Riley's 2 year pictures-"She's a beautiful American child" says the tourist :)

We just got back from the Bellagio. I wanted to take Riley's two year pictures there for a few reason. First because the conservatory is now all decorated for spring and second because I knew that the marble and flowers outside would look great with the colors in her dress. It was hard to get a good picture of her in the conservatory because there was too much going on around her. The theme they had right now is carnivalesque with a carousel and Ferris wheel in the flower beds. There were balloons made of glass suspended in the air too. The tulips, hyacinth and daffodils were not blooming yet, but the hydrangea and poppys were. There was an array of fantastic texture and color, and it is a shame that she would not sit still or look at me. BOO.

There were not too many people within the conservatory since it was so early when we went. There were a few Asian women walking around and taking pictures of all the flowers. An Asian mom and her two teenage daughters asked if they could take a picture with Riley. I said yes sure. The two daughters stood on either side of Riley and the mom told me she is a " beautiful American child." I thanked her and made sure Riley gave her a good smile. The girls were petting her hair and talking to her in their language. I am lame and have no idea what language that was. As we were walking out another mom and daughter group asked me if they could take their picture with Riley. The mom was saying how beautiful Riley was and her dress was perfect. That group also took Dev's picture. The mom was very appreciative and kept telling me how pretty my American baby was. I guess Riley is kind of porcelain doll looking? I don't know but she was a good girl for them. It's amazing how many people petted Riley's head or smiled at her while she tooled around the conservatory. Children really do put a smile on people's faces when they observe them doing their own thing and exploring.

Right out front of the entrance is a fountain with lots of nice greenery. We did most of the pictures out there. She was very busy, but it was good since I could at least get her to look at me this time. The weather could not have been perfect. It was overcast and cloudy which is great to take pictures in. The sun did come out as we were walking down the sidewalk toward the fountain to find Frank and Devin.

A little bit of this, a little bit of that.....

This morning was a day from HELL. I am finally relaxed and calmed back down now that both kids are sleeping and I have 5 minutes to just sit. Devin had swimming lessons yesterday and did very well. Something I never thought of that they taught them was so basic yet ingenious. They learned to walk their hands down the side of the pool to the ladder. Duh, simple but I never would have thought to teach him that. In the picture you can see the platform the sink down in the shallow end. He really digs swimming lessons and we will definitely be signing him up for another months worth before summer hits.

This morning Riley and I went to the local bagel store before my doctor appointment so she could have a bagel while I drank a cup of coffee. She can polish off a half to 3/4 of a NY style bagel without any issues. I always get Devin one to go so he can have it when he gets picked up from school. Both kids only eat everything bagels. I am not sure if they would like another kind, but that is what Frank and I would eat so that is what they have been exposed to. The picture is how Devin ate his bagel today. He ate all the yummy seeds off and then offered the rest to Riley. Nice brother to share, but who in their right mind would want the inside of a bagel without any seeds? Riley did nibble off any remaining seeded areas. LOVE those two!

Devin is learning all about spring in school. Today he did honey and bees in his science section and learned about pollination. He drew a picture with a bee hive, a bee and some flowers to pollinate. He is so sweet with how excited he gets to talk about what he learned in school. He told me that "The bees pollinate flowers by flying from flower to flower and getting pollen stuck to them." He then said that "There is a queen bee and lots of worker bees that live in a hive. The worker bees have to make honey and the queen bee has to tell the worker bees to make honey." He retained a good amount of details today. I wish he would be more careful when loading his stuff in his bag though. Every day I get these crumpled up pictures. :)

As a science person I had to give homage to the tradition of standing an egg upright for the first day of spring. It was a myth that since during the days of spring/fall equinox the Earth alignment on it's axis and even with rotation and the days/nights are exactly 12 hours. Now this has been proven to be a myth because you can stand an egg upright every day of the year, it just takes patience. Myth/fact aside, it is still fun to do every spring. I usually do it when we dye Easter eggs as well, but this year I did it in celebration of spring on March 21st. Try it, it's a challenge but fun when you can do it! I did it at the kitchen table first, then on the counter tile and then on the bib so Dev could help. They stood up on every surface! Dev was cracking up when it would tip over and wobble.

