Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss

If Casey were a book that would be his title. Casey is the King of Noises. As soon as walk in the door after school/work, Casey stops in the laundry room to beat on the washer and dryer. Then he walks over to the fridge and sends all of the alphabet magnets skittering across the floor. He then pulls the electronic Leap Frog toys off the fridge and plays the ABC song and Animal Matching song over and over before he tires of them and throw the toys on the ground. During dinner, he will dump his food on the table and play his plate like a drum. As well as bang his cup and spoon on the table to the point that even the girls tell him to be quiet and that he is hurting their ears. Once I put him down in bed he will rattle his crib bars or rake a toy across the bars until he gets tired enough to fall asleep. He may not say anything right now, but he finds plenty of ways to make himself heard.

Growth Spurts

I usually remember to feed my kids, and they seem to be getting bigger. It is either that or patterns are getting smaller. My grandmother, Oma, has been knitting for as long as I can remember. First, Christmas sweaters for me and my siblings when we were little, then an occasional shawl or sweater as we have gotten older. Now with great grand children to knit for, Oma as been whipping out blankets, hats, sweaters, and dresses faster than you can blink. It is a good thing that the children's patterns don't take her more than a few days because she has 5 great grand kids to knit for now. Her most recent package included some pieces for Elizabeth. (Which is good because then I can pass them onto Ava.) Oma just saw a Elizabeth in February, but I guess just a few months can make a big difference in a growing toddler. Elizabeth was able to wear the skirt, and fortunately Oma's gift could be shared with Ava and Casey as well. On behalf of all the kids, Elizabeth says, "Thank you Oma for the skirt, sweater and dress."

My little fashion models.

Swim Extravaganza

While regular school is out of session, our daycare center takes a break from some of their pre-K academics. The kids do lots of arts and crafts, cooking projects, and play in the water. Kids under three get sprinkler time a few days a week, and Elizabeth gets to swim every day, since the center has a pool on site. Their school also teaches swim lessons, and we figured it would be a good idea for the girls to hone their water skills. Elizabeth was getting pretty comfortable in the water last summer, and could hold her breath while gliding underwater a few feet, so we were hoping that she would actually start swimming on her own after a round of lessons.

She did great! Not quite swimming on her own by the end of class, but way more comfortable in the water. Jumping in, floating, and she could jump in and swim as far as one breath would take her. If she wasn't at the side or couldn't touch the bottom after one breath then she panicked, but most of the kids in her class were in the same boat. Remarkably, she is now swimming on her own! I took the kids to the pool the last two weekends and on Saturday it just clicked for her. She can now swim back and forth across a pool without any assistance. She loves telling me how she doesn't need a floaty anymore.

Ava on the other hand thinks she can swim by herself but she can't. "Mama, I can swim all by myself." She keeps taking off her floaties and jumping into the pool. No fear. She can just barely kick herself to the surface. I have to admire her persistence and effort. Swim lessons were great for her. She will now jump in the pool unassisted, let me help her float on her back, and swim short distances under water. Once she can figure out how to use her arms and legs together, I think she will have it.

Deja Vu

June's Blog seems a lot like January's. Here I am writing about gymnastics shows, new fish, and parties again.

You have already heard about the big gymnastics show, so I guess I will move onto the fish. After a six months with us, Elizabeth's fish, Saint Nicholas, went to fishy heaven. His passing inspired Ryan to finally clean the fish tank, where he managed to kill off Pinkie and Merlin III in a matter of 15 minutes by placing them in a cup of water straight from the tap. The girls were more excited than sad about the loss of their fish, so a few days later we went to the pet store to buy some replacement fish. Ava picked out the same pink fish again and named her Pinkie. Casey got a yellow tail fish, Merlin IV. Elizabeth picked a black and orange shark fish, Sharkie Fish. Elizabeth has a knack for picking out the most agressive fish. Two days later, I found Merlin IV floating in the tank without his yellow tail or fins. I put Merlin IV in a plastic baggie and took him back to the store for a faster swimming fish. Merlin V, a orange and yellow fish, lasted past his warranty period but just this week he suffered the same fate as Merlin IV. I found Merlin V under a frog statue without a tail. Elizabeth swears that it was the resin frog that killed Merlin, not Sharkie Fish. For now, I think we will stick with two fish. Pinkie is a faster swimmer and likes the top of the tank, and Sharkie hangs out around the bottom. Hopefully, they can continue to get along. Their relationship reminds me a lot of Elizabeth and Ava. Finally, what is a summer without parties. Pool parties, summer parties, birthday parties, etc. You name it, my girls have attended. They will never pass up an opportunity for sugar.

Quote of the Day

Elizabeth: "Mom, when I turn 30, I won't have anymore birthdays"

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How does she know when to stop counting, and how nice would that be if it were true?

Context: Yesterday, the kids and I were in the car and Elizabeth was talking about car seats because Ava just got a new car seat and Casey got Ava's old one. Elizabeth was telling me about how she will get a booster car seat when she turns five, and when she is seven she won't have need a car seat anymore. Then she said that when she turns 30 she will also sit in a big girl seat, promptly followed by the above comment.

Motherhood Madness

For the next two weeks, Ryan is working 12 hours shifts, which leaves me playing single parent. I am not much of a basketball fan, but I have been told that zone defense never wins championships. Even when Ryan is around, we can't play man-on-man anymore, but we can still whoop up on the kids most of the time. However, when it is 3 against 1, it is an entirely different story. All I can do is pray that they go easy on me. This past Saturday they were delightful! We played a double header of T-ball, stopped by a store so that I could exchange some clothes, and went to the library to pick out some new books. Everyone took a nap, ate all of their meals, and were in bed by 8pm. Sunday was an entirely different story. Elizabeth gave Ava a haircut. Ava stole a lollipop from Casey, ate it right in front of him, made him cry, and then lied about it to me. No naps, no sharing, lots of whining, big messes with toys and food! I was reminded why Ava's nickname is Captain Destructo. I ended up putting them to bed without dinner before 7pm. Still they didn't all fall asleep until after 8:30pm. Arrgh! Sometime, I am very glad that I get to escape to work on Monday. My hat is off to stay at home moms.

Nothing to Wear

Don't you hate when you can't find anything to wear?

Show time!

Last day of gymnastics for the year and Elizabeth couldn't be happier. The past few weeks the kids practiced their routines, for the big show during the last class. Elizabeth made remarkable improvement in her skills as well as her attitude during the semester. She went from crying and not participating in January to cartwheels and smiles in June. She is glad to be taking a break this summer to take swimming lessons and play T-ball again. Ava on the other hand can't wait until her "birthday time" and she can start up gymnastics.

Rub a Dub, Dub, Three Kids in a Tub

A laundry tub that is, I am not sure the last time my kids set foot in the bathtub. However, they have been swimming everyday at school, and I think I may have hosed them off in the shower or sink occasionally after meals.

Sounds Great!

Ava's new favorite phase is, "That sound good, mom?" No matter how reasonable or absurd the request or statement is, she will end it with that question.

"I eat lunch and go to sleep, then go swimming. That sound good, mom?"

or this morning

"Mom, I get dressed for airplane, and have bubble gum. Sound good?"

Much to her chagrin, she ended up with yogurt and a banana for breakfast and then I dropped her off at school. She may get bubble gum later today, but we don't have any airline travel planned for awhile.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Reflecting back on growing up in San Antonio, Ryan says he remembers a lot of rain during the the month of May. This year was no exception. T-ball was plagued this season with soggy fields, canceled practices, and shorten games all due to rain. Plus, we had to contend with the swine flu. Still, Elizabeth managed to rise above it all and come out with a perfect batting average and zero errors. She is very proud of her t-ball trophy. She is taking it for show-n-tell on Friday. In addition, her new favorite color is orange. That may change, we start practice with the summer team this week and she will get a new jersey. At least, she still tells me that she loves T-ball and wants to play every day. In between rainy days, we spend a lot of time in the backyard. The girls love jumping on their trampoline, digging in the sandbox, and playing in their tree house.When we do have to stay in, the kids like to read books, play dress up, and color.

Fiesta Farm

About a month ago, I worked for BearingPoint, they went bankrupt and sold part of their business to Deloitte Consulting. Now I am still doing the same job just with a different company. Before I made the switch from Bearing Point, I took my remaining vacation time to have a fun day with the kids and my friend Cara while she and her son were still in town. I figured time to play with the kids was worth more, and then couple of bucks I would get for my vacation time. We met up with Cara and her sister at Fiesta Farm, which is a local petting zoo with ponies, llamas, goats, chickens, ducks, etc. Elizabeth got into feeding bunnies, goats and ponies. She also thought the tractor ride was a blast. Ava didn't want anything to do with the animal and even found her 2nd pony ride mundane. She enjoyed playing in the sandbox, and pushing Cara's stroller all over the farm. I forgot Casey's shoes, so he spent most the trip in the backpack. I am not irrational about dirt or germs, but there was way too much poop on the ground for me to let him walk around. He did still get to enjoy pony and tractor rides. Plus, he had a close encounter with a chicken that tried to take his PB&J sandwich.

