Since then Alyce has done it a few more times and it is just as sweet as the first time.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Singing Goodnight
Last weekend while Mom was out of town Alyce asked me if she could do something. She asked if she could sing a bedtime song for Luke. Of course I agreed to that request and in the dark she sang a lullaby to Luke. The song Alyce sang is the same one that Mom sings to her. Alyce did an excellent job too. She knew all of the words and had the melody perfect. In case you were wondering Alyce was singing the Honey Bunch Sugar Plum or Cubby Cake song. This song has been a standby in our house since Alyce was born.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Weekend Alone
Last weekend Mom took a little vacation and I was playing the role of single parent for the next 48 hours. I went into the weekend pretty confident that I would come out the other side with my sanity intact. I'm happy to report that I did in fact make it through loosing only a few cards out of my deck.
With Alyce being 4 years old and potty trained she was pretty easy. Luke at 2 wasn't even all that hard. The majority of my time was spent trying to get them to eat something (anything). The downside to them getting older was that rather than being caregiver you get the role of referee. We have a house full of toys and it is way too much to ask that they don't play with same one at the same time. The hilarious part of the toy fighting is that after Alyce has been playing with a toy for 5 minutes, Luke will come over, rip it out of her hands, and Alyce will say "Luke is not sharing!". Maybe she hasn't quite figured the finer points of sharing.
Saturday, the first day I was running solo I had to run out to my Mom's house to do a few maintenance items. I was going to be all alone so I had to keep one eye on the kids and one on the task at hand. Luckily they were very cooperative. It helped that I wasn't in any big hurry so I didn't have to rush and was able to take things as they came. For lunch I took them out to McDonald's and their playground. Some chicken nuggets, milk, and 20 minutes on a slide was enough to keep them happy and drain away any stress I had.
That evening after naps I packed up the kids and went to my friend Ted's house. His daughter Izzy turned one and they were throwing a small party for her. We were late getting there due to Luke taking an extended nap and most of the food was gone. Ted offered to fire up the grill to make some more. But I told him it wasn't worth the effort as they probably wouldn't eat and I was right. I was able to get a single bite of chicken and garlic bread in the both of them before they tore off for the slide and swings.
During the party I only lost Luke once. I was busy pushing Alyce on a swing and after a few minutes I noticed that I hadn't seen Luke in a bit. I disengaged myself from Alyce and started to go look for Luke. There were a ton of parents around so I was confident he hadn't walked off I just wanted to check in. As I walked around back and around the screened in porch I hear a "hi daddy". The kicker is that I heard it coming from above me. Looking up Luke had managed to go up the stairs and through the door to the screened in porch. He was playing on a slide inside and having a great time. You could say that Luke found me.
Towards the end of the party after the piñata and cupcakes Luke made a friend, another kid in attendance, and just two days younger than Luke. The two of them just started running around a tree and having a great time of it. I think that each of them thought the other was chasing them. It was pretty cute and I managed to grab a bit of video. Of course Luke fell a few times and when finished was covered in mud. I wasn't planning on giving the kids a bath that night but Luke left me with little choice. Once home I tossed the kids in the tub, cleaned them up, put them to bed, and collapsed.
Sunday was a pretty easy day. We hung out all day at the house with no where to go. While Luke was playing with some trains Alyce and I played a few rounds of Pretty Princess. Once Mom was back in town we met her at Gram's and Papa's house. The strangest thing happened when we pulled up. Luke didn't immediately go see Mom. Instead he went and said hi to everyone else. Perhaps he was angry she left and withheld his affection as a way of showing his displeasure? His withholding lasted only a few minutes and then he and she were back to normal. I'm glad he doesn't hold a grudge.
Mom really needed that weekend off. I'm glad she was able to disengage from family life for a little while and decompress. Luke's screaming and Alyce's whining day after day can really up your stress level. If you don't get an extended break every once in a while you'll go mad.
With Alyce being 4 years old and potty trained she was pretty easy. Luke at 2 wasn't even all that hard. The majority of my time was spent trying to get them to eat something (anything). The downside to them getting older was that rather than being caregiver you get the role of referee. We have a house full of toys and it is way too much to ask that they don't play with same one at the same time. The hilarious part of the toy fighting is that after Alyce has been playing with a toy for 5 minutes, Luke will come over, rip it out of her hands, and Alyce will say "Luke is not sharing!". Maybe she hasn't quite figured the finer points of sharing.
