FOUR years later!

Oh my!  Has it really been that long?  Four years with no posts...no updates on the little cherubs or about our life.  Wow.  Well, a lot has happened since then.  We now reside on the beautiful Florida Space Coast.  The kids are both in full time school, the little Princess is in Kindergarten and the little Prince is in First Grade.  Time just flew by!

Yes.  You read that right. We now live in Florida.  We absolutely LOVE it here!  We have made some wonderful friends, we love being able to swim almost the WHOLE year, the sunsets are just outrageous and the kids have been to Disney so much they think we have a second home there.  We have found a wonderful church family and I sing weekly at the 9:30am mass.  We are beautifully blessed, but then that is nothing new...God has always been right beside us, blessing us all along.

Here's some photos of our life over the last few years...enjoy!

2011 was such a busy year!  Settling into our new home near the Jersey shore, our trip to Arizona to visit family, putting the house on the market through the summer, the kids starting school, selling the house and then moving to Florida in October!  Phew!  What a year!  Filled with so many blessings!

 2012 was all about becoming 'Floridians' and enjoying our new Florida life. It was also about Disney, making awesome friends, Disney, visiting family up north, Disney, having family stay with us in Florida, Disney, buying our new home and settling into it, Disney, both kids being in school full time and oh yeah...visits to DISNEY WORLD!

Looking at these pictures reminds me of how blessed we are and how God has been guiding us here to Florida all along.  We have been through some dark times, but God's hand has been over us all the while.  That is most likely our greatest lesson from the last four years...even in the darkest of times, joy is ever present. Joy is a special gift from God that we can have at any time, in any moment...all we have to do is reach out and embrace it.

May you embrace your joy today.

- The Mamasaurus

Merry Christmas 2009

It happened. Finally. That magical moment that, as a parent, we wait for. That moment when our children rub their sleepy eyes, hop excitedly out of bed and rush downstairs to see the presents Santa left with a look of wonder on their faces.

Last year my little ones weren't very aware of the Christmas tree or that Santa was leaving them presents. This year, it was very different, much to our delight. Seeing them get so excited was just pure joy. It will be etched in my memory forever.

To make things even more special, G.G. (short for Great-Grandma) was here to join in the festivities on Christmas morning. She loved watching the kids tear open their presents and laughed at their excited antics when they saw what was inside.

The gifts that were big hits this year?

Well, there's the dress up Disney Princess trunk for our little princess:

And my little guy's 'Little Einstiens' game for his VSmile:

Hubby got a Ryobi saw, which he really needed. I got Wii Resort...which we still have yet to unpack and play.

One of the most enojoyable moments was watching Annaliese open the gift her brother got her at his Christmas Fair in school. He was given five dollars and a list of people to buy for, to which we only put his sister's name.

Annaliese opening Marcus' gift:

Aww, thanks Marcus!

It's a froggy puppet!

Click title for slideshow: Christmas '09

Most definitely the best gift of all was family and the time to savor the holiday with them.

That gift surpasses all others.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Blessed New Year to all.

- The Mamasaurus

Life in Fast Forward

Whoooosh! Did you blink? That's how fast time has moved for me! I cannot believe my last post was in APRIL!! Yikes!! Slideshows are added to catch everyone up on our amazing children and how much they've grown over the past six months.

Summer was a blast! Visits to Nanny's pool, a visit to Dutch Wonderland in beautiful Lancaster, PA, splashin' in the kiddie pool on our deck and lots of visits with cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Ah summer...you went too fast!

Click the link beneath the photo for the complete slideshow, 'Summer Fun!'.

Summer Fun Slideshow

Then all of the sudden, summer was coming to an end and Marcus' first day of school was here. I choked back tears watching him board the bus for the first time. I just can't believe he's in school now...where has the time gone?

Here's a photo from that day. Click on the link below for the full slideshow, 'Marcus' First Day of School'.

Marcus' First Day of School Slideshow

Wow, Annaliese has been growing super-fast! She's also very much a 'girlie' girl...but don't let her love for pink, purple and all things 'Disney princess' fool you...you'll often find my precocious little girl wearing her 'dress up heels', holding a baby in one hand and a hammer in the other. She'll use a toy tool bench and tool box better than any Bob the Builder!