Weekend Warrior Part II

Another weekend that Ryan was working and we were left to our own devices. At least we had T-ball. Elizabeth’s team won of course! Actually, every kid gets to bat, there are no outs, and every kid get to run around the bases, so keeping score is pointless. We only had half a team since parents were keeping their kids away for fear of catching the dreaded swine flu. Oh well, that meant more snacks and juice for Ava after the game. I think that is the only reason she likes to go to Elizabeth’s T-ball events. On Sunday, I met up with my girlfriend Cara and her son, Frankie, who were in town visiting family. We took the kids to an awesome playground with swings, slides, see-saws, merry-go-rounds, and other equipment that I had never seen before on a playground.

After awhile it got just to hot and we wandered over a Pet Expo. This expo had nothing but designer dogs, and their accessories (clothes, bags, beds, toys) for sale. Ava fell in love with a pink and black pet purse. Elizabeth opted for a little black Cockapoo. She kept saying that it would be okay with Dad because Sammy needed a friend. Somehow, I didn’t think Ryan was talking about a $400, eight pound, fuzzy puppy when he was tossing around the idea of getting a second dog. I decided it was best to leave with just my three kids and no puppy.

And what weekend isn't complete without a little face painting in the backyard. Casey opted out and I think he is cute just the way he is.

Weekend Warriors

Two weeks ago T-Ball was canceled and Dad was working, so the rest of us headed off to create our own adventures during the weekend. First up was riding ponies. We headed down to Fort Sam Houston's stables to snag a ride. Little did I know that after paying my $5 per kid, they handed me a horse and helmet and just said say in sight of the barn, which turned out great because I was able to give each girl a 20 minute ride before another kid showed up. This was Ava's first time to ride a pony, and this pony was almost as big as a horse. She was a little intimidated at first but decided she really like it. She definitely preferred that mode of transportation better than walking beside me while I led Elizabeth around.

(Casey was in the backpack.)

On Sunday, we climbed a mountain! It was grueling challenge mixed with paved trails and deer paths, but we finally made it to the top of the 4th highest peak in Bexar County. It was quite a rewarding experience to look down from the top of the mountain and see the highway, train tracks, and an IHOP. We celebrated our accomplishment with water and gummies.Actually, the girls did really great. I tried taking them into the wilderness about 18 months ago and it was a total and complete disaster, but I guess that is what happens to your kids when they grow up in a concrete jungle. Hopefully, the fresh air and wides spaces of TX will be good for them.

(Casey was in the backpack.)

Fiesta Week

Fiesta week in San Antonio began as a way to honor the memory of the heroes of the Alamo and the Battle of San Jacinto. That commemoration still takes place. But over the past century and more, Fiesta has grown into a celebration of San Antonio's rich and diverse cultures. 2009 marks Fiesta's 118th anniversary. Okay, that is the history behind Fiesta Week. The real story is that kids get a couple of days off school, there are a bunch of parades, a lot of drinking, and a ton of activities happening in downtown San Antonio. Of course, we didn't get to participate in any of it this year because I was traveling on business and then Ryan left for his NASCAR weekend with buddies. However, at least the kids still got to participate in fun activities at school including a parade and a party. This was also my first opportunity to have to work with the girls to complete projects for school. Elizabeth was tasked with making a shoebox float for the parade, and Ava needed clown pants. Luckily the school helped Ava and Casey make t-shirts for Fiesta, so that only left me with a couple of things to complete over the weekend before flying out for the week. Elizabeth and I made a jungle float out of Popsicle stick animals, some old plastic flowers, and shoe box. We strapped it to a wheel base from a Lego set and tied a string to the front and off she went with her float. She had a great time cutting and pasting.Ava's project was much simpler. I cut out some fabric squares and glued them to an old pair of pants....Presto Clown Pants! Next year, we hope to go see some of the parades and partake in a Night in Old San Antonio.

Some Bunny's One!

Casey got double the fun with his birthday falling on the Saturday right before Easter. The girls enjoyed the week of activities as well including four Easter egg hunts. I am sure they rank Easter right behind Christmas. I have taught them the religious significance of Easter, but they were much more impressed with the amount of candy that came along with this holiday. Easter Sunday was overload. The morning started with an egg hunt at Grandma and Grandpa Friesenhahn's house with all of the extended family: cousins, aunts, and uncles. This being only their second year of egg hunting, the girls were not to sure what to do. But thanks to the help of some of the older girls, they walked away with a full basket of real and plastic eggs, bubbles, and other goodies. Even Casey got a couple of eggs that were promplty snatched away by Ava.

