A December to Remember

Well December is more than half over (it's almost Christmas!?!) and I have yet to post an update. Hmmmm...what to post? Well we've had a fun, exhausting, expensive month. That just about sums it up. The kids and I all shared a cold that still has us coughing weeks later (delicious). Keith worked his butt off all fall just to find out that he won't be deploying in January as planned due to some problems with the boat. Joy! So he's home for now and we get to do this whole pre-deployment fun again in a few months. But at least he's home for now! We attended what felt like 452 holiday parties but, in reality, was probably closer to 7 or 8. We've spread our Christmas joy all over this town; luckily we smell like peppermint so it's all good.

Will had his holiday sing-along at school on Wednesday. All the Kindergarteners wore white shirts with festive bows on them (I kid you not...they were festive for sure). They sang general holiday songs, Christmas songs and Hanukkah songs. I was hoping for a Kwanzaa song or two but nothing on that end. Maybe next year. The bonus about this concert: it was joyously short. Like 25 minutes short. That makes me smile! Unfortunately we couldn't see Will, as he was in the front row and we were packed in like sardines. I tried to get a few pictures of the top of his head though. Something to remember the occasion by!

As you can see above, Will apparently thinks there will be a Pirate's of the Caribbean toy under the tree for him this year. Well, there's not. He asked Santa for Annakin Skywalker's Speederbike with R2D2 so that's what "Santa" got. Next year I'm going to make him write it down so he doesn't forget.

The Magic of Disney

There's a reason that Disneyland is called the Happiest Place on Earth. When done right, it just might be. The weekend before Thanksgiving we headed up to Disneyland and California Adventure and we had a great time. We stayed at the Grand Californian Hotel on the Disneyland Resort (this year I'm thankful for Disney's military deals). Our hotel was stunning; it was like a huge Craftsman lodge. And of course, being Disney, everything was decorated perfectly and impeccably clean. We got in on the holiday fun; they had put out the Christmas decorations the week prior so we got to see all of the finery...and at Disney, there's a lot of it. I purposely wanted to go during the holiday season because I think it's so magical. I mean, they make it snow inside the park after the fireworks each night! Of course, I'm pretty sure Disney could make Taco Tuesday seem magical too.

We spent a day and a half at Disneyland and rode almost all of the rides we were tall enough to ride. Some highlights were (for Will) Star Tours in Tomorrowland (based on Star Wars, of course), Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage, and Pirates of the Caribbean. We all enjoyed It's a Small World, especially because we have the book at home. Archer didn't seem to have a favorite ride in particular; he enjoyed them all. He was a little unsure of meeting the characters at first but finally perked up on the second day when we met Handy Manny. We also met Goofy and had breakfast with Chip 'n Dale and their woodland friends.

The big highlight at California Adventure is the new Cars Land, based on the movie Cars. Wow...it was impressive. Walking down the main drag was just like being on set in the movie. We met Lightning McQueen and saw Mater from a distance. It was pretty cool. The line to ride the Radiator Springs Racers (the top ride apparently) was too long so we skipped that one but will try to hit it when we return some day down the line.

There are too many highlights to name here but the moral of this story is that we had a great time. Every night before bed Archer tells Keith "I had fun at Dinneyland." There's no better advertisement than that!

Evolving Archerisms

Archer is at that magic age where he's a total brat one minute and says something cute and endearing the next. I don't doubt that this is by design, otherwise people would abandon their tantruming two year olds at the local zoo. He's been talking up a storm for a while and I've been able to follow *most* of what he's said. But now he's getting clearer. He's also getting more clever. The things that kid says! He literally makes me LOL every day. My favorite, he still calls himself "Achoo" and calls Will "Whoa". Those pretty much rock. I don't care if he's 21 and still calling himself Achoo. But he has gone from calling Aunt Jill "Nene" to calling her by her actual name of Aunt Jill. And Uncle Matt has gone from being "That" to Uncle Matt or just Matt. It's kind of sad when he loses the nicknames. He is also getting pretty good with Grandma and Grandpa, as well as "friend" which I make him call other kids at the park. I prefer friend to some of the other names he might come up with (yes he says cute things but he's still a stinker). "Tito" has developed into kitty and "Arf" has turned into dog. He's got a lot more animal names down, instead of just using their animal sounds. (bird, not tweet; sheep, not baa; etc) He went through a short stage last week of calling Keith "Wobot" (robot). He's now back to Daddy, at least for today. AD also likes to declare himself a "nunny goose" when he does something funny. :) I love that. And because he must be contrary, if any of these comments make me laugh too much, he'll loudly declare, "Hey, no nunny!" Oh Archer. (As you can see above, he's also really into taking pics and saying "cheese!")

