Just some cute stuff

I don't have any pictures-- sorry! The kids are SO active that I don't dare keep the camera out in plain view for fear of it become a casualty. And, by the time I grab it to capture something cute, they have moved on to something else. I will try to get some new ones this weekend! So, I just have a few cute little stories...

Mairead
On Wednesday, Dave and I took Mairead to an Open House at the center where she used to go for Early Intervention. We were hoping to see some of her teachers, but it just didn't work out that way. That was ok, though, because she had a blast! When we got there, she immediately ran to the room that was her classroom- she has not been there in 3 months, so I was impressed that she remembered. She immediately ran over to a toy that was her favorite while she was there- it was like she had never left.

Anyway, for entertainment, they had someone from Kindermusik there to lead the kids in songs and Mairead LOVED it! I have not really seen her in a classroom/group setting, so it was really fun to watch her. When we got there, she immediately marched

When the woman started, she asked all of the kids to sit in a circle on the floor. So, kids took their seats a few feet away from the woman as she started singing. Mairead, however, left her seat with Dave and I and promptly seated herself on the knee of the woman singing. Obviously, this woman was in charge and that was the best seat in the house. She is also used to sitting with the teacher because her preschool teacher is kind enough to give Mairead extra support by letting Mairead sit with her during activities. I think she thinks that on the teacher's lap is her special spot! It was pretty funny to watch her march right up there like she owned the place.

Throughout the singing, she was absolutely adorable. And I'm not just saying that because I am her mother- a few other parents and teachers commented on how cute she was. She was just having SO much fun singing, marching, playing instruments, and just enjoying the music. She was following directions, singing, and everything!

While she was there, she found a little stuffed dog and carried it around throughout the activities. She even made the dog 'hold' on to the instruments and props the teacher was using. She was very sad to leave it there, though.

So, the next day, I was taking her to preschool and told her "We are going to school now!" She replied, "School and find dog." She wanted to go back and get the dog she had played with the day before! I said, "Oh, no, honey. We are going to Miss Joanne's school." She said, "No. Miss Mary's school." Miss Mary was her teacher at EI and it was her school where we found the dog. I was sad for her since she has not seen Mary in a long time and she remembers and misses her. I am glad to know that the people in her life do have an impression on her and that she does remember them, though!

That works out well since her old Occupational Therapist from EI, Ashley, is going to start seeing her privately and her first visit is Monday. Mairead is going to be really surprised and happy to see her! We are hoping Ashley can help her to build the strength in her hands and work on her coordination so that she can start dressing/undressing herself and some other daily activities. We are really excited to have Ashley back!

Yesterday, we were upstairs and I asked, "where are your brothers?" She paused and said, "Hmm, I'm not sure." That was a new phrase and it was so cute the way she said it.

She has made a ton of progress with answering questions and following directions. We think her preschool is helping a lot with that. Now, when we ask, 'where did you go today?' She can answer, "school." In the past, she has not been able to answer questions like that.

Her favorite game right now is Ring Around the Rosy. She gathers everyone in the house (my parents included) and insists on a few rounds.

She is still really into coloring and painting. Lately, she has been drawing faces. When I ask, "who is that?" She always says, "Daddy." Very sweet.

Jack
Jack is SUCH a talker. And SUCH a drama queen. He never gets a little upset- it's either 100% angry or totally fine. He is very stubborn (no idea where he gets that from) and very observant. He likes to check out a situation before getting involved. He also loves coloring- usually the exact page that Mairead is coloring. He follows her a lot and wants to do everything she is doing.

His latest phrase is "Jack's turn." I assume he learned it because we are really trying to teach Mairead that she has to wait sometimes, so we tell her it's Jack's turn or Ben's turn. So, Jack picked up on it and uses it to his advantage. Usually, he uses it to get us to do 'Trot, trot to Boston' with him. He loves it! He also likes singing. He has a couple of songs that he tries- the words are not always clear, but he has the inflection, the melody, and the rhythm down pat. His favorite book is "Good Night, Boston." When I read it to him, he immediately says, "Again!" when I finish.

Ben loves pretty much any book. He will sit in a chair and 'read' for long periods of time, and always insists on having a book to take to bed with him. He also loves brushing his teeth, to the point of asking for his toothbrush at random times. Yesterday, he got his hands on it after his bath and brushed his teeth for a minute before using the toothbrush to stir the water in the toilet. Awesome. He loves Blues Clues, dogs, and fire trucks. Well, pretty much any kind of truck. His funniest word is 'pacifier' because he says the entire word, but it sounds more like 'pass i ber.'

Both boys love phones and remotes. They walk around with whatever they can find and say, "Hello? hello?" They point out every truck that is near and whenver the neighbor's dog barks, they say, "Puppy! Woof!"

There are about a million more cute things that they all do so I really will try to get more pictures and some video. The video I want most is when I get them up from naps. I have both of them in my arms and say, "Jack and Ben - give kisses!", and they lean in, pucker up, and say, mmmm, wah! and give each other a kiss. Jack more often than Ben who is usually signing "eat" at the time. Best thing ever.

Lookout Farm

This morning, Mairead and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and met up with our BFFs, Jaime and Connor, at Lookout Farm. We hadn't seen each other in a while and it was great to catch up and to get the kids together! Connor was pretty excited that we were taking a choo choo train to ride throughout the farm. Mairead did great! I was a little afraid she might want to get off about 2 minutes into the ride, but she had fun! Both kids were really well behaved and even posed and said 'cheese' for the farmer who took this picture for us. Jaime and I have been friends for... oh, wow... about 15 years. It just made me feel old to calculate that out! We were roommates freshman year in college, and now our kids are growing up together (they are two months apart). Pretty cool!


They have a caterpillar ride that is pulled by a tractor and that takes kids in a loop around the play area. The ride is kids-only, so Mairead had to go alone, and again, she did great! I was proud of her- the kids cannot see the parents and Mairead had no idea where she was going, but she was having fun. She's a pretty brave kid, I guess!


She did get a little nervous at the top of the haystack. She was excited to climb it and to reach the top, but then wanted to get back down.

She is signing, "all done."

But she was still having a good time!

Action shot of her on the moon bounce. The only drama of the morning came when she wouldn't get out so I had to go in and get her.

She saw this and was immediately pointing and yellling, "A yak! A yak!" Where the heck does she learn this stuff???

We don't have many pictures of Mairead and Connor because, well, they are both three and three year olds tend to run quickly in several directions. It was fun to watch Mairead when she saw Jaime and Connor- even though it has been a few months since she has seen them, she recognized them and was jumping up and down saying, "Hi Connor! Hi Jaime!" Connor said, "Hi Baread!" So cute!

When we were leaving, I prompted her to say goodbye, which she did, and asked if she wanted to give Connor a kiss. She leaned over, turned her head, and planted one on him! I wish I had had the camera ready-- it was so incredibly cute! Thanks to Jaime and Connor for a fun morning!

If you are thinking of visiting Lookout Farm- it was really fun. They also have pony and camel rides, apple and pumpkin picking, a farm store (complete with amazing cider donuts), and other attractions. But- they charge an admission fee for the day which is $14 for adults and $12 for children, so be prepared for that.

The boys are doing great- their language amazes me every day. They say, "Blues Clues, I see paw print, Elmo, Mairead," and more. They recognize family members in pictures and do a lot of pretending. Mostly, they pretend to be on the phone. Ben pretty much just keeps saying, "Hello? Hello?" But Jack has full on conversations with whomever is on the other end of the phone, or block, or remote, or calculator, or whatever he is using for a phone at the time.

This morning, they were content with their toast, juice, and Blues Clues.

Look alike, much??? I see a lot of differences, but sometimes the 'identical' thing is really obvious!

Ben LOVES fire trucks, so we bought this little dress up outfit for him. But, he doesn't like hats. So, Jack ended up wearing it. How cute is this?

Last week, My Nana brought Mairead a gift from Michael's. She loved them and took the flowers to bed with her for three or four nights. Ben loves flowers, too, and always says, "I see flowers. Pretty flowers." It sounds like "Flough," so it's even cuter.

Thanks for reading- hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful three day weekend!