My week

This week has been average and that's okay. I am excited that my parents will arrive tomorrow. When you ask Ryan who is coming on a plane tomorrow he says, "Nana, papa, plane high in the sky. FAST!" He's excited because I told him if we get there a little early we might get to see the plane land.

I tried packing earlier, but the task seems too big right now. Adam promised help later since he's really good at packing and I am not. We're staying at a place in Wells that is like an apartment because there's no room here to have the parents stay. Adam will be working and staying with us just two nights. I'm excited because it's like a mini-vacation.

Ryan is doing well with the potty still. He had a bit of regression this week where he just didn't want to go on the potty. Today, however, he is wearing real underpants and doing really well at keeping Mater and McQueen dry.

Timothy is still my little eater. He is loving most foods. We discovered he hates peas and carrots. He was teething pretty bad this week and was up every hour on the half hour on Wednesday night. I really like the sleeping through the night stage.... and we're back there again.

At work this week we are now required to ask for credit cards for signature comparison AND for ID. To show you how stupid people think we are because we work at WM, I must share these stories. The first is of a lady who had not signed her card. When I said I also needed her ID, she said she didn't have it with her, so I said she would have to pay another way. She tells me she can sign the card in front of me. Um, hello, a thief can do that too.

The second is of an 18 year old and his girlfriend who hand me their card and their ID. So as not to get in trouble I will make up some names. The CC says David E. Jones and the license says Brent D. Jones. And the kid tells me his middle name is David. Yeah, okay and the E on the CC stands for Brent? No, I don't think so. Similarly, a lady tried to use a card that said Lucas on it and refused to show her ID... I wonder why?

For the most part, people who come through my line want to know why, if their card is already signed, that we are asking for ID. When we say that there's a huge scam going on that involves people using other's cards because no one bothers to check signatures anymore (now that world is so electronic) they willingly give their ID and are glad we care.

I really enjoy what I do two days a week at WM. I enjoy the break from the kids, I enjoy that I feel like I am contributing to our finances and I enjoy the people that are regulars and my co-workers (at least 99% of them). I just wish there was some program that allowed kids to see what service jobs like mine are like. I think they'd be nicer to the cashier, nicer to their waitress... and the list goes on. Not that I think any of you reading this would do this, but there's no need to yell or curse or throw a fit at those serving you. If they are rude first (which I have seen) it pays to ask to see their manager.

And so that was my week and I'm looking forward to the next one.

Ten random thoughts

• It's okay for kids to scream in delight...sometimes.
• Too many rules confuses kids... and makes life really boring.
• Yelling at kids gets you nowhere. It's best to speak in a calm voice and explain briefly.
• Making a mess while having fun is good, but it sure stinks to clean stuff up.
• When kids sing it is really cute.
• A walk outside in autumn is really refreshing.
• Playing in a huge pile of leaves is fun for everyone.
• Being with family and friends who love you no matter what is comforting.
• Flannel sheets are warm and cozy.
• Everyone laughing at the same time is melodious.

The potty train

We began potty training Ryan on our vacation. We knew that no matter what age we started potty training that Ryan would be difficult for a day until he got used to the idea. We just know our kid. It's the way he is with everything (with long sleeves and short sleeves, with new foods, with new people..change takes lots of time for Ryan).

So the process began on Saturday morning with the changing from the nighttime diaper to a visit at the potty and a Pull-Up (I have since decided White Cloud disposable underwear are just as good and cheaper and that Pull-Up overnights are also good, but regular Pull-Ups aren't worth the cost). He went pee on the potty right away, but protested when it came time to put on the Pull-Up. We went down stairs and showed him that there were no more diapers for him, just for Tim. (This was part of the plan because we knew if he saw even one of his diapers he'd cry for it all day).

