Vote for me!!!

We had (seemingly) everything we own in the middle of the livingroom while we repainted the walls.

Then Scotty put up the new tv! It almost blocks out the hideous faux-brick...

The kids rocked out while I began to clean up.

Ian's skills are questionable.

Sooooo Sleepy

Anya's quitting her naps. I resisted at first, but when she does nap, she tortures Ian at bedtime because she's not tired. So, I'm letting the naps go. But once in awhile, she's overcome...

The Great Swamp (again)

It was a gorgeous spring day. The volunteers gave Ian a scavenger hunt list of things to look for on our hike.

We saw frogs.

We saw turtles.
Much was seen through binoculars. So much so, that Anya fell off the path and into the muck at one point.
Looking for a red-crested something-or-other.
Daddy spotted this snake!

Not for the Faint of Heart...

Ian started getting hives last month. Coincidentally (I hope), he was on Augmentin at the time. The doc had us off it, and to an allergist - STAT. Uncle Michael recommended a terrific doc, and Ian is relatively hive-free. Now begins the testing to determine why he had hives. Scott hopes it's the cats.

Ian's New Room

Scotty took out the built-in a/c unit and put a window back in its place. Ask him how sore he was after falling off of the top of the ladder in the driveway, taking out the a/c casing. He did point out that the top part clearly says, "THIS IS NOT A STEP." On the plus side, we have terrific neighbors. A few came running! Ian's getting a kickin' closet!


A random shot, I realize, but I wanted to express my desperation for Anya to be potty-trained. Here, she's in her pjs top, eating yogurt, drinking milk and watching TV - all while sitting on the potty. She sat there for an hour and a half, then got up and peed on the kitchen floor.

A Gazillion Bubbles

A beautiful day to blow and catch bubbles!

Notice Anya's haircut?
Doesn't she look adorable?

Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

This was back in early May. He was still learning how to stop.

Sometimes the hard way...

Some shoes MAY have been ruined in the making of this video...

He's much better now, btw!

Mother's Day

We went to Jenkinson's Boardwalk again this year. We had fun at the aquarium and on the rides.

See? Fun!

Anya Nonsense

What?! Her skin felt dry.

Coldest darn May that I can remember. Here's Anya at the breakfast table, bundled because we are NOT turning the heat on in May! (Yes, we still have an Easter basket on the table...)

It's blurry, but you can sorta see how she painted to the first knuckle...

And painting your entire toe is ALL the rage!

Please note the outfit. Black velvet in May. She's a fashion plate, all right!

Mommy's Birthday

Scotty and the kids made me a birthday cake to celebrate my , ahem, 32nd birthday. (That's how old Ian thinks I am!)

Cha-cha-cha!

Ian's First Game

The cheerleaders. Anya, and two other little sisters. Though dressed to cheer, they pretty much blew bubbles and tossed a ball around...

Ian and his new buddy, ready to bat!

There's Ian, hands on knees, ready to field a ball.

While playing 1st, a few balls got past him.

He was a little bored while waiting for some action, so he played in the dirt. He was focused, though! He always sprang to action when necessary.
Such form.
His throws aren't always accurate, but they sure go far!
Thirsty work, this tee-ball!


Somehow, these videos got loaded out of order, so here's Ian running home (and almost neglecting to actually touch home).

Here he is batting and running to 1st.

Little League Opening Day

Today was the opening day parade. Here's Ian lining up. That's the most organized they were all day.

We waited on the bridge over the Rockaway River. Luckily, the T-ball teams were first, after the police and firemen!

Here's one of Ian's friends. He's on a different team, so he and Ian argue over who's going to "win the other" when they play each other.

Suddenly Ian realizes he's been lollygagging, and must run to catch up to the team.

Luckily, they're not overly "together."
The team.
I know I'm biased, but isn't Ian beautiful? Oh, ahem, I'm supposed to say handsome...
Anya and her friend took advantage of the free Rita's italian ices.

Baseball Begins!

Ok, so in the beginning of the practice, every kid scrambled to get every ball. It was a bit messy, but hilarious.

Then, they all just sort of stood there while many balls went by. "What? Aren't you gonna get it?"

Then they were instructed to stay in a particular spot and "call it" if they were going to get a ball that was coming their way. This is when Ian started to zone out. I neglected to get a pic of him chewing on one of the laces on his mitt.

Yay! Fielding a ball! I don't remember if he ran into this kid's space or vice versa, but no one seemed offended.

Then my little lefty threw righty. Who knows? The coach set him up to bat lefty, just to see, though he usually bats righty as well. He did fine. His only problem was that none of the batting helmets fit his ginormous head. Luckily, there was another large-noggined kid there who'd brought his own. His mother and I empathized...

Easter at Home

So, we had an Easter Egg Hunt with our neighbors. Becky and I hid 90 eggs for the 3 kids to find. Becky even got 3 gold eggs since Alex and Ian were so mature in there handling of the previous day's hunt. Most of the eggs had change in them. The gold ones each had a dollar. There were also 12 with Play Dough and 12 with fruit snacks in them. Alex figured out right away that he only wanted money, so he skipped the ones with stickers, as they were the store-bought ones. Both boys were very sweet with Anya. They let her get the more obvious ones. I must say, however, that she was pretty ruthless! In the end, we were missing 5. Later in the day, 4 more were found. We're still missing one. I guess a lawnmower will assist in that find...

Mmmm - peeps!

Why I KNOW We're Decent Parents

So, we went to the town's Easter Egg Hunt. Loads of kids with their parents all waiting by the gate at the middle school's baseball fields. When the time came for the festivities to begin, Officer Scott got up on his police car and asked the crowd to quiet down so he could explain the rules. He explained that the little ones, 0-3, would be going first, therefore they should move up to the gate. He asked that everyone else move to the back. Right away, I noticed "problem parents." You know them. They were with big kids, but staying by the gate. When their kids said, "Dad, Officer Scott says we're supposed to move," the father nastily replies, "If we stay here, we'll be in a perfect position when it's your turn."

Nice.

Teach your kids to disregard authority.

Teach your kids to cheat.

Then it was time for us to go in. The little ones could have an adult help them, so my mom helped Anya while I took pics. Anya only lasted about 35 seconds, though, because the Easter Bunny started walking toward her and she flipped out. Luckily, Nana found a golden egg for her precious princess.

When the 4-6 year old kids went out, the parents weren't allowed within 25 yards of them. I asked a friend of mine who was there last year why that was, as I was bummed that I couldn't get any good pics. She said that last year there were parents on the field, pushing into kids, snatching golden eggs, and even sending there kids onto the fields where their kid didn't belong - just for a golden egg! You know what you get when you turn in your golden egg? A stuffed animal. Whoopdee-do. Every kid leaves with a bag of candy, so it's not like anyone leaves empty-handed. These parents are nuts.

Here are the boys coming back in after the hunt. No golden eggs, and no tears. Yeah, that's right, no tears. Ian learned a few years ago that, "you get what you get and you don't get upset." And that's how I know we're decent parents!

Slow, Steady Progress

So, you can no longer see the nasty insulation and 2x4s in Ian's ceiling because Scott and Steve put up sheetrock!
Then Scott and I put sheetrock up on the livingroom side of the wall to close off the room. Yay!!! No more construction dirt coming out all over my house!
Now, as soon as Scotty's spackled and sanded, we can paint the livingroom! Woo-hoo!