Happy Mother’s Day!

Posted on May 14, 2012 by Jen

The weather was so perfect yesterday we couldn’t resist taking a few family shots. My Mother’s Day was lovely. All the credit goes to my sweet husband who bent over backwards to try to make it a special day for me, even if our kids tried their best to foil his plans (i.e. Violet had no less then 20 tantrums BEFORE church and Simon awoke 3 times during the night, ahhh!). 

Here are a few highlights:

-Collin made a delicious breakfast: whole wheat challah bread french toast with fresh strawberries, and maple syrup.

-I got to take a leisurely 2 hour nap before church.

-After I woke up they brought me cards and a present. Which is a new camera, this one.

-After church, Collin made a delicious dinner for us as well as one of our favorite desserts. 

-We were both able to talk to our mom’s and wish them a Happy Mother’s Day.

I’m so grateful to be a mother to these two sweet little babes. They’re huge blessing in my life. Thanks for making me one very happy mom!

P.S. Thanks for the cute sunday outfits for the kids Lynn :)

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Once Upon a Potty…

Posted on May 8, 2012 by Jen

Well folks, the rumors are true. Violet is turning 3 next month and is potty training like a champ! We started last week and the first day was a little rough. I felt confident that if we could just get her to pee in the potty the first time she would gain a lot of confidence and from that experience and subsequently feel comfortable doing it again.

And for the most part I was right. She was very nervous about going the first time and held it in for about 3 hours until she couldn’t hold anymore. I swear about 2 cups of urine spilled into that little potty once the old “flood gates” opened, poor girl. But we made a BIG deal about it and she was very pleased with herself. Since last Thursday we’ve only had 2-3 accidents and she has been great about telling us when she has to go. She even poops too! I’m serious. Like it’s no big deal. Can you tell i’m excited about this? It’s HUGE! It’s probably still to early to say we’re officially “potty trained” but fingers crossed we’ve made some major strides over here.

I would like to give a shout to some key “tools” in this process:

I bought this book under the recommendation of our pediatrician. It’s great. The approach to potty training is totally based on your child’s readiness and personality type. There is a quiz at the beginning of the book that you take to determine which personality type(s) your child is. Violet is an “internalizer”. Supposedly these kids are the HARDEST to train. But we followed the suggestions outlined in the chapters specific to her personality and it helped immensely obviously. 

And of course, I can’t forget our good friend Prudence and her potty. Violet LOVES both, the book and DVD. She watches the DVD everyday. According to the potty training book, movies and props are the best aids in the teaching process for “internalizers”. I definitely see why. I know watching Prudence poop in her potty convinced Violet she could do it too.

So there you have it. I was so nervous about starting this process. But it’s not so bad after all. I really do think there’s something to waiting until they’re ready. Even if that means you have a 3 year old in diapers. If we had tried last spring I don’t think she would’ve been as willing to learn. I know it’s going to be a while yet before we’re completely done with diapers or pull-ups with her. Nighttime dryness takes much longer. But i’m totally fine with that! She’ll get there on her own time. Good job Violet, we’re so proud of you!

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stop, drop, and roll

Posted on May 7, 2012 by Jen

Last week at Playgroup one of the mom’s taught a lesson on fire safety which included a quick visit from our local FDNY firemen with their big red fire truck!

The kids were over the moon. Heather taught the kids a few fire safety tips including the oldie but goody: “stop, drop, and roll”.Violet didn’t want to practice but a few of her friends really got into it.

Here’s Violet’s friend Connor, who LOVES fire trucks, demonstrating his new stop, drop, and roll skills.

Then it was time to explore the truck! Violet was pretty excited about seeing the fire truck up close, but being the cautious girl that she is, preferred to observe everything from a safe distance :) Here’s a few of her friends “riding” on the back of the truck. Sweet little Connor! He’s all decked out, ready to put out a fire. How much do you love his homemade oxygen mask?  So adorable. Please, let Simon love fire trucks too :)

It was drizzling rain the whole time we were outside which was disappointing but it could’ve been worse right? I finally convinced Violet to take a picture with me. Begrudgingly, she cooperated :) Afterwards the firemen handed out coloring books to each child. Violet was thrilled.

All in all, it was a really fun day. We felt so lucky to have such friendly firemen who were willing to come talk to a bunch of preschoolers about what they do and show them their truck. Three cheers for firefighters!

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Field Trip: Highline Park and Daddy’s office

Posted on April 25, 2012 by Jen

Last Friday was beautiful and we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and head downtown for some errands and then lunch with Collin, hooray!

Our first stop was the Strand Bookstore. We love that place. Violet has been asking for her own copy of Harold and the Purple Crayon for a while now so I thought it was time to get her one. We also picked up a few other books and a baby gift while we were there. Then it was time for a little exercise. We stopped at the playground in Union Square so Violet could play for a bit. Simon was napping :)

Swinging, her favorite (note: Most of the newer playgrounds here have swings for disabled children. Violet thinks they’re cool and always prefers them to the regular ones.)

She always loves the idea of this slide but never musters up the courage to actually slide down it :) She was content just climbing up and down the rock stairs.

Before we knew it, it was time for lunch with daddy! So we walked over to the Highline Park. Click on the link for more info on the Highline if you’re curious.  The high line is right next to his new office building. In fact someday soon his building will have direct access to the Highline once construction is complete. So amazing!

We met up with Collin and found a bench to sit on while we ate our picnic lunches.

After lunch Violet said: “I want to run.” And run she did. One of the best parts of the Highline is that it’s one continuous walkway, with no cars, so she can run to her hearts content. 

There is a section of the Highline hear 14th street, right by Collin’s building, with fresh water streaming. Violet was super excited when we discovered it. Even thought it wasn’t hot out by any means, she insisted on removing her shoes and splashing through the water.

Simon was so good. He loves sitting in the stroller and looking around.

Collin’s office is incredible. I wish I had some pictures…next time. We enjoyed meeting all of his co-workers and seeing the beautiful space where he spends his days. All around a fun day. I have a feeling we’ll be back soon!

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boon spoon

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Jen

Just had to share this amazing find. This handy spoon wasn’t around(to my knowledge)when Violet was a baby.

Simon gets really excited about eating his purees and is constantly grabbing at the spoon, the bowl, his bib, etc.. which creates a huge mess. This spoon is ingenious! The purred food goes in the green part, you then twist on the spoon, which has a little hole at the back. You squeeze the green end, and food comes out onto the spoon. It’s perfect for us since we are on the go 50% of the time. I love it when I find baby products that make my life easier. Thanks Boon!

I bought mine on Amazon. Here’s the link.

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