One day I saw her putting her trike upside down and taking a toy wrench to the tires. "I fik it Mommy!", she said, and continued to turn the wrench around the fake lug nut. Holy Smokes! She even knows what to turn and how to turn it! Where did she learn THAT from?

Here's a cute slideshow of Annaliese showing off her 'dress up' heels (I bought from the Dollar Tree, LOVE that store). She walks in them like a super-model (this must be in our genes, ladies) and knows how to stand in them, balancing her weight like a pro. Click the link for the slideshow.

'High' Heels Slideshow

Sometimes I wish I could freeze time and keep them little for a bit longer. Lately it seems as if their maturing and growing is stuck on 'fast-forward'. It's amazing and sad at the same time. I still remember the tiny little babies they were:

Marcus, 8 months old

Annaliese, 9 months old

Although they're still both babies, really, I miss the creeping-not-crawling-yet, pulling-to-stand, awkward-first-steps days. However, I look forward to the future with our two precious ones and all of the ways they'll continue to delight and amaze us!

God bless!

- The Mamasaurus 9/27/09

Balloons, Stroller Derbies & Easter Dresses...

Late March thru Late April 2009

BALLOONS!

Well Spring is finally underway and I don't know about you, but I'm SO thrilled about that. Still, it was rather fun coming up with new and exciting things for the kids to do indoors. One of their favorites is the balloon pit. Special thanks to my dear friend Robin, for giving us the ball pit (complete with all of the colorful balls).

One day in late March I decided to get it out and finally use it. I was able to find the netted pit but the balls were hard to reach, in a box stacked behind others that remained unopened due to our move back from Arizona last November. So I substituted balloons (gotta love the dollar tree) for the balls.

The result?

Sheer delight!

______________________________________

OUTDOOR STROLLER DERBY!

One unusually warm day in early April, the kids and I decided to get out and enjoy our back deck. We tossed around some balls and the kids had a stroller derby (circling Mommy). I shot some great pictures that day. The joy of finally being outside in the warm weather is reflected in their eyes.

______________________________________

Three Easter Dresses

Those of my fellow Moms who have little girls will most likely agree with me when I say: It's darned difficult to choose from all of those cute girl outfits out there! There are so many sweet and pretty things for girls! Between shoes, bows, hats, skirts, shirts, dresses...not to mention those adorable little tights in all different colors...it's really hard narrowing it down to one outfit for a special occasion.

This past Easter was no different. I wound up having to choose between two purchased dresses, one hand-me-down never worn and one hand-me down worn just once. One night I had Annaliese model three of the dresses for her Daddy and I.

The first dress was my favorite, a frilly yellow dress with embroidered flowers...alas, it was too big. I know she liked it best too because as soon as I put it on her, she began to twirl around. I think I have a little model on my hands!

Here's a slideshow of Annaliese's modeling debut:

______________________________________

All in all, it's been a pretty good spring so far. I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to the landscape greening up, great playground weather and longer sunshine hours.

Happy Spring to all!

-The Mamasaurus

Land and Sea March 2009

The Spell of The Ocean...

What possesed us to travel to the beach in March?

It was a 45 degrees...without the wind!

After collecting some unusual shells, throwing sand

(Marcus adored the sand...see photo) and playing

'chicken' with the surf (Annaliese loved this...I'm

sure her delight rang up and down the shoreline),

I decided it was time to get our little family in the car.

A few baby wipes (more than a few) and two sippy cups

later, we were on our way home. Almost home, I realize

our little darlings succumbed to the salty sea air, sound

asleep with cheeks still pink.

Yep, that's why we ventured out to Cape May.


-The Mamasaurus

S P I D E R G I R L ! ! !

"How did she get up there?"

She's tiny...she's light-weight, she's flexible as a rubber band. She can scale six foot book cases in a minute flat. She can craft a ladder out of books/pillows/boots/dolls/trains/tissue boxes/etc. to climb to the top of the TV center. She has been known to give her mother gray hair and her father a look of pride.

She's SPIDERGIRL....and she scares the heck outta me.

My litte girl climbs EVERYTHING. So what, you say? All kids like to climb, you retort?

You. Don't. Understand.

EVERYTHING and ANTHING can be used to hoist her body to wherever she likes. She's the mini-McGuiver of ladder making. Sometimes, I can't believe what she uses to climb. I've seen her scale the OUTSIDE of a stair case, nearly to the top before I found her. She gets into places and I have no idea how she got there.