Ryan did well on Saturday. He peed on the potty when asked, but refused while at a birthday party. We didn't force him because we want this to be a positive experience for him. He did ask often for a diaper, but we just kept telling him we didn't have anymore his size and that he was a big boy and got to wear Pull-Ups and that Timothy wasn't big enough to wear them yet.

On day two, we put together the potty road. It's a big poster that has places for Ryan to place stickers each time he goes potty. He gets one colored sticker (red, blue or green) for going pee, two silver ones for going poop and a gold one for telling us he has to go and going to the potty. At different intervals, Ryan gets a potty prize (we've heard parents do this for every pee or poop, but we'd be broke if we did this). His first potty prize was a hot wheels car and airplane set and the second was a Diego book and sweatshirt (he LOVES Diego right now). The last big star he gets to go spend an afternoon at Chuck E. Cheese.

Ryan holding his "Diego Prize" in front of his road of potty training poster.

On our trip to Vince and Kris' house, Ryan did really well, though he wanted Vince to help with the potty stuff and not mom and dad. Vince wasn't so sure about this, but did a great job with Ryan. So far, Ryan has managed lots of colored stickers, one set of silver stickers (if we would have had the chart in Manch he would have two more of the silver ones) and zero gold ones. He hasn't asked for a diaper since that first day.


While the disposable underwear are more expensive, we go through them more slowly because he wears maybe two in a day versus six or eight diapers in a day. He's learned the steps to going potty fairly well... pull down pants, go potty, put on pants, wash hands, get sticker. We're happy with Ryan's progress so far. We've only had one accident in which he refused to sit on the potty and then peed all over the floor. He cried, but we assured him that everyone has accidents and if he had just sat down a little faster there would never have been an accident.


The potty training continues!

Pumpkin Face

When we went apple picking last month we also purchased a pumpkin. It's been sitting on the table ever since.

While visiting Vince and Kris, Ryan was introduced to their "pumpkin face" aka Jack-o-lantern on their porch and he's wanted to make one ever since.

On Wednesday night we got out the pumpkin carver and scoop and went to work. Below are our photos. We had a great time. Ryan kept saying "pumpkin face has eyes, nose and mouth." He proudly put it on the front stoop this morning.










I might mention that this was my first ever pumpkin carving experience and now understand why the "experts" suggest your first pumpkin carving experience happen with a large gourd. The small ones aren't so easy to work with. I might also mention that we generally don't allow Ryan to sit on top of the table, but we made an exception so he could really see what was going on.

Vacation was great

Our vacation last week was great. I was so looking forward to Adam having a full week with me and the kids and then it was over all too fast.

On Saturday we started potty training. Then we went to a birthday party and had dinner at Alex Pizza with Gillie and Adam. We also went to the park with them and to Dunkin Donuts. It's been a while since we've seen them, which is really just not right since we live in the same state and are about 40 minutes away from each other. It was nice catching up.

On Sunday, we just went to church, worked on potty training and I went to work in the evening.

On Monday, we went to visit Memere Jan who is the mother of our friend Tanya. We had a great time. Enjoyed some lovely coffee cake and, of course, books (she's a children's librarian). Then Adam had a conference call and we played outside with the kids.

Ryan reading with memere Jan

On Tuesday I got my hair cut really cute and then we packed up and made our almost two hour trip to Manchester. This trip was so worth it! I had a blast. On the way there we had to stop in Epping to purchase Ryan's first prize for making it to the first star on his road of potty training. This proved to be more complicated than we thought and we spent an hour at that Wal-Mart. I also had to purchase a few items for the dinner I was making so Kris wouldn't have to do it when she got home from work. We had a lovely dinner, attempted to watch Notting Hill, but ended up just going to sleep.

The hair

On Wednesday we packed a picnic lunch and made the journey to Boston. On the way, Kris and I picked up or pottery. We can't wait to go again.

My santa above and Kris C's plate.

