Baby...

The boys just told Steve and I that we are having a baby girl like Mommy.  When Steve asked Nicolas what he thought we should name her, he said "Blueberry" (from his favorite girl in Strawberry Shortcake).  Zachary then agreed that Blueberry is the name we should use.  When I told them I didn't think we would name a little girl Blueberry, Zachary looked at me and said, "But that's a good name, Mommy!"

Seriously, these kids can be so funny some times!  By the way, we have no idea what the sex of the baby is...

Christmas with Nana and Papa

Nana, Papa and Aunt Kiki were up for our Christmas celebration yesterday.  The boys got lots of stuff but thankfully a lot of it was very practical since the last thing they need is more toys.  This part of Christmas revolved around Cars just as much as the rest of it did.  The boys got their sheets for their big beds, their comforters, some pjs as well as a car.  They were so excited!

I cooked a turkey lunch which turned out great and the boys even got a hair cut before everyone packed up and headed home.  They look like such big boys with their new haircuts!  It is quite obvious that I no longer have babies.

Steve and I also got some useful gifts and my Mom bought me a beautiful charm bracelet with two charms on it (the first letter of each of the boys' names).  I am looking forward to being able to add more charms to it as time passes...

Here are a few pictures of our fun day:

Christmas with Mom-I and Pop-I

We just had Mom-I and Pop-I over for dinner tonight.  The boys were so excited to see them since they just got back from a week long trip to Disney.  We also celebrated Christmas and the boys got their gifts from them.  I was very surprised and impressed.  Mom-I was very reasonable and the boys only got one toy (which was a HUGE hit).  The other things were little and the boys will eventually love the Cars slippers and crocs.  Here are a few pictures of the boys playing with their new "Mater The Greater" and "El Materdor" play sets....

Merry Christmas!

We had a quiet Christmas Eve and enjoyed spending time with the boys.  We played and watched a few Christmas cartoons before bed.  The boys checked their stockings to make sure they were empty, set out cookies and chocolate milk for Santa and settled in for the night.

By 8:00 the next morning Steve and I were awake and very anxious for the boys to wake up.  We helped them along and by 8:20 we were in the living room checking out what Santa had left behind.  The cookies were almost gone and he obviously loved the chocolate milk since there was none left.  The boys also noticed that there were presents sticking out of their stockings.  They got to work opening their gifts.  I was so happy because they took the time to look at and play with almost every gift before even wanting to open more.  Santa brought them the three things they asked for...  Zachary wanted a Red Ramone (like Nico's) and Nicolas wanted a Tex Dinoco (Like Zachary's).  They also both asked for the Toy Story movie.  They got a few other things that they didn't ask for but were a huge hit... a few more cars from the movie, some coloring books and hockey sticks.  Mommy, Daddy and Santa were very reasonable since I am sure the grandparents were not going to be...!!!

We had a lovely dinner with Uncle Dan, Auntie Nat and Alexandra last night as well.  It was sort of quiet (the kids were very rowdy but had a blast) and nice for the cousins to get to exchange their gifts.  The boys got two awesome shovels from Alexandra that they have already put to use...

We are having Christmas with Nana, Papa and Aunt Kiki on Tuesday and at some point this week with Mom-I and Pop-I.  We will also be celebrating with Steve's family on New Year's Day.  I am quite happy to have everything spread out over a few days rather than all jammed into one.  It's a nice way to extend the fun and holiday magic!

Here are a few pictures from our fun family day:

Sick kiddos...

Well, the boys have been sick since Sunday.  They have runny noses, are coughing and have had fevers off and on.  Nicolas finally slept through the night last night and seems much better this morning.  He's less congested and no longer has a fever.  Zachary was up almost every hour and is still feverish this morning.  He started his cold on Monday rather than Sunday like Nicolas so he's a day behind.  I only hope he can follow in his little brother's footsteps and sleep tonight.  I need at least one good night's sleep before Christmas weekend!

Other than that all is well.  I am still exhausted but dealing with two sick kids and not sleeping might be the cause of the exhaustion.  Hopefully after a few days of rest I can get some of my energy back.  I am feeling lots of stretching so I'm guessing all is well with the baby!  We have another doctor's appointment at the beginning of January.  I love going in and hearing that heart beating away!  Then the end of January brings the 20 week ultrasound and hopefully we will be able to find out the sex of this new baby...

Pavlov

All four of us were sitting down having dinner tonight.  Steve had something cooking in the toaster oven while we were eating.  A side note to explain this post... I always have lunch after the boys go down for their nap.  I usually use the toaster oven to warm something up since I prefer it over the microwave and I hate having to heat up the big oven for just me...

