Cambria

Took a whirlwind trip to Cambria this weekend (between XMas and New Years) to see Keith Vine get married to his girlfriend from Poland. Beautiful wedding in the Vine house on the cliffs overlooking the beach in Cambria.

Avery and Connor did SO well on the traveling end. We got a 9" DVD player for the car for xmas -- that thing works wonders! On the drive up there, we stopped halfway at Christine's mom's house. On the way home, we jammed - from Cambria to Carlsbad in 5 hrs. The kids took a nap at the start, but then powered through 2.25 movies and we only stopped once (bathroom break for M&D). Toy Story 2, Little Mermaid, and part of Monsters Inc.

Avery is getting so smart. When she says something smart:
Dad - "Avery, how'd you get to be so smart?"
AP - "do some whaut o puzzles" (doing a lot of puzzles)
Now a variation on that tonight:
AP - "do som whaut o puzzles....and eat pizza" (we were at Pat & Oscars eating pizza and breadsticks at the time)

Connor has such a good memory. When putting him down for bed over a week ago, Jamie was BBQ'ing some dinner. She used that as the excuse why she couldn't lay with Connor in bed too long. Tonight when going down for bed, mommy walks into his room - his immediate inquisition:
"Mommy no doing bbq - lay with mommy?"

Avery Cereal

Dad was leaving for Reston, VA (aka "geh-gin-ya"), and wanted to get a goodbye kiss to the kids at the breakfast table. They were busy eating cereal and watching the Wiggles (morning ritual).
Daddy: "Love you Avery P"
Avery: "Avery wuv cereal" !!

Avery Be Boy Next Time

"avery be boy next time?....just like connor?"

Avery threw this out of the blue when going down for bed one night. She has SO many friends that are boys, that she thinks it would be fun to be a boy like her lovey brother Connor --- "next time" :)

Jamie taking the kids to the San Diego zoo today, trying to meet up with Suzanne Hall who works there with the Pandas.
Avery went through the list of animals she is anxious to see: tigers, eh-phants, zeebas, monkeys, snakes, etc.
Daddy says, "Avery, are you gonna see COWS?" -- AP answer: "no cows, not a farm dad!"
Apparently, Jamie and the kids already talked about that earlier in the day -- that the zoo is not a farm, doesn't have the standard animals, only exotic ones! LOL

Whoops

As the kids continue to absorb tremendous amounts of information every day, they sometimes get stuck trying to describe stuff to one of us that we just can't understand. This usually happens to Dan, when after a work-week worth of time that they've spent with Mommy, then they try to relate that to Daddy, who doesn't know the context.

It happened this past weekend, when Jamie was gone for a night up in Long Beach. Anyway - Avery at the end of dinner was saying "wick dingers Dad?", saying it over and over, until I could do something about it. I finally figured out that she was wondering if she could/should lick her messy fingers (after dinner). Of course, when Jamie got home, I said, "wick dingers", and she immediately responded: "Lick Fingers" :)

I'll try to add more funny pronunciations and sayings here as I can remember them.

What else they're up to

Connor is all about Bob the Builder. Everything from the tv show, video tape, books, small plastic replica toys from Target, etc. Bob, Wendy, Muck (red), "Rot and Roll" (green roller), Lofty (blue crane), and his favorite - Scoop (yellow). They both loved watching Alberto (aka "Beedo") do all the landscape in the yard. Connor especially loved the tractor (small front loader) they drove around all the time moving dirt. Avery started to show that she's scared of loud noises, when the tractor would drive by, or even when the trash truck comes around. The funny part - when something loud is nearby, she'll cover her eyes - "eesh, too loud, can't look".

Avery is into puzzles, books, stickers, computer. She's actually starting to understand moving the mouse on the table and associate it with the onscreen cursor. When she comes down in the morning, for the past 2 weeks when Grandma "Baba Ann" has been here, Avery immediately goes into the "payroom" to start doing puzzles and stuff with gma.

