a little of this and that

So we've been in the final homestretch before the move. The list was HUGE of things to do. So the boys thought Tuesday would be a great time to visit the doctor's office one last time. Tyler came home from school complaining of a sore throat. I didn't think too much of it, but he refused to eat, which is always a red flag that something is up. Being that Jason had been really fussy and had been running a fever off and on, I decided to make an appointment for both of them. I'm glad I did. Turns out that Tyler had tonsillitis. Jason had an ear infection, a cold, and is definitely cutting some teeth. Lovely. Antibiotics for all! Oh, and both of my boys are growing. Tyler weighed in at 42lbs and Jason at 21lbs 12oz.

Later on that day I tried to get as much done around the house as I could. Essentially we had to separate out all the things we'd need for the week in the house between the movers packing and the point we leave, not to mention all the stuff that we'd be using in NJ (where we'll be for an undetermined amount of time). Anyway, Jason wasn't too keen on this plan and instead thought I should hold him the whole time. Eventually he let me put him down to take some pictures of the furniture (we need it for documentation in-case they lose/damage anything). The child thinks that any camera is there to document him. Smiles right away!

On Wednesday we were BUSY with readying for the movers. I did manage to snap a few pictures that reminded me of daily life in our house. As much as I'm ready to go, it will still be bittersweet. So many memories.



Out of nowhere, while I was packing up our candles (movers wont' take them), Jason surprised me by pulling to the standing position. As you can see, he's proud.

Tyler got a last haircut in the house.

And Jason continued to get into trouble.

get ready for some photos!

On Memorial Day we decided to take one last trip to the Lowry Park Zoo. They happened to be having free admission for military members and up to 4 family members, so this was the perfect opportunity.

We saw all sorts of cool animals, like this Komodo Dragon.

Then we fed the Lorikeets. Tyler was much braver and actually fed them too, although he didn't really want the birds to land on him (I don't blame him).

Jason was fascinated by the birds.

And tried to pet one.

And then got scared to death when the bird went for him (no, he didn't get bitten)
Next stop was my favorite, the primates. I just love watching them. There were two little orangutans today. One was eating cheerios off the ground and smacking his momma with a piece of fabric, while the baby just clung to his very protective momma.


After some more animals we finally let Tyler ride a ride. He chose the new roller coaster, which he enjoyed. After a potty break it was off to visit the goats.


As Jason enjoyed his 20 minute nap, Tyler and Al fed the stingrays on our way through the amphibian and aquatic section.

Finally we head into Africa. By this time it was pretty darn hot, so we didn't make it all the way through. Even the meerkats thought it was just too hot!

Eventually Tyler had had enough of seeing animals and wanted to go play at the little playground. We took that time to sit down and eat. Jason didnt' feel like eating anything but his toes.




From there it was time to cool off at the spash area. Tyler ran around in played and eventually decided it would be fun to splash with his brother.



Lastly we decided to hit the "birds of prey" show. Of all the many times we had been to this zoo, we had NEVER seen the show, so I was glad we fit it in. Tyler was busy soaking in all the information, and actually Jason was fascinated by it. You could tell he was following the birds as they flew and he was trying to talk to them. Very funny.

At the end of the show "Arnold the pig" came out. I somehow missed the connection of the pig to the bird show, but in any event the boys were quite amused by Arnold.

All in all, a very nice day!

a long and busy weekend

Friday, in addition to all of the Jason milestones, was also supposed to be Al's work "family night" (or something of that nature) at the bowling alley. Al forwarded me the flyer a few weeks ago, and I marked my calendar to go. Unfortunately they changed the time, and since Al hadn't been at work (nor had work e-mail access anymore) he had no idea it had been changed and we showed up 1.5 hrs early. Tyler was heartbroken, we were all hungry, and I had planned the whole nap schedule around this event. So I ended up staying home while Al brought Tyler...which of course explains the lack of photos.

On Saturday Al took Tyler to Lowe's to make a "ready to go kit", and the trip of course included a stop for McDonald's breakfast. I enjoyed a little nap with the baby. The rest of the day was spent hanging out and avoiding the rain, and of course trying to get the house ready for the move.

On Sunday our potential renters came to look at the place, and later Jason and I worked on organizing his room for the move. Actually he just hung around and acted cute.

Later on in the day we had a birthday party to attend for my friend's daughter, who happens to be Tyler's friend. We had a great time and spent a long time there. It was an enjoyable afternoon/early evening.

can't keep up

I'm falling behind on documenting Jason milestones. Sometime last week Jason started to get from crawling to sitting position, which was odd because he STILL couldn't crawl. However, on Friday (I believe it was Friday...isn't that horrible) he finally started to make that progression from knee and then arm movements, so I made the determination that he was in fact crawling. According to a friend "if he can get from point A to point B then he's crawling". So, I guess he's a crawler. He's still not very proficient, and usually reverts to his scoot/commando crawl. However he's already causing trouble, requiring me to do some "babyproofing" at times to keep him from grabbing computer cords, eating shoes, etc. On Friday Jason also started to give kisses, or at least we think so. They are those great open mouth kisses, planted right on the mouth. Love it! And today, while at a birthday party, Jason decided to finally make the "mmmmm" sound. We thought he might have said "ma ma", but by tonight he was saying it for sure. It's not meaningful, just babbling, but it's adorable nonetheless.

t-ball banquet

Tonight was Tyler's end-of-season T-ball Banquet. He had been looking forward to this all season, mostly because they were supposed to have a bouncy house thingy. Unfortunately it was pouring rain (yet again) so they had to move it inside and of course cancel the bouncy house. He had fun though eating pizza, juice, and cake, and most importantly getting his trophy. He is soooo proud of himself!