So, the toaster oven dings indicating that the timer had expired and that the food was ready.  Zachary looked at us and said "nap time!"  Talk about conditioning!  Whenever the toaster oven dings and they are not already in bed getting ready for their nap, it is their indicator to know that Mommy's lunch is ready and it's nap time!

Steve and I laughed hysterically and couldn't believe how funny and clever a comment that was especially coming from a 2 year old!

Quinn Farm...

Our happy little family headed over to Quinn Farm this morning to pick out a Christmas tree.  It is a lovely farm where you can actually go out into the field and pick your own tree.  I thought the excursion might be too much for the boys this year, but thought it might be fun for them to get to choose our tree.  They had a few that were cut this morning and out on display.  Once you pick a tree they wrap it for you and place it on your car.  The guy that helped us out was so friendly and sweet to the boys.  They were not at all shy in telling him which tree they wanted.

While we were there, the boys got to check out a few animals.  This was very exciting and cute to see.  They couldn't get enough.  We got to see the horses that were pulling the wagons, some sheep, a donkey, pigs and chickens.  Nicolas loved the baby pigs ans Zachary was a fan of the chickens that were wandering around the barn.  We were also lucky enough to see a few tractors as well.

Here are some pictures of our outing:

Pictures of the decorated tree will be up tomorrow since we plan on decorating then...

Old news for some... new news for others...

I know that some of you are up to speed on what's happening in our household right now and that others are not.  So, I have decided that today is the day everyone gets up to speed...

Our family is expecting ONE new addition mid-June, 2011.  We are very excited and are so happy that everything is going well with this pregnancy.  I just had my second doctor's appointment and all is well.  We are officially out of the first trimester and have a healthy baby on our hands.  Already he/she is not cooperating and so the doctor had to do an ultrasound to check the heartbeat.  But it was there and strong.  We couldn't be any happier!

Cartoons in bed....

Just about every Saturday and Sunday morning the boys come into our bed to watch cartoons.  This is the only time the boys spend in our bed since it is otherwise off limits to them.  I feel that our master bedroom is the only place left in our house that belongs exclusively to Steve and I and I am quite happy about that.  The boys have never slept in bed with us and I think it makes it all the more special on the weekends for them to be there with us.  They know and understand that it's a treat for them.  Here is a picture Steve took of them all snuggled in and watching tv...

Playing with their cars

Zachary and Nicolas spend countless hours playing with their cars.  Many of them are characters from the Disney movie "Cars" but some are not.  They never leave the house without a car or two in hand.  They have been a great motivator and surprise gift for when they've done something good and a great piece of currency to be put in "time out" when they have been bad.

Here is little video I took of them playing together with their cars.  Even though I was right in front of them, it was like I wasn't even there...

Livin' on a prayer...

The radio was on in the boys' room and Livin' On A Prayer came on.  Here is a video of Zachary and Nicolas singing, dancing and playing air guitar.  The boys get a little camera shy when they know I am taping them...



Normally they hold hands when they sing "take my hand and we'll make it I swear".  That's why Zachary said that Nicolas was not there to take his hand.  How cute is that?

Why deep down fathers want a son...

The boys got baseball mitts quite a while ago but were no where near ready to start using them.  Steve decided one day it would be fun to try them out.  So, out came their mitts as well as Daddy's very old mitt.  The three of them had a blast!

I could see from the look on Steve's face that he was just so excited to be able to play in that way with his boys.  I know that he could have done the same thing with a little girl, but it just wouldn't be the same.  He has such great memories of playing sports with his father that it is more like passing on the torch.  He is so looking forward to coaching their baseball teams (or basketball, or soccer, or whatever else they decide to play) and I guess this gave him a glimpse into our future...  I know he would coach a team for a daughter if ever we were to have one and love every second of it as well.

Here are some cute pics I took of the fun...

Zachary showing off his mitt:

Nicolas trying on his mitt:

 Daddy pitching the ball to Zachary:

Look Mommy, I caught it!

Nicolas decided it was more fun to carry his cars in the mitt:

Trick or Treat!

The boys had so much fun trick or treating this year.  They chose their costumes (Ooh and Aah - the blue and red monkeys from the Disney Channel) and thankfully Mom-I was able to make the costumes for them.  They looked so cute and enjoyed visiting all our neighbors to get candy and chocolate.  If we lingered too long chatting, they made sure we knew it was time to move along to the next house!  They even got in the spirit and usually said trick or treat when the person answered the door.  A thank you and a big smile came when the candy was dropped in their basket.

Here are a few pictures of our amazingly fun night!

Zachary as Ooh:

Nicolas as Aah:

Trick or treating at our first house - Dave and Wendy's:

Walking down the street with Daddy:

Walking up to another house - all on our own this time!

