Nice Big Brother

Anthony has always been very nice at sharing treats with his little brother.  If he has a lollipop or popsicle he always trades licks.

Bob came home with some tiny Scharffen Berger chocolates yesterday evening.  Anthony fed most of his chocolate to Richie.  (Yes, we shared artisan chocolate with the kids!)  I asked him why he was so generous and his response was that it makes him happy.

Memorial Day Weekend

 We had a lovely Memorial Day weekend up in Tahoe with friends.  We arrived Saturday after lunch and promptly set out for a short nature walk. Richie was THRILLED to learn to blow dandelions.  His big brother taught him that trick.  He was less than thrilled that we wouldn't let him play in the river.  Anthony and Ciaran enjoyed playing in the river and we all were very impressed with the beaver dam!

  The following day was camera free as we went for a bike ride from the base of Squaw Valley down into Tahoe City.  We played by Lake Tahoe for awhile.  Anthony went in well past his knees while we were able to keep the baby distracted away from the water.

  We did let Richie play in the water when we went to Donner Lake for a short outing before the drive home.  He thought it was cold.  Anthony thought it was cold, too.  He played in the water some, but spent a lot of time playing in the rocks that sheltered the swimming area.

Anthony's Plant (Another Year, Another Bean)

As usual, he loves his plant.  He waters it obsessively.  He carries it around with him.  (We're going to the park, wait, I need to get my plant.)  He checked on it every 30 seconds to see if the seed had germinated.

Yet somehow, the plants always seem to grow.

This year's is going into the ground tomorrow.

His Easter basket will contain pumpkin, watermelon and sunflower seeds.  I expect that they will all be well loved.  Hopefully not too well.

Visiting the Easter Bunny

A few weeks ago we took the boys to the mall to get big boy shoes for Richie (size 4 1/2) and to visit the Easter Bunny.  Richie found the bunny to be absolutely fascinating.  Anthony immediately recognized that he wasn't real and proceeded to stage whisper to me.  I told him not to say it out loud so he didn't hurt the bunny's feelings.

Last night Anthony asked me if the Easter Bunny was real.  I asked him what he thought.  His response was that the one at the mall was fake and he could see the person inside.  I suggested that it might be one of the Easter Bunny's helpers.  Anthony didn't like that answer very much, but did proceed to explain that the Easter Bunny was busy getting everything ready for Easter.

The rest of the trip...

Somehow, we didn't get pictures for some of my favorite parts of our trip.

The hotel had a nice warm pool.  Anthony swam for at least an hour each day, he probably had more in him.  His stroke needs serious work, but he could swim the width of the pool.

Richie LOVED the pool.  He thought it was hysterically funny when Daddy helped him float on his back.  He didn't get quite as much swimming time as brother--one day I made him nap instead of swimming and another day we came out early as he was turning blue. 

As Anthony said, "There is nothing funner than swimming."


The other great part of our trip was our walk at Armstrong Redwoods State Park.  Anthony really hoped to see a banana slug.  He even made a point of asking the ranger if they had them.  We looked closely, but no banana slugs.  He did find lots of wildflowers and some very pretty mushrooms.  Its funny, it was probably the slowest hike I ever took, well over an hour to walk under a mile and a half.  It was because Anthony was exploring the entire time.  

Richie slept through most of the walk.  He did wake up and go for a short walk himself before I plopped him back in the stroller.  Anthony was slow enough, if we'd gone at Richie's speed we'd still be in the redwoods!

Old Friends/New Friends

I really wanted a babysitter for part of our trip, but i just wasn't comfortable leaving the boys with a complete stranger.  Then I had the "a-ha" moment and realized that one of my former scouts moved up to the Santa Rosa about 11 years ago.

I called up the family and they were happy to take on the boys.  The boys spent one evening at their house playing with Dana's daughter.  All three kids had a great time together.  Then Dana and her daughter came out and joined us on the walking part of the safari and kept Richie while we went on the jeep tour. 

 It was really nice seeing my scouts all grown up.  Her daughter was just precious and I really enjoyed getting to meet her.  A good part of the drive home Anthony was spotting random white SUVs and asking if that was his friend's car.

