Tuesday, April 29, 2014

A Day of Firsts

It was cold and drizzly this morning-- the sort of morning where you really just want to stay in your pajamas and lounge by the fire. It never got above 39 degrees, and it's LATE APRIL! It was seriously insane. This has been the longest winter ever. I can't wait for the warmer weather to come back and actually stick around for a few months, at least!

Anyway, I had told Niko we could take his bike out to the rail trail today, so he could practice riding it on level ground. He was convinced that he'd at least need a push to get started, but I was a little more optimistic. But of course, it was raining when we woke up. I hated to miss the opportunity. He was so excited! But when the rain slowed down to a very, very light drizzle, we quickly bundled up and headed out!

Moments later, the kid was doing this. I just stood to the side and watched as he went up and down the path for about 40 minutes. UNREAL!!
I was so, so proud!!! Despite working with him on this for YEARS, it really just took him being totally ready and working it out on his own terms. He was so incredibly excited! YAY!!!

We left the trail when it started to rain a bit more, and headed home to warm up by the fire (because yes, we are still running our pellet stove in LATE APRIL. Insanity!). We got Niko off to school, and Maya and I cleaned up around the house. Then it was crazy time. Niko got off the bus at 4, then we had karate from 4:30-5:30, and then we had our first t-ball game at 6. The real crunch was between karate and the t-ball game, where I had to get Niko changed out of his karate gi and into his baseball uniform, all while shoving the world's fastest dinner down their throats because, hey! I'm the coach! And that means I need to be at the field 10-15 minutes before everyone else to set up! ACK! Luckily, it's a small town, and both karate and the baseball field are within two minutes' drive of the house (and each other). But it was tight!

By the time we got to the field, though, it was COLD. 37 degrees can actually feel very pleasant, but the windchill made it feel like it was in the 20s. It was HORRIBLE! We played two innings, then called it quits-- nobody wanted frostbite. Half of my team had ditched their baseball gloves and were just wearing snow mittens in the outfield. And I was jealous. Still, they were excited to be there! I had a mommy friend take a group picture before the game (minus three kids, including her own)! Go Ninjas! :)
And now, I defrost... Here's hoping our next game is warmer and more spring-like!

Monday, April 28, 2014

It's only taken 6.5 years...

But we might have a bike rider yet! Two summers ago, Niko was on the cusp of really riding his bike. Then, after a long, cold winter, he regressed. A lot of it was mental-- last year, he repeatedly psyched himself out. He was convinced he would fall, and that the only way to ride a bike was by looking down at the front wheel and the pedals. And that's just a recipe for disaster! So, last fall, out of sheer frustration, I removed the pedals from his bike. It basically became a balance bike for a 6-year-old. I had him practice coasting down the hill in our backyard, just to get the feel for where his center of balance is when he's on a bike. It went alright, but then the winter came again, with no real opportunities to practice.

Fast forward to last week... It was spring break for both kids, and there were at least a few decently warm days (and several other cold, rainy ones I prefer not to discuss... ha!). Niko got the bike out, and was working on coasting down the hill. He was getting pretty good! And, for the past few days, he's been begging me to put his pedals back on.

Once I found them (it took awhile, ha!), I got them back on the bike this morning, while Maya was at preschool. And within minutes, I was watching Niko do this:
Now, obviously the hill helps him out. But this is MAJOR progress-- he's keeping himself balanced, looking forward, pedaling, and steering! We tried doing some starts down on the flat part of the yard, but the grass makes it really hard to pedal. So... I promised him I'd take him somewhere tomorrow where he can practice. He is SO proud of himself, and was out there doing this same exact thing pretty much all day, except for when he was at school or t-ball practice. I can't wait for the day when we can go on real bike rides together! We need to get Maya in on this, too!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Spring Break in Review

Well, Spring Break isn't technically over yet, but tomorrow is Saturday... so our weekday fun is over! Since Gus has been out of the country, I've tried to do at least one fun thing with the kids every day, mixed in with lots of playing at our own house! But here's what we've been up to since I last posted:

Tuesday: We hung out at home most of the day, and the kids played inside. Niko had karate in the afternoon, and I surprised them both by ordering a pizza for dinner (I almost always make pizza, so it's rare that we order it-- but they love it). It was a nice, quiet day!

Wednesday: It was POURING rain all day! Maya didn't have dance class this week, so we (and everyone else around here, apparently) went to see a movie at the discount theater. We saw "The LEGO Movie," which Niko had already seen, but Maya and I had not. I enjoyed it! The theater was PACKED, though! Pretty amazing for a movie that's been out for so long! But, as I said: it was pouring rain. So there weren't a lot of options for getting out of the house. And, as it was, the kids watched ANOTHER movie once we got home. It was just a dark, snuggle-under-blankets-and-watch-movies day.