They both have the gmas/gpas down pretty well:
- Baba Ann, em-pee
- Ancy, Tiff

Took them to LegoLand with gma/gpa Hanan last weekend. Avery still claims to be not into the big boat ride, but then when we get her on the boat, she's pretty ok. At the end, by the octopus band, she covers her eyes, cuz it's "too loud, can't look". Connor was afraid to tell the "man" at the duplo building area that the earthquake shaker thing was not working. Daddy suggested they tell the man that it doesn't work -- the rest of the day, Connor was saying "no show man" -- maybe he thought he would get in trouble.

Big Kid Beds

Last night was a big day for the kids - it was the first night they slept in "big kid beds" !! A few weeks ago, Jamie took the kids to the bay area, and Connor experienced napping and "night-night" on a "big boy bed" at Unlce Bob's house. Ever since they got back, that's all Connor can talk about. He's protested various nap times, demanding to sleep on mommy and daddy's bed.

So, finally, this week, they went to the matress store and got some big kid beds. We were not sure what would happen the first night - not being trapped in a crib any longer. Will they just walk out of the room? Will they fall out of the bed?

As it turns out - they did REALLY WELL !! Connor was in there talking and doing who know's what for a while (almost a couple hours), but finally went to sleep. When we peeked in on him before going to bed, he was laying on his tummy, laying diagonally towards the side wall, with his feet towards the pillows!

They both made it all the way through the night, and didn't come out of the room! Now we're wondering when they'll figure out that it is an option. Hopfeully, they understand that they shouldn't -- but we'll see. Connor had a short crying episode at 430am, but daddy went in there and laid with him for a bit and he went back to sleep.

Red Wall Paint

"de-day dack a-em home us new house mama baint"
translation: Cheri, Zack, Adam come home to the new house with us show them mommy's red wall paint (in living room).

stuff to post

da-dum, up-dairs, biz huz (connor getting gma d to come up for big hugs after reading bobo)

jamie putting kids to bed, ap crying hard when put into crib, connor comes trotting in, picks up bobo book, puts it in ap's bed and says "nonnor, nice, eesh" -- avery stops crying -- that's what she wanted.

2 Years Old !

Wow! In some ways, it seems like time flew by, but in other ways, not so much. Unfortunately, Avery P came down with a cold yesterday, so this morning she was feeling pretty yucky. She threw up the few fruit loops she ate for breakfast. So we had decided to scrap our plans to take them to Wild Animal Park. But then about 10am, on the local news channel, there was a show on with video clips from the Wild Animal Park....and Avery caught a glimpse of the "ma-monks" (Guerillas). She got VERY sad, and insisted that we go to the "A-am Part" (Animal Park).

It was PACKED! We knew it would be more crowded than the average cloudy tuesday that Jamie has gone out there. There were a TON of people, parking was tough, 1.5 hour line for the tram (not that we'd go on it anyway)...so we just cruised around to their favorite animals:

• Ma-monks - Guerillas. Daddy ma-monk (Winston) said with Avery's best "big daddy voice", and baby ma-monk is "little, little, little"
  
• Aaaahhhh - Elephants. They're pretty far away in their "natural habitat" but still able to pick out the daddy (with "teeth")
  
• Yions - Lions. Again very hard to pick out since they're far away and laying down under a tree
  
• Dut - Duck. The ducks come right up to the edge of the water to wait for food from us
  

Dr. Jane stopped by when we got home (she came down to visit her parents for the holiday weekend). Since Connor was protesting napping, we brought him down to see his future girlfriend! She brought them a birthday present -- Discovery City -- that Connor just LOVED.

After naps we just hung out since Avery was again feeling sick and "clingy" --- wanting to lay on Mommy the whole afternoon. For their big birthday dinner we ordered Dominos Pizza - "guy, car, papas" (guy in the car brings the pizza) and "gagack mop" (chocolate milk).

We sang happy birthday to them at the table, but Avery got sad and wanted us to stop - "off" ! Connor learned how to sing it for himself -- "ha-hap da-day, tu-tu". It was SOO cute. We taped him singing and even called g-ma Dailey and he sang it to her.

