Eighteen to Life

Summer Knitting (aka Boring Post).

2011-09-23T10:44:00.003-07:00

Knitting and running are my way of meditating / clearing my mind. I sure needed a lot of meditation last summer while both kids were driving me insane. Add to it hours of sitting in a car on a way to upstate NY, Vermont and Canada and back and I have plenty to show for it.

Dress / Vest

Love this pattern although it took me many hours and a lot of ripping until I was happy with a size.

How many of these skirts can I knit, you ask? As many as the number of friends and cousins Julia has.

My favorite hat pattern.

I wish this jacket pattern came in Julia's size.

I used a skirt pattern for a doll and modified it into a toddler size.

Instead of giving a present to a friend when her child was born, I gave it a year later. Never too late for a hand knitted present, right?

The cutest pattern I came across so far. Had to make it for a baby in our family.

Since I was away and had no other yarn, I used the leftover yarn from a turtle to make a sweater and a vest. Not the best yarn to use for the clothes, but it's a machine washable which parents with babies appreciate.

Easy pattern, had to make it. Next time I'll add some stripes, so it doesn't look so boring.

I'm almost done knitting something for David. I need to dry it in a dryer in order to shrink it a bit. I'm keeping my fingers crossed it'll work and I'll post a picture of it next time.

Have a great weekend. If this rain ever stops, our weekend will be filled with soccer practice, soccer game, ice skating lessons, apple picking, drum lesson, swim team practice and going to a local carnival.

Our Summer.

2011-09-08T16:34:00.000-07:00

Time is a wonderful thing. Two weeks after the school started and already my summer memories of constant bickering, disobedience, misbehavior seem to be non-existent now and instead are replaced by the following images. Luckily for me, I have lots and lots of sorry notes from my kids written to me, the bugs that were stepped on accidentally or not and to each other to remind me of our challenging times.

Before I forget even good times we had (and we did plenty of them), there it goes.

June and July were busy with swimming. David had team and private practices a few hours a week in addition to swim meets twice a week. He did well and at the end of the season he represented his 5, 6 and 7 age group in a league championship where he placed second. He loved every second of it although he told me that he wouldn't participate in a swim team next summer because they swim longer distances. I really hope it's not the case.

We visited Six Flags which was more fun for both kids this year as they don't seem to have fear of any rides. As long as they are allowed to go on a ride, they are game.

By the end of the swim season, we were all done with our local pool. I kept looking up the hill where we go sledding in the winter and was dreaming of a cooler weather. So, in August I would take the kids to the lakes nearby just to have a change of scenery.

Julia was hatching butterflies in her room this summer. She really enjoys all kinds of bugs... when she is not stepping on them.

We went on many hikes and picnics in the woods.

A day after hurricane/storm Irene hit Vermont, we left NJ and headed there. We had planned a trip to VT for weeks and didn't think we should cancel it. Apart from having a very difficult time driving there we enjoyed New England very much.

David found that it was more fun writing about his experience in VT rather than wander around the museum in VT.

What's better than peach picking in August? Eating peach cobbler for an entire week in August.

Finally, after months of having a playset in the backyard, the temperatures were low enough for the kids to play on it.

First day of school and my cell phone gets attached to my hip.

I hope the kids are happy in their school this year and it wouldn't hurt if the older one matures just a bit.

Aftermath Irene.

2011-08-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

(Visit to Niagara Falls last month)

I slept through the storm last night which is not unusual since I'm a deep sleeper. By now, my kids know not to reach for me at night as they'll get no response from me, so they go directly to Seth. I'm glad to report that nothing was damaged on our property and we didn't loose any electricity.

I woke up at 9:40 am realizing that David's drum lesson is supposed to start in 20 minutes. I rushed to the family room shouting that he should get dressed right away and he'll eat cheerios in a car. While he was writing something at his art table, he calmly told me that he and Julia already had breakfast after which he washed the dishes and Julia washed the kitchen floor. "Great, go and get dressed then", I told him.

"I need to finish writing this note and tape it to our kitchen wall", was his response.

I glanced over his shoulder and saw this written on his note "no running, wet" and there was a picture of a puddle.

So, while we got no water damage outside on our property, there were plenty of puddles in our kitchen and a trash filled with an entire roll of a wet paper towel. While hurricane Irene might have come and left, hurricanes David and Julia are here to stay.

We Are No Farmers...

2011-08-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

but last weekend our family got a taste of what a farmer's life is like. We visited Hull-O farm to help out farmers to take care of their farm . To be honest, we didn't even remotely experience the hard and non-stopping work that a farmer does every single day. The most, we "worked" perhaps was over an hour a day. Our duties included feeding calves, goats, sheep, dogs, kittens, bunnies, deer; milking cows and collecting chicken eggs.

The kids really surprised me, especially David. Julia wouldn't even feed the calves because of how messy it was. On the other hand, it was David's favorite activity and he was the first one to volunteer (there were other two guest families with total of 5 kids). Julia spent most of our time on the farm holding chicks and kittens. Both kids couldn't wait to finish their breakfast so they could run off and collect chicken eggs (surprise, none of the eggs were cracked). They were both eager to milk cows and got the hang of it right away.

Before we checked in to the farm, we had spent a few hours at the water park nearby. It was a weekend filled with activities from early morning to past their bedtime and if you ask our kids, it was their best "vacation" ever (haven't I written those words before?). I can see it being our annual getaway spot.

Visit to Howe Caverns. David still can't stop talking about them.

This is where I lost a few years off my life. David told me later he was nervous, but once in air, he had fun. Not sure how they let him do a zip line since he wasn't quite tall to go on it.

Julia got scared on a rope climbing and didn't finish it. David did complete it, but not before shedding a few tears.

Tea Time.

2011-08-08T16:54:00.000-07:00

Julia turned 5 years old last week. Five! Last year she couldn't care less how old she was turning and this year she couldn't stop telling people that she is going to be 5 soon. I decided to throw her a tea party for girls only in our backyard. I was in a denial at first and then paid for it by staying up really late a week leading to the party making everything from scratch. Thankfully, I had come across some party ideas on this site , so I ended up using most of her ideas and barely any of mine.

David helped me out a lot at a last minute decorating, baking, making signs, but he didn't stay to enjoy any of it. Seth, his friend and David went away for a weekend to Poconos for a NASCAR car race. David's reaction? He told us he won't invite either me or Julia to his birthday party. Hopefully, it means I don't have to plan it either.

I can honestly say I've never been to a quieter party. It went on for awhile as the kids had a great time playing peacefully together. At night, Julia told me she wished her birthday was everyday. And when I said that I can't believe she is five already, she responded "But mama, my fingers are still little" ( I always kiss her fingers and ask her not to let them grow). Happy birthday, Julia, we are all so in love with you (even David even though he won't admit it).

Happiness.

2011-07-21T03:15:00.000-07:00

Why do these two have the biggest grins on their faces and most importantly why are they so happy standing next to each other? It's unimaginable and that's why it needed to be photographed.

Actually, the reason why David is so happy is because he passed a diving test which consisted of swimming across the pool using the right technique. Julia was congratulating him and considering she has no interest in going on a diving board, there was no jealousy and she was sincerely happy for him. She had been witnessing him sitting on a bench for hours staring at the kids jumping off the diving board and water slide.

Now, when we are at the pool, I know exactly where he is at any given minute. Four hours on a diving board without a minute of rest, that's what I call summer.

Summer Fun.

