Many A Milestones

It's been a busy week around here - and we've seen many a milestones. Let's dive right in, shall we?

Lindsey is up first. Our big girl had her first self-fed bowl of Rice Krispies with milk! Up until now she's noshed on dry cereal and bananas, waffles, eggs and toast - all those easy-to-eat-with-your-fingers foods. But she's getting better and better at using utensils (and we have bowls with suction cup bottoms), so we decided to give it a try.

Rice Krispies was our go-to cereal for Ryan too. It's easier because the milk absorbs pretty quickly, making the cereal easier to scoop up (and lessening the chance of an epic milk spill). And it's a smaller cereal, so it's more likely to end up in their mouth instead of on their lap. She loved it. And she loved the fuss of being a big girl.

Speaking of being a big girl - look who has a toddler bed! Again, we went with past experience. With Ryan, we transitioned him to his toddler bed around 18 months. Mostly because we knew we wanted to do it sooner rather than later, but with a sister on the way we didn't want to rock his world all at once. So we did it a little sooner than I think we anticipated. But he did great with it, so we decided to keep up the trend with Lindsey.

She was so excited. Only problem we had, though, was her "guard rail" didn't do much guarding. It was a combination of a too-thick mattress and a too-short rail. She fell out the first night (as did Ryan), so we improvised to get her through the night. Books are for more than just enriching your mind! Since the first night, we swapped her mattress with Ryan's (his is a bit thinner) and she hasn't fallen out at all. She stays in her bed until we come to get her and still gets excited to crawl in and out all by herself.

Would I be lying if it doesn't make me a little sad that she's growing up? Yeah. But I'm so excited for her to be experiencing new things and to gain that sense of independence that my sadness is quickly replaced with pure joy.

Speaking of pure joy (like these transition tie-ins??), that's exactly what I felt when I was finally, FINALLY, able to gather enough of Lindsey's wispy hairs together to form a little bean sprout ponytail. She was just happy to have a frozen yogurt pop. Regardless, we both enjoyed the moment, which lasted as long as it took her to finish her treat - and then the ponytail came out and she sported a mohawk for a few hours.

OK - Ryan's turn. He continues to amaze us with the things that come out of his mouth. He's incredibly intellegent and insightful for a three year old.

Having a sister has also had a major impact on him. He is developing a greater sense of bravery - taking cues from Little Miss Daredevil. In fact, this week he volunteered to take a shower instead of a bath! Nate helped, but Ryan did a great job of holding the shower head and even rinsed off his hair with no tears.

He takes his role as a big brother very seriously - and often tells Nate and I about the things we need to teach Lindsey. This morning? He was teaching/helping Lindsey to put her socks and shoes on. It was one of the cutest moments between the two of them to date.

A Baseball Weekend

When you first find out you're having a baby - or even when you first talk about starting a family - there are certain experiences every parent yearns to share with their child. For Nate - it's sporting events. We told some of our closest friends and family that we were pregnant with Ryan at a Phillies game and when Ryan was just 4 months old, he made it to his first Eagle's match-up. Since then, he's been to minor league baseball games and even made it into Beaver Stadium.

Lindsey hasn't been as seasoned, but that all changed this weekend when she got a double dose of baseball. Friday night we went to see the Blue Rocks - a minor league baseball team in our area. It was her second game, Ryan's third. We allowed them to indulge in the full baseball experience - including ice cream from a baseball hat and electric blue cotton candy - and they managed to stick it out long enough to enjoy a fireworks show after the game (I'm sure the copious amounts of sugar aided in that effort).

Notice which child was loving the fireworks and which one would have been just as happy beating the post-game crowd?

Saturday, after we recovered from our late night, we headed up to PA for the Phillies game with the Williams crew. This was a first for Ryan and Lindsey. Neither had been to a professional baseball game before. I'll admit, we were a little nervous going into the evening. Though Friday night was a great test-run for how'd they do staying up late, Frawley stadium is a much different atmosphere from Citizen's Bank Park. We were in the "close to Jesus" seats and we weren't sure how well they'd do for game 2.

But of course, they were champs. Nate had to do a few laps around the park with Lindsey, but other than that - they were so enthralled with the experience, they actually stayed put. Food helped too. Between crab fries, popcorn, soft pretzels, more ice cream and a few other goodies there was plenty to keep them occupied and distracted when they started getting rambunctious.

A little pre-game tailgating

That's my beer - not his. Just sayin'.

