Soccer, T-Shirts and a Time Out

Owen had another soccer game on Tuesday.  I brought along my camera, but it was hard to get any good shots of him with the ball.  I did get one, but it came out blurry.  Part of the reason is because half the time he stands around chatting with his buddy and some of the other kids.  The coach even told him and his friend to stop talking!  So part of the time we watched him run around playing soccer and practicing, but the other 50% of the time we watched him stand around and talk.  He does well when he actually plays and does what he's supposed to.  I guess I should just be glad he's having fun and not crying the entire time! 

Talking

Talking

More talking :)

and... more talking

Since Owen's birthday theme is Toystory, I made the boys matching Buzz Lightyear shirts.  Well, I guess they are not matching, but similar.  They turned out pretty cute.  I think Adam will really like it because anytime Owen wears one of his Toystory shirts, Adam is always pointing to Buzz.  Now I just need to sew them and hopefully that goes well.  My sewing machine and I don't always get along!

Front

Back- I love the little Space Ranger symbol on the back

Adam is so sweet, affectionate, and does the most adorable things MOST of the time.  He is so funny too.  He has such a great sense of humor even at just one year old.  But there are times when he is down right naughty.  Lately he has been hitting.  I don't know where he got that from since he's never seen us hit, does not go to daycare where he could possibly learn it from another child, nor does he see any type of hitting on TV.  I'm pretty sure Owen is not secretly hitting him when we aren't watching either as he's usually a pretty good big brother.  So today he hit me and when I asked him to stop, he smiled at me and did it again.  I told him a second time that we don't hit and he laughed and hit me again.  So I put him on time out.  He got up twice and I put him back on again and then he stayed.  I only had him sit for about 30 seconds and I told him I was proud of him for sitting and not getting up and he just smiled.  Then I got him off the chair and he went right back and sat down.  He was all smiles.  I think he liked Time Out and I think we're in trouble!  They say three is the new two, but I'm thinking two is the new one!

Way Back Wednesday- Owen Turns 4!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

You've got to be kidding me.

That's exactly what I was thinking today when the eye doctor told me that Adam needs glasses.  Part of me wishes I never would have taken him to get his eyes checked, but our pediatrician recommended we get his eyes examined since Owen started wearing glasses at 29 months.

We probably would have never taken Owen had I not been concerned he might have a turned eye.  Turns out... he did not have a turned eye, just a wide, flat nose brim which made it appear his eye was turned when it really was not.  Once he grew and his face changed it went away.  Dr. M did notice a bit of an astigmatism in Owen's eye which he planned to watch and check at his next appointment the following year.  The following year it was worse and that was when he started wearing glasses.  At 29 months.  Not at 14.  I imagine keeping glasses on Adam will be harder than keeping a diaper and socks on our cat.

Our appointment was supposed to begin at 10, but we waited 45 minutes.  Owen enjoyed playing with all the toys in the playroom, however Adam much preferred to walk around the waiting room waving at everyone, saying "hi", and showing off his pacifier.

 We had a LOT of time to kill in this little room without any toys.  I put my hair clip in Adam's hair and finally realized it is definitely a full blown mullet and he needs it cut. 

 

After a short exam, Dr. M said Adam did have some astigmatism, but he would not know to what degree until he dialted his eyes and checked them further.  If his eyes were within two units he would not prescribe glasses (obviously they are not within two units).  So after poor Adam got three drops in each eye, I took the boys to get something to eat.  We had 30 minutes and we made it back just in time.  Dr. M had a heck of a time getting a reading on Adam's eyes.  I have no idea how he knows that Adam has astigmatism or how he knows what his correct prescription should be.  Despite having a TV and all sorts of things to draw children's attention, including a dancing dog and duck, Adam had had enough and as Dr. M told the nurse, "This is an example of an exam gone bad."  It was rough.  But again, if having bad eyes and needing to wear glasses is all the health issues we have with our boys... I will be beyond thankful!

To be honest, I thought today's appointment was to check his eyes, see if he has some astigmatism, and then see him back in a year to compare.  I never expected him to need glasses now.  I know I should trust Dr. M.  He's one of the best pediatric opthamologists in the state and has won many awards and helped write numerous textbooks, but I still had some questions.

-How many kids do you think really need glasses at this age, but they never see an eye doctor until they are school age?
-Is it really worth trying to get him to keep glasses on?  I picture him ripping them off his face and throwing them in his toy basket and Mike and I searching for them for days.