The morning was good practice, because in the afternoon most of the party headed over to Gram's house for additional Easter activities. This time the girls were on top of their game, and really got into running around the back yard scouring for eggs. The Easter Bunny has gotten much more generous in the 21st century, and the girls not only got an Easter basket full of candies, but they also got some bigger toys as well.Ryan had to work during the day, but was able to join the rest of us in the evening to help celebrate Casey's birthday. By this time, poor little C.J. was exhausted and the girls were hyped up on suger after eating nothing but candy all day. Nothing like cake to round out your daily caloric intake. Sometimes, you just have make exceptions as a parent.Happy Birthday Baby Boy! Bouncing like bunnies.

Major Milestones

• In mid-December he started crawling.
• In late February he started pulling himself up.
• By mid-March he was cruising.
• At the end of March he could stand on his own.
• Now he is walking (and shopping).
• Still no hair.

The last year has flown by. Casey is now testing the water with walking, which has lead to a bunch of bumps and bruises. I got to sign 3 accident reports at school this week. He is eating a variety of table food. He still hates green veggies. He is transitioning to whole milk and s sippy cup. Soon he will switch to just one nap a day and move to the Tiny Tot's room at school which means sleeping on a cot instead of a crib. Our Baby Casey is quickly becoming Little CJ, as Ava now like to refer to him.

Sick Days

Courtesy of cousin Milo and his germs that he picked up some some little kid on the airplane, I got a call last week to pick up Casey from school because of a fever. Milo was really sick (fever, very cranky, and not sleeping) for about a week, so I was fearing the worse. Luckily, Casey's virus was much more mild, and after a fun day at home with mom he was able to return to school.

He really is the happiest baby I know.

Helping me, while I worked from home. Look, he is standing on his own.

Then at the beginning of this week I got a call to pick up Elizabeth at school because of fever. Unfortunately, Elizabeth caught a much nastier virus that brought a high fever and hacking cough, which led her to spend two days at home watching cartoons. She was shooting for a third but I told her that there was no one to stay home with her other than Sam the dog. I do have to thank the makers of Tylenol and Motrin. I will proclaim them as wonder drugs. They worked wonderfully for Elizabeth's fever, and she was jammin' by evening number 2.

However, now I am getting a headache from listening to the same songs over and over again since Christmas. Thanks Beau and Alli, don't be surpise when this guitar show up in your mailbox.

Batter Up!

Before Christmas: Elizabeth asked to play T-ball, so we signed her up with a youth team and got her the necessary gear. She was pumped about playing, only for the season to be canceled due to lack of interest.That brings us to the spring: Now there seamed to be no lack of interest and the league was able to put together eight 3-4 year old teams. However, Elizabeth's interest had seemed to wane and she was telling us that she wanted to play soccer instead. Being the great parents that we are (and having already invested money for the registration fee, ball, bat, and glove), we told her she had to play anyway. That of course brought on may rounds of tears, and I was anxious for her behavior at the first practice.Side bar: For those of you who don't know. Elizabeth started gymnastics back in August and loved it. Around January she was starting to say that she didn't like gymnastics any more, and by February the mere mention of gymnastics brought tears, passive aggressive behavior, and her even faking a stomach ache to get out of going to gymnastics. This was especially frustrating to me because I had Ava dying to get into a gymnastics class but can't because she isn't three, and Elizabeth wanting to get out of class. Bottom line, she is finishing out the semester which runs until the beginning of June. She has two of her good friends in class with her, and always comes out smiling and happy at the end of class, and we don't want to endorse quitter behavior. If she wants to take the summer off that is fine. We need to do swimming lessons anyway, and we will re-address gymnastics in the fall when Ava is old enough to take class. Back to T-ball: First practice went well, and the game went even better. (She wore her outfit for two days straight.) Elizabeth loves T-ball, and informed me she doesn't want to go to gymnastics anymore and wants to play T-ball every day. Hopefully, her enthusiasm lasts until the end of the season. I would like to thank her cousin, Chance, for teaching her the fundamentals, she is actually quite good. She is probably the third best kid on her team, an the other two are better only because they will be 5 next month and have bit more speed, power, and coordination. I will tell you it quite funny to watch these kids play. The can't catch, their throwing isn't much better, and some even run the wrong way after hitting the ball two feet, but it is a really good non competitive atmosphere and the kids love it.