What Happens in Vegas...

Here's a big shout out to Eric, who planned a fun weekend in Las Vegas where we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Truth be told, we were SUPPOSED to celebrate our big 5 years in Hawaii, where we spent our honeymoon that Eric planned as a surprise trip. Those of you who know me well know that it was a BIG deal for me to let him plan something as major as a honeymoon trip without me having any say, but it turned out to be an unforgettable trip. Which is why we planned to return for the big 5 year celebration. Little did we know that we would have two very "active" toddlers that would make it very hard to implement this plan. So I decided to give up control once again and let him plan a get-away where we could celebrate a very exciting and busy 5 years of marriage.

Thankfully, Grammy and Grandpa Nick were willing to be on duty for a mere 72 hours so that we could have a little escape... not to Hawaii, but a trip that at least involved getting on an airplane and traveling to a different time zone.

I've never been to Las Vegas, and while I've always been curious, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about what I would find. All in all, we had a great time and it was a great chance to reconnect and just have fun together. And by the way, I really rocked the house with my blackjack game! We shared some wonderful meals, took in some shows, and even had a little time at the spa for a massage. The beauty of traveling to another time zone when you have 2 young children is that you never have to worry about adjusting to the time zone. You are just constantly so exhausted that you sleep when you can, no matter the time. This worked really well for us!

Family Vacation at Litchfield Beach

A ridiculous amount of time has gone by since my last post. After a little bit of nagging from the long distance relatives, I decided to make an album on Kodak Gallery to compile many pictures from our summer adventures just so they could see what Sophie and Jack have been up to. Long story short, we had a very fun yet busy summer, and the highlights were a family reunion of sorts in Monterey Bay, California, along with a visit in Atlanta from Oma (Eric's Mom) and Tante (Aunt) Karin.

In early September, we had a wonderful family vacation to Litchfield Beach, which is just south of Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We shared a house with 3 other families who are good friends from Atlanta (with kids the same ages). Amongst that crowd was the infamous Kiki, who Sophie has basically grown up with. Both girls had the time of their lives doing everything together, whether it was swimming in the pool at our rental house, jumping waves in the ocean, trading clothes, and having sleepovers every night in the same big bed. They had their normal share of squabbles too, but for the most part, they really enjoyed each other. We must give a big shout out to Abba (Kiki's Daddy), who was always willing to take Sophie under his wing if we were otherwise occupied with Jack. He was in charge of bath and bedtime most nights, and orchestrated some fun beach activities like kite flying and running races on the beach. Even Jack has been chanting Abba's name ever since we returned home!

Many thanks to the James family for coordinating the trip. Kylie, or as Jack would say "Kai", is one of our favorite friends to play with since she is smack dab in the middle of Sophie and Jack when it comes to age. She frequently vacillated between smothering Jack with kisses and hugs, and playing dress up with the "big" girls.

And then there was Ainslee Monroe, the daughter of Vicki and Scott, who Sophie has also known since they were very little. Ainslee cracked me up with all of her questions, especially about why Jack (who was nicknamed "Jackosaurus" on our trip) was screaming. I don't think she was very satisfied when my reply was simply, "That's just what he does...I have no idea why". Nonetheless, Jack seemed to bond with everyone there, and was even the best sleeper of the bunch, which was a big surprise to me and Eric (especially considering the fact that he was sleeping in our bathroom!).

Can't wait to do it again next year!

Great Gram

This post is very behind schedule, but way too important to be forgotten. I have no excuses for slacking on my blog other than trying to keep my kids alive and happy, which sometimes takes a whole lot more energy than you can imagine. So each time I've attempted to work on this entry, Sophie has won me over in her pleading attempt to recruit me for a game of Chutes and Ladders, or read a story, or dance to music. How can I resist such great offers? Or else it's Jack wanting to play Eric's newly invented game "Run-Hug", which consists of Jack standing by the front door with one of us sitting in family room, waiting with eagerness to receive our crazy little man as he says "GO" and runs across the room in a full sprint.

I have realized that it can be hard to find a balance between productivity (especially if you are as task oriented, or, some might say "anal" as I sometimes am) and enjoying the tender age of toddlers who eventually are not going to be as excited about spending time with their Mommy. So I opted for the game, books, dancing and hugs this time around and have been rewarded with precious memories and even a Chutes and Ladder victory. And the blog entry will still eventually get done along with everything else on my increasingly longer list of to-dos.

A few weeks ago, my maternal grandmother, known to me as "Gram" and known to the kids as "Great Gram", graced us with her presence for about 5 days. Sophie has seen Great Gram often enough to have established a sweet bond with her, and I couldn't be happier. After one of Great Gram's earlier visits when Sophie had just started to talk, every time she saw the white-haired lady on the Ingles commercial she would shout "Great Gram!". This was Jack's third time seeing her, and depsite the fact that he didn't remember her, he was more than happy to show off some of his boy stunts, and was generous with flirtatious smiles and babbling conversation.

Since we didn't get a lot of pictures this visit, I decided to include some from past visits as well. In the process of looking for pictures, I realized how remarkable it is that we have seen Great Gram so many times throughout the beginning years in both Sophie and Jack's lives. When Sophie was born, we still lived in Northern Virginia, and since Great Gram is just outside of Richmond, our visits were even more frequent then.

