Arthur Live!

My sister suggested we take the kids to see Arthur Live. They were coming to the Lakeland Center which is right smack at the halfway point between her place and mine. It worked out really well. Aiden really loved the show and had the typical ooh-aah reaction. He was very cute. And when she wasn't dropping her bottle, Maya was cooing and babbling the entire time. I was pleasantly surprised with the show’s content. It had something for all ages. I enjoyed it much better than the Blue’s Clues show, but poor Jayden sat there with a frown on. I tried to engage him by dancing in my seat, clapping and singing, but he was actually trying to hold my arms down so I wouldn’t clap. I’m no longer surprised by his reactions so I just ignored him.

The curtain went down for the intermission and Jayden looked at me and said “Where’s Blues Clues?” Is that what the problem is? He automatically thought it would be Blues Clues performing, since that was the first show we went to. Poor guy. Snacks and juice kept him entertained for the second half of the show and afterwards we hit the souvenir stand. I got him a T-Shirt and a back pack and he seemed happy with this. I’m thinking about Diego Live next. We’ll see.

Here is my boy. I'm not sure if you can see it or not, but notice how his eyebrow is furrowed.
I kept Maya on my lap with the help of the baby carrier. Diaper changes were interesting but we made it happen!

Here's my sister and her family, enjoying the show.

The Grandparents Come to Visit!

Grandpa and Grandma came for a long overdue trip. And we had such a fun time with them. It was hard to see them go. We sure did keep busy with frequent visits to my sister’s place, the birthday, the swing set and a few other things around the house, but we enjoyed their company. It was so nice to have some extra hands around the house. Maya was always in someone’s lap. Grandma helped with baths and Grandpa loved to feed Maya. Grandma came with me to one of Jayden’s birthday parties and to Maya’s 1 year well visit. My dad helped my husband with the swing set and some irrigation work that needed to be done as a result of the screen room installation. He came with me to pick out the ceiling fan and the carpet for my screen room and he installed some lighting for me in my kitchen. It was so awesome having them around.

Jayden caught on to saying grandma and grandpa and it was just so cute to watch him. He would get into trouble and call out “Grandma”. Or if she wasn’t around, he’d say “Grandpa”. Now they are gone and he asks about them all the time. Where’s Grandpa? Where’s Grandma? Grandpa’s working? Grandpa’s coming soon? One day, he took me by the hand and led me to our spare room. “Open the door.” I wondered why. Maybe he wanted to color. When I opened the door, he looked at me and says “Where’s Grandpa?” Awww. I was so sad for him. If he sees anyone in public that’s a grandparent type, he’ll actually say hi grandma or hi grandpa. Luckily most people laugh. “Look, there’s Grandma. Hi Grandma!” he yelled this morning to the lady who was out walking her dogs. It would be so nice to have them closer. Visits are so nice, but saying good bye is so hard. Luckily my sister popped in on us to see them off and hung out with me after they left.

Here's Grandma with Jayden and Maya.
Here's grandpa with the kids. He's got his hands full.

Here's Grandpa with the boys: Jayden, Sebastian and Aiden.

My Favorite Space!

We finally got our screen room! I’m so excited. I love this space. This could easily be the room that gets the most use in the house right now. I have a sitting area out there and the kids have their play space. I’ve gotten my living room back. No more toys! Now the kid’s rocking chair, my rocking chair, the play pen, their ride on toys and their toy box is neatly sitting on the porch. The kids go out there willingly so it works out really well. We can keep them out of the house but still keep an eye on them and actually clean or do things around the house.

As soon as I wake up, I make a pot of coffee and grab the kids and head for the porch. Daddy can now get some much needed sleep in the mornings because the house is quiet. Since we’re outside, there’s less TV action, which I love. I was worrying that the kids were spending too much time in front of the TV. Messes are no longer located in the middle of the living room. Everything is outside and clean up is a cinch. It works out great.

Jayden and Maya love being outdoors. And there’s so much going on out there. They hear the birds singing, or the planes flying over us. They stop to listen or see where the sounds are coming from. The neighbors walk their dogs or push their strollers. The neighborhood kids run around on their bikes or skateboards so Jayden can say hi and interact with them. They just don’t get bored out there. I spend a heck of a lot of time at the kitchen sink so it works out great because I can hear and see everything that’s happening from the window right in front of my sink. Did I mention, I love this space?

Here's the view from the curb. And yes, those are gardenias that are just now coming into bloom. They smell wonderful right about now.
Here's my sitting area. Love it! PS I bet if I wanted to take a picture of Jayden he would make a face or turn away, but because I was clearly trying to get a picture of my room, he just had to scoot into the shot!