Preschool Halloween - Two Spiderman's: Mine's the little one!

Stats

Today we had our well-child visits.
Saff is 9 months.  She is 17 lbs and 5.5 oz (21%) and 28" long (62%).

R is 3 years old.  He is 27.4 lbs (9%) and 36" tall (17%). 

Both seem super healthy despite some minor runny/stuffy noses.

I did have a couple of questions regarding R.  His growth is consistant, but he is terribly tiny.  As you can see he is only 8 inches (though I'm not sure that's totally accurate) taller than his 9 month old sister and about 10 lbs heavier.  The doctor is not concerned at all by his growth as he is steady for him.  I have also had concerns regarding his chocolate reaction.  She still thinks that it might be reflux, but N and I aren't convinced that's what it is.  Either way, he can not have chocolate without horrible nighttime waking and "freak outs".  So for now, N and I will sneak our coco treats and continue to treat him in other special ways.

Birthday jumble

So Saturday was R's birthday party.  Sunday was getting ready for the garage teardown.  Monday was R's actual birthday.  Today is my birthday and they tore down the garage.  Got all that?

Actually the dumpster arrived at 6:45 a.m. and I had to move my car in my jammies.  This was sort of a precurser to how my birthday would go...  I had to work in R's co-op preschool today because of his birthday.  We brought in glazed pumpkin muffins, but I digress.  So we all got ready, the construction crew arrived at 7:30 and we were out the door at 8:15.  I dropped Saff off at a friend's house (who didn't yet know her kids were sick) and went off with R to preschool.  I worked there for a couple of hours and then went back to pick up Saff.  My friend was kind enough to feed us.  When we got home... this is what our back yard looked like...

But they had issues.  The tree removal guys did not get all the stump and roots out.  So our crew had to call in another stump removal service to "fix" it.  So meanwhile, the dogs are locked in the house and barking at every man who walks from the backyard to the front.  The kids need naps and I'm running low on energy.  I finally get them to sleep (thank God for our sound machine) and this guy shows up with his stump grinder which wakes the kids up...

When N finally gets home, I'm a bit worn out.  So, I went and picked up sushi all by my lonesome and I made him promise me a "raincheck" on my birthday activities.  After I'm done here, I hope to pull out the sewing machine and get crafty!

Your friendly neighborhood Spiderman... birthday!

Prep...

He requested that everything be either "Spiderman" or "Blue". We let him take the lead. My only dissappointment was with the "natural food dye" blue cupcakes and frosting. Neither turned a true blue...

Here's the birthday boy and our guests...

Happy 3rd Birthday little boy! You are loved by so many people!

Nature's Playhouse

So, I bit the bullet and decided to visit Nature's Playhouse in Clawson today. I'm always on the hunt for things to keep us occupied (and warm) during these fantastic Michigan winters. Well, it was AMAZING!

First let me prefice this by saying that my kids and I (yes, I am including myself) do really well in a Waldorf setting. I think we all get easily "overstimulated" at play dates and other types of "drop in" places. We really enjoyed the Bluebird House, but this place is A MILE AND A HALF from the house. Yep, can get in and out and home for lunch and naps no problem.

Nature's Playhouse was so calm and relaxing... and quiet. I LOVED the quiet. It reminded me of a yoga studio. The lights were slightly dimmed, the colors muted and soothing. And let me tell you, the toys and props were AMAZING. It's like they bought one of everything in big name wooden toy catalog. I'm not always great at knowing what to do with my kids in a new environment and Paul (one of the owners and former Steiner kindergarten teacher) did a great job of engaging R in a very subtle way. Both kids had a blast and PASSED OUT right after lunch.

They have both classes and drop-in play. So (*hint*hint* Nonna) a gift certificate would be a fabulous Christmas Present.

Farm swap and more...

The farm swap items have arrived! Woohoo!

Saff's very good at pulling herself up now. She's even started to cruise a bit.

Finally, goodbye favorite shoes.

You only lasted a little more than year, but what a year. You went through an entire pregnancy and all the crazy Michigan weather. I continued to wear you with holes, but now you are literally falling apart. You will be missed!

On the road to a new garage

Well, Monday the trees came down. We also signed the contract on the new garage. Friday, the electritians came and updated the house (nothing had been done since 1955). N said today that basically it would have taken him a year to get done what the two professional companies did in two days. Yay for hiring it out! As soon as the permits are had, the crew starts on the garage. Hopefully, we'll get through next weekend's birthday first. Then on to my finished basement!

Here are the first few spider favors for the Spiderman Birthday Party...

Spiderman Birthday Party

R turns 3 in less than two weeks. I'm planning the requested "Spiderman" party.

Here's my first craft idea: Pipe cleaner spiders.

Goodbye sweet trees...

Before

After

On to the new garage. Paperwork is all signed, we are waiting for permits. Now I will start the process of planning a new garden space.

Birds are done...

New door this last weekend...

Goodbye old door. Whoever put you on a 50's ranch???

Hello purple!

pictures

can't put teething baby down.. but I can upload pix w/one hand...

Rainbow swap has arrived!!!

Here are the goodies...

Looks like we'll have plenty of stocking stuffers and B-day gifts for the little ones! They are all amazing; but my current favorites are the knitted balls, the large cloth ball, and the acorns.

On a side note, this mama is getting very tired of getting up at 5:30 a.m. Between the all-night-long-teething-nursing, the preschooler up at least once a night to use the bathroom, and the late night crafting, I'm pooped. Will someone please let me sleep in this weekend?

Our house, in the middle of our street…

That 80’s song has been stuck in my head. We’re doing so much around here and/or preparing for work that time is getting away from me. Last week we got estimates on a new garage and tree removal to build said garage. We are also in the middle of refinancing our house in order to take advantage of these lower interest rates. Next Monday, the 50 year old maple is scheduled to come down. As is the nearly as old pine. I’m both saddened and excited to get rid of these trees. The pine is ill and needs to be removed, the maple is just in the way. While I will miss the trees, I look forward to having more sun in my yard for an actual vegetable garden. These last few years have yielded no veggies. I’m also planning to plant an apple tree in the back. I will also (hopefully) have room for a small clothesline.

As for the kids, Saff is getting a top tooth. It’s giving her a bit of a hard time. I’m dosing her with Chamomile, but tonight I broke down and gave her a tiny bit of Tylenol. That sucker is almost through and once it is I’m sure she’ll be back to her pleasant self in no time.

R is still loving preschool and tomorrow is his turn at show and tell. He’s also very excited about his “Spiderman” themed birthday (whatever that’s going to be). I haven’t figured it all out yet.

N had a great review at work last week. He also participated in some sort of GM research. He was delighted to come home and tell me he got to critique interiors on several newer small cars… including the Sonic.

As for crafting, I’m finished with all the rainbow swap items and have moved on to the Birds, Bees, and Bugs. They are due soon, so my goal is to complete one bird per night. I’ve got 4 down, just 4 more to go. I’m making plenty of extras for my upcoming Etsy shop.