While Atlanta is certainly more of a trek for her, she has still been able to visit once or twice a year, and we have been fortunate to see her for other family gatherings throughout the years as well, including visits to upstate New York, California, and even a trip to Italy. She has always been a trooper when it comes to traveling to see family, and is always eager for new experiences.

I have always had tremendous admiration and respect for my Gram. She is a strong woman who has consistently put her best foot forward despite some tough times throughout both her childhood and adult life.

She was very young when she began her adventure into motherhood, and it always gives me comfort (and more importantly, perspective) that she can't necessarily remember the gory details of some of the more challenging aspects of parenting -expecially those things that seem so big at the time but in the grand scheme of things are actually quite insignificant.

I am relieved and encouraged whenever she tells me I'm doing a good job at this parenting thing (which can be refreshing since my kids certainly aren't telling me that!), because she is one of the greatest mothers that I've ever known, and to receive a nod from her is a big compliment. The fact that all 3 of her children turned out to be pretty extraordinary individuals who love each other and their families, enjoy being together, and more importantly love and respect her, testifies to that.

When I listen to Gram reflect on her experiences as a mother even in the vaguest sense, or when I listen to my Mom or her sister or brother tell stories about their childhood, the focus is on the fun they had together, and the relationships they built in their family over the years. It seems to me that this love and nurturing, and fostering of strong bonds between family members is one of the most important contributions a mother can make to her family, and I will certainly feel like I've done the job well if one day in the distant future, my children still like to be around each other and have the kind of love and respect for me that we all do for Gram. She is an amazing women and we are blessed to have her in our lives.

Swim Lessons

Sophie had her much anticipated first swimming lesson yesterday afternoon. It was a one-on-one lesson at the home of "Miss Brencie", who has worked with this age group for many years. Fortunately Jack was able to be home with a babysitter (Thanks, Laurie!!) so that Sophie and I could embark on this experience without having to worry about the endless possibilities for Jack to turn 20 minutes poolside into his own little adventure. Especially since I wasn't sure how Sophie would respond to her first lesson, it was a relief for both of us to not have to worry about what we like to call "attack of the Jack".

At the beginning of the summer, Sophie was still pretty reluctant about getting her head wet despite loving being in the pool. She even wanted to use Jack's float to ensure she wouldn't go underwater. We've tried to take her to the pool as much as possible in order to acclimate her to the water before her lessons started, and she's become increasingly comfortable. It helps that all of her friends love the water too, and I think watching their comfort in the pool has helped alleviate some of the anxiety she may have had.

She had a great experience at her first lesson, and to my delight was not at all wary about being alone in the pool with Miss Brencie or being challenged to completely put her face underwater and dive for rings. At one point when she was learning how to float on her back, she told Miss Brencie it was time to do something different! I guess she got a little bored with that part and was more eager to practice going underwater.

Later that evening, we filled up our jacuzzi tub because she wanted to practice her new skills, knowing that we will return in a few days to learn even more. It's so fun to watch how quickly a child can acquire new skills, and more importantly, embrace new opportunities with such enthusiasm.

We will return for several more lessons throughout the summer, and even Jack is going to take a couple (with Mommy in the pool, too). Stay tuned for more posts... next up is Great Gram's visit!

Second Child Syndrome

There's a saying that Eric and I toss around a lot with regards to what we think must be Jack's perspective on this relatively new life of his. "Second Child Syndrome" is basically the way we might explain how Jack sometimes gets what the general population would call "the short end of the stick" when it comes to things like hand-me-down toys, dirty pacifiers, flexible naps (depending on what the "first and priveleged child" may have on the docket for the day), and yes, even having to sport a pink bib or cup every once in awhile - truth be told, more times than not.

Jack is a trooper to say the least, and we certainly hope that one day he won't hold it over our heads that we have so many pictures of him in a pink bib, holding a pink cup. The Kings even offered to give us a hot pink wet suit that no longer fits their Sophie to try with Jack in the pool the other day, and I finally decided to draw the line. It's bad enough that he will probably one day wear Sophie's fuschia water wings.

The fact of the matter is, Jack LOVES his big sister Sophie, and prefers to be with her as much as possible. So when I see him go into my closet and try on a few pairs of heels or peep-toe wedge sandals, I smile knowing that he's paying a tribute to his big sister who has taught him precisely how to do it. He literally cheers from his high chair when she wakes up each morning and walks into the upstairs hallway. For whatever reason, he calls her "Nay-Nay", and it's sweet to watch them interact every day. To date, she has taught him so many wonderful things (and maybe some not so wonderful things if you count climbing and jumping on the couch and unraveling and shredding toilet paper). Thanks to Sophie, Jack knows how to sit in order for his shoes to be put on. He knows how to eat a popsicle - and even how to share it with his big sister. He knows how to brush his hair and make himself "handsome". He even knows how lay down on the floor flat on his back, inviting her to tickle him like there's no tomorrow. So maybe we weren't so crazy after all to have these 2 amazing children just shy of 2 years apart. "Second Child Syndrome" may actually prove to not be so bad after all.