Lunch dates, Play dates and Soccer games...

On Friday Aiden had school but it was planned to have Cole over from 2 pm (when Aiden gets off school) til 4pm (when his mom gets off work). I was a little hesitant because I would have all three boys (Liam being the third) by myself ( Lucas was going to golf), and Cole and Aiden had a little bit of a hard time sharing last time which resulted in Aiden crying over the toys, which is difficult to work out what's fair. Much to my surprise, everything, for the most part, worked out great. There was one moment of whiny-ness, but besides that all three did so well. Cole was off to North Carolina for a family wedding and we were very happy to have had some one on one time for them to visit.



On Saturday Aiden had an early soccer game time. By 8:30 we were out the door headed to soccer. They played the Spunky Skunks and Aiden did well. He got a little tired toward the end because he's still getting his energy back from being sick, but did well. We had apples and raisins for the after game snack and got our photo ordering slips and left.We went straight home and I put Liam down for his nap. The rest of the day was kind of ho hum.

Sunday we had plans to meet Yolkai, Anthony, son Clyde(2.5) and a bunch of their and our friends for brunch at Cafe 1. We got there around 11 pm and waited for a while because they were so busy. There were about 10 of us or more and we were all squished at these two little diner tables. We finally ordered and our food took FOREVER to get there. It was okay, not really worth the hour or more wait. I want to go there again with just the four of us so that it won't take so long and I can really enjoy it. It was good to socialize, since I don't get to do that that much anymore. While we were driving Aiden said he wanted to go the beach and then Liam chimed in too. I asked which beach and they said Big River. I said okay but we had to drop off dad so he could work and we could pick up some sand toys at the house. We were there for about 15 minutes and off to the beach. It was funny to meet back up with some of the people at brunch because we didn't even mean too. Sofia (2 years) was there and her mom and dad. We set all our stuff down by them and played a bit. Aiden got soaked in this little closed off part that was warm and shallow enough to let them play to their hearts content without being scared they were gonna get hypothermia or drown. We had one little hurt moment where Aiden hada previous, but new, scrape on his knee and it was stinging from the salt water, but that was fixed with some spray and a waterproof bandaid and everyone was happy again. We stayed for about an hour, until they were both so soaked they were waddling in their wet clothes because they were cold.
We got back home and played with the Big Wheels and Power Wheels.

Monday means soccer practice. We played earlier in the day making forts out of our couch cushions. The kids played in it forever, acting like it was a cave and then there was a bed to sleep in here and come through here mommy and be a monster and all that crazy stuff that kids make up. Soon Liam was tired and was put down for a nap. We had lunch soon thereafter and then went to soccer practice. All the kids are more under control now and the Coach Madden seems more comfortable with them too. Aiden is really good at dribbling, which is pretty new, so I was really surprised. He is also a great shooter. Over all, I've been really pleased with his soccer experience. We went shopping at Mendosa's after practice and the boys got popsicles because they were so good. We had a new twist on dinner too. Instead of the same old mashed potatoes we had mashed sweet potatoes with carrots in there too, also mashed up. We also had tortellini with pesto sauce. It was new and different and less boring than usual. I was happy with it. We made mini pumpkin pies too, which turned out extremely well. Then it was reading time and off to bed.

Tuesday is Aiden's school day. Lucas left early in the morning to help out my mom, so i was left with kid duty. We got up at 7 am so there was plenty of time to get ready and play before off to school. After eating breakfast and getting dressed we went outside to play on the Power Wheels. Liam is getting a lot better and Aiden is crazy on it because he's been doing it for so long. We were then off to school and I stayed and played trains with Liam while Aiden played lego's with his friends. We stayed for about 20 minutes then Liam was getting tired so we headed home. Liam and I usually have Music Together today, but he was so tired when we got home he went right to sleep. So today we will miss Music Together and make it up another day. I am trying to relax now because I will most likely have the kids all day by myself and that is new to me. Aiden comes home at 2 pm. After I grabbed him from school I asked if he wanted to go buy a toy with the money that he has saved in his car bank. He said yes and we went to Rite Aid. He got a checkout, cash register combo, but was more interested in Liam's toy by the time we got home. I think that it's more like wanting what you don't have than the actual toy. We played "store" upstairs after we had a snack and then headed outside to play whatever the boys wanted- which is usually a mixture of sanbox, golf or Power Wheels lately. Daddy got homw a little before dinner, which the kids were excited about. After dinner it was baths and showers and then tea and reading and bed. Thank goodness, said the mama.

First day back..