Dr. M held a lens up to my eye and showed me what Adam is seeing.  It was so blurry.  Maybe that explains why he practically pushes his face against the TV when we have it turned on.  He also explained that if we don't try to correct his vision, his brain could turn his vision in his right eye (the bad eye) off and his vision in that eye will be permanently damaged.  By getting him to wear glasses, even for just three hours a day, we are showing his brain what correct vision looks like and since he is so young and his brain is still developing, it could fix his vision so he won't need glasses in the future.  That's what we are hoping.  It is working for Owen.  Dr. M is hopeful that by Owen's next eye exam, he may not need glasses at all!!! 

Mike is going to take a half day so we can drive Adam up to Camp Hill to get glasses.  Dr. M highly recommended this doctor and maybe she'll be able to give us some insight on how to get Adam to wear his glasses.

ok.  I need a nap now.

A Visit from Aunt Beth

Today, Aunt Beth came up for a visit.  I was soooo thankful for her visit because Mike was gone for the day.  She and Lala helped the day go by quickly.  Unfortunately, Eric had to work so he couldn't make it.  Owen and Adam had such a good time playing with Aunt Beth.  She helped Owen put out a LOT of fires, played trains, made a new track, read books, played games, and lots more.

We took a trip to the outlets so we could get some things for Owen's birthday party next weekend.  Then, we headed over to Red Robin for lunch.  It was delicious!!  Owen was starving and devoured his spaghetti.

`

Adam ate a ton too.  Luckily I was able to get him to eat some spinach baby food before he discovered the joy of french fries dipped in ranch.

Yes, today Adam was introduced to ranch dressing and he loved it.  He kept dipping his fries in the ranch and licking it off.

Owen had a two year obsession with ranch and would dip everything from hot dogs to lemons and oranges in it.  I'm hoping Adam is not quite as addicted.

After lunch we came home for naps.  Well, Adam napped.  I let Owen skip his nap and watch a movie with Aunt Beth and I.  I think Beth and I fell asleep for a little while on the couch :)

After naps we played and played, ate dinner, got baths, and then Aunt Beth helped put the boys to bed.  Luckily we'll see her again next weekend!

Way Back Wednesday

Yesterday Owen had his 4th soccer practice.  He is doing MUCH better and enjoying soccer.  No more tears!  Mike took him and it's a good thing because he ended up having to help coach.  They divided the kids into smaller teams and let them play actual games.  Owen scored a goal and was sooo excited.  This was his first goal on a "real" soccer team:)  Unfortunately I missed it because I was home with Adam, but hopefully I get to see him score again.  I was told, by Mike, that he also passed the ball which is just as great as scoring (in our opinion) especially when you are only three years old!  Despite scoring a goal, he spent a lot of time chatting with his buddy, Max, instead of paying attention to the game.  So funny!

Today was an awful, dreary day.  Lately, even if it is a little chilly outside, we still spend some time playing outdoors.  But today, it was raining so we were stuck inside all day.  Owen was at Linda's and after running out of things to keep Adam entertained, I almost went and picked Owen up early.  He and Adam are really starting to play together.  Usually, it involves running in opposite directions around the house until they run into each other and fall down laughing hysterically or until one of them (ahem... Adam) gets hurt and I make them stop, but it keeps them occupied and entertained.  Well, instead of picking up Owen so he could entertain Adam, I decided to take Adam to Pet Smart.  We went there a few months ago on a rainy day and he loved it.  He had a grand ol' time again, however we were both bummed that there were not any doggies getting groomed.  Adam loves dogs.  One of the workers looked at me a little funny.  I told her we were just trying to find something to do and their store is sort of like a free zoo.  She laughed, but I really think she thought I was nuts.  Maybe she saw me taking pictures  It is a little strange, I guess.

 

Adam LOVED this red dog.  He kept walking around hugging it.

Tonight, I had Owen help make dinner.  It made the whole preparation part even more chaotic than it normally is, however it worked... he ate ALL of his dinner.  We made chicken and broccoli casserole and he had never had it before.  Maybe I'll try to have him help more often.

And now for the Way Back Wednesday part...

I found this cute picture of Owen when he was about the age that Adam is now.

I know they were about the same age because Adam is wearing the same jammies right now too.  I enjoy looking at their pictures side by side :)

 

Owen is really into taking pictures.  I've been letting him use my camera and he's pretty good!  He took this picture of Adam and I...

 

That's all I have!  

Weekend

On Saturday I met some friends for lunch in Lancaster.  We had a great time and took up a table talking for way too long, as usual.  I also ate way too much, as usual.  I don't have much self control when it comes to endless soup, salad, and breadsticks!  The nice thing is I am always so full that I don't eat until breakfast the following day.  ha!

On Sunday, while Owen was playing at Lala and Papa Steve's, Mike and I took Adam on a hike.  It was nice doing something with just Adam since that rarely happens.  The hike was a little extreme so I don't think Owen would have been able to do it anyway.  It wasn't long, but very steep at parts.  It was so worth it though to get to this view....

I can't believe this beautiful place is only a few minutes (about two miles)  from our house!

Many years ago this was a mining pit.  However, during the flood of 1972  (Hurricane Agnus), it filled with water because the pumps in town failed.  Mike told me there are supposedly lots of big fish in there, but there are no streams running into it.  Any guesses on how the fish got there?  He told me and I was pretty surprised!

 

Sadly, this lovely place will soon be full of bulldozers, dirt, houses, a marina, and a huge indoor water park.  The boys' elementary school will probably have to expand to accommodate all the new families with children.  ugh. 

It's hard to see, but this tree has a large buck rub on it.  Mike was impressed so I took a picture.

Sunday night we had dinner at Papa and Finney's house.  Finney made a delicious dinner!  Afterwards we had fun trying on Papa's silly hat and taking pictures.

Have a nice week!

Sunshiney Day

Here are a few things that made me smile today:

We met some friends at the park today.  They have a HUGE sandbox and all four boys spent a lot of time playing, digging, building castles, hiding treasures, and making roads.

This was Adam's first "official" time in the sandbox.  He loved it and unlike his brother, he did not mind getting it all over himself and even took a few mouth fulls when I wasn't watching!

My sweet sandy boy.

I just love Adam's weeble wobble walk.

More sandbox playing after nap time

Owen was overjoyed to be able to wear shorts and a T-shirt today and run around in his bare feet.  Look at how big his feet are getting!!!

The weather was perfect today.  We played outside all day.  Owen did not nap so we were able to play together while Adam slept this afternoon.  We sat up on his "treehouse" and he was pretending that he was a prince and I was a princess (daddy was the King and Adam was the joker).  He kept calling me Princess Mommy.  At one point he went down the slide and brought be a "present" which was a toy car.  When my car fell out of our "castle" he quickly went to get it for me because I was his princess.  When I went down the slide, he was there to catch me.  I like when he pretends to be a prince.  It's so much better than Iron Man.  We don't like when Iron Man comes around.  Hopefully our prince is here to stay!

Day of Pampering

I am in a little bit of a blogging funk.  Nothing too blog worthy going on I guess.  I have not even taken any pictures of my boys which makes my posts super boring!  Not to worry... we are going to be spending lots of time outside tomorrow at the park so I'll be sure to take some pictures.

Today was a very rare day for me.  Papa and Finny watched both boys ALL day so I could get some things done.  First, I had an echocardiogram at the hospital.  When I was in high school I decided I wanted to play volleyball.  When I went through the  line to get my physical, one of the doctors heard a mummer when he was listening to my heart.  He would not sign my physical card until I had it checked out.  I had an EKG and it showed a Class 1 heart mummer.  No big deal at all.  I think I'm pretty lucky seeing how both my parents were born with congenital heart defects, my mom's dad passed away of a heart attack, and my grandpa had major heart surgery many years ago and now has a calf valve in his heart.  Well, I ended up changing my mind and never played volleyball, but I also never had my heart checked again... until today.  Most doctors can't even hear my mummer, but my doctor thought I should have and ECHO just to check on it and see if maybe it went away.  It was sooooooooo relaxing.  I had a sweet technician and she dimmed the lights, turned on relaxing music, and took an ultrasound of my heart for 40 minutes.  I almost fell asleep.  It's funny how things like going to the dentist and getting an ECHO are now extremely relaxing to me since I have two rambunctious kids!

Next, I went to get my hair highlighted and cut.  I tried out a new place and really liked it.  I think sitting under the dryer while reading People magazine was my favorite part :)  The poor hairdresser had to repair the damage done by a previous haircut.  She said the haircut I had last time was "questionable."  haha!  Note to self... don't EVER go to a random mall salon again unless I know the person cutting my hair or they come highly recommended.  I am pretty sure the sweet girl that cut my hair last time had done very few haircuts before mine.  She had no idea what she was doing and my hair was all uneven.  So, needless to say, today's haircut was MUCH better :)

I picked my boys up and missed them sooooooooooooooooo much.  Being home with them is so exhausting, but I love it at the same time and miss them like crazy when I am not with them.

