The McGloin Family

Kabobs and Haircuts - February 26th, 2012

Where do I begin. How about with Friday? Jasper had yet another Dr. appt. He is now 26.5lbs or something like that. I got the kilos from Ryan and they might have been a bit off. So we'll says he's around 24-26lbs. His cough is sticking around, but she felt it was actually getting better. She reduced the inhaler and told us to expect the cough to be around for a few weeks. Since we've all been getting it over and over he may get hit with it again, but not to worry. So we feel much better. Also, the little guy has a tooth or two coming in on the bottom. 

Jasper has decided to not take his a.m. nap and is instead taking one long one at the same time as Colin. It's nice to have them on the same schedule. He is still on the binkie at nap and bedtime, but we're debating weaning him soon. I think with the teething it may be a good call to keep it up a bit longer. It's supposed to be a good soother.

I got my weekly update of pictures from Colin's class. This is health month, so they are exercising and eating lots of fruits and veggies. As I stated in the previous post, he's been doing lots of back bends. Thats all part of the crab walk they have been learning. Show of hands, who loved crab-walk races in gym class. That's so funny, I loved them too. On the site were pictures of the kids making fruit and veggie kabobs, fruit smoothies, cutting of bananas and strawberries and a mixture of something resembling a sweet trail mix. Sounds like lots of fun. Colin got to add the chocolate to the mix. 

This looks tasty. I'm sure he'll surprise me with some soon.

Cutting up bananas. Notice the concentration. One day his speech therapist had him cutting up playdoh, she and the assistant kept commenting on his concentration and precision. So maybe he'll be a surgeon. You never know. 

I didn't see his class pictures until after we were done. Next time I'll have him cut up bananas and strawberries for his treat.

This guy was primed for a haircut. I think he did a nice job on that kabob. Don't you think?

Saturday we got up early and headed out to do our errands. I was so proud of us for getting on the road when we said we would. It's kind of rare and we tend to be a little late, a lot. At least when we're planning on heading to Indiana to see my family. After doing our errands around town we headed to my mom's to drop off Pippi. We then all headed to Crown Point to see my sister and get our hair done. When we got there I was excited to find an old friend was there with her little girls. It was great to catch up and the meet her sweet daughters. She had fun talking to the boys. Her youngest loved Jasper. Little girls always want to pick him up, even if they are only a year or two older than him. It was really cute. 

Colin was good during his cut, but didn't want the cape on. Then he didn't want his shirt on, and when my sister accidentally got juice on his pants, he didn't want those on either. Turns out he doesn't need to be in the confines of our home to want to run nude. Anyway, she finished quickly and I did a clothing change on him. He looked adorable after. Jasper did great on daddies lap and had lots of crackers in the process. When they left a few stylists came over to tell me how good they thought they were. Ryan was very brave to then take them both out to lunch, so I could get my hair done. I owe him, they can be a handful. 

Then we went to see Cameron, Aunt Helaine and Uncle Joe. We had pizza and seriously, it's the best I've had in awhile. I will be the first to say I've been eating way too much pizza lately, but I'd have it again today. It's shameful, I know.

Look how handsome they both look. And doesn't Grandma Lorraine look content watching them and sipping some vino?

We have gates around our staircases, so Jasper was a bit too curious about theirs. We took turns moving him.

This boy is very fast on the steps.

Cameron let Colin play with his Polar Express train while he went to T Ball tryouts. The train is like a giant version of the one Colin has, he loved it. When Cameron came home he told me he was too hot for pizza because he had been running around for an hour. I asked how it went and he said good, but he did almost hit two boys when he was pitching. I was picturing kids running terrified in every direction.

Ryan and I love the new haircut.

We did some crafts this morning. Even Jasper joined in. He mostly ate crayons, but thats no big deal. After this we made confetti cupcakes. Jasper helped me stir and Colin added a very healthy dash of sprinkles.

I didn't realize until later, when I had Colin on the potty that he had drawn on his arms. Little stinker, it's washable. No big thang.

Chewing on crayon and thinking to himself, "You know, this tastes terrible. I better take another bite."

After this we had lunch and then Jasper went to take his nap. I let Colin stay up a little longer. While we were sitting there I raised my glass and he said, "CHEERS!" He beat me to it.

