Sickness..sickness go away!

It's that wonderful (sarcasm*) time of year when we all start hearing those familiar January sounds..cough, gag, sneeze, "Mommy, I'm sick!" You know how it goes. You're sleeping peacefully at 2 AM, then bam! You're cozy little world is shattered by a sick kid (or two). We have certainly had our share of sicknesses this month, between stomach bugs, ear infections, upper respiratory infections, and plain old regular colds..we've all been sick multiple times this January! It's pretty typical for us though.We're lucky our kids usually don't get sick often, but when they do, it's quality! We always try to play silly games, and cuddle a lot when they're sick. And we stock up on orange gatorade this time of year to help with the dehydration fevers and stomach illnesses can cause. They also love Vicks baby rub on their chests, back, and neck, and Amaya uses her froggy dehumidifier at night. We even had a family movie night and snuggled togther on the couch watching Shrek Forever After, this weekend, which cheered them both up a lot! So when kids are sick, it's really the small things that can make a runny nose, yucky stomach or terrible cough a little better! Playing a silly game with Amaya--still waiting for her 1 front tooth to show up!

Playing Peek-a-boo!

Snacks always put a smile on Alex's face

Getting some time with Daddy's DS

Winter boredom..Part 100

Okay so maybe winter has not been going on for 100 days, but it sure feels like it! I am one of those people who is affected by seasonal affection disorder or whatever it is--in other words, I am drinking a big glass of haterade when it comes to winter and the crappy weather that accompanies it! I hate the snow, the cold, the ice and mostly I hate with a capital H, not being able to spend much time outside. Sure there are mild days when we can get out for a quick walk/ stroller/bike ride, but mostly we have to stay in. I am an outdoors kind of girl, so this is extremely hard for me!Both kids also love the outdoors so cabin fever tends to run rampant around here and boredom ensues. So I decided to think of some things to do in winter to make is "less" awful.

1. Can you say Chuck E. Cheese? Awesome place to go during the winter to let kids run around, play games, eat pizza and get some energy out. Plus, it's indoors! It will definitely kill boredom for a while.

2. Bouncy House places--see the CEC description! Boredom killer #2 for kids.

3. YMCA indoor sports/fitness classes. Once again a place to run around, have fun and kill some time waiting for spring!

4. Indoor swimming. At least we can "pretend" to be at the beach or some water-oriented place.

5. In the house picnic--my kids love this! Put down a blanket, get some picnic food together, grab some drinks--heck even put your houseplants around you in a circle if it helps. But close your eyes and pretend you're outside in a postcard meadow and it's 80 degrees! Sometimes I even pull out the bubbles machine--who cares if it's in the house..live a little :)

6. Outside races--okay the little one doesn't participate yet, but Alex loves it. Go outside and race. Run around the block and race each other. At least you'll work up a sweat and won't feel the cold quite as much.

7. Marching band--we have a marching band around our house. Everybody grabs an instrument (Alex always picks drums of course) and we march through every room and pretend to be a marching band.

8. Bake some delicious cookies! Everyone loves cookies and it will pass some time! Though probably don't want to do this everyday, or you will be wearing a floor length dress to the beach instead of a bikini..not that I, mother of 2, wear bikinis either though. You know--there's a time and a place for everything. Some women fail to realize that:)

Ummm..there's probably a ton of other stuff we do, but my winter affection disorder has necessitated that I stop typing now, because, you guessed it, I am getting bored. Anyway, there are 62 days until the "official" start of spring, though I know some warm March days could be on their way. Alex and I have had 70 degree birthdays before--let's keep our fingers crossed ! :) Enjoy some pics from this wonderful month of January... Vacuuming is always a respectable winter task I'd say go to a Ravens game, but we all know that is OVER for this year! Luckily NASCAR season starts in February--Alex will be happy to hear that!You can always wear a flower in your hair and pretend to be an island princess--works for Amaya! Dance on something...table, chair, toy box..Just dance. Shake it My!

If it all gets to be too much--just scream. A little noise might bring some life back into the longest part of winter!

Big Brother and Little Sister :)

As Amaya is starting to get older and develop even more of a personality, we are seeing her and Alex interact more as brother and sister. It's certainly interesting to watch and sometimes their relationship is strong and other times it's a little rocky. It's cool for us to see them play (and fight) together though. When we first found out we were having Amaya we were really concerned about the effect it would have on Alex, only being 12 mos. old when we found out and 20 months when she was born! It's turned out to be a great thing for him though. Not only could we not imagine our life without our little princess, but we also couldn't imagine what it would be like for Alex not to have his sister. They get along great for the most part, until Amaya takes it upon herself to take his drink, his cars or his food. Then things get a little crazy! She is so cute though when she follows him around and now he has even started to "take up" for her. The other day she spilled something all over the floor and I jokingly said something like "bad, Amaya!" Alex looked straight at me and said "Mommy, don't call my sister bad!" LOL. Sorry big brother, didn't mean to offend! It's sweet to watch though and I'm sure they will have their moments when they're ready to tear each other's hair out, but for now it's cute to watch them stick together. It's good to know that no matter what they will always have each other and maybe another brother or sister one day too. I am very thankful that god gave us at least the 2 we have, because I can't imagine my own life without a sibling!

Alex holding Amaya's hand in Old Navy..awww!

Alex and Amaya posing for a pic together (in front of Amaya's scrapbook!)

Happy birthday Lola and Sports fun at the Y

Thursday, January 6th, was a busy evenin for us! We celebrated Lola's birthday AND Alex had his very first sports mix class at the Perry Hall YMCA. We started our evening by meeting Lola at Chick Fil-A for a quick birthday dinner, then headed across the street to attend Alex's class. It was nice to spend some time with Lola on her actual birthday and we hope she had a great time celebrating it this weekend as well. As for Alex's class, he had a great time playing soccer and running games with his awesome teacher, Ms. Katrina. We were a little curious as to how shy he would be at first, but he warmed right up and went over to play with the other kids without even a single glance back at us! The sports mix class is designed for children ages 3-5, and even though Alex is still 2, the teacher allowed him to join since he is so close to 3. It will run for 6 weeks,and the kids will play a new sport each week, as well as some different running games. Alex certainly enjoyed kicking the soccer ball back and forth, but I honestly think his favorite part was the running the length of the gym and paying the different games he and the 6 other kids played. They played redlight, green light, which seemed to be his favorite thing, then played several games where the kids acted like an animal up and down the gym. Some of the animals they picked were monkey, elephant, dragon, ant, and butterfly! While Alex was having so much fun with his classmates, little Amaya made her own fun by taking a ball and kicking/carrying it around on the sidelines. All in all his first sports mix class was a success and he said he defintely wants to go back this week. We can't wait to see what sport they'll be playing this week!

Alex and his classmates getting ready to play a running game Alex (in the green) playing red light, green light with his classmates

Pretending to crawl like ants..too cute!