Growing Up So Fast!

All of a sudden, my kids are growing up way so fast!  Lizzy is all of a sudden walking around like crazy...when just a few days ago she would take a few steps and fall!  I must say though, I'd rather her walk than crawl...at least, it's a little bit cleaner.  I always feel like she's so dirty as she crawls along the floor!  It's not like I have to chase her any less, she is still crazy fast and is definitely our fearless child.  Sydney wasn't all over the place like Lizzy.  In just the past three days, Lizzy has had at least three injuries.  At daycare, Lizzy got her finger slammed into the bathroom door and now has a swollen black and blue finger.  The next day, she busted her lip, and I could go on and on...she gets up onto furniture and falls off, she opens toilet seats and slams them on her fingers...I didn't really have to childproof the house for Sydney, but if the past few days is any indication, I might have to for Lizzy! 

Completely changing subjects, today was a big day for Sydney.  It was her first dentist appointment and I didn't even get to experience it.  Jason took her and says that she was a perfect little angel.  I thought for SURE she would hate it and cry the whole time, boy was I wrong.  Jason says she was a little scared at first and wouldn't lay back in the chair, but after they gave her special sunglasses (pink, of course) she felt a little more comfortable and relaxed as they counted her teeth.  Then, she picked bubble gum toothpaste and raspberry flouride (yuck, I used to hate that part...I'm surprised she didn't flip out).  I think she just likes to pick flavors and have choices. But the dentist said her teeth look good and she has a great bite.  The little stinker told him that she didn't brush her teeth this morning (maybe I should teach her how to start lying...how are we going to get her into Disney World for free if she can't lie about her age?  Totally kidding....maybe...okay, I'm kidding).  Anyway, I'm so proud of Sydney for being such a great patient. 

When I put her to bed, we had to play dentist instead of reading books.  She made me open my mouth and she counted my teeth.  Then, she held up a pretend mirror. Then she said she had to paint my teeth.  I was like, "you don't paint teeth, Sydney".  But oh, I was wrong...apparently they "painted" her teeth.  And then right before I left her room she called me back in and said, "Is Dr. Black sleeping?" I told her he was already sleeping and she was content with that answer and went to bed. So cute!

What's a Jewish Girl to Do?

A while back Sydney got this CD from the PJ Library (which gives a Jewish book or CD to kids once a month).  Well lately, Sydney has been playing this CD and can even recite all of the Hebrew words!  She askes me what they mean, but of course I have absolutely no clue!  Why would I? It's not like I payed much attention in Hebrew school.  Anyway, this music has just sent my brain cells into orbit and I'm realizing I have to figure out a few things about my kid's upbringing!

Here's the problem: I've never really been a very religious person.  However, growing up I did go to Hebrew school and celebrate all of the holidays and have a Bat Mitzvah.  I have very fond memories of opening one present each night on Hanukkah (and also throwing a fit because I couldn't open another one).  I also used to put up quite a fight every time we had to go to Synagogue.  But as awful as I was, I still remember going and remember the people who were in my Hebrew school class and these are memories that I think my kids should have.

I always said that it would be fun to celebrate Christmas.  I was jealous of the kids who got to open a ton of presents all at once.  Now, I have the best of both worlds.  Jason is half Jewish (he did have a Bar Mitzvah) and half not (I always get confused about the whole Christian religion).  Actually, I probably shouldn't admit this, but when I was in elementary school I thought that if someone was white they were Jewish and if they were African American, they celebrated Christmas.  Obviously that is so not the case!  I learned that when I moved to West Bloomfield and at the particular elementary school I went to, I was the only Jewish person in my class.  I'm totally going off on a tangent here, but my point is this:  Between Jason and I, we are not very religious, but I want my kids to experience what I did, even if I didn't like it.  So, where do we go from here?

I feel like we should join a synagogue, but would we go?  I saw an ad today for free memberships at Adat Shalom for one year.  It's right by our house, so I'm thinking we should check it out.  I mean, if I want my kids to have a Bat Mitzvah, they'll have to go to Hebrew school, and therefore, we will have to belong somewhere.  Also, I think it's important for my kids to get a sense of community and be around other kids who are all experiencing the same type of life events.  I knew this day would come when I would have to figure out exactly how to raise my kids.  I have really been enjoying my time with the Jewish Federation and meeting so many great people, and I think the next step would be to join somewhere.  However, when I see the prices, it kind of puts me into a state of shock.  That would be a whole lot of money spent if Jason and I didn't go. But I'm sure there are so many other programs and events besides just going to services on the holidays.  For some reason, I just can't visualize Jason and I sitting in services and paying attention.  So, I'm frustrated...what should we do?  I need a clear answer.  I think it's time to sit down with Jason and have a talk, huh?  I mean, I don't want to deny Jason's mom's side of the family their holidays, but I'm thinking it's time to establish a gameplan! Oy!