Safari West

The highlight of our vacation was a trip to Safari West in Santa Rosa.  It was a pretty fabulous experience.  We slept in a safari tent; Anthony was thrilled to sleep in a bunk bed. I don't think the rest of our acommodations were even noticed..  We were up a good part of the night with Richie, but it was kind of wild hearing the flamingos all night long.  For the record, those birdies are LOUD.

  In the morning we headed out for our safari.  Richie joined us for the walking tour (before we got in the jeep) and then stayed behind with one of my former Scout.

  The safari was pretty darn neat.  Bob and Anthony rode on the top seat and were pretty much face to face with this giraffe.  While Anthony enjoyed the animals, he just enjoyed going four wheeling, the animals were a bonus.  Besides and up close and personal visit with the giraffes, we saw rhinos, cape buffalo and all sorts of antelope.  (The zebras were nowhere to be found.)

  Another nice part of the experience was that both boys made new friends.  While we were enjoying our communal dinner, Richie hit it off with the 3 year old girl at our table.  When he was done playing I let him toddle around the dining area.  Next thing I knew she had him by the hand, announcing to her mother that she was taking him potty.  (We stopped that.)  Anthony made friends with the girl on our safari and was thrilled to see her at McDonald's on our way out of town!

Snoopy's Ice Rink

 We took a long weekend to Santa Rosa for Anthony's Spring Break.  The first day we went to the Charles Schulz museum and ice rink.  We visited the museum in the morning and after lunch at the Warm Puppy Cafe I took Anthony ice skating.  (Bob sat out the skating as his ankle is still healing from a bounce house injury.)

  Anthony got frustrated occasionally with how slowly he skated compared to some of the other kids.  Most of those kids were clearly accomplished skaters, I thought he did remarkably well for his second time on skates. 

  We skated for a little over an hour, then had snack and headed back to the hotel pool to swim.  (For the record, nothing is better than swimming!)

Happiness Is...

Sharing Daddy's ice cream.












Since we were at the Warm Puppy Cafe, a little "You're a good man Charlie Brown" seems in order.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d13_LoHQkRM

Happiness is finding a pencil.
Pizza with sausage.
Telling the time.
Happiness is learning to whistle.
Tying your shoe for the very first time.
Happiness is playing the drum in your own school band.
And happiness is walking hand in hand.
Happiness is two kinds of ice cream.
Knowing a secret.
Climbing a tree.
Happiness is five different crayons.
Catching a firefly.
Setting him free.
Happiness is being alone every now and then.
And happiness is coming home again.
Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and night time too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.
Happiness is having a sister.
Sharing a sandwich.
Getting along.
Happiness is singing together when day is through,
And happiness is those who sing with you.
Happiness is morning and evening,
Daytime and nighttime too.
For happiness is anyone and anything at all
That’s loved by you.

Fifteen Months Old!

Richie walks!  That's the big news of the month.  He's still very wobbly but he walks everywhere he goes.  He's also discovered Anthony's old lawnmower and loves to mow the sidewalks with it.

  He also talks.  He jabbers all the time, but he has more and more real words.  The current list:  oh-oh, no, ball, dog, bottle, book and I'm fairly confident he says "thank you".  Now, you have to be "skilled in the art" to understand his words, but he's definitely saying them. 

 His fifteen month check-up went well.  He's still pretty tiny, 20lb, 2 oz and 29" tall. That makes him 15% for weight and 2% for height.  He's still follow his curve on the growth chart, and at least he's on it!  The nurse practitioner thinks he will grow more teeth, as he's still at 6 and holding.

  I just looked back on my blog post for Anthony, and Richie is doing more or less the same stuff, though he doesn't stack blocks.  He can scribble with crayons, talk on the phone, and likes to play with light switches.  And, like Anthony at this age, he's insanely clingy.  Oh, and he throws temper tamtrums.  The kind where you throw your whole body down screaming because you didn't get your way!

Grandpa's Birthday Party

 We were very excited to go to Omaha over Winter Break to help Grandpa celebrate his birthday.  (Don't tell anyone, but Anthony thought 70 was VERY old.)
  We had a big party with lots of family there.  Richie was exhausted, but a very good sport about playing "pass the baby".  He'd pretty much flirt with anyone who would give him a cell phone to play with. 
  It took awhile, but Anthony and his cousin Alex finally started bonding over games on their parent's phones.  A while later they were running all over the place playing together. 