Today (September 25th) was Aiden's first day back to school. He was having fun with Cole, pushing him on the swing when I got there. He said he did an art project and played with Jonah and Elijah. Jasper his bestest friend wasn't there today, but he still had a great day back. Liam and I read ALOT today. Liam was the last one to get sick so while we're all getting better, he's still got it. It's made him whiny and easily irritated. We just kept it low kep by reading and relaxing. I've been feeling tense lately and have been just trying to relax, so reading time is good. We played in the sand box too. I sprayed part of it down so we had some wet sand to play with and we made "cakes". I think it was a good change to a pretty routine playing tool. When Aiden got home both Liam and Aiden played in the sand for a while. It was Iona's (Liam and Aiden's cousin) birthday yesterday so we were pretending that we made her a cake and sang her "Happy Birthday" and Liam clapped at the end, it was cute. She live is Los Angeles and so we miss her and don't get to see whenever we want. It was good to celebrate her turning 6 in our own way. I played cars with Aiden a little later on while Liam still plated in the sand. He can get stuck in one thing for hours when he is a little tired. He didn't take a long nap so he was feeling a bit tires by that time (3:00). Aiden is so cute how he puts together story lines for the cars and gets into character. That's the greatest thing about kids- listening to what comes out of their heads, well, funniest thing about having kids. More nursing and reading came after that. I put Liam to bed early for the past 3 nights, and it's working out pretty good. It is definitely easier with it getting darker earlier.

Having a blast..

We've been quite busy these last few days but it really has a been a blast. So Aiden had his Saturday game and did so well. Soo many family members showed up unexpectedly, and it was great to feel the support and love of the family. Aiden did great in the game, getting more and more into it each game. I think that he is beginning to understand the idea of soccer more and more as well. He just made the cutoff so he is one- if not the youngest kid.

After the game we came home and started working on expanding our garden area. Next year we really want to be eating mostly out of our own garden and lead a more sustainable, green life. I think that the predicament that the US has gotten itself into is NOT going to end anytime soon, and that means higher prices for EVERYTHING. We love gardening and the kids do too, so why not live the best we can. We put the posts in and will soon be buying lumber to make more beds and then get soil and put the fence up.

Sunday was a great day too. We woke up kind of late and headed to Boonville for the Mendocino County Fair and Apple Show at the fairgrounds. We came right in and sat for a second at the sheepdog trials. The kids were interested for a second but had been sitting for an hour and wanted to walk around and see what else was happening. We almost went and played the normal carnival games but they seemed like they were just opening so we decided to hold off and look around a bit. We went in and looked at all the prize winning pumpkins, gourds, apples, pies, tomatoes, everything you could imagine. We bought 2 cups of cider and went back outside. We found the little play area where they have the little "Fred Flinstone" cars, where you push with your feet and the boys played there forever. Right next door was the petting zoo. Liam is such and animal lover, and Aiden is kind of select on what animals he loves, I guess I would say more reluctant to love all animals. So needless to say Liam loved the petting zoo. There was this cute little pig that the boys both loved but Aiden loved the bunny rabbits most.

After the petting zoo right next door was a tented area with a corn box. Like a huge sand box but with corn kernels. Aiden absolutely LOVED this. They had tractors in it and cars and little scooping tools. Liam was in it for a little bit but was getting tired and I think that the texture was a little rough for him. He got up and did a water pumping thing. Like the old style water pumps, but the object was to get a ducky, or two, down to another bucket at the end. He needed some help but sis well. When you completed this pump activity you got a stamp and the boys loved this too. Aiden milked a wooden cow with rubber nipples too, it was cute. His hands were tired after that. We watched a Mother Goose magic Show in the same tented area and although Liam was deliriously tired he watched it while partly nursing. Aiden loved it because it was funny and he is such a clown. While that was about to end Liam wanted to walk around so we went and looked at this thing were people were on bouncy strings, jumping high in the air on trampolines. We have a trampoline at home and Liam liked watching the people jump. There was also a face painting place and I wasn't sure if Liam would tolerate it but he did. He got a fish on his face and hand. Although the fish on his hand was smeared a minute after he got it the fish on his face stayed for quite a while. We then got a cinnamon roll and headed back to the tent to share with Aiden and daddy. Liam and Aiden dug in some dirt with buried potatoes as the last thing we did and then we headed on to grammy's house on Iron Peak to help her with some work and visit. We got there around 5 and just relaxed because it had been a long day.

The next day it was hot, and of course we aren't used to it because we live in Mendo. I set up water areas for the kids to splash in and toys to play with in the water. We worked on and off the whole day and took a walk or two. Nothing that interesting went on that day because it was hot and we all were tired and starting to feel a little sick.