Soooooooooooooo....Grown Up!

"So" is Sydney's new favorite word.  She doesn't always use it correctly, but uses it a lot. The other day her "boyfriend" Kyle was at daycare (he hasn't been going very much lately) and when I picked her up she said, "I was so happy when I saw Kyle." He had a so fast car and it went psssssssssshhhhhhh and I so love him."

Sydney is also very funny with the radio lately. I used to play her CD's in the car, but I think she's getting sick of the same songs all of the time (I know, get an ipod, right?!).  Anyway, she just prefers the radio on now, but with a stipulation...."Mommy, I so only like girl singers, turn the boy off."  Now I have to go channel surfing until she finds a song that suits her request...it seems there are a lot more "boy" songs than "girl" songs. But's that's how it always goes...when you try to find something, you can't!  She must be going through a boy versus girl thing.  She recently got Beauty and the Beast figurines for her birthday and she separated all of the boy characters and girl characters and put the boys under her table, but the girls could stay on top...pretty interesting!

So anyway, back to my "so" stories....we finally put together Sydney's BIG big girl bed...it's huge!  When she walked in and saw it she said, "I'm so proud of you for getting my bed".  She was pretty excited the entire night.  We put her in bed at 8 and at 10 she was still up.  She wasn't being bad, she was just kind of playing and tossing and turning.  I think she was kind of scared or nervous.  She even said, "This is a big responsibility." I was like, "did you just say big responsibility?" "Yes".  What, is she going on ten or something, when did she learn to say that?  Maybe because she all of  a sudden loves iCarley, maybe they use big words?  I can't say I ever pay attention when she's watching it, but she loves it.  Anyway,  she asked me to lay with her for a little while.  I layed down and she said, "I so want the baby bed back".  Awwww, she really was scared.  I assured her it was okay and to move close to the wall since we don't have a bedrail yet and she finally went to sleep.  The next night was way better, I think she just had to get adjusted.  Isn't she just sooooooooooo cute?

Oy Vey, What a Day!

Today started off great! Usually Sydney can be a terror in the morning, but I woke her up and she was a perfect angel! She even told me, "I'm in a good mood today, doesn't that make you happy?" Which, in a way, it kind of makes me mad because she knows that it makes me happy yet chooses to be awful much more often than not. But, she is a good kid and I know how lucky I am. Getting out of the house today was a breeze! Getting out of the car...well, that's a different story!

On the way to daycare, my car just decided to stop, just in the middle of driving down the road, shut off! Thank goodness I was in the neighborhood. It fortunately started back up and I made it to daycare. But when I tried to leave, it made this horrible screeching noise and lights started flashing everywhere! Thanks to Al for driving me to work! Anyway, I am the type of girl who is clueless about how to deal with these situations! What should I do now? Who should I call? No clue! I called Jason but he was busy with conference calls and stuff, so I had to figure it out. Basically, I had it towed to an expensive place that will cost a lot of money. That aught to teach Jason...he'll take care of it next time! I thought this would be a great excuse for me to get a new car...I love having no car payment, but I totally miss the space of an SUV or mini-van. Someone please make a plea to Jason on my behalf! Guess he wants to spend the money to get it fixed!

So, changing subjects. I went to Little Daddy's for lunch today. Everything was fine, I ate, I talked, I gossiped, the usual. Then the waitress took the bill and my credit card and was gone for like ever and we were in a hurry. Finally, she came back to tell me that she lost my credit card. She said I forgot to put it in, yet there was an empty spot in my wallet where I kept it and my friend even told the waitress that she saw me put a Bank of America card into the book. How would my friend know what kind of card I had if I didn't put one in there. So she waitress just proceeds to wait on her other tables totally ignoring the fact that she just lost my credit card...what an idiot! After way too long at that restaurant, I left without the card and had to cancel it...I hope this waitress was fired! So now, no car or credit card!

For me, ice cream can always make things better. When Jason picked me up from work, Sydney and Lizzy were both tired and cranky. Sydney decided to have a couple tantrums for no apparent reason...it was one of those nights where she didn't deserve ice cream at all. But I was having ice cream...so she lucked out. The ice cream saved the day...it set the tone for a good night. Sydney is so funny with ice cream. She won't touch ice cream lately unless it is in a cone. However, she refuses to eat the cone...won't even take a bite. She digs her tongue all the way to the bottom and creates the biggest mess and saves the cone for Lizzy and Savannah to share. So, after the ice cream...baths and bed with no problem. Well, Lizzy is never a problem lately. I love this age (almost one). She is a good sleeper and just an all around good baby...just very active!

Thank goodness it's Friday! Let's hope for a better day tomorrow! If not...I guess it's off to Dairy Queen we go again!

The Princess Turns 3

How could 3 years possibly have gone by so quickly? I can't believe it! I especially can't believe how much Sydney has blossomed in just this past year. At two years old, she was kind of still a baby, but now...oh my goodness! She's potty trained, has long conversations, talks on the phone, uses words like "actually" and "wonderful", knows all of the letters and the sounds that they make and actually sings songs with a melody (although we still have to cover our ears sometimes...just kidding...it's cute when she can't reach the high notes!). So, we had a loooooooong birthday weekend for her (maybe it was just long for me because there was so much planning and running around to do.

On Friday, Jason and I took work off and took Sydney and Lizzy to see The Wiggles. It was kind of like torture for Jason and I, but Sydney seemed to like it. Lizzy liked it in the beginning. She was jumping up and down and just so excited, but that didn't last long. After about 10 minutes I was digging in my purse and the diaper bag to find any food that I could shove into her mouth to keep her occupied! They did too much talking and not enough singing. If you know anything about the Wiggles, you know that they are from Australia and they have a strong accent, so I could barely understand what they were saying up there on that stage, so I'm not sure how the kids could. But it was Sydney's day, so we all sucked it up and had fun for her! That night of course we had to go out for dinner to celebrate. It's too bad that I picked the worst restaurant ever. I decided we would go to the Family Buggy, it's close to the house and I thought I remembered it to be a good restaurant when I was little. It turns out that the average age there was like 75 and man did we stick out. I felt like people were staring at us, and everyone had to come over to the table to see the kids. The food wasn't bad...Sydney seemed to enjoy her ketchup...I'm not sure what that's all about, but that's what she ate. They even brought her a sundae for dessert...she didn't touch it...kept right on with her ketchup....weird! I guess Jason will pick the restaurant next time.

On Saturday she had her princess birthday with all of her friends and family. Jason set up the water slide and the kids had a blast. I was a little hesitant at first to have a bunch of wet kids running in and out of the house, but it was a perfect day! Sydney was a little overwhelmed with all of the gifts. Towards the end, she just went into the other room and could care less about opening the rest of them. She got such great gifts, but it's so funny...you never know what kids will be drawn to. It turns out that one of her favorite presents was a little play Tinkerbell cell phone! She wouldn't put it down or let anyone else touch it, she thought it was just the greatest! As for the cake...didn't touch it! Maybe she wanted ketchup??? Anyway, the grandparents came through with great gifts that she received without all of the pandemonium and kids running around everywhere! Grandma Sharon gave her a really cute chair from Pottery Barn, which she loves (and so does Lizzy) and Grammie and Grandpa made an expensive stop at American Girl in Chicago and got her two Bitty Baby twins and a double stroller that seems nicer than the real one that we have...she loves it. I guess we won't be seeing Sydney for a while...she's in toy heaven. She plays very nicely independently!







The next day she woke up and was still glowing. We had to go to her friend Sara's birthday party from daycare (she was turning two)...I think this party put Sydney over the top. She didn't want to go, she was tired from the past two days, she just wanted to stay home and play, but we went. I guess Sydney knew her own limits. She was okay at the party, but totally broke down and melted on the way home. She was just hysterical and beside herself. She cried and screamed for no reason, which was a really long drive because we had to stop at Grammie and Grandpa's to pick up Savannah. Thankfully she went to bed somewhat early...it wasn't easy...she definitely put up a good fight...but sleep is a wonderful thing!

Now it's time to start all over and plan Lizzy's birthday...minus The Wiggles for sure!

A Vacation With Kids Is To Stay At Home!

As Polly always says..."A vacation with kids is to stay at home." I'm kind of thinking that's true. We headed to Traverse City for the weekend and although it's always fun to see everyone, it's a lot of work! I guess I can't really call it Traverse City anymore because everyone seems to live in the middle of nowhere making everywhere we go seem like an hour drive from T.C....Empire, Northport, Suttons Bay. Anyway...just the whole living out of a suitcase and trying to bring a million things to keep the kids happy (which you need to do on a long car ride) and sleeping in unfamiliar territory is a bit overwhelming. The sad thing is, we were only gone for three days and didn't really go THAT far, but it still felt like we brought everything under the sun. After all is said and done though, the kids really did have a great time!

This summer, Sdyney and Lizzy have been fortunate enough to see all of their cousins on both sides of the family. This time it was the Zipser side of the family. We went there for Emily's baby shower and Mia's 3rd Birthday party. The kids were so cute together and played really nicely, not to mention, the kids got to see and spend time with my 91 year old Grandpa, but man was it hot.

This summer has actually been quite cool, so I shouldn't complain, but this particular weekend was unbearably hot, and the humidity never helps. We were staying at Shawn's house in Empire...which is a very nice house and we definitely appreciated the free place to stay! It's just too darn bad the air conditioning was out. It would have been fine any other day this summer...not this weekend! I become a totally different person when I'm overheated and can barely breathe...basically, don't talk to me. I become lethargic and don't want to touch anyone, which is difficult when you have kids that want to hang all over you. I feel like everything is moving in slow motion and everything is just too hard. It's difficult to explain, but to be clear...I'm an air conditioning kind of girl....not a fan and open windows kind of girl. As you can imagine, I wasn't exactly thrilled to go from a house with no air conditioning (which wasn't anyone's fault at all...it was broken after all) to a birthday party with people everywhere in 95 degree weather....with no air! To most people it probably wasn't an issue, I just hadn't cooled down from the night before. We let the kids play a little and watched Mia open her presents...but after that, it was time to go...a day early! We went back to Joe and Polly's in Midland where the dog was staying and let me tell you...air conditioning never felt so good! I also needed a good nights sleep. Although, Midland isn't home, we go there so often, it's like home and everyone is comfortable there and actually sleeps. It's also nice to have a couple extra helping hands!

We came home on Monday, and I'm glad to be home! Although this sounds quite negative, I did have fun at Emily's shower and the kids did have a great time the whole weekend. I guess it's me with the issues. It wasn't completely awful, it just seemed like work. With kids, you just can't relax. And you don't have the familiar comforts of home to rely on...the toys, the snacks, etc. You have to constantly entertain! I'm thankful to Sydney who fed Lizzy Cheerios in the back seat all the way home to make the long weekend in the car a little easier...just a little!

I guess I better start to mentally prepare for Disney World in December! I need to become a better traveler!

Grandma...I Mean, Mommy

After 7 days, Sydney finally came home from Grandma Polly's and Grandpa Joe's. It's not because she wanted to come, we made her come home. She just doesn't want to go to daycare anymore and I don't know why! Probably because she doesn't want to take a nap. Or, maybe she's just bored. Or maybe, she just wants all of the attention. There could be so many reasons, but I'm ready for her to begin pre-school in the Fall to change things up a bit...she needs it!

So, as soon as Sydney came home, we had to get right back in the car to go to our friend's Jenny and Donny's new house. It was a very nice house, but too bad it was in Oxford...sooooooo far. Not really, but it seemed like I was on vacation because it was like it's own little world out there. On the way there, she kept calling me Grandma...that's how you know she was gone for too long...did she forget me already? No, she was soooooo sweet when she came home. She just seemed so different. So lovey and looked taller and just more grown up, I definitely missed her! I hope her sweetness continues!

I think Lizzy missed her too! I realized how much Sydney helps with Lizzy and plays with her. On the way home, Lizzy just started crying hysterically, for no reason. She just wouldn't stop! So Sydney sang to her the rest of the way home and Lizzy stopped crying. Every time Sydney stopped, Lizzy would cry. She primarily sang the "Lizzy Belle Theme Song"(yeah, I know...we're dorks). It goes like this (to the tune of Wonder Pets...one of these days, we'll look back and say..."what in the world is Wonder Pets?...anyway....) "Lizzy Belle, Lizzy Belle, we're on our way. To help the little Lizzy Belle and save the day. You're not too big, and you're not to tough, but when you work with Sydney, you've got the right stuff. Goooooooooooooooo Lizzy Belle, yaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyy!" They're so cute...I hope they grow up to be best friends!