2011-07-09T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our past weekend was packed with a lot of exciting events. Saturday, David had his first swim meet. I'm not going to elaborate on the significance of this event for me because I'm trying to keep it sweet and short here for once. I'm just going to say that for a child who wouldn't get into a pool for almost 5 years of his life, it was a big deal. He loves team sports in general whether it's t-ball, soccer or hockey, but swimming seems to be his favorite right now.

As David was getting ready to swim, he said to me "I'm going to kill them". What? According to him, that's what a kid in a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book says. Ok, so after explaining that it's not really nice to say, I made a mental note to check the book myself. Not only does is say it in there "kill 'em" while referring to a child participating in a swimming competition, but the first few pages are filled with how much the kid dislikes swimming. I think the book will be going back to the library tomorrow. The only reason David picked this book in the first place was because the older kids, including his 3rd grade book buddy, read it. After all, there is a reason why many books have suggested age printed in the back of them.

Julia and I spent Sunday at the beach while Seth and David hung out in the city an entire day. They went to a museum, a street festival and visited Seth's uncle and aunt.

It was a great, yet another exhausting weekend. Every summer I wonder what we preoccupy ourselves in a winter with. I know, we don't sit around watching tv, but still it doesn't seem as fun, busy and sometimes tiring as these summer weekends are.

Knitting In The Summer.

2011-07-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Some of the below knits were done before the summer, but definitely after the snow has melted and we were hit with over a 90 degree weather. A lot of them didn't get a chance to be photographed. Since we have been living at the pool for the past month, I knit there too. The kids are comfortable swimming on their own (rather I'm more comfortable letting them go in the pool by themselves), so I can afford sitting back and knit while still keeping my eyes on them.

There is a skirt for Julia, another one for her cousin, a hat/booties/bib gift set for our librarian who's been very kind to us and mostly just random knits not necessarily intended for anyone yet. Once David's first tooth started wiggling, I knitted him a tooth "pillow" with a pocket on the back. He placed his tooth in the pocket and the tooth fairy left him a dollar coin there. He loved it.

We are off to the pool and I'm bringing my knitting bag that holds a very cute pattern. Stay tuned.

4th of July Run for Fun Race.

2011-07-04T18:06:00.000-07:00

It's become our tradition to participate in an annual Leonia "run for fun" race on the 4th of July. I ran 5K in 24:08 minutes, Julia and David ran a race around a block. Here are some pictures from earlier today.

Do you see a woman behind me? She was able to catch up to me by a finish line. Our times were tied, yet she got a first place trophy. Am I just a bit sensitive? You bet.

It is a great family tradition and even though with a few bumps on a way (such as Julia being bored of waiting for her race to start and decided to walk back home alone crossing two streets until Seth realized she wasn't turning and coming back), I'm looking forward to them joining me one day running 5K.

Chores.

2011-06-24T16:01:00.001-07:00

A sign of David doing dishes last night.

(Another sign -- broken dishes in a trash can.)

P.S. I know I'm overdue for a post or ten. It's been pretty overwhelming and busy here, but I'll try to catch up soon.

Memorial Weekend.

2011-05-29T06:06:00.001-07:00

My kids love having breakfast outside. And who could blame them? With 80 degree weather, none of us wants go be inside. But it also means that on Sunday mornings they pull us out of bed at 7 am to play t-ball with them. I could live with it though especially if we are to spend the rest of the day at the pool in the month of May!

Finally We Have Some Answers.

2011-05-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

I personally don't believe in airing dirty laundry on the blogs especially when it comes to very personal issues. But I also know that some of my friends and relatives read my blog and to say what I need to say without any interruptions, I need to say it here.

After years of bringing David to multiple doctors and trying to figure out what is going on with him, we are finally one step closer to solving the puzzle. I used to joke that David has early symptoms of Alzheimer. I realize there is nothing funny about it, but most of the time, I feel, I need to throw some sense of humor in order to get through a day. Well, he doesn't have Alzheimer, but he seems to have issues with working memory. What does it mean? Exactly what he has been doing for years -- not recalling things, words, names, information. My first question was how do we help him, what kind of therapy he needs. There is none. There are way of helping him, but it is believed he will suffer academically especially with math. I am not going to get into how bright he is and what grade level he currently reads, it's actually not very important if he doesn't remember what he's read on a previous page.

I believe there are other issues as well, but for now I'm glad someone is actually listening to us. It is now my job to convince his school that David needs extra help, time for testing and less yelling at him.

A lot of people say that you are given what you are capable of handling. Not sure I completely agree with it, but I need to believe that I'm good enough for my son.

Simply Irresistible.

2011-05-16T18:34:00.000-07:00

I've been knitting baby booties lately since purchasing "booties, blankets & bears" book. I didn't have a recipient in my mind when knitting them, I just had to make them. They are so cute (at least in the book) that I couldn't resist. I think I might start following Julia's example and ask random strangers if they are pregnant. While visiting Intrepid last weekend, Julia asked one of the workers there if she had a baby in her stomach. The woman's response was "No, it's all me".

(This picture has nothing to do with knitting. I thought I'll just throw in one picture of the kids.)

Thoughtfulness On Mother's Day.

2011-05-16T15:41:00.000-07:00

Home and School Association in David's school was selling plants a week before mother's day. David asked me if he could have some cash, so he could purchase me some plants. I picked him up from school and he was holding these two pots. Turns out he purchased one for Julia and with the money left over he got one for me as well. Can you guess which one is for me (hint: it's not looking so good.... actually neither one of them is)?

Little Mama, Big Plans.

2011-04-29T16:42:00.000-07:00

My girl suddenly developed an interest in playing mommy. Her plans for the future motherhood include having 2 daughters and 2 sons, sleeping with her babies every night, never taking them to school, talking instead of yelling at them and being the best mommy ever. It must be everything her childhood is missing right now.

Spring Break.

2011-04-23T16:22:00.000-07:00

My kids had a spring break last week. After entertaining them for two days by taking them to a zoo and a museum, we decided to drive to Philadelphia and spend a few days there for the remaining of their spring break. My friend once called Philadelphia the best secret ever. It's filled with the family friendly museums and playgrounds in addition to a lot of historical sites. I only wish we could have managed to see many more sites. There's always next time.

Back On My Feet.

2011-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

After a minor leg surgery and a major set back, I am happy to be running again . I'm amazed at my body's ability to remember the beatings I put it through before taking some time off last winter as it didn't ache after my first, second or third run. I'm still not out of the woods, but I figured that as long as I can walk, I might as well run.

It Was Nice Knowing You, David.

2011-04-17T14:42:00.000-07:00

No, it's not David spring cleaning his room or moving out (I could only wish!). David was mad at me and Seth, so he was throwing all his toys out. Thankfully, Julia was happy to inherit all of them. He only left his books. The great news is -- his room is spotless. The bad news -- Julia's room is a mess.

Oh, David, David. Life with you is never boring.

Just Being.

2011-04-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

My girl is being mesmerized by all the construction work being done on our backyard.

P.S. Finally, it is a t-shirt weather in our neck of the woods.

My Son.

2011-04-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

As I drop one of my children off at school and drive away with the other, he tells me in a matter of fact voice that the principle spoke to him. About what? He doesn't remember. When? A long time ago (he has no sense of time, so a long time ago might have been last week). Why? He doesn't know, but he had to write an apology note to his teacher. I might as well guess why. The more I insist on the answers, the more reluctant and frustrated he is becoming. I make a mental note to speak to the teacher when I drop him off, but then I'm met by a substitute. I'll speak to the teacher next week.