One day I might find her clinging from the ceiling.

My children can't have anything in their room that can be used for climbing...no bookcases, no chairs or tables, no toychests...heck, even books can be stacked and used as a platform. She's even used her brother's train to climb up to the top of her dresser. She's even used her brother! Marcus was quite insulted when he realized his sister saw his back as a means to climb up to the TV!

Baby gates are just a 'bump in the road' to her. She climbs right over them, resting her dainty little foot on nothing but air...it's the strength and flexibility in her lower ab's that gets her over. While it terrifies me that almost no place in my home is safe for my daughter, I can't help but feel rush of pride when I see her climb something impossible.

I wish I had abs like that.

Her last triumph was the top of Mount Kitchen...the play kitchen in their room. Assessed it, scaled it and proceeded to try to do happy dance at the top. Fortunately for her (and me) I heard her saying "No, no don't!" to her brother because he saw his opportunity to get back at his sister for turning him into a ladder...he was shaking Mount Kitchen with all his might.

I stopped the earthquake just seconds before my daughter tumbled to the playroom floor. To think this all happened before nap time. My husband suggested perhaps we buy an indoor gym.

I'm sure she'll love it. She's been searching for something to aide her climb of Mount Refrigerator in our real kitchen for quite a while.

My husband decided to lock all of the drawers in their room with child locks. This way she can't open them to make a staircase up to the top of the chest. I thought to myself, "A-HA! Now we've gotcha! No more climbing for you missy!" I did feel bad though when she realized her Daddy had taken her jungle gym away. My usually sweet-natured little girl threw a fit...rolling around on the floor and throwing her toys. Still, I felt victorious and figured, problem solved!

My victory was short-lived.

The other day I watched as she climbed to the top of her brother's dresser to explore the humidifier using nothing but the knobs on the closed and locked drawers. (See posted picture at beginning of entry).

Rock climbing-101.

I picked my jaw up off the floor, took a picture of her latest climb and gingerly picked her up from the dresser. I planted both her feet on the floor saying, "No climb!". She just looked up at me like, "Are you kidding? That was sweet!".

Then I went online to surf Craig's list for an indoor jungle gym. I also looked into rock climbing at the Y.

Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

- The Mamasaurus

Something about Christmastime...

No matter how busy the season gets...I still 'get into it'....the wonder...the magic...of Christmas. Ever since I was a little girl, I believed that miraculous things happened at Christmas...just look at the gift that God gave us...His only son. It's 'Christ'mas that makes us remember and celebrate it...even though the shadow of Calvary stretches out to us from the distant horizon. The miracle of Christ's birth isn't just in the praise songs and bible readings around Christmas...it's in the hearts of family, friends and strangers. It lights us up and makes us shine.

The same can be said about the miracle of Hannukah...the celebration of light...the light that against all odds kept burning. Hanukkah reminds us that the impossible is always possible...with God. That truth is enough to make anyone giddy. Around this time of year, bills take a back seat, family takes a front seat and joy rides shotgun. It's easy to get caught up in the magic of the season...to feel like your four years old all over again. Especially when you see the lights of the decorations reflected in your child's eyes. The stunned expression on their faces when they behold the Christmas Tree...towering above them with the Nativity underneath, lights, special keepsake ornaments and a sparkling, white Bethlehem star topping it all off. There's something so magical about the joy this time of year brings.

What a blessing it is to share my love for the Christmas season with my children! Our little family had an awesome Christmas! Getting together with the extended family was definitely a highlight! Marcus and Annaliese love their cousins and love playing with them. Their cousins are just as crazy about them, too. Now that we're here and not in Arizona, we really appreciated being able to see everyone.

This year our extended family did krist-kind gifts. We all put the names of our children in a hat and picked. I picked one, and the hubby picked one. It worked out very well because every child got a gift, but we all saved some money and there wasn't the massive 'opening' of tons of gifts that lasted for hours. Gift opening time was short and sweet. I felt there was less of an emphasis on gifts and more on spending the holiday with family. Gifts are a big part of Christmas, but I don't want the kids getting gorged on them. I want them to grow up knowing why we celebrate Christmas and that Jesus is the greatest gift of all. Right now though, all they know is that there's a lot more going on in the house...pretty things that they can't touch...lights everywhere and constant baking in the kitchen. I tell them the story of Christ's birth, show them pictures, sing the songs...I don't know if I'm making a dent yet...but sooner or later I know they're gonna get it.

