Easter Weekend

Like most other weekends in our life, Easter weekend proved to be no different in terms of how busy it was! We certainly kept ourselves in the spirit of things by going to church for the Holy Unction service on Wednesday night, then to Lisa's (pictures posted previously) on Thursday for her Easter party, on Friday the girls dyed eggs, Saturday was a double whammy with rugby and the Egg Drop, and of course, the finale on Sunday complete with church service in the morning and then two celebrations that day. Whew...I'm tired just reliving it through pictures!



Sophia and Shelby had a great time with the eggs on Friday. Sophia was fairly careless while she just wanted to drop as many eggs in as many colors as quickly as possible. Shelby enjoyed making her eggs a medley of colors and patterns. All the eggs turned out great!

On Saturday we attended an Easter Egg Drop where the Big Bunny himself dropped thousands of eggs from a helicopter hovering above the field. It was actually pretty cute, but me being me, we were late. Sooooo, Sophia didn't actually get any eggs. :( We were running for it but just didn't make it. Luckily two things happened; 1. she didn't really get it and 2. a nice girl gave Sophia two of her eggs. Plus, there was an extra roll of smarties tucked under her Easter Grass from Lisa's party so she just thought the bunny brought those too!

Sophia was so excited to get to hug the big Easter Bunny. He told her to have a good Easter and she just looked at me wide-eyed and said, "He TALKS!?!"

They even had inflatable bounce houses and slides for the kids to play on at no charge at all! So fun! They were a big hit!

We left there and headed straight for Charlie's rugby match. This season has been a bit tough on him as he's missed a few games and practices due to vacations, work trips, and sickness, so I really wanted to make it a priority to get out there and see him in action! Sadly, they lost the game in the last few minutes but it was exciting to watch for sure!

This is how Leo feels about rugby...thank goodness! ;)

Charlie in action!

Sorry to whoever's head I cut off!

(Charlie #16 is on far right next to referee)

Sophia was enjoying playing rugby on the sidelines

Daddy even taught her the finer points of tackling! Gee, thanks, Daddy!


Easter morning...

Sophia was eager to find both her and Leo's baskets that the Easter bunny hid in the house. They both came out with nice treats. Sophia's included some books, candy filled eggs, a sucker, a new water bottle and some Care Bears stamps. Leo's had a bib, some baby toys and books, and squash.

Our first stop was Sue's for a fun filled afternoon of eating, egg hunting and an egg toss game. Sophia and her cousins had a blast with each of those activities. We also celebrated Anne's and Molly's birthdays.

fun with Papa Leo

on a mission!

All the Hirner siblings (plus Angie!) with Grandma B

from left: Cathy, Jim, Charlie, Leo John

Anne, Grandma B., Chris and Angie

Nick, Dianne and Leo

Just as we were on our way to my mom's for more food, fun, and family...it got interesting. Sophia managed to lock herself in the car and then fell asleep. Yes, friends, it took us over and hour, with much bickering and "language" to get the door open and be on our way. At least the air conditioning was on and she got her nap in...:)

everyone pitched in to save the day, but in the end we went home and got the extra set of keys.




Once at mom's I drank some wine and ate some snacks to ease my frustration and moved on to enjoy a fantastic dinner of lamb and potatoes cooked by Mom.

Aunt Bess with Leo, Shelby, Sophia, and Zoe

Rachel and Sophia attack the bubbles!

Cody arrived late but still got some snuggles in!

Besides being totally stuffed, we had a nice holiday that was filled with all the family. As much as I sometimes stress about all the commuting and hoards of cooking and schlepping that is done, I do appreciate being so near all our family and getting to spend so much time with everyone.

The fun didn't stop there though, as Leo's baptism was only one week later, we had much more planning and organizing yet to do! Those pictures will hopefully be posted soon! I know there were a ton of pics in this post...but there were a ton of activities and people too! :)

So Big!

