Sleepy kids

We met our fellow POM-ers (Play on Monday, a playgroup that we formed last summer as an "official" way of getting together!) at the zoo this morning. It was crazy - the forecast was for a high of 75 and scattered showers, but the entrance to the zoo was backed up all the way down the road!



Regardless, the kids had a good time. It rained on us a few different times (once we ducked into the manatee building to get out of it) but we bought ponchos for the kids and they just kept running around. We were there from 11:00 to 2:30, so Audrey didn't get any sort of nap; she refused to lay down with so much activity going on around her! Needless to say, when we got to the car she passed out (after accepting a cracker - it just ended up hanging out of her mouth for a while). Not long after that, Conner succumbed, too.


If you click on the picture of Audrey, it'll enlarge it for you and you can see the cracker in her mouth!

Yes, Conner was really sleeping like that - I guess the seatbelt was helping keep his head up!

They both went back to sleep in bed after we made it home, so hopefully it'll be quiet for a while around here!

We have a walker!

Audrey has finally decided that she can walk. I guess she just didn't want to fail, because she's really doing a great job! She's not very wobbly, can stop/start, and can even stop and pick things up and go right back to walking. I never thought it would take her 17 months. . . but at least we made it for the summer!

Conner is spending the week with Weyla Kate (and would probably spend the whole summer, by the sounds of it!) so it's pretty quiet around here. After my softball game last night (we're now 5 - 0!), Eric and I went back to Marge & Doug's - they'd kept Aud during the game. We hung out for a little while and didn't get home until after 10, so it was a late bedtime for the little one! She actually woke up around midnight crying and didn't want to lay back down, so I brought her downstairs. She fell asleep on me on the couch while I watched the Bachelorette until around 2:00, and we didn't roll out of bed this morning until after 9:30. So now today is totally messed up. She just went down for her "morning" nap at 11:15, and I'm thinking that lunch won't be until 1:30 or so! What a weird day.

This video is one that I just took while we were playing. What she's whistling with is a little fire hydrant that goes with one of Conner's car sets. Audrey discovered a while ago that she can use it to make noise. It's very funny to hear.

She's finally starting to try some words out... Yesterday, I heard "ree" and pointing at a tree. My friend Cheryl (who watched Audrey during my dentist appointment yesterday) swore she said "poop". Aud was also trying out "banana" - didn't quite get there, but it was something like "lah-na-na".

Our trip to the zoo (again)

I took the kids to the zoo yesterday - what a beautiful day it was! (And we really needed to get out.) Conner was excited because the giraffes were back - they've been working on new area for them so we haven't seen giraffes for about a year. It was a neat place; they have it set up with a walkway ten feet or so off the ground so you can see the giraffes at eye-level.

The picture on the right is a giraffe approaching someone holding out a tree branch... but then it got spooked and ran away. I think it's going to take some time for them to get used to the crowds!

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Conner took a picture of me and Audrey by the elephants. She was much more engaged on this trip than she was on the last one - she kept pointing at different animals and grunting. I stood her by the glass by the penguin exhibit and she didn't want to leave!

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The best part of the day was that Conner actually took a nap when we got home. He hadn't taken one for the previous 2 days and was a total grump by dinner time. Both nights he was in bed (and asleep) by 7:00!

A busy weekend

Conner decided not to take a nap today, so he's already in bed asleep (after a tumultuous dinner)... it's 7:30 and he's probably been sleeping for half an hour! He went to the dentist today - a new one that's just up the road in Amelia, as opposed to the old one who was about 25 minutes away in Owensville. The new dentist is actually a neighbor of ours - the receptionist told me to "walk through the woods" if we hear a party over there.


Audrey is doing much better walking. Eric and I were just sitting in the family room with her so she could practice back and forth. The distance kept increasing, and though she didn't make it all the way across, she'd fall about halfway through but then stand back up and keep walking. Hopefully that's a sign of things to come!


Yep, we had a busy weekend. We left here on Friday around lunchtime to head up to Mom and Dad's. On Saturday, we went to Marysville, where Conner's friend Brian was having his 5th birthday party at a place called Marmon Valley Farms. Brian is the son of Chris & Sarah Boston, who are friends of mine from Miami. It was a beautiful day to be outside! Conner slept in the car on the way to the party (probably about 30 - 45 minutes), but Audrey never did; we didn't leave Chris & Sarah's until around 9:30, and they both were wiped out!

