Happy Birthday Sophie!

The Seaton Family enjoyed celebrating Sophie's 2nd birthday today. The kids ate, played pin the nose on Elmo, played with balloons, and had fun. Happy Birthday Sophie! Thanks for letting us share your day!    

Seaton Winter Blues...Is Spring here yet?

We really hibernate during the winter months and avoid getting out...it has been so cold lately and then we had a period snow and ice that further prompted the hibernation. Also, Connor NEVER wants to get out of his pajamas on the weekend unless there is a REALLY good excuse to.

A couple weekends ago, when we had that brief warm-up, we were able to venture to Mesker Park Zoo for a couple hours. That was interesting since there was still ice on the ground and several animals were still sheltered away for the winter, but the boys still enjoyed it. That same evening the boys had a slumber party at Gma Darla's, although they pooped out on her a couple hours during dinner and went to bed at 9. Mommy and Daddy had a nice evening out...we went to a Couple's game night to play Loaded Questions and Newlywed Game with 6 other couples. Most of the couples did not know each other, so that made it that much more interesting.

This weekend, we decided to have a family night with another couple and their almost 2-year old son. It was nice to visit with them, but unfortunately the boys had been cooped up all day and were starting to show it. They were a little whiny and tired. Lesson for next time...get out of the house even if for a quick errand. Unfortunately, the boys usually tell one of us to run the errands and the other parent can stay home with them.

We are really looking forward to warmer weather and today's sunny weather is a nice preview (except it is 27 degrees)! We are hoping to take a mini-Road Trip in March. We are already planning our family vacation for May, where we are going to spend a few days in Huntsville, AL visiting the sites and with my friends (from when I lived in the area in middle school (Hamilton)). We are then heading south for the Boys' first beach vacation.

Spring can arrive anytime...no complaints here!

Connor...Practical Life learning

At Montessori, one of the areas of teaching is "Practical Life". They introduce works that the kids can apply to life at home. You would think that would mean that would be able to HELP at home with chores....apparently, not as exciting at home.

Below are a couple of pictures of Connor from school...hand washing or baby washing and penny polishing. Like the look of concentration on his face as he carefully uses an eye dropper for the lemon juice? He really enjoys telling us about the baby washing steps from the beginning where he has to prepare the bath water using a pitcher of water, to the actual washing and drying of the baby, to the end where he has to clean up by dumping the water carefully and drying the bath basin. He did ask us one night if he could have a baby so he could practice...uh, no! And no, Brady doesn't count (which was his 2nd question).

Mommy's Weight Loss Journey Update...

Just an update on my progress..from my last posting.

I have stuck to my guns for the most part and have continued to see progress. On the days I don't have lunch or dinner plans, I keep the calories low, limit myself to one soda for the day, and drink LOTS of flavored water. My new favorite...Crystal Light Metabolism+ Peach Mango Green Tea. It is really good and is supposed to increase metabolism also. I find myself drinking 128 ozs.+ of water with ease.

I am down 16 lbs since Jan 2008...6 lbs since Jan 2009. I would like to lose about 6 more. To increase the exercise, I have worked out an arrangement with Mimi that will allow me to go to Hot Yoga twice a week instead of Sunday only. Thank you Mimi!

To be honest, it is so easy to call it quits at this point. Does that extra 6 lbs really mean that much to me? I have potentially hit another road block...is the extra effort needed worth it?

I'm going to try...please send motivation vibes my way!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What better day to start the match-making attempts than on Valentine's day? I took the boys to McPlayland for an early morning playdate with a friend's daughter. She is 6 months younger than Connor and 1 year older than Brady. She liked to say Connor's name a lot during the tunnel play and turned very bashful when offered Valentine's day sentiments from Connor, so she may have an interest in the older men. Only requirement of the future mother-in-law is that the son-in-law has to be handy...I think we are covered there based on his interest in engineering and tinkering with tools.

They had a good time together and as always, I enjoyed visiting with my friend. We'll have to get the kids together again.

Happy Valentines Day to all of our friends and family!

Are they trying to tell me something?

I was going through some stacks of papers the other day when I came across some of my birthday cards from family. I had to go back through the stack a couple times when I realized that I had not ONE, not TWO, but THREE of the same birthday cards. Upon further examination, I realized that all three cards were from Debbie, my mother-in-law and Ross for my birthday in 2005, 2006, and 2007. I could not wait to point this out to her!

