Some Pics From The Park

So, Josh stayed home and telecommuted today, and Yorick actually took an early nap (11:30am!!), so when he got up, I decided to take them on a walk to the park that is a few blocks away. This never ever seems as far as it ends up feeling!

He pointed out all the colors he saw along the way, and even started yelling "OCKA-GON! OCKA-GON!" and when I looked to see what he was pointing at... it was a window... in the shape of an octagon. Sometimes he surprises the hell out of me.

So me and the boys hung out at the park today, here's the photo essay:

 

  

He was so proud that he balanced this ball on the see saw.

  

And then he watched with dismay as it rolled off, he had hoped it would stay.

  

  

He's naming the colors of the climbing pegs as he goes up, lol.

Never wants to be left behind...

I kept making him run back and fetch his hat.

Phin feeling ambitious.

Mmmm, bowl of wood chips.

He ended up with the hat for awhile.

  

Looking bored as per his usual... the swings just aren't the stuff.

Yorick looking amused as per his usual.

  

  

I always earn myself a flower somehow.

Imaginary boo-boo, we're too much alike, it's so scary.

Phin making a break for it, while I was occupied with Yorick's hypochondria.

And then he got distracted by dandelions. I mean... who doesn't?

This park can be sooo pretty for pictures.

My little sandeater.

So, I figured out the best way home without a tantrum (Yorick would never ever want to leave) and yes, I played into his hypochondria, I'm a terrible parent. He skinned his knee, and knowing his love for bandaids, I told him we needed to get him immediately to bandage that up. Omg, he totally hopped in the stroller, ready to hit the Bactine.

 

And my favorite picture...

Phin demonstrating how we'll kill the shark.

Day Out

It was cooler today and I was SICK OF THE HOUSE. So, at 10am we packed the boys up and our intention was to just go to the park and come back. We ended up at Lincoln Glen park in Willow Glen and I'm hesitant to rave out about this park, because I don't want it overrun!! LOL

We didn't play in the playground part today, we just played with the water feature. Yorick, of course, dove right in. There weren't any big kids hogging the water feature today, so it was AWESOME.

Phin was a little hesitant as per his usual, and since he had just woke up, he clung to daddy for a bit.

 

Seeing all the crazy fun his brother was having

encouraged him a little...

 

  

still warming to the idea...

 

and then there were girls...

I swear, I've been bitching and moaning about this photo all day... Yorick went in to hug Phin and I prematurely shot off and he hugged his brother while my camera was "thinking about" that last photo and I missed it entirely and, sure enough, there was no way Yorick was hugging his brother again.

 

Daddy had to constantly block Phin's escape...

 

Yes, ladies, that's Josh's new Billy Mays' beard. RIP Billy.

And then, of course, Daddy couldn't stand it any longer and he had to jump into the fun.

 

 

  

Some other interesting/cute shots I got:

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

So after that, the kids were tuckered out and actually were a little cold, also Phin slipped and hit his head on the concrete, he was fine, but the party was definitely over. We got in the car and I realized we were going home and I realized I was up for an adventure (after all, I had pigtails in today, dammit) and it seemed Josh was up for one and he said, "Where to?" and I said the first thing that came to mind, since i still hadn't seen it, and said, "Berkeley."

So... off to Berkeley then. We ate lunch at the most bizarre, unwelcoming Jack in the Box in the world. It had two booths, several high bar tables, 3 two person tables, so... right off the bat, not exactly family friendly. One of the booths was a handicap booth, which is the one we had to sit in because some guy was sitting in the only other regular booth with his newspaper spread all out. So we wheeled the boys up in high chairs to the other side of us (since it was a handicap booth, there was only one side with a bench). Nobody takes your order, it's an automated kiosk that takes it and it was the approximately the same temperature as Alaska in February. It was horrendous. Next time, we'll be more adventurous and pick a mom and pop stop.

We discovered our path to the university was blocked off by a massive Farmers Market which Josh deftly avoided by distracting me with pretty houses (I think he was afraid he would take it in the pocketbook if he let me out of the car at a Farmer's Market, and he was right, I was itching to get out). So we drove around the hills surrounding the University and happened upon this RAD park. So we got out to play. 

First of all... it's a three story park... the parking lot level has an enclosed toddler area with all kinds of sand toys, a small playscape, some kiddo swings, and a train to play on. Then you go down the hill to the lower level, where there's a big kid playset with a hot to trot slide and a sand pit. And then the lowest level there are bathrooms and a sports field.

And the view... was amazing, this is from the toddler tier, the top level, from the top of their playscape:

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

This never happened to Fred Flintstone...

 

  

  

  

And oh yeah, ladies, he's allll mine...

 

 And.... that was our day. Phew.

Thanks for looking!

 

 

So. Hot.