Omaha Zoo

 I was having blogger problems, so I got behind on pictures from our trip to Omaha.

  I try to make a point of taking the family to the zoo every time we're in Omaha.  Its a fabulous zoo and I always discover something new.  This year I visited the swamp area for the first time.  I thought the beavers in their lodge were quite cool.  We also spent quite awhile in the rainforest exhibit where Anthony was thrilled to see hippos in the river below.

  The highlight of the trip for Anthony was sitting right next to a gorilla.  Obviously the gorilla was on the other side of the glass, but he sat right down next to Anthony and crossed his arms.

  Anthony also enjoyed helping Grandpa drive his scooter.  They did remarkably well together!

Beach Day

 The weather is positively glorious, so we headed down to Santa Cruz for the first beach day of the year.  It was a fabulous day.  Both boys love the beach.  We were there for 4 1/2 hours, and Anthony was playing in the water the entire time.  No real pictures this time, but it was the standard fun.  Run from the waves, throw things in the waves, jump around in the waves...

  Richie had a fabulous time, too.  He walked around in the sand, crawled around in the edge of the water, visited with various dogs, borrowed another families volley ball and took one very very very short nap.

Richie's Orange

 While visiting with friends this afternoon, Richie got his hands on an orange.  He chewed on the peel for awhile, then I took pity on him and peeled it a bit.  He went to town on that thing!  I think he ate nearly half the orange.  His clothing was completely drenched in orange juice by the time he was done. 

Snow in Omaha

 There wasn't much snow in Omaha, but Anthony made the most of it!  Shortly after getting off the airplane Anthony made a snowball and threw it at Daddy!  He thought it was great fun.

  He was thrilled beyond belief to discover patches of snow right outside Auntie Jessica's back door.  He spent a long time playing in the snow in his pajamas!  The best part was the second morning when there was an inch of fresh snow on the ground. 

  After Grandpa's birthday party he spent a good half hour playing in the snow directly in front of a picture window at Grandpa's assisted living home.  At one point he had almost a dozen grandmotherly types watching.  (I wasn't sure whether they were enjoying him playing in the snow or appalled that he wasn't wearing a coat or mittens.  At least he was dressed then!)

Fourteen Months Old

Richie is a big boy now!  Well, not that big, but he did outgrow his little overalls (size 9 months).  They fit in Omaha two weeks ago and now are too tight, so he has grown.

More than that, though, he can DO stuff.

1.  He really likes feeding himself with a fork and spoon.  His skills are minimal, but he's really into it.
2.  He's toddling up to 20 steps at a time.  He crawls wicked fast, though, so its far more efficient.  He has figured out to crawl backwards down steps, finally.
3.  He's mastered the word "uh-oh" and uses it properly.  Example:  he throws his milk cup on the floor and then says, "uh-oh".
4.  He's sleeping through the night maybe half the time.
5.  He can fit two lego duplos together.

One Hundred Days of School

Last Wednesday was the 100th day of school.  Anthony's class celebrated with an 101 Dalmations party.

In addition to the great costumes, they each had a baggie with 10 pieces of ten kinds of treats.

Thirteen Months Old

Richie is thirteen months old!

He's still a tiny little thing.  At his 12 month check-up a few weeks ago he weighed in at 19 pounds and 26(?) inches.  20% for weight and around 5% for height.  He still has a few 6-9 month clothes that fit, but most are outgrown.  Some of his 6-12 month clothes are very roomy, but some in brands that run smaller are getting outgrown, too.

Sleeping is much improved in the last week or two.  He's sleeping all the way through the night about 50% of the time, including the last two days.

He's starting to walk, but its very slow.  A little surprising given how well he stands and cruises.  Everyone at daycare thought he'd be walking by New Year's.  He'll take a step or two at a time, though.  Last night when I picked him up he took the first two (cautious) steps and crawled the rest. 

His latest trick is dancing.  He is smitten with the music that plays before Anthony's "Rainbow Loom" videos.  Whenever the music comes on he'll do the little "baby butt bob" dance.  Its so cute!

He has also discovered the game where you drop things and other people pick them up for you.  That's a lot of fun!

This picture was taken at the park by our house.  He had a wonderful time crawling all around the sandbox exploring.