Now, pay close attention to the front of the card..."You must be a Genius...great wisdom and unmatched intelligence". Why thank you Debbie! Of course, Ross claims he must have gotten a bargain deal at Sam's Club.

By the way, the inside says "...you married into this family".

As honest as they come...

One thing you have to love about kids this age is their honesty and openness. Sometimes, the comments they make can make you embarrassed by their behavior such as the comment Connor made to Papa yesterday "Why are YOU here at our house?". Sometimes, you get tickled by their keen observations like the comment Connor made to uncle Matthew (who is usually in flight mode) "What are YOU doing here?". Other times, you are surprised by their honesty and willing to admit to their own behaviors.

Today, I commented to Connor that this has been a good weekend and that you boys have been very good this weekend. This was the following conversation...

Connor: I'm sorry I gave you a hard time yesterday.

Mom: You didn't give us a hard time yesterday. You guys were really good and we had a fun day. We went to McDonald's, we went to the zoo and you guys spent the evening with Gma and Papa while mommy and daddy had a date night.

Connor: I was kind of bad yesterday.

Mom: You were, I don't remember that.

Connor: I gave you a hard time when it was time to get me dressed and I wasn't listening. I'll try to not give you a hard time next time.

Like I said, gotta love their honesty. However, I will believe the promises when I see it! Also, so far I have escaped the public comments to strangers about their looks or public displays.

By the way, if Connor has no reason to leave the house (and he will defend that position), there is no reason to change out of the PJs. He likes his comfort.

How much I remember about my first pregnancy!

On one of my social networking sites, a different kind of survey was distributed among friends for a change - it's all how much you remember about your first pregnancy! It was a nice trip down memory lane to remember these details....

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED? Yes

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME? Yes

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS? I was very excited, especially since we had a miscarraige the first time.

4. HOW OLD WERE YOU? 29

5. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT? home pregnancy test

6. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST? Our parents, but we didn't for awhile until we knew for sure because I had a miscarraige the day after I told my parents the first time.

7. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX? Absolutely, I am a planner

8. DUE DATE? Jan 13, 2005

9. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS? yes and major cravings for grease to remedy it

10. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE? McDonald's McGriddle every morning at 9am (at the time, I worked directly across from the McDonald's on Main)

11. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST? Certain people at work that had no clue!

12. WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CHILD'S SEX? Boy

13. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING? Was a little disappointed when I first found out, but knew that this was just my first baby. However, I now have 2 boys and can't imagine it any other way.

14. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN THROUGHOUT THE PREGNANCY? 30 lbs I think or more

15. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER? Yes, several of my friends joined together to throw me one.

16. DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY? It was a relatively easy pregnancy except for the coughing, cracked ribs, and difficult delivery at the end.

17. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR? 5 hours was the actual pushing part, contractions started about 8 hours prior to that.

18. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL? My husband, after we stopped at Smokey Bones (husband says Applebees)for dinner. I was scheduled to be induced.

19. WHO WATCHED YOU GIVE BIRTH? Chris (husband), my parents, Chris's mom and stepdad, my sister. My friend Kelly had to leave before I delivered.

20. WAS IT NATURAL OR C-SECTION? Regular

21. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN? Epidural was great and the family got some great footage of me also during that time explaining the proper way to apply makeup

22. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH? 8LBS 3 OZ.

23. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN ? Jan 11, 2005

24. WHAT DID YOU NAME HIM/HER? Connor

25. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST BORN TODAY? 4

Day 2: More Snow Equals Snow Day Home

During the evening hours, we received quite a bit more snow on top of the snow/ice mixture we received on Day 1. They predict another 3-6" fell and greater than 50% of the region is without power. We had luckily been spared from a power outage at this time, so at least we aren't trying to figure out how to stay warm or get out in this weather to travel to a family's home.

We decided pretty quickly that we were not going to get out in this, especially considering that my car already got stuck on Day 1. Chris's work was only open 10-3 the day before, so it was no surprise that they closed this time. However, instead of the opportunity to sleep in, the boys 6th sense of knowing it wasn't a school day anymore woke them up early for morning cartoons. Any other day, we would be dragging them out of bed!

The boys were very anxious to go outside and play in the snow. What a disappointment - the snow quality was powder and ice chunks! Couldn't even make a snow ball! They lasted about 15 minutes and ended their play after sliding down the slide headfirst (and I think getting snow in between their layers). I will say that the ice formations were pretty cool!

After spending most of the morning with the boys going stir-crazy, we ended up losing our power at 2:30 that afternoon and ventured out to Mimi's before it got dark. We ended up staying the night there not sure when the power would be restored. We arrived home the next morning to learn that our power was restored the prior evening a little after we left (around 5:15). Go figure! Oh well, first family sleepover at Mimi and Papa's. I'm sure Mimi and Papa enjoyed the company.

Day 1: Yucky Ice/Snow...Toddler's Prediction Realized

Last night, we received about an inch or so of ice/snow mix. We are predicted to get 4 more inches of snow tonight - yeah rah! Several schools and businesses were closed today, but unfortunately for us we still had to venture to work and daycare. The city and county roads were pretty decent as far as creating the slush effect that you could mush your car through easily. The state roads, like the highways, were another story where the snow was so packed down that the car couldn't get traction. Whew, made it to daycare and work....

Received a call at lunch that daycare would be closing early, so I left work at 3:30. Spent 15 minutes clearing off my ice encased car from the rain mixture that started falling about lunch time. During that process, my windshield wiper also broke off and I had no idea how to put it back on (I am a girl!). Thank goodness, another co-worker came to my rescue.

To get to the toddler prediction...this morning as we were leaving the house and I was commenting on the slick roads, Connor asked if it would be melted by the end of the day. I responded that it would not and we would probably get more before the day was out. His immediate response was that when I got home tonight I would probably get stuck like I always do (last time we had this kind of snow/ice was about 9 months ago) and Daddy would have to get my car in. Okay - he warned me and yes I got stuck! Our driveway is a little steep and the slippery effect makes it impossible to get up it without shoveling the driveway first or getting a running start from the neighbors driveway.

Connor...Montessori Update/Interests

Connor is learning a lot at school these days...which is obvious by the array of questions I get on our morning trips to school. Sometimes, they can present somewhat of a challenge to me without the quick use of the Internet to "fact-check". Especially, since they are usually in the area of science and engineering. Math and Accounting I can help you with...science and engineering, ask your dad!

The other day I answered some questions about whether the Sun and the Moon is a planet and why we can see the Sun and the Moon at the same time. I now know that the interest in the solar system is based on some new studies and works at school. Per Ms. Beth's blog, they are now exploring space and learning facts about the plant and space exploration. Did you know that Pluto is about the size of the United States? Connor said his favorite planet is Saturn.

I also answered questions about how the wires between the utility poles carry electricity and how they power the lights. Brady wants to know why sometimes they can be seen and sometimes they disappear (underground). Connor wants to know where the snow goes when it melts and reached his own conclusion on why the snow on the road melts faster than the snow on the ground (he said it was from the steam from the cars).

Here are a few pictures of Connor during the day at Montessori...

Connor makes up a song on the xylophone.

One of the works is to match the larger planets with real space photos of our solar system.

Connor with planet orbiting.

Connor traces the sandpaper "f" and checks out the items like flowers, fish, frog, etc.

Boys Adventure at Chuck E Cheese (sans parents)

Today the boys had the opportunity to spend some afternoon fun at Chuck E Cheese with their Papa Terry, Grandma Donna, and Donna's grandkids. From what I hear, the boys had a lot of fun and ate really good too (which is a feat in itself these days). Unfortunately Grandma Donna was not feeling good, but was not about to let some neck pain stop her from enjoying a fun day with the grandkids. We hope they weren't too much of a handful for you..and that you start feeling better real soon!

While the boys were enjoying their time with the Big Mouse, mommy and daddy got a chance to do some shopping. Apparently, we have now learned, the kids are a nice deterrent to spending money because we can't shop freely with them in tow. Daddy got a new laptop today (because he said mommy is always on this one and the boys have taken over the other one). In addition, we finally placed an order for a big boy bed for Brady. Our dilemma on the bed was how to compete with Connor's big loft bed that we got for him. We didn't want to cheat Brady, but we didn't need another bunk/loft bed. We ended up ordering a bed that has some built in bookshelves and storage to make it really "neat" for Brady. Let's hope so when it arrives in 8-10 weeks!