Danny the Mascot

Caleb has a class mascot and today was our turn to take care of him. I knew he was excited because he knew exactly who got to take Danny home every day. When I picked him up from school I could see he was carrying Danny and he had a smile on his face.

Changed his clothes

Feeding him a slice of pizza

Took him to the dentist

Riding Lucas' bike

Playing a board game

Eating dinner

Reading him a book

One more book before bedtime

Cuddling with Danny

Parenting Milestone

Jamie and I went on a weekend getaway without the kids for the very first time! A good friend from college and her husband turned 40 this year and they planned a weekend up in Napa to celebrate. When they sent out the email a few months ago I wasn't really sure how to handle getting childcare for the weekend. We asked my parents and also looked into hiring a babysitter for the weekend. In the end my parents were able to watch them and they even took the boys to a preschool concert fundraiser.

We left on Friday around 2pm and drove up to Napa. We stayed at the Westin Verasa. It was an awesome location walking distance to downtown Napa. When we arrived we immediately saw the birthday couple checking in. They arrived earlier in the day and already visited a couple of wineries. They had planned to go out to dinner downtown but Jamie and I took advantage of the getaway and planned a dinner date at Auberge du Soleil. It was a beautiful evening to have dinner on the deck overlooking the resort and Napa Valley. The menu choices were either a 3, 4, 5, and even a 6 course tasting menu. I threw out the idea of getting a 3 course while he gets a 4 course which boils down to sharing 7 courses. We had maine lobster, hamachi, halibut, lamb, prime rib, cheese, and chocolate dumplings. yum yum and YUM! With bellies full of food and wine and a full day of wine tasting on Saturday, we chose to go back to the hotel and have an early night instead of meeting everyone at a bar downtown. I was also looking forward to going to sleep early AND sleeping in.

The view from our table at Auberge du Soleil

our table on the deck

chocolate dumpling dessert

On Saturday Jamie and I had room service breakfast and then met everyone down in the lobby for the shuttle pickup at 9:30am. The birthday couple set up the weekend itinerary on guidebook app. It was a running joke whenever we fell behind or someone asked about what was next... "According to the guidebook..." But everyone admitted it was quite handy. We hopped onto the shuttle and to everyone's surprise the shuttle bus looked more like a limo with long seats against the perimeter of the shuttle rather than rows of seats. It was very conducive to socializing. There was a total of 16 people, mostly married couples but there were also two single ladies.

The first winery stop was at Artesa where we had a 40 minute tour of the winery and a private tasting. The property was GORGEOUS and the views amazing. It was one of the most picturesque wineries I have ever been to. We arrived a little early and had time to do a group shot in front of the sign before the gates opened. The wines were yummy and Jamie and I bought a few bottles to take home.

Such a gorgeous view

Group shot minus 1 couple who joined us later.

Barrels of wine. It smells amazing.

Wine tasting time

The next stop was to Domaine Carneros for some bubbly tasting. We got there around noon and were seated on a patio table. We enjoyed some snacks and bubbly. By this time the fog had burned off and it was turning out to be a warm sunny day.

The last stop was at Caymus. Their private tasting room looked more like someone's living/dining room with a large square table to seat everyone. It was homey and pretty. We ended up buying some bottles from here too.

The birthday couple

After Caymus the shuttle dropped us off at Oxbow Public Market. Jamie and I got a snack. I got a skirt steak taco while Jamie got a chocolate ice cream cone. All day wine tasting in the warm sun takes it's toll so we decided to go back to the room and take a nap before the scheduled 7:15pm dinner reservation.

Dinner was at Fish Story. We got their a little early and had time for (yet another) drink. I ordered the moscow mule and it came in a copper mug. It was so good that I didn't taste the alcohol. We had a lovely table outside on the riverfront. There was a special prix fixe dinner menu. The best part of the meal was the butterscotch pudding. The pickled artichoke salad was a close second. After dinner half the group went back to the hotel while the other half which included me and Jamie went to a rooftop bar for one last drink before calling it a night. When we walked back to the hotel the group that went to the hotel were hanging out at the bar having drinks so I hung out for a bit longer. Jamie headed to bed a little earlier than I did. I think I didn't return until close to 12:30am.

Moscow Mule - it may be my new favorite drink

We got to sleep in on Sunday a little, stopped by Model Bakery for mochas and their famous english muffins then headed home. As soon as we walked into the door we were engulfed in hugs and kisses from the boys. Lucas didn't let me put him down for a long time. My mom told me that he woke up in the middle of the night on Friday asking for me. She had to read another book before he was ready to go back to bed. Other than that, the boys had fun with my parents. My mom commented that it was a little tiring chasing after them. They played board games and put together puzzles. My sister and nieces also came over Friday night for dinner.

In a nutshell the weekend was awesome. We got to hang out with some favorite friends, meet some new couples, drink lots of wine, eat delicious food, and spend some quality couple time together. After having such a great time and seeing that the boys handled it so well we should not wait close to 5 years to do it again.