Colin slept for over 3 hours. Kind of shocking since he's been boycotting naps. I'd like him to take them a little longer. It's a nice mid day break for us. While he was knocked out I went for a run. It was too windy going out, but nice on the way back. I'm ready for spring. After we took the boys to the park. Then we went to Trader Joe's. It's a good thing we had refreshments because the lines were all the way to the back of the store. Everyone of them. I've never seen it like that. All I know is the boys were well behaved. We payed up, came home for dinner and took some baths. Then we skyped Grandma and Grandpa. That was a nice end to a great weekend.

Looking forward to some warmer weather. Have a good one.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper. 

Cirque de Colin

Our colds are still running back and forth from each of us. Just when you start to feel a bit better it sneaks up again. I'm kind of used to having mine and I forget what it's like to not have a headache. Jasper went to the Dr. for a follow up visit. She told us she thinks he's on the mend and it may take a few weeks for the cough to truly leave. I'm just thinking he'll be stronger because of it.

I worked from home part of yesterday and today. The boys had me running around like a nut and laughing the entire time. The minute I came in Colin told me I had to take off my coat. Then he instructed me to tickle him. From there I was told to build a new train track. I'm awful at it, but gave it a shot. Jasper loves Colin's trains. Really, the trains are for both of the, but Colin thinks differently. You can tell Jasper plays with them on the days when Colin is not here, because he knows how to run the train around the track. Ryan noticed one of the trains needed a battery, so he put in a new one. Apparently this new train moving by itself thing was a shock to Jasper. He looked at it like it was pure witchcraft.

He went up to the track with his mouth in a shocked o and wide eyed. Then he got braver and took a few trains. I'm not sure if he was brave because they were moving by themselves, or that he did it in front of Colin. As soon as Colin noticed he walked over and Jasper dutifully surrendered them. He used his strength for good and not evil, so no hitting or fighting back happened. I did make Colin give him a train in exchange though. He needs to know that he can't just take whatever he wants.

This smiley guy has been talking up a storm. He likes saying hi and maybe is saying hi dad. He says owl who who, duck quack, apple, cat, up, bye . . . So we're getting a few more words here and there. Not only that, he insists on trying to walk up steps and does so buy holding the wall. He's super strong. Jasper just wants to do what everyone else is doing and he figures it out all by himself. He doesn't do it for approval either, he doesn't seem to need all the clapping and cheering that his big brother loves. Of course we still do it though.

Colin wants to see pictures of himself, he just hates posing.

Oh yes, the squint is back. 

Recently Colin has been telling us what he wants to wear. If this shirt is clean, it's usually the winner.

He as reading to Jasper, but not doing much talking.

Jasper likes to eat these two books. And by eat, I mean eat. He breaks some off, chews and then hands the mushy mess back to me.

This was Jasper moments before he ran over and knelt in front of the moving train. It was so sweet my heart almost broke. He does things in the sweetest way. I wish I had the camera with me so I could have filmed it.

Thinking about stealing some trains. I know this look, he does this before sneaking toys and food from his brother.

The great train heist. I was glad I had my camera.

This was taken moments before he was apprehended by his brother. I sure wish I hadn't yelled for him to run, otherwise Colin would never have known. Sorry about that Jasper.

Jasper wants to ride Colin's "bicycle," he just doesn't know how. So I usually pull him around.

Imagine that, Colin noticed Jasper on his bicycle and wants it back. I love how perplexed Jasper looks. It's like he's calmly saying, "Colin, why are you acting like a horses fanny?"

This morning was sort of busy. We had to take Colin to school, I needed to work in the office part of the day and Jasper had a his follow up Dr. visit. So we piled into the car and quickly put everyone in their proper location.

I ran Colin into school. He was sad like he is before school on most days. I walked him in and at the top of the stairs we looked at the latest school bulletin board. This was features each room doing different exercises. Colin's room was doing the crab walk. While we were looking at it he stood there beaming. He knew he was a part of it and seemed extra proud. I asked him if he wanted to hop to his room, so he did. When we got to the door he was as happy as a clam and all smiles. I washed his hands and he started playing with Ellie, his little friend. She was saying hi to him and he walked right over to play with the pretend foods. I think he likes her because when I ask about school and say her name he repeats if fondly. When I was walking out I heard her say something to him. Not sure what, but it seemed instructional. I love seeing him happy and playing with other kids. She even said bye to him when we were walking out at the end of the day. A week ago she gave him a hug and he looked tickled pink.

So yesterday he started doing this little cirque de soleil move. I figured it was from school and my thought was confirmed when I saw the bulletin board.