 

 Our pumpkins designs chosen by the boys - Sally and Doc Hudson from the Disney movie Cars:

 Our pumpkins in the dark:

Just give them a box...

The boys discovered an empty box and and so much fun with it.  They love to hide in it and stash all their cars inside.  It's so funny to see.  I guess what they say is true.  Forget the gift, just give them the box it came in...

Nicolas:

Zachary:

The two boys together:

Now it's Nicolas' turn for a big accomplishment!

Tonight before bath the boys both sat on the big potty like we have been doing every night.  And tonight it was Nicolas' turn to pee on the potty!  He was so proud and to see the look of excitement and pride on his face was adorable!  We made a round of phone calls to let everyone know all about it just like we did with Zachary.

The boys are pretty easy to coax to sit on the potty.  Now it's up to me to figure out the best times to put them on to see results.  They have really been trying but our timing has just been off...  Now it's time to train Mommy and we should be well on our way to having them on the potty train!

Zachary's big accoplishment

After his nap this afternoon Zachary decided he wanted to sit in the big potty.  And he peed!  We are very excited with this first step and started making phone calls to tell anyone (who would care) that we knew were at home.  He was also very excited to flush the toilet afterwards.

Nicolas tried to sit for about 15 minutes and nothing.  But at least he's willing to try.  Maybe next time...

Naps

I think my days of having the boys nap in the afternoon are numbered.  Lately they have been taking a while to fall asleep and then have only been sleeping for a little over an hour.  So, I have decided that as of now, I will no longer let them sleep any longer than an hour in hopes of them napping every afternoon but for shorter periods of time.

Wish me luck!  I am so not ready to have them give up their naps entirely!

Contest Entry

Hi everyone!

I entered a photo of Zachary in a contest and would appreciate it if you or anyone you know could vote for it.  All that is required is a valid email address and confirmation that you did vote for the picture.  Here is the link for the contest:

http://www.canadasbestphotos.com/index.cfm?page=viewimage&imageID=1146

It was taken during our trip to the ocean this past summer...

Thanks for your help!  I appreciate it!

The aftermath....

The boys went to bed last night with a little more fussing than usual.  Since there is generally no fussing at all, I was sure we would be in for a rough night.  They finally settled down after about 15 minutes.  Zachary first woke up just after 11:00 which was obviously not a good start since he had only been asleep for 2 hours.  I brought him out to the couch with me and helped him settle down.  The poor kid was so tired and had such a rough day with all the tantrums that I felt sorry for him.  It only took about 5 minutes before I put him back in bed.

Nicolas woke around 1:00 and I tried the same thing with him.  He is so squirmy that after about 5 minutes or so, he asked to be put back in bed.  All was quiet for about 15-20 minutes and then he started to cry again.  By this point I was exhausted and needed to sleep.  So, I went into their room (only to find out Zachary was awake too) and told them to just go to sleep.  I explained that I was very tired and needed to sleep.  I also told them that I was not coming back into their room until morning.  I tucked them both in, gave them each a kiss and walked out the room.  I did not hear a peep out of them until 7:00 this morning.  By 7:30 they were both up.  That's a bit early for them (usually they wake up around 8:00) but completely acceptable given the fact it was their first night without their pacifiers.

Here's to hoping they have a good nap so that they are not over tired tonight and we can have an even more successful night tonight.

Pacifiers

I had been talking to the boys for a while about giving up their pacifiers.  I wanted it to be their decision (within reason) to give them up.  So today (unlike any other day) I asked them if they were ready to put them away for good.  Zachary answered yes almost immediately and handed me his pacifier.  Nicolas then walked over to me and handed me his.  I put them in a box tucked them in for their nap and walked out of the room.

I was hoping the nap would go smoothly but I was so wrong.  It took them forever to fall asleep and they did not sleep very long.  I know this is only temporary and will get better in a few days but I am not sure I will be able to hang on that long.  They both woke up from their "naps" very cranky and have been crying quite a bit.  They are over tired and I hope that it will not mean too many issues with them sleeping tonight.  I guess only time will tell...

Thanksgiving

We had Thanksgiving at Mom-I and Pop-I's house last night.  It was great to see everyone and the kids were awesome.  The boys ate like troopers and loved the meal!  Especially the stuffing... Daddy and Uncle Tom will have some serious competition in future as these boys get older.

I actually had the opportunity to sit and chat with my sister-in-laws which was quite enjoyable.  The boys had a good sleep after all that turkey!

Here are a few pictures of some of the fun we had...

A walk down the street to the park:

A lot of kids climbing up the slide:

Uncle Tom and Katie, Sabrina, Fiona and Philippa colliding on the slide:

Auntie Carolyn and Auntie Nat on the trampoline:

Nicolas and Zachary at the top of the slides:

Alexandra hanging around: