New Wheels

We celebrated Eamon's birthday on Sunday with Grandma and GrandDad Williams. They brought a bike with them. A friend of Grandma's had an extra bike that they were giving away. She said her grandchildren could use, and they brought it over for Eamon to test. He LOVES his new bike. He wants to ride it all the time. He cruises along the backyard with his helmet. Aine tries to keep up with him on the tricycle. Her legs are a bit too short, but she is working on it.

Fruit Salad

I have been busy making baby gifts lately. I knit a cucumber, carrot, orange and eggplant for two friends who are pregnant. I forgot to take pictures, but here is the pattern. The kiddos want some for themselves, so I have another eggplant in progress.

Visiting Yuma

We spent a few days helping my brother and his family with their newest addition, Kailana. Eamon and Aine had a great time playing with Malia. They enjoyed playing dressing up, styling Aine's hair and dancing to the Wiggles. While we were there, we went to story time at the downtown Yuma library. The kids listened to frog stories and songs. The ended the visit by making frog puppets. After the library we played for a bit at the Creative Playground at the Wetlands Regional Park. Eamon and Aine enjoyed this park when we visited right after Kailana was born. The weather was a bit warm this visit, so we spent most of the time swinging on the tire swing. The kids thoroughly enjoyed it.

Due to the proximity to California, we thought it would be a nice time for a sidetrip to San diego. The three kids, Dave & I headed off to the beach on Friday, April 27. After a few potty breaks, we made it to the beach. It was a grand time. Eamon ran down to the water as soon as he arrived. His enthusiasm was quickly tempered as he was flattened by a wave. Luckily he was picked out of the water by another family. He later enjoyed telling how he was almost swpet out to the ocean. The kiddos built sandcastles, collected seashells and stood in the waves. We were all wet and sandy by the time we headed back to Yuma.

Baking Soda??

Apparently Aine was upset with the cleanliness of the bathroom and decided to take matters into her own hands. I was alerted to the situation when she walked past me with the powdered sugar. We typically use vinegar and baking soda to clean. Aine figured it looked like baking soda, but it tasted so much better!

Happy Birthday, Eamon

Eamon,

At four, you love to dress up. You will wear your sister's clothes, your daddy's clothes, your dress up clothes - pretty much anything is fair game. You have no qualms about your outfits. You are not self-conscious, and you wear everything with panache. Often you can be spotted at the park, library or zoo in an eclectic ensemble. This week you wore a dinosaur costume to the park, daddy's shirt and Aine's tights to the library, and a sweater vest with a button down to the zoo. Your favorite is to dress as a firefighter. You wear white cocktail gloves paired with a hat, striped socks and a kimono. It is priceless.

You continue your love of all things Thomas. You play with your trains all the time. You like to take them outside in the sand and dirt. Often the tricycle is your own personal train. You will drive Aine around the bak yard on the tricycle. She thinks it is grand fun. Occasionally you wear your conductor's hat for these jaunts. You talk of buffers, rails, diesel, electric, coal and a myriad of other train terms. GrandDad keeps you on your toes by looking at old magazines with trains.

Books are another passion. You can "read" your books for hours. I will find you reading to your sister in your room or in the booknook. You enjoy the library and always ask how many books we can buy. Currently Greek mythology inspires you. You want us to read about the myths with you. You ask many questions as you ponder the world of Olympus and the ancients explanations of the world.

You vocabulary and verbal skills are amazing. You talk a lot and have a lot to say. It is always a treat to hear you explain things, negotiate with Aine or just tell me you love me.

It is tough to keep you inside most days. You love hanging out in the backyard with Ava and Aine. You help with the garden, letting me know when our plants are ready for harvest. Sometimes you harvest by yourself. You are so proud of your garden finds that it is tough to be too upset with the scrawny carrot, green oranges and thin beet. You enjoy climbing trees and are quite skilled. Lizards, bees, bugs, and birds are on your radar. You will collect dead bugs to study with the magnifying glass. Your curiousity is never-ending.

Your sister is your constant companion. The two of you play well together. You wait for her to join you. On the slide, you ask her to sit on your lap. Your laughter echoes throughout the day only occasionally punctuated with cries of injustice on both of your parts. The skirmishes are quickly forgotten and you are on to new escapades.

Your cousins are very important to you, especially Ashlyn. You tell anyone who will listen that she is your friend, and she is four. I think you are happiest to be four, because you will be her age. You love to visit her and yearn for her visits with you. I hope you can forever be this close.

You have a gentle heart, Eamon. You are compassionate and caring. You have an adventurous spirit; an insatiable curiousity and a streak of hijinks. You are an amazing child with an amazing mind. It is hard to believe that four years ago you entered our lives. My journey into motherhood began with you, and it has been a wonderful trip. You have been such a wonderful addition and you are loved more than you will ever know.

Busy Day

Eamon dons many outfits throughout a given day. Today he decided to wear Dave's clothes. He put on Dave's uniform first then migrated to casual clothes. He had everything on including boxers.


Eamon dons many outfits throughout a given day. Today he decided to wear Dave's clothes. He put on Dave's uniform first then migrated to casual clothes. He had everything on including boxers.

Globe

On the way home from the park this morning, Eamon and Aine were eating apples. Eamon reached up to show me his..

H: I see you are eating your apple.
E: No, mama, it is a globe.
H: Really?
E: Yep, we live here (pointing to a skin area among the eaten parts).
E: Look, I just ate Arizona.

Alligator Habitat

Today Eamon wore his alligator/dinosaur costume to the park. He and Aine played on the structures defining bedroom areas for each other. Eamon decided he needed a nest, so he hollowed out an ara in the sand, curled up and pretended to sleep. Here are pictures from our alligator sighting...

Park Antics

We have resumed our morning walks with Ava. The kids ride in the stroller, and the walk culminates at the park.

Oops

While leaving Costco the other day, I remarked to Aine that we needed to give the man the cart. I kept rambling about it when I noticed that the man wasn't a man. Oops! I then switched my ramblings to a feminine pronoun hoping the cart retriever wasn't totaly annoyed. However, if you dress in dickies, a flannel shirt and a baseball cap, I would think that chances are good you may be mistaken for the male gender. She was probably shaking her head as I walked away, or perhaps she was checking out my assets.

Slow Going

Going Back to Bisbee is packed with detail. It provides vivid indepth detail about the desert. It is a lot like talking to my father. It is a tough read. I am trying to slog my way through it, since I am the one who selected it. I blame the librarians of Arizona, however, as I am only on page 63.

Green Super Soaker

I forgot to post a picture of the shorties I made for a friend. They turned out fairly nice. I wanted to embellish a lizard or dragonfly on the back, but I chickened out. I used a thick and thin yarn which asn't my best choice. Right color; wrong yarn. Some spots are a bit thin. I am hoping she doesn't have a heavy wetter.

A great time was had by all...

We celebrated Eamon's birthday at the park with friends on Saturday. One of his friends was turning 3, so we shared the day. Dave commandeered the grill, while the kids ran around on the play equipment, fed the ducks, observed fishing, wrote with chalk, and built sand cities. It was a great day! Eamon thoroughly enjoyed himself. He just wished he had received more cards, but is eagerly checking the mailbox daily.





Tuckered out afeter a long day

Teeth

Aine sporting her new teeth at the park.

Depends

This word is resonating with me lately. There are two meanings for me, and they are intricately woven together. The first meaning: It depends on what I am doing. Yesterday I sneezed. Today I ran. It doesn't depend on the number of kegels I do. The second mening: If it keeps up, I may have to wear Depends.

I am a mother to two wonderful children that apparently reeked havoc on my body while in utero. I am occasionally incontinent. Today, I ran on the treadmill at the gym. No problem. I only ran for 25 minutes, but it felt good. I used a few weight machines for my legs. When I stood up to leave, I noticed my shorts felt wet. I mean REAL WET! I wondered what water I had encountered. Could my rear have sweat that much?? Nope, I had wet myself! The horror! To top it off, I didn't even know. Yesterday I sneezed and had to change shorts. I am my MOTHER!!

