Our First NY Easter, 2013

Hop Hop Hop 

I was wondering whether the Easter Bunny would leave his warm bunny hole to deliver easter egg goodies in the cold snowy grass, but nothing stops him..... Snow or Shine, this bunny means business!
This marks our first ever "white" Easter! And it began one week earlier when we had breakfast with the Easter Bunny at Wegman's :)

Jax was smitten with the bunny..... he loved on him so much, and wanted to take him home!

Easter 2013 Family Portrait :)

The days leading up to Easter Sunday were full of many arts and crafts, 

egg painting, and cookie baking!

Jax dyeing his first easter egg 

The day before Easter, we not only baked cookies, and dyed more eggs, but it was such a nice "warm 50 degree" day that we got to play at the playground!

Easter morning..... Egg Hunt #1 (indoors)

Egg Hunt #2 (outside)  The snow was melting and we had another warm day to relish!

Hunting for eggs in the snow!

The boys found lots of neat little toy surprises in their eggs, and also got a big Easter basket filled with new paintbrushes, science projects, squishy monsters, and chocolate bunnies!

Then the bunny told the boys he had another fun surprise for them, and so we followed the bunny down his bunny hole and came out on the other end... splish splashing!!! 

At Splash Lagoon (giant indoor water park) in Erie, PA!

Not a bad Easter Sunday, spent playing at the kiddie water playground, splashing in wave pools, floating in the lazy river, and going down water slides!  It was a fun family day!  Taji was also brave enough to go down a couple toddler/kiddie water slides and LOVED it!
It almost felt like we were on vacation :)

Last Sledding of the Season

It is April, and we are STILL getting snow.  Then it warms up, the snow melts, and a few days later..... snow AGAIN!  What are we gonna do?

Go sledding!

Taj & Daddy were able to get some crazy fun, last sledding of the season on video.  Although the adults are eager for the weather to warm up, the kiddos don't seem to mind.  In fact, every time it snows, Taj excitedly shouts "I want to go sledding!"

March Madness

Spring has arrived....ah yes, the blooming of flowers, the twittering of birds, the warmth of the sun.... except, not here!

Its Spring on the East Coast:  SNOW, SNOW, and more SNOW!  Some days, I feel like we are in a snow globe!  Probably more snow than we received in January and February combined!  Forget the flowers and trees blooming, we have icicles hanging off our roof and trees covered with snow!  Forget the twittering of the birds and little critters scurrying around, those guys are probably so confused and sick of hibernation as we are!  Maybe this is all a cruel April Fools joke, and on April 1st the "real" Spring will actually arrive laughing hysterically at us!  Fingers, arms, legs, and toes crossed!

My dear friends, I won't sugar coat it, its cold, its snowy, and we are SO over it. So Spring officially started this week, and after a good laugh and cry, we've decided this is March Madness.  I wish we were referring to the March basketball tournament, but sadly, this is just us going mad over this Wintering.  You heard right, I invented a new word for the East Coast transition season, its not Winter any more and its not Spring yet, its Wintering!  And it sounds like waiting..... lots of waiting (and hoping).  We've been told March is the month that everyone around here dreads.  By the time March hits, Winter feels sooooo long.  But this, they swear, this kind of Wintering snow is highly unusual for this time of the year!  Hmmm, I don't know if I buy that!!!  March is also the month that everyone heads to Florida!  With Spring Break officially starting today, I guess we didn't get the memo about Florida?!  LOL  Spring Break is 2 weeks long for the kiddos here (which is a plus); however, not when you don't have a vacation planned because its seems that all the YMCA classes, preschool, music classes, are put on hold and the town turns into even more of a ghost town :( We are happy we took our vacation to Turks & Caicos back in February, but almost wish we saved it for the end of this month! By the time March rolls around, everyone around here is ready for Winter to be over, and you can feel and almost taste that Spring is around the corner.  What a funny month.  Teasers and Injuries.  Our teasers have been the numerous days of 50-60 degree F temperatures (which feels ridiculously warm considering the our temps in the 'teens), blue skies, rosy sunsets, heck, even the birds have flown back and have been chirping up a storm!  The little critters were out of hibernation as well for a little bit, as I almost ran over an opossum the other week! We get these teasers, and then old man Winter storms back in (injuring our excitement and hope over Spring) to regurgitate the rest of the snow he's trying to get out of his system.  That old man is stubborn, and he's one tricky fella!