Summertime and the living is easy

I remember growing up and loving summer - not just because it was a break from the routine of the school year, but because it was the best opportunity for a kid to explore, imagine, pretend, play and, quite frankly, just be a kid.

There were fewer rules in the summer, more daylight to get things done and even parents seem much more relaxed when the temperature rises. Maybe because it's too hot to fight or fuss.

And though my family didn't have annual vacations to a beach each summer, we found (or created) plenty of ways to entertain ourselves and make the most of the sunshine season.

Ryan and Lindsey may not be in school yet, so they don't appreciate the "break" that summer can be, but they do appreciate all the opportunities that arise. They get to spend much more time outside. And since they're both fairly well-behaved and independent, we don't need to hover over them. That means they get to exercise their minds and their bodies.

They play with water a lot. Lindsey LOVES it. Ryan is still adjusting to the idea of getting water on his head...but he's taking cues from his little sister and growing more adventurous every day (I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing).

They play sports. Baseball, basketball, tennis or soccer - our kids are budding athletes and their parents couldn't be any prouder. 

They tend the garden. Our little family experiment has yielded quite the array of tasty treats, including romaine lettuce, carrots, green beans, zucchini, cucumbers and green peppers. Soon we hope to dine on the tomatoes and broccoli that have been slowly growing as well. Best part? The kids are so excited that "they" grew the veggies, they don't even hesitate when eating them. I love that Ryan is just as happy with carrots and hummus as he is with cookies and milk.

Time seems to fly by lately, so I'm sure it'll be fall before we know it. And then - we'll be equally happy carving pumpkins, picking apples and routing for our favorite football teams. But for now? For now we'll enjoy what we've got. It's summertime, baby, and the living is easy.

The Power of Persuasion

There is a new phrase uttered often in our house: Monkey see, monkey do.

Ryan and Lindsey have reached a wonderful stage in their development. They have learned to play well together, to enjoy one another's company, to feed off of each other's energy. And sometimes, that means they gang up against us parents. But most times? Most times it just means they are best friends.

Ryan is our shy, cautious one. Though he likes to surprise us on occasion with a pretty bold move, for the most part he is reserved. Lindsey is our adventurous, wild child. She is tough and fearless.

So even though Ryan is older and does a great job of showing Lindsey how to play with toys nicely, how to eat with a spoon and how to paint a picture, sometimes Ryan is the student and Lindsey the teacher. She teaches him to throw caution to the wind, to try new things and to explore uncharted territory.

But these moments of imitation are often fueled by two variables: curiosity and the power of persuasion. Kids - whether siblings, classmates, friends or relatives - feed off of one another. Our most recent experience with this was last night. We had a pool party date with Erin, Fiore and G.

G is Ryan's age and has been taking swimming lessons. She was part fish all night. Hopping from the pool to the hot tub and back again. Jumping in, throwing caution to the wind (sound familiar?) and trying, with every muscle in her body, to swim like an Olympic champion.

Ryan sat on the edge and dangled his feet in the water.

But after an hour or so of watching G swim about (and with the party coming quickly to an end), the power of persuasion coupled with a bit of curiosity finally convinced Ryan to dive in (not literally...baby steps...). Timid and shy, he clung to Erin with a virtual death grip.

But after a few minutes of testing out the waters and assessing the mobility of the hot tub, he finally eased his grip, let go and had fun. Oh and Lindsey? Lindsey had been in her bathing suit all night. But was too busy eating, waving at strangers or getting into mischief to bother with the water.

Until I changed her back into her clothes and she saw Ryan go in. Our little wild child started sliding right into the water with her pretty dress still on. I had moments to slip it up over her head before her feet touched the steps and she danced around in her bloomers. Fearless.

One With Nature

When Nate and I were looking at houses back in the day, it felt like we looked at hundreds. We had the sweetest, most patient real estate agent who acted as a second mom during our house hunting experience and cheerfully took us to house after house. We saw every kind of house imaginable. A few times, we were convinced this was the one. But nerves, mortgage payment calculations or hesistant sellers always seemed to get in the way.

The first time we stopped at our house for a walk through, I remember being unimpressed. The inside of the house was a mess, to say the least. But two things stood out. First, it had the same layout of another house we had put an offer on - that fell through with the sellers. That house had been a flip house, so it was in pristine, move-in condition. So I knew, with a little love, time and energy (and a lot of money, soap and elbow grease), this house could look like that house. Second, it had an awesome backyard. That first time there, when we made it outback, I stood in the middle of the yard facing the house and said, "Look honey! It's like we're in the Poconos!"

