My Baby Turned Two

Really, how does time fly so much faster when you have little children? It seems as if my baby were born only a few months ago. Certainly he could not be two years old.



I honestly can't believe that in two short years, this boy has grown from this tiny baby,

To a wobbly, toddling one year old baby,


To a busy two year old, ready to explore his world.

On a Blustery Day

"I think I shall wish everyone a happy 'Winds Day', and I shall begin with - my very dear friend..." - Winnie the Pooh

While I Was Gardening

I think Nolan might have eaten some dirt.

Aim High

Conversation has recently been about birthdays, especially if Matt chooses the subject matter. Nolan's birthday is on Thursday, and Matthew is very aware of the pile of presents hanging out in Mommy and Daddy's room.

"Mommy, Nolan's birthday is coming. He has presents."

"Yes, Matt. Your birthday is in December, and you will get presents, too."

"Yeah, I want some presents."

"What would you like for your birthday?"

"An airplane."


This is great. Those little Matchbox airplanes cost about $2, and if that is all it takes to make the little guy's day, I'm all for it.



"Sure, son. We can do that!" I am secretly thrilled that my boy is happy with such a small present. We have managed to raise a boy who is not too materialistic, who takes joy in little things.

And then my dear boy said, "Well, it isn't going to fit in the house!"

As it turns out, he was thinking of something along the lines of this:


Well, I think the poor child is going to be a tad disappointed. A C-130 is a little out of our league. At least he aims high!

We did make it to the airshow this weekend, which should help soothe his airplane obsession. Both boys were able to sit in the cockpit of a C-130 and an Army helicopter. We watched a wing walker and saw several vintage planes.






Both boys were mightily impressed with the pilots and planes, loud engines and aerobatics. An obsession with flight is going to reign in our house for a while!

We Really Need to Invest in Tide

Dennis had a softball game, but it was threatening to rain and I didn't quite feel like chasing two boys up the bleachers during a downpour. So the boys and I snuggled up on the couch to watch yet another round of the movie Cars.

The phone rang, and my friend called to tell me I needed to get to Bergman Park, stat. There was a big dirt pile, and the kids were having a great time. I grabbed some towels, two boys who were already rather dirty, and my keys. We pulled into the ball field and discovered something more than a dirt pile. It was, in fact, Dirt Heaven.

A giant anthill of dirt, swarming with children. Perfect for making slides, or roads, or whatever else children do with enormous quantities of dirt.

I'm really glad we decided to head out to the park, though next time I think I will bring a pressure washer to save the bathtub from the trauma of removing approximately 100 tons of dirt from two small boys!

Another Summer Project I Finish Halfway

We have this really ugly well in our yard. It is in a very conspicuous place, by the front walkway. It is also big enough to swallow your average elephant, which gives me constant heart palpitations. My children think it is a great platform from which to launch their jumps. I am really, truly, terrified of this well.

It isn't used anymore- we hooked up to city water when the opportunity presented itself. Note to the City of Jamestown: we'd love a sewer line up this way, too, if you ever feel so inclined as to give us one.

The boys and I dug out the weeds and disposed of them- me being the one doing the digging, of course, and the boys doing the disposing. Not everyone has a garden tool selection that includes Tonka.




Then we went to Home Depot. We bought a container to stick on top of the well, and dirt. Since the well protrudes from the ground, I knew I'd need to create a slight mound to cover it. I got home and dumped out the three bags of dirt.

Clearly, I'd miscalculated how much dirt I would need to cover the stupid well. OK, I didn't calculate at all. That's not my style. I'm much more of a "go to the hardware store and guess what I might need" type of a person. Just ask Dennis about the time I decided to paint the family room. Actually, scratch that idea. Don't ever ask him about the time I decided to paint the family room- I think he's still a tad annoyed about that disaster project.

Anyhow, I returned to Home Depot for the second trip (everyone knows it takes at least three trips to the hardware store to accomplish any project). I bought five more bags of topsoil and more potting soil. I also bought two echinacea plants, because they looked pretty.

I got home and dumped out all the dirt, digging up more turf where the dirt needed to go. After much sweating, digging, hauling heavy loads of dirt, and planting, I decided I was done. The mound is quite high and small, so we will definitely need more dirt. Also, we will need more plants. And a lot more digging and sweating.




Then we came inside and collapsed with our glasses filled with Crystal Lite or fruit juice, and turned on Little Bill. Because cartoons and a cup of fruit juice are just peachy after a few hours of hard labor.

I think he might need a bath tonight...

Perhaps Dennis will come home, shake his head, and take pity on me, finishing the hard labor portion of this project. There is always hope!

Popsicle Days

Sunny days in summer are the absolute best. Wading pools, popsicles, and lots of running around in the great outdoors. Nolan prefers banana popsicles, and Matt likes "brown" popsicles, which he can never quite recall the name of.



