More walking!

Peter felt pretty confident last night and was walking around without a "cane" or anything. He was very proud of himself! And it was cool to listen to Jack and Thomas cheering him on, too.

This morning, I went to a Mom's club meeting at the Catholic church closest to us. They had free babysitting for the kids, so I was able to sit in a room full of other Catholic moms, drink coffee, and listen to a couple of guest speakers. It was really nice! They do it once a month, which I think is just right for me. The boys did pretty well for the sitters, except that Peter missed me and was crying/calling "Mama" a lot.

In other news, Thomas has pretty much given up his afternoon nap completely. We had a good long run -- about 3.5 years -- so I really can't complain, but he gets a little crabby without that extra sleep, so that's a little difficult. So far, he learned the art of "quiet time" yet, and after about 10 minutes in his room he starts pounding on the door and asking loudly "Can I come out now?!?", over and over again. It's a little unnerving when I'm trying to get some quiet time!

Jack's schoolwork is going a little better this week. I think I need to adjust my expectations a little -- I can't expect to have a classroom experience re-created in my home, so I need to be more flexible in how I teach Jack what he needs to know, and try to take advantage of the many learning opportunities we have everyday. And also make sure it's fun and not drudgery for him (or me!).

Walking isn't so hard...

when the Force is with you:

(don't worry about Jack in that second video -- he's not going into anaphlyaxis, he's just being dramatic :) ).

Peter's broken ankle definitely slowed him down in the walking department. He hasn't really had a desire to take steps on his own since before he broke it, but just over the last couple of days he seems more ready to try, and I'm sure his "cane" helped :).

Some random observations...

-- "Excuse me" is always an acceptable answer to the question "What do you say?". Even if the correct answer is "Thank you" or "Please", the truth of the matter around here is that "Excuse me" is the safe bet 9 times out of 10.

-- Dressing a wriggly 17-month old who really doesn't want to be dressed is a lot like dressing a cat in doll's clothes. And yes, I would know about that (right, Wheetah? ;) ).

Old Fort Niagara

We took a really cool field trip on Friday to Old Fort Niagara. It sits right at the point where the Niagara River emerges from Lake Ontario. We had to pass the exit to Niagara Falls to get up there, but even still it was just about an hour's drive.

The fort was built in 1726 by the French, then it was taken by the British, who gave it to America after the Revolution, then it was recaptured by the British in the War of 1812, and then the British gave it back to America at the end of that war.

The buildings have been restored, and the largest building is a really neat castle. There are also lots of cannons everywhere that the boys got to see and touch. And there was even a musket-firing demonstration, which was cool, but it sent Thomas into a fit of tears because it was a bit loud.

It was a beautiful day to be out -- it was sunny and clear, but fairly crisp. The grounds were so well manicured, and it was amazing to see just how big Lake Ontario is. If we looked close, we could even see Toronto across it on the horizon!

Here are some photos of our adventure:

Beaver(less) Meadow

The weather has been beautiful this weekend -- sunny, dry, and warm -- so we took the boys to Beaver Meadow, a nature preserve about an hour from our apartment. I had specifically selected this preserve because the website led me to believe we would get to see a real beaver habitat (with real beavers!). It was a beautiful drive through farm country and old-timey small towns.

When we arrived, I asked if we would be able to see the beavers, but the information desk lady told us that they left 3 years ago! Their dam and resulting beaver pond are still there, but the dam is leaking and eventually the pond will drain and will become a running stream again. So, we were a little disappointed about not seeing real beavers, but the preserve was beautiful and we got to walk out on top of the dam, which was neat. There was a visitor's center, and inside there was a discovery center with lots of nature-related stuff for kids to play with. The boys enjoyed that, and Peter was both horrified and highly entertained by the beaver puppets!

So, our outing wasn't exactly what we hoped it would be, but it was enjoyable all the same.

In kid news this past week, Jack tied his shoe by himself for the first time! It's been a struggle to get him willing to learn, but he knows how to do it and now he just needs more practice. It was pretty neat watching him do it all by himself for the first time! His schoolwork is going pretty well, minus some "I don't want to" moments and some craziness from Thomas and Peter. It's been more difficult for me than I expected trying to organize my weekly routine and get everything done that I'd like, but hopefully I'll get in a good rhythm in the weeks to come.