Sunday morning we left Pickerington around 9:15 or so with Papa and Weyla, heading south to King's Island. It was "Friends and Family Day", so they got in for $10 each - not a bad deal! We spent the day riding rides (Weyla's got an iron stomach, but Papa discovered he can't handle it anymore!) and took a break in the afternoon to see a Dora show. We left around 5:30 - surprisingly, neither kid fell asleep on the way home. But still, it was a long day and they went to sleep easily that night. What's even better is that they slept in on Monday! Conner was in bed until 8:45, and Audrey slept until 9:00. It was heaven!

Sleeping

Doug and Marge took Conner and Kayla to Chuck E. Cheese's yesterday afternoon, then kept Conner for the night. It was so quiet around here! Audrey and I just hung out and played (she's doing a lot more standing on her own, and even taking some steps without someone calling for her!), and also took a quick trip to the mall (I got some shorts, she picked out some sandals).

This morning, after Aud's morning nap, we went up to get Conner. Audrey, Conner, Marge, and I went up to their pool and did some swimming, then headed back after getting some lunch. It was almost 2:00, so I thought Aud would fall asleep in the car, but she actually stayed awake and Conner passed out! I carried them both up to bed when we got home... here's what is happening now:

Conner never went back to sleep; I can hear him upstairs thumping around. Who knows what he's doing!

Two new teeth

The title says it all!

The Start of Summer

We've had a pretty busy week. On Monday, we met our friends Heidi and Josie at Coney Island for a few hours before heading home for afternoon naps! Then it was on to Papa & Weyla's for Conner and Audrey (and a trip to McDonald's to play) while I went to my softball game.

Tuesday, Eric made it home before lunch time because of some morning rain, so Conner and I went to the library to pick out some books and movies. He was very excited to find "Scooby Doo meets Batman".

Wednesday was another rain-out for Eric, but we didn't do anything... some nasty storms came through, though! We were under a tornado warning (and I had some candles lit just in case!).

We made another trip to Coney Island yesterday with Heidi and Josie, but this time stayed until 3:00! I'd forgotten to bring a pacifier with us, so poor little Aud was tuckered out (but not tired enough to fall asleep in the stroller without her paci!). We spent a while in the pool, had lunch, more pool time, then we went and the kids rode some rides. Conner said the scrambler was "the most funnest thing in the whole world!". Then we bought the kids ice cream cones and headed for home (after the ice cream was gone, of course!).

Today we've just been hanging around the house. It's supposed to be about 92 degrees, so we filled up the baby pool this morning and spent some time in it after lunch. Conner went upstairs early for his nap (around 12:15) and went right to sleep, but only slept for about an hour (uh oh! I didn't want it to start this early!). He's had some trouble listening today, so he's lost his TV privileges... hopefully that will turn around.

I got some funny video of Audrey while Conner was napping.

And just so you can hear the cicadas at our house:

(It got cut off because of no memory space, but Conner said "they're chirping!")

He's in!

We just got a letter from the preschool today - Conner got in! He'll go every afternoon from 12:45 to 3:30. As long as he can get the bus from Shannan's, everything should work out nicely. I'll need to check about times home (because I'm done at 3:30, too) to see if he should take the bus home or back to Shannan's for me to pick him up.

He's in the county program, which is more of a special-needs type classroom. There are 4 "typical" kids and 8 "special" kids. The 4 "typicals" are supposed to be a model for the others.

The afternoon should work out well - I was kind of hoping he'd get that time slot. This should be a good way to get out of the nap routine and make bedtime a little easier (or at least get him to sleep before 9:30!). It'll probably be a rough start, but I think it's time. Not that I'm going to make him give up the nap this summer! It's nice to have a 1.5 - 2 hour break in the afternoon when both kids are sleeping.

Picture overload

Conner found a cicada in the backyard. Yuck.

We took a trip to King's Island yesterday. Eric and I went around 2:00, then Doug and Marge brought the kids up later. It was Audrey's first trip, and I thik she had a great time! We know Conner did.

Riding a roller coaster with Weyla Marge.

Conner and Aud rode the car ride together. She loved it!




I finally got Audrey to smile today after I got the camera out. Then she did some playing after we got her new hat on!

Peek-a-boo is her favorite.