Mama Likes to Jitterbug

Cheer Friends

Computer Time

The kid's TV time before dinner has recently been replaced by computer time. (It still amazes me that a 3 year old these days knows how to use a computer and surf the web.)  Grace and Sean mostly like playing games or coloring pages on Playhouse Disney, but Grace also loves clicking through video clips on YouTube.  I need to try to find some kind of parental control for that though.  As I learned recently, it only takes a few clicks to get from "4 year old gymnast" to "40 year old stripper".

I'm sure there will come a time very soon when I'll be wishing they didn't spend so much time on their computers, but for now it's nice to see them interested in learning, and to have a few extra quiet minutes in the evening. 

Way Back Wednesday

Yesterday, after much nagging from my coworkers, I decided to finally have the hacking cough I've been fighting checked out.  Turns out my cold from a couple of weeks ago made its way into my chest and was reincarnated as Walking Pneumonia.  The last time I had this I was very, very pregnant with Sean and ended up needing an X-Ray.  Ever put on one of those lead aprons and tried to stand up when you're already carrying an extra 50lbs?  Not easy.  If I remember correctly, it was about the time this photo was taken.  Looking back, I can't help but think how tired Steve looked, how light my hair was, and how (even at 10 months old) Grace could ham it up for the camera.  Love that smile!

 

Halloween Goodie Bags

Here are the goodie bags I made for Grace and Sean to give to their friends this week.  They're filled with candy corn, which happens to be their favorite new treat (and my favorite new bribe). 

 

Halloween Costumes

We had an awesome weekend filled with Halloween parties and gorgeous fall weather. The kids were so excited to finally get to wear their costumes. Gracie totally rocked Wonder Woman!  So much so that she had strangers coming up and asking to take her picture.  I wasn't quite sure what Sean was, until another mom commented what an adorable Storm Trooper he was. (Apparently it's something from Star Wars.) I had no say in its selection - Sean and Steve picked it out together at the local costume store - but Sean loved it!  He and the 10 other boys who were dressed as the same thing had a fabulous time running around and shooting each other, while my friend who is expecting her first boy next year looked on in horror. LOL!  We have two more parties scheduled for this week and then trick-or-treating on Friday.  Can't wait!

Then & Now

Grace loves babies and has recently become interested in knowing what she was like as one. "Mama, did I wear clothes like this when I was a baby?" "Mama, did I play with this toy when I was a baby?" The other day I walked in and found her sitting totally naked in the kitchen sink.  When I asked her what on earth she was doing, she replied "taking a bath like when I was a baby". 

 

   

Way Back Wednesday

This week I'm rolling the clock back to October, 2003 with a picture of my babydaddy. Nothing says F-I-N-E like a mullet, barbwire tat, and chest hair.

Parents Night Out

After years of begging us to come out to LA, our friends Sean and Tonya decided to take matters into their own hands and bring their son Quinn to the East Coast for a visit.  Apparently a six hour plane ride with a screaming child gave them a little insight as to why we never made the trip out west.  It was definitely great to get to catch up and have a "real" parents night out.  And by real, I mean dining in a restaurant that doesn't have a kids menu or popcorn as an appetizer.  However, I now know why we don't do it more often.  Parking, a cab to the North End, drinks, dinner, and a sitter cost almost $250.  Sheesh!  I'm assuming the sitter bill we pay now cancels out the bar bill we paid back then, but did we really used to do this every weekend?

Pumpkins

Visiting the pumpkin patch is definitely one of my favorite things about fall.  Especially now that I have kids.  Last week we spent almost an hour picking out the perfect Mommy, Daddy, Gracie & Seanie pumpkins and pulling them around in little hay-filled wagons. Very fun!    

Gymnastics

I know it probably sounds crazy, but by the time Grace was six months old, I had a pretty good idea that she was going to be a gymnast.  Besides her petite frame, amazing balance, and noodle-like flexibility, she loved for us to flip her backwards off of our legs or hang her upside down.  It wasn't long after that we'd find her posing on top of dressers, cabinets, the kitchen counter, you name it.  Recently I've found her putting the broom across furniture and trying to swing from it like a gymnastics bar, or using the back of the couch as a balance beam.  And she's constantly cartwheeling, flipping, or doing handstands on the walls. It never ends. So the other day when she told me that she wanted a set of uneven parallel bars for Christmas, "the kind like Shawn Johnson has", I decided it was finally time to sign her up for a "real" gymnastics class.  

After much searching, I found a place that's close by, has a good reputation (it's the gym where Olympic Gymnast Alicia Sacramone trained), has classes that aren't held in the middle of the afternoon, didn't force Grace to be in a class with 2-3 year olds because of her birthday, and most importantly didn't require a parent to participate.  They even agreed to let her try the Level 2 class for 4-6 years olds because it seemed like a better fit than the Level 1.  And after her first lesson, I got a call from the coach saying that Grace did so well, they wanted to move her up to the Beginner Pre-Team class. The coach said she was very impressed with how attentive Grace was, that she showed a lot of potential, and that she couldn't believe she had just turned four.

On Tuesday, Grace was very excited to go back and try the new beginner pre-team class.  She was clearly the youngest, and the least experienced, but she certainly held her own.  Especially when it came to anything that involved climbing or being upside down.  I have no doubt that she'll be doing everything the other girls are doing in no time.  And watching her passion, I couldn't help but wonder how long it will be before we're forced to make a choice between cheer and gymnastics.  A little part of me was sad, because deep down I know what she'll choose, but it also felt great to have her find something that she really loves.  And in a way, something that it seems like she was born to do.