Hauntingly good times

We had a fantastic Halloween this year...and quite diverse, if I do say so myself. Will was a Jedi Knight (what else? the obsession continues) and Archer was Bob the Builder (or as he calls it, Bob the Boodoodoo). Both looked really cute but Archer's costume got the most comments. People loved it, probably b/c he was wearing a Home Depot hard hat and apron...quite popular with the locals. Two people even took his picture! Who knew construction was such a popular job!

We actually had an extended celebration this year. (more celebrations = more candy!) We started with a visit to the Haunted Aquarium at the Scripps Aquarium La Jolla. We got to see all the sea creatures at night and also trick or treat throughout the aquarium. There was even a live band and both boys really rocked out with the blow-up instruments.

On Halloween night, the downtown Coronado businesses had trick or treating all along Orange Ave (the main drag in Coronado). The boys and I scored quite a bit of candy along the way. We really didn't need to go trick or treating after dinner because we were already on a sugar high but we were meeting squadron friends so we forged ahead! Both boys loved going house to house. Archer even threw out some "tick or teat"s along the way. Will definitely took the lead this year and ran from house to house with his buddies. Neither wanted to go home until their candy bags were full. We just about accomplished that. As you can imagine, several days of hyper behavior followed.

Now that I've eaten all the good candy (Dots...yuck), it's time for our next adventure. We're headed to Disneyland for a long weekend. Yay! The boys have never been and Keith and I are excited to show them around (luckily they have no expectations either. Phew!) Check back for Disney pics soon.

Finding Fall

Well it's my favorite season - fall! At least, it's fall everywhere else. Here in Southern CA it's pretty much still summer. It's supposed to be in the mid-80s this week. Sigh. Most people love this but for me, I need some crisp air, pumpkin picking and falling leaves. So what do you do when you need fall and it's nowhere to be found? You go out and find it. That's exactly what we've done.

We started our fall quest with apple picking in the mountains. We hit up the Raven Hill orchard (all organic!) where they have dwarf trees so the kids can reach up and pick their own, which was a big hit. This is the cutest little apple orchard. They have a "taste as you go" policy so we were able to pick any apple and eat it on the spot. I personally downed about 5 while we were there. The boys were excited to pick all the different varieties. This was especially exciting for Will because they spent September studying apples at school. He was thrilled when he found the "pips" in his apple core; he saved them so he could take them to school and show Mrs. Schneider.

After picking our apples, the adults decided we should try more of the local offerings by walking up the road to the Menghini Winery. And we were not disappointed! Great wine and a really fun, casual atmosphere. We then wandered around the super quaint town of Julian, CA, ate in an old school restaurant (seriously hasn't changed it decades), and of course got some apple pie to take home. All in all, a good start to fall.

In Virginia, our tradition was to go to the pumpkin patch every year. Unfortunately there are not many pumpkin patches near us in San Diego (plus Keith has been working too much to do anything fun anyway). So the boys and I picked out some pumpkins from the Commissary pumpkin display (festive!) and they each painted some little ones to decorate our front porch. Maybe not as festive as we're used to but they both enjoyed themselves. When Keith has some time off (December maybe?), they can all carve our big pumpkin and roast the seeds. Do you think our neighbors will appreciate our carved pumpkin around Christmas time?

We did enjoy a few glorious days of temps in the 60's this week. My much-neglected jeans and long sleeves were overjoyed to be worn once again. But now it's getting warm again so I'll go put on my shorts and tank top once again. I know I shouldn't complain; come January I'll be very glad we live here! Until then I'll continue to make pumpkin-themed meals and dream of cooler weather. Let it fall!

Shaping Up

Just a quick yet hilarious Will story. We were driving back from a party at our new Skipper's house last week. We were discussing Will's new class at school and I mentioned that I think he's one of the oldest in the class. He retorted that he can't be the oldest because there were a lot of kids who are bigger than him. Ah, yes, to a five year old bigger = older. If only that were true...I'd be very young compared to all my tall friends! So the discussion continued about how people "come in all shapes and sizes", etc. He was quiet a minute and then pipes up with, "Then why don't people have square heads or triangle heads?" Ahahahahaha! Keith and I both busted out laughing. It was great. I love the literal translation with kids. So innocent. And the best part...he was totally serious! Love that guy.