On Tuesday we did most of the same things we did on Monday. We also loaded a wood splitter and cut some wood. The kids played school in the small cabin that I called home when I was 4 and 5. The day was cooler because of some storm clouds coming overhead. We left my mom's around 4:30 and drove to Laytonville to get some dinner at The Chief. We got milkshakes (yum!) and veggie burgers with fries and chicken strips for the kids. On our way over the hill to the coast we stopped and took pictures at this turnout where we were right on top of the fog. The kids were amazed and wanted to step right off the cliff to go walk and jump on what looked like a big solid fluffy pillow. Anyway, we took some pictures and continued on our way. We finally got some at 7:45 and were pooped out.

Wednesday we were all feeling a little more sick and although this is our usual day to visit GG's, we did not. They are getting older and we do not want them to get our sickness for their own health reasons so we cancelled. Most of the rest of the day was playing outside but staying close to home and resting our monds and bodies.

Thursday is Aiden's usual day of school but he was too sick to go. I actually went instead and joined The Board, so that I can help make decisions that may help or hurt the school. I really liked the group of people and am looking forward to my two year commitment. Jasper, Aiden's friend from school was sad that Aiden wasn't there (at school). I hope that Aiden will be in school next week to visit with his friends. So instead of school we played on the trampoline, played in the sand and stayed, one again, close to home. Lucas went to golf and I watched the kids for the second part of the day. My mom came home for a second to unload the woodsplitter and do some laundry and visit with the kids and then headed back to Iron Peak at 8 pm. Lucas came home around 6:15 and we all played together.

Today is my mom's birthday (46th). She will be returning home this evening and we'll have some cake and celebrate. Liam is taking his nap now and we need to do some grocery shopping soon. Aiden want to go get his library card so that we can start borrowing books instead of buying them. We have so many books and are running out of places to put them. So to save money and space we are going to start borrowing instead. We may or may not do that today. It's only 11:00, so I'll write more later....

Today was a chill day. Aiden was in school from 9-2 and I dropped him off there and came back home. When I got back I nursed Liam and we played inside for a while and then headed outside. We played in the sand for awhile. He was telling me I needed to be in the sand. I was crouched right by it and he kept saying, "come on, come on." I was saying that I was right there and he was insisting that I sit in the sand and actually be sandy like him. It was cute for sure.



We went into the garden after that. Liam looked at the pumpkins, which we are all proud of. We are ready to open up the garden on one side and make it bigger so next year we can plant even more stuff. I love the idea that we can provide for ourselves and not buy so many products. Consumerism is out of control. Anyway, Liam left the garden and started on the big wheel. I could tell he was in that tired phase where you aren't exactly ready to sleep but you are in a daze and focused on the one thing that you are doing. I let him tell me when he is ready to nurse because I didn't want to rip him away from the big wheel. He was ready and we went up stairs. He quickly fell asleep and I was off to work out in FB. I planned to pick up Aiden at 2 so I worked out for an 1 or so , got some lunch at Harvest, ate in my car and picked him up at Caspar. I love picking him up without Liam because I can focus on him and only him. Aiden is at a great age right now and I'm loving it. I let him play with his friends for a couple more minutes and then we headed off. I was home by 2:30 and Lucas was gonna golf around 3. We had some nursing/restful time, watched a cartoon and then played outside. The boys love to get on the trikes and go all the way around the house on the layed rocks. Aiden likes to take the lead and can get quite angry if you pass him. I think that he has been needing to be big and in control lately. The stairs are the same way, he has to be first. Later we went over to the BIG sand area we have. It used to be a sand volleyball court but then kind of got grown over when no one used it anymore. Then we started cleaning it up and we have been playing tehre more. It's like going to the beach without actually going to the beach. There are some HUGE pompous grasses out there and we were cutting off the tops that kind of look like soft furries or something you would cool a queen with and Aiden noticed that they could be golf flags. In our house the boys are a little obsessed with golf ( like their dad), so they often play. There are a couple clubs and ball over in the sand and Aiden dug some holes with his shovel and stuck the pompous grass thing in the ground all over the sand area. It looked cool and he had fun. When Liam wanted to start pulling them out though it kind of turned into a squabble and I asked if they wanted to go back inside. They did and we played some more in the house. I had to start prepping dinner so I put on a cartoon. They loooove Wow Wow Wubbzy, so they watched that while I got a few things on and did a load of laundry. We played outside again on the trikes and then it was dinnertime and daddy was home. Bath time followed with reading and bed.