"Mommy, can I have a coffee popsicle again?"



The boy is going to be mighty surprised when he grows up and tastes coffee for the first time, since he will expect it to taste like root beer.

Summer goes by way too fast. If only we could grab onto these days and hold onto them forever.

Round and Round They Go

Kids are weird. They do all sorts of things that have no logical explanation, and our children are no exception. If there is an object in the middle of the floor, they will run in circles around it. My kids do not need expensive indoor gym equipment- all they need is a bowl in the middle of the family room:

I think a "Sit N Spin" may be a good idea for Christmas. Then again, maybe a pack of plastic bowls will work just as well!

Presque Isle

The amazing amount of rain we have been receiving finally relented long enough to give us a beach-worthy weekend. Not only was it beach-worthy, but it was HOT! We donned sunscreen, put the boys' swim shirts on, and trekked across the hot sand to the cool waters of Lake Erie.

There is a wonderful little beach at the end of the Presque Isle penninsula (Beach 11, for those who may be interested) which has very calm waters. The average water depth is only 2-3 feet deep, even far out into the lake. This is perfect for two small boys, who are mostly interested in digging holes in the sand and splashing their feet in the water.

We also brought along two swimsuits with built-in floaties. Matt is currently in swimming lessons, and we felt a swimsuit like this would help build his confidence in the water. As it turns out, Nolan became our little swimmer while Matt preferred to stay on dry land.



During this trip, Nolan would tip forward if he lost his footing. He didn't have the ability to maintain "vertical" in the water, which led to several sputtering moments. Within a few hours, though, he was able to swim independently with his floatie swimsuit. He's a fast learner!

Sunscreen supply and lack of nap tolerance exhausted, we finally had to leave the beach. We are definitely going to try to return again before the weather turns on us!

Getting Some Wiggles Out

Nolan at the park: cartoon style

We have had so much rain lately that we decided to chance a visit to Midway State Park despite dire warnings of downpours. Unfortunately, the little amusement park doesn't open until 10:00am and we are early birds, so we decided to visit a local playground instead. The boys were thrilled, and we were happy to play and watch the Chautauqua Belle paddle boat go by on the lake.

The Chautauqua Belle

Nolan, giving Mommy a heart attack- that ladder was TALL!

There is a beach at the park in Mayville, so I may have to take the boys up that way if we get another sunny weekend. Matt found some other boys about his age and had a great time climbing on the rocks with them and tossing rocks into the water. Apparently, throwing rocks into water is a beloved activity of all boys in this age group.

Matt and two other boys, throwing rocks into the lake.

We played at the park, got some lunch in Mayville, then drove the rest of the way around the lake. We never did make it to Midway, but Plan B turned out to be just as much fun. When we pulled into the garage at 1:15pm, the downpour started. We made it home just in time, and managed to have a great morning while the sun was still shining!

Nolan loved this ride.

Matt, showing off his agility

Swimming Lessons

Matthew. Our child who loved water so much at the age of six months that he would lay back in a pool, float his chubby legs to the surface, and suck his thumb. Alas, the boy has turned three and has decided that getting water anywhere near his face is akin to torture. He has developed a fear of the water, something I would never have thought possible.

We are a "water" family. We love the beach. We sail (though not recently with the children so very small). We swim at every given opportunity. Matt's new fear of water had to be conquered, and quickly. Enter the YMCA, and child friendly parent-child swim classes.

Matt still won't let water get anywhere near his ears. He won't put his head under the water, and he most certainly won't jump into the pool. But he no longer screams, "Daddy, HELP ME!" the entire class. And he will swim independently with a floatie pack and a swim noodle. I guess we could call that progress!

In Which We Try an Experiment

I just had to try the old "coloring Queen Anne's Lace" experiment with the kids. It would show Matt that the flowers really do drink water, and even Nolan likes picking flowers and turning water different colors.


After several days, we finally have a hint of color in our red water group. The blue one is far less obvious.



If anyone wants to do this, I would increase the ratio of food coloring to water. Actually, I would just skip the water. Fill the entire vase full of food coloring and you might get a red flower one of these days. Or set up the experiment and then dip the flower in red dye at night, so that the flower changes color before you the kids lose interest.

We did learn many things from this project, though:

• Red food coloring looks a lot like blood on a blond boy's hair. This causes much anxiety in the mother and much amusement for the boy.
• Red flowers are a lot easier to buy than to make.
• Queen Anne's Lace begins to make a mess all over the table after only one day in the water.

Now I'm off to concoct another project. Maybe one that will actually work this time!

Why Lego Houses Need Stilts

This is Matt's most recent Duplo creation. It was built on stilts, which interested me because we do not live anywhere near a beach or in hurricane territory.



Upon further questioning, we discovered the architecture was designed to accommodate his monster trucks. Of course! Because every house needs underground parking for its monster trucks.


The world would look much different if it were designed by three year old boys.