Achoo, he says

Archer, or shall I say Achoo, is at that wonderful age when funny things come out of his mouth constantly. He's been calling Will "Whoa" for a while now and just this week told me his name was "Achoo". As in sneeze. I love it. At least he is finally saying his name. He's actually talking non-stop now, learning people's names, his colors, numbers, etc. Last week as we were walking into school to pick up Will, we were passed by a puppy. Archer (or shall I say Achoo) says, "Mom, look at that "arf" (puppy), it's cute." I was blown away by the long sentence. Language is developing and it's fun to witness.

What else has Achoo been up to? Well last week he started going to the Learning Playhouse, which offers classes for 2 and 3 year olds. He goes Thursday mornings for a few (blissful) hours. It's not much, and he could use more socialization and time away from mom, but it's a start. He was very excited to go to his first day of "school" and packed his backpack with the essentials (diapers, wipes, etc). I was afraid he would have a hard time separating from me but his first day went great. He looked at me and said, "bye bye, Mom!" and turned away to play. Success! His second day is tomorrow; here's hoping it goes as smoothly!

Other Archerisms at the moment, he's obsessed with the show Mighty Machines. A friend handed down these old DVDs from the 90s that are pretty much just real shots of actual construction trucks, fire trucks, street sweepers, etc. The kid is obsessed. I hear "I want to watch Mi-means" about 10 times a day. The floor sleeping continues. The transition from crib to toddler bed has been ROUGH to say the least. The daily routine is read books, lay Archer in his bed and then run like hell to get to the door and close it before he gets there too. Then he stands in his room and cries and eventually ends up napping (sometimes all night) next to the door. Above he can be seen through the patio door, napping in the doorway. I'm not sure what to do about this; I keep hoping it will eventually work itself out. Or maybe I'll just move his bed right next to the door and make things easier on all of us!

Birthday, the sequel

Because one day of birthday goodies and presents isn't enough, we celebrated Will's 5th birthday a second time last weekend, but this time it was with all of his friends. And because a 5 year old can't choose just one theme, we had a Lego Star Wars bowling party. Phew! It makes my head spin just thinking about all that chaos! But it was a great party. Grandma Gigi was visiting and made the very creative and colorful Lego Star Wars Cake. Lucky for us Grandma's visits usually coincide with Will's birthday; my attempts at a birthday cake don't quite fit the bill! Will invited all of his buddies to his party (turned out only boys could make it, an added bonus for a 5 year old) and they rolled away for a few hours. Archer even got in on the bowling fun (check out those tiny bowling shoes) and would yell "go ball go!" every time it was his turn.

We had the party at the bowling alley on base and they took Will's picture and put it on the big screen during the games. I'm pretty sure no one broke any bowling records but they did have a good time; plus everyone went home with a blow-up light saber and some glow-in-the dark goo. Now that says boy birthday party! Oh and last week Will's teacher asked if they could celebrate his birthday in school since they only missed it by a few weeks. Um, okay. What's one more celebration?! Will is now officially 5 and we're done celebrating until next year. I hope.

Archer, on the other hand, is still 2. Of the terrible variety. The kid is so cute but a total tantrum throwing terror at times (like when we're trying to eat at In 'n Out...clearly he doesn't get the importance of such an occasion!) The transition to big boy bed hasn't gone as planned and usually results in an hour or so of wailing followed by sleep in some random corner of the bedroom (rarely in the actual bed). Oh Archer. He loves telling people that he's 2, while showing 1 or 3 fingers. Never two fingers. Hahaha. He also loves to tell Will no. But his "Will" sounds like "Whoa" so we get a lot of "No, Whoa!" I wonder where he gets that? However, if anyone tells Archer no or gives him a dirty look, he acts wounded and cries about his "ouchie". Apparently his feelings get hurt, literally, by discipline. His new thing is getting attention by becoming "stuck" on everything and anything. He'll get tired going down the stairs and will call out "I'm stuck!" until someone carries him the rest of the way. He also gets stuck while cleaning up toys, going to bed, during nap, during dinner, etc. The kid gets stuck more than anyone else I know. He's a manipulative little guy, that's for sure. But he's still so sweet (when he's not hitting and throwing things, that is). Pretty soon he too will be off to school so I'm trying to enjoy the time we have together. I've also learned to stuff cotton balls in my ears and deflect Legos that are aimed for my head. Survival skills of moms.