Our trip to Boston was nice because Vince, Kris, Adam and I split the cost of renting a mini-van (they work for Enterprise so this was extreemly cheap and worked out to $15 for both families) so we all got to drive together. We walked through Little Italy to get to the New England Aquarium. We really had a blast (minus the fact that I had a super headache). We saw penguins, jellyfish, a HUGE turtle, seahorses, star fish, electric eels and much more! Ryan loved it, though I think we were all tired at the end. We had gelato and cannoli in Little Italy on the way back and bought a loaf of yummy bread, which we made into garlic cheese bread to eat with our spaghetti that we had for dinner.

Ryan looking at the penguins

A male penguin

The turtle

On Thursday, Kris went to work (sigh), but the guys and I had our wonderful experience with the fire wings (see previous post) and played with the kids at the park. The guys also went to the shooting range while I watched Definitly Maybe and the two boys napped. Vince made us a wonderful bbq dinner and they convinced us to stay one more night (really we had nowhere to go on Friday).

On Friday, we drove back from Manch, Adam got a massage (I'd purchased him the gift certificate for our 6th anniversary) and I went to work.


Alas, vacation is over and we are back to our normal routine.

I have lots of upcoming posts. They include: pumpkin carving, a potty training update and more photos of the boys playing in the leaves.

In which we eat fire and survive

I have so much to post about Adam's vacation, but I wanted to post this first.

While in Manchester we decided to grab some pub food. Pub food is cheap and good. We went to the Wild Rover, which we all love, and got ready to experience some new creation.

We order buffalo wings wherever we go. It's just what we do. We love them and we sample them at every place we eat. Going to the Rover was no different. The last time we were there, we had wonderful Jamaican Jerk wings... alas they were not on the menu so we decided to go with the regular buffalo wings. In true Kris tradition, I ordered "hot" because "mild" doesn't taste anything like buffalo wings to me.

Fire wings

To truely understand, you must know that for breakfast everyone in our party had toast. We were HUNGRY. On top of that, Ryan kept saying "eat now" while we waited for the wings and an order of fries for him.

My very hungry Ryan with an almost empty plate.

The wings came but were missing the blue cheese dip. Ryan wanted a wing, but wanted dip. I was so hungry I couldn't wait for the waitress to come back so I grabbed a wing, took a bit and imediately realized I'd made a BIG mistake. I felt like I had eaten fire. My eyes were watering, my ears felt hot and my mouth was overcome by the spiciness of the wing.


"Guys, I think ordering hot was a bad idea. These things are wicked hot," I say.

Wiping my tears.

Not believing me, Adam decided to lick the sauce from one of the wings. His response: drink lots of soda and look frantically for the waitress so we can get dip.

Adam attempting to get rid of the fire in his mouth using a pickle.

Needless to say, the dip realy didn't help. After two wings, both Adam and I decided there was no way we could finish those buffalo wings and poor Vince took one bite and announced he hated me. Ryan, meanwhile is begging for a wing and we are saying," sorry buddy, these wings wouldn't be good for you."


As we are wiping away our tears, our meal comes and we all quickly eat as much bread, fries and onion rings as we can, not to mention, we needed refills on the drinks. So, we're trying to taste our food and out comes the owner.

"Guys I really need to apologize. The wings you had weren't "hot" they were "Habanero Blast" (just the hottest on the menu). Somehow, the lables got mixed up and you got the wrong sauce on your wings. We'll give you the wings free and get you the ones you originally ordered."


We asked our order be amended to be just "mild."

We ate fire and survived.

The rest of our super hot wings went to the guys behind us, who also downed lots of soda and then decided to order just "hot."

I will probably never forget this experience. I'm still not sure what my nacho crusted chicken tasted like, but we did have a great time. Ryan was the one to eat the mild wings. The rest of us decided not to even try.

