Happy 4th of July

4th of July was a big event at our house this year (at least it was for Alex). Alex could hardly wait to go to the fireworks stand to make that special purchase of sparklers and fountains. I was surprised how readily he took the sparklers and waved them through the air. We even got to watch professional firework shows from our deck. I'm not sure where they were going off, but it was great not carting two little kids to a football field in the middle of a hot sticky night (9 o'clock is the middle of the night for Hannah) just to see a few sparkles in the air for about 15 minutes. All of us had a very nice day. We went to our neighbor's house for a barbecue and waved a few sparklers then came home and watched a few more fireworks. Maybe next year we can attempt to venture to a football field; I know it will be many years before we attempt to go to the National Mall for the 4th. Anyway, Happy Birthday America!! We enjoyed the celebration!!

Backyard Swimming

Summer is here in full swing: Popsicles, lemonade, sun tea, and inflatable pools. The weather has been hot and humid and there's nothing better than putting your sticky kids in the pool and hosing them down. The kids absolutely love the inflatable pool. As a matter of fact all the neighborhood kids love the kiddie pool. It's amazing how creative they can be coming up with various water games. Alex and Hannah love trying to keep up with the bigger kids. I love getting Alex and Hannah out of the house and wearing out some that kid energy by letting them splash and jump in the water. I have to admit I even love to go for a dip in the inflatable pool, too.

Papa's House

Well, we were finally brave enough to make a trip with Alex and Hannah to Papa's house. It looked like we were going for a week even though we only spent the night. I packed bags of snacks and juice boxes, gathered favorite blankets and night time critters, and Alex chose several movies and a few favorite toys. And I couldn't forget the Dramamine for the kids. We were off. After about an hour in the car Alex started asking if we were there yet. We actually weren't even out of the Northern Virginia area - traffic was terrible. It took us over 6 hours to get there but the kids did great. We only made one food stop. Jeff was excited to introduce us to Bojangles where Dan had his first taste of the dirty rice which apparently was "the bomb". But after seeing the play area at McDonalds we decided that the Bojangles had to wait for another trip.

We finally got there and headed straight for the barn. Alex could hardly wait to see the horses. And sure enough Alex got his fill of horses. He had the chance to ride Sandy, to play soccer with Sandy, and then help feed the horses. Hannah didn't want to be left out either. Although she wasn't quite brave enough to sit on a horse yet, she did pet them and took a handful of hay out to them during feeding time. We all had a great time at Papa's house and hope to go back again.

“God made Hannah Funny”

As I was tucking Alex in bed the other night he told me “God made Hannah funny”. I wasn’t quite sure if he was talking about her appearance or her personality. So I asked him what he meant and he told me the Hannah is a funny little girl – she makes him laugh. Well, funny isn’t exactly the word I would describe her. Actually, there’s really not one word adequate enough describe my daughter. From the day she was born, Hannah’s been strong-willed and stubborn. That’s not to say that she’s not happy or charming. On the contrary, Hannah loves to sing and dance which is absolutely entertaining. She’s very animated and makes funny faces and has a very sweet little girl voice. But… she has hit the “terrible two” stage. She has a habit of shaking her finger at anyone and yelling “BAD”. This habit is totally embarrassing when we are out and about and she is telling complete strangers that they are bad. She is also very bossy and knows exactly what she wants. Although Hannah can be very demanding, she is pretty good about using her manners (please and thank you). At times I feel like I’m the mother of a female Jekyll and Hyde. So Alex, I suppose I do have to agree with you, God did make Hannah funny and I wouldn’t want her any other way.

Celebrate Fairfax

We took Alex and Hannah to Celebrate Fairfax (the county fair) this past weekend. We had a great time but I have to say that carnival ride workers frighten me. I realize that their line of work is not the most exciting or fulfilling (making sure kids are tall enough for the rides, starting and stopping the rides, and enticing people to play the impossible-to-win games) but they really shouldn’t be as scary as they are. Alex spotted a Moonbounce that he wanted to try out. As he was walking up to the Moonbounce he asked me to tell the guy that “he is four years but just a little short” because there was a height requirement for this attraction. So Alex walked up ready to bounce with his shoes off and tickets in hand when the creepy guy points directly in Alex’s face and shouted “TOO SMALL !” I was appalled that anyone would shout at my child that way and irritated that the next child allowed to enter the moonbounce was smaller than Alex. I also was scared of the creepy guy so I put Alex’s shoes back on his feet and escorted my disappointed child to another ride. Luckily, we found the tiny Ferris Wheel Pumpkins and Hot Air Balloons that quickly took Alex’s mind off the creepy Moonbounce guy. The next ride we tried was the Buzzing Bees that also had a height requirement but the creepy guy at that ride didn’t think twice about letting Hannah on.