Thursday: I planned to have a quiet morning at home, but got a text from my friend Miranda asking if we wanted to meet them over at the town playground. So, we did that for about an hour. Don't be fooled by the sunshine-- it was super windy and FREEZING (mostly because of the wind-- it probably got up to around 50 degrees, which would have felt nice if not for the wind).
After we got back and defrosted, we met Caryn and her kids for lunch, since it was Caryn's birthday! From there, we headed out to run some errands, since a little girl I know has a birthday party coming up! Then it was karate time, where Niko earned his first orange tip-- the first step towards earning his orange belt! All in all, it was a full day! We also noticed all the daffodils and tulips beginning to bloom in our yard-- Spring is finally here!

Friday (today): We had a quiet morning at home, which the kids mostly spent playing outside. Maya learned a new trick: the art of pumping her legs on the swing!!!!!! This is a Big Day! Both kids can use the swings completely on their own now, which is fantastic! Maya was so excited!
After lunch, Niko went to his friend Nicholas' house for a few hours. They had a blast, and it was so much warmer and nicer today! They jumped on the trampoline, played with Nicholas' dog, and pushed each other on the giant tire swing. I didn't stay the whole time, but was there for about an hour, chatting with his mom. Maya was eager to hop on their swing set and show off her new skill. :)

And now it's pizza and movie night, and we're watching "Robin Hood." It's been a good week! Tomorrow is our first t-ball game AND the town-wide yard sale, so it should be a crazy day... but the forecast doesn't look so good, so we'll see how this all plays out! It might end up being a quiet, rainy weekend at home...

Monday, April 21, 2014

Our Easter

Our Easter started out just fine! Gus actually had to leave for the airport at 3:30am yesterday, but the Easter Bunny had already been to our house by then. I fell back asleep after he left, and was then woken up shortly after 6am by two VERY excited kids who wanted to tell me about the goodies the bunny had brought them. I bought myself a little more sleep by giving Niko the green light to work on his various new Lego sets, but I still got up right around 7am (my biological clock is programmed for 7am, as much as I would have liked to sleep longer!). We ate cinnamon rolls shaped like bunnies (thanks, Pinterest) and then they got dolled up in their Easter finest to hunt for eggs. The bunny hid them very well this year, so it took a while. But the weather was nice, and they had a blast!
After lunch, the weather was gorgeous and I really wanted to get out and go for a walk. So we did! We checked out a section of the Rail Trail that we hadn't been on before. It was great! We walked a few miles, chatted, and Maya collected pine cones (remember this detail). They even let me take their picture.
Then they were tired, and wanted to play some more with their Easter goodies, so we went home. We were wishing Yiayia a Happy Easter on the phone when I noticed something dark at the edge of Maya's hairline. And it was MOVING. I acted quickly, and pulled a live TICK off of her. I got it into a sandwich bag quickly (this is apparently my first instinct with ticks now... SAVE THE BODY! even though this one clearly hadn't bit her). I had her strip down so I could check for other ticks, and I looked in her hair. I thought we were in the clear. I also checked Niko and then myself (though I have the creepy-crawlies, even as I type this!). Niko's hair was really easy to check, since it's short, but I wasn't convinced that I had checked Maya's hair as thoroughly as possible. So I did it again. And wouldn't you know, there was ANOTHER TICK! And this one was attached. Commence freak-out. I ran for my tweezers and did exactly what I was supposed to: firmly pinched the head and pulled straight out. And it BROKE. I may have said bad words. Maya was crying. I ended up having to go back later on with a sterilized needle to dig the rest of the head out. The good news is that it looked fine today. No swelling or rash at all around the bite, and the bite itself is scabbing over. I will continue to monitor it, but that's a good sign. Call me Dr. Mom.

Anyway, by the time bedtime rolled around last night, I was drained! But I had promised Niko that we'd do fun things for Spring Break, and mini golf was at the top of his activity list. So after running errands all morning, we came home, ate lunch, and headed out to the kids' favorite golf course. The weather was ideal, and the sunshine felt great!
After that, the kids both announced that they were thirsty and "starving." So we were headed home. But then we drove right by the park they love, and they mysteriously forgot all about their hunger and thirst, haha!
Later on, we had t-ball practice-- it went great! And then we had a nice, quiet dinner at home and everyone went to bed peacefully. Tomorrow promises to be another beautiful day!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Baseball and Easter Eggs

We had our first baseball practice this past Monday! I have to say, I was SUPER nervous. It was like the first day of school! But the kids are awesome, and the hour sailed right by. The one drawback to being the coach is that I don't really get a chance to take pictures! It's such a bummer! I did, however, steal this one from my friend Miranda's Facebook page (her kids are on the team, too):
You can't see everyone, but we have 11 kids on the team: 6 preschoolers and 5 kindergartners; 4 girls and 7 boys. It's a really nice balance! Some of my favorite moments from Monday were when I asked them to raise their hands instead of just shouting things out (it got chaotic). The preschoolers just raised their hands WHILE shouting things out, and I had to laugh. I should have known better! I also loved it when we were walking the bases for the first time. I stood at second base with the kids, and said, "So, if THAT one over there is called first base, what do you think this one is called?" A little boy shouted out, "The SQUARE base!" hahaha!!!! Really, it was fun. Most of the kids are new to t-ball this year. We're going to have a great time together, even if it is a lot like herding cats!

