Mini-Vacay

On the weekend before Joergen's birthday, we took our very first family trip for just the four of us for a little weekend getaway to the Legacy Vacation Club in Brigantine, NJ.  I was supposed to take this trip back in November with a group of girls for my best friend's bachelorette party, but alas, Hurricane Sandy had other plans!  So the trip was rescheduled for a different weekend at a different hotel with different people, and although different all together, we had a blast. 

Who wants to go swimming?!

We do!! (Sweet get-up, L-dog!)

We got there on Friday night, ate a quick pizza dinner, and hit the pool for a nighttime swim.  And on Saturday morning, we woke up, ate breakfast, and went right back to that pool.  We loved being able to go swimming even though it was only 40 degrees outside and spent the majority of our weekend right there.

What a difference 6 months (and a cool life jacket) made with regards to Joergen's confidence in swimming!  He started by just putting his feet in and splashing...

Followed by sitting on the first step... (look at that grin! He knew what he was doing!)

And then he was off, putting his face in the water and motoring around that pool by himself like a big kid!

Liam needed no encouragement whatsoever-- he was in that water (and it wasn't exactly warm!) faster than you could say "brrrrrr!" and didn't stop until we pretty much dragged him out by the goggles.

Liam also managed to make friends with a gaggle of teenage girls... heaven help us!  Our four-year-old flirt!

Liam and Dad also had some fun taking turns jumping in:

Love this picture of Liam "steering" his dad around the pool!

While Joergen (and Dad, for that matter) took a nice long nap on Saturday afternoon, Liam and I decided to head over to Atlantic City to check out the aquarium.  Bonus point if you can find who's hiding in this picture!

The aquarium was the perfect size for a preschooler, and we had a great time meeting all kinds of sea creatures.

Well, hi there!

A highlight for Liam had to be this tank, where he could actually pet a shark.  They were just little guys, but he was ecstatic to make contact and exclaimed, "I did it!  And they're super-slimy!"

We then spent some time watching this giant sea turtle... who spent some time watching us right back.

Liam took this picture of his new turtle-friend, and I thought it was pretty darn awesome:

We then checked out the much smaller version upstairs:

"Awww, hi buddy!"

On the very top floor, Liam was thrilled to find Captain Hook himself!

When we were all aquarium-ed out, we headed back to Brigantine, woke up the lazy half of the fam (who was seriously still sleeping!), bundled up, and hit the beach.

As we were walking towards the ocean, little Joer held my hand and just stared with wide eyes at the sea.  I heard his little voice say, over and over, "wow. maaazing. wow" and wondered, could this be his first time ever seeing the ocean?!  I turned to Dad and we racked our brains for a few moments, only to realize that yes-- this was it!  Such a cool, almost-overlooked, milestone for our baby boy!!

He took in the great sea with every bit of wonder and awe in his little self.  "Ocean maaazing, Mommy!"

Thanks to an early Easter present from Aunt Doreen, we had a bucket and shovel on hand right in my car, so Liam took charge of the hunt for cool seashells (which he later painstakingly washed in the bathroom sink of the hotel).

We were relieved to see how great Brigantine is looking post-Sandy, and can't wait for July when we return with warmer weather and a whole lot of G-willies!

Race ya down the dune!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Joergen!

Look who's TWO!!

Our sweet Joergen is taking the 2s by storm.  Over the past few weeks, his little personality has just exploded as he is exploring all sorts of new skills and abilities (...and emotions).  He has really become Mr. Independent whose mantra is "MY do it SELF!"

Getting into Liam's preschool New Year's party creations

Joergen loves to dance (which I desperately want to catch on video-- stay tuned!) and sing.  He picks up on all kinds of little songs and tunes, and in any given moment will be chanting "Spider-Man, Spider-Man" or "Cooby-Doo where ARE you?" while playing with action figures, "Winkle, Winkle, Lil Tar" before bed, or "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you!" for now particular reason at all.  He is also fond of a little song that I made up a couple of years ago about Thomas the Tank Engine for Liam and will sing, "ToooomAS! the Choo-Choo Rain!" whenever he brushes his teeth with his Thomas toothpaste.  And let's not forget his affinity for teeny-bopper pop music, which he enthusiastically shares with his brother, as he sings out "Oh, oh oh! That make you bootiful!" or "Here's mumber, call me abey!"

