March & April 2016

Kicking off the first few photos is some of the pictures from Arizona (in February) that my parents took. Even though they’re not in the right month, I wanted to include them here! But moving on to March… At the beginning of March, we spent a weekend in Brooklyn, visiting Jared and Margaret and going to a baby shower (dubbed “the candy party” by the kids due to the strategically placed bowls of candy all over the apartment). We ice skated and had lunch in Brooklyn, then went to the party in Manhattan and crashed at a nearby hotel, and visited the Statue of Liberty the next day (Sebastien’s request). It was super busy and super fun and we can’t wait to go back. Sebastien had hockey tryouts for next year and come Fall, he will be on the Mites C team. Archer attended Maggie’s petting zoo birthday party, getting up close and personal with a black pig, then asking to have his face painted like one. The boys and I went to see a play (Caps for Sale) at the Boston Children’s Theatre and we all loved it. Sebastien began cooking some dinners with me (and trying new foods! He loves shrimp!) and Archer (finally) potty-trained. With a sticker chart, a jar of M&Ms and a bag of prizes, we set out on a long weekend of potty training and never looked back. He gave up his pacifiers (also finally) when he visited the dentist and gots lots of praise from Dr. DeFeo plus an extra prize from the prize drawer. He celebrated Allison’s birthday with her with a visit from the New England Aquarium (see: hermit crab costume). On the same day, Sebastien celebrated with Noor at her movie birthday party. We visited the Easter Bunny at the Burlington Mall. Blake liked him coming and going but not so much sitting on, as is typical. We recovered with milkshakes from Johnny Rocket’s. We “hunted” for Easter eggs (or… collected them from the grass in a mad dash) and Blake was thrilled to help “clean up” the eggs (and even more thrilled when she discovered they had candy inside). We colored Easter eggs and made carrot cake and played at the playground when we had a rare nice day. We celebrated Easter with church followed by brunch at Legal Oysteria with the Hassells and a trip down to RI to see all the cousins. Nick went to Archer’s LP Kindergarten coffee (where everyone seems to be connected by two degrees of separation) and I went out to dinner with the Kindergarten mom’s from Sebastien’s class.

In April, Nick and I went to the LP’s 80’s themed auction dressed up like the Breakfast Club (check out the wig!) and Sebastien went to Benno’s birthday party at the MFA. We closed on the first floor of our house (!!!) so we now own the whole thing, although won’t be able to use the space until Derek and Kerry move out this fall/winter. Drew and Alli came into town for a night and Nick, Blake and I snuck in a lunch with them in the North End. Sebastien finally graduated from Mass Eye and Ear with a good hearing test and confirmation that the tubes he had placed have finally fallen out. Nick went to Garrett’s bachelor party in Austin and I spent a (perfect) weekend with Katie and Alicia in Miami. In between, we had a VERY sick spring break week where Archer had a high fever for five days followed immediately by Blake’s high fever for five days. Flu? Not sure, but it wasn’t fun. We took the kids to Sesame Street Live, which was a hit for Archer and Blake (and Sebastien had fun sitting with Finley and eating candy and popcorn, even if he didn’t find the actual show riveting). Blake and I started a music class in which she shouted, “No! I don’t!” through most of, but fortunately it has grown on her as the weeks have continued. Sebastien presented his non-fiction report on scorpions at school to all of the K parents and administrators and we were all very impressed. Sebastien lost his first tooth! No big story – it was very loose and so he twisted it and POP, out it came. He spent the next several days reminding us all that he had lost a tooth and asking if we wanted to take a look. The weather finally started to warm up here and there and we hit the playground as much as we could, but it was generally a cool, wet April.

Archer, you gave up your nap and then when we realized that wasn’t really working, started napping again. We are in the difficult stage where no nap means 4pm to bedtime is really difficult (and you often fall asleep in the car and wake up on the wrong side of the bed… err, carseat) but a nap means you are popping out of bed from bedtime through 9pm. I’m not sure which is worse, but we are rolling with the nap for now until something changes. Arch, you are still screaming a lot when you are hurt, angry or very frustrated. I am trying not to wish away your 3’s but we will all be happy when this ends (your teachers included). You have started to be more gentle with Blake and will say, “Watch this touch,” to us before touching her gently. Unfortunately, she often does not want you to touch her at all and screams NO! or I NEED SPACE! but hopefully that will change soon. Your current drink of choice is “sparkly water and water and lemonade” and you eat hummus in a tortilla or a hot dog bun with butter and cheese (plus fruit) almost every day for lunch. You pop out of bed a million times because you “need another snuggle” and you ask us for a story “about a…” and we have to come up with one on the spot. (I am generally terrible at this, but you don’t seem to mind.) You are obsessed with the show Goosebumps although we are not sure if it is giving you nightmares and causing you to come into our bed in the middle of the night!

Blake, you love buttered toast (which you lick the butter off of before you take a bite) and peanut butter sandwiches and “big whole carrots.” You often ask, “Mama? Get a burger French fries?” and that paired with a trip to City Square Park might be your perfect day. You are always singing and dancing and have started singing in music class, which is totally adorable. Everyone is impressed with how you speak in sentences at such a young age and we are often impressed with how you can express yourself. You will tell us, “I want to hit!” (and sometimes you do) or “I’m feeling MAD!” (when you definitely are). When you are angry at me for something unrelated, you will pull your bow out of your hair and throw it on the floor, telling me, “NO BOW!” You are starting to have an opinion about which shoes you want to wear and sometimes which bow you want (or whether you want one at all). You won’t let me put a pony tail in your (now curly in the back!) hair, much to Sebastien’s disappointment. You were just using the pacifier in your crib, but after you were sick in April, you now want a “ba and a lion” all the time and throw a screaming fit if you can’t have them. You are certainly starting to have opinions and are not afraid to voice them. Welcome to the two’s (a little early).

Sebastien, you are missed by your brother and sister when you are in school and they can’t wait to play with you when you get home, even if sometimes you’re too tired and just want to chill. I love our Friday Thinking Cup dates where you always get a morning bun and a root beer (even though the morning bun makes a gigantic cinnamon and sugar mess all over the car). You don’t tell me much about your school day but I can tell you enjoy it and have made really great friends this year. And I love our script at bedtime: Goodnight mom, I love you. (I love you.) Sweet dreams. (Sweet dreams.) See you tomorrow. (See you tomorrow.) See you in the morning. (See you in the morning.) Bye. (Bye.) I love you. (I love you. Sleep tight.) Sleep tight. **kiss**


Created with flickr slideshow.

Created with flickr slideshow.

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