PDG Turns Four!

Well, it happened. My little baby PDG got all grown on me and now is a whopping four years old. He's still my little PDG Pie though, and I still want to eat him up!

At any rate, turning four apparently means a lot of celebrating. I mean, there was the sleepover the week before, and then the anticipation of a daily countdown from then until the 12th.

On Friday we took some cupcakes (because PDG insisted that this year he wanted cupcakes and cake) to his daycare. All the big kids happily sang to him, especially knowing they got a treat for having done absolutely nothing. That's the best part about birthdays right - getting treats just for existing? Even better when it's just for someone else existing.

Saturday PDG awoke fully aware it was the big day, and unable to contain his excitement. By the time Mama and Papa H arrived, we knew there'd be no nap. Instead, we made cupcakes.

Before the official party at 5pm, we had to give in and do some presents early because somebody just coud not wait another minute.

Sidenote: PDG's current fascination with puzzles is driving J-Man's fight against tiny toy pieces struggle to the limits.

We decided on a not-quite party this year. Paw Patrol ribbon, TMNT napkins, and Batman plates with a random pin the tail on the donkey and tons of fruit and pizza made for an odd assortment of decorations and a menu.

PDG loved it though. LOVED it. And with his very very best friend Lil O, as well as his neighborhood church crew and a happy-to-tag-along Charlie, it was the most kid activity our backyarad has seen yet. And by far the most our living room has endured. Thank heavens for Lego Movie on DVR to keep us warm as the sun started to set.

All in all, a great day celebrating a great kid.

And before I forget, his stats. He's 40lbs even - 81% - and 44 inches tall - 98%. He could answer most of the doctor's questions, but clearly I need to get him a tutor so he knows how to answer "what gallops?" next time. (Honestly, can doctors give us a cheat sheet ahead of time so I can teach to the test? Not that I do that as a teacher or anything, but my competitive edge totally took over and I really wanted my kid in the 99% in the 'random doctor questions at a checkup' category too. I'm just sayin'...)

Hugs and kisses to my big little baby.

Spring and Sleeping Over

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of spring approaching. With spring come a bunch of birthdays, including Big Bro hitting a major milestone, and my little PDG coming up on birthday number four. FOUR! It hasn't happened yet, but the countdown hit single digits and that has us all feeling a bit like this.

Also, we've been enjoying our new "silly app" these past few weeks making videos along that vain. If you haven't played with #msqrd yet, I totally encourage it. And then please send me your videos so I can laugh at with you.

The bursts of warm weather are getting more consistent too, allowing for photos like this

and this

and this.

But the biggest development is that PDG got to have his very first sleepover. And who better to invite than his very very best friend Lil O? So KB and I got to further our plans of manufacturing our kids' bff-dom by adding "survived first sleepover together" to their list of reasons they should always hang out.

Lil O came over after preschool on Friday, which tested PDG's patience for a solid two hours when every gust of wind outside was disappointingly not yet his best friend. Until it was. And he came bringing a happy meal from Old McDonalds. After stuffing faces they got to run around and make messes (and then do a pretty awesome job cleaning up messes) and eventually got down to bedtime business.

Lil O got to try out his brand new Batman sleeping bag, which naturally made both MDG and PDG wish they were the ones on the floor. Then lights out to three toddlers in one tiny bedroom. Did they go right to sleep? Did you go right to sleep at sleepovers with your best friends? Yeah, neither did they. Finally around 9:39pm I turned to J-Man and said, "I don't hear anyone anymore." And then, at 5:40am I turned to J-Man and said, "you think they're really up?"

There was breakfast, a few cartoons, a lot of train tracks and blocks and every other toy in all the toy chests (minus legos, I have my limits!) and then off to the library for story time.

We were so certain they were tuckered out enough to nap after leaving the library and saying some sad goodbyes (like they wouldn't see each other in a week for the cake and presents party). Maybe Lil O did. PDG was far too hyped from the best night ever to give in to anybody's sleep.

So while Saturday night ended in much earlier bedtimes than anyone in the G house might readily admit, it was worth it for all the smiles.

One Last Snow

Every year around Valentine's Day Big Sis and her husband come to DC for a week for a work-related thing, and every year they bring crazy cold weather. It's true. Every single year. Meteorologists might try to convince you that this has always been the case around President's Day weekend, but I dunno. I think it's Big Sis.

And this year was just like before. Except, that is, without me having to take her to the hospital and get her treated by my doc on the L&D floor and forcing her to finish her turkey sandwich so we could all go back home on that snow day.

This year, we had our annual brunch with Mama and Papa H, KB's family, Big Sis's and mine where, like we have every single year since beginning this tradition, we showed up with more kids than the year before. Table for thirteen anyone? One sling, one high chair, three sets of crayons and lots of delicious Clyde's food and conversation.

Afterwards we all fought the cold by cramping together in my tiny house for Mama H's surprises: layered cake and iced sugar cookies. Of course the naptime countdown began and some wailing commenced, but once the babes were all locked away, and sadly that meant KB and fam heading out, we did manage to get a game of Scattergories going.

You guys, do you hear that? It's the sound of me celebrating convincing my family to play a competitive board game with me!!! (It's also me entering the 2000s and learning how to save and use gifs - expect my blog to be revolutionized with short animated visuals (also no, there's no actual sound, don't worry, I'm not that fancy))

Anyway, it was all in all a great day. And much like the last time Big Sis was in town, and like the previous years she visited, it was immediately followed by snow.

Monday, a day I already had off school of course, was a beautiful snow day. Three or four inches of pretty, light, fluffy stuff just dancing outside the windows.

We didn't get many snowstorms this year, and one could argue winter isn't officially over yet, but the few we got were still dazzling and perfectly punctuated by this sweet little white blanket.

Also, by some strange miracle, we got Tuesday off school too, which naturally meant we hung out around the house like this.

Isn't that how you dress on your days off? Boots, helmets, and Christmas pajamas? Ok, good. Me too.

So... spring?

Snowzilla

As I mentioned before, we were out for seven snow days. The first was for the two inches that caught the DMV by surprise. The second was because no one knew for certain what time the snow was starting on Friday, and hence we all needed to be tucked safely away with milk, bread, and televisions blasting fear and fantasy at us from all angles.

J-Man, after having two separate flights get canceled in advance, was able to catch an early morning flight to DC, before the airports all closed up shop. By lunch we had him, a serious stash of snacks on hand, freezer meals ready to thaw, and a sense of "ok, let's do this thing" at the ready.

The snow came fast and furious that afternoon, all night long, and all day the next day, not ending until well after bedtime Saturday night. We halfheartedly did some of that shoveling and playtime during the height of the storm. MDG hated it, PDG wanted to like it, and J-Man was mostly in awe at how much snow can fall from the sky.

before going out

uncertain in the midst of it

hot chocolate reward

Even though I don't watch Game of Thrones, this was still my favorite meme of the storm.

Once the snow stopped, we got down to business. Sunday the Mormon neighbors hosted all the Mormon families within walking distance for a pot luck lunch. We're a pretty prepared bunch, so it was delicious, but we're also a procreating bunch, so there were a lot of children occupying a duplex hardly larger than my own. This particular family has a basement, so with Aladdin playing downstairs, the adults got through a game of Taboo upstairs that was only slightly interrupted by the five two-year-olds whose attention spans are too short for a full Disney production.

When the shoveling really commenced, sometime late Monday afternoon when we saw the one and only plow we would ever see, it was like that scene at the start of Beauty and the Beast when everyone comes outdoors and knows each other and is part of a happy wonderland. A snowy, back-breaking wonderland, but chipper nonetheless. The kids ran around on the snow mountains while the adults tackled driveway after driveway together, making sure everyone could get out the next day when work presumably would return. Turns out J-Man and I own the worst two shovels on the block, but we did our part.

The days passed with no predictability at all. Unlike Camp Nicole, with frequent outings to parks and scheduled time for just about everything, we took each day flying by the seat of our pants. Blanket forts? Ok! Turning snow mountains into slides? Sure! Jumping in puddles of melting snow? Rather not but, oh, ok, you're going to do it anyway... Yay!

I also started watching this Australian teen dance show on Netflix.  I'll just let that sit there for a while.

The boys went to daycare twice, the mornings I wasn't worried about black ice from refrozen snow melt, and I had a chance to clean the house from all the sand and salt and general chaos of days off. That plus PDG started wetting the bed again for the first time in almost a year, so that's been.... not awesome.

But that brings us here, back to reality and work and finally warmer temperatures that are melting the remnants of those two feet of snow. I should be more excited about this return to normalcy. But if I'm being honest, I'm already looking at the 10-day forecast on my phone, secretly hoping to see another snowflake somewhere in the future. Not another two feet or anything, maybe just a good 1-3 inches. Preferrably on a Tuesday night. Enough for a no school Wednesday and delay Thursday. Because, truly, it's all quite magical at the beginning.

One Rainy Day

At the end of November there was this warm, rainy day that ended up being absolutely perfect. In the morning, PDG decided to wear his light-up Batman shoes but MDG noticed the drizzle and went for the rainboots. I was ambivalent, slapped them all on, and we headed out the door.

In the afternoon MDG had the advantage, able to jump in the few puddles that had accumulated at Ms. S's house. PDG wanted to join, but given his shoes, I had to be that mama that says no in favor of non-smelly feet all the way home. As a compromise I agreed to as much puddle-hopping as desired when we got back to our house.

Wouldn't you know that when we pulled onto Mormon Street our across the street neighbors already had their galoshes on in order to do their own jumping? And, onto the porch rushed our two-doors-down neighbors to follow suit. PDG switched into his gear and in no time at all, the seven of them were surveying the sidewalk looking for anything that would make a splash.

It rained for a while, so I naturally was antisocial on the porch while I observed. The other moms were closer lest one of the kiddos made a dash into the road. But then  the rain ended, the clouds began to part, and the children all started pointing towards the sky and its beautiful,  huge rainbow. I had to go look. It felt like a gift sent just for us and it was blowing the minds of these 1-6 year olds.

As the sun broke through, we warmed up but didn't really dry much. That's because the splashing only intensified. I think there was a nonverbal agreement among them to get as soaked as possible. Double points for mud.

When we finally came inside for dinner it was a strip-down-and-put-your-clothes-straight-in-the-washer event. The boys ate in their undies/diaper, I started another round of never-ending laundry, and I tried to take in the simple joys of a rainy afternoon through the eyes of a kid.

Best Friend Birthdays

PDG has a good friend named Lil O. In fact, he refers to him as "my very best friend," sometimes with an additional "very." It's super cute and they've been friends ever since Lil O's mom and I were pregnant at the same time and decided they would be. I think that's pretty much the main ingredient to preschool age friendships. That or attending the same daycare.

But even when we mention daycare friends, it's clear that Lil O beats out the rest by a long shot. As such, PDG was pretty excited about Lil O's birthday party. Unlike our family which still attempts to convince the kids that parties consist of no more than cupcakes and one or two families coming over to play, Lil O's family goes all out for birthdays. There have been bouncy houses and catered events so far, and this year was another rager at the soft playroom.

If you don't know what a soft playroom is, imagine a racquetball court covered in gymnastics mats with some big soft blocks to climb on, tunnels to crawl through, a ball pit, some bigger balls to throw at each other, and goofy mirrors for the one-year-old crew.

PDG had a blast. MDG had a blast. Every child five and under had a blast, and there was surprisingly little crying considering all the ball-throwing, self-launching, and general hyperactivity involved. Then there was pizza and cake - practically two food groups for toddlers - and a craft that led to MDG covering himself and my lap with glitter glue. It was the precise recipe for a family nap.

The only downside is I'm a little worried that PDG is going to want something that elaborate for his own fourth birthday in March, but with any luck we can hold off another year. Is that bad of me to say? Do I have to do a party too in order to be a decent mom? I hope not. Goodie bags and helium balloons aren't my expertise... I'm just going to convince myself that we can all do different things and still end up with kids who love us for being like we are. And my introvert side can breathe a sigh of relief at not planning an event where I have to invite my kids' friends instead of my own. I get enough of a panic attack planning our annual Christmas brunch.

Miss Porter and Her Craft Ideas

On my last trip to see Mama and Papa H we finally made it out to see Miss Porter. It had been far too long (we've both had babies since our last visit) and it was time to see what she and her girls were up to. By the way, you should check out her blog that she just started. I'm sure it's going to keep filling with her creative ideas and is worth bookmarking.

Well, my boys had a blast. PDG loved cleaning her fake owls with shaving cream and picking up sticks from the previous storm for her birdfeeder. MDG got a little fresh with her youngest; I think he thought she was a giggly teddy bear. Then inside PDG found their play kitchen and story stones and sunglasses and poof balls.

While I was there Porter shared a go-to idea for long car trips - an I Spy Bottle. Both MDG and PDG liked it so I figured we'd give it a whirl for our upcoming trip to see Big Sis. I rustled through my old toys and random things lying around my parents' house to find a variety of trinkets, erasers, legos, shapes, etc that could fit in the bottle. Once back at our home PDG and I used one of MDG's naps to look through the collection. He helped tell me what each one was, then reluctantly placed it in the bottle. (I think he was hoping for a little more play time with some of them. Luckily he got to keep the few that didn't fit.) Then we poured in the rice and shook-shook-shook.  Voila!

It's now hidden until the plane ride so that it can feel brand new and exciting. Fingers crossed.  But hey, even if it fails, we had fun putting it together.  And then, once it was sealed up and put away, PDG continued to get a kick out of playing with the extra rice. Scooping and pouring and hiding coins and, naturally, spilling it everywhere. We'll be pulling that tub of now-dirty rice back out again the next time it's too rainy or stifling hot to go outside for sure.

Thanks, Porter, for the ideas and the visit.  Success and fun all around.