Finally put them to bed in their matching PJs that look like old fashion one piece swimsuits with the shorts connected to the top. Connor was so stoked on his bday that he is still singing himself to sleep 20 mins after I've left his room.

Ha-hap da-day tu-tu

Birthday Party

Had a fun day yesterday for their 2nd bday party. We got a "jumpy" for the kids to go crazy in - "Blues Clues" theme so Avery loved it! It got here before the party started, so C&A had their own private jump party for a while. Connor does pretty good jumping, actually gets a little air, while Avery is pretty much ground-bound just works to stand and keep her balance while others are jumping near her.

Mostly neighbors and family came: Mom and Dad, Cheri's family, Erin, Jolie/Carly, Matthew/Sofia, Jenna/Zachary, Makoa, Julie, Julia/Kevin...

Avery got scared when we did the cake - she and Connor were sharing a chair at the table, and everyone huddled around and sang. It was too overwhelming for AP, she started to cry a little and reached for daddy. We kept her there to blow out the candles and she recovered. Avery didn't eat any cake. Connor meticulously used a spoon to gouge out the middle layer of icing from between the layers of chocolate cake.

They got clothes (Tommy Hilfiger (sp?) from Huy!!), dresses for Avery, some puzzles, an animal barn, a playhouse with people, Avery got a baby with a binky! We haven't opened the life size blow-up car thingy that they can apparently both sit in...

NuNu

It's getting somewhat out of control how much the kids love the Teletubbies. They watch it pretty much everyday in the morning, and then usually watch a tape of it in the afternoon or evening.

There is a vacuum on the show named "Nu-Nu" that Connor took a liking to -- due to his love of mommy's vacuum. Last week when we went to the Carlsbad mall for dinner, we went in the door and there were those small motion car rides that kids sit on - a firetruck....and... NUNU !!! Since then the kids will be riding in the car and vehemently request "MALL --- NUNU --- NOW" ... Apparently yesterday Avery even said she wants to take Grandma to the mall to show her NuNu (when they come down during the move to the new house).

Connor - Busted!

Jamie was cutting up strawberries last night after they were drying on the kitchen counter most of the day. As she went to grab one near the edge of the counter, she noticed that there was one with a "small mouth print" bite out of it! Apparently, Connor (not sure if we can verify who did it, but we think he did) decided to help himself to the strawberry that was out at the edge that he could reach....take a single bite, then put it back !

"Huz"

Both kids are very big into "Huz" (hugs) these days. Avery's favorite book is currently the one called "Hug" about Bobo and Mommy. The first day she had it, she actually cried along with Bobo when he's sad and needs a hug. Now she's very willing to read the book, and then hug and hold hands afterwards. Connor needs a lot of "huz" just before bedtime, when he claims "yun more huz" !!

Teletubbies

Alli called one day last week and had Jamie turn this show on to see some kids dancing - thought the kids would enjoy. Eeesh - now it's absolutely their favorite show. They dance, march, spin, lay on the ground, hug, etc. all with the teletubbies. Connor will sometimes actually cry at the end, wanting more. There's a vaccuum in the show named "nu-nu" that he just LOVES.

Pigtails

Jamie sent Daddy some pics at work today of Avery with "bunny ears" as she calls them. Very cute!!

Fries

Jamie took the kids to the gym today, where there is a Carl's Jr. in the parking lot on the way in. Avery has become quite good at spoting the fast food restaurants and asking for "gies" (fries). Jamie promised Avery - after we go play at the gym, when mommy comes to get you...we will go get fries.

So 90 mins later when Jamie was done working out, she goes into the babysitting room and sees Avery across the room. Avery immediately drops what she's doing (vacuuming?!), her face lights up, and she runs to mommy, proclaiming:

"done, gym, gies" !!! Well, I guess she didn't forget about the promise....