Note to self: January and February are for skiing, sledding, snowmobiling, gatherings with friends, playdates with little buddies, and lots of hot cocoa.  March and April are for traveling.   I wouldn't trade our dream house for the world, but I will gladly enjoy my Wintering elsewhere.  I predict lots of roadtrips, weekenders, and vacations during this time of year.  After experiencing my first March in Bemus, I already know where I want to spend my 2nd March..... in a foreign country, and where they are well known for their bull-fighting and paella! :)

For the other days in the Winter and Wintering time of year, when we are not out road-tripping or traveling, I learned an important lesson--the week we returned from our tropical vacation---
DO NOT sit around the house for 3 days straight! (unless you are sick, like in my case right now and virtually can't) Okay, we admit we were tired, we were lazy, we liked playing and laying around house since it was cold and cloudy out..... but on the 4th day, we went bananas!  The lesson is that during the Winter it is even more essential we keep busy and stick to our schedules.  I figure its like that for every stay-at-home mom, but for the moms living in cold climate its even more crucial.  I'm not afraid to drive in the snow, and there's a lot to do with kiddos during this season.  Its all about effort, motivation, scheduling, and being productive.... and it makes time pass quicker.  From the story times...... at the local libraries, at Erie Zoo (the weekly themed Zootots indoor classes include stories, art & crafts, animal showcase and playing), and at the Children's Experience Museum (these are science themed, and since we are museum members, their weekly classes and events are free!,) to the Tuesday toddler time at the local bounce house place at the mall, and lots of bouncing going on in our own mini bounce house we have in the game room!  Taj adores his YMCA Tuesday and Friday preschool class, where they play, make art, have sensory play, and jump on trampolines.   We also have our usual Thursday library and Musikgarten class at the Ashville library, and I'm looking forward to taking over their toddler story time in the near future! Then there's the Peak n' Peek ski resort for indoor swimming and playground, Splash Lagoon indoor water park, and seeing shows at the Theater! Taj and Jax also have their play buddies we coordinate play dates with.  So really, boredom is a choice, and in this family, that word does not  and will not exist.

So far this month we've not only done the above, but we also took the boys to see the elementary school's talent show, the Sesame Street "Elmo Makes Music" show in Buffalo, had a special breakfast at the fire station, playdates with cousin Finley and Taj's girlfriend Charley.

Elmo Makes Music show, our first musical with the kids!

 cousin munchkins

Taj's girlfriend Charley, they have so much fun together at the YMCA :)

Mom & Sons 1st Official Weekend Away (Cleveland, OH)

 Daddy Brad went to Vegas last weekend for business/pleasure, and my little boys and I were in the mood for some adventure!  So what do we do?  We go on an adventure of course! Our first Mom & Sons weekend away (a new tradition we are starting, along with other ones). Since we've checked out the majority of the museums and aquariums around Bemus, Erie, and Buffalo, we thought it would be fun to venture to the next closest biggest city..... 2 states away, and a 2 hour drive later we found ourselves in Cleveland, Ohio!  On our first day--Saturday, we explored the Great Lakes Science Center, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (pictured above.)  Quick trivia:  Where is the birthplace of Rock and Roll? Cleveland, duh?! Yeah, took me by surprise too but its true, just google it!

