Monday, June 30, 2008

Third times a charm!













Their first summer Drew loved the water and hated the sand and of course Ella loved the sand and hated the water. Second summer they switched - Drew in the sand no water and Ella loving the water. Finally this being their third summer they are both loving all aspects of beach going. We can't wait to join the Virta family at Lake Winnie!!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

Ella and Drew Radio Show

We always heard them talking, but we could never quite make out the words. Sometimes Mike or I would press our ears against their bedroom door to catch a few words of their private nighttime conversations. Now in the new house, we have a baby monitor to catch every word, broad casted through our living room like a nightly radio show. We have never been so entertained. Maybe it is because we don't have a tv yet, or maybe it is because we are so totally in love with our kids that we think every word is hysterical.
Ella seems to initiate the conversations and I imagine Drew sprawled out on his belly, pacifier in mouth and one in each hand, wondering if she will ever go to sleep.
"Drew, you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Want to go to the park?"
"Yes."
Sometimes they talk about what they like to do or what they did that day. Most nights they sing a little, you might hear the ABCs or a made-up song like "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" or "Ba, Ba, Ba." One night we enjoyed this exchange:
"Oh, look at this! I have a boogy, Drew!"
"Ok Ella."
"It is a white one. Do you have a boogy Drew?"
"Oh, yes."
"Ok. Where is it Drew?"
"It's in my nose."
They will talk for up to an hour. They get slower and you might think they are asleep, but the radio show usually sounds off with:
"You hear me Drew? You HEAR me Drew? Whatcha doin Drew? You sleeping? Oh, Ok." If she is still looking for company a shrill "Blanket ON!!" will blast through the monitor paging Mike to go in one last time to fix her blanket with a great big hug.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Back Off!


Don't mess with Tyler and his face cloths...he screams bloody murder when you take them away!! Why are my kids so quirky?! Cute, but quirky.

Monday, June 23, 2008

Sunday, June 22, 2008

I want to go home

It seems we talked about it for years, but we finally moved. It is a little bittersweet. I will dearly miss our Hobo friends. Living in Hobo is more than just an address, it is a way of life. Everyone walks everywhere so you always bump into someone you know - such community feel. I loved being able to do all my errands with the stroller to and from the park. The kids and I loved all of the great playgrounds, one for everyday of the week. Mike's commute was phenomenal, cheap, and quick - unheard of for working in the big city. There were so many places to eat that were kid friendly and cheap, we especially enjoyed those with outdoor seating. And there were more than enough kids activities from music, dance, sports, arts/crafts - and many free. Mike and I both felt so emotional leaving our first little place. It is where all of our kids came home to...it was great.
But...life moves on. We don't miss the stairs to and from the apartment, the lack of parking for our car, the noise, the dirt, the lack of private outdoor space, and the cramped quarters. Here in sunny HH we have a very comfortable setup. Plenty of room downstairs including a front porch and a rear deck off the kitchen. I love cooking in the kitchen and letting the kids play on the deck. We can still walk to plenty of places including the library, 2 parks, bagel, ice cream, pizza and chinese places, the bank, post office and pharmacy. There is a farmers market we can walk to every week and...drum roll please...we have a big driveway. If you have lived with a driveway your whole life you have no idea of the significance. It is huge.
Ella, Drew and Tyler seem to have adjusted great so far. Ella and Drew graduated to big kid beds and Tyler moved into a crib. All are doing well (ok, Tyler doesn't sleep at night, but Im tired of complaining about it!). They have not attempted to get out of their beds once, which according to Mike's friend at work "just doesn't happen!" For the first few days Ella would occasionally say that she wanted to go home, to which Drew would respond "This IS our new home, Ella!"
Stay Tuned for more posts...there is so much to catch up on!!

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Quote of the Day

Ella, in her bathing suit, to Mike's Dad:

"Pop-pop, do you want to go pooling?"

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Big Boy, Bigger Lip



Drew fell at the park today and bit his lip, resulting in 2 stitches. Maybe the poster boy just wanted to make an appearance at the hospital? He was such a tough guy, not crying or even squirming while they stuck a needle in the wound and then stitched him up. He was telling the doctor all about the train ride at the zoo while getting stitched. You had to hear him say, "All Aboard!" while being held by a nurse and stitched by the doctor! A steady stream of nurses, orderlies, and admin people marched through our curtain to see "Baby Drew, the boy from the poster." Im sure he had no idea what they were all talking about but he told each one that he had a fat lip and 2 stickers aka stitches. I was so proud of him. He was just happy to get an ice cream.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Where have you been?

We have been acting like true suburbians (I invented that word) and we have been using the car a lot this week. Yesterday we traveled to a suburban town to purchase some outdoor toys - trikes, scooters, playhouse - from a little girl who has outgrown them. She is raising money to buy an IPOD. Is it possible that you go directly from riding a tricycle to using an IPOD? I tried to hide my shock. Anyway, then we stopped into Van Saun Park. It is an awesome park that has big playgrounds, lots of grass and shady wooded areas as well as a carousel, pony rides, and a little zoo. Everything there is $1, you can't beat it! Ella and Drew love the train ride at the zoo, so that was our purpose. I love when they wave to the people as we pass. Next we visited the new house to try out the bikes and look around some more. I hope they are getting the idea that we will be living there. Finally, we went to pick out "Big Kid Beds." Woo Hoo! I only bring Tyler's little stroller these days so Ella and Drew walk everywhere. Most of the time they are such great listeners and stay with me, like at the park and zoo. But sometimes they just go wild, like at the bed store. Good Lord. They were climbing all over the beds, opening drawers, climbing ladders, chasing each other, playing hide and seek, and Ella's favorite - ripping the price tags off everything. All the while I am trying to calmly talk to the salesman and look at beds. I was shooting my best "stop it now" looks, but it was no use. What can I expect for 2-yr-olds on a day of errands?

Monday, June 2, 2008

City Life We Know

Suburban life...well we have a lot to learn. Yesterday evening we went to see the "New House." This was Ella and Drew's first time there. They had a blast running from room to room and we talked about where things might go. They especially loved the doorbell. Then after touring the house we had a picnic on the back deck. Drew immediately spotted the swing set next door: "Drew go fark, mommy?" I told him it wasn't a park, but it belonged to a little boy or girl and we needed to ask permission to play. He scans the backyard of the other neighbor: "Drew go that fark, mommy?" Same explanation. We repeated that conversation about 15 times with me trying to explain the difference between a public park and a backyard. Ella was preoccupied with birds chirping and people talking in the next yard. Every 5 minutes she asked, "Whose talking, Mommy?" or "What's that noise, Mommy?"
We returned to Hobo and while looking for a parking spot Mike and I overheard this conversation from the backseat...
Drew: "Want to go home, Ella?"
Ella: "No, Drew, We have to park the car!"