Spring Break Trip - Williamsburg, Va - March

Flashback:  *Spring Break was the second week in March*

After a 5 hour drive, we arrived in Williamsburg, VA for our family spring break excursion.  The kids were great travelers in the car.  However, the next morning, we had a difficult time loading Eliza into the car.  She wasn't ready for another long drive.  We simply put up with the crying for the short 2 miles we drove to Colonial Williamsburg. 

Williamsburg is a neat Colonial town that is full of American History.  It really was a neat place to go, and we will definitely have to go back.  I will say that it's not the best place to take small children - there isn't a whole lot they are interested in.  We didn't see near as much as we would have liked, but we did the best we could.  The biggest downside is that strollers were not allowed in any of the buildings.  Since most of them were original colonial buildings, there simply isn't room for a stroller.  Factoring in feeding time (difficult to find warm places) and naps, we saw very little.  We learned that this is a much better place for older children. 

We started by taking a tour of the Governor's house.  Here are Bruce and Zaby in the front room.  I loved how the tour guides not only dressed time period appropriate, but spoke to us as if we were citizens living in Williamsburg during the 18th century.  I really liked seeing these old spinets and harpsichords.  Musical instruments were a little different back then.  

Life in the late 1700's has always fascinated me.  I wonder what everyday life was like, and if I would have been able to live during that time.  I would like to think that I could, but let's face it, I do enjoy our modern conveniences. 

I kept taking pictures of items in the houses, and Eliza desperately wanted me to take this one.  She absolutely loved wearing her admission badge.  She showed it to everyone who commented on her smile, her jacket, or her good listening skills - which was pretty much everyone.  She didn't listen much to the tour guide, but at least when she ran in circles, she stayed close.  Granted at this time, she had only been walking alone for 1.5 months, so she was still pretty cautious. 

We stopped by the music museum and saw all kinds of old harpsichords, spinets, and organs.  Perhaps the most bizarre thing we saw was this record player. 

Yes, it is a record player - bizarrely shaped like a hippopotamus.  With as small as the houses were back then, I don't know who would even have place for such a contraption.  You cranked it by pulling its tongue.  Although unique to look at, I wouldn't want it in my front room - that's for sure. 

For spring break, it was surprisingly chilly.  We visited the blacksmith shop, then stopped by a little house to hear a parlor concert. 

We ate an expensive lunch at an authentic 18th century restaurant.  Eliza enjoyed her home cooked macaroni and cheese while I had old fashioned Roast Beef. 

Bruce had Colonial pot pie, and Zaby mostly slept through lunch. 

 

My favorite shop of all was by far the wig makers.  This lady was hysterical.  Every new person who came in, she welcomed and told them to lay their old wig on the back table to be laundered and feel free to look around at the newest fashionable wigs on the front wall.  She told me that real ladies wouldn't be caught dead out of the house with their own hair showing - everyone wears wigs, mostly made out of horse hair.  Can you imagine how itchy that would be?  I really wish I could remember what else she told me about wigs during that time, but I thoroughly enjoyed the 20 minutes of looking around and listening. 

All the various styles of wigs. 

Just outside of main street, a messenger rode down the road giving us the latest news from the capital.  Eliza was enamored by the horses, but got a bit scared when they got too close. 

We were graced by the presence of the militia marching band. 

We went into a playhouse to experience common in between act entertainment.  After waiting in line because there were limited seats, and snagging front row seats, Zaby decided it was time to eat.  This child is not one to be patient when his tummy is empty.  Before it even started, I had to crawl over a row of people and exit the parlor room.  Now I faced the same challenge, I faced all day.  Where do I go to feed him?  It's too cold outside, and I was kind of tired of sitting on bathroom floors.  The volunteers were so kind.  Even though it was slightly awkward asking where I could find a warm place to feed him, they fetched me a chair.  I put it just outside the parlor doors, and they were kind enough to leave them ajar (normally they would close) so that I could still see the performance.   

After a practice enactment of events that really took place in Williamsburg (including a treason trial), they really shot off these canons.  The boom was so loud, I could hear it and feel the vibrations from the bathroom (where I was feeding Zaby again) 3 buildings over. 

Zaby's looking adorable in his bear suit

At 2.5 months old, he seemed to enjoy himself. 

 We stayed at one of our Bluegreen resorts again.  It wasn't as nice as some of the other ones we have stayed at, but it was a good trip nonetheless.  Eliza really enjoyed the "rock" music.  The sidewalks were lined with fake speaker rocks that were playing music.  Every time we walked past, she would go up to the rocks and sway back and forth because she was dancing to the music. 