So, tonight and from this point forward, I will exercise my nether girlie bits while laying down with children. Up the elevator 1-2-3-4-5 down the elevator 5-4-3-2-1. The irony is that lately I have been kegeling. The injustice of it all...

Bunnies

When I heard about the birth of my newest niece, I decided to make big and little sister bunnies. I used a pattern from a friend. The material was the same, but I laid it out differently. I like the smaller one a bit better. I probably should have irned it before stuffing. Oh well! I also made one for Eamon and Aine. They have carried them around the house and to bed on a few occasions.

Hunting for Eggs

For Easter, the kids received plastic buckets for their baskets. Inside was an assortment of sand toys as well as a pad of paper, paints and an umbrella. There were a few eggs with candy. They enjoyed finding the eggs outside and peeling them. Neither were exceptionally fond of eating them.

After the morning hunt, Grandma and GrandDad Williams arrived to drive to Yuma. Kailana had been born the previous night, and we were headed down to visit Unkie Tim, Auntie Maura, Malia and the new baby.

Hall of Flame

On April 6th, our preschool group took a field trip to the Hall of Flame A docent at the museum told the story of Daisy the Firecow, showed the children a video on fire safety, and allowed them to climb on a huge firetruck. The museum is very large, so we only looked at a few of the antique trucks. Climbing on the fire truck was definitely the highlight.

Since our trip to the museum, Eamon has talked quite a bit about fire safety. We counted the smoke alarms in our house (10), tested the detectors, and formulated a fire escape plan.

Toga Preschool Day

Eamon has been very passionate lately about the gods and goddesses of ancient Greece. He loves reading the stories. His favorite god is Ares. He can spend hours looking at the different depictions and listening to the stories. His favorite book is The Gods and Goddesses of Olympus

Inspired by his interest, we decided to make togas and read about Hades and Persephone when we hosted our preschool group. This story explains the seasons. The togas were a huge hit. Eamon and Aine loved their new outfits.

Purple Tank

The first of the tank tops has been finished. I gave it to a friend of ours for her birthday. I gave it to her early to check sizing. It fits great. The only modification is with the straps. I plan on making them shorter or making tie straps on the future shirt. They stretch way too much and reveal a bit of skin.

I was able to procure some orange yarn for my oldest niece's shirt. I may do hers next - not sure. It is a soft cotton blend called Touche I really like the color. I am pairing the orange with a soft yellow. Hope it looks nice - I will post pictures when complete - perhaps with a model.

Going Back to Bisbee

I belong to a book group based off the book Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons
This month was my turn to select a book. I went the easy route and chose the same book the rest of the state is reading. One Book Arizona selects a book every April for the state to read. The libraries as well as book stores have various events throughout the month ranging from geography talks to book discussions. The book is pretty good thus far. We shall see what type of discussion it creates.

Baby Tank

I decided to knit my new niece a little halter shirt. I also needed a gift for an old friend's new baby. The Katja pattern from Knitty seemed like the best bet. It is a quick project. I only had some trouble casting on mid-project. With a little help from a fellow MDC mom, I figured it out. I think the first one turn out really nice. I am waiting for the yarn for the second. I will probably give Maura first right of refusal.

New Paint

Eamon & Aine received some gel paints from the Easter bunny. We painted a few pictures on the patio, but there was extra paint. A foot flower seemed like the perfect remedy. Eamon's feet are red; Aine's are blue.

Thomas, Thomas, Thomas

Eamon continues in his love of all things Thomas. One of his friends gave him the Thomas shirt, which he smartly paired with his pj bottoms and slippers.We are planning to visit Thomas in May at Day Out with Thomas

Welcome Kailana Betty

Eamon and Aine's newest cousin was born Saturday, April 7 at 8:45pm. We were fortunate enough to see her on Sunday. We drove to Yuma, AZ with Grandma and GrandDad Williams. The kids couldn't see her, because the hospital has strict visitor requirements. We visited with Malia and Unkie Tim at the park and their house. It was a quick trip, but it was well worth it.

Phew

This morning Aine helped me put together breakfast. All of the sudden, she said she had to potty. I told her, "Hurry" as she ran to the bathroom. I follow to help her. As she got to the toilet, she said, "Phew, made it."