Why would we work for free? Show me the money!

Apparently, my boys don't work for free...what's up with that?

A conversation on the way to school:

Connor: "We haven't collected any money for doing our jobs"

Me: "Because you haven't done any jobs lately" (I don't count laundry as a job as that is their assigned household chore)

Connor: "Because you have to pay us and tell us what the job is"

Connor and Brady went on to throw out ideas for jobs, including the request for a BIG job that they can share the money on. They also said they wanted to save their money for a toy and hopefully the toy doesn't cost everything they have in their bank, so that they can still have some savings.

I guess it is time for Chris and I to come up with some jobs...and start handing over the quarters or dollars. I wonder what the going rate for child labor is these days?

Our big girl...10 weeks old!

We knew Claire was getting to be a big girl based on her new appetite and the noticeable change in how she fills out her bouncy and bassinet now....we received confirmation of just how big at her 2 month doctor appt. Claire weighs 14 lb, 11 ozs. and is in the 99th percentile. She is 24 inches long which was 93%. She is still my sweet little girl but apparently wants to play catch up with her big brothers.

Some things she is doing at 10 weeks old...

• Enjoys her days at daycare which consist of 3 naps of about 4 hours and then 6 hours of music time, swinging, and watching all the activity of the other kids. Right now, she is surrounded by kids ages 8 months to 7 years old, so lots of stimulation.
• Sleeps very good! Wakes up once in the night for a bottle and sometimes with a long time period of time from the last bottle.
• Perks up at the sound of Connor's voice...I think it is because he talks to her in that soothing baby talk voice and likes to tell her all sorts of things.
• Smiles at Brady and then shoots Brady looks when he starts getting too annoying.
• Has very strong head strength and loves to sit up and see the world. Has even started bouncing into a sitting position from a leaning position.
• Loves being held by mommy...yes, she looks to be a hip baby!
• Loves to coo, gurgle, and smile on a regular basis. She is a very happy baby!
• Enjoys watching cartoons with Connor and has chosen a favorite...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She smiles and gets very excited while watching that show, which may be due to the primary colors.

We are enjoying each day with her and are just amazed at how happy of a baby she is! We love the completeness of our family - I can't imagine our life without our two boys and our baby Claire in it!

Weekend fun...a lot of swimming!

I went into the weekend stressed about balancing the need to get things done around the house, catch-up on work, and spend time with the kids. After having a quiet afternoon where the boys were at a birthday party and Claire was napping, I was able to get past that feeling after catching up on a few items. The boys had a blast at the birthday party where there was a bounce house and lots of trains (a bigger collection of Geotrax than what they have if you can believe that). Saturday evening, we decided to head to my mom's house where she was filling up her pool (finally) and the cousins were already splashing it up. The boys happily joined in and played for hours with their cousins. Papa joined in and the kids had a blast playing with Papa into the evening. Claire also had her first dip into a pool...she seemed to enjoy it!

On Sunday, the boys had already made plans to head back over there. I left with the three kids around lunch time, we had an outdoor lunch at mom's house, and then me and the kids swam. Claire was loving it for the time she was in! After a couple hours by ourselves, daddy, gma, and cousins all showed up and joined in. It ended up being a very nice afternoon for a swim...the pool was full, sun was shining, the wind was giving a nice breeze, and everyone was in good moods. I have a feeling this will become a recurring weekend event. I just wish it was at our house so we could skip the loading up the car part...

Consequences and Negotations

The boys know that certain behaviors will result in consequences. Those consequences are usually the loss of an activity that is important to them. This is not always the same because of interest changes and the key is to motivate a behavior change and "hit them where it hurts". This is easier to do with Connor than with Brady as Connor is very passionate about his interests. This is not as easy to do with Brady since he is so laid back that he will move on to a different interest.

Tonight, Connor lost his TV show as punishment for his lack of listening and then his lack of respect. After a meltdown about losing his TV, he then proceeded to make the following arguments (and a few more): "Mom, you should have taken my Shrek watch away because I wouldn't care about that. I can wait until tomorrow to get that back, but I can't wait until tomorrow to get my tv back. By taking my TV away, you have made me upset. I'm not going to be able to get up early enough to watch my show."

I had to point out to him that we apparently hit the "punishment" on the nail since that was the POINT! Why yes Connor, the behavior consequence should be the one that you least care about and doesn't upset you! Really...he was negotiating with me on why we chose the punishment we did! Keep trying buddy...your negotiation skills will come in handy one day when you need to influence others!

Cuddle Bugs

Lately, Claire wants to sit up to see the world. We have started sitting her in the corner of the couch and Connor will quickly jump up next to her (usually as an excuse to watch one of his shows). They were cuddling together watching Mickey Mouse (eventually she fell asleep on him like this). The love is already so evident between these two...

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads I know! As for my wonderful husband - our kids (and me) are so lucky to have such a wonderful father. You are a very important part of our lives and I love how involved and engaged you are with the kids (including diaper duty and sick duties). We love you very much.

Father's day morning the boys were very excited to give their presents that they made at school. Connor's was a sports themed photo frame and Brady's was a tool themed photo frame. That afternoon, we went to Mimi & Papa's for a cookout with family. This year, my parents also joined in the fun which was a nice treat. It was an afternoon of visiting, trying out the new paddle boat, and the boys briefly "fishing". It was a hot day, so much of the time was spent inside. Chris and Connor also went to visit with Papa Terry and wish him a Happy Father's day. I think Connor enjoyed the one-on-one time.

We love all the fathers/grandfathers in our lives and we hope they all had an enjoyable, relaxing day on Father's Day. (Sorry Chris that you didn't get the sleeping in part this year!)

My Sweet Kiddos

Claire's New Adventures

This week marked the start of a new adventure for Claire...she started at daycare since mommy had to return to work. For the next 8 weeks, she will be at a home daycare until the daycare center where the boys went has an opening for her. Starting on Monday, she has been spending the day surrounded by around 10 other kids that are between the ages of 8 months and 7 years old. According to Mrs. Pam (her provider), she has been doing great! Based on her evenings, she is getting lots of attention and stimulation as she is conked out for most of the evening and into the night. We feel like we haven't seen much of Claire all week!

Comments from Mrs. Pam:

• She is such a strong and engaged baby - she sits so well (supported, of course) and wants to sit up to interact
• She is a big baby and loves to eat...she lets she know when she is hungry
• When she is ready to sleep, she is out and doesn't let the noise of the other kids keep her from enjoying a good nap (she has had to adjust to her brothers, so no surprise there)
• She loves to smile at the other kids and some of the little girls just love to entertain Claire

She concluded her week with her first craft project - her first Father's Day card to her daddy! She also spent Friday evening AWAKE for a change...it was nice to visit with Claire and know that we also have the weekend to spend with her!

Look who's four!

Last Sunday, Brady turned 4 years old (finally)! He has been planning for this day ever since he turned 3 and has already started plans for his fifth birthday. Here is our picture session where he did a great job and looks like such a big boy! Slow down buddy - you are growing up too fast for me!

Splish Splash - Brady's Birthday Celebration

Brady celebrated his fourth birthday with a backyard birthday bash with his friends and family. We had the backyard set up like his own little water park....sprinkler, slip-n-slide, kiddie pool, bigger kiddie pool, water balloons (they went fast), water table, splash balls, and playset. The sprinkler was a giant globe we gave him as an early present since Brady's favorite school subject is geography and the continents on earth. The kids had a blast running between all the areas, with the pool being the main attraction (it was a HOT day). After the kids were good and exhausted, they had cupcakes and ice-cream sundaes. Brady received lots of great gifts - lots of water-themed or Toy Story themed gifts so they were a huge hit. He also received the Geotrax Cars set that he had been asking for since Christmas, so thank you Mimi & Papa. Brady had lots of fun and has requested a repeat of the party when he turns 5 as he is already planning ahead again.

Thank you to those that were able to attend and for giving Brady a wonderful birthday!

Just me and my kiddos

After the Cincy family vacation, it was time for daddy to return to work. Unfortunately he could not take off the whole week and fortunately I was already on leave, so it was going to be me and the three kiddos by myself for three whole days. I have to admit that I was dreading it because I would be severely outnumbered, but we ended up having a good time!

The first day, I knew the boys would be ready to hang out at home after three fun, fast-paced days. I set up the water table and the kiddie pool for them to play in and they spent most of the day either in the water or playing inside with their trains. We also realized very quickly that we needed a bigger pool...

By the second day, they were ready to return to their normal pace. About 11am, I threw all three kids in the car in hopes that it would stop the whining from at least one of them and accomplish a couple errands. The boys were relatively good for errands so we grabbed McDs and headed to Garvin's Park for a picnic lunch. After our lunch, my sister and her family rode up on their bikes and all the kids had a blast on the playground. After a fun-filled afternoon, we headed home to meet daddy and we could report that we had a good day.

For the third and final day, we had arranged a playdate with a good friend and classmate. We met them at the Zoo and another friend also joined in. The four boys (and Claire) had a pretty good day at the Zoo, although it was a lot more visiting with each other than animal viewing. It was a very hot day too, so we were glad to go home to a BIGGER pool for the boys to play in!

Here are a few pictures from our three days...

Memorial Weekend - Cincinnati Vacation

For Memorial weekend, we decided to take a mini-vacation to break the week up for the boys since they would be out of school all week. We wanted to stay relatively close to home since this would be Claire's first road trip...so we chose Cincinnati.

We left on Sunday morning with a jam-packed car. The drive over went great - Claire slept and the boys were entertained by a movie and their Leapsters. Upon arrival, we went to the Cincinnati Zoo. It was a very busy and HOT day at the zoo - lots of ups and downs in terms of mood and weather (got a little overcast relief) for the day. Claire had the luxury of a shaded stroller with a personal fan. Boys had several favorites of the day and Claire was a great tag-a-long/trooper. Ordered delivery pizza to the hotel room and called it a night...Brady took a little bit to crash and crash he did.

The next day, Memorial Day, we were heading to Kings Island. We promised the boys if they were good listeners and were well-behaved that they would get to swim that evening at the hotel. We had a really GREAT day...it wasn't very crowded since it was the holiday, the weather was slightly milder, and the rides were a blast! We kicked it off with a ride to the top of the Eiffel Tower to survey the park and plan our attack. We rode several rides more than once and spent the majority of the day in the new section, Planet Snoopy. Connor loved the roller coasters (there were a few that were smaller scale for his age) and Brady would usually try every ride once. Connor usually rode twice and traded off the parents. I can't wait until he is older and we can return for all the BIG roller coasters which Kings Island is known for. As promised, we went back to the hotel and let the boys swim. Connor loved the fact that he could touch and could practice his swimming.

The final day was indoors, thank goodness. Claire had been a great sport the last couple days, but we didn't want to overdo it for her. We went to EnterTRAINment Junction which was all about trains. It is a fairly new place that they are continuing to expand on, but there is the world's largest train display, a train-themed play area for the kids, and a couple kid sized train rides. We spent a couple hours there before heading back home.

The vacation was fun, but I think we all would have preferred a water-themed vacation (the beach) since it was so HOT! Looking forward to next year when Claire will be old enough to travel that far and I am sure she will love the sand and ocean!

Enjoy the picture slideshow from our three days...