In other news... I begged the kids to recreate this picture for me. I think I need to do it every five years, haha!
We also got Niko's report card this week, and he continues to do just awesome. We're very proud of him, as always, but I'm especially happy with the improvement I've seen in his handwriting. It's SO much better now! Hallelujah!!

Today, seeing as how Easter is tomorrow, we colored eggs. I actually broke out the good camera for some pictures, which I hardly do these days! So... pictures!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Whoa... Playing Catch-Up (Again!!)

As the weather gets nicer, I am getting worse at blogging! Ack! So, let's backtrack, shall we?

April 1st was my birthday. It was a lovely day! Gus and the kids made me breakfast, and I got to open all my presents in bed before Gus left for work. And, since it was a Tuesday, it wasn't a preschool morning-- we (well, the kids and I) had all morning to do whatever we wanted! And, since the temperatures promised to be in the high 40s with lots of bright sunshine, I wanted to go for a walk. So we did! We put on our rain boots and went for a walk out on the rail trail, which was very muddy and still had snow in some parts. But it was great! We saw signs of new beaver activity in the area, some really cool ice formations, and lots of little signs that spring was really arriving (trickling water, cracking sounds coming from the ice on the lake, birds singing-- the works!). We had a great morning!
After our walk, we hurried back to eat some lunch before getting Niko on the bus. And then I set up my hammock on the back deck and basically snoozed for an hour in the sunshine while Maya played nearby. It was HEAVENLY! I think it was maybe 51 degrees? But it was sunny and there was no wind, and it really felt fantastic. Oh, how my perceptions of temperature have changed, haha! I was even wearing short sleeves!

After Niko got home and we went to karate, we drove to a local Mexican restaurant to meet Gus for dinner. It was excellent, as always, but this was the first time we'd ever actually taken the kids there. Niko ate the most non-Mexican thing possible: chicken strips and french fries. But Maya ordered a quesadilla that came with rice and beans, and she was in HEAVEN! It was hilarious! With every bite, she was talking about how delicious it was, and how we just HAD to try some! So, in short, she is a fan. It was awesome!

After dinner, we came back and I blew out my candles. I baked the cake (chocolate chip cookie dough!), but the decorations were 100% the work of Gus and the kids. Can you tell?
Since my birthday, the weather has just gotten better and better! Finally, spring is actually here! I thought these three photos were fun to look at... It's amazing how much our yard has changed in less than two weeks!
So, yeah... we've been outside more and more! The kids were both eager to start practicing for the baseball season. Even Niko has been getting into teaching his little sis the right way to do things, and she is an eager learner. We are going to have so much fun, once we can finally start our official t-ball practices!
We also learned, on April 4th (4/4!) that our fourth chicken is now an egg-layer!! Barbie Q. Chicken lays very light brown eggs. So, we are currently at maximum egg production-- 28 eggs a week! That's a lot! Time for scrambled eggs, quiches, French toast, and any other recipe that requires lots of eggs, haha! We've started giving them away to friends and coworkers, because we have more than we know what to do with. Everyone likes fresh eggs, though, so it's fun!

We've also had our first fire pit of the year. The kids made s'mores, which I don't think they actually like that much. But they like the process, so it's worth it!


Fast forward to today (I'm skipping a lot of playing outside and enjoying the weather... you get the idea!)... we had the town Easter egg hunt at the community center. Both kids saw lots of friends there, and were very happy to run around with them while they waited for the hunt to begin. Our neighbor (Gus' coworker) and his family were there, too, so that was fun. And Maya was even willing to sit with the Easter Bunny (she said his fur was very soft, haha!).
I was actually shirking my coaching duties by taking the kids to the egg hunt, though. As soon as we were done, I headed over to the baseball field to check in with the Little League guys, who were getting all the fields ready for opening day. I picked up our uniforms and fundraiser packets, and learned that they were pretty much done with the fields. So I sort of lucked out! I went home and sorted through the uniforms. Since I already know all the kids on my team this year, I have a good idea of who needs the bigger or smaller uniforms, etc. So I was able to give my own kids their uniforms, which they were VERY eager to test out! I LOVE IT!!
And that's where we are! We grilled our dinner this evening, and had most of the windows open all afternoon. Tomorrow, we are supposedly going to see temperatures in the SEVENTIES-- this will be the first time since probably October. I can't WAIT!!