As I leave him at school and say a prayer for a substitute, it all suddenly comes together -- the vice principle and the principle's greeting me by my name and the new reward system that just recently was implemented by David's teacher for a handful of boys in his class.

I drive home and think of Seth's words. "His behavior is not going to get any better until he goes out to college". I feel as though a heavy stone resting on my heart and my tears are welling up.

Then I get home. I walk in the kitchen and suddenly am reminded of dozen love and thank you notes written by him to me and Seth.

I recall how excited and appreciative he was the second he saw my knitted mouse for him. My sad feelings get replaced by happiness. I realize that I might not have the most obedient or calm child, but I have been blessed with the kindest, most appreciative, generous and loving son.

A Girl Can't Have Too Many Skirts.

2011-04-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

I must stop coming across adorable skirt patterns. Since I I laid my eyes on a thinty a few days ago, my kids weren't fed, bathed or read to (well, not really thanks to Seth). But you get the idea. I couldn't put the needles down and two days later my girl was posing for the pictures in her new skirt.

And the reason I'm blogging instead of whipping 5 more of these skirts in the next 5 sizes (or helping Seth cook borcsh since it is 10 pm already)? David has been begging me to knit him a stuffed mouse which is not a fun project since a lot of sewing is involved. So, I'm delaying starting this project for as long as I can. But according to the kids, I should be knitting in a pattern -- first for Julia, then for David and then again for Julia and so forth. I'm already thinking of what to make David next. Maybe this shirt? Seth gave it two thumbs down. Personally, I think it's pretty cute since my boy is into ties. Maybe I'll let him decide.

Messages ... And Not All of Them Speak of Love.

2011-03-31T16:15:00.000-07:00

Right now, I'm not sure what the kids were fighting over earlier today. But it ended up with David writing two notes to Julia. Here's the first one.

Dear Julia. I will hit you at 1 minute. Your pal Dave. P.S. I will hit you. P.P.S. I will call you names. P.P.P.S. Get away. Bad Julia.

As soon as he handed her the first note, he proceeded to writing the next one.

Dear Julia. I am saying I'm sorry, but I am not saying sorry 100 times. Your pal, Dave. P.S. I am wrong. Sorry!

I'm glad I stayed out of their argument. Sometimes, you just have to let it go and trust they will figure at least some things out by themselves. After all, according to David, Julia is his best friend.

Sunshine.

2011-03-30T13:22:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a beautiful weather before another snow fall tomorrow.

Life.

2011-03-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

My thoughts and feelings are scattered all over lately. There's fear, frustration, sadness and feeling of helplessness. Yet, at the end of the day I realize I have two healthy (still questionable about one of them) kids and life is really good.

Julia.... my Julia. I've been saying for years now that I should have studied child psychology before becoming a mother and more so now than ever. David has been reading Bible to us. Last night, Julia was woken up by a nightmare and later in a day she asked me: "Mommy, does God put bad dreams in our head while we are sleeping?". I'm not sure she was satisfied with my explanation though.

And then there are times when she talks back like a teenager. Her favorite phrase : "I don't care". It had been driving me nuts and after a few weeks of ignoring it, I finally snapped and asked her where she got it from and who in school talks this way (of course, I blame everything on school). She replied to me in a matter of fact voice "Dr. Seuss talks like that".

David now decided to go by Dave only on a paper though. Is it just sheer laziness of writing 5 letters? Who knows with him.

I've been knitting non-stop lately. The crazier my life gets, the more I knit, the less I sleep. I think I might have even found a knitting community in my town.

Julia has been begging me to teach her how to knit because according to her that's the only way she is going to get another knitted bunny.

David felt pity on me for carrying my yarn in my hands from one room to another, so he made me a "basket" just for my yarn.

And here are just some of the knits I've completed in the last few months:

I love to knit, but I despise sewing (if required) pieces together. So, I end up completing a project as I'm running out of the door with a wrapping paper in one hand. Thus, I don't get to photograph many of them.

My next few projects will be for my kids -- a mouse for David and a skirt for Julia.

I'll try my best to post more often, but honestly, I'd rather spend this time knitting. Thank you for stopping by here even though this place is not updated often.

Six.

2011-03-14T17:33:00.000-07:00

David turned 6 years old last week. Six!

This is what six looks in our house....

Happy Birthday, my big boy! You are loved so very much.

Out of My Comfort Zone.

2011-02-13T18:21:00.000-08:00

David and I made it back to Campgaw mountains for a second time. This kid ... he doesn't stop to amaze me. He is so different when it's just him and me. It seems as though he wants to take care of me and not the other way around.

Back to skiing. For every time I went down a hill, he made it 3 times. He had such a control of his body, that he would just zoom right back on line whereas it took me awhile to stop and then head back up to the back of the line. He was basically skiing by himself. I didn't mind as long as he didn't insist on going back to a ski lift.

No such luck. After thirty minutes skiing on a "bunny" slop, he insisted on going to a ski lift. He held my hand while we were up in the air, told me not to look down and insisted that a lift is really safe. He was cruising around the trees like a pro not falling down even once. He asked me to go all the way on the highest hill. No way. It's beyond going out of my comfort zone. It's stepping out of my body. I'll pay someone to take him there next year.

By the end he got bored a little bit. He needs to be challenged all the time and when he succeeds at something, it's not interesting for him anymore. Add to it waiting in line for 10-15 minutes and my 5 year old is ready to climb the highest mountains .... literally and figuratively.

A really good day indeed.

Happy Valentine's.

2011-02-13T16:51:00.000-08:00

Children. They do change everything. In the past I used to buy a Valentine's card for my husband just right after the Christmas was over. Today I realized I had forgotten to purchase a card in spite of helping my kids make handmade cards for all of their friends and teachers and decorate every corner of our house with handmade hearts in the past month or so. The priorities have definitely changed.

I really didn't want to purchase any more chachkas, so instead I turned to this fun project -- melted crayon hearts. I remember seeing it many times on other blogs and no wonder, because it's so much fun to make with the kids (after we took all the paper off). My friend also blogged about it here . We ended up making about 45 of them using every single crayon in our house and still managed to run out of them.

This is what out table looked like on Saturday. David needed to take a lot of breaks since he was handwriting a lot of notes, cards and even a song. Breaks took a form of reading. He's into reading Magic Tree House series books right now. Eight done, forty more to go.

He wanted to write a poem for his speech therapist, but then changed his mind and decided to write a song. I just hope my card from him is as sweet.

The kids wrote cards to each other and their teachers. I knitted this dishcloth for David's teacher and yes, I realize she deserves a cashmere blanket instead, but that's all I had time for. It's being blocked right now, thus no picture.

Perhaps, being inspired by all this crafting and talks of Valentine's, Julia has been coming up with really hilarious sayings. She's been walking around the house saying to herself "Darth Vader is in love with me". The other day as we were in a car, in her whiny voice (it comes out whenever she really wants something) she tells me "Mommy, I like daddy, but I really really want Luke Skywalker to be my father". And that's when we realized the kids need to take a break from watching "Star Wars".

I hope to write more entries soon since we've been keeping ourselves very busy. Hope tomorrow everyone feels more loved and appreciated (I'll make it up to my husband for a forgotten card).

Skiing.