Marcus received an Elmo Live doll (thank you, Gramma!) He plays with Elmo so much that now Elmo needs rehabilitation. Marcus sits there and pokes Elmo's belly and foot...wondering why he's not responding. He looks up at me and says, "Melmo?" I just smile and tell him that he's resting and he'll be up soon (if this weather doesn't warm up so that I can go get some more batteries he may be resting a bit longer...hang in there, Melmo!).

Annaliese got a Disney Princess stroller and a tiny white teddy bear that she has adopted as her 'baby'. She takes it everywhere. She puts it in her stroller and pushes it around. She covers it with her little blankie. She's tried to feed it macoroni and cheese (and I had to sneak it away from her so that I could wash it). One time I even caught her giving her 'baby' a good dressing down (I don't know what the little bear did but it must have been naughty...judging by the stern look on my daughter's face and the way she pointed her finger at it).

The kids are growing in leaps and bounds. Marcus is already growing out of things I bought him last month. He's having a growth spurt. He's saying more and more every day. He's insistant on doing everything himself. Annaliese is following in her big brother's foot steps...but still 'clings' to Mama quite often...much to her Mama's delight...(I admit it, I'm guilty).

Christmas this year for me has been more spiritual. Which is very good. I've been praying a lot lately...for family and other things...mostly for answers. When I didn't receive answers, I began to think that perhaps God is just not ready to answer me yet...and I trust in His timing. But then, this evening I realized He had answered my prayers.

He's given me something very valuable. I'll explain.

Tonight, I was deep in thought while relaxing on the couch after dinner. I was dragged out of my thoughts by Marcus. He had climbed up next to me with his silent 'Melmo' doll. He looked up at me with those soulful brown eyes of his, smiled, leaned in, gave me a kiss and snuggled into my side. Whatever I had been thinking about flew out of my head in that moment. I put my arms around my precious son, cuddled him close and told him I loved him very much. Marcus just kept laying there...for a full fifteen minutes. Then, almost too soon it seemed, cuddle time was over and it was time for him to get down and play with his Elmo phone (another gift from Santa). I watched him go and thanked God for that frozen moment in time. I hug and kiss and cuddle my children all the time, but Marcus is a very independent child...so he cuddles me back but is always in a rush to dash off to the next activity. I knew that this tiny moment we shared was a precious gift.

Christine, can you hear Me? This is God answering your prayers...I'm giving you a special gift here...use it well...enjoy it...savor it...cherish it.

I'd have to say that the greatest gift I got this Christmas was time.

Time with my husband. Time with my daughter. Time with my son. Time to savor. Time to enjoy the most important thing in my life...my family.

My prayer for all of you this Christmas is that you're able to savor the special moments with the ones you love the most...that the magical joy those moments give you lasts for another 364 days.

A Merry, Blessed Christmas to everyone.

- The Mamasaurus

Are We There Yet?

Goodness it's been a long time! My last full post was back in June. Well, there's lots of reasons for that. 1) Settling into our Arizona life took time and 2) Settling in our New Jersey life is taking longer.

Yes, that's right. You read it right.

For those who do not know, we have moved back to the North East. Why? Too much sun? Too much dust? Not enough to do out west? No. No and no. Arizona was beautiful and I will always look at our pictures of our short life there with feelings of nostalgia, but it just was not for us. We left family there too, who are heart broken, just like the family we left here when we moved. We will miss our family and friends (gosh so many friends!) in Arizona very much.

This path that we're traversing, the hubby, the kids and I, has come full circle.

The Hubbasaurus often says, "Sometimes we have to go backwards to go forwards". I think that perfectly describes our move back east. Did we make a mistake by going to AZ? I don't think so. We learned so much. We could not have done that had we stayed here. But after the lessons were learned, it made more sense to come back.

Our kids are troopers. Lord knows, our little family has been through the wringer these past five months. We actually drove back across the country. Two adults, two toddlers, three cats in a minivan. Even a camper would have been cramped after ten hours...try forty-five hours.

Yep. It wasn't pretty...but our family is strong. We made it.

