Getting Ready for Halloween...Oh, I'm starting to get excited about Halloween. We went to the party store to try on costumes last night.

Hayden has been insistent on being Batman, for reasons unbeknownst to us (as far as we know, the only Batman exposure he's had has been the Burger King action figure). So we bought him a Batman costume with super-cute built-in muscles. He was a riot at the store, telling everyone who passed him by "I'm going to be Batman for Halloween."

They didn't have a Robin (the Boy Wonder) costume in Trevor's size at the local store, so we tried on a similar Superman costume to check for fit before ordering off the internet. Oh my goodness, the site of that little guy running away from me down the aisle of the party store with his red Superman cape floating behind him. It was almost too much for me. I toyed with the idea of just buying the Superman costume for him right then and there, but decided to stick with the Batman and Robin theme after all. So I'm now just anxiously awaiting delivery of the Robin costume and will be sure to post pics of the "Dynamic Duo" in their full glory once the package arrives.

Can't hardly wait...

It took longer than expected...I tried to run a quick errand over my lunch break today. I needed to pick up a few birthday gifts for some kiddos and thought I could pop into Toys R Us to get it done over lunch. Turns out, I'm really bad at this. One gift was more urgent than the others because we've got a b-day party Saturday. Ended up spending an hour plus just finding one gift. Here's my process in a rather stream-of-consciousness form:

"Need to get a gift for Jackson {Hayden's friend from the park and soon-to-be schoolmate, turning 4}, maybe bristle blocks would be good...Oh, they don't have bristle blocks...Maybe some Lincoln Logs...No, they're not the same as when I was a kid, plastic parts now...Here's a Fischer Price train set, that might be good...No, the box is too big, I don't know these parents yet and don't want them to think I'm trying to impress everyone by bringing the biggest gift...What about this bat and ball set with a mini pitching machine...No, I think most kids aren't as into baseball as Hayden...Here's some air rockets like Hayden has...No, they say for 10 yrs and up and mention dangerous projectiles...Don't want Jackson's mom to think I buy dangerous irresponsible toys...Here are some swords...What are you kidding? Are you the mom who buys weapons for little boys? Might as well buy the bow and arrow set."

Call Sean, maybe he has some good ideas...

Sean: "How about some baseball gear?" Me: "Already thought about that, No" Sean: "How about Lincoln Logs? Those are a classic." Me: "No" Sean: "How about {blank - insert any toy here}?" Me: "No, that says not for kids under 3" Sean: "But he's turning 4" Me: "But his little sister Evie is less than 3, don't want her to choke on anything we buy" Sean: "Well they just need to keep an eye on their kids, we have choking toys and we've got Trevor in the house" Me: "Yeah, well we're not exactly great role models." Sean: "What about a scooter? All the kids at the park like to ride Hayden's scooter." Me: "Let me check out the scooters...{20 minutes later} No, it would be irresponsible to buy the scooter without the helmet and pads. Besides, it would be the big gift that looks like we're trying to impress people."

Decide talking to Sean isn't really helping, hang up the phone and try it alone again.

Walk around the store aimlessly for another 20 minutes.

Spy a hot wheels car racer set for kids 4 and up. Buy the hot wheels and an extra set of little cars. Since I've saved $10 (relative to the scooter Sean suggested), pick up some random $10 toy at the check-out line to take home from Trevor.

Back in the office at 3:15 pm (left around 1:40 pm). Exhausted. Still have 2 more gifts to buy.

Now I know why people pay those "personal shoppers" to shop for them.