Swimming with Adam

Today was Adam's first swimming class.  I have never seen him that excited, smiley, and happy for that long.  He is usually pretty happy and smiles a lot, but this was even more than normal.  He was loving life and would have stayed in the pool all day if I let him.  He screeched, splashed, waved to anyone and everyone, cooed, clapped, splashed, laughed, kicked, splashed some more, blew bubbles, swallowed water, splashed some more, danced, and played.  We got a lot of looks from the other parents who were probably thankful their child was not as hyper and wild as mine, but that's OK.  I really wish I would have some video footage or pictures, but seeing how it was just Adam and I, that wasn't possible.  I'm already looking forward to our next class together.  It's so nice being able to do something special just the two of us.  Getting both of us dry and changed afterwards is borderline nightmarish, but it's totally worth it to see him so happy and excited about swimming.

OK now I have to go because the "Toot" machine, which is in the drawer next to me, which has provided us with more laughter than it probably should, keeps making random toot noises and it is freaking me out!  Not sure how or why it is making noises seeing how there are no little boys (or a big boy for that matter) around to push the button on it.

Weekend

Can you believe I went an entire weekend without taking one picture?  That's a first!  We had a really nice, low key weekend despite the fact that both boys have colds.  I completely jinxed myself on that one.  About a week ago I thought to myself, "Wow!  This is the first time all winter when both boys are healthy.  No runny, snotty noses or coughs.  Amazing!"  The next day Owen got a cold and a few days later he shared it with Adam.  Thank goodness for Vicks. 

Mike left Saturday afternoon to visit with some college friends.  My parents came over and we got dinner take out from the Quentin Haus.  We like to go there for breakfast now and then, but I've never gotten take out from there.  We all got hot turkey sandwiches with gravy.  It was soooooo good!  I will definitely be getting that again soon.  I shared mine with Adam and I think he liked it as much as I did. 

Sunday morning we met some friends at the playground.  One friend I have known since I was little.  We did ballet together and spent lots of time playing together as kids.  She now lives in Baltimore, but wants to move home and find a house in our neighborhood.  The other friend I met at work.  All three of us have two kids the same age so it was really nice to get together and catch up. 

Sunday night we had dinner at Papa and Finney's house.  They got Owen a new car since his favorite one was snatched at McDonalds.  He was sooooo excited!! 

Tomorrow Adam starts swimming lessons at the college.  I can't wait!  I think he will love it.  He is such a water bug.  Lately he's been laying on his belly in the bathtub, kicking his legs like crazy, putting his face in the water and blowing bubbles.

Have a good week!

McReager

Last night I braved the torrential downpour to take the boys to McDonalds.  We just HAD to go because daddy was working there!  His school was having a fundraiser and a portion of the sales that night went directly to the school.  Teachers volunteered an hour at a time to "work" and the students that came in to eat got a kick out of it.  I'm pretty sure Owen thinks Mike is even cooler than he did before since he saw him behind that McDonalds counter.

Where's McDaddy?  Can you find him?

Mike was in charge of the ice cream/milkshake machine.  Every time I looked over he was making another Shamrock Shake.  The orders kept coming.  He barely had a break and he looked a little stressed!

 

Owen had his first Happy Meal (at least that I've bought him).  He was beyond excited for the little plastic car.

Our last siting of Owen's matchbox car.

Yes, it's a story similar to the mall rides.  I have not introduced him to Happy Meals... until yesterday mainly because he did not know (or else forgot) there was such a thing and I sure wasn't going to tell him about it.  Partly because I'm cheap, but even more because we have enough little toys and they end up at the bottom of the toy basket after one day of play.  However, he saw the toys on display as soon as we walked in and he was hooked.  I'm a little disappointed that you don't get that colorful folded box anymore, just a bag that says "Happy Meal".  I guess the bags are more eco-friendly though.

I didn't get any pictures of Adam.  He was busy eating french fries.  I brought along healthy baby food for him, but he spotted Owen's fries and kept trying to snatch them.  I finally caved and gave him some before he threw a fit.  I really hoped to avoid giving him any McDs for at least another year.  Oh well...

You can't really see it, but Mike's name tag said "Mr. McReager"

While we were at McDonalds Owen's matchbox car was stolen.  He handled it better than I expected with only a few tears.  It was his FAVORITE car that Papa gave him.  I told him he should leave it in the truck, but he insisted on bringing it in.  Adam dropped it on the floor and before I could pick it up, it was taken.  We told Owen that he did a good deed because the little boy (or girl) that took it probably has very few toys at home.  So he should look at it like donating and not stealing.
 
And that's our McDonalds story.  Have a nice day :)

Wordless Wednesday

*After bath Mohawks courtesy of daddy :)