Riley is a very smart kid and the things that come out of his mouth are remarkable. Sometimes he will use words in casual conversation that I don't even know he's ever heard and will use them in perfect context. This makes his mis-use of words all the more charming. Here are some of my favorites:
- Green Patrick's Day (what he call St. Patrick's Day)
- Constructions (what he calls instruction manuals)
- Spicy drinks (what he calls carbonated beverages -- he does NOT like spicy drinks)
- Stripes (what he call wrinkles; I learned this one when he asked me why I had "stripes" on my face)
- Old MacDonald's (what he calls McDonald's -- he does NOT like McDonald's)
- Engine Turtles (what he calls Ninja Turtles)
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Brothers
Sweet Baby Chase (am I going to have to give up this nickname pretty soon -- he's really not much of a baby anymore...) woke up before his brother today. After Casey had gotten Chase out of bed and dressed, he put Chase down and he went off running... straight to Riley's room. As Riley had gotten up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom by himself (as an aside, you know you have racked up one small victory as a parent when you hear the pitter-patter of your 4-year-old's feet come out of his bedroom, down the hallway, to the bathroom and back into bed without any requests for assistance in the middle of the night), his door was a crack open, facilitating what was to come. To hear Riley re-tell it in the car on the way to school today was priceless. Chase apparently came into Riley's dark room, found his way over to Riley's bed where he was still asleep, and started babbling on in a language only Chase can understand. Riley then got out of bed, helped Chase into bed, helped him get under the covers, and then they both laid there silently for a few minutes snuggling. Oh to have been a fly on the wall for that one! I asked Riley if he liked having a brother. His reply: "Yes, it's awesome. I love Chase. He has really soft hair."
Friday, January 10, 2014
New Year, New Resolve
Keeping up with Riley and Chase feels like a full time job... on top of my full time job, which is the lame reason I haven't posted much in the last year and a half. I am reminded each day, however, that they will be grown before I can blink an eye, so I resolve to make this blog a priority again in 2014. There isn't much that I enjoy more than talking about the funny, exciting, maddening and incredible things they do on a daily basis.
My last post was way back in October. About a million things have happened since then. "A million" is probably fairly accurate, actually, but I use that quantifier mostly because it is what Riley uses to describe everything these days.
Numerous holidays have come and gone since October. There was Halloween, of course. Riley wanted to be -- you guessed it -- a baseball player. He insisted on being Jacoby Ellsbury, not because Jacoby is/was his favorite player, but because he wears eye black and Riley was convinced eye black was an important component of his costume. His favorite player is Will Middlebrooks and he wore his jersey, but still when asked, he was Jacoby. Apparently being authentic was important, and Will does not wear eye black. Chase was an elephant, mostly because it was the only costume we had on hand that fit him. Being the opinionated little guy that he is, I was certain getting him into a two-piece elephant costume was going to be a disaster, and that keeping him in the costume, particularly the snap-on head/hood, would be an impossible task. He didn't even bat an eye. He thought the elephant's trunk and tail were a lot of fun to play with... he never ceases to surprise me.
Thanksgiving was spent in Turks & Caicos at an amazing oceanfront home on Grace Bay. Riley spent most of his time hanging out with his cousins and trying to master swimming across the pool. I feel like we didn't see him much since he wanted to be with the "big kids" and not his boring ol' parents, which is proof-positive that documenting the moments that he DOES want to spend with us should be a priority. These moments, however fleeting they start to become, are priceless and will not last forever. Chase, on the other hand, spent Thanksgiving practically glued to our sides. I think I probably clung to Chase just as much as he clung to me in order to compensate for Riley's budding independence. I have to admit that the highlight of the trip for me was when Chase was not feeling his best and I took him down to the beach -- just him and me -- to calm him down. I took about two steps down the beach and he fell asleep in my arms. Even now, almost two months later, I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. He was so at peace in my arms as the ocean breeze whipped through our hair. There was not another soul in sight, just our own private, peaceful moment two hours of silence on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Two days in a row I got this privilege and I think I will remember watching his sweet little sleeping face forever. After that, try as I might, he would not fall asleep in my arms on the beach anymore. I guess that's what feeling better will do to a toddler. Instead, he was in constant motion wanting to either climb up and down the stairs in the house to say hi over and over to the "ishies" (fish paintings) or do lap after lap around the perimeter of the house "hunting" for lizards. We would say, "Here leezard, leezard, leezard" and his face would light up like a Christmas tree. If we found a lizard, he'd get down on his hands and knees and try his absolute hardest to touch it. Imagine his delight when we took a boat trip to "Iguana Island," a beautiful, deserted island where random pretty large iquanas roam free. Chase was fearless -- the only one of the five cousins that would even get close to an iquana -- and had a big time. Riley was more comfortable on the boat itself watching as a pod of dolphins played in the waves around our boat (I have to admit, that was pretty amazing).