We got to see the country! How many times do you get to do that? I must say though, all along I kept wishing for those ruby red shoes Dorothy had.

It would take us a long time to find home, however. We thought we had secured a rental for NJ back in AZ before we left. We signed a lease and everything. When we got to NJ we saw the rental...it wasn't fit for human inhabitants! I cried my eyes out that night. We had told no one that we were back because we wanted to surprise everyone on Halloween. Sort of like: "Trick or Treat...we're baaaack!". We finally broke down and told the hubby's sister who lived in the area. She was shocked, to say the least, and she put us up for two days. We wound up staying with family for a full week before finally finding a new rental. Looking back, I don't know how we got through it all...definitely by the grace of God. Well, we're here now and things are starting to settle down...just in time for the busiest time of the year...heh heh heh...oh well.

One thing remains very true. Family is always there. Yes, they may be annoying at times...they may make you want to scream a times. At times, they may say hurtful things that should not have been said, or worse, with-held something that should have been. They can drain you and lift you up all in the same day. We can allow these idiosyncracies to kill us this holiday season or we can that them roll off our shoulders and go on with life.

Most people dread the holidays because of all the things I mentioned above. I passed a Mom at Shop Rite the other day that said to her child, "I can't wait for the holidays to be over!". How sad...and yet...I've shared this thought, too. I used to love the holidays...what happened? I know a special family that has lost someone very dear, who face the holidays with heavy hearts but are determined to feel the joy and celebrate the season. These are the people I draw my courage from. In the end, you are the master of your own will. Will you celebrate the season...or will you survive it? The choice is yours...in every situation, in any family. The choice is STILL yours. What will you do with your holidays this year?

One of the biggest lessons we learned while in Arizona is that happiness is not a location, it's not how much money you have in the bank, how many trips you've taken, how many prized possessions you own...

Happiness very simply is having what you need and wanting what you have. I'd rather be joyful than happy any day. Happiness doesn't last. Joy comes from God. Joy is a choice in any situation. When you understand that...nothing can shake your God-given joy.

I choose joy.

Joy is my daughter's laughter...I can hear it ringing in my ears long after she's gone to sleep. It's my son's smile and the way he runs to me to give me a hug. Hearing, "I love you", from my hubby. My hubby's great smile and his wicked sense of humor...sitting here at my desk...I can recall many times when he's made me laugh so hard, I cried. Watching my daughter give her Daddy a kiss...and then seeing the look on his face as his heart melts. The looks on all the faces of our families when they saw us and realized we were back. The old friends I've regained contact with...the new friends I'm making here...the endless chances to experience joy tomorrow and the day after and the day after that...

See what I mean? Joy. Three letters, very big word. I think when you choose joy, you truly live your life during the holiday season...not just survive it. This is what that special family does that has lost someone very dear to them. It is what I will do this holiday season....what will you choose?

On my 'Things that I am Thankful For this Thanksgiving" are three things that explain everything: the gift of love, the gift of clarity and the gift of joy.

Love has always been a big part of my life. I've always been loved and have loved others. Clarity reminded me of this special gift. The result was joy.

Lord, bless us all with eyes that see and hearts that are grateful...because then, we will all be rich.

A Blessed Thanksgiving filled with the joy of life to you all...

-The Mamasaurus

The Actress

This is a video of our darling little girl hamming it up for the camera. Can you say...Academy Award?!

Moving...

"CAUTION! CONTENTS VERY FRAGILE!"

For those of you who don't already know (there can't be that many of you) our little family will be moving to Arizona next month! When I look back over the past three years spent in Pennsylvania, I can see the ups and downs of an amazing and sometimes very scary roller coaster ride.

Please hold onto the bar...

The hubbasaurus and I often talk about where God is leading us and how we feel about it. Pennsylvania to Arizona is a huge change, true, but one we've learned to embrace with faith.

Our children will become desert dwellers, like my nephews who already reside in the Valley of the Sun. They will adjust, grow, learn and become the people God means for them to be. We look forward to a simpler lifestyle and inevitable changes in us as individuals. Changes that can only happen when you let go and allow yourself to grow.

But change can be scary.