2011-01-29T14:55:00.001-08:00

This morning I took David skiing to a town nearby us. It was so nice spending time alone with him. I didn't know what to expect since it was my first time skiing even if it was on a bunny slope and I wasn't sure whether or not I should enroll him in a lesson. In no time he proved to me that he didn't need a lesson (at least for now) and I realized that I'm terrified of skiing. As my son was going down the hills without falling even once, I was stopping myself by falling down and dragging my body down the hill. I eventually figured out how to ski and most importantly how to stop and we headed to the ski lift -- another fear of mine. There, I had another adventure which is too embarrassing to write about, but that also showed to me how brave and independent David is.

It was a really great morning. Next Saturday we are planning to spend an entire day there (weather permitting, of course).

Round Four.

2011-01-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

David stayed home today with a low grade fever... again. We picked up Julia earlier from school who was complaining of a stomach ache. Yep, now she is sick too. What really made her upset was not that she is running a fever, but that she is going to miss her turn to have me and Seth come in tomorrow and talk about her during her star of the week. Without a beat, David reminded her that just yesterday she wished she were sick too. And then he told her to get on a couch, covered her with two blankets, set up arts and craft area next to the couch and has been reading to her for a half an hour now.

Those moments are extremely rare in our house and that's why when it does happen I run to get a camera. Of course, there are still 7 hours till their bed time and I'm sure in no time Julia will be reminding David that anger leads to a dark side as she usually does dozen times a day ( I told you kind moments are very rare between those two).

Cozy.

2011-01-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

This is a view from outside of our window this morning.

This is inside of our home.

David was off from school again with a strep . Yesterday, when his fever hit 103 degrees, all he wanted to do is sleep. This morning, feeling much better and fever down to 99 degrees, he insisted on doing his math homework and playing math games. I think we'll stay indoors today drinking hot cocoa, reading Christmas books (we are celebrating Ukrainian Christmas today), playing games and enjoying an outside view, but tomorrow it's playtime outside! Through the eyes of my kids, winter is becoming my favorite season.

A Bit of Knitting.

2011-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

That's a bit of understatement. I've been knitting non-stop since last summer taking the yarn and needles with me everywhere. Now, as I joined the ranks of parents who wait for their kids to complete one activity after another, I realize this hobby of mine comes in handy.

Among all of my knits in the past few months (and there have been A LOT), my favorite is this Stella Pixie Hat . It was supposed to be a gift for someone else, but once Julia saw it, she asked to wear it and then ~~demanded~~ suggested it came with a flower. I didn't get a chance to block it as she insisted on wearing it to school this morning. I loved working with this yarn which I got at my friend's garage sale and it matches Julia's coat.

Happy New Year.

2011-01-01T14:52:00.000-08:00

Wishing you a happy and healthy new year.

It's our tradition to spend a first day of the year sledding. This year was no exception.

Santa Hard at Work.

2010-12-24T19:57:00.000-08:00

I'm just glad I'm not in charge of putting this together. All I am hearing Seth saying (in addition to cursing) : "He'd better appreciate it". Sure, he will.

What It Takes To Get Some Food In This House..

2010-12-13T16:04:00.001-08:00

During one of David's grumpy mornings (oh dear, do we have a lot of them!) he refused to speak to me. Minutes later he stormed into the kitchen and started making himself a breakfast.

He ended up toasting two slices of bread and spreading about a pound of butter on each of them. So, it looks as though the way to my kids' self sufficiency is through their anger at me.

A Love Note.

2010-12-07T06:59:00.001-08:00

There's A New Reader In Our House.

2010-12-01T17:27:00.001-08:00

Thankful.

2010-11-25T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for these two. When I was a kid I always wanted to be a mom.

Awhile ago, Julia approached me with these questions: "Mommy, when you were a little girl, did you always want to have me and David? Are you happy you have us?" It caught me by surprise. I have no idea why she asked me that. But then again, she worries about death and has an obsession with the cemeteries. From that point on, I made sure I remember every night before they go to bed to tell them that I wanted them all my life in case me being upset at them earlier in a day caused them to doubt that.

What has been on my mind lately a lot is David. I don't write everything because he wouldn't want me to. I barely scrape the surface when I mention him, believe me. I used to think that he is so unlike me and I had a very hard time understanding him and sometimes I still do. I remember when I was pregnant with him, Seth jokingly sort of predicted what kind of child David would be based on his own personality. Most of it came true. David is a mirror reflection of Seth and whereas opposites attract when it comes to a marriage, having a child with an opposite personality as yours might not be easy.

Last summer I was worried who his kindergarten teacher will be. I knew that in order for him to be happy in school, she needed to appreciate his differences. And does she ever. I do believe she has a hard time with him every day, but she doesn't throw in a towel, but rather has long conversations with him. She tested his level of reading which is not done until a child enters first grade. She was concerned that he might be bored with a curricula and to keep him from misbehaving he needed more challenging work. She recognizes that he is a kind and bright kid and we, adults, need to work around his needs.

I had a chance to visit David's classroom with the other parents during their writer's workshop hour. They surprisingly do a lot of writing in kindergarten. The teacher told me David was mad at her. Then she placed a banana on each table asking the students to describe it. Some kids were jumping, yelling while at the same time working on the task. David sat motionless. I saw the teacher approach him and whisper something to him. Five minutes later she did the same. When everyone was done except for David, the teacher showed us the kids' works. Almost all of them drew a banana on a plate and scribbled a few misspelled words underneath the picture. I saw David's work a few minutes later. There was an elaborate picture of a boy sitting at the table and looking at an empty plate. Underneath, he perfectly and clearly spelled "I don't see no banana." After I told my friend this story, she was hilarious and asked me why I don't see a humor in it. Maybe I will years later when I revisit this post, but right now I am trying to find a way of helping David to deal with his feelings. He is a perfectionist and any mistake / misspelling/ misunderstanding sets him off and he shuts down.

So, this Thanksgiving I am thankful for my children who teach me to think outside of the box and that if you are to dress in the morning, you better do it with the style even if it's 5 am on Sunday morning.

Vest.

2010-11-05T20:03:00.000-07:00

As I posted in a previous blog, my little man is very much into his looks. David tells a barber that he didn't do a good job of cutting David's hair just after a guy complimented him on how well behaved he is. After his swim lesson he runs away from me into a man's locker room just so he could use a mouthwash and a hand cream. And don't even start me on the topic of his clothes and shoes.

So, I thought it was only appropriate to knit him something he would wear and maybe even appreciate (ok, I didn't really hope for an appreciation from a 5 year old). I must admit, I very rarely knit anything for my kids because it takes so much time to do so and seeing it being tossed in a corner of a closet and never used again kills me. Of course, I don't care someone else doing it to my knits as long as I don't have to witness it.

A few weeks ago I came across this post and immediately decided to knit a vest for David especially with his latest preference of wearing the button down shirts. How did he like it? See for yourself.

The vest still didn't get a chance to be blocked as as it doesn't leave David's back. One morning I found David at his art and craft table trying to make a tag for his vest. It turns out that David doesn't know which way is front because both sides look the same. This kid kills me (usually by raising my blood pressure about dozen times a day) with his cuteness. I think one of the reasons he wears his vest every single day is because he gets so many compliments on wearing a handmade piece that all the attention is starting to get to his head. His sister now insists on a vest too although I'm pretty sure she won't even try it on. In our house it's all about sibling rivalry.

Dusting off cobwebs.

2010-10-31T18:01:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been awhile since I posted here. I'm actually considering quitting this place. What's the point of keeping it up if I barely update it? The reason I don't blog more often is I don't find much satisfaction in writing here. This blog has never been a place where I express what's really on my mind and I am sort of "faking" it here since the pictures I post are not the true story of my life. I just feel as though I'm deceiving anyone who comes here to check out what we've been up to.

