Letters to Santa

This was the first year the boys sent letters to Santa Clause. I just had to share them because they were so sweet.



Dear Santa, I love you. I was a good boy. Please come see our Christmas tree. Please can you bring me a present? Thank you. Merry Christmas! Love, Jay



Dear Santa, I have been a good boy lately. This is the boy that has been good, Andrew. This is my Christmas wish list. Thank you. I will leave you a yummy snack on the table by the brown couch. Hope you like it. Merry Christmas! Love, Andrew




We dropped them off at Santa's Post Office at Macy's. What fun!

Happy Halloween!

Spooooooky......

Happy 5th Birthday, Andrew!

Dear Andrew,

Happy Birthday! Today you are 5 years old! And I swear it seems like you turned into a 5-year-old overnight except, it wasn’t last night. It was the day Jay turned 3. It was a Sunday morning, and you walked your brother up to the front of our church for the children’s message. This was something you never wanted to do on your own. But, now that Jay was 3 and was going to start going to the Sunday school portion of Sunday service, you assumed the role of big brother and decided to show Jay what to do. It’s as if Jay turning 3, was a huge milestone for you.

October 2010

January 2011

The next day you started pre-school. And you are doing awesome! All of a sudden you have this life outside of the one you and I have shared for the past 5 years. Sure it’s just three mornings a week but it’s a big step toward your independence. Jay and I love to hear all about your morning when we pick you up. Jay always asks you what you had for snack. You seem to revel in this attention from Jay and me. Add in your toothless grin and well, you truly look the part of a 5-year-old!

September 2011

Yes, you lost two teeth, one in August and one in September. You love to show off your toothless grin. And you were very excited for your first visit from the tooth fairy. As with most things, you were full of questions about what would happen. The funniest was asking if the tooth fairy would be able to open the little bag that your tooth was in. You were really concerned that it would be too big for her little fairy hands and that she wouldn't be able to manage it. Turns out she got it open and was able to leave some shiny quarters for you. Oh, how excited you were about this!

September 2011

This past year also saw a huge spurt in your appetite and growth, mostly over the summer months. You started to seem like a teenage boy sitting at the lunch table unable to be sated. You outgrew just about every item of clothing and all of your shoes!

August 2011

This summer also saw you improving your water skills. By mid-summer you gained free reign over the 3-4 foot area. Learning how to doggy-paddle and even swim under water to make progress when it got deeper. You would also jump off the wall and plunge under all by yourself. I think your favorite accomplishment was learning how to dive down to the bottom to pick something up in the 3 foot area. And I might add that you taught yourself all of this. You had a little help from me but, most of it you learned by practicing or watching older kids at the pool. It was really neat to watch you improve and to see how proud you were of yourself.

Your hand-eye coordination is really improving as well. You’ve become quite good at baseball in the front yard. And I couldn’t have been happier when you asked me if we could play basketball at the pool. Well, actually, I was happier still when you sank 8 out of 10 shots! To see you strut was a new experience for me. And I loved that first chance to teach you basketball. Oh, how I would love to teach you more.

May 2011

Not only has your physical development seen a big jump this year but, your mental development as well. Just recently, I’ve noticed that you: can add small numbers without counting on your fingers, pick out words on signs and in books, have great story comprehension, draw awesome pictures and are getting really close to writing your name. As great as all of these new skills are, Daddy and I have a favorite. It’s listening to you read to Jay. We like when you read to us too but, it’s so cute to watch Jay intently follow along as you weave an exciting story for him.

August 2011

August 2011

This is an exciting time for our family. We just bought a house and will be moving in just a few days. I have been very proud of how well you have been handling this transition. You have been very helpful getting your things packed. I had been so concerned you would take some time to adjust to pre-school and then have to handle moving to a new home. Instead, you have totally amazed me by not only taking it all in stride but, truly flourishing.

I am going to enjoy this last year together before you start kindergarten next September. I am so excited for all that is in store for us as we venture into those school-age years but for now, I want to soak up every bit of these remaining pre-school days.

I love you, AP. Happy Birthday!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jay!

Dear Jay,

Happy 3rd Birthday! You continue to grow into a very sweet boy. That's not to say that you haven't truly gotten in touch with your stubborn side, which you certainly did this past year. Your willfulness, however, is perfectly within the normal range for a 2-3 year old. And I think it is a direct result of your desire to do more and more things "all by yourself". You have started dressing yourself, helping yourself to snacks in the kitchen, helping me set the dinner table and even going to the potty all by yourself. Daddy and I have always admired your independence. You continue to prove this is one of your strongest personality traits.