For Christmas, we had the unusual experience of getting pretty close to a week with my family in Chicago since Christmas day feel right in the middle of the week. My favorite memory from our time at my sister's house was when Casey, Riley, Chase, my sister and me ended up down in the basement. Chase asked for "I Will" (that's what he calls "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons -- his favorite song) and we blasted the song on Cody's speaker while Riley played the drums, my sister and Casey rocked out with some guitars, I sang into a microphone and all of us jumped up and down throughout the process like wild musicians. It was one of those moments where you simultaneously think, "I wish I could freeze this moment in time" and "Wow, I hope no one stumbles upon this scene." As it turns out, I can only freeze the moment in my head and unfortunately, someone (Ed) did stumble upon the scene and will probably never get that image out of his head (or let us live it down).
While in Chicago we also had the amazing experience of my entire family staying for a night at The Drake and then walking around the city together the next day. There were a lot of highlights in 2013, but probably the biggest was spending that time with my family at The Drake. We all hung out in my parents' suite for a few hours, had some drinks and snacks, watched the Blackhawks game on TV and just enjoyed quality time all together when no one had to be doing dishes or making food or any of the things that come when you host the same people at your own home. After the kids (minus Cody who is now old enough to be "one of the adults") were tucked into their beds, my parents, Jen and Ed, Cody, and Casey and me all went down to Coq d'Or, a really cool bar at The Drake and sat in a big booth listening to live music and having a few drinks. One of the most relaxed "adult" experiences I have ever had with my family. Ever. And the beauty of it was that we even got to do it at all... knowing that the course of my Dad's heart issues could have ended drastically differently had they not been dealt with when they were.
All in all, a good holiday season, and an amazing end to 2013. So now here we are in 2014. I hope it is a year of many more blessings, a whole lot of fun and very little heartache.
My last post was way back in October. About a million things have happened since then. "A million" is probably fairly accurate, actually, but I use that quantifier mostly because it is what Riley uses to describe everything these days.
Numerous holidays have come and gone since October. There was Halloween, of course. Riley wanted to be -- you guessed it -- a baseball player. He insisted on being Jacoby Ellsbury, not because Jacoby is/was his favorite player, but because he wears eye black and Riley was convinced eye black was an important component of his costume. His favorite player is Will Middlebrooks and he wore his jersey, but still when asked, he was Jacoby. Apparently being authentic was important, and Will does not wear eye black. Chase was an elephant, mostly because it was the only costume we had on hand that fit him. Being the opinionated little guy that he is, I was certain getting him into a two-piece elephant costume was going to be a disaster, and that keeping him in the costume, particularly the snap-on head/hood, would be an impossible task. He didn't even bat an eye. He thought the elephant's trunk and tail were a lot of fun to play with... he never ceases to surprise me.