It still amazes me how much history there is so close to where I currently live.  It kind of makes me wish I paid closer attention in history class. 

 

I will end this post with a video of Eliza's favorite part about our spring break trip. 

The freedom to run around. She went on like this for about 5 minutes. Cracked me up!

P is also for Playdate!

Because Eliza was doing so well with potty training, I told her she could invite a friend over to play for a morning.  Without any hesitation, she asked for Ally.  For 3 days before the scheduled play date, Eliza kept telling me everything she and Ally would do, what she would say, what Ally would say, etc. etc.  When it came down to it, I don't know if they actually did many of the things Eliza planned; after all, Allyson is an individual who can't be programmed to do or say what Eliza wishes.  However, they still had a blast.  The weather here has been unseasonably warm (we are talking in the 80's all week).  They started the morning with a trip to the park.

We piled the kids into the wagon I bought at a garage sale for $5.00 and headed to the park.  Don't be deceived by the jackets; I thought the temp outside was chiller than it actually was.  Within minutes the jackets were off and it was still a bit hot.  

aren't they all cute riding in the wagon together.   

Still a bit too little for slides and stuff, Zaby likes the park because there is unlimited access to eating grass, dirt, rocks, sticks, leaves, and his favorite: wood chips.  I try to pull them all out of his mouth but as evidenced in his diaper a couple of days ago I can miss a few small wood chips and blades of grass. :) 

They played in the sand with the digger.  Zaby did learn how to propel himself down the slide, and off the side.  Good thing I was there to catch him.   

Look at how big he looks sitting at the top of the slide - he's looking more and more like a little boy and less and less like a baby.   

Ever since we broke Eliza from her fear of slides, she is a sliding machine.  Be it big or small, twisty or straight, she likes to give it a go.  Eliza wanted to race Zaby down the slide, but he didn't quite understand the concept of ready, set, go! 

 Love his facial expression in this picture. 

I seriously love it when they laugh, giggle, and play together.  It's the best part of being a mom.   

Zaby fell asleep while sitting up in the wagon on the way home.  I just couldn't resist taking a picture because I thought it was so funny.  I'm lucky he stayed in the wagon.  He has managed to climb out of the wagon (while it's moving) and land on the concrete head first.  As I've told my mom, I hope it lives past his first year - he's not afraid of anything and has narrowly escaped serious injury on countless occasions.   

All Tuckered Out

 

After this, Eliza kept telling Allyson to come and eat her lunch.  Even though she refused, I think they had a great time.  Thanks for coming Ally - hope you can come over and play again.  

A Birthday excursion

"Daddy, Let's go for a hike,"

With water bottles in hand, Eliza led the way through Evansville State Park.  I wanted to go on a family hike to celebrate my (cough!) 29th birthday.  The kids were such troopers - especially Eliza who has a hard enough time walking on level ground - she didn't let the tree limbs and rocks stand in her way.  The weather was perfect, the mood was peaceful, the scenery amazing, and the company the best of all.

We didn't hike very far.  Eliza tired out easily (it's hard work for a 2 year old to walk up and down hills), and Zaby got heavy fast in the baby carrier.  What we did hike took us quite a while to accomplish.  Eliza kept picking up rocks, acorns, leaves, etc. to carry them and put them in her pocket.

 

We took frequent water breaks.  It was a miracle that we walked out of there without a poison ivy rash considering Eliza touched every plant/shrub we walked by.  In July, I found out (twice) that I have an allergy to poison ivy.  The painful, itchy rash all over my body was not something I was excited to repeat a third time, considering I had to take an oral steroid to get rid of the outbreak before. 

 When the trail ended at this bridge, we weren't sure which direction to take. 

It's a good thing we had our little map reader to orient us in the right direction.   

All kinds of trails, and we weren't sure what direction we were actually headed.  We took a wrong turn somewhere because the trail we took back to the car was not the one we intended to take, but we got there eventually.  

We made it back to the playground, where we had water, apples, and no bake oatmeal cookies.  Zaby didn't want to be left out and managed to shove a piece of cookie in his mouth before either of us could stop him.   

Happy Birthday to me!

