Barry’s Daily Web News

Quiet Evening

I had to work late tonight, so we did not have an opportunity to do anything this evening. Also, we wanted to have Sean get a good night’s sleep, as he starts school tomorrow. Sean seems to be over the mild fever he has had the last couple of days, so he should be ready too.

School Open House

Sean had a fever and was sluggish today, but he did not have any other symptoms. We all went to the school open house. We did not stay long, since we are very familiar with the classroom and the teacher. When we left, Ethan was crying, since he wanted to play with all of the toys in the classroom. We are going to have to look into Ethan enrolling into preschool, as a model student.

Sean Takes a Rare Nap

Sean missed gym class this evening. He fell asleep before I arrived home from work, and did not wake up until just before bedtime. Cortney thinks he may not be feeling well, but he and Ethan certainly had a good time at Jeepers earlier today. I guess we will have to wait until tomorrow to see how he is feeling.

Ethan seems much more independent when Sean is not arround. He seemed much more insistent on activities he enjoys, such as puzzles and having books read to him. Normally, he seems to just follow Sean around, doing what Sean is doing. Regardless of whether Sean is around, Ethan insists all colors are blue, and all letters are “E”. I know he knows better, because I asked him to point to the different colors in one of his books, and he was able to do that without any problem. Little booger. But we love him anyway.

Sunday

Yard work. Laundry. Two totally wound up kids. Not much more to say.

Well maybe a little more. We lost our internet connection for most of the day. I thought the problem was with the service provider, but it turned out to be a problem with the interaction between the broadband modem and the router. Resetting both fixed the problem.

A Chilly Day in Phoenix

We put up with some chilly weather today. The high was only 88 degrees! We have had some days recently where 88 degrees is below the lowest temperature of the day. Acommpanying this cool weather was cloudy skies and light rain.

This morning, we all went to the outlet mall. We needed to get ready for the fall season, and bought long pants and shoes for both Sean and Ethan. The shoe store was a bit of a challenge. The store did not have Sean’s preferred shoe model in his size, so he wasn’t happy with what we bought him. Ethan did not want to try shoes on at all. I guess he was is more used to his sandals. We ended up getting the same type of shoe for both Sean and Ethan. Sean wore his shoes out of the store. He did not like them at first, but when we arrived home, he was telling us how terrific they were.

We finished the day with a swim in the pool. The cooler weather has lowered the pool temperature almost 8 degrees, down to the low 80’s. We braved the cold water and swam anyway. Sean used to prefer jumping in the pool as his main activity, but now he prefers swimming under water to pick up his dive toys. Ethan still prefers to play on the steps, but when I get close to him, he lunges at me to pick him up and carry him around the pool. We always finish the swim with a trip to the shower, were Sean and Ethan get their daily cleaning. That way, they are nice and clean for bedtime.

Friday the 13th

Today is Friday the 13th, which is no big deal for me, but it does remind me that Wednesday was the 11th, which means Ethan is now 22 months old! Two more months to the big 2.

A Night at the Play Area

I took Sean and Ethan to a local fast food place that just happens to have a kid’s play area. Of course, Sean and Ethan only eat wholesome food that I bring from home. I save the greasy, fattening food for myself. Tonight was somewhat of a challenge. Sean and Ethan apparently were both wound up all day long, and things didn’t change at the play area. Sean found some boys who were just as wild as he was, and they had some fun moments playing together, leaving more than one parent a little stressed. As Sean and Ethan played more, they became more tired, and the evening was much easier for me to manage as time went on.

Cortney and I have a new arrangement. I will get up early to feed the kids tomorrow, Saturday morning, and Cortney will get up early Sunday to feed them. So I hope all of the playing will tire them out, so we can all get a good night’s rest tomorrow.

School is Almost Here

Cortney went to the school transportation meeting, taking Ethan. I took Sean to gym class, so Sean and I did not attend. We didn’t really need to go, but Cortney wanted to get the number for the bus that will take Sean to school. As a bonus, Ethan was able to take a short ride on a school bus.

Fun at McDonalds

I took Sean and Ethan to McDonalds this evening. I probably should have taken them into the pool instead, but I didn’t feel like fixing dinner, so it was easier to just go to McDonalds. It was a good thing that we did, as a big storm blew in, with plenty of thunder and lightning, and actually some rain! The play area at McDonalds has lots of windows, so we had fun watching the storm come in.

