Sleeping Babies: January Part I

 January 1: New Year Stewarts

January 2: Stewarts Got BACK

 January 3: Baby Sprawl

January 4: Ainsley Stretches; Xander Hugs

January 5: Lovin Babies

January 6: Curled 'Round Babies

January 7: Ainsley as ET; Xander as Brando

January 8: Up at 3am; Rough Night

January 9: Making Up the Sleep

January 10: Stewarts Hiding Faces

January 11: Scrunched and Sprawled

January 12: Ainsley's Zonked; Xander's Startled

January 13: Strike That; Reverse It

January 14: Bookend Stewarts

January 15: Flanked by Babies

The Park Remains Awesome

It was freakin' 60 degrees today...on January 31...in INDIANA. Those of you who claim that global warming isn't real are invited to reread that first sentence a few times...then shut the hell up.

WEEEEEEE!!!

Ainsley came with me to a meeting with Sarah, and we decided since it was so nice, we should really take the kids to the park.  So, that's just what we did.  We actually went to Johnny Appleseed Park first, but the river was high and there isn't a good fence between the park and the river and I didn't particularly want Xander to run, jump in the river, and die, so we detoured back to our usual haunt: Northside Park.

Ainsley and Big Sarah
CLIMB!

Now that he's older, Xander has become more enamored with the slides. After seeing Big Sarah climb up there, Ainsley gave the climbing wall a shot. I climbed a little and tried to entice Xander, but he was just all about the slides.

While we were there a WFFT reporter guy interviewed me about bringing the kids to the park and the good weather. He asked what the kids preferred to play in...snow or 60 deree spring-like weather. Ummm...no doy, dude. We'll see if our kids make the color spot at the end of the news....cause clearly "What kind of weather does your toddler like to play in" isn't exactly lead material. Or is it?!?!

After my thrilling interview, we decided to let the kids swing. Their love affair with the swing has returned...as evidenced below:

Of course, they cried when it was time to leave. Luckily we had a sandwich for Xander and the iPad for Ainsley. *whew* Don't worry kids, spring is just around the corner. Oh wait...not it's not.

Xander's Babies

So, as you may have noticed from the sleepin' babies series, our kids love their babies. Ainsley has a set three that she loves (she'll move additional babies in and out of sequence, but the original three remain)...and now Xander has his own three babies that he loves.

Happy, happy boy.

He's attached himself to the big bunny, Beebee. But this last week, Scout, the LeapFrog dog that Grandma and Grandpa Stewart got him for his first Christmas, and Ainsley's Care Bear, a Christmas gift from Grandma and Grandpa Parker for that same Christmas, have joined the ranks. I find it really weird that both kids have three babies and that Ainsley has essentially given up the Care Bear. I guess she understands baby love.

Tired beebee

He's also doing this new thing that is so adorable it almost makes me want to have more kids...until I remember how much I hate being pregnant. The last few days between about 12 and 1, he'll bring his three babies and climb into the chair to sit with me. Then, he'll fall asleep. It's so cute I can't stand it, and I won't put him down for nap earlier because I love it so much.

I'm selfish. Sue me.

Ainsley's First Movie!!

Today, Sarah and I took Ainsley to see her first movie at the theater. For those of you who know us, you know this isn't really Ainsley's first movie ever. 

This was her reaction
when I said smile. 

Anyway, I knew that I wanted her first theater experience to be fun and positive so that we may continue to take her for years to come. So, when I saw that Beauty and the Beast (one of her favorite movies ever) was coming, I knew that would be the one that would be easiest. No new things that might scare her, and no worries that I'd miss something if we had to give up and leave. Sean gets sick at 3D movies, so this became a ladies only event. She was particularly excited that this was something that was happening sans-Xander.

A loves popcorn, so a few weeks ago, Target had these popcorn things on sale, and I picked some up for the kiddies. This is the perfect popcorn holder for Lady A. 

Previews and
popcorn!

I'd told Ainsley we were going to the theater yesterday, so we spent a day talking it up and getting her excited. It worked. By the time we left, she was completely geeked.

We picked up Big Sarah and headed to the Carmike (my favorite theater that is out of the way enough that I've yet to go to a packed theater there). Once we got there she was both overwhelmed (at the size of the place) and excited (there was a bucked of popcorn the size of HER for goodness sake!).

We got our seats; there were very few people in our theater. Mostly a few moms and their kids. I was relieved that if A did anything too kiddy, they'd understand. A started mawing down popcorn and enjoying the previews. She expressed interest in quite a few upcoming movies. Of course, her love of all things Studio Ghibli made her really interested in the Borrowers remake or sequel or whatever it is that's coming out in February.

