FFF- Serious or Silly

These pictures were taken last weekend at GAFE. They were shot within seconds of each other as Rudy goofed around at the table.

When I Was a Baby

While walking around Manhatten this weekend, Rudy began telling us stories about when he was a baby. It started because Paul said "stupid". Rudy corrected him, then said "When I was a baby, I said stupid." And from there he told us all these other things he did when he was a baby...

....I climbed up the building, up the truck, over the tree.

.... I peed and pooped in my pants.

.... I climbed everywhere I shouldn't.





For some reason this weekend he was also very much into being Superman and talking about him. He got very upset when we wouldn't buy hima Superman book this weekend but it was much too advanced for him. We don't know where the Superman information came from, since we've never shown him anything with Superman. Some things he told us about Superman..

Some Superman have noses and some don't.

Does Superman have a butt?

Some Superman fly and some don't.

As you can see, he's still on the very black and white ideas - things can or can't - no inbetween.

Rudyisms

Rudy, Paul, my dad and I were out together and Rudy wanted us to sit on a bench. We all sat together on the bench and Rudy said "We're all together. Like a family!" Wonder what he thought we were?!



While in a hotel for a few nights, Rudy woke up in the middle of the night crying "I don't want to sleep in the hotel!"



Paul recently told Rudy he couldn't do something because he was old. A short time later, while visiting at a friend's house, Paul said something to Rudy and Rudy replied "Yes, because Poppy's old."



Paul and Rudy were playing and Rudy wanted Paul to pretend to be the Mommy. Then he looked at Paul and said "you have a moustache, you have to be the Poppy".

An Interview

Found this in my drafts from several months ago so I thought I'd finally post it.

Deb at Life with Little Bug sent me an interview.
Here is how it works:
1. If you want to participate, leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.” (And your e-mail address)
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

1.What did you do today that made you happy? Taught school. It's so much fine to see the children at school start to really get something (right now it's identifying and spelling their names).
2. Which would you rather do- swim with the dolphins or walk with the tigers, and why? I would love to swim with the dolphins because I imagine it would be very peaceful.
3. What time do you get up in the morning? I try to get up by 5:45am during the week so I have time to exercise and then go on the computer or read the paper a little before Rudy gets up.
4. What can't you live without? Books and a computer.
5. What is your favorite time of the year and why? I love the summer and cannot wait for it to get warm enough to be able to sit on the beach and walk on the oardwalk.

Another Guatemalan Weekend

This weekend we headed to the Guatemalan Family Event in Parsippany, NJ. On our way there on Friday, we decided to stop here at Insectropolis - essentially a bug museum. Rudy had a blast. There were bug displays, live bugs and computer games with bugs.



We even got to touch bugs.
A Moroccan Hissing Cockroach...

A millipede (felt like a vacuum hose)...

A scorpion...
(Did you know scorpions glow under a black light - so if you're ever someplace that has scorpions, just bring a black light flashlight and you can see them!)

And a tarantula...

Rudy was very brave and touched all of them. The same cannot be said for all members of our family (but I won't be the person to out anyone!).

On the way in, I noticed this sign and had to take a picture when we left. You notice at the bottom it says Insectropolis. At the top it says Termite and Pest Control. The two companies seem to work together - the bug museum is right behind the pest control shop AND when you pay admission, you get a credit towards and pest control. Paul thinks that's how they collect their bugs for the museum.

After leaving there we headed to our hotel, the castle, as Rudy called it. We had plans to go visit my cousin and his family but we had time to kill so we took a walk around the pond behind the hotel. Rudy, being a boy, took the walk as a chance to find sticks to carry around, feathers to pick up and birds and bunnies to chase.

Of course, I forgot to take any pictures while at my cousins but we had a great visit with them. Then headed back to the hotel for the start of the weekend's festivities. The first event: Movie Night. Rudy and I went to Shrek and Paul saw a documentary about Guatemala. Then we headed off to bed (very late, especially for a little boy who has a hard time going to sleep when there is anything else going on in the room - like Mommy and Poppy NOT going to bed).