First day of swimming for Devin



getting ready to do his swim tests



Devin started swimming lessons today. I am taking him to the same place that I took Riley for the Mommy and Me class. Devin is only 3.5 so he hypothetically should be in the preschool class which is for kids ages 3-5. Once kids turn 5, they go to levels 1,2 and 3. I had them bypass the age requirement for him in the computer system and Devin was grouped with the level 1 swimmers today after some testing. He is one of 8 kids with two instructors for his class. Four to one ration is pretty great, especially for the rate we are paying.

They stay in the shallow end of the pool where the water is only three and a half feet deep and then the instructors sink this platform thing so the kids can stand on it and can touch. There is a ballet type bar on the one side as well so they can hold on and kick while blowing bubbles etc. He LOVED class. He would turn around and smile and wave at me sitting on the bleachers in between activities. After the preliminary testing they did floating on their backs, swimming with a kick board extended in front (not under them), blowing bubbles while kicking and retrieving rings on the bottom stair to make them go under. I was not sure how Devin would do with this since it requires him to put his whole head in and I am a bad mommy and forgot to buy him goggles. He tried to do it sideways while reaching with one arm, but the instructor corrected him and he went face down for the last two rings. We had a pep talk on the way in and I told him he needs to listen to what the instructors say and do anything they ask him to do. He promised me he would be a good listener. I think it definitely helped that he was surrounded by older kids who he of course wants to be like.

Riley was trying her hardest to get into the pool. She wanted to get undressed in the locker room, then wanted to get out of her stroller on the pool deck and finally gave up after 30 minutes. I brought coloring activities for her but they of course were sub par to swimming. The mommy and me class was a total waste of money and I am not sure she would be OK in the preschool class since I would not be in the pool with her. She does look up to Devin and mimic him, so maybe she would be OK? I have no idea and I think we can wait another month or two.

Do you have rules? I have rules....

Becoming a mom was an amazing feeling, but also an overwhelming one at the same time. I always babysat as a kid for my aunts and neighbors. I also lived with my aunt and uncle for three summers and served as a live in sitter for them as well as worked at their local shop. I have had LOTS of experience with babies and kids and that helped me prepare for when I had my own. That said, having your own is definitely different. Not much, but the whole 24/7 thing is. I had a friend call me the other day because she is having a hard time with her 18 mo old and wanted my advice on establishing a rule. She also wanted to know about introducing the learning cards we have worked with. This made me think....

I have rules. The kids follow them for the most part. I think rules are great. From every professional I talk to and to moms of well balanced well behaved children they all say the same thing-establish guidelines and rules. Kids need balance and need to know that they are not alpha. SO....that is what I do. My one sister thinks I have too many (I think.) I take that with a grain of salt. She has a lot experience with kids and is awesome with them, but she does not have any of her own. There is a difference between those two now that I have been there. I know other moms out there who definitely do not have as many rules and may also think I am crazy.

Here are a few that they have-
1. all meals are eaten at the kitchen table (or picnic table out back for lunch if it's nice)
---as children my parents made us sit at the table and we ate together every night even through high school. Our napkins were always on our lap and our left hand rested on our lap as well. No elbows on the table or my mother would poke up with her fork. You think I am kidding. I think this is VERY important and is something we do as a family and it's structured. Snacks can be eaten downstairs, but no food/drinks upstairs.

2. Kids are on a schedule. Riley naps (in her crib) around 1-1:30 and we are always home for that. Bedtime is 7:15 for Riley and 7:30 for Devin. We also make it home for that too if we are out. Kids thrive on routines.

3. they sleep alone in their rooms. They never slept with us in bed because I did not want to create a bad habit. I breast fed both of them so I got my ass up out of bed a million time and went to their rooms. Since I did not let them use pacifiers to sleep with at night, they slept well from about 6 weeks on because they self soothed. This to me is way worth having to walk into the other room because they have their own bed and I have my own bed.

4. If the kids do not eat their dinner, they will not receive snacks or get to watch TV. Riley usually eats all her dinner and then some, but sometimes Devin does not want to eat. If he is a pain when I am making dinner, and asking 100 times if it is ready and telling me he is starving-he will sit at the table and eat at least half of what I give him (as long as it is something I know he likes.) If we just sit to eat and he was playing or something, I don't make him eat but I leave his plate on the table. I will reheat it if he wants to eat later or he can have it cold. That plate stays on the table until the morning when I clean up. He is not allowed to eat any snacks or watch TV until he eats his dinner. TV is privilege, not something they should have all day long.