Wacky Wednesday

Today (September 10th) we normally go to Lucas's grandparents house. They live in Mendo and love seeing the boys. We go around midday and usually see Grampy Ed and Uncle J there too. This time around I blew up those really big balloons that you are supposed to "dribble" on your hand as many times as you can. Anyway, they are the ones that get really big, and the boys just loved them. It's always a little scary to be kicking around things in the G.G's house because everything is breakable and such, but the boys were pretty good. Liam mainly kicked his like soccer and Aiden threw his in the air. The G.G.'s also got into it a little when it came there way. We came home around 2 pm.

At 3:30 the boys, everyone but me, headed to FB to do some errands and play mini golf. I slept horribly last night because of Liam and needed some space because I was not in a great mood. It was nice to get an hour and a half to myself, although much of it was spent redecorating and cleaning. I had a good conversation with my mom too, so it was restful I suppose.

They all got back around 5:45 and I was making dinner. Aiden looked like he had slept a little or was about to go to sleep and Liam was sleeping in the car. We had all got up early and Liam had taken an early nap so he was due for another. I had Lucas wake him up as it was close to dinnertime. We had dinner and the boys told me how mini golf was. They met Uncle J and cousin Sofia at the Golf place and played a round of golf with them. It sounded like Aiden had fun playing with her and Liam was saying "Sof" trying to get her attention. Liam is talking so much these days and wants anyone and everyone to hear what he has to say, although not all can understand it yet.

The boys finished dinner and were in the bubble bath next. After that they ran around naked for a while and played with the big boppy balloons and cars, of course.

Next was bed time brushing, reading and light out. Night night.

Soccer..

Staying up to date on our day to day life is still a new experience and I'm kind of slacking when it comes to writing about our week. Then when I do write I've forgotten what we've done on some days. Still, I think that this will be a useful tool in the future and for the kids to look back at what we've done. Let's go back a couple days;



Saturday was Aiden's very first soccer game. I was a little apprehensive about whether or not he would want to play because his last practice day was a little bit of a disaster. He ended up telling the coach that he didn't want to play soccer ever . Much to my surprise though he had a lot of fun. Grammy M.A. and grampy Ed came out for this game and I think that that got him a little more excite. Then they handed out uniforms too, which got him even more into it. He got number nine which was close to the number he wanted, which was great. He did as well as could be expected. He was actually amazing at goalie. When he was on the field he kind of just ran with the swarm of kids looking more at the bodies than the actual ball down on the ground. It was great though. I was beaming and proud.

Staying up to date on our day to day life is still a new experience and I'm kind of slacking when it comes to writing about our week. Then when I do write I've forgotten what we've done on some days. Still, I think that this will be a useful tool in the future and for the kids to look back at what we've done.

Oh those summer nights...

Today was hot and fun. Aiden went to school most of the day, but after was where all the fun began. We went to Caspar Beach right after and played in the sand. I didn't bring my camera but it was gorgeous. The tide was up and there were the most surfers I've ever seen at Caspar before. We picked a spot close to where the dry sand turns to wet and played there. I dug a hole with a little road where the waves could lap up and pour into the hole. The kids absolutely loved it. There were walls on each side so when the waves did come close to fill the hole the kids were blocked and didn't get wet. They played and dug and watched surfers for about an hour. We stopped by the store for some chichken and had an authentic summertime meal- outside style. It was a lot of fun. Liam still wanted his high chair but we sat at out picnic table with the sun going down over the trees behind us. The bugs weren't too bad and it was also a good temperature. We had BBQ chicken with BBQ corn and steamed carrots and zuchinni with a little bit of butter and salt. It was so delicious. Before we started dinner we went to out spot to pick blackberries and didn't get enough for a pie so decided instead to warm them up kind of like a syrup and use it as a topper over ice cream. Soooo goood. I think all in all this was my favorite summer night. Also we chopped off our sunflower heads and hung them to dry. I am excited for when we can roast them and taste some real homemade, homegrown sunflower seeds. Now i'm trying to figure out what I can plant in the place they were in.