Smoldering eyes. I think this one is "blue steel."

Back to cirque. Today I asked him to crab-walk and showed him the move as I said it. I was fine until he crawled under me like I was a bridge. I had to do a backbend to let him through and I wasn't exactly warmed up. Moments later Jasper decided to join in. I thought I would hurt him or myself if I fell so I put myself out of my own misery.

So wowzers, it was a busy and tiring week. Holy Cannoli my work is busy, busy, busy. I'm going to do some more work right now. Looks like Ryan and I will be spending this glorious evening working, but only for a bit.

Have a great weekend. Sunday is supposed to be super duper nice!
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper. 

President's Day Weekend - February 20th, 2012

In case you were wondering, yes our kids are on occasion, fully dressed. It does happen. Every morning we get Colin ready. We brush his teeth, lotion him up, change his diaper and get a tshirt and jeans on. Then during breakfast he says, "shirt off, shirt off." Then his brother wants the same thing.

Exhibit A, is it just me or does Colin look like someone straight out of a nudist colony.

Exhibit B. Before this was taken there was some shirtless dancing.

Then I convinced them to put some clothes on. You may not know this, but in the picture above Colin was wearing pants. Note that in the picture below he is wearing a shirt and is not wearing pants. You win some, you lose some.

Heres a sweet shot. Earlier in the day I was in the other room while the boys played in the living room. Then I heard the sweet sounds of someone crying and another person laughing. I knew immediately that Colin had Jasper pinned. I ran in and poor Jasper was pinned under his smiling brother. You would have thought Colin was just laying on a pillow, he was acting so casual. I instantly had a flashback to one of brothers sitting on me and looking around asking everyone if they'd see Mia because he couldn't find her. Jerks.

This might be the sweetest thing I've ever seen.

I could gobble up those chunky legs.

When Jasper runs really fast he leans to one side and almost capsizes, then quickly regroups. I love watching these guys run and play.

Jasper is getting very interested in books and stickers. He is constantly brining new books over for us so read. Most books only get about a minute of his attention, but thats normal for his age. And the stickers, lets just say I find a lot of paper in his mouth.

Saturday I went out with my friends for a very long overdue manicure and pedicure. The last time I went was when I was pregnant with Jasper. As a matter of fact, I was only about 8 weeks, so no one even knew about it. The moral of the story, I needed a mani/pedi asap. After our pampering my friends and I went to a nice dinner. It was good to hang out with the girls. 

Sunday Ryan and I decided our girl Pippi deserved a trip to the beach. Everyday she watches us play with the boys and jumps and grabs toys trying to get in on the action. Poor girl just wants to run her heart out and catch some toys. So we all headed to the beach. Pippi flew through the air like she's been doing it every day for months. I love to watch her catch the frisbee, she's such a natural. And the beach is like heaven to her.

Colin loves it too. He ran to a man with a giant kite, then realized it was too far and gave up on it. Then he ran and played in the sand. Jasper was a bit cold and didn't really want to walk around, so we sat in the car with Pippi while Colin got some alone time with daddy.

Look at these pictures and tell me we don't live in the greatest city ever. Chicago, hands down, is the best city in the world. We have culture, beach, beautiful parks, its clean, people are so nice, we love this place.

Our little Bubby loves the beach. He refused to leave.

After the beach we dropped Pippi off at home. I'm sure she was sore and tired from running. We went out to dinner. The boys were great the entire time. The staff kept coming over to play with Jasper's curls. One women even told him she was going to bite his cheeks. She was also playing with Colin's thick head of hair. Both were beaming the entire time. It was kind of empty when we got there, so basically we had the place to ourselves. We love that, because if the boys act up we're not bothering anyone. It was a nice long leisurely dinner. 

Then we went home so daddy could put the big boy bed together. Colin was so excited. He was laying on it before we could get the mattress on. (The windows are covered with paper, because we need to hang Colin's curtains. Plus, the room is super, duper bright without them.) 

Can you see his adorable new bed? It was a long day and this guy didn't nap. He's been taking fewer naps these days. I guess 3 is when they start weaning themselves. Yesterday he didn't nap, so I let him watch Curious George and I got to read a bit. It was nice and peaceful. Anyway, back to the big news.

Colin heard one story, hopped into bed and went to sleep. It wasn't until later that we realized how smoothly it went. He did wake up to talk to himself from 4:50-5-something. He stayed in bed and I think must have dozed off. I say I think, because that is WAY too early for any of us to be up. At 7:20 both boys were up, much more acceptable than 4, wouldn't you agree. So far so good. We'll see how he does tonight.

