Buddies and Balls

Luke and Julia now play catch together, and kick the ball back and forth to one another. They just started shooting hoops together today.

I admit to being hopelessly addicted to all things athletic, and Nate is the same way. To see our kids standing in the living room kicking the ball back and forth to one another and clapping and cheering for each other made me unduly proud and excited. To see Luke hitting his (hilariously out sized golf club, thanks Aunt Jenny!) while he shouts "Go in dat hole!" makes me so excited. The two of them played basketball together in the living room today for the first time. Luke kept shouting "Ammost Julja!" as she missed time and time again.

I don't care what my kids do. I don't care if they love gardening, or cross-stitching, or playing the tuba, or painting murals. I do distinctly have a secret little hope that they love (like? tolerate?) sports, solely because they have been such a huge part of our lives, and have made such a positive impact in our lives. I (very selfishly) would love it if they play golf as I can already visualize Jules and I beating Nate and Luke on 18 someday. Could I really be so lucky as to get to see Jules playing field hockey? Or Luke strapping on football pads? Is that wrong~ to hope that, just a little bit? Are we really supposed to not hope that our kids like what we like? I will NEVER (mark my freaking words) be one of those pushy demanding sports parents who are living vicariously through their children. Ever. But, I can say that if they happen to like all things ball someday like they do now, it will be a great common ground for us to meet on.

Anyway. The No's went away today. I don't know if Luke was just out of whack from having so many different caregivers during our vacation, if he was spoiled from all of the extra hands/love, if he was secretly angry at me for being away and unable to articulate it, or (this was my deep dark nasty evil degrading thought today ~ Maybe he was angry that I was back? ;/)..........but whatever it was today the sun shone again in our home.

Nate comes home tomorrow. Enjoy the pics, Nate. The kiddos miss you. Jules walks around the house with anything square pressed up to her ear saying "Hi Da Da!" over and over and over.........and when asked, Luke says "Da Da workin, Da Da airplane".

I can't wait to see them welcome you home tomorrow.

Summer Flash Back

Luke chilling on his rocker on the front porch as construction goes on next door.
Julia and I on the beach. This was the summer of the big switch to cloth diapers.
Luke's very first ride on a Merry Go Round. Julia's as well ~ She was riding in the babyhawk strapped to me. Luke loved it, Jules didn't seem to care.
Our family eating pizza on the Ocean City boardwalk before the rides.

These are taken from the pictures that my Mom just emailed me of this summer. Summer already feels far away, but looking at the pics made me nostalgic.

I am in in the midst of 24 hours of sports utopia. Last night PSU trounced. The Flyers season kicked off (with a loss, however). The Eagles play at 4, and the Phillies in game three of the NLCS tonight at 8.

We had Alexis' baby shower at the house yesterday. Lex looked beautiful and I can't believe that my kids will be getting a new cousin in 2 or 3 months!

I am an awful blogger of late.

Will get back in the saddle this week.

I'm a MOM!

"I'm a MOM". I remember having that feeling when Luke was first born. I know I even had that feeling late in my first pregnancy ~ When a fully developed baby is kicking you, keeping you awake, changing what and when you eat, and otherwise running the show formerly known as your body, you are, in a way, already a mother.

That feeling kept (and keeps) hitting me. The first time I nursed him ~ I'm a MOTHER! Introducing my parents to their first grandchild, my son. The first time we took Luke home from the hospital (yes, I admit I sat in the back seat with him for that first trek home. It just seemed so utterly impossible that this sweet little thing was actually OUR child and we were actually taking him to OUR/HIS house.). The first time I felt his head to see if he seemed feverish. The first time I took 50 or so pics of him in a single day. The first time I heard him laugh. The first time he said "Ma Ma". The first time he was crying but settled as soon as he was handed to me. The first time I rocked him to sleep in the throes of a painful ear infection. The first time he said "love ya" to me. The first scrawled crayon drawing with the name "Luke" on top that proudly adorned my fridge. The first time I caught spit up with a bare hand to save the rug I felt especially like a Mother. (The first time I tilted Jules back so that the spit up didn't even come out, I felt like a veteran Mom ;)). The first time Luke got a shot and I cried along with him. Having TWO car seats in the car really made it sink in. Not only was I a Mom, I was a Mom to a family. Trekking up to the beach like a pack animal, I knew I was a Mom. These moments are the reason that I most love having this blog. I love remembering the joy and wonder of those moments, because they are so precious, yet so fleeting.

Another such milestone occurred this week. I now wake up ahead of my kids in the morning. Sounds boring compared to hearing "I love you" from your child for the first time, but to me, somehow, it feels even more monumental. It is so practical, but its so grown up it makes me gag. (and it means that to support my new 6 or 6.30 wake up, I go to bed at 9 PM. Argh).

Anyway. Labor day weekend is upon us. Less than a week until the NFL kicks off, PSU is on this afternoon (!!) and the Phillie's are on a downswing after getting hot early in the week. I have wanted to post about fall for weeks now but have been restraining myself until it was actually September.

Sometimes I feel guilty for raising the kids in the Philly environs.......a lifetime of professional sports heartbreak lies ahead for them. Sigh.

Anyway, happy Labor Day weekend! We are off early this morning to spend the weekend with Nate's family and we can't wait. Luke has been practicing saying "Grandma and Grandpa" all week and he cant wait to show off his new mad swimming skills in the pool.

Updates

Arent I a terrible blogger lately? Excuses:

Flyers and Sixers played almost every night last week, which is when I usually write. Playoffs > Blog.
Nate has been away this week, returning today. Sleep > Blog
Spring is in full gear and we have spent all of our afternoons at the park. Park > Blog.


