalk chalk while Caleb drew a tent and a camp.  We had fish sticks for lunch and then we went out back to cool off in the small pool.  When we were done in the pool we got dressed and walked over to Ashburn Park with our neighbor and her kids.  None of them actually played together while we were there!  Ha ha! 

We got home and I gave the kids some paper dolls to play with.  I found the doll cut outs at makingfriends.com and I printed all of the color dolls and clothes on photo paper.  It took me 3 days to cut these things out!  They loved playing with them.  I printed the fire fighter clothes and the soldier clothes, which Caleb liked the best.  Jayden liked the princess clothes and the cheerleading clothes.  There’s many more clothes then that, but those are the favorites. 

Anyways…  I started preparing dinner and they were still busy with those dolls!  We ate on our balcony while the sun went down.  Caleb was the one who would not finish his food this time!  Jayden was done with her freezer pop by the time Caleb finished his dinner.  After dinner was bath and bed.  I read them two books.  They each picked one out and they both picked books out of the “teach me to be good” collection.  Caleb picked the book on being Greedy and Jayden picked the book on being Selfish.  I read these books, but I don’t think the words get through to them. 

Jayden asked me today how many more days till her mommy would come to get her.  She didn’t cry at all, which was good.  I know she cant wait to get home to see her new room.  She tells everyone about it!