We still have the crib in his room. Eventually his little brother will join him. That will have to wait a bit, because these days he wakes up early to talk to himself and poor Jasper wouldn't never get to sleep.

Had to move this stuff out, too tempting for Colin. As you can see we held off so long on the bed because the stairs are so close to the door. Our house is so old no gates would work for us, so we had to build on to get one to fit. It might be a good idea to stain that rascal, it's kind of stands out. So maybe I'll do that soon.

Anyway, it was a pretty busy weekend. What's new, but it was fun too. Downton Abbey ended until September. Bummer.

Have a nice day off and enjoy the nice weather.
Mia, Ryan, Colin, Jasper and Pippi 

Back to the Doctor - February 17th, 2012

Yesterday when I went to get Colin from school I walked into his teacher changing some boys clothes. She looked up at me kind of defeated and said the school had been hit with bad case of diarrhea. Ugh, not what you want to hear when you pick your little guy up. So we've been on the lookout for that.

Then last night when Jasper was sleeping I kept hearing him coughing. He'd have a fit, go back to sleep and repeat. Poor baby. He and I have been sharing the same cold and probably headache. It goes away and then rears its ugly head. So today I called his dr to ask if I should bring him in, he was just there last week. She called me back herself, is that service, or is that service? Then she asked a few questions. I told her he wheezed a little last week, so I used his inhaler. Then the wheezing stopped. His fever went away and the cough seemed to come minimally during the day, but mostly at night. It also seems to be getting more productive. She she suggested a different kind of inhaler and gave me a list of guidelines.

As the day progressed my head started to hurt more and more. It almost feels like my cold is returning, but knock on wood, not the same as it was last week. So when I returned home I was told Jasper had thrown up a little, but more from the coughing. That seems to be the same as Colin. I think they just get so much phlegm and saliva, they cough on it and up it comes. It breaks my heart that these poor guys have been sick so much. I know it goes hand in hand with being in preschool for the first time, but poor Jasper seems to take the brunt of it. I have to say though, such a jolly fellow through it all. After I settled in I went to pick him up. He immediately starting hacking and puked all over me. 

So tomorrow in the early morning we are going to head over to the dr. I hope she has a good solution.

Tonight he hacked as he ate his meal.  It was kind of hard to watch, but he seemed mostly unaffected by it. He ate his little chicken tenders and happily dipped them in ketchup. What a trooper. Even Colin was eating and side note, he's chunky up again. When I tried to help give Jasper more food he shook his head. Then Colin informed me, "No, no food." He was relaying that information for his brother. I love that he tries to talk for Jasper, it's very sweet.

After dinner we played with the boys. They love when you act like you're going to try to catch them or to tickle them. So we did that for a long time. I was worn out when we were done, but its so fun to hear them laugh out loud. I love how Jasper runs away laughing and waiting for you to catch him. And seeing Colin do the same and when you catch him he says, "I stuck, I stuck!", its so fun. I love ending the day playing with them. I hope they have good memories of wrestling with mom and dad and basically wearing us out from laughing so much. I love our little dudes so much.

We took a bath and both boys played for awhile. I think Jasper is going to love swimming this summer. He loves putting his face in the water and kicking his legs. Swimming wouldn't be such a bad sport. After the bath we cuddled while he watched a Twinkle Little Star video. He had his head on my shoulder and said Owl over and over. I forgot there was an owl in this video. There are a few in the boys bedroom artwork as well. He was saying Owl all over the place.

So tomorrow we're going to get back on the mend. I'm sure we're all looking forward to it.

Have a wonderful Friday and a great week. 
Mia, Ryan, Jasper and Colin 

McHappy - February 13th, 2012

Guess what makes these boys McHappy. Pretending to eat a hamburger in order to get onto the playground early. Yep, that happened. Colin ran around the playground like a pro. Jasper was a lot less timid than before and soon understood the why playgrounds rule. The boys played hard. Ryan and I worked up a sweat. I don't love the idea of Jasper getting squashed, so I was hovering. He likes to go up the slide the wrong way, doesn't look for runners before crossing and basically needs to be hovered over. Colin on the other hand, is a big boy. He played chase with some other kids and had a blast. We had to bribe with cones to leave. We're in trouble because these days both boys complain when we have to leave. Jasper, what was all that talk back there about always having my back?

