Day 2 Update
End of Day 2. Not one accident all day. This is crazy! We may even try leaving the house tomorrow.
Go, Finn!
Month: May 2010
Day 2
Finn is rockin’ this potty training thing! He stayed dry all night and has managed to get to the potty on time all morning! I’m sure we’ll have more accidents at some point, but Day 2 is starting off great!!
Fun with Friends and Balloons
After naptime today, we set up the giraffe pool since a) it was ridiculously hot after the drizzly week we had, and b) the boys were itching to try out their new swim vests. I got a couple of good splash pictures:
A little later the Heffs came to save us from the stay-at-home isolation of Potty Training Boot Camp Day 1 and after swimming, mud puddles, sand play, etc., Bruce broke out the paint balloons. I love it when Bruce is home for play dates (and the kids do, too). Four little kids (and one big kid) had a huge paint war.
Ezra gave Lucy a new ‘do:
And in the end, everyone pretty much looked like this:
After showers/baths, we reprised our indoor balloon game from the morning. Instructions: 1) blow up a few balloons, 2) turn on a big fan, 3) let the children loose. Seriously, they go crazy.
And here’s a video I shot of the first round of balloon mayhem.
Other than the 5:30 a.m. wake-up call, I think this was a perfect Saturday.
Day 1 Update
End of the day … finally. It was a long day but Finn did great! We had a few accidents, but none after about 2:30 (his post-naptime grumpy “I don’t need to go! … Oh wait, maybe I do” pee in the garage). He balks at being told he has to try to pee (like before Bruce took him on a bike ride or before bedtime); I’m guessing he wants to be in control.
Backyard peeing — two different approaches:
3-Day Potty Training Boot Camp
Day 1. We’ve been up since 5:30 (it’s 9:40 as I type this). We’ve had three successes and two accidents so far. It’s positive reinforcement all the time around here. And boy, do those little buns look cute in boxer briefs!
Last Work Day in Rainforest
Today was my last work parent day in Ezra’s class; graduation is next Friday. Between the chaos of the day and the fact that Ezra is doing four weeks of summer school at Cottage, today was not as emotional as I might have anticipated. Everyone seemed a little extra rambunctious today, so I pretty much just held on for the ride and tried to make sure no one got hurt.
First up was rain stick making. Ezra’s favorite part, not surprisingly, was hammering in the nails.
We also had show and tell today and Ezra showed off his new car from Jamma and the swim vest I bought him yesterday since we’re going to Belize in August (thank you, Jamma!!!).
During music time, some of the kids gave musical performances. Ezra did a performance, too, but his was a little different.
After more than five hours at Cottage, we all came home and collapsed. I was happy to get an invite for dinner with some friends, so we headed off to Islands to meet the Heffernans and the Kerleys. Fun ensued.
Left to right: Charlie, Kai, Ezra, Lucy, Katie, and Finn
Cottage Field Trip
Despite the fact that the field trip this morning might have been the most stressful three-hours of my entire life, I think it was a hit with the kids. We went to the Arroyo (where Bruce often takes the boys), and the kids discovered the wonders of the casting pond (is it “algae” or “allergy”?) and the surrounding area. Finn and Ezra told everyone about the wild mustard plants, although not everyone believed them. Ezra nearly got left behind when his class went on their hike, and Finn said, “I tired” instantly when we embarked on our hike (which is nothing unusual), so he rode on my shoulders the whole way. In the end, we all survived, no one got lost, and I got a few cute pictures.
Sprinkler Time
We got home from a play date at about 6:30 this evening, and as soon as everyone was out of the car and headed to the front door, our next-door neighbors’ sprinklers came on. My plans for a quick dinner, bath, and reasonable bedtime were thwarted when the boys decided they NEEDED to play in the water. What else could I do but grab the camera?
The final product:
New Lens
I got a new lens for my SLR on Friday, and yesterday’s activities (papier mache in the backyard, Tour of California in downtown L.A.) gave me a couple of good opportunities to try it out. Here’s a slideshow of my favorites.
Favorite Combo
Charlie and Lucy came over with Meg for a play date and dinner yesterday. Here’s a sampling of our dinner conversation.
They could have gone on for hours. I think Lucy’s entry was the best. Seriously cringeworthy.
Last Work Day in Mulberry
Yesterday was my last shift as work parent in Finn’s class, which is just weird — how can he already be nearly done with his first year of preschool? I kind of shirked my duties a bit to spend time taking lots of pictures of Finn. Here are a few.
Finn was completely captivated by this very persistent and focused squirrel. The previous two days’ classes had used birdseed to play and experiment with and it was all over the grass. It took a few more two- and three-year-olds showing up before the squirrel finally gave up and left. (As a side note, I don’t know what that box at the bottom right hand side of this picture is — it just showed up on a couple of my photos.)
Finn and I spent a lot of time playing with this makeshift punching bag. Check out Finn’s fancy shoes.
My sweet boy on the slide. We had a good day.
Finn Plays Catch … sort of
I took the boys to Under the Sea indoor playground this afternoon, and Finn spent a good amount of time playing a game of catch. I wish I’d caught more of his little hippity-hop run on the video, but this will have to suffice. I love Ezra’s little cameo at the end, too. It makes me laugh every time.
Ezra’s New Booster Seat
I’ve been toying with the idea of moving Ezra out of his car seat and into a booster seat for a while now, but up until yesterday I’d talked myself out of it. I like having him in a five-point harness and he’s still well under the 65-pound weight limit and a few inches shorter than the height limit. Yet, I had this nagging desire to let him have the big kid seat. So, yesterday when part of the strap of his car seat broke (an inconsequential part, as it turns out), I seized the opportunity to run down to Right Start and pick up an (on sale) fancy new Britax Parkway SG I’d been eyeing for some time. And then I freaked out about it all night before installing it this morning.
Ezra is thrilled beyond belief — he loved riding in his new cozy seat to gymnastics class this morning, and is very excited that he now uses the regular seatbelt (“It’s just like yours, Mommy!”). He announced it to our friends and his teachers the second we walked into gymnastics, and after his class he went around to all the other moms there (none of whom he knew) and told them, too.
Finn, of course, is completely devastated that he can’t have one.
Huntington
We went to the Huntington yesterday. Here are my favorite shots.
Ezra looks for fish
Finn shows off his new sunglasses
Tunnel Monsters!
We had a fun play date at Elizabeth’s this afternoon, and one of the main attractions was their red tunnels. Edie started the spooky madness by standing up with the tunnel over her. Richie and Finn gave it a go, but they’re a little too short for it to work properly (although it was pretty funny to hear Finn yelling, “I’m pooky!”). Ezra was a better match for this game.
And yes, Ezra is standing up straight — Edie, while only two months older, has quite the height advantage!