The hardest part of this move is the family and dear friends we will miss here in the Northeast. It's a huge sacrifice and one that has kept us from making this decision for three years...maybe more. We are grateful for the family we will have in our new home state, my brother, my sister-in-law (who I've known since I was a baby) and my nephews who are all very excited about our move to their neighborhood. If it's any consolation to the family and friends here, the missing will be just as strong from our end of the country...I promise you that. If we didn't feel like we were truly being led by God to make this move, we would never do it. I never thought that I would live in the west, much less in the desert! But then, I never knew I was going to adopt two children either! God's plans for us always out-do our own. You know the saying: "If you ever want to hear God laugh...tell Him your plans!"

My blog will eventually take on a new look as well, reflecting our new home. I will try to add some video links so the family can see our little angels in action. Right now they're just having fun running around all the boxes in our house. I worry for them and their new life out in Arizona, but I know that God holds us all in the palm of His hand.

I will always be grateful for our time in Pennsylvania. We went through a heck of a lot here, right from the very beginning. But we have beautiful memories that I will cherish forever. The theme of our life here in Pennsy seemed to be about 'big' change. Some changes were very hard...excruciating even...some changes were the most joyful ones we've ever experienced. Life here has certainly not been dull...that much is very true!

So now we say, "So long, Pennsylvania...thanks for the beautiful memories!"

To our family and friends: We love you and we'll miss you. Keep us in your prayers; we'll keep you in ours. Thank God we live in an age where the internet, telephone and digital camera can shrink our world! Let's use all of that to keep up-to-date with each other's lives and kids.

Love and Peace to all,

- The Mamasaurus

"Mommy, I can't move..."

Aaah, winter. The bulky, big, can't scratch-my-nose-'cause-my-arms-are-stuffed-into-sheep's-wool clothing season. Is there anything worse than bundling up your baby in all their winter gear (even if it is girly and pretty), putting them into the car to be further restrained by the five-point harness and then listening to them cry all the way to the store because they can't reach the toys hanging in front of them in their car seat? Is there any wonder that my little girl HATES the car right now?

I would too, if I were her.

Everything is big in the winter. Big boots, hats, mittens, scarves...then we become big after putting it all on. It takes 'big' time to take it all off, too. Big heating costs, the biggest colds/flu occur around this time of the year and for me, my bum is the biggest in winter due to the recent holidays and lack of outdoor exercise.

It occurred to me the other day as I was shopping with my children at the local supermarket how much longer it takes me to shop in the winter as opposed to the summer. During the summer, I'm in and I'm out. No one to bundle up and no snow or ice to manuever around. This makes for a more pleasant time in the store because my children are in a much better mood when we get there.

Let me explain.

You see, I usually have a half-hour window with my kids. After about a half hour, the supermarket is no longer 'super' to my children and they want OUT. I try to bring things to keep them busy, but nothing can deter an 18 month old and a 10 month old from expressing their displeasure at being bound in their stroller and forced to wade down aisles upon aisles of boxes and bags and things they can't touch. By the time we get to the check-out, my little angels have undergone a metamorphasis and have now become little banshees. People, (without children) look at me like, "Are you going to just let them scream?", while some Moms look at me like, "I know, mine were doing that just five minutes ago...I feel your pain..." and some others look like they're rushing to get their stuff purchased, packed and out of the store before my children spread their 'bansheeness' to theirs.

Then there's the dreaded 'redressing'. You have to stop before you leave the store to put all winter-wear back on. Hats, gloves and bulky coats go on with much difficulty due to arching backs, flailing hands and kicking feet. It's like trying to catch a fish out of water. You begin to breathe heavy and sweat from the extra exertion and the inability to express your loss of patience by screaming your own head off and pounding it against the coinstar machine (which would be rather inappropriate behavior to indulge in). In your haste your hands start to move rather jerkily and you zipper your son's jacket up past where he's comfortable. Now you've done it. You try to correct your mistake but the zipper is now stuck. Desperate now, you try to force the zipper down while mumbling a few choice words that would make a sailor blush and you hope your child doesn't repeat. You manage to move it down a bit, but it doesn't matter. Your son's highly insulted now. You brace yourself for the audible onslaught as his mouth drops open and you wait while he sucks in enough air to scream from now until Christmas. You abandon trying to calm him down and begin to zip up your little girl who is now reaching pitches only dogs can hear. You almost have her completely zippered up when you realize that your little boy is STILL sucking in air and when THAT scream starts it's going to be at a decible unknown to man.