That said, what and where have been up to lately? David goes through different changes so rapidly that I can barely keep up with him. After I convince myself that he hates his sister ("I don't want a sister, I want a brother" and constantly annoying her), he proves to me that he would move mountains for her. At times, I awe at his generosity, consideration and love for her.

Seth decided to involve David with a cub scout organization. As long as I don't have to bring him to their meetings, I couldn't be happier for them especially when two of them went camping for an entire weekend with the organization.

David's sense of fashion drives me crazy. He is into button down shirts, jeans that have to be certain length and sweaters (no sweatshirts). He won't ware anything that says 4t or 6t on it. The mornings before school don't look good if there's no ironed button down shirt in his closet. It doesn't matter that he has a gym that day. Right now I'm knitting him a vest, so hopefully, he'll like wearing it on top of his shirt.

We took the kids to the "Bubble Show" on Broadway and David was one of the kids chosen to help out on a stage. It didn't go well with Ms. Jealousy. Thankfully, David shared his gift with her.

We did the usual fall activities : pumpkin and apple picking, Bronx Zoo during the Halloween celebration, pumpkin carving, lots of Halloween parties and going trick-or-treating. David found a Darth Vader costume at one of the garage sales and decided to use it during Halloween (yay!) and Julia went as a Super Girl.

Julia really surprises me with her personality. She has never been a very girly girl. Yes, there was a year when she'd refused to wear pants and she used to dress up in some of the princess dresses. But she never liked playing with dolls. She will still chose to play a board game over any activity. Her favorite game nowadays? Trouble. The hours she spends playing it per day? At least 2.

She's been wearing a princess cape, white Minnie Mouse gloves and her rain boots everywhere for awhile pretending to be a Super girl. David told me that next year he wants to be Indiana Jones for Halloween because it would make Julia happy. She's obsessed with super heroes and adventurers . She loves when David reads his beginning books about super heroes to her and she's pretty much memorized all the information about them.

She reminds me of David at her age. He used to wake up earlier than anyone and head straight to their arts and crafts table and do his projects. Julia does the same thing now except she wakes up anytime from 3 to 5 am in the morning and refuses to go back to bed. Without any naps she surprisingly functions pretty well during the day.

Whew, it was a long catch up post. Hopefully, it won't be too long before I write another post.

2010-09-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

I couldn't think of a name for this post. Just couldn't.

I wanted to vent a bit here, but if I started, there would be no end to it and I don't want to loose two people who visit my blog.

Instead, I'll show you some pictures of my finished knitted work. Seth's co-worker is pregnant, so before we left to New England, I knitted a blanket, a bib and a vest for her baby.

I've been also a bit obsessed with knitting the bibs from this site. They are very cute, a very quick knit which led me to make at least 10 of them.

What gets me through lately? Reminding myself of cute, clever, not so typical (for their age) things my kids do. This picture makes me smile. It's David packing for our vacation. I wrote him a list of things he needed to place in a bag and he picked it all on his own and would check off each item as he'd place them in a bag. I had promised myself I would trust him and not check on him. Once we got to Maine, we realized that the only thing he forgot to pack was his pajama top. Why is he so mature in some ways and extremely immature in others?

The First Day of School.

2010-09-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Both kids on their first day of school. David entered the kindergarten and Julia started the pre-k. I need to remember to take a picture of them on the same spot on their last day of school, so I could compare how much they've grown and changed.

David loved his first day. He's pretty excited that the assistant teacher is a young man. He loves the school's library, art room and the gym. He told me he read our favorite book "The Giving Tree" to the classroom.

On the second day of school he asked me to give him paper money in the future to buy lunches although he did add afterword that he loved the lunch I made him.

Seth dropped Julia off at her classroom. She keeps telling me she is too big to kiss me goodbye. It's sad, but I get flooded by her kisses at home, so that makes me feel better. The director asked her today if she had a great day and of course, Julia said she had a bad day. She says everything opposite she knows people expect to hear. Oh, it reminds me so much of David.

I'm looking forward to this school year and hope both kids will have fun and make some good friends.

We Are Exhausted....

2010-09-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

because we just returned from our vacation visiting Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire. As we (the kids) were having a great time, I promised myself not to leave the house again until they are at least 15 years old. Yes, they lived on the beach for 5 days straight, yes they ate in the restaurants 3 times a day (David's dream come true. Am I really such a bad cook? ), yes they visited a light house (the reason we went up North), yes the kids went on the rides, yes we slept in 5 different hotels throughout this trip (more excitement for the kids), yes David built a diving board and kept jumping off of it.

We went on this trip without making any reservations or doing any research. It is so not typical of us especially of Seth who likes to plan a vacation at least a year ahead. We barely see each other at night to discuss our days let alone our vacations. So, Seth took a week off and we just decided to drive up North to Maine. Then a few days later we (Seth and I) couldn't take the beaches anymore, so we drove up 3 more hours to Vermont just to show the kids the Ben and Jerry factory. It turned out to be the best move as we came across a lake located 2 min away from the factory. We spent the whole day there and the kids had a great time playing, kayaking and meeting new kids. I was able to squeeze 5 hours of uninterrupted knitting. Everybody was happy.

I really don't want to leave my house for a long time. Ask me tomorrow though when the school starts and I'll probably be ready to get out of this town... alone.

A Day At The Beach.

2010-08-29T18:11:00.000-07:00

The summer is almost over and it seems as though it flew by. We squeezed a few days at the beach, amusement parks, zoos, but the most memorable among them was an adventure to the beach this weekend. The kids, especially David, spent hours digging, working on some construction. Other kids came, helped and left and David still continued digging to China. I don't think he even noticed the ocean until hours later. Of course, then he wouldn't get out of the water. I just sat back and watched David and Julia interact with each other and other kids. I might not say this in a few years, but right now I'm very happy that they are getting older. They are getting more mature (just a tiny bit) and our summers are getting easier and more enjoyable every year.

The Little Red Lighthouse

2010-08-22T18:04:00.000-07:00

How many lives can a lighthouse have? Built in 1889, the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, NJ became obsolete and was dismantled in 1917. After several years in storage, it was rebuilt in 1921 at Jeffrey's Hook until it too became obsolete in 1947. However, in 1942, a book titled, "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge" became a children's favorite and resulted in an ourpouring of support prior to its proposed demolition in 1951. Because of this, the Little Red Lighthouse still stands at Jeffrey's Hook as a protected historical landmark of New York City.

After reading this story to the kids, I asked them if they'd like to see the Little Red Lighthouse. They weren't sure I was on the level, but they both were very interested. I can understand their confusion since most of what we read to them in story books wasn't real.

We parked in Fort Lee and took a bus across very heavy bridge traffic. Neither David nor Julia seemed to mind as they love taking a bus ride into the city. (Just wait until it becomes a part of your daily commute!)

Once across, we had a bit of exploring to do since there's no clear path to the river from the George Washington Bridge Bus terminal. After walking for a half hour, we finally found the lighthouse. The kids were a little disappointed that we couldn't go into the lighthouse, but they still had a fun time just the same.

Going back was a bit quicker as there was a faster path by 181st St., but Julia decided that it was even easier to ride on Daddy's shoulders than walk. *sigh*

I'd say this was a successful spur-of-the-moment activity on a overcast Saturday afternoon!

Happy Birthday!

2010-08-07T11:35:00.000-07:00

Julia turned 4 years old last week.

