Workin' It

Big Kids

We have a couple new developments on the Fescoe front...

Lincoln is working really hard at sitting by himself and he's doing a great job!

Ava had her very first dentist appointment this morning!  My expectations were set very low, because, well, I know her.  I did not think she would sit in the chair by herself much less allow the dentist to use his noisy tools around her.  Fortunately, she did great!  She actually enjoyed the experience.  He showed her how to properly brush her teeth and she gladly sat through the entire dental exam.  She has 20 teeth.  No cavities.  She choose a pink toothbrush and bubble gum flavored tooth cleaner stuff (it was in a pink container).

Weekend & Eye

I brought Linc back to the doctor today because his eye hadn't improved much.  He's still 18 pounds, 4 ounces.  The doctor (a different one) prescribed a different antibiotic (drops) for his eye.  She seems to think this one will clear his eye up over the next 3 days.  As for the rash, she seems to think it's a reaction to his bubble bath or lotion.  She recommended trying Cetaphil products.  Good to know.  I feel better.  The doctor let Ava pick out a sticker and she went with Elmo!  Ava then told the doctor that she met Elmo and went on the roller coaster with her Daddy.  Kids...

Chris is back to reality this week - he begins his summer semester of classes!  He likes summer sessions because he only has 1 class for 6 weeks.  It's a quick pace but he appreciates only having to read 1 textbook and his brain appreciates only needing to absorb 1 subject.  I really enjoyed his week off last week.  He looked well rested for the first time in probably 5 years.  His aura was much improved.  Now if only I could convince him to go get a hair cut... 

We managed to watch TWO movies and eat as a family every night.  Chris' cousin and her husband happened to be in town this past weekend as well.  It had been 10 years since they last saw each other and it was my first time meeting her (and her husband).  We spent a few hours getting acquainted with Linda and Andrew on Saturday and I'm so glad that we did!  It's always refreshing to spend time with like-minded individuals.  I'm already looking forward to our next meeting (whenever that will be)!   

Chris and I also squeezed in a quick trip to Busch Gardens with Ava on Saturday evening.  She was so super excited it was awesome.  She went on the Sesame Street roller coaster with Chris too.  Although, she did ask her Daddy to hold her hand on the ride :-)  

Cool Find!

I just love it when I come across a cool find or when someone else shares one that they have with me!  With that said, I just came across a cool website that was mentioned in a book I'm reading.  

A long time ago I learned on Food Network, and I'm sure this isn't a surprise to many, that purchasing in season produce costs less money.  Since then I've learned that not only is in season produce easier on the pocket but it's also much more nutritious and better for the environment.

The website, Eat The Seasons, takes the guess work out of which fruits and veggies to purchase at the store each week.  Very exciting indeed!

If you really want to love your planet and do your body a favor, take it a step further and be a Locavore.  This is the practice of eating locally harvested, seasonal produce.  An excerpt from my book, Healthy Child Healthy World by Christopher Gavigan, "Local food generally uses less packaging, comes in more varieties, and, quite frankly, tastes amazing.  We sometimes forget the knee-buckling delight that we get from fresh picked blueberries or melons or corn.  'Know your farmer, know your food.'"

I'm going to dismount my pedestal now.  I'll remount when I come across another interesting tidbit of information that I think the loyal blog-readers would like to learn about.  

Also, does anyone know how to underline text in Blogger?  I know the book title should be underlined but I don't see that option anywhere...

Little bit of this, little bit of that

Nothing in particular. Just some snapshots of our days.

I took Linc to the doctor this morning because he has an eye infection. He's had a clogged tear duct since he was born and it recently became goopy. Looks like he has a viral thing too because he has a little rash on his belly and his throat is red. No fever and no strep...just viral. I have a sneaking suspicion that it's allergy-related but the doctor didn't bring that up at all. Time will tell. In the meantime we have to put an ointment in his eye 4 times a day. That should be interesting. It should clear up by Monday and if it doesn't they'll more than likely give him an IV with antibiotics to be safe. He weighed in at 18 lbs. 4 ounces. Big boy!  

Good morning!

Linc playing...

Ava practicing yoga...

Another yoga pose...

Linc at the park...

Last bottle before bed...

Ava created a zoo in Linc's bedroom.  So cute.  There is a giraffe exhibit and it looks like the lion made an escape.  Since taking this picture she has added a bear and elephant exhibit.  I think I'll start charging admission into Linc's room.  