His scream is released while you are leaving and has a siren-like affect as the crowd of people leaving the supermarket part and pull their carts over so you can pass.

You shove the groceries into the car (not knowing why you bothered making sure the bread was separate since you've no idea where the bread is now), shivering the whole while because in your haste you forgot to put your own coat on. You stuff the kids into their seats (which becomes another monumental feat due to the afore-mentioned arching backs, flailing hands, kicking feet etc...), clip their seatbelts on, belt yourself in and peel out for home.

As I pull into the driveway I realize that the screaming stopped five minutes ago. I look in my kid-view mirror and see that they're both asleep.

Then, I sneeze.

I think to myself as my children wake-up and start screaming again, that somebody somewhere has to start a chain of drive-thru supermarkets. Drive-up, order your stuff, pay for it and two young kids come out and place it in your car. No screaming, no coats on - coats off, no kicking feet and flailing hands. Just pay, get 'n' go. I'm sure there would be a Nobel Peace Prize for the person that comes up with it.

I sigh.

That person would be my hero.

- The Mamasaurus

Throwasaurus

WARNING! A LETHAL CHARMER!!

Throwasaurus is a highly intelligent creature. He uses squinty-eyed half smiles (that are way too adorable to be resisted), serious pouty looks (like the one in the photo above), and the double knee, looking-up-at-you-with-my-cute-face hug.

But Beware!! Throwasaurus throws everything. Toys, books, bottles, cups, sister's shoes, diapers (yes, sometimes used ones if you don't catch him in time on the changing table), car keys and Mommy's cell phone into the toilet...no, he didn't succeed, but he got it on the rim. Why does he throw? Well, he got the idea from a beach ball. One of our neighbors gave him a beach ball globe and we taught Throwasaurus how to throw it. We were elated as our eager little learner began to toss it out of his play pen and giggled as we tossed it back, only to have him toss it out again for another pass back. Well, you can figure out the rest, I guess. He started to throw everything. We tried to ignore it hoping he'd stop if we didn't pass things back to him. Wrong! He discovered it was much more fun to let things hit the floor and make that loud CRASH sound. 

We are currently looking to curb Throwasaurus' throwing habit. It's tough though, because he loves the sound things make as they crash to the floor. I think he also likes the way sister and Mommy jump when he succeeds. He's getting it, though. Now he takes the object he wishes to launch, squats down and bangs it on the floor.

Ah, well. Half-way is better than nothing.

- The Mamasaurus

Clingasaurus

WARNING! SHAMELESS FLIRT!!

Clingasaurus is a sly creature. She gives the outward appearance that she is timid and shy all while wrapping you around her dainty little finger. She can give lethal smiles that melt the observer into a pool of goo (observe photo above), stares you down with her soulful eyes all while touching your face gently with her little hands as if she's trying to memorize it (she isn't, it's just another one of her wiles...) and has the eye sight of an eagle to spot bling-bling from a distance of twenty feet and upon getting the bling-bling in her fist will not let go until the owner gives it up or becomes choked (since chains and pendants seem to be her favorite).

Clingasaurus is so named for her need to cling to her Mommy all day long. Her number one goal in life is to become surgically attached to Mommy's hip. Until she achieves her goal however, she will get what she wants by any means necessary. Clingasaurus has sobbed for Mommy (while Mommy is within five feet of her) because she was being held by someone other than Mommy, quivered her chin (which got an immediate reaction) and has even resorted to telling Mommy off in her baby language, "Eh, eh-ma gaa baa! Eh gaa baa daa baa GAA! BAA GAA!!". Which, loosely translated means, "I want my Mommy! Get me outta this stinkin' chair NOW! RIGHT NOW!"

We are trying to ease Clingsaurus out of her clinginess. This of course, is not something Clingsaurus is happy about. But we're making strides. The other day Clingasaurus was heard yelling to her brother, "Eh, Brah-brah baa daa GAA!", while holding out her little arms to him.

Apparently her brother has lost his ability to speak baby since he started walking. I'm sure if he understood Clingasaurus he would've taken exception to the fact that she demanded he pick her up out of the exersaucer and play with her.

Ah, well. At least she wasn't yelling at Mommy.

- The Mamasaurus