The kids are wonderful. Here is Ms. J giving her bumbo a spin while her big brother proudly looks on.

Luke is a park maniac. He loves the sandbox. He climbs up and on everything. He is utterly fascinated with other kids. He has some sort of mulch adoration.....he spends a lot of time either eating it, rubbing it gleefully in his hair, or throwing it up in the air confetti style. I spend most of my days laughing and marvelling at this funny little person ~ I have absolutely no idea how I wound up with such an easy going, hilarious little critter as Luke. Yesterday was a 4 t-shirt day, between the disaster of lunch, the park and playing outside in the morning. It was also the first time that Luke officially turned the bathwater a little bit brown because he was so dirty from playing outside. I was proud.

Jules is a dream. Her smiles make me melt, and she is sharing them liberally these days. She seems huge to me already, I frequently forget that she is only 7 weeks (today!) old. Her eyes are a beautiful violet color, and she is STRONG! She continues to be an easy baby. She went swimming for the first time last week and it was a hit.

Luke seems to really dig his little sister. Yesterday as we pulled into the garage from the park and I got out to get the kids, Luke was holding her hand in their car seats. Not kidding. It made me tear up (I still have those fun post partum hormones going....we watched No Country For Old Men the other night and it pretty much gave me a post movie panic/crying attack thinking about bad things happening to my kids....argh. By the way, I hated the movie and if anyone out there is at all contemplating watching it, let me take me chance to tell you NOT TO. Hated it.) Coming in from the car is always a process. Yesterday for example, I had a huge bag from the park, groceries for dinner, and the two kids to get into the house. Somedays I think that it would either be a really funny, or really sad, video to share of me hustling the stuff and the kids out of the car and into the house before either one gets annoyed. Anyway, as I bring in Julia in the car seat base and put it on the floor, Luke now runs over to her and bends over so that he is close to her face, and starts saying "Da Da DA DAAAAAA" to his baby sis. Its the cutest thing I have seen in a while. My baby "Baby talking" his little sister.

With Nate away I have quickly learned that the key to this whole motherhood of two littles thing is simply staying one step ahead of them. It's really pretty easy having two so young as long as you don't intend on doing too much other than Mothering, at least while your husband is out of town working. So if you don't yet have a thank you card in your mailbox from me, please forgive me, its coming.

The boss just woke up. Enjoy the pics and Go Flyers.

Superbowl Sunday

Luke has has a lot of firsts this week.

*First plate of scrambled eggs. We took him to the Classic Diner for Nate's "After birthday breakfast" and ordered the little guy some eggs, ham and toast. He ate with a gusto. Eggs are one of the "wait till a year" foods, so I was happy that he tolerated them well and enjoyed them as they make for an easy breakfast to add to our yogurt/toast/fruit/waffles/ lineup. I'M bored with his breakfasts, I can only imagine how he feels.
*First birthday party (Happy birthday Zach!). He loved the hat and found it especially funny when Mom was wearing one. He also loved the cake. As you know, Luke has two parents who made/make a pretty decent living in sales. His mad sales skills are already showing ~ His new gig when he either sees or tastes food that he wants is to lean in very close to it while saying "Mmmmmmmm" as loud as he can. Its very effective. How can I resist a fat little finger pointed at my food coupled with a transfixed joyfilled gaze? He pointedly looks from the food to my eyes, to the food......you get the picture. We are officially done with babyfood, I think that its been a full week now since he has had any. Luke is becoming such a....kid all of a sudden.
*First NBA Game! He saw the Sixers (who totally stink) lose by 2 in a very entertaining game against Orlando. This pic is of him sitting on Dad's lap eating his first Chicky n Petes. He loved the game, and spent the whole time pointing at everything..... all of the lights mesmerized him and he paid special attention to the scantily clad "dance team" or whatever the half naked 19 year olds are called these days. That made me nervous and his Daddy proud :). His new nickname is "The Mayor". Luke seems to feel that it is very important that every person around him not only make eye contact with him, but is then joyously greeted like a long lost friend.
*First "incident report" at the gym. Monkey boy decided that at not even a year he was old enough to climb up the little plastic sliding board. Apparently he isnt.......they say he bit it, although without the incident report I would never have known it, somehow that precious little face and head escaped unscathed. I have a gut feeling that there will be more "incident reports" and even some ER visits in our future as I remember back to my brothers childhood and hear Nates stories of growing up with his 3 older brothers. Luckily this entre into the world of injury was painless, for me anyhow. He seemed to have forgotten all about it by the time that we picked him up.
*First Superbowl today! We are heading down to Pete and Lex's for some poker and great food ~ I cant wait. Luke is rooting for the Giants just like his Grandpa. Nate and I are both depressed at the fact that our teams didnt even make it into the postseason, so today rooting, not really for the Giants, but AGAINST the Pat's.
*The whole milk has been bought and tomorrow morning starts Luke's foray into the wonderful world of milk drinkers. I am nervous about it and I don't really even know why. I just so so so hope that we dont have to deal with any allergy issues and that the transition from forumla to milk is an easy one for us. I plan to make it slowly as I still have one whole can of formula left.

The other pic is just one that I find very funny ~ Considering that my husband and my son are two of the biggest clowns I know I had to laugh out loud when I saw the serious faces in this pic.

Anyway, enjoy the superbowl, all. May you all gain a few lbs, enjoy the commercials, and hopefully see a much better game than the spread seems to indicate that we are going to see.