So we had ice cream. Colin loved his cone, even if he decided to eat it from the wrong end. Jasper dug into the sundae and surprise, surprise, he insisted I let him feed himself. I'm starting to think my baby is a real live toddler.

It may be time for haircut number two.

Lady, give me that spoon!

See, eating from the wrong end. Oh well.

We had a fun time. I think we were gone over two hours. Kind of a long time considering how close the McD's is to our place. I ran into the Dollar Store on the way home. I wanted to get some more Valentine gear and some craft supplies. I scored big time. 

When we were at McD's I got some extra food for a photoshoot I had today. It was the example of what not to eat in one set of pictures. Don't get me wrong, I love the stuff but it's not so good for you. Anyway, the shoot was a success. The kids were so good and it ran quite smoothly. I got to make a few new friends (4th - 6th graders.) They were such beautiful kids and I was smiling for the rest of the day. When I got home I had a million stories to tell Ryan about them. It was a pretty good day.

Have a nice week. I just saw more snow! Yipes.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper 

Who, Who - February 12th, 2012

The McGloin's would like to send a very happy birthday to Auntie Heidi. 

Before we headed to Costco Colin and Jasper had some fruit. Colin must have been boycotting his clementines because Jasper ended up with them hours later. We have to be extra careful about watching Jasper, he puts everything in his mouth. These are a little bigger than we like to give him. However, he does fine with the pear slices. It's unpredictable when he'll decide to shove the who thing in his mouth. He wants to eat just like his big brother.

This guy points at everything and says, "this" or "that."

When I sat down to watch Jasper eat dinner, he looked like this. If Colin isn't using a bib anymore, than neither is he. Also, he gets very angry when he eats and I just discovered it's because not only does he want to feed himself, he wants the bowl in front of him. He needs total control. Also, he seems to be against eating the small pieces we give him. So I've been trying to give him some whole pieces of bread, quesadilla and fruit. I try to help him eat it, but he gets kind of mad.

As you can see, it's tough to know what he wants and kind of trying. Mostly, we laugh and clean up tons of spilled bowls.

After this type of scene he pushes himself away from the table and says something that sounds like, "all done." Except its very garbled. He gets that phrase from Colin. Dinner is close to bedtime, so there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

And just like that he looks like this. 

Yesterday we noticed that Jasper says something that sounds like owl and dog. He likes us to take him to look out the window in the kitchen. It looks out on a light well that run through the center of our house. There is a fake owl hanging in the well, to keep the pigeons away. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The boys love to go look at the owl. Yesterday Jasper walked over and said, "Who, who." He did so repeatedly and into the night. It's super cute. He makes an "o" with his mouth when he says it. I got him on camera, but it's hard to hear him over Colin's movie. When I listened today you can hear him, but it's very quiet. Super cute.

UPDATE: here is the Who Who video. He says who who a few times, just quietly. You can tell he's saying it by the shape of his mouth. We had the movie Cars cranked up in the background, so it's hard to hear anything. Of course before and since this filming, he's said it over and over.

As you can see, I gave in and let him feed himself entirely this morning. He had cottage cheese, hummus with crackers, cheese, turkey and some other stuff. He spilled the bowl of cottage cheese. So far cottage cheese is the hardest to clean up. In case you were curious.

We got new foam cushions for our couch. They are super tall and need to be worked in. I put our old covers on last night and they look great. It's crazy how much thicker they are. Sevens years of wear will do that. Of course when I came down this morning they were on the ground. Colin kept saying, "my fart, my fart." I started to reassembled the couch and he yelled it faster and more frantically. Oh yes, "my fort, my fort." Sorry dude, I thought you said fart. My bad. So the cushions are a hit with everyone. I'm glad. Plus, they really freshen the couch up.

Colin didn't seem to understand the whole concept of keeping his stickers off the floor, windows, sills and furniture. Jasper didn't get that they aren't food. He also doesn't get that toilet paper isn't food.

As you can see from this picture, most of my day is spent reassembling rooms. In addition to feeding picky boys who yell at me. I'm pretty sure my hearing is getting worse . . . daily.

Its been another busy weekend, but its also been very productive. Actually, it's been pretty fun too. Hearing Jasper say, "who, who" is adorable. Hearing Colin say, "suck" instead of "stuck" and "fart" instead of, "fort" keeps me going. It also keeps me laughing.