October 2010

Going hand in hand with your independent streak is your sense of adventure. You are fearless in so many ways. Just last week you were jumping along a set of raised cement circles at our park. The space between these circles would seem to be too wide for you to jump across. Yet, you bounded along them as if it were no big deal. You are always game to try something new. I admire that about you a great deal. And yet, I also imagine you will cause me to have heart failure a great many times over the course of your childhood because you are so very daring! I will have to sit back and enjoy your adventures along with you, for I would hate to ever be responsible for curbing your great sense of adventure.


January 2011

This year saw you successfully master potty-training. You've also learned how to spell your name. And you are a total fish in the water. You loved swimming/wading at the pool and beach this summer. By the end of summer, you were jumping off the wall into the 2ft pool without any assistance from me.


June 2011


August 2011

You continue to be Andrew's shadow and mimic. Andrew has taught you to love putting on puppet shows. You love to tell a good knock-knock joke taking great pleasure in making others laugh. Your physical prowess combined with your sense of humor make us forget sometimes that you are two years younger than Andrew. I often joke to others, "don't tell Jay he is two years younger because he does not seem to know that he is." You keep pace with Andrew like it's no big deal.


March 2011

This coming year is going to be very special for you and me. Andrew is starting pre-school tomorrow which means you and I are going to have a chance to spend some quality one-on-one time together. I am really looking forward to being able to focus on just you for those few hours each week that Andrew is in school. You hardly seem like my little baby at all anymore and I know that is going to continue to fade over the course of this coming year. I look forward to soaking up every little bit that remains while at the same time reveling in the big boy you are becoming. I am so excited for the adventures which lie ahead of you.



I love you, Jay. Happy, happy birthday!

Love,
Mommy

First Lost Tooth

Andrew has been so looking forward to losing teeth since he's heard older kids talk about it. He's had two loose ones in the bottom front for a couple days.



Today, very nonchalantly, he popped out the more loose of the two. I imagine the second can't be far behind.



He's excited about getting a visit from the tooth fairy tonight. I wonder what her going rate is these days. ???

Fathers

Our summer has been off to fantastic start. We started things off with a lovely vacation in Massachusetts with my in-laws over the Memorial Day weekend. And we just spent a week in Ocean City, NJ with my extended family. The neighborhood pool is open and the boys are really enjoying spending time there. Hard to believe June is almost through.

Since we've been away, I was getting behind in my blog reading. As I was catching up this weekend, I noticed a lot of posts written by women honoring their husbands and/or fathers on Father's Day.

Our vacation in Ocean City always coincides with Father's Day. So, I am lucky that I get to spend Father's Day with my father, my Godfather, and Mark. Not to mention a whole slew of other great fathers (my brothers, uncles, and cousins).



Every blog post I read boasted their husband was the best father in the world. I don't think that is possible because, MY husband is the BEST father in the whole world! I could not ask for a better partner with whom to navigate parenting.



And then there's my father. I have been so blessed throughout my life to have a strong relationship with my father. Over the years, I've come to appreciate that more and more as I realize not all daughters have this kind of bond with their fathers. My father was always a great "dad". He coached little league, helped with homework, listened to and comforted his children and most importantly, showed them how much he loved Mom. To have grown up in a such a stable nuclear family is a true blessing and my father was a large part of that.

However, none of that compares to how incredible my father is as a grandfather! He never tires of his grandchildren and their constant demands for time with PopPop. This past week, he was often seen holding hands with two grandkids and jumping little waves along the shoreline, searching for seashells, playing "catch the seagulls", pitching a wiffle ball or reading books. He is like a magnet to whom all of the grandkids are drawn. Just look at this photo. I dare you to tell me he's not an exceptional grandfather!





Did I mention that I also have a wonderful father-in-law?



I am truly blessed. I am related to, no...bonded to, a husband, father and father-in-law, all of whom could vie for the "Best Father in the World" title.

Milestone!

Those of you who know me well, know that I can be...at times...a little bit...competitive. A little. (Thankfully, most people who love me find it endearing rather than obnoxious!) However, I try very hard not to keep track of when the boys hit their milestones in relation to each other. First steps, first word, etc. But, I was very curious recently to see where we would end up with potty-training because, they started at two different ages.