Thanksgiving was spent in Turks & Caicos at an amazing oceanfront home on Grace Bay. Riley spent most of his time hanging out with his cousins and trying to master swimming across the pool. I feel like we didn't see him much since he wanted to be with the "big kids" and not his boring ol' parents, which is proof-positive that documenting the moments that he DOES want to spend with us should be a priority. These moments, however fleeting they start to become, are priceless and will not last forever. Chase, on the other hand, spent Thanksgiving practically glued to our sides. I think I probably clung to Chase just as much as he clung to me in order to compensate for Riley's budding independence. I have to admit that the highlight of the trip for me was when Chase was not feeling his best and I took him down to the beach -- just him and me -- to calm him down. I took about two steps down the beach and he fell asleep in my arms. Even now, almost two months later, I get teary-eyed just thinking about it. He was so at peace in my arms as the ocean breeze whipped through our hair. There was not another soul in sight, just our own private, peaceful moment two hours of silence on one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Two days in a row I got this privilege and I think I will remember watching his sweet little sleeping face forever. After that, try as I might, he would not fall asleep in my arms on the beach anymore. I guess that's what feeling better will do to a toddler. Instead, he was in constant motion wanting to either climb up and down the stairs in the house to say hi over and over to the "ishies" (fish paintings) or do lap after lap around the perimeter of the house "hunting" for lizards. We would say, "Here leezard, leezard, leezard" and his face would light up like a Christmas tree. If we found a lizard, he'd get down on his hands and knees and try his absolute hardest to touch it. Imagine his delight when we took a boat trip to "Iguana Island," a beautiful, deserted island where random pretty large iquanas roam free. Chase was fearless -- the only one of the five cousins that would even get close to an iquana -- and had a big time. Riley was more comfortable on the boat itself watching as a pod of dolphins played in the waves around our boat (I have to admit, that was pretty amazing).
For Christmas, we had the unusual experience of getting pretty close to a week with my family in Chicago since Christmas day feel right in the middle of the week. My favorite memory from our time at my sister's house was when Casey, Riley, Chase, my sister and me ended up down in the basement. Chase asked for "I Will" (that's what he calls "I Will Wait" by Mumford & Sons -- his favorite song) and we blasted the song on Cody's speaker while Riley played the drums, my sister and Casey rocked out with some guitars, I sang into a microphone and all of us jumped up and down throughout the process like wild musicians. It was one of those moments where you simultaneously think, "I wish I could freeze this moment in time" and "Wow, I hope no one stumbles upon this scene." As it turns out, I can only freeze the moment in my head and unfortunately, someone (Ed) did stumble upon the scene and will probably never get that image out of his head (or let us live it down).
While in Chicago we also had the amazing experience of my entire family staying for a night at The Drake and then walking around the city together the next day. There were a lot of highlights in 2013, but probably the biggest was spending that time with my family at The Drake. We all hung out in my parents' suite for a few hours, had some drinks and snacks, watched the Blackhawks game on TV and just enjoyed quality time all together when no one had to be doing dishes or making food or any of the things that come when you host the same people at your own home. After the kids (minus Cody who is now old enough to be "one of the adults") were tucked into their beds, my parents, Jen and Ed, Cody, and Casey and me all went down to Coq d'Or, a really cool bar at The Drake and sat in a big booth listening to live music and having a few drinks. One of the most relaxed "adult" experiences I have ever had with my family. Ever. And the beauty of it was that we even got to do it at all... knowing that the course of my Dad's heart issues could have ended drastically differently had they not been dealt with when they were.
All in all, a good holiday season, and an amazing end to 2013. So now here we are in 2014. I hope it is a year of many more blessings, a whole lot of fun and very little heartache.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Drakes Island is...
... walking with your husband and the same two dogs down the same stretch of beach at the same time of year as you did when you got engaged eight years ago, but this time with your children in tow.
... jumping in the car with your two boys and two dogs to go for a pre-bedtime drive around town, only to end the drive about 10 seconds later as you pull up to the jetty at the perfect time to watch the sun set over Wells Harbor and decide that watching the sunset on the beach in your jammies is a much better idea.
... sleeping with the windows wide open so you can listen to the sound of the waves as you drift off to sleep and wake up to the crisp, cool air.
... watching your four-year-old go from not being able to pedal a bike to riding it back and forth across the street the next day to "Uncle Shailer's driveway" like his dad did as a little boy.
... watching the same little boy count the days until Pappa Ken would arrive so he could take him on a bike ride "all the way to the stop sign" [down Drakes Island Road].
... cramming five adults, five children and six dogs into a small cottage so you can spend Labor Day weekend with family.
... plopping your one-year-old son down in the sand on the beach for the first time since he learned how to walk and seeing the twinkle in his eye as he walks as fast as he can to the ocean, carefree and fearless.