Saturday, the first day I was running solo I had to run out to my Mom's house to do a few maintenance items. I was going to be all alone so I had to keep one eye on the kids and one on the task at hand. Luckily they were very cooperative. It helped that I wasn't in any big hurry so I didn't have to rush and was able to take things as they came. For lunch I took them out to McDonald's and their playground. Some chicken nuggets, milk, and 20 minutes on a slide was enough to keep them happy and drain away any stress I had.
That evening after naps I packed up the kids and went to my friend Ted's house. His daughter Izzy turned one and they were throwing a small party for her. We were late getting there due to Luke taking an extended nap and most of the food was gone. Ted offered to fire up the grill to make some more. But I told him it wasn't worth the effort as they probably wouldn't eat and I was right. I was able to get a single bite of chicken and garlic bread in the both of them before they tore off for the slide and swings.
During the party I only lost Luke once. I was busy pushing Alyce on a swing and after a few minutes I noticed that I hadn't seen Luke in a bit. I disengaged myself from Alyce and started to go look for Luke. There were a ton of parents around so I was confident he hadn't walked off I just wanted to check in. As I walked around back and around the screened in porch I hear a "hi daddy". The kicker is that I heard it coming from above me. Looking up Luke had managed to go up the stairs and through the door to the screened in porch. He was playing on a slide inside and having a great time. You could say that Luke found me.
Towards the end of the party after the piñata and cupcakes Luke made a friend, another kid in attendance, and just two days younger than Luke. The two of them just started running around a tree and having a great time of it. I think that each of them thought the other was chasing them. It was pretty cute and I managed to grab a bit of video. Of course Luke fell a few times and when finished was covered in mud. I wasn't planning on giving the kids a bath that night but Luke left me with little choice. Once home I tossed the kids in the tub, cleaned them up, put them to bed, and collapsed.
Sunday was a pretty easy day. We hung out all day at the house with no where to go. While Luke was playing with some trains Alyce and I played a few rounds of Pretty Princess. Once Mom was back in town we met her at Gram's and Papa's house. The strangest thing happened when we pulled up. Luke didn't immediately go see Mom. Instead he went and said hi to everyone else. Perhaps he was angry she left and withheld his affection as a way of showing his displeasure? His withholding lasted only a few minutes and then he and she were back to normal. I'm glad he doesn't hold a grudge.
Mom really needed that weekend off. I'm glad she was able to disengage from family life for a little while and decompress. Luke's screaming and Alyce's whining day after day can really up your stress level. If you don't get an extended break every once in a while you'll go mad.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Happy Mother's Day
For Mother's day the entire family including Onermark Grams and Grams and Papa went to the Museum of Transportation. The Museum of Transportation is a cool little museum that show cases all types of transportation with a specific focus on trains.Mom picked up a Groupon some time ago for a steal so we all got in for only a few dollars. I would say that the museum is just the right size for two kids. They have a trolley, tram, and train that you can ride on for free or small charge and lots of trains that kids can climb up into. The museum isn't a slouch when it comes to history. Onermark Grams and I routinely fell behind the rest of the group because were busy reading the history of each and every train. We left only after a few hours but I could have stayed all day.
The forecast for that day was hot and it did not disappoint. Even with lots of shade I managed a minor sunburn. The kids fared better than I because they have full heads of hair. The heat did take a toll on the kids and after a while they became red in the face and their energy and mood plummeted.
Following the museum we all met for lunch at Grams and Papa's house for some sandwiches. GiGi was picked up GiGi on the way home and she joined us for lunch.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
S'nores
Today when I got home from work I asked Alyce how her day at school was. After a brief conversation Mom asked Alyce if she would tell me what their snack was. Alyce, when she doesn't know the answer to something says "you know" and our usual response is "no we don't. How about you tell us?". Mom ended up whispering the answer "s'mores" to Alyce. A few seconds later Alyce pipes up and says "s'nores!". That was too cute to correct her so Mom and I let it go. I then asked her to describe what a s'nore was. She said it was some chocolate and a marsh mellow between two crackers. When asked if it was yummy Alyce said yes.
