Pumpkin Patch

Continuing with our annual tradition, the boys and I went with my mother-in-law's preschool to the pumpkin patch. Daddy took the morning off and came with us too. I think the pictures are pretty self explanitory. The boys always have a blast there and really enjoy the fun stuff.

Tag - You're it!

Since several people have tagged me before and I never did it, I guess I'll participate now. Here are my TOP 5:

Things I was doing 5 years ago:

1. Having fun being a newlywed.
2. Working at a gym, and never working out there.
3. Supporting Antonio through school.
4. Getting adjusted to living in Vancouver.
5. Enjoying the last season of Friends.


5 Things on my to do list today:

1. Clean my kitchen and mop the floors.
2. Take care of an insurance claim that didn't go through.
3. Make sure my children don't kill each other.
4. Start packing for HAWAII!!!
5. Go get a birth control prescription filled...No babies!


5 Favorite snacks:

1. Fruit, any and all (except bananas).
2. Cheetos.
3. Yogurt covered pretzels.
4. Ben and Jerry's.
5. Raw green beans.


5 Jobs I've had:

1. Maid - in my own house.
2. Chauffer - for my own children.
3. Dishwasher - a never ending cycle.
4. CEO - or this house would fall apart.
5. Conflict Resolution Mediator - a job I'm called to frequently with an almost 4 year old and a 2 year old in the house.


5 Things I would do with one million dollars:

1. Buy a different house.
2. Buy a car.
3. Take the boys to disneyland.
4. Go to Australia with Antonio.
5. Ask my CPA husband how to avoid paying taxes on the earnings.


5 Things that made me laugh this weekend.

1. Brian Brookes' stories about fishing.
2. I'm sure Antonio made me laugh, he's always doing weird stuff.
3. Gambit's attempt at playing barber shop.
4. When Gambit said the cows smell..."ewww".
5. Ninja being a pirate with underwear on his head.

Gambit's Birthday Party

I just cannot believe that my baby is 2!! Where does the time go? Two is like the official entrance into toddler hood and kid-dom. There is no baby left in him except the fact that he refuses to even entertain the idea of potty training, something Mommy would gladly welcome! Here are some pictures from his birthday party. We had an indoor BBQ since the weather was getting questionable. He had a lot of fun!

PSA - Extended Rear-facing ROCKS!

This is my public service annoucement about car seat safety. I've been dubbed the "Obsessed Carseat Nazi" and it's a term that I bear proudly! Well, maybe not the nazi part. It's been estimated that approximately 80-85% of all carseats are installed improperly or are improperly used (that's not including all the children whose parents don't even put them in a carseat!). That is a scary statistic considering that car accidents are the number #1 killer of children aged 1-14. The solution? Education on car seat safety.

Sweden is the country that leads the world in car seat safety and innovation. The US would do good to follow suit. In Sweden, children are placed in rearfacing carseats until the age of 4-5 years old. The AAP's current recommendation is that a child may forward face when one year AND 20 pounds. Though it is important to remember that this is just the BARE MINIMUM. Most convertible car seats can accomodate a child rear facing to 33-35 pounds. It is actually very dangerous to place a 12 month old child forward facing because the bones in their neck are not strong enough to withstand the forces of even a relatively minor crash. A child can literally have their head ripped from their spine (called internal decapitation, not a nice thing to think about). The best practice is to keep your child rear facing to the upper limits of the car seat in which he/she is sitting. The following video from youtube gives an excellent explanation about rear facing. It also includes many pictures of older child sitting in rear facing car seats.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2DVfqFhseo&feature=related
http://www.car-seat.org/ is another great site where you can get great car seat related info and questions answered. Many of the members are certified passenger saftey technicians.
I just found a great blog entry that also emphasizes the importance of rear facing for as long as possible http://carseatblog.com/?p=323

Gambit (who will be two on Sept. 25) is perfectly comfortable in his rearfacing carseat and I have no intention of switching him anytime soon. He can see out all windows (except the front one) and his legs are perfectly fine resting on the seat. If he needs to stretch them he'll move them to the outside of the car seat (kind of like doing the splits). Just a friendly reminder because we all want our kids to be as safe as possible. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any specific car seat questions.

Zoo Pics and Trip to the river

Brotherly Love

Ride 'em Cowboy!

Our zoo just had a new baby elephant born about a month ago. So cute!
For referrence on how small he is.

Our town has a little river that runs through it. There are lots of great place to play in the water and run around. We just discovered a new area and it is now our favorite.

My 8-year-old....I mean almost 4-year-old

Gambit discovering rocks

A rare moment of playing nicely together. Gambit looking all grown up

Going to the Circus!

Antonio surprised us and got tickets to the circus. We sat in a box suite and had a great view! The boys had a good time and it was an awesome show!

Going to the Circus!

More circus pictures...