We spent Julia's birthday doing all of her favorite things from eating pancakes in the morning, going for a long hike in search of some bugs and worms, but eventually settling on catching a spider and finding some coins (the spider was released later), making lanterns out of a balloon and some colorful tissue paper, taking a gymnastics and a swimming lessons to indulging in cupcakes.

I don't think Julia cares much for getting older as her brother does. As long as she has an excuse to dress up and there are pizza and a cake to eat, she'll make some effort to show a bit of excitement.

We are still figuring out who she is taking after: me or Seth. And everyday she proves to us that she is her own person surprising us with her likes and dislikes.

Happy Birthday, sonechko!

Catching Fireflies.

2010-07-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Once the summer arrived, the kids are allowed to stay up later either playing sports, going for a walk around the neighborhood or catching the fireflies. I've enjoyed their "privilege" as much as they have because it allows the entire family to spend the time together.

The kids love catching the fireflies more so than placing them in the containers. They release the fireflies as soon as we get back home.

We've been having a lot of fun so far this summer that I've been really wondering what we do with our time the rest of the year.

Pre-K Graduation.

2010-06-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last week was David's pre-k graduation ceremony. You'd think at this point I would have gotten used to seeing him perform, especially since he's been doing it since he was 3 years old, but I don't think I could ever get used to seeing him on "stage" singing with his friends. It's one of those priceless moments which is always so emotional to me. (Just how do the teachers get the entire school of kids - ok, 35 kids in the whole school - aged between 3 and 5, to stand still for an entire performance?)

David gets excited at the start of the first rehearsal and works hard to memorizes all his songs in a week. He had sung two of the songs to me days before the show, but said that the other songs were a secret. The theme of their performance was "I'm an American". Julia seemed as excited, if not more, than David to attend the ceremony. She even picked out a dress first thing in the morning. However, she broke down crying in the middle of the ceremony, and not because her big brother was graduating, but because one of the graduating girls received flowers from her older brother when she was getting her diploma, and Julia wanted flowers as well.

David is headed to receive his diploma.

And this is how much he cherishes his diploma.

Once the ceremony was over, the kids were able to stretch their feet and get nutty.

Initially, I intended to give him a little present (not much, just a new bicycle helmet that he really needed and a pencil case filled with chocolates that I brought back from Geneva and never gave it to him), but then I reconsidered; if I set this precedent now when he's not even in a real school, what will I need to give him by the time he graduates from high school? My 401k?

Instead, we celebrated David's graduation and his wonderful little performance by treating the kids to ice cream at our ice cream shop in town.

So... kindergarten, here we come! I have a feeling that the principal will have my cell number on her speed dial!

It's Officially Summer Here When...

2010-06-22T17:03:00.001-07:00

the kids don't leave the pool even when it's raining.

Father's Day.

2010-06-21T09:04:00.001-07:00

Bicycling Just Got A Lot More Fun.

2010-06-19T05:41:00.000-07:00

While one kid performs stunts on his bike

the other mastered riding her bike without any training wheels and rode 10 miles on it last Saturday.

He's Finally Here.

2010-06-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

David's teacher had a son this week. If you remember, I knitted him an alphabet blanket. Once I found out his gender on Tuesday, I completed the rest of the gift -- a bib, a pair of booties and a hat. David wrapped it up last night and brought it to the school this morning.

Considering I didn't know the baby's gender until this week, I figured there's a 50% chance it might be a girl (just because I prefer knitting for girls), so I had knitted this skirt and a pair of girlie booties. I still need to finish up some details, but otherwise it's ready to be gifted. Anyone's expecting a girl?

Our Saturdays.

2010-06-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

Saturdays are not what they are used to be. But they are sure what I want them to be. Ask Seth though and he'll probably give you a different answer. I'm usually up early and go for a run before the kids are even awake. Later, we tend to our lawn, garden and trees. We also try getting the kids involved even if it's only a few minutes before they run off to play soccer or baseball.

Seth taught the kids when taking the weeds out, making sure to get them with their roots.

With Julia's help, we might need to bring another truck load of dirt in our backyard.

As soon as David's hands get a bit muddy, he preoccupies himself with more fun activities.

Meanwhile, Julia and I have only one thing on our minds -- food.

It feels good to take care of our "land" and teach the kids a thing or two about responsibilities, hard work and being good to our planet.

A Dream Job.

2010-06-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

I found the above picture in David's school folder the other day. I guess it takes the pressure off Seth and me to save up for this kid's college education. I saw he misspelled STOP and instead wrote SOAP. I tend not to correct my kids' spelling and have them eventually figure it out on their own. I had noticed before that David gets very discouraged when he realizes he made a mistake and eventually doesn't even try again. It might not be the right strategy for every kid, but it works for mine.

A few weeks ago after being frustrated that Julia enters his room anytime she desires, he attached the below sign on his door. When asked how he knew how to spell these two words, he said "I thought and then my brain told me how". I guess it pays off him reading for an hour every night.

Memorial Day.

2010-06-02T10:20:00.000-07:00

Geneva Vacation in Pictures.

2010-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

Sneak Peak.

2010-05-23T21:59:00.000-07:00

Handmade Presents.

2010-05-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping myself busy after Seth and I put the kids to bed. Some time ago, I came across these very cute infant blocks and thought I could make and gift them to David's math teacher's son who just turned 1. We didn't give her any present when he was born because David just started school and I barely knew any teacher's name at the time. I used a different design (numbers=math teacher) and placed two bells inside of each block. I also included a knitted mouse which came out twice as big as the one in the pattern.

After David saw a mouse, he asked me to knit one for Julia since she likes mice. For her, I made it in purple and pink.

I think Julia approves.

Between those two projects, I whipped up another skirt I had knitted earlier for Julia. This one is a gift.

I found a pattern for knitted flowers and ended up embellishing the skirt with three of them.

There's nothing on my needles right now as I'm busy packing for a trip to Geneva. Julia and I are off tomorrow to visit my cousin and her family in Europe.

Her Latest Obsession.

2010-05-04T20:02:00.000-07:00

This is how we've been passing our days lately: school, dig for worms, lunch with worms, nap or not, pick up David, dig for more worms, dinner with worms, bath, story time to worms, sleep.

I've heard some kids having imaginary friends, but Julia's latest "buddies" have really taken me by surprise. In Julia's case, her "bestest" friends are worms. We dig for them in our neighbors' curbs (those who have jobs, of course). We've dug a half of our front lawn looking for them. I purchased Julia and David the bug holding containers for $1 in Target and I hope that their interest will last as long as the quality of those jars. Julia gets so excited when she finds a worm and without a beat, she picks it up with her bare hands and puts it in a jar. David on the other hand won't handle them and has Julia pick a worm up for him and drop it in his container. The best part is they think the worms are their pets and they bring them inside, insist on keeping a jar on the dining table while having a meal and feed them leaves. I think the longest the worms stayed alive in those jars were two days.

And on the days when the dirt is too dry, she is perfectly content to collect the ants or any other crawling creatures instead. I finally had to put my foot down when she found a dead bird in our backyard and insisted on bringing it in and putting a Band-Aid on it.

Little Things.

2010-04-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

This week is a teacher appreciation week and it reminded me yet again of how grateful I am for the teachers in David's life.

As David enters kindergarten next fall, I'm already agonizing over his kindergarten teacher. Will they be a match? Will she recognize and appreciate his creativity, perfectionism and determination to complete the work before proceeding to a next task? Or will she instead label him as difficult? Will she praise him? Will she realize how much those praises lift his spirit and build his confidence?