Today Sophia (and Belinda) started her first day of "school". I have been lazy about getting her enrolled in a Mother's Day out program, but finally got a tour and some paperwork a couple of weeks ago for a program only about 5 minutes from our house (and incidentally in a church right next to ours). Anyway, I was really looking to enroll her for next fall, but just happened to ask if they had any current openings for the remainder of this school year...and they did! Hooray! She is actually in the class above her age group because that was the one that had an opening, but I'm totally fine with that! All her classmates are either 3 or are turning 3 right now, in fact they celebrated some one's birthday today! I probably would have done it even if it was the class under her age, but I'm happy that it's the other way around. I was more nervous than she was. I went into all kind of dramatics (apparently) about her having separation anxiety issues, blah, blah, blah...and there were none. I dropped her off happy as a clam and picked her up happy as a clam. In fact, she was a bit miffed that her day was over, she would have happily stayed longer! It was pretty exciting to pack her lunch and send her off, but if I thought this was hard, I can only imagine what Kindergarten will be like! ;)

PS...I totally forgot to post Easter pics, so I will try and get some of those up as well as pics from Leo's baptism this weekend...stay tuned!

Opening Day

Leo roots, roots, roots for the home team!

Go Royals! Baseball must mean summer is on its way!

(thanks to Kathleen for the festive onesies, which really was a big deal since she's a Cards fan! ;) and Uncle Matt for Leo's first baseball!)

When Parenting Backfires...

Sophia is really just a character. She is very verbal and very "2" and she sure does retain a lot of information! Here is an interaction between us yesterday...

Earlier in the Day:
Sophia: No, no, no!!! Don't help me! Don't touch me! (she hollered)
Me: Sophia please speak to people in a nice voice. You could just say I'd like to do it myself please.

Later in the Day:
It should be noted that at this point it was way past bed time and I had asked for her to hurry it up more than once! My voice started getting a little testy!
Me: So.Phia. Put The Books Away Right Now.
Sophia: she puts the books away nicely and then climbs in bed
Me: I go to hug Sophia and give her a kiss
Sophia: Mommy, you need to talk to me in a nice voice.
Me: Hmmm. Thank you for reminding me Sophia that we all need to use nice voices with each other. You and me and Daddy all should speak nicely.
Sophia: Yes, you and Daddy and me should use a nice voice. And Walter. Should bark. Nicely. Big Grin!



She was quite pleased with herself for including Walter! :)
Also, if I ever raise my voice (which I truly, truly try not to do!!) she will look at me very quizzically and say, "Mommy, don't talk loud." It is both very innocent and very perplexed. It does help me realize, however, that yelling really doesn't solve the problem, because it doesn't make her want to do what I ask any more, it just makes her look confused. She is really too much sometimes!



My other favorite comment occurred this week during a diaper change. She said this to me totally straight faced and totally serious. I had to stifle a laugh on this one for sure!

"Oh, Mommy your hands are cold! (Big Sigh) I should have known. Don't touch me."

Egg-stravaganza!

Okay, he really could not be any cuter!!!

choosing a pot to plant her pink flowers.

Isaac, our gracious host, who, it shall be noted, is not Captain America. I made the egregious mistake of referring to him that way and he promptly corrected me and let me know that this outfit
was his motorcycle jacket! Too funny!

tee ball time!

Put me in, Coach!

Who knew the riding lawn mower would attract such attention! All the kids loved it and took turns riding it (and I'm sure Isaac's daddy wouldn't mind someone else taking over his duties either! ;). During Sophia's turn she kept calling it a tractor and then informed me that she was going to take it to the pharmacy to get some milk. :) I think she confused farm with pharmacy...she recently learned the word pharmacy and because of all our sicknesses we've been visiting it a lot lately, but she was really trying to make the connection!

Pope Sophia?

No, just bunny ears for Easter!

action shot of Isaac and Sophia gathering eggs

mmmm, candy!

we tried to take a good picture, but we were all just too busy wiggling!

Leo's seen enough eggs for one day!