Interview with Ava

I wish I could take credit for this idea, alas, I cannot.  I got this idea a while ago from a fellow blogger.  Now that Ava is so articulate and expressive I'm going to try to remember to interview her every once in a while to capture what's important to her at these little stages in her life.

It's a little tough to understand some of her answers.  I ask her what her favorite thing is about Daddy and she tells me, "playing and laying on him."  I ask her what her favorite thing is about Mommy and she tells me, "eating and making cards."  Yes, eating.  Sigh...  I ask her what her favorite book is and she tells me, "the penguin book."  The book is actually called "And Tango Makes Three."  It's one of my favorite children's books too!  I ask her what her favorite movie is and she tells me, "Move it, move it."  That's the song from the movie Madagascar.  I don't know why she says that is her favorite movie...she's only watched it twice and it's been a long time.  I ask her what she wants to be when she gets big and she tells me, "play drums like Caillou."  She's into drums lately.

The answers change ever so slightly depending on the day - but this is the gist!  

P.S. She doesn't normally move around so much.  I think she simply likes to watch herself on camera.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!  I enjoyed my day today :-)  I got to sleep in until Ava woke me up to tell me that breakfast was ready.  Daddy made belgian waffles with fresh fruit and whipped cream!  He also had sausage and cinnamon buns ready!  Yum!  Unfortunately, Chris had a take home exam due tonight so that was the end of our fun at home.  I had to load the kids up and get out of the house so Daddy could focus.  We headed over to Honey & Papa's house where Jeff, Rachel, Sam & Tyler were visiting.  The girls played for a few hours until it was time for Sam to go home.  

Yesterday was really exciting - it was the first trip to Busch Gardens this season for the girls!  They had a lunch date with Elmo.  They also rode their very first roller coaster!  

Here are some pictures...

On our way to Busch Gardens!

In line...

Jeff & Sam before the roller coaster ride...

The girls playing...

What a good Daddy & what a cute diva...

Lunch with Elmo...

Ava didn't like the "Elmo" part of "Lunch with Elmo".  It was more than she could handle...

Uncle Jeff's brilliant idea...

The boys...

The girls...

Nothing better than curling up on the couch to watch Barney after a long day...

Handsome Tyler...

*VIDEOS*

The girls playing in the sprinkler...

Ava's very first roller coaster ride (it's a short ride)...

Pears

Seeing as how it's Odd Day today I felt that I need 3 posts, rather than 2.  

Linc tried real food for the first time the other day - pears!  Here is his very first taste of food (other than oatmeal).  Disclaimer: it's tough to record and feed at the same time.

After a few bites he didn't mind it anymore and he ended up polishing off the bowl.  Since then he's tried peas and bananas (not together...gross thought...).  He's not a fan of bananas just yet.  They actually made him shudder.  Guess I have until the 19th to straighten that out, huh CLO?

Bubbles

We had 5 minutes without rain today so we ran outside to burn off some energy.  

Happy Odd Day

5/7/09

5 Months

Sir Preciousness is 5 months old today! What is a 5-month-old busy doing you ask? Take a look...

Practices the "deer in headlights" look...

Chills in his ride...

Hangs with the fam...

Gets tickled by his hermana...

Flashes his pearly whites...

Sits for the monthly photo-shoot...

Bravely wakes his sister from her naps...

All in all he's a pretty busy guy. He's doing so well! He only wakes a couple times at night now (for the most part). He's mastering the art of eating oatmeal. I think we'll start baby food very soon! He still has the best smile that'll make anyone melt. He reaches for toys and tries to get everything into his mouth. He gets extremely frustrated if he can't get a toy into his mouth. He likes to sleep on his side or his tummy. After he yawns twice he falls asleep within minutes - every time. He's a drool factory. The sound of his sister's voice is enough to calm him down when he's upset. He holds his mouth open like a little bird when he's playing and interacting. He's huge - 12 month clothes mostly! His neck is super ticklish. I just love him to pieces!

Zsa Zsa

Zsa Zsa was brave enough to visit us for the past few days! As you can see, we stayed pretty busy. We went for a walk on the trail (surprise) and met a BIG turtle. I was beyond excited about that. I have a lot more pictures of the turtle, if you're interested. We hit up the Farmer's Market where we listened to some music and fed the ducks, fish and more turtles. I'm proud to announce that Zsa Zsa is no longer a Trader Joe's virgin! I think she was pretty excited about TJ's and that made me happy. We even squeezed in a movie. Good times! I cannot believe that when I met Court she had braces and bangs...now we're talking about her senior year of college and what she wants to do now that she's grown up. What happened?