An amusing incident happened while we were there. Ethan likes to have his pacifier shortly after eating, and even when we are out in public, I give it to him when he asks for it. So Ethan had had his pacifier in his mouth for some time, but I noticed later that it wasn’t in his mouth, and I couldn’t see it anywhere. I remember Ethan taking it out when he went to get a drink of water, but I did not remember seeing it after that. So I told Sean to go climb the tunnels in the play area, and if he found it, I would give him an ice cream cone. Well, Sean diligently looked all over, and it didn’t take him long to cover the entire play area. I looked for it myself, and couldn’t find it anywhere. When Sean came back to the table, telling me he couldn’t find it, I discovered that it was hidden under a crumpled napkin, right at our table! I don’t know if Ethan hid it there or not, but I wouldn’t put it past him. So, since we discovered the pacifier, I kept my promise to give Sean his ice cream cone. They have one just the right size for kids his age, at a cost of just 15 cents. Sean enjoyed it, and even shared some of it with Ethan. That’s the best 15 cents I’ve spent in a while.

Fun in the Pool

There’s no story time at the library for the next month, so I took Sean and Ethan in the pool instead. Sean has turned into quite the swimmer. Cortney bought Sean some dive toys, and Sean can swim down to get them, as long as they are not too far from the steps. Today, Sean threw some of them into the middle of the pool, where it is deepest. I asked Sean how he was going to get them, and he had no answer. Later on, I brought Sean out to the middle of the pool, then asked if he wanted to dive down to get them, with my help. He said yes, and after he took a breath, I pointed Sean towards the bottom, where he was able to swim down and get them. One toy was in the very deepest part of the pool, at 5 feet down, so Sean had to swim down almost four feet to get it. If Sean could get his head down and his feet up, he could get them all on his own.

I also had fun playing with Ethan. Ethan spends most of his time on the pool stairs, since he can’t swim yet. I made a game of swimming close to him, then leaping out of the water. Ethan thought this was hilarious, so I had to do it over and over for him. Ethan thought it was still funny, each time I did it.

I’m torn over what is a better way to spend the evening — relaxing in the pool, or watching Sean and Ethan have fun at the library.

Sean Misbehaves at Gym Class

Sean got into a bit of trouble at gym class this evening. He wasn’t listening to the instructor, and so he did not get a sticker at the end of class. Actually, it wasn’t really his fault. There were seven kids in the class, and when they went to the trampoline, all of the kids became impatient while waiting for their turn. The smallest girl in the class got caught in between Sean and another boy, getting squished, and she became upset. I was glad the instructor said something, since we are trying to enforce similar rules at home. Just because Sean is bored, that is no reason to misbehave.

Family Time, Chores

Today’s goal was to mix in some family time between chores. So, after the morning yardwork, we all went out to lunch at a nearby McDonalds. This McDonalds had a plare area with a climbing tower with steps that Ethan could manage. Sean and Ethan were starting too lose interest in the play area, so we didn’t stay as long as I had expected.

I spent the afternoon doing laundry and getting caught up at work. After dinner, we all went into the pool. It has been hot lately, and the pool seemed cool and refreshing, even with the water at 90 degrees.

Well, I guess it wasn’t much of a family day, but at least Sean and Ethan were able to get out of the house and get some exercise.

Oops, Forgot Yesterday’s Post

We started the day off yesterday with a birthday pool party for one of Sean’s friends. We all had a good time, but I ate a bit too much and had too much sun, so I didn’t do much for the rest of the day.

Long Session at the Burger King Play Area

I finished my class early today, so I took Sean and Ethan to Burger King earlier than I normally do, even though we stayed until the usual time. Sean impressed me with his potty skills. Not only did he tell me every time he needed to go, but he even did a number 2, all on his own. I think this is the first time he has done a number 2 in a public area.

Ethan became a little cranky, especially around dinner time. I think he wanted to eat certain foods in a certain order, and when I didn’t go along, he became upset. He eventually got over it, and he did have some fun playing. The play area wasn’t crowded at all, so Sean and Ethan spent most of their time playing together. And for the most part, they played together well.

I think everyone is tired after a long week, so I hope we all get a good night’s rest.

Sean "Vaults" at Gym Class

Traffic was bad this evening, and I barely made it home in time to take Sean to his gym class. When I arrived home, I left the car running, scooped up Sean and his shoes, put Sean in the car, and took off. Sean used the vault for the first time this evening. He didn’t quite get it right, landing with one foot instead of two, but he had fun doing it.