at the 554: March 2008

Balloons in the Rain & 1st video: A Day in the life

By the way everyone, please feel free to post comments out here (and yes...you may tease me...right Kara!) hee hee :):)

So we went to the gym this afternoon (which we've been doing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays). I guess it was the last day of a big membership drive they have been having and there were balloons up at the front where we check in. Of COURSE Aiden was enthralled by them and could hardly drag himself away to the playroom. I knew we would have problems leaving when my workout was over. As we moved from the playroom towards the front door, Aiden broke away from us and stood staring up at one group of the balloons. Pointing, he gave me this big puppy-dog look and said "mommy...balloons...up in sky....peeeease" while signing "please". I said "sorry honey...those balloons aren't for you". Well, one of the sales guys took pity on this sad little scene and came over, offering to cut one of the balloons down. Logan came running from the window where he was staring at the rain (no doubt anxious to get back out there in his new raincoat) and said "mommy, can I please have a green balloon?" He asked so nicely! Thankfully, the sales guy was sweet and gave him one too. Ah...the power of cute kids. Here are some pictures I took when we got back home. Today was nice temperature wise, but overcast and rainy. Seeing my kids on this day, outside with their balloons, reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books...The Red Balloon (remember that one mom!?) I think I'm going to buy it for my kids...it's such a beautiful book!

Here is the book

Aiden and his balloon on the driveway

Check out the new raincoats!

Have I addressed the topic of Brady's awesome chunker thighs yet??! I took a picture of him on the changing table this afternoon. Even Logan calls him the chunker-munker (chunky monkey)

Ok...so this is my first attempt at uploading a video but I was dying laughing watching it! We have a book called Snuggle Puppy that a friend gave us when Logan was born. It's actually also a song so we have sung it to all of our kids (Aiden even has his very own version of the Snuggle Puppy song). I video taped Brian, Logan and Aiden singing the song to Brady. If you watch the whole thing, you can see how life at the 554 usually goes. It's all fun and games and oh-so-cute-ness when suddenly, the whole activity disintegrates into wrestling or some other form of craziness. It's just so typical...and of course...it's what makes life fun around here!!!! By the way, it's not on video, but one of the lines is "I love you" so Brian sings it "Daddy loves you"...Logan chimes in every time they sing it to Bray by saying "Logan does too!" You can see how (un) phased Brian is by the chaos behind him near the end...we're just used to it I guess.

I think I'm the idiot on TV!

Anyone want a few almonds?

Help yourself to the ones on the floor!!

So, I'm thinking of those horrible infomercials where a sarcastic announcer narrates as a bumbling idiot tries to do a simple household chore like straining water into a standard collandar, but ends up spilling the water and the pasta all over the kitchen counter top. "Has THIS ever happened to YOU?!" or "Tired of trying to drain awkward pasta pots? Well, the pot-top collander is for YOU!" I always laugh at those things thinking "what idiot can't drain pasta?!" Well, I think I must be that idiot!

My list of kitchen trials and tribulations continues to grow at an alarming rate. Like the day I tried to pull a spice from the cabinet and ended up breaking an entire bottle of Worcestershire sauce all over EVERYTHING (my kitchen smelled like a steak restaurant for days and all the cabinets had to be cleaned!) Or...like the day I pulled out the baby bathtub from under the cabinet and it in turn pulled out my nice cake plate and cover which broke everywhere. This morning: I tried to open a HUGE, Costco-sized bag of almonds while I absent-mindedly stared out the window at the construction in our back yard. Well, instead of just opening the bag, I tore the whole thing open and almonds went flying everywhere. Earlier, I also managed to pour the milk into my cereal in just a way so that the liquid caught an edge of my cereal and, instead of going into the bowl, it made a neat little milk waterfall onto the counter. See....I think I AM the idiot on TV!!!

ON another note, Brady and I are at home alone today while Logan and Aiden went to the children's museum with me-maw and grandpa. It's like I have just one child again. Now I remember what it's like to entertain an infant...here he is enjoying his gymini while I "work" on the floor beside him.

