Pizza Party

Instead of his usual morning at preschool, Leo met up with his classmates at a local pizza parlor (called Pizza Party) for a field trip. The kids got to make pizzas and eat them.

Here he is putting some toppings on his pizza.
"Hmmm...what else should I put on this?"
He spotted me taking pictures in the corner and was happy to see me.
Serafina stayed busy with the fun house mirror.
Uh-oh...might be time to go on a diet.
The finished product. He ate it for both lunch and dinner tonight.
At the end of the field trip, one of the moms handed out fudgesicles to all the kids. Since we walked there and the temperature was in the mid-80s, this is how he looked when he got home.
The only solution is to turn on the water wiggle and set him loose.
I accidentally traumatized Serafina with the water wiggle by fixing a kink in the hose while she was standing right next to it and it went to full blast. She was pretty freaked out, but managed to have some fun.

Welcome spring!

We had some amazing weather today. It's about bloody time, since we've been needing an ark for the last couple of weeks. We might as well have been living in Seattle. But today was different. Today was gorgeous.

Almost as gorgeous as this girl.
Maia and Serafina got to break in their summer wardrobes. Don't they look like a couple of Florida retirees with their loud prints and big hats. Which way to shuffleboard, ladies?
"Hands off my hat!"
The best part is going outside after nap and enjoying the longer days. Leo got to ride his bike with his neighbors and when we came inside at 6pm, his cheeks were a little flush. So great.

How tall?

Leo joined Tom at work for lunch today while I took Serafina to an appointment. He got to meet a lot of his daddy's co-workers. Tom said he was talkative and outgoing. When one of Tom's colleagues asked if Leo was going to grow up to be as tall as his daddy, Leo stood next to Tom and responded, "well, I'm as tall as Daddy's penis."

Ouch!

We had our friends over today for a visit and when there was a break in the rain, the dads took the kids on a walk. Serafina returned looking like this.


She's not too upset about it.
It's funny because a long ago visit to their house had similar results.

Dancing Queen

The horrible weather around here has one up side. People stay home and Serafina's dance class is really small. Today she had a private lesson for almost half the class time. I hope when she's the prima ballerina in a famous dance company she appreciates her mom got out of the house at 8:20am on a Saturday in the pouring rain.

She does a pretty good job of following along and seems to like the teacher. Here she is clapping along with the song.
Stretching to warm up.
Dancing with a wand in her favorite tutu that Nana got her last weekend. She loves to wear it any where and every where.
Here she is "jumping" in the hoops.


Most of the videos I took today were exactly the same - Serafina running like crazy with whatever prop she's been giving not really paying attention to what the song is instructing her to do. Here she is racing around with a flower to the "freeze dance" song. She doesn't do much freezing.


If some of this looks familiar, it's because her class is almost exactly the same as the dance class Leo did last spring. She even has the same teacher.

Another fabulous outfit

Two TuTus

TuTu take down.

St. Patrick's Day

Leo had a restless night, but he got up and made it to school this morning. I hate to say it, but I needed the break. Plus, he made this adorable Leprechaun hat.
And a pot of gold.
Fun with dandelions.


Serafina rocking some Irish pride.
We are scheduled to see the pediatrician tomorrow and I hope their ears are better and we are on our way to healthy days.

Here's a flashback to St. Patrick's past.

Sickies

After a fun dinner out on Sunday night...
(can you guess where?), my kids woke up with fevers on Monday morning.
So they hung out on the couch, watching TV and taking it easy. They are both on a broad-spectrum antibiotic for the ear infections, so fever was suspicious and the doctor wanted to see them. I put them down for early naps so we could go to a 3pm appointment. Well, it turns out that in addition to their ear infections, they developed a new virus that was causing the fever and runny noses. Awesome. They got sick while being sick. Their ears didn't look that great when she checked, but we are continuing on the antibiotic and they'll be rechecked on Friday.

The only upside to sick kids is they slept in until 9am. Leo had to miss preschool for the first time today. I guess he won't be getting that perfect attendance medal.

It's tough to see my kids sick and it wears me out since they are extra clingy. I'm sick of them being sick and feel guilty because I know my choices (like going to the gym and putting them in the child watch) are the primary cause of their illness. The pediatrician we saw yesterday reminded me that it makes their immune systems stronger in the long run. In the short run, it just sucks.

We still find ways to have fun.

Family Hike

We packed up the kids and drove about 40 minutes to go for a hike. My kids are still sick, but I figured a little fresh air would do them good. Plus, it was very possible I'd go crazy if we stayed cooped up in the house.

Checking out a big rock.
Crossing a little bridge.
It's really fun to watch Leo discovering nature and really enjoying the outdoors.




Stopping for some lunch.



Look how long Serafina's hair is getting.
Serafina was in the carrier for the hike, but Leo walked the whole thing - 1.6 miles. I offered to carry Serafina because I was certain Tom would end up having to carry Leo. But the little guy proved to be a big kid.

Oh and Serafina did much better in her morning dance class. She didn't demand I hold her the whole time and seemed to actually enjoy it a bit.

Fire House Field trip

Leo developed a bad cough yesterday and didn't get much of a nap because of the coughing. Last night was really rough too. I had to pretend it wasn't happening. This morning, I ran around the house getting us both ready to head out for his school's field trip and leave things set up for the sitter to be with Serafina. I would yell from whatever room I was in for him to drink some water as he hacked and hacked on the couch. I should have kept him home or maybe taken him straight to the doctor, but the train had already left the station. I was scheduled to work the field trip, the sitter was coming and I had to take this coughing kid to the fire house. He wasn't just coughing a little; he was constantly coughing and couldn't even eat a decent breakfast because of it. I made a doctor's appointment for the late afternoon before leaving the house.

The field trip was fun. The kids did a great job paying attention and being polite. Leo did a good job covering his mouth with a few reminders from mom.

Here he is having his turn in the fire engine. All the kids got to walk through it, but Leo took a seat inside. Maybe he was hoping they'd get an emergency call and he could ride along.
Getting some help out.
Waiting their turns to try out the fire hose.
This little boy is named Prakhar. I can never understand a word he says and he's not very good at sharing, but check out the look on his face. Could he be more thrilled about spraying that hose?
Leo's turn.
Fireman Jim put on all the gear to show the kids he wasn't scary and they shouldn't hide from him in a fire. Not sure any of his training prepared him from this kid swarm, but maybe that outfit will keep him from catching their cooties, especially from my kid.

The class posed for a picture.
We headed over to an adjacent park after for a little play time and snack.

About 40 minutes before the field trip was suppose to end, Leo sat on one of the playground's rocking animals and just laid his head down. I was talking to his teacher at the time and she said, "why don't you go ahead and take him home." It was seriously one of the most pathetic things I've ever witnessed. She assured me that the remaining parents and her could handle the small amount of kids there and I apologized for even bringing him in the first place. She's a mother of five, so she's seen it all.

He had almost no nap and then we headed to the pediatrician's office. I like her and all, but I don't want to have to see her twice in one week. Serafina decided to get upset right when the doctor came in for her exam, but Leo was fine to sit up on the big table by himself. He answered all the doctor's questions and followed her directions for breathing deep. Turns out he had a fever and (drum roll) a double ear infection. Yep, four out of the eight ears in this family are infected. She took a look at Serafina's ears too and they haven't responded to the antibiotic, so she gave them both a different type of medication. I hope we have some improvement soon. Already they seem to be sleeping better than the last couple nights.