In the morning we had the opportunity to go to seminars and workshops. There were also activities for the kids - arts and crafts projects, and music. Rudy really enjoyed playing the instruments - maracas, a turtle shell, and the marimba especially. But since he wasn't into having his picture taken, we don't have any pictures of him actually doing those things.

After a full day, which included a long swim and a long nap, we went to the banquet dinner. There was music, food and fun. Rudy had fun running around the dance floor when it wasn't very busy...

... and even joined in a kids conga line. He was very tired and we didn't stay very late but we met some new and old friends.

One of the friends we got to meet was Damaris and her family. Damaris was a great help to us in getting information about Rudy's case. Her daughter came home less than a year ago and we were able to meet Nidia when we picked Rudy up. Tonight, we finally got to meet Damaris and her husband Eddie and their kids. Here is me, Rudy, Damaris and Nidia. Again, it is so nice to finally meet someone I have been 'talking' to for years.

Sunday morning we got up VERY early to head into NYC. We rode a double decker train and Rudy loved being up high looking at everything and also pretending to be the 'engineer' and taking and giving out tickets while we were on the train.

As usual, when Paul and I go to New York, we ended up doing a lot of walking which is considerably slower when walking with a 3 1/2 year old. We visited some friends of Paul's in the east Village and went to the playground. Of course, once at the playground, I only got pictures of Rudy.

FFF- Mr. Independent

The other day I told Rudy to go upstairs and get dressed. He has a hard time opening his drawer with his shirts, so I had already opened that. He came downstairs to me, completely naked, with two shirts in his hand. I then told him he had to go upstairs and get a pants because he couldn't just wear two shirts. He then came down with this outfit. He insisted it was what he wanted to wear and since it wasn't too hot that day, and it didn't clash, I just let him wear it. He then also insisted on wearing sandals, which definitely completed the look! And the shoes on the wrong feet just add to the independence- he doesn't care that they are on the wrong feet and it is a big battle to get him to change them - so he left them like that. If he's not uncomfortable than so be it.

Future Athlete

One of the activities Rudy does this summer is attend a sports class. It is specifically geared for children 2-5 years old and is an introduction to sports and is very basic. The last two weeks we played kickball and baseball.

Running the bases - there is a lot of running involved during this class. I keep waiting for Rudy to nap after class.

Swinging and it's outta here!

Running laps

Kickball action shot

Beach Day Number 4

The fact that we have been to the beach 4 times so far this summer is a record for Paul and I. We just never seem to get to the beach during the summer.
Yesterday we met Vincie, Andy and the boys at the beach for the day. It was a grey, cloudy day but the kids had a blast.

This was about as far as anyone got in the water because it was icy.

Noah having a blast.
This is what happens when you try to get a 5 year old and 2 3 year olds to look at the camera at thew same time.
Where's Rudy?
The boys were saving the little mussels that came floating in with the tide. They would scoop them up and throw them back into the water.

FFF- Action and Close Ups

I chose two pictures from when we were at the playground recently. The title says it all.

Outnumbered

Max and Lucy arrived Friday afternoon with Chris and Patti. Grandpa came over and we all had lunch and hung out for a while. Then they all left and I was alone with three kids for a while. It was not as bad as I thought it might be. And it definitely had its good points, like not hearing "You play with me, Mommy?" every five minutes.

Paul came home and we fixed dinner and decided our best defense was going to be to tire the kids out. So we loaded the bikes in the van and went to the bike path. First, we stopped for water ice - give them enough energy to ride bikes and enough time to get all that sugar out of their systems before bed. :)





We went the whole length of the path and back. I don't know how far it is, but I'd guess at least a mile to a mile and a half total. The very short car ride back to the house was silent.

Lucy yelling up to me that she wants the camera.





We got home, did baths and bedtime and everyone was asleep 15 minutes after they'd been put to bed. A successful night!

This morning Max was the first one up at about 6:15 - late for him, Rudy stumbled down around 6:45, Paul at 7:00 and the Goose was the late sleeper - it was almost 7:35 before we heard from her. The boys had fun playing 'school' which involved carrying a lot of books around in backpacks and lying in Max's bed reading books and playing his Leapster. (Sorry the shots are so dark- the flash on my camera is broken.)





