Reaching for the sky

We spent Saturday afternoon at Jack and Sadie's friend Tatum's 2nd birthday party. Jack just happened to be the only little boy at the party, and there was no mistaking that he was one of the girls. Jack spent the afternoon racing around Tatum's backyard. At one point he pushed over one of the Adirondack chairs in the background of this photo and let out the most amazing war cry that stopped the party momentarily. Jack has completely dispelled any beliefs I held about gender being the result of nurture over nature. He is all boy, all the time. And while I definitely have my moments when I wish that he could just sit still for a minute, it's nice to know that I can always repair any emotional rupture with a quick bout of wrestling.

Celebrate good times

There's big excitement in our home - Sadie used her training potty for the first time yesterday. Sadie's been quite enthralled with sitting on the potty since we first brought it home, and as much as she likes to talk about pee and poop, she had done neither actually on the potty. But last night she surprised us by peeing in her potty. I thought she was faking me out for the bi-zillionth time, but no, this time she meant business. J. and I gave her a standing ovation, and, as you can see, she was quite proud of herself. Jack, of course, needed to investigate what all the fuss was about. Hopefully he'll be taking to the potty soon himself.

We have no idea what comes next in terms of potty training, but at least as of today there is a victory to celebrated.

Summer's here again

First day of swim lessons 2010


First day of swim lessons 2009

What difference a year makes. It might not look like it from these photos taken one year apart and including Sadie being scared and Jack being spaced out in both, BUT swim lessons are a whole new ball of wax this year. We started their lessons again yesterday and the kids had a great time. Now that they can understand fundamental swim instructions like "kick" and "paddle" they are able to participate in the lesson a lot more. Sadie was a little bit scared of the pool at first, but she warmed up fast and couldn't stop giggling when it was time to practice jumping of the edge of the pool into our arms. Jack did incredibly well going under the water (a lot better than his mother). It will be exciting to see how their swimming improves this season!

The Children's Playhouse

Sadie and Jack started preschool at the Children's Playhouse on Monday. They've only completed 3 days, but so far we all love the Playhouse. The photos above were taken at a potluck that Abigail, the director, arranged on Saturday so that all the families could meet each other. The Playhouse is an oasis filled with endless toys, play structures, books, a music room, and even a garden for the kids. Jack and Sadie have been super happy there so far. They are taking their naps in beds, to the utter surprise of J. and I who feared that our children would never nap without cribs. They are eating lunch at a picnic table (no high chairs) with all the other kids. All seems well. It's a big relief for us and we're excited for the kids to continue to settle in and enjoy all wonderful people and activities at the Playhouse.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all of Jack and Sadie's fans who are mamas. We're having a very relaxing Mother's Day today. Sadie and Jack went to the playground with J. while I went to my first yoga class in God knows how long. The kids are napping away while I write this. Tonight J. and I are getting a babysitter and hitting the town.

The photo above is from a trip to Huntington Gardens yesterday. The Huntington has a great children's garden with lots of fountains to splash around in. By the end of the day Jack and Sadie were down to their diapers, but very happy kiddos.

The B-Day Party

I apologize for the delay in posting these photos. Sadie and Jack had a wonderful extended birthday, but it somehow turned into two weeks of chaos as we went straight from endless birthday celebrations to J. and I both having to go out of town back-to-back for work. Life is just starting to get back to normal.

But the birthday party was wonderful. It was a perfect day at beautiful Lacy Park in San Marino. The kids we happy as can be to roam around the park and play on the picnic tables. They were so entertained that we never even made it to the playground. Between balloons, friends, cake, presents, and running in circles around trees there was just too much fun to be had. As you can see from the photo, Jack got pretty into his cake. He may just have inherited my sweet tooth yet.

The kids also got lots of time with their grandmother, Pud, who came in for the party and thankfully stayed for a week to help out as J. and I traveled all over. It's been an action packed two weeks and we're still finding toys that the kids have not gotten to yet. It's a good thing birthdays only come around once a year!