It's so hot, it's not "SoCal" hot, but it's still "97 degrees living upstairs with no air conditioning" hot. We even decided it was way too hot to go to the park. Our freezer is super lame, so it doesn't make ice very fast and all of the popsicles are mushy. Speaking of popsicles, I made the living room a cave and gave the kids popsicles in the dark today, lol... so last time my pic was of Yorick, so today, it's of Phin.

It was his first time getting a whole popsicle to himself, he was super happy about it. (Not "Yorick" happy, but "Understated Phin" happy.)

Not Model Behavior

So, you ever get a kit that you just need to set up a photo op for?

Well this morning I wanted to scrap a picture of how toothbrush obsessed these two boys are... but... I had no pictures of them being said obsessed.

So I take them in the bathroom, Phin crawls on top of the toilet and stands up on the toilet lid, ready to go, but Yorick was being uncooperative, so while I'm getting the flash and toothbrushes ready, I put him up on the toilet, too...

What does he do? He immediately pushes Phin off the toilet, where he faceplants on the linoleum and immediately starts howling. I call for Josh to help wrangle the kids because at this point, even though I've jammed toothbrushes in their mouths, they've oddly decided that this isn't fun anymore, mommy is acting like a crazy person and they want to neither stand anywhere near each other, but Yorick is so mad, he's now refusing to face the camera and he's shrieking NO NO NO NO NO, all the while, Josh is sitting on the toilet trying to get the kids to just stand together for a sec with their toothbrushes.

No, not happening, so I've got Phin crying because his face hurts, and Yorick screaming NO NO NO NO and trying to scramble into the bathtub and refuses to even hold the toothbrush at this point and I say Fuck It, and just take a damn picture while at lease ONE of them is holding the toothbrush...

and

and

and

this is what I got:



He looks like an abused orphan.

I Wuh You... Too.

So, today, Josh stayed home because I had a playdate with the boys at Fremont Park. Phin fell asleep for the playdate, so I left him home with Daddy and me and Yorick went to the park ourselves.

The parking was atrocious, I don't know if they were hosting free bingo at the Senior Center next to the park, or what, but I had to drive around the block a few times just to find some street parking. Yorick is always so hyped up to see "FRENNNNNNNS" all the way there, and then we get there, and he really doesn't play with the other kids. This bothers me so much, he has a brother, he should be used to playing with other kids by now. All he likes to do is take their toys and hoard them.

M was there with her two kids, T, who is about 6 months older than Yorick and J, who is about 3 or 4 months younger than Phin. T and Yorick ended up fighting over a plane and helicopter that was another kids' altogether. This was the same park that Yorick coveted a Thomas the Train spoon that was being used to feed an infant and he had to be carried kicking and screaming to the car because he couldn't have it, so, already, I have bad feeling about Fremont "Free Bingo" Park.

We went and got his Lightning McQueen ball, which I thought would chill him out, but he latched on to two tiny balls, a soccer ball and a football, and he hid up in the playscape with them when he saw N (the balls' mommy) looking for them. He apparently told her "NO" and played keep away when she requested he return them so she could leave. She actually sent me after the balls and, while I took the McQueen ball to compensate, a shrieking fit definitely occurred. So, I told him we were going to pack up and leave, after we had been there for about an hour and fifteen minutes, which seems to be my limit, we always seem to start to leave right at the 75 minute mark, ha. He wanted to go on the swing, so I relented and let him swing, but I made him go too high and he wanted "DOWN" pretty quick.

Leaving was... spectacular. I had everything packed up, gave him something to do ("can you push/carry/kick/throw your dirt truck allllll the way to the car??"), promised him Da-Da and a sandwich if he'd just get in the car, but no... meltdown-o-rama ensued. What the hell must these other mothers think of me?? Their kids certainly don't do this... and 8 times out of 10 playdates, I have to carry a shrieking, kicking Yorick all the way to the car. It's completely humiliating.

We got to the car, he wanted to play with the steering wheel, I let him while I packed up the trunk, and apparently we were friends again over this. He even hopped into his carseat and let me strap him in for it and LO AND BEHOLD, I EVEN GOT THE HOLY FRICKIN GRAIL...

I said, "Kiss?"
And he KISSED me!!! I couldn't believe it!! Those are rarities in this house. Usually, I get, "NOOOOO" and the avoiding head twist.

His nap was oddly short after we got home.

Putting him to bed tonight during me and Josh's nightly NYE-NYE Waltz was actually sweet. He requested a baba refill and I said, "What do you say?"

And he replied with, "I wuh you...

too."

**thud**

Some Days Suck

Okay, so I know I should be happy that Y's so independent, but it never works out well when I'm trying to get him to nap... and not wake up his brother with his vehement (re: shrieking) refusals to stay in his room. It's really frustrating, all I get are two crying children when this happens and no break.

No. Break.

Motherhood is sometimes such teh suck.

Random pic from today:

We're Back!

So... I have a new site, dedicated mainly to the troublemakers.

I'll be back in a couple of hours with some updated pics of said troublemakers.
Phin is a big big boy now!