Have a nice, sunny Sunday. Happy Birthday Aunt Heidi. We love you.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper 

Finally, Real Cake! - February, 9th, 2012

Yesterday I had the best idea. Whenever you ask Colin what he wants for dinner he either says, pizza or cake. So I decided that after our meal we would have homemade cake. I found two great recipes and got the ingredients. At least thats what I thought. In reality I was missing some of the butter I would need. So I subbed in some smart balance. In my defense, I was only a little low on that part. Long story short, the recipe was doomed from the beginning. I used the wrong size pan and it went down hill from there. Part of the dessert was OK, so we served that. It was was actually pretty good. However when Colin got to the table, very excited for cake I might add, he was less than impressed. He sat down, looked at the cherry cake and said, "Not cake." Then he got down and walked away.

He was sort of annoyed with me. He was expecting cake and got an ugly cherry dessert. Today though, I made a comeback. I went to Whole Foods and got him the prettiest little Valentine cupcakes you ever did see. He was over the moon. I ate the cherry dessert and I have to say, as ugly as it is, that stuff is pretty good. I may just have more. 

Satisfied customer. Also, since he boycotted what I made for dinner, we gave him bread and hummus. He loves that stuff. Then we gave him some pizza. First he ate the bread, then he put hummus on the pizza and ate that. I guess it all goes to the same place.

And now I'm board. Someone hurry up and clean this mess I've created . . . NOW!

Jasper has been insisting on feeding himself for awhile now. I've given into the fact that I'll be cleaning up piles of food for the next year or so. It's OK, Colin was the same way and I barely clean up after him these days.

Today Jasper took over the food that Colin refused to eat. He poked at it, dug in with his hand, while holding a fork in the other and shoved food into his mouth. Then, he dumped it over his face. This was the process for two bowls. Then he did the above to a cupcake. Like I said, I've resigned myself to the fact that I'll be cleaning up this type of mess for the next year or two.

When I got home from work today Colin was very talkative. He said hello and told me to take my coat off. He also told me to hang it up. Then he told me to hang my purse. When I sat down to relax, he slid in behind me. Then he made me put Jasper down by saying, "Move please" as he shoved Jasper off my lap. Basically he was the little general we've all grown to love. I love how much he is saying and clearly, the kids is loving this whole talking thing. In addition, he has been very vocal about telling us he has, "big poop." It's not as scary as it seems, I think its just his way of saying he has to go. I'm just glad he's telling us.

Wowwie kazowie, what a week. I've been to work with a cough, then worked from home with a cough, then gone back with a cough and I'm still coughing. I think its getting better but I'm pretty tired and ready for the weekend. Work is in full swing which is good, but I won't lie, I'm ready for the weekend to begin.

Hope you had a good week and hope you can stay warm. It's not February cold, but the chill is coming.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper 

Big Boy Bed - February 5th, 2012

Yesterday after nap time I asked Colin if he wanted a big boy bed. He said, "Yes! Yes, I do!" I think he knew what I was talking about. It seems like he's really trying to be a big boy.  So we ate a second lunch and headed out to do errands. He and Jasper were so good during all the driving. When we got to Babies R Us, we found to our dismay that this branch didn't have toddler beds, so we headed to a different one. It was kind of a bummer, but the boys were being really good.

Ryan and I were starving and although don't get fast food often, it was necessary. Colin ate most of his cheeseburger. He hates french fries, can you believe that. Jasper had a few but neither care that much for them. I wish I could say the same. Colin kept telling us he wanted to play with kids. I felt bad because usually if we have fast food, we go to a Mc D's with a playground. Poor kid was being so good and no playground. Bad mommy and daddy.

Finally, we got to the other store. Colin literally climbed right into the bed. He loved it. Another roadblock though, no beds in stock and the one we wanted is sold out. While we asked about the bed Colin rocked VIGOROUSLY on this chair. Then he hid behind it. And finally, he took off, which also happened moments before. Ryan was busy talking to the sales person and I was holding Jasper, but I had to get my guy. So I ran with Jasper after Colin. He was laughing so hard because I was jiggling him up and down as I ran. I was slightingly annoyed, to say the least. Jasper was laughing so hard he could barely keep it together. It was a good situation difusser. Everyone around us was laughing, it was probably comical to see. Anyway, Colin lucked out that his brother rescused him. I'm just glad I was able to catch him. We keep a pretty close eye on them, but as we all know, they get away quickly.