5. Kids are not allowed to drink sugar juice. No apple juice, Capri suns, juice made from powder, juicy juice etc. They are allowed to drink V8 Fusion or Kagome which is a full serving of fruit/veggies or Fruitables juice boxes (when out) which is the same thing as V8 but on a smaller scale. Devin can have lemonade as a treat if we are out to eat but diluted big time. Kids are only allowed one cup of juice and that is in the morning. Rest of the day is their milk or plain water. I will do fresh squeezed OJ on Sunday ams or fresh fruit smoothies without dairy (just fruit and ice) and they both love them. Sugar juices serve zero nutritional value so why give them to the kids?

6. They are not allowed to have candy. Devin is still working on his Halloween candy he collected from the 15 houses we went to. He gets a piece of candy when he poops every day. He still uses this potty training treat even though he has been potty trained for a year and a half. I guess its b.c he does not get candy at any other time. He got a gold coin at the park the other day during story time and one from school and that is fine....but on a normal basis they do not. I do not ever buy them candy at a store even though Miss Riley always wants it at check out.

7. Devin cannot watch cartoons when Riley is napping until he practices writing. He has to practice writing every day. I bought some great work books for him to do as well with letters and numbers that he enjoys doing. I do not want him to watch TV a lot and this gives him an opportunity to learn. Last thing this world needs is another lazy kid glued to the TV. I will not let that happen. If he is done writing, and the weather is nice-he and I will go outside and play for a while alone without Riley. He loves football, soccer and baseball when she is not around. Kick ball has been fun too except the dogs try to steal our ball.

8. If they are hungry before meals and cannot wait, they are allowed to have fruit or yogurt. No other snacks. If they may eat a snack before a meal and hinder their appetite for a meal, I at least want it to be something of value.

Now some of these things are not "rules" as much as they are guidelines. A lot has to do with their diet which I am adamant about. I do not want kids that are amped up on sugar or used to processed food. I know kids that will be given sugar juice and a pack of those mini muffins for break fast. Or a 3 year old that is give fruit loops and sugar juice. What part of that 'meal' is nutritious? I do not judge those parents because that is their choice that they fill their kids up with empty calories and such. I know that is not what is good for our family so that is not what our family will get. Once kids get a taste for shitty food, they will want that food always. Devin wants McDonald's when we pass it weekly, but has not had it since we were in NJ in January.

Parents can do what they want with their kids. That is the best part about this....they are their kids just as these are mine so I can parent how I want and they can the way they want. My only beef is, don't complain about your kids crappy sleeping if you allow them to fall asleep to a TV. Don't complain about your kid's eating if you allow them to walk around and eat snacks all over the house instead of enforcing a meal plan at the dinner table. Don't complain that your kids are clingy if you do not take them to play dates and parks to socialize with other kids on a regular basis. I know somethings I do are rigid, and I know I get judged for it but in my mind I am getting judged from other moms who do it completely different than I do and in that matter I do not really care.

Am I perfect? NO, definitely not. All I know is, I follow what professionals feel is great for physical and emotional development as well as advice from seasoned moms who have great kids. Kids need to play, they need to explore and try things out. I never wanted a clingy whiny kid so I made sure my kids were well socialized and so far so good. I do not think I know it all and I still call certain people to ask for their opinions and I have an open ear when discussing topics. Devin and Riley are not perfect either. Devin never went through the terrible twos, but he is going through some three year old sassy thing. Devin has excellent manners and at times does get whiny. Riley is a pretty sweet kid, but she definitely challenges me too at times. As a whole they are great kids, but they both have strong personalities and they are not afraid to let them show. Kids are wired to try and manipulate you. It is only natural for them as a new baby to try and push the limits. It is up to the parent to set the routine and the guidelines that child is to follow. Everything a baby/child does is a learned response. Psychology 101-they do something, you respond and voila they are working you if you let them or learning that you are the boss not them. I, on the other hand am a no bullshit mom. I do not let my kids rule me and I do not deal with bullshit from them. They sleep 11-12 hours non stop at night, eat three meals and 1-2 snacks a day and are healthy independent kids. They have fun all day, we play endlessly and in the end they know I am the boss.

Rileys stats and a Leprechaun snuck in Devin's classroom!