At Alyce's school this week they are learning about camping. Naturally s'mores come up in the conversation. Today the boys hung out in one tent and the girls hung out in another. As per Alyce the girl tent was a castle and it was for girls and not for boys. Later in the week we are to bring in a sleeping bag and a flashlight if we have them. We didn't have one for her but one trip to Walmart and $10 later we are the proud owner of a pink polka dot sleeping bag.
Next week are the end of the year festivities. There is messy art day, water fun day, and family picnic day. FYI grand parents reading this blog. You are invited to family picnic day too! May 23rd if you're interested.
After we got the sleeping bag we asked Alyce if she wanted to go camping outside. She said no and that she wanted to go camping in her room instead.
At Alyce's school this week they are learning about camping. Naturally s'mores come up in the conversation. Today the boys hung out in one tent and the girls hung out in another. As per Alyce the girl tent was a castle and it was for girls and not for boys. Later in the week we are to bring in a sleeping bag and a flashlight if we have them. We didn't have one for her but one trip to Walmart and $10 later we are the proud owner of a pink polka dot sleeping bag.
Next week are the end of the year festivities. There is messy art day, water fun day, and family picnic day. FYI grand parents reading this blog. You are invited to family picnic day too! May 23rd if you're interested.
After we got the sleeping bag we asked Alyce if she wanted to go camping outside. She said no and that she wanted to go camping in her room instead.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Dance Class Picture Day
Today Alyce's dance class had picture day. It's not a dress rehearsal just getting individual and class pictures. Mom managed to grab a picture of Alyce before class. The outfit is just about as perfect as you can get for Alyce. Purple, check. Tiara, check. Fairy Wand, check.
The recital runs over three performances and Alyce's is June 11th. Sadly we won't be seeing all the girls. The teacher is splitting them up so there can be representation at each recital for her age group. I'm ok with it as it will give Alyce more time in the spotlight. My fear is that with so few classmates (3 others) on stage and an auditorium full of people that Alyce will get some stage fright. I'm hoping that the dress rehearsal before the show will allay those fears.
The recital runs over three performances and Alyce's is June 11th. Sadly we won't be seeing all the girls. The teacher is splitting them up so there can be representation at each recital for her age group. I'm ok with it as it will give Alyce more time in the spotlight. My fear is that with so few classmates (3 others) on stage and an auditorium full of people that Alyce will get some stage fright. I'm hoping that the dress rehearsal before the show will allay those fears.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Art
I was taking inventory of some of Alyce's artwork and thought it would be good to share some.
Alyce made Mom very happy when she painted this picture. She made this one at school out of water colors.
The second piece of artwork is in fact an elevator. Alyce took an old shoe box cut out half of the lid and ran a ribbon through the top. After that she painted it and then decorated it with stickers. Lastly she put her name in the back. This is an elevator she uses with her Barbie Dolls. Before you think that Alyce is some design prodigy we got the design for the elevator off an episode of Bob the Builder. Alyce still gets some use out of it even though it is a few months old.
The last and most recent picture is one Alyce just brought home. This is a picture of our old house. Alyce pointed out it was the old house because of the top window. The top window in this picture is an oval just like the window in Alyce's room at the old house. The front door at our old house was blue as well. The little building on the right is the garage. It pleases me that with every picture she makes of the outdoors the sun is shining. I feel that if the sun is shining in her pictures then she currently has a positive outlook on life.
Alyce made Mom very happy when she painted this picture. She made this one at school out of water colors.
The second piece of artwork is in fact an elevator. Alyce took an old shoe box cut out half of the lid and ran a ribbon through the top. After that she painted it and then decorated it with stickers. Lastly she put her name in the back. This is an elevator she uses with her Barbie Dolls. Before you think that Alyce is some design prodigy we got the design for the elevator off an episode of Bob the Builder. Alyce still gets some use out of it even though it is a few months old.
The last and most recent picture is one Alyce just brought home. This is a picture of our old house. Alyce pointed out it was the old house because of the top window. The top window in this picture is an oval just like the window in Alyce's room at the old house. The front door at our old house was blue as well. The little building on the right is the garage. It pleases me that with every picture she makes of the outdoors the sun is shining. I feel that if the sun is shining in her pictures then she currently has a positive outlook on life.
One's a Morning Person. The Other Not So Much
Last week before I left for work Mom and I went in to Alyce and Luke's room to get them up. I handled Alyce and Mom got Luke. I opened up Alyce's window shades and pulled the covers back. Alyce then grabbed the blanket and covered herself back up hiding from the light. I managed to snag this picture of this morning person.
Luke on the other hand is most definitely a morning person. When Mom walked in he stoop up and was ready to go. Getting out of his crib he walked over to a stack of toys and started playing.
It's so interesting to see how different two people with the same parents can be. Alyce in this respect is a carbon copy of me. Luke is a copy of Mom.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Easter
Easter started off at our house with Mom's side of the family. Alyce spent most of the time entertaining while Mom and I cooked. Alyce had eggs for the first time too! We've tried giving them to her before but this is the first time she said "these are good, what are these?".
Mom snuck away to hide the eggs and we had to scramble to get them as it started to drizzle. They both had a pretty good haul and it was neat seeing them running around our new front yard. Next year lets hope for better weather.
Easter on my side was a lot of fun. Most of Alyce's other cousins where not there leaving her with ample to time to enjoy each and every toy. There were a few interruptions but everyone managed to play well together. Her toy of choice was a toy that I played with as a kid a Fisher Price record player. It is in as good as shape as when I was a kid; a testament to great design. It winds up and has little records which notches and each notch strikes a note. A good design that holds up. Be warned the version of this toy they sell now looks the same but the internals are completely different. It takes batteries now. Is nothing sacred?
The egg hunt was a ruckus affair where the goal was to Dominate The Competition! Dominate is a tongue in cheek competition we add to the egg hunt to see who can get the most candy the fastest. Where in fact everyone makes sure that each kid gets roughly the same amount of goodies. Alyce did a a great job finding eggs and in my opinion Dominated the competition. But I'm biased.
Welcome Home Daddy! Don't Mind the Puke on the Floor
This weekend I took a trip up to Kansas City to meet up with my brother, cousin, and friend for some fun and a baseball game. Saturday night I got a text message from Mom that Alyce was sick, running a fever, and throwing up. She followed with another message from Alyce where she said "this is not fun". The second I heard this news I wanted to be back home to hold my sick girl and help Mom handle the situation.
Sunday night Mom and Grams took Alyce to an Urgent Care because her fever had spiked to almost 105. Luckily for everyone Alyce is only suffering from an ear infection and not something worse. The doctor sent Mom home with some antibiotics.
Mom gave Alyce the drugs a while before I got home from the train station. However, just seconds before I walk in the door Alyce has thrown up her medicine in the dinning room, hallway, and bathroom. Mom's first sentence to me is "hi daddy don't mind the puke on the floor". Welcome home indeed.
Alyce was laying on the couch looking miserable. I walked over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She looks up at me and even manages a smile. She said "dad I missed you", reached an arm up to pull my head close, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Sick kid + epic cuteness = melted heart.
I carried Alyce up to bed and that is where she sleeps with her bear Hearts in one hand and and a yuck bucket in the other.
Sunday night Mom and Grams took Alyce to an Urgent Care because her fever had spiked to almost 105. Luckily for everyone Alyce is only suffering from an ear infection and not something worse. The doctor sent Mom home with some antibiotics.
Mom gave Alyce the drugs a while before I got home from the train station. However, just seconds before I walk in the door Alyce has thrown up her medicine in the dinning room, hallway, and bathroom. Mom's first sentence to me is "hi daddy don't mind the puke on the floor". Welcome home indeed.
Alyce was laying on the couch looking miserable. I walked over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. She looks up at me and even manages a smile. She said "dad I missed you", reached an arm up to pull my head close, and gave me a kiss on the cheek. Sick kid + epic cuteness = melted heart.
I carried Alyce up to bed and that is where she sleeps with her bear Hearts in one hand and and a yuck bucket in the other.
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