Thank God for Daycare

Wow, so strep. throat sucks. This is the first time I've ever had it and I didn't realize how long it can kick your butt for. I've been sick for about two weeks now and today my voice finally sounds closer to normal and I can swallow without wincing. You can probably imagine why I've lost five pounds.

This couldn't have been a better time for Foster to start full time day care too. With me being sick and very tired Foster could go play and make messes to his heart's content while I lay on the couch with my lemon tea. I was going to feel guilty if he cried and clung to me when I drop him off. No need. As soon as he wakes up he's ready to go. And when I drop him off he gives me a big hug and kiss and says "bye bye" running off to play with his new friends. He loves it! The only problem we are having is his lack of sleep during their nap time. He's not use to napping on a mat surrounded by all kinds of fun things to do. Which makes for a very cranky toddler in the evening. I'm sure he'll fall into the routine after a couple of weeks though.

This is also a good time for Foster to start day care since him and Bailey completely torture each other every minute they are together. For the two hours in the morning we are getting ready and having breakfast they scream and hit and fight with each other. I think it's more torture for me. This morning Foster let all his aggression out on the dog. He's been spending a lot time in the time-out chair for hitting lately. He also misses his daddy who has been gone all week. He asks for him every morning and every evening at dinner. "Daddy?" I think we are hitting the "terrible two's" phase. I hope this is the worst of it anyway. He's so funny and spirited though, it's hard to stay mad. He's my little firecracker. I also have more Bailey time in the morning to give her the one on one attention she has needed. Yesterday we went to Starbucks and had doughnuts and drinks. I just let her talk for half an hour while I actively listened with no distractions. It was so pleasant and a memory I'll cherish. I hope she remembers that moment. I'm looking forward to more moments like that.

St Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We aren't really celebrating this year except we all wore green. Jeremy made a really good Shepherd's pie last week, so that was our Irish meal. I'm really sick and haven't really left the house in three days. Plus, Jeremy is testing for rank tomorrow so he can't really drink in celebrate in the traditional Irish way.

Lots of things going on lately. We are getting excited about our first family vacation to the Caribbean on a Disney cruise. Only a few more weeks. I'm kind of obsessive about packing. It's a little strange I know, but I just love to pack. I start packing and organizing weeks before a trip. I also make tons of lists. A list for each person on what to pack for them, a list of stuff to buy before we leave, a list of stuff to buy when we arrive in Florida, a list of to-do's and a list of documents to pack.

Mom came for a good visit last week. Unfortunately she was really sick for most of the visit but she was a trooper and kept up with us just fine. The kids just loved her; Foster even rejected a hand hold with me so that he could hold g-ma's hand. Now that's she's gone Bailey and I have been fighting some really bad colds. I'm just waiting for Foster's turn.

Foster has been progressing so fast in social understanding. He now wants to sit on the potty every time I change his diaper (though he's not going on it yet). He'll point out animals in books when I say the names. He eats really good with a fork, cleans his mess with a wipe and puts his dishes in the sink. At play date today he amazed the other parents when he took off his shoes and put his socks inside his shoes so he wouldn't loose them. I can't even get Bailey to do that. He does say "please" and sometimes "thank you." He likes to pick out his clothes and can even sometimes get his shoes on with no help. Foster just amazes us everyday. His big change will start on Monday because he starts day care full time. We are super excited for him, knowing he'll love it.

Bailey has grown so tall over the last few months. She has become such a little lady. I'm so glad to be over all the tantrums. She is so excited about our cruise. Almost everyday she asks if it's time to go on the Disney boat. The biggest challenge I've had with her lately is her doddeling. I told her she won't be able to ride the bus to school this fall if she doesn't start getting ready faster. What's really frustrating is when I tell her to move a little faster she actually moves slower. Ugh!

So Jeremy and I decided to use a little of the tax money to buy something for ourselves. Jeremy is getting some new brewing equipment. I got the new I-pad 2! I ordered it and haven't received it yet, but I'm really excited about using it on our trip. It will be a fun new toy for the whole family.

Same Room, Different Sleep Habits

Foster and Bailey still share a room. For the last few months we have been letting Bailey sleep in the guest room every now and then. Foster will occasionally scream or cry in his sleep, and sometimes wake up and start playing with his toys. He also takes longer to fall asleep than Bailey. Bailey is a little annoyed by all the sleep disturbances and so we give her a break and let her have the guest bed a couple of nights a week. I like how they share a room for now; I know in about two years it will be time for Bailey to have her own room. Soon we will be changing Foster's crib into a toddler bed. Probably closer to his 2nd birthday. I have a feeling he will be crawling into bed with Bailey for a while. I don't mind, as long as Bailey doesn't mind. She'll think it's cute for a little while. We may have to put a safety cover on the door handle though because of Foster's curious ways. My little trouble maker. At least I count on Bailey to tattle on him.

Awesome Snow Weekend

Last weekend was a lot of fun. The real sticky snow came on Saturday and it was so warm out you really didn't need a jacket. We had a huge snowball fight with our neighbors and their kids. Then we build our first snow man. It was massive; taller than me. But the kids destroyed it within an hour. The huge bottom base is still in the backyard though. That evening the men went out and us wives cooked practice red velvet cakes from scratch. The first one tasted so bad we had to throw it away. The second tasted okay but still fell flat. I always wondered why my baking wasn't working out lately. Thought maybe I'm just a lousy baker. After a lot of research I found out all the adjustments I had to make when baking in high altitude. More flour, more liquid, less baking powder/soda, less sugar, and higher cooking temp. It's a little crazy. Then we played with fondant icing for two hours. It was fun. Last night we made another cake with our adjustments and it finally came out fluffy. This Saturday I'll have to make the final cake for the poker-birthday party. But I bought some boxed stuff just in case.