I strapped him into the cart pronto. We found a really nice mattress and headed out. At this point we were all beat and it was time to head home. 

So we all have a cough and Jasper is probably getting some more teeth. His sleep has been a bit off. I think we're just going to have this cold on and off all winter. On the bright side, today we get to see lots of friends and we're super excited! So we're going to give some baths, eat some food, go to the park to let off some steam and party it up.

Have a nice week. We'll post pictures just as soon as our new bed arrives. Wish us luck, we're kind of nervous.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper 

Stop Calling Me Shirley - February 3rd, 2012

After Jasper's nap today something occurred to me. 

If you take one part Jasper and one part Shirley Temple, shake well . . . you get a Curly Temple.

Funny, people don't typically describe their boys as looking like Shirley Temple. To be clear, it's just the hair, this one is all boy. Seriously though, I love Shirley Temple Black. She's a righteous lady. I love that she was a child star gone right. Her parents socked away her money and raised her well. She became true role model and later, a US Ambassador. Plus, the Little Princess is an outstanding movie.

See, all rascally boy.

So as I was saying before, Colin and I have been having some fun conversations. This morning he was in a mood. We had a discussion about not tipping drinks or throwing things. It's a daily conversation. So anyway after he was done eating an entire bowl of strawberries he said he wanted more. So I said, "how many do you want?" He replied, "one, two, three, four, five strawberries." It was kind of funny because he said it so slowly and deliberately. Then tonight at dinner we were joking with Barb about doing something fun, maybe sky diving or swimming with sharks. So I asked if he wanted to jump out of a plane and he said yes. Then he said he would swim with dolphins, drive a boat . . . etc. Basically, he repeated all of my suggestions and said yes. I love that little food thrower.

So have a fun evening. Stay warm.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper 

Eye of the Tiger - February 2nd, 2012

Look at the form on this kid. Thats not one, but two nubi bottles. When this was taken he'd probably already done two laps around the table and hadn't even broken a sweat. It's just incredible.

What else is this crazy monkey doing these days. He says hi, this, that and he likes to shake his head no. His brother is still the boss, but Jasper is now pushing, then hugging him when he feels slighted. Colin likes to throw his weight around and Jasper has been standing his ground, sometimes. He also is very vocal when he wants something and also shakes his head when he doesn't want certain things. He's still a pretty agreeable fellow.

When this was taken I was dancing and Colin was telling me to, "sit down mommy." His vocabulary is really growing and I like our mini conversations. 

Caution: Shut the Gate! This chap is very curious. The gate was probably open for 10 seconds when he made his great escape.

Don't worry, I was aware of the situation, but I wanted to see where he'd take it. Apparently, all the way up. Ryan was in the doorway saying, "where are you going?" And Jasper would laugh and then hustle up further.

Although Colin just got medicine for a nagging cough, he's doing pretty well. Both boys had fevers last week, but seem to be hanging in there. Colin had an eye exam last week. We took him because he didn't want to do the vision or hearing exam at his school. It turns out most kids his age either don't like or understand the test. According to our pediatrician, this is very common. She said the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy Pediatrics sends huge kits each year for eye testing. Kids under 5 are notorious for not wanting the wear the glasses that are include. There is one opaque lens on each pair. They do this so the kids can read from an eye chart made up of pictures. She said the kids love the glasses, until they are made to wear them. Basically, the stuff looks kid friendly, but in practice is impossible to use. She was not surprised at all that Colin didn't want to do either exam.

So as a precaution, since preemies can have bad vision, we took him to a pediatric opthamologist. His vision was great, but he fought like a tiger when they put the drops in. We'll just say he's quite strong and has very healthy eyes. He is not required to go back for 10 years. The opthamologist said most kids who will need glasses start showing signs around 8 years old, in case you were curious.

Ryan told me a cute story about the opthamologist office. A little girl who was 4 came over and wanted to play with Colin. Her name was Jasmine. She came over and started playing by him and soon they were playing tag and running around the office. We allow this sort of thing at this particular office because (a. ou are there for up to 2.5 hours., and (b. it's a pediatric office so there are tons of kids and (c. it's very spacious. So my friends, we allow it. We've only been about 3 times, but in each case we have been respectful of others. It's a nice environment for the little ones. Anyway, he played with her and had a great time. Then she came over to him, put her face very close and kissed him. I think it was his first kiss. How cute is that?

So it's Friday. Yay, enjoy your weekends.
Mia, Ryan, Colin and Jasper