 Surprisingly, Cleveland has a hip little vibe to it! With University Circle being the central for all these grand art museums, manicured parks,  and top notch Medical Research University and Center, I can only imagine how beautiful the area looks when its not Winter.  Murray Hill, the Coventry Village, and Little Italy were some of my favorites with their restaurants, shops, and yes, mansions!  I always thought Ohio was supposed to be flat, but not in the city.  So many hills, curvy twist streets, and forests.  And if you need to shop and dine it has it all (Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and all the others), and their giant Italian shopping village with its grand entrance gate (as if you were pulling up to a castle) called Legacy Village has California's Irvine Spectrum beat by far.  Cleveland Heights was my favorite area, and if we had to live in Ohio this is where I would want to be.

Great Lakes Science Center:

Dinner with my boys at the famous Tommy's, in the Coventry Village:

After dinner, we checked in to our beloved Embassy Suites, fed their turtles, had Tommy's famous milkshake for dessert in the room, took a bath, FaceTime with daddy, story time in bed, and then I cuddled with my boys until we fell asleep.  Love the feeling of waking up and Taj is laying to the left of me in bed, and Jax to the right of me in his pack n play.  When Jax awoke I pulled him up into bed with us and nursed him, while Taji showered us both with kisses.  Such sweet mommy and son moments I will always treasure!  Then, after we plowed through our breakfast, we packed up, checked out,  we visited our friend Bridget and her girls, who live in Richmond Heights.  Because they were moving that weekend to their new house and their family was in town we couldn't have much play time with them, but nevertheless, it was nice to see them and plan our next Cleveland visit with them.  The boys took their nap in the car on the way to the aquarium, which I honestly I have to say wasn't too impressive.  Taj did love the sharks and the long shark tunnel though and it was great for the boys to run around indoors in such a pleasant environment.  My boys love aquariums, no matter what size or how many species of fish they have.  We have been to a total of 5 aquariums in 3 different states so far (the Monterey Bay Aquarium being the best.)  My mommy goal is to be able to take the boys to as many aquariums, zoos, and museums around the country and the world :)

 Turtle feeding!

I did not know what to expect when I set out on this weekend adventure solo with my boys.  A part of me feared the worst as I often jokingly refer to myself as a masochist mom!  I seem to always challenge my mommy abilities and patience, and knowing something is going to be difficult and tiring makes me want to attempt it that much more just to prove to myself that I can do it.  Instead of picking the easy route, I go for the adventurous crazy one....... ahhh, story of my life, I guess!!  I enjoy spending time with my little boys, and especially going on adventures, and creating unforgettable memories...... I may not be able to do this with them forever as they get older, but I will sure take every opportunity I can get at this stage of our lives! 

I wasn't sure how tired I would be after this experience or if I would even be brave enough to do it again.  Even with Taj's meltdowns (3 to be exact) on this trip, my patience was tested but we had an incredible time at the places we went to, the hotel, and my boys were [rambunctious] angels!  My favorite parts were at dinner (both boys were model citizens at the restaurant and we got a few compliments too!) and all the "wows" and "mommy, look at that!" when we attended the museum and aquarium.  Love to see their little eyes light up and their wheels turn in wonder and delight! If you were to ask Taj what his favorites were from our weekend trip, he would probably say "seeing the sharks at the krenarium" and "having a little poopoo fall out of my butt on the hotel carpet!" when he was running around hyper and naked before bath time!  My crazy moment was when Taj announced he had to go pee in the car on our way home.  Lucky for us, we can pull off on the side of the road around here without being run over, so we did just that and Taj made his own yellow snow!!!  Have I mentioned how wonderfully nice and easy it is now that Taj pees standing up?  All we have to do is pull his pants and undies down to his knees and help him aim, boys have it SO easy!!!

If you were to ask me if I would go away for the weekend again with just my 2 little boys, I would say......Definitely!!! In 6 months or a year maybe! LOL We'll make it an annual tradition!

The only negative of our trip was at the very end.  Arriving home to discover that our furnace (heater) shut off the night before when we were in Cleveland, so our house was freezing!!!  Its especially difficult when you spend all weekend driving in freezing snowy weather, and look forward to being back in our toasty warm home.  That did not happen.  You win some, you lose some.  This was our bad luck.  What many don't understand is that since we have a gas- water heating system versus forced air heat it takes hours for our house to warm up.  I was able to reset it and the heat kicked on again but we had to use our electric heater and the boys went to bed bundled up.  Oh, and on the last note, our weekend apparently wore me out physical because another reward I got at the end of our trip was Laryngitis!! Ah, let the adventures continue!