Being Saint Patrick's Day, the kids were dressed in green. Riley even allowed me to put a shamrock glitter tattoo on her cheek for the whole morning. She ended up taking it off right before swimming lessons. Devin had class pictures today, so he had to put his green shirt on over his school shirt so they could take it off right before pictures. While Devin's class was in the all purpose room for class pictures, a leprechaun snuck into his room and left green footprints all around the classroom and in the classroom bathroom. He also left gold coins in the children's school bags. I was cracking up when Devin told me this story with such enthusiasm. He said the leprechaun snuck out before anyone saw him and he was too fast to catch. They drew rainbows with pots of gold at the end and colored shamrocks as well.

Riley went to the pediatrician today for her 2 year old well check. I purposely made the first appointment of the day at 9:00 am (since we have 10:20 swimming lessons up the road.) We did not see the doctor until 9:40 which is SO frustrating. I also did not get out of the office until 10 am since they were going to give her two shots-one of which she already had at 15 months (MMR) and one I do not do (Hep A). So after waiting for another 10 minutes for the nurse to come in after the doctor left and seeing what shots she was to receive, we were able to head out without any. She is right on track with all development and her typical charming busy body self for the doctor. She is very well socialized and not shy, making it a must to stand in the doorway of our exam room so she could say hi and wave to all the nurses walking by. Riley weighs 22 lbs 6 oz and is 33.25 inches tall. She is in the 2nd percentile for weight and 15th for height. She is so tiny but I would rather her be little than a fatty mcfatterson or bulky like a boy. All kids are different and I know this. Some kids are just proportionately bigger and also healthy without being fat.  Who knows if the fact that she was exclusively breastfed until 12 months and fed organic food almost exclusively until about 18 months and now eats very healthy is the reason she is so small. Devin is the same way and had the same diet and is skinny too. What would they have been like if they were bottle fed? Maybe it's just genetics? They do have their fare share of chicken breast nuggets and other things that have fat in them but as a whole they are not allowed candy, sugary juice (apple/powder made/juice boxes) or crappy snacks. They get certain special snacks (fruit snacks/graham cracker sticks etc) when we have picnics with friends and whatnot. You are what you eat, and I feel so badly for little kids who are chunky already and are having a picnic next to us yesterday and were eating McDonald's. Once your body makes a fat cell, you have that fat cell for a long ass time. Sigh. At least I am doing my part of not contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic.

On a different note, Riley's swimming lessons ended today and I signed Devin up for some starting next Monday. They will run Mondays and Wednesdays for 4 weeks. He has no fear of the water and does very well with water wings on. He can also bob up and down in a pool and knows how to kick to the side. If I did not have Riley with me all summer last year being a dare devil, Devin probably would be a solo swimmer. I just did not have the time to teach him to do it properly since Riley was always there and was too big for the floatie boat things and swimmies were a tad too big for her since she only weighed about 17-18 lbs. This summer is a whole different story. He hopefully will be diving down in the shallow end to retrieve dive sticks by the time the pools are warm enough to jump into. Three and a half is definitely old enough to be a full on swimmer so let's keep our fingers crossed that this goes well. Riley may join in his class if I like the way it's taught. The community center we go to is great and the facility is nice and clean as well. Here's to hoping it all goes well.

Rileys birthday came and went. She got her first BARBIE!

So today we had a birthday party for Miss Riley. We had some great friends over for some play and lunch. Kids had a ball in the rented bounce house. It was a ginormous one of 15 by 15 feet and fit as many kids that wanted to play inside. Riley and Devin both had a ball inside with kids and were never hesitant to bounce and tackle other kids. I am happy that they are not afraid to get rough when others are rough with them and Devin was definitely trying to get other kids to come and play with him inside. He was so sweet; he said, "Mom, come inside the bounce house, it's fun I promise."

Miss Riley had a BALL today. She bounced and bounce until 2 pm (1pm before time change)when she passed out in her crib. She took a nap regardless of the kids still here. She also went to bed for the night at 7:15 tonight since she bounced after dinner again. Dev followed at 7:30 tonight. I am glad that they adjusted to the day light savings well. The bounce house really helped with this to wear them down.



all the kiddos



I cannot believe my sweet girl is 2. Where has the last 2 years gone? On a great note, she had a fantastic day with her friends and got to open her gifts after dinner. She received her very first Barbie doll and Barbie car! This plays a special part in my heart since I had a Barbie room growing up to share with my sisters. Yes, a whole room dedicated to Barbies. The room was small, but it was full with Kelly's Barbie dream home and Ferrari and my 57 Chevy and RV.  Between Dana, Kelly and I we had 30 or 40 Barbie dolls and Barbie suitcases full of clothes and accessories. Oh how much time we spent in there......it was amazing. So Riley is officially in this club. She and Devin both loved the car Riley was given to go along with actual birthday doll. YAY for Barbies!