We got ready to go to Philly to ride the Duck Boats - a late Father's Day present for Dad. We drove part way, got on the train, Bill and Renee got on a few stations later and we headed into Philly. At this point, we were finally no longer outnumbered, which is good when you have a squirmy Lucy who is only content to be with someone for a few minutes before she wants to move on.

The Duck Boat ride was fun. It's a street vehicle that then becomes a boat (I'm sure one of my brothers or my husband will leave a comment correcting me on the proper way to describe it). So we rode through historical Philadelphia and then rode on the Delaware River. We even got "quackers" to use and make fun duck sounds. By the end of the ride, even Lucy knew how to make noise (have fun, Chris and Patti!).

A windy ride for Lucy, Renee and Dad

Max and Bill - Max was the only kid to stay in the same seat the whole ride.

Paul and Lucy

Me and Rudy

Dad and Lucy

Me, Lucy, Renee and Dad

Paul, Rudy, Max, and Bill

After a long trip home, during which, eventually, every family member under the age of six took a nap, we quickly cooked dinner and then tried to tire out the troops one more time,this time with a trip to the playground. We had the entire playground to ourselves and the boys had a lot of fun climbing high while Lucy enjoyed trying the swings and the slides(and wanted nothing to do with the playground that was more her size so Paul and I were running back and forth watching the boys and making sure one of us was at the top with her and one was ready to catch her as she went down the slide).

The boys both climbing up.




Max attempting the rock wall.
He made it to the top!




Another successful night of bedtime routines, this time with just one time out of bed for the boys. I found both of them standing together in the hall and when I asked why they were there, Max fumbled and came up with "I can't fall asleep (5 minutes after being in bed)" and Rudy just said "Ummmm" as he tried to think up a good excuse. Pretty comical, although I think in a few years we're in trouble if they and Lucy start working together to come up with answers and excuses.

Altogether it was a fun weekend, and nowhere near as exhausting as I thought it would be. The boys played together the best they ever have. I guess because they're both getting older. And their squabbles were minor and usually when they were tired or cranky.

FFF- Chuck E. Cheese

An odd favorite photo this week but we have this hanging on our refrigerator and I just love it. A few weeks ago, Rudy went to a birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. It was our first visit there and they had a machine that takes your picture. Rudy actually sat and posed and even smiled for the picture that then comes out as a drawing. It's currently one of my favorite pictures of him.

An Adventure

Today Rudy and I went on an adventure. We took his bike to the bike path and little did I know all that awaited us there. The first thing we encountered was a fork in the road. When we came to it, we had to stop and listen. We heard bears down one path so we knew we had to take the other path. We continued on and encountered a big hill we had to go down. Rudy had to get off his bike to check it out before deciding we could brave it, but only if I held onto the handlebars as he rode. After the big hill, there were several little hills that were hard for my old eyes to see but Rudy saw them coming and would get off his bike to walk it up the hill.

The next fork in the road - a 3 way fork - we heard bears and bats so we knew our mission was to continue on the straight path so as not to encounter either of those animals. Shortly we heard a rustling in the woods. Rudy said it was Swiper and for the rest of our journey we had to avoid Swiper, run away from Swiper, or stop and tell Swiper "No, Swiper, No".

It very quickly became less of a bike ride and more of a get off the bike every few feet to have another adventure. Swiper the fox was shot at (against Mommy's wishes), put in a cage on the back of Rudy's bike, and did manage to steal a few things from us - Rudy's bike and my watch, which we were able to retrieve. At one point Rudy was even Swiper and I was the "Mommy Swiper".

By the end of the walk (notice I don't call it a bike ride anymore), this was what I saw. Can you tell what's missing? Yes, the bike that I then had to pull the rest of the way back. The hard part was he didn't say he was too tired or didn't want to, because I probably would've pushed him harder to continue to ride it. He was just so involved with his games, that the bike became inconsequential and it started to slow us down as he got on and off it.

Our walk was a lot of fun and Rudy has such a great imagination!