I waited until after an important family wedding in which Andrew was the ring bearer to start his potty training. As a result, he was more than ready and old enough to do it well. He figured it out right away and was potty trained at 2 years, 8 months.

Jay on the other hand, showed interest in toilet learning (this is the phrase used in the "what to expect..." book and I think it's funny) much earlier. However, it has taken much longer for him to truly accomplish complete potty training. But, he has and it was right at 2 years, 8 months.

Isn't that interesting? (sounds of crickets chirping...people deleting my blog from their bookmarks...)

Well, that's not even the milestone I wanted to document here. The important milestone reached last night was:

Andrew and Jay's First PISSING CONTEST!

The boys and I were in their bathroom (which if you've been to our house, you realize has a maximum capacity for 3 people if you stand in just the right spots). First, they were racing to see who could get undressed first. Then, they sat side-by-side on their respective commodes (Andrew on the toilet and Jay on his potty) and commenced with their pre-bath duties. (snicker, snicker) Andrew leaps off of the toilet and declares, "I win!". Jay with all his pride, stands up and says "I win too!". Now, comes the bickering over who peed faster.

Ahhhh...raising boys is going to be so much fun!

Mudder's Day

Recently, Andrew and Jay have started calling me "Mudder". It cracks me up. I'm pretty sure they picked it up from me too. Here's my thinking. I will scold them when they are being rude to me by saying "I am your mother and you can't talk to me that way." They seem to hear "I am your Mudder and you can't talk to me that way." See, what I mean? Evidently, I slip into a New York/Long Island type accent when scolding them about being rude to me, their mudder. What's funnier is that Andrew definitely knows it is incorrect which naturally makes it all the more funny to him.

So, I hope all the mothers out there, especially those who are so near and dear to me had a very special Mudder's Day! I sure did. Thanks in no small part to my wonderful husband who pampered me all weekend. This man sure makes me feel loved and appreciated. I am so blessed.

And being mother to these guys...well, I am really blessed.

Easter Egg Hunt

Our neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt was today. You would not believe how excited Andrew was for this.

Here he is scoping out the field before things got started:


Jay in action:

Jay's friend Connor giving an egg to Jay:

Andrew in action:


It was a beautiful sunny Sunday for the annual egg hunt. We had fun.

March

March was a fun month.

There was a visit from Oma and Opa (technically this was in the last week of February).

A sign Andrew made to welcome Oma and Opa.

Andrew and Oma freshly squeezing Florida oranges.

Opa reading to Jay.


There was a visit from my brother Chris, my nieces Samantha and Sara, and my nephew Nathaniel.

Samantha and Andrew on the Metro.


Jay and Sara on the Metro.


Nathaniel on the Metro.

Chris and his kids at the Washington Monument (note the White House in the background.)


It also rained a fair amount so the boys have been having fun playing in the mud puddles that form in our side yard.







Seems like there was something else...Oh, right! There was a little trip to....Walt Disney World. It was a Holland Family Grand Gathering. All 16 members of the Holland family met in Orlando for a week together at Walt Disney World. It was awesome!

This is all 16 of us at the Polynesian Resort.

A Walk in the Woods

I have a friend who lives in Maine. Last week, she wrote something on her blog that came back to me this morning as I was lying in bed wrestling with the notion that I would have to get out of bed soon.

I've been dealing with a sinus infection all week. The way I've dealt with this sinus infection was to let the boys watch more tv than usual so I could rest. When I was lying in bed this morning, thinking about how cooped up we've been, and how unfair it has been to the boys, these words from Maine Momma's blog came back to me.

"i have not gone out just because. today i see i need to. i must. a walk in the woods or maybe a climb over that snow bank to reach the beach. something, anything. i need some sun on my face and fresh air in my lungs and to walk off a bit of this cabin fever that has set in my bones and in my head."

All three of us needed to walk off some cabin fever. Of this I was sure. Andrew confirmed this notion for me when he came in to wake me up saying, "Mommy, it's a great day to go outside. It's sunny and beautiful."

So, with every intention of getting some fresh air, clearing the cobwebs, and soaking in some sunshine we headed to Huntley Meadows Park for a nature walk. Bucket in hand we walked along the path searching for nature. Andrew and Jay collected pine cones, sticks, rocks and other things. I collected some much needed fresh air and vitamin D!







Thanks for the inspiration, MaineMomma! This photo is for you: