Oh Daddy

We love our daddy, esp. when he takes his day off to clean out the garage.

Which means spring is here and the outdoor toys finally come out! One of the neighbors came over and asked if we were having a garage sale. No, we just have a bunch of bright colored plastic toys sitting in our yard :) When the weather gets warmer our cars don't fit in the garage, but that is okay because the sandbox, picnic tables, ride on toys need their space.

The boys enjoyed playing outside in the warm weather.

And Nicholas' hair is finally starting to grow on me. I do want it to come back in because he has the best blond hair. But he looks like such a boy, and it shows off his personality...rough and tough.

And this is our backyard "before" picture. We are finally getting some estimates for a back patio. I can't wait to grill out back, have dinner on the patio and start playing in our backyard some more.

Miscommunication?? Really?

One of Paul's "duties" is to take the boys for their haircuts at the barber. I love him for doing it, as it shortens my never-ending to-do list by one task.
This morning, Paul took Nicholas to the barber. Nicholas is not a fan of the barber, and from what Paul tells me, he has to do everything in his power to hold him down to allow a cut. For the most part, the cut turns out really cute - short, but super cute and boyish. Today, was not such a good day at the barber.
Apparently, there was a "miscommunication" between Paul and the barber. According to Paul, it went something like this:

Paul: "Time to get out your clippers?"
Barber: "Really?"
Paul: "Yep"

Paul says he was referring to the clippers because last time Nicholas was so squirmy that they had to clip the back rather than use scissors. He didn't tell the barber that was what he was referring to. So, the barber used the clippers and COMPLETELY clipped the head. Paul said by the time he realized the miscommunication a big chunk was gone and that Nicholas would have had a mohawk. I wouldn't have taken the mohawk to a completely clipped head!!!

Anyway, here is Nicholas, bald but still beautiful.....

Back from Vacation

We just got back from a week vacation in Florida with Nana and Papa. I already miss the warm Florida sun and breeze. Oh, it felt fabulous! There is not much for two little boys to do in a retirement community, but we found plenty! We swam in the pool every single day.

We had a "break-through" on some things with Nathan too. First, he finally wore sunglasses! In fact, he asked for them and I don't think he took them off except at night to go to bed. He looked so cool in them. Unfortunately, they broke on the way to the airport coming home, but I think he is officially a sunglass wearer ")

Second, he swam by himself in the pool! Nana got him something called a puddle jumper, which has arm bands and a waist band. It works great and gave him enough confidence to swim alone in the pool. He was swimming on his back and kicking and even jumped in a few times (except when a little girl that we met jumped on him a few times and scared the heck out of him...that's another story :) Now I can go to the pool with the boys by myself knowing that he can swim and I can hold onto Nicholas.

As for Nicholas, it was quite an adventure for him. He was not a fan of the airplane, and I was afraid the passengers were going to try to kick us off because he was having terrible tantrums. But, for the ride back, he had a little dramine and slept like a king. He enjoyed swimming and being free and running...yes, running and running. This trip was a bit of a reality check for me that Nicholas is a "runner". In a blink of an eye, he is off- - fearless, laughing, and not looking back. I need to figure out something to get him to stop and listen. I am not sure how much of it is his age (terrible two) and how much is a cognitive delay. I just know that I need to teach him some safety things, and fast. We made a new friend from Georgia (Ashlyn), who is five years old and also has down syndrome. She swam by herself, jumped in the pool (and on top of Nathan), and talked with us. She was adorable, energentic and to my delight was potty trained at 2!! So, yes, it can be done (another thing I need to start working on!!).

Besides swimming, we blew bubbles, played hopscotch and horseshoes...and ate plenty of ice cream.



It was a great vacation. It was good to get away from our crazy routine. But, as much as I miss the Florida sun, I'm glad to be back home.