Binky

When Lucas was a newborn baby he was a terrible napper. The only time he would nap was when I held him. Once I put him down in the bassinet or crib he would wake up soon after. At a certain point it became clear he was a binky boy. He napped and slept like a champ if he had his binky. There was a rough patch of time when the binky would fall out of his mouth at night and he wasn't able to locate it and stick it back in his mouth.

Fast forward two years later I considered weaning Lucas off of the binky but was scared off after hearing from another mom who did the same with her 2 year old and he quickly gave up his nap. I felt Lucas would've done the same and I was not mentally ready to have two non napping kids in the house. I justified my decision by telling myself that he only uses for sleep so it couldn't be that bad.

I knew it was time for Lucas to be weaned. I put a stake in the ground and said it had to happen when he turned 3. We prepped him for months telling him that he's a big boy and big boys don't use binkies (they also use the potty and don't get carried all the time). I told him about the binky bear store aka Build-A-Bear Workshop where we would go put his binky in a bear. We happened to be in a mall in LA where there was a Build-A-Bear Store and I pointed it out to him.

Reality set in the day after his birthday. Before his nap I told him that when he woke up we would go to the binky bear store and so this would be the last time he would use his binky. Immediately upon waking up from his nap he started to cry and said he didn't want to go to the binky bear store and that he wanted his binky. I consoled him and then when that didn't quite work I promised him ice cream after we went to the store. That got him moving.

When we arrived he was all smiles and happily picked out a bear quickly. The woman at the store who guided us through the process was super nice and familiar with the idea of placing a binky in the bear. Lucas had the option of placing it in the bear's tummy or in a paw. We chose the tummy. Caleb also came with us but luckily I didn't have to buy him a bear too. He was happy enough to help stuff the bear. The woman also gave Caleb a job of "bathing" one of the display bears. Caleb tried to convince Lucas to get his bear some shoes and a whole outfit. I managed to talk them down into just a Giants t-shirt. We got to the birth certificate station and Lucas couldn't think up of a name so I just suggested Binky and he agreed.

choosing the bear

helping to stuff

kissing the heart

bye bye binky!

"Bathing" the bear

A GIANT binky bear

Strawberry ice cream with M&M's

So the moment of truth came and it was everything I expected it to be. They are usually in bed by 8:00pm. Here's the rundown of each time I had to go back into his room after the initial tuck in.

1. decided he doesn't like his bed and wants to sleep on the floor of C's room
2. decided he doesn't like Binky bear and threw him across the room 
3. he doesn't like Binky so he put him in the playroom
4. wants to now sleep in his bed 
5. left his room and declared he can't sleep
6. left his room again because he can't sleep 
7. gave me his band aid to put in the garbage
8. complained he couldn't sleep so I asked if he wanted Binky bear. Even had him squeeze the bear so he knew it was there. Still didn't want the bear. "I don't want Binky bear, I want binky" 
9. when I walked into his room he was still upset and was trying to get the words out. What did he finally end up saying? "I don't like Raider". I gave him one last hug and kiss and told him I was not coming back in his room. I then went upstairs to watch the tv with the volume way up.

He was crying so loud but I was determined not to return to his room. I heard him leave his room and was crying in the hallway. After it quieted down I went to check on him and he was sound asleep on the bed in the playroom.

The second night of no binky went WAAAY better. He protested once, I offered the bear, he said no, I said good night and gave him one last hug and kiss. That was it. And just like he turned into a kid.

Lucas's 3rd birthday interview

He cracks me up! Even though he can't sit still for a second I think he's awfully cute and has the funniest expressions.

Here is some of the questions with my commentary.
What is your favorite food? - A boy after my own heart!
What is your favorite toy? - Trains??? That's such BS.
Who is your best friend? - Kuya is a filipino word used to refer to a big brother or basically an affectionate term for any male who is older than you.
What is your favorite TV show? - surprised he didn't answer right away and was even more surprised he said I don't know. Every night he asks to watch Team Umizoomi.
What is your favorite movie? We've watched a lot of movies but I don't think he's ever really sat through a whole one.

Arrrr... Lucas be 3!

Lucas had a pirate themed birthday party at the family favorite Shoup Park. I must give all credit/blame to etsy and pinterest.

Birthday shirt!

With the debacle that was Caleb's 3rd birthday train cake I swore off trying to ever make a cake again. Alas, two years later I tried again. This time I was a bit more successful. The ship had masts with sails, 3 gummy lifesaver portholes for the candle cannons, blueberry sour belt ocean waves, and gummy sharks. I got the fondant pirate from etsy. For food we got finger sandwiches, chicken drummettes(peg legs), a noodle dish (buried treasure noodle), kale and avocado salad(slimy seaweed salad), strawberries and grapes(cannon balls and red rubies) and pirate's booty. I made food labels with piratey names and stuck them in a cup filled with Swedish fish in blue ocean jello with an orange slice ship.

Family photo!

I made a cardboard bean bag toss game "Sink a Ship". I think the kids had fun trying to toss the bean bags. I was surprised that it only took one afternoon to make. Caleb even helped out by painting the ocean and suggested how big I make the holes. He also was my tester since to make sure it wasn't too hard.