Parties

We went to Zachary Lamar's bday party a couple weeks ago, where they had one of those inflatable "bouncers". There was quite a bit of action going on inside, and no surprise, A&C were not the least bit interested. (Probably too overwhelming with the 5 and 6 year olds bouncing around in there.)

Then we went to Makoa's bday party just yesterday, and again, they had a "bouncer". But *this time*....both Avery and Connor were WAY into it. Connor right from the start. Take those shoes off and go for it. "Jump" as he says while he's really just trying to maintain balance on the moving floor. Avery needed a little coaching at first, sitting with Jamie inside, but eventually feeling secure enough to go in solo. They were both just cracking themselves up in there, ended up doing that pretty much the whole party.

Lego Land

A couple weeks ago, the kids had a "double-session" of LegoLand. It all started one Friday afternoon when Avery called daddy (with the help of mommy) and said "ya-yend"..."daddy"..."go".... So daddy took them on that Saturday, then everyone went again on Sunday to meet up with Aunt Cheri, Unlce Dann, cousins Zack and Adam. ("da-dones" and "a-em") They LOVE "ya-yend" as they call it, and continued to request a trip over there for the next couple days. Their favorite parts are the DuploTown where they just run around in/on the forts, cars, etc, ride the choo-choo train, then the DuploBlocks building area. They "bi-panes" and helicopters are a hit -- at least for Connor. Avery is not real into it -- she'll do the airplanes if we all go and she doesn't realize what's happening. She hates even watching the AquaZone area. Immediately upon stoping at the railing to watch, she's "done", waving her hands and whining to get outta there.

Words & Phrases

They're talking a ton now - getting really good at conveying their thoughts and needs to us:

Connor
"dolf" - golf
"ba-bass ball" - basketball
"mo buss" - sees a buss on the street and wants to see more

Avery
"hey doode"
"hi goggie" - saying hi to dogs on the street
"houf" - house - as in the new house that we're buying at Shorepointe. Different from "home"
"nack" - snack, afternoon treat

Avery....What a Cook

Got home from work one afternoon this week, and drove into the garage. The couple that ended up purchasing our house was here, with the real estate agent, checking out the house. I look up and Avery is at the doorway of the garage with quite the outfit:

• Pink sunglasses
  
• Messy hair, no pony tail
  
• Pink t-shirt
  
• Wearing diaper, with pants around her neck
  

Nice look Avery Paige!

Avery, Booster Chair

Recently, we upgraded the seating at the table to booster chairs, replacing the high chairs that latch onto the side of the table. Ever since then, Avery has been obsessed with the boosters, playing with the seat belt latch, wanting to get up in there, etc.

This morning, we were all over in the family room and I said something about breakfast. Avery was apparently hungry -- she went running over to the table and started playing with the booster chair, as usual. We were sort of ignoring her, and then a couple minutes later, she pokes her head above the low wall and says "HI" !! :) LOL

Not only did she get herself up in the chair (we'll never know exactly how she did that by herself), but she HOOKED THE SEATBELT TOO !! Classic.

Parenting Job Description

If they wrote a help wanted ad for the job of parenting, who would have the guts to apply? :-)

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: Must provide on-the-site training in basic life skills, such as nose-blowing. Must have strong skills in negotiating, conflict resolution and crisis management. Ability to suture flesh wounds a plus. Must be able to think out of the box but not lose track of the box, because you most likely will need it for a school project.

Must reconcile petty cash disbursements and be proficient in managing budgets and resources fairly, unless you want to hear, "He got more than me!" for the rest of your life. Also, must be able to drive motor vehicles safely under loud and adverse conditions while simultaneously practicing above-mentioned skills in conflict resolution. Must be able to choose your battles and stick to your guns. Must be able to withstand criticism, such as "You don't know anything."

Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack-mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf.

Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.

Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, and an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half-million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Also, must have a highly energetic entrepreneurial spirit, because 'fund-raiser' will be your middle name.

Must have a diverse knowledge base, so as to answer questions such as "What makes the wind move?" Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end-product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest
thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock-options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life.