Thomas has been upping the sassiness level a bit, which is expected considering his being 3, but it's a little trying on the patience! He's been coming up with a lot of interesting questions, and he isn't satisfied until he gets and answer and understands it completely (and even then he might ask again just because). He's especially interested in Jesus, heaven, and all things religious -- I like to think of him as a little philosopher :).

Jack and Thomas have been playing pretty well together, but sometimes they resort to calling each other names. Quite a while ago they were calling each other "stupid", which I put an end to, but the other day I overheard what they thought was a sneaky insult -- they were calling each other "steward"! I think I deflated it pretty well when I informed them that being a steward is actually a good thing :).

In Peter news, his ankle seems to be feeling pretty well. He's cruising around on it, but hasn't really tried walking by himself yet. He has developed a very loud streak, and just learned the word "Miiiine!" at top volume. He's also learned "cracker", "waw" (for water), and a very loud, long
Maaaaammmmy!" for "Mommy". He is a funny, feisty little guy, and I'm thoroughly enjoying his baby antics and sense of humor!

David, Jack, and Thomas at the start of a Beaver Meadow trail.

David and the boys on top of the beaver dam -- the water tricking down toward the right is the leak in it.

Beaver puppet fun.

A real life (albeit sleepy) owl in the visitors' center.


Peter enjpying a snack on the benches outside.

Halloween roundup

We had a kind of dreary Halloween, but the boys enjoyed it anyway (mostly thanks to candy and glow sticks). We were supposed to go to one of David's co-workers house to trick-or-treat with a bunch of little kids, but they called and cancelled because their kids had the flu.

We decided to trick-or-treat at a few apartments in our complex, but the weather became terribly cold and rainy right as we walked out the door, and on top of that, no one answered their doors! Ah well -- we decided that next year (wherever we are) we'll make a point of trick-or-treating at houses that are well decorated for Halloween --that should increase our success!

Yesterday, Peter got his cast off and we're all grateful for that! He had a long soak in the tub, took a good nap, and was literally bouncing around when he got up. He was spinning donuts on the floor, bouncing on the couch, he was so thrilled to be out of that cast! The doctor said he probably won't put any weight on that ankle for a little while, but so far he seems to be treating it normally. In two months they want to X-ray it to make sure it has finished healing correctly, but other than that he's good to go.

Today, we had a playdate with one of Kim's friends from college who now lives in the Buffalo area. It was such a treat! They have 2 little boys and a lovely, huge old farmhouse complete with chickens and lots of land. They also know of other young Catholic families in the area and offered to let us know about any group events that might be going on. I'm excited about that possibility!

Jack as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi and Thomas as Luke Skywalker.

Peter with a Superman sweater (I thought that complimented his cast nicely :) )

Our pumpkins -- David's autobot symbol, Jack's scaredy pumpkin, and Thomas's goofy pumpkin

The Jedi Knights again.

Say cheese!

Wild boys

So far, the best word to describe the weather in Buffalo is "gray". It's not terribly cold (yet), but most days it's either drizzling, raining, or threatening to. The other day I posted about the beautiful fall leaves being a "nature's bonus", but now I realize they do have a purpose -- they are a gift from God to brighten up the dreary grayness a little :). It definitely makes me appreciate (and miss) all the days of sunshine that we get in San Diego.

The boys are doing pretty well, but they seem to be having a delayed reaction to the move and the new routine. They were so good for the first week and a half -- Jack did his schoolwork eagerly, and they were reasonably good natured and obedient. Let me tell you, this last week or so has been really rough -- I feel mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of the day just trying to keep the peace here. Jack is really resisting his schoolwork, and they've been picking fights and having tantrums about the tiniest of things. Even Peter is getting in on it -- one of his new tricks is to plug his ears and then do his loudest and longest baby shout (so loud it makes Jack and Thomas cry!). I fully expected some adjustment period for the boys, but it's a little different and a little more trying than I expected. Fortunately, I am blessed with a pretty stubborn nature, and I am doing pretty well at not playing into their drama.

Tomorrow we're heading to a Halloween get-together with one of David's co-workers and his young family. The boys are going as Jedi knights, so we'll be sure to get pictures of them in costume. Monday morning, Peter's cast comes off, and I am really looking forward to that so we don't have to worry about it getting wet (which is a concern when the ground is almost always soggy here!).