Gone Paci Gone

This is a story about a boy who bravely gave up his pacifier.....

Being that Taj is 2 1/2 months shy of his 3rd birthday (and pacifiers past this age can become really addictive and bad for growing teeth), we had a discussion with him about how he is "outgrowing" his Paci, that his teeth are getting bigger and Paci no longer fits.  We explained to him that we would be sending his beloved Paci (same one he's had for over a year) off to Paci Land, and in exchange he would receive a special gift.  Since Taj has relied on his Paci to soothe him solely during nap and bedtime for the last two years, and always left it in his room after waking, we knew he was ready for this momentous "big boy" milestone.  As with all of his "big boy" moments (potty training, toddler bed, etc) we have always slowly and gradually prepared him (and in this case, weaned him from his pacifier).  

When we told him that in 3 days we would have a "going away" party for his Paci, he got very excited and agreed to send Paci off with a bang!  We reminded him every day until the party, and in the mean time, I made Paci a little less desirable by discreetly puncturing a few teeny tiny holes along the seam of  it so it didn't inflate the same way!  It was perfect timing because he noticed right away that Paci didn't feel the same, saying "Mommy, there's something wrong with Paci.  Fix Paci, please."  In which I answered, "that's because your teeth are growing and Paci doesn't fit in your mouth anymore.  That means you are a big boy now and no longer need Paci."  To my luck, he took it well and agreed.

The day of our goodbye party, Taj decorated and colored the special box we would send Paci off in.

Then, just after dinner, he said his thank you's and bye bye's to dear little Paci, 

and put him in the special box.

Both Taj and his baby (doll) said goodbye to their pacifiers.

He gave the box a tender kiss and we placed it outside by the front door.  We told him that during the night, both pacifiers will travel to Paci land (that's where all the pacifiers go once they outgrow children's mouths).  Then in return, when he wakes in the morning, he will find the box by the door with a special toy in it!  He received a new little car just before going to bed for being so brave.

Paci flew off to Paci Land (aka, was hidden and stored for safe keeping so one day when he's all grown we can pull it out and show it to him) :)

Taj took this little car, his lovies, and snuggled with all of them....enough to soothe himself to sleep.  We still keep the ocean sound machine in his room to help him get to sleep.  With only a couple of cries, or excuses, to have a sip of water or a bandaid for the hangnails he likes to pick at, he slept solid all night long his first ever night without Paci!

In the morning, he discovered his gift from Paci!

This all happened almost a week ago, and I'm happy to report that Taj has been sleeping great at night without his Paci!  While Taj received his awesome new cars in return, this momma had to forfeit her down time during Taj's usual nap time.  Not all transitions are perfect, so for the last few days, because Taj has a harder time winding down for his nap without his Paci, he decided he wasn't going to nap!  I didn't give up, so I told him he still needed to remain in his room for "quiet time".  "Quite time" meant that he could either try napping or stay quiet and play or read books until it was time to get up.  After 2 consecutive days of him crying and screaming during his 1 hour quiet time, he finally conceded, and was quiet enough to earn his Thomas the Train and Little Einstein cartoons afterwards.  So because he has refused his naps during the day, he goes to bed earlier in the evening and is so worn out that he doesn't need his Paci to soothe him to sleep!  Today though, we had another breakthrough...... Taj fell asleep during his typical nap time!!!  I'm crossing my fingers that this trend continues, and he gets back into the swing of things with his usual 2 hour lunch nap.  I sure need him to!  LOL

And that is the story of the wonderful little big boy who bravely moved on from his Paci..... and mommy and daddy (and Jax) couldn't be more proud!  Taj makes everything look easy!

Jax's 12 Month Portraits

our handsome littlest man.....