Summer Days

 Ooops, I meant winter days.  Although, really, you wouldn't know.  We haven't had rain since early December and there isn't any forecast for weeks.

  We pretty much spent last weekend outside playing.  Saturday afternoon we had a park playdate with kindergarten friends.  (Anthony complained he was too hot.)  Sunday we had a park playdate with Ciaran.  Anthony picked the park venue.  I had hoped it was for the neat climbing area on the playground.  Nope, he wanted to go down and climb around in the dry creekbed.  He and Ciaran had a great time together.

  Richie basically tagged along, though he did some time on the swing.

Crazy Hair Day

Today is Crazy Hair day at school.

I spiked Anthony's hair and added gold and purple stripes.  I thought he looked pretty good.  Its funny, the gold looks better in person, the purple shows up better in the picture.

We considered coloring Richie's hair (what there is of it) to match.  However, we're fairly confident is strawberry blond, baby fine hair would hold on tight to the color.  I don't want to turn his hair purple permanently!

Ice Skating

Anthony has been begging to go ice skating for a few weeks now.  Sunday afternoon I relented and took him to a local rink. 

  They have "bucket skating" for the beginners.  Basically, you pile up the buckets and can push them ahead of you and use them for balance.  Before he was actually on the ice, Anthony was insistent that he didn't need the buckets.  The minute he was on the ice he realized that it was very slippery and was hanging on to his bucket for dear life.   We got off to a slow start, but after 10 minutes or so, he started to get the hang of it and I took him out on the main part of the rink so he could get the idea of a bit of speed.

  By the end of the session he'd really figured it out and could make it half-way around the rink at a stretch!  Check it out!

La Brea Tar Pits

 Our first day in Southern Calfornia was spent at the La Brea Tar Pits.  In that area of Los Angeles, tar seeps to the surface from oil reserves deep underground.  Back in the last ice age, the tar would get covered with water or leaves, animals would walk into it, get stuck, and the rest is history.  Or archeology.

  The first thing we did when we arrived at the tar pits was go to an observation pit.  We could see a partial escavation of a mastodon from a block of tar.  They also had a neat exhibit where you could try and pull the weight of your leg out of a chunk of tar.  Anthony was fascinated.

  On our walk across the grass to the museum, my sister Erika spotted a small bit of tar seeping through the grass.  Despite my admonishions to not touch, Anthony did.  He discovered it was very sticky and tried to wipe it off in the grass.  Of course, then the grass stuck to his tarry finger.  (I had told him not to touch the tar, but he was very curious.)

  Anthony enjoyed seeing all the skeletons—mastadons, mammoths, saber tooth cats and the like.  We took a break to visit with a docent and he told her about how his Aunt Erika found tar and he touched it.  She asked him what he learned.  His response, “It was a mistake."

Richie’s First Birthday Party

 Richie turned one year old on New Year’s Eve.  We had a small family party at my sister’s house to celebrate.  Richard had a nice time mashing up his cupcake.  A cousin complained “He’s wasting the best part,” meaning the frosting.  He ate a few bites.  I’d expected more gusto, but he’s getting over a bug and his appetite isn’t the best.

  Richie is SO CLOSE to walking.  He’s cruising, he’s standing independently, but isn’t QUITE there yet.  Any day now.

  He is a lousy sleeper when we travel.  Possibly even worse than Anthony, if you can imagine such a thing.  Its a good thing he’s so cute.

Candy Cane

 Somehow Richie got his hands on a candy cane.  He was enjoying it so much I didn’t have the heart to take it away from him.

  His stocking did have some treats.  Animal crackers, gingerbread crackers and a teeny chocolate Santa.  This was way better.

  He’s clearly a second child.  I don’t think Anthony discovered any candy before his second birthday.

Christmas Brunch at the Fairmont

 I wanted Christmas to be special, but I really didn’t want to cook.  We went out to Christmas brunch at the Fairmont instead.  It was really nice.  The food was excellent, the desserts were amazing.  Anthony decorated a cookie, as you can see!

  Anthony got a balloon flower and Richard got his face painted.  I asked for “something fast and easy”.  He rocked his little Chrismas tree.

  Afterwards we walked around Christmas in the park in San Jose.  It was a perfect afternoon!