Transitioning to Kindergarten

Thursday was Will's first day of (Transitional) Kindergarten. He's officially a Cowpoke. His teacher has the room decorated in Western style and plans to conclude the school year with a big rodeo in the spring. Mrs. Schneider is sweet. I think she'll be very nurturing and loving to the kids. Will said his first day went great; I believe he even called it "the best day ever" so that seems like a positive. So far they have learned to keep their hands and feet to themselves at all times and to keep their materials safe. Seems like some good life lessons there. Several of Will's friends from his preschool are also in his class so that works out well. I'm looking forward to seeing where this school year takes them! **I had to come back and add that on the first day of school, I asked Will what he wants to be when he grows up and he said a Jedi. Of course! I'd like to think that I'll remember to ask again next year, and every subsequent year through high school or college, but that probably won't happen (my kids don't even have baby books so...) But for now, a Jedi Knight. Awesome.

BBB & TK

Lots of exciting(?) changes on this end in the past week. The best of which is that Archer is now in a BBB...no, not Bed Bath & Beyond (although sometimes I wish they'd take him) but a Big Boy Bed. Oh boy! Last weekend we were trying a new babysitter so Keith and I could go to a work function (for him, not me...everything is a work function for me!) and as I lay a kicking and screaming Archer into his crib for nap, he promptly throws his leg over the ledge and vaults himself out. Hmmmmm. (That may not be exactly what went through my mind but I'll keep it mild here.) So Keith changed his crib into a toddler bed and we gave the babysitter the rundown on the sure-to-come antics. (She only looked scared for a few minutes!) So far, he's done okay with it. He's slept on the floor in the corner of the room, on the floor next to his bed, in Will's bed, etc. The first night Will complained that he couldn't sleep because Archer was up all night reading books, rocking himself in the rocking chair, just generally enjoying his newfound freedom. I'm hoping the newness wears off quickly and he learns to stay in his bed and not pester Will, especially since Will starts school this Thursday...

which brings me to the TK. So anyone who has talked to me in the past 3 years knows how much I have struggled with the Kindergarten dilemma that befalls parents of late summer/fall kids. Will is within the school district's Kindergarten cut-off so he could technically go to K this year. But he's just SO young! He just turned 5! And although he is pretty with-it and did well on the Kindergarten placement test, we ultimately decided to enroll him in the new Transitional Kindergarten program (TK) that Coronado schools are offering. I think it's going to be the perfect match. It will be kids born in the late summer through late fall and uses the same curriculum as regular K but in a modified way. Essentially the kids get more time to wiggle. Then next year he'll go on to regular K and possibly be placed in a K/1 split class, depending. So that's that! Nothing like making a final decision literally one week before school begins. Luckily the Kindergarten teachers are very nice here and were willing to listen to my debates (for both sides) and help me make a decision. Check back soon for first-day-of-school pictures!

5 and a surprise!

Well we celebrated Will's birthday in grand style this year. I can't believe he turned 5. All of a sudden he seems so grown up! And he got a special treat this year, as Keith returned from his summer deployment on Will's birthday (he left on mine, returned on Will's...probably can't do that twice!). I kept it a secret from the boys so they wouldn't be disappointed if/when it changed. Keith's detachment was actually supposed to come back on August 10th but they got here a few days early. Yippee! I got Will up, wished him a happy birthday and told him that Dad was coming home that day too. He just kind of stood there and didn't say anything. I think he was processing the info. Finally I got an excited "Really?!" and then the craziness began.

We got to the squadron in time to watch the 2 CODs fly in and greet dad. We brought our homemade "Aloha Det 3" sign and the boys wore Hawaiian shirts in honor of Det 3's incredibly rough summer in Hawaii (ahem!) Both boys were SO excited to see their dad. Even though this was a short deployment, 2 months is a long time to little kids. I joked how if this trip had been before kids, I probably wouldn't have even taken the day off of work for a 2 monther. :) My how things have changed.

We went home for birthday cake and presents. Will got lots of good stuff, including plenty of Star Wars gifts. That's his current favorite and we'll be having a Lego Star Wars bowling party at the end of the month. On his actual birthday, we ate dinner with Aunt Jill and Uncle Matt at the Corvette Diner. We all had milk shakes and fries and played games in the arcade before calling it a day. I'd say it was a pretty eventful 5th birthday.

Now school is just around the corner! Will goes in for Kindergarten testing this week and starts school next week already. Time flies. I was/am still a tad unsure about putting him in Kindergarten but he certainly seems ready. We'll see what the testing say this week. I have a feeling he'll be joining his new Kindergarten class on the 23rd.