... watching as your family plays baseball on the beach -- your husband as the pitcher, your four-year-old as the batter, your one-year-old as the "catcher" and your nine-year-old golden retriever as the outfielder -- while your ten-year-old soaking wet golden retriever sits in your lap (you and the dog being "the people" which is what your four-year-old calls the fans), and realizing this is one of the best moments of your life.
... looking on as your two children play with their cousins on the same beach that four (five???) generations of your husband's family have spent their summers and realizing that although it has changed a lot, it really hasn't changed at all.
... catching up with friends you haven't seen in a whole year and feeling like no time has passed at all.
... giggling on the inside as you watch your son and his Crazy Aunt Melissa as they try to dig all the way to China, stopping periodically to listen to hear if they can make out anyone speaking chinese.
... digging trenches and building sandcastles with Granny Annie on your last day on Drakes Island and realizing that she is enjoying it just as much as her grandson and that you have never seen her look so lovely.
... being so exhausted by the end of the day that even the luxury of being able to watch your beloved Red Sox on NESN cannot keep you awake past 8:30.
... realizing you could have packed a bathing suit and one change of clothes and still had plenty to wear during your 9-day stay.
... getting tears in your eyes as you cross the bridge on the way off the island, knowing that a whole year will pass until you get to experience this slice of heaven on earth again.
... jumping in the car with your two boys and two dogs to go for a pre-bedtime drive around town, only to end the drive about 10 seconds later as you pull up to the jetty at the perfect time to watch the sun set over Wells Harbor and decide that watching the sunset on the beach in your jammies is a much better idea.
... sleeping with the windows wide open so you can listen to the sound of the waves as you drift off to sleep and wake up to the crisp, cool air.
... watching your four-year-old go from not being able to pedal a bike to riding it back and forth across the street the next day to "Uncle Shailer's driveway" like his dad did as a little boy.
... watching the same little boy count the days until Pappa Ken would arrive so he could take him on a bike ride "all the way to the stop sign" [down Drakes Island Road].
... cramming five adults, five children and six dogs into a small cottage so you can spend Labor Day weekend with family.
... plopping your one-year-old son down in the sand on the beach for the first time since he learned how to walk and seeing the twinkle in his eye as he walks as fast as he can to the ocean, carefree and fearless.
... watching as your family plays baseball on the beach -- your husband as the pitcher, your four-year-old as the batter, your one-year-old as the "catcher" and your nine-year-old golden retriever as the outfielder -- while your ten-year-old soaking wet golden retriever sits in your lap (you and the dog being "the people" which is what your four-year-old calls the fans), and realizing this is one of the best moments of your life.
... looking on as your two children play with their cousins on the same beach that four (five???) generations of your husband's family have spent their summers and realizing that although it has changed a lot, it really hasn't changed at all.
... catching up with friends you haven't seen in a whole year and feeling like no time has passed at all.
... giggling on the inside as you watch your son and his Crazy Aunt Melissa as they try to dig all the way to China, stopping periodically to listen to hear if they can make out anyone speaking chinese.
... digging trenches and building sandcastles with Granny Annie on your last day on Drakes Island and realizing that she is enjoying it just as much as her grandson and that you have never seen her look so lovely.
... being so exhausted by the end of the day that even the luxury of being able to watch your beloved Red Sox on NESN cannot keep you awake past 8:30.
... realizing you could have packed a bathing suit and one change of clothes and still had plenty to wear during your 9-day stay.
... getting tears in your eyes as you cross the bridge on the way off the island, knowing that a whole year will pass until you get to experience this slice of heaven on earth again.
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Morning
Today was one of those mornings when I was truly so thankful to be a mommy. Weekday mornings are usually a frenzied and frankly semi-nightmarish experience, what with trying to get kids fed, ready for school and out the door in a somewhat reasonable timeframe while simultaneously trying to get parents showered, dressed and ready for the day. The last week has been even worse since Chase has decided to get six teeth all at one time. To say he has not been sleeping well would be an understatement, and he (well, all of us, really) has been extremely grouchy as a result of the lack of sleep and general irritation getting six teeth at once brings. There has been a lot of crying (both boys), a lot of screaming (Chase), a lot of sighing (Casey and me), with some attitude problems thrown in (all of us).