Sunday I shoveled more snow but I didn't mind because we have this huge snow shovel that's more like a plow, since Jeremy already broke our first snow shovel. Of course there was more snowball fights and hot chocolate afterward with rainbow marshmallows. We tried putting the kids on my snowboard and pulling them around but the board was too narrow and they kept falling off. Foster screamed and cried when I put it away. He loves to ride "weeeee!" We really need a sled. I never thought I (or the kids) would love the snow so much. Then we went to a Superbowl party at a friend's house. I spent a couple of hours chasing Foster up and down their three level house. By half time I just wanted to go home and actually watch the game. So we did and it was a boring game anyway. Or maybe I was just too tired to care. Wheww!

Pants

All of Bailey's jeans have holes in the knees. I patched them all. Now the patches have ripped or have holes. I went to a kid's consignment store and bought almost all of their 4T pants. I never would have thought Bailey would be so rough on her clothes. The pants hardly fit because she's almost in 5T but I know they will only last a few months, and longer pants will get ruined at the cuffs anyway. I need highwaters with canvas knees for her.

Foster has been saying "ah-bil" lately and I just finally figured out what he's been saying. A Book. He also says hot dog, a-snack, a-drink, lamby, teeth, bye-bye, love you (which he tells me when I put him to bed), and few other words I can hardly understand. It's cute. I love his baby talk. He now likes to sit on the potty and pretend to go. We haven't caught him going yet. I'm not really looking forward to potty training but at least this time around I've got more experience.

Things that are Going On

Last weekend I finally got out to snowboard at Keystone. I was really nervous since it's been about 10 years since I last got on a snowboard. The gear is even a little different from what I was use to. But me and my new board got familiar real quick, and within two hours I was coasting down that mountain so fast that I had to wait for everyone else. Ha! It felt great! I can't wait to go again.

For the last couple of days it's been too cold to even leave the house. The wind chill is -33 right now. It's okay because Foster hasn't been feeling very well anyway. He's got such a sensitive stomach and going through yet another bout with diarrhea. The plus side is that he's been super snuggley, sitting in my arms and even falling asleep on my chest. So sweet. He still doesn't talk much but he understands everything. No lack of communication. Bailey is growing like a weed. She's almost grown out of all her clothes I bought this fall. Every single pair of jeans she owns has holes in the knees from playing so rough outside. I even patched two pair up and she's ripped through the patches. Jeeezzz!

Still waiting to hear about a job I applied for. In the mean time I'm going to be volunteering as leader of the playgroup the kids go to every week. I'm also planning a birthday party for a friend at our house next weekend. It's a birthday/valentine/poker/flapper-gangster party. Jeremy and I don't ever celebrate Valentine's day out so we thought a poker party would be more fun. We'll see how many dress up. Should be fun. I'm also planning to go to Vail this weekend and snowboard with a neighbor who is moving next week. My weekends are always so full of events. My weeks are full of workout schedules, cleaning, cooking, and directing the kids.

The kids still get along pretty good, but lately Foster has hit this stage where he screams at Bailey in a really high pitch when he's not getting his way. He basically wants everything she's playing with. They both couldn't get any pickier when it comes to food either. Meal time is so stressful that I can't even eat with them at the table most of the time. Foster won't eat anything but snack food and if Bailey does eat she takes over an hour before we finally force her to get down from the table. At least when she starts school that will be one meal out of my hands. She can't wait to start kindergarten. I've been working with her on using a pencil, spelling her name, counting to 20, and basic family information. For instance; her full name, our full names, her exact birthday, where she lives, and what to do in an emergency. The best time to do this is during bath time. She's doing pretty good. Next thing I want her to memorize is my cell number. She's not reading yet but I'm not pushing it too hard. She still needs to work on putting letter sounds together. I've been thinking about buying the Leapfrog tag reading system. Hopefully that will jump start her interest.

Oh, so last night Bailey told be she has good dreams. I asked her what she dreams about and she said "Hearts that love and unicorns." Then she asked if she had good dreams would they come true? I just smiled and said "sometimes." I told her she was my flower child, which made me remember, people use to call me the same thing when I was young.

Job Hunt

The hunt is on for a job. Lately the kids have been driving me insane and I told Jeremy that I can't wait until Bailey starts school to look for a job. I need a job now. Jeremy is very supportive of this decision because he's tired of seeing me so miserable anyway. I've already met with a counselor on base who is helping me spice up my resume and giving me advice. Unfortunately there isn't much around here in the fields I want to work in. Most of the jobs being offered are in the I.T. or medical fields. But if I can just get in the federal system starting with anything then I can move to something more interesting when it becomes available. Though I don't want to work directly with kids again, I might have to for a little while. Kinda defeats the purpose of leaving my kids to go work, but if that's what it takes then so be it. I love my kids. I just don't want to spend every minute of my day with them. To be fair I think I annoy my kids as much as they annoy me. So hopefully I will be a working women within the next few months, and my kids' days will be filled with exciting activities and new friends. Until then my kids will just have to deal with me.