May Showers

This is certainly a strange year for weather. April showers has turned into May showers. Lets hope we all get those expected flowers, and produce. We have started our porch container garden for the season. It looks pretty good all things considering. We lost some catnip plants to the local cats that roam around and something dug up and ran off with a pepper plant. Do cats like pepper plants? The whole thing just disappeared out it's bucket. I don't think it was a person; they would have taken the bucket. Or so I would think? Otherwise, everything seems to be growing well. Enjoying the rain but maybe not the random cool spells. Lucian has picked out strawberries, flowers, and a lot of peppers. I hope we get a good bounty. Lucian helped pick out and plant as per tradition.  Apollo even managed to get his hands dirty (he was mostly exploring the planter and soil). Still, it was cute to see everyone involved. 

I'm happy to announce that we made it past the six month mark without any casualties. Easier said than done. Apollo has been getting on all fours, turning in circles, and inching backwards. He would still prefer to be upright and walking with assistance. He is interested in anything related to food, especially if he can convince you to give him whatever you are having. We have one tooth that isn't fully in but has broken though the gums (front middle left). Naturally, he uses that to chew on everything. It doesn't particularly feel good either. He really likes the outdoors, it calms him to be outside or to look out a window. It could also be his natural curiosity. We haven't exactly been outside on a regular basis with the coldness of winter and constant rain. He tends to be pretty happy if you stick to those things. 

Lucian is as creative as ever. We expanded his games to include minecraft, which he has been wanting for quite awhile. We were worried that it would be too difficult since he can't quite read as of yet. He surprised us. He is very good at figuring out what to do, builds cool things, and asks for help when needed. Today he built a house. It was pretty impressive. Definitely better than anything I could come up with. He even improved on Daddy's little dainty shack. He keeps showing more hints on reading too. I can't be sure if he has certain things memorized or he is actually teaching himself how to read.  Either way is good with me. It'll give him a bit of a head start in the area. We registered him for kindergarten for Fall aka the end of July when schools around here now start. He seems a little more excited about it now that he went with Daddy to sign up.  Previously he kept pushing to not go and stay home to be homeschooled. He used the word homeschooled by the way. We will see how it goes. He either likes it or doesn't.  The only thing I don't like is that they only have full day kindergarten without the half day option. We might look into other nearby schools because of that.  I'm not quite ready for him to be gone for 7 straight hours, and I'm not convinced he is either. Anyways, we shall see how things turn out. At least he's excited!

Where Has The Time Gone?

I've been trying to update the blog as I can, but never seem to have time for a post. It's been a rough past year; finishing school, pregnancy, and multiple moves.  We may not be living the dream, but I'm fairly happy with where we are. Our house has some issues, but it's not bad. Our work situation is not ideal, but it's fairly flexible and has perks. Our car is slowly breaking down, but it hasn't yet. Lots of transitions and changes as a family. Right now, we mostly have each other (should probably make some friends) and that's ok.

Today is Daddy's 30th birthday. We will be going on a trip over 4th of July weekend to celebrate our accomplishments. It's something we've both talked about. Today we will just be working. He will work the day and I the evening. We can share our company in the car. For now, it works. Plus, my travels back to my old office will be coming to an end. Sad to say goodbye to the space and my clients I've gotten to know so well, but happy to start a new adventure with less commuting and new challenges. Less commuting means more time for family. I hope he enjoys the day.

Lucian has grown so much. He talks all the time.  I think he has picked up a slight English accent. He still has trouble with certain sounds but is so much clearer (unless he is talking super fast with excitement).  We have a lot less frustration and break downs.  He still doesn't want to go to school though.  He says "I just want to stay home with you Mama".  We will see kiddo.  He currently loves Mario Bros. and Kirby.  He has a video game for each.  He makes me look like a terrible Mario player. He has taught me a few secrets and has made me play the super hard levels he creates. My character dies occasionally and he laughs about it. Ok I die a lot. He makes really hard levels!  Now that it's warmer out we've been enjoying the outdoors and picking flowers. Looking forward to more of that.  Especially tending our own plants.  Lucian picks out and plants all sorts of stuff. This year we are attempting strawberries!