She was given a lot of dress up clothes and shoes. I am happy we bought her the 6 pack of princess shoes since she ended up LOVING them. She also received another pair which is awesome as well as a Belle dress and Dora dress and crown. I guess 2 is a great age to start dressing up and Riley was definitely feeling it. She also received other great gift including jammies she is wearing tonight. I love that Riley is so open to everything. She oohed and ahhed everything and showed appreciation with everything that she opened. We are so lucky to have such generous friends out to share this special day with. Grammy (Cookie), Mom Mom and Pop Pop Skinner, Kelly and Aunt Dawn and Uncle Lou had sent gifts also in time for her birthday to show her some love. We just wish we were closer to share this special day with them. All in all it was a great day with awesome company.



with her new shoes on!



Devin is in a reading club, Riley is 2 this weekend and a mothers helper is on her way!

Well we are back to a family of four. Frank flew back in yesterday from his 12 days in NJ. Not only was he gone, but he took the lap top with him so I have been without a real computer since he left. My phone can do everything, but it gets to be a little trying to do more than read emails and respond quickly.

A lot has happened since I last wrote. Devin has officially be inducted into the reading club at school. He can do single vowel blends eg: b + e says beee + d says bed etc. He received a special crown at school and was put on some reading club bulletin board as well.  I love that he can sound out words now. Much better than memorizing words simply by visual cards. He has done this too simply by word recognition when we read books and such. He also has gotten great at writing. He can write about 9 words without me spelling them for him and he can copy pretty much any letter if I write it out first. He is very proud of this and I am as well. I know that this is a huge accomplishment and it will only get better for him. I think the school we chose for him is a great fit as well as the practice he gets at home. He knows that he is not allowed to watch TV after Riley goes down for a nap until he sits down at the table to practice writing. He still does pull the whole, "My three year old hand is so tired mommy" but that does not stop him if he knows he cannot watch any cartoons.

The weather here in the valley has been awesome. Kids have finally been able to wear short sleeve shirts with pants. Today is fore casted to be 80* out and that is perfect since Fridays we play with friends at the park. I will take some pictures since it has been a while since I have done so. I love that it has stuck in the 70s + and will only get nicer (until June when the triple digits hit.)

Riley turns 2 on Sunday. I cannot believe she is 2 already! Time really does go quickly. Much quicker than the college years did which at the time was so fast. She is only talking sentences when she really needs to which drives me nuts. She can talk, but chooses not to. She does say words and strings together 2 at a time all the time. But the full 3-4 word strings only happen when she is desperate for something or frustrated (mainly at Devin.) Dev was talking more at this point and he exploded his vocabulary just after 2 and has NOT stopped since. I am assuming some of her quietness is caused by the fact that she has a continuous chatterbox for a brother. We shall see.

For her birthday we are giving her a Green toys Tea party set that I got from Pampers points as well as a 6 pack of Disney dress up shoes. She LOVES shoes. There is not really anything this child needs besides a few clothing items.  If you have ever been to our house, or seen pictures you know that we have so many toys and really no room for new ones. Devin got a sand box at 2, but since we have all the big stuff in the back yard, (water table, picnic table, club house, climber, sand box) there is nothing else to get. She does not know the difference yet either with what she gets. I think she will be pumped with the new shoes and she and Devin can share since there are 6 pairs. Lord knows they will want the same ones, but that is a fight I know I am going to have.

Other great news! While at West Deptford HS I also coached field hockey. I became friendly with some of the girls and still keep in contact with them. One of them is a senior in college and has been wanting to come out to Las Vegas, but I told her to wait until she was 21 so it would be worth her while. Well, she is now going to be 22 in May and will be done with college in May. This young lady is very dedicated to her studies and student life. I believe she is even speaking at her graduation. She has been accepted into two different graduate degree programs and now has the decision of where to go. She also was granted a great internship at Georgetown in DC starting mid June. Now here is where Vegas comes into play-She will be staying with us for a month and serving as a mothers helper and babysitter for friends. She will get to see a little bit of the west, check out Vegas and gain some more life experience (plus catch some rays at the pool.) She comes mid May after graduation and will stay until the weekend before she has to move down to DC. It will be nice to have some help and company. More to come on this as well......