In which Eliza turns 2

I seriously can't believe that my little girl turned 2 on the 14th of July.  It seems like she has always been part of our family, yet it also seems like we just brought her home from the hospital the other day.  It's amazing how much she has grown and changed from the time she first graced our home.  I really can't say enough about my little girl.  She is sweet, kind, obedient, mature, smart, and beautiful both inside and out.  She can also be a bit mischievous and extremely independent.  She wants to do everything for herself, and I am amazed at some of the things she can do.  She wants to dress herself (including change her own diaper), feed herself, and open everything for herself.  Not only does she want to do everything for herself, she has to go back and re-do something I've started because "Iza do it." 

Her language skills have taken off practically overnight.  She is extremely advanced for her age in her ability to communicate - she speaks in full sentences.  Things like:  Daddy go to work Friday morning.  The garbage fell down.  What is it?  I have two kids - they are heavy!  (She likes to pick up 2 baby dolls at the same time and say that).  Go to store and buy juice and yogurt, ok?  Zaby drinking mama's milk, I drink juice.  We go to swings today, sound good, Ok!  She says this as she nods her head up and down to let me know that she thinks it sounds good.  I have/am ________, Zaby have/is _______too.  (The _______ can be any number of things.) 

She can count to 10; although she prefers to say 1, 2, 3, 4, 6.  6 is her favorite number.  She wants to wear purple everyday, she likes a pink sippy, a yellow bowl, and everything else red.  She knows all the basic colors, shapes, and she can sing the alphabet song. 

Her favorite toy is any kind of baby doll.  She carries them around the house all day, feeding them, holding them, putting them down for naps, taking them for walks, and changing their diapers and clothes.   She likes to help out as much as possible.  Her two favorite chores are setting the table and vacuuming.  She likes to hold the cord and follow me around the room.  After we have finished vacuuming a room, she's the first to say, "all done!" and promptly dump toys out on the floor or pull books off the shelf. 

 

Every morning when she wakes up, we go through a series of events or things she wants to do.  She will ask:  Temple-day?  Church-day?  Park-day?  Library-day?  Friends-day?  Shopping-day?  Beach-day?  I love how she always wants to go to the temple.  Eliza is full of hugs and kisses.  She will randomly come up to me and say, "hug mama?  Now kiss."  She gives the best hugs.  I love her giggle - it's so contagious.  She is extremely ticklish, and even though she sometimes hits/takes things away from her brother, she adores him and is intrigued by the things he does.  My favorite thing is watching them play and giggle together. 

Eliza is still an avid reader.  I will often find her sitting on the couch or floor with a pile of books around her.  She brings me book after book after book to read to her.  Books are stashed away in every room in the house.  She can even recite the words to entire books.  It cracks me up. 

 

Whenever the wind blows, she says she is cold and needs a blanket.  She likes to dance while running in circles, and say, "Iza (Eliza) crazy!"  At random times, she will say, "I love you Mommy, kiss?"  This, of course, is my favorite.  Eliza has a major sweet-tooth, she can be bribed to do nearly anything if a treat is involved.  She loves going to the library and can swing at the park all day long. 

The morning of her birthday, she woke up to the living room full of "bawoons."  She enjoyed playing with them all day.

We had pancakes for breakfast, mac-a-noodles (macaroni and cheese) for lunch, and rice for dinner - all of Eliza's favorite foods.  After dinner, we let her open her presents.  I loved watching her open presents this year.  As she was pulling off newspapers (didn't have real wrapping paper), she kept saying, "What is it?, what is it?"  When the paper finally came all the way off, she would exclaim, "it's _______."  So fun to watch. 

 

Her first two presents were some new clothes and shoes, and a photo book of her first year.  Then, she opened the big present. She wouldn't stop until every shred of newspaper was off all sides of the box. 

 

If you ask her what she got for her birthday, Eliza will say, "shirts, pajamas, shoes, a book about Iza, and a big, big, box."  She didn't realize that the box was a play kitchen.  We purchased it at Aldi and it said some assembly required.  As you can see from the pink plastic pieces Eliza is holding up, it wasn't just some assembly - we had to put together every single little piece.  It took us a couple of days, but she loves her play kitchen. 

On the 15th, Monday, I put together a play date party for Eliza.  I invited some of her friends.  We played outside in a pool and slip-n-slide, ate lunch, and then had cake.  I am very proud of the job I did with this cake.  It's not perfect, but I think it is an improvement from my previous cakes. 

 

Eliza must have remembered that she had a personal cake on her birthday last year, because after we sang Happy Birthday and I turned around to find a knife to cut the cake, she dug right into the middle. 

Luckily, no one seemed to mind.  The cake tasted just the same to them.

It must have been a hit, because I had to set the last piece aside for Bruce to eat when he got home from work.  Even though I requested that no gifts be given, Eliza got three presents, all of which she loves.  A new baby doll, a shopping cart with fake food, and a sand bucket.  The baby doll goes everywhere with us; she takes care of it like a little mother. 

 

Zaby enjoyed the birthday decorations as well.  They both played with them for days after. 

 Since her birthday, I've heard her singing the birthday song to herself, and she goes around telling everyone that she is two years old.  What a cutie!!  Happy Birthday little girl.  I hope you know how special you are!!



P is for Potty and Peanuts

I've been trying to "catch-up" my blog; I have half finished posts saved as drafts in my post list.  If I keep waiting until I have previous posts finished, I will never catch up - and I want to.  So... I will post recent happenings first, and publish my drafts when I get them finished, even if they are not in chronological order.  I can always go back and rearrange the order of my posts. 

So... and update on Eliza:

 

She knows the letters of the alphabet.  Her favorite song these days is none other than the alphabet song.  She randomly started singing it in the car about a month ago (at this point, I didn't even know she knew the alphabet song; she never attempted saying any letters before, and then the entire song came spewing out, never missing a letter).  She walks around the house, the store, even church singing the alphabet song.  She requests it as her bedtime song every night, she "plays" it on the piano and sings along every night for her "piano (lesson) time" before scriptures every night, she even teaches it to her baby dolls and stuffed animals.  Everything is all about the alphabet song around our house.  It is absolutely adorable.  She doesn't like to "perform" on camera, and after much practice, her annunciation of each letter has significantly improved. 

Other songs she enjoys singing every day include: Snowman, Jesus wants me for a sunbeam, I am a child of God, Book of Mormon stories, and Follow the Prophet. 

She loves Sesame Street (mostly the characters, not necessarily the show).  Everything is about Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird - that's why I titled this post the way I did.  Moving on to what this post is actually about.

1)  Potty - Eliza turned 2 in July.  She has shown mild interest in potty training for quite sometime.  She started going #2 in the potty consistently shortly after her 1st birthday - she never told me; I could just tell from her facial expressions that she needed to go.  I would sit her on the potty and she would go without complaint.  Really I was going to wait until the winter time to try to full out potty train her because we go too many places in the summer (the park, swimming pool, etc) and it seemed like a hassle.  However, Eliza decided differently. 

 

The first Friday in September Eliza turned to me while she was getting dressed and said, "No Diapers!"  When I asked her what she was going to wear on her bum, she responded with enthusiasm, "Underwear!"  I wasn't going to say no to her even though I didn't feel quite ready.  However, she only had 1 accident that entire day.  At this point, she wasn't telling me; I just took her to the bathroom every hour and she went.  Day 2 was similar to Day 1; only 1 accident.  The next day was Sunday.  I debated about what to do.  I was brave!  I took her to church in underwear on Day 3.  Hooray for Eliza, she didn't have a single accident.  Monday and Tuesday were about the same as Thursday and Friday.  On Wednesday (Day 6), she had 5 accidents before 9:00 am.  What??  She didn't have any more the rest of the day.  On Thursday (Day 7), she started telling me when she needs to go.  After that, she has now gone weeks accident free during the day.  She sleeps in underwear for naps and has wet the bed twice, but only twice in nearly 4 weeks.  She wears a diaper at night, but wakes up dry most mornings.  I really am sooo proud of her!  She is doing amazing!  Honestly, potty training Eliza was a breeze - let's hope that Zaby will follow suit, but I'm definitely not counting on it. 

2)  Peanuts - Eliza went in to the allergist for her year review in regards to her peanut allergy.  I was really hoping that she would be clean since she hasn't had any episodes (since the time we found out she was allergic), and we've avoided peanuts.  However, I have to report that she is not clear.  Last year her skin test was 5.2 mm.  This year, she increased to 10.3.  That means that she is definitely allergic to peanuts and her allergic reaction will be worse than mere skin hives if exposed.  I need to get a refill on my Epi-pen and make a more conscientious effort to tell others (every house she goes to) that she is allergic.  It also means that I will probably have to read labels more carefully.  She does fine with almond and hazelnut (Nutella sandwiches are some of her favorites), but we still don't know about other tree nuts - we still need to be careful with those.  I guess I will continue to hide peanut butter treats and only eat them when she is in bed!  Poor girl - she's really missing out.