These next pictures were just too cute...I had some pictures of Isaac and Sophia in this very car from when they were both just a few months old. At one point Isaac climbed in with Sophia but we couldn't get him to stay long enough for a photo-op...it was too crowded! I guess 2 years really makes a difference! Here are some current and not so current pics of Sophia...

Lisa and Isaac hosted a totally fab, or should I say, Eggs-cellent Easter Party on Thursday! The kids planted some seeds in little pots to take home, made bunny ears, got lots of outdoor play time, warmed up for the big day with an egg hunt, and ate a wonderfully themed lunch complete with fresh fruit and egg shaped sandwiches!

Sophia is thrilled with her seed pot and is so excited to water it. The first thing she wanted to do this morning was get out there and check it out! We did water it a little, but the rain did a good job of keeping it hydrated! I just hope it grows. I am certainly not known for my green thumb, but to see her so excited makes me want to plant more things with her in the near future! Maybe with Sophia's constant watering reminders I can actually keep something alive!

Leo's Stats

Such an adoring look!
A tickle action photo!
And what am I supposed to do with that?!


Here, Brother...put it in your mouth and drink...I will help you!

chomp chomp!

Things here are a bit hectic! In between Easter and Leo's upcoming Baptism next weekend, we have our hands full around here! This year Greek Easter and Western Easter happen to fall on the same day, and that always makes for a busier time! In some ways it's nice to have them together because it cuts down on the explanations I constantly have to give to people, but it makes it hard to juggle two families, two celebrations, cooking for both sides, church with two busy children (which lasts forever, by the way!) and dying and hunting Easter Eggs...ACK! I personally root for the years when they are separate! ;)

Anyway, I digress...I wanted to post some of Leo's latest info after his 6 month check-up....

Here are the nitty gritties:

• weight 21lbs 8oz = 95th%
• height 29.25" = 100th% (this is just a euphemism for off the chart...I think this is supposed to make it look better!)
• head circ. 17.5" = 70th%

I also asked the doctor about my latest concerns with Leo's possible food allergies. After discussing it yet again (I'm sure he's so annoyed by me but whatever) I feel better about not testing Leo for any allergies just yet. I guess I'm mostly concerned (besides just being neurotic) because he continues to have such yucky eczema that I'm sure is food related, BUT...Dr. G. says that 80% of kids with eczema due to food and other issues are 100% better by 12 months. Plus, he sort of described some of the food related rashes to us, and Leo is NOT that bad, and just by the sounds of it, I'm really happy about it! So, even if Leo falls in that 20% then we can better address it after 12 months. I'm okay with that. He even said to try and reintroduce milk products at about 9 months. So even though I'm really bad at "wait and see" I'm going to try my best!

We also started giving him a sippy cup with water in it, but he has yet to figure that out! This is the same time we gave it to Sophia and I can't recall how long it took her to figure it out, but I'm sure it will be soon. She is really into helping him with this by the way...she is always trying to give it to him and help him drink it. It's pretty darn cute. She also continues to say things like, "Oh he is so big now!" and "Leo you're a big boy who gets a sippy cup now!" He's really into chucking stuff off his high chair right now and that is causing some spills with said sippy, so that's not so fun! That kid can clear his tray in 3 seconds flat! Also, we can no longer leave him alone with food! ;) Charlie set his bowl on the tray and went back to the counter for his bottle and in no more than 10 seconds Leo had picked up his bowl, put it in his mouth and tried to eat the contents! It was truly hilarious to see!

Leo has finally rolled over from tummy to back and I was quite pleased. It was the same day we took them for portraits and he kept wanting to do it over and over again while the photographer was trying to get pics of him on his tummy! He does well with pushing himself up on his arms but doesn't seem too interested in getting his knees under himself quite yet. He is quite a scooter, but also doesn't seem to interested in using rolling as a mode of transportation. We've had a few people tell us their kids used to roll around the house, but so far Leo doesn't and Sophia never did either, so I'm holding out for the crawling!