Doctors and Fun

Tuesday was going to be a long day. The boys aren't the greatest car seat kids. They love to move around and be active and that is just not what the day was going to be full of. Liam was scheduled to see his cardiologist for an updated ultrasound of the heart and a check-up to see how he was progressing and when his surgery may be. We left the house at 9:30 am and were off for the three and a half hour car ride. Thankfully we left right before Liam's nap and he was soon asleep. Aiden behaved well and so the first half was painless. We stopped in Rhonert Park at Fresh Choice for some lunch and gas and were off again. We were cutting it close time wise so I was a little worried we would be late. We arrived at UCSF with 15 minutes to get from the Parking structure to the office. Right on time. We played with the chalkboard and waited. We watched Shrek, and waited. we played tea party, and waited. we waited for 45 minutes to an hour and finally we were in. I always wonder why we schedule appointments when we wait for another hour. Liam got weighted and measured and we waited some more. Thankfully only 10 minutes. Dr. Stanger said we were going to do the ultrasound first to save time then we would see him. I was extremely nervous about the ultrasound because the last time we did it he had to nurse the whole time and he still was not very happy about them puttong goo on his chest and wiggling that thing around. This time he was sooo good. I was so proud of him. They put on Baby Einstein and he actually watched it while laying on top of me and he let the guy do it. He still wasn't the happiest guy ever, but he was sooo good compared to last time. I was blown away. There are quite a bit of good things about your kids growing up. Not so muich stranger anxiety anymore. In fact he was saying "hi" to everyone, it was getting annoying. He was really asking for the attention that day. So Dr. Stanger saw us and checked his oxygen, blood pressure and pulses and said something amazing. "I'll see you in six months at the clinic." I was like, "okay, are you sure?" I asked if there was any idea when his next surgery may be and he said that in January when we see him next we would discuss it. I am so happy that doctors aren't such an everyday thing anymore. We checked into our hotel and walked to this gourmet burger place for dinner. The boys had fallen asleep on th car ride to the hotel and we let them sleep for a bit so we stayed up a bit later than usual. Lucas took them on a night walk while I relaxed. They had a great time. The city is amazing that it always offers something different.

We woke up the next morning way too early for going to bed late. We loaded up all our stuff and drove to breakfast. After breakfast it was off the the Aquarium and Pier 39. We called the night before to check opening times and they said 9:00 am but when we got there it wasn't open for another hour. We were bummed but we headed to the Sea Lions. They were so noisy you could hear them from the parking garage. When we got to the decks that they float on the kids were transfixed on them. We watched them sleep, growl, fight and swim for about 15 minutes but by that time my ears were practically bleeding from how loud they were. We bought these amazingly juicy sweet peaches from a little fruit market there that I have never seen. We went into the Lefty store and I bought a shirt for me that says, "Obamas a lefty" on it. The boys got two little trolley cars, because they don't have enough cars already. huh. By that time we were ready to head to the Aquarium and Liam was nearing nap time. We bought tickets, headed in and had a great time. I got a couple great shots, but my camera was on it's last battery bar. Still, it was a great visit and then Liam was fading so we finished up. Liam slept on the car ride to the zoo, which was only a half hour. When we got there it wasn't too busy yet. We headed off ready to see some cool animals. First things we saw were the giraffes. I always love the surprised and amazed look when young children first see these gigantic animals right in front of them. Liam was just watching them move and eat with wonder in his eyes. We moved on to this bird which I didn't see a label for but either looks like an ostrich or an emu. next we went to more birds, then gorillas and then for some lunch. We were all kind of needing some fuel and a rest. It was amazingly hot both days that we were there. I was surprised. It kind of made it a little harder. After lunch we took some pictures in a picture booth. It was funny trying to get the kids to pose and understand where to look. Here's a peek;

We headed on to the penguins, sea otters, tigers and lions. I haven't been to the zoo since the attack by the tiger. They have some massive security now. We had been at the zoo for a while now and the shiny newness was fading. The kids were tired and didn't really want to walk around anymore, and hot. We made the last loop around the back and decided that that would be it. We saw the rhinos, the grizzly bears, which were my favorite and so cute eating their fruits and veggies in the water. We then saw the polar bears, which one had an itch it needed to scratch and headed over to this rock and itched for a couple minutes. I don't know if it was because they are so big or what but it was hilarious and Aiden was laughing because we were making commentary like,"oh yeah, right there, that feels good." and then also it was kind of shaking its booty and we were singing a song to it. It was one of the funniest moments out of the two days. We saw Kangaroos and then played on the playground that they have for a while. We then headed out for the long drive ahead.

Labor day weekend

We went to the beach and met cousin Sofia there and Uncle J there. Liam was tired but we all had fun playing in the sand. We stayed for about 45 minutes and then headed home with Sofia in tow. The kids were singing and dancing in the back seat, it was so cute.


We did some science experiments that we found on funology.com. The bottle that Aiden is holding is a "Lava lamp". We had a lot of fun seeing all the fizzing and bubbling our experiments produced.

On Saturday Lucas was working and brought Aiden along since it was at his friends house. I watched Liam and we had our own fun. The two boys got back later and we did some fun stuff in the yard. The boys LOVE going around the house on their big wheels- they could do that for hours.