Timothy is four months old

Time is going by so quickly. I can't believe that Timothy is already four months old. He LOVES sitting up. While Ryan plays in the basement he often sits in Ryan's Thomas the Train chair and watches. He's usually accompanied by a rattle or other toy that he can hold. Timothy is reaching out, grabbing items and putting them into his mouth these days. His thumb sucking abilites are unbelieveable. Last night, while checking on Ryan I peeked over at Tim in his crib to find him fast asleep with his tumb in his mouth!

Timothy can roll over from back to front and then usually bursts into tears because he hates being on his belly. Ryan seemed to do both at the same time, but Timothy is taking his time in terms of developmental milestones and that's okay with us. We fully understand that he was born almost a month early and may be behind a little because of that.

Here's Timothy with Pooh for his fourth month with Pooh photos. He's a very happy baby and is almost always smiling. He's started eating solids and so far hates most fruits (we'll keep trying) and LOVES veggies. Rice cereal is just okay, but I can't imagine that stuff tasting very good anyway.

Ryan tries to include Timothy in most everything he does lately. That's been cute too watch. Timothy gets a car when Ryan is playing with his huge stash of matchbox cars. When we go out Ryan makes sure Timothy is going with us. If Timothy cries, Ryan will run to get me or Adam to tell us that "Tim crying, tummy hurts, hungry." (Ryan thinks that your tummy hurts when you are hungry).

I'm looking forward to the boys being able to actually play together. I think Ryan is a great big brother and will do a great job of teaching Timothy all he needs to know.

Great Friends = Great Fun

The last week or so with the kids has been tough. Adam has worked some long hours and I just really needed a break. On Sunday evening, Adam suggested we spend our Wednesday with our good friends Vince and Kristin.

On Tuesday when Kris called to find out if we'd be there for dinner, I really didn't want to go. My ears have been hurting since Saturday and I really just felt like scheduling an appointment with my doctor and getting some sleep.

But we packed up the kids and drove the hour and a half to Manchester on Tuesday night anyway. I am so glad that we kept our plans to go to Manchester.

On Wednesday morning, Kris made us a very yummy breakfast just like she always does. Ryan mostly enjoyed his Apple Jacks, but the rest of us enjoyed the fresh baked bread, eggs and sausages.

While feeding Timothy, Kris did my makeup for me. It was like a little makeover... one of the nice ones, not like what you'd get at the mall. It was nice to be pampered when I didn't even ask!

We packed up a picnic lunch and made plans to see the elephants that were coming for the Ringling Brothers Circus in Manchester. Kris packed an awesome picnic. We had pasta salad, tuna sandwiches, fruit and veggies. When we left the house it started to rain, so we weren't sure how this event would work out.

The rain did stop and we found parking spots near the park and near the area where the elephants would walk by to the Verizon Arena. The two boys were sleeping, but us adults very much enjoyed our picnic. When Ryan finally awoke from his nap he mostly ate carrots and dip, which is so typical of him right now. Food must have dip.

We waited for two hours to see the elephants. We passed the time by taking photos and watching the airplanes fly overhead from nearby Manchester airport. We also watched numerous trucks drive by. Ryan named as many as he could from buses to trash trucks to mack trucks. At 3 p.m. we finally saw our elephants. None of us had seen Asian Elephants before so this was a real treat. Ryan LOVED seeing the elephants. He kept saying "big nose, big elephants."

When it was all over, us girls headed out for our first girl date in a long, long time. We went to You're Fired pottery studio and spent two wonderful hours working on some Christmas pieces. Kris painted a cookie platter that had Christmas ornaments all around the edges and I painted a santa clause that was opening his pants to make a bowl to put candy inside. I can't wait to get it back and take photos to post here (I didn't take my camera on this trip and had to rely on Kris and Vince for my photos to post on my blog).

After dinner we decided it was time to come home. We got about ten minutes away when I realized we didn't have Paws, Ryan's beloved buddy. We turned around and picked him up and then came home.

I had a GREAT day and can't wait to spend next Wednesday with Vince and Kris at the New England Aquarium.