Water fun...What is it about being in the tub that brings out the smiles in kids? Trevor can be soooo cranky (most nights), but if you throw him in the tub his whole mood changes. Still, however, I'm frequently too tired to manage the effort so my boys go days before being scrubbed. Every time I get up the energy to do it, I'm left wondering why we don't spend more time in the tub. I especially love that clean fresh smell of their hair and skin after we're done. I think the big problem is the anticpated exhaustion from the wrestling match to get Trevor into a diaper and pajamas after we're done. If I had a better sense of humor in the evenings, I'd probably have more appreciation for the giggling naked baby running through the house. Trevor is loving the telephone now. Which can be a little dicey since if you give it to him to play with, there's a decent chance he'll manage to pull up some phone number from the directory or caller ID and actually call someone. Which usually means I'll have to actually speak to whoever he calls. And anyone who knows me is aware that evening phone chat isn't my strong suit. But who can deprive this cutie of a chance to play with his new favorite toy?

Growing up fast...We took Hayden to be fitted for a tuxedo for Miss Shelley's wedding (he's going to be the ring-bearer). We were standing there while he was being measured and there was another mom there, looked like she was getting her son fitted for some formal high school dance or something. And I just thought, wow, I'm going to blink and that's going to be me. How can he be so big already and why does he keep getting bigger everyday?

My mother (Grandma Neice) called last night and he was downstairs by himself. So he answered the phone and proceeded to have a 20 minute conversation with her. At the end I picked up the phone upstairs to eavesdrop a little. I think he finally exhausted her and she said he'd better hang up and go to bed.

Trevor's adjusting to the new nanny. He had gotten pretty used to being Claudia's "precioso bebe" and hasn't been making the transition quite as well as Hayden. But I think it will just take a little time. We'll see if she's as much of a sucker for those big blue eyes as the rest of us are.

Took some pictures of Logan and family this weekend. I'll try to paste in one of him with my boys.

Schoolboy-to-be...Well, we've officially enrolled Hayden in preschool. I'm still in shock a little. A spot is opening up at PoeCo, a cooperative parent-run preschool not too far from the house where Hayden's pals from the park go to school. The tuition is pretty reasonable and the days aren't too long (8:30 - 11:30) so I think it should be a good stepping stone for us. I have to be on committees and assist in the classroom once every 3 weeks, but it seems like a good way to get to know the other kids and parents. Still, it's a little weird to think that my baby boy is going to school. I'll have a little time to get used to it since he probably won't start till November (the slot doesn't open up till the other family moves). I think there was some weird provision in the contract about me having to sell a few hundred dollars worth of wrapping paper as a school fundraiser, so expect to hear from me on that one.

Asthma? So Trevor went for his 15 month check-up and shots yesterday. He's fine, finally gaining a little weight and moving up on the curve. But we took Hayden along for the trip and the doctor listened to his chest a little and said he sounded pretty wheezy. So he told us we need to do the nebulizer 2-3 times a day for a while. I asked if Hayden has asthma and he said they don't like to label it as such until they're 6 years old, but basically, yes, he has asthma. Or at least he will if he doesn't outgrow this by the time he's six. I'm sure it will be manageable but it's just a little sad to me to think of my boy being sick.

A few pictures...Took some pictures of my boys this weekend. I'll try upload a few here. They haven't been very cooperative for their shutterbug momma these days so I have to take what I can get. More can be found on the family website link.

A new nanny...So we hired a new nanny today. The current nanny (Claudia) told us last week that her little ones (ages 9, 6, and 5) need her attention at home and she won't be able to work for us anymore. So I've been super-stressed about finding someone new to care for the boys. And briefly toyed with the idea of not finding anyone and just staying home with them myself, but I don't think the time is right.

So we've hired Erika to take care of the boys. I think the change will be hard on us all since they boys are so used to Claudia and their current routine. I think Erika will be fine, she seems to be energetic and patient at the same time, which I think is key. But at the end of the day, even after all the background checking and everything, it's just a huge leap of faith to entrust someone with your children.

I guess it should be easier this time though. When we first hired Claudia to take care of Hayden, he wasn't even talking yet. Now, given his complete inability to keep a secret, at least I can be confident that he'll rat her out if she does anything wrong. Who needs the nanny cam when you have the tattle tale?