Apollo has grown a lot too. He is almost 6 months old! He loves food so much we started him earlier than initially planned. He has tried many things (probably shouldn't have had some of it).  It's a good way to keep him happy and to be able to eat myself. He likes to be upright most of the time. So we hold him up and let him walk around.  He can grasp toys pretty well at this point and seems to love balls and music. His awesome big brother shares with him and hands him dropped toys. Today, he sat unassisted. I hope that he will utilize that more to give our backs a break. Still no teeth, but working hard at it. He also loves to attach himself to my hair!

So, that is that. Now I need time for picture updates.

Family Trip

It has been a pretty long weekend for us over here. Valentine's weekend is always the busiest time for me at work. Lots of love shown from couples through various services. Prior to that, we were all in Chicago. Joe had work, so we all accompanied him to test it out. It was too cold to explore, so we hung around the hotel and enjoyed the view and pool. The drive filled up the time between the short trip.

Monday, was president's day, a holiday for Joe. We took advantage of the lowered fees at the Children's Museum, as did many others. It was crowded, naturally, but not overly bad. Lucian seemed to have a grand old time exploring the different areas. That place is huge, so we did not run out of activities. He never seizes to amaze me with his creativity. I must say, I enjoyed it quite a bit myself. I may have been spotted playing dinosaurs with a group of kiddos and ordering food in the Chinese influenced exhibit. I even raced Lucian down the chocolate slide. He won, of course. Even Apollo was overly stimulated by the whole affair. Unfortunately, he passed out before we found the 5 and under area that would have been most appropriate for his individual skills. Perhaps next time. We will be considering a membership so we can go whenever we would like to (it's not terribly far and has free parking!) and hopefully not be as crowded. Plus, less likely to have sick kids around. Lucian is sick today and I can't help but wonder if that was why. Hopefully on the upswing from here.

Current Lucian Likes: Mario Bros., video games, pizza rolls
Current Apollo Likes: Flying like an airplane, books, being held constantly.

Springs A Comin'!

Welcome 2016!

With new years comes new adventures. I'm happy ours will start in a new town and a new condo. We are still not finished unpacking, but we are completely moved our of the previous house. We are slowly but surely going through boxes and bins. I may even have a couch in my future (wink wink). But everyone seems pretty happy and that is what is important. 

Lately, we have been utilizing the stairs. They are creaky and loud and wonderful for dropping balls down. Of course, we have every type of ball imaginable. I can't wait to unearth our giant slinky. Hours of fun for Mama if no one else. Apollo has been hopping up the stairs (with assistance of course). He loves to be upright in the standing position. I make sure he walks a little every day. Sometimes hops. It is so stinking adorable seeing him hop around like a bunny rabbit with a big ole grin on his face. He also enjoys playing airplane, reading, and talking. 

Lucian has been inventing games that involve tossing balls down the stairs. Poor Burnie has been in the line of fire multiple times already. He does seem to enjoy chasing bouncy balls. Lucian also likes to play Mario and Luigi games. They are plush. He comes up with full on creative scenarios and games. It really is quite impressive. We even involve Koopa,Yoshi, and the red mushroom I crocheted him for the holidays. I'm sure more will be made in the near future (add to my craft queue). Lucian has recently gotten a Wii from Grammy. His dream has completely come true when he received super mario maker. He has been obsessed with this game for awhile now. He has seem many a video via youtube. It has paid off. I thought the game would be too difficult, but I was wrong. He has moments of frustration, but it very creative and imaginative. He can play better than me for sure. I can't wait to see what levels he will come up with next. 