I also set up a craft table where kids could make and decorate a paper pirate hat, treasure map, and paper telescope. I am so bad at taking pictures during parties that I did not take one single picture of the craft table. I consider it successful by the amount of mess I found around the table. For the last activity Jamie and I planned a little treasure hunt for the kids. We made two different versions/paths to the treasure. At each spot a kid received a pirate item (sword/eyepatch, string of beads, and two gold coins). The treasure hunt ended in a spot where we hung a pinata.

We found the treasure chest pinata!

The loot!

Blowing out candles. There were 3 candles coming out of the side of the ship. In this shot you could see the cake was starting to fall apart (no support system) and so I improvised and made it look like gummy sharks were attacking the ship.

I now be THREE!!!

I almost can't believe Lucas is 3. Seriously where did the time go? He is a running, climbing, talking in sentences, opinionated little boy. He's stubborn, independent, funny, silly, and sneaky smart guy. He loves hugs and kisses at bedtime. To this day has no stranger danger or separation anxiety (this gives ME anxiety!). He can be super sweet when he wants to be. You always know how he feels whether it's happy, sad, or angry. I love his adventurous spirit. I can't wait to see what the next year will bring.

Life with two boys

I grew up with two sisters, it seemed like our extended family were mostly girls, and even all my first cousins are girls. I never thought I would have a boy but here I am a mother of two of them! Jamie on the other hand grew up with a brother and all the kids in the neighborhood were boys. He has always wanted daughters but to his surprise (and his fault) he got sons.

From the beginning Caleb has been a super sweet and awesome big brother. He was always very helpful. He wasn't the type to always want to kiss and hold his baby brother but every night he will kiss and hug Lucas good night. Now that Lucas is almost 3 they can play together for short bits of time, they love to chase each other, and Lucas will mimic just about everything Caleb does. If Caleb wants a snack so does Lucas. And instead of sharing one bowl, they each have to have their own (so annoying!). If Caleb goes on the big slide at the park or climbs on it, Lucas wants to try too. It also can go the other way around. We were at a hotel swimming pool and I asked if Caleb wanted to go on the waterslide. He said no. Then I asked Lucas if he wanted to go on the waterslide and he said yes. After that, Caleb said he wanted to go on the waterslide.

It's been a joy watching them bond and form a relationship. I give Caleb lots of credit for understanding that Lucas is younger and hasn't quite grasped the concepts of patience and sharing. He's not a total angel because he does tend to grab things out of Lucas' hands. He is also good at pointing out when Lucas isn't following the rules; such as not eating at the table, not eating his vegetables, coloring on something other than paper, etc etc.

Of course with any siblings there's fighting. Oh the fighting. Sometimes I just don't want to referee but I feel like I still have to jump in since Lucas is still a little young. A lot of times I find they are fighting over a toy and if Caleb has it he's holding it up high so Lucas can't try to grab it back. If Lucas has the toy he's holding on for dear life and pushing Caleb away. He definitely puts all 28 pounds he has into pushing Caleb away and sometimes pushes him so hard he falls. Lucas also has gotten into the bad habit of throwing tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants. I hope this phase ends very soon. It's getting better and I think largely due to reminding Lucas to "use his words". Sometimes I can hear Lucas shouting "No thank you!" to Caleb and when Caleb doesn't stop I have to speak up and say "Caleb, he said No thank you, you need to listen."

But overall I think they do love each other. At least I have a couple of pictures that show they like each other and for the most part tolerate each other.

Holding hands in the car

Sleeping together

Happy boys!

Diaper Free!!

Actually 95% free... Lucas is still wearing a pull up at night but for the past month or so he's been wearing underwear during the day and using the toilet. For what seemed like the longest time he was able to pee on the potty but absolutely refused to poop in it. A sticker chart didn't work. So I got him his own little pom pom jar and told him whenever he peed or pooped in the potty he would get a pom pom and when the jar was filled he would get a flashlight (his choice). He kept refusing to poop in the potty and was quickly filling up the jar with pom poms just by peeing. When it was almost full I had to change the goal a little by saying when the jar is filled and you poop ONCE in the potty we can go get the flashlight. It got to the point where the jar was full and every time he pooped in his diaper I would remind him that if he pooped in the potty he would get his flashlight. One day we were at the hardware store and there were these flashlights that looked like a spider and had legs that bent so you position it to stand or wrap the legs around something. I pointed it out to Lucas and said we could get that but we won't be able to open it until he pooped in the potty. A few days later I caught him at the right time and reminded him that he could get his flashlight. He decided he wanted it and off to the bathroom we went. It only took him a few days to be accident free. It's a bit of a struggle to get him to go potty before we leave the house or before his swim lesson. He just doesn't like anyone telling him to go. There has been a couple of accidents but luckily they all have been at home.

No more carrying diapers and wipes in my bag. I do keep spare clothing in the car in case of an accident. I dread the idea of waiting in line for a public bathroom. Nevertheless I feel like this is such a milestone. I can't believe I changed diapers for 4.5 years straight and 10 months of that was double duty. To commemorate this milestone I have the urge to buy a nice new handbag.