Memorial Pics...

A few of my favorite pictures from this weekend...




Left: Lisa & Ann
Two cute bellies!

Right: Brian
At the grill?!?






Left: Lotus
Way too cute in her skort

Right: Ruowen
Walking through the screen


Left: Steve & Ingrid
Too cute!

Right: Alan & Chris
Brotherly love

Memorial Weekend ROCKS!

So we hosted another Memorial Weekend party...an annual event for the Kardos clan. It is such fun to have all of our friends together - and a sweet bonus that the kids slept at mama's house. Our friends, both old and new, joined us in celebrating and we had a blast.

Thank you sunshine for cooperating.

Thank you Mom for taking the boys.

Thank you BC friends for traveling from Boston, NYC, and LA to join us.

Thank you babes & toddlers for cooperating.

Thank you friends for all the goodies you brought.

Thank you Chris for being the grill master.

Thank you Todd for fixing my clogged drain and starting the fire.

Thank you friends for all the laughs.

Good times.

Good times.

Potty Training (# 1)

That's right...big boy underwear! Drew has been wearing undies for five days now. FIVE days. I am still putting on diapers when he goes to sleep, but otherwise, he's a potty man. The first day I put him on the potty every hour = success. The second day we had one accident. And today, day five, he's actually asking me to take him to the potty. "I have to go pee pee, Mommy." Such progress! Now we still have one BIG hurdle: Number 2.

When it comes to "number 2" Drew would rather dance around the living room in suffering than let it go on the potty. I've tried everything: reading with him on the potty, bringing his potty into the bathroom and sitting alongside him, putting the potty in front of the tv, offering endless rewards, giving him privacy... Alas, he refuses. (Or rather he is scared to death!) So, he does # 2 at night or naptime when he's got his diaper on.

I refuse to let that be a shadow over this exciting time : Drew is peeing in the potty! All day every day! Hip hip horray!

Children's Museum

In recent conversations with friends, I've realized a few things:

1. In order to have a trust-worthy child, you have to trust your child.

2. If you are a confident parent, you can handle it - whatever "it" may be.

3. Shit is going to happen whether you are right next to your child or steps away. That's because shit happens. It's life. What matters is how you manage it. (Refer to #2!)

Ok, with that behind me...

The kids and I met Kathy & Alex at the Children's Museum today. We had such a blast. Here are some fun pictures!!

Dean update

My baby Dean is no longer...

no longer a baby.

I remember Drew's first year:

I couldn't wait for the next milestone.

When will he crawl? Pull up? Walk? Talk?

I was so eager and encouraging of this development.

The second time around is so different.

Each milestone Dean reaches I proclaim, "He's already..." and I sigh. Where is my baby? Dean has been crawling for quite some time. Now I will add that he can pull up to his knees & standing position (while holding on to anything!) and he's even taking a step or two! He can use the snack trap with ease...loves his born free sippy cups...and is even using the spoon (if I am in the mood for a mess). He's signing "more" and waving hello/goodbye. He's self-entertained (or Drew-entertained); he's still a great sleeper (day or night); and he laughs often. He's an easy-going guy, very affectionate with those he knows and loves.

Dean brings much joy to this family...and he's growing so quickly!

Touch a Truck Event (# 5)

Touch-a-truck events never get old for Drew. He LOVES them. It is so much fun to see him having so much fun. Here are a few pics from Saturday's event in Wakefield.

Skin Care

With more time being spent outside (thank you, Spring!), we need to think more about sunscreen! In the winter I use oil of olay with spf 15 for every day face care, but in the summer I want to step it up a bit. When I know I'll be spending time outdoors, I use the neutrogena with spf 55 - and I'm really happy with it. Did I mention it's also anti-aging? So I feel like it's as good as any other moisturizer! I know the MOST recommended sunscreen is blue lizard and I do have some of that for myself and the kids. (It's from Australia where they take sun protection very seriously!) My derm. said to look for one of the two ingredients: 1. titanium dioxide or 2. zinc oxide. That is what provides real protection from the bad rays. SPF Clothing is now available too! It's important that we take good care of our children's skin, but we mustn't forget to care for ourselves too!