It took some time for David's current teachers to see his kindness, his generosity and his brightness. Instead of trying to fit him in a classroom, they adjusted their approach to accommodate him. They know how much he loves science, so they have him be a teacher's helper during a science experiment. They write words like "perfect", "good job" and draw stars on his worksheets. These things make the world of difference to David. The teachers make mistakes on purpose to show him that everyone makes them, so he wouldn't be so hard on himself when he makes one. They let him bring his creations to school to show to his friends even though personal things are not allowed in school.

All these little things matter to David so much and, I think, that's the reason he loves his school. Anytime it's closed for a break, David's response is always "Oh, no" (whereas Julia's -- "Yay!").

There are a lot of nice and kind words I have for Julia's teachers as well, but since she prefers to leave her mischief at home, she is not much trouble at school and thus doesn't need as much individual attention as David does.

Both kids made this card for their teachers (they used only their handprints for a flower and turned this door sign project into a card). Since the name of David's school is "Learn and Grow Academy", I thought it was really appropriate for his teachers.

Girly and Twirly.

2010-04-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

I've been keeping myself busy with a few knitting projects for Julia. I finished knitting them awhile ago, but I kept putting off sewing some pieces together and blocking them. So, without further ado, let me introduce you a breezy summer skirt . I loved knitting it. It was so easy and I learned at least 2 new techniques with this project. Julia loves twirly skirts and dresses and as soon as she put it on, she started spinning around.

One of her ballet moves.

The skirt is a bit long for her now, so hopefully it will fit her well in the fall. But it's not as long as the first version of it that I knitted. I made it in a 5-7 year old size and it could probably fit a friend of mine who is size 0. I kept it because considering how big Julia's appetite is, she'll fit into it in no time.

Second successful knitting project was this adorable twirly skirt . It came out larger than a previous one, but I think Julia can pull off wearing it now. I feel as though I'll be knitting this pattern again and again in bigger sizes. It's so easy and I can use scraps of yarn that I have left over from other projects.

Julia enjoyed wearing the skirt while practicing her ballet moves, but will she actually take it off the hanger and wear it to school? I doubt it unless I don't do her laundry for weeks.

The End. Time to get this homemade stuff off and put something with a label on.

David's been asking me to knit him a pair of slippers (yes, he wears slippers in a house). I found this pattern and considering making them in blue. Of course, if Julia sees them, she'll request one pair in pink.

I think I have enough knitting projects to last me throughout the pool season.

Weekend Pictures in Review.

2010-04-19T19:10:00.000-07:00

Thursday Adventures.

2010-04-10T17:47:00.000-07:00

We are back home from visiting our relatives in Toronto for Easter. Julia still insists that she went to Ukraine and tells this to everyone in her school. David keeps drawing churches and asking Seth to take him there.

This week we tried to get back to our regular schedule. Julia went back to school and David was off since it's a spring break in his school. I realized it was a good opportunity to spend some quality time with him. So putting cleaning and cooking aside, we played sports in our backyard until it was time to pick up Julia.

Then Thursday rolled in. I decided to take him to a park in a nearby town which we have been visiting for years. It has a lot of old equipments like a merry-go-round, metal see-saw, sand box among others. Not even 5 minutes us being there as I noticed a police car parking next to mine and a cop writing me a ticket. Long story short, since I'm not a resident I wasn't allowed to park there until 10 am and it was only 9:30 am. That was one pricey outing.

Not to let the morning incident spoil the rest of the day, I decided to have a picnic with the kids in the woods. We picked up Julia and went on a hike looking for a nice picnic spot. We had such a wonderful time that I promised myself to bring them there at least couple times a week once David is done with his school and eats lunch with us. It was peaceful, quiet and enjoyable which is never the case around our dining table at home.

I wish that was enough excitement for one day. In the afternoon the kids asked me to take them bike riding in the Middle school a block away from us. They rode their bikes there, but 20 minutes later got bored and insisted on riding to a local playground about 10 minutes away. Sure, why not. David is pretty good on his bike and even though he rides too fast for Julia or me to keep up with him, he'll always wait for me at a cross walk. The kids like riding in the playground although I don't think it's the safest as there are a lot of smaller kids playing and considering David rides like a maniac on his bike, it's just the matter of time when he hits someone. I kept my eyes on the kids the whole time until I lost Julia. I ran all over the park looking for her when I noticed someone helping David up. His lips were covered in blood, he was crying pointing to his scratched up knee, elbow and fingers. Thankfully, he couldn't see his face because knowing how dramatic he is, he would have fainted. I rushed him to the police office located off the playground when who decided to show up? Julia! I asked her where she was and she said she got lost and a grown up was feeding her popcorn. I was thankful she was alive, so I wasn't paying too much attention to her until the cop who was wiping blood off David's face (it was coming from the inside of his nose), elbow and knees started applying bandages on his wounds. Then Julia went into a full meltdown mood crying that she needs a bandage too for a 5 day old scratch on her toe. At the end, the police officer gave us a ride home as David insisted he couldn't walk and while the cop was telling me all about his brand new baby, I was contemplating of asking him to do something about the ticket I received earlier that day. I decided not to push my luck and let it go.

After an hour of laying on a couch moaning and holding an ice pack over his nose that tripled in size, David couldn't wait to get outside and play.

Seth rushed home and took him to the emergency room to make sure his nose wasn't broken. Unfortunately, because it was swollen so much, they couldn't do much there. So, I'm bringing him to a specialist next week.

The good thing is, David was back on his bike the next day cruising all over the town, falling again, dusting himself off and getting right back on a bike. I have a feeling he won't be a stranger to the emergency rooms.

Canadian Trip Review in Pictures.

2010-04-06T17:41:00.000-07:00

Spring.

2010-03-21T17:13:00.000-07:00

We felt early signs of spring before it even officially arrived and we took full advantage of it. Julia skipped her naps and instead I was doing arts and crafts with her outside (I paid for it later with her crankiness), we ate almost every single meal on our deck, we air dried our laundry outside and aired out all our comforters. Seth and I did a lot of yard cleaning while the kids played soccer, baseball, rode their bikes, scooters, skateboard and "killed" (according to them) my flowers.

I finally completed knitting the alphabet blanket I blogged about here. I don't know if I would make it again because there was too much counting involved and if (rather when) I miscalculated, there was at least 4 hours of work waisted. And did I miscalculate! Seth kept saying that he thought I took on knitting because it was supposed to be relaxing and all he heard every evening was my heavy sighs. But I do have about dozen other smaller projects in mind especially since I received a knitting book for my birthday.

Also, some time in January I mentioned I was working on a sewing project. I came across these cute valentine envelopes on my friend's blog and decided to make them for my kids and their friends and fill them up with some valentine chachkas. Of course, as if that wasn't challenging enough since I hand sewed them, I decided to make them for everyone in David's class. Sigh. Too long, too repetitive, too boring.

If I'm not here anytime soon, it means I'm busy with another knitting project. Sorry if this family blog is turning into a knitting blog.

Five.

2010-03-10T10:52:00.000-08:00

The morning full of kisses and surprises.

The afternoon is filled with unexpected visits, playdates and gifts.
The evening is met with overindulgence in homemade chocolate cupcakes.
It's good to be five.

Weekend Photos in Review.

2010-03-07T16:55:00.001-08:00

Weekend Mornings.

2010-03-01T10:58:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning.