Brady playing in gymini

Helping mommy work

Check out the Bonito paci (he IS beautiful, right?!). My friend joked that she's going to spread a rumor that we're doing some sort of early spanish language training with our infant (the truth is that he is particular about his paci and the kind of nipple it has...these were the ONLY ones we could find! We have another one that says "Ammo A Mama"

This one is for you Auntie Denna

Logan shows off his new cup. First thing he said this morning when he climbed into bed with me "mommy...I want some milk in my L-O-G-A-N cup when the sun comes up!"

Here are a few pictures of our sick little Brady who has been sleeping in our bed lately because he constantly needs to have his paci re-inserted since he keeps coughing it out. Poor kid.

Yesterday, Brady pulled the toys on his bouncer chair hard enough to start the music. He looked surprised and then really proud of himself. He grabbed them and tried again. Here he is this morning giving it another go:

"There's a bunny trail!!" or "you got kissed by the Easter Bunny!"

The Houck Boys: Ready for the hunt:

Yesterday was Easter. The boys woke to find that they had bunny stamps on their feet and tummies (I actually stamped Aiden AFTER he woke up because we know better than to go into his room and wake the beast). He was playing with a book while I stamped him so he didn't even notice. I pointed out the stamps to Logan as he used the restroom that morning (way to go on potty training!) He was SO excited.
me (pointing to his tummy): what are THOSE?!
Logan: wow - they are bunny faces!
me: cool! I guess the Easter bunny kissed you when he was here last night!
Logan: did he kiss you?
me: I don't know...um....look at my tummy....why don't you go check daddy's tummy
Logan: no...he didn't kiss you. I think maybe he only gives kisses to the boys

He ran to look at Brian's tummy which DID have bunny stamps on it because I used him for practice before we snuck into Logan's room Saturday night. While Logan checked daddy (who was still in bed, reeling with exhaustion from the previous night's battle with a sinus infection and an infant with a cough who couldn't sleep at all), I ran into the hallway and grabbed the ink pad and bunny stamp from the ledge around the back stairs. I stamped my back a few times and then snuck back into the room, hid the stuff under the pillow, wriggled one of Brady's feet out of his swaddle blanket and gave him a stamp too.

Side note: when I practiced my stamps on Brian outside of Logan's room on Saturday night, he whispered to me "you're a holiday NERD!" This from the guy who loaded up the train under our Christmas tree with actual small presents and candy for the boys to find on Christmas morning. Who is the holiday nerd Brian?!

me: Does daddy have bunny kisses?!
Logan: yep.
me: Daddy! I don't think the Easter bunny likes me. Look (lifts up shirt), I don't have any bunny kisses! (turns around) Do you see any of them ANYWHERE?
Logan: yes! yes! They are on your back....you got kissed by the Easter bunny!
me: Oh phew! maybe I was sleeping on my tummy when he came by!

Then Logan ran into the hallway where the trail of bunny face cut outs (that we used last year to help lead him around since he was under 2) led to the front stairs, down to the landing and around to the front hall...ending at their Easter baskets. I put all three out even though Brady wasn't going to participate. Logan ran back to our room "There's a bunny trail! Wake up Aiden so we can go!" <-- I told him we had to wait until Aiden woke up to go downstairs. I went to get Aiden while Logan analyzed the situation while standing up on top of the landing. "Look!!!! EGGS!!!!" "I'm going to go this way" (points to the living room area) and Aiden will go that way (points to the front door). They followed the bunny trail, found the eggs (Aiden needed more than a little help...especially since he didn't understand that you continue to look for eggs after you find one as opposed to opening them and eating the candy as you go). Finally, they found two more bunny faces in the playroom. A blue one in front of a fish game for Aiden and a green one in front of a new trick track for Logan. Daddy went back to bed for a while and we colored Easter eggs. All in all, I think they had a great time! Later that day we went for dinner with the Acks and Ds - a good time was had by all (and the pork was delicious!)