I still struggle with the napping, but we're working on it. I'm just happy that he goes to sleep at night with little to no fuss each day. That is truly what matters to me and I believe I can deal with the other stuff as long as that stays consistent (and I hope I didn't just jinx myself!).

Happy Half Birthday!

Hello, world...I'm 0!

Right now, all I love to do is sleep and eat!

Hello, world...I'm half a year!

Right now all I love to do is smile and eat!

two cute and drooly brothers

Today is Leo's half birthday. Wow, six whole months have flown by! It seems both possible and impossible! It surely doesn't seem like half a year when I was anxiously awaiting his arrival, welcoming guests at the early morning hour into the hospital room. It surely doesn't seem like half a year ago when Sophia turned 2 and met her brother for the first time...but now, life rolls along with two kids and Sophia and her brother are in love! On the other hand, it seems like this time couldn't have come soon enough with all of his sleep battles, strange and mysterious rashes, and his continuing food issues!

Leo is doing really well with sitting up. Yesterday and today especially have been good days where he has both sat for longer period and when he did topple...there were no tears! Hooray! We seem to have his nighttime sleeping on a fairly routine schedule, although his RSV did throw things off and we're just now seeming to recover completely on the sleep front. His nap times are still a challenge. Well, not so much a challenge for him, but for me. This is the time where I know I need to be home and offering him naps in his crib, but it is so hard. I know it's selfish, but it's hard for me to do it. I'm hoping that he'll become slightly more flexible with this and maybe learn to sleep in the stroller or where ever, but my dreams may be dashed! Although the answer may seem obvious, I am torn between going out to do things for myself (gym, grocery store, errands, etc.), for Sophia (playdates, park, story time, etc.) or coming home for Leo so he can nap in the crib. I know he needs good sleep, and I can be a stickler about bed times and naps, but it's hard to give up so much of the freedom that Sophia and I now have. I am trying to find a happy medium, but it is definitely a transition period for the three of us!

On the subject of the gym however, Leo spent his first moments in the gym day care yesterday! Oh how it was so lovely to enjoy the elliptical once again! Most of you that I speak with regularly know my particular saga with our local community center, but to sum it up for the others...

• I had been putting Leo in his car seat next to me on the treadmill or elliptical and they told me I couldn't. This "rule" was no where in writing and was basically just something they thought was a good idea...long story short, I went to the top of the administrative food chain and voiced my concerns. He and I had some lovely chats and I compromised on some of my issues and regained a working relationship with the community center.

That being said, they were very nice when I dropped him off yesterday, even though it was technically one day early! I seriously expected them to not let me do it, and in fact, I was planning on taking him with me into the track, where he rides in the stroller, but she offered to let him stay. That made me happy. So, the past week I have really tried to dedicate myself to setting up a work out schedule because sadly, I'm still in the big girl pants I was once so happy about! I'm not so happy anymore and am ready to back in my "normal" clothes because besides that initial drop down, I don't think I've lost any weight at all and it's starting to wear on my self esteem. Now that both kids are old enough for the day care, and Leo is on a more consistent waking up and eating schedule, I'm confident I can be more on track. It also helps that Jodie is willing to be my work out partner, we both need motivation, and Isabelle loves going to the day care and can encourage Sophia to go, because Sophia really hates it because I leave her behind. Now that Leo is in there too, I'm hoping it will give her even more motivation to enjoy her time there.

Other than that, Leo seems to be on track for making his milestones as they come. He also continues to be off the charts in both height and weight, but we're rolling with it. He is now in 12-18 months clothing, and although his other clothes do still fit, there is no point in me buying any thing in a size smaller than 12-18 because it most definitely won't last through spring. He has his 6 month check-up on Monday, so I'll be sure to post more on him then.

PS...Happy whole birthday to my dear, dear Jill whose birthday was yesterday, and of course we clinked our ice cream cones in your honor! ;)