In the meantime, we will continue unpacking, carrying around Apollo for hours, and continue building the knex big ball factory that I unveiled from my childhood. It's been fun blasting into the past with some of my found childhood toys from storage. Pink legos is a plus. But maybe not so much with Barbie. I wasn't expecting to whip knex out for a few more years, but Lucian noticed the boxes and insisted I build it for him. Poor me!

Warm Winter

The weather has been warm despite being mid-December. There has been sun amongst the wind and overcast sky. We have been trying to take advantage of this with outdoor activities, crafts, and friends. We are super busy and have yet to find a place to move into, but we have been able to enjoy each other. Though we are all still adjusting to a new type of routine/understanding, I think it has been going pretty well.

I have been trying to accommodate Lucian as much as possible and encourage him to play. We have been working on writing and pronunciation. Every single day he gets a little clearer. I know it is frustrating for everyone, but we have been doing our best. We love him dearly and can only teach and encourage him. Right now he loves angry birds, super mario maker and cartoons, imaginative play, and knock knock jokes. He also slightly obsessed with saying the word butt. His imagination is amazing, People would wish to be only half as imaginative and creative as this amazing kid. Now lets hope he will survive on his favorite meal of cheese and turkey crackers with a side of blueberries. I think it's a well rounded meal ;-)

Apollo has been mostly sleeping. When he is awake he likes to be upright. He has been strengthening those legs by walking (with assistance obviously) around the room. He is also at the point where he can smile voluntarily.  I can't wait to see what is in store for us next.

Yay for little boys!

6 weeks

Well, we have officially survived the first six weeks of our family expansion. Thanks to family and friends for all the love and support. We have been trying to adjust to all the changes. New baby, new work schedule, etc. It hasn't been easy for any of us but we are certainly surviving. I am looking forward to the holiday season. I envision baked goods in our future. It's fun and it helps me relax. Plus the results are delicious.

I will have to post an end of the year update for Lucian and Apollo to show what they are up to and what their current likes are. It takes me a bit of time to do updating and it might be little by little, but it will get done. I started Apollo's basic information page so make sure to check out his stats. I will be updating pictures sometime this week so check back often. I think I will be starting an additional page to keep the single pictures of them separated. Apollo is getting fussy, so I will update more in the near future. Thanks for continuously visiting us.

Happy Halloween! +1

It's Halloween, another birthday for Lucian. He is officially five years old and has grown so much. His birthday was a little rough on him this year. He didn't get enough sleep the night before and that took a toll on him throughout the day. Even with a family nap. The day was filled with cartoons, playing, cake and presents. We didn't go all out this year like in previous years. We didn't have a party. But we did have a balloon scavenger hunt that he really enjoyed. Plus, he got to pop the balloons to find some little toys inside. Mostly bouncy balls. It's hard to fit things in balloons.  I think it would have been a busier day if I wasn't so exhausted. Baby brother decided he was going to arrive very early in the morning on his big brother's birthday. That's right, the baby has arrived and it's a boy! And they are exactly 5 years apart to the day. I was hoping to avoid it, but the universe decided that they should share a birthday. We will have to figure that one out in the future, but for now we will just enjoy our time together.  The best thing is, Lucian has been getting lots of attention from his grandparents. His imagination is vast.  He can come up with long stories and play on it for hours. I didn't realize how big Lucian was getting until baby brother has come. Walking around with a newborn really put the size of Lucian in prospective. He is huge. Almost as big as myself. I can hardly believe it.

But tonight is Halloween. We have trick or treating to do. Lucian has decided to dress up as the red bird from angry birds. I finished his costume right before going into labor. That is another story altogether. Tonight is about family and festive holidays. I hope everyone gets to enjoy this time of year. It is certainly my favorite time. Right now I'm feeling blessed to be around family. Now mine has been expanded by one. I can't wait to see what is to come. I'm especially grateful for my boys: Lucian and Apollo.  For more Halloweens and adventures to come.

Happy Birthday Lucian!
Welcome and Happy Birthday Apollo!