Seth and the kids left at 6:20 am to purchase some fruits and vegetables. I debated whether to stay in bed and knit or get an early start to a day. I forced myself to get up and whipped up a few batches of pancakes and waffles most of which got frozen for the next week. Then I decided to make some cookies for the kids. Oh, I could accomplish so much when no one is running around pulling me in all different directions in the morning. Drinking a cup of morning coffee in a quiet house is a bliss. I never get to do that since I'm the last one to wake up.

Sunday morning.

David was up at 6 am. I told him to go back to bed. It's 7 am and I am woken up by the soft sound coming from our family room. I peaked in and saw David sitting on the couch and reading out loud to himself. I didn't run to get a camera, I just stood there and enjoyed watching him. I could see his expression, how much effort he was putting into sounding out every word that he wouldn't even notice my presence. I love this so much about him. He could be the goofiest kid on the planet and then there are times when his face gets so serious and intense when he is really interested in what he's doing.
I went to straighten up his room a few minutes later and noticed a few dozen books in his bed. Anytime he has a hard time falling asleep, he brings a lot of books to his bed and looks through them until he falls asleep.

We had a really good weekend and for the first time ever I felt sad it was over.

Gotta Love the Snow.

2010-02-26T15:22:00.001-08:00

Right now I can't imagine living anywhere else but a few miles away from the GW Bridge.

-Two feet of snow. Check.

-Shoveling for five hours and not being even remotely done. Check.

-Every muscle in my body aching, caused by previous activity. Check.

-Having tons of fun, skipping naps and reading for hours. Check.

-Heading out to sled with the friends. Check.

Julia's First Haircut.

2010-02-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

Julia went from this:

To this:
in about 15 minutes.

As much as I didn't like having her hair cut, I also couldn't stand listening to her crying twice a day as we were trying to brush the knots out of her hair. Of course, if it was up to her, she'd have a haircut as short as David's. I actually like her hair's length now . It takes only a few seconds in a morning to brush it even if I still have to chase her around the house with a hairbrush.

P.S. My computer's barely functioning which means I can only use it a few minutes a day before it shuts off on me. So, I can post only short blogs and the longer ones are saved as drafts and need to be edited. Not sure they will ever surface though since I'm completely obsessed now with this project for David's teacher who is pregnant with her first child. I thought it was so appropriate since she's the one who's teaching him how to read. All I can say about it, it's a pain in the a** to knit, I'm not enjoying the process of knitting it at all and I would never knit it for any of my kids. I'm really hoping it comes out as beautifully as it looks on Knitterella's blog. I'm getting a warning sign on my computer which means I should be publishing this post or I'll loose it.

This Morning.

2010-02-16T10:01:00.000-08:00

- Seth left to work.

- The kids got dressed.

-They drew some pictures using their new markers.

-One of them went to a time out.

-Breakfast. Washing dishes.

-Out to shovel the snow. Being a very eager new homeowner, I'm the first one out among my neighbors to clear my sidewalk and a driveway.

- 45 min later there's no sign of me shoveling. Realizing that after all, my neighbors are not lazy, they are just wiser.

-Building snow castles with the kids using their sand toys.

-Out to the town in their sled while one pulling the other.

-Stopping by a friend's house to say "hell0". No one's home.

-Talking to a friend who's surprised my kids are out of their pajamas and outside at this weather.

-Heading back home while pulling both kids on their sled up the hill.

-Home. Time out for both kids.

-Now we are all drinking hot chocolate. Now is only 10:20 am.

I've said "keep calm" to myself this morning more times than in some weeks. It's going to be one very long winter break.

Keeping Busy.

2010-01-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

Initially, the title of this post was supposed to be "Staying Sane", but then I recalled having used it already and I wouldn't be surprised if it was last winter. I think a more appropriate title would be "Keeping Busy in Order to Stay Sane", but it's just too long and who has time for reading my novels again? So, I'll proceed straight to the pictures.

We invite friends who cheer us up and who almost always get sick after getting in contact with our kids ... sigh.

I notice when feeling helpless, I start knitting. The time goal for this shawl was 10 days, but it took me about 12 days to complete it. I think two of these nights I couldn't stay up past 11:30 pm.

I'll blog about the next picture sometime next month, but I've been keeping myself really busy with this project. I saw a link to it on my friend's blog and thought that even I could sew it.

My yarn is being used in other ways too. I helped the kids build paper castles. Then Julia asked me to make her a prince and a princess for her castle. I recalled playing with the dolls made out of yarn when I was a little kid, so I improvised and made Julia a boy and a girl dolls similar to those from my childhood. She found them amusing and actually has been playing with them since then.

What really helped me through the winter blues was David's teachers' positive report on his academic progress in school (according to Seth, positive behavioral progress ain't happening until David's in college). They showed me a pile of beginner books that David has been easily reading through and the list of sight words that he memorized. He's very stubborn at home and lately his favorite phrase has been "I do whatever I want", so it was hard for me to convince him to do much work. Once we realized what he's capable of, we ordered dozens of "easy reader" books from the library and he loves reading them especially before going to bed. Instead of us reading to him now, he insists on reading a few books to us for up to an hour every night. These books are very easy, but at least it's a beginning.

So, what's on my needles now? Here's a clue below. All I can say is that it's going to be a very challenging project. I'm setting the deadline for May. Stay tuned.

First Day of the New Year.

2010-01-01T18:01:00.001-08:00

Eager Preparations for a Christmas Morning.

2009-12-29T11:08:00.001-08:00

Disney Trip.

2009-12-25T17:44:00.000-08:00

My 4 and 3 year old punks somehow convinced Seth and I to take them to Walt Disney World earlier this month. We had last visited the "happiest place on Earth" by ourselves after we just got married and I can say for sure that traveling without the kids is much more fun. This time, we went on the rides that we could barely fit into, missed going on the rides for people over 40 inches tall, and didn't set foot in Pleasure Island or see a Cirque du Soleil show. By the end of the trip it felt like I needed a hip replacement surgery from carrying a sleepy Julia around the parks every night.

As I was browsing through the pictures, I was very surprised to see David smiling on the pictures with Disney characters, especially when his meal was interrupted by a princess. According to him, only girls like princesses; not the boys. What he was really into were fast car rides, roller coasters, some amazing parades, live shows and the fireworks.

Julia's first day at Disney went something like this:

Julia: I want to go back to school.
Me: Julia, don't you like the Disney World?
Julia: No, I want to go to school and see Ms. Linda.
Me: Julia, go to the bathroom.
Julia: I am not going to the bathroom in a hotel. I want to go to a bathroom in my home.
Me: *sigh*

I knew it would all change the next day when she'd see Mary Poppins during breakfast, and I was not disappointed - Julia was star struck. She forgot all about her meal (which never ever happens) and clung to Mary Poppins' dress and would not let her go.

Anyway, here's our kids' vacation in pictures.

On our way home, our plane was delayed because of the aftermath cleanup from a blizzard, so I spread out papers, markers and crayons on the table at the airport to keep the kids preoccupied instead of letting them run around like crazy and risk them getting lost (as Julia did in the Magic Kingdom.) Oh, yes, my energetic boy was an angel on our trip, very independent and well behaved whereas my wonderful girl turned into a demon and refused to listen to a word we were saying.

David drew a picture of a plane in the clouds and asked if he could give it to the pilot. When we landed in Newark, David was able to show the tired (but very friendly) pilot the picture. Seth asked if David could take a look at the cockpit and the pilot agreed, inviting David inside, adding that he could press buttons if he'd like (since we were on the ground.) It was an exciting end to a long vacation.

Although the kids definitely had fun, Seth and I came back very exhausted. Now if only we could go on our own vacation to relax from this one!