Kids Advice to Kids

• "Never trust a dog to watch your food." Patrick, age 10
  
• "When your dad is mad and asks you, 'Do I look stupid?' don't answer." Hannah, 9
  
• "Never tell your mom her diet's not working." Michael, 14
  
• "When your mom is mad at your dad, don't let her brush your hair". Taylia, 10
  
• "Puppies still have bad breath even after eating a Tic-Tac." Andrew, 9
  
• "Never hold a dust buster and a cat at the same time." Kyoyo, 9
  
• "You can't hide a piece of broccoli in a glass of milk." Armir, 9
  
• "Don't wear polka-dot underwear under white shorts." Kellie, 11
  
• "If you want a kitten, start out by asking for a horse." Naomi, 15
  
• "Felt markers are not good to use as lipstick." Lauren, 9
  
• "Don't pick on your sister when she's holding a baseball bat." Joel, 10
  
• "When you get a bad grade in school, show it to your mom when she's on the phone." Alyesha, 13
  
• "Never try to baptize a cat." Eileen, 8
  

The Price of Kids

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140 for a middle income family. Talk about sticker shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition. For those with kids, that figure leads to wild fantasies about all the money we could have banked if not for (insert your child's name here). For others, that number might confirm the decision to remain childless. But $160,140 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into $8,896.66 a year, $741.38 a month, or $171.08 a week. That's a mere $24.44 a day! Just over a dollar an hour. Still, you might think the best financial advice says don't have children if you want to be "rich." It is just the opposite. What do your get for your $160,140?

1. Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
   
   
2. Glimpses of God every day.
   
   
3. Giggles under the covers every night.
   
   
4. More love than your heart can hold.
   
   
5. Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
   
   
6. Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
   
   
7. A hand to hold, usually covered with jam
   
   
8. A partner for blowing bubbles, flying kites, building sandcastles,
   and skipping down the sidewalk in the pouring rain.
   
   
9. Someone to laugh yourself silly with no matter what the boss said
   or how your stocks performed that day.
   
   
10. For $160,140, you never have to grow up. You get to
    finger-paint, carve pumpkins, play hide-and-seek, catch lightning bugs, and never
    stop believing in Santa Claus.
    
    
11. You have an excuse to keep: reading the Adventures of Piglet and
    Pooh, watching Saturday morning cartoons, going to Disney movies, and
    wishing on stars.
    
    
12. You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator
    magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas,
    handprints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for
    Father's Day.
    
    
13. For $160,140, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to
    be a hero just for retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof, taking the
    training wheels off the bike, removing a splinter, filling the wading
    pool, coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and coaching a baseball team
    that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.
    
    
14. You get a front row seat to history to witness the first step,
    first word, first bra, first date, and first time behind the wheel.
    
    
15. You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your
    family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary
    called grandchildren.
    
    
16. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice,
    communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.
    
    
17. In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there with God.
    
    
18. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters
    under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground
    them forever, and love them without limits... so that one day they, like
    you, love without counting the cost.
    

ENJOY YOUR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS!

New Words

Avery
nonie (Connor)
eesh (Avery)
peete (peek)
beez (please)
nack (snack - fruit chewy things)
run fast, spin, head stand

Connor
nona (Connor)
eesh (Avery)
doh mama (go mama)
peece (please)
bra and boobs
bipane (airplane) - legoland up, down, dada (airplane ride)
peepee - connor, dada....eesh, mama, no

christmas
backpacks, potato head ("tato"), wagon

dust buster, vacum cleaner
puts away in closet at night next to mommy's vacum cleaner

booster chairs
helpers - cups in sink when done, like to cook (watch)
put things in trash, throw boxes out to the garage (like mommy)

connor
dirt, grass, buckets, shovel, broom

avery
books, lip gloss, pony tail ("ponies"), ride tricycle

like playing with Rand, baby Will, Alli (ah-aye)

daddy's first weekend alone with kids

eating
Connor - mcD cheeseburger
Avery - smoothies, bagel, bagel, bagel..., cereal, crackers, carbos in general