Awesome Things Liam Says

Overheard tonight from the upstairs bedroom:
Daddy: "Who is your favorite princess?"
Liam: "Mommy!"

15 Month Update

I talk a lot about Livi's ability to make people's heart melt, but I just want to emphasize how crazy adorable she is ONE more time. It's hard to explain it in words or even with pictures. And it's not only her natural beauty, it's the expressions she gives and the smiles she flashes at just the right time. She is definitely getting how to use this to her advantage. And if you somehow get through that and tell her "no", you get such a little temper. I honestly find myself asking if it's worth the fight I am going to get to say no to her. She will flail her body around and yell at you and then look up at you as if to say "How dare you, don't you know who I am?"

As of a couple of weeks ago, she weighed 24 pounds, 2 ounces and was 31.5 inches tall. She has a couple more weeks to go before the cast comes off and she has really started getting used to life with it. New words include "flower" "whassis (what's this?)" and "monkey".

Day At The Park

It's been so long since I took the kids to the park, so we drove on over yesterday. Let's just say we won't be back any time soon. I just can't believe how ridiculously hot it was already. It had to be somewhere in the 90's and the air was so dense with all the humidity. The kids still had a good time.

^ This was Liam being a peeping tom. There were some girls having a little picnic under the playground and Liam spent too much time staring at them through the holes in the floor. Occasionally, one of the girls would look up and say "He's still looking at us". Eventually, they ended up running after each other. My little flirt on the playground.

It's a Boy Thing

I always heard that boys just knew what a gun was regardless of their upbringing, but I never quite believed it until I had my own boy. I am here to tell you this is a true statement. I think we have done a good job of keeping him away from violent television. We don't watch anything when he is awake, save for the random kids show after naptime. He isn't allowed to have "shooters" as toys. I even find myself changing NPR when they start talking about the war and people dying. Yet time after time, Liam insists on pretending that every single thing that he picks up is a gun. Sandwiches, hockey sticks, baseball bats- they all become guns. I don't stop him from playing with other kids' gun toys or even from pretending his own toys are guns. I figure the more I fight it, the more he will want to do it. But when he asks if I want to play shooters with him, I politely tell him "No thank you. I don't really like shooters".

The problem I have with guns is the way violence is so prominently displayed in media. I don't want him to think of it as "normal" behavior. And believe me, you are not even aware of how overtly violent media is until you have kids and are trying to avoid it. I don't want to censor him from this stuff, I just don't think a 3 year old is ready to have a conversation about guns and death and murder. Call me crazy.

I felt alot better about the whole thing after I had a conversation with him on the topic. It went a little something like this...
Liam (pretending his army guys are shooting)
Me: Liam, what do you think happens when your army guys are shooting?
Liam: The monsters are there and they shoot the monsters
Me: And what happens to the monsters when the army guys shoot them?
Liam: They get a boo-boo and go away
Me: Why are they shooting the monsters?
Liam: Because they are bad guys.
Me: So the army guys shoot the monsters because they are bad. And then the monsters get a boo-boo and go away?
Liam: Yea, but then they go to the doctor and they are all better.

I don't know why this made me feel better. Maybe because he didn't use the "kill" or "die" words. Or because even though the monsters were bad, he still made a point to tell me they were gonna be ok. It's just hard to remember that he is 3 and he doesn't understand the scope of what a gun is just yet. In the meantime, there isn't much I can do but show my distaste for the things and hope he catches on. Yea I know, fat chance.

A Good Weekend

A good weekend by my definition consists of two thing: fun and practicality. The first one doesn't need any explanation. I mean who doesn't love to have some fun on the weekend, amiright? But the second one is one most moms can relate to. If I can get a few hours to clean, get groceries, plan meals and start cooking for the week- I know that upcoming week will be a lot less stressful. That's alot to pack into one weekend which is why time seems to fly so fast.

This past weekend happened to be a fantastic one. Not only did we get to do some fun stuff with the kids, but I also got the week's meals planned and started AND got a yoga class in. None of this would be possible, by the way, if it weren't for my fantastic hubby helping me along the way. He also got to go to the gym and bake some biscotti. So overall, a balanced and fulfilling weekend. Now on to Monday... booo...

Uh-oh

Let me just start by saying that a cast on an almost 15 month old is the cutest/saddest thing ever. She fell on Tuesday night, but a normal fall. She was screaming and grabbing at her arm. We just figured it was bruised a little, but when she kept grabbing at it the second day I figured we should take her in. Fast forward through various doctor offices, hospitals, and x-rays and it ends up she has a buckle fracture on her left forearm and needs a cast.

I cannot explain to you how amazing she was all day long. I was constantly getting her in and out of her carseat. She didn't get her normal nap. I had to fill out oodles of paperwork. Through it all, she was all smiles. She visited every single person in every single waiting room we visited today and she did it with a grin. I guarantee she made a few people's day and that is the magic of Livi. :)

The downside of it all, the very HUGE downside is that she can't reach her thumb. This is bad, this is sooo bad. Imagine Batman without Robin, ok that's not actually that hard to do. The point here is that she relies heavily on that thumb to soothe her. If tonight was any indication, the next three weeks are gonna SUCK!

Happy Mothers Day

Being a mom is hard, there's nothing easy about it. But it's also a privilege. There isn't a day that goes by that I am not eternally grateful that these 2 little people are in my life. I love them with all of my heart and I am running out of adjectives to use to describe the feelings I have for them. They are the sun and the moon and everything in between and I can't remember life without them. So Mothers Day is great and everything, but it's them I should be thanking for picking me. I am the luckiest mommy ever.

Books We're Reading

Liam is such a fan of books. He is a happy camper in the car as long as he has a stack of books next to him. We read 2 books every single night before bedtime. These are a few of the books that are popular in the household right now.


Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
This book is fabulous. Kama got it for him and it brings back so many memories for me. My brother had this whole thing memorized and performed it for some kind of competition when we were growing up. Every time we read it, it reminds me of Josh. And how can you not love a kid whose idea of escaping his problems is to move to Australia?


Green Eggs and Ham
Liam loves Dr Seuss books. The Cat In The Hat has always been a personal favorite for him, along with Horton. I have been meaning to get this classic for some time now, but Nana beat me to it and got it for him for Easter. I have to admit that I am not sure who loves it more, me or him.


I Love You Stinky Face
This one has been around for a long time, but always finds its way back into rotation. This is a book that Liam and I share together. He will tell you it's my favorite. It's a great little story about a boy who asks his mom if she would still love him if he "were a big, scary ape" to which she replies "If you were a big, scary ape, I would make your birthday cake out of bananas, and I would tell you, 'I love you, my big, scary ape.'" There is nothing better than snuggling with my little guy in my bed and reading this to him while he giggles next to me. The last lines of the book say it all. "I love you Mama" " And I love you, my wonderful child"

AHOY!

OMG- we were so excited when we found out that there was a new Disney Junior Show that featured Liam's new favorite show "Jake and the Neverland Pirates". How happy is this kid?

Disney-Day 3

Day 2 was spent recovering, hanging out at our cool hotel and visiting Downtown Disney. On day 3, we spent the first half of the day at Hollywood Studios and then back to the hotel for a nap. Then BACK to Epcot for some fireworks! And that is the beauty of a hotel by the parks. The nap made all the difference and we were so close that it was no big deal to leave and come back. I am looking at these photos and noticing a lot more posing than usual. Please excuse me as I indulge in the obligatory Disney poses, but these are too cute not to post.