The yard was a forest. The ground hadn't seen sunlight in many years, I'm sure. There was a large fire pit, over 100 trees, a weird garden with creepy gnomes and a habitat of wild animals that (we're told) not only hung out in the back yard, but occasionally took up residence in the house.

In the years since that first visit, we've completely transformed the house into our home (and it's even better than that silly flip house). There isn't much left that its previous owners would recognize - especially the back yard.

Nearly 50 trees were cut down; the ground now sees sun, which has allowed grass (read: green colored weeds) to grow; and the creepy gnomes and their garden home were destroyed. Two things remain the same, though. We kept the fire pit (it was good to us when we needed to get rid of over 50 trees and it's become a great entertainment piece) and we've been kind to the wild animals.

I'll admit it - I used to curse those wild animals. From open-palm-sized fisher spiders (I'm serious, ), to six-foot long snakes, to grouchy, old snapping turtles, there were some that made us jump, scream or cringe. 

Told you I was serious.

This "little" guy decided to welcome us on move-in day. Sweet, huh?

But then there are the animals that make us pause, smile and explore. And with two curious little kids - these animals are worth all the sweat equity we've poured into this home. The deer, baby box turtles and never-ending supply of frogs and toads are our favorite. They come around fairly often and the latter two are always kind enough to oblige the chubby, clunky hands of our kids as we teach them to love their wild friends, treat them kindly and gently and keep them safe (and away from Bailey) by returning them to the marsh just beyond our fence.

These animals, I'm sure, will be a favorite memory for Ryan and Lindsey when they get older. And honestly, even I get excited when I see something hopping in the grass (weeds).

I'm glad we looked at hundreds of houses - and that those offers fell through - because in the end, the house we chose as our home extends beyond the four walls. It includes the great outdoors (fisher spiders and all) that allow us a daily opportunity to become one with nature.

Lying, Tigers and Boys - Oh My.

It's been happening - every now and then - for quite sometime now.

My little boy has been lying.

I would say it started around the time we began potty training. Little white lies about whether or not he had an accident, whether or not he peed in the potty or all over the outside of the potty. But it was a new experience, this potty training business, and he was trying hard to learn the ropes. So we did our best to encourage, rather than reprimand. To focus on the positives rather than accentuate the negatives. Besides, the less attention we drew to his little white lies, perhaps the less likely he'd be to continue telling them.

Or so we thought.

This morning, it seems, we've crossed the line from little white lies to thought-out, planned deceit.

I was drying my hair when Ryan came into the bathroom asking where his little guitar was. I told him it was on the tray table by the back door. He ran away and I continued drying. The rest of the morning went on, as I got dressed for work, applied perfume and put on my jewelry. All the while, Lindsey and Ryan were in and out of the bedroom, playing and laughing. When I gathered up the kids to leave my room and head out into the kitchen, Ryan quickly scooted in front of me and into the dining room.

"Ooo...look what Bailey did," he said.

I turned into the dining room and found Ryan by the back door, next to the tray table, pointing at the floor. A small herb pot, which was also on the tray table next to his guitar, had fallen over and spilled. Bailey, he said, had knocked it over.

"Are you sure you didn't knock it over?" I asked calmly. "No," he replied. "Bailey did it." After a few more gentle prompts - with Ryan remaining adamant that Bailey was indeed the guilty party - I explained that sometimes we do things by accident and that's OK, as long as we tell the truth so whatever we did can be fixed. He nodded his head. "So maybe you knocked it over with the guitar over by accident?" Another head nod. "So it wasn't Bailey who did it?" A quiet "no" in reply. "So did you lie about knocking the plant over?" Another head nod. "Then go in time out," I said.

Crying, tears and a few minutes later I asked Ryan why he was in time out. "Because I knocked the plant over," he said. So I began an explanation (that I heard often when growing up) about how it wasn't what he did that got him in trouble, but the fact that he lied about it. That lying is not nice and lying can be hurtful. All the while, he looked me in the eyes and nodded. He gets it, I thought.

So after my best first attempt at instilling the value of honesty into my three year old, he replies, "But tigers are nice. They don't hurt you."

Wait...what? It seems my entire explanation of lying had been interpretted by Ryan as lions. Lions are not nice...lions can be hurtful. Well...the good news is those statements are as accurate as my intended lesson.

The bad news is - something tells me this isn't the last time we'll have this conversation.