Joergen can usually be found in some little nook of the house quietly playing in a pile of books or puzzles or toys on his own... or off in search of adventure and excitement wherever it may be.  He can sense a good wrestling match from the other side of the house and will come a-running to join in the fun.  You won't even know he's there until he leaps on top of the monkey pile.

He is seemingly becoming more and more fearless and independent with each passing day.  He will jump off his changing table into my arms with little (or no) notice and loves to figure out how to get himself up on couches, beds, tables, etc.  His new thing is to push our wooden stepstool right up to the fridge to get himself a drink of water from the dispenser, or push it over to wherever I'm prepping a meal, declaring "I help you!"

With the addition of bunk beds right around Liam's 4th birthday, the boys are now officially sharing a room... and apparently also sharing sleeping habits.  Joergen, who was famous for his love of sleep, has recently learned to climb out of his crib (thanks Dad and Liam... thanks.) and has been mounting a surprising protest against both naptime and bedtime.  Bedtime is now always met with "No! Pitty SOON!" as he insists on "More Books!" to avoid being put in his crib (while also curled up on the floor, sucking his thumb!  Just give in, buddy!).  It is so out of character for him, but to be honest, we knew we had such a good thing going with this little guy's sleeping habits that it was bound to end sometime.  It's no wonder weekday mornings are such a struggle with these two.  We basically have to peel them out of their beds and bring them into our room in an effort to get them moving and out the door.

Viva la resistance!

Joergen's language skills continue to amaze us, and we're so grateful to be navigating the "terrible 2s" this time around with a kid who can at least try to verbalize his frustrations and needs.  In addition to "Pitty soon!" and "I help you?", his most common phrases these days are:
"Ew gross. Don't ike it."
"Mom. What DOing?"
"Carry you!" (translation: carry me!)
"Doopid. Shut Up." (the two "bad words" that Liam taught him. He usually says these phrases with a big mischievous grin)
"Not wo-king" (it's not working; it's broken)
"My do it"

I also love the following exchanges we frequently have:

Me: "Joergen, please ____ (insert request here)."
Joergen: "No, honey."

Me: "You're silly!"
Joergen: "No, I JOgen!"

On the morning of his birthday, we had one excited little boy on our hands.  He woke up to find that his crib had been decorated in streamers (by Daddy, but Joergen insisted it must have been done by "a guy. A bad guy." (??)  And then he donned his birthday-boy shirt and got ready to start his day!

No sooner did we get dressed when the phone rang: Nana and Grandpa, calling to sing him the birthday song.  After so recently celebrating Liam's and my birthdays, he was so proud to have it finally be his turn!

His birthday fell on a Tuesday, so he spent the day with his pals at Miss Doreen's before coming home to one of his favorite dinners: mac and cheese.  He dug in before we could even get his bib on or buckle him in!  Don't mess with this kid and his food... he will mess with it enough on his own, believe me.

Liam, ever the enthusiastic party-goer, knows that every birthday is an excuse to wear hats and eat cake!

Speaking of which...

Thank you Grandpa for the alphabet candles to spell out his name!  Make a wish, baby!

And... someone forgot to tell Joergen that candles and candy are not the same thing...

After dinner, it was time to open presents.  Family from near and far sent all kinds of surprises!

The first gift J opened was from Uncle Andrew, Aunt Beth, and the rest of the Peoria gang.  It was a very cool drum set that he just couldn't wait to start playing.  He loved it!  And Liam loved it!  And they fought over it.  And no one could get over it.

After the drum set frenzy died down ever-so-slightly, we were able to entice Joergen to open another present-- which he loved and got engrossed with right away as well!  Thank you Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie (especially for helping to restore the peace, as Joergen playing with this toy allowed Liam to finally get his turn with the drums!).

His gift from Aunt Erin and Uncle Thomas helped get the boys excited for summer- a new sand toy and a pack of lizards for the beach!