I forgot to mention that Al is done work. He had taken off next week to help me get ready for the movers, and then of course he wanted to be here once the movers arrived on Thursday. They ended up giving them a long weekend anyway, and then threw him a goodbye party yesterday and told him to take off today. So yesterday was his last day. He does have to go in briefly on Tuesday, but other than that he's done! Good thing, 'cause we have lots of plans and lots to do!

In other news, Jason learned to get from crawling to sitting position now...yet he still doesn't officially crawl. Leave it to my kid to break all the rules. He still can manage to create chaos without even crawling. I had to block off the end table today with pillows because he kept scooting over to grab computer cords (which he would then probably put in his mouth if I allowed him). Then he was trying to eat shoes. I'm gonna be in trouble once he can actually crawl!

the attack

Yesterday I had a nice lunch at the mall with two of my playgroup friends and their girls. All was fine and good until I was attacked.

The evidence:

The vicious face of the accused:


Yep, my baby did that to me. I was busy chatting away while he apparently plastered my upper body in hickies. I totally look abused. I said I was lucky that I had witnesses or else I feared my friends and family would be staging an intervention. LOL.

After a really nice long playdate at the mall, I managed to leave just in time to hit the total downpour. When I say that the rain was heavy, that would be a total understatement. Here I was running across the parking lot, pushing a screaming baby, carrying a bag, and dragging along a laughing Tyler. I let Tyler run in his side of the car while I got Jason in and strapped in enough that he wouldn't escape. Meanwhile I unloaded the stroller and folded up the car. At this point we were so soaked that I had to dump out the excess water from the stroller seat and cup holders. I then climbed back in and buckled up the boys. By the time I got in myself I could literally wring out my clothes. My poor children had to suffer because I couldn't remember an umbrella (it doesn't help when it's in the car). The boys recovered quickly. My hair didn't dry for hours!

Anyway, after a little dinner and baking Al stayed home while I went with Jason to an American Idol party at Julie's house. Jason was fairly well behaved, considering he never slept. We had a nice time.

Today, after 3 years, I finally met up with my friend Hope who lives in Tampa. We were friends in grade school and haven't seen each other since High School graduation. It was nice to catch up, but sad that I waited this long, and just as I'm about to move. It was great to see her though and meet her adorable (and smart) little boy!

my entertainer

Tyler never ceases to entertain me.

The other day he decided he absolutely NEEDS to start packing for NJ. He drags out his rolling suitcase and proceeds to pack a letter for his mom-mom and pop-pop. He doesn't want to mail it, but instead wants to deliver it in person. Next he packs his blue blankie. If you know Tyler, this is THE blue blankie. I assured him that I would not forget to bring it, but apparently his trust in me is minimal so it remains in his bag. Poor thing is without his favorite blankie for now to insure that he has it in NJ. So, what else is on the list of important items for our stay? Well, a coloring book and crayons, which he says is for the airport. I did sway him from packing his sippy cup and snacks for now. The other important item? A velcro catch set that he got in his Easter basket. Similar to this, but picture the "gloves" as eggs and the "ball" as a bunny. Yep, top priority for travel. My kid is odd!

Unrelated story, but funny nonetheless. Normally Al leaves for work before the rest of us are up. When Tyler gets up he comes in and gets me and I get up (either with or without Jason) to get him breakfast. Apparently Al had been up sick in the middle of the night so he decided to skip P.T. (their workout sessions) and was still on the couch when Tyler got up. He had left the TV on. I finally decide to venture out to the living room, trying to be quiet and let Tyler sleep, only to find him sitting on the floor, leaning up against the couch, his head nuzzled up against his daddy's. I go over and say to him something like "hey bud, I didn't realize you were up". He tells me "ssshhhh, I'm watching something very important on TV". What was so important? Why it was an infomercial about the Rug Doctor. He spent the next 5 minutes filling me in on all the features, because of course he now wants one. "But mommy, it even lifts dirt out of tough stains". Umm, okay.

Last, but not least, was a conversation today. I had gone grocery shopping and was unpacking the groceries with a little help from the little man. He pulls out a box and says "Mommy, I didn't know you buyed Crunch 'N Munch" to which I reply "Tyler, I didn't even know you knew what Crunch 'N Munch was" (he's never had it before) to which he replies "I didn't know that I knew what it was either. I just read the box".

I realize that these stories are probably only funny in person. If nothing else it helps me remember them.

Not entertaining, but I did have to share...On Monday Tyler had his "portfolio viewing" at PreK. They put together some of their beginning work and compared it to their end of the year work. Pretty cute to see. They essentially told me that they didn't have much progress to show much, which initially kinda surprised me, but they then clarified that this was because Tyler passed almost all of the testing the first time around. You can't improve on 100%. LOL. He did show improvement on his drawings and writing ability. Most importantly for me (because it's what I was most worried about) they assure me that he's emotionally ready for Kindergarten. He has adapted well and is a leader in the class. Yeah for Tyler!

Disney Hollywood Studios

We had a nice day. It was hot though. Too hot. Tyler didn't seem to notice. We got to do Playhouse Disney, twice, which was fine by me since it was air conditioned. Saw High School Musical. Got as far as the actual ride entrance at Star Tours before the tears came. Walked out of Indian Jones after the first really loud noise (which was the first few seconds). Luckily we got fast passes and were able to come back to do the new Toy Story ride, which both boys liked. Tyler really liked the American Idol experience...meanwhile Jason really liked the Infant Care Center. The parade was a hit (and a disgustingly hot experience). Also checked out the playground. Other that, I think that about sums it up.