I leave you with that background so you can understand the complete shift in the air this morning. First of all, Chase slept through the night for the first time in days. He woke up pleasant and talking to himself in his crib. Then, he let me get him dressed without having a complete meltdown. He giggled a lot. He talked up a storm. Not that we haven't seen glimpses of all of these things during this excruciating teething process, but they have come in bits and pieces speckled throughout long days of aggravation and it was so nice to see all of them together in a 5 minute time-span first thing this morning.
As is typical on a Thursday morning, Casey and I were supposed to have an early morning meeting at work. With that in mind and with both boys mercifully still sleeping, we rushed to get ready for work. As Casey was hurrying out the door, he picked up his phone only to find that the meeting had been cancelled. With extra time on our hands for a change, Casey decided to take Riley to get his haircut while I waited on Chase to wake up. By the time Chase was up and I had enjoyed more of his cheerful company than I'd realized, Riley's haircut was complete. Chase and I met Casey and Riley in the parking lot at the barber shop and the three of us watched as Chase took his turn getting his hair cut. We were still a little ahead of schedule as we made our way out of the barber shop. Casey had to head to work but I took the opportunity to take the boys to Dunkin' Donuts for our traditional post-haircut treat. It was there that a true miracle occurred: both boys sat in their seats, smiled, behaved, were polite (Riley), didn't throw food (Chase) and were generally wonderful to be around. We spent at least 30 minutes watching cars go by, talking to other people enjoying their morning coffee, and eating our donuts. It was the first time in quite awhile that I was able to not rush them along and just enjoy their company on a weekday morning. It was also the first time in awhile that I felt like I had it all together as a mom.
I would be curious to know if the morning was a success because it was not rushed or if it was because Chase's happy disposition has returned or if it was because this morning was the first morning in months where the air was cool and crisp and not humid and overwhelming, or if it perhaps was a little bit of all of those things, but whatever the cause, I am thankful and happy to have spent a morning with two delightful little boys.
I leave you with that background so you can understand the complete shift in the air this morning. First of all, Chase slept through the night for the first time in days. He woke up pleasant and talking to himself in his crib. Then, he let me get him dressed without having a complete meltdown. He giggled a lot. He talked up a storm. Not that we haven't seen glimpses of all of these things during this excruciating teething process, but they have come in bits and pieces speckled throughout long days of aggravation and it was so nice to see all of them together in a 5 minute time-span first thing this morning.
As is typical on a Thursday morning, Casey and I were supposed to have an early morning meeting at work. With that in mind and with both boys mercifully still sleeping, we rushed to get ready for work. As Casey was hurrying out the door, he picked up his phone only to find that the meeting had been cancelled. With extra time on our hands for a change, Casey decided to take Riley to get his haircut while I waited on Chase to wake up. By the time Chase was up and I had enjoyed more of his cheerful company than I'd realized, Riley's haircut was complete. Chase and I met Casey and Riley in the parking lot at the barber shop and the three of us watched as Chase took his turn getting his hair cut. We were still a little ahead of schedule as we made our way out of the barber shop. Casey had to head to work but I took the opportunity to take the boys to Dunkin' Donuts for our traditional post-haircut treat. It was there that a true miracle occurred: both boys sat in their seats, smiled, behaved, were polite (Riley), didn't throw food (Chase) and were generally wonderful to be around. We spent at least 30 minutes watching cars go by, talking to other people enjoying their morning coffee, and eating our donuts. It was the first time in quite awhile that I was able to not rush them along and just enjoy their company on a weekday morning. It was also the first time in awhile that I felt like I had it all together as a mom.
I would be curious to know if the morning was a success because it was not rushed or if it was because Chase's happy disposition has returned or if it was because this morning was the first morning in months where the air was cool and crisp and not humid and overwhelming, or if it perhaps was a little bit of all of those things, but whatever the cause, I am thankful and happy to have spent a morning with two delightful little boys.
Saturday, August 10, 2013
Running Buddy
Oh teeth, how I wish you would all just break through already. I want my happy baby and good sleeper back!!! Last night was a brutal night of sleep. Chase spent two and a half hours straight crying, screaming and tossing and turning in his crib. Poor little guy was so uncomfortable and absolutely nothing I did to calm him down worked. I held him, I rocked him, I rubbed his back, I bicycled his legs, I talked to him. He was having none of it. It was almost like having a newborn all over again, except possibly worse because his crying is SO MUCH louder and more agonizing now.