The 3D glasses were
still a bit big

I would have preferred her first movie not be a 3D movie, but we didn't have much of a choice considering Beauty and the Beast is only in 3D. A didn't mind the glasses, of course. When the movie started, she did pick a few flowers from the Beast's house and gave them to me and Big Sarah.

Eventually though, she declared the 3D glasses dead to her and watched the movie without them. "It's not fuzzy!" she claimed when I tried to get her to put them back on. Ok...so no more 3D movies for the wee one.

 

She was pretty engaged in the movie...and only asked to go home once (I think it was because it was a boring part of the movie).

SMILE!

These are the things I learned as a Momma taking the wee to the movies:

1. The light up shoes Grandma Fitzgerald bought for Ainsley is not a good idea in the theater.
2. Carmike doesn't sell chocolate milk.
3. The lunchbox purse is LOUD; bring a softer purse with distraction toys.
4. Ainsley gets in for free until she's 4. Ainsley will be 3 for a LONG TIME.

After the movie, Ainsley posed with the Beauty and the Beast cutout thing. As we were entering, she showed it to Big Sarah and pointed out all the people. Cute.

Shoot 'em up!

As we were leaving, Ainsley discovered the shooting game and grabbed onto the gun. Momma was proud (as that's my game of choice as well), Big Sarah declared that Ainsley needed to spend more time with her because clearly Ainsley should have been hugging the giraffe in the Madagascar cutout thing. A did eventually go after the Madagascar animals. 

All in all, I think it was a good time. Sean said that Ainsley said she had fun. When I ask her what her favorite part was, she tells me, "I don't know." Of course, she's playing on the iPad right now, that may be why she is less than cooperative--I'll be blogging on that later. When I tell her she can't play the iPad unless she answers me, she says, "It was Beauty and the Beast. With Mrs. Potts and Chip and the fire and that clock." Lasting impression there. Yessiree. 

SNOW!!

First steps out!

Finally we've gotten enough snow that I deem it worth the time and effort to get the kids bundled up and roll them out into the yard.

So, I put the kids in two shirts, two pants, two socks, boots, hats, gloves, etc. etc. etc. When we were getting ready, Ainsley asked me why she had to wear so much. "Momma knows about dressing warm, baby," I was totally having flashbacks to my own days sent out into the tundra. Our big discovery is that Xander doesn't have boots, so he got to trudge out in his Chuck Taylors.

Xander: Bulldozer

This is Xander's first big snow. I wasn't too sure how he'd respond. I should have known, though. Basically, he just threw himself into the snow and continued to plow through it until I carried him inside.

He slid down the steps, immediately ran to our sloped yard, and slid down it. Who knew?! Our yard is a sledding hill! Of course, at the bottom of the sledding hill is the sidewalk and the street. So, Momma had to do some Xander wrangling at the bottom.

Ainsley, of course, was a bit more hesitant to get into the snow, but she did follow her brother down the hill.

I tried to keep them in front of the house, but Xander kept wanting to run out into the street and die, so I corralled them up the driveway.

RUNNING! Running IN SNOW!!

Xander? Want some snow?!

They got to fiddle about in the driveway for a while...when Ainsley realized that she could THROW SNOW. Once that happened, it was on. She just kept throwing snow at Xander over and over.

Xander didn't mind getting snow in his face...considering that he'd spent the last 10 minutes bulldozing the snow with his face. It was at this point that I started to think 1) Xander needs one of those bank robber masks cause the boy leads with the face, and 2) why am I only wearing one pair of pants. That was just stupid.

Once I saved Xander from the facefuls of snow, Ainsley realized there was snow on the van...and that was unacceptable, so she started cleaning it off. It was at that point that Xander decided to make a break for it.

Going!

Going!

GONE!

Once I got Xander secured and was certain that he wasn't going to try to get hit by a car, Ainsley got to the serious business of snow angel making. I forced her to pose for the picture below...and she forced me to take a picture of her snow angel. We're bossy...Ainsleys and Mommas.

When it was time to come in, Xander threw a right proper fit. I lured Ainsley in with the promise of chicken noodle soup (Toy Story...though she'd have preferred Princess).

Climbing the yard

Ainsley asked to bring some snow inside. I gave her a quick lesson in the elements and a firm "no." I was quite proud that I thought to strip the kids down one layer before getting in the house so there was minimal melted snow puddles. Of course, now, at 1am, I realize that I forgot to bring those clothes in...so they're frozen on the porch. Ah well.

Ultimately, my real goal was achieved...both kids went down for their naps with minimal trouble. After the soup, Xander started to ask for his Beebee. Miss A got into bed much easier than I expected. She didn't sleep (she's tying to pretend that she's not a toddler who naps; we're reminding her that it's better for all of us when we do), but she did rest and read. It's the best I can ask for at this point.