After the bees, Alex spotted an inflatableSpiderman prize at one of the impossible-to-win games. Since this game actually guaranteed a prize for every participant, I asked the game woman if there was any way that my son could specifically win the Spiderman. She nodded, I handed her a $10 dollar bill, she gave Alex the Spiderman, and she walked away as I stood waiting for my change. Because she was off barking orders at other game players and Alex was totally thrilled that he had “won” the treasured Spiderman prize, I decided it wasn’t worth arguing over my change with the creepy game woman.

The fair had lots of other things to do, too. Alex had the chance to “drive” a tractor as well as rock a parrot to sleep. Hannah and Alex got to pet a camel and various assortment of farm animals and watch miniature trains chug around the tracks. Despite the creepy carnival workers we all had a great day.

“I’ve Gotta Save the World”

Lately, Alex has been fascinated with Batman. I don’t know where this came from since he hasn’t seen the movie or read any Batman books. He still loves Spiderman but now he pretends to be Batman. When we come home from school he races up to his room to get his Batman cape (which is an old cloth diaper) and asks me to tie it on him. The other day after getting his Batman suit on, day he announced “I’ve gotta go save the world.” The next thing I saw was “Batman’s” cape fluttering in the breeze as Alex hurried off on his scooter to save the world. Once I caught up with him he told me that he saw the Joker and punched him so that the world is now saved. I feel a little bit safer knowing that the world is being saved by my little Batman.

One Cotton Candy, Please

Alex had his first taste of the pink, fluffy stuff last weekend at the zoo. Each time we past the cotton candy cart Alex's eyes widened as he pleaded for the cotton sugar cloud. Jeff finally agreed and it was all downhill from there. Alex marched right up to the cotton candy vendor, slapped down the five dollar bill and said "one cotton candy, please." The cotton candy completely slowed down our pace. Alex was too busy munching on the stuff to pay any attention to the animals. Other children stared in envy while their parents shook their heads and outwardly said something like "I'm glad it's you and not me with a child who will be on a sugar high in a matter of moments." All I could do was laugh and brace myself for the inevitable afternoon craziness.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary....

I don't have a green thumb. I couldn't even get my Chia Pet Herb Garden to survive longer than a couple of months. With that said, I'm very proud of the flowers currently blooming in my yard. My rose bushes are covered with gorgeous blooms and smell sweet and fresh. My rhododendrons look like little puffs of purple clouds. My peonies are just starting to pop open and are also a brilliant shade of purple. I love Spring and early Summer so I can enjoy the bright sunny days and fresh flowers.

East Meets West

We recently had a fantastic visit with Jeff's family from the West Coast. Having four children ages almost 2, 3, 4, and 5 was very interesting and quite fun. We packed in as much fun as we could in seven days. We enjoyed going to the Air and Space Museum, Burke Lake Park, Baltimore for Mother's Day, Frying Pan Park, and a Japanese restaurant but mostly we just enjoyed being together. Hannah became attached to everyone and it was great having others around to hold her. Alex had fun having boys around to play hide and seek and tag. They came up with their own games such as stink bug and being mommies to caterpillars. All in all it was a very successful visit and will probably go out to San Diego next year. Now we are trying to convince nanny to go to Disney World with us for Thanksgiving - what do you say, nana?

Happy Mother's Day

This year for Mother's Day I received the best gift ever ... a big hug around the neck and "I love you, mommy". Alex is finally old enough to understand the Mother's Day concept. His preschool had the cutest Mother's Day Tea where the kids sang an I Love You song and served the moms muffins and tea. Alex was so proud of himself for serving tea and I was so proud for being the mom of a wonderful "big boy". Hannah hasn't figured out the Mother's Day concept yet but it won't be long. Right now I'm enjoying being a mom to my big boy and my toddler little girl.