So when he woke up early this morning screaming uncontrollably, I was not exactly bright and chipper, not that I am generally bright and chipper in the morning anyway. Not wanting him to wake up the entire household (Riley had been up late by his standards having a playdate with some friends and Casey had been up extremely late by anyone's standards at the Bears-Panthers game in Charlotte), I decided to pluck Chase out of his crib and get him out of the house quickly. Holding a large, squirmy baby while changing my clothes, pouring a glass of milk and putting on my shoes proved to be a challenge, but I succeeded to do all of the above and get him out the door without him crying.
It was a hot, humid North Carolina morning as we made our way down the driveway. I am completely out of shape, not that it would matter in conditions such as those, but for the next 48 minutes (who's counting) I ran around our neighborhood and Graylyn pushing my sleepy little guy in his stroller trying to coax him back to sleep. Sleep did not happen, but something equally as amazing did: I actually enjoyed this early morning exertion. And Chase seemed to love watching the sun rise, listening to the birds chirp and the cicadas hum, and taking in all of the people and places we encountered. We saw other early morning runners, people walking their dogs, dads pushing their also-tired babies in strollers (must be that Saturday mornings are for mommies to sleep in???), fountains at Graylyn and cats on the prowl.
Don't get me wrong, given my preference at 6:30 in the morning, I'd probably choose to be snug in my bed, but this was a pretty nice alternative. For both of us.
So when he woke up early this morning screaming uncontrollably, I was not exactly bright and chipper, not that I am generally bright and chipper in the morning anyway. Not wanting him to wake up the entire household (Riley had been up late by his standards having a playdate with some friends and Casey had been up extremely late by anyone's standards at the Bears-Panthers game in Charlotte), I decided to pluck Chase out of his crib and get him out of the house quickly. Holding a large, squirmy baby while changing my clothes, pouring a glass of milk and putting on my shoes proved to be a challenge, but I succeeded to do all of the above and get him out the door without him crying.
It was a hot, humid North Carolina morning as we made our way down the driveway. I am completely out of shape, not that it would matter in conditions such as those, but for the next 48 minutes (who's counting) I ran around our neighborhood and Graylyn pushing my sleepy little guy in his stroller trying to coax him back to sleep. Sleep did not happen, but something equally as amazing did: I actually enjoyed this early morning exertion. And Chase seemed to love watching the sun rise, listening to the birds chirp and the cicadas hum, and taking in all of the people and places we encountered. We saw other early morning runners, people walking their dogs, dads pushing their also-tired babies in strollers (must be that Saturday mornings are for mommies to sleep in???), fountains at Graylyn and cats on the prowl.
Don't get me wrong, given my preference at 6:30 in the morning, I'd probably choose to be snug in my bed, but this was a pretty nice alternative. For both of us.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Indy 500
It seems that Chase is obsessed with riding in his "Crazy Coupe" recently. Grandpa Jim and Grandma Terry are here visiting for the weekend and poor Grandpa Jim made the mistake of agreeing to push Chase around in the car. Little did he know that Chase would fall asleep in the car while being pushed (an absolute rarity -- the kid NEVER falls asleep in anything but his crib). I guess he'd had a big day at school. The difficult part of this was two-fold: first, Chase would wake up instantly if my dad stopped pushing the car around, so my poor dad went round and round and round and round in circles around our circular driveway for at least 30 minutes; second, it was extremely hot and humid out during this adventure so my poor dad was drenched by the time dinner was ready and he could stop pushing Chase around. We improvised a bit and did Oberon pit stops where either Casey or I would hand off a nice cold beer to my dad as he continued to do circle after circle. The good news is that the Crazy Coupe has cup holders and since the drink-stealing bandit was asleep inside his car, we didn't have to worry about him trying to snatch it. Poor Grandpa Jim complained about the "marathon" he had just completed, but secretly I think he loved pushing his young grandson around while Riley rode his bike in circles right next to him.
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