He just loved-- and played for a solid 30 minutes right off the bat with-- his new dump truck from Aunt Vicki and Uncle Dick, and he can't get enough of his new books from Grandma and Papa, Uncle Tim and Aunt Jackie, and this one from Liam to help him learn about colors:

And after all that excitement, it was time to wind down Joergen's very special day with... a drum duet.  This picture says it all:

Happy birthday, baby boy!

3-13-13

My birthday this year was on 3.13.13... which would have only been cooler if I had been turning 31!  

This marked the 15th birthday that I've celebrated with Anthony, and the first birthday that he baked for me. And trust me when I say he went all out!  With Liam's allergies and store-bought cakes being a thing of our past, I usually do the special-occasion baking.  And last year, the boys were young enough that we could get away with having a store-bought treat after they'd gone to bed.  But alas, they are now old enough to know with birthdays come cake... and they want IN, baby.  So on the eve of my special day, there was my dear husband, baking away in the kitchen with determination to make something for us all to enjoy.

And did he ever!  Banana cupcakes with lemon glaze, and holy cow were they amazing.  My trusty side-kick  was there to help blow out the candles:

And then time for all of us to dig in!  Looks like a party to me :)

And how sweet was Joergen to share the last of his crumbs with Liam?!

All three of my guys helped make sure my birthday was a very special one!

St. Patty's Day Parade

The Sunday before St. Patrick's Day brings the Philadelphia St. Patrick's Day Parade, and after having such a great time last year marching with the Notre Dame Club of Philadelphia, we decided to join in the fun once again.  The boys took the train into the city with Daddy so that I could drive separately after singing at church. One was ready for a nap, the other was ready to party.  Can you guess which was which?

A friend of mine at work has a little knitting shop on Etsy and offered to make us lepruchan beards for the holiday.  They were so soft and funny!

Joergen totally refused to wear his... maybe next year!

When we found our line-up spot, we were excited to see that we were right next to both Cathleen's Irish dancing school AND the Sons and Daughters of Derry!  What luck!

The parade was once again very s-l-o-w to get going, so we had to wait for a couple of hours in line before it was our turn to move.  So, we found ways to keep occupied!  Joergen busied himself by running from the sidewalk to the street and back again about a hundred times.

The Alumni band entertained us with some tunes:

... and the drummer even gave Liam a lesson:

Finally it was time to step off!

Remember when I said one was ready for a nap?  :)

Right from the start, Liam and Brighid took their jobs of passing out beads and greeting the parade watchers seriously!  They did an awesome job.

And sometimes, Liam would socialize a little too long with the crowd and have to run to catch back up with us!

Unprompted, he walked up to a police officer along the parade route, wished him a Happy St. Patrick's Day, and gave him some beads.  I think it made his day!

He also found a dog along the parade route that was as big as he was:

Rounding up to the Ben Franklin Parkway:

As we got onto the Parkway, all of the sudden our sleepy Joergen caught his second wind, hopped out of the stroller, and got his march on.

And just like his big brother, he started greeting the crowd and wishing all a Happy St. Patrick's Day.  It was too cute!

Our group approaching the stage area.  Last year they cut to a commercial just as we arrived.  Would we make it on this year?

We made it!  Check us out here.  We are in the 3:00-4:00 pm segment, right at the 19 minute mark.

After the parade, we were stopped by Maria Papadakis, a reporter from Philly.com, who was doing a video segment on the parade for the website.  She interviewed the ND Club with our Liam standing proudly next to her:

After the segment when everyone was leaving, Liam walked up to the reporter and said, "Happy St. Patrick's Day!", and she loved it so much she asked if he would mind saying it again for the camera.  Would he mind?  Have you met Liam?

You can watch the Philly.com segment here.  Our group is interviewed around the 1 minute mark, and make sure you watch right at the very end!

Liam even made it into the Twitterverse when the reporter tweeted about him later that week:

#liamfuturestar?

St. Patrick's Day itself was much, much calmer in comparison...

We had leprachaun milk and green pancakes for breakfast, then off to church where Liam wore that same green ND t-shirt he had worn to the parade to church, with a clip-on tie and blazer-- on his insistance. We had our traditional corned beef and cabbage that evening and a couple of pints of